Cover by sogequeen2550 on deviantart

"I can't take this anymore..." Kougykou choked out through wreaked sobs.

"Why was I forced to carry this loneliness? This tainted whore blood?" Slowly, the rukh started to darken around her. She knew that she was walking a thin line, but it was too late.

"I curse Fate! Why should I suffer this? It's all its fault for this!" With those words, the black rukh swallowed her. And the Eighth Princess fell into depravity.

Judal knew something was wrong the minute he arrived back at the imperial palace. The air around him crackled with tension, not from his power, but someone else's. His first instinct was to check little Hakuryuu, but he was stopped in his tracks by her.

"Oh Judal?" Kougykou said as she walked towards him. She still wore the same feminine robes, the same childish hairstyle, but something about her made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "I've been waiting for you, we need to talk,"

"Later, hag." He turned away, afraid of her for the first time in his life.

"No, now!" She growled before forcing him to look her in the eye. Instead of the usual insecurity and doubt, they held nothing but a twisted cruelty.

"Well spit it out then," A dark power rushed over him, and he too clearly knew what had happened to the shy, kind princess.

"I'm tired of hurting, make sure that never happens again."

And before he could stop, the words came tumbling out his mouth. "As you wish, your Highness."

Kougykou laughed, and it was simultaneously the most beautiful and horrifying thing he had ever heard.

With ease, she conquered her first dungeon, taming Vinea for her use. With the help of a Magi now, Kougykou easily obtained an army and went to work, expanding the territory of the Kou Empire.

Judal found she as awe-inspiring while fighting. Before she had simply been the cute Eighth Princess, charming but forgettable. However now she radiated power and demanded attention. In battle, her madness seemed to bloom into beauty, painting the earth with her enemy's blood.

No one commented on her transformation. Insanity was common in royalty, so most assumed she finally cracked even worse than Kouha. At least now she was useful instead of scurrying around the palace like the whore's daughter she was. The only one unhappy with the change was Ka Koubun, who "mysteriously" disappeared from palace life soon after.

But it was so much worse than anyone thought. She was spiraling out of control, slowly being reduced to a twisted shell the held nothing of his only friend. Still all Judal could do was simply watch.

These days, it was like living with two princesses.

There was Gykou, the one he had met as a child. The one that was quiet and worried excessively and hated his pranks. The one that despite her lonely life was full of light and love. The one he was so jealous of, but at the same time drawn to. Gykou was the only person to treat him like a human being. She would yell at him, but would also play silly games with and braid his hair and didn't mind he was a monster.

Kou was foreign to him. She held none of Gykou's crippling shyness or her other inhibitions. She knew what she wanted and she always wanted it now. It was strange, for Judal realized she shared many of his traits: childish, moody, prone to lashing out for no reason, and lost. Still Kou channelled all those swirling emotions into her fighting, giving him a partner that can the closest to understanding his insanity. She was dangerous, frightening, but ultimately intoxicating.

And Judal wasn't sure which one he preferred.

"I'm bored with being General." One day she pouted while going through her daily sword practice.

"Had enough of destruction, hag?" His lips twisted into a smirk. That nickname always reunited the two princesses.

"I'm the strongest out of my family, stronger than idiot Hakuei or even the Witch Queen." She spat out those last words. "I deserve more than this."

"What do you suggest?" His blood was already pumping in his veins.

"I want the crown," She smiled so sweetly like Gykou, but the madness of Kou slipped in.

"Do you really think a stupid girl like you can rule the country?" He was reduced to childish insults when her black rukh overwhelmed even him.

"But I have you Judal-" She closed the gap between them, drawing his name out in a seductive voice. "I know you won't let me down, my Judal is always the best at destroying whatever I say to, aren't ya?" She placed one hand lightly on his chest before trailing her other hand up his face.

All rational thought flew out the window. His senses were overflowed with fire, blood, but most of all her.

"How could I say no to my princess," He pulled her closer, sprouting a feral grin.

After years of planning, they easily stole the throne. Everyone had merely assumed Kougykou had taken Judal as a sort of pet, which wasn't entirely untrue. Regardless when she showed up with a legion of thousands of men and a crazy smile, none were prepared.

"Enjoying things your Majesty?" A cat-like smile painted his features as he snuck up behind her while she lounged on the throne.

"Shut up!" Kougykou turned to hiss at him.

Immediately a look that could be mistaken for concern flashed across Judal's face. "You alright?"

"I don't understand, how can the pain continue following me, even after all these years?" Her words came out in a hushed voice. Judal leaned in closer, hoping to somehow help her, and laid a hand over her's.

"Don't touch me!" Kou screeched, pulling back.

All Judal could do was stare in shock. At the princess with her tangled, uncombed hair and the wild look in her eye, like an animal backed against the wall.

"Oh Judal, I'm so sorry, forgive me please," Gykou cupped his face as she planted gentle kisses across his face, salty tears spilling over onto him.

However her heartfelt apology couldn't stop the gears turning in his head. "Kougykou?" He forced her to look at him. "Are you happy with this?"

"Of course I am!" She replied a little too quickly. "I've worked so hard for this, how could I not? You're happy with this too, right?"

Happy. That was an alien concept to Judal. Battle amused him, feeding his constant bloodlust, but it didn't make him happy. He wondered if he had ever been happy in his life, it seemed like the black rukh never allowed that sort of thing.

He supposed the closest he ever got to it was around Kougykou. She had put up with his bullying and insults, even wanted to be his friend. Slowly she had become important to him, and there was no way in hell, Judal was gonna let her destroy herself.

"I'm fine. Answer me hag." Unintentionally his grip around her chin tightened.

"Just stop worrying, it's been crazy these past few days that's all."

"As you wish." He tried to keep his voice level as he turned away. He didn't believe a word she said, but he couldn't bear to argue with her while she was in this state.

Over time, the citizens of the Kou Empire came to regard Kougykou as the Mad Queen. She spent all her time either sick in bed or spending the country's money on frivolous things.

There were few uprisings however, to do so they'd have to deal with the Queen's Dog and his ferocious magic.

Judal supposed before he would have been upset over his title as Oracle being replaced with such a demeaning one, but these days he was preoccupied with caring for Kougykou.

On her good days she got up and was able to put on her royal robes all by herself. She'd attend council meetings like nothing was unusual and maybe crack a smile.

On bad days she'd scream in pain as the healers rushed to ease her Majesty. Judal would stay by her side, watching over her in an almost protective manner while she cried. "It hurts Judal!" "Make it stop!"

On the worst days she would be reduced to a sobbing wreak, completely incoherent. Then a dangerous glint would glow in the Queen's Dog's eye and he'd lock them away from the rest of the world. A brave servant reported he'd found them later asleep, Judal gripping his Mistress as if she would disappear any minute.

Kougykou was also becoming more and more forgetful.

"I want Kouen..." She one time whispered amid the tears and yelling.

"Gykou, he's dead." Fell a long time ago at Kougykou's own hand.

"Oh." That's all she'd reply before going back to moaning how her head never seemed to stop aching.

"Do you still remember when I first fell?" She slipped out the question into the stillness of the night.

"Eh," He grunted in response. It seemed like it had been centuries since Kougykou had been whole and complete.

"I did it so I would stop the pain," She turned her head to look up at him. "But it hasn't helped. It's only gotten worse. Why's that Judal? Tell me!" More tears were coming.

Judal sighed, thinking of some way he could heal instead of destroy. "I don't know." That's all he said before uncharacteristically pressing his lips to her forehead.

"I just don't fucking know."

Inevitably, the worst happened. The Mad Queen fell into a coma. With that, the Queen's Dog snapped, frightening all the other staff away. Some accounts say he was roaring, roaring as he destroyed all the fine items her Majesty had purchased on her good days. Others say, he was reduced to tears, immovable and inconsolable.

Maybe both were correct. Perhaps neither were. Judal himself doesn't remember. His memory can only recount cradling the fallen girl pathetically as night fell.

Once he got a grip of himself, he immediately went to work. He couldn't let her slip away. He had lost his home and his humanity to that group. And even though they had driven Al Thamen out, it seemed he was still going to lose something precious to him.

Without thinking, Judal let out a bitter laugh. He thought after all that he wouldn't care about anything else. And he didn't really care about anything, except for that damn Eighth Princess who had just happen to treat him decently.

With that he went searching for the other Magi he knew.

"Yunan!" He yelled as he flew through the various spots he had seen the Wandering Magi. "Come out you shit stain!" Black rukh surrounded him as his desperation grew and grew.

"Ah, it's been a long time, Judal!" He turned to see Yunan smiling pleasantly at him. "I wondered when you'd finally pay me a visit again."

"Cut the crap," He growled. "I need to know how to stop someone who's fallen into depravity."

"Ah, I didn't know you were looking to reform."

"It's not for me." Judal knew he could never repay his sins. But Kougykou had a chance, even at her worst she still never stooped to his level.

"I see your Mistress then?" Yunan sighed. "Sorry, I don't know how."

"What!?" Judal screamed as he held him up by his shirt. "You're lying! There has to be a way!""

"Like I said, I'm sorry," Yunan gave a nonchalant shrug, unfazed by Judal's act of violence. "The only thing I could do is, stabilize her condition."

"Then fucking do it!"

"I can't make any promises it would work. Your queen wasn't built for the kind of abuse the black rukh can do on your soul. Any more magic at this point could kill her." He grew serious. "I've seen the condition her Majesty is in, and I can't promise even with my help she'd ever wake again."

Those words shook Judal so much, he didn't even wonder how Yunan knew about Kougykou. Still, he couldn't give up, not now. "It doesn't matter, I'll find a way."

"Even if it takes til you're old and grey?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

"I don't care." His voice grew strong and determined. "I'll do whatever it takes." And if she dies, nothing in this godforsaken world will escape his wrath.

A.N. god this was hard, trying to match the style with Kougykou's mental state, accounting for how the world would change if she fell. For all those upset, blame tumblr user yamiraiha and her comparison of jukou to kyosaya