On a cliff facing the wide untamed beauty of nature, stood a golden mansion.

The mansion stretched wide across the cliff, built entirely from gold, but it wasn’t the loud, blinding kind.

The surface was muted, almost matte in places, like it had been weathered on purpose. Some sections caught the sunlight and glowed softly, others held a deeper, older tone. It didn’t shine to impress. It just... existed.

The structure itself was large, but it wasn’t overwhelming in a pretentious sense. It spread outward more than upward, with multiple wings branching off in a balanced layout. Flat roofs mixed with slightly raised sections, giving it a modern shape, yet there were also some very thick pillars and subtle arches that hinted at something older beneath the design.

Glass panels were set into the gold, wide and clean, reflecting the sky and the garden around it. They broke up the metal just enough to keep it from feeling heavy.

The front area opened into a broad courtyard, the ground paved in smooth stone instead of gold. It made the place feel more grounded, less like some display piece.

Around the mansion, the garden stretched far.

It wasn’t overly arranged. Trees stood where they made sense, casting shade over patches of grass that weren’t cut too short. Pathways curved naturally instead of running in straight lines, leading off in different directions. A few low hedges bordered sections of the space, but they weren’t strict or confining.

Closer to the edge of the cliff, the garden thinned out into terraces. Stone platforms extended outward, stopping just before the drop, with simple railings that didn’t block the view. From there, everything opened up... sky, distance, nothing in the way.

Within this large mansion, a farewell was currently underway...

....

"What?" Dakota’s voice was muted as she stared in disbelief at her friends.

"I’m sorry K, but, it has to be this way."Seraphina spoke up softly, her beautiful blue eyes apologetic as she looked at her friend.

"But, why?" Dakota asked, trying to hide her hurt.

"I can’t let little Dante grow up surrounded by blood and battle." Seraphina looked at the little baby in her arms as she said this.

The eyes of everyone in the large living room falling on the young infant cradled snuggly in his mother’s arms.

His chubby baby face at such peace that the entire room seemed to melt just from the peace his presence brought.

"I still can’t believe Regulus could birth something so peaceful and beautiful." Try as he might, Tian’s voice was still a rumbling noise, luckily, the child’s ears had already been blocked by mana, so his slumber wasn’t disturbed.

"And what’s that supposed to mean you scaly bastard??" A furious voice replied.

"It means I dont believe a violent bastard like you can give birth to somehting so nice, must’ve been all sera."

"Bastard!!! I dare you to say that again!!"

"IT MUSTVE BEEN ALL SERA!!"

"That’s it! You, me, outside, now!" The man, regulus, had his blond hair already flaring at the provocation from tian, his Sleeves already folded as he got ready to dish out a beating.

"Ahem!" That was until a very not so subtle cough silenced the two men.

"If you two wake up Dante, I swear by all things holy that I’ll make you pay." Seraphina’s voice wasn’t loud, neither did it sound angry, a smile was on her face even, yet the two men broke out in a sweat the moment they heard her words,

"Humph, count yourself lucky."

"You’re lucky sera is here."

Both men grunted, turning away in a huff.

"Fools." Valen’s indifferent voice sounded out after them.

""HEY!!"" He promptly ignored them.

"So, Sera, what do you guys plan to do from here on out?" Valen asked, looking at the little infant in her arms.

"Hah! We already have that planned out, not that I’ll be telling any of you bastards!" Regulus interjected.

"What? Why? You’re taking my husband away, the least I need is to know his location!" Dakota wailed.

"Husband?" A gravely voice asked.

Dakota turned to the speaker, a 10-foot tall humanoid with pitch black skin, gnarly demonic horns jutting out of his forehead and fleshy bat wings folded neatly behind him, his red eyes were locked on Dakota’s figure as he awaited her answers.

"Absalom." Dakota’s voice was cold as she answered the demon.

"Yes?"

"How many times have I told you not to speak when I’m speaking?"

"Heheh? You make it sound like..."

SNAPP!!!

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!

A deafening explosion went off as Dakota’s figure snapped, appearing right where the demon was before a punch connected cleanly with the demon’s body, folding it in half and sending it crashing through the gilded walls.

...

...

A heavy silence fell on the entire room as everyone held their breath, the aura Dakota releasing at this point being plain murderous.

"Heh! Regulus, I guess this is how you treat those you call friends, I guess all that ran long about wanting to put differences aside was exactly that, ranbling?" The demon snickered as he crawled out of the rubble.

"Don’t blame regulus, the leech just has no manners...." Before the voice could complete its words..

BANG!!! CRASHHHHH!!!!!

The speaker was sent crashing through a wall.

"I don’t remember anyone asking for your opinion, you hypocritical woman." Raven’s cold and indifferent voice sounded out.

....

Another silence fell until, "fufufufu... you guys, this is supposed to be a farewell, why are you fighting all of a sudden? If one didn’t know better they’d think we weren’t all friends." A charming and soothing voice broke it up.

"Heh! "Friends" is that what we’re calling it now?." The demon, Absalom growled.

"YOU DRAKEN WHORE!!!!" The earlier speaker, an elven woman, burst out of the rubble, vines flailing around her figure, as she got ready to attack.

"Enough!" A cold and authoritative voice silenced the entire room.

"This is a gathering of family, there shall be no such thing as fighting, especially not discriminatory behavior, it is enough." Regulus’ expression had gone hard, his cheerful demeanor nowhere to be found, Valen and Tian merely stayed silent, One looking disinterested in everything, the other just bored silly, yet the heavy aura radiating off of them clearly said the same thing.

"Enough!"

"Friends, please, don’t fight, you’ll give little Dante the wrong impression, look." Sera’s voice pulled their attention from the confrontation, their gazes falling on the now awake infant, his beautiful golden eyes looking around curiously, "he’s awake."

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A/N: and the story begins. It shouldn’t be long, hopefully.

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Thanks for reading...