Eventually you woke up, albeit slowly. "Wh..." was all you managed. Your body ached from exhaustion and from the abuse you had suffered before. You were still being carried. Anti did not look down at you, his expression full of what you could only label as frustration, the way it contorted. Was he fighting against the circle's effects? "Anti...?"
"Shut up. Don't say a word." His face was set. "Please, just shut the fuck up. Don't make this any fucking harder than it has to be."
You didn't understand but kept quiet, trying to relax in his hold. The feeling of lacking the lower portion of your legs was one you couldn't quite get accustomed to. It was a wonder you hadn't gotten nightmares as you dozed, though you chalked it up to being so weary.
"The next circle is Fraud," the demon spoke up, soon breaking the silence between the two of you. "I won't leave you alone this time but... whatever it is I tell you, don't believe me."
You didn't quite enjoy the sound of that. Wasn't it just as bad as Treachery itself? "I don't think--"
He stopped walking, looking away from you, off into the distance. There was more frustration on his face. "I... no, I... never mind," he muttered at long last, picking up the pace.
In no time at all another gate came into view, this one topped with torches along with the eerie vines that crept up along the entire fence. The dogs were salivating again, growling as Anti approached. Even enveloped in his smoke they seemed to sense that something was amiss, and the demon frowned deeply. Surely the final gate they might attack outright.
(●)~
You dozed off again, opting for that as opposed to staying awake and hearing whatever was going to come out of Anti's mouth. But sleeping was difficult the longer time passed. Your body began to ache in new ways, having been in the same position for hours. "Will you... let me down so I can stretch a little?"
The demon settled you onto the ground. Taking care not to look at what remained of your legs you lay down, stretching and groaning a tiny bit. He watched you patiently, though he did glance back towards the gate the two of you had gone through awhile back. With a sigh you looked back up at him, his expression distant and blank. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," he lied. Damn it... already? "I'm fine, this circle isn't so bad. Are you ready?" He scooped you back up without waiting for a response, carrying you in the same manner as before.
This fucking sucks. There's too much going on in my brain, why the fuck would I--
Oh...
The circle's effects were immediate. Anything that came out of Anti's mouth would be some form of a lie, so he opted not to speak. It was as though there was no use in fighting; he had no control over his words any longer.
You, on the other hand, weren't affected. Should you speak? If you did, how would he respond?
If I'm going to get any sort of answer from him, now is the time, I think. But will I know if he's lying?
"Anti?"
"What?"
"Are you all right?" you asked him softly.
He grinned wide, the way he used to, showing off all of his teeth. "Fucking wonderful. I've got nothing to worry about from this place."
Damn it all! Even a simple fucking answer is a lie! This bitch better stop talking or I swear...
But sadly, you went on. "Are you sure? You look like you're having an argument with yourself..."
"I'm not. I'm fine." His jaw clenched tightly, hoping desperately that you would take notice and stop asking questions. It would never end well. Luckily, this time you fell silent, completely unaware of what Anti was going through.
(●)~
After a good deal of time passed, the demon set you back down on the asphalt, wanting to stretch himself. Sighing heavily he took a few steps away from you, not wanting to start a conversation. Not here, when every word that fell from his lips was a lie.
Could he fight it off? He had been trying desperately to speak his real thoughts but his tongue lay still. He sat down beside you, resting his head on his forearms, trying to focus on at least one honest thought.
I'm not okay. I'm fucking NOT okay. I need to explain. I've got to.
"I.... c... I can't... nnnnghh..." was all he could manage. His tongue was acting of it's own accord, acting against the words he was trying so hard to speak.
Fucking hell!!!
All he wanted to explain was that every word that came out of his mouth was a lie, but the demon was wary of opening his mouth. If he tried to explain that, what would actually come out?
You sat on the ground silently, watching the green-haired demon and his own silent frustration. All you could do was wonder what the circle was doing to him.
Fraud. Deceit. So... anything he says, I was warned not to believe...
"Anti?" you broke the silence, quietly. He winced, aggravated, but turned to you, vaguely hoping that whatever you were about to say wouldn't require an answer. "What... exactly is the circle doing to you?"
"Not a damn thing."
He's lying...
You nodded, moving on from the question. It was affecting him, all right; his facial expression said it all. "The next circle is Treachery... do we have a plan?" He nodded, but you couldn't tell if that was a lie, as well. If it affected his tongue, would it affect the rest of his body?
Something in his eyes silenced you as he picked you back up, continuing to walk. You didn't know just how far you had gone, but it was fairly clear that each circle was getting progressively smaller. The final one wasn't far off.
Treachery. I can't... is he going to simply betray me once we're there?
You clung to the demon a little bit tighter, hoping that that wasn't the case... but you knew better.
