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Asmodeus had grown tired of Valentino and Velvette. No matter how many cease-and-desist letters he sent to those Vee Overlords, they would not halt their production of Love Potions. He had begun to threaten them and when those went ignored too, he sent a ‘special gift’ to their tower.
The gift had mostly been aimed for Valentino as the supplier of the main ingredient, unfortunately for Vox he was the only one that day to receive it. When opened it he was immediately sprayed with a strange gas, but it wasn’t gas, it was pollen. Vox paid no mind; he's immune to poison. However, the next day he began to cough up petals.
Vox regarded the strange petals. They were nothing like any plant from earth so it must be a strictly hell flora. Vox hoped his body would fight it off on its own and carried on. He plugged into his computer to do some stalking on the denizens of Pride when a drone caught the sight of Alastor. But before Vox could relish it, his body convulsed, and he coughed up whole flowers with stems and leaves attached mixed with his own blood.
Whatever this was, it wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Vox scoured any information throughout the 7 rings and found his answer. A curse that has its origin from the Lust ring. So long as the object of their desire does not reciprocate the flowers will continue to grow inside him. Thorny vines will wrap itself around each vital and flowers will push and bloom through him until he dies. He searched desperately for a solution and found some results:
Either the other person reciprocates
The afflicted moves on
Or the plant is surgically removed and all feelings attached to the other no longer exist and will ever exist.
Vox is aware of the type of person he is. He obsesses and his pride will not let him let go of things easily.
But he laughed at the first solution. Reciprocates. He knows he’s fucked. At this point Vox had accepted his death. But he’ll try to last as long as he can.
Vox continued to live his life as if nothing was wrong. Every morning, he would send an electric shock through his body to burn away as many of the flowers inside him. He also avoided looking or even thinking of the Radio demon which proved to be difficult, so he threw himself into his work.
Vox one day absent mindedly placed one of the flowers in Velvette’s hair. Curious, she tried to extract it to see if it had any benefits for her potions.
Velvette came rushing into his office with an angelic steel dagger and sliced her hand with it. Vox jumped out of his chair believing that she had lost her mind when she then suddenly pulled out a cream and slathered it on her fresh wound and healed it.
“Vox, where did you get that flower? It has healing properties against angelic steel wounds” she beamed excitedly.
“.....from the Lust ring” it was not a complete lie, but he had not told the other Vees of his condition. If they knew they would surely remove it whether Vox wanted it or not.
“You have to get me more. We’ll be the only ones who’ll have this as a counter to the extermination”
“...sure”
The attack on the hotel came and went. The angels fled and Alastor had fought alongside the hotel. Though the first man was dead he left a parting gift in the form of a wound across his chest. Vox watched the whole thing. He wonders if Alastor were to die would this disease let up or would the pining of a corpse that can’t reciprocate only make it permanent.
Vox is getting weaker; he knows it won’t be long before the vines twisting in his body make it difficult to move. He’s decided to do a year's worth of work so that Val and Vel have time to pick themselves up once he’s gone.
He wonders if Alastor will even notice when he’s gone but as if to answer his question, he heaves up a ball of thorny flowers and blood.
Of course not. If he saw the state, he was in he’d taunt and belittle him for letting his emotions make him weak. He plans to leave something behind for the radio demon. He hopes it will haunt him, one last jab.
Vox leaves the tower in the middle of the night when the rest is asleep. He does not wish for Val and Vel to find his corpse there. He wanders through the streets until he spots an old building practically falling apart. It holds some old memories.
Alastor and he used to share this space back in their early years of hell before Vox was even an overlord. He stumbles in, fortunately not locked and meanders to his old room and drops to the floor. He can’t even make it to the old bed.
He hates that he is going out like this. That it all comes back to Alastor. He doesn’t want his last thoughts to be of him, doesn’t want to give him that satisfaction. But his mind betrays him and a memory of them dancing and drinking begins to play. Vox can feel tears forming in his eyes as his vision blurs. Suddenly bombarded with flashing alerts and warnings. Mercy comes at last as he shuts down and everything goes black.
For 3 days straight Hell is without electricity. Lucifer and the sins eventually step in to activate a backup generator. Everyone waits for an announcement or explanation from the Vees, but they are silent. After a week Vox’s socials start posting again and prerecorded footage of him is used. This only brings further suspicion.
No one has seen Vox.
“He has to be dead, there ain’t no other explanation. A third of their souls are suddenly free from their contracts” Angel comments. Husk side glances Alastor who seems to give no reaction. But an hour after he had left the hotel, Husk and Niffty are summoned by him to go searching through all of Pride for clues.
After exhausting all avenues, they are about to give up when Alastor comes across the old, ruined apartment. He makes his way through with quick strides, but it’s not till he reaches the door to Vox’s old room that he hesitates. Niffty however walks right in scattering about. It’s not until she makes a strange noise that Alastor and Husk make their way to the corner of the room.
There lying on his back was Vox’s corpse. They wouldn’t have been so certain if his antennas hadn’t been popping out as what they can describe as a morbid flowerbed. Every inch of Vox is covered in strange flowers. His screen was black with many holes and cracks where the flowers seem to be pushing through, and his body is wrapped in vines.
Alastor’s face is indescribable. His shadows whisk the body away, likely back to his room. Husk protests that the body should either be given to the Vees or buried or left alone but Alastor is already disappearing into his shadows leaving behind his thralls to walk home on their own.
As he appeared back in his room it appeared to be perfect timing for Charlie was knocking at his door saying someone left him a package. He thanked her and went back into his room to open it. It was signed ‘V’ and Alastor’s eyes widened. When he opened it there was a tiny container of …cream? And a note.
‘ I told you I’d have the last laugh. So, take this as consolation prize’ - Vox
The cream was labeled as a healing balm and Alastor wasn’t sure if he could trust it but what would Vox have to gain from this. He’s … dead.
Alastor places a small amount on his chest and to his shock his wound begins to disappear. He drops the container. Now that he looked at the substance it was the same color as the petals.
Alastor had no choice; he needed to show this to Lucifer to get an explanation.
Lucifer was suspicious when Alastor had called him into his room, but he was horrified to find a corpse. Well not at the idea that Alastor had a corpse but the method in which the sinner died.
“How did you do this?”
“I didn’t…I found him this way. So, explain to me how this could have happened.”
“I told Asmodeus he was no longer allowed to use such a curse. It’s called a…Love sickness. So long as one’s love is not returned the flower will over take their body till they’re dead…but fuck I’ve never seen it like this… he must have really been fighting it off for it to get this bad or perhaps…”
“Perhaps what”
“He really must have been in love or at least obsessed with whoever it was”
“...”
“Wait, do you know this guy? Is that the overlord…? Are you…?” Lucifer couldn’t seem to complete his thoughts, and Alastor had asked him to leave.
Alastor crouched down to the corpse and picked at the flower growing directly from his heart. It was bigger than the rest.
You stupid pathetic old fool. Why? Even after death you’re so annoying.
The next morning Alastor once more walked to the corpse. Where he had plucked the flower last night was already a whole new flower. Curious. Alastor plucked the new flower and by the next morning it was back. Alastor plucked a whole bunch until most of Vox’s body was seeable and just like all the other times the flowers had bloomed back.
Alastor once again called Lucifer back for an explanation, but he was at a loss for words.
“The flowers should have stopped growing once the afflicted is dead. I do not know why this is happening” Lucifer decided to take off to go see Asmodeus in the Lust Ring to see if he had an explanation.
Alastor was once again left alone with a dead Vox. It’s as if the very flowers were taunting him. He fell to his knees right by Vox’s side and began to rip them off of him, but it did not seem to calm his frustrations. He then began to hit the corpse itself. Alastor soon realized that there were tears running down his face.
Why? Why is he crying? He doesn’t care…He doesn’t…not for Vox…not for his silly picture box.
Alastor wonders if he consumed one of the flowers would the disease spread to him. He held one in his hands and before he can argue himself out of it, he eats it whole, but nothing happens.
Is it because he doesn’t feel anything for anyone? Because he is not capable of loving anyone. So, the flower is unable to sustain itself in Alastor’s cold black heart…
The flowers will stop when love is reciprocated…
Alastor lifts his head and regards Vox once more and crawls his way over, lifting it up in his arms. He places his forehead gently onto Vox’s head and whispers quietly as if he doesn’t wish for anyone to hear.
…And the flowers begin to wilt away and as they wilt more and more they soon disappear completely.
Alastor can now fully see all of Vox… but he is still nothing but a corpse. Alastor in a last act of desperation transports himself and Vox to the Vees Tower. Vox’s floor had been closed off and abandoned since his disappearance. He plugged Vox into his computer. His body and head were severely damaged but maybe…there was still a chance.
Alastor waited day and night for any change when suddenly the lights to the floor began to flicker. Vox was charging and in a couple of hours he should be back online!
Vox only had a couple of memories on him. He knew he died and went to hell. He knew he began to use the name Vox, and he knew he had the potential to be a strong overlord one day. For now, he had to collect souls and hone his skills. Two sinners he once knew had surrounded him with tears and helped him get readjusted. Valentino and Velvette. He quickly formed a bond with them yet part of him felt like there was something still missing. They mostly kept him in the tower. Telling him he shouldn’t leave till he was stronger. He had no reason to distrust them and spent his days overlooking the city from up in his tower.
Down below, hiding in the shadows was a figure looking up gazing at the tv sinner. The TV sinner would soon walk further into the building away from sight and the red figure would have no choice but to leave. As he walked away, he pulled out his handkerchief to cough. As he peered down to look, he saw the ever-familiar petals.