Walking down the streets was a small girl, no taller than 3'7". She wore a black dress with a purple outline, black stockings on her short legs, which lead down to easy to put on, but fashionable, slip-on shoes. Her slightly past shoulder-length purple hair shifted in the wind as she went along; Her large, pink eyes scanning the area, while looking at a strange item in her hand. "That damn wizard." She cursed, irritated. This device was suppose to lead her to the perfect husband; One that would marry her, and grant her a heir to the throne so she could become Overlord. One corrupt enough that he would, along with her, have a child evil enough to continue the line.

But she'd been travelling for a month now, and this stupid thing was still going forward. She vowed to not give up, until she figured out where her husband was. She was determined, to say the least. After her father was slain by a Hero, she was next in line to be the Overlord of Evil. But, sadly, she wasn't fitting all the requirements just yet. This journey was going to fix that, or else that wizard back at the castle was dead. "I'll knife him right in his spine, I swear." She muttered under her breath, marching along.

But, as she hit a crossroad, she saw something she hadn't seen in weeks; The device changed directions.

"He must be in town!" She exclaimed, excited as a little girl could be. She broke out into a sprint, the little runt rushing along the streets, zooming past the people in her way, occasionally shoving one of their legs to get by. This was it, the end of the difficult journey! Now she just had to find his exact location in town, and the throne was hers!

As she ran, the light got brighter, and brighter. Oh, yes. She was almost there! Not much farther, and she'd find the man for her!

She skidded to a halt in front of a building, seemingly a pub. She looked down at the magical item she possessed, and it was shining brighter than ever. She grinned, sharp teeth visible in her mouth. Her hands shook with anticipation.

"I'm coming to get you...♥"

That was the age where boys in this village began their transformation into men. When they put down the sticks and started handling blades for the first time in their young lives. It was especially true for Ein, the son of the Hero who had slain the Overlord of Evil; or at least, that's what the village made it out to be. The son of a hero, finally becoming a man. It was a sight to behold, but Ein never wanted any part of it.

"How's it feel, my boy?" the hero asked, a hand on Ein's shoulder as the two made their way down the road. Oceanic-blue eyes stared at the ground in front of him; his fluffy white hair softly laying over his head as his brown overcoat flowed in waves behind him as he walked.

"It feels the same as any other day, father," the "now-man" gently spoke, with apathy in his voice. 'No... It feels horrible. Why do I have to follow in your footsteps just because YOU slew some stupid demon?' he thought, closing his eyes. Ein had no interest in swords or hunting. How could he enjoy something like that with the shadow of someone greater looming over him? It was all or nothing- no, not even nothing. His father wouldn't allow anything other than "all," and "all" was too much.

"Aw, cheer up, son. You're finally a man!" The hero gave Ein a hearty pat on the back, making him flinch and reopen his eyes. "Now. You've got a busy schedule ahead of you. We have to find you a suitable beast to slay, after all. However, until then, I'm taking you to my favorite place to celebrate!" Even though Ein wanted to groan, he's had enough experience with containing himself. There was no use fighting this kind of stubbornness.

'Yeah... I'm not interested in becoming an alcoholic like you, either, father,' he kept to himself, as he knew exactly where they were headed.



With the sun resting on the horizon, about to set for the day, the father and son step inside the Tavern, ready to indulge in the bitter drink for the week. Well, at least one of them was ready. 'Someone... just save me already.'

Pushing the doors open, the short girl entered the tavern. Her eyes kept focused on where the light was guiding her, walking along past the burly, drinking men and slim, attractive waitresses. Like a hound following a trail, she shuffled under tables and past chairs, trying to reach her objective as soon as possible. She was staring down at her hands when it suddenly happened; A light thud knocked her to the ground, sending her small, magical item towards the feet of the two individuals in front of her. She gritted her fangs momentarily, looking up at who was responsible. Then, suddenly, her anger faded.

And was replaced with fear.

"I... I..." She mumbled, trembling. It was HIM, the so-called 'Hero' that had slayed her father. She found herself terrified; Why was he HERE? What were the odds that same hero would be where her husband was? She knew he at least wouldn't know who she was; She was hidden during the battle, but, she witnessed the act. Her face was burned into her mind forever. And, as much as she wanted him dead in that moment, she realized she stood no chance in a room filled with people who had weapons.

For the moment, she was but a nervous mess on the ground, a kid staring at who most considered a legend; And... The boy standing next to him. Whoever the hell that was.

"Trust me son, you're gonna love this dri-"

The hero was interrupted by; or rather, he was the one who interrupted; a small child whom he accidentally knocked over. As if he could help it- the place was completely packed. "Oh, excuse me, child," the man apologized, calling her a child and completely unable to sense any sorts of evil energy from her. "Children shouldn't be here, so go on home now, okay?" He then looked at Ein, who was just in shock by how outlandish she looked. The man took notice of this and whispered to him. "Halloween's come early, eh?"

Ein ignored the comment and picked up the magical device at his foot, wondering just what it could possibly be. Before he could even process those kinds of questions in his head, the device glew and shook balistically. The silver-haired boy reached to her, the magical instrument in his hand. "I dunno why it's glowing, but you dropped this..." he pointed out, looking her over even more. She appeared to be completely mortified. 'This girl must be lost...' At that point, he got an absolutely brilliant idea.

"Uhm, Father," he began, turning to him. "Can I really call myself a man if I just leave a lost girl like this? I could escort her home, or at least put her in the right direction." Desperate, sure, but he'd do whatever it took to get out of drinking "Ale of Frog's Gut" or whatever disgusting sludge his father liked to drink.

"Erm... I suppose not, but what abou-"

"It's settled, then. I'll be back shortly. _{Come here, you little brat}" he muttered under his breath before grabbing the girl's arm and dragging her out of the tavern.

"Uh..." The girl stood up, listening to the Hero for a moment. At least he only saw her as a child, and nothing more. She honestly wanted to lunge forward, but, again, the place was packed. She wouldn't get away with it, even with her charms. Not without having to be nearly drowned by a priest, anyways. And that would end terribly for her.

Her thoughts changed, near-instantly. The magical item her court wizard had given her was vibrating as the boy at the Hero's side picked it up. Her heart skipped a beat, as she looked up at him. eyes scanning him with a surprised expression. She accepted the item, taking it and placing it inside her dress for safe keeping. Then, as the boy turned to address the hero, everything went wrong.

Uhm, Father,"

"WH-WHAT?!"

Her jaw dropped, mouth wide-open as she stared at the boy. He was the son of the legendary HERO? How the hell could he be her husband? He must've been some goody-two shoes loser! She couldn't put up with that! And there was no way he'd be able to make a good heir! Everything had just gone terribly wrong, and the small girl was getting very, very upset.

But, before she could voice how upset she was, the boy had grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her out. "H-Hey!" She squealed, angry as she struggled to escape him. Only managing to do so after they were out of the tavern. She rubbed her arm, then glared up at the silver-haired boy with an obviously upset expression.

"Who do you think you are?!" She yelled, arms flailing in anger as she hopped up to try to get in his face. She barely made it to his chest when she jumped. It was hilarious to others, but to her? Infuriating.

Just as he was about to let go, the girl broke free from his grasp and rubbed her arm, then flailed them wildly while shouting at him. Ein's eyes widened. 'Jeez... was I like this as a child?' Either way, she suddenly jumped up, but was only able to go as high as his chest. He stifled a chuckle, but immediately sighed afterwards.

"Listen, I'm sorry for dragging you like that. I just wanted to get away from my father," he explained, looking at the tavern one last time with a relieved expression before looking down at her again. "I'm sure you can find your way home yourself, so if you don't need me, I'm gonna be on my way now." Ein quickly turned around and began to walk away from his scapegoat.

'He's walking away!' The girl thought, face scrunching up. Reaching into her dress, she pulled out the device again, and watched as it flashed in his direction. "You've got to be kidding." She sighed, putting it away. Figuring she had no choice, now.

"Now you wait just a minute!" She yelled, running to catch up with the boy. As she did, she ran in front of him, standing in his way, with her hands on her hips. She glared up at him, still seeming pretty mad. "You can't just walk away after doing something like that! I demand you come with me, immediately." She said in a commanding tone. Though her high-pitched voice made it more silly than anything.

Right as he thought he was in the clear to leave town and go to his favorite out-of-the-way spot, the girl suddenly yelled for him and ran in front of him. At this point, an annoyed look crept onto Ein's face. 'Is this girl for real?' echoed into his mind as his brain began to twist and turn uncomfortably. "So... You DO want me to walk you home? I guess that's fine, too," he said.

"Though I can't say I'm too much of a bodyguard... I'd probably just run if someone came and grabbed you or something," he explained. Half of him was trying to get out of this situation and just run, but the other half was pure, genuine honesty.

A small smile crossed her face. Though she was still upset, she needed to find a place to speak to him in private. That way, if she told him what was actually going on, she could at least stab him before he said anything. However, she'd avoid violence for the moment, while they were in public. "Thank you~" She said sweetly, turning towards the way she had originally came from.

"'Home' is that way." She stated, though paused to listen to him. Was this guy really the son of a hero? He was a total bum. How embarrassing that must be for the father... Though that embarrassment made her feel a little better. Especially once she took his son for herself, that'd be a nail in the coffin. "Oh, if someone was to grab me, they would come to regret it." She explained casually, shrugging as she began walking. Someone HAD tried to do that, but a thrust of her dagger into his chest later and she slipped away before anything was noticed. Poor bastard didn't even see it coming.

"Come on, let's get going!" She said, gesturing for him to follow. It was obvious she was leading him, and not vice versa. Though how suspicious this was... Was up to the boy to decide. She was just trying to get him to the edge of town; She had saw a farm there, surely she could converse with him once they were that far.

Fortunately for her- maybe not so much for Ein- he still just saw her as a lost child in a silly costume. He really couldn't bother paying her any more mind outside of that, not bothering to pick up on how suspicious this could potentially be. As if he had the talent to smell something so fishy, anyway.

"Yeah, yeah, if you say so," he muttered in response to her comment. 'She must be really full of it,' manifested in his head as he yawned and followed her for a good bit, not really saying much of anything until he saw the farm in the distance. "Oh... so you live on the farm?" he asked. Not that he was particularly interested in this child, but the sun had already set by this point and he just wanted to get his mind off of how tired he was.

"It's nice and out of the way... I guess I envy you for that," he told her. If only he could realize that what he was in for would be more than just a little escape from his father.

"Sure." She replied quickly, dismissing any thoughts he had. As if she'd live on a farm! What kind of hillbilly lives on a farm? She was royalty! She had a castle, and servants! An unlimited amount of servants, she might add. But she figured she had enough of being insulted for one day, and stopped in her tracks in front of the boy.

"So," She began, turning halfway, observing him. He was kind of ugly, but looks weren't everything. But his personality seemed crappy, too, so she felt at a loss for words momentarily. But she managed to continue as she fully turned to face him. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but, I don't live on that farm. Or here, at all." She said, high-pitch or not, she was acting a bit more mature. "You might wonder why I brought you here. Because, what's a little girl going to do, really, right?" She continued, smirking. She reached into her dress, pulling the magical item out again. She held it out to him, and it began to shake violently in her grasp.

"You remember this, right? It's an enchanted item. Enchanted by my court wizard, in fact. To find a very specific person." She brought it close to her, holding it dearly. "A person who can replace the late Galgun Mounroue... Or marry the person who can, anyways."

She let that sink in for a moment, dead silence surrounding them.

At first, the tiredness became confusion. She doesn't live here? Enchanted item? Court Wizard? He figured she was just doing some pretending-style nonsense, the same as other children do. However, there was a name that children didn't get a chance to learn. After all, why solidify into history the name of an Evil Lord who threatened to destroy their whole race?

That name, was Galgun Mounroue. The Evil Lord from his father's stories.

Ein didn't hear anything after that. The confusion was immediately replaced by fear, and silence fell between the two for a short time as Ein worked everything out. Replacing the evil lord... The way she spoke... it wasn't roleplay. She actually was the next in line. Galgun's daughter, effectively. Ein gripped his fists as he began to shake. "... Of course. Someone like you would want the very best by your side to replace the Evil Lord from father's stories," he began, that fear seeping into his voice. "That's the reason you had something like that created. But, the reason your device went crazy while I was holding it. That specific person..."

"It's me, isn't it?"

The cold, night air began to drag across them while the full moon emerged from the horizon.

"You catch on pretty quick, don't you?" She responded, a small giggle escaping her as her grin revealed her fangs. She was always told this day would come. Though she had taken time to mourn for her father, it still hurt to know he was gone. He might have been a bit of a tyrant in life, but he was still good to her, his little girl. But, nonetheless, she had a job to do. She could think about those things later.

"Strangely enough, this thing dragged me all the way out here, and pointed at you." She said, a small amount of disappointment in her voice. "I expected someone a little more... Cool, I guess. But I suppose there's something good about you. Somewhere." She talked about him more as an object than a lover, and didn't really realize the difference.

"Of course, I'm not looking for someone to replace my father." She stated, tone darkening. "I am replacing my father as the Evil Lord... But to do so, I require the ability to produce a rightful heir to the throne to take my place. And to produce a good heir..."

"I need a powerful, yet corrupt spouse."

She sighed, looking up at the moon. "Of course, you seem to be neither. That's disappointing..." She trailed off, before turning back to him. "Of course, that doesn't mean you get off that easy. You're the son of the man who killed my father... That means that man's strength is somewhere in you. And I want it for my child." She stepped closer to him, looking up at him with her hands behind her back. She said nothing more, as she made her objective obvious.

This was irony in its purest form. The son of a Hero. The daughter of an Evil Lord. The offspring of both joining to re-instill the terror that the Hero fought so hard to rid the world of. Normal people would try to run, scared out of their minds. However, Ein was barely what the town would call "normal."

Memories of his father resurfaced. The times he would put him through intense training without any results were endless, and he was always harshly punished for failing to live up to his father's expectations. After a while, he'd begin to do just the bare minimum to make his father somewhat pleased with him, yet still go off towards the river and read instead of practicing with his practice sword.

Then there were the townspeople. 'You should be more like your father. Why are you such a bum? You're such a disappointment. Is he REALLY the descendant of someone so great? The mother must have been poor and sickly.' It was only insult to injury. Ein never wanted a life of glory and greatness, but the townspeople would do anything to maintain their delusions of grandeur. There was more to him than just "Oh, wouldn't it be cool if the hero's son could also swing a sword kind of hard?"

Sure, this princess might not be much better, since she was talking down to him every other sentence, but surely she saw SOME sort of value in him since he was chosen by her device.

Ein crouched down to his knees to talk on her level. "... You're right. I'm not cool," he confirmed, looking away from her and towards the emerging moon. "I can't use a sword to save my life, and even if I could, I'm just not that strong," he explained, looking back down at her. "I was never born to be a hero, but my father still insists on raising me like one. Him and the rest of town... I hate them all."

Ein paused for a moment before speaking again and looking back at her. "I don't think I have a choice, since your mind is already made up, but... I won't resist you if you're going to spirit me away. I don't want anything to do with this town, or my legacy," he admitted, showing her a level of speech on a more genuine scale.

"So, please... take me away."

"Pfft..." She shook her head, giggling to herself. "Kind of pathetic, but... At least you're honest with me." She crossed her arms, seeming to get a little more serious. "But, if you can't even fight, this is going to be a difficult trip. There's plenty of danger, and I can't protect you the whole way." And she didn't want to, for that matter. She had to worry enough about herself, already. "So hopefully you manage to pick up a little skill at least, 'hero'. Or else this will all be for nothing."

She was honestly surprised at what she was being told. She was surprised that he had as many issues as he did, and at the moment, he just seemed like baggage. But, maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Her poor husband-to-be never got to develop as intended by the world, instead being forced by others into something he never wanted. so, she needed him to do that. Live his life. And the trip back to the castle was a wonderful way to start that.

"I have no intentions of leaving you behind after this, but leaving tonight may not be for the best. If we went now, you would be as you are; a defenseless fool." She shifted around a hand inside of her dress, pulling out a small pouch. She grabbed his hand and brought it forward, before dropping the pouch in his hand. Forcing him to grip it. "Consider it an early wedding gift~" She said slyly. "You ought to be able to prepare well enough for tomorrow night. Which is when we'll depart."

Figuring even some supplies might not save him, she began forming her own plans of returning home. She had a decent route to get back now, and it should only take three weeks compared to the month she spent getting here. The less he was out there, the worse he might be as a spouse. But the longer he was out there, the more likely he might be to die. She'd try to balance it out, but felt like she was raising some sort of animal rather than taking on a companion. It was mildly annoying, but she figured he had more to worry about than her in this situation. She could at least handle herself.

"And, to be formal with you, since we'll be spending a lot of time together... I am Sinata Mounroue. Daughter of Galgun Mounroue, and a demon of the Netherworld. Hehehe."

'Pathetic' was a word that made our hero sigh, but that was quickly overshadowed by the rest of her speech. So, there would be fighting and danger after all. Sure, it was inevitable, but it was still a thought that Ein didn't enjoy entertaining. Before he could speak up, she suggested they depart the next night, which he nodded in agreement. As eager as he was to leave, that would give him time to prepare properly.

This girl- if it was right to call her that- then forced a small pouch into his hand that jingled softly, dubbing it an "early wedding gift." Ein was too caught up in what was inside the bag to hear that part. One glance revealed some high-value coins; definitely enough to stock up for a few weeks. Maybe he was useless in a fight either way, but his time going on countless trips with his father at least taught him how to prepare.

There was still the trouble of having to buy everything, though which meant interacting with the townspeople. Even if he didn't dislike them, word would catch on quickly to his father. Of course he'd be protective of his pride and joy, so even without knowing he was travelling with a demon, the knights would start to search for him, and they covered a wide area.

After a brief pause, she then revealed her name. Sinata.

"Of course. Maybe I'll catch on quickly, now that I have a good enough reason to," he said, in an attempt to be reassuring towards her. "So, here's my return gift. Once father realizes something is going wrong, the knights will start searching for me. I'd need a map to go into more detail, but I know where their hidden bases are, and I can help you avoid them." Ein clutched the money pouch more tightly as he put it deep into the pocket of his britches. "Father wants me to hunt down a beast for my coming of age trial, so I can use that as an excuse to buy us some time for a few days, but the knights will still be another issue," he explained as he got up from the ground and wiped his knees off.

The boy looked at her again. He'd have to contain all of this when he got back home, but right now, he was ecstatic. "My name's Einherjar Truesilver. But, call me Ein," he said, introducing himself before looking away nervously. "Oh, sorry... It's probably rude to use that family name with you," he explained. 'Like I have a right to use it anymore, anyways.'

Upon hearing of the boy's returning gift, she was a little underwhelmed. She'd happily crush a few soldiers under her (metaphorical) boot. They'd have to learn their place sooner or later, so why not now? Simply because this guy was a coward? Talk about embarrassing. She, however, gave him a curious glance. Deciding to not shoot him down, as he was at least trying to help. Though she could feel they had a long way to go before anything started going right.

As he explained that he was intended to go slay a beast to prove he was a man, and that they could use it as a way to get moving, she became irritated as he seemed so worried about the knights. "Hmph, you underestimate me!" She replied, insulted. "I am not some flimsy fool! I am an Evil Lord. If they dare get in my way of the throne, I'll destroy them all!" She gloated, flashing her fangs confidently as she held her fist between the two of them.

Regaining her cool, she casually brushed her hair behind her ear, looking up at the boy as he stood. Ein Truesilver... Or should she say Mounroue? Yes, that was certainly more accurate, now. However, the wedding plans would have to wait: They had a lot of work to do before they managed to get home. And escaping with him in the first place would be the first hurdle of a long path leading to victory, and lordship. But she was up to the task.

"I'll forgive your foolish non-thought out words this time, Ein. Just because this'll be fun." She figured Ein had a long day ahead of him tomorrow. She didn't want him to fail her, so, to avoid complications, she decided to break things off for the moment. "As much as I'd love to continue our chatter, dear Ein, you have a long day ahead of you. I am taking my leave for now." She turned, beginning to walk down the path, farther away from the village. She stopped momentarily, however, and looked back at him with a smile.

"But I will be watching you.♥"

Ein started to become a little irritated, getting flashbacks of his hard-to-please father. It's not like he had no room to complain, though. Much to his dismay, she would be doing most of the work. Ein shifted a little, sighing again with a tired look on his face. "Right. I forgot who I was dealing with," he admitted, watching her as she walked off. "Just call it an I.O.U., then. I'll find a better way to make it up to you."

'And by all means. Watch me all you want. I don't mind.' The apathy and drowsiness settled in once more as he let out a fierce yawn. When Sinata was gone from his vision, Ein turned around to walk back to town. His last day in town... What a wonderful birthday present indeed, but the preparation and journey seemed like it was going to be hell to go through. He could do it, though. So long as it was for her.



Well. It was a manor to the Hero, at least. It turns out, even if you slay an Evil Lord and are showered in riches, you can still spend it all unwisely on alcohol. Their manor was no different from the other houses in this section of town. It wasn't a hut, but it wasn't a manor either.

'It looks like Father ended up returning home," Ein observed, looking at his father's passed-out body on the floor of the entrance hall (which was nothing more than a prettied-up lobby with a rug on the floor.) Ein knew he wasn't dead (unfortunately) because his snoring could probably be heard from a few houses over. The boy sighed. 'This guy's even more pathetic than I am,' he thought to himself as he carefully stepped over him and went upstairs to his room, where he stripped off what wouldn't be necessary for slumber and buried himself underneath the sheets of his bed.

This was a night where he could rest well. At least, that's what he thought.

"... And that's what happened."

In a mildly forested area, Sinata stood, talking with a flickering image of an old, wrinkly man. Her Court Wizard, named Alfonz. Old Man Alfonz, to be more specific. Because he was old. Really old. A demon, as well, but thousands of years ahead of Sinata in age. He'd seen a lot, and while she didn't always trust him, she knew he had a wonder of knowledge in his mind, when his mind wasn't rotting away, anyhow.

"Wonderful. I assume you'll be returning to us soon, then, my lady?" Alfonz questioned, leaning on his cane even more than usual.

"About three weeks, if everything goes right. But what gives? This guy is a freaking loser, how did this trinket lead me to such a loon? Not to mention the son of TRUESILVER?" Sinata obviously wasn't pleased still, crossing her arms and tapping a foot onto the grass below her.

"Remember, my lady. It was designed to guide you to the perfect husband, not the easiest one." Alfonz retorted with a smile. "Take it for me, marriage isn't easy; but sometimes it's the most difficult relationships that end up being the most loyal. I've dated quite a few maidens in my years, heh...!"

"Oh, god. I don't need to know that." Sinata replied quickly, shaking her head. "Get out of here!" She shouted, dispelling the image as she turned, sighing. "How annoying." She muttered, thinking to herself for a moment. He was awfully easy to convince... She wondered if he was actually planning to come with her; Or just tell his daddy to handle the big bad scary Evil Lord.

Her eyes narrowed. Her doubts obvious, as she slowly began to walk towards the village. "I'd kill him. He just might be stupid enough to do that, though." Grin showing her fangs, she licked her lips lightly. "Time to give him a visit."



Having used the trinket to find his house, she looked at the household. Hearing the loud noise from within, she raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that?" She questioned. Guard dog? Of course, a Hero would have a beast guarding the main entrance.

"Hmm," Considering how to enter, the girl looked up at a window on the second floor. "Ahah!" She exclaimed, excitedly. She took a moment to focus, before disappearing into a tiny poof of smoke. Out of the smoke flew a tiny, light-gray bat with Sinata's pink eyes. Quickly, she ascended towards the window, though, before she made it all the way, in another poof of smoke the original Sinata appeared again. She wasn't good at transforming, and often reverted at a terrible point in time.

'Shitshitshitshitshit-!"

Flailing, she managed to dig her little nails into the house just enough to keep from falling. Sighing in relief, she reached up to the window, swinging the unlocked window outward, before climbing inside. She crept along the floor in the dark, sneaking up to the bed quietly. She glanced at the lump in the bed for a moment, before climbing up onto the bed, and slowly pulling the sheets down, revealing Ein's face. She continued pulling the sheet down until she had a clear view of his neck, eyes observing him like prey.

"I haven't ate today..." She said to herself, flashing a sadistic smile. "And unless I do this, you'll die before I even know it. My poor, poor Ein." She whispered, lowering her face to his neck. She inhaled, taking in his scent.

She opened her mouth, and bit his neck. It wasn't a feral bite, more of a loving knip... Except her fangs went as deep as they could. Like tiny knives, except they aided in obtaining Ein's precious blood for her personal gain.

Ein rarely dreamed. It was just a skill he hadn't developed, if you could even call it a skill in the first place. This night proved to be different for him. Ein was standing inside of a foggy room, atop a body of bloody water. Maybe it was just blood- the mist made it difficult to tell. But, there was someone standing across from him- someone as short as a decorative gnome found on the lawns of wealthy people. There was only one person from recent memory who fit that description.

"S... Sinata...?" he called out, to be returned by the figure shifting and giving out a high pitched, yet distorted giggle that echoed throughout the room, until the figure grew taller and took on a much more familiar shape. The mist cleared, revealing in who this figure was in detail.

It was another Ein, one who was grinning widely and displaying a pair of fangs.

"Me...?"

"Heh. As if someone so weak and frail could be the same person as I am," the figure taunted, in a much deeper version of Ein's voice. "But don't worry." The figure began to walk towards Ein. Ein himself tried to move, but was bound in place- his feet were submerged in the bloody floor.

"What...? No..." Ein violently struggled to free himself, but unfortunately to no avail. "ST-STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Ein's doppelganger stopped directly in front of him and crouched slightly, whispering into his ear. "Today's your coming of age ceremony. You'll still get to become a man; just not how father wanted." With those final words, the other Ein dug his teeth into Ein's neck, and the room immediately flooded with blood.

Drowning. Ein was drowning. The boy gasped for air, only to be consumed by the blood. Then, suddenly, a cold air blanketed him. A certain calmness, and the cool air became warm. Ein had awoken from his nightmare, but what he was greeted with was hardly any better.

There was a sharp pain in his neck, and Sinata was right on top of him, feeding to her heart's content. There were many questions in his head, and Ein would've been flustered, but the pain took immediate priority. "Nnn... G-Get offa me...!" Ein drowsily, yet heavily whispered as he grabbed her and yanked her off of his neck, which unfortunately made the pain a lot worse. He immediately grabbed his neck. "Ack... You said you were a demon, not a vampire..."