Sharper than before.

"But there's somethin' none of them, none of the Radiant cunts, none of the badge-wearing government dogs, could take from me."

He tapped a finger against his temple.

"The Awakened Media Platform."

Maximilian's breathing hitched.

Dante lifted both hands, palms up, theatrical.

"They can restrict my media time. Sure. They can take my books. My weights. My flavor of the month guard, who tells me tales about the delicious barbecue he cooked during the weekend."

He snorted.

"They can stop my family from visitin'. They can cut my commissary. They can starve me of anything fun."

"But they can't control whether I open my media platform and start watchin' content."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he shrugged, "Or maybe they could… but they don't care enough to fuck with me to that degree. I got no clue."

Maximilian stared at him.

Not breathing.

Not blinking.

Dante tilted his head, watching something crumble behind the man's eyes.

And then…

Click.

Something in Maximilian's mind snapped into place.

His face drained of color.

His lips trembled.

"You… you watch…" His voice came out dry, cracked, barely more than a whisper. "You watch Valhalla's Sinners…?"

Dante's smile sharpened.

Slow.

Predatory.

Like a lion recognizing the moment a gazelle finally understands it can't run.

"Oh," Dante murmured. "Now we're speakin' the same language."

Dante's grin widened at Maximilian's dawning horror.

He leaned one shoulder against the wet steel wall, completely relaxed now, as if they were two old friends catching up in a sauna instead of a death-row shower stall where one man was two breaths away from collapsing.

"I spent the first few years in here watchin' the Crimson Dominion," Dante explained casually. "They were my kind of people. Ruthless. Efficient. No bullshit moralizing. Every time they mowed down a boss, every time they outshined those Radiant cucks, I cheered like it was goddamn New Year's."

He chuckled at the memory.

"Good times. Real good. But…"

A long exhale left him.

Heavy.

Tired.

"But after a while, it all started blurin' together. Another monster. Another dungeon. Another war. Sometimes rough, sometimes easy… but always the same damn cycle. Fight, win or lose, loot or run, repeat. You watch blood long enough, it stops excitin' you."

His eyes drifted upward, staring at nothing.

"Then one day, somethin' popped up on my feed. Somethin'… different."

He lowered his gaze.

"You know what it was?"

Maximilian couldn't answer. He couldn't even breathe.

"A young man," Dante said, voice softening like he was recalling a cherished memory. "Surrounded by a bunch of lively young gals. They were havin' a stream. Just sittin' together. Eatin' sushi. Chattin'. Laughin'. No monsters. No levels. No kill-count. No politics. Just…"

He searched for the word.

"…life."

He huffed out a gentle laugh.

"Mind you, this ain't no YouTube. This is the Awakened Media Platform. People go there to watch awakened folks. Warriors. Hunters. Killers. Folks drenched in mana fightin' for survival and greatness. But these kids? They were just bein'… human. It hit me so hard I didn't know what the hell I was feelin'."

His jaw tightened, nostrils flaring.

"I cried tears of joy when that stream ended, Maxie. Real tears. First time in years. Because I knew - I knew - I found 'em. The folks who would make this hellhole bearable."

The giant tapped his chest with two fingers.

"Ever since that day, I watched every stream Valhalla's Sinners ever put out. I cheered like a dumb fangirl when they fought. Laughed my ass off when one of the girls messed with Kaiden. Grinned like a lunatic whenever the boy hit 'em back with a comeback smooth enough to make the ladies blush."

Then, immense warmth spread across Dante's face.

"My daughter… she was driftin' from me. Hurt me too much to talk with her, so I asked her to stop wasting her time sending letters to a dead man."

For the first time, his voice carried a faint ache.

"She's named Aaliyah. Sweet woman. Soft-spoken. Real gentle type."

He smiled, soft and genuine, tender even.

"One day, I thought, 'Fuck it.' I wrote her a letter about the Sinners. About how they kept me sane. How they made my days livable. How they made me laugh again. Hoped she'd give 'em a shot. Hoped she'd get at least one good thing in her life about having been blessed with such a sorry excuse of a father."

Dante suddenly snorted, shaking his head.

"Turns out? She already knew 'em."

He lifted his hand, made a little explosion gesture near his temple, and mouthed:

Boom.

"Instant father–daughter bonding."

"Our letters started comin' fast. Way faster than even right after my incarceration. First, we talked about the Sinners' antics and adventures. Their fights, their jokes, their moments. But little by little… it turned into talk about her college life, her dreams, her life. We rebuilt somethin' I thought we'd lost forever."

His chest rose with a slow breath.

"I ain't one for dramatics, but I am proud to proclaim that Kaiden and his crew saved my damn soul. They opened the door for me to feel human again. For me to be a father again. They dragged me outta the deepest depths of depression I've ever sunk into."

For a second, Dante looked almost peaceful.

Then…

His expression outright snapped, completely altering from one moment to the next as if he was wearing a mask all this time.

Instant violence.

Like a bomb going off behind his eyes.

"So imagine my FUCKIN' SHOCK!" he roared, voice booming in the shower, "when I saw a certain conference held by a fat fucking weasel accusin' the Sinners of all that nonsense!"

"And when I heard what happened to little Nyx… when I realized that poor girl had been deceived and even threatened by such a DISGUSTING FUCKING CREEP!!"

The soap trembled on the floor from the sheer volume of his voice.

"Then imagine my HATRED when I saw Alexandra cryin' her heart out! When the whole truth came out! I thought I'd EXPLODE WITH RAGE!"

His voice cracked into a snarl.

"My nose started bleedin' from how pissed I was."

His fist slammed against the concrete beside Maximilian's head.

"Aaliyah, my little girl… she's timid, soft, scared of big noises. The gentlest of souls on Planet Earth. And Alexandra… that blonde sweetheart reminded me of her so damn much."

Veins bulged at his temples.

"To think she was violated by such vile. Filthy. FUCKING SCUM?!" he thundered, screaming so loud Maximilian's ears popped. "I screamed at the guards to let me out. To let me get to him. I told 'em I'd kill him and walk my ass back in here after. I was even ready to sign my soul away in whatever magical contract they had."

He stepped back one step.

Just one.

But it gave Maximilian the air he needed to gasp like a drowning man.

"That didn't happen," Dante growled.

Then the smile returned.

Slow.

Cold.

Merciless.

"But Kaiden gave me the next best thing."

His fingers curled around Maximilian's chin.

"You."

He leaned in.

"Right here."

He tapped the wall with a knuckle.

"In my territory."

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