Chapter Twenty-Eight: Photosensitivity

Note: Have you ever written part of a chapter, gone to sleep, read part of that part of a chapter, and just went "nope. That's not it." And just trashed the whole thing? Yeah, that was this chapter.

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Looming overhead in the vast darkness, each of the five large slits opened slowly and individually in a manner that had to be deliberate. From left to right, lowest to highest, largest to smallest, each one gradually blinked into view. And then they slowly centered on the pair of unnerved bystanders that he had trapped within his illusion. The notion that he might have been there the entire time was not unfounded, but something deep down told him that it wasn't the case.

There was simply a shift in the atmosphere that seemed to accompany his arrival, perhaps the only sure-fire indication that he was there at all. After all, seeing him only seemed to happen on his terms, and they didn't need to be told that they didn't share the same opinion in regards to being permitted to do certain things. Namely the issue of being allowed to leave and not being trapped in this shadow dimension forever.

Admittedly the mental image of something as large as Belial silently navigating the unseen corners of his own shadow dimension in an attempt to circumvent their plans to escape, and only showing himself when he felt the time was right was more frightening to V than practically anything else he had faced. At least in the case of Urizen, they had the benefit of knowing exactly where he was, and were able to take the fight to him in a timely manner. Well, as timely a manner as they could manage. But being hunted down by their would-be jailer? There was no recourse in that. Belial clearly enjoyed this sick, twisted little game of cat and mouse that he was playing with them, and that made things several shades darker.

"Did you honestly think that escaping would be that straightforward? That you had a hope of leaving this place without my… blessing?" Belial laughed to himself darkly, the unseen walls that surrounded them trembling under the weight of his mocking tone. To say that he was sure of his supremacy over them both would be a vast understatement. Clearly, he knew quite a bit about this situation that they didn't. But then again, that made sense considering the fact that he was largely in control of this scenario. From what they could tell, he wasn't incorrect in that assessment. He did, in fact, have total control over their environment and everything that went on within it. They just had to play along and hope for a moment of reprieve that they could take to escape. Or perhaps that was the worst thing that they could do. One could only guess that the towering devil prince that stood before them had considered that and had a contingency plan in place for it. And on that note, he probably had a backup plan for the eventuality in which they didn't cooperate as well.

They were thoroughly and completely trapped, weren't they?

Sirrus steadied himself, looking towards their unwelcoming host. He didn't seem frightened so much as he was irritated, and V wasn't sure if that was due to something he knew that he didn't, or simply a healthy dose of insanity. He himself was trying to calculate a brilliant plan with which to use against their opponent that didn't require him showing all their cards, and while he was far from trembling in his sandals from terror, he'd be remiss to admit that Belial had put a healthy dose of fear in him, at least enough to make him overcautious.

"Where are your manners then? Is this how you treat all of your guests? I've never born witness to such a lack of hospitality in my life, at least outside of the confines of my own family home." Sirrus cleared his throat, holding the back of his hand up to his face. Droplets of blood spattered against the back of his hand, but he made sure to hide that as best as he could, playing it off as a simple cough despite the uncomfortable stinging sensation that he felt in his chest cavity. "I'd heard that your kind normally gave such warm welcomes. And here we are, stuck in this dark abyss. I get the impression that we're being singled out."

Moving closer to the man with the long red hair, Belial seemed to focus his attention on him. It was hard to discern whether or not his eyes were capable of homing in on a specific target individually, or if he required the use of each of them to be able to make out his prey. Either way, Sirrus was now his primary source of focus, and he didn't seem nearly as amused by his continued existence as he did with V's.

"You're still alive, then. Most impressive. This day continues to amuse me. Perhaps you hold more value to me than I originally deduced before I discarded you." His tone was dry, but he seemed to be genuine enough. The young summoner wasn't sure if that was something they should be grateful for, or despise given the circumstances. "Normally you would be dead by now, but I'm feeling generous today. Be grateful for that. You seem to be old enough to appreciate the fact that I am still in a good mood. A rarity that you continue to benefit from."

On that note, Sirrus seemed to intensify his stance. He was not amused, and while backing down was normally a wise option, he felt the need to affirm his position and stand toe to toe with his enemy. He knew that the Prince of Darkness would not take V seriously, especially given his current condition, and they needed at least a little bit of leverage. "Of that, I have no doubt. And thank you for the backhanded comment. It's most appreciated. Those seem to be the only types that I ever receive these days." He winced slightly at the honesty in that statement. While he wished that he was kidding about that, it wasn't exactly a lie. A harmless truth in comparison to the situation that they were in, and one he assumed their opponent would simply write off as a sarcastic comeback, but at the end of the day, that didn't change anything. "But since we're on the topic, wouldn't you like us to get to know you better? Generally speaking, guests know at least a little something about their hosts, and I'm sure you know quite a bit about us both by now. Do you have any hobbies?"

The demon prince seemed to pause for a moment, lingering on either the specifics of the question, or the sheer audacity of it. One could only imagine that he was in some form of disbelief as to the fact that Sirrus was trying to make small talk with him, as even V himself was starting to question his motivations for doing so. Surely he didn't think that such a simple ploy would be enough to fool such a powerful demon.

"Funnily enough, I do. In fact, I am indulging in one of them at this very moment." Belial said in a cold, calculating manner. There was a knowing tone to his words that sent a chill down V's spine, the young Descendant of Sparda somehow entirely aware of the fact that he was at the center of a conversation that he didn't know the subject matter of, but also didn't want to know the context of.

"Marvelous! And what would that hobby of yours be? Painting? Reading? Gardening?" Sirrus said sarcastically in a tone to match that of his conversation partner's. It wasn't so much that he felt especially strong in his ability to talk his way out of this situation as it was the fact that he knew that it could at least buy them time. And if they were going to die here, then he could at least be thoroughly sarcastic about it.

Belial shifted his attention to V, his large luminescent eyes dilating as each of his two sets of eyelids blinked in unison. Calmly and with deliberate annunciation of each individual syllable of the word, he stated his one-word response. "Collecting."

Suddenly the realization of what was going on hit him like a bus crashing into a brick wall. He had realized that Belial wanted him, but now he understood the reason. And it was considerably worse than he'd originally thought. If the devil prince had wanted him dead due to some kind of long-standing hatred that he harbored towards his father, he could understand that. He couldn't respect it, but he could at least comprehend it. But to collect someone… What did he mean by that?

"I see… You want me, then. That's what all of this is about?" It was less of a question, and more of a statement, but it didn't make V feel any less horrified. Yes, he obviously knew what it meant to collect something, but in regards to a living, breathing person, he didn't have the foggiest idea of what that entailed. And although deep down he knew enough to know that he didn't want to know, there was a part of him that still desired to understand what this stranger's plans were for him. How could someone seek ownership of someone as they would an inanimate object such as a toy or antique to be placed on a shelf? What value did that hold in their mind? It was horrifying to even comprehend. "You wish to… collect me. To what end? What can you possibly even mean by that?"

Another low rumble shook the walls around them as Belial's large eyes squinted. He seemed to find amusement in the statement, his assurance that he had them both right where he wanted them now strengthened by V's lack of comprehension in regards to his intentions. And for the devil prince, that couldn't be a better outcome. Doubt and confusion were powerful weapons, and if there was one thing that he could use against someone, it was their mind.

"Acquiring rare things of high value is something I'm passionate about, especially when the stakes are this high. It's thrilling." He leaned into V, nearly touching him with his head as he looked him dead in the face. There was no mistaking the fact that V was the focus of his undivided attention this time. "Oh, to see the look on your sire's face when he realizes what I have in store for you. Revenge is something that I rarely indulge in, but when it is an added bonus to a pre-existing plan… well, what could be better?"

With that, Sirrus stepped forward, having shifted to his companion's side during the devil prince's change of position. Understanding the connotations of their captor's threat, he now knew what he had to do. And while it was far from ideal, he couldn't in good conscious return to his beloved aunt without having done what he knew needed to be done. V had no recourse to combat something like Belial, not without training, at least. And he would never get the opportunity to do that if he was captured and taken away to some unknowable part of the underworld by a prince of darkness, if that was even where he ended up.

Putting himself between V and Belial, Sirrus glanced over his shoulder at V, giving him a look that the young summoner couldn't quite place. Regardless, he knew that something was about to happen that might just decide their fates. With a flourish, the redheaded adjudicator brought his arm from behind him and held out his hand, opening his palm. A vibrating sensation pulsated around them as a blinding light shot out from his hand and into the space they occupied, rendering everything around them completely white.

Belial let out a loud, horrified shriek as he recoiled in terror, retreating into some unseen place in an effort to avoid the bright light. Sirrus turned to V, looking around rapidly until he saw something off in the distance. Not too far from them was a tear, and behind it, what looked like the parking lot of the store they had thought they were entering. The man in the black and white coat gestured towards the opening, grabbing V by the arm and practically dragging him along as he tried to direct him, not realizing that he saw the tear as well.

"Run! If I fall behind, don't come back for me. You need to get out of here!" As they hurried along, Sirrus seemed to consider something that he hadn't previously, stealing a glance back in the direction Belial had previously been in. He turned to V and pointed back over his shoulder, gesturing clearly towards where their attacker had previously been. "Just tell her that I'm sorry. She will understand. What's important is that he doesn't get ahold of you. If he thinks you're important or useful in some way, then he's probably right. We have to stop him."

For a moment, V contemplated the morality of actually answering that request as the two of them ran as fast as they could in their desperate attempt to escape the confines of their prison. Running wasn't something that he normally indulged in, especially considering how little he enjoyed doing it, but this wasn't a matter of comfort. It was a matter of survival. He could worry about being sore and tired later on. After all, it was far from the first time that V had been forced to run past the point of logic, past the point of exhaustion, past the point of limitation in the hopes of escaping with his life.

Was that just his curse then? To constantly flee his opponents and just hope with everything in him that he had what it took to survive? After all, he had powers, didn't he? Could the fight really be that stacked against him, even with his lack of experience? To his understanding, he came from a frankly extraordinary family, and all of them had managed to do battle against foes far above their pay grade in the past. If the legends were true, then his grandfather had beaten the demon king single-handed and sealed the underworld, only to go on and as a safeguard against his own kind on behalf of the human race in the future. Perhaps he was just underestimating himself…

"How long do we have until that spell wears off?" V asked breathlessly as they rushed towards the exit. They were so close now, no more than a few yards. But who knew when the temporary reprieve provided by whatever Sirrus had just done would wear off. He knew that they were working on borrowed time, but he didn't think it was a wise idea to reveal the fact that he had Shadow. Fast as she might be -and she was- he couldn't bring himself to depend on her and risk revealing her existence, even if he didn't think that his opponent could see her right now.

Sirrus wheezed clearly trying to pace himself despite the fact that they were in a mad dash towards the finish line. He glanced back over his shoulder for a moment before coughing for a moment, the continuous movement clearly causing him a great deal of discomfort. "I can't say. It depends on how long he stays stunned by it. He isn't weak to light, it just makes him uncomfortable. Any being that spends that much time in darkness, especially one with that many eyes, must be photosensitive to some degree." He stole a second look back, squinting at the blinding display of brilliant light that he had created. It was unfortunate that he had been forced to play his hand, but it had been entirely necessary. At this point, it might be the only reason that they were still alive. "I'd show you how to do it, but I don't think-"

Before he could finish speaking, a row of black, jagged spikes shot up out of the ground from behind them, rocketing towards them at blinding speeds as they zigzagged unstably before righting themselves and tearing a swath right between the two of them. A split-second course readjustment on V's part was the only thing that saved him from being skewered by the ragged spear of darkness, despite the fact that he was still grazed deeply, but his companion wasn't so lucky. Stepping only part of the way out of the path of the oncoming attack, Sirrus was harpooned through the left shoulder, a second smaller piercing attack hitting him on the right side. He gagged and toppled over, stuck in place as he seemed to register the severity of his new injury.

V skidded to a stop, taking a moment to look back on the illusion that they stood within. Everything seemed to be crashing down around them, the white blanked of floor to ceiling light that they had been inside of moment ago now slowing being encroached upon by the devil prince. From nowhere, a huge, rage-filled cry echoed across the confines of the seemingly endless expanse they occupied, clearly uncomfortable, but not out of commission. He knew that he could just leave now and be free of this place, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. Despite the fact that Sirrus had only been a part of his life for a short while, that didn't matter to him in the slightest. There was no way that he was leaving him here.

Quickly turning his body back in the direction of his companion, he raced over to him and grabbed onto the black spike that had embedded itself into him. He tried to ignore the sudden feeling of nausea and discmphort that flooded him as he touched the protruding projectile, his body growing colder as the seconds ticked by. His hands thoroughly coated in blood and his senses leaving him rapidly, V quickly realized that his attempts to dislodge the foreign objects were not working, so he stepped back and attempted to steady himself. There was still one more thing he could try.

With a heavy swing of his cane, the black semi-translucent crystalline structure shattered like glass, dropping Sirrus from his perch about a meeter above V's head. He attempted to catch him, but only half succeeded, the red-haired adjudicator's knees doing half of the work. Seemingly semi-conscious, he attempted to help aid V's efforts to pull him to his feet, but he was thoroughly dazed and past his acceptable pain threshold. Still, the two of them managed to make it to the opening as the darkness encroached upon them fully. This would be their only chance to escape. They had to take it

Furious, Belial shouted at them as they attempted to make their escape, but it was already too late. They caught the last of his words, but as the two tumbled through the opening and onto the pavement, little else mattered. They had escaped his prison, and now they needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Sirrus and V both collapsed on the ground, a mixture of exhaustion and pain gripping them both like a vice. The nausea and dizziness that had gripped V so tightly when he had touched the spike had now been joined by the return of the painful creeping sensation he had felt after being flung through the darkness by Belial. The sheer agony of it nearly incapacitated him. But as he struggled forward towards the phone booth that stood near the store, shivering from the spreading internal cold and entirely overtaxed by the situation at hand, something reached out and stopped him, catching him as he fell over, his breath caught somewhere between his throat and his lungs. Dreading what he would find as he was turned onto his back, he blinked slowly and looked up, expecting the worse. And if he had possessed the capacity to be thankful at that moment and to process what was going on, he would have let out a thoroughly relieved sigh.

It was Vergil.

They were safe.

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Yikes! This was truly something else, wasn't it? At least they made it out of the shadow dimension! It's not the outcome that they probably hoped for when they left to go to the grocery store, but it's the one they got either way. See you in the comments!