#dmc x reader insert

The woman struggled in the chokehold that the demons manifesting from the shadows have on her. With animal skulls for faces, they laughed at her pleas to spare her daughter, but before they can get a bite, the one holding her got shot at the face.

"Hey look! The Three Stooges came out to play!" A white haired young man clad in a red long coat came out of the darkness and shot at the demons who lunged at him, easily dodging their claws with the twist and kept raining his bullets on them. A demon tried to sneak up an attack from behind, only to get a barrel shoved to its throat, exploding from the number of bullets it released; while the other got bombarded with lead on the stomach. The remaining demon tried shooting sharp, skeletal limbs to his direction to impale, but he maneuvered just as easily as he jumped from a wall, getting a clear shot of the demon's head.

Despite the demon using the woman as a shield, the young man grinned, "Jackpot!" and shot, with the bullet breaking through her earring and straight to the center of the demon's skull, killing it.

The woman coughed and heaved for breath, crawling away in fear when she saw the demon disintegrating, and coming face to face with her savior. The man stood smugly as he looked down on her terrified state. But silence ensued.

"Eh, the way this usually goes is, I do that then drop a killer one-liner." He breaks the pause with an awkward groan, scratching his head as he looks away. "But I'm drawing a complete blank, right now."

"This never happened to me, I swear." The woman looked dumbfounded at his actions, and soon her fear turned into mild annoyance, only flinching when he suddenly turned to her direction with a grin, saying that he got one. "Pretend I just shot that guy."

"Man, Skeletor did not hold up since the '80s." The woman sighs wearily, making him backtrack with a nervous assurance.

"Dante. Dante. Stop, that's embarrassing." A voice called out from the fire exit staircase. Clad in a white coat similar to Dante, this individual looked more level headed that their companion, although they're visibly cringing at his expense.

Sighing softly, you jumped down the emergency exit, holding quite a large briefcase, and slowly made your way towards the woman, kneeling to her eye level as to not scare her any further. "Are you alright?" You smiled and offered her a hand.

Reciprocating your smile, she took your help and stood up. "I don't know how to thank you. You saved our lives." But then her eyes trailed towards Dante and her expression fell into confusion. "That is why you're here, right? To save us?"

"More or les— Augh!" Your partner glared and pouted when you jabbed his side and cut him off. "Yes, ma'am."

"There have been other attacks in the area. Our client hired us to look into it." You flashed your signature smile, a sure way to placate any stressed civilians that had unfortunately got tangled in your line of work. Though the implication of your work seem to interest her, making her inquire what really is the two of you are up to. Dante smirks and answers instead.

"Demon hunting."

This information seemed to scare her more, as she visibly backed away, trying to make sense of what's happening. "You're telling me that they were actually—"

The presence of something nonhuman made you spin behind, certain that a demon is close, only to see a baby tucked in a stroller. Dante seemed to notice your apprehension, cutting his conversation short with the mother to examine the source of your frown. "Cute kid." He grins.

Your brows furrowed. "We really should be getting home now." The mother says while picking up her scattered things. That baby doesn't feel human. "Shouldn't we, Ellie? Say goodbye to the nice people." Before you can say something, the said "baby" transformed into a demon and lunged at Dante.

"Dante!" You pushed him out of the way, only to get your arm caught. His instincts kicked in upon the sight as he draws his gun, alerting the mother as she pleads for her daughter's safety. The demon reverted from being a child but before you could explain, the mother threw her bag at your faces, temporarily stunning you as she runs away.

Dante chased after her, but she already disappeared into the crowd. "Damn it."

The opening of Fredy Diner was the reprieve that the two of you have after that botched demon hunting. At the hour it opens, Dante opened the door, with you trailing behind. There weren't many patrons around, just four, including the both of you. At least the waitress seemed particularly happy after hearing your arrival, already serving Dante's usual dessert and your morning coffee.

You grimaced at his sugary confection, commenting on how he can stomach it in the early hours of the day, only for him to jab at your coffee tasting so bad you can't help but wake up. An extra napkin was served alongside his ice cream, making you two look at each other in confusion. But upon seeing that the waitress' number and kiss mark was on it, Dante shrugged and used it to wipe his mouth, much to your dismay. "Poor lass..."

The worn down television buzzed in a faint volume as you two basked in the peaceful ambience. The show suddenly stopped in favor of a breaking news, showcasing the events of last night within Vatican City. "This is the first image released from last night's Vatican City bombings that have shocked and horrified the entire world." You narrowed your eyes as you sip your coffee, immediately recognizing the suspect to be a demon before the newscaster can give any more information. They usually lay low around the dark areas of the world, this is the first you've seen of them actively make an appearance. "—The suspect appears to have two strange protrusions on his back that are shaped almost like wings." Just as you were about to comment on it to Dante, you froze.

You noticed it before him. No, he noticed the way your eyes slightly faltered when you turned your chair around. Without a word, the two of you moved fast, with him grabbing the civilians, and you jumping behind the counter as a truck of gasoline was thrown at your direction, blowing up the diner.

Everything was a mess, but at least you got into shelter before everything blew off. Dante pushed the debris that landed on top of you all with a grunt while you barked at the civilians to flee, opening your suitcase to provide your partner the weapons he need.

"Dante."

Your voice overlapped with another when you handed him a gun, eyes darting to his figure. You never saw Dante tense up, much less look horrified.

"Leaving so soon?" A silhouette emerged from the flames, slowly making their way towards the two of you.

"We have much to catch up on, brother."

Brother? Dante's brother?

"No. You're..." Dante turned around with wide eyes as memories of that night flashed in his mind.

"...dead."

The Human World had changed so much since the last time the demons were able to freely roam the realm. Gone were the warriors that once fought against them, the wards that were once placed as meager defenses, and the constant fear that humans reek of back then. The knowledge and the existence of demons was reduced to mere fantasy, told only to entertain or scare people.

Even Sparda’s presence had dwindled into mere flickers that would sometimes break apart. 

At first glance, the humans had become too lenient and weak, having forgotten the bloody history that had once transpired in their world. But regardless of their ignorance, there were still remnants of the people that believed the now-tall tales of the monsters from Hell. Not even a day after slipping into their world, the demons sent by the King of Hell were either caught or killed by weapons barely adequate for demon hunting. 

The demons that survived the attack were imprisoned in a dingy warehouse filled with cages that were customized to restrain its users and make sure nothing could escape. In an effort to understand and make use of the demons that came to their realm, the humans started experimenting on them; producing countermeasures based on their observations, or using them as test subjects for their new weapons. Several humans come and go, sometimes bringing more demons inside the warehouse, or transporting them somewhere else. Those that can be branded are marked, those that could be picked apart were dissected, and those who were deemed useless were recycled as target practice.

The indifferent demon was one of the survivors due to its ability to break down and transform its own body, something that caught the attention of the researchers. It was poked and prodded to see the extent of its capabilities, but after the realization that it cannot accurately morph into something, it was decided that it’ll remain in the warehouse until further use is needed. Left alone, the demon was reduced to observe its surroundings to pass time. 

Almost all humans who come by reek with the scent of blood, whether they realize it or not. Those who guard the area, the scientists who visit, even the younger humans who came to jeer at the detained demons smells the same. All of them fought and killed a demon at least once. All except the one child who noticed them across several cages that hid them from plain sight. 

The first time the demon noticed them was when the child was brought along to test the newly created anti-demon weapons. Their hands shook as they held the specialized gun towards their target, with the older humans cheering for them. In the child’s delay, they weren’t able to proceed with the task, with the demonic creature shot down by the others instead. While they were comforted by the adults, the child’s eyes stared directly at the shapeshifting demon who had been watching them. 

Ever since then, the demon had been getting frequent visits from the child. 

Foolishly, naively, the child that lacks the stench of bloodlust fearlessly constantly snuck in and tried to befriend them. You had the same goal as the other humans, to understand demons. So, everyday, without fail, you show up to talk to that certain demon about the most mundane things just to get a reaction. Only to end up with one big red eye just staring back at you. Nonetheless, you didn’t give up.

The one-eyed shapeshifting demon couldn’t understand your behaviour at all. No matter how much effort you put in talking, you don’t get anything out of them; but still you return, all bright eyed and excited to talk about today’s events. The first time they did something, transform into your likeness in an attempt to scare you off, you were instead elated and praised them; despite their awful replication, you pointed out areas on where they could improve, saying all sorts of things that you think might help with their transformation. 

“You need to understand what you’re imitating!”

When they asked why you’re doing this, your reply was a concept that no demon can ever wrap their head around to.

“Because we’re friends.” 

Friends…? Since when? You’re the only one who seems to think that way, with your curiosity and incessant ramblings. It’s like you don’t see them as a demon, at all. 

You got more talkative when you got them to speak, asking all sorts of questions in hopes that they’ll reply. But the demon always changes the subject to the topic of friendship. It doesn’t understand why a human would want to be friends with a demon. Weren’t you afraid? You’re food to them. You’re weak, and strength is everything to their kind. Is it because of the safety of your technology, that you’re bold enough to have that claim?

When you told him that that’s not it, that you want to be friends just for the sake of it, that you genuinely found the demon interesting, is when it thought of you as both a fool and a strange human. Why are you so certain? What’s the reason for your determination? A crude imitation of your hand reached towards its glass cage, to where your hands rest. Would they be able to understand you once it looks exactly like you?

Since then, the shapeshifter demon eagerly listened to your stories during your visits. You’ve told them a lot of things, from how the Human World works now, to how your family came from a dedicated line of demon hunters. You told them about your interest in demonology, and the demon started humoring your questions about their world. The more they listen, the more accurate their transformations become. You’ve praised them before when they got your face right, and the demon started looking forward to your daily appearances.

They don’t know when they started keeping track of time, but the more they spend time with you, the more they want you to stay a bit longer. Tell them more about yourself, your troubles, wishes, anything. Don’t leave their side and tell them everything.

So that they could transform into you one day.

But then you were late. For the first time. The warehouse was too quiet without you around, and it’s starting to irritate the demon. Where are you? Why are the researchers here instead? Why are the humans panicking and transporting the cages outside? Where are you? This never happened before. Will they get transported too? They made sure to appear useless to everyone except to you to remain here. Where are you?!

“You’re late.”

You were out of breath by the time you reached their cage, something that the demon found suspicious. But as long as you’re here, then everything’s fine, isn’t it? Look at their form, don’t they resemble you now? What sort of story do you have for them tonigh—

But then you started apologizing.

Huh?

You told them that you got caught, so all demons will be moved elsewhere for security reasons. 

Wait.

The moment you started crying, the demon who wears your face bit their lip. When you started saying your goodbyes, something bubbled in their false stomach like an annoying itch that doesn’t go away, and it made the demon want to desperately escape their confinement and attack something. Regardless of the unknown feeling, they do know one thing.

That expression doesn’t suit you at all.

It’s because of those humans outside, your parents who forbade you from interest in demonology, that this is happening, no? Then, if they’re out of the picture, you wouldn’t have to make that face anymore. Everything will go back to how it was, maybe even better. All that needs to be done is for the demon to be free.

Leaning their—- your… their head on the glass and urging you to do the same, the demon who resembles you whispered a solution to your current predicament. All you need to do is to open the door. You’re the child of the family in charge of their imprisonment, yes? Surely you know how to liberate them too.

The fact that you eventually tried to open their cage despite your hesitation shows the trust you have on them. A foolish, naive human who wholeheartedly trusted a demon like them. A pitiful human that is already one foot deep in Hell. If they were any other demon, you would’ve died the moment they’re free. But they’re not any other demon. They’re your mirror now. And you’re their human now.

They learned everything about you in the past few months to understand you after all. 

Leave everything to them, so that you’ll remain just as you were. This won’t take long. They’ll teach you everything they know about Hell after this, so sit tight inside their cage, would you?

Immediately after they closed their cage, the guards that were alerted by the alarm came rushing in, only to be met by a child who looks exactly like you. The second the guards lowered their defenses from the mere imitation is the only window the demon needed to decapitate them. Your advice echoed in the demon’s head as it hunted down the DARKCOM staff, from researchers to demon-hunters, the warehouse was flooded by blood and screams of agony as every demon was freed by the shapeshifter. The moment the shapeshifter demon managed to do a full lock down of the facility is when the humans’ fate were sealed. Limbs were torn and organs were ripped off bodies as the liberated demons feasted for the first time after their extensive imprisonment.

Now that any potential back-ups are taken care of, all the demon needs to do is to finish off the job, starting with your family. They’re the cause of this, after all. Perhaps the demon should thank them too, as if it weren’t for them, you two wouldn’t meet at all. Oh, well.

Unlike the guards from before, your family immediately realized that something was off about their “child” that came back home. Maybe it was the demon hunter instinct that runs in their blood that made them go offensive, though it was a shame that the demon wasn’t able to masquerade as you before going for the killing surprise. Still, to be killed by the face of the child you sought to protect brings a cruel irony that made the demon break into fits of laughter as its appendages morphed into multiple blades that targeted the human family. Your father wasn’t even able to grab a gun before his arm was sliced off, though your mother got a few hits in. But it must be too disturbing to shoot your child’s face, that she failed to notice the luminescent blade aiming for her back. Horrified at his parents’ conditions, an older boy who looks similar to you started shooting at the shapeshifting demon, screaming and demanding to know about your whereabouts and condition.

Their resistance was futile, however, as the fight ended as quickly as it began. Your parents’ corpses, or what was left intact of them, were scattered across the room. And with your brother barely clinging to life as he tries to escape, the demon’s nearly done with what they came for. But before they could deliver the finishing blow, the sound of someone slipping outside the room caught everyone’s attention. The person could barely be seen through the cracks of the slightly ajar door, but nothing will escape that demon’s eyes, especially since they’ve been watching you for a long time.

“You didn’t need to see this.”

You weren’t supposed to see this. You were supposed to stay safe and asleep in their cage, how did you get out?! What are you doing here? What if the others got to you?? Agitated at the circumstances, the demon’s focus shifted entirely to you, with their limb morphing into a large hand to get you, failing to notice your brother who charged at your direction to push you away. Caught off guard, the demon tried again, only to get their limb disintegrated from the anti-demon bullets that your brother shot at them. Livid, the phony version of yourself gave chase in anger as you ran with your brother.

How dare…! 

But there is only so much that they could do if they don’t want to disintegrate from the bullets. Left with no choice lest they want to risk getting caught by humans again, the demon remained at your house. Besides, as long as they could still transform into you, you’re alive and safe. Once the demons eliminate Sparda and merge the Demon Realm with this world once again, humanity will once again be under their control. It’ll be easy to reunite with you then, until it happens, however, the demon will have to bide time and get stronger. 

The quicker they finish their original mission, the faster they’ll get to you.

Now, to track the traitorous demon knight…

Fueled with newfound determination, the shapeshifter demon took command of the legion that was sent to track down Sparda, leading them to Redgrave City. The creatures from Hell wrecked havoc on the unsuspecting civilians, bringing forth a massacre of the innocents on their way towards the edge of the city. Midway through their raid, a fragment of the Demon Knight broke away towards the nearby playground, making the demons break into two groups as well, each aiming for the faint presence of their target.

“It’s all Dante’s fault!”

And as it turns out, it’s the demon’s spawn, not the knight himself, whom they have been sensing this whole time.

The human boy narrowly dodged the blade that the shapeshifter aimed at him, locking eyes with the still-humanoid demon that bears your likeness, before frantically trying to get away. Aiming for the house that reeks of the other fragment, the boy got chased by a stampede of bloodthirsty demons. If he is Sparda’s descendant, then the other presence would be another one like him. While the demons might not have found the real thing, his children would do for now. 

It didn't even take long for the shapeshifter demon to keep up with the child, as he stopped in shock upon seeing his razed home. While the spectacle would ensure the other fragment’s death, its presence could still be barely sensed deep inside the house. As for the boy…

The shapeshifter demon shot a blade that pierced through the small body of the human child, rendering him writhing and crying in pain, trying to crawl away while wailing for help. The sight was reminiscent of your brother that it ticked off the demon, making them stab the boy's hand, pinning him in place as the rest of the legion bludgeoned him to death. His cries soon faded and the demons left his mutilated corpses alone in favor of killing the other fragment… or so they thought. 

A death cry from a demon alerted everyone that the boy is still alive. Regenerating with his bones and organs still jutting out, the spawn of Sparda, wielding Yamato, took down the whole legion by himself, with the shapeshifting demon barely dodging with a hair's length. It was at this moment that Sparda's presence became overwhelmingly strong inside the boy that the last surviving demon nearly thought that the Demon Knight himself had manifested to bring forth justice. Before they could flee, the boy calls out to them, with a threat of being cut by Yamato if they don't stop.

Which is exactly why that same demon is within that certain brother’s faction in the present. Forced to be the unwilling accomplice for Vergil’s quest for power, the shapeshifter demon accompanied the boy until a certain Jester approached them with a deal. At first, it was only for survival that the demon remained by his side, with them looking for every opening to escape, but the moment the Force Edge was mentioned, they found an opportunity of the lifetime.

If the Gates of Hell were reopened from the restored power of Sparda’s sword, then the Demon World and the Human World would once again be united, rendering the mortals beneath the demons yet again. The shapeshifter demon would be able to get you back just as easily. For the sake of Humanity's downfall, they'll play the role of a loyal servant, maiming and killing in missions in order to get closer to their goal. If you would only wait for a little while longer, until the demons would rain Hell upon Earth once more, your friend will come and get you.

They'll come and get you.

Or so they thought.

At first, they thought of it as a mirage. A look-alike. But they know what you look like over the years since they occasionally transform into you whenever they feel strange. So, when they encountered you in the diner, they had to escape. Their mission was to provoke Dante using his brother's appearance and get his amulet, but the demon would rather try and fight off Vergil instead of risking you getting hurt in the process.

The second time they saw you was during the highway incident. They were given a mission to join the other demons in assisting The Rabbit in acquiring Dante's amulet. But they never imagined you to be in the same van that the brother was in, rendering you with injuries as you remain bound to the vehicle. No, it’s better if you remain uninvolved in the fight. 

Immediately after Arkham’s spawn clashed with the other demons, the shapeshifter slithered through the masses and snatched a human to mimic, masquerading as a DARKCOM operative to sneak you out of the area. But the moment they managed to reach the vehicle that held you, you already went off with Dante in pursuit of The Rabbit, much to their chagrin. If they— he could recall correctly, you’re en route to Agni and Rudra’s positions, and despite the strength he accumulated over the years, he’s still a lesser demon compared to Firestorm, or any other demon; as much as the thought repulses him, The Jester warned him once when he let you go back at the diner, indicating that the strange demon knows of his connection to you, rendering the shapeshifter to only hope that you’ll survive long enough until he completes his mission to capture Arkham’s daughter. 

What a blasphemous thought against Hell. Hope? A demon like him would dare hope? 

But it might just be because of his shameless faith that it came true in the form of a battered human in front of him. 

You weren’t supposed to be in the apartment complex, nor had formed a contract with Agni— no ANY demon, but for some reason here you are, right in the middle of a death trap. Gone was his initial mission, nor his internalized fear of greater demons, the person he desires the most is standing in front of him and he’s not even the one they formed a contract with. Despite this being his wish, the demon can’t help but eye the scimitar that you held onto for dear life as you shoved past him, limping and hurt from the way you crashed into the room. 

Of course, you won’t recognize him in this form, and while he could prove his identity right this moment, the presence of Chevalier and Echidna flooding his senses made hiding you became his priority instead of your reunion. His current appearance as a DARKCOM officer would prove useful in helping you should you run across other humans as well, compared to transforming as yourself and being mistaken as a target instead. However, even after you two were left alone, you still failed to sense his demonic nature.

Was it due to the strain of contracting Agni? Or did your earlier injuries dulled your senses? In the first place, why would you accept a contract from an obnoxious fire demon such as him? No matter how skilled you are, the humans of this era cannot handle Devil Arms due to their lack of experience compared to their ancestors who fought alongside Sparda. If you had formed a contract with him instead, you wouldn’t even feel a thing due to how much he knows you. Your fate will only lead to corruption and madness if you keep using Agni as you please. He needs to stop you now, lest you enter a contract with Rudra as well. 

His theory was proven right when he found you collapsed at the end of the hallway, already on the brink of losing your mind from the corruption. He needs to get you out of here as soon as possible, as the building will collapse on itself once The Rabbit detonates the area. This is the first time you two ever touched since that hug all those years ago, and the shapeshifter could feel at peace for the first time in such a long while. His bliss was short-lived, however, when you uttered the blasted name of Sparda’s spawn.

“Dante…?”

Right after he retorted with his irritation, you attacked him by choking and decapitating his head with Agni. Weren’t you unaware of his nature earlier? How did you realize that he’s a demon now? It doesn’t matter, he can survive a little beheading, what he needs to do right now is to stop you from utilizing that awful Devil Arm. And for that to happen, you need to calm down.

Any more ruckus would attract the other demons in this area, and Agni isn’t helping with his accusations of the shapeshifter suddenly betraying Vergil out of nowhere. He needs leverage, something that could convince you to come with him. But even after revealing the bombs rigged in the building, you didn’t budge from your spot, bent on killing him instead of hearing him out. This leaves him no choice but to make sure you won’t have any reason to use Agni, by leading the greater demons out of your trail. You’ll exhaust yourself soon enough, and he’ll pick you up immediately once Mary Arkham was captured. 

What he didn’t expect is for you to hunt the demons instead. He made sure to lure Enchida to Mary, and drive Chevalier away, but you got up and went to kill every demon in the building, including the serpent demoness. He barely managed to get away with less than half of his original body, witnessing your innate mastery of demonic weapons, and your-now hatred for them. 

Gone was the child that lacked bloodlust, the one who looked at him with bright eyes, wanting to know everything about him. The one who crashed in the room is a seasoned Devil Hunter with a Devil Arm in their disposal. Those eyes that once held love for knowledge now hold hatred and determination, and somehow, the shapeshifter couldn’t bring himself to look away.

How could he when you never looked so beautiful?

But what was it that you said? You hate demons? You want to kill them? Why? Didn’t you love them? Didn’t you love him?!

Why…?

It's those damned demon hunters, isn't it? DARKCOM?! Wasn't it enough that they took you from him? Now they taught you to hate him?!

Maybe he should've killed everyone on the highway back then.

The vibrations on the ground from the way the backup that came for Lieutenant Arkham jogged through floors made the shapeshifter demon break into a wide grin. This saves him the trouble of finding the pests that kept clinging and clouding your judgement. Don't worry, leave everything to him, this'll be over soon. A few humans with tricky weapons won't stop him.

Floor by floor, the demon followed your bloody trail, massacring the humans he comes across with, not even giving them the opportunity to draw their weapons. Not that any of it could hurt him, as the damaged part could easily be regenerated. He once picked up a radio, masquerading as an operative that got away, if only to lure others to him.

The demon spared no one, each mutilated or dismembered beyond recognition, as his body morphed into weapons that immediately brutalized any human he sees. His spree led him outside once he was done with those who were in the building, and not even larger weapons nor sturdier vehicles could stop him, not when he was brimming with power from a source unknown.

He's not even coming down from his high yet, all while surrounded by a bloody spectacle of razed vehicles and human limbs, when the ground shook from a deafening explosion behind him. The demon immediately turned back, with fear running through his body unlike anything he's ever felt, as he screams your name. Only to see a shadow, a group of three, jumping down from the very top of the building.

You winced at the impact. If it weren't for Dante shielding you with his body, you would've hit your head too hard on the wall, and with how tubes are protruding from them, it would've been nasty. I knew something was behind it.

When the smoke cleared, the vehicle turned out to be torn into two, giving way for your escape. Though by the looks of it, only Enzo will be able to go, as both you and Dante are still bound to the wall, and the buckles got lost in the commotion. Lady Arkham must've noticed that, and left you in lieu of helping her comrades.

Their situation isn't any better, vehicles and debris littered the streets, and you swore you saw a body bleeding out underneath the rubble. What happened? Is it a terrorist attack? This doesn't look like a random one, with how you and Dante were in this place in this time and how the lady reacted upon seeing one of the assailants, this is planned. But from who? Why? You don't recall any of your targets nor clients that are ballsy enough to get back at you, especially with the new circumstances.

Another explosion made you close your eyes with how close it is, until a metal whizzing past the air caught your attention, it's Dante's sword! But where's my briefcase? You frowned.

"What is this? Are we getting rescued?!" Enzo's hopeful voice made both you and Dante turn to him with an unamused expression. "Can you think of anyone who'd want to rescue either one of us?"

"Leon would." You looked away with a grin, making your partner swivel to your direction with a scowl. The small time for banter was cut short by the lady's voice booming from across the road. "It's the Rabbit!"

From what little you can see amidst the dust and wreckage, she's behind a car, tending to another DARKCOM member. "Does anyone have eyes on it?! I have this area secure!" The White Rabbit? Just like what Enzo told you? But why would it target...

Dante.

At the lady's words, akin to being jinxed, a voice replies, saying that they doubt her claims. The source is a serpent-like demon that slithered around the area before revealing their torso inside the "mouth" of their body. Not a second later, two muscular creatures possessing exaggerated Arabian scimitars jumped from behind, joining the fray. The traffic enforcer who started the whole mess sauntered to them, his skin contorting to something blue.

That shapeshifting demon...!

Your eyes only glanced at the last addition to the group, a knight-like demon with wings, and focused on that familiar, one eyed demon. Something isn't right. It said before that Dante didn't knew who he really was, and then the lady came to claim that he's half demon, with the key to hell being his neck piece. What's this familiar feeling? It's like you heard something similar before.

Key to hell... Split into two... Twins... Unknown Father... Half-Demon... A demon who had sympathized with your species... A demon going AWOL after siding with humans...

The Sword of Sparda.

But, that doesn't answer on how it was able to shapeshift into Vergil? It wasn't that strong when you fought it before, so something as far as shifting to someone long dead is out of the question. You don't want to assume but with how things are turning out, you're fairly certain about one thing. Vergil's alive.

Are they... Sparda's sons? The thought alone made you glance up at the sputtering Dante, who was put on a spot by Enzo for his claim that the demon hunter will fight them off. Not that it matters, he was promptly ignored in favor of fighting off Lady Arkham.

Your conclusions were presumptuous at best and spot on at worst. Dante didn't seem to know yet, and you're not going to divulge potentially false information to him, especially if it includes his family. You need more evidence, something that'll truly cement this ridiculous theory. Thankfully, the White Rabbit came and delivered.

"A sincere "thank you", to you all and the government of the United States of the Earth Realm..." His voice, steady and proud, echoed above the veil of dust that surrounded everything. "—for picking up the rest of my amulet for me!" There he stood, atop a fallen vehicle, grinning from ear to ear, down at the DARKCOM members.

"God bless, America!"

He was shot on sight, bullets ranging from demon hunting ones to regular lead came zooming towards him, only to be deflected by his sword. It resulted in some unfortunate deaths that made everyone even more agitated. You struggled to watch from your place, with your view obstructed by multiple variables, but it was enough to see him get hit, revealing... human skin? And that brooch on his chest, it looked similar to what Dante has.

The fight ended in an instant, with only a single swing of the rabbit's sword, down went the special task force. He promptly disappeared inside one of the vehicles, and with how the demons are keeping Lady Arkham occupied, it's hard to grab a chance to escape. The thing you're worried about isn't your predicament, rather, the thought of the keys getting merged right this second. DARKCOM has Dante's amulet, and if you're correct about the Rabbit having the other one, well, Lady Arkham might just be right about the Key to Hell part. Though, why does the Rabbit have the other half? You don't reckon that he's Vergil, isn't he?

This day was more chaotic than last night's mercenary ambush, as another shockwave shook what remains of the vehicle you're at. Purple light engulfed everything for a moment, as a pillar shot to the sky, catching everyone's attention; well, except for Dante, who had twisted his legs far enough to put his handcuffs in front. The White Rabbit emerged from one of DARKCOM's vehicles, dragging your bloody driver out with him, and leaving the car exploding from the inside.

"See?! Told you there was a rabbit!" Enzo huffed from where you were hiding. Your eyes widened at what your driver was holding, however. Is that my briefcase?! What the— You grunted as you angled yourself towards him, forgetting that you're still bound, and only focused on getting your stuff back. Fortunately, before you could fall face first, both yours and Dante's restraints were deactivated. And with that, it's showtime.

Dante lunged for his sword, jumping to action to fight against the White Rabbit, while you ran towards the bleeding DARKCOM agent. You haven't even had contact with the handle of your briefcase when that soldier grabbed your wrist, muttering broken words, "--had no choice...! He's my brother... I... There's more... The warehouse...!"

Your eyes narrowed at the place. Warehouse? What does a ware—

Another explosion boomed through the streets, Dante just protected a school bus full of kids from a missile from the White Rabbit. The momentary distraction gave your driver more time to cling to you, desperately, pleading for you to stop his brother. Who?? The White Rabbit?! His brother??? You raised your head just in time to see the Rabbit flee, detonating the ground to make way for their escape. The rest of the demons followed shit, and a shadow flew from above, up at the winged demon's hand is... Enzo??

"Enzo!" You screamed, pulling away from the agent, as you met with Dante halfway. He grabbed a motorcycle and revved the engine, with you jumping at the back, as he drove past the barriers and onto the road below.

With him dodging the traffic, you got to work and built a pistol. As expected, the demons came to attack. You two narrowly dodged the chevalier demon when he lunged at the both of you, and the two muscular ones came on top of the cars right in front of you. "All right, now I'm pissed." Dante gritted his teeth and haphazardly moved the bike to maneuver past the attacks.

You jumped earlier than him when a car was thrown in your direction, giving you ample time to pull the trigger and shoot at the Rabbit's open vehicle, landing a shot at the snake demon. This made her jump and join the fight, shooting thorns at the motorcycle, rendering your speed nearly useless as you get sandwiched between the twin demons. Fortunately, Dante hit the brakes just as both fire and wind shot at the two of you, only for one of the demons to merge their swords together for an even bigger damage output and throw it at him. You snaked your arms around your partner as he caught and swung the blade, gaining control over the weapon and using it as a parry for the thorns shooting at the two of you, before lifting the motorcycle in air and landing on the demoness' face. The dual blade was flung at her, making the demon fall off with a shriek.

The second time you were in the air, you grabbed the chance to use the motorcycle as a leverage and landed atop the White Rabbit's vehicle, grabbing the side of the roof for stability. Enzo called for you inside the vehicle, voice laced with worry. "Don't move! We'll get you out of there alongside his amulet!" You screamed, straining to crane your head to see what's happening behind. Meanwhile, Dante slammed the twin demons with the bike, pushing them off the road, before getting back at chasing the Rabbit.

"Dante!" From your position, you saw the winged demon aiming at him, and with your warning, he narrowly dodged its sword. You can't make out their conversation as they fight, but was relieved enough to see that he at least got to keep that demon off the track as you enter a tunnel.

Seeing the chance, you threw your gun at him, which he caught with a grin and sped up. "That's it... Let it out... Let it out!" The Rabbit grins below you, making you turn to Dante, who's catching up. But, his eyes are—

The bike malfunctioned from how the wheels are littered with thorns, making him jump and aim at the White Rabbit, using your gun.

"Jackpot!"

But the shot didn't come, and Dante's neck grew in size before exploding, making him roll down the street like a ragdoll. The insurance! "Dante!" You jumped down the vehicle the moment it stopped and rushed to his side, assessing the damage while he gurgled from both shock and pain. You admit, it's quite nasty, with half his face blown off, and if it weren't for his healing abilities, he would've been dead by now. The sight makes your stomach churn, memories of your childhood resurfacing from his condition.

That's when you realize your grave mistake. Dante can heal, why did you go to him? Idiot! The White Rabbit's behind you! Just as you turned to smash your briefcase on whatever you can hit on him, the Rabbit was faster, hitting a pressure point on your neck and knocking you out.

Dante reaches out for you, weakly calling your name as the White Rabbit hums and walks over your unconscious body, grabbing his hair and tilting his head. "It seems like I still need to push you harder."

"Son of Sparda."

A scratchy voice made you snap to your side, finding no one but a scimitar on your hand. While you can't see the source of the sound, you're certain it's Agni. Your acknowledgement seemed enough for the demon as he started laughing from his weapon form. He seemed proud to say the least, hyping you up to find a way out of your predicament, boasting that he didn't pick you for nothing.

Your face scrunched, baffled by his blind faith—

There's a building in the far east, too far for a normal person to make something from it, but you recognize the terrain. Looking at the weapon in your hand, Anders' words echoed at the back of your mind.

—No, you might actually find a way out of this.

You looked up, seeing the screaming civilians and Dante at the very top, alongside Rudra. Your first thought is to help him, but it was dismissed as fast as it came. Reaching out, you observed their short skirmish. Almost everything that happened is because of misjudgment borne out of desire to protect one another, if this keeps up, everything will continue to go wrong if you keep ignoring everything in favor of protecting Dante.

The decision made you laugh in defeat. Bringing the scimitar, Agni, near your face, you examined the material with your fingers. "How sturdy are you?"

...

Dante's cry of your name made you look up, meeting his worried eyes with your bright ones. Immediately, you were in his arms as you continued to fall from the sky, his trembling gave away his current thoughts. However, there's still matters to settle, as people are also falling to their deaths and Rudra is bracing to attack just a few distance above you. Sucking a breath, you flipped your position around, going above Dante and swinging Agni towards the tornado thrown at you by his brother, countering and creating a small smokescreen in the process.

"Dante!" You swivel at his surprised state, grabbing his shoulder to bring him back to reality. "There are parachutes in the cockpit! The captain snuck them in!" You winced at the air directly hitting your eyes from your position, it seems like he got the message, but he grabbed your waist to bring you with him back up, where the remnants of the plane are located. You squirmed before he could use a piece of debris as a launching pad, insisting he lets go, making him glare at you like you've gone mad.

You stabbed Dante using Agni, leaving a small hole over his right chest, he didn't relent, so you had to resort to such measures. His surprise gave you the small window to break free, but he still caught your arm, yelling at you to stop being stubborn and demanding an explanation about your behavior. "What the hell?! I'm trying to save you!"

This idiot! You mirrored his expression, snarling at him to let go. "Save the civilians first! There's no time!" That wasn't the response he wanted, you're falling faster than everyone else, if he doesn't pull you up now, you'll—

"No! I-" Dante's grip on you weakens, looking devastated at the prospect of leaving you behind, his voice cracking in fear for your safety. "I can't lose you too!"

Ah.

So that's it.

You smiled, pulling him close and resting your foreheads together. Closing your eyes, you whispered while cupping his cheek. "You won't."

"Trust me."

You grinned and maneuvered yourself below him, kicking his torso, sending him upwards while the recoil brought you closer to the ground. Placing the glowing scimitar below your feet, Agni's flames ignited the weapon and propelled you towards a certain direction, all while the fire not hurting you in any way. Like a blazing shooting star in broad daylight, you flew towards an unfinished apartment complex.

...

In hindsight, you didn't really think it'll work, banking on your knowledge of thermodynamics and whatever bullshit demon abilities Agni has. The demon basically gave you full control of his power, allowing you to manipulate his flames and the airflow around it at command, granting you "flight" as you rode the scimitar like a glorified hoverboard, using the handle as a makeshift steerer. This didn't mean that you're immediately used to this newfound ability, as you had to refrain yourself from looking down due to the altitude.

You lose your balance after a few minutes, but not before swinging the flaming scimitar to the ground, producing an immense amount of heat, cushioning your fall. You internally thanked the demon for the multiple laws of physics that he broke to ensure your survival. You can't help a grin at your successful movements, still high with adrenaline, and Agni shares the same sentiment. "Damn that's cool."

"Shut up." You rolled your eyes before it landed at the familiar alleyway.

It hasn't changed in ten years, you reckon, as you eyed the dark corners, navigating through the maze-like path through sheer muscle memory. The only thing that was different was a certain refurbished building. Right now, as you stand in front of the secret entrance from all those years ago, the warehouse, no, the apartment complex looms over your form. You didn't think you'd come back here after all this time.

"So, what's the plan?" Agni's voice stops you from opening the rusty door. This particular part seems to have been retained even after the modifications to make it a residential building, as an emergency escape route perhaps? You don't even want to know, given what previously lied ahead beyond that door.

You scoffed. "There is no plan."

Why are you doing this? Is it because of guilt? Pity? Sense of responsibility? Revenge? The question weighs on you as the door creaks open and the pungent smell of rotting flesh invades your nostrils at the first step you take. Did no one find out about the demons imprisoned here in the past? You winced at the smell, scrunching your nose as the open door became your only source of light in the dim room.

No. You freed all the demons back then.

No one should be here unless DARKCOM reused this area as their hunting ground, but that shouldn't be possible if this got rebuilt as an apartment complex. Then, why are there still demons in here? That soldier said that there were more at the warehouse, meaning that they've been here for a long time before the reconstruction. Why? Did the White Rabbit do all of this? What for? What if he's really—

"Do you really think this much all the time?" Agni's voice made you jump in surprise as it echoed in the dark corridors. "I can hear all of your thoughts now that I'm your Devil Arm, but you're even more talkative than me!" Devil Arm? Arm? Demon weapon?

"That's right!" You winced at his boisterous tone. His loud voice will definitely get you caught. "Alright, fine, I'll tone it down." He grumbles, the scimitar glows from bright to faint, like it represents his emotions. So you could communicate telepathically? Ain't this convenient?

Why? How? Is it because I killed you? You thought to yourself as you opened more doors, looking for a way to the main building. Agni confirmed it by explaining that only demons who were defeated into submission or willingly submits to someone, can become a devil arm. Why me? Dante is more suited to use something like this.

"I ain't going to make myself used by Sparda's spawn!"

Okay, so there was discrimination involved. You sighed. You're starting to think that he only chose you because of that.

You arrived at the last room, with a strange looking door at the end of it. You don't remember this place, and assumed it's part of the new construction, but Agni stops you before you can open it. "I'm warning ya, what you'll see behind this door is pretty nasty."

What is it?

"Rabbit's experiments."

Why? You pushed the door open without waiting for a response, and got welcomed with the gruesome state of demons behind bars. All of them are mutilated, with tubes sticking out of their bodies as they moan in pain, eyes landing on the intruder appearing so suddenly. Hope replaced their initial fear upon seeing Agni's scimitar in your hand as they reached out from their cages, pleading to be let out.

"What the fuck?"

"Told ya."

Are these all of them? These demons... they're—

They look just like humans to you.

Agni confirms that there are others beyond the room, urging you to get out of the experiment area before his comrades find out about your trespassing. Like he said, there's a camera at the corner, overseeing what's happening. You don't want to think about who'll come running if you linger too long, so you followed his advice and rushed out of the room, but not before locking eyes with a particularly pained demon. Their state made you frown. Facing them, you crouched to their level and spoke a promise, assuring them with a smile. "I'll come back for you."

The red demon scoffed at your thoughts of freeing them, saying that they'll die soon anyway, like the rest of the demons in the apartment, so there won't be any point. But you insist that it's better than living in darkness and suffering every day. The demon doesn't understand why you want to help them, even after what you experienced as a child, and you don't reply immediately. Why is it, really? Your first thought was Dante, despite being a demon, he's no different from a regular human. Then, there's DARKCOM, who indiscriminately hunts demons, going as far as torturing innocents just to get their goal.

"But aren't you a demon hunter yourself?"

You arrived at the first floor when Agni called out your hypocrisy. You want to argue that you're only hunting "bad" demons, those who hurt humans; but it's true that you took every job in the past, regardless of the situation. You killed demons before, studied them, provided information against them; so why do you want to save them? They killed your family, didn't they?

"It's unfair." You muttered and looked for the stairs leading to the next floor, clutching the hilt of Agni's weapon form as you told him your answer. "It won't do my conscience good if they don't put up a fight."

"Besides, there are already soldiers inside." You turned your head at the corpses of DARKCOM soldiers laying on the floor. Limbs and blood are scattered in various directions, some of them are familiar to you, having seen their figures during the White Rabbit's ambush. This comes with the job. You thought as you examined their bodies for any weapons you could use. There are still intact guns loaded with anti-demon bullets. Do you need a vest? You eyed a blond man that had his body pierced with multiple spikes. No. It's useless anyway.

Multiple gunshots echo at the silent building, it's coming from above. There are surviving soldiers! If the rest of the demons are just like those you knew back then, they're powerless! A flash of memory about their faces made you grit your teeth. They'll die!

Agni warns you about his comrades' abilities, those who remained in the building to stand guard, while the others performed their respective missions. There's a plant demon and a chevalier demon, with the latter being the stronger one of the two. There was a plan to lure Lieutenant Arkham to the top floor, with the massacre of her team being staged by the White Rabbit as a form of torture. Neither of you knew the reason why.

You rushed up the stairs, due to the elevator being broken due to god knows what. Knowing Arkham, she won't hesitate to kill the demons inside the building, and with her losing her team, you could only imagine how she won't stop at nothing to give back the favor at least ten-fold. You need to evacuate them, hiding at the experiment room would be their best shot due to it being connected to the secret passage. But how?

You stopped by the fifth floor, squinting at the far end of the corridor. Is that a speaker? Now that you think about it, you saw glimpses of the same device scattered across the walls on every floor. Does this building have a control room?

Agni replies that it's just below the top floor. Perfect, you're going up anyway. The demon guides you through traps, telling you the right doors to open and avoid, enabling you to avoid other hostile demons and safely reach the upper floors. You expected at least one of the demons to be the one you run into, or maybe Lieutenant Arkham herself, not a random soldier who looked shocked at your appearance.

"Why are yo—" You didn't let him finish and ran past him, ignoring his calls as he chased after you. What's this guy's deal?! Leave me alone! Your thoughts manifested into flames appearing by your feet, propelling you forward with so much force that if it wasn't for someone yanking you back, you'll run head first to the wall. The soldier covers your mouth and puts a finger over his, signalling you to be quiet, stopping you from squirming, you commanded Agni to do the same before he could yell again.

The chevalier knight was just around the corner.

A few minutes later, the demon left, giving you the chance to relax. The soldier raises his arms in surrender upon your glare, explaining that he got separated from his team and is looking for his lieutenant, eyeing the scimitar in your hands. You hid Agni behind you upon noticing his curiosity, thanking him for his help and bidding him goodbye, you rushed off to the nearest stairs to reach the control room.

...

The dim room was blinding with how many monitors were open. Peeking from a corner, you saw a camera pointed at the center console. This is the control room, so why would there be a need to monitor—

For intruders. You need to cover the camera.

You instinctively reach down for your briefcase, only to find nothing. It was lost during the free fall from earlier. You're basically with nothing except for Agni and a couple of guns you looted from the deceased corpses. Retreating, you scoured open rooms for any type of fabric you could put over the camera. Due to its position, it'll be a bit hard to drape something over it, unless you could scale the chain-link fence by the door.

The adrenaline coursing through your veins starts to ebb away, returning the sensation of pain in your body and slowing your movements. Soon, you found a dilapidated room with bullet holes littering the door of its connecting chamber. Was someone here? That doesn't matter, you found a curtain, this should be enough.

Upon returning to the control room, you could barely keep yourself from doubling over from the pain around your ribs. Rudra was really going for a painful kill when he grabbed you. You can't climb the fence at this rate. Groaning, you called for Agni, squeezing the hilt of the scimitar just in case. "Can't you... go back to your original form...?"

Unfortunately, the demon says no, explaining that he can't fully revert back due to his head being decapitated. Well shit. You already collapsed to your knees, but when you looked at the height of the camera, Agni's height could easily hide the fact that he's headless, that is, if he could do it. "Your head doesn't matter, can you revert without it?"

Agni says yes.

Therefore, a headless red demon holding a torn up curtain walks over the camera and covers it up. You bet that nothing will happen if Agni was seen, at least partially, by the camera, instead of you. Not that you know what will happen, you just have to be sure. After all, this is the White Rabbit we're talking about.

Agni helped you up before reverting back to a scimitar, letting you do whatever you wanted to in the control room. Your breath starts to get ragged as you limp towards the console, looking through the cameras and figuring out the controls, soon noticing DARKCOM reinforcements starting to arrive.

There is no time. You selected every room you could see that houses ordinary demons, refraining from activating every speaker in the building due to the risk of the hostile demons figuring out what's happening. And with that, you opened the mic.

Putting on your best voice, you introduced yourself, as a human, and told them that you know they won't trust your words. "But there are DARKCOM soldiers inside the building, and their reinforcements are waiting outside. I'm not one of them, so I'll be giving you two choices: Heed my words, or wait for your death."

The monitors displayed their frightened expressions, making you push further. "You might think that the two of your kind roaming around is enough to kill them all, but if that's the case, shouldn't they have already done that from the start? No matter how powerful someone is, they'll lose if they get overpowered by sheer numbers." That's a lie, you know that the demons can easily kill everyone in a matter of seconds. They're planning something, that's why they aren't waging a war yet.

But while that may be true, the rest of the demons won't be able to survive the crossfire. You found bombs planted all around the building, figuring it's a fail-safe, you're even more certain that none of them will live. "Down on the first floor of the building, there's a hidden door at the far left from the staircase. It looks like the wall, but it's already partially opened, you cannot miss it. While it leads to a gruesome place, no one will be able to find you there. Once the chaos settled, I—"

You described your appearance.

"—will take you somewhere safe."

"That is all."

A sigh escapes you after the mic turns off. Agni questions the location, to which you replied with a resigned laugh. You plan to bring them to your flat, where you and Dante live, and to a couple of safe houses you accumulated over the years if the rooms get full. "I own those buildings after all." You grinned to yourself, silently thanking your decisions in the past to haggle properties during your time as a demon hunter. It's not a permanent solution, but you'll at least be able to provide shelter for them for the time being.

Once you saw some of them start to pack their things, you also made your move. It wasn't your plan, it'll be a stretch, but, if you can, you'll convince Lieutenant Arkham to see things your way. Maybe if she agrees, she could help escort the demons away before the bloodbath occurs.

"I see you haven't changed at all."

You whipped your head behind you, but all you saw was an open door.

No one is there.

"Wow, my good buddy and protégé, the son of Sparda." Enzo chuckles to himself, leaning closer and squishing you between the two men, looking expectantly at Dante while the other hostages whimpered in fear for their imminent deaths. Dante gapes at the older man, sighing loudly in response. "Come on, even if my dad might have been demon, Sparda isn't real."

"He's their version of the boogeyman."

"Your necklace is real." Your muffled voice cuts in, making Dante turn to your with a frown. "Not helping." He retorts.

The blue demon steps forward, agreeing that his father is indeed the demon knight. "Take it from us who've been living with the fallout of his betrayal for the last two millennia." Dante scoffs at the mention of the amount of years it has been, insisting that it couldn't be possible after all. You sighed, he's being in denial again, gaslighting himself just like what the White Rabbit said.

"You really think my dad is a demon from 2000 years ago?"

"Dante."

"How old do I look?"

"Dante."

You meet his eyes, it's shaking. He knows what he's doing, yet he still doesn't want to accept things as they are.

Dante’s scared.

Who wouldn't if you found out that the blood of the monsters who killed your family runs inside you?

You don't know what to say. You're not prepared. You're scared too! But Dante is... He's the one that's going through something worse in the room right now. You're thankful for your chatterbox of an adoptive father for filling the silence, making you lean to Dante as Enzo scoots closer, tattling on about how he had an inkling that the boy was part demon. "I just couldn't figure how, but you being Sparda's son explains everything."

"He's the good demon."

Dante's expression relaxed at that.

Enzo continues, proud even, as he convinces Dante that he's good regardless of his heritage. "That's what's in your blood. You get it?" Well, what do you know. Enzo's pretty good at lifting people up. If he was more shrewd, you'll understand how he's still a broker after all these years. Dante smirks at his words, fear creeping off of him.

"Let's see if he's right." The warm atmosphere went as it came due to Agni walking towards Dante, scraping his sword at the floor, releasing a grating sound as the demon grins. He stops a bit short from the half-demon, pointing his sword at the hostages before it turns to Dante. "You heard Rabbit. Either you stop us, or we blow them out of the sky."

Perhaps invigorated by Enzo's words, Dante returned to his usual cocky persona, smirking at the two demons with an insult. "What are you gonna do? Form half a Captain Planet?" He'll just keep bringing trouble, won't he? You shook your head, slightly amused at his brazenness. Rudra wasn't on the same page, however, as he leaned closer to where you sat. "I wouldn't be so cocky, mate."

"After all, you failed at saving your own mom and brother."

"And you led your own family to their deaths."

Both of you froze as flashbacks of those memories came back. Dante remembers the closet, the fire, Eva's body and Vergil's screams; while you remembered the bloody house you went home to.

"Oh yeah. Rabbit knows all about what happened to them too."

"How you two just stood as they died."

Dante shuts his eyes, willing himself to get past the sickening feeling in his stomach. The memory of his mother's corpse and the smell of something burning is still fresh in his mind. You weren't any better, nearly hyperventilating at the memory of your brother, barely breathing, as he spoke his last words to you. It's your fault that it happened. It's all your fault, you weren't thinking, and now you're forced to remember that event once again—

"We were helpless kids when those demons attacked us."

You flinched at Dante's voice, only able to look up at him as he stood up to face the two demons, eyes watering from the emotional pressure. How can he still stand strong like that? Your fates are uncertain at the moment, but he remains steadfast, confident that everything will work out.

Have faith that everything will work out.

Damn it.

"We're not one anymore." He grunts as he rips off his restraints despite how it was draining his energy. So you could brute force it? The hell?? You squirmed in yours and felt it draining your will already, but looking at how it broke off from Dante's weakened strength, you may have a chance if you time it right.

"Well, let's see if we could make you a little nostalgic." Rudra smirks, and so, the fight begins.

Fists flew in the air as the two demons ganged up on Dante, with him barely managing to go toe on toe due to his strength still being weak, courtesy of the appendage-like restraints from earlier. With your wardens distracted, you got to work, the restraints get a little loose if you stretch it as big as you can, but still not giving you a way out. That little leeway is enough for you. You might not have the strength to break this off, you're confident in your own flexibility.

You only need a little space to get your arms out of your coat.

Agni conjures a fireball and blasts it towards Dante, who froze upon seeing the fire due to its association for that night, making his reaction time a bit late as he dodged the attack. "Poor little half-breed. Gets hit with one measly fireball and turns into a whimpering baby." Dante's breathing started to get heavy as he tried to compose himself, rushing towards Rudra to deliver a punch, only to get slammed to the wall by the demon's ability. The impact damaged the plane so much that alarms started going off, with the pilot struggling to keep the aircraft flying properly.

"Seems like that strength Sparda gave you won't be much use up here." Agni mocks the hyperventilating Dante, who is getting haunted by the memories of his mother's death at the moment. "As useless as the man himself." Rudra grabbed Dante by his coat and threw him on the ground before levitating him off of it, restricting his airflow at the same time.

"The way we heard it, he didn't even bother showing up to protect you—"

The fireball from the red demon quickly disappeared as Agni chokes, his neck ensnared with your restraints as you clung to his back, his own energy quickly seeping out the more he struggled out of it. You were quickly pried off the red demon by his brother, and was slammed towards Dante with such force that it nearly knocked you out, with the other not being any better as he coughed out blood.

Everything was ringing, your body hurts like hell, you don't even have the energy to move— Someone's approaching... Agni's about to land a strike...! Your vision cleared almost immediately as you screamed. "Jump!"

The demon's fist landed on the luggage that you two landed on, scattering the litter of items across the plane, with Dante going to the left and behind Agni as you jumped up to avoid the attack, using the demon’s head as a leverage to perform a somersault to get around him. What you didn’t account for is that Rudra’s waiting behind his brother, grabbing hold of your torso, trapping your right arm with it, and slamming you to the wall before you could land on your feet. Dante screams your name before Agni punches him. “I’m disappointed in you, mate.”

“And here I thought you’ll understand us the most, given how you helped us out before.” Rudra’s words brought back the memories from the warehouse, the faces of the demons locked up and used as shooting targets for DARKCOM soldiers, and the cages you unlocked. His smirk made your head throb, adding to the psychological stress, as tears started to threaten to fall from your eyes. ”Look on the bright side.” Agni taunts Dante as the young man fights off the two demons, desperately kicking and punching Rudra to free you while avoiding Agni’s ignited punches. "After watching your families die,"

"Watching these people die should be easy for you." Your body slowly starts to get crushed from the demon’s grip, restricting your airflow as black spots appear in your vision; meanwhile, Dante’s fighting off with his own trauma as Agni purposely sets himself on fire when the former catches his fists. "Aw. The one time you're fighting for something other than yourself, and this is how you do it?" The demon mocks him before delivering a clean headbutt that sends the agitated Dante to the other side of the plane, reducing him to his knees, as Agni procures Rebellion from behind. "Rabbit was right about you."

You’re going to die. You’re going to die…! I don’t want to die! A turbulence slightly shook the plane, and a metal clanged near your foot. Even in your blurry vision, an idea crossed over your mind. You don’t know what will happen, this is just a reckless action, born from desperation.

The sword glints, reflecting the hyperventilating Dante, before he gets slashed by his own sword at the chest. “Dante…!” You wheezed as he collapsed, with Agni cackling at his expense. "You're just like your dad." 

You stomped at a fire extinguisher, one that had already lost its pin from the chaos from earlier, making it spin violently across the plane while discharging smoke everywhere, rendering visibility to little to none. You hoped that this would at least help Dante as your eyes started to roll back, with a cry being the last thing you hear as you slip to unconsciousness.

…

He can hear your heartbeat.

Dante lies on the ground, with blood spurting out of his chest wound, one that is already healing due to his abilities. Agni laughs over his body, but he cannot hear the demon. The hostages are crying, but he can’t hear them either. His head is ringing. He can’t breathe. It’s only you that he can sense right now.

You’re dying.

Dante could only watch as your life is being squeezed out of your body.  

Will he be forced to see a loved one die again? Will he be just like before, a helpless boy? He promised to protect you, yet he couldn’t even face some demons who reminded him of his past.

Rudra is mocking you as he crushes you to your death. Those demons are trying to take everything from him again! He heard your bones cracking, the sharp inhale and the way you wheezed for air. At this rate, you won’t last! No! Not you. Please, not you…! He wasn’t able to do anything back then, but right now it’s different! He’s stronger now! He can protect those that matter to him! 

Yet he can’t do anything.

Was it true, after all? That he’s a hellblood? That he’s the son of Sparda? That he’s just like his dad?

“Your dad was a brave warrior.”

Eva’s voice echoes in his head. The memory of his mother that night flashes in his eyes as it starts to water from helplessness.

“The bravest who ever lived.”

He remembers her smile, how gentle it is, as she describes his father, her husband, with such affection. He wanted to meet him. To know the man that his mother speaks so highly of, to be reunited with the father he never knew.

“He fought against all the bad things so we could be free.”

Something snapped within him.

White smoke filled the room as a fire extinguisher hit Agni on the head, exploding upon contact with his flames just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow on Dante. A flash of red lunged at him, snatching Rebellion and sending the demon flying towards his brother in a split second. Before you could fall to the floor, an arm catches you, relatively human compared to the other that your savior has.

You woke up with a cough, heaving for breath while groaning in pain. Everything hurts, except for your left arm. But at least you can breathe now—

"Dante?" You croaked, looking up at the young man who now has a part of his face painted in red, with golden cracks crawling across it. His irises are sharp while his sclera looks far worse than just being bloodshot. His other arm holds Rebellion, but unlike what a human limb should look like, Dante's right arm transformed into something else. It's bigger, larger, with skin that looks tougher than an animal's and nails sharp enough to cut through anything.

The hostages panicked at the development, fear creeping in due to the uncertainty of the situation. Enzo on the other hand, looked at Dante in awe. The vice president mirrors his expression, but with the glint of something else as he marvels at Dante's current transformation. "Truly... remarkable...!"

Despite his appearance, with red electricity crackling around the two of you, the way he looked at you is of obvious worry and concern.

"I got you." He smiles, and he doesn't know if the relief is because he got to you in time or if you're still alive. Both, he thinks, as he repeats his words, exhaling as he closes his eyes. He got to you in time...

"He's ready. Blow the charges." Rudra stood up from the ground, reaching for the switch that was entrusted to him, only for his brother to cut in. "Yeah..." Agni raises a hand, eyes focused on the two of you, before glowering. "Just give me a second to kill him first." With a snap of his fingers, he gets enveloped with fire that soon morphes into a scimitar. "We could say he died in the blast." The red demon smirks before lunging towards you.

"Can you stand?" Dante whispers before supporting you up. The second you winced however, he hoisted you up his arms and proceeded to dodge every swing of Agni's weapon with you in tow.

The moment the red demon missed was when he retaliated, throwing you up in the air as he slashes Agni's arm off, with it flying upwards. "Getting killed with your own sword?" You grinned at Dante's words and grabbed the hilt of the scimitar, twisting your body for momentum due to how heavy it is and grotesquely beheading Agni using the serrated side of his weapon. "That'll be pretty embarrassing."

You fall back to the ground, heaving from the weight of his sword, confused that Agni's body just stood there as his head rolls off. Dante's body starts to go back to normal as the sparks went down and everyone went quiet from what just happened, before the red demon laughed from the floor, dispersing in a bright red light alongside his body and getting absorbed by his weapon. The scimitar became relatively lighter in your hands, where you could easily wield it on your own. "What—"

"I've been waiting a long time for this!" Agni's voice echoed from the scimitar, dripping with pride and confidence as he guffaws. Rudra doesn't seem to share his sentiment, however.

The blue demon looked distraught at the current situation. "Brother!" He cries, frantically looking for the detonator he had, only to find nothing and remembering the way you snuck behind the two of them to immobilize Agni. "Looking for this?" You grinned like a maniac after revealing the now-damaged detonator, courtesy of how the demon nearly crushed you to death.

"You're not worthy of him..." Rudra calms down and readies his own sword, one that matches the one in your hands, glaring at you as wind picks up in the plane. "Give me back my brother!"

Your eyes widened. While there might not be bombs, there are other ways to take the plane down. Dante moved faster than you, rushing towards Rudra to stop his attack.

But it was too late.

Everyone screamed after it happened.

The air sliced the plane in pieces, sending everyone on board to fall to the city below.

Sentry seems to take it differently, frustratedly motioning to the chaos. "This time is different!" Her voice faltered for a second due to not being able to stomach the scene around her. "We have no recorded cases of any demon higher than Type 2!" She throws her hands in the air before clutching her hair, pulling at it as she stresses about the possibilities in her mind. Patriot comes over and gently pries it off, shushing her frantic mumblings and smoothing out her hair. "These demons... What they could do..." Her head slowly turned to the hole left by the Rabbit when they fled, large enough to cover the highway and affect the other roads around them.

Sentry collects herself and sighs. "Their power level marks them as Type 4s."

"The real question is," Another person joins in, it's King, as he walks up to them, looking displeased. "Where's this apocalypse at, huh?"

Patriot tilted his head, not following what his comrade had to say. "Whatcha mean?"

"The Rabbit has Sparda's sword and both halves of the amulet." King explains with furrowed brows, mirroring the expression of the man before him. "That's everything it needs to blow our world wide open."

"So what's stopping him from opening the gates?"

"You can ask him yourself." Lieutenant Arkham walks towards her team, with Ninja trailing behind her, holding a tracker that beeps faintly in her hand. "The amulet stopped a few miles north." Besides Dante, Arkham also placed something on his necklace, as another insurance. While she can't track him anymore, at least her team could get back the amulet.

"Grab what you need, we leave in 50." Lieutenant Arkham commands the remaining DARKCOM members as they scurry away to salvage what remains of their equipment. Meanwhile, Anders remains on the side of the road, collapsed on the ground. while clutching his bandaged shoulder. "I admit I had my doubts about you." She cocks a gun, alarming the man before her.

But she only smiled, proud and full of admiration. "But the way you charged in to take the Rabbit on solo..." Lieutenant Arkham offers a hand to help up. "You've got some elite-sized balls. Can you stand?"

Relieved that his cover wasn't blown yet, Anders assures her that he can and will be able to fight, despite the obvious strain on his face. But, even as he took her hand, the body trauma that he experienced rendered him unable to move as much. "Maybe just a little longer."

Seeing that the soldier can't fight, Lieutenant Arkham insists that he stays behind as she calls for evac, and another soldier walks up to them, offering to take Anders' place in hunting the Rabbit. It was one of the lower ranking DARKCOM soldiers, those involved in this mission only to act as decoys, but got dragged into this mess instead. The determination in his eyes is what convinced her to give him a weapon before going over to brief the others about their current objective.

Those same eyes met with Anders' as it morphed into something red.

The signal leads to an unfinished apartment complex, long abandoned with remnants of the construction still lying around. What remains of the DARKCOM soldiers flanked the entrance, led by Lieutenant Arkham, charged inside, finding the first floor empty, devoid of anything living. While her team remains confused about the situation, the Lady procured the tracker and concluded that the amulet must be at the top floor along with the White Rabbit. But with their current numbers, despite their weaponry and experience, is not enough for the uncertainty that lies ahead. Ninja had called for backup at Arkham's request and notified her that they're at least four minutes away, but with the pressure of Earth's fate being at the hands of a demon bunny, time is running out.

"We go in now!" Arkham orders everyone to take the stairs and stay sharp, before going deeper inside the building and leading the charge. "We have to be ready for any kind of fucked up demon bull—"

The sound of a large metal door falling to the ground and shutting everyone in echoed loudly at the first floor, instilling fear to every DARKCOM member as they became shrouded in pure darkness. "—shit." Arkham curses under her breath. It's a trap.

After the initial panic, a few soldiers tried to contact the headquarters for help after donning night vision goggles, but the signal's jammed, effectively leaving them helpless inside. Suddenly, the White Rabbit's voice booms from the darkness, making everyone turn their weapons at the source of the sound. "Attention all residents!"

But the voice is everywhere, confusing the soldiers on where to attack. "A terrorist group known as "DARKCOM" has just entered the building." Arkham swivels to a pillar, seeing nothing, and slowly raises her gun above, where a speaker lies. It's littered all over the walls and pillars, echoing the Rabbit's voice like a mockery to their current predicament.

"Their intentions are extremely hostile."

"I'm not asking you to fight them."

"I'm simply encouraging it." Faint sounds of locks clicking in place are heard coming from the second floor after that sentence. With the confirmation that there are others inside the building, a small number of DARKCOM members started examining the doors to find a means to escape, only for their equipment to be useless against the enforced metal.

"Anyone caught engaging with them in a friendly or neutral manner will be subject to immediate execution." Realization that they're on the Rabbit's mercy dawns to them.

"Have a great day!"

Despite King's worries about the kind of creatures the residents are, Arkham insists that the mission hasn't changed. They all get to the top floor, get the amulet, and get out. However they can. A moment of silence went through before Ninja spoke up. "We're with you. Let's move." She signals for the others who were nearly petrified at their positions. While the special unit of DARKCOM is here, they also have soldiers who weren't that skilled with them, making the masked Ninja worry over their safety.

The group marches forward, each holding their weapons and guarding the others' six as they follow their lieutenant. A faint slither is moving from the vents but no one seems to notice over Sentry's monologue about the technology used to dampen the communication lines. "What kind of demon did this?"

"One slightly worse than your usual landlord." Patriot quips, making her roll her eyes before it widened upon the sudden pain from her stomach. Sentry drops her gun, the sound echoing in the silence, bringing attention to her position.

A knight looking demon impaled her with his sword.

Blood gushed out of Sentry's stomach as she was lifted in the air. "An energy sword..." She croaked before coughing out blood, smiling wryly. "How... fascinating." The demon kicks her body off of his weapon, sending her corpse flying to a wall, leaving a bloody trail as she tumbles to the ground. The shock lasted for a split second before Ninja screams for open fire.

A mix of lead and anti-demon bullets rained on the demon, who used his wings as a makeshift shield before lunging towards the nearby soldiers, cutting their bodies in half. The DARKCOM's forces slowly gets cut down as their comrades get one by one, adding to that, another demon seems to be nearby.

Vines snatched up their weapons, leaving them defenseless in front of the knight demon, as a plant-like serpent bellows from the ceiling. Multiple vines shot from the demon and speared through the unfortunate soldiers who weren't able to dodge in time, further cutting down their numbers. Even as Arkham shoots at it, it only protected itself with its "petals" before shooting at her with more vines. Ninja threw shurikens to cut them down before it could hit her lieutenant, only for her to become its new target, sending huge thorns her way.

Unable to dodge the incoming projectiles, she could only turn around and curl to herself, hoping for some of them to miss. But the pain didn't come. Looking back, her face contorted to horror upon seeing that King shielded her with his body, taking the hit for himself. "I..."

More soldiers die around them as Patriot holds off the demon knight due to the rest of his squad getting stunned from how fast every single one of them gets taken out. Unfortunately, he ran out of bullets midway, making him resort to close combat with a sword. The demon knight didn't gave him any chance to do so, however, and cut off his arm before he could even draw his weapon. Patriot dies after getting kicked to the wall, landing right beside Sentry's corpse.

Meanwhile, King was carefully laid on the floor while Ninja sobs, pleading for him to hold on. "No... Stay with me... Please!" But before he could reply, his body convulsed before bleeding out from his eyes and going still, sending her into a breakdown. The serpent demon finally revealed herself, aiming for an easy kill on Ninja, only to get barraged with bullets from Arkham to protect her only remaining teammate. Dodging every vine, she was about to land a clean shot if not for a sneak attack that sent her flying to a wall, letting go of her weapon as a vine wrapped itself around her neck. Left choking, she couldn't warn Ninja that the knight demon was behind her when her teammate aimed a gun at the demoness to avenge her lover, leading to another death. "Yes, watch them die." The snake demon slithered towards the horrified Arkham, who struggles against the vine around her neck.

"After all, it was you who marched them straight into our warm embrace." A particularly sharp vine caressed her face before retreating to spear at her head, fortunately, Arkham kicked the wall to dodge the plant, extending a hand to signal her gun back to her, shooting at the demoness and freeing herself in the process. Slamming the button of an elevator, she shoots at the knight demon who rushes to her as the elevator closes, leaving a large dent to the door but effectively fleeing from the scene as the only survivor.

Light passes through the gap of the door, indicating that the lift was moving upwards, but the lone passenger couldn't care less. Arkham is slumped to the floor, panting as flashbacks of her team's deaths replays in her mind. Sentry. King. Patriot. Ninja. And the rest of the soldiers that came with them. Arkham groans, sweat building up on her face. Vice President Baines was right. She's too impatient and can't see the whole picture. She led the charge and didn't wait for back-up. She led everyone to their deaths, and now...

Only she remains.

Arkham took one last sigh and composed herself, changing magazines and ensuring she had enough to last until she got to the rooftop. The mission hasn't changed. She needs to get the amulet even if she has to die doing so.

The elevator stops and pings, signaling her stop. There's no one in the hallway, making it easier to navigate the building. What she failed to take into account is that there will be traps laid around in case intruders come to the residential floors. Purple smoke released itself from the ceiling just a bit after she got out of the lift, forcing chemicals in her system. Coughing, the lady hadn't made it to the corner yet and she's already getting sluggish. This was a mistake on her part, now she's even more handicapped. "Shit..."

The lady slammed a door open, one leading to a flight of stairs, but her body is still acting from the earlier trap. Her sight is tinted red, and her head is throbbing like someone hit her with a blunt object, on top of it all, she's having severe hallucinations. Like how she's seeing her father right now, mouth bloody like how he looked like when he ate her mother, making her flee upstairs in fear.

The illusions got worse, as the moment she opened the door to the next floor, the corpses of her team crawled towards her, blaming her for their deaths. "You killed us... just like you killed—"

"No!" Arkham cried as she ran away, hiding in a spare room that was thankfully open. The serpent demon appears behind her, lunging for an attack, making the lady shoot her in both fear and reflex, only to end up as another hallucination. Her bullet tore holes to another door inside the room, revealing light on the other side, and upon opening, it was her father's study.

A man turns around, smiling at her appearance, with a look of love on his face. "Mary."

"Dad?"

"Look at what you've done." The scene changed from a well kept office to being engulfed in fire, as her father's skin slowly melted from his body. Mary screams as she falls from the floor as her father bares his teeth towards her.

Mary curls to herself as the pain from her fall, alongside her headache from the hallucinogen, became too much for her to handle. In her blurry vision, she could see the demon knight sauntering towards her quivering body, looking down at her sorry state. "This isn't real. You're not real..." She insists, groaning as she tries to sit up, glaring at the demon who lifted his sword in the air to strike at her.

It was the glint that convinced her to dodge, jumping out of the way as the sword made contact with the floor, reducing it to dust. "You're real." Mary aims and shoots the demon, fleeing the moment he shielded himself with his wings. Disregarding the hallucinations, she took haphazard turns to every corner, bent on losing him in the maze of corridors. But she soon reaches a dead end, with only one door in front of her and the danger of running into the demon behind, Mary opted to gamble that the room in front of her is open.

It isn't.

Mary bangs at the door and tries the handle again, before resorting to aiming her gun at the lock, praying that the demon knight won't pick up the sound. Thankfully, before she could shoot, the door opened and the resident inside shoos her away, but Arkham insists that there is nowhere to go. "I know the Rabbit threatened you, has everyone here hostage, but there is a demon right behind me."

The hooded man examines her appearance and lands his eyes on the DARKCOM insignia on her chest, averting his eyes and starts to close the door. "You're with those soldiers. We don't want any trouble..."

"There are no more soldiers!" Mary pleads, desperate even. "The demons killed them all. It's just me. Please."

The man relents. "Quickly."

A moment later, the demon knight knocks at their door, commanding them to open it. He interrogates the man in demonic language, but Mary's benefactor shook his head, taking off his hood, revealing his horns and pointed ears. She gasps silently in horror upon realizing who she got herself involved with.

The demon knight inspected the room, destroying areas where he thought Mary could be hiding, skipping the lockers where she's currently at, readying her gun just in case; but she was never found and the demon left. The man who helped her sighed as his family collapsed on the floor from fear, before opening the locker and pleading for her to leave, only to get a gun pointed at his head. "Please, just go and leave us—"

The man backs away, looking betrayed and scared. "We risked everything to protect you! Now you turn your gun on us?!" But Mary isn't listening, closing in on him while keeping her gun steady. "We want nothing from you. Just leave, please!"

"Your friends slaughtered my team!" She retorts, angry and in pain due to the hallucinations acting up, making her see them as monstrous. But they only blinked at her in surprise. "You think we're with... with them?"

"She's a sapien." The man's wife, clutching their children, scowls. "Of course she thinks all demons are the same."

Mary looks unconvinced, but was willing to hear them out at least, asking the family why they are here if they're not with the White Rabbit. They replied that they needed a way out of their world, Makai, or what it's commonly known in Earth, Hell; and the White Rabbit provided it. They claim that it's a desolate place, unsuited for life with its toxic atmosphere, adding to the fact that the strong also preys on the weak. "Only the strongest Makaians can stand to love normally."

The wife looks down and pulls her children closer. "For those like us..."

"The air itself is poison." The man looks away, clutching his fists as he remembers their former lives. "Children barely survive their first year. We couldn't accept that fate."

Mary scoffs. "Weak-ass sob story."

Her statement made the family swivel in her direction, offended on top of being scared, as she demands an explanation on how the White Rabbit got demons into Earth. The husband explains that it was due to a device the latter built, saying that the White Rabbit suddenly appeared with it a year ago, offering passage to Earth for anyone who wanted. Many families like them came, mostly for their children's sake and the promise of better living conditions in another world. "Then we realized, there is no better world for us."

The wife looks up at Mary with defiance, saying that the humans despise and fear their kind, and that they can never mix openly with them due to that. She said that they have no choice but to stay in hiding, doing whatever the Rabbit says for survival, and turning blind eye to his experiments. This falters a bit of Mary's apprehension as she inquires more about the Rabbit's actions, only for it to be revealed that he experiments on orphaned Makaians.

"All we're trying to do is survive. Like you." The man pleads once again, hoping to get through the soldier, and Mary's vision of them turned from monsters to actual people. "I know better than to trust the words of a demon," She grits her teeth, but lowers her weapon.

"But after everything that happened, maybe I don't actually know shit."

Lieutenant Mary Arkham walks towards the door, stopping shortly before she could reach for the handle. "My backup should be outside by now."

"I'll find a way to get them in, and then I'm going Rabbit Hunting." The man's eyes widened in both fear and uncertainty, but Mary turned to him with an expression devoid of discrimination. "I'll make sure you're protected."

She then turns to his wife and children. "You and the other..."

"Families."

Mary nods before pushing the door open and running off.

You remember being caught in a trap last night, due to emotions getting the best out of the both of you, resulting in the current predicament. You got to say, that lady has a knack for riling people up. What you don't understand is the use of your adoptive father in this situation. Besides his connections, he's pretty useless in the fighting side of things.

Since you're also on the same boat, you might as well try to get the most out of things. You can't hear the engine but you can feel the movement, this vehicle's going fast, are you in a highway? There's a glass window across from where you three are being kept, if you could keep your balance, you might be able to get a decent view of the road.

"I see that you're awake." The lady speaks on the other side of the barrier, without even looking at you, busy trying on a new weapon. You nearly toppled from the gas still being in your system, but your back was supported by Dante's head before you could fall. "Yo, lady!"

"Not to be a backseat driver, but I'm pretty sure this violates the Geneva Convention of something." Dante barks after peeking his head from behind you. The walls are enforced, but with how there are spaces between the tiles, you don't reckon that it's for design purposes, there's something behind it. The rope connecting both you and Dante to the wall is heavy when you try to move, you can't escape this one from bending your limbs. Only Dante might be able to force these open. There's also an unidentified clump of metal at the far corner of the room, but it looked more like trash than something important.

The lady's voice made you glance at the front seat. "The Geneva Convention only applies to humans." She glares. You're on an unfamiliar road. There are only two of DARKCOM'S forces present, one as a driver including the lady. Her new weapons seem to be reacting to her wrist bands, you should probably aim for it once you're free. The driver is quiet, but you remember meeting eyes with him last night, he's the only one who wasn't grinning down at you two.

He looked remorseful.

At her words, Enzo enthusiastically crawled forwards with a hopeful smile, brandishing the ropes around his body in hopes of being freed. "I'm a human!"

You might be able to use him.

"In your case, I think the UN would understand." He faltered at that, and you slumped back to the floor with a sigh. Where are the others? You don't see Dante's amulet from the lady. Were you being transported separately? Where? Why? Why is DARKCOM here? Why now?

"This has gotta be the second-worst job you ever gave me." You yawned when Dante snapped at Enzo, not wanting to deal with whatever ruckus they'll get into again. You're still tired... This sucks. "Oh, you mean after the Raccoon City job?"

Ah, Raccoon City. That was fucked up if not for who you met along the way.

"Third-worst."

"God, I should've ran away with Leon when he offered." You groaned loudly.

Dante sounded scandalized at that, gasping loudly and scooting beside you with an offended expression. "Wha- hey!"

You smiled and turned to the DARKCOM members, cutting him off. "I think we started on the wrong foot, miss. Of course, we'll get angry when you suddenly barge in like that. You should've just told us what you want and we might've agreed on a resolution." Your change in attitude confuses the men behind you, shrugging to themselves over your action.

"Oh, right! I didn't see you yesterday night, sir. Only the lady came to get us after all. Are you perhaps the back-up?"

He twitched at that, focus momentarily taken away from the wheel. He looks jittery. His silence and small acknowledgement from the way he turned at you egged you on to continue.

"Or a newcomer?"

He glanced at the rearview mirror. He's fresh meat. Maybe that's why he looked guilty.

Having empathy is nice and all, but not in a job such as in DARKCOM. How did this guy got accepted? That is the elite force that deals with supernatural shit, not where you sympathize with your targets. But if you appeal to him, he's more likely to slip up than the lady. "I see! I hope you'll be gentler than her, we've been beaten up quite hard..." You sighed. "It really hurt. On top of that, we're called demons despite proving otherwise. Isn't it unfair? Don't you think so?" You put on the most pitiful voice and face you could, looking up at the mirror where the driver's also observing you, this time looking extremely conflicted. Does he have kids? You're fairly confident about how young you look. If you could sow discord—

You got pulled to the wall before you knew it, back slamming at the metal and nearly knocking you out from the force. Enzo gaped while Dante screamed at the sight, charging towards the lady, who also activated his restraints for him to be pulled back alongside you. Fuck that hurt.

"There's a reason why you're bound like that. We put on a helmet just in case you tried any more tricks. But, clearly the Hellblood's under your control." She sneered back at Dante. "Fucker kept removing it to the point of unrecognizable." Is that what that thing at the corner is?

"I know your games, (Y/N)." She narrowed her eyes on you. "Those questions weren't harmless, I know you're already plotting to escape."

"No shit, who wouldn't." You snarked back with a groan, the pain waking you up completely.

The lady frowned and crossed her arms, fully facing the three of you behind the glass. "It's a shame. I've read about you. Child of a former DARKCOM officer who had their whole family killed by demons. Logically, you should be on our side, fighting against the vermin who hurt you, and yet you're fraternizing with one." Tsk. What a way to dig up old memories. You're not that surprised that neither Enzo nor Dante knew, as the former only thought of you as a lost child and you already met the latter while living with your adoptive father. "You're one of them?!"

"I wouldn't be here with you if I was." You replied with an annoyed sigh.

Yet the lady kept babbling about setting you on the right path once you arrived at the headquarters. You bite a joke about getting brainwashed like her to avoid any more repercussions. While you appreciate a job offer, not at the expense of Dante. Though, he seems unphased at the situation, just struggling to get out of his binds. What kind of material are these made of? To think he can't brute force his way with this...

"I thought you're supposed to be the strongest demon hunter alive." You chuckled at his strained expression. He insists that the lady put something in him on that injection, that's why he's weaker than usual, but quickly adds up that he's already recovering with a huff. "I bet you wish that your Leon's here with you instead, huh?" Dante looked away with another huff, lightly tapping your thigh with his, but before you could complain about his sulking, you got the message.

You glanced up to see those two occupied, and turned to your side to signal him to get his boot closer. Upon getting both the buckles out, you two worked quietly to dismantle the cuffs from behind. The hope for escape was suddenly cut short when a voice boomed from a speaker. It's the Vice President, William Baines.

He praised Dante's abilities, not acknowledging either you or Enzo. Good, you could use that to focus on breaking free. Baines quotes that Lieutenant Arkham claims him to be part demon, which is something Dante immediately refutes, claiming that while he has abilities, it's just some weird mutation.

Arkham? Is that the lady's last name?

"Your mother and your brother, they're both killed by demons, is that right?" His statement made both you and Dante stop to look up at the speaker in apprehension. How do they know that? How much do they already know?

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all have dead families and traumatic childhoods." Arkham mutters under her breath.

Both of you turned to your adoptive father, silently judging him for how much he revealed despite trying to convince you that he didn't talk. He eventually confessed that he did, but insisted that he's also a victim in this. Baines continued with a question about Dante's father, to which the young man replied that he hadn't met him with a conflicted expression. This is getting on your nerves, that man kept speaking about how he can still be saved if he proves his worth to God. You scoffed. Is he one of those crazy religious type of guys? Did DARKCOM turn into a cult?! Maybe you dodged the bullet with how you didn't end up with them instead.

Arkham cuts in and insisted that it's a waste of time to try and "save" Dante, suggesting that you're enough to take back with them, insisting that no matter what, Dante is a demon and an enemy. Baines corrects her, saying that while her passion is her strength, she needs to see the whole picture. Dante is an asset to fight off other demons. What?!

They plan to use Dante?! You swivel to his direction, worry crossing your features, but he only grinned in response, silently urging you to break free from your binds too. You expected this. Of course you'll consider using him if you're in their shoes too. Someone with supernatural abilities that's strong enough to fight off demons? Forget using unorthodox methods, he's a living one man army. But that's different. You're not one of them. And Dante's...

The vehicle comes to a stop, and when you looked up, it seems like there's traffic in front. The driver's comment about checking it out confirmed your suspicions, making you two hurry with jamming the buckles in the cuffs. "I've figured you out, Hellblood." What now?? Arkham's voice echoes from beyond the glass, her expression shooting daggers from the mirror. "I don't know what kind of pact you made with (Y/N) for you to come to their beck and call, but do you really think this whole jabbering moron act was going to work?"

Dante tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "Uh, maybe. What act are you talking about?"

"The one where you don't know you're a demon? You just happen to be walking around with half the key to Hell around your neck?" Key to what?!

"Key to hell?" Both you and Dante looked at her incredulously. "Whoa, woah, woah." He chuckles, "I think you've all got the wrong necklace, seriously."

"It's just some old family heirloom my mom gave me."

The moment he said that, a shockwave violently shook the vehicle, throwing you three against each other. Soon, more quakes appeared, and over the small window you can see from where you're at, debris from a destroyed building is falling straight to the road, damaging the cars around. The lady frantically contacted her squad, yelling over the speaker while looking around for the source of the bombings. She locked eyes at the perpetrator from above, one beyond your line of sight, but judging from her horrified expression, it ain't human.

Your car toppled over from an explosion after that.

"Are you teaching them how to handle a gun, again?" Your mother sighs by the doorway, arms crossed as she raises a brow at the sight. "They won't learn anything if they can't experience the real thing. They should know about the drawback when it comes to shooting a gun."

"They're only five." Your father protests as you keep your attention on your mom, who had gone over to pick up the empty gun you used for practice. "This is too heavy for them, I bet they can't even lift this properly on one hand." She frowns as she examines the weapon, weighing it on her hand, cocking it before aiming at the target in a swift motion. Like what happened to you, the gun clicks itself due to the lack of ammo.

"I'm going to build their strength, of course!" Your father laughed heartily and grabbed your mother's waist in one hand while he carried you on the other. "Then they'll join the army, get promoted, and soon join my squad!"

"You mean DARKCOM?" You asked, tilting your head to the side, lacking excitement that your father wanted to see in his children whenever he gives them the push to join the army.

"Of course, baby." He grins and leaned his head over yours. "We'll eradicate this world of demons, you and I."

"They can't even finish their food." Your brother snickers from the inside of the house, face smug as he teases you. "How can you expect them to survive in the army, Dad?"

Your family laughed as you struggled against your father's grip, knowing that you'll chase your brother in retaliation once you break free.

"Listen 'kay? Mum doesn't have to know about this, okay?"

"Okay."

"You won't tell? Promise?"

"Promise." You nodded with excitement, barely six years old as you trail behind your older brother and his friends. You noticed him sneaking out at night in the past few weeks and insisted on coming with you when you finally caught up. He seems to think that you'll tattle to your parents but you're not a snitch! Besides, you've never snuck out like this! So you agreed, nonetheless.

You don't know where they're going, but you have a rough idea of what they're doing, having seen "clues" inside your brother's drawers. Bullets. But not the usual calibers, no, there's a vial of something green inside.

You tugged at your brother's hand as he held yours to keep you two from being separated. "Where are we going?" But he only grinned, telling you that this is just like the training your father gives the both of you. "Shooting?"

"But better, we'll be shooting real targets." His friends all donned a kind of smile that looked a bit too smug. You can't quite pinpoint why this feels wrong all of the sudden, maybe you should've told your parents about this before. But looking back, you can't exactly go back on your own, as you've been going through dark alleys and corners. Just where are you headed that permits going to an abandoned warehouse?

"There's our guy!" A man laughs upon seeing your group, greeting them with a handshake and a hug. There are a few older men around the area, each in possession of rifles or guns, before landing their eyes on you. "Is this the young master?" One of them crouched down to your eye level and grinned, trying to coax you out from hiding behind your brother.

"They insisted on coming." Your sibling laughs and pats your head, telling you that it's alright to meet the others. At his words, the men around nodded and smiled at each other, noting that it's better for them to start early so they get used to it soon. At that time, you had no idea what they were about to let you join in, but with how you are right now. You deeply regret asking to come.

Inside the warehouse are cages that contain a few green humanoid creatures, with tiny horns that protrude on their heads. The older, bigger ones, grimaced at your appearance, speaking in something you fail to understand, but they look more concerned than afraid. Their fear returned moments later when one of the men kicked their cage, rattling the demons inside. Your brother hands you a strange looking gun, a bit blocky compared to the usual firearms that your father makes you practice with, before helping you aim at a demon that they let out.

That demon was about your size, they looked at you with wide eyes, arms raised in surrender while pleading to you in a foreign language. It looks weak, hunger-stricken based on the dip on their body and the obvious marks that littered around their skin. One of the men with you kicked them down when they reached out to you, sensing your reluctance to hurt them, but they weren't the only ones who noticed. The people around you kept talking about how demons are the pests of the world, of how they are nothing more than insects meant to be crushed down, and that you shouldn't hesitate in killing them.

"Kill it!"

"Shoot it. (Y/N)!"

"Shoot!"

You woke up with a jolt, before immediately squinting your eyes due to the sudden brightness above, although something seemed to have blocked it the moment you closed your eyes. Your neck aches a bit due to how stiff your "pillow" is, making you groan and turn your head, but something keeps bugging you.

Why the hell do you smell Dante?

It's not even a whiff, you genuinely smell the guy like he's smushing you close to his chest whenever he needs to protect you. While it's comforting at times, it starts to reek. Not only that, you can't move your legs nor your arms, are you bound? With an exhale, you open your eyes.

And there he is, looking down at you with an uncharacteristic serious face, and speaking with a gruff tone. "Hey you, you’re finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right?"

"You walked right into that imperial ambus-"

"Are you seriously quoting Skyrim right now?" You squinted with a frown, making him shrug. Groaning, you squirmed as you recalled the events of last night. Right, you got caught. Damn it, this wasn't how you planned this out! ...It's alright, you can flip this out to your favor later. You tried sitting up but failed after a few attempts, the sleeping gas might still be in your system, and Dante's thighs weren't much of a cushion for your fall.

"No wonder the pillow was hard." You sighed with a deadpan tone, missing the glint on Dante's eyes upon your words.

"You know what else is hard?"

You never sat up so fast in your life, accidentally giving Dante a headbutt, granted, that wasn't your intention, but hey, at least you got to sit up!