'Where to run, are you there are you there? In the winter sun, he's dancing in the wind…..Where to run, are you there are you there? In the wilderness, look and you will find him.'
It took exactly eight minutes for Mary-Ann to walk to the forest, and to walk towards a large ship. The ship was bright and gold, glowing against the dark night. It was covered in bright pink and blue sails, and it had a beautiful mermaid figure at the front of the ship. Alfred and Demitri were both glancing up at the ship, the sound of the music even more loudly than before. As Mary-Ann approached the ship, a pair of golden stairs appeared before her. The girl climbed onto them, making her way onto the ship. Alfred and Demitri followed as well, curious as to what was on the ship that was luring her in.
Once the butler and master were on the ship, they saw over a hundred children playing and singing, all with the same hazy eyes that Mary-Ann had. Demitri glanced at the butler, nodding her head. "Get ready Alfred, I'm sure the perpetrator will come out any second." The butler simply nodded, bowing his head lightly. As they stood and watched, they began to speculate ideas as to why this was occurring. Demitri wondered if there were the infamous 'The Human Experiment' group. They were known for kidnapping anyone who had any talent, anyone who was homeless, or anyone who was of royalty, and conducting horrible experiments on them. If this was the case, then it was more than likely Demitri would lose her life tonight. As for Alfred, he wondered if this was the doing of another demon or even a shinigami. He had heard from other demons that a fellow demon had dealt with a Shinigami who was obsessed with bringing the dead back to life.
As they thought, the perpetrator finally appeared, wearing a joker's outfit. He had a flute in hand, and was followed by a line of children. Once the man made his way towards the occidental guests, he stopped and pushed back his hat. He had a big, sloppy smile on his face and simply said, "My you two aren't children at all." He placed his flute to the side and tilted his head. "Don't tell me you fell for the sound of my flute." When he said that, the music stopped, and all the children on the boat fell to the ground.
Demitri rose her eyebrows and looked around before glancing up at the man before her. "Fun Time is over chuckles. Tell me why you're doing this, now.", she said, with a serious expression on her face. Alfred remained emotionless, simply studying the situation.
"Wouldn't it be simply wonderful to never age? To never have to suffer? To never have to go through the torment of this world? This is what this is. A salvation for these innocent children. We take them up to neverland, a world where they never age, and they can live forever in a carefree state. You'd agree wouldn't you Miss Cat Eyes? Wouldn't you have liked to have been saved from suffering? I'm sure you've suffered a lot. I can tell.", he said in a tone that went from fanatical to pitiful. The joker walked up close to the woman and smiled softly. "You're to tell me you'd take away these children's chance of being pure?"
Demitri remained silent, her eyes wide in shock. What would it had been if she had never been put through what she had been put through? Her hand unconsciously laid across her stomach, right above her uterus. The scar she had that went from the edge of her left hip up to the bottom of her breast was evidence that she had suffered an incredible amount. The demon's seal on her bosom was evidence of the strength she summoned in order to summon a demon. The place she had been in, covered in blood, needles, and cages was the place that became a blood bath for those around her.
"I am not saying anything….", she said in a tight voice. Her eyes looked up at the joker with tears daring to pour out. "Yes, I've suffered. God do I wish I had never gone through that. There are days where I have to pray to get the strength to move forward and to live my life normally.", she spoke, her voice become stringy and tense. "However, I would never return back to the way I was before. I learned something valuable and intense from that experience. We humans are meaningless. We are but a tiny fraction of cells in this large universe. The suffering of one is nothing! It doesn't change anything, it doesn't cause an effect. However that suffering….I needed it in order to become powerful and strong. I would never give that up! Not for you or anyone! No one is saved from this karmic cycle. From entropy." Demitri pulled on the buttons that held her chest covered and tore them off, exposing her demon mark.
"Alfred! Kill this man and save the children. This is an order!", she shouted, the crest on her chest glowing a bright purple. Alfred turned towards the woman next to him, seemingly admiring her. "Yes, your highness.", he said, before he jumped up and slammed his feet down on the Joker's chest. He then grabbed the man's face and squeezed tightly, crushing the life out of him. Unfortunately the man's blood splattered across him and the children around him. After the deed was done, the butler turned towards his master and licked his fingers.
She stood there, with wide glowing eyes, and then smiled up at the demon. "I acted recklessly, didn't I? I didn't even ask if he was with 'The Human Experiment' or not. Now I have nothing to report to the Queen.", she said, sighing. The demon stepped off the man and walked towards his master. He placed a clean hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears that began to pour.
"Now, Now crying does not suit a young mistress like yourself. Fortunately for you I happen to recognize the man. He was the leader of an infamous cult that kidnapped children and held them in the church, brainwashing them. This member was an extremist. It seems that after he was kicked out, he began to perform these bizarre rituals.", he said, his British accent flowing and smooth. Demitri looked up at him and then tilted her head. "Wait, if he was an ordinary human, than how was he luring in the children? It's impossible to do that with just music, isn't it?"
"It seems he lured them in with a mixture of a low pitch sound only children can hear, and the smell of Carrion flowers and other flowers.", he said. "You couldn't smell it because of your bad nose my lady.", he said, before he gently poked her nose. Demitri blushed heavily, realizing her weakness had caused her to not pick up on such an important detail. She pulled away from her butler and then walked towards her niece. "Take her back home and write a letter for my brother explaining that I had to leave suddenly due to being summoned by the Queen. As for these children, we'll stay here and wait for the Yard to show up. Don't forget to send them a letter as well."
Alfred nodded and picked up the girl, making his way out towards the girl's home. Demitri in the meantime sat down on the floor and looked at the floor covered in unconscious children. She placed her hand on her stomach and sighed. "I wonder….if I had had this child….would they have suffered too? Hmm….who am I kidding. In the situation we were in, it was only natural for them to be killed." The memory of having her stomach ripped open caused her to sigh once more, and to lean her head back. Up in the sky, an owl flew by. It was obviously Alfred's letter being sent to the Yard.
Demitri closed her eyes and awaited for the man to return. In the meantime she began to hum The Piper's Song. "Another weeps a child….sleeps his broken heart. A bleeding wine just passing time their horror stories….They're at his grave at Valid creek where he began to see….the evil tide that proves….that always good still within."