WORNING: chapter contains depictions of violence and abuse

  I ran through the alleyways of the city, hands clutching what little Mother had left me. In the far distance, I could hear the sounds of explosions and the reverberating impacts of the cultivators’ battle.

  My tattered clothes, drenched by rain and sweat, clung and rubbed against my body. My tail moved wildly from side to side, matching the rhythm of my running, helping me keep bance while my bare feet navigated the uneven terrain.

  I saw people around me stumble and scatter with each impact. The situation was dire enough for them to abandon their belongings in haste to escape the district—mothers hugging their babies or holding their kids as they ran, merchants abandoning their carts and stores to flee this catastrophe, and even children crying, searching for their parents, lost in the stampede.

  My ears picked up the sound of something whistling through the air, followed immediately by an impact and a wave of air and sound that knocked everyone around me to the ground.

  My ears rang as I tried to make sense of what had happened. I scampered to my knees and looked back.

  Most of the towers of the central district—the district I had come from - where my cruel masters resided—y either toppled or burning. The destruction left the beautiful carvings of swords and dragons in ruins.

  Tears started running down my face as I remembered who had been there, but I had to keep moving forward because I had promised them I would be free.

  I quickly stood on my trembling legs and started running again, taking deep, painful breaths as I picked up my pace.

  Everyone around me seemed dazed, unconscious, or had already started running again.

  While I ran toward the northern gate, a bright light to my right caught my attention. I dared a quick gnce. A dragon of fire and lightning slithered through the air, cshing against a glowing golden barrier of interlocking hexagonal ptes, breaking them yer by yer until it hit the gate—and exploded

  I braced myself against the shockwave behind a sturdy-looking building and covered my sensitive ears, which were still ringing from the first bst. Thankfully, I didn’t fall this time, and when the wave of pressurized air passed me, I gnced toward the eastern gate. In pce of the towers of white marble and golden engravings, a hole ten times the size of the gate itself had taken its pce. At its centre, a billowing cloud of bck smoke, smouldering fire, and crackling lightning raced toward the sky, its form resembling that of a mushroom.

  As I traced the bck cloud, I noticed the golden barrier slowly unravelling. Each pte shimmered into existence, then fell away, only to disintegrate into motes of fading light. All in a wave starting from the point where the dragon had detonated.

  It was also when I noticed the falling debris—giant chunks of charred marble of varying sizes racing down toward the city.

  Out of instinct, I used the skill my father had taught me. My form shimmered, turning into a fluid tide of darkness as it merged with the shadows cast by the giant cloud of ash and fire.

  The momentary embrace of shadows filled me with comfort as the impacts of the falling debris reverberated throughout the city. Once the tremors stopped, I quickly emerged, taking stock of how much qi I had used. And to my dismay, I only had half of my reserves left.

  I started running again. I needed to make it out of the city to survive. All around me, the bodies of the dead and dying filled the broken streets. I saw men crushed under boulders or colpsed walls. Far to my right, a child was crying, shaking the headless corpse of her mother. A few paces ahead, a teenage boy was trying to pull his crushed arm from under some rubble, all the while screaming for help.

  Bile rose in my throat at the sight. I wanted to puke, but I steeled my nerves and ran forward. As I turned into a wide street, I saw my salvation—the northern gates stood there, wide open. Streams of people, those lucky enough to escape with both legs intact, scurried out of the city in a mass of colliding bodies. None cared for anyone but themselves. The question was, would I make it there without becoming a nameless casualty like those around me?

  Suddenly, a war horn bred through the city, announcing the start of the direct battle. “Shit!” I cursed. I couldn’t get discovered by the cns. I quickened my pace further. My legs hurt from the strain, but I had to get out.

  As I wove through the falling debris and craters, hundreds of cultivators flew from all across the city toward the eastern gate, aiming to intercept the invading force. Up in the sky, the elders of both forces were already locked in mortal combat.

  Countless weapons made from pure golden light, fire, and lightning were used as projectiles, some making their way toward the city itself. Barriers were formed and broken, and from time to time, someone was thrown to the ground, causing a devastating impact, only to fly back up and rejoint the fight.

  As I neared the gate, I used an illusion technique my mother had taught me. It bent the light around me, making me nearly invisible while also causing people to ignore my presence. It was not as expensive as Shadow Step nor the best in terms of pure stealth, but in the chaos of the attack, it was perfect.

  The battle was getting more intense. Slowly spreading to the whole city. I knew it because the sounds of cshing bdes were getting louder. The shouts of the fighters were getting more desperate.

  And I was getting closer to my goal. But only time could tell whether I got out first or someone from the cns recognized me. A hundred paces 90 paces... 50 paces... 20 paces...

  Freedom was in my grasp. I could practically smell it. But fate had other pns for me. Out of nowhere, a body crashed just in front of the gate. A young looking human man. He was pale and had blond blond hair. His face bore a severe wound across where his eyes should have been.

  His crimson robes were torn, revealed horrid, familiar looking wounds; wounds not deep enough to be lethal, but ones intended to cause the maximum amount of pain. his limbs were a mangled mess, and was missing a leg. he was still breathing, though his breath was getting weaker by the second.

  Instincts to hide screamed in the back of my head, freeing me from the chock of what I saw. I instantly ran towards a narrow alleyways. I pressed my back against the walls, heart pounding in my chest, awaiting what comes next.

  A few seconds ter, I heard the sound of someone softly nding in the street. They walked a few steps and let out a sigh.

  “What a disappointment... I would have thought an inner disciple of the chaos dragon sect would have had more fight in them. But you fainted too quickly.” He said.

  My body locked up, and my breath caught. The beating of my heart got louder and more frantic. I knew that voice. It was the voice of the master... why is he here? Why now?!

  “ No response... did I hurt him too much? No matter, there are more toys for me to enjoy. Maybe pick up a woman or two and take my time breaking them. Maybe they’ll be as fun as the fox.” Right after that, I heard the faint sound of a bde ripping into flesh. My hear stopped for a moment.

  I dare not take a look, but I could practically see his sadistic grin pstered on his face. His ugly, terrifying smile as he looked down on me and mom...

  “ Speaking of witch...” I heard him turn heading to where I first activated the mirage technique.

  “ This qi... it reeks of the fox. But that should be impossible. I personally broke her core when I acquired her. “ he said, pausing in deliberation. “ I’ll send someone to check on that whore and her spawn for now”

  I then heard him fly up, quickly picking up speed. And as he moved further up, I caught a gnce at his figure. He was tall, with long bck hair tied up in a pony tail and long golden robes, clean and unblemished. He was holding a serrated sword in one hand, the bde still dripping with blood.

  My body colpsed against, losing all strength in my limbs. That was close... way too close. I hugged my knees, head drooping downwards, my tail curling around me.

  My breaths came in shallow gasps, each one making me a shuddering and spasming mess.

  I had almost been caught

  The moment his voice rang through the street, I felt my blood freeze in my veins. It was as if the world was bearing its weight on me. The sheer terror I am feeling almost broke me. He was here.

  He was here.

  I had fled from his tower. Years of pnning and effort. Countless sacrifices... All nearly rendered worthless due to a fluke of terrible luck.

  A dry, ragged sob broke free from my throat. I clenched my teeth in an effort to keep it in, but my body betrayed me. My shoulders shook as the weight of everything came crashing down on me.

  I clenched my hands, nails digging into my skin, a desperate effort to try and pull myself back together. I tried to remind myself that I was free. That I didn’t get caught. That everything is fine for now. That I had to move. But the flood of tears didn’t stop.

  The memories came unbidden. Vivid scenes cwed their way from the deepest recesses of my mind. The cold stone as I watched him torment mother. The cracks of the whip and the slow, rough jagged knife as it passed through my skin...

  I pressed my forehead on my knees and shut my eyes.

  I tried to forget.

  But no matter how I tried, his words sounded in my head again... and again... and again...

  “ I will break you, like I broke that whore you call mother...”

  “ I will meld you into the perfect, most obedient little thing “

  “You will never know what freedom feels like”

  “ even if you manage to run, I will find you and make you feel pain like nothing before.”

  A broken, keening sound left my lips. A part of me was still trapped in that pce, shackled by fear and pain. Even now, as I sat in the shadows, unseen and untouched, I could still feel the phantom weight of chains around my wrists, the phantom sting of a bde dragging across my skin.

  I should run. I should move. I should keep going before the cns got involved before he sent someone to investigate.

  But I couldn’t.

  For just a moment, I let myself break. I let the memories ravage my mind freely, let my body shake with silent sobs. Because even if i had escaped, a part of me would always be tainted... would always be stuck in that dark, terrible pce.

  I continued to cry for what seemed to be an eternity but was closed to a dozen minutes before i managed to reign in my emotions.

  I slowly sat up, wiping down the tears while at it, and took a peek at the wider street. The corpse of the fallen cultivator was still there, untouched.

  He was still holding a broken sword. It was clear that he fought to his st breath. Strapped on to his belt was a sheathed dagger.

  After quickly looking around. I bent down and unstrapped the dagger, then pulled it out of its sheath. It was a simple bck bde, cking any decorations, made with only practicality in mind. As long as my forearm and weighed quite a bit. It was sharp, maybe even new, due to how little imperfections I could find on it.

  I scavenged some more for any valuables that might be useful, and I ended up with only one simple silver ring. Shrugging, I put it in my pouch and started running again, and in no time, i made it through the northern gate.

  Even outside the city, pandemonium reigned. People were running for their lives, like beasts fleeing a wildfire. Their screams and pleas for help never ceased.

  Most stuck to the roads, hoping to find refuge in a nearby vilge or city. Others, like me, darted for the treeline, hoping to survive this csh of transcendent forces.

  The fields were burning. Golden wheat stalks snapped and fell, consumed by ever-growing fmes that painted the horizon in shades of red and bck.

  The fighting had spilled beyond the city walls, and I could feel the oppressive pressure of impossibly powerful cultivators joining the fray.

  I ran.

  I ran for my life, desperate to put as much distance between me and the battle as possible. My legs ached, my lungs burned, and I wanted to be anywhere but here.

  My vision blurred. I lost focus, unable to keep track of time. At some point, I passed the treeline and stumbled into a nearby forest.

  Maybe half an hour ter, I tripped. I colpsed face-first into the wet, muddy earth.

  I was exhausted.

  My limbs refused to move.

  With great effort, I dragged myself to the base of a tree and slumped against its trunk. When I looked up, I could still see fshes of gold and crimson lighting up the distant sky. The battle hadn’t ended. If anything, it had only grown fiercer.

  My vision faded. I tried to stay awake, to resist the pull of unconsciousness. But it was futile. I was too tired. And then—everything went bck.

  I was jolted awake by a wave of Qi crashing into me. It felt like countless swords pressing down from every direction, moments away from striking. Panicked, I looked around—only to find nothing nearby.

  Moments ter, the pressure was broken by a world-shaking roar. It echoed through everything—the air, the trees, the earth beneath me. I even felt it vibrating through my bones.

  My body locked up. Primal fear overtook me. My heart pounded in my chest. The fur on my tail stood on end, and a cold sweat broke out across my skin.

  I wanted to run. To hide. But my body was frozen in pce, paralyzed by instinctive terror.

  Golden light flooded the sky—only to be devoured by a crimson storm of fire and lightning. Then, just as quickly, the sky turned dark again.

  “... Good thing I left the city...”

  The sky turned gold and crimson many more times. I couldn’t get any more sleep because of it.

  I started moving when the first rays of dawn broke through the canopy. The soles of my feet were bruised, and my legs hurt, but I had to leave the region entirely, no matter how long it took.

  The forest was silent. No bird or critter could be heard, and there was no breeze to stir up the leaves from their quiet stillness. It is eery.

  My tail swished from side to side as I walked, as if enjoying being unbound for the first time since forever.

  For now, I didn’t worry, nor did I think. I just walked quietly through the forest.

  I was born a sve and lived my whole inside that cursed tower. Mother would always tell me about her homend.

  How she lived in a forest covered in mist that would show you your deepest desires and trees whose leaves reflected every colour of the rainbow.

  This forest was underwhelming in some ways. It didn’t feel as mystical as the one mother always talked about. But in other ways, it felt overwhelming.

  There were no walls or ceiling. It was vast and open. It felt refreshing and comfortable.

  I continued to walk north, passing through many shrubs and trees. And by the time the sun reached its zenith, I found a small stream of water.

  I approached it to drink, but I stopped to look at my reflection. Two dim eyes greeted me, one gold and the other violet. My hair was wild and unkempt, a patchwork of blonde and bck. Two long, pointy fox ears poked out of my hair. My tail swished slowly behind me, the colour the same as my hair.

  On my forehead y an ugly scar, a horizontal cut covered in poorly healed tissue. It was the first ever cut that bastard did on my body. He didn’t heal it like the rest, a mark of ownership. He said.

  The memory filled my heart with both anger and fear. I hated him. I hate him for what he did to mom, what he did to me, and even what he did to the rest of his victims. He and that wife of his are as vile as they can get. But I feared him. How could I not? Since the day when I turned twelve, he would cut me and break my bones, then heal me to only do it over again. All the while having a look of ecstasy.

  I quickly plunged my head into the water, washing away both the dirt and my dark thoughts.

  After washing my face, I took big gulps of the clear water. It was fresh and delicious.

  After that, I tried to clean myself as best as I could. Now that I am out of immediate danger, and after taking a good look at myself, I could no longer ignore the feeling of being unclean and covered in mud.

  It took me a while to get the dirt out of my hair and tail, but it made me feel better.

  While I tried to clean my clothes of the dirt and mud without making them too wet, my mind wondered to my pouch.

  I took everything out to make sure I didn’t lose anything. There were 3 gold coins and a dozen silvers, a few golden rings and neckces, the silver ring I took from the dead cultivator, and finally, the small crystal mother left me.

  First, I took a better look at the silver ring. It was smooth and too big for any of my fingers. There were carvings of strange text on its inner surface, inid with a bck metal. It was obviously an enchanted item.

  I pushed some Qi into it, but nothing happened. I stopped to think about its purpose before I had an idea. Mom and dad talked about storage devices and how useful they were. They said that most of them were in the shape of jewellery.

  I pushed my qi in to it again, this time with the intent of taking everything out. With a weak pop sound, a few gold coins, pills and a bunch of books came out.

  ‘it was a spatial item after all’. I looked around, looking for stuff to measure how much the ring can hold. Rocks, fallen branches, and even dirt. After a minute of running around the clearing, the ring stopped taking stuff in. it turns out the ring can hold as much as half my volume. Given how small and thin I was, it wasn’t much, but it was enough to hold my belongings.

  After storing everything, I started marching westward, away from the territory of the sect. Hopefully to some pce where I won’t have to worry about getting found.