Shit… I kind of needed time in the oven bean with this story. I thought I had everything planned out, then things started changing. Everything kept changing and I didn't like the original plan for this chapter. The hard part was deciding on what to do with this chapter as a whole, and where I can take Vergil next.

And, I might have something still in line for where I want to go.

Chapter 4: Don't pity me

Crach was having one of those days in his room of a kingdom where he needs a drink to get him through the day. He kept his gaze on the fire wood that provided much comfort compared to the chillness of Skellige, "So where just gonna let the village beat him till he's dead?" Crach took a sip of the alcohol in his cup, hearing the queen of Cintra voice in his room and speaking about a matter he's still contemplating in his head, "Not saying he deserves punishment, but death? When we have at least one eye witness that saw everything and not just what some others have seen," the alcohol chiseled down his throat, burning his throat, but Crach like that burning feeling, "An Craite!"

"What ya want me to do, Calanthe?!" Crach let his voice be heard, tired of the queen of Cintra voice calling out to him. He turn his head to her, seeing her mouth frown and her eyebrow shrewd, "He's a foreigner, doesn't belong to anyone, people want to kill him because of his black magic, and I've done my part to accept him, but this is the reason why I don't open up my arms to foreigners," he gulped down all that alcohol before finishing his statement, "...They're not to be trusted at all, even if they are a child," Crach would put his cup on top of the shelf, and have his full attention to Calanthe, "I thought by now you were returning to Cintra since Eist is most likely shedding in tears without you there."

"You know your uncle better than to do that Crach, and either way, we leave today. I just want to make sure on your decision of Vergil is clear as day."

"You forget that this isn't Cintra, Calanthe," his arms crossed, "Skellige's tradition is to handle justice through their hands rested upon Freya's judgment," he raised his hands, gripping it to emphasis the strength Skellige has, "I'm Jarl to keep order and respect amongst Skellige," he also pounded his chest too, again emphasizing what Skellige is, "So if the village wish death on Vergil, may Freya rest his soul, because they will give him death in whatever form… Why do you care so much about the white-haired foreigner? Wanted to adopt him or something? Have he wed your granddaughter when you wouldn't let my son?" It was Crach's turn to be curious at his aunt's interest in Vergil, "Cause that won't be a good look on you or her, just as when I broke Hjalmar and her apart from one another. Trust me that he is very much upset, and even more so when people started talking about Vergil's doing. In one failed swope, he lost a good enough to love, and a good enough to intake hatred in his heart."

For a moment, Calanthe attention stray from her nephew. What was the reasoning for taking in a foreign kid? One that her granddaughter admired for various reasons that aren't what she thought it would be. Sure, she seeing much of what Vergil is and can be; has the strength, mind, focus of a fighter, a true fighter. Has the thirst for knowledge, no matter how devious it seems. And that's the one thing that always bothers her about him, what was his true nature of understanding anything and everything? Not to mention, just like Crach's hot blooded son, Cirilla didn't take the news of both not being able to be with Hjalmar and Vergil being judged by the people of Skellige harshly well,"...I once said I don't Vergil would be with Cirilla for long because of his ambitious nature to learn a lot for his own sake… Now with all this going on, Cirilla is very much tied to him and in fact, I'm worried she'll soon try to do something to save her friend."

Crach groan and rolled his eyes, "Next thing you know your guards are gonna kick down my door an-"

"Maddam Calanthe!" Instead of kicking, Cintra's guard pushed past the door, "Princess Cirilla had escaped from her room!" Calanthe guard shouted as they burge through Crach's door.

Calanthe eyes widened at that matter while Crach looked to be furious from obviously being right this would happen just as he predicted, "Bloody hell! Weren't you all supposed to be watching her?! Wait, what about Crey's" He step closer to the guards, "Don't tell me she fuckin distracted you all!"

"She wanted to-"

Crach head butted one of the Cintra's guards, causing him to fall on his ass with his bleeding nose, "You were all told to watch her with close eyes!" Calanthe shouted, her own furry being shown from words instead of fist, "I'm guessing she went right to the village settlement on horseback?" She asked, letting her hands rub the bridge of her nose to her mouth as one of the guards helped the poor man up.

"Most definitely mistress. We've sent someone to make sure she's alright and hopefully get her back."

"She's likely there already," Calanthe didn't stay and kept talking about the possibilities, she's was already out of Crach's

Calanthe would march with her guards out of Crachs room and kingdom in a hurry. What she knows her granddaughter will see isn't something she wanted her to see, and she fears that she's already there, watching Vergil's torture. Crach himself pour another drink by himself before he would leave with Calanthe, "What a bloody fucking day…"

For the several days that had passed by, Vergil suffered the wrath of skellige people's fierce emotions. The way the laws at Skellige work was that usually Crach himself would have people by his side, and most of the civilians to judge the fate of the person who committed an unlawful act.

But in certain cases that doesn't involved Crach such as villages scattered around Skellige, there leader and the people of the village can decide what they do to those that are seeing as villains.

In this case, the villagers painted Vergil as that forgin villain, who came and killed dozens of people with the supposed black magic of a demon.

Vergil didn't fight them off and accepted the punishment. He could have fought back, he could have vanished to the demon realm, but he didn't want to. He wanted to see the length of how far his body can take those punishments from the lesser beings. This is the honorable thing to be done to him, and he wasn't gonna run from what he had done either. They weren't able to take his sword from his grasp, but it didn't stop the beating they gave him. Some of the warriors that were alive contributed to this, beaten him more and even tried to easily kill him by slicing his neck.

Yet Vergil survived, easily healing hsi wounds.

They held his body hanging upside down each day when they had their fill of him, hoping the starvation for food would get to him, but Vergil survived.

Even when he survived, they still tried delivering justice, but Vergil's body was tough enough to withstand the villagers' beating. They tried sawing off his body to make his death quick but painful, but all they were able to do was pierced through his skin and make him bleed as he healed and healed.

Some areas like his face and his body that no longer had the clothes he once wore a few days ago besides his pants, were shaped in different colors to the bruises and took their time to heal as his body was more focused on healing specific parts that can lead him to death doors. They now were trying to hang him as it was the only other solution to curse him to death doors. At this point is where the villagers were able to get Vergil to release the grasp of his sword. The rope they drag and hang him was something that Vergil wasn't expecting to be both uncomfortable and excruciatingly painful. Then not to mention, they plunge his own sword through his stomach, causing him to cough in blood and at the sametime, gasping for air.

If anything he's learning at this point, humans have ways to hurt anyone and anything. When they lose loved one's that mean so much to them, they would go the lengths to exact revenge. As Vergil can feel the rope strangling his neck, as his instinct clutch to stand on something, anything of that matter, one thought rang through his brain as he was losing the will to breath, '...How could humans….. Find their strength for revenge…. When I can't?'

The single thought of not being strong enough to avenge his family rang through his head. He had to awaken the demon to fight that spirit, not his own strength was the one that carried that fight. He had to kill innocents just so the spirit wouldn't have another host, and in some ways.

Vergil deserves this death, so that way he can be with his family wherever they're at.

And the villagers screamed in their so-called justice as they saw his body hanged with no utter emotions or instinct to survive, "HE'S DYING!"

"DEATH TO THE DEMON!"

"HAVE NO MERCY ON YOUR DAMN SOUL!"

"FREYA WILL BRING NO PEACE TO YOU, YOU DEVIL!"

No more than few people pray that Vergil would find some sort of peace wherever he may go, even the one skellige warrior that was the only to know that he meant no harm to the village could only watch in horror as this young boy was now dead at the hands of Skellige, "This isn't justice… This is cruelty, and they wouldn't listen to the truth," he muttered to himself as he no longer wanted to watch anymore of this.

What some didn't notice was Cirilla amongst the crowd, watching his death. She didn't know what she could do, but she knew she would do anything to save him. That is, until her grandmother came, dressed in her armor clothing, grabbing her by the arms and dragging her away from Vergil. Cirilla didn't look surprised when she got out of her grasp, "I need to do something! They're killing him!"

"What can you do Cirilla?!" Calanthe said, her expression remained stone and calm as she didn't share the same emotion of seeing a child paying for the crimes of killing innocents, "This is how Skellige judges people for causing a crime."

"But he wasn't gonna kill people!"

"And how would you know that?" Her expression didn't change, but now she was using the voice of the queen to get through her granddaughter's skull of what she was seeing, "You only knew him for a month, Cirilla. No matter what he showed you, he could have hidden his true self from all of us."

Cirilla wanted to argue to her grandmother that Vergil, deep down his stoic nature, was a good person. Why else would he saved Hjalmar? Why else would he stick around instead of leaving since he could take care of himself? And most of all, why would he spare a few words that encourage her not to take her own life over petty reasons.

So she kept her opinion to herself, and let her grandmother drag her away from Vergil, but enough to not tear her eyes away from his broken and bloody body. If some would care to notice, Vergil's hand was twitching. He's not completely dead, as he himself isn't ready to die with the very memories that tells him why he isn't ready to die.

"Vergil?"

"Dante."

"You think we'll stick together? Even after our parent's go to heaven?"

"You know there isn't no heaven right?"

"But there is a hell, where dad's from, and who knows, maybe mom is from heaven herself!"

"You're an idiot… But I don't see why we wouldn't be together after our parents die. We're brothers, and with me being the oldest, I'll always be there for you."

"You're only older by at least a minute!"

"Still older."

"Don't make me smack you with my rebellion again!"

"Talk is cheap. If you wanna go, let's go."

"FINE BY ME!"

"WHATEVER HAPPENS, TAKE CARE OF YOUR MOTHER AND BROTHER!"

"Vergil… Live… For Dante….'

"Never imagine I would meet you of all places. Let alone falling from the sky as I briefly wanted to kill myself for something stupid as blinded love. I won't question what you are, but I am glad that for the past month or so, you've been a good friend. A prick mind you, but a good one."

Suddenly, Vergil's eyes open, screaming so loud that the god Freya could have definitely heard from the heavens as he ripped the rope from his neck. He fell to his knees, held his gaze over the villagers, seeing their fear amongst them as he survived. Some of the warriors stood guard in the front line with their weapons and shields, while some others backed away from the utter killing intent Vergil was giving out.

"Vergil!" Cirilla let out his name in gasp, both glad that he's alive, but terrified of the state he's in. Her grandmother, Crach, and the guards were holding her back so she wouldn't do anything stupid as she felt her body pivoting to Vergil. Trying to escape their grasp to go to him, wanting to save him.

But she was only a small girl with the grown adults easily moving her away from the scene, "VERGIL!" She screamed out, hoping he heard her voice.

Vergil's brain was still trying to awaken from dying, even when he pulled out his sword from his body he was still on his knees and had to use his sword to support him to stand. This allowed multiple villagers and even the warriors to do something next.

Burn him. Warriors used arrows that were lit on fire and were sent straight at Vergil.

Two hit his head, several hit his body's and arms, and only a few hit anywhere lower, but it was burning him. Then Villagers added more fire by tossing torches at Vergil

Vergil screamed as he felt his skin peeling off from the fire that was consuming him as his body buckled back on his knees, 'No…' He could have tried to put out the fire, but Vergil didn't want to. He wants to prove to himself that he can go through the pain, that he's strong enough to endure pain on this magnitude, that this was nothing compared to what the demons can do, 'No….' Vergil scream became constant just as whatever clothes he was also burning. Everyone could see his entire body succumbing to the fire, patches of his body were losing skin, becoming darker, red, and leathery.

A portion of the villagers had to look away. Even if what he had done wasn't right, it was still a child being burnt alive.

Cirilla held her hands in her mouth as she watched Vergil scream became lessen. It wasn't long till he wasn't screaming, his eyes rolling back as his body was about to collapse to the ground, "...No…!"

The second Vergil's body was about to hit the ground, his hands stopped the fall. Slowly, a blue aura was unraveling around Vergil as his skin was healing and turning into its nonhuman form with a blue hue electricity circulating around his body that healed,"Is that…" Vergil disappeared from the ground he was on, grabbed his sword, and quickly stabbed the same man that stabbed him with his sword, letting him scream as he easily pulled his sword out then took off his head, "ALL YOU HUMANS GOT?! YOU CAN'T KILL ME! YOU'RE ALL WEAK," he then let the force of his power explode, enough everyone was sent to the ground from the utter force of unleashing his demon form. He flexed his body to break the arrows from his body, and got into his stance.

He was ready to kill all these people in front of him. Forgetting about the children's that needed their parents, forgetting about the warriors that work tirelessly to help everyone, forgetting about those who work to keep their family fed.

Vergil didn't care. All he knew is that humans have a way of hurting him, hurting him where he was clinging to his own heart, and he wanted to show them how he felt in that moment, "BUT I'LL SHOW YOU TRUE PAIN!"

"NOOOOO!" Ciriilla screamed out, louder than she wanted to, but more than she thought was going too. It wasn't just the scream that became powerful, but an energy that sent a shock wave around her, that sended people flying away from the area including her grandmother and Crach who only survived because of their armor, unlike some others. They both scrambled away to take cover as they covered their ears.

The poor people and Skellige warriors' ears were drained with blood of the scream, several of them succumbed to the sound that they led the dead on the grounds, others died from the force of the explosion, and or were impaled by objects that only made death far more painful.

Whatever Horses were not too close to Cirilla ran, some were blown into the destruction of the village, dying either quickly from the impact, or slowly dying from the piercing scream. Cirilla's emerald eyes began to glow as she couldn't stop her tears, as she couldn't stop the madness that was unfolding in front of her eyes, "PLEASE… DON'T KILL… NO MORE KILLING…. STOP IT STOP IT!"

People ran away from the scene itself, covering their bleeding ears as houses, people's lively work, were being destroyed by Ciri's power pulsing in green energy waves from her howling sorrow. She screamed and screamed, and began muttering a language that she herself doesn't know. It was like another person had become her, but part of her was still there, the innocent child that only wanted her friend not to die and come back home with her. Wherever that may be.

Crach was in a position where his body protected Calanthe, yet both feared for her Cirilla as they weren't in any way able to escape her powerful magic without hurting themselves, 'Not you too….. Why must magic curse my children's?' Calanthe thought to herself, involving the cursed magic that runs through her family now being showcased by her granddaughter.

And Vergil was watching all this unfold in front of him. His own senses were slowly coming back to him, realizing Cirilla was emitting power from her very emotional state, realizing the girl, who he cared for, and tried to not care, too had power like him.

And so he walked to her, with some resistance due to her power. Eventually, the sheath of his sword became part of his arm, as if his own body understood what he wanted to do as he took a hold of Cirilla in his arms. She was still muttering languages beyond his conscious could comprehend, but he can feel the power dissipating from his touch. And it didn't hurt him, "...So you too have a power that brings fear amongst everyone...? How… Touching."

Her power was now dissipating. Her cries can slowly but surely be heard as she leaned into the warmth that was Vergil. His demon form diminished, his whole body healed, and his sword was properly sichuated by his side as Cirilla no longer dissipated any magic from her emotional outburst, "Please… Don't kill anymore."

Vergil didn't answer her back, he can see Calanthe getting up from her cover position with the help of Crach. Crach, even when he knew he was outmatched to what Vergil is, took his own sword to prepare to get Cirilla back from Vergil.

Yet Calanthe objected to this by holding his arm back from proceeding any forward. Crach looked back at Calanthe, quizzled at the fact of her holding him back. She only shook her head, as he knew as stubborn as he is, Vergil would and could kill him if he ever wanted too.

Cirilla's head was buried into his body as she kept letting her emotional walls down on Vergil. And meanwhile, they both stood in the center of nothingness. Once was village, one of many peaceful one's in Skellige, but now, there's next to nothing that made it as a village with everything being destroyed and the villagers either dead or all escaped from the scene.

Vergil took note of the destruction, making Cirilla doesn't see what she had done to spare her the image of knowing what she can do. And he nodded to Calanthe as way of thanking her for all that she had done and stopping Crach from being stupid.

Then, he simply vanished. Not using his sword to disappear, or maybe moved at speeds Calanthe or Crach couldn't make heads or tails. She should be worried, her senses were telling her that Vergil can not be trusted.

But she saw his eyes, and eyes never lie like the lip of a person. Once was icy blue that covered any normal human emotion except when in combat, but here, she saw oceanic eyes that look purely lost, hurt, and sadness.

Saddened at the known fact he won't be in Ciri's life anymore.

Cirilla didn't know she was moved from her position with how much she was clinging onto Vergil, how emotional she is and was to see Vergil go through so much trauma. But once she felt the more colder breeze and snowy ground, she had an idea where he took her.

She looked up to Vergil, seeing how his eyes were lost staring at the skies above him, "...I remember my brother and I would sit by our tree in Toussaint, and look at the stars. We had our own theories as to what they really can be, but we imagine that one day we'll see its beautiful core someday and somehow….." He departed from her, standing by himself that only made Cirilla feel colder a lot more without him, "..I haven't thought about my brother since the day my parents died. I don't know if he's alive… Or dead, I assume dead because it's better to be realistic than to have fake hope."

His walls were coming down, and Cirilla hated that for the month she knew him now was the time he was letting off something more about himself, "Why…. Why do you have to go?" Cirilla didn't turn to be attentive him, keeping her eyes train on the snowy ground, the familiar ground where she almost killed herself for stupid reasons.

"Don't be dumb. You knew this wasn't gonna last Cirilla," Vergil responded, keeping his eyes on the stars.

"...It's not fair… You knew you couldn't take on that thing normally. And you had to know you would use that blade of yours to slay normal citizens."

Vergil let his eyes shut for a second, taking that second to pick and choose what he will say to the ashen hair girl, "...Yes. I'm no sorcerer or witcher to be able to kill spirits like those properly, and I could have been faster, but I wanted to fight with my own power instead of my fathers… I failed in that regard."

Tears were falling again from her eyes, trickling from her cheek, to her clothing, and to the ground, "YOUR A BASTARD!" She threw his bad at him that was separated when he was torture, "WHY?! WHY TARNISH YOURSELF LIKE THAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST STAY AT HOME WITH ME? WHY DID YOU HAD TO GO SO YOU HAVE A REASON TO LEAVE ME! WHY….Why must I lose another person…? First was my parent's, some people I once knew from Cintra who mattered to me but decided to fight because of war, then the person who was supposed to be my destiny leaves me all alone, Hjalmar's love being taken away from me because of who I am…. And now you of all people," she wallowed in her sadness, cried to herself as she had to hold her own self because Vergil wouldn't, "Worst of all…. I don't even remember what happened after you very nearly were gonna kill everyone, even me and my grandmother…"

He flinched at the thought of hurting Cirilla, and at the very least her only flesh and blood she could call a family. It helped that she didn't remember that she was the one that very much killed almost everyone in the village, and that's something he would spare the pain of her knowing, "...I couldn't keep your fantasy going Cirilla."

"IT WASN'T A FANTASY!" She shouted, angry at his calm voice, angry at the outcome he chose upon himself, angry at everything spiraling out of her control. Cirilla was simply angry at fate itself, "..Not to me it wasn't! Skellige is the home I always want with the people I love more than Cintra… At least here I'm not treated with royalty, and at least here I thought I'd found a friend who would stick with me."

"You knew…"

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up! I wanted… I wanted to believe… Just wanted to believe fate shines upon me with a friend that I can have for the rest of my life…"

Vergil couldn't help himself to turn to Cirilla, and now, for the first time, Cirilla saw a boy in front of him, one with all the power of a demon, having a single stroke of tear falling from his eyes that he quickly wiped away. And here, Cirilla saw it. His wall was being broken and he couldn't even accept how hard he's trying to wipe the tears that are trying to come out, "...I'm not weak…. Don't look at me like I am.."

"..I never said…"

"DON'T LOOK AT ME AS I'M WEAK! I'M STRONG!" Cirilla body shiver, not from the cold, but the utter power coming from his voice, changing to demonic just as how his eyes turn brighter blue then his normal blue eyes, I'LL BE STRONGER THAN MY FATHER…" his own tears were coming out even more, and his own hands couldn't hide it or stop it.

So he let his demonic power overcome him and he transformed into that same demon from earlier, "I'LL TAKE MY REVENGE ON MY MOTHER…..! I….I'LL KILL EVERY LAST DEMON… SPIRIT… WHATEVER IS BEYOND THIS WORLD! I WILL DO WHAT MY FATHER COULDN'T!" His own crying was more silent than Cirilla's. She was really seeing how hard he's trying to close himself off, disconnect his emotions as a way to stay calm and strong, "I won't be weak…. Like my brother was…"

Cirilla saw a boy trying to be a man because the world itself had forced him to grow up and realize life is truly unfair. That he realized what he set out to do isn't as easy as he thought it'd be. So she huddle close to him, now embracing him on her part where he subconsciously leaned his head on her chest. She felt how tough his skin became in this form, but somehow, it still felt as smooth as his actual skin.

Like he was still clinging onto his human half, "...Don't pity me…"

Cirilla didn't feel her own tears as earlier, she wasn't crying anymore, and instead let her own small body comfort him, "...I would never pity you…. Only feel more sad that you have to leave me…"

Regardless of his demon form, it didn't stop the tears still falling from his bright blue eyes. So much so that he let his demon form go to where he became human again, burying his head deep into her chest, "I have to….. As you say about fate and destiny, it's my own path that I have to walk… On my own to be strong.."

It didn't help that he was ashamed of showing this part of him, his human side, one that is torture by the choices he has made thus far, and now has live with the consequences, "...We'll see each other again," she lifted Vergil face away from her chest, tried have him look up to her just as she looked directly at him, "...You and I.. We're fated to see each other again," she said like it was a promise of the lifetime.

"And how… How do you know of this…?" He asked, not wanting to believe her words, "..What if you don't love what I become by the time we see each other? What if I truly become the monster everyone sees me as? Because… I did what you wanted me not to do… Ciri."

Cirilla hoped it didn't come to it, and that saddened her even more that he was put into a position to survive for himself, no matter the cause, "Is my grandmother and Crach…?"

"Alive, queen Calanthe knows I'll bring you back to her…. I just needed..."

"Time to say goodbye," Cirilla finished what he was thinking. Her fingers brushed by the side of his eyes, wiping the wetness from his eyes that caused him to look straight into her emerald eyes, one that was smiling at him as she was no longer crying, "You may be something beyond this world… But you will never be a monster in my eyes," she sweapted his hair back more so he could have the appearance he always wanted; fierce, yet composed expression, "No matter…" She took a breath in and out, to admit something she's dearly afraid of, "...No matter if you kill more people that get in your way of your destiny."

Vergil can hear from her voice, how she did not want to come to terms of what he will do more in the future. It didn't sit comfortably that indeed, they'll be different people when they see each other again. But compared to her expression of how she feels, Vergil wouldn't do the same and tell her he too is afraid of meeting a different person in the future.

His only response that he can give some of that fear off, was to further embrace Cirilla in the snowy point of where they first met each other. For his part that Cirilla deeply loved as she closed her eyes was the more profound strength in his embrace, she never felt in embrace like this from another person that wasn't someone from her family. Yet, she is familiar with this embrace too.

It was an embrace of someone who loves the person, enough so that they want to lose them. While Cirilla truly doesn't know how Vergil perceives her, she only can imagine that he sees her as someone who showed that it's alright to feel, really feel human, and she hopes he'll find someway to not ignore it, but accept it.

Calanthe couldn't find the time to focus on preparing for her leave back to Cintra. Unlike Crach, who very much sent people and himself to look for Cirilla. Calanthe waited patiently by the outside of her place of stay in Kaer trolde. She trust that Vergil wouldn't do anything even more stupid to feel the wrath of the whole Skellige people raining down on him, "You know you don't need to guard me, Hjalmar. I'll be fine since I do still have my people to protect me."

Hjalmar shook himself, trying to stay awake and keep his duty up. Calanthe can see the bags beginning to form under his eyes, but also, a fierce look that says he's out for blood, "Then you'll have another person to stand on guard. The more the merrier to take down that focking bastard."

"Vergil wouldn't dare show himself here. His only real purpose left here is to bring Cirilla back to me."

"And what if he doesn't, queen Calanthe?" Hjalmar asked with his eyebrow arch, "I didn't trust him to begin with, I should have kept doing that, but I didn't… Now Cirilla has to suffer for it."

"Is it her suffering? Or is it you who found someone that can compete with you on many levels. To only find out he's some kind of sorcerer, testing the limits of his power, to only reap what he sow."

Hjalmar sucked under his teeth, he stared at the ax in both of his hands for a moment before looking back at Calanthe curious gaze, "...Why do you still talk like he's a good fellow? HE MURDER MY PEOPLE! CAN'T YOU FIND SOME HEART IN THAT?!" Just as how furious his looks were, so now was his voice.

Calanthe kept her gaze on the boy who wants to be a warrior, but now has to deal with the reality that some people would never stay as friends or allies. She embraced him, and while he didn't shed a tear, he too embraced Calanthe warmth, "I do, my heart goes out to Skellige as a whole. But my view on Vergil isn't like yours or anyone of that matter. Whether you realize this or not, that boy will forever be on his own in pursuit of what power he can obtain, either by himself or for other reasons."

Hjalmar couldn't respond to her way of seeing the white hair foreigner, only to hear her out because to him, nothing made sense anymore.

Calanthe can see both Skellige and Cintras warriors coming towards her, with Cirilla in the middle of them all. The two people would go on to also comfort the ashen hair girl who had just lost a friend, just like how she keeps losing more people that are important to her.

This chapter was very much different than originally planned. But I kept thinking of one thing; Vergil wouldn't put himself in any situation when he can just up and leave. His real connection is with Ciri, anyone else is just there to be used. I also had a much heartbreaking take on Vergil cutting ties with Ciri, but everything changed when I found the idea of using this chapter to showcase that Vergil and Ciri aren't as different as they think one of them are.

Vergil is still a kid, and he hasn't done as much to embrace his demon side like the canon just yet. He still very much has a glimpse of his human side that he has no way of shaving it off at the moment. So I couldn't do the whole dick head route for him with either of the characters just yet. See ya whenever.