A/N: A slightly demonic twist to another children's tale. Do note that I based this off the original Hans Christian Anderson version and not the Disney version (though there are certainly hints of the Disney version in this story).

[Part Of Your World]

Personality: Post-DMC4SE/ Pre-DMC5 Vergil

"Look at this stuff." Axel gestured to her room full of her proud collections, a grin displayed on her face. "Isn't it neat?"

Her friend took a cursory glance at the trinkets that she had collected over the years, from the missions that she had been dispatched on endlessly. The face of confusion that drew on his face shortly after was something Axel had slowly gotten used to. It was time that she accepted the fact that there was no demon anywhere else in Hell who had a burning interest about the workings of human society, of the things and technology that the physically-inferior humans were capable of. Nobody in Hell shared Axel's curiosity and desire to learn.

"S-Sure, Axel." Flint answered with an unsure expression, stepping in carefully as if afraid that something might explode from the precious treasures that Axel had carefully collected and displayed on the shelves all along the walls of her room.

"Look at this." She rushed to the shelf nearest to her bed, grabbing the small item and running back to where Flint had stopped after only one step into the room. She bravely pressed the button on the front of the small device, showing the lit up surface to her friend. "This is what the humans use to communicate with each other over long distances. It's called a 'phone'!"

Dropping the device on the soft cushioning on her bed, she rushed to the shelf nearest to them and grabbed the cylindrical item, brandishing it to her friend. "This is what the humans use to collect and hold water for sustenance! It looks exactly like our container for souls, but they use this to hold water! Look at this, they press this button, and this thing pops out for them to put their mouth here and they drink from here. Isn't this amazing?"

"Y-Yes... Is this what you have been collecting all this time? Taking these as trophies after killing those humans?" Flint's eyes continued to wander around carefully, still looking cautious. "Isn't this enough?"

"Enough?" Axel replaced the item back on the shelf carefully. "This is no big deal. I want more. I want to be where the humans are. I want to see them; see them living their lives. With their technology and their thinking, and how they use their brains to get past their natural barriers. They are such an interesting species with all the things that they make!"

"You want to live with them?" Flint repeated, taken aback.

"I only tell you this because you are my best partner, Flint. The humans are amazing; so much more interesting than us demons! If I could get the chance to be a human for a while... what would I give to spend a day learning all the things they do at the place they call a school!"

"You are a demon, Axel! You are Mundus's best creation, and you want to be with humans? Listen to yourself!"

"Don't you have even just a little bit of curiosity about them? How they create all these things to make their short lives easier? We get what we want as long as we kill enough humans, we change our powers and abilities on a whim whenever we are bored with what we have! Don't you want to know how the humans deal with whatever they have –given from the adults they call parents –and live with it for the rest of their lives?"

"You better stop dreaming. You are a demon. They will never accept you in their folds once they find out. Just continue collecting your treasures and doing what you were created to do. I don't want to lose you just because of your foolish dreams." Flint shook his head in judgement.

"This is not foolish!" Axel insisted, stomping her feet in anger. Even though she hadn't expected Flint to share the extent of her interest with the humans, she had thought that at least her partner would not be so against it. It had been grudging acceptance that she thought she would receive, but Flint wasn't giving any.

"I will avoid letting Mundus know about this if I were you, Axel. If he finds out, he will not be afraid to stoop to any level to destroy everything that you have here and remake you into what he wants. He hasn't been happy ever since the son of Sparda left this place; you don't want to be caught up in our Lord's displeasure."

"I want to leave this place too." Axel revealed with a sigh, plopping down on the edge of her bed and cradling the phone in her hands. "I want to see Vergil again, I want to be by his side and see how he lives his life above."

"Blasphemy!" Flint admonished. "Don't you dare let Mundus hear this, Axel! He has yet to find that demon who aided Vergil's escape from Hell; don't let him hear that you have any intention to join him!"

Axel opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself before the words could come out. It was becoming very clear to her that Flint wouldn't share any bit of her interest and intention. He probably would be extremely horrified if he found out that Axel was the very demon that their lord was looking for.

She had not been able to stand back and watch as the only half-demon (who had been imprisoned) in Hell struggle in his escape plan, and had secretly used her powers to hold back the other demons that Mundus had sent after him. Thankfully she had been able to wipe traces of her interference before their lord could find out about it.

"I understand." Axel kept her face down so that no truth would be read in her eyes. "I will keep myself in check, Flint."

"Good. I know you have curiosity for humans, and I cannot stop that. But do not do more than just collecting their items. Mundus will not be easy on you just because you are his best creation. If anything, he will exact his anger twice fold upon you. I do not want to lose a partner."

"Okay." Axel agreed quietly.

Flint, her partner, was sometimes like an older brother. They had worked together for as long as Axel could remember, and were famous as the most effective duo in Hell. There was no human whose purity could remain clean whenever Axel and Flint were sent. Axel's voice of ultimate seduction, and Flint's ability to conjure the best illusions ensured that every human that they passed would fall into their hands towards an easy death and a smooth road to Hell.

"Promise me that you won't do something stupid." Flint spoke seriously.

"I promise." 

That I will do whatever I can to get out of Hell and observe humans by Vergil's side.

________________________________________________________________________________

"The price is your voice." Dragon lightly pointed the tip of a claw to Axel's throat. "The price for a request as massive as the one you ask for must be no less than one of Mundus's strongest weapon."

"But without my voice, how will I survive?" Axel put both hands over her throat, stepping back in shock. "How will Vergil know it was me who helped him?"

"You are a smart demon. Mundus must have given you a brain to match the power of your voice." Dragon answered, leaning back on his hind legs and folding his wings back.

Axel was currently in the cave of Dragon, the only being in the entire Hell that was powerful enough to escape the influence of Mundus. Dragon resided in Hell purely to make business deals with demons like Axel who wanted things that they could not get from their lord. It was choice rather than circumstances that made Dragon stay in Hell, and despite the fact that Axel's lord was known to punish severely any demon who was found to have made deals with Dragon, Axel still stood here proposing a deal.

"Is it not enough to take half of my abilities as a demon? Why must my voice be taken as well?" Axel asked with a frown. She had known that Dragon was infamous for setting high prices for deals, but the fact remained also that Dragon was the only being in Hell who could make what she wished happen.

"You, Mundus's best creation, are asking for a favor that runs directly tangent to your lord's orders, and you ask that this deal remain hidden from your lord even as you spend your life above Hell. There is no being capable of making this happen other than the being you currently stand before." Dragon explained, yellow lynx eyes sizing Axel up. "Half of your acquired abilities is a good enough price, but your voice is a deposit. A reassurance that you will not attempt to uproot me from my business grounds here with your newfound freedom."

"Why would I look to uproot you? Observing the humans beside Vergil is my only wish." Axel asked, confused.

"It is precisely that you intend to spend time with that half-demon that I ask for your voice. Since that son of Sparda has already left Hell, there is no point in keeping this secret: he came once to make a deal with me to help him escape this place. My price was too high, and he holds grudges. I do not know what will happen to you if you interact with Vergil Sparda, but if he convinces you that I am bad news, I do not wish to have my business grounds threatened by your making a fuss." Dragon answered, his breath coming out from his big nostrils in strong mists. This being was ancient and powerful, but Axel knew that if she was ready to put her life on the line, she could actually do some damage to Dragon. Not enough to kill, but enough to irritate the being and possibly to drive him from this cave that he inhabited in.

"Hurry up." Dragon yawned, large jaws opening wide to show the sharp fangs lining on the inside of his mouth. "There are many other demons awaiting my service."

"I understand." Axel bit her bottom lip. She had expected a high price for the request and had been prepared to give up almost everything. Her voice was just going to be one thing on that list that she was going to have to give up to Dragon. "I will make the deal."

"Very good." Dragon announced, resting one claw tip against her throat as she looked up at him. "A necklace as a contract of agreement, and a way to return here to make a counter-offer. I am always ready to re-negotiate for a better price."

Axel looked down to find a silver chain having materialized out of nowhere around her neck, a pendant of a dragon fang hanging from it.

The claw moved slowly up to her forehead, where the tip barely touched her skin.

"Half of your abilities, taken through a dragon claw." Dragon announced as Axel felt the demonic energy within her flowing out through her forehead. "Humanity, in exchange for the half that I have taken."

Axel couldn't understand the warmth that spread from her chest at Dragon's announcement, but assumed that it had something to do with that humanity that he had given her. Since Axel hadn't wanted to be completely helpless alone in the human world on the off-chance that she might be abandoned by Vergil Sparda, she had negotiated to remain a half-demon.

"And finally, the prized possession that I have been waiting millennia for: the voice of a fallen angel." The claw tip moved back to her throat, and Axel made a sound of surprise before she could help herself. The bright glowing ball that floated at the tip of Dragon's claw as it retreated mesmerized her, while her lips hung open, watching as it left her body from her throat.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she tried to speak again, but no voice came out. A small strike of panic flashed as she opened and closed her mouth, trying –but failing –again.

"With your side of the deal fulfilled, I fulfill mine. A way out of Hell undetected, a life outside Hell without raising suspicions with your lord beside Vergil Sparda." Dragon announced, a wing unfolding from the length of his body. Axel watched warily as the large wing stretched to its full length, then sliced the air beside Dragon's body. A tear appeared and slowly opened to show a dark abyss beyond.

"Through those doors you go, and straight to Vergil Sparda you appear." Dragon instructed, and Axel nodded to show her acknowledgement. It was too late to back out anyway; her voice and half of her abilities were already taken.

Axel took in a deep breath and stepped into the portal.

________________________________________________________________________________

It was exhausting. Every bit of his body was giving up on him; the orders from his brain were no longer being registered in his limbs. His legs gave way as he crashed to the ground on his knees, his sword on the bloodied grass beside him. He looked down from the incoming horde at his trembling hands, disbelieving of how weak they were. His fingers were coated with blood –his blood.

Was this the end of the journey? After all his struggles, all those fights made with gritted teeth believing after every fight that it would be one more closer to the exit of this nightmare... was this where he was going to finally lay down and give in? Was this all that he was made off? Him, a son of Sparda? Could he even call himself a son of Sparda if he was suffering this humiliating defeat? How could he possibly answer his father in the next world? What pathetic and powerless descendant of Sparda could he call himself?

Of demons and men, hear my voice and the ring of my rhythm. With my name that can no longer be spoken, hear me and stop.

The faint singing was the only melodious noise in Vergil's vicinity as he looked up from his shamefully trembling being at the horde of demons that had been frozen in their steps. The sing-song sentences had been rhythmic and had played with tones in a mesmerizing manner. But that was not what had gotten his immediate attention. It was the power of that singing that had Vergil looking desperately around for the source of that voice.

Dear half-demon, broken and beaten. With power of wings that no longer bear weight, songs of voice that no longer sing, rest your bones and heal your wounds. Return a body in perfect shape and condition for a run towards light and freedom. Let this voice lead you to your wished destination, to usher you into a life you desire.

The song began again with no accompanying music, a powerful glow emanating from his skin all over a sudden. He looked back down at his hands in wonder, watching as the wounds that had dotted his arms heal back into perfection. The ache and lethargy that had forced him to his knees was gone in a moment, and Vergil climbed back to his full height quickly, fast to take advantage of his strange situation.

Go quick and make haste, Vergil Sparda. Our lord has discovered your escape and though demons dog your trail, take this chance to leave this place.

The voice was no longer singing now, but addressing him directly. Someone within Hell was definitely helping him out, but he could see no figure hiding in any shadows or corners. Questions of where his savior was hiding and why he was being helped could wait; what was more important was that he was in the middle of his escape and he had been shown the way.

Reality and Memory, listen to this angel voice's plea. The cries of a being once divine begs you to erase yourself from this place. Erase my presence so that my lord shall know none of my interference, and with my departure, let this voice disappear from memory and reality.

The power of Angel's Voice once more activated as Vergil put one fast foot in front of the other, rushing towards where the portal awaited him, beckoning him. He did not wait a single second before he went diving through the portal, praying that the Angel's Voice would not reach him. He might be escaping Hell, but Vergil was still a Sparda.

And as a Sparda, he had every intention to remember the sound of that Angel's Voice and repay the favor eventually.

________________________________________________________________________________

Vergil woke up from his sleep, quietly irritated at the memory that constantly recurred in his dreams. He had known that it would take him a long time before would be able to repay the favor to whichever demon that had aided his escape from Hell, but if his dreams was any trustworthy representation of his internal psyche, he was apparently more hung up over the repayment than he had initially thought.

He could feel soft warmth on his face but since there was no sounds downstairs from a debt-collecting Lady yet, he assumed that it was still too early in the morning to wake up. Twisting on the bed so that he was now on his side, Vergil kept his eyes closed against the sunlight as he tugged the covers over his shoulder.

One second passed in silence. Then Vergil opened his eyes, suddenly alert.

He stared down at the crown of a woman who had climbed into his bed, still peacefully asleep and undisturbed from his stir. With her back against the sunlight, a slight shadow was cast over her face. Vergil could see the definitions of her face though: she had long eyelashes, perfect brows, nose and lips of the right proportion and an impeccably pale and unblemished skin. She looked human but he could never be completely sure.

No longer interested in sleeping, Vergil sat up, turning to keep the stranger in his line of sight. His sitting up brought the covers along with him, and he found that the woman was wearing some sort of gown that had soft but body-accentuating material as it settled around her figure, showing a very shapely thin figure lying on her side on the bed.

Perfect as that figure was, it was something that put Vergil on edge. A perfection like that was almost impossible to achieve by human standards. To have such perfect proportions like that usually meant only one thing: demon.

Getting out of bed without disturbing the sleeping lady, Vergil palmed his sword, unsheathed it quietly and pointed it on the exposed throat of the sleeping lady, letting its cold touch wake her up. Slowly, black eyes opened the reality and seemed unfocused and groggy. However, she recognized danger quickly and jerked backwards in surprise. Vergil made no reaction of surprise when the woman seemed to have not expected her own instincts, and went tumbling down the other side of his bed in a flurry of gown, limbs and bed covers.

But now that the woman was awake, Vergil could confirm one very important thing: she was not human. At least not entirely. There was a strange feeling of familiarity in what he was feeling from her, but Vergil could not place where that familiarity came from. What made importance however, was the fact that the woman had demonic powers in a world where only he, Dante and Nero were supposed to be the only beings with both demonic and human sides.

"State your identity and purpose for being here." Vergil enunciated clearly despite having just woken up, meeting black confused and shocked eyes that peered up at him from the floor at the other side of the bed.

The woman's mouth opened and closed, and her throat worked as if she were speaking. But no words came out, and it seemed like the woman was taken by surprise at her inability to speak as well. Vergil waited as she tried a few times with increasing frustration, her own hands coming up to caress her throat as if trying to rub a voice out of it. Finally, she looked back at Vergil with a pleading expression, and made a gesture of writing on paper with her hands.

The meaning was communicated and Vergil kept his sword tip pointed at the woman as he side-stepped across the room until he reached his study table. Grabbing a few white-backed paid bills off the table and a pen, he passed them over carefully, watching as she scribbled quickly, turning the paper back to him.

At the sight of the scribbles, his brows furrowed immediately both in confusion and frustration. The woman had clearly written very well, but the issue was more about Vergil's inability to read it: it was in the script of demon's language, and he had long discarded memories of Nelo Angelo which meant that he no longer knew how to read demonic script.

"I cannot read demonic script." He explained to the woman. "But your writing has confirmed that you are from Hell."

Her black eyes widened as she nodded to agree with his sentence, then quickly shook her head furiously with both hands waving in front of her pleadingly, palms out in a show of innocence. Grabbing her communication tools again, she scribbled once more, then turned to show Vergil.

It was still demonic script, but it was probably a very simplified, because Vergil realized that he could understand the two words that she had written from his very elementary knowledge that he had acquired before his days as Nelo Angelo.

No harm.

"You mean to say you are not here to harm me?" Vergil confirmed, watching as the woman nodded furiously, eyes bright in relief that he understand her basic words.

Scribbling again, she brandished her words with a pleading expression.

Escape. Home.

"You also escaped Hell?" Vergil interpreted, surprised.

The woman nodded.

Deal. Dragon. Voice. Steal.

Vergil's vocabulary of demon language was stretching to its limit, but he could barely make meaning out of the words that the woman was stringing together. A single particular word took his attention as he lowered his sword slightly.

"You made a deal with Dragon?" He asked with surprise. He had once approached Dragon when he had been trying to escape Hell after hearing rumors about how that being was the only one powerful enough to provide him with a way out of Hell without problems. But the price that Dragon had asked for was too insane for him to consider, and from more research Vergil had only found out that the ridiculous price was actually the norm quoted from Dragon. "Was half of your demonic abilities and your voice the price?"

Furious nodding confirmed Vergil's suspicions and his brow furrowed more.

"Was it worth it? What did you want to do so badly that you had to sell your voice and half of your powers for?"

Study. Human.

A demon who gave up half her powers to study humans? Vergil could hardly believe what he was reading. But still, regardless of how foolish this particular demon had been, there was a small inch of admiration in him. Vergil had refused Dragon during his bid to escape Hell because of the price that he had to pay. And even though Vergil had eventually found his own way to get out of Hell, he supposed that there had to be admiration to be paid to any being who had desire strong enough to accept Dragon's price.

Truly a demon –a species specialized in helping humans fall to temptation of their desires –would possess a desire so strong.

"We have an extra room here." Vergil sheathed his sword with a heavy sigh. He might not know what powers this half-demon had retained, but if she had had any evil intentions against him, he would have sensed it by now. The fact that she had portrayed herself as so confused and pleading to him this whole time convinced him that this demon was truly in some deep shit on her own.

He wasn't sure what Mundus would say if the Demon King found out about this foolish little demon. He wasn't even sure if this demon –half-demon now, actually –was important enough for Mundus to take note. But if there was only one thing that Vergil had retained from Hell, then that was hate.

And if there was any chance that he could piss the Demon King off while he was here living with his brother, then Vergil would do anything –even take in an escaped half-demon.

________________________________________________________________________________

"I'm back." Vergil announced as he closed the door behind him, not very surprised to find his brother missing from the office. Dante was rarely indoors, and whenever he was, he would always be asleep in the darkness of an office that had its electricity cut. Vergil had come to liken his brother's presence in the office as some sort of reminder: whenever Dante was around, it meant that Vergil had to fork money out of his pockets to pay for the bills again.

Thankfully the electricity was working fine this time as Vergil stepped in to the sight of the overhead lamp turned on, illuminating the sight of a grown woman reading with a face full of interest. The sight would be normal, except for the fact that Vergil knew very well that the book that the woman appeared to be very interested in was probably a children's book.

Looking up from the book at his announcement, the brilliant smile drew across her face as she waved at him from where his brother usually sat at the desk. Grabbing the notepad and its attached pen that had now become a daily tool for her, she scribbled quickly and turned it around to show Vergil before he could disappear from the back door to his room.

I know how to spell my name.

The proud grin on her face was sorely out of place, but given the current context, Vergil could not help but smirk at the situation, coming to a stop.

"Then, enlighten me." Vergil answered. He still could not completely understand how this woman understood his words. She clearly could only write in demon language when she first appeared, and when she eventually learnt the English alphabets and their respective pronunciations, she had still been unable to express herself well. That gave Vergil suspicions that that she probably conversed solely in demon language back in Hell, which led back to the original question: how was it possible that she comprehended his spoken questions in English, but could not answer coherently back?

Ascel. It sounds like that.

"Ascel? Excel?" Vergil tried his best to read the written name, pronouncing differently. Changing his direction, Vergil approached the woman at the table and took over her notepad and pen, writing quickly a few words in succession.

"All these are pronounced as 'Excel'." He announced, then pointed at one of them. "But as far as names go, this one is probably the closest."

The gleeful nod in reply was strange, and Vergil leaned back to watch the woman take possession of her notepad and pen again, this time practicing writing the name that he had pointed out for her.

Axel. It was not a very common name, but then again the woman was nothing close to common. Dante had easily accepted the presence of another half-demon in the house after he explained her circumstance, but Dante was also one of the least normal person that Vergil knew. Dante accepting her was no good way to measure her ability to mingle with human society.

Vergil felt like an unofficial guardian of this half-demon who had appeared in his bed all of a sudden one day. With an innocence that was the furthest away from a demon, Vergil had been completely surprised when Axel seemed to show absolutely no evil intentions towards anyone. There was no attempt from Axel to lead humans astray with her powers (even with the absence of her voice), and all she did was to observe passer-by walking outside the window. Since she could not speak or communicate well, Vergil had decided to teach her the English alphabets so that she could start reading books and... well, fulfil her mission for coming here which was studying humans.

It was a strange sense of distant attachment that Vergil was developing with Axel after watching over her. He had done his best to do research about her real identity, but there was not much information that he could harvest without actually going back to Hell himself. Still, he had heard rumors of a demon called Hell's Fallen Angel and Mundus's Best Creation going missing, and could not help wondering if that missing demon was the same one who had appeared in his house, excited and enthusiastic to study humans.

Vergil had also once tried to question where the curiosity of humans had come from, but the reply that he had gotten was written in demon language of level beyond his depth of understanding. All he could observe was a half-demon who was always happy to learn and read, understandably confused at how appliances created by humans work and completely elated to try different cuisine created by humans. As far as the word 'harmless' went, Axel seemed to fulfill every bit of it.

"I will be taking a rest upstairs. Knock on my door if you want anything." Vergil instructed, and left the office to the care of the half-demon who was still enthusiastically writing her name over and over again on the notepad to remember.

Axel repeated her name over and over again until she filled the rest of the page on her notepad, grinning. It had been hard work learning the language of humans, but she was glad that Vergil was helping her out a little. As a demon, she had been created to understand the spoken language of humans, but not the written bit. Thus, she had been able to understand the man's questions and instructions, but had not been able to figure out their script until the man had given her an alphabet book and taught her a few words. From then on, it had just been her figuring out the sounds of each alphabet, and how words sounded when alphabets were put together.

Her knowledge of the human language was expanding, and she was excited at what more she would learn once she mastered the language. Vergil's room contained many books and she could not wait to be able to read all of them. He had explained that it was still best for her to remain in the office now while her ability to communicate was held back by her unfamiliarity of the language, and she had agreed. She could not wait to go out once she mastered the language either. Sure, she was having loads of time observing the humans as they walked past the office window, but that definitely could not compare to exploring the outside.

Axel finished filling up the notepad page with her name while memorizing it, then moved back to reading the children's book that Vergil had produced for the sake of her learning. It was a book on a subject called 'science', meant to enlighten young humans about how the adult humans and their ancestors sought ways to explain the world that they lived in. It was completely different from what Axel knew about the world, and it was completely amazing to see how the humans made sense of their world and the phenomenon that they observed around them -and the lengths that they were willing to go to do so.

"I can't believe you neglected everything I said and went back on your promise." The spoken words startled Axel out of her concentration, and she jerked her attention out of the book to the sight of a very familiar demon standing in front of the desk.

If she could, she would have exclaimed in surprise and welcome at the presence of Flint. Still, her wide grin and welcome smile probably conveyed the same message, though it was met with a deepening frown.

"There were rumors of demons who have spoken to Dragon since. They claimed that the price for your escape was your voice and half of your abilities, Axel. Is that true?" Flint asked gravelly, to which Axel's smile was beginning to fade away to wariness. It was true that she had gone to make a deal with Dragon without consulting him, but even if she did the outcome would still have remained the same.

There was no point hiding the truth from her closest companion from Hell as Axel nodded honestly.

Though Flint probably already had suspicions, Axel's confirmation probably still shocked her friend as he flinched, the horror writing across his face strongly. He didn't even bother to hide the rage and disbelief that flit pass his face momentarily, and for the first time since appearing here in the Human World, Axel felt a little guilty at what she had done.

"Dragon refused to tell me the price that you paid for this escape, but he did tell me that he was willing to give you a counter offer." Flint stepped forward till he was standing right at the other end of the table, staring down at Axel with his hard green eyes. A small vial appeared from his robe pockets and sat itself on top of the book on the table. "Administer this to Vergil Sparda, take his sword as proof of your completed mission, and use your necklace to open a portal back to Dragon's cave. Offer the sword to Dragon, and he will return you your abilities and voice."

Axel's eyes widened as she studied the translucent liquid sitting innocently in the vial, then reached for the notepad at her side, flipping to an empty page and scribbled quickly –thankfully –in demon language.

The content of the vial will kill Vergil?

There was no forgiveness in hard eyes that read her question on the notepad, then went back to her face. "Yes."

Axel was quick to make her decision as she pushed the vial back across the table until it sat on the edge close to Flint with a shake of her head. She didn't even need words to convey her rejection.

"Don't be foolish! Dragon can only keep your secret for so long, Axel. Mundus will find out about your escape eventually and he will come personally after you, especially if he knows that you have sided with the son of Sparda. Do as Dragon asks now, and return to Hell as a hero: a loyal servant to our lord who chased and eliminated the escaped refugee as an example to all who would think about running away. Do not be foolish, Axel, and make the right choice." Flint lectured as he picked the vial up only to press it into Axel's hand. "Please, Axel. Do not make another mistake on top of this one."

Again, Axel shook her head as she put the vial back on the table at Flint's side, reaching again for her notepad.

I cannot do it. I came here to fulfill my dreams of studying humans, and I'm having fun doing it now. The sons of Sparda have extended nothing but their hospitality to me; I cannot betray it by killing him just to get my voice back. Besides, I was ready to never regain my voice when I gave it up to Dragon. I will deal without it.

"Listen to yourself, Axel! What happened to Mundus's Best Creation? How can you betray our Lord, the power that he bestowed to you just for some curiosity about humans and hospitality showed towards you?" Flint demanded angrily, but desperation was also a tone heavy in his voice. He knew too –that it was impossible to convince Axel if she did not want to let herself be convinced.

I am grateful to all that our lord has done for me, but I am as he has made me. I used to be demon who learnt that betrayal is part and parcel of a master-servant relationship. No amount of convincing will make me return to Hell before I am done studying humans, Flint. Do not try.

Axel was thankful that even without her voice, Flint could hear the determination and unshakable will that backed her words. The anger and rage chased away the desperation as Flint's expression hardened, eyes piercing at her. Given her current half-demon status, there was no doubt that she would have a hard time trying to resist Flint's full powers. But fortunately, his powers was mainly in the area of illusions, and she had witnessed them enough times to know about his weaknesses. Even if he attacked her, he would definitely face much more trouble trying to kill her than the average human. And that was not even factoring the dangerous son of Sparda who was resting in his room upstairs.

"Do not say I did not warn you, Axel. Mundus will know of this, and you will regret your choice today." Flint promised, and before she could express that there would definitely be no regrets, the illusion of her closest friend in Hell faded away to nothingness.

Axel would have sighed if she could make a sound from her throat, reaching across the desk and pocketing the vial that Flint had left behind just in case she went back on her words. She had no intention of the sort, but the vial was not something that could be left lying around in the open. The only other resident of this office-apartment could easily mistake it for premium alcohol and drink himself to certain death.

Axel had made her decision to not return to Hell. She could only hope that her lord would not find out about this decision until... well, until he forgot about her.

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Axel appeared at the scene just in time to watch the son of Sparda lose strength in his legs, collapsing on his knees. It was the same sight that she had seen when he had been escaping Hell, and the same level of concern filled her heart as she ran towards him in the middle of the field.

"And so you appear." The announcement was made in a familiar tone of voice used to ordering demons around. Though Axel had never seen this shape and skin of the human figure standing in front of them, she knew it from her guts that this was her master's selected form outside Hell. "I am sure Flint has already warned you about my finding out your escape. If he was a foolish one to try to warn you, I suppose that it is understandable that you are a bigger fool for ignoring that warning."

"You shouldn't underestimate a son of Sparda." Vergil declared through gritted teeth as he stabbed his sword on the ground, taking the support to come back to his feet unsteadily before pulling his sword out again to point. "Finish your job here before you turn attention to the girl."

"Underestimate?" Mundus scoffed even as he watched both Axel and Vergil crouch into their defensive positions. "I believe I might even have overestimated you. You would have never made it out of Hell alive without Axel's help. Do not believe yourself undefeatable if you could not even escape with your own abilities."

Axel flinched, shrinking a little in shock. She had wiped away traces of her power, hadn't she? How had Mundus known... how long had her lord known about it?

"Do not give me that look, Axel. Do you truly think that I will not hear the songs you sang to aid him? Who do you think gave you that voice?"

"What do you mean she helped me escape?" Vergil demanded, giving Axel a quick side-ward glance to check her reaction.

"If you require me to spell it out for you." Mundus pointed to Axel. "She is the demon who helped you escape Hell with her songs. The voice that she sang with was the Fallen Angel's Voice, and she is the only demon that I have given my voice. It made her my best creation, but it seems like it has gotten into her head, seeing how she has betrayed me and come running to your side."

Axel shook her head vigorously to deny the words, but no voice could come out for her defense. Desperate, she positioned herself quickly in front of the son of Sparda and his sword, her hands splayed out in defense against her lord.

"Foolish. If you did not come here, I might have considered letting him live the rest of his years out here. But I will not allow any demon to say that I have allowed the son of the traitorous Sparda to steal my favored servant and live to tell the tale." Mundus raised his hand, and a heavy flex of power immediately gathered on his palm.

"I don't need you to cover for me." Vergil was still prideful despite his injuries and obvious weakness as he put a hand on Axel's shoulder, trying to pull her back. The fact that he even had troubles pulling her back spoke volumes about how much he had been struck down by Mundus before she arrived at the scene. "If my father and brother could take Mundus on alone, then so can I. If I fail to do so, then let me die trying. I will not live with the embarrassment of running away again."

Axel refused to budge, keeping her eyes solely on her lord. She had no voice to plead for mercy, but if she could offer her body as a plea for forgiveness, then she was willing to take some pain. Her master's mildly irritated expression did not change even at the determination written on her face and the power collecting on his hand only increased. The power level quickly passed the point that Axel knew she would see life-threatening danger, but she still refused to move.

"It will be disappointing to erase both you and the son of Sparda in one hit, but there is no point wasting more time with either of you. Forgiveness is not something I give easily, especially now that you have given my voice to Dragon." Mundus declared, and both Axel and her lord prepared for the end to come.

"My Lord, will your opinions change if the Voice was retrieved from Dragon?" The intrusion was almost anti-climactic, and Axel could not help but let go of the breath that she had been holding in for long. All three of them turned to face the intruder emerging from a portal near them, the demon holding up a glass ball that contained a moving, glowing mist.

"Ahh, Flint. Are you here to save Axel?"

"My lord, you know that I am a loyal servant. I dare not even think about betraying you. But there is no more point in killing Axel if she regains her voice and powers, is there? If we bring her back to Hell and show her at work again, the demons will think the rumors untrue. You can wipe her mind of any traces of betrayal, and all will be well again." Flint suggested, still holding the ball carefully in both of his hands.

"You give a good suggestion." Mundus nodded with a thinking expression. "It was a good choice to equip you with the knowledge of a fallen angel and pairing you up with the voice of the same fallen angel."

"I would not dream of suggesting anything less than perfection to you, my lord." Flint stepped slowly to insert himself in between Mundus's hand full of power, and Axel. Silently, Axel kept a hand on Vergil as she forced them to step back slowly, ignoring the weak attempts to shake her away.

"It is funny that you should say that." Mundus let his hand fall back to his side, a smile drawn across his face now. "You understand that perfection also implies that there should be no inch of betrayal in you?"

"Yes, my lord. I will never betray you." Flint promised. "I have brought the Fallen Angel's Voice and the lost half of Axel's abilities."

Axel knew that there was something wrong with the way her master was smiling, but she had no voice that warn her best friend. One moment Flint was declaring his loyalty, and the next he was impaled through the heart by their lord's hand, raised above the ground.

She flinched and if she could shout, she would have at the sight of Mundus raising Flint's body above ground, then flinging him to the side.

"You should know better than anyone, Flint. Making any sort of deal with Dragon is considered a betrayal. Did you think I would be appeased after you exchanged your knowledge with Axel's voice? Foolish beings; do the two of you really think I would not know that the gifts I gave you are no longer with you?" Mundus declared, barely sparing a glance to the dying demon on the ground.

"I knew..." Flint's eyes were on Axel, a lethargic smile drawn across his face. "That's why I returned Axel's voice."

Of demons and Demon King, listen to my voice and song. Hear the power of a voice that has found its way back into this body, and obey my commands. Bring the son of Sparda away from here, safe from the Demon King. Keep him and his family safe, in exchange of a voice that-

The song was strangled to a stop when Mundus's hand coated with Flint's blood closed over Axel's throat, squeezing tight. Still, the words had been sung, and the Demon King's face twisted into one of rage when he saw a portal closing behind Axel, and no son of Sparda hiding behind her.

"You!" The enraged demon king boomed in anger. "How dare you use my voice to hide the son of Sparda from me?"

"All I wanted..." Axel struggled to bring enough air through her constricted throat. "... Was to be a part of... this world."

"Pathetic. A demon like you, wanting to live with the humans." Mundus spat.

"I have... received hospitality... from Vergil and Dante... I have seen a part of his world." Axel exerted all the strength and power she regained from Flint's smashing the glass ball at her feet right before his death. All her efforts only amounted to prying a tiny bit of space between Mundus's fingers and her throat, but that was enough as she took in a deep breath.

To angels above, listen to this Fallen Angel voice and a demon's plea! Strike your Fallen brethren down while he walks on soil. Protect the world that I longed to be part of, and provide safety for my beloved. Take my life and this voice in exchange, strike down the Demon King that used to be your brethren!

Lightning appeared out of a cloudless sky, and it was the last thing that Axel saw as it struck both her and Mundus.

Back in his room, Vergil jerked awake on his bed, the pain all over his body and the blood soaking his clothes and dirtying his sheets telling him that it had not been a dream at all. He had fought Mundus and had been saved by the very same demon who had helped him escape Hell.

Stumbling to his feet and refusing to let himself be saved just like that, Vergil lost his balance temporarily and grabbed the corner of his table to stabilize himself. The notepad that Axel had always used for communication sat in the middle of it all, on a page that held only one line, written in clear English alphabets.

She had done very well to learn the language to express herself.

Vergil fell to his knees at the sight of the farewell message that the demon had given him, broken and defeated.

I wished I could be part of your world.