A/N: So here we are again. If you can't tell, the mental breakdown is in full swing. I don't know what else to say here, so let's just get on with this.

My head hurt. There was this strange, pulsing sensation just behind my eyes, and it felt like my brain was about to explode.

I couldn't see. Well, that's not entirely true. I could see the color red, and that was about it. I mean, red is a good color. Have you seen it?

I could hear muffled conversation, but that didn't really matter to me. I just wanted this damned headache to go away. It was driving me nuts!

I tried to rub my eyes, but found that I couldn't move my arm. That was odd. I tried moving my other arm, with no success. I tried to wiggle my legs, but I couldn't even shake them a little bit. It was strange, but for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to care. The only things that I was focusing on was the wonderful color, and my horrible migraine.

...This is kind of boring. Like, the red is nice and all, but my head just hurts too much for me to appreciate it. It was starting to piss me off. Like, imagine getting to watch a movie you've been waiting for for years, and on the day it releases, you get too sick to go. That's how I felt.

After being stuck in this weird limbo for who knows how long, the red eventually started to fade. I was upset by this, because now I was left with a stupid fucking headache. Other things were coming into focus though, so maybe it wouldn't be completely unbearable.

As my eyes finally adjusted, I found myself lying in my bed. To my right, Yuri sat on a chair, watching me with her arms crossed. She looked at me with a heavy amount of caution, like how someone would regard an unknown dog.

That kind of hurt, honestly. Why was she looking at me like that? I don't remember doing anything especially heinous.

I tried again to move my arm. This time, it budged a little bit. It wasn't much, but hey, It was progress.

I noticed that Yuri had taken off her coat. It was a shame. It looked so nice on her with all that red on it. With great effort, I moved my head up, looking around the room. The coat was off in the corner, noticeably devoid of any stains. I frowned, disappointed. She'd practically ruined that coat.

I tried to speak, but whatever words I was trying to say came out in a hoarse cough. My throat felt awful, like I'd swallowed a razor blade. So, I just settled for Looking at Yuri instead.

Yuri, upon realizing that my eyes were on her, seemed to stiffen somewhat. She wore an apprehensive expression, which pissed me off to no end.

"Alex..." She said uncertainly. "How are you feeling."

I tried again to speak, this time being able to force some words out of my throat.

"Like shit." I grunted, my hoarse voice feeling more like a growl. "Am I sick again?"

She shook her head.

"You've been out cold for a couple of days now." She said, crossing her arms. "We need to talk about what happened earlier."

I blinked. What was there to talk about. She killed four men, and made her coat really pretty. Was there something else I was missing?

I felt the tiniest bit disgusted with myself, but I wasn't sure why. I mean, what was there to be disgusted about? That fight was beautiful, and I just couldn't understand why Yuri felt anything other than pride in her work.

Still, she looked a little upset. Maybe I could cheer her up somehow? She deserved to be happy after what she did.

"There's nothing to talk about, other than the fact that you're an artist." I said, trying to make a stupid grin. My face didn't quite seem to fully work yet, so I probably looked stupid.

Yuri's reaction wasn't what I was hoping for. She put her head in her hands, and let out a long, suffering sigh.

"Alex, do you think I enjoy killing?" She asked suddenly, staring down at me like she was searching for something in my expression.

That was an odd question. I mean, during the fight, she looked majestic, her graceful movements carefully painting the snow like an artist flicking paint onto an empty portrait.

So, I went with the only answer on my mind. The consequences didn't even register in my mind as relevant. How could you judge someone for liking art?

"I mean, how could you not?" I asked sincerely. "You did it with such... style. I'm a little jealous, actually."

That was apparently not the answer she was looking for. She became pale, her expression becoming even more upset.

"Alex, that's not okay." She said, her voice wavering for a second. "Killing is never something you should take lightly. You shouldn't enjoy it."

Of course you shouldn't take it lightly. An artist can't just bang out painting after painting. Stuff like that takes time. You have to perfect it.

When I said as much to her, she grabbed me by the shoulder.

"Alex, NO!" She yelled, her voice tinted with... desperation? "You should never celebrate taking someone's life! It's not an artform! Seeing it like that is just... wrong!"

I could see her shaking now, and that scared me somewhat. There was a nagging voice in the back of my mind, telling me that I should feel horrified, but I just ignored it. Why would I be horrified? I was just telling the truth.

Actually, now that I thought about it, why was she so upset? She'd killed those men, so why couldn't she understand what I was talking about? Why did it upset her when all I was doing was appreciating her talent?

"Why are you acting like this?" I asked her, frowning. "You should get what I'm talking about! You slaughtered those bastards, so why don't you understand? Why are you so upset?"

A couple of tears streamed down her face, which made me pause. I just didn't understand. That nagging voice was telling me that I was horrible, but I ignored it because it didn't make sense.

For a moment, I thought she was going to cry. After a minute though, she shook her head, and her expression became angry. It wasn't the shouting kind of anger, either. It was that Yuri-brand of quiet rage, which was way scarier than just yelling.

"I'm upset because you're acting exactly like I did when I was twelve." I she growled. "I was a killer, and I loved it."

I felt a little excitement bubble up in my chest. So she did understand! If so, why was she so adverse to it? Frankly, it was starting to really make me mad.

She seemed to notice my confusion, as she continued talking.

"I'm going to tell you something that I had to learn the hard way." She grunted, staring directly into my eyes. "Your actions absolutely have consequences. Life isn't cheap, and people will come after you."

That was a given. Most people just didn't understand how wonderful the red was. I certainly did. Yuri probably liked it too, even if she was acting like she didn't.

"Do you think I had a choice, living here?" She asked suddenly, startling me out of my thoughts. "Do you really think that I chose to live on this shithole continent, where the majority of the population worships that bitch of a goddess?"

...I supposed that made sense. I didn't exactly like this place either. Ilias was... the worst.

"I guess... you have a point." I said uncertainly. "It would be troublesome to be constantly hunted."

She was right, and it was pissing me off. I subtly moved my arm under the covers, and began to scratch at my leg,

"I don't think you understand the severity of what I'm talking about." She growled again. "I can't even visit my family's grave. Even now, over twenty years later, I can't set foot on Sentora without being immediately chased away. There's probably still wanted posters of me out there."

I blinked, surprised. Just how much did Yuri do? People tended to dislike murder, but did people really care enough in this world to hold a grudge for so long? I'm sure they had so much other stuff to worry about.

I felt a pit begin to form in my stomach. Why did I suddenly feel sick? Something felt wrong, and I wasn't sure what it was.

"Make no mistake." Yuri said. "Murder is evil. Think of how you would feel if someone butchered someone you loved. Just picture that."

I thought for a moment. That... would be pretty awful, actually.

"Well, then don't just do random killings." I shrugged. "Go for the lowlifes. Target the people that hurt others."

Yuri facepalmed. She sighed, which slowly turned into a growl.

"You should only kill as a last resort." She countered angrily. "I killed those men so they wouldn't murder anyone else. I didn't do it just because I could."

That was a perfect opportunity though! No one would blame you, so you could cut loose.

"I mean, you did it for a good cause." I grunted. "No one would blame you for enjoying yourself."

She paused, looking at me for a moment. After a couple of seconds, she turned away, looking to the door. She was shaking lightly, and I could hear the occasional sniffle.

"Stay here." She grunted. "I'm going to go get Micaela, and we're going to figure out what's wrong with you."

Before I could get a word in, she got up, and left, slamming the door behind her. After a moment, there was a distinct click noise.

...She didn't just lock me in, did she?

Slowly, I got up from the bed, taking care not to fall on my face, and walked to the door. I jiggled the doorknob, and, sure enough, it was locked.

"Son of a bitch." I muttered angrily. I walked over to the window, which was also locked, and looked outside. There was still snow on the ground, so that was nice, I guessed. It had potential to be beautiful, but it just didn't have any red.

Oh well, I didn't have anything better to do. My book wasn't anywhere to be found, either. So, I pulled up a chair, and stared out the window.

Minutes went by, as I sat silently, waiting for Yuri to return.

For a second, I thought I saw a flash of movement outside. However, the window was a bit fogged up, so I couldn't tell what it was.

Suddenly, a rock sailed through the window, missing my head by about an inch. The window shattered completely, allowing the cold air to waft inside.

I stuck my head out, angrily searching for the bastard that had the audacity to break my window.

"Who fuckin' threw that?" I roared. "I'll kick your fuckin' a-AHH"

Someone grabbed me by my arm, and pulled me outside. I faceplanted in the snow, grunting as the cold hit me like a truck.

I quickly leapt to my feet, stumbling a little as the snow was a bit thicker than I initially thought. I glared at the direction the arm came from, falling into a combat stance. I can't say I was surprised when I saw who it was.

It was that bubbly dark-elf bitch. It seemed that she had healed from Yuri's beatdown, as she looked exactly as she did when I first met her.

"Are fucking stupid or something?" I yelled at her. "Jeez, you tried this last time, and look what happened."

She chuckled. It was probably meant to be seductive, but it just came off as really annoying.

"Yuri isn't here right now." She said. "And by the time she gets back, I'll have you tied to my bed."

...Was this bitch serious? I felt like my brain was about to hemorrhage from the sheer stupidity.

"And you know she's been training me, right?" I asked. "Actually, fuck it. Please attack me. I'd love to test what I've learned."

She laughed at me, which pissed me off, but I waited for her to make the first move.

"You're just a kid." She said, her voice incredibly smug. "And a human one at that. What do you plan to-AGH"

So I may have gotten a bit impatient. I wanted her to attack first, but she wouldn't shut the fuck up. So, I punched her right in the gut. Unlike last time, my attacks actually seemed to affect her somewhat.

"Oh, you little shit!" She growled, stumbling back. "Fine, It seems I'll have to teach you to respect your betters."

I flipped her off, causing her to growl. She stomped towards me, glaring angrily.

"I'll strip you of your sanity." She growled, her tone filled with a desperate lust. "I'll fuck you 'till your brains turn to mush, and then I'll dump you back at Yuri's. She'll get to see you at your worst. She'll see your broken, battered-WOAH!"

I tried to punch her again, because her voice was starting to really piss me off, but it seemed like she learned her lesson, jumping away just in time.

"I don't know what you expected me to do there." I deadpanned. "Look, just get over here so I can beat you into a bloody pulp."

Hey, maybe if I beat her enough, I could see more of the red! That'll make the snow look much nicer.

With that in mind, I decided to take the initiative, stalking towards her, my fists raised in preparation. She glared at me, so I did so in retaliation.

As soon as I was in range, I went to kick her in the legs. She'd anticipated that, jumping backwards, narrowly avoiding my foot. I stepped forward, continuing my onslaught with another punch. She dodged again, this time, my fist missing her head by centimeters. I went for a third attack, this time, a quick jab to her stomach. That one landed true, and she grunted, cursing as she tried her best to tank the blow. Then, she retaliated.

I expected a punch or a kick, but she just full on tackled me, sending us both toppling to the ground, with her on top of me. I didn't expect it, because I had been too used to fighting Yuri. Most monsters tended to use pleasure attacks, while Yuri would just beat the shit out of you.

Anyways, so now I had a dark elf on top of me. Had I been older, I would've been very flustered. Thankfully, the hormones hadn't kicked in yet on this body, so I was more angry than anything.

She started to lean her head forward, like she was going to kiss me. So, I took that as an opportunity. With all the force I could muster, I slammed my forehead into hers, sending her tumbling off me.

I blinked the stars out of my vision, loudly cursing to myself.

Headbutts suck for everyone.

Anyways, once my eyes locked onto the dark-elf's still prone form, I saw an opportunity. I jumped on top of her, straddling her waist. The position probably looked a bit scandalous, but I was far beyond the point of giving a shit.

Before she could do anything, I slammed my fist into her jaw, her head bouncing off the ground from the sheer force. I punched her once, twice, three times, probably scrambling the bitch's brains. Then, I saw the red.

Her mouth was filled with it, to the point where it was overflowing, spilling out onto the snow. She looked way better now, in my opinion.

I was so caught up in staring, that I didn't notice her moving until it was too late. She punched me in the mouth, sending me off her. I fell in a heap, feeling the familiar copper taste assault my senses.

Before I could get up, she grabbed me by the pants. Frantically, I scooped some snow up from the ground, and then threw it in her eyes. She stumbled backwards, blinded. I scrabbled upwards, taking care to make sure my pants hadn't been loosened.

After wiping the last of the snow from her eyes, she jumped forwards, and tried to deliver a devastating haymaker across my face. I dodged to the left, and countered with a sweep of the legs. It was poorly done, but the dark elf was pretty disoriented, so it worked.

When she was on the ground, I stomped down on her chest. She yelped in pain, so I did it again. The second time, I heard the distinct sound of snapping ribs. I went to do it again, but this time she grabbed my foot. With surprising strength, she threw me, sending me careening across the snow. I hit the ground face first, sliding for a couple of feet, before stopping dead.

I got up, noticing quite a bit of red on the snow. I shook my head, trying not to focus on it. I could admire it later. Right now, I had a fight to win.

I turned to look in the dark elf's direction, just in time to catch a foot to the face, knocking me back down. My jaw exploded into pain, enough to to make me scream. I cursed, but it came out as gibberish, so I knew that it was definitely broken, if not totally destroyed.

Something wasn't right. The entire left side of my face was burning like it was on fire. I felt hot liquid running down my neck, feeling like a constant, slow moving river. Something was brushing against my neck, but I couldn't tell what it was.

I tried to get back up, but she planted her foot on my chest, keeping me down. I glared up at her with all the hate I could muster. She was messed up. Several cuts nicked her face and arms. Blood was pouring from her mouth (Which was very nice to see, let me tell you.), and from what I could tell, her teeth were practically nonexistent. One of her eyes were starting to swell, as she could barely even squint with it.

"You piece of shit." She growled. "I just wanted to have a little fun with you. I'd show you how good it was to fuck, and I might've even let you leave afterwards."

I tried weakly to get back up, but my body felt so sluggish. My head hurt, and I was starting to feel kind of tired. I just wanted to sleep. With one hand, she reached down to my pants, and began to pull at them.

"But now, I'm going to kill you." She whispered huskily, the seduction from earlier making another appearance. Though, this time, it was waaaaay more sinister. "Be glad I feel merciful to make your death a nice one."

I blinked, barely comprehending her words. There was a strange buzzing in my ears, blocking out most noise. I saw the beautiful crimson drip from her cheeks, sparkling in the morning light. It shone brighter than the purest of rubies, putting everything around it to shame. I was too captivated to notice anything else. I didn't hear rapidly approaching footsteps until they were almost on top of me.

Suddenly, the dark-elf was gone from my vision, sent flying away. In her place, stood Yuri, who looked as madder than a hornet's nest. She stomped off in the direction of the dark-elf, yelling words that I couldn't understand. Everything was so quiet compared to the ringing in my ears.

In my dazed, probably concussed state, I wasn't happy that Yuri came to save me. I was just sad that I couldn't see any red. I couldn't even get up to watch the fight. I was just so tired.

Suddenly, another person occupied my vison. Micaela stood over me, her expression a mixture of shock and worry. Her face kind of scared me, because her expression basically said something along the lines of "Holy shit, how are you even alive?" So, I must've been pretty messed up.

She said words that I couldn't hear, and her hands began to glow with a strange energy. She placed them upon me, and I felt the pain began to recede. The cloudiness in my brain also started to disappear, too, restoring some clarity to my mind. And with that clarity, my anxiety finally kicked in.

Holy shit! I nearly got raped to death. I nearly died just now, all because some dark-elf chick was too horny for her own good.

I really hated this world.

Personally, I'd rather she just stab me. At least then she'd be making something pretty out of it. But no, she had to get all weird with it. That's a problem with most monsters. They'll just fuck you.

Whatever, I shook my head, trying to kill that train of thought before it got too out of hand. I didn't need to think about my mortality right now. That kind of shit would mess me up.

Anyways, I got back up, dusting myself off. As I was doing so, I noticed the shocking amount of blood that covered my shirt. It had gone cold, having been exposed to the freezing air. Still, that didn't make it any less nice to look at. I felt my mind begin to cloud again, but I didn't care this time. I was busy looking at art, so I didn't need such frivolous things like... logic.

Eventually, I felt something warm wrap around my body. I looked up for a moment, and realized that Micaela had draped her coat over me. That was nice, but unimportant compared to the rich color of my shirt, so I went back to staring at that. Gingerly, I touched it with my hand, and began to roll it between my fingers. It was liquid, so I don't really know what I expected. Still, the action brought some strange sense of satisfaction to me. I wasn't sure why, but seeing that wonderful shade of red made me feel... whole. Like, for all of my life, I was missing something, and now I have it.

I wasn't sure how long I sat there. it could've been seconds, or hours. I didn't care. I just wanted to sit and admire the color. It made me happy, and that was all that seemed to matter in the world.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. Annoyed, I stopped looking at my shirt, and turned to the direction of where the tap came from.

Yuri stood above me, offering me a hand up. I took it, letting her pull me to my feet.

Then she hugged me. I was so surprised that I just stood there, unsure of what to do. After a moment, I figured "What the hell", and relaxed, wrapping my arms around her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you." She quietly muttered, running a hand through my hair. "I should've just brought you with me."

I sagged at her comment. I was hoping I'd be strong enough to protect myself. Instead, I had to be rescued again.

"Aw hell." I grumbled. "Why am I still so weak? I've been training for a while now."

Yuri chuckled, and released me from the hug.

"Alex, you're still a child." She said. "The fact that you managed to give a fully-grown dark-elf a black eye is already impressive."

That wasn't good enough though! I wanted her dead! I wanted to personally spill her blood!

Yuri saw my angered expression, but probably didn't realize what I was thinking. I obviously couldn't tell her what I wanted, as she'd already made her thoughts about the subject known.

"Come on, it's cold out here." Yuri said. "Let's get you inside."

Without waiting for my reply, she picked me up and carried me into the house.

"I can walk, you know." I grumbled, trying to squirm out of her grip. She was still much stronger than me, though, so I couldn't actually get away.

Actually, the way she was holding me... was kind of odd. Like, it seemed like she was scared that I would try to run off. I wasn't sure why, so I didn't comment on it. I mean, given my history, that made a little sense, but we'd been living together for nearly a year now. I thought she'd trust me more, considering the fact that I hadn't run in all this time.

Micaela followed us into the house, locking the door behind her. Once the door was closed, Yuri let me go. I immediately went back to staring at my shirt, feeling whatever negative emotions I might have had get swept away in a tide of... satisfaction.

"Alex, I need to speak to you for a moment." Micaela said, once again ripping my attention away from what was probably the only important thing in the room.

Yuri pulled up a chair, and sat at the table, motioning for us to do the same. After we both sat down, Micaela turned to me.

"Anyways, Alex." She said cautiously. "Yuri told me that you've developed quite a fixation on blood."

I nodded. There was no need to lie. All that would do is make me seem less trustworthy.

"Yeah." I said, not entirely sure how to proceed. "Not sure why, but it just suddenly became so nice to look at. I'm not complaining though."

Micaela looked at me for a second, as if she was trying to figure out if I was fucking with her. After a moment, she shook her head,

"When did you start feeling such an attachment to blood?" She asked, her face expressing nothing but indifference.

I blinked. Did Yuri not tell her?

"...The other day when Yuri killed those four shitheads." I deadpanned. Micaela turned suddenly to Yuri, who only winced slightly.

Yuri gave a long, suffering sigh, but said nothing, motioning for me to explain.

"Did she seriously not tell you?" I asked Micaela, more than a little confused. "Like, I thought that would've been top priority."

Micaela looked to me, suddenly a lot more interested in what I had to say, her gaze turning to focus intently on me. It actually made me a little bit uncomfortable, if only because I knew that she could absolutely obliterate me without really trying. Of course, she wouldn't do that, but that doesn't change the fact that I was a little scared of her. I had been a little wary of her when I met her, but right now I was just the tiniest bit terrified.

"Well, Yuri confronted some humans in the woods." I said, forcefully pushing my unease deeper down into myself, as I knew it would only hinder my explanation. "They had murdered a mother and her child, so Yuri killed them."

I sighed, wondering if I should tell them exactly how I felt. Actually, this secrecy bullshit is really starting to piss me off. Hell, they always say that honesty is the best policy, so damn the consequences, I guess. I just wanted them to understand.

"When she killed them, it was like... she made it into an art." I continued, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "Her movements were graceful, and every swish of her arm sprayed a beautiful crimson color across the snow. When I saw it, I just felt wonderful. Like, all this time, I was missing a piece of myself. That piece was the red."

Yuri's head hit the table. She groaned loudly, seemingly frustrated with me. Micaela looked concerned, stroking her chin as she gazed at me.

"Well... I might have an explanation." She said finally, after what felt like hours. "Monster blood will sometimes twist a human's mind. Usually, it only affects women, but occasionally, it will affect a man."

I blinked. That... didn't really make sense.

"...I like the red, not semen." I deadpanned, unimpressed with her explanation.

Micaela looked at me again, realizing that I was an idiot.

"Just because you have monster blood, doesn't mean you have monster biology." She said. "Since you were already a little dispositioned towards violence, the blood inside you made your problems more extreme. If you hadn't had any issues, then It wouldn't have done anything to you."

...I was fairly certain that mental illness didn't work that way. But whatever, Micaela's smart, so I'll trust her. Besides, magic breaks all known laws of physics anyways, so this was probably just par for the course.

"Why did it only recently start affecting him?" Yuri cut in, distracting me from my musings. "This wasn't a problem until a couple days ago."

Micaela sighed, clearly not wanting to say what was bouncing around in her brain.

"Well, Yuri," She said, her expression neutral. "As much as I hate to say it, it's because of you."

Yuri looked at Micaela, her eyes widening by a fraction. It was clear that she did not like this train of thought.

"More accurately, it's because of your training." Micaela said, cutting off whatever Yuri was about to say. "All the physical strain you put him through has activated his dormant monster blood. His mind has been slowly growing more twisted as the year went on. I'm surprised you haven't noticed something wrong until now."

...Did she do that on purpose? That seemed kind of mean to fuck with Yuri like that.

"That still doesn't explain why he suddenly latched onto blood like it was the best thing in the universe." Yuri stated, the smallest bit of heat tainting her words. "or why now he suddenly doesn't comprehend that having a fascination with blood is wrong."

I wanted to butt in and say it wasn't wrong, but I felt like that wouldn't do me any favors.

"It's very possible that he'd been craving it all this time, and didn't realize until he watched you kill those men."

...That makes a little sense, now that I think about it. Whenever I saw the red, I felt... complete. This is probably starting to get a bit repetitive, but I cannot overstate the feelings I have for the substance.

"Well, is there anything I can do about it?" Yuri asked. "I managed to get myself under control a long time ago, so why wouldn't I be able to help him?"

Micaela looked at me again. Her expression was a sad one, and that didn't exactly inspire Yuri with confidence, let me tell you.

"His case is the most extreme I've ever seen in a child his age." Micaela said. "If he's this bad right now, then I can't imagine how much worse it will get. I'm not sure if anything can be done."

*LINEBREAK*

A little while ago... Also Micaela's P.O.V (Sort of.)

Micaela was enjoying a nice cup of tea. It was a splendid morning, with nothing seemingly having gone wrong.

So, of course, that didn't last. Yuri burst through the door, looking like she was about to cry.

"Micaela, I need your help." She said, her voice panicked.

Micaela stood up, rushing over to her. She'd never seen Yuri in such a state, so she was rightly concerned.

"What's wrong?" Micaela asked, before hazarding a guess. "Is it Alex?"

Yuri took a moment to compose herself. After a moment, she nodded.

"He's developed this sudden... fixation on blood. I can't convince him that it's wrong."

Well that was... a problem. Surely, it couldn't have been that bad! Alex was only around ten years old. Though, Micaela did have to admit that he was the angriest ten-year-old that she'd ever met.

So, after grabbing her coat, she walked out with Yuri, taking care to make sure that her friend was okay.

They walked in silence towards Yuri's house, as there wasn't anything Micaela could say. This sounded really bad.

Just when had this happened? Sure, Alex was an angry child, but why would he suddenly enjoy the sight of blood? Last time she saw him, he was irritated, but not murderous. Just what had changed?

Micaela's thoughts were interrupted by an angry shout from Yuri, who took off suddenly, rushing towards the house. Micaela looked over, and her heart froze for a moment.

One of the dark-elves was leaning over someone, who was concerningly child-sized. Obviously, that was Alex, though his face was obscured by the dark-elf's body. There was a shocking amount of blood covering the snow, so something was obviously wrong.

Yuri slammed into the dark-elf, sending her flying.

"You heal him. I have some business to take care of." Yuri yelled back at Micaela, before sprinting after the woman who dared to assault Alex. Micaela nodded, rushing over to the boy. When she saw what state he was in, her heart dropped like a rock. She'd seen many horrors before, considering her past. Still, it wasn't every day she saw a child so grievously injured.

Alex stared up at her, his eyes clouded by pain and loss of blood. His jaw was hanging, having been completely detached from the left side of his face. Blood flowed freely from the wound, staining everything it touched. There also were multiple cuts all along his face and arms, but those weren't really important.

It was nothing she couldn't heal, but it didn't stop her from being upset. No child should have to endure that. Quickly, she got to work, healing him as fast as she could. After a moment, the injury was gone. Though, Micaela didn't understand how he got so injured in the first place. Then, it hit her.

Alex was powerful for a child. That much was obvious, considering all the training he did with Yuri. Still, his body hadn't even begun to truly develop. Right now, he still had the durability of a regular human child, which meant that he could be easily killed. Though, why did his attacker do this? Dark-elves were known to be lewd, not violent. She must've been desperate if she hurt him like that. It was entirely possible that Alex was holding his own until he got hurt that badly.

A lot of blood had stained his shirt. He was undoubtedly cold, so without a second thought, Micaela draped her coat around him. The air was cold, but she'd had to deal with far worse before.

He was actually looking down at his shirt, which reminded Micaela of why she was originally here. She looked into his eyes, and her heart sank.

The look in his eyes was nothing but pure joy. He gazed at his blood-stained shirt with a smile on his face, as if what he was looking at was the only important thing in the world.

She'd seen that expression quite often, though that was long ago. She'd seen it on angels, soldiers that had taken entirely too much pleasure in killing their enemies. Instinctively, she almost attacked right there, but she stopped herself. Alex was a child, not an angel.

She suddenly felt like Yuri didn't realize how bad this situation was. If he was already this enraptured by the sight of blood, then there was no telling how bad his fixation could become. She hoped that Yuri would be able to curb this before it got too out of hand.

Because if not, Micaela felt like she might have to kill a child.

A/N: Can I let y'all in on a little secret? I have no idea what I'm doing.

So, if you can't tell, this is going to be a major issue for a while. Once again, tell me if there are any glaring plot holes, and I will do my best to fix them. I'm very tired right now, so I can't see anything major.

Anyways, we've learned something interesting about Yuri. Eventually, I hope to do a chapter on her backstory, but I just haven't figured out how to slot that in here yet.

I wanted to show that Alex didn't really understand what was wrong with his fixation. So, for most of this chapter, I made it so that he referred to blood as "The red". I'm not sure if it sounds corny. I'll let you all be the judge of that.