Devil May Cry: Slayer's Return
Chapter 2: Lightning's Foresight
Lowell Manor, Wisconsin, USA
Everyone was silent for the longest time, or what felt like the longest time as Nero held his focus with the newly revealed Raiden, God of Thunder. It went without saying that the others were on guard, Patty keeping close to Dante just in case things go badly. In all honesty, the hunters were on edge due to the less than stellar experience they had with the Greeks and despite being from a different pantheon, cation was obviously on their minds. However, it seemed that violence might not be the case as Raiden held out his hands in a placating gesture.
"There is no need for hostility," began the Shinto deity, "I am here not as an enemy, but as an ally."
"Don't take this the wrong way, Ray," drawled Nero as he folded his arms, "but I've hung around gods before; wasn't fun then. Gave my experience a one-star on Yelp."
"Lord Raiden is not like the Greek Pantheon," spoke up the girl for the first time in fluent English, stepping forward to Nero, the hunter meeting her gaze for a second.
"No, he is correct, Saeko," interjected the thunder god, "Claims are hollow without proof to validate them. He is wise to be cautious given the circumstances that transpired a fortnight ago."
Now that got the attention of the hunters. Something happened that they didn't know about, granted, they didn't have instant access to the underworld and all its connections. Morrison was good, but not a miracle worker, so it wasn't a total surprise to them that something happened recently.
"Something happened two weeks back?" interrupted Dante, narrowing his eyes carefully at the deity, "What exactly?"
Saeko glanced at Raiden for a moment, receiving a nod to inform. Taking a breath, the Japanese girl began to explain what transpired that day.
"About two weeks prior, a massive wave of energy swept across Japan, affecting any and all mystical beings throughout the country," the purple-haired girl then went into further detail, "Those that were affected reported feeling a seemingly endless feeling of dread, despair, anguish, rage, and sorrow; as if a dark shadow is looming over the entire planet."
Nero, Dante, Trish, and Lady all glanced at each other. The timing was way too good.
"That's the day Excelsus opened a gateway into the Demon World and attacked the Camp," noted Lady.
"But the gate was closed," reminded Trish, bringing up the moment when Nero closed the breach with Yamato.
"Not before it blew up in my face," countered Nero, folding his arms, "Guess that blast did more than just knock out the Olympians."
"Indeed it did," nodded Raiden. Reaching for his belt, he dipped his fingers into a small pocket and withdrew a golden medallion. It was shaped into a sort of trapezoid, a light blue crystal located directly in the center of the piece, "The explosion of which you speak was the source of the energy wave."
A hologram of the Earth was displayed, glowing blue while a single red dot was located right on top of Montauk Island. From the dot, a red wave burst out, crossing the entire planet rapidly.
"Not just affecting one collection of gods, but all of them," concluded the Shinto deity, "In short, the situation is direr than just the fate of one pantheon."
Dante scoffed as he folded his arms, "So the big bad used the kid to send out his calling card all at once instead of going one by one."
"It is likely that was what this demon you call Excelsus originally intended," concurred Raiden, glancing at Nero, "He had not planned for such a response from the four of you in his initial attack."
"And changed tactics to compensate and save himself some trouble," spoke up Morrison for the first time since Raiden and Saeko made their arrival.
"That is what we believe," stated Saeko.
"So I was an accessory to his success," stated Nero in a riled tone, "Fucking great."
No one had anything to say otherwise beyond 'you didn't know so it wasn't your fault', but those sort of things hardly work for people like Nero. Once they hear that their actions may have played a part in creating a problem, they take it personally.
"But what are you doing here?" asked Patty suddenly, bringing Raiden's attention to the sixteen-year-old girl, "Y-you're not here to just exchange stories with us."
"That is indeed true," nodded the god of thunder, "In fact, as I stated before, I am here to offer assistance."
While Trish, Dante, and Lady exchanged glances and silent messages, Nero was the first one to call out the deity's offer.
"Not to sound rude, but the gods I've encountered always want some sort of exchange for help," scoffed the silver-haired hunter, "Former myths don't normally offer without wanting something in return, so what is it that Raiden, God of Thunder, wants?"
Saeko narrowed her eyes at the hunter, not appreciating his tone. Before she could reprimand him for disrespecting a being as noble as him, Raiden placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. The purple-haired warrior looked back at Raiden, noticing he wasn't even slightly offended.
"You do not trust others so easily, Nero," noted the Thunder God, "A trait found in most demon hunters. A good trait to have to be certain that you are not being used by potential threats and demons."
"Yeah?" huffed Nero, "What of it?"
"You still view me in the same light as your own family, the Olympians," continued Raiden, causing the hunter to visibly flinch if barely, "But know, that I am not Zeus or any of his children and siblings."
Nero was silent for a moment, staring at the being with some minor contempt.
"How'd you know that I was one of theirs?" he demanded slowly.
"While we do not interfere with another pantheon's affairs under the strictest of laws, that is not to say we cannot observe each other," explained Raiden, "And if the situation is dire enough, step in and lend aid should it be required."
"So you were spying on the Greeks and were ready to step in in case one of them did something stupid enough to endanger not just themselves but every pantheon in the world?" asked Dante's nephew skeptically.
"Would you leave someone like Zeus without any supervision?" retorted Raiden dry, his expression shifting just slightly to give off a deadpan. Nero opened his mouth to counter however he then closed as he nodded his head to the side; Dante, Trish, and the other's doing the same.
"Fair point," shrugged the young adult before his expression hardened again, "Still, didn't answer my question."
Raiden let out a sigh as he brought his hands behind his back and inclined his head down slightly, "Because we need the assistance of Sparda's line and anyone soul willing to fight the coming battles."
"Gotta agree with Raiden here, kid," sided Dante, catching the other members of Devil May Cry by surprise, "Yeah, didn't think I'd be agreeing with a god either, but you know as well as I do that Excelsus isn't through with us yet."
"Indeed," nodded Raiden, "and that is why I am offering aid to you."
"Is that why she's here?" Nero nodded to Saeko, "Is she your stand-in while you head back home?"
"It is true, I cannot linger here for very long," sighed the god, "And that is why Saeko agreed to act as my proxy so that I may return home and address local matters and threats."
"'Threats'?" repeated Trish.
"Ever since the wave swept across the entire planet, monsters from each religion have grown progressively more violent," supplied Saeko, she folded her arms, pushing up her bust slightly, "The attacks have grown more frequent in the last week compared to the last five years."
"No doubt Excelsus' handiwork," stated Morrison, rubbing his jaw in thought, "My guess is that wave was made of pure demonic energy and is affecting the magic that comprises the monsters from the other pantheons."
Everyone looked at the aging man slightly surprised, even Raiden was impressed, his eyebrow-raising up slightly.
"Just because I don't normally hunt down demons and put my life on the line as you all do, I still know a thing or two about how to reason things out and make good guesses," defended Morrison, putting his fedora on.
"I must warn you, however," spoke up Raiden, getting over his surprise, "It is unlikely that Zeus is willing to listen to reason given what I can only imagine transpired in Camp Half-Blood."
"We all known he's still after us," sighed Trish, folding her arms.
"So what, do we just wait for Excelsus to make his next move?" asked Nero holding his arms out.
"No, we must build our forces and prepare for the coming war," stated Saeko stoically.
"In case you hadn't noticed, we're a little short on hands," reminded the youngest heir of Sparda, "And it's not like Dante has some friends who owe him some favors or anything on an island."
Raiden narrowed his eyes carefully, noting that particular detail which Nero brought up, "And even then, it's not likely she'll help us. Not to mention, if she did agree to help, along with a few others, can't exactly build an army with Zeus and Artemis looking for us."
"Besides, there's only one place we could build an army," stated the hunter disdainfully as he closed his eyes and clenched Devil Bringer tightly into a fist. The azure glow that came from the appendage becoming slightly brighter. Dante, Lady, and Trish immediately knew what Nero was referring to, or rather the place he was speaking of.
"The kid's got a point," agreed Dante, folding his arms, "This is a real head-scratcher, huh?"
"Perhaps not as much as you believe," disagreed Raiden as he stepped towards Nero, the hunter tensing slightly as he took a step back so his left shoulder was facing the deity. He flexed Devil Bringer's fingers briefly as he narrowed his eyes at the being before him, "What made you focus on those specific details, Nero?"
"Gonna have to be a little more clear, buddy," stated Nero carefully, his eyes still narrowed.
"When Saeko and myself first arrived you did not appear threatened in the traditional sense," elaborated the Shinto god, as Nero stepped around the desk that stood between them, "A part of you knew this meeting was coming."
"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded the hunter, confused and on edge. Just what was this guy after.
"You have not been sleeping well have you, Nero?" asked Raiden genuinely, causing the hunter to lower his guard slightly but remain on edge just in case. Dante and the others glanced at one another briefly. How the hell did this guy know Nero hadn't been sleeping well? Even Patty was surprised by this revelation.
"How'd you know he hasn't been sleeping well?" she asked, worried more for Nero at this point then about Raiden himself.
"Aside from the signs of sleep deprivation on his face, it was the details he listed that piqued my curiosity," elaborated the god, glancing between the young blonde and the silver-haired hunter, "The clarity of which he supplied them garnered my attention, and a known fact about almost all children of the Olympians."
"And that would be?" asked Dante, narrowing his eyes slightly as to what this deity might be implying.
"All the demigods of the Greek Pantheon share a connection to the Fates," answered Raiden, getting the attention of the hunters, Nero especially, "In short, it is with this connection that allows the demigods to glimpse into the future in the form of dreams thanks to Morpheus, the god of dreams, and in conjunction with the Fates who control all life and death within the Greek Pantheon."
"So you think Nero's been peaking into the future which let him list those specific details?" rationalized Trish.
"I suspected," corrected Raiden, "Since Nero is also a demon, there was no telling how the connecting might have been affected."
"Yeah, well I think my hook up's bugged," stated the hunter sarcastically, folding his arms and looking away, "I only get pieces of the near future and it isn't fun for me when I do."
Sure enough, every single time he had one of these visions, he felt like his mind was being torn three different ways. One which tried to follow the vision, another which tried to outright disobey the vision, and the last which tried to find a middle ground between the two. Safe to say, he'd rather be impaled by one of Agnus' flying swords again then go through that hell all over.
"Perhaps, I can be of some assistance," offered Raiden, catching Nero's attention, the hunter looking at the deity from the corner of his eye, "If you will permit access, I can help you assemble the vision and making it whole, and allow you to see the vision with more clarity."
"You said that Morpho and the three fs are what behind these visions due to my 'godly connection,'" he threw in some air quotes when he said that last part, "Can't you just sever the link?"
"I'm afraid it is not as simple as that, Nero," sighed Saeko as she approached him, cupping her hands together, "For the link between you and the Fates to be broken, you must defy Fate itself."
That statement alone sobered Nero pretty quickly and turned to Raiden for some sort of confirmation.
"I'm afraid Saeko is correct, Nero," stated the God of Thunder, almost ruefully, "To stop the visions, you would have to face the very literal masters of the future. The Greek Fates have the power to change and alter one's destiny at any given time. Not even the Olympians are powerful enough to defy them. In essence, for the visions to stop, you must do something no other being in Greek history could do."
Nero let out a tired sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Should've guessed it would've been to easy."
"While I may not have the power to break your connection, I can at the very least disrupt the link and hold off any visions for a short period," offered Raiden.
"Guess something is better than nothing at all," sighed the hunter in a tired fashion. It wasn't a perfect solution, but then again, he hasn't exactly lived a perfect life so what should he have expected?
"Woah, Woah, hold on a second," interjected Dante stepping into the center of the room, putting himself between Nero and Raiden, "As much as I would love to have a peek at what's happening tomorrow, are you a hundred percent sure you can make good on your promise?"
"I have performed similar acts multiple times on average mortals with no lingering side effects," stated the Shinto god, "Often to help clear their minds and organize thoughts. I am fully able to aid Nero."
"In case you forgot, the kid's not just human," pointed out Lady, agreeing with Dante, "What if the second you try getting in you fry his brain because he's part demon or god?"
"The Greek Gods are comprised of earthly materials and when in human form, behave the same way," answered Raiden evenly, "His godly makeup will not impede my efforts."
"And the demonic part?" challenged the human demon hunter.
"That may be more difficult," relented Raiden.
It wasn't very comforting for the youngest hunter to hear that a deity will get into some trouble thanks to his demonic half. However, there wasn't exactly that much they could do right now, especially since they have a timetable to keep, with Excelsus building his army of demons and Zeus hunting them down like animals. They couldn't afford any setbacks, especially what was on the line should the Demon King make his move before their ready.
Not to mention, he's willing to take the risk if it meant he could sleep somewhat soundly.
"But it's not like we have much choice, huh?" spoke up Nero, drawing attention to himself, his arms hanging by his sides while his eyes were shut for a second, "You say we have a timetable?"
"That is correct," answered Raiden, "As we speak, this Excelsus builds his army while ours struggle to contain the rampaging monsters."
"Then there's nothing to talk about," stated the silver-haired devil hunter.
Trish's eyes widened, as did Lady's while Patty gasped in surprise. Morrison and Dante were the most composed out of them all, but it was clear they weren't comfortable with the decision. If something went wrong, things could go very badly.
"Nero, are you sure about this?" asked Trish, coming over to his side and gently grasping his left shoulder.
Glancing at the lightning demoness, he turned to face to the others, meeting their gazes for a second before ending with Raiden who had a steadfast expression.
"If I'm being honest, then I can't say I'm sure about anything ever since getting dragged to that fucking camp," began Nero as he walked over to the desk and rested his hands on the edge, "I find out who my mother is, that I'm a goddess's kid, and a demon punked me into helping him bust out of the Demon World so he could likely commit mass genocide when he takes over, and there are only so many people that can stop him. I gotta take that chance, if not for anyone's sake, then for her's."
When he finished his sentence, he rested Devil Bringer right up against his chest, feeling his necklace right where it should be. The hunters, Patty, and Morrison knew that Nero was referring to Kyrie and now understood why he was willing to take the chance.
"I have to try," finalized Nero before turning to Raiden who looked at him with a little bit of honor. Even Saeko was a bit moved by his words as she held her hands against her chest, a small smile gracing her lips.
"So, we gonna stand here all day?" demanded the hunter confidently.
A minute later...
Nero was now laying on his back on top of the desk, the tray having been moved to make room for him as he took his position. Just to be safe, he removed as much metal as possible, including his jacket, holster, rings, stitched sweater, however, he refused to remove the necklace. His reasoning being 'if he can take being impaled, he can take a little shock.'
"So," started Nero as Raiden stood close to his head, his eyes closed and head bowed forward, giving the impression he was meditating, "This gonna hurt much?"
"The process should be free of any discomfort," responded Raiden as his eyes opened, electricity jumping from them as they glowed bright blue.
"Well then, yippie ki-yay," snorted Nero as he braced himself and closed his eyes.
Raiden lowered both his hands so that they were on either side of Nero's head. His entire hands started crackling with electricity and even up part of his forearms. The god's eyes began glowing slightly brighter as he focused his power. Suddenly, electricity jumped from his palms onto Nero's temple, the hunter's expression wincing as clenched his left hand. A groan of discomfort slipped out of his mouth as he accidentally jammed Devil Bringer's claws into the wooden surface of the table he was on. While it looked like it hurt, the hunter only felt a small sting. It was what was going on inside his mind that was important.
Nero's Mindscape...
Unlike last time where the visions appeared at random points and sent a wave of agony through his mind, this was only a dull ache. The mist no longer covered the entire area; instead, thanks to Raiden's efforts, a glowing blue path was illuminated for Nero to follow. There was still mist on either side of the pathway, but it didn't matter now that he had a defined destination.
"Raiden, you're a miracle worker," muttered Nero to himself as he made his way down the path and sure enough some images began to appear.
The first part of the now cleaned and defined vision was the island off the coast of the Americas. The figures didn't appear like last time, only windows formed, but there were some minor changes. The demon now saw himself, along with Dante, Lady, Trish, and Saeko using a boat to get to the island. The image flashed and was then replaced by the elderly woman and the redhead Nero had seen before. Dante looked like he was doing the talking, addressing the elderly woman when she suddenly swatted his right, making him rub his arm and glare at her in annoyance.
Nero snorted to himself, deciding that he liked this lady. However, it was clear that despite hitting Dante, she was going to help. The redhead stepped forward and placed her right hand over her heart. The young adult could guess she was volunteering to go with them while he assumed other's would soon follow.
The window then vanished, another appearing a few yards ahead. Making his way to that one, the window lit up before fading and showing the next series of events. However, what he saw made him clench Devil Bringer tightly into a fist. It was him and Ares, taking each other head-on in what he guessed was Miami. Future Nero hacked and slashed at Ares, forcing the god back. His future self suddenly kicked the god in the stomach, sending his cousin flying back where he crashed into a car. The hunter rested his weapon on his shoulder while the god of war glared hatefully at him.
The window glowed again and revealed a new glimpse of the future and what he saw seriously surprised him. Looking through the window, Nero saw Apollo shooting arrow after arrow at Saeko, but the young woman easily deflected the arrows with her sword. Focusing on the weapon, it was clear it was no ordinary blade; what made him certain was that the sword itself was glowing. It appeared to have the same eastern style of swords, similar to katanas used by Japan. Aside from the glowing blade, a few Japanese characters were etched into the side of the sword. It was when Saeko closed the gap between them did she perform a surprise tornado kick and slammed her boot right into Apollo's face, knocking him off his feet and onto his back several feet away. Saeko, meanwhile backflipped to her feet, using her hands to push herself off the ground.
Apollo said something, though Nero couldn't hear it, was likely an insult. Drawing his bowstring back, he fired another arrow at Saeko. Instead of dodging, the Japanese girl reversed her grip of the sword and sliced the arrow clean in half!
"Woah," breathed Nero in surprise, pretty impressed with the way she handled herself in a fight. The window then faded away and another appeared ahead.
Getting to that window as it was glowing, it revealed another scene. First, it showed both his future and Saeko ducking into a nightclub named Lux to avoid a police car that flew by. Inside the bar, the two were almost immediately approached by a man Nero had seen in his previous visions, more than likely the owner of the club. However, something just completely rubbed him the wrong way about that guy. The future pair were lead by the owner towards the main bar, but along the way, he got a good idea as to what kind of crowd frequented this establishment.
Seated near a corner of the club was an African American man dressed in a fashion similar to cowboys you see in western movies. His hat was tipped down, hiding his face, that was until he pushed the brim of his hat up and revealed the left half of his face. The left half appeared to made of burning embers as smoke wafted off his body. The man straightened himself out, revealing his left arm which, in a similar fashion to the left half of his face, appeared to be made of charcoal. Jutting out of his left limb were two large curved spikes. The man's arm reminded him of his demonic appendage, Devil Bringer.
Seated at the bar was an incredibly voluptuous woman, wearing light silver armor on both her arms and shoulders, leather gloves covered her hands, while a specially made bustier covered her large breasts but exposed her cleavage and her belly. The woman also wore tight, form-fitting leather pants and a pair of straps rose of the waistband, and Nero could only guess what that was. Along with high heel boots, the lady carried dozens of knives on her person ranging from her thighs to multiple hidden places. Her largest weapons were a pair of silver curved machetes that had intricate patterns carved into the side of the blades. The blades were sheathed across her back in a way that didn't impede her movement at all. Despite all the weaponry, he couldn't help but notice she was kinda similar to the previous redhead, not just because her actual hair was roughly the same shade of red, if only brighter, but the way they built themselves. Focusing on speed and maneuverability than strength and defense. The woman turned to look at his future self, a seductive smile graced her lips as her emerald eyes met his baby blue ones. The woman then blew him a kiss that nearly caused his future self to stumble, though he stumbled regardless when Saeko grabbed his right arm and yanked him along.
"Okay," noted Nero but decided not to think too much into it.
Following the man further, the passed someone that nearly made Nero pause himself.
A tank of a man sat in a both that had more than a few slashes in it, so he guessed that 'his spot' in the bar. The man wore armored pants along with leather straps and fur, giving him a sort of Viking-esque appearance. The man had disheveled black hair and facial hair cut into a goatee. He was no doubt larger than any normal person, then again this guy was far from normal like the first. The man's entire right arm was replaced with a colossal blade that hade multiple points where the weapon could hook onto the victim and threw them aside assuming they weren't cut in half first. Traveling up the sword, a sort of dragon-like mouth bit down onto the sword right at the guard. The reptilian skin had grown over the man's arm while a tail wrapped around both his shoulders. A few spikes rose from the shoulder and some sparks could be seen fluttering off the blade and reptilian scales.
There was no doubt in Nero's mind about who the people were that frequented this nightclub. They were all Devil Hunters.
The nightclub owner led both future versions of himself and Saeko into his office where he sat down at a large desk and immediately leaned back in the chair and kicked his feet up onto the desk. It looked like he, Saeko, and the man talked for several minutes before the man lost his charming grin and adopted a more serious expression. He and Saeko continued to explain to the man who took his feet off the table and leaned forward, cupping his chin in his right hand, closing his eyes for a moment as if thinking.
The window faded away once more and another appeared further ahead. Heading over to that one, the sight almost made Nero freeze in his tracks. There, presented to him through the window was his first home and the home of Kyrie and Credo before their deaths.
Fortuna.
A boat had pulled into the small harbor that served as the only avenue of commerce that came from outside the island. Both future versions of himself and Saeko disembark from the ship and onto the island. Once back on the stone dock, the future Nero seemed to freeze in place looking at what used to be his home a year and a half ago before...
"No, can't think about that right now," Nero snapped at himself, a memory threatening to reemerge, one he fought long and hard to forget would not remember.
Returning his focus to the window once more, he saw Saeko place a hand on his left shoulder, prompting him to look back and see the reassuring smile she gave him. Letting him know everything was going to be alright. His feature self returned the smile and started towards the town of Fortuna. Nero's breath began speeding up as if anticipating something terrible, but it didn't come as the window glowed before the scene was replaced yet again. This time, the scene was not as nice.
His future self and Saeko appeared to have surrounded by several dozen Holy Knights, but that was impossible, the Order fell as soon as Agnus's crazy plan failed and the Savior destroyed. His surprise then faded as he noticed these weren't the same Holy Knights because of their red clothing. Knights of the Order were expected to wear white uniforms to display their purity and devotion to the Order of the Sword. It was clear that these knights took inspiration from the fallen order because of the similar design. The only real change was the palate swap from white and gold to red and silver.
Suddenly, the knights stepped aside to allow one individual passage to the ring where his future self and Saeko stood. The second he saw who it was, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Standing before them was a beautiful blonde-haired young woman with her hair tied in long twin-tails and blue eyes, as well as a voluptuous figure. She wore a similar outfit to the knights around her while a sword was sheathed by her left side. She had a fair skin tone and looked to be slightly younger than himself. The young woman had a somewhat annoyed glare directed right at his future self, but it was well hidden under a neutral mask.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" gaped Nero as he laid eyes on Claire Harvey, the second-in-command of the Holy Knights when the Order still existed. Before the fall, Claire was very loyal to the Knights but had a pretty big crush on Credo before he died at the hands of Sanctus. When she found out that it was Sanctus who killed him, it hit her pretty hard. During his time in Fortuna, Kyrie tried reaching out to her but nothing ever worked. Nero suspected that a part of her blamed him for Credo's death, and honestly, he felt the same way. But to see her like this was something else, he honestly didn't think she'd ever pick up the sword again after Credo died.
The window suddenly vanished and the light from the pathway started to fade.
"Shit, not now!" swore Nero as he looked around frantically until he spotted what he assumed was the last window, further away than any of the others.
Bolting right towards the window, he reached out and touched it, unlike the previous times where the window just lit up on its own. The window burst to light, forcing Nero to shield his eyes for a second before it began to dim. Once the light faded enough, he looked at the last window. Within was himself but only himself, heading towards the abandoned Headquarters of the Order.
"Why am I alone?" he asked himself, gripping Devil Bringer by the wrist with his left hand.
Deciding to put it aside for now, Nero watched himself enter the ruins and head down deep into the levels beneath the semi-destroyed remains of the Order. He watched as the future version passed through the same hallways he saw in his previous vision. Passing rubble, dust, and the occasional puddle of water. Not entirely certain how much time had passed or how long the future version was walking, Nero cocked an eyebrow when he saw himself freeze for a second. A massive orange light erupted behind him, forcing the Nero in the window to dive out of the way to avoid a massive fireball that slammed into the stone wall. The future version quickly unsheathed Red Queen and readied himself just in time to see the Red Angelo appear. It emerged from the shadows, it's burning sword giving it an eerie appearance.
The window then flashed again, replacing the image to a new one. Suddenly, electricity began to flicker through the mist around him.
"Almost out of time," he muttered and directed his attention to the window. Entering the giant chamber was himself, fiddling with something on his left wrist. Satisfied, he watched himself approach the massive machine, heading right for the platform that was in line with the small archway. Nero watching himself hold out Devil Bringer and summon Yamato. The future took a moment to gaze at the blade, staring at his reflection for a few seconds before he flipped the sword around and plunged into the center of the platform. Taking a step back, the Devil Arm started pulsing while energy began to flow through the floor towards the device where patterns started to light up. Parts of the machine suddenly started rotating rapidly, then a wide beam of azure energy shot right into the ceiling, causing some debris, rocks, and dust to fall.
The future version of himself stepped back and looked down at the device on his left arm had activated and a timer had begun counting down from six hours.
"What the hell am I doing?" demanded Nero as the electricity around him started becoming more and more unstable and a powerful suction starting pulling him away from the window, "No! I need to know why!"
Hanging on with all his might, Nero heard one single sentence that made his heart almost stop.
"He can't fight him alone."
Back in the real world, Raiden had finally stopped after five minutes of holding a fractured connection to fate in one piece. The Shinto God removed his hands from the sides of Nero's head and the buzzing of electricity stopped as well.
"Did it work?" asked Trish almost immediately by Nero side. She saw him as her younger brother and she didn't want to lose him because of some stupid idea he had.
"I did all that I could, but his connection to fate is... intriguingly complex," replied the deity.
"Is he alright, is what she means," interjected Dante, but right at that moment, Nero let out a groan as he sat up.
"Nero!" gasped Patty as she rushed over to him, grabbing his left arm to hung, "You're okay!"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he groaned, holding his head as Patty let him go, "Feel like I just watched a ten-hour documentary."
"That should go away within a few moments," advised Raiden, "Now then, what did you uncover, Nero?"
"Essentially," replied the hunter as he swung his legs off the desk and got right on his feet. Once he had ground underneath him, he made a bee-line for the doors, "We've got work to do."
To Be Continued...
And here we are, chapter 2 is all done to the best of my ability. I know it's much sooner than I told you, but don't expect it all the time.
