Lilith didn’t respond immediately, and that slight delay, that simple interval between waking and reacting, carried a weight far greater than any words could convey at that moment. Her eyes, still heavy from her condition, remained fixed on Vergil long enough for something to begin to form there, not just recognition, but an overlay... one image over another, as if two existences occupied the same space at the same time.

For an extremely brief—but absolutely perceptible—instant, she wasn’t looking at Vergil.

She was looking at something else.

Something older.

Something that shouldn’t be there anymore.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to better focus on the vision that appeared before her, as if her mind were struggling to decide what was real and what was just a residual echo of memories that should never completely disappear. The presence she felt in him... wasn’t just powerful. It was too familiar.

Lucifer.

The name wasn’t spoken.

But it existed.

In that silence.

In that look.

And then—

She blinked.

Just once.

And everything disappeared.

The overlay dissolved, the old presence receded into the background of her perception, and what remained before her was only Vergil, whole, stable, but still carrying within him something that clearly could not be ignored so easily.

Lilith looked away.

Simply.

Almost coldly.

"Pleasure," she said, her voice controlled, without apparent emotion, as if she were dealing with something she didn’t intend to delve into at that moment, turning her face away immediately afterward as if ending the interaction before it could even truly begin.

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable.

But it wasn’t light either.

Vergil observed it for a second, without immediate reaction, merely registering, analyzing, understanding her behavior with the same naturalness with which he evaluated any other variable around him.

His eyes then moved.

Slowly. Until Sepphirothy.

Who was already looking back.

As if she expected that question.

And before he even opened his mouth—

She answered.

"She doesn’t like your grandfather very much."

A short pause.

But enough.

"And you... look like him," she finished, her voice neutral, but carrying a clear understanding of the situation, as if it were nothing new to her.

Vergil arched an eyebrow slightly.

Interested.

Not surprised.

Just... interested.

"Give her a break," Sepphirothy finished, crossing her arms slightly while tilting her head, as if that concluded the explanation sufficiently.

Vergil remained silent for a moment.

Processing.

Connecting.

Reorganizing small pieces within his own perception.

And then—

He sighed.

A light sound.

Weightless. "Everything’s fine," he replied, simply, directly, without any trace of discomfort or offense, as if it truly wasn’t important enough to alter his state at that moment.

And it wasn’t.

Not anymore.

His eyes returned to Lilith.

But this time... there was no superficial curiosity.

There was analysis.

Deeper.

More technical.

More... connected.

He could clearly feel her state now, not just superficially, but through the entire structure of her existence, perceiving the flaws, the gaps, the wear and tear that had accumulated over something that clearly couldn’t be measured in ordinary time.

She was alive.

But she wasn’t well.

Not even close.

Vergil then took a small step forward.

Without haste.

Without imposition.

Just... intention.

"You won’t be able to sustain yourself like this for much longer." He said, his voice calm, but now more direct, like someone not offering an opinion, but presenting a fact.

Lilith didn’t respond immediately.

But she didn’t ignore him.

Her eyes moved slightly in his direction, without turning her face completely, as if she were assessing whether it was even worth continuing that interaction.

Vergil continued.

"I can give you energy," he added simply, as if offering something trivial, something that didn’t require much consideration.

But it wasn’t trivial.

Nothing about it was trivial.

And Lilith knew it.

Her eyes finally turned completely to him again, this time with a little more attention, more focus, more... genuine intention to understand what was being offered.

There was a silence.

Not long.

But enough.

She was thinking.

Evaluating.

Weighing.

Not the proposal itself.

But its origin.

Vergil said nothing more.

He just waited.

Without haste.

Without pressure.

Because he knew... she would understand.

And then—

She nodded.

A small movement.

But definitive.

"Do it." "She answered, her voice still controlled, still distant, but now without the same initial resistance, as if she had decided to accept it not out of trust... but out of necessity.

Vergil smiled slightly.

Not a broad smile.

But a sincere one.

And then—

He took another step closer.

Bowling down before her again.

His hand rose.

And this time... there was no hesitation.

The touch was light.

Controlled.

Precise.

His palm rested on her shoulder, and at the instant of contact, the energy began to flow again, but in an even more refined way than before, as if he had adjusted the "rhythm" of that transfer to something perfectly compatible with her structure.

It wasn’t a simple donation.

It was... assisted reconstruction.

The demonic energy flowing from him wasn’t chaotic, it wasn’t aggressive, it wasn’t invasive as one might normally expect." It was stable, dense, charged with an almost primordial quality, something that seemed to exist in a purer, more organized state, as if specifically molded to nourish and restore.

The environment reacted subtly.

The surrounding shadows deepened.

The air seemed heavier.

But not oppressively.

It was... support.

Lilith felt it.

Immediately.

Her body responded almost instinctively to that energy, absorbing, reorganizing, reactivating parts that were dormant or simply too worn out to function properly.

Her breathing stabilized first.

Then her posture began to change.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

But consistently.

The signs of exhaustion began to recede, not disappearing completely, but being pushed into a controllable state, something that already allowed for proper functioning.

Her fingers closed slightly against the ground.

She was regaining control.

Not completely.

But enough.

Vergil maintained the flow for a few more seconds, attentively observing each reaction, each adjustment, each response of her structure to the energy being injected, like someone monitoring a complex system being restarted after a critical failure.

Vergil gradually ended the energy flow, controlling each fraction of that transfer like someone who perfectly understands the limits and needs of what is before them, reducing the intensity until it simply ceased, without shock, without rupture, allowing Lilith’s own body to absorb and stabilize everything that had been granted.

The silence that followed was not empty, but charged with a different kind of presence, more stable, more centered, as if the environment itself had recognized that small correction within something much larger.

Lilith remained motionless for a few moments, not out of weakness, but by choice, like someone carefully testing their own limits before taking the next step, feeling the energy circulate through her structure again, filling gaps, rekindling parts that were dormant or simply too worn out to respond.

Her breathing became more regular, her body found balance again, and then, without any haste, she placed her hand on the ground and stood up, not dramatically or forcedly, but with a silent naturalness that made it clear that, despite her previous state, she was still something far beyond the ordinary.

Her posture wasn’t perfect; there were still subtle signs of accumulated wear, invisible marks of something that couldn’t be fully resolved in a single moment, but still, she stood firm, stable, completely present in that space.

Her eyes then returned to Vergil, and this time there was no immediate averting, no instinctive rejection, but also no gentleness. What existed there was something more complex, more contained, a silent recognition that what he had done was not trivial, not simple, and definitely not something that could be ignored.

She didn’t thank him, because she wasn’t the type of person who bowed to formalities or direct expressions of gratitude, but still, there was a small gesture, almost imperceptible to anyone else present.

A slight, minimal, restrained nod of his head, but laden with enough meaning for someone like Vergil to understand exactly what it represented. It wasn’t submission, it wasn’t affection... it was acceptance. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Vergil responded in kind, with a simple, almost nonexistent nod, as if that kind of silent communication was more than enough between them, without the need for words or unnecessary prolongations.

Then, he stood up completely, adjusting his posture with his usual tranquility, as if none of it had required any real effort, and for a brief moment, his eyes lifted again, returning to Alice and the others.

"How about we get out of here?" He said, swinging the Yamato and cutting through space, opening a portal~ Everyone looked at him...

"What?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Are you~ Are you really okay?" Sapphire questioned, "Like, okay, we understand, but... isn’t everything really okay?"

Vergil looked at them... "Oh, you’re talking about that?" He says, pointing to the Portal. "When I evolved, I gained a much greater awareness of my powers. I think it’s her fault," he pointed to Sephirothy, "She controls time, so I kind of inherited space? Time and space are necessary for each other, I think that’s it~"

"I think they’re talking about your body." A tired, small, feminine voice came from Vergil’s side; the little girl, Ophis, or rather that enormous dragon, Ouroboros, was with him.

"Oh, here, that’s Ophis. That big dragon over there." He pointed to the dragon, but there was nothing there anymore. "Oh..."

Vergil looks at his body and there’s nothing there~ "Holy shit..." he says, looking at his chest... "Did I get a muscle buff?"