In The Abyss As A Toon Character

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he absentmindedly summoned a small bouncy ball, rolling it between his fingers, not even bothering to inspect the intricate figure it had, "I don't know what am I even trying to do..."

His hands, in a clumsy motion, proceeded to throw the ball with barely some strength, yet it began to bounce erratically across the uneven stone walls of the cave, eventually losing its momentum and returning back like a lost thought unwilling to be forgotten.

*Thud*

*Tap*

*Thud*

*Tap*

The repeated impacting sound echoed, dancing with each dull note, chewing at the edges of his mind.

"I..."

Dante blinked, and a strange unease crawled under his skin, sensing how slowly his body grew more and more uncomfortably stiff. His left eye throbbed faintly before the cornea warped, reshaping into a faint heart-like symbol. His right eye followed, darkening more than usual.

The thought came unbidden, half-formed, like a memory slipping through his fingers before he could catch it, "When was the last time..."

Glancing down, he looked at his hands and legs, gradually changing to the compact earth beneath his feet. It was stagnant, never changing. "Huh... what should I do now?"

A faint glow pulsed from his left eye, casting a dim light. Then, with an unexpected shudder, his face changed into one of slight disgust, "Everything about me feels phony." He sat down, throwing his gaze toward a small pond nestled in the cave, looking at the fractured reflection, "Do I even have something I aspire to?"

It was low and distant, but it was crystal clear that someone had spoken, "What got you so thoughtful?"

The sound of the ball returning to his grasp and Dante's fingers instinctively tightening over the ball could be heard across the entire cave system.

He didn't turn immediately. The familiarity of the voice lingered, tangling itself into him, trying to bring back memories. He knew who it belonged to, but his mind couldn't register it.

"I'm trying to conceive an idea..."

The ghost chuckled at such words, followed by a voice served with amusement, "What kind of idea?"

Dante finally turned, meeting head-on the ghost of a dead friend... It was Daniel.

"..."

The specter stood there, unchanged, his presence felt neither warm nor cold, neither a comfort from the beyond nor a haunting reminder. It was odd. Nothing stirred. There was no overwhelming sadness, no bittersweet nostalgia. Just existence.

"An optimistic one, you could say." For Dante, those words felt foreign, as if he was borrowing someone else's voice to say them. Optimism... It was distant, yet close, brushing against him like a fleeting thought, barely within his reach. He wasn't sure why he was searching for it... only that he was.

Daniel hovered closer, with arms crossed and his usual pragmatic-serious demeanor intact, just like he remembered, "This is bothering me because... since when did you conceive ideas?"

Dante blinked, caught off guard at such words, "Huh...?"

"You're not the type to overthink. From what I've seen, you just go with the flow. If the wind sends you off a cliff, you don't fight it, you just check how high it is before you jump."

It was a realistic description of his behavior, but still, Dante scoffed at the notion, preferring to roll the ball between his fingers, "Ok. And what if the cliff is too high? What if I splatter into a pink puddle?"

Daniel shrugged, barely caring, "Then there's nothing we can do."

A spark of something dark and raw flashed through Dante's expression. His body flickered for a moment, shifting and twisting into an amorphous writhing mass that barely held together.

The abomination existed for half a second before he clenched his jaw, forcing himself back into form.

Daniel's gaze didn't waver at the sight. Instead, a slight smirk tugged the corner of his lips. "There, did you see it? You felt anger. You're not as dead inside as you think you are."

Dante exhaled slowly, speaking with a soft tone, "I'm... 'fixing' myself as we speak. Actually- forget it, why should I bother explaining to you."

Silence settled momentarily before Daniel broke it, "But my point stands. You can't fix what isn't broken. This is your way. Think about it..." Daniel's fingers twitched as he hesitated about what to say, but if he took too long, then his words would lose weight, so he chose the first thought that came to mind, "An equation- no, a color. yes, that's better, pick a color."

Dante's brows knitted together in momentary confusion and reluctance, yet... he decided to relent. There wasn't much reason to accept but neither there was a reason to reject his request, "Red." he said.

In an instant, a cube, vibrant and undeniably red, materialized in his palm, pulsating with a faint, uncanny glow. Daniel let it sit there for a moment before casually letting it drop.

*thud*

"The cube is red," Daniel philosophically stated, "but what if I want a blue circle?"

Dante crossed his arms and legs with a tired gaze; the answer was so simple that he seriously considered not responding, "Just get one."

With a hint of mischief in his eyes and a small chuckle, Daniel replied, "No, I like my blue cube, and I want it to become a red circle."

*Snap*

After Dante snapped his fingers, Daniel sighed; he already knew what his friend was up to.

In real-time, the cube shifted-- stretching and morphing, soon its corners softened, with the edges melting into smooth curves until, finally, a simple blue circle sat in its place.

Dante said without much emotion, "I told you, there is always something-"

"This is why I wanted an equation..." After mumbling that in a low voice, he continued, "Fine! But how long can you keep this facade?"

Dante raised a nosy eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"This change isn't permanent, it will eventually turn back to its state, once you ran out of mana, or get too far away."

Dante got up, walking towards the nothingness of the cave, walking away from the cube, "I'm not in the mood. gonna skip it." his gaze returned to the ball, but before he could fully throw it once more, he stopped, "and it's not because I feel like this is meaningless, but rather I already know the answer to all of this. you could say I'm procrastinating."

Daniel just continued looking at his friend, as if this was it, this was the answer he was waiting for.

"Deep inside, I know what I have to do, even if I know that there is a deadline, that the times keep ticking, I'll just put a random excuse and postpone it."

Daniel spoke, "Then what's the point of all of this talk, and haven't you questioned why am I here?

Dante's grip on the ball loosened. He let out a quiet chuckle, but there was no humor in it, "Both of us already know the answer."

The ball acquired cheerful eyes and playfully bounced towards his hands, "And either I grabbed your soul, taking you away from eternal rest, or you are a figment of my imagination."

His voice dropped lower, "And neither option brings much comfort."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Then, without another word, Dante flicked the ball against the wall once more, watching as it rebounded back into his palm. "You know, since I got here, I never thought much about those outside my friends, who I crossed my path, like their dreams, their expectations, what they liked and they disliked..."

Daniel interrupted, "Hey, focus on your first idea, I already died for nothing so the least you can do is work towards that idea you are trying to deny, don't fantasize."

"Fine..."

...

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Authors note:

Sorry for not updating, but I have less time, and I don't have the energy to write this.

This fanfic was kind of a joke for me, like, I wanted to learn how to write, and this was my sketch.

I'm spending more and more time in 2 light novels, trying to see if they can spread wings as actual ideas.

while working on college and my "part-time job."

Yes, I will update, but like 1 per week. (this is about to end anyway. At most, 10 chapters or 15 before I can happily conclude this fic.)

Ha....

probably I'll return to this after a few years, and cringe myself, telling me how could I miss such simple details.

hope all of you are good on health (again I got sick but, it's just my trashy inmune system.) and have a pleasent day.

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Also, for whoever thought/invented social service, fuk you; I have to do that shit now (college. ).

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I geniunly don't know what am I doing with my life...