Hello! Hope you all had a nice Holiday and Happy New Year :D Very excited for the next few chapters!
-Blink

4 February 3am

Eileen gasped.

"What's wrong?" Nero asked.

"I can't feel Cyra anymore. I don't… I don't know-" Eileen began shaking.

"Eileen, calm down," Trish commanded.

Eileen flinched and looked up at the much taller Trish, "I think something bad must have-!"

"No!" Nero interrupted, "We didn't come all this way to lose her, okay? She's fine, she's gotta be…"

"You don't know that! You can't feel her, can you?!" Eileen asked, falling to her knees.

"No, but…" Nero couldn't admit it. Anyone who caught the eye of someone like Vergil isn't a quitter. There's no way she's gone, "Look, call it a demon instinct. We can't give up, okay?"

Eileen held back her sobs, "Nero, I don't know…"

Trish closed her eyes while Nero and Eileen were talking. She wasn't saying much on the way because she was trying to find the link between Eileen and Cyra. It must have been some sort of connection to Amelia, but Trish could sense something. They were tethered and Trish knew. The energy was still there, even though it was faint, "So you're giving up?"

Eileen shook her head, "I just don't know what I can do…"

"I do," Trish crossed her arms, "You can get up and help finish what we started. They're relying on us."

Eileen sighed and closed her eyes

Nero winced, looking between the two. He wanted nothing more than to bring them back, even Vergil, but he felt powerless. There was nothing he could do or say to help, so he decided to keep his mouth shut. Stressing out Eileen would be counter productive. All he could do was hope that she could reach out to Cyra again.

Meanwhile…

Cyra's muscles were numb. She moved forward, using the wall as guidance. Every step forward felt like it was going to be her last before she toppled over. There were times she was convinced she was going to pass out, but she didn't want to stop. She had to find Vergil before Amelia got to him, although it may have already been too late. Amelia was much faster. What was her plan anyway? Did Vergil know why Amelia brought them to such a place anyway?

It didn't take much for Cyra to realize he would have known. Everyone knew Amelia hated Vergil and wanted him dead. Cyra felt ashamed at the realization that she was used as bait.

That bitch.

Footsteps echoed behind her. Excitement reached her heart at the prospect of it being Vergil but it was a different familiar silhouette. Then her heart sank.

Gabriel started walking up towards her. At first it didn't seem like she noticed her so she stayed silent, pressing her back against the wall she was previously leaning on. He continued to walk and Cyra subconsciously held her breath. Gabriel walked up right next to her and stopped.

Should she say something? Would he hurt her if he knew she was there?

Gabriel turned his head to look at Cyra.

Cyra let out the breath she was holding and gasped when his eyes laid on her. No one said a word for a moment. Was he going to kill her?

"G-Gabriel?" Cyra tried, but Gabriel did not respond. With the lack of response, Cyra felt more confident. She pushed herself off the wall slightly, but still needed to lean against it slightly, "I know you can hear me… I need your help, Gabriel. She's going to kill me and then Vergil. We can't let her do that."

Gabriel quickly whipped his blade out of his belt holster. Cyra was startled backwards, although there was no more room for her to retreat back. Instead, she slipped off the wall and landed on her backside, never looking away from Gabriel's gaze. His gaze never let up either. It was emotionless - quite literally, dead. After a moment, he dropped the dagger, letting it hit the floor with no effort to pick it up. And with that, he turned his head and walked off.

Cyra sat frozen in fear. She watched Gabriel walk away, unable to speak to call out to him. It probably would not be wise, considering Amelia could probably return to controlling him any moment. He was lucid! He heard her pleas. Oh god, he knew about Vergil… But he wanted to help. He begged Cyra to kill him in that past memory - it all adds up. Cyra's attention turned back to the glimmer of the blade laid on the floor. She mustered up the energy to scramble towards it, quickly, so that no one else could take it. Gabriel stopped walking in the distance but made no effort to turn around. Even after several moments, he did not move. Cyra could only assume he wanted her to follow him. Cyra used the wall again to help herself up.

"Do you want me to follow you?" She asked.

No response.

She started walking towards him and once she got close enough, he started walking forward, careful to stop occasionally so that she could catch up.

What was going on through Gabriel's mind?

"Can you.. Hear me?" Cyra asked.

No response.

"Well if you can… Thank you. I'm so sorry you got caught up in this. I wish there was a way for you to say something to me," Crya said.

No response.

"I need to find Vergil. Amelia wants to hurt him… We can't let him-ah!" Cyra slipped against the wall and fell back down. She was growing frustrated at her weak muscles. How did Amelia do this to her? Cyra looked back up to see Gabriel standing here, back turned, waiting for her to get up.

"Gabriel!" Cyra tried to yell, "Gabriel! It's me, Cyra! Please, I know you're in there! I just want you to… talk to me," Cyra began to sob. Out of fear, frustration, she didn't know. She couldn't walk; she didn't know where Vergil was, or what Amelia planned to do. Was she going to die in this miserable memory world? The last thing to come across her mind was the possibility of never seeing Vergil again. With that, Cyra found the courage to keep going. The fact that he willingly came to save her gave her the push to not give up. She was not going to die there without trying to escape.

Gabriel pointed ahead.

Cyra looked beyond where he pointed, but saw nothing of importance. The distance ahead was too dark and foggy to see anything, anyway. She could only assume that's where the goal was. Either death or Vergil. Managing as best she could, she pressed forward and passed by Gabriel, keeping a careful eye on him just in case. Once she passed him, she stopped to turn to look at him, but he was already gone. Cyra's heart dropped. She didn't get to say goodbye… yet again. Her head lay heavy on the tree root wall, "Thank you again, Gabriel. I promise we'll make this right…" Even though Gabriel would not hear her.

The muscles in her legs were still weak. Not even a block's worth of steps later, she fell back onto her knees, out of breath.

"Don't give up, don't give up, don't give up," Cyra told herself and she tried pulling herself forward, stabbing the knife into the ground for better leverage. It wasn't long until even that ended up being too much for her. She dropped her head onto the ground, trying to catch her breath, fighting to avoid falling back into another sleep.

Meanwhile….

Vergil was beginning to get slower. He had to hurry. It was starting to be too late, but his pace was slowing down. Amelia already got to him, and he was starting to feel tired. Keep your eyes open… Just keep them open. Closing his eyes felt too good.

"You know, she seemed pretty adamant about talking to Gabriel. What's that about? She clearly still has feelings for him. Imagine if you weren't in the picture," Dante chirped.

"Gabriel is dead," Vergil scowled.

"And she's still distraught over the guy!" Dante said.

He was her husband. They were close. Of course seeing his corpse would be traumatizing.

"If Cyra and Gabriel were still together and she met you, you think she'd drop him for you?" Dante asked.

Absolutely not.

"Doesn't that make you feel inferior? Hah, why am I asking? Of course it does!" Dante said.

It doesn't matter.

"I think it does! Although…Her memory we saw at the bar didn't make him all that faithful. I'm sure you could've swept her off her feet with that non-existent charm of yours," Dante said.

It doesn't matter because I'm not competing with him. Gabriel is dead.

"Yeah, you're competing with a corpse now! Oh man, now that's something!" Dante laughed.

Vergil nearly snapped. Sure, it was his own subconscious, but how was he meant to overcome it? Who cares, he was fed up and needed to vent. Vergil growled and turned swiftly to face Dante, ready to shout, yet… He was gone. It was eerily quiet now. The tree roots ground that was previously behind him was now nothing but black space covered in a light fog. Vergil narrowed his eyes and turned back around to the direction he was facing prior to seeing a somewhat familiar sight.

A backyard. There was a house and a tree with two swings hanging from it. As well as some random children's toys. It looked peaceful and it reminded him of his own childhood, although this home was much smaller. He knew this wasn't part of his memory. So why was he seeing it? Either it was another illusion by the sorceress to fill him or perhaps he was catching another glimpse into Cyra's memory. Speaking of, he heard the sound of crying. From a child, perhaps?

He looked around until his eyes fell on a little girl sitting behind the tree. She was small. Vergil could only assume she was around 5 or 6, not that he knew children that well. Her hair was dark and short, from what he could tell. She was sitting in a ball with her knees up and her hands covering her face while she cried.

Was that Cyra? He thought about leaving, but there was something about this scenario that drew him to stay. What would Cyra think of him if he saw a child crying alone and he left? Vergil cringed at that thought. It was perhaps the first time he thought about how Cyra would judge him and he realized he just wanted to do what she would think is right. Vergil cleared his throat and walked to the child. This didn't matter in the long run. Surely it was a dream or a memory, but may as well learn a few things while he was here.

"Are you alright?" Vergil asked the child.

She did not respond and continued her crying as if nothing tried to disturb her.

Vergil sighed and kneeled down closer to her, "Are you alright?" Vergil asked again, a bit louder.

The child finally peeked her head up, sniffling while looking into Vergil's eyes. The child looked just like Cyra. Her eyes were brown as well, "I can't find m-mommy," The child said.

"She's not in the house?" Vergil asked.

The child continued to sob, "Nooo," She sniffed.

"Alright… When did you last see her?" Vergil asked.

"T-Today… She and uncle were y-yelling and I don't know where they w-went," The child cried.

Cyra had an uncle? "I can help you find her," Vergil offered. Although he wasn't really sure why he offered.

The child sniffed and stood up, moving closer to Vergil until she walked up right against his arm. Did she really suggest he pick her up? Vergil couldn't recall a single time he even interacted with a child this young, let alone carry one. When he didn't budge, the child got up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, ready to brace himself. Vergil grimaced but wrapped his arm around the back of the child's knees so he could pick her up against his side. She held on tighter in fear of having her fall. It felt so incredibly foreign to him to have a child depend on him like this. It made him uncomfortable. He really wished Cyra was there to help him handle this - knowing how pathetic it made him sound. The child pushed her face closer to his neck, causing him to pull back as much as he could, but it didn't help. He was already in the situation, and may as well go along with it. Vergil began to walk toward the house, but once he was near the steps to go up it, the house teleported further away. He stopped.

"What's wrong?" The child asked.

She didn't see? Meh, of course not. Whatever weird twisted dream or memory this is, it isn't for her. It's for him, "Nothing," He sighed and continued to walk forward. The steps repeated, the house kept being pushed back. This would end eventually, surely.

"Are we almost there?" The child asked.

There was no point in answering, "What were your mother and uncle arguing about?" Vergil thought to ask. It might be the only way. Vergil didn't even know Cyra had an uncle.

"Uncle said daddy isn't coming back and mommy got upset with him," The child answered.

"Why wouldn't he come back?" Vergil asked. Vergil thought Cyra's dad left before she was even born. Still, he humored her responses. What else was he going to do?

"Because he's always busy… One day he'll stay gone. Mommy is really sad all the time," The child said.

"Alright," Vergil said.

"I hate daddy. He makes mommy sad. She cries a lot because of him and I don't like it," The child answered.

"Hm," Vergil remained silent after that. This didn't really sound like what Cyra has said before.

"What could be more important than mommy?" The child asked.

"Perhaps you should ask your father next time you see him," Vergil answered.

"Okay… What's more important than mommy?" The child asked.

What? Vergil stopped to look at the child, who was looking right back at him, "Are you asking me?"

"Why do you leave her? You don't see how sad she is when you're gone," The child said, starting to tear up again.

Wait a minute. Vergil kneeled down to put the child back on the ground, "Who is your mother?" Vergil asked.

"You forgot her? Is that why you don't come back? You forgot us?" The child asked.

A dream. A nightmare. That's all it is. This wasn't Cyra after all. This was supposed to be his daughter, according to none other than Amelia, surely. Even though he was angry at that sorceress and her desperate mind games, it made him think. Would Cyra grow to despise him for leaving for the demon world so often? Surely she'd understand that he'd be going to keep her safe. Would they have a child? Oh god, he was sure as hell not wanting to have another child. Would she want one? With him? He was going to throw up just thinking of it.

"Daddy?" The child asked.

Oh god.

Something caught the child's eye and made her look toward the house. Her eyes widened, "Mommy!" She yelled and ran off.

Vergil looked over to the house to see Cyra's body along the stairs, still and covered with blood. His heart dropped and his blood ran cold at the sight.

He jolted upright and found himself in a sitting position. He briefly looked around to see the tree root floor; not a single home or child in sight. He pushed himself up, wondering what happened. It was a dream after all - no, a nightmare, but when did he even fall asleep?

He felt shook. Dealing with someone that might be his child was one thing, but seeing Cyra's lifeless body… He could only hope he'd never have to see the day.

Before he could linger on the nightmare, he glanced over further in the distance to see a figure moving in the distance. Squinting, he could see that it was Crya. Mustering up strength he didn't realize he still had, he ran towards her. The nightmare and insecurities would surely resurface at a later time, but for now, he had to make sure Cyra was alright. Please let her be okay and not be another twisted dream.

Vergil caught up with Cyra as she tripped forward. He didn't get to her in time to catch her, but he was right by her side, inspecting her condition. She wasn't covered in blood and it looked like she was just exhausted and had passed out. Seemed like they were both falling asleep in here. It was soon going to be too late before they stopped waking up, "Cyra! Cyra!" He was shaking her awake, no attempt to stop until she woke up.

Cyra's eyes started twitching, "Mmmm…" She muttered, opening her eyes, "Ver...gil?"

Vergil sighed in relief, "Are you alright?" He felt like he was asking that a lot lately…

Cyra didn't hear what he said, she was just glad to see him, "Ver…gil!" She breathed out, using all the energy she could to throw herself up to him and wrapped her arms around him, "You're okay," She whispered. It didn't feel real. It couldn't have been that easy. Could it?

Vergil felt just as relieved as she was, though he didn't say anything. He remained silent, holding her close as her legs went limp. The thoughts and argument with himself he had on the way to find her all seemed to rush back, although much less aggressive and annoying. He wanted to tell her everything. It was foolish to admit anything when Amelia could hear it all, but there was a moment he did not care. Only for a moment. He regained his senses and realized the danger they were in. They were running out of time. He was tired. Cyra was tired. He would not let her get trapped in this hell. Vergil believed he's been through worse and he could handle anything Amelia throws at him, but he refused to let Cyra fight a similar battle.

"What happened? Did she hurt you?" Vergil asked about Amelia.

Cyra loosened her grip from the embrace to lean back more, sitting back on the ground, "...What?" She was confused.

"That sorceress when she took you. What did she do?" Vergil asked.

Cyra held her head, "I don't… remember…" She muttered.

Now that was concerning. Vergil's eyes scanned her form once again, looking for anything that could be broken. Of course, Amelia settled with more psychological damage, but with Gabriel lurking around, anything could have happened. Sure enough, he saw Gabriel's knife laying next to her, "Where did you get that knife?" He asked cautiously.

"Hm?" Cyra asked, waiting for her vision to focus. Knife? She looked down at her hand and saw it was next to a large knife. She reached more to pick it up, inspecting it. The memories of where she got it quickly came back to her, "Oh… I remember now. Amelia drained all my energy or something. Gabriel gave this to me?"

"He just gave it to you? But he's under the control of that sorceress…" Vergil muttered more to himself. What was Amelia planning?

Cyra's vision was blurring, "He led me to you…" Cyra mumbled, almost as if she was in a trance, "To protect me…"

"Are you alright?" Vergil asked again. There was something off about her.

Cyra looked up. Her face looked concerned, but not frightened, "You're really asking me that?"

"Foolish, I know. Nevermind. Are you able to stand?" Vergil asked.

Cyra stood up, suddenly alright, "Now I remember everything. You told me you'd save me…"

Vergil stood with her, "And I meant it."

Cyra glared at him, "Then why are we still here?"

"She's proving to make this as difficult as possible. The exit must be near," Was all Vergil could think of.

"You don't know that. You don't know anything!" Cyra stood up, beginning to shout.

Vergil narrowed his eyes at her, finding her behavior to be strange, "What did that sorceress do to you?" Vergil asked.

"Who, Amelia? She helped me see the truth. You're supposed to get us out and you can't even do that!" Cyra cried.

"I'm trying." Vergil said, hiding his shame. Amelia couldn't have gotten to her… could she?

"Hardly!" Cyra scoffed.

Vergil felt defeated, "I will get you out of here."

"You keep saying that. You have no idea how long we'll be in here for!" Cyra said, "You can hardly stand on your own!"

"Never mind me, I'm fine," Vergil said.

"You let her take me…" Cyra warned.

"You didn't give me a chance to stop her," Vergil said.

"This is all your fault…" Cyra muttered.

"What?" Vergil's face paled. She admitted it.

"The reason I'm here. Why i'm being used as bait? You knew it was dangerous for us to be together, but you couldn't help yourself!" Cyra yelled, pushing him back.

My fault?

"Just because I was nice to you! God, you're so pathetic!" She yelled.

It was true…

"You actually believed I'd fall for a monster like you!? I should have never cured you because now I'm going to die! This is all because of you!" She pushed him once again.

No…

Vergil steadied his glare at the woman in front of him. This wasn't Cyra. His Cyra would never say it was his fault, as true as it was.. Vergil composed himself and took a step forward towards the woman and pushed her back. This was Amelia… He couldn't use his abilities on her without getting his energy zapped, so he had to resort to his brute strength, or what he had left. His hand reached out to grab the fake Cyra's throat, smashing it against the wall next to them.

The abomination before him screamed, "What are you doing!?"

Vergil stayed silent.

"You're hurting me!" She screamed, and choked, but then it turned into a chuckle, "Can't let the guilt of letting me die eat at you so you kill me yourself!?"

Guilt… This sorceress knows too much.

"Well then do it already! Kill me and let it haunt you that you're only good at failing!" Cyra yelled.

At this point, Amelia should know that he caught onto her act, so why was she still taking on the form of Cyra?

"Do it! Watch the life drain out of your lover's eye by your own hands! Never forget that torment!" Cyra cackled while being choked.

Lover?

Vergil…! Vergil! A small voice was calling out. Something was wrong here… He became aware that his vision was hazy, beginning from the moment Cyra picked up that knife off the ground.

Ver-

The voice was struggling. At least he thought. It was faint, but it was calling out his name. He recognized it. But where? Why couldn't he think!? His brain felt submerged and he couldn't concentrate.

Moments later, a sharp pain hit him in the forearm that was holding Amelia up, as if he got stabbed. He winced and faltered backwards as if something kicked him back, and tossed Amelia off to the side. He couldn't see what was stabbing and kicking him! What was happening? The haze was getting distracting, and a static sound was looming around him getting louder and louder!

Suddenly… quiet.

Vergil could suddenly see and think clearly as if he was jolted awake from a dream. He could think and see clearly, but before he paid any attention to his newly cleared surroundings, he focused on the knife sticking out of his forearm. He pulled it out without a second thought and briefly inspected it, which made him pause. It was the dagger Gabriel carried with him. Vergil quickly snapped his attention to next to him to see Cyra sitting on the ground, back facing him as she was seemingly cradling her throat. She was coughing. How did he not hear her before?

Was it even the real Cyra?

Then it dawned on him. The knife stabbed into his arm. Her coughing was more like wheezing, as if she was gasping for breath. Vergil's stomach dropped as he looked down to his hand. It was cold - as if it was once surrounded in warmth that was quickly taken away. Something warm like skin. Cyra's neck.

Oh god.

Vergil's now shaking hand dropped Gabriel's dagger on the ground. He could only hear Cyra shuffling to stand up. It only took one footstep for him to scatter away as if he was a prey being caught by a predator.

"Stay back," He struggled to say. It may have only come out as a breath. He hurt her. He tried to kill her. He almost killed her. Amelia tricked him, but it was still him.

Cyra stopped her advance when she saw him react. Maybe even took a step back herself, she was so startled. She's never seen him shake so much. She didn't even think it was possible. He was always cool and composed. In Cyra's point of view, he just suddenly attacked her and tried to choke her. But she knew better - she knew where they were. There was distance in his eyes as if he wasn't aware. Amelia definitely got to him and she was sure convincing him that she was fine was going to be impossible.

Cyra thought Vergil swore under his breath, "I..." He didn't know what to say.

Cyra managed to get her breathing under control quickly enough, all things considered, "Are you okay now?" She croaked out with her sore throat.

Vergil was taken aback. He almost killed her, which he could very easily do, yet she still wanted to know if he was okay?

How could he be okay?

Thoughts of his nightmare flashed in his mind, causing him to wince and hold his head again. He had to turn away. Suddenly, the air around him felt thick like it was suffocating him. Breathing was difficult and the space behind his eyes felt like it was expanding. Is this the aforementioned panic attack he was warned of? It felt like an eternity before he felt Cyra's arms wrap around him, her body pressed up against his back, "Shhh, it's okay. Just breathe with me, okay?" She whispered softly against the side of his neck.

At some point his legs must have given out because he couldn't recall how he was sitting down on the ground slumped forward, but there he was. It was pathetic. He felt pathetic. Weak. Always needing to be helped.

He followed her lead, trying to match up his own breathing with her. This was the second time she helped him control his breathing. He was starting to think last time was in fact due to a panic attack rather than his energy getting zapped by the sorceress, but the thought of him having panic attacks seemed ridiculous. Cyra was right after all. Vergil raised a hand so that he could grasp her arm that was pressed across his chest. It was a desperate grip, but careful not to hurt her. Despite the fact she was literally leaning over his back, he still needed something to hold onto. Suddenly the pressure in his head was disspitating.

Vergil's breath was back to normal, but Cyra made no effort to stop the embrace, and he made no effort to push her off. His thumb was starting to caress her arm. Cyra's knees were starting to hurt from kneeling into the ground, but she tightened her embrace anyway, "I was so scared I wouldn't be able to get to you in time," She whispered against his neck.

She was scared? For me?

Vergil didn't respond, so Cyra continued, "Amelia said she'd kill you if I didn't let her control me. She just took me to her, drained all my energy, and tried to play a game of finding you first. I was so worried about what she'd do if she found you first…" Cyra rested her head on his shoulder, her voice shaking, "I tried to get to you as soon as I could. Did she do anything?"

Vergil wasn't going to bring up the dead-Cyra nightmare or whatever Amelia could have planned. Amelia's plan was still unknown and Vergil had no idea why wanted to separate them just to make Vergil try to kill Cyra. Nothing made any sense. It was just beginning to seem like a long ploy to mess with the two of them.

"I guess Amelia made you hallucinate something fierce…" She trailed off. Of course that's what happened, "Whatever it was, it's over now. We're both okay."

Vergil winced. "I'm supposed to be the one to help you - to protect you, save you…" Vergil said. He was so glad she wasn't looking at him just then.

"You have, you do!" Cyra tried to convince him, albeit too forcibly, because she started wheezing yet again. Cyra removed her arms from around him and sat back as she settled her irritated throat again.

Vergil didn't get up in fear of falling back like a deer on ice, "I almost just killed you!" Vergil said, back was still facing her, but he turned his head enough to the side so she could hear him. She needed to hear him.

"It was Amelia, she was tricking you!" Cyra defended, moving to sit next to him. Vergil turned his face down. He still couldn't look at her.

"Doesn't make a difference when it's my hand around your neck," Vergil answered darkly.

"You came here to save me!" Cyra said.

"You're in this mess to begin with because of me!" Vergil argued.

"I'm in it with you by choice, and we're going to get out of it together! But we can't do that unless we're together, so let me help you!" Cyra said.

"I. Almost. Killed. You…." Vergil repeated, finally looking at her. She needed to realize.

"But. You. Didn't!" Cyra repeated.

"Had she not dropped her spell, I would've done it," Vergil said.

"Can you not focus on what-ifs and just realize that I'm okay?" Cyra asked.

Vergil continued to look at her, unable to respond.

Cyra smiled lightly and gently reached her hand over his opposite cheek. He obliged and turned more toward her, albeit nervously. Her hand lowered to rest on the side of his neck, her thumb caressing his jaw, "Yes, you could've killed me. But you heard me call out to you, didn't you? You knew to stop, even if you weren't sure why. I don't think you could ever kill me."

Of course I could, Vergil thought. He remained silent. He brought up his own hand to rest on Cyra's hand against his neck. It was only for a few moments though because he softly peeled her hand away, letting it drop in her lap. Her face dropped as well, but she hid it well. Vergil didn't notice while he pushed himself to stand up. He's already gotten so weak, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold on and how close they were to the exit. He managed to get up, but still used the wall to slightly lean against it. Wincing, he reached his hand down to help Cyra up. She picked up the fallen knife given to her by Gabriel and gladly took Vergil's hand to help her up. She definitely needed the assistance. After stabbing Vergil to get away from her, Cyra's body was beginning to feel more energized, but she was still tired.

Cyra expected Vergil to drop her hand, but when he gripped it tighter, she curiously eyed him. He was still avoiding eye contact with her, but his light blue eyes managed to shimmer in whatever was lighting this dark place. Vergil opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know what to say. That he was sorry? No… "You shouldn't have to protect yourself from me…"

Cyra's heart felt sunken. She squeezed Vergil's hand back, "It's for Amelia."

She was certainly adamant about it… But it reminded him of the knife. The idea that Amelia controlled Gabriel to give her the knife seemed ridiculous. That would've meant Amelia didn't actually want Vergil to kill her. Just to feel ashamed for almost killing her? It wouldn't make any sense for Amelia to give Cyra a way to defend herself. Gabriel couldn't have willingly given her the knife… This place made no sense.

Cyra didn't let go of his hand and moved to stand in front of him, forcing eye contact, "We're both okay. We'll escape this hell and put this all behind us, right?" Cyra smiled lightly.

Her smile, her touch, her scent and presence in general just made him feel light. Vergil's heart clenched out of reflex. He just wanted to kiss her. That's one way to make sure he didn't blurt out what he was thinking. He felt sick. Was sick even the right word? Is this what love was? Something this abstract and illogical? Despite not feeling worthy of love or being loved, he couldn't stop himself from indulging in it. Vergil removed his hand from her grasp to reach up and rest against the side of her neck, just then noticing the red marks around her throat for the first time. He pulled his hand back quickly as if her skin was burning him.

Cyra saw his eyes glance down to her neck, "Hey," She said holding his hand again with both of hers, "It's not your fault."

Vergil shook his head. He didn't believe her.

Cyra's heart broke, "That promise to talk to me about things… I'd still like for you to keep it, but if it's not possible, can you make a different promise to me?"

"What would that be?" Vergil asked.

"Stop blaming yourself for everything?" Cyra asked.

Vergil's face tightened, "After everything you've seen and endured, how are you not angry? I'm the one the sorceress wanted to kill. How many times have I almost killed you? I even could've killed you when you lived in Red Grave," Vergil said quietly, exhausted. He was tired of repeating himself, but she really didn't seem to understand.

"Because you came to save me, you didn't kill me in Red Grave, and you didn't kill me today!" Cyra defended, "I'm angry with Amelia."

"And the events before? The ones you've seen?" Vergil asked.

Cyra sighed, "You already said that's not you anymore, and I believe you!"

"Why can't you understand how foolish and naive you're being?" Vergil asked.

"For believing you? Are you telling me you lied to me?" Cyra asked.

"Ridiculous," Vergil muttered, walking forward. He wanted out of this world and out of this conversation. Away from her. Anytime he finally accepted to get closer to her, some reason would hit him over the head to stay away.

Cyra followed him, "You know what, why can't you understand how frustrating you always are! I'm just trying to talk to you and you shun me like I don't matter. You always make me feel like we're… I don't know, becoming better… friends, or something, and then the next minute it's like you want nothing to do with me!"

Friends? He didn't have friends.

"Is everything else you told me a lie, too?" Cyra shouted.

"Why are you wasting your time?" Vergil asked.

"Wasting my time?" Cyra asked to clarify.

"If I'm always so frustrating, then why do you insist on speaking to me?" Vergil asked.

Cyra rolled her eyes, "Sorry I can't just quit liking people anytime they annoy me. If that were the case, you and I wouldn't have even met because Dante annoyed me the first day I met him!"

Vergil had to force himself to hold back a chuckle, which he succeeded, "Wouldn't that be a shame."

Cyra was taken aback at his response, "Y-yeah," was spoken out of reflex, "It would."

"You still didn't answer my question," Vergil said.

Crya scoffed, "I still don't think you even answered mine!"

Vergil ignored it, "Why are you wasting your time then?" He asked softly.

Cyra could sense it. It was a question out of validation. He just needed to hear he was loved in some way. Cyra pulled his sleeve to stop him from walking. He turned around, trying to hide the sadness that was being projected onto his face. He would have done a good job, but Cyra knew him by now. She could see it in his eyes. She let go of his sleeve and inhaled, trying to think of the best way to word her thoughts, "I'm not."

Vergil's shoulders relaxed a bit. Again, it was probably only noticeable to Cyra after answering such a loaded question, but it still wasn't enough.

"You find this sorceress's method of revenge unjust, but I have killed a lot of people. I think most people say I deserve this hell. Yet you willingly stay by my side and try to protect me from what I already know as the truth," Vergil said.

"Because unlike her, I know you. As you are right now. Look, you made a choice to be here. To save me. Is that really something you could have said before last year?" Cyra said.

Vergil opened his mouth to answer, but he thought harder about her words. He did have a choice. Once again, he was brought back to his conversations with his own subconscious. Cyra didn't quite know how messed up in the head he was, and she deserved to know to make her own choice whether she wanted to further associate with him or not, "What if you're wrong about me?" Vergil asked quietly.

Cyra bit the inside of her cheek, "Am I?"

Vergil sighed. This would have been the perfect chance to tell her everything he was thinking but unfortunately circumstances made the decision for him not to. The exhaustion and being in Amelia's world combined meant that he had to keep it to himself for a bit longer, "We have… much to discuss when we escape."

Vergil continued his walk forward, Cyra following him. He didn't immediately deny her question which meant Cyra felt confident about getting to him. But something he said made her think, "Do you find her method of revenge justified?" Cyra asked.

"Perhaps," Vergil answered quickly.

"Revenge after 25 years… Just seems desperate," Cyra shrugged.

"Hm," Vergil acknowledged.

Cyra threw him a glance, worrying she was annoying him. It dawned on her that Vergil did the same thing. He hated Dante so much that he escaped hell somehow and the first thing he wanted to do was fight Dante, "I, uh… Didn't mean… Um…" Cyra stammered but stopped in case she made it worse. Under different circumstances, would Vergil do the same things as Amelia?

In other circumstances, Vergil would have asked her what she was going to say, but he was too tired, physically and mentally, to worry about it. The only mission was to escape Amelia's world and then the both of them would have all the time in the world to talk.

But Cyra couldn't stay quiet, "Why do you think it's justified?"

"Can we save this for later?" Vergil asked.

Cyra nodded, "Yeah, sorry… I just… Nevermind."

Vergil could feel she wanted to keep talking, so he sighed, "I've wanted revenge for less. Claiming it unjust would make me a hypocrite, would it not?"

"Sure, but you've gotten past that. I don't agree with what you've done either, but that still doesn't make Amelia's petty revenge any more justified!" Cyra exclaimed.

"I suppose that's how we see things differently. Because if anything were to happen to you, I would be doing what I could to avenge you," Vergil said quietly.

"Wait what? No! Absolutely not!" Cyra shook her head and hoped in front of him to stop his walking, once again, "If anything happens to me, please don't let it consume your life like it has hers!" Cyra pleaded.

"You wouldn't understand," Vergil said and tried to move past her to continue walking. They couldn't stop.

"I do understand!" Cyra cried, grabbing his arm to stop him, "I lost my job for just wanting to help. I lost people like Gabriel, and yes I could've gone mad and got revenge on every demon ever, but I decided to pay his sacrifice forward!" Cyra said.

"If you were capable of getting revenge on demons, would you?" Vergil asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care. Doing what she's been doing… You could hurt people! Don't you dare try to avenge me in a way I wouldn't approve of!" Cyra yelled.

"Approve of? You think Gabriel would approve of you wasting your time on a city full of people who can't even bother to thank you? You became this phenomenon with a cult following of people selling knock offs of your medicine. Not because of you, because every human needs that false sense of security," Vergil said.

"At least I'm trying to help people!" Cyra yelled back, offended.

"You so desperately want to be forgiven that you help the most undeserving scum I've ever had the displeasure to know, so don't pretend that your method isn't as pointless as you think mine would be," Vergil said.

"That's different!" Cyra defended.

"How is it different?" Vergil demanded.

"Well for starters, I'm not hurting anybody! And Gabriel was my husband, okay, of course I'd want to do anything possible to avenge him! I loved him!"

"Right!" Vergil spat and froze once he realized what he admitted. Cyra stopped as well and lost whatever the train of thought was, but Vergil continued before Cyra could think to say anything else, "You're… right. That is different."

"Vergil-" Cyra started softly.

"Let's go. I've had enough of this place," Vergil just wanted to move on from the situation. He'd pray that for once in her life, she'd leave him alone.

Cyra noticed his entire demeanor changed. Anger and frustration suddenly dropped and he turned quiet. Even for him. Did he mean to say what he said? Was it just an accident?

Vergil couldn't let it go. It happened only moments ago, but it felt like it was tormenting him for months. It was the first time he let something slip. He thought he had a firm grasp on his own impulses and not being able to hold himself back felt like a detriment. Cyra didn't seem to mind, but he wasn't about to go down that train of thought. Her silence on the matter disturbed him.

February 4 4:30am

While Eileen, Trish, and Nero ventured off to help Cyra, Nathan's job was to stay put at Devil May Cry. They needed someone to "man the base" as Trish put it. To wait for Dante and update him in case he showed up. He felt insulted. He was a cop! It was his job to go out there and help out. But if they insisted, Nathan wouldn't fight it. Cyra's safety was the top priority. Plus, what could he really do in a demon scenario? So Nathan stood there awkwardly in Devil May Cry, patiently waiting for the three to return. Hopefully with Cyra.

Nathan didn't know what to do. He had questions about Amelia, Cyra, Eileen, whoever this Panacea character. His first interactions with Vergil were weird. This was the guy Cyra had been smitten with? Nathan couldn't read the guy. He sensed something was off. First of all, he must have been half-demon like Dante if he could handle the demon in the plaza the way he did.

Cyra with a demon? Weird.

Second, the demon seemed so serious and intense. There was a darkness to him, Nathan felt. Entirely opposite from Gabriel. Also weird.

Shortly enough, Nathan realized the gravity of the situation. First of all, Cyra's trapped in some demon thing he doesn't entirely understand, but it's because of Vergil, which Cyra made a point to say Vergil thinks he's dangerous for her. So that was true in the end. Suddenly he wasn't starting to like this Vergil guy, if he was going to constantly put her in danger. Although he didn't even hesitate to go save her, even after that nurse girl warned him of the dangers.

Fuck! Could they hurry up so Nathan could stop pacing and possibly tell him what's going on? Nathan distracted himself by looking at the random knick-knacks of Devil May Cry.

Holy shit, he just realized. He was in Devil May Cry! Dante's shop! He never had a reason to come visit and he didn't want to be a weirdo and bother the guy. But here he was! In his shop! And it was… messy. Trash cans filled to the brim with trash all around it. Dante was just too busy, is all, Nathan tried to reason. All the demon attacks, especially lately, was probably a lot to handle.

Nathan crept up closer to Dante's desk, noticing all the little details. It was an old desk, a bit scratched. There were papers, random stationary, a phone, and a framed photo of a blonde woman. Hmmm she kind of looked like Trish, but he didn't think much else of it. The chair behind the desk was far too enticing.

He slowly sank down into the chair and felt how uncomfortable it was, but it didn't matter. Actually sitting in Dante's chair! Nathan smiled wide as he tried to get as comfortable as possibly. His eyes fell over the crooked drawers, a faint green flow emitting from the top one. His curiosity piqued and he opened the top drawer seeing what he did not recognize as a few vital stars. He picked one up, inspecting the crystalized object.

What kind of demon item was this? Was it useful? Was it just decoration? Was it illegal?

The phone rang, startling Nathan, causing him to drop the vital star he was holding, "Shit!" He cursed. Dante was going to kill him…. The vital star hit the floor and immediately shattered into a green mist, slowly dissipating in the air. The mist made him feel more awake, stronger somehow. Jesus christ, were these drugs or something?

The phone continued to ring, and a very panicked Nathan did not know what to do. Should he answer it and take a message? He didn't notice an answering machine anywhere. The phone didn't seem like it was going to stop. Nathan grabbed the receiver and slowly put it to his ear.

"D-Devil May Cry," Nathan stuttered. Oh my god he said it! Was that even the right greeting? Oh man, Dante was going to kill him, wasn't he?

The voice at the other end didn't respond for a few moments, "Yeahhh, I got a job that needs to be taken care of. I heard this was the right place to call."

Uhhhhhhhh, was it? "What kind of job?" Nathan asked.

"The job of figuring out who the hell is answering my own phone," The voice said.

Wait. Their own phone? Dante!? "Uhhh, I, uh, I can explain!" Nathan started.

Dante chuckled on the other end, "Relax, kid, you're not in trouble."

Nathan sighed in relief, "I swear I'm just trying to help. They went to go get Cyra and I-"

"Whoa, wait, you found Cyra? What happened?" Dante asked.

Nathan leaned his elbows on the desk, beginning to rub his forehead a bit, "Uh, she was taken into some portal in the sky. Vergil went in to get her back and then these other people showed up, saying they were gonna help. So I'm here waiting for them and I guess to update you when you get back. I'm so sorry for answering your phone, I just thought it'd be really cool and-"

"Who are these other people?" Dante asked.

"A blonde woman and a white haired kid," Nathan said, hoping it was a good answer.

"How long have you been waiting?" Dante asked.

"It's been a few hours," Nathan answered.

"Alright… I just called on the off chance that Cyra may have come back. I didn't see anything about a portal when I left, but there's been a whole lot of demon activity elsewhere that I've been taking care of. Just stay put and I'll be back hopefully by the time everyone else returns," Dante said seriously.

Nathan let out a long breath he didn't realize he was holding and nodded, despite Dante not being able to see, "Y-Yeah I got the base under control," Nathan said lamely. He could almost feel Dante laughing at this police officer-appropriate response which made Nathan cringe.

"Copy that," Dante humored and hung up.

"No one says copy that…" Nathan muttered as he hung up the phone. He knew Dante was mocking him, but let it slide. There was nothing much else to do, but wait, and think up an explanation for why there's a green crystal missing from Dante's drawer.

WE'RE GETTING PLACES WOOOO.