Just like that, another two months gone by.
A lot of Vergil’s ti was spent at the spike for the most part, doing nothing but watching the days pass, trying to find a sense of purpose beyond what he was now.
He rested his body on the spike, reminiscing about all that happened with half-lidded eyes. His thoughts drifting back to a mory he made a few days ago.
My hair had gotten long again.
Mother decided my hair had gotten too long again. She didn’t even ask — just scolded that it was necessary. I agreed, mostly because it started to get in my way.
My hair was naturally ssy, a bit wild no matter how much I tried to keep it under control. But it got to a point where it was just a problem.
I barely had ti to doubt her before she took the sword, shearing through the black hair with cold precision.
I didn’t want to disappoint. After all this ti, it was as though she raised . I knew her thods... but watching months of hair fall away still felt odd.
She cut the back of it short, trimming the strands that reached past my neck until they no longer reached my shoulders. Then she worked on the front — making sure it no longer covered my eyes.
’I guess it looked cleaner, more organised.’
After she finished, Luminare giggled softly. I couldn’t tell what was funny, but she was amused, to say the least.
Then without asking, she poured a rainfall of water from the wooden bucket and wet my hair, face and clothes.
"You need a new style," she grinned, running her fingers like a hairstylist, smoothing it out and controlling it. "Stop it," Vergil muttered, but she ignored him.
She worked quickly before pulling my hair back. It was now in a slick-back style.
I looked at my reflection, checking the sides in a puddle that ford. "I really don’t like it."
"Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it," she spoke, smoothing my hair backwards.
Pulling at the back of my hair, I tried to free myself from Mother’s grip, but Luminare didn’t give up. As soon as it returned to normal, she put it back.
This beca almost like a ga of cat and mouse. She’d chase around the chamber and whenever I refused, she’d fight my stubbornness, calling gloomy and edgy.
She was relentless, cornering and repeated her process with a smile.
’It was... ridiculous,’ Vergil’s eyes flickered open, returning to the present. His back leaned against the spike. His eyes closed once more, continuing the recollection.
It felt like another mont of levity in my story. Not happiness, but motherly love.
His thoughts drifted towards the spear — it was quieter than usual. Before, the damn thing wouldn’t stop cussing him out before he slept — always making his life hard.
Maybe it was because he had been spending less ti with it, or maybe it just had no energy left to insult . Either way, I didn’t mind the quiet.
Mother had been busy as of late. I noticed more and more, no matter how many tis she tried to hide it. I’m starting to worry about her.
She told it was important. She said it was for us.
I don’t know what it is, and I’m beginning to think I’m not supposed to know. And honestly? If I can’t trust my mother, then who can I trust?
The spear?
Definitely a no. Who knows what divine judgent it’ll try to pull off.
The only thing that remained the sa was Blood Baby. It slept inside — sowhere.
Maybe it had no work to do. I didn’t mind — it worked hard enough to save . Yet It felt like it was telling sothing.
I’ve been trying to focus on the present, trying to ignore the tension slowly pressing down harder each day.
I get the feeling that sothing is going to change. But I don’t want any of it to be different.
’... ti to head back.’ Vergil rose up, pausing the intrusive thoughts that bit at his mind. He looked at the diary he had made on the walls of the spike along with the stickman drawings.
Today’s session wasn’t long. His body and mind were too tired to focus properly.
’Is this what’s known as the winds of change.’ Vergil let his halted thoughts resu as he walked. He couldn’t figure out what the force would be.
But he decided to keep moving forward. Just like he always did.
He took a different path, walking past dense underground trees, his boots crunching against reddish-brown tinged leaves.
"I feel like I’m forgetting sothing," he thought, narrowing his odd coloured eyes.
[Who knows.] The chanical voice finally stirring to life as if coming back from the dead.
’That voice, you’ve not talked to in a while." Vergil smiled, raising an eyebrow.
[It’s beco unnecessary, don’t you think?]
[You’re living the life you always wanted. But never wished for.]
Vergil’s lips twitched. "What are you getting at?"
[... Spend ti with everyone while you can — before anything happens.]
[You never know when they’ll disappear — it’s just the nature of life.]
Vergil’s steps slowed as he reached the passageway towards his ho before pausing — closing his eyes. "You’re right."
"But... when did you get so — what’s the word for it?"
[Inspirational.]
"That’s it."
[Always have been.]
Vergil laughed under his breath, making a muffled noise.
"Whatever."
As the cottage neared, Vergil heard a lancholic sound that threaded it’s way — reverberating through the caves. A violin’s notes made it’s journey into his mind.
In return, he instinctively humd along. The notes were familiar — it was now a part of him as he sang in tune to form a graceful lody.
Near the small fireplace, mother was sitting down at the side — watching the blue flas crackle as she played.
Each stroke of her bow across the strings didn’t just carry a sweet lody — but unspoken words, mories and hopes all wrapped like a present just for him.
Vergil stood quietly, watching — listening to the beauty, before sitting down opposite her, resting his arms casually across his knees.
Luminare eventually brought the bow to a gentle halt with a feather-light stroke. The last note hung in the air before finally fading away.
Without a word, she moved to sit next to him. Resting her head lightly against the edge of his shoulder. One hand rested on her knee, the other absentmindedly twirled a loose lock of hair.
Vergil turned his head slightly before resting his head on her forehead.
Luminare looked at him, pausing to take in her son’s features.
"If you had the chance to beco stronger and et God, would you?" Luminare broke the silence with a low murmur.
Vergil blinked, hesitating at the question. He hadn’t expected to be asked sothing like that.
He began searching for words that would answer her question. His eyes fixed on the fla that finally died out. "If I had no choice then yes — but I like where I am now."
"But what is God like?"
Luminare smiled faintly. "I’ve only t a few of them — but they aren’t as almighty as you think. But... there is one worthy of the title God."
She leaned back a little, shifting her gaze from the floor to his face. "And what if I’m not here?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Don’t say such things, mom." Vergil’s fingers curled into fists before forcing himself to et her eyes. "... I don’t know what to do if you weren’t here."
"Let tell you a story," she said.
Vergil leaned slightly forward, attentive now.
"From the mont soone is born," she began with a steady voice. "They have ten steps they can climb."
She reached out with a delicate hand, blue energy pulsing through her veins forming ten blue lines on the floor beneath.
"If you take all ten steps," she said, tapping the last line with her foot. "They can beco a god."
Vergil watched the motion closely.
"Simple, isn’t it?" she added, lips curving into a humourless smile.
"Yeah."
She continued. "However, each step you take can also lead to death. You will see others walking their steps. So will take only one or two steps before collapsing."
She paused, taking a deep breath.
"So push forward — whether it’s because of stubbornness, desperation, or hope. They perish to the fifth or sixth step... and fall."
Vergil imagined it, bodies filling the world like a wasteland.
"Their corpses build along the path you’re on — a silent warning to anyone foolish enough to follow."
Vergil’s hand relaxed again, his heart beating a little hard and louder than before.
"And then," she spoke with a pitiful look. "There are those who cling to the first step with all they have — they see cowardice as wisdom and stillness as safety.
Luminare’s ocean-blue eyes lifted to et his, searching — testing. "Then there’s a singularity — no matter what anyone says he reached the final step."
She stopped. "But he realises that he will die when he takes the final step ."
"So he can’t take the final step?"
"Not without knowing he is going to die."
"So, Vergil," she asked, "what would you do?"
Silence gripped Vergil’s body. He recollected all the mories of his ti on the surface and all the promises he made.
He thought of the ti he said he would take over the world. To et God.
He thought of the ti he trained.
He thought of the ti when he despaired and wanted change.
And finally of the ti spent here.
"If nobody took the last step, then how were other gods born? He began. "If my death is certain, then I’ll reject it with everything I have."
His words accepted everything he was, though still incomplete, it was a fragnt of his unbroken will.
"If I succumb to death, then so be it." He laid his body on the floor. "I don’t want to be known as a coward, so I’ll move towards my goal."
"This is who I am," he added.
Luminare smiled, eyes narrowing out of sothing deeper than just happiness.
Pride.
Vergil stared at the pitch black darkness that remained before a new fla was set on the logs.
"However..." he said after a mont, "that path had disappeared."
"I’m stuck at the first step. And yet... I’m not regretting it anymore."
"I did everything I could," he said simply.
"Even those who try with all their might can’t do everything."
Silence wrapped around them again, not emptiness but understanding. Vergil exhaled, sitting up. "So if I could answer your question again... about regaining my path..." he said.
"I would. If I could."
Luminare shifted closer, reaching out to brush his black hair, her touch was light, almost reverent.
"You said a similar answer to ." She said softly.
Vergil smiled faintly, tilting his head into her touch. "Like mother, like son," he muttered.
She chuckled. "If only,"
The stopped.
Her hands move with hesitation.
Thud!
She knocked him out with a quick chop to the neck.
"Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine."
[I told you... Nothing lasts forever] The system chid.
----------
[Relationship with Luminare has reached nine stars]
[Mission 001- Survive
Reward- 15 stat points and 1 schematic
Penalty- death]
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