Indeed.

[ Stronger and with an entirely new set of rules to learn. He still expects his tattoos to start moving, to have one line or more to fade out as Griffon or Shadow took form. But now they laid inert only stirring from the magic he was gifted. He heard it grew differently the more he used it, but the first feeling of weight on his skin and the way the ink spiked made him again long for his three companions.

He would need to see about changing that in the future. It would not be the same, but, well, at least it would be something familiar.

The last few stumbling moments when he chased after Dante the cane had been a weight he couldn't let go. He had to keep it, knew that it would be the only thing that could pierce through the thickness of Urizen's skin, and that he needed to drive it himself into his demonic other. Even now it was hard, his fingers twitching as Vergil took it. V closed his hand before he attempted to take it back and then stared at the offered sword.

Yamato. He knew the weight of it, knew the way it could cut through space and time. He knew the song the blade sang as it pierced flesh and bone and steel. Bur he never actually held the Yamato. He hesitated and then took the blade, adjusting his grip from memory that wasn't his. ]

I had been preoccupied at the time.

[ Before and after. As the Yamato settled in his hand, he felt it. And looked at the cane again, eyes narrowing in thought. ]

I knew the Yamato was shattered but had been certain the Order had all the pieces for Nero to find. This... changes a few things.