Chapter 3: To Your Grave

It took you and Blake a few days to travel across the desert and arrive in Vacuo. Considering how sand-ridden your clothes were, you're happy you didn't have to stay there for long. Now you and Blake travel in a civilian airship, commonly used by tourists or businessmen. Thanks to the tickets provided to you, you're not in a general room with windows, watching the landscape as they travel. You two get your own private room with beds, a couch, fridge, and television.

Blake is the only one in the room right now, contemplating everything that happened prior. You fought some giant fire monster, that you claim to be a demon, and somehow survived. You were stabbed, beaten, set ablaze, and it all seemed like a minor inconvenience to you. It wasn't Aura. You had nothing protecting you, at least that she could see. So what's your secret? Some ridiculous healing Semblance? Does someone really have a Semblance that makes you immortal? Is that even possible? But, if that's true, why are you so terrible? Even Blake can tell that you accidentally won that battle. Every intentional attack you tried ended in failure. You don't even have a proper battle sense... so how is it you managed to win? Or even survive before? Are you completely reliant on your healing?

Before she can continue down this track, you open the door with two massive plates of food.

"I didn't really know what you liked, so I just kinda grabbed the biggest plate and threw everything on there," you chuckle, then set down Blake's plate on the center table.

"Oh... thanks."

You take a seat with your own plate of food. "I asked one of the crew members how long it would take to get to Atlas. It's a slow ship, so we'll be traveling till late tomorrow."

"Okay..." Blake merely pushes the food around the plate without attempting to eat any.

"Huh... are you okay?" You throw caution to the side, not wanting her to feel down for the entire trip.

The silence is nearly as tense as Vergil's gaze, that pressure scares Blake... or maybe you're the one that scares her now.

"I'm fine," Blake gets up and leaves the room.

Your eyes drift to the floor and you sigh. "Darn... I guess she's still a little shaken. I should give her more time," you grab another bite of food, though the new tone of the room ruins your enjoyment. "Aw man," you pout, then lay back on the couch and exhale. "I... this is going to be awkward if I don't address this. We're stuck on this ship for a day, after all."

"You can do it, boy!" The gun shouts from your bed.

"Right," you hop off the couch and head for the door. You stop right as your hand touches the metal, looking back at the food. "I guess I'll just have to get more later."

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"Ah, why did I do that?" Blake smacks her head. "I made it so awkward... so weird!" The Faunus paces along outside of the ship, in the rest area. "I just... this is all so weird. I wish Yang was here... or Ruby or Weiss. I'm so... I don't know what to do here," Blake crosses her arms and looks out into the sky. "I should've been nicer... he saved me... even with my friends, I doubt we would've been able to beat that thing. But I just don't understand it. I should just ask," Blake's determination kicks in. "He doesn't deserve this."

The girl turns around and spots two people, a man and woman, conversing about the sight they're about to feast upon. Blake, with a purpose, heads for the door. As soon as she passes beside the man, she hears a whisper.

"You have the scent of Sparda on you."

Blake horrifyingly turns her head towards the man. His once normal appearance has transformed into a deformed creature with a meat-like texture all around its body. The eyes, or what she thinks are the eyes, are drooping and hanging around the drooling mouth. A fleshy tendril wraps around Blake's neck, flinging her up in the air only to slam her down on the hull of the ship. The girl is completely helpless as she's dragged across the metal until being lifted off the ground and into the air before the two demons. Blake's fighting spirit is completely destroyed upon looking at these abominations.

"She knows... she knows..."

"Sparda... where is he?"

The slurred voices shake Blake to the core. The woman merely shakes her legs to try and touch the floor again while less and less oxygen flows into her lungs.

"Is she here?" You open the door and witness what's happening to Blake. "Blake? You're- wait!"

"Sparda!" They turn to you and throw the woman across the hull.

Blake rolls to a stop, thankfully not falling off the ship. You go to grab Force Edge but there's nothing there. You left it in the room.

"Well, how about- wah!" Two meaty tendrils grab both legs and pull you towards them. They hang you before each of them, watching you dangle upside down.

"Sparda... you're the weak spawn."

"Use me."

"Wha?"

"Use me. Ignite me!"

"Oh, right," you smirk at them. "Potluck. Time to bring some heat!" Balrog suddenly spawns on you and ignites. With their hands wrapped around the boot, they're caught ablaze by the Devil Arm.

The demons scream and drop you, allowing you carefully get to your feet.

"Alright, demons! I'm a Son of Sparda, slayer of demons, and I bested Balrog!" You spin around, almost falling over, but you steady yourself. "And now, you better run away before I do the big punch! You think you can handle the heat?"

"A mix of stupidity and intimidation. I underestimated you," Balrog speaks aloud.

"Heh, right?" You whisper back. "I can be pretty cool," you get into a fighting stance reminiscent of Vergil's.

"We'll take your power! For our new lord!" The demon shouts, slithering towards you in an inhuman fashion.

Okay, (Y/N), I can't mess up this time,

You think about how Vergil fought, all the moves he did. You pull your arm back, the flames swirling around your fist.

"Now," Balrog shouts.

You throw your fist up, the intense flaming blow connecting with the demon's face to completely blow it off. You follow the momentum, now in the air.

"Holy crap! That was awesome!" You focus on the next demon and use Trickster to appear, to your surprise, directly in front of it. "Oh, hey!" You start throwing your right fist at the demon over and over, increasing the blaze around you. You follow up with a left punch, knocking the demon that way. In a rage, it swings and knocks you backwards. Your feet, also flaming, end up slamming into the demon's stomach and exploding with the built up fire.

You get back on your feet, ready to fight, but the demon disintegrates. "Oh... I mean," you wipe your nose and smile. "I meant to do that. Oh," you quickly scan the area. "Blake!" You run over to her while she's slowly getting to her feet, shaking the entire time. "Are you okay? You're..." You shake your head, deciding to just directly help her. You move under her arm and lift her up. "Come on, let's get you back to the room."

"Y-Yeah..."

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You wrap Blake around in a blanket and hold two cups out for her. "Coffee? Tea?"

"Tea."

You hand her the left cup while setting the other one down.

"Demons on here, eh?" Kaimira speaks. "They're really after you, Sparda boy."

"More than normal, honestly," you take a seat. "Usually they avoid me."

"I still can't believe it... demons..."

"Oh, yeah," you give her a comforting smile. "It was surprising to me when I first figured it out too."

"You're a demon yourself. You didn't know?" The gun asks.

"I didn't know for a while," you stretch your arms. "I'm not like my brothers."

"You're... a demon?" Blake shakily asks.

"Oh... crap," you scold yourself under your breath. "Well, not exactly. Sparda, the guy you hear about," Blake nods, following along. "Well, he was some super strong demon who cut off the Demon World from this one. He was also my dad. It's the reason I'm still alive, honestly," you rub the back of your head and laugh. "It lets me heal a ton."

"That's how you do it... it's not a Semblance."

"Oh, no. I think my demon blood prevents me from that Aura stuff. I mean, I can't prove it, but neither of my brothers have it either, so," you shrug. "Look, I can see you're not used to this side of it all. Huntsmen and Huntresses tend to deal with Grimm only. But... you don't have to be scared of me," you lightly place your hand on hers. "I'm really not like any of them. Honestly, I'm the least demonic half-breed, I think."

Blake stops shaking when your hand rests on hers. She's so overwhelmed by this revelation, but somehow she trusts you. You aren't scary, you act like a kind individual, and you've fought off demons on multiple occasions. You've even saved her life three times now.

"I... I get it. I'm sorry... I just don't know how to handle this. Are... these demons going to be everywhere we go?"

"I don't know," you say in a happier tone. "Maybe... whatever these objects we're looking for are, they have significance to demons. Vergil wouldn't be searching for them if not. I just hope we don't run into him again," you chuckle. "I really can't beat my brothers. Even Dante has a hard time with Vergil."

"He's the strongest?"

"Probably, yeah," you laugh again. "But he's not so bad... we may get into fights a lot, and my brothers definitely don't get along often, but even Vergil cares."

"Didn't he try to kill you?"

"Ha, kinda. You know, he saved me once. That's when I first figured out I had demonic blood."

"What happened?" Blake inquires.

"That... should be for another time. You should rest up," you stand up and stretch. "I'm gonna get more food. This is cold," you grab the plates and let the food fall into the garbage. "We'll get to Atlas in no time."

"But-"

"Get some sleep, Blake. You're shaking, you're scared. You need to relax a bit," you walk over and pat her shoulder.

"Don't worry, lassy. He's a baby demon hunter."

"Exact...ly..." You frown at the gun. "I'll remember this."

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"General Ironwood, sir," Winter Schnee stands at attention before the General's seat. "I have a report."

"Go ahead, Winter."

"Our system reports that the Beacon student, Blake Belladonna, and a man accompanying her, (Y/N) Redgrave."

"Redgrave, huh?" Ironwood shakes his head. "That city..."

"However, sir, you asked us to keep an eye out on any white haired men."

"Yes?"

"Well, (Y/N) Redgrave fits that description, along with an unknown who was spotted in Mantel."

"Was he in blue?"

"We... don't know, sir," Winter remains at attention. "He was wearing a cloak."

"I see... alert all soldiers in Mantel and keep our security tight here in Atlas. Redgrave and Belladonna are welcome. I wish to see them when they arrive. The other one... Vergil... we must keep him away."

"Yes, sir!"

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"Hey, Blake," you lightly shake her. "We're approaching Atlas!"

The Faunus' eyes slowly flutter open. "We... are?"

"Yeah. I already showered so you're free to freshen up! They said we'll be docking in half an hour. I'll grab all my stuff," you start by sliding Kaimira into your holster. "And meet you at the observation deck!"

"Okay," Blake rubs her eyes and gets on her feet.

You grab Force Edge off the wall and attach it to your back. You watch Blake saunter into the bathroom, thus giving you no reason to remain here. You leave the room and walk down the hall, passing by some others who're spending their remaining time chatting with friends or loved ones. You keep going to the general area where there's some snack bars, drinks, and plenty of room for casual conversation. You approach the window, noticing a few Atlas soldiers following you with their eyes.

I guess I do have a sword and gun. I stand out.

You brush it off and look out towards the sky. Your mind drifts to thinking about your family, about Vergil and Dante. Talking to Blake about it has sparked those memories of you meeting your brothers at the age of 16. You want to remember earlier, but it's hard. Unlike your brothers, you don't really remember your mother. You don't even remember the attack on your house. The demons destroyed your home and everything around it. They were looking for your family... but you weren't there. You were in Vale for a sleepover and never ended up leaving. You were too young to understand, being four years old at the time. You eventually forgot about your brothers and lived life like a regular human. All of that changed when the demons attacked.

"(Y/N)."

"Gah," you flinch, looking back at a freshened up Blake. "Oh, hey, you changed."

Blake looks down at her new outfit - white shirt, black bands wrapped around her forearms, similarly black pants and boots. "Yeah... I've worn it before. Yang called it my "Intruder" outfit."

"Intruder? Why?"

"I'm not really sure," the girl giggles. "But I don't mind it."

"Looks... not great for Atlas," you look down at her exposed midriff. "But it looks good!"

"Atlas has artificial heat. I'll be fine," Blake smiles at you. "And... well, thank you."

"You seem a lot happier!"

"I definitely needed some rest. I... also think I feel a lot safer around you."

"Really? Huh," you scratch your head. "Never heard that one before."

"I also want to apologize," she shifts to a more serious tone. "I was very distant and cold towards you, and all you've done is be nice and help me."

"Hey, don't worry about it," you wave off. "I was just some rando. I don't blame you for not trusting me. But we'll work together from here on out and get these relics, right?"

Blake is set at ease by your forgiveness. She shouldn't have expected any different, when reflecting. You've just been a big dork this entire time... and been really nice to her as well.

"Right," she nods with a smile.

"There we go," you point at her face. "Keep the smile up. It's contagious."

"We'll be arriving in Atlas in five minutes. If you're still in your room, please-"

"Alright, cool," you say, looking up at the intercom. "Where are we supposed to find this person?"

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You and Blake are the first off the ship, to your surprise. The soldiers didn't search you like they did the others. In fact, it made you laugh when you walked right past them only for the subsequent people to be stopped and searched. You and Blake get off the ramp and are immediately met by a small platoon of Atlas soldiers, human and robot, with a white haired woman standing before them.

"Blake Belladonna, (Y/N) Redgrave?"

"Winter?" Blake whispers.

"Winter?" You lean closer.

"She's my teammate's sister."

"Oh... this doesn't feel very welcoming," your eyes glaze across the soldiers with guns.

"General Ironwood has requested you meet him immediately. I'm here to escort you."

"Huh, well that's nice of him," you step forward. "Is that who you were supposed to meet?" You look over your shoulder at the girl.

"No," Blake shakes her head. "But the General is a friend of Professor Ozpin, so..."

"That settles it," you return your gaze to Winter and smile. "Please, escort away."

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You and Blake are silently brought through the floating city of Atlas to the academy, and then to Ironwood's office. Winter opens the door for you, allowing you to enter first. The rest of the soldiers wait outside while you, Blake, and finally Winter enter. At the desk is a man who you can easily see is battle hardened... or perhaps just tired.

"Ms. Belladonna. Good to see you again."

"General," Blake bows her head a bit.

"And you... I haven't met you before," he exits his seat and walks around the desk, approaching you. "I'm James Ironwood. General of the Atlas military and Headmaster of this academy."

"Oh, uh, (Y/N)," you shake his hand. "I... uh... I'm an employee of Devil May Cry."

"So I've heard. Your establishment is well renowned... though I only ever hear of Dante."

"Yeah..." You mask your shame with a laugh. "He always gets the cool jobs."

"I see," Ironwood examines you up and down, taking note of your weapons, clothing, and even that signature white hair. "Well, I'm sure you won't disappoint."

"General," Blake speaks up. "I was told we're supposed to meet with women to find these artifacts. Did she tell you, or..?"

"Unfortunately, she was found dead less than an hour ago," Ironwood heads back to his desk. "This is the suspect," he clicks the table and an image, crystal clear, of a cloaked man with his katana piercing through the woman's chest.

Your brows furrow, instantly recognizing the man to be Vergil. The weapon is clearly Yamato, you've seen it more than enough times to know, and that cloak is the same style Vergil fancies.

"Is that..."

"Ozpin told me you were attacked as well, and the artifact was stolen. We think it's the same person."

Blake looks to you, but you remain silent.

"So... did he get the artifact that was here?"

"Well," Ironwood shuts off the image. "The artifact was never in Atlas. Originally, Ozpin was going to request I transport her there, but..." The General tilts his head towards his desk. "Things have happened. She was absolutely certain of where your artifact is, however. And, by your list of locations, it's close to your last destination."

Blake sighs a little when she hears that, something you notice.

"Where is it?" You press.

"We'll be taking you to what's left of Red Grave City."

Your body tenses up for a moment. You haven't been back there since you were a child. You don't even remember it. You can't imagine how torn up it is, how many bones are lying around, stained with dry blood. Demons will probably be everywhere, too, and they'll catch your scent like it's a signal fire.

And that puts Blake in danger...

"Tsk," you shake your head. "I see... alright. Thank you, General," you put on a smile for formalities. "We're ready."

"Red Grave..." Blake whispers. "I've only ever heard of it."

"And now you'll get to see it," Ironwood sits down. "I'm sending you with a Bullhead and a small escort. They'll stay with the ship, make sure nothing happens to it."

"They're equipped for what's there?" You step forward, hoping Ironwood gets your hint.

"I am aware of the... unique enemies that may be present. I assure you, the soldiers accompanying you are the best of the best."

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"Sucks that we're just being sent across the world now," you sigh, taking a seat in the Bullhead. "Could've saved time if we went right there."

"It's odd why Ironwood didn't just tell Ozpin. I'm sure he could have called me." Blake sits beside you and huffs. "I'm surprised he hasn't told me about my team."

You can tell Blake's downtrodden about her team. You hesitantly places your hand over hers, on her leg, which gets her attention. "They'll be okay. You recovered, right?"

"Y-Yeah... I did."

"So don't worry. We have to focus on where we're going."

"On the now?" Blake shifts her hand but keeps it under yours.

"Exactly!" You flash a smile and pat her hand before retracting it. "We'll go to..." You pause, your eyes drifting away as you're sucked into your mind. Blake easily notices this.

"Do you... know about Red Grave?"

"Well..."

"Wait," Blake places a hand on her chin. "Your name... Winter called you Redgrave."

"She's got you there, sonny," Kaimira adds.

"Oh, so now you start talking!" You look down at your leg.

"I thought ye might not want me to get attention!"

"Well I didn't so thank you!" You say in a similarly angry tone, despite the friendly words.

Blake leans closer, attempting to pressure you into answering. "So... you didn't answer my question."

"R-Right," you try to shimmer back. "Well... it's the last name my brother uses. I don't actually remember what our real last name is."

"But why Red Grave? Why after the city?"

"Hehe..." You nervously sweat. "One of life's mysteries."

"Looks like you're settled in," a man with short brown hair and green eyes greets. "Name's Clover, leader of Ace-Ops." As soon as the words leave his lips, the rest of his team enter the airship. They all give a brief wave before either taking a seat across from you or setting up in the cockpit. "We're gonna get you to Red Grave and make sure you have a way out."

"We're the best of the best," the woman with a shaved head with two platinum blonde portions that stick up at the front. "You got nothing to worry about."

"Harriet's right," Clover affirms. "But I hear you're not too shabby yourself, for a student," he focuses on Blake.

"I try my best," the Faunus nods. "I owe it to my team."

"And you," he turns his head to you. "I've heard interesting things about you."

"Hehe," you rub the back of your head. "I'm sure you have."

"Ship's ready, Clover," a male speaks from the front.

"Well," Clover claps. "Let's not waste any time."

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The airship soars over the land and approaches a massive city, grey and dull. The walls are crumbling while buildings follow. There are no lights, no fires, nothing to indicate anybody still down there. Blake looks out the window, observing the city.

"Wow..."

"Yeah," you shuffle in your seat. "Wow..."

"The coordinates you showed me were near the center of the city. Do you want to airdrop while we find a place to land?"

"We can do that," Blake nods before heading to the back. "Are you ready?"

"Ready?"

Clover opens up the side door. "Get ready to jump in five."

"Five?"

"Come on!" Blake waves before leaping out of the ship.

"AH!" You push off the seat and look down. "She just jumped..."

"Hurry up!" A woman from the cockpit shouts.

You take a deep breath. "Man..." You hop out of the ship and feel the rush of wind push against you.

Is this a normal thing?

Your eyes dart back and forth to find where Blake is. You soon spot the girl getting closer and closer to the ground. You dive down to catch up with her, but she's already going too fast. When you both get closer to the ground, Blake takes out her weapon and throws it at one of the taller buildings. She swings down and up, landing on the building with relative grace. You, on the other hand, don't know what to do.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" You crash onto the street like a meteor, leaving a small crater on impact.

"(Y/N)!" Blake shouts from atop the building. She jumps down, swinging on one of the light posts to soften the fall and direct her towards you.

You're buried under rubble, a twitching leg is the only thing visible.

"Are you okay?"

Your voice is muffled by the debris atop you. Blake grabs your leg and pulls you out of the rubble. You're completely covered in dust, clothes and skin. You take a deep breath of fresh air. "That's better... how did you make it?"

"With my weapon," Blake chuckles. "You're not supposed to just hit the ground."

"Oh... Yeah," you wipe your face from the dirt and start to stand. "That makes sense. Oh," you stretch your arms and back. "That was a doozie," you let out a sigh and take in the sights. "Red Grave, huh? It's been a while."

"This is Ace-Ops. You reading me?"

Blake grabs her scroll. "We do."

"We've found a clearing, sending you the coordinates now. Get what you need and get out. This shouldn't take long."

"Roger. I have where we need to go," she looks at you. "It's... this way," she starts walking towards an alley. "We can cut through here."

"Sparda."

"Sparda."

"Sparda."

You pause at the whispers flowing through the city.

"They're here all right," Kaimira confirms.

"Yeah... I'm not surprised."

"(Y/N)!" Blake waves from the alley. "Come on!"

"Right," you run to catch up with the girl. "This is..." You slow down when you get behind her, following Blake's lead. "My soul feels uneven."

"What does that mean? Are you okay? Seriously, what is this place to you?"

"Heh," you and Blake exit the alley and come to a massive hole with crumbled walls and water below. "I was born here," you step ahead of Blake. "We're going straight ahead, aren't we?" You look over rubble and spot a few places - one which you've merely heard of and the other you have a very faint memory of.

"Yes, actually. How did you-"

"Great..." You huff. "No need to wait. Demons will probably be on their way soon."

You grab Blake and take a few steps back.

"Hey!"

"I can jump... probably." You sprint forward, Blake shouting at you the entire time, even when you leap off the corner and soar over the empty hole below. However... you realize you're not gonna make it.

"(Y/N)!"

"I know!" You spin around, taking the blunt force of the broken pipe. You cough up some saliva before falling to the incline below. You keep Blake safe by holding her a little higher. When you land, you slip and fall on your bottom. However, Blake is still untouched.

"Well... that could've gone better," you let Blake get to her feet before you stand yourself. "But, we're close..." You look around at your current location. Despite the one fallen building you fell against, everything else is fairly open. You spot a small section, the metal fence still somehow standing, if warped. "This was where you were, right, Vergil?"

"Are you okay?" Blake steps beside you. "We're almost there. From what I can tell we have to go-"

"There, right?" You point across a chasm to a run down house with a red roof.

"Y-Yeah. How did you..?"

"Heh," you start walking. "Come on. I'll tell you when we get there."

Blake watches you pass by her and jump down into the chasm below. That chasm leads to her mission, and her desire. Her desire to learn what happened to you. What happened to this place? The Faunus jumps down and runs after you.

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Through the underground, path after path, rubble surrounding everything, you and Blake eventually climb back out and see this broken house for all it's glory. You stop before it, a feeling of unease and fear running through your body as it was your blood.

"I always heard of this night," Kaimira speaks. "But..."

"Yeah," you cut in. "This... hm..." You move ahead of Blake and take in the sights. You haven't thought of this place in years. The trees that were once bright and beautiful are decayed, barely hanging onto life. The house that ignited everything. You pass by a closet, still intact. You stop and look at it for a moment, smirking. "Dante..." You step forward and look at the burned portrait of a mother, father, and three sons.

Blake steps beside you and looks at it. "This... is your family, isn't it? This is your house?"

You don't respond to her question. You take a few steps around and take in the sights. You haven't been here since you were a child. A rush of memories are sprouting from a buried part of your mind. Your mother, kissing you on the head before you sleep. Your brothers strapped you to a chair and laughed while you struggled to get out. Even when Yamato and Rebellion were first shown to your olders brothers. You were drooling over how awesome they were, even when Dante nearly cut you in half with it by accident. You can't remember your father's face, though. He disappeared before you could really recognize him. But your mother, your brothers, everything from your childhood is slowly coming back.

Blake isn't sure what to do until she hears a droplet hit the ground below you. The girl takes a step forward after she realizes you're crying.

"It was my home... I was... and I'm just remembering it now," you kneel down and drag your hand across the ground while looking up at the portrait. "This is where everything fell apart. The demons... they attacked this place to find my family. This place... is why we're all so different," you stand up, eyes looking at the young version of the boys. "Especially me. I wasn't here when they attacked. I didn't see mother die, I wasn't nearly killed by demons, I didn't have that fear burrow into my heart. I don't have a desire to find the demon who killed my mom, I don't have the drive to find more power..." You shake your head, laughing at your own pettiness. "My brothers went through hell and I was playing a video game with my friend," you slam your fist against the floor. "It's why I'm so weak."

Blake goes to touch you but you step forward, still looking at the portrait. "You know, my father gave us things... Dante and Vergil got their weapons from dad. Mom gave them amulets... I didn't get this until I was older," you grab your sword and plant it before you, staring back at the reflection of yourself. "Some say it was dad's sword. I don't see it. Maybe that's the joke, huh?" You turn around at her and smile, a few tears running down your face. "It's just like me."

"(Y/N)..." Blake can't find words to muster. She can't even begin to imagine how much this place, these memories weigh you down.

"You know... I didn't know I was a demon until I was captured. It was the first time I had ever seen a demon. I was so scared that my body just froze. They impaled me against a wall, tossed me around like I was a doll, and suspended me in the air with their blades. I couldn't believe I was still alive. Thought it was just the shock of all the pain. W-When I was a kid I never got hurt. I know now it was just my body healing so fast, but this was so much, so different. They would've taken what they wanted if not for..." you snicker. "Vergil saved me. I didn't even know who he was at first, until he started talking. Said he was disgusted that I lost so easily," you shake your head and laugh a little more. "Caring brother, as always. But... he is. I really look up to him, you know? As a warrior and even a brother. Dante has taken care of me and I owe so much to both of them, but Vergil... I've always looked up to him since I was a kid."

"So..."

"He stabbed me right after that," you chuckle. "Said that I should find my motivation, that he'd kill me if I was this weak the next time we met." You turn back to Blake, eyes watering, and shrug your shoulders. "Nice to know he doesn't consider me completely useless anymore. I just sometimes wish," you look back at the sword, at yourself, at the weak devil crying. "I just wish I could actually make them both proud rather than just... just being acceptable."

Blake hesitantly steps forward, her body and mind fighting themselves before she spontaneously pounces forward and wraps her arms around you from behind. "You're someone to be more than proud of, (Y/N). You beat that big demon!"

"My name is Balrog."

"And you've been nothing but nice! I..." Blake huffs. "I'm not good at cheering people up..."

"Heh," you turn around and hug her back. "Thanks... you know, if there's one thing I'm better at than my brothers it's definitely people skills."

Blake laughs. "I think so too."

You both share a weak chuckle before everything goes silent once more.

"You should find the artifact," you let her go and stand up. "I'll be right here," you return to staring at the portrait.

"R-Right. It should be somewhere in this house, I guess," the girl carefully starts to maneuver.

"Might controls everything, and without strength you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."

Your body flickers with demonic power as the words of both brothers echo in your mind.

"One day... I'll find my motivation," you grab Force Edge and place it against your back. "One day... I'll match up with you two."

"You know what, wee boy?" Kaimira finally speaks again. "For some odd reason, despite seeing how much ye never show any sign of skill... I believe you."

"Hehe," you pat the sheathe. "Thanks, buddy."

"I think this is it," Blake says, coming out of a door that she cleared. "It matches my picture."

You squint to get a little better of a look. It appears to be a straw doll. You don't remember anything like that when you were a kid, but perhaps it was Dante or Vergil's. May have even been your mother's.

"So we're okay?"

"For the mission, yeah. Are you?"

"I think I needed to come back here, to see this place again. Honestly, I'm glad you were here," you say with an honest smile. "I think it would've been harder if you weren't here."

"I'm glad I could be here with you," she nods and smiles.

"I don't mean to interrupt your moment, sonny, but the demons are getting closer. If we don't move, we'll be surrounded."

"Right," you turn away and head for the exit. "We should get going. What's the last place we have to visit?"

Blake gets a little excitement in her eyes. "Menagerie."

Haza! We're done with this chapter! Not so much action, I know, but it's a scene I wanted to get in there for character and whatnot. Next we get to visit the home of the Faunus which... well, nothing will go wrong. Don't you worry. I hope you're enjoying it so far! There's only two chapters left of Dismal Demon! We're hitting the finish line!

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