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beyond-far-horizons · 6 years

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How I Met Your Father...Part 2

With the Perfect Amulet taken and his legacy in jeopardy, Sparda marshals his forces to find the mysterious blonde thief, but she may have stolen more than just the Amulet...

My headcanon on how Eva and Sparda met. Please forgive any liberties, I have a fertile imagination and am not familiar with every aspect of the games. I also recommend listening to Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack to Angels and Demons whilst reading to give atmosphere.

Part One here

Heaven itself seemed to strike him as Sparda was forced to use Rebellion’s power to cut the Heavenly Seal in half. His true flesh writhed in agony beneath his human skin and his eyes were squeezed shut to avoid being permanently blinded. But over the force of divine retribution he heard the breaking of glass and both cursed and saluted the woman for her daring. Summoning his inner strength the Dark Knight briefly transformed into his real body to push the residual waves of the Seal back. Every one of them carried the force of her contempt.

That was quite a woman…

Shaking them off, he healed himself and let his human self return as he raced to the broken window and peered down. Shouts and the squeals of horses and cars told him of the commotion below but his demon senses confirmed she was gone, having miraculously survived the fall.

He let out a chuckle and shook his head, before turning around and taking in the devastation of the room. Yamato stood imperious on its stand but the rest of the artefacts were everywhere, the tapestries falling from the walls and the Chaldean Codex mere pages scattered across the floor.

That’s one more she owes me. He thought, running a hand through his silver hair. That’s the only surviving copy…

“My Lord!”

Ah, here comes the cavalry…

A contingent of his elite Guard stormed in headed by Crassus.

“My Lord.” He repeated, giving Sparda a deep bow. “Are you well? What happened here?”

“Quite well Crassus, thank you.” He fingered the bullet holes and burns on his favourite coat. It was divine work so he couldn’t salvage it. “My attire less so. Ask Manning to retrieve a change for me.”

“At once.” The commander nodded and another soldier raced off to find his butler, although given Manning’s demonic origins he was probably aware of the situation already. Sparda valued his humans but an infernal servant could be infinitely more useful at times.

“The guards at the back entrance reported a disturbance.” Crassus glanced at the shattered window and general disarray. “Was anything stolen? I take full responsibility.”

“Unnecessary, my friend.” Sparda replied. “The thief was prodigiously talented.” He traced his chest where Rebellion’s wound had healed.

“Thief?” Crassus said, aghast, and the Guards’ eyes widened.

Sparda summoned a scabbard for his claymore and placed it over his back. “Yes. The Perfect Amulet is gone.”

There were gasps. Sparda turned to them.

“It was a woman. Long, blonde hair in a braid, brown eyes, pale skin, dressed in black although I suspect she would have changed by now.”

She was too crafty by half to remain in recognisable clothes, if, of course, she was still able to move. And he would bet this whole treasury she was.

“Early twenties, I think.” He continued, pacing. “Trained in stealth and magical techniques, and given the state of the men outside the vault, I would say proficient with marshal arts as well as firearms.”

He shouldn’t have made that quip about Yamato to her, that had been tacky…

“We will put out a search immediately, my Lord. She will be found and the Amulet retrieved.”

The Guard snapped to attention behind their commanding officer.

“She wasn’t acting alone.” This was too fast, too well planned…I would have sensed scrying or a previous intrusion to scout. That meant footwork…human spies…“I want them found and I want them alive. Be aware they may possess the same capability as this assailant.”

Crassus saluted him. “They will not escape.”

“I put my faith in you, Commander.”

Crassus bowed and turned to go.

“Crassus? I trust you to do this with your usual discretion. The populace is on edge as it is.”

Half the reason for this damned recital had been to placate them…not that he didn’t enjoy the spectacle…

“Of course, my Lord.”

Boots pounded across the floor as the Guard sped off replaced by House soldiers and trusted servants tidying up the mess. Darion and Alecto had thankfully been attended to, but were no doubt going to be harangued by Niobe who looked ready to skewer them on her way past.

She dropped to one knee. “My Lord, I take full responsibility for this debacle.” She drew her sword. “If you wish for my life in recompense-”

“Captain,” he interrupted her, “you, Crassus and the rest may offer me deep and grovelling apologies to your heart’s content when this is all over, but for now I require the expertise and focus of my House soldiers.”

She came to attention with her usual alacrity.

“Have the building searched discreetly in case of accomplices, while the rest of you aid Crassus. I want Eleonora sent to me in my study in forty minutes as well.”

He needed his spymaster to confirm his suspicions and that saddened him. Which of his loyal and capable staff had been compromised?

“It will be done.”

Kalina Ann rushed in as Niobe left, still clad in her opera gown with its spectacular train flowing behind her.

“My Lord, what happened? I heard you were attacked!”

“I’m fine, Kalina.” He replied. Anyone would think Mundus and his legions had appeared. After all she, Niobe and Crassus all knew what he really was, it would take more than one human mage to achieve what the hoards of Hell could not. “Now why have you left the audience chamber? Our guests will be concerned.”

“I finished my aria.” The slight petulance in her voice told him he had been missed. “I was worried when you disappeared.” She looked about, dark eyes wide. “Who did this? They say the Amulet was taken?”

“Yes, ” he said, “now forgive me, but I must make efforts to retrieve it.”

“I can help.” She said, catching his arm. He glanced at her hand and she blushed, letting it fall. “You trained me well, my Lord. I can find this thief.”

“That would be an excellent idea - give them the second ingredient to break my spell, if that is their plan.”

The woman’s face flashed before his eyes again. With her sentiments, it was unlikely…so what was her game? She acted as if he was the villain, even when she knew his real name…

“I wouldn’t fall so easily into their hands.” Kalina was protesting.

Sparda sighed and focused his attention on her. She was about the age of the thief but despite equal passion, Kalina lacked the blonde woman’s maturity. That was his fault, he had pampered her too much.

“I do not doubt your abilities, my dear.” He said as he glanced up at the only tapestry which remained intact. Siriana’s transcendent face was forever a rebuke to him. Ten thousand years could pass and he would never forget what it felt like to plunge the Force Edge into her heart. “But I promised your ancestress two thousand years ago that I would protect her line in perpetuity.” He turned back to Kalina. “I cannot truly honour that pledge if I send you directly into danger now can I?”

“You intend to coddle me my entire life, then? She retorted, then bowed her head, the diamonds of her hair-net catching the light. “I’m sorry, my Lord. I only wish to serve you.”

“I know.” He said, tucking a stray lock of black hair behind her ear. “Then serve me in this. Return to the audience chamber for now and keep them quiet. Afterwards you can scry. Our absence will have been noted and sometimes diplomacy is a more potent weapon than the blade. And keep your ears open. I want to know all the gossip. Someone is behind this and they don’t just wield guns and spells.”

Her eyes widened again and she nodded, expression firming. “My Lord.” She said and swept out of the room, shoulders squared.

Sparda couldn’t help a slight smile. He would never have offspring but she was the closest thing he had to a daughter.

“Your Majesty.” A voice intoned in his mind.

“Leave me, all of you.” Sparda said to the remaining servants. When they closed the doors he turned as a skeletally thin old man emerged from the wall with a purple overcoat and new shirt. “Your Majesty? You always call me that.”

“I know my duty. You are the King of Hell whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.” The old man replied, holding out the clothing. “Do you require my assistance?”

“I think the King of Hell can manage to put on his own clothing.” Sparda chuckled as he took them. “And hiding my true identity should be your duty, but then we’ve had this conversation for centuries so there is no point in me arguing the matter yet again.”

A simple transformation had him back to his usual crisp self. He breathed a sigh of contentment. He was vain, there was no doubt, but vanity was a small sin for a devil of his rank.

Manning reached for the discarded items he’d let fall to the floor.

“I’ll keep those.” Sparda said quickly. “That will be all, apart from I need you to search the mansion. Let me know of any irregularities. ”

Manning raised a jutting eyebrow of white hair at his first statement but his creased yellow face smoothed at the second. “It has been done, Sire, there is nothing now the intruder has left.”

“Did you sense anything more at the time?”

“Nothing but a vague itch.” He wrinkled his large, hooked nose. “I swam through the levels but could not pinpoint it until a quarter of an hour ago.”

“When she dropped the spell.” Sparda nodded. “It was powerful work.” I’ll need to reroute Niobe’s troops then. The Amulet must be found!

Manning curled over himself, elongating his arms, hands and torso in supplication. It would have been freakish if Sparda hadn’t lived in the Underworld and gotten used to far worse. “Forgive me, your Majesty.” The butler said ponderously. “I should have seen through the enchantment.”

“Not you as well.” Sparda chided, waving a hand. “You confirmed my own feelings and I couldn’t penetrate the spell either. I just knew they would end up here. No matter.”

“I will keep you informed, your Majesty.” Manning said as he melded back into the plasterwork.

Finally alone again Sparda looked down at the ruined clothing then back at the shattered window.

So much trouble caused so quickly…He nudged a glass shard aside with a polished boot. I should be out there leading the search. That is my duty.

Capable as they were, he could find the golden-haired culprit a lot faster than his Guard or even Kalina with her ancestress’s seer abilities. In fact he could have leapt out of the window as soon as he recovered from the Seal and likely caught up with her.

So why didn’t you? A voice that sounded too much like Mundus said. Didn’t you enjoy the encounter?

The woman’s smile, her hair, the look in her eyes when she threw Rebellion all came back to him.

I always enjoy flirting with beautiful women. He thought and cursed himself and his wretched analytical mind that wasn’t going to leave it at that. He needed to act, Siriana’s legacy was at stake! Instead here he was navel-gazing, but he couldn’t stop the memories.

“Now I’ve given you my name, I believe it’s time for you to give me yours, Lady…?”

Her face in that moment…The dawning realisation, the abject horror…

Then the transmutation into iron conviction.

“I don’t care who you are or what you do to me. Humanity deserves to be free of your taint!”

Sparda closed his eyes. He had been alive for a long, long time. He had seen humankind rise and fall like waves of wheat to the harvest, but he had rarely beheld that quality of soul. It shone from her, far more radiant than her mortal body. Eternal and untouchable, it was a spark of the Divine he was forever denied.

How he hungered for it…

Glass crunched under his hands and he looked down surprised at the blood spurting between his fingers where he had grasped the window. A golden hair had caught itself on the jagged edge and curled into the breeze as if pointing in her direction. His pulse quickened.

That calibre of spirit could feed him for a century, more… He wouldn’t need all the power he had locked away in the Abyss if he had that, if he had her.

His human form flickered and fangs drew blood from his lips.

“I will not give into this.” He said and marched away from the broken panes. It had been millennia since he’d felt such temptation. He had left it all behind along with the Prince of Darkness and his ilk. Hadn’t he woken to justice and seen the suffering he had caused? Sworn to make a difference? Protected Humanity!

“You are a demon, Sparda,” Mundus had hissed, “just like your brethren. This sin of righteousness, so vile even I cannot feed on it, will wash off you eventually. All you need is the right trigger.”

He sucked in a breath and laughed at himself this time, the so called King of Hell afraid of one mortal woman.

You wouldn’t have to devour her…The voice wheedled. If she surrendered to you, body and soul, it could be pleasurable for you both.

“Enough!” He shouted to the empty chamber, the echoes of his wrath coming back to him.

Crassus would find her and put an end to this nonsense and if not…Sparda squeezed his fist together and looked up again at image of Siriana’s sacrifice. If not, I will show this woman that not all demons are a taint on humanity…

I’d be interested in your opinions on how I’ve woven in Lady’s mother and the different levels of Sparda’s character. I wanted him to be the suave, noble character we all admire but also wanted to see if he still struggled a bit with his demonic side especially when faced with the awesomeness that is Eva. #notalldemons lol I see Crassus btw as basically Credo. If I do set this in Fortuna (which I haven’t decided) then he could be Credo’s granddad or something! @fireeaglespirit and @awesomelychubby hope this lives up to Part 1!

#sparda #eva #eva sparda #devil may cry #dmc #kalina ann #my writing #fanfiction

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