The little girl waited until she saw no one in the village and ran towards Old Man Li's home. She knocked and waited politely. The old man, rubbing his eyes and raged on who was disturbing him so late at night. His head was aching from the alcohol he had drank earlier, so his mood wasn't the best. Yet when he saw who was on the other side of the door, a creepy smile grew on his face.

"Little girl, what can I do for you?"

"Old Man Li... my mother died!" She meekly wiped away her pouring tears and pitifully looked at him. "I have nowhere to go. Please help me!"

He chuckled and opened the door wider. "Might as well let you come in here one day sooner!" She nodded and followed him inside, where he grabbed some bread for her to eat. Since Old Man Li was the only doctor in the village, he was one of the wealthier folks living there. Hence, he could easily give away bread that the little girl and her mother couldn't afford.

She munched on the bread as her eyes darted around until they landed on a sharp knife close by. Old Man Li didn't notice her sweat drenched forehead and turned to her. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." He reached over and she fell back, scampering backwards until she hit the wall. One of his arms extended and he savagely ripped her thin clothes, exposing her chest.

She screamed and as he was taking off his own clothes, she grabbed the knife and dug it deeply in his chest. He yelled in pain and released her, allowing her to jump back. Blood quickly soaked his clothes but he stood up to catch her from running away. She noticed another knife and grabbed it, slashing his incoming arm from touching her.

"You damned little bitch!" He growled, feeling another the burn of slashes on his arms from the knife. She swung it mindlessly, protecting herself. Blood dripped everywhere and he felt himself losing focus from the blood loss. She took notice of the opportunity and used the knife in her hand to stab him again. He froze, then suddenly coughed out blood and fell to the ground. Silence followed except the sound of her ragged breaths and her thumping heart.

I...killed him? Her face paled at the realization. She had only intended to steal some money from him and then leave since she didn't want to sell her mother's keepsake, yet the moment that he tore her clothes, she had lost all reason and wanted to defend herself. But to think that she had killed him... it was traumatizing. She had no further motivation to take his money even if he offered it to her. She bent next to him to see if he was still breathing when suddenly he pulled out one of the knifes and slashed her. She managed to dodge but not fully as he slashed her eyes.

She screamed in pain and covered her eyes as darkness was beginning to overwhelm her. She pushed open the door and ran outside and away from him. She didn't stop running even once she reached her home because she was so scared. In the end, she had been running for what seemed like hours and found herself in the forest that bordered the current Xi Country and the Kang Country. It was already dark, plus her eyes had sustained damage, so she couldn't see.

She sat down and tears were unintentionally pouring from her eyes. She wanted to yell for help but knew that it would only lead to her death with the wild animals. She desperately yearned for her mother or anyone...the eerie feeling of the forest was beginning to impact her and make her seven year old frame conscious about it.

Yet despite the desire to stay awake and protect herself, the fatigue was finally starting to hit her. She had endured so much, even getting her eyes hurt. She began to shiver at the cold and chilly air in the forest, yet she had nothing to cover herself except the thin clothes that belonged to her.

In the end, she closed her eyes for a second but ended up falling asleep.

ꕥꕥꕥ

She woke up to the sound of something growling, but she couldn't see what. Her surroundings were almost fully dark, except a very blurry figure in front of her. She stood up, her legs wobbly, and ran with her stuff in her arms. The little girl had exhausted the energy she received from sleeping, her legs giving out and she falling.

She tried to get up again; however, her ankle had twisted and she couldn't. "Help me!" She yelled out with panic of the creature getting closer to her. "Someone help me!" Her cries for help were met with no replies except the animal's growling that was increasing in volume. She scooted backwards the closer the sound got until her back hit a tree.

This is the end... a bitter feeling overwhelmed her heart. Sorry mother, I couldn't live more than a day without you.

The animal had etched completely close to her and she raised her arms to shield herself from the impact when a sudden whoosh sound was heard and the animal fell on top of her. She pushed it away and felt an arrow pierced in its body. It was heavier than she expected, meaning it was probably bigger than she expected.

A large figure stood in front of her and pulled the animal away from her. "Little girl, why are you here?" She recognized the kind voice belonging to a man in his twenties. She opened her mouth to respond but couldn't utter a word.

He stared at her, trying to decipher her, but couldn't see anything more than a wounded child. He noticed the dry blood around her eyes that required immediate medical attention.

"Help...me..." her throat was dry. Be it from the earlier fear or from not drinking any water for so long, her hoarse voice invoked pity from him despite being a stranger. He extended his hand and noticed that she wasn't budging, most likely because she couldn't see his hand that was offered for help.

He bend over and suddenly picked her up, startling her. Yet despite the sudden contact, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all like with Old Man Li. She closed her eyes again and unknowingly fell asleep while he carried her.

She didn't know that this encounter was the start of her long and bittersweet fate.