As night fell on old city, the line between reality and the world of shadows blurred. Lanterns casts a warm orange flow over the streets, which shook in the cold fall wind, and like tiny ghosts, the leaves whirled in a whirlpool, dancing to the steps of passer-by in costumes. The entire city was enveloped in pre-holiday sea of lights, as pumpkins glowed in the windows, the Gothic silhouettes of buildings melted in the lights, and the scent of wax, coffee, sweets and light decay swept around.

A stone building with high windows, adorned with cobwebs,candles, and flickering pumkins-shaped lamps was situated a few blocks from the old square. By night, it changing into a center of dark brilliance. This place seemed eerie, but inside it was buzzing with another form of life and celebration. The yearly Halloween Ball, where various spirits gather to rest, enjoy the location and spend this day... Just as normal people. And this is where Vergil came. He arrived in silence, and his shadow passed through the crowd of quests who engaged in conversations, danced ant caprured photos in the vicinity of the crystal chandeliers. He wasn't wearing his blue cloak on this day; instead, a dark suit with a shade of deep indigo, perfectly tailored, whick looked quite unusual on him, but still – elegant. Silver, like pire ice, the mask hid his face, casting a shafow over his eyes, but the cold confidence in his posture gave off something mystical. His steps were measured; each one sounded like a jagged sound that breaks the stillness of laughter.

Orchestral music was playing inside - a waltz that seemed too slow, as if time itself was stretching to the sounds of violins and piano. Under the ceiling, where the violet-orange reflections from the crystal chandeliers danced, hundreds of masks swayed - feathers, silk, sequins, gold. Wine flowed in rivers, laughter mixed with whispers, and in the eyes of some guests, sparks flashed for a moment, too hellish for human ones. And no one even guessed that among them, real evil was already breathing nearby.

With slow, deliberate steps, Vergil's icy gaze swept over everyone, searching for the real source of the unseen demonic energy hiding among this theater of shadows where everyone played roles, but only one... Didn't. They're hiding not behind the true mask but behind a human likeness so convincing that even Vergil had to strain all his senses not to lose the trace of this wandering soul in the sea of perfumes, not to mention that he didn't really like such noisy places. And in a matter of minutes, he found what he's looking for.

They briefly exchanged glances, examining each other, and then the demon flashed between the dancing couples like a shadow, leaving behind a barely perceptible trail of magical echo. Slowly, Vergil followed them to the large balcony that looked over the moonlit area. But with each step, the atmosphere changed; the music got distorted, the lights flickered, and the air got tense as if before a thunderstorm. The moon shone in a full circle, bathing everything in a pale light, and the night wind lifted the fabric of his suit, and they stood by the railing, their mask glowed with the moonlight's reflection,and a faint, nearly invisible aura of demonic flame surrounded them as if they're waiting on purpose.

Between them, everything froze. Even the music inside ceased to play. Only the sound of the wind blowing into the window frames remains.

"Disappear behind that mask you've made." ,- his odd calm voice suddenly echoes around amidst this deafening silence, while his hands were hidden behind his back as he not even make any sudden steps but just... Waited as his tone dropped to a colder, more distant one ,- "This masquerade will end when I say when."