Blessed And Cursed
Disclaimer: Devil May Cry and its characters = © Capcom. I don't make any profit from this story.
A/N: I'm sorry for the delay again T_T I've been an emotional mess the last two or three weeks – god, I felt so nostalgic all the time. We had some meet ups with some friends and teachers from school and we looked at photos and watched some videos of the last two years of school and prom was yesterday and I'm almost sad all of that stuff is over now... almost sad, haha xD
Also, I feel quite awkward about this chapter – well, the first part of it. There's this thing I absolutely suck at: seduction. I hope whatever I wrote there doesn't sound … too weird x.X
Replies
xXchantillyXx – Awww, thank you very much :D
SirenaLoreley – I'm glad you liked the chapter – writing from Dante's POV was quite a challenge for me. I'm also glad you like Cerog – he's no baddie ;) And about Nero – well, you see what happens to him in this chapter ^.^
Thanks for the review! :D
lls – About the punctuation – I know. My first language is German and there, commas go outside the quotation marks. It's a thing I do automatically. When I started writing this fic, I tried to stick to the English punctuation but I found that I couldn't. It always got mixed up so I just kept the German punctuation – at least it's consistent this way, hehe xD
Thanks for reviewing! ^.^
Justwithportals – Oh, thanks so much *-* But please, please, please – don't cry! :O *hands tissues* There's no need to cry, okay? ^.^
PureVampirePriestess – I laughed so hard when I read your review xD I think I would go insane too if things like these would happen to me o.O Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it :D
Cielshadow17 – Woo Dante! Hehe xD I'm glad you like it :D Thanks for reviewing! ^.^
Not-Completely-Insane – I had similar reactions to all of that when I wrote the chapter xD Thanks for the review! :D
flamingpluffy – Every day I'm shuffling! Ah, the Party Rock Anthem – now I have the song stuck in my head too... xD
Dante was counting in human years. There's going to be one more chapter in his POV later on, the majority of the chapters will be in Nero's POV though.
I'm glad you like the story and thanks for the review ^.^
NaturalEvil – Thank you, it's great to hear things like these, especially from native speakers *-* Yeah, Kyrie was quite mean towards Nero but he has Dante after all, haha xD
Thanks for reviewing! ^.^
Blue-Moons169 – I'm happy you like it :D It's also a huge compliment to hear that you can see it so clearly in your head *-* Thanks for the review ^.^
Syafeeqah Keita – Yes, it's my first fanfic. Usually, I write original stories ^.^ Thanks for all the compliments, I'm glad you like the story and thanks for reviewing :D
Dem0nic Device – I'm glad you like the story and both POVs ^.^ Thanks for reviewing :D
R – Oh wow... thank you *-* It really amazes me to hear things like these. Thanks for the feedback! :D
WARNING: This chapter contains suggestive themes
Chapter 8 – Crane Lake
"It's the wrong one!" A loud voice roused me from my sleep.
Someone was angry – very angry. I lifted my head groggily.
Where was I? The room was square shaped, the windows ominous and decorated, reminding me of a castle. Bars were installed in front of them. Outside, it was dark, the sky seemed to be pitch black and I could hear rolling thunder. The brick walls of the room were made out of plain gray stone, some paintings that showed landscapes were hung up here and there, their frames golden, making them look quite expensive. Opposite to me was a fireplace, the embers glowing dimly. Above it, there was another picture that showed something that seemed to be a peacock. Its feathers weren't blue and green though – they were orange and gold, reminding me a little of a phoenix although it obviously wasn't one. The beak of the bird was opened – it seemed to breathe fire. Beneath its feet, there were a lot of white beautiful pearls. There was a small inscription beneath the picture but I didn't know the language – the characters looked Cyrillic though... Maybe it was Russian?
In the corner of the room, there was a closet with a huge mirror, the design just as complex as the one on the picture frames. There were thick Persian rugs on the floor and – wait, why was I so comfortable? I was lying on a bed – a huge poster bed. The pillows and curtains seemed to be made of pure velvet, the color a rich purple with golden piping.
I tried to sit up but I couldn't. My wrists were tied to the headboard of the bed... oh shit. I tugged on the chain with my devil bringer but it didn't break. Seemed like a magical seal.
The voices on the corridor continued to argue. The one that was screaming continued to cuss while two other squeaky voices blabbered excuses. "Please, Master Verroth – how could we know that he isn't the son of Sparda?"
I froze. What did they just say?
"It doesn't matter! I have to pay for your stupidity! Now get out of my sight!" There was a loud thump and a high-pitched scream.
"I think of a punishment later, now get away!"
Another squeak and the sound of something squishy running away. It was silent for a minute before a female voice spoke up. "Darling, what about my present?"
"Fine, keep him. I don't care." Some steps resounded in the distance.
I lay there for another minute and tore at the chain that tied me to the bed. No way – I couldn't break it.
The door opened and made me startle. A woman entered and looked at me with a predatory gaze.
She was quite petite but nonetheless her body had the typical hourglass shape – big breasts, small waist and nicely curved hips. Her skin was very pale and also luminescent – when she stepped into the light, I could see that it had the structure and look of fish scales. It had a greenish shimmer to it which fit perfectly to her waist-long pastel green hair. The light shades of color and her strangely transparent skin make her look so fragile and unreal. Was that a mermaid? She reminded me a little of those rusalkas that this demon at Fortuna castle had used to bait me with... All that she was wearing was a fishnet-dress that barely covered anything. What did she want? I didn't feel comfortable tied onto a bed with a she-devil in the room.
"Hello my new plaything", she greeted me and I flinched back and gritted my teeth. Oh fuck no. Her voice was deep and sultry and didn't fit to her appearance at all.
"Get away from me", I said when she approached me and sat down onto the edge of the bed.
"Oh, that's not nice", she said and inched closer, "We'll have to work on your language."
Her hand came up to cup my cheek and I hissed in protest. The fingers of her hands were webbed, feeling slightly wet and squishy against my skin.
"My name is Ciale", she purred, "And you are lucky, honey."
"How's that?", I huffed, teeth still gritted.
"Because I saved you", Ciale explained, "My mate wanted to kill you because you're not the son of Sparda and therefore useless to him. I convinced him to let me keep you." She leaned close and her slick, tentacle-like tongue darted out to lick at my jawline. Ew.
"So I will keep you as my plaything", she continued then and her hand slid lower to my groin. I tried to get away from her but she grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her.
"You better do a good job, after all I could still ask him to kill you", she hissed, her voice suddenly venomous. "Show me a got time, sweetie." She continued to lick my jaw which was clenched tightly.
"Didn't you say you have a mate?", I asked, wrecking my brains about a way out of this.
"Yes, I have", she replied, still nibbling at my jaw, "So?"
"So? Wouldn't he be angry when you're cheating on him with me?", I said.
"Master Verroth has a harem", she whispered and started placing kisses all over my throat, "I am his main mate – the others are just there for both our personal enjoyment."
Sick. I didn't want to know what she meant with "personal enjoyment".
There must be a way out of this situation... An idea formed in my mind and I hated myself for even thinking about that. It wasn't like I had any other choice... or better ideas. Hopefully it would work.
"Release me and I'll show you a good time", I said in the most seductive tone of a voice I could muster and instantly wanted to punch myself for it. I didn't like women and here I was, trying to seduce one. Oh, the irony...
"We'll see about that", Ciale said curtly and suddenly pressed her lips onto mine, using my surprise to slip her tongue inside.
Play along, Nero, you need to get out of here.
It is disgusting to kiss someone with a tentacle tongue, really. Her hands slid over my crotch again, palming my member. There was no way she could turn me on while shoving this thing she called a tongue down my throat.
While kissing back – and ignoring the nasty slurping sounds she made with her tentacle – I looked around for something that I could use as weapon. On the nightstand were some heavy silver candle holders. Well, it would do.
Warmth spread through me and I panicked when I started to get turned on by Ciale's administrations.
I broke the kiss and stared into her eyes, my own half-lidded. Ladies and gentlemen, let the show begin.
"What are you doing to me?", I whispered, moaning lightly when she squeezed me through my jeans.
"It's a natural aphrodisiac I produce", she explained.
Maybe this would explain why she was the main mate of the master? I felt disgusted with myself when I hardened under her touch.
"Come on, uncuff me", I breathed in a raspy voice and raised my hips, causing my crotch to rub more against her hand. "Let me show you what I can do, baby. I will blow your mind, make you beg for more, make you scream."
Fucking hell, I didn't even know myself that I was able to talk dirty. I blamed it on the aphrodisiac she had infected me with. Still, I was hoping that I wouldn't die of embarrassment. This was just too ridiculous.
Thankfully, her eyes lit up and her lips curled into a wide smile. Haha, it worked!
"Really?", she asked cockily, "Tell me more, honey."
I was getting more pissed with every second that passed. My stomach churned, contrasting against the shivers that went down my spine thanks to the intoxicating effect of her love drug.
Just play along, Nero. Just fucking play along.
I smiled in response and wriggled my brows. "Why talk about it when I can show you?"
"I want to know what I'm getting myself into...", she replied, leaning in to kiss me again.
Seriously, I didn't expect my kidnapping to turn out this way.
"So...", Ciale said slowly after we broke apart, "Tell me all the things you want to do to me."
"I want to taste every inch of your skin, baby", I said, imagining someone else instead of her in front of me. A special someone with white hair and pale blue eyes...
"Let me tell you a secret – I can use my mouth in ways you could never imagine. I'll go down on you and lap up all of your juices, memorize the way you taste."
I groaned at the images that started to fill my mind, my thoughts slightly interrupted by her silent purr of approval. I chose to ignore her and just kept going. A part of me still mused about the irony of the whole situation. I was supposed to fight my way out of here, wasn't I? I was feeling like a slut... Wait – is this what I did during the last year? My memories were so blurred that I couldn't remember how I initiated things but now every moment was sharp and there was no chance that I wouldn't remember (and regret) it later.
Did it really matter though? My priority was to get out of here, right? But the more time passed and the more I thought about it, the stronger the effect of the aphrodisiac became. And out of a sudden, my brain shut itself up on its own, succumbing to the maddening heat that was spreading through me.
"I want to see your face contorted in pleasure, hear your moans as you reach your climax. God, I want to hear your voice, find out every sound you are able to make."
I arched my back even more, rubbing harshly against her and moaned out loudly. I didn't know my mind could be that imaginative but now it was as if all I said was directly transferred to my mind's eye.
"I want to explore your body, want to see how you respond to every of my touches", I continued, "And watch as you arch into my touch, as you groan out my name."
Somewhere in my hazed mind, I registered that I was getting carried away. Still, my brain rewarded me with some pretty explicit pictures of my wishes – and I found myself enjoying the show.
"I want to feel your mouth all over me – your lips, your tongue, your teeth."
Up to now, I had never realized how much I craved for physical connection... for love? I felt incredibly silly about it – especially because I found it out in an awkward situation like this.
"You haven't been laid in a while, have you?", Ciale chuckled lowly.
"Release me, baby", I rasped in response, tugging on the chain that tied me to the headboard of the bed.
Once again, her lips pressed against mine, ending my daydream about Dante completely and clearing my mind a little. I opened my eyes in surprise, not remembering when I closed them.
Ciale pulled away with a smirk. "Now show me, my new pet", she purred and leaned over to the nightstand next to the bed, pulling out a key and finally unlocked the cuffs.
Quickly, I turned our positions around, pinning her under me. She was smiling and tried to reach out for me but I caught her wrist and pinned it over her head. Obviously, she was still thinking that I was being playful.
In the next moment, the grin vanished from her face. With my bringer, I grabbed the candle holder closest to me and smashed it over her head. Usually, I don't hit women but she really had pushed it. She slumped down with a groan. As soon as she was unconscious, the effect of her aphrodisiac faded.
I grabbed the demonic handcuffs and attached her wrists to the headboard of the bed. If I didn't succeed in breaking them, she wouldn't as well.
I left the room and shut the door behind me. Blue Rose was missing – I had to find her and get out of this castle. Back to Dante...
I ran down the corridor. There were doors on both sides – some lead into bedrooms similar to the one I just escaped. I ran to the stairs at the end of the corridor and rushed down – villains always hid in the basement, didn't they? Or maybe Dante and I had watched too many horror and action movies together...
Down, down, down, down... It was a surprisingly long way down, in fact. I noticed that the air seemed to get colder with ever step I was taking, wondering about the weird way this castle was built. There must be another floor somewhere or a door that led to somewhere.
After some minutes, I found myself in another corridor. I seemed to be underground, considering the long descent and the fact that there were no windows here. At the end of the corridor was a decorated double door. This seemed a little too easy, actually...
Nonetheless, I inched closer. It's not like there was another way and I didn't have time to check all the doors of the upper floor. My hand reached for the door knob but a silent clicking noise made me freeze. I turned around slowly, trying to see where the noise came from.
The door that led to the stairs was gone.
Gone... gone away! Just like that? How was that even possible? The only thing left on the other side of the corridor was a massive brick wall.
Now I really had no choice than going forward. I couldn't wait here for other doors to show up – hell knows where they led to anyway.
I pulled open the double doors in front of me – to stumble straight into the harem of the demon lord.
Heads turned around to face me – there were twelve she-devils looking at me and I didn't like their hungry stares. At all.
"Fresh meat!", one of them cooed and the others giggled in response.
I hate my life. Why does shit like that always happen to me? Well, maybe they knew how I could get to the master?
They were seated on a huge round leather couch and pillows laid everywhere on the floor. There were some cages in the corner of the room and some leather swings were hung up on the ceiling. A small coffee table was placed in the middle of the room, a water pipe placed on it. Two of the girls were currently smoking it, filling the air with smoke and clouding the view a little.
Behind the huge circular couch, there were certain devices that looked as if they were meant for torture... Looks like the master was into S&M. The sooner I got out of here, the better.
"Hello ladies", I said with a wide fake grin and approached them. One of the women petted the spot next to her on a spacious couch and I sat down obediently. Instantly, one girl was seated in my lap, batting her lashes at me.
The smell of smoke penetrated my nose and sniffed again – tobacco wasn't the only thing they smoked here, apparently.
I looked around, realizing that all of the women looked different – so the master had a huge variety of sluts... erm, mates. Each one was some kind of demon, their skins, fur, feathers and scales colorful and each one of them was pretty in her own way. Nonetheless, I was here for a reason.
"What brings you here, handsome?", one of them said, "We saw you arrive and Ciale told us that Master Verroth lets her keep you. Where are you from?"
The others started asking questions as well and in a matter of five minutes, my head pounded painfully. Seriously, women are nice to look at but talk too much.
"I don't know why I'm here", I said, still smiling widely even though I could swear my eye was twitching, "Tell me about your master, girls. I just can't assess his motives and I don't know what he could possibly want from me."
"I think he tries to broaden his horizon", came the answer from a parrot-like demon with brightly colored wings. All of them giggled again.
"Master Verroth is a very kind master", said a demon girl that had bright red fur and a tail, reminding me of a fox, "He takes care of us in so... many... ways..." Her voice blended out softly and she smirked evilly before speaking again. "And so many positions."
I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Oh dear god. Too much information.
I was groped again by the demon girl next to me but I slapped her hand away.
"Feels like he's better hung than the master", she said mischievously and all of them giggled again.
"Oh, you are so adorable", said the one sitting in my lap. Only now I realized she looked similar to a lizard – sharp and short spines ran down her back, colored in a bright orange. She reached out and pinched my cheek. "Look how he's blushing!"
"Master Verroth takes each of us without restraint", foxie continued, practically moaning every word out, "And we always submit to our master."
"He fulfills every of our wishes", the parrot said, "Dominates us in the most precious ways. And everyone wears his mark here." She tilted her neck back and showed off a bite mark on it. Now that she mentioned it, I noticed that every girl here had a bruise-covered neck and bite marks everywhere.
"Seems like violent sex", I commented with raised eyebrows.
"Oh, you'll love it", foxie said, "Demonic mating is all about control. He is the master, thus he is in control and we do as he tells us. If you don't obey him, you will get punished. The rules are easy, really."
"So you never take charge?", I asked.
"Only if he tells us to do so", she replied and moved behind me, massaging my shoulders. It would have been a nice gesture if her nails hadn't been long and sharp. "I wonder how Ciale managed to persuade him. You and Master Verroth will have to fight – the winner will be the alpha male."
"What?", I asked, not believing what I was hearing. I didn't plan on staying anyway, but really – what the fuck? Also, I started to get annoyed. The girls around me continued giggling and came closer with every passing second. The smoke that hung in the air clouded my senses, made my head spin slightly. I needed to find my weapon and kick this master's ass for kidnapping me. Also, I had to find Dante.
I almost jumped out of my skin when all of them started to feel me up.
"Mmh...", the fox groaned as she massaged my crotch through my jeans. "You were right, Marista... Not bad, honey..."
Abruptly, I jumped onto my feet and bolted to the other corner of the room. They were still giggling.
"Aw, did we scare you?", the lizard-like demon asked, "Come back, honey, we'll make you feel good."
Enough with the bullshit.
"Sorry, I'm not into girls", I said and summoned Yamato.
The giggling stopped abruptly and they stared at me wide-eyed.
"Don't tell me you're gay", one of them said, looking disappointed – and disgusted.
Are you kidding me? Here I stand with a fucking sword in my hand, about to attack them and the only thing they cared about was my sexuality? What the hell is wrong with them?
"Now tell me what your master is plotting", I demanded and swung the blade for more effect. I'm pretty sure my eyes had turned red too. I was done with acting and playing along. I needed to get out of here.
"We don't know anything about his plans", foxie whimpered.
Two slashes of the sword cut through the air, crushing everything in their wake. The group of women on the cushions scattered apart, screaming in terror.
"AH! Please!", they whimpered, "We're not involved in anything he does." They started crying and pleading and pissed me off to no end.
"Alright", I said and sheathed Yamato. "If you can't tell me what he's planning, tell me how to find him."
One of them raised her arm, pointing at the wall behind me. I turned around, stepping closer to the it. It was a painted wall, the picture filling the it from the floor up to the ceiling. When I stepped closer, I realized that it wasn't really a picture – the motive was slightly moving.
"What is this?", I asked, "And don't try to trick me. If you lie to me, I won't hesitate to hurt you."
I was at my limit. There's only so much a person could take and today, I almost died, got kidnapped and been molested several times. It was enough now.
The girls didn't answer and I examined the picture – or whatever it was supposed to be. It showed a huge tree, its leaves blood-red – it seemed as if they were swaying in the breeze. Crimson flowers twined around around its trunk, its petals strangely sharp – as if they were made out of folded paper. The tree stood in a meadow, the grass bright green and fresh, littered with daisies allover. In the background, there seemed to be a lake.
"It's the portal to our master's personal quarters", foxie said, "Only Ciale has ever entered it. Usually, Master Verroth comes to us, we're not allowed to go there."
"Fine, I'm going", I said and waved, turning around to walk through the portal. It's not like I had an other choice. "Bye ladies!"
Then, I took a deep breath and went through the portal. The surface felt cool, reminding me of water but when I arrived on the other side, I realized that I was still dry.
I was amazed when I saw the tree in reality – its leaves were of a pure blood-red and I reached out and touched them. The surface was soft, almost petal-like but thicker and a little rougher. The flowers were beautiful as well. I reached out with my bringer but refrained from touching them. Think before you act, for a change. What happened the last time you touched demonic seeds?
They had been absorbed, just like the strange pearl from the heart of the demon – the little black pearl I had absorbed on my first night in Capulet, after Dante and I killed the monster that had crashed the "Phoenix".
I should know better by now to refrain from touching everything I came across but it was just typically me – I was acting like a kid in a museum, touching things that I wasn't supposed to touch.
I looked around. Some meters away, there was a small lake, the water so clear that you could see the ground and filled with koi-carps. Also, there were some cranes – their feathers not white as usual but bright red. They trudged through the shallow water of the lake, minding their own business and ignored me. Reed grew at the shore of the lake and many bowlders laid at the shore, one occupied by someone.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?", the woman who was sitting on the huge stone said, her voice warm and soft. Her legs were crossed and she looked at me expectantly. Overall, she looked quite delicate and everything on her seemed to be colored in different shades of beige and peach – her skin had a light tan and her hair was long and had the color of hazel. Her face was round with a pointed chin and her thin lips were tinted in a soft peach. There were huge wooden plates embed in her ears – the diameter must have been about eight centimeters, the stretched lobes almost reaching down to her chin, and she wore matching wooden studs in both of her nostrils.
But her most striking feature were her eyes – they were almond-shaped and honey-colored. On either side of her face, just beneath her impressive eyes, were two bold orange streaks which reminded me of Aboriginal body paint.
Unlike the other girls of the harem, she didn't resemble an animal – she didn't have scales or feathers... or claws. She wore an outfit that consisted of shorts and a simple top, made out of linen and I was glad that she showed some modesty.
"I'm Sayume", she said with a grin, not moving from her place but still watching me. "And you are...?"
"Nero...", I said awkwardly, "I thought the women of the harem are not allowed to go to their master's quarters?"
She hissed at that, the pupils of her eyes constricting. "Verroth captured me against my will", she spat, "I chose to stay in another sphere on my own rather than letting him have his way with me."
She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed me from top to toe.
"I didn't know he's also courting men now", she added with a smirk.
"He doesn't", I said dryly, "I'm searching for him – "
"Will you kill him?", Sayume interrupted me and leaned forward, unfolding her arms. "Please tell me you're going to kill this sick dictator."
"Well, that's kinda what I intended", I said, "Why do you want to see him dead?"
She tapped the bowlder next to her and I sat down, looking at her expectantly.
"I used to live in the demon world with my sisters", she said, "We are witches – and we're always in touch with the nature. Without it, we perish. We need to feel the wind tickling our skin, the rain as it pours down upon us – it keeps us alive."
"There are witches in hell?", I asked and she laughed.
"There are many different types of witches, Nero", she explained with a smile, "And just because I was born in hell it doesn't mean I'm evil. Don't paint the world in black and white, heaven and hell can't be seen as purely good or evil. It's much more complicated than that."
She paused and stared at the lake for a minute. "Verroth came out of nowhere", she continued, "He set our forest on fire, killed us one by one. Our spells didn't affect the monsters that destroyed everything and killed everyone. He took some of our women, me amongst them. He let me live – but the others..." She began to sob and I petted her hand.
After some minutes, she began to talk again. "He didn't just kill them, no... He took body parts of them. Cut off limbs while they were still alive, making sure that I was watching."
She started crying now and I took her hand in mine. I felt sorry for Sayume. And I had the urge to kill Verroth, to put an end to this.
"He said to me 'behave or you will suffer' but I couldn't take it. His castle is instable and it's possible to open some portals to the demon realm and other spheres. This is my hideout but I'm constantly afraid that he will stumble upon me and kill me in the same way he killed my sisters."
She wiped her tears away.
"The others told me that he always comes out of this portal...", I said, slightly confused.
"Portals are complicated systems", she said, "It's like a maze, in fact. They're not all connected to each other and no one really knows how they work and not everyone is able to create a portal. It has to be a powerful demon or witch – or a good spell."
"A spell is enough?", I asked doubtfully but she nodded.
"Of course, you need a certain degree of power in order to execute it but once you acquired the words, you can make it work."
I thought about that for a minute... I guess it was true that the words would suffice in order to make a spell work and remembered the day after Halloween when Dante, Lady, Trish and I had come back to Devil May Cry at midnight, slumping down onto the sofa, energy completely drained – it had felt as if we had had over a hundred missions that day.
Trish had said that the day after Halloween was the most exhausting day in the year for demon hunters – there were some crazy humans who tried to execute spells on Halloween night. Since I didn't celebrate that holiday before, I didn't really get Trish's explanation why exactly they chose that day for summoning demons or other mumbo jumbo.
"Is it true that humans use spells in the other world?", Sayume asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yes", I replied and her shoulders sank.
"So the stories I've heard from trespassers of our forest are true", she whispered. "Humans summon demons, convinced they would help them. Humans think of demons as their servants."
"And the other way round", I reminded her and she sighed.
"All of the worlds are so cruel..."
"The worlds?", I repeated, not really getting what she was talking about.
"How many stars are there? How many different spheres, realms, universes? Nobody can say for sure." She looked sad, staring onto the lake. "I'm not even sure where we are at the moment. This sphere represents the forest I used to live in – but... I don't know how to explain it."
"Try", I suggested with a grin and she sighed again.
"It seems like an illusion to me."
"An illusion?"
"A memory – a sphere made to treasure something", she explained, frowning lightly. I waited for her to continue.
"You can see the leaves moving but there is no breeze. You can see circles in the water when you touch it but your finger didn't even breach the water's surface. This is not real. It's a hideaway, a shelter – created to protect something."
"How do you know things like these?", I asked wide-eyed. I have never heard about things like these. The only supernatural things I was familiar with were demons – well, killing demons to be more precise.
"I'm a spiritual being", she replied absent-minded, "Always in tune with nature, as I said. This place may be artificial but it does its job, protecting me from Verroth."
"How does he even orientate himself when the portals are not connected to each other?"
"He's connected to his mates", Sayume explained, "Mate marks create a bond between two mates. He can sense his harem, so I guess he follows his instincts to find them. I'm glad he never had the chance to mark me..." She rubbed her neck.
"Tell me about the creatures", I said.
"There's not much to say about them", she replied, "They were simple black masses when he started assembling them. Usually, they would simply consume everything they came across. He's still experimenting with them and they get stronger every time. The thing I still wonder about is how he managed to create them. You need a base to start with and he wasn't made to create or reproduce."
"Do you know what he plans to do with those demons?", I asked.
"He wants to destroy the border between the demon world and the human world with their help", she answered, "When this castle rose from hell, a gap between the human world and the demonic realm emerged. A tiny, tiny gap. Not enough to actually let something or someone through, but big enough for power to slowly leak out. Verroth managed to forge a gate to keep the power the gap emitted as power source. But obviously, that wasn't enough. The gate is still passive, it needs more than just those things to work..." She trailed off.
"Which things?", I asked encouragingly.
"I'm not sure", she said slowly, "They look like pearls but there has to be more to it, obviously."
My stomach churned painfully. Pearls? Like the pearl I had absorbed some months ago...? Was I being paranoid for no reason? Sayume wasn't sure herself after all...
She frowned in concentration. "Those pearls... they're not his creation. He's not able to create, just to forge, to alter or to assemble. I have seen the portal only once, the sources were pulsing with this familiar power – the same thing I can feel in the air here. It feels strange, Nero. It feels strange that I can't put my finger on it, that it feels familiar. It scares me."
"Who created them then?", I queried, trying to ignore the feeling in my stomach.
She shrugged. "I wish I knew. Anyway – now, Verroth tries to expand the gap he inflicted more and more until it engulfs the whole universe. He always uses the same spell after he conquers a sphere but it's never enough to actually widen the gap – it destroys parts of the sphere sometimes but that's the only thing that ever happened."
I thought about the bonfire again, thought about the degree of destruction his creations had caused... and the wasteland that was left in the end. I guess the wasteland was the result of the aborted spell.
"Wait, the castle rose from hell?", I asked and she nodded.
"The castle belonged to his creator but it was destroyed when he was defeated and sunk back several years ago. Verroth used the leftover force to rebuild and raise it again, tearing spheres in the process."
"His creator?"
"I don't know who it is, Nero", she replied apologetically, "Nobody knows much about Verroth. The only thing I know is that he was always called a 'bastard'. Rumor has it that he had a sister as well but she died some time ago."
"A bastard? What's that supposed to mean?"
"He wasn't supposed to be created in the first place – strictly speaking, his existence is not allowed."
"His existence is not allowed...? How do you know all of that?"
"Hey, wait." She raised her hands in defeat. "I don't know if any of that is true. The only thing I know for sure is that he made his mark in the demon world by commanding his troops. He's a commander, only rarely stepping into battle himself. He doesn't like to do the dirty work on his own. Of course, his plan of conquering all the worlds is ridiculous but he's lost his mind anyway. Once the whole portal system gets too instable, it's most likely going to implode – and all of us will perish from the force that would be unleashed."
"Like an atomic bomb?", I asked and she looked at me inquiringly. "Um, you know – there's a huge bang and everything explodes, destroying everything within a radius of multiple miles."
"Yeah, the aftermath would look like that", she confirmed and I paled.
"We have to get of here", I said and tried to keep my panic at bay.
"The castle is sealed with his spell", she said, "I tried to escape many times. No, either he has to let you go on his own or he has to die."
"And how do I get to him?", I asked, "Or how I am supposed to kill him?"
"He's an easy target – well, compared to his monsters", Sayume said, "Did you just listen to what I told you? He's an ignorant idiot, used to command, not to fight himself – use that to your advantage. But beware of his beasts – they are hard to kill."
"I've managed to kill them before", I said with a scoff, "That shouldn't be a problem."
She looked at me doubtfully. "His creations are dangerous – believe me, Nero", she warned me, "Don't underestimate them."
I shrugged and looked around. "So... how can I find him?", I asked.
"I have an idea", she said and walked over to the tree, gesturing me to follow her. She pointed at the flowers that ranked down the tree.
"Those flowers are called 'desideria' and according to myth, they grant a wish to those who touch them."
"Where's the catch?", I asked, raising a brow.
"They will drain a bit of your power", she said, "It will be only temporary but that's the price you pay for the gratification of your deepest wish. They pull you towards the thing you most desire, leaving you with no choice than to give in."
"That doesn't even sound that bad...", I said slowly.
"Do not underestimate them", she repeated once again, raising her index finger, "The flowers point your path but you have to walk it on your own. Once you've spoken out your wish, you will be restless until it is fulfilled."
"But wait... if they grant a wish, why don't you wish to escape?", I wondered, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
"The flowers are not powerful enough to break Verroth's magical barriers", she replied, looking sad, "Where am I supposed to go anyway, Nero? My family and my clan is dead. All I have now is this little piece of tranquility, the only thing Verroth can't take away from me. I wish that he won't find me but no one knows if the spell of the flowers actually works. Maybe they will guide you to Verroth, maybe they won't. It is a myth after all."
"What if they won't?"
"Then you'll have to find another way."
"I don't have time to find another way!", I yelled, "It has to work."
"Try it. Touch them and say your deepest wish out loud", she suggested.
"Alright, let's go", I said and reached out to touch the flowers. Instantly, they emitted the pollen – it smelled sweet and fresh and reminded me of something I couldn't quite place...
"Take me to Verroth."
Nothing happened. We both stared at the flowers which continued to emit their pollen.
"Hmm... it doesn't seem like that's your deepest wish...", Sayume said slowly, "What do you desire the most now? It's not to find or kill Verroth."
No, it wasn't. Dante was on my mind. I wanted to find him, make sure he was okay and fight Verroth and his creations with him beside me. I didn't think I could make it without him anyway.
She look into my eyes for a moment, lips curling into a knowing smile afterwards. "You're in love, aren't you?"
I glared at her. "How do you know?"
"I can see it in your eyes", she replied, "The longing, the desire. Your wish for completeness."
I was impressed. "So what am I supposed to do now?"
"Isn't it obvious?", she chuckled, "Ask them to help you finding what you're looking for."
I tried again, touching another flower and inhaled the pollen. "Help me find Dante."
Thin red ropes shot out of the flowers, twining around me. My eyes widened in shock and I tried to get away but it was to no avail. "Sayume, is that normal?", I yelled out.
"I don't know", she said, sounding surprised and took a step back.
The ropes pulled me towards the tree and I felt a strange warmth enveloping me. The ropes became thicker, more like the veins that wound around the tree and more flowers grew on it in fast motion, opening their petals and emitting more pollen. I choked on it, feeling a little light-headed. Suddenly, the petals cut my skin, the stigma of the flowers digging in like needles, sucking blood. I yelped in pain, the light-headed feeling in my head getting worse.
"I think their pollen is poisonous", I managed to slur out.
Sayume yelled something but I couldn't make the words out. The flowers didn't cease to emit their pollen and I chocked even more, my senses felt dull and my vision swam. On the edge of my mind, I realized that I was sucked into the tree, the sphere with the lake fading away in front of my eyes, leaving me disoriented.
"Good luck, Nero", I heard Sayume say as she watched me disappear.
"Thanks Sayume!", I called, "I will help you escape from here."
"Don't worry about me", she said and the tree and the meadow disappeared in a wild warp of colors.