Chapter 1
Vincent knelt before her shrine as he imagined her there, mulling over all the mistakes of his life, over the mistake that was his life, Death Penalty in his hand. Why? Why couldn't he save her? Why had this happened? Why had he been given another chance at life? It had been over a year since he awoke to find that thirty years had gone by and that he was now the host of multiple demons that could take over in times of anger and physical stress.
Vincent's reverie was interrupted by the voice of a young woman. "Well, well, if it isn't Vincent Valentine. When did you return to the land of the living?"
He, or rather Chaos, could just feel her presence just inside the entrance of the cave. His inner demon had never responded to anyone like this. He just ignored the sensation and turned to face a pale-skinned, black-haired woman in a sleek black cloak, black tailored pants, and black, close-fitting tank top. She was leaning against the side of the cave entrance, twirling a small dagger in her hands. At the sight of her face, his eyes widened in shock. She looked eerily familiar, but then he blinked and the feeling was gone.
Vincent stood with a grunt and made to leave. He didn't know why Chaos was reacting this way, but he didn't want to find out either. As he brushed against her on his way out of the cave, his demon suddenly sought control, causing him to clutch his chest in pain and shock. He looked up in surprise as he heard the strange girl do the same. At this close of range he could see that she also had red eyes, much like his own. Red eyes that glowed with a demonic light. His eyes widened in shock as red and black wings tore from her back, causing her to scream in pain. He gasped and doubled over in pain as his demon made another attempt at releasing itself. Tears pooling in her eyes, she looked up at him, visibly struggling to halt the transformation. Then she spoke in a pained voice far different from that he had first heard. "Vincent... Run! I-I can't...I can't hold her!" She screamed again as a long tail whipped out of the base of her spine. "RUN!!" Struggling to not begin his own changing, he half-ran, half-stumbled out of the cave and toward the edge of the cliff. He looked back once at the sound of an inhuman howl, then continued sprinting in the general direction of Nibelheim, finally slowing as he approached the forest. Before entering, he looked back at the cave, expecting a winged nightmare to swoop down on him. Instead there was nothing and he entered the forest to search for a place to set up camp.