Author's Note: I guess I'm back... and I'm writing again. Nothing to rejoice, but at least I feel like writing again. This is just the prologue, but my main source of inspiration actually comes from the original Devil May Cry. Just to make sure you don't misunderstand, this isn't at all about stylish action or such. The atmosphere of this fanfic is a darker one than you'd normally see. The main focus of trials in this fanfic are puzzles, mysteries and other things like that. It won't be action packed (but since it is DMC, it's got to have some, and I promise you that). Anyway, I'll start with the prologue that everyone's familiar with. You'll understand that this fanfic... well... I've tried to try out a new way of writing.

"It all began over two millenniums ago. It was on a clear, freezing night on Earth while the snow was still falling. In the darkest pits of the Underworld, an evil entity came to existence from the very deepest of shadows. This demonic enigma gained strength and power beyond anyone else, a power that grew rapidly. Not long after his own birth, the fierce Devil prince seized the throne and declared himself as the Emperor of the Underworld. With Devil Kingdom under his rule, he plotted and launched an invasion against the bitter, lone Earth, and with him, an army led by outstanding generals."

"However, one of these generals took pity of the humans when he saw their short, evanescent lives. With a new, awakened justice dwelling within him, this demonic knight engaged battles and defied the very lord he had sworn to serve. In a fierce encounter with the emperor, the demonic knight imprisoned the emperor off in a sealed vault, and sealed the evil entities off in the other side. With his sword, he shut the portal to the demonic realm. His powers spellbound by the other side, the knight abandoned Devil Kingdom and chose the human world as his home. Quietly preserving harmony, he married a human woman, and soon he fathered twins, and kept peace on earth until his death, and became a legend."

"The twins, Dante and Vergil, grew up only to become archenemies years later. By that time, their father, the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda, had already passed away. In fierce battles, Dante finally stood as victor while his twin brother fell to darkness, trapped by the shadows that had taken the life of their mother last year."

"Twenty years later, Dante, already past the climax of his career as a demon slayer, set out to a lone island where he came face to face with one of the generals betrayed by his father, his corrupted brother, and the very emperor that had been sealed off by Dante's father two thousand years ago. Once the emperor had been defeated and sealed away once again, Dante escaped the island and disappeared from sight. It took just a few weeks, and then only rumours and tales were left behind Dante's missions. The Legendary Dark Knight Dante had disappeared..."

- Extracts from an unknown book.

Chapter 1

The shadows crept on the walls, the dancing flames from the torches flickered and twirled, and the hallway was deserted and echoed with every step the man took. Black trousers, a blue shirt with elbow–length sleeves with a black short–sleeved tee shirt underneath were the clothes he wore. He had mahogany hair that did not reach past his neck nor cover his vivid, powerful blue eyes. A black leather belt was clasped across his chest, and had a metal device on its back. A broad, long two–handed sword with a palm–broad and four feet blade, a twisted one feet long grip was sheathed on this metallic attachment. Its hilt was around four inches in length, and was complete in solid stone, with a flat skull embedding on each side, shaping the hilt oval–like.

His name was Aeneas, and he was seventeen years old. He wasn't entirely human; demonic blood flowed in his veins. It was a special kind of blood – blood that was mixed with the blood of an ice devil. Of course Aeneas knew about this, but he had never been able to bring forth the dwelling element within him. Moreover, he disliked heat, but could travel normally in winter. One thing he learned from his mentor was that ice was a forgotten element that was very rare in comparison to the other destructive elements of fire and lightning.

He passed the corridor and walked in his manner that made the sword give out a metallic, clingy sound that was gentle music to his ears. Damp was the corridor, and poorly illuminated; never did Aeneas bother to carry one of the torches, but instead relied on the pair on the walls that came once every thirty feet. The hallway curved to the right, and continued on until it reached a parting. Investigating both parts proved to lead only to locked doors. He retraced the corridor and came back to the door from which he had entered the hallway. He went through the door and was back in the main hall.

The main hall was of incredible size. He felt like a small bug inside a living room. The main hall was fairly empty, so each step he took echoed. He'd been here before, but only now did he realize the greatness of the hall with its simplistic designs; designs that required little details to prove its might. There were stairs near the walls that lead wall–built, small walkways on higher levels, but there were no doors to access other rooms on these walkways. There were also puzzles in the castle that he simply could not comprehend.

Aeneas scratched his hair and looked around. The dark grey marble floor was sparkling clean, and the walls and ceiling showed no sign of damage. The cathedral was as good as new, even though Aeneas was sure it had been built hundreds of years before – and that worried him even more, that the cathedral could still be standing in its excellent state.

Aeneas eyed the hall as he walked up the stairs out of sheer boredom; the gigantic stoned–made front doors were shut tightly, sealed and stood sturdy. Aeneas had no chance of escaping through those doors, so he'd have to find another way. And from the windows far up on the walls came the little light from the sun that soon went down the horizon. Aeneas walked still on the walkways of the second level, and was about to continue up to the third level when he noticed something shadowy make haste past him. Aeneas turned around to look at the obscure entity that had passed him, but he saw nothing but the walkway and the rest of the hall.

Aeneas twisted around quickly the moment he heard whispering that vanished as abruptly as it came. He unsheathed his sword and carefully walked up the stairs to the third level. Nothing strange was in sight.

"Thou must not fail to remember to balance. Thou art half–devil, although that doth not suggest thou should abide by thy demonic self. Thou art half–man also; thou must never forget... Bear in mind that should thee obtain absolute harmony between thy human self and thy demonic nature thou shalt grow to be an outstanding devil. Thou mustn't let thyself fall to either side."

"Master... what are the devils?"

"Devils art entities of evil, born from the darkness of the Underworld. Thither shalt evil return from whence it came, back to a void of a netherworld. They wert born from the darkness... the shadows cast off by the light of the Great Lord."

"What is the purpose of slaying the devils?"

"Demons born from the Darkness escape because their maker sets them away. The Light prevents it not. Man is a creation of Light. Man, however, is always under the influence of Darkness. Therefore, Light and Darkness cannot eradicate one another. For Darkness if born from Light, and cannot exist without it. Yet, Darkness will at all times exist, because Light casts it off. A creation of neither doth not exist."

"There must be an in-between!"

"That is non–existent. The Twilight is a creation of both Light and Darkness, a creation of unnatural origin. Thou art an existence of nothingness that shalt never die nor live. Thou art an agent of Twilight, and thy mission shalt forever spell a devil hunter."

"What purpose does a devil hunter hold?"

"Thou unravel the enigmas of the world. Thy quests lead thee to locations unknown to others. And realise thy destiny, thou shall in time. Come hither, young Aeneas..."

"Master... there is no purpose to anyone's life, is there?"

"Everyone holds a purpose, though that purpose is not life, but what comes after. Life is a mere test, a childhood to prepare thee for thy trial in the real world. Then thou shalt wake up from thy endless dreams and see reality for what it is. It is the ultimate goal; to prepare thy soul for a journey thy body cannot progress even an inch."

"Are you saying there are two lives after this?"

"There is one after–life. In time, most perish forevermore and art reborn, but without memories. Some souls require immense training for the step towards after–life. In after–life, a journey begins. Fail and thy soul shalt vanish into void. They art referred to as lost souls."

"Lost souls become devils, right?"

"Souls contain great energy. The souls art absorbed by Darkness who grows stronger. To keep Darkness in balance, chosen devil hunters must destroy the spawn of Darkness to keep Darkness from growing too powerful."

Aeneas opened his eyes and saw the gathering in the main hall. His mentor had been right; Darkness was growing too powerful, and it had to be stopped. They were creeping around, slowly, awaiting him. The Darkness had found him, a threat, and it had taken but one demon, and now he knew that Darkness would follow him his entire life. Surprisingly, Aeneas countered that thought with a visible smirk and flipped sideways from the walkway and landed a few feet behind the small group of demons.