Three years later, a ten-year-old Tokino became known in Hiver as the “Bloodstained Lavender.” Even all of Pantaiyanilam heard of her name at some point.

In the mansion, Airi fixed her noble’s garment out to town. She opened her daughter’s old bedroom. “Are you ready, my dar—” She gasped with her mouth covered. “By the Gods. Why haven’t you changed?”

Tokino wore the same dress that turned red after mutilating another criminal. She even insisted on bringing her knife outside.

“But why, darling?” she said. “People will be scared of you.”

She walked toward a mirror. “That’s the idea, Mama.” Her eyes remained blank. “I don’t want friends. I hate—everything. Even you.” She looked at her knife closer. “Who knows… I might just stab your gut right now.”

Airi sighed with her eyes closed. She smiled and hugged her from behind. “I love you a billion deaths. You really are me in the flesh….” She walked her out of the room and into the torture chamber.

Once again, she did not return the feeling. Her rage boiled within, yet her blood ran ice cold. It came out as an annoyance instead. “Shut up… Get off me…” her eyes squinted.

Nowadays, Tokino’s methods were never swift. Some lasted six hours with no break. Still, her mother showered her with endless gifts; barely any got unwrapped. She gave people pain enough to distribute to ten more. Yet, she could feel no such thing. Every time she cut herself or stepped on broken glass, she noticed none of it. One day, she fell over, and her knife lodged deep into her shoulder. Even then, the runes on her prevented sensation.

Airi walked to her aid and kneeled. “By the Gods…! Are you alright, darling?” She pulled her up.

She showed a blank stare ever since, even to her mother. She forgot pain long ago and even wondered if she were immortal. She slowly pulled out the knife, which stained the grand hall’s carpet red.

Her mother sighed and patted her head. “I’m so glad my magic still works on you. If you died, I’d stick your knife in my throat.” She hugged with her eyes closed. “I’ll join you anywhere you are, my darling. Always….”

The next day was like any other. She would deliver a criminal’s just desserts in the chamber.

This time, the victims were spies from the Alaric Empire. Coelestis felt great shame knowing that they managed to gain intel. Tokino quickly became annoyed by their resilience. They babbled forever about their pride in family and land. They deemed any who sided with the City of Gods traitors. Still, she made sure that even their descendants would feel their suffering.

She cut their tongues. For good measure, she removed their voice boxes. Instead of flaying them, she lodged needles and bamboo splinters under their nails. Curiously, every spy refused to scream. Even with their voices taken, they spoke of their pride loudly.

At that moment, she became enraged and did not bother to slice tongues. She hated screaming, but silence threw her for a loop. She heated her knife on a furnace and seared their eyeballs and soft tissue. In one instance, she slid it inside one’s throat.

The spy panted and looked up at her. “Shame on you, animals!” she exclaimed. “You speak of civilization, yet you carve me up like livestock. Why not send me to Hell once and for all! Show an ounce of dignity!” She panted again with narrowed eyes.

Tokino heard nothing but more irritating babble. However, she stopped the session and became overtly curious about her dedication.

Airi stepped in and held her shoulder from behind. “Fear not, my darling. The filth before you has no say over human kindness.” She moved to her ear. “Do you want to know what they do to their people?” She told her reports of residents in the empire who refused war.

After hearing such tales, her heart became magma again. She slowly walked toward the spy with widened eyes. “How could do?” she said faintly. “How could you—enslave your own?” She heated her knife until it became bright yellow.

She sweated bullets. “I-I know not what you speak… M-My empire adores family forever till the end. Surely, those who reject our cause are not— Urgh!”

Tokino lodged the knife onto her thigh. Enraged that she did not scream, she twisted it 360°. It took five minutes for the agony to set in. Still not satisfied, she stabbed the other thigh.

At that moment, something awakened inside her. She cracked a smile as the spy howled louder. She heated her knife again and did the procedure thirty times. Even parts between the legs got burnt to a crisp.

Fifteen minutes later, the spy stopped moving. Her mother hugged her with tears of joy once more.

Airi went inside the bedroom to check on her. She called the maids to gather the paper she shaded red on the floor. Tokino became defensive when they tried picking up ones near her. They quickly dismissed themselves from the room.

She sat at the table. “Time for your dinner, darling. I have spare time to eat with you.” She pulled out homemade schnitzels and macarons.

Tokino continued drawing for a minute. Then, she ate her meal slowly again. She never used her utensils.

She sighed with her eyes closed. “To be honest, darling. You being silent scares me sometimes. Every time you are, I worry about your health. Is there something wrong?” She sipped her tea.

She nodded while looking down. “I’m fine. Thank you….”

Airi looked at the mangled stuffed animals from afar. “Oh, dear….” She turned to her daughter. “Say, would you love to introduce me to your friends? They might be lonely up there.”

Surprisingly, she nodded. She got off the table and presented each one by one. “This is Mama. And this is Mama. And Mama. And Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama. And finally—this is Papa. He helps me sleep.” She hugged it tightly while turning away.

She failed to see her favorite toy fully and walked toward her. “Pardon me, my darling. But I’d like to meet this ‘Papa’ of yours—” Before she knew it, her daughter swung her knife at her. It gave her a cut on her lower leg.

She hyperventilated with narrowed eyes. She pointed the knife at her and held a small teddy bear close. “Die…” she said faintly. “Leave Papa and me alone. Go to Hell….” Her breathing became worse.

Every time she moved closer, she would slash her knife around. In response, she stood far away and smiled. “Splendid, my darling Tokino. I envy your expression of love and admiration.” She closed the door.

Later that night, insomnia haunted Tokino again. She moved from one spot but to no avail. This time, she did not have an appetite for scurrying rodents. Her mind belittled her soul as a cold-blooded monster whenever trying to sleep. No matter how much she enjoyed mutilating criminals, she felt being the biggest one of all. The more she thought about it, the more she curled into a fetal position. However, she found some light.

She now only became happy talking to her brown teddy bear. She even shared laughs with it. Other times, she played around in bed.

She placed it beside a wall and smiled. “I had a great day, Papa… I caught thirty butterflies this morning. Sadly, no one wanted to be my friend in town. Not that I want to.” She giggled with her eyes closed.

She told the bear more stories of the day. She carried a baby bird back to its nest before lunch. In the afternoon, she made her own bug net and caught eighty fireflies. She jumped in joy seeing so many freed all at once.

She giggled again. “I miss you, Papa… Everything’s pretty dark without you. But you still love me, right?” she moved closer.

Unfortunately, reality struck her soul deeply. Through the years, she became disillusioned that “Papa” would do nothing. This time, she felt ashamed. She did not want “him” to know what she had become.

Tears welled as she found some courage. “Papa… D-Do you think I can still go to Heaven?” She sniffled and dried her eyes. “I know. I can’t go there anymore. I killed so many, and I loved every second. But I—I….” She hugged the teddy bear tightly. Her sorrows soaked its fur.

“I wanna be with you, Papa! I don’t want Mama. I hate her! I hate everything around me! Please come back. Come back!” She bawled for two hours in bed.

With another sleepless night, her heart numbed further. “Sorry, Papa…” she stared blankly at the ceiling. “I’m gonna do it tomorrow. It’s too late now. I love the screams.” She held her knife tightly.

Another day, another pitiful soul to maim in the chamber. This time, the crime was rare and unexpected. It was a Mikadzukihantō defector—also a samurai. Pantaiyanilam had no trust in the isolated nation. Any missionary they sent in the past never returned. The supreme court found him a spy and denied any self-defense claims.

Tokino began by cutting the fingers and toes. Next, it was castration. Her mother gasped with her mouth covered upon realizing what she would do next. She did the “blood eagle” torture method for the first time. However, the samurai never screamed, even with his back exposed. He never even said a word.

Annoyed by this, she pulled out the salt and bottle of rubbing alcohol. She sprinkled and dosed them over the samurai as metal wires suspended him in the air. Once again, her victim made no sound. He smiled with his eyes and mouth closed.

She severed his lungs next. To amp it up, she heated her knife until yellow. In the end, she grunted in utter frustration and threw her shoes at his face.

The samurai never flinched and had a smile throughout the ordeal. Before we would pass on, he turned to her. “Oh, you poor thing… You’ve never known freedom, have you? I understand. I wasn’t free back home, either.” He enhanced his senses via magic. “Oh, my word. What dastardly chains you have. Let me free you before I go, little one….”

The samurai broke off the metal wires on him with ease. Airi and Tokino sweated bullets with their hearts raised. However, the former backed away from afar—her mind dumbfounded by the scene.

Tokino backed herself into a corner. She hyperventilated as he slowly walked nearer with a smile. He raised his right hand, making her close her eyes and shield herself.

The next thing she knew, he placed his hand on her chest. He cast minuscule runes to overwrite the ones engraved on her body. “Leave this accursed place, little one. Be free as I’ve never been….” He smiled once more and fell on his back.

Tokino felt innumerable feelings, even physically. She felt the radiating heat of the knife, the salt beneath her feet, and the cold wall behind her. As promised, the “chains” broke free. Her mind leaped in joy as it responded to sensation for a long time. Upon realization, a waterfall flowed out of her ducts.

Airi also realized what this meant. The city’s bitter cold blew away her yearlong work. She sweated and shook her head. “No… Not my sweet little darling. Don’t take her away from me!” She ran to her, ready to cast runes. Unfortunately for her, retaliation was inevitable. As she cried out her daughter’s name, it triggered unquenchable rage.

Thanks to her foresight, Tokino effortlessly dodged her right hand. She pushed her on her back—and drooled on top of her as anger festered. She lifted the white-hot knife with both hands. “Die!! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!!!” She stabbed her forty more times.

Airi shook about, not ready for the pain inflicted on her. Eventually, she stopped with her eyes open.

She threw away the knife and locked the torture chamber.

Outside, servants heard Tokino’s yells and went to check the room. Even a crowbar could not open it. She snuck behind them and jumped out a window.

She fell two stories high. Luckily, the abundant snow cushioned her landing. She ran as fast as she could against a blizzard. She had no idea where to go—and could not even see through the fog.

All she thought at that point was to move forward against the thick white blankets. Ten minutes in, chilblains and frostbite got the better of her. Her pace became lethargic, trying to keep her head up. She had no strength left in the winter cold.

She stopped in her tracks and noticed her icy breath. “No… I must carry….” She tripped over and fell on her side.

Her body shook more by the second, and she could no longer breathe. The falling snow covered her more in time.

“I—deserve this… I killed—so many. I can’t even—forgive myself….” Her eyes slowly closed. She heard soft, crunchy sounds from afar.

As this story went on, a beautiful angel saved the sorry child. The world never expected this in its billion-year lifespan.