And the moon hung solemnly in the sky, the young Junior alone in his room as he sat upon his bed, his back against the wall, the room illuminated by the table lamp on the right of his bed. He was topless, clad only in a pair of jogging pants, the Junior feeling quite arm that night. It was simply one of those nights. His head was down, his eyes staring at the pages of a book held in his right hand. 'Tales of the Brothers Grimm', the title said. A collection of tales by The Brothers Grimm, a book that Cain had been assigned to read up and do a report on for his literature class. And as a bore as most assignments were, this one was actually quite interesting. The Brothers Grimm certainly had a lot of captivating and unique tales.
And at the moment, he was reading the tale on
[The Three Apprentices]. In fact, he had just started on it. And he read on, his eyes catching every word as the imagination of his mind pieced together the images of the story, turning the words into a series of mental pictures that flashed across his mind, like a movie. That was just how Cain read books. And then, when he was done with the tale, he would find himself failing to fight off a yawn, the Junior letting out a soft chuckle after that.
Well, it was probably time to sleep. The young male closed the book, tossing it half-heartedly to the empty side of the bed, his eyes lingering there for a brief moment. His bed was once more too big for him, the other side having being usually used by Zen. But now that she was gone... He felt a tinge of pain in his chest for a moment, before allowing himself a groan as he lied himself down, right hand reaching forward to switch the lamp off. And it was not long before the troubled fighter drifted off to a dream.
--------------------------------------------------------
"What shall we do?Hmm? Cain's head snapped upwards, as he looked at the one who spoke, one he recognised only as Judas. The man wore a brown tunic with a red bandana around his right bicep, his attire finished by a pair of darker brown pants and boots. The man was his fellow apprentice, the answer that came to Cain as he found himself wondering who he was. It was that annoying feeling that despite already knowing, he still actually was not sure.
"We cannot stay here any longer, we will travel once more, and if we do not find any work in the town we go to, we will arrange with the innkeeper there, that we are to write and tell him where we are staying, so that we can always have news of each other, and then we will separate." Well, that sounded like a plan. At least, Cain's empty stomach agreed so. He would turn to their fellow friend, his own left hand coming up to adjust the yellow bandana on his right arm. There stood Nero, with that blue bandana, a soft smile on his face as he nodded his head, agreeing too. And with that they were off to the next town, their only possessions left being the clothes that they wore. For a day, they traveled the road, hunting for food and using trees and leaves as shelter.
And all the while, Cain could not help but feel a lingering feeling that something was not right here. Ah, yes, the young man had yet to realise that he was actually in a dream. He was actually aware of it, but the depth of his slumber made him reluctant to believe it. For at that moment, he was living in the illusion that he was in the real world. Inception-reference, anyone?
Then, at the noon of the second day, the three of them would cross path with a grandly-clothed man, who would be on a carriage, the man stopping by to address them. He would leave the carriage, his eyes looking at every single one of them, before asking who they were. This time, Judas answered.
"We are apprentices looking for work; Up to this time we have kept together, but if we cannot find anything to do we are going to separate."
"There is no need for that,"Cain's eyes widened, the man's voice sending an indescribable chill down his spine. It felt dark and gloomy, the Junior feeling as if he was being led his way to his death.
"If you will do what I tell you, you shall not want for gold or for work; nay, you shall become great lords, and drive in your carriages!"Great lords. Carriages. Cain's eyes twinkled in excitement. Despite the uncomfortable gut feeling that plagued him, he idea of being actually rich was enough to drown them out. He would look the man from head to toe, wanting to imagine himself in his clo-... The man's left foot was like a hoof. Cain's eyes widened, a realisation coming to him as he looked up at the rich man. He was the Devil. He reached him, grabbing the shoulders of his friends as he stepped back, eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm not gonna deal with the Devil..."
However, the creature of lore would attempt to reassure them. And Cain, his discomfort now overpowering his greed, found himself being left with no choice but to disagree. And the deal was set, the three of them tasked to quite an unusual condition. For everything that was asked of them, Cain was to wait for the other two to answer, before giving his own, "And quite right too!".
What the hell?
However, the Devil knew how to deal, as he appeased them by giving them as much gold as they could carry. And boy, was Cain a happy apprentice. The Devil then rode off, leaving the three to head to town, reaching that very evening as they moved to the first inn the could find, Cain all the while thinking of what the Devil had in store for them. Nero and Judas were less bothered, though.
"Good evening, sirs. Do you want anything to eat?"
"All three of us."
"Yes, that is what I mean.""
For money."
"Of course,"And Judas and Nero looked at Cain, the young male looking back with a look of disbelief in his face. Did he really have to do it? But it was so out of context. Cain let out a soft sigh, shaking his head. Yeah, he was certainly going to be laughed at for this.
"And quite right too..."
"Certainly it is right,"Keeping his head down, ashamed to look up at anyone who had overhead the conversation, they three of them would be lead to a table, where they were served with great food and drinks. Ah, well, at least there was something to enjoy the evening with. And Cain feasted, finding comfort in the pleasure of finally having a full stomach.
"Young sirs, who is going to pay?"
"All three of us,"
"For money,"Cain looked at Judas and Nero once more, before letting out a grumble, succumbing to their silent pleas, the man looking away with his cheek on his hand. "And quite right too."
"Indeed it is right, all three pay, and without money I can give nothing."Cain needed to get out of here. He dropped a handful of gold on the table, before standing up and quickly pacing his way up to the room, unable to believe what he had just done, dealing with the Devil like that. Before Judas and Nero even returned, Cain would find himself toppled on the bed, the exhaustion kicking in. And like a kick, Cain would awake, sitting up on his bed and finding himself in the familiar wooden inn room. However, just as he did, the innkeeper would open the door, calling them out. Cain would awake Judas and Nero, unable to guess what this was about, as they were led out to the entrance hall, where men in armor with swords stood alongside the many other lodgers.
"Have you killed the merchant?"
"All three of us,"
"For money,"Cain looked at the other two apprentices once more. Are the fucking mad? Cain reached up with his right hand, brushing his head. Oh god, he never realised that he was traveling with such idiots. He allowed himself a grumble, before putting his hand down. Well, they had gone this far. There was no way Cain was going to back down now. Especially since doing so would only anger the devil.
"And quite right too!"
"There now, you hear, they confess it themselves."
Fuck...And Cain found himself being dragged to prison alongside Judas and Nero, all three of them quite shocked by their predicament. Cain was the most frustrated among them, though. The temptation to slap the hell out of his two close buddies grew with every second that they spent in the cell. However, as the moon came up, the Devil would reappear, Cain snapping as he reached forward, grabbing the bars of the cell, his teeth bared at the demon. However, he would only try to calm them.
"Bear it just one day longer, and do not play away your luck, not one hair of your head shall be hurt."
Oh, fuck you, you sonovabitch.And the Devil disappeared right after that, forcing Cain to have no choice but to trust the creature that was feared by every man alive. He sighed, before allowing himself to wait until the sun rose again. And they would then be led to the judge. And for some reason, Cain could not help but realise a simple but significant end to all of this.
They were screwed.
"Are you the murderers?"
"All three of us."
"Why did you kill the merchant?"
"For money."
"You wicked wretches, you have no horror of your sins?"Alright, this time he just couldn't help it anymore. He buried his face in his hands, letting it run down as he bit back the temptation to maul Judas and Nero there. They were complete idiots, trusting the devil so much. Hell, for all he knew, the Devil was probably lying a few days back. Their souls were now his for the taking. Ah, fuck this shit. He was going to die anyway. At least, he was going to die with a laugh.
"And quite right too!"
"They have confessed, and are still stubborn, lead them to death instantly."Oh yeah, that was so awesome. Cain grumbled, constantly glaring at the other two apprentices. They really were idiots. And to think, Cain was supposed to be the slowest among the three of them. Now he realised he was the only one who really knew how to survive. Too bad the two of them fucked that up too. Cain would glance up, looking at the scaffold where he was to finally die. And yet, for some reason, Cain could not think back on his life. It was like... The last thing he remembered was Judas telling them his idea of traveling. That was... Weird...
Then, there was a commotion, as a familiar carriage came into the scene. Cain shot up, his eyes widening. It was the Devil. Had he come to actually make right? He stepped out of the carriage, dressed as a familiar noble. They had been pardoned. Cain grinned. Holy shit, this creature was one hell of an asshole. Judas then proceeded to clear their name, Cain subtly shaking his hand in victory. He was going to live. Hah!
Justice was served.
"Now I have got the soul which I wanted to have, and you are free, and have money for the rest of your lives." And the Devil disappeared from their lives. Cain, however, was not done yet. He walked over to Judas and Nero, before giving each one of them a good punch to the cheek, throwing them both to the grown, a wide smirk on his face.
"Man, I fuckin' hate you guys."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He groaned, his eyes flickering as the rays of light hit his face, the Junior sliding away on his bed. What? He looked up, and saw the ceiling of his room, his arm propping himself up by the elbow as he looked around. He was back in his own roo-... Uhm, wait. It was all a dream? Cain smacked his forehead with his other hand, a soft chuckle escaping his lips as he glanced down at the book by his side. He shook his head, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he dropped his hand.
"Fuck you, Devil."
