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Mu

it’s better then they’re a little bit of a loser.
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The moon shone bright down on the city of Nora, its white aura gleaming down on the city streets below. It was a magnificent building, the center of business for both demons and humans, working together in harmony like they had lived together all their lives. Even at night, the streets were bustling, the buildings alight with flecks of gold like fireflies, glimmering in the distance. Nora City was a big city, truly the capital for the continent of Nora, where billboards rang and shined with bright letters and numbers advertising the latest fads or items or a company. Buildings rose so high they almost touched the sky and the stars beyond. Cars beeped, bicycles ringed, carriages and their horses clopped and clapped right on by on the streets in harmony with everything mechanized. To anyone who looked at the city from afar, it was beautiful and breathtaking on so many levels and it was a wonderful place for anyone to live.

Among the tall buildings and the world of technology nestled a public park, Valentine Park. A beautiful nature solace where trees of green and orange grew peacefully alongside a calm lake that ran across the park. They say a long time ago, a big grassy hill stood where Valentine Park was, where a big tall tree with a thick trunk stood tall and proud. It was a place where couples often came to confess to each other, and a place where many couples made their first ties together. A romantic tree. That is why it was called Valentine Park.

Though normally peaceful, today was a day for celebration and fun. A circus had decided to come! A great big tent was set up in the center of Valentine Park, and it was a well known circus as well! A travelling group of the most wondrous people in the world with all sorts of magic to be seen. Acrobatics and death-defying feats, escaping from the more dire situations, beasts being conjured from thin air and tamed no matter how wild they were, it was a famous group of talented people known for their skills. Even the most well behaved children would come, past their bedtimes into the darkest of the nights to see the show. Even the most powerful of businessmen and businesswoman would leave their office as soon as possible, grab some popcorn and walk towards the bright lights than shone brighter than stars.​

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"Welcome to our circus!
P A N D E M O N I U M!"
Standing in front of the gates, surrounded by many people looking into the stores filled to the brim with food, ladies wearing top hats that looked like swirling candy canes and dresses that looked as if they were made from cotton candy, were a young man and young woman who looked to be teens. Despite the business of the lobby, it was clear that their customers stood back to gape at them.

A young man with tousled brown hair and a mischievous look, wearing what looked like a tuxedo of the darkest red. Bright white beeped from under his blazer, his tie a scarlet red, beaming at a child as she walked past, blinking at the welcoming couple as her tiny hands held onto a stick of cotton candy. Beside him was a young woman wearing a beautiful dress, her skin so pale and her hair so fine it looked like spider's silk. People stared at her and her ghostly figure, but she paid them no heed as she waved at a passing guest.
"Enjoy the show!"
They looked so incredibly happy that the people who waltzed into the tent couldn't help but smile back. A wail broke the layers of laughter and smiles, a young girl who had been frightened by one of the frowning masks set on the wall, the lights around it blinking and flashing when she had approached. Despite her mother's attempts to quiet her down, they were unsuccessful. With no option, she hurried along down towards the hallway leading to the inside of the tent. "There, there. Don't cry, princess." The young man winked at the girl as she approached, a flame flickering to life between his lips as he spoke, turning into a ring shaped as a love heart before disappearing into smoke. The girl stopped her wailing, her face turning into one of astonishment and surprise at the trick. The fire-breathing boy's partner moved to pin a rose into her hair, as white as her hair, a light fragrance coming off from the petals.

This was such a joyous, welcoming place. It was the most wonderful circus in the world! Surely, there was nothing this circus had to hide?​
 
He had been in here for almost three days now. He could tell by what little light dared to crawl into his little wooden cell. He could hear the hooves of the horses against the pavement, the breathing of the driver. The little boy shuddered in the cold, trying to curl up tighter hoping he would disappear at will. Why wasn't he blessed with that sort of power? Instead, he had the demon's horns, a strange tail, a forked tongue like a snake and the ability to play with fire. How was this ever going to be helpful? He missed home. Or, what he called home. A kind lady had taken him in, offered him a room to stay despite what he was, an orphan with no place to call home.

Phynex had wandered too far from 'home', he had been going out to steal something - hopefully. A loaf of bread, or a decent weapon that was reliable and he could defend himself with. But instead of finding such gold, he had been caught and thrown into a wooden cart, reinforced with steel bars. It was unbearably cold and he was tired. It had only been three days but yet he was hurting so much, everything ached from his flesh to his bones, as if he was about to break at any second. When he closed his eyes, he could remember the day he was thrown so roughly into this tiny space.

At first he thought his captor was an idiot. It was just wood and steel, fire could easily melt it. But this person... if it even was a person, was not normal. The young boy had been pinned down by multiple limbs, the last thing he saw a gleaming red eye - a singular eye - peering down at him with barely contained glee. "If I were you, I would not even think about escaping, kiddo." And with such strength, he was gagged and bound with iron chains, stuffed into the darkness of the 'box' with faintly glowing stones. They were blue much to his curiousity, and it was far too late when he realized that they were slowly cooling the room, turning it into an icy cold prison. No fire could be produced, nothing sparked to life. It chilled him to the core, and it took all his strength to even move to eat on the scraps the thing gave him.

"Let me go!" he roared, finally pushed out of the freezing darkness and finding his mouth freed, thrashing and kicking at every chance he got. His teeth was bared, canines flashing at his cloaked captor, trying to punch at him even with the weights on his hands and feet. "What do you want with me?!" Phynex cried out, the warmth of the world embracing him once more, causing the demon child to open his mouth and release a barely controlled stream of fire, tongues of flames lashing out at the cloaked figure who simply stepped aside to avoid it. "The task is done, but he has much to learn." The man said, speaking to someone he could not see. "The bastard almost broke down the cart, if not for those stones you lent me."
 
There was a chuckle from the person Phynex's captor was speaking to. Without further ado, the man had grabbed the child roughly, his hands clamping down like iron bands on the unfortunate orphan's arm. He dragged the child despite his struggling and protests, raising his other free hand to back hand the child across the face once his struggles became more frantic. "Kiddo, you don't want to annoy me. We're following him." Grabbing the boy by his jaw, the man procured a thick cloth from the pockets of his coat, before tightly tying it around the boy's head, covering his eyes. Phynex would then not get much opportunity to see the place he had been let out into, dragged along forcefully. The man did not care of the boy stumbled on the uneven ground. Before long, there was a creaking sound as a door swung open. Phynex was then flung into the room and the door behind them slammed shut. Reaching down, the man carelessly yanked and undid the blindfold from the young demon child.

"My, my, such youthful exuberance this one has." An amused voice purred from a shadowed corner, the flickering candlelight unable . The place of freezing darkness the young orphan boy had been imprisoned in was traded for a warmer, yet still somewhat dim room. The weak and flickering light wavered from a lone candle, dripping with wax on the sides and perched on a lone candle holder attached to the wall. A smell of must permeated the room, thick with the scent of decaying wood. The ceiling was low, close to touching the impossibly tall and looming man that had brought the child to the faceless stranger. Behind Phynex, the door was shut with an ominous click, before small and dainty footsteps declared the presence of another behind him. Guarding him from trying to escape.

A giggle sounded then, light and girlish and seemingly delighted at the situation. The voice was clearly feminine, sounding like a young girl. "He does look like his father, doesn't he? Who would have thought we'd be able to get him~?"

Another light laugh escaped the unseen man's lips. "And if he truly takes after him, he would make a lovely addition to our little family, wouldn't he? He's capable of breathing fire already though it is rather uncontrolled." Finally, he moved out of the dark depths further into the room and into the light. Golden-amber eyes, brighter than the weakening candlelight, twinkled down at the child. "You will be a part of us from now on, yes?" He reached out with long and thin fingers, pale and paper-white, capturing the boy's chin in his hand. His grip was tight. "You won't have to steal from here on if you will be a good boy and listen to me. I will be the one to decide if you are worth keeping, and trust me, you don't want me to find you useless. No one is taken into my circus without good reason, and no one comes out."
 
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"I said let go of me!" he snarled, a threatening growl resonating from deep within his throat as he tried to twist away from his bonds, wrenching away from the man's grasp and trying to dash away into the woods where they would never be able to find him. With luck, maybe he could find his way 'home', where the kind lady fed him and took care of him. A little thief deserved no love, but there was something in her eyes that twinkled at the young fire demon when she first opened the door of her house and saw him for the first time. But the more he wriggled, the most the iron chains banged against his thin frame, knocking against the bones and tiring him even more. He was met with a sharp sting across the face, Phynex feeling his cheek begin to swell from the pain. "T- That hurt!" he sniffed, hopelessly dragged around like a limp doll, once again darkness draping over him and claiming the young child who shivered with fear and from the cold.

He wore no shoes, and his feet went from the dirt of the ground to a more well-maintained road before his bare foot met what felt like soft fabric. Against the sore pads of his feet, it was relaxing and smooth and it was clear he was now inside somewhere. The sound of howling wind was distant, but still there, and their was a slight warmth that all buildings had from blocking the harsh winds. It was hard for the fire demon, who couldn't even keep up with his tired and aching feet, the cloaked man who held his arm like a vice lifting him up several times to pick the young boy to his feet with a grumble before he gave up somewhere along the path.

Phynex almost sneezed at the new room he had been thrown into, the darkness finally lifting. He was on his knees and hands, using them to cushion the rough treatment. Stumbling to stand, the room smelt of old and stinking wood that almost made Phynex choke. The room was dark except for a singular candle burning on a table, but he could sense people inside the room, one guarding the door and another in the corner, his eyes fixated on the young child. The fire demon twisted and turned at the sounds, the voices of strangers that filled the room. "You knew my father? F- Family? What family?" he wondered aloud, the fear prominent on his face. Were they his relatives? No, it couldn't be.

He gasped when a pale hand reached for his chin, forcing the fire demon to look into glowing eyes, almost like they belonged to an owl. "C- Circus?" Phynex repeated, incredulous. "No! I said leave me alone!" he snapped at the tall stranger, his mouth opening to release a jet of scarlet red fire, blasting straight into the man's face in an attempt to escape. "I want to go home, stupid man!"
 
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"Aagh!" The blast of fire blew into the man's face, obscuring his glowing golden eyes from the young child's frightened and furious little face. For a second, there was a sudden jerk and flinch from the man, his grip loosening seemingly from Phynex's jaw, the painful grip relaxing as he recoiled. His other hand flew up to cover his face, a hiss escaping his lips. For few moments he was seemingly paralyzed with pain long after the jet of fire had died out. And then he laughed, his laughter seeming to echo off the walls. Pulling his free hand away from his unharmed and untouched face, he threw his head back as his body shook with his chuckles. His hand tightened once more around Phynex's face, long and thin fingers encompassing the child's cheeks and jaw. The sharp nails of his fingers dug into the child's skin without drawing blood, but giving leaving crescent marks.

It felt like a long time before the man's laughter finally died out. He wiped the back of his free hand across his face, tears of mirth having escaped his golden eyes. They glittered as they again settled on Phynex, a delighted smile crawling slowly across the man's face. He leaned in, his breath cold against the boy's face as he bent, bent, and bent, like a long, and thin tree crumpling in on itself to stoop down to the child's level. Cocking his head, his face hovered dangerously close to the child's as his breath washed across his skin. Long, scarlet red locks of hair, glinting like thick and coagulated blood, obscured some of his features. "That was rich," he chortled, shaking his head slowly as his eyes bore into deep brown.

"I'm afraid," he began, voice gentle as he smiled softly. "You'll have to try better than that. But congratulations, you just proved to me that you can be of some use! Isn't that nice?" He didn't seem at all rattled that Phynex had just tried to scorch his face off with a burst of flame earlier, in fact he seemed positively tickled. "I don't have to get rid of you, now. And who knows, this life might actually be better than your orphan life, yes? Food and a place to stay! Who could say no to that, especially a homeless, parent-less little whelp like you? You can barely even control your power, how can you expect to survive when you'll stand out among normal people?" His grip tightened on Phynex's jaw again, enough to make the bones creak, showing unnerving strength in his thin and slender hand. Then he let go, stepping away and straightening.

He looked down at Phynex, tilting his head. "I will make you into someone worthy of admiration and praise, I will make them feel awe at your powers. I take pride in my finished products and my works of art, and you will be no different. But I will bend you and I will break you first." Releasing Phynex from his golden-eyed gaze, he looked at the cloaked man who had brought him in. "Daruxel, take him to the isolation cells. It looks like he will be a challenge. At least my darling girl will have some company after a month, yes? She must be terribly lonely out there." His gaze drifted over to the female standing in front of the door. "And Red, can you please take some rations to our newest guest's cell?"
 
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Phynex had grinned at the shout. When he was younger he often questioned why fire was the power that he had. It wasn't useful for much, especially in a society where demons were expected to keep their abilities away from the world. But now in this moment, it was so sweet to finally be able to use his powers for something. He supposed none of them would have expected it from a ten year old boy like him, that he was going to mar their faces and turn them into ashes before running away. For kidnapping him, it was the fate that they all deserved. The fire demon almost laughed, the man sounded as if he was in pain, his expression covered entirely by the flames and the pale hands that grasped his chin loosening a little from the tight grip.

He was just about to make a run for it when he heard deep laughter, the fire demon turning his head to see the man's face. Sharp features and golden eyes, hair that was the deep red, like dried blood. The fire demon paled at the sight of his pale, unmarked face. The fire had no effect on him. Why, how? That was impossible! Even a demon would be scarred, even just a little! Despite his best efforts to scramble away, crawl away from the dank and stinky room as fast as possible even if it took all his energy, the man's grip tightened on Phynex again, his fear and terror creeping up on him like spiders until he was rendered speechless. "H-How..." he murmured, shrinking under the amused gaze of the stranger. "A monster!" his voice was but an almost inaudible whisper, finding himself unable to raise his voice when the man leaned in so close Phynex could swear he saw hell behind the owl-like eyes of his that bored into his own brown eyes.

"Understood. Come're, kiddo." A slimy tentacle slid across the floor, wrapping around his chained arm over and over. Looking up, paralyzed with shock, he saw a creature he had never laid eyes on before in his life. It looked like nothing more than a bloodshot eye, surrounded by a forest of tentacle like limbs, acting as legs and arms with two spike like horns protruding above the blinking organ. There was no mouth, yet it spoke loud and clear. "You will be spending the night outside," the thing chuckled, hauling the boy to his feet and leaving the room. This time there was no blindfold on the fire demon, and he could see the flickering oil lamps sitting outside what looked like a large camp like area, tents pitched all around. Somewhere not far from the room he had been thrown into earlier with... the red haired man, was a series of cages put close together. A majority of them were empty, except for what looked liked a slumped figure lying down in one of them. Roughly, he was thrust into the neighbouring cage, the door slamming shut behind him and padlocked. "Don't even think about melting through these babies," Daruxel smiled, balancing on two of his thick tendrils like human legs. "It won't work."

"It's only his first day, go easy on him~" the feminine voice had returned, belonging to a girl who looked to be the same age and height as him, smiling down kindly at the fire demon. She was donning a red hood, tied around her neck with a big bow and carrying a basket of all things. "You poor thing, you must be so hungry. Here~ Oh, my name is Red. I hope we can all be friends~" she giggled, passing a bowl of barely warmed soup and a few rolls of bread, followed by a scratchy blanket that had been folded together. "This will be your room for now, aren't you happy?" the girl asked him, her red lips widening to reveal perfect white teeth. "Eat up, you won't get another meal until morning." With a shrill laugh, the little girl and Daruxel left him, disappearing into a nearby tent. Unable to help himself, he began to devour his food, choking down everything he could. It had been hours since he had ate, and it tasted far better than what Daruxel had tossed him on the way to this strange place.
 
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There was a chill in the air that was more than just the natural cool breeze during the night. She curled up under the thin cloth that served as a blanket, pressing her cheek against the dusty and dirty wooden floor of her cage. Despite her efforts to stay warm these past few days it was clear that the cold summer nights didn't agree with her at all. Shuddering and clutching the thing that passed for a blanket only provided her a meager relief. The shapeless thin grey dress she had been wearing for a week already didn't stop the cold from creeping under her skin, making its way into her bones and making her teeth chatter on worse nights.

She remembered a time before when she would have refused to curl up in a fetal position like this, a time when she would have felt such great distaste at herself for getting so filthy. But as always, he had merely smoothed away those thoughts and mannerisms of hers. Her pride was crushed, her calm and reserved facade only there because she was too exhausted to show any more reactions. It was precisely because she had reacted that she had been landed in this cage for a month, after all.

At least he had the generosity to place an oil lamp close to her cage. The flames within danced merrily, flickering and jumping about. It hung from a post near her cage, providing just the barest hint of warmth if she slept closer to that side.

A familiar gait padded through the grassy area of the camp grounds. She was thankful that at least her senses remained somewhat sharp enough that she could tell, her eyes opening from under her blanket as she listened carefully. There was the sound of someone being dragged around, and the tell-tale slithering sound of tentacles dragging across the ground. A new 'recruit', it seemed like. A small sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes once again, hearing the sounds of a body being thrown into - the cage right beside hers? Her eyes snapped open, but she didn't make any more movements until Daruxel and Red had finished talking to the new prisoner.

Why next to me?

It was a puzzling thought. She had been locked inside a cage and left alone, aside from being fed every other day, because she was supposedly being punished. He had always, in his own words, been soft on her. Her punishments usually consisted of a slow starvation, but not really. He deprived her of basic necessities, but not so much as to permanently harm her or kill her. A constant state of discomfort, though sometimes he would pull her out of the cage with his long white fingers digging into her skin or grasping her face tightly. He was 'kind' to her because he liked her the most. Or so he said. But he hadn't placed a prisoner beside her cage like this.

With slow, careful movements, Selene sat up, the thin blanket falling around her waist. Her hair was a mess, looking more like an ashen gray color compared to its original pristine white. He had only let her wash herself with a wet towel these past weeks, and barely enough to really clean herself. Smudges of dirt were on her chin, a few marks of fingers marring the milky white skin along her jaw. Her face was slightly gaunt, a tired and dull look in her eyes. Her purple eyes were the only splash of color in her otherwise gray and white appearance, her lips pale.

Those eyes immediately sought out her neighbor, her expression never shifting from its dull and grim countenance. The boy was wolfing down his food, and she immediately noted that he wasn't too clean either. That meant he was either dragged along on the dirt or he was already a little dirty before they had taken him. He was thin, but there was a hint of sinew in his thin body. It was clear to her that he hadn't eaten much at all, even before this. And he looked to be around her age, or a little older.

"You're the newest one after me to remain alive." Completely out of the blue, Selene spoke. Her voice was soft and tired, her pale lashes drooping slightly over her eyes as if to punctuate herself. "He must have liked you well enough if he fed you on your first night that much. Interesting." Her own food for today lay half-eaten on the side of her cage, the bowl of soup cleaned out but two rolls of bread still remained. It felt like she couldn't keep down the more solid foods nowadays.
 

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Phynex reacted quickly at the first sight of movement from the corner of his eyes, his mouth still stuffed full of bread. His head twisted so quickly towards the direction of the other cell with his eyes guarded and defended that his neck almost cracked. Instead, he met the eyes of a young pale girl who looked to be the same age as him. She was very thin, as if she had not been eating enough, with almost dead eyes that were once bright and violet-blue. The faint shades were still there, but dulled, which made the fire demon sad. How long had she been in the cell? Was she new as well? The fire demon recalled what the red-haired man had said, hadn't this girl already been here in the cold, steel and wooden cell for a month now? Phynex's guard lowered along with his gaze, feeling sympathy for the girl. Was that going to be his fate as well? Daring to look back up at her, he blinked at her dirtied and somewhat matted once white hair, dirt covered face and the shadowed eyes. Her figure was incredibly pale, like she was a ghost.

"Alive? You mean... others have died here?" he whispered after her. What kind of place was this? Kidnapping kids was one thing, but for them to die in an unknown place? "Am... Am I going to die as well?" Phynex dragged himself over to the other side of the cage, where their bars sat inches apart. Over on her side of the cells hung an oil lamp that illuminated a small area around them, and the closer he got to the strange girl, the more he saw she was thin and clearly deprived of food. Phynex pointed at her two rolls of leftover bread, "Are you going to finish those? We can swap, you can have my soup." He had noticed her bowl was cleaned of its contents. His soup was still a little warm, perfect for such a cold night. Phynex inspected the blanket, it barely kept one warm. "I can warm it for you too."

"What's your name? Where is this place? What's going to happen to me?" he asked her, finally having found someone who may have more answers to the situation than he did. The fire demon shuddered, remembering the words the man had said to him. Like the young demon was a piece of clay for him to shape and mold into whatever his desires were. And a man who wasn't even harmed or scorched by his flames... "And who is that red haired man? Is he a monster?"
 
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Something flickered in the pale girl's dulled amethyst eyes, something akin to a faint amusement as the boy responded to her. He was incredibly animated, as was expected of most new 'recruits' to this place. They were always, always the ones who fought and protested. Some remained defiant to the end, after that man had tired of trying to find use for them or to mold them to his liking. Some did survive, or so she heard, broken and bent to be what he had wanted them to be. Selene was his newest project, at least until this boy. She had kept count of the days since she had been taken from that place called home. Sometimes, she wondered if she would see that solid oak door, and that broad, reassuring set of shoulders, shoulders that sometimes turned from her but never left her. He was probably searching for her, but the man who took her from her father was a smart man. He moved this circus, this encampment, from place to place, never staying too long. It wasn't suspicious at all for a traveling circus.

She wondered at the odd expressions that passed through his face as he looked at her. Was that... Pity? He looked as if he couldn't bear looking at her for too long. A thin little smile curved her lips upwards for a fraction of a second, that wasn't a surprise at all. Most people at first glance would think she was thin and frail, a breakable glass flower. Honestly, if she was that breakable, she wouldn't be here. Wouldn't be sitting upright, back straight, despite the heaviness in her body. Her stare might be dull, but she never wavered from what she was looking at.

And that was enough for now.

"Die? Yes, people have died..." Her voice felt far away even to her own ears, a sigh that trailed off into silence. "No one leaves this place. He said as much to you, didn't he?" There was a knowing expression on her features, or an impression of a knowing look imposed upon a blank face. "You either die, or remain in this place. No one leaves unchanged." That she had heard from an older child here, a boy with eyes that were even more exhausted than hers, a clouded pale blue-gray that harbored far too many shadows. Her eyes closed, or they nearly did. "Of course, that depends upon how hard you fight it."

Selene glanced at the bowl of soup, still warm, sitting in the boy's cell. Her stomach felt hollow, as if everything had been gouged out and replaced with air. Even when she ate the stale bread rolls and the watery soup she got, isolating her like this always left her exhausted. The man knew very well what it did to her. Depriving her of energy to think straight, depriving her of what she could do. "You can have the bread," she murmured with another thin wisp of a smile that disappeared too soon. "It doesn't really matter to me if I don't eat tonight, my confinement is almost up anyway." Then it would be back to being fed either too rich and flavorful food that made her throw up more than it actually helped her recover. He knew that she couldn't eat much after being starved, yet he still did it anyway. When she displeased him...

"He is what he is. A monster, an ally, or your greatest enemy in this place. He is what he wants to be to you." She lifted a bread roll with one hand, reaching past the bars of her cage to hold it out for him to take on his side. "Eat. You will need it for your introduction to life here tomorrow. You can call me Selene, but you won't be seeing much of me after I am let out of this cage."
 
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His eyes furrowed at her words. "When I get out of this cell, I'm going to try anyway. I have a home to go back to, a nice lady took me in." Phynex's voice was a low whisper, brown eyes glimmering at the hope and light at the end of the dark tunnel. That's right, he had food and a warm bed to sleep in. He took another bite of the bread rolls he had been given, which was surprisingly fresh. Looking at the girl's bread, it looked stale. But the little girl, the one named Red, said that this was his first day... was that because his food looked more filling, and looked more delicious? For a girl who worked under that monster, she seemed almost nice compared to his captor Daruxel as well. He shuddered in memory of the slithering tentacles, wondering how such a demon could even exist. "Who wouldn't fight if they got taken here like this?" Phynex couldn't think of a reason why nobody would fight against that man to try and get away. They could at least try.

Reaching out for the bread, he added it to the small tray that also held the rest of his bread and the bowl of steaming soup. It looked like tomato to him, red like blood, once again reminding him of the red haired man. They also matched the tents, surrounded by many lamps that made each tent look big and menacing. He wondered what they looked like in the light, when the circus was running and guests piled in. Phynex had never been to a circus before, not with his father nor when he was orphaned and left out on the street.

A chilling breeze howled through the cells, causing Phynex to shudder. Now that there were none of those cold inducing stones, he was free to use his powers to keep him warm. His eyes flickered to meet the pale girl's. What about her? "But it's cold. You can't keep warm under that." The young demon pointed at the fabric that acted as her blanket. "Have some. Have half of it..." he murmured, reaching between the bars of her cell and hooking her tray over until it met the edge of her jail, before pushing his own bowl of soup over and deftly pouring half of his own into her empty, clean bowl while his hands warmed up the liquid as if it had just come out of the kitchens. "That way you can keep warm."
 
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Holding out the bread rolls, her pale and thin arm remained steady despite the chill wind that sometimes rustled her clothing and her hair. Her eyes blinked slowly at his words, this time a slight raising of her brow could be seen for a moment. As he took the pieces of bread, which she parted with easily, the girl pulled away from the edge of the cage, hands drifting down to the thin blanket. She clasped her hands at the thin fabric, it really was just like a wisp or a breathe of air, barely able to keep anyone warm. Selene was silent, neither showing surprise nor amusement at his words now. So he was an orphan before this, that much she could tell from his words. It wasn't unusual that an orphan would be brought here, they were easier to take than children who had loving families. And he was a demon orphan. She had noted the strange horns protruding from his head, poking out from under dark brown locks.

Who wouldn't fight. Ah... He really was spirited about escaping. Of course children struggled at first, there was nothing about this place that was kind to the children who were destined to work here. From the way one side of his face was a little swollen up, he was taken none too gently by Daruxel to this place. He was one of those children who were taken against their will and fought against their captors, and from him it sounded like he had something to look forward to. Selene didn't have anything to say to that. She supposed she had something to look forward to, herself, but the months had worn and frayed her out, even if she refused to admit it to herself.

Her teeth chattered slightly as another cold gust of air swept into her cage, and she drew the blanket to cover herself, wrapping it tight around her shivering frame. It was odd how after so much time enduring the cold and the hunger pangs, it was easier to show weakness. It didn't make her stronger at all despite what others may have thought. It obviously harmed her body, if the thinness of her, painful to look at, said anything. And before she could stop him, he had already filled her bowl of soup with his, halfway, her eyes staring at his hands as the flickers of heat sparked to life there.

Before she could stop herself, she had shuffled closer to the side of her cage again, an unreadable expression on her face. "I wish I had that ability." It was a blunt and honest admission. "This was unnecessary," she sighed quietly, but a small smile played along the corners of her lips as she met his eyes. "But thank you. Don't do it again, it will only hurt you in the long run." Her hands brushed his as she reached for the bowl, feeling the warmth radiating from his skin. It was enough to make her shudder, but she didn't comment upon it. It was a reaction of her body. And as she spoke, her voice fell into a hush once again by the end. It was true. If he associated with her like this, treated her kindly, it was only going to backfire on him. Accepting the portion of soup from him, she lowered her eyes from his as she lifted the edge of the bowl to her lips. The movement was oddly light and graceful for someone who looked a mess, and she closed her eyes as she took a sip of the hot soup. And a moment later, a small sigh sounded from her as the soup warmed her slightly. "You haven't told me your name yet."

She would remember him for this, if nothing else.
 
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The young demon smiled faintly at her. "Actually, I used to think it was pretty useless. It's not a good ability for an orphan like me." His smile widened into a brighter one, almost beaming at the pale girl. "But I'm happy it's useful for something now." Facing her, he lifted his half portion of the soup to his mouth, chugging half of it down and making sure none of it was going to waste. He stopped only to soak a chunk of bread in the liquid, watching it being soaked up by the bread before eating it as well. Before long, he had finished all of the rolls, both stale and fresh as well as the rest of the red soup. His belly was satisfied for now, but judging from this girl's body, he had a feeling he wasn't going to receive good meals like that for a while. Phynex sat himself with his knees against his chest, curling the scratchy blanket around him as the fire demon rested his chin on his knees, his hand holding a flickering flame that was his only source of warmth. At the same time, the young demon also hoped that warmth would reach his pale neighbour as well, watching her drinking the soup made him happy knowing he had given it to her.

"Eh?" his eyes peeped up from focusing on the flickering tongue of fire, blinking at the young girl. "What do you mean? Shouldn't we be helping each other?" Phynex was confused. In such a hellish place where children were taken, didn't it make sense for them to help each other? Even if there were no adults to help, children usually helped people just like them. And... she had so willingly parted with her bread, if she didn't want to help him why did Selene pass it over? The young demon, as a homeless and penniless child, was used to diving into trash to find food to eat. And children who found food before him never wanted to share. They were snarling, hungry people who fought for what little they had - as well as what they found. And sometimes gangs had their backs, so Phynex could never fight or retaliate when his own food was stolen. "Helping others won't hurt anyone," he smiled at her.

"I'm Phynex, nice to meet you, Selene." His aura was so warm and radiant, despite sitting in such a gloomy place. His father always said that there was always a chance of success in any situation, no matter how difficult it first seemed to be. The red haired man and the girl made it sound like it was impossible to escape, but what would his father do in his place? Phynex thought about it, and he knew his father would have thought about different opportunities to escape. After all, if one didn't try, that was a zero percent chance of success. "Uhm... do you think we can maybe be friends? Can we help each other?"
 
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Sitting closer to the side of the cage, but not touching the cold steel bars, she averted her eyes from the boy. Selene said nothing as she listened to him speak, hope and optimism brightening his tone. She wondered how long the warmth and brightness that radiated from this boy would last. He was clearly still thinking of different ways to escape, despite the earlier harsh treatment of him when he was captured. Children had died trying to escape, that was a matter of fact. It was never by accident, because their captors were too good to accidentally 'slip'. The only sign that a child had died would be marked by the empty seat at the dining 'hall' where the children gathered to be fed rather dismal rations on most days. The child would then never be seen, just a pointed and harrowing reminder of what could happen to other kids.

You shouldn't help me.

Her eyes looked off to the side, even as she faced the boy. "Phynex, is it," she mumbled, before taking small sips of the hot soup. She was slow to finish the soup, maybe to savor the warmth sliding down her throat and into her stomach, maybe because she couldn't finish too much all of a sudden. The next few minutes consisted of the girl carefully lifting the bowl's rim to her lips and tilting her head back slightly, drinking the soup. It would have been atrocious manners on a dining table, not to use a spoon, but she was far past the point of caring. When she would put the bowl down, she sent the young demon across from her a blank look. A full-blooded demon. It had taken her a while to realize it, slower than usual to notice the little details.

Finishing the last of the soup, she lowered the bowl onto her lap. There was still a lingering warmth from the soup residing in the bowl, so she kept her palms wrapped around it. Selene lifted her eyes to meet the boy's - Phynex's - and shook her head slowly. "We can't be friends, and you can't help me." Her face smoothed out into a look of impassivity as she stared at him. "Because helping me actually does hurt and it would be better for you not to interact with me." Her lips twitched slightly as she turned away, showing her side profile as she gazed on ahead. Ahead of them were the empty cages on the other side, and farther out the large red tents. "It was nice meeting you, Phynex. Goodnight, and take care." Then, she laid down and curled into herself, ducking under the blanket. She was silent for the rest of the night.
 
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He was almost about to reach out for the young girl when he stopped himself, confused as to why Selene continued to insist that helping each other was a bad thing. "But... why?" he whispered, feeling hurt as she rejected his offer. Why did she want to be alone in this, all by her lonesome? Phynex immediately thought of the red haired man, wondering if this had something to do with him. He had called the pale girl his 'darling', making the fire demon almost retch thinking about what sort of twisted relationship they had. And listening to her when she had spoken about that monster, it seemed Selene knew a lot about him as well. Finding himself unbearably alone, like the nights he had spent alone, he curled up under the blanket and used his own flames to warm himself as he quietly bored his eyes into the curled up figure of his neighbour wondering how cold she was.

---
"Wakey wakey~" he was shaken awake in the morning, the fire demon groggily opening his eyes to see a curious and childish face of Red looming above him. Out of instinct, he flung the blanket into her face, crawling like a spider towards the other side of the cage in fear, memories of robbers and gang members jumping him when he was a homeless child. She pulled the blanket away from her face, sighing but her somewhat kind smile still plastered on her face. Now that Phynex got a closer look at her, he noticed she had very light blonde hair. It wasn't white, but it was very fair. A beautiful red hooded cloak was donned on top of a lacey white dress, her basket still hanging from her elbow. "Come on, it's time for breakfast! And we better not be late, or Mr. Kasimir will get angry~" she giggled, taking him by the arm and hauling him out of the prison. Looking behind him where Selene had spent the last month in, he noticed that she was gone, the cell clean as if no one had ever been there.

Who was Kasimir? He could only imagine it was the name of the red haired man. He followed the skipping little girl silently until they reached a large clearing surrounded by crates. In fact, there were several long tables that were made from big crates and smaller crates to act as seats, each one taken up by a child. Some of them looked dead, some of them looked happier and brighter than the others but tired. Phynex could see both humans and demons, scrambling to carry their small seat-crate to the table before going to Daruxel, who was serving meager looking meals with his many limbs, consisting of what looked like bread with butter and watery soup. He noticed there were a few gaps between the children and their seats, and their behaviour seemed very robotic like they had done this many times before.

"Oh, you see we have a seating plan~ Everyone has to bring their own chair and sit exactly where their designated spot is." Red blinked at his confused face before chuckling. "You don't have one yet, so don't worry~ Mr. Kasimir will be out here for you soon. Oh, look! There he is now!"​
 
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The clearing was sparsely and austerely furnished with makeshift tables and chairs, all fashioned from mismatched wooden boards taken from crates. Despite the several long tables that were lined up, the children seated at the small crates were few. All looked and wore similar clothing, long and dreary greyish clothes that were formless and shapeless, stretching and hanging over their knees. On some, the clothes hung off of their bodies, too large on thin and small shoulders, particularly one dark haired, dead-eyed little girl, who looked to be one of the youngest alongside Phynex. Seated beside her was a light brown-haired girl who appeared to be older than Phynex, her greenish-hazel eyes blinking, wide and worried, as the other girl lowered her head sobbed softly in the cradle of her arms.

At Phynex's entrance some of the children turned and stared, but not one sound or word went from them to the newcomer. A particularly bright-looking child, who looked more energetic than the others, stared intently at the slightly battered form of the young demon. He had slightly curly, wavy golden-brown hair and tawny brown eyes, which bore intensely into the newest child to come to the clearing. Like the rest of the children he held a rather thin frame, but there were the beginnings of musculature showing on his long limbs. He looked to be older than Phynex, as well. He blinked at him before turning to look at the crying girl at another table, seeming to hesitate before looking away with a scowl. He glared down at his own bowl of soup, before stabbing his spoon in with a small splash and eating with an angry expression on his face.

Then Red announced the presence of 'Kasimir', and the entire clearing of children fell into a hush. The same redhaired 'monster' of the night before walked calmly into the clearing, a bounce in his step and a smile spread wide on his face. He wore an ornately embroidered suit of brown and gold, swirling designs on the waistcoat, the clothing looking finely tailored to his tall body. His face was no longer cast in a menacing light by flickering candlelight, but the sunlight itself was unable to give a more humanlike appearance. Narrow, golden eyes, a thin and straight nose, and full lips set in an angular, yet soft face. The children were all very still, some frozen in the act of lifting their spoon to their lips. Their eyes flickered and stayed on the man's face before they quickly looked away, still frozen and still. His golden eyes roamed the clearing in those tense moments, before resting on Red and her young charge.

"Good morning, Red~ I see that young Phynex must have had a good rest." He walked over to them with his long legs, looking down at the still bound arms and legs of the demon child with a keen smile. "You must be very eager for breakfast, yes?" There was amusement simmering underneath that silky voice as he met Phynex's eyes, a mischievous twist to his lips as his eyes danced in glee. It definitely didn't bode well for the young fire demon, if he knew this man. "You must first earn it, you know? You can't just sit with these children and eat," he waved his hand lightly at the children at the tables, who had all hastily returned to eating the moment the man had spoken. "And since that lovely little surprise greeting you gave me last night, I thought, maybe, that you could show me more of that gift?" He looked across the clearing, to where Daruxel was sitting with the large pot of soup and the tray of bread. "Don't give him food at all, alright, Daruxel?"

In one hand of the man there was a small bag that twitched and shuddered, as if something small and living was struggling inside. He grinned at Phynex. "You will sit at the one table without anyone else sitting, and this is your food. Kill it, skin it, cook it. It's up to you if you want to eat well, okay? This goes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don't starve these children, no, after all!" He flashed a smile at Red. "Make sure he only eats what comes from this bag, Red. He can't eat anything else until he's learned how to control himself better than that pathetic display last night~" He handed the bag of the squirming, small thing to the blonde girl.
 
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Phynex shrunk at the gaze of so many children, blinking at the newcomer but none daring to say anything. A few of their eyes lingered on the fire demon longer than the others, but they all fell down to their food when Red pointed out the arrival of the red haired monster, the man named Kasimir. He approached with a brown bag in his hands and there was something wriggling inside, the fire demon had no idea what it was for nor did he want to know. Comparing Red to Kasimir, the difference was astounding. He could tell that they were working together... and Red wasn't one of these children, like they could see eye to eye about what was going on. The fire demon grasped one corner of the lace that bordered her dress, his eyes defiant and defensive when the man finally reached them.

"Good morning~" Red greeted the man with a sweet smile, looking at the fire demon beside her and patting his messed hair. "Yes, yes. He had a good night's sleep, I think." Realizing he was holding onto her, she stepped away from him, gently nudging him forward so that he was closer to the looming figure of the owl-eyed man. He looked at him, and then at the children, who were clearly avoiding looking in their direction. Phynex could almost smell the fear and terror they felt for the monster, even the wailing girls had quietened and became dead silent. "I-" Why wasn't he allowed to eat with the children? Just because he had tried to burn him?

His eyes widened at his proposal. "K- Kill it?" he repeated, looking at the wriggling bag. There must be an animal inside of it and Phynex was beginning to feel true fear for the first time since his arrival. He hadn't killed something before, never in his life even while his parents were alive. When he was homeless he rummaged through garbage... and Kasimir expected him to be able to skin something? He shuddered, turning to look for help among the other children - or even a shred of sympathy - but none dared to glance his way. "Will do~" Red was chipper despite the gloomy situation, leading the fire demon to one of the isolated tables where none of the children were sitting, dragging along two crates to sit on.

"Miss... Miss Red, I don't know how to skin an animal..." he whispered to her. She didn't even look surprised at his response, only nodding with an unchanged expression. "Oh, that's fine. I can teach you, but only this one time, okay?" Opening the bag, she peered into it, her face turning into one of adoration like she had just seen something cute. "Look! It's a cute bunny rabbit!" she said, pulling the white fluffy animal up from the bag by the legs. "So first..."

Her movements were so quick the fire demon had missed it completely, but it was enough for him to flinch and teeter back in surprise that slowly turned into horror. In Red's other hand was a gleaming knife, dripping with scarlet blood. In one swift movement she had decapitated the rabbit, held up by its legs, still twitching as the last breath of life left its body. "... we have to let all the blood drain out. Eh? Phynex, is something wrong?" The fire demon was shocked, how could she say that with such a straight face? Was everyone like this? So heartless, so cruel? It was a living animal just mere moments ago! "Okay~ Now I'll talk and you just do what I say," she said as the laid the decapitated rabbit on the table, less bloody than before though the brilliant snow white fur was now disgustingly stained.

And so he followed her words, with a shuddering hand he guided the knife she had passed over to him over the legs, lopping them off. With shivering fingers he tore at the edges of the fur, peeling it up to the poor creature's thighs. He broke into a cold sweat as he slit into the back of the rabbit where he dug his fingers into the soft flesh and pulled the skin away, revealing the pink meat underneath. It took everything for the fire demon not to cry where he sat, doing something so atrocious while his teacher sat beside him, smiling like it was her birthday. Now that most of the skin had been removed, Phynex took a deep breath as he slashed into the stomach, reaching in for the velvety organs and removing them, gagging and almost vomiting - but there was nothing to vomit in his system - as he plopped them next to the carcass. From the corner of his eyes, he watched as Red opened her basket, and with a sweeping motion push all of the organs into the basket before closing the lid like it was nothing. Did she collect organs as well? What... what a strange place.
 
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The skinned body of the rabbit laid opened and bared on the dusty wooden table, its blood seeping out and darkening the cheap wood. With the layers of fur and skin peeled back, its naked flesh, of glistening and jelly-like fat and muscle, shone pink and red. The organs had been taken out, leaving only hollow places in the body that were quickly filled in with lax flesh. The body of the rabbit was still twitching ever so slightly, its death too sudden that its death spasms still caused the muscles to twitch. The blood from the ruptured blood vessels also tainted the pinkish flesh with dark red blooms, but aside from the mess of blood the carcass looked clean. "You took the organs out surprisingly good~" Red patted at the fleshy mass sitting on the table before them, an admiring tone in her voice. "Not a thing accidentally crushed or ruptured. Nice!" She turned and cocked her head to smile at the pale-faced young child, cherry lips pulled back in a dazzling grin.

She was clearly unaffected by the trembling and gagging boy sitting with her, blinking at him innocently. "What's taking you so long? Cook your meal~ Roasted rabbit is delicious with just the right herbs, you know." Red waved a dainty hand at the 'meal', blinking at Phynex. "And as a demon you'll be fine with only meat. Thank you for the heart, liver, and innards, though~ They make nice snacks for my special friends."

A familiar white hand landed on Phynex's shoulder, thin fingers curling over the boy's threadbare yet cherished jacket, the only thing he wore aside from his dirty trousers. "I am sure you know what to do with it now, don't you?" Kasimir murmured gently from behind the child, his tall form casting a shadow over Phynex and the table as he bent slightly. "Use that lovely talent of yours to feed yourself. There is nothing for you here if you fail." He squeezed the boy's shoulder in what was probably meant as an encouraging gesture, before patting him on the back. Unlike last night, the redhaired man seemed almost gentle, though those same fingers had left their mark on the face of the girl the young boy saw the night before. "Remember, you have three chances everyday~ Don't say that I am being unfair."
 
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"I- I... uhm..." he blinked down at the carcass, unsure of how to take the situation into his hands. Red was beside him watching with a smile, and Kasimir was standing right behind him eyeing him like the owl that he was. And Phynex was sure some of the children were also watching the corner he had been isolated in, their eyes glancing at the newcomer every so often without catching their attention and waiting for a commotion to occur... waiting to see what was going to happen. Phynex had never skinned an animal, but he had just learnt how. He had never used fire to cook something, and he wasn't going to be taught such a thing. Warming food and cooking it was different. He took a deep breath, gathering the fire that roared to life inside his body before exhaling, flames pouring from his mouth in a stream as it washed over the flesh.

Instead of a glistening, well cooked rabbit dish, Phynex gasped as the intensity of his flames increased - far beyond his control. He closed his mouth in desperation to put out the fire that was encasing the rabbit, but by the end of it all, all that remained of his breakfast were ashes of what it used to be. Fire was not an element that one could control to perfection. They were simply guides of it, moving the fire in a direction that they wanted. Only true masters could be 'one with the fire', as his father had said. Fire had a life of its own, and fire was always dangerous. How did Kasimir expect him to even control it enough to cook something? But then again, he was an orphan who lived on a street. Survival techniques should be in his forte. He suddenly felt a chill, his sweaty skin turning ice cold. Disappointing Kasimir seemed like the worst thing to do right now, his first task... and he had failed. Phynex was going to be thrown into that prison again, he guessed. He didn't want to turn around and look at him.

"Oh well, looks like you won't have any breakfast today~" Red sighed, looking disappointed. "That's too bad." She giggled almost delightfully, like she enjoyed seeing the distraught expression Phynex had on his face. "Well, Mr. Kasimir said you can't have any food since you burnt it, but he didn't say anything about no water." In that exact moment, the tentacled otherworldly being slammed a cup of water on the table, his eyes boring into the pale fire demon. "We don't like to dehydrate our family either~"
 
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The man in question hummed lightly, sounding almost disappointed as he stood behind Phynex. "Ahh, you still have lunch and dinner, then," Kasimir commented lightly, seemingly still cheerful despite the young demon's worries about disappointing the man. He leaned down, around from Phynex's side, nudging at the pile of ashes, all that was left of the unfortunate rabbit. "Such uncontrolled power, though. It might be good for burning things, but," the man tsked, "Not good enough for showing. Not at all." He idly clapped his hand over the blackened ashes, which had still taken a vague shape of a rabbit, so quickly it had burned. The ashes collapsed in on itself, dispersing into the cracks and grooves of the wood. "You do know, boy, that I run a circus, don't you? These children here are all on their way to becoming performers. Some of them are actually able to feature in some shows. And those children are able to get better food sometimes, perhaps even get their own room!"

He straightened, looking down at the back of Phynex's head intently. "Red. Let's test the most of his abilities this morning, shall we? I'm afraid I can only spare the time to check on this child some mornings, and I trust you to tell me if he has achieved a satisfactory amount of control. He is hardly worth my time, otherwise, when I could be spending time on supervising our current performers. You do know how quickly some of them have to be replaced, and our fire-breathers tend to be rather expendable. It's why we got this little demon, after all. Maybe he would be more lasting than they have been." Kasimir had started out as cheerful and friendly, but as he spoke, the atmosphere seemed to drop. His voice had turned all but dismissive at the end, the man turning around with barely a glance downwards at the shaking boy.

"I will be waiting at the training area. Do help him into the bathing area, and do it quickly so we don't have to smell any more lingering odor. It's been three days since he was acquired, and who knows if he was able to wash himself regularly before that."
 
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Phynex was quiet. Doing all this just to perform in a circus? He didn't understand the mind of adults sometimes. What was the point of starving kids like this, having to 'earn' their breakfast? Wasn't being kidnapped enough? Phynex shot him a look of contempt and disgust, remembering how Selene had been starved to the point she was thinner than him - an orphan. He assumed she had some sort of family before coming to the circus, most children did. Beside him, Red sighed, cutting through his thoughts.. "Yes, yes. Well, quickly drink your water, you need a bath quick!" At least Red seemed more friendly than the monster, though he now knew she was just as emotionless and twisted as he was inside. Taking the cup of cold water, he chugged it down his throat, knowing it would have to make do for the morning. At least he had eaten more bread than he should of the previous night.

He was ushered into one of the tents, dark and cramped and filled with boxes. Inside was a bathtub, already filled with water that looked clean and fresh. A bucket sat nearby, the wood still damp. There was no electricity or pipes like most homes did in the circus. She hurriedly handed him what looked like a small cube cut out from a bar of soap, ducking behind one of the crates to give him some sort of privacy as Phynex stripped himself down, removing the tattered clothes he had spent three days in. It would have been the perfect opportunity to escape... all he had to do was lift up the bottom of the tent and make a run for it, but the way the little girl left her basket beside the tub and the way it seemed to move on its own little by little... the plan wasn't going to work.

---
Daruxel stood waiting for the young demon, who was now dressed in those shapeless overalls all children in the circus did, smelling better than he had before. Their eyes - or eye - met from across the large clearing, free of nearby tents but with crates set up to create a ring of sorts. Nothing much that could catch fire except several targets and iron poles with hooks that stood out from the ground. Red had mentioned that she didn't know how to train him with fire, but Daruxel certainly could. He was the all knowing, intellectual one in the camp. But Phynex knew him as the grumpy, rough monster that had taken him, but the way he carried himself about now seemed lax and carefree. "Good mornin' kiddo. We better start beating you into shape before you show your face around these parts," the demon spoke despite having no mouth. "Ya see that?" he pointed with one tentacle at the pole that stood on its own in the middle of the clearing. A weighted bag dangled from it, suspended in mid air by the hook. "You are just going to shoot fire at it. But don't ya dare burn it, just scorch it. Ya hear?" he said, his singular eye narrowing. "But first I wanna see what you can do, so show me."

"What makes you think I'll just listen to what you want me to do?" Phynex snapped back, irritated by the presence of the demon that ruined his life. He was living happily until he had just been yanked out of the grasp of the familiar streets. But the thing merely chuckled, amused. "To be honest, fire breathers aren't that showy. We only decided to take you because of your precious daddy, so ya better be useful." He folded his arms, leaning in until Phynex's tiny face was inches away from the blinking, much-too-human like eye. "You should know better than to make Kasimir angry, you know. You want to be locked up until you're a skeleton, kiddo?"

With those words in his mind, Phynex slowly began to move. He breathed fire like a dragon, streams of strong flames blasting out but not quite reaching the crates. A bag had been tossed in his direction and it was burnt to a crisp, his supervisor nodding his eye, or his head, in approval. "Very good, kiddo. Very strong fire ya have." The fire demon noticed that he sounded far more friendly and less gruff than he had first thought him to be. "But like Kasimir said, not good for the biz'. So, kiddo, can you do any fancy shapes?" he asked him.

"Uhm... only circles." Phynex managed to huff out, out of breath from the continuous blasts of fire. He demonstrated it, puffing out rings of fire that turned into rings of smoke, floating into the air before disappearing.

Daruxel rubbed the underside of his eye with a limb, like he was stroking his chin. "We can do somethin' with that. Like hearts, yeah, Kasimir?" he asked the figure of the ringmaster sitting by the crates.​
 
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