Vergil remained motionless for a few seconds, his eyes fixed on the small figure before him, but something inside him… had changed. It wasn't immediate, nor explosive like everything that had happened until then, but it arose silently, almost timidly, like a sensation that didn't ask permission to exist. His chest, still carrying the remnants of the absurd density of energy he had manipulated moments before, now felt… light. Warm. And that, in itself, was strange enough to make him frown slightly.

He didn't understand.

It wasn't a logical reaction.

It wasn't analysis.

It was… familiarity.

As if that presence, newly formed, incomplete, fragile… was something he already knew. Not in clear memory, not in concrete experience, but in essence. Something that traversed deeper layers than thought or reason. His gaze softened almost imperceptibly as he observed the slight movement of the girl's breathing, the way her wings were still growing, as if her own body were learning to exist. And that—

That affected him.

More than any battle.

More than any power.

For a brief moment, he wasn't the newly established King, nor the wielder of a force capable of rewriting concepts. He was just… someone looking at something that, without knowing how to explain it, mattered.

Ophis, on the other hand, didn't share that pause.

Without any ceremony, she jumped lightly from his lap, landing on the ground as if she were merely shifting to observe something more closely, her feet touching the ground without making a sound as she walked towards the girl. Her movement was simple, direct, completely devoid of any tension or exaggerated caution, as if it represented no danger whatsoever… nor any relevant mystery.

She stopped beside the child.

She leaned slightly.

And extended her hand.

Her small fingers touched the girl's forehead gently, almost casually, like someone checking something trivial. At the moment of contact, however, her eyes shone—not with explosive intensity, but with a deep, infinite light, as if in that brief moment she were accessing something far beyond what was visible there.

Time seemed… to hesitate.

Not to stop.

But to adjust.

And then—

She withdrew her hand.

No reaction.

No apparent change.

Her eyes returned to normal as she stood up again, turning her body naturally to face Vergil. Her expression remained the same as always—neutral, calm, as if none of this had any real weight for her.

"I believe they call this reincarnation in your culture…" she said, licking the lollipop again, as if she were commenting on something commonplace, unimportant.

A brief pause.

Her eyes fixed on his.

"This little girl is Lucifer."

The silence that followed was not empty.

It was… abrupt.

Vergil didn't respond immediately.

In fact—

He couldn't.

His eyes remained fixed on Ophis for a second longer than necessary, as if his brain were trying to process the information, to fit it into some logic, some pattern, some structure that made sense… and failing completely.

"…what—" he began, but the word died before it could fully form.

Because—

A sound.

Weak.

Low.

Almost nonexistent.

A murmur.

It wasn't a word.

It wasn't language.

It was… a raw sound.

A small, tired grunt, like someone waking from a deep sleep, coming directly from the girl on the floor.

Vergil looked away immediately.

His body reacted before his mind.

And then—

She moved.

Subtly.

Her fingers twitched slightly, as if testing her own existence, her wings trembling almost imperceptibly as a small sigh escaped her lips.

And then—

Her eyes opened.

Slowly.

Heavy.

But… alive.

Red.

Deep.

Bright as the demonic sky itself, but without the burden of malice, pride, or dominance that would normally accompany that color. They were… pure eyes. Intense, yes, but not shaped by experience, not burdened by intention. Just… existence.

They focused.

Straight on him.

Vergil.

For a moment—

Nothing happened.

The world seemed to hold its breath.

And then—

She moved.

Too fast for someone in that state.

Her small body rose with an instinctive, almost clumsy impulse, as if she didn't yet have complete control over her own movements, and in two short steps she crossed the distance between them.

And then—

She hugged him.

Tightly.

Right on the leg.

Her arms wrapped around Vergil's leg with an intensity absurd for someone so small, her face pressing against his as if she were hiding, anchoring herself, clinging to the only thing that, at that moment, seemed… right.

Vergil—

Lost his balance.

For a moment, really.

His body leaned slightly back, completely taken by surprise by the sudden action, his instinct almost making him react automatically… but he stopped.

He didn't push her away.

He didn't shove her.

He didn't do anything.

He just… stayed.

His eyes slowly lowered to her, still trying to comprehend what was happening, his mind racing to keep up with a situation that, for some reason, didn't seem to demand an immediate logical response.

She said nothing.

She made no sound other than light breathing against him.

She just held on.

Tightly.

As if letting go would be… wrong.

Vergil blinked once.

"…you…" he began, his voice lower now, more careful, as if any change in tone could break something fragile in that moment.

"…do you have a name?" he asked, trying to establish some kind of communication.

No answer.

He leaned slightly, trying to get a better look at her face, but she only pressed herself closer to him, completely hiding her face, refusing any attempt at eye contact, but without any sign of fear. It was… different. It wasn't escape. It was closeness.

"Can you hear me?" he tried again, his tone still controlled, but now carrying a slight trace of uncertainty.

Nothing.

Not a word.

No reaction beyond a slight adjustment in the embrace, as if she were just… settling in more comfortably.

Ophis watched all this from the side, completely calm, as if she were watching something predictable, her lollipop twirling between her fingers as she tilted her head slightly.

"She probably can't talk," she commented, emotionlessly, as if explaining something obvious.

Vergil looked at her.

"…what do you mean?" he asked, genuinely confused.

Ophis shrugged.

"Can't read. Can't write," she added, still in the same disinterested tone. "Her life started from zero."

Vergil frowned slightly, looking again at the girl clinging to his leg, feeling the weight—light, but present—of that small body that, seconds ago, didn't even exist.

"…zero?" he repeated, as if the word wasn't enough to explain it.

Ophis then raised the lollipop and pointed directly at her own eyes.

"I am Infinity," she said simply, as if it were just an irrelevant detail. "I see all the time."

A short pause.

She then moved the lollipop, pointing at the girl.

"And hers…" she continued, "…has just begun to count~"

The silence that followed was unlike any before.

It carried no tension.

No threat.

Not even urgency.

It was… strange.

Calm.

Vergil looked down again at that small figure who refused to let go of him, who couldn't even speak, who didn't understand the world, but who, even so… had run straight to him.

Without hesitation.

Without questioning.

As if she knew.

As if, somehow, she recognized something in him that he himself didn't fully understand.

His hand moved.

Slowly.

Almost instinctively.

And it landed on her head.

Lightly.

Cautiously.

But firm enough not to be an accident.

She didn't react negatively.

On the contrary—

She pressed herself a little closer to him.

And Vergil—

Remained silent.

But this time…

It wasn't for lack of words.

It was because, for the first time in a long time—

He didn't need them.

…

The return journey was… silent.

Not the kind of empty silence, but one laden with unspoken meaning, where each step seemed to echo more than it should, even on the solid ground of the underworld. The atmosphere still carried remnants of what had happened—not just in the energy, but in the very sensation of the surrounding space, as if the world were still… adjusting to the existence of something new.

Vergil walked ahead.

His posture was the same as always—straight, controlled, impeccable—but there was something subtly different about his presence. Not heavier. Not more unstable.

But… deeper.

Beside him, Ophis walked with the same absolute nonchalance as always, swaying her body slightly with each step while calmly sucking on her lollipop, completely oblivious to the existential weight of the situation.

Or perhaps… simply indifferent.

"…you're quiet," she commented, without looking at him, her voice neutral, almost bored.

Vergil didn't answer immediately.

His eyes remained ahead, scanning the path, but not really seeing anything specific.

"…I'm thinking," he finally replied, simply.

Ophis took a small bite of her lollipop.

"It doesn't seem useful," she said, as if evaluating something irrelevant.

Vergil let out a slight sigh through his nose.

He didn't answer.

Because… there wasn't a simple answer.

That little girl.

That presence.

That feeling.

He still felt it.

Even now.

Like a constant echo in the depths of his own existence.

Something… familiar.

Something… impossible.

And yet—

Real.

The gates of the mansion opened without resistance as he approached, as if the very structure recognized his presence even before any conscious command. The immense and refined structure carried the weight of something newly created, yet already perfectly functional, as if it had been erected not only with resources… but with absolute intention.

Vergil entered.

Ophis followed right behind.

And then—

They stopped.

Not out of hesitation.

But because—

The room was already occupied.

The mansion's living room was spacious, luxurious, with an aesthetic that blended classic elegance with a slightly dark touch, typical of the underworld. Extensive sofas, refined tables, soft lighting… everything perfectly arranged.

And at the center of it all—

Them.

All of them.

Their gazes met simultaneously.

Without delay.

Without confusion.

As if they had all sensed exactly the moment he crossed the threshold.

Sapphire was the first to react.

Not with movement.

But with focus.

Her eyes slowly descended from Vergil… to the small figure beside him.

And narrowed.

"…who is that?" she asked, directly, without beating around the bush, her voice firm as always, but carrying a much sharper attention than usual.

Silence fell over the room.

Heavy.

Dense.

Because they were all seeing.

But… none of them understood yet.

Paimon leaned slightly forward, curious.

Alice blinked a few times, analyzing.

Sephirothy crossed her arms, observing silently.

Ada said nothing.

Morgana frowned slightly.

Stella stopped moving completely.

Seris raised her gaze slightly.

Aphrodite tilted her head, curious.

And then—

Lilith froze.

It wasn't a dramatic movement.

There was no sound.

But it was… immediate. Her body simply stopped.

Her eyes, which had been fixed on the television—where Katharina was patiently trying to explain something completely irrelevant about programming—slowly shifted.

And then fixed.

On the girl.

Not on the body.

Not on the form.

But… on the presence.

And in that instant—

She felt it.

Not as ordinary energy.

Not as power.

But as… identity.

Something that shouldn't exist.

Something that had been destroyed.

Erased.

And yet—

There.

Alive.

Her lips parted slightly.

And for the first time since they were in that house—

Her composure faltered.

"…Lucifer?" she said.