Arackniss rubbed his eyes as Val walked him to the hospital clinic, still tired from being woken up early in the morning. He wasn't a morning person and the fact Val had got him up just to go to this appointment had made him extra cranky today. Especially since they were going to a hospital in Hell of all places.
Contrary to popular belief, there were hospitals in Hell, it's just there was no healthcare and people didn't have the money to afford getting into one. Course if you were a rich overlord like Val was, this was hardly a problem whatsoever..
Arackniss had never seen a hospital in Hell up close but it was a lot larger than he thought it'd be. It wasn't as huge as the Studio but it was still big in its own right. The world around him never felt so large and unknown like it had now that Val was around and he couldn't help feeling himself becoming smaller with each passing second he was in vicinity of the giant moth.
"So..what are we here for again?" Arackniss asked,"Are you going to test me for something? Because I'm not sick…"
Val chuckled,"I know you're not sick, Niss. We're just getting your surgeries done. Your body still needs to undergo some modifications before we let the public set their eyes on you. We've talked about this earlier, did you already forget what I told you?"
"No…"
The shorter spider made a face, nervousness bubbling up inside of him as they entered the clinic. They must've got here early because there was no one else inside other than the receptionist.
The lady at the front was an imp with short hair and a suit who greeted them,"Hello gentleman. Do you have an appointment scheduled for today? What are your names?"
"My name is Valentino, you should know of me and this…is my new worker, Arackniss. We're here to have him undergo some procedures to get him on his path to stardom."
"Oh I see…well in that case we'll get your room ready. The doctors should be inside already. Head over to room 121 and they'll be happy to help you get started."
"Thank you, baby…" Val then grinned,"Alright, Arackniss. Let's get settled."
Arackniss was then led to the room in question and tensed when he saw a bunch of surgeons and a chair in the center. He could see all their utensils they used to operate on patients like scalpels, scissors and even large saws.
The mere sight of those tools was enough to make his stomach drop right into the abyss…
"Come on," Val urged(more like demanded),"Get in the chair, Nissy. It's time to perfect your body…"
"Val..I don't think I wanna do this anymore…"
Val narrows his eyes before saying in a far too 'soothing' voice,"Aw, what's the matter? Are you scared of knives? I promise once the aesthetics kick in that you'll be out like a light. You won't feel a thing, I swear on it.."
Arackniss cringed, something about Val's voice made his stomach churn, it sound too comforting, as if Val was trying to lull him to sleep by the sound of his own voice only instead of making him feel safe, he felt as if his heart was about to pound of his chest out of pure terror.
"Come on, Nissy, there's no need to be scared. The doctors are only here to do their job, now be a good boy and cooperate for Daddy so that we can leave. The sooner you cooperate the quicker it'll be…"
Arackniss reluctantly hopped onto the chair, his heart still racing as he could feel their eyes on him. Their gazes were cold as steel and he, despite not being able to see their faces through their masks and gloves, could feel the callousness radiating off of their bodies.
Not like he was surprised, no demon in Hell had good intentions and even the most 'altruistic' field like medicine could be twisted to the point where those with no regard for life could be altering your body.
"Roll up your sleeve, baby. If you don't want this to be painful then it's best for you to be put to sleep…"
"OK…" Arackniss rolled up his right sleeve. One of the doctors pulled out a needle and injected it into his arm.
The expected outcome was for Arackniss to be put to sleep so that the procedure could start. However, Arackniss, oddly enough, didn't feel tired. Not one bit. Five minutes passed and the spider was still wide awake, much to the confusion of those around him.
"Why are you still awake Nissy?" Val asked, now sounding irritated,"Are you trying to fight it? You know you're only making this harder on yourself…"
"I'm not fighting anything, Val. I don't feel anything whatsoever. I don't think it's working."
Val raised an eyebrow,"How is that possible?" He then looked at the doctors,"Did you use a weak dosage? He should be asleep by now. What gives? Are you all that incompetent that you can't put him to sleep?"
"It's not our fault, Valentino. We assure you that this has never happened before. All our other patients are put to sleep within a timely manner once the aesthetics enter their system."
"Then what makes Arackniss different that he can't be put to sleep?"
"Immunity perhaps?" One suggested,"It's fairly rare but it isn't impossible for demons to be immune to the effects of drugs even when it's injected into their body. Arackniss experienced no reaction to the drugs in his system so he might be immune to it."
"So you're telling me that Arackniss can't be put to sleep or feel the effects of drugs in any way?" Val inquired.
"From what we witnessed, that appears to be the case."
He was a bit surprised but it did make sense, Arackniss showed no reaction to his infamous red smoke that usually manipulates others with a mere whiff.
He wasn't sure why exactly Arackniss was like this as he was a normal sinner with no magical abilities(that he knew of anyway). If he had to guess why, Arackniss had a strong resistance to drugs while alive and upon expiration this transferred itself into immunity to its effects, likely as a form of punishment to prevent him from enjoying the pleasures of getting high and what-not.
"So…" Arackniss mumbled,"Does that mean we can leave?"
"Who said we were leaving?" Val snapped ,"We just got here."
"But the anesthetics, they didn't work."
"So? What does that have to do with anything? We can still do the surgery, anesthetics or not. It's not a requirement, it just means that it'll hurt a bit…"
"Are you crazy!?" Arackniss hissed,"Do you have a single clue how much that would hurt!?"
"No, and I don't really care," Val admitted,"A little pain won't kill you, Arackniss. You're acting like you can die again. Sure, it'll hurt like hell but you won't die from it."
"But you said-"
"There's been a change of plans, Arackniss. You can't always have what you want. Besides, there's no gain without a lotta pain," He teased before saying to the doctors,"Restrain him. I don't care how long it takes you, just get the job done and make it snappy. He needs to be perfect and I refuse to accept anything less than the best."
It was a demand and Arackniss was suddenly being held down by all of them, the spider now attempting to free himself to no avail, screaming and crying out in response,"HEY! LET GO ME YOU CRAZY BASTARDS! STOP!
The surgeons paid no attention to his guys as they forced his arms and legs on the operating table, strapping him down with metal bands in order to keep him from breaking free from his restraints.
Time seemed to slow down as Arackniss felt them undoing his clothes and pulling out their tools. He could feel their instruments digging into his flesh and he was forced to bear through it, screaming in agony as he pleaded for them to stop hurting him.
Blood poured from his body and the pain was excruciating, like hellfire itself. It was as if he was dying for a second time as they were modifying his body for their own twisted and sick purposes and the only thing he could do was pathetically cry out for help like a lost child, his pleas falling on deaf ears.
The pain was downright unbearable and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes as his screams pierced throughout the rest of the hospital.
Val watched this from afar, arms folded over his chest with a proud grin on his face, the painted wails and screams coming from Arackniss were like music to his ears.
He could already see it now, the profits would no doubt be rolling in once the procedure was done and he could hardly contain himself at the prospect of selling the spider's figure for money and even more power.
"VAL! PLEASE MAKE THEM STOP! IT HURTS! I'M GOING TO DIE!" He shouted, now sounding on the verge of having a panic attack.
Val 'gently' smiled as he walked over to the table, caressing Arackniss's cheek as tears flowed down from his face, as if he were trying to soothe him though his seniority sounded as fake as ever,"Don't be so over-dramatic, Nissy. You won't die. The pain is only temporary anyway, I promise that when it's all over, you'll thank me later."
"VAL-"
The moth then covered his mouth roughly in an effort to silence him, ignoring the muffled screams and whines the spider let out,"Shh…shh…No more cries, baby. No amount of pleas or cries will save you from what will come. Just accept it and close your eyes…It'll all be over "
The spider's vision slowly became blurry, the only things he was able to see were the flashes that ranged from the deranged surgeons that were slowly and painfully taking him apart and Val gagging him with his own hand as he struggled to breathe. They were pulling at his insides and toying with them, twisting them around in their hands without any regard for him as a person even as he screamed for them to stop the torture.
The people on the operating table ceased to be surgeons to him, no, they were senators who existed to satisfy their sick cravings for other people suffering and took it out on desperate patients who sought aid.
They were monsters. Monsters will have souls as black as pitch and despite their masks hiding their faces, he could tell those sick bastards would smile at him in the sickest manners possible, relishing in his pain and purposefully playing with his body to get more reactions out of him.
The blood splattered everywhere and he could feel his fur getting stained with red liquid, his heart throbbing in agony as his body was turned into nothing more than a play-thing for these sick fuck's entertainment.
His body was a toy, one where they were going to take their time tearing it apart and putting it back together again.
And all he could do was weakly cry out for mercy as they tortured him to the brink, his near-immortal body refusing to let him die despite the excruciating pain he was throat was on fire, throbbing with internal pain as he was being suffocated and torn apart. His entire body was set ablaze and light-headedness would soon begin to take over as his vision became white.
The last thing Arackniss could see was Val's ever present smile before his vision faded to black, dread consuming his entire being knowing the moment if(when) he woke up…he wouldn't be the same and in more ways than one….
It was rare for him to crave death but at this moment, he would've preferred being impaled dozens of times by an Exterminator than endure what he was feeling.
Because at least when the Exterminator gets you, your troubles are over. You are given closure and your life of sin and suffering would at last be put to an end.
The surgeons on the other hand, preferred prolonging his suffering and not granting the sweet release of death that he so desperately craved. No, these cruel and twisted monsters wanted to see him in pain and would force him to suffer until they turned him into Valentino's latest model.
Frederick and Bethesda headed towards the Pride Ring to visit the Magnes. The two families were family friends and they decided to check up on their fellow sins as they had been rather distant lately and weren't attending to their duties like usual.
When they headed over to the Magne mansion, a skittish servant greeted them at the door, bowing their head,"G-Greetings Lord Levia-I mean Frederick," Correcting themselves when he sent them a glare for using his true name. They stammered out the rest of their introduction, struggling to hold back their fear,"Lady Bethesda. Your arrival was unexpected, is there a reason you've come here?"
"None that concern you," Frederick said simply,"Our business is not with you but with the Magnes. If you truly want to be of service to us, you'd lead us right to them because otherwise your presence is not only unwelcome but unwanted. We have no use for servants who can't even do their jobs properly."
The servant flinched,"I apologize for the inconvenience. Please follow me, the royal family are residing in their office and haven't come out for quite some time."
They scoffed before following the servant who led them to Lucifer's they approached they couldn't help but hear the sound of Lucifer's voice becoming louder and louder, as if he were rambling though they couldn't tell what he was talking about in particular.
The maid opened the door for them and allowed the two rulers of Envy to meet up with the rulers of Pride. When Frederick and Bethesda got inside, they noticed the office was a complete was like a tornado had hit the place, papers were all over the place, objects were propped up in usual manners and in the center of it all were Lucifer and Lilith.
"Lucifer, what in the nine circles is all this!?" Frederick exclaimed,"What have you done to your office!? Why are there so many papers here!? What have you been doing to your room!?"
"F-Frederick…Bethesda…I..I can't say I expected to see you here…" Lucifer said,only now having noticed his friend's presence, appearing somewhat surprised at his arrival. When he turned to face them, Frederick and Bethesda cringed upon seeing his face. The King of Hell looked like he had been hit with a tornado. He had bags under his eyes, his hair was dissolved and his suit was crooked in more ways than one.
Given it wasn't a requirement for him to sleep, the investigation must've been taking its toll on his mental health as he hadn't bothered to care for himself and Lilith was barely any better appearance wise,her lipstick smudged and her hair that once was smooth and neat was tangled and messy.
The Queen was still clutching a cup of coffee in her hands as if she were trying to regain the lost energy that had since been spent.
Lucifer then cleared his throat to break the tension before half-haphazardly adjusting his tie in an attempt to look semi-presentable,"My friends, how…it's…surprising to see you here. Is there a reason for your visit?"
"We came to check on you and Lilith."
"What for? We're fine, we assure you. We're just…a little tired that's all.."
It was a lie, a blatant one at that.
Had Lucifer been a mortal he would've no doubt collapsed with how much he had been pushing his body and it didn't seem like he was even functioning like he should if his erratic movement was any indication.
"Saying you're tired is the biggest understatement of the century," Frederick retorted,"You two look like you haven't gotten any proper rest in months. The stress is taking its toll on you, when was the last time you two even took a break?"
"I…I can't recall ever taking one. Not since she vanished anyway…" He admitted,"Lilith and I have been working non-stop to locate her to no avail…"
"That certainly explains the bags under the eyes and the visible slouch in your posture," Bethesda remarked,"You two look horrible…."
"Thanks for the compliment," Lilith muttered as she took a sip of her coffee.
"That wasn't meant as one."
"I know…" She replied in a flat tone, clearly not caring about Bethesda's comment, much to the other lady's surprise.
Lilith usually made sure she wasn't seen in a less than proper manner by the public, especially to her close friends and for her to shrug off the criticism without batting an eye was rather concerning.
In an effort to break the ice, Frederick asked,"Would…would you two like to sit down? Have some tea? It might do you two good if you stepped back a bit from your work…"
"But Charlie-"
"Lucifer, it won't be long. Just give us a bit of your time and we promise we'll be out of your hair. We need to discuss this like adults and it's about time you two took a break from this obsession of yours…"
Lucifer grumbled before sighing,"Alright…fine…Just make it quick. I need to get back to work and time is crucial here…"
"Come on, let's go somewhere a bit more private…."
"Agreed…"
Lucifer then led them to a room they all recognized. It was where they all casually talked amongst each other in their spare time, having tea and snacks and enjoying each other's presence.
Normally this would've been a wondrous occasion but the current situation made visiting this place worse somehow.
The upper class demons sat down in their chairs and made themselves comfortable. The servant that had been following them nervously prepared their drinks,pouring cups of tea and bread for the monarchs to enjoy to their heart's content.
Lucifer grasped the cup, his hands quivering ever so slightly as he took a sip. It was like he couldn't be still, no matter how hard he tried. The facade of normalcy he attempted to put on wasn't convincing though no one commented on it(yet).
"So…" He started,"I take it that you two have been having a wonderful day today, haven't you?"
"You could say that," Frederick mentioned,"Our days have been calm and relaxing…for the most part anyway."
"What do you mean for the most part?" Lucifer asked.
"Our subjects are rather upset about being unable to travel to the other Sectors and have been protesting. No matter how many times we tell you that you were the one who ordered the lock-down, no one seems to care and continue to resist."
"What have you done to those who've registered?"
"Oh we've dealt with them. We threw them in the dungeon. We're not entirely sure what to do with them. Perhaps we should kill them though death seems a little merciful…" He admitted,"I personally prefer making those who've crossed me suffer before I dare end their miserable lives. No one gets away with disobeying me after all."
Bethesda giggled, gently using her leg to rub up against his teasingly,"Oh honey, I do love it when you show your dominance against our unruly subjects…"
"I know you do…"
Lilith groaned, slamming her head against the desk as she clenched her fist. The sight normally wouldn't faze her but a part of her couldn't help but feel irritated at how happy they were.
It wasn't fair that she and her husband were beyond miserable while they were having the best love life imaginable. Ever since Charlie vanished their marriage had gone down the drain and she had a hard time tolerating anyone, let alone her husband of all people…
"Lilith…are you alright?" Lucifer asked,"You just slammed your fist against the table, is something wrong?"
"Couldn't be better, I'm about as happy as a clam. Never been any better," She hissed,"After all, how could I not be happy? My child is missing and has run off to who knows where, our investigation has gotten nowhere and I can barely look my husband in the eyes when he talks. I'm doing just fantastic, thank you very much."
"My Lily-pad…please listen to m-"
"Don't call me that, you lost the privilege to call me nicknames when you drove our daughter away from us!" She snapped,"I don't want to hear any more sweet-talk from you…."
Lucifer shrunk a little before ultimately falling silent.
Frederick and Bethesda were speechless, they had never seen these two argue like this. Having been life-long friends with the Magne's, they had seen how the two acted for years and the two were usually always on the same page.
That's not to say fights or quarrels didn't happen. Even the most loving couple had a few spats from time to time. But even then, Lilith and Lucifer never had any serious fights, minor disagreements were one thing but serious quarrels were a rarity.
Even then, they usually make up in less than a day. Maybe a week at most before it became unbearable to stay away from each other and one of them(Lucifer) ended up running back with a gift to cheer up his wife and all was forgiven the next day…
But this was different, it had been over five months and there was nonstop tension and quarrels. They may have technically been working together in finding their daughter but it was clear that Lilith could hardly stand her husband and was only tolerating him out of necessity since she couldn't do it alone.
Regardless, it was clear that Hell's once loving power-couple wasn't as unbreakable as they had seemed. They may not have been divorced but they hardly behaved like the lovey-dovey couple that they were known for being by the populace and their inner circle of friends.
Frederick narrowed his eyes,"Lilith, I hate to interrupt but I do feel the need to remind you that you aren't alone in this room."
"Don't act like I asked you to be here, Frederick… "She growled,"You're the one who came here uninvited, intruding on my time for your benefit."
"Lilith, do not talk to my husband in such a rude manner. He was only requesting you keep an affable tone with us. We aren't your servants, we are your friends and we'd appreciate some respect…"
"Well sorry, some of us are concerned about our children…Though I suppose you two wouldn't know about that."
"What are you talking about?" Frederick asked, raising his eyebrows at this accusation.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," She said,"All of us do. It's no secret we've raised our children differently and that you two weren't exactly the most…loving parents imaginable."
"Are you judging us?" Frederick growled.
"So what if I am?"
"Because you have no right to. What we do with our children is none of your business. Just because you and Luci coddled your daughter doesn't mean the rest of us are obligated to do the same. Sorry it disappoints you but Bethesda and I had no plans on raising sentimental links to our lineage,especially since it would affect how others would look at us."
"Sentimental links? What does that even mean?"
"Weakness," Bethesda hissed,"We cannot have weak links, Lilith. It would be foolish to raise our children to be kind and loving. You know as well as we do that Hell preys on the weak and only the strong survive. There is no kindness in this world of sin and you two of all people should know that. Though it seems your daughter never got that hint given how…optimistic she is."
Lucifer cringed,"Well…yes. She was…very optimistic in believing she could make things better. Perhaps we spoiled her a tad too much, shielded her from the true horrors of the world for far too long and allowed her imagination to run wild. Only now have I realized how big of a mistake that was…"
"So you admit it was a mistake to allow your child to be sentimental?"
"To an extent. However, that still doesn't mean us teaching Charlie to be kind was completely bad. I was anticipating her to grow out of this and use her affable nature to lure poor souls into selling themselves to her…but it hadn't gone how I had imagined given she actually learned to care for demons, viewing them not as tools but as people. She wanted to help them and actually proposed to 'redeem' those lowly sinners who damned themselves to Hell and send them to Heaven. It was a foolish idea yet me rejecting her idea was the cause of this conflict."
"And to think Lilith judges us for not being sentimental with our children when this was the end result of your parenting. Spoiling Charlie only resulted in her becoming a foolish and naive girl whose head was in the clouds,believing that she could make a realm built off of suffering that could be reformed. In the very least, Seviathan and Helsa didn't fool themselves into thinking those beneath them deserved a moment of consideration. They were raised just like every proper demon should be raised…"
"Are you insinuating our daughter isn't proper?" Lilith hissed.
"Well she most certainly isn't a normal demon is she? For the spawn of the most powerful demons in Hell, she is an embarrassment considering what she should be. She should be the most evil being down here and yet she's obsessed with puppies and 'redemption'. Every sinner down here did something to earn their fate, whether that be murder, rape and some other type of sin. They blew their chance at redemption and they deserve to be confined here for the rest of eternity."
"I agree…" Lucifer admitted,"All sinners who fall down here had a chance to be better, but they succumbed to their sinful desires. I don't understand why Charlie believes she can help those hopeless sinners but regardless of how ridiculous her ideas are, I still love my daughter and we both want her to be found. Though I do wonder…do you?"
"Do we what?" Bethesda asked,"What are you talking about, Lucifer?"
"Do you two love your children? Be honest, it won't make a difference…"
The two rulers of Envy said nothing in response. It was such a simple question and really, any other demon who had been asked the same question would've said yes, whether out of genuine love for their child or in order to look good in front of the person asking.
For Frederick and Bethesda though, asking if they loved their children was an incredibly difficult question. Did they love them like Lucifer and LIlith loved Charlie?
Most definitely not.
But did they have a hint of fondness for them?
It was…hard to answer. The silence was telling and Lucifer examined their eyes and spoke for them,"You aren't sure are you? Tell me…have you ever cared for Helsa and Seviathan? Have you ever told them that you loved them? Have you ever held them when they were scared? On second thought…don't answer that. We all know you didn't."
It wasn't a secret, they had seen how little time Frederick and Bethesda spent with their children. They hadn't brought it up until now but it was always something Lucifer kept in the back of his mind. He had never seen the two show or display much affection towards their kids, at most they got a small pat on the head before their attention was shifted elsewhere.
The Lord of Envy scoffed,"Coddling children only breeds weakness, Lucifer. Just because we aren't shielding our children from the three terrors of the world and holding their hands doesn't mean we don't care. We simply have other things to worry about. We have a Kingdom to run and a reputation to maintain. Especially after the disaster Seviathan caused due to the fall-out with your daughter…"
The way Frederick spat out this statement reeked of bitterness and disappointment. And Lucifer had a good hunch of why he felt that way.
Even after all those years, Frederick still hadn't allowed the incident to slip his mind, beyond disappointed and infuriated that Seviathan wasted their one chance at marrying into the Royal Family, causing them to be a laughing stock amongst the other Sins for years to come. It was still a running joke and Seviathan made them all look foolish.
Lucifer narrowed his eyes, remembering giving Seviathan a beating for hurting his daughter's feelings and the next time he and Frederick talked to each other, the Lord of Envy wasn't pleased but hid his distaste from him, likely having a harsh talk with Seviathan for his actions and berating him harshly for his judgment behind closed doors.
Whatever relationship Frederick and Bethesda had with their children, it wasn't one based on love and affection. If they did care for their children, they certainly didn't show it, seeming to care more for their reputation and duties than their children's well being.
Sure, they gave their kids a home and money, but when it came to actually parenting, they turned their backs and left the maids to do all the heavy lifting. They had a Kingdom to maintain and spending time with their children would distract them from doing their jobs as efficiently as possible.
Maybe on a rare occasion they'd pay their children any mind but other than that, the chance they'd even look in their direction was fairly low, especially after Seviathan cost them their chance at marrying into the royal family.
Prior to that incident, Frederick and Bethesda tolerated their kids a bit more but after that…the relationship took a downward plunge and interactions were indifferent at best and hostile at worst….
The silence was telling and in an attempt to regain control of the conversation, Frederick cleared his throat and said,"Regardless, we didn't come here to talk about our different methods of parenting. We came to talk about you two and how you're lagging behind on your duties. The only Sins are getting worried about you two and they're wondering if you can continue to do your jobs at this rate."
"Of course we can.." Lucifer huffed,"Just because we're investigating our daughter's disappearance doesn't mean we can't do our duties as well."
"Then why don't you do that? You two haven't been answering our calls or doing what you're supposed to do for months. You can't keep neglecting your duties all the time, it's downright irresponsible and it'll only make yourselves look worse…"
"If we do, will you get off our backs?"
"We will, though, don't do it the wrong way, Lilith. We're just worried about you two. You don't look like you've been taking care of yourselves…"
Lilith shrugged,"We'll fix ourselves later…Just not right now…" When 'later' would be was a different question as the Queen herself wasn't quite sure when she was planning on fixing her appearance up and to be frank, she didn't want to…
Still, best to ease tensions and pretend to go along with it for the time being. Frederick and Bethesda were concerned so the best way to ward it off was to pretend that you were OK. Pretend you were alright even though you weren't.
"Fair enough. I suppose we'll see you later…"
"Yes…Please keep in touch,"Frederick said,"It would be for everyone's sake that you do…"
The two Rulers of Envy then took their leave, leaving the Rulers of Pride by themselves.
Lilith merely sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, a part of her still indiscreet at how her appearance had fallen off the handle. She hardly looked like the graceful and elegant Queen everyone was used to seeing.
"You're beautiful," Lucifer said, snapping her out of her daze.
She didn't say anything in response, merely rolling her eyes before looking at the picture of their daughter and clenching the paper tightly. Hopelessness consumed her soul as the chances of finding Charlie became bleaker and bleaker.
Lucifer lowered his head at his wife's sorrowful face, a glint of fear entering his eyes. He knew that face all too well, he had seen it on devastated people who lost everything before selling their souls to him both on Earth and in Hell.
Normally he'd be amused upon seeing such a face but seeing his beloved wife become so hopeless made his heart wrench with agony, the guilt threatening to consume him whole.
She may not have said it aloud…but it was fairly clear that Lilith didn't expect to find her daughter, not in one piece anyway. Even as Lucifer attempted to console her, the only response he got was her brushing him off and saying to get to work in an icy cold manner…
He wasn't sure what to do at that point, but he didn't want to give up. He didn't want to believe Charlie was gone. As far as he was concerned, there was still a chance and so long as her body remained undiscovered, that chance was something he was willing to it wasn't like he had much else to hold onto anyway…
Frederick and Bethesda headed back to their home hours later, the two monarchs not speaking a word once they left Lucifer's mansion. Things had been rather silent and when they got back home, they went back to doing what they usually did, such as pertaining to their duties.
Things with the lock-down were still going rough. Denizens of Hell didn't like being cooped up and they had to lay down the law else face the wrath of Lucifer. They weren't fans of it either but until Lucifer called off his search(if he would ever do that) all they could do was abide by his commands.
"Honey, I'll go grab you a drink, you look like you need it."
"Thanks, Bethesda...I appreciate it..."
As Frederick got back into his office, he couldn't help but feel stuck on what his friends had said to him earlier. Normally he'd dismiss criticism towards his parenting but Lilith struck a nerve and the feeling had yet to subside…
Speaking of which, he couldn't help but wonder…where were those little hell-spawns again? He hadn't seen them in damn near six months and he was curious to know where they went.
He attempted to call Seviathan and Helsa but received no response, both their phones going on voicemail. He was confused why this was the case and was irritated, feeling his children were testing his patience by refusing to pick up the phone.
'Damn brats…' He thought to himself,'Who the hell do they think they are to ignore me, their own father? Disrespectful cretins…'
He then looked at his phone before scrolling through the texts. It had been months since he looked at the messages but the last interaction he had with Seviathan ended on a rough note as he rejected his son's offer to spend time with him.
As he re-read the conversation he couldn't help but feel a particle of emotion well up inside of him, one that made him cringe. He swore he could've felt guilt flash inside of him for a moment but he quickly pushed back the feeling, believing his mind was merely playing tricks on him.
No, he was far stronger than that. He was above feeling emotions like guilt, he hadn't done anything wrong, a being like himself wasn't capable of making mistakes.
Regardless, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He only now just noticed how long his kids had been gone but he knew it was abnormal even by their standards. The fact that Seviathan and Helsa hadn't returned was a red-flag that something had gone wrong as the twins usually came back within a month if they ever left the house.
Whatever had happened he was certain it was nothing good.
He groaned irritably,"Those two better not have run off like Charlie did…I can't have a new scandal on my hands…I better do something about this before those kids end up costing me more than just my reputation this time around. I can't risk the public finding out about this one. Thankfully, there are quieter methods of getting what I want…"
Frederick then sighed before looking at his phone and dialing a number. It rang for a few seconds before a masculine voice asked,"Hello, how can I help you today?"
"Hi, it's me, Frederick Von Eldritch. You should know who I am but that's hardly important right now. "
"I do know…but is there any particular reason for you calling us?"
"Yes. I'd like to hire several private investigators for two missing people. My son and daughter, Seviathan and Helsa have gone missing and I'd like to report them missing please and thank you."
"We're on it sir…"
As Frederick finished his call, Bethesda walked in with some wine in hand before asking,"Fredrick, my dear, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, love..." He lied, not wanting to inform his wife of what happened,"It's just a business call, nothing more..."
"Oh alright...I was worried for a second. I'm glad that you're OK though."
"Me too..." He mumbled before giving her a kiss that she gave back passionately.
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Enigmus-288: He doesn't want his dad to die. Arackniss and Henroin have a better relationship than Angel does with Henroin so they actually give a damn about each other. Not like he has a choice, Val was gonna take him anyway so it was either the easy way or the hard way(Aka Val dragging Arackniss with him).