Sunset's Journey

by Alphajeager1

S1E1 Sub Dimension

“Urghh. I feel horrible. Where am I...wait…who am I? I remember….a boom. Some creepy eyes. An academy. What’s an academy? And….fire? What’s fire? Why can’t I remember anything?!” She shouted when she realized that she didn’t even know her own name! “Ok, this is bad, but just calm down and think!” Several seconds later. “Nothing! I can’t remember anything!” She looked around and appeared to be on a pier, with a red sky and the water had a load of black rocks emerging from it. “What is this place? It's so red.” She paused. “Red, yellow, Sun? Shimmer! Sunset Shimmer! That's my name! Some progress at least.” Looking around the now named Sunset Shimmer pulled herself off the floor. “I’m not getting anywhere by sitting here! So I might as well look around and try to find somebody.”

She had red hair with orange highlights that reached halfway down her back, green eyes and tanned skin. She wore a blue dress, blue jeans, black boots and a black fake leather coat. Around her waist was a silver belt with a black handprint buckle. On her right hand was a silver ring with a small black gem in the centre of it that was shaped as a handprint. On other middle finger bore a silver ring with a small red gem in the centre of it.

She looked around for a few seconds, before realising two things.

One: She could remember nothing except her name.

Two: She was in a weird place where the sky was red, the sun was black, as well all the buildings and the rocks coming out of the ground.

She only realised the second fact after she had stopped running around in panic after realising the first fact.

“Ok,” she panted. “Let’s calm down Sunset, panic doesn’t solve anything! Now, to figure out where I am!”

Suddenly, three creatures burst from the ground. They were humanoid but that was where any resemblance to humanity ended. They looked to be made of stone with dome-shaped heads, each of them held a single-sided tanto sword. These are Lesser Blade Phantoms.

“What the-?! What are you?” while most people would be screaming in terror, Sunset only felt defensive.

The Lesser Blade Phantoms did not answer and elected to charge instead.

Somehow, Sunset knew just what she had to do. She dodged to the side and held the ring on her right hand over the buckle on her belt, making it speak. [DRIVER ON PLEASE!] A magic glyph appeared over the buckle as it grew in size before a pair of square-shaped leaves appeared on either side of the buckle.

Sunset reached down and pressed down on the right shift lever, making the hand author turn to the right. [MAGICAL TOUCH HENSHIN!] shouted the Wizard Driver. “HENSHIN!” yelled Sunset as she held the Active Ring on her left middle finger over the Hand Author. [ACTIVE PLEASE!] A magical glyph appeared to her left. It was a red A, inside a red circle, inside a red eight-pointed star, inside a second red circle which had two layers and runic text between the layers.

The glyph moved over Sunset, covering her body in red magical energy, within which her body changed and transformed into a new form which was revealed as the magic energy dispersed.

Her head looked like a red helmet with a pair of lines cutting vertically through the centre and the faceplate being shaped like a light blue circle shaped gem. On the centre of her forehead was a bronze coin with a pair of white curved horns coming out of it forming a V. Her skin from the neck down had turned into a black full-body leather catsuit, except for the forearms which were red and going down the side of her arms and the front of each leg was a dark blue line. Her hands looked like black gloves had her feet had turned into black combat boots. Sunset’s chest now looked like a bronze coin with white outlines, her shoulder had changed into red shoulder pauldrons that curved downwards with white outlines. Her forearms had changed into the image of red forearms guards while the back of her hands and the front of her shins had changed into red shin armour with a pair of white lines cutting through them vertically. The front of her knees had turned into grey circle shaped knee armour while her wrists and ankles now looked like red gem-like anklets and bracelets with a silver framework. Overall of this, she wore a black sleeveless robe with silver outlines, no arms and a high collar. In her hand, she held a silver single-sided sword with a guard that looked like a black closed fist with golden outlines and had its thumb sticking out. She was no longer Sunset Shimmer but Kamen Rider Symbol Active Style and the sword was named the Active Blade.

“I am the final hope,” she stated, then paused. “Where the heck did that come from and how did I even know how to transform?” muttered the Kamen Rider as she ran at the Lesser Blade Phantoms with the Active Blade ready.

One of the Lesser Blade Phantoms charged at her, she slashed it three times quickly with her sword, before ending with one big slash. Suddenly sparks were drawn from her back when the other Lesser Blade Phantoms struck up from behind. “Ow!” she slashed it several more times before letting her instincts take over. Symbol pressed the left shift lever, making the Wizard Driver’s Hand Author turn to the left. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Then she scanned the Active Ring over the Hand Author. [ACTIVE! C RANK SPELL!] A red glyph flashed on the hand author as red lightning burst into existence around Symbol’s left hand, encasing it in crackling magical energy. ‘Wait, magic? Is that what fuels my powers?’ Slapping herself in the helmet with her non-lightning covered hand Symbol mentally growled. ‘Focus Sunset!’ She ran towards the Lesser Blade Drone rearing back her hand and giving the Phantom a palm strike to the face, sending it flying back. “Cool!” Stars replaced her lenses as the Phantom went flying, crashing into a wall.

“Gah!” More sparks came from her back as she was hit by the other Lesser Blade Phantom. “Forgot about you!” She pressed down on the left shift lever again, however, her arm jarred a bit and she ended up pressing down on it twice. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Not noticing she scanned the Active Ring in front of the Hand Author. [ACTIVE! B RANK SPELL!] “What the-?!” shouted Symbol as red lightning covered both her arms this time. “Figure it out later!” she blocked a blow from the Lesser Blade Phantom with her forearm, the lightning cushioned the blow. She knocked the tanto to the side and decked the Phantom in the face, before giving it a pair of quick jabs and an uppercut which sent it into the air where it exploded.

“Woah!!” Symbol didn’t have long to be in awe as she ducked under an attack from the other Lesser Blade Phantom and slashed it several times across the chest before it exploded. Symbol was given no time to rest as three more Lesser Blade Phantoms burst from the ground. “More killing for me!” she chirped, slashing one of them across the chest. Symbol swept another's feet from under it and stabbed the third before repeating the stabbing motion rapidly. She then spun around with the Active Blade held up cutting the other two demons resulting in them being thrown back and sparks flying off them. “Let's try this.” Symbol pressed down on the left shift lever three times. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Then scanned the Active Ring in front of the Hand Author. [ACTIVE! A RANK SPELL!] Red lightning burst into being around her, this time it condensed around her right fist. Symbol brought said fist around and slammed it into the first Lesser Blade Phantom’s chest, sending the Phantom flying and making it explode!

Suddenly, Symbol noticed something. “The guard of this sword looks like the hand on my belt.” Curious she pulled the thumb, causing the hand to spring open! [COME ON SLASH SHAKE HANDS!] “Er ok?” Symbol scanned the Active Ring across the Active Blades Hand Author. [ACTIVE: SLASH STRIKE!] “Woah!” Shouted the Kamen Rider as red lightning burst into being around the sword. The two Lesser Blade Phantoms were heedless of the danger as they charged. Giving what could pass for a smirk, Symbol spun around her sword discharged a red lightning crescent that cut through the two Lesser Blade Phantoms like a hot knife through butter, causing the two halves to explode.

Then another three Lesser Blade Phantom burst from the ground.

“Let me kill something else already!” Shouted Symbol in anger. She slashed one Lesser Blade Phantoms with three wide swings, before backflipping over a blow from the second Phantom and giving it a roundhouse kick to the face. She ducked under a blow from the third Lesser Blade Phantom, going into a handstand and kicking it in the face with both boots. “Ok, so my body clearly remembers how to fight,” mused Symbol as she blocked an attack with the Active Blade and killed the first Lesser Blade Phantom with another two slashes.

Ducking under a blow from the other Phantom she grabbed its arm and threw it into the third one. “Let's see how many times I can push this down,” she pressed down on the left shift lever once, twice, thrice and four times before she couldn’t push it down any more. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] “So four times is the limit.” Symbol scanned the Active Ring across the Wizard Driver’s Hand Author. [VERY NICE!] She pulled her robe to the side as she crouched down. [ACTIVE! S RANK SPELL!] Her left boot was covered in red lightning that crackled angrily. [THE BEST!] Symbol jumped into the air, she flipped over and shot down in a flying kick her foot slammed into the two Lesser Stygians throwing them back and causing the demon’s to explode.

“Sunset! This way!” Symbol could see a girl that looked like she was see through running down the pier away from her.

“Who the heck is that?” she muttered. “Not like I have any idea where the heck I’m going. Might as well follow her,” Symbol ran down the pier jumping over some black rocks as she did so. Suddenly, she heard a whistling noise coming from behind her. Symbol’s body acted on its own, throwing itself to the side just as a grappling hook slammed into the wood where she had just been standing! “That was close!” Symbol glanced along the line and almost yelped when she saw a giant humanoid Phantom. It had legs that bent backwards, a knife strapped to its waist and a large open cross-shaped scar was on its face.

Her HUD lit up displaying text. “Monkey Phantom? So that's what that thing is called?” mused Symbol.

Suddenly the Monkey Phantom pulled on the grappling line making the pier start to come apart!

“Uh oh! Time to run!” Symbol turned and started running for her life. She jumped over a gap that appeared when the pier fell away, then dodge around a caravan that fell past her. Symbol jumped over another gap and just made it past a caravan that had started to slide before it could force her off the edge. Suddenly another caravan fell down and smashed right through the pier while the supports started to tear themselves away.

“This is getting stupid!” Symbol had to jump over that gap then run up a caravan that was balanced on the edge. She jumped falling through the air but landed solidly on the vehicle. To solidly! It started to slide into the void. “Oh, nuts!” Symbol dashed up the caravan and just managed to jump off and land on the pier in time.

Suddenly, she heard a loud growl and saw that the Monkey Phantom was back! Her body took on a life of its own again, as her gloves grabbed the Active Blade, pulling the handle down so that it was at an angle forming an L shape. Her right hand then gave the weapon a jerk and the blade folded in half, it was now the Active Rifle. “This thing turns into a gun? That's so cool!” Symbol had stars in her lenses when suddenly she had to roll out of the way of a grappling hook. “Get your head in the game!” she pulled the trigger, several silver bullets trailing red aura were discharged from the gun, but they all bounced off the Monkey Phantom's face.

With a mugging sneer, the Monkey Drone jumped into the blood like water and swam away.

Symbol connected the gun to the back of her belt and started walking when the sound of a Phantom materialized came from above. She looked up and saw what looked like a human crossed with a fly in the air. Her HUD lit up once more. “So this thing’s called a Valkyrie Phantom? Odd name but I’m named after a colour so who am I to judge?” She looked at the Phantom. “Target practice. Right on queue!” She pulled out the Active Rifle and fired at the Phantom. Five silver bullets shot out of the gun and slammed into the Valkyrie Phantom, it gave a squeal of pain and pulled out an orb. But five more bullets slammed into the Phantom destroying it before it could do anything else.

Then four more Valkyrie Phantoms appeared.

Symbol shot one of them but was forced to jump out of the way when another one threw an orb at her. “Is that the best you can do?”

Suddenly the orb exploded!

“ARRRGHHH!!!” She was sent flying and slammed into a wall. “Ow! Ok, that was better,” Symbol got back to her boots and looked at the Active Rifle. “If it worked for the sword then it should work for the gun,” She pulled on its weapon’s thumb making its hand author spring open again. [COME ON SHOOTING SHAKE HANDS!] “Yes!” Shouted Symbol, she dodged out of the way of several other bombs and scanned it across the Active Rifle’s Hand Author. [ACTIVE! SHOOTING STRIKE!] A red ball of aura that had bright red lightning crackling across it appeared in front of the Active Rifle’s barrel. It slowly grew bigger until it was about the size of a basketball when Symbol pulled the trigger. The ball of aura discharged about thirty silver bullets, all of which were trailing red lightning. The bullets smashed into the demons before the lightning that they had been guiding caught up and electrocuted the airborne Phantoms.

Symbol had no time to rest as a pair of Valkyrie Phantoms appeared in the air and a pair of Lesser Blade Phantoms jumped out of the ground. “Give me a break!” she slashed one Lesser Blade Phantoms twice and fired a brace of silver bullets at one of the Valkyrie Phantoms. She pressed the left shift lever once. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Then scanned the Active Ring across the Hand Author. [ACTIVE! C RANK SPELL!] Covering her glove in red lightning she gave the Lesser Blade Phantom a violent palm strike. Before kicking it into the other land-based Phantom causing it to explode. She jumped out of the way of two more bombs and fired another burst of bullets damaging the second Valkyrie Phantom.

Symbol then jumped into the air and slashed at the two Phantom’s with the Active Blade killing them both with two slashes each. She dropped back down to the ground only to be struck in the chest by the second Lesser Blade Phantom that had been partially damaged by the explosion. “Gah! Take this!” Symbol pressed the left shift lever twice. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Then scanned the Active Ring over the Hand Author. [ACTIVE! B RANK SPELL!] Both her fists were covered in red lightning. She brought them around in an X shaped chop, craving a red glowing X through the Lesser Blade Phantom that flashed several times bigger before the demon went *Boom!*

When no more Phantoms appeared Symbol was able to run further down the pier.

“What kind of Phantom are you?” came a voice.

Symbol looked to the side a saw another Kamen Rider standing here.

His suit was black with black boots and white gloves along with a black helmet. The faceplate had a demonic red outline with an angelic blue mouth guard. A pair of circle shaped lenses were in place of his eyes, the left one being angelic blue while the right was demonic red. His chestplate was demonic red while his shoulder, forearm, knee and shin armour were all angelic blue and had chains wrapped around them. His Driver was a black belt with a gate-shaped buckle that had a slot on either side. The gate was open, revealing a demonic red and angelic blue face. On his back was a grey claymore with a skull and a ribcage for a guard. Attached to each of his legs was a modified Desert Eagle, one was coloured stalk white and the other was pitch black. On his left middle finger was a silver ring with a small angelic blue and demonic red gem in the centre of it, while his right middle finger bore the same Driver On Ring that was on Symbol’s right middle finger.

“What do you- Wait a minute! I’m not one of these things. At least I don’t think I am.”

“What do you mean ‘I don’t think I am’?” His visors narrowed as his hand went back to his sword.

“I don’t remember anything other than my name!” Shouted Sunset in distress.

The man looked surprised. “You can’t remember anything? Anything at all? How can you talk and move?”

“Well…I can remember some things. But they don’t make sense to me. Not really.”

“Well since you're not trying to kill or piss me off, your free to go.”

Suddenly the see-through girl ran up. “Dante, Sunset.”

The other Kamen Rider, now named Dante pulled out both his guns. One was coloured ebony and the other was an ivory colour, both modified grips that were sharp.

Symbol pulled out the Active Rifle.

Having three firearms pointed at her caused the girl to skid to a stop.

“Don’t shoot! My name is Kate, I’m not a Phantom. I’m still in the real world, you two are in the Slip Dimension.”

“How come we can see you clearly.” Inside his head, Dante was confused that he was already calling himself and someone that he had just met ‘we’. ‘Also, why does she feel so familiar?’

“I’m a medium, a psychic, I can phase into the Slip Dimension and communicate with you!” came Kate’s explanation. “I can see you, talk to you, but I’m not actually in the Slip Dimension with you.”

“What’s the Slip Dimension?” asked Symbol.

Dante looked at her in shock. “Wow! You really don’t remember anything!” He turned back to Kate. “And if I pull the trigger?”

“I’ll die. I’m risking my life for you. I want to help.”

Dante held the gun at her for several seconds, when Symbol grabbed his arm and forced it down. “Would you stop it! She’s just trying to help!”

Dante glared at her before turning back to Kate. “We don’t need your help. Again with the we!? What is going on?!’

“The Monkey Phantom has dragged you into Limbo. I can get you out,” offered Kate.

“I’ve been down here before; I know how to get out. You fight and kill whatever shit-sucking Phantom dragged you in here,” Symbol tapped him on the shoulder, Dante turned to her, then stared at the jar labelled ‘swear jar’ “You are having a laugh.”

“I’m serious.”

Dante groaned as he pulled out his wallet and jammed a five dollar note into the jar.

Kate stared at the comedy scene before replying. “You don’t want to fight the Monkey. He’s not your Phantom,” she ran off. “Follow me. Now!”

Dante looked at Symbol who shrugged. “We might as well.”

He rolled his eyes as he put his guns back in the holsters and they ran after Kate. “Where’d she go?” they ran between some houses.

“There goes that arcade machine,” muttered Symbol as one of the machines collapsed. They moved into an open space with some kind of carnival ride in it. Black rocks rose from the ground blocking all exits and six Lesser Blade Phantoms popped out of the ground.

“I’ll take three and you take out the other three?” asked Symbol as the two of them stood back to back.

“Sure,” replied Dante. He punched the Nephilim Ring on his left middle finger into the hilt of his sword, before pulling open the mouth, revealing a single demonic red and angelic blue circle. [ONE!] Then he swung the sword upwards, sending one of the Lesser Blade Phantom’s into the air. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!]

Symbol didn’t want to drag this fight out, she slashed at one Lesser Blade Phantom thrice, before sidestepping a swing from the other and kicking it back. Symbol pulled open the Active Rifle’s hand author. [COME ON SHOOTING SHAKE HANDS!] Then she scanned the Active Ring across it. [ACTIVE! SHOOTING STRIKE!] Firing several silver bullet that guided lightning bolts into the other Lesser Blade Phantom, electrocuting it and doing massive damage. She then switched the weapon back into its sword mode and slashed the first Lesser Blade Phantom twice more across the body and a single powerful downwards slash destroyed it.

The second Lesser Blade Phantom caught Symbol by surprise as the swing hit her bracelet forcing her to drop her sword. “Why you!” She ducked under another blow and punched the Phantom twice in the chest before kicking it away. She pressed the left shift lever. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Before scanning the Active Ring across the driver. [ACTIVE! C RANK SPELL!] Her glove was covered in red lightning, she drew her limb back and ran forwards, using her other arm to force the weapon to the side and palm strike the Phantom. A beam of lightning shot out of her hand and sent it shooting into the air where it exploded.

Dante punched his ring into the hilt of his sword before pulling open the handle. [THREE!] Revealing three angelic blue and demonic red circles. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Then he slashed the already damaged Lesser Blade Phantom three times, cutting it to bits.

Seeing that another one of the Lesser Blade Phantoms was approaching he punched the ring into the base of his sword, closed the mouth and then opened it once more. [TWO!] This time only two angelic blue and demonic red circles were revealed. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Dante quickly delivered several spinning slashes to the Phantom.

The Kamen Rider then jumped over the attack of the third Lesser Blade Phantom as he closed the sword’s mouth, punched his ring into the hilt and then opened the mouth again. [FIVE!] This time five angelic blue and demonic red circles were revealed. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Angelic blue and demonic red energy gathered around the sword as Dante stab the Phantom with a powerful stab.

With only one Lesser Blade Drone left Dante put his sword away and drew his guns, before punching his left-hand ring into the hammers of them both. [EBONY AND IVORY STRIKE!] Before pulling the triggers, the two bullets spiralled around it each like a drill and slammed into the Lesser Blade Phantom’s, the sheer force of them ripped the already injured Phantom in half.

“That went well.” The rock barrier vanished and they ran down the pier, jumping over a caravan that had slid, blocking the way forward. They then had to jump up to get to the next section of the pier that had been pushed up by the black rocks.

“So, I got this thing,” Symbol pulled out the Active Blade.

“Nice sword,” commented Dante as they jumped back down and ran past a merry go round.

“It’s also a HISBHR.”

“...What?”

Symbol changed the Active Blade into the Active Rifle. “It's also a gun.”

“Nice, I have a pair of custom made pistols that never run out of ammo, for some weird reason, called Ebony and Ivory. And a sword that appears only when I’m in the Slip Dimension.”

Symbol now had stars in her visors as she looked at the sword. She somehow managed to turn into a chibi form and as she examined it “Cool! Steel sword with silver melted into it! Highest purity I’ve ever seen! No impurities at all! Engine like guard and custom made grip with mystic runic-like designs on it! What's it called?!”

“...No idea?” By now Dante was bit freaked out. Suddenly he heard something.

The Monkey Phantom leapt over the rooftops and onto a Ferris wheel, making Symbol return to normal. It smashed the supports pulling the thing lose.

Dante squinted. “Is that my coat?!”

“How’d it get up there?” asked Symbol.

“Must have been really drunk last night!”

The Monkey Phantom grabbed the Ferris wheel and forced it to start rolling towards the two.

“I would advise running!” shouted Symbol.

Dante let the wheel fall around him. He slashed through two of the inner workings and ran up another, jumping towards his coat and slipping his hands into the sleeves as he did so. “Sweet!” he stated.

Symbol ran up to him. “That was cool, where’d you learn to do that?”

“Practice,” came the reply.

They ran after the wheel as it tore apart the pier, before several of the planks that had been torn up formed into a barrier as three Lesser Blade Phantoms pulled themselves from the ground and two Valkyrie Phantoms appeared in the air.

Dante opened fire on one Valkyrie with Ebony and Ivory, he dodged a bomb and finished off the Valkyrie with his twin guns. Dante jumped up to the level of the other Valkyrie’s. He punched his ring into his sword hilt and pulled open the mouth. [FOUR!] Revealing four demonic red and angelic blue circles. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Demonic red along with angelic blue energy gathered around the sword and sparks flew from the Valkyrie Phantom with each slash of his sword until it exploded.

Symbol slashed one Lesser Blade Phantom, then upper cutted it when she was struck from behind by the second Phantom. “Why you!” Symbol pressed the left shift lever twice. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] The scanned the Active Ring across the Driver’s Hand Author. [ACTIVE! B RANK SPELL!] Red lightning covered both her arms as she unleashed an X chop on the demon, doing massive damage and burning an X shaped scar in its chest via electrical heat. She slipped her sword onto the back of her belt and ran at the third Lesser Blade Phantom. Punching it in the face she gave it a left hook, a knee to the jaw and a downwards punch from the air. The first Lesser Blade Phantom made an attempt to attack her from behind but Symbol ducked, swept its feet from under it.

As the Phantom fell she grabbed its leg and threw it into the third demon. Symbol pulled open the Active Blade’s hand author. [COME ON SLASH SHAKE HANDS!] Then she scanned the Active Ring across it. [ACTIVE! SLASH STRIKE!] The two Phantoms looked up just in time to see a crescent of bright red lightning slam into them burning most of their bodies to the point they exploded.

[GO! KICK STRIKE!] Dante came down and slammed his charged boot into the head of the Lesser Blade Phantom that had been about to attack Symbol from behind. “Never let your guard down!” he lectured.

Symbol rubbed the back of her helmet. “Sorry.”

Suddenly, the Monkey Phantom clambered over the rooftops. It jumped landing on one of the black rocks and pulled a grappling gun from its belt.

“OOH! Cool, A grappling gun that launches a four-pronged hook-!”

“Geek out later, dodge now!” Dante grabbed Symbol and pulled her to the side as the gun was fired. A hand of earth sprung from the wooden pier and closed around where they had just been standing! “Hey! Get down here and fight!” shouted Dante.

“That isn’t going to work!” exclaimed Symbol. “In here!” She ran into a funhouse with Dante following. The entrance collapsed behind them by another earth hand. The two of them had to jump back when a bit of the house caved in from the aftershocks.

“Jerk,” muttered Dante as they ran up a slope and took a right turn, running through a hall of doors and curtains. “Get lost!” Dante shouted as a skeleton dropped out of a closet. Suddenly the Monkey Phantom’s hand burst through the right side of the hall! “Oh shit!” They both rolled back and the demon smashed its arm against the ground before withdrawing. “Ok I think it’s gone, let's go,” Dante almost absently dropped another note into the swear jar. ‘Ok this is getting nuts! Why am I dropping money into a swear jar like its instinct?! Why do I feel so bad to swear in front of her?!’ They reached the end of the corridor and arrived in another that had several photos of a single eye hanging on its wall. “Well that's not creepy at all,” muttered Dante sarcastically.

“It would be scary in a sense if we weren’t fighting Phantoms that want to kill us in a very painful manner,” replied Symbol. They ran towards the end of the hall there was a giant mirror hanging there.

Which suddenly exploded revealing the Monkey Phantom’s face. “That’s one ugly reflection,” stated Symbol as the Phantom took a swipe at them. She jumped and ran across a wall to dodge it, while Dante leapt back out of range. The Monkey Phantom drew its knife in a reverse grip and lunged at them with a downwards swing!

Dante blocked it with his sword and used his monstrous strength to send the demon flying over him.

Symbol pulled pressed down on the left shift lever three times. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Then she scanned the Active Ring across it. [ACTIVE! A RANK SPELL!] Red lightning covered Symbol’s hand as she drew it back. She punched the Phantom with so much force that it was forced right through the wall.

It rolled back to its feet and snarled at the two of them before running off as the roof caved in blocking the path after it.

“Hey! Get back here!” shouted Dante.

“Well, we showed him!” stated Symbol optimistically.

“Yeah, but I was hoping to kill him,” replied Dante sullenly.

“And I’m trying to point out the good point,” pouted Symbol.

“Your right, sorry,” apologized Dante. They ran down the hall, through the hole where the mirror had once been and took a left turn at the end.

When suddenly a giant doll at the end of this new corridor lit up with blue lightning, making it look downright creepy.

“EEEPPP!” which Symbol proved by jumping into Dante’s arms where he held her in a bridal style.

“Yeah, I don’t like those things either,” he soothed as he put the girl down and they continued, running down a stairway just before the doll and to the right. They followed it around to the left, just ahead of the turn was a room with hundreds of bronze gears that were of varying sizes on the walls. At the end of it was a glowing neon green ‘EXIT’ sign. “Exit. Good.” stated Dante as he ran into the room.

Symbol followed when she realized something: “NO IT’S A TRAP!”

Too late. Several gears moved to block the exit and two thick steel panels slammed together behind them blocking their way out.

“Not good,” groaned Dante. “Yeah. Whatever,” he started as a doll sprung from a closet.

“Oh geh! You think?!” demanded Symbol as she placed a hand on the Active Blade ready to draw it when the Phantom’s arrived.

One of the gears pulled itself from the wall and dug across the ground, letting a Lesser Blade Phantom pull itself from the crack that it left. A giant bob pin came loose from the wall and rolled towards Dante.

“LOOK OUT!”

Who was able to dodge it thanks to Symbol’s warning and let it slam into the Lesser Blade Phantom.

Once the Phantom regained its balance three more Lesser Blade Phantoms joined their brother in arms.

Dante looked at Symbol and nodded to the two on the right.

Symbol nodded back and ran at the two on the left. She grabbed one around the neck and punched it several times, before throwing it over her shoulder at its identical counterpart.

Symbol pressed the left shift lever. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Then scanned the Active Ring Across the Driver’s Hand Author. [ACTIVE! C RANK SPELL!] Red lightning covered her left forearm, this time it shaped itself into the form of a blade made of pure electrical energy that came out of her knuckles moving parallel to her arm in a thin triangle shape. “Take this!” she ran forwards cutting into the two Phantoms with the blade. The one that had been hit by the bob pin was cut in half and exploded and the other now had a glowing red line going through its waist.

Dante punched his ring into the hilt of his sword before pulling open the mouth. [ONE!] Revealing a single angelic blue and demonic red sphere. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Angelic and demonic energy gathered around the blade as he swung it upwards, sending one of the Lesser Blade Phantoms into the air.

He jumped after it, punching his ring into his Driver’s left slot. [GO! KICK STRIKE!] Power gathered in his boot as he flipped through the hair and came down with the Phantom trapped under his boot. Right where it belonged, crushing it against the ground.

He landed back on the ground and punched his ring into the hilt of his sword before pulling open the mouth. [FIVE!] Power gathered around the blade as he stabbed one of the Lesser Blade Phantoms, hard. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Sparks came from its body as the Phantom was forced to stumble backwards.

[SIX!] Giving Dante enough time to close his sword’s mouth, punch his ring into the base of the hilt and then pull the mouth open again. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Dante then stabbed the Phantom repeatedly, peppering it with holes.

The other Lesser Blade Phantom tried to attack him from behind only for Dante to duck and punch his ring into the base of his sword’s hilt before pulling open the mouth. [ONE!] Revealing a single angelic blue and demonic red sphere. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Sending the Phantom into the air with another upwards slash.

He then leapt after it. [TWO!] This time when the mouth was opened it revealed two angelic blue and demonic red circles. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] He slashed it twice before spin slashing it and ending with an upwards swing that sent both halves of the Phantom further into the air.

Symbol slashed at the already damaged Lesser Blade Phantom once and then drop kicking it away before running forwards and stabbing it, delivering an upwards slash that caused it to fall over. She picked it up by the neck and slammed at karate chop into it resulting in the Phantom exploding.

The second the Phantoms were beat another four Lesser Blade Phantoms burst from the ground!

“Same tactic?” asked Symbol.

“Yeah,” replied Dante.

Symbol ran forwards, only to be hit in the faceplate by one of the Lesser Blade Phantoms, then being hit in the back by the other. She collapsed to her knees. “Why you!” she pulled out the Active Blade only for it to be knocked out of her glove by a strike to the wristlet, while she was hit from behind.

Suddenly, two new rings appeared on the index and ring finger of her right glove respectively, the one on her index finger was red with an emerald green claw-shaped gem in the centre of it that had golden outlines. The other was coloured red and had a light blue wave shaped gem in the centre of it that had dark blue outlines.

“Please let this turn the tables,.” Symbol pressed down on the right shift lever resulting in the driver’s hand author turning to the right. [MAGIC TOUCHIE HENSHIN!] Before she scanned the rings over it. [SLASHER AQUA PLEASE!] Symbol threw her right hand to the right and a pair of new glyphs appeared. The first was light green, in the centre of it was a logo of three green claws, the logo was inside a circle, inside an eight-pointed star, inside a two-layered circle that had runic text within it. The other was light blue with a wave symbol in the centre of it, it was in a circle, inside an eight-pointed star, inside a second circle that had two layers with runic text between them.

‘Symbol? Symbol. That’s my name! Kamen Rider Symbol! But how can I have two names? Figure it out later!’ The glyph moved through her, changing her forms. Her shoulder pauldrons turned dark green, with a golden curved spike pointing upwards coming out of the side of them. An armour band appeared on each of her upper arms, it was green with a golden claw-like spike coming from the middle of it that curved upwards. Forearm guards appeared on her lower arms, they were bright green with a single spike coming out of the back of them, that pointed towards her elbows. The armour on the back of her gloves turned dark green and out of them came a trio of half metre long claws, each had a sea blue propeller in the centre of it.

“Woah!” Symbol blocked the blow from the two Lesser Blade Phantoms and split kicked them back. “Kamen Rider Symbol Active Slasher Aqua Style!” she charged at one Lesser Blade Phantoms slashing at it several times with the Slasher Tidal Claws until it exploded! Symbol blocked a blow from the other Lesser Blade Phantom with her right Slasher Tidal Claws and stabbed it several times with the left Slasher Tidal Claws. She jumped up and spun, kicking the Lesser Blade Phantoms back with her heel and pressed down on the right shift lever. [MAGIC TOUCHIE GO!] Then scanned the Slasher ring over the hand author. [SLASHER MAGIC PLEASE!] Lightning that was coloured red covered all six claws. Symbol dashed forwards and slammed the right Slasher Tidal Claws into the Phantom abdomen before tearing apart its head with the other three Slasher Tidal Claws.

[THREE!] Dante pulled open his sword’s mouth. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Power gathered around it as Dante slashed at one Lesser Blade Phantom three times.

[GO! KICK STRIKE!] Before killing it by jumping into the air and coming down with a hard overhead stomp.

[TWO!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] He delivered several spinning slashes to the other Lesser Blade Phantom. [SIX!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Then stabbed it several times with the sword.

With the last of the Phantoms defeated the gears moved out of the way. “Let's go!” Dante ran towards the exit when it extended away from him! “Aw come on!” The room now had six lines divided into two groups carved into the floor outlined in bronze. Dante took no notice of them and ran right across them

“DANTE NO!” screamed Symbol. She pressed down on the right shift lever twice. [MAGIC TOUCHIE GO!] Before scanning her hand across the Hand Author. [AQUA MAGIC PLEASE!] Water surged around her left Slasher Tidal Claws, Symbol pulled her arm back and threw it forwards in a downwards swing. The action produced three crescent of compressed swirling water that roared forwards and slammed into the gear which pulled itself loose as Dante's foot hit the line. The gear exploded from the force behind them.

“Woah!” Dante combat rolled over the first section of lines.

“Never run across something like that!” shouted Symbol in anger as she jumped over them.

“Sorry!” apologised Dante. They jumped over the second set of rails and ran through the exit. Which thankfully stay where it was this time.

“Look out!” As they ran through the door Dante was forced to yank Symbol back as a spinning blade shot past them.

“HAHAHAHAHA!” Symbol then broke down laughing, as she clutched her aching stomach.

“What’s the joke I’m missing?” questioned Dante in confusion.

“Hahahah! You ahahah hair hahaha!” Symbol managed to gasp out.

Dante stared at her. “What?!”

Breathlessly Symbol pointed to the shop window.

Dante turned and stared. A white wig had fallen across his head, making it look like his hair was in a mope style and bleached white.

Suddenly, they heard a crash. Looking they saw the Monkey Phantom approaching.

“Let’s kill it!” stated Symbol pulling out the Active Rifle. She pressed the left shift lever. [MAGICAL TOUCH HENSHIN!] Then scanned the Active Ring across the Driver’s Hand Author. [ACTIVE PLEASE! LETS GO!] Symbol threw her hand out to the side and the active glyph appeared, passing through her, returning the Kamen Rider to her Active Style.

“Not in a million years,” muttered Dante. Symbol looked at him in shock before the Kamen Rider pulled off the wig and opened fire with Ebony and Ivory.

“Oh! You were talking about the hair!” realized Symbol as she added her bullets to the mix.

Kate ran up behind them as all of the bullets bounced off the smirking Phantom’s face. “That won’t work.”

“Why not?” demanded Dante looking at his guns as if they’d betrayed him.

“He’s bulletproof,” deadpanned Kate.

The Monkey Phantom leapt away over some rooftops.

Kate ran off down the pier. “There’s a rift up ahead!”

“A what?” questioned Dante as black spire rocks burst from the water and ripped holes into the wood of the pier.

“It will take you both back to the real world! We’ll come back for the Phantom!”

“What does she mean, by real world?” asked Symbol in curiosity.

“Well, this is the Slip Dimension. It's some kind of pocket dimension that high-level Phantoms can make and use to kill us.”

“So why hasn’t the Monkey Phantom just dropped the floor from under our feet?” asked Symbol as they both jumped over a gap.

“Because they don’t create it, they borrow it. There are certain rules that they have to obey!” shouted Dante as they jumped over the next gap and back onto the main pier. Building were coming apart around them, some kind of inverted gravity yanked them into the air forcing them to break apart.

“In there!” shouted Kate as they ran towards a building with a clown face sign on the front of it.

Suddenly, the Monkey Phantom's grapple hook shot past them, into the building before retracting causing the whole thing to collapse. “Well, looks like that way’s out,” commented Symbol.

Dante turned back to the Phantom. “Ok then, let's fight.”

The Monkey Phantom dropped down from the Ferris wheel onto the ground.

“Dante, Symbol, wait!” came Kate’s voice as she ran past them. She threw a Molotov at the Phantom. It scored a direct hit causing the monster to thrash around roaring in pain. “It's working, you can fight him now. It won’t be easy Alpha Phantom’s are brutal fighters,” warned Kate as she faded away.

“Yeah? Well so am I and from what I’ve seen so is Sunset,” smirked Dante.

Both of them opened fire with their ranged weapons doing a bit of damage thanks to burns on the Phantom’s face.

Kate remembered one last piece of advice that she could give them. “Dante, Sunset can you still hear me?” she shouted.

“Yeah, we hear you!” replied Dante as he jumped over a spinning backslash from the Monkey Phantom’s knife.

“Attack its face!”

“Thanks for the advice!!” shouted Symbol. She pulled open the Active Rifle’s hand author. [COME ON SHOOTING SHAKE HANDS!] Then scanned the Active Ring across it. [ACTIVE! SHOOTING STRIKE!] She fired several silver bullets that trailed red lighting, they slammed into the Phantom’s face followed by the lightning making it roar in pain as it staggered back. The thing reared up and slashed at her, which Symbol ducked under.

Dante leapt up. [FOUR!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] He slashed the Monkey Phantom's face several times with his sword making it stumble in pain.

Symbol pressed the left shift lever once. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Then she scanned the Active Ring across the Driver’s Hand Author. [ACTIVE! C RANK SPELL!] Symbol pulled back her palm and thrust it forwards. A beam of red lightning burst from it and slammed into the Phantom’s chest. She had been aiming for the face but stumbled when it roared.

The Monkey Phantom fell to the ground winded from the blast to its gut. “You feel it, don’t you?” shouted Dante as he punched his ring into the hilt of his sword before opening the mouth. [THREE!] Revealing three angelic blue and demonic red circles. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Then he started to repeatedly slash at the monster’s face.

Symbol pressed down on the right shift lever. [MAGIC TOUCHIE HENSHIN!] Then she scanned the Slasher and Aqua Rings across the Driver’s Hand Author. [SLASHER AQUA PLEASE!] Symbol threw her right arm out to the side, as the sound of claws slashing followed by a wave splashing came from the driver, the slasher and aqua glyphs moved through her, transforming the Kamen Rider into her active slasher aqua style. She pressed down on the right shift lever three times. [MAGIC TOUCHIE GO!] Before scanning her right hand across the Driver. [SLASHER AQUA MAGIC PLEASE!] A bright red aura surrounded the Slasher Tidal Claws. She leapt at the Phantom spinning while holding her claws out to the side cutting into the Phantom as she spun leaving several long gashes.

After several slashes, the Phantom was able to get back to its feet and Symbol switched back to ranged combat with the Active Rifle as did Dante with Ebony and Ivory.

It quickly jumped away and back up to the Ferris wheel, where it pulled out its grapple gun again while holding on with one hand. “Oh, I can see where this is going,” muttered Symbol.

“Get back down here!” yelled Dante.

“I don’t think that’s going to work!” shouted Symbol as she opened fire alongside Dante.

“Now use your guns to shoot him down!” came Kate’s voice.

“What does it look like we’re doing?!” demanded Symbol. The Monkey Phantom fired its gun and a hand of earth came out of the wooden walkway to grab them. It managed to get Dante but missed Symbol.

“DANTE!” shouted Symbol as she slashed at the hand with the Active Blade and the Slasher Tidal Claws, failing to make a dent! “Let him go you monster!”

Suddenly, the Active Ring vanished in a flash of light and was replaced by a silver ring with a purple diamond-shaped gem in the centre of it. “Just in time,” Symbol pressed down on the left shift lever, turning the Hand Author in that direction. [MAGICAL TOUCH HENSHIN!] Then she scanned the new ring across. [BURST PLEASE!] Downbeat rock music came from the driver as a purple glyph appeared behind her, it was a purple B, inside a purple diamond, with a purple eight pointed star, inside a purple two layered diamond, between the layers was purple runic text. It passed over her transforming Sunset into her new form. Her helmet remained the same, while her faceplate shifted. It was now a purple diamond with silver outlines that had runic symbols engraved into them. Her chestplate was now a purple diamond with a silver framework and a bronze diamond in the centre of it. The inside of her robe was now dark purple and the chest of it now bore a purple diamond with a silver framework on each side, with two halves of a purple diamond on each side. The Active Blade shift to that it was now a silver wand with a hand author in the centre of it. [CAST THE SPELL!]

She looked at the weapon. “You cannot be serious!” suddenly a blast of aura shot out of the Burst Wand and slammed into the earth hand destroying it. “Ok, that's better!”

“Thanks,” panted Dante. With a snarl, he opened fire on the Monkey Phantom with Ebony and Ivory.

“I’m with you!” Symbol pressed the left shift lever once. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] The scanned the Burst Ring across the Driver’s Hand Author [BURST! C RANK SPELL!] Four balls of fire burst from the air around Symbol before they fused into two streams of flame and arc out to the side they came around in a pincer attack slamming into the Monkey Phantom’s face.

“That it! It's working!” called Kate as the Monkey Phantom gave a groan of pain, falling from the Ferris wheel hitting its head as it fell down.

[THREE!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] shouted Dante’s sword as he started slashing at the demon’s face with the sword.

“Let's do it!” Symbol pressed down on the left shift lever twice. [MAGICAL TOUCH GO!] Then scanned the Burst Ring across the Driver’s Hand Author. [BURST! B RANK SPELL!] A large wall of earth appeared above the Phantom and dropped down. The attack smashed into the Monkey Phantom making it howl in agony. The Phantom climbed it its feet and lashed out with its knife, forcing the two of them to jump back.

Dante fired with Ebony and Ivory, when the Monkey Phantom leapt forwards, bringing its knife down.

“AARHHHHHH!!!!!!!” screamed Dante as the knife cut him from his left shoulder to his left hip.

“Dante!” shouted Symbol, she pulled open the Burst Wand’s hand author. [COME ON CAST SHAKE HANDS!] Then she scanned the Burst Ring across it. [BURST! CAST STRIKE!] Symbol fired a continuous beam of pure magic at the Phantom’s face forcing it to stumble back. With a growl, it jumped over the beam and aimed to bring its knife down on the girl.

[FIVE!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] But Dante had recovered. He leapt and drove his sword into the Phantom’s side, throwing its aim off and making it stumble once more.

The Phantom snarled and repeated his attack, only for it to be dodged.

Symbol changed forms. First, she pressed the left Shift Lever. [MAGICAL TOUCH HENSHIN!] Before swapping the Burst Ring for the Active Ring and scanning it. [ACTIVE PLEASE! LETS GO!] As the active glyph passed through her, Symbol pressed the right Shift Lever. [MAGIC TOUCHIE HENSHIN!] Then scanned the Slasher and Aqua Rings across the Driver [SLASHER AQUA PLEASE!] The Kamen Rider threw her arms out to the sides. She then jumped up and slashed the Phantom in the face several times with the Slasher Tidal Claws.

Dante was using slashing on its legs, when the Phantom spun around and attempted to hit him, ending up backhanding Symbol instead! “Sunset!” shouted Dante. “Die! Bastard!” [FOUR!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] He leapt up and started slashing at the monster’s face. The Monkey Phantom rammed its knife down but Dante dodged to the side and started slashing at its face before dodging another slash. [EBONY AND IVORY STRIKE!] Then firing Ebony and Ivory’s Ricochet blast at it. The two bullets spiralled around each other and sent the monster staggering backwards several paces.

It slashed outwards in a wide arc, the blade right on course towards Dante’s head and he wouldn’t be able to move in time.

[COME ON CAST SHAKE HANDS!] [BURST! CAST STRIKE!] A beam of high compressed aura flew past Dante and slammed into the Phantom’s blade. Which pierced the magic holding the beam together, all of that magical energy rushed out in an explosion, causing the Phantom to lose balance and fall over, it fell on its own knife resulting it in roaring in pain.

It sprung back to its feet when Dante attack its legs. Spinning around and slashing again. [GO! KICK STRIKE!] Only to fail a get a charged foot smashed into its hip.

Symbol switched the Burst Ring for the Active Ring and pressed the left Shift Lever. [MAGICAL TOUCH HENSHIN!] Then she scanned the Active Ring across the Driver’s Hand Author. [ACTIVE PLEASE! LETS GO!] The active glyph appeared to her left and moved over her as Symbol drew the Active Blade and opened its Hand Author. [COME ON SLASH SHAKE HANDS!] Then she scanned the Active Ring across it. [ACTIVE! SLASH STRIKE!] Thick red lightning covered the blade causing it to crackle with sheer electronic energy before Symbol raised it up and brought it down sending a crescent of compressed lightning into the Monkey Phantom’s legs, making it fall over as well as losing a leg. “...I didn’t expect it to be so powerful,” muttered Symbol as the Phantom thrashed around screaming in pain.

“I saw how much lightning that sword emitted!” shouted Dante as he opened fire with Ebony and Ivory. “What did you think was gonna happen with that much electrical energy?!”

The Monkey Phantom climbed back to its foot and slashed down with its dagger.

Dante jumped out of the way but didn’t realize that Symbol was standing right behind him and she was still recovering from using that much magic. He had been blocking her view so the blade slammed into her chestplate sending sparks up from it! “Sunset!” yelled Dante. “DIE!” He punched his ring into the Driver’s left slot. [GO! KICK STRIKE!] Then punched the ring into his sword’s hilt and pulled open the mouth. [ONE!] Revealing a single demonic red and angelic blue circle. [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] He held his sword in a reverse grip, charged energy into it, within a second it was partially humming with power and slashed it forwards sending a wave of energy at the Phantom’s face.

It gave a loud screeching roar of pain as it was sent flying back from the sheer force of the attack. It crashed painfully into the Ferris wheel. With a roar, it leapt up again and brought its knife down at Dante.

Symbol pressed down on the right Shift Lever. [MAGIC TOUCHIE HENSHIN!] Then scanned the Slasher and Aqua Rings across the Driver’s Hand Author. [SLASHER AQUA PLEASE!] As the slasher and aqua glyphs appeared to her right and moved through her, she pressed down on the right shift lever four times. [MAGIC TOUCHIE GO!] Then she scanned the Slasher and Aqua Rings across the Driver’s Hand Author. [VERY NICE! SLASHER AQUA MAGIC! THE BEST!] She started spinning while locking her claws above her head. Symbol spun so fast that she became a horizontal tornado, water was pulled from the air covering her. Jumping she slammed into the Monkey Phantom’s face. The Phantom was sent flying back.

“Nice” [THREE! TWO!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Dante dashed forwards and started slashing at the demon’s dead with slashes and spinning slashes. [ONE!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] He slashes upwards with his sword, using the momentum to carry himself into the air. “Do you fucking Phantom’s even feel pain?!” [GO! KICK STRIKE!] Before shooting back down and slamming the charged boot into the Monkey Phantom’s head.

The Phantom got back to its boot, Dante was able to send several bullets into its face with Ebony and Ivory, Symbol followed with the Active Rifle before the Phantom jumped back. It took a deep breath and some kind of black matter appeared in its mouth, before it blew it out, surrounded the area in the thick black fog.

“What the-?! I can’t see a thing!” shouted Symbol.

“It’s thicker than pea soup!” added Dante. “MOVE!” he tackled Symbol to the side as a spinning blade shot out of the smoke. From her angle Symbol could see that blade coming back. She kicked Dante off her and rolled to the side letting the blade pass between them.

After about a second the blade to out to their right. “Shit!” forcing both to the dodge again. They expected it to come back, but the blade did not.

“...Where’d it go?!” demanded Dante.

“MOVE!” Symbol tackled him to the side as the blade slammed into her back drawing sparks from her armour.

“Sunset!” shouted Dante. “You ok?”

“I’ll, be… fine… the armour took most…. Of the damage.”

“How the hell is he doing that?!”

“That mist must let the knife teleport since he’s got a bad leg now. There's no way he can move that fast!”

Dante opened fire on the blade with Ebony and Ivory managing to slow it down a bit. “Any ideas?!” he demanded as they dodge again.

“I’ve got nothing!” shouted Symbol, the knife came at them from the left this time, it’s speed increasing as time went on.

“Well I have, but I need time!”

“I’ll get you it!” Symbol dove to the right. She pulled open the Active Blade’s Hand Author. [COME ON SLASH SHAKE HANDS!] She then scanned the Slasher and Aqua Rings across it. [SLASHER! AQUA! SLASH STRIKE!] Green and light blue magic gathered around the Active Blade, forming a green claw-shaped outline, while two claws made of water appeared from the hilt, one on either side of the blade’s main blade. The knife came spinning out of the mist again as Symbol leapt forwards. She slashed her blade at the weapon causing it to fly back into the mist and slam into Monkey Phantom’s face.

It gave a loud roar of pain before its eyes widened as Symbol came at it. With a roar, she brought the Active Blade down cutting into the Phantom’s face drawing sparks like blood.

[GO! KICK STRIKE!] “Sunset MOVE!” roared Dante. [SIX!] [NEPHILIM SABER STRIKE!] Dark red lightning was covering his sword making it so that the thing could barely be seen He then slashed it forwards six times, releasing six energy waves that slammed into the Monkey Phantom with all the force of a speeding bullet train. The monster fell to the ground with a weakened groan.

Dante got his breath back and stomped up to the demon. “Game over,” he stated smugly.

“Son and Daughter of Sparda,” growled out the Monkey Phantom its voice sounding like an avalanche.

“Son of who?” questioned Dante in confusion as Symbol walked over. Pressing down on both of the Shift Levers to return to her human form.

“The two of you have been found. You are both dead, just like your whore mother.”

“Whore mother? I don’t know my mother. But if you're calling me a son of a bitch, then you wouldn’t be the first!” Dante punctate the word first by swing the sword down on the Phantom’s head killing it at long last.

As they returned to the real world, Dante fingered the red crystal amulet around his neck. “My mother, I barely remember her,” Muttered Dante.

“At least you have memories,” Sunset pointed out.

“What do you? Oh right, complete amnesia.”

Hour later

Dante and Sunset were walking along a sidewalk away from the pier. Dante had returned to his human form. He stood at around six feet and with a more rounded face, a small scar going across his right eyebrow and cheek a wide jaw and his eye colour seemed to be grey-blue. His hair was black, with the sides of his head shaved, forming a mohawk out of the hair at the top of his head, tapering off into a point at the nape of his neck. He also sported a strange glowing tattoo on his back between his shoulder blades. His attire consisted of a faded black, 3/4-length, hooded leather jacket with red interior linings and the British Union flag sewn on the left arm, a gray tank top, black fingerless gloves, black faded jeans, black military boots, and a necklace with a red gem in the centre of it.

A black car drove up to them with Kate at the wheel. “Are you ok, Dante, Sunset?”

“How do you know our names?” asked Dante.

“That is a bit suspicious,” added Sunset.

“My boss knows the two of you. He wants to meet,” when Kate got no answer she continued. “Please. I helped both of you back there.”

Dante gave a scoff as he leant on the car’s window. “We didn’t ask for your help,” he heard the sound of a door opening and closing. Looking to the side he saw that Sunset had gotten into the car. “What are you doing?”

“It's either her or the police,” came the deadpanned reply.

Dante sighed as he got in next to Kat, who then drove off performing a U turn as she did so. “I’m with an organisation called The Order. Heard of it?”

“Something to do with that masked freak on the net?” questioned Dante.

“That's my boss.”

“Wonderful. Can’t wait.”

“I’m sorry. What are you two talking about?” demanded Sunset.

“Couple of years ago, some girl in a mask started appearing on the internet. Ranting and raving about how the world was asleep and needed to wake up.”

Sunset turned to Dante. “...And you want to meet this girl?!” she demanded in disbelief.

“I wasn’t gonna come along until you got into the car!” shouted Dante back.

“That was before I knew the guy was a lunatic!” defended Sunset.

Kate sighed. “This is gonna be a long drive.”

News report:

“We’re just receiving reports of a terrorist attack that had taken place at the Bellevue pier in the western district of the city. Police are asking the public to remain vigilant as future terror attacks could take place anywhere, any time and when you least expect it.”

Office:

A bald man in a suit was sitting behind a desk. He had several scars across his face and a his right eye was blind. Leaning on the desk was a lady with long blond hair and a dress that revealed most of her cleavage. “We have your scent, Son and Daughter of Sparda. Now it's only a matter of time.” Gloated the bald man.