Daily Disclaimer: My DA is EmeraldOverlord so feel free to check out any art you see since some of it is for my story.
The asylum was regulated tightly and under a strict schedule and they were woken up very early in the morning. The deafening chime of a bell ran throughout the building as they prepared for the day, the new arrivals already expecting the worst was yet to come.
They were soon let out of their cells and once they were done with their showers, they headed to breakfast and got in line.
Seviathan stood behind Angel Dust, who seemed just as excited to be around him as you would expect. The Prince of Envy couldn't believe that Charlie saw something in him. The man was nothing but a prude, selfish and arrogant fool and he couldn't believe Charlie had such low standards to consider him.
'What does she see in this fool?' He thought bitterly of himself, the Prince green with envy as he glared at the tall brunette with vice and disdain. He despised that man with all his being, everything from his voice to the way he looked made him sick to his stomach.
"You're staring,"Angel stated, snapping Seviathan out of his trance,"You know you don't gotta be shy, just about everyone with eyes finds me attractive. It's not a crime to stare."
Seviathan curled his lip in disgust,"You're mistaken, Angel Dust. I stare not because I am fixated on you, but because the sight of you revolts me. Your presence disgusts me…"
"Get used to it,"Angel teased, mocking the shorter male with a grin, blowing a kiss at him.
Seviathan cringed in response, he could feel himself becoming nauseous. Not only was he not attracted to men in the slightest, but the fact ANGEL DUST was flirting with him in any way was enough to make him turn green.
"Eugh…" Seviathan gagged,"You sicken me…"
"Ooh, harsh! What an insult!" Angel cooked sarcastically,"I'm so offended! Ha! No wonder Charlie broke up with your ass. Probably couldn't stand a guy with a stick so far up his ass."
The Prince of Envy snarled,"It's not wise to speak on matters you know nothing about, Angel. Keep your mouth shut if you value that life of yours, else you'll be going back to Hell faster than you expect…"
He scoffed,"Oh, are you threatening me, fish-boy? Ya think I'm just gonna cower down to you just because your Mommy and Daddy are big-shots? Because if so, I got news for you. You may be royalty but I couldn't give two fucks about any of that shit. You ain't shit to me and I sure as hell won't be quivering in my boots at the sight of you. Because know that Charlie ain't ever gonna love ya, and no one in this world ever will."
"Tough words for someone who knows nothing about who he's speaking to,"Seviathan growled,"You know NOTHING about me, and if you think you do, you're wrong and one of these days, you'll realize underestimating me was a mistake…"
Angel didn't' seem phased, blowing Seviathan's threat off like the wind,"Tch, whatever you say, fish-face…"
The two likely would have continued arguing had Vox not intervened, clearing his throat as he spoke up behind them,"Hate to bother you two but you do realize that you're holding up the line, right? I know it's' a little difficult to remember you're not the only person in this world who matters but some of us have to eat."
"Yeah, what's the big idea!?" Velvet groaned,"Seriously,I'm hungry!"
"Will you two move it or do I have to go over there and force ya outta the way?" Husk growled.
"Alright, alright, we're going," Angel said,"Sheesh…Y'all are impatient…"
"Well excuse us if we don't want to starve just because you two can't get along for five minutes,"Vaggie huffed,"Fucking dickheads…"
"You know we can hear you, right?" Seviathan asked flatly,"We're not deaf, woman…"
"Who do you think you are calling 'woman', asshole!?" She snapped,"I have a name you know?"
"Does it look like I care?" He retorted,"Just because you're Charlie's peasant friend doesn't mean you bear any significance to me. Do not act as though you are in my league…"
Vaggie snarled,"You are insufferable, Seviathan…"
He scoffed,"Watch your tongue, speaking ill of royalty is unwise…"
"I couldn't care less about your title, I deserve to be respected regardless of your superficial status. Your title means nothing while we're in this asylum Seviathan, so I suggest you treat the rest of us with respect."
"You have no right to make such commands of me, lady,"He retorted flatly.
Vaggie swore she could've feel her blood vessel on the verge of popping.
She wanted to punch Seviathan so badly but held herself back. If she knew anything about mental asylums, they put violent prisoners in solitary confinement and while she was many things, she wasn't mentally insane. The last thing she wanted was to be stuffed in a padded cell and isolated from the rest of the general population with those creepy nurses being the only ones to keep her company.
Any acts of violence were likely to be heavily monitored on her file and she didn't want to turn insane like the rest of the inmates in this life was already shitty as it was and she didn't want to locked away in a padded cell because the Prince of Envy had a punchable face.
Seviathan chuckled at the sight of Vaggie's enraged expression. Sometimes he forgot how fun mocking others were,especially those who were easy targets.
Eventually they moved forward in the line to get their food. The asylum food available seemed to be a mix of vegetables and dried fruits. To Seviathan and Helsa, who lived lives of luxury for all of their existence, it was more peasant food.
The Prince cringed,'Ugh…more peasant food. Gross…'
He winced at the sight of this before noticing one of the nurses staring at him. It was rather uncomfortable given they didn't have any eyes(not that he could tell with those bandages wrapped over their faces) but with the way their body was positioned he assumed this one was looking straight at him.
The nurse began to serve up their plates, giving them their trays. When Seviathan was given a tray, he couldn't help but notice that his was different to the other's. His tray had an additional piece of food on it, a freshly baked bread bun on his plate.
His nose sniffed it for a second, his enhanced senses were overwhelmed with the scent of crisp dough entering his nostrils. Compared to the other bland foods that had been presented to him, it was probably the most fresh food he had been served since they had been captured…
The dough seemed to be baked to perfection and he couldn't help but feel his mouth watering ever so slightly. He couldn't help but find himself fixated on it even as he made his way to an empty table. As he was walking, he noticed a few prisoners were eyeing his tray, no doubt noticing the bread and eyeing it with great desire and envy, causing Seviathan to send them hateful glares to ward off any ideas.
'Disgusting dogs…' He thought to himself, glaring at the inmates with disgust before sitting down at an empty table where the others soon began to gather around. It was the only place they could truly sit that wasn't occupied by another group and nobody wanted to take any risks interacting with other inmates given how unfriendly they looked.
As they all sat down, Angel Dust couldn't help but sneer at the bread on Seviathan's plate,"Aw, would ya look at that? Looks like someone's grown the favor of those creepy ass nurses! And it seems like they're spoiling ya with goodies too while the rest of us get plain old good they've been keeping in the cellar. Wonder why that is, hm?"
Despite his smile, it was clear that Angel was very irritated at the favoritism being displayed. Seviathan rolled his eyes,"I didn't do anything to deserve this treatment, Angel. I never spoke a word to those nurses, they simply decided to give this to me."
"Hmph, as if I believe that. No doubt their boss told me to do it. The bastard must really like you if he's giving you freshly baked goodies on the first day. Not even your sister gets this type of special treatment. Either you're someone he really likes or there's something up between you two…"
"Do not get accusatory with me, Angel, I like Belphegor just about as much as the rest of us do. It may be hard for a peasant like yourself to get that through your thick skull but I'm more than confident of my feelings towards him."
"Will you two quit antagonizing each other?" Husk asked,"Seriously, some of us would like to eat in peace and I'd rather not have to listen to you being nuisances towards the rest of us…"
The two men scoffed before sending each other side eyes, Angel muttering something in Italian before going back to his food.
The Prince of Envy was prepared to go back to focusing on his food when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He saw Niffty with that godforsaken spider again, allowing the creature to sit on her tray and allowing him to sip some of the water she had poured in the pockets of her lunch container.
He felt sickened by the sight and turned away, sickened by this. When he looked at the others, he didn't notice too much out of the ordinary. The others were more or less eating normally, even Alastor(he had no idea how the man was blind but he supposed that Alastor's senses were sharp enough to still remember using tools while he still had his sight).
The Prince of Envy then caught sight of the sigil on Vox's wrist. He had never gotten the chance to see it with his own eyes but the mark engraved into Vox's flesh was visible for all to see.
He had seen many demons marked with sigils of those who they sold their souls to, a symbol of ownership towards their masters. Vox didn't seem all too fond of the marking from what he could tell and Seviathan did wonder what exactly had been going on while Vox was with Mammon since he never did disclose the details of Mammon's treatment of him.
Not that he cared, he was just a tad curious since the blonde usually wasn't very quiet yet when Mammon was mentioned, his disposition faltered every so slightly.
He examined Vox's body language and noticed his abashed look when he looked at his wrist, locking eyes with Seviathan for a moment before covering his wrist. No doubt he had received a lot of judgment for that marking and he likely feared receiving more.
The elder twin then blinked when he felt someone's hand land on his shoulder. He turned and saw his younger half gazing. While his white haired twin was mute, her icy orbs spoke for her as her gaze flickered from the bread to him.
He raised an eyebrow at this before saying,"You want this?" He already knew well what his sister wanted, yet he still found himself wanting to confirm his suspicions.
The former ice siren rolled her eyes irritably before nodding her head.
Seviathan stared at his sister and looked back at the bread, contemplating what to do. Knowing his sister, she'd want the entire loaf, something he also wanted. It wasn't possible for both of them to be satisfied in this regard and he tried figuring out a solution to this problem without incurring his sister's wrath.
Because if he knew anything about Helsa, she responded poorly when denied when she wanted and anyone keeping it from her would receive some punishment later down the line.
Seviathan debated what to do before a rather peculiar idea came to him. For a demon like him, the idea of doing something like this was viewed beyond beneath him. The notion of having to do something most demons would dread…sharing…
The mere word made him shiver and he was rather hesitant of doing such a thing, he couldn't find another idea that would satisfy the both of them and he'd rather not incur his sister's wrath.
Besides…it was the least he could give her. Especially since he did end up taking away her voice(albeit by accident) and he figured that giving his sister a loaf of bread would garner a slight improvement in their already shaky relationship.
The elder twin then reached for the loaf of bread and split it in half, breaking the baked good into two equal pieces. He then handed one loaf over to his sister and said,"Here."
She stared at it for a moment, bemused and looking somewhat disappointed. He scoffed before saying,"I know it's not much, but it's better than nothing. Now are you going to take it or what? Because I doubt you want me to change my mind on this. Either take the damn loaf or I'll revoke my offer."
Helsa seemed irritated by the way her brother said it but ultimately decided to accept his offering. She leaned in and took a large bite out of it, savoring the crisp flavor. It was the most tasteful thing she had eaten since she got here and she sure as hell was going to enjoy it while she could.
"Oh come on, really Helsa?" He asked, irritated by her childish behavior,"Couldn't even bother to reach for it yourself? What are you, five?"
Helsa giggled at his reaction, seemingly amused by her brother's annoyance. Seviathan rolled his eyes at his sister's immaturity, tempted to scold her further but decided against it.
He knew his sister well enough to know scolding her was an ineffective method of speaking to her. It wasn't worth his breath trying to tell her otherwise and he figured that it was better to drop the subject than to try and dig the rabbit hole any deeper.
Besides, she did seem happy and he didn't see any reason to take away her happiness. She deserved something and while this was embarrassing and silly, he figured whatever made her happy was alright.
Eventually lunch came to an end and everyone was moved out of the room into what appeared to be a 'free-roam' area. And by free-roam, I mean, they had a tiny bit more freedom in activities to occupy themselves while still being under the watchful eye of the guards/nurses.
Some of the other nurses moved other inmates away for unknown reasons, though likely due to said inmates behaving poorly when interacting with devices and having to be locked in their cells for the rest of the day.
While not all of them were like this, it appeared all the non-troublesome inmates had been placed back in their cells while the rest of them were allowed to roam around.
From what they could tell, it was the closest they could get to recess while still remaining behind bars. Apparently even Belphegor wanted to keep the inmates who behaved well somewhat entertained as a way to keep them in line.
Seviathan narrowed his eyes as he scanned around for his sister. He had lost track of her due to the chaos of people moving around and he couldn't see her anywhere. Bemused by this, he opted to try and find her with a little investigating.
'She's got to be around here somewhere…' He thought to himself as he looked around,'Maybe the other's know…'
Seviathan spotted Husk, Alastor and Vox nearby. The three men were sitting around on the floor with cards in their hands. Vox noticed his presence and said,"Oh hey, Seviathan. Are you here to play?"
He shook his head,"Not interested in your games, Vox."
"Then what are you here for?"
"I was looking for my sister. Have any of you seen her?"
Vox averted his gaze at the mention of Helsa before lowly saying,"No, I haven't. Haven't seen her since breakfast."
"Same here,"Husk admitted,"She must've just vanished in the commotion because I didn't see her around here…"
"You two are just helpful….."
"Hey, it's not our responsibility to watch her,"Husk pointed out,"Besides, I'm sure she's fine. Helsa can handle herself, Seviathan. She's a strong lady and I'm more than certain she can fend for herself…"
Seviathan scoffed,"That's besides the point. Even then, Helsa's not exactly known for her quiet nature. If she's ever silent, trouble always follows shortly after and while I don't know about you, I'd rather catch the trouble before she gets us involved in another mess."
"Fair enough, I can't say I blame you,"Husk shrugged,"Regardless, I wish you the best of luck on that, kid. You'll need it…"
Alastor then laid his cards down with a triumphant smirk,"Gentlemen, I believe I've won this match…"
Vox scoffed,"No you didn't, Bambi," The blonde retorted,"How could you possibly win? The game hasn't even been going on that long and nothing has happened…"
"Because I've got these…" Al said as he laid down his cards,"A royal flush…"
Vox spluttered, his face falling,"W-What!? How is that possible? You're fucking blind! You can't even see the cards!"
"One doesn't need sight to win the game, my dear rival,"Al chuckled,"I've played enough games to know which I'm holding and even cards like these have a certain texture with them. "
"This is fucking bullshit…this has gotta be rigged…"
"There's no need to be bitter, Vox, it's hardly cheating if I'm using what materials are at my disposal. And like my dear Husker would say, read em and weep if you don't believe me. Al snickered at his rival's flustered reaction,"Isn't that right, Husker?"
Husk rolled his eyes,"You're lucky I was going easy on you this round,Al."
"Whatever you say, Husker. Whatever you say…"
Seviathan rolled his eyes at the sight before saying,"Guess I'll take my leave. See you guys around…"
"See ya…"
As he left them to their game, Seviathan decided to try elsewhere and saw Velvet and Niffty sitting around a tea party set with worn out stuffed dolls in the empty seats. The girls were sitting on their knees and appeared to be playing pretend.
'They're a little old to be playing pretend, aren't they?' He asked himself, seeming bemused by the sight of their antics. Still, he decided to approach, albeit reluctantly as the girls were playing amongst themselves.
"More tea, Niffty?" Velvet asked, holding the teapot up to the red haired woman.
"No thanks, I've had enough, though I do believe Harry would like a cup…" She said, looking down at the spider she had placed on the table who stood next to a teacup."Harry said yes…"
"OK…here ya go, Harry…" Velvet 'poured' an imaginary cup of tea for the spider who put his appendages up in what she assumed to be glee. She then turned and noticed the Prince,"Oh hey, Seviathan! What's up? Are you here to join us? There's room for one more ya know! Would you care for a cup of tea?"
"I'll pass,"He retorted flatly,"I'm not interested in playing pretend like a bunch of children…"
"Rude…" Niffty huffed,"Having an imagination isn't a bad thing, Seviathan…"
"I have no use for it,"He remarked,"Now, I must ask, have either of you two seen my sister? I lost track of her and I'd like to know where she is."
"We dunno where she is," Velvet admitted,"Haven't seen her since breakfast."
"Wonderful…just wonderful…" He grumbled,"You two are just absolutely helpful…"
"Hey, it's not our fault," Niffty shot back,"It's not like we saw where she went…"
"You could've at least pretended to care,"He remarked,"I mean, what are you two even doing? Playing pretend like a bunch of children? None of it is even real, what even is the point in playing around like this?"
"Having an imagination isn't a bad thing, Seviathan, it's sometimes the only thing you have in places like these," Velvet admitted,"And a girl's gotta have fun somehow. Right Niffty?"
"Yeah. And it does help pass the time…Especially since this is going to be our lives from now on. Might as well try and enjoy ourselves while we can before it all goes downhill. It may be silly to you but the little things can make things better even for the most depraved of us. Even sinners like us deserve a little fun, don't we?"
"Hpmh. That's not my call to make. Just don't expect me to join in on your nonsense. I have better things to do than play pretend like children,"He retorted flatly.
"No need to be such a party-popper, Princey," Velvet mumbled,"It wouldn't kill ya to have a little fun, ya know?"
"My definition of fun is far different from yours…" Seviathan turned his back on them, leaving the girls behind to tend to their own affairs.
"Man, he sure is grumpy today,"The former Doll Demon remarked,"Wonder what crawled up his butt today…"
"I wouldn't worry about it,"Niffty said,"He's not exactly a pleasant person. Pay no mind to it…"
"Hmmm…I suppose you're right…." Velvet then blinked,"What's that Mr. Snuggles? You want a sugar-cube? Don't mind if I do!" Velvet plopped an imaginary sugar-cube in the worn out stuffed bear's cup.
"I'd like one too,"Niffty said,"I prefer my tea with a bit more sugar…"
"Same. Though does the spider want any?"
"Oh no, he likes his plain," She assured,"Harry prefers his things to not be sweetened for the most part."
The two girls continued to play pretend alongside the pet spider Niffty had made back in Lucifer's dungeon, enjoying themselves to the best of their ability. It had been so long since either had acted like children and while the tea set was old and used, they ignored these flaws in favor of enjoying each other's company.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Seviathan scowled as he scanned around the room. The only thing he could see were the other inmates doing their own things and no sign of his sister. He then noticed two nurses guarding the door. He was tempted to believe Helsa had snuck out in the chaos, however he didn't see any way to get past the nurses without them spotting him.
As he racked his head for an idea, Seviathan then looked at Angel and Vaggie on the farther side of the room. They appeared to be whispering and talking and from the glances they made in his direction, he had no doubt that they were talking about him in an unflattering manner….
He then smirked as an idea hit him before approaching the nurse and deciding to play it cool.
"Hello nurses, I hate to bother you but I do believe that the other subjects over there are causing trouble over there,"He said, motion toward Vaggie and Angel,"They've been making threats at other staff members and I doubt that was something you'd approve of…"
The nurses' postures straightened, one of them muttering something under her breath. From the way they reacted, they didn't seem to be all too surprised. No doubt something like this had happened before and they seemed to treat threats against their staff members seriously if their postures were anything to go by.
"Thank you for informing us of this, patient 666169, we'll be having a talk with them shortly…"
They quickly began to approach Angel and Vaggie, Angel scowling at the sight of them,"What the fuck do you ugly bitches want with us?"
The nurses cared little for Angel's comment as one said,"We've heard rumors of you two speaking of harming the staff, patient 666145. You and patient 666346 clearly have no idea of what the punishment is for unruly patients. Do you wish to be put under intensive therapy? Because the Master doesn't appreciate unruly patients regardless of how useful they are…"
"What the hell!?" Vaggie snapped,"We did no such thing! You two are insane!"
"You are the ones in the mental asylum, patient 666346. Remember that. We understand that you are new, but that is no excuse for disrespectful behavior. After all, we cannot cure your illness if you are resistant to treatment."
Angel scoffed,"We ain't the sick ones, lady. Have a look in the mirror before you judge anyone about mentally unwell…"
The nurses cared little for their opinions, brushing them off as they gave them a firm warning of what would happen if they were heard causing trouble again and that Belphegor would give them a special punishment.
As the nurses continued to scold them, Vaggie couldn't help but notice something out of the corner of her eye. She gasped in surprise when she saw Seviathan's body slipping through the open door, only able to see the last of him before the door shut.
'That son of a bitch…' She thought to herself, now catching on. That bastard had framed them in order to escape out the back! She tried to get the nurses to pay attention but they cared little for her thoughts, telling her to be silent before returning to their posts as if nothing happened.
The former Moth Demon's blood pressure went sky-high as her hair flared up with rage,'I hate that bastard so fucking much…'
Angel Dust blinked,"What the? Where'd he go?" He then growled,"Oh don't tell me…he did what I think he did, didn't he?"
"Yeah, he did…"
"Goddamn that son of a bitch…" Angel growled,"Framing us like that just to slip out the back. And those nurses don't even notice. It's like anything that's out of their sight is no longer a concern. Only thing they care about is their stupid master…"
"It's probably the only purposes those demented creatures have in life…" Vaggie admitted,"Or at least, what's left of it anyways…"
Seviathan quickly rushed out of the room, thankful none of the nurses had noticed him. He took a deep breath, sighing in relief once he saw the coast was clear.
'Those nurses are gullible as hell…' He thought to himself before sighing,"Alright, that should give me enough time to find my sister. She's got to be around here somewhere…"
He trudged down the hallways, watching his every step. His breath was silent and all his senses were on high alert as he tried to track his sister….
Her scent was in the air and it was somewhere up ahead.
The Prince of Envy scanned the hallways before spotting a set of stairs going downwards, going deeper and deeper into the asylum. Seviathan followed his sister's trail, reaching the bottom of the steps and seeing the door was left slightly ajar, confirming his suspicions.
As he was walking, Seviathan noticed he was walking down what appeared to be some sort of underground torture chamber with metal doors. He then heard pained screams in agony from the cells, the screams sounding like deranged screeches that didn't come from a person, but some other type of creature…
Against his better judgment, Seviathan decided to peer inside of the metal peeping holes. The darkness made it hard to see but he managed to make out a guard standing in a room with a person in the cage. The person seemed to be shaking and a misshapen mess, sobbing in a hoarse voice.
"P-Please…not again! I can't take it anymore…It's too much! I'll die! The prisoner begged, their pleas falling on deaf ears.
The guard's voice was deadly calm yet dripping with sadism as he said,"Unfortunately, it seems you haven't learned your lesson. Your whining is irritating to my ears and perhaps you need another dip to teach you your place…"
"No! Please, don't do it!"
The guard pulled the level and the cage was submerged within a pool of water. Seviathan watched as the bubbles gargled underneath the surface of the water. The guard cackled at the sight before writing something in the journal to note down the research as he made a sick comment,"He's lasted longer than the other's…Wonder how long he can stay down there before he dies."
A nurse beside the man then said,"Make sure not to keep him down there too long. Master insists on still having enough test dummies to use for his experiments, even if they are not the useful ones…"
"Alright, fine, I'll pull him up…in another thirty seconds… He remarked sadistically.
Seviathan moved away from the sight, backing up before turning away, deciding to try and not focus on it too much.
'I better find a Helsa spoon…' He thought to himself wearily. He continued to journey forward, the Prince of Envy doing his best to tune out the screams blasting within his eardrums. He refused to allow the screams to dissuade them, determined to find his sister, for his sake if anything.
He traversed past the chambers, tuning out the screams, the crying and the muffled laughter of the guards behind it all, their nurse assistants watching and putting data in their notebooks without batting an eye.
Seviathan then caught sight of sister at the end of the hallway. Helsa walking down one of the hallways.
"Helsa, there you are!" He exclaimed,"What the hell are you doing back here!?"
Helsa flinched at the sound of her brother's voice, whipping around before putting her finger up to her lips, telling him to quiet down.
He narrowed his eyes before approaching her and grabbing her wrist,"You're not answering my question, why'd you sneak off? You know we're supposed to be down here…."
Helsa scoffed before signing,"While the nurses were getting everyone in groups I got bored and decided to do some exploring while their backs were turned. Those nurses have incredibly poor sight. They can hear, but they can't see that well behind those dingy bandages, shocking, I know. They're fairly simpleminded creatures despite acting as 'medical staff' and if you remain still long enough they'll eventually go back to their posts like nothing happened."
Seviathan sighed, he should've known his sister would've done something like that. Helsa didn't like going with the flow and if she'd go on her own path despite the risks.
He couldn't say he was shocked by Helsa outsmarting the nurses either, given his own experience with them, they weren't that intelligent. So long as you were quiet or had something distracting them, the nurses wouldn't notice your antics.
"Regardless, it wouldn't be wise to stay here. This place is a torture chamber and I'd rather not risk to get added to the list of unwilling subjects…"
"Not yet, there's still more to uncover…"
"Are you insane?" He retorted,"This is a torture faculty. We can't stay here…"
"A little exploring never hurt anyone. Besides, it's either we die of boredom or actually do something interesting. This is the first time we've actually been allowed to explore and since we have our legs, why not use them?"
The elder twin groaned,"Fine…Just know the moment we're done, we're out of here. Grab my hand, I'll lead…"
Helsa clasped her brother's hand and followed his trail.
They couldn't take more than five steps without hearing blood-curdling screams or the sounds of someone's body thrashing around in their walls were littered with blood prints and grime, words were carved out in the blood of past victims, with the words 'Turn back', 'Run' or 'No salvation for the damned'.
The twins continued to trudge forward despite these warnings, Seviathan and Helsa cringing at how awful the place smelled.
'By Satan's name…this place is awful. It's just an overgrown torture chamber dressed up as an asylum…' Seviathan thought.
Despite this, he was hardly surprised, Belphegor prioritized science and advancement over ethics and whatever research could possibly help him for his future projects would be a sacrifice he was willing to make, no matter how many unwilling subjects he tortured.
It seemed like this torture prison never ended. The screams, the blood stains, the grime, it never ended. It was an endless sight of suffering and pain and the repulsing smell stirred disgust within their stomachs.
Despite the signs, the twins continued moving forward. Eventually, the twins discovered a particular room at the end of the hallway. The door stood alone and something about it piqued their curiosity, causing them to step forward.
"What is that?" He whispered, turning to his other half. Helsa was unable to form a proper response, staring back at her brother with equal confusion.
Something within Seviathan probed him to venture further, ignoring Helsa desperately pulling on his wrist in an attempt to stop him. The elder twin peered through the metal bars at the top of the door, narrowing his eyes as he looked in.
Inside the room was a deplorable sight. Belphegor was inside with a tortured patient tied down to the operating table. His lab coat was coated with dark red and he wore goggles and a mask over his face with a set of tools at his side.
The person's body was stained with blood and they appeared to have some sort of device in their mouth, preventing them from speaking and only allowed muffled noises to pass through…
Belphegor seemed slightly bored at the reactions as he stabbed the patient right in the chest, ignoring the muffled screech,"Your pain tolerance is…below average. How dull. Patients with no resistance and without use serve no purpose. It seems despite my experiments to make you better, you show no signs of improvement. How disappointing…"
The person struggled against their binds in vain, only to screech when Belphegor calmly dragged the knife further inside of their wounds.
"You know, you could at least try to make this entertaining, now you're just boring me…" He whined apathetically, viewing the person's struggles with mild annoyance at best,"Struggling does nothing. There's no point in resistance. You should be thankful I'm even bothering with you, I was trying hard to to try and make use of you, yet it seems your stubbornness simply refuses to accept my help just like all the others who rejected me. What a shame…"
Belphegor walked around the table with his arms behind his back as he remarked coldly,"To think I wasted so much time on you. I suppose this is what I get for trying to correct those who don't accept salvation. Whatever, I wonder what I am going to do with you. Killing you would be so simple…yet so dull. After all, there's no fun in a simple death, it should have purpose, have a little spice. I wonder what I could do…harvest your organs? Bleed you out? Dissect your bones? No…that's too repetitive…"
Seviathan was intrigued by the conversation, not moving an inch. He only snapped out of his daze when he felt his sister pulling on his wrist, glancing at him with glints of fear and horror, wanting nothing more than to flee the situation, believing they had seen enough.
Seviathan didn't budge, still focused on the situation. It was only when Helsa pulled his wrist that he let out a surprised gasp at the sudden movement and falling to the ground with a sickening thud.
This didn't go unnoticed as the twins heard the metal door fly open, Belphegor staring at the two of them. His eyes had a flicker of bemusement but it was ultimately taken over by amusement if anything as he gazed at the twins, Helsa of whom hid behind her brother in fright.
"Now what are you two doing down here?" He asked, his mask hiding the sick smirk on his face,"You know you're not authorized to this place. Only staff are allowed. How did you get down here?"
Seviathan's mind raced before stammering an explanation,"We…we got lost and we saw a door, wondered where it would lead and we found this place…"
"Oh?" He asked, seemingly highly skeptical of this claim. He didn't seem to buy their story one bit and Seviathan and Helsa were uneasy at what that man could possibly have swimming in his demented mind."How peculiar. Well, I suppose I should commend you on finding this place. It's not often I have uninvited guests. Especially ones like you. Normally I'd be angry…but I like you two and I'd rather not waste time punishing you for an offense like this. Especially since I do have use for you…"
The mad scientist then motioned for the twins to follow him and said in a far too gleeful voice,"Come on now, children…Come to Uncle…I promise I won't bite…so long as you behave that is…"
Seviathan reluctantly got to his feet and prepared to enter only for Helsa to grab his wrist,wanting to go inside at the same time. The twins entered the metal cell, Helsa wincing when Belphegor locked the door behind them.
Seviathan narrowed his eyes at Belphegor whose calm composure didn't falter for a minute. He then asked,"What do you want with us now?"
"Oh nothing much, Seviathan,"He remarked,"You see, with your unexpected visit, an idea had come to mind and I figured as a way to make up for the disturbance that you could do me a favor…'' He then peered at the person on the operating table apathetically,"assist me in…putting an end to this nuisance.``
"Excuse me?" He asked.
"Oh don't play dumb with me,Seviathan. You know what I mean. Help me end him." He replied, his eyes rolling at the boy's expression."He's been too much of a nuisance and I can no longer extract any useful information out of him despite my best efforts."
"You want me to end this person…" He said,"With my bare hands?"
"Oh don't be silly, that would take too long and while I'm not above torture, I know that would get boring rather quickly…"He admitted,"Oh no, I want you to use your powers…That is if you're up for the challenge. Which is no biggie of course, after all, I'm certain your sister would be up for the task…."
"That won't be necessary,"Seviathan reassured,"I'm more than capable of doing this task without relying on my sister. "
"Excellent, just what I wanted to hear…" He chuckled before pulling out a device and using it on Seviathan's restraints,"And don't get any ideas. I merely let you use your powers temporarily, the electric collar is still activated so I would advise against doing any actions that might cause a shocking result…"
Seviathan scoffed,"I figured as much. I do not need to be warned of the consequences, I'm well aware of them…"
"Then do it…" He said,"I'm certain this will provide an entertaining show…"
Helsa gripped Seviathan's hand until the elder twin moved out of her grasp. She watched her brother worriedly, concerned what was to happen next as he approached the table.
Seviathan looked at the man strapped down to the table, now getting a better look at him. The man was malnourished, sickly pale and his brown hair was unkempt and matted with blood. His eyes were heavy, several bags underneath them. His bones were frail and tears stained his cheeks.
His eyes were pale, almost lifeless and yet filled with fright. He desperately stared at Seviathan, attempting to communicate through the gag to no avail, only able to speak through muffled noises that were incoherent to any who listened.
He was…uncertain. He had never killed another being in his entire life and he wasn't sure what to do, especially with this person staring at him with fright.
"Prince Seviathan, are you going to act or are you going to stand there like a log?" Belpehgor asked, snapping the Prince out of his haze.
"I…I'll get to it…" The Prince replied, taking a deep breath before using his powers, the flow of his element coming back to him.
It had been so long since he had been able to grasp his element within his grasp, a cool feeling rushing within his veins. He then looked at the man before coming to a decision, using his powers to summon some water within the air.
"Fascinating,"Belpehgor said,"Even without access to your powers for so long, it seems your talent is still alive. Now, Seviathan, I want you to listen to what I say. Understand?"
Seviathan nodded.
"Good…Now to make this interesting…Why don't we test your abilities by seeing how…effective they can on, pour it on him…"
Seviathan froze for a moment before going through with Belphegor's advice, pouring water all over the man's face like a waterfall, causing the man to convulse violently in his restraints and gasping for breath.
"Again…"
Seviathan repeated the instruction, doing as he was told. He repeated this process several times, tuning out the muffled screams the victim made as he did so.
"Stop,"Belphegor said, putting things to a halt,"That's quite enough. As entertaining as seeing the suffering of others is, I have to admit, I've grown a tad bored of this one. He's exhausted from his use, so Seviathan, why don't you do me a favor and put an end to this?"
"I will…"
He then attempted to waterboard the man again, hoping to put an end to his life as quickly as possible. Despite the speed at him waterboarding him, it seemed that the man somehow clung to life and refused to die, much to his growing frustration.
'Why won't he die?' He asked, now irritated by his stubbornness. It wasn't like he was going to live past this encounter yet his body seemed to refuse to give in. It was grating the Prince's nerves and he could feel rage bubble up within him.
"Having trouble, Prince Seviathan? You know, you can always give up…"
Seviathan scowled, it felt that he was belittling him, just like everyone else. He had been belittled for so long, mocked and jeered for centuries and he refused to listen to it anymore.
He wouldn't back down, and he'd prove them all wrong. No matter the cost.
Without batting an eye, Seviathan focused himself, this time deciding to put an end to this once and for all. He then focused on the water within the man's system and took a hold of it. IT…it was a lot harder than it looked and Seviathan struggled to maintain control.
He hadn't controlled his element in some time, yet controlling another person's blood to this level…it was a struggle and Seviathan fought to come out on top.
As he was about to lose his grip, he thought about all the centuries he had endured being a mockery to his family. All of those years of hatred and laughter at his pain, it was enough to snap something within him and he let out a screech as he unleashed his power.
Seviathan fell to his knees, barely able to stay conscious. That move took a lot of energy out of him and when he stood up, he saw Belpehgor and Helsa staring at him in shock.
The mad scientist then clapped his hands,"Bravo, Seviathan. It seems you're capable of far more than I anticipated. You even finished the job and it seems your powers are a lot more…advanced than I had realized. I'm not quite certain what you did, but it seems you managed to induce this man's death without even touching him…I wonder how…"
Seviathan didn't respond, standing up slowly before looking down at the man's body. The man was lying dead on the metal table, body lifeless and pale.
He had killed the man, and yet for some reason, he didn't feel remorse for using his powers to stop the man's blood flow permanently….
Instead, he felt…disappointed when he looked at all the blood spilled. Disappointed that he wanted the one to spill the blood on the man's body, disappointed that he hadn't been the one to bleed him dry.
The blood…something about it made him feel…hungry. Something about the coppery smell of the red liquid ignited a new craving within him, it smelled appealing towards him. The craving to spill blood…the craving to taste it even…
Before he could ponder more, Helsa approached him and pulled him away from the body, eyeing him with concern. Even without her voice, the look in her eyes told him that she was inquiring if he was alright.
The Prince of Envy nodded his head halfheartedly before saying in a completely calm voice,"I'm alright, Helsa…Just a little tired that's all…"
The Princess didn't seem to believe that at all, unnerved by Seviathan's expression. Something about the way he reacted..it wasn't normal.
There was a glint of unhinged sadism in his eyes, something that was out of character for her other half. She didn't expect him to cry of course, but she swore she saw him grin for a split second.
He then calmed himself down, regaining his composure before asking,"Is that all, Belphegor? Are we allowed to leave?"
"Of course you're allowed to leave, just don't be wandering in places you are not supposed to now, children. I'm certain by now everyone's already back to their cells. Run along now, I have some…recording to do…"
Helsa quickly grabbed Seviathan's arm and dragged him out of the room, scowling at Belphegor the entire time.
Once they were gone, Belphegor chuckled before opening a page in his journal,"It seems that Seviathan's got more abilities than I imagined. How quaint. I'll need to do more research on him. I've never seen a water elemental do that before…I'll have to examine the body and determine the cause of death to determine what he did. I don't quite understand it, but I will in due time. He's got an interesting power and it seems that I'm only scratching the surface of his potential…"
Something like this deserved a boat load of research being done. Whatever Seviathan did, it was clearly something rare and something that took a lot of energy to do compared to his normal water bending. Likely this was an advanced version of water manipulation, one that required more focus and more effort from the user…
A powerful yet dangerous ability. Those were always the more fun ones and he couldn't wait to explore just what the long-term effects were. Seviathan's powers could be put towards good use and all he needed to do was get the boy under his thumb.
That sister of his would be an obstacle, she seemed to be keeping him on girl didn't trust him and seemed apprehensive of his mere presence. No doubt she'd cause issues if not dealt with sooner or later.
But he wasn't worried, after all, he had a lot to learn and plenty of time to examine Seviathan's weak points.
Because even the most powerful men had the foibles and the Prince no doubt had a score to settle…
Now all he had to do was bide his time and crack him down. How long will it take? That was debatable, but all he knew was that he had plenty of research to fulfill and the twins' visit cemented his view on the elemental group as a whole…
They had to be studied in every way, their potential had to be unlocked to become the ultimate weapons. Because he knew all soldiers could be molded in the right environment and even the toughest souls cracked under the hopelessness of the situation…
They'd be the perfect bundle of weapons, and once he learned to perfect one, he'd surely know how to perfect the others. Oh the potential they'd have, they'd be the perfect super weapons!
Thanks for 12,691 views, tell me what you think below and I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter!
Enigmus-288: Seviathan is a vengeful man whose had centuries of hatred and rage that's only now boiling to the surface. Something like this was a long time coming and Velvet..is not very well in the head as you can see. Logical decisions aren't her strongest point. Charlie being silent kind of made Velvet assume she was just using them and she's pissed she just stood there without showing a hint of resistance while they all got thrown in the cart. That and Vox is kind of ashamed about what he did with Mammon because you know...a part of him liked it and he obviously doesn't want to talk about it with Velvet since she's very violent when she's pissed.