My eyes started to open, and the scene around me formed. My face was under the covers, so I could only see the deep red of the blankets. I stuck my face out, peering around me. Ruin was gone. I quickly got up, as I wanted to search for her. I felt as if I'd only slept a few hours, as I have a weird sense of time. I can somewhat tell how long I sleep, and I estimated that I'd slept for around four hours.

My first instinct was to call to Ruin, but I stopped myself. I wanted to see what she could possibly be doing without me. I saw the bathroom door slightly creaked open, a minuscule beam of light radiating out onto the ground. I snuck over, my eyes barely able to see what was inside. I was horrified by what I found.

Ruin was inside the bathtub, cutting off bands of her flesh. She held a kitchen knife, the skin and meat falling off in strips similar to bacon. Her legs and arms were raw, slowly healing back up. Her face was bright red, and she was clearly in bliss. Though she felt bliss, I felt nothing but rage. I was pissed. Blood filled the bathtub, and enough strips of flesh were in to signify that she was harming herself for a while. I slammed the door open, Ruin staring with worry.

"Drop the freaking knife! What the hell are you doing?!"

Ruin immediately let go of the knife, it falling onto the bathroom floor. Blood splattered off of it. Though beautiful before, Ruin looked grotesque. It was disgusting to see missing flesh and the blood that covered her. I ran up to her, picking up the knife and keeping it away.

"T-This wasn't meant to be seen by you... Can we forget about this?" Ruin stuttered, shocked that I found her.

"Why would I just forget about something like this?! I don't want you feeling pain! It's not a good feeling, and you shouldn't associate it with pleasure!"

I saw her blushing from my yells, so I wasn't helping her whatsoever. I cleared my throat, as I didn't want to yell any longer. I tried to think rationally, though Ruin was acting irrationally.

"If I find it pleasurable, why can't I do it?"

"I don't want to see you in pain. It's hard to see you like this. It's not the correct way of thinking, so stop finding this enjoyable," I said, keeping my voice low and speaking calmly.

"If I want to do this, cover your eyes. You don't have to see me."

"How would you feel if I was getting hurt?"

Ruin stayed silent, though her face showed me that she wouldn't like to see me in pain. I was trying to mellow down, but I had to help her.

"I can't tell by your expression that you'd be sad to see me hurt. What if I enjoyed it? Would you let me continue harming myself?"

"Y-Yes. If you wanted to," Ruin responded, her eyes toward the wall.

"Let's test that."

I drove the knife I held into my stomach, tearing into my intestines. I carved the skin and flesh over them, organs falling from my abdomen. It hurt extremely bad, but I kept a smile to show how I saw Ruin. I even forced myself to blush by thinking about her. I kept cutting into myself, as it was healing too fast. I had to continuously feel the pain, hoping it could help to stop her's. I even started tearing out my intestines which dangled near my thighs. My flesh and blood coated my fingers, and they were over and under the nails. Ruin stared with horror, stuck in the place she stood.

"This is how I see you. Do you like seeing me in pain? Does the thought of me enjoying it bring you calm?"

"No! Stop!" Ruin shouted, her pupils shaking.

"Why? It's pleasurable."

I started lying to her, as I needed to get my point across. I remained plucking at my insides, blood spewing onto the floor. Ruin started to cry, covering her eyes from me. She peeked out, looking to see if I continued to inflict pain onto myself. Her wounds were healing up, slowly looking normal.

"No! You don't enjoy that! Please stop!"

"I will if you agree not to inflict pain on yourself. It's not a good thing. If you continue, I'll continue to stab myself. I'll make you see how I see you. If you want pleasure, then I'm there for you," I proposed, wincing from the pain I endured.

"S-Stop! I won't hurt myself! I don't want to see you like this!"

"Good. I'll end this."

I dropped the knife on the floor, my hand ending its grip on my loose intestines. They crawled up me, setting in my stomach. The blood pooled and the skin closed up, so I was back to normal. Ruin was almost completely healed, as well. Her healing factor is surprisingly good. I walked up to her, my arms outstretched. She held onto me, crying in my arms.

"Don't do that again."

"I won't as long as you never injure yourself. Can you find enjoyment in this hug?" I reiterated from the prior day, rubbing Ruin's back while we held onto each other.

"Yes."

"I'll continue hugging you, then. It's better than breaking your bones. If you find enjoyment in this, then this is what you'll get, not pain. I'll repeat this as many times as you need."

I held tightly, Ruin still sobbing. I looked around. Blood was everywhere. Ruin and I were both unclothed and soaked in our own, and each other's, blood. I combed my fingers through her hair, gore on my fingers and in her strands.

"We should shower."

"Everything's blood-soaked," Ruin pointed out, still gently sobbing.

"Let's go see Hex. He has a shower."

Ruin looked up to me, confusion on her face.

"We're putting on clothes when we're filthy?"

"We don't need to. It's only one floor down. I don't care if anyone sees us," I told, kissing her blood-soaked cheek.

"But... You shouldn't be seen like that."

"I'm used to my body. I don't think I should feel ashamed if someone sees me."

At this point, I was exhausted. I didn't want to wait for the servants to clean everything, nor did I want to wait for clothes. It made sense to book it to Hex's. Besides, I could still talk to him as he wished. I'd slept enough, anyways.

"I'm embarrassed. We're blood covered. I don't want to be seen like this."

"Why? It's fine. Let's just go."

I grabbed onto her arm, pulling her with me. Ruin was hesitant but gave in. We walked out of the bathroom, bloody footprints left with each step. I traveled to the dining room, the servants standing around. They lined up when I came, baffled and blushing at Ruin and me. Black-hair stood out, as she's the main speaker of them.

"You guys don't need to be so stiff. I don't want you all to be nervous and tense near me," I said, hoping to mellow them. Though I asked them to relax, they looked about the same. I shouldn't have expected anything different, as I needed to show that they didn't need to fear me. I could've easily snapped with anything. "Anyway, Ruin and I are going to visit Hixrinas. The bathroom is a mess, so can a few of you clean it?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. Also, someone might need to follow us to clean up the blood we track outside."

They all stared with utter confusion at us.

"Sorry to ask, Prince Sanneroal, but you'll allow us to clothe you first, right? We could bathe you, as well. You don't need to travel blood-soaked."

"You don't need to apologize for asking. To answer, no. We won't be wearing clothes. We want to shower down there, and it'd be a hassle to dirty clothes," I explained, holding Ruin tightly.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

The group of servants stayed silent, thinking it over. I waited patiently, remaining calm. They hadn't done anything to especially tick me off. Asking if I was sure was a bit annoying, but I ignored it.

"I'll follow you to clean your tracks," Black-hair told, looking braver than the other servants.

"Fine. We'll be off, then."

"I'll go get a rag."

Black-hair ran away, coming back with a large rag. Ruin and I walked out, black-hair following close behind. Ruin held close to me when we walked out of the room. She was trying to cover herself on me, though we were too exposed to cover anything. No one was on the top floor, but I could tell Ruin was nervous. We walked down the stairs, black-hair washing all of our bloody tracks left. She rushed it, trying to stay close behind us.

Next was the middle floor. Some people were on there, staring directly at Ruin and me. I chose to ignore, Ruin holding closely to me. We strolled away to Hex's room, but I didn't feel like knocking. I walked right in, looking around for Hex. It was similar to my room but smaller and more compact. I heard noise coming from the left.

I walked into the dining room, Hex sitting with leisure. I was shocked by the scene. He was surrounded by his servants, all of them clearly hitting on him. They looked extremely fond of Hex, which must've been a lot better than my situation. Some were even fondling his shoulders, but he either didn't mind or was oblivious. Hex doesn't tend to complain to servants, so he allows most of their behavior. He was drinking blood, though both of his hands were to his sides. One of them one helping him drink it, though he was perfectly capable. He was smiling, clearly into the lax atmosphere. He never got to be this carefree at the castle, as he was too busy with magic and studying. He doesn't seem to care about that stuff entirely on this realm.

"Hey, Hex, can we use your shower?"

Hex hadn't noticed my presence, too occupied with his drinking. He turned, blood dripping down his mouth. He licked it up, looking nervous. I walked closer, as I couldn't fully see from my distance. When I got nearer, I realized Hex is a lot like me...

Glasses were emptied on the table; about forty if I estimated correctly. The servants all had glasses in their hands, so I inferred they were taking turns to pour blood down Hex's throat. I didn't expect this behavior from Hex, as he was the one nagging me about my problems. Though Hex was looking at me, he didn't say anything. He seemed as if he didn't know how to react. The servant beside him was trying to get him to drink more, but he was too stunned to acknowledge her. She managed to get it in his mouth nonetheless.

"Hex... What's going on?"

He glanced around the room, trying to find a way out of his mess. As I looked at him with careful eyes, I realized his cheeks were pink. He brushed the glass at his face to the side, the servant immediately pouty.

"N-Nothing... Why are you... here?" Hex asked, staring at me like a stunned animal. While he spoke, I knew something was wrong. It wasn't normal, as it was slowed down and filled with pauses. I stood directly in front of him, smelling alcohol. Hex moved back, filled with fret. I picked up one of the glasses the servants held, sniffing it. It had the aroma of blood, but a hint of alcohol was within. I took a sip, alcohol content mixed in. With all of the emptied glasses, he had more than enough between them for his inebriation. He was slightly swaying in the chair, faint.

"Are you drunk?"

"Am I? I can't.. tell," Hex stuttered, daze in his eyes.

"You are... Why did you let yourself get like this?"

"I dunno..."

One of the servants stepped up, appearing as if she was willing to talk to me. Hex was clearly out of it. He seemingly forgot my presence, going back to being fed. I couldn't believe that he allowed the servants to feed him blood like that. Yet again, I was slightly envious that he didn't strike fear upon them. I was about to go up to him, but the servant who stepped up motioned me into the other room. I followed, staring at her with anticipation.

"Hello, Prince Sanneroal. Do you wish to know what happened to Prince Hixrinas?"

"Yes. Why did he let himself become intoxicated?" I eagerly questioned, concerned.

"Well, after he returned from your room, he was furious at you. We tried to comfort him, and he asked us for blood. When we got him some, he tried mixing alcohol in with it, and he liked the result. After, he kept drinking and spewing insults about you. Prince Hixrinas was stressed, so we kept bringing him more per his request."

"So, you'll just keep giving him more? Couldn't you have stopped him at some point? This isn't Hixrinas' normal behavior."

The servant looked away from me when I finished talking. She clearly knew something she wasn't sure if she should tell me.

"Prince Hixrinas has been like this since we came... Yesterday, he drank about the same amount as he had today. It didn't have alcohol, but he still had a lot. If we keep bringing it, he keeps drinking it. The only reason he stopped yesterday was because one of the servants was slightly late with retrieving more, so he'd moved on to a bath."

I stood there, staring at the servant. I didn't know how to react... She appeared full of nerve, more so the longer I stared. I looked away, my eyesight moving to Hex. He was still drinking, completely out of everything. I didn't want to bother right away, so I traveled to the bathroom. I turned on the water, unsure of what I witnessed. I stepped in, Ruin after me. She lay on top of me, the blood dissipating into the water.

"You okay, Sanneroal?"

"I'm not sure."

I moved my arm to her back, stroking her hair. Her chest was on mine, so I could reach it easily. It was strangely therapeutic.

"Do you want me to do something for you?" Ruin asked, clearly seeing I needed comforting.

"Just lie there. I need to think."

Though I needed time to think, I couldn't. My mind was blank. I wasn't sure of what had happened. First, Ruin's butchering herself. Next, Hex's following in my drinking footsteps. The worst thing about it was that he was acting like a pushover toward servants. They likely were eager to give him more, so he followed along. He was allowing them to flirt with and touch him...

"What will you do about Hixrinas?"

"I couldn't tell you. I'll just do it. I don't know myself what I'll do," I responded, feeling slightly numb.

"At least he isn't drinking as much as you have in the past."

"He'd usually have an eighth of that amount. Granted, he was a child at the time. At his current size, I'd say he's drinking four times what he normally would. It's not good for him to do this..."

"How about you? You have about the same," Ruin pointed out, making me feel bad.

"Well, I'm trying to change that. Hex is getting worse, while I'm trying to get better."

"Oh."

I tipped Ruin off of me, stepping outside the bath. I wasn't looking forward to talking with Hex. I dried off, then realized I didn't have any clothes. I didn't think about it on my way in. Ruin followed close behind me, staying a distance away. She must've been able to tell that I needed to think. I stepped out of the bathroom, sighing.