Author's Note: Here it is (a day late, no less, xD)! The newest chapter! Now, I know I said I was going to be doing longer chapters, but that just didn't happen this past couple of weeks, so take a normal-length chapter!

I hope you enjoy and be sure to READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS before proceeding! As always, enjoy and read safely!

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter contains descriptions of VIOLENCE (PG13), as well as HARSH LANGUAGE, and DANGEROUS SITUATIONS INVOLVING CHILDREN.

It was early in the morning. Ginette pulled herself up off the Cup Brother's bedroom floor, groaning as she took another swig from her flask.

Her mind was swimming with memories from the Soul Vault. The boys. Their strange appearances. The writing on her shawl.

"Beatae manus, quae Calicem animae deserviunt.
Beati pedes qui Calicem Animae sequuntur.
Beatae animae quae perierunt pro Calix Animi."

What did it all mean? Could she even trust this Chalice? Muttering to herself, Ginette stumbled out the door, heading down to the Devil's library.

First things first, Ginette wanted whatever that poem was to be identified and translated. Then she could track down what time it might've come from, maybe even pinpoint what it meant.

Tiptoeing along, Ginette slipped through the library door, making sure not to let the door make a sound. The giant wooden door swung closed without much resistance, only making a small click sound. Ginette let out a relieved sigh. That was one less thing to worry about.

Her main concern was the behemoth of work cut out for her. Looking upwards, Ginette grimaced at the sight of the thousands upon thousands of books before her. Finding out anything about this "Calix Animi" business was like searching for a needle in at least a hundred haystacks.

This was going to be one hell of an investigation.

- Chapter Twenty-Four: Broken Hearts and Broken Ribs -

It was now or never. They could stall no longer. If they waited too long, the Devil would simply discover the truth for himself.

Henchman and King Dice walked the halls of the Devil's Palace in silence. They'd discussed and deliberated most of the night, and now it was breakfast time.

"We'll tell him while he's with those brats o' his," King Dice had suggested during their late-night discussion the night before, "He's so obsessed with wantin' them to like him, it may help simmer down his temper."

"Gosh, I hope so," Henchman had replied. "If not- D'uh, I hope you know some good healin' spells. You'll need 'em."

Now the unlikely pair was silent as they approached the dining hall. Henchman was pushing along a cart with the Devil's favorite calming tea while King Dice was wearing his best suit.

The closer they came to the dining hall's ornate doors, the slower they walked. The tension was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. Even King Dice's signature grin was faltering.

After what felt like an eternity, they stopped in front of the door, neither moving to knock. The pair shared a glance and King Dice's front of a cocky smile returned.

"Stop worryin', ya overgrown wheat. You'll make the boss antsy." King Dice smirked, "Jus' let me do the talkin', understand? I can put a good spin on bad news in my sleep."

Henchman nodded, lowering his face as he tried to hide his doubtful expression, "D'uh, if you say so, Mister King Dice…"

No matter how good King Dice thought he was at "putting a spin" on the news, he'd never seen the Devil's reaction to the mention of the Calix Animi. Henchman had.

He still remembered the day that the Devil had gotten the news that their campaign to kill all chalices to eliminate the Calix Animi had failed. They'd missed one little girl, and wouldn't you know it, that was her. In a split second, everything was on fire. So many imps had perished.

Knock. Knock.

Henchman snapped back to reality. So, they were doing this.

The dining hall's double doors swung open at a painfully slow pace, as if they too wanted to add to the growing tension, revealing the expansive dining hall. There was the Devil, sitting at the head of a giant dinner table with the brothers on either side and Ginette sitting beside Mugman.

King Dice's eye twitched a little. That bitch Gin had been invited to have breakfast and dinner with the Boss and he hadn't?

Of course, he could just show up, but that wasn't as special as being invited.

"Ah, my darling Dice!" the Devil grinned, blowing a ring of cigar smoke into the air. "Please, come and take a seat, my love. These boys of mine have been positively quiet as mice this morning and I'm rather bored."

Cuphead and Mugman winced a little at their "father's" comment, but said nothing to dispute it. Ever since Cuphead's eyes changed color, those boys had lost the spring in their step. Good riddance, those snot-nosed brats certainly deserved it.

But, they weren't his concern at the moment. The Devil was. The King of the Underworld was smiling today, and it seemed to be genuine. He was in a good mood, a very rare thing to see.

King Dice forced a smile as he bowed, cursing mentally. "Damn his good mood! Why do I have to be the one to ruin it?"

Henchman followed King Dice in, sheepishly pushing the tea cart, and catching the Devil's eye.

Well, that was something intriguing!

The Devil wondered if he'd ever seen these two together, willingly. King Dice was a rather jealous sort and didn't hide his hatred of Henchman's closeness with the Devil.

The Devil raised an eyebrow. What could've possibly brought these two together?

Scanning the unlikely duo with a growing curiosity, the Devil noted the presence of Henchman's tea cart and raised an eyebrow. That was his favorite in its calming variant.

The Devil's playful expression shifted, suddenly becoming quite serious. Leaning back in his chair, he said, "You have bad news for me, don't you?"

All of the life that'd been in the room immediately dissipated. King Dice froze in place. Henchman flinched. Ginette, who'd been putting the piece's together herself, suddenly looked very pale, putting an arm around Mugman protectively.

The Devil had hit the nail right on the head. They did have bad news for him.

A small smile of satisfaction pried at the Devil's lips. He loved it when he was right. Which was often. However, the Devil knew he wouldn't be smiling for long, depending on the bad news they brought.

"Now, now. There's no need to be shy." The Devil cooed, putting on a reassuring smile. "I'm sure whatever news you have, it cannot be that bad, yes?"

King Dice's gaze flitted over to Henchman. This was not part of his plan.

Thankfully, Henchman was accustomed to these types of tense situations and quickly spoke up, "There's been, d'uh, an incident… Up on the surface, Boss."

The Devil's smile faltered for a moment, "Has another one of my useless battalions of imps gone missing?"

Henchman began to fidget, struggling to find the right words to tactfully convey the situation, "Sorta, Boss. One went missin' last night, and, uh, this morning we found a lot of 'em. A bunch of 'em were from the raiding parties that went missin' in the past…"

"Dead, I presume?"

Henchman nodded, "They were… strung up from a tree in the park. Lookin' like dolls, Boss…" He winced as the words left his mouth, wishing that he didn't have to say such graphic things in front of the two boys, but he had little choice in the manner, "It was her, Boss. She's back."

The room was silent. The Devil's expression was unreadable. Ginette had managed to put the pieces together, subtly pulling Mugman behind her. The room was bracing for an outburst.

The Devil's smile was twitching. He let out a small sigh, twirling his pitchfork threateningly, "My dear Henchman. You'll have to be more specific than that. Just who are you referring to?"

Henchman's face was uncharacteristically fearful. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Cuphead was inching back out of his chair, his eyes fixed on the door.

"It-It's Chalice, Boss. The Calix Animi gal." King Dice suddenly cut in, snapping under the growing pressure.

Cuphead and Mugman tensed up. Chalice. She was still trying to free them? What would she think of them now? And what was this… Calix Animi? Why did it sound so familiar? The boys exchanged a fearful glance. What did any of this mean?

"She's incited the creed of her order, carved it into all the bodies an' the tree," King Dice continued, unable to stop himself now. His knees were shaking slightly, he knew he should stop, but his mouth didn't seem to listen, "She- she's challenging you, Boss."

The Devil's head turned at an unnatural speed, snapping to look at Dice, "Did I ask for your thoughts, Dice? If my memory serves correctly, I was asking Henchman, not you."

King Dice's face flushed red with indignation and the Devil turned his attention back to Henchman, "It's her?"

"Y-yes, Boss. It's Chalice. Everythin' Dice said was right. She's back…" Henchman said, backing up nervously.

"DAMN IT!"

The Devil suddenly grabbed the side of the table and flipped it. The boys and Ginette scrambled back.

"Why the fuck do I have all of you serving me if not even a battalion of imps can withstand this sad excuse for a chalice? Must I do everything myself?" He screamed, sparks flying off of the tips of his fur.

"You're useless! ALL OF YOU ARE!" The Devil roared, grabbing one of the room's pillars and ripping it out of the wall, throwing it across the room. "If all of you died to this FUCKING CHALICE TOMORROW, I WOULDN'T LOSE A DAMN THING!"

Ginette grabbed the terrified brothers, pulling them back. Everything inside was screaming at her to get them out of there, but what if the Devil's angry rampage shifted to them?

She had to stay put, as much as it hurt, being the subject of the Devil's ire would be far worse.

The Devil was reaching for a second pillar to rip from the casino's very foundations when King Dice sprinted forward, "N-no, Boss! Please, stop!" Dashing to the Devil's side, King Dice reached out and squeezed the Devil's arm. "I'll make myself useful to you, I swear! Whatever must be done, I'll do it. If you wish it, I will find this damned chalice myself and bring her to you!"

Both Henchman and Ginette's blood went cold. King Dice had just made a deadly mistake.

At first, the Devil said nothing. His gaze still fixed on the pillar that his claws were latched onto. Then, he slowly began to relax and the Devil began to laugh. His laughter grew louder and louder, filling the tense silence.

"You?"

The Devil turned, cupping Dice's face in his hands, laughing so hard that a few blood tears fell from his eyes.

"You stupid son of a bitch," the Devil said, his grip tightening, his claws digging into King Dice's face "Go back to the stage where you belong. The adults are talking."

The words were a near-fatal stab to King Dice's pride. Oh, it was on now.

King Dice wrenched his face out of the Devil's grasp, glaring daggers at his lover, "Excuse me?"

He took a step back, his hands balling up into fists, his face bright red, "Now listen here, you crybaby. I've saved your fuckin' ass more time than either of us can count. Don't you dare treat me like I'm some throwaway piece o' trash when I'm your most valuable asset in this entire fuckin' place.

These kids? This "family" o' yours? You know as well as I do that it's nothin' but smoke and mirrors. Another toy to entertain you. And I've humored you for months, but this is jus' goin' too far."

Satisfied with his response, King Dice gave the Devil an aggressive smile, folding his arms as he awaited the Devil's answer. The Devil was strangely silent. Just staring at King Dice.

"Well? Left you speechless, have I?" King Dice jabbed, taking a step closer, a victory grin spreading across his face. "Now, what was it you were sayin' 'bout letting the adults talk-"

One moment, the Devil was standing still as a statue, listening to King Dice with an unreadable expression. The next, he was lunging forward.

The Devil had snapped.

His movement was so sudden and so fast, all the onlookers could see was a blur. The Devil grabbed King Dice by the collar and flung him with inhuman force into the overturned dining table. It split in half on impact from the sheer force at which King Dice's body was thrown.

Henchman dove behind a pillar. Ginette lurched back, shielding the brothers from splinters of wood flying through the air. Cuphead swore. Mugman screamed.

"Your jealousy has gotten the best of you this time, you little whore," the Devil hissed, smashing his foot into King Dice's ribcage.

There was a sickening crunch as King Dice's bones broke. Cuphead covered his ears.

"Do you really think you're important enough to talk back to me, do you?" The Devil whispered, his voice suddenly very soft and dangerous, "You're worthless. I could replace you at any moment if I so desired, you dirty street scum. You're nothing but a subpar manager with a pretty face and a good fuck when I want it. Perhaps I'll change that…"

The Devil brandished his claws threateningly. Ginette gasped. Everything was happening so fast, King Dice couldn't think straight. His mind was clouded by immense pain and anger. The fury in his heart was overwhelming.

He had to fight back.

He was worth something. He was worth so much more than the Devil thought. The casino patrons worshiped him. He was better than the Devil ever gave him credit for, in the rare occasion that the Devil gave him credit at all.

He was going to make the Devil pay.

King Dice concentrated, summoning every last bit of strength he had. He began to cast a spell, hoping to catch the Devil off-guard, but his eyes! They immediately glowed green.

It was a dead giveaway.

The Devil's claws came swooping down, directly across Dice's face.

Ginette covered Cuphead and Mugman's eyes, watching in horror as blood spurted out from the gashes on King Dice's face.

The manager's screams were unbearable to listen to.

Mugman began to cry.

"Had enough?" The Devil hissed, looming over the badly beaten Dice.

"Please say yes… please. Just let it be over." Ginette's mind cried out, holding her sons tight.

King Dice spat out a tooth in response, glaring up at the Devil "Take. It. Back."

The Devil's sadistic grin widened, "Wanting for more, are we? If you ever did manage to find this Chalice, like you say, you'll wish you could endure this all over again instead."

In a flash, the Devil raised his foot again, bringing it down on King Dice's cracked ribs again and again. Blood spattered on the demon's face, only pushing him even further into his blood frenzy.

King Dice was screaming. Writhing in pain. But he never once begged for the Devil to stop. He refused to back down, even in the face of near unbearable pain.

He would make the Devil proud.

Every time the Devil smashed his foot into King Dice's quickly caving-in chest, Mugman would flinch, burying his face deeper into Cuphead's chest. Not even fighting dozens of his friends and being experimented on could've prepared him for today's brutality.

What made things even worse was, Mugman could feel King Dice's pain in a way. He could hear the manager's internal wailings, begging to be loved. To be appreciated. Memories that were not the boy's own clawed at the sides of his mind, dragging him into a pit of despair. It was getting so loud. Too loud. Mugman felt like his head was going to split open. The pressure in his head was too much. It needed to-

"STOP!" Mugman screamed at the top of his lungs, covering his ears, his eyes glowing bright blue.

A burst of blue light enveloped the room. Ginette shielded Cuphead's eyes. Henchman pressed himself behind the pillar. The sound of Mugman's cry was so loud, it was piercing. Everyone's ears were ringing.

Clutching his head, Cuphead opened his eyes. Everything looked like it was spinning. Henchman was peering out from behind the pillar, looking around in confusion. Ginette was leaning up against the wall, wincing in pain, trying to open her eyes. Her ears were still ringing.

Mugman was standing, frozen stiff, his eyes still glowing. Then, Cuphead saw the Devil!

His foot was mere centimeters away from smashing into King Dice's chest. It'd suddenly stopped, frozen stiff as if by an invisible force- and the Devil's eyes were shimmering with blue.

"His gift showed itself. In a rather spectacular way, I might add." The Devil had said, back when Mugman had panicked in the city. When he'd made everyone run, their eyes glowing bright blue.

"Mind control. Ahh, my little Mugman, I didn't know you had it in you."

Was Mugman controlling the Devil?

Panic overtook Cuphead in an instant. He scrambled over to Mugman, paying no mind to everyone else, who was still recovering from the sudden explosion of light.

"Mugsy!" Cuphead grabbed Mugman by the shoulders, shaking him violently, "Mugsy! Wake up!"

As if someone had hit a light switch, Mugman's possession immediately broke, and the boy fell to the floor. The Devil's eyes flashed and returned to normal, almost collapsing to the floor as well.

Mugman stirred, holding his head, "What happened?"

Cuphead quickly shushed him, looking nervously at Ginette, who seemed to be coming back to her senses.

"What do we do?" The boy mouthed, full of panic, but- It was too late.

The Devil's owlish yellow eyes were staring directly past them, straight at Mugman. Cuphead tried to move forward, but he found himself frozen in place. He tried to scream, but no sound left his lips. Ginette was frozen too, there was no one to warn him!

"Cuphead…?" Mugman weakly sat up, rubbing his eyes, confused by his brother's silence. "Is everything okay-"

He stopped, seeing the terrified Cuphead -still like a statue. Mugman's gaze shifted slowly, and he let out a terrified gasp as he looked upward to see the Devil looming over him.

"You… Do you have any idea of what you've just done?" The Devil's voice was a whisper, like a wolf preparing for the killing blow.

"I– D-did I-"

"Did you what? Possess me? The King of the Underworld? Your master?" The Devil's hand darted forward, grabbing Mugman by the throat, "Yes, as a matter of fact, you did."

"I- I'm sorry!" Mugman cried out, gasping for air, struggling weakly against the Devil's ironclad grasp. "Please, sir! I-I didn't mean to! Father, I didn't mean to!"

The Devil's expression immediately shifted, his ears perking up slightly. Raising an eyebrow, he lifted Mugman into the air, "Call me that again."

"What?" Mugman sputtered, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Say it again. I will not ask a third time, boy."

Mugman's entire body was shaking. He could barely breathe. But, he complied, croaking out the word, "F-Father…"

Still holding Mugman by the neck, the Devil turned to King Dice. Mugman almost threw up. The casino manager looked half-dead.

"You see that, Dice?" The Devil grinned, acting as if King Dice wasn't bleeding out on the floor. "How can you say that this family of mine is "nothing but smoke and mirrors"? The boy calls me father!

Perhaps you are jealous, hm? I suppose everyone would want a son with the ability to control everyone around him. Or, perhaps you long to be a part of my family. Longing for the one thing you never had."

Despite everything, King Dice still glared up at the Devil, "Go fuck yourself."

The murderous glint returned to the Devil's eye, his grip tightening around Mugman's throat, "Still wanting more, are we? Well, I am more than happy to oblige," he said, raising his foot to stamp onto King Dice's broken ribcage once again.

"W-wait!" Mugman cried out, struggling against the Devil's grip, "Father, please don't hurt him anymore!"

The Devil's ears perked up once against that word. Father.

"What, him?" The Devil's sadistic gaze turned to Mugman. "You want me to spare the one who opposed you at every chance he could? Who nearly killed you, pushing you down that flight of stairs? You want me to stop hurting him?"

"Y-yes… Please…" Mugman whimpered, "It's- It's not right, Father."

"Not right?" The Devil burst into a fit of maniacal laughter. "Not right? Do you know who I am, boy?"

"You're my father," Mugman replied shakily, trying to smile, "a-and as your son, I'm asking, please stop. It's- It's scaring me, Father."

That gave the Devil pause. He took a good long look at the boy, studying him carefully. He let out a long disappointed sigh, shaking his head in dismay, "I am not one to deprive a loyal son of what he wants."

His grip loosening, he set Mugman down and gestured to the tea cart, which now sat abandoned, "Bring me some tea, boy, while it's still hot."

"Yes, Father," Mugman said, protectively holding his sore neck, and hurrying over to the tea cart, standing on his tiptoes and pouring the Devil tea.

"Don't forget the cream and sugar, boy. Just a smidge, though."

Mugman's hands were shaking violently as he poured the tea, getting some on his hand, burning it, but he didn't dare make a sound.

Just as he finished mixing the cream and sugar, Mugman made eye contact with Henchman, who was now inching out from behind the pillar. The imp gave him an apologetic smile, mouthing the words, "You're doin' great."

Turning back to face his murderous adoptive father, Mugman shuffled forward, forcing a smile, "Here you go, Father. I-I can always remake it if you don't like it."

The Devil gave him a proud smile and sipped, "Excellent job, my son. Now, back to dealing with you, my love." he said, turning to King Dice.

"I would ask you to thank this incredibly kind son of mine, but I know you're far too prideful for that," the Devil mused, beginning to pace around Dice's almost bloodied body. "Instead, I've thought of something better."

With a snap of his fingers, Ginette and Cuphead were unfrozen, gasping for air.

"Ginny, you've been teaching the boys the art of healing, yes?" The Devil asked, paying no mind to their state of terror.

"I- Y-yes, Boss. I have." Ginette coughed, still trying to adjust to being able to move once more.

"Good. I think I've found the perfect situation for this son of ours to practice what he's learned." The Devil grinned, "Dice, I've always known you would be a hard one to humble. And now, I believe it's time to deflate that ego of yours, my dear."

"Wha- What the hell are you sayin'?" King Dice croaked, glancing from Mugman to the Devil.

"I'm tasking Mugman with healing you," the Devil said, his smile widening at King Dice's look of horror at the very idea. "You're far too prideful for a quick recovery, my dear. So, no healing spells for you. You'll be cared for by the little boy you've always despised."

Mugman's heart nearly stopped. Oh. Oh no.

King Dice looked just as speechless, "B-Boss. You- You're kiddin' with me, right?"

The Devil simply tsked his tongue, strolling casually past the remnants of the destroyed dining room and leaning against the doorframe, "You'll thank me for this one day, Dice. You'll see."

The Devil had spoken, and he was not one to be denied. And with that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Ginette was back in the library, still carrying out her fruitless search. At first, she'd tried to look for books with "Calix Animi" in the title, but no such luck. Ginette wondered if the Devil had gotten rid of all such books. Or at least, stowed them away so they'd be especially hard to find.

Angrily muttering to herself, Ginette pulled out another armful of books. These tomes looked like they hadn't been touched in at least a hundred years with the amount of dust that filled the air the moment Ginette disturbed their resting place.

Perhaps she was making some semblance of progress, but it was hard to be sure. Ginette lugged the tomes over to her reading desk, sitting them down with a resounding thump.

The first couple of books were nothing much. Ginette wondered if the Devil had added them to his library only to make it look bigger and more grandiose.

It was only when she reached the second to last book that something caught her attention. There was a book that didn't look quite right. When Ginette picked it up, it flickered…?

"What the…" Ginette cocked her head, studying the tome closely. She took a furtive glance around and then knelt behind a bookshelf with her strange discovery.

Whispering quickly, Ginette traced out a glyph with her fingers, her eyes glowing red with the Devil's magic. A simple dispelling magic charm should do the trick.

As she recited the incantation, the book began to glow, shaking and shivering as the image of a rather ordinary book disappeared. The illusion exploded into thousands of little pieces, flitting away like butterflies, and leaving an oddly plain novel with no distinguishing features except for the title:

The Long Lost History of the Calix Animi.