"Hmm hmm hmm..... la la la..."
The slicing sounds of a knife echoed through the dungeon as a woman in her late 20s hummed to herself.
"And into the pot you go....."
The scraping sounds of the knife running across a cutting board could be heard as she poured cubes of meat into a boiling pot filled with some sort of stew.
"Ah..... it smells delicious.... don't you think so boys?"
"Of course, mother."
"That is correct, mother."
Turning around with a smile, the braided woman saw two teenage boys, smiling as they agreed with her.
"Is that so? Thank ya so much, boys. I'mma go head to the pen to check on the sheep. I'll be right back!"
"Ok, mother."
"Do not work yourself too hard. We are here for you if you need us."
The boys responded immediately, to which the woman smiled deeply.
"Is.... that so? You..... you both truly have grown up to become fine men..... ain't ya?"
Seemingly about to tear up, the woman wiped her eyes as she walked forward, swaying the knife in her hand back and forth.
"Isn't that right, dear?"
"Of course it is, darling."
Stepping out of the shadows was a grown man who gave the woman a wonderful smile, closing his eyes in joy.
"Our boys really have grown up well. And it's because you were such a good mother to them."
"Aw shucks, do ya really believe that? I think it's because they had a father to follow."
"Haha....."
Twirling the knife around, the woman headed over to a large metal freezer door.
"Sheepies..... I've come to check on ya'll! Where..... are you?"
Peeking her head into the room as she opened the enormous door which should have weighed far too much for a dainty woman like this to open, the light peeked into the room to reveal it's contents.
Inside this room were a number of shelves.
On these shelves were a number of jars.
Not one.
Not ten.
Thousands.
Thousands of jars were lined up across the room, perfectly labeled and separated.
And within each of these jars was a cube of meat.
A cube of meat with eyes and a mouth.
Labeled on each of these jars were three pieces of information.
Name.
Occupation.
Sins.
"Let's see here now.... which one of ya is gonna get sheared today? Hmm? Well? Let's hear it, sheepies! Do ya'll have any preference?"
The woman slithered into the room as the cubes of meat all looked at her with terror.
Looking around with eyes of madness, the woman brought the knife to her face as it gleamed in the dim light.
"Well?"
It was then that the gurgling of many were heard as the cubes of meat attempted to speak, however they were all doused in fluid and unable to make any form of comprehensible speech.
"Hmm... I see..... is that so? My..... you all are so eager..... I suppose it's going to be a hard decision today then."
Walking down the aisle of jars, the woman eyeballed each and every one of them, glancing back and forth as the cubes shivered in horror.
"Perhaps you, Senator Wurstas?"
Coming to a particular cube, the woman stopped as her lips curled upwards with madness.
"Or perhaps....."
Thrusting herself over to another jar, she eyeballed the cube of meat inside it.
"Lord Lestor. Maybe you?"
The cube inside the jar looked back and forth then to the overwhelming woman as she pressed her face to the glass in overarching manner.
"Or maybe..... Pasha Sumil?"
Picking up another jar, she held it in her hand as the cube inside was sloshed around.
"Choices.... choices..... ah..... what to do? Such a predicament.... so many options....."
Closing her eyes, the woman looked upward with insanity, laughing lightly to herself.
"I suppose I'll take all three."
Then grabbing all of the jars, the woman exited the room, shutting the massive freezer door with the kick of her foot.
The remaining cubes of meat within the jars let out audible sighs of relief as the door shut, and the light was cut off from this frozen room.
'We..... survived another day.'
----
"Now now now..... what's with the long faces, sheepies? It's just a little shearing. Just a slight bit off the top, nothing more. It'll be over in no time."
Twisting open the lids to the jars, the madwoman grabbed the cubes of meat one by one.
As she did this, each cube furiously struggled and twisted against the woman, but to no avail against her immense grip.
"Now now, calm down little ones. It's alright. Mama's going to clean your outer coat up real nice....."
And then, as the three were placed on the cutting board, the woman held up her knife.
"Ain't that right.... boys?"
Madness.
It was the only word which could describe this woman, whose mind had been long lost.
Bringing down the knife, she sliced off the outer meat of these cubes, as if she was cutting off a layer of skin.
The cubes of meat appeared to be in horrible torment as she did this, yet they couldn't make a single sound, as they held no vocal organs.
"There there.... see? I just took a little bit off..... not too much. And it doesn't hurt at all..... right?"
The woman looked at the three cubes with intrigue, to which they struggled in horrible pain.
"Now back to the pen. Chop chop!"
Tossing the cubes back into their respective jars and sealing them, the woman laughed to herself as she headed back to the freezer.
"I'll see you all for your next cut."
----
"Are you..... really sure that we should have left that woman to tend to the specimens?"
"What better choice would there have been? She was a victim of the crimes of those above her. Therefore they can atone for what they made her into by witnessing.... and experiencing it themselves."
"Haha..... I see."
Sitting in a demonic throne was a woman.
Her skin was a darkened grey and her wings angelic with black feathers.
Above hear head a black halo wrapped in bones floated, and demonic horns sprouted from her head.
Her eyes were different, one being red with a white sclera and the other silver with a black sclera.
And this woman sat with a Queenly demeanor alone at the head of a table.
"Tell me, my other self..... why is it that we are still two?"
"I don't know. After all.... it has been so long.... and our body even merged to come to this state.... although if I were to guess....."
Raising her hands, the woman thinned her eyes with a smile, viewing one hand which was tarlike and demonic, and the other which was pure white and angelic.
"It would be due to this."
"I see."
Folding these hands together, the woman nodded to herself.
"That.... does make sense."
"Doesn't it?"
"So? Is there anything that needs to be done?"
"Hm? I don't particularly believe so. After all, this new world..... it seems to be running itself quite smoothly."
The girl sat back in her chair, folding her hands behind her head.
"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it?"
And then, the girl laughed.
"Heh...heh heh....."
Thinning her eyes as she stared upwards, the woman grinned in demonic manner.
"After all..... terror is the only true way to motivate people."
----
Within the darkened landscape of the Dictatorship, four people walked.
The first was a woman.
Her hair was blood red, and it flowed down her sides without reserve.
Walking next to this woman were two men and another woman.
The first man was a tall man with brown spiked up hair, and he wore a blue trenchcoat.
The other was a blonde man who wore a tailored outfit which spoke of his high class demeanor.
The other woman had blonde bob cut hair, and she wore the suit of a mercenary with a red cape on her back.
These people were in their mid to late twenties, and they walked through the streets without worry.
"Hey Melody..... hasn't it been rough on you? Having to be the Commander of the military forces of the Dictatorship.... doesn't it tire you out?"
"Tire me?"
The red haired woman looked to the spiky haired man with a smug grin.
"There is no such thing as sleep for a parasite."
Continuing to walk, the woman let out a sigh.
"However.... it is simple to rule an army when there are no nations to challenge us, no? I am nothing more than a figurehead. An enforcer of her eminence's decrees. A parasite which clings onto it's host, leeching from it what it can obtain. Therefore I must at least do this much to ensure that I am not cut off."
"I suppose that's true enough.... without any other nations, the only thing you actually do is arrest dissenters of her eminence.", the blonde haired woman stated.
"Regardless, we should ensure that you are properly rested, Melody. I know of a good place. Shall we go?"
Turning to the woman, the blonde man asked with a smile, to which the scarlet haired woman closed her eyes.
"I understand. Then, let us go."
At which the four teleported away.
----
"Welcome, customers! Please have a seat. I'll be right with you in a moment."
Layla found herself serving customers at the reconstructed version of the drunken knight when she heard the sound of a teleport, however on turning around to see who it was, her eyes went wide.
Stopping in her place and almost dropping the mug of beer in her hand, the woman looked on in surprise as she realized just who had entered this establishment.
"The.... scarlet fever..... the commander of the forces of evil... to think you would come to this humble tavern..... p-please have a seat, Lady Melody! I.... will be right with you as soon as possible!"
The woman immediately cleared a table, pulling out the chairs for the four as they sat.
"Hey, there's no need to treat us like MVP's.", Lance said. "We're just thirsty customers."
"Just like everyone else.", Pierre added as the four sat down.
"There is no way I can merely treat you like normal customers! You four are the original humans.... are you not!? The four humans who took the side of her eminence even before her rein over the human world!? My.... to think I would ever be able to meet you...."
"There is nothing special about us. We merely happened to stumble upon their excellencies before they were commonly known. That is all.", Melody replied.
"Oh....."
The woman stopped in place, nodding as she looked up and down.
"Er.... would you all mind telling me why exactly you decided to serve their excellencies..... even before they ruled the world? Was it simply because.... you were forced? Or was there some other reason?"
Looking to the four with curiosity, Layla couldn't help but ask.
Turning to the woman with a smile, Melody thinned her eyes with pleasure.
"Hahaha.... as I said, nothing of the sort. We simply needed a host to sustain us. And we determined that their excellencies and her eminence.... were the only ones worthy to leech off of."