The Devils Cry Part 2-5

[eiahmon]

Title: The Devils Cry Part 2
Author: Eiahmon
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: 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 year after the events in “The Devils Cry”, things in the Sparda family have calmed down, well, as much as possible with them at any rate. But when strange things start happening, including a reappearance of Alastair's dreams of the unknown castle, they realized that they still have a long way to go.
SPOILER WARNING!!!: Spoilers for all three Devil May Cry games.

 

5.

Zenedris Sarcesti wearily raised her head and looked around at her dingy surroundings. She was in a large cell with several members of her family, all of them children. The children, chained by their ankles to the wall, were either sleeping on the fleshy floor, or curled up in their own little areas, staring into space. It broke her heart to see their dirty faces, matted hair, and torn clothes. It made her feel worse to know that it was her fault that they were like this.

After the fall of the wards around Dali’mar’ne, the Sarcesti family tower, Mundus and Luxian Sparda had come to the library where she was casting a spell to send Vergil Sparda back to the human world. She had blocked the library door with another spell, but just before she had sent Vergil on his way, the spell had fallen under the onslaught of the Valters family, and Mundus had come at her roaring in rage as he grabbed her by the throat. As the rest of her family was subdued and taken prisoner, Mundus beat her badly for the next several hours as punishment for her betrayal. Then she had been tossed in a tiny cell by herself, to “think about” her actions. There she had remained for quite some time, though she was unable to tell exactly how long. Then she had been moved into the larger room with the children to better witness the suffering that she had caused her family. The communications pendants had all been confiscated, so she had no way to reach the other adults, nor did they have a way to reach her. She didn’t even know if any of them were alive after the large battle that they had fought. What’s more, without her amulet, she had no way to reach Atalia and learn if her spell had been successful or not, and whether or not Vergil was safe.

One of the children whimpered in her sleep. Zenedris looked over at her, but could do no more as the little one shook herself awake from whatever nightmare she had been having. Seeing how thin the girl was made the Sarcesti matriarch cringe. They were fed only enough to keep them alive, and everyone was thin and emaciated, with wasted muscles and sunken cheeks and eyes. She longed to do something to help them, but the power suppressing collars that they all wore around their necks made that impossible. She wanted so badly to take them home, but they no longer had a home to return to. The last thing she had seen before Mundus beat her into unconsciousness was Dali’mar’ne, which had housed the Sarcesti family for over 100,000 years, burning. Everything and everyone inside had been reduced to ash. She knew this because, once she had regained consciousness, Mundus had forced her to look at the remains, including several charred bodies. Pages from her precious library were fluttering around the former tower, and she had thought stupidly that they books were fireproof, so they were okay. Seeing her not comprehending what she was seeing, Mundus dragged her up to the nearest body, which was that of her oldest son, Salmeth, and it was then that the enormity of what she had done hit her. She began to scream and had screamed throughout the beating from Mundus. She had screamed until she was unconscious again.

She had awoken later with a raw scratchy throat and a collar around her neck.

Since then she had tried to think of a way to escape, but had come up with no ideas. With the escape of Vergil Sparda, security was tighter than normal on the prisoners, and none of their guards was stupid enough to be the one on watch when another tried to escape. Of course, if it weren’t for the collars around their necks, then they could easily overtake anyone that tried to stop them, but it took great power to do it. Only a Sarcesti - and they obviously couldn’t - or Talthos Sparda had that kind of power. And locked in stasis like he was, Talthos certainly couldn’t do anything.

Casting her thoughts back to the demon she had once hoped to marry, Zenedris though about how Talthos had come by his phenomenal power. Simply put the former Sparda patriarch possessed the most powerful magic ever possessed by a demon - period. No one is sure exactly how he came to be so powerful. True his mother had been a Sarcesti, but he had been born with the white hair of the Spardas, showing that the power he had inherited from his father was dominant over the power his mother had given him. Yet, even as a small child, he had shown a proficiency at magic rare outside the Sarcesti family. At the age of seven centuries, he had lived with his mother’s family for quite some time, learning to use and control his magic, and it was then that the four century old Zenedris had first seen him. Talthos had been powerful at magic, and had excelled in its use, but his love had always been for the swordplay favored by the Spardas. Of course, as the Sparda Heir, he had duties to perform as he learned how to run the most powerful of the demon families, and he had to return to Lar’cincel. Zenedris remembered that she had cried when he left Dali’mar’ne, and her parents had been unable to figure out what had had her so upset.

Over the next several years, her and Talthos had become friends, and she had fallen in love with him, though her love was unreturned. He had eyes only for Nakisa Bolverk, and he married her 4,000 years before the start of the war with the humans, while Mundus’ father was still on the throne. A scant few centuries later, Mundus had murdered his father to claim the throne, and the demon world had begun its slow decline. From the beginning of his rule, Talthos, Nakisa, Zenedris, and her husband Kinar Ximorn had known that Mundus had an unhealthy interest in the soon to be Sparda patriarch. They had been wary of the Dark Emperor, unable to learn the reason behind his interest. When Sparda had been born, three millennia before the start of the human/ demon war, things had started to become a little clearer.

Even at birth, it had been plain that Sparda Achida Sparda would grow to be powerful, yet the boy had only barely passed his inspection - something that all newborn children from the demon families were subjected to by the current holder of the throne. If he had failed, Mundus would have killed him and his mother on the spot. Later, when Zenedris and Kinar visited Lar’cincel to see the new Sparda Heir, Talthos had told them what had happened, and how it had seemed to him how Mundus had expected Sparda to be more powerful. Zenedris had agreed, wondering aloud just what Mundus had been expecting.

Yes, Talthos was powerful, but Nakisa came from the only demon family that possessed no magic whatsoever, and that would negate some of Talthos’ power when it was passed down to their children. Everyone had agreed. To counter Mundus’ poor inspection Talthos had changed the name he and Nakisa had chosen for their son, instead giving him the family name as a given name. Zenedris and Kinar had been surprised, as giving an infant their family name for a given name was a great honor, usually reserved for those destined for greatness. If they failed to live up to that, then it brought shame and dishonor upon their family that would never be lifted.

“He will be great.” Talthos had said quietly “I have seen it.”

Everyone had fallen silent at that, and Zenedris had gone pale. It was a fact known only to members of the family themselves that the Sarcesti, every few generations or so, would produce a child with the gift of sight. For Talthos to have that while still having the power of his Sparda blood being dominant was incredible and unheard of before.

The cell door swung open, startling Zenedris from her thoughts. She looked up as several guards stepped in and walked towards her. The children stirred restlessly, but she gestured for them to be quiet. She did not want to see them punished for vocalizing their hunger. Her chains were removed and she was hauled to her feet and out of the cell.

She didn’t even bother to think about escaping as she was half carried, half dragged through the Underworld. Any attempt on her part would result in one of her great grandchildren receiving the punishment, and she would not cause that to happen. They had already suffered enough because of her. She thought that they were taking her to the throne room, but instead, she realized they were taking her to Mundus’ private chambers. She tried to contain her horror, but she knew that she wasn’t completely successful. She knew what happened to those that were taken to Mundus’ private chambers, and it was something that she did not want to experience. What was he hoping to do? Use her to produce his heir? She shuddered; she didn’t want to think of that! She was pulled through a corridor, and a door was opened and she was pushed through it. She could sense that Mundus was nearby, but she knew that he was not in the room, which made her give an involuntary sigh of relief. None of her guards followed her into the room, which made her give another sigh of relief, and the door shut behind her.

“Zenedris?” a voice, weak from what sounded like disuse, said feebly.

She spun around to face it, and was nearly blinded by the pomp and shine of the room. She had a sinking feeling that she was in Mundus’ bed chamber, but did her best to hide it as she looked around for the source of the voice. It sounded vaguely familiar to her, but she couldn’t place it.

Her eyes fell on the bed, and she nearly fell over in shock.

Talthos Sparda was lying on the bed.

*****

Luxian strode down to the lowermost cell again. He desperately needed to vent. He couldn’t believe that what he was planning had ever crossed his mind, but it was the only solution to his problem, and he had no other ideas on what to do. It was tormenting him, and if he didn’t tell someone, then he was going to go mad.

He opened the door and stepped inside, again giving his eyes time to adjust to the almost complete lack of light before stepping towards the chained figure against the wall. He kneeled and grabbed the person’s chin and forced the head up so he could look into the eyes. The powder blue eyes were glazed and unfocused, like they had been for the past several years. Satisfied that his audience was not going to spill his secrets, Luxian began to talk.

“I’m moving Father. I’m not sure where yet. I’ve thought about abandoning him in the human world, but I shudder at the thought at him being at the mercy of those monstrosities. I cannot, however, let him stay here. Mundus has reneged on his promise to allow me to continue the family line, and he intends to breed Father as soon as he is physically capable of doing so. I cannot let that happen; I will not let that happen. If there are anymore children born into the Sparda family, then they will be mine! No one else’s!” He looked at the person in front of him, who had not moved or made any sign that he had understood. Satisfied again that his secrets would not be told, Luxian wiped his hand off on his clothes and left the cell, closing the door behind him.

He walked back to Lar’cincel and went up to his parents’ room, intending to check on his father.

But Talthos was not in his bed.

Lucian’s eyes widened in shock, and his heart leaped up into his throat as the possible implications of this ran through his mind. Bolting from the room, he ran though the entire tower, searching every room at least twice, and in some cases, three times, and not finding his father in any of them. His shock building up into a full blown panic, he checked the wards, sensing immediately that several of Mundus’ messengers had crossed them. Snarling in rage at his master’s audacity, Luxian left the tower and ran for the throne room.

*****

“Talthos?” Zenedris said quietly, not believing what her eyes were telling her. She cautiously approached the bed, taking in every feature of white haired demon before her. She couldn’t believe it; he was awake! After two millennia, he was finally awake!

“Zenedris,” he said again, trying to reach out to her, but his arms shook, and he couldn’t raise them off of the mattress. Losing all of her reservations, she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Talthos, oh Talthos,” she murmured “I didn’t think that Mundus was ever going to let you wake up.” She pulled him up to her and rocked him back and forth for a bit. She had loved Kinar, but she had always nursed her secret love for Talthos, and now that he was here with her, she would finally get to show it.

Talthos laid his head against her chest and shivered in relief at the familiar face. He had no problems remembering her, and he was fully aware of her feelings towards him.

“What happened to you?” he asked, seeing the state of her clothes and hair and her overall sickly appearance.

“So many things have happened.” she replied, holding him tighter “I doubt that they will give us enough time for me to tell you all of it.”

“Tell me want you can.” he pleaded “Luxian hasn’t told me anything.” Her face darkened at the mention of his son, and he wondered what the boy had done to cause such a reaction. He was certain that it wasn’t good.

A fist banged heavily on the other side of the door. “Lord Mundus expects you two to have completed your business within an hour!” a voice growled. Zenedris looked down at him puzzled, and he felt his face flush with anger and shame; he knew what kind of “business” they were expected to conclude. Mundus had told him.

“What do they mean, Talthos?”

“They want us to.... they want me to impregnate you.”

“What!” Zenedris’ eyebrows nearly shot up into her hairline when his words sunk in.

“Mundus wants you to bear my child, so he can use it as a weapon against the humans.”

Zenedris had her doubts about that, but she wisely kept them to herself, not wanting to have to tell him the news of Sparda’s fate and that of Sparda’s wife and children just yet.

“You’re so weak.” she said instead, fingering the horrid metal collar around his neck, which was identical to the one she wore “Do they honestly expect you to be capable of this?”

Talthos managed some semblance of a shrug. “I don’t know, but we’ll both be punished if we don’t.” He shuddered again. “What happened here, Zenedris? What went wrong while I was asleep?”

The Sarcesti matriarch closed her eyes, seeing the children in chains and the charred body of her son, lying in the ashes of what had once been Dali’mar’ne. Then she took a deep breath and began to explain everything that she knew.

*****

Luxian ignored protocol and barged through the throne room doors. Mundus was upon his throne, and his eyes narrowed when he saw Luxian.

“What is the meaning of this intrusion, Luxian?” he growled “It had better be good.”

“Master, my father is gone!”

“I am aware of this, Luxian. While you were tormenting your brother, my guards removed him from your tower and placed him in a comfortable room in my private chambers.”

“What is the reason for this, Master? I did not wish for him to be removed from my care.”

“Enough of your insolence, Luxian! I saw fit to fulfill my plans for him, and as of now, he has been joined by Zenedris Sarcesti. The two of them are the most powerful of the demons, and they will create a child fit to lead my armies.”
Luxian felt as if he had been struck a physical blow; he had not expected for Mundus to do this so soon! Calming himself, he asked as calm as possible:

“And what of my father, Master, once his task is completed?”

“Oh,” Mundus waved his hand dismissively “I will continue to breed him, until I feel he has sired a sufficient number of children, then he will be disposed of.”

Luxian visibly flinched. “What! Master, surely you jest!”

“He is too powerful to let live, Luxian. As soon as he learns of what happened to Sparda and the traitor’s wife and children, he will rebel as well. I cannot allow that to happen. He may rebel whether he finds out or not, since he had learned of the true cause of Akemus Sparda’s death.”

Luxian froze at the mention of his deceased nephew, whose death at the hands of humans had been the catalyst that had torn the Sparda family apart.

“What of his death, Master?” he asked cautiously “I was informed that it was humans that caused the child’s death.”

“Oh it was, Luxian, it was. But that is not for you to worry about. I have an important task for you. Perform it to my satisfaction, and your father will be allowed to live.”

Luxian was wary, but he answered all the same. “What is it you wish of me, Master?”

“I want you to gather a team together. Then I want you to personally lead that team to the human world and find the home and business of your half breed nephew. I want you to slaughter him and his family, with the exception of our long lost Larcersa. He is to be brought back to me, so I may teach him the error of his ways. And I also want you to retrieve the book that your brother wrote.”
 

“Master, if I may, what is so important about this book?”

To his surprise, Mundus chuckled. “I suppose that it wouldn’t hurt to tell you. You are aware of what the book contains, correct?”

“Yes, a list of my brother’s kills and the locations of any Hell Gates that he was able to find.”

“Yes, but did you read the back of the book?”

“No, Master, I did not get that far before it was stolen again.”

 

“You know that all of the Hell Gates are sealed so that only lesser demons may escape. Some may allow higher demons, like yourself, through. There is one though, that your brother was unable to properly seal. Oh, there is a seal on it, but it is very weak, and easily breakable. Even as we speak, the Valters family is hard at work in breaking that seal. But your brother was clever. When he found the gate, and he discovered that he could not close it, he built his castle over it, so that he may keep an eye on it. I’m sure you know of the place that I am speaking of?”

Luxian did, the memory of how he had murdered Sparda’s human wife in that very same castle coming easily to the forefront of his mind. “I do, Master.”

“He wrote the location of that gate in his book and made sure that whoever read the book knew of it’s exact location. Only his wife knew of it as he never told his children, or, at least, he was never given a chance to.” Mundus gave another chuckle. “At any rate, Luxian, if his children or grandchildren were to read the book, they would find the gate’s location, and I can’t allow that to happen. It is through this gate that I plan to emerge into the human world, and this time, the Son of Sparda will not interfere. To make sure of this, I want you to go take care of him. He only narrowly defeated Bolverk. You will have no trouble.”

A cold smile crept across Luxian’s face, and he bowed. He had waited for years for a chance to challenge Sparda’s other son. “I accept the mission, Master. I will not fail you.”

“See that you don’t, Luxian. You father’s life depends on it. Now go, I want you to leave as soon as possible.

“Yes, Master.” Luxian bowed again, and backed out of the throne room.

*****

Talthos was in shock. He couldn’t believe what Zenedris had told him. He had guessed that things in the Sparda family had gotten bad, but he had no idea that things were that bad!

"So, Luxian is at the heart of all of this?” he asked, disbelieving that his middle child could be so cruel. Sparda and Luxian had always had a rivalry going, ever since they were children, but for Luxian to kill his brother’s wife in petty revenge and kidnap their son to use as a weapon against their other son...! Talthos was appalled at Luxian’s actions.

“Luxian claims that he killed Sparda in battle several years ago,” Zenedris continued “but there are many, including myself that doubt that. Luxian may be powerful and skilled, but he was always second to Sparda. Add that to the fact that Sparda inherited your aptitude for magic, and it seems very unlikely that Luxian could have done it. Atalia has told me before that she keeps getting this sense that Sparda still lives somewhere.”

“Atalia?” Talthos looked up at her.

“Yes, she left for the human world a few hundred years after Sparda did. When asked why all she would say was that Sparda had been right all along, and I think it was Akemus that he was right about. She says that in the void where her marriage bond to Sparda once was, she will feel a flicker of him every now and then. She can’t explain it, and it never lasts long enough for her to track him.”

“If he were truly dead, then she shouldn’t be able to sense him at all.”

Zenedris nodded. They sat in silence for a moment before Talthos spoke again.

 

“Sparda was right. Akemus couldn’t be allowed to live; he was going to grow to be too powerful for Mundus’ liking.”

“Mundus feared a child that would have never done anything against him.”
 

Another knock sounded against the door.

“You two had better be done; Lord Mundus is on his way to see you.”

Talthos shuddered despite himself. Centuries before, a simple veiled threat had been sufficient in getting Mundus to leave him alone. Now, with his powers locked away, he was at the Dark Emperor’s mercy. He had a feeling that he was about to pay for all of those years of defiance. Zenedris’ arms tightened protectively around him, and they waited while Mundus’ presence closed in on them.

Chapter 4 -- Chapter 6

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