Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Vergil where the fuck are we"

"Not the underworld, perhaps there are other realms akin to the Demon Realm"

"Yeah cool, you said that you could take me back to my FUckING shop Vergil"

"I told you that it was possible to use the Yamato in that manner, yes"

"Then, I repeat, where the fuc-" Dante's words were cut short by a swift strike from the Yamato, blue energy singing from the blade as Dante summoned his own devil sword to parry the blow, causing the air to swirl around the pair.

"I told you there were risks Dante, you blithering fool. I will not be held accountable for a decision YOU made, especially after I informed you of the possible danger"

Dante huffed, his face reverting from the incredulous look it wore while complaining to his brother to a sharp grin. A look that Vergil understood all too well, one that forewarned a half-thought quip or goad. Vergil found himself often more infuriated with the look upon his brother's face than any of the aforementioned subpar one-liners. "They say it's about technique, not size" Dante spouted, his eyes drifting toward the blade held tightly by Vergil "Shame you don't have either huh?".

Vergil lurched forward, flowing like water. in a clean motion, he launched Four consecutive attacks, each measured and containing enough strength to eviscerate lesser demons. In his characteristic over animation, Dante Parried each blow with a combination of a strength equal to that of Vergils, and an exaggerated acrobatic finesse. Performing several twists and turns and finishing with a backflip, positioning himself on a collapsed wall about 7 feet above Vergil's head.

"Awwww cmon Verge" Dante snickered "You weren't even trying"

"Now you've scaled that ledge, care to look around?"

Dante frowned, obviously, he had expected Vergil to launch into combat. They had sparred many times in the underworld, however the ideal course of action currently was to orient themselves. Of course, Dante, fool that he was, took a moment to process this.

"Fine, fine, I can play nice until we look around" Dante managed. Vergil understood the oddness of such an interaction, after spending so long sparring in the underworld the two could sometimes communicate through a silent understanding. Despite their ruptured relationship, something felt familiar about their interactions.
Watching his brother survey the surroundings, talking to himself as if he were still 7 stirred a memory in the contemplating son of Sparda.

...ah

They hadn't been like this since their mother had...

"Jesus who needs this much construction?" Dante quipped to himself. Loudly.

"Construction? Do you see anyone?" Vergil roused himself from his thoughts

"Nada, Mostly just construction sites and broken shit"

"Very well, we walk"

"Gotta friend around ere' or sum?"

"If there is construction there must be workers, logically thinking, they must know where we are"

"Alrighty then," Dante said, leaping down the opposite edge of his perch "I bet I can get there first"

"Get where first" Vergil sighed, leaping to the concrete perch

Vergil steadied himself on the concrete structure. Craning his head about he saw no trace of Dante.

"Dante, get where?"

"Dante?"

"DANTE?"

...He's gone.

___

Fatigue was foreign to Vergil, at least it had been for the entirety of his time in the realm of devils. However, in the time he has spent wandering through seemingly identical stone passageways and dilapidated buildings, he was beginning to remember both fatigue and more importantly, frustration. He had been walking for quite some time he thought, hours, never quite understanding the landmark his circus of a brother had rushed to. After some minutes of searching the area, Vergil had an encounter with a group of creatures about as powerful as the Empusa. Creatures comprised of some energy, more esoteric than a simple demon. The creatures themselves posed no threat, being sliced to ribbons before they could get near the son of Sparda. However, since the first encounter, Vergil had cut down scores of the creatures, and waves ceaselessly churned out from around every corner.

The number of creatures was not dissimilar from the underworld, however, the environment seemed hostile. Vergil found some force culling the abilities of his devil trigger, nothing could subdue it completely, however, the restriction grated on Vergil. Any form of weakness is detestable, being poisoned by the environment was no excuse. And so he continued to strike down beast after beast, laying low any inferior creature that came close enough to suffer the sharp edge of the Yamato.

The bloodless Carnage led him to a ledge. somehow he had wandered to the top of an industrial parkade. Which was connected to a bridge? that led overtop a dilapidated construction site and came from ground level?? Vergil shook his head, clearly the rules of geometry were not at play here.

More importantly, the sound of combat was emanating from the Crater in the earth. Vergil approached the ledge, looking downwards, there appeared to be a brawl of some kind happening beneath him. A part of Vergil remained frustrated that Dante still eluded him, however, his attention quickly focused on the situation unfolding beneath him.

Three individuals appear to be engaged in combat with a larger variant of the creatures Vergil had slain. A smaller human, at least Vergil assumed they were human, with green-tinted hair was wielding nunchucks that spouted lightning. A human woman, wielding a handgun of some kind. And an individual wielding a large shield and baton who appeared to have feline features? Vergil watched as the man with the tail and ears of a cat, deflected a strike from the creature roughly 8 times his size. Almost instantly his companions seized an opportunity to strike at the staggered creature, delivering devastating blows that seemingly best the creature, as it fell to the ground in response.

___

Wise sighed, that was certainly a spectacle. He had placed Eous out of range and observed the combat from afar, after all, if the officers had seen Eous, his identity as a proxy might have been compromised. despite that, he was admittedly, worried about them as they had charged into the hollow after some smuggler. Things seemed to have worked out, even though a sizable ethereal had appeared, the trio dealt with the treat as calmly as they would a petty thug.

"Master" the robotic voice of the Ai Fairy chirped, "There appears to be another living creature within your vicinity"

"Another person? Could it be someone who's lost in the Hollow?"

"That outcome appears likely, There is a large swarm of ethereal activity directly approaching this individual, I advise you to move quickly if you wish to assist them"

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," Wise said leaning forward, Eous simply had to move to inform whoever this was of the nearest exit. Anything more than that was out of his hands. The Bangboo moved its way through the rubble with the efficiency of a robot programmed to navigate a Hollow, scaling a ruined parkade with alarming efficiency. At the peak of the structure, there was most certainly a human overlooking the chasm. Eous approached slowly, Wise didn't want to risk anything, considering the lack of protection his precious Bangboo had, it was better to be safe than sorry. The figure came into view slowly, The most defining characteristic being the long coat blowing in a wind that Eous couldn't seem to detect.

"Interesting, What is this creature?" A voice called from behind Eous, and suddenly the Bangboo was held by its ears. Before Eous was a silver-haired man in his early forties with blue eyes, an elaborate Blue coat overtop a stained black undershirt. His blue eyes met directly with the mechanical "eyes" of Eous. "Perhaps it is a scout for the others" he spoke, raising his katana (Which wise had somehow missed) to the robot.

"Woah, hey, no need for that" Wise quickly spoke through Eous, attempting to spare the poor Bangboo a horrible fate.

"It speaks?" The blue eyes of his assailant flashed with genuine surprise, as if he had never seen a Bangboo before.

"I'm not here to hurt you, I can guide you out of this hollow"

"Hollow? Elaborate small creature, where am I?"

Ah, wise sighed with relief. This man was confused, possibly injured, Wise had been scared he may have been a looter who would run off with Eous. With a newfound confidence, Wise spoke again, "The nearest exit shouldn't be far. I'll show you, follow me!".

The man grunted, releasing Eous to the floor with a distinct lack of restraint. "Very well" he droned, his voice a cold mix of suspicion and disdain "Lead me astray for a moment and I will strike you down without hesitation"

Wise was used to threats on his life, being a proxy was a dangerous line of work after all. Something about this man deeply unsettled him however, after interacting with Public Security, Section 6, and even the infamous Sons of Calydon, the fact this lone man sent a chill down his spine had Wise on the edge of his seat. Hollow diving was stressful, and there was a chance his gut was just jumpy, but there was no need to take that chance. Wise decided to lead the man to an exit without any delay if he could manage.

The walk consisted of a stressful, borderline painful silence. Wise was most definitely certainly not intimidated in the slightest, he simply figured that noise might draw attention, and he had no clue how capable this figure truly was. Navigating through the wreckage and rubble of the hollow was difficult at times even for agents, but this man seemed to match Eous's pace with a clinical ease. He had never wavered from his position about four paces behind Wise's most valuable possession. More alarmingly, his hand had been seated on the hilt of his blade the entire time. Wise was most certainly definitely certainly not intimidated and to prove that to himself, he decided to start a conversation with the man. After all, he was kind of curious about the stranger. "How did you end up here?" Wise spoke, crackling through Eous's voice module.

"I fail to comprehend how that is your concern, creature of steel" Again, the man spoke as if a Bangboo were something entirely foreign to him. Strange.

"Hollows are dangerous places, if you got pulled in maybe there are others?"

"Hm," the man grunted again, this time in contemplation "I suppose my buffoon of a brother is still wandering about, yes. Are you capable of locating him?"

"Your brother is here as well? We have to get him out befor-" Wise's sentence cut short as the ground shook beneath him with a sudden, intense ferocity. Wise recognized the phenomenon of a hollow shifting. Being incorporeal spaces, it was possible for hollows to rapidly restructure themselves. “Uh oh, we should get out of here now” “Very well” “I know you might be worried about your brother, but we don’t have long” Wise attempted to convey the urgency of the situation. He understood the bond between siblings all too well, but this man might die if he stayed in the hollow any longer searching for his brother. “I know it might be difficult to leave him behind-“ “It isn’t” “Uh, don’t you care about him?” “He’ll be fine, I’d rather gain knowledge and search him out later” Wise audibly blinked. After a few moments of shocked processing. Wise decided to think about the implications of that line later. The pair silently made their way to an exit, which the white-haired man fearlessly walked through, not a moment of pause or doubt in his stride. Wise followed suit, having Eous walk through the exit. Wise understood the fear of leaving a sibling behind, despite his fears, he wanted to help this man. -----

The world hummed around Vergil, the familiar sounds of a city in motion. The metal creature had offered to take him to its lair to assist in the search for Dante. Vergil, of course, was suspicious of the thing. It spoke as if a person, but moved in exaggerated motions, as if emulating an excessively animated cartoon.

Walking through the streets, Vergil observed the odd language plastered on what he presumed were stores. More of the metal creatures seemed to be about, moving with society as if members, some even wearing something approximating employee uniforms. Odd.

Navigating the city streets is a chore. Vergil had little to no affinity for modern dwellings, their mere presence assaulted his senses. Lacking the refined architecture development in elder cities such as Fortuna. these structures lacked artistic skill, simply boorish concrete and metal. After navigating nauseatingly similar streets for several minutes, the metal creature stopped before a small building, seemingly a business of sorts.

“Alright we’re closed right now, give me a moment” The creature moved to open the door, struggling, due to its poor stature. Vergil opened the door, unwilling to wait for the creature. Upon the door opening Vergil was met with a younger man, seemingly moving to do the same. He had grey hair and was wearing a blue jacket with a stereotypical graphic shirt and jeans. He must’ve been Nero’s age. A shadow crossed over Vergil's mind at the thought of his son, who he had been thinking about often in the underworld.

“Hey sorry, I was coming to get the door,” Nero said “I’m Wise, I’ve been the one talking to you through my Bangboo”

Wise, an odd name, but Vergil was in no position to judge. Vergil made his way inside, positioning himself against the wall in what seemed to be a video rental business. “I am Vergil”

“Nice to meet you, I’m going to try my best to get your brother back with us”

“I fail to see how you benefit from this” Vergil spoke plainly, he had known the depths of human greed for some time now. It would be short-sighted to assume this man had no ill intent. “I have no intentions of owing favors if that is what you seek.”

“Oh no it’s nothing like that.” Wise opened a door labeled “staff only” and leaned against it. “I have a sister, I couldn’t imagine losing her. I guess I just want to prevent you from going through that”

“Hm,” Vergil grunted. “Very well then”

“Alright I’m going to be back here for a moment, just make yourself comfortable” Wise waited for a moment for affirmation. after a slight nod from vergil, he disappeared into the darkness of the staff room.

Vergil had no trouble being “comfortable”. The space was quiet, the lights weren’t especially annoying, and he had his book to peruse in the meantime. During his time in Fortuna he had spent many days like this, reading in silence in the library of the island. It’s a shame this store didn’t have any literature, he might be able to translate the language they use.

After a few minutes, something moved in the corner of Vergil’s eye. He could easily tell that someone had quickly dashed from the staircase upstairs to behind a rack of films. Vergil didn’t move from his position against the wall, not wishing to indicate he had noticed movement.

“Uh, Hey” a feminine voice called from the staircase. Another individual was descending, with blue hair this time. She bore a resemblance to Wise in the way siblings often did, Vergil wagered this was the sister Wise had spoken of. “We’re uh, closed. I don’t know how you got in but if you’re planning to rob us” she glanced at the katana sheathed at Vergil’s side. “I suggest you walk away”

Vergil hadn’t thought about disguising the Yamato in any way. He had been with the blade for so long that he had forgotten others would see him brandishing a weapon as a threat. It made sense, however, that the individual in hiding was clearly dangerous, given their agility. They were most likely cautious that Vergil may be some sort of violent intruder.

“Your brother let me in” Vergil spoke, annoyed slightly by the threat. “He is assisting me in finding my brother”

“Oh is that so?” Wise’s sister raised an eyebrow. “I’ll go talk to him, you just stay there please”

Vergil sighed, watching as the woman walked with her back to the wall, looking at him all the while. After her dramatic path to the “staff only” door, she slipped inside. Vergil could hear a muffled conversation but didn’t bother to eavesdrop.

The two siblings talked for a few minutes. Vergil stood still, he had no particular interest in moving to face the individual behind the film rack. And whoever it was seemed to share his sentiment, as neither moved in the time the siblings were together.

“Alright sorry,” Wise’s sister said, emerging from the back room. “You scared me a little there.” She chuckled.

“A little?” A new voice spoke, emerging from the dark in the other end of the room. “Darling, you were scared for your life”

A woman with green eyes, black hair with prominent bangs, and a Tail. The sight was offputting at first. A human with some sort of tail, and on further inspection her ears appeared to look nonhuman as well. Vergil held his tongue on the matter however, if her appearance was normal here it was likely a social taboo to ask of it.

“So” Wise’s sister began “I’m Belle, nice to meet you, this is my uh”

“Girlfriend” the other woman spoke

“Yeah my girlfriend” Belle blushed slightly “Her name is Jane”

An awkward silence followed, Vergil had no interest in interacting with the two and thus said nothing.

“Alright, I’m going to help my brother find your brother, hopefully, we’ll have something soon” Belle dashed away, running away from the awkward conversation no doubt.

Hopefully, they could wait in silence-

“Nice sword, where’d you get it?” Jane spoke, a false curiosity concealing a form of cautious inquiry.

“I Inherited it, however, that is none of your concern.”

“Interesting, isn’t it illegal to walk about with a weapon? I mean you’re no government agent, are you?”

Vergil grunted, he did not desire to take place in an interrogation disguised as small talk. Luckily for him, after a minute of silence, the twins emerged from the back.

“Alright,” Wise said confidently. “I think I know where your brother is”

“Wise has some friends in the outer ring, some of them say they found a man calling himself Dante, he looks like you” Belle held a phone up, on it was a picture of Dante sitting at a bar across from a blonde woman, seemingly drinking beer. “They say he came out of a hollow a couple hours ago, and that he lost his brother.”

Vergil loudly sighed. “Yes, that is my twin brother Dante”

Jane whistled, “I know who got the good looks in the family.” Provocation flashed in her eyes—the look of someone testing how tame a wild animal is and how close they can get before it bites.

“Woah Jane” Wise startled “I didn’t know you were here”

Jane giggled. “Your sister invited me over for a ‘movie night’, you were busy in the back so I didn’t come to say hi”

“Belle, please tell me before you invite people over”

“Aw, you’re just jealous that I brought a woman home before you” Belle mocked.

“Tell me which direction to go, I will get him,” Vergil said, breaking the conversation that had started to annoy him.

“Why so urgent?” Jane started again “Got somewhere to be?”

“He and I do not have the funds to purchase a room, it is best we leave the city before nightfall.” It was not entirely a lie, Vergil had simply left the interdimensional rift out of his explanation.

“Well,” Wise walked to the back door, opening it. “It’s far from here, at least let me give you a lift”

“I haven’t seen my outer ring friends in a while, I’ll come along,” Belle said with an enthusiasm she seemed to speak about everything with.

“I’m invested now, I suppose,” Jane said with a half smile, doing a poor job of hiding suspicion in her eyes. Protecting a partner is natural; that was likely why she was volunteering to participate. Vergil was used to offputting others, especially those with keen insight. He wagered it was Spardas' blood; being half demon likely meant they could feel something wrong about him.

“Very well” Vergil sighed, moving towards the car and sitting in the passenger seat as Wise took the wheel and Jane and Belle hopped in the back.

Vergil silently hoped that the situation would resolve sooner, rather than later. As much as he loathed the presence of Dante, he had to bring him back to earth. Leaving him here would mean they would never truly resolve their conflict. And maybe somewhere, buried deep in his subconscious, Vergil couldn’t stand to lose more family.

Chapter Text

“I wish I could tell you more” Ceasar Sighed.

Vergil’s conversation with the “Overlord” of the outer ring had bore little fruit. Dante had arrived long before Vergil, smooth talked his way into getting several free beers (somehow), and ran off looking for a so called “Pizza Joint”.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, Vergil was beggining to comprehend this new society slightly better. Navigating interactions with its denizens was beginning to become less a headache, and more an exercise in curiosity. The so called “Sons of Calydon” were alarmingly welcoming, something about their attitudes unsettled Vergil. Perhaps he was simply unaccustomed to being welcomed.

Belle and Wise had spent their time interacting with what Vergil assumed were friends. Wise seemed swept away in a conversation with a taller gentleman, Vergil thought he had heard the name “lighter” used, presumably a epithet. While Belle was talking with the bartender depicted serving his brother his fix of unnecessary inebriation.

Jane had been keeping distance, either leaning against Wise’s car or stalking around some kind of invisible perimeter. Her distance was a relief to Vergil. Her suspicion of his character, while entirely justified, continually annoyed the Son of Sparda. Annoyance was an emotion Vergil often reacted to with violence, restraining himself had been more difficult then he would like to admit.

“If you go and look for him now you might find him.” Ceasar offered a consolation, unnecessarily. Vergil was far more concerned with planning the violent assault he would impart on his Brother for forcing this search upon him. “He cant’ve gotten that far?”

The mental image of a drunken Dante bolting through the wasteland for his beloved snack further exacerbated the growing pounding behind Vergils temples. If he was truly Motivated to get his hands on a slice of pizza, no car could match his pace on foot.

“Your assistance is appreciated” Vergil managed, a distinct reluctance to compliment Ceaser laid bare in his tone.

“No problem, your brother was real nice to us, it’s no harm to return the favour!”

“Is that so?” Vergil inquired

“Yeah, he helped Piper and Burnice out of a tough spot in the Hollow, that’s how we found him.”

Dante’s apparent likeability confounded Vergil at times, but at least it was of some use in this moment. Vergil gave an unimpressed nod. “He tends to do that, yes.”

“So uh, he told us his brother would come by and pay for his drinks?”

Ah. That was how.

—-

Vergil frowned, he had managed to escape paying Dante’s tab, but was left with the nagging pressure to locate his brother. After his conversation with Ceasar King (he also assumes ‘king’ is an epithet) he had walked away, attempting to find space to think. After a few moments alone, out in the bush of the wasteland, footsteps approached him from behind.

“Y’know” the familiar voice of Jane called, more confrontational then before. “I’ve never met someone who unsettles me more just by being around than you.”

Vergil’s hand moved to its perch atop the hilt of the Yamato.

“Maybe it’s the sword” Jane was fiddling with some sort of blade in her hand, poised in a way that clearly indicated she was ready to strike. “Or maybe, it’s because I just heard that your brother took down a swarm of Ethereals without breaking a sweat”

“Do not conflate me and my brother, his actions are his own” Vergil readied himself for what felt like an inevitable clashing of blades.

“So two people show up randomly, each capable of surviving a hollow. And you both happen to wield swords?” Her voice was coated in accusation. “I think you’re a member of some kind of gang, and I don’t take kindly to your presence around my partner, or her brother.”

“Hmph” Vergil grunted. “I don’t take kindly to your label, Woman.”

“Oh sorry I forgot.” She mocked. “You’re a charity case. A homeless man searching for his brother, it really pulls on the heart strings.”

Vergil pulled forth his demonic strength, summoning an ethereal blade at the side of his head. The woman, seemingly unfazed, clicked her tongue.

“Oh did that one hurt your feelings?” She chuckled.

“Walk away, and I will spare you, insolent scum.” Vergil readied himself into a fighting stance.

“Hey guys!” Wise’s voice called, out of sight from the two. “I figured we could stop by some pizza spots to see if we spot Vergil’s brother! After that we can talk to Pubsec if we need.”

Jane sighed. “Yeah alright we’ll be right there”

“Indeed” Vergil responded, not moving nor indicating any change.

Wise’s footsteps receded, followed by a suspicious glance from Jane. The moment was cold. Wise’s voice had reminded Vergil of the moments before he had been trapped in the underworld. The screams of his son, his own flesh and blood as they had battled for the fate of Nero’s world. Not his world, Nero’s. A world foreign to Vergil in every capacity, almost to the extent of this one. If he truly struck this woman down, would he be forced to do the same to Wise? The boy had shown him kindness, he was one of few to do so since Vergil had lost his mother and father. Again Vergil thought of Nero, of the Yamato piercing his chest, slicing his flesh, ending him. It felt wrong, a feeling he had never felt before. Maybe if things were different, if Vergil was different, Nero would have shown him a similar kindness. Maybe if Vergil was different, he could have shown Nero a similar kindness.

The spectral blade vanished.

“I have-“ Vergil paused, he felt as if he was combatting his own nature, the demon blood within him reviled by a genuine display of emotion. “I have a son”

Jane’s eyebrows raised, she stayed still.

“I wish to find my brother, so that I may take him home. Doing so may be my last chance to see my son again.” Sickening, how many years has Vergil spent plagued by this weakness? He has lost so much to it, his mother, his very identity was washed away in an attempt to purge himself of it. He remembers vividly the last visage on Dante’s face when he leaped into the underworld the first time, the anguish of losing the last family he had left. At the time Vergil was consumed with himself, he failed to understand. Now, maybe, he does. “This confrontation does not further my goals, and is therefore meaningless”

“So?” Jane seemed perturbed at what amounted to a genuine attempt to appeal to her from Vergil. “That’s it? You’re just a father looking for his son?”

“I suppose, yes”

Jane clicked her tongue, a dissapointed look overriding the previous mocking one. “That’s boring, but I guess you haven’t done anything wrong yet.”

Odd. Vergil hadn’t expected her to surrender so easily.

“Don’t look at me like that” she said, apparently reading Vergils expression. “Most gang members get pretty violent by this point. You’re obviously not going to hurt anyone.”

Vergil supposed she was some sort of expert on the subject, based on her confidence and demeanour. However the outcome satisfied him, he silently nodded and walked away, recognizing that she stood still, her gaze following his back as he walked.

—-

The search for Dante had come to a lull, the sun was starting to set, Wise and Belle looked guilty. The kind of guilt that comes when you have to admit to someone you’re helping that you need to go home. Driving the streets of new Eridu had only served to waste time.

That was what Vergil thought, until a neon sign caught his eye. At first the colour scheme drew attention, the city had a distinct lack of neon imagery. Then it was the fact the sign was legible. On a small, run down streetside property, there it was.

Devil May Cry

The pounding had reached far past his temples, Vergil sat a hand firmly against his forehead. The grinding headache was almost too much to bear.

How?

Why??

The moment overwhelmed Vergil with such a wave of thought and emotions must have been visible, as Wise turned to face him.

“Are you alright? You look pale.”

“Pull over here, I have a shop to demolish.”

——

Wise pulled over slowly, not quite understanding the request. Once they had had parked Vergil quickly “dashed” into the shop. (Wise missed exactly what happened, one moment he was by the car, and the next a door was flung open a couple paces away.

Wise didn’t understand the sign, it wasn’t in a language he wasn’t familiar with, Which was odd. New Eridu was a fairly uniform culture, after the fall of the old capital there was little in the way of cultural or linguistic diversity.

At this point, Wise felt invested in the story he was watching unfold. And so he followed Vergil into the store, unsure as to what he was expecting. Walking through the door, Vergil had already began to raise his voice at another man, lying on a red couch. The man looked almost identical to Vergil, save his choice of attire and unkempt features. Where Vergil had his hair slicked back, his coat and pants clean and sharp, this man wore a dirty red overcoat, his shirt clearly tossed aside revealing his bare abs. His hair had clearly been a victim of some sort of attack, it was furled and knotted, fitting for the man’s seemingly drunken expression.

Vergil began to lecture his twin, who groaned a drunken while at the scrutiny. “Do you know everything I’ve gone through?” Vergil spoke, genuine aggression in his voice for the first time since Wise had met him. “And here you are drunk and incompetent, I don’t know what I expected of you.”

Dante groaned. “Vergil you could never just have fucking fun, couldn’t you?”

“I cannot comprehend how you consider this situation ‘fun’ Dante”

The brothers bickering faded into the background as Belle tapped on Wises shoulder. Turning from the doorway, Belle gestured Wise’s attention away from the twins to the sidewalk. A man in a PubSec uniform was approaching, his white hair and purple eyes a familiar sight.

“Hey Wise! I didn’t expect to see you here” Seth called from a slightly awkward distance, he slightly jogged to come face-to face, smiling genuinely. “What’s up?”

Wise stammered, he wasn’t expecting to have to talk to anyone he knew, especially not Seth. Belle gave him a wink, accompanied by a shit-eating smirk. He shot back a glare but she had already turned back to the show unfolding inside. “Hey Seth” Wise slightly corrected his hair. “I was helping a friend, why are you here?”

“Well uh, it’s kind of complicated!” Seth giggled, causing his ear to twitch. Wise got slightly redder. “Some business tycoon got drunk and gambled away a property and isn’t very happy about it. So I had to come over and talk to the guy who won it.

“Well uh- yeah that makes sense” Wise swore he had more charisma when he wasn’t face to face with Seth. He turned away, mostly because meeting eyes with Seth seemed very intimidating at the moment. However also because the sound of metal colliding with metal had rung from inside the building.

Wise expected a chair to have fallen or some other furniture related mishap, Evidently it wasn’t so. Wise witnessed Vergil and Dante crossing blades. The shock caught Belle, Seth and Wise off guard, leaving them stunned for a few moments. In those moments Vergil and his drunken brother crossed blades several more times, striking with speed on par to some Agents Wise had seen in action.

“Hey!” Seth called, recovering from his stupor. “What are you guys doing! Stop that right now!”

Dante shot Seth a puzzled glance. “Is it illegal to consensually duel?”

“Yes, absolutely it is.” Seth spoke with an authority Wise couldn’t imagine, the thought of standing up to people who could do things like that was terrifying. there was a reason Seth worked in Pubsec and Wise didn’t.

“Damn” Dante sighed with fake disappointment. “Guess you gotta get off my back Vergil, the cop said so.”

Vergil let loose a growl of frustration, evidently unsatisfied with his situation. Wise could no longer see the two, as he had found himself tactically positioned (hiding) behind Seth. He heard Vergil sheathing his katana, and Dante slumping back down to his couch.

Wise and Belle locked eyes, a shared sense of shock bouncing between them. I mean sure they had just spent a decent portion of the day helping these strangers (as they seem to do every so often), but neither was expecting them to launch into sword based combat. Wise expected Jane and Seth to be on edge-

Where did Jane go? Wise looked about, interrupted from his panicked stream of thought. If she were here surely she would have protected Belle implicitly, not that there was any danger to anyone other then Dante, it just seemed odd he hasn’t seen her fly into action.

Belle seemed to notice Wise scanning the area. She mouthed “Jane had to leave” excluding officer Lowell from the conversation. Wise wasn’t sure why, and had little reason to pry.

Wise turned his attention back to the brothers, who had begun speaking to each other as if they hadn’t just attempted to kill each other. They seemed to reach some sort of agreement, as Vergil came forward to talk to Wise.

“Your assistance has been-“ Vergil paused, as if debating his next words. “Appreciated.”

“Yeah no problem!” Wise pushed the brothers’ swordplay to the back of his mind. Maybe it was a custom where they’re from? Regardless. “Feel free to come back to Random Play if you need anything.”

Vergil nodded, wasting no time in expressing his gratitude and moving swiftly back inside the store.

Chapter Text

Three days. That is how long Vergil and Dante have been stuck in this ridiculous situation. The neon lights of the shoddy business Dante had won grated on Vergil’s very soul. The torn carpet, the Tarnished desk, The filthy couch, it seared his senses to exist in this space. And yet he had no recourse.

The Yamato, the blade of severance. Derived from the strength of Sparda, warrior of legend. It was the key, an object of immeasurable weight and pertinence. It was Power, in the form of steel. And yet it seemed to be reeling.

Vergil had spent hours in meditation, channeling his essence through the blade. It had become an implement of his very being, no more or less important than each of his hands. There were still minuscule faults in its sheen, scars of a bygone battle where it, as well as Vergil had been bested. The Yamato yearned for Power, to build and unleash it in an act of destruction, pure and radiant. If Vergil intends to sever the Realms once more, he must gather his strength.

“You really can’t do it faster?” The petulant voice of an ignorant fool disturbed Vergil’s meditation. “Not that I’m not liking it here, they just don’t have milkshakes like home.”

“You are in your rights to offer an alternative, Dante.” Vergil spoke plain, as he always had. It was inconceivable that the fool could offer anything of note.

“Yeah right.” Dante grumbled, pulling himself from his couch. He took his time in prancing to the mini fridge he had been seldom stocking. Or perhaps Dante simply survived off material Vergil considered inedible. “So what if-“ Dante paused, leaning down to open the Fridge. Vergil assumed Dante wouldn’t find any edible contents, after all they had no way to buy or produce any food. This wasn’t a direct issue for the Soarda twins however, as they didn’t necessarily require food. At least at the same timeframe as humans. Dante rifled through its contents, his eyes locked with Vergils. The silence hung for a moment, as he processed the contents through touch alone. until he acquired his prize, a half-eaten slice of pizza, much to Vergil’s surprise.. “Y'know how the demon realm is kind of like, extraterrestrial or something?”

“It is an extra dimensional space, if that is your query.” Vergil raised an eyebrow, if he was lucky Dante was building to a coherent thought.

“So uh, wouldn’t it be easier to cut through the ‘fabric of space time’ or whatever in another extrapolated space?”

“Extra dimensional.” Vergil corrected curtly. “And perhaps, although the solution is likely more complicated.”

“Well these Hollow things seem like they might do the trick?” Dante gestured to the rickety tv which had come with the property. Vergil had paid no mind to it, but upon observation it seemed as if the device was depicting the inside of a so-called “hollow”. Vergil debated this for a long moment, enough time for Dante to wander off in boredom.

Vergil had spent quite some time in the realm of demons. Much of it existed in foggy pockets of his head, after all he had expelled his “trauma”. Ever since the departure of his nightmares, the world Mundus sought to create seemed further away than ever. It was something Mundus mocked him over, how the world of humanity would keel over to him. In the end, the realm Mundus ruled was weak. The Yamato could slice its walls far easier than that of the human realm. Perhaps that was the reason he had gone to such lengths to shatter it.

Vergil shuddered. An odd feeling overcame him, something akin to reminiscing. He had been alleviated of his nightmares, all that remained were memories, bitter and accurate. Even more terrifying was the thought that Dante may be correct.

There was an odd veil to the demon realm, something Vergil had only felt through the Yamato. As if reality was thinner, the rules and laws of nature sometimes twisting and turning. Vergil suspected demonic power to be at fault, and thus it stands to reason a Hollow may be similar. The Yamato was that which splits, an edge to cut reality as if it were paper. Surely a thinner paper would find itself prone to splitting.

“Very well.” Vergil broke the silence with an edge in his voice, a hesitancy. Dante looked up from the television, which Vergil was sure he couldn’t read.

“Like uh,” Dante stuttered, mock surprise crossing his eyes. “To which thing I said. Because it almost sounds like you’re agreeing to my idea-“

“I shall enter a hollow, perhaps the Yamato shall split the air with greater ease there.” Vergil moved from where he stood, closing his infamous book of poems. He walked across the carpet with disdain, for its very stained existence had wronged him more than several daemons. “In exchange you shall leave this establishment and procure funds for our continued existence.”

Dante appeared as Vergil had just trampled upon a pizza, his face twisted in horror and indignation. “What do you expect me to do?” He lurched upwards, bearing a striking resemblance to his younger self; whining to their mother. “I can’t just go around selling this body.” He posed dramatically. “I’m saving it for my special someone!”

“Perhaps a circus act?” Vergil mused, stroking his chin as if in thought.

A wry smile presented across the face of the wielder of the Yamato, A mocking that Vergil had found coming to him easier the longer he was in Dante’s presence. “Perhaps you could participate in stand up comedy? Wash Vehicles?” Vergil had made his way to the door, his silhouette famed against the bright rush of the city outside. “Save all other options one might say,” he waved his hand, miming a motion of thinking. “You may Cry?”

“Come on man you can't go after my business it’s my pride and joy, I Wouldn’t mock” Vergil left Dante to his devices, disappearing into New Eridu.

—

Random Play, an innocuous shop along sixth street. That was how the residents seemed to view this establishment, as well as the siblings running it. Vergil had seen something else however, a machine that was capable of efficiently navigating a Hollow, something useful, perhaps necessary, if Vergil hoped to descend deeper into one.

Vergil’s exemplary memory had no issue guiding him back to the store on foot. He moved mostly in the shadows, Alleys, backways, the ways he had learned to move without drawing attention to himself as his body gave out long ago.

There was something to be said of the contrast between New Eridu and Redgrave, one seemed a city of advancements, bristing with new inventions. And the other something older, holding memories of a time before the calamities that mankind had faced. Although it was hardly Vergil’s place to speculate, seeing as he had a hand in most of those calamities. Perhaps that was what he had seen as V, the endurance of man in the face of despair, that frustrating strength that allowed mankind to fester endlessly, never ceasing in their endless endeavour to survive and thrive. Perhaps that was what fueled the citizens of New Eridu as well. Giving reason to build buildings that pierce the sky, technology that seemed far advanced compared to that of the home Vergil once knew.

The shop seemed different in daylight, an unexpected bustle surrounding the mere film-rental. In fact the small crowd centered around the shop seemed obnoxious at best, unnatural at worst. Simple eavesdropping among the unimportant civilians informed Vergil of a celebrity presence within the store, an individual this crowd seemed eager to meet.

Celebrity culture was a hallmark of the inane habits of humanity, it seemed wholly inconceivable to Vergil, why they would so blatantly worship these individuals of meagre might. Perhaps among humans monetary wealth is a form of might, however no coin could best a blade. Surely this individual, whomever it was, was undeserving of such attention. However there was a usefulness to those who drew attention, as none of the crowd had drawn focus to Vergil’s notable appearance. An absence of eyes upon him was preferable to Vergil, as it had been since his youth.

The son of Sparda found his way to an alley to the side of the store, and waited in meditation for some time. Following the departure of a large portion of the crowd, he made his way past the threshold of the shop. Finding himself in the familiar confines of the rental store, albeit lit significantly better than his previous encounter.

There were some customers browsing, however none important. Behind the counter sat a “bangboo”; a group of mechanical creatures Vergil had come to understand acted as a labour force. Similar to weak demons, they performed tasks at the behest of their human owners.

Vergil could have approached the lesser being, perhaps even inquired to it in relevance to the location of its owner. However Vergil had spent countless hours honing his senses, only to be exceptionally enhanced by the consumption of the Qliphoth. Using his ears he could locate Wise and his twin sister, conversing with a third individual behind the metal door labeled staff only. A fourth voice interjects every so often, although Vergil couldn’t pinpoint any physical evidence of a fourth presence. No footsteps, breaths, the voice itself sounded distinctly artificial.

There was something else, something that took Vergil some time to decipher. Leaning against a wall, much in the same manner he had the first time he had been within these walls, he opened his book and listened.

The third individual, something of their presence was familiar. Vergil stood for several minutes, catching only the tail end of a conversation about a man named “Bringer”. The energy he was feeling was akin to a Devil Arm, however it seemed unlikely a Devil Arm would be present in this setting.

“Alright Miss Hoshimi,” Wise addressed his visitor by name, Vergil would remember that. “You probably have work to attend to, we can talk more later.” This “Hoshimi” individual merely grunted in approval, a spectacular show of an inability to communicate with their peers.

“I’ll walk you out.” Wise’s sister spoke up. Vergil’s mind had discarded her name a day or so hence. The door to the staff room swung open, revealing the nameless twin, who was trailing behind a woman of similar height. The woman did indeed appear to be carrying a Devil Arm of sorts, a blade rested at her side concealed by an intricate mechanical sheath. The weapon radiated energy, something very similar to the Devil Arms Dante and Vergil had wielded. Her appearance, while secondary to Vergil's attention, was something he still bore attention to. She had long black hair, cut into neat bangs slightly above her red eyes. Atop her head lay animalistic ears, Vergil had no concept of the canine, feline, or lupine these traits derived from. They appeared to be those of a fox, if the colouration is not taken into account. She wore a white dress shirt accompanied by a black tie, as well as a knee-length skirt. A jacket hung from her shoulders, blue with a golden trim. A fine choice of attire, Vergil nodded slightly in approval.

“Oh,” Wise’s sister's eyes widened slightly as they fell upon the familiar man leaning against her wall. “Hey! Didn’t think I'd see you again.” She walked closer to Vergil, not straying far from her visitor she had been showing to the door.

“Belle, is this an acquaintance of yours?” The swordswoman looked to Vergil, examining him in a similar way that he had to her, albeit to a lesser extent. She seemed rather dismissive of her environment as a whole, a right reserved for the foolish, or the powerful.

“I came to offer my thanks,” Vergil began, limiting the amount of information Belle could convey. “This woman and her brother assisted me a few days hence.”

“Yes,” the fox-woman muttered. “They do have a habit of doing that.”

“Alrighttt, enough awkward staring.” Belle clapped her hands together, drawing forth an enthusiasm convincing enough to pass as genuine. “Miss Miyabi here has work to attend to. Think you can call Wise from the back while I walk her out?”

“Indeed, that would work.” Vergil’s eyes never left Miyabi, he had learned early in life to stay his attention to the most dangerous individual in his presence. And he had no doubt this woman held strength, more so than anyone he had encountered in this reality. A similar urge seemed to exist within Miyabi, however she dismissed herself abruptly with a bow, moving herself and Belle to the way from which Vergil arrived.

Vergil moved to the iron door, rattling it with the back of his fist several times. There was some shuffling behind, before it opened slightly and Wise slipped into the business area. He seemed unsurprised to encounter Vergil standing before him, greeting the fellow silver-haired man with an easy smile. “Hey there! Did everything work out ok with your brother?”

“Indeed, however, that is not the reason for my presence.” Vergil responded, keeping his voice a low monotone. “I require to navigate a hollow, I assume you are adept at this?”

—--

“Procure Funds” Dante muttered to himself. “How does he expect me to do that? Get a goddammed job??” Dante spun his iconic pistols around his fingers, laying casually along the couch in his office. “It’s not like I have any connections. If Enzo or Morrison were hangin’ around then maybe I could do an odd-job for a few bucks.”

Dante sighed, the familiar weight of financial responsibility sliding cleanly off of his greased hair. He had learned to handle the stress of poverty in much the same way Bodybuilders handle the weight of steel; Experience. Surely if he simply roamed the streets an opportunity would present itself, after all almost every financial opportunity in his life had simply fallen out of the sky for him. And he had proceeded to turn most of them down.

And so wander the streets he did, passing unknowable shops aplenty. Not that he bothered to enter or even inspect most, the lettering was entirely foreign to him. Reading was Vergil’s thing, especially deciphering non-english text. It simply held no interest in Dante's sub-par attention span.

There was no plan, at least not one Dante was aware of. He simply navigated streets and alleys for a few hours, finding street animals and witnessing the daily life of New Eridu. The city was odd, an entire culture that Dante had no precedent for understanding. After some time he began to stick to alleys, wagering that someone may attempt to mug him. And of course stealing from a thief is both morally and legally justified, so there was no chance of him getting in any sort of trouble. Definitely.

Around 3 hours into his back alley adventure, Dante had begun to question his muggability, as it seemed no passing hooligans had noticed his immaculate, unrobbed self. That was until the sound of rushing footsteps approached him from behind.

A crowd of four was running towards him, clearly attempting to escape a larger group from the downpour of noise coming from behind them. The person leading the charge, a woman with long pink hair, seemed to be carrying a briefcase full of money, bills and change. She was followed by a woman with shorter white hair, wearing green and wielding a blade; a slim and small in stature girl with cat ears and two tails; and a robot(?) who had totally ripped Dante’s whole look, red coat and dual pistols.

“Jackpot” Dante muttered to himself, as he positioned himself out of sight to the left of the rushing crowd around a corner. As his pink-haired victim took the threshold of the turn, Dante extended his leg, causing her to fall forwards and fling the case of valuables to the air. Dante wasted no time in leaping upwards, grabbing the case and landing on the roof above in one motion. Now two stories taller, he looked down upon his robee’s.

“I Have detected a new adversary.” The one in green spoke first, her calm tone speaking over the immediate raving of her floor-bound companion.

“YOU THINK?” screamed the woman doing her best reverse snow-angel impression.

“Hey! We stole that money fair and square! Give it Back!” the copycat whined, making dramatic motions to denote every word.

“Sorry Ladies,” Dante quipped, throwing the briefcase over his shoulder. “This cash is being donated straight to the needy.” He raised his hand, pointing towards himself with his thumb.

The cat-girl squinted, preparing to jump upwards while drawing a blade. Recognizing the apparent incoming threat, Dante jumped backwards. With graceful ease he jumped from the flat rooftop where he stood to the alley opposite his new “friends”.

The squad somehow found time to match his pace, the robotic Dante-like man carrying Pinky as the other two followed Dante’s pace. Dante swerved through alleys left and right, staying his pace in order to avoid damaging his precious Cargo. Frustratingly his colourful pursuers kept pace obnoxiously well, they seemed used to running both from and towards a target. The chase culminated in Dante hitting a dead-end, forcing him to turn and face the quartet.

“Give us the briefcase and nyobody gets hurt.” The cat spoke up. Brandishing an unimpressively short knife.

“How dare you steal my Babies!” Pinky Whined, grasping at her knees as she wheezed.

“Girls, Girls,” Dante dropped the briefcase behind him, drawing Ebony and Ivory. “We can work this out, how about we split it yeah? 50/50”

“We don't negotiate with terrorists.” The woman in green spoke, just as monotone as her first statement.

“Yeah! Not even terrorists with excellent choices in weaponry and fashion!” The white-haired, dual wielding robot wearing red spoke. It was a little unnerving the similarities between the two, but Dante was cooler.

“Alright then,” Dante sighed, raising his beloved weapon's into firing stance. “Let’s dance.”

—

The Hollows were unique, a breadth of experience that Vergil had little knowledge over. The air held an infectious quality, differentiating it from the malice of Hell. It encroached upon living things no doubt with a desire to consume, to morph what exists into its own image. Vergil stood now on the edge of one of these anomalies, his frame silhouetted against the undulating black of the Hollow.

The Yamato sang against the energy of the Hollow, as if the Ether felt the need to dance along the blade, only to find a sheath; Standing as a wall between the energies of the Hollow and the Demonic energy building within the blade.

“Ready?” Wise’s voice spoke through the contraption they call “Eous”. He seemed hesitant, as any man would be leading another into such certain peril. He had been hesitant to agree in the beginning, a kind gesture befitting a kind soul.

“Indeed.” Vergil had no doubts, he took his first step into the Hollow, disappearing into its grasp.

Chapter Text

“Up here turn left, there’s a rift that should bring us deeper into the Hollow,” Eous spoke, Wise’s practiced voice guiding Vergil in a way he had likely guided countless before. With instruction the Hollow had been quite simple to navigate, it simply worked by unconventional special rules. To find his way deeper within or further without, Vergil must take specific paths rather than move in particular directions. “If we encounter Ethereals, we should probably run,” Wise spoke again, speaking with a caution that suggested he did not want to be responsible for Vergil’s demise.

“I can handle my own.” Vergil attempted to console the man, although he lacked the particular empathy that was required to ward away concern. He had struggled with these social things for years hence, although he had never made an effort to appear more personable. If he were to return to Earth, the Earth he knew, how would he talk to his progeny? Surely the boy would desire answers, conversation, connection, things Vergil would struggle to provide. Or perhaps he would desire none of these things. Their only interaction had been combat atop the Qliphoth after all. Vergil did understand that it was atypical for a family, however the Kin of Sparda had always communicated through combat. He wagered(hoped) the encounter shouldn’t have left a permanent mark upon their relationship.

“If you’re sure,” Wise spoke warily, knowing little of Vergil or his capabilities must inflict stress upon him. “Are you skilled with the blade?” Wise inquired, the robotic eyes of Eous drifting toward the Yamato secured at Vergil’s waist.

“I am.” Vergil felt no immediate need to elaborate. The statement should be self-sufficient, however he was inexperienced with proper communication. There was little reason not to… practice. “My blade was…” Vergil trailed off, finding words he had not spoken to another in all his time since the fire that night. “My father’s, it is the singular keepsake I have of his.”

“Ah.” Wise drew the information in, a poignant silence consuming the duo for a moment. “My condolences, losing a parent is one of the worst pains someone can experience.”

“There is no need for pity.” Vergil turned to the left, as Wise had instructed earlier. “Both he and my mother passed in my youth, their absences are old wounds.”

“Old wounds can still ache,” Wise spoke, attempting to convey an empathy that suggested he understood, somewhat, the experience Vergil had. A silence hung in the air once more. Vergil had spent endless hours agonizing over his lineage. The mystery of Sparda, the tragedy of Eva, these things had danced along his psyche for longer than Wise had drawn breath. V had managed to draw conclusions from his time among the humans. He had manufactured a kind of peace with the horror he had experienced in his youth, however Vergil had never thought to share these conclusions. He and Dante had come to a silent understanding of each other, and how they had mourned their parents and each other before they met again after the inferno. “So,” Wise broke the contemplation. “It’s just been you and your brother huh? I understand that. It’s just been me and Belle for a long time now.”

“Not… Exactly.” Vergil debated the information he was to divulge, but if he was truly to leave this reality behind, his words would have little to no consequence. “My mother perished in the fire that engulfed my childhood home. I was not present at the time, and assumed Dante had perished as well.” Vergil’s fingers instinctually moved to his collarbone, where Eva’s amulet used to lie. “I only learned of his survival 10 years later, once the two of us were in our early adulthood.”

“Nobody told you he’d survived?” Wise seemed in shock as if the thought of such a separation was devastating to him. “How is that possible? Surely NEPS or family could have told you?”

“I witnessed the fire.” Vergil’s eyes grew distant, the memory burned into his skull replaying with perfect accuracy even now. “I took my Father’s blade and left, assuming I was by my lonesome. It hadn’t occurred to me to question any others about the event.”

The two navigated the hollow in silence for a few minutes, Wise seemingly processing the information divulged to him. “And your father?” he spoke quietly, the voice of an empathetic man, one who understands the scars of loneliness and loss.

“He vanished some time before the fire,” Vergil spoke with more certainty, the traces of emotion receding slightly. He had planned to continue, however Eous stepped out in front of him, raising its little hands as if to prevent his forward motion.

“Ethereals seems like a small crowd.” A slight panic tainted his voice, not for himself but in a warning for Vergil. “We should take the long way around.”

From the sound of their footsteps, roughly 20 small creatures were approaching from the front. Directly blocking the narrow path deeper into the hollow.

Judging from the sound of their footsteps, there was a crowd of about 20 in a narrow hallway in the direction they had been moving. Vergil continued forward, showing no indication he had heard Wise warn him. The voice coming from the Bangboo began to interject, warning for Vergil’s safety. A few further strides and the group came into sight, noticing Vergil as he casually moved in their direction.

The group stood close together, the energies of the hollow surrounding the humanoid shapes of the creatures. Their heads appear as holes in the very fabric of the material plane. Each creature had a sharp appendage, most having arms or extensions that acted as their obvious weaponry.

The sound of Wise’s interjections Faded as Vergil focused on the beginning of combat, a desire to work his emotions through his blade consuming him. The Yamato drew from its sheath, and in moments Vergil had dashed forwards, delivering two killing blows, one overhead, cleaving the creature in twain, a follow-up slicing upwards, cleaving the Ethereal to the left of the previous one diagonally. The other creatures reacted slowly, slow enough for Vergil to slay three more with his blade before they began to strike upon him. The first strike was parried easily, knocking the creature aside and allowing Vergil to summon a spectral blade to pierce its chest.

The remaining creatures continued to slice at Vergil, the blades attached to their arms missing sorely as Vergil slid between their blows. Each strike demolished the creature unlucky enough to be on the receiving end. The Yamato sliced through some of the creatures cleanly, causing them to crumble on their lonesome. Two or three unlucky Ethereals were flooded with Vergil’s demonic energy, causing them to smolder as if smote. Less than 2 minutes after the group had encountered the man and machine duo, they lay in crumpled heaps, their bodies dissolving back into the Hollow.

Vergil stood in silence, his blade drawn in his hand for a few seconds, before he swung the steel to clean it, not that it had been sullied by any blood. Vergil sheathed his blade, turning towards the Bangboo. The small creature was standing still, its mechanical eyes enlarged in cartoonish surprise. Vergil observed the creature, a characteristic fear began to consume its motions, a caution that sprung from Vergil’s surprise display of competence no doubt.

“You uh…” Wise’s voice broke the stale silence, a vain attempt to understand what had transpired. “You weren’t kidding about your skill huh.”

“Of course not.” Vergil turned his back, beginning to walk again in the direction Wise had directed. “I have known this blade for many years, it is my longest companion.”

—

The blade seared along the edge of the Rebellion, Dante put enough force to deflect the blow, however he stayed his hand to an extent. He wished no harm upon his enemy, a rare occasion where he would feel guilt if he were to slay his foe. He had chosen to draw forth the Rebellion out of the Devil sword Dante for this reason. He could summon both the Rebellion, or Sparda out of his newfound Devil blade. It just so happened he had the most experience wielding the Rebellion, minimizing his chances of accidentally maiming the women he had been unfortunate enough to engage in combat.

The silver-haired girl's sword lashed with electricity, If Dante had been ordinary he would have suffered electrical burns even if he parried her strike perfectly. Dante had little time to consider this fact, however, as he had to jump backward to avoid the Cat-girls swift strike following her companions' attack.

The group of four had an effective symmetry, the two in the back providing ranged support that forced Dante to remain in motion at all times, lest he be riddled with bullets. The two engaging in melee combat were relatively skilled, forcing Dante to zone both of them with increasing difficulty.

“Phew,” Dante gasped, the relentless assault forcing him to praise them in some capacity. “You girls do this often? Seems like you have a whole routine.”

“HEY!” The robotic Dante-like man called from his vantage several paces behind the woman in the green jacket. “I don't appreciate you calling us ‘ladies’ when I'm right here! I'm just as much a man as anyone!”

“Yeahhh, looks like it.” Dante sneered, deflecting an opportunistic attack from the smaller dagger-wielding woman.  “Look, we seriously don't need to do this, I'd feel bad if one of you got hurt.”  Dante pulled the Rebellion over his head, deflecting a series of gunshots from the robotic man.

“You seem like the one on the back foot” The pink-haired woman quipped, matching Dante’s mocking energy. “Just give us the money and we can take this as water under the bridge.”

“Nyeah! We Nyeed that to pay off our Dyebt!!” The small woman (girl? Dante wasn’t quite sure at this point.) Spoke with an odd inflection, something that befuddled Dante slightly. The woman in green rushed towards Dante, raising her blade and pulling it downwards in a powerful lurch. Dante sidestepped the attack, responding with a swift elbow to her side. She recovered quickly, pulling her electrified sword around to swing at Dante from the side, which he parried using his signature sword.

“Man, I miss the Alastor, lighting swords are sick,”  Dante grumbled, pushing the sword back and jumping backward to create space. Dante effortlessly switched to his pistols, which he fired at the two melee combatants, causing them to reel away. “So you're in debt, huh.” Dante spoke with mocking empathy, getting under his opponent's skin had always helped him in the past. It had almost become a second habit to mock his enemies in combat. “I feel that; sometimes you can't help but get just one too many milkshakes.”

“Or movies!” The robot shouted. “Isn’t that right Anby?”

“Affirmative,” The woman, apparently named Anby, said. “Perhaps we would have funds for cinema if Nekomata stopped gorging on fish.”

“Hey! Dyont blame me for my tastes! If anyone is to blame it's Nicole and her whole donation thingy!” The cat Thiren spoke. Dante had heard that word used in passing, hopefully it was accurate, he didn’t want to be using slurs. Well, maybe he could just a little, but only for comedic effect! He wasn’t racist, not even to cat people.

“Oh yeah, blame the person trying to do the right thing. Real mature.” Nicole stomped her foot in frustration. “Maybe Billy could cut down on the arcade, or maybe he could stop getting new parts!”

“Boss!” Billy cried out, betrayal consuming his voice. “You know that my arcade trips are for my health! And I need to tune up every so often. That's not my fault!!!”

“Yeah, and you definitely needed the limited-time Starlight Knights 10-inch action figure.” Nicole turned to Billy, seemingly having forgotten the combat scenario they had been embroiled in.

“Wow.” Billy gasped in shock. “Did you need to bring that up in front of the cool guy we’re fighting? That was private!”

“Cool?” Dante and Nekomata said in unison, confused at the way Billy had addressed Dante.

“I believe we should focus on the combat engagement.” Anby attempted to draw her companions back to focus, seemingly resulting in little consequence.

“What do you mean cool?” Nekomata cried, accusation dripping from her tone. “You've nyever called me cool! What makes this stranger cooler than me?”

“Woah hey.” Billy stumbled backward, having two of his companions glaring daggers at him. “That's not what I meant! I just admire his sense of fashion, that's all! I swear.”

“Also you look like 12.” Dante felt the need to interject, despite the danger of his adversaries remembering his existence. “Doesn’t exactly scream badass when you can’t reach the top shelf.”

“You be quiet Thief! You don't get a say in our discussion after you stole our precious money!” Nicole fumed, gesturing towards the briefcase situated behind Dante. Anby hummed a dramatic sting to correlate with Nicole's accusation, leaving Dante impressed with her dramatic timing.

“Objection!” Dante dramatically posed as if he were a lawyer on the stand. “I offered you 50/50” Anby proceeded to hum "Pressing Pursuit ~ Cornered”, the original soundtrack from the hit
game Ace Attorney™. “And I’d consider that pretty generous, considering I’m pretty sure you stole this money from someone else.”

Nicole sighed, throwing her briefcase-like weapon over her shoulders. “Well I’d rather not kill you, and you seem pretty adept at fighting.” A pained expression overtook her as if she was debating handing over her child. “I suppose I can settle with a 50/50.”

“Clever Girl.” Dante mused, moving toward the briefcase which had a couple of bills hanging from its closed side. “Guess I'll just throw you bills and coins until I think it's halved?” Dante proceeded to violently chuck change at the group for fun.

“So uh,” Somewhere between Dante’s change-throwing Nicole spoke up. “What do you need money for? Not a lot of people are desperate enough to brawl for cash like that.”

“Oh uh,” Dante paused, he was unsure of how much he knew in the first place, he believed he had put some pieces together based on his stoic brother’s request. “I think my brother is hiring someone to guide him through a Hollow? But I'm not sure, he’s not a social person, struggles to talk sometimes.”

“Oh! A proxy!” Billy jumped upwards, Dante had begun to realize he spoke nearly every sentence with an odd excitement. “Which one? We know a few, actually we’re in debt to one.”

Dante snickered. “That's a funny coincidence ain’t it?” he scratched the back of his head, searching for the names Vergil had mentioned the night after they had reunited. He had mentioned a little about the guy who helped him find Dante. (Of course, he didn’t phrase it like that.) It had been a kid with silver hair, Dante saw him standing outside of his shop. “What was his name?” Dante scratched harder. “Some kid named something silly. Like wisdom or somethin.”

The quartet reacted visibly to Dante’s statement, each in their own kind of disbelief. “Wise?” Nicole asked tentatively as if she didn’t believe it herself.

“Yeah!” Dante snapped his fingers. “That's it! Do you know him?”

“We are in debt to him,” Anby spoke coldly as if the exchange of information was commonplace. “Severe debt.”

“Huh.” Dante looked down at his hands, clutching bills that were destined to be received by the same man if either side held them. “So,” Dante looked upwards, between the four individuals he had recently been locked in mortal combat with. “Care to take me to this Wise? I'd like to surprise my brother with my sudden wealth.”

—

Vergil and Eous walked forward in silence. Vergil assumed Wise would be stunned by his initial display of confidence, however his ongoing silence suggested another issue. The pair navigated several obstacles along the path set for them, communicating minimally. As Vergil felt the Hollow growing denser around him, the Yamato seemingly sprang with a wealth of energy. The Ether of the hollow seemingly worked as a passable substitute for demonic strength, of which the Yamato had been fueled. The two eventually came to a dead end, Vergil stood still, looking to Eous for further direction.

The bangboo looked at Vergil for a few moments, as if contemplating him. “Do you uh…” Wise’s voice sounded from the machine once more, a morbid curiosity tainting his words. “Do you know Miss Miyabi?”

Vergil craned his head, pondering the inquiry. “I encountered her at your shop earlier today, otherwise we are unaffiliated.”

Wise hummed from the other end of Eous’s steel frames. “Alright, sorry for the question. It’s just you uh,” Wise paused for a few moments, as if he was questioning the accuracy of his incoming statement. “You move almost exactly like her, It’s kind of uncanny.”

“Interesting,” Vergil spoke, his immediate interest causing him to speak with uncharacteristic swiftness. Hoshimi Miyabi had been the woman wielding a Devil Arm, one taking the form of a Katana no less. Perhaps he would find someone who wields true power in this reality, someone who could test the sharpness of his blade other than his dimwitted sibling. Vergil had begun to yearn for a different kind of combat. Battling Dante repeatedly had advanced his skills certainly, however he had not had a proper duel in quite some time. “I would like to learn more about this Miyabi individual, are you familiar with her?”

“Yeah I am, I'm surprised you're not.” His tone supported his words, a genuine surprise echoed in his voice. “She’s a void hunter, one of the most powerful people in New Eridu. She’s essentially unmatched when it comes to swordsmanship, I would have assumed you’d be familiar, being a swordsman yourself.”

Vergil was taken aback at the mention of his ignorance. He was after all, not of this world. It must arouse suspicion, for him to be unfamiliar with someone of such infamy. The question danced in his head, how he would explain his lack of knowledge. More importantly, the Power this “Void Hunter” possessed, would it truly be enough to rival his own? “I have been rather sheltered.” Vergil settled on a conventional excuse. “I have spent years honing my skill with the blade, it has left me lacking in social information.”

“Ohhhh.” Wise sounded as if something had fallen into place, a mystery had been unveiled. “That makes a lot of sense. Belle thought you were kind of weird, I figured you were just antisocial.”

“Indeed.” Vergil grated his teeth at the near insult.

“The rift is just ahead, if you walk into the wall it should draw us deeper into the Hollow.” Wise shifted the conversation, seemingly satisfied with his answers. “Are you ready? Do you know what you're doing there?”

“I do.” Vergil’s hand clasped the blade of the Yamato, ready to attempt to sever the walls of reality once more.

“Alright then, follow after me.” Eous walked forwards, disappearing into a blackish purple rift that materialized as the robot drew near. Vergil paused a moment before he entered the rift, searching for the presence of the robot somewhere in the hollow nearby.

He could feel its presence, the rift that lay before him became unnecessary. With the presence of the Proxy to guide him, Vergil drew the Yamato, slicing the air vertically, and then horizontally. Creating a rift eerily similar to the one that naturally occurred. Vergil stepped through the portal of his own creation, satisfied with his agency in the matter.

Chapter Text

Steam hissed from blue rose. The Impusa lay dead on the street, accompanied by a dozen of its brethren.

Nero sighed, flourishing his firearm as he holstered the weapon. Minor demons had run rampant since the Qlipoth tree had grown, and despite the threat of the tree having been curbed by the Soarda siblings, Nero was left to pick up the pieces.

On one end of Nero’s dilemma, business had been booming. Morrison had shifted his primary business partner from Dante to Nero, and unlike his uncle, Nero knew how to manage his money. Ok not exactly. But Kirie knew how to manage their money, and that worked for Nero.

On the other end of Nero’s dilemma, he hadn’t seen his wife in two weeks. Devil may cry had taken him up and down the country like a boy band, leaving Nero foggy on the details of his home. What did their bed feel like? How did Kirie’s cooking taste? Would he ever get the scent of Nicotine out of his hair? His mind spun with sickening energy.

Lady made her usual rounds, planting an extra bullet in the forehead of every slain demon. She claimed the practice was an assurance of their death. Nero thought it was a form of catharsis, asserting bits of control in bullet-sized packages. Lady turned her head over her shoulder, catching Nero’s eyes.

“Thought you were married?” Lady mocked. Nero hoped in an ironic way, she had become something like a sister to him since Dante left. She spent time with Nero and Kyrie, the women making fast friends once they had the chance to converse.

“Good god,” Nero reeled backwards, displaying the full extent of disgust he could convey. “I was judging your waste of ammo, that’s all.”

“Waste huh?” Lady glared at him, conveniently holstering her gun as she turned to him. “Big talk from the guy with a family history of impalement, you demon freaks can come back from just about anything.”

“And that has to do with the useless expense of ammo, how?”

“God, you really are his nephew.” Lady’s hand rested on her palm for an annoyingly long time before she elaborated. “The rest of us actually have to be careful with these things.” Nero raised an eyebrow, she continued. “One of them is still alive and manages to cut my leg? I might not be able to walk for weeks. And explaining my wounds to the hospital repeatedly is starting to get annoying.”

“Alright, alright!” Nero raised his hands in surrender. “I get your point, sorry for wanting to save money.”

The air grew stale, both parties waiting for Nico to return, allowing them to escape. In time it became evident Nico was not showing up. The two set out to find a pay phone.

“So uh,” Nero decided to break the silence after the third empty block they had passed. “You think Dante’s going to find a way out of this one?”

“Aww,” Lady put her hands to her cheeks, Nero felt the urge to hit her, however he valued the lack of bullet holes on his being. “Does baby Nero miss his uncle?”

“Shut the fuck up.” Nero spat back, unsure if she was right or not. He had only learned of their familiar connection a few minutes before the man had disappeared into literal Hell. Knowing they were family though, it did make Nero think more fondly on the time they spent together. Did Dante know they were family? Has he known since the Savior incident? Before? “Just concerned his debts might pass to me through some legal bullshit.”

“Nah, don’t worry about him. Dante comes back from just about anything.” Lady said confidently, the sentiment lightened Nero’s worries slightly. However with this loose assurance of his return, another thought pulled at Nero's head.

“So if Dante makes it back, does that mean uh,” Nero moved his hand in a circle, hoping Lady would interpret his meaning. Not that he expected her to, he simply didn’t want to say it out loud. “Vergil will too?”

Lady, whom Nero expected to launch in sarcasm once more, wrinkled her brow. Adopting a serious face Nero had seldom seen. “Maybe he will,” her eyes met Nero’s with purpose, the eyes of a woman probing someone’s thoughts. “is that a bad thing?”

“Well yeah,” Nero avoided her gaze, choosing instead to look down streets and alleys, searching for an invisible phone. “He’s like a world ending maniac isn’t he? That can’t be good.”

“Fathers are… complicated.”

Nero scoffed. “What, did yours try to kill you too?” He expected the jab to come and go, however Lady’s expression darkened even further.

“Yeah, he did.” Lady’s eyes remained traced on Nero’s face, as if asserting he should focus on her, retain the information she was to convey. “And I had to fight him. And in the end I had to kill him too.”

Nero threw his hands up, indicating defeat in his proud demeanour. “So that’s it? Fathers just try to kill their kids? I expected something more.” And he did. An orphaned boy on Fortuna, he had expected fatherhood to be something wonderful. There were times in his youth where he would sacrifice anything to have a dad. Credo slightly played that role, well until he didn’t.

“I’d say they’re like parasites.” Lady injected levity into her tone, sensing Nero’s building despair. “Sometimes they’re symbiotic, they help you by helping themselves. Sometimes they take, sometimes taking is in their nature, and they cannot deny that, even for their kids.” Lady smiled at Nero, who had no words to respond with. “I still loved him.”

“You did?” Nero was surprised. He figured Lady would advise him to let go. It seemed on brand for the path she was following.

“I think you could love Vergil, I think Vergil could love you. You’d both need to be less murder-y towards each other.” Lady seemed to Nero in this moment, as an incomprehensible being. He strained his thoughts to delve into her head, to understand the thoughts that reached out of her, attempting to meet him. “Granted, I think he has a bit more work to do than you.”

“As if.” Nero did not meet Lady’s eyes. “The man tried to kill me, he did kill so many people. How could I forgive that? Even if he did change.”

“You’re not me Nero.” He scoffed at the statement, obviously he wasn’t. “Your family are devils, creatures that are supposed to be entirely separate from humanity.” Lady had stopped walking by now, staring at him with something that amounted to compassion. “The sons of Sparda tried to kill each other countless times. Yet they still dove into the underworld together.”

Nero stood eerily still, as if a simple moment would convey his thoughts. Allow Lady to read him as easily as she had been. “Do you think…” he trailed off, swallowing spit that hadn’t gathered in his throat. “Do you think he could change?”

“Maybe. Would you accept him if he did?”

Nero opened his mouth, intending to reply. His words, which he hadn’t had time to process, were cut short by a noise. Something loud and grating, like electricity splitting the air. Lady and Nero drew their pistols simultaneously.

In the air before them, some kind of blue energy crackled. Like an unstable rift, blue and black spilling out of thin air in defiance of natural law. It seemed almost like the portals Vergil had made, only unstable to a point of chaotic writing. As soon as the mass had appeared, it slammed shut. Creating a deafening pop as the air rushed back into the place.

“What the fuck.” Both said, in unison.

Chapter Text

Vergil pried himself from his portal, emerging in the position he would have if he had taken Wise’s suggested route. The bangboo did not seem to react to Vergil’s created rift, indicating neither he saw nor registered anything of its creation. The two had emerged in a vast arena, similar to a commercial square. Most distinguishing features had been torn asunder, leaving the remains of fountains, benches, and buildings littered among the environment.

“This is the strongest the ether concentration will get.” Wise was confident in his assessment. Vergil was unsure of the process in which Wise navigated this space with such skill. Wise’s judgment had yet to draw him astray, he was someone to be taken at face value. Someone dependable. “What are you doing here?” Vergil examined the space in silence, ignoring the inquiries Wise spoke aloud. “It’s rare for someone to seek out the highly concentrated areas, the chance of Ether sickness skyrockets in places like these.”

“Be assured, I am in no danger.” Vergil did not look towards the bangboo, seeing no reason to lock eyes with it as he spoke.

“Alright, be quick with whatever you’re doing, I’ll have a way out ready.” The bangboo moved away, surveying the environment for the route the pair would take upon their departure.

Vergil closed his eyes, feeling the energies surrounding him. The Ether swarmed around his body, energy frantically attempting to pour itself into him. Much like a swarm of insects, desperate to find a host. Vergil followed the swarm, taking himself to the very crux of its concentration.

His blade drawn, his body ready, Vergil held the Yamato aloft. The blade fell cleanly at first, delving through the air towards its target. As the demonic energy assaulted the air, the blade snagged, as if sawing through iron. Vergil poured his strength into the downward motion, energy flowing in waves from his blade, the air churning around him as the realm began to fracture.

He could see it, the beginning of a rift between realms. The ether poured towards the rift, drawing it open further as Vergil had hoped. The Yamato continued to slice down, energy pushing back at the sword as if Vergil were cutting a torrential river. Ever resistant, ever flowing.

Vergil noticed the floor beneath him cracking, small objects being flung backward in the face of the energy being output. The first slice completed, Vergil heaved the Yamato free, readying himself for a horizontal strike.

The second cleave fought the Yamato with strength tenfold the previous. The Ether in the air began to deplete. Ether was drawn into the vortex, prying it open but exhausting the concentration in the air. Vergil made a quarter through the second stroke when the rift collapsed, the air folding itself back into place. The shockwave caused Vergil to slide backward on his feet, holding the Yamato aloft to split the incoming energy. Preventing it from damaging him.

The air began to twist, the explosion of Ether had coalesced, overlapping itself with the rift Vergil had hoped to create. A creature emerged; something towering, about four times Vergil's stature. An ethereal had formed, a creature had absorbed not only the Ether but all the demonic strength Vergil had expelled. It appeared similar to an ordinary Ethereal in design, excluding the mass. It differed in the blue aura surrounding the creature, Vergil’s power absorbing into the makeshift flesh.

The bangboo remained silent, likely shocked. It would be no use for the time being. Vergil moved swiftly, appearing above the creature and slicing into it. The attack, while effective, left a meager scar on it. The creature responded with uncanny speed, swinging its sharp arm towards Vergil, which he parried with the Yamato. The creature continued a relentless assault, one attack in quick succession after the previous, each seeming calculated to some extent.

While undeniably the toughest of its kind Vergil had matched with thus far, It retained the inflexibility of its kind. Vergil parried and ducked, forming a rhythm through which he began to understand its movements. The creature had patterns in its movements. What would appear random and violent flailing to others, Vergil knew for a recognizable dance. A routine to be followed.

Parry, dodge, slice. Vergil could have drawn forth his devil trigger, perhaps destroying the creature through brute superiority. However the fun of the battle was not in brute force, it was the intricacy of the movements the creature possessed, and how Vergil had begun to study them. Creating clean openings to deliver blow after blow.

The Ethereal grew desperate, some semblance of anger or violence welling through the hole that was its head. Its movements became erratic, less focused upon fending Vergil away from its battered body, and more so upon lurching towards Vergil, desperately attempting to land even one attack.

It nearly succeeded, a flash of a blade slightly above Vergil's head had narrowly avoided a piece of his hair. In return Vergil dealt the creature a devastating slash across its chest, small chunks of it scattering back into the wind.

The creature weakened, slowed. First Vergil severed one of its arms, slowing its attacks dramatically. Once weakened, Vergil found little trouble in cleanly removing the second arm, and in quick succession, cleaving the creature in two.

Its physical form tapered away following its bisecting, the chunks of Ether turning to dust. Akin to the way in which the human body returns to the earth, through crumbling. Perhaps, if these creatures are sentient, they fear becoming nothing, just as humanity does.

Vergil witnessed Eous pulling itself from a pile of rubble, perhaps a symptom of his battle. The creature waddled towards him, ears flapping dramatically as it moved. “Hey!” It called, the creature mimicking losing its breath. Or perhaps it was truly capable of experiencing the sensation of being winded? Regardless, the creature continued to speak. “Sorry about that, Etherals don’t usually appear out of nowhere like that, usually I can predict them.”

Vergil grunted, the realization of his failure dawning on him as the thrum of combat subsided. A portal had nearly been clawed open. The corrupting nature of the Ether had drawn the portal further open, proving a modicum of Vergil’s theory. However, this small success was overshadowed by the collapse of the rift between realms, a sickening display of weakness Vergil had been unaccustomed to experiencing.

Eous’s beady eyes looked towards the half-man. Confusion, concern, and curiosity are somehow conveyed through the creature. They truly seemed to emulate human emotion to an uncanny extent. With a sigh, Vergil acquiesced himself to an explanation. “Its emergence was a byproduct of my actions,” Vergil’s words soaked with his frustration. “You needn’t feel ashamed.

“What were you doing?” The expected question, although Vergil had hoped Wise would overlook it, perhaps out of professional courtesy. “It looked like you were cutting into a spacial rift. But Fai-” Wise cleared his throat. “I couldn't see any evidence of one nearby.”

“Perhaps,” Vergil interrupted. “We could discuss this once we vacate the Hollow.”

“Oh?” Wise exclaimed in surprise. “Are you finished with what you were doing?”

Vergil nodded, seemingly enough confirmation for the Bangboo to travel along the new path. Curiously, the exit was not simply a recounting of steps, but an excursion through several unrelated rifts. The pair emerged from the hollow relatively unscathed, although forced to return to Random Play on foot.

“So uh,” as the walk commenced, the Bangboo broke the silence. “If you don’t mind, I’m curious to know what the objective was?”

Vergil ruminated, The whole truth seems wholly too unbelievable to convey. He himself would not have wagered on the existence of other realms, expecting others to accept it openly seemed to be folly. A half-truth, however, may suffice in explanation, while retaining the trust of the Proxy. “I attempted to open a rift.” Vergil left the proxy to ruminate, unsure how believable the act of artificial first-making was.

“You-” The Proxies voice wavered slightly. “You can do that?”

“Evidently not.”

“But, you almost did. I saw it myself, a spacial rift appeared where one hadn’t been before.” A curious interest had invaded the voice on the other end of the Bangboo. An urge for knowledge, in one's own self-interest. An urge Vergil understood, yet could not placate. As far as he knew, the Yamato was the only being capable of splitting the realms, perhaps there were others, but it seemed irrelevant. In this place, with these people, the skill was unique to Vergil. “What did you do? Maybe we can find a way to replicate it.”

“As far as I am aware, The skill is unique to my blade.” Vergil was not afeard to admit the value of the Yamato. If any wished to take it, they could die trying.

“Your blade?” The mechanical eyes drifted to the Yamato, investigating it as if the sheathed blade would tell a story. “Does it contain an Ethereal?” The assumption spoke to the relevance of such. Vergil thought back to the Woman in Wise’s establishment, Her blade was remarkably similar to a Devil Arm, yet different. Perhaps that was the foundation of his assumption.

“I do not believe so.” Vergil chose to leave the conversation as such, seeing as the pair had reached the beginning of the street that housed Random Play. Wise seemed to concur, silently approaching the store and opening the door. How the creature had enough strength to effectively do this, Vergil had no clue.

Inside the building, noise emanated from upstairs. The store area was empty, leaving a lone Bangboo attending to the counter. Wise emerged from the back in short order, seemingly unintimidated by Vergil, even face-to-face. Most humans found themselves uneasy in the presence of the son of Sparda, more so after a demonstration of his capability. His resilience in the face of those stronger than him was admirable, at least.

“Hey! Your brother showed up while I was back there. I think he’s upstairs with Belle and the rest.” Upstairs? What had Dante done to earn such acceptance of these people? Vergil allowed Wise to lead him upwards, preparing his palm for its usual place regarding Dante; On his forehead.

“HEY! OTHER MANAGER!!” A man in a red coat waved his hands frantically, his volume far exceeding what was necessary for him to be heard. “Oh, and you’re uh,” He turned to Vergil, allowing a fuller look at his being. He seemed to be mechanical, or perhaps he had simply plated himself in some kind of armour? The sight was odd but more odd were his dramatic movements. The robot moved with such flair perhaps he eclipsed even Dante. “You're Vergil Right? Dante’s told us about you.”

And the hand met forehead once more. Dante’s account of Vergil would be less than accurate, and more likely than not; Humiliating. A familiar figure emerged from the hallway branching from the stairs. Dante casually waved his hand. “Yo Verge, did you find anything nice while you were out?” Vergil remained silent, after the air began to cool, his brother continued. “I made uh, some friends.”

“Friends, Dante?”

“Yeah I mean uh, I robbed them but it turns out they're cool.”

“You robbed them? Why?”

“You said we needed money!” Dante threw his arms in the air as if he had been accused of murder. “I got us money.”

“You robbed them, and then made friends with them.” Vergil waited for Dante to nod before continuing. “But you still took their money?”

“Yep!” Dante leaned back casually, raising his finger and beginning to name his companions. “This is Billy,” Dante pointed to the mechanical man coated in red. Billy bent his legs inward, holding up two fingers as Dante gestured towards him. “That’s Anby.”  A woman with white hair and orange eyes nodded toward Vergil, her expression unchanging. “That’s uh,” Dante leaned into Vergil slightly, pointing at a woman with pink hair who was in conversation with Belle. “I think her name is Nicole but she never said it out loud so I’m not sure.”

“You haven’t asked?” Vergil found himself lowering the tone of his voice subconsciously in response to his brother's hushed voice.

“Ok Mr. Extrovert, you don’t have room to judge.” Dante quipped, however, his mood seemed to lighten as Vergil participated in the hushed conversation. “Plus I have a bad track record when it comes to women.” Dante brought his hand between the two, using his fingers to count. “Like four women have tried to kill me for essentially no reason, I've learned to be fearful.”

Vergil locked eyes with Dante, an incredulous silence emerging as he refused to engage further. Dante stood straight, reverting to his previous demeanor as casually as he could seem to muster.

The woman in green, which Dante had introduced as Anby, made herself known by clearing her throat. In clean, almost robotic movements, she strode towards Vergil, extending a hand in greeting. Vergil took the hand silently, his appreciation of the bluntness of the gesture gave her the benefit of the doubt, and thus a handshake.

“So!” Billy placed his hands on his hips, leaning towards the Sparda siblings conspiratorially. “Are you going to be long-term clients with the manager?”

“Nah,” Dante waved his hand as if swatting a bug. “Probably not. Once all's said and done we’ll be out of their hair.” His eyebrows perked upwards in realization, and Dante turned to Vergil. “How did it go?”

Vergil, hesitant to reveal information; as is his nature, responds curtly. “It will work.” Dante seemed satisfied with this answer, enough to quiet as Wise shouted to Belle, ushering her to a private conversation. The two directed themselves to the other end of the store, their faces twisting in the way important discourse caused. Turning to Billy and catching his attention with a cold stare, Vergil inquired; “What is the densest hollow you are aware of, Machine?”

Billy huffed at the use of ‘Machine’, but responded nevertheless. “Hollow Zero yeah? I don't think anything compares to it.”

Vergil nodded abruptly, turning to Dante. “Perhaps you should deal with your store, I doubt we will be back.”

“Awww.” Dante slouched slightly. He bothered to stroke his beard in thought as if the decision was giving him pause. The hot-blooded son of Sparda put his shoulder to the wall, his mood soured by the surrender of his impromptu shop. As Vergil expected Dante turned to Nicole, who had been on her phone since Belle had left her. “Hey uh, You!” The pink-haired woman looked up from her phone, unmoving. “How would you like to get a business for free!”

Nicole's eyes lit up, essentially sparkling. She moved towards Dante with an uncanny speed, stopping close enough to Dante’s face that he had to lean back slightly. “Free you say!?”

“Yeahhh,” Dante’s eyes drifted sideways, perhaps because Devil May Cry wasn’t technically a business. In any sense of the word. “It’s my pride and joy, I'd just like it to live on without me”

“Without you?” Anby looked toward Dante with a monotone kind of compassion. “Are you a victim of an incurable illness, forced to watch as your body withers away? Seeing your loved ones and achievements scatter to the wind as you slowly cease to be?”

“No, no I’m uh,” Dante froze in place for a moment, slight panic evident in his eyes. “Moving?”

“Don't worry Mister Dante, We’ll remember you when you're gone.” Anby seemed in her own world, a single artificial tear streaming down her cheek as she played a soap opera in her head. Vergil shuddered at the thought of Dante starring in a soap opera.

Billy ruffled his artificial hair, turning it into a shoddy recreation of Dante’s messy hairstyle. “Don't worry,” He flourished his pistols with gravitas. “I can take over for you!”

“You have a deal, Mr. Dante!” Nicole grabbed his hand, shaking it vigorously, as if the tighter she held the more complete the transaction would be. She quickly fished a small notepad from her back pocket, handing it to Dante. “Just write down the address for me and I'll take it from there!”

Dante scribbled the address in an abominable display of calligraphy, the numbers barely legible to Vergil’s eyes. Nicole however, seemed content, placing the notebook in her back pocket and moving swiftly to the door to the outside world.

“Guess we’re going,” Billy exclaimed, watching his boss nearly running out of the store. “See you around Dante!” Billy raised his hand, and Dante quickly met it in the air with his own. The robotic man threw himself down the stairs, rolling over himself and landing at the bottom on his feet.

“I will remember you” Anby placed a comforting hand on Dante’s shoulder. A shocking display of genuine empathy on a subject she had concocted herself. Dante nodded solemnly, his mouth a thin line. Dante held his breath until Anby had made it to the bottom of the stairs, and then he exhaled dramatically.

Vergil silently descended the stairs, Dante following suit a couple of paces behind. Wise was leaning against the counter, his sister in the room behind them. He smiled at the twins weakly, gesturing around. “If you'd like, you can rent a movie before you go. I could give you a membership discount too!”

Dante shrugged, beginning to thumb through racks of films, reading the titles aloud dramatically. Vergil cleared his throat. “What can you tell me about Hollow Zero?”

Wise seemed unfazed by the inquiry as if he expected Vergil to inquire about the Hollows beforehand. “It’s the Hollow that wiped out the old capital, I'm sure you know that though.” Wise tapped the counter, recalling details to recite. “It’s surrounded by Scott outpost, a military installation that makes it difficult to approach unauthorized. I'm headed there now, it seems they are experiencing some trouble.” Wise cleared his throat, his mind wandering somewhere else. “All of section 6 is there right now, including Miyabi. If you want to get into the hollow it’ll need to be another day.”

Vergil cleared his throat, not addressing the concern directly so as to not befuddle the store owner further. “Your assistance has been..” Vergil paused, his silent nature conflicting with his actions. “Helpful.”

“Be safe.” Wise left the conversation at that, leaving the store through the back entrance. Vegil followed suit, albeit from the front. Dante caught up to him with a light jog, following his brother's wordless movement.

“So, we’re going there now, yeah?” Dante smirked, looking at his brother as if he had read his mind.

“Yes.” Vergil’s mind saw the fox-woman, the blade she held, the challenge she posed, the thrill of the thought of her being a true obstacle. “I’ve been wanting a good fight.”

Chapter Text

Cold air bit at Wise’s ears, and the wind howling around Scott outpost carried an ominous air. The armed guards, while usually strict, were unusually suspect. Stopping Wise at the start of the outpost with their fingers held steady on the triggers of their weapons. Only two men stood where at least five had held positions before.

The armored man raised his hand, sternly gesturing for Wise, the picture of an ignorant civilian, to walk away. Just as quickly as Wise attempted to explain himself, Soldier 11 emerged from the gates to the outpost.

The interactions progressed wordlessly. The guard gave an inquisitive glance, which was overruled by a glare from the member of the Obol squad. Wise had been escorted inside, and the white-haired soldier greeted him with a simple “proxy, " followed by a curt nod. Harumasa had called earlier, stating the situation was urgent, but the unusual air surrounding the outpost served to activate the nerves Wise often suppressed.

As a Proxy, nervousness can get people killed. Missing a piece of data, miscalculation of a route, wrong predictions on Ethereal pathing. All the more likely with hands dampened by sweat, a mind addled by panic. It was something Wise learned early and adopted into his everyday lifestyle. Taking the world around him in stride was much more efficient than overprocessing it.

Recently, since the revelation of Bringer as the sacrifice, the air has been off-putting. Something deeper happening than Wise could begin to track himself. Section 6, public security, some of the most capable factions and individuals in New Eridu had been deceived. Now those same factions work towards uncovering the truth that Wise sought as well.

Soldier 11 reached the small clearing overviewing Hollow Zero with Wise in tow. Nestled in a group were several Scott outpost officials, the majority of the members of Section 6, and several public security officials which whom Wise was familiar. Wise was most familiar with Jane and Seth, situated to the outside of the crowd, however, he was friendly with most of the others, including Asaba Harumasa, Hoshimi Miyabi: the Void Hunter, and Tsukishiro Yanagi from section six. As well as Zhu Yuan and Qingyi from Pubsec, and Charon and his guide: Soldier 11 from the Obol squad.

As he approached, a Scott outpost official turned to him, the man in charge of cleanup operations in Hollow Zero. “Mr. Private Investigator, I’m glad you’re here.” He bowed slightly, his words causing the others to notice Wise’s presence. “We need to move quickly.”

Zhu Yuan stepped forward, putting her hand on the officer's chest, causing him to fall silent. “Prox-“ Zhu Yuan coughed. “Private Investigator.” She corrected herself, adjusting her stance to be more rigid, the picture of an officer of the law. “During an undercover operation regarding a small smuggling ring, Officer Jane found connections to a project they referred to as: ‘the sacrifice.’” Wise’s face contorted slightly, the realization of the nature of his summons had become clear. Zhu Yuan continued. “During the raid on their compound, located in a companion Hollow, several members of the unlabelled gang, as well as several Pubsec officers fell into a Rift, connected to Hollow Zero.”

The officer, who Wise recalled to be named Roland, interjected. “Following this event, about an hour ago, Hollow Zero reported an influx of Ethereal activity. Military response has been deployed to contain the increased expansion of the Hollow.” He grimaced, the memory of sending soldiers into Hollow Zero a fresh scar for everyone in New Eridu, let alone a member of the Defence Force. “However, we have concluded that these smugglers, using the experimental equipment that fell into the rift with them, are somehow responsible.”

It wasn’t that long ago when Hollow Zero consumed countless lives in its expansion. “I understand, we don’t need to stand here any longer.” Wise made haste in setting up with Eous, they needed a skilled Proxy to guide them to the culprit, he understood the situation, and time was a valuable asset to them all.

Wise scrambled with the outpost equipment, marking together something that would work as a replacement for the HDD. Harumasa, from somewhere hadn’t seen, placed his hand on the Proxy’s shoulder. Conveying an intent to calm him through the sympathetic expression in his eyes. “Hold steady manager, you’re in the best hands you can be.” Harumasa winked, using his free hand to shoot Wise a finger gun.

“My blade is ready.” Wise startled, jostling Harumasa’s hand from his shoulder and earning a chuckle from the archer. Hoshimi Miyabi was standing on the opposite side of Wise to Harumasa. Wise hadn’t noticed her approach, possibly due to her superhuman agility while producing minimal noise.

Wise sighed, then found himself chuckling alongside the archer, perhaps at himself, perhaps to cope with the sudden stress. He made the finishing touches, setting Eous as ready to explore the Hollow. At this several others made their approach.

“Manager!” Seth called, jogging up to him with urgency. “Is everything ready? The Captain says we’re ready to leave when you give the word.”

“As is Section 6.” Miyabi, staring out of the tent that occupied the equipment, said blankly. Wise traced her vision to find her staring directly toward the hollow.

“What about the Obol squad?” Wise’s eyes now lay upon the Hollow, mirroring the mix of determination and questioning of the unknown that Miyabi surely felt.

“Maintaining the perimeter,” Seth responded. “Ready to help with extraction or emergency response.”

Wise nodded, turning to face the agents in his proximity. “I’m ready, Eous will travel with you.” Wise nodded to the Bangboo, which nodded its head with purpose. The agents each gave their separate confirmation. Miyabi nodded her head, her hand held firmly on the blade at her side. Harumasa gave Wise a mischievous smile, winking as he turned his back on Wise to face the hollow.
Seth smiled at Wise, a genuine smile of determination and compassion. Wise stopped Seth with his hand, grasping at the Thiren's arm. “Be safe Seth.”

Seth nodded, his ears twitching slightly as he seemed slightly bashful. “Manager, I can handle myself, I’m just as capable as everyone else here.”

Harumasa elbowed Seth in the side of his ribs, causing the officer to wince and stumble slightly. “Come on Junior, the Proxy is just worried about you, be thankful.”

Seth flattened his feline ears, looking at the floor for a moment before meeting Wise’s stare. “Let’s go out for noodles after this, yeah?” Seth didn’t wait for an answer, bolting out to meet his companions with Pubsec.

Wise sighed, watching as Harumasa, slight glee on his face, skipped to the group departing to the Hollow. Miyabi lingered for a moment, looking from the Hollow to the sky above in a rhythmic pattern. “Proxy, best to finish this quickly.” Wise’s face curled in questioning, to which Miyabi responded: “I feel a storm brewing.”

—-

A sniper’s post in Scott outpost, one of the most secure military posts in New Eridu. Not upon a ruin within a Hollow, nor the shrubbery of a battlefield. It was the place a battle-decorated soldier would feel secure. Somewhere to view the passing world, in safety, a hill to watch your enemies approach clearly, where a blade at your back is a near impossibility.

Trigger was posted alone on this post, the best vantage over the Scott outpost, and more importantly, Hollow Zero. Wind battering against the post left a plethora of angling and positioning, wind was the primary factor in accuracy over long distances, especially on nights such as these. The strike team diving into the Hollow was competent, of course, but there could always be someone slipping through the cracks, someone who manages to emerge from the Hollow behind them. This was Trigger's responsibility, to manage this threat. And to inform Harin below, who would deal with threats on foot.

The posting, when it was quiet, offered an excellent view of New Eridu. The residences closest to Hollow Zero were the elder parts of the city, most land developers steer clear of the Hollows, especially those with reputations. Therefore, unwillingly, the outpost was surrounded by a portrait of the history of New Eridu. Buildings slowly cascaded backward in increasing modern stylization.

The sky darkened over the passing minutes, rain began to fall in increasing strength until a sizable storm had consumed the outpost. The operation had begun, Trigger watching as the team was consumed by the darkness of the Hollow, only to emerge on the other side, Invisible to everything without. Handheld firm on her weapon, eyes scanning every inch of the outpost, Trigger felt pride in viewing herself as a guardian angel to her comrades below.

The first oddity was at the front gates. One of the posted guards, closest to the gate, stumbled backward. At first, Trigger thought it might have been due to the rain, causing the man to slip. As if in defiance of that notion, a minor commotion followed. The guard who fell, clearly frightened upon examining his body language, began to gesture wildly at his comrades. The intent of the motions of his gestures was unclear to Trigger, and despite witnessing his vocalizations, seemingly to his companions as well.

Trigger watched with sharp precision as Harin moved to the gate. The white-haired soldier interrogated the man, her body language shifting from concern to a more inquisitive demeanor. After a short conversation, Soldier 11 spoke through the shared earpiece between her and Trigger. “Trigger,” her voice came through static, bits and pieces of the dialogue obscured, perhaps due to the weather, which had grown in intensity. “….Gate…..Guard claims…Blue flash…”

Military-trained soldiers seldom fall prey to paranoia or tricks of the light. The alternative however seemed less feasible. Visibility decreased as water clouded Triggers' vision even further, nevertheless, she kept a keen eye on the ground below. Somewhere inside Trgger’s head, perhaps deep in the subconscious, she felt a primal fear creeping in the corners of her mind. The feeling of something small watching an avalanche, surmounting horror as the scale of the world overcomes it.

Trigger needed to focus. She felt intimidated, perhaps due to the lack of communication with the ground level, perhaps at the sudden reaction at the gate. Fear would cloud her senses, strip from her the essential tools of a sniper’s trade. Efficiency, precision, response time. Surely her mind was playing tricks upon her. And in the event it wasn’t, she needed to be ready for anything.

Soldier 11 had begun to patrol around the available sections of the outpost. Likely feeling the same disturbance Trigger had to settle away from her nerves. Harin began to walk into blindspots from Trigger's vision, the duty of a soldier overpowering her sense of fear no doubt. Not that there was anything to fear, at least nothing they had seen.

Snaking around tents, buildings, and stacks of supplies the outpost had yet to sort to their respective places. Trigger wanted to observe her comrade with what remained of her eyes, anxiety to lose even more brothers-in-arms pulsing through her veins. She centered herself, and directed her attention back towards the hollow. Harin was skilled, and in the worst case, Trigger would notice a commotion.

There was something mesmerizing about the Hollow. Something that drew people’s attention and clung to it. Perhaps due to the fact that they are looming shadows. Omens of a possible future where what remains of society falls victim to the expansion of the Hollows. They held people’s attention in the same way all horrible things do, through fear and anticipation. A knife at the back of every citizen of New Eridu, waiting to take any number of lives.

Static in Trigger's ear. Some sort of radio, likely Harin, who was currently out of sight. The words were nearly indecipherable, her voice, from what Trigger could hear, was agitated. Not mortal peril, but something had certainly gone wrong. Trigger adjusts the device, hoping to parse some of the messages before considering deserting her post.

No luck, for whatever reason communication had failed. A regular storm would cause no such interference, something irregular was occurring. As if to confirm Triggers suspicion, Gunfire. The piercing noise and small flashes indicated the ignition of gunpowder. Semi-automatic weapons fired by military-grade weaponry. Trigger readied her weapon instantly, pointing it towards the discharge of weaponry. Her view was obscured, the only aid she could offer was returning to ground level.

Scott outpost moved like a swarm, trained personnel descending on an invisible threat. Trigger watched vigilantly, mentally weighing the decisions she was to make. Blood coursing through her veins, her body beginning to be fueled by adrenaline, she was of no use at the sniper's post. She grabbed her weaponry, placing it upon her back and standing up straight.

Then, her senses stopped her. Her ears heard something abnormal, somehow processing sound above the wind rustling through her system. Breathing. Or at least something like it. The sound was distorted as if the breath were coming through a filter of some sort. Trigger reeled about to locate the new stimulus. It seemed to surround her, to come from a place beyond her understanding. Until gears slid together, her brain’s processing strength compelled her to look upwards.

There it was. Something. Its figure obscured by the clouds and rain. Something human, something close to human. The silhouette of wings emerged from its back, somehow held unmoving as they suspended the creature in midair. Blue streaks emanated light through the rain, some sort of blue fire lighting the creature from its arms, chest, and the top of its head. It looked down upon Trigger, now frozen in a mixture of shock and anticipation.

Trigger, almost without thinking, discharged a round in the creature’s direction. The shot made with an unsteady hand, still found its mark, loudly pinging against whatever hide the creature possessed. The Thing descended rapidly, Raising its arm and swinging downwards. Trigger pulled her weapon up to block the incoming strike, leading to a grating sound of metal scraping against metal.

It was wielding a blade. A katana, to be precise. Now on a similar level to Trigger, the details of its being came into more precise clarity. A man-like creature, Trigger guessed an ethereal, her rational mind racing to explain the threat before her. It had blue, almost armor-like skin, with wings and a tail adorning its back. The energy emitted by its presence was something Trigger had never felt before, something truly sickening to every sense she could feel. The metal of her weapon scraped against the blade, the creature’s stance alarmingly human as it pressed downwards.

Trigger, acting with every ounce of her combat experience, knocked the weapon aside with her firearm. She pulled back in the limited area of the perch, only about 5 by 8 paces in total. One Two Three rounds fired. This time the creature did not take them in stride, raising its weapon to deflect the projectiles oriented towards it.

The next moments felt a blur to Trigger. It rushed towards her, The blade moving faster than she could parry. She felt one gash on her side, nonlethal, but debilitating. Trigger raised her weapon to deflect a second strike, aimed towards her dominant hand. In the time Trigger took to recover from the blow, which had knocked her sideways with pure force of impact, she felt another wound open on her shoulder.

She had not seen the blade in the vicinity of her shoulder, but she had no time to debate logistics. A relentless assault of strikes emerged from the creature, a number of which moved faster than Trigger could comprehend. The creature seemed casual in its demeanour as if it was exerting little effort to tear the sniper apart. Wound after wound opened across Trigger's body, and in time Trigger kneeled before the thing.

Images of lost comrades called Trigger in the back of her mind, the fear of death emerging as real as it had been on any battlefield. The rush of action faded into a looming terror, as the creature remained motionless, observing the fallen Trigger. Looking up, that was how these things happened to Trigger. Still images as she lay defeated on the floor. The last time she had seen death, known its cruel visage, she had been laid low by Hollow Zero. Now it was no different.

Her head pounded, and lacerations in her arms Prevented Trigger from wielding her weapon any longer. Blood flew freely from several larger wounds, causing her head to spin sickeningly. The Ethereal, if that is what it was, Pulled its blade to a sheath in its non-dominant hand. The noise began to emerge from it, the pounding in Trigger's head giving her a moment's pause before recognizing it as speech.

“Fear not,” The phrase seemed like a cruel joke, the voice seemed calm, so assured of itself. Its tones distorted in a way Trigger had no comprehension of, no reference to compare to. “you will not perish today.”

Trigger gasped, blood staining the inside of her mouth, and her throat, it felt as if she was bleeding in every place at once. She was in shock, her body had no concept of the location of its injuries and was rampantly speculating.

“Keep your pride, woman.” The creature raised its weapon, hilt first. “You have stood against the Son of Sparda. And you will live to tell the tale, a rare accomplishment.” And then a sickening crack, as the hilt met the side of Trigger’s head.

—

Vergil returned to human form, the appearance of his Sin Devil Trigger receding into his flesh, leaving a man of white hair and pale skin. The woman was unconscious, her weapon laid low as she bled into the wood of the structure.

Vergil regenerated naturally, his wounds closing as naturally as a human’s hair would grow. But her? She would perish if not attended to. She could die of blood loss or shock, or perhaps the cold of the environment would seal her fate, cold air seeping into her veins through her wounds.

In old times, Vergil would care little for the defeated. Those who are weak, he would have claimed, deserved the fate they revived. His time as V, experiencing the world from a new angle, a human experience, had changed him. Not entirely, as he still felt a petulance at tending to the defeated soldier, but he felt a new emotion. Something like pity, but purer. Something that made him wish for her to survive.

Vergil rifled through his inventory, pulling several green orbs from (god knows where the Sparda siblings keep all that shit.). Applying them to her form sealed her wounds, leaving an unconscious, but stable human body.

In a flash of red energy, the form of Dante, also in his Sin Devil Trigger, appeared beside Vergil. Quickly followed by Dante’s irritating human form replacing it. “Hey, you all finished here?” He asked casually.

“Yes, the sniper has been dealt with, what about you?”

“Gave the chick with the white hair a decent fight, then I found my chance and vanished.” Dante flourished his weapon casually, dismissing the sheer chaos beneath the pair. “It’s like an ants nest down there! The bullets were starting to annoy me.”

“Then we move into the Hollow.” Vergil held the Yamato tightly, the skin on his knuckles whitening. His form once again grew wings and scales, transforming into the Devil form the Qliphoth had allowed him access to. Its wings had served him well, and they would continue to, as he flew towards the abyss that was Hollow Zero.