Author's Note: It's been a while, huh? I've been busy. With what exactly? Well, you can find out on my Twitter, smilingsamurai1. I'm an artist, and I post a lot of RWBY and DMC fanart, some fancomics and other stuff. Fair warning: most of it is adult and NSFW, so don't go if you're not 18 or above) or if you're not into that stuff. But yeah, for those who want more content like the cover pic for this story, go check that out.

Also, I highly recommend checking out my other RWBYxDMC fic, The New Teacher, which has Dante as the protagonist. It's set in the same multiverse as this fic.

Chapter 4: Day 2

Vergil woke up, opening his eyes and sitting up as his mind quickened. Getting off the bed, he stretched, then made his way to the window to look outside. A feeling of hunger emanated from his stomach, causing him to scowl in annoyance. He was reminded unpleasantly of the previous night's meal, a wild boar that had essentially been heated over a fire.

I thought I was done eating raw meat.

It was absurd: living in a castle and still having to eat something that felt like he was chewing leather.

It's because the owner of this place has no idea how to run it.

That Salem woman… was she familiar with logistics at all? Why have a house so big if it was so understaffed? All he could see everywhere was Grimm. Grimm of all shapes and sizes, lurking around the shadows, acting like he couldn't sense them. Where was the actual staff? Guards, maintenance and cleaning crew, warriors, cooks?

He shook his head.

This problem needed to be fixed, post-haste.

If there were no humans around, then he would just have to make do.

Opening the door of his room, he summoned a shimmering blue sword made of demonic energy next to him, and without a word, launched it at an angle to himself. A moment later, a startled yelp followed.

"Here. Immediately."

A Grimm vaguely shaped like a bipedal wolf bounded over, stopping a few feet away from him, where it sat submissively on the ground.

"You are to learn how to prepare meals for humans. That means the food must be cooked, and it must have taste and presentation."

Once more, in violation of rules of logic, Vergil's words were understood by the Grimm, who nodded, not wanting to die anytime soon.

"Get four or five others to help you. Find and obtain meat and fruits from the forests surrounding this place, then bring it back and cook it."

Vergil was about to dismiss the creature, when something else occurred to him.

"No humans."

Instructions received, the Grimm bounded away, eager to get the job done and not be impaled by many shiny blades.

As for Vergil, he put on his vest and coat, and decided to head downstairs. His mind shifted to other matters, and sure enough, he encountered the subject of his thoughts in the entrance hall. Walking in through the door on the opposite side was the pale witch known as Salem. It was clear she wasn't quite used to being up this early. Her silver hair was in disarray, and her eyes were bleary and even redder than usual. Fortunately though, she had remembered to dress.

Fortunately, you say. Yet, you enjoyed the view last time quite a bit.

The now familiar voice of a black-haired youth echoed in Vergil's mind. He groaned internally as he was once more greeted by manifestation of his human side, otherwise known as V.

Absurd, he scoffed.

Yet, even as he thought that, his eyes wandered over to the witch. Her regular dress left quite a bit of her front exposed, giving a generous view of her breasts and the smooth expanse of her abdomen.

Somewhere in his mind, V laughed.

The lover of life's not a sinner, he quoted.
And the ending is just the beginner.

Vergil's hand came up and grasped his face.

The end times were upon him. Instead of William Blake or Poe, the youth was now using Ronnie James Dio's words against him.

He decided to forcibly push the thoughts out of his head, instead focusing on the present.

"What is the point of getting up this early?" Salem said, glaring at him. "It's not like I have anything to do."

Clearly, the combination of last night's unsatisfactory meal, and waking up in the morning as opposed to the afternoon, had left her in a bad mood.

But she did have a point.

Vergil had asked for 30 days of her time. What exactly was she supposed to do for those 30 days?

Come to think of it, what am I supposed to do?

For most of his life, Vergil's every waking moment had been spent searching for and obtaining power. But now that he had already achieved that goal, what was next? What was he to do with that power?

What did he want to do now?

This new world, it had plenty of places he had yet to explore.

But he did owe it to Salem to give her a reason to live. Wasn't that why he had asked for this time in the first place?

Looking at the witch, he realized that knowing the bare-bones story of someone's life didn't tell you everything about them. Who was Salem? What did she enjoy? What did she dislike? In a world where she wasn't plotting revenge, what would she want to do? He didn't know any of this. And he realized that she probably didn't know either. Even if she once did, she had forgotten by now, corrupted by years and years of hatred and bitterness.

If she wasn't fighting to destroy the world, what was Salem's purpose in life?

She didn't have one.

And so…

"Do you realize how precious a resource time is? With it, you can do anything. Without it, you can do nothing."

"Did you have me wake up just so you could lecture me?"

Vergil ignored the attempt at a jab.

"Do as you please. I will be back later."

Having said what he needed to, he turned around, and began to walk away.

"So you wake me up… and then you just leave?" said an indignant voice. "What kind of man are you?"

Blue light flashed, and Vergil's form changed.

"I'm no man. I'm a demon."

So saying, he walked out of the castle and took to the air, flying off.

Salem watched him go with a mixture of annoyance and disappointment, which soon changed to resignation.

This was not so different from everything that had happened thus far.

People entered her life, and then they left. She was left waiting. Waiting, all alone. By now, she was used to it.

Up in the sky, Vergil headed in the direction of the kingdom where he had first arrived in this world.

There was still much to see and do here. And he fully intended to do so.

In truth, he didn't really know how to handle Salem. He had taken on this responsibility, this task, without knowing how he was supposed to go about it. But he couldn't put it off forever. As he had said, he was bound by time, just as she was.

Bound by time, huh?

As he flew, he realized that maybe that wasn't true.

After all, wasn't he immortal?

He didn't know.

Wouldn't he be around, long after every human in this world and his own were dead and gone?

Looking down, he saw, far below, children running as they played a game.

Even from up in the sky, he could see the smiles on their faces, the joy they held. To those children, living in that moment, all of eternity behind them, and all of eternity ahead, simply didn't matter; they didn't even exist. They were happy in the here and now, and that was all there was to it.

Foolishness.

He couldn't understand it. Couldn't understand how anyone could be so carefree… so unconcerned.

Humans were weak, so pathetically weak.

They were one mistake away from being squashed like insects, all the time, every moment of their lives.

He couldn't understand how they could sleep at night, knowing their own powerlessness.

And even more than that, it puzzled him how they could be happy.

He had a human part of him too, so he knew all too well what weakness felt like, and it was to strive to be strong.

In so many ways, he was a fish that had managed to swim up a waterfall, and become a dragon.

And yet, there were many who had not, and never would, make that transformation. And yet, they lived, and were happy.

For all his power, he could not smile like them.

He shook his head.

All of these thoughts were meaningless to begin with. They were all ignorant, and thus, living in bliss. With power came knowledge, and knowing the things he knew, it was not strange he was the way he was.

Up ahead, he saw a fleet of aircrafts in formation. They were larger than the one he had encountered upon his arrival in this world, and going by the guns mounted on them, these must be the militarized versions of these ships. To match the forces in the sky, there were platoons of soldiers he could see on the ground.

For these many of them to be gathered, something must be underway.

He realized quickly what the reason must be.

It was only the day before yesterday that he had conjured a Blade large enough to pierce through the planet.

Not knowing what it was, the kingdoms here must have been alarmed. It would make sense that they would be gathering their forces in preparation for what they thought must be an insurmountable threat.

It was yet more vindication of his own thoughts.

Had he chosen to launch the Planetary Mirage Blade, everyone would have died, without mustering up the least bit of meaningful resistance.

In the end, every single being on this planet had absolutely no control over their own life.

But he did.

Vergil alone decided his destiny.

It made him feel a little better.

But even so, as he soared through the sky, he felt alone.

A few moments later, he descended, transforming back into his human state. If he stayed up, it was very likely the ships would spot him and open fire, which would lead to another meaningless confrontation.

Landing lightly on the ground, he decided to make the rest of the journey on foot.

A little distance on, however, he realized he was being watched.

Whoever was doing it must be using some manner of scope, otherwise they would have been close enough for him to see right away.

As it stood, he could spot them in the distance, though he gave no sign that he had noticed.

He continued to walk forward, and without warning, Mirage Blades formed next to him, shooting towards the watchers.

Three of the projectiles found their mark, and Vergil could sense they had pierced through their targets, killing them instantly.

The fourth was deflected.

That one's a little more skilled.

Looking forward to the challenge, he dashed in the watcher's direction, unsheathing Yamato as he did so.

As predicted, he reached them just as they were in the midst of retreating.

Vergil leapt into the air, summoning a near-invisible wall of demonic energy which he bounced off of, launching himself into a diving kick.

The target managed to jump to the side just in time as he landed, shattering the ground and sending up boulder-sized chunks of earth.

As the debris landed, Vergil sheathed his sword, getting his first proper look at the one who had managed to deflect his Mirage Blade.

As it turned out, they were a woman.

She wore a black and red attire somewhat reminiscent of Asian clothing back from his home world. Long, wild black hair trailed behind her all the way to her hips. At her side, sheathed in some kind of modified mechanical scabbard, was a sword. Red eyes glared at Vergil warily.

A woman?

"Hiding and watching from afar… what do you want?"

The woman's centre of gravity lowered slightly.

"You're the one intruding on our land, so I'll ask the questions. Who are you?"

They were at an impasse. As far as Vergil was concerned, he wouldn't have his questions answered by more questions.

A fight it would be then.

And her weapon… though the sheath made it hard to tell, the way she held it was reminiscent of his own Iaido, which was based on drawing the sword and slashing before the enemy could attack or react.

So it's a katana?

He lowered his own stance, one hand on Yamato's hilt, prepared to draw.

The two faced off, not saying a word.

The Yamato had the advantage in length, and in addition, Vergil was taller, with longer limbs, giving him greater reach.

However, this could be negated if she was fast enough to step into range and cut him before he could react.

For this to happen, she would have to read the moment of inception, the moment he decided to attack, and take the initiative first.

She knew this. The best way to win here was to do so right away. Whoever this man was, he was incredibly strong and fast, able to clear 5 miles of distance between them in seconds, and cause a crater with a single kick. Getting into an exchange of blows with him was best avoided.

Vergil sensed her intention.

She challenges me to a quick draw?

It was the technique Vergil had perfect over years of study and training. A fighting method perfectly suited to his desire, to cut down his enemies before they had even a chance to harm him.

Even his equal, Dante, did not challenge Vergil to quick draw.

In terms of pure swordsmanship, the elder brother held the advantage. To level the playing field, Dante relied on the weight and power of his greatsword, as well as his ability to improvise and read the opponent.

This was the first time an opponent was attempting to take Vergil on at his own game.

His soul burned with fire, as his muscles loosened slightly, his nerves activating.

The woman sensed the change.

The gravity seemed to increase.

He's… growing taller?

It seemed impossible, and she was sure he wasn't transforming, but somehow, he seemed bigger. The reach of his sword had increased.

All of a sudden, she seemed to be surrounded.

If I move an inch, I'll be cut down.

Vergil's eyes burned with blue fire.

He had sealed off every other option for her. If she attempted to retreat now, he would cut her down. If she waited to counter, he would use the Yamato to bypass her defenses.

Her only option now was to commit to her original intention, and try to beat him to the draw.

It wasn't the first time the woman found herself trapped with attack as the only means of defense.

The problem was…

He'll cut me first.

She was absolutely certain about it, to the point where she was consciously preventing even the smallest movements of her body.

The moment even her fingers tightened to unsheath her sword, he would step forward and slash, and she would die.

Behind that o-katana was certain death.

She was paralyzed, trapped without the ability to move.

For a moment, she wondered if she would be stuck like this forever.

It was terrifying, and the fear had her frozen in place.

But she was an experienced warrior.

If death was certain, then the priority was to get the job done before you died.

In this case, it meant making sure this man couldn't find the clan.

But the clan knew what to do. In case of an enemy they couldn't defeat, they would escape and relocate.

Which meant, all she had to do now, was find a way to do as much damage as possible to him. Fortunately, he did not seem interested in capturing her. Meaning, one way or another, this would end as a fight.

Holding nothing back, she unleashed the Maiden's power in her.

Vergil felt the surge in power, and sensed that the energy was similar to what he had felt from Cinder and Salem.

He realized quickly that this woman was exactly the opponent he was curious about: a Maiden.

With her Aura empowered by the Maiden's energy, the woman attacked.

Stepping forward, she drew her sword in an unsheathing slash, aiming to cut through her opponent's torso.

Vergil saw her movements clearly.

Given the range, he could swing now. She hadn't drawn her sword yet. His strike would reach her first, and cut off her dominant arm just above the wrist.

From there, a follow up strike would finish her.

His question had already been answered.

The woman was stronger than Cinder, yes.

But not a challenging opponent he would enjoy fighting.

Nor someone he wanted to kill.

And so, unusually for him, Vergil reversed the Yamato's usual effect.

Instead of making the blade sharper, he made it blunter.

When he swung, it struck her forearm like a hammer.

She felt her Aura give way. Her ulna shattered first, before the force transferred to her radius, breaking that as well.

With both the bones in her forearm broken, her right hand went numb, and she clutched it as the pain hit.

Upward unsheathing strike. He reacted so easily. This man… is an outstanding swordsman.

She took a step back. With her main hand out of action, she was no longer effective with her sword. But she could still fight with her three remaining limbs, as well as the Maiden's powers.

"It would be unwise," said Vergil, sheathing Yamato once more.

She started slightly. Was he reading her mind?

"Your intentions are plain to see. You plan on causing me as much injury as you can before dying, do you not? But you will fail, and your efforts will be in vain."

"Tch… you're full of yourself, aren't you?"

Vergil fixed her with a cold eye.

"It's the only warning I'll give. Stand down now, or die."

She considered it for a while.

She had Aura left, but he had been able to go through it easily to break her arm. The Maiden's power was formidable, but this man… her instincts told her that it couldn't beat him.

She was, first and foremost, a survivor. That meant fighting where necessary… and conceding where necessary.

"... What made you change your mind?"

Vergil was already walking away, his interest in the encounter gone already.

"What made you decide not to kill me?"

He paused.

Why did I spare her?

He considered the question for a while.

Initially, he had felt a desire to take her on and defeat her when he learnt she used the same technique as him.

But as soon as his victory became clear, his desire to fight her was gone.

There was no point to killing her, nothing to be gained from it.

Yet, in the past, Vergil would not have cared. An enemy was an enemy, and would be put down all the same.

It's because a life shouldn't be taken without a reason, he realized.

He was… indifferent to humans. As long as they caused him no inconvenience, he did not care about them one way or another. Yet, that indifference did not extend so far as to take their lives when he didn't need to.

As irrelevant as they were to him, those lives…

… Have value.

This was the conclusion Vergil had reached.

"Because you are not a threat," he answered aloud. "Your sword cannot reach me. And so, I do not need to kill you."

The woman stared at him, not believing herself.

He didn't consider her a threat at all.

Was the difference between them that great?

But no, even if that were true, that outdated warrior's code, that honourable way of thinking… no one in Remnant still had it. Everyone in this world was looking out for their own interests. Always planning, always scheming.

And yet, this man, he seemed indifferent to all of that. While she was certain he had his own interests at heart, he was simply unconcerned about the machinations at work on Remnant.

Then, was his presence here really unconnected to the mobilization of Atlas and Vale forces?

The mysterious UFO that had threatened the destruction of the planet had the kingdoms on edge. And that was why those forces were gathering.

She knew what was happening. That old fool, Ozpin. He would seek to gather the Relics. This situation was unprecedented. He would look to the ancient objects as a way to fight whatever threat might be coming.

And that meant, sooner or later, someone would come for her.

Knowing Ozpin, that someone might be her own brother.

She knew it was all futile. Whatever it was that was up in the sky, her instincts told her the Relics wouldn't be any use against it, or the entity behind it.

And so, she wanted no part of this conflict. If the planet was doomed anyway, she sure as hell wasn't going to go out fighting for that old fool.

No, her loyalties lay with the clan.

And to that end, whatever strength she could gather would be useful.

"I'm Raven of the Branwen clan. These are our lands. I was wary of you, since I thought you might be an agent from the kingdoms. But then, you aren't, are you? Who are you, really?"

"... Vergil, son of Sparda."

The name did not fit Remnant's naming conventions. Was he some kind of rebel? She closed her eyes in thought.

No, much more likely, he simply wasn't from the world she knew, not from the world of the four kingdoms, or even her lot.

"Vergil… would you consider resting a while at our camp?"

She turned back towards where he was, only to see that he was already gone.

"That's… the first time that's happened to me."

She decided to take to the skies. It might be a good idea to have someone that powerful as an ally.

Changing to her raven form, she rose into the air, looking around till she spotted him, heading in the direction of the city, and decided to follow him.

SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS

As for Vergil himself, he still had something he needed to do.

To do that end, he made his way into the city, where he roamed around, looking for a shop that sold what he was looking for. He wasn't even certain it existed in this world, but given the similarities between this place and his home world, it was at least a possibility there might be something analogous to it, and if there was, then he would buy that.

After a little bit of searching, he found the right store, and walked into it.

Behind him, Raven landed on the roof of the building across the street.

"A musical instrument store? What does he need there?"

She decided to find out. After all, he hadn't said not to follow him.

Inside the store, Vergil looked around, observing the various instruments. Through whatever marvellous factors, they were the exact same as instruments that existed on Earth. He could see acoustic and electric guitars, drums, basses, cellos, flutes… and finally, what he was searching for.

Walking over, he reached out a hand, and gently, reverently, grasped the instrument, removing it from its stand on the wall.

Raven, who had just entered the store herself, saw Vergil with his eyes closed, the instrument held the proper way in his arms, along with a bow.

A violin?

Vergil waited a little, calming his mind, reaching into himself and finding the part that resonated, finding the music within himself first, before his fingers and hand even started to move.

And as they did, what he felt in his soul was also brought into the world through the strings of the instrument.

It was a composition Remnant had never heard before, but it was one Vergil had heard countless times.

Inside his mind palace, it had been a source of strength, something that had kept him going through difficult times.

He did not know what the man who had composed the piece had been thinking when he had done so. The heroic composer himself had been unable to hear the music, being deaf by the time it was performed in its premiere.

To Vergil, the feelings associated with the piece were difficult to put into words. The closest he could come was to call it a celebration of the spirit: the unyielding spirit, which could endure everything thrown at it. The spirit, all its good, and all its bad.

As he let those feelings flow through him, the piece, which he had learnt to play so long ago, flowed from the violin.

[Beethoven's 9th Symphony]

The owner of the store, who had been watching carefully as the unusual man walked in and began to browse the instruments, now looked on with wide eyes and listened with open ears.

He had never heard anything like it. In his twenty years as a maker of instruments, and his forty years as a musician, he had never heard music so beautiful.

A composition that could only be human, played by hands which could not possibly be human.

He felt privileged to be there, to be able to hear it.

As for Raven, she found herself standing at the entrance to the store, unable to move once more. Instead, a tear rolled down her face.

Vergil finished playing the piece, and slowly raised his head, opening his eyes.

He nodded slightly, satisfied with the violin.

He turned to the store owner.

"This is a good instrument," he said. "I wish to purchase it from you. What is the price?"

The old man took a moment to gather himself, realising what was happening. When he did, he shook his head.

"I cannot possibly ask for payment from you, sir. Consider this violin a gift; it is my honour to know that you will play it."

Vergil, unused to being treated with respect as opposed to fear, wasn't sure what to make of this at first. But ultimately, he nodded slightly, acknowledging the man.

"You have my gratitude. But the instrument isn't for me."

"Then for whom-?"

"Someone who needs music in their life."

The store owner's mouth opened, before he understood, a slight smile gracing his face as he nodded.

"Anyone you give it to is most welcome to play that instrument, good sir."

"Appreciated. I will remember your kindness", Vergil said, giving his word.

He took the instrument, along with the bow, and it disappeared, transferred to the pocket dimension where he could store his immediate belongings and Devil Arms.

The store owner blinked in shock a few times, then accepted what he had just seen. It was clear that this was no ordinary person in front of him. And if that was so, perhaps it was best to not question his powers.

As Vergil made to leave the shop, he saw Raven standing there, tears still streaming down her face.

It's a strange thing, but it's often been said that when an artist performs their art, how well they are in tune with themselves is reflected in that art.

An artist whose concerns are shallow only expresses what is on their mind.

An artist who knows themself expresses what is in their soul.

And so, Raven, despite not knowing anything about Vergil's life or identity, had been able to see his soul revealed through his playing.

Although the exact circumstances of their lives varied, the two of them were not so different.

In the end, one of them had abandoned the world as hopeless, and the other had been abandoned by the world long ago.

For a fleeting moment, she had an urge to say it all. Maybe because she wanted to justify to herself, that all her choices had been right, that there had been a reason behind them. That Remnant was beyond hopeless: that it was not worth fighting for.

But deep inside, she knew that it was not betraying Remnant that she regretted.

It was betraying two very specific people.

She wanted to defend those choices, to hold on to them.

Because without them, her life was hollow.

Vergil's rendition of Beethoven' 9th contained many things.

And among them was the determination to keep going, regardless of the past.

"Do you ever regret it?" she whispered, as he walked past.

She didn't think he would answer. He had no reason to, after all.

"Does it matter?"

Her eyes widened.

"Regrets change nothing. If you aren't dead, learn from your mistakes, and walk forward."

She turned around, but once more, he was already gone.

SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS SSS

Salem looked up from her throne as the door opened.

"Well, well. Wasn't expecting you to return so soon."

Without a word, Vergil walked over, and held something out for her.

She blinked.

"What is this?"

"A stringed instrument known as a violin in my world. You use it to play music."

"I know what it is," said Salem, a vein ticking in her temple. "What I meant is why you're holding this in front of me."

"Take it," Vergil said simply. "You wanted something to do with your time, didn't you? Learn to play this instrument."

Salem blinked a few times.

"That's… your solution? You want me to take up music? That's your solution to the endless void of purposelessness?"

This time, Vergil felt a vein pulsing in his temple.

"It is more useful than your pointless raising of unlife, so yes. Take up music."

Side Chapters Completed: Battle with a Maiden

Main Story Mission Completed: Find a Purpose
New Route Unlocked: Quothe the Raven

New CGs Unlocked: Salem (regular outfit)

Achievement Unlocked: Spare a Life

Completion:?