Eva's Wish
Chapter 7
Dante stepped up next to Lady and surveyed the bridge and the exterior of the keep. He whistled. "Check out the demon security," he said. "Looks like Xerxys spared no expense." Lady felt her heart drop a little, there were demons everywhere. Vergil stood and examined the keep, looking for a weakness.
Dante sighed and materialized his sword. "Well, this party isn't going to start itself," he said as he leapt off the rise and dashed down to the bridge.
Lady yelled as Dante made the leap and prepared to follow him but a blue clad arm stopped her. "We have company," Vergil announced, nodding toward an approaching company of Scudo Angelos and two Proto Angelos in the lead. Lady looked back toward Dante and growled. Turning, she leveled Kalina Ann and fired.
Down below them, Dante had landed nimbly on his feet. He smiled at the groups of demons congregated on the bridge. Leaping forward he swung his demon sword in an arc, engaging with the first group of Fury demons with a grin on his face. As he dodged and weaved through his adversaries he felt his blood sing in response. He felt more alive than he had since Vergil had disappeared. He heard the familiar sounds of the Kalina Ann in the background and he felt like all was right with the world.
Up above on the rise, Lady felt growing anxiety. She aimed carefully trying to kill as many of the demons as fast as she could. With each minute, Dante progressed further across the bridge and the distance between them increased. She fired as fast as her fingers could squeeze the trigger. Beside her, Vergil swung Yamato with precision, cutting demons in half. Nero's Devil Bringer was a blur as he shot it out, catching demons and pulling them in to meet with Red Queen's charged blade. The ground at their feet was littered with the crystalized remains of the demon energy of their vanquished enemies.
Shooting down the last demon approaching her, Lady spun to see where Dante was at. He had progressed to the middle of the bridge where he was taunting a group of Nobodies. Nero stepped up beside her. Movement at the top of the keep wall caught Lady's eye. She felt her heart drop, as a trebuchet was moved into position. As Lady grasped what was about to happen, she yelled, "Dante, run!"
Dante heard Lady's warning and looked up. Seeing a boulder arc over the top of the keep wall, he broke into a run. Streaking forward he made a mad dash toward the keep. He felt the bridge below him give a horrible shudder as the boulder landed mid-span. The sound of falling debris behind him pushed him on faster. He jumped at the last minute and kicked off the keep wall, launching himself upward. Landing nimbly on the top of the wall, he smiled as he watched the remaining demons on the crumbling bridge fall to their doom. 'Well that's one way to take them out I suppose,' he thought. He examined the top of the wall. He was free from any approaching enemies for a moment. He looked back across the gorge to his friends on the other side. Catching Lady's eye, he gave her a salute and yelled, "See you inside." With a flash of his red leather jacket, he dropped over the edge of the wall into the keep.
Panic gripped Lady. Nero leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You haven't told him yet?" She looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head no. "Shit," Nero said softly. Vergil had stood back but moved forward when he heard Nero's curse.
Lady gripped Nero's arm. "We need to find a way in, now," she said. He nodded. He examined the area around them. The rise they were on sloped down to their left and followed the gorge. The keep on the other side was on a promontory of rock. The gorge was too wide to jump across, although it did narrow slightly. Examining the part that narrowed, it looked like there was a ledge on the other side. If he could trigger and fly across, he might be able to climb up the rock face to the keep from there. He pointed to the narrow spot. "I think if I trigger, I can fly across to that ledge and climb from there," he said.
Lady frowned. "How am I supposed to get across?" she asked.
Nero shot Vergil a look. "We'll figure it out, we need to hurry like you said," he said, starting for the narrow part.
"Halt," Vergil commanded. "I will go no further with you until you tell me what it is that you've been hiding." Vergil narrowed his eyes. He had seen the whispered conversation between them but hadn't been able to catch what was said. He figured this was his opportunity to obtain the information they were obviously hiding.
Lady looked at Vergil with wide eyes. She looked back to the keep and felt like she was going to explode. The anxiety was too much. It was all she could do to remain where she was and not run down the path, ignoring Vergil.
Nero looked at Lady. She didn't meet his eyes. "The little girl," he started. Lady grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked at her. Her eyes were wild with fear. "Lady," he said softly, "we need Vergil's help. I don't know if I'm strong enough to carry you across that distance and I'm not going to take the chance. I know Vergil is strong enough."
Vergil quirked an eyebrow, but waited patiently. Nero opened his mouth to speak but Lady stepped past him and came to stand in front of Vergil. Vergil looked down at her but she kept her head bowed.
"The little girl," she said pausing "is Dante's daughter."
"Dante's daughter," Vergil repeated.
Lady looked up at Vergil, unshed tears pricking her eyes. "She is Dante's and my daughter," she said.
Vergil said nothing, his brain processing what Lady had said. Something in his memory pricked at him. "Your mother was a priestess, yes?" he asked.
Lady's brow furrowed. "Yes, what does that have to do with anything?" she asked.
Vergil stepped away from her in thought. Long abandoned machinations came to mind and he stood up straight. "We should go," he said.
Nero's eyes narrowed. "No," he said, "now you know something that you're not saying. Why does it matter who Lady's mother was?"
Vergil looked back at his son. He looked from Nero to Lady, seeing the same suspicious look on both their faces. He sighed. "Down here there's a prophecy and like most prophecies, it's a riddle. The key will come, a union of holy and unholy. Break the key and reap the reward," he said.
"What does that even mean?" said Lady.
Vergil looked at Lady. "When I first heard the prophecy whispered of down here, I paid it no mind. After time and research I found some additional information out about it. I was able to puzzle out some of the references. The key that's a union of holy and unholy I believe is a reference to a child born of demonic and holy ancestry. To break the key I believe is a reference to sacrificing said child. The reward is a reference to great power. I surmise it would be enough power to destroy the barrier between the realms easily," he said, starting to walk toward the narrowing. "We should hurry."
Nero's brows knit together. "My mother, was she a priestess?" he asked, his voice quaking.
Vergil stopped. "Yes," he said.
Nero looked at Vergil, his body shaking. "Were you going to sacrifice me?" he asked.
Vergil closed his eyes. His past sins flashed through his memory. "I abandoned the plan," he said. "I left not realizing that your mother was already pregnant."
Nero's eyes flashed in anger and he clenched his fist. "So I was just a means to another power grab," he spat.
"Nero," Lady said softly, her heart twisting at the anguish on the boy's face.
Vergil looked at Nero, his eyes flat. "My actions were regrettable," he said. "I was not thinking clearly at the time. I have been many things, but I will not harm an innocent."
"And we're just supposed to trust you?" Nero hissed. "You've given us no reason to trust you. You would've sacrificed me. How can we trust you won't try for this great reward for yourself and sacrifice Lilith?"
Vergil looked at Lady. "Your daughter's name is Lilith?" he asked.
Lady looked at Vergil with trepidation. "Yes, Lilith Eva-Ann," she said.
Vergil nodded. "A good name," he said. He pulled Yamato from his waistband. Nero went into a ready stance, unsure what Vergil was doing. Vergil stepped in front of Lady and dropped to one knee, laying Yamato at her feet. He bowed his head and placed his hand on the blade. "I swear on Yamato that as long as I draw breath, I will allow no harm to come to Lilith, or to you Lady, by neither my hand nor any other. Do you accept my pledge?"
Lady blinked. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Vergil, who had always been so obsessed with power at any cost, was promising not to harm her daughter. Her daughter, who if Vergil was to be believed, could unlock great power. She looked down at him. Placing a shaking hand on his shoulder, she said softly, "I accept your pledge."
Vergil looked up at Lady and nodded. Smoothly rising to his feet, he looked at Nero. "I will allow no harm to come to Lilith as I believe you have also sworn-perhaps not vocally, but I believe you have made that pledge. Let us work together to protect her. I cannot undo the wrong I have done in the past, but I can make different choices now," he said.
Nero looked at Vergil, his head a rush of confusing thoughts and emotions. Lady stepped up to Nero and looked at him. "I'm glad you're here too Nero. You've always been the best of Sparda's blood. Will you still help me get Lilith back?" she asked.
Nero looked at Lady. "You know I will," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Family remember?" Lady smiled. "Let's go," he said. Lady nodded. Vergil started down the rise, and Lady turned to follow him.
"Tell me Lady," Vergil said. "How long have you and my brother been together?" he asked, picking his way down the path.
Lady felt her stomach flip-flop. "We're not together," she said softly. "Lilith is the product of a mis-begotten night."
Something in her tone caused Vergil to stop and look at her. "You did not have feelings for my brother?" he asked.
Lady felt unsure about what to say and fidgeted. "Dante and I are friends," she said. "I don't know what happened that night. It-it was almost like a compulsion. I had to be with him," she said softly.
Vergil's brows furrowed. "Tell me Lady, did Dante pick up something that night? A new trophy perhaps?" he asked.
Lady nodded. "Yeah, we'd taken down a new type of demon that night, one we hadn't seen before. Dante brought the head back to the shop," she said.
Nero's eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking about this?" he asked.
Vergil shook his head. "Based on what Lady has said, I believe she and Dante came into contact with a totem," Vergil said.
"A totem?" Lady asked. "What's that?"
"If your coupling was a compulsion, it sounds to me like a totem may have been planted. Demons cannot use magic to create something from nothing, but they can use magic to corrupt or pervert something that exists. You and my brother have been allies for a long time," Vergil explained. "That could be twisted into a sexual compulsion with the right magic."
Lady came to a stop. "We were manipulated into creating Lilith?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Vergil looked at her with an almost soft look. "Based upon what you have said, I believe so."
Lady's head spun. She never could quite figure out why she had slept with Dante and now understanding that it may not have been her choice made her feel used. She started questioning everything. Her body shook.
Nero stepped up and put a hand on Lady's shoulder. "Lady, that is a fucked up thing that was done to you and Dante, but it doesn't change why we're here. We need to get Lilith back," he said, looking her in the eyes.
Lady tried to focus. Nero was right. Regardless of how she came to be, her daughter was here-likely scared and alone. She needed to be strong. She looked at Nero and nodded. "Yes, we get Lilith back and we kick the ass of whatever demon it was that came up with this sick and twisted plan," she said, anger lacing her words.
Nero nodded. "Agreed," he said.
Vergil nodded. 'Justice will need to be exacted,' he thought. 'This one is under my protection and what was done to her is inexcusable. I will relish each moment of exacting the payment for your transgressions.'
They reached the narrow part of the gorge. Vergil triggered. "Lady, allow me to help you across," he said, he voice deep and laced with demonic undertones. Lady repressed the urge to shudder and stepped forward. Vergil scooped her up and leapt across the chasm. Nero triggered and followed. They landed on the ledge they'd seen at the base of the keep wall. Vergil released his trigger and examined the wall. An irregularity stood out to him. Moving his hand over the area, he found a hidden latch. Triggering it, a secret door opened in the wall.
Nero grinned. "Open sesame," he said.
Lady un-holstered her guns and nodded. "Let's go get my girl," she said.
Vergil gave a cold smile and entered the doorway, leading them into the bowels of the keep.