Chapter Text
Bold text is Arval speaking or thinking or a transformed Shez/Sarah. Italics are dreams/flashbacks.
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Firstly, I want to make a few things clear. Shez and Sarah replace Dante and Vergil respectively. They have some of Dante and Vergil’s personality traits mixed with some of my own ideas. I want to create something interesting here, so I don’t want to hear any “Dante wouldn’t do that” nonsense. They had different lives here. Secondly, Epimenides is not a thing. Arval is just a demon living inside of Shez’s head that has access to Agarthan technology like guns. He taught Shez some demonic abilities that are basically just the abilities Shez uses in game, like shadowflash. Obviously, because Shez is part demon, these abilities are more powerful.
Long, long ago, demons invaded the land known as Fodlan. It was all during the great war of heroes. When Nemesis, the King of Liberation, was corrupted by the power the goddess gifted him. Nemesis allied himself with the demons of the underworld. These demons were powerful, monstrous, even Saint Seiros had difficulty defeating them. One such demon was a demon named Mundus, who wanted to rule the human world and consume human blood for more power. But when all hope seemed lost, a demon named Sparda joined Seiros and her allies. Sparda, and old friend of the Goddess herself, rebelled against his own kind, helping Seiros defeat Nemesis and push the demons back.
With the devil sword Sparda, he sealed Mundus away, and with the Yamato, he closed the portal Nemesis opened that connected the underworld to Fodlan. Saint Seiros and her allies had won. Sparda himself had descendants with the daughter of one of the 10 elites, who had rebelled against her family. Thus, house Sparda was born.
“Hey! Sparda and Seiros only won because I helped out! I should get a mention too!” Shez sighed at Arval’s ranting. ‘Arval, you only provided Sparda with stolen Agarthan tech and magic. Then, you vanished, placing consciousness into a container waiting for someone to find. I, Sparda’s descendant, found you and now you live in my head.’
“That’s not my point. I was responsible for creating new technology and weapons that they used to win that war. I was and still am the greatest technological genius and blacksmith in history!” Arval boldly proclaimed. The demon living inside of Shez’s head was really proud of himself for that. ‘Yeah, and to repay you for your gracious “help,” Seiros destroyed almost all of your work’ Shez reminded.
Arval scoffed, “That bitch was just jealous of me!” Shez thought differently. Obviously, Seiros hated the Agarthans, so destroying anything relating to them wasn’t too surprising. They were responsible for killing most of her people, so of course she would be angry and spiteful. ‘A stark contrast to the woman I met years ago…’ Shez thought.
Arval had told him what really happened a thousand years ago. He knew the whole story of how the heroes’ relics were the bones of Sothis and her children and how Nemesis and the agarthans used the blood of the nabateans for their own gain. ‘I’m fine with rejecting the goddess and embracing technology and all, but you didn’t have to kill her’ Shez thought.
Still, he had no personal connection to Sothis, so he didn’t care all that much. He did meet her daughter Seiros. She apparently calls herself “Rhea” now. The Church of Seiros wasn’t exactly close with house Sparda originally, clearly because Sparda himself wanted no part of the church and nobility. Seiros likely forced him into it. Over time, the descendants of Sparda embraced the system and the church. Not Shez though.
“Oh yeah, I forgot that you’re a member of house Sparda! It makes sense, that white hair of yours sticks out like a sore thumb” Arval said. Shez sighed. He didn’t want to be reminded of his past. Those with the blood of Sparda in their veins have naturally white hair and insane physical capabilities that even those with crests can’t normally reach. If a descendant of Sparda is born with a crest, they are even more powerful. ‘Good thing Arval here taught me some tricks that put me on the level of my sister, despite my not having a crest’ Shez thought.
“Hey! Are you listening?!” Getz asked. Shez sighed, “Getz, you just told me something everyone in my family already knows. Tell me something I don’t already know” Shez stated. He had heard this story too many times. It was getting old.
“I hope that Getz’s story time hasn’t made you forget about our mission?” Berling said as she arrived at the campfire that Shez and Getz were sitting at. Berling was the captain of the mercenary group Shez was running with.
“Don’t forget Captain. This is also Shez’s last mission with us. Shame Shez, you’re a great guy to be around” Lazley commented. Shez had made the decision to become a solo mercenary a few weeks ago. He was happy to have made friends with Berling and the others, but he knew he had to forge his own path alone.
Lazley was probably the saddest to see him go. She and Shez dated for a while, but it wasn’t working out between them. They remained close friends though. Shez gave Lazley a hug, causing her to blush. “Don’t worry Laz, I’ll always visit you guys” he said. They pulled away.
The mission was simple, to keep the goods of a noble safe from Jeralt’s mercenaries. Jeralt and Berling’s mercenary groups were both particularly well known. Before Shez came along, Berling’s was the 2nd greatest mercenary group behind Jeralt’s. That all changed when Shez showed up. These guys were about to find out why.
While Berling, Getz, and Lazley would protect the noble’s goods from a rival noble, Shez was sent to handle Jeralt and his band of mercenaries. Shez was completely alone, but he didn’t need any allies. During his first mission, demons invaded a town. It wasn’t uncommon for demons to invade, as despite the portal being closed, demons could still create smaller portals. The demons weren’t particularly powerful, just a horde of empusas. Sadly, normal humans couldn’t properly defend against demons. Usually, the knights of Seiros would handle demons, but they weren’t around.
Berling’s mercs were hired to defend the village against the horde of empusas. Shez decided to take them on alone with rebellion, a sword that Sparda had Arval make before he sealed himself away with any remaining weapons and tech. There were 100 of them, but Shez, using the rebellion, was able to kill every last one of them. No normal human could pull that off. A few villagers had heard a rumor that one of the children from the house of Sparda had run away. After word of Shez’s accomplishment spread, many assumed him to be that child, especially because he had white hair.
Slaying 100 demons had earned Shez the title of “The Demon Slayer” though it quickly changed to “The Demon Hunter” at Shez’s request. Shez was really hoping to meet the “Ashen Demon,” a powerful mercenary that shows no emotion. Some said she really was a demon. Shez wanted to see if that was true or not. Certain demons could change their forms to blend it with humans, perhaps this “Ashen Demon” was one such demon.
Shez encountered what looked to be rookies from Jeralt’s mercenaries. He casually walked up to them, as if he was one of them. He waved at them jovially, “Hey guys, how’s it going?” he asked. An archer shouted out, “It’s the Demon Hunter! Kill him!”
Many tried to attack Shez. Shez stood there with a smile. The mercenaries plunged their weapons into Shez’s body. To their horror, while blood was coming out, Shez was still standing, smirking. The mercenaries backed away while Shez casually pulled out their weapons. The wounds quickly began to heal.
“Nice trick guys. Let me show you mine!” Shez moved with such speed that he looked like he teleported. He appeared right behind the archer, stabbing him in the stomach with Rebellion. Shez then proceeded to ride the dead body of the archer like a skateboard. As he did so, he road towards the other mercenaries. They tried to avoid his blade, but Shez’s attacks never missed their mark.
Shez had a very “unique” fighting style. It wasn’t sloppy or unrefined, quite the opposite. Some called it very stylish. He named many of his moves as well. He used this fighting style to cleave through his foes. When he finished them off, more mercs arrived. Shez jumped off of the archer’s body and leaped high into the air. Shez swapped to his gunslinger style for this.
Shez, in midair, pulled out two of the weapons Arval made, Ebony and Ivory. Arval called them “guns” which Shez liked. Shez spun around like a tornado and fired the weapons. He called this move, the Rainstorm, because magical bullets Shez created using his own demonic energy rained down like a storm upon his enemies. The mercs tried to run away, but every shot hit their mark. Most of the mercs now had holes in their bodies, each hole had blood dripping from it.
Shez landed on the ground and fired two more bullets, hitting the heads of two more mercenaries. More reinforcements arrived. This time, it was the main force. “This is the main force? Not even a challenge” Shez said cockily. He was proven right as he used “stinger” a lunge attack. He lunged from one enemy to the next, killing them with each stinger. Shez then used a “million stab” to absolutely decimate one poor mercenary. Shez stabbed his sword into the mercenary many times. The sword moved like a blur as blood poured from the mercenary.
A mercenary tried to attack Shez from behind, but Shez parried it with a swipe from his sword to knock the merc off balance. Shez then used a “prop” to launch the merc into the air. Shez leaped up to follow him, using an aerial rave to slice the merc into bloody pieces. The pieces landed on the ground in a heap alongside Shez. Shez turned to three more mercenaries, clearly terrified.
Shez smirked. “Hey guys, CATCH THIS!” Shez charged rebellion with demonic magic and hurled it at the three mercs. The sword was moving on its own, slicing the heads and torsos of the three mercs. Shez called this move, “Round trip.”
Shez called the sword back to him. Shez looked around him. Bodies everywhere, all dead. Shez then looked at himself. “Geez, I’m filthy and I got blood all over my coat!” Shez wore absolutely no armor, he didn’t even wear a shirt. He just wore his red coat and trousers. Not like he needed armor, but many girls around his age wanted to have some “fun” with him, Lazley included. Not wearing a shirt allowed everyone to see his incredibly toned body, well-muscled as well.
“Alright, who’s next?” Shez asked to no one in particular. He got his answer when he came face to face with a woman who appeared to be older than him, maybe in her 20s. Shez noticed how she carried herself. He knew this woman was different.
Shez smirked. “You must be the Ashen Demon. Sorry about the mess. I just tried to start a nice conversation, and they attacked me out of nowhere! The nerves of some people!” Byleth wasn’t amused. She looked at the bodies surrounding the area. She was impressed. The rumors of the demon hunter’s capabilities were actually facts.
“So, Ashen Demon, I’ve got a few questions, if you don’t mind me asking?” Byleth didn’t show it, but she was surprised. Most mercenaries either feared her and ran away, or wanted to attack her to take her down. None of them asked any questions. “What are your questions?” she enquired.
Good, finally Shez would get his answers, “Are you really a Demon? You’re too pretty to be one. Trust me, most demons aren’t as pretty as you.” Byleth couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Whie she was flattered by the compliment; it was still surprising to hear this. ‘Does he not realize that I am his enemy?’ she thought.
“No,” she replied. “That is just a name. I am purely human.” Shez nodded, not surprised. “Well, as nice as it was chatting with you, I’ve still got a job to complete. To do that, I need to hold you off!” He leaped towards her at great speed. Byleth barely had time to react, blocking his strike with her blade. The force behind Shez’s strike pushed her back a little.
Byleth tried to counterattack, but Shez pulled out an old favorite, Royal Guard. Shez used a blocking stance, not with his sword, just his arms. When Byleth’s strike was about to land, Shez summoned a barrier in front of him. The sword bounced off of the barrier. Byleth continued to strike again and again, but Shez kept blocking the attacks, gathering energy and storing it.
Once Shez had enough energy, he used Royal release, a palm strike that sent Byleth flying. She rolled a few times on the ground before coming to a stop. Byleth struggled to get up from the ground, the pain from that one blow was intense. She could barely move. ‘I was taken out with one blow?’ she thought to herself. Shez appeared before her, using trickster to basically teleport.
“Well demon, it’s been fun.” Shez said. Byleth closed her eyes, preparing for the end. Only it never came. She opened her eyes to see Shez walking away. Byleth couldn’t believe it. “Wait!” she called out. Shez stopped but didn’t turn to face her. “You have me dead to rights. Why spare me?” she asked.
Shez was silent for a moment. “Well, I kept track of the time it would take to defend the goods and get them to their destination. By the time I beat you, the goods were already at the location. So really, I don’t have a reason to kill you. See ya!” He waved goodbye before leaving. Byleth was in awe. She wasn’t angry, or sad, just in awe.
Meanwhile, Jeralt was watching the entire thing. He knew his kid couldn’t defeat the demon hunter but was happy that she was alive. ‘That demon is something special’ he thought to himself.
Shez met back up with his soon-to-be former mercenary band leader. “Hey Shez! Here’s your cut!” Berling tossed Shez a large bag of gold. Shez caught it with ease, using demonic magic to store it away. Shez smiled, giving Berling a hug. Berling hugged back. “Take care of yourself out there…” she murmured. Getz and Lazley soon joined in. This was goodbye for now.
6 months later, Shez was walking through a forest trying to find Remire village. Unfortunately, it was more difficult than he thought it would be.
“Face it Shez, we’re lost!” a voice proclaimed. The voice came from Asta, a young boy a little younger than Shez, about 15 years old. (A/N: Started watching Black Clover, I couldn’t resist. He looks like Asta from Black Clover but with black hair and he has Nero’s clothes from dmc4. His design in the timeskip will be dmc 5 nero. And no, he is not Sarah’s son. He is pretty powerful though.)
“The kid has a point. Your terrible sense of direction got us here! I’m pretty sure we passed that tree about 8 times! Why did you burn the map?!” Arval said. Shez sighed. Arval, he could handle, but Asta was a little too much. He had a good heart but come on.
“Look, I’m sorry okay. I was really frustrated about that old man’s comment about me. I had to burn something” Shez said. In hindsight, he should have just punched the face. Then again, that would have killed the old man.
“Hey, I hear voices. More bandits?” A voice said. Shez and Asta turned to face three youths around Shez’s age. Shez knew who these people were. Shez whistled and crossed his arms. “Well, well, well. The imperial princess, the crown prince, and the heir to the Alliance all in one place. Who would have ever guessed?”
The imperial princess herself looked Shez in the eye, analyzing him. She looked him up and down, though most of her glances were at his well-toned muscles. Shez still wasn’t wearing a shirt. She couldn’t help but admire his physique. Unfortunately, Shez caught her staring at him and smirked. He snapped his fingers and pointed towards his eyes. “My eyes are up here princess.”
Edelgard cursed herself for getting caught. Her cheeks were now a little red from embarrassment. Claude chuckled, “I never knew the imperial princess was secretly into shirtless guys. Maybe I should wear my shirt less often!” he joked. Dimitri sighed. He then looked at Shez closely, noticing the white hair.
Dimitri knew full well who he was. “Shez? Is that you?” he asked. Shez sighed. Of course the crown prince would know. The thing about house sparda is that they didn’t own territory. They resided in Fhirdiad, the capital of Faerghus. They are there to handle knowledge of demons and the underworld, as well as handle any demons that the Knights of Seiros cannot handle. Because of this, Shez was forced to interact with many nobles and noble children, Dimitri included. That didn't make them friends, even though Dimitri and others did try.
“Yes, but if you want my loyalty, you aren’t going to get it. House Sparda may be loyal to the Kingdom, but I am not” Shez said. Dimitri raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?” he asked.
Shez crossed his arms. “Well, if I’m being honest, I just don’t like Faerghus as a whole. The nobles there put so much stock into Crests and tradition and it really gets on my nerves. It doesn’t help that my own family does the same thing. That’s one of the MANY reasons I ran from home” he said. If he was being honest, he hated his family. Mostly because of Sarah, but his parents didn’t make things better.
Claude asked a question that made Shez think a little. “So, what if something bad happened to your house or family for that matter?” Shez shrugged. “I wouldn’t really give a damn. I don’t give much of a damn about Faerghus either. No offense Dimitri.” Dimitri was a little unsettled that someone would casually answer a question like Claude’s.
Edelgard saw a potential ally. ‘I could get the demon hunter himself on my side. Just to make sure…’ “If you were to be loyal to any section of Fodlan, which would it be?” she asked. Without hesitation, Shez replied with, “The Empire. They aren’t as close to the central church as other regions, so I would serve the Empire if given the chance.” Dimitri wasn't surprised by this. He was one of the few people who knew why Shez left.
Edelgard smiled internally. Shez holds no love for the Kingdom or the Central Church, which she wasn’t expecting at all. She could worry about getting Shez on her side later, right now, they had other business to attend to.
Apparently, they were being chased by bandits. Normally, Shez would take care of it himself, but he thought of something more interesting. “Asta, this is your final test. I want you to take out every bandit there. The rest of us will sit back and watch.”
Asta smirked. “Finally, an actual challenge. I can’t wait.” The other three were shocked. Was Shez crazy or was Asta that strong? They would soon find out.