Chapter 2

Winter woke up slowly, her eyes fluttering open as rays of the sun entered through the large windows of her room. She sat up in her bed and leaned on the headboard, looking around only to find the room empty as usual. "Was it all a dream?" She wondered as she started to remember the conversation with the man whose soul was trapped in the box. She tried to remember every detail, it sure didn't feel like any dream she ever had, and there was just something telling her that it was not a dream until she realized what it is, it was a voice in the back of her mind, the voice of the man she spoke to and made a deal with. The voice was quiet but she could hear it.

"So it was real, all of it?" she asked for herself and him, it was more rhetorical because she already knew the answer. She rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands and looked at the sheets covering her. She didn't remember coming back to her room, the last thing she remembered was the blinding silver light overtaking her and then nothing. That lead her to one conclusion, she must have passed out and someone had brought her here. As she continued to ponder every detail she could remember about her time with the white-haired man calling himself Vergil the sound of doors cricking open caught her attention. Looking at the door she saw Klein, looking at her with an expression that spoke of surprise and relief

"It's good to see you finally awake miss Winter, we were getting worried," her family's ever-loyal butler said.

"It's good to see you too Klein," she said. "Wait, how long was I asleep?"

A worried look crossed his face. "Miss Winter you've been in your bed ever since we found you passed out which was a week ago. After you didn't wake the day after your father called doctors to come to see you but none of them knew what was wrong with you, the best they could estimate is that you were in some type of coma."

Winter just stared at the butler in shock until she heard Vergil's voice again, this time a bit louder. "There no need to be afraid, your slumber was the byproduct of the merging, it took time for me to be incorporated into your being. You are perfectly fine."

Klein noticed the faraway look in Winter's eyes and got worried again. "Miss Winter is everything alright, do you need me to call the doctors over?" he asked.

Winter shook her head, focusing on him. "There's no need Klein, I'm fine, just a little surprised that is all," she said trying to elevate some of his worries.

"Are you sure?" the butler asked still worried.

"Yes, I'm sure Klein," she said giving him a small reassuring smile.

After a moment he returned the smile. "That is good, your father, mother, and siblings will be delighted to hear that. If it is alright with you I will go inform them that you are up miss."

"I would be grateful for that," she said and he quickly left her room. After he left a heavy sigh escaped her lips. She had spent a week in a coma due to Vergil, she cared little for her father's opinion because she knew he would not be truly worried for her, not like a real father should. But Weiss and her brother would be wracked with worry and maybe their mother would be sober enough to realize her eldest daughter had been bedridden for a week.

"You care for the servant," came the serious voice of Vergil, it was not a question but a statement.

"He is not a servant, he is a friend," Winter said, her voice having a slight edge to it.

"Be it as it may, he is still a servant to you and your family. There is no need to say otherwise."

"I want to know what exactly caused me to go into a coma, you never said anything about that," Winter said in an accusing tone.

"As I said before, you have demon blood in you, nowhere near as much as I did but enough to secure the bonding process but it took longer than I anticipated due to the amount you possess. It will still take time before the process is fully complete and the full power that bad been stored inside the box becomes yours but most of it had already been integrated into you. It will also take some time for your body to adjust to it. Now all you need to do is learn how to use it properly."

Winter processed his words for a moment. "And what about you, you said you would be like a conscious and yet you are a full-blown voice in my head. Care to explain that."

"As I said, the process is incomplete, it will take more time for everything to settle, additionally you would need someone to teach you how to use my power and abilities, even with some of my memories you would not be able to unlock all of them."

Winter was starting to think it might have been a mistake to make a deal with this man, she was having a bad feeling about it and Vergil took notice of it.

"I swore to not do you any harm and I'm a man of my word," Vergil said sternly in a way that made it sound like an undisputed fact. "And if you didn't have at least some faith you would not have taken the deal."

The voice did have a point, she did have some faith in his honesty but only time will tell if she had a good decision or a huge mistake.

"Fine, you have a point," she admitted through gritted teeth. "But I don't like the fact this caused worry for my family."

"You only been asleep for a week, no harm had come to you physically and you should already feel the difference. A little longer time in bed is a small price to pay for power."

Winter blinked a few times and then decided to see if he was telling the truth, so she tried using the method she would normally use to feel her aura. She focused on herself and was true to his word, she did feel a change, the first thing that she felt was the higher lever of aura she had, it was astronomical compared to what she had before. It was just surreal how much more she had now compared to before. The second thing she noticed was a different type of power coursing through her, it felt somewhat similar to aura but different at the same time. It felt darker than the soul energy she was used to and she could feel it enhancing her body already. Winter didn't know what to think right now.

"W-What abilities can I have now?" she asked, her voice slightly faltering.

"Demon blood is in some way similar to the aura you use, it will grant you greater speed, strength, stamina, agility, accelerated healing, the difference being it is much more potent. In time I can also teach you to use abilities like imbuing demonic power into objects, teleportation and also something akin to the shield your aura makes. If powerful enough you might even learn to activate your devil trigger."

Winter listened carefully as Vergil spoke, most of the abilities she already had but would be stronger, which was good. Teleportation would sure come in handy, she knows about several huntsmen who had the ability but there is always a catch with it.

"There is no catch here, although using something as a conduit is useful. I posed a sword that had the ability to cut the fabric of space and to open a portal anywhere. Although as I said it will take time to learn."

As she continued to think about it the last part caught her interest. "What do you mean by devil trigger, what kind of ability is that?"

"In simplest terms, you will become a full demon," Vergil said and this shocked Winter greatly. To have the ability to become a demon, she didn't know what to think about that. "It will enhance the power you already possess and change how you look physically. It is not permanent, you would be able to choose between your human and demon forms, that is if you ever get that far."

Winter could not help but feel relieved due to the fact she would not become some kind of monster but she was also agitated by Vergils taunt that she won't get that ability. She had spent her life achieving everything her father and her tutors ever wanted, every test aced, every goal achieved, for the first time in her life she might have a goal she wanted to achieve for herself and not for someone else, to gain the power to protect the ones she cares about. She was no fool, she knew how dangerous the real world is, countless Grimm with a single thought of destroying humanity and faunus, various cutthroats and criminals that will do anything for few lien and the White Fang, a former rights group turned terrorists who had a goal of destroying her grandfather's company and killing her family because of her father's actions. She was no fool to believe that her family will be safe every moment of every day even with all the protection money can buy but she might just have a chance of protecting them.

"The best way to fight your enemies is to attack when they least expect it," Vergil said like a teacher addressing a student.

"I was under impression that you had honor, isn't it more honorable to attack your opponent head-on?" Winter asked, deciding to test the man with who she now had to share her mind.

"You should always meet your enemies head-on, not try to stab them in the back while they are not watching but that does not mean that you can't attack when they don't expect it. I'm honorable but there is a difference between honor and stupidity. It is better to eliminate smaller groups of enemies than fight a whole army by yourself."

"Something tells me you have experience in that regard," Winter said.

"I do," Vergil confermed. Before the heiress and the devil could continue their discussion the doors of her room opened and in came Weiss running towards Winters bed with Whitley behind her, although slightly more composed than their sister.

"Winter!" Weiss exclaimed. "Thank god you are alright, we were so worried about you," Weiss said as she tackled her sister. Winter could not help but smile at her sister, she left bad for making her worry but it was nice to see someone who actually cared for her.

"Indeed, when you didn't wake we starred fearing the worse," Whitley said, the relief was obvious in his tone. "I'm glad our fears were for nothing."

"I'm fine, thank you both," Winter said as she hugged Weiss and beckoned their brother to join them which he did. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

The beautiful moment between the three siblings was cut short when their father walked inside, the sound of his shoes hitting the marble floor alerting them to his presents. The three parted and turned their attention to him. For a moment Winter had expected to see their mother behind father but when that did not happen that small hope faded away, Willow was probably too drunk to make it past her room doors let alone come here.

"Ah you are finally awake, good," Jacques said, his voice the usual professional one. A person would think that a father would rush in at hearing the news his daughter was fine and be happy for it, not her father, he might be pleased but that was only because of the value she had to him not because he actually cared about her. Her siblings stood at the sides of the bed, looking at their father. "We were getting concerned about you, the doctors said that you were in some kind of coma but they could not determine the cause, incompetent fools not worth the money we paid them. It's good to see whatever it was it was temporary."

Winter nodded. "Indeed, I'm feeling alright."

"That's good to hear, you will have a check-up with the doctors as soon as you are able," Winter just nodded. Now was not the time to make any moves, she just woke up and still had to deal with the fact she had another being inside her head. She will deal with her father once she is ready. "The one thing I would like to know is what you were doing in the artifacts room instead of at the party? I told the staff to look for you when you failed to show up."

She was quick to make an excuse, telling the truth of what happened to her would be foolish and he differently wouldn't believe her. "I wanted so air and a bit of quiet, my head was starting to hurt."

"And what happened to cause the predicament you were in?"

"I do not know," she lied. "One moment I was fine but the headache started to get worse and the room started to spin, the last thing I remember was falling to the floor, then nothing."

Her father gave a skeptical look before sighing. "Whatever it was, it seems it was not permanent, you will see the doctors as soon as you can and return to your duties after," Without and further words he turned and left the room, leaving the three of them alone. Winter watched him leave for a moment until Weisses voice caught her attention.

"Are you certain you are fine?" she asked still worried.

"I'm, there no need for worry that much," Winter said. She got up from her bed and took a step to where her siblings were. "See, just fine," but just as she said it a horrible pain engulfed her head and she gripped the side of the bed for support.

"WINTER!" Weiss shouted grabbing her sister's other arm. Images flashed before Winters mind, of a little boy with white hair and blue eyes training with a sword, next what she could only assume were demons, horrible creatures more intimidating than any Grimm, then came an image of a man with the same white hair and blue eyes as Vergil, his face was similar as well but he wore a red coat and had a large broadsword in his back, a large smirk was plastered on his face. That was when the vision ended and she was greeted by the sight of her sister's worried face. "We need to get you to a doctor now."

"I'm fine, just a slight headache, it has passed," Weiss looked like she didn't believe her sister but sighed in acceptance. "Now, let's see that doctor, as soon as he says I'm free to return to normal the better," Winter said trying to reassure her little sister and brother.

In the weeks that followed Winter waking from her demonically induced coma, she had several checkups with the doctors to monitor her condition. It was the same every time, she was in full health, nothing was wrong with her and the doctors could not figure out what was the cause of her long slumber. She had performed various tests all passed all of them. For the first week, Weiss would constantly try to check up on her to see if she was alright, after Winter had told her for what felt like a thousandth time that she was perfectly fine Weiss relented. During that time she had more visions of Vergil's memories and it caused her head to ache every time. She saw memories of him fighting demons, using some of his abilities, more flashes of a man in the red coat, and one in particular that caught her attention being a vision of a burning house and a little boy screaming for help while surrounded by demons. She had asked Vergil what that was about but he refused to answer. There was one brief flash of him fighting the man in red, but something was off, she swore she felt pain and a feeling of unease unlike she had experienced with other memories. What was interesting about this memory was that Vergil was clad in some kind of armor, which was weird considering he always wore his blue coat. When she would ask him about specific memories, some he would explain willingly while he would refuse to talk about others, something which irritated Winter but could not do anything about.

The new occupant of her mind had started to train her, explaining how demonic magic worked and how best to harness it. It was still strange to hear someone else's voice in her mind but she was getting used to it. A thought of him finding a way to take over her body came to mind to which he assured her would not and can not do, It wasn't hard to learn how to use it to enhance her speed, strength and healing due to it working similarly to aura in that regard. It did actually surprise her just how much it increased her own abilities, she had accidentally obliterated a punching bag in the mansion's gym and also broke the treadmill. It didn't just stop at her physical abilities, since waking up her mind felt sharper and faster, she could remember things a lot more clearly and learn things much faster. There were also a few things that were a bit odd but she realized that was due to her merging with Vergil and the aspects of his personality integrating into hers, it wasn't anything worrying or bizarre, she had just taken a liking to poetry and classical literature and had started to enjoy playing the violin much more. But that begged the question of what more will change

Through his memories Winter had seen how Vergil fought, he was truly a master with a blade, a long katana to be exact, when he fought with his blade it almost seemed like a dance, his blocks and parries were precise and perfectly timed, she had also seen an ability with which he could strike from afar with his blade. Winter knew she was a good swordsman, she was one of the best in the Academy but from what she had seen she would not have lasted three seconds against Vergil. He had also started instructing her in combat, their blades were different, his katana having a longer reach than her rapiers but his insight was really useful. Right now she was testing her newfound skills against a dozen or so Atlas knights used for training and dispatching them all in record time was like a walk in a park. Just as she finished off the last robot by slicing its head off Vergil's voice was heard.

"Good, you have improved greatly in the past few weeks, I'm pleased to see that my teachings were not wasted on you," he said.

"I have improved greatly in a short time, I was honestly skeptical at the beginning and still am somewhat but I'm grateful for your help. Everything you have thought me and what I'm have learned to do using your power will come in handy."

"My power is not to be waisted on child's games, it is a power meant to be used by a true warrior, never forget that," he said in a stern tone.

"Don't worry I won't," Winter said. During their time together she had learned Vergil had a tendency to sound arrogant and like a jerk but most of the time he was just serious. Through his memory flashes, she had also seen that he is someone who had been through a lot, he had spent a lot of time fighting and searching for means to gain power. She had once asked why did he want power but he only ignored her and she didn't want to pry after that. But something she just couldn't let go of was the images of the man in the red coat. He looked like Vergil, it was obvious that there was a family resemblance there, he looked like a more relaxed, messier, outgoing version of Vergil. In some visions, they fought against each other while in others they fought side by side. She had decided that she wanted answers, he has been in her head for long enough, he had seen and knows everything there is about her, so she was owned some information about him as well. "I want to know who the man is the red coat is?"

There was silence for a moment and Winter thought that he was just going to ignore her again. "Hey, you know everything about me, It's only fair I finally get to know something more about you. You have been living in my head for weeks now, I think it's only fair," she said with determination.

A moment of silence came again before Vergil's voice was heard in her mind. "Alright, I will answer your question if you answer one of mine."

She was slightly surprised by this request, he already knew everything about her so what could he possibly ask. "Fine," she answered.

"The man in the red coat as you have already deduced is related to me, he is my twin, Dante," Vergil said although a bit reluctantly, he didn't particularly like sharing his past with other people, mostly due to everything that had happened to him over the years from his mother dying to his time as Neo Angelo but considering his situation he knew he had to relent somewhat. Winter wasn't truly surprised by this, she had figured as much but it was still odd to find out Vergil had a brother. "I have answered your questions, it would only be proper for you to answer mine."

Winter was glad she got an answer out of him, even if it was short and with no details. "Ask away."

"Whats keeps you from standing up to your father now? You have my power, granted it's only the beginning but its much more than he has, you been avoiding him as much as possible since we came together, you have what it takes to fulfill your desire, so tell me the reason for your doubt."

Winter gritted her teeth, it was true that she had been avoiding her father, she had spent most of her time with her siblings or alone with Vergil, she only met her father during meals or when called for, luckily she had not been forced to attend any events due to doctors advising father to make sure Winter takes it easy for a few weeks just in case, it was good her father was selfish and not stupid. Her mother, on the other hand, had barely left her rooms and when she did she was drunk as expected, something which made Winter angrier. The anger she held towards her mother due to her abandonment of her children, due to her constant drinking had during the last weeks started to turn into hate. She was starting to hate both of her parents, her father for being a self-obsessed maniac and her mother for being a weak and pathetic drunk, who left her children to the mercy of the former.

For all her improvement in the last weeks, she had still to get over the mental control Jacques had over her. She knew she could easily defy him, there would be little he could do to actually stop her from doing what she wanted but the fear of him using her little brother and sister as leverage was still deeply rutted in her mind, her father was a cold bastard and she wouldn't put it past him to threaten Weiss and Whitley in some way to keep her in line. Jacques had his own twisted vision of what his family should be, a wife who should just watch the children, look regal when seen by the public, and stay out of his way when running the company is in question. When it comes to his children, they are to be the best at everything possible, to look better than everyone else so the whole world could see just how better they and by extension Jacques are and above all they are to follow his words to the letter. He wanted a perfect family but they were anything but that, an alcoholic for a mother, an uncaring father, and three scared children, broken and flawed that's what they were.

Their parents might be a lost cause but there is still hope for Winter and her two siblings. Winter sighed heavily, she had given him an answer, it was only fair after he did the same even if she was sure he already knew and just wanted to hear her say it.

"I'm afraid," she said in a low tone, barely above a whisper.

"Of what?" she cursed inwardly, did she really have to say it.

"I'm afraid for Weiss and Whitley, if I do something like stand up to him he might use them against me and I don't want them to suffer because of my actions," she finally admitted.

"You have the power necessary, you should not let a simple thought stop you from achieving what you desire," Vergil said.

"And what if achieving it will bring harm to those I care about?" Vergil listened to the question but did not immediately answer. He remembered why he sought power in his youth, he wanted it so he would never be weak again, like when he was not able to save his mother from dying, like when he lost his home and family, he simply needed power to survive. For a long time, he blamed his mother for abandoning him, which only made it worse when he found out that she died trying to protect him. His time as both V and Urizen had taught him a lesson, how his demonic halfs lust for power for the sake of power was meaningless without a true goal in mind, a reason to use that power beyond simply having it. As his human half taught him is that even with little to no power a man still had a reason to fight, to exist, that there is more to the world than his obsession with power, that things he thought he had lost were still there. He lost his home and his mother but Dante too had lost that but he never became like Vergil, where Vergil shunned his humanity due to his fear of being weak Dante accepted it, Dante had become a protector and all Vergil did was cause more suffering.

He was forced to accept that like his brother he had two halves to himself, human and demon, and that there was more than just him. Having a son certainly makes a man change his priorities. He didn't know about his son's existence for a long time, had he known things might have been different, but when he did find out he could only see himself in the boy. Vergil would never admit it but what he truly wanted was to be loved and protected, something which was taken away from him when his mother died and he was reminded of that when he first saw Nero. He had made many mistakes in his life but choosing to jump into Hell and close the gate to protect Nero was not one of them. During their time in Hell, Dante had told Vergil everything about Nero and he found his son to be a perfect blend of the two sons of Sparda. His irresponsible brother also made a few comments about Vergil and Nero taking after Sparda in the romance department, seeing as Dante was still single and with no kids. Vergil did love a woman in his youth, it was one time he allowed himself to be vulnerable but soon left for her sake as much as his, he had wondered that if he knew that she was with a child would have he made the same choice or would have he stayed. Regardless of his earlier choices he still made the one he thought was right by protecting his son which proved itself when he and Dante finally figured out how to get out of Hell and back to Earth and reunited with Nero.

"Then make sure that you find a way to not do them harm, find a way to use your power accordingly, power is useless without a will to use it and simple will is nothing without means to enforce it. Your father believes money gives you more power than anything else in the world, prove him wrong. Break the chains he has over you and set yourself free or have I made a mistake of allowing you to use my power."

"it's easier said than done," Winter said as her fists clenched around the hilts of her blades, her knuckles becoming white. She thought that it would be easy to break the bonds her father had over her if she had more strength but now she saw that physical might is worth little if fear is as great.

"You are a prisoner only if you chose to be one. You come from a proud lineage much like mine, your grandfather's name was well respected and so was the name of his family when he lived. When your father took over, a man who didn't belong to your family and only took the name because he wanted the prestige that came with it, your family's good name crumbled and it is what it is now," Vergil said in a serious and slightly chastising tone. "A wise man once told me that the best way to step out of another's shadow is to make your own light. I paid little heed to his words for a long time until I finally understood them."

"And what did they mean?" Winter asked.

"The right question is what do they mean to you?" Vergil corrected her. Winter thought about it for a long moment, just standing in the practice field with destroyed robots around her. She did want to spend the rest of her life in her father's shadow, she did want for his actions to be what defines the whole of the Schnee family, she wanted to prove that just because he was a monster the rest of them were not. She wanted freedom for both herself and her siblings.

"It means that the only way for me to make sure that my father's shadow does not follow me around it is to forge my own path," Winter said, hoping that it was the right answer.

"And how will you do that?" Vergil asked.

"By becoming a huntress and not my father's pawn," Winter said, determination slowly creeping in.

"And what of your siblings?"

"As you said, he thinks money gives him power so I will show him what real power looks like. Jacques is not a brave man, he might get angry, rant, and rave or threaten to disown me but if done right he won't have the courage to stand against me," Winter said, now even more determent.

"Good, you are learning," Vergil said and a small smile graced Winter's lips. "Now, the break is over, commence with the next sparring round. This time doubt the number of opponents."

Winter did as told, the knights coming out of the openings in the wall around her, ready to attack. She took a fighting stance and waited for the first one to come at her. "There is much fear in her but with the right encouragement that will change, I just might make something out of her, a worthy successor for this new world," Vergil thought.

AN: Well, there it was, I hope you liked it, this chapter just focused on Winter and Vergil starting off together, we get to see Vergil acting like a mentor a bit and Winter accepting she has to put her fears behind her. The plot might move slowly in the next chapters because I want to polish out the relationship between the Schnee siblings a bit which will lead to the final confrontation with Jacques and after that, we got a bunch of killing Grimm and building up our new duo. As always feel free to leave a review and I will respond to it in the next chapter.

Response to the reviews:

SolSparda369: Winter did exactly know what she was getting into when she made the deal but she will get a hang of it. Vergil as a mentor is going to be helpful but getting parts of his personality and memories will have some downsides later. This is post DMC V Vergil so he is less of an asshole but he is still Vergil.

Paolo: No, Dante won't appear in this fic, sorry mate.

Guest: Thanks mate, I'm glad you like it. Stay safe as well.