A few more months had gone by, and Yuri had taught me some more stuff. Mostly just basic stances, and how to swing a sword. I was a little confused on why we were focusing on this for literal months, but whatever. It's not like I was in a hurry. Yuri had said that she wanted me to completely master the basics before moving on, which… was fair enough, I supposed. Practice makes perfect, or however that saying goes.

Anyways, the weeks passed by with little issue. Every day, I got up, ate breakfast, trained with Yuri until I was about to drop, ate dinner, and slept. Once a week or so, we'd leave the village to procure some blood for my… cravings. Though, with the way things were looking, we'd soon have to bump it up to twice a week. I wasn't sure if my increased need was due to my body naturally growing and aging, or due to the intense stress it was being put under. Either way, it was an issue. One that I had absolutely no idea how to approach.

So I tried not to think about it. Maybe that was just avoiding the problem, but I didn't care. There was no point trying to worry about something that I couldn't solve. It'd just drive me insane.

So to keep myself from pondering on that useless line of thinking, I tried to distract myself. Granted, I didn't really have to try all that hard. By the time each day ended, I didn't really have the energy to think. The few times I found myself with a little excess in the tank, I spent it on reading. Yuri had a few small books, mostly on the history of the surrounding area. It was a bit of a boring read, but hey… it was better than nothing.

Of course, Yuri had initially been quite shocked at my ability to read. It made sense, considering how this was a medieval world, and literacy wasn't exactly common. In hindsight, I probably should've just pretended I didn't know how to read. It probably would've been less suspicious.

But what's done is done. Besides, Yuri didn't seem to care all that much. She never really asked about my past, which made my life so much easier. I didn't have to think up lies on the spot. Nor did I have to keep track of whatever falsehoods I might have already said.

Yuri did still give me strange looks occasionally however. I'm not sure what they meant, but it freaked me out a little. They weren't bad, per se, but sometimes, they seemed… concerned? Almost pitying? It was odd, and quite frankly, I fucking hated it. But what can you do? Not like I could just tell her to stop.

Anyways, on one particular spring afternoon, I'd found myself having a little extra energy after our training session. Whether that was because we just hadn't trained as hard that day, or my endurance was improving, I didn't know. Probably a mix of both, if I'm being completely honest.

But on that lovely afternoon, with the breeze drifting lazily by, rustling drearily through the trees and bushes... I was decidedly bored. Sure, it was a pretty day out, but that didn't really do much for me. I could only stay in one spot and enjoy nature for so long. My attention span wasn't built for that kind of thing. Though that might've had something to do with the fact that I was in the body of a 5 or 6 year old. Hard to say.

For a while, I thought about what to do. How best to occupy my time. In my old life, I'd have just gotten drunk. But I didn't think that was a good idea considering I was in the body of a child. Couldn't go jack off either, since A: my body was too young to be physically capable, and B: the monsters in the village would smell it. And then things would get really weird really quickly.

Eventually, I decided on sharpening sticks into shivs. For no particular reason, of course. It was just something good to do with my hands. The hardest part would be finding a knife, and that wouldn't be too bad. Yuri had a few kitchen knives. I was just going to grab one of those.

And… so I did. There wasn't much stopping me. Yuri trusted me to yell for her if I needed help, so she wasn't actively looking at me. Not to say she was neglecting me, mind you. But her eyes were firmly focused on the unfurled map on the kitchen table. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but I also didn't really care. Map stuff was always super boring to me.

So, I sat on the porch, carving little wooden stakes with a kitchen knife. It wasn't the most mentally stimulating thing in the world, but it was better than nothing.

Not sure how long I was doing that for. I didn't really have a way to tell time, besides the movement of the sun. But I wasn't paying attention to that when I started, so oh well. Really, the only indication that time was passing was the slowly-cooling air.

I was eventually brought back to reality when I noticed a distinct lack of light. There was someone looming over me, casting a long shadow and blocking my view of the sun. Looking up at them, I found that it was an elf. She had long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail, fair skin, silvery eyes, and modest proportions (for a monster, anyways.). She was wearing some light leather armor, which most likely meant that she was probably part of the town guard.

"...If you're thinking about raping me, that'd be a bad idea." I said, unimpressed.

The woman paused, giving me a horrified look that was too visceral to be anything but genuine. Then, she closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh. Shaking her head, she began running a hand through her hair as she looked down at me.

"Child… that is not at all what I was thinking." She said eventually, practically looking ill at the thought. "I was just going to ask if everything was alright with… you and your mother." Her eyes flickered up to the doorway nervously.

Her obvious anxiety helped add to her credibility somewhat. It was clear that she knew damn well what would happen if she tried to diddle me. Though it seemed unlikely that such a thing was her goal in the first place.

"Oh. Well, yeah. Everything's fine, I guess." I shrugged, figuring there wasn't anything wrong with talking to the woman. "Why do you ask?"

The woman frowned, seemingly not expecting that response. It was gone a second later, replaced with a kind, almost sympathetic smile. That rubbed me the wrong way, but I had no reason to speak out, so I didn't. I figured I'd let her talk a bit more before deciding whether or not to blow her off.

"Oh, it's nothing…" She said nervously, shaking her head. "But are you sure everything's okay? Nothing a little off with her? How's she treating you?"

I paused, taking a moment to process her question. Was she… thinking that Yuri was abusing me? I mean, sure, she ran me ragged during training, but that wasn't abuse. That was just her trying to prepare me properly.

Staring at the woman before me, I found myself conflicted. On one hand, I was infuriated that she'd dare suggest that the woman who took me in was abusing me. On the other hand, I felt genuinely touched by her concern. It seemed that not everyone in the village was a degenerate after all.

Finally, I settled on vaguely bemused. With a sigh, I rolled my eyes, and gave her a tired smile. "I'm fine, miss. Really, I am." I said to her, trying to ease her concerns. "Yuri's a bit of an odd duck, but she's trying her hardest to care for me. I've got no complaints."

The blonde elf seemed somewhat conflicted for a moment, as if she wanted to say something more, but knew it might not be a good idea. Finally, she decided to let it go, giving me a small nod.

"Okay then. But you know you can always go to Micaela for help, right?" She asked, giving me one last look. "You seem like a bright kid. Take care of yourself."

With that, she turned around, and walked away. I watched her walk down the street for a while, before she eventually rounded a corner, and went out of sight.

"Hmmm… What an odd woman." Yuri suddenly spoke behind me, causing me to jump. "I'd give her credit for being ballsy enough to question you within my hearing, but I doubt she realized just how close I was."

Suddenly, I felt a small pang of fear for the woman. Yuri didn't seem mad, but for all I knew that could've just been an act she was putting on for me. I didn't want her to go off on someone for simply feeling concerned.

"Y-Yuri…" I muttered, looking over at her. "Y-You're not gonna do anything to her, are you?"

Looking at my fearful expression, Yuri paused. Her eyes softened somewhat, and she shook her head, reaching over and pulling me into a hug.

"Of course not, honey." She whispered, ruffling my hair. "She was actually worried about you. I'm not gonna hurt someone for trying to look out for you. That behavior should be rewarded, not punished."

"And besides…" She continued. "She's not entirely wrong to be concerned. I have a reputation, and it's… not entirely unfounded."

I raised an eyebrow, giving her a flat look. She wilted somewhat under my gaze, letting out a sheepish chuckle.

"Yuri, you literally blinded and disemboweled a woman while she was still alive." I deadpanned. "No shit you have a reputation."

She winced, clearly not expecting me to bring that up. Chuckling nervously, she hugged me a little tighter, and ruffled my hair again.

"Well… you're not wrong. But let's just say that's not the only reason I have a reputation." She sighed when I gave her another questioning look, and shook her head. "Look… I'll explain when you're older, okay?"

Since I obviously wasn't in the position to demand she explain herself, I let it go, rolling my eyes as she released me from the hug. My curiosity had been piqued, but it was clearly going to be denied.

Whatever. I'd just bug her about it incessantly a few years down the line.

"Hmm… It's getting a little late." Yuri said suddenly. "You heading to bed soon?"

I looked out at the sky, noticing that, yes, time had indeed passed. It was past dusk, and the last bits of light from the day were set to completely disappear within minutes. That realization was compounded by a feeling of sudden drowsiness, no doubt brought on by the mention of going to sleep.

"Yeah…" I said eventually, nodding my head. "Sleep sounds pretty good right about now.

With a hiss, I dodged left, barely avoiding the blow of the wooden blade as it whistled past me. I retorted with a thrust, aimed to viciously strike my attacker's midsection. She blocked it easily, stepping into my guard and putting a knee into my stomach. I grunted, the force sending me back several feet. Landing upright, I had barely enough time to dodge the slash aimed for my chest.

My foe stepped forwards, aggressive in her approach. She charged forward with calculated precision, her attacks leaving no room for a counter. It was all I could do to block or dodge these vicious blows, hoping that I'd get some kind of lucky break.

That didn't happen. Eventually, an attack slipped through, the wooden blade striking me in the chest, sending me to the ground. Yuri stood above me, pressing the point of the training blade just under my chin.

"...I yield." I muttered, feeling the bruises I'd acquired finally start to pulse and throb. Since getting to my feet was out of the question, I settled for groaning and trying to get somewhat comfortable on the grass.

Yuri tossed her training sword to the side, giving me a small smile as she sat down next to me. Her expression changed somewhat as she beheld the injuries our sparring had inflicted, taking on a more worried and somewhat ashamed look.

"You okay Alex? I think I roughed you up a little more than I meant." She muttered apologetically. "Do I need to take you to the doctor?"

I slowly shook my head, wincing as I felt a muscle in my neck twinge with hot, dull pain. My entire body felt like it'd been through the ringer. And it had, honestly. Yuri's sparring sessions were… rather brutal. I was grateful for them, don't get me wrong. I actually felt like I was improving rather quickly. It was a good feeling. I just wished it didn't hurt so much.

Some other monsters in town had actually voiced their concern to Micaela, who had in turn stepped in to make sure Yuri toned things down. I'd been annoyed, since I didn't mind getting a little beaten up. Sure, it hurt, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. And it felt kind of good, like how your body burned after a hard workout.

...Or maybe I was just becoming a masochist. Hard to tell, really.

Anyways, even after easing up a little, Yuri was still a vicious bitch in combat. I hadn't been able to land a single hit on her, and it'd been months since we'd started properly sparring! At that point, it was in the weird gray area between late summer and early fall. That odd time when it could be 40 degrees (Fahrenheit) in the morning, but 85 by noon. I'd never liked those days.

"You're improving really well, you know." Yuri's words snapped me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to reality. "You're not even 7, and you could probably hold your own against any human on the continent."

I rolled my eyes, knowing damn well that, in the grand scheme of things, that was rather unimpressive. Still, it was good to hear. Maybe when I was a little older, I'd be able to hold my own against actual monsters? Not counting the weak ones, of course. I'm fairly certain that, at the level I was now, I could trounce that one slime girl pretty easily. Maybe even a slug. But those were… really fucking weak. Hell, I'm pretty sure normal humans could deal with them.

Ah well. I'd have to figure all that out later. At the moment, whether I liked it or not, I was still a child. I was nowhere near my prime, and wouldn't be for several years to come.

That wasn't to say I was in any particular hurry to reach adulthood, mind you. Adulting sucked. Probably even more so in a medieval world. I was going to enjoy the lack of responsibilities for as long as I possibly could. Some might call that lazy, but whatever. It was my life. I could choose to live however I desired.

"I think it's about time to call it. It's starting to get a tad late out, and I have a feeling it's gonna rain soon." Yuri said, pausing a moment to glance over at me in concern. "Are you good to walk, or do you need a little help?"

I opened my mouth to say I was fine, but all that came out was a groan. Yuri winced again, and gently picked me up, carrying me bridal-style back to the house. I'd have made a joke about it if my entire body didn't feel like it'd been pelted with rocks.

As you might imagine, I wasn't conscious for too much longer. The second she finished tucking me into bed, I was out like a light.

Some time after early morning, I found myself being gently shaken out of my slumber. Groggily, I turned on my side, beholding the rather comforting sight of Yuri standing over me, her hand on my shoulder.

"Get on up, sleepyhead. We've got stuff to do today." She whispered gently, in her usual affectionate tone.

With a small smile, I slowly sat up, wincing as the sore muscles from the previous day smarted with red-hot spikes of pain that blasted through my sides like shrapnel. It seemed I'd hurt myself a little more than I first anticipated.

"O-Ow… Just give me a minute." I muttered morosely, a little upset at myself for being such a wimpy bitch. "S-Sorry, I'll be okay soon…"

Yuri looked over me with concern, letting out a small sigh. Shaking her head, she grabbed me by the arm, and pulled me up onto my feet. My legs cried out in protest, but I ignored them, cursing internally.

"Yeesh… you're in pretty bad shape." She muttered, allowing me to lean against her for support. "I'm not sure you should be training much today."

I opened my mouth to argue, but the only thing that came out was a pained groan. She gave me an unimpressed look, and I wilted under her gaze. As much as I didn't like it, she had a point. I probably needed some rest after yesterday. I'd pushed myself too far, like an idiot. It wasn't the first time, but it was by far the worst incident up to that point.

"Still, there is something I need to show you. It doesn't involve too much work, so you should be fine." She said, giving me a comforting smile. "It won't take too long, but we have a small walk ahead of us."

So, the two of us made our way out of the house. It was a warm day, though not unbearably so. Lazily, the wind drifted through the forest, carrying with it a plethora of early-autumn smells. Damp leaves, grass, and perhaps the occasional nut that had fallen from the trees. Unconsciously, I let out a sigh of relief, finding the scent quite relaxing. The sun fell on my body, bathing me in a comfortably-warm light.

In short, it was a beautiful day. The kind of day fit for taking a walk. Which was fortunate, since that's what we were about to do. As we set off into the woods, I noticed that Yuri had her short-sword strapped to her side. Part of me found that odd, but I figured that it was probably just for safety. We were venturing outside town, after all. Even if it was only about a mile or two, it'd be foolish to wander out unprepared.

We journeyed together in silence. Yuri seemed strangely contemplative on that particular morning, her face set in a deep frown. She offered no explanation, so I couldn't even begin to guess what was eating at her. But since she didn't seem keen on talking about it, I figured I just wouldn't bother asking. I didn't want to make things awkward, after all.

"Alex… You know I love you, right?" My elven companion asked suddenly, catching my attention. "A-And you know I wouldn't do anything that wasn't in your best interests…"

I gave her a concerned look, and nodded. I didn't like to see her doubting herself. It made my heart hurt a little. Stepping closer, I wrapped my arm around her as we walked, hugging her tightly. Part of me still wondered just why in the hell I felt so much emotion for a woman I'd known for less than a year. Though that little piece of me seemed to shrink more and more every time I thought about it. I'd long since accepted Yuri as a caretaker and a friend. My rock to cling to in this mess of a world.

"O-Okay… Good. That's all, then." She said, giving me a small, wavering smile. She seemed nervous about something, but what that thing might've been, I had no earthly idea. Part of me felt a little nervous, but I squashed that down. Yuri cared about me. Despite some of her… odd behaviors, I knew that to be true! I had no reason to be suspicious of her!

So, with my worries resolved internally, I continued along, trying my best to cheer her up as we walked to where-ever she dictated.

My carefree attitude was quickly shattered as we arrived at our destination. The wind whistling through the trees had suddenly morphed from comforting to ominous. The sound of birds tweeting and insects buzzing seemed to taper off into silence as we stepped into the clearing, only adding to the horror.

And what was the source of all this dread? What thing had made the day's atmosphere shift so abruptly? Why, it was a man. One man, tied to a tree. There was a blindfold over his eyes, and a cloth gag in his mouth. He clearly hadn't been there long. Only a few hours at most. But from the awkward angles his arms and legs were bent at, as well as the constant pitiful groans he let out, I could tell that he was in agony.

"Y-Yuri… what the fuck?" I gasped, feeling sick to my stomach at the sight. "What… what the hell is this?!"

Yuri's expression was cast in stone, showing no emotion other than grim determination. Slowly, she unsheathed her blade, and handed it to me. For a moment, I didn't understand what she wanted me to do. I just gazed at my reflection in the steel, wordlessly trying to comprehend the situation. When the answer finally dawned on me however, my eyes widened in horror.

"N-No… Yuri no!" I gasped, throwing the sword to the ground. "You can't just expect me to do this! This is murder!"

The elf woman shook her head, letting out a quiet sigh. Slowly, she picked the blade back up, and pushed it into my hands again.

"Alex, that man murdered an entire family. Father, mother, and children. All because the mother was a monster." Her words were cold, and her glare even more chilling. "Wouldn't you agree that he deserves death?"

I threw the sword down again, taking a shaky step backwards, before falling on my back. My heart was beating out of my chest with an intensity I'd never felt before. The horrible mixture of stress and horror forced tears out of my eyes, rolling down my face in hot, wet droplets.

"Alex, you must do this. You need to learn to kill if you want to survive in this world." Yuri insisted, her voice firm. "If you allow yourself to remain soft, you will surely be exploited!"

I refused to meet her gaze. Curling up into a ball on the ground, all I could manage to do was cry. I breathed in short, ragged gasps as I begged and pleaded for her to reconsider. She looked down at me with indifference, waiting for me to cease what I was doing. When it became apparent that I wouldn't, she sighed and grabbed me by the shoulder, forcing me onto my feet.

"You will kill him, Alex. Even if I have to force you to." She said simply, her voice clipped. Grabbing the sword off the ground with one hand, she dragged me with the other, pulling me closer and closer towards the captive man.

Shaking my head, I struggled hard against her. Trying desperately to get away, I couldn't help but let out sob after sob as she continued to take me closer. I didn't want this. Didn't want any of it! Even if her words about him were true, I still couldn't kill him! Why was she forcing me to do this?!

"N-No! Please no!" I begged, thrashing against her. "D-Don't make me do this! I-I can't! I won't be able to live with myself!"

Yuri hesitated for a second, a brief hint of guilt flashing across her face. Then, she shook her head, the expression gone as soon as it had appeared. Continuing onward, we stopped only a couple feet from the man. He must've heard our approach, as his struggling intensified. He shouted into the gag, but his words were incomprehensible.

"You'll get used to it. Maybe you'll feel bad for a while, but it will get better. Even if you hate me for this, you will eventually come to thank me." Her words were cold, like a wave of permafrost that chilled me to my very bones. Before I could protest further, she grabbed the blade, and forced the handle into my palms. Wrapping her hands around mine, she forced me to hold it, stilling my shaking and non-consenting grasp.

At that moment, I think I'd have preferred if the slime got me. At least then my life, if worthless, would've been spent in mind-numbing pleasure. I wouldn't have had to be here, with a blade in my hands and a victim in front of me. None of this would have been necessary.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she forced me to raise the blade into position. I continued to thrash about and struggle, but it was no use. Her grip was like iron, strong and robust. Unbreakable by human hands. Her forceful grip reminded me of handcuffs or manacles. Harsh restraints that cared not for the comfort or feeling of their ward. They did their job, unflinching and without issue. Inanimate. That's how her hands felt. Like they weren't really living.

For a moment, she stood there, as still as a statue. Her behavior reminded me of a preying mantis, going still and observing its prey, biding its time before the inevitable strike. Waiting for the best opportunity to savagely cut down its opponent.

And before long, that strike came. Snapping like a rubber band, she thrust forwards, forcing my hands to do the same. The bones in my arms rattled as the impact reverberated throughout my body. My stomach turned as the blade met initial resistance, before cutting through flesh and muscle with relative ease. It felt… almost gummy-like. Soft. It felt like how I imagined it would to push something sharp through some of those orange "circus peanut" candies. Whether or not that was because of the blade's sharpness, or Yuri's strength, I didn't know.

That soft slicing transitioned into a hard jolt as the sword struck into the tree. Just like that, it had cut through his torso, likely lacerating most of the organs in his midsection. We'd missed bone, evidently. Otherwise I think I would've felt it.

The man let out a muffled shriek of agony, twitching and thrashing against his restraints. That seemed to spur Yuri on, as she viciously ripped the blade out, still pinning my hands to it with hers. She stabbed again, aiming further up this time. It impacted his ribcage with force, and I could feel the reverberation of his bones giving way as it traveled down the blade.

She stabbed a multitude of times, savagely mutilating the dying man without even a shred of mercy. My stomach roiled with an intense mix of disgust, horror, and regret. I couldn't stop crying, screaming almost as loudly as the man I was being forced to kill.

The noise was horrific. A sort of wet, squelching noise accompanied every stab, followed by the soft thunk of the blade going completely through and hitting the tree. The cacophony, combined with his screams, brought up the memories of Layla's death. Memories that I'd tried to forget about. It all compounded in my brain, showering my thoughts in gore and viscera and death. I hated it. Hated it so much. Hated Yuri for forcing this upon me. Hated the world for allowing it.

I needed to escape those thoughts. It was all eating away at me, leaving me sick and revolted. I needed to get away. Get away from what was happening. Get away from Yuri. Get away from the world. In that one moment, I think I wanted to kill myself. I would've, had I been able. But unfortunately, there was nothing I could do. I was forced to be party to this brutal murder, no matter how much I despised it.

And then… that scent hit my nose. That damnable smell. The coppery aroma which tickled my brain and made my throat cry out in thirst. It washed away my mind in a sea of red mist, muting all of my emotions and replacing them with a feeling of abject euphoria. It smelled so good. Mouthwatering, but not overwhelmingly so. Though the delectable parts of the smell were… not quite tangible via my nose. There was something else at play there. Some sixth sense that burned with desire upon interacting with the tangy odor.

Soon afterwards, I felt it. That hot, wet liquid running down the blade, splashing onto my hands. Each drip made my skin throb with heat, sending goosebumps spreading through my entire body. It was the object of my desire. The reason I'd been taken over by this wonderful feeling. It was the liquid that gave life to all living things. The crimson that flowed through the veins of almost everything that walked the surface of the world. It was blood.

Yuri said something to me, but I couldn't understand any of it through the haze. It seemed like the body had stopped moving, however, so I assumed he was dead. Evidently, Yuri did as well, because she released my hands.

Before the saner part of my mind could try and retake control, my body moved of its own accord, grabbing tightly onto the corpse. Feeling the ache become unbearable, I forced my face onto one of the wounds, and sucked, being rewarded with a hot jet of red that filled my mouth and leaked past my lips.

The instant it touched my tongue, I let out a harsh gasp. The taste was incredible. Salty and savory, with a hint of sweetness. It was so much better than what I'd gotten from animals. It was tastier, more filling… completely superior in every way. Like comparing a fast-food hamburger to a 5-star steak.

Greedily, I drank of the liquid, filling my stomach with the lovely substance. When the hole dried up, I instinctively bit at it a little bit, my eyes widening at the satisfying feeling of my teeth going through flesh. It was tough, but it felt good. And the meat tasted divine as well! My stomach growled with hunger, and I realized I hadn't eaten anything yet that day. So I indulged myself, biting off chunks and drinking the red that came out.

All until Yuri pulled me away, that is.

Initially, I was upset by this. I struggled and thrashed as she dragged me away from the source of the red, pulling me along until it was out of sight. There, I couldn't smell the scent all that much anymore, and the feeling of euphoria slowly faded away.

And with that, the other emotions returned to me, slamming into my mind like runaway train. I was immediately frozen in place by an overwhelming sense of guilt, my body locking into a standing position. I fell over, and let out a keening wail as the realization of what I'd done caught back up with me. All at once, the feeling of the blade sinking into flesh came back to me, causing my stomach to tie itself into a knot.

Suddenly feeling bile rise in my throat, I shakily stood up in a semi-leaning position, so that no vomit would drip onto myself. Then I let go, and spewed out a disgustingly-red stream of vomit, peppered with chunks of meat and the occasional chip of bone. Just looking at that made me feel even worse, my despair at the whole situation rising.

The memory of how good his blood tasted only served to make me hate myself even more. I'd enjoyed drinking his blood! That wasn't an animal, that was a person! And not only did I drink his blood, I fucking ate part of him!

Falling backwards onto the ground (away from the vomit, thankfully.), I began to cry again, my body wracked by pitiful sobs. Yuri stood over me with a solemn expression on her face. I tried to glare up at her, but I didn't even have the energy to do that. Nor did I have the energy to fight back when she gently picked me up, and began carrying me away.

I didn't protest when she took me to the river, and gently washed the blood from my body. I just laid there, staring up at the sky in an attempt to dissociate from it all. It didn't work, of course. Nothing fucking worked! I was just assaulted over and over again by the thought of how good that man's blood had tasted. And that was at war with my conscience, and the thoughts of the man's final moments. The agony he almost certainly felt was crushing to try and fathom.

And I was responsible for it. And even if Yuri technically killed him instead of me, I was still party to it. I… I should've stopped her. Should've tried harder. Should've done something! But I didn't. Instead, all I did was sit there and let things happen. And then I let my instincts take over, and I made it even fucking worse!

I'm a monster. No, that's not right. A monster at least kills people with pleasure. A monster doesn't disembowel someone with a sword! A monster doesn't eat their victim like a wild dog! I was worse than a monster! I was something else entirely!

I wasn't sure how long I cried. All I knew is that, by the time we were home, I still felt miserable. Yuri, carrying me in her arms, took me into my room. Then, she laid down in the bed with me, and hugged me tight against her chest.

I cried myself to sleep that day.

Yuri sighed as she shut the door to Alex's room, feeling relief knowing that the day was over. Things hadn't gone entirely to plan, so that was an issue. Then again, there would've been issues even if it had gone smoothly. So really, she figured she couldn't complain much.

Now if only her heart would stop eating at her.

Making Alex cry like that had been hard. Forcing him to stab that fool of a hero had been harder. The way he begged and sobbed made her feel guilty in a way she hadn't felt in a long time. Of course, she was resolved in her actions. Even if she felt bad, it needed to be done. Alex was now successfully blooded. Which meant it'd be easier for him to kill again. Even if he hated her for it, that was okay. She'd rather him be angry and alive then dead.

Though, seeing him lose control like that… it was a little disconcerting. She'd known it was a possibility, but hadn't been prepared. In hindsight, he probably caught a whiff of the victim's blood. Hard not to, when you're literally stabbing him to death. But it'd been a while since they last hunted, and Yuri should've figured that he'd be thirsty for blood.

Anyways, she knew something was up when he suddenly stilled in her grasp. And after she let him go, he practically dove onto the dead man, chowing down with reckless abandon. At first he just drank some blood. Nothing out of the ordinary for him. Even if she felt that drinking a person's blood was a little different from doing it to an animal's, she was alright with it. After all, the man was dead already, so no harm done.

But then he started eating the body. Like, taking chunks out and swallowing. She was pretty sure he'd gotten a rib out of there at some point. He'd gone way too far, and part of her was concerned that it'd be bad for his health. She had to drag him almost a quarter of a mile away before his reasoning came back.

And when it did, the crying intensified. Yuri hadn't really been surprised. The kid was messed up enough already after killing the guy. Losing control and doing… all that shit probably just added fuel to the fire. He might have genuinely hated himself. The thought of that made her feel sick. He was such a young boy. He didn't deserve to feel like that. If the world had been a kinder place, she'd never have done that to him.

But unfortunately, that wasn't how the world worked. Alex needed to be strong. And that meant sacrifices had to be made. Her son would be able to stand on his own, whether it be on solid ground or a mound of bodies. She'd made good progress today, even if it was only the beginning.

But right now, it was time to shift gears. Alex needed to cool off. To let the bad feelings subside. Eventually he'd forgive himself. It didn't matter if it took weeks or months, or even years. Yuri wasn't a patient woman, but she would be for her son.

Her lie had also probably helped, of course. If Alex knew she'd killed an innocent man…

Well, she'd have to make sure he never found out.

A/N: One of my patrons got to sign this chapter because they read it early.

The Gaming Iguana

Anyways, you can read chapters a week early if you wanna support me. Check my profile for details.

Oh, also, there's a discord for MGQ fanfiction. Here it is: SCSTujp9. The jumble of letters and numbers itself should work.