Daily Disclaimer: Check out my DA for art and type EmeraldOverlord in the search box since I have art of my fic on there.
The end of the month approached faster than the blink of an eye.
Time passed quicker than the Princess would've liked. In the time she had left with her friends Charlie spent it trying to accommodate her allies to the best of her ability, having the guards give them better quality food since she wasn't allowed to visit them often during these trying times.
During the times where Charlie was allowed to visit them(for short periods of time), she did her best to put them at ease and make them as comfortable as she possibly could. It wasn't much but it was the least she could possibly do for them.
Eventually however, the dreaded time arrived.
Charlie peered out the glass window somberly as she saw carriages awaited outside the palace with horses attached to them. The time to bid goodbye was near and she could feel her stomach churning in discomfort, the fear of the possibility of never seeing them again crossing her mind.
"Charlotte," Alyssa called out from behind,"Your Father requested for you to come outside. The prisoners are about to be escorted to their carriages. Do you wish to see them one last time before they are taken away?"
The Princess nodded her head,"I would like that very much…"
"Come along, they're about to load them into the carts as we speak. If we hurry we might be able to catch them for a quick chat…"
Charlie and Alyssa headed outside the palace doors. Lucifer, Lilith and Zesital stood nearby where the carriages were.
Charlie's back straightened at the sight of Zestial who greeted her with an all too 'welcoming' smile,"Hello there, Charlotte. Pleasure to see you today, isn't it?"
Her glare becomes deadly cold,'Ugh…him..' She took a deep breath before regaining her composure,'Deep breathes, Charlie..Don't show weakness in front of your enemies. It only encourages them.'
"Yes…it is…" She said, lying through her teeth.
"I'm glad that you agree. I know that we've both been waiting for this day to come. Isn't this just exciting, Princess."
'For you and you alone…' She thought bitterly to herself, biting her tongue as she forced out an apathetic response,"I care little for it either way."
It was a lie, but she didn't want that bastard to know. He had no right to know how she truly felt.
"Are you certain? You seemed rather upset the last time we spoke face to face? What changed, Charlotte?"
"It's none of your business what 'changed' my mind but I will say this, I've 'matured' enough to accept what has happened and will accept what is to come with elegance and grace like a true Royal would, not like you would know anything about that."
Zestial snickered,"Ah, still have plenty of bite within your soul, don't you? How amusing…"
"I'm far more capable than you realize. I may lack physical powers but I am more than capable of standing my ground,"She asserted, her arms folded over her bosom confidently."Regardless, you are not the one I'm here for."
"Hmph, suit yourself."
Charlie narrowed her eyes at the carriages before her. She turned her her parents before asking,"Are the prisoners going to be outside soon?"
"Zesital said the guards are gathering them all. We're getting the aquatic prisoners into the special tanks before transporting them aboard with the rest of the land-bound inmates."
'Seviathan…Helsa…' She thought to herself before sighing,"I see…"
Soon afterwards, Charlie witnesses the guards carrying two aquatic tanks with lids over them. She could see Seviathan and Helsa inside the cramped tanks, both unconscious. Those tanks looked more akin to coffins with how little room there was inside.
"Are they sleeping?" She asked, hiding the concern in her voice.
Lucifer shook his head,"No, they were put in a state of unconsciousness in order to make transportation easier. The tranquilizers should keep them asleep for a good while."
"Couldn't you have put them in the tanks without knocking them out?"
"We tried that, they responded poorly so we had to knock them out to reduce chances of injury. The boy tried to slap a guard with his tail so we had to use a different strategy to get them under control. Due to the size of their tanks we have to put them in a separate carriage instead of with the rest of the inmates."
Charlie winced at the statement, disturbed by how calmly her alternate Father said those words.
Seviathan and Helsa's unconscious bodies were soon placed inside a carriage and afterwards, the other guards came out to escort the other prisoners out.
"Let go of me! ¡Cabrón hijo de perra!" Vaggie snapped as the guards struggled to keep her from wiggling out of their grasp.
"Ow! Quit pulling on my hair you fucking dickheads!" Velvet hissed as they pulled on her pigtails.
"Disrespectful men!" Niffty whined as they roughly dragged her out.
Soon after, the male prisoners were escorted and were reacting in a similar manner to being dragged out.
"Get your hands off of me!" Al demanded,"I mean it! Do not touch me as if I'm your toy!"
"Fuck you, you pieces of shit!" Husk scowled,"Get the fuck off of us!"
"Watch your hands, bastard! You didn't pay for that privilege!" Angel retorted before noticing Charlie,"Charlie! What's happening!? What is going on!?" His voice was laced with confusion and fear, Angel's eyes wide with frantic panic.
Charlie swallowed her breath, averting her gaze. She genuinely wanted to speak, to tell them that they were going to be OK…but she knew that was going to be a lie.
She desperately wanted to reach out and stop this, but she knew she had no real choice in the manner that ship has sailed and now all she could do was stand idle as her friends were taken away from her.
Her lack of response caused a shiver to run down Angel's spine as he tugged against his restraints. The others began to shout rebelliously against their captors to no avail as they were brought closer and closer to the carriage.
"Charlie, answer me!"
"Do not demand anything out of my daughter, peasant,"Lucifer snapped,"You have no right to demand anything out of my sweet Charlotte. Making such demands out of the heir to the throne would be a death sentence given your peasant status. You should consider yourself lucky you're no longer going to be our problem anymore…"
"Fuck you!" He growled,"Charlie! Don't just stand there like a log! Help us!"
"Guards, remove these nuisances at once! They keep trying to converse with my daughter, as if they have the right. Remove them from our sight and haul them to our dear friend, that's an order."
"Yes sire! Everyone, load them up!"
The guards quickly began shoving the group into the carriages, shoving everyone in the same cart.
Charlie averted her gaze as her friends were hauled up inside their cages, her heart churning in agony at the sight. However, Charlie couldn't help but notice something off…
Someone was missing….
Her eyes then widened,'Vox! Where is he!?' She then looked at her parents and said,"Mother, Father…where's Vincent? Isn't he supposed to be in the carriage too?"
"I believe so,"Lilith said,"Dear, where is that prisoner in particular? Didn't we agree that every single one of them would be handed to Belphegor?"
"We did, dear," He said,"However, I neglected to tell you that Mammon said he personally wanted to escort Vincent out. It was a fairly odd request but I figured it wouldn't do us any harm."
"He requested WHAT!?" She snapped, her outburst taking the monarchs and Zestial himself off guard. She quickly recomposed herself before saying,"I mean, he requested that out of all things? That's a tad ridiculous don't you think?"
"I can't say I was all too fond of it but he absolutely insisted for whatever reason. Though I'd frankly prefer if he hurried it up, it shouldn't take this long to escrot one measly prisoner now should it?"
"Father, would you mind if I checked on him? He might be having…troubles for whatever reason and it'd be in our best interest if we got Vincent inside the carriage as quickly as possible."
"You know there's no need, we can easily have a guard do the job instead. That is what we hired them for…"
"Oh don't be such a prude,"Lilith said, placing her hand on her husband's shoulder,"What our daughter is asking for is hardly that big of a deal. Let her do as she pleases…"
"Oh alright, Lily, since you insist. I cannot say no to that face,"He chuckled,"Run along, Charlotte. Just be sure to be quick about it. I wouldn't want to waste too much time out here. We all have things to do."
"Thank you…" Charlie quickly scurried off as fast as her heels could carry her.'What that son of a bitch! When I get my hands on him I swear to God he'll wish he hadn't been outed out of Heaven!'
In the meantime, Vox slept soundly in his bed, the covers draped over him. The warm embrace of the covers made him feel at ease as he dreamed of a peace he couldn't ever hope to achieve in reality.
As he slept, Mammon hovered over his bedside, the Lord of Avarice observed the sight from above. Mammon couldn't help but feel captivated by the sight. He hadn't truly noticed it before but…
'He's so beautiful…' He thought to himself.
He couldn't help himself but dive his hands into his hair, gently twiddling his golden locks between his fingers.
Still, he reminded himself of his reason for being here. He had to wake Vincent up for the transport, much to his dismay…
Had he had it his way, he would've just whisked him away into his palace, keeping him in his clutches until the end of time itself. It was regrettable but he reasoned that once Belphegor was done experimenting on them, Vincent would be handed back to him as promised.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty. It's time to get up, Vincent…" He cooed, gently nudging the blonde awake.
Vox's pale blue eyes creaked open, his gaze blurry and hazy at first. He groaned before coming around, his vision slowly being restored. When he finally locked eyes with Mammon he nearly fell off the bed, gasping in a panic,"Mammon! W-What are you doing here? Is..is it time already?"
"Oh Vincent, how I wish that was the case,"He replied, his voice taking a harsher tone as he began to ramble and rant,"You see, there's been a change of plans and Lucifer has required that you and your allies be transported to Lord Belphegor's custody. Worry not, it's only temporary but I've been instructed to grant him custody of you until he deems it fit to return you to my service…"
Vox felt a sense of slight relief and a surge of anxiety flood through him. On one hand, Mammon was off his back, on the other he had another Deadly Sin that was there to latch onto him.
Just his luck.
But what surprised him most was the way Mammon looked at him. It was different compared to all the other times that Greedy Lord eyed him. Usually his eyes were filled with either confidence, lust or an eerie sense of calm. Rarely would he show anger but even then, it was usually in a controlled manner.
This…was different. The tone in his voice was bitter, his voice somewhat soft compared to his usually booming voice. It sounded as if he were actually upset he had to give him up, likely because he had no choice in the matter.
He knew it was wrong…but instead of feeling triumphant over his misery, he felt pity for him. This was after all, the first time he had seen Mammon genuinely grieve the loss of anything in his entire life(and likely this was Mammon's first time if his face was anything to go off of.)
The sight was pathetic, and Vox felt a tad bad for him despite it all. Against his better judgment he reached out and gripped Mammon's face as a plan to put an end to the pitiful sight stirred in his simind.
It was a foolish idea, but he figured whatever made him stop feeling bad for this bastard was good enough for the moment.
"Vincent…what are you doing?" He asked, somewhat bemused by his sudden take to action and backed up slightly. For once, his composure seemed to falter and he appeared almost nervous, as if he were a normal person and not the living embodiment of Vice and Sin.
"Helping you get over yourself," He stated flatly,"Now hold still."
Vox then kissed Mammon on the cheek sloppily.
it was a quick peck that had only lasted for a mere few seconds but to Mammon, it felt as if time stopped in that instance.
This time it was his turn to blush as his cheeks became a dark crimson, the touch of Vincent's lips ignited a spark within his body as if the mere contact sent volts of electricity through his mind, body and the innermost of his dark and corrupted soul. His heart raced even after Vincent had separated from him and Mammon was in a bit of a trance for a split second.
That spark that Vincent's lips sent through his body threatened to consume Mammon's entire being, a pinch of fear going along with it as this strange feeling took over. His heart…it was pounding, the damn thing threatening to burst out of his chest. Not only that but his mind was a frenzy of thoughts and he could hardly think straight…
'By Lucifer's name…what's happening to me!?' He thought before gazing at Vincent, the feeling in his chest growing stronger.
This feeling in his chest…it made him feel..strange. It was strong, passionate and yet eerily craving affection. He wondered if it was lust but dismissed it;he had felt lust for Vincent prior yet it never felt like this.
When he felt lust, his loins and his body were taken with desire, a feeling he knew all too well. But this…no…this was different. This feeling was far more tender and while there was desire, it was not the lustful kind…not entirely anyway.
Could it be?
'No!' He thought to himself,'I cannot love him. That's impossible. That cannot be it..unless…'
He then looked at Vincent who slowly reached out and asked,"Mammon, you've been rather quiet..Is something wrong?"
"Oh you know, Vincent,"He said lowly,"There's no need to lie…"
"W-What are you talking about?" He asked, attempting to hide the fear inside of his voice, regret already seeping inside of him.
Mammon cackled,"Don't try and play coy, Vincent. We both know what you did. Such a wicked sorcerer. Using your deception to cast a spell on me in the moment where I had least expected…How clever…" He gripped Vincent's chin and forced him to look him in the eyes with his iron grip, the blonde's eyes wide with terror and confusion.
"Please let go of me…" He pleaded, his complaint falling on deaf ears.
Mammon found himself unable to tear his gaze from him despite his anxiety kicking him. To think of a mortal this way…it was improper and appalling. He couldn't be feeling this way but this feeling that Vincent caused refused to waver…
The things that man was doing to him…he couldn't understand it. What was coming over him? What was this feeling? Was it love? No…it had to be a curse of some kind, Vincent had to be making him feel this way. That accursed sorcerer was corrupting his mind and making him feel things he had never felt before…
Before Mammon could ponder anything else, Charlie's voice snapped at him,"Mammon! Release Vincent at once!"
He growled in irritation,"Charlotte Morningstar, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"You know damn well what this is about, Mammon!" The Princess hissed,"I cannot believe Father entertained your ridiculous request. I should've known you'd do something like this. You sick bastard…"
"Feisty aren't we?" He snickered,"Don't be so sour, Charlotte. I was just about to deliver Vincent as promised. I was just…dealing with him that's all."
She scoffed,"As if I'm going to take your word for it…"
Mammon cares little for Charlie's threat,"Make of what you will,Charlotte, it changes nothing between the three of us…"
'Three of us?' Vox thought to himself,'Charlie…what did you do?' He looked at her bemusement, desiring an answer for Mammon's claim.
Charlie refused to look Vox in the eyes before addressing the Deadly Sin before her"Silence, Mammon,"She retorted,"Come on, let's just escort Vincent out of here and go on with our lives. I've wanted enough time and I won't waste anymore just because you want to mess around."
"Suit yourself, Princess…" He cackled,"Come along, Vincent. Let's get you nice and settled in. It's going to be a long ride so you better be prepared..."
Vox momentarily glanced at Charlie before grabbing his satchel and following after. He was then taken outside where the others were located.
The guards opened the carriage and shoved him inside with the rest, ignoring his complaints before slamming the door shut. Soon afterwards the horses dragged the carriages down the road and soon enough, vanished out of sight. Charlie watched sadly as her friends were taken away from her, her frown tightening once she could no longer see them.
"Well that settles that,"Lucifer said,"Looks like we won't have to worry about them anymore, right my Lovely?"
"Indeed, my Love,"She chuckled,"It seems everything is back to normal…
Zestial cleared his throat,"Speaking of which, we should probably head inside…"
"That does sound like a splendid idea, say, Charlotte, are you ready to come inside?" Lilith inquired.
"Not yet, Mother…"She mumbled,"I just want to stay out here for a little. I need some time to myself…"
"Fair enough. Just be sure to come inside when you are ready. Say, Lord Mammon-"
"I'll be alright," He assured,"In fact, I'd actually prefer to stick around Charlotte for a moment. You know, just to keep her company."
"That sounds alright,"Lucifer said,"Just be sure to keep an eye on her, alright? You know Charlotte can be a bit much, make sure she stays out of trouble for us, OK?"
"Anything for a friend,Lucifer…"
Once the three were out of sight, Charlie and Mammon dropped the affable act. The Lord of Greed then sneered,"Quiet now, are we, Charlotte? What's the matter, cat got your tongue?"
She scoffed at his mocking tone,"None of your business, Mammon."
"Oh but I do believe it is,"He cackled."After all, we still have a deal, don't we? The deal is that if Vincent miraculously manages to fall in love prior to being handed back to me that his soul is free?"
"I remember…"
"You do, but I must say, Charlotte, you put yourself at quite the disadvantage here. Of all things to wager on, someone falling in love with another after having their heart broken is quite a leap. Do you truly believe that Vincent is going to find true love while being Belphegor's little lab rat? Because if so, then you are more delusional than I thought you'd be. You know it's not too late to wager your own soul to even things up a bit. Might actually stand a chance if you catch my drift…"
"I'm willing to take my chances, Mammon. Go bargain for souls elsewhere because you have no business in claiming what is mine."
"Then so be it…" He replied, revoking his hand,"Since you want to play it that way, I'll leave you to it. Just don't say I didn't warn you, Charlotte, because when this blows up in your face you're going to wish you had taken my offer sooner…"
He soon vanished into thin air, leaving a trail of green smoke.
The Princess grit her teeth as she spat an insult once he was gone,"Annoying bastard…"
Still her anger waned as sadness took over. She felt ashamed and devastated, her friends were gone, whisked off to Belphegor's palace for who knows what. She feared what was to come and thee looks of terror and confusion in their eyes as they were taken away, especially Angel, who outright called out for her to help them and she just stood idle and watched as they were loaded up into carts…
The situation was out of her hands and all she could do was hope that her plan worked. The plan she had in mind was risky and likely to fail, but it was the only one she had…
"Helsa…please make things right…If not for your sake…for his…"
She then turned her back and walked away, heading back to the castle sadly, bowing her head in shame as she did so.
The ride inside the carriage was anything but comfortable.
Everyone was beyond cramped and everyone was more or less shoulder to head. The carriage was incredibly cramped and there was barely enough room to stand. It was incredibly dark to the point they could barely see themselves, let alone the people next to them.
"OW! Someone keeps stepping on my hair!" Vaggie hissed.
"HEY!Which one of you keeps elbowing me in the ribs!?" Velvet exclaimed,"It hurts!"
"EEEEK! I can't see!" Niffty cried,"It's too cramped in here! I'm getting squished! I can barely breathe!"
"Trust me, darling, you're not the only one feeling that way,"Al said,"ARGH! By the way, which one of you keeps pulling on my hair!?"
"Al, none of us can see for shit!" Husk growled,"Quit acting like you're the only one suffering. I've been elbowed ten times in a row and you don't see me hollering!"
He scoffed,"For you it's temporary, for me, it's permanent,Husker. You'll have your vision back once this damned carriage lets us go, I am not so lucky…"
"It's not my fault we're stuck here."
"But it is your fault I'm like this…"
"Do not go there. I had no idea that would happen!"
"Hardly changes anything."
"Hate to break up the argument but I do think we've got bigger problems on our hands than your little spat with the old man, Bambi!" Vox cut in, no doubt irritated from hearing constant arguing and from being squished.
"Like what, Vox?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact we're all crammed together in a tight space where we can't even move without breathing down each other's necks!?"
"Don't act all innocent, Vox,"Angel snapped,"After all, it's your fault we're even in this fucking mess in the first place! You selling yourself to Mammon cost us all our fucking freedom and now we're being hauled off to who knows where now that the Devil's grown tired of housing us. Nice going, asshole!"
"I had no intention on getting us all caught!"
"Does it matter? Sorry ain't getting us out of this mess, Vox and it sure as hell ain't gonna make up for what you did. You got us all in hot water Vox, now we're all gonna suffer because of your folly."
"Who cares!?" Velvet said,"Arguing ain't gonna change our situation! What's done is done, Vox fucked up, big whoop. We've all done shit we regretted and ain't none of us in this room saints, you included, Angel…"
"Don't gotta be a saint to judge someone for screwing us all over. Why are you so eager to defend this asshole? You know he's just trying to make himself look innocent to save his image…"
"He did it to save Helsa since he liked her. Course it turned out she was just using him and that he sold himself for nothing, but he did sell himself for a reason. He did it for love…." Velvet said.
"How do you know that?"
"Charlie told me. And I'm certain Husk would back me up since he's been with Vox the entire time before we reunited. Right Husk?"
"It was particularly his only reason for being there in the first place. He was head over heels for her. Too bad he didn't realize she was using him until the last minute though. Sorry you had to find out that way, Vox…"
"It's fine…"
Angel scoffed,"Of for fuck's sake, am the only one here not falling for this BS sob-story? Even if that's the case, it don't excuse dragging us all down with him! Him thinking with his dick cost us our freedom! And now…who knows where they're taking us…"
"I'm honestly more surprised that Charlie didn't do anything," Niffty said,"She just stood idle while we were all getting dragged in here without even protesting our treatment…"
"She probably couldn't," Vaggie said,"It's not like they'd allow her to help us…"
"She still couldn't done more than just stand there like a fucking log," Velvet hissed,"I don't get how you guys can't see it. That blonde bitch has been playing us. Think about it, she's got herself a nice palace, a loving family and wonderful food. She probably figured we were more trouble than we were worth and threw us to the sharks. No doubt Mommy and Daddy were overjoyed to get rid of any extra 'luggage'."
This sentence of course sparked a lot of discourse and arguing.
"That ain't true!" Angel said,"Charlie's too nice for that shit! She'd never betray us!"
Velvet sneered,"Then why did she stand idle while we were getting apprehended? It's not like she wasn't aware, she was standing right there and yet remained silent as we were taken away! I knew she was far too nice for it to be true!"
Vaggie scowled,"Watch your mouth, Velvet! You have no right to speak of my friend so harshly, especially without any evidence! Charlie is a sweetheart and I know she'd never betray us knowingly! Our apprehension was probably out of her hands and decided by her parents."
"And yet she did nothing to stop it? Didn't even protest a tiny bit? Your excuses for her fall thin, Vaggie. I get she fooled you just like she fooled the rest of us into thinking we were all friends, but it's beyond obvious that she's a liar."
"That ain't true," Angel said,"Charlie would never lie about this. There's a logical reason for this, there's just gotta be…"
"Why are you so desperate to defend her, Angel?" The former Doll Demon inquired,"Are you delusional or perhaps…blinded by love?"
"That's fucking ridiculous," Vaggie retorted,"Just because he doesn't believe your asinine claims doesn't mean he loves Charlie. You of all people should know he's gay and that he's not into girls…"
"Then why not let him speak for himself? Since you're so confident," She chuckled,"Come on, Angel Dust…Tell me, what are your true feelings about Charlie and why are you so eager to defend her against any accusation coming her way?"
"Because I know Charlie's not a fucking sellout and she's wouldn't do us like that. No doubt her hands are tied in this situation…"
"I-I already told you, she's just a friend…" He stammered, cursing upon realizing his mistake.
"Stumbling over your words, Angel? Don't be shy, there's no need to be embarrassed. We both know the truth…" She giggled.
Angel refused to speak, averting his gaze at Velvet's armor-piercing words.
"Vel, stop," Vox ordered,"This isn't helping anyone and pressuring Angel about his sexuality ain't gonna solve anything. Leave him be. This isn't the time for this…"
"Aw, Voxy, I didn't mean any harm, I was just teasing that's all…" She cackled,'Well, mostly anyway…"
"It doesn't matter,"Husk said,"Angel's sexuality is his fucking business and is the least of our worries. Right now we should be worried about where those bastards are taking us in the first place. Does anyone here have any idea where they might be sending us?"
"Could it be to kill us?" Al asked,"They might be handing us over to have us executed…"
"If they wanted us dead they would have killed us by now," Angel said quietly,"Lucifer said before his guards threw me in here that we're going to be someone else's problem, meaning that whoever he's delivering us to is going to have us at their mercy. Who it is in particular is a mystery to me. Knowing the Devil himself, he likely sent us to the worst of the worst purely to torment us."
"And how could that possibly be?" Al asked.
"Belphegor," Vox admitted.
"Belphegor?" Niffty whispered,"You mean…The Lord of Sloth? The King of Laziness?"
"There's only one Belphegor I'm aware of that holds any political importance."
Angel narrowed his eyes with suspicion, his tone accusatory,"How do you know, Vox? You can't possibly know more than we do."
"As a matter of fact, I do, Angel Dust," He assured flatly,"You may not think so but I know far more than you think I do and while you may not trust me, the information I have to share is something all of us deserve to know for our own self interest…"
"Out with it,"Alastor commanded,"Assuming your words are as true as you say….."
Vox took a deep breath,"Mammon told me back in my cell that all of us we're going to be in Belphegor's custody until further notice…"
"Sounds awfully coincidental for him to inform you of this arrangement personally on the day we were getting transported, don't ya think? Are you sure you didn't have anything to do with this, Vox? Because you're making yourself pretty suspicious…" Angel sneered.
"Fuck off, Angel," Velvet said,"He and Mammon not in cahoots with each other if that's what you're implying…"
"Says the woman who accused Charlie of being a traitor based on mindless accusations," He snapped.
"Oh for fuck's sake, ENOUGH!" Husk hissed, causing everyone to fall silent,"I'm sick of all this nonsensical bickering! Y'all need to can it because I for one AM tired of all of your shit! And if you all don't quiet down and listen to each other then so help me god you'll have something to be complaining about when I am through with ya…"
Everyone fell silent, nobody dared to move an inch in fear of triggering Husks's wrath.
"Thank you," He heaved, taking a moment to catch his breath after yelling so loudly,"You have the floor, TV, don't waste it…"
"Thanks…" He mumbled,"As I was saying, Mammon informed me that Lucifer instructed him to relinquish custody of me to Belphegor for 'experimentation' purposes due to owing the man a few 'favors' so to speak. From what I could tell, he wasn't all too pleased with this arrangement and Lucifer was likely the one pulling all the strings."
"Experimentation?" Niffty gulped, fright entering her voice as she shivered in terror,"You don't mean…that kind of experimentation do you?"
"Mammon did make Belphegor sound like a science nut. Bastard is probably the living embodiment of all the mad scientists we see in pop culture nowadays. And if he's anything like them, he no doubt dabbles into unethical experimentation."
Vaggie tensed,"Shit! That bastard is gonna use us as his fucking lab rats!"
"Well gee, ain't that just fucking swell,"Velvet grumbled,"That's just what we what we needed. Just when I thought we couldn't get enough of the Deadly Sins, Lucifer's now delivering us gift wrapped to Belphegor as his pieces of menagerie!"
"Whatever shall we do now?" Al inquired.
"I don't think we can do anything so long as we're stuck in this godforsaken cage,"Husk stated grimly,"All we can do is wait and hope the ride is over.."
"How long do you think that's gonna take?" Angel mumbled,"Because this place is really cramped and I can't tell which one of you guys is stepping on my foot…"
"Believe me, we're about as comfortable as you are,"Husk growled,"I can't tell you how many times someone elbowed me in the face because of how tight it is…"
From then one, the ride was silent. Time passed rather slowly and with the exception of a few muttered cruses under their breath, it was dead quiet….
As the hours ticked by, their bodies started to ache. Standing so long in one place didn't help and they couldn't move a mere inch running into another person's body part. The throbbing pain within their bodies was making them numb and they hated every second of it.
When the cart finally came to an abrupt halt, the doors to the carriage flew open. The group collapsed to the ground, the group collectively groaning in agony as they piled on top of each other.
"Ow…"
"My leg!"
"Ugh…."
Eventually, Angel snapped,"Will you guys get off of me!? You're crushing my back!"
Everyone begrudgingly got off, all still weary and in a haze from the rough ride. Everyone slowly stood up and regained their composure.
Vox clutched his head,"God…That was the worst ride of my life…"
"You said it," Velvet groaned, stretching her back out,"I'm gonna develop claustrophobia after that one.."
"Uh…guys?" Niffty said.
"What is it this time?"Angel growled.
"Look!" Niffty pointed ahead of them.
The group(with the exception of Al for obvious reasons) looked in the direction she pointed at, their jaws dropping at the sight.
Before them was a large and dreary castle that appeared to be designed like an oversized jail. There were large metal gates surrounding the front with lighthouses at the top that shone around the perimeter…
"God…it doesn't even look like a palace..It's like a giant prison…" Vox muttered.
A wave of dread washed over them when a strange guard approached was wearing a different outfit from the ones they were used to and likely was affiliated with Belphegor rather than the Prince of Pride.a
A guard aproached them with a cocky smirk,"Enjoying the scenery? Don't worry, you'll all get plenty of time to examine your surroundings once you're inside. This is your new home after all. Let's get you acquainted, shall we?"
Several other guards showed up and began dragging them to the palace. With their powers suppressed they had no choice but to follow them, dread filling their stomachs at the prospect of what awaited them.
Belphegor was taking down notes in his office, scribbling down notes of his latest experiment,"Another failed experiment. What an inconvenience. I need better test subjects than the lowly outcasts of society and criminals, yet I can never seem to find any worthwhile subjects either way…"
A knock was heard on his door and he snapped,"What!? Can't you see I'm busy?"
"I hate to bother you Lord Belphegor, however I've come to inform you that Lord Lucifer has delivered you some subjects you may be interested in!" A guard exclaimed.
"He did?" He asked,"Since when?"
"Just today! He said that they were becoming inconveniences and that he was hoping you'd be willing to take them off of his hands."
"How many are there?"
"Nine I believe. We've placed those who could walk in our standard cells however we were left at a loss of what to do with the sirens…"
"Sirens? You caught sirens? Live sirens?" He asked, now somewhat intrigued.
"They are Frederick and Bethesda's children and while unconscious, they are very much alive. You've never truly got the chance to fully experience a live siren for your own purposes so we were hoping you'd be interested…"
"Oh I'm interested,"He replied,"Very interested. But first, I must know, where have you placed them?"
"We put them in your laboratory. We figured you'd want to test them first so we prepared them for you. Is that alright?"
"Just perfect. I prefer when the tiresome work is already done for me,"He chuckled,"I trust that you are telling me the truth however, yes?"
"We'd never tell you a lie, your Majesty…"
"I still need to be sure. Lead me the way there and if you happen to be lying I'll have to punish you," He remarked calmly, not even batting an eye.
The guard gulped,"R-Right this way sire…"
The guard escorted Belphegor to his laboratory and opened the door for him. To his surprise and delight, Helsa and Seviathan both laid there in their glass tanks, both still knocked out cold from the tranquilizers.
He approached tanks, the lids having been removed beforehand. He examined them closely,"Fascinating. What exquisite models. They already look promising, they do look a tad…pale…"
"Pale?"
"Their spots have faded. Most likely due to prolonged exposure on the surface without being in the ocean. Sirens have spots on them to help them camouflage when in dangerous situations yet it seems they've been out on the surface long enough to have their spots dry out since their camouflage no longer works above water. I've never witnessed such a thing myself but I've read books on it happening..."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Oh no, it's just something I took notice of. It's nothing that should be harmful to them. Sirens can survive just fine on land."
"Now what do you plan on doing with them?"
"Oh nothing," Belphegor sneered,"I just need to…make a few adjustments with their forms, that's all. After all, if I am going to experiment on them, they'll need to be a bit more transportable. Now leave me be, I'll need some time for myself in order to perfect my work…"
"As you wish, your highness…"
Once the guard was gone, Belphegor focused on the twins with heightened curiosity and glee.``It's been a while since I've had a live siren in my care. However, Bethesda and Frederick have provided me with the perfect research subjects for my plans and I plan on taking full advantage of this. Now, let's get started, shall we?"
He reached for his magical books and his scientific research, flipping to a certain page before getting to work.
Seviathan's body felt like it had been hit by a truck.
'Goddamn those anesthetics packed a punch…'He hissed in agony as the effects of the tranquilizers wore off, rubbing his head irritably,"Ugh…my head…"
His vision was blurry and everything felt so numb…
He blinked as he looked around, finding himself in a strange room he had never seen before. As his vision struggled to come to terms with what he was seeing, he couldn't help but feel something off about the lower-half of his body…
When Seviathan looked down he nearly let out a scream at what he saw. Instead of the marvelous tail he had grown accustomed to seeing, he saw a pair of humanoid legs attached to his body.
"W-What? W-What happened to me?" He asked, looking down at himself in awe. His body…it was humanoid again.
He then rose out of his glass container and stood up, his legs wobbly as ever. He grabbed the glass for support as he struggled to regain his balance. He hadn't walked in ages and being able to stand on two feet again was definitely going to take some getting used to.
It took a few attempts to gain his confidence(the first few times he nearly stumbled on his face) and when he managed to walk without collapsing he took the time to come to terms with his surroundings.
Around him was a large laboratory with all sorts of chemicals and machines around. He couldn't tell what any of it was but he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. He then couldn't help but feel something was missing…
'Helsa!' He thought,'Shit! Where is she!?'
His eyes darted around and he noticed a glass tank just like his nearby. He quickly rushed over and saw his sister lying inside, her eyes still closed. He then said,"Helsa, are you there?"
The Princess stirred from her slumber, her icy blue eyes creaking open as she let out a groan. Helsa then took notice of her legs and let out a screech in shock.
"Watch the voice,Helsa. Some of us value our eardrums,"He grumbled,"Now get up, it's time to see where those bastards have taken us…" He outstretched his hand and Helsa slowly took it as he helped her stand up.
Helsa wasn't as lucky when it came to walking as she pretty much collapsed instantly and clung to Seviathan's hand to keep her balance.
"Helsa, you can't seriously intend to keep holding onto my hand…"
She sent him a look that he knew translated to,'I can barely walk jackass, help me goddammit.' and Seviathan found himself having little to no choice since his sister's grip was like steel.
Rolling his eyes at this, Seviathan decided to tolerate the arrangement for now….After all, they still had to get out of here.
He held his sister's hand as they walked around the lab. The place was a huge and very expensive investment. They felt rather small compared to the room around them and it seemingly never ended…
As they walked, Seviathan noticed footsteps from behind, a voice calling as it asked,"Going somewhere you two?"
Helsa immediately stood back and Seviathan watched as the figure approached them. In front of them was a pale skinned man with multicolored hair and a lab coat.
"Hello there, children. It seems you're finally awake…."
Seviathan glared at him, baring his teeth,"Who the hell are you?"
"Just a friend of your parents, Seviathan. Though it seems your memory must be a tad hazy. In that case, I shall introduce myself. My name is Belphegor and you two are one of the many new test subjects I've received today. Lucifer was just so generous to hand you all over to me, isn't that just exciting? We're going to have so much fun together…"
The twins felt dread rise up within them as the realization of just where they were came crashing down. Things were already bad earlier, but now? Things were hitting rock bottom, and somehow they had the feeling that this was just the start of it all…
Thanks for 11,963 views, tell me what you think below! Any feedback is appreciated so long as it's not rude.
Enigmus-288: Lucifer is a dick and kind of...gullible to an extent due to him taking Zestial's words. He's a cunning mastermind but even the Devil can be deceived when it comes to family matters and Zesital's just using that to his advantage.