A/N: It lives!!! I'm sorry it took so long, I have no idea how that happened. I also apologize for the unfortunate lack of Nelo in the previous chapter- my bad. Sorry! So, to remedy that, I give you one full chapter of Nelo goodness.
And hey, momentous news! I have officially received my first flame. Two, actually, from the same person. Go on, read them- they're in the reviews section. (I have to warn you, though. The second one is entirely in capitals. Read at your eyes' own risk.) The utter stupidity of it made me laugh aloud. Call me weird, but I find it quite funny that someone will waste their time reading a story, then shoot off a flame (in which they stoop to vulgar insults and accusations about my parentage), but fail to actually state the reason they find the story not to their liking. Hah. I think someone once referred to their flames as 'mass-produced vitriol'. So true. Anyway, my sincerest thanks to Bustahead , who beta'ed this chapter for me, and Scar Queen, who left a very nice review- you rock!
By the by- I went back and looked at the summary for this fic, and saw that I had originally listed it under Romance/Angst. ...Whaaaaat? So, I corrected that, and fixed the horrendously lame summary as well Hopefully it's a little better now.
Disclaimer: I don't own DMC or any characters, plotlines, etc. thereof. Just my OCs, and this story!
If he was once fair as he is now foul,
And 'gainst the Maker dared his brows to raise,
Fitly from him all streams of sorrow roll...
"Is that your second read through?"
Nelo set down the leather-bound book on his knee and raised his eyes to meet Aline's.
"Yes," he admitted. "I find the portrayal of the seven Hells fascinating."
"If you want-" Aline flopped unceremoniously into the seat opposite him. "I can get you a different book. How about Shakespeare?"
Who would have thought the Hunter held a love for classic literature? Nelo shook his head. "That's not necessary, thank you." A thought occurred to him. "How is it you're not piloting?"
"I wanted to stretch my legs, so Sher took over for me. Though I think we're currently on autopilot, actually."
"Ah." Nelo ran one pale finger down the spine of the book, tracing the gold letters. The Divine Comedy. The author, Dante, guided through Inferno and Purgatorio by a man named Virgil. Perhaps a strange coincidence that the man they wanted to see was named Dante.
Pulling a laptop from a black case propped against the side of the seat, Aline booted it up and in short order was typing furiously. Nelo raised one eyebrow.
"An article on ancient symbols," she said in response to Nelo's unasked question. "I said I was a specialist in the occult, didn't I?" She looked up at him. Nelo nodded, and she continued. "Every hunter worth their salt knows there are uses for symbols- wards and such- but few people stop to think what might happen if some collage student with a liking for the occult gets their hands on some spell- and there are spells floating around antique shops and flea markets, if you know where to look- and summons up Hell knows what without knowing."
"But it's impossible to make everyone aware of the dangers of performing any spell they can find, without simultaneously making everyone aware of the existence of a parallel world- and some people might not believe it, but those that did might be enough to cause mass panic, of global proportions perhaps," Nelo pointed out.
"Exactly." Aline seemed pleased that he had grasped the problem so quickly. "That's why I'm writing this. My point is that it's more efficient, not to mention safer, to hunt down the spells before they're actually used. The sad reality of things is that, even though there's been an increase in our numbers in the past years, the Hunters are still really a poor defense against demons. We do what we can, but..." she trailed off for a moment. "But when we come against something really powerful- well, there's only so much we can do." She rested her had against the back of the seat.
"Like the Temen-Ni-Gru incident all those years ago. God only knows how many hunters had to be sacrificed to bring that down, and we still don't even know the straight of it- are you all right?" she peered concernedly at Nelo's face, suddenly ashen.
He didn't answer.
—
...doesn't it excite you? The Temen-Ni-Gru has revived...
...none of my concern.
...why do you refuse to gain power?
...must more blood be shed?
What have I done?
Temen-Ni-Gru. The name stirred a flood of emotions in him. Rage, hate, longing, desire- fear? No- they weren't even proper emotions. More like... memories of emotions.
No, wait- there was one there. An icy ball of unease. But why, though?
Voices, half-forgotten and with no names or faces to put to them, resounded in his head.
Temen-Ni-Gru. Why was that name so important? Desperately he tried to grab at memories that just were not there. It was like trying to hold smoke with his bare hands- the more he desperately grabbed, the more it slipped away from him. Damn it all!
A soft touch brought him back to reality, as he realized Aline had rested a hand on his arm, eyes slightly widened, uncertainty written plain across her face.
So easy to read. You always were more like them...
He shook his head in an attempt to clear it. That wasn't his thought, was it? Damn!
It came to him that Aline had said something. Yes, she had asked if he was all right.
"I'm... fine," he enunciated slowly.
"You're sure?"
So easy to read-
"Yes."
She still looked unsure, but withdrew her hand. He attempted a smile, but knew it looked forced. Oddly enough, she smiled back. He took a deep breath.
"Temen-Ni-Gru. What is it?" he asked.
"Eh-?" For a moment she looked confused, then realization dawned on her face. "Oh, yeah. Sorry- I took it for a given that everyone knows about it. Temen-Ni-Gru is the name of an ancient tower. Legend is unclear whether it was built by demons, or demon-worshipers, but it served as a gateway between the demonic realm and this one."
She smiled wryly. "And that's pretty much all we know about it, except for the fact that it was sealed by Sparda- you know who Sparda is, right?" Now she sounded like she wasn't sure whether it was a serious question or not.
Sparda.
"Traitor." He muttered, then blinked.
"Traitor?" Aline smiled slightly, then suddenly grew serious. "That's right," she murmured. "I suppose demons would see him as a traitor, at that."
Traitor. Scum.
Hero. Saint.
Fath-
Nelo nodded.
"He was a traitor to the demons. But he was mankind's savior." What more could be said, really?
Aline smiled again, seeming grateful for some reason.
"At any rate, what we know is that someone broke the seal on it- about ten years ago.(1) But we don't-"
A sudden prickling feeling was his warning. He was on his feet before he realized he had stood up.
"What is it?" She looked slightly alarmed, as well she might. Because-
"Something's coming," he told her calmly.
As if on cue, Sher's voice spilled out from the cockpit.
"Aline! Nelo! Get in here!"
As one they dashed towards the aluminum door.
"What?" Aline spoke first.
"We've got company on the radar! Big, demonic and headed our way!"
Aline summed up the situation succinctly.
"Oh, Hell."
—
A gentle knock pulled the District Director's eyes from the report he had been reading, entitled A Short Summary Of Demonic Activity in Spain (1900-2000). Whoever had decided to include the word 'short' in the title had been either a pathological liar or severely delusional, he had soon decided. He had been reading for several hours already and, despite being a phenomenally fast reader, was no more than half-way through. He set down the book and massaged his temples briefly.
"Yes?" he raised his voice slightly so it would carry through the wooden door.
The aforementioned door opened slightly and Maria stepped in.
"Adrian- em, Mr. Tepes... sir?" She sounded uncertain. "Ah... Scarlet's here."
"Scarlet?" He struggled to keep incredulity from his voice, thankfully succeeding. "I thought she was up in Norway."
"Not any more," an authoritative voice came from behind Maria, and the woman herself stepped into the room followed by a man in a blue blazer.
One glance at Scarlet told that the woman seemed to strive to live up to her name. Where nature failed- her skin was pale and her hair blonde- she made up for it with a knee-length silk dress in a violent shade of crimson, and lipstick of the same color.
"Maria, if you would, the Director and I need a few words in private." It was not a request. Maria's face went a delicate shade of pink and she mumbled something unintelligible before slipping out the door. The man in the blazer remained, however.
"Really..." Scarlet took one of the leather chairs without waiting for an invitation. "What on earth were you thinking?" she laughed in a falsetto voice.
"You'll have to clarify for me there." He allowed a small smile to cross his face. He suspected he knew very well what she spoke of, however.
"Don't play the fool. You know very well what I mean," she echoed his thought uncannily closely. How on earth did she do that? But she was already continuing.
"A while ago one of my... subordinates-" A nice way of saying 'spies'."Came to me with a very interesting surveillance video." She paused tapping one slim nail- painted crimson, naturally- on his desk. "Very interesting. It showed three people walking into this building, and then walking out again a short while later. And one of them... looked remarkably like Dante. Except that Dante is, at this moment, in New York." She paused again to let the full meaning of those words sink in- not that she needed to. Adrian already knew, with a sinking feeling, what conclusion she must have drawn.
"So unless Sparda himself has somehow managed to revive himself- I'd conclude that it's the remaining member of that little family." She shook her head again with a great show of regret. "So I'll ask you again. What were you thinking? You had Dante's brother in the palm of you hand, and you let him walk free instead of killing him as soon as he entered the building?
"And those people he walked with were identified as two of your subordinates!" She drew a calming breath. "So tell me, Director, am I to believe you had no part in this... this coup?" A deathly silence permeated the room when she finished.
"Really, Scarlet, you do have the knack for drawing erroneous conclusions." He shook his head. Scarlet frowned but said nothing. "There is no coup, or anything remotely similar. Merely that, contrary to everyone's belief, Dante's brother did indeed survive their clash on Mallet island.
"Whether Dante's even aware of this, I'm not sure. But I wouldn't think he'd keep something like that a secret-" He paused. "At least, not without making sure he had the situation under admittedly minimal control, at least." He amended.
"And, contrary to what you think, the two Hunters with him have no idea of who- or what- he is. When he came here, he was using the alias 'Nelo', for some reason. I gave him Dante's address... and sent them on their way." He raised a hand, cutting Scarlet off as she opened her mouth to speak. She settled back in her chair, anger written plainly across her face.
"Despite what you might think, Scarlet, I'm no fool. I know I and all the Hunters in this building could never hope to match the power of a son of Sparda. I sent him to Dante in the hopes that he would be able to take care of him, and he went. I had no ulterior motive, believe me."
To his surprise, Scarlet smiled. Then she laughed again, a trilling falsetto.
"You say you hoped Dante would... take care of him?" Her smile grew a trifle wider. "Then you should know- Dante won't have to. I'm already taking care of the situation which you have botched." She stood up and turned to the door.
"Oh." She threw out as an afterthought. "You should probably know that you'll soon be severely demoted for this fiasco. I thought I should warn you- since we're old friends."
—
"I'll take care of it." Nelo announced, as though he were simply stating an intention to go for a stroll through a park. Both Aline and Sher turned to look at him, Sher twisting around in the seat in what Aline considered to be a very dangerous fashion. They didn't tell you to look to the front when you piloted a plane for the heck of it, after all.
"You'll what?" Sher growled.
"I'll take care of it." Nelo repeated.
"And just how do you think you'll do that?" Sher threw both his arms up, and Aline winced.
No hands... doesn't matter at this point anyway.
"I'm going out." Nelo stated simply. "I'll be fine." He added as an afterthought.
"You're- argh, what the heck!" Sher turned back to the front, much to Aline's relief. "If you're feeling suicidal-"
"Go." Aline interrupted.
"What?" Sher exploded. "Aline-"
"If you think you can do it, then go. Explanations later, Sher."
If there is a 'later'." Sher scowled, but turned back to the controls. Aline shot a nervous smile at Nelo, a smile he briefly returned before turning 180 degrees and marching to one of the emergency doors. Checking to make sure the door to the cockpit was securely closed, he opened the door.
A blast of cold air greeted him, ripping the air from his lungs. If he hadn't had a secure grip on the doorframe, he was certain he would have been blown out of the plane. Struggling to breathe, he raised his gaze. What met it filled him with dread and strange excitement at the same time.
An enormous griffon with a wingspan longer than the plane was, approaching entirely too fast for his taste- or anyone's for that matter. Instantly he knew; if he didn't do something, all three of them were doomed. There was no way either Aline or Sher could cope with the huge creature that drew closer to the plane with each passing second.
What could he do, though? Nothing, reason told him. And yet, something else told him he could take on the gargantuan demon. He knew.
And so, he jumped.
Jumped with enough force to not just clear the plane's wingspan, but to propel himself towards the demon at a breakneck speed.
And as he jumped, he recalled the feeling he had had, just for an instant, when he had been struggling to get Aline to the surface in time, when poison was coursing through her veins more rapidly than he could swim...
Power.
It was a feeling of raw, undeniable power, and for just an instant, his hands-
His hands became claws, his skin and clothes vanished, replaced by a blueish armored carapace, and a pair of matching wings sprouted from his back.
Now, this was more like it.
With one powerful beat of his wings he balanced himself and stopped to survey the oncoming demon.
Pitiful, thought a newfound voice inside him derisively. He could take this with one hand, probably. No, no probably about it. Certainly.
The griffon had changed its course now, heading for him instead of the airplane. Of course; he was the only truly worthy opponent, in its eyes. So much for being underestimated.
But really, the demon was underestimating him anyway if it thought it even had a chance against him.
—
There was another knock at the door. Adrian sighed.
"Come in," he called out wearily. Maria again? She would probably inquire about the nature of Scarlet's visit, and was he okay because he looked a little tired and was he sure he wasn't overworking himself?
But instead of Maria, it was the man-sans blazer- that stepped in. The Director sat up a little, interested.
"May I help you?" Why are you here? Adrian was sure he could read the subtext to his polite inquiry.
"I forgot my blazer." I needed an excuse to come and talk to you. "Scarlet's waiting outside," the man added. It's something private.
The Director nodded. "I see. Please, sit, Mr...?" Tell me.
"The name's Vincent. And thank you, but I'd rather not sit." he declined, much to the Director's surprise. He leaned against the wall and began to speak.
"While it's true that you have overstepped your authority, Scarlet's also overstepped hers. She's dispatched Seekers to take care, as she puts it, of Sparda's son."
The Director winced. Seekers were elite Hunters, and only took care of the most dangerous of missions. "How many?" he asked.
"At least five, possibly more. They'll be waiting at JFK airport- an before you ask, Scarlet used her authority to get hold of the flight plan."
This was bad. Very much so.
"Then I have to contact Sher and Aline- get them to change their flight plan."
"That would not be advisable."
"I know, but I can't risk any fatalities."
"Even if you contact them, the Seekers will still find them-"
"I know that-"
"And a move like this will reflect badly on you, you'll look like a traitor-"
"I know!" the Director stood, slamming his palms on the desk. "But if they land and find the Seekers, someone will die, and at the moment I'm not sure which it'll be, the Seekers or my own men or the son of Sparda! And answer me this: what do you think will happen if Dante finds out his own brother was murdered? Do you wish for us all to be on the receiving end of his wrath?"
He sat back down. Vincent looked off to one side, silent.
"At the moment, the only thing I can do is contact them and get them to land somewhere else- then I can talk to the higher-ups and explain this fiasco."
Vincent paused before nodding. "Then do that. But... this can't turn out well."
"I know," the Director sighed. Vincent turned and left the office.
—
The griffon was almost on him now. With utter calm and precision, Nelo dove until he was directly underneath the demon. Then, with one flap of his leathery wings, he flew upwards with a speed so great that, if a normal human could have observed him, all they would have seen was a mere blur.
Outstretched claws sank into the griffon's feathery underside as the two demons collided. The griffon shrieked and immediately wheeled away. A thin trail of thick, dark blood fell away from the long gash Nelo had inflicted, dropping down to the ocean below, before the cut sealed itself.
The griffon shrieked, enraged, and dived down at Nelo, who drew the Yamato in preparation. He twisted in midair to avoid the griffon, and with his sword landed a crushing blow to the demon's back as it passed him in the way down. The griffon plummeted for all of a thousand feet before its spine repaired itself and it was able to fly upwards again.
Furious, the demon redoubled its efforts, twisting and wheeling, trying to find some advantage over Nelo who, in turn, deftly avoided and countered everything the griffon could throw at him. It raked its claws across his back, attempting to pierce the armored carapace. Nelo turned to return the blow, and then the demon seized the opportunity.
It caught first one arm, then another in its huge talons. Nelo's suspicions were confirmed when the demon began to pull each arm in a different direction; having discovered that it couldn't cut through his armor, the griffon had instead opted to rip him limb from limb.
Pain lanced through both shoulders; the griffon's new tactic was working. Nelo knew, if he didn't free himself somehow, he would lose the fight, and therefore his life.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded immediately above him. The griffon suddenly let go, and he began to fall. Looking up, he saw the reason for the unexpected reprieve; a missile or several had been fired from the plane, and had literally exploded in the demon's face. Unable to see, the griffon hovered in midair, momentarily distracted. This gave Nelo all the advantage he needed.
Enough playing. It was time to put an end to the battle. Bloodlust burning in his eyes, he tightened his grip on the Yamato.
Summoning what was left of his energy, he teleported, reappearing directly above the griffon's head. He crushed what was left of its head with a powerful downward kick, then teleported again, and again, all the while inflicting devastating wounds on the demon. Finally, the griffon could take no more, and it dissolved into a thin stream of blood and feathers, a red smear in the air that dropped down to the ocean.
Exhausted, Nelo managed to fly back to the plane and close the emergency exit, before the exhaustion took over him and he turned back to human form. He slumped against the wall, where he sat gasping. The door to the cockpit opened, and both Hunters came out.
"Are you all right?" Aline asked, awe and concern in her voice.
"Perfectly. Just tired," he responded shortly. He stood on shaky legs and staggered to the nearest seat.
"That was incredible," Aline shook her head. "I had no idea, how did you...?" she trailed off.
"Devil Trigger," he said. It used to be easier, I used to be stronger... He didn't remember where he had learned the name.
"Devil... Trigger?" Aline repeated. Then Sher spoke.
"Transformation into Devil state. Not a lot of people know about it; it's not very common. Apparently only people of demonic descent can use it. Like the inhabitants of Vie du Marlie."
"Oh. Now I remember." Aline shifted uncomfortably. "I think... you probably would like an explanation, then." Her voice was quiet.
"What is there to explain?" Sher's voice was surprisingly light. "I already knew he was a demon."
Aline blinked in surprise, and Nelo murmured "Really?" Sher nodded.
"When you saved Aline from the kraken demon, you Devil Triggered." Nelo nodded at this, and Sher continued. "You changed back immediately after you broke the surface, but I still got a good enough look," he concluded.
"Ah. I see." Nelo closed his eyes.
"Wait- wait a minute!" Aline looked confused, then slightly angry. "You mean you knew all this time, and you didn't tell me?" she accused. Sher shrugged.
"Apparently we're guilty of the same crime. Either way, I figured you knew when you suddenly got so interested in the Mallet Island file. Since you didn't tell me about it yourself, I just though you might prefer not to talk about it."
"Well- but-" The look on Aline's face turned to sheepish as she searched for something to say. Finally she said weakly, "I suppose I should have told you. But I was apprehensive about your reaction. I know how much you hate demons."
Sher sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that. Either way..." he paused and looked thoughtfully at Nelo. "I've got to take care of the plane," he finished. "Impressive fight, by the way," he addressed Nelo.
He turned and left the passenger area, but as he left Nelo suspected that 'I have to take care of the plane' hadn't been what he had wanted to say.
—
His eyes were still closed, Aline saw, strands of platinum hair obscuring his face- but he almost certainly wasn't asleep. She rested her own head on the leather headrest.
Dante.
Nelo.
Devil Trigger.
She hadn't felt this out of her depth since her first day at the agency. Both she and Sher had known that there was something very strange about Nelo- the armor, his wounds- but...
"You seem uneasy."
Aline jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. He was gazing at her steadily, now.
"A little, I guess," she smiled wryly. Of course- people with demonic blood were especially adept at sensing other people's feelings. "I get the sense things are spiraling out of control, though. The last time powerful demons started showing up was around when we started to register high levels of demonic activity around Mallet Island... Why on earth would a demon that powerful show up now?"
"I fear I might be the reason." His voice was soft.
"I thought of that," she frowned. "But... well, it doesn't matter anyway. The sooner we get to this Dante person, the faster we'll get to the bottom of this."
Nelo nodded in agreement.
—
The radio at Sher's side suddenly crackled as a tinny voice emanated from it.
"Sher and Aline, if you can hear me, pick up. I repeat, Sher and Aline..."
Sher snatched the transceiver from its cradle.
"This is Sher talking. Mr. Tepes?"
"Sher! Thank god-" the Director's voice sounded relieved. "Why didn't the line work earlier?"
"There was a demon in the vicinity, it probably caused interference- why?"
"You have to change your flight plan. Now."
With a sinking feeling, Sher responded. "I can't sir- we're too close. I've already started descent."
The Director sighed. "Then you must listen closely. You remember Scarlet?"
"Who wouldn't?" Sher said wryly.
"Somehow, she found out about Nelo- and she's not happy. She's sent out a team of Seekers to arrest you all- or kill you, if necessary."
Now it was Sher's turn to sigh. "What can we do?"
"You can't let Nelo fall into her hands."
"Because he's one of the most powerful demons we've ever seen."
"That's one reason, yes..." the other trailed off.
"What else is there?" Sher demanded.
"She found out about this and came down to Spain in a matter of mere hours, Sher. I have no idea how she did it, but my people are investigating. Sher... we have to seriously consider the possibility that she's corrupt. She may have made some sort of pact in exchange for information."
"I think that's a pretty big stretch- even for Scarlet." Sher was skeptical.
"Not really. Power corrupts- and Scarlet always was power-hungry. So warn Aline and Nelo. If we find out anything I'll contact you."
"Understood. Sher out." Placing the receiver back in its cradle, he rested his head in his hands for a mere moment before calling Nelo and Aline back into the cockpit.
"We have a problem," he stated.
"Again?" Aline sighed exasperatedly.
"What is it?" Nelo inquired.
"Seekers," was the succinct answer. Aline paled.
"What are they?" Nelo again.
"Elite Hunters, trained to take on only the most dangerous of missions," Sher explained worriedly, frowning. "Five of them at least. And apparently they're after you, Nelo. They also have orders to arrest us."
"Oh god." Aline put her hands to her mouth, looking even paler, if possible. "We can't face five Seekers- if not more- and come out of it alive," she shook her head.
"Perhaps I can distract them while you two escape?" Nelo offered. Sher laughed mirthlessly.
"That's the one thing you won't be doing. They don't particularly care about us, but they'd love to get their hands on you."
"Why?"
"You're an incredibly powerful demon, and therefore a threat. Which also means they'll be waiting for you. No, here's what we'll do," Sher decided. "I don't think they'll be particularly inclined to waste their ammo on us with you lurking around, so we can afford to stall them at the door while you circle around the back and get 'em from behind. Hopefully that'll avert this crisis without bloodshed."
"But they'll be watching the doors, Sher," Aline pointed out.
"Well, you know what they say-" Sher's lips quirked. "If you can't use the door, make your own."
—
The five men were waiting as the silver plane glided smoothly into the hangar. All five of them wore long coats, though that wasn't a fashion statement so much as practicality. You could conceal a lot of weaponry underneath a long coat. Swiftly, two of them moved to the far side of the plane, covering the other door. One of them shifted slightly and coughed, but other than that they were silent, waiting for the door to open.
And it did, revealing a man and a woman. As they climbed down the stairs onto the tarmac, the man said, "So what's this now, a welcoming committee? I didn't know we were that important- did you, Aline?"
The woman looked slightly pale, but smiled nonetheless.
"This is a first for me too, Sher. What's going on?" she addressed the three Seekers before them.
"Sher and Aline," one of them- obviously the leader- began, "We have reason to believe you're harboring a potentially dangerous demon. Stand back or we will arrest you." The man sounded nothing short of determined. He tried to move past Sher, but Sher didn't budge.
"Wait just a minute," he said, "A 'potentially dangerous demon'?"
"That's right."
"What the hell would we be doing helping a demon? In case you haven't noticed, demons are out enemies, and our job is to kill them." His tone bordered on outraged, with a good deal of scorn thrown in for good measure. Aline hid a smile as the man tried to argue his point before an unrelenting Sher.
"I know that, but-"
"Well good. Now that we've established that, can you tell me a reason- any reason at all- that would give me incentive to actually help one of those things?"
Aline looked around discreetly. Nelo should be circling around, but she couldn't see him yet- the hangar was full of crates stacked up against the walls. Meanwhile, the Seeker seemed unwilling to give up.
"We've received information for a reliable source-"
"Like what," Sher snorted, "Your lucky eight ball?"
Aline couldn't help but chuckle at that, but the Seeker was less than amused. His face hardened.
"Stand back, the both of you- or we will arrest you." His voice quivered with barely contained anger. Sher became serious as well.
"No," he stated simply. "There is no demon on this plane."
"Stand back."
"I said no."
"Then I'll bloody well force you to!" The Seeker drew his pistol in one fluid motion, and fired. He didn't even need to aim- it was point-blank range. There was no way he could miss.
(1) I admit, I can't remember how much time, exactly, passes between DMC3 and the original DMC. If any of you know for sure, feel free to tell me (in a review)!
A/N: So, the longest chapter to date! 13 pages in WordPerfect- it kinda snowballed once I started writing, but I didn't want to just post half. "
-Today's cameo (Mr. Vincent there) is dedicated to angelus-2040, who requested it in a review.
-Surprisingly, ComVlad was the only person who got the book right- it was The Divine Comedy, brownie points to you!
-Last chapter's cameo was indeed Zack from FFVII, as some of you guessed. D
'Till next!