"WHY CAN'T I GET A HIT!"

The sliver-haired child had his wooden sword raised high into the air as he charged toward the woman clad in red clothing, armor, and a mask. With a single loud yell, he brought down the weapon, intending to hit her shoulder. This only resulted in him hitting the air as the woman stepped to the side, evading the strike.

This only angered the boy. Screaming, he swung the sword at her, trying to get a single hit. Each time, the woman evaded each attack. It looked like she wasn't even trying as she was able to stay out of his way. After one more slash from the side, the woman caught the blade.

"That's enough." She said to him.

The boy looked at her, seeming shocked by her words. The shock turned back into anger as he pulled the sword back, showing great strength as he pulled the weapon out of her grip.

"I'm not stopping, Raven." He said to her. "You said to keep going until I hit you. I'm not giving up!" he said before he charge again.

This time, Raven shot her hand out, striking the child in the forehead, followed by a sharp punch to the side of his face that sent him to the ground. The attack dazed him, so much that he struggled to get off the ground.

"I told you to keep going until I said otherwise, Vergil." She told him. "And yet you still lashed out."

"I had you!" Vergil yelled at her.

"No. You didn't," she said back.

Raven took off her mask, showing an apathetic look in her eyes. She slowly shook her head before sitting cross-legged on the ground, now looking at the child at eye level.

She sighed before speaking, "Vergil, do you know why you couldn't hit me?" she asked.

Vergil was initially silent, looking reluctant to speak. Raven, meanwhile, still showed no emotion on her face, patiently waiting for his answer. After a moment, Vergil relented.

"I… I was angry." He told her.

"Good." She told him. "Not many people speak the truth for their first answer. Either they wouldn't know or try to lie."

Vergil said nothing, only nodding in response.

Raven narrowed her eyes as she asked her next question. "Why are angry, young one?"

"… Because I can't use it."

Raven was a bit confused by what the boy meant. "What do you mean?"

"… My Dad… he told me that… that my brother and I were born with a special power. A power he had was he was born with too. He said that when we were old enough, or if we were pushed to it… we could use it. Something that was… was more powerful than Aura and Semblances." He told her.

"A bold statement," Raven said to him.

"I know, but…" Vergil broke his gaze, lowering his head and looking like he was becoming lost in thought. "The power he showed us… it was something I couldn't even fathom at the time. The kind that could let him take on any De… Grimm that threatened him… or at least… part of it."

"What was this power exactly?" Raven asked.

"… He never gave it a name."

He looked up at Raven again. She gave him a suspicious look, telling Vergil she knew he was not telling the truth. He wanted to, but he knew that if he said anything it wouldn't end well. He learned that the hard way when Summer and Tai told him that the creatures he told them about didn't exist, and other people kept calling him stupid or deranged. It wasn't something he wanted to revisit.

Raven gave a nod. "Do you know why you can't access it now?"

"… Part of it, but… I want to use it all," he answered.

Raven changed her position, now resting on one knee as he looked at Vergil, grabbing the top of his head and gently turning his head for him to meet her eyes.

"For now, be grateful that you can use what you have. Don't focus on trying to achieve so much at once. Instead, focus on improving what you can use. Practice day in, day out. Forge it into a powerful weapon that bends to your will and sharpen it to the point that no opponent can even hope to defend against it."

Vergil absorbed every word she said. But there was still some doubt. "But what about the rest of it?"

"It may be a case that it will become easier to use when you get older. Those who unlocked a Semblance at a young age struggled to control or just properly use it until they grew up. It may be the same in your case." She told him.

"That said…"

She removed her hand, standing up properly and taking a few steps back. She put her mask back on, readying herself for another sparring session.

"You still need to work on your skill and technique. So for now, practice the skills I taught you… and…" she clenched her fists. "Show me this power you speak of."

Vergil picked up his sword as he spoke, "Are you sure?"

"You're the one who wants to use more of that power. I say work at getting better at it. Unless you're too frightened to make use of it after all." She taunted.

Vergil paused for a moment, but then readied himself for another fight. He closed his eyes, thinking about the power. He tried to imagine the power flowing out, traveling through his body, and granting him great strength. As he did, a light formed around his body, taking a form similar to a flame. The more he focused, the darker the light became, forming a blue-violet aura forming around him.

His eyes opened, showing nothing but a layer of azure light.

….

Winter used her glyphs to quickly make her way through the area, keeping her eye out for a signal tower. They had towers somewhere on the outside of the village to make it less cumbersome. This made it difficult for Grimm to find, as few humans go there unless needed.

Three Beowolves then charged toward her. She dashed through them, slicing their heads off with ease. Their bodies collapsed and their heads rolled after her as she continued to fly across the ground, soon fading away from existence.

It was then that she found what she was looking for. A small building with a signal tower sticking out of it. She also saw several Grimm surrounding it. The station had no signs of damage, instead, they used it as a rest spot. Some Beowolves lazed around, while a group of Griffons circled overhead.

"This is going to be a hassle." She said, dividing her weapon in two.

She charged towards the station. Her eyes focused on the Grimm on the ground first. She threw her dagger at the closest Beowolf, impaling it between the eyes. She alerted the others, all scrambling to get on their feet. They just as quickly readied themselves as they charged towards the Huntress.

Winter reclaimed the dagger as one Beowolf raised its claws, forcing Winter to block it, kicking it in the stomach and slicing one of its arms. It showed no signs of pain as it tried to strike again, forcing Winter to move away. Another of its kind bound towards her, its jaws wide open. As the second got close, she jumped into the air, causing the two to strike each other.

Winter readied an attack to end them but spotted the Griffons flying toward her. She spun in the air, using her Semblance to summon a collection of small Nevermore, piercing themselves through the Griffons' bodies like missiles. They all fell and faded away before they even hit the ground.

She brought her attention back towards the Beowolves, the summoned Nevermore fading as she fell back down to Remnant. She threw her dagger, impaling one Beowolf through the skull while bringing her sword down on the other. They both stopped moving before disintegrating.

When they were gone, she looked around for more Grimm. To her relief, she saw that there were none in sight. She reclaimed her dagger and went to the station. She checked her scroll, annoyed that there was still no signal.

She programmed an SOS signal into her scroll. Once she got a signal the message would go through. For now, she needed to get inside. She kicked the door down with ease. There was a collection of inactive screens and a chair in the center of the room.

To the right, there were a collection of switches and dials. The most important one in her eyes was the red lever with the words 'on' and 'off' on either side of it. She switched it on, following which all the technology inside suddenly came to life. The displays on the screen made no sense to her. What she did understand, however, was the ding that came from her scroll. She checked, seeing that the SOS signal was sent.

That was one less thing to worry about. With any luck, it might not take as long for the reinforcements to arrive and help. She wasn't sure it would happen, but she was hopeful.

As she was about to leave, a strong, unpleasant smell hit her nose. She froze, recognizing the smell that haunted her in the past. She followed her nose, finding that it was coming from one of the restrooms. She kicked the door down.

To her shock, she found that she was right about her suspicion.

Sitting on one of the toilets was a corpse, the body half-rotten and its arms wrapped around a pillow. They must have been terrified, their face was left showed a wide-eyed look of fear. All Winter could do was shake her head. She was about to turn when something about the corpse caught her eye. Something was trapped in its clutch, other than the pillow.

Wanting to confirm what it was, she tried to pick it up. It was difficult, their hand proving hard to open.

"… My apologies."

She ripped the object from their grasp, breaking off a couple of fingers. She looked down at it, finding it to be a voice recorder. She hoped there might be more information on what happened. She played it, only hearing static at first. It then became the sound of heavy breathing, mixed in with… crying.

It… It's a nightmare out there. That Grimm… whatever it is… it's killing everyone like it's nothing. Not even the Hunters can…

There was a pause. Winter waited patiently for more.

Why us? What the hell happened, or why did we have to go through this shit storm horror! They were good people! That woman… that fucking demon woman!

Those words caught her attention. A woman was there at the attack. Did she let the beast into the city?

The look of her man… she was like a ghost that could kill you with one look. The thing… it did everything she to it to do. A person… or whatever she was… she killed them… she's still killing them. They're both fucking monsters!

With that, the recording ended with a click.

It seemed her question was answered. Did someone gain control of the Grimm? If what this person recorded was true, anyway. They might have been drunk on fear and adrenaline from the scene. That said, those words made her worry. If what he said in the recording was true… then it meant someone was controlling the Grimm, capable of making an army out of the most dangerous creatures in existence.

The fact that Hunters like her and Vergil were able to take care of them with what seemed like ease, the Grimm were not something to be trifled with. Mercenaries, soldiers, and even other Hunters would face situations where the Grimm could greatly overpower them. If they were used as one's soldiers, someone to coordinate the attacks properly.

To her… there was one name that popped to mind.

The station then shook violently. Winter held onto the door frame to keep herself standing. The force subsided slightly, allowing Winter to exit the station to see what was happening.

In the distance, more accurately from the deserted town, a blue pillar appeared, slowly fading to dark violet as the force seemed to calm down. Winter quickly became concerned, thinking that the creature had another ability it was using. Deciding to take action, Winter summoned her glyphs, rushing back towards the town. With any luck, the reinforcements would arrive soon.

…

Vergil saw the creature slide back, barely able to stay standing on its feet. As it tried to balance itself, he charged toward the beast. Keeping the Yamato sheathed, he swiped at its main body, landing several blows. With each strike, he pushed it back, seeming to shock it more if its shrieks were any indication.

The creature didn't relent. It swung its limbs at Vergil, trying its best to hit. The swordsman dodged some but chose to counter some of the attacks, its limbs and the Yamato colliding with one another and forcing each other back, albeit briefly, before striking again.

When he was close enough, he pressed his feet on its body and jumped off, landing some distance from the now confused creature. He raised his blade, carefully looking at the creature. It was moving more slowly this time. What injuries he could land were healing again, it moving slowly soon after.

An idea clicked in his mind. Healing might be more taxing on it than he first believed. The question, as of now, was could he wear it out enough to deal a lethal blow? He would need to keep working for an answer.

Vergil looked at the wisps of violet energy flowing across his body, arcs of blue electricity sparking across his form. The energy around him was different from what would radiate from him. The anger, the guilt, the suspicions he held… they brought back a darker side of him he had tried to keep buried for his family here in Remnant. The same side that wanted to make him suffer more than what was done to them all in Redgrave.

He looked back at the creature. For now, while he could, he would see what his demons could do for him.

He caught the sight of the creature charging towards him. Taking no time to calm himself, he unsheathed the sword, instantly sending a ranged slice toward it. He fired many while the creature charged towards him, then forced to warp above it. The creature saw this, raising its arms and swinging them at the airborne Vergil. The swordsman warped back down and to its side, using the judgment cut on that arm. As it cried in pain, Vergil appeared right in front of it, continuously slicing its flesh, ending it with a thrust through the area where all the cuts would have met.

As the sword dug into the creature, a bright red light suddenly such out from the wound. It was a narrow beam, but given that Vergil was close to it, it forced him to cover his eyes. This cost Vergil as one of the limbs swung at Vergil, landing a strong hit and sending Vergil back, losing his grip on the Yamato. He landed with a roll, getting back up quickly.

As the creature took time to look at Vergil, waiting for his move perhaps, Vergil looked at the wound. The light was still shining as bright as when the wound was inflicted. There was no sign of the wound healing.

The energy around Vergil grew denser as a plan formed. Deciding to leave the Yamato embedded, he raised his arm, summoning a volley of ethereal blades. He launched them all into the creature's body. The ones it didn't swat away dug themselves into its body, its cries of pain piercing through the air.

Unlike the slices and beatings that Vergil had landed before, leaving the blades will give the beast no chance to heal, or at least slow it down a great deal.

As this happened, the same red light shined out through the various injuries, the lights growing stronger the further the weapons went in.

"What is that?"

As much as Vergil wanted to end this, he also wanted to know what was causing the shining light. Grimm provided that was what the creature was, wouldn't have that kind of reaction to weaponry, perhaps some dark smoke, but no light. He warped close to the creature, taking back the Yamato before warping back and firing four more blades at it, all aligned vertically. The aura around him grew wild as he motioned the swords downwards, creating a large open wound. Before giving it a chance to heal, the swordsman spread his arms out, making the swords press against either side of the wound, opening it further and further.

It was then that Vergil caught a glimpse of what could be making it so strong.

Inside was a black sphere with glowing red etchings, and black smoke emitting from it. The same smoke that coated the outside of the creature. If he was right, then this was the source of its strength. He readied the Yamato, ready to slice apart that gadget.

Without warning, Vergil felt a sharp pain across his whole body, forcing him to hunch forward, dropping the Yamato. The aura around him quickly dispersed, arcs of electricity briefly coating his body. He placed a hand over his heart, gasping for breath as he suddenly felt exhausted.

"Damn… Why now?" he asked himself.

He thought it was worth the risk. It seems it didn't pay off.

As his strength left him, he saw the ethereal blades in the creature shatter one by one. As they did, the wounds started to heal. Even though the creature was tired out, he had the wind knocked out of him. Even worse, the wound that exposed that device was healing.

That was until a light flew from the side toward the creature. A blue, transparent Nevermore, a bit larger than the hatchings. Large enough to grab onto part of the wound and pry, trying to keep it open. As it did, several more like it appeared, all flapping at flesh close to the wound as they can get, flapping their wings as hard as they could to keep moving forward. The creature tried to swat them away but was caught off guard by several more flying around its head.

Hearing footsteps, he looked, seeing the Atlas Specialist standing above him.

"Need a hand after all?" Winter asked.

Vergil said nothing but allowed a flicker of a smile. As much as he wanted to handle this alone, he knew it wouldn't be possible now. He got back onto his feet, breathing slowly and deeply, calmly staring at their enemy.

"… My thanks." He said.

Vergil sheathed his sword, keeping his eyes on the creature. He lowered himself closer to the ground, his hand not far from the Yamato's handle as he looked ready to strike. Winter's summons, meanwhile, looked like they were struggling to keep the wound open. One suddenly faded away, forcing the rest to work harder.

Deciding to take action, Winter divided her weapon, throwing her dagger directly at the source of its power, the smaller weapon glowing brightly. However, the blade bounced off, leaving no signs of damage on the source.

Winter gritted her teeth. "We'll need something with a bigger punch." She said out loud.

"No. Just sharper."

Winter looked back at Vergil, ready to retort. Her eyes widened when she saw him. The swordsman had become so calm and focused on the danger, the very presence around him felt ice cold. Vergil stared down the monster with ice and steel, showing no signs of weakness as he was earlier.

As Vergil was focusing, Winter was suddenly struggling to keep the wound open. Once again, the means of keeping the wound open were disappearing. She looked back at the swordsman, digging her blade into the ground and summoning a glyph. All the summons were surrounded by light that seemed to make them opaque, the remaining summons gaining back some strength.

"Whatever your plan is, now's the time to do it!" she yelled.

The creature let out another roar. Seeming to no longer be able to bare the pain, it used its limbs to grab the summons, crushing them in its grip. The wound looked like it was closing quickly.

"Vergil!" Winter yelled.

"Done."

Snapping out of his focus, Vergil threw the Yamato into his left hand, holding an ethereal blade in the other. He rushed forward, spinning as he did so, pointing the sword forward, holding out the Yamato as he spiraled. He flew right towards the device, the ethereal blade striking it. As Vergil spun, the weapon drilled at the device and cracks quickly formed. The creature reached out with its limbs towards him, but the Yamato diced them when they got close.

With one last spin and a final slash with his weapons, the device shattered. Winter's summons faded, the progenitor backing away as she felt the force of the object's destruction. She held an arm up.

The creature let out its loudest roar yet, arching back as the black smog grew out of control, now covering the creature completely. The force of the smoke blew Vergil back. He just landed on his feet but had to stab the Yamato into the ground to hold himself up. The Dark Slayer looked up, his eyes meeting the eyes of the creature through the black mist. Its eyes were full of anger.

He didn't show it, but the look in its eyes brought him a dark joy.

"Spar… Spa…"

The red light in the creature's eyes faded away, completely enveloping its form in an orb of black smoke. After a moment, the sphere disintegrated, with no trace of the smoke or the creature left.

Vergil stood up, feeling briefly energized from that last attack. Fighting on one's last legs did surprising wonders, the adrenaline giving him a second wind. He knew it wouldn't last long, though. He turned to the Military Specialist, finding her just staring at him. No shock, no fear, just stared.

"That was… unexpected," Winter said. "What was that?"

"… Something inspired by… my family." Vergil said. "What of your reinforcements?"

"They will arrive soon. That said… there doesn't seem to be much left for them to do."

She glanced away. Vergil followed her gaze, looking at the damage around them. Chances are that no one would be coming back to stay here. Even with the damage repaired, even if their defenses were fortified… the fact that even skilled Hunters lost their lives wouldn't give others the confidence to live here. At best, it would act as a reminder of what happened. A gravestone, of sorts, for those who died here.

Vergil tightened his grip on the Yamato. Despite their victory, they had failed. Winter's expression told him she thought the same. Even if it was gone, there wasn't much left to save. It nearly made it seem like it wasn't worth it.

"It wasn't alone."

Vergil snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing her. He looked over, spotting a device she pulled out from her belt.

"There was someone else here with the beast, according to one of the citizens. She was said to be as ruthless… maybe even more."

Those words alerted Vergil but showed no response. He waited a moment before speaking.

"You believe someone would do all this alongside a Grimm?"

"I've seen things that are just as strange." She said, her eyes flickering towards his arm. Vergil recalled that it was the arm she stabbed him in. "It might have been a Grimm that looked humanoid, but… it sounds different from what I've encountered."

He noted the expression on her face. It wasn't one of fear or anger. This was determination. She had a target. Her concerns over current events seemed to fade into the background as she had greater concerns.

"Do you require assistance with this as well, Miss Schnee?" Vergil asked.

"… Not this time, no. You've already done more than enough," she told him. "More than likely, I'll be refrained from having you join me on any mission after this."

"The price of going rogue," Vergil stated.

"At least you won't have to work with someone with a pathetic Semblance," Winter added, smiling as she spoke.

"… I was wrong."

At this, Winter seemed surprised. She gazed at him as if waiting for an answer.

"… Your power helped end the beast when I couldn't. You showed greater control and strength of will when using it as well. You faced the creature with little fear." He stated. "It seems not all the Schnees are as crooked as I first believed."

"Was that meant to be a compliment?" Winter asked, now smiling.

"It's the most you'll get from me… for now."

The sound of a whirling engine caught Vergil's ears. He turned to where the sound was coming from, looked back at Winter, and held up the Yamato.

"It's time I made my leave."

Vergil opened a portal. As he was about to move, he stopped. Pausing briefly, he then reached into his coat pocket. He held the toy found earlier in the bar. He looked over to Winter, tossing it to her.

"If you see her… just in case she wants it back," he said.

With that, Vergil walked through the portal, leaving Winter to watch as it closed behind him.

She held the doll with both hands. She looked at it briefly before looking over at the Altas Aircraft making their way here. She had made it a personal creed not to become emotionally invested in a mission, else it leads her from her duties for Altas. After all this, she felt it was time to make a change. Not only to serve her home and general but to fulfill her duties as a Huntress. If one of the culprits of the massacre were still out there, she would find… her and stop her for good. She owed it to the people of this town. Both still here and gone.

….

Vergil stepped through the portal, finding himself on top of one of the buildings in Vale in the evening. He looked around, seeing that he was the only one present. He looked over the edge he was closest to, finding the streets as busy as ever. He was glad that no one tried causing trouble here at least.

He sat down, dispelling the Yamato, feeling the fatigue hit him like a truck. He felt pain from drawing out the power, never mind maintaining it. He thought back to when he used it when he was a child. As difficult as it was, it wasn't nearly as dangerous for him. In addition to the strength and abilities from his heritage, all the training he received from Taiyang, Summer, Qrow, and Raven especially had gifted him with more skill and power than he could have developed on his own. As confident as he was in his ability, they all helped him grow stronger.

That said, he couldn't use all his inherited power.

He closed his eyes, trying to draw out some of that power again. As he did, traces of light blue wisps floated out of his fingertips. While It was all he could manage, he was glad to see that the violet shade was gone. By his count, it could be a few days at least before he could use it again. Even then, it wouldn't be as strong as it was when he was younger.

Before she sealed it.

Whatever happened, it left him unable to make full use of all his power. Part of him was still impressed to this day. Until then, he needed to keep training all the skills and abilities he could use. Anything extra would take time to develop, but well worth the effort.

If Salem thought trying to seal his power would allow her to cause the kind of damage as with that Grimm, it would be her biggest mistake. The more he pushed what he had, the more power he would get, more than he could imagine, when he undid the seal. Maybe then he could fight against his mother and brother's murderer.

Think back to him, a thought came to mind. The creature's last sounds had not faded from his mind. He lingered on it, believing it was trying to say the name he respected the most. In line with his thoughts on the creature he fought… then he may be right.

They had found him. He found him.

Questions came to mind. How did they find him? How did they arrive? What happened to the creature to make it like a Grimm? Or was it the other way around? These were queries he knew he wouldn't find the answer to. Instead, he felt the unexpected.

The feeling you get when closure is finally on its way.

Vergil looked up towards the sky, spotting the shattered moon that finally started coming into view. She stood up, summoning the Yamato and partially unsheathing it. In his eyes, he saw a reflection one wouldn't imagine to be his. Something darker than any Grimm.

"My father may have started this… but now… I can finally end it."

Vergil sheathed the Yamato, the sound of it clicking into place being the only one he focused on, listening as it briefly rang even up towards the evening sky.

A/N: Hi all, hope you're all well this month. As per usual, this chapter was a while to make. That said, I'm happy with how it came out. I imagine those who read the last chapter were expecting a full-on Devil Trigger, but I decided to change things around in this. For this story, Vergil is more professionally trained (sort of) by more experienced combat people. That, alongside his own power, would make him more dangerous overall. So, I decided to give him a temporary handicap and trial of sorts to fix in the future. As to how this will be solved... you'll have to wait and see.

Also, I'm thinking of introducing more weapons for Vergil's Arsenal. Not Devil arms (yet), but I have a couple of ideas in mind. Just thought I'd let you know. Right, that's all from me. Hope you all are having a great day, and depending on when the next chapter is out, have a happy Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate around that time). See you all later ; )