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Chapter Text

The hums of the radio in front of two little demons die down as their favorite show finally ends its newest episode of “Roll the Dice”. Their tails sway in the air from the excitement they felt. They pay no mind to the roughness of the concrete floor or the bits of popcorn scattered around.

Listening in to what they love is what makes the friendship between Henchman and his little friend, Minion, stronger. In fact, they have everything in common. They work under the ruler of the underworld, that is all too familiar. But, even if they have separate jobs, that doesn’t stop them from getting a chance to see one another. They’ve been friends for the longest time, after all.

Henchman works as a servant to the Devil, treating him with whatever his master asks and doing whatever he says without question. As for Minion, while different from most of his co-workers, he assists them in either the Gluttony Department, Team Fathom, or simply to help out with starting war. 

But they refuse to miss an episode of “Roll the Dice,” and they would go out of their way to excuse themselves to do so, not that anyone would care. This time, Minion is on break, and Henchman asked permission to use the radio. Tonight’s show gave them a boost of energy until another soul was snatched through the prize door, putting the final curtain call on the live feed.

“…Say, what time is it now?” Minion asked.

The plump imp turns his attention to face the clock. Five o’clock in the evening. Suddenly, he picks himself off of his seat in a panic.

“I got to pick Mr. King Dice up!” Henchman shouted. “Do you mind waiting for me, Minion?”

“Not at all, buddy!” exclaimed the blue imp. “Take your time! I’ll clean up everything for you!”

“Great! Thanks!”

The plump demon’s wings flap, catching air and lifting himself off the ground and gliding out of the room. Then, Minion proceeds to pick up the leftover popcorn bits off the ground and putting them in the empty bucket that was once between the two demons.

The elevator to the center of the Earth dings as it reaches its destined floor. Doors shutter open, and the Devil’s righthand man steps right out with his signature grin and glorious posture. This time, there is no long hallway. The throne isn’t far from how many feet the man is standing, nor was the seat over his boss’ rear facing away from him. 

Something caught the latter’s attention. It was faint, but the Devil detects a smooth hum from his lackey’s mouth. He never sings to himself when he’s in the creature’s throne room, and he’s even silently tapping his shoe to the concrete floor, but he stops once he makes eye contact with the demon.

“You seem happy today, Dice.” The Devil noted.

“Oh? Not even going to greet your number one, boss?” King Dice chuckled.

“Less greeting and more talking! How did it go?”

The man puts a palm to his chest, lowering his upper body, bowing to his unholy ruler with not a sign of fear, but a sign of loyalty.

“I have collected brand new souls for you, sir. Only two in total.”

Two souls? To be fair, the Devil never cared about his lackey, hosting some game show, but the dice headed man isn’t incompetent. He’s very talented at manipulation, probably close to his entity’s level. If he had more time, he would’ve gotten more souls… then the demon remembered the schedule of when “Roll the Dice” is aired.

“…I should’ve extended the hours.” He mumbled. “You could’ve done a better job at it.”

King Dice raises his form up to his usual stand, his hands behind his back as he waits to hear more from his master.

“But at least you got something done.” The Devil commented. “Keep up the good work. You may be excused.”

The man bows to his boss before twirling around to head back into the elevator at the end of the hall. Henchman, while holding the handle to the machine, watches his idol enter the elevator.

“Anywhere you want me to take you, Mr. King Dice?” Henchman asked.

“Drop me off at that popular cafe in Inkwell City, my good man.” King Dice responded. “I’ll be meeting someone there, and I’m treating her to some coffee.”

“Oh, like a date?”

“Well no, I—.”

Suddenly, King Dice jerks out of the elevator by the pull of someone, grabbing the back of his tuxedo shirt. Before he knew it, the Devil was right at his face, glaring at him with his ruby red peepers. The man holds back a scream, nearly paralyzed with terror when he catches the look of hell’s king.

“Did I just hear that right, Dice?” He bellowed. “You’re going on a-a-a-a DATE?!"

The fur on the monster’s back perks up as boiling rage fuels his entire body. At any moment, he could burst like no tomorrow, and it won’t be pretty, especially since King Dice doesn’t want to get burnt in the process. Seeing his red face is enough.

“N-no! I’m not!” The dice man stammered. “I ain’t dating anyone! I’m not even going on a date!”

“Then who is that woman you were just talking about?”

“S-she’s just some lady I met in the audience a few days ago when I was h-hosting my show! W-we were just getting to know each other is all!”

Walking a few steps back, a puff of steam exhales from the entity’s throat, letting go of his negative emotions in a gentle blow. King Dice’s internal fears disappear in that exact moment.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this woman, Dice?” The Devil bellowed.

“I mean, you didn’t ask, boss… you never do.”

Silence fill the entire room, saved by the cracks of fire in the distance. 

“You know, it’s strange, boss…”

“What is?”

“I thought you weren’t interested in my personal life. What’s wrong with you?”

The Devil’s eyes light up. His thin posture becomes motionless, flinching, and his tail is drooping. A pit falls down his stomach. He avoids his lackey’s gaze, arms crossed and bottom lip hanging in visible frustration.

“N-nothing! Just go to that cafe with that tramp or whatever! Scram!”

And King Dice did as he was told. He went back into the elevator, not even looking back. With a worried expression on his face, Henchman pushes the lever down, shutting the doors close as flames engulf the machine, making it disappear.

The Devil caresses his chest hair with a single finger. Butterflies fill his stomach with nervousness. It’s not just nervousness he’s feeling… it’s something else. He is feeling it again. Somehow, his anger got the better of him again. How much longer will this be locked inside him?

“Well, ain’t that swell?” He said sarcastically. “…I need therapy.”

“So uhhhhhhh… how should we start this?”

The Devil is quick to turn an empty room into the office of a psychologist. A tall bookcase standing behind a chaise longue, one that the demon is laying his back against. A single lamp illuminates the room to a bright orange over a small desk.

The structure of the magenta curves touching the ground and building up are still the same as anywhere else in hell, and the floor is still craggy as it ever was. No additional chairs were summoned, ergo the only support Henchman can sit on is a large rock.

“Well,” said the Devil. “I want to start by saying that I… um, Henchman.”

“Yeah?”

“…Why is your friend here?”

Next to the boulder the plump imp sits on, another one around the same length as its neighbor formed. Truth be told, the Devil did add a few more rocks in different shapes and sizes, but he never expected there to be a third member—Minion.

“I didn’t want to feel left out.” He shrugged.

“And I was feeling left out.” added Henchman, pointing at himself.

In other words, Henchman invited Minion to join in on the meeting. The entity could never understand how these two click, but he knows that they trust each other to the end. No use severing it, not that it’s important as of late, nor does the Devil care.

“As I was saying,” he continued. “there has been something going on in my mind lately… and I don’t know how to describe it.”

His tone full of melancholy, the two imps can tell. 

“Is it bad?” Minion asked.

“I wouldn’t say bad, it’s just… umm…”

“Terrible?” asked Henchman.

“Embarrassing?” 

 “No, it’s—! …RAAAAAAAAH!” 

The Devil points a claw at his creations with a scowl.

“Just keep what I’m about to tell you between us!” He roared. “If word gets out, it’ll ruin my reputation for sure! If you boys so much as tell anyone, I’ll punish you both in the most gruesome way possible! Is that understood?!”

The echo in his scorching voice, the words that spit venom, it brings fear to his underlings. They vigorously nod their heads, terrified of what would happen if they let out a single peep.

“Good! Now…”

His eyes dart the ceiling, lacking admiration to the stony cones above. His frustration fade away as his body sinks into the cushions under him.

“I don’t know what it is.” He explained. “I’ve been… feeling things, you see. Things I’ve haven’t felt before… and I’m having a hard time coming into terms with them. This person… I don’t know what it is about him.”

This brings a curious light to the topic. A person?

“What do you mean, boss?” asked the blue imp.

“I mean, there’s someone who’s… you see, I… I’ve been feeling something… in here.”

The demon places a palm on his chest. A clear sign of what exactly he is talking about. A clueless happening, yet only one thought came to the plump and small creature’s heads; the only idea to their master’s situation.

“Sir, are you… in love with someone?” Henchman speculated.

Love? What a peculiar emotion, yet so utterly familiar. How can the Devil feel such a thing only a mortal would feel? Oh, how he hates it. In spite of that, there is no other explanation than that. The demon couldn’t even think of anything to counter it. There’s no denying it.

No response came out of the entity, but the deafening silence and the expression printed on his face gives out a definite answer.

“No way…” Minion said in awe. “With who?!”

“Well, I… I’m…”

The two demons lean their heads forward, trying to hear their leader’s words clearly.

“I’m in l-love with… King Dice.”

Jaws dropped, eyes wide as saucers, cheeks turning pink, the impish duo are speechless. To think that the Old Scratch himself is in love with…

“KING DI—?!” They screamed.

Before they could say his entire name, a pair of extra arms cover their mouths with his hands, preventing them from speaking.

“Not so loud, you schmucks!” The demon hissed. “You want everyone in hell to hear you?!”

The demon frees his underlings’ lips from the palm of his hands, sinking his extra arms into his sides. 

“Sorry.” They apologized.

The entity sighs his anxieties and frustration out. His physique rises from his resting spot, his skinny arms curl up his legs into a little ball, and his ears flatten.

“I was very skeptical about it.” The Devil explained. “I tried to shake these feelings off, but it was… impossible. They were too strong.”

As the Devil keeps on talking, Henchman was writing stuff down while maintaining eye contact with his boss… or so he thought, because Minion taps his shoulder, catching his attention while pointing at his hands. No pen or paper. He completely forgot that the demon lord told him not to bring anything to write with since this conversation is going to be confidential. Seems like it’s a force of habit.

“I get so mad when someone goes anywhere near Dice. I just want to throw them off a cliff or something, or take their souls as fast as possible just so it can be over with.”

That’s when something clicked in the brains of Minion and Henchman. 

“…The signs.” Both imps said in monotonous unison.

The Devil releases his limbs from his grasp, furrowing his eyebrows in a state of confusion. 

"What signs? What are are you fools talking about?"

“Well, boss, you know how you get… jealous of everything King Dice does?” asked Henchman.

Another familiar emotion. Jealousy, almost as similar as envy, but it’s not the same as anger. The more you would say it, it’s almost like you can taste it, and it makes you feel bitter inside.

“J-jealous?!” He stammered. “How dare you?! I’m not jealous!”

That’s what the Devil says, but Minion and Henchman are fully aware of what is true. Well, half of the time, Henchman is the one individual who hears the prince of darkness mumble under his breath about King Dice. Other times, people would see how much negative emotion he would express around the opening hours of his casino, or just in the underworld in general.

For example, a customer was flirting with King Dice, and boy, it sent the the Devil off edge. Not only did he ban people from flirting or making any romantic remarks towards co-workers, but he came after this person’s soul the next day and threw it into the soul vault with the rest of the deceased.

Another time, he scared off a child who only wanted King Dice’s autograph, and it’s in the Devil’s serpent form, no less! It’s a good thing the man managed to write his name down on the sheet of paper for the kid behind the demon’s back.

Incidents like these keep going on and on for the past couple of weeks, and it’s starting to worry not just King Dice, but the Devil as well, and nobody said anything.

“…Okay, I might be a liiiiiiittle, jealous.” He admits. “But they were just hinderances to Dice's job! They were only getting in the way!"

“What about the woman Mr. King Dice is going out with?” The plump imp asks.

The Devil stands up from his position, pointing a finger at his creation.

“Don’t even get me started on that… pestering tramp!”

This is the second time the morning star called this random person a tramp, and not once did he got a chance to meet her. He is never afraid to give nicknames to people he already hates, especially if the nickname is vulgar.

“I don’t trust her one bit! If she goes anywhere near Dice, oooooooooooh, she’ll get what’s coming to her!”

The demon’s hair thickens with intensity, perking up in the air as his back turns to a velvet red. Henchman and Minion jump off the rocks, flying in the air as they start to sense their master have another one of his outbursts.

“Boss, I-I think you need to settle down.” The plump imp said with concern.

“Yeah,” The blue imp agreed. “and besides, you don’t know the first thing about her! You don’t even know what her name is!”

Her name? His fur softens from that singular word. A lightbulb pops into the skull of the entity. A new idea takes form inside his brain. A plan that is so perfect, the Devil couldn’t help but laugh with sharp dentures.

“But I know how I can get a name out of Dice.” He cackled.

Palm open wide, his signature weapon dipped in a shining, but solid gold appears out of thin air. The Devil’s hand clutches its pole with an iron grip.

“Don’t come looking for me! I’ll be right back!”

His trident jabs the hallow ground, the demon’s body disappears in a dark puff of charring smoke, leaving the two minions all by their lonesome.

“Oh dear.” Henchman whimpered.

“This isn’t looking good.” Minion added.

They can only cross their fingers and hope that the Devil isn’t going to do anything beyond wicked.

Chapter Text

A devilish smile spreads across the entity’s face as he appears in the interior of his righthand man's house. He couldn’t help but laugh at how easy it was to sneak into someone else’s home. He doesn’t even need to get a key to get inside, and who leaves their lights off in the evening anyways?

The Devil doesn’t come to King Dice’s house all that often since he is always cooped up in hell. He would rather be surrounded in a bundle of fire to keep him cozy when sitting in his throne room than go outside and feel the sun on his skin. But, it shouldn’t be hard to find his servant’s sleeping corders. All the creature had to do was rely on his intuition.

In fact, his instincts are telling him all there needs to know about the house. While it doesn’t have any words to speak, or have some form of telepathy to communicate with him, the Devil can easily sense the spiritual essences of King Dice’s soul, almost as if he had a sixth sense. With this, he is able to understand who was in the surrounding area before him. But it happens to fade away after some time, making it hard for the devil to track down anyone. But King Dice has been in his house most of his life, so the lingering feeling that is coursing through his body won’t go away anytime soon.

But it’s not just his lackey’s presence he felt before. There is one more. A sliver of a fresh, but entirely new spirit, and it makes him cringe. He feels no charisma, no enthusiasm. Only a small speck of the characteristics of another person. One of them being different feeling that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up: affection.

There’s no doubt about it, this woman that King Dice was going out with came to his house a while ago, probably two or three days ago. It’s disgusting, having to catch the faint signature of the pest that is in the way of hell’s ruler.

Unfortunately, this is not what the Devil has come to his servant’s house to do. He’s got his own duties to fulfill. Nobody can catch a glimpse of the demon with the darkness surrounding him through the windows. Like an old friend, the shadows conceal him to aid him in his quest.

Once his eyes adjust to the darkness, the Devil carefully examines every part of the house. He makes his way up the stairs, finding that the dice headed man’s essence is getting stronger. His eye lock onto a lavender colored door. With the turn of the doorknob, he enters the bedroom with a hard swing of the door. His hand reaches over to a light switch, and with a flick of a finger, the room illuminates.

The room is the only thing in the house that the Devil remembers. He can never forget the pictures of the man on the wall, or the decorative dice-patterned sheets over a purple king-sized bed. It’s disappointing that there is barely a window for the moonlight to shine through. But it doesn’t matter right now.

The demon searches through every nook and cranny of the dorm, from the closet of King Dice’s collection of suits and shoes to the bottom of where every children’s nightmares manifests before the child goes to sleep. Wherever he checks, he couldn’t find what he was looking for.

Finally, he looks inside the drawer’s of his servant’s nightstand. A breath of delight reaches his chest once he spots the object he was searching for this whole time: King Dice’s diary.

The Devil believed that diaries are for little girls only. But he had a hunch that the man would keep this book of secrecy in his possession. His flamboyancy gives off such an impression that it led up to this fact. 

Oh, how he refuses to stop smiling the moment his hands caress the book. What sort of dirty secrets has King Dice locked up in it? The possibilities are endless. With adrenaline rushing through his veins, he slams the drawer shut, and a snap of his fingers cuts the power down to the last spark.

“I regret nothing.” He whispered.

Summoning his trident once more, he jabs his weapon to the fluffy carpets that is covering the floor of King Dice’s room as the Devil disappears in a charring cloud of smoke, leaving the bedroom in pitch-black silence.

“I’m so glad to finally get a chance to talk to you in person, King Dice.” 

Under the ceiling of a coffee shop in the bustling city of Inkwell City, King Dice sits at a booth with a gorgeous female with bright blue eyes and fresh red lips and short hair at the other side of the table.

“The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Paulina.” The man greeted.

The melody of calm music ring through the cafe as the human and the dice headed man engage in 

“So, my dear, what is it that you do these days?” 

“Oh, me?” The woman giggled. “Nothing in particular. I just work at a local bar on the edge of the city, you see."

The man’s eyes light up, and yet the smile across his face doesn’t falter.

“A bar, you say?”

“Yes! As a waitress, of course!”

A waitress? So, she tends to serving food to customers. King Dice never expects to meet a waitress, especially one who offers to have a cup of joe with a glamorous host such as himself. 

Speaking of joe, their coffees have arrived. The anthropomorphic waiter gently places their hot drinks on the tables. One cup contains macchiato with whipped cream and milk, while the other is filled to the brim with a liquid of darkness, lacking milk and sugar, yet it has a rich scent that drives you with temptation.

“You drink black coffee?” Paulina questioned.

The man lifts the cup from his tray and carefully takes a sip of his drink. 

“You bet your bottom dollar I do!” He chuckled. “I like my coffee to be bitter. It keeps me active. Once you would get used to the taste, that’s when you’ll understand just how delicious the flavor is!”

The woman couldn’t help but giggle at the comment on King Dice’s favorite drink.

“My, King Dice, you’re so tough when you drink black coffee!” She exclaimed.

“Why, I’m flattered, doll!”

The latter giggles some more at the cute nickname given by him. That’s when their attention shifts to their waiter, coming up to them with a writing pad and a pen. With his eyes locked on the paper, he asks:

“Would you two like anything else to order?”

With a grin across the man’s face, he rests an arm onto the wooden surface of the dining table, catching Paulina’s attention.

“Remember, it’s on me, toots.” King Dice said.

Paulina lets out a giggle one final time before turning back to the strong animal. With what they want to eat on their minds, they’re ready to take their orders.

The head of his trident lays onto the craggy rocks, covering the scorching embers behind them. His leg rests over his other thigh as the Devil flicks through the pages of his lackey’s diary, reading through the cursive handwriting of his righthand man. Not used to how it is written just yet, he carefully reads through every single thing without as so much as stopping. 

The more he reads through King Dice’s inner thoughts, the more he starts to express emotion through reaction. Joy, sadness, anger, even the sweet, sweet taste of satisfaction. But as soon as he skims through a few more pages of the man’s mind, he learns about the most interesting things that he has never found out about before until now. 

His indulgent smile fades through it all. The fires spreading in his domain fall under deaf ears as the words in the book drifts him deeper into its world. 

“Uh, boss?”

The Devil lets out a short gasp as he snaps back into reality. A few feet away from his throne is Henchman, as well as Minion, poking from behind the taller imp.

“Is that Mr. King Dice’s diary?” Henchman asked.

“So what if it is?!” The Devil growled as he flips through the pages at a quick pace. “G-go away! I’m busy! Shoo!”

His fingers dance to the thin layers of white, gently passing through data that he finds not-so-entertaining. 

“Aha!”

As soon as he is near the end of this curious tale, the Devil places a claw on one of the pages. His pride develops, raising the book in the air as he cackles through the hallow walls of his domain. 

“I found it! I finally got the name of that tramp! YES!” 

He dips his big nose into the journal as he reads through King Dice’s cursive handwriting from mere days ago.

“It says here that her name is Paulina.” The demon speaks aloud. “Says she wants to invite Dice out for an outing at around 7pm, and tonight of all nights, too!”

That statement is very obvious. The plump imp already took King Dice back to the surface to drop him off in the city a while ago. Apart from that, isn’t reading King Dice’s diary out loud a breach of privacy? The different sized imps fail to even protest to the Devil’s ramblings.

That’s when the demon’s words trail off, only making out inaudible whispers before losing his voice. After a few seconds of staying silent, his back hair point towards the cones above with tips of crimson resonating with them. The demon’s fingernails dig its way to the solid cover of the dice man’s diary, and his toes curl up in a rather rough way. The imps are quick to notice the changes in his behavior. Oh no, the Devil seems mad! Is he getting jealous again?

Unbeknownst to the king of the underworld, something slipped through the cracks of the pages, fluttering to the feet of the impish duo while he was previously talking. From the corners of their eyes were they able to catch the sight of it, and finally turn their attention towards it.

“Oh my!” Minion said, picking up the picture. “Look, Henchman! A photograph of some lady’s face fell out of the book!”

“GIMME THAT!”

Out of nowhere, the Devil extends his hand like a rope, snatching the piece from the blue imp’s tiny hands. Lifting his head off the journal, he glares at the photograph, then back at the script in the diary. 

“Ummm… boss?” Henchman squeaked.

Suddenly, the demon slams the book onto the floor, a loud boom blows a swift gust of wind. His fury returns in a blazing hot aura that nearly sends his minions hitting the floor with their rumps.

“That f**king whore!” He screamed. “She thinks she can get away with my number one! Ohoho, no! Not today, bitch!”

Henchman and Minion flinch as the monster creeps out of his seat, grabbing his weapon with his knuckles white from clutching onto his accursed staff. 

“IIIIIIII guess it’s my cue to leave?” The blue imp whimpered.

But as Minion flies his way to the twin doors, a sudden force pulls him back to his original position, falling onto the floor face first. 

“No, it’s not!” His master cried out. “Just because you are of lower class doesn’t mean you have the right to act like a coward and to leave anytime soon! You know my secret, so it’s only natural that you do as I say until further notice!”

Worried about his little companion, the plump imp helps Minion to get back on his feet. Both of the Devil’s underlings shiver in fear as their master reaches them. The duo flinch as the picture of the woman gets shoved in ffront of their faces.

“I want you boys to gather intel on this Paulina woman.” The Devil boomed. ”Once I have enough information on her, I will find her and reap her soul out of her pathetic body, and I need you two to work with me on that! Do I make myself clear?!”

The echos of his commands etch its way into the brains of the imps, and the two demons salute with their hands to their eyebrows.

“Yes sir!” They cried out.

Their obedience lifts the weight off the Devil’s chest as he lowers the item away from his subjects.

“Fantastic. Then I suggest you go down to the next floor. I have a section of the folks in all of the Inkwell Isles down in the library. It contains their full names, date of birth, their history… and even their criminal records.”

His forked tongue slithers as he implants the most devious fantasies into the depths of his brain. Oh, how he wishes nothing more than to make the person who is trying to steal his lackey away from him perish in the most brutal way possible. 

“W-what are y-you going to do, b-boss?” The purple creature stammered.

“I’m going to keep an eyeful watch of Dice.” The entity replied. “Until then, provide me with something I can use to my advantage! Now go!”

As fast as a hare, the two imps flap their wings as hard as they could, reaching for the door and exiting out of the demon lord’s throne room. The monster takes one last look at the picture as it crumbles inside a cage of fire, disintegrating the slip into ash with the Devil’s piercing blood red peepers being the last thing to ever lay upon it.

“I can’t wait to learn more about you… Paulina.”

Chapter Text

Blending into society is no small feat for the morningstar, even in the starry-filled skies. His disguise is a mask from the eyes of the public with pale skin and silky black hair glistening in the moonlight. No one will ever suspect that the Devil is using his human form.

It’s not often that he would use this disguise. When the demon is comfortable talking about business with his servant at somewhere local, transforming into one with the crowd helps him a great deal since it wouldn’t attract too much attention, minus the fact there will be some folk who would come by to greet King Dice and not take a single glance at his boss.

As for this moment in particular, King Dice said he was heading to that famous coffee shop in Inkwell City. Going to that location is the Devil’s current objective right now, just to observe from a distance what exactly the man is doing with Paulina. 

The more he thinks about Paulina, the more his jealousy starts to grow. He wants to maim her in cold blood. He doesn’t care how he does it. Drowning, stabbing, burying her alive, the list goes on. The demon wants her gone without a trace, and bring her soul through eternal damnation.

But he has to stay calm for this mission. King Dice can’t know that his boss is spying on him. If he lets his emotions get the better of him again, it’ll blow his cover.

With his hands in his pockets, he makes his way down the bustling sidewalks of the city, finally approaching the cafe that he had been searching for. Through the large glass windows on the sides of the building, he is able to see his lackey at a table with a woman as the light from the ceiling illuminates the interior. No, not a woman. It’s Paulina. Exactly what she looks like in the picture, except to the Devil, it’s more hideous to look at in real life than in a photograph.

He steps into the store with a heavy heart. The bell rings with a small jingle once the frame hits the gentle object. Nobody seems to care about the noise, other than the folks who work there. The entity picks up a menu from the front desk with the pinch of his fingers and heads for a table farther away from his targets. 

Opening up his menu, the demon lowers his face into the sheet while keeping his eyes off of the selection of goodies. So far, so good, Dice didn’t notice him. Sadly, he couldn’t hear what he and Paulina were saying. Oh, how he wished he can read lips at this distance, or listen to the word coming out of their mouths from afar. If he had to guess, it could be them, sweet talking to each other about stuff. Oh, how it makes his skin boil. 

His fantasies run wild once more to the brink of extreme jealousy and pure rage, a plot to how he’ll kill Paulina off. He is just hoping that once she’s gone, her corpse will be found at the edge of a lake. Every swear word sings a song in his head, praying on the woman’s downfall. 

That son of a bitch whore! F**king piece of shit tramp! You dirty, disgusting slutty pig on a stick! You—!

“Uh, sir?”

His train of thought is suddenly interrupted by a female fox waitress, standing with a writing pad and a pen in her hands.

“I said, would you like any drinks?”

The Devil can feel his despair dying down. He was on the verge of going wild on the human. If he goes berserk now, it’ll blow things out of the water, as much as he loves to see the terror on everyone’s faces. But right now, he needs to release the nerves in his body a bit.

“…Just a cup of ice water.” The Devil said.

“Coming right up.”

As soon as the waitress leaves, and away from eyeshot, the human-formed deity returns to staring at both the menu and the two creatures from the back of the restaurant. While looking at the typography in the flat sheet, reading through the items on the menu, it would make a person hungry with the delicious foods they serve. But not a single one would invoke the demon’s appetite. 

From the specialities to the delectable desserts, nothing could make the Devil hungry for his appetite has already been satiated, and he lack any desire in eating more sustenance.

Suddenly, the ringing of the bell from the front door reverberates throughout the cafe, lifting the human formed entity’s head from the text in the menu, and watching as King Dice and Paulina leave the place. The demon leaps from his seat, staring at the two people through the large window, and not even paying any attention to his server coming back with his drink.

“Here’s your water, sir.”

Before the fox could say anything else, the Devil snatches the drink from the waitress’ hand, then chugs the drink down to the last drop, and slams the glass onto the wooden surface.

“Yeah great, lady. Thanks.” He said. “Here’s a tip.”

The demon picks a dollar out from inside of his pocket and places it next to the the glass before rushing to the front door, bringing shock and utter confusion to the entire cafe.

Hiding in the shadows is another one of the Devil’s skills when it comes to stalking his prey, especially when he’s keeping an eye on his loyal servant. It’s like a form of traditional dancing, passed down through the ages. The shoes of the demon’s current form stealthily move in the darkness, silent as a mouse. No one can hear the pitter patter of his heels, nor the snickers coming from the throat of the Devil. He follows his prey undetected.

The corners of the buildings in the city are limited, and so are the shadows that touch the sidewalks. The demon follows King Dice and Paulina to a twin door gate with branches growing from the top of the walls by the hinges of the entryway. On one of the walls lies a sign that reads: 

Inkwell City Public Park

Open at 8am to 9pm

“And it’s not even eight o’clock yet.” The demon whispered.

He slithers his body towards his next location, placing his back against the wall as he checks his surroundings for any passerby. When he understands that the coast is clear, quietly and stealthy, he sneaks through the park gate. Unsurprisingly, there weren’t a lot of people who show up to do something, especially at this time day. It’s the perfect chance to actually get rid of Paulina once and for all without bringing any attention.

His sense of sight never leaves his targets once he finally catches their figures once more. Avoiding unexpecting eyes, the human formed deity continues his observation by acting natural, following behind King Dice and Paulina with his hands in his pant pockets.

It didn’t take long for them to approach a wooden bench, their rears finally sitting on the surface. The Devil could only hide behind a tree, silently 

“I had a nice time with you today, King Dice.” said Paulina. 

“The pleasure is all mine, my dear.” The man exclaimed.

Just listening to the sweet talk makes the entity want to vomit. Instead, all he can do is silently gag. These two wouldn’t stop talking for minutes, and boy, it’s so annoying. The demon waves his hand and move his mouth, mocking the tones of their calm voices.

Then the demon froze. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but  the next thing the Devil sees is an unpleasant one, intensifying the anxieties that plague his heart. Paulina just kissed King Dice on the cheek! How the hell is the dice headed man not phased by this?! He’s just… smiling… and giggling.

Indignation spreads across his entire body from the source in his chest. The loathsome feeling of resentment burns deep inside his core. Every negative emotion coursed through his veins. Anger, jealousy, bitterness, betrayal, all of it! Every one of them is expressing through the Devil’s face all because of Paulina, the one who clouds the vital organ in his chest to a pitch black. That’s it, he’s expressing a more sinful emotion… hatred.

The Devil is willing to bring upon his wrath to that poor excuse of a woman. Any moment now, his disguise would disintegrate into ashes and disappear into the wind. 

Hand behind his back, a faint golden glow resinates in his palms, growing into his signature weapon. Fire glows in his pupils as he draws forth his trident, aiming at the broad’s head, his teeth growing sharp as knives.

Stand still, you bitch.

The woman lifts his mouth away from King Dice’s cheek.

“Well, I better get going now.” She said sweetly. “Let’s meet again sometime, okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be sure to contact you soon.”

With her giggles as a final farewell for the night, her body lifts up from the furniture, and she twirls away from the handsome host, casually walking away like the defenseless person that she is. That fuels more of the fire inside of the demon’s aching heart, and his hatred rings even louder.

“No!” The Devil growls under his breath. “That whore is leaving!”

But he refuses to give up! Weapon as still as a statue, the pointy tips of the trident spark flashes of a growing pyre of energy. Fury pools his heart in a blazing scorch, igniting the torch to his trident, and with a hard swing, he shoots his attack. But before it can get close to her, she already went through the gate. His magic misses her as the fireball hitting the branches that stick to the walls like brown vines.

Hearing the sounds of the crackling fire, blooming out of the strings of trees, King Dice turns away from his pocket watch to see the scorching embers. His jaw drops at the sight of the huge blaze increasing, and even the Devil couldn’t believe he just did that.

“…Oh shit.”

The demon’s voice finally catches the attention of his lackey, and out of nowhere, he leaps in front of the human-formed deity, pushing him into the ground and hiding him behind a row of bushes. Oh, he was not happy to see him.

“Why are you here, boss?!”

“Trying to save you from that witch, of course!” He explained.

The Devil picks himself off the dirt, dusting off the slob on his pants. Suddenly, the rigorous sound of sirens and horns can be heard from across the park. Firetrucks and police cars pull over to the front of the gates, halting to a complete stop. The rushing waters of the hose from the red vehicle sprays the fire down to a tiny speck, only leaving a mildly charred mess. 

There is never a time to watch such a scene. His palms cuff the latter’s wrist like a snake. A tight squeeze from the entity startles King Dice.

“Let’s take this somewhere private.” He sneered.

“Boss, hold on—!”

With a quick snap of the fingers, the two disappear in a cloud of smoke undetected.

Going back to the underworld is not an ideal place the demon would choose to appear at, nor did he want to go home just yet. The forest seems like an inconspicuous place to have a one-to-one chat, and that’s the place he went to.

“As I was saying…”

The demon jerks his hand away from King Dice’s wrist.

“What are you doing, going out with her?!” The Devil continued. 

“I’m not! I told you that already!” King Dice shouted. “I’m not even interesting in her!”

“Oh, and her, kissing you on the cheek is no end that justify the means, Dice?!"

King Dice's stomach drops to his feet. He saw all that?!

"You can’t be with that skank! She’s evil! She’s not to be trustworthy and—!”

“STOP!”

The tongue of the demon is cut off by the sound of his righthand man’s demand. The glare in King Dice’s jade peepers is like a dagger that rip a hole in the Devil’s human disguise, revealing his true form in an instant. 

“Dammit, boss!” King Dice shouted. “Why the hell do you keep butting into my personal life, huh?!”

The Devil’s mouth gapes open, but no words came out. He is not used to seeing his lackey so angry at him. For the first time in his life, he feels powerless.

“This has been happening for weeks now!” The man continued. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?! WHY?!”

“Dice, I-I was just—.”

“You were what?! Saving me?! From what?! Just because I gave my soul to you doesn’t mean you can take over my life! You haven’t protected me from anything ever since I started working for you! What gives you the right to change your mind now, huh?!”

“BECAUSE I CAN’T HELP THE WAY I BURN FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU, ALRIGHT?!”

Silence fill the air. The Devil realizes what he had just said, and even King Dice is flabbergasted by the words of the demon.

“You… burn for me?” 

The demon clasps his hands over his mouth. Tension rises through the air, anxiety intensifies him. He said something without thinking, and now King Dice is trying to comprehend the current situation he’s in. 

How exactly can he respond to this? 

“I-I didn’t mean to say that! Really, I—!”

But King Dice averts his gaze from the Devil, not even watching his bottom jaw hang.

"I-I don't know what to say. I... think I'm gonna head home." King Dice lamented. "...I'll see you tomorrow, boss."

“Dice, wait, I—!”

But he watches in horror as the man turns away from him and leaves into the forest. The prince of darkness couldn’t stop shaking in his boots. He knows. The dice man finally knows the Devil loves him, his mind tells him. 

“But, I thought he… he…”

So many thoughts swarm his head, and yet all he can feel is.. the painful sensation of rejection. Yes, a feeling he hates so very, very much. He never wanted to experience it again… and yet, he did.

For the first time in for what felt like an eternity, the Devil howls out the most loudest and unholiest cry he had ever screamed out of from the top of his lungs as the colors of the demon’s body burn to a deep shade of red. His large fiery aura burst through the surrounding area, leaving nothing but ash, burnt trees, and a large pot hole under his feet. The flames of the entity’s anguish and sorrow fades, but not even a single drop of his tears nor the quivering sounds of his sobs would go away.

Chapter Text

King Dice couldn’t enter the realm of slumber after last night, laying in bed in pitch black darkness with the window being the only source of light, shining into the room. When he got home last night, he found out that all of the power in his own home had been cut down. He couldn’t turn on the lamp, nor turn on the radio. But that is not what concerned him.

BECAUSE I CAN’T HELP THE WAY I BURN FOR SOMEONE LIKE YOU, ALRIGHT?!

That message is still ringing in the base of his skull. The Devil's words that echo in his brain, preventing him from going to bed. If King Dice knows what he meant by that one sentence, was he telling the truth, or was it something else he meant to say? He's not sure. 

Besides, how can he go to work after that argument, especially with what little energy he has on him? The man wants to go, but he couldn't. He just wants to go to sleep.

“I think… I need to talk to someone.”

“Have you found anything yet?” 

“Nope. Have you?” 

“No.” 

It’s never an easy find, skimming through the bookshelf in search for a name. To be frank, the Devil ordered the two imps to gather intel on his potential target. Who knew that he is going all this way out of jealousy? In the end, there’s nothing his servants can do to disobey him, let alone convince him to figure his situation out in a civilized manner. It would be better to keep the demon on his good side. 

When Henchman and Minion got to the library, it was so ginormous that not only made their eyes wide as saucers, but also groan that they have to go through every shelf of books. No signs pointed them into the right direction, and it took them hours to find the section of every living being in the Inkwell Isles, laying dormant in the far back behind a closed door, and now, their search continues.

“Oh oh! Minion! I found it!” The plump creature shouted, pointing. 

The blue imp turns his head to face his friend, catching the sight of the latter’s finger, touching the initial sticking out of one of the bookcases. The creature flaps his wings, descending from the air until he was two feet above the ground. 

“Sweet!” He beamed. “Alright, Henchman, let’s do this! It shouldn’t be too hard to find her name.” 

All it takes is to go through the categorized order of names starting with the letter, “P”. With the second letter being “A”, the demons were able to spot the inscription on the side of the book easily.  With the cover over the purple creature’s palm, the two demons’ eyes follow the names, written in cursive black ink. 

Under the marks are tiny photographs of the person’s face. But, the more they examine further with every single sheet of paper, the more they can process that they couldn’t find the woman through the records, other than finding evidence of red “X” symbols, scratching off the people whom the entity had already killed off. 

“…Uhh, which Paulina did boss mention again?” asked the Henchman. 

“He didn’t say.” 

Nor did anyone ask. It was probably because both imps were worried that one word coming from their mouths would increase the chances of the Devil’s wrath being inflicted upon them.

“W-we can try to find what she looks like!“ The skinny imp stammered. “I mean, we saw the picture from King Dice’s diary!” 

“Wouldn’t that take forever?” 

“Not if we quickly skip through the pages, actually!” 

“Ahem!” 

Henchman and Minion pause their movements, excluding the plump imp shutting the book with a loud thud. It didn’t take too long to realize who that shrill voice belonged to. They spin their bodies around to finally make contact with a familiar acquaintance, or rather a pest. The mere sight of this annoying, big brained degenerate brings nothing but frustration to his co-workers. 

“Great. If it isn’t the auditor.” Minion bellowed. 

“What do you want, Stickler?” Henchman groaned. 

“Why, I came to find one of the boss’ high ranking servants.” The green imp explained. “Since King Dice is currently absent at the moment, and the boss is currently sleeping past his usual wake up time, I have come to relay a message to you, Henchman.” 

The purple demon cocks an brow at the sudden request from the auditor. Isn’t Stickler suppose to do this on his own? Well, he is taking his job very seriously, not even caring about what anyone who lived in this hellscape think. 

“Is this really the time?” Henchman faltered. 

“Of course! It’s only fair that I share this with one of the Devil’s subordinates for when he wakes up from his... sleep-in.” 

Henchman and Minion stare at each other for a short minute before turning their attention back to the green imp. Seeing the puzzled expressions on their faces was enough for Stickler to understand the state of confusion the duo was in. The demon clears his throat once more, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“It’s about the bills.” 

Silence fill the entire library. It’s so quiet that you can hear a single piece of parchment, fluttering in the light breeze. 

“Are you freaking serious?” the blue imp asked. 

“Indubitably.” The glasses-wearing imp nodded. “Running a casino above the domain of Inkwell’s most fearsome adversary isn’t as cheap as you expect it to be.”

That fact is not what Henchman and his little buddy are worried about. It’s the issue with a soul that needs to be brought to the underworld as soon as possible. 

“May I ask why you and your chum are doing here in the library, Lucifer’s loyal dog? I never expect you boys to enjoy reading.” 

This question summons anxiety into their chests. Thinking back what the Devil warned them not to do, bullets of sweat slide down their temples. How is the imp duo going to explain to the auditor about a secret they swore to keep? 

“Uhhhh…” 

“We were uhhhhhh…” 

That’s when Stickler darts his gaze at the object in Henchman’s hand. The title of its thick cover slowly piques the interest of the auditor. He couldn’t help but approach the taller demon with his arms behind his back and posture as stiff as a board.

“Uhhhh… h-hey, wait! Wait wait!” 

Before Henchman realized it, Stickler grabs a hold of the sides of the item. It was a struggle that left the holder defenseless until the green imp successfully snatches the book from the large imp’s grasp. 

“‘Paulina…’” The auditor mumbles under his breath, pinching the left temple of his accessory.

Henchman and Minion try to come up with something to say to the genius, but nothing seems to be coming to mind as the latter’s fingers caress the solid hardness of the cover, flicking it to the first page. 

“…Aah, I see.” The imp spoke. “The boss is looking for a new soul… by the name of Paulina. Seems he instructed you both to find his next victim.”

The blue and purple imps’ hearts nearly skipped a beat. An obvious answer that gives them goosebumps. But so far, Stickler didn’t suspect a thing, even after that little tug-o-war game. 

“Y-yeah.” Minion stammered. 

The green demon carefully skims through the pages. 

“Does she have a last name?” He asked. 

How were these fellows going to tell the green imp that the Devil himself had no clue on who Paulina’s last name is? Sticker would start talking his ear off about the responsibilities of being a ruler in hell, and it’ll only fuel the deity’s rage to the point where he might pop a blood vessel. 

“Uhhhhhhhh…” 

“W-we forgot.” The blue demon lied, interrupting his friend. 

“Typical.” The auditor sighed in disappointment. “Well, do you have a description on what she looks like? What features does she have?” 

“Well, she is a human.” The blue creature said. “Red lips, blue eyes, short hair that goes by her shoulders.” 

“And she’s beautiful!” Henchman added. “Suuuuuper gorgeous all over!”

“Let’s see… A humanoid specimen with the appearance of a divine goddess... Is this her?” 

The two demons peak over Stickler’s shoulder to finally see that same woman from the small photograph. 

“Yes! That’s her!” Henchman exclaimed. 

The imp nods his head once more, but in a much more slow and steady pace, keeping a mental note of the woman in the photo, as well as her identity. 

“I’ll be sure to write it down once I head to my station.” said Stickler. “Just in case the boss forgets to capture another one of those finest souls… like that cup.” 

That’s when he places the item back into the tall demon’s hands. 

“Until then,” The imp continued. “I leave the rest of the work to you boys.” 

The rush of confusion reawakens inside the plump and skinny imp. 

“Y-You’re not going to say anything else?” The blue imp questioned. “Like, are you going to ask for a r-reason?”

“It’s none of my concern on why the prince of darkness wants this mistress’ soul as long as it is registered to the soul vault.”

That statement lifts the weight off of the duo’s shoulders, escaping through their throats via a quick sigh of relief. 

“Ummmm… Thanks, Stickler.” Henchman said. 

“You don’t need to thank me. Just be sure to send my message to the Devil, and take it as a form of compensation. Now if you’ll excuse me…” 

The auditor heads to the opposite direction, walking far, far away from his co-workers. The sound of the doors, opening and shutting being the last noise the demon creates. Finally, the silence returns… 

“…Oh my gooooooooosh!” The blue imp whined. “That guy wouldn’t shut the hell up! What a schmuck!” 

“I know!” The other imp agreed. “I hate that guy!” 

“Me too!” 

Their rants echo throughout the empty, wide room. It’s not that it would matter if someone who walk by would hear the screams of irritation in their voices since the walls to the room is sound proof, including the entire library.

But the one thing that concerns them is this: why did Stickler help Henchman and Minion? He is never the type of individual to assist his kind in any sort of affair. If someone had to take a guess, it was probably some kind of exchange. A sort of “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” kind of exchange. In this case, there was no planned agreement, nor did anyone discuss things with one another. In the end, nobody will know what is going on in the auditor’s thick head of his. 

Another thing that concerns them is that King Dice is not in the casino, nor did he come to wake the Devil up. This has never happened before. This worries Henchman and Minion. Something must’ve happened yesterday, and it’s probably not good.

Pushing those thoughts aside for a bit, the imp duo observe the photo closely, staring at the label hovering over the woman. 

“At least we know what her full name is.” The minion stated. 

“Yeah.” Henchman nodded. 

The pages swish to the opposite side, colliding with the hard barricades between them with the book now back in its rightful spot. 

“We better make this quick before the boss gets impatient with us when he wakes up. Lead the way, buddy!” 

“Right!” 

The plump creature hops off the ground, floating in the air with the flap of his tiny wings, carrying his body weight with as much strength as he can. With Henchman on the run—or rather, flight—the blue imp follows behind him. 

“By the way, are we going to comment on how Stickler called me a dog? That was mean.” 

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll give him a piece of my mind later.”

Darkness fill the eyes of the demon king, even after lifting the mask off of his eyes. No door was open, nor was there any light from his lamp. No scent of breakfast, no voices to greet him, only the deafening silence of his bedroom. 

Like lighting a match, the Devil sticks his index finger out, swishing it into the air and creating a tiny flame that is levitating over his fingernail. He extends his hand to try to see if he can get enough light in the part of his room. The clock on the wall has no alarm, hence someone usually comes in to wake him up. A usual tradition. But the time on the object hanging onto the rough walls is enough to truly keep the Devil’s eyes fully open.

10 in the morning?! He thought. Dice was suppose to wake me up today!

Then he remembers the argument. Oh, how he hates to relive that heartbreaking moment. His mindless action of speaking his emotions out loud in front of the man he started having feelings with still tears him to shreds. 

The demon rests the back of his head onto his comfortable pillow with his pointy nails still in the air with the light in his fingertip still shining by a small tad. The darkness in his room is his safe haven, yet he can’t say he feels too welcoming to it, not at this hour.

Wait, is King Dice’s diary still with him? The Devil doesn’t feel like turning on his lamp to confirm it. Instead, he waves his flame around the room while still keeping the blankets over his skinny legs. Then, he checks his nightstand, standing right next to his luxurious bed. He reaches for the knob of the drawer with his other hand and gently pulls the structure open. 

Sure enough, the journal is there, tucked and secure as it was in the enclosed space around it, and right now, it shouldn’t be in such a claustrophobic spot as the Devil lifts the book out of the drawer. To some relief, the pages are still clean and readable, and no prints of filth could be found. 

But his face transforms into a scowl the moment he remembered that picture that was once held inside the book. That putrid photograph of Paulina. How exactly King Dice got it is beyond him. Maybe as a gift or something. Either way, he doesn’t want to remember that seductive look on her face. He slams the drawer shut with a scoff.

His legs rise up, and the Devil places the book over the velvet sheets over them with the bright flame being his flashlight. He skims through the pages like he did yesterday, and then…

“I’m not sure what it is, but… is it normal for me to feel this way? I mean, am I really into guys? Gee, this is all so new to me. But I think… that I’m in love with the Devil.”

There it is. The one paragraph that slips the deity into the world of his righthand man’s writing. It talks about what King Dice likes about him, how much the two villains have in common… and the worries of whether or not the Devil will take the news kindly. When he read all of that, the hairy monster’s chest became lighter. Why didn't the man tell him how he felt? I guess it's because he's afraid of how his boss would react. That is expected, everybody knows how threatening the lord of hell can be.

But then there came the incidents. King Dice brought up in his diary about how aware he was of the Devil, interfering with his life up until now. He never brought up if he still loved his boss. Trying as he might to connect the dots, he isn’t sure if King Dice lost interest in the person he cherished and served after these past few weeks, and/or if Paulina actually won his heart. The more he thinks about it all, the more it makes him want to cry, just like last night.

Suddenly, the door bursts open, blowing the flame out from the Devil’s claw and startling the demon king, almost throwing the diary away on the side instead of closing it and putting it under his pillow. He was expect it was probably someone he knows so well in the underworld who was about to wake him up, despite the fact he’s already awake, but…

“BOSS!”

…a different voice rises, not ones that he is too familiar with. Once his corneas adjust to the light of the other side of his room, he is able to make out that it was one of his impish minions, flying in the air with his hands full. 

“For the love of—…” The Devil mumbles under his breath. “WHAT?!”

The dark imp hovers over his master’s bed, showing what he is holding in his hands; the telephone.

“Forgive me for disturbing your slumber, sir, but you got an urgent phone call from Henchman.” He explained.

The Devil’s brows lift up a little. He completely forgot that he sent two of his creations downstairs to find information of Paulina. Maybe the shock of what happened made his mind completely blank. Reminiscing about that kiss brings nothing but pain in his chest, more so than King Dice, walking away from him.

As much as he loves to stay in bed and sulk on his own misery, he must remain high and proud as the evil ruler of hell that he is. He takes the telephone off the imp’s hands. With a quick hand gesture from his master, the imp bows in response to it, and flies out of the room without saying a word. Finally, the Devil puts the reception to his ear with the speaker hold by his left hand.

“Hello?” He finally says.

“S-sorry to wake you up at this time, boss.” Henchman’s voice stammered in the phone.

“You didn’t wake me up, Henchman. Trust me. So, did you find anything on your end?”

Piles of books and documents surround the front desk. Henchman sits on the other side of the counter with Minion holding both ends of the telephone up to his chum’s ear and mouth.

“Everything you wanted, boss!” Henchman exclaimed. “We've got every record of Paulina's life!”

Picking up a few of the parchment papers from the side, the demon examines the words through them as he continues to inform his boss.

“Her full name is Paulina Jones, sir.” He stated. “She works at a bar in Inkwell City. Tons of people go there to drink and have fun.” 

“Isn’t that where drunkards go?” The blue imp commented. “I mean, define ‘fun’, buddy.”

“Uhhhhhhhhh…”

“Henchman!” The Devil’s yells in his ear.

“Sorry! Sorry! Yes, Paulina’s last name is Jones and she works at a bar in the city.”

Paulina Jones. A basic name for someone who has an eye on his lackey. Plus, she works at a bar. If he had to guess, she is probably a waitress or a bartender lady who serves the locals with alcohol and soda.

“But…” The plump minion stammered.

But? There’s more to that woman?

“But it reads that she also has a lot of criminal history, and she got away with it, too.”

This piques the ruler of the underworld’s interest. The juicy details finally come up and running, just as he hoped for since last night.

“And it doesn’t stop there. Before yesterday, she broke into Mr. King Dice’s house and took something valuable without as so much as leaving evidence behind.”

“Oh shit!” Minion swore in the phone. “She’s a robber?!”

“Not just a robber. It says that she’s also a poser.”

“As in, she impresses other people?”

“Well, yes, but she does this to seduce men in order to get what she wants… and kills them in the dead of night before running of with their cash and other valuable belongings.”

 So from what the monster can understand, the woman steals stuff, woes the hearts of men, and murders them?! To think that Paulina, the annoying bug standing in the demon’s way, would commit so many crimes without a shred of remorse.

“Look at this!” Minion shouted. “It even says she’s hired some hitmen to do her dirty work!”

“And she’s rich, too! Her work place must be paying her well.”

“That, or it’s probably because she steals her victims stuff after they die. Taking from their pockets and all.”

The more the entity hear this, the more he is worried about King Dice’s wellbeing. Every memory from many hours ago are locked in the back of his head. 

“Henchman…” The Devil interrupted. “…what is her working position at the bar?”

Henchman picks up a book and flips through the sheets of it.

“Let’s see here…” He mumbles to himself. 

“Oh! Right there!” Minion said, pointing his finger.

Words upon words on the same print, more information is written in the same text, revealing more of Paulina’s personal life.

“Actually, she currently owns that bar, sir. Why? …Hello?”

“Boss? Boss, are you there?”

The Devil couldn’t believe what he is hearing. Everything starts to make sense. The actions that Paulina is doing to charm her way out of King Dice, and her soul’s essence being in the house. Why didn’t he notice the signs until now?!

“That bitch is trying to get rid of Dice!” He said in disbelief. “She’s a gold digger, trying to take his stuff, and she's not just any gold digger… she’s a f**king crook! A bonafide sinner!”

Now he has more of a reason to end her life for good. The entity can’t let Paulina kill King Dice and take his riches, not when he is the Devil’s servant-slash-righthand man-slash-number one. If anything happens to his lackey, she’ll probably find out that he’s working with the Devil. Not only that, but the Devil might not claim his soul, even if he signed a contract to him. His spirit might reach heaven or purgatory if the Devil isn’t quick enough to grab it in time.

The Devil can’t lose him. He can’t! Not when all he wants is to have King Dice by his side!

“I’ll call you back!”

Then he hangs up the call and places the telephone onto his nightstand. Panic rush through his body. He has to hurry and warn Dice! Otherwise, who is going to greet him every morning? Who is going to be the one to stay by his side other than Henchman?

The deity pushes the covers aside, jumping out of bed with his weapon appearing in the palm of his hand. 

“I hate to say this, but… I’m going to save you, Dice, whether you like that whore or not.”

He jabs his weapon onto the concrete ground, once against disappearing in a cloud of suffocating smoke.

Chapter Text

The Devil remembers the direction to his lackey’s home. He would’ve just pop out of nowhere to his front door, but to be on the safe side, he would rather just appear in the neighborhood with his human disguise. His magic can be quite noticeable when it comes to teleportation, and the splashing sounds of sparkles would easily catch anyone’s attention, especially King Dice’s. He might still be asleep and the sound can wake him right up, even if the windows are mostly soundproof. 

He finally reaches King Dice’s house with the pathway beneath his feet. He heads for the familiar structure, taking a few deep breaths along the way. He’s going to do it. He’s going to explain everything to him. No backing down!

“Thanks for coming by, Paulina.” His lackey’s voice rang.

The Devil’s feet halt to a complete stop. That name… He jumps into the bushes, peaking through the hole of leaves as he spots King Dice, sitting on the front porch with Paulina. What is she doing here?! Also, how is it that his lackey call that broad when there is no power in his house? Did he go to a public phone booth or something?

“I’m glad you decided to call me, King Dice.” The woman said. “Now what seems to be the problem?”

“Ummm, well…”

The deity couldn’t stop sweating. Is King Dice going to tell her? Anxiety rises in his chest as he awaits for his number one’s response.

“I… just got a letter from my b— a-a friend of mine. From this morning.”

A sigh of relief escapes the demon’s throat. King Dice is never afraid to lie about being the Devil’s servant.

“A letter?” Paulina questioned.

“Y-yeah.” King Dice nodded. “Well, he's been sending me a lot of letters. He’s been… well, he keeps bugging into my personal life, and... we've been having a hard time with each other. I didn’t know who to talk to, and I’m worried my co-workers might not help me out with my situation. You’re the only one I can think of.”

Silence rustles in the air. The man didn’t want to tell Paulina about the last bit, the one with the demon's haunting voice, singing that single phrase from last night. He doesn’t want to spread rumors about his boss like that, even if all he is doing is covering up his side job. He worries that people would get mixed signals.

As for the Devil, it’s disgusting to him that King Dice is out of his mind to trust someone he just met. Is he that gullible with the ladies these days? It makes the monster sick of seeing Paulina, even after he watched her kiss his lackey’s cheek.

“Well, don’t look so down, darling!” Paulina spoke calmly. “Why don’t we go somewhere?”

King Dice’s eyebrows rise at that idea.

“Go somewhere?”

“Yep! Do you want to go back to the coffee shop? We can go out to eat! Or not, it’s up to you! Where do you wanna go?”

The man falls silent, deep in thought as he thinks of a location he wants to go to.

“…The church. I just… I just feel at peace there.”

“A church, huh? Okay! I’ll come with you!”

“…A-alright then.”

They picks themselves off their seats. King Dice wants to go to a church of all places? The divine sanctuary of the worshippers of God? It brings a lot of bad memories for the deity, especially the time he got kicked out of the skies above. Not only that, a demon lord going into a church might make him immobile. He couldn’t stand the feeling the holy light, resonating within the sanctum. It’s a slow process, but his entire form might become a naked skeleton the longer he stays in there. He’ll have to recreate a new body suit.

Oh, the Devil wants to speak his mind to his righthand man before he completely turns over to the big man upstairs. He can’t afford to lose this chance, especially since he foolishly trusts a rich and powerful woman.

“Um, thanks, Paulina. I knew I could count on you.” The dice man said with a soft smile. "I know we just met and all."

“It’s nothing! I’m trying to help you!” Paulina beamed.

The demon watches as the two walk away from the dice headed man’s house. But King Dice fails to notice the sadistic grin growing on her face, and the rusty knife in her back pocket. The human-formed entity pops out of his hiding place, eyes widen from the sight he is seeing. He has to warn him!

“Dice, sto—!”

But before he could finish his sentence, some kind of fabric covers his entire mouth. Shock rises from his body as excruciating pain wriggles over his neck. Blood trickles down from the side of his mouth. His head lungs back on its own as if he is about to lose his head. He couldn’t breathe, he’s choking in red liquid. He can’t fight back. 

The piercing blade cuts through his neck like raw meat. Perfectly clean without a sign of messing up, like an assassin with exceptional knife cutting skills.

His consciousness starts to fade into darkness with the last thing to experience is falling on the grass, then someone, dragging his lifeless body across. The inaudible voices of King Dice and Paulina die down as every goes black.

No one is able to suspect the man in a trench coat and fedora, carrying a potato sack to the edge of the bridge. 

“Alrighty.” The man said. “I finally killed the guy.”

Carefully placing the bag onto the smooth surface, he tears it open, revealing the corpse of his victim, pupils rolled back and a open wound over the area of his windpipe, slashing tissue and all. Blood drench from his mouth hole and big cut, leaving a huge stain on his wonderful attire. 

“It’s a shame it has to come to this. Ms. Jones is giving me a huge sack of dough for this job. She told me to ‘get rid of the problem’."

He drags the body of his victim under the bridge over the calm waters below. He digs into his jacket, his finger caresses each tool in many of his pockets, and out of all of them, he brings out a bone saw. 

“Guess I’ll have to dispose of this well-dressed stalker before someone sees. I just need to—. Huh?”

The body is gone, vanished without a trace. Only a puddle of blood remains, almost close to the river. There is no shred of evidence of him anywhere. 

“Oh no.” He mumbles. “Did the body fall into the water already? Dammit! I was going to cut it into pieces and drain the blood out first! Shit!”

“Soooooooooo… you’re one of those hitmen that bitch hired for money, huh?”

The trench coated man turns to see the figure of the human formed deity. Like seeing the zombified corpse of the deceased, the demon’s throat is sliced open with amounts of blood pouring out of it, staining his beige tuxedo in crimson. His eyes are deep red, wide and bloodshot, and a menacing grin spread across his face with the taste of iron.

“What a ruthful sinner you are indeed.” He hissed.

The man stumbles onto the concrete floor, screaming and shaking in paralyzing fear. The squishy sounds of his target’s skin wiggles and twitches like a worm. Muscle tendons stitch back together, the circulation in his wound closes off, and with every part of the gash in his throat quickly fixing it, deep into his skin, the cut is gone. No scar or anything. A clean slate, yet the leftover blood still remains. But the demon can’t stop smiling.

The latter didn’t look away from anything, as if his eyes were glued to what he saw. He had never seen such a grotesque sight in all of his years, killing people for cilents. A human being, coming back from the dead is beyond all logic.

“Who—?! How—?! WHAT ARE YOU?!” The hitman cried out.

The deity’s skin starts to grow massive amount of hair, large horns protrude from his skull, his tuxedo rips to shreds. He is finally showing his true form in a bask of glory, sharp teeth and red ruby eyes, piercing through the hitman.

“I’M THE DEVIL!” He cackled.

Terror rises into the veins of the coat-wearing man. Little did he know, until now, Paulina hired him to kill Inkwell’s devilish tyrant. No one is suppose to mess with him.

“Please, Mr. Devil, sir!” The coat-wearing man stammered. “I-I have a wife and t-three kids at home! I’m doing t-this to provide for my family! P-please! Spare me if you will!”

“…Spare you?”

The Devil couldn’t help but howl out more of his evil laugher. The person who was trying to kick someone’s bucket wants mercy. The tips of his weapon point at the trachea area where the hitman’s neck is.

“I don’t give a damn about your sob stories.” He bellowed. “You dare to kill the king of the underworld and try to get away with it?! You have no shame!”

As the man in the coat tries to escape, he screams in agony as the Devil’s trident stabs the back of his ankle, preventing him from going anywhere. 

“Don’t think we can exchange a deal, either.” The demon growled. “Nothing you can do will save you from dread. Sinners like you should rot in a place of misery for all eternity!”

In the process, the demon leans an arm on the other ankle, and with full force, twists it in one go. The bones in his foot cracks into pieces, no feeling is left there other than the ones that spark a warning. He screams some more, but his cries can only be muffled by the palm of hell’s king. Another jab from his golden weapon, straight into the back of the hitman.

His hands tremble, the tool in his possession falls to the side, dangling to the line of water. Before it could plummet to the depths below, an extra arm from the deity’s waist grabs it by the handle, with another arm bashing the hitman’s face onto the concrete floor, his palm against his scalp. The Devil enjoyed the sounds of his body parts break apart in the most gruesome way possible, and the saw blade by the back of the hitman’s neck will be his last one of the day.

“There is no escape, child of man… your soul… is… MINE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

The church in the city is rather small. The interior is rather small with a couple of seats on both sides of the room with a small podium a few feet away from them. The choir of heavenly vocals ring throughout the place to the melody of the piano. 

The dice-headed man and the gorgeous woman sit at the front, listening in onto the angelic music. But it doesn’t take away the feelings King Dice is having.

“Hold it right there!”

The music cuts short, and the people turn to see the demon, who is now back in his human disguise (without the amount of blood that was on his shirt not too long ago), and slamming the church doors open. 

“I know who you truly are, Paulina Jones!” He cried out, pointing to the human woman next to King Dice.

That’s when he starts to feel a slight tug in his head. The effects of the holy light emanating from the building is starting to affect him.

“Oh, jeez…” He mumbles to himself. “I better hurry this up before I start to have a migraine.”

The dice man jumps out of his seat, a scowl changes his expression. He did not expect his boss to show up, especially in his human form. 

“W-what are you doing here?!”

“Get away from her, Dice!” The Devil shouted. “She isn’t who you think she is!”

“What?!”

“She’s a criminal! She’s trying to take your money and leave you for dead! She’s done this multiple times already!”

Paulina also jumps from her seat, her fists against her sides.

“Oh, hush!” Paulina yapped. “I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about, slick. But I am nothing of the sort!”

“Don’t lie through your teeth, you witch! Just because you own some bar and get all your riches with your good looks doesn’t mean you can woe your way out of this one! You even hired someone to kill me! I barely died!”

Silence fall into the echoing chamber, everyone’s eyes simply stare at the scene, especially the pope. No one dared to even stand up for themselves, not even Paulina. But instead, she takes King Dice by the hands with a sweet smile across her face.

“King Dice, my darling.” Paulina cooed. “You can’t possibly listen to this clown. I mean, he’s got a fashion sense, but do you actually really believe what he’s saying? He’s bad mouthing me, babe! He's trying to take away our love!"

"L-love?" King Dice stammered.

The Devil just couldn’t stand the honey in the tongue of that putrid woman. He wants to attack her right now, but how can he in the presence of the city folk in the church? They’ll be able to see through his disguise if he does something rash. So, he knows what he has to do now.

“Dice,” He said calmly. “I know that I’ve been… giving you a rough time. But, to be honest, I’ve been trying to comprehend my emotions as well. I still don’t know what it means to love someone yet, but what I do know is this, Dice…”

In through his nose and out through his mouth, the demon takes a deep breath, and with a sigh, he says…

“I’ll always be there for you.” 

No words can express how happy this made King Dice. His green eyes sparkling into gleams, and he couldn't help but crack a smile. Like a waterfall, his concerns and frustration have left his chest. Oh, but he has to talk with Paulina first. He looks back at her, his frown fades.

“I’m sorry, Paulina,” The man said. “but I don’t love you… not the way you love me.”

Pulling his hands away from the woman’s, he slowly walks up to his boss, leaving the woman in astonishment. The two stand to each other, deep into the eyes of one another. Then, out of nowhere, a wonderful experience blossoms. With his arms wrapped around the back of the Devil’s neck, the man presses his lips onto his. Their cheeks coated in the color of a peach. A wonderful gift from the man, the demon couldn’t help but close his eyes and embrace his lackey, giving him the same gift in return.

The sea of claps congratulate them as the two men pull their kiss away. Their peepers still staring at each other.

“If you were going to say to me that you love me,” King Dice whispered. “you should’ve told me that last night when you said you would ‘burn for me’.”

“Oh, shut up.” The Devil mumbled.

“Are you f**king serious?! You piece of trash!”

Everyone in the room stop clapping to gasp. For the first time, Paulina’s true colors have finally reveal itself. An unexpecting turn of events, not even the Devil would expect this… other than the human, pulling the rusty knife from her pocket. The townsfolk, especially the pope, run of the church in fear of the woman’s wrath. The two creatures are even forced to pull their hug apart.

“You would choose this bastard over me?!” She snarled. “After everything I’ve done for you?!”

“Doll, he only just met you,” The Devil snickered. “and he took you out to coffee. No surprise there.”

“Shut up! Shut the f**k up, you shithead!”

She swings her weapon, pointing at the dice man.

“I’m going to cut you open and take your stuff one way or another!”

The demon acted fast. He pulls his arms away from Dice’s body, his back faces his lackey as the entity raises his arms out like a human shield.

“You’ll have to get through me, you two-faced whore.” He growled.

“Ha! So be it then!” Paulina cackled.

Her grin is inhumane. A sadistic one that exposes her twisted nature. Her eyes filled with lust for a man’s beating heart that she wants to cut out of someone’s chest. This woman was beyond sick, and the Devil is prepared for what he has to do.

“I’ll take care of this.” He bellowed to his lackey.

“W-wait, boss! Are you serious?!” King Dice asked. “You’ll get hurt!”

The Devil grabs King Dice by the shoulder, forcing his body to turn to the exit. He places his chin on his lackey’s shoulder.

“Start worrying about yourself first.” He whispers into Dice’s ear. “Your life is way more important. Trust me, Dice, I ain’t gonna die today.”

King Dice feels his boss gently push him to the wooden frames in front of him with his master’s lower jaw still resting on his shoulder.

“This is an order. Leave this place… AND RUN.”

The human formed deity releases his grip on the man’s shoulders, turning to lock eyes the armed broad. King Dice stares at the door. Then, without hesitation, he walks out of the place, not even planning on watching the Devil and Paulina fight.

He shuts the doors behind him, taking the stairs to the terrified crowd of people who were in the church. When the man’s foot touches the final step, the people gather to him, worrying about the dice headed person.

“Mr. King Dice,” The pope stammered. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but—.”

Out of nowhere, the roaring sounds of a beast ring through the walls of the church, following the sound of the woman’s terrifying screams. The bashing of wooden chairs and breaking glass could only be the sign of an attack… then came the crunching sound of something squishy. Screaming, munching, screaming, munching. The splatter of blood paint the tiny windows by the entrance. A pool of blood trickles from under the door.

Everyone is horrified to listen to the massacre. They don’t even dare to come back in and know what just happened. But King Dice can imagine what the Devil is doing. If he had to guess, Paulina is already...

But just as his boss ordered, King Dice didn’t look back. Her screams are loud, but they die down as the man starts to run. He ran as fast he could, away from attempting to witness what horror befalls Paulina Jones. 

The local newspaper flies to the opened front doors of the casino, ready to open for people to come in. As the man pushes the entrance open, he crouches down to the pick up the object by his feet.

A few of King Dice’s employees, Mr. Wheezy, Chips Bettigan, Pirouletta, and Pip and Dot, all whom to have been passing by in the building, approach the man, looking over the sheet of thick paper before them.

“‘A Brutal Killing at Local Church.’” The dice man read. “Yeesh, you don’t see these on the papers everyday.”

Especially since he was there when it happened… except, he wouldn’t even dare to go back inside or anything, even if the Devil ordered him not to go back in the church. 

“'Body of Decapitated Man Found By The River?'” Pit read before inhaling through his teeth. “That’s gruesome.”

“I’ll say.” Dot nodded.

“An’ look at this!” Chips said, flipping to the next page. “‘Local Bar Burns Down’?! On da same day?!”

“Well,” Wheezy said. “if I had to guess, some lunatic must’ve set their cooking on fire and it started spreading everywhere.”

But King Dice knows the entire story, and yet he can’t bring that up to either one of his employees. After he fetched his minions to take Paulina’s disembowled corpse back to the underworld, the Devil snuck into the restaurant and burnt the place up from the ground up. No one was hurt in the blaze, but the building is destroyed beyond recognition.

To think all of this happened out of love, and not just to bring a sinner to the pits below. Two sinners, in fact. Both Paulina and the hitman she hired to kill his boss died on the same day, and in the most brutal way possible. King Dice can’t blame the Devil for sending them to hell.

“I… need to go check on the boss.” King Dice breathed. 

He pushes the papers back into one flat stack, rolling it up before placing into the hands of Chips Bettigan.

“Can you drop this off at my office for me?”

“Sure can do, Mr. King Dice!” exclaimed Chips.

“Thanks.”

Taking a couple of steps back, his body twirls around, spinning around and around into his giant hole of magic.

“Hey, boss. Doing better?” King Dice asked.

As he appears in the room, the man puts his hands behind his back, staring at his master in his throne in the hallway of flames. Bandages cover his left eye and many parts of his fluffy body, and a soft blanket wrapping his very being to hide most of his injuries.

“Well, it’s going to take a while for my wounds to heal.” said the Devil. “Being in that church for so long not only burnt off my flesh, but it dispelled my regeneration abilities. It’s only a temporary setback, so don’t worry about it.”

“And your eye?”

The demon caresses the bandage on his face, growling like a dog, ready to bark.

“That f**king bitch…” He bellowed. “She tried to pluck it out with that knife of hers. I’m glad I teared out her insides when I had the chance. I didn’t care how bad her organs tasted, nor how weak I was feeling, as long as she is out of my hair!”

No one would dare to even imagine what it looks like for the entity to be eating a human being, not even King Dice. Suddenly, the twin doors to the Devil’s throne room fly open, catching the attention of both the demon king and his lackey. 

“Did you boys do as I ask?”

The impish duo nod, standing proud and tall before their king. As expected; Henchman and Minion have returned.

“We disposed of the body like you told us, sir!” Henchman stated. “Burnt it to the incinerator!”

“Did you grind the bones?” The dark demon asked.

“Yep! Right down to dust, sir!” Minion added.

“We had some help from the other imps, though.” Henchman said.

A devious smile spreads across the Devil’s face. The person he despised to the bitter end is gone. No reason to lose the chances he had when finally got what he wanted.

“Aah, Paulina Jones.” He chuckled. “Your fate was inevitable. You already got what’s coming to you. Call it… karma.”

Not that the human would even hear him say that anyways because her soul has been dropped to the lowest pits of hell, rather than the soul vault. She never got caught for the crimes she committed, but the demon’s hate and jealousy towards her was enough to finally put an end to her misdeeds.

It’s a shame that no one in the mortal realm will ever figure out the many times she got away with multiple accounts of stealing and first degree murder, with the only piece of evidence remaining that she tried to kill King Dice with a deadly weapon.

“Umm… boss?” Henchman said, raising his hand.

Everyone turns to look at the plump imp. 

“This is kiiiinda off topic, but uhhhh… Stickler wanted me to tell you this when you got back, ummm… it’s about the bills.”

Minion’s shoulders lower as he groans as the memory of his time in the library returns. That wasn’t enough to kill the growing tension in the room.

“Henchman.” The monster said.

“Y-Yeah?”

Suddenly, the Devil bolts out of his chair, fur as hot as the sun, fur dyed in red, his powers run freely in his entire form as the increasing amount of frustration kicks in, startling his minions in the room.

“YOU THINK I GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE BILLS RIGHT NOW?!” He screamed. “I’M IN PAIN HERE!”

Henchman and Minion flinch at the booming voice of his terrifying master, cowering in fear as they watch the frustration rise from him. His fury quickly subsides as some of the pain in his wounds return to him. He sits back down on his seat, wincing through his teeth.

His righthand man race walks to his side, waiting for the fires in his form to dissolve, gently pushing the non-flammable blanket over his shouders closer to the latter’s hairy body.

“Easy now, boss.” King Dice whispers. “Easy…”

The soothing voice of the man next to him is comforting to the entity. But it doesn’t take away the open flesh inside the demon’s concealers. Who knows how long his regeneration powers will reach its full potential again? It’ll take days. All he can do now is endure the pain of his exposed tissue.

“By the way, boss.” King Dice said.

The Devil turns to face his lover, eyes lock to each other. 

“Why were you in my house yesterday?”

The demon almost bite off his own tongue. King Dice found out?! He forces a toothy grin, with sweat dripping on his temple.

“W-w-what do you mean?!” He laughed nervously.

“The power in my house is out, boss. I just payed for the electric bill last week.”

Henchman and Minion are also in shock with the revelation. The Devil intentionally cut down the power in King Dice’s house, and he didn’t tell anyone about this.

“Okay, Dice,” The entity coughed. “don’t get mad at me, buuuuut…”

The demon digs his claws into his blanket, and pulls out the familiar book from his armpit. When he saw the hard cover, King Dice started to yell, realizing what the Devil is holding.

“BOSS! Is that my diary?!” He screamed.

“…Yes.”

The man snatches the journal out of the Devil’s hands, flipping through the pages to see if he had messed up anything. The demon lowers his head down, feeling somewhat ashamed of not telling him sooner.

“H-how much did you see?!”

“…Not a lot, really. I just wanted to know what Paulina’s name is.”

Which, obviously, was a white lie. He didn’t just figure out what Paulina’s name is. He even found his location and time of date, and the impish duo already know that because he went out of his way to say it out loud in front of the two. But nobody is going to tell him that.

“I’ll forgive you.” King Dice sighed. “Just don’t take my diary next time! I write down a lot of private stuff in that!”

“O-Of course, Dice! I-I’ll even fix the power in your house later!”

“Can you though?”

The deity doesn’t respond to that question. He can’t use any magic in his current condition. That is another slap to the wrist if he has ever had one. A lot of obstacles in his way, and he already took care of two.

But then the worries in his brain suddenly disappears as he can feel his partner, pecking him on the cheek. A reassuring gaze and a comforting smile is enough to make his cheek warm. It’s like the weight of his problems have been washed away by his delightful and loyal right-hand man. Even Henchman and Minion couldn’t help awing at their love for one another.

In the end, not all things are as bad as they seem. The Devil is happy that he finally told King Dice how he felt, even if it happened in a very scary situation. It’ll be a a long road for him to understand how love feels, but in this case, it’ll be okay, for his number one is truly the person who captured his heart, and even King Dice himself feel the same way about the king of the underworld.