I was nine years old.

  On that day, the sky was grey, and the rain was falling heavily. For us in the poor district, the rain was a blessing. It washed the filth from the alleys and filled the rusty barrels with clean drinking water.

  I was sitting alone under a dilapidated awning, watching the other children train in the muddy courtyard. It was midday, my time of freedom and loneliness. I looked at my reflection in a small puddle that had formed in front of me. I saw a pale face, empty hazel eyes, and the red hair that I hated. I looked up from my reflection and gazed at the distant horizon where the stone bridge stood, and behind it rose the imposing walls of the Gu Clan's palace.

  In that moment, the decision formed in my mind with absolute clarity.

  "Tomorrow," I whispered to myself. "At midday, I will escape. I will cross that bridge, and I will see what lies beyond it."

  The next day, I carried out my plan. After the daily "Devil's Game" had ended, and after they had left me lying in the mud as usual, I waited until everyone was busy. Then I ran.

  I ran with all my might. I ran with a heart pounding with hope and fear.

  I reached the bridge. I hesitated for a moment, then took my first step onto it. I felt as if I were leaving the world I knew. With every step, the air seemed cleaner, and the scenery changed.

  When I reached the other side, I stopped to catch my breath, and I felt as if I were in a different world. There was no gate, but a wide, imposing street stretching before me, paved with polished black stones that reflected the grey sky. And to my left, the Gu Clan's palace rose. I saw it up close for the first time. It wasn't just a building; it was a man-made mountain, its walls black and strong, rising toward the dark cavern sky. I felt a sense of awe, and of my own smallness in this place. I wished I had even a small part of this power, of this immunity.

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  As I stood frozen in place, captivated by the scene, two guards on patrol along the street spotted me. There was no way to hide; my red hair was like a torch in this gloomy place.

  I saw the look of boredom on their faces turn into a cruel mockery as they approached.

  "Look," one of them said to the other. "Isn't that the son of Oni-Tsuki?"

  The other laughed. "It is him. He wants to escape. What a fool." Then he looked directly at me. "He lives in grace and doesn't know it, and he wants to escape. And not from just any city, but from Chang'an."

  Grace? The word echoed in my head. What grace? Do they call this hell grace?

  They grabbed me forcefully by my arms, dragged me back to the beginning of the bridge, and then threw me to the ground.

  "Go back where you came from, you filth."

  I walked back with heavy steps, the feeling of defeat crushing me. When I reached the entrance of the orphanage, I found her. Ikumi was waiting for me, her hands clasped behind her back, her face holding no expression.

  For the first time in my life, she asked me where I had been. Her voice was terrifyingly calm. "Where were you?"

  I froze. I couldn't tell the truth.

  "In... in the alleys," I lied in a weak voice. "I was playing."

  Her eyes became icy. "Are you lying to me, you ungrateful son?" she said, her voice still calm. "I saw you cross the bridge. You have insulted me."

  Suddenly, her composure shattered, and she screamed with a rage I had never seen before, the rage of someone who has been personally betrayed.

  "You want to leave me?! After everything I've done for you?!"

  She dragged me to her room.

  The beating this time was different. It didn't have the focus of "forging," nor did it have the sadistic "pleasure." It was cold, methodical, and purposeful. It was pure punishment, meant to break something inside me forever.

  And with every strike, her words pierced my soul.

  "You. Are. Mine."

  Strike.

  "You will not go anywhere."

  Strike.

  "Do you understand?"

  Strike.

  "You. Are. Mine."

  That night, as I lay on the cold floor, I realized the truth. The bridge doesn't lead to freedom. It is just the edge of the cage. And I was completely trapped. I was hers. Forever.