VIII

Into the Hell Mouth

"Will this work?" Caroline asked as Kat drew the circle around Bonnie, Dante and Vergil.

"It will. Have a little faith in her, Caroline." Bonnie said with a soft smile. Kat sent her a small smile as she completed the circle. She reached into her bag and pulled out a bowl and a bag of herbs. She mashed them all up and then took a deep breath.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Dante nodded. "We are."

Vergil snorted. Speak for yourself little brother, he thought bitterly.

"So remind me again, why the hell you guys are leaving in the middle a damn crisis?" Damon asked, his tone indicating he was anything but curious.

Dante answered, noticing his wife's frustration. "This is a family affair, Damon. Silas had been your problem for the last eight years. You had every chance to kill him but apparently, you just need my wife to end your problems."

Damon glared at him. Stefan stepped in before his brother could no something stupid. "Just hurry back," he advised. "We're not sure how long the barrier will last."

"Twelve hours," Bonnie told him. "We should be back by then."

"And if you aren't?" Elena asked, her eyes sweeping over to the twins. "What about them?"

Bonnie turned her head towards her children, "They're allowed to use their magic but only for defense."

The twins nodded and Vera spoke, "Come back home safe."

Dante smiled at his daughter. "We will," he promised, feeling Bonnie's hand slip into his. Kat and Bonnie shut their eyes and began chanting. The vampires in the room shuddered at the power that came off of Bonnie in waves. Kat's own magic was stronger than Damon thought. The winds began to pick up, the skies darkening as the magic pulsated. Silver shot out of the circle surrounding Bonnie, Dante and Vergil and in a flash, they disappeared from the other's sight.

"Where are they?" Jeremy asked. "Where did they go?"

Kat squinted her eyes. She couldn't see them, she couldn't feel them. Limbo was there, she could make out the demons crawling about but she couldn't feel Bonnie or Dante anywhere. Vergil's own presence was faint, but she could barely feel that.

"You won't find them here," all eyes turned to Vera. Her expression was blank, opposite of her brother's who looked to hold a smidge of fear in his eyes. Vera turned her stormy eyes on the adults. "They're deeper into Limbo than Aunt Kat has ever gone."

Elena and Caroline shared a worried look. Elena stepped forward and bent down towards the twins. "Where are they, Vera?" she addressed the older twin.

It was Evan who spoke, his voice filled with fear. "The Hell Mouth."

"Hell Mouth?" Damon arched an eyebrow.

"The entrance to the Circles of Hell." Alaric answered.

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Sparda made no noise as another spear pierced his side.

He hadn't made a single noise since his imprisonment here. He hadn't screamed since his wife's death, had made no noise since his children vanished and he could no longer feel them.

Were they alive?

His sons, his legacy: where were they?

Eva was gone- dead for years. He wasn't sure how long it had been. It felt longer than a decade but it wasn't longer than three. He knew Mundus was dead, long since killed. Whispers spoke of a demon rising up to take his place.

He never heard of whom had surpassed Mundus. Only that he was far more ruthless, he spared none who opposed him. He cut them down with one blow, incinerated them with a blast.

A demon pulled sharply at his hair. grabbing at the crown of his head and yanking his head upward. Dull crimson eyes stared up into the grinning face of an imp. "What's the matter, Sparda? You're not being a good sport."

He blinked but said nothing. Another demon snorted. "Let's just kill him already. It's fucking years and I'm pretty sure he's ready to die."

The first demon shook his head. "Not yet. I'm enjoying this."

The second demon opened his mouth to speak when suddenly the floor began to shake. Sparda felt a surge of power through the air. Magic, earthly and dark merged together. Expression magic, here?

"What the fuck was that?" shouted one demon.

Sparda took a deep breath. The smell of cinnamon, flecks of lavender and vanilla but it was the second scent attached to it that made him feel something in years. It was Dante's scent: earthy, arrogant and a hint of whiskey.

His son was alive?

Was Vergil with him?

Who was the witch with him? Was it a friend?

He winched suddenly as his mark started to pulsate. It was stronger than before, not just Vergil and Dante's. There were three more presences attached to the mark. Images filled his head. A young girl with emerald eyes, cinnamon colored skin and ebony hair. She was wrapped in a leather jacket that was too big for her tiny frame. Her hand was wrapped in a young man's-it had to be Dante. He always did look more like Sparda than Vergil. Two children came running towards them, mini versions of Eva and himself, though their skin was a bit darker than the fair skin he and his wife shared. It was a few shades lighter than the woman Dante was with.

He felt the familiar bond of family.

His son had found a wife. He had a daughter in law. He had grandchildren.

How long had he been in Hell?

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Bonnie held tight to Dante as they landed. Vergil looked around, his eyes searching for the way to his mother's prison. It wasn't a grave. It hadn't been a grave in years. He stared back at the couple, Dante asking his wife if she was okay.

She nodded and took hold of his hand. The storm color of his eyes were starting to fade. Crimson was sweeping into his irises and his hair was looking a bit more salt and pepper as silver appeared in patches along his hair. She turned towards Vergil for an explanation.

"We're in Hell," he answered. "His demon side is starting to fight for more dominance. It would be the opposite if we were in Heaven, his hair would be predominately black with flecks of red, somewhat like Vera's."

Bonnie nodded. "Which way are we going?"

Vergil started in a southern direction. "This way," he answered. The couple followed behind him.

The search for Eva had begun.