Long story short, the ride to the circus fucking sucked. Not only were the roads bumpy as ever(causing their heads to bash against the wall) but they were stuck in a confined space with a net over them the whole time. Didn't help that the twins were stuck together and unable to move more than a few inches without making each other (more) uncomfortable and weren't able to get a wink of sleep during the transfer.
The ride was incredibly long and it had been several hours before they finally stopped. The twins then saw the doors to their cage open before Mammon grabbed the net and pulled them over his back. Seviathan began elbowing and hitting him from behind though his attacks did very little damage to him, the mad Jester seeming more annoyed than hurt by this.
"Will you knock it off? You're being annoying," He grumbled.
"And you're a fucking kidnapper!" he hissed,"Release us you no good son a bitch!"
He scoffed,"Absolutely not. Your parents and I made a deal. I take you two off their hands and in exchange I'm given another piece of entertainment for my circus. A fair trade given what nuisances you two were. Now we'll finally be able to put you to good use."
Both twins scowled at him with great disdain though their glares had little effect on him. He merely laughed before saying,"Oh don't look so down. I'm doing your parents a huge favor taking you two out and besides, I'm certain you'll make yourself at home one way or another. Now let's get you two accommodated…"
Mammon then carried the twins to the circus before shoving them backstage into an aquarium tank that seemed to be placed there not too long ago. When they got dumped into the water, Seviathan's first reaction was to try and manipulate water to break the glass but cursed when he saw that his powers weren't working,"Dammit!"
"What? You don't think I'd just put you two in a normal tank, do you? What type of fool do you take me for?"
"A big one…"
"Well clearly not that big considering I safety-proofed this entire tank," Mammon said before playfully knocked on the glass,"And the glass ain't easy to break, you two sure as hell won't be cracking it anytime soon.."
Seviathan scowled,"How long do you intend to keep us here?"
Mammon shrugged,"Eh, don't have a specific date. As far as I'm concerned, until your parents tell me otherwise you two are my property until further notice."
The elder twin's eyes flared with rage,"Why you no good son of a bitch…You will pay for this…"
"Hmm..I doubt that…'' Mammon admitted before chuckling at the male siren's irritated expression.``Oh don't look upset, Seviathan, I'm certain you and your sister will be able to make yourselves at home here. After all, who would ever want to leave a fantastical paradise like this?"
"Someone who isn't a deluded child…" He hissed,"Mark my words, Mammon..You will come to regret this…"
"I'm sure I will…" He remarked dismissively before turning his back,"If you two don't mind, I have a fair few business meetings to attend. Duty does call but I'll be sure to catch your show later once I have time. Until then, be sure to get comfortable. I'm certain someone will come to feed you later on…"
"GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US HERE! COME BACK YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"Seviathan banged his fist on the class, cursing the greedy Lord's name out as he walked away, his words falling on deaf ears. Mammon's footsteps became quieter and more distant until they eventually phased out entirely.
Beyond enraged, Seviathan hit the glass one last time before ultimately giving up and letting out a cry of frustration,"ARGH! GODDAMN HIM!"
Helsa then made a noise and he turned to her with an irritated expression,"What?"
She then put up her hands and spoke in sign language, saying,"You do realize no one can hear you right? Mammon is long gone…"
"You don't think I know that? I know that bastard left, doesn't mean I can't be upset about the situation we're in. It's hard not to be mad when another version of your parents sold you to the living embodiment of greed just because we were 'inconveniencing' them. I knew something like this would happen, Helsa, why did you have to pursue Vox? Now we're trapped here."
Helsa narrowed her eyes,"Hey, I had no clue THIS would happen. I didn't think our parents would literally sell us to Mammon just because I was messing around with a guy. Not like you saw it coming either."
"I still knew it was a bad idea to get involved with him. Now look where it got us. Stuck in this stupid little tank with no way out and we're well on our way to becoming Mammon's latest attractions. Only a matter of time before that greedy jackass exploits for all we're worth and his brainwashed audience will no doubt eat up anything they see."
Helsa then sighed before 'saying',"Do you think they'll take us back?"
"Who? Our parents?" Seviathan then laughed,"Of course they won't. They clearly view us as inconveniences and no doubt do they believe we're better off groveling towards Mammon than being in the Ocean. Doubt they'll even care so long as Mammon keeps us out of their hair. Why? Did you think those two would actually give a damn?"
She made a face.
"Come on sis, let's be legit here. Those two only give a fuck about two things. Themselves, and their reputation. Everything else is an afterthought, their children are not expected. Now that I think about it…I'm starting to see why our other selves bailed on them if this is how they treat us. We're not even 'their' children and they just threw us at Mammon's feet the moment we inconvenienced them in the slightest…"
Helsa cringed before looking away. She knew what Seviathan was saying was true but it did hurt to an extent to admit it, especially when the truth was slamming down on you like this.
Suddenly a pair of footsteps approached. Seviathan tensed up before shouting,"What do you want now, Mammon? Haven't mocked us enough today?"
Instead of hearing the clown's voice, he heard a gruff and masculine one say,"First time someone ever mistook for a literal clown today…Guess that's a first…"
Seviathan paused, sounding nothing like Mammon and upon the person stepping into the light, it became evident how wrong Seviathan's assumption was.
The person appeared to be some sort of magician if he had to guess with the top hat and tuxedo. The man seemed in his mid to late forties judging by the wrinkles under his eyes.
Seviathan blanked,"Who the hell are you? You're not Mammon…"
"Thanks for pointing that out to the captain,obvious, '' He retorted flatly,"Couldn't have figured that one out on my own…And for your information, my name is Hunter but I go by Husk nowadays."
Helsa stared at him before her eyes flashed, recognizing him from the ambush. He had been with Mammon and she had seen him knock Vox into the ocean with powers and she became hostile, immediately baring his teeth at him and hissing as she pressed up against the glass.
'Holy shit, she's a beast!'The man flinched, backing away slightly at her eagerness to attack him, now somewhat thankful the glass was preventing her from getting to him. Those damn teeth of hers would've torn him to bloody shreds had she been able to break through and he was somewhat glad Mammon's glass was durable enough to withstand her slamming her body against it.
Seviathan jumped, his sister went from being gloomy to hostile within the span of five seconds and he didn't understand why. He then asked,"Helsa, what is your problem? Why are you so angry?"
She then sent him a look before glaring at Husk again when it suddenly hit him.
"Wait..you were with Mammon…You helped capture us. What are you doing here? Have you come to gloat in our faces?"
Husk rolled his eyes,"Nope. Not much of a gloater and I hardly call kidnapping two teenagers something worth gloating over."
"Who are you calling teenagers!?" Seviathan snapped,"For your information, we're centuries old. We are not children."
"Hard to tell given your attitudes. You two act like bloody teens, not grown adults…"
Seviathan scoffed,"What do you even want with us again since you APPARENTLY aren't here to gloat…"
"Mammon told me to feed you guys," He admitted,"Nobody else wanted to do it and I just so happen to be one of his 'favorites' so to speak."
"You don't sound too excited about being his favorite."
"Course I'm not, Mammon is a jackass. Listen, I know you two have good reasons not to like or trust me but I'm being honest when I say that me assisting Mammon wasn't exactly a choice I wanted to make."
"Oh? Then explain how," Seviathan said.
"I didn't plan on getting you two. All I wanted was Mammon to give me more booze so I headed to his place to go ask him personally. Turns out when I went up there, I got caught in the middle of something I wasn't supposed to see. Your parents were discussing handing you to Mammon and I walked in on it. Your mom caught me and I think they honestly would've killed me had Mammon not deescalate the situation. The greedy bastard didn't seem too upset but he did make me agree to help get you guys in exchange for not being penalized for eavesdropping."
"So capturing you was just a way of getting Mammon off your back? Boy do we sure appreciate that…" Seviathan remarked sarcastically.
"Never Said it was a good thing. Just explaining my reasoning…Not like that justifies anything but I felt like explaining my POV before you railed on me."
"Does it even matter what your POV is? Doesn't change that we're stuck here…"
"Believe me, I'm just as trapped as you…Well…almost.." He said, noting the cage,"Mammon may not have me in a cage but he's got me by the collar real tight here. Fucker is pretty much keeping us all trapped and reliant on him for basic necessities and only 'rewards' us if we make a lot of money. I'm just lucky he still finds me interesting to keep around else he would've scrapped me a while ago…"
"Why'd you even chose to work here again? I find it hard to believe someone like you would willingly sign up for this job…"
"I didn't," Husk admitted,"I ended up falling down here after taking a train. Next thing I knew I crash-landed into this giant tent and it broke my fall…course in the process I ended up ruining the show. Probably would've got torn to pieces had I not shown them I had wind powers and Mammon got interested in me and decided to recruit me into his little band of misfits…"
Seviathan paused,"Wait…you're from Hell too?"
"Yeah…I'm a Sinner…or at least I was one until I fell down here," He admitted,"What about you two?"
"We're both Hellborns. From the Envy Ring. We fell down here as well…"
"Guess I'm not the only one who was dropped down into this world. All I wanted to do was take my mind off how shitty my life was until I ended up dropping down here out of nowhere…Guess I got my wish but this was certainly not how I wanted it to go…" He admitted, still looking down at his hands in disappointment,"What about you two? How'd you end up down here?"
"We ran away from our parents," Seviathan said,"We had been on the run for a few weeks when it got super cold. We saw a lone bus out in the middle of nowhere and decided to hop on despite how sketchy it was. Next thing we knew…we ended up down here looking like this…"
"I take it that your version of your parents are about as likable as these ones?"
"Pretty much. They never tried to sell us off to Mammon but that's hardly an accomplishment. In all honesty they probably just never had the chance to do so. Not like it matters, they never cared for us anyway. Never took the time to raise us..just let the maids do everything…"
"And I thought my Dad was shitty…" Husk grumbled,"At least the fucker never got he chance to sell me off to anyone. Wouldn't have anyone to manage his casino if he got rid of me. Though your parents don't seem to care about anything like that.."
"They only care about their reputation and money..Everything else is an afterthought, us included," Seviathan huffed before scowling at the pity in Husk's eyes,"What's it to you? Don't tell me you pity us, do you? We're demons, we're not met to be pitied. It's foolish to pity the wicked you know?"
"Even evil can be pitied, kid…"
"Pity is for the weak," Seviathan replied,"And we are not weak so take your sympathies elsewhere. Beings of malice have no use for sentimentality and we are not meant to be pitied like we're some helpless cretins. You made your choice to be damned, to embrace your selfish desires and use your power for evil purposes, but we didn't have a choice. We are made to be this way and being pitied for our nature is an insult to our being."
"I won't deny I made my choices but are you sure you hellborns are all just born evil?"
"Of course we are, what use does good have in this world? Hell or not, kindness and sentimentality is a weakness. There is no use for it because no matter the realm, everyone only cares for themselves…"
"Oh yeah?" Husk asked,"Then what about you and your sister? Don't you care for each other?"
Helsa and Seviathan both stared at each other with uncertainty. Did they care for each other? Neither were really sure to be honest. Their definition of 'care' was rather self-centered, as care to them translated to 'what can the other twin do for me to serve my interests?'
Often they found it beneficial to stick together and that was probably why they had even made it this far since the whole 'strength in numbers' thing still applied. It was easier having one person on your side than to be by yourself and they did sort of rely on each other to an extent.
After all, it was easier to survive with another person, especially if you could get rid of them when they started inconveniencing you.
Course they never got far enough to betray each other(not like they were in the position to do that anyway) but it was always good to have an extra body around to throw over the edge to save yourself.
Though as for actually caring for each other…they weren't all too certain.
"Judging by your silence I'm going to take that as no…"
"Well in all honesty it depends on your definition of care? If you mean, do we care for each other in means of survival and convenience? Then yes, we care for each other for our own benefits. If you mean, care for each other siblings then…no…Not at all…"
"So you're openly admitting you see your sister as a means to an end and that if it wasn't convenient to keep her around you'd just leave her?"
"Pretty much."
"God…that's cold-hearted…And you're more than comfortable saying that while she's in hearing distance? She's not even in a separate tank, she's literally right there and you're admitting that so openly…"
"I mean…she'd probably do the same thing if it came down to it. I expect her to because it's self preservation, it's the only thing that really matters in this world…"
Husk wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. He had given up on feeling love for another person a while ago but it did feel…sad that these two demons couldn't not contemplate feeling genuine compassion towards each other. It was like they didn't know what genuine love was and all they knew was how to use another person, even their own flesh and blood, for their own advantage.
Worst part was that he twins seemed to think it was natural.
'Guess the heartlessness seeped into the rest of the bloodline…' He thought to himself, feeling disgusted and sad at the same time.
Just then, Husk could recall the other person that had been with the twins before they were captured. He hadn't thought too much of them as he had quickly launched them into the water with his powers to prevent any interference though he did wonder what they were doing with them."Say…who was that person you were with earlier before we grabbed you guys?"
"You mean Vox?" Seviathan asked,"He's Helsa's new boy-toy…or was until you guys got involved…"
Husk paused before remembering that name. He had read it in Helsa's diary but he had thought it was just a nickname until now. It only just now hit him as he remembered the advertisements he had seen on TV of the V's in general.
He had never met the guy in person and most of what he heard about him came from Alastor, who frequently complained about the TV Demon every chance he got. He never really cared for Alastor's rivalry with Vox as the way Al talked about him made it seem like they were just bickering kids fighting over their portion of the sandbox.
To be sure, he decided to press on,"Wait..that Vox? The one with the TV head? That one?"
"Yeah, there's only one Vox in Hell last I checked,"Seviathan said,"Why? What's it to you?"
"I didn't expect him to be down here…Up until you two I thought I was the only fucker from Hell who landed in this place…"
"Well you're not..He has a friend too, think her name is Velvet. Another part of their little trio. She was with him though he lost track of her a while ago. She could be anywhere but he did tell us that before we got separated…"
"How many people do you think ended up like us?"
"Who knows? Not like we asked to be transported here. Could be way more than we realize. Not like we'll know while we're in here so I don't see how it matters."
He then looked at Helsa, feeling her icy glare towards him before making sign language that Husk was able to translate to,"No good bastard.."
"Hey, don't act like I can't understand you, Helsa. I can see your little gestures and I understand them perfectly.."
Seviathan and Helsa were taken aback by this, Seviathan asking,"Wait…you understand her?"
"Yeah. I studied sign language when I was younger. Haven't had to use it in a while but I know when someone is cursing me out. I know exactly what she is saying…"
Seviathan looked…shocked but somewhat relieved,"Well..at least I don't have to translate for her with you around..That's one benefit I suppose…"
"What are you so angry about?" Husk inquired.
"She's mad that you sent her boy-toy flying into the ocean," Seviathan remarked,"She was still using him until you and Mammon ended up capturing us. Put quite a lot of rain on her parade by interfering with her plans and she's not too happy about that since she was still using Vox."
Husk paused before remembering the book that had been left behind on Mammon's desk before showing it,"So that means this belongs to her then"
Helsa blanked before motioning for Husk to hand the book over. Husk opened the tank just enough to where he could throw the book down and handed it over to her. Helsa examining the pages for a few moments before giving a glare.
"Yeah I read it," He admitted,"Don't act surprised. It was on Mammon's desk and I felt the need to investigate a little more before I did this. Have to admit, you've got a heart of ice to lead someone on like this, Helsa."
Helsa didn't seem to be offended by this description of her as she merely signed,"Thanks for the compliment."
"That wasn't meant to be a compliment. You know that's a bad thing right? To lead someone on like this?"
Helsa rolled her eyes,"So what? If anyone really opens their heart to me then they are just asking for it to be shattered. Sentimentality is a weakness and any visible exploits a person leaves open deserves to be crushed into tiny pieces. And I would've gotten away with it had our other parents not decided to ruin everything. Still…I wonder where Vox is right now assuming he didn't' drown out there…"
"Even if he didn't drown, what is he going to do?" Seviathan asked,"Try and go after us? Like Mammon will let that happen. He'll crush him. Probably decided to go back to that stupid bakery and cut his ? Did you think he'd come back for us? Come on, Helsa, let's be real here, Vox knows he can't do jack shit to Mammon even if he wanted to. There's no way he's risking himself to save us…"
"You don't know that…"
"Let's be honest here, Helsa. There's no way he's going to try coming for us. We're on our own here. As of now, we're just another part of Mammon's deranged circus of freaks. There's no way out of this place and we are all stuck here one way or another."
"Trust me," Husk said,"This circus is basically just a large trap to draw desperate people with quirks in and exploit them for money. Mammon won't let anyone leave, not as long as they're making him money anyway. Fucker values the dollar above all and if anyone tries stopping him…I'm not sure what he'll do but I doubt it'll be anything good."
"Have you tried leaving?"Seviathan asked.
"No…haven't really had the time to do it…I definitely don't want to stay here but it's not like I have much of a choice. Mammon's got control of all the earnings and he pinches pennies from the rest of us, controlling all aspects of our lives. He only lets me drink a certain amount of booze in a week and I wouldn't be surprised if it's to keep me reliant on him. Guess it's a thing for asshole lords to use people's addictions against them for their own benefit."
"Then why don't you quit drinking then?"
"I've tried quitting several times in my life…never sticks. Besides, even if I did quit I'd still be reliant on Mammon for other things. He's still providing a roof over my head and I don't exactly have anywhere to go from here…"
Despite not being confined to a tank, it sounded like Husk was just as trapped as they were. It may not have been the exact same but it was pretty darn close. Only difference was that Husk was actually able to walk where he wanted, so long as Mammon permitted him of course.
Fucker was keeping him reliant on him for every aspect of his life. Basically glorified slavery at this point since Mammon was keeping him reliant on him for his life, making sure he was forever in debt to him. It was basically the closest thing to him owning his soul without him signing a contract.
He couldn't leave…not if he wanted a roof and food over his head and there was a chance Mammon would just force him back if he tried leaving. As long as the circus stood, Mammon would do whatever he could to make sure the show would go on.
Husk then sighed,"Look…I kind of overstayed my welcome so I may as well just finish my job before I leave..After all, Mammon did say I had to feed you and care for you two on a daily basis. Might as well start now.."
He then dropped some food down from the roof, the twins having been given what appeared to be vegetables and fruits that had been dumped from a barrel.
"The fuck is this shit?" Seviathan asked,"Why is there only fruit and vegetables here?"
"Cheapest food he could find," Husk admitted,"Mammon doesn't like spending money so he gets the cheapest food imaginable. Fruit and vegetables are dirt cheap so this is pretty much all the food you're gonna get."
Seviathan groaned before taking a bite, cringing at the taste. Fucking asshole got them food that was clearly out of date and he and Helsa weren't pleased by the poor-quality of their meals,"Ugh! Tastes like shit! Did this food expire or something?"
"Eh, wouldn't surprise me if he let it rot. Fucker clearly doesn't care about the quality of the food he feeds us half the time," Husk said.
'Ew…gross…' Helsa thought to herself. Definitely wasn't how Helsa imagined eating and she would've spat it out had it not been their only source of sustenance. It tasted mediocre at best and awful at worst but it was the only nourishment they were gonna get for the time being…
Regardless, the twins definitely didn't believe they were going to be enjoying their stay here whatsoever…
When Husk finally finished his job, he mumbled about having to go to his tent and that he'd see them in the morning. Once he left, the twins were left alone and Helsa groaned,"Great…now we're alone again…"
"I'm just as excited as you are. Not like we can do anything about it. Best we try and get some sleep before Mammon puts us to work later…"
"Fair enough…" Helsa then laid down on one side of the tank while Seviathan slept on the other and did their best to make themselves comfortable with what they had.
While Seviathan fell asleep, Helsa's eyes refused to close. It wasn't like she wasn't tired, it just felt like something was keeping her awake. Probably her curiosity of what her life was going to be like next…and about him…
Yeah, she was still thinking about Vox. Without him around, things were certainly going to be a bit boring. He had been her latest entertainment until Mammon captured them and now that he was out of the picture, she realized just how boring things were…
'Goddammit…I'm so damn bored…' She then pulled out her journal before turning to a new page. She didn't believe there was anything noteworthy to write about(nothing that she WANTED to note anyway) so she decided to use the free page for something else…
She pulled out the pen she kept hidden in her hair before sketching on the paper. The sketch soon evolved to a picture of her and Vox together. Staring at each other 'lovingly'(it was all an act to her). Just a way to keep his attention on her…before she went in for the kill…
She smiled before drawing herself stabbing him right in the heart. It was all metaphorical of course, her method of breaking people usually didn't involve blood being spilled, after all, that would get on her outfit and ruin her image…
Better to shatter their hearts and lose their meaning in life than to spill their blood. It was far easier to recover from a wound than from a broken heart after all.
'Such a handsome face…' She sighed wistfully,'If only I got the chance to see him again…So I could shatter that heart of his once and for all…Too bad Mammon has got us trapped in here for his own entertainment. No thanks to our other parents being dicks…'
Still, Helsa hadn't completely given up hope. If she knew anything about Vox. it was that he was a stubborn fucker and given how often he ended breaking up with Valentino and coming back to him shortly after, she held no doubts he'd do the same.
'He'll be back…eventually…Then I'll be able to finish the job once and for all. Just have to bide my time…'She thought to herself,'And once I have him in my grasp again…I'll make sure he rues the day I ever saved his pathetic little life…'
She then used her book as a pillow before drifting off to made a promise to herself then and there that she would make sure that Vox wished he had drowned on that fateful day. Because her heart was colder than ice and blacker than the pitch of night.
Love was a fool's game and this was the way she could always win. To lead them on, make them think she loved them, that she cared for them only to shatter them to bits. The damage would be irreparable and even if they did try and move on, there would always be a scar left over from the pain she made them feel.
Because she couldn't love another person. She had never, not once in her life, felt love for another being other than herself. To her, getting attached to anyone but herself was a waste as even her brother at the end of the day, was expendable. All of their lives were expendable since sooner or later, she'd exhaust a person's use and throw them out like trash.
It wasn't like she and Seviathan didn't know that about each other. They knew that when it came down to it, if it was necessary for one to die, they'd toss the other off the edge and make a break for it to save themselves. If another was dragging you down, it was best to toss them to the wolves in order to save yourself and it was always good to have another body to throw over the edge.
Better him than her…and she bet he thought the same thing when asked. Because at the end of the day, the twins saw the other as expendable tools, useful for when they needed them but each was more than willing to sacrifice the other for their own benefit if the cards were down.
Say they were cruel, that they were heartless…and honestly,you were probably right.
They were cruel, heartless demons and they weren't…and couldn't change that…Not even if they wanted to. After all...demons couldn't change their nature and the only way to be strong in this world was to be as wicked as they were. Money, power and prestige were the only things Helsa knew mattered, sentimentality was an afterthought and she and her brother weren't dumb enough to think otherwise. Because sentiments get you killed and being heartless was the only way to stay on top like the Apex Predator she was.
And her icy heart would sooner freeze over Hell itself before she dare grow sentimental. She wasn't Charlie Magne, the hopeless naive demon who believed other's could change. She embraced her demonic side because anything else would make her look like a pathetic fool.
Thanks for 3,836 views, tell me what you think below!
Enigmus-288: I mean, I did warn y'all they weren't stellar parents...regardless of version. The heartlessness kind of spread to the rest of the blood-line and I'm making this more than clear with this chap.