Disclaimer: I don't own DMC... Wow, you just ruined my day.
Note: There's a ghost in this story and because it's never said if it's a 'he' or a 'she' I refered to it as a... well, 'it'.

Time Goes On
by Narwe Silverflame

The sky was dark. Last rays of the setting sun that gave the gathering clouds a rose hue had just disappeared over the horizon. To those who knew which signs to look for, it all mildly resembled an invitation. Or maybe the ringing of a bell that announces the arrival of somebody. Clouds that steadily covered larger and larger part of the sky - that covered more and more bright stars - were like some kind of red carpet ready to welcome the guests. The absence of glowing moon could be compared to the absence of barking dogs in front of a house. Yes, this part of the world was now officially ready to welcome very exclusive guests. Demos. Devils.

One of few persons who were aware of this was currently walking with measured steps down an old, abandoned road on the far outskirts of a small town. An average person knowing demons were about to crawl out of their hideouts would had doubtlessly be running towards the safest place known to them, then shut the doors closed and left windows barred behind them. But this one was different. He was in no hurry to get anywhere and his right hand was held loosely but ready near one of his guns. It was just so that this guy had a tendency of appearing where the devils appeared, although with far different intentions. Devils came to wreak havoc and kill humans, he came to wreak havoc and kill devils. It makes quite a difference when you think about it, yet somehow often devils realized it far sooner than humans. Usually when a bullet penetrated their skulls or sword's tip stuck in their chests to exit through their backs.

Black knee-high boots padded soundlessly towards an old abandoned ruin that had once maybe even been a house, as the last of the starlight briefly played in his silvery hair before completely disappearing. Thanks goodness, he could see in the dark perfectly. After a step or two he was already standing amid the debris with guns now held openly in his hands, his body ready to spring into action at any sign of potential danger, his ears straining to hear from which direction the enemy was approaching. Left? Right? Maybe above or bellow.

After a moment or two of nothing but complete silence he looked suspiciously around himself. Strange. This place really looked deserted. Yet not one, not five, but full nineteen inhabitants of the nearby town had not even two hours ago been prepared to swear on everything they held dear that they had witnessed a strange demon near this old ruin and as far as he knew, such places were usually gathering places of such scum, so at first he had been even surprised that only one devil had been seen. And yet now here wasn't even one.

He fired a couple of shots in random directions, one bullet hitting the remains of an old wall. Still nothing. Great. Just great. So he had walked all the way here just to find an empty place with its devil-occupant that had already packed its things, had moved out and left him to wander around? If he was to ever find this guy, he was paying for this.

But this thought had barely enough time to form properly in his mind when a strange glittering form suddenly materialized just a few steps to his right. Using his almost inhuman speed, he had his guns ready again in his outstretched hands and aimed at the finally revealed target, while he hastily put a few steps of extra distance between himself and the… was it even a real devil? now standing before him. No, scratch that, floating before him!

What the…? This fellow was strange indeed, not your ordinary demonic devil, you could say. Stuff usually associated with them, like horns, talons, bulky forms, you know, was missing on this one. It was roughly his height, maybe an inch or two shorter, its entire humanoid form composed of glittering, transparent… stuff. Indeed, if it wasn't for this last thing, he could be as well looking at a rough picture of a human being, though his, or was it her, features were beyond recognition. Unbidden, memories of old-wife's tales of ghosts hunting abandoned ruins flashed in his mind. But he didn't believe in such stories. Or did he? After all, most people didn't believe in demons either, yet he had more than enough proof to prove their existence, so why not ghosts? This one before him certainly looked like one and on top of that it looked like a rather powerful too. Obviously it was the reason for the absence of other devils around this ruins that would normally draw them to it like honey attracted bees.

Strange enough, it did not try to make any aggressive movement, in fact it made no movement at all and so the two were locked in an imitation of a staring contest for a long, intense moment seemingly lasting for hours… that was suddenly broken by a raspy voice that couldn't be identified as neither masculine or feminine, but sounded as if it hadn't been used for a long time. "You, what are you doing here?"

The figure clad in black blinked. That was a simple enough question yet there was something in its voice that caught him off guard, suggesting that there was more to it than the simple 'what do you want'. And the ghost obviously seemed to think that he knew exactly what that 'more' was. Well, guess what, he didn't. Making sure that his guns were still aimed at where the creature's heart was supposed to be, though he doubted the bullets would do any damage whatsoever to its insubstantial form, he replied. "A very, how would you say… strange devil," he decided eyeing the ghost "was seen around here. People were scared, children weren't allowed to play outside after dark, men stood guard at night and so they called me to deal with this unwelcome guest." He especially stressed the last two words.

The ghost's lips curved slightly. This answer obviously amused him for some unknown reason. When it opened its mouth again sarcasm was practically dripping from every single word. "No, really? You're hunting devils in the zone where the demon tower was raised not long ago? How surprising!" The silver haired man tried to reply, but was successfully cut off as the ghost continued its monologue. "Why, I almost thought that you were on a vacation, maybe taking a walk, sightseeing a tourist attraction! Tell me, are there any signs or have you managed to get here all by your own? No, wait, you must have a tourist guide with you, one with…"

Its triad would have surely continued in this way for a long time if it wasn't quite rudely interrupted by two shots fired almost simultaneously so that the two bangs joined together into one short yet loud cacophony. The two bullets zipped past the sides of the ghost's face, eyelevel, and hit the wall behind it with enough force to send pieces of remaining concrete flying around. The man that fired wasn't really surprised when they passed through the floating form as if it wasn't even there, but was too frustrated at the moment to think about that further.

Here, in front of him, was a kind of devil like he had never seen before, a ghostly kind, if it even was a devil, that seemingly liked talking better than fighting, that at least so far hadn't tried to kill him, completely solid things passed through it as easily as an eagle soared through mist and on top of that it was babbling about some kind of tower that should have been raised here not long ago! Please, at least allow the guy to maintain his sanity!

"I am hunting not devils but devil," he began in a voice that was firmly under his command yet showing some of frustration he felt inside, "only one devil and that one I already found, by the way, in a usually very quiet and secure zone where some kind of tower was raised, true, but a long time ago and I have no idea why would anyone be connecting it with devils or anything like that."

Here something flickered in the ghost's eyes, something like uncertainty, but the armed man had no intention of risking another one of its sarcastic monologue until he was finished. "I give you a chance to get away from here, hide in some distant mountain or desert and never return or, if you wish, we can discus the manner of your leaving with other methods," he nodded towards his guns. "One way or another, it's your choice, just be quick."

But it seemed like the second half of his speech went completely unheard by the ghost. It was staring at him with strange mixture of incredulity, shocked surprise and uncertainty, all the while the same words ringing in his mind. 'It cannot be. He must be bluffing, he must be bluffing…' Yet the cold absence of humour in the man's pale blue eyes that suddenly turned icy suggested otherwise.

"You've never been one for jokes so stop kidding around now," the ghost tried to make this sound like an order, though his voice was more pleading than anything else.

"Listen closely now. I have never met you, you have never met me. You cannot possibly know if I'm 'one for jokes' or not. Look around you!" he gestured sharply with one hand, the sudden movement producing a golden shimmer from around his neck. "No towers, no devils other than yourself and especially no known people!"

To the silver haired man's frustration the ghost still didn't look convinced, in fact, he now even looked a little surer of himself. It raised a transparent finger to point it at the base of his throat. "The amulet. You've got that amulet, don't you? The gold one?"

For a moment or two he just starred incredulously at it. What, for goodness's sake, does his amulet have to do wit this! Soon he was going to be interrogated about his breakfast! When he spoke, his words came slowly, like he was explaining something to a small child that he didn't believe would understand what was said, simultaneously lowering the left gun so he could tug the amulet from behind his black clothes. The red stone was set in a gold and silver necklace, its brilliant colours intertwined like in a dance. "Yes, I do have an amulet and no, it's not only gold. Though I'd like to know what does this have to do with you choosing how you'll leave this place. When you answer, make sure that 'soon' will be the keyword."

Despite this the ghost still wasn't showing any signs of going away. Confusion swirled afresh in its eyes and apparently it had no intensions whatsoever of leaving until the cause of its apparent distress was resolved. Right now the issue was the colour of the amulet, the sort of metal the necklace was made off. It should be silver or gold, but not both! Well, not except if… "Tell me, do you have any sibling? A twin, maybe? Dead?"

Genuine anger danced in the man's eyes at these words like raging fire behind an icy barrier, his hands tightened their grip on the guns, his fingers touched the trigger a little more forcefully. The ghost, insubstantial or not, was treading on this ice. "Mark my words, ghost," he spat the word in a hiss. "This is the last of your questions that I answer. I have a sibling, a twin, and she in not dead! I also feel that it's my duty to inform you that the last five minutes of your life have just begun, so use them wisely."

Again his warning didn't quite reach the transparent being. Instead its entire focus was on something else. He would have never had both halves of the amulet if his brother was still alive! Neither of Sparda twins would part with this memento their mother left them and not be hunting down the one that took it. And on top of that, he had a brother. This one standing before him had silvery hair, true, pale blue eyes, true, but had a sister! The ghost was fairly certain that he wasn't lying. Realization dawned on it, its eyes widened, then narrowed. "You're not him."

"One of the last big revelations in your life, very good."

But this 'big revelation', as the black-clad man called it, also triggered something else. Slowly looking around himself, seemingly following the suggestion he had been given earlier, the ghost slowly turned his head left, the right, as if it was seeing its surrounding for the first time. The sight that met its finally seeing eyes was far from what it expected. Things that were once walls were crumbling around him and only the way they were placed, hinting at precise geometry, suggested that this had, in fact, once been a house. Beyond the collapsing ruin lay a road, not very important by the looks of it, that was flanked by some other buildings, though most of them in a far better shape than the one it was standing in right now. Under the dark sky there laid an almost peaceful land. No shattered remains of a gigantic black tower, no humans covering in fear of the unleashed devils. This was the same land it remembered, there was no doubt about that, but it was the passing of time that changed it almost beyond recognition. Almost.

Slowly, its gaze lowered to its own hands. It could see right through them. Passing of time indeed. It changes bones to dust, flesh to soil and souls to ghosts. And this one ghost suddenly knew that its time on Earth was long spent.

The blue eyed man was eyeing the other carefully, sensing the sudden change of mood. It didn't appear to be confused anymore, nor uncertain. Its previous inner turmoil seemed to be replaced by some sort of certainty, like it finally knew what was happening and why, as if purpose was finally added to the unstable steps of a lost man. The truth wasn't far from this. It needed to go on and leave the circles of this world behind, but one thing still remained to be done before that. An important thing.

"You inherited the amulet." It wasn't a question but a statement and the ghost saw all the confirmation it needed in a momentary flicker of surprise in the blue eyes. Yes, he obviously did inherit it, probably from his mother – a birthday present maybe. It's been in your family for a long time. So long, in fact, that you forgot its significance."

"This is only a family heirloom, nothing more," the black clad man shot back, seriously debating with himself why he didn't already kill the ghost and saved himself all the trouble. After all, he definitely wasn't known for his patience.

"No!" the ghost returned just as fiercely. "The sole fact that you're speaking about it like it's made of only one piece, shows how little you know! It is one whole, true, but composed of two halves, of two separated amulets. The silver one and the gold one. And if your twin is still alive, you have no right to wear them both!"

This time it was the man who didn't quite understand what has just been said and on whose face confusion blossomed. For a moment he even forgot that he should be, in fact, eliminating it. The ghost only rewarded him with a stern look, not really caring what he should or shouldn't be doing, as long as he got the message.

"Yes, there are obviously many things that you don't know about there," it continued, deliberately using almost the same tone of voice as the man when he was delivering the threats – thank of it as of a payback, "and you will make sure to learn all about them, as it's not my place to be telling you of such things. A word of advice. Personally, I doubt there's anyone alive who could tell you more about them. Turn to the past. Look for old libraries." The transparent form paused for a moment to give greater weight to its next words. "And think twice before you decide what to do with that knowledge."

'What the…' was all the man could think of. But, truth be told, it wouldn't make much difference if his baffled mind could come up with something else beside that – one way or another, he wouldn't be able to voice any of his questions. The ghost apparently decided that now, when its explanation was over, only one thing was left standing between it and the well-deserved afterlife and the transparent being had no intension of leaving things that way.

Without a second thought, without giving the man a chance for any questions, the ghost flung itself towards the man, ignoring two bullets that simultaneously pierced its insubstantial form right where its heart once used to beat, hitting the wall and again sending debris flying around. In less time than mouthing the word 'ghost' would take, its hand was already tightly clanged around the amulet. Pale blue eyes widened in something close to momentary panic, yet no matter how hard he tried he couldn't move a single muscle. A soft white light was beginning to spread from the amulet, first from the part the ghost was touching, but in a second it encompassed the entire necklace. Suddenly it flared in a brilliant white flame that for a few intense, breathless moments blinded them both.

The light ceased just as abruptly as it started. With all the speed of a striking serpent the man's hand flew to his throat. Yes, the amulet was still there, thanks god, but something was different, something didn't feel quite right – it became flat on one side… One half was missing!

"Ah, the silver one remains. So, this must mean that you're the older one, am I right?" It was a rhetoric question as both of them new this to be true and the ghost didn't even bother staying to hear the answer. It began to disappear from this world as the outlines of the land that could be seen through it became more and more clear.

"Wait! Where is the other half?"

"Wrong question," was the cryptic reply. "Not 'where is it' but 'who has it' and you already know the answer to that." With these final words and in one last flash of silver light the ghost disappeared, leaving the man beneath the dark sky alone with his thoughts.

'Great, just great. Why is it always me?'

Many miles away in huge, well equipped library in the west wing of a medieval mansion, some lights were still on. Most of them were placed near a comfortable sofa on which sat a silver haired woman of delicate looks, though if you looked a little closer, you could see a hand gun and two smaller knives carefully concealed about her person. In her lap lay an old, massive tome. On its front page some words written in strangely stylized letters could be seen in the dim light - 'The Legendary Dark Kn…'. Pale blue eyes moved with lightning speed from one line to another, shifted from paragraph to paragraph.

Suddenly blinding light exploded right in front of her face and she quickly raised a hand in front of her eyes, shutting them tightly. After a moment or two, as the light subsided, she looked around herself. On top of the book now lay a gold amulet, almost the same as her brother wore. A red stone set in a gold necklace. Just as… her eyes widened in surprise and again shifted to the illustration in the book. "Well, well. Who would have thought…"

The End

First I'd like to congratulate all the authors that manage to write long fics. Congratulations! This three-thousand-and-something words almost killed me, I don't know how you manage it.
Second, this is something that I wanted to write for more than eight months butnever dared because I was sure that my English just wasn't up for it - your reviews gave me courage. Thank you!
R&R