Chapter 8 - Demon Blood

When Alexia opened her eyes, she found herself in a dim room.

No window, and only a single lit candle.

The walls are stone, and a sturdy-looking door is right in front.

"This is..."

She has no memory of anything after separating from Pochi after school.

When she tries to move her body, she hears the clinking of metal rubbing against metal.

Looking toward the origin of the sound, she realizes that all four of her limbs are chained to a pedestal.

"Magic-sealing chains..."

She cannot use her magic. Escaping by herself would be difficult in the extreme.

Exactly who was it that took her away, and for what purpose? Kidnapping, coercion, human trafficking… a train of possibilities flit through her mind, but there's no way to confirm.

Alexia is not in the line of succession for the crown. But her status as a princess still has a certain amount of utility value. This she knows.

However, the information she has on hand at the moment is really too little to draw any conclusions with.

Alexia stops thinking about it, but then a different thought suddenly comes up in her head.

Is Pochi alright?

The boy with a terrible personality who had recently become her friend. She is quite fond of him because he always says things to her straight without any fear.

If he was truly caught up in this, then by now he is probably… let's stop there.

Alexia shakes her head, then looks around.

Stone walls, iron door, candle stand… and a black mound that looks like trash.

That mound is right next to Alexia, and for some reason is chained up.

Upon closer inspection, Alexia notices a slight movement.

It is breathing.

The 'mound' is a living creature wearing tattered rags.

"You there, can you hear my vo-…!"

The creature moves and looks at Alexia.

The 'creature'… is a monster.

It is an extremely emaciated monster restrained with chains.

Its black, festering face only barely retains what seems to be eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Its entire body is bloated in a non-uniform manner, with its left arm even longer than Alexia's leg. In contrast, its right arm is shorter and thinner than Alexia's own and seems to be affixed to its chest as if clutching something.

Such a monster is right beside Alexia.

Whereas Alexia has all four limbs chained up, that monster is only chained by its neck. If it reaches out with its long arm, it might actually be able to reach Alexia.

In order to not aggravate the monster, Alexia lowers the sound of her breathing and looks away.

But the monster is looking at her.

Alexia can feel the monster's gaze on her body.

After a period of silence that seems as if time had stopped…

Jyarara, the sound of chains rings in the air.

Peering from the corner of her eye, Alexia sees that the monster has curled up and gone to sleep.

Alexia breathes a sigh of relief.

After another while, the door in front is opened.

"Finally! Finally, I have gotten my hands on it!"

The person who comes in is a skinny man wearing a lab coat.

His cheeks are hollow, his eyes are sunken, and his lips are cracked.

His sparse hair is sticking to his skin and giving off a horrible smell.

Alexia quietly observes the man.

"Blood of the royals, blood of the royals, blood of the royals!"

Blood of the royals.

The man continues to repeat that phrase while taking out a contraption connected to a thin needle.

It seems that he intends to draw her blood. The royal physicians have done it to her a few times before, so she recognizes what that contraption is.

But.

She does not understand why this man wants her blood so badly that he would go to the trouble of kidnapping her.

"May I ask something?"

Alexia's voice is steady.

"N, nn?"

The man replies to Alexia with some weird grunting.

"Why do you want my blood?"

"Y-, y-, your blood is demonic blood. It can revive the demons in this day and age!"

Alexia has no idea what he's talking about, but at least she can gather that he is not right in his head and that he is in some sort of a cult.

"But it would be a bit of a problem if you draw too much of my blood. I'm not quite ready to die yet."

"Hihi, hi, n-, no worries. I want a, a lot so I'll c-, come everyday to d-, drain a little at a time."

"Wonderful, let's go with that then."

As long as this man needs her blood, then chances are low that she would be killed.

Do not resist, remain cooperative. Alexia determined that her best choice of action at the moment is to wait for rescue.

"It, it wasn't supposed t-, to be like this. It was all the f-, fault of those i-, idiots!"

"I understand, I hate idiots too."

'Because dealing with you is tiring', whispers Alexia to herself while looking at the man in the lab coat.

"M-, my research, all, all destroyed! They got to that idiot Olba first."

"That's right, that idiot Olba was the first."

"After that, again and again, and AGAAAIIINNNN! AAAARRRRRHHHHH!"

"How terrible. It must have been hard on you."

"YES, YES IT WAS! MY, MY RESEARCH IS SO CLOSE! SO CLOSE, SO CLOSE, BUT IF I DON'T FINISH IT, I'LL, I'LL BE EXCOMMU-, EXCOMMUNICATEEDDD...!"

"What, how could they!"

"SH-, SHIT, SO USELESS, SO USELEESSSS!"

The man in the lab coat rushes toward the chained-up monster and kicks it violently.

Again and again, he kicks it and stomps on it.

The monster simply curls up and does not react.

"Weren't you going to draw my blood?"

"Oh right, oh right, your blood, as long as I have your blood I can finish…!"

"Isn't that great?"

The man picks up the contraption and sticks the needle into Alexia's arm.

"With this, with this! I can finish, I won't be excommunicated!"

"Please do it painlessly, ok?"

'Otherwise, I'd want to punch you,' adds Alexia inside her mind.

The needle enters Alexia's arm.

Alexia looks on like it's someone else's business as the glass container is gradually filled with red blood.

"Hihi, hihihi…"

When the glass container is fully filled, the man cradles it with utmost care and leaves the room.

Alexia waits for the door to close before heaving a long sigh.

—-------------------------------------------------

Zenon Griffey, the swordsmanship instructor at the Midgar Royal Spellsword Academy and Alexia Midgar's fiancé, hurried down the garrison hallway. With his blonde hair and chiseled physique, he was admired by many of the female populace and had a reputation as a friendly and popular man. However, this persona was just a facade to hide his true self. In reality, Zenon was a self-entitled, delusional individual with a massive ego. He constantly boasted about his accomplishments and believed he deserved fame and glory. He often looked down on others, including Alexia, whom he mocked for her lackluster performance and made snide apologies for comparing her to her sister.

Growing up, Zenon was hailed as a wonder child after winning numerous tournaments, and he eventually climbed to the position of Swordsmanship Instructor. In the Midgar Kingdom, every swordsman knew the name Zenon Griffey. Unbeknownst to all, Zenon was secretly affiliated with the Cult of Diablos and had ambitions to become one of the Knights of Rounds.

The cult recognized his strength but noted that he lacked achievements. Zenon saw an opportunity when the king arranged a marriage between him and Princess Alexia. He realized that he could take her royal blood and offer it to the Order of Diabolos for their experiment.

As Zenon began training students at the Academy, Alexia started "dating" Cid, a lower-class aristocrat. Zenon confronted her, telling her that she would grow out of it and eventually see him as the better choice. However, she rebuffed him, and Zenon merely smiled at her attempts to get a rise out of him.

Zenon later abducted Alexia in secret and framed Cid for the crime. During Cid's interrogation, Zenon and his accomplices severely beat him, but despite his injuries, Cid refused to confess. Zenon then met with Iris Midgar and expressed his guilt over Alexia's kidnapping. He provided a report on Cid's interrogation, omitting the torture that had taken place over the course of five days. Iris ultimately decided to release Cid but instructed him to keep a close eye on him.

As he now reluctantly made his way toward Cid's cell to set him free, a loud boom echoed through the area, causing the entire garrison building to tremble.

"?!"

Zenon was immediately alerted, he put a hand on his sword and dashed towards the origin of the explosion.

Who is it?! Is it the Shadow Garden?!

As he neared the scene of the explosion, a figure came into view, strolling casually towards him with a scowl etched on his face. Zenon comes to a halt, ready to intercept the unknown man.

"Who are you?! How dare you--"

Zenon's words were cut short by a forceful slap across his face, sending him crashing into the wall and causing his sword to clatter uselessly to the ground. He was left dazed and disoriented, struggling to regain his footing as the imposing stranger loomed over him. Gazing up into the man's glowing eyes, Zenon felt a shiver of fear run down his spine.

With a sense of apprehension, Zenon muttered. "I didn't even see him moving. This man gives me a bad feeling."

He nervously reached for the bottle of red pills that he kept on his belt, clutching it tightly in his hand. The stranger noticed the movement and snatched the bottle from Zenon's hand before he could even react. With a scowl, he twisted off the cap and emptied the pills onto the ground.

"You won't be needing those, human," he said in a cold tone.

"Damn it!"

Zenon scrambled to his feet, fury coursing through him. He lunged at the man, throwing punches and kicks, but the stranger easily dodged them all with lightning-fast movements. Zenon soon realized that this was no ordinary man - he was highly skilled and dangerous.

As the altercation continued, Zenon began to notice something peculiar about his opponent. There was an unearthly quality to his movements - they were too fluid, too precise to belong to a mere human. Then, in an instant, the stranger vanished into thin air.

Confused and caught off guard, Zenon was suddenly struck with tremendous force in his stomach, causing him to double over in agony. The light quickly faded from his eyes as he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

—-------------------------------------------------

Anos sneered with disdain as he observed the fallen knight on the ground, muttering "Pathetic," under his breath. He briefly glanced at the scattered red pills before continuing on his way, his previous scowl now replaced by a neutral expression. It seemed that he had vented most of his anger on the weak human who had stood in his way.

As he walked, Anos suddenly sensed a familiar presence nearby. His senses immediately went on high alert, and he listened carefully, trying to identify the source of the energy. After a moment, he recognized the weak energy signature - it belonged to a fellow demon.

"!"

Anos promptly made his way to the source of the energy, and his path led him to a closed door. Without hesitation, he lifted his leg and blasted the metallic door out of its hinges. Beyond the door, he could see a set of stairs leading down to an underground tunnel.

Anos descended the stairs, his red eyes scanning his surroundings for any signs of danger. He could sense the faint energy of another demon nearby, but he couldn't identify their exact location. He knew that he had to be careful. This was the first time he had sensed a demon's presence in this world, albeit a feeble one, akin to that of an infant.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Anos saw a group of humans gathered in a dimly lit chamber. They turned to face him as he entered, their expressions wary. Anos recognized some of them as members of this country's dark knights.

"What are you doing here?" one of them demanded, his tone hostile.

Anos raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same thing, human" he replied coolly.

Noticing the extremely calm demeanor of Anos, the humans unexpectedly relaxed and returned back to their work. As Anos tilted his head in confusion, one of them approached him nervously.

"So you are the backup sent by the Order? W-What is your code name?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Anos demanded, his voice laced with authority.

"Ah! F-Forgive me, sir!!"

The individual flinched and gazed upon Anos with a sense of apprehension and unease, while he looked behind him with a desperate expression, hoping for aid from the onlookers who deliberately averted their eyes. However, a towering figure draped in a black cloak emerged from the group and approached them.

*Ahem* "W-Who are you? w-when did you reach the capital?" the large man asked, his voice trembling as he felt pressured under the domineering gaze of Anos's glowing eyes.

"I am Anos Voldigoad, the Demon King of Tyranny," Anos replied, his tone cold and unyielding. "And you are in my way."

The onlookers gasped and hurriedly moved out of his way. It was an unwritten norm that members bearing the label "Demon" held the highest rank in the Cult of Diablos. However, the figure in the black cloak refused to yield.

"Y-You may be from the Order's tops, b-but this is our territory," the man said, his voice shaking but determined. "We will not let you interfere with our plans."

Anos arched an eyebrow, noticing how these humans kept making assumptions without verifying anything. After a brief moment of contemplation, Anos concluded that he could capitalize on this situation.

"What plans?" he asked.

The man hesitated for a moment before answering, "Our team is exploring the possible applications of royal blood. We have reason to believe that it contains a significant amount of demon blood. We have already obtained the second princess of this kingdom and are currently conducting research."

Anos suppressed a smirk. These humans were clueless. "I see," he said slowly. "And how do you plan to use this 'demon blood'?"

The man seemed taken aback by the question. "W-We haven't figured that out yet," he admitted.

Anos couldn't help but chuckle at their naivety. "Let me handle this," he said, stepping forward. "I will take care of the experiments. I happen to be fairly versed in the 'demon blood'."

The man looked skeptical, but he didn't object. Anos could sense that the humans were desperate for any help they could get.

"Lead me to the subject," Anos said, and the group quickly obliged, leading him through the underground tunnels to a large chamber. In the center of the room were a large blackboard and various sophisticated laboratory equipment.

"..."

Anos walked up to the blackboard and studied the formulas and equations written on it. It seemed like the humans had made some progress in their research, but they were still far from harnessing the full potential of demon blood.

Anos turned to the group. "What have you discovered so far?"

One of the humans stepped forward and nervously explained their findings. They had found that royal blood had a higher concentration of demon blood, but they were still unsure about its properties and potential applications.

Anos nodded thoughtfully. "I see," he said. "Let me take a look at the samples."

Anos was shown the vials of royal blood that the humans had gathered, and he scrutinized them meticulously. He could barely detect faint traces of his blood flowing within the liquid, and he realized that, with the correct knowledge and techniques, it could be utilized for formidable purposes.

However, his inspection was suddenly interrupted when a man with glasses and a lab coat burst into the room from a closed door, pointing his finger accusingly at Anos and exclaiming, "AHHHHHHHHHH! YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DON'T YOU DARE T-T-TOUCH THAT!!" Anos narrowed his eyes in confusion and glanced inquisitively at the startled humans standing alongside him.

"U-Umm, he's the leading scientist of this laboratory."

Was the awkward response he got from one of them.

"YOU! YOU! Y…Y-YOU--"

"Unsightly."

SLAP

Anos swiftly backhanded the screaming mad scientist who had approached him. With a sharp blow, the man's glasses flew off and his head was severed from his body, sending a fountain of blood spewing from his neck. The lifeless body collapsed to the ground, devoid of its head.

"WHA-?!"

"SHIT!"

Anos ignored the horrified humans as he cautiously made his way through the door that the scientist came from, his heightened senses on full alert. The stale air filled his lungs, and the sound of his footsteps echoed off the stone walls. The energy signature of the other demon grew stronger, indicating that it was nearby.

Suddenly, he heard a low growl emanating from the darkness ahead. Anos tensed, preparing himself for a potential threat. As he rounded the corner, he saw a figure crouched on the ground, snarling and baring its sharp teeth.

Anos narrowed his eyes, studying the creature. It was a demon, but unlike any, he had seen before. It was small, almost childlike, with Its entire body bloated in a non-uniform manner and large, bat-like eyes. Its claws were razor-sharp, and its eyes glowed with a feral intensity.

The creature's eyes widened at an inhuman level when it noticed Anos.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! ROAAAAAAAAAR!!" it roared, before cowering pitifully in a corner.

Anos took a step forward, not intimidated by the demon's display of aggression. He recognized the terrible fear in its eyes and knew that it posed no threat to him. Slowly, he approached the trembling creature and extended his hand.

"It's okay, child," he said in a calm voice. "I won't hurt you."

The frightened demon hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching out and sniffing Anos' hand. It let out a soft growl before nuzzling its head against his palm.

"Good girl."

Anos smiled, feeling a sense of compassion for the frightened creature.