Chapter 1

It had been two years after Vergil escaped the fiery confines of hell. He had grown weaker since the entire escapade, his powers cut significantly after being made into one of Mudus' docile slaves. He had but one goal in mind he needed to accomplish before returning to his life of solitude; find a way to enter the demonic realm to restore his demonic powers.

Vergil walked down the long corridors of the ancient masonic temple. It was built in centuries ago by a group of humans that studied the ancient black arts. The underground tunnels and rooms were filled with hordes of demons that attempted to thwart his advancement but they were a minor annoyance so he progressed with ease.

There were many doors and portals into separate realms and each room reflected different scene. He read about many of these "gates" in one of the underworlds forbidden libraries. His main focus was to search for a book could help narrow down his search.

Trickles of water tapped against his head as he turned a corner into a wide tunnel like hallway. Vergil cocked an eyebrow and studied the area. Lush green vines crept from the cracks in the stone walls that seemed to produce budding plants. None of that seemed right. He read and knew from experience that nothing could grow in a demonic dimension. As he neared the center of the hall there was a shimmer in the distance. Vergil scoffed, seeing though the mediocre glamor spell.

A slight chattering of demons could be heard in a room above him. When he stopped and face towards the noise it instantly stopped. The small devils had neared his location.

They are scouting. The blue devil thought.

Turning his attention back to the hidden area he placed a hand on Yamato. When sharp blue eyes located the shimmers again he sliced and stabbed the ripples as they appeared, shattering the spell.

When the disguise faltered the devils eyes widened. The area was filled with lush green grass and colorful flowers. In the distance there were gigantic statues of angels that were positioned to be holding up the ceiling. Although this space was indeed an enclosed there was a crisp breeze rolling past him. He cautiously advanced further into the room.

Everything was oddly too peaceful here. He read nothing of this in the books he studied. The thought of any demon portal being able to produce such a wondrous scenery was a bit unnerving.

As Vergil entered a scent made him flinch. It was not an offensive smell but strong.

Lavender? He thought.

Quickening his pace toward it there was the sound of running water as he made his way to the center of the enormous room. There was a large, ivory fountain decorated with cherubs spraying water from trumpets on top. The water fell from the first layer into the second which had butterflies carved all around it. His eyes then settled on the third layer and he stopped his advancement.

In the largest pool of the fountain was a girl in a white dress. She was humming softly with her back to him. The water splashed as the woman lazily kicked her feet. She was giggling, and speaking in an ancient demonic dialect. Vergil glared at her back and slowly unsheathed the blade with his thumb . The girl stiffened. Her hands gripped the edges of the fountain and she began shaking.

She smells neither demon or human.

The soft grass crumpled under his boots as he walked towards the fountain. Vergil could see the girl cringe with each step. The dark slayer could feel the fear radiating off her. The flowery scent was indeed coming from the female.

Vergil studied her more closely now. She had light honey-brown skin, and a waterfall of wavy white hair that spilled down her back. Her scent was more intoxicating more than ever now. Vergil couldn't take it.

Who is this she? He gripped her shoulder roughly and turned her to face him.

Large ocean blue eyes bore into his. Vergil froze, his brows creased and mouth opened slightly. The blue devil studied the girl features closely. She had a round almost childlike face and beautiful pink lips, curved into a trembling pout. Her white hair framed her face like a cloud. His gaze traveled downward. She had a sinfully lovely body. Large round breasts showed from the top of her dress along with a slim waist and wide hips. The devil growled, taking in her features and scent.

A succubus?

The girl shook violently in his arms. Her blue eyes darted around wildly and she was struggling to escape his grip. He released her and she jumped out of the fountain and ran towards a patch of long grass. She grabbed a small over the shoulder bag and returned to the fountain to retrieve something then turned slightly towards Vergil. He could see what she had grabbed out of the water. It was a child. A demon child.

It had the body of a 5 year old with burning red hair, red eyes and pale skin. There were small horns on top of the child's head and it's ears were long and pointed. The devil child bared its teeth at the man and wriggled from the woman's grasp.

"Idiot!" It shouted. "You've destroyed the barrier! Do you have any idea what you've done!?"

Vergil looked down at the child in confusion. Barrier? The mediocre glamor spell?

His attention turned back to the woman whose knees were trembling. She looked petrified but her attention was on something behind the blue devil. Vergil turned seeing nothing out of the ordinary until he caught a salty metallic scent. Ice blue eyes darted around the room, trying to locate the smell and they settled on the fountain. The cherubs trumpets no longer spouted water but now trickled blood. The entire fountains contents soon began to fill with the foul smelling liquid. The grass began to turn brown and shrivel. Vergil's hand once again fell onto his swords hilt.

Demons began to shriek and chatter outside of the room, the blue devil could sense more of them advancing on their location. The woman clutched the devil infant. She looked petrified. Suddenly an ear deafening roar echoed through the temple, followed by an intense silence. The girl was panting, eyes trained on the entrance of the portal. The vines that surrounded the hallway began to shrivel and fall on to the floor.

Vergil could sense a large mass of demonic energy pulsating throughout the entire structure. The blue devil turned to the entrance of the area and stood still. Suddenly a mass of demons appeared and began charging towards them. He unsheathed his sword and began slicing the devils into pieces.

He swung and slashed at every devil that neared but the horde never seemed to end. Scythe wielding devils surrounded them, glowing red orbs trained on the woman and infant.

They're after them. Why so many?

Vergil triggered and began ruthlessly lay waste to the monsters one by one. When it was finally over he looked to the two. The girl sunk to the ground in awe and the demon child cocked his head to the side.

"A son of Sparda?" He whooped and grinned "We could use someone like you!"

Vergil phased out of his devil form and cocked an eyebrow at him.

"My names Inri. This is my mommy. We've been hiding out from the demons here for a while now. We were doing pretty good until you showed up." The child's mouth pulled into a toothy smirk.

Vergil silently stared down at the boy.

"Don't get me wrong. We're grateful for you saving us and all buuut now we've been compromised and it's kinda your fault." The child stretched his arm towards his mother. She slowly took the child's hand seeming uncomfortable by the blue devils proximity with her "son". The child pulled her to her feet, yawning, the small devil reached up towards the woman, who quickly scooped him into her arms. His attention then turned back to the son of Sparda.

"I'll tell you what. Since your the one that got us back into this mess you can help us get out. See, those monsters have been hunting us for about a year now. We just saw this place after they ran us out of our home and it seemed to work alright, but then you just had to break the barrier." The child giggled and shook his head.

Vergil scoffed. "That glamor spell was amateur at best. It would have only held for a few more days before the demons would have noticed."

The child scratched the back of his head and smirked. "Yeah, mom spends too much energy putting up barrier spells so she's a little spent. Like I said, we've been hunted for a year. Plus I don't know any magic of a protective nature. That's why you should let us hang with you. Your strong. You can kill them easily. So what do ya say?"

"No." Vergil answered abruptly.

The child snorted. "And why the hell not? It's your fault they found us now."

"That's not my problem. I have no time to accompany those to weak to defend themselves."

He watched the girl. She clutched the child to her side and eyed the blue devil wearily. An image of his mother screaming for him to go with his brother and hide flashed through his mind. Vergil winced and looked down. In her state she would surely die if left alone. He remembered all the time he spent alone in hell cursing his brother and mourning his mothers loss. Having the brat tag along would work his nerves, but leaving the woman to the mercy of the demons would be unimaginably cruel.

"Hm. Seems I have had a change of heart. The girl may actually prove to be of some use to me." the blue devil stepped forward. The child hissed, surging from the woman's gasp.

"That's close enough. Are you with them? What do you want with my mom? If you touch her I'll rip you apart!" The boy bared his fangs. Vergil smirked at his audacity. The child knew he was a son of Sparda and yet still displayed such disrespect?

"No I am not in league with your assailants. As for my business with the girl...that does not concern you, boy. You want my protection then you will have it. In exchange I require both of your cooperation."

The child had settled but still stood defiantly in front of mother. He waited for the snow haired man to continue.

"You will perform every order I give precisely and without hesitation. If I say run do not ask questions. Run. You will not speak unless spoken to. I have business to attend to and do not wish to be slowed down because you give away our location. Once I've deemed an area a secure we will rest there and you will tell me why the demons are after you."

The boy grimaced, his eyes cast down.

Vergil sighed. "If I'm going to protect you I need to know what I'm protecting you from." His cobalt orbs scanned the woman. Her posture said it all. The girls arms were across her stomach, shoulders slack, and was fidgeting with a string on her dress. Ocean blue orbs darted around the stone hallway wildly. She was terrified. He doubted she'd be any good in a fight.

"Come, we can waste no more time here. Stay close and remember what I told you." His boots echoed as he strode down the corridor.

The woman and devil child followed closely.