Vestigia Amissa (Complete Vergil's PoV)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/79623621/chapters/213792071
Prologue
I did not know how long I had been in Hell with Dante. The days were much the same. We took turns standing watch, we fought, we fed on demon flesh, and then everything repeated anew. The only way to escape the monotony was to measure ourselves against one another in combat time and again, or to endure Dante’s constant needling. "I know, I know... I’m asking you for the thousandth time... Won't you finally tell me who Nero’s mother is?" It was a question he asked truly often. Perhaps out of disbelief, or a fascination that I had once dared, in my youth, to love a woman. I had to admit to myself: it was for the best that he did not know what my human side had done in his absence. He surely would have used it against me. I only grinned at him. By now, it was no longer out of mockery, but amusement. "A counter-question... You, seemingly, never had any luck with women. Why is that?" I jeered with a hint of arrogance, solely to silence him. It worked; my younger brother looked at me, tight-lipped. His hair had grown longer, and his beard—along with the grime on our skin and clothes—did the rest to make him look even more like a vagabond. We had been in this hostile environment for too long. But then, it seemed he found the courage to stand his ground verbally. "Your son... has very little of your character. So, I already know that this woman must have had quite a mouth on her, and she must have been truly in love with you, considering how he clings to your future daughter-in-law," he said, attempting to throw me off balance. Unimpressed, I reached for the collar of my vest and gave it a slight tug. "If that is what you believe," I replied, sensing something. My hand moved to the hilt of my Yamato. Suddenly, a rift opened behind us. The topic of Nero’s mother was forgotten, at least for this moment. "Look at that, Verg! Maybe we can get out of this sewer!" my brother exulted, summoning his sword with a wide grin. It didn't take long for the first demons to appear, having likely sensed the rift. A grin spread across my features. A mocking one this time, for these demons were very weak, though numerous. "I’m curious to see how many I can take down this time!" Dante cried with enthusiasm, already beginning to tear the demons apart. "Fewer than me," I murmured to myself and followed suit. With elegant movements on my part paired with Dante's raw force, we dispatched the last demon together at the same time. "Good grief... either we’ve really become a good team, or they’ve just gone soft... where the hell is the challenge?!" my younger brother complained, but my attention was fixed on the rift. "Dante." I called his name simply, staring at the rift, which had grown larger during the brief struggle. Something told me it would lead us toward home. I took a deep breath, but in a way that was unnoticeable to those nearby. We were aware that Hell was inseparably linked to the human world. Rifts would always appear. At least we could take comfort in the fact that the portals had been destroyed or banished by our father Sparda, and by us. However, there was no final certainty; there could always be someone who, out of a lust for power, would find a way to open a portal. I looked down at the blade of my drawn Yamato. My eyes felt heavy. Have I grown tired? Or is this homesickness?
A weight on my shoulder—I cast an exasperated look at the culprit. Dante stared at me with a smugness that was nearly unbearable. "Shall we?" he asked with a broad grin. I looked at him, unimpressed. But then I nodded and looked toward the rift, which revealed a few buildings. "Let’s go..." I said, noticing Dante flinch slightly out of the corner of my eye. I felt his gaze on me, but he said nothing. "Come on, or I’ll leave you here." Without paying him any further mind, I stepped through, followed closely by him. The light of day blinded me. I raised my hand for protection, trying to get used to it once again. "Oh... where have we landed? This doesn't look like Red Grave or Fortuna..." Dante remarked, letting out a deep sigh. "Can you make a portal?" That was easy prey for me. "Didn't you say my portal-opening days were over?" I retorted with scorn, giving Yamato a playful flourish. Then I closed the rift before any demons could enter the human world. "That was before you became an anti-hero..." His grin widened. "I’m really glad that maybe we can be a family again soon... together with Nero. And who knows? Maybe we’ll manage to give our family business a new polish!" I took another secret breath and raised my sword. "If that is what you believe?"
And so, I opened a portal for the both of us and stepped through in silence.
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