A/N: Soooooo….. Thanks to Chrome, Morwenya, Lady Luce and Monkey-Girl-XoX this is no longer a one shot.
Disclaimer: Capcom owns DMC and its characters… The Sisters of Light are MINE!
Chapter 2: Aftermath
On that very day, Lucia, to Trish's relief, became Vergil's voice of reason; convincing him that he couldn't simply massacre the entire human race in search of Dante's murderer.
"Let me be," he shouted snatching away from Lucia's grip.
"No," she yelled back in a hushed tone as to not alarm the guests. She grabbed at his black wool sleeve and pushed him against a wall with one arm. He was only a few inches taller than her, but staring in to his angelic features made her feel so insignificant. She gazed into his steely-blue eyes and sternly said, "You're angry, I get it. But does that give you permission to rampage through the streets? Does it give you the right? Not everyone here is your enemy."
Her eyes softened as she said, "Don't give the police the satisfaction of naming you as a suspect and don't let your rage serve as fuel to the underworld… Dante wouldn't want to see you this way." She reached out an arm while keeping him pinned to the wall. He saw Lucia's gesture just outside his periphery and handed Yamato over to her. The hatred and fury disappeared from his face and she let go.
Vergil hadn't done much of anything since the funeral. He spent most of his time on the rooftop of Devil May Cry polishing Yamato and practicing his swordsmanship. After all, he had to make sure he could defeat this monster. He wanted Dante's killer to suffer.
He didn't eat much to begin with and after Dante's death he didn't seem to eat at all. So much so that Lucia and Trish tried to force-feed him; to no avail. He'd lay awake at night, too afraid to fall asleep; too afraid to see those images of his brother choking on his own blood. In his waking moments, he'd often be too dazed to speak. His eyes glazed over with insomnia.
To him the days seemed to bleed together; the same routines just to keep his mind occupied. When not training, he was out chasing leads, shaking down local Wiccan covens for information on the athame. Each time played out the same and the witches gave the same answers.
He'd kick down the doors and demand in a demonic voice, "Take me to your High Priest!" They would cast their spells or use whatever amulets or talisman to ward him away. They however wouldn't work because he wasn't completely a demon. They would quickly realize that it wouldn't be feasible to eject the unwanted visitor through the use of majicks and allow him to see the High Priest or Priestess.
Once in the presence of the person in charge, he would then show evidence photos of the athame and chalk runes. The leader would usually tell him, "We know nothing of these spells… try this other coven, they may know about it."
His one true lead came he paid a visit to the Sisters of Light.
Vergil stepped onto the porch of a Victorian style house dressed in his regal blue attire, but still hadn't bothered to gel his hair up. Before he could build enough ire to break in, a red haired woman clad in white opened the door. "Welcome, Vergil," she said, "We've been expecting you." He raised a hoary eyebrow at her salutation and entered, still on his guard.
She led him into the living room arranged with hand-carved antique mahogany furniture covered in pearl white upholstery. Swirl patterns coated the pastered wall and bordered with mahogany crown molding. The blinding white hues were a theme that reoccurred throughout the house and was only balanced by the dark woods.
She gestured Vergil to a seat across from her. He noticed the patterns were actually runes. He uneasily sat down and looked around the room with Yamato held in a tight, white-knuckle grasp.
The woman glanced at Vergil's sword and casually said, "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. This house is enchanted. So violence is impossible for both humans and demons alike."
She gestured for a veiled woman to enter the room. She appeared to float across the floor in a similar white dress with an orange sash around her waist. She bent down and whispered into the redhead's ear and a response whispered back. The woman bowed and left.
The redhead crossed her legs and began, "I apologize, Vergil, I haven't properly introduced myself. I am Sister Aurora." She reached over the coffee table to shake his hand. He hesitantly took her hand in his.
Aurora sat back and continued, "I am the High Priestess, and I believe that you have questions for me. Well, I promise you I have answers." The veiled woman returned with a tray of assorted delectable pastries with two teacups and a decorative, antique teapot. "Thank you, Sister Arinna." She bowed and left again.
Ever the gracious host, Aurora poured tea for Vergil and herself and offered some of the pastries. Vergil thanked her and helped himself to the tea, but passed on the pastries despite having not eaten in nearly a week and a half.
Aurora sipped her tea, placed it on the coffee table and began again, "Our coven holds the area's most powerful witches; witches that most other covens won't accept because of what their powers may attract. Here we can live in peace and begin anew under the names of sun-goddesses we choose to exemplify. Dante had been an ally in our war against evil for many years."
"You knew my brother?"
"Oh yes. He was our… Champion," she said searching for the right word, "Sometimes he hunted the demons with us and even defended us from the covens that were against us. Ah… he had an indomitable spirit, he would never give up, no matter how tough things got. It was so sad to hear of his passing."
She took another sip of tea and then said looking into his eyes, "This is not why you came here. Tell me Vergil, what brings you here?"
"These," he said passing her the photos. She studied them carefully. She passed back the photo of the athame and said, "This is ours."
She pointed out the gold sun insignia inlayed on the hilt, "This has three rays on it, denoting that the owner of this blade was initiated three years ago. And these glyphs are a binding spell." She held the photo of the chalk runes. "We don't use it that often because it is simply too dangerous. It appears to be a very old spell that very few people know. Hmm… How curious."
"What," asked Vergil.
"You see this," Aurora passed the photo back, "These are dual glyphs, making this a double bind. Some of these symbols tell me that this particular spell was meant to drain the target of his power and transfer it to the spell caster while physical restraining him. By all accounts, a third year shouldn't be able to do this spell, let alone knowing about its existence. It's just too intense. So what makes you – oh – OH MY GOODNESS! I am so sorry!" She said the last bit with a gasp finally understanding, why Vergil came.
"I'm so sorry," she said again rushing over to hug Vergil. He sat numbly unable to hug back. She could feel how deep his sorrow ran.
"I want to know who did this," Vergil said with burning sapphire orbs meeting her jade eyes. She looked away, unsure whether or not she should tell him. Aurora stood up and walked to the cozy fireplace just to the left of their current position and placed her hands on the mantle.
"I have an idea of who you may be looking for. She came to us a few years ago wanting to control her powers. She was still only a child then, but her exceptional abilities scared me. We took her in and began working with her, even taking her out on hunts… I see now that doing so was a mistake. Once she killed her first devil, she was obsessed." She picked up a photo album on the mantle and brought it back to her original seat.
She began flipping through it and continued, "On one of our patrols, she met Dante and fell in love him. We called it schoolgirl crush and left it at that. Soon she refused go with us if Dante wasn't going to be there. He once enlisted our help on one of his missions. She fought along side him and was captured by a demon. Well, Dante transformed and saved her. She had harbored a lot of hatred for the devils and she hated Dante when she found out what he was, despite what he had done for her. She was only fifteen at the time, but she had a difficult time understanding that some devils are not just black and white; that not all are evil. About a month ago she packed up her things and left. We hadn't heard from her since."
"This is her," Aurora passed a photo to Vergil. She had brown hair, brown eyes and skin like mocha with a cherubial face. Vergil's brow furrowed. He wanted to see Dante's killer brought to justice, but he didn't do kids. He passed the photo back.
"She went by Malina when she was here and was considered a third year when she left. Poor kid, she was so confused… Um, if it's true that she used the spell, she'll need somewhere to rest up…" she paused. "Please, bring her back to us," Aurora cried desperately.
"I'll think about it," Vergil said frostily, standing to leave. She also stood, out of respect and said, "A spirit never dies, and instead it is recycled. Who knows, you may see him again." She bowed and he left.
Once on the porch, Vergil realized that he had been with Aurora for hours, for it was already dark. He trudged along back home.
Once past the threshold of Devil May Cry, a torrential rainstorm began. He quietly closed the front door behind him. The lack of light suggested that the women had already gone to bed and Vergil should do the same.
He started up the metal stairs and saw a man standing on the top landing. A flash of lightening illuminated the room for the briefest of seconds. The man was wearing black dress pants, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a partially undone tie. The man turned and began walking down the hall. Seeing the man, made Vergil throw all caution to the wind. He raced up the stairs and nearly tripped.
"Hey, wait," Vergil said in a low voice, trying not to rouse the women. He got up to the top landing and a few feet into the hall before he saw the man walk casually into Dante's room. He quickly followed the man into the room. Once inside, Vergil saw that the room was empty. He searched again to see dress shoes on the fire escape, just outside the window.
Vergil vaulted out the window and onto the walkway, trailing him again to the roof. He sprinted up the ladder to see the man standing on the edge of the opposite side of the roof. More flashes of lightening to see that the rain avoided the man, where as Vergil was drenched. He approached the man slowly and shouted angrily, "Who are you?"
The winds briefly changed directions and Vergil could see the man's silver hair flutter and glisten in the night. "Dante?"
The man looked over his shoulder and smiled. The rain stopped. The man transformed into blinding, pure white light, scattered and drifted away. Vergil's eyes readjusted once the light dissipated. The man was gone and something shinning in the moonlight lay in his place.
Vergil walked over to it. His eyes grew wide when he recognized it. He picked it up and cradled it. Ivory.
Dante, Vergil thought with a tears falling squarely on the Colt 1911.
A/N: The Sisters of Light are named after real sun-goddesses.
Aurora- from Roman mythology, but known as "Eos" in Greek mythology (more accurately the goddess of dawn)
Arinna- from Middle Eastern mythology, mainly in Hittite cult
Malina- from Inuit mythology, mainly in Greenland
Edit - I can't confirm whether Dante's handguns are Colts or Berettas... but some firearms experts have interesting explanations. Originally, I wrote Ivory as a Colt .45, I was wrong... they look more like the 1911. (I was thinking of Vash's handgun from Trigun) Then again I can still be wrong. (Thanks Luce for clearing that up)
Sorry there's not a lot of action in this chapter... review and I see you next time