Set post DMC 5 so spoilers if you haven't played / completed the game. I don't own any of the characters apart from Erin, Erico and Beatrice.

-—

O Fortune,

like the moon

you are changeable,

ever waxing,

ever waning,

hateful life

first oppresses

and then soothes

as fancy takes it;

poverty

and power

it melts them like ice

fate – monstrous

and empty,

you whirling wheel,

you are malevolent,

well-being is vain

and always fades to nothing,

shadowed

and veiled

you plague me too;

now through the game

I bring my bare back

to your villainy

fate is against me

in health

and virtue,

driven on

and weighted down,

always enslaved.

so at this hour

without delay

pluck the vibrating strings;

since Fate

strikes down the strong man,

everyone weep with me!

Prologue

" tell us a story Mama, please!" Squeaked a small voice.

" a story? Hmm...well, I suppose I could" laughed a warm voice, the woman with pale skin and dark hair sat herself down on the beds edge, she cast her warm honey eyes over the two wriggling girls snuggled beneath the blankets.

Both girls eagerly watched their mother smooth down her skirt before gently clasping her hands together, they loved Mama's stories. But more than that they only asked her to tell a story so they didn't have to sleep yet, at eight years old surely they were able to stay awake longer, they were big girls now after all.

" Once, long ago a foolish woman made a bargain with a Devil." The mother began

The second girl inhaled " a Devil! Like...a...Monster?"

The woman nodded " yes, like a monster," the woman shuffled closer to the girls and began tucking them in " you see the woman had two children to look after, but with little money or means to earn it, she was desperate and foolish."

"This devil offered her great riches, so the woman could raise her children in a safe home and with full bellies. The devil said he would return in 18 years to collect his price...and the foolish woman, blinded by desperation agreed to hand over one of her two daughters in 18 years time."

Both girl sucked in a breath dramatically " that's awful!" Said one.

The woman nodded " I know. But the Devil was cunning with words and only after the deal was made, did he name his price. The foolish woman could find no way to annul the magic binding her to the Devils deal." The woman paused and quietly reached out for each of the girls outstretched hands .

" I don't like they way you're telling the story this time, Mama" said the quieter girl of the two, she snuggled deeper into her bed.

" I know, but some stories must be told they way the happened, there are alway lessons and history within my stories. My sweet girls." She smiled sadly stroking their hands tenderly.

" the woman tried everything should knew to negate the magic binding her to the deal. She even sought out her own kin, for you see the woman had a little Devil in her own blood, her great, great, great, great Grandmama was a descendent of Witches said be of the Leanan sídhe line. But the bloodline had been diluted to almost nothing and very little power was to be found." The woman paused and awaited the questions she just knew the girls were churning over.

She smiled when her youngest Erin asked " lemon she? What is that?"

The woman laughed " its Leanan Sidhe Erin, pronounced Lah-nan Shee-uh" chuckling softly she continued " the woman's ancestors were said to be beautiful witches, able to seduce and inspire humans and some were able to harness elemental magic. Myth says Leanan sidhe was known as fairy mistress' or muses that sought the love of mortals. I don't know much else, and there's too much folklore telling different stories."

The second girl questioned " what's a suckbus Mama?" The woman coughed awkwardly.

" I'll tell you when you're older Erico. Now shall I continue?" She said hoping the girls would question no further on the Succubus.

" yes Mama" they chimed

" the woman could find no way out of the bargain, but she had gained the wealth promised by the Devil and therefore was able to arm her daughters and have them taught how to fight and protect themselves. She decided she would employ the best teachers to her girls so when the time came, they could fight for their freedom. She made them promise that no matter what was to happen, that they would never, ever abandon each other...even if it meant entering the very bowels of hell." The woman smiled at the girls and gave them a soothing pat.

" when will you tell us how it ends Mama?" Asked Erico frustrated, they had heard the story many times before, but Mama alway told the story differently. Tonight Mama had made it sound like a scary story but whatever version she told, never did she reach the end. Erico wanted to know what happened next. did the girls get free from the Devil? Did they meet their princes and live happily ever after?

The woman sighed " I'll tel you one day Rico, one day soon." She assured the youngster. " now it's time to snuggle up and get some sleep. I love you both"

" love you mama." Both girl chorused in unison.

The woman stood from the bed, turned and switched off the light before she exited the room and gently closed the door behind her.

Heart thrumming rapidly in her chest she hurried to her own room, the room was simple, a bed in the middle with two chests of drawers on either side. A wardrobe stood at the opposite wall and by the large open window stood a cluttered desk, littered with papers and pens. And taking centre stage a small family picture of her and her girls.

She moved to the desk and took a seat in the chair, her trembling hands took hold of the framed picture. They looked so happy, herself included. she gently ran a finger over her own image, her long dark hair hung past her shoulders, with a short fringe framing her honey coloured eyes. Her pale skin only defined her full pink lips and sharp chin.

In complete contrast her girls didn't feature her much at all, they were fair in complexion with icy blue eyes, a straight nose and sharp chin and high cheek bones and long pale hair. They looked so elfin, pale moons to their mothers look of night. It wasn't apparent in the picture, but occasionally their skin had a luminous glow.

She sighed and cupped her face with her hands. So many errors she'd made, she made sure to write down her sins. So the girls would know she was eternally sorry, so they would know it had been she, to condemn one of them to a hellish life sentence.

She had been sure to write down everything they needed to know, everything! All the stories she told them were reordered, she had been sure to include anything relevant they may need to know. She had even told them about their father in the pages, she should have tried to find him. It had been a single rendezvous, the result of one too many drinks. But he had given her a great gift, two wonderful gifts in fact and she would ensure they were strong enough to survive with out her. Erico needed to look out for her younger sister Erin.

she hadn't been the same since they found her curled in a ball shivering, murmuring nonsensical mutterings. She had disappeared one day for over eight hours and neither she nor the police had been able to find her and then Erico had stumbled upon her in the garden and the youngest girl had been utterly petrified.

She hadn't been right since, like a door had closed within her and that innocence she once possessed had died. The doctors had found nothing physically wrong, no cuts or bruises or signs of any form of abuse.

She had likely stumbled upon an awful scene, perhaps she had witnessed a murder as those happened a lot in the slums. Likely, the doctor had concluded the traumatised girl was suffering Post traumatic stress disorder.

They had recommended some expressive arts therapy, in the hope she would open up and let out the emotional turmoil. Erin loved music and dance and poetry and drank it all in, but she had little interest in painting or composing poetry and music herself and instead took to reading and listening to her music as a form or escapism and expression.

Erin loved to dance though, perhaps not in the traditional sense, but she applied her love of dance and music when learning martial arts such as Kenjutsu and Laido and she was showing exceptional skills in Shuriken- Jutsu and Sai training using Okinawan Kobudo. both her girls were trained in this, Erin was very good with melee weapons. Erico was very good also however she preferred firearms and hand to hand.

Erico was a fantastic gymnast and she was fast and actually quite physically stronger than her sister, she had been gifted her very own knuckle dusters by her trainer to add to her arsenal. Whereas Erin was introverted Erico was opposite, she was fiery and quick tempered, yet gentle and caring in nature.

Both girl were her pride and joy. And she had been stupid and in the darkest of places upon making that bargain. She thought the Devil would simply want her soul or lifeblood in return, not the life of one of her daughters.

What's done is done and she could only prepare the girls as best she could.

They didn't yet know she wouldn't be long for this world. She had been diagnosed with a severe lung illness and the doctors had recently given her poor prognosis. They couldn't give her a figure on how long she would live, only that she was very likely to die before her girls were fully grown.

She wiped angrily at the tears leaking from her eyes and reached out for some paper and a pen. She would write down everything they needed including everything she knew of their father.

But first while she had the peace and quiet, she needed to write their father a letter. She would place it within the book and maybe one day the girls might happen across his path and at least she could explain everything to him in some form.

She began to write furiously her brow scrunched as she search for the right words.

You must understand I wanted to find you and tell you long ago, sadly this is the only way I can convey everything to you.

But first...I wish to tell you of our girls. They are perfect and I love them very much. I named them Erico and Erin.

Erico was born first and Erin came along three minutes later.

She wrote for over two hours, furiously writing every detail of her own folly and everything about the girls, everything he had never known he'd missed. Finally with aching hands she signed the letter.

It was a blast!

Yours,

Beatrice.

Beatrice folded the sheets of paper and sealed them in and envelope. She addressed it with his name and the caption for the addressees eyes only. She didn't want the girls reading this letter and hoped, it they found it in the book that they would respect her enough not to pry.

Beatrice only wished she had done things differently.

It didn't matter now of course.

What was done was done.

—-

Authors note: I actually wrote chapter one first, but after reading it through I decided I needed to add this as a foundation for the plot and original characters Erico and Erin.

To be honest this story just popped into my head and I wrote it for my own enjoyment. Then thought ' maybe someone else out there might like it' so I made a new fan fiction account ( as it was years and years ago when I last wrote) here we are.

I'm now rewriting chapter one and hope to post it ASAP.

I hope you enjoy the story and remember it is purely made up and I have only borrowed the characters from Devil May Cry I do not in any way own them.

As mentioned this is set post DMC 5! So massive spoilers if you haven't played/ completed the game.

I welcome constructive criticism only, I don't have time for people who like to bash/ put others down. If you don't like it then Please do not read.

Thanks for reading!

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