DEVIL MAY CRY: BIRTHDAY
I have never forgotten that guy, the one with sapphire eyes and silver hair;
It was about 5 years ago when I first met him, or shall I say, encountered him…
A little girl in her teens is in a park sitting on a swing. Her face glows with excitement as she is waiting in anticipation. Earlier, she has received a letter claiming to be an anonymous admirer:
Dear XXX:
A surprise will be waiting for you in the park near your house; be there at about 7 tomorrow, on your 16th birthday.
P.S. Come alone; it will be more fun.
Sincerely,
Anonymous Admirer
31st May 19XX
Reminiscing about the letter and imagining what prince charming would come to meet her; the little girl just couldn't wait.
All of a sudden, she heard footsteps, slow but heavy, coming from behind her. She turned around half-expecting to see her prince charming, but instead, a bald man with diseased skin, with eyes of different colors, came to greet her.
"Sorry to keep you waiting; I had to make sure the final preparations are set," said the man.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" asked the little girl, growing suspicious of the man.
"My name is Arkham. I came to bring you a gift. Come with me, and I shall lead you to your reward."
The little girl, unsure of what to do, suddenly felt compelled to follow the man; whether or not his eyes were drawing her will. She followed him for a while and came to an empty ground.
"What are we doing here?" asked the little girl.
"We are here for your gift; a little ceremony that would soon rid you of the sufferings of this world." As the stranger spoke, the ground glowed, revealing a huge glyph on the ground, of which the little girl is standing in the middle. The little girl suddenly felt her body frozen in place, but her screams manage to course through her throat.
Her screams drew the attention of a man nearby. This particular man was just walking by with a huge sword on his back and two handguns on his sides. He was wearing a red trenchcoat and leather boots, as well as black cargo pants. Of the most distinguishing features of this man is his medium-length silvery hair that shines with the glow of the moon.
The man turned towards the piercing screams of the little girl and ran in the direction from which the screams emanate. He arrived at the scene, seeing the bald man lifting up a curious ceremonial knife with both his hands, about to kill the little girl. With quick-thinking, he took out one of his handguns and shot the knife out of the bald man's hands. The bald man became enraged upon turning around and discovering the person who hindered him.
"The ceremony was almost complete!" the bald man screamed, but suddenly the glyph on the ground began bursting into flames. Some of the flames set the bald man's face on fire, and he ran away shrieking in anguish of the flames licking up his skin and flesh. The other man's focus shifted to the little girl, who was freed from the invisible hold but trapped within the ring of fire. He casually jumped into the fire, carried the little girl in his arms (which gave the little girl a mild shock at being handled in this manner), and leaped out of the raging inferno. He then set the girl onto her feet.
"You be a good girl now, and go back to your home; I'm sure your mother is worried about you by now," said the silver-haired stranger calmly while patting the girl's head as though she was a little kid. As he turned around to leave, the little girl cried out: "what's your name?" She was eager to find out who this prince charming is.
Without turning around, he casually said: "you can call me Dante," and then continued his way.
That was the last time I saw him, that is, until…
5 years later
The thought of him hadn't left me since that day, but whenever the eve of my birthday arrives, I always felt his presence in my heart the strongest; it is as though he is right beside me. But as for now, no one knows his fate, and he is possibly dead by now.
The girl, almost 21 now, went out of her bedroom and went to the place where she witnessed the event to relive the old memories of being carried in his arms. After a while, she decided that it is already time for her to go back to her house.
As soon as she reached, however, she sensed that something is different about it now; the window and curtains are open, and her heart felt heavier and heavier until…
I wonder what's going on; perhaps I just need a little more rest.
She entered her room and saw a familiar figure waiting for her while sitting at the dressing table. She couldn't forget those guns, the sword, the red coat and black pants motif, and ultimately she remembers the silver hair.
"What took you so long?"
What took you so long?