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The Devils Cry Ch 1-12
Category: Devil May Cry
Rating: PG-13
Devil May Cry and it’s characters and situations are the sole property of Capcom. I am making no money or profit off of this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended. On the other hand all original characters and situations are mine so please don’t run off with them without my knowledge or consent.
Summary: A daughter’s dreams of a place that Dante doesn’t want to remember make him recall things that he had once tried so hard to forget as the skeletons in the Sparda family closet come out to play. Lost family history is revealed, and people once thought long gone return.
SPOILER WARNING!!!: Spoilers for all three Devil May Cry games.
12.
Zenedris Sarcesti smiled - a sly, cunning smile that her family was notorious for flashing. Ah yes, here it was, just the spell she needed. The transport spell to be used on humans and inanimate objects. All the caster had to do was form a vision in their mind of where they wished to send the spell’s target, chant the words, and direct the magic at the target, either by force of will or by simply pointing. The target would vanish from wherever they were during the spellcasting and reappear wherever the caster had envisioned. Fiendishly simple really. This spell was unknown to anyone but the matriarchs of the Sarcesti family. Not even Mundus or his father or his father before him had know that it existed. Which was probably a good thing.
The only foreseeable problem was that Zenedris had not seen the human world in over two thousand years, and for that reason, she had no idea where to direct the spell to send Vergil. She would have to ask either him or Atalia. She thought about it for barely a second before deciding that asking Vergil himself was not an option. Luxian would be prowling around Lar’cincel, and he would try to stop any attempt to get Vergil back into the human world. And that presented another problem: keeping Luxian away long enough to get the spell cast. Resting her chin on the heel of her hand, she leaned on the table, drumming her fingers on the thick vellum of the book’s pages. The more she thought about it, the clearer it became that she would have to bring Vergil to Dali’mar’ne for the spell to be cast without interruption. The tower had the same magic cast on it that Lar’cincel did, but there were a few more protections on it. As matriarch, Zenedris could command the magic in the tower to prevent anyone she wanted from entering. If she could somehow get Vergil inside, she could prevent Luxian from following him.
Now she just had to figure out how to get Vergil from Lar’cincel to Dali’mar’ne.... If Luxian discovered what she was planning, he would throw up every obstacle possible to prevent her from removing him from Lar’cincel. Never mind that he didn’t want the half breed in there to begin with...
Zenedris shook her head; she didn’t think that she would ever understand Luxian Sparda. He was a walking mass of complex contradictions, and half of what he did and said made no sense. She had a feeling that he didn’t even make sense to himself. Somebody like that is infinitely more dangerous than someone who is cold and calculating, as they are harder to predict.
She looked up at the nearest window, which was spelled to look like a moonlit lake in the human world. She had invented the spell at Talthos’ request and had put it on all of the windows in Lar’cincel, and had taught the Sparda patriarch how to control the spell and make it show what he wished. She had so liked the results that she had cast the same spells on the windows of Dali’mar’ne’s library. She cancelled the spell so she could see out towards where Lar’cincel sat. She could see that the library lights were on, though the spell did now allow her to see through then to see who was in there. She smirked just a little. Luxian hated the spell on the windows, but he didn’t want to remove it as Talthos had had it put there. What’s more, he didn’t know how to control it and was forever stuck looking at scenes from the human world, as Zenedris had no intention of telling him how to change the view. The windows would continue to show whatever scenery Talthos had conjured up until either Zenedris or Talthos himself changed them.
And that gave her an idea. If the windows only showed whatever Talthos had set them to, then Luxian would not be able to see her coming. All she had to do was cloak her presence, and.....
No, wait. Damnit, that wouldn’t work either. If Luxian was in the tower, he would sense her as soon as she stepped across the threshold, cloaked presence or no. She had to find someway to get Vergil out. Either that or she had to get Luxian to leave. She tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then a grin spread across her face. Perfect...
“Cijarnae!” she called “Come up here!” Despite the tower’s size, she knew that the boy would hear her. Sure enough, within a few seconds, she could hear small footsteps running up the stairs, and through the library door came Cijarnae Sarcesti, the youngest of her great, great grandchildren.
“Did you call for me, Liestia-Mar’ne?” he asked, using her double title, which consisted of the demon words for “grandmother” and the Sarcesti title for the family matriarch rolled into one. He grinned mischievously, and she thought that his human form of a small boy with milky skin, an unruly cap of auburn cowlicks, and sparkling green eyes fit his personality quite well. He was the prankster and troublemaker of the Sarcesti family, and he delighted in driving his more uptight relatives - like his father and older sister - to distraction. Zenedris turned her chair to face him and beckoned him to her.
“Yes dear, I did, “ She lowered her voice to a conspiring whisper “But you can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you.”
His eyes widened - rarely did his great, great grandmother let him in on any schemes of hers - but he nodded all the same, trying to look serious for once in his life.
“I won’t.” he whispered “I swear.”
“That’s my good boy. Now listen, what I need you to do is......”
******
Luxian was in his usual chair in Lar’cincel’s library, once again pouring over his brother’s book. He threw down his pen and snarled in frustration. Why, oh why was Lord Mundus so insistent of having this book? It contained nothing that they didn’t already know, and reading it was a waste of time. Resting his head on his hands, he sighed, wanting to just wash this whole business from his hands. Then he could ignore the book, he could ignore Mundus’ orders, he could ignore that his brother existed still, he could ignore that his nephew was standing in the library door....
Snarling, Luxian shot up from his chair, knocking it down to the floor. NO half breed was coming into this library, corrupting Talthos’ space with their filth. Vergil, standing in the doorway, cringed back in fear.
“GET OUT!!!” Luxian roared “GET OUT OF THIS LIBRARY!!!” His eyes wide with fear, Vergil fled, his footsteps sounding on the bare floors as he ran away from the angered demon.
Luxian righted his chair and sat back down, slumping over the table. Gods, how he hated his life sometimes. He straightened when he felt a tingle on the back of his neck. He recognized it for what it was: the magic that surrounded the tower informing him that someone was at the door. Rising from his chair, calmly this time, he left the library and descended the stairs to the lower floors.
A messenger was waiting outside the tower doors, with a summons from Mundus ordering Luxian to the throne room immediately. When asked what Mundus wanted, the messenger had shrugged and said only that it had to do with the actions of Mar’ne Sarcesti. Giving the messenger an odd look - he could have sworn that only the Sarcesti family themselves used that title - he shrugged it off and left for Mundus’ throne room, eager to see what kind of punishment the Dark Emperor was planning to mete out to the Sarcesti matriarch for helping the half breed.
Once Luxian was out of sight, the messenger grinned an impish grin and, with a few whispered words and hand gestures, dropped the glamour spell that covered him. Giggling at how gullible the Sparda had been, Cijarnae Sarcesti ran through the door, knowing that the magic on the tower would not take notice the presence of a child like himself.
******
Vergil was curled up on his father’s bed again, clutching the pillow and trying to calm himself down. He knew consciously that Luxian could do him no harm while in the tower walls, but that couldn’t undo years of oppression and abuse that he had endured at the elder demon’s hands. Burying his face in the pillow, he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep.
Small, fast paced footsteps sounded in his ears, making his raise his head and look towards the doorway curiously. A small boy, with auburn hair and green eyes appeared, running into the room. He looked human enough, but Vergil could sense the child’s demonic aura. The boy grabbed him by the hand and started to try and pull him off of the bed.
“Who are you, and what are you doing?” Vergil demanded, pulling his hand back. The boy let go of him and looked at him in confusion, obviously not understanding what he had just said. Taking a breath, Vergil repeated his questions, and again the boy just looked at him like he was crazy. And then it hit him, making him want to smack his forehead in annoyance at himself. The boy was a demon child, and therefore, probably did not understand English. Casting about in his scattered memories for the words to the demonic language, he reformed his questions again. This time, the boy understood, and he pulled a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket, holding out for Vergil to take. Vergil took it and unfolded it, glad to see English words written on the paper; he didn’t think that he could read the demonic language anymore. His eyes widened in surprise as he read the words.
Vergil Sparda,
I doubt that you have ever heard of me, as I doubt that my granddaughter has ever mentioned me. You know her as Rachel Areceli, and she tells me that she is you and your brother’s godmother. The boy you see standing before you is my great, great-grandson, Cijarnae Sarcesti, and he is to bring you to Dali’mar’ne, the Sarcesti family tower. Once there,
you can rest and regain your strength while I ready a spell that will take you back to the human world, where you can find your brother. And in case you doubt who I say I am, then my granddaughter had instructed me to tell you that, after you and your brother fought over Sparda’s sword, you slashed his palm with your katana when he tried to catch you and stop you from falling deeper into the demon realm. This was told to her by your brother after he had returned from the Temen-ni-gru, and she is the only other one who knows this. Let Cijarnae lead you to Dali’mar’ne. Here you will be truly safe, for not even Mundus can get in here if I don't allow it, and I will be able to send you home to the human world.
Mar'ne Zendris Sarcesti
Vergil looked at the child, standing before him with an impish smile on his face “I am to follow you?” he asked in the demons’ language. The boy nodded enthusiastically.
Vergil buried his face in the pillow for a moment. He could sense that Luxian was not in the tower, and the little boy seemed sincere enough. What was the worst that could happen if he did what the note instructed? The answer of course was imprisonment, torture, death, and a very painful one at that. But if this Zenedris Sarcesti was telling the truth, then he would be free. Free of the demon world, free of Luxian’s oppressive presence, free of all of this fear and pain.
Free to live his life again.
He could sense that the boy - Cijarnae was his name - was getting impatient. Vergil knew why; somehow they had gotten Luxian out of the tower, and, sooner or later, he would return. They had to be gone by then. Handing the note back to Cijarnae, who stuffed into one of his pockets, he sat up and got out of bed. Cijarnae tugged at his hand again, but he pulled it away. He needed to get something. Gesturing for the boy to follow him, he descended the stairs to the library. Telling the boy to keep a lookout for Luxian, he walked in, not paying attention to the wall to wall books or the weaponry that covered one entire wall. He went straight for the table that Luxian often sat, where the book was still setting where he had left it. Quietly picking it up and closing it, he held it close to his chest and went to leave the library. He was about to step over the threshold when a feel of something behind him made him stop and turn around.
The far wall that contained the weaponry was covered in bladed weapons of all kinds, from swords and knives, to axes and throwing stars. One sword, centered on the wall, was glowing slightly, vibrating just a bit in it’s rack. Ignoring the boy’s noises of protest, he went back into the room and approached the sword. It was large sword, similar to a human bastard sword, with carvings of angels and demons on the hilt and hand guard. The blade was etched with patterns, a large stone with swirling red smoke sat at the top of the hilt where it gripped the blade. Shifting the heavy book to one arm, Vergil reached up and plucked the sword from the wall. It’s sudden weight was nearly too much for his weakened arms, nearly making him drop it. Now that he had it in his hands, the glowing and the vibration stopped. Shouldering it like he had often seen Dante do with the Rebellion, he left the library, ignoring the boy’s irritated look. The two descended the stairs to the ground floor and headed for the door, where again, Vergil paused. Cijarnae growled in irritation, and Vergil gave him a dark look, which shut him up quite nicely. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Vergil lifted his right foot and stepped over the threshold. This was his last chance to say no, turn back, and remain in the safety of the tower walls. Swallowing hard, he lifted his other foot and stepped out of Lar’cincel. Cijarnae grinned at him, and recast his glamour, giving him the appearance of one of Mundus’ messengers. Shuddering as a sudden fear of Luxian stepping out in front of him and beating him into a pulp gripped him by the heart, Vergil swallowed again and followed the boy across the Underworld to Sarcesti tower.
******
Zenedris was in her library still, reviewing the spell that she planned to use again, when she felt the wards around Dali’mar’ne alert her to the presence of Cijarnae and Vergil Sparda. Rising from her chair, she returned the book to it’s place and went downstairs to meet the Sparda twin.
The pair was standing in the entrance hall, Vergil looking around nervously, and Cijarnae giving a cheeky grin to anyone who looked at him. When he saw Zenedris come into the room, he ran up to her, breathless with excitement.
“I did it, Liestia!” he said happily, his eyes dancing with excitement “I found him, and he followed me! Just like you said!” She smiled affectionately and ruffled his hair, ignoring the dark look that the boy’s parents were sending her. She walked up to Vergil and speaking to him in clear and precise English, she explained what was going to happen. She then led him away to where he could wash up and rest for a while. She thought of conjuring some clean clothes for him, but she saw that he was dead on his feet. So instead, she led him to one of the unused bedrooms, where he promptly laid down and fell asleep. It was then that she noticed that sword that he was carrying, his grip on the handgrip strong and firm even in his sleep. Well, as strong and as firm as it could be with his arm shaking from the effort of holding the heavy weapon and a large book. She took a closer look at the weapon and recognized it as one of his father’s swords. Not his Ensouled, she knew that his other son was in possession of that one, but the one he had once used before the Sparda had been created. The sword that Talthos had given him. She shook her head in disbelief; demons fiercely protected their weapons so, unless the weapon’s master allowed it, no one should be able to touch it. The minute Vergil had touched the sword - the Retribution, she thought is what Sparda had called it - it should have given him such a shock that he should have been thrown across the room. Deciding to ponder over it later, she carefully removed the book from his grip and put it on the neaby desk. The sword she didn't dare touch. Checking to make sure that he had everything that he might need, she left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her, and went down to face her family.
To her surprise, they didn’t seem to be angry at her. She stepped into the family room where everyone was gathered and saw that the only ones who seemed to be irritated with her were Cijarnae’s parents, and they explained that that was only for sending their son off without telling them. They all agreed that it was a good idea to assist the Sparda twin in getting home to the human world and back to his family. They would be bringing Mundus’ wrath down on them, but they weren’t too worried. The spells that protected Dali’mar’ne were stronger than any other demon tower in the Underworld, and no one, not even Mundus himself, would be able to get in as long as Zenedris did not wish it. Like the Sparda’s the Sarcestis had always put themselves ahead of their various “masters”. And they had deep respect for the Sparda family to begin with, though they didn’t want anything to do with Luxian. Their agreement on that was unanimous.
Once the family discussion was over, Zenedris returned to where she had left Vergil to check on him. He was still sleeping soundly, so she took the opportunity to scan the half demon’s memories to see where best to send him. It was not as easy as she had hoped. Instead of being held together in one area of his mind like they should have been, they were scattered, like someone had picked up the imaginary box that held them and dumped them all over the floor. She saw glimpses of many things including , a human that could only be Vergil’s mother, a castle where Vergil and his brother had obviously been raised, and a large building that looked like it had been recently attacked by demons. Most of the images were blurred, some faded to the point that it was no longer possible to tell what they were. There were also huge gaps where memories of his childhood and parents should have been. Other than the castle, which he didn’t consciously remember, she didn’t see anything about his childhood other than a few faded images of his brother and one or two of his mother. Sparda was only featured a handfull of times, and the image were so faded that it amazed her that Vergil could remember him at all.
Taking her hand off of his forehead, where she had placed it to have better access to his memories, she sat back, looking thoughtful. She had known, of course, about Vergil’s defection to Mundus, his becomeing Nelo Angelo, though she didn't know how that had been acomplished, and had been sent to the human world to prepare the gate so Mundus could pass through. After Dante had resealed the gate, however, Vergil had disappeared, and many assumed he had fallen in battle against his brother. Dante’s possession of the two halves of the amulet and Sparda’s Ensouled seemed to bear this out. Seeing now Vergil’s scattered memories, plus the obvious fact that he was terribly thin and malnourished, and that he was riddled with scars seemed to point to imprisonment. Zenedris wanted to hit herself - how could she have been so stupid? Mundus did not, under ANY circumstances, tolerate failure. If he could have helped it, he would have never allowed Vergil to die without punishment of some kind. He would have imprisoned the boy, tortured him to near insanity, and maybe, after years and years of suffering, let him die.
And that was something else that puzzled her; why had the boy defected to begin with? How could any child of the Sparda family become so power hungry? Sparda himself would have never instilled such beliefs in his children, and since one child was still firmly for the humans, he apparently hadn’t. So what had gone wrong with Vergil? What had driven him to try and break the seal between the worlds and kill his brother? Zenedris didn’t know, though she did have a pretty good suspicion.
Luxian.
Luxian was such a cold hearted bastard and so devoted to Mundus that he would have done anything the three eyes monster had told him to, even going as far to bring harm to his own family. No matter what values and beliefs Talthos would have brought him up with, Luxian would have tossed them aside like so much trash to follow Mundus’ orders. Luxian was a follower of first order, no wonder the family headship had passed him over.
Vergil stirred in his sleep, reminding Zenedris of why she was in there to begin with. Careful not to disturb him, she settled down on the bed beside him and put her hand back on his forehead, scanning for memories.
One floor away, in his room, Cijarnae, sulking over the lecture that his parents had given him about going off on one of his great, great-grandmother’s schemes without telling, reached into his pocket, looking to see if he had any treats left over from dinner in there. To his disappointment, he found nothing, not even the note that his Liestia had written to give to the Sparda. Showing the lack of care over something that children of all species were famous for if it didn’t concern them directly, he shrugged his small shoulders and went over to raid his toybox for something to do.