Chapter 5 A Passage of Acceptance
For a little bit, life went back to normal for Dante. He had not received another call from them, but it was just a matter of time. His life was a simple cycle, in-which he kept mostly to himself. At night, he took care at his folks place and quickly carried himself back into his room to meditate. A calming method his father had taught him long ago. He did not dare speak to his parents or anyone for that matter about prior events. Keeping the big burden to himself was not too much of a hassle. For sport, he would have a morning jog before going to his classes everyday. Dante, although he didn't look the type, was a college student for one of the local abstract universities. Not focusing on much, he took any kind of class that didn't get too much in the way of his life. Mainly, philosophy and communication studies, not to say they were not challenging. During the process of coming and going he tended to stare into absolute nothingness for solitude. In class, a professor's lecture became an ambient chant. At home, he would lay in his bed while watching the life outside of his small window carry on. Outside, children are laughing, teasing, and playing. At certain times he would even digress into an immature carefree nature. Anything to prolong the concerns contained deep within him. It would appear as if everything in his life was acceptable, as though he accepted his passage in life, for now.
But it was just a matter of time. He would receive another call...from them.
"The preparations have already been arranged. Go now.” The voice spoke at last. Dante awoke from a slight morning dream. "I guess...I guess it makes sense." Dante said as he got out of bed. An image was already placed in his thoughts and he had a location clear in his mind.
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Just a few cities outside of his, he arrived in a strange old town full of a chilly Autumn weather. "This is the place." Dante said as he hopped off the local train which carries through a dozen cities near him. Where he arrived was a whole new world. A complete contrast to the fast city life he was surrounded in most of the time. It was cold and he carried himself forward as he hugged the heavy jacket on his back. Straight ahead was his destination and something was starting to feel familiar about this place. There was no snow but the place had odd similarties to his dream. His destination was the large aged building in front of him. An old library, which lit up in Dante's eyes. "The old building from my dream, Rhea... What is the connection?” Dante sighed as he continued his trek. Just as it was when he first met the mysterious three, this place was full of all the kinds of weary eyed drifters. All around him he noticed men, women, and children full of little life. The kinds of looks they gave itched a chill onto his very soul; but he had to ignore all this. He had a mission, a destiny to fulfill. So, Dante continued onward ignoring everything and everyone else as the future presented itself before him. He noticed the entrance immediately, but was distracted by a long line to his right. A lady from the line caught his attention for a brief moment. She had curly hair and a jagged like figure tall enough for a model from a retirement home of hunchebacks. Just then, a fight broke out behind him and the lady came near to watch the fight. Dante moved back and away from the scene. The lady looked to her left for a second glance, but he was gone. “Where to go,” Dante thought to himself inside the library. He shuffled about and continued to where his heart skipped a beat, where he felt he should go by instinct. "Was this part of the training?" He thought and he walked around for a feeling or sensation from his body. He was being guided about these days. On the second floor, he noticed a computer terminal uninhabited and it lit up for him, in his head at least. He went straight to it.
...
For almost three months Dante had been coming to this library and sitting at the same empty terminal. Each day he would find the time to spend an hour or two for a special window to pop up and continue his out-of-body training. What exactly he went through was hard to pinpoint, although, it was identical to his experience at home. One thing was clear, no one else noticed what was going on, maybe he was crazy. Dante logged off to end another night. Lately he had been juggling an exhausting schedule between school and training. Nearly half of a day was now spent to what could possibly be the most important thing in his life.
"Weird, I feel, weird." Dante wandered in his thoughts as he exited the library. He noticed an argument going on over by the food line across the street from him. For some reason he could hear the people talking clearly from the distance he was at and could feel something about to erupt. Dante rushed over. "Hey everyone keep your cool while we get the food out." One of the men serving the food said. "We're all cranky, but nothing is going to make this go faster, you hear?" A lady near the front of the line said. Two men who were arguing minuscule words, earlier, now erupted into shouting threats and began to throw fists. Dante looked on eagerly but felt nothing of interest in the fight, not even worth stopping. Suddenly a bright sensation, a hot sensation, came about in his head and he turned around. An oddly bearded man walked by him slowly and collapsed. No one else seemed to care too much about it. "Crap, you OK buddy?" The man did not respond to Dante's call, he just laid there motionless. Dante went over to him and put two fingers on his temples. He began to chant to himself and the man woke up. People from the line began to notice. "Hey what are you doing. Just go leave em alone," A lady shouted. "He fell!" Dante yelled back, but he knew he was only making things worse. The man ignored him and continued on. Dante stared blankly at the ground and walked away. "What have I done?"
Back at home, Dante tried to get as much rest as he could, but found it harder to sleep. His body was full of more energy than he ever had before. He felt like running at one o'clock in the morning. His mind was full of thoughts, but just as quickly he could cancel it all out and focus on nothing. He let out a big warm smile and turned the light off. He looked into the mirror and hardly noticed the reflection of himself. On the outside, aside from his smile, he was just so average. Everything in his life was practically normal, but inside, he felt like so much more.
...
For almost three months Dante had been coming to this library and sitting at the same empty terminal. Each day he would find the time to spend an hour or two for a special window to pop up and continue his out-of-body training. What exactly he went through was hard to pinpoint, although, it was identical to his experience at home. One thing was clear, no one else noticed what was going on, maybe he was crazy. Dante logged off to end another night. Lately he had been juggling an exhausting schedule between school and training. Nearly half of a day was now spent to what could possibly be the most important thing in his life.
"Weird, I feel, weird." Dante wandered in his thoughts as he exited the library. He noticed an argument going on over by the food line across the street from him. For some reason he could hear the people talking clearly from the distance he was at and could feel something about to erupt. Dante rushed over. "Hey everyone keep your cool while we get the food out." One of the men serving the food said. "We're all cranky, but nothing is going to make this go faster, you hear?" A lady near the front of the line said. Two men who were arguing minuscule words, earlier, now erupted into shouting threats and began to throw fists. Dante looked on eagerly but felt nothing of interest in the fight, not even worth stopping. Suddenly a bright sensation, a hot sensation, came about in his head and he turned around. An oddly bearded man walked by him slowly and collapsed. No one else seemed to care too much about it. "Crap, you OK buddy?" The man did not respond to Dante's call, he just laid there motionless. Dante went over to him and put two fingers on his temples. He began to chant to himself and the man woke up. People from the line began to notice. "Hey what are you doing. Just go leave em alone," A lady shouted. "He fell!" Dante yelled back, but he knew he was only making things worse. The man ignored him and continued on. Dante stared blankly at the ground and walked away. "What have I done?"
Back at home, Dante tried to get as much rest as he could, but found it harder to sleep. His body was full of more energy than he ever had before. He felt like running at one o'clock in the morning. His mind was full of thoughts, but just as quickly he could cancel it all out and focus on nothing. He let out a big warm smile and turned the light off. He looked into the mirror and hardly noticed the reflection of himself. On the outside, aside from his smile, he was just so average. Everything in his life was practically normal, but inside, he felt like so much more.
