His fingers were thick and short, more like the roots of a dwarf tree, and old white scars crossed his knuckles like a map of forgotten pain. Wěn put on his coarse shirt with his one good hand, not looking at her as she lay on the bed.

  The air in the room was still heavy, saturated with the smell of sweat, cheap sake, and the effort they had both expended. There was no trace of intimacy; it had been just a job, a business transaction completed in silence.

  "Your body is magnificent, a piece descended from the heavens," he finally said, his gruff voice breaking the silence.

  Alene nodded silently, pulling the blue silk sheet over her naked body. She watched him leave the room without another word, leaving behind a small, heavy pouch of silver coins on the wooden table. A generous tip. He had been satisfied.

  When she went out into the main hall, Madam Su-Min greeted her with a rare smile that resembled a crack in a porcelain mask. "A splendid performance, Alene," she said, puffing on her long pipe. "Master Wěn is very pleased.

  You have truly become our jewel. You are now exclusive to the senior members of the House. What a reputation!"

  "Thank you, Madam," Alene said with a calculated bow. Inside, the words rang with bitter sarcasm. A jewel. What an ugly word.

  "As a reward for your good work," Su-Min added, "you may leave early today."

  Alene felt a genuine pang of joy, a pure happiness that slipped through her mask. Rio. The image of his small, smiling face flashed in her mind. "I'll spoil him today," she thought excitedly. "I'll take him out to eat. Real food, not just bread and soup.

  This simple thought was enough to give her the strength to endure the rest of the day.

  She returned to her new home. It was still on the outskirts of the "Sunrise Balcony," but it was a huge step up from her old, thin-walled apartment. It had two small rooms, a kitchen, and a decent bathroom. It was a real sanctuary.

  She opened the door and found Rio sitting on the floor, playing with a wooden block.

  "Rio!" she said with excitement. "I have a surprise. We're going out for dinner tonight!"

  Rio's eyes widened, and a bright smile spread across his face. "Really, Mama?!"

  "Yes!"

  The restaurant wasn't luxurious, but it was clean and warm, smelling of grilled meat and spices. Alene ordered the famous "Scorching Noodles" for Rio and watched him eat with gusto, the pure happiness on his face her true feast.

  But their quiet moment was shattered when a drunk man staggered toward their table. He was a former client. "Look who's here!" he said loudly. "It's the lovely Alene!"

  Alene froze. "Please, don't talk to me when I'm not at work.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "

  The man looked at Rio, then back at her with a malicious grin. "What? Are you embarrassed because of your son? Because you work as a whore?" He laughed.

  Before Alene could respond, Rio leaped from his chair in a childish rage.

  "My mom is not a whore!" he shouted, running at the man and beating his leg with his small fists.

  "Get lost, you little filth!" the man snarled, raising his hand to strike Rio.

  Alene didn't think. She whispered a single word, and a wave of invisible wind burst from her hand, knocking the man away to crash into another table.

  "Mama..." Rio said in a small voice, "I don't want to eat anymore. I want to go home."

  She looked at him and said quietly, "Alright, my love. I'm sorry."

  The walk home was long and silent. She held his hand, but she felt a new, invisible distance had formed between them. The silence was heavier than any words of accusation.

  The next day at the House, as she was changing for another day of work, a woman approached her. She was slender, with dark purple hair and hazel eyes that held a glint of tired intelligence. It was Da-yun.

  "Do you want to change your life?" Da-yun asked quietly.

  Alene was taken aback.

  "Of course. Who wants to be a whore?" she said sarcastically.

  Da-yun let out a quiet, bitter laugh. She gently touched a faint bruise on Alene's arm that her robe didn't fully cover. "If you're serious, come to this address tonight. Alone." She handed her a folded piece of paper.

  On that piece of paper was a word she knew well: The House of Despair. Her former hell. Then she turned and left.

  All day, as she smiled and laughed and endured, the paper burned in her pocket like a hot coal. After she finished another night of humiliation, she made her decision. She would not go straight home. Her curiosity, and her desperation, were stronger than her fear.

  She made her way through the lantern-lit streets. To reach the Swamp of Shadows, she first had to pass through "Gu's Never-Sleeping Street," the imposing road leading to the palace and the slum. The guards stood at the massive gates, their black armor gleaming in the dark.

  They recognized her immediately; she had become famous among them.

  "Oh god! Harder! Harder!" one of them shouted with a disgusting grin, imitating the sounds he imagined coming from her room.

  The other guard burst into a harsh, ringing laugh that echoed in the silent street.

  Alene felt the words like a slap to the face. She pulled her cloak tightly around herself and quickened her pace, her eyes fixed on the ground, while their laughter chased her like the buzz of angry bees.

  In that moment, the city was no longer just a place she lived; it had become an open-air prison, with every corner holding a new kind of humiliation.

  She crossed the Twilight Bridge, the words still ringing in her ears, pushing her deeper into the darkness of the Swamp of Shadows. She finally arrived at the address: The House of Despair.

  The abandoned building that had been her first prison. A chill ran through her as she stood before it, flashes of painful memories assaulting her mind: Hong-min's frozen face behind the door, the sound of her own screams, and the cruel laughter.

  She found the broken window and climbed inside. The main hall was empty and dark. "Is anyone here?"

  A door to one of the rooms opened, and Da-yun emerged. "I knew you would come. Please.

  "

  She led her inside. It was the same room that had witnessed her worst moments, but it was different now. It was filled with maps and weapons, and in the middle stood a group of people: a man with a warrior's features and a horrific burn scar named Kaito; a woman with green eyes smoking a pipe named Yumi; and a short, bald old man with a long beard named Akira.

  "Welcome to our humble abode," Kaito said.

  "Why did you call me here?" Alene asked directly.

  The man smiled. "We didn't call you," he said. "We invited you, and you accepted the invitation. We are The Wings of Dawn.

  " He paused for a moment, then his gaze became as sharp as a blade. "And our goal is to ignite a revolution against the Gu clan, open the walls of this cursed city, and free Chang'an from its isolation forever."