4

Adremalech strolled through the castle corridors. One of the first things he had Lars and Alphonse do was to lower the number of guards in the castle, by more than half, as well as arrange the patrolls in such a way that certain areas of the castle would remain ungarded for large periods of time. All of this was done to give him the freedom to roam the castle-because after several decades of imprisonment, the last thing he wanted to do was be stuck in the same room nearly constantly-unnoticed. He found it astonishing just how liberating such a simple act could work such wonders for his mood, feeling relatively relaxed. Soon, however, he came across a place he had not been looking forward to: the castle dungeons.

He wasn't quite sure why he dreaded the prospect of visiting the dungeons filled him with such anxiety, though he surmised it stemmed from a worry that going near those imprisonments would remind him of his days in hell. Days where he tried to take his own life, but found that he couldn't. Days where he had to count as high as he could to keep himself from going insane. It was a silly notion, he acknowledged, seeing as how he knew that no earthly punishment could compare to the fires of hell, but one he found himself dreading nevertheless. So here he was, forcing himself into this situation, in a desperate attempt to stamp out this-completelyirrational!-fear.

And so, he entered.

...

His first thought's? Dusty, dark, musty, damp. But, thankfully, not unnerving like he feared. Uncomfortable? Yes. Unlikable? Absolutely. But not unnerving, much to his relief.

'It really was just a silly notion.'

He looked around further, noticicing a few prisoners looking quite miserable, but that was to be expected. What wasn't expected, was the sound of a low moan, eminating from somewhere outside the room. Curious, and the slightest bit of confusion, he decided to follow it. After some navigating among the labrynth of cells. It got slightly louder when he neared an iron door. He approached it, curiosity overpowering caution. It was locked, of course, but that was no obstacle to him. With a quick puff of hell fire, it melted, and he proceeded to enter the roo-

Blood. Blood. More blood.

He reeled back in shock, not even knowing where to look. There was blood everywhere! People strung up by their wrists, blood slowly trickling out slowly, as if to kill them over a long period of time. Numerous horrific torture devices, many of them dripping with blood, indicating recent use.

He reeled further as images of hell flashed in his mind. The sudden reliving of that trauma caused him to stumble to his feet, head swirling as he clutched it in a desperate attempt to soothe the almost physical pain.

"K-Kill..."

He steadied himself, and turned to the source of the new voice. A man chained to the wall, numerous impalements stuck out of him, impaled in just the right places to avoid his vitals.

"Kill me..." He uttered, caughing up some blood in the process.

Nearing his breaking point, Adremalech shot up, and made a mad dash for the exit. He slammed it shut and scurried out of the dungeons.

Coming to a stop at a nearby window, he planted his hands and leaned on the sill, desperately trying to catch his breath, a million thoughts racing through his head.

'What's the meaning of this?'

'I thought I'd left hell!'

'This can't be...'

His rapid breathing continued as his mind battled to keep images of his time spent in hell from resurfacing. He grit his teeth and clenched the window sill, even thinking of wounding himself as distraction. After a good few moments, he finally managed to steady himself, his breathing now resembling something normal, as he looked out onto the slums of the city.

A hell on Earth... how could that be? Was it a one of a kind? Were there more of them? If so, how many? Dozens? Hundreds? Maybe even thousands? He never had the chance to learn about these things as a human... what else didn't he know?! What other horrors were out there in the world?

He shook his head violently.

No. He wasn't going to let this revelation defeat him. He'd take action before his reality was shattered even further... he'd take the crown.

With that in mind, he set off towards his next destination: Lars' chambers.

He'd never admit this to anyone, but he disliked killing children. So much so that he even spared that girl whose parents he killed, even after she charged at him. But he was left with little choice as he made to claim the throne. He had suffered enough, he deserved more, why should a privelaged brat hold such power? To hell with rulling from the shadows!

He reached the young kings chambers soon enough, entering and brushing aside the pang of guilt he felt. He was sleeping on his bed, looking rather distressed. Adremalech moved closer, his suddenly clawed appendage raised above his head ready to strike, the other grabbing ahold of the blanket. He pulled the blanket off, bringing his claw down on him, only to freeze before he reached.

He was littered, covered with scars, bruises, and even burn marks!

'What the hell?!'

He reeled back, feelings of confusion and, to his great bewilderment, concern began stirring. He could have sworn he heard a pane of glass shatter as he took in the image of the so-called 'privelaged brat', who seemingly remained asleep. Adremalech chucked the blanket back on him, and promptly left the room.

__________________________________________

Adremalech let out a sigh of frustration. He found himself sat in the castle gardens, engaged in a staring contest with the ground. He was lost in his own little world, but could you blame him? His entire perception of the world had shattered, and with it, his place in it. What was he to do now? What HAD he done? Was everything he did all in vain? His desire to rule died a vicious death once he had this little epiphany. And every action he had taken prior to it had been to fulfill this ambition...

What had he done?

"Sir?" A voice startled him out of his thoughts. He looked the new voice, and found Alphonse standing, a lantern in his hand. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." He added, looking nervous.

Adremalech ignored him, and returned to his thoughts, pondering what his life was now, when something hit him.

"Alphonse, what happened to Lars? Where did all those injuries come from?" He noticed the way he flinched at the question.

"So you know." He responded, before taking a breath. "His father, King Raylar, he... was a brute. He'd never shied away from violence... not even from his own son. And it only got worse over time. He was despicable, but I'm no better." That caught Adremalech by surprise. "I never did a thing to help him, simply because I was ordered not to." He added morosely, suddenly refusing to make eye contact. "I don't expect that he'll ever forgive me."

Adremalech regarded him for a moment, before turning away, leaving the area.

He had alot to think about.