Joker's Running Wild (Deltarune, Super Paper Mario, Kirby Super Star)

Chapter 9

Past

Seam made his way out to town. Jevil was running around, saying things that didn't make sense....but didn't quite not make sense either.

He sighed and grabbed Jevil's shoulder. Jevil turned around and started shaking his friend's shoulders. "SEAM! SEAM! LISTEN PLEASE! THEY ALL THINK I'M INSANE!"

Seam had a concerned look on his face. He looked at the crowd of people. Some were injured. Their HP was low. He looked at his friend. "Jevil....what did you do?"

"WHAT I HAD TO. NO ONE IS LISTENING. WE'RE ALL TRAPPED!" 'No! Jevil, you have to stop. You can't go around doing this. You can't go around hurting people. It's attracting to much attention." He started dragging Jevil away.

Jevil began thrashing. "WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?! WHY??" Seam dragged him over to card castle, out of everyone's sight. Then he set Jevil down, grabbing his arm so he wouldn't run away. "Jevil, please. Let's just talk about this. I want to talk to you. The real you. Not this crazy, chaotic guy. I want my young, innocent friend who was so silly, and always asked questions. Where is that Jevil? Where's My Jevil?"

"THIS IS THE REAL ME SEAM. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. I'M NOT CRAZY."

Seam's tone became more firm. "Jevil...listen to me."

"NO!"

Jevil swung his Jevil's Knife and hit Seam square in the face, causing his right button eye to come off, also cutting up Seam's face. Seam dropped to his knees and cried out in pain. 

Jevil's eyes went wide. He dropped his weapon, and immediately kneeled down in front of Seam. His voice returned to normal. "Whoa! Seam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't want to!" Seam stood up and looked down. His buttoned eye lie there on the floor, it was cut in half. He looked at Jevil. "Jevil....I'm sorry about this."

Jevil picked up his Jevil's Knife and stepped back. Seam pulled out a key, "I have been ordered to lock you up. I didn't want to do it. I thought, maybe you could act better, convince them that they don't need to lock you up....but...." 

Jevil clenched onto his weapon. "LOCK ME UP? UEE HEE HEE, I'M ALREADY TRAPPED. WE ALL ARE. YOU CAN'T LOCK UP SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY IN PRISON" Seam shook his head. "I'm sorry. But I need you and that....that...Devilsknife to come with me."

Jevil looked around, before taking off running. Seam chased after him.

"GOTTA HIDE, GOTTA HID." He looked around. They were running through Card Castle, but there weren't many good places to really hide. He then looked down at his Jevil's Knife, or as Seam just called it, Devilsknife.

Devilsknife. What an interesting name. Jevil's Knife was given to him to be used as a prop, but Devilsknife...was a true weapon.

He quickly looked around. Seam's footsteps were getting louder. "Jevil, get back here!" 

There was only one place to hide. Jevil looked down at his Devilsknife, and then hid himself inside. Strange, he was never taught how to do that. But it came so easily. 

Seam turned around the corner, only to see Jevil's weapon. "Jevil? Where are you?" He called. Jevil felt excited. A part of him found this....fun. It was strange. He felt like he was just casually playing hide and seek.

Jevil suddenly popped out and swung his Devilsknife, nearly hitting Seam. His neck sprung up like a spring. "SURPRISE!" He then took off running again, Seam not far behind.

To him, this kinda felt like a fun game of chase, but Nevermind that. He had to run. He was trapped, and if no one else was willing to escape, then maybe at least he could save himself.

He ran down, down, down. Seam was perplexed. Jevil was running...exactly where he wanted him to go. Down to that one, lonely sad cell. Seam quickly followed behind.

Jevil found himself all the way down, at the bottom of Card castle. He ran into a room. There was a dead end. He turned around, and Seam was standing in the doorway.

There were cuts all over Seam's face. He didn't look good. Jevil held out his hand. "FRIEND, JOIN ME. TOGETHER WE CAN BE FREE. FREE! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S COMING. THE MAN WHO SPEAKS IN HANDS, I SAW HIM. A DARKNESS IS COMING. THIS WORLD, THIS GAME, IS DOOMED. NOT EVEN THE LIGHTNERS CAN STOP IT." 

Seam took a long look at is friend, tears staining his remaining eye. He stepped back, and closed the door, using the key to lock it.

Jevil ran up to the door. "OH NO, SEAM! YOU'RE TRAPPED." Seam looked down and shook his head.

"You were like my brother, Jevil. You were my family. I loved you...." Jevil pressed his face against the door. "THEN JOIN ME, JOIN ME! TOGETHER WE CAN BE FREE!" Seam shook his head. "You really have gone insane."

Seam looked down at the key in his hand. Jevil lowered his voice, calming down a little.

"Seam, please, join me. We can be free. Together. You and I." Seam placed his hand on the door. Jevil, on the other side, placed his hand there too. "Seam, I love you too. Please, join me in my freedom." Seam let out a quiet sob, before stepping back. 

"You can use Magic while inside this cell, but you cannot break out." Jevil looked down, and let out a little laugh. "Good. That means the darkness won't break in." Jevil looked through the small bards on the door, at his friend. "Please Seam. We can be free. Together. I'm not the one who's trapped."

Seam looked down at the key. Slowly, he moved it towards the keyhole, ready to unlock the door.

"Yes....YES..." Jevil said, eyes lighting up. Upon hearing Jevil's other voice...his crazy voice. The voice that was an actual voice, not just text, Seam stopped. His eyes shifted to slightly angry. He held the key up so Jevil could see it though the bars,

and broke it.

Jevil's eyes went wide. "NO, SEAM! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??" Seam turned around, and started walking up the stairs, tears in his eye. "You're not my Jevil..."

The next day, loneliness ate up at both Seam, and Jevil. Jevil used his Devilsknife and frantically slashed at the door. "SEAM! SEAM, COME BACK, BACK!"

About two days later, Seam resigned as Court Magician. It wasn't the same without Jevil. He moved away from Card Castle, and became a shopkeeper. It was a good, steady job. He hid the pieces of the broken key, keeping one with him. 

There was very little point to life anymore. Not that there ever was. Seam realized that now that Jevil was gone. Nothing was the same. He no longer felt...anything really.

He just missed Jevil. He often thought about going back for him, but never did. The Jevil he locked away wasn't his Jevil. That Jevil hurt people. His Jevil would never.

His Jevil was gone. And never coming back.