Chapter 441: Black Forest at the End of the World

Katharina sat up straight in her chair, her gaze distant as she traced her finger across the magical map. Her voice, as she explained, was firm, but carried an almost maternal tone of conviction.

“We need a territory, of course. Far from the domains of Agares, Sitri, and Baal. They have their own kingdoms, their own rules. We need our own space, a place where we can grow and act without interference,” she paused, looking at Vergil. “It’s a matter of survival and power.”

Vergil tilted his head, his eyes half-closed in doubt.

“Is that really necessary? I mean, these territories belong to your mother, you always do what you want,” he asked, his questioning tone breaking the silence.

Ada let out a wry smile, her chalice raised in a gesture of provocation.

“You want to get stronger, don’t you? Having a territory will make you better known and give you more power,” she teased, shooting him a sharp look.

Vergil smiled confidently, but with a hint of defiance.

“Of course I do. I still intend to defeat Sapphire in a real battle,” his voice carried determination, as if he could already visualize the fight.

Ada took a step forward, her eyes shining with a dark idea.

“Then why don’t you try challenging the Black Forest at the End of the World?” she suggested, her tone provocative. “It’s a place few dare to tread, and it doesn’t have an owner yet.”

Vergil frowned, intrigued. “The Black Forest at the End of the World? What’s that?”

Katharina joined Ada in explaining, her voice lower, almost a conspiratorial whisper.

“It’s the forest where Selane lives. You’ve been there several times. Where you’ve been is controlled, but outside Selena’s gates lies a territory of dark forces and ancient secrets. It’s the most brutal forest in Hell.”

Roxanne pulled up a chair elegantly and sat down, crossing her legs with an air of someone about to begin serious negotiations. Her violet eyes sparkled slightly as she stared at the map floating in front of them—a magical hologram of the vast and mysterious forest of Myr’varenn, located beyond the Udrath Mountains.

“It’s a place full of obstacles, dangerous creatures, living mists, trees that devour magic, and more legends than books can record…” she began, resting her chin on her hand, thoughtful. “But considering all that… it could be advantageous. If we can tame or understand all the species that live there, it could become a valuable asset.”

Ada laughed softly, the sound almost musical. She slowly swirled the wine glass between her fingers.

“Taming an ancient forest… I love your ambition, Roxy,” she said, before pointing to a small highlighted area on the map, where magical markings glowed silver. “But let’s put things in perspective. Selene, that powerful old witch you pretend not to fear, only occupies… this.”

She drew a small floating magic circle on the map.

“Five percent of the forest. The other ninety-five percent is completely unexplored. That… is wonderful.”

Vergil watched her silently, arms crossed, expression neutral. He absorbed every detail with that gaze that always seemed to see more than the rest of the world could see.

Katharina approached the map as well, her golden eyes examining each line with meticulous attention.

“The forest has centuries of records, and yet no one knows even half of the species that live there,” she murmured. “I can feel the spiritual energy here. Rare. Ancient. Many of them must be on the verge of extinction or… completely unique.”

She straightened up and faced the other three.

“It’s worth it. Maybe not just for control of the region, but for everything that might come out of there. Ingredients, pacts, forgotten magic. Relics.”

“Or buried monsters,” Ada added with a smile.

“Sometimes they’re the same thing,” Katharina replied.

Vergil finally spoke. His voice cut through the silence like a calm, cold blade.

“Before we move forward, I’m going to talk to Selene.”

The three turned their eyes to him, surprised by the calmness of his statement.

“If she lives there, then she understands better than anyone what is useful… and what is lethal. Without knowing if she will cooperate, any plan we have is just speculation,” he concluded.

Roxanne snorted softly, but didn’t disagree.

“She likes you,” she said, as if trying to convince herself of it. “Or at least… she tolerates you. That’s more than she does with anyone else.”

Ada took another sip and muttered, “That is, if she’s not just pretending to like you so she has an excuse to study you like some exotic animal…”

Vergil smiled slightly. “Everyone has their reasons. Are you coming with me?”

They looked at him and nodded…

…

The light inside Selene’s house was soft, almost ethereal, dancing with the green flames of enchanted candles that never melted. Jars, dried herbs, and black mirrors hung from the old wooden walls, and the air carried the scent of arcane dust and ancient moss.

Vergil stood in the center of the circular hall, his arms crossed, while the three women spread out around him—Ada leaning against a column, Katharina standing with her hands on her hips, and Roxanne watching silently with a slight smile on her lips.

Selene stood in front of him. Her green eyes analyzed Vergil’s face with something between disbelief and restrained fascination. Her dress flowed like living smoke, and her presence seemed to pull the shadows around her.

She frowned.

“Are you going crazy?” she asked, as if noting an old problem resurfacing.

Vergil raised an eyebrow, pointing his thumb over his shoulder toward Ada.

“She was the one who said it was possible.”

Ada didn’t even move, just raised her chin defiantly.

Selene slowly turned her gaze to Ada, examining her from head to toe with a clinical and bored air. For a moment, silence settled like a dense spell in the room.

“She’s smart,” Selene said, her voice as cold as it was sharp. “I can’t believe she said that.” Her silver eyes narrowed. “It was Katharina, wasn’t it?”

Katharina didn’t hesitate. She took a step forward and stared back at her, her golden hair glistening in the light of the magical candles.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” she retorted, without missing a beat.

Selene smiled slightly. It wasn’t friendly. Nor was it offensive. It was just… curious.

She then slowly turned to Ada, now more interested.

“It’s not impossible,” Ada said, with the calmness of someone who deals with poisonous formulas every day. “Difficult? Sure. Time-consuming? Very. But impossible? No.”

Selene was silent. The room seemed to hold its breath.

She approached Ada and stopped less than an inch from her face, eyes locked. The gleam in her eyes seemed to pierce the demon’s mind, searching for deception, flaws, or naivety. And she found none.

Without looking away, she then spoke to Vergil.

“I won’t stop your madness,” she said at last. “But… I think it’s impossible for that to happen in less than a thousand years.”

Vergil let out a brief laugh, incredulous but not mocking.

“It’s a good thing I’m in no hurry.”

Roxanne approached, the sound of her soft heels echoing among the magical carpets. “If you plan to take this forest, you need more than courage. You need a pact with it.”

“With the forest?” Vergil asked.

“With what lives in it,” she replied. “The forest has a will of its own. Almost a soul. You can’t dominate something like that with brute force.”

Selene turned and walked over to a table covered with scrolls and enchanted bones. She picked up a black stone, with red veins pulsing inside it, and threw it to Vergil. He caught it with one hand and looked at it curiously.

“Place this in the center of the forest. If it accepts, you’ll know. If it rejects… well…” She smiled. “The forest will take care of you.”

Ada laughed, short and dry. “Like… digesting.”

Katharina sighed. “He’s survived worse.”

Vergil turned the stone in his hand, observing the veins that pulsed like a living breath. Something inside it whispered. It called. It tested.

“Will you come with me?” he asked Selene, with no real hope in the question.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Do you think I step outside my circle of protection because of some silly idea?”

“Maybe,” he replied with a provocative smile.

“Then you know me very poorly.”

Vergil put the stone in his coat and turned to the others.

“Any of you want to come? It could be interesting.”

Katharina shook her head. “Not until you know if the forest will tear your skin off.”

Ada raised her goblet. “Bring back a branch. Preferably one that isn’t cursed.”

Roxanne approached him and placed her hand on his chest. “Come back in one piece. Or else the forest will find out what it’s like to be truly hunted.”

He smiled and touched Roxanne’s hand gently before turning toward the exit of Selene’s house. Moonlight filtered through the dark curtains and danced across the stone floor, painting delicate shadows on the room—but Vergil didn’t go past the door. He stopped.

His gaze slowly swept across the ceiling, the columns covered in runes, and then the whispering darkness of the hall. His tone, though calm, cut through the air like a sharp blade:

“Your master is here, why are you hiding… little snake?”

For a few moments, only the crackling of the candles answered.

But then… the dry sound of scales on stone echoed from a corner of the room. From the shadows stretching behind a darkened mirror, something moved.

A white snake, slender as morning mist and with emerald green eyes as intense as living poison, slid slowly forward. Its presence seemed to silence the surrounding sounds, as if the air held its breath so as not to disturb its passage.

It climbed up Vergil’s boots, elegantly winding its way up his leg, then his chest, until it rested, lazily coiled on his shoulder. Its forked tongue protruded from time to time, tasting the environment — or perhaps his mood.

Vergil turned his face, meeting the creature’s eyes almost at his own height.

“You’re very quiet today, Zuri,” he murmured, his voice laden with familiarity and a slight rebuke. “Aren’t you even going to give me a warning with curses? One of those whispers about death?”

“Hush… I’m meditating in this form.” Zuri spoke in Vergil’s mind.

“Oh…”