Devil May Cry: Zero
Disclaimer: All original characters from Devil May Cry belong to Capcom. This is a non-profit fan fiction.
Chapter 6: The Mirrors
After a struggle through half a dozen of Engima that congested the way, Dante and Rei reached the next area. Although Rei was not as strong as Dante or Vergil in combat skills, her aim was accurate. She used her shotgun to stun the four-legged demons first, followed by a finishing blow from Dante before the Engima could release their deadly needles.
They found themselves in a pathway filled with mirrors from top to bottom. The mirrors came in different sizes but were mostly rectangular shaped. There were hundreds of reflections of Dante and Rei since the mirrors reflect each other as well. When she first saw her own reflection, Rei almost thought she found Mia. The place they were at was called the Mirror Walk. It consisted of pathways joining another one another. It was almost like a mice maze made entirely with mirrors. Dante and Rei went through the paths to find the exit but soon lost directions. They didn't even remember how to go back to where they came from.
"This is so much fun," Dante said in frustration. He felt like they had been going in circles for hours. "Damn this, how much time do we have left?" He asked his client but found her no longer behind him. Dante quickly went back to the last pathway that he thought he came by. Unfortunately, there were no signs of Rei. Only the reflections of himself remained.
Rei was feeling tired and edgy from running in the identical, tunnel-like pathways. She was following Dante closely until he made turn in front; then she just lost sight of him. It was weird because they had been making countless turns before but he just seemed to had disappeared within air at the last one. It was the only explanation she could give herself because she had been keeping up with the devil hunter. Dante made a turn to the right while she was still in the previous path. Rei was only a few seconds behind him but when she head left, Dante was no longer there. She went to the left pathway as well as the one on right but didn't find anyone.
After a while, Rei began to call out Dante's name, hoping he would hear her if he happened to be near. It was a risky thing to do because the demons might find out where she was but she didn't have a choice. Rei felt miserable. She lost her way as well as her helper. She wasn't anywhere near find Mia either. Time was ticking away slowly, which meant it was getting closer to midday. Instead of running like she was before, Rei slowed down and walked instead. A pathway in front of her appeared different from the others. Rei quickened her pace to look at where it led.
"Rei!" Dante called. He looked everywhere but couldn't find her. For a moment, Dante felt warmth in his coat's pocket. Digging out the object, he found it to be his mother's amulet. Because Dante always had it with him, he almost forgot he brought it along as well. He only owned half of the actual item; the other half was given to Vergil. The amulet was made up of a large red stone with silver frame around it. It was glowing faintly like fading fire. Dante had never seen it glow before for as long as he had it.
He decided to mention it to Vergil the next time he sees him. To his surprise, Rei found him just after he put the half amulet away.
"Dante!" Rei was happy to find him. "Where were you? I thought I lost you." She said.
"Yeah…same," Dante said. For some reason, he didn't seem glad to see her. Even though his way of expressing gladness was different to normal people, he had a way of showing it that was probably known to his brother only.
"I've found the exit," Rei told him excitedly. "It's this way, let's go." She led Dante towards another path. They didn't get very far before Rei heard the sound of a gun being drawn out. Dante was pointing Ebony at her.
"Dante?" Rei looked shocked.
"You are not Rei," Dante said. He sounded very serious.
"This is not funny, Dante," Rei said.
The devil hunter simply pulled the trigger at her. As he expected, the figure in front of him shattered like glass.
"How did you find out?" A voice came behind him. Dante turned around and found himself – his reflection to be exact – standing in front of him. "You shouldn't be able to sense the aura of demons here. I could have been Mia as well."
"I can't," Dante replied. "But there is a special quality that the real Rei has that you don't. She's different. I'm sure her sister is the same."
"I see," The mirror demon said. "Nonetheless, you will not go any further." Having said that, many fake Dante walked out of the mirrors. Dante was surrounded by the replications of his own reflection.
"Right-o," Dante drew out Ivory with his other hand. "I was just getting bored."
Vergil cut apart another Hell-Sloth that stood in his way. He couldn't remember how many of those he killed. If he didn't eliminate the Hell-Greed first, they just kept coming back. The problem was that Hell-Greed called upon others of it kind as well, even if there was one left standing. He needed to get rid of all of them as soon as they appeared. As simple as it might sound, it was almost impossible because the other Hells would lung at him at every chance they got. At least the area was small so he didn't have to waste time looking for the demons. On the contrary, Vergil needed to be extra careful since he was so close to them. In addition, he had to make sure he wasn't close to the edge. Escape was not an option. Although he didn't like the idea of running away, Vergil didn't want to waste time on them either. However, all the paths were sealed so unless he defeated all demons, he couldn't go anywhere.
A few Hell-Lust closed in on Vergil from different directions. He found them most annoying because not only they were agile, their scythe attack dealt quite a bit of damage. Using his three-slash combo, Vergil killed three, dodged another but the last one came from above and wounded his shoulder. At the same time he found himself near the last Hell-Greed. Ignoring the other demons, Vergil unleashed another combo with Yamato to finish it off. His injured shoulder lowered his speed slightly but Vergil was able to slay all the remaining demons.
Clutching onto his sword with one hand, Vergil lowered himself on one knee to catch his breath. He was worn out from the battle in which he almost fought off a roomful of Hells that were capable of multiplying their number. It was the first time he ever battled so many of them alone. Using the sleeve of his coat, Vergil wiped off the sweat on his forehead. He noted that the seals that once blocked the paths were gone.
Something in his coat pocket was releasing a red glow. Vergil took out his mother's amulet. It was glowing faintly as though it was reacting to something. The amulet was a gift from the mother that him and Dante both lost. Their mother never told them what it was for. She just wanted them to protect it and never give their piece to anyone. None of the twins ever thought the amulet had hidden powers.
Suddenly, he could hear the sound of hands clapping in the room. Vergil quickly searched for the origin of the sound. "Are you enjoying yourself?" A man appeared to be in his mid-twenties spoke in a light-hearted tone. He stood not far away from him. The man had dark brown hair and silver-coloured eyes. His shirt and trousers were black.
"It's you," Vergil said coldly, narrowing his eyes. He recognised that he had the same voice as the person he spoke on the phone just hours before.
"You found out about the girl, haven't you?" Rune asked, smiling as he did. "I told you the truth."
"You're wasting your time," Vergil said. "You are way less trust-worthy than her." He pointed his katana at Rune. Yamato was as sharp as new despite the number of demons it slew.
"In that case, you better hurry," Rune suggested. He wasn't angry at all. "They have been separated," He added.
Vergil didn't know why Rune was telling him that, but he didn't think he was joking either. He put away Yamato and headed for the path where his brother and Rei went. His injured shoulder was still bleeding. It hurt terribly but Vergil didn't have time to treat it. Rune watched him leave. The only thing he was interested in what would happen next.
The Domain never failed to surprise Rei. As soon as she left Mirror Walk, Rei saw a lake in front of her. It was a lake inside a cave. Round pebbles lain under the crystal clear water. It would have been an ordinary lake if it had plants and animals in it. There were no signs of life in the water. The deepness of the lake was shown by the colour of the water. It was light around the edge and was darkest in the middle. She could vaguely make out there was some sort of path at the other end of the lake. However, there was no land between where she stood and the other side. What appeared like a possible route were large round boulders that were scattered all over the lake. About a quarter of the boulders' surface was exposed above the water. Rei thought against the idea of jumping onto them because the distance between each one was too great for her. She couldn't make it.
After a mental debate about whether she should wait for Dante first or go on by herself, Rei decided to check out how deep the water was first. She knew well that there could be danger in the innocent looking water, but she couldn't let Dante and Vergil take all the risks. It was her who put them in danger so Rei felt she had responsibilities to do what she can. She put her feet in the water and was surprised to find herself standing on the water. It was as though the water was frozen. Rei walked to the center of the lake.
"Welcome to Lagoon," A water pillar rose from the lake and out came a woman. Her long hair was in different shades of blue, just like the colours of the lake. The waves in it were like gentle waves of the ocean. She was wearing a dark blue outfit.
"Who are you?" Rei asked, looking the woman suspiciously. Her spring-green eyes were locked firmly onto the stranger.
The woman smiled at her. "I'm Niji. I can take you to your sister."
Rei drew out her shotgun and pointed it at her. Where Niji once stood became a blur. Rei quickly scanned around her but before she could react, Niji had already bent her arms behind her back. Her right hand was still holding onto her gun.
"You are one of those people who took Mia away, right?" Rei asked angrily. Niji's grip was stronger than she thought. She struggled but it was no use. Rei wished she could use her summons but she was still wearing the locket that suppressed her power.
Niji looked at the struggling girl with her sapphire blue eyes. She was quite impressed by Rei's courage. "I suppose you're right. Not that it really matters now. It's time for us to go."
Unexpectedly, a bullet was shot towards Niji. She had to let go of Rei in order to dodge it.
"Dante!" Rei had never felt so relieved. Dante stood at the entrance to the lake with Ebony and Ivory in his hands.
"Going to the party without me? I don't think so," Dante said with a smirk.
Author's note: I can't believe I forgot to allow anonymous reviews as well. I feel like an idiot. Sorry about that everyone. The stupid author (me) is too careless and clumsy. Anyone should be able to review now. Thank you for those who are reviewed for me and for your continuous support.
Date written: 15-3-2005