"Dante!" Autumn shouted, clutching his shirt. "What are you doing?! We're going to fall!"

"It's not me! The armor is disappearing!" Damian thought quickly, spotting a building and aiming his body towards it. "Oh, no!"

The two tried to brace themselves for the impact, but tumbled roughly, rolling onto the roof of a building. Autumn fell farther, amidst rusted objects and garbage. Damian crashed into a wall. That's when he realized the helmet had disappeared too, as his head hit a hard surface.

"Ouch, damn it," he groaned, lying on his back. He noticed a part of the armor still attached to his right arm. "Seriously? What good does just my arm do?"

"Are you okay?" He heard Autumn's voice coming from the other side. He got up hastily, starting to search for her in the dimly lit and cluttered rooftop.

"What's the deal with this thing?" he asked when he spotted her coming towards him. "Why did it disappear out of nowhere?"

Autumn sighed, limping as she walked.

"It's not a thing, it's armor," she replied, staring at the boy's arm. "It's still on you, at least."

He nodded, also examining the arm covered in the golden material.

"Yeah, it's, it's almost like it was forcibly glued on," he said, furrowing his brow. "But it doesn't bother. Anyway, it almost got us killed."

Autumn stared at him.

"What you're wearing is called Divine Armor. Where I come from, only exceptionally prepared heirs can wear them. This armor is not only a great weapon but also a great protection. Do you have any idea what it means to bear one of them on your own body?"

Damian listened attentively.

"You know I don't," he raised his index finger.

"Look, you just need to understand one thing. Whether you like it or not, all the energy of the armor is flowing through your body. You just need to tune in with it again. It was predictable that it wouldn't stay in your body for long."

"And what does that mean?"

"That now, at least, you have a chance to protect yourself. Even if you don't know how to use it," said Autumn, then assuming a seriousness on her face. "Look, Divine Armors don't just wander from person to person. For some reason, it chose you. Even if you don't deserve..."

"Hold on a minute there. This was with my brother, so does that mean it's his?"

The girl raised one eyebrow thoughtfully, setting aside the interruption.

"I think that's the most obvious alternative. But, let's not dwell on that now. We need to figure out a way to get out of here."

Damian walked across the rooftop, pointing to a door in the distance.

"There it is! Our way out."

Autumn shook her head.

"We can't go out through the building. There might be people living here, we can't involve anyone in this. And what if someone gets hurt while that creature tries to kill us? We need to keep it away from people."

The boy returned to his spot, kicking at something invisible.

"So, what do you suggest? Should we start jumping across buildings like we're two monkeys?"

She looked at him curiously, as if assessing his words.

"You're not taking what I said seriously, are you?"

"Of course not. Let's go down the fire escape, genius," the girl walked ahead, going to the edge and pointing out the path below. "Fire escape."

"Fire escape? Why didn't you say that before?" he said, coming closer and watching her descend. Damian then felt his left arm tingling.

"Let's head to the park. I think we're close."

Still, the boy didn't pay attention to her. His gaze followed a figure in the sky coming towards him. He couldn't react as he wanted. He ended up crossing his arms over his body in a quick defensive manner.

Autumn felt a gust of wind behind her. Turning around, she saw Damian being dragged by the hybrid onto another building.

"Dante!" she shouted the boy's name with little else to do.

The boy was thrown against the poorly made concrete of a neighboring building. The strong impact hit his entire body, not taking long for his head to spin like a runaway top.

"Why do you have that armor, huh?!" the hybrid vociferated at Damian. "I don't understand, I can't understand!"

The boy lay on his stomach, listening to his assailant's rantings. He could feel the dust touching his lips. The sight of the creature's hideous feet coming closer almost drove him mad. The chills down his spine would soon become a habit.

Some rocks still fell on his head, but he couldn't close his eyes at that moment. He needed to react.

"Are you kidding me?! Is everyone kidding me?! There shouldn't be anyone here! You're too weak to wear that armor! It's all that little mouse's fault! I bet I'll hear a lot from my brother... What are you doing? Are you trying to escape while I'm talking?!"

Damian crawled to a fire escape. He didn't have the strength to run away. However, the being there didn't seem pleased with that. The hybrid reached him so fast that the boy had barely blinked when he was hit by a punch.

Then, the shapeless creature pinned Damian's torso against the nearest concrete.

"As intriguing as it may be that you're wearing that armor, it shouldn't mean anything. It's not all bad either. I'll take both of you with me, no matter what! Your lifeless body and the shining armor!" The hybrid laughed exaggeratedly, saying the last word like an angry child. "Now tell me. Why do you have that armor?"

The chain on his belt threatened once more. Damian didn't want that again, trapped on his leg. The boy preferred to use another tactic against his enemy.

"What's your deal, man? Threatening and killing is all you know how to do? Why do you have to go this far?!" Damian blurted out to the creature hurriedly, as he could see Autumn in the distance, frantic, trying to say something.

She pointed to his arm still covered with the armor.

"What?" The creature seemed annoyed. "What's my deal? Man? I have a name!"

Without delay, the boy tried to react as best he could. The hybrid aimed a more brutal attack, however, Damian defended himself with his armored arm. There was a metallic clang, and the hybrid was thrown away, rolling across the rooftop.

"Dante!" Autumn shouted from the other side. The boy tried to regain his senses, as the impact had left him dizzy. "Dante, use your arm!"

He ran his armored arm over the gash on his head. He noticed that the armor emitted a dim luminescence, like a shy firefly. He looked at the distant, fallen hybrid, then at Autumn.

"Don't take the stairs down! Jump from building to building! Use the energy of the armor," she said, visibly distressed. "Don't let him hit the ground! Head towards the park! Dante! Take him to the park!"

Damian didn't respond to her. He was still caught in some spinning world. From afar, he saw her descending the fire escape, leaving.

Damn, he thought, anguished, she's finally leaving me behind.

His arm tingled again. Everything stopped spinning when he noticed, with a glance, the enemy ready to strike. Damian quickly dodged a swing of the axe, leaning to the side.

The creature remained back when it missed its target. Its shoulders slumped. The unusual stillness was eerie. What had Autumn said again? Use the energy of the arm to jump between buildings? Damian was almost certain that idea was his.

"You know what?" He lifted his chin upon hearing the hybrid's voice. Oh, I shouldn't let him hit the ground. I need to lure him to the park, he remembered as he faced his opponent. "This is all so tiresome... I can't come back empty-handed, I can't let the mission fail, I can't interfere too much in this world, I can't do anything I want..."

The boy listened to that voice with fear in his heart. Suddenly, the atmosphere had turned icy. As if there were no traces of hope in the air.

I need to get out of here. I can't let him hurt anyone. But how exactly...

"Do you know what's the worst part of all this?" he asked for the first time, like a normal person. No laughter or tremors in his voice. Damian blinked.

"No. I don't know."

"In the end, we all die," he declared, a gleam of insanity in his eyes.

The boy startled, his small eyes widened.

"What?"

"No one lives forever. No matter how cursed the blood within me is, it won't last for eternity. So, why do I need to hold back?" Damian listened intently. The armor on his arm radiated more and more. "Why, huh?! Why can't I kill whoever I want?! WHY CAN'T I LET THEM SEE ME AND FEAR ME?!"

As the hybrid finished his sentence, he used the axe against his own skin. He made a cut on his forearm, letting his darkened blood trickle out. Then, he soaked the blade, merging fluid and weapon. Damian stepped back, feeling the same vibration as when he was on Road No. 6. He leaned against the concrete, observing the height he was at.

The distance from one building to another wasn't absurd, but the boy struggled to believe in his own plan. If he didn't die by the hybrid's hand, he would die pulled by gravity.

"I have a name," the enemy spoke again, directing a few drops of blood into the air. They solidified, and like sharp splinters, they flew straight towards Damian. The boy watched slowly as a thin drop of green blood hit his slender cheek. He closed his eyes as he felt his skin ignite. "I am Sinmir, son of the lands of Telenna."

The boy instinctively brought his hand to his face. Sinmir screamed as he ran in a direct attack. Still dazed by the pain on his skin, Damian merely extended his arm and focused all the energy of the armor on the ground.

The effect was disastrous, yet effective. The boy's body was flung like a ball in the air, distancing himself from the hybrid, Sinmir. Damian landed rolling on the rooftop of another building, for the third time in a few brief moments.