Devil in My Mind

Little Raven

As she sleeps in her room, a phantom-raven exits Raven's exhausted body and enters the magic mirror. She finds herself standing in the golden grass, but the space feels bigger, the grass seems taller. She is smaller.

It's Little Raven! She can feel herself not wanting to be in this body, not wanting to be in this state of mind. One of the ravens soars to her and lands at her feet, ready to guide her through the valley.

"You want me to come with you?" she asks apprehensively, hearing the smallness in her under-developed voice. "What if, what if I don't want to?"

The raven cocks its head a few times, as if to say it can wait.

"I'm not moving from this spot. Can't let my emotions take over, can't break."

She notices the other raven soaring towards her from below. She then sees Dante coming up the hill. He's carrying his sword. Her eyes water so she covers her face. But then he's there faster, she can feel and hear him kneeling before her, not more than two feet away. Resting the blade upward, dug into the dirt to stand on it's own.

"Look at me."

"I can't or else I'll cry! And if I cry, this place might fade away."

"But I won't fade away. I guarantee it."

"You don't understand, it's not like before. Not when I'm like this."

"What, small and helpless? Lemme hug you. I really need to hug you."

"Look at this place, Dante."

"Oh, don't worry, I see it. You know I do."

"It's the Underworld. One of us is dead. If it's not you then it's me."

"You a ghost then, Little Raven?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Kay, well that sounds pretty scary. You sure you don't want to be held by a demon slayer, in the Demon World, filled with demons?"

"No I do! I want my daddy!" she gives in and turns around, grabbing onto him, devolving into an ugly cry. He holds her tightly.

"Shhh, poor baby. Shhh, it's okay, it's okay. I'm sorry baby, I've been so distracted by how embarrassing and stupid it was, I hadn't really thought about how much it hurt you. It's okay, my Baby Bunny." He lifts her and begins walking, hoping the movement might calm her down. Holding her subsides the pain in his chest almost instantly.

"Listen, you're about as dead to yourself as I am to Vergil. My twin brother, who apparently thinks you're an angel. I mean, I'm thinking he's not wrong. In this fairyland, is this where you live?"

She nods, buckets of tears falling from her adorable, big eyes onto his shoulder. Her little face scrunching up as she hiccups.

"Awe honey, I swear to you, it's gonna be alright. Hey, how about this? Let's hang out for a little bit, huh? Spend more time getting to know each other. I know what happened was shit, but you remember the good things, right? What's something good you remember?"

Hiccup. "I remember when you made Mad Mod almost poo himself."

"Haha, yup, I remember that too. That was pretty funny."

"And... and the first time we spent..." hiccup. "The first time we spent a whole day together, while..." hiccup. "While my friends went to go inspect your shop. And you did the funny dance."

"Yes, that definitely happened. That was a good day."

"You don't know how much I love you!"

"Awe! Raven, here's the thing though. I do know. The feeling's mutual, Little Raven."

She calms down a bit, running her fingers through the intricate seams of his wine-red coat as he carries her through the valley. It's so peaceful and pretty.

"Really? Do you really mean that?"

"Do I really mean that, she asks. What do I look like, a sack of numbnuts? You're kidding, right? Of course I do! How could I not?"

"The sound of your voice is my favorite sound in the whole world. White Raven has the most power, she put you here."

"I understand. So, the other two ravens, they represent you back in the Human World."

"They're... they're just kinda here."

"Okay then. That's fine for now."

"For... for now?"

"Well, don't you think normal you should be in charge, hmm?"

"No, she's in charge of fighting crime with her magic."

"How about White Raven?"

"No. No, I don't really understand her very well. She has things like, boobs and stuff."

"Ha!"

"Well, she does. Haven't you noticed?"

"Wasn't looking, that wouldn't make me a very decent father figure now would it?"

"Oh, I guess... I guess I didn't think of it that way."

"How about you take a nap in my arms? I'll be here when you wake up, you know that, right?"

"I don't mean to keep you captive. If you need to destroy me in the end, that's okay."

"Oh hush. Listen, you may think you're the boss, but I summoned you. So whose the real one in charge, hmm?"

"Y-you are?"

"That's right. Go to sleep, okay?"

He gives her a kiss. Comforted, she sniffles and hiccups again.

"Okay."