K, so I don't really know when this story will end. When I finally run out of ideas on how to torture someone I guess. Shrug I am no longer mad at Alfeegi-san; he and I made up… ignore that last comment. I have decided to stay with my Alfeegi-san-theme in this story though. It is now only in Alfeegi's name, but it really is someone else that I am wanting to torture, he will remain un-named, but just know that I am not hurting Alfeegi personally, it's symbolism for the man I really want to hurt. So you don't have to hate me any more, V So, DK doesn't belong to me (NO DUH), and neither do letter openers or tile. Don't-ask. I had a hard time with this one. Not only because I'm strait, but also because I came up with it on short notice. I hope that if it's noticeable, that you'll let me know. It does serve a propose, but it's kinda a filler, 'cause f how short, and badly written it is…

random, yet important chapter.

4

Nadil

Alfeegi woke with a start. Having just fallen asleep an hour ago, and it being the middle of the night, this was not normal. Lying there, he couldn't breath; his chest ached and wouldn't expand. It was as though icy fingers were gripping his heart and lungs, and wouldn't let go with out taking every breath from his body. Groping at his chest, Alfeegi sat up, and felt real fingers curl around his throat, lifting him into the air, out of the bed that he had slept in peacefully just moments before. The fingers belonged to a tall man, who was strong, evil, and powerful.

"Well, you have changed, Lykouleon. You've become weak; small. I'm disappointed in you. O-well, at least I can kill you now with out any problems." The voice as cold as the fingers hissed mercilessly. Opening his eyes, Alfeegi looked down the strong arm that held him, and found the evil eyes of Nadil starring at him.

"Not…-Dra..gon…-…Lord!" Alfeegi tried to gasp, without much success; but the Demon King seemed to understand what he meant. Instantly, Alfeegi was dropped to the bed, the chill receded from his lungs, and he sucked air into them desperately.

"Then where is he!" Nadil shouted. Alfeegi couldn't answer; the cold had done its job. He coughed into his hands, only to find warm, sticky red liquid drip through his fingers. Along with it was phlegm that he soon discovered to be bits of his own lungs. Nadil shook him, smacked him, and gave up looking for an answer. Ever since he had awoken in the underground volt, he had received the same answer, only that as soon as he let the individual go, he would be dead. Somehow, this one survived thus far. An evil idea popped into Nadil's head as he suddenly recognized the dying man on the bed.

"You're the White Officer that the over grown idiot who rules this kingdom values so highly, aren't you!" he snarled, digging his claws into Alfeegi's shoulders. As the blood flowed from both Alfeegi's shoulders and from between his lips, he nodded. He didn't really hear what the Demon King had said, he just agreed with him as pain shook him with another chest-caving coughing-spree, which only brought more bits of lung to slip through the red-stained fingers.

Nadil grabbed Alfeegi harder, and examined him closely. His frail body looked as though it was about to keel over. Apart from that, Nadil liked the thin waistline, the long hair, the soft flesh. 'He'll do.' Nadil lifted him by the neck again, and with a crackling fizz, he and Alfeegi disappeared just as the door burst open, and Lykouleon ran to the spot that Nadil was standing just heartbeats before.

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Alfeegi collapsed to the damp, cold stone floor as he appeared in the Demon Castle, Nadil chuckling evilly to himself. Fishing a small bottle out of his robes, the demon kneeled besides the hacking officer, and allowed some of Alfeegi's blood to flow into it. Then - finding another bottle filled with small blue pebbles - he removed one, and grabbed Alfeegi by the neck once more. He then forced the tiny sapphire rock down the heaving throat of the man, and he quieted instantly. Lying limp in the hands of the demon that was his Lord's mortal enemy, Alfeegi tried to summon his sword, only to find that he could not even feel it twitch to his command.

Nadil held the bottle with the Dragon Officer's blood in it, and it disappeared with a pop and a puff a smoke. It appeared a moment later on Alfeegi's desk, with it a note tied to the neck:

Lykouleon;

Guess who I have! Here's proof, just to see if you're paying attention. He's mine to do with as I please, unless I have your head in my vault for a change. You're welcome to try to rescue him, but he's not very valuable, is he? Expendable is the word I'd place. You have three days to reclaim what you've lost, if not, I don't need him.

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Alfeegi shivered on the floor. Something wasn't right. Nadil had locked him in a room, and that was hours ago. Wasn't he going to torture him? Not like he wanted it or anything, it just didn't feel right. Just as that thought passed through Alfeegi's head, Nadil opened the door, and grinned wickedly at the half-dressed-aqua-haired man on the floor.

"You are lovely. Have you ever thought of a man as a possible partner?" the demon asked. "I do, that's why I used Shydman, but it appears that he's gone, and I'm rather- lustful- after being in that vault for so long." Alfeegi glared at him.

"So you're evil, a demon, and gay on top of it all. Don't get me wrong, I've nothing against man/man relationships, I just didn't think that anyone'd take me for one. No, I've never thought of a man being a… partner… for me. I always thought that I'd find a nice woman one-day. So I guess that you could call me STRAIT!" Alfeegi yelled that last word with a vigor. It was true; he had no problem with others being gay, he just chose not to join their numbers. However, at that moment, he was cutting it rather close, and found that it was not the time to be rude to the demon that held him captive.

"Too bad, I'll use you as I please. That's what I told Lykouleon, and that's just what I plan to do." Nadil shrugged. Then he walked over, starring into Alfeegi's fear-filled copper eyes, and grabbed his shoulders again (none too gently either). Alfeegi yelped as Nadil threw him into the hall, slamming his already sore shoulders into the wall, breaking his collarbone. Nadil's fingers gripped Alfeegi's arm so hard that a bruise grew on his forearm, and his legs were skinned by the dragging over the floor that they received from the demon. Next thing Alfeegi knew, he was in a bedroom, the door was locked, and Nadil was ripping the boxers off Alfeegi roughly.

"Don't you dare! I won't let you touch me!" Alfeegi screamed at him, kicking feverishly, and sticking his foot in Nadil's mouth just once before Nadil struck him across the face, drawing blood.

"You won't get a chance to do that again!" Nadil shouted, wiping the blood that formed at the corner of his lip away. Then - digging in his pants pockets (his pants were already on the floor) - he quickly found a thin rope, a bandana, and leather chains that he often had to use on Shydeman. Sitting on Alfeegi's legs, Nadil bound the officer's wrists tightly with the rope, stretching them above his head, and securing the other end of the rope to the headboard. Alfeegi screamed as his broken collarbone shifted and strained from the pulling of the ropes. Nadil then cuffed Alfeegi's ankles to the bedposts, spread wide and strait. Alfeegi got out a few last un-repeatable words before the bandana gagged him, tied tightly at the base of his skull. Alfeegi was now at the complete mercy of the Demon King, and he knew he would receive none.

Nadil climbed on top of Alfeegi, leaning most of his lustful weight on the small man's chest, and clawed at the white, flawless back as he began. In pain, Alfeegi tried to cry out for help, but they were stifled by the cloth in his mouth. Not that there was anyone that would help him, if there was anyone to hear. They had all - at one time or another - experienced their Lord's lust, and knew that if they valued their lives, they'd keep away.

Alfeegi breathed heavily, finding the weight of the evil King to be crushing him. The bed was becoming stained with the blood that Alfeegi's back lost as Nadil's claws racked through flesh and mussel. His marine hair was tasseled, and the ribbon that kept it in place was lying torn on the floor. Sweat dripped from the heaving body of the demon, and one particular thrust had smashed some of Alfeegi's ribs. With his legs wide spread, the process was much easier for Nadil, and caused more pain for Alfeegi who tried desperately to pound his fists against Nadil's back. Only - each time he tried to free his hands - the rope bit deeper into his wrists, bruising the delicate skin; on his left wrist, the scar from over a year ago turned pure black from the ropes. Alfeegi's body gave out, and blackness took his world.

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Alfeegi slowly came too; his body felt as though it were falling apart at the seams; his back was slashed, but bound to keep him from bleeding to death. His mouth was dry as cotton, his head throbbed from the lack of oxygen, and his chest felt as though it was flat. Looking around weakly, he found that he was no longer bound, gagged, or cold. Instead, the room was warm, he was lying free on the bed, still not wearing anything, and that Nadil sat in a chair; legs spread, nothing on. Alfeegi looked away, blushing slightly, but mainly from anger than from any embarrassment.

"What did you do to me?" He asked weakly, sitting up slightly so that he could open his lungs and suck in the much needed air, only to find his chest cave to the pain of his shattered rib.

"What do you think I did?" Nadil answered gleefully. "I didn't exactly take a walk in the park, now did I? No, I took you, had my way with you, and want more. I think that you would be a very good toy. You've proven your self already. You just can't keep up. I can fix that though. Did you enjoy it?"

"Are you mad? No, I didn't enjoy it! You've had your fun, now let me go!" Alfeegi snapped. Nadil ignored the plea.

"It's not every day that I get to break a virgin. You've never even had a woman, have you? Well, it was interesting. A thrill, to say the least. You weren't the best that I've had, but as it was your first time, I think that you could do better next time."

"You'll lose your 'toy' if you touch me again. Like I didn't lose enough blood already! Let me go! Haven't you killed me enough!" Alfeegi's voice was shrill, fearful. He knew that there was nothing he could do, he was going to be raped again, and he was powerless to stop it.

Nadil picked up the bottle that had the blue rocks in it. Unstoppering it, he poured a handful of "pills" into his palm, and sat on Alfeegi's legs again. With his other hand, he grabbed Alfeegi's jaw, and forced it open. Dropping the Demon Seed into the soft throat, he couldn't help but chuckled insanely. He had just fed his new plaything four times the normal amount of Demon Seed, and knew that he'd enjoy the change.

The Demon King pressed the heals of his hands into the soft flesh of the inside of Alfeegi's thighs, pleased by the shuddering gasp of pain that it called forth from his captive. Digging his thumbs into joint where the legs meet the hips, he nipped at the sensitive spot below Alfeegi's ear- his long teeth drawing blood that he lapped up lovingly. He had worked himself up into a frenzy; Alfeegi's wounds had healed like magic in a reaction to the Demon Seed; and Nadil had found a simple pleasure in massaging the rip-able skin between Alfeegi's hips. Alfeegi felt his body shift and change with both the Demon Seed, and the weight of Nadil's body that shoved its self roughly into Alfeegi.

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Rath whipped around, the feeling that they were being watched had throttled him since he and the other two Dragon Knights had stepped onto the grounds of Nadil's castle. The others hadn't felt it, but they were preoccupied by the fear of running into Shydman or Shidindora. Rath on the other hand, had felt a different presence. One that he and Lykouleon had hoped wouldn't be. After Nadil had sent the bottle to Alfeegi's desk, Lykouleon knew that he had to save the white officer. Alfeegi had gone through so much, suicide, overwork, almost murdered, a ten-month comma; it seemed a little unfair that he should have to face so much on his own. But Kai-Stern and Tetheus had stopped Lykouleon from going to retrieve him personally. They did have the Dragon Knights after all.

It was the fourth day after Alfeegi had been taken from them, and the whole castle feared the worst, yet the Dragon Knights were determined to fetch the officer back as unscathed as possible. Lykouleon looked for Alfeegi in Cesia's Crystal, but they couldn't find him, and they thought that he must already be dead. Lykouleon watched the Knights progress, and looked at where Rath kept glancing, only to find a large black spot in the crystal. Rath saw something altogether different.

A white-haired demon stood over them on the rocky out-crop, and glared down at them with red and yellow eyes. The demon had long hair- the ends turned into feathers; black cat-ears with white tufts on the tips poked up behind the bangs, and the fluffy gray dog tail twitched behind him. Grinning, the demon's long white snake fangs glinted in the weak sunlight, and the thin bloodless lips curved evilly. The long claws of one hand clutched at a black sword; curved cruelly; broad and sharp, the bone handle was studded with emeralds, and the blue pummel stone was shaped in the image of a dragon skull. Thin ribs stood out amazingly against the pure white skin of the demon's chest, and the black pants failed to hide the scrawny bones that served as legs.

"Welcome Dragon Knights!" the demon shouted, spreading his arms wide, still gripping the sword tightly. "You've come quite a distance! Too bad that you're late! You wanted to save your dear Alfeegi, and you come only to find that he's not here!"

"Where is he?" shouted Rune, he had a bad feeling about this demon. He looked dangerous and familiar. "If he's dead-"

"Oh!" the demon cut off the elfin knight. "Don't worry! Sweet Knight of Water, your little Dragon Officer is long dead! I killed him personally! He didn't put up much of a fight either! Now I will take you as well!"

"What did you do to him? Where is he!" Rath screamed. He had wanted to make it up to Alfeegi; after pushing him down the stairs, Rath felt nothing but guilt. The demon chuckled.

"What did I do to him? Where is he?" the demon taunted. "Who do you thing that you're talking to! I was, at one time, that pathetic excuse of a living being that you once called Alfeegi. He was slain by the one before you, and he went willingly. I believe that he thought that none would come for him, what would he think if he could see that all three Knights chased after his strict ass now!" As the demon laughed insanely, water secreted from his palms, and enveloped the three Knights in its rush to do its master's will.

The instant that the water touched the flesh of the Knights, it froze, and trapped them in a cold mass of revival water that could rip them from their minds and physical body's. Thatz called up the Earth Dragon, only to find that the Alfeegi Demon was prepared for it, and turned the stone and ground lizard into a mound of mud with a blast of water from his palm, his blade swiping at the brown-haired knight that had summoned it. The moment that the dragon hit the ground, the water froze it into a solid block of ice.

Rune knew that he couldn't call Water, there was no way that his loyal Dragon could take the revival water; he could already feel it pull at his mussels, and his mind slipped like sand through fingers in his consciousness. Rath, on the other-hand, tried to call up both his Fire Dragon, and the flames that he could bend around his fingers. The Alfeegi demon grabbed the young Knights wrist, twisted it above the black-haired-head, and doused the Yokai boy in more water.

"Alfeegi! Stop this! We're here to save you, not get killed by you! Please, Alfeegi, you've got to be in there somewhere!" The Fire Knight yelled, only to find that a wrist was shoved in his face. It was Alfeegi's left wrist; bruised, scared, thin, and wet Rath stared at it. Alfeegi demon leaned his lips close to Rath's ear, and hissed to him something that Rath would never forget.

"You see this scar Rath? Do you know what it means? What it is? It's from the time that I tried to kill myself. You remember that, right? Surely Ruwalk told you after you shoved me down the stairs! It has friends now. Not only from you, but from Nadil as well. Down my back, on my neck, and all down my mind. If you truly must know, the reason that I tried to kill myself is because I thought that no one cared about me. After all, I am the one that storms around the castle yelling at everyone, so why wouldn't they want me dead? They could relax without me breathing down their neck. You know what, after that, I've realized that people do care about me; even if it doesn't look like it.

"I am not doing what I'm making it look like. I'm trying to get you three out of here alive! I'm not dead, though he thinks that I am. It's too late for me, so don't waste your lives trying to save someone that might as well be dead. He changed me, took from me all that I held dear, and stole from me my very will. Now I don't want him to take my friends. Go. I'm not dead, so you can have the Dragon Lord stop worrying about me. Please, I don't like this way of life, but if I fight him and go against what he wants, he won't kill me, but kill all the others in the Dragon Castle. I can't have that blood on my hands. Wake the others when you get past the gates, and go home."

The Alfeegi demon slashed at the Water Knight that was besides Rath, and a gush of water sent him and the rest of the Knights out past the gate of the Demon Castle, and freed them of the ice that had held them captive. Rune and Thatz were unconscious, Rath felt his slipping away from him as he caught sight of Alfeegi leaping back onto the rocky ledge he had stood on earlier. Rath saw Nadil clutch Alfeegi's shoulders; he saw Nadil pull the small man into his arms, and bite him below the ear. Alfeegi glanced at the Knights that receded into the distance, and Rath clearly saw the look of hopelessness and pain written on his features, as well as the disgust as he allowed himself to be turned around and pulled into the Demon Kings chest. Then darkness took him.

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Alfeegi allowed himself to gripped into the Demon Lord's arms, and led back to the room that he had spent most of his time in, forced to appease the evil brother of his own Lord. Though Alfeegi had given up in trying to resist, he still didn't like the idea of continual rape, but he had no real choice in the matter; too many lives hung on him being the slacker of Nadil's lust. He found it rather strange that Nadil didn't begin immediately, but was content to sit in a chair; fully clothed; and stare at the naked Alfeegi Demon that sat on the bed for the best part of three hours. The demon that that he- Nadil- had created.

"You aren't much fun anymore, that's the only reason that I kept you alive. You struggled, and I could have the pleasure of knowing that I was forcing something on an innocent person. Now that you don't struggle , and I've gotten board with you. There's only one thing that has stopped me from killing you just so that I could have a little more fun. And that reason is past now. You didn't kill the Dragon Knights like I had instructed, and now they are coming back in here. So this time, if you don't kill them, and you merely shove them out of the castle again, I will follow them, and kill them myself. After I've had my own fun with them that is; they will take your place if you fail me again. If you decide to save them from that fate, you kill them and I will have you posted in the cell down in the basement for the rest of your immortal life!"

Alfeegi stared at the floor. He knew that he wasn't going to have much choice. Nadil dug his claws into Alfeegi's shoulder. Alfeegi stood, dressed, and allowed Nadil to zap the two of them into the main hallway of the castle. The Knights were already there; they were armed, their dragons were ready, and their armor gleamed in the dull light of the torches. Nadil shoved Alfeegi forward, shouting at him to get it over with. With an apologetic look at the three men that he was sent to kill, Alfeegi summoned his demon sword, and sent the Demon water that he had used earlier to capture the knights again. Then he advanced slowly. He wished to fall to his knees; to stop what he had to do; to let the tears of unwillingness stream down his cheeks. But as a demon, there was no such thing as tears.

He stepped up to Rath, and placed the sword against the young man's neck. The look on Rath's face reminded him of the child that would sneak off to demon hunt with Crewger and Fire, of the child with the smile that could melt even the cold anger of Alfeegi in his rage. Alfeegi knew that he couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt Rath, or Thatz, or Rune. There was just no way. He felt Nadil approaching him. The Demon King was shouting about how he would kill all of them if Alfeegi didn't slay a Knight that instant.

"I'm going to slay a Knight. The Knight of Wind!" Alfeegi shouted at him just as he felt a hard shock of Demonic Magic course through his body. Turning on his heel, Alfeegi swung his sword around, and sent Nadil's head flying across the room. Several things happened at once: Alfeegi collapsed to the stone floor; the ice holding the Dragon Knights shattered into thousands of glittering shards; Thatz ran after the head on that rolled away from them; Rath hacked at the decapitated body so that it couldn't stand again even if it tried; Rune dropped to his knees at Alfeegi's side to try to save his life; and the demon sword that was Alfeegi's turned into a puddle of water that soaked into the stones immediately.

Thatz and Rath approached Rune and Alfeegi warily. They noticed that the white skin was charred black; the white hair had returned to turquoise, but was melted and singed- turning to ash when touched; the ears, the tail, the claws, and the snake fangs had disappeared; the wide open eyes had become copper once more. Alfeegi was no longer demon, and Rune was using all the energy that he could to reverse the damage caused by Nadil. After a few moments Alfeegi closed his eyes, and opened them again, raising his head he looked around, then into the eyes of the Knights.

"Did I kill him?" he asked. They nodded. "And I'm not a demon anymore?" they nodded again. "Then can we go home now?" the Knights looked at each other, smiled, and in one voice responded.

"YES!"

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Alfeegi stood in front of Lykouleon's desk a day later; back to the King in the chair. His skin was still burnt a strange pink, his hair till disintegrated if touched, and the bruises and the scars still shone on his bare back and wrist. Lykouleon had asked Alfeegi to come in and show him what the King's brother had done to his White Officer; and he didn't like what he saw.

Alfeegi should have felt uneasy, standing without a shirt in front of His Highness; but after the five days that he had just been through, he didn't even bat an eye. After a moment, Alfeegi requested that he put his shirt back on, and Lykouleon denied him permission. Lykouleon stood and placed a finger on the scorched hair, allowing the dust fall into his outstretched palm. Then he traced one of the ten scars that lined Alfeegi's back with his eyes. He knew that the scars were painful, and that they ran deep; but they made Alfeegi look smaller than he really was. They swallowed his back completely, making the mussels that held him upright look twisted and strained each time he moved. Softly placing his long fingers on Alfeegi's shoulders, he gently turned the officer around to face the green eyes of his King. Lykouleon scanned Alfeegi's chest, and didn't enjoy the idea that his Chief Secretary had been starved; thin as he already was.

Alfeegi had refused to eat while at the Demon Palace; Nadil had given him nothing but human flesh to eat, and Alfeegi wouldn't let the demon take over, so he didn't take that final step. Now it was showing; ribs stood out on Alfeegi's chest like tree branches, and Lykouleon could wrap his hands around Alfeegi's waistline if the need called for it. Alfeegi's cheekbones cast shadows down his face, and his eyes had sunken into his skull. Soulless eyes stared out from their depths at Lykouleon. Alfeegi had been broken, no longer did he have a free will – in his mind anyway. To Alfeegi, the world could play with him, and he was powerless to stop it. Alfeegi had slipped out of Lykouleon's protective fingers, and didn't like what had come of it very much.

"Can I go now, m'lord. There are pressing matters that await me. I only managed to catch up on one week of the ten months that I've missed. And now that I've missed four or five days, I've fallen so far behind that I can't find my desk in all the paperwork."

"Alfeegi, what did he do to you. Besides turning you into a demon, that is." Lykouleon asked him quietly. Alfeegi lowered his eyes to the floor. No one knew what really happened to him, and he wasn't sure how anyone would react to it if he told them. How could they understand what he went through? He'd be better off no one knowing.

"Nothing, your highness. Just the demon seed." He muttered. It didn't sound convincing, even to his own ears.

"Scars like that don't come from 'nothing' Alfeegi. The only way I could help you is to know what really happened out there." Lykouleon carefully lifted Alfeegi's chin with a thumb and forefinger. Although Alfeegi's face was no longer towards the floor, his eyes still examined a speck of dust on the floor.

"Scars appear from normal of things, m'lord." No emotion.

"Alfeegi, not with demons they don't. Now, are you going to tell me, or am I going to read you for the answer?" harshness.

"You can read, but you'll find nothing, just like I told you." hopeless.

Alfeegi turned away from Lykouleon, and started towards his shirt in the corner. Lykouleon could feel the frustration building in his chest. Alfeegi had never directly disobeyed him like this! Not that Alfeegi ever disobeyed him, but that wasn't the point. Lykouleon wanted to help his friend, and Alfeegi had closed himself off to the rest of the castle! Lykouleon reached out, and grabbed Alfeegi's long loch hair, only to find it disappears like sand between his fingers. Ignoring that, Lykouleon placed a hand on Alfeegi's back without thinking.

Alfeegi gasped and yelped in pain, and as his back arched, he fell to his knees and grasped his sides. Lykouleon stepped back; he didn't know that Alfeegi was so sensitive to the pain! It must have ached to just walk from his office to Lykouleon's study, let alone bend down to pick up his shirt, or jump off a cliff to attack Rune Rath and Thatz. Alfeegi trembled on the floor, breathing heavily to keep from loosing his breakfast to the pain.

"Alfeegi, I- I'm sorry. I d-didn't know." Lykouleon apologized hesitantly. Alfeegi slowly stood, and turned to face the bewildered King; flames burning in his eyes told Lykouleon that he just did something that he was going to regret. Alfeegi's voice was dangerously low, and seemed to be on the verge of homicide.

"M'lord. If you really want to know what happened, I'll be more then happy to tell you! Lykouleon, you're 'brother' decided to score my back with his claws, CHANGED ME INTO A WATER DEMON, AND HE FORCED ME TO ATTACK THE DRAGON KNIGHTS! Then - as if that wasn't enough - he RAPED ME!"

Lykouleon stared at Alfeegi; of all the things that he had expected- that was the one he didn't. Feeling suddenly helpless, Lykouleon watched Alfeegi run out of the room, tears running down his face, his back still uncovered; displaying the long thick scars to the world. Lykouleon sat heavily in the chair that he had studied Alfeegi in just moments ago. Stunned, he relived the last minute in his mind just to be sure that what he thought Alfeegi said was really what was said. After a moment, he rose, and closed the door. He knew that he couldn't repeat a word that Alfeegi had just said; if anything, he had to forget it. In his strange way, Lykouleon had accidentally forced Alfeegi with pain and fear to tell him what had happened, and now Lykouleon knew that if Alfeegi waned anyone else to know what had happened, he'd tell them when he was ready.

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Alfeegi ran down the hall- blinded by the tears that he never thought would come. He ran until he didn't know where he was but pleasantly lost in a corner. Burring his face in his pulled up knees, his shoulders shook as he sobbed, and searing pain laced down his back with each breath he took. Interlocking his fingers over the back of his scalp - the hair turning to sand under his touch - Alfeegi let himself go. His weeping had echoed down the long dark tunnel-like hall, and into an open door where a demon child laid on the bed, reading. Trying to ignore the sounds, Zoma turned the page, and gazed at the letters that he didn't recognize. The book; printed in a strange language that he doubted anyone in the castle knew how to read; did not help tune out the heart-wrenching grief that reached the boy's ears. Sitting upright and closing the book, Zoma looked out the door, and the sight of the shattered White Officer struck him. Alfeegi looked up as a small hand placed itself on his heaving shoulder, and a round adolescent face with sad eyes gazed at him. Alfeegi stood quickly from fright, immediately regretting the hasty action.

"Alfeegi, are you alright? Where did you get these scars?" Zoma asked with the innocence that only a child could find in the face of uncertainty.

"Z-Zoma, w-what are y-you…" Alfeegi was interrupted by a sudden spasm of pain and tears took him. He collapsed to the floor, and Zoma understood what Alfeegi meant.

Zoma understood in seconds what many pages of writing, or hours of conversation would not clear up. What he understood was complete and total surrender. Not a surrender to a battle of pain, but a surrender to a battle of life. Alfeegi had given up again. Not to the point that he would actually try to purposely take his life like he had before, but rather; not fight against anything that would want it. In Alfeegi's opinion, if they wanted his life, they could have it. Nothing good had happened to him: attempted suicide, over-stressed, shoved down the stairs & left for dead: now being made a demon, forced to attack those that normally protected him, & was raped by the King of Demons. Zoma didn't understand what had happened to Alfeegi, he hadn't even heard rumors, but he had a really good idea, having been under the control of Nadil's army once before.

Zoma gathered the thin shoulders in his arms, and held Alfeegi tightly, the way that Cesia had held him many times before. Alfeegi wrapped his own arms around the Yokai youth, and the boy allowed the man to work out what was bothering him on the silken shirt. After a while, Alfeegi's sobbing slowed… calmed… and stopped. He breathed heavily for a moment, sniffed, and squeezed Zoma slightly.

"Thank you Zoma. I'm alright now." Alfeegi opened his eyes, and found the child in his arms asleep, still holding Alfeegi in a tight embrace. Smiling softly, Alfeegi scooped Zoma into his arms, ignored the pain that ran its fingers down his back, and carried his savior to the room with the door open. Laying the boy back on the bed, Alfeegi found the book, and recognized what it was. Finding a pen and some parchment, he wrote a note, and left it on the book.

Zoma,

Thank you for helping me. I know what I need to do now. I would be even more of a mess if you weren't there to help me. I can't return the favor completely, but I think that you will find a book on my desk that will help you read this one. When you want it, come by and you can have it.

Alfeegi

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