Iriella salivated with perverse glee as she listened to the labored breathing of her newest victim. Part of her wished she could keep her longer, but she was needed to properly impose society's hierarchy on that upstart. Even she needed to sacrifice her wants and desires for the greater good on occasion.

  And to think, no one would ever know of her generosity. Those peasants were lucky to have someone like her to lead them. And she would make for a much better ruler than that prissy little bitch Luminous.

  Just thinking of that woman filled her with rage as she struck the poor little girl once more, getting a pain filled squeak for her effort. She huffed and puffed as she regained control of herself, standing straight and adopting a regal stance once more.

  "Well, I do believe you have been properly tenderized. As much as I wish we could continue to enjoy ourselves, our time is at an end. Besides, I'll need to make room for whoever dared intrude upon my home," Iriella said, her hand caressing the little girl's face, almost lovingly.

  But there was nothing soft or gentle about it. To the child, it was far more akin to having a viper coiling itself around her face. She instinctively flinched away from the feeling, causing Iriella to growl.

  "Little bitch! How dare you refuse my loving touch! People would give everything they have to experience such divine pleasure. Perhaps I'll keep for just a little while longer after all," she exclaimed, grabbing the little girl by the face and squeezing hard enough to crack bones.

  The tortured child wished she could beg and plead for her to stop, no matter how fruitless such a gesture would be. But she was tired of the pain. She just wanted it to stop. But no matter how much sound she made, she couldn't formulate the words.

  "Please stop! Please stop hurting me! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," screamed in her mind. Had she been able to actually speak, her throat would likely be bloody and raw from all the screaming. But the only sounds she could make were pitiful grunts and moans.

  She didn't understand how the world could be so cruel. She never did anything to harm anyone and yet everyone was determined to harm her. It didn't make sense. All she wanted was a place to belong, was that too much to ask?

  Apparently so. Because the universe was determined that her only place of belonging was here, trapped in a little cell, tortured and turned into dog food.

  At least, that's what she thought. As Iriella was enjoying the despair wafting off the child, there was a curious sound that was quickly getting louder and louder. Neither of the room's occupants knew what the sound was, and while one was curious about the noise, the other was furious.

  "What the hell is that!? Who dares interrupt my me time!?" Iriella spat, practically frothing at the mouth. But she received no answer, at least not immediately, as the room started to tremble.

  "What's going on!?" Iriella once more shrieked, panicking as she was knocked off balance, forced to place her hands upon the filthy, bloodstained wall lest she fall over.

  The noise became so loud it drowned out her thoughts and the noble woman's insufferable screaming. The small girl was somewhat relieved by that at the very least. If she was about to die, then at least she wouldn't have that woman's voice be the last thing she heard.

  The ceiling exploded, sending debris falling onto the shrieking Iriella. Coincidentally, not a single speck of dust hit the small girl. The noble woman looked up, manic rage in her eyes as she looked up a dark red object penetrating the roof.

  "What the hell is that!?" Iriella howled. Her answer came in the form of the object bursting into liquid, drenching the room with a familiar red fluid. Some of it entered her mouth as she opened it to scream some more, making her splutter in disgust.

  She only dined on the finest of blood, and this tasted like the poor. She spat it out, bent over and hacking while loudly whining about the flavor. That's when the sound of a splash made her look up.

  "Y-You!?" she shouted disbelievingly. Standing next to the small, beaten little girl knee deep in blood was Vincent. But he wasn't paying attention to the psychotic woman, much to her ire, but rather, all his focus was on the tortured soul in front of him.

  "Hello little one, sorry I'm late," he apologized, trying no to let his anger at the sight of her seep through. She "looked" up at his voice, unable to comprehend it.

  "Is this real? How can he be here?" the thought, but didn't dare to hope. For all she knew, this was some elaborate ploy to break her spirit even more. But how could they mimic the warmth and safety his magic promised.

  "Ah.. ah" she said, trying to speak but unable to form the words. When she felt his hand placed gently on her cheek, she felt, for the first time, that everything was going to be alright.

  "It's alright, you're safe now. I'll get you down in just a moment. But first," he said, raising his hand to catch an iron spike racing toward his head, "I need to take out the trash."

  Vincent turned to stare at the insufferable woman with a blank expression, "Hello, Iriella. Fancy seeing you here."

  "This is my home you lousy peasant! How dare you-"

  But whatever she was going to say was interrupted by Vincent hurling the iron spike at her. It impaled her in the shoulder, causing her to shriek in pain.

  "You know, you talk too much," he said before lunging toward her with his claws out and ready to tear her to shreds. She panicked, quickly gathering the blood in the room to form a wall between the two. Vincent's claws penetrated it, the points of his nails poking out on the other side.

  Iriella had a smug look on her face as she saw his attack be stopped so easily.

  "Ha, looks like the country bumpkin isn't as tough as he thought," she mocked, laughing obnoxiously as she did so. But rather than the defeated and frightened look she expected to see on his face, she only saw one of boredom.

  That's when she noticed the wall she had created start to shake. Cracks started to appear all over it, with bits and pieces of the hardened liquid falling back onto the floor. Vincent's face morphed into one of confidence and derision as he used his Blood Art to shatter her own.

  "This can't be! I'm a member of the upper class, one of the elite, while you're nothing but a filthy, low-life wretch! How are you doing this!?" she shouted in near hysterics.

  "That's simple. I'm just better than you," Vincent replied, as a large chunk of the wall came crashing down.

  "Guards! Guards! Get in here quick!" she shouted as she crawled backwards on the floor, her supposed noble dignity completely forgotten. The large metal door opened with a groan, revealing the form of a large man wearing an executioner mask.

  "Finally! What took you so long you incompetent buffoon!? Get me out of here!" she shouted. She quickly stood up and sprinted from the room, just as Vincent managed to break the wall completely.

  "I don't think so!" He yelled before jabbing the claws on his right hand into his left arm to coat them in red before swinging his arm towards them.

  "Blades of Blood!"

  The blood formed into crescent shapes, flying towards Iriella. But before they could hit her, the large man stepped in front of the attack, taking it head on. He grunted in pain as he was sliced open but the attack did little damage overall, something that confused Vincent, as it should have turned him into a pile of meat.

  The hulking man swiftly turned, and Vincent could see the absolute loathing swirling in his eyes. He then shut the metal door and locked them inside. Vincent could see the two of them sprint away with his Magic Sense, letting out a curse as they did so.

  "Damn. I was really hoping to deal with her right here and now. Oh well, I'll get her next time. Now, onto more important matters," he mumbled, turning to face the hopeful girl dangling in the center of the room.

  Using some of the blood in the room he guided it towards the shackles, the red liquid entering the locks. Once they took the appropriate shape, he hardened the blood and used them to unlock them, catching the paper thin thing as she fell.

  "There we go. That has to feel better," he said, holding the girl close to him. Her little hands grabbed hold of his shirt, clutching them in a desperate disbelief. Vincent frowned as she watched her tremble in his arms, not sure of what he should do.

  "Hey, there's no reason to be scared anymore. You're safe now," Vincent said, patting her on the head. Hearing his words and feeling the warmth of his hand caused her to freeze.

  "Safe?" she thought to herself, barely able to believe it. When was the last time she felt safe? She could vaguely recall fleeing somewhere with her mother, rain pouring down around them as she promised everything would be ok. The little girl had believed her, of course, because why wouldn't she?

  But it turned out to be a lie. Everything did not turn out fine. But she didn't want to remember what happened. It was simply too painful. Even more so than what Iriella did to her.

  More to the point, could she trust this man's word? She wanted to. Oh how she wanted to. But life had taught her to dismiss such empty promises. The hope they brought wasn't worth the anguish they left behind.

  And yet, what was life without hope? Believing that tomorrow might finally be better than today was the whole reason she pushed on and continued to live, rather than die in a gutter somewhere, even if society demanded she do so.

  Vincent frowned as she continued to temple in his arms. He wished he knew how to heal, because that would be extremely handy right about now. The paddle used on her might have subjugated her own ability to regenerate, outside healing would work just fine.

  That's when he remembered something.

  "Oh, almost forgot," he said, taking his hand from her head to rummage through his pockets. The sound of his voice snapped the little girl from her thoughts as she "looked" at him curiously.

  "Now where did I… Aha, there it is!" he said happily, pulling out a rectangular object wrapped in cloth. Carefully removing it, he held the object out for the girl to take.

  "I saw what they did to the last one I gave you, so I thought you might like a brand new one," he told her. Tilting her head curiously, and in Vincent's opinion, adorably, she reached out her hand, trying to find the thing he was offering. He gently moved it so she could grab it.

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  She was confused for a moment, not recognizing exactly what it was she was holding. It was strangely familiar however. As she continued to feel it, she finally realized what it was, her mouth opened in an expression of astonishment.

  It was a Blood Pop! Her bruised stomach gave a slight gurgle at the realization. It was almost like it was cheering at the news. She could scarcely believe she was given a second one.

  Maybe, just maybe, she could trust him after all. That his promises weren't empty. Her heart practically swelled at the notion. Was it truly possible her nightmare was finally over? That she wouldn't have to go to bed listening to her stomach beg and plead for something she couldn't provide?

  Sticking her tongue out, she tentatively gave it a lick, her face lighting up as the delicious taste exploded in her mouth. It was just as tasty as the first one.

  Seeing her happy face made Vincent feel relieved. As small and thin as she might have been, the will inside of that tiny body was impressive. That she could still smile at something so simple after what she went through spoke volumes of her inner strength.

  He turned towards the locked door with a frown, knowing that there were several more people imprisoned here for that woman's sick pleasure. Could he really just leave them and hope nothing happened before he could return and liberate them? Isn't that the reason he was here in the first place?

  "Hey, little one," Vincent said, causing her to stop licking the treat in her hand to give him a curious "look". It was cute how she has a little bit of blood staining her chin, which was a weird thing to think about. Had he still been human, the sight would have generated disgust and fear of a zombie outbreak within him.

  "There are quite a few more people trapped down here as well. What do you say we save them as well?" he asked.

  "More people? Are they being hurt like me? And we can save them?" she thought to herself, thinking it over in her mind. It was kind of scary, and part of her just wanted to leave and never look back, but the thought of leaving someone here to anguish in torment made her stomach twist in knots.

  If she left now, if she left them, she knew she would regret it. How could she turn away from someone living in hell and do nothing about it? Well, she supposed she wouldn't be doing much, but she had a feeling that if she wanted to leave them behind, that's what he would do.

  But that's not what she wanted! She wanted to help!

  "I want to save them! Just like he saved me!"

  "Un!" she said, giving him a determined nod. Seeing her brave face made him grin. He gave her another head pat, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

  "Alright then. First step is to get out of here," he said, turning to face the large, metal door. Now, he could have likely just broken it down, but that wasn't necessary. Taking control of the blood in the room, he directed it to go beneath the door, twisting and rising until it reached the lock. He then maneuvered it inside said lock and opened it the same way he removed her shackles.

  "Aaaaaaand, bingo," he said as the door swung open with a squeak. He knew there wasn't anybody outside, thanks to Magic Sense, so he stepped outside with a confident swagger.

  "Alright, time for a prison break," he said with a grin, getting an enthusiastic sound from the girl in his arms.

  *Line Break*

  In a dark, dank cell, a beautiful purple haired woman sat on the cold, stone floor completely naked. Her hands were shackled above her and she was covered in filth and grime. Her eyes were dull and lifeless after suffering for so long in this hellhole, her mind having practically broken from the everyday torture.

  It wasn't completely gone. A part of the once vibrant and cheerful young woman was still there, but that part of her had been stuffed so far down she doubted it would ever see the light of day again.

  That part of her was completely surrounded by darkness. Everywhere she looked was a blackened void bereft of all light. But that was still a far better jail than the one she was previously in. At least in this one, she wasn't dismembered or disemboweled almost daily to feed those wretched dogs.

  The her in this void sat there in the fetal position, wondering what unlucky star she had been born under to suffer such cruelties. A shrill squeal caused her to flinch, knowing what it signified. Iriella has returned for her pound of flesh.

  She heard the footsteps approaching and fought back the sobs. At least here, in the safety of her own mind, she wouldn't feel what was about to happen. But that didn't mean she wasn't aware.

  But then, something curious happened. Instead of the cold feeling of dread nearing her, there was instead a warm feeling of safety. The sensation was so bizarre, so out of place with the usual reality surrounding her that she couldn't help but lift her head. What she saw left her mouth agape in shock.

  The listless, shadowy void she surrounded herself with was lit up like the sun. It was like stepping outside on a warm spring day, something that would normally invoke fear in a vampire such as herself. However, the sight didn't instill that instinctive panic that it should have. Rather, she found the sight mesmerizing.

  She reached out a hand, wanting to feel that warmth against her flesh. However, the sudden sound of people talking caused her to flinch back. The voice was unfamiliar, but the tone was filled with worry and compassion.

  "Damn, they really did a number on her. Bastards. There must be something I can do."

  The voice was male, with a deep, smooth baritone that under different circumstances would have made her heart flutter and her knees quiver. As it was, the sound simply made her flinch, wondering what new horrors it would bring. He sounded concerned, but for all she knew, that compassion and sincerity were only figments of her imagination.

  "Ah… ah…" said another voice, this one sounding like a small child. Did she not know how to talk? Or was the ability stripped from her? Taken by the savage barbarism of this wretched place. It wouldn't surprise her to find out that they had tortured some poor, unfortunate child.

  Hell, it would surprise her if they didn't.

  "Are you sure? Well, worth a shot I suppose," he said. She wondered what that was supposed to mean. Were they going to shoot her with something? Take her out and tie her to a pole and use her for target practice? At least she would be able to leave this room.

  However, something very different happened. She waited, with bated breath to find out what they would do to her, only for her mouth to explode with a sweet, delicious flavor. Eyes widening, she reached up to her mouth, wondering what it could be. It's been so long since she's had anything even remotely good to eat. The blood they fed her to keep her alive was fetid and stale, belonging to people with horrific diseases, fouling up the taste.

  "There, looks like she's coming to. I'll undo these shackles. Good job."

  "Un!"

  Coming to? What was he talking about? However, as she brought her hand away from her mouth, she noticed it contained a certain translucence to it. Eyes widening in shock and panic, she started to hyperventilate.

  "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. This can't be happening, I can't be waking up. Please, no. I don't want to be tortured anymore. I don't want to feel the pain. Just leave me alone, please," she begged, tears streaming down her face. But no matter how much she pleaded, it wouldn't stop what was happening.

  Vincent watched as the purple haired woman's beautiful purplish, red eyes gradually shifted from listless and lifeless to ones filled with clarity. He was somewhat surprised that the little one's suggestion of sharing a piece of her Blood Pop worked so well. He felt certain that he was going to have to carry her out of there.

  The chained up woman slowly blinked her eyes as she adjusted to her surroundings. As soon as her vision fully cleared, the fear set in. Vincent could actually hear her heartbeat skyrocket as she looked around her familiar cell, not even noticing the people within it.

  "No, not here. I can't be back. I don't want to be back. I can't, I can't, I can't…" she repeated, clearly past the stage of hysterics. Vincent frowned, reaching out his hand to touch her shoulder and try to reassure the terrified woman that everything was going to be ok.

  "Hey, listen…" he started to say, but the moment his hand made contact she freaked out.

  "No! Don't touch me! Stay away!" she screamed as she thrashed about. Vincent quickly backed off, hoping she would calm down and not hurt herself. Thankfully, she did, retreating to the corner of the room and curling in on herself.

  "No more… Please, no more… I'm sorry…" she cried. Vincent had to use all of his self-control not to fly into a frenzy. There would be time enough for that later. Right now, he needed to find some way to assure her that he meant no harm. Whatever effect the Bloop Pop had on her clearly wasn't enough to prevent the hysterics.

  As he ruminated over the issue, the little girl in his arms gave his shirt a tug. Turning to her, he gave her a curious look, not that she could see it.

  "Yes?"

  "Ah!" she exclaimed, pointing to the woman. Vincent frowned in confusion, not understanding what she was trying to say.

  "Sorry little one, I'm not sure what you're trying to tell me," he said, making her sigh in frustration. She really hated not being able to speak. She then pointed to herself, and then to the woman, and made a hugging gesture.

  Vincent's eyes widened as he understood her meaning. But he wasn't sure it was the best idea. If the woman flew into another panic, the child could be hurt, and that was the last thing he wanted. But the determination he could feel rolling off of her in waves made him cave. It was her idea to share the Blood Pop that woke her up, so maybe this would do the trick as well.

  "Alright, just be careful," he said, slowly lowering her to the ground so he didn't startle the distraught young lady curled up in the corner.

  The small girl's feet touched the ground and she wobbled a bit, unsteady on her legs after her ordeal. Vincent made sure to keep her from falling, which she appreciated. Her right hand pressed against the wall as she slowly made her way towards the crying woman.

  She knew what the older girl was going through. Maybe not exactly, but enough to empathize with her immensely. The words she was repeating to herself weren't all that different from the ones she was repeating to herself not too long ago. Because of that, she was determined to help her however she could.

  So as soon as she was within distance, she did the thing she wanted someone so desperately to do for her. Something she finally received from the concerned man behind her. She gave her a hug.

  The sobbing girl flinched when she felt the tiny arms wrap themselves around her. Her manic eyes turned towards the source, ready to lash out, but when she saw what it was, the madness left her eyes, replaced by confusion.

  "What's this little girl doing here?" she thought. Looking at the child clinging to her, she felt a rush of warmth running through her body. When was the last time she was touched without feeling pain? She could barely remember.

  Her lips trembled from the feeling, as more tears fell from her eyes. Only this time, they weren't from fear, or pain, or anguish. No, they fell because of the joy she felt from the simple act of kindness.

  She threw her arms around the small girl and let out all the pain and suffering that weighed her down. The small girl, for her part, was happy to hold onto her as this happened, glad she could do something to help another victim of Iriella.

  A few minutes ticked by before she calmed down, her anguished sobs turning into whimpers. She untangled herself from the child, giving her a weak, watery smile as she did so.

  "Thanks," she said. The little one gave her a happy grin, giving a little, "Un!" as she did so. The woman giggled at the sight, feeling more refreshed than she has in ages. Although, seeing the bandages covering her eyes and the bruises littering her body made the purple haired woman frown.

  Who would do this to a child?

  "Looks like you're feeling better," Vincent said, smiling at the scene. The sudden voice made the woman flinch again, turning to see who it was. She couldn't help but blush at seeing the handsome man, but it quickly went away, replaced by paranoia.

  "Who are you? What do you want?" she asked, wondering if he was the one responsible for harming the child in her arms. Fears that were quickly alleviated by his next words.

  "My name is Vincent, and I'm here to get you and everyone else out of this hellhole," he said, making her eyes widen in disbelief.

  "R-really?" she asked, desperation and hope warring for dominance in her tone. Vincent kneeled down, giving her a reassuring smile.

  "Really. Now, what say we get out of this place?" he said. Holding out his hand to her. As she stared at it, she realized he was the reason for that warm feeling she felt in her mindscape. He was the brightness that cast out the shadows.

  Barely daring to believe, she reached out her own hand and grabbed hold of his, staring into his fiery red eyes. Maybe that star she was born under wasn't so unlucky after all.

  *Line Break*

  Iriella panted with exertion as she ripped the metal spike from her shoulder. Behind her, the behemoth of a servant closed a thick metal door, one far stronger than the ones connected to the individual jail cells.

  "That filthy mongrel! How dare he besmirch my perfect body in such a manner! Mark my words, he shall suffer for forcing this indignity upon me!" she snarled, throwing the spike into the ground, the wound already starting to close.

  "My lady…" spoke the massive man.

  "Silence!" Iriella snarled, slapping the man across the face. It didn't do much to hurt him, but she needed to remind him not to speak out of turn.

  "I can't allow that man to escape. Can you imagine, a filthy peasant escaping our manor after giving us such insult? The rest of the nobility would never let us live it down. But what to do?" she thought to herself, walking down the hall, her faithful servant following behind.

  *Bark*

  Looking up at the sound, Iriella's previous bitchy expression morphed into one of joy.

  "Oh my babies! Did you come to see mommy?" she cooed in a disgustingly sweet manner. In front of her, large canines happily frolicked all around her, excitedly wagging their tails.

  This is why she loved dogs so much. Give them some food and their loyalty was assured. She never had to worry about them betraying her.

  One of them sniffed her hand and let out a pitiful whine. The rest of them, upon hearing this, stopped wagging their tails, seemingly distressed.

  "What's wrong my precious sweet things?" she asked, concerned. They looked so miserable it broke her shriveled, blackened heart. Hearing them whine again, she suddenly remembered the promise she made them.

  "Oh that's right! I promised you some succulent child flesh, didn't I? Mommy's so sorry for forgetting. But a foul man came and-"

  Her eyes widened and she abruptly stopped speaking. She just had a wonderful idea. If her precious little puppies were hungry, well it was up to her to feed them, wasn't it?

  "Listen up, dearies. Mommy has a way to solve both our problems."