Blessed And Cursed
Disclaimer: Devil May Cry and its characters = © Capcom. I don't make any profit from this story.
A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay :O
Replies:
Not-Completely-Insane – Well, Yulija's and Pheolae's past IS very sad. I'm happy you liked all the flashbacks though :D
I'm not sure which part you mean by that... The one where Daevus is put to sleep? Well, it's not Pheolae who he talks to. But one thing at a time ;)
Hmm, those are some interesting theories. You'll find out whether you're right if you just keep on reading, hehe *wriggles eyebrows*
Ah, don't worry about the last review, it's okay ;)
SirenaLoreley – Heh, I have a thing for cliffhangers xD And I'm glad you liked the chapter even though it contained so many dark themes.
Thanks for reviewing!
Cielshadow17 – Yes, yes, Dante will come to the rescue :)
Thanks for the review!
Blue-Moons169 – Right, poor Nero. Oh god, I still feel bad about that torture part D:
Thanks for reviewing!
Dem0nic Device – I'm glad you like the descriptions. I always have the feeling that I'm overdoing it with details whenever I describe things. And yay, angst 8D
Thanks for the review :D
Ashleypurdy lover – Voilà, an update! :D
Lol – Thanks :)
EvilHalfbreed – Well, I warned you that it will be confusing D: I know that the background story around Yulija and Pheolae seems a little out of context but there's a reason it's there ;)
Thanks for reviewing :)
Warning: this chapter contains violence, gore and notions of torture
Chapter 10 – The Weight of Faith
"You can't be serious."
I stared at Cerog who simply grinned in response – which looked creepy as fuck, by the way.
"There's no other way inside."
"I'm not going through the sewers", I said and crossed my arms. We were standing in front of the castle but still, he wanted us to go through the sewers. The entrance door was about hundred meters away. I didn't get the problem.
"You have no choice", Cerog said, "Either you go through the sewers or Master Verroth will kill your mate."
"He's not my m– alright." I sighed. I had to get to Nero as fast as possible. Guilt gnawed at me – he wasn't supposed to be kept there. It should have been me...
"So he is your mate!", Cerog cheered suddenly and I shot him a look. He opened the gully and pointed towards it, indicating that I should go first.
"What are you talking about?", I asked and climbed down the ladder. "And why can't we just use the front door?"
"I told my brothers that they are taking the mate of the son of Sparda, and not the son of Sparda himself but they told me to shut up, and apparently I was right", the small demon explained, "And there is no front door. Master's castle is a complicated system of portals and the only way inside is through the sewers."
"Oh yeah, makes perfect sense to me." I huffed in annoyance. "And stop calling him 'master' for fuck's sake, he doesn't deserve that title." I followed Cerog through the sewers. The smell was maddening – the stench of Verroth's creations hung in the air, stronger than I have ever smelled it before. And for some reason, the castle seemed strangely familiar to me – as if I had been here before... No, it couldn't be. Still – the crude stone walls, the long corridors, the steel doors, the howling wind that gushed through the halls... I couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity off.
"Say, how did your brothers manage to catch Nero?", I asked to keep my thoughts occupied, a little afraid of how Nero would look like when I found him.
"Nero? Is that the name of your mate?", Cerog asked with a hint of laughter in his voice, "They planned to hide in the trees and hover above him, knocking him out when he didn't pay attention." He stopped suddenly and I almost crushed him with my feet. "Every group of the hierarchy has their own quarters", he explained to me. "The first ones are the lowest. You want us to revolt, right? Convince them, Dante." He pushed the heavy steel door open, its hinges creaking loudly. I entered the room and looked around.
We were in the dungeons, the ceiling was low and the walls made out of simple stone bricks. Thousands of eyes looked at me – not because there were so many creatures in here but because all of them seemed to have multiple pairs of extra eyes. I was crept out, really – and that was something, considering all the bizarre things I had seen in my life.
"Cerog, who is this?", asked one of the miscreatures. It was large and seemed to be a pile of black goo.
Here we go then. "I am Dante, the son of Sparda", I replied and all of them sucked in a breath (or at least it seemed as if they were doing that...). "Cerog told me about the way your so-called 'master' treats you."
"So?", asked a demon similar to Cerog – its voice was even higher than Cerog's. Maybe it was a female demon? "What about the way he treats us? Does it matter when we're going to die anyway?"
"You don't have to die", I said, "Revolt."
They just stared at me, apparently thinking I was crazy.
"Revolt?", someone echoed.
"Yes", I said, "I know you're thinking that you don't stand a chance but that's not true. Your enemies may be strong but you're all smarter than them. You can defeat them."
"No, we can't", the demon with the incredibly high voice said, "It doesn't matter anyway – we're going to die either way. There's no need trying to avoid the inevitable, no need to fight."
Hell, what was going on with them? It seemed as if their "master" had completely broken their will to live.
"Wrong", I countered, "If you think you're going to die anyway, you should at least die with dignity. Put up a fight."
"Life is worthless", the big one with the deep voice said, "Even if we survive, what are we supposed to do then?"
"Find something to live for", I said, getting impatient. I didn't have time for this. I needed to find Nero.
They stared at each other for a moment, trying to make sense out of my words. "We don't have anywhere to go", one of them said, "No place to live. What are we going to do when we're free?"
"Don't ask me!", I yelled, now also getting angry. "Get your asses up and just start to live! Find something worth living for! Just don't fucking give up without a fight!"
My patience was wearing thin and my time running out. I had to find Nero. I needed to know that he was okay. I needed to make up for the things that happened to him because of me. He wasn't supposed to be in danger in the first place.
"Listen", Cerog suddenly said and all of the demons stared at him. "We've endured torture, we saw our 'master' kill our siblings. We can't go on like this." He pointed at me with one of his tentacles. "He offers us a way out of this", he continued, "Each of you knows the legend of Sparda. He stood up for his own beliefs. He stood up for weaker ones like us when he led the rebellion and now his son follows his path."
Some of the demons from the crowd stepped out, standing next Cerog. "Maybe we are not useless", Cerog continued and the demons next to him nodded in agreement. "Maybe it was fate that Dante Sparda appeared. Think about that, brothers and sisters."
Silence. The demons seemed to ponder their options.
"The first laboratory is next to our quarters – the laboratory where Verroth keeps creations for research and dissection. Then comes the next rang, the ones who are going to be improved instead of destroyed. They are easy enemies, usually dissolving once they're hit", Cerog said into the silence, slowly turning back to me. "The lab's there –" He pointed at the door that led to the next room – "But the door is locked."
"That shouldn't be a problem." Maybe they weren't strong enough to open a locked steel door but I guess I could kick it open as long as it wasn't sealed by magic.
"I'm going through the next door", I announced then, "Everyone who wants to put up a fight follows me. I am not here to save you. Nobody can save you but yourselves."
With that, I made my way to the other side of the room, Cerog following close after me. I heard some of the others move and smirked to myself. Seemed like there was still some hope in them, after all.
I kicked open the doors and unsheathed Rebellion, grinning broadly. The grin left my face when we entered the chamber though.
There were some tables placed here and there, operating instruments like bone saws, screws and scalpels lying on them, crusted with blood. Some chemicals were placed in test tube holders, silently simmering over the flames of gas burners. Several cages were scattered throughout the whole room, all of them empty.
"We're too late", Cerog said, his voice empty as he looked around in the room. "The highest rank already cleaned up today..."
I heard low growls behind me. The instincts of the demons screamed for revenge, spurred on by what they had seen.
My heart sank when I saw Nero's gun on one of the tables. I took it into my hands, brushing against the rose engraving. Something must have happened to him – he was unarmed, probably injured... Next to Blue Rose was a small metal tray, several bloody scalpels lying there. I examined the instruments more closely, sniffed the air – Nero's blood.
Rage welt up inside me. Verroth had hurt him. He had drawn blood from him. And the worst of it was that it was my fault! My anger suddenly turned into fear – what if Nero wasn't even alive anymore? What if that maniac had killed him?
No, what am I even thinking? Nero is alive. He has to be alive. I clutched Blue Rose tighter, breathing hard. Get it together. This is not the time to break apart.
"Dante?", Cerog asked, crawling towards me. "What's with you –"
"I'm fine", I said, forcing myself to calm down. "Let's go."
We crossed the room to the next door, barging in unceremoniously. The enemies in this room were weak and, as Cerog had already mentioned, unstable. A slice with Rebellion here, a stab there and they would dissolve on their own. So far so good.
It was a bloodbath and I saw the little demons twist their tentacles into their enemy's bodies, ripping the hearts out with ease. Revenge for what they had done to the "lower class demons" before, revenge for their murdered friends and siblings. We dispatched them quickly and I turned around, facing Cerog and his brothers and sisters.
"Hey you", I said to the demon with the extreme high-pitched voice, "What did you say some minutes ago? 'No need to fight'?"
"I never said that", the demon denied, crossing its tentacles in front of its body.
My smirk grew even wider. "See? Fighting for your life is worth it. And now, come on. We still have work to do."
I kicked open the next doors and found myself in a room encased with steel, looking much more modern than the simple dungeon the other demons had been kept in. The creations here were kept in single cells, sleeping soundly even after the noise I made. In the back of the room, there seemed to be a huge aquarium, containing clams in different sizes. It cast a greenish light that illuminated from the walls, making the scenery look strangely menacing.
"What's that?", I asked and noticed that the demons tensed at that.
"The breeding station", Cerog replied hesitantly.
"Those are clams", I said slowly and he nodded.
"They hold the core of our existence."
"What?"
"We are created by one single core", he explained, "Our cores come from these things. Some of us have to harvest them every now and then. Usually, they die afterwards, the poison burning them."
"What do these cores look like?"
"They're small and round and of a rich black – like a jewel", he replied.
Small and round, emerging from a clam? Sounded like pearls... Why did that alarm me so much though?
"Legend says Verroth was created for a purpose. That purpose is unclear though", Cerog said then, "No one can tell why he's doing all those things, why he desperately tries to create when he hadn't been given the power to create, why he practices witchcraft when he doesn't have the power to execute spells."
"Your point?" I was getting impatient again, and my growing paranoia and concern for Nero were not helping in the slightest.
"Dante... his motives! We don't know why he's doing it! He's a destroyer, not a creator. An important piece of the puzzle is missing", Cerog explained, "Also – who created him in the first place? Why was he created? All Verroth ever did was wreaking carnage. Something important seems to be missing in this."
"I don't really care why he's doing all these things", I said, "All I know is that it has to stop." I didn't have time for theories like these, for legends about someone's purpose in this world – it didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was getting Nero out of here and kicking Verroth's ass for hurting him. "How do you know about these things anyway?"
"There's a pretty good library somewhere in this castle", Cerog replied, "We managed to steal some books from there... Even though I think the library's haunted."
"Haunted?"
"Yes... There are those sounds there – crazy laughter, the sound of heavy scissors clinking together. We only have access to that library whenever a door to it appears, too."
Why did that sound familiar, too...? "Whenever a door appears?"
"Yup, they come and go..."
"Just like that?"
"Dante, it's a network of portals created by a sick psycho that creates demons without knowing what he's doing and not caring about the consequences. Why are you still surprised?"
"You got a point there..." I was glad that he now called his former master a "sick psycho". At least Cerog understood that he had a reason to live. Maybe the other demons could be happy too after all this was over.
"Every door leads to a different place. Once we found some kind of taxidermy room...", he continued. "There were lots of skeletons there and models and potions. Everything was broken – it looked like someone destroyed everything in that room and deserted it afterwards. Nothing had been touched there for who knows how long."
I nodded shortly, not knowing what to say to that. It didn't seem important to me. Then, I looked around in the room. "Any ideas anyone?"
"There is a mechanism that supplies those things with energy at the end of the hall", Cerog said, pointing towards it. It seemed like a huge fuse box with lots of switches, glass pipes coming out of some places which were connected to several cells. Green liquid flowed through the pipes. There was the constant sound of a steam engine and a quiet ticking and the sounds of slightly creaky gears.
"What do you think will happen if we cut their life support?", I wondered out aloud.
"The system here would instantly collapse", a demon answered. It had a huge head with at least fifteen pairs of eyes. "Once it's down, the creatures in the cells would die and we wouldn't have to fight them."
"All the pipes are connected to each other, Airith", another one with crab-like pincers remarked, pointing at the ceiling where the glass tubes were attached.
"So?", Airith retorted.
"Once the first one breaks down, it will trigger a chain reaction, causing everything to blow up. It could make the whole castle collapse."
Whoa, that was too deep for me. "Can't I just destroy this thing?", I asked, causing them to look at me wide-eyed – ever had a head with about fifteen pairs of bright yellow eyes look at you at once? Let me tell you – it's macabre as hell.
"No", Airith, the thirty-eyed demon finally replied.
"Yes", the other with the pincers said slowly, seeming to think hard. "Look, if we're lucky and cutting off their life support would cause the system to collapse, we can destroy the breeding section. Verroth wouldn't be able to create new demons then. Also, the energy would be enough to –"
"Forget it, Istylis", Airith interrupted him. "It's like you said – the whole castle would break down. It's too dangerous."
"Isn't that what we aim for?", I asked cautiously.
"No", they replied at the same time, making me feel kinda stupid.
"Look, guys", I said, "We need a plan as quickly as possible. Cerog said this castle is a system of portals, maybe this can be used to our advantage."
"Of course!", Cerog suddenly yelled, slapping himself on the … forehead? (it seemed as if it was his forehead). "He's the son of Sparda! He can destroy the gate!"
The other demons cheered at that, leaving me confused. "What?"
"This castle lies on the only place where the human and demon world meet with a tiny gap in the Earth", the crab-like demon – Istylis – explained, "Verroth tries to widen the gap more and more with every spell he uses to break the spheres. Each time he wanders into a sphere and conquers it, he takes the most beautiful woman into his harem and expands his realm. He created a gate that helps him to break the spheres."
"He's able to open hell gates?", I asked, eyes widening. Shit, he seemed pretty powerful.
"Not really", Cerog replied, "He travels through spheres and opens them with the spells his sister has passed on to him. All you need for the spells to work is a certain degree of power. The rest can be set up easily. It's barely enough to open the paths and the only magic he can work. I already told you he's not made to work spells – he can't seal the paths he opens and sooner or later, everything will break down. Nobody knows the consequences of this."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "How does that help us? What will happen if I destroy that gate?"
"Verroth wouldn't be able to reopen it", Istylis said, "And once the castle's only power source is shut off, it loses every support and will explode."
"So what are we gonna do?", I asked, getting impatient again.
"We get into the final hall – the gate can't be missed, it's right in the center – and you destroy the gate without getting killed", was Airith's simple reply.
"Alright, I guess I'll – wait, what?" Without getting killed? Now what was that supposed to mean?
"We'll try to back you, of course", Cerog said, "But we're not as strong as you, Dante."
"What about Verroth?", I queried.
"Destroy the gate", Istylis said, "And then, kill him."
"Kill him?", I echoed. Those demons knew the answer to everything, apparently. I hope they were also able to fight the big guys.
"Verroth's a commander, not a fighter!", Istylis said and flapped his pincers impatiently, "Stab him with your big sword a couple of times. Or cut off his head, I don't really care how you kill him."
I could tell those demons had no real experience in fighting. Their master seemed to be strong if he was able to open paths to spheres, nothing to be underestimated.
"And what about the gap? How do I close it?", I asked. I knew how to close hell gates but gaps that led to hell?
"The portal looks like a huge black monolith", Istylis replied, "Cut off its power source. The energy that will be set free will do the rest." Easily breakable "hell gates" – sounded a little like those knock-off gates in Fortuna, in fact...
"The only thing you have to fear are his newest creations", he added after a moment of silence.
"The steel-armored beasts?", I asked.
"Those too...", he murmured quietly.
My eyebrows rose. "And...?"
"Let's just hope his newest plans didn't succeed, son of Sparda."
"What do you mean?", I asked suspiciously. "What are his newest plans?"
"Mutation... combined with alchemy."
"Which means...?" It was like taking private lessons in chemistry and biology... from demons.
"It means that Verroth modifies the DNA of his newest creations to his liking", Airith explained, "No one can tell what will happen then. Either they will be invincible or the process of their creation will blow up the whole place as soon as Verroth tries to generate them. The latter is the most likely."
"Great..." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. "Let's go."
We made our way through the corridor and arrived at the wall of technology. Istylis slid in front of it, tapping some switches and mumbling silently something to himself.
"What's he doing?", I asked Airith and Cerog who just shrugged in response. After some seconds, the crab-like demon pulled away, grinning and gesturing to all of us to go to the next hall.
"What did you do?", I asked him and he leaned a little closer to me so that only I could hear him.
"The panel will blow up in about fifteen minutes", Istylis explained, "Make sure you have cut off the power source of the gate by then. If you didn't destroy it and the castle starts collapsing, we will have a serious problem."
"Why'd you do it then?", I hissed angrily.
"Because you're the son of Sparda", he stated, apparently thinking this explanation would suffice. "Now go."
I let out an angry huff, unsheathing Rebellion and gestured the group to follow me. "Wait, what's behind those doors?"
"The center of this place", Cerog replied, "And the highest ranked demons."
"Are they being kept in cells?"
"No."
"No?", I echoed, "But what –"
"Ignore them", Airith interrupted me, "Head straight for the gate and destroy it. We'll try to take care of the demons."
With that, I kicked open the next doors and was directly greeted by the welcoming committee.
"Ah, the last son of Sparda! I've been expecting you!", a deep male voice resounded from somewhere. I noticed that he seemed to have a slight lisp – the 's' was hissed sharply.
"Really?", I asked unimpressed and made my way through the hall. Cerog and the others stayed at the door though.
The hall was huge and reminded me a little of a church, similar to the opera house in Fortuna. Why do they always build hell gates in or beneath churches? Isn't that a little ironic? It seemed as if there was no ceiling – the sky above me was a pure black, red lightning flashing across it every now and then, tinting the scene in a dangerous crimson glow. Something rained down from the dark clouds and I looked at the black spots that appeared on my skin. Ashes... The light will vanish, The stars will burn, This world will sink in ashes... The warning. Apparently, Verroth's plans were already under way.
The gate Airith had mentioned was placed in the very center of the hall, a simple portal that was erected on the dirty tiled floor, pulsing with power. It was indeed a knock-off, a passive gate which looked a lot like those in Fortuna – made out of black stone with strange runes engraved onto it. Two small light balls were placed on either side – the power sources. One emitted a white light while the other tinted its side of the portal black.
The monsters Verroth had created crouched together in the darkest corners of the hall, all I could see were their yellow eyes and I heard their harsh breathing and guttural growls. They waited for their master's orders.
"Show yourself", I demanded, my tone still light. I only had fifteen minutes to accomplish this mission and slowly inched forward to the gate. All I needed to do was destroying this thing – I've done that in Fortuna before. Somehow, I was glad that there was only this small obstacle and not a full-blown gate as I already had expected when Nero and I found the warning. Still... something was off. Why would Verroth give such a warning when he wasn't even able to make the gate work? Cerog and the other demons had been right – an important aspect was missing.
"Hey, what's taking you so long?", I mocked the master, "Scared to lose?"
He barked out a short laugh and stepped into the red light. Verroth was built like a tank – his mass of muscles didn't impress me though. Neither did the spiked, deer-like horns, nor his rusty red and rough crocodile-like skin. A scar crossed his entire face, from his forehead over his left eye, down to his chin. The eye was mechanic and there were some other body parts which were encased with steel. His torso, for example – right where the heart was supposed to be. Did he have a heart of steel? Talk about being cold-hearted... So apparently demons weren't the only thing he experimented with. His right eye was bright green, the pupil a thin slit. His face split into a wide smile, showing off his snake-like teeth, a forked tongue darting out.
I sighed dismissively, raising my sword. "I hope you can put up a good fight", I mocked, smirking widely.
He smiled in response, making me suspicious. "Look what those incapable creations brought along, Sparda", Verroth hissed before I could strike, jerking someone forward.
I froze. It was Nero, enchained and beaten, a cage-like mask covering his face, thorns breaking his skin. His clothes were torn and there were bruises and blood everywhere. He blearily looked at me. "D-Dante..." An electric shock shook him and he screamed, a sound of pure terror.
"Let him go!", I yelled angrily, clutching the handle of Rebellion and stepping closer.
"Stay where you are, Son of Sparda", Verroth threatened with a growl, "Or I will kill your precious mate."
Nero's eyes widened in horror and my shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. What do you want?"
The demon lord laughed. "I want you out of my way. Your father was a nuisance to the demon world – just like you and your brother."
"Oh, really?", I spat venomously, "My father was a nuisance because he didn't accept the way demon lords like you treated lower class demons? Because he prevented Mundus from doing the same to humans? Because he led a rebellion? Because he stepped up to change things?"
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw his beasts coming closer, encircling us. Where were my allies? Dammit.
Verroth's newest creations were shaped differently – they seemed more robotic and had one huge cog as spine. Also, they were emitting steam – as if they had a steam engine as heart.
"Sparda destroyed a hierarchy that had been established for millions of years", Verroth snarled, "And then, he went into the human world and bred with a human woman – the result is now standing in front of me."
I bared my teeth, feeling how my trigger started to take over me but I forced it back. Don't do anything stupid, Nero's life depends on you. I needed to kill that guy and destroy the gate quickly.
"Humans are weaklings that don't deserve to live", Verroth continued, "They are fragile and possess no power." He snorted loudly. "Emotions", he spat then, facial features twisting in disgust, "Such a vile thing, clouding one's thoughts, making one unable to focus on the more important things in life."
"Like destroying things and fucking, huh?", I mocked, receiving a growl from him.
"What do you know, half-breed?", he hissed, "I know what you're doing for a living. Slaying your own kind, you disgust me."
"Says the one who killed his own minions for a bonfire", I countered and he sneered again.
"Sacrifices have to be made, Sparda", he said. "My minions were sacrificed for a greater good, just as the dead humans you have seen there." As if that would justify what he had done.
Verroth pulled Nero closer to him so that they were face to face. My inner devil screamed at me, wanting me to snap the demon master's neck, to inflict pain, to kill him.
"Such a pretty mate you have there, son of Sparda", he commented, his hand sliding across Nero's neck, dangerously close to his pulse. "It would be a waste to kill him", he continued, "I think I'll have my way with him when you're out of the way – oh, you didn't even claim him yet." Another smirk formed on his face. His hand trailed down to Nero's devil arm and he brushed over the scales, looking straight into Nero's eyes through the cage-like mask.
"Too bad you're flawed like that", he breathed and I forced myself to stay calm. One wrong move and Nero would be dead. "Flawed creatures shouldn't live", Verroth explained, "I only keep creations that are perfect and without any flaws so you should be honored." He turned back to me. "You will die here, son of Sparda."
I let out a huff. "I think you're underestimating me. I defeated all the creatures you sent my way."
"Whatever", he said, looking bored, "Merely a test – though I must say I'm a little impressed that you made it this far in one piece."
"Will you shut up and fight me?"
"Tempus ad moriendum." His claws still gripped Nero and he drew them deeply into his neck, blood instantly flowing down, causing Nero to let out a pained whimper.
I snapped at that, lunging forward. At the same time, I heard a voice scream "NOW!" and everything plunged into chaos. The demons screeched, voices screamed out loudly and the whole castle shook violently. Something seemed to have exploded. The walls shattered, glass shards rained down from the broken windows and the sky exploded, the black fading to a bright scarlet. Chunks of the high ceiling crashed down, some crushing Verroth's creations under them.
Blood and venom started to flow from every direction and on the edge of my mind, I realized that the side of my face was hit and badly burned but I ignored it. The only thing I focused on was killing every enemy in my path and get to Nero. Everything that came too close to me was pierced by Rebellion. In a flash, I crossed the hall, standing face to face with the demon lord.
He tossed Nero carelessly aside, making me scream in protest and I rushed forward, pinning Verroth beneath me in one fluid motion. I hauled out with Rebellion, hitting him straight in the gut. He may have muscles and a big mouth but was a shitty and slow fighter.
His knees hit me in the stomach and he managed to throw me off him. I sprung to my feet before he could pounce onto me and he pulled Rebellion out of his stomach, hissing silently and staring at the wound in shock when it didn't close itself. I mentally thanked my father who had cast a spell on the sword that blocked demonic healing abilities.
"Learned your lesson yet, Verroth?", I asked with a growl and he roared in anger, running towards me, head bowed, determined to hit me with his horns.
I jumped out of the way, using one of the pillars as leverage to crash down onto him, hissing when his claws tore through my clothes and skin. He may be slow but what he lacked in speed, he made up with strength.
After some seconds of struggling, I broke his grip, crying out as his claws left deep scratches and drew blood. Rebellion still laid on the ground, several meters away from us where he dropped it after I had drawn it into his stomach. The wound was still bleeding heavily and he was breathing hard. Well, that's what you get when you're used to command instead of fighting yourself.
I jumped through the air, swiftly landing on my feet and quickly grabbed my sword. Once again, Verroth came running towards me.
I raised Rebellion, keeping an eye on him attentively. Once he was close enough, I dodged to the side, ramming the sword into his ribcage.
Verroth wheezed in surprise and pain and I tried to push the blade deeper in. He grabbed the sword though, jerking it backwards so hard that I lost my footing and was smashed into the opposite wall.
I slumped down against it, groaning as I felt my bones protest.
"Your father was a traitor, Sparda", I heard Verroth say, breath coming out in short huffs. "He deserved to lose every worthless thing he fought for." I gritted my teeth in anger, trying to sit up.
"Remember the day your mother died?", Verroth asked then, slowly coming closer. "Because I do. I remember how the light in her eyes vanished as my father's minions pulled out her heart from her chest. I made sure your brother was watching, saw how his soul and faith were broken."
Enough, this fucker has to die. I felt my trigger slip, rough red hide running down my body and my wings spread behind my back.
Verroth's eyes widened when I flew forward, pulling him with me, and cut open his entire front with Rebellion. "You are the asshole that destroyed my family?", I growled lowly and didn't bother to wait for the answer, instead running the sword horizontally through his torso, contended with the scream that followed.
Verroth was still smiling though. "Oh yes, I commanded the troops. Your mother was a weakling. So fragile, practically crumpling beneath the claws of my demons."
He wheezed again when I inflicted more wounds, laughing despite the pain. "And your brother, hah – it was so fascinating to watch him break apart. All of you were weak, unable to protect what you love. Look at your mate, son of Sparda. I killed him too."
I roared again, hearing bones creak and felt blood running down my hands. "Perfection doesn't exist and if you are stupid and shallow enough to aim for that your entire life – " My hand plunged straight through his thick skin, breaking the ribs in the process, and the metal his chest was encased with – "your attempts were futile." I squeezed his heart, smirking cruelly when he screamed.
He continued to smile nonetheless, coughing up blood and I frowned in suspicion. "Don't think this is the end yet, Sparda. Not for you, at least."
He tilted his head back, staring at the red sky. I didn't know who he was talking to when he opened his mouth again to speak: "You don't understand the meaning of sacrifice. Now try to find a way out of this."
"This is the end", I countered and ripped his heart out, satisfied with the gurgling roar I got in response.
In a flash of red light, I was on my knees, next to Nero. I scooped him up into my arms and opened the cage-like mask cautiously, getting his head out of it. I just sat there for a minute, staring at him.
"Please wake up, please..." Please don't be dead. You can't be dead... Please...
Around me, the left-over demons were fighting, none of them realizing that their master was dead. The castle continued to shake, to collapse –
"Dante!" I heard someone call.
I pressed Nero closer to me and heard him breathe – very shallow and irregularly but he was alive. Relief washed through me and made me dizzy for a moment.
"Dante!", the voice called another time, more urgently now.
I hauled Nero onto my back, running into the direction of the voice.
"Quick, Dante! We have to get out of here!" It was Cerog, accompanied by Istylis and two other demons I didn't recognize.
"How do we get out of here?", I asked but all of them gestured to the still pulsing portal. Oh, right.
I let Nero slip down from my back, gently laying him onto the ground and grabbed Rebellion, lashing forward to the gate. Just like the ones in Fortuna, it was fairly easy to break. The castle didn't cease to collapse though, parts of the ceiling still falling down.
I only met resistance when I tried to hit the power sources of the gate. They seemed to be shielded... "What now?", I asked the small demons that were crouched some feet away from me. They had no clue either, shrugging and flapping their tentacles and clacking their pincers.
I sheathed Rebellion and gingerly reached out for the white ball of light. My inner demon scolded me for attempting that, my instincts screaming at me to pull away but I kept going, watching as my fingers passed the shield. I grabbed the small object and the castle gave another violent shake.
I stared at the object in my palm – a white pearl... A core, just as Cerog said... Wait, he said their cores were black, not white... The pearl started to vibrate in my hand and I let it fall in surprise. It shattered once it hit the floor. Quickly, I pulled the other power source out, smashing the small black pearl as well.
Why did I have this sinking feeling in my stomach? Something just felt wrong about this...
I heard the small demons call me again and rushed back. Cautiously, I picked Nero up again, asking myself how we were supposed to get out of here.
Cerog looked up. "Seems like the only way outside", he mused.
"Hold on to me", I said to the demons and they instantly clung to me. I triggered again, feeling my wings spread out behind me and pushed off the floor. We shot into the air, through the holes in the ceiling while beneath us the leftover creations were fighting, not realizing that they were killing each other, that their master was dead and their enemy had escaped. The castle crumbled away – the explosion Istylis had set assuring that nothing of it would be left of it soon.
We landed in a safe distance and the demons instantly let go of me.
"Where are the others?", I asked Cerog and tightened my grip on Nero. All of us started walking through the woods now. I let the demons lead the way – they seemed to know where to go.
He shook his head in response. "They didn't survive."
"I'm sorry", I said sincerely and patted his head a little.
"Don't be", the little demon retorted, "You were right from the start, Dante. Life is worth living it and it's always better to die with dignity."
I sighed in response, glad that it was over. "Hey, what did you guys do while I was busy killing your former master?", I asked. "I heard someone shout..."
"That was me", Istylis replied, "I detonated the life support machine earlier and used the force to destroy the biggest enemies. The others attacked us then but ..." He trailed off, seeming to be traumatized by the things that just had happened. Somehow, I was glad that I didn't see what the demons had done, being occupied with killing their master. Still, I was sorry for the little demons – they had lost their friends and family after all.
We walked in silence for several minutes. I felt Nero shiver in my arms and tightened my grip on him. He was injured but had no life-threatening wounds. He would make it.
After some more minutes of walking through the woods, we found ourselves on the edge of the wasteland where everything had started. There was a noise in the distance – I heard tires squeaking and saw Trish's car in the distance, approaching quickly. It came to a halt several meters next to us and the girls jumped out of it.
"Dante! What happened? We saw the sky change and – " Lady suddenly stopped. "Quick, Trish! You need to patch Nero up!"
Trish ran back to the car, me after her, settling Nero down onto the back seat and she started to treat his wounds while I explained everything to Lady.
"Good thing you two showed up", I said and she smiled a little.
"Well, you took a little too long and when we noticed the change in the clouds, we thought we should come after you", Lady said.
"Thanks", I uttered and we both avoided to look at each other.
"So the Legendary son of Sparda saved the world once again", Lady declared then, smirking widely.
"Tch."
She punched me lightly on the shoulder and I turned to Trish again who packed away the first aid kit. "He'll be alright", she said, "At least physically." Then, she drew a vial, filled with a pale green liquid. "I collected the venom that was still in his system. Keep it, Dante. It might come in handy someday."
Then, all of us turned towards the four small demons. "Who are you?", Lady asked, eying them suspiciously.
"Those guys helped me defeating that maniac", I explained.
Cerog and Istylis seemed to bow to the ladies while the other demons just stood there awkwardly.
"We're sorry for kidnapping your mate, son of Sparda", one of them whimpered. So these were Cerog's brothers.
"Oh well – "
"So Nero is your mate now?", Trish asked curiously, interrupting me. "You finally told him?"
"About that...", I said slowly, "Well, not yet."
All of them looked confused at that.
"So he's not your mate?", Cerog asked, rubbing one of his tentacles on his forehead, thinking intensely. "But... we thought... I am confused."
"Um..."
"Dante, I've never seen you this nervous", Lady chuckled.
"Whatever", I grumbled, "What are you guys going to do now?" I turned back to the demons and all of them looked rather clueless.
"Hell doesn't seem like a suitable place", Trish said softly, "Maybe you could keep them, Dante?"
As much as I appreciated that they had helped me, I didn't want four demons as pets. Before I could say anything though, Cerog spoke up. "I think I have an idea..."
The demons formed a circle and started discussing. I sneaked away from the group and got into the car, slipping inside and pulling Nero into my lap, combing through his silvery hair slowly as I held him and listened to his breathing.
I was incredibly happy that he was alive and that I was able to hold him now. He was here, with me. I placed a kiss onto his temple, breathing in his scent. Seaweed, black currant and vanilla – it was still there, lingering beneath the scent of demon venom and his own blood. I pressed him closer to me, fearing that he would slip away if I let him go, the well-known feeling of loss almost suffocating me. My shaking breath calmed after some minutes. He was safe.
"Dante?"
I glared at Trish who leaned into the car. "What?", I huffed, annoyed and tired. All I wanted now was some peace.
"Look what the demons gave you." She handed me a weapon that looked like a crossover between a buzz saw and a throwing star with nine blades. Each of the blades was serrated, reminding me a little of the surface of Agni and Rudra.
I took the weapon out of her hands, regarding it from all sides. So Cerog and the other demons became a devil arm... Interesting. I gave the weapon back to Trish and she placed it in the trunk. Shortly after, we were on our way back to Devil May Cry.
My thumb gently brushed over Nero's cheekbones and I took in every detail of his sleeping face. The wounds that the mask with the thorns had inflicted were already knitting themselves together and there were some shallow cuts on his face. Slowly, I wiped away some drops of blood that clung to a cut just beneath his eye.
As I stared at him, it finally hit me how much I've grown attached to Nero in those last few months. I finally realized what I was feeling for him, why I had been thinking so much about him after the savior incident: I was in love. There was no use to deny it anymore. I loved him – that was the reason why I was so happy that he was alive, the reason why I always wanted to comfort him when he was sad, to laugh with him when he was happy, why I always wanted to be close to him. It was the reason why my demon half always urged me to do something, the reason why I felt we had a connection.
Finally, I had an explanation for the way my body reacted on its own, for the strange bubbly feeling I got whenever I looked at Nero. The lust I felt for him wasn't the same I would usually feel whenever I hooked up with someone, it was something much deeper, something more pure. God, all of that sounds so cheesy...
I chuckled to myself at that realization. It was incredible how Nero had turned my world around, that he made me fall that hard for him. He didn't even had to try that much, in fact. He always had been himself, didn't fake anything.
I cherished his honesty – this was also a trait we both shared and that was quite seldom. People lie, it seems to be normal nowadays. But Nero had been honest right from the start. He had been honest about his situation, his suicide attempt. And later, every laugh and smile had been honest as well.
I had never been the type to commit, always avoided complexity but now...
Still, I was afraid of being rejected by Nero as soon as he woke up. I was afraid of confessing all those feelings to him. Maybe Nero didn't want me because it was my fault he had been tortured in the first place. I didn't know which scenario would play out once he was awake... Hell, I hate being insecure.
You risked your life for him. Twice. You're going to confess your feelings to him, my devil side whispered inside my head. You can't drag this out any longer. I supposed it was right.
But still... I was a little queasy because of the things that had happened at that castle. The building had seemed a little too familiar to me, as if I'd been there before... And the last sentence Verroth had spoken before he died: "You don't understand the meaning of sacrifice. Now try to find a way out of this."
What did that mean? Who did he talk to? I was being paranoid, wasn't I?
"Girls, I think we have a problem", I said with a sigh, "I have the feeling this isn't over yet."
"Didn't you kill that guy?", Trish asked.
"I did but still... Verroth said his troops killed my family. And his castle... his creations said something about appearing and disappearing doors and haunted libraries. Does that remind you of something?"
"Mundus", she replied without missing a beat. "But you locked him up years ago. So what if this Verroth guy managed to raise that castle again?"
"He said something about his father's minions. What if he's Mundus's son?"
Trish stared straight at the road, not saying anything. Lady looked quite uncomfortable as well.
"Mundus never seemed like the paternal type to me. Also, he was not given the power to reproduce", she said after some minutes of silence, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "If Verroth was his son, he was an artificial demon, created by Mundus by witchcraft." The next words were merely a whisper. "Just like me..."
All of us fell silent for a minute.
"Why would Mundus create a son and a daughter for himself?", I wondered out aloud.
"A daughter?", Lady echoed inquiringly and I nodded.
"Verroth and his sister. I was told she passed away though."
"If they were both created by him, what does that make me?", Trish mused quietly, her voice empty and emotionless. Both Lady and I didn't know what to say to that.
"It's not the same", Lady said gently, "You were created –"
"– to help Mundus kill Dante and take over the world", Trish ended the sentence. "What were Verroth and his sister created for?"
"That's what his creations wondered as well", I replied. "Cerog said that Verroth's purpose in this world is unclear."
"Maybe it's just too obvious", Lady said, "We seem to miss something important."
"Do we?", Trish asked doubtfully, "Dante killed him – Verroth is dead, his sister already passed away, Mundus is in hell. Verroth made a huge impression with that warning and bonfire but in the end, he didn't even succeed in building a functional hell gate. Everything seems okay."
"Just the same as always", Lady added. "Think about Temen-ni-gru – or the Order of the Sword in Fortuna. There's always someone who tries to summon demons or take over the world or trying to destroy it." She sighed quietly and smiled a little. "I'm pretty sure there will be still plenty of demons to kill in the future." All of us had still time to think about that anyway.
I was tired as hell myself after everything that had happened today and felt my own eyelids droop. I pulled Nero closer to me, placing another kiss on his temple and closed my eyes, surrendering to exhaustion reluctantly.