Dante's Garage
The heat was unbearable. The fire danced like ravenous beasts, devouring everything around it. Dante was on the ground, his body heavy, his leg throbbing in pain.
'Son of a bitch... Ivan...'
He gritted his teeth, eyes stinging from the thick smoke. The smell of gasoline and burnt flesh clung to the air.
'That bastard shot me. Left me here to die.'
He tried to move, but the pain was like an electric shock, cutting off any attempt. His shirt was soaked with blood. The heat dried his sweat in seconds.
THUMP.
A beam fell near him, flames roaring louder.
'Pete... that little traitor bastard. I gave him the chance of a lifetime. Gave him a place, an opportunity. But no. He wanted to be the hero.'
The smoke burned his lungs. The ceiling creaked, threatening to collapse.
'All this... and for what? To end like this? Bleeding on the ground like a dog while that damn Ivan escapes without a scratch?'
His fists clenched, but there was no strength to rise.
BOOOOOM!
The fire reached a nitro tank. The explosion ripped through the air like thunder, launching debris in all directions.
THUD!
Something hot and sticky hit Dante's face. He blinked, trying to see through the smoke. A green liquid was dripping down his chest, arms, face.
'What...?'
His entire body began to burn. Not like the fire around him. This was different.
Inside him.
He tried to scream, but his throat seized up. His muscles tensed, nerves blazing like thousands of needles piercing his skin.
ZZZZZT!
The liquid glowed. The veins in his arm began to pulse with a greenish light. Something inside him was changing.
'This... can't be happening.'
The flames no longer burned him. He felt something else.
They were fusing with him.
Outside the Garage
Ivan leaned against the car, watching the garage collapse with a satisfied smile.
"End of the line, Dante. No second chances."
BOOOOOM!
The second explosion shook the ground. Flames leapt even higher, swallowing the remains of the building.
Ivan let out a low chuckle, turning the car key.
"Good to know some lessons can still be taught the right way."
He slowly accelerated, ready to vanish into the night. But a sudden flash wiped the smile off his face.
๐ธ CLICK!
A camera flash went off in the alley beside the garage.
Ivan frowned.
'What the hell was that?'
He stopped the car, eyes narrowing at the shadow between the buildings.
Someone was there.
And someone saw everything.
Ivan opened the car door, stepping out with his gun in hand. His eyes scanned the darkness, fingers tightening around the trigger.
"I know you're out there."
Nothing.
The alley remained still, cloaked in shadows.
๐ธ CLICK!
Another flash, this time from the top of a building.
Ivan spun on his heels, jaw clenched.
"You son of a bitch, if you think you can mess with me, you're gonna end up with a hole in your head!"
Silence answered.
The alley was empty. No movement. No breathing.
'Shit...'
He turned back toward the car.
CRACK!
The sound of splintering wood echoed behind him.
The flames devoured the wreckage, throwing sparks into the sky. The heat was suffocating, distorting the air around the collapsing structure.
THUMP.
Something fell among the debris.
Ivan froze.
The sound was heavy. Alive.
CRACK!
A metal beam was flung from the fire, as if spit out.
Ivan's eyes widened.
'No... It can't be...'
The flames parted.
A shadow emerged from the inferno.
Charred skin. Glowing eyes pulsing with a greenish hue. Veins lit like lava flowing under the skin.
Smoke escaped his mouth with every breath.
Dante raised his head.
His eyes locked onto Ivan.
Rage burned like embers in a wildfire.
Ivan took a step back.
"Dante...?"
His voice came out lower than he intended.
The man before him wasn't the Dante he knew.
He was something else.
Something worse.
Dante tilted his head to the side, joints cracking like burning wood. His chest rose and fell slowly.
With each breath, small sparks slipped from his lips.
"Ivan..."
The sound of his name was heavy. Hoarse. Fierce.
Ivan raised his gun.
"Stay back!"
Dante smiled.
A smile with nothing human in it.
The heat around them intensified.
The asphalt beneath his feet began to darken. The rubber on Ivan's car tires was slowly melting.
Ivan swallowed hard.
'This isn't possible... This isn't possible...'
Dante took a step forward.
Trails of fire formed beneath his feet.
๐ธ CLICK!
Another flash lit up from a rooftop.
Dante never took his eyes off Ivan.
๐ธ CLICK!
Now, farther away, from another corner of the alley.
Ivan growled, still holding the gun steady.
"You... you shouldn't be alive."
Dante laughed.
His voice sounded like burning coal.
"What makes you think... I am?"
Ivan pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The bullet sliced through the air and hit Dante's chest.
He didn't flinch.
The bullet clinked to the ground, glowing red, melted.
Ivan's face went pale.
"No... no...!"
Dante raised his hand.
A sphere of fire formed in his palm, spinning slowly like a miniature sun.
"What's wrong, Ivan? Are you scared now?"
Ivan stumbled backward, drenched in sweat.
"This shouldn't be happening!"
Dante tilted his head again.
"Neither should you still be breathing."
He hurled the fireball.
FOOOOSH!
The explosion launched Ivan backward, slamming him into the car's hood.
The heat consumed everything around.
The grass by the roadside caught fire. The metal began to melt.
Ivan screamed.
His coat ignited.
He rolled on the ground, trying to smother the flames.
But Dante was already on top of him.
He stomped on Ivan's chest.
The veins of the burned man pulsed with heat.
"You left me to die..."
Ivan coughed, eyes wide with terror.
"I... I only did what I had to..."
Dante raised his hand again.
Flames curled around his fingers.
"Now I'll do the same."
๐ฅ The Final Blow ๐ฅ
๐ธ CLICK!
Another flash.
But Ivan didn't care anymore.
Neither did Dante.
The hand came down.
๐ฅ FOOOOSH! ๐ฅ
Ivan vanished into the flames.
The scent of burned flesh filled the air.
The shadows in the alley stirred again.
๐ธ CLICK!
Dante turned his head toward the direction of the flashes.
Someone was watching.
But now, he didn't care.
He was the fire.
And Smallville would burn.
๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
---
Road to the Garage
Smoke rose slowly, painting the sky gray. The stench of burning clung to the air. Flames still licked at the wreckage, consuming what was left of the garage.
VRUUUUM.
The car stopped a few blocks away from the fire.
Clark stepped out, closing the door gently. His gaze scanned the empty street.
'No one around... Good. Whoever owns this car helped me more than they know.'
WHOOSH!
In an instant, he vanished.
The wind howled. The world froze.
Every dust particle hung motionless in the air as he sped forward.
His feet touched the already-hot asphalt. The heat warped the air around him.
Clark stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
In the midst of the flames, a figure was walking.
Slow, deliberate steps.
Embers crackled beneath his feet. His skin glowed in shades of orange and red, like burning coal.
With every breath, small flames escaped his mouth.
Clark blinked.
'What the hell is that?'
The man stopped.
He raised his head.
His eyes glowed green, pulsing as if energy surged through his veins.
He smiled.
Fierce.
Cruel.
The silence between them lasted only a second.
Dante raised his hand, watching his flame-wreathed fist.
His voice came out hoarse, carrying something inhuman.
"Are you real... or am I already burning from the inside?"
Clark held his ground.
"Who are you?"
Dante laughed. The sound echoed like grinding metal.
"Good question. I was Dante. Now..."
He opened his fingers. The fire danced between them.
"...I'm a whole lot more."
Clark took a step forward, the flames reflecting in his eyes.
'Great. Another out-of-control metahuman in Smallville.'
He took a deep breath, feeling the heat around him rise.
"Why can't I ever get a normal enemy?"
Dante tilted his head, the smile growing wider.
"Normal? You think I'm like those others? No. I'm something new. Something Smallville has never seen before."
The fire around him surged, spinning like a tornado. The ground beneath his feet began to crack from the intense heat.
Clark frowned.
"If you think you scare me, you'll have to try harder."
Dante raised his hand.
FOOOOSH!
A blast of fire launched straight at Clark.
He didn't move.
The flames engulfed him for a second... then vanished, leaving him unharmed.
Dante blinked.
Clark crossed his arms.
"Is that all?"
Dante's eyes flared with rage.
"I am fire! I am destruction! And you're going to burn with me!"
He charged.
WHOOSH!
Clark moved at the same time.
The world slowed around him. Every spark of fire froze mid-air.
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