"So, Vergil is still out there. Alive? I guess that's some good news." Dante mused before he slipped some of his coffee.
The devil hunter was having a conversation with his nephew about what Noir and Luna had found during their mission yesterday. The tidbit of Vergil still being among the living was a relief for most of them.
"Yeah..." grumbled out Jaune, setting down his own cup. "Still, I can't help but feel jealous, though. My pops took the time to teach this kid after he left us when I was one, but he couldn't bother to leave a note or call us, or something?"
Dante shook his head, not having a clue as well. "Well, in any case, at least he left you all a message in his Scroll. There's that."
The teen sighed and ran a hand through his hair. True enough, in the Scroll they had confiscated from Eve, there were video logs from Vergil directly addressing his mother and sisters...even Nera.
"Maybe, but still..." His eyes trailed toward his watch, making him grunt. Jaune pushed himself up and put on his coat.
Dante quirked an eyebrow. "Not gonna stay over for breakfast?"
"Nah. I'm meeting up with Pyrrha and Kyrie for brunch, then we're gonna head over to the park to meet up with Ren and Nora. Oh, and by the, Yams is with mom. See you later, Uncle D."
Dante nodded and waved farewell as his nephew got onto his bike and rode off. The Son of Sparda got up and walked into his kitchen with the intent to cook breakfast. He headed over to the fridge and grabbed a couple of eggs, some fruits and vegetables.
Considering the fact that he had made the decision to adopt Ren, it meant that he needed to feed the kid. And he couldn't exactly always rely on take-out or his sister-in-law, so he had to bust his ass and learn how to actually cook. Which he ended up liking to do in his spare time.
He got all of the things that he needed ready and went to get cooking. He washed his hands thoroughly and got to making a vegetable omelette. While he did that, he concentrated and materialized a Doppelganger right behind him to start brewing some more coffee, before switching to chopping some fruit.
The two Dantes worked efficiently, finishing in about a couple of minutes. The Doppelganger receded back into the original as he plated up the omelette. He grabbed the plate, the bowl of fruit and the cup of coffee as he ascended to upstairs.
He pushed the door open to his room, laying down the tray on the desk and to look at the woman on his bed. She had raven hair, styled in a pixie bob cut, and she was clad in nothing but a t-shirt that's a size too short for her and some pajama pants. Most notably, she had a beauty mark below her lip.
Dante sat down beside her, gently patting her arm to wake her up. "Rise and shine, babe. Breakfast is ready."
The lady was ready to roll over and cover herself in the bed sheet but the scent of food wafted into her nose, making her sigh in defeat, rubbing away the drowsiness in her eyes. She stared at the handsome devil before her and smiled.
"You spoil me, you know that, luv?"
She cupped his chin and pulled him in for a chaste peck, before turning her attention to her breakfast. Her eyes lit up, making Dante chuckle.
"You say that like it's bad thing, Cereza."
The woman giggled as she took a bite out of the omelette, saying nothing else. Dante returned her earlier kiss on the cheek. He perked up, hearing someone enter his office.
"Looks like duty calls. Enjoy your breakfast, babe."
Cereza winked at her lover and just kept on eating while Dante went down to tend to a possible client. He saw a woman sitting down on his couch, staring idly at her hands. He cleared his throat, making her sit up and look right at him.
"A-are you Tony Redgrave?"
He raised a brow at the usage of his old alias, but pushed it aside and nodded. "Yup. That's me. How can I help you?"
The woman introduced herself as Lynn and had wanted to hire Dante to save her brother, claiming that he's been arrested under false charges of murder since a few months ago. The half-devil mulled it over, before agreeing to accept the job.
Lynn clapped her hands in appreciation, smiling at him. "T-Thank you so much!" Her mood became dour, as payment came to mind. "Although, I don't really have any money. The only thing of value I can offer is my ring."
She removed the ring on her finger, placing it on Dante's desk. It looked pretty expensive, though Dante wasn't at all concerned or worried.
"We'll talk the fee later. Go on, I'll handle-"
He blinked in surprise, seeing Lynn was no longer in the room with him. He didn't even hear the door open. Dante sat there in silence for a few more moments before finally standing up to start his investigation by heading to the crime scene.
Dante was more than surprised to find out that the incident happened at the bar that his nephew frequented at. He strode in, seeing Bacchus stand behind the bar. The brunette noticed the half-devil, regarding him with a curt nod.
"Dante. I suppose you're here to ask me about the incident that happened a few months ago?"
He nodded, sitting down on one of the stools. "Yeah. Mind giving me the lay down? Oh, and a strawberry sundae too."
Bacchus obliged and told everything he knew as he prepared the cambion's order. "Kerry and Claude would often come here after fishing, playing darts and having a drink. I took my eyes off them for a split second to tend to another patron and all of a sudden, Claude is melting away in acid, while Kerry kept on saying that he was sorry and it's all his fault. The police showed up, took it as a sign of confession and arrested him on the spot. Somehow, no one saw what happened."
"That's it?" he asked with a tone of disbelief.
The bartender shook his head, placing down the strawberry sundae and a spoon. "No. A demonic presence made itself known when it happened. It wasn't even being discreet. In other words, a demon killed Claude and-"
All of a sudden, a guy barged in, walking over to the bar with a slight swing in his step. He was intoxicated, but still seemed to be aware of himself as he headed over to the bar. The stranger slammed down his hands, staring at Bacchus.
"Give me the strongest that you have, bartender! I can take it."
"Sir, please. I think you've had enough." calmly said Bacchus. "I would recommend for you to go back home and get some rest. Another drink would be bad for your liver."
The man didn't budge, curling his fists. "Don't tell me what I can't have! Now serve me a fucking drink! Do you not know who the fuck I am?!"
The brunette simply stared at him and responded with one word. "No." Once again, he tried to convince the man to just go back home. "Please, sir. I emplore you to stop while you're ahead. I'm busy right now, and-"
"That's it!" shouted the enraged man, standing up. "You should've just gone and get me a drink!"
With his slight lucidity, the man managed to throw a decent swing at Bacchus. The owner of the bar simply parried his strike and gently pushed him back, making the man stumble and fall.
"Sir, once again, I'd like to advise you to stop."
He didn't listen, growling like a rabid animal. He threw another punch, but this time, Bacchus caught it, twisting the arm, making the man yelp in pain. He jumped out of the bar and grabbed the man by the collar and carried him effortlessly, throwing out into the streets.
"For the last time, sir, get some rest and drink some coffee instead. You had enough."
The man grumbled and made himself scarce. Bacchus returned back to his station, just as Dante had fully consumed his sundae. He cleared his throat and got back to business.
"Alright, where were we?"
"Hmm. Do you know where this Kerry guy got placed?" asked Dante, placing down the spoon.
"A cell in Devil's Prison. Creative name really." speaking the last bit with sarcasm. "Rumored to be a prison that's worse than hell itself. Though, since they're not under the jurisdiction of the Dawn's Cross, who can really say?"
The Son of Sparda thanked Bacchus and exited his bar, heading back to his office. He had a plan already formulating in his head to get to where Kerry was. A simple Scroll call and the first phase was complete. Now? He just needed a disguise.
"You want me to do what?" Cereza asked with a confused look.
Dante leaned into his chair, repeating what he said, and this time, explaining himself. "I need you to make me look like a punk. It's for a job that I just took earlier. Gonna be breaking into a prison from the inside to bust out someone. I'm gonna get myself arrested, and I'd rather not ruin the reputation I've built up."
Cereza now understood, nodding happily. "If you're sure, luv. Now, stand still, and let me work my magic!"
She pushed herself up and struck a pose. All of a sudden, her hair grew longer and it completely wrapped around Dante from head to toe. Cereza focused and channeled her magic through her hair. A couple of moments later and she retracted it to reveal Dante with a completely new look.
Per his request, he now looked like a punk, with a perfectly punchable face. His hair now black and a mohawk. And his clothes replaced with something much more suited for him. Dante shook his head, looking at his girlfriend with barely contained amusement.
"You really went all out didn't ya, babe?" He was a bit taken aback, because even his voice had changed.
The witch merely leaned back her head and smiled haughtily. "It's what I do, luv. Now, go and skiddadle. I have a shift coming up at the hospital."
The devil hunter nodded, sending her a salute goodbye as he jumped out of the window and landing down into a crouched position. The people walked by, minding their own business, ignoring him for the most part.
"Now...where should I start?" he mused to himself.
His eyes land upon a trio, talking amongst themselves with smirks on their faces. Dante grinned. Without warning, he ran towards the guy with the wavy hair and flying kicked him into the pile of garbage bins, making him cry out in pain and surprise.
The people stopped what they were doing and crowded around them, erupting in hushed whispers. His friends pulled out some pipes, glaring threateningly at the disguised cambion.
"You just made a big mistake, buddy!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"My name...is Donte! But you can call me Donte the Demon Killer! Has a nice ring to it, don't ya think?" he introduced himself with a shit-eating grin. "God, that is so stupid. I'm never saying something like that ever again."
The two roared and swung in retribution for their friend. Dante dodged their pipes and grabbed the one in the bandanna by the collar, throwing him into a boutique's window. He ducked over another attack and swept him off his feet, quickly locking his arms behind his back. He grabbed him by the neck and tossed him right at a restaurant, crashing the window and breaking a few chairs and a table.
A few minutes later, the police then arrived, making Dante internally smirk. And almost immediately, he could tell something was wrong with them. The officers pointed their guns at the cambion, screaming at him to surrender. With phase one complete, he complied, raising up his hand for them to cuff.
They shoved him harshly into the cruiser, riding off without so much as a word. Dante grinned at the police men without so much as a care in the world.
"You guys work fast. I'm impressed."
They didn't even bother to respond, focused at staring ahead, making Dante frown.
"What's wrong? You guys not up for a chat? It's gonna be a long ride, so why not-"
He cut himself off as the Son of Sparda soon realized that something was wrong. Craning his head, his eyes widened in shock as the road broke into pieces and started floating into different directions. The scenery became uncomfortably vibrant as some of the buildings, mostly new, turned into shambles.
"The hell? This is-"
"Heh. We expected that reaction." said the driver, looking into the rear view mirror with a malicious grin. "You're gonna be staying here for a long time, punk. Welcome to Limbo."
Limbo. He thought it was only a myth. A dimension that Mundus had created in parallel with the overworld to make things easier in conquering it. But because of Sparda's betrayal and subsequent sealing of the demon world, Limbo was simply abandoned and forgotten... Or so he thought.
Dante kept quiet as he was driven to Devil's Prison. Although calling it a prison was a stretch. It looked more like a fortress than anything. And, of course, he couldn't help but make a comment about it.
"This is a real nice place you got here. A person could take a good nap and not be bugged by anyone."
"It'll be a long nap, alright." sneered the policeman next to him. "You'll probably be napping for the rest of your life!"
The vehicle stopped and they all exited the car, dragging Dante out, making sure to keep him at their sights as they entered the prison. A long line of cameras tracked their every movement, making the devil hunter roll his eyes.
"Focus, Dante. You're here. You just need to get Kerry now." He looked at the guy to his left and asked a seemingly innocent question. "By the way, you guys wouldn't happen to have my buddy here, Kerry Marques?"
Seeing no harm in it, he responded. "He's in a special cell block for committing heinous crimes, like murder. You, on the other hand? You'll be in a normal cell. But it doesn't matter either way. Devil's Prison is Devil's Prison."
The cambion smirked at the arrogant declaration, excited to wipe off their smug grins once the time came. The four officers led him to the warden's office, wherein the pudgy man just finished stuffing his face with a steamed lobster. He looked to the side as his men placed down Ebony, Ivory and Rebellion.
"Well, aren't you a bad apple, lugging around all of these dangerous weapons?"
Dante offered a shrug. "Just a few of my accessories. Though, maybe they are a bit too big."
The warden chuckles at his words...and started checking out his body, making some unnecessary comments that made his skin crawl. He had enough and broke the cuffs around his wrist, lifting up the warden. With a roar, he tossed him into the way of two of the policemen, until he was restrained by five guys.
"S-Special cell!" screamed out the warden, sweat dripping down his face, eyes shot up in fear. "Throw him in a high security cell!"
"Well, that was easy enough." Dante thought.
The door before closed in on his face as it got locked from the other side. He leaned against the wall, a small smirk on his lips as he celebrated his victory. He look diyan and noticed the small gap on the wall that led to the room next to him.
"Time to start the next phase." He knocked on it to get his jail mate's attention "Hey, you know a guy by the name of Kerry Marques? I'm looking for him."
The response was instantaneous, a man with an old and weary tone speaking back. "Kerry? What the hell would you want with a poor guy like him?"
Dante frowned. It's not the guy he wanted, but when had things ever been easy for him? "Easy, I mean no trouble. I was hired to get him out of here. If you could point me in the right direction, that would be great."
For a moment, the prisoner didn't respond until, he finally replied. "He's right next to you on the other side. If anyone deserves to get out of here, it's him. Best of luck, son... You're one gonna need it."
And just like that, he went quiet and minded his own business. Dante pushed himself up and walked over to the other side, repeating the process and knocked on the wall, hard enough for someone to hear.
"Hey, you know a guy named Kerry Marques?"
For what seemed like an eternity of silence, a tone filled with regret and resignation spoke up.
"That's me... Who are you?"
Dante smiled. He crossed his arms and kept up his conversation with the man. "I'm here because there's someone out there who believes in your innocence. So, I'm getting you out of here."
Kerry didn't seem to think it mattered. He muttered how they were going to die and that it's his punishment for what he did, making Dante ask just what exactly happened.
"You wouldn't believe the truth... One day, I was out fishing when I caught something that had a little extra snagged on its tail: a mask of some kind. It melted the fish down to its bones and stood up and talked to me, saying how it would grant me one wish. I tried wishing for anything. Fame, fortune, even women. But he didn't grant any of it, so I just blew him off. Then, when me and Claude were hanging out, I got angry at him because he wouldn't give me a rematch at darts. I told him to drop dead, but I didn't mean it literally! That demon came out and spat out some acid on Claude and killed him, telling me my wish was granted!"
Kerry wallowed in his despair, the death of his friend playing over and over again in his mind.
"Had I just kept my mouth shut, Claude wouldn't have died! The demon may have done the deed, but I gave the order! I'm just as guilty, I deserve this punishment... And even if I am innocent, it won't even matter. I'm gonna die soon, anyway."
Dante quirked an eyebrow in confusion, about to ask Kerry what he meant when the sound of doors being unlocked echoed across the hallway. Every cell was now open, it's prisoners free to leave. Kerry clutched himself even tighter, whimpering in fear.
"I-It's starting again!"
The PAs crackled to life, the warden's voice coming through. "Attention prisoners! Time for a game of tag. If you don't wanna die, I suggest you run!"
Everyone barged out of their cells and started running for their lives, fear coursing through their bodies. Dante followed Kerry, others grouping up with them, hoping their numbers would let them live.
The warden walked out of the hallway, flanked by his men. His eyes landed on Dante, and he chuckled. "I told you I would make you my bitch, didn't I? Thank the underworld for Mundus forgetting about this dimension! We got a playground all to ourselves!"
Him and all of the other police growled in elation as they shed their human skin, returning back into their regular demonic forms, making everyone take a step back in fear. Dante, however, only chuckled. Just then, the magic around him faded away, receding back to his normal self.
"I gotta say, I kinda expected more from demons that live in Limbo. Not really living up that much to the hype."
The warden and his men growled like animals. Dante smirked in excitement, cracking his joints as he looked at the people behind him.
"Get inside one of the cells." he said.
They were smart enough to heed his suggestion, leaving him behind with the demons of Limbo. The pack of demons roared and pounced at the Legendary Devil Hunter. Dante smirked and blew them all up with a Devil Trigger explosion, instantly killing them, apart from the warden.
"Ho? Color me impressed. You're not a total loss, after all!" He got light on his feet, making a come hither motion towards the demon. "Let's get the party started, come on!"
It growled and lunged forward, swiping at him with its blade-like hands. Dante adopted a boxer stance, dodging the swings by bobbing and weaving. He moved in and jabbed the warden by the stomach, quickly following it up with a left upper that left him vulnerable. The Son of Sparda sent out ten machine gun jabs, dazing his opponent, allowing him to continue to a one-inch punch, puncturing a hole through its chest, killing it.
Dante frowned, shaking his head in disappointment. "Man. I gotta take up Jeanne in that spar someday. Just can't seem to get a challenge."
The prisoners poked their head out, wondering if it was safe. Just then, the entire building began to tremble as its structure twisted and disappeared. Most of the prisoners whimpered in fear at what's happening around them.
Then, a twisted voice spoke.
"How unfortunate. It looks like I won't be getting my meal."
Out of the shadows, a new demon stepped out. Dante's eyes narrowed, recognizing it as an Elite Stygian. Although there was one key difference. On its back was an Imp Grimm sticking out, seemingly controlling it.
"Huh... You don't see that every day. Didn't think a Grimm like you would be that powerful."
The Imp cocked its head, raising up the Stygian's arm. "I have lived for a few centuries, and in that time, I have grown more intelligent and stronger, enough to turn this demon into a vessel. I've been feasting on human blood to make myself even more powerful, so in time, I would come back to serve my queen once again."
That little tidbit grabbed Dante's attention. "Queen? What? Do you guys have a hive mind, or something?"
"...It matters not, Son of Sparda. Stay still, and perish!"
It crashed its sawblade on the ground, generating a shockwave that knocked down the prisoners. Dante wasn't at all unaffected and stood his ground. The Stygian Imp launched itself at him with a shrill cry. The devil hunter smirked, and with a flick of his wrist, Rebellion came sailing towards him.
He caught his trusty partner and deflected the demon's sawblade, pushing it back with an overhead strike. It hissed and let out another shrill cry as it charged for a stab attack.
Dante swerved around it and blocked another strike from the Stygian Imp. He went on a counter attack and sent the Grimm-possessed demon into the air, following after it. The devil hunter sliced and diced it with his sword spinning like a propeller then slammed it down with a vicious descending slash. He roared and drew back Rebellion, crackling with energy.
"Drive! One! Two!" he swung his sword thrice, releasing three energy blades at the demon.
The Stygian Imp couldn't move fast enough and was struck by the attack, injuring it immensely. Dante burst forward like the wind and ferociously stabbed the hybrid like a blur, the last stab striking it back enough to send it flying into the wall, breaking it.
The Grimm-demon hybrid growled in annoyance and raised up its saw blade, mimicking Dante's Drive attack.
"Royal Guard!" He switched to said Style and perfectly blocked the attack, saving the prisoners behind him.
The Stygian Imp didn't falter and continued to send out Drives at the half-devil, whom only continued to defend against the attacks. Growling in anger, it let out a shrill screech that grated against everyone's ears, even Dante's. It didn't hesitate to leap forward and slam its sawblade deep into the cambion'e chest, drawing his blood.
The prisoners gasped in fear at the crimson liquid dripping down onto the floor. Dante, however, didn't seem that fazed. Instead, he smirked.
"Gotta give ya, props. You're better than I expected. But it's time to finish this!"
He yanked out the blade, the wound closing up quickly. He spun around the Stygian Imp and dashed forward, initiating his Dance Macabre. It couldn't even react properly as it was launched into the air and bisected by one giant swing.
Dante swung down his sword with a flourish, sheathing it on his back. He's more than surprised to find the thing still alive. The Imp stretched out its limbs, for one last ditch effort in attacking the cambion. Dante minced its arms and flung forward his sword in a Round Trip, decapitating its head to end its life.
Just in time, a portal materialized right in front of him, revealing Jeanne, holding the Yamato. The Son of Sparda cocked his head to the gateway, eliciting cries of gratitude as the surviving prisoners rushed out of the alternate dimension. As Dante was about to step out, he felt a booking voice echo across the entirety of Limbo.
"Sparda... I'd recognize that traitorous presence anywhere!"
Not in the mood for another fight, Dante jumped into the portal as it closed up. The demon that spoke to him huffed in disappointment, leaning against its throne as the vibrant light loomed over its towering, golden figure, chains around it's wrists.
"You will be back soon, Sparda... And you shall face the wrath of Abigail."
Helios Park
Kyrie tripped on the soft grass, failing to catch the frisbee that sailed towards Ren, who could only offer the redhead an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Kyrie. You better hurry up."
He flung the plastic disc to his right, letting it spin within Pyrrha's direction. The former Fortunite scrambled up to her feet, running towards her older sister.
"Come on, Pyr, take it is easy on me! I'm the only one here that's not a superhuman!"
The Hoplite caught the frisbee and seemed to hand it over to Kyrie, whom beamed, only for her hopes to be dashed as Pyrrha threw it at the other side with a quick, 'I'm sorry!', where Jaune was. The redhead groaned, though the smile on her face said otherwise.
Jaune jumped up, snatching it out of the air and cheekily smirked at his friend. "Sorry, Kyrie." And he chucked it at Nora, only for the thing to sail past her and land on some bushes instead. He scratched his hair, looking sheepish. "Guess I put in a bit too much oomph in that."
Kyrie fell to her knees, panting. "Why don't...we take a quick break? We've been playing...for about an hour... A drink would be nice." she suggested.
The others nodded. Ren went to set up the blanket while Pyrrha pulled out their packed lunch while Nora was Nora. Jaune chuckled to himself as he ran up to where he accidentally threw their frisbee. He immediately spotted it...only to see a strange-looking mask beside it.
"The hell?"
It rose up, forming into a glob-like shape, eyes opening up as it stared at the cambion.
"I shall grant you a-" The demon was cut off as Jaune smashed his fist right into it, sending it flying a few feet away. The mask didn't even know whether it should be afraid or offended. "I was offering you a wish! You can't just go ahead and punch-"
Jaune closed in and punched the mask demon once again, crashing it into the tree. The blond scoffed, cracking his knuckles. "Yeah, right. There's no such thing as a wish-granting demon."
"Fine! Be that way, you can just die!" The demon went on the move, showing off its surprising agility as it spat out globs of acid. Jaune evaded the projectiles, watching as it ate away at the greenery. He saw a few people watching in curiosity, wondering what was happening.
"Get out of here!" Jaune shouted, ducking under a stream of acid.
It hit a bird bath, melting it down to nothing. And only then did the people run away in fear. Jaune got into a battle ready stance, slightly cursing himself for not bringing any weapons with him.
"To be fair, this is just a little hangout with my friends and my girlfriend. Like I even expected for this to happen." The mask demon took advantage of his momentary distracted state to launch a consecutive volley of acid. As he was ready to bring up his Aegis Shield, someone jumped in and thrust their hand forward.
"Dark Barrier!"
The acid bounced back, hitting the wish demon. "Ow! What the hell?!"
Jaune felt a sense of foreboding as he looked at the figure before him. It was garbed in a black robe and hood, completely hiding their face. The only thing that could be discerned from the shadow was their singular red eye.
It cocked its head and charged towards the wish demon with incredible speed, that took even Jaune by surprise. The demon panicked and spat out more globs of acid toward it. The mysterious newcomer simply moved from side-to-side, avoiding the attacks. When it got closer, the mask expanded and attempted to swallow them whole. It drew out its arm, crackling with lightning. With a grunt, he flung up a disk of energy, slicing the demon in half, killing it.
The mask fell down, completely harmless. The figure picked it up, eye glinting in curiosity. Jaune finally got a hold of himself and ran up to the figure. "Hey! What are you gonna do with that? And who are you?" he questioned.
Once again, it cocked its head, seemingly in amusement, before speaking in a tone that made its voice indistinguishable. "All in due time, young Jaune. You must be patient."
Before he could ask what it meant, he heard Nora's voice across the park, making him turn around.
"Jaune-Jaune! What's taking you so long!? You better hurry, or we're going to eat up all of your choco-caramel bites!"
The blond cursed and went back to say something to the figure, only to find that they vanished. Grumbling, he jogged back up to his friends, making a note to tell his uncle about his encounter today.
Dante and Kerry were at the Bacchus's bar. Most of the prisoners were found to be innocent of the crimes they were jailed for, and so they were freed, while the actual offenders were now serving their time at Dawn's Cross.
The young man looked at the devil hunter as he sipped from his glass. "Thank you so much for everything... But maybe it would've been better had I stayed in prison." He nursed his own glass of alcohol as he revealed another tidbit about his life. "I caused the deaths of two people. Claude, and my little sister, Lynn. She's always been frail and sickly. And when I got arrested, her condition only got worse because of how stricken she was with worry... She must resent me."
Dante looked at Kerry in surprise and confusion. He set down his glass and asked, "Your sister wouldn't happen to have sapphire-colored pigtails, would she?"
Now it was Kerry's turn to look at him in surprise, only mustering a nod to answer. The cambion smiled, revealing the ring that Lynn left behind as payment.
"Trust me when I say, your little sister doesn't hate you. She wholeheartedly believed that her big brother was innocent. Even from the beyond."
Kerry shakily picked up the ring, tears falling down his cheeks. "I don't understand... How can this be? I gave her this ring for her sixteenth birthday, and I'm sure she's dead. Does she really not hate me like I thought?"
Dante clasped his shoulders, heading off, but not before telling Bacchus to put Kerry's drinks on his tab. He exited the bar and was surprised to see a lone Lynn standing across the street. She smiled at the half-devil gratefully, before bowing to him. Dante could only smile back and sent her a wave goodbye as he headed back to his office.
A hooded figure appeared beside Lynn, watching the devil hunter until he was out of sight. Most of their face was obscured by the hood, revealing only the lower half of her face and strands of her yellow-gold hair. They looked at the spirit and asked, "Are you ready to move on now?"
Lynn nodded. "Yes. Thank you for helping me with this. It means a lot."
The figure smiled as they started leading Lynn further into the alleyway. "Well, I know a thing or two about brothers, it was only right to help. I hope mine is still doing well." They drew out a scythe and made an incision in the air. It expanded and grew into a portal that would lead into the afterlife. "A life of eternal peace awaits you here, until the time you desire to be reincarnated back into this world."
She stepped foot into the portal, but not before giving the figure one last bow. "Again, thank you... Nera."
The portal closed on Lynn as a gust of wind pushed back their hood, revealing their face to anyone who could see it. Nera sighed at a job well done and placed away her scythe. She pulled back up her hood and went off to find more spirits to guide into the afterlife.
Oh hey, would you look at that. It's Nera. No, she's still dead. Don't worry, I'll explain that bit as to why she's still here in a chapter of the Chronicles. Hmm. Though I have half a mind to rename that to Substory. Eh, I'll get into that some other time.
Now! Back then, I introduced Limbo as a dimension that the Hakesshu could access, being featured in the chapter against Vice. Here, it was created by Mundus to speed up his conquest against the human world, before inevitably being forgotten due to Sparda's betrayal, until it was picked by Abigail, the demon from the TAS, to rule over until Mundus returns.
And since I've been taking more elements from the reboot, like the Stygian, I couldn't resist at the Donte cameo. I'm so sorry, hahahaha. This will be the last time you'll ever hear from him, I swear.
Now, the Imp is completely separate from the Horse Grimm. So, I made the assumption that it can latch on to a host, like a parasite, and merge with said host to make itself more powerful. I wanted to showcase that Grimm can still potentially be threat, and I thought this would be the best way.
That's all I have to say for their A/N. As always, review your thoughts down below, and stay safe and sanitized.