Chapter Text
A knock came on the door of the Devil May Cry. It woke Dante up, his eyes opening a sliver under his magazine. He listened, not moving yet, waiting to see if whoever had come would dare to enter. He hoped they wouldn’t.
But they did. Oh come on. The soft clicking sound of heels resonated on the wooden floor and the heavy smell of a sugary-spicy perfume reached his nose.
So his visitor was most probably a woman. What did she want ?
As Dante kept staying still, imitating his signature napping pose at his desk, the sound of footsteps stopped. There was a moment of silence where the red-twin kept the charade going, still hopeful that his visitor would politely get out.
“Hm, hello ?” A female voice called out shily. “I’m sorry, is this Devil May Cry ?”
No luck, then. Dropping his act, Dante lifted a corner of his magazine and looked at the visitor. It was a girl, in her twenties. Black hair, dark brown eyes, pale skin. Cute girl, she reminded him a bit of Patty.
“Yes, ma'am. What can I do for you ?” Dante asked her, removing his legs from the top of his desk.
“You must be Dante. I’m Amanda. I have been told that you were a specialist when it came to hm… demons ?” The brunette asked, fidgeting with the straps of her bag.
She seemed nervous to be here, her eyes sweeping all around the room but carefully avoiding him.
“I’m a demon hunter so, yeah, I guess. Why do you need a “specialist” for ?” The red half-devil asked her, scratching his chin absentmindedly.
“Well, hum I…people have gone missing. At my workplace. And I… I’m scared that it could happen to me too, so I came looking for you.” The woman mumbled, her eyes darting left and right before settling on the ground.
“Missing, how ?” The hunter asked, feeling curious now. If that girl went to him and not the police there must be something that screamed demonic activity.
“They’re here, and then they’re just …gone. In a blink. I know it sounds crazy but I swear I was with a guy and I turned away for a second and then he disappeared.” Amanda explained, her voice level rising a bit and her tone defensive.
“Okay, okay, I believe you. Relax. Where do you work ?” The red half-devil stood up and came around the desk. It made the girl take a frightened step backwards.
“I, hm… I work at Love Planet.” she said, as she finally looked up at him and glared. Daring him to mock her.
“I know the place. Let’s go.” The hunter simply said as he walked right past her, crossing the room and opening the door.
“What ? Why ?” The girl asked him, a bit of panic in her voice now.
That woman was really acting weird. But hey, stress made people do all sorts of dumb and strange things. Still, it felt like she was hiding something.
“I need to see the site for myself. There might be clues on what we’re facing.” Dante shrugged as he turned away and exited the office.
He started to walk on the street, the hour was still early, the weather was beautiful and Dante hoped this case would be solved before the end of the day.
The girl chased after him and they walked in silence towards their destination.
Dante knew the place quite well, it was a strip-club. He never really visited it privately but he sometimes used to do business there. Information brokers and mercenaries often used this place as a base to exchange contracts before the bar next door opened.
The club wasn’t too far away from the Devil May Cry and Dante found it quite unusual that a demon would dare hunt humans so close to it. It had happened in the past but now, there were two half-demons living in the area.
His and Vergil’s presence should be enough to scare off all the small fries and even the upper demons. If one got bold enough to encroach on their territory, it was either stupid or powerfull. Maybe both.
Well, he would kill the demon in both cases so it didn’t really matter.
“So, Amanda, right ? Tell me what exactly happened.” He asked the girl again, his eyes spotting the cheap looking, turned off neon sign above the building. “When and where was it? What were you doing ?”
“It was last night, I’m a waitress at the club, and there was a man who ordered a drink. So I brought him his glass and asked him to pay. He gave me 20 bucks and I had to give him 10 back. By the time I sorted the money out he was gone. “ she made a poofing motion with her hands, her voice shaking a bit at the memory.
“Okay, and this isn’t the first time something like that has happened ?” Dante wondered, reflecting on the numerous possibilities for someone to just vanish like that.
“No, one of the girls vanished between two dances on stage and the club had to hire a new one. Later another customer never came out of the bathroom.” Amanda continued her story, her breath short because she was having trouble keeping up with Dante’s quick pace.
“All at the same time ?” Dante looked down at the brunette, trying to get a read on her. Her story felt weird, why didn’t she seek help after the first incident ? Or the second ?
“No, the dancer went missing three weeks ago and the other man was last week.” Amanda specified, seeming a bit relieved that the hunter didn’t comment on her exotic workplace or on the shortcomings of her report.
Dante combed through the information he got from Amanda. Multiple victims, all vanished from sight. No direct attacks, no demon sighted. No bodies.
This had magic written all over it.
Dante sighed, he hated fighting sorcerers and witches. They were always hiding and scheming, it was a real pain in the ass to get to them. It could be even worse if it was a demon using magic.
The legendary hunter stayed silent for a while, wondering if he should warn his twin about the possibility that there was something going on in their neighborhood. In the end he dropped the idea. Vergil was in Fortuna helping Nero on another case.
The two needed some time to get to know each other, and Dante didn’t want to risk his brother dropping everything to come and assist him. Not when he wasn’t even sure what this was all about.
He could manage this on his own. He had hunted alone for all his life before Vergil came back from the grave. This was nothing.
Dante and Amanda finally reached Love Planet. The strip-club was closed and wouldn’t open until 10 p.m. but that didn’t mean it was empty.
The half-devil knocked on the front door and waited. A very small, middle-aged woman came to open it. She looked at him and then looked at the girl beside him and she went sheet white. She left the door wide open for them and backed away.
Dante knew the little lady from sight. He had seen her a few times when he used to do business here, she took care of cleaning the club. And the woman must have recognized him from the frightened look on her face.
“Come, I’ll show you where the man disappeared.” Amanda told him as she entered the club, pushing her hair back behind her ears. Another gesture of nervousness, Dante noted.
They crossed the entrance and walked into the main room where the stage was taking up a good portion of the space.
Small tables with barstools were positioned everywhere around the stage, allowing potential customers to enjoy a drink while watching the show.
Amanda brought Dante to one of the tables, on the far right side of the room. A glass was standing alone on the polished wooden surface.
“This is the table he was at. And this is his drink. I asked Maria, the cleaning lady, to leave it.” The waitress told Dante, pointing at the abandoned glass containing an orange liquid.
The half-devil inspected the table and the glass, the chair and the floor beneath, but he couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
This was highly unusual, sorcerers tended to leave marks behind. Sigils, wards, symbols, puppets, the possibilities were almost infinite.
“Can you show me where the others went missing ?” he asked the brown haired girl and she nodded.
She took him behind the stage, skimpy costumes and accessories were laying everywhere but there was still no clue about how the stripper could have vanished into thin air.
It was the same thing when he checked the men’s bathroom. No signs of magic at all. This whole situation was getting weirder by the second.
“Okay, I can’t find any trace of demonic activity in the club, Amanda.” he told the waitress as his inspection came to an end.
“That’s impossible ! I know what I saw ! I’m not crazy !” The brunette was growing upset, her voice derailling as her panic grew. “ Please, you have to believe me ! What if someone goes missing again tonight ? Please help me.” she was almost begging now, her eyes shining wet.
Dante’s hand came to pinch the bridge of his nose. He was hesitating. He couldn’t find anything, so maybe she should go to the police. There was still a chance that this case had nothing to do with demons.
But if he had missed something, she and her colleagues could be in serious danger. He didn’t like that idea at all. Maybe he could stay during the show tonight to make sure nothing happened ?
He could almost hear Vergil’s voice in his head, arguing that his heart was too soft. He was probably right.
“Okay, listen. I’ll stay here tonight to make sure nothing happens during the show. I’ll see if I can spot something in the crowd.” he finally said as he made up his mind.
“Thank you !Thank you so much !” Amanda exclaimed, a bright smile on her face, her relief evident.
And that’s how almost 12 hours later, Dante found himself at the exact same spot inside Love Planet. Neon lights were shining bright in the room, spots illuminating the stage where a woman was dancing.
The red devil’s eyes were sweeping over the room, dozens of men and even women were enjoying drinks at the bar and chatting. The music was loud and the lights were blinding but nothing out of the ordinary for a club.
The half-devil’s eyes trailed back to the stage as the music changed. The dancer exited the room and another one came forth.
The new dancer was … hypnotizing. She wore a long deep green gown that made her red hair look like flames. Her snow white skin served to complete the contrast. She was otherworldly beautiful, so much so that the whole room fell in silent awe.
Dante too couldn’t help his eyes from staying glued to the woman. She looked like a mythical creature, coming straight from a painting. A Goddess. A muse. A witch.
The red half-devil’s sense went on full alarm. There was something about that dancer that made his skin crawl. It could be her eyes. They shone bright green, like liquid emeralds, but they felt old. Too old for such a young face.
The red-haired woman started to dance, her movement slow and graceful. It had nothing to do with the usual over-sexualised style that was the Love Planet’s well known ambiance.
The dancer’s green eyes landed on Dante, her gaze focusing on him. It felt like this dance was meant for him, which was strange. It made his hand itch for his guns. Something was definitely wrong.
There was a high pitched scream on the other side of the room. Amanda’s. Dante broke out of his trance and rushed to follow the origin of the sound.
The girl was gone, the tray she had stacked with glasses laying on the ground. But Dante could still smell her heavy perfume in the air. Following the scent he ran through the building.
No one stopped him, no one reacted. All were watching the dancer, the crowd was a sea of stone statues.
Dante exited the stage room through a small backdoor and entered the kitchen area. He kept running, holding on to the spicy, too-sweet scent.
It led him down a flight of stairs into the basement of the club. Her perfume was especially present here, he was getting closer. Her scent meddled with others, vanilla, dust, mold and… blood ?
At the end of the dark corridor was a simple gray wooden door. The scent led straight to it. Dante wasted no time, worried for Amanda, he slammed the door open and stepped inside the room. This was his biggest mistake.
The room was pitch black and the half-devil couldn’t see anything in the absolute darkness. The door shut behind him and pain hit him. His head felt like it was going to explode.
What's happening ? Agony coursed through his veins, making his muscles spasm, cramps seizing him. His blood felt like it was made of mercury.
Dante fell on his knees, his teeth gritted and his heart racing in his chest. He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Something was wrong, so wrong. Was this a magical trap ?
His limbs felt so heavy that they couldn’t hold him upwards anymore. He crashed forward and ended up lying on the cold ground. He tried his best to move, to fight, to do anything, but his head felt fuzzy and soon after he passed out.
Dante woke up in pain. He hissed between clenched teeth as he opened his eyes slowly.
At first he couldn’t really make sense of what he was seeing. There was an old crappy lightbulb dangling from the ceiling and behind it were strange reddish patterns adorning the walls. Circles, filled with elongated swirls and symbols, runes and geometricals drawings. Sigils. Magic.
Fuck ! The half-devil’s memories came back abruptly. He had been investigating and then chasing after the girl, Amanda, but once he reached the basement he could only remember pain, and then nothing.
Dante moved. Or rather he tried to. He was sitting against a wall, his arms held up above his head by thick shackles wrapped around his wrists. The metallic restraints glowed a discreet red light, small runes carved on the iron.
The same had been done to his ankles, albeit he had been afforded with enough length so that he could keep his legs outstretched. Small courtesy, I guess…
From what Dante could see, he was sitting inside a perfectly defined magic circle, it glowed red just like the chains holding him. Other circles covered the room, from the floor to the ceiling. Someone had taken great precautions to keep him there. And keep him well hidden at that.
The half-devil felt weak, this was surely the point of the circle beneath him. Still, he pulled with all his strength on his arms, testing the solidity of the chains. They didn’t move. Well, this can’t be good.
He had walked right into a trap. It wasn’t the first time it happened to him, not by far, but he had to admit that his jailer had taken extra care to keep him in place and this didn’t bode well.
He tried a few more times to free himself, the rough edge of the manacle nicking his skin already. The effort left him breathless, his head spinning, but he could feel the metal starting to give in, its shape changing under the tension.
He stopped his attempts at escape when he heard the door of the room open. He looked up and saw the red-haired dancer smiling down on him. Of course.
“You’re awake ! It pleases me to see you are alright now. I grew worried, my love !” The lady said with a sheepish grin as she entered the room and closed the door.
She was still wearing her green gown and it danced playfully around her legs as she came close to Dante. Her smile was bright, full cherry red lips over pearl white teeth, and her eyes gentle as she looked down at him.
“I’m sorry if I made you worry. Would you mind releasing me now? "The half-devil gave her his best smile too. Maybe he could charm his way out of this psycho’s den.
“Oh I’m sorry but I can’t do that. I have worked very hard to bring you here after all.” She came to kneel next to him, her knees brushing against his thigh. It was a deliberate contact and it made Dante’s skin crawl.
“And what for ? If that’s not too much to ask ?” He did his best to keep his tone polite. Like they were having a normal, casual conversation.
“Of course you can ask, silly.” She laughed softly and she brushed a strand of hair away from his face. “I brought you here to keep you.“
“Keep me ?” The red hunter was doing his best not to recoil at her touching him. Her hands were ice cold and her touch was unneeded and unwanted.
“Yes. Because I love you.” She said as if it was the most evident thing. “My heart has belonged to you and to your twin since I first saw you two fight your way through the Underworld !”
Dante was left speechless. He might no be an expert on that particular subject but he was pretty sure this was absolutely fucking wrong.
“I know it may come as a surprise. You don’t know me yet, but I do know you. Both of you.” Her smile grew even wider, red lips arching up. “I even knew your father back in the days !”
Dante’s stomach flipped. He didn’t like this at all.
“A friend of the family, uh?” Dante joked, trying his best to keep the conversation going. He needed to figure out who and what that woman was.
“Sadly, Sparda and I fell apart. I wanted to bear his heirs but he wasn’t interested. I thought he would change his mind, given enough time … but then, he picked a human over me. It hurt, you know.” she pouted and let her gaze run up and down over her captive.
“So… you want revenge? Dear old dad hasn’t been around for a long time…” Dante huffed before the woman hushed him by putting a finger on his lips.
“I’m not looking for revenge, darling. Who could have predicted that a meager human would birth such beauty and such power !” she whispered in awe, her fingers brushing Dante’s face almost reverently.
”I want you. And your brother too. We’ll form such a happy family just the three of us !” She said, beaming, madness and longing in the green depths of her eyes.
“I’m sorry to ruin the mood but I’m not interested.” Dante scoffed, pushing himself backwards, trying to put some distance between him and that crazy lady.
“I’m sure you’ll change your mind soon.” She answered, her smile was still as bright but there was a subtle shift in her tone. It felt like a promise. A dangerous one.
The woman’s eyes went up to the chains keeping his arms stretched out above his head. She frowned, taking in the slight change of shape of the metal pieces, and then she looked back at Dante with a prideful gleam in her eyes.
“It seems I underestimated you ! You are even stronger than I thought ! “ she exclaimed happily and Dante’s blood turned cold. “I’m sorry my darling, but I can’t take the chance that you might free yourself.”
The woman moved and she went to sit in his lap.
“Hey wow, slow down ! What are you…” Dante jerked back, his back plastered against the wall.
The red-head’s hand went to his chest, pushing his red coat back out of the way. Her fingers trailed up to the collar of his black t-shirt before she tore it, the light fabric ripping cleanly in two. Dante felt the tip of her nail graze his skin.
“I’m afraid this is going to hurt.” She murmured, still smiling but her eyes now fixed on his skin.
And then Dante could help but flinch as he felt her nails dig into his flesh, their sharp edges more like talons than human nails. The half-devil clenched his teeth and breathed hard as she started to carve a new magic circle onto his chest.
Blood ran down freely, staining her green gown with deep dark smears of red as she kept cutting, crimson lines turning into runes.
The minutes went by slowly and she hummed softly to herself while she kept on drawing, just like a child playing with a coloring book. Black dots danced into Dante’s vision as she went on and on, until the wounds started to glow burgundy red. Another few minutes were needed before the symbol came to completion. Dante felt nauseous and lightheaded as she withdrew her claws, the symbol draining his strength away. It left him panting heavily, his head dropping down as he tried to catch his breath.
Bloodied hands came to cup his face, gently forcing him to look back up.
“W-What did you do to me?” the half-devil growled, glaring at the monster before him.
“I locked your demonic heritage away. A part of it anyway.” she answered, her thumbs slowly caressing his cheek.
“Who the fuck are you ?” Dante bit back, anger burning bright in his veins.
“Now, now, no need to be rude.” She said, sounding pained while the sharp nail of her thumb cut a bloody line on his cheek in retaliation. “You can call me Macha.”
Her hands finally left the hunter’s face as she stood up. The centerpiece of her dress showed deep dark blotches of blood but it didn’t seem to bother her.
“I have to go but I’ll come back soon, my love.” She said as she left the room, leaving the half-devil alone in his cell. It felt more like a threat than a promise.
Hours later, Dante felt downright awful. He was too cold and too hot at the same time, his lungs expanding but not allowing enough oxygen to pass through.
He was still out of breath even though he was doing nothing. That damned witch really pulled a number on him.
Whatever she had done must have worked pretty well because he was in no shape to get himself out of those shackles. He wasn’t even healing, the skin on his chest still oozing blood after all the time he had been there.
Had it been only hours ? Or days ? He didn’t know, there was no sunlight and no clock to help measure the passage of time. He could only speculate and wait.
The lightbulb kept flickering and Dante shivered, feverish and nauseous.
He needed to find a way out of here. He couldn’t take the chance that Macha may go after Vergil.
His twin was no easy target but the psycho was smart. She may very well use Dante as leverage against his brother and the red half-devil wasn’t going to let that happen.
Dante’s acute hearing picked something up. Light steps. Outside his cell. He tried to calm himself and hide the extent of the magic’s influence on him. He leant back, looking as relaxed and unbothered as possible when the door opened.
It was the waitress girl, Amanda. So she was still alive. And if she was standing there it meant that she was working for that red-head. She had lured him into a trap right from the beginning. It explained her nervousness around him.
The girl’s eyes grew wide as her gaze landed on him, her hands coming to cover her mouth in horror. Dante waited in silence, watching her reaction carefully.
She paled, her skin losing its healthy golden color. For an accomplice she seemed pretty shaken by his appearance after her boss’ little carving session.
“ Oh God ! Oh my God ! I-I’m sorry ! I… She promised she wouldn’t hurt you ! I didn’t know ! I swear ! “ The brunette’s voice was high pitched, bordering on hysteria. “I had no choice !”
Was she even sincere ? It looked like she was, but she had fooled him before so the half-devil kept his guard up. He kept quiet, still somewhat breathless anyway, until a smooth feminine voice came out of nowhere.
“Oh but you had, honey.” Macha‘s voice echoed. She appeared in the doorway, just behind the girl.
The waitress scrambled away, a startled gasp escaping her lips. There was only pure terror on her already too pale face.
She clumsily backed away from the door until she bumped against the concrete wall on the other side of the room.
The sorceress stepped inside the cell, graceful and elegant, and the door closed of its own volition behind her. She smiled, the sweetness of it only emphasizing the twisted gleam in her emerald eyes.
“I spared you in exchange for your servitude. And you did a marvelous job, sweetheart.” Macha said as she walked nonchalantly closer to the terrified girl.
She extended one of her arms, her fingers coming to catch one of the brunette’s dark locks. “And now there is one last thing I need from you.”
Dante’s instincts were screaming at him to stand up and fight. To get away from here. He pulled on his restraints, straightening up the best he could, but there was nothing he could do.
The sorceress flicked her wrist and Amanda went flying, landing sprawled on the ground just a step away from Dante. She yelped in pain and looked up at the half-devil, her terrified eyes begging him for help.
Macha slowly walked up to the two of them, her heels clicking on the concrete. She grabbed Amanda’s hair and yanked her head back, exposing her throat.
“No ! No ! Please ! I can still help ! Please !” the waitress screamed, pleading and crying.
“What are you doing ? Stop ! Let her go !” Dante shouted, jerking the chains with all he had but they did not budge. He could guess what was going to happen.
“Oh, my love ! So fierce, so protective.” The witch cooed. “ I have no choice, you know, the magic on these walls requires some… sacrifices.” Macha sighed as her nails ran over the girl’s skin, slitting her throat.
Blood gushed out, splashing on the ground. The poor waitress spasmed, her eyes still begging the red-half devil but her words replaced by a gurgling sound. And then she fell silent, going slack.
The witch dropped her body unceremoniously, leaving it to lay at Dante’s feet, discarded.
Horror and grief pooled in the half-devil’s stomach, stealing his voice away. He couldn’t tear his eyes from the frail body next to him and the growing dark pool beneath it.
Macha’s gaze followed the hunter’s.
“Oh, are you sad, my love ? Don’t be.” The witch came to sit next to him, her arms wrapping around his neck, her nose coming to rub affectionately against his and Dante felt bile rise in his throat.
“Did you like her ?” She asked him, a childish curiosity in her eyes. “I can be her if you want ! I can be anyone you like !” She chuckled gleefully, her lips trailing down his face. And then she transformed.
Dante flinched when the woman pressed against him was now looking exactly like the dead girl at his feet. And then, she changed again, and Trish was there. Her fair hair and familiar face were just a breath away from his.
The fake Trish laughed at his obvious shock and disgust before she morphed a few times more. Lady, Patty, Kyrie, Nico, she transformed into all the women Dante felt somewhat close to.
“Stop this !” He barked, hatred boiling deep inside him. How dare that monster taint the image of his friends.
“How rude !” She pouted as she changed back to her original appearance. “I can feel that you are upset. I understand, I liked her too. What a shame.” She sighed dramatically as she let her body rest against his.
She squeezed herself against the hunter, rubbing her head against his chest like an affectionate cat and blood smeared her cheek.
“But her death is on you, you know.” She whispered softly, raising her gaze back up to meet his. “Give yourself to me, body and soul, and there will be no need for more blood.”
“Never.” Dante simply answered. He tensed, pretty sure that she would make him pay for refusing her.
“Stubborn ! But that’s part of your charm, just like your father !” She purred, her fingertip tracing circles on his skin. “ I heard your twin is even worse ! It has taken eons for Mundus to make him submit, I wonder if he’ll resist me too.”
“Leave him out of this !” The half-devil spat, his arms jerking, itching to snap that monster’s neck.
“Don’t fret, darling. He’ll soon join you here and I will keep you both with me forever.” She kept looking at him, dark oily shadows dancing in the poisonous green of her irises.
What kind of monster was this? She wasn’t a human sorcerer, she was too powerful for that. A demon ? It would explain her knowledge about Mundus.
“Get some rest, my love. You look a bit pale.” She kissed his cheek as she stood back up and marched to the door, leaving Dante alone with his thoughts and the dead girl.