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So, would anyone believe him if he said he never meant for this to happen? Sure, he did sign his name. Write his signature. Say time and time again that he wanted this. But well, how much value do you place on a guys word when he has no idea what he’s signed up for?
It was raining heavily when it happened. His bangs stuck to his eyes as he ran through the rain, clutching the goods in his hands. Usually his escapes from a nobles house are more elegant, but today had not exactly gone to plan. Not only had the guards realised he was there, but currently it was all the rage to have mechanical guard dogs on your properties. Some guy thought that this was the perfect invention, and at a convention earlier this year the Ingvarr aristocracy had decided to splurge in the idea of robotic canines. So, now he had these monstrosities chasing him through the street.
He quickly turned a corner, his heart hammering in his chest as the rabid barking picked up. He could barely keep his footing with all this rain, puddles splashing over his clothes as he made to get away. Just a little further, and he’d be at one of Donella’s hideaways. Just one turn left—
A dog pounced, latching its jaws onto Hugo’s shoulder as it bit down hard. Hugo groaned loudly, earning the attention of the nearby pedestrians who quickly shouted for the police to arrest him. With the calls of ‘thief’ in the air, he dashed into a closed shop, fitting himself behind the back shelves and holding his breath as the dogs burst in. The growled, scanning carefully for their prey as Hugo closed his eyes and prayed for any god up there to come for him. He could hear the footsteps getting closer, numbers rising, their predatory gaze falling onto the shelf he was hiding behind.
Don’t make a sound.
Maybe they’ll forget to check here. Dogs aren’t the smartest after all.
Suddenly, it all went quiet. After a few moments of it continuing, Hugo let out a loud breath of relief, until four dogs pounced at once. They tore at his legs, trying to pull them off, almost as if they knew that it would stop him from running. Another got his hand as thrashed his head from side to side, almost like a chew toy. He was a chew toy. What a blessing.
The dogs now fully covered his body, making it practically impossible for him to even move as they sunk their teeth deeper, drawing blood and ripping flesh as they continued mercilessly. Hugo screamed, wailed in pain, but to no avail. They didn’t understand anything but what their next meal was. Him.
Hot tears pricked at his eyes as he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. This was his end… wasn’t it? Being mauled by synthetic dogs. He didn’t even get the pleasure of them being organic. He didn’t know he was that cheap.
However, as he closed his eyes for the final blow, the dogs seemed to stop as they backed away, letting a figure walk through. He could only make out their large frame, dark eyes and guard badge as they picked him up by his collar, before Hugo let himself fall unconscious.
…
When he awoke, he was in a dingy prison cell. Water dripped down from the ceiling, splattering on his head to wake him up. He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he shuffled away, trying to curl up and sleep again before he realised the gravity of the situation.
Oh fuck.
He was in prison.
And he made a bet he’d never end up in prison. Hugo hated losing bets to Cyrus.
He pulled himself up into a sitting position, trying to spit away the awful taste of blood in his mouth. His arms and legs ached, but thankfully still remained in their respective sockets. His hair didn’t hide its usual pins that he used to break locks. Hell, even his boots were empty of his knives. And worst of all, they took out his earrings! Savages!
So, he had no tools to help him. No way to get out. No hope left.
He groaned miserably as he lay back on the floor, grinding his nails against the brick walls.
Hey, think positive. Donella might come for you.
Hah, in your dreams—
Wait.
Donella.
She would… wouldn’t she? Oh who was he to question that, of course she was! She wasn’t just his mentor, or his boss, the women practically raised him! Took him off the streets and gave him a purpose! A roof! A calling! Hugo was Hugo because of Donella. Donella had been with him for nearly 12 years now. There was no doubt in his mind that she wouldn’t come.
When he was younger, he remembered that he had a stupid infatuation with space. He had no idea why, but being an astronaut, or just seeing the stars really fascinated him. Now, Donella wasn’t a showy sort of person, especially when it came to affection, but with Hugo she tried to make an exception. Despite grumbling that it was too expensive, she’d always try to buy him telescopes, or any other gadgets he wanted. Even when he moved onto engineering and alchemy later on, the woman once travelled 300 miles just to see his first science fair. She also travelled from another kingdom just to see him win his first competition. Of course, he got nothing more than a simple smile and a well done, but it was her unique way of caring.
Donella would come. And he just had to be patient.
…
Funnily enough, Hugo wasn’t the most patient. He hated just sitting idle. He could try to busy his mind by thinking about something else, but he was never one to be easily lost in his own thoughts. He was focused on the present. How to get out of this, get through that. Always focused on his current surroundings, instincts, everything you need for survival. Not for entertaining yourself.
So the first couple of minutes he tried to play with his fingers. He then moved on to braiding his hair, then undoing it, then doing it all over again. After he got bored of that, it turned to trying to etch a mark into the walls with his nails (unfortunately, his nails were too short, and so he was unable to leave his legacy behind), singing, and then trying to sleep.
Well, he had hoped that the whole day had gone by then, but as a guard brought him lunch, he had realised that it had only been a couple of hours.
Forget whatever punishment he’d receive, it would be a greater mercy than dying to boredom.
As he tried to chew on the rocks that were his food, sharp footsteps bounded down the steps. A woman’s voice was low but stern as she hurried, snapping at someone else as she walked. His ears perked up, hoping, praying that it was her. Donella. She had finally come for him.
He leapt towards the bars, like a dog wanting its owner as a hooded figure stood above him. Slowly removing their hood, a grey braid sprung out, revealing a woman with a scar down her face and a cold glare hard enough to turn men running at the sight of it. But to Hugo, it looked just like home.
“Donella!” He exclaimed, “You’re finally here!”
Donella curled her lip in distaste, “Unfortunately. I honestly never expected to be here Hugo. Care to explain?”
He retreated sheepishly at her comment, “I’m… I’m sorry Donnie, I didn’t mean to mess it up. You know I wouldn’t! Just sometimes these things happen. How was I supposed to get through all those guards! I feel like someone tipped them off, they caught on too easily—“
“Hugo.”
“And then there were dogs, Donnie. Dogs! Remember the ones from that science expo?”
“Hugo!” Donella shouted, “Enough.”
He deflated into silence, as the other woman began to speak curtly, “I never expected this of you, Hugo. You’re usually better than this.”
“I’m sorry ma’am. It won’t happen again,” he hung his head low, waiting to receive his punishment. Whilst Donella did love him, he was also under her, and with that came the price of your mistakes. Punishment. Sometimes something simple like organising her desk, but other times he had to lie on bags of cold peas until he could see the engravements on his legs that the peas left behind. Or when he had to endure three months of Donella flat out ignoring him. Or when Donella decided to beat him so badly that they had to make a really awkward hospital visit in which she said that he had ‘walked into a lamppost’. He had no idea how that flew over the doctors ahead. And supposedly these guys were some of the most highly educated people of society.
“No Hugo, it won’t,” Donella folded her arms, “because you’re done.”
Hugo’s eyes widened in fear, “As in… fired? Or disowned?”
“I mean dead, Hugo,” she hissed, “You’re up for the death penalty.”
Death penalty.
It almost didn’t feel real. His hands shook but with no feeling in them, almost fading out of his vision.
It wasn’t real.
It’s a dream.
Wake up.
“That’s— it’s not possible,” Hugo managed to get out, “they don’t kill people for thievery.”
Yeah, that right, she was probably trying to scare him. Trying to get him to never mess up like this again. Pretty good tactic. He almost believed it.
“Well, yes, but that’s not all you did,” Donella lectured, “I asked you to steal a locket. Inside the locket were records of abuse at the hands of the nobles. Horrible atrocities, explaining all those disappearances of people in the lower rings of the city. Experimentation, slavery, whatever the cruelest fate you could conjure in your mind, these nobles put them through. I wanted you to steal it, so that we could expose them before they hid it from the world for good. But, you failed. Now they want your head.”
“Then get me out!” Hugo cried out, “We can still fix this.”
Donella raised her hand to her face, rubbing her temples, “You don’t understand the position you’ve put me in. I can’t go against a power like this—“
“You have an organisation—“
“Of criminals! And not a large enough one at that.”
Silence stretched on for a moment, as Hugo regained his breath, and realisation dawned on him, “So, you’re leaving me to die.”
“Don’t… don’t word it like that—“
Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, “You’re leaving me to die!”
Donella cooed, “Oh, oh Hugo—“
“Don’t!” He thrashed, pulling away from her touch, “Don’t say my name! Don’t talk to me like that! You don’t deserve it!”
“Hugo,” her voice was ever cold, “I can’t save you. It would risk everything I’ve worked on—“
“I thought, I thought I was special to you,” Hugo glared, as she refused to look away in shame.
“You were,” she eventually answered.
“And? What happened?”
She pulled up her cloak, “Your usefulness expired. I had no need for you after that.”
As she began to walk away, sobs racked his body. He shook, not only from the cold, but the feeling of being well and truly alone all over again. He screamed in pure anguish, not caring that the guards begged him to be quiet, or that other prisoners threatened to smother him with their pillows. He’d wish for that fate. Anything but this.
He pondered on whether it was a sick joke. Or maybe she still had a plan up her sleeve. She wouldn’t just leave him? He had to hope for that. Or else the world would just turn colder and colder, and he would wither away with it.
Perhaps he was conditional. He had a role. A purpose. And after he no longer suited it, her care dissipated. The kindness that filled her touch was now one that brought him pain. Perhaps she wasn’t as gentle as he once thought, but was only such because he still had a use. And once he broke his strings, she had no interest in repairing them. No matter how many memories they shared.
He curled up on his cot, hugging his legs to his chest as he tried to sleep. Having an execution the next day wasn’t the most helpful when you’re trying to get to bed. Whenever he closed his eyes, he just imagined every way in which he could die. Maybe they gave him the axe. That would be quite likely. A public affair, in which kids come and scream in pleasure as his head bounces off for them to see. Or perhaps the noose, and the crowd could throw fruit at him as he flounders around gasping for air. Or perhaps the stake, and women cheer as they thank their lucky stars that it isn’t them that day.
Or maybe his head isn’t fully chopped off, and they have to hack at it a good ten times before he finally died. Maybe the noose wasn’t tight enough, and he’s just hanging there alive covered in fruit. Or the flames take so long that his time at the stake isn’t minutes, but hours.
God, executions were complicated. Tucking himself to the wall, he closed his eyes, trying to force sleep to take him in, but a small humming sound kept him awake. It seemed to be singing a nursery rhyme, but like it had been put into minor and slowed down into an evil curse. The room felt colder than before, making his shivering turn into violent shakes. The room was pitch black, making it impossible to see what it was. As a laugh began to get louder and louder, he firmly shut his eyes, believing that no one could get him if he closed his eyes. He was safe like this. Untouchable—
“Open your eyes, Hugo,” a voice commanded, and Hugo felt all control over his own body dissipate as he obeyed immediately.
Above him was a shadowy figure, with simple rags, a blue streak and shining blue eyes. It cracked its neck to the side, before lowering down onto his chest, pushing down so far that he could barely breathe.
“Get off!” He wailed, trying to push the creature off, but his hands went through him.
“That’s not very nice Hugo,” the figure snarled, showing huge fangs as they dipped their head towards his face.
Hugo huffed, “How do you know my name?”
“A hunch,” the figure drawled, “Just like my hunch that you’re dead tomorrow, and no one’s coming to save you.”
“You’re wrong! Donella will come!” Hugo shoved back, finally pushing the persons face away.
The figure smirked, “You’re so delusional. Makes you all the more delectable to look at.”
What was up with this guy? Clearly they were a freak. In fact, he was probably a hallucination. Just a stupid figment of his imagination trying to taunt him on his last night. Now that’s just cruel.
Hugo rolled his eyes, “Whatever, you’re not even real.”
The figures eyes narrowed, “Oh really? How about I show you.”
They pinched him roughly, making Hugo wince, “See?”
“Fine. What do you want creep,” Hugo tried to turn over, but the figure fixed him in place as they thought.
“Well, here’s the thing,” they smiled, showing their fangs, “I have a proposal. I can get you out of here. No one would ever find you again. I could keep you safe. I’d serve you until the day you die. We could go and get revenge on those who wronged you. We could steal until you’re the richest man alive. Whatever pleases you.”
Revenge on Donella sounded perfect. He could almost hear her bone crunching under his heel, her screams as she begs for the mercy he never had from her. He could see himself surrounded by riches untold, bathing in his dreams all because of this figure. Someone who would allow him to live life to the fullest.
“The catch? I know what you demons are like.”
The figure hummed, “Oh, so you’re smarter than you look.”
Well, it wasn’t hard. Cold rooms, omniscience prevailing human norms, inhuman control over his body. They were all pretty easy signs of a demon, and Hugo wouldn’t even call himself a master on all things demonic. He had Nuru, an absolute weirdo, and his best friend, to be that freak for him. Anything demonic was her specialty, and she loved this. She would kill to be in his shoes right now. Literally.
“Just tell me, demon.”
The demon snarled, “It’s Varian.”
“Cute name,” Hugo sniggered, “Now go on, Varian.”
Varian cleared his throat, “I want you to say that you want me. Need me. Then you can let me in, so I can tear apart the system that tried to snuff you out by your command. So that I can protect you, care for you and I’ll be all yours until death. What do you say?”
Don’t Hugo.
He’s a demon.
You can’t trust him.
Despite every fibre in his being screaming at him to say no, he was tired. He was so fucking tired of it all. He could either die at Donella and the systems hand, a nobody, or rise up. Rise up, and burn so bright that the system cannot try to erase him again.
“I’m for it. I want you.”
Varian nodded, “Now we must seal it. Say that you promise to let me in until death.”
Their hands coiled around each other, faint blue lines glowing around Varian’s. Hugo took a deep breath before speaking once more:
“I promise to let you in until death.”
And with that, the deed was done.
…
So, conveniently nothing in that promise said anything about Varian holding his soul. Sure, he had agreed to ‘let him in’… but to his soul? It was a bit of a stretch, a wordplay Hugo did not see coming. But he really should’ve known better when dealing with these sorts of creatures. They always find ways to trick you, no matter how intelligent you are.
But it wasn’t a small mishap. He couldn’t have his soul with a demon. That meant his afterlife would be Hell for eternity, but not just suffering at the hands of Hell itself, but the added misery of being Varian’s plaything in it. Whilst in this life he called the shots, in there, it’d be Varian with the control. Meaning he could abuse Hugo all he wanted, and Hugo couldn’t die to get out of it.
So obviously, after he had gone after Donella and all those who wished to put him in the ground, he now had no use for Varian. And whilst it pained him to think that his view of Varian was so similar to how Donella used him, he had to move past it to get to the crux of his issues.
How to get rid of a demon promise.
See, normal promises you can just break. Like, oh, I told someone that their friend drowned their fish despite promising not to. Boom, promise over. Demon promises aren’t the same. They’re a binding magical contract, one that isn’t undone by a simple abracadabra.
So, he needed to look into how to break the curse. But there was one problem:
Varian. The slimy overly attached monster would never leave his side.
At first, he tried to simply run away from the guy. But the guy would follow him around everywhere he went. If he went to get food, Varian would want to sit with to him without question despite not being able to eat human food. If he went to the shops, Varian would have to come with, even when shops had salt rings around them to ward him off, he’d just stand outside of the window watching Hugo as he got what he needed. Hell, he couldn’t walk through his own house without Varian in his ear, so how was he supposed to create any distance between them?
Of course, there seemed an easy way out. Just tell him to stop.
He tried that once. Wasn’t his best choice.
Once, he was sleeping. Back when he and Varian had only recently met. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His arms felt heavy and cold, as if something was holding him down. As his instincts screamed at him to run, he quickly shot out of bed, freezing in place as soon as he saw it:
Varian was in his bed.
His bed.
Wrapped around him like a lover, head nuzzled into his shoulder like he belonged there. As if all he wanted to do was mutter sweet nothings into his ears instead of demonic curses.
Hugo yelled, “What are you doing?”
The demon awoke slowly, eyes fixed on him as he refused to move, “I’m all yours, Hugo. Here to protect you. And humans sleep better besides others.”
Hugo felt the pit in his stomach grew at the sickening realisation that Varian honestly thought he was helping. He was ‘doing his job’. Whilst all the other times, it was just annoying, here it was overstepping some clear lines. Lines Hugo needed to put in place before Varian thought it was okay to abuse them.
“Stop this. Don’t touch me. I don’t want you near me, Varian. I’m sick of this— I’m—“
Varian cocked his head to the side, “Yes?”
“I’m sick of you! Why can’t you leave me alone!”
Varian’s eyes were wide at his outburst. Hugo was panting, fingers curled into a fist as he so desperately wanted to pound the demon into the bed, and leave him to rot. Leave him so broken, that he could finally run away and find peace.
“Oh,” Varian’s tone was cold, “Is that how it is?”
“Yes,” Hugo exclaimed, “Get out! Now!”
Varian shifted, moving over him as Hugo felt his arms pinned to the bed. He tried to struggle, but the more he resisted the harder the pressure. Varian simply grinned over him, laughing as he felt his airways beginning to close.
Varian cackled, “Who do you think you are? Do you really think, that you are more powerful than me? You are nothing in comparison Hugo. See this? You’re stuck here because of me. I can end you right here, right now. I could do anything I want to you—“
Hugo spat, “Prove it.”
Varian twisted his hand, leading Hugo’s arm to twist backwards into an unnatural position. He screamed as bones cracked and his arm ended up nearly out of its socket.
“See, Hugo? If I want to sleep right here, I will. If I want to be in your arms, I will. If I want to break you and then put you back together to hear you scream over and over again, I will. What will you do to stop me? You breathe because I let you. Act like it.”
Hugo let Varian do as he pleased after that. There was no room for argument, every time he’d push he’d end up pinned under him again, and the feeling of utter powerlessness and humiliation as Varian degraded him and threatened him haunted his nightmares. Varian paraded through every part of his life, and he had no choice but to accept it.
It’s also then that he realised that he didn’t just want to do this for his soul, but because Varian was well and truly mad. He was a terrifying façade of compassion for him, one that instead of bringing him relief, was bringing a stronger feeling of unsettlement. His ‘love’ and ‘protection’ was warped, twisted into something violent and possessive. Something that held power over him, despite him thinking he possessed it. Something that had to be destroyed, before Hugo couldn’t escape it for good.
And he was dangerous. Varian said till death, but he also had the power for that death to come whenever he wanted. Meaning his slavery would be over, and it’d be Hugo’s turn whenever he wished. He could easily hurt Hugo. He nearly had on multiple occasions, despite technically being under his service. So whilst Hugo could order him to stop, and he did on numerous occasions, he’d find a way to continue by using loopholes in their contract. Despite being weaker on Earth than in Hell, he still managed to be able to torture Hugo, not only physically, but psychologically with his intrusive nature. If this was only a fraction of his power, Hugo hated to see the rest.
Eventually, even trying to research about breaking the promise was too hard. He’d go to libraries, but Varian would have to read every word he read. So even if he did find a way out, Varian would know it and be able to act accordingly. He tried to visit Nuru, but Varian didn’t like him meeting others. He called them ‘threats’. Honestly? Hugo believed he was just pissed when he talked to other people other than him. Made him feel less in control. So every time he’d try to go to Nuru, either his horse would have a ‘sudden illness’ or Nuru would, or hell sometimes he’d have one. Varian’s favourite was of course when he was ill, because he just loved to play the hero. Put Hugo in a blanket, feed him soup, and pretend as if he’s a doting lover rather than a haunting presence in his life.
Overall, he couldn’t do anything under Varian’s watch. His lifestyle involved always looking over his shoulder and trying to ensure that he was pleased. For once, he needed to think about himself. He needed to live for him.
One day, he was lying in bed, trying to slowly shuffle away from Varian’s tight grip, when he had a sudden realisation. He needed to find a place that Varian couldn’t access. There, he could meet Nuru, and hopefully find a way out of the promise. Now that was hard, especially when Varian could simply teleport to his location at any time. Well, except for one place. A place Hugo hadn’t been in a while.
Church.
As soon as he got out of Varian’s arms, he bounded out of the house, making for the nearby church with haste. Varian was always a slow waker, probably due to him being accustomed to darkness, and so he hated waking up early, for it was ‘against his nature’. Well, for Hugo, that would be pivotal.
He knew that Varian would soon know that he had escaped, but he also knew that he struggled to teleport to people who were in possessions of objects that hinder him. Like: salt, holy water, or even the crucifix that he had hiding under his jumper on a necklace. So whilst he would teleport, he wouldn’t be physically able to get to his exact location, but close. Meaning Hugo actually had a shot.
By the time he got to the street with the church, Varian had managed to get close enough that he could see the demon behind him. He ran frantically, making for the steps as Varian lunged to get him, but snarled as a force field shot him backwards. The demon hissed, horns nearly peaking out over his head as he eyes Hugo dangerously.
“Get out Hugo, I can’t protect you in there,” Varian beckoned him forward.
Hugo couldn’t resist his smile at his victory, “Afraid I can’t V. It’s Sunday.”
“So?”
“Oh wow,” Hugo sassed, “Come on V. It’s the holy day. I have to go pray.”
“You don’t pray!” Varian shot back.
Hugo folded his arms, “Hey now, I do! Look, I order you to stay here and guard. What if someone tries to kill me. We can’t have that.”
Varian gritted his teeth, but obliged, “Fine. But I’ll stay right here, until you come out.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way V,” Hugo waved as he walked into the church, breathing a sigh of relief as he was finally away from Varian for the first time since their deal. He felt like he could breathe again, like the air was fresher and less toxic as it filled him up. His hands moved on his accord, by his will. No longer acting. No longer pretending.
A woman cleared her throat, folding her arms, “Are you ready?”
He looked up to see a woman shorter than him, in long purple robes with stars etched onto it. She wore about three necklaces stacked on each other, her ears also sporting star earrings.
“Hey Nuru,” Hugo grinned, running up to her and giving her a tight hug.
She squeezed him back firmly, “You know, I was actually happy for you. I thought that you finally had a boyfriend.”
Hugo snorted, “Yeah, no. Varian is anything but that.”
Now Nuru was what the city lovingly called a ‘witch’. Whilst witch burning was common in Ingvarr, and in other kingdoms, after the princess of Corona ended up being magical, laws had changed across the kingdoms about how they treated magic folk. Instead of being killed, they were now paraded as saviours, able to cure our ailments and strengthen our spirits. Nuru, however, wasn’t a healer. Her gifts lay in the stars, reading them, using them to see the future. It made her all knowing, but also distant from the world. She was an observer, not a defyer of fate. Despite her active nature, she believed that she wasn’t allowed to interfere, but the person it concerned was.
However, she also had a bit of an interest in demons, and so Hugo had spent a month trying to get a raven to her to see if she could come before rushing here to see if she could help. Getting a raven past Varian was tough, the only way he could do it was because he had to program Olivia to be able to do it, despite Varian watching him, because well whilst Varian was immortal, he knew little about robot mice.
Nuru patted the spot on the pew next to her, inviting Hugo over, “So I’ve been thinking about your little demon problem. And I found a spell that could work. All we’d need to do is lure him into a ring of holy water, then say the spell, then he’d lose the promise over you.”
Hugo smiled, “That actually sounds surprisingly easy.”
“Well,” Nuru started, “There’s a catch. The spell needs a lot of energy, more than I possess. So I’ll need to use you as a conduit. Meaning this will break the promise… but maybe also you.”
Of course there was a catch. Things don’t come easy when it’s with magic. There’s always a price. That’s why he hated it. Science followed laws. It didn’t punish its users. It was fairer.
Hugo put his hands through his hair, “Are you serious right now?”
Nuru try to reassure him, “Hey, it’s the only shot we have. Besides, it may not kill you.”
“Oh wow, that really made me feel better,” he snorted, turning to face away from her. He was so stupid for getting himself in this situation, and now he would probably die getting out.
“Look, I’m not going to force you into it. If you want to, I’ll do the spell next Sunday at 3pm,” Nuru got up to move, dusting off her clothes as her boots clicked down the aisle.
Hugo swallowed nervously. He could finally do it. He could he rid of Varian. Or he could hide, let him win out of fear of death that he would already receive at Varian’s hands.
Well, he was never too keen on living. At least this way, he was the one deciding his fate.
Hugo shot up, “I’ll do it. See you next week.”
Nuru turned and nodded, and with that, the plan was in motion.
…
When Hugo went out, Varian didn’t seem annoyed for once. In fact, they engaged in some idle chat as they walked home. But as soon as they got home, Varian turned.
His eyes went almost black as he yelled, “Who takes that long in church, Hugo?!”
Hugo coughed as he was slammed against the living room wall, “Well, first there was mass, then I had to go for a confession.”
“Oh?” Varian’s interest was piqued at that, “What did you have to confess?”
“Sins, V” Hugo rolled his eyes, “Have you never been to church?”
The unimpressed look on Varian’s face was the best reward he could ask for. Varian’s grip tightened on him as he snarled, “What sins have you committed?”
Being a hardened thief, Hugo felt the lie easily flow out of him, “Well I keep wishing ill of people simply because they have things I want.”
Varian deadpanned, “Is that all?”
“Okay calm down,” Hugo sassed, earning him a tighter grip on his shoulders, “I also killed the neighbours cat yesterday because its incessant meowing kept me up all night.”
Varian’s eyes sparkled, “You did?”
“Oh yeah V,” Hugo grinned, “then you know the guy who lives across the street? I slept with him in his stables.”
Varian’s mouth was wide open, “Isn’t he married?”
“With two kids. But I still got him to sleep with another man.”
Varian nearly squealed in delight at that, letting him go as he wanted Hugo to give him every detail. Hugo let himself relax, knowing that his plan to throw him off the tracks worked. Whilst Varian was cunning, he was always just a demon. Someone so twisted, that all they wanted was to spread evil amongst men. And as he thought he was winning, his pride was choking him, because in reality? Hugo was.
…
As Sunday arrived, Hugo rushed off to the church, using the excuse of wanting to confess his sins again. After Varian was almost drunk on all of the ‘sins’ he had committed this week, he went over there at once, grinning as Nuru stood by the altar.
“You’re late,” she placed her hands on her hips, an unimpressed look donning her face.
Hugo patted her shoulder as he took the bottle from her hands, beginning to fill it with holy water, “Oh relax, would you? Getting away from Varian is a full ordeal.”
“Well hopefully that was the last time you had to do it,” Nuru hummed as she fished out her spell book, “Now do you have all the water you’ll need?”
Hugo nodded, “Yeah, I’m ready.”
As they moved to exit the church, the candles all went out, plunging the church into darkness. A menacing chill filled the air, forcing its way down Hugo’s lungs as he began to panic. How could Varian be here? There was no way he could enter a church? Demons can’t enter places devoted to God!
A voice boomed around the walls, making Hugo and Nuru unable to tell its whereabouts, “Hey Hugo. What are you doing in there?”
His voice shook slightly as he felt his the sand in his hourglass running short, “Just confessing sins Varian!”
“Oh, that’s funny,” Varian continued, “Because I didn’t know Nuru was a priest now.”
Oh fuck. He knew. Despite Hugo thinking he was so smart, that he had fooled a demon, Varian had known all along.
Nuru snarled, “Well it doesn’t matter demon! You can’t get in here, whatever it is that you do.”
Varian hummed, “You’re right, I can’t enter a house blessed by God. But what if I kill God’s presence, and invade his house instead? Make it mine?”
With that, objects began to fly through the doors, from lampposts to carriages. Nuru reacted quicker, pulling Hugo down under the pews as the stained glass windows fell to pieces, raining a storm over their heads. They held their breaths as Varian continued to batter the church with all of his might, sending whatever object was at his disposal to end them. Hugo held Nuru close, tucking their heads down to shelter them.
“Nuru, what do we do? Shall we do the spell now?” Hugo yelled, his voice barely making it over sound of walls crumbling around him.
“No! We can’t make the circle of holy water to trap him like this. We just need to hope he still can’t enter,” Nuru shot back, yanking him lower as the candles nearly dropped onto his body. Hot wax dropped onto his face, making him wince at the heat.
Varian was yelling for him to come out, threatening not only murder, but countless ways of torture as he refused to relent on his attack. He listed every way he wanted to hurt Hugo, every way in which he’d make him pay. He’d never seen such fury from him. Whilst Varian was able to be terrifying, he was also controlled whilst he did it. Here, his usual demeanour had vanished, reducing him to a desperate shell of his former self.
The beams of the church began to creak at the attacks. That’s when Hugo finally looked up, and gasped at the sight. The roof was about to collapse, teetering closer and closer to the ground as it groaned under the fire. And if it fell, who knows if they’d get out alive.
Making a decision, Hugo spoke, “Should I go to him?”
Nuru’s eyes widened, “Are you crazy? You’ll never be able to escape?”
“But if he continues, this entire place will go down. With us inside. I can’t risk you like this,” Hugo pushed up to get out, but Nuru quickly planted him into the ground.
“Well,” Nuru pushed, “I don’t care what you want for me Hugo, I’m choosing to risk my life for this. I am getting you out of this promise. So don’t you dare think of going back to him.”
As soon as Nuru finished speaking, Varian threw a firework into the crucifix at the centre. The wooden centrepiece creaked, before falling to the ground, cracking into pieces as it went. The boom it made was deafening, leading them both to cover their ears.
As soon as it fell, the attack seemed to stop. Hugo popped his head up to see what was going on, until his eyes fell onto Varian at the door. Or, what was supposed to be Varian.
His whole body was a black figure, claws the side of his head attached to his hands. His eyes glowed blue, with horns twisted out towards a small flame above his head. He laughed loudly, moving towards him with inhuman speed. As Varian raised his hand, Hugo began to levitate off of the floor, slamming into the altar in the centre. Before Varian made it to him, he took a small bottle from his pocket and drank until it ran dry.
Varian pounced onto him, punching his face and yanking his hair as he slammed the boy into the alter again and again, letting blood pour out of his head and desecrate the altar.
Hugo croaked, “How are you here?”
“Oh Hugo,” Varian cooed as he brought his face up to his, “I just got rid of God’s hold. As the crucifix fell, so did his power. Seems your little plan didn’t work after all.”
Hugo fell silent, as Varian continued to berate him. About how stupid he was. About how foolish he was to try and run. How awful he was to dare to defy a promise. Hugo just sat and took it, not offering any resistance at all, not even sarcasm. He had nothing left in him, no energy nor spirit to fight back. He was at Varian’s mercy, and he had finally fully accepted that he was never getting out of the promise.
Varian stopped, tucking Hugo’s hair behind his ear, “You know, Hugo, I really am going to miss you.”
“No you’re not,” Hugo spat.
Varian smirked, “No, no I’m not. You tried to break the promise, Hugo. You said you’d stay with me until death. I don’t take kindly to those who break promises.”
Hugo closed his eyes as Varian pressed a kiss to his neck, before devouring his body whole. Nuru screamed as she watched in the corner, seeing Hugo’s lifeless body being ingested by the man he hated most of all.
Varian licked his lips as he finished, humming at the sweet taste of his blood, before a sharp pain tore at his abdomen. It struck again, feeling as if he was being torn apart from the inside. He stumbled, feeling a mix between wanting to throw up and pass out as he clutched the altar for dear life.
The queasiness never dissipated, instead growing stronger as he clutched at his throat, begging it to stay down. Feeding never led to this sort of reaction before. Usually he would just eat and move on. But it was almost corroding his insides, screaming and slashing at him for even daring to consume him. Making his hands shake and body twitch in discomfort with every wave of nausea hitting him.
Nuru laughed incredulously, “He’s… actually a genius.”
Varian whipped around instantly, raising his voice, “What do you mean by that?”
“He drank holy water, and then you decided to eat him. Meaning…”
Varian gasped as his body began to tear itself up, black ichor spilling out of his orifices as he tried to pull his falling body parts together. Nuru walked up to him, holding up a small vial as she pushed her heel into his chest.
“This is for Hugo.”
And she poured the vial of holy water onto his face, ending Varian for good.
The promise had fallen, shattering under Hugo’s reclamation of his fate. Varian’s protection had catalysed its breakdown, leading the promise to be the snake that continued to consume its own tail.
And as Nuru looked to the stars that night, she could see Hugo’s aligned just right. He was finally at peace.