Yuri's house was a squat little building, made primarily of wood. It was small, but looked clean and well-maintained. It looked cozy, for lack of a better term. The inside was rather bare, but not overly so. There were a total of four rooms. The main room was a kitchen, which held a wood-burning stove, some cabinets, a table, and some chairs. There were three doors in the room. One led to a closet, the middle one led to Yuri's room, and the one on the very right led to the guest room. Which... I supposed was actually going to be my room from now on. Still didn't know how to feel about that.

Anyways, as soon as she let me in her home, she promptly sat me down at the table, giving me a slightly nervous, yet still genuine smile.

"So, Alex, how long has it been since you've last eaten?" Yuri asked quietly. "A growing boy like you needs a lot of food..."

I was about to answer that I wasn't all that hungry, until my stomach interrupted with a loud, violent rumble. Blushing slightly, I let out an embarrassed cough and answered "A... A bit, I suppose."

She nodded wordlessly, and walked over to some cabinets. Taking out some dried vegetables and meat from one of the cupboards, she quickly chopped it all into numerous, bite-sized pieces. She then piled it into a bowl and handed it to me.

"There you go. It might be a little tough though, so don't hurt your jaw when chewing..." Yuri cautioned, watching as I tentatively dug into the concoction of meat and vegetables she'd quickly whipped up. For a brief second, I questioned if it might be poisoned with something, though I quickly disregarded that notion. If Yuri wanted to kill me, she'd have been able to do it when she first found me. As creepy as it was, I knew she was trying to look out for me.

So, without much hesitation, I promptly tipped the bowl towards me, and began shoveling the food into my mouth. It wasn't all that bad, despite literally just being dried meat, carrots, and potatoes. There was a hint of spiciness to the meat, which was a pleasant surprise. Though, to be fair, it could've been actual dogfood at that point, and I wouldn't have cared. I was very hungry, and I had only just realized that as I was halfway through eating.

Upon finishing my meal, I set my bowl down, pausing as I saw the concerned look on her face.

"Alex... are you sure you're ok? You went at that like you were starving." She said, frowning. "You also are quite a bit lighter than you should be for someone your age..."

...Well, that brought up an interesting thought. Was I malnourished? I mean, I didn't feel like I was, but then again, I really had no frame of reference for that sort of thing. Grabbing the collar of my shirt, I looked down, trying to get a good look at my torso. I couldn't see quite well, but I could tell I was a bit thin. Though personally, I didn't think I was bad off enough to worry over.

"Eh, I'm fine, so far as I know. Your concern is... appreciated, however." I said awkwardly, feeling a slight blush creep across my face. I really didn't know what to say in this situation. I was still really, really uncomfortable around Yuri. I mean, she'd literally kidnapped me, and was planning on raising me without my consent. So I probably should be furious with her. However, I didn't really feel that. She was doing all that out of genuine concern for my wellbeing. So I was conflicted.

On top of all that, her calm and loving demeanor kept doing weird things to my body (not pervy things, mind you!). Every time she'd smile at me, I'd feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Every time she hugged me, I felt safe and secure. It was weird. Almost as if she was actually my mother, and I her child.

But that just wasn't the case. I knew damn well that it was all just hormones. Chemical imbalances in the brain of this child body that were messing with my emotional responses. I knew this, and yet I couldn't manage to keep it from influencing me. So despite how much I desperately wanted to hate Yuri, I simply couldn't bring myself to.

So, since I couldn't hate her, and I wasn't quite comfortable enough with her to like her, I didn't really know what to do with myself. It was an odd middle-ground of sorts. Perhaps ambivalent would be a good word?

The point of all this is that I was playing along with her, at least for a little while. Maybe later on I'd figure out what to do with myself, and try to escape. But today was not that day. Besides, much as I hated to admit it, I was much safer with Yuri than without her.

"So... I don't mean to sound insulting, but when was the last time you had a bath? You kind of... smell pretty rank." Yuri asked, wincing as I frowned. I assume she thought I'd taken offense, but I really hadn't. I mean, I'd rather someone tell me I smelled bad, rather than just let me continue on without knowing.

"...That is a good question." I responded evenly, not knowing what else to say. "I honestly don't know. Do you even own a bathtub?"

Yuri frowned at my answer, clearly displeased. I could see in her eyes that she was thinking about something, probably assuming that my parents had been horrible people who'd never let me bathe, or some other crazy thing. Honestly, it pissed me off. I couldn't blame her for thinking that, though. I wasn't blind as to how this situation looked. And while it infuriated me to no end, I couldn't really tell her the truth. I mean, who'd believe that I was actually an adult who'd been reincarnated? That's some genuinely bizarre shit. She'd think I was lying or crazy, for sure!

"No, but there's a stream a little ways off in the woods. It's kept clean by magic, so you shouldn't get sick from it." She explained.

I blinked, wondering just how much magic was involved at keeping an entire stream clean. Well, she said it with a lot of confidence though, so I had no reason not to believe her.

The real issue with bathing in a stream of course, is that I'd be naked in the woods. As a man in the body of a young boy, who is also in a world of horny, rapey monstergirls, that was just tempting fate. Almost as dangerous as slathering myself in raw meat and jumping into pool full of sharks.

"That sounds... not very safe." I said, frowning. "I mean, no offense, but you know how monsters are."

Yuri chuckled in response, patting my head.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'll be standing guard. There's not a monster in these woods that could beat me in a fight."

I was about to ask just how she was so sure about that, when I was rudely interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Instinctively, I stood up, walking over to open the door. Yuri stopped me, however, shaking her head.

"I'll get that." She said, moving in front of me. "I don't trust some of my neighbors to be around you."

...Yeah, that sounded about right. I mean, they were monsters, after all. As horrible as it was to think, it was highly likely that someone in this village would try to molest me at some point.

Honestly, if they waited until I was older, I probably wouldn't even mind. I was only as adverse to sexual actions as I was because I had basically no libido. If the body I'd been put in was like, sixteen or older, I'd have probably jumped dick-first into that slime girl.

However, being in this body had given me quite a bit of insight into how fucked-up monsters were. I mean, I already kind-of knew that, but that fact hit home a lot harder when you weren't horny for them whatsoever.

So anyways, I let her answer the door, sitting back down at the table. There was no point in being part of whatever interaction was about to take place.

Yuri opened the door, revealing a dark-skinned elf woman with wild black hair. Her green eyes were framed by large, thick glasses, which seemed slightly fogged over. Her proportions were pretty generous, but considering she was a monster, that was to be expected. All in all, she wasn't that remarkable. I would've written her off entirely, if Yuri hadn't immediately tensed upon seeing her.

"Layla." Yuri greeted coldly, her tone full of so much restrained anger that it gave me pause. "Is there something you need from me?"

That name was familiar to me, and initially, I wasn't sure why. I mean, I was absolutely certain she hadn't been in the game, so I shouldn't have known her. Then it hit me. She was that degenerate the guard was talking about!

Honestly, I hadn't expected her to look so... basic, for lack of a better term. Don't get me wrong, she was hot as hell. But so was every other woman in this village. That's just how monsters were (except for the complete fucking abominations, of course). I'm not sure what I thought she might look like, but at the very least, I'd expected her to be unique.

"Hey, Yuri." She greeted, a wide and lecherous grin on her face. "I heard you found a little boy out in the woods. I was wondering if I could have him... entertain me for a night or two. I'll pay~!" In the woman's right hand was a large, heavy-looking sack. She shook it, the clear sounds of jingling coins ringing through the cloth. It wasn't a massive sum, but it certainly was quite a bit..

I felt a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach. Was this woman really offering money to molest me? What the hell?! Glancing over at Yuri, I noticed how tightly she was gripping the door, the wood cracking under the pressure. Her anger was comforting, at the very least, since it meant she probably wasn't even considering the offer.

My thoughts were confirmed when she suddenly grabbed the elf by the throat, and slammed her back against the doorframe.

"What did you just say to me, you nasty little fuck?!" She scowled, gripping the woman's throat so hard it looked like her neck would snap at any moment. "You dare ask me to pimp out my own child? You're lucky I don't carve your liver out and feed it to you!"

I felt my eyes widen to the size of dinnerplates as I viewed the scene happening in front of me. For god's sake, I hadn't even seen the woman move. She'd just been that fast!

Layla's hands gripped Yuri's, trying desperately to tear it away from her throat. "L-Lighten up, Yuri!" She squeaked out, barely even able to breathe. "I-I wasn't gonna do that much to him! Just play with his pecker a litt-HRK!"

Yuri's grip tightened even further on the woman's throat. Her face was a sharp rictus of rage, which sent a spike of fear through my heart. God... this was the woman I was going to live with?! God help me if I got on her bad side!

I must have made some sort of sound, since Yuri glanced over to me, her eyes widening as she saw how frightened I was. I saw her expression soften somewhat as she locked eyes with me, which instantly replaced my fear with that warm, fuzzy feeling yet again.

Suddenly, Yuri threw the woman back through the doorway. She landed outside on the ground, with a loud thump sound. Yuri stalked past her, but from my angle, I couldn't see what was happening out there. I could certainly hear it though. The sounds of fists hitting flesh, and of cries of pain.

"Never offer such a thing again!" I heard Yuri roar, beating the dark elf black and blue. "If I ever see you so much as look at my boy in that light, I'll cut your eyes right out of your head!"

I heard her stomp back towards the house, shutting the door behind her once she got inside. Then, she sighed, her shoulders slumping with apparent exhaustion. She gave me a concerned look, slowly walking over to me.

"You alright, Alex? Sorry if I scared you." She apologized, coming up to me and squeezing me in a tight hug. I smiled despite my negative thoughts for the woman, my body's instincts overpowering my emotions yet again.

"I... I suppose." I eventually said, having to take a moment to even find the ability to speak. "T-Thank you for not... considering her offer."

Yuri hugged me tighter in response, her hand gently stroking my back to comfort me. She was warm, and I felt my own arms squeeze tight around her, seeking more of that sweet, wholesome warmth.

"I'd never do such a thing, Alex. So you don't have to worry about something like that." She muttered softly, finally breaking off the hug. "But... please promise me you'll never go near Layla, okay? She might act nice, but she just wants to hurt you in every way she can."

I nodded immediately, surprised she even felt the need to say such a thing. I mean, I admit that I knew basically nothing about Layla other than what I'd seen and heard. But even from just that small interaction, I knew damn well she couldn't be trusted. She was a complete and utter pervert, who honestly deserved nothing more than a slow and painful death. That beating she'd received from Yuri wasn't nearly enough.

God, thinking back what had just occurred, I wished I'd gathered the courage to poke my head out and watch Yuri kick her fucking teeth in. Seeing a fucking freak like that get exactly what they deserve... it would've been immensely gratifying. Just watching as she gets such pain inflicted on her, with nobody willing to help as she screams-

I cut that train of thought off, feeling more than a little bewildered. 'Ok, where the hell did that come from?!' I wondered to myself, a sick feeling welling up in the bottom of my stomach. I hadn't wished anything like that on someone in a long time. And even back when I was still immature enough to find pleasure in seeing such things, it had never been so... visceral. Something was definitely off here. Something beyond a simple hormone imbalance.

I kept all these thoughts to myself, of course. They were despicable, and no doubt Yuri would be disgusted with me for having them. Even if she'd just beaten the mess out of the woman in question. And while I normally wouldn't care about the thoughts of others, the threat of being either killed or thrown into a medieval mental asylum was very real here. Though, given that I was in a village of monsters, Yuri might attempt to have my behavior corrected through... other means.

And don't get me wrong, I don't think Yuri would do such a thing very lightly. She'd already shown herself to be very protective of me, and certainly disdained the thought of me being molested. However, at the end of the day, she was a monster. She might not like it, but when faced with no other option, she might default to trying to handle me in a rather lewd way. That was the norm for beings such as her, after all. Even if she seemed to feel nothing but disdain for such a course of action.

Yuri looked at me expectantly, causing me to realize that I'd zoned out somewhat. So, I chuckled, and answered her question, saying: "I promise, Yuri."

She smiled at me, and ruffled my hair.

"Good. I don't want you getting hurt." She said, before pausing, as if she'd just remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. We were talking about bathing in the spring before..."

I nodded, and listened to her as she began to explain where the stream actually was. Apparently, it was actually a full river that just happened to pass really close by the village. This particular portion was very narrow and shallow, and generally wasn't all that fast. Most of the residents of Enrika went there to get water for drinking and other purposes, and quite a few of them bathed there as well. However, since the stream was quite long, there were a lot of places on it where one could find relative privacy. One spot in particular, somewhere Yuri quite liked, was about half a mile north of the village. Hidden by the trees and shrubbery, there was a small alcove that lead directly to the stream itself. It was rather isolated, and if you didn't know it was there, you'd have a hard time finding it. I'd have to pay attention to the route we took, if I wanted to remember how to get to the spot.

So, after Yuri had found me some spare clothes of hers that weren't too feminine, as well as a bar of soap, she took me down to the stream to bathe.

We walked in silence. It was already dusk, so while there was still light, it was starting to wane. I supposed that meant I had to bathe quickly then. Maybe Yuri might have been fine staying out here in the dark, but I certainly wasn't. I mean, the dark was scary! And the forest was full of all kinds of horrible monstergirls, which were probably even more active at night! From an intellectual standpoint, I knew that Yuri would be close by. However, that's a small comfort when you're in the body of a five-year-old, and thus have literally zero emotional control.

We made it there pretty quickly, and mercifully, the spot was deserted. That meant the only person that could possibly peep on me was... Yuri.

I paused, shaking my head. That was a nasty thought. One that would certainly breed even worse thoughts if it was further explored. I knew Yuri wouldn't do something like that... probably. But still, it wasn't nice to think about.

"Hey, Yuri... Any chance you could turn around while I'm bathing? I... I'm not super comfortable with you looking at me naked." I asked tentatively, gauging her reaction.

Yuri gave me a small smile, and nodded. "No problem, Alex." She said, turning her back to me. "Just try not to run away. I will hear your footsteps."

That was... creepy. But whatever. She probably thought I might be tempted to flee. I mean, I was tempted, but I also wasn't dumb enough to actually try. Either she'd catch me immediately, and probably scold me. Or worse, I actually would get away, and then be lost out in the forest, at dusk.

Yeah, I definitely wasn't trying shit like that. I actually wanted to live, thank you very much.

So, once her eyes were no longer on me, I quickly stripped my clothes off, and waddled towards the stream. The water was dyed a yellowish red by the light from the setting sun, creating quite a pretty sight. I paused for a moment, taking in the natural beauty of the stream. I'd never had much chance to go see things like that in my past life, so this moment felt quite special.

The sound was amazing as well. The gentle chirping of crickets, combined with the babbling of the stream, was simply mesmerizing. Closing my eyes, I could almost feel myself growing closer to nature itself. The cool breeze gently flew past my body, sending shivering goosebumps down my limbs and torso. It was calming. Peaceful, even. For the first time since stepping into this world, I wasn't even remotely afraid. Only content.

Absentmindedly, I came close to the edge of the stream, ready to wade in and bathe myself.

This is where it all went wrong.

Almost as soon as I came to the edge of the water, my eyes locked onto my reflection. I was a pale-skinned kid, with short, dark-red hair, and greyish eyes. My frame was thin, and wiry, more so than I'd realized from just looking down at myself. All in all, I looked like a pretty normal child, if just a tad bit malnourished. There was one major problem however:

That wasn't me! Like, not even an aged-down version of me! I'd never once looked like that in my entire life! Hell, my hair was black, not red! And my eyes were supposed to be blue! Not... Not this! What the hell even was this?!

Letting out a small gasp, I took a step back, feeling my heart beat wildly. My entire body shook as I beheld the reflection, which I did not recognize whatsoever. Trying to make sense of it bore no fruit at first, and only seemed to further disturb me. I wasn't sure why, until one little question popped into my head. One which, while short, produced some terrifying implications.

'W-What if this is someone else's body?' I pondered silently, all sound seeming to fade away as that thought popped into my head. Was... Was I a bodysnatcher?! Because this wasn't me! D-Did I just shoulder-check someone's soul out of their own body?! Oh god!

I tripped onto my back, feeling myself begin to hyperventilate. My heart seized with fear, and the sick, nauseous feeling of horror swirled in my gut.

"Alex?" I heard Yuri ask, her tone worried. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Hot tears swam in my eyes, as a low, keening wail forced its way out of my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Yuri rushing up towards me, her eyes wide. I didn't care however, the horror of my realization practically paralyzing me.

Wordlessly, she scooped me up into her arms, hugging me tightly against her chest. Stroking my hair, she whispered: "What's wrong, Alex? Talk to me, hun..."

My body shook from the sheer force of my horrified sobs, barely managing to so much as breathe. For the longest time, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I just hugged my body against Yuri's, shaking my head and crying.

"Oh, sweetie..." Yuri muttered, sitting down, and holding me in her lap. "It's ok. I'm here for you... You're okay." Her words were soft, and, despite the fact that I barely knew her, and still thought she was crazy, they were comforting. It took a while, but after enough soft, comforting whispers from her, my sobs began to die down into quiet whimpers.

"T-That's not... that's not me..." I muttered into her chest, pointing shakily at the stream. "It's not... It's not me!"

I could sense Yuri's confusion, and that almost made me start sobbing a second time. She clearly didn't understand. Why had I even brought it up? I should've just kept my mouth shut. Now she'll probably just think I'm crazy.

Despite this thought, I felt myself point over at the stream again, desperate to try and make her understand. "That... that person... it's not me! Not my reflection!"

"...Something's wrong with your reflection?" She asked, clearly not getting it, but still very concerned. "Actually, why don't you show me what's wrong."

I felt her stand up, still holding me in her arms. As she began to walk towards the stream, I felt myself cry harder, the very thought of facing my reflection again sending me back into almost catatonic sobbing.

"Ok, never mind then..." Yuri muttered, stopping dead in her tracks. "Alex, it's alright. If... if this is such an issue, then I'll just bathe you myself. That way you won't have to look. is that ok?"

Despite my best efforts to calm down, the flood of negative emotions swirling within me was still too much for me to form proper words. So I just nodded, keeping my eyes screwed shut as we neared the spring.

The whole ordeal was rather awkward, but mercifully quick. Yuri scrubbed my body with the rudimentary soap she had, taking special care to avoid the more private and intimate parts of my body. For a moment, I was actually scared she'd take advantage of the situation, but thankfully Yuri wasn't like that. I mean, at this point, the rational part of me knew that if she wanted to diddle me, she'd have done so already. But it's hard to be rational when you're a sobbing five-year-old, even if mentally you are an adult.

All in all, the whole thing took about five minutes or so. After which, she gently walked me back away from the stream, dried me off with a towel, and dressed me up in the spare clothes. They were comfy. I mean, it was basically just a rough shirt and pants, made of some kind of old cloth. It looked ugly as hell, but it served its purpose.

My sobs calmed down as she took me away from the stream. After a few moments, I wasn't shaking so hard that I couldn't walk, so Yuri put me down, and we slowly made our way back to the village side-by-side. She took my hand in hers, an action which once again sent that comforting feeling of safety throughout my body. Almost unconsciously, I scooted closer to her as we walked, so that my side rubbed against her leg and torso. The simple physical contact made me feel... content. In a wholesome way, of course. I mean, this was all just the instincts of a five-year-old body. It naturally craved attention and affection from a mother-figure. A role which Yuri was attempting to fill. And while this didn't exactly comfort the rational part of my brain, it seemed as if my emotions were in total disconnect. It was very odd.

But, at the end of the day, it'd always been emotions that drove my actions, not rational thought. So I went along with it, despite the whole experience being weird. It felt good to be around Yuri. To be held, comforted, and looked after. It was an urge I thought I'd grown out of long ago. Or, perhaps I did, and I simply just have to go through the process again.

Ugh. Being a kid again really sucked.

I might've sounded blasé if I were to put my thoughts into words at the time, but really, I just hadn't had time to process everything yet. I mean, it'd been less than a day since I ended up in this hellscape, after all. I'd probably end up breaking down later at some random point, probably when I was laying in bed or something. But whatever, that was a problem for future Alex.

By the time we made it back to the village, the sun had already set. The darkness of night covered the land, casting everything in shadow. It must've been a new moon, since it was dark as shit, and that familiar orb was nowhere in sight. Though, now that I was thinking about it, are the moon phases of this world even remotely similar to the ones on earth? Does this place even have a moon? I mean, it probably does, but there was the distinct possibility...

Actually, how many naturally-occurring processes in real life just... aren't present here? I mean, there was obviously a lot of new shit in this world, but what about regular, normal things? Like, say for example, what if the sun revolves around the planet in this universe, and not the other way around? I mean, that obviously doesn't work because of gravity, but you get my point, right? This universe already had different fundamental laws than mine. Magic was genuinely just a thing here, so obviously things were different. That begged the question then, what all was different?

Agh, this train of thought is getting much to existential for my liking.

...Anyways, the fact that night had fallen probably would've scared me if I was alone. Thankfully though, I had Yuri with me. And that woman wasn't about to let anything happen to me. As we walked back into town, we passed by a few elves who were out and about. They didn't really pay us much mind, but one or two of them gave me a wave. It was innocent... I think. Honestly, I couldn't tell with these people.

Arriving back home, Yuri immediately swept me up into another hug, and carried me inside.

"It's getting late, Alex. Are you sleepy?" She asked, giving me a small smile. "You've had a long day today. Maybe you should go to bed..."

I made to argue, but was interrupted by a yawn. Blinking, I realized that I really was tired. Sleep... sleep sounded good right about now. I just had to try not to think about... anything that happened. No thinking about my death, no thinking about the fact that I'm a filthy fucking bodysnatcher. Nope, none of that.

...Yeah, I didn't have much confidence about that night.

Taking me to my room, Yuri tucked me into bed, ruffling my hair as she pulled my covers over me. Despite the fact that we'd only known each other for about a day, she was already acting so motherly. It was... very strange.

"Do you... want to hear a bedtime story?" Yuri asked, sounding almost apprehensive. "I know a few, if you'd like me to..."

I blinked, not entirely sure how to respond to that. It wasn't an illogical thing for her to ask by any stretch of the means, but I still hadn't expected it. I thought she was just gonna peace out the instant I was in bed. But apparently that was wrong to think.

"Um... thank you for the offer, but no." I said, shaking my head. "I think I just want to sleep now."

Yuri nodded, but for half a second, a flash of disappointment crossed her face. I felt a little bad, but at the end of the day, it wasn't anything serious. I'd indulge her desire to read me a bedtime story on another day.

"Well then... you have a nice rest, Alex." Yuri said, standing up and waking out the door, before shutting it behind her.

Just like that, I was alone in the dark. That sounded more ominous than it actually was, honestly. Being mentally an adult made it so I wasn't really all that scared of the dark (And yes, I know I was complaining about the dark earlier, but it was different this time!). I mean, I knew nothing was in here. The room was pretty barren, so they'd have to be hiding under the bed. Something that I'm sure either me or Yuri would have noticed.

So, trying my hardest to clear my mind, I closed my eyes. If I were lucky, sleep would come for me quickly.

It did not do that, in fact.

So there I was, in a dark room, alone with my thoughts. And oh boy, did I have a lot of bad shit to think about.

Firstly, my death... I mean, strangely, I think that was what I was least upset about. Dying itself, while horrible, had actually been pretty quick. The part that hurt was knowing that my family thought I was dead. And... I'd probably never see them again. I mean, I was fortunate to not have much in the way of unfinished business. I never really had much of a purpose in life, other than "not die." And I'd kept in touch with my parents almost constantly, so it's not like there was anything I never got the opportunity to say, either. But still, it hurt. Knowing that I'd never be able to talk to my mother or my father again. Knowing that they'd be grieving my loss, unaware of the fact that I'd basically been shunted into another world.

And speaking of shunting... that brought me to the other thing I didn't want to think about. The fact that this wasn't my body. I mean, there was definitely the possibility that this body was simply created to house my soul, but that was... unlikely at best. I looked nothing like I used to. My face, hair, eyes, body... they were all completely different. It was deeply upsetting.

I'm not going to lie to you. I cried. A lot. I feel like that's starting to become a running theme here, now that I think about it. I didn't want to wake Yuri up though, so I pushed my face into the pillow, muffling my cries.

I'm not sure how long I laid there, sobbing for the loss of my family, my life, and the life of whatever poor child whom I'd bodysnatched. All I know is that it must've been at least an hour. An hour where I tried my hardest to keep my volume down, while bawling harder than I ever had in my entire life. So yeah, it wasn't fun. Well, it least it couldn't get any worse...

Right?

Just as I was thinking that, I found myself paralyzed with fear, as a strange sound emanated from the window. A strange creaking of wood that filled my stomach with terrible dread.

The creaking continued, making an almost see-saw sound, as if it was being worked back and forth. After a moment of questioning just what the hell that could be, I came to a horrible realization. That was the sound of someone trying to pry the window open!

I tried to move. Tried to yell. To do anything, really. But my body was paralyzed by fear. I couldn't so much as twitch my leg. Hell, I could barely even breathe.

After hearing this dreadful noise for a period of about a minute or so, I heard a click of metal forcefully coming undone, and the grinding sound of the window slowly being pushed up. Then came the sound of feet quietly hitting the wooden floor.

For a moment afterwards, there was silence. A horrible, oppressing silence. Someone was in my room! Someone had broken in! Yuri's room was just on the other side of the wall, and yet I couldn't bring myself to scream! My body wasn't listening to me at all!

Then came the footsteps. Slow, methodical pacing, almost surgical in its precision. The kind someone would make when taking absolute care not to wake someone up. They were as quiet as a whisper, and had I not known someone was there, I might not have heard them.

They walked right up next to my bed, and stopped. They were breathing heavily, almost as if they'd just run a marathon. The sound sent a chill down my spine. Still however, my body wouldn't move.

They stayed there for what felt like hours. Not moving, not saying anything. Just breathing softly. I could practically feel their eyes on me, and I knew that the second they realized I was awake, they'd pounce on me.

"Such a cute little boy... By the first, just imagining the wonderful faces you'll make has me soaked..." The person muttered quietly, their voice distinctly female. It was somewhat familiar, but I couldn't place it at first. Then after a moment, it hit me. That was Layla. The pervert elf.

Oh... Oh fuck.

Suddenly, her cold hand clamped down on my shoulder, sending a feeling of pure revulsion and terror throughout my entire body. I physically jolted, the shock of it knocking me out of my fear-induced paralysis.

Immediately, a raw, panicked scream tore its way from my throat, as I rolled over to look her in the eyes. She looked just as surprised as me, if not more so.

"YURI-MMMPH!" I began to screech for the woman in the other room, but was interrupted when Layla put her hand over my mouth, roughly dragging me out of bed and towards the window. I struggled hard against her, but it was like fighting a brick wall. She was just so much stronger than me. There was absolutely nothing I could do.

"Shut up, brat!" The dark elf growled into my ear, as she made her way to the window. "Are you trying to get me caught? I'll punish you so hard all you'll ever be able to do is scream and cum!"

I screamed into her hand as she got one leg out of the window. Still, I fought against her, even though it was proving to be useless. She was going to drag me away and rape me. And nobody would stop her, because nobody cared. Not even Yuri, apparently. She'd had to have heard my scream, so the only reason why she hadn't come yet was because she didn't care after all.

Dragging me out through the window, into the cold night air, Layla threw me over her shoulder, and began to run-

"Going somewhere?" Yuri's ice-cold voice called out suddenly from behind, disproving my earlier thoughts, and filling me with hope.

The dark elf turned so quickly that she accidently let go of me, sending me tumbling to the ground. From there, I got a better look at Yuri. What I saw was quite possibly the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen.

Yuri, with a short-sword in one hand, was fixing the dark elf with the coldest glare I had ever seen in my life. There was nothing but pure-black hate for the other woman in her expression. A hate so strong that the very atmosphere felt heavier.

"Alex... get inside." She said, her tone even. Somehow, the lack of emotion in her voice made it scarier. "I need to show this cunt what happens when she doesn't listen to me."

I blinked, surprised by her vulgarity. For a moment, I considered trying to say something to her, but one look from the angry elf shut me up right quick. Before I even realized that my legs were moving, I was already back in the house. I considered closing the door, but ultimately felt it was unnecessary. After all, they were no longer in my line of sight.

Boy, did that prove to be a mistake.

"O-Oh, hey, Yuri! I swear, this isn't what it looks-" I heard Layla begin, before she was cut off by Yuri's cold voice.

"Do you remember what I told you? What I said I'd do if I caught you looking at my son, let alone trying to molest him?!" Yuri began, her voice starting out quiet and rising into an enraged roar.

"W-Wait, no, what are you doing?! G-Get that sword away from my fac-AAAAAAAAGH?!" The dark elf began, before letting out the most blood-curdling scream I'd ever heard in my life. The sound rooted me to the spot, sending goosebumps throughout my entire body. Just barely, I could also make out the distinct sound of flesh being torn.

"MY EYES! MY FUCKING EYES!" She wailed, her tone filled with a gut-wrenching mix of panic, horror, and pain. "I'M FUCKING BLIND!"

Immediately, I felt bile rise in my throat, as I heard the woman's screaming. She sounded like she was in agony. And judging by what she was saying, it wasn't hard to figure out what Yuri had done. My entire body shook as I tried to envision just what was happening out there. And no matter how hard I tried to clear my mind, my brain insisted on imagining anyways.

"Now that your eyes are gone, you won't know what I'll do next." Yuri explained with a chuckle, dark amusement bubbling up in her words. "I find that things are so much more... fun, this way. Now... how about I put this... here!"

With the distinct squish of a blade sinking into flesh, Layla's screams intensified, becoming completely and utterly incomprehensible. It was the sound of agony.

"Oh, would you look at that? So used to little boy dick that you can't handle something a bit bigger." Yuri tittered, now openly enjoying herself. "Well, I don't mind carving some more space out for you!"

As her screams rose to a pitch higher than I thought physically possible, I felt vomit begin to rise in the back of my throat. Shaking, I turned my head to the side, and promptly threw up, nearly choking from the sheer force at which I hurled.

"Ooh, that was a fun sound! I wonder what would happen if I pulled this sword up a little...?" Yuri muttered, before her actions and words were drowned out by another terrifying shriek of pure, utter suffering. "Well now, I guess we can- Aw, damn it! I cut through your intestines! Now I can't make you a pretty necklace out of them!"

The torture continued on for what felt like forever. I could do nothing but sob as I heard Yuri slowly and methodically tear Layla apart. Her screams were just so terrified and pained... Even if she did try to molest me, this was way too far! NOBODY deserved this!

I cried so hard that I barely even registered when the screaming had stopped. Nor did I notice how Micaela had burst into the house, scooping me up into her arms. I was just so dead to the world that I didn't care about what was happening around me.

Or, so I thought.

As I hugged myself against Micaela's comforting form, a strange sensation cut through the emotional fog I'd fallen under, pushing the horror and revulsion I felt to the back of my mind. It was... hard to describe. I suppose the best way would be to refer to it as a smell, though it felt far more esoteric than that. It was a sweet odor, almost like that of candy. Just one whiff of it made my head spin, and my stomach growl.

Looking towards the source of the smell, I was met with the grisly sight of Yuri, drenched in blood, standing in the doorway. It was a sight that should have been traumatizing. Something that should have made me sob. And yet... it was intoxicating. Just the sight of that red liquid was enough to make my throat ache with a hitherto undiscovered thirst. In that one moment, I wanted nothing more than to run over and lick the blood off of her clothes.

"Yuri, what the hell are you doing?!" Micaela shrieked, covering my eyes with her hand. "You're just gonna scare him more if you walk in looking like that!"

Her harsh tone snapped me out of the trance I'd found myself in, allowing the rational part of my brain to wrest control back from... whatever that was.

'God... D-Did I just get THIRSTY from looking at blood?! What's wrong with me?!' I thought, my stomach roiling in disgust. The smell hadn't gone away, but now that I wasn't mindlessly thirsting after it, I could sense the coppery undertone to it. That was... that was blood, I was smelling. And for some horrible reason, it smelled good!

Before I could stop myself, I was immediately laid flat by a tidal wave of negative emotions. Horror, disgust, sadness... it all slammed into me like a freight train. Immediately, I began sobbing once more, feeling my body unconsciously squeeze against Micaela even harder.

"Shh... Shhh... It'll be okay, Alex." Micaela whispered into my ear, quickly carrying me out of Yuri's house and towards her own. "I think it'll be best if you stay the night with me, though..."

I said nothing, unable to do anything but sob.