Notes :
First fic in english (not my main language) so if you find any mistakes, tell me.
Warnings : Hurt, angst, despair, visions of death...
Summary :They were getting ready to the final battle. Her 'father' had finally show up and it was time to end this madness... But Lilith knew what would happen... She knew and it wasn't fair...
This is gonna be hard from now too, warning aren't there for nothing... Sorry for that.
(Lilith's POV)
The mechanic was literally jumping everywhere, bright smile on her face as soon as she saw the sorceress, opening the door of the van and letting her in with glee in her voice. The rest of the crew was outside, waiting for them to be done and ready to go already thought she had no idea where they were going.
"Thanks to Morrison I could do wonders ! He found somethin' amazing ! But first..." She rushed to her workstation and retrieved the sorceress swords, putting them carefully into sight, "Tadaaaa !"
She had repaired them. They weren't broken anymore. Gleaming with force and power emanating from it.
"Nico..." Lilith couldn't say anything else, staring at her swords with tears in her eyes, "That's... Incredible !"
The part where the blade had broke was now sealed with what looked like some resin, blue on one sword, red on the other one. Lilith took them in hands, feeling the power of both birds flooding the weapons and making the colored sealant glow. They felt as light as before, like the prolongation of her arms, stronger and sharper.
"How ?" Lilith was still staring at her blades, not believing her eyes, this was a miracle.
"Well, ya swords are quite hard to understand. Not demonic at all, impossible to repair with the usual method even if the metal used look normal. But..." She disappeared behind her desk to come back minutes later with a small dark flask, "Morrison found some note on ya mother's swords and this bottle somewhere, 'was written on the folder he gave me. Well I used it and it made this !"
The sorceress felt the first witch's memories flood her brain as she touched the bottle. Images of a phoenix bursting into flames, delicates hands collecting the ashes and putting them in the bottle...
"Phoenix's ashes..." She murmured.
"Yeah ! That's it... Pumpkin ? Is everything alright ?" Nico touched her shoulder, bringing her back without knowing it, "Did ya see somethin' ?"
"O-Oh No. It's alright. I-I was just wondering if it was from Lekha..." Big lie.
She wasn't thinking about that, she had saw the first witch gathering the ashes of another phoenix, older than Lekha. Her hands had looked quite small and delicate, she had probably been really young in that vision.
"Thank you so much for your work ! I can't thank you enough... Hum..." She froze, how was she going to pay the mechanic... "How much..."
The black haired girl raised her hand, "You didn't ask me. I did it on my own. It's free of charge. No discussion."
Her look really meant there was no discussion as she left the sorceress with her weapons in hands, heading to the driver's seat, "Oh and Lady and Trish got that big wizard stick for ya'. Don't ask me where they got it, don't know a thing about it."
What the sorceress had thought was a broken broomstick leaning against the back of the van was in reality a new weapon for her and upon examining it, Lilith almost sweared. Not only the girls had bought her beautiful and expensive clothings, reinforced her battle outfit and enchanted it, gathered potions for her to use in battle or to heal herself if needed - and not the basic ones, they had bought it from a really good potion maker, Lilith could tell that from the taste and the little trademark on the sign - but also a magical staff... How could she ever thank them enough...
It's not going to happen anyway...
The staff was bigger than her, simple but with a subtle red strand of resin running through the wood, wrapped all around the length of the weapon from the bottom to the top where a spherical gem was encrusted. Damned, it was beautiful and as a sorceress, the staff was an helpful thing to have a better control on her magic.
"Fully equipped now." V's voice startled her, too busy with her new things she hadn't heard him entering the van, slowly followed by the others. He glanced at her swords and nodded, visibly glad for her as she shealted all her weapons on her back and lower back to check everything before putting it aside for the ride.
Fitting the whole group in the van was tricky, not that there wasn't enough place but mostly because of the new relation between V and her. It seemed to trouble the whole team. If only they knew...
As she sat in the seat behind Nico's seat, in front of V, she finally asked, looking at Dante who was proudly flipping through the pages of a adult magazine with the girls on the couch "Where are we going ? You said he showed up but didn't give any city name."
"I didn't." The legendary devil hunter smiled, not lifting his head from the book, "Thought you knew where he could be hidden. Didn't you heard him ?"
She shook her head and sighed, annoyed, she had blacked out a short moment during the last battle with the necromancer and when she had woken up he was already gone.
"He said to meet him 'where it all began' and just showed up a few hours ago in Khanna's archipelago." Dante uttered as the vehicle began to move "You're going home it seems." He was smiling, almost like this all thing was a joke but deep behind the bullshit, Lilith saw how serious he was, how concern he was...
Not good at all...
She had frozen at the name of the place she came from, where she was born and from where she had fled two times to escape him...
Where it all began ? What does he means by that ?!
"You can still give up, Lilith." Lady whispered, "Get out of the van at the port while we take the ferry and stay in Fortuna. It's fine."
She looked away through the window as if this would help her, "Thanks, but I go with you." They were all looking at each others, trying to figure out how to protect her from him but it was useless.
She could tell Trish and Lady were scolding the poet silently as she heard him sighed, slowly taking her hand on the table to get her attention. They would use him too, it seems, to make her stay away... But she was going, no matter what.
The sorceress glanced at him from the side, her head still facing the window, "I'm not leaving. I'll go and fight. Whatever you say or do. Please stop dissuading me."
Thought her tone was steady and clear, she squeezed the poet's hand softly, offering him a small smile despite the hard situation of going back to a place where she had suffered a lot. They stopped their attempt after this, trying to find something to busy themselves during the long journey to the sorceress hometown.
The first part of the road was done in silence, both finishing their night, reading or occupying their mind till they could move a bit out of the vehicle, the first ferry to the mainland from fortuna was quite fast in comparison to the one they needed to take to get to the archipelago. The big group of island was far away from the rest of the world, secluded and self-sufficient in a lot of domain. It has been a beautiful place to leave, she was sure of it from the memories of Lekha, but her own were...
Don't go there.
She sighed, gazing at the ocean with sorrow, trying to enjoy the coolness of fresh air on her skin after leaving the van for a short walk on the boat. This place held so much bad memories for the witch, and the ones of the first sorceress were not all pleasant as well...
"Where it all began... It make sense for me... But for him ?" She whispered, sensing Lekha's wings spreading over her shoulders as the sun finally rose above the sea. They had been lucky to find a boat big enough to carry Nico's vehicle on it that agreed to go to the archipelago, with the recent events, the frequent storms around it, not a single one had travel there in weeks, the few hunters or reporters using mostly helicopters.
"Sparrow ?" V's cane taped the metallic bar she was leaning on, "How are you ? The destination isn't somewhere you want to go back, that is for sure."
She fought a snicker, no, she didn't want to go back there. "The last time I was there... I was thirteen... Captive from him... You know what happened..."
"It happened there ?" She felt his arms around her shoulders, tightening his grip as she nodded, lowering her head and hands instinctively covering her stomach, "Are you sure you want to come along ?"
"I..." She heard her own voice crack but no tears came, "I... I have to. I hate that place but I have to go. I am the one who have to end this... Unless... I don't know why, I don't know what but if I stay away, something terrible is going to happen..."
She turned to face him, still locked in his arms, "I'll be careful, I won't rush him like I did last time. Not on my own will at least... I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword sleep in my hand." V's eyes opened a bit more, surprise by her quote. She had learned that one somewhere and knew it was from Blake, it fit her well even if poetry wasn't completely her thing and if she had to chose, she would have prefer Poe.
The feeling of being watched hit her, the girls were keeping an eye on them, Dante behind them, discussing about what was going on between the two of them certainly. But she didn't care, not anymore. This was her last moment with him, the last battle, the last moment of peace... The sorceress would not come back this time... She would end whatever was going on with that man that was supposed to be her father and then...
"..." Lilith opened her mouth but she couldn't bring herself to speak the words, even if he already knew it. Instead, she passed her hand on his face, feeling the warm skin under her palm, she had remove her gloves on the boat as it was useless and she wanted to freely flip through the pages of her mother's notebook, hoping to have the strength to read it. The poet had given it to her the moment he received it but she hadn't found the courage yet.
"I hope that you don't plan to die, my sparrow." His eyes had seen the resolution in her head, she had accepted her fate as there was no other way but him... "I promised you to find a solution, that you won't die and I intend on keeping my words." He was so driven... "We will both come back from it. No matter what."
It broke her heart to hear him say those words. It wasn't going to happen... Was it bad to let him hope ? Was it that bad of her to nod and silently scream because she wanted to tell him... Tell him that she had a vision of herself, lying on the ground in a ruined city, the glowing veins visible and as shining as pure light, with him kneeling nearby, calling for her in vain ? How cruel...
If it's going to happen, is it bad to give him a fragment of happiness before the end ?
She chased all her thoughts, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest, "We still have time before the ferry berth on the main island and... I think they are watching us..."
"They do." The summoner chuckled, smirking while grabbing her chin and making her look at him "Do you care ?"
Why would I, I'm about to die soon. But I can't tell you that...
She smiled and kissed him, clearly taking him aback for a second, her hands sliding from his face to his neck, inciting him to lean forward, damn he was way taller than her like this... She wasn't small, most on the average size but compared to him, she was, her head hardly reaching his chin with her boots on...
One of the poet's hands fell on her back, keeping her close while the other ran in her hairs, playing with the ribbon in it till it got loose, gently undoing her half ponytail and letting the blond locks fell on her back.
Does he likes my hairs down ?
It seemed so, feeling his hands run through her locks, sending shivers down her spine as the hand on her back pressed her more against him, playing with the little gaps between her corset and her pants, brushing the skin softly under the fabric where he could. Her hands slowly traced the marking on his skin and she smiled when he reacted to that, quivering and humming.
"As much as it amuse me, I don't like to share. Especially moments like this." She felt him smile against her lips, a devilish smile that meant he had something on his mind... "Hold on tight."
She felt something under her feets, V's grip tight on her waist, pressing her even more against him, the wind and pressure on her making her realize they were moving fast on the ferry's deck, far away from the trio's gaze using shadow swirling form. She laughed, hearing him chuckled as well, this was childish, purely childish but... cute.
When he released her, they were on the other side of the boat, hidden behind a few containers, all alone with the ocean as one and only spectator.
"This was..." She was still holding him tightly, still laughing, "This was childish !" When was the last time she had laugh like this ?
"If it allows me to hear you laugh like this, then so be it." He chuckled, "But I was sincère. Moments like this are meant only for the two of us, Sparrow."
His lips captured hers the next moment, his hands back on her back and hairs, keeping her close while her own hands wandered from his shoulders to the front of his vest, tracing the tattoos again, sliding to the cords keeping his coat open...
"Hum ? Being bold again ?" He grabbed her hands as she was trying to detangle the cords, his kiss deepened for a moment before he spoke again, "This is not the time, nor the place for such exploration. Later, my sparrow, when all this is over, back at Devil May Cry..."
But I...
Was she that broken that no tears were coming ? She should cry, scream that she wasn't going back, that the girl he had in front of him was going to leave, that... But no tears came, she stayed silent, looking away at the ocean to avoid the pain as much as she could. He deserved to be happy, to hope if that was what he wanted, so she wouldn't say it.
"Lilith ?" V made her look back at him, "I can understand that your room may not be your sanctuary anymore with his doing... That you may not want to go back..." She shook her head, this wasn't really the case but now that she thought about it...
"If it can ease your worries, my room is yours now, Sparrow."
She froze, glancing at him with wide open eyes but not a word came from her mouth, she could only stare at the man in front of her, the adoration in his eyes, the soft smile on his lips, his tone low and rich, like a purr.
"Both of us might not be able to be apart from now, am I correct ?" She felt his hands on her face, sliding down her neck and shoulders as his lips came back on hers. They couldn't stop themselves, "We already share the room in Fortuna, why changing it back home ?"
Home...
The word felt strange, everything seemed to fade as images of the little house with the beautiful garden flashed before her eyes, the shadow of a man in the bright light, staff in hand, menacing, ice everywhere, the love of her life trapped in it while a beautiful dark bird emerged from nowhere.
"Lilith ?" Strong hands on her arms brought her back to the present, V's face inches away from her, his lips moving but she couldn't hear him.
'I couldn't protect him... All that's left of him is his power...'
The voice in her head was beautiful, melodic but sad and broken, vanishing as fast as she had appeared.
"Lilith ! What's wrong ?!" V looked terribly worry, almost shaking her, "Answer me, Sparrow, please..."
"I'm there." That's all that came to her mind, she was confused again, "So-sorry... Another vision... From her..."
She gasped as he suddenly yanked her forward, holding her so tightly it almost hurted but she didn't back off, instead she wrapped her arms around him, buried her face in his shoulder, murmuring gentle words to ease the stress.
They sat in silence for a moment, locked in a strong embrace, reassuring each other. She found herself sitting on his lap, on the floor, her legs on each side of his tight, V had put his hands on her waist and lower back to keep her from falling, their head resting on each other's forehead.
The sorceress slowly slid one of her hand in his hairs, feeling the man sight in both relief and satisfaction at her touch. The smoothness of the locks under her skin was great, as soft as she had thought, slightly curling between her fingers while she carefully made sure not to tangle them. The sounds he made was cute, between humming and breathing, his features relaxing instantly.
I wish I could do more... But we won't be allowed to...
His lips on her neck made her heart stop for a second, back to the racing path as she felt him nipple the skin between her neck and shoulder, just like the day before... But now she couldn't repress the moan from escaping her lips, sensing her body being pressed against his, heat gathering in her stomach and cheeks. She wasn't the only one affected by the way his own heart was beating, how one of his hands kept a firm hold on her hips to prevent her to play again.
He didn't seemed to dislike it... Just like now... And he's the one to say we should stop...
She giggled at the thought, making him pause "Indulge me, little sparrow, what is on your mind that make you giggle ?" His tone was low, a bit husky and, god, needy.
"Griffon was right." She mocked, wiggling a bit and smiling when she heard him hiss, "We can't behave."
"Hum." His hand stopped her right away, pressing her even more on his lap with a silent gasp, he wanted more than some kisses right now, "That mouthy bird seemed a bit too wise those days... But you have a point, here."
She sighed as she felt him release her, kissing her softly and helping her sat on the floor next to him. Why did she opened her mouth !
"Do not frown, my love." Lilith opened her eyes to stare wildly at him, "We will continue this later."
He said...
"But for now..." He moved to sit behind her, waving the notebook of her mother before her eyes, "I thinks it's safer to focus on something else."
She blankly took the little black book from his hands, watching the familiars materialize before them, Shadow stretching her long body while the demonic bird flew around, uttering something but she wasn't with them.
He said...
Her cheeks were still burning as she tried to focus on the book, the poet's arms wrapped around her waist, acting as if it was nothing. Maybe had she heard him wrong, maybe had he said something else that sounded alike...
"What did you two did for the girl to be like that ? Did ya broke her, V ?" Griffon mocked, landing in front of her and looking right at her with a knowing look.
The poet didn't answered, giving her time to clear her throat and really focus on the little book. The small object in her hand was from her mother, Nuiid's previous host, a beautiful person she hadn't the chance to met...
"Scared to open it ?" V's voice was soft, whispering against her ears, "If you want to keep it closed..."
"No." She gently shook her head, "If I toss it again, I will never open it. Better do it now."
She breathed for a moment, calming her heartbeat and mind to finally open the notebook. The first pages were only covered by small words in a beautiful handwriting, the ink a bit faded but still readable.
'To my little bird, my love, my pride.
May my words reach you one day,
To tell you everything I couldn't say.'
The words brought her voice back in her head, the same voice as in her visions from Nuiid, the same voice that had spoke to her when she got him back...
"It was her..." She whispered, her fingers caressing the pages, "The voice in my visions... It was my mother..."
She explain quickly to them how she knew for sure it was her mother, speaking about the voice during the battle against the necromancer, in Dante's shop when she dispelled the icy crystals, how her mother had called her...
"It's the same words..." She smile sadly, "She said she was proud of me... that everything would be alright... but..."
The spell hiding the glowing veins faded, letting them be visible again. Griffon hissed, looking wildly at the shining pattern on her skin, yeah, they were bigger, spreading all over her body, slowly reaching her face. The sorceress murmured the magical words to make them disappear, lowering her head and flipping through the pages in silence, feeling the summoner's grip tightening around her, the mighty cat resting her head on their feets while the demonic bird was looking at his master, communicating with him in private it seemed. It was alright, she wouldn't have been able to hide it anymore, it didn't hurt at least.
Her mother wasn't a witch, Lilith knew it, but she had the gift of vision, just like her. Her grandmother had found it strange as it wasn't something usual, not with the same level, as if Scarlett's gift had been transferred to her. And that 'gift' had allowed her mother to write those pages for her, knowing that one day, Lilith would read it.
She saw me reading this ? With V ?
Scarlett had began to write when she found out she was pregnant with the little witch, hiding her state to her husband, for an obscure reason that wasn't spoken in the notebook, till it showed, protecting the baby with all her willpower and forces. Lilith's father wasn't the nicest man in the world, that was for sure, but her mother never said why she stayed or even why she was with him to begin with.
They had a lot in common, her mother knew it from her visions, blond hairs, pale skin, kind heart, fear of spiders... But they were also different, her mother had blue eyes, wavy hairs, was extrovert, taller and more athletic where Lilith was timid, more curvy and the average size with golden eyes and straight hairs.
Where did I get those golden eyes ? It's something rare, I know, but I thought...
The book wasn't complete, somehow, Scarlett had stopped writing a few month before Lilith birth, her latest words only speaking of how proud she was, how she loved her, how grateful she was for this miracle to happen and letting her keep the little witch alive... Sounding like a goodbye...
She knew... She knew she was going to die... She knew everything... But she chose to keep me and...
Tears fell from her eyes, realisation hitting her full force, her mother had probably had a vision of her own death or the doctors told her that she was going to die if she kept Lilith but she chose to sacrifice herself...
Lekha quietly sang in her head, a sad lament echoing in her heart, the poet's hands resting on hers to ease her pain while she heard him whispered gentle words in her ears.
"The most sublime act is to set another before you. She loved you, Sparrow. To do such a hard choice, there is no doubt she loved you." His voice was soft but there was something behind it, something he was trying to hide, to keep to himself.
Eyeing Griffon, she understood. He was thinking about his own mother. The subject was touchy, she knew it from Dante, the story behind unpleasant and tragic, as such as even the legendary devil hunter was reluctant to speak about it, the only portrait of their mother sitting on his desk, a beautiful woman with long blond hairs with dark eyes.
"As much as you were." She said, waiting for any sign of discomfort from the man. He only gazed back at her, his expression neutral but those jade orbs were confused and surprised, "I don't know your version of the story, only what Dante knew, but I'm sure your mother loved you too."
The summoner didn't say a word, breaking the eye contact to look away before pinching his nose with his hand, for a second, Lilith was scared to have upset him or something like that but he sighed, holding her close.
"Why are you always doing that ?" He asked, still looking away, "Why do you always worry more about the others than yourself ? You just found out your mother knew what was going to happen to her but chose to let it happen and you worry about me..."
"I..." She closed her eyes... "I..."
"How can a bird that is born for joy, sit in a cage and sing ?" He brushed her cheeks, "I'm not upset... Just... You are a true gift to me, Lilith Amarylliss."
She leaned into his hand, "You forgot something..." continuing as he hummed, "Lilith Scarlett Hope Amarylliss."
"Hope ? How appropriate." His lips met hers for a second, "I am lucky to have you with me, my love."
Her heart broke again, hearing him say those words as the end was approaching made her ache. It wasn't fair... It wasn't fair that she had to leave him... Not like this... Not now...
"I'll never leave you." She smiled, gathering all her strength, "No matter what happen, I will always be there for you."
Her voice sounded strangely soft and solid, but more like a goodbye... And he heard it. But before he could protest, the boat's horn sounded, signaling the approach to the main island of Khanna's archipelago. They could see it from where they were, the big amount of islands slowly coming closer, the port empty, no other ship, no other living being...
"Times up." She murmured, gazing at the horizon with sorrow yet determination. "Better go back with the others, we will reach the port in a few minutes."
She got up, not giving him the chance to stop her while still staying nearby. Nothing would stop her from now, not even the love of her life. V nodded and followed her, exchanging a look with his demonic bird but none of them spoke, getting back to the van to gather the witch's weapons and get ready to the road through the main city.
The van didn't go too far away from the port, only a few kilometers, blocked by clogged roads and ruined streets. What had happened to the city, the sorceress didn't know, most of the buildings were in pieces, like it had been attacked by something huge but no trace of demonic power was around to let her know... Even a magical offensive would leave something behind, even more with a surface that big.
"No more wheels from here." Nico said, tapping her fingers on the dashboard, "I won't be able to go any further... Gee."
"He's probably not that far away." Nero said as he stretched in his seat, "Huh, Lilith, you know the place, right ? I mean..."
She saw the poet's eyes narrowed, giving him a sharp look that seemed to work on the boy but it was fine. They needed her.
"Yeah. And I'm pretty sure he's not on the main island." She simply said, standing up and pointing her finger toward the horizon, "You see the forest ? Behind it there are a few other smaller islands and another one bigger with a mountain. That's where he is probably waiting for us."
"Is that where..." Lady softly began, unable to finish her question.
Lilith nodded, "Yes, that's where my family's house is. My... 'Home'."
They couldn't see it yet, hidden with the usual mist that always had floated around the mountain for some reason, but the sorceress knew it, she remembered the place as if she left the day before.
But it happened thirteen years ago... Despite the city... I don't feel like it changed...
"No more time to lose, folks. Let's go kick some ass." Dante uttered, a big smile on his face as he stepped outside the vehicle, followed by the girls and Nero.
Lilith waited for the poet to be ready before leaving the mechanic, hugging her tightly and thanking her for everything. It took her by surprise but she seemed glad, unlike V who clearly knew why she was acting like this. He let her walk a few meters away from the van, behind the little group, out of their sight for a moment to use the handle of his cane on her shoulder, making her stop.
"I thought it was clear enough." He grabbed her wrist, "We will come back together. Alive."
Stubborn... I'll miss that...
"I heard you..."
"Lilith." His tone was low but sending a warning this time, "You are not going to die."
Lowering her head, she nodded, defeated. If he wanted to hope, so be it, but it was cruel to make her hope too. Her instincts were silent now, she was where she needed to be, a few more meters and...
Following the group in another ruined street, her eyes glued to the floor, the poet's cane tapping on the stony floor close to her, she suddenly felt it again. Confusion, disconnection from her body, her bird shrieking loud and clear through her head.
Time seemed to slow around her, the air waved and swirled, deforming the reality for a short second before going back to normal, again and again, her whole body felt heavy, hard to move, almost unresponding.
What is happening ?
She tried to turn her head to see the poet but she couldn't, even her eyes weren't obeying, she couldn't do anything. Breathing became harder, her sight blurry then it all went black.