Side note: I am NOT affiliated with Grim Tales or any other media, nor do I own the rights to the characters. The only thing I own is my OCs.
Since this story is rated M, you can bet that there will be some gay/straight/bisexual lemon moments. You've been warned. Oh and some incest because it's Grim Tales.
~Chapter One~
"You know, I have given you everything... My life...My powers...I even gave up my body for you...all of it. I did everything in my will to make you love me. And after everything I did, this is how you repay me?... I SHOULD HAVE LEFT YOU TO DIE!"
There it was again, that dream. The same dream that Junior has been having. A dream where he saw an image of his sister's dismembered body screaming back at him. Every night, that image keeps coming back to haunt him...but why, what does it want? Each time he tries to search for the answers, Junior is only left with more questions. Yet, just as he was about to reach out to his dead sister, the dream was quickly interrupted by the sounds of Junior's Nergaling as it began screeching at his face, causing the young reaper to jerk himself awake.
Located in the middle of nowhere, Junior had managed to find himself resting up against a tall jagged rock. "Alright, I-I'm up," Junior claimed, however, thanks to last night's drinking and the six bottles of Cyanide that lay scattered near his feet, helping himself up was a lot harder than it looks.
As Junior released a loud yawn, his Nergaling managed to snatch up a newspaper that happened to be laying next to the bottles. It was the Goddamn Daily and on the front headline, it talks about the recent string of child/children kidnappings that kept happening across different parts of the underworld. As Junior continued reading, he noticed that a picture of the Count's daughter was there, hinting that she is one of the missing victims. However, the young reaper couldn't give the slightest care in the world.
"💧︎ ︎□︎◆︎●︎ ︎ ⬥︎ ︎ ︎□︎ ︎■︎ ︎ ︎■︎❖︎ ︎⬧︎⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ︎⧫︎ ︎✍︎ ❄︎ ︎ ︎⬧︎ ⬧︎ ︎ ︎❍︎⬧︎ ⬧︎ ︎❒︎ ︎□︎◆︎⬧︎✍︎," Asked the Nergaling as it poured a fresh brew of coffee into a mug.
"Not my damn problem," Junior replied as he continued to flip through the pages."If the Count or anyone for that matter wants my help then I'm going to start doubling up the prices for my services." He added before he finally crumped up the paper and fed it to his Nergaling. "Besides, we've got other things to do other than dealing with someone else's family issues."
Once he felt sober enough to stand, the young reaper begins to turn into his demon form, allowing him to summon demon-like wings from his back. Without hesitation, Junior leaped up into the air and began taking flight.
"👎︎ ︎ ︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❒︎ ︎❍︎ ︎❍︎ ︎ ︎❒︎ ⧫︎□︎ ︎❒︎ ︎■︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ︎❒︎ ︎ ︎ ︎⧫︎⬧︎✍︎"
"I did, trust me. What kind of brother would I be if I suddenly showed up to a party without any presents?" Junior couldn't help but let out a small chuckle over the idea of his siblings crying over the loss of a gift.
"✌︎❒︎ ︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❒︎ ︎ ︎ ︎⍓︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⬧︎ ︎ ︎ 💣︎ ︎■︎■︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎■︎✍︎"
Junior didn't respond when the Nergaling had mentioned his sister's name. It's been nearly six years since he last saw Minnie. Six years of being away from his precious sister, and six years full of regret and unanswered questions. For years Junior had his reasoning for staying away from home, reasons he knew that would've broken her heart had Minnie found out. Sure Junior could just delay the visit or outright just skip it altogether, but no. Today might be the only chance to finally make amends with her.
("Minnie, I'm ready to tell you everything.") Junior thought to himself as he made his way to the only place that started it all, home.
Nestled high atop the rugged mountain terrain of the underworld sits Castle Grimskull. Known for being an impenetrable and deadly fortress, the castle itself is home to the infamous Grim Family. Who throughout the decades is highly regarded as the most feared amongst all the realms.
After hours of flying, Junior finally arrived at the castle's front entrance. As he pushed open the tall giant double doors of the throne room, Junior was greeted by a blaring crash sound just a few feet away. Instead of being alarmed like any sane person would've done, Junior simply let out a low sigh as he knew where the noise had come from.
("What now?") He grumbled.
Glancing up, Junior happens to spot his younger half-siblings, Daniela and Manny. The two half human-ghost hybrids always seem to have an unfortunate habit of getting into fights with each other. While in their ghost forms, the children can be seen going back and forth shooting beams at one another. Suffice to say the younger brother is having a bit of a struggle against his twin sister.
"Oh come now Manny, surely you could've easily countered my attack," Daniela remarked, waving her pink fan around as she prepared herself for whatever her twin does next.
"Shut up Dani, that was just a lucky shot!" Manny growled back, rubbing the wound on his cheek from his sister's blast.
"Luck will not get you far dear brother. You need to learn resilience and have your senses sharp. If not, then surely mother will see how weak you've become."
If there's one thing that should be known about Manny is that his temper always manages to get the best of him, especially when it comes to fighting with his sister. Given how her insults were enough to make him snap. "DON'T CALL ME WEAK!" Manny roared, letting out a powerful ghost wail directly at Dani. The blast was so strong that it knocked her out of the air. Lucky, she was swiftly caught before even hitting the ground.
Tilting her head up, Dani's eyes were met by a pair of glowing green ones. Of course, it didn't take her long to figure out that it was her older brother. "UGH! Get your filthy hands off of me!" She shouted, pulling away from Junior's grasp. If there are two things Dani absolutely can't stand for is dirt and being touched.
"Oh. Why forgive me, M'Lady. Where are my manners?" Junior sarcastically addressed as he took a gentleman's bow. However, that alone wasn't enough to save him from getting smacked upside the head by his sister.
"Honestly, your sarcasm is as dry as your tongue brother. You ought to educate yourself on how to be a gentleman." Dani scoffed while fanning herself.
"Alright, I deserved that." Junior joked as he continued rubbing his head. "So, you wouldn't mind telling me why exactly you two are trying to kill each other?"
"She was!" Yell Manny, pointing his finger directly at his sister's face, only to have it be swatted away by Dani's pink fan.
"We've grown a lot since then, and our powers started to form as well. And since there is nobody here to teach us about our powers, so Manny and I decided to start training ourselves." Dani stated as her eyes remained fixed on Junior who said nothing in response. "However, as you can see." Turning her attention over towards her twin. "Manny hasn't gotten any smarter, he likes to believe that he runs this household when father Grim isn't around. Honestly, he should have learned how to act like a proper man by now."
"I'm only seven, Daniela! I shouldn't have to care about that crap!" Manny shouted as he got close to his twin's face.
"Well, then you should at least learn to treat me the way Junior did to Minnie when they were younger! I highly doubt they even fought once!" Dani shouted back.
As the twins continued to argue, something clicked in Junior's head the moment Minnie's name was mentioned. In fact, he just realized that he hadn't seen her the moment he set foot in this castle. It was the main reason he returned home in the first place.
"Speaking of Minnie, where is she?" The fighting between the two ghost children quickly ceased in response to Junior's question. The twins looked at each other with a hit of nervousness as they both weren't sure how to break the news to their older brother.
"Um, well-" Manny was about to answer until sounds of heels clicking managed to grab their attention. As the sound drew closer, the silhouette of a woman with long blonde hair emerged right out from the shadows. There's no doubt in the sibling's minds that the woman standing in front of them was their mother Mandy.
"Mom…" Junior whispered as his demonic green eyes met with Mandy's cold blood-red one. I guess one can say that Junior was a bit taken back by the sight of his mother. Mandy, despite being well over her fifties still manages to retain her youthful look. Not once showing any signs of aging.
In fact, everything about her remained the same. Yet the only thing different was her outfit. Mandy still wore her usual black and red low-cut top, but instead of having her matching fitted bottoms on, she now wears a matching double slit skirt. She also sports a pair of black leather thigh-high boots, instead of her usual stilettos/pumps. Although, one could only wonder where she had gotten those boots from anyway.
"Junior…" Mandy said as she continued to stare at him for another minute, before shifting her eyes over towards Daniela and Manny. "Children, what did I say about using your powers inside the house?" She questioned the two in a more of a growl in her tone.
Without hesitation, the twins quickly transformed out of their ghost form and reverted back into humans. Even they aren't stupid to question their mother's authority, especially knowing Mandy's feared reputation.
"Return to your studies at once, or else you can kiss your birthday party goodbye." She Warned.
Hearing the loud gulps, the twins did as ordered and started to follow their mother. However, Dani stayed for a few moments behind. Knowing she didn't have long to chat, she quickly had Junior lean down, which gave her the chance to whisper in his ear. "Just so you know, Minnie...isn't here," she assured him.
"What?" Junior remarked. Baffled by what his little sister said."What do you mean she isn't here-"
"Daniela!" Mandy yelled.
"Coming!" She quickly replied before giving a final look at Junior. "You didn't hear this from me." With that final saying, Dani picked up the bottom of her skirt and made a dash towards the main hall. Leaving Junior to stand alone in his own thoughts.
"Minnie…" He said to himself as still tries to process what Dani told him. He felt like his whole world was turned upside down. For years Junior had felt the weight of guilt on his shoulders. After everything he did, he finally felt the courage to finally reunite with Minnie. But now, she isn't even here? This isn't like for Minnie to just leave home. No, something is definitely wrong and he can sense it.
Clutching his fist close, Junior turned his attention towards the main corridor. If what Dani has said is true about Minnie, then he demands answers.
Deep within the many walls of the castle interior, Lord Grim could feel the sweat dripping from his skull. Sure he was delighted when he heard the news of his son's return, yet his anxiety was going through the roof, seeing that he would have to be the one to tell Junior about Minnie's...predicament.
"No, I will not allow it." Grim retorted "Junior can't know about this, there's no telling how he would react."
Sitting just a few inches away from the fireplace in a rather comfortable red chair, Mandy was in the middle of one of her daily smoke breaks, as she could be seen placing one of her cigarettes into a fancy skull-shaped holder. Before allowing it to be lit up by tiny fire-like sprites.
"He'll be furious if you don't. You obviously had forgotten Grim, Junior is not a young naive boy anymore. You can't lie to him anymore." Said Mandy as she blew a thick puff of smoke into the air.
"Mandy, we still don't have any leads. And until we do, no one is to say a word about this to Junior!" Right as Grim turned around, the old reaper found himself face to face with Junior. If Grim was able to shit bricks, then now would be a good time to do it.
"Where is Minnie?" Junior demanded as he continued to stare down at his father, to which his eyes quickly shifted from neon green to red in an instant. Grim let out a small gulp as he too can sense Junior's powers flaring up, a power even the old reaper himself fears.
"H-How long have you been standing there-"
Letting a terrifying roar, Grim could only watch in horror as his son's body began to contort in different ways as tentacles and spikes grew out from all sides. Without hesitation, Junior grabbed his father by the collar, holding the old bones up into the air. "WHERE'S MINNIE!?" He roared.
"W-well..um, you see Junior...Minnie isn't home at the moment." Grim answered.
"No shit, I can see that!" Junior yelled before finally letting go of his father's rope, causing Grim to fall on his spine.
"Oof!" Grim mumbled.
Knowing how terrible her husband was at stalling, let alone lying, Mandy finally decided it was best to tell him the truth. "Geez, you sure know how to make a situation go from bad to worse don't ya Grim?" She added before setting her attention towards her eldest son.
"Mom where is she? Where is Minnie?" He pleaded in hopes that she would have a better answer.
"Don't know," She replied bluntly before taking another hit of her cigarette. "One day she just got up and left. At first, Grim thought that Minnie had gotten herself kidnapped, but I dismissed that theory as it was clear that Minnie had left on her own terms. I mean given her situation at the time and you abandoning her-"
"I didn't abandon her," Junior interjected. "I left to continued my training."
"You lie just as badly as your father. There was no training involved, Minnie taught you everything there was to know about your powers. Hell, even Nergal Jr. went to teach you a few new ones as well." Mandy could tell that her words were starting to eat at Junior. "The truth is that you ran. You ran away because of the guilt you had placed upon Minnie. It was only when you had turned fourteen had you realized Minnie's appearance. You grew up, she didn't. And as a result of the whole Halloween Town incident, Minnie is stuck in her child-like body. So ahead and keep lying to yourself, it won't matter because the truth will always be there to haunt you. No matter what.
Junior stood there in complete silence as Mandy's harsh words cut into him like knives, but what she spoke of was the truth. For all those years, Junior never forgot the events of the Halloween Town incident. He never forgot the sight of seeing his own sister be killed. For Minnie to be revived and her soul placed inside that artificial body of hers. Even though what happened during that event was an accident, deep down Junior had always felt that it was his fault. If he had been a coward back when he was a kid, then Minnie wouldn't have to suffer the way she did.
Junior continued to remain silent before finally speaking his next words. "How long has she been gone?"
"Three years," Mandy answered as she simply shrugged the question off as if it was nothing.
"THREE YEARS!?" Junior shouted. "Three years and you guys did nothing!?" It was clear that Junior was both disgusted and furious. Minnie has been missing all that time and yet, his parents are sitting around doing nothing to find her.
"Why bother? Minnie is an adult now, which means she's old enough to do as she pleases. So whatever happens to her is not my damn problem. The same can be said to you as well Junior." After addressing that statement, Mandy pulled her cigarette out from the holder and pressed the remaining bud down into the ashtray, after which she finally got up from the chair and began making her way towards the door. Her eyes peering back at Junior. "I advise that you stay for the night. The weather forecast predicts that a thunderstorm is coming this way."
Junior didn't respond back, but only gave a small nod to which Mandy did the same before leaving. There, the two reapers stood quietly alone as Grim was trying to think of a way to break the awkward tension. Grim was about to speak until Junior managed to beat him to it.
"I'm sorry, for the way I acted back there. I didn't mean to take my anger out on you, I was just-"
"You have nothing to apologize for," Grim reassured him. "If anyone was to apologize, it would be me. I should have called you the moment Minnie went missing, but instead, I did nothing. I only kept quiet because I knew there was a lot of uneasy tension between you both. And yet I only made matters worse. As decent of a father I am, I care for Minnie as if she was my own daughter. Hell, I would stop at nothing until she returns to us."
"Then why aren't you guys out there looking for her!?"
"We are. The moment that Minnie went missing, I had sent some of our best spies out there to search just about every known place within this hellish world. So far nothing has turned up."
"They're not looking hard enough!" Junior growled, "Forget it, I'll find her myself!" Forming his hand into a makeshift scythe, Junior was about to rip open a portal until Grim interjected.
"It's not that simple boy. You and everyone else in the plane of existence know that there are more realms than anyone could ever imagine. Realms that even I the Grim Reaper have never been to. Minnie could be anywhere."
At this point, it was clear that the frustration was starting to get to Junior. Ever since he came home, there has been nothing bad news. Hell at this point, Junior isn't sure how much he can continue to handle this information. Well...unfortunately for the young reaper, his situation is about to go from bad to worse.
"If I have to go destroy every damn dimension in order to find Minnie, then so be it!" He hissed. "It shouldn't be that damn hard to spot a small rag-doll girl!"
Grim sat there in silence for a good few moments before getting up from the chair. "You definitely have a heart, boy," Grim remarked as he stared right at Junior. "If you truly want to find Minnie, then it's best that you know what you're getting into." Letting out a low sigh, Grim turned his attention towards the doorway. "There's something I want to show you. Come."
Seeing there was no reason to object, Junior followed. There the two reapers were making their way through one of the many castle's halls. Junior was a little amazed that after all these years the castle looked almost the same as it did when he was a kid. In fact, he could feel the nostalgia rushing back to him. However with such nostalgia also came a lot of uneasy memories.
After taking a left turn, the two men finally reach their destination. In front of them was a gigantic metal double door with a skull that highly resembles Grim placed perfectly right into the center. There was no mistaking that this was the entrance to the family vault.
A place so sacred to this family that over decades, many creatures had tried their chances on getting their hands on whatever godhood possessions were in there. Unfortunately for them, they never got far. Except for one person.
With a simple push, the doors swung open with ease. As the two walked down the small flight of steps, Junior could feel the memories of this place come rushing back. In fact, the last time Junior had ever set foot in here was when he had saved a certain devil girl from his mother's wrath. Aside from all of that, Junior was a bit confused as to why his father brought him in here.
"We're here," In front of the two reapers stood a tall glass display case with a mahogany trim covering both the top and bottom. Due to it being placed at the back, it was a little bit hard to make out anything from inside the glass.
"I don't see anything, what are you-"
The moment that he spoke, the light inside the glass turned on revealing a rather disturbing truth.
Junior stood there in total silence, his eyes widened as he was horrified by what sees. "Is...is that?" Junior was at a loss for words. So much so that he didn't realize that his body was shaking. In fact, he was trembling so violently to the point where he collapsed onto his knees. Inside was a life-size doll with pale pinkish skin tone, blonde hair that was arranged that gave a horn-like appearance, and to top it all off the doll had on a small tattered dark purple dress.
"Yes, that there, is Minnie. Although it's an empty shell." Grim explained as he too stared at the lifeless vessel. Thanks to the metal rods, the body was held perfectly straight up. The eyelids were close, making it look as if she was sleeping peacefully. "It was only just yesterday when this body was delivered to us."
Junior remained quiet as Grim started to tell his story.
"It came us by some monstrous demon. In fact, the damn thing was actually tearing through our guards just for it to toss the coffin at Charles, before teleporting away. You could imagine our shock when we opened it. At first, everyone assumed that she was dead, but upon further inspection, I can confirm that wasn't the case. Minnie is still alive. Which leaves us to our only possible theory, she must've traded her old body out for a new one."
Junior didn't know what to think. Is it really possible for Minnie to do that? If so, then what hasn't returned home? With all these questions playing in his mind, Junior could actually feel his head start to ache.
"Ugh!" He grunted, clutching the side of his head as the aches suddenly got worse. Sensing the stress coming from his son, Grim decided that it was best to leave.
"Come along boy, I think you've seen enough."
Still feeling a bit shaken, Junior managed to muster enough energy to pull himself up from the floor. Without saying a single, Junior took one final look at the old body before walking away. Once the doors were closed shut, Grim thought it was best to give Junior some space. "You should go rest."
At first, Junior didn't quite feel like it, but after dealing with today, resting was about the only positive thing he heard all day. "Yeah, sleep is probably best for right now...goodnight dad."
"Goodnight Junior," Grim replied.
After what felt like ages of walking, Junior managed to make it to his old bedroom. Closing the door behind him, Junior lets out a deep sigh as he finds himself lying in bed. As he lay there, the loud cracks of thunder could be heard. ("There goes that storm.")
As hours went by, Junior's eyes remained firmly fixed at the ceiling as small images of his childhood started to appear. (Minnie...no matter what happens, I won't stop searching until you are back in my arms again.") And before he even knows it, the young reaper finds himself finally drifting off into a deep slumber.
Meanwhile back at his own chambers, Grim stood at the back as he watched his wife take a sip of her herbal tea. "So, you actually showed him." She commented as she stared back at her own reflection from her drink.
"I had no reason to keep that hidden from him. It's bad enough the poor boy had to learn about Minnie's disappearance anyway, so why keep that secret from him?"
"Fair point." Mandy added before placing her empty cup onto the small serving tray, to which a small skeleton maid took. "I suppose Junior is going to do everything in his willpower to find her?"
"Without a doubt in my empty mind. I just hope he realizes that given the current situation we're in now, locating Minnie will be extremely difficult." Once Grim was done with his statement, the old reaper made his way forward, only to stop at the balcony door. There he watched as the droplets of the hard rain hit the glass. "You're still planning on waging war against HIM?"
"You're damn right I am," Mandy replied. "I haven't forgotten what that bastard's daughter did to my collection." She hissed as the memories of that day lay fresh in her mind.
"Mandy, that was a decade ago. That girl isn't even a threat to us anymore, So I don't see how going to war would be of any use to us."
"Grim, you seem to forget that I have principles that need to kept. Not only did he send that brat of his to invade my home, but she managed to escape from my clutches. Kare made a damn mockery of me, and that is something I will not stand for." Mandy hissed as the memories of that day lay fresh in her mind."Besides, we're sadly overdue for another one."
Seeing as his words of reasoning aren't having an effect on her, all Grim could do is sigh. "There's too much tension in here, we'll discuss this matter tomorrow." He commented before leaving the room.
With the room to herself, Mandy couldn't help but reflect on the past. She never forgot that day when HIM's daughter Mimi broke inside the family vault and attempted to steal Horrors hand. Of course, that plan backfired as the artifact revealed the girl's worst memory, to which she destroyed all the glass casings. Much to Mandy's anger. If that redhead bitch hadn't gotten in the way, then Mimi's head would've made a nice addition to her collection.
Of course Grim is trying to convince her to turn the other cheek on this matter, but that's not going to happen. As the Bitch Queen herself once stated before, no one has ever walked away from her once they started a fight. Either unscathed or breathing. Some had wondered why Mandy didn't go ahead with an all-out attack on Kare's realm in the first place? Given the following event that took place, Mandy had every right to get revenge.
Being the intelligent woman that she is, Mandy had her reasons. The time for waiting is over.
In the past, no one has ever dared try to oppose Mandy or her rules. Kare knew this and still thinks this is just a game, well unfortunately for him, Mandy doesn't play games. The time for peace is over, now it's time for action. The Underworld is going to be a perfect example as well as deadly a reminder of what happens to those who dare fuck with her. And the only way to do that is by going to war.
~End of Chapter One~
Author's Notes: Welp there you go, here is the first chapter of Grim Tales: Aftermath. It's a bit of a twisted mixture of both afterbirth and the main story. Even though Junior is the main character, I will try my best to give everyone involved their own screen time.
Some of the characters might have a small outfit change. I know it's normal for characters to wear the same clothes, but come on have some variety.
(I might do some artwork just to give me an idea of what each character looks like. Especially for some new upcoming characters.)
Junior is the same age as he is in afterbirth, which is 21 yrs old. As for Mandy, I always assume she had both Minnie and Junior when she was around her thirties seeing she wasn't in the mood to have children in her younger years. Although I always wonder how old she was when she began her reign as queen.
I also decided to give twins a birthday instead of Minnie because Afterbirth is where we first get introduced to them anyway. And don't worry, the twin's party will begin in chapter 2. I promise everything will run smoothly...
Questions: What will Junior do, now that Minnie is missing? How is he going to find her? What's going to happen to Minnie now that her soul is no longer occupying her old body? Who was the mysterious redhead person that helped Mimi escape? And finally, will the Underworld be ready to handle another war?
You'll have to stay tuned for that.