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thenightgazer · 4 years

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Between The Lyrids

The city is ambushed! In the middle of midnight mission, Vergil meets an unexpected person who later helps him and Dante in battle.

“Sometimes when I look at you, I feel I'm gazing at a distant star."

-Haruki Murakami

---

Midnight is the best time to hunting demons. At midnight, demons are in their fittest shape and strongest condition to hunt. If they are lucky enough to find a portal to bring them into the human world, then it would be the worst time for humans to walk outside their houses. As for tonight, a legion of demons was sighted near the suburban of Capulet City, causing panic among locals.

That explains why the Sparda brothers are on duty right now.

Vergil Sparda is sitting on a stack of dead demons he killed previously, reading a book while trying to ignore the nosy sound of bullets and clashing swords all around the residential area caused by his brother. He briefly glances at Dante who is making his way to cut a demon in two with his Devil Sword, leaving black blood stains over his face and red coat. A shadowy figure of a Fury ran behind him at an amazing speed. But alas Dante is quicker and manages to stop it by summoning Cavaliere, splitting it up into buzzsaws and slicing the Fury to death.

“Hey Vergil!” Dante shouts at him. “You’ll miss all the fun here!”

Vergil flips a page. “Wisdom is knowing when to attack and when to endure.”

Dante put the Cavaliere back to its motorcycle shape and mounts it. “C’mon, there are still hordes of demons to kill!”

“I think The Legendary Devil Hunter could go through with it by himself. I’m occupied with this book.”

“Boring as usual, bro. You have ten seconds to change your mind!” Dante revved the Cavaliere to disturb Vergil’s reading, which is mildly successful.

“Then I suggest you to start counting.”

“Challenge accepted! Ten—!“

Foolish, Vergil thinks as he flips another page. Why bother asking me to come if he’s capable of doing it all by himself?

“Nine… eight— C’mon Verge! Seven—”

The Dark Slayer smirks at his brother’s futile effort. “You need a better persuasion.”

“How about I rip your damn book? Six—”

“—I’ll rip you first.”

“Five— those bats are going to burn this whole city!”

Vergil watches a pack of Pyrobat flying and bursting flames around the neighborhood. He releases a heavy sigh after hearing the residents screaming for help as the wildfire consumes their houses. Vergil stands up and leisurely walks to Cavaliere and swiftly takes a seat behind Dante.

“Now that’s the spirit.” Dante chuckles, much to Vergil’s annoyance.

“Just ride.”

Ignoring Dante’s exaggerated revs and wild ride, Vergil opens his book again. He summons his spectral swords to annihilate demons that are chasing them along the ride. He can’t help but wonder where these demons came from, since the world is quite peaceful lately. It’s likely that someone opened a portal from the Underworld, but that would be difficult to execute. Without Yamato, summoning a battalion of demons requires intricate rituals and strong determination. Someone ambitious and crazed like Arkham could do the ritual, but that option is implausible.

Vergil glances at a beetle-like demon that turns into sand after get stabbed by one of spectral sword as he read a passage :

We call it a grain of sand,

But it calls itself neither grain nor sand.

It does just fine, without a name,

Whether general, particular, permanent, passing,

Incorrect, or apt.

“What?!” Dante shouts.

“What?”

“You’re murmuring things!”

Vergil decides that he needs to decrease his habit of thinking out loud, “Nothing. Just a poem.”

“Ha!” Dante chuckles. “Noticed you brought so many books lately. Don’t tell me now you accept private requests and keep the money for yourself.”

I didn’t buy the book. Those are gifts from Lyra. But there’s no way Vergil would admit that fact to Dante. “I do take private jobs, just like you do occasionally. And don’t ever think I’d pay for your debt again.”

“Twins share everything!”

“Eyes on the road, Dante.”

Dante takes out Ivory from his coat, glancing at the Behemoth behind them. “Alright, maybe not everything. That one is mine. You take the wheel!”

The red devil ambushes the demon before Vergil could protest. Dante fires at Behemoth fiercely as Vergil continues to ride the Cavaliere. It’s not a secret anymore that Vergil hates vehicles. That thing is too slow for him who values speed and precision, not to mention he has Yamato which is more efficient than any vehicle ever could be.

Dante finally landed on Cavaliere, sitting back to back with Vergil. “Dammit, that stupid hippo doesn’t want a quick death.”

“Perhaps that is because you have too much fun. Make haste!”

“Can you not be grumpy for one minute? Anyways, nice ride, bro.”

“Silence.”

Knowing that Dante wouldn’t end this battle soon, Vergil turned Cavaliere around, speeding up directly at the Behemoth. He ignores Dante’s warning to slow down or get them killed in no time, summoning Yamato and cut the demon straightaway, splitting its body into two and making an entrance for Cavaliere to get through between the split body parts .

Dante claps mockingly, “Not bad for an old man.”

“We’re twins, you fool!”

“That explains why I’m four minutes younger than you!”

They were soon ambushed by a swarm of Pyrobat. Dante shot at them like a maniac, laughing and taunting. It seems like his demon blood also burns from the urge to hunt at midnight. Vergil is aware of his little brother’s wild tendency of demon hunting. No matter how menial the jobs are, even if merely weak lesser demons, Dante will kill them all regardless. Yet he still had mercy for those demons who felt compassion, something which Vergil secretly admires. Behind his brash and carefree attitude, Vergil knows that Dante is much more mature than he looked at first glance. This side of the world has never been kind to descendants of Sparda. Spending each day of his lifetime in this world must have made him stronger.

“Dante,” he calls. “That one needs to be eliminated quickly or this city will become a catacomb tonight.”

Dante glances at the Leviathan, a gigantic whale demon that flying above the town, “Ya sure don’t wanna take that thing down?”

“You killed it once. It should be easy for you.” Vergil stops Cavaliere, quickly brushing his messy hair back. “I’ll handle the rest.”

“Okay then,” Dante takes back his Cavaliere and gives Vergil a salute. “See ya, Verge. Be careful, don’t die. No one is allowed to kill you but me.”

The blue devil grins, “Save that for later.”

As Dante heads up to the Leviathan, Vergil turns around to exterminate more demons creeping up behind him. He is slightly surprises to see a legion of demons in Angelo form. Who created these abominable things? His hunch turned out to be right all along. Someone did intentionally summon demons in the city, even went as far as to create Angelo demons. But there was something unusual about these Angelos. Their color was all black with silver, pulsating lines running across their bodies. Some of them didn’t wear a helmet, revealing their demonic faces. They were not only using swords, but also a variety of firearms.

I’ve never seen this kind of demon before.

One of them fired at Vergil with a rocket launcher, which Vergil dodged easily. His hatred towards Mundus and his time as Nelo Angelo came to surface again. He growled in anger as he started to strike, giving them no chance to attack. Sparks fly between the clashing of swords and shooting bullets, but Vergil knew he was going to win as he slashes the demons one by one with light speed and precision. He raised Yamato to block another onslaught, while invading the Angelos with brutal attacks of summoned swords.

They know they don’t stand a chance, but why do they stand still?

“Help!! Please!”

The woman’s plea distracted Vergil enough that he almost lost his guard. The woman was trapped in a burning house, surrounded by Pyrobats. The hybrid speeded up his attack, finishing the Angelos with a final blow with Yamato. The cold rushed in his blood when he realized that the Angelos were previously humans. In their final time, their demonic attires changed to their human form. There is an unsettling feeling of watching them slowly scatter, their fleshes burn and revealing their scorched bones.

Their creator must be a psychopath.

After making a mental note to investigate this strange attack soon, Vergil wasted no time and teleported into the burning house where he spotted the woman suffocating from the smoke. He lifts the woman up and teleports to the safe zone.

“Thank… you…” the woman says after Vergil puts her on the ground.

“Just go away from here.”

Vergil looks up to the sky where he witnesses the battle between Dante and the Leviathan. Unlike Vergil who always gives his enemies a quick death, Dante likes to play with his prey before eventually killing them. He can see his little brother flying around the giant whale in his triggered form, jabbing his devil sword across its belly, causing drops of blood to rain over the buildings under the demon. Although Vergil found it extremely disgusting, at least that little maneuver made the Leviathan lose its balance. He vaguely hears Dante screaming ‘Jackpot!’ while the whale demon finally falls from the sky, destroying the ground with its corpse.

Then I guess the bats are the only scum left here.

The Pyrobats seem to be triggered by the Leviathan’s death. They shriek in high-pitched screams, lashing out at the residents. Vergil jumps to the pack and creates a whirlwind of slashes with Yamato, thus leaving splinters of Pyrobats on the ground. He’s just lands and puts his sword back in its sheath when the remaining fire bats release an outburst of blaze at Vergil. The hybrid prepares himself to trigger his devil form, ready to strike back—

— But the fire never touch him.

An invisible wall stands before him, shielding him from the fury of the blaze. The fire motion seems calmer… like it’s bended by an unseen force.

Could it be Dante…?

Vergil looks at his surroundings, trying to find the force that shields him. Yet he finds nothing. Dante is nowhere to be seen, people are running away from the center of the city…

Subsequently, he sees her standing a few meters behind him.

“Lyra…?”

The librarian looks like she wants to greet him, at least that’s what her hand gesture indicates— the palm of her hand slightly waves at him. But Vergil realizes that she’s not waving at him. She looks like she’s holding… something.

The invisible shield… d id she create it?

“Oh… Hi…!” she finally greets him. “If you’re not too occupied, would you please exterminate those bats already? My hand is stiff.”

The Pyrobats start to ambush her. Before Vergil could budge a muscle, Lyra already moved her hands to bring the fire around her. She twists her body and aims the fire back to the pack until the demons are burned by their own fire, leaving Vergil in awe after witnessing her ability.

Surprise, surprise.

“Where are those demons coming from? They are already in the breaking news… scaring all the people.” Lyra mumbles as she stretches her arms.

“Who knows.” The hybrid shrugs, still mildly surprised by Lyra’s sudden appearance. “We received the call from the mayor… and turns out it’s pretty awful here.”

“I have to be honest. When I saw the flames all around the city, I thought it was you running amok again.”

“I told you before— I have no desire to destroy the world anymore.”

“I know. I’m just joking.”

Vergil silently watches her—looking at her surroundings as if she expects demons to come again. Anxiously she wraps herself tight with her black coat despite the heat from the wildfire, whimpers quietly and glancing at her leg. That’s when Vergil spots a new scar on Lyra’s left leg as he points at the wound with the tip of Yamato’s sheath. “Must be from that fire you controlled earlier.”

“Oh… it’s fine. Sometimes it happens when I’m being sloppy and can’t control my power…”

Swallowing his pride alive, Vergil kneels before her, causing her to jolt in surprise.

“Hey what are you—!”

“Just let me take a look.”

He takes something out from his coat; a bottle which contains a burgundy liquid. He pours one drop over Lyra’s wound. The liquid slowly transforms the burned skin, returning it to normal, leaving no trace of a scar.

“Wow...” Lyra murmurs. “It looks like Lucy Pevensie’s cordial.”

Vergil chuckles at Lyra’s admiration. “Similar, but quite different.”

“Could that heal my limp as well?”

“That’s beyond my capacity. The liquid can only heal minor injuries.”

“I see…”

Don’t show me that blue face. “… but perhaps I could find some spell to cover or manipulate it—“

“No no no don’t bother! And get up, sir! My leg feels better already!”

“Hey Verge! I’m done cleaning up there— oh… hoho…” The red devil in his demon form rests his wings as he lands on the ruins, clapping his hands while he turns to his human form. “What do we have here? My brother kneeling down before a lovely lady? Are you gonna propose to her, Verge?”

Damn you, impertinent brother. Vergil hurries himself to get up. “Shut up, Dante.”

Dante’s blue eyes scan through Lyra who’s smiling at him. He approaches her as he summons Dr. Faust, lifts it slightly off his head before he offers his hand, “Dante the badass devil hunter, at your service.”

Lyra politely shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you. Dante. I’m Lyra.”

“Well then, Lyra. I hope my glorious appearance earlier and my brother’s gloomy face didn’t scare you off.”

Lyra laughs as she shakes her head. “Not at all. Your brother’s quite nice. He saved me from those bats.”

“’Nice isn’t exactly the right word to describe Vergil, unless he’s really fond of you…”

“You may let go of her hand already, Dante.” Vergil warns before Dante says something to embarrass him further. “Or shall I cut yours?”

“Whoops! Someone’s jealous here. So tell me, babe. Where did ya meet my bro?” Dante winks at the librarian after he releases her hand, ignoring Vergil’s deadly glare.

“Your brother is a loyal guest of the library where I work.” Lyra glances playfully at the blue devil.

Dante lets out a laughter and taps Vergil’s shoulder, which is repelled by the latter. “Now I get where those mysterious books came from! Guess you owe me the complete story, Verge.”

“Quite the contrary, I have no obligation to tell you anything.” Vergil snarks, to which Dante responds with a careless shrug.

“Mmmm… gentlemen?” Lyra interrupts the twins and pointing at the demon in front of them. “I do believe your job hasn’t ended yet.”

Vergil makes a stance as he prepares Yamato, glaring at a colossal spider which disgorges lava everywhere. He has seen this demon in one of his hazy memories, even one of his former familiars was taking the shape of this demon, although he couldn’t recall its name. But Dante already makes his way to face the demon, flippantly mouthing off the arachnid.

“Hey dumbass!” he shouts in casual tone, like greeting his own friend. “Thought I killed you years ago!”

The spider demon seems recognize him. “You… the detestable son of Sparda…!”

“Ha! I’m impressed you still recognize me! Phantom, was it? How can you still be alive and crawl back here? Is your little nest in Hell not comfortable enough?”

Phantom wastes no time to spew lava at the three of them. Vergil quickly grabs Lyra’s waist and teleports to a safe ground whilst Dante already sits on the roof of a building. Vergil shouts at him angrily, “How thoughtful of you, little brother. You risked Lyra’s safety just to taunt that scum!”

“Sorry, babe.” Dante gives the librarian an apologizing wink.

“It’s fine.” Lyra winks back at him, which causes Vergil to automatically roll his eyes.

Their casual banter makes Phantom get more angry and finally lose its temper. “Don’t take me lightly, Sparda! I’m stronger than before! All of you will die in no time, and I will unleash the magma to melt this cursed city down!”

“Well, well, that big mouth of yours needs to be silenced!” Dante looks toward Vergil. “What do you say, bro? Should we take it down?”

“Naturally.”

“Jackpot!”

“I’ll help.” Lyra volunteers.

“It’s too dangerous. I know you’re more than capable to defend yourself, but…” Vergil takes a glance to Dante who charges at Phantom without waiting for them. “I don’t think you would like to show off your power in front of my brother.”

“Of course not.” She takes something out from her coat. “But I got this. I have it with me all the time, just in case I have to fight manually.”

It’s a devil arm, Vergil notices. Lyra holds an expandable white staff with complicated golden rune across its body. She presses the center of the staff to bring out blades on each edges. He couldn’t hold his confusion. First, she appeared out of nowhere and shows him her telekinetic ability. Second, she actually had a devil arm inside her coat all along and he had never noticed it even before. Third, all these new revelations just make him like her more than he should.

“Would you do me a favor, Vergil?” she whispers to him, taking a glance at Dante. “Don’t tell Dante, or anyone else, about my power. It’s complicated and would take me too much energy to explain everything. But since we’re friends, I’ll tell you the reason later.”

The devil smirks slyly, “In exchange of what?”

“Unless you want to lose the only supply of free books in your lifetime…”

“What in the seven hells— Fine! You better keep your promise then.”

Lyra holds her laugh as the elder son of Sparda reluctantly obeys her order. They’re soon join Dante who’s already having a good fight with Phantom. He lets the spider demon attacks him over and over again, just to see how strong his opponent is.

“That all you got?!” The red devil mocks, sending his sword into thin air. “I’m starting to get bored here!”

“You pest!” Phantom attacks Dante with its scorpion tail, only to be blocked by Yamato. Knowing Vergil joins his brother to fight, Phantom gets angrier. “You…?! You were supposed to serve The Almighty Mundus! Traitor!”

“My time as servant of Mundus has ended, and you shall die by my own hands.” Vergil spins his sword before put it back inside its sheath.

Dante scoffs as he approaches beside him. “Always making a dramatic entrance, brother. And didn’t ya forget that twins share everything?”

“Was the Leviathan not enough for you?”

“Do you two always fight like this?” Lyra asks as she tilts her upper body from behind Vergil’s back to see the twins’ interactions.

Vergil shrugs. “He is always the one who starts it.”

“That’s because you’ll always be the boring one!” Dante makes his first charge while summoning Balrog as he strikes Phantom until the demon is pushed to the burning buildings. “One point for Dante!”

“Reckless as usual, brother. That thing is still alive.” Vergil murmurs dismissively, watching the recovered Phantom. He manages to dodge the lava attack from the demon and fire his summoned swords.

Dante shrugs nonchalantly at Vergil’s remark. “I’m just waiting for the right time to kill that bastard for real— heya babe, nice shiny staff there. I’m worried it will break if you step in on the party.”

Realizing Dante is trying to stop her, Lyra snorts. She presses her staff at the center again until the staff changes its shape to a white, slim semi-automatic rifle. She aims at Phantom’s scorpion tail before she pulls the trigger, blasting golden bullets at the tail, causing Phantom to shrieks and its tail to fracture.

Lyra smiles at Dante. “We live in a world full of demons, Dante. You really expect people to be defenseless for the rest of their lives? Now if you excuse me…”

As Lyra walks to where Phantom stands, the rifle starts to change into the staff again. The shining blades on the tip of the staff blinds Phantom’s sight. The demon tries to mock her, “Human…! How dare you attack me! You cannot defeat me! You’re just a sack of blood and flesh… you won’t stand a chance! Don’t you know who I am?!”

“Eh… no? We’ve just met.” Lyra spins the staff slowly. “And it’s rude to yell at someone whom you’ve just met.”

Phantom charges his pointy feet to stab Lyra, but she is a bit quicker. She spins the staff to wind up a wide arcing swing, utilizing the length of her staff to block and reverse the attack by maneuvering a spinning hop and knock down the foot, causing Phantom to loses balance. She uses this chance to swing the staff upward shocking its skeleton, then executes rapid thrusts to its abdomen.

Dante, whose jaw is dropped in astonishment during the battle, turns his head to Vergil. “I like this woman.”

“Don’t you dare—“

“Ohh look at that pinky little blush on your face!”

“Dante.”

“Yea yea I know~ back to business! Don’t make a lady wait!”

The twins finally join Lyra. Dante lashes a huge blow to break Phantom’s back while Lyra continues to block attacks while aiding Dante by occasionally changing her staff into the rifle and shoots the demon’s abdomen to create a bigger wound. Sensing that Phantom couldn’t hold itself much longer, Vergil releases a Judgement Cut to end this battle, slicing the demon into pieces.

“Wait… what was that?” Lyra furrows her brows in confusion since her eyes couldn’t follow the movement of Judgement Cut.

“One of the exaggerated techniques of dear ol’ Vergil.” Dante replies, glancing at Lyra’s staff. “Convenient one. Looks like Gandalf’s staff. What’s the name?”

“I don’t know the demon’s real name before it turned into a devil arm, nor do I have a name for it.”

“Can I borrow it? Just to test the power.”

“Uh… it complies only to me, but do give it a try.”

As Dante reaches to touch the staff, his hand phases the weapon as if it refuses to be held by him. “Whoa. This weapon is kinda shy to strangers. You don’t have to worry if someone wants to steal this one.”

“Indeed.” She points at Dante’s gauntlets curiously. “And that one?”

“Formerly the King of Fire Hell, Balrog.”

“… did it drag you to the depths of Moria?”

The devil hunter’s eyes spark in amusement as he chortles. “And made me say ‘Fly, you fools!’?”

The sight of them laughing and bantering jokes creates a deeper crease on Vergil’s forehead. They’ve just met for twenty minutes, yet they already form a friendly conversation compared to him which took three months to even have small talk with her. Dante seems to genuinely like her— his rugged face gets relaxed almost immediately and his gaze is softer as Lyra tells him another Lord of The Rings jokes. Damn, he even lets her touch his weapons! Vergil doesn’t like it at all, this unfamiliar sensation inside him. It makes him… angry? Uneasy? Hollow? Fed up?

This is… awful.

He sheathes Yamato and sends it into thin air. “We already exterminated all demons, Dante. You better collect our payments.”

“Sure thing, bro. Hey babe, come with us to the mayor’s house—“

“It’s almost midnight. Lyra has to work tomorrow.” The coldness inside Vergil’s voice is undeniable, as if his statement was a death sentence. “I’ll take her home.”

Dante smirks, noticing Vergil’s mood swing as his older twin turns his back without waiting for their responses. He taps the librarian’s shoulder in protective manner. “Take care of my bro, babe. Adios.”

“See you again, Dante. Feel free to come over to the library whenever you want.”

Dante flippantly waves at her as he watches the two of them walk away from the ruins of of the city, slowly disappear in the crowd of people. A subtle smirk curves on his mouth, pondering since when his brother started to truly befriended someone. Mysteriously alluring. She could make that prideful, cold-blooded jackass kneel before her. Must be a hella fine lady, that Lyra.

“Oh brother… you lucky bastard.”

He hurries himself to collect the money, making a mental note to soon tell the girls about this one peculiar woman whom successfully enchanted Vergil.

---

The silence falls between them for almost ten minutes. As the temperature gets lower, Lyra feels her blood start to freeze as she watches Vergil’s back. To be with Vergil in total silence isn’t a new thing for Lyra, but this time is different. Of course she notices his drastic change of behavior, but she couldn’t comprehend the reason behind it.

“You know,” she speaks lightly. “People that walk fast are reported to be less happy.”

That makes the hybrid halt abruptly. Lyra silently giggles at her little aphorism, quickly stopping besides him. “You know tomorrow is my day off. Why did you lie to Dante?”

“… because you look exhausted.”

“I’m a little bit knackered, but overall I’m fine. You don’t like me being friendly with your brother?”

“It’s not that,” he sighs deeply. “I guess I’m just… jealous of him.”

“Why so?”

“… ever since we were kids, Dante is always a talker. He’s cheerful and full of energy. A trash mouth for sure, but… he’s a good man inside. More importantly, he makes people comfortable and trust him.” Vergil unconsciously smiles at his memory of the younger twin. “That’s something I lack. Not that I want to be like him. I just find that trait to be… extraordinary.”

“You are you. Dante is Dante.” Lyra gives him a wink. “You’re a good man too, Vergil.”

Vergil chuckles in disbelief. “… thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, in order to get rid of that foul mood of yours, how about we go somewhere exciting?”

“To where?”

“Somewhere dark and quiet, away from the fuss.”

“What are we going to do in such place?”

“There’ll be a Lyrids meteor shower tonight! According to some ancient historical Chinese text, it was seen over 2700 years ago, making it the oldest meteor shower to ever be recorded! It’s worth to witness such a phenomenon, don’t you think?”

“Meteor shower, huh?”

“That’ll be fun! If we’re lucky, we could witness an outburst of nearly 100 Lyrid meteors until the dawn!”

“… very well then. I believe I know the perfect place to observe it.”

“Splendid!”

Her eyes are already full of meteors, Vergil secretly laughs at her enthusiasm. He draws his sword and cuts the space, creating a dark portal.

“Watch your steps.” Vergil warns his companion once the portal shuts. “We’re on the top of a ravine now.”

Although the airglow and the starry sky are the only thing that lightens the dark, he can clearly see Lyra’s love for the night sky just by seeing her observe the night sky in adoration. Her mouth hums in a satisfied tone, which Vergil recognizes as a habit of hers whenever she fancies something. She abruptly turns her sight to Vergil, clumsily giggling at him when she finds Vergil gazing at her.

“Well… Thankfully we don’t have to bring telescopes to observe the Lyrids. Let’s have a better look by laying down.“ She proceeds to remove her coat to cover the ground, but Vergil grips her shoulder to stop her and taking off his own coat.

“But—“

“Mine’s wide enough for both of us.” He lies down without waiting for her.

“Aren’t your feel cold?”

“I can survive even in extreme weather.” Vergil folds his hands in front of his chest. “When will the shower start?”

“It should start anytime now. Patience, Vergil. Patience.”

Vergil’s excruciating, uncontrollable heartbeats don’t want to stop. He can’t throw the agitated feeling away when Lyra finally lies besides him. The view is almost ethereal— her deep, quaint eyes muse at the dark. Her breath is surprisingly calm, a contrast to her quiver by the chilly night breeze as she envelops her body with her coat. He tells himself to calm down and show some respect to their friendship as he pulls away his gaze from the librarian, then ignites his demonic power to warm her up.

“Thank you.” She utters gratefully, taking a glimpse of Vergil’s demonic aura. “I thought your power’s color would be red like Dante’s, since the two of you are twins. But it makes sense now, by looking at your clothes. Is your demon form similar to him? Reptile arm and leg, spiky head and wings?”

“Quite similar, but with one or two differences.” And we’re supposed to be twins, huh?

“May I see yours?”

“Not at the moment. I’m afraid I need to recharge my energy after a long battle.”

“Alrighty the— Oh look!” she cheers, pointing at one of the Lyrid. “That’s one!”

“99 more to go, if we’re that fortunate— look, another one.”

“And that!”

The blue devil seems to forget his nervousness and relish this moment, pointing at the meteors as his inner child squeals in exhilaration. How long has it been since he last felt the freedom to express his excitement without any hesitations, to really cherish the moment? He can’t believe that a small thing like witnessing celestial objects warms his heart in such a way, releasing his burdened soul.

“Aaand that’s eleven!” Lyra’s joyful voice disrupts Vergil’s secret reflexion. He chuckles softly, much to her confusion.

“What’s with the laugh, hm?”

“Nothing.” He still chuckles. “I just find it… amusing.”

She turns her position to look at Vergil, pretending to glare at him. “What is it?”

“Well, seeing you watching the Lyrids...” He points at another meteor. “It’s like the Lyra constellation watching Lyrids falling from the star Vega.”

Lyra bursts in laugh, holding herself to not stuttering. “Now that you mentioned it, it’s kind of ironic, right?”

“Quite the contrary, it’s a captivating phenomenon. Be proud of yourself.”

She doesn’t reply, which is curious to Vergil. Instead, she looks up at the sky again with an unreadable expression. Did I sound like I’m lecturing her?

“No you’re not. I’m just thinking.” replies Lyra, snickering after accidentally receiving Vergil’s thought. “Blimey, Vergil, it’s like you’re screaming inside my head.”

“I— Sorry.” He blurts, then curses himself for blurting and letting his guard down. “I mean— what are you thinking of?”

She goes silent for a while. He told me everything about him, shouldn’t I respect his sincerity by telling him something about me? “I... I’m grateful that you don’t tell your brother about my power. It’s not that I find him untrustworthy…”

“I don’t want to lose my only source of free books.” Vergil grins, half teasing her. “And you’re welcome. I’m well aware that power can lead to cataclysm.”

“Well… with great power comes great responsibility.”

“That’s an interesting philosophy.”

“I quoted it from a comic book.”

“Typical.”

“Actually I’m puzzled.” She admits. “Since I revealed my telephatic ability, you asked nothing about my power.”

“I think it would be improper to ask. It’s your power, not mine. You are the one who has the authority to tell anyone as you please.”

“Thank you for being thoughtful.” She grips her coat tightly. “As I told you before, I don’t know when and how I acquired this power. It just happened. I never learnt witchcraft, nor did I want to. Sometimes I think, what if I am like you— a half human and half demon. But demons are never interested in me aside from the fact that I’m their potential meal, nor do they recognize the power within me. And from observing your and Dante’s power, I know for certain that mine isn’t demonic power. It has no similar aura. Lately I’ve been thinking if someone intentionally cursed me.”

Her giggles sound like a lies in Vergil’s ears. He knows it all too well, to become different from everyone else. To have a constant identity and existential crisis, second-guessing his role in this world; is he a human or a demon? He never forgot the fear he felt when his power arose for the first time. He didn’t know how to control it, making it hard for him to fully reflect on the purpose of his life.

“Therefore I decided to leave it be. Thinking of who I actually am and why I have this power would only rot my brain.” She continues. “If fate decides for me to put my nose in people’s business all the time, so be it. It could be a curse, but it’s also a part of me. It’s like removing one of your organs. The more I tried to cast it away, the worse it would affect me.”

“Ignorance is definitely a bliss.”

“Acceptance isn’t the same thing as ignorance.”

“I know. I’m just messing with you.”

Vergil can sense her elbow his side.

“Where did you get your staff?” he asks.

“Antique shop.” She points at the sky again, her finger follows the meteor’s movement. “I was looking for a book there when I spotted this staff. I didn’t know it was a staff since it looked like a generic stick, but the shopkeeper told me that it’s a devil arm and expandable. She claimed that the staff revealed itself out of nowhere. No one can touch it or remove it from its place, since it would turn intangible whenever someone tried to touch it. She tried to reach the staff to make her point, and it did phase her hand like it didn’t want to be touched by her. But when I did…” she shakes her staff proudly. “I felt like I successfully pulled out Thor’s hammer.”

“I’ve seen devil arms that could change into various weapons, but I never encountered a fastidious devil arm like yours. There must be something about you for the arm to deem you worthy.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows. As long as it help me to defend myself.” She shrugs. “How many meteors fell already? I lost my count.”

“Seventeen.”

“Still a long way to go~!”

“Seeing those shooting stars reminds me of your horrendous riddle. Remember back then when we were observing syzygy at Red Grave?”

“I remember your grumpy face when I told you about it. Do you want another one?”

“If you fail to give me a good one, then you shall never riddle me anything for the rest of your life.”

“Challenge accepted. Okay, what’s the first day of the week called in outer space?”

“The Big Bang on Day One?”

“Wrong. It’s Moonday!”

“… I should’ve seen that.”

“Does that mean that I win the challenge?”

“I guess today is your lucky day.”

“Ace!”

Vergil groans at his defeat, but only for a second since his blue eyes caught a brighter meteor compared to the previous ones. Apparently Lyra spotted that too, gasping in excitement. The view lasts for three seconds, yet it’s the most beautiful meteor Vergil has ever seen.

“Have you made your wish?” asks Lyra.

“I never believe in superstition.”

“Now I understand why Dante constantly calls you boring.”

“I don’t bother with that. What did you wish for?”

“I wish my limp would heal. Probably have my own library or bookshop and grow rich. Writing a best-selling horror novel that would make Stephen King bend the knee to me. Then maybe I could get a scholarship in astrophysics, so one day I could go to space.”

“I don’t know if you’re a full-time daydreamer.” Vergil chaffs at her. “Nevertheless, I hope you can get what you want.”

“Thank you.”

“Tell me. Do you fear height?”

“Not at all.”

“Falling?”

“None whatsoever. Why?”

“I thought you fear the fall, since… the day you fell from the tree.”

Is he interrogating me? “If anything… it’s the landing that sends the chill on my spine.”

“Why so?”

“Because the landing is your latest hope; you survive or you die.”

“I see… now I understand.” The blue devil tightens his gloves and gets up. “Then I shall grant you one of your wishes.”

“What?”

“Get up. I won’t tell you a second time.”

Even though Lyra’s head is full of questions, she doesn’t dare to ask, for Vergil’s stern face seems unyielding. He pats his coat to remove the dirt on it before wrapping himself with it. The blue demonic aura around him blasts as he triggers himself to his half-demon form— a pair of wings attached to his back. He flaps it slowly, but enough to mess Lyra’s hair up.

“Blimey…” She brushes her hair back, her eyes traces the devil in front of her.

“You said you want to go to space. In my devil form, I could go outside the atmosphere since I don’t need oxygen to breathe, but I’m afraid you don’t possess the same ability…” he taps his fingers on his mouth. “Therefore, I’ll take you up there.”

“Seriously?!”

“Why, don’t you want to witness the meteor shower up-close?”

She gasps, almost screaming. “Of course I do!”

That approval warms Vergil’s heart. He carefully carries her in his arms—one arm under her legs and the other supporting her back. She seems doubtful with this position, but eventually her arms cling on Vergil’s neck.

“Ready?”

She nods anxiously. “If you dare to drop me—“

“I’m not a lunatic to drop you up there, Stardust.”

The wings flap as the blue devil carries the librarian up to the sky. For a moment Lyra forgets how to breathe as Vergil caries her with rapid speed, causing the midnight wind to crawl on her skin. When she feels Vergil’s heartbeat, she knows that this is happening for real. I’m flying! That realization makes her adrenaline flow inside her body, releasing her breath slowly.

“Open your eyes,” says Vergil. “It would be vanity if you close your eyes right now.”

The first thing she sees when she opens her eyes is Vergil looking at her. He curves a slight smile at her anxiety, then looking up to show her the ocean of the stars. The view is magnificent— she can clearly see the meteors falling from every directions like raindrops. She loses her count again, but now it doesn’t matter to her. She looks down to see the lights of the city fades as Vergil takes her higher. She won’t always get the chance to observe this beautiful part of life. It seems everlasting, as surreal as fantasy.

“It’s beautiful!” she yells.

It is you that is beautiful, he ponders. “Do you want to take a closer look?”

“You bet!”

“Hang on there.”

Vergil fastens his speed while peeking at Lyra’s face. He’s sure he has never seen that kind of excitement before. Her eyes are radiant, beaming like a child. It blinds him, the urge to give her more happiness. But why would I do that? Why should I? I already gave her what she wanted. Why do I want to give her more?

Yet he doesn’t dare to define his puzzling actions.

“Searching for a poem to describe this majestic view?” asks Lyra, realizing his unusual stillness.

“I have one, actually.”

“Oh, shoot!”

Actually he doesn’t. He’s too occupied with his own head and unexplainable feelings about Lyra, but there’s no way he would admit that to her. He quickly searches a suitable poem from his brain storage before he accidentally forms mind connection with Lyra again.

“Stars, I have seen them fall,

But when they drop and die

No star is lost at all

From all the star-sown sky.

The toil of all that be

Helps not the primal fault

It rains into the sea,

And still the sea is salt.”

Vergil stops speeding up, idling his wings as he reaches below the peak of the troposphere. “This is your limit. One more kilometer and you’ll be suffocated.”

“The poem,” Lyra states, ignoring Vergil’s warning as her forehead wrinkles. “That sounds pessimistic.”

“Contradictory, I think it tells us a degree of optimism.” Vergil looks up at the horizon, a sudden memory of his fall to Netherworld sparks in his head. “Just because you fall, doesn’t mean you couldn’t get up and fly again.”

“Only if you’re not dead, of course.”

“But we survived the fall.” He breaks his gaze and turns over to Lyra. “We have scars to remind us that we survived. No star is lost it all.”

Lyra’s smile seems bitter and pessimistic in his eyes, as if she doesn’t believe him. No… it was almost like she’s reflecting another story in her head. Yet she nods, despite her perplexing behavior. “Then I’ll try to have faith in that fact.”

“You don’t have to believe me.”

“Do you believe me, Vergil?”

He stares at her in confusion. He wanted to say yes, in fact he starts to free himself from any obstacles that prevent him from believing in her. But her eyes— those eyes again— tell a different story. How could he believe those eyes? And why does he feel like he needed to find out something that could be nonexistent?

In the end, he says nothing. That makes the librarian chuckles, as if she expected it.

“Then you don’t have to believe me, Vergil.”

“… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Building trust is hard for both of us, isn’t it?” Lyra tightens her grip on Vergil’s neck. “But it seems like, to some degree, I believe in you. See? I believe you won’t let me fall.”

Lyra looks up to the sky again, followed by Vergil. He almost forgets his reason for flying up here if it was not because of her. He wonders if it’s normal to have doubts about a friend, but considering he generally doubts everything… that should make sense, right? He lets out a heavy sigh, flapping his wings slowly, “In that case, we don’t need to rush everything.”

“Agreed.”

“Though I earnestly want us to trust each other.”

“So do I.”

Their smiles say it all. They lock their promises deep inside their hearts, throwing the keys to each other. The time flows slower between them as the devil speeds up again to take her to another part of the sky, letting Lyra watch her stars falling around her. He’ll let them be for now, for Lyra was right. Building trust is difficult. It will be there when the time is right.

Hopefully.

---

You watch him walk away from your house before you lock yourself inside.

You didn’t expect to meet him tonight, yet there he was.

To be honest, that was a mesmerizing trip. You always wanted to fly and observe the skies from the space. You’ll never forget such a memory.

A surge of unexplainable emotion fills you up when the picture of Vergil Sparda comes up in your mind.

You are still not sure whether it’s a mistake to befriend him or not. But if it is, why are you smiling right now? Why do you feel at ease whenever you’re with him? When was the last time you felt like this? You don’t remember, and this probably is your first time.

Is that because he reminds you of yourself?

You head to your kitchen and turn the lamp on. You curse when you spot a knife come out from its holder again. That knife started to annoy you lately. You might be a telepath, but sometimes you’re frustrated of how forgetful you are.

You put it back in the holder, pondering why you always forget to put it back.

Your thoughts rewind to Vergil again.

You are scared of yourself, right? You know he saw it the moment he mentioned your eyes.

Now here’s the real question :

Do you want to save yourself, or save him from yourself?

---

The poems are quoted from "View with a Grain of Sand" by Wislawa Szymborska and "Stars, I Have Seen Them All" by A. E. Housman

Tagging : @harlot-of-oblivion @queenmuzz @drusoona @shiranyaaww @andieperrie18 @rubixa-seraph

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#devil may cry #devil may cry fanfiction #devil may cry fanfic #vergil x reader #vergil x oc #vergil x lyra #vergil sparda #dante sparda #lyra #meteor shower #lyrid meteor shower #Astronomy #developing relationship #trust issues #fanfiction #tales of apotelesma

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