Chapter Text
“TAKE ME AND DO YOUR STRONGEST—!”
The imp became the scythe, giving himself to the heroes of light.
That had been years ago. they had taken him to the shop in the field made of worn fabric, to the old shopkeeper. They had refused, over and over, to buy the scythe. it was worthless to them, they said. But they caved, reasoning they would throw it back in the cage or bury it in the ground once the heroes left.
But their old companion returned to his form before they could. The shopkeeper prepared to fight the demon as they had ages past, but they knew that their magic ability had waned as the years passed. So with reluctance, they decided the only thing they could do was keep the imp at their shop in the field, keeping him from wreaking chaos on the rest of their small world.
They brandished a rusted sword that they had taken down from the wall. “If you try anything, know I will not hesitate to stop you as I had those years before.” They warned in a gruff voice.
“UE HE HE! SEAM, SEAM! I CAN’T WAIT TO FINALLY PLAY AGAIN!” The jester laughed in a warped voice. He knew that Seam would not be able to stop him if they tried. While the cat had began to lose their ability with time, he had lost none. His cage had existed outside of time, a bubble of immortality.
Seam grimaced. “I have no time for games, clown.” They thrust the sword forward, hovering it in front of Jevil’s grinning face. “You will not set foot outside of this shop.”
“OH, OH? YOU PLAN TO END MY LIFE HERE?” Jevil kept his sharp grin.
Seam scoffed at his remark. “You know full well I am incapable of that. I plan to keep you here, for however many years that will be.”
“SO BE IT!” Jevil floated over next to Seam, flicking his tail across the cat’s neck. Seam restrained themself from swatting the imp away as it laughed maniacally. “Down, you hooligan.” They grumbled.
The shop was small, a patchwork of fabric and pillows. Jevil floated through, behind of the storefront having a small living area and loft with a bed. His tail curled around the rotting wooden pole the staircase spiraled around as he examined the downstairs. There was a chess set in one corner, yellowed from age, and equipment for making tea- Seam presumably used fire magic for it. The table with the warm lamp had a framed photo on it. Jevil’s mad smile faded slightly as he examined it. It was a picture of him and Seam, back when they served on the Court. He hadn’t forgotten Seam, but the way he was… he disregarded the photo and drifted upstairs.
Seam themself followed into the living area, carefully monitoring Jevil as he explored. They had once been partners with him, but they were the one that saw his abilities and damaged mental state up close, so they were wary of the imp, even if before they had been… they shook it off before the thought went further. They had to be at full attention when that thing was around.
“HEE HEE! THERE IS ONLY ONE BED, SEAM!” Jevil called from the loft.
“I do not like what you are implying there, demon.” Seam growled. “You will be sleeping on the floor.”
Jevil giggled as he floated behind Seam.
This is exhausting already… Seam thought. At least he’s not blowing this place to pieces. Jevil’s gleaming eyes tracked them as they walked over to the bed. “You’ve tired me out.” Seam grumbled. Jevil put his arms up behind his back as he drifted down to the floor next to the bed. He was comfortable with it, given he had slept in the cold prison for what felt like centuries and nothing at the same time. The floor here was plush, and he curled under his cape as weariness suddenly hit the jester. he had been tired out fighting the lightners earlier that day, after all.
Seam begun to sleep lightly, uneasy with Jevil so close to them. They still remembered how much damage the small thing was capable of. They remembered all too well.
They stood in the court of the King, kneeling before the throne. They already knew what was coming.
The King towered, his cape as dark as the shadows he ruled. “Magician,” his voice was deep, rumbling through the air. “You must lock up the mad clown.”
Seam lifted their head. “Yes, my lord.”
They left the door to the throne room, their cape trailing behind them. They were ready to brandish their magic.
Scythes flew through the air, spades and diamonds shattering on sight. In the midst of the madness, he was laughing maniacally. He looked so familiar yet so completely different.
Seam faltered. It was their lifelong friend, their partner, their… no, not anymore. They had watched as Jevil’s mind had corrupted. They weren’t sure why, but they knew they couldn’t let him hurt anyone else.
“Jevil!” They shouted, spinning threads of shimmering fire between their fingers. “You need to stop this at once!”
The imp turned to face his companion. His eyes, once glowing with lightheartedness, now gleamed threateningly. “OH, PLEASE, IT’S JUST SIMPLE CHAOS!” He cackled, firing hearts and clubs off like bullets. It was terrifying how powerful he had become. Seam spun the fire, shooting off their own in rapid fire that exploded in contact with the suites. Shards of magic flew through the air. Seam braced themself, pulling down their mage hat to shield from the debris. They knew there would be no negotiation, Jevil’s mind was too far gone for that. They grimaced, spinning their hands, the fire tendrils weaving through the stitches on their fingers, their very inside glowing. The jester was powerful, incredibly so, but he was still the jester. They were the magician. The power flowed through their very being; they were created for this. The chaos could not overturn their order as they threw a shimmering golden flare at Jevil. It struck him head on, as he spiraled through the air. His body spun into that of a scythe, slicing through the air in bursts. Seam turned, the dizzying blade moving too quickly. “HA, HA, LET’S MAKE THE DEVILSKNIFE!” The scythe suddenly struck Seam on the face, throwing them back. They regained themself, paw instinctively going up to their face. My eye… the crackling cotton was where the hard plastic of the button should be. They glanced and saw the button laying on the ground in their hazy vision. The jester had sliced off their eye.
Seam felt a sudden surge through their body. This- this creature, it was going to hurt people. They had been holding back their power, refusing to hurt their partner. But now they were lost in emotion- rage, regret, something different.
The next minute was a golden-red blur, glittering shards of smashed white in the heat. But it ended in a key.
The jester was behind bars, inside the cage. That was what mattered. That was what mattered, right? Seam could still feel the batting spilling from their eye socket. This was what was best. But while their head knew, their heart was pulling to something else.
Jevil was inside the cage, the dizzying blue engulfed in shadows behind him. He looked so… harmless, now that he was put out of his power trip. He looked just like Seam’s partner. The mage took the twisted key and heard the click of the lock as it was sealed.
“SEAM, SEAM! C’MON, YOU’RE NOT GONNA LOCK ME DOWN HERE ALL BY MYSELF~! IT WAS JUST A GAME! I’LL SPEND ONE NIGHT IN HERE, HERE, AND THEN YOU’LL COME BACK AS SOON AS YOU WAKE UP, RIGHT?
Seam turned from the imp. They didn’t want to look at him any longer. They couldn’t look at him any longer. They couldn’t…
The King’s instructions echoed in his head. “Do not talk with the beast.”
And so they didn’t.
“AW, DON’T BE MEAN, MEAN! IT WAS SIMPLE FUN! YOU’LL LET ME OUT, RIGHT? RIGHT?” Jevil’s tail wrapped around one of the iron bars.
“…goodbye, Jevil.”
“SEAM?”
“…SEAM?”
They could hear Jevil cry out as they climbed the stairs from the dungeon.
“SEAM, COME BACK! YOU’LL COME BACK, WON’T YOU? SEAM! SEAM!!” he screamed. It dug at the magician’s mind. But they ignored the screaming and pressed the button on the elevator.
They knew what happened next. Out of desperation, or loneliness, or perhaps plain insanity, the clown convinced himself he was the only one who was truly free. Seam retired to run their shop in the fields. They couldn’t bear to keep their position without Jevil. Decades passes and they grew older, older still, their mind becoming more nihilistic. And now they were faced with the demon again.
But as they had aged, they had changed. They were no longer the court magician, as Jevil was no longer the court jester.
They didn’t sleep well that night. Not with Jevil on the floor like a bomb about to blow.