OK, not only did my internet go out for several hours two days ago but my internet just decided to be a little bitch and not connect yesterday. Probably would've got this up sooner but thankfully I was almost done/adding finishing touches by then. Hopefully it won't pull this shit anytime soon so to make up for that, I'll make this chap longer.
If you want to see my DA for my fic art just type EmeraldOverlord and you'll see it.
A few days had passed since the incident at Martha's Inn. The others had long since fled the scene, leaving the inhabitants of the town to pick up the pieces. News of the discovery of Wendigo-like creatures spread like wildfire and despite the people's fears, most felt relieved that despite the creatures having been once well respected members of their community, the threat seemed to have been vanquished.
The peace and joy of the townspeople was not to last however, as rumors spread fast and it was only a matter of time before people in power heard of the news and decided to pay the village a visit.
Mammon grit his teeth, the Lord of Avarice seemingly irritated as he whispered in a voice only the Slothful Sin could hear,"Belphegor,where are we going? Not only are we taking a detour for seemingly no reason at all but you never bothered to explain why…"
It was a fair question, they were supposed to be going after the escaped convicts and the Princess, not distracting themselves with random side quests out of the blue.
Lucifer had sent them and their armies to track the others down and they had to find them if they didn't want to risk his highness getting furious at them all for failing the mission. Everyone had come along for the ride, even Bethesda had joined them in hopes of making the mission a tad bit easier.
"I heard of a few rumors about Wendigo sightings and I wished to see if they were true," He admitted in hopes of satisfying Mammon's impatience.
"Wendigos? They've been extinct for centuries, Belphegor. As a man of science, you should be well aware of this,"Mammon snarled at him,"This is a complete waste of time. The others are probably halfway to Gluttony and you're focused on an extinct species? Have you forgotten our reason for venturing this far was to retrieve the escaped prisoners as well as Lucifer's brat?"
"I'm aware, Mammon, do not get feisty with me," The Lord of Sloth retorted,"I understand your desire to get your little Vincent but there is no need to be hostile towards your own allies. Do not let your obsession with your concubine get in the way of our mission…"
"Tch,I am not obsessed," He denied,"Vincent is my property and that's all he is to me…"
"Not even you believe that," Belpehgor retorted,"Denial doesn't look good on you, Mammon. You should know you can't lie to me and that you can't hide it. I just hope you know that this obsession of yours is forbidden. Us Sins are not allowed to harbor feelings to harbor romantic feelings for those of a lower stature…"
Mammon grit his teeth,"I know the rules, Belphegor. I wasn't born yesterday so refrain from lecturing me about the rules of the hierarchy…"
"I'm just saying my dear friend, Lucifer made those rules for a reason. It's best you abide by them for your own sake if anything. We are held to a higher standard for a reason and allowing that mortal to pollute your thoughts will do you no favors…"
"Silence, you know not of which you speak," Mammon hissed, denial laced within his voice. He had been thinking about Vincent on a daily basis but he refused to acknowledge it, least of all in front of Belphegor.
"Suit yourself…" He shrugged,"I'm certain we'll be at our destination eventually."
They soon began to approach the entrance of the village. It didn't take them long to discover Martha's Inn as it lay abandoned there. All customers who had once checked in had long since fled the property, weary of its presence with the current information known….
"What is this place?" Asmodeus asked.
"It's an Inn, what else?" Frederick stated, pointing out the obvious to his fellow Sin with a flat tone,"Though it seems that is abandoned from the looks of things…"
"Looks can be deceiving," Bethesda countered,"I'm certain it isn't as empty as it looks…Perhaps if someone went inside to check we'd be certain…"
"Well I'm not going in there if that's what you think is gonna happen," Beelzebub huffed,"I hate abandoned places and they make me lose my appetite…"
"Perhaps that would do you some good actually,"Satan admitted slowly.
"Hey, I heard that!" She snapped, the Sin of Gluttony shooting the wrathful Sin a death glare,"You know a girl needs to eat don't ya? Are you trying to make me starve?"
"Beelzebub, we can't starve…" Belphegor stated factually,"We're immortal remember? We cannot starve nor die of natural causes like mortals can."
"Figure of speech, Belphie, I'd think someone as smart as you would know that,"She grumbled.
"I'm aware, I'm just pointing out how absurd your exaggerations are…" The Lord of Sloth admitted,"No matter, I know just the way to solve this little predicament without having to set foot inside that Inn…" He then turned his attention to Seviathan, who had remained quiet since they had departed,"Dearest nephew, would you mind doing me a favor and checking the inside for us and reporting back your findings if there are any? I heard rumors that they burned the bodies they discovered but I want to be certain if there is nothing left behind…Perhaps something can be of use inside…"
"Your wish is my command, Master," The Blood Mage responded, his mask leaving no way of knowing Seviathan's expression beneath.
Not that he needed to know, Belphegor was confident in the Prince's abilities and his loyalty as he seemed more than eager to please him out of sheer gratitude for bestowing this forbidden art upon him.
He could sense it within his raspy yet calm voice that there was an edge of maddening glee, constantly looking for the approval and praise of those he considered most important. The boy never truly questioned his orders and outside of his parents, he was one of the few people who held any true influence on the Prince.
The others may be skeptical of his particles, but he didn't care. He had a great experiment on his hands and he wasn't going to let their judgment stop him from exploring his curiosity to the best of his ability.
Seviathan made his way inside of the Inn. The masked Prince surveyed the area, seeing the place had been trashed.
No doubt the populace having had their way with the place now that the owners had long since left the property. The place was ransacked, materials had been taken from the shelves and anything that wasn't nailed down had been stolen. The things that couldn't have been taken were trashed and strewn about the place in a sloppy manner and the once peaceful Inn looked like a dumpster.
"How deplorable...the sight of this place is almost pitiful. To think people actually enjoyed being here at one point only for it to crumble apart by its own patrons…" He muttered under his breath, revolted by the sight of the unkempt place.
Underneath his mask, he wrinkled his nose as he eyed the area for anything interesting. So far, nothing that would be worth noting and he wondered if this place was even worth his time…
The Mad Prince's gaze shifted behind the counter. He wasn't sure what he expected to find but one of the few untouched items in the Inn was a hidden beer cabinet.
This wasn't the first time he saw something like this. One time when he was still a mere child he accidentally came across Lucifer's beer cabinet.
At the time, he was looking for a hiding spot since he, Charlie and Helsa were playing hide and seek and he mistook the hidden cabinet for a potential hiding spot…
It was actually a very good hiding spot since neither Charlie or Helsa could find him for that matter. So good in fact he stayed there for hours, wondering whether he should come out or not…
The decision was made for him as Lucifer ended up accidentally discovering him. The King was merely going to pick up a drink from his stash when he and Seviathan locked eyes with each other, both taken back by the other's presence.
Neither spoke a word, at least until Lucifer nabbed him by the collar and took him out of the shelf, ignoring Seviathan's protests to put him down before showing him to Helsa and Charlie, the latter of whom looked like she was in a panic until she saw him and hugged him upon seeing his safe.
Apparently, Charlie must've thought he died or something because she ended crying to her parents about him going missing and Lilith had been trying to get her to stop to no avail. Lucifer had actually gone to get a drink in order to soothe his nerves only to accidentally uncover Seviathan in the process…
Long story short, he got a massive scolding and was told to not explore places he wasn't supposed to and yadda yadda.
The once fond memory had become tainted with bitterness and hatred just like all the others.
Thankfully, he was no longer that helpless, ignorant child he once was and he was more powerful than ever before. Now, he was free to do as he pleased…
And to that he shall.
He locked eyes on a 'Bloody Mary' bottle that was inside and reached for it. The Prince was unable to locate a proper date for the damn thing.
"Probably has gone stale…" He thought to himself as he opened the lid, taking a sniff. His enchanted senses caught the sign of the wine having since been spoiled, however that didn't stop him since despite it only being labeled 'Bloody Mary', he could sense there was genuine blood inside the drink…
He wondered if perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him or if there was genuine blood mixed in.
"Only one way to find out…" He muttered before taking off his mask, revealing his horrific Glasgow grin. Truthfully he preferred the blood of his enemies, though he wasn't going to object to a mixed concoction.
He tilted his head back and drank the wine. It wasn't exactly an ideal way of drinking, having to chug it down like this, but Seviathan had learned on the occasion he drank the bottled blood of his kills that drinking normally was a great way to spill it on his accessories(giving him quite the mess to clean up).
"Hnn…" He remarked, using his lizard tongue to lick off the blood/wine from the few drops that got on his fingers,"Not bad..not bad at all…"
As he savored the taste, Seviathan's caught wind of a shuffle from the staircase, the wood creaking at the pressure as a small audible gasp was heard before it retreated upstairs in a hurry.
It was not noticeable to most and many would've missed it, but not him. His enhanced senses applied not only to his smell but to his hearing and Seviathan's neck snapped in the direction, eyes narrowing as he realized the place wasn't as abandoned as he thought…
"Oh? It appears someone's been lurking in the darkness without my knowledge…I guess I'll have something to report after all…" He sneered, his golden eyes gleaming with sadistic glee.
Like a predator eyeing its future prey, Seviathan's eyes darted to the staircase before slowly yet surely approaching, taking his first step in accession as the creaky floorboards gave his presence away…
Not like it mattered, Seviathan was certain that whoever had been watching him was well aware of his presence and made no effort to use stealth despite being more than capable of doing so…
His steps were slow, deliberately so, like a predator stalking its prey in the night. The Prince's steps reached the top floor and he scanned the area, seeing an assortment of doors where guests of the Inn used to sleep in…
"Have to be around here somewhere…" He muttered, checking the doors and opening them to peer inside before moving on to the next took some time but Seviathan eventually discovered a locked door.
Upon sensing this, Seviathan's monstrously deformed smile turned more devious. He then taunted in a soft-spoken yet sadistic tone,"Oh, it appears someone locked the door? I wonder if anyone's lurking inside…Hmm…it seems awfully quiet in there. Perhaps it's just my imagination…"
Seviathan then turned his back before stepping away from the door just far enough to give the illusion he had left only to turn around and kick the door down through brute force. The door gave way and Seviathan cackled before allowing himself inside.
Inside appeared to be a child's bedroom, fit for two people. He saw a bunk bed, a few toys sprawled about and a closet with a mirror. Nothing too spectacular…
There weren't any good hiding spots in there and Seviathan knew it was inevitable he'd discover whoever was hiding from him eventually. After searching the closest, the only place left was under the lower bunk.
Whoever was hiding inside was obviously a child as the closet was empty and the only people who could hide inside were literal kids, meaning this was going to be easier than he thought…
He could practically smell the fear in their veins, they were so close to him and he could practically taste the sweetness of their blood…
Seviathan then got on his knees and crouched down before peaking under the bed.
His enhanced vision allowed him to see through the dark, granting him the ability to see two frightened faces of a boy and a girl, both of whom seemed frenched with fear as they locked eyes with him.
Both let out a screech of terror upon being discovered as he cooed,"Got you, little brats…"
The Prince grabbed the two and forced them out from their hiding place despite their attempts to cling to the floor. They desperately tried to wiggle out of his grasp but Seviathan effortlessly held them in place without any sign of struggle.
Using his superior strength, Seviathan held them by the collar as he gazed at them calmly, the feral gleam in his eyes betraying his collected expression.
Timmy shouted,"Let us go you monster!"
"Monster?" Seviathan asked, seeming more amused by the insult than offended,"Oh I'm far more than that." He then narrowed his eyes,"So…which one of you was it that was stalking me? Tell me and perhaps I'll consider not eviscerating your corpses before I drain you of your life essence…"
The threat was enough to send shivers under the children's spines and Samantha cried,"It was me OK! I did it! Please just don't hurt us!"
"You children are so easy to scare, it's hardly any fun," He admitted,"Oh well, I still need a report for Master and he'd be quite upset if I didn't deliver something of use. Perhaps I should turn you two into him. After all, Belphegor just loves unique children and the smell of your blood makes it clear you're not fully human…"
At the mention of Belphegor's name, Samantha whimpered,"Don't take us to that meanie! He'll hurt us like he hurt Mommy and Daddy!" She cried.
Seviathan narrowed his eyes,"Excuse me?"
"That meanie made our parents into monsters and he'll do the same to us! We'll do anything, please, just don't take us to him!" Timmy pleaded.
If it were possible for Seviathan to fully frown with that Glasgow grin on his face, he'd be frowning at that moment. Instead, his eyes squinted as he contemplated what to do.
Truth be told, he found the children's pleas annoying as hell and he wondered if it was even worth turning them in. Chances are they wouldn't obey Belphegor and given their young age, they'd just be another inconvenience to their mission…
Not to mention that with the mention of their parents being experimented on, he had the feeling Belphegor might just try and start where he left off with the kids. Their parents may have been dead, but Belphegor was always more than willing to test on the closest subject when it came to his research…
Meaning that if push came to shove, he might just try and put more attention and resources to the children than him…
He couldn't allow such a thing to happen.
'I was here before these brats…I cannot and will not allow myself to be replaced in Master's eyes…' He thought.
"Fine…I won't take you to him…" Before they could sigh in relief he said,"After all, I've gotten a bit parched and I could use a refill of innocent blood and put you out of your misery..That is…unless you give me a reason not to."
"What do you wanna know?" Timmy begged,"We'll tell you anything, just don't kill us!"
"How did your parents meet their ends? It seems awfully recent that they died…"
The topic was a sensitive one, though Seviathan didn' enough about the children's discomfort and given the threat they were under, the kids decided it was better to get the truth out rather than risk Seviathan deciding that they were a free meal…
"Mommy and Daddy turned into Wendigos and attacked our guests we had over. They were gonna cook and serve them but something went wrong. They didn't get all of them and the ones that were still standing managed to overpower them…" Samantha reminisced,"We tried to get Mommy to stop..but then…then she…she killed her…"
"She? Who is this she you speak of?" He asked, his interest piquing,"Tell me what she did…Tell me…"
It was a demand and Samantha didn't dare withhold information from the Prince because the feral look in his eyes was enough to strike her to her core…
"I don't know…Agh!"
The Prince didn't appreciate the answer as his grip tightened, glaring at her fiercely.
Despite his rage, his tone didn't change, remaining calm as ever,"What do you don't know? You said she killed her..Tell me who she is..What does she even look like? Just give me a description of what you can remember about your irritating child…"
Samantha stammered as she struggled to remember all the details of that fateful night. It had happened so fast that she only remembered the bare bones details before her mother had been struck down.
"That woman…she had a light blue dress on with a white fur trim on it and um…she had dark brown skin and long hair all the way to the ground. Her eyes were icy cold and she had blue lipstick on. She looked like the Ice Queen in that fairy tale Mommy used to read to us and I think her name was Elsa?"
The Feral Prince's expression became blank, falling silent for a moment as if he were thinking. He didn't react and for a second, the kids were unsure if he was even awake until his terrifying grin became wider.
"Sister…" He muttered with unhinged glee.
Without a second thought, Seviathan dropped the two children to the ground abruptly, caring little for the scream in agony the two made as they collided with the ground.
The Mad Prince of Envy then turned his back on the two kids before saying,"I appreciate the free information. I shall use it to my advantage. However, your use ends there and I see no reason to continue this conversation…"
"A-Are you going to kill us?" Timmy asked wearily.
Seviathan crackled madly, as if the question was a joke before calmly saying,"Kill you? Ha! Why bother? I've already got what I wanted. You two are of no use to me and while I could easily end your lives…I don't see the need to. You're not a threat and most certainly aren't my priority nor my responsibility."
"But…what do we do?" Samantha inquired, uncertain what to do next.
"Tch, shouldn't you be asking yourselves that?" He shot back,"Though if you truly wish to hear my advice, I suggest you flee and never look back. Belphegor will give me an earful if he hears I let valuable research run free so if you wish for a fate worse than death itself I'd advise you slip out through the back and pray to whatever gods you believe in that we never cross paths again,for your sake if anything because I won't hesitate ending your lives if push comes to shove," He snarled,"So run, run far, far away! Because nowhere is safe from me and Mommy and Daddy can't save you now! Now go, before I change my mind on letting you live…"
The kids didn't need to be told twice as they bolted down the steps and ran out of the back exit of the Inn. The Envious Prince cackled manically lat the sight of the children fleeing, relishing in the terror in the kid's eyes as they ran for their lives…
"They are always so quick…" He then placed his mask back on before deciding to head downstairs,"Better report back to Master before he gets impatient…I'm certain he'll love these new findings…"
Seviathan then left the Inn shortly afterwards and reported back to the other Sins with an eager expression.
"Oh look who's back," Mammon greeted sarcastically,"Took his sweet time too. I wonder what took this brat so long to get his answers that shouldn't have taken him more than ten minutes max…"
"Don't be so vehement, Mammon," Belphegor said,"Allow Seviathan a chance to speak. I'm certain he has a reason for these things, right dear nephew? You have an explanation do you not?"
"Of course I do, Master," He said,"I've got splendid news for everyone to hear. We are on the right track. I've gotten an eye witness to confess to seeing my dear other half days prior, meaning that the others cannot be too far from us. We are closing in on them and it's only a matter of time before their luck runs out…"
"Great detective work, Seviathan, I'm rather impressed,"Frederick admitted,"It seems you're proving your use thus far…"
"Whether you maintain it however, is another thing that has yet to be seen," Bethesda added,"You must still return your sister home before we consider you her equal…"
Seviathan narrowed his eyes underneath his mask,"And what if sister rejects the notion of being a family? What then shall we do with her if she is the one who is unworthy?"
"She is still your sister, Seviathan. Do not allow treachery to cross your mind," Frederick warned, '' The King of Envy sensing a malicious intent behind the Prince's mask.
"Tch, I wasn't suggesting anything, Father. Just pointing out a flaw in your planning…" He rebutted, biting his tongue to avoid sounding irritated at his parents' blatant favoritism over his other half.
"Do not worry, Seviathan,"Belpehgor comforted, placing a hand on his shoulder as he sensed his perfected experiment's distress,"We can..sway your sister to our side one or another I assure. Just give it time, she'll see it our way eventually…"
Seviathan seemed to ease up at Belphegor's words,"I hope you're right…Master…"
Mammon scoffed,"Are we done with this family drama? Some of us have property to collect and I'd very appreciate it if we got a move on. Shall we get going? It's not as if any of us are getting any younger now are we?"
"Impatient as ever, are we Mammon?" Seviathan retorted,"There's no need to be so urgent, after all, they are not far. Let's not widen the gap between us and close in while we still can…"
"Must we follow him?" The Jester asked flatly.
"You want to see your concubine don't you?" The Lazy Scientist asked,"Then I suggest you follow my project's lead. He may be a bit bloodthirsty and sadistic but he is not stupid and even you are aware of that…"
"Hmph..whatever…" He scowled,"Let's just get this over with…"
Everyone soon began to follow Seviathan's lead. As they left the village, Mammon had given out a private order to one of his men to burn that Inn and the rest of hte village to the ground behind the other's refused to give an outright reason, though it seemed he wanted to 'make an example' out of anyone who harbored those wanted by them and considered the whole village complicit in their crime.
Several sscreams were heard from the area as the entire area went up in flames. Countless lives were lost that day, perishing in the hellish fires. The only survivors were two children, who had narrowly managed to escape the hellscape themselves, watching in dismay as their entire village was burned up into the night...
Another couple of days passed and Charlie's group had since taken a break from their traveling and rested.
By now, everyone had more or less recovered from the whole Wendigo incident, at least physically as even the Princess of Pride had more or less recovered outside of being tired and hazy.
They had even set up a new temporary camp in their journey to Gluttony and they had been making progress and were trying to put the incident past them…
Mentally, however, was a bit of a different story…
While everyone was scarred one way or another, Helsa and Vox's relationship had taken a…plunge to put it mildly.
The Princess of Envy was giving the former TV Overlord the cold shoulder and despite Vox's best efforts to apologize, Helsa was unmoving and unforgiving in that light, turning her nose at him at every turn.
The silent treatment was becoming unbearable at this point,especially since Vox was a bit of attention whore and despised being ignored.
"Will you quit ignoring me? This is just childish at this point! I already apologized and you still won't look at me!" Vox hissed as he followed after her desperately in an attempt to get her to look him in the eyes.
They had just finished collecting firewood at camp and while Helsa tolerated Vox's presence when doing these activities that furthered the group's benefit, she refused to acknowledge him any further than that…
The Princess huffed and turned her gaze from him, gaze colder than a cloud of eternal winter.
Vox pinched the bridge of his nose,"Helsa, I really don't know what you want me to say. I apologized countless times at this point. I know I made a bad call but I had no way of knowing Martha's family were literal Wendigos! How was I expected to know that!?"
She scoffed and refused to dignify with a response though her silence spoke for her.
"Was it because I 'ignored' your warning? Literally everyone else did and gave Martha the benefit of the doubt and I don't see you giving them this cold shoulder bs! Not even Charlie gets this treatment from you! What is it about me that makes you think I need this constant reminder of my failures? I've already suffered enough shit, Helsa, I don't need more dammit!"
"That suffering is your own fault, Vox…Had you just listened to me you wouldn't have even gotten bit…"
"You don't think I know that? I get it, Helsa. I get it dammit. I just…just wish you got this over with. Like what do you need from me to move on from this? Look, if you think I'm that fucking stupid I'll let you fucking hit me if that makes you happy…"
Helsa gave him a bewildered expression, clearly not expecting Vox to ask her to inflict physical pain on him.
"Don't look at me like that…That's how couples usually settle things…At least, that's what Val did whenever I did something 'stupid' in his words. Whatever that meant. If it makes you feel any better, I'll let you strike me and I won't wince…I promise…"
The Princess just looked at him for the longest time. Vox already seemed to be bracing himself for a hit but instead, Helsa merely rolled her eyes before signing to him,"I know it's hard for you but I'm not your ex-boyfriend, Vox and I'm not interested in breaking your face just because you want me to 'forgive' you. That's not how I operate and it's pathetic you thought I'd be interested in such juvenile acts…"
Vox faltered,"Helsa, I just thought that-"
"You thought wrong, now leave. I'm not in the mood to talk with you and I'd appreciate it if you let me alone. You're irritating me and a lady needs her personal space. Now go…"
His eyebrows furrowed, looking up at the sky. It was dusk out and nightfall was approaching fast. The light was vanishing and it was evident that the sun would be fading away in due time.
"Helsa…it's late, I understand you want to be left alone but don't you think you should head back with us? It's not really safe out here and who knows what's out here in this timeline…"
"The concern is appreciated, but not warranted. I can take care of myself, Vox. I may be a Princess, but I am no damsel in distress so please refrain from worrying about me. It is not necessary and I'd prefer it if you didn't…"
"Are you sure you want to be left alone out here? You know you can always walk back with me…"
"I'll pass…" Even without her voice, Vox could tell she was being adamant in her decision and sighed in defeat.
"Alright…Fine. I suppose I can't change your mind so there's no point in trying. Just be sure to come back safely whenever you decide to return." He grumbled before reluctantly turning away and leaving.
Once Helsa was certain he was gone, she took a sigh in relief,'About time he left…Now I can finally be left alone…'
The Princess then headed off in the other direction in order to collect her thoughts. Truth be told,she wasn't too worried about anything attacking her. Mainly because most of the animals they saw were deer, foxes and occasionally wolves and maybe a bear.
Even then, these animals kept to themselves and so long as you didn't wander too close to their territory, they wouldn't pay you too much mind. These animals didn't have a taste for their flesh and didn't consider them a part of their diet so there wasn't too much risk…
Besides, she was certain that her fans would dissuade any predators who thought of taking a bite.
As Helsa was walking, she couldn't help but notice something was amiss. It was a sensation that she had experienced several times, though she never admitted it to the others…
It was the feeling of being watched…
She wasn't sure when it started, but four days ago, she felt someone's prying eyes on her.
Now don't get her wrong, Helsa was no stranger when it came to getting looked at. She had demons glance at her body regardless of gender(though most of the time it came from guys) and while the lecherous stares could get annoying, she was never truly unnerved by them.
This was different. This wasn't anything like the lecherous glances she got on the street. This was…more concerning if anything because this gaze felt..predatory.
Not like sexual predatory, but like literal predator-prey type of predatory and she didn't feel any better with that in mind. It was someone stalking her every move and had been for quite some time yet she couldn't find out WHERE or WHO was doing it.
Even while she had been speaking with Vox, she couldn't help but feel someone was eyeing her somewhere, somehow and it bothered the living hell out of her.
The Princess felt shivers crawl down her spine when she heard footsteps. It was a quick, but deliberate act and she was certain whatever, or rather, whoever was following her was trying to scare her…
Helsa grit her teeth and pulled out her fans. The dusk wasn't exactly helping matters, giving her little light on the situation but she could hear the rustling and the sound of someone in the woods…
Times like this made Helsa wish she had an actual voice in order to demand things like 'Who's there' and 'Show yourself' but all she could do was growl and survey the area in hopes of finding whoever lurked in the darkness.
Uneasiness flooded her entire being as she desperately searched for a sign of another person…
Instead of an attack, nothing happened…At first anyway…
Helsa stood there in silence, wondering if perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her or if her paranoia had gotten the better of her during their journey…
Only to let out a gasp as the blood flow within her body came to an abrupt halt. The entire world went upside down as Helsa abruptly released the hold of her fans and collapsed to the ground with a loud thud, eyes wide awake yet empty in gaze.
From the darkness, a pair of heeled gold boots appeared in front of Helsa's body before tsking as he knelt down and pulled out a pair of power restricting cuffs from his pocket and clipped them around Helsa's wrists. A gift from Belphegor and something he kept on him to ensure the mission didn't go sour.
"She'll wake up eventually", Seviathan mused to himself, knowing full well that he hadn't killed her. No, he could still sense Helsa's heart beat, she was just unconscious and would recover quickly. This was just to ensure a quick capture without any risks of her escaping or possibly alerting her friends…
Now to take her back to camp and fulfill his promise to 'his' parents…
When Helsa came around, her body was numb and she was beyond exhausted. As the Princess of Envy's eyes opened and slowly adjusted her surroundings, she attempted to pull on her wrists only to gasp when she saw that her wrists had been tied to a pole and her legs had a web.
As her gaze darted around and saw she was inside some sort of…tent? A large one at that and it seemed to be made out of materials an army would be carrying around every time they set up a camp…
She narrowed her eyes as she recognized the cuffs attached to her wrists all too well and cursed to herself.
'Shit! That bastard caught me and I didn't even see him! How is that possible!?' Her eyes desperately searched for something to free herself but to her dismay, the tent was pretty much empty with the exception of a bed and a couple candles set up around the room to ensure that there was a constant light source.
The Princess grit her teeth as she tried to escape but found no such luck. Not only were her wrists bound but she had chains on her ankles, preventing her from running and ensuring that if she even managed to do so there'd be a loud jingling noise alerting anyone nearby.
She was trapped and she couldn't even tell where she was, who knows how far she was from camp. She didn't know how long she had been knocked out and with her luck, the others were probably all asleep and wouldn't notice she was gone until morning…
The Princess tensed up when she noticed shadows outside of the tent. She couldn't possibly identify them from where she was but she could tell that they were approaching her and fast.
Her dread only intensified when the tent flap came open and revealed a young man wearing a black long sleeved uniform and heeled gold boots.
The left side of his uniform was blood red in color and he had black gloves and gold nails attached to his fingers, resembling couldn't see much of his skin, but she could tell it was tan from the little bit of exposed neck and he had ash colored hair with a red streak.
The most peculiar feature about him was that strange face mask of his. The mask covered his entire face and had streaks of what appeared to be tears under his eyes that had been painted on for aesthetic purposes(of which she couldn't possibly figure out why).
It was creepy and that same sensation she got back when she was being watched returned because while she couldn't see his eyes on her, she could tell by the way he was situated that he was most definitely eyeing her…
There was a moment of silence before he finally spoke, his raspy voice calm yet there were traces of sadism underneath that calm exterior,"Welcome back, Helsa. It's about time you came around. I was wondering if I had used too much force on you, but it seems that you've recovered just fine…"
Helsa tensed up when he stepped closer to her out of fright.
He cocked his head to the side at this gesture before laughing,"Aw, is someone scared? I've never seen you so terrified in your entire life…It's as if you've seen a ghost, though, then again, to you, I probably am. Tell me, do you recognize me?"
Helsa stared at him in bemusement before shaking her head.
It was impossible to tell with that mask but he seemed…disappointed and almost…hurt? It was hard to tell given she couldn't see his face but he didn't seem happy but that answer and scoffed.
"Figures you wouldn't recognize me like this. It's quite frustrating that I can recognize you off the bat yet you cannot do the same for me…Oh well, I suppose giving a little hint won't kill you, will it, sister?"
The Princess's entire world nearly crumbled on itself at the mere word 'sister'. Her heart was racing and she felt rather tired, as if she were going faint right then and there…
That couldn't be Seviathan…it just couldn't be him…
Sensing his sister's disbelief, Seviathan left out a sadistic cackle,"Still refusing to believe, Helsa? Don't worry, I'm certain I will change your mind in an instant…" He quickly reached for his mask and removed it, revealing that terrifying Glasgow grin of his.
Helsa nearly had a heart attack when she saw what Seviathan looked like underneath. He looked almost as she had remembered him being from the jaw up, the only difference being his golden predatory eyes with black sclera.
But from below the jaw…God…it was like looking at a monster's teeth.
It wasn't like she was unfamiliar with sharp teeth as most of those in Hell had sharp teeth, but this was different.
Most could at least close their mouths, Seviathan's jaw seemed to make closing it normally impossible without that terrifying grin being displayed.
"What happened to your face!?"
"Oh this?" He chuckled,"This is Master's work.."
"Master!? Are you talking about Belphegor? Has he messed up your mind? You never spoke of him so fondly before! What is wrong with you?"
"Nothing is wrong with me," He snapped,"After all, when all of you abandoned me to my fate, he was the one who believed I could prove to be useful even after I plotted against him."
"Abandoned you? We had no idea you were alive! Everyone thought you were captured and didn't make it…"
"I would have, sister…Had Charlie's little boytoy not thrown me over the edge…" He pointed out bitterly, recalling the memory of being shoved downward all too well.
There was a moment of silence, Helsa recalling how dismissive Angel was when Seviathan turned up back at asylum and him being all too eager to get a move on. She thought it was strange then, but only now did it all finally make sense.
'That son of a bitch!' Helsa's face fell as it all clicked,"He…he didn't fucking do that…He better not have…"
"Oh, but he did," Seviathan informed with narrowed eyes,"That little liar must've had you all good if he managed to trick you all into thinking I didn't make it over the fence for no reason. Of course he left out the details of him dropping me to my fate since that would make him look bad and even Charlotte would judge for it. So he covered it up and washed his hands, thinking that it would be the last time you all ever saw me…Too bad he didn't anticipate Master having further use for me…"
"Seviathan…I don't get what in Satan's name Angel was thinking of dropping you, but I swear, we had nothing to do with that. We all thought you were dead and we didn't know he dropped you like that…"
"It doesn't matter, the fact you believed him speaks volumes to your gullibility. I cannot believe you actually thought I had been 'lost' and not that there was any sort of foul play involved…"
Helsa winced, uncertain what to say. Seviathan sounded hurt that they had just given up on him and while that wasn't their intention, it didn't seem like explanations were easing him in the slightest. He was furious and even with that terrifying grin etched across his features, it was very obvious he was enraged at the injustice inflicted on him.
"Why'd you take me here? If you wanted me dead, you would've done it by now…"
"I could've done it days ago," He admitted,"However, as much as I resent you for giving up on me so quickly, it wouldn't feel right to kill you. Especially since Mother and Father wish for us to be a 'family'..."
"Family? Seviathan, they're not even our real parents!" She pointed out,"We can't be a family, let alone with these doppelgangers!"
"That is irrelevant, Helsa," He pointed out,"Family isn't always tied to blood and since we're stuck in this timeline, why don't we try and make the best of it? After all, Mother and Father were enthusiastic that I caught you and it seems they wish to reconcile…"
Helsa shook her head in adamant refusal.
Seviathan seemed surprised yet annoyed at her response."Stubborn as always…I'd think you'd change your mind under captivity when you see that you're all alone, but it seems that something is keeping you from swaying…Is it about Vox? Are you holding out hope he'll look for you? Don't make me laugh, considering how you blew him off, who's to say he'll even bother looking for you at this point?"
Helsa averted her gaze as her brother mocked her hope. Things only got worse when Helsa felt a dryness in her throat, no doubt from the fact she hadn't drank anything in quite some time…
"Is someone parched?" He inquired,"Don't worry, sister, I'll get you something to drink…"
The Prince left the tent momentarily before coming back with two wine chalices in his hands. Inside the goblets were a red substance that seemed a bit too…dark for her liking. Seviathan offered one of the glasses to her and held it out as he said,"Care for a glass of wine, 'dear sister'?"
Despite the so-called affectionate title, Helsa's face was one drenched with unease. She wasn't sure what exactly was inside that drink but she was hesitant to sip on it…
"Go on, try taking a sip," He urged,"It won't kill you to have a taste now would it?"
Helsa cringed before reluctantly reaching for the glass and taking a sip.
The second Helsa got a taste of the 'wine' Seviathan handed her she immediately gagged and spat it out.
Not only did it taste more stable than moldy bread, but she got the metallic taste of blood in her mouth as well.
As she gagged, she sent Seviathan a spiteful glare that clearly read,'Are you trying to kill me!? What was that!? Why'd you feed me blood!? Have you gone mad?'
Seviathan merely glanced at her before realizing his error,"Oh…my mistake. I forgot you hadn't undergone the procedure and that blood would taste godawful to you. My bad…"
"Excuse me!? Procedure!?"
"Master had to perform a ritual in order for me to master Blood Magic. I won't lie…it was painful and I believed I had died but instead, I was reborn with a greater power than I could've ever imagined. He bestowed this blessing onto me and given how Water and Ice are very similar, you too could learn this art…for a price that is. Nothing is ever free you know," As he mentioned the word price, he motioned to his deformed mouth with a hint of sorrow though it dissipated rather quickly as he took a took the one out of his chalice and morphed it in the shape of an apple and held it up before her,"Don't tell me you're not tempted with this power are you not? It's the Master's blessing and he could bestow it upon you if you just let him. He's quite forgiving if you accept his gifts and serve him well…"
Helsa shook her head, adamant in her decision.
The elder twin made a face as he crushed the blood apple with the clench of his fist before calmly saying,"Suit yourself, sister. I know in due time you will change your mind…"
He then placed his mask back on before turning his back on her as he said in a flat tone,"Sleep tight, Helsa…"
Once he was gone,Helsa reluctantly headed toward the 'bed' that had been set up in the camp. It was more or less just a pillow and a blanket, not even a mattress…
Still, it was better than nothing and she lied down but found herself unable to sleep, staring out at the tent with conflicting feelings crawling down her back…
On one hand, her brother was alive. One the other hand, he was…different. The Seviathan she knew was an ignorant dickhead whose greatest strength was usually in his athletics rather than his intellect. Not to say he was stupid but she was definitely the brains of the two siblings…
Now…this person who she dared call her brother shed his ignorance in favor of becoming a sadistic enforcer of Belphegor's will.
She wasn't sure what that ritual had done to Seviathan but the results clearly damaged his soul because despite the body clearly being her brother's, those eyes weren't the same ones she was used to…
His once sea green eyes had turned a corrupt gold color and that grin…God's that grin... It was unsightly.
It wasn't brainwashing, but something much worse…because it seemed like whatever positive traits in Seviathan had become obsolete, replaced with a bloodthirsty experiment gone wrong with a taste for not only blood, but for revenge against those who had wronged him…
Helsa didn't get much sleep that night, to put it mildly. The metallic taste of blood still remained on her tongue and she struggled to get a peaceful night of rest given her current situation as a captive…
The next morning she 'woke up' to Seviathan walking inside her tent with a plate of food and a drink. It was fairly early and most probably wouldn't have been awake at this time of day and she was already getting breakfast…
She stared at it for the longest time, still weary from the other night and Seviathan scoffed underneath his mask,"There's no blood in this food, Helsa. I promise that it's edible to your standards…"
She glanced at the food carefully, there was a glass of water, a cutlery set and a plate of oatmeal with berries and a loaf of bread.
It wasn't exactly the greatest type of food, but it was better than nothing and from what she could tell, there was truth to Seviathan's words.
Helsa reluctantly reached out and grabbed the bread before instinctively cutting it in half before holding up the cut loaf to Seviathan.
The Mad Prince cocked his head to the side in confusion at this gesture. When she tried to beckon him to try it, he put his hand up and said,"No thank you, I already ate earlier prior to coming to your tent and eating that would do me no favors…"
Helsa cocked an eyebrow, it was just bread and she couldn't understand why he rejected it.
He sighed,"Helsa, do remember what I told you when I said I underwent a ritual?"
She nodded slowly.
"Well, my mouth wasn't the only 'cost' so to biology has been morphed to where I cannot process 'regular' food anymore. Even if I ate it, it would not satisfy my hunger. Blood Magic not only grants me great power, but is also my only means of sustaining myself. Without it, I will die…"
They way he said it made it clear that he was beyond serious but Helsa found it asinine how he could be so calm over his fate.
Helsa took the loaf of bread back and ate it. Her brother watched her but made no moves to continue the conversation. The Princess soon began to eat her oatmeal before she asked a striking question,"Did you know that would happen when you agreed to serve your 'Master' as you would say?"
"No," He admitted,"Why do you ask?"
"Seviathan, do you not see that he ruined you? He's made you a monster…"
"Monster does not offend me, sister," He retorted.
"It should…"
"It's better to be a creature that is feared rather than one who is tormented. I am no longer a victim, Helsa, and I will not stand for blatant disrespect towards my savior…"
The way he said it was calm, yet it was obvious that it was a threat and that Helsa best be quiet for her own sake if anything…
The Princess was uncertain how to respond to that one. Seviathan's devotion to Belphegor was strong, whether it be out of sheer gratitude for granting him such power or true loyalty was hard to decipher and if anything, it was likely a mix of both.
Instead of giving him a response, she continued to eat while refusing to tear away from his gaze and despite the mask, she could sense that her brother was returning the gesture.
When she was finally done, Seviathan instructed her to come outside. As she followed him out, she was in awe when she saw an entire base set up in a town not too far away. There were camps for the soldiers though if she had assumed, the Deadly Sins were staying in a far more luxurious area nearby.
'This…is going to suck…' Helsa thought to herself as she found herself trapped in yet another prison and this time, she had no one else who could or would help her in this scenario…
Just great….
Well…if there was one plus to this camp, she was actually able to walk around within a certain distance. Of course she couldn't stray too far and the guards would yell at her if she ever got too far for their comfort…
Not that she would try escaping, she wouldn't get far with the chains on and the stupid jingling would make it obvious she was running so trying to escape on foot with no powers was a no-go.
Not to mention she'd probably trip on the damn chains while trying to flee, making it all too easy to recapture her once again.
As much as she hated admitting it, she was trapped and couldn't do anything. The worst part was that she was utterly alone as Seviathan had gone off somewhere and she couldn't tell where…
While Helsa walked around in hopes of clearing her head, she couldn't help but notice Mammon was talking with Asmodeus out of the corner of her eye. She peered from the side of the building that kept her hidden, allowing her curiosity to get the better of her.
"Mammon, you really should know better than to feel that way over one measly mortal… It ain't healthy for you…"
"Tell me something I don't know, Ozzie…" He grumbled,"I know it's not allowed but I just…can't get him out of my mind…"
"I get that, but you should probably keep quiet about this sort of thing around anyone else. If Lucifer finds out he's gonna give you the ear whipping of a lifetime…"
"Yeah yeah, whatever, Ozzie…Just leave me be…" Mammon growled, shooing the Lord of Lust away and watching as he teleported out from the scene.
Helsa narrowed her eyes, suspicion creeping up within her. She tried to slowly back away from the scene only to curse when the shackles around her ankles clacked.
Mammon quickly raised an eyebrow upon hearing this and whipped his head around at an unnatural angle. Helsa quickly tried to hide behind the wall, a lump in her throat as a horrible feeling came over.
Right now, she is praying to every supernatural being she could think of for Mammon to NOT discover her…
A part of her felt the need to check if he was still there and she peered her head out and sighed in relief when she saw he was gone…
This relief immediately vanished as soon as it came when she felt someone pull her wrists behind her back. She hissed and tried to flee but this effort was quickly put to a stop as her captor had a grip stronger than steel, his other hand grasping her shoulder.
Her heart sank as she heard Mammon ask,"Did you truly think you could outwit me by hiding behind a wall? And to listen in on private conversations that are no concern to you…How rude. Did your parents never teach you respect, little siren?"
Helsa scowled as she felt Mammon's hot breath on her neck, trying to wiggle free from his grasp to no avail. It was daunting having this large man restraining you without effort and it felt like he was merely toying with her.
"I think we both know the answer to that one, now don't we, Helsa?" He inquired, the Jester mocking the Princess before taking a sniff out of her hair,"Mmm..you smell delightful, little siren. Why don't you be a dear and sing for me why dont you?"
Helsa gasped when Mammon's free hand groped her breast deliberately, giving it a tight squeeze. In a desperate gambit, she kicked him right in the crotch,eliciting a cry as she took that opportunity to gain distance from him.
"For a woman who wields ice, you're quite feisty…" He cackled, his voice reeking of flirtation at the sight of blush over her cheeks,"Not only that, but you've got an exquisite body. I can see where Bethesda's side comes in quite nicely…"
Helsa was fuming and she wanted nothing more than to freeze this bastard where he stood. God, if she could bust out of these cuffs right now, she'd do it in a heartbeat.
"I certainly see what Vincent saw in you," He muttered, putting his hand under her chin, getting up in her face far too close for comfort,"Your beauty is particularly irresistible…No wonder he fell for your wicked charms so easily. I suppose it is your job as sirens to lure unsuspecting men to their doom and it's a shame you do such a great job…"
The way he said it was unnerving, not only because of the flirtation, but because she could sense…jealousy in that voice and it was…directed at her? It was hard to tell but she could sense Mammon had a bone to pick with her and she wasn't sure why…
Thankfully to Helsa's relief, a dagger was thrown at Mammon. To her dismay, the attack missed but it seemed to put some distance between her and the Jester. When she saw her brother standing there with another dagger ready to strike, she felt uneasy yet relieved.
"Stay away from my sister, Mammon," The Feral Prince commanded.
Helsa wasn't sure how much he had seen, but judging by his stance, he had seen enough to intervene on her behalf. Not that she was complaining…
"Since when did you care about her?" He remarked,"I don't recall you being close with her…"
"It matters not what our relationship is like, especially to you. You are not my Master, Mammon, and I do not answer to you,"The Prince replied.
"I am your superior, Seviathan. You should show respect. What would Belphegor say if he heard of you treating me in such a way? Attempting to maim me yet again is not something I am willing to overlook…"
"He will not find out," He assured, even though he wasn't entirely sure how he was going to accomplish such a feat.
Mammon scoffed,"Why are you even here, Seviathan? I don't recall anyone inviting you here…"
"Belphegor desired me to locate you to discuss something with my family and unfortunately, I have to take both of you with me."
"Why didn't you say so?" He chuckled,"I'm more than willing to accompany such an event. Lead the way, little brat…"
Seviathan made a noise underneath his mask but ultimately led the way, motioning for his sister to follow them. Helsa suddenly glued herself to him. He seemed taken aback by this but didn't force Helsa off of him for some reason.
Mammon chuckled, seeming amused by the sight of this,'Aw..look…how adorable. She thinks he can protect her…Pathetic…'
They all soon met up with Belphegor, Frederick and Bethesda. Belphegor smiled,"Just the people I was looking for. Right on Que, Nephew…"
"I'm always on time for you, Master, though I do wish you had informed me why I had to not only grab my sister but Mammon as well…" He grumbled.
"All will make sense in due time," He admitted,"You see, I was thinking that with Helsa being held captive that your former allies will notice something is amiss with her gone….."
"What do you suppose we do about that? It's not like Helsa can be in two places at once and I doubt she'd even cooperate if we could do such a thing…"
"I'm aware of this. Which is precisely why I have an idea that should serve us well. You see, it's only a matter of time before they reach Gluttony and Beelzebub has already informed me that her army is already prepared to attack. However, there is no telling which direction they will go which is why we need someone to lead them right where we want them. This is where you come in…"
"Excuse me?" Seviathan inquired, bemused by his Master's claim,"How am I involved in any of this?"
"I need to infiltrate the group from within in order to keep tabs on them."
"Uh, Belphie, no offense but how do you expect this brat to infiltrate within the group? As far as they know, he's dead and I doubt they'll trust him…" Mammon mocked,"This sounds poorly planned don't you think? I know you're lazy but do think out your plans to their entirety now will you?"
"I'm not done yet,Mammon," He reminded me,"Though you do bring up a fair point, which is precisely why I came up with a brilliant idea. After all, while Helsa cannot be in two places at once, who's to say someone else can't play her part and act as a double-agent? Seviathan is aware of Helsa's mannerisms and I'm certain he can act as a decoy."
"Uh..Belphegor," Mammon said,"I understand your plan but there's just one problem…These two look nothing alike. They may be twins, but they aren't identical. They don't even have the same skin tone. Nobody is going to fall for this."
"Who says we need makeup? Blood is all we need…" The Sloth Lord stated,"After all, while they may be fraternal twins, they share the same blood type and given Seviathan's abilities, I'd say it's entirely possible for him to act as his sister and take her place…"
"Are you certain he's capable of something like this?" Frederick asked.
"Yes this does seem a bit…out of his league. He might not be able to do it…"
Seviathan clenched his fist at the notion of being underestimated before saying,"I will quickly prove you wrong…"
Seviathan glanced at his sister before using his Blood Magic to change his appearance. It took several seconds of concentration but eventually, he managed to pull off the unthinkable and within seconds, Helsa found herself looking in some sort of distorted mirror.
To the amazement of everyone(and horror of Helsa), Seviathan managed to copy his sister in his own twisted way. His skin had changed color to match Helsa's though he seemed unable(or chose not to) change the colors of his clothing and hair, only choosing to emulate Helsa's dress while keeping the color scheme of his prior uniform.
The only differences you'd be able to discern between the twins was Seviathan's lack of breast mounds and his golden eyes, as well as the monstrous teeth that were currently exposed for all to see.
"Gods, what is that creature!? No one told me he was so repulsive under that mask! Put it back on!" Mammon exclaimed, having never seen Seviathan without his mask and for once, he seemed utterly terrified at the horrific sight.
"Who do you think you are calling repulsive, Jester? If anything, you are the one who is repulsive, not I!" He declared, clearly offended by the notion of being considered hideous.
You'd think monster would offend him, but no, hideous is the one that truly gets under his skin.
"Silence, you unholy abomination. You may be able to delude yourself but we both know that your face is unsightly, not to mention a big give away," He growled as he regained his composure and turned to Belphegor,"You know that the mouth is a huge discrepancy in this plan, right? You're telling me no one is going to notice those giant fangs?"
"Relax, I already crafted a special mask just for this…" Belphegor said, handing Seviathan a black mask that concealed only the lower half of his face. It had no particular designs on it but it did its part just nicely,"You look just identical to your sister, Seviathan. I wonder…can you sound like her?"
It was merely a question, though Seviathan was eager to answer as he cleared his throat and despite his moth managed to imitate his sister's voice without batting an eye,"I believe this answers your question, doesn't it, Master?"
"How the hell is that possible?" Mammon asked, though he received no answer to this question. And for once, Helsa found herself sharing the same thought process as him, she too wondering how it was possible for Seviathan to pull off such a feat.
Helsa's nearly had a heart attack, hearing your own voice come from your brother was terrifying in itself.
The fact Seviathan pulled it off so effortlessly made her wonder had he been practicing while she wasn't looking? Or perhaps that ritual gave him another hidden ability that she wasn't aware of…
Regardless, she didn't like it one bit and was helpless to do anything but watch as Seviathan impersonated her.
"It's not like my sister can speak, but it's a useful skill nevertheless to impersonate the voices of others…" He cackled madly, returning to his normal voice,"This mission will be far too easy…"
"Wait…" Mammon said,"How will we know if he's successful or not? There won't be a way for us to keep in touch with him, not without the group finding out about us. No doubt they're already paranoid about us hunting them down. Confirming their suspicions will only make it worse…"
Seviathan sneered,"I already have that covered…" He then summoned a knife and slit his wrists,allowing himself to bleed out a bit before creating a blood clone of himself, still wearing his masculine attire.
"This will keep you company while I'm away. The clone is a part of me and can relay any information I receive," Despite seemingly answering Mammon's question, he seemed to directing his words at his sister in the first sentence as the clone took initiative by standing beside her and making sure to keep distance between her and Mammon, acting as shield of sorts.
"Wonderful planning, nephew, I'm quite proud of your intellect," Belphegor praised.
Seviathan nodded,"It's all thanks to you that I'm able to reach these heights...Now the plan shall be set into motion. I will depart in a few minutes. I simply need to collect myself before going…"
"Do what you believe is best, Seviathan," Belphegor urged,"Remember, we're counting on you."
"So don't fail us like you did in the past," Frederick reminded flatly.
"I will not…" He assured,"You have my word, Father. I will do what must be done…"
Seviathan distanced himself from the others and mentally braced himself with the few minutes of peace he had. As he collected his thoughts, the Feral Prince of Envy summoned when he saw Mammon approach him from the corner of his eye only to pause when Mammon said,
"Lower your weapons, I've come in peace, child," The Lord of Greed huffed, seeming irritated by the amount of weapons this man was willing to pull on him.
Seviathan's eyes narrowed, tilting his head to the side,"Tch, do you expect me to take your word for it? I'm not foolish to take you for your word alone. Tell me, what have you come to pester me over? I'm about to venture out and I do not need distractions like yourself intruding on valued time..."
"Relax, you arrogant child, I'm not trying to distract from your 'mission', " Mammon said in quotations as he rolled his eyes,"So to speak. I'm merely here to offer a deal..."
Seviathan threw his back and burst out laughing mad, his soft-spoken mask dropping as his unhinged nature slipped through,"AHAHAHA! You are quiet, funny, Jester. Very funny, your sense of humor is almost as bad as your personality..."
Mammon scowled as he sarcastically quipped,"I'm amused you find my proposition humorous but I must regrettably inform you that I am not joking. I'm dead serious..."
The Prince scoffed,"And what makes you think I want a deal with you? Do you think I forgot you imprisoning me in that godforsaken carnival? What in Lucifer's name makes you think I want to make any deals with a cretin like you?"
"Still spiteful are you?" He remarked,"You know you could at least hear me out before rejecting me so harshly..."
"You've given me no reason to hear you out. Even if I ignored what you put me through, you have nothing to offer!" Seviathan taunted, his gold eyes flickering with madness despite his contradictory soft-spoken voice,"What do you have or do for that matter that could possibly make me reconsider?"
"It's simple, Seviathan. You see, it's quite obvious that despite being on the same team, neither of us truly like each other..."
"That is putting it mildly. I despise you..."
"Believe me, brat, the feeling is very much mutual," Mammon spat before regaining his composure,"Anyhow, as I was saying, our hatred of each other is ultimately irrelevant since despite our differences, we do have similar goals albeit for very different reasons. We both have something we want and we're willing to do just about anything to get it. So why don't we compromise, hn?"
"What are you suggesting, Mammon?"
"A temporary alliance of sorts. After all, we don't need to like each other to bargain now do we?"
"What do you have to offer, Mammon? I do not need money and I do not wish to relinquish my soul..."
Mammon scoffed,"I know better than to try and settle this deal with a soul. I prefer my souls to not already be damaged, I have no use for decayed goods,"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, did Belphie not tell you? Excessive use of Blood Magic causes the soul to decay at a rapid rate? Haven't you thought of why you have to constantly feed on blood? Because the Blood Magic Belphegor taught while incredibly powerful was the most dangerous and there was a reason we outlawed use. Blood Magic is not a toy and it's effect on your sanity is imminent. You won't be able to control yourself if you're not careful and if I had to guess, this was intentional on Belphegor's end.."
If Seviathan was surprised from that information, he did no show it as he hissed,"Are you telling me this in hopes I will question Master's intentions?"
"Take it as you will, I'm merely saying that there was a reason that Blood Magic was forbidden. I swear if we weren't in this predicament Lucifer would have a word with Belphegor about trying to revive a Dark Art's use. However, since we are in that sort of predicament, all that can be done is to silently watch as everything unfolds."
"What is your point of all this? I'm already aware I can die if I do not feed..."
"I'm just saying that you signed up for something far more dangerous than you realize..." He admitted.
"The deal, Mammon. Go back to that," He commanded, not liking the current subject at hand.
"Alright, fine. Since you are so insistent. The deal is quite simple really, even a child like yourself should be more than capable of such a feat. All I need for you to do is spy on Vincent for me-"
"That's it? I'm already there to keep an eye on all of them, what is the point on focusing on him specifically."
"Allow me to finish," He retorted,"Anyhow, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was about to explain what I wanted you to do in detail. Even a bloodthirsty abomination like you should be able to complete a task like this."
"Get to the point, Mammon..."
"I need you to bring Vincent to me,"
"That hardly sounds like a challenge...What is the catch?"
"You must not do it right away," He informed,"It's already suspicious for Helsa to be gone this late and now that you are impersonating her, having two teammates suddenly vanish would draw suspicion. Which is why you need to lure him into a false sense of security, let him trust you with all his heart before betraying him. All while relaying information about him back to me..."
"You wish for me to do what sister failed to do before by breaking his heart?" He asked,"How cruel..."
"I'll take that as a compliment coming from you," Mammon said.
"Though, I still don't get how this benefits me breaking his heart..."
"Think about it, Helsa's already toyed with him once and even if they're getting along, I know Vincent's paranoid. The tiniest part of him still fears she might just using him and he hates never being sure. If you play into those fears, he'll be just devastated that his dear 'Helsa' betrayed him. Vincent is all too easy to manipulate if you know the right strings to pull and I still recall how distraught he was the first time when he found out she duping him, no doubt this time will hurt even more. It'll tear their relationship in two and once that happens, they'll be easy pickings from there..."
Seviathan still seemed reluctant and Mammon continued,
"Seviathan, don't pretend. I know you wish for your sister to suffer pain just as you've experienced. You want her to know your pain while still being kept alive, dont you? I may not know what you've been through personally, but I know the eyes of a vengeful man when I see one. You want all them to suffer don't you? So why not hit her where it truly hurts and shatter their relationship like brittle ice?"
The Prince sighed,"Fine, have it your way, Mammon. I will abide by this agreement, not because I care about your goals, but because I wish for them all to suffer. They abandoned me to die and I will enjoy making them feel my pain! Though, I must ask you for you to do something in return for spying and relaying information to you. I need you to promise to not touch sister..."
"Oh? And since when did you care about her? I thought you wanted her to suffer..."
"I do, but not by your hand," He snarled,"This is family matter, Mammon and as much as I wish to cause her pain, I do still consider her family and I'd rather not physical harm come her way unless absolutely necessary. I still believe she can turn, though not without a few...pushes in the right direction. Destroying her and Vincent's relationship should do the trick..."
"So do we have a deal?"
"We do," He remarked,"But do not mistake this alliance for anything other than a means to end. I want nothing to do with you after this and if I catch you going back on your word, you will wish for death by the end..."
Mammon scoffed,"Tch, you do not scare me, child..."
"A horrible mistake, really..."
Without another word, Seviathan turned his back before using his powers to liquefy his body into a puddle of blood, teleporting away from the scene.
Later…
Vox began searching the woods frantically, shouting,"HELSA! ARE YOU OUT THERE? IT'S MORNING! YOU GOTTA COME BACK! IT'S MORNING FOR GOD'S SAKE!"
The TV Demon's gaze shifted worriedly side to side. He had been doing this for at least thirty minutes and he retracted his steps where he last saw Helsa. She should've been around here somewhere and yet when he woke up, she wasn't at camp.
As Vox was searching, the former Overlord couldn't help but notice someone approaching him nearby. He was weary at first but his skepticism turned to relief when he saw what appeared to be Helsa approaching him.
"Helsa! There you are! I was wondering where you had gone off too!" He exclaimed with great relief flooding into his eyes before pausing at the sight of 'her',"Woah..uh that's a bit of color shift. Not trying to offend you or anything, it's not bad or anything I'm just a bit taken back…Also did you like gain a couple of inches because you're a bit taller than I remember…or is it those heels you're wearing underneath?"
'She' nodded 'her' head in response to his questions.
Vox then raised an eyebrow at the mask,"Hey uh…what's with the mask? Is it a new decoration of some kind? Because I never took you for one who wanted to hide your face. I get we're on the run but you don't need to hide anything from us…"
The former TV Demon felt somewhat unease as 'her' golden eyes pierced through him.
"Say…Helsa…we're about to eat breakfast and I was wondering if perhaps you'd want something to eat. Niffty's cooking and she's make pretty great food honestly…."
'She' shook 'her' head.
"Are you certain, Helsa? You know that you gotta eat, right? There's not exactly a lot of stuff out here that you can eat raw and I wouldn't want you to go starving or anything…"
Once again, 'she' refused to elaborate her reasons for not eating and merely made it seem like she wasn't hungry. Vox wasn't quite sure why Helsa was behaving this way but decided to chalk it up to her just being moody about the other night…
'I almost feel bad for him…he's so damn easy to manipulate….' Seviathan chuckled to himself, using his ability to imitate Helsa's voice to let out a girlish giggle. It sounded just like his sister's, though with his own unhinged twist on it.
"Something funny, Helsa?" The former Overlord inquired,"You're a bit giggly for someone who woke up early in the morning…"
Seviathan once again, refused to give him any answers and merely continued to walk back with Vox who was truly none the wiser to his true identity.
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Enigmus-288: Well, the cannibalism thing makes a lot of sense in this one because Belphegor kind of...screwed them up. The kids just want someone to not get eaten alive by their parents since the Inn was their life before the others showed up.