AN: long time no update. Mainly because my mom's too paranoid, and wouldn't let me go online, so I hafta sneak down to write this story. Also, university's coming up for me.
Welcome, Lunatic Pandora1,Karaoke Risa, hermisia! Thank you so much for reviewing my story! And welcome back, veteran readers (hehe, Aya Yuy P.SII!) ALL you guys make my day! I don't know how to express my gratitude...
Onward! DMC'S Capcom's!
CHAPTER 14: FINALLY HUMAN
As Dante stepped through the front door, his demon senses told him that something was amiss. Alarm settled over him, tensing his body. Without further wasting a moment, he leaped up the stairs to Trish's room.
A torrent of crimson orbs greeted him as the door slammed open. As if in mock imitation of a séance, they twirled and winked and danced above a motionless body, lying on the cold wooden floor.
"Trish," Dante murmured under his breath. He quickly began to move to her side, when something brown caught his eye.
It was the box of Holy Stars.
One...two...three...
Dante mentally counted, and cursed. All seven Stars were intact. It was obvious they were carelessly thrown off the bed. Blood-stained Sparda further solidified his suspicions.
"Disobedient little wench!" He barked at the unconscious form.
The half-demon kept his anger in check, and scooped up the female. Despite the urge to dump her onto the bed, he told himself that now was not the time for harsh handling.
Time to start the cleansing and warding ceremony.
The one he was about to do was not directly connected to the second ceremony he would perform, but it was extremely vital. The warding would keep certain 'distractions' from disrupting the more important ritual. Additionally, gut feeling told that after all this was finished, most of his energy would be sucked up, and he would be very, very weak. Defenseless.
The halfling placed 5 white candles around Trish's black-clad body and lit them. The flames danced, making shadows leap upon Trish's unusally pale skin. He began taking out some ingredients, one by one, from the yellowed Safeway bag (the native told him that everything was good and reusable).
First, S Apiana...otherwise known as "White Sage." Now extremely vital to Dante. White Sage was used to drive out evil spirits and negative thoughts and feelings, and, most importantly, to keep Gan'n (negative entities, as the elderly Native told him) from where a ceremony was taking place.
A bit of Thuja Occidentalis, otherwise know as Western Red Cedar. A purifier. The reason of using this was to draw good energy in his direction. Dante had a feeling that he needed help.
Dante took out a brazier and some sweet grass, and began the process of smudging. He shaved little bits of it and burned them into charcoal. He tied the White Sage and the Western Red Cedar together with some white thread, and cut them into shavings. With that, he carefully burned those as well, and placed the brazier next to Trish. He directed the healing smoke towards her body with his hands, and saw her aura.
It was not good.
He saw that it was all black (except where it was a bit healthier gray where the smoke slowed down the disintegrating process), and knew instantly he had to begin the second ceremony. It seemed to be less complicated than the first, but knew that it would be far more taxing.
Picking up one of his personal books, he flipped through the yellowed pages and found the passage he wanted. He picked up a beautiful silver dagger, its blade sharp as a razor, specifically made for slashing through skin.
And he began chanting:
Qui riuniamo, tutti gli alcoolici testimoniano il rebirth. Elimini l'inceppo l'anima di questa donna prima di me. Liberila dal suo padrone. Expell che lei da sua lega. Goddess santo dell'OH di curatio, guardi sopra noi come liberiamo i legami. Puliscala, guar.
Accetti l'anima della miniera come la nuova fonte di alimentazione. Dò la mia anima. ORA!!
Just as he shouted the last word, ORA, the candles flickered low. He deftly sliced his left wrist with the wicked dagger, and firmly pressed the flesh against Trish's open mouth as dark blood violently spurted out.
Something happened, and it forced Dante to scream out aloud. He could feel his soul splitting, could feel his body burning. He felt as if he were being consumed by his very being...there was no way to describe the agony. His right hand curled into a claw. Veins in his neck stuck out in cords. His head tilted back, damp, shaggy bangs falling from his face, exposing the excruciation painted on his face. He uttered a long cry, an animal cry of suffering. And now...
Dante now could feel white light pulsing with every beat of his heart, traveling downwards quickly, like how air was sucked out to make a vacuum. The light shined through places where Trish's mouth did not meet his wrist. Brilliant, dazzling, awful, beautiful...
This is... Dante thought wearily, part of my soul...
Twin streams of blood flowed from both sides of Trish's mouth as the ebb flowed unnaturally faster. And then it abruptly stopped.
He could barely think anymore. His body felt locked down, and his wrist limply slid away. Though his body healed at a fairly rapid rate (in fact, the deep cut had already formed scar tissue; in another hour the tissue itself would be completely gone), the taxing ceremony had sapped all of his strength, thus slowing the healing process. He slumped over Trish's body.
Already he could feel her solidifying properly. Good. His pure, healing demon blood would fully fix any damage done to her body, before it dissolved in the chemicals in her body, and together the new compounds and chemical compositions in her body would turn her into a full human being, no different from any other.
Finally content, Dante's fevered eyes unfocused, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
That night, for once, he didn't dream of his mother; he didn't dream at all.
AN: Translation of the Italian (I couldn't find any latin, heh...):
Here we gather, all the spirits witness the rebirth. Purge the blood of this woman before me. Free her from her master. Expell her from his bonds. Oh holy Goddess of Healing, watch over us as we release the ties. Cleanse her, heal her.
Accept mine blood as the new source of power. I give my soul. NOW!
Note: I used a machine translator. Italian-fluent people, please help? :D
Okay, people :D. I know it's impossible for people to sleep deeply without dreaming, I just added the last part for drama, haha!
Oh yes, anarchy-munkey, you can do whatever with my story. Everyone else, too, as long as you notify me first!! :D.