| GEHENNA |

Chapter 4

Rin struggled against the grip, wriggling to the best of his ability, kicking out and biting with his small teeth. Even his tail was lashing about, the tip aflame with a spark of blue that had his captor rearing back a bit in fear, which allowed him to slip out of the hold, his captor cursing. Rin didn't bother turning around to see them, instead, he darted forward and to the side, dodging the hands attempting to grab him. He noticed that there were many more hands than there should be, which only fuelled his desperation to escape.

" Hey, young Prince! Now wait for just a second, I just wanted to say hello-" The voice was reedy sounding, deranged and hungering. Rin sobbed in fear, running as fast as his small limbs allowed him.

" Go away! Help! Help, there's a strange man!"

" My Prince-" The voice was closer, and he was sure that he could smell its breath.

Rin let out an ear-piercing screech as he felt a hand clasp on his shoulder, jerking away, his flames bursting briefly to life in response. A 'pop' to the side of him had him scuttling away and running around the nearest corner with a yelp. The sounds of snapping and snarling had him cowering in his hands, shaking violently.

The hallway went deathly silent after a few, agonising minutes filled with unearthly noises.

" Prince Rin?" He recognised that voice. He couldn't put a name, or a face to it, but he knew it. A womanly figure came around the bend, causing him to back up as she came closer. "Prince Rin, I'm glad to see that you were not harmed by the intruder. Please allow me to escort you back to your rooms, I do not know if there are any more of them roaming about."

He opened his mouth, then closed it, nodding hesitantly. It made sense. He didn't to be attacked again. This woman had saved him. The woman gave him a brief upturn of the lips, something that couldn't quite be called a smile before she turned and began to walk.

Rin hurried after her, tail swishing slightly, batting at the backs of his legs. He turned to scowl at it, watching at it swayed lazily without care. Huffing, he whipped his head back forward, pouting slightly.

The woman to his side stayed quiet, a silent protector for the remainder of the journey. And when he safely made it back to his room, she was gone before he could even mutter a thank you.

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Rin's late afternoon was spent attempting to get through as much of the book as he possibly could, unsure when he'd have to stop for Tea. As it turned out, in Gehenna, they ate five meals a day. Which, he supposed, was to be expected when the day was twice as long.

Only two of those meals, however, were served in the dining hall. The other three, and any snacks he wanted, were brought up to his room, where he'd eat them at the table by the window.

The sight outside of that window had been a huge shock at first. Pale red skies with dark grey clouds littering it, a vast expanse of ground with no other buildings in sight, swarms of demonic creatures soaring in groups, it was all very frightening to look at. He had shut the curtains immediately, to get away from the nightmarish view.

Tea time would be soon, a meal situated between lunch and dinner. The maid that took care of him had informed him that it would be served at 30:00, although that wasn't much help for him. He hoped there wouldn't be any more 'Gehennan delicacies' for him to try, either.

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" Yucky! I'm not eating that! It looks gross!" 'That' was a plate of what Rin had first thought of as beans until one had crawled off the side of the plate. He grimaced as he saw the stern look his maid was sending him. He picked up his fork, gulped, and attempted to spear one of the beans.