~*~*~*~Meanwhile~*~*~*~
Carny seated on the edge of an overarching cliff side with his knees brought up to his chest and his hands wrapped fully around his head. He was muttering to himself the entire time as he glared through the gaps between his fingers at the world before him. All the people down below, all those gross, and ugly people down that he hated so much walking around as if the world weren't about to end. He hated this, he hated that he hated it, and he hated them for not knowing how badly he hated this. If he had it his way he would go down there among the growing city and townspeople, to just- rip them all apart!
He wanted to expose their red to the world. The peel back that squishy and stretchy mask they use to hide it all from the rest of them, as if it was there's to hide! He blinked. Then he blinked again, this time pressing his eyelids so tightly together that it actually hurt his head to do so but all that did was annoy him even more. Carny let out a ragged breath before he removed his hands from the top of his head before wrapping his arms around his legs and began to rock. He didn't like it here. He didn't like how quiet it was here, but at the same time he didn't like how busy it was in the town.
Carny had asked Him why they were living here once, and He had told him that He was just tired of living in America. But that He also didn't want to live on the Chain either, so He thought they'd try living here where they wouldn't be as bothered by anyone else. Carny didn't understand it, and he wanted to ask Him if there was another thing they could do but He simply told Carny that he didn't have to be everywhere that He was.
That made Carny laugh because He didn't seem to understand that Carny did have to be everywhere that He was, just as He had to be everywhere that Carny was. How could they be separate when they were together? It made no sense to Carny and he told Him just as much which He merely shrugged at and told Carny to try and relax. He told Carny that he should try helping Arya get ready, something that made Carny all to nervous. No demon, no creature, no thing could make Carny nervous outside of Him, Her, and Baby... That is until six months ago when Arya told Carny something he didn't want to hear.
"Carny," she'd said to him as he was devouring the food that She had made for them while they were at Their house. "I'm pregnant."
Carny remembered dropping his food and breaking Her plate in the process as he looked across the table at Arya. He and She were happy, just as His brother and his woman had been to hear the news, but not Carny. Oh no, Carny was not happy at all to hear the news. He and Arya had been a couple for over seven months now, and she helped him feel more like Him. Though Carny was still prone to his violent fits, he was definitely better with her around him. But still, the fact that she was pregnant with Carny's baby it drove him mad!
He'd very nearly launched himself at her and tore her apart right than and there, but something about her face, that face that he found so oddly nice to look at wouldn't let him. Instead Carny flew from the table and scurried outside on all fours like an animal before he found his way up a tree. He knew he'd just hurt Arya's feelings, and Carny hated that he knew that and hated that he did that. But Carny couldn't stay in there, he was too afraid of what he'd do if he stayed in there so close to her...
After a few minutes He came out from the house and found Carny in the tree. He merely had to command it and Carny came down from the tree and walked towards him. The two sat on the picnic table with Him seated on the very top while Carny knelt on the bench of it. He was picking apart some of the grass that had grown a little too long around the table, pretending like that was all he was interested in while He watched him. He wanted to know why Carny reacted like that he told Him exactly why...
"Carny is afraid." He'd said aloud now back on the overlooking cliff as he continued to rock on his rear until finally he got up to his feet in one smooth motion. "Carny is afraid, that he will hurt baby. Carny is terrified that baby will be wrong just like-" Carny lowered his head and in a softer voice he finished the thought. "-like Carny..."
"What if I could change that?" An unfamiliar voice asked and Carny's skin felt like it was set on fire he was startled so bad.
He whirled around with his eyes flaring up like two little suns as he saw a man dressed in clothing that resembled a priest of the Noir. His teeth were instantly extended into canines as he grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him so hard into the mountain side that the stone all around him cracked like a spider web. "Who are you, and why are you bothering Carny?" He demanded before slamming him into the mountainside once again. "Answer! Or Carny will tear off stranger's face with his teeth!"
"Loosen- please..." The man said and Carny's eyes narrowed but he did loosen his grip on him and the stranger let out a loud gasp as he looked down at Carny. "You certainly live up to your reputation. All violence, no thought-"
Carny growled and tightened his grip again this time not stopping until the flesh on the side of the stranger's neck burst open. He began to struggle a bit until Carny gave his hand a quick twist before he through a chunk of red flesh on the ground, letting the stranger fall back down so they were able to stand while clutching their throat before finally falling flat on their face with a pool of Red gathering all around them. Carny growled again before he turned around only to be met with the same man standing directly in front of him. Carny let out a cry backing up and tripping over the corpse of the man and falling back down on his rear.
"As I said; all violence, no thought." The man said before turning his gaze to the corpse that Carny's leg was still draped over. "You killed me without even a second thought, and you did it so swiftly I never stood a chance..." He knelt down beside the corpse which made Carny spring backward and roll into a crouch with his hands growing to their enormous size, hissing at the stranger in the process. He however was inspecting the corpse of himself laying face down in a pool of his own blood. "Thankfully I'm a bit harder to kill than that."
The stranger turned his gaze to Carny just as the body in front of them melted away until it was nothing more than a mass of fireflies, that all flew up into the air. Carny watched this happen and he snarled at the man who stood up to his full height to look at him. He stood a little taller than Carny did, but a little shorter than He was. He wore a black and silver robe of a Noir preacher with intricate patterns of silver wound all along the opening of the long coat he wore. The collar of the coat was rather high and looked almost stiff but it also gave him the priest-like look to finish his outfit. His skin was fair, almost grey and had silver eyes that actually rippled. It was such a strange sight that they were actually quite horrifying to look at. His silver hair was slicked backwards with a single strand falling down the middle of his forehead. He was like he was made from snow and silver, he was far too purely crafted to be normal, and the black coat he wore only accentuated his pale look even more.
There was something wrong with this man...
"Cole Rikter," the man said and Carny's ears visibly perked up at the sound of the name his parents gave him all those years ago. The name that he cast away and gave to that other him. The silver demon saw the change in him and gave him a slight smile. "Sorry, I forgot that you prefer the name Carny. Such a strange name though- tell me why do you wish to me known by a word that's associated with traveling circus people?"
"Dead things don't need to know!" Carny exclaimed before he launched forward with his massive clawed arm.
He took a swipe at the figure only for his claws to pass right through the man as though he were made up of smoke. The silver demon merely raised an eyebrow at him as Carny snarled pooling his energy into his hand much like he'd see Him do countless times. This time he threw his hand forward and when the demon refused to move his entire stomach was ripped open. He wailed in pain as his hands went down to the opening in his gut, Carny meanwhile grabbed the man by the head, curling his fingers until only his pointer and middle claws were extended forward. The demon began to struggle for a moment as Carny's claws neared his eye sockets, only to have a familiar voice speak up in protest.
"Carny wait!" His wild eyes moved to the side to find the small one Quinn holding his arms up submissively to Carny. "Forgive him! My brother doesn't have any tact when it comes to these things."
Carny let a growl escape his throat as he looked Quinn over. "Little, tell Carny what's happening."
Quinn bowed his head before nodding to the demon that Carny had a hold of, and he released the demon making him fall to his knees as he tried to hold his stomach together. "This is Rama, my brother birthed from Omni." Quinn said as Carny narrowed his eyes at him. "He's here looking for Leon."
Carny's eyes darted to the demon now known as Rama and nearly tore his head off with a single claw swipe until Quinn threw himself between them giving him some pause. "He's not here to fight!" Quinn exclaimed still holding his hands up as though he were trying to keep an animal calm. "He simply has an offer for you. Something that I think you'll very much be interested in."
Carny blinked his eyes before looking down at Rama who was cowering behind Quinn. Carny snorted before he lowered his claws which was all the indication that Quinn needed. "Remember when I told you I couldn't help you?" He asked still looking very nervous. "Well my power isn't powerful enough to help you with your mind... Rama is. Rama is much more powerful than I am, he can fix you." Carny's eyes widened slightly at that before he turned his gaze back to Rama as Quinn went on. "All you have to do is help him out with something. Just one thing and he'll use his power to fix you."
"What thing?" Carny asked now suddenly feeling like there might be hope for him. He might be able to have a life without these violent urges, a life where he wouldn't have to worry about hurting his child, or a life where he wouldn't have to worry about his child being like him. When Rama didn't answer right away Carny threw Quinn aside and lifted Rama up by the collar of his coat. "What thing? What does Carny have to do?"
"Help us." Another unfamiliar voice said and when Carny turned his head around he found himself looking at several unfamiliar people. He recognized Kane, but, it was the man with the black and white hair that drew his attention. For within his arms rested the still struggling and crying figure of Baby.
Carny dropped Rama and his vision tunneled until all he saw was Baby, all the others weren't even there as far as he was concerned. He bolted at the man and Baby only to have a man in a long red coat and magenta eyes step in front of him. He didn't attack, he didn't do anything, he merely glared at him. Though that's all he needed to do in order to get Carny to instantly fell to his knees and shrink away letting out a loud panicked whine. It was like an ice cold weight landed on his chest and the very air itself felt like mountains bearing their weight down upon him. Carny whimpered and crawled away from this man, his presence was far more terrifying than even It had been and this man was just glaring at him.
Kane saw this and spoke up. "So your presence can even affect a mind as broken as his... you're truly worthy of being the first sir."
"As if we needed proof of such a thing Kane!" Snapped a large man with ebon colored skin.
"Enough both of you!" The man in red said silencing the pair of them.
Carny was still trying to get away from the man when Rama turned his head towards him. "Carny listen to me." He said and the moment he began speaking it was as though music began playing, the most beautiful music Carny had ever heard. He was instantly transfixed on Rama, taking in every word that the silver demon was saying. "We are not trying to kill Leon. We just want to make sure he is the one truly fit to bear the weight of the world's problems.
"To do that we need the mightiest demons to have ever lived." Carny's eyes were going in and out of focus now, as he listened to Rama's voice as the demon continued. "You are without a doubt the only demon yet alive that can truly challenge him in battle. It's for that reason I want you to help us.
"Do this-" Rama reached forward and pressed a finger to Carny's forehead. That one touch felt as though a lightning bolt had struck him and Carny suddenly felt it, his thoughts were clear to him. There was no incessant nagging to maim, no whispers and screams in the far reaches of his mind, no need to see blood, no fear of harming others... he was sane! He was normal! That horrible mind of his was gone and he could think! But it was all taken away the moment Rama removed his finger and all of it came rushing back to him. "-and I will cure you of your insanity."
"Give it back!" Carny screamed grabbing Rama by the hand and pressing his finger to his forehead again only for nothing to happen. "Back! Back! Give it back! Carny wants it! He needs it so give it! Why? Why isn't it back yet! Do it! NOW!"
"Not until you help us." Rama said snatching away his hand. "If you help us and fight against Leon who will surely come for his child... Then I'll fix you permanently."
Carny looked at Rama now with a burning in his eyes as tears began to threaten bursting forth. "Fight... Him? No! No Carny can't fight- Him." He exclaimed clawing at his hair. "Tell him anything else, and Carny will do it but Carny can't fight against Him! Anything... Please, anything else and Carny will do it but he can't fight against Him!"
Rama watched as Carny broke down right in front of him, the wild demon curled into a ball and began tearing his hair out. He was weeping now as he continued to ask for something else to do but Quinn once again came through for them and got Carny to listen. The smaller demon grabbed Carny by the jaw and made him look him in the eye. "Carny listen to me. You're going to be a father soon. You told me that you'd do anything it took to fix you because of how scared you were of yourself." Quinn gestured to Rama and the others. "This is that something. I know you feel like you owe Leon your life but- Carny this is your life, your child's life we're talking about. Now who's more important to you? Leon or your child?"
Carny heard that and began to ponder which he thought was more important, but the resulting debate in his mind only left him smashing the stone beneath them into powder with his skull as he screamed into the now pooling blood below his face. He continued to strike the ground with his head and eventually with his arms, his turmoil and frustration was making these strangers back away from him as Carny continued to scream. The ground was giving way and Carny's scalp was nearly bare from all the hair he tore out in his frustrations. He couldn't fight Him, but he couldn't let Carny's baby get hurt... What could Carny do?
Finally, just like that his screaming stopped so abruptly that it scared the strangers even more than his violence had. Slowly Carny sat up until he was looking at them all, his heart was crumbling to pieces right now and he hated it! But he had to do this...
"Okay-" he said making Rama and Quinn lean forward to hear the rest of his response. "Carny will do it..."
"Carny... will fight... against... Leon..."