Dangerous Wishes
Lilith walked into the nearest plaza and suddenly wished she hadn't. A new statue of Sparda, the first one in the new territoies, was being dedicated. It was his demon form with the arms outstretched as if to embrace something in a behemoth hug. She watched the first person drop a handful of flowers at the statue's feet. Lilith took one step back in hopes of leaving unnoticed. She wasn't that lucky. Not realizing whom she was, one person shoved her from behind. By habit, she struck him across the chest. He screamed and dropped to the ground. Lilith felt all eyes turn towards her.
"Dammit," she muttered. Everyone, except for a few, fell to their knees. She ignored the few disobedient ones long enough to approach the statue. Rather than fly to the top as she usually did, she slowly climbed to the statue's shoulder and sat on the bicep. No one made a move below. No one would unless the few who were still standing decided to kneel.
"What would my father do?" she asked. She pointed a finger at one of the men still standing. He stared up at her defiantly. Lilith stared back as a bolt of lightning flashed from her hand. It knocked him off the ground. He landed on the other side of the plaza and rolled into the street. The final few immediately dropped to the ground. After a few seconds of the obligatory worship, they all stood and continued making offerings to the statue. Lilith stretched out across the arm and fell asleep.
(X)
Lilith found herself standing on the edge of a cliff. She sat with her legs dangling and stared up at the night sky. She nearly fell asleep from the waves crashing below. Her reverie was broken when she sensed someone sit beside her. Torn between fear and curiosity, she opened her eyes to see her visitor. He sat beside her but didn't return the gaze.
Lilith decided to speak first. "What are you doing here?"
He still didn't look at her. "I should ask you that. This is my place you're visiting. Not the other way around."
"Whatever." She looked him over when she realized he had a recent change of wardrobe. He wore black leather from head to toe that made him look remarkably like Vergil. "What do you want?"
"Excuse me?" He finally bothered to look at her. "I didn't bring you here. You came on your own." He unexpectedly reached for her face and wiped something from her right eye. She leaned back as he showed it to her. It was a blood smear.
"What is this?" she asked with a shaky voice.
"I already told you. It's a gift."
"Why? What does it mean? And what if I bleed to death?"
The man laughed. "That's impossible. It's my blood, not yours."
"Then what good is it?"
His face fell. "You'll need it. If your life is truly in danger, it'll be the only thing that can save you."
"Are you prophesizing?"
His only response was a shrug. Lilith tapped his shoulder. He responded to the touch, though she thought her hand passed through him. "What is it, child?"
"Are you here to teach me something, or what?"
"You have to teach yourself. I'm merely a guide. I know things aren't easy for you, with your mother and uncle dead, and people treat you like a goddess."
"That's the part I hate the most."
"That's too damn bad." The man looked up at the moon. "Something stirs in the air. Something beyond this world."
"You're doing it again."
"Shut up." He pointed at the moon and then at her. "You're going to die. Soon."
Lilith leaned back. "Don't tell me that. You better be fucking joking."
"I'm not. You're going to die. Unless."
Lilith tilted her head. "Unless what? Don't leave me hanging like that."
The man moved as if to answer, then he closed his mouth and smiled. He shrugged and looked away. "It doesn't matter. I trust that you'll find a way out." He pretended to look at a watch that he wasn't wearing. "Duty calls. I have somewhere to be." He stood and walked away from the cliff.
Lilith pulled her feet up and rolled to her knees. "I won't die," she said defiantly. She looked at the shadow he cast against the moonlight. "You won't let me, will you, Grandpa?"
He stopped when she addressed him. He turned to her, kissed his hand, and bowed. "No point in denying it."
"Why didn't you just admit it?"
"Why? You already know." With a single leap into the air, he transformed and flew off.
Lilith attempted to chase after him. Instead, she felt herself lose her balance.
(X)
Lilith awoke still lying on the statue. She reached out to grab the nearest thing, which turned out to be the hem of someone's coat. She pulled herself back onto the statue's arm. The owner of the coat waited patiently for her to do so before he said anything.
"Had a bad dream?" he asked.
Lilith glared at him. "That's one way of putting it."
Dante jerked his coat tail from her grip. Lilith's eyes were suddenly drawn to Dante's bottom lip. She leaned in closer for a better look. He had a new labret piercing under his lower lip. "See something you like?" he teased.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
"I was thinking why the hell not. If I were human I wouldn't even be able to talk right now."
"If you're looking for shock value, you found some of it."
"Oh, grow up. I hear you had a little skirmish with someone down below."
"How do you know?"
"He's still lying unconscious in the middle of the street. No one has dared to touch him."
Lilith saw the body he spoke of. "Why has everyone avoided him?"
"Because he brought down the wrath of a goddess. They're afraid of being jinxed."
Lilith cursed as she sat on the statue again. "That was the last thing I wanted to do."
Though she didn't want to, she waited until everyone had finished giving their offerings below before jumping to the ground. She noticed from the corner of her eye that several people were planting something with vine support sticks. She knew automatically that it was a new garden of evening glories. She continued walking in a poor attempt to ignore them. If she'd turned around, she would have seen Dante following her. He caught up to her and turned her by her shoulder.
"You're acting a little less than divine today," he said matter-of-factly.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about that little show you gave in the cabaret today, and I don't mean the music. I mean the way you reacted when I revealed your identity."
Lilith sighed. "You couldn't wait just one day before doing that?"
"Today was an important day. You knew that."
"Yes, but only for you. I just wanted one day out of my life to at least pretend I was normal."
"Compared to what? This world has never been normal since the day Mundus first set foot onto it. Though he's gone, it still isn't the way it should be."
"You know what I mean. I mean a day where I wasn't a princess, and I wasn't a goddess. I wanted to be like everyone else around here."
"Fine. I understand."
"Do you?" Lilith asked sarcastically.
Dante could feel the hostility rising. "I will be the first to admit that this isn't the life I wanted for you, but I do my best. I have done nothing less."
The words came out before Lilith's brain registered their meaning. "Ever since I was born into this fucked up family my life has been nothing but hell!"
Lilith nearly dropped dead from fright when Dante's hands shot out and grasped her neck. Though he wasn't squeezing her throat, he held tightly enough to make her panic. He spoke as if he were simultaneously fighting the urge to cry and the urge to scream in rage. "I have always done right by you, and you know it! I did not choose this for myself, let alone for you." Dante slightly shook her head with each statement. "When Mundus began his reign upon the Earth, my mother was captured and taken into the Underworld as a slave. She was fortunate enough to attract my father's good graces, and Mundus let him have her. When Vergil and I were born, Sparda was able to spare her of the cannibalistic naming ceremony, but she still died before my brother and I rebelled against Mundus and came to the Upperworld. That's the only reason you became the First Goddess instead of her. You cry about losing your mother? Well, I cry for mine, too! My mother, your mother, my brother, all died for this family! Don't you ever disrespect this family again!"
Tears of fear and sudden shame flowed down Lilith's face. "I'm sorry."
She sighed with relief when Dante's hands fell to her shoulders. His eyes were focused above her head. "If you want your day of normality, take it now, while you can." He moved as if to walk past her, but he stopped and leaned into her ear. "Be careful what you wish for. You might get it."
(X)
Isaiah ran through the forest in a desperate attempt to catch up to Ariel. He nearly tripped over a root, then caught himself and continued running. He could not stop until he saw a cliff up ahead. He stepped carefully to the edge and peered over. Soaking wet, Ariel was standing below on the other side of a raging river. In her hands was a black crystal.
"Oh no," Isaiah said to himself. "She found it."
Ariel held up the black crystal as if to taunt him. "I have one. There's only one more." She disappeared into the forest beyond the river.
Isaiah thought about jumping after her, but he knew he could not take on Ariel alone. There was no way he'd catch up to her. "I need help, and I know exactly where to look."
