High School is Hell

Purgatory

_ _

'My boy, if you are reading this then I have left this world for the next. Do not mourn for me. I've always treated life as an adventure and it wasn't until my later years that I began to realise that this world holds many fascinating things but there are more worlds beyond our own that holds just as many wonders.'

---

The world could be a truly cruel place.

Amidst this cruelty, this bitter darkness that hung over people, there was always people who stuck out like rays of sunshine. They brought happiness and joy to those around them. Beacons of light that guided those lost in the undulating tides of life to safer shores.

These people had the power to guide the world to a brighter future or lead them astray as they warred amongst one another to be the dominant light. Sometimes they would band together and be stronger for it but ultimately, their strength lay in the ideals that they upheld and the people who followed them.

But when one of these lights died, these stars in the endless abyss of space, the world was all the poorer for it.

Virgil De Mont was one such light. He lay in his coffin, looking so peaceful with his arms folded across his chest and in his pristine black suit. The skies themselves wept at his passing, sending a torrent of rain down on the small, sleepy town of Angelton, Maine. Though it was always cloudy around Angelton it didn't rain that often. So whatever gods were watching must've truly considered Virgil to be worthy of their tears.

The graveyard was packed with mourners. Young Dante De Mont looked to his left and right, seeing only a sea of black only occasionally broken by a white rose. He looked at the rose he held in his own hands. A droplet of water landed on a petal and he quickly glanced upwards at the canvas covering the burial site. There wasn't a rip but he did feel the cool breeze brush against his cheek revealing that the droplet had been a tear from him.

His shoulders shuddered as the funeral workers shut the lid for the final time.

"See you in the next life, grandpa," he said softly. He went over to the coffin and placed his rose on the lid before moving on to let the next mourner do the very same. His father could barely do it himself but Shaun De Mont had to say goodbye eventually.

Dante gripped his father's hand as Shaun came up beside him.

"He was the best dad ever," Shaun murmured, wiping his tears. Some of it had started to soak into his thick salt and pepper moustache. It showed just how much Shaun admired his father seeing as Virgil had sported the same kind of moustache through his old age.

"Best grandpa ever..." agreed Dante.

Shaun wrapped his arm around his son. "There will never be another like him."

In turn, Dante wrapped his arm around Shaun's waist, seeking comfort in his only living relative.

*****

Virgil lived alone in a secluded three storey home within the forests of Angelton, far from most convenience stores and civilisation. Despite this, he was fairly well known and often held parties for his friends. His assets, as he often stated, was not in the money he had in the bank but in the friends that he kept. Dante still remembered the many times that his grandpa had invited them over for one of his parties. Virgil rarely prepared much save for entertainment. His guests provided the refreshments. Dante's father would always leave it to the last second and be in a panic about it.

Though the official reading of the will wouldn't be for another few days, Virgil's lawyer, a kind man that had been the aging De Mont's companion through life, had assured both Shaun and Dante that most if not all of the assets would go to them. He had helped write up the will after all.

"The only concern are these mysterious 'cousins' and 'long lost sons' that will pop up claiming for their share," rumbled Russ. The big, burly man didn't look a day over forty-five and had a bodybuilder's physique neatly hidden by his suit and tie. Though today of all days, he let his tie hang loosely and let the top buttons of his shirt unbuttoned. It revealed some of the thick brown hair on his chest.

"You really think there'll be that many?" Shaun asked.

Russ pushed open the door with his big meaty, hairy hands and let the two remaining De Monts through. "Without a doubt. Your father was a very popular and very wealthy man. Regardless of lineage and the written will, people will contest it and make unfounded claims. I'll deal with them, rest assured."

Shaun ran his hand down his face, looking weary and with his features sunken. He hadn't been sleeping very well since he heard of his father's failing health. Even now of all days when he should be as presentable as possible, his black hair was a mess and he had a rough stubble clinging to his square jaw from days of not being bothered to shave. This was on top of his bushy moustache. "God... can't they just let him rest in peace...?"

"They don't care about your father," Russ grunted, venom hanging in his tone. "They just care about his stuff." He placed a hand on the shorter Shaun. "But don't worry. I won't let them lay a finger on it."

Shaun brushed aside the 6'10'' lawyer's hand. "I don't really care about dad's stuff either. I just want his memory to be preserved. If I had the means, I'd love to just keep this place as it is."

His eyes roved the vast atrium filled with artefacts and relics from days when his father had gone on one of his many adventures. Virgil was quite the adventurous sort and had often regaled a younger Shaun of his tales of adventure and wonder. Though Shaun had long since outgrown those stories, he still very much remembered the sense of awe he felt listening to his father's vivid descriptions. Virgil was quite the story teller.

"That can be arranged," Russ responded gently, a smile cracking through his thick, salt and pepper beard. "Your father left all of his money with you. That's quite a sum and we can invest it in preserving his home."

A sense of peace fell upon Shaun at the prospect. "I'd like that."

"We'd just have to fight back the would-be-claimants with a stick first," Russ said with a wink. "But before they do get their grubby hands on everything here, I know there are a few things your father would have wanted to give you and your son. Follow me."

Shaun followed the tall lawyer through his father's home. There wasn't a wall that wasn't adorned by a pedestal with some sort of relic from some ancient civilisation or souvenir from some adventure. There was a whole fall cluttered with black, wooden masks and not far from that was a wooden pole with shrunken heads hanging from it. They had to pass through genuine beaded curtains from some far off land before they could head up the stairs to the second floor.

It was here that Russ led him to the study. The walls were lined with books and the same musty smell of aged tomes brought Shaun back to his years spending summer in this house exploring. He would sit on a small chair in the corner, one of his father's books in his hands and reading through one of the many journals that had been written during this expedition or that trip. He only wished Dante could share in that wonder.

Russ went behind the big, broad desk that had a snarling wolf motif. Shaun always found the desk fascinating in its intricacies. Every corner was a wolf's head, fags bared and ears folded back. Each leg a paw. Shaun ran his hand over one of the wolf heads, fascinated at its realism. When he was younger, he could've sworn the eyes had followed him around the room.

A faint cluttering brought his attention back to Russ who had set a large wooden box on the desk. He unopened it and twisted it around to Shaun. There was another one of his father's diaries inside. It was easily recognisable with the emblem of the 'De Mont' family etched on the front in gold. Though he was sure he hadn't read this one in particular. The black, leather looked new. Within the case were also an assortment of other trinkets. There was a gold ring, a silver pocket watch, a folded piece of black cloth, a blood red belt and a dagger amongst other things.

Shaun picked up the scarf and was surprised that it was a scarf of some sort. "What is this?" Beneath the scarf, he noticed there was a rather vicious looking tooth necklace and a real dagger. As he examined the contents of the box more, his lips twisted upwards as he noted the perfume bottle and the big, black dildo.

"Oh..." he said, coming to a realisation.

"When your mother died, your father continued his adventures but occasionally needed the company of others," Russ said with a shrug. "The journal will explain what each of the trinkets mean and how important they were to your father."

"I couldn't take this..." Shaun said placing the scarf back into the box. His eyes caught sight of something glimmering in the corner of the box. He reached down towards it and pulled out what appeared to be a perfectly cut, spherical piece of glass. "Huh, neat."

"That's a real diamond, you know."

Shaun gave the lawyer a stunned look. "You're shitting me."

"I shit you not," Russ chuckled. "Please, take the box. Read the journal. Your father would want you to."

Shaun placed the diamond back and shut the case. "Alright. I will."

"And this is for your son," Russ said, setting a necklace on top of the box. It looked incredibly expensive with a silvery chain. The charm attached to it was that of a wolf's head made from some sort of sleek, black stone with red veins coursing through it. The veins coalesced perfectly to make the wolf's eyes. There were also a few red beads leading up to the necklace that looked like rubies.

"I'll be sure to give it to him."

******

The rain had yet to subside even as the sun set. Dante looked mournfully out his window as droplets splattered on the clear plane. Memories of the days he spent with his grandfather fishing, hiking in the forest or just lounging about playing videogames plagued his mind. That was the best thing about Virgil. He was young at heart and despite his age, he continued to do things that men half his age would've been afraid to do.

Virgil had married late, only when he was in his forties. His first and only child came when he forty-eight. He stood at his son's wedding twenty five years later. By the time Dante had come around a year later, he was already in his sixties approaching seventy. Eighteen years later, he died with a smile on his face even after his wife had passed on much earlier in his life.

The entire ordeal left Dante wondering about his own death and how much he would accomplish come when he was ready to marry. He remembered the stories from his dad about Virgil. How when he was twelve, Virgil was a high achiever at school and when he was eighteen, he joined the military to fight in some distant war. Though war might make most people sombre, it made Virgil crave adventure and so started his journey across the world.

Dante, already at eighteen and approaching his senior year, didn't have a single award to his name, had no outstanding achievements and no clear path to the future. Compared to his grandfather who seemed to have everything figured out even at a young age, he felt so... weak and miniscule.

His phone rang and he turned away from the small window side bench in his room. His heart still heavy, he headed over to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey man, you okay?"

It was Edward, his best and only friend from school. "I'm getting better."

"Are you going to take tomorrow off school?"

Dante seriously considered it but decided that is not what his grandfather would do. "No. I can deal."

"You sure? I can cover for you in science. I'll bring your homework."

"I'm sure," he responded. "Thanks for the offer though."

"Hey, I know how much your grandpa meant to you. I'm just sorry I never got to meet him."

Dante smiled softly. "You would've liked him. He likes videogames just as much as you do."

Edward chuckled softly. "Okay, sure man."

"He likes anime too. You know he had the whole collection of that weird show you like with all the dudes in skimpy outfits that transform into beasts they summon?"

"Summoner Zero One!? You're shitting me! They stopped selling that years ago! Like before I was born! I only see online vids!"

Dante snickered softly. He never understood Edward or his grandfather's fascination with anime but he guessed everyone had their tastes. Though his grandfather really was a chameleon when it came to people. He would try anything once and chances were, he'd like it.

"Yeah. Maybe Russ will let me have it and I can hand it to you."

"Dude! I'd love that!" Edward's voice lost its enthusiasm. "But are you sure? I mean, it's your grandpa's and..."

"I'm sure," answered Dante softly. "It's what he would want."

Lights danced in front of his window. His dad had returned. "Hey, I gotta go. I'll catch you at school tomorrow."

He hung up and headed out of his room. As his father was going to be out with Russ looking over Virgil's property and assets, dinner was Dante's responsibility. He headed into the kitchen and pulled open the oven. He poked the lasagne with a fork and nodded once he saw that the fork came out cleanly and was quite hot to the touch. Carefully and with oven mitts over his hands, he pulled it out of the oven and set it down on the counter.

His father came through the front door a second later carrying a big, wooden box.

"Hey champ," Shaun greeted. He sniffed the air and grinned though it was clearly weighed down by the recent events. "Smells good."

"The lasagne at the wake wasn't that good so I decided to make my own," Dante said softly and with his own small smile. "Grandpa always said, if you think you can do better -"

"Do it and don't just boast about it," finished Shaun, a proud smile on his features. "Oh hey, Russ said these were for you." He held up the box. "Dad... erm, grandpa meant them for you."

Dante inclined his head as he tore off the mitts and took the box. He set it on the counter and opened it. There was an assortment of items in there as well as a black book. What really caught his eye, however, was the silver necklace with a wolf's head as a pendant. There was something about it that just... called out to him.

He plucked it from the box and held it up to the light. Strangely, though the black stone of the pendant was smooth and should've been reflective, it didn't reflect any light at all.

"Russ said if you wanted to check out what those trinkets are, you check out grandpa's diary."

"It looks new," Dante commented, picking up the diary. "At least compared to the other books grandpa had."

"Must've been from one of his recent adventures or something," Shaun said with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm hungry. How many slices you want?"

They ate dinner with reminiscing about Virgil, often falling into moments of quiet reflection. When dinner was finally done, Dante washed up while Shaun went up to the get ready for whatever host of insanity lie waiting for him with the dawn. Both young men bid each other a good evening and headed to their individual rooms in the all too big, single storey house. With just the two of them, the place was downright cavernous.

Dante took the box from his grandfather into his room and shut the door. He rested his lean, wry frame on the bed, setting the box beside him. He opened it again and eyed the various trinkets. The diamond caught his attention but he remembered the journal and made that his priority. He plucked the black book from where it lay and opened it to the first page.

"My Journey Through Hell," Dante read aloud. "Oh boy, grandpa."

He laughed softly and turned the page. There, to his surprise, was a picture of two men. One looked like a much younger Virgil. There was no mistaking his angular jaw that Dante had inherited but where Virgil was in the prime of his life, looking quite muscular, Dante was far thinner and lanky. Virgil wore a collared shirt that was left unbuttoned and with the sleeves rolled up. This showed off the ample chest hair and arm hair he sported. In comparison, Dante was smooth as a newborn save for his pubes.

Beside Virgil was none other than Russ. The lawyer and Virgil's best friend was as big and buff as ever only now, he just wore what appeared to be a pair of black briefs so that every mountain on his chiselled body was visible. Like Virgil, Russ was much younger and was beaming at the photographer. There was something about his eyes that was a little strange. The irises were a little brighter. And his canines looked particularly sharp but it was hard to tell from the small photo. What did catch Dante's attention, however, was the big tattoo that curled up from Russ' right leg, sweeping up his abdomen and settling just over his left pectoral, probably just over his heart. The dark swirls looked rather mystifying. Dante would never have guessed that beneath the suit and tie that Russ had such a marking.

Dante flipped the page and began to read.

'My boy, if you are reading this then I have left this world for the next. Do not mourn for me. I've always treated life as an adventure and it wasn't until my later years that I began to realise that this world holds many fascinating things but there are more worlds beyond our own that holds just as many wonders.

'This is the story of how I met Russ and indeed how I came upon the trinkets you now see in the box before you. I am not sure if you ever suspected but Russ and I have been more than friends for a long, long time.'

Dante's eyebrows raised and he flipped back to the picture of his grandfather and Russ. They were standing quite close to one another and there was a way that Virgil was standing with his arms crossed that made it look like he was flexing. Russ' arm was also draped over Virgil's shoulder in something that spoke of more than familiarity or friendship.

"Grandpa, you devil," he laughed and turned back to the tale.

'But before I continue my story, you must always remember to keep the box shut. Only take what you need from it when you need it but always shut the box afterwards.'

Dante looked towards the box and gently closed the lid.

'Now onto my story. You see, it began when I was younger, just after my Adelaide had died. I had been to war, I had lived in peace. I had climbed the highest mountain and swam in the darkest depths. My next biggest adventure was raising my son. And yet, my heart still yearned for the adventure of new sights. I knew I could not take my new charge on such dangerous expeditions and I couldn't just leave for that would make me a poor parent.

'I do not know what brought him to me. He called me 'fascinating' and enjoyed the 'conflict' in my heart. Whether or not he was the devil in disguise or some other creature, I do not know. Regardless, this entity called himself 'H2 the Harbinger of Havoc'. He appeared human but he was wrapped in a slew of belts like the mummies of ancient Egypt. He knew what I was thinking before I even thought of it and he gave me the opportunity for an adventure that I would never forget.'

This was starting to sound like a tall tale but Dante always did enjoy tall tales especially when it came from his grandfather. He admitted that he didn't believe half of what Virgil told him and he wondered if this was just one last parting gift, a tale of fantasy and adventure to remember him by. Dante felt a tear well up in the corner of his eye but wiped it clear as he continued to read.

'I never believed in Hell before but H2 took me there. I was surprised when he told me that our world's version of 'Hell' isn't so much a place of eternal damnation but rather a place where like-minded people were free to roam. Hedonists, masochists and those who would enjoy the baser pleasures of life lived in Hell after their life on the mortal realm was over. H2 told me that occasionally there would be people who fell into a grey area that the spiritual judgement system could not truly decipher so he and his kind helped.

'But I digress. Hell is not a world of fire, spikes, blood and eternal suffering. It is a world where people who enjoy that sort of experience go. Their own personal heaven, if you desire. H2 explained that the mortals demonised Hell to encourage people not to be tempted into such a lifestyle. He expressed displeasure in such an orderly world. When I asked him why I would be brought here of all places, he avoided the question and introduced me to my lifelong companion, Cerberus. You know him as Russ."

Dante had to let out a little laugh. Russ was really 'Cerberus'? His grandfather truly had quite the imagination. Though he wondered if there was some sort of lesson in here. Was this trip some sort of analogy.

Then it hit him.

Dante and Virgil.

A trip to hell.

Dante's Inferno.

"Grandpa..." he muttered affectionately.

'H2 gave me a little trinket, a silver pendant that he said would protect me from the demons of hell who would try to tempt me. Russ was one such demon. He did try to seduce me and I admit, I was tempted but at least it was of my own free will. At first, he despised me because H2 bound him to me but as you know, we eventually grew very affectionate for one another. He decided to stay with me even when I left Hell of his own free will.

'But I'm getting ahead of myself again. In the following pages, you will find chapters of my various adventures but to summarise, H2 took me to see what he called the Great Mortal Vices; demons who fed and grew stronger on the vices that they embody. If there is a lesson to be learned from my adventures, it is that too much of a good thing corrupts. Remember that, my boy. Heaven or Hell, without balance you will be consumed either by base passions or passionate bliss. You will be blinded in the darkness or the light either way. A balance between the two and a great sense of will is what will lead you to a truly happy life.'

What came next was a table of contents. Dante inclined his head, expecting to see the classical seven deadly sins for these 'Great Mortal Vices' but instead there were ten chapters in total and an afterword. A few of the classical sins were there. Pride, Jealousy, Sloth, Avarice and Lust. But there was also Despair, Hatred, Anger, Deception and Fear.

His interest was definitely piqued but with school in the morning, Dante decided to leave it there. He put the journal back into the box and placed the same box on his bed side table. Before he shut it, however, that pendant caught his eye again. According to the journal, it protected Virgil from the demons of hell.

Dante smiled slightly and slipped the necklace on before shutting the box.

Maybe it was his grandfather's way of leaving him a sort of good luck charm. At the very least, it made him feel closer to his grandfather.

Dante slipped beneath the sheets. The funeral, wake and the events of the evening had worn on him greatly and he slipped into slumber easily.

The De Mont household was quiet that night save perhaps for the faint shuffling of Dante in his sleep. Normally a still sleeper, Dante tossed and turned throughout the night. Soft moans left his lips as an almost painful erection pushed up against his sky blue pyjamas. Just a mere hour after he slipped into dreamland, he let out a gasp as his hot, teenage spunk poured into his briefs. The eyes of his wolf pendant flashed briefly, satisfied for the moment now that it had its anchor in the boy.

---

Limbo

_ _

'This is the story of how I met Russ and indeed how I came upon the trinkets you now see in the box before you. I am not sure if you ever suspected but Russ and I have been more than friends for a long, long time.'

---

When morning came, Dante felt both well rested and a little restless. He was full of energy despite the maudlin day he had yesterday. He leapt out of his bed with a faint 'hup'. A shiver ran up his spine as his erect cock brushed up against his pyjamas. A glance down at his pants and he was surprised at the morning wood he sported.

Though he was a teenager, one would never call him virile. Masturbation was second nature to him but he only ever indulged in the activity when his father wasn't home. Morning wood was a rare occurrence to him especially one that was so demanding. He grunted softly, his cock begging for release. He had actually started to reach for his crotch when his movements caused the necklace around his neck to jostle slightly. He was reminded of his grandfather and it felt sort of wrong to jack off while wearing the thing and so soon after Virgil's burial.

Deciding to do what he always did with morning wood, Dante plucked a few clothes from his closet and hurried into the shower. The moment the cold waters hit him, his erection died down. He turned up the heat once he was sufficiently soft and used his pent up energy to bathing himself. Five minutes later, he extracted his wry 5'7'' frame out of the shower and dried his short, spikey black hair.

His bright, green eyes were sparkling today, again filled with energy. He felt bad being so full of pep after having just buried his grandfather but he imagined this is what his grandfather would have wanted for him to do; attack life with all he had. And that was just what he was going to do.

Dante headed into the kitchen and quickly cooked up breakfast for himself and his father; some chicken sausages and eggs. His father emerged from his bedroom when he heard the sizzling of the sausages on the pan. He looked terrible, like he had been crying all night.

"Morning dad," Dante greeted. He set the plate in front of his father. Naturally, the eggs and sausage had been arranged into a smiley face.

When Shaun saw it, he cracked a smile. "You're certainly happy today."

"It's what grandpa would've wanted," Dante said with an honest smile.

"Yeah... Yeah, that's true."

They ate breakfast while the morning radio blared about the latest news. The rain had stopped but the weatherman warned that it would continue later on in the afternoon.

"Be sure to bring your umbrella," his father reminded him.

"I will dad." Once breakfast was done, Shaun cleaned up and Dante headed back into his room to get ready for school. The bus wouldn't arrive for another half hour so he decided to indulge in some light reading and pulled out his grandfather's journal.

'Chapter 1: Pride.

'Our first destination was to the land of Pride. H2 called it the Ascent of Arrogance. You would expect Hell to be dark and gloomy by the Ascent was actually a beautiful land filled with glistening towers of reflective materials. Not a second passed by that I didn't see my own reflection staring at me. 'Pride Demons' passed through the streets, normally in pairs. It seemed that they found a system to maintain their pride as they constantly complimented one another, inflating their own egos. I had a few of them compliment me and I admit to being flattered.

'None of them dared to speak to H2 however, and they gave the mysterious entity a wide berth. I asked Russ about this and he was dismissive to me at the time. He didn't quite trust me but he did tell me that H2 was a creature even more powerful than the Creator and existed outside Time and Space. He embodied chaos itself. I asked him if there was more of his kind and Russ shuddered. He told me that there were thirteen of them in total and H2 wasn't even the most powerful. There were different tiers in terms of their rank, but above them all were three individuals. One who controlled space, and another who controlled time. Above the two of them was the most powerful of them all that controlled Reality itself as head of their group. H2 didn't share his name, but he did call him by the moniker, "the Writer of Reality", purportedly the creature that wrote existence itself into... well... existence.'

Dante shook his head with a laugh. "Grandpa..."

'We came to the Apex of Ascension where we met the biggest Pride Demon of all. He simply called himself 'Superior'. I had not known what H2 had planned for me then but when he told Superior that I had come to challenge him, well, suffice to say I was shocked. Superior naturally laughed at our audacity and then posed a challenge to me. Find a way to diminish his pride. If I did that, he would grant me an artefact.

'Needless to say, I had no idea how to overcome this immense creature whose arrogance was like armour to him. I tried to outwit him but he had eons of knowledge under his metaphorical belt for he was quite nude, you see. I didn't even try to out muscle him. I suppose it was from his nudity that I drew my first inspiration. I will not beat around the bush. I seduced him.'

Dante flinched and quickly skimmed the next part, wondering if his grandfather's tale would suddenly turn erotic. Much to his relief, it wasn't some sort of confession or sex journal. His grandfather was classy as ever and merely described how he began teasing Superior, even going so far as to start gyrating against Russ who blushed so profusely that he turned beetroot red. Eventually, he went on to say that he began sucking Superior's 'earthshattering penis' and making the 'demon' orgasm. Then, Virgil posed a challenge to Superior.

Suck him off and make him orgasm.

'To a creature that was used to being on top and being pleasured, Superior had no idea how to pleasure another man. He tried clumsily but it only tickled me and proceeded to cause me to go flaccid. I had proven that I was superior to him in receiving oral sex. He was abashed and humiliated in a way and he handed me the gold ring you now see within this box. I wore it on my ear with pride from then until my body began to wither and I prepared myself for the next great adventure.'

Dante was starting to see through the metaphor. This was likely the first time his grandfather had given anyone head. Perhaps this 'Superior' was just a dominant man or a bully that was too proud to admit he was wrong. The earring was both a prize and evidence of his grandfather's orientation. Was 'Hell' just a metaphor for the supposed 'damning lifestyle' of being gay?

His grandfather sure did put a rather extravagant flair to his confession.

Shaun called him from downstairs. The bus was here. Dante set the journal down and bolted out of his room, grabbing his bag while he was at it. He waved goodbye to his father and jumped into the bright, yellow bus waiting for him at his front door. He took his usual seat near the middle of the bus next to his best friend, Edward Teller, having to squeeze himself a little against the edge due to Edward's chunky stature.

"Good to see you up and running," Edward said, smiling at him, revealing his crooked teeth. Ed's parents didn't believe in braces though most of the time, it wasn't his teeth that got people's attention; it was minefield of pimples that was on his face. Sometimes it was hard to tell what were pimples and what were freckles.

Despite his looks, Edward was a good friend and had been one ever since they had met as kids in elementary school. They had grown up together and Edward had even come on some of Virgil's hikes until he discovered videogames and started to gain weight.

"I guess I'm just full of energy today," replied Dante.

"You're not... you know... still in mourning?" Edward asked gently.

Dante bumped shoulders with his friend. "Like I said, it's what my grandfather would've wanted." He settled into his seat, silence passing between them as Edward reached for his phone and began tapping away at the latest game he had purchased.

In such a small town, the school bus rarely got full so there was plenty of breathing space and plenty of room to see who else was hopping onto the bus. As was the typical high school configuration, jocks tended to congregate at the rear of the bus where they could be as rowdy as possible. A space between the jocks and the rest of the school population was reserved from known troublemakers.

The bus rolled up in front of a street corner and a group of jocks wearing the black and red letterman jackets of the Angelton Boys' High Hellhounds came bounding in, laughing amongst themselves and tossing a football towards one another. Leading them was, of course, the school's quarterback Flash Goldman.

While not as big as some of his other teammates, Flash was tall, handsome and muscular. His bright red hair made him easily identifiable. As an all boy's school, Angelton Boys' High had no cheerleading team for girls to fawn over him though there was no doubt that if they had, many would've been batting their eyes at his strong, square jaw, thick, intense brows and dazzling blue eyes. His award winning smile shone in the scant sunlight that dripped between the gloomy clouds. It was too dazzling for Dante and he was forced to turn away, instead focusing on the thick forests that surrounded Angelton.

The township was built in a fairly linear fashion with a single road passing through every major area uninterrupted. Seraph Road started deep into the thick forests to the south where a few outlying homes rested including Virgil's. Most of the rich residents lived in that area. Then, the road began to branch out into smaller tributaries of the suburbs.

There was a brief gap through more forest, winding around ancient trees, before hitting the town itself. The tallest building in Angelton itself was the two storey town hall and even then, the second story was just for the hall's clock and served no real function. Despite its name, Angelton had no form of religious institution as the last church burned down several years back and no one ever sought to rebuild it believing the grounds were cursed. The graveyard remained, however, and still saw frequent use.

The town really had only a single supermarket owned and started by a local family where everyone bought their own supplies. It was rare to find a competing store for any sort of field. There was on electronics store, one tailor that doubled as a dry cleaner, one clothing store and one butcher attached to the supermarket. The same arcade that had gotten Edward hooked onto videogames still remained in business and across the street was the same pool hall and bar that had been opened since before his Virgil's time.

Once they left the town behind, the main road once again split into three different paths, each leading to the three levels of schools. To the west were the elementary schools and kindergartens, directly north were the middle schools and to the east near the coast were the four high schools. One would think being such a small down that there wouldn't be a need for so many institutions but despite lacking in most facilities, Angelton had a large population. Virgil once explained that it was due to all the people wanting to get away from the 'hustle and bustle' of busier towns and for some place where they can raise their families in peace.

The bus turned towards the east, following the zooming past Angelton Grammar, Angelton Girl's School and passing the road down Angelton Bay High School. It rolled up to Angelton Boys' High School, was nestled deep within the forest, flanked on all sides by towering trees. A solid, red brick fence surrounded its grounds with menacing ironwork making it look almost like a prison if it were left barren. But the walls were covered with the Hellhounds' emblems and various school spirit posters.

The school itself looked very much like a castle as it sat on a small hill. Its walls were like parapets and there was even a keep like tower where the school flag fluttered above the tree line. There was a courtyard where three more flagpoles stood in front of the big, broad, double doors. There was also a garden nearby with artfully arranged flowers in the design of the school emblem. On the centre most flagpole was their school flag, to the right the American flag and then to the left the flag of the state.

When the bus finally came to a halt, Dante stepped out with the rest of the students. He filed into the school just like everyone else and made his way to his locker. Be bid Edward a fond 'see you later' as he got ready for his first class. He couldn't help but think about his grandfather and the adventures he had. He instinctively rubbed the pendant around his neck.

Dante allowed himself a moment of melancholy before taking adopting Virgil's take on life and focusing on the positive, looking forward to the unknown and meeting every challenge head on.

He grabbed his books and before he shut his locker, he uttered one last thing in memory of Virgil.

"I love you, grandpa."

******

Despite the positive attitude that Dante adopted, reality proved to be his worst enemy. As a senior, there was a mantra that was constantly repeated to him over and over again throughout the day.

'What you do here will determine your future.'

'Decide what you want to do and focus on it.'

'You only get as much as you put in.'

It brought to him his lack of direction. Where most of the other students had geared their classes towards on specialty or another, his assortment of classes were so scattered and disjointed that one would think he'd be a high school student forever. Edward was pouring all his effort into the Information Technology industry with plans to attend some big technology college in another state. Flash was hoping to get a football scholarship and according to rumours, he already had a few prospective colleges vying for his talent. Even Wesley Washington, the school's resident punk, knew he wanted to work at his dad's auto shop and was taking classes geared towards that.

For Dante, he had a finger in almost every field. As the days turned to weeks and weeks into months, he began to worry where such qualifications would take him past high school.

"Maybe you should be a teacher?" Edward offered at lunch.

They sat outside in the rear gardens of the school. Here, some semblance of the forest that surrounded the school had been allowed to grow but the trees were those that didn't grow too large and were evenly spaced out in between one another. All the branches had also been cut on the lower halves of the trees to discourage students from climbing them. The duo sat beneath one of the trees farthest from the school building, just next to the red brick wall.

"A teacher for what?" Dante replied forlornly. "Right now, the best I'd be is that general substitute teacher."

"Maybe for a primary school? I mean, those guys don't have to specialise in anything, right?"

Dante grimaced and rolled his eyes. "I don't think I could ever stand being around that many hyperactive kids." He leaned back against the tree trunk, eyes shut. "I promised myself today I'd be positive and be just like my grandpa. But I'm finding it harder and harder with everyone telling me I need to find a specialty."

Edward let out a soft hum of deep thought.

"What?" Dante prompted.

"Well... your grandpa did join the military after high school..."

Again, Dante grimaced. "God... I don't know..."

Smiling comfortingly, Edward placed a hand on Dante's shoulder and gave him a little shake. "Hey, if worse comes to worse, you can always be a beta tester for my next app or game."

"When was your first app or game?" Dante laughed.

He got a light punch on the shoulder for that comment and they continued to eat their lunch in relative silence. The serenity of the moment didn't last long, however, as the football players began pouring out of the school. A rowdy bunch, they shouted as they tossed a football back and forth towards one another. Flash was naturally amongst them, naturally, laughing, flexing his muscles and being the all-around nice guy that everyone liked.

Dante felt envy crawl up inside of him, seeping up from his gut and tickling his throat. He almost wished Flash was a bully so that he could hate the guy in some way. But no, Flash was nice. He was smart, lived in the rich part of town and was known to tear off some of the more brutish jocks off those that were less... athletically inclined. Dante remembered one day when one of those same jocks, a big, ebony skinned guy with cornflower blue eyes by the name of Zeke, had pinned Dante down in the locker rooms for 'perving'.

Dante's only extracurricular activity was to clean the locker rooms, collect the smelly jockstraps of the athletes and was them along with the towels. It exposed him to the sweaty, muscular bodies of his fellow students and also the occasional bout of homophobia. Zeke had been far from the first but Flash was always the one that intervened before the scene escalated.

Thinking of his 'job' as the water boy of the school left a sour note in his mouth. Maybe his destiny was to be the water boy for some athletic team. That was... okay, right? He'd get to see exotic sites like his grandfather. Make some decent money. But would he feel satisfied? Would he feel comfortable writing 'World Famous Sports Team's Water Boy' on his resume?

WHAM!

All his depressing thoughts were knocked out of his head in the instant that the football struck the side of his head. He fell back, head slamming against the brick wall stunning him all the more. Stars and spots flashed before his eyes and he was only slightly aware of the pain of impact. On instinct, he rubbed the back of his head. There was no warmth of blood against his fingers just the dull throbbing of his head.

"Hey man, you okay?"

Dante blinked to clear his vision. Before him stood an angel.

It was a scene from a corny movie. The faint light that managed to creep between the overcast clouds danced between the emerald leaves of the forest canopy above them. Soft, white rays framed Flash's head like a halo, his blue eyes catching some of their glimmering light to take Dante's breath away.

Time seemed to stop. Dante barely breathed.

"Hey. Can you hear me?"

The sound of Flash's voice brought him back to reality and he groaned. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine..."

Flash's features scrunched in displeasure and even angry, he still looked devilishly handsome. He straightened and looked over his shoulder. "Fuck, Todd! You could've killed him!"

Todd Cummings laughed, tossing his golden locks back like some sort of runway model. There was no denying that he certainly had the perfectly proportioned face for it. His cheekbones caught the light when it shone on them but they weren't so pronounced as to make him look gaunt. His blue eyes were that intense, darker shade that could be interpreted as both brooding and deep but bright enough to make the ladies swoon. Perhaps the only thing that was a little off about his face was his slightly bulgy nose which, as he told others, had been broken in a fight early in his life.

"Come on, bro! The water boy can take more than that!"

Flash shook his head and turned back towards Dante, a look of concern on his features. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned. "Here, let me help you up. Got to make sure you don't have a concussion."

Dante muttered that he was fine but he still took Flash's offered hand.

The moment their hand touched, a faint sizzling erupted from the contact. Both of them let out a sharp yelp and pulled their hands away. Dante flicked his wrist trying to get the feeling of pins and needles from his hand while flash checked the back of his hand. The light crimson hairs on the back of his big palm were standing on end.

"Shit, how'd you get a static charge out here?" he laughed.

"Beats me," Dante murmured. He plucked the football off the ground and got off the ground. "Here." He handed the ball back to Flash who took it with a smile. The much taller teenager smiled at him, a billion dollar grin that instantly made Dante forget about the past few days or the pain in the back of his head.

"Thanks man." Flash glanced at the ball and then tossed it back to Dante. "You wanna throw it around with us?"

Dante looked at his twig-like arms compared to Flash's meaty hams. He tossed the ball back. "Thanks but no thanks. I appreciate the gesture though."

"You sure? This could be your chance to one up Todd."

Again, Dante shook his head and sat back down beside Edward. "I'm fine thanks."

"Alright." Flash winked at him. "See you in the locker rooms after school... erm...?"

It hurt that Flash didn't know his name despite them 'working' together for almost a whole three years. "Dante. Dante De Mont."

"I'm Flash Goldman."

Dante smiled and nodded, letting Flash get back to his game. He sighed softly to himself and rubbed the back of his head. "Ouch..."

"You sure you're okay?" Edward asked once Flash was out of earshot range.

"Just a bruised ego," Dante admitted. He gave his friend a wry smile. "Though what else is new, right?"

Unbeknownst to Dante, the pendant around his neck briefly flashed but beneath his dark shirt, it was not visible.

******

Concerned that his friend really did have a concussion, Edward stayed behind after school until Date finished packing up after the football team. It was four-thirty in the afternoon and the duo had to go to the crossroads in the middle of the forest for a bus to pick them so that they could head home. Edward got off with Dante and both of them headed into Dante's house just to make extra sure that he was okay.

There was no other motivation for Dante's friend. Dante didn't like videogames and preferred to read. What he did read were not the flashy comic books or high fantasy modern novels that Edward blathered on about over and over again. No, Dante preferred the classics like Jane Eyre or To Kill a Mockingbird. Most of the time, whenever Edward spent the night at Dante's or stayed over for whatever reason, they usually watched TV or Edward played on whatever portable gaming device he had brought over.

"I'm fine, really," Dante insisted as he opened the door. "You really didn't have to come home with me."

Edward placed his hands on his broad hips in a very girly manner. "Come on. Studies show that a conk on the head after a tragic event leads to suicide 40% of the time."

"And where did you get these statistics?"

"Some website." Edward pressed two hands against Dante's back and pushed him into the house. "So come on, get inside and lie down."

"Okay! Okay!" laughed Dante.

He set his school bag down and kicked off his shoes. He made a beeline for his room where he sat himself down on the edge while Edward sat beside him, already reaching for his phone. Dante shook his head with a smile and looked around his room for some way to entertain himself. There were his classic books but he couldn't focus when Edward was tapping away at his screen or chuckling at something or another he found on the net. The TV in the lounge room was always an option but before he could get up to make that choice, his eyes fell to his grandfather's journal and box.

Intrigued by what else his grandfather had to say, he plucked the book off the table and lay back in his bed. He opened it back to the page where he left off. To his surprise, even after beating 'Superior', Virgil still had many adventures in the Ascent of Arrogance. Apparently, Superior didn't take too kindly to being humiliated and had them chased all over his land. Dante chuckled as his grandfather described Superior's threats of trapping Virgil and Russ forever in the Ascent with the intention of practicing his blowjobs on them.

"What's that?" Edward asked.

Deciding that Virgil's thinly veiled story of sexual escapades was very private to the family, Dante said, "Just something my grandpa left me."

Edward immediately turned away, feigning disinterest. Though it was clear in his brown eyes that he was very curious what the book contained.

Fearing his friend might get to some explicit part, Dante skipped the rest of the Pride chapter and went to the next one.

'Chapter 2: Jealousy

'After escaping the Ascent of Arrogance, H2 took us to the domain of Jealousy. It was called the Silence of Desire. As before, we saw many of the demons that embodied Jealousy flittering about, their liquid forms constantly changing and shifting to fit the desires of those around them. Just like the demons of pride, however, they were very nice to me. They complimented me on my eyes and their eyes would change in turn as they envied my form. It was quite flattering to be honest.

'Again, H2 took us to the ruler of the Silence. He soaked in a bath of semen, his own liquid form indistinguishable from the rest of the pool. He called himself Covet and like before, a challenge was posed. This seemed like a simple task. I was to resist desiring what he had and if I could last five whole minutes without lusting over him or wanting to be what he was, I would win a token of his power.'

Dante turned the page and was surprised to find an illustration of what must be the Silence of Desire. It looked like a land where mirrors jutted out of the ground in bizarre angles. His grandfather really did well with the shading and reflections.

Now curious about the drawings, he turned back to the previous chapter and regretted having skipped so much. There were some rather fantastical images between the pages of handwritten words.

"Are those pictures?" asked Edward, peering over the book. Dante immediately shut it, a faint blush touching his cheeks. "What's wrong? They of your grandpa's girlfriend or something?"

"Something like that," answered Dante, setting the journal down. "It's a recounting of one of my grandpa's adventures." His eyes fell on the box and he pried it open. There, he plucked the golden ring and held it into the light. It felt cool to the touch, unnaturally so. Angelton was normally cold most of the year but the ring was so frigid that it almost burned.

"What's that?" Edward asked.

Dante turned towards his friend with a sly smile. "Apparently, my grandpa went to Hell on one of his adventures. He met a really powerful demon of pride. He won this off the guy."

Edward, who was an avid supernatural believer, lifted his eyebrows and gave him a sarcastic laugh. "You have got to be kidding. How did he win it off him?"

"By humiliating the demon. Let's leave it at that."

Dante wasn't comfortable yet with admitting that Virgil's story was just an analogy for journey of self-discovery. It was sweet but at the same time, it was a private affair. Still, he knew he couldn't fend off Edward's curiosity for very long. And in all honesty, he didn't feel comfortable keeping the mementos of his grandfather's sexcapades.

"Why don't you have it?" he suggested, holding out to ring to Edward.

"What?" Edward held up his hands and shook them. "Dude, I can't."

"Sure you can." He took Edward's wrist with his free hand and deposited the ring into his friend's waiting palm. "My grandpa was all about sharing his fortune. I'm sure he wouldn't want me to keep this to myself." With a little more sadness than he intended, he added, "He really was a man of the people. He would've liked his legacy shared."

"But -"

"Think of it as your 'One Ring'," Dante suggested.

Edward suddenly gripped the ring tightly to his chest, his eyes wide and manic. "My preciousssss!"

Dante rolled his eyes as Edward took the ring and pocketed it.

"Gee, a ring from hell," his friend chuckled. "If it isn't The One Ring, I'd be really disappointed."

They both heard the front door open and shut. Dante sprang to his feet and hurried out to meet his dad. Shaun looked haggard as he collapsed onto the couch, not even bothering to kick off his shoes.

"Dad, are you alright?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, you look beat, Mr. De Mont," Edward chimed in.

Shaun looked up sleepily, dark rings under his eyes. "Oh Ed. You're here. Sorry boys. Just had to deal with Aunt Meredith."

As far as Dante knew, he didn't have an 'Aunt Meredith'. "Who?"

"Some distant sister of your grandfather's that's decided to make herself known and stake her claim on your grandfather's assets," Shaun responded, waving the thought away. "Apparently, she came all the way from Russia and brought my illegitimate half-brother as proof that they deserve some unpaid child support or something."

"That's..." Dante began.

"Bullshit," Edward finished. "No offense, Mr. De Mont, but that just sounds _really_fake."

"You're telling me," rumbled Shaun. "Her son is three years old. Russ says that she can't prove her claim but she's definitely going to fight tooth and nail for it." He leaned forward in the couch, clasping his hands together tightly. "Sad thing is, I'm sure they're not the first people to try." He sighed heavily. "Honestly, I'm okay to give them a fraction of what my dad left behind. I don't want any trouble. I just want dad's place to be preserved. They can have his money. We certainly don't need it. But the way they go about it, the way they treat me like I'm the illegitimate son..."

Shaun shook his head miserably. "I don't know. Sometimes I just wish he were still here helping me out..."

Dante frowned for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers and bolted back into his room. He opened his grandfather's box and sifted through the artefacts. He caught sight of the perfectly spherical diamond, clear as glass. Whatever 'Mortal Vice' the rock came from wouldn't matter in the end.

He headed back out and sat beside his dad.

"Why don't you take this with you, dad?" he suggested, holding up the diamond. It was fairly big; a little bigger than a golf ball. "It's probably more expensive and worth a whole lot more than what all our 'relatives' are fighting over. And grandpa gave it to us. That means he values us way more than any of them no matter how much they take from his assets."

Shaun regarded the little crystal and laughed softly. He took the gem and held it up to the light. "I remember your grandpa playing with this every now and then. I always asked him about what it was but he told me that it wasn't a toy and that I couldn't have it yet. Told me it 'held great power'. Now that I'm holding it..."

He sighed and cupped the gem in his hands. "All good stories come to an end, eh dad?" Shaun closed his eyes, clearly fighting back tears. He sniffed loudly before straightening. "Well, how about dinner, boys? Chicken sound good?"

******

When night fell and Edward went home, Dante performed his usual routine of cleaning up, brushing his teeth and getting dressed in his pyjamas. He bid his dad a good night and then tucked himself into bed. Sleep eluded him, however, as curiosity got the better of him. He plucked his grandfather's journal from the nightstand and did a bit of skimming through the pages.

From what he gathered, his grandfather had to overcome a challenge in each of the regions of Hell. There were certainly some very steamy moments that Dante purposefully avoided because the thought of his grandfather, even in his prime, in some sort of sexual encounter just made him squeamish. But as he flicked through the pages, reading only paragraphs at random and perusing the illustrations, he got the idea that Russ' hostility towards Virgil eventually ebbed and the two found companionship with one another.

"This could be evidence..." he told himself. "I show this and 'Aunt Meredith' won't have a claim." Then he frowned as he set the book back down. "But it'd mean outing grandpa... and Russ..." He didn't want to do that to the memory of his grandfather or their good family friend.

With a sigh and praying for some way to help his father, Dante shut off the lights and slipped into bed. He didn't have to wait long to slumber as the rain started again and the pitter-patter of the droplets striking his window always soothed him to sleep.

Strange things happened to the teenager that night. His sex drive which had never been overly active suddenly kicked into high gear the moment his eyes began to dance behind his eyelids. In the throes of REM sleep, Dante began dreaming of the embrace of strong, muscular men wrapping their iron corded arms around him. He imagined one of them wrapping his lips around his cock, sucking it with the force of a hurricane.

In reality, his prick sprang to erection. Sleep paralysis kept him from moving but he didn't need any further stimulation as the strange forces began to focus directly on his member. Years of sexual repression left his young mind vulnerable and malleable. The forces implanted a simple idea in his mind and used a real life example to further cement its roots.

It took the handsome, gentle giant that was Flash Goldman and implanted his image as the man with his lips wrapped around Dante's cock. Unable to resist, Dante embraced the dream. The necklace around his neck began to glow brightly, bright enough to shine through his pyjamas and sheets. An eerie, red glow shone in his room, pulsing with his racing heartbeat.

The pulsing grew faster and faster as the image in his head grew more and more intense. Overwhelming pleasure and stimulation crashed upon Dante with the force of wild, ocean waves. Sweat poured down his brow as every muscle in his body tensed.

Then the pendant suddenly let out a bright, red flash, bright enough to cast a spectacular glow through the gaps beneath his door and the blinds of his windows. His cock erupted with joy. The force of the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced rocked his whole body, shaking his very soul. A thick wad of teenage cream filled his pyjamas, still disappointingly human in its amount.

The light from the pendant quickly faded, exhausted for the night. But it already had its roots in Dante and it promised more. As the glow faded, the metal around Dante's neck constricted, drawing the wolf emblem just a little closer to his neck.

Dante let out a soft, contented sigh, a smile on his face.

A smile that was mirrored by another young man halfway across town in the rich district.

Flash wiped his brow with the back of his right hand. His flat abdominals were covered in his man cream. He lay on his bed, covered in sweat and with his brow furrowed in confusion. Never before had he experienced such an intense orgasm... and it came from the imagery of a strange, furry, demonic creature looming over him, massive red prick bobbing in front of Flash. In his imagination, Flash willingly worshiped that monster cock, tasting its salty precum in the sweat that drenched his own muscled body, feeling its texture in the vice like grip he had around his own dick, smelling its musky aroma in the need he emitted.

"What... the... hell...?" he panted.

He wiped his brow one more time but paused.

On the back of his right hand... was a black mark. It was about the size of a coin and looked like a little swirl.

Almost like...

... a tattoo...

---

Damnation

_ _

''But before I continue my story, you must always remember to keep the box shut. Only take what you need from it when you need it but always shut the box afterwards.'

---

When morning came, Dante had an intense discomfort in his pants. He woke up and instinctively reached for his crotch. His fingers brushed up against his erect penis, sending a bolt of pleasure throughout radiating from the contact and snapping him awake. Shocked but not sure why, he threw off his sheets and regarded the big bulge tenting his pants.

Angelton was usually quite cold no matter what time of the year and throwing off his sheets would've normally hit him with such a blast of cold that he would've been forced to dive straight back into his bed and bury himself in his sheets ready for hibernation. But instead, the wave of heat from his crotch was like a warm campfire. It kept him toasty and warm.

What puzzled him the most was how overactive his libido was recently. He smelled his musk in his pants and it only made his cock jerk more, dripping a bit more precum into the fabric.

"What's got me so horny...?" he asked himself. He tried to sift through his memories of any dreams he had but couldn't recall anything.

With a shrug, he got up out of bed and stretched, intent on just waiting until the blood rushed out of his member. His cock, however, was quite persisted and throbbed for attention like it had a mind of its own. A soft grunt left Dante as he regarded his dick.

"I don't have time for you," he muttered.

But deciding to indulge himself a little, he reached for his drawer and took out a tape measure. He made sure his door was locked and before pulling down his pants and underwear. With a quick flick of the measuring equipment, he noted that his cock was an average five and a half inches long and about one and a half inches thick. He felt pretty good about himself for that though he couldn't help but wonder how he measured up to others. Particularly Flash.

Thinking of Flash's dick made his own member jerk and squirt out another drop of precum, pouring it over the yellow tape measure.

"Eeew, gross..." he muttered, flicking the tape to get the precum off. He pulled his pants back up and went about his normal routine of getting dressed, taking a cold shower to rid himself of his erection and then making breakfast. For today, it was bit a large egg omelette filled with mushrooms, bacon, garlic and spinach.

Shaun was looking a lot better than he did the previous night even though he still had somewhat sunken eyes. He mentioned that he'd be spending the time with Russ again as they sorted through another wave of claimants, bigger than yesterday's. Being an adventurer, Virgil was prey for people claiming some form of right to his legacy. It wasn't always inheritance either. Sometimes, it was that one of his relics belonged to their family and it should be returned.

They bid each other a good day and Dante headed back upstairs to wait for the school bus. He regarded the journal but decided that he had spent too long poring over the journal without actually looking at what else his grandfather had left him.

So, curious, he peered into the box to sift through its contents. The first thing that caught his eye was the mirror sitting at the base of the box. He thought it was built in to the box but as he quickly found, the oval disc was, in fact, mobile. It had an expensive looking silver backing with some delicate filigrees engraved into the back.

He set it back down and picked up the golden pocket watch next. Curiously, when he opened it, the hands were frozen at twelve o'clock. It didn't seem to be working anymore. He gave it a light shake close to his ear. Nothing rattled inside so he wondered if it was one of those watches that needed to be wound before it would work correctly. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a key that went with the watch.

The black scarf looked rather plain as did the red belt. He was sure they had some sort of significance to them but they didn't catch his attention quite yet. The four remaining items really caught his eye, however.

The first was the fang tooth necklace. An array of five large fangs that looked like they came from some enormous animal hung on a dark brown piece of string. Tribal jewels were set up between each of the fangs. The gems looked more than just mere glass and could actually have been really valuable. Maybe his father would know more about it since he trusted Virgil's journal to exaggerate the truth.

Then there was the dagger. Its blade was quite rusty and looked to have been rather well used with chips all over its frame. The hilt must've once been covered with gold but now, the golden plating had flaked off and revealed the rusted iron beneath. The only thing that remained remotely valuable was the ruby that sat on the pommel. It was as big as his eye but bore multiple cracks. He couldn't wait to learn how each chip and break fell on the weapon.

Of course there was the other 'blade' his grandfather had left him. The big, black dildo. Dante had no intention of touching it both out of fear of where it had been and in respect to his grandfather. Just the thought of that being inside Virgil or even Russ made him uncomfortable. But he had to admit, if they could fit the massive twelve inch length into themselves, he was very impressed. The details around the rubber cock was quite impressive. The veins were so realistic that he could _swear_they were pulsating.

The last thing of note was a cologne bottle. It had a rather strange black colouration to the glass so it was impossible to see how much cologne was left but as he lifted it out of the box, he could feel just how heavy it was. He shook at a little and confirmed there definitely was some liquid inside. The gold cap was shaped curiously like a canine's head. A wolf's from all appearances but it was sprouting a pair of horns that curved behind its head like a ram's.

Dante lifted the cologne bottle towards his wrist, ready for a quick spritz when -

"Dante! Bus is here!"

"Shit!" he cursed and quickly set the bottle back down.

He grabbed his belongings and hurried down the stairs. Thankfully, he had plenty of time the bus driver, a portly Asian man by the name of Dorian, knew him very well and patiently waited for him as he bolted down the driveway and into the bus.

"Sorry, I lost track of time," he panted.

"It's okay, Dante," Dorian chuckled, a grin spreading across his pockmarked face. He ruffled Dante's hair as the young man headed into the rest of the bus.

Dante sat down next to Edward as always though he did notice that there was a golden band around Edward's finger. "Hey! You're wearing my grandpa's ring!"

Edward blinked at him in surprise and regarded his ring finger. "Oh... Huh... I guess I forgot to take it off last night. I tried it on for fun but I guess I just forgot." He shrugged. "I'll take it off if -"

"It's cool man," Dante responded. "It's what he would've wanted."

Any further thoughts of his grandfather's belongings drifted into the past as Flash and his group came storming into the bus a few moments later. This time, Dante managed to keep looking at Flash for a little longer than he normally did but had to turn away when he felt a familiar heat emanating from his groin. He wasn't sure why, but he was getting an erection and it confused him. He pulled his bag over his groin, pretending to shuffle through his books to make sure he had everything just to hide the pounding wood in his pants.

He became aware of someone watching him a short time later and peered through the corner of his eyes. He met Flash's gaze. Time seemed to stop. The second between one heartbeat and the next just seemed to last for an eternity. No one else seemed to be in the bus save for the two of them and all sound became muted.

Then Dante's heart hit its next beat and he quickly turned away wondering what in the world had just transpired. Though Flash's friends pulled him to the rear of the bus, Dante could still feel those intense green eyes burning into the back of his skull like lasers.

These thoughts and the throbbing erection he was desperately trying to hide from Edward all distracted him from a warning his grandfather had left him.

He had left the box open.

Had Shaun gone back up to Dante's room for whatever reason, he would've noticed that the black, wooden box was gone.

******

Science class ended up being a nightmare for Dante. They were to be paired up with lab partners and his partner just had to be Wesley Washington. Everyone avoided Wesley. The reason being that he was a punk. He was in heavy metal, he dyed his hair outrageous colours and he had so many piercings that he wouldn't have been allowed through airport security. Worse yet, he lived the 'thug life'.

The moment they were paired up, Wesley said, "Here's how it's gonna work. You do everything. No coming to my house for study and you better not fucking ask to bum any of my smokes."

And that was the only conversation they ever had for the entire duration of the class. He just plugged in his headphones and listened to some ridiculously loud rock music while Dante tried to do some preliminary research for 'their' report.

Thankfully, science was the last class of the day and he was at last allowed to head out and perform his duties as the football team's water boy. Not that he was really looking forward to waiting on the benches, serving the sweaty footballers drinks and cleaning up their smelly jockstraps when they were done with them. He was at least free from Wesley who simply made his skin crawl.

At least that was what he thought.

His first stop was to go to his locker, thrown in his books and then get ready to head to the gym. The moment he opened his locker, however, was found himself staring at a familiar sight.

"What the...?"

It was Virgil's box.

He set his books down and reached into the metal frame, pulling out the box with surprise. "How in the world did you get in here?"

"Hey! De Mont!"

He froze and spun as Wesley came over, his towering six foot seven frame looming over him.

"Just so we're clear. We better get at least a B on this report. Got that?" Wesley's deep, brown eyes fell on the box. "What've you got there?"

"Nothing!" Which was exactly the wrong response to give a bully.

Though he was fairly scrawny, his ebony skin hid some surprisingly strong muscle as he wrenched the box right out of Dante's grip and yanked the lid open.

"Holy shit, De Mont!" He pulled out the fang necklace, black scarf and the dagger. "What the fuck are you doing with this kind of shit? You into some kind of demon worship or some shit? You a Satanist?"

"What!? No! My grandpa left those for me!" Dante lunged for them but Wesley was surprisingly strong and pulled it back. "Give it back!"

"Fuck dude!" Wesley laughed. Then his eyes widened. He shamelessly pocketed the artefacts and pulled out the big, black dildo, holding it out so far that everyone in the hallways could see it. As it was time to head home, everyone_could see it. "Your _grandpa gave you this? What? Did he pop your cherry or something? Is this why he's so special to you?"

Dante's cheeks began to burn. "No! He - He just... Um..."

"Hey everyone!" Wesley shouted, holding up the dildo. "Check out what little Dante De Mont has in his locker!"

Dante wished he could just crawl into his locker and shut the door but lockers were not as big as cartoon or comics would make them out to be. Guys he went to class with all pointed and laughed at the phallic object in Wesley's hand. Their laughter all merged into a sadistic bombardment, pummelling him to paste.

"Dude! Let go of that!"

Then came his knight in shining armour.

Flash came charging through the crowd and yanked the dildo right out of Wesley's hand. Unperturbed by Flash's size and stature, Wesley stood his ground.

"Why do you care, Goldman?" snarled the school's resident punk. "Is this what you use to fuck your little water boy with? Something we should know about our football team."

"No," answered Flash, surprisingly calm. "But if you want your brother to stop shoving foreign things up his ass, you got to get him something more appropriate, right?"

Wesley blinked at him in confusion. "What the fuck are you on about?"

"You know about my twin brother, don't you Wesley? You know about Flare? Everyone should." His green eyes scanned the crowd, looking for anyone to challenge him. "It is our birthday coming up. I thought to get him something he'd like. Can't hide it in the house because he'd sniff it out so I asked my little buddy Dante to hold it for me." He winked at Dante. "Good idea hiding it in your grandfather's stuff, little dude. Flare would have never thought to think there."

Then Flash's eyes snapped back to Wesley. "Same can't be said for some other people."

Wesley snarled at him. "Whatever. Take your fucking dildo to your faggot for a brother. You're probably as gay as he is."

"So says the guy who was waving a rubber dick down the hallway."

Though Wesley's dark skin hid any blushes, it was clear he was feeling the heat of ridicule. That the gathered crowd began chuckling and laughing at him only hurt him all the more. Dante made the mistake of adding his little laugh to the chorus of ridicule.

"And what the fuck are you laughing at!" Wesley snapped. He immediately lifted a fist decked out with dozens of heavy, iron rings.

Dante shut his eyes as he heard the sound of those rings slam against flesh. But he felt no pain. The crowd suddenly began shouting 'Fight' over and over again and when he opened his eyes, he saw Flash and Wesley on the floor, Flash naturally on top and beating Wesley with his fists.

Dante couldn't help but feel responsible. A big hand pressed against his chest and pulled him back however, preventing him from getting involved. The hand belonged to Todd Cummings.

"Stay back, little man," Todd said protectively. Before Dante could protest, Todd suddenly threw himself in front of Dante and a loud, wet _smack_followed. Todd, his perfectly styled blonde hair now a mess, turned his slightly swollen cheek back towards Wesley. "Oh you're getting it now fucker."

"Enough!"

The loud shout startled Dante and the crowd instantly fell silent. Everyone knew that voice. It belonged to Coach Conway Mitchell. The big top-heavy head coach came charging through the crowd, practically bowling over some people as immediately placed himself between Todd and Wesley. Though he was only about 5'10'' and possessed a rather prominent bear belly, his arms were still like hams from the days that he was some college quarterback for some team that was apparently very successful.

"What the hell do you think you three are doing!?" he demanded.

"He started it, coach!" Todd bellowed gesturing at Wesley. "The fucker stole De Mont's stuff and began waving it around! Fuck! He's still got some of De Mont's grandpa's things in his pocket!"

Mitchell's eyes softened at the mention of Virgil and glanced briefly at Dante. Then he flicked his gaze back to Wesley. "Give it back, Washington."

With a grumble, Wesley pulled out the dagger to which Mitchell's eyes widened. "Dante, what possessed you to bring that to school?"

"Show and tell?" snipped Wesley. A blazing stare from Coach Mitchell shut him up.

Dante couldn't explain it. He was_sure_ he had left the box at home. How it ended up in his locker was beyond him. "I just..."

"I asked him to bring my brother's gift to school, coach," Flash muttered. He wiped his jaw, smearing the blood streaming from his nose against his lips. He also held up the dildo. "Wanted to get it wrapped and shit..."

"I see..." Mitchell muttered. The story sounded too farfetched to be true and it seemed that Coach Mitchell wasn't exactly falling for it. Then again, it wasn't like he was being offered any other explanations. "Alright. You two..." He pointed at Wesley and Flash. "My office after practice." Then he glanced at Dante. "And Dante, my office in fifteen minutes."

Dante gulped loudly as the crowd began to disperse. Coach Mitchell took the dagger with him while Wesley and Flash shot each other a fiery look. Wesley disappeared into the crowd while Flash approached Dante, flanked by Todd.

"You okay, little buddy?" Flash asked.

"Yeah..." Dante answered. "Sorry for getting you in trouble."

"The asshole got it coming," rumbled Todd, rubbing his cheek. "Shit... now my hair is messed up."

Remembering the mirror in his grandfather's box, Dante reached in and held it up to the footballer. Todd thanked him, swept his hair back and then gave his reflection a brilliant smile.

"Thanks bro." As he handed the mirror back, Dante shook his head.

"Keep it. My grandpa always said to repay those you do something for you. It's the least I could do for saving my life."

Todd laughed heartily. "Saving your life? You're exaggerating."

"Especially after you threw a football at his face yesterday," teased Flash. He nudged Todd. "Go on. I'll catch up with you in the locker room." As Todd turned, he gave Dante a nod of thanks for the mirror. Once he was gone, Flash shook his head. "I swear, that guy is going to marry his reflection one day." Then he turned his gaze back towards Dante. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Dante said with a nod. "Just sucks that I'm lab partners with Wesley."

"That does blow... Wish there was something I could do." Their gazes met. Again, that intense heat began to build in Dante's crotch. All the blood came rushing out of his head and into his groin, blurring his vision and lowering his inhibitions. He wasn't entirely sure but he was sure Flash was leaning in towards him...

He could almost smell the burgers that Flash had for lunch...

"I gotta get to practice," Flash suddenly said, yanking himself back. He gave Dante a strange, lopsided grin that still looked devilishly handsome and hiked his thumb over his shoulder. Dante briefly caught sight of a black mark on the back of his h and before Flash quickly covered it and hurried off.

"That was... weird..."

******

"I have great respect for your grandfather, Dante," Coach Mitchell said. "He was the one that got me back in the game and coaching after I basically flunked out of college." He regarded the rusty blade on his desk solemnly.

Dante tried not to quake where he sat but he couldn't help it. He had _never_gotten in trouble before and being here in front of Coach Mitchell was an experience he just wasn't ready for. Hot tears threatened to well up in his eyes but he forced them down somehow. A myriad of explanations flung through his mind. He knew he needed at least one to explain the presence of the dagger in his possession.

"I actually remember this weapon," Mitchell said, running his hand over the peeling hilt. "Virgil once told me that it was tied to a story where he had to lie and cheat but the way he won the day was not to do either of those things."

"Huh?" Dante squeaked.

Mitchell snickered softly. "Your grandfather was playing a game with someone who expected him to cheat. So your grandfather instead was utterly truthful. Play your opponent's expectations against them. He won and apparently this dagger was one of his prizes." The Coach picked up the weapon in his thick, chubby fingers, holding it delicately. "I'll admit I'm a little sad to see this thing in such a state."

"I... I just got it when grandpa..."

"I know son, I know." Mitchell set the weapon back down. "Like I said, I respect your grandfather too much and I know you're a good kid. Good grades. Never getting into trouble. You keep good company too. Flash and Todd can be idiots but they're decent enough." He levelled a serious gaze at Mitchell. "But I've seen this before, son. A tragedy can trigger a lot of things. Sometimes, it might make a person snap."

Dante blinked several times in surprise. "Wait... You think...?" He shook his head furiously. "No! I'm not going to use that against people! It was -?"

How would he explain that the box and its contents should have been in his room? How could he explain that it mysteriously appeared in his locker and that was what caused this entire mess?

He looked to Mitchell, the coach patiently waiting for his explanation.

"I... I just still feel a little... raw," Dante lied. "My grandpa left these things to me and... I didn't want to let go of them. You know?"

Mitchell's features softened, his big chubby cheeks creasing as he gave Dante a pitying smile. "I get it. But I still got to follow the rules." He pointed a finger at Dante. "And so do you. I'm not going to give you detention..." He paused for a long moment. "Or send a note to your father."

Dante sighed inwardly at that last remark and could've sworn Mitchell enjoyed that little pause.

"But I can't have a kid going around with a dagger. So here's what I'm going to do." The coach picked up the dagger and slipped it into a cabinet just beneath his desk. "This stays with me. Get your dad to come here and get it." Dante audibly groaned and Mitchell waved him down. "I know, I know. But like I said, I can't just have any kid no matter how much I respect their grandfathers, to carry a weapon around."

"But it's all rusted and useless!" Dante protested.

"Still a weapon." Mitchell then took a piece of paper from his desk and began scribbling on it. "And I'm sending you to counselling."

Dante's eyes widened in horror. "What? But -"

"It's only for one session, son," said the coach comfortingly. "Just to cross all our t's and dot our I's. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't." He passed the note to Dante. "Now go on. I've already told your math teacher that you'll be late. Quinton is waiting for you. And bring your grandfather's box too."

Dante took the note with resigned sigh and muttered some thanks to Coach Mitchell. He left the locker room dragging his feet and wasted every second he could making the trek back through the empty hallways to his locker. There, he grabbed his grandpa's box, making sure to check left and right for any would-be bullies, and then slunk down the hall.

When he arrived at the door adorned with the letters 'Quinton Le'Brawn - School Psychologist', a heavy weight suddenly appeared against his shoulders almost making him collapse to the ground. He was sure he would've fainted then and there but bringing a weapon to school and then fainting in front of the school psychologist's door? Not a good sign of mental health.

Mustering up his strength, Dante knocked on the door. He prayed no one would answer.

Sadly, the doorknob twisted and the door itself peeled open.

Quinton Le'Brawn was a tall, lanky man with messy, brown hair that appeared youthfully roguish. There were times that Dante had seen him in the hallways and he occasionally wore thin glasses over his brown eyes. But he guessed that today, Quinton had decided to wear contacts. He smiled at Dante, revealing a pair of braces across his teeth.

"Ah! You must be Mr. De Mont! Please, come in."

Quinton didn't look that much older than Dante. Maybe half a decade or so. Probably fresh out of college. He still had an enthusiastic spring in his step but it sort of added an almost comical edge to his attempt to reconnect with the youths of the school. The baggy shorts he wore and plain white shirt hung over his skinny frame like they were wearing him. Dante had to admit, the guy did look youthful but could still be profession. 'Business casual' would be the appropriate term. At least until his feet which were covered in bright, fluorescent green sandals.

"Coach Mitchell told me about the incident this afternoon," the psychologist said, planting himself on a couch. He gestured at the opposite couch with sat opposite to him. Loathed as he was to participate in this, Dante nevertheless sat down and humoured the man.

"It was just Wesley Washington bullying me..."

"Does Mr. Washington constantly bully you?" ventured Quinton.

"He kind of bullies everyone. Anyone who gets close to him anyway. Just ask anyone. I just happen to be his partner for an assignment."

"Do you wish you could've stopped him?" Quinton stretched back against the couch, taking a rather casual position. He rested one leg over the other and draped his arms over the backs of the couch. Dante could see the rather prominent pit stains Quinton was trying to hide but he was just glad he couldn't smell it.

"I kind of figured that when it comes to people like Wesley, you just let them have what they want," Dante responded. "Eventually, he'll just get tired and find something else to entertain him."

"Don't you think he should be taught a lesson? High school is a shared experience. There is no reason you should be made miserable so that he can coast along."'

"I'm good. Really I am." Dante shook his head. "I mean, I've great friends. Flash and Todd defended me. My home life is great and I'm doing good in class. I'm not going let Wesley ruin that because he's my partner in this _one_assignment."

The psychologist gave him a smile. "That's very mature of you Dante." His eyes narrowed briefly. "How're you holding up with your grandfather, though? You didn't mention him."

He knew that would be brought up and he resigned himself to answer the question. "My grandpa had a lot of secrets that I'm only now just figuring out. But I love him regardless. That's why I keep his things with me all the time. To remember him by."

"Part of that is letting go," Quinton said.

"And I have. I've actually been giving people some of my grandpa's stuff. It's what he would've wanted. I gave Ed a ring. My dad a rock my grandpa really values and just then, I let Todd take a mirror. I'm good with my grandpa's passing."

For a moment, Quinton was silent. "Is that your grandfather's box?"

Dante nodded and held it open for Quinton. "He kept some of his memorabilia in it. Of them, the dagger that Coach Mitchell confiscated."

"I see." Quinton picked up the perfume bottle in particular, twisting the crystal case around in the light. "Hmmm... Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

Quinton sprayed some of the perfume onto his wrists and then sniffed it. He pulled his wrist away with a loud 'phew!'. "That's quite strong! Here. Smell." He held out his wrist but Dante laughed and shook his hands in a negative.

"My grandpa did have some peculiar tastes."

"I can see," laughed the psychologist.

As he began to put the bottle back into the box, Dante said, "Why don't you keep it? Like I said, my grandpa was all about sharing and I think I'm too young to wear cologne."

Quinton laughed softly. "Alright, Dante. But just so you know, there's only one reason why I'm keeping this here." He set the bottle on the armrest of his couch. "It's so that you will keep coming back here."

"What?"

The older man gave him a soft smile. "It's only been a few days since your grandfather died and I can tell that you cherished him very much. You're putting on a brave face now and I know you think you've cried enough but the fact that you're still clutching that box around and trying to live up to your grandfather's legacy means you haven't let go. Trust me on this. You need to come back here if only to talk things out. To laugh. To smile again. But only when you're ready."

Dante was unsure what to say but he also knew that there would be no trying to convince Quinton from this course.

"Alright," he said, putting on a brave smile. "Thanks for being honest with me."

"Of course."

******

Dante felt guilty for having gotten Flash and Todd into trouble with Coach Mitchell. So despite the prospect of having to walk all the way back to town and then taking a bus back home, he stayed behind after practice to wait for the two. The late bus just for the sports teams already left by the time Mitchell released the footballers.

"Dante," Flash exclaimed, surprised upon seeing the young man in the locker rooms. "Thought you'd be done with clean up by now."

"I am," Dante responded, hiking his thumb at the empty laundry basket. "I just wanted to wait for you two seeing as I got you both into trouble."

"Aww... That's sweet," Todd taunted in a sing-song voice. He went over to Dante and ruffled his hair with a big, meaty hand. "But we're big boys, D. We can take care of ourselves." He swept past Dante and headed for the doors. "I'll see ya Monday kiddies!"

Flash sighed and shook his head. "Right..."

"Doesn't he need to walk back to town?" Dante asked.

"Course not. He's got a car." Flash reached into his pocket and spun a keychain on his index finger. "And so do I. Don't you?"

Eighteen and without a car in America. Like he wasn't already emasculated enough by the afternoon's events.

"Um..."

Flash's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh... Oh fuck. You don't have a ride home, do you?"

"Uh... no."

Flash's big, broad grin brightened the dark, dank locker room and he swung a meaty arm around Dante's shoulders. "Well don't you worry, little buddy! I'm gonna drive you home!"

"You really don't have to..."

"Course I do!" Flash laughed, half-dragging, half-leading Dante out the door. "You're my little buddy!"

As it turns out, Flash's car was a sleek, red two-seater sports car. Flash explained that when he made quarterback, his dad got him the car. It was no secret that the Goldmans were one of the wealthier families in Angelton. Buck Goldman, Flash's father, was actually rarely home as he was flying all over the world managing his multiple business endeavours. That left the three Goldman brothers to fend for themselves and they were basically raised by an army of nannies.

It was a wonder that Flash turned out so down-to-earth and friendly.

While these thoughts were flying through Dante's mind, he failed to realise that they had passed his turn. When he did, he shook his head and let out a faint yelp. "Crap! Sorry! We missed my turn!"

"Oh really?"

There was a rather mischievous gleam in Flash's green eyes.

"Um... Flash...? What is this?"

"A kidnapping," answered the jock nonchalantly.

"What!?"

Flash laughed, smacking his leather-covered steering wheel jovially. "Naw, man. I just thought after the day you had you'd want to spend some time in a nice, hot Jacuzzi."

"Wait... Huh?"

"I'm asking if you'd like to spend the night at my house, dingus!"

Dante was stunned. Him? Being invited to Flash Goldman's house? It was a preposterous idea and one that came straight out of left field. He was not ready for a reply and only managed a faint garbled response.

"Look, if you feel bad about getting me into trouble, imagine how I feel about getting you in trouble. I bet Coach Mitchell didn't have some very kind words for you." Flash grinned. "Though you did bring a dagger to school."

Dante gathered his senses and turned away from Flash. The houses of the suburbs quickly turned to thick forests and trees. They were entering the 'rich' district of town.

"Would you... uh... believe that I didn't actually bring the box to school with me?" he confessed.

"What? Don't tell me that it was that ass wipe Wesley's box and you were just covering for him." Flash growled, his knuckled turning white against the steering wheel. "When I get my hands on him-"

"No! No!" Dante protested. "It is mine just..." His cheeks began to burn with embarrassment. "You're not going to believe this but... It just sort of appeared in my locker."

"Ummm... what?" Flash half-laughed, half-asked.

"I remember leaving it at home," Dante explained. "I don't remember bringing it to school at all." He reached into his backpack and retrieved the small, black box. "But then there it was. Just sitting in my locker."

"Dude, you're scaring me."

"I'm not crazy!" Dante protested. "This isn't some post-traumatic defence mechanism against my grandpa's death! I'm honestly telling you that this box just appeared in my locker!"

"Seriously dude, you're scaring me."

He shook his head angrily and shoved the box back into his bag. "Thanks for the offer, Flash," he grumbled. "But please just drop me off here. I can walk the rest of the way home."

Flash was silent and he actually did start slowing the car down but not enough for Dante to get out. What he did do next was surprising, however.

"I believe in ghosts."

Dante straightened and gave Flash an incredulous stare, one that Flash could not meet out of embarrassment. "You're kidding me."

"Nope..." The big quarterback sighed heavily. "Look, I believe in the supernatural, okay? I swear to this day, my mom is somehow psychically spying on me from Paris. I don't keep any mirrors in my room because I'm afraid some angry spirit of some prom girl that was stood up and killed herself might come after me because I'm the quarterback."

"You believe in Vengeful Veronica?" Dante asked. "Seriously? She didn't even go to our school!"

"I still believe, you know!" Flash snapped angrily. "Just... Just don't go making me think the ghost of your grandfather is actually running around putting that box everywhere for you to find or something. It freaks me right the fuck out."

Will the surprises of the day never end?

"And wipe that stupid grin off your face," Flash muttered. "A lot of football players have their superstitions. The stars do weird things to make sure they're on their game."

"Do they call an exorcist to bless the ball before each game?"

"Shut up!"

Despite the viciousness of Flash's retort, the fact that he still drove the car in a straight line towards the Goldman residence was a testament to how light hearted the conversation truly was. Five minutes later, all talk of ghosts and the supernatural was set aside as Flash drove them up to the big mansion that the Goldmans called their home. The large three storey structure was big enough to fit Dante's house with room to spare.

Flash parked his car right next to the two other cars in the garage. There was even room for another two more. Dante plucked his bag from the car and followed Flash into the large, lavished mansion. The floors were polished mahogany and the ceilings decorated with prints of famous paintings. It was beautiful... if a little gaudy. It was also fairly... empty.

The moment Dante stepped into the house, he expected servants to come pouring in and asking what they wanted and if they wanted their coats to be taken. As it stood, every step he made echoed in the empty house.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Dad is smart about his money," Flash answered with a shrug of his massive shoulder. "The moment we grew old enough to take care of ourselves, he fired the nannies, maids and servants and made us take care of ourselves. It works out. We don't take that much space. Flint has his room. I have mine and Dick comes and goes."

Dante had heard a lot about the Goldman brothers. Dick was purportedly the thrill seeking, trust-fund-baby who lived purely out of his father's money. As the eldest and the heir to the family fortune, he was content to gallivant across the world seeking new experiences and finding new girls to sleep with. He was five years Flash's senior and never had a job that lasted more than a month.

Flint, on the other hand, was Flash's twin brother, younger by a few seconds, but the two couldn't be more different.

"Flaaaaaaaaaaash!"

The loud, girlish cry came from a nearby hallway. A tall, skinny young man bearing the same red hair as Flash and the same green eyes. While his jaw was just as square as heroic, it was nestled on a rather stylish scarf that was drizzled with glitter. The man's eyes were also framed by a subtle eye shadow that made them pop and a faint dusting of blush to make sure his cheeks shone a bright red.

The man wandered over on heeled, black boots, swaying his hips effeminately and with his arms held out in a manner that Dante could only describe as 'flaming'.

"Hey Flint," Flash chuckled. "What's up?"

"Just fair warning, big brother of mine," Flint said, smacking his lips loudly. "Dick is in the house."

Flash grimaced. "I saw his car. I hoped it was just someone bringing it in because he left it at airport parking again..."

"Sadly, he's here and on 'indefinite stay' again." Flint rolled his eyes dramatically. "Seems daddy dearest didn't approve of the last thing he did."

"What did he do this time? Get drunk and bust a party? Get arrested?"

"Worse." Flint giggled girlishly, even going so far as to press his fingers against his lips. His nails were polished with a bright emerald to match his eyes. "That movie with the BDSM content apparently 'inspired' him to explore that avenue. Our father found out that he enjoyed being strapped down and being on the receiving end of a woman's whimsical desires. And trust me, I _know_how whimsical a woman can be."

Dante chuckled softly and Flint regarded him with a smile.

"And who is this cute little man?"

"This is Dante," Flash said, gesturing at the smaller teenager. "He's a friend from school. Actually the assistant for our team. Water boy if you want to be crude."

"Oooooh!" Flint's eyes widened. "Oh! Flash-y baby! You've finally come over to the pink side!" He flung his arms around Flash's neck to which Flash responded by rolling his eyes.

"Flint has this ongoing fantasy where I bring one of my teammates over and we 'explore our sexuality' and then he just happens to burst in and helps us," Flash explained.

Dante tried to keep his eyebrows down but couldn't help them from rising. "You want to have sex with your twin brother?"

"Twincest is wincest," Flint laughed, pulling away and winking at Dante. "But seriously, no. Flash and I are too much alike. When given the choice between masturbating and sex with a stranger, I prefer the sex."

"Huh?"

Flash gestured at himself and then Flint. "Twins, remember? He's saying that if I were to got him off, it'd be like masturbating because we're twins."

The humour was lost on Dante but he still let out a loud 'Oh' and nodded in understanding. "I get it now."

The twins exchanged knowing glances then, in unison, they said, "No you don't."

Despite their physical differences, they truly were twin brothers and Dante was rather amazed at their bond. It was truly something precious that despite Flint's orientation, Flash still willingly joked around with him and was comfortable around him.

Flint suddenly clapped his hands together rapidly. "So my pretties! Who wants nachos?"

"You? Eat nachos?" Flash asked.

"Oh heavens no." Flint ran his hands down his hips. "I've got to keep my womanly figure, you know! I'm offering it to you growing boys." Again, he winked at Dante, making the smaller man blush. "We have a guest, after all."

"That sounds great!" Dante exclaimed.

Flint beamed. "You're just so adorable!" He spun in place, almost performing a pirouette really, and skipped towards the kitchen. "I'll be up in a second, kiddies!"

When he was gone, Dante said, "He's really nice."

"He really is," admitted Flash. "Can't imagine my life without him."

"Doesn't he get bullied for... you know...?"

Flash shrugged absently as he beckoned for Dante to follow him upstairs. "Dad wanted him to 'man up' when he came out the day we started high school. He was originally going to go to our school but when dad learned he was gay, he had him transferred to Angelton Grammar because it has both girls and boys. Dad thought that being around guys all the time will be too tempting for him so he stuck him with guys and girls."

"I guess your dad got pissed that it didn't help?"

"Nah. Dad just gave up." They came up to the second floor where Flash led Dante to his room. "He barely pays attention to us anymore. He just tosses money at Dick and pays for our living expenses and schooling. He might _occasionally_do some half-assed parenting but that happens only like... I dunno... twice a year."

That sounded... sad to Dante. Again, he was surprised that Flash turned out to be such a well-rounded person instead of a privileged snob with a stick up his ass. Though he imagined that Dick, the eldest brother, was enough of an elitist for the whole family, at least from what he had gathered.

Flash's room was typically that of a teenager's. There were clothes scattered everywhere, books strewn about and a few empty packets of snacks. His bed was unmade and there was a TV at the foot of his bed hooked up to a gaming system. For such a big house, Flash's room was surprisingly cramped though that could be because of the workout equipment including a bench press and pulldown machine that sat next to the window. There were a few dumbbells on the balcony and a bench as well. The air stank of the same manly sweat as the locker rooms so Dante wasn't offended in any way.

After brushing aside some of his clothes, Flash sat on his bed and pulled up a chair next to him. He switched on the TV and began flicking absently through the news. Dante sat down but his eyes were on the trophy case filled with golden men in various poses of athleticism. Clearly, Flash got the brawn of the family.

"I really should call my dad and tell him that I'm staying over," Dante said.

"Oh yeah. Right! There's a phone on my desk."

Dante wandered over to the desk, feeling a pang of jealousy at the new laptop that sat in amidst the piles of papers and scattered notes. He picked up the phone and dialled his number, pressing the receiver to his ear.

It only rang twice before someone answered.

"Hey dad, it's me."

"Dante? Where are you? I was worried."

"I'm over at a friend's house. I was hoping to stay over. Is that okay?"

There was a pause on the other end and he thought he heard his father whisper something about, 'being mine' but he wasn't sure.

"O-of course it is. Did you need me to bring you any clothes? Supplies?"

"Naw Mr. De Mont! We got him covered!" Flash exclaimed, revealing his surprisingly good hearing.

"Who's that? That's not Edward."

"It's... It's uh... Flash Goldman. You know. From school."

Again, there was a pause but this one didn't last as long. "Right! The quarterback. Well, alright then. Have fun. When will you be home?"

"Tomorrow." He glanced over his shoulder at Flash who shrugged. "Probably late."

"Alright. Well take care of yourself. See you later. Love you."

"Love you too, dad."

He hung up and turned to Flash expectedly. "You've got me covered, huh?"

"Yeah! We've got spare clothes around the place. Plenty of toothbrushes and toothpaste. All you'll need. God knows we got enough stuff."

A moment later, Flint knocked on the door and then swaggered in. In one hand he was holding a plate of steaming nachos and in the other a familiar black box. The sight of the box made Dante's heart skip a beat.

"Hello kiddies!" Flint announced girlishly. "Here are your nachos." He set it on Flash's bedside table. "And I believe this is yours." He handed the box to Dante. "You must've left it in the atrium accidentally."

Dante didn't want to freak out Flash any more than he already had but he could've sworn he stuffed the box into his backpack and zipped it up. It was also a rather significant weight so it would've been very hard for him to miss the weight.

"Thanks," he replied. "I guess I must've."

"If you don't mind, I took a little peak inside." Flint batted his eyes at Dante. "If Flash wasn't hoping to have some fun tonight, you surely are."

"Huh?"

"The dildo, honey."

Both Dante and Flash went rigid like they had been electrified by a bolt of lightning. Flash immediately stared at Dante incredulously at the thought that sweet, sociable Virgil De Mont would give his grandson a rubber phallus. Dante stared at the box in horror, his cheeks going bright red.

"This is actually a gift from my recently deceased grandpa..." Dante muttered. "He... uh..." Flash was really nice to him and he doubted the jock would start spouting vicious rumours about Virgil around school. Especially since Dante had blackmail ammo with his knowledge of Flash's belief in the supernatural. And Flint... well, he was gay too.

Dante opened the box and regarded the three remaining items inside. The dildo, the red belt and a silver pocket watch. He wondered what happened to the scarf as he knew that Wesley had taken the bone necklace. He had to remember to get it back at a later date.

"I think it was like his 'confession' box," he admitted. "My grandpa wrote this whole journal about how he apparently 'went to Hell' and had to seduce all these demons to get their items. I think it's just a metaphor for him realising he was gay. His first story was about him giving a guy a blowjob and then receiving one in return." He reached for the belt and the dildo, pulling them out for the two Goldmans to see. "I think later on, I would've learned that he experimented and uses these..."

Flint sighed forlornly. "That's a little sad, you know? I'm comfortable with who I am but it's a little sad that your grandpa never got to tell anyone until after his death."

"I think he wanted his story to be told in the end. I've been giving away these little trinkets because he had such an effect on the people of this town that I think his memory deserves to be shared. Even if it isn't as the Virgil De Mont that they remember." He held up the dildo and belt towards Flint. "So if you wanted..."

Flint let out a high pitched offended noise and pressed his fingers against his chest. "Oh! Dante, sweetie. I'm offended you'd think that I'd only be after something that's shaped like a dick." He placed his hand son his hips. "Men."

"Oh... Erm..."

"I might know someone who'd be interested." Flint winked at him again and took the two items. "But this belt. Oooooh! I've never seen such a beautiful shade of red! I think it'd go well with my hair."

Dante beamed as he shut the box and set it down. "Go for it. And thanks for the nachos."

Again, Flint winked at him and turned to leave. "I'm off to the runway, kiddies! Ciao!"

******

Dante and Flash spent the rest of the evening playing videogames and soaking in the Jacuzzi on the third level. Seeing Flash's naked, muscular form stirred some thoughts in Dante. The catalyst was his grandfather's confession and secret orientation. Though Dante's dick didn't rise, he had to admit that he could understand how someone could appreciate the male form especially with a fine specimen such as Flash as temptation.

Dinner was some pizza that Flash ordered. There was a sense of... loneliness in the way that Flash took the order from the delivery guy and brought it to his room, alone. There were two whole extra large pizzas for them and when Dante asked whether either of Flash's brothers would be joining them, Flash said that they could take care of themselves.

A pang of sadness hit Dante as he ate into the hearty, meaty and incredibly cheesy pizza. He always had dinner with his dad and sometimes even Ed. Fond memories of the time he had dinner with Virgil was meshed with those happy, warm memories. Even when either of them had a terrible day, Shaun and Dante would always spend an hour together, eating and forgetting their worries.

Flash certainly seemed glad for the company as they gobbled down the pizza with the appetite of two ravenous, growing teenagers and more. Dante never thought they could finish the meal especially with the extra garlic bread and sodas thrown in but after the third round of a wrestling videogame that Flash really enjoyed, they were already one pizza down and he still had more room.

Dante decided he didn't want to get pizza grease all over Flash's controllers and bowed out of another round.

"So just TV then?" Flash asked.

"Sure."

Flash brought the pizza carton onto his bed and lounged against the headrest. He turned off the gaming system and flicked the television to some supernatural thriller series that was on.

Dante, who remained sitting on a chair beside the bed, chuckled. "I thought you didn't like being scared."

"I said I believe in the supernatural," Flash corrected. "Not that I was scared of it. You talking about being haunted by your dead grandpa, _that_was scary."

Dante didn't want to think about that and just laughed it off. He reached for a slice of pizza, having to stretch over the bed from his seat.

"Just jump in here, little buddy," Flash said, patting the space beside him.

"You sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

"Dude, come on." Flash laughed and spread his hands wide. The bed was very big. He doubted it was actually conventionally sized. "Plenty of room here. Hop in. Pizza is right there." Flash gestured at the pizza box sitting at the foot of his big feet.

Dante shrugged and scrambled into the bed with Flash, shucking off his sneakers while he was at it. He grabbed a slice of pizza while he was at it, being careful not to get any of the sauce or toppings on the bed. He sat down beside Flash, a respectable distance away. On the screen, some supernatural detective was searching for some sort of hellspawn that had come to the mortal plane. It went on and on about how demons feasted on souls and flesh, causing mayhem and havoc wherever to went to feed their insatiable hunger.

But Dante wasn't paying that much attention to what was one screen. Sometime during the show, Flash had scooched closer to him and their thighs touching. It was subtle. Flash would reach across him for his soda sitting on the bedside table and he'd be an inch closer. Reaching for the pizza brought him another inch closer. A nudge at Dante to point out that he thought he saw a demon once and again, he'd be a little bit closer.

Not that Dante minded. The closeness was... comforting.

They were halfway through the one hour episode when they finished the last of the pizza. His hands now idle, Flash did something unexpected. He began gently rubbing Dante's thighs. At first, the contact shocked them both but when Dante didn't protest, Flash continued. Heat began mounting against Dante's cheeks matched only by the rising head in his dick. He tried to focus on what was on screen, tried to focus on how the detective's partner was revealed to be possessed by the demon they were chasing but he was finding hard and harder to concentrate.

Something supernatural was happening and it certainly wasn't what some hammy director had produced on screen. Now that they were together, the bond that had formed between the two boys strengthened and solidified. The pendant around Dante's neck grew hot and he was forced to clutch it even as his breathing grew rapid and ragged. The strange mark on Flash's hand began to itch and burn and he rubbed it against his side absently even as he continued to stroke Dante's thigh.

"It's... It's hot in here..." Dante panted.

Flash only grunted and hastened to rip off his shirt. His entire body was covered in sweat, every muscle pumped despite having just eaten two whole pizzas. He gave Dante a confused but at the same time, lusty look. One Dante returned it. He couldn't understand what was happening but it felt like a furnace had been lit inside him, filling every vein with a pleasant, warm fire. It was strong enough to make him sweat but not enough to burn.

Flash's grip around Dante's thigh suddenly tightened. Flash let out a loud groan, squeezing his eyes shut. He grit his teeth, looking like he was in pain. Dante reached for his chest, pressing a hand against his firm pectoral. The contact was like touching an inferno and Dante's whole body shook like he had been electrocuted.

Before either boy knew what was happening, Flash was on top of Dante, pressing their lips together and hungrily shoving his tongue into Dante's mouth. Their bodies continued to heat up, afire with demonic energies. Dante let go of his pendant and instinctively seized Flash's back, pulling the other teenager towards himself. The presence of his clothes became painfully obvious as his dick pushed up against his pants. He could still feel Flash's own member straining against the footballer's clothing.

The dark beast pushed Flash away. As he did so, his fingernails hardened, a sound like crumbling rock filling Flash's room and rising above even the blare of the television. His nails extended into razor sharp points, extending half an inch from the tips of his fingers. They turned an obsidian black. Armed with his new weapons, Dante dug his claws into his shirt and tore it right down the middle, revealing the glowing pendant and his rapidly rising and falling chest.

Flash's face contorted and he let out a strange noise like he was trying to speak with a mouth full of Styrofoam. His lips pulled back briefly, a momentary pained grin. Discomfort began erupting around his canines, rising from the base of his teeth. He let out soft grunts with every inch that his teeth began to lengthen. His canines extended to sharp points, his upper canines becoming like daggers while his lower were began thick, blunt blades.

"Wotz... appenin'... tah... urs...?" Flash rumbled as his features began to stretch forward. The same powerful force that made Dante's pendant grow was building behind his skull and pushing the bone and skin into a new shape. Flash's words came out as a slurred 'o' noise as face lengthened, lips stretching back to cover the length of his muzzle. His nose was pulled away from his brow, remaining comparatively small despite the rest of his features growing.

Tiny little explosions of bone, muscle and new sensations erupted all over Flash's face, pushing the skin taut. A lump would burst out from his left cheek only for another to erupt right beside it, bone setting and muscle hardened into the new shape. He grit his teeth together, each tooth sharpening to blade-like edged one row at a time. He squeezed his eyes shut as the bubbling rolled up his brow. His temples were pulled back as his skull became longer. His ears were forced to the top of his end, cartilage building and softening until they took on a distinct, triangular shape that flicked back and forth as new sounds bombarded his senses.

He let out a ferocious snarl when two points began throbbing against his forehead. He reached for them only to find something jab at his palms. Flash groaned as the pressure began building to a bursting point. His groan lengthened into a lusty moan. Two, black horns jutted broke his skin, not leaving a single droplet of blood where it breached. The pressure began to ease and he was overwhelmed by an almost orgasmic pleasure as the horns grew, arching back behind his head and following the curve of his skull until they reached about parallel with his ears. There, they grew perpendicular to his head, his thick red hair covering their roots.

Dante couldn't answer Flash's question as his entire body became wracked with the powerful transformation. Being so close to the source of the transformation and being so sexually repressed, Dante's poor psyche couldn't hold firm against the waves of change. His entire body lurched upwards. Hard muscle began piling into his chest. His flat pectorals ballooned outwards into enormous, ripped squares with every band of muscle pressing up against his skin. They were much bigger than Flash's and any bodybuilder would've been green with envy at their sight. His hard, round nipples crowned the mountains like two, peaks. Thick, black fur exploded from the cleft of his pectorals, spreading wildly all over his chest and spreading rapidly down his abdomen.

Thick slabs of muscle grew across Dante's abs, stretching and growing with the lengthening of his spine and the rapid growth in the rest of his body. A perfect row eight blocks protected his precious internal organs, now filled with demonic fire and being rapidly reconstituted for a new purpose. Mortal food would still be easily consumed but there would be another type of nourishment that they would be able to digest. Further, all forms of nourishment would be used to fuel the growing demonic cum factories that were rapidly growing in Dante's pants.

With his chest now perfectly formed, his arms were next. The demonic energies focused on his shoulders first, ballooning their masses to become thick, rounded bowling balls barely contained by his skin. Dante's left deltoid burst out first, the force of the growth forcing his head to jerk in the opposite direction. His right quickly followed, forcing him to throw his head to the left. He suddenly threw his head back, his jaws open in a silent gasp of pleasure as his traps inflated, forming a perfect sloping, iron-hard bridge between his shoulders and his neck.

Dante gnashed his teeth together, each one lengthening rapidly. But the main event was in his arms. Some primal instinct caused him to flex his muscles, performing a perfect double bicep curl even with his back flat against the bed. The moment his muscles demanded blood from being flexed, the demonic force immediately pounced and flooded his arms with mass. His biceps stretched against his skin, veins streaming up from the base of the rounded mountain and colliding across the peak. His triceps shuddered before throbbing into their new seize. Before the change could go into his forearm, his entire arm lengthened to fit his new size. That left more room to grow and the transformation doubled back, giving Dante's meaty upper arm a second run through. On its second pass, the black fur covering his chest washed over his sweaty flesh, maintaining the delectable network of veins that pulsed against his muscles. His forearms were quick to succumb to the change. For a moment Dante unclenched his fists, grasping the sheets beneath him like he was trying to hold on to his human shape but the black fur swept over his forearms, turning into two, massive, meaty hams before pushing through to his palms. Thick, leathery pads formed across his palms and fingertips, the rest being covered in black fur. His dark claws melded perfectly with his fur, seemingly sprouting from the darkness.

The young boy scratched at his denim pants, tearing through the fabric with his claws, growling in desperation and lust. Flash understood what his mate wanted and seized the band of Dante's pants. He tore it right down the middle just as his arms bulged with knew strength. Corded muscles flexed all over his forearms, teardrop shapes pressing up against his skin with streams of big, purple veins pumping them full of blood and demonic energy. He growled lustily as his biceps exploded with new size and strength, becoming twice as big as his rapidly mutating head.

On his right hand, that strange black mark suddenly began to grow. More of the black marks began springing up all over his arm, spreading from the back of his hand, up his forearm and across his biceps. They formed intricate patterns, arcane runes and delicate symbols. As they passed a muscle group, dark, almost blood-red fur began springing up from his flesh.

The tattoos reached his shoulders and he grunted as his deltoids jerked into their new size. He wasn't given a moment's reprieve. The tattoos spread across his pectorals. His chest's sudden burst of growth forced him to arch his back, like two cannons mounted on his pecs had just gone off. He felt his bones moving and reconfiguring to adopt to the new size of his body and it felt good. It somehow eased the burning underneath his flesh. The flames were still there but they were a warm glow instead of a blazing inferno.

Flash looked down at the massive mounds of his chest and watched in awe as the tattoos crawled all the way across his pectorals. They formed a strange, circular symbol around his left pectoral, an intricate, spikey swirl that seems to centre around his...

... his heart.

Flash was suddenly assaulted with immense demonic energies as the claws of the transformation dug into his very soul, changing the human's essence into something far darker. The entire room began to shake, the bed quaking violently. The shaking intensified when another similar soul was corrupted by the dark force and Flash turned towards his mate. He saw Dante's eyes, filled with confusion but also something... else change.

A dark force suddenly began creeping out of the corners of Dante's eyes, turning the white sclera into an inky black. They closed in on Dante's green irises and an otherworldly glow consumed those beautiful green orbs. Flash wasn't sure why it was important that Dante's eyes remaining green but he knew it was a good sign even as they began to glow brighter like two, bright beacons. He knew his own eyes were undergoing the same transformation as his very soul was changed.

The two boy suddenly arched their backs as the change's pace grew exponentially. With their human souls corrupted, there was nothing stopping it from consuming them entirely. Both their dicks erupted from the remnants of their clothing. The hot, pulsing members grew into a deep red, the flesh becoming increasingly sensitive. The mushroom like helmet tapered to a point, hot precum pouring from the tips. Their human members grew into a gargantuan 24 inches each, more than half a metre each, constantly spewing precum from their massive melon-sized balls. A furry sheath formed at the base of each dick, the fur encasing their balls protectively.

It was fitting as their forms continued to grow. Both boys rose well past human standards. Flash flung back his huge arms, each one capable of crushing a fully grown man in one flex. Dante thrashed with his, each arm at least twice as long as a normal man's. In his thrashing, he smashed the lamp beside the bed, plunging them into darkness save for the light of the television and the glow from his pendant. Dante's feet stretched past the edges of the bed, his calves sliding past the footrest.

The change consumed their legs completely, adding more size to their thighs and calves and more height to their overall bulks. Their fur swept over their muscular backs and down their legs in one sweep. It stopped momentarily to wait for their feet to readjust, changing from the plantigrade form to a powerful digitigrade stance, with each toe topped with massive claws capable of rending a man in half. To top it all off, the two boys sprouted long, fluffy tails that thrashed joyfully from side to side.

The entire room continued to shake wildly with demonic energies. The trophy cases shattered and the golden testaments to athletic achievement toppled to the ground. Weights smashed into the floor and books toppled off shelves as the two demons emerged into the mortal realm.

The shaking began to flow with the rhythm of their bucking hips. Dante became aware of his balls - pressure constantly building in them to burst - brushing up against Flash's. He reached down toward his crotch and seized both his cock and Flash's, taking it them both in one massive hand and pressing the two member's together. The contact was the big red button for both of them.

Dante threw his head back, glowing green eyes flashing as he let out a monstrous roar. Consumed by the change his features took on their new demonic shape. A canine muzzle jutted out of his face, his upper canines hanging over his lips while two, black horns erupted from just behind his ears. With his cry, his dick erupted with hot cum. The jets of hot fluid sprayed all over his chest, strangely cooling the roaring conflagration that was burning deep inside of him. Dante eagerly lapped up the demonic, unnaturally white slime, every droplet soothing the flames inside of him. Flash's own cock erupted joyfully with his mate's, spraying hot, glowing, white, steaming seed all over the bed and himself.

The waves of orgasm continued for a good five minutes. As their sexual high started to come down, the shaking in the room ebbed and the raging inferno in both boys died into a warm, soothing glow that they would both have to get used to. Flash was left breathless, only emitting soft grunts as mini-orgasms caused him to jerk and spray Dante with a little bit more of his seed. The motions caused Dante to unleash his own load that never seemed to end.

Flash panted heavily and looked down over his massive pectorals at Dante. He regarded his enormous paws, palms covered in leathery pads and his nails sharpened to black points. He exchanged startled stares at Dante who wiped the cum from his features.

A knock suddenly came to his door and he jerked his head towards the noise.

"Flash!? Dante!?" It was Flint. "Are you two okay!?"

Panic hit him as he again looked to Dante.

His mate, for that was what Dante was to him, smiled at him comfortingly. Dante reached up with one massive paw and gently brushed the back of his hand against Flash's cheek. "You look hot," Dante whispered softly.

"Y - Y - Yeah," Flash called back, his voice significantly deeper. He had to make an effort to make it sound normal. "What was that? An earthquake?"

"Must've been..." Flint said. "I'm going to go check on Dick. Meet me in the atrium."

He heard Flint run off with his new, pointed, canine ears. Then, he felt Dante shuffling beneath him and he respectfully gave the equally huge hellhound some room to move. In the faint moonlight coming from the window, Flash caught sight of Dante's new, awesome shape. At an incredible nine and a half feet tall, the hellhound was a sight to behold. With his midnight black fur that could barely contain the muscles beneath, he was an intimidating and sexy creature. Flash grimaced as cock was hit by another surprise orgasm and sprayed Dante's back.

His mate turned around in surprise and caught another blast to the face.

"Dude..." Dante growled, jerking his head back as another blast hit his face. Despite his growl, Dante's own dick sprang up and shot a retaliating blast back at Flash.

"Fuck..." Flash rumbled, his body quivering. He had masturbated _many_times before and he knew the pleasures of self-pleasuring but every burst from his dick was like his first ever orgasm. It was a fresh wave of stimulation and he was left wanting more. "Can't... stop... cumming..."

Suddenly, Dante gripped his cock in one big paw, his own in the other. Both demons gasped, letting out soft humming noises as they continued to spray each other with more of their endless seed.

"We... We gotta get out of here..." Dante rumbled. His eyes partially glazed over.

Flash nodded shakily. Every inch of him wanted to pounce on Dante there and there, push him into the bed and make sure that they both kept cumming for eternity. But Flint's words still echoed in his mind. He gingerly forced Dante to let go of his dick and seized Dante's other paw, holding the other demon's paws to keep them from the throbbing pieces of meat between them.

"What... what do we do...?" he asked. "We're... we're..."

"Hellhounds..." Dante muttered softly. "We're hellhounds... I think..."

"Fuck... I'm going to hell, aren't I?"

Dante gave him a wry smile. "Let's figure this out first." As he spoke, he became more and more coherent. His aching dick began to subside someone but it was slow progress. He did have a whole two feet to cover before he was fully soft. It didn't help that Flash's hot red and black body was just inches away from him. He didn't consider himself gay but Flash was just so delicious. He wanted to run his tongue along every muscle on that rippling mountain of man. He doubted he'd ever be fully soft ever again.

"How... Who can help?" Flash asked.

Dante could only think of one person.

"I may know someone."

******

Russ was sitting in his den, a glass of fine scotch in his big hands. There was a roaring fire in front of him and though it was late, there was no way he could sleep. Not now. He had felt the tremors. Heard the cries. Hell itself quaked at the birth of the two new hellhounds especially since they were born on the mortal plane. There hadn't been such a creature for a very long time.

Not since Virgil.

The lawyer sighed softly at the memory of his lover and mate. He lifted his cup in a silent toast.

"Well... your plan worked Gil," he whispered softly. "At least half of it. Your grandson is no longer alone and found someone." He took a sip from the scotch and set it down on the table beside him. "The soul never lies."

He set his hands on his lap.

He waited for a whole five minutes before sighing. "You can come in, you know. There's a reason why the door is that big."

In truth, it was a little bigger. Virgil always was a monster.

The large, black, double doors opened very slowly. Two large heads poked in, each at least two times as big as a normal man's excluding any extra ears, horns or muzzles. The heavy scent of sex flooded into the big, dark house that Russ called his own.

"Erm... Russ...?" rumbled one of the hellhounds, no doubt Dante. "We... Uh... We need help..."

"I know." Russ picked up his glass and got up from his seat. He turned towards the front door and beckoned the two inside. Both Dante and his mate had ducked back behind the door before they could see his gesture but they hadn't shut the door. He could hear them furiously arguing with one another.

"We... we aren't exactly..."

"Human?" Russ finished. "Dante, I was with your grandfather for a _very_long time and, trust me, I've seen all there is in this world and the next. Nothing you do or what you look like will surprise me."

Again, more fevered whispering.

"Alright... We warned you."

The two doors opened very slowly, slowly revealing the two, young hellhounds to Russ.

Russ didn't lie that Dante couldn't surprise him but that didn't mean that he still didn't pop an instant boner at the sight of the two, enormous demon dogs that stepped into his house. The floorboards creaked under their huge paws. Their cocks were perpetually erect, dripping precum everywhere. Well... except for Flash's.

The young footballer's eyes squeezed shut as he tried to stall the inevitable orgasm but that would have been like trying to move a mountain. His cock jerked and shot a powerful jet of hot, glowing, white cum straight at Russ. The experienced lawyer coolly sidestepped even as the torrent of cum landed in the fireplace, slathering the mantle entirely and dousing the flames.

Russ clapped his hands and light sprang up around them.

The hellhounds winced and Russ finally got a good look at them both.

"You two turned out quite well," he said, taking a drink from the scotch. The strong alcohol helped dull his raging boner somewhat. He stepped up towards the two and circled them, shutting the door as he did so. He couldn't stop staring at Dante's ass or Flash's broad, muscular back. They were such exquisite specimens of demon kind.

"You... You knew this would happen?" rumbled Flash.

"Indeed. It was all part of Virgil's plan."

Dante whirled around. He was still unused to his size. The sudden movement knocked down a nearby hat stand and knocked Flash back into the den. "Grandpa wanted this to happen?" He quickly apologised to Flash who waved him down.

"Have a seat in the den," Russ said, leading the way. "I'll explain."

Both hellhounds were certainly surprised when there were two large pillows already waiting for them. Though Russ would've been hated for his expensive pillow covers to be smeared with cum and the dirt and leaves that the two had collected during their speedy trek from wherever they had come from, it was better that than his chairs or carpet. The two hellhounds parked themselves awkwardly on the pillows, shuffling to find the perfect way to sit. Their new anatomy would have been rather difficult to get used to. Squatting with digitigrade feet wasn't that easy and Dante sat on his tail, making him let out a cute yelp.

Russ reached towards the mini-fridge he had just beside his big, red armchair and pulled out two, metal drink bottles. He tossed them towards the two boys. They caught the canisters, steam rising up from the contact it made with their paws. Their bodies would be much hotter now both in temperature and appearance. He poured himself another glass of strong scotch before regarding the two boys, one midnight black and the other crimson and ebony. Both had eyes that were as inky as the abyss save for their glowing, green irises. A very good sign. Virgil really had chosen well.

"I'm not sure if you know this but Virgil once took a trip to Hell," Russ began. "That's where he met me." He took another sip from his scotch, the rush of alcohol dampening his arousal. It was hard not to get aroused in the presence of these two marvellous hellhounds. "This is no metaphorical journey either. Virgil literally went to Hell."

"Hell is real!?" Flash exclaimed, his cry shaking the house. He had a powerful set of lungs on him likely developed from years of shouting commands as a quarterback. Realising the power of his voice, he sat back down and took a drink from the bottle. His eyes sparked up for a brief moment as he downed the liquid. Seeing his mate accepting the drink willingly, Dante followed suit.

"Quite so. As is Heaven." Before Flash could wallow in depression, Russ wagged a finger at him. "But I don't want you thinking that you are thrown to either place because you are good or evil. Rather, they are the places where those souls that have passed from this mortal go to be with their own kind."

Seeing that Flash was clearly confused, Russ continued. "Heaven is for those people who enjoy being charitable, gracious, honest, kind and spread love wherever they go. Hell is for those who enjoy the baser pleasures of life. Yes, it can be a rather rough place since there are no restrictions against hatred, anger or lust. But Heaven can be just as terrible."

"How is Heaven terrible!?" Flash demanded, waving his paws around madly. He smacked Dante's muzzle. At his mate's cry, Flash folded his ears back in apology.

Russ stuck out his tongue in disgust. "People there are too nice. It's not a matter of religion. It's just a place where all anyone ever does is sing songs of how happy they are. No one swears, everyone has a stick perpetually stuck up their asses and if you bump into someone, they'll smile and just give you a donut."

"It's Canada?" Dante joked.

Russ grinned, glad that the boy still had some humour in him. That was definitely a good sign. "Now don't be mean."

"We're hellhounds now, right?" Flash growled. "Aren't we supposed to be mean?"

"Not at all." Russ took another sip from his scotch before setting it down. "Don't be fooled by your old legends of what Heaven and Hell should be. In truth, Heaven is more like a luxury resort that you spend time in every once in a while and Hell is likes the slutty Red Light District that you go to indulge your baser desires whenever you want."

"So where do people go when they die?"

Russ gave him a faint smile. "Sorry, I can't tell you that. But what I _can_tell you is about Virgil." He found himself getting aroused again and quickly took a gulp of scotch. Damn these two boys were hot. "Virgil had explored every inch of the world when he came to Hell."

Dante lifted one big paw. "Right. A guy wrapped in belts called 'H2' met him and took him to Hell before his time, right?"

He wasn't sure how Dante knew that but he dismissed it as Shaun likely having read some of the diary to the young man. "Yes. That was where we met." He then pointed at the necklace that Dante wore which was now more like a tight silver choker around his neck. "H2 gave that pendant to your grandfather. It absorbed demonic energies and eventually turned Virgil into a demon just like you two. A hellhound."

Dante's eyebrows lifted in horror. "Grandpa was a hellhound...?"

"So am I," Russ said. "I am -"

"Cerberus," Dante finished, now shaking. "I know but... Does that mean you eat human flesh?" He exchanged glances with Flash. "Do we eat human flesh now? Are we supposed to devour souls?" The poor young man shook his head furiously. "I don't want to kill anyone!"

Russ again wondered how Dante knew his true identity but he had more pressing matters to attend to. "You won't. Like I said, Heaven and Hell are for people who enjoy aspects of mortal existence that those two sides of the spectrum favour. The same goes for the creatures born within them. We demons feed and revel in the 'negative' emotions that fill the mortal world. Pride, sloth, greed, anger, hatred, despair. Those things are what we feed on."

Flash suddenly got to his feet angrily. "What you feed on! We're not like you!"

"I'm sad to say that you are now," Russ responded calmly. "But I want you to consider something before you start rejecting your new selves." He held up a finger at them. "When you take away all that make life miserable, what are you left with?"

"Nothing!" came Flash's instantaneous response.

Russ turned his gaze expectantly towards Dante.

"Actually..." Virgil's grandson said tentatively. "You're left with all the positive..." He locked gazes with Russ. "Aren't you? Is that why people were always happy around grandpa? Why he always brought out the best in people?"

He knew Dante was a smart kid. "Indeed it was," Russ chuckled softly. "Virgil used his demonic powers to devour all the negativity out of Angelton. He did so in a very intelligent way too. He didn't take everything all at once. He only took enough so that people feeling roadblocks in their lives would be able to move on with their lives."

"Just like Coach Mitchell..."

"Yes." Russ regarded the amber liquid in his glass. "Theoretically, a hellhound who feasts enough on enough negativity can live on forever, growing stronger and stronger with time. Your grandfather was immortal for a good long while. But he was always smarter than most, wiser than even Solomon. He moved here to Angelton because it's such a small town. Less negativity to feed off but enough to maintain his health at a mortal rate. He would age and eventually die. As he did."

"But... why...?" Dante asked. He wiped a tear away, stunned that even hellhounds could cry.

"Because no one lives forever. Your grandfather knew that. He lived a long, fulfilling life and when this world held no more for him, he was prepared for the next one." Russ sighed and drained his glass, immediately pouring himself another. "He asked me to take care of his son and grandson. His dying wish was to make sure Shaun got the box of trinkets and you got the necklace that turned him into a hellhound. He did so because your father was far too... angelic_for his own good. Life is full of both light and darkness and you simply cannot live a fulfilling one if you just smile, give way to everyone and let yourself live on love alone. Angels do it but I don't know how. Your father needed some _demon in him. The varied demonic artefacts within the box would call out to the baser emotions inside of him, heightening them but eventually balancing each other out with his good side."

He didn't like the way the two hellhounds exchanged glances. "I guess you're wondering how he could possibly be balanced after being affected by something demonic, huh?" He set his glass down. "Well, it's sort of like what happens in comic books when supervillains team up. They work together for a while but then they eventually turn on each other because they're ultimately selfish. The same will be for your dad. He will get a taste of what makes mortals _mortal_and eventually, they will turn on another. Fur burning fires of Anger will be cancelled out by ineptitude of Sloth. Pride's inflated ego will be negated by Jealousy's endless desire. Despair's darkness will be lit by Lust's need. Hatred's hostility will be tempered by Fear's paralysing effect. Deception's cruel cunning will always be foiled by Avarice's insatiable greed. Balances with your father's innate charity, wisdom, kindness and gentle nature, and he will become a far more rounded person."

Russ then nodded at the two boys. "As for you two, Virgil saw the loneliness that was crippling you Dante. You had a friend but you lacked direction and a purpose in your life. He hoped that by turning you into a hellhound, he could at least give you the mission of going all over the world, nibbling on the sins of mankind with your mate."

"Mate...?" exclaimed Flash. "R - R - Really...?" He was blushing beneath his red fur and his cock jerked lightly.

"Only a kindred spirit, someone bound by destiny, will get those tattoos," Russ said, gesturing at Flash's arm. "I got them as well when Virgil and I first touched." He chuckled softly. "I admit that I wasn't very fond of him at first but as he showed me his bravery, his jovial nature and his... his light, I grew to love him." He glanced at the two with a grin. "You two may not know it yet, but trust me, you're meant for one another."

"Hey now..." Flash muttered, turning away from Dante and rubbing the back of his neck. "I... I don't wanna get hitched or nothing..."

"We're both hellhounds now," Dante said, nudging Flash with an elbow. "We're in this together." He gave Flash a faint smile. "Besides, you said you believed in the supernatural. Guess what? Now we're supernatural."

Russ smiled at the two. He could see the bond between them and it was certainly one just as strong as the one he had with Virgil. Even now, he could feel Virgil's presence with him and it warmed his heart.

"So... where to from here?" Flash asked, desperate to change the subject. "You're a hellhound and you look human. Even Dante's grandpa was human. Can we change back?"

"Of course. It's surprisingly just as easy as getting those things down." He pointed at the throbbing dicks of the two demons. "But even harder to maintain. You'll find that both of you are very susceptible to the vices of this world. You will taste it in the air. You'll hunger for it. And it will make you hard."

"Why? Why does eating something like Hatred make us hard?"

"Because your natural instinct will be to consume the darkness of the world and then put more into it. Your semen will be highly corruptive. Anyone who touches is will likely latch onto the first dark emotion that they experience and it will amplify itself until they become fonts of that darkness. It'll be more for you to devour. It's how demons make sure that they always have more to eat." He lifted a finger at them. "But that's where I come in. I'm here to help discipline you. Keep you from turning this place into a second Hell. It took your grandfather a trip to Hell to control his urges but I'm here to make sure that when you eat something negative, you don't immediately tear through your pants, go all hellhound and spray your seed in the face of the nearest person to perpetuate a cycle of damnation. That's how demons end up being obliterated."

Dante inclined his head to the side. "I thought demons were immortal?"

"Oh they are. By the laws of our reality. All Angels or any mortal can ever do is throw us back to Hell. But there are others up there -" He pointed a finger upwards " - who don't take kindly to people messing with other people's destinies. They can obliterate you. Erase you completely from existence."

The poor boy gulped loudly and Russ felt remorse over scaring them. Neither of them chose this life but they were now stuck with it. There was no going back from being a demon and they both had long lives to live. It really was a double edged sword. They both had the potential to bring so much good in the world by taking it away... but they had to resist the overwhelming urge to pour even more darkness or risk utter annihilation.

"We... We uh... Might want to go over to my place to clean up..." Flash muttered softly. "And probably a few spots between here and my house... We... We came... a lot."

"I understand," Russ said, smiling. "I expected as much. I've already prepared a few spells to help in that."

"We can do magic!?" exclaimed Dante.

Of all the things to be excited about, it was magic. Russ chuckled. "Of course. That I will teach you as well. But first -"

Suddenly, all three hellhounds turned collectively towards the east. Though it was fairly far away, they still felt the quake through the supernatural world as yet another demon was born into the world. Another demon with a mortal's heart. A guardian of this world.

"And that would be your father," Russ said with a grin. "Let's just wait here. I'm sure that -"

A second quake hit, making Russ' brow furrow. It came from somewhere a little further to the north, separate from the first shock. Before he could ask what that meant, a third tremor hit then a fourth, a fifth and a sixth. His eyes began to widen in horror as nine whole earthquakes hit the small town of Angelton.

He spun slowly towards Dante... catching the young hellhound's folded ears.

"What... was that...?"

Dante gulped loudly while Flash wrapped his big arms around his mate protectively. "Umm... dad... didn't get the box. He... he gave it to me."

"He what!?" Russ bellowed, his voice acting as a tenth earthquake. "I told him that it was just for him!" It all made sense. The reason why Dante knew his identity and Virgil's journey through Hell... It was because Dante had the box. Not Shaun!

"He said it was for me!" Dante exclaimed, holding his paws up in surrender. "I... I thought it was for me! I read grandpa's journal and... I... sort of..."

"What happened to the artefacts?" Russ growled, flames starting to dance between his teeth. His eyes started to blacken, the sclera turning the same inky black as the two hellhounds. Only his irises glowed a bright yellow. "Who has them now?"

"They sort of..." Dante swallowed loudly. "Um... other people have them... I... Uh... I sort of... either gave them away or... lost them."

"You what!?" Russ bellowed.

Flash immediately imposed himself between Russ and Dante, towering over the hellhound in human form. "Look, he didn't know, okay? How was he supposed to know that it was some sort of Pandora's Box!?"

Russ had to admit, there was no use blaming Dante or Flash. He couldn't even really blame Shaun either. Virgil's son probably thought that Dante didn't get to spend enough time with Virgil so the box would serve as a way to connect with the deceased hellhound saint. He growled at himself for not keeping a much closer eye on the two.

He ran a hand down his face and paced back and forth. "Okay... Okay... So there could potentially be ten demons out there, each with the potential to become as powerful as the Demon Lords that the artefacts were taken from. But they're fresh demons. They don't have any followers yet. No thralls."

"Thralls...?" Dante asked, peeking around Flash's enormous mass.

Russ, showing his infinite patience, said, "Mortals who have been transformed into demons such as yourself but are bound to a greater demon's will. While they maintain their personalities, it has become twisted and warped to match their lord's will. Angels and demons can't twist a person's free will or rob them of choice but if you amplify a certain part of their personalities enough like their pride, jealousy or anger, they will become consumed by it and eventually join the demon lord of their will."

"Can they be saved?"

Russ snorted and gave them both a smile. "Of course. Just take all that negativity from them." He folded his arms and turned towards the two. "Looks like we have some work ahead of us, boys. You ready to save your town?"

Flash exchanged glances with Dante. His mate stood and wrapped their paws together. Their bond indeed was strong. In unison, they turned to Russ.

"Hell yes!"