***
"Little Lamb who made thee,
Dost thou know who made thee,
Gave thee life and bid thee feed
By the stream and o'er the mead;Β
Gave thee clothing of delight,Β
Softest clothing wooly bright;Β
Gave thee such a tender voice,Β
Making all the vales rejoice!Β
Little Lamb who made theeΒ
Dost thou know who made thee."
She stopped reading the sweet poem and looked down on her lap to find him sleeping.
She sighed. Of course, he fell asleep because he found the story of the lamb boring.
What's so bad about the poem of the little lamb? At least, it sounded better and much calmer than the Book of Urizen,...
"Little lamb,..." she heard his little voice.
Her ears perked up. She looked down once more and found the little boy staring up at her.
"Aren't you a mischievous little boy?" She playfully marvelled.
"May I call you,... Little Lamb?" He asked her, his pair of innocent silver eyes filled with some kind of unknown emotion.
"Yes, you may, dear."
The boy smiled and closed his eyes once more, feeling protected and loved because of her.
"I'll always love and protect you. I promise, Little Lamb."
The girl opened her mouth in surprise. Her heart brimming with bliss, she lovingly stroked his hair.
"And I promise you the same, Vergil." She quietly answered as the boy finally fell asleep.
It was the most beautiful and peaceful day of all. They chose to isolate themselves in that serenely lush garden where no one could bother them.
She looked up at the sky, feeling the soft wind on her flushed face and relishing on the scent of the many fetching flowers, freshly blooming in the early morning.
For her, everything was,... perfect.
For him, it was,... the most precious moment of all,...
***
π€ I See My Future Before Me π€
***
XXIV
***
The Master of the Fleminger House sat in his office, enjoying a glass of red wine in silence.
The Dreadnought has finally took off about half an hour ago, meaning that the promised hour was fast approaching.
There was a gentle knock on the door. Mentioning for his one good servant to enter, he shifted on his chair so that he was facing the window, instead, where he could clearly see the dot in the sky that was Shinano Musashi.
The thin servant gently closed the door and took a step forward.
"Master," he droned. "... it is almost time. Your dreams will finally come true."
Fleminger smiled. He put his empty glass down on the table and motioned for the servant to fill it. "Not only my dreams but, my ancestors', as well." He answered, his voice hoarse and content.
"Ah, you are correct as always, Master." The servant remarked as he took the bottle of liquour from the wine container, opened it, and poured his Master a glass full.
"Ah, Reginald, could you play my favorite song?" The Master calmly requested with a warm smile.
"Of course, Master."
The servant bowed with flourish and went to another table nearby that was situated next to the wall where the portraits of the pale Fleminger ancestors where hung. He took a slightly overused record from its drawer and placed it on the platter of the vintage player. He first made sure that the speed was correct, and then, pressed play, raising the cueing lever and aligning the tone arm with the record.
The old song that the vintage player produced made the Master smile as he theatrically took a deep breath.
With a fine voice and with twirling fingers, he sang,
"On the farm, ev'ry Friday.
On the farm, it's rabbit pie day.
So ev'ry Friday that ever comes along,
I get up early and sing this little song.
Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run.
Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run.
Bang, bang, bang, bang goes the farmer's gun.
Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run, run!"
***
Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run,...
Don't give the farmer his fun, fun, fun,...
He'll get by without his rabbit pie,...
So run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run,...
V saw the traces of blood on the ground, an indication to where his one and only prey went.
He smiled and pointed at that certain direction using his metal cane, making sure that Shadow would go there for the hunt.
He, then, followed suit as calmy as he could, relishing each thrilling moment of this complete and utter madness.
Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run,...
Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run,...
Bang, bang, bang, bang goes the farmer's gun,...
Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run, run,...
You continued to flee from the man like a hunted animal, hoping and praying for a sign, anything at all, that could save you from all of this.
But, alas. You knew it was futile.
Still, you ran aimlessly, unaware that the more you did, the more evidence you leave behind with the little drops of your own blood from the wound that Shadow inflicted a while ago.
And then, just like a lanslide on a quiet and empty place, the pulsating wall on your right burst open, splattering demonic blood and unidentified guts all over your body.
After that, Shadow, on the form of a fearsome female knight, emerged from that hole in pursuit of you.
You looked at her in horror and turned away just in time as she morphed one of her arms to a dark lance that was readily pointed at your back. The familiar charged at you, her lance almost piercing your small body. You merely dodged it as you bent, drawing your rapier in response to the attack. You waved your weapon and sent a blade of light flying towards Shadow, which she deflected using her other hand that just morphed into a shield. The deflected blade of light bounced off her and landed on the ceiling, making huge throbbing veins drop from it along with a waterfall of thick crimson liquid.
Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run,...
Don't give the farmer his fun, fun, fun,...
He'll get by without his rabbit pie,...
So run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run,...
You used this waterfall of blood as an opportunity to get away with as much speed as you can.
And through all that ruckus, you tried to call the entity's name,...
It would not obey you.
But, why?
Then, you heard another explosion as Shadow struggled to get through the Dreadnought's gunk. You did not waste any more time looking at her when she started morphing, and instead turned around towards a dark section of the demonic mechanism.
You felt your way into the darkness, leaving you with no choice but to stumble to a huge, spherical structure that seemed to glow with weak crimson light. You hid behind it, feeling its smooth and fleshy sensation against your palm.
Moments later, the noises subsided. You could no longer hear Shadow and her heavy, splashing footsteps against the pools of blood on the floor.
You waited, holding your breath and wishing for this whole nightmare to end.
And then, as if by some unuttered kind of curse, you heard his voice.
"Hmm,..." the poet hummed with that seductive voice of his. "I could smell,... something familiar here,..." he playfully mused.
Your breath hitched.
"I know you're there, I could smell you." He called, making you tremble in fear and your hair stand on end.
And at that precise moment when you felt your heartbeat triple in suspense, the structure where you were hiding glowed and flickered like a lamp.
V noticed this exact phenomenon and knew exactly where you were.
"Now, there's no use hiding now, is there,... Little Lamb?"
At the mere mention of those words, the structure flickered in erratic sequences, providing some kind of light to the dark and suffocating room.
You noticed this sudden change, as well. You were honestly aware that the poet never referred to you as Little Lamb, and yet,...
... it felt awfully familiar, like you've heard it before in a seemingly far away land,...
And at the simple thought of it, the strange structure glowed and pulsated in time with the beating of your heart.
Little Lamb? V thought. Where did I hear those words again?
"Now, Little Lamb, I would greatly appreciate it if you come out now, lest I turn into a Big Bad Wolf and hunt you down, myself."
V waited for a response from you but, all he could see was the demonic structure glowing and pulsating multiple times, like a beating heart.
And she honestly thought she could conceal her demonic nature? V thought as he sighed at the situation. He was fast approaching his own death, and he could not do anything to the heart unless he end you first,...
He must do it quick before he could completely crumble to nothingness.
"You leave me with no choice so, be it."
Your eyes widened at those words and you had to cover your mouth to prevent yourself from screaming when you heard a snap, followed by a huge explosion that practically made a hole in the ceiling and making everything around you bright.
You felt massive tremors on the ground and, seconds later, you felt the golem fire its laser at the structure, almost obliterating you to smithereens had you not ducked in time.
The onslaught went on for a painful minute until it finally subsided, leaving new holes in the room.
Strangely enough, despite the golem's powerful attack, the structure you were hiding from remained unscathed and sturdy as if it was made from the strongest, otherworldly materials.
You thought you were finally safe until you felt the horrifying tremors once more, making you shut your eyes and cover your ears in defense as Nightmare fired its laser at you for another round.
The attack went on for another five minutes, making you cower helplessly behind the one and only thing in the evil Dreadnought that actually made you safe.
And during this ambuscade, you couldn't help but think how foolish you were for ever declaring that you're ready to die. You felt stupid for believing that you finally accepted your fate of inevitable demise, and you felt useless and coward for not fulfilling the wish that was set for you by the entity as a mission for ten whole years.
I can't,... you fearfully thought. I can't do it!
As Nightmare went on with its aggression for five more minutes, the faces of all the people you met flashed before you.
Of friends, of allies, of helpers,...
... of Trish and Lady,...
... of Nero,...
... of Patty,...
... of Griffon,...
... of Nico,...
... of Dante,...
... of the one you loved the most,...
"I can't!" You cried as you braced yourself for another onset.
"You were asking how to thank me for earlier. May I have the honor of this dance, my lady?"
"Please,..."
"Hmm,...those scars,... symbolize the true enjoyment and will that you felt doing that special something you adore. Those feet, my Lady,... I would kiss,... over,... and over again,... if I could,... "
"P - please,..."
"What matters is that you still have precious people around you, my Lady. You must focus on not losing them, as well."
"Enough,..."
"I long to see such things as those you have probably seen. I want to experience everything and I wish to see them with my own eyes. See for myself what these poems of mine describe. But, the idea of doing those things alone,... do not please me, at all."
"But, with a companion?"
"Would I be selfish if I ask you to accompany me, little wanderer?"
"V, I,..."
The onslaught abruptly halted as you heard the man gasp for air like he was having an asthma attack of some sort. The tremors stopped as you heard a thud on the ground behind your hiding place.
As if by some deep - rooted instinct, you felt the entity take over your senses, pushing you into a deep trance and unconsciousness,...
V was losing all of his remaining demonic power. As soon as Nightmare evaporated, he fell on the ground, feeling an intense difficulty in breathing.
He must kill you now and obtain your power! Or else,...
"Mas,... ter,..."
The man couldn't believe his eyes, for you finally came out of your hiding place of your own accord, ready to die.
He struggled to stand up and limped his way towards you. Making sure that you would not escape, he summoned Shadow for the last time with the last shred of his power and commanded it to morph into a set of spikes that pierced your legs and arms.
The sweet scent of your blood that fell from your wounds to the ground almost drove him to insanity but, still, he denied the temptation.
He leaned on his cane for support and held up a hand: a gestured he did once in Delphi to summon the Yamato. And with that command, the remaining parts of Shadow that were not connected to you changed once more into dark vines that grew equally dark roses. He waited for the right moment, and when it finally came in the form of the biggest flower, he let go of the metal cane and pulled out the protruding sword from the dark bud. He unsheathed it and pointed it at you.
You felt yourself drifting, the darkness engulfing you like an unwanted embrace. But, then, you were pulled out of it as you were filled once more with light. And when you opened your eyes, you saw V pointing a sword at you.
His skin cracked beyond recognition, his eyes red to the point of bleeding, you knew he was reaching his limit.
And, still, he smiled triumphantly,...
With Shadow's spikes sticking to your limbs to prevent escape, you were at the poet's mercy.
The man sighed as he pointed the sword against your mid section.
"I know you could never resist me, my love." V whispered hoarsely, his grin as evil as ever. "Any last words, Little Lamb?"
The tears just fell and your heart ached awfully.
The entity, who, apparently, was loyal only to its real "Master", has brought you involuntarily to the death's door. You knew there was no turning back.
You bowed down low, letting your tears fall on the ground. Controlling your sobs, you looked up and glanced into his empty bloodshot eyes one last heart - wrenching time, and let out the words you so wanted to tell him for the last ten years,...
The massive heart of the Dreadnought pulsated weakly in response to your dying heart. With a soft voice, you whispered your feelings, pouring out all of the emotions and frustrations that piled up over the years of being controlled by the entity.
"I love you, V."
For a moment, the man let the sword down, seemingly conflicted with something. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he started chortling, a bit soft, at first. Then it gradually became louder as he slicked his dark locks and threw his head back.
Your heart felt like it just shattered into a million pieces at the same time that the massive heart of the Dreadnought lost its radiance.
You bit your lip, trying to hold back the pain.
With a deep sigh, V raised the Yamato above his head, gripping its hilt with his weak, trembling hands and pointing it to your stomach.
His thirst taking hold of his entire being and engulfing what little humanity he had left, he declared with every inch of the true Devil within him,
"I choose,... POWER!"
With one swift movement, he drove the sword to your body, ignoring your last words,...
... letting go of his former self,...
***
~ A special dedication to @beyond-the-mirror . π€
~ @heaven-on-a-landslide , @krazy06 , @yepps , @micaelagua , @gxthghoulfriend , @ehrzeth , @ceruleanworld , @simmy-ships , @boundbysoul , @lessy86 , and @diabeticsugarush . π€
***
"I choose,... POWER!"
V rammed the Yamato to the girl's body, making sure that the long blade would come through her fragile form.
Her blood spouted out from her mouth and wounds, splattering on the ground, and her head hung low - a clear indication that her life was soon ending.
At that moment, her body radiated with the same blinding light that once reduced Shadow to a small form but, this time, it transformed into a pair of wings behind her back. The wings, then, scattered like petals, transfiguring into two female forms. The two figures disintegrated into little orbs and swiftly made their way to V's body.
He instantly felt hot all over as soon as the two entities entered his body. He felt great power surging all throughout his dying form, giving him unparalleled strength and vitality.
Giving him power unlike any other he has received before,...
A meteor - like crimson light suddenly crashed through the ceiling and landed on the ground before him. Its light subsided, revealing the form of of his twin brother.
As soon as Dante realized that his brother was standing before him, alive and unharmed, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes seethed with rage.
"Ya got some pretty big cojones for comin' back." Dante gritted through his teeth, drawing a strange sword and charging towards his twin brother. "You just don't know when to give up!"
He was about to beat the crap out of him until he saw the familiar body on the ground,...
The Devil Hunter stopped in his tracks, unable to believe his own eyes as they roamed on the forgotten form that was swinming with its own blood. He kneeled in front of her and gently took her in his arms.
"(Y/N)? No, no, no, no, no!" Dante whispered, his voice broken and his eyes stinging. "Stay with me, please. Stay with me,..."
He felt for her pulse and found out that she was actually barely alive despite the grave wound she just received. He felt some little power left within her that was still trying to help her heal but, it felt like the rest of them somehow got taken away from her. By force.
That's when Dante saw a familiar metal cane on the ground, and a demonic feline at his brother's side,...
"So, this is your plan all along, huh, V?!" Dante raged as he looked at his brother in total wrath. "And to think I mourned for your death and wept for Nero's ignorance for killing his own father,...
"And now, this,..." the man gritted as he carefully laid the girl on the ground, standing up and striding towards his twin, his form slowly getting engulfed by that same red light. "Not only did you take the woman I love away, you tried to murder her, too! THE WOMAN WHO CHOSE YOU!"
Dante changed into a terrifying form of evil that made Shadow cower in fear behind V.
It was bigger and even more threatening - looking, unlike his first Devil Trigger form.
However, this didn't faze the man who just gained true power,...
"LET'S END THIS," Dante howled, summoning the strange sword once more and flying towards his own family. "... VERGIL!"
Vergil simply raised the Yamato, and his body was suddenly engulfed with the familiar light that Dante once saw in the girl.
Instead of turning into a Devil, himself, Vergil turned into a seven - foot tall being of light that disintegrated everything within its immediate vicinity.
"Andromeda." Vergil pronounced the name of the entity of light - The Protector of The Present - as he pointed the Yamato at Dante. The Protector amplified his strength and with incredible speed, he charged towards the Devil, mortally wounding him with just one slash.
Dante fell on the ground without so much as a fight, turning back into his human form. He coughed up blood and realized, in utter shock, that the wound he received from the full force of Andromeda was not healing. Not at all.
"The Goddesses have acknowledged their true Master." Vergil uttered as soon as he turned back to his mortal form. "And it has never been you, or Sparda, or even that disposable and pathetic vessel you spoke of as your love. Their one and only Master - is me."
"You've really,... gone too far this time!" Dante said as he struggled with his wound.
"Worry not. The pain shall soon pass. You will rest in peace." The elder brother calmly spoke as his eyes suddenly widened. He held up one arm and stopped another Devil as it stealthily charged towards him.
The blue - winged Devil with long white hair struggled as he tried to escape Vergil's grasp, choking and turning back to his human form,...
"Nero,..." Vergil acknowledged the boy as he watched him suffer. "Even with your awakened state, you are still useless. What a waste of great power."
"HE'S YOUR SON!" Dante yelled as he fell once more to the ground.
Nero stopped struggling as he looked at the cold, white - haired man who was choking him to death.
All of a sudden, he remembered the mysterious words she told him,...
"Can you say, that's imposible?"
"T - that's i - imp - possible!" Nero breathed, unable to believe the plain and painful truth.
And it seemed nothing to Vergil, who gained absolute power and lost his entire humanity in the process.
"My son,... means nothing to me!" He exclaimed as he brought down the boy to the ground with the full intention of breaking him like glass.
Then, he heard it. He heard her whispering to him,...
"Master,..."
"Cassandra?" Vergil muttered.
"It has begun,..."
"What will - ?"
Cassandra took hold of Vergil's mind, showing him visions of the future,...
... of the true enemy rising up in vengeance, of the total annihilation of humanity,...
... of the world's end,...
As soon as Cassandra left his mind, Vergil saw, in utter denial and horror, how the massive heart of the Dreadnought exploded, splattering thick red liquid everywhere and gushing out the same substance on the floor like a waterfall.
And inside Shinano Musashi's heart was the form of a naked girl who looked so much like that disposable vessel the Sisters of Fate chose for him.
The girl opened her eyes, revealing her pitch - black pupils like they were void of life. Her sight adjusted, and when she glanced down to the ground, ignoring Vergil and Shadow, she saw Dante, Nero, and,...
"S - sister?" The girl uttered, her voice sounding off and broken, like her throat was mutilated. "S - sist - ter,..."
Sister? Vergil thought as the girl made her way to (Y/N). Is she (Y/N)'s - ?!
"She was the most beautiful girl in the world, and everybody adored her. She,... died,... to save me, V."
She's dead! How could she - ?!
The girl looked down at her sister's dying form, and when she finally realized what truly happened, her form suddenly changed, with dark scales growing on her pale and perfect skin and three pairs of equally dark wings sprouting out of her back.
The girl - a demonic figure now - howled in agony as a pair of long, twisted horns protruded out of her head. She screamed like this for nearly a minute, and when her transformation into a full Demon was finally complete, she flew up to the sky with unbelievable speed.
Vergil, Dante, and Nero helplessly watched as the sky turned dark.
Moments later, multiple crimson lasers rained down from the clouds, landing on the ground and annihilating everything within its reach.
Killing innocents in the process,...
This,... is not,... written! Vergil exclaimed in his mind as he called back Shadow and morphed again into the light being, leaving Dante and Nero and escaping just in time when the Dreadnought started crumbling and descending from the sky.
I must go to Fleminger! He thought hysterically as the massive genocide ensued. He knows what to do!
***
π€π€π€
***
~ 13 ~
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