Chapter Text
Cover by Glitter☆Koneko
A philosopher once asked: « Are we demons because we gaze at the stars or do we gaze at them because we’re demons? Pointless, really. Do the stars gaze back? Now, that’s a question. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Our story really begins here, 15 years ago in the Royal Academy of Science, in Los Satanio, Wrath, where a letter arrived. Not only was it full of spelling mistakes and the writing barely readable, but it contained a very strange inquiry. It had come from a country boy and the scientist who read it thought it might be a practical joke of some kind. But he duly wrote a reply, politely explaining that the query was nonsense, and posted it to the boy, who lived in a village called Wall, so named, the boy had said, for the wall that ran alongside it. A wall that, according to local folklore, hid an extraordinary secret…
« I say! » huffed the Wall Guard. « I’m charged with guarding a portal to the Six Rings, and you’re asking me to let you through? »
« Well... yeah », replied Blitzo, rolling his eyes and pointing to the vast expanse of yellow roots that formed the basis of the diet of all the imps of Wrath. « Because it's just a stupid field. There’s nothing magic over there! It’s just a field! »
He had shown Barbie and Fizz the letter that the scientist from Los Satanio had sent in response to his. It was full of complicated words that Blitzo could barely read, let alone understand, but he still got the message. He wasn't stupid, despite what his Papa often said. He could read and count just fine. But even with the letter, his twin and best friend refused to believe him. So he decided to go there alone to prove them wrong. That would teach them, for sure!
« I say! » retorted the Wall Guard, his mustache trembling in indignation. « Hundreds of years, this wall’s been here. Hundreds of years, this gap’s been under 24 hours guard, I say! »
« But… » protested the young imp, his tail swishing frantically behind him.
« One more word », the Wall Guard cut him curtly, « and I’ll have you up in front of the village council! »
Blitzo's tail dropped to the ground in disappointment. The young imp certainly couldn't afford to be brought before the council. He was almost certain that his papa would whip him if that was the case. His bottom was still sore from the beating he had received a few days earlier, after the prank that Barbie, Fizz, and he had played with mud and fire frogs at the mayor's son's birthday party. Well... the prank that Barbie and Blitzo had played. Fizz had just followed them, as usual. His best friend was way too nice and sweet for his own good. And anyway, those jerks deserved it, always making fun of them because they were new in town and had grown up in a circus. As if they could help it!
With his shoulders slumped in, he turned halfway toward the village. He guessed it was the sensible thing to do.
« Good night, Blitzo », said the Wall Guard, patting him on the shoulder.
The thing was, no one had ever accused Blitzo of being sensible. As soon as the older imp looked away, he leaped through the opening in the wall and ran for his life. He knew he would be severely punished, but it was worth it if he could prove to Barbie and Fizz that he had been right all along!
To his surprise, what awaited him on the other side was not a field of yellow roots. Instead, he found himself at the top of a small hill in the middle of a desolate landscape, but just below him was a camp of sorts, with dozens of colorful tents lit by lanterns or something like that. It reminded him of the circus where he had grown up, and a sudden feeling of nostalgia came over him. He shook himself and walked resolutely toward the camp. Maybe the scientist had been wrong and the Wall did in fact protect Wrath from the legendary Six Rings, but either way, he couldn't go home without some kind of proof to show Barbie and Fizz.
If his papa was going to whip him, at least it wouldn't be for nothing.
When he arrived inside the camp, Blitzo couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise, even though no one gave him more than a fleeting glance. But in his defense, it was the first time in his life he had seen so many different kinds of demons in one place. Until now, he had only seen a couple of hellhounds and the occasional baphomet during King Satan's annual visit to Ragesburg, the big city not far from his village where his papa sometimes did business. Everyone knew (or thought they knew) that Wrath was the only Ring left in Hell and that the imps were the only demons that remained.
Turned out that wasn't true. All around him were demons of every color, size, and shape. Eyes wide, tail flicking with excitement, Blitzo looked around, trying to take in as many details as possible so that his description to his sister and best friend would be accurate. And the various demons weren't even the most interesting part of the camp. Far from it, in fact. In front of each tent were exotic goods or mouthwatering foods. A pink lady with long legs and wings on her back was selling adorable little hell piglets, with pale pink skin and three times smaller than the ones at the farmers market where Papa sometimes forced Blitzo and Barbie to steal while Fizz danced and juggled in front of people. At another stall was a jar filled with round balls, which Blitzo belatedly realized were eyes when they suddenly all turned in his direction.
He took off right after that.
Blitzo had just walked past a display of sparkling gemstones that seemed to glow from within when his gaze suddenly fell upon the most beautiful being he had ever seen.
The person had pink, puffy hair (a little lighter than the hell piglets he had seen earlier), and their short pink dress was open at the front, revealing an equally pink cleavage that looked even softer. They had four arms and very long legs, clad in dark boots. Blitzo couldn't help but stare at them. It was the first time in his life he had seen legs that long.
He liked that very, very much.
The pink person seemed to notice and smiled, revealing sharp teeth, all white except for a golden one and winked with their left eye, which was a completely different color from the right.
Blitzo was smiling back when a large shadow fell over him. The young imp found himself face to face with an incredibly tall, thin man wearing a red vest with a fur hood and fur cuffs. The man wore a top hat, and his gray face was frozen in an expression of discontent that reminded Blitzo of his papa.
« I don’t deal with time-wasters », he said in a cold voice, with a trace of an accent Blitzo had never heard before.
The young imp froze, half in awe, half in fear.
Ignoring him, the tall man turned to the pretty pink person and ordered:
« Take care of the stall, you useless little whore. I'm going to the tavern. »
Blitzo opened his mouth wide in shock. Apart from his father on days when he was particularly drunk, he had never heard anybody speak so nastily to someone else.
The pretty pink person, however, didn't seem at all bothered by the insult and sauntered over to Blitzo with a wide grin.
« Hi, baby cakes », they said in a decidedly masculine voice. « See anythin’ ya like? »
It was both super nice and super weird to be approached by such a pretty person. Blitzo felt his cheeks flush and his tail stiffen in response.
« I… um... how much... how much does that one cost? » he said, pointing to a pretty glass vial filled with a dark red liquid.
Maybe it was a perfume of some kind? Mama sure would like it.
(And maybe Blitzo could steal it if the pretty person turned their back, as he had literally no money on him.)
The smile faded from the pretty pink person's lips.
« Trust me, ya don't wanna pay the price Val asks for his potions. Plus you look a little young for aphrodisiacs. »
« Afro what? » Blitzo replied, frowning.
« Ya’ll understand when ya’re older », replied the pink person, whose smile had widened.
Blitzo crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks in annoyance. He wasn't that young! Not only was he almost 11 years old, but he was pretty tall for an imp, even though he felt very small next to this long-legged person.
« I’m old enough! » he retorted, his tail whipping the air behind him.
« Sure you are », replied the pink person, patting him on the shoulder.
The young imp shot them a murderous look. The pink person looked him in the eye for a long moment, then sighed and turned away to rummage through a leather pouch hanging from the door of the dark red trailer parked behind the stall.
« Listen, kid, you shouldn't buy those potions. They won't do you any good. Buy this instead. It'll bring you luck », he said, opening one of his hands to reveal a tiny crystal flower in his palm.
Usually, Blitzo wasn't much of a flower fan, but this one was really pretty.
« But... how much does it cost? » he asked, hesitantly.
« This one costs a kiss », replied the pink person with extreme seriousness.
The young imp stood speechless as the pink person bent over almost double, pointing to his cheek. Shaking his head, Blitzo clenched his fists and stood on the tip of his hooves to plant a kiss on the soft pink cheek. The person pinched his cheek in return and pinned the flower, which was actually a brooch, to the front of his tunic.
« Is he gone? » they asked, looking around.
It took Blitzo a few moments to regain his composure, if only because he had just had his very first kiss!
(It was on the cheek, but it counted all the same!)
When he realized that the pretty pink person was talking about the thin gray man, he looked around but didn't see him. And given his height, that probably meant he was gone.
« I think so. »
« Great! Now I can take a nap! » exclaimed the pretty pink person with a grin.
As they walked toward the carriage, Blitzo heard a small tinkling sound, like dozens of bells ringing in unison. Looking down, he noticed a glowing red chain attached to the person's ankle.
« Are you... are you a prisoner? »
« I am a Sinner. An Overlord has made me his slave », he explained sadly.
« That's awful », Blitzo said, horrified, noticing bruises around one of his wrists.
Sure, his papa treated him like crap. But at least he didn't own him. When he drank too much and started getting mean, the children could always walk away and wait for him to fall asleep at the table.
For his tenth birthday, Blitzo's mother had given him a small dagger with a horse engraved on the hilt. He carried it with him everywhere. Not only did he not have many possessions, but the fact that it was a gift from his mama made it all the more special. Blitzo loved Mama more than anything, or anyone else in all of Wrath. More than cheese, more than horses, even more than Barbie and Fizz, but just a little. He grabbed the tinkling chain with one hand, took his dagger out of its sheath with the other, and cut it. To his surprise, as soon as the chain was cut, the two ends reconnected.
« It's an enchanted chain. Only his death will free me. Too bad Overlords are almost impossible to kill… » sighed the pretty pink person.
« Is there anything I can do for you? » asked Blitzo.
They shook their head.
« I don't think so. But it's not your fault, kid. Ya should probably go now. »
« May I... May I know your name? »
« I’m Angel Dust, but my friends call me Angie. Well... they would if I had any friends », they replied with a shrug.
« Pleased to meet you, Angel Dust. My name is Blitzo Buckzo. One day, I will free you. »
Blitzo didn't know which of them was more surprised by his sudden declaration.
« Sure, ya will », replied the pink sinner with a smile that didn’t reach their eyes.
« You’ll see », replied Blitzo, resolute.
He had no idea how he could go about it, but leaving poor Angel Dust to their fate seemed so unfair. Maybe he could ask Barbie and Fizz. The three of them together would surely find a solution!
« I guess I will », the pink sinner said with a shrug before they climbed into the trailer and closed the door behind them, not without first blowing Blitzo a kiss.
So, the scientist was wrong. The wall had successfully done its job of hiding the legendary Six Rings. The young imp returned that night to his home in Wrath, eager to tell his story to his best friend and twin sister and show them his pretty flower as proof.
He never forgot Angel Dust, but life went on, things changed, and thirteen years would pass before fate put him back on the path to the Six Rings, and his life, as many others, would change forever…
Dividers by Aima