Hit him.

Beat him.

"Wake up."

Take him.

Keep him.

"Wake up."

Choke him.

Kill him.

"Wake up!"

Tyrannus's eyes shot open, and his head turned from side to side to view nothing but darkness. He attempted to rise, but he found it impossible to move from his seated position. His arms were behind his back, his ankles held together, both by chains he could not see.

"Good, you've awoken," a voice purred in the darkness.

"Who said that? Who are you?"

"You don't recognize me? I'm offended. I've been with you so long, Tyrannus."

"Iacto?"

The darkness was endless, boundless, but out from the shadow there rolled a purple head that, when stopped, revealed a face badly burned and beaten. Tyrannus's heart hitched when, though barely, he recognized it as Iacto.

"Does that answer your question?"

"What are you?" he whispered. "What are you?!"

"Really, that incubus has dulled your mind," the voice sighed. A clawed foot rested atop Iacto's head, and a heavily disfigured demon leaned forward to press his forehead to Tyrannus's. "You can't even recognize yourself anymore."

Tyrannus reeled back, his eyes wide. This...this wasn't him...this couldn't be him! This demon had beady black eyes and pus-filled tumors and rotten horns in place of hair!

"Don't play games with me," Tyrannus hissed.

"Who are you to be barking orders?" the demon laughed. "You may be the King of Iyan, I'm the lord of your senses. I am Iacto now."

"You...killed him?"

"Oh, I did far more than that. I absorbed him, Tyrannus. He's part of me now, making me the master of your mind."

Tyrannus shook his head, a shaky but large smile on his face. "You're nothing," he spat. "This is a dream."

"Oh? That's what you think?" The demon chuckled, revealing jagged, yellow teeth, through the gaps of which a snake slithered. "Let me ask you something, then." He stepped back and held out his hands. Two flames formed between them, one black and one pink. The black flame materialized into a long-haired man wielding a spiked mace, while the other shifted into a young girl. The black flame bashed its mace into the girl's head, sending smaller flames splattering everywhere.

Tyrannus's eyes burned, but not from the heat of the flames. "Kanako…" he whispered.

"Was that a dream, Tyrannus? Or maybe I should call you Souichi again. You're reacting like a human, after all." He laughed again, and the flames simply grew in size.

I'll kill you all! shouted a man's voice.

Brother, no! shouted a young girl.

"That...that was...I…" Tears welled in his eyes, and the space where his heart was supposed to be seemed to grow even more hollow. "I didn't mean it...I didn't mean it…"

"You did mean it," said the demon. "You bashed her face in with a mace because you wanted nothing but destruction. That's all you've ever wanted. Power. Blood. Dominance. But what did you get? Set afire as you were stoned by the subjects you starved and raped of life."

"I didn't mean it...I didn't do it...I...stop…please..."

"You want the pain to stop? That's not possible, Tyrannus. You chose this life. Everything that's happened has been your doing. Not Kanako's, not Iacto's, not Jousin's, not Tairo's, not Tetsuda's—yours."

"Stop…" He lowered his head, and now his body trembled. "Stop it...please…"

"You can't stop this, Tyrannus." The demon leaned forward, and in a tender voice, he murmured, "But I can. I can make all of this pain and agony go away. All you have to do is let me help you."

"Fine...you can…" He swallowed with a dry throat, then shook his head. "No...no! No! You can't take me! You don't control me!"

"Tyrannus—"

"No!" he screeched. "No! Let me go! Now! No!"

Tyrannus? Tyrannus?

"Get off! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!"

Tyrannus!

Something struck him hard across the face, and when Tyrannus's eyes opened again, they viewed a pair of sapphires that stilled him instantly.

Despite his bare body, Tyrannus was covered in sweat, and his breaths came in quick, shallow pants. He lay atop his bed, held in place by Tetsuda, clad—surprisingly—in military garb.

Hit him.

"What's happening?" Tyrannus asked.

"I can ask the same of you," Tetsuda said. "You were supposed to meet with the Factionry today to discuss what's to happen in Suiyan over an hour ago. I came in to check on you, and I found you convulsing and screaming. What's wrong?"

Beat him.

"It's...it's nothing, Tetsuda, I just...haven't been sleeping…"

"Tyrannus," the incubus said, harder now. "That wasn't sleep deprivation. What happened? Tell me."

Take him.

"I did," Tyrannus grumbled. "Let me go. I have a meeting, remember?"

Though his eyes were narrow, Tetsuda loosened his grip on Tyrannus's arms, allowing the Ira to rise from the bed. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, you know."

Keep him.

Tyrannus looked over his shoulder as he pulled on underwear. "What do you mean?"

"Rule all of Iyan. You're essentially doubling the size of your kingdom, and half of it would gladly murder you. Maybe you should give one of the Factionry dominion over Suiyan, or even divide it into a few separate states. Just until the people are unified."

Choke him.

Tyrannus shook his head. "No one will be king but me. Be sure of that. It'll just threaten stability."

"Tyrannus—"

Kill him.

"Not everyone is like you, Tetsuda. A precarious time like this is perfect for usurping power, and I have no intention of being beaten down again. Especially not after what Tairo put me through all these centuries."

Tetsuda nodded, albeit slowly and with reservation on his face. "If you say so."

Kill him.

"What about you, then? Why are you so dressed up?"

"I'm returning to Ceniyan today."

Keep him.

"What? Since when?"

"I told you over a week ago. Now that the war's over, I have no need to stay here anymore. Almost all of Ceniyan was destroyed, and as their governor, I have to—"

"You're staying."

Kill him.

"What?"

"Like I said, this is a precarious time, and I have to be on guard constantly. I need at least one person I can trust around me."

"You're sure?"

Kill him.

"Certain. Don't worry about Ceniyan. We'll fix it soon. Just…" An image of a bloodied girl's face flashed before his eyes, and he shook his head. "It'll take a bit of time, that's all."

Tetsuda stepped forward and cupped Tyrannus's cheeks. "Take as much time as you need, Tyrannus. Your health isn't worth a quick recovery."

"I know. I'll try to take better care of myself, Tetsuda. I promise."

"Good." He kissed Tyrannus's forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Kill him.