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Before Skye could respond, Fitz called out:
"Coulson! We've got something!"
Everyone rushed to the wall where the 084 was embedded.
The device pulsed brighter — the blue energy flickering dangerously.
Simmons checked her scanner and shook her head.
"It's unstable. Tesseract radiation is building up. We need to remove it very carefully or—"
The weapon suddenly sparked.
A shockwave burst outward — the whole building shuddered.
"Fitz! Simmons! Back away!" Coulson shouted.
Alex stepped forward, activating a faint demonic aura around his left arm.
He gripped the edges of the embedded weapon.
The metal heated instantly — glowing bright blue.
May's voice came through the comms:
"Coulson, we've got company outside! Armed men — a lot of them!"
Ward's voice followed, tense:
"They're Peruvian military! Modern gear!"
Coulson cursed under his breath.
"Everyone, defensive positions! We need that 084 out NOW!"
Skye hid behind a support beam as gunfire erupted outside.
Alex pulled the device effortlessly and placed it into Fitz's arms.
"Let's go," he said, and the others nodded.
A shadow burst from Alex's darkness — fast and silent. It wrapped around the entire team, and in the very next second, they were all back on the Bus — the advanced aircraft Fury had given Coulson for his team and missions.
Inside the Bus, everyone stumbled as they appeared suddenly.
Skye gasped.
"What— how did we— teleport?!"
Fitz held the glowing weapon tightly, shaking.
"I thought we were dead…"
Simmons checked the device quickly.
"It's stable… for now!"
Coulson looked at Alex, breathing hard.
"You didn't tell me you could do that."
Alex shrugged a little.
"There are a lot of things you don't know about me."
Skye leaned forward, curious.
"Yeah… and I'd definitely love to. Especially about that book you mentioned."
Alex nodded slowly.
"Well then, I guess I can show you guys what's inside this book."
"Really?" Skye asked, eyes wide.
"I mean… when you talked about family things, I thought you wouldn't want to share," she added. Fitz and Simmons nodded beside her.
"This book isn't just a 'book'," Alex explained. "It's a powerful artifact — with an entire world inside. Well… a replica of that ancient time. Nothing is truly real in there, but it's like virtual reality on a cosmic level."
He smirked.
"So… want to come in and enjoy a bit?"
Coulson raised an eyebrow.
"How much time are we talking about?"
"Zero," Alex answered. "Time works differently inside. Spending a hundred years in there would equal one second outside."
Coulson still looked unsure, but the others were already interested.
Skye pointed at the book.
"So… how do we go inside? Do we just… open it?"
Alex shook his head.
"No. I control access. I just need you to be close to me."
He set the book on the table. The cover pulsed once — like a heartbeat.
Fitz stepped back nervously.
"That thing looks… alive."
"It kind of is," Alex said calmly. "But it won't hurt you."
Simmons gulped but kept her eyes on the book.
"This will help us understand Alex better. It could be important."
Coulson sighed.
"Alright. But this is a quick look. No wandering off. No touching anything unless Alex says so."
"Deal," Skye said immediately.
Alex placed his hand on the book.
"Okay. Stay close."
A faint black mist rose from the pages and wrapped around the team like gentle smoke.
Skye felt her vision blur—
Fitz felt the floor tilt—
Simmons grabbed his arm—
Coulson held his breath—
Ward and May stood close by.
The room vanished.
The mist faded.
The team found themselves standing in the middle of a ruined city street. Cars were flipped. Buildings were cracked open like broken eggs. Thick red roots — like giant thorns — wrapped around everything.
Above them, a massive twisted tree rose into the sky, pulsing like a giant beating heart. Its roots stabbed into the ground and into people — draining them dry.
Simmons covered her mouth in horror.
"What… what is that?"
Alex looked up at the red giant calmly.
"That is the Qliphoth. A demon tree," he explained. "It feeds on human blood. When it gets enough… it creates a fruit."
Skye shivered as she watched another unlucky civilian get pulled into a root.
"And the fruit does what?"
"If a human ate it," Alex said, "they could gain demonic power far beyond any superhuman."
"Enough to destroy the world."
Fitz stared at the tree, shocked.
"This happened on Earth? Here?"
"Yes," Alex nodded. "In a different timeline."
Coulson stepped forward, turning slowly to take in the destruction.
"So your world… your family… they were dealing with things like this?"
Alex nodded once.
"This is what Sparda's line protects Earth from."
A loud crash echoed nearby — something moving fast.
Coulson raised his weapon.
"What was that?"
Alex sighed lightly.
"Probably one of the residents."
Ward readied his gun too.
"Residents?!"
Alex summoned a spectral sword from thin air.
"I mean demons."
A creature leaped into view — a twisted demon with a cracked mask and blades for arms. It screeched and rushed toward them.
May reacted instantly — gun up, ready.
But Alex stepped ahead of everyone.
"In this place," he said calmly, "you let me handle the fighting."
The demon swung—
Alex slashed once.
The demon exploded into red ashes.
Skye's eyes widened.
"…Okay. That was scary and cool."
Alex rested the sword on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. This area is just the start. The deeper we go…"
"…the more you'll understand exactly what Sparda fought against."
He pointed toward a large building ahead — a church swallowed by the tree roots.
"That's our first stop."
Coulson nodded.
"Everyone stay close. Eyes open."
Alex led the way, casually destroying the monsters that swarmed the bloody streets — strange insect-like creatures feeding on the humans trapped in the roots of the gigantic demonic tree.
In the distance, a battered van was parked near a ruined storefront. Painted on the side in bold letters:
DEVIL MAY CRY
Skye blinked in surprise.
"Wait… that's… a business?"
Alex smirked.
"That's what my ancestor used to call his business — demon hunting, right here on Earth."