In another bedroom, Taikō drowned his problems with some brandy. He never wanted to as he always hated the taste. For so long, he felt chained up with no hope for escape. He foolishly once believed that his family was the only darkness in his life. Somehow, his wife became worse for his mental health. He drank two shots. “I promise you, Tokino… We’ll be free.” He drank three more.

Behind him, Airi sat on the bed. “Your sword. I want it so bad right now, dear. Don’t disappoint me again.”

He continued drinking, intent on easing his sleep. “Leave me alone… I have things to do tomorrow.”

Her eyes glared. “Shut up, you bastard.” She walked from behind and moved her arms around him. “Oh, no, no, no, honey… Don’t ever think that way. It will ache so bad for the rest of the night. You wouldn’t want that….”

He immediately shrugged her hold on him. “Stop!!” He turned to her with narrowed eyes. “I want none of this. No more! I always hated this side of you. You can’t hide from the law forever, Airi.”

She glared at him again and cocked her head. “Did I ask…?” She slowly walked closer. “You’re not doing your part, dear. You haven’t been accepting of my love lately.

“Why do you think I’m letting you take my Tokino with you in the future? I’m offering you a chance—because she’d always want to see me. The least you can do is show me love one last time.” She forcibly pushed him by a wall. “So don’t you dare reject me now!”

Airi licked up Taikō’s neck. However, retaliation was inevitable. Using magic, he punched her right across the room into a wardrobe.

She slowly got up from the rubble and felt her neck. Before Taikō’s eyes, she cast an array that covered the walls and ceiling. “We wouldn’t want to wake our sweet darling, now would we? Tokino deserves wonderful dreams.” She giggled.

His eyes widened, and he sweated bullets. He placed his hand on a wall and tried to cancel the runes with his own copies. Before he could finish, Airi charged at him and used her ability. He dodged by a hair and saw the massive slash she created on the wall.

Airi pulled out her knife and chuckled at him. “Come on now, dear… Show me your love. The one down below.” She slowly walked. “I don’t care if I’ll do it by force. I crave it….”

Taikō channeled magic into his fists. “See if you like authorities executing you tomorrow, you sick bitch….” He punched her shin as she charged again. Even still, she carried on with a crazed smile. She slashed randomly with no coordination whatsoever. However, it managed to injure him several times. He shoved her knife away and threw a gut punch.

In return, she aimed for his neck, but he caught it at the last second. With that, they struggled in place. Airi pushed her weapon with all her might. She still showed a demented grin, and she chuckled again. “Don’t make me ruin your body, dear. Your sword needs preserving for tonight.” She pushed again. “Give in! Give in to my desires!” Spit drooled out of her grin.

Taikō pushed her knife back with a similar effort. Any slip up would mangle him endlessly. He felt her magic increasing, a sign of powerful emotion. In response, he doubled his own capacity. He did not care if it left him bedridden after the fight.

He swiped her knife away again and through a barrage of fisticuffs. He thanked his combat training at that moment. However, he stood terrified of her. No matter what, Airi kept smiling and cackling. Even when his punches tore off some of her skin, her demeanor never changed.

Eight minutes in, Taikō now had flesh wounds over him, while Airi had mere bruises. As usual, a Child of Athena had the upper hand over a Child of Hephaestus.

Airi walked closer. “Give in, honey… I’ll make you feel good, too. I promise….” She chuckled and delivered a horizontal slash.

Taikō ducked under at blinding speeds and threw a gut punch again. Airi flew across the room once more and stopped moving. With that, he stood victorious. He panted and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He laid in bed, utterly exhausted over keeping his deranged wife at bay.

Thoughts moved around his head about whether she should be put to trial or not. No one was above God Law. Not even all-powerful figureheads. Once sentenced to the Original Guillotine, everyone became equal. Even the most protected groups were without consequence.

Taikō made up his mind. “I’m sorry, Tokino… Your mother is a danger to us all. She’ll have to sleep for eternity.” He tried moving from the bed. “What the?” No matter how much he struggled, he could not move a muscle. Curiously, he could move his eyes and lips. It did not feel like paralysis because he still had a sense of touch. Yet, it had the same effects. “Come on… Move!” He failed to jerk his toes and fingers.

Still stuck in bed, Taikō heard chuckling again from below. He always feared the worst—but did not think his wife would become this evil.

Airi slowly moved into bed on top of him. “Surprised?” she smiled with her mouth closed. “I prepared everything, dear. Adding something to your drink was my plan B.” She ripped his clothes with ease. “I know you can’t lift a finger now… And I know no one can hear us outside. But I love it this way….” She tied up his mouth.

For three hours, Airi relished the muffled screams and endless waterworks.

It was now morning. Tokino yawned and stretched in her bed. She got off with a smile, one she had not shown for years. “How do you do, miss!” she waved at a cuckoo bird out a window. It flew away from the nest it raided.

She opened her closet and decided to wear something casual for a change. She never hated her mother for giving her a noble’s clothes. However, the itchiness got unbearable. She wore a simple white dress her father bought. She loved it more than any present and used it only for special occasions.

She twirled around in the mirror and giggled. “I feel so lucky today, everyone!” She hugged her stuffed animals one by one. “I can’t wait for the future….”

Tokino sprinted outside her room to the hallway. “Mama! Papa!” she shouted in the grand hall. Unfortunately, both became absent. She wondered where they went and looked all around the mansion.

She asked many people in her household. All the chefs shrugged at her, having no clue. The local gardener had no idea either, but she asked if she could help her tend the lavenders for a little. Tokino nodded with her eyes closed. She smelled some and always adored the fragrance. She had no shame admitting that lavender anything was her #1 favorite. She bowed to the gardener and continued her search.

Tokino saw maids walking on the grand staircase. “Excuse me… Have you seen my parents?” she asked from behind.

Most of the maids turned away. They looked like a court had found them guilty of murder. Luckily, one of them stepped in and held her shoulders. “You want to see them, right?” she muttered with a faint smile. She cast runes on her hand. “Worry not, Lady Tokino. You’ll see them again. You’ll….”

The maid observed Tokino’s face closer. It beamed with pure innocence no one would have the heart to take away.

Suddenly, Tokino gasped and smiled. “I know you! You’re the pretty lady who cleaned my room, ain’tcha?” She blushed and twiddled her fingers. “Um… Thank you so much, miss. I want you to know that…” she smiled faintly.

Tears welled up in the maid’s eyes. She canceled her runic circle and ran to the others. She hugged one tightly and bawled. “I can’t do it! I can’t do it!” Her sorrow and regret flowed out more.

The eldest of them all comforted her personally. The other maids bowed and apologized three times to Tokino.

With all that, she still stood confused. Suddenly, someone touched her shoulder and gave her a scare. She turned around and saw the family butler, stern as ever. “I don’t blame them for their souls wavering, Lady Tokino,” he said calmly. “Even I am reluctant to do this. But I must….” He cast runes on her forehead.

“W-What… are you… talking about?” Her eyes closed, and she fell to the floor.

The butler carried her gently. “I pray the Gods to torment me for eternity. Helping crime is still crime….” He walked inside the torture chamber at the end of the hallway.

Tokino slowly opened her eyes. She found being strapped in her chair again, with her mouth tied up. However, she felt no pain whatsoever. Her wrists and ankles bled as she tried breaking free, yet her body relayed no response.

Before her eyes, she gasped and screamed. It was her father, Taikō, already bloodied. Eventually, he woke up and tried crying out her name. Moments later, the door creaked from afar. They sweated bullets.

Airi walked in with her favorite kitchen knife. She stood beside Taikō and looked at her daughter. “Today is your graduation, my sweet darling. You’ll now climb more prestigious lessons of mine. And this man before you is the main culprit of your flaws.” She slowly moved the knife to his forearm.

Even before the flaying began, a tearful Tokino screamed—dampened by the cloth. She foresaw what would happen via a bloody mental image.

Airi stopped her knife and walked toward her. She stroked her lavender hair. “Don’t ever worry, my sweet darling Tokino. It will end soon enough, and it’s good for your loving father. You know why?” She moved to her ear. “I’ll make an angel out of him. A gorgeous one….” She walked back to Taikō and pulled out metal hooks and wires via Runic Art. She turned his back around for her to see.

If Tokino had one wish, it would be passing out. Alas, the runes on her prevented blinking or looking away. Yet, her mother ensured she would not get dry eyes. 100% observation was the goal.

With her father suspended in the air, the room filled with blood-curdling screams from both. Airi began with Taikō’s back. She carefully downward near his spine on both sides. As she took off the columns, Tokino heard every crack and tear.

One by one, Airi pried open his ribs. It also peeled off the skin. At that moment, his blood flowed out like a waterfall. To Tokino, it sounded like a shower on max setting; her tears and screams now had no end. “Papa!! Papa!!!” Even her mind repeated cries of distress.

Fifteen minutes in, Airi commenced the final procedure. She slowly severed his lungs off; more red gushed out. Tokino could no longer hear her father scream—only faint sounds from his bloodied mouth. Then, she heard nothing.

Taikō stopped moving right before lunchtime. The grandfather clock boomed throughout the mansion.

Throughout the ordeal, Tokino’s innate ability activated on its own. Tears welled up again.

Airi stored her knife via runes and stood beside Tokino. “Terrifying, isn’t it? In Earth’s history books, they called this form of torture the ‘blood eagle.’” She held her cheeks and smiled. “You see, darling. We executioners never sugarcoat our horrific methods.

“Sometimes, I even get nightmares from it. But it’s all necessary. You’ll know soon—” Airi interrupted herself. Her daughter’s bawling became louder by the second. She cleared her throat. “You’ll know soon—” No matter what, it did not stop. Her eyes narrowed out of pure frustration. “Enough!!” She slapped her left cheek.

Curiously, Tokino felt no pain like before. From the corner of her eye, she saw minuscule runes running across her face. It responded to the affected area.

Airi sighed and smiled. “Isn’t it wonderful, darling?” she explained. “I put those on you while you slept soundly.”

She sweated bullets and hyperventilated. “W-Why…? Why, Mama?”

She kissed the cheek she had harmed before. “I love you. Very, very, very much so. I’d never let anyone hurt you, not even me. When I ‘hurt’ you, I’m not hurting you truly. I’m beating out the father that is still inside your soul. Doting he was, he pestered me.

“Once he’s all gone, you’ll be without flaw, and you’ll be mine fully.” She hugged her with a smile and closed her eyes. “I love you a million deaths. My sweet, sweet, sweet little darling Tokino….”

She never wanted her mother’s embrace to be warm and filled with endless affection. Alas, it dawned on her mind that the one who murdered her father had genuine feelings.

Still hugged, a whole river of tears flowed out of Tokino as she sobbed softly. Fear clad her entire being.

Airi accompanied her daughter to her bedroom. She offered her lunch in bed and kissed her cheek again. “I have to travel for some time, darling. The City of Gods asked me to execute some Smaragdian generals. I hope your toys keep you company.”

Tokino never touched her meal. Instead, she clawed her bed until the sheets tore off. She breathed heavily with teeth clenched. Her tears came back, but not of despair. It did not take long for the fear in her heart to disappear; a raging wildfire spread throughout her soul.

“I hate you… I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you….” Her mind rambled for hours.

As this story went on, the real suffering of the sorry child commenced. The world prepared many for her.