It was so powerful that the light blinded the others. A slight rumbling started before Lian Yuexia was pulled away from the ball making the light go out. It was the sect leader who pulled him off dragging him to the middle where the chains were. He forced Lian Yuexia to his knees and placed the chains on him, they burned Lian Yuexia’s wrist and neck. Tears streamed down his eyes, but he didn’t yell out, only when the crackling of the whip did, he cry out. The Sect leader was taking his frustrations out on the poor child who did nothing wrong. Lian Yuexia started crying harder yet no matter how quiet his voice was he called out

“Grandma, grandma help me.” Which only cause even harsher whips. Qing Dabai watch the sect leader do this to him, even if he deserved whipping it wasn’t to this extent. Which he decided to intervene the lashing.

“Father, Father please stop this is too much. Even if he deserves them this is much too harsh for someone to take.” Qing Dabai tried to calm his father but the look he got, forced him into silence as they could only watch. His mother was shaking by the time the Sect leader was done, as she was frightened of her husband. The huffing could be heard from Sect leader, and soft sobbing could be heard from Lian Yuexia.

“Leave him here and well proceed in a few days. Do not bring him food or water. He doesn’t deserve it. Now go before I whip you all.” The Sect leader left with most behind him, however Dabai stayed and watched the trembling shoulders silently.

He was looking at the scattered clothes and bloodied back of Lian Yuexia before he noticed a crack in the jade ball. However, he didn’t call back his father instead he stayed quiet almost like something inside of him wanted this to happen. A slight smirk was on his face before Qing Dabai walked away.

There Lian Yuexia sat there crying and broken, blood dripping down his back pooling on the floor. He could still feel the lashing as if they were striking his back right now, causing him to shiver and tremble forcing more pain.

“Grandma, grandma it hurts… I miss you grandma where did you go.” Lian Yuexia cried to himself as kneeled, not even daring to move.

“Grandma I want to leave.” The jade ball cracked open even more as a white mist flowed out of it and towards Lian Yuexia. Once it reached him it started to form into a woman, she was kneeling in front of Lian Yuexia. Reaching out her hand she raised his head to look at her. That gentle smile and warm eyes, her hands that felt soft when they would caress his face as a child. She took off the bandages that wrapped around his eyes and stared into them.

“I always believed your eyes were like the moon. They shine so bright. Ah my son must have been so hard on you. I must apologize for him. Do you really want to leave?” her voice sounded like water or that of hundreds.

“What do you want Xiao Yue?” She asked him softly as her eyes looked at him. To Lian Yuexia it looked like she was looking deep within his soul seeing the real answer. Lian Yuexia look at his grandmother for the first time in fifteen years, so he was a little speechless that she was in front of him. Ignoring the pain Lian Yuexia raised his hand to touch her face only for it to be stopped by the chains.

More tears streamed down his face as he couldn’t touch her at all, Lian Yuexia was confused and upset but never said a word.

What did he want what was it?

Why does he have to go through all the abuse from the others?

All he really wanted to know was the truth.

“Xiao Yue my darling child. what do you truly want from this world?” She called out again retracting her hand from his face and sitting straight, she was still smiling. Lian Yuexia went to stop her hand, but the chain stopped him causing him to become upset at the matter.

“Grandma I-I I want to know the truth behind my existence why was I born with white hair. Why does everyone think I’m a bad omen. Please all I want to know is the truth.” Lian Yuexia’s hand couldn’t reach his grandmother at all she was just barely out of reach.

The smile grew wider as she wrapped her arms around him to give him a hug. “Then my dear Xiao Yue remember your past. Remember who you are. Your name is his and his is yours for you are the moonlight for the one shrouded in darkness. I am sorry for all the suffering you are going through.” She had Lian Yuexia look at her in the eyes. Her gentle smile told him that everything will be alright and that it was safe for now. A tear rolled down her cheek before she kissed his forehead.

“Be safe and stand by his side Zhuque.” She whispered as the light faded into Lian Yuexia. Gasping as if the pain had been relived before he collapsed.

He fell into a deep sleep that made the pain non-existent and allowed him to dream of a different place than this. It was place full of warm sunlight and flower beds of medicine around a small cabin. Around the cabin were trees that stood tall but didn’t block the sunlight. The air clean and slightly damp but it seemed to be morning. Birds could be heard in the distance and someone walking.

They were walking through the grass in dark green clothes and sword in hand. Black hair was neatly tied back into a high ponytail and this person’s face was obscured.

Who was this person? There was a faint feeling of smile, but the place started to become darker as he tried to look at the one walking. Soon it became a sea of black as he looked around.

“No, no, come back! Not the darkness. Bring him back please. Bring him back! Give him back don’t take him from me!” Lian Yuexia called out to the endless darkness.

Who did he want back? The words that he yelled screamed didn’t make sense in anyway as he had no idea who this person was. The darkness grew silent as Lian Yuexia stopped yelling into it, making him scared. He looked around for any light even someone to get rid of the eerie silence.

So, he crouched down in the fetal position to hide from it, but the dark was always his weak spot it scared him the most because he was left in the dark when his grandmother left, left in the dark when the sect leader beat him the first time, and so on the dark would become his punishment. There he sat trapped for what felt like an eternity until a kick woke him up from the deep slumber.