Jenny was vibrating with excitement as she woke up that morning. It was the last day before the Lebensfest began! If only she didn’t have to go to school, she would much rather have the day free already and search for Jak to explore more of the Main Market. Instead she had to deal with that stuffy, old classroom. A cute pout adorned her lips as she quickly slipped into her clothes to join the others at breakfast down in the canteen.

The hallways were busy with kids of all ages, some were yawning sleepily as they fought to stay awake. Others were hurrying to get dressed as well or were dancing before the overfilled toilets, desperately needing to go.

Hehe, that’s why she always went at night! Jenny puffed her chest out, smugly.

Breakfast was just as noisy as ever, everyone was chatting and the sound of spoons clanging against metal bowels filled the air. Soup was today’s meal of the morning. The currently assigned dishwashers were wandering between the tables, collecting the empty bowls and glasses when they didn’t goof off.

“Jenny! Over here…!”

With a wide grin Mina called out to her. The parrot weasel waved animatedly towards her friend and the more shy Raccoon Geen joined as well besides her. Jenny giggled cheerfully in response and rushed over to them.

Laughing, the trio chatted lightly as they dug into their meal.

“Hey, did you hear?” One of the boys at their table loudly whispered with big eyes. “They say Haggard and his troop weren’t in their rooms this morning! Not even anywhere else in the orphanage.”

“What? He normally always makes sure to come back before dawn.” Another girl whispered back, startled.

“I heard he’s in some sort of gang. Do you think they got him?” A third kid chimed in, conspiratorial rumours quickly floating around the table as everyone was eager to thrown in their cent on the topic.

“Would serve him right.” Jenny was in full support of the idea that Haggard had bit it, a wide grin on her face as she imagined him laying in a ditch somewhere. Maybe Jak finally got the better of him, even! Ooh, that would be amazing! Her eyes sparkled brightly.

Not everyone was of that opinion, however.

“Heh, I bet Haggard just finally finished that coward off and is making sure nobody can find the body.”

Reven smirked, the young panda cat was a snitch and eager follower of the tiger wolf. Haughtily he looked down at Jenny with a provocative smirk.

“You’re next then, coward’s foot!”

Jenny glared heatedly back and leaped onto the table without hesitation.

“Pah! No way! Jak’s gonna take me to the Lebensfest tomorrow. As if that dumb mutt could even find him.”

“Running away like a coward then~” Reven jeered with a mocking middle finger. “Better hope he doesn’t find you next.”

Jenny growled in anger and moved to pounce at him.

“Jenny, no!”

Only for her friends to quickly tackle her from behind and keep her down. Revan cackled as he watched her slam onto the table mid jump and with an uncaring smirk strolled away.

“Not even you friends think you’re hot shit, runt!”

Laughing he vanished out of the canteen.

“Ngh, why did you stop me…?”

Jenny grumbled annoyed as she climbed back down from the table. Geen smiled awkwardly as he replied.

“Because you would just get into trouble with Head Wobecker. That’s what he wants.”

“Would have been worth it…” Jenny pouted, crossing her arms.

“Oh, come on. Do you want the Head to lock you in, tomorrow? That’s what Reven would have proposed, the slimy boot licker.” Mina rolled her eyes in response, the parrot weasel flicking Jenny’s nose.

Jenny pouted harder and rubbed her nose. But a small, nervous blush adorned her cheeks as she really hadn’t thought about that possibility. Geen exhaled in relief as it was clear that their friend wasn’t about to argue more.

———

“That damn runt messed up everything…!” Haggard cursed, his body quaking with boiling rage.

Dane and Invit nervously followed after him through the far more stony passageways of the deeper underground. Both of them looked exhausted and tired as none of them had gotten even a single wink of sleep since last night. Shortly after the Demon wretch had hunted cackling after Jak without warning, the three had to flee the meeting place as well as the City Guard had come sniffing around there. Haggard didn’t hesitate to blame all of this on Jak.

It was because him that they had to flee deeper into the Underground! He was the reason they were forced to stay away from the orphanage! And he could only be the reason why the wretch hadn’t returned to them afterwards.

As the fury bubbled within him, Haggard could feel the same pull as before. This time, however, he didn’t resist and impatiently he yanked the Rose Box out of his jacket. Haggard stared at it with mad gleaming eyes. He didn’t believe for one second that the wretch didn’t know what it was capable of, but he was also certain that it hadn’t lied about Flizz gifting the Rose Box to him. And what present was supposed to stay unused?

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“B-boss, what are we…? MMMGH!!!” Invit began to nervously ask despite the insane look in Haggard’s eyes scaring the shit out of him. Only to immediately regret his words as Haggard grabbed him by the mouth and slammed him painfully hard against the side of the wall.

“Shut it. I don’t need useless words right now.” Haggard hissed out between grinding teeth before letting go again. Invit gasped desperately for air as his hold loosened. Pure shock had washed over the lion weasel and he nodded meekly. To the side Dane swallowed nervously and nodded rapidly in agreement as well.

But Haggard supposed he should have felt grateful to them, fueling his burning rage again. It made the Rose Box flicker with even more power. Enough that it seemed to have reached a threshold of some sort.

“Let’s see what you hold.” He smirked wide and eager, carefully unlocking the latch before slowly opening its lid.

A smirk, wide and eager, played over his lips as he carefully unlocked the latch. And slowly he opened its lid.

A crimson light broke out of it with harsh, black bolts dancing along the wood. And resting inside was a single pearl of crimson, beautiful to behold with a pitch-black abyss at its centre. It was hatred incarnate, screeching with a soundless melody that called out to Haggard.

Dane and Invit’s eyes widened terrified as Haggard gently pulled the pearl out of its container, crimson bolts had began to dance across his body without his own notice. And flickering behind his back was a dark red halo, like a broken Amber light that couldn’t decided which broken fragment was supposed to glow. But as the halo’s fragments flickered, the overlapping moments of illumination build up a whole from its shattered picture.

And then the halo faded away as the pearl began to burn even brighter instead, now fully in Haggard’s hands.

“Oh, yes~ I can work with this.”

His smirk was wide and evil, fire and destruction dancing behind azure eyes as he began to cackle. Oh, he was going to get his revenge! Jak better keep an eyes on his little friend or she would soon meet a rather messy and agonising end.

“Ooh~ What’s so funny~?”

A chipper voice suddenly echoed from behind them. With impish grace the sleek form of a white and silver pink gecko girl slunk out of the shadows and a wide cheshire grin spread her face wide.

Flizz’ yellow eyes sparkled with childish, gleeful malice.

—A few minutes earlier—

Early morning. The sun was burning orange at the horizon, the light diffusing through the low hanging clouds of steam floating above the city of Dampfstadt. It was like a dance of flames as the clouds broke apart or rejoined together. Red, pink, orange, blue and purples mixed and then separated again.

It was a sight reserved for those that flew, birds and Gaian of fully functioning wings. Or those that sat atop the tallest of structures.

A steady breeze blew over the golden shimmer of the tear drop roof that capped the sky scraping Dampf Tower. And lazy sprawled over the root top was Flizz, an annoyed pout adorning her lips as she stared up at the sky. Not even really caring about the beautiful sight. She huffed.

“Muh, I hate those meetings. They rarely take my advices anyways…” A burning spark ignited within her eyes for a singular moment before being quenched again. “They could have at least given me a bit more forewarning. Because of them I missed a meeting with my darling Haggard.”

She puffed her cheeks up into a comical pout and sat up, crossing her arms. Her eyes narrowed.

“Where’s that Demon anyways? He should have come back to report by now…”

She trailed off. Her teeth ground with near none-existent patience. Dangerous disappointment made itself known within her eyes.

As if in response to her smouldering ire, a whirling portal of black and fire opened up behind her. With a painful squelch, the black form of the Demon landed on the roof slabs, shattered veins of crimson flickering around his right eye.

“What took you so long?”

Her voice was cold and whiny, like a spoiled child that had been dying of boredom while surrounded by toys. Hastily it bowed deeply before her, its flickering red and purple eye rolling uselessly within its hole.

“M-my apologies, Mistress… But there were… c-complications…” It cautiously admitted.

The Demon didn’t even see Flizz move as she suddenly held it up in the air by its throat. Limply the Demon hung there, not even pretending that this did much more than inconvenience it somewhat.

“Then tell me about them!” She hissed, eyes sparking dangerously. An interested, nearly amused smile tugging at her lips.

Without hesitation the Demon began to recount the events of the previous night, kowtowing desperately before her as she dropped it back onto the roof.

“Hm, I see…” Flizz mused with an understanding nod, tapping her chin. “Then I believe, you can also tell me why you decided to reveal yourself like that~?”

Her eyes flashed with a sickly yellow. Uncharacteristically the Demon swallowed with nervousness before giving its meek answer..

“H-he smelled like home…”

“Oh…?” Flizz blinked, the overbearing aura that had radiated around her dissolving into fascinated curiosity. An alarmingly innocent smile came to her lips. “Now that’s interesting~”

The Demon exhaled silently only to gag wide eyed as she was suddenly back in front of it, hands strangling its throat as she held it back upwards. A furious glare of yellow sparking eyes burned into its skull with deadly intensity.

“But interesting isn’t important here~ Now, do you know where my charges are now?” Flizz cooed gently.

Wildly the Demon shook its head in negative. After the bunny cat had shattered its side of the face, it had slunk off into the darkness to recover. Direct combat wasn’t its speciality and the damage had messed with its control until just recently. Honestly, opening a Hell Gate would have been near impossible if it wasn’t for Flizz’ bonfire of twisted malice as its beacon. It hadn’t had the time to see where those three Gaians had gone. But… the scent of that wolf male still burned brightly even now before its inner eye. Oh, such delicious hatred.

It didn’t get the chance to sniff him out for her, though.

“Muh, a wretched minion of a Demon is still just a mere minion wretch, huh? Can’t depend on you to do anything right.”

Flizz sighed, shaking her head with a playful pout. Not that she had needed it to know. She could see Haggard’s wonderful hatred like a beautiful sun shining bright against the backdrop of the city. A macabre dance of so many malicious people that inhabited the city, it was always disappointing when one such light was snuffed out by death or time. But Haggard’s flame burned bright as always, much brighter than the day she had taken him first under wingers.

“I can…” The Demon began but by then it had already been discarded off the roof.

“Get back to work.” Flizz drawled, snapping her fingers. Promptly a gate slid open midair, swallowing the Demon before slamming shut behind it.

“Now, what has happened to my darling Haggard~?” She mused with a giddy, joyous smile. Genuine worry for his wellbeing shimmering within her eyes as she noted he was far away, far below the Orphanage he should be at. “I hope you will make good use of my gift.”

She mused, she blinked, she tapped her chin and grinned.

“Better I check up on him~!” Flizz chirped with a cheerful giggle, slithering creepily into the shadows of the roof before vanishing within them.

An unplanned visit wasn’t all that bad in this case, after all she wasn’t popping up all over the city this time around. She doubted even the old party pooper could do more then grumble at her. Her grin widened as she hugged herself in joyous anticipation of seeing her Haggard again.

Oh, he was just the perfect ball of hatred for her to cuddle!