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The world owes you nothing, and it never will─── The words of an eleven year old noble girl that held out her hand for an common begger in the streets. Bestowing the choice to live the life of survival, ingenuity, and resilience in the means of fate or karma according to the whispers and spat that threw on the ten year old girl's face or to be the one beside the saviour, to be whatever she chooses to be.

Age held nothing against the impure gazes and actions that afflicted in every second by the means of being a girl───Not even the title of noble birth.

The privileges of everything one could ask for, stripped away in seconds of the darkness that consumed her household. Something that her family welcomed, burned them accept her who slipped away from the chaos by a maid's pity.

The loud rumbling words of run away for existence, lewd in the ten year old child's ears, enough to never stop the flee until the skin under her foot tore apart. Tears that never shelved were worthless as the dirty and oversized maid's hanbok that were held together in few strings compelled every man and woman to ignore her existence completely, shunning the title of being an beggar onto her head as she pleaded with her eyes for food to survive the second.

Days traveled by, so did she. The word rest never rang in her head as she solely believed survival associated with running away, never ceasing til the distance from the burning flames are wide as possible.

The harsh plight of starvation was sustained by latching onto drifters and idlers that were kind enough to spare the scraps. Disgust filled Pointed fingers tainting her figure with repeated reminders of morally and spiritually lacking of a ten year old.

From the one of the drifters she heard about a haven for people like her, Daeho. Where you might not be killed for merely living the life that has been granted, and a place where the mages were superior after the royals than temples or any other credibly malpractices could occur.

Or she thought.

The gates to the city were heavily guarded yet she was let in. Nonetheless, what struck her was the hands that drifted her into the alleyway and tossed into the drainage like a piece of rag. Strikes that mostly inflicted on the lower stomach and face from heaps of foot were attained while she could only curl under the protection of her own hands using as an shield that did absolutely nothing from the obdurate kicks.

A little ritual of the derelicts for the newcomers to the group even if it's  unwanted for the former.

Several cuts were gained in the process, the lips that pursued to bite down to ease the pain bleeding into the sewer water. Few gasps from being tired and swears were audible from the scene along with the girl's plea to stop without understanding what could have she done to form anger inside them, yet the blows in her face were making it hard to speak under the kicks.

Her eyes that squeezed shut not to let the water to blur her vision were creaked open hearing the muffled conversation from someone else, the ideal of set loose even for a second enough to run away reverberating through her mind til it enlivened by the mages that Patrolled the city came into view.

The voice that was muffled by the swears and ceaseless blows abruptly sought past the derelicts, the cry for help instantly noticed by the mages which dragged up her hopes only to crumble down as the mages rather than helping her as they were supposed to, they warned the derelicts to keep quiet as they neglected the abuse in the societal disdain as any other.

Perhaps that was the moment the disgust and disdain to herself, the ten year old girl learnt from the others.

Even when her name was supposed to be held her head high, dragged through the ground. Even when the family that were supposed to protect her, welcomed her demise along for themselves. Even when the nausea she felt for the leftovers that mostly mixed with dirt that she needs to consume to survive. Everytime she made sure to repeat the words it wasn't her, she did not do anything. Yet, the incidents that fate kept taunting the child inside like a mare, finally trapped her down in the pit.

It was her fault from the start.

After words of threat to lay low and survive were passed on before the men that thrashed her walked away with smirk and relish of venting out the anger on a child, she layed there without moving any muscle for a moment til the hands that covered her face trembled ahead initially picking up the glass shards that pricked her legs. The silent whimpering from the pain that shot out, her other hand pressed against her mouth as the muffled cry recoiled the alleyway.

Picking up the last strength that resides inside her, she perches up slowly using her hands that's mostly took the damage. Wincing against the cold dirty water, her eyes peered up to the moon that soon to be attraction when the sun lay down completely. The gaze of complete defeat and diminished hope circling the golden hour.

A days Or two slipped away, she wished to mutter the day were the same as the day before. At least then, she could've predicted what would happen next, and not be the prey of derelicts like the ones that nearly crippled her. Every scrap or coins that earned by begging were in the hands of theirs at the end of the day, forcefully or not. Yet one thing remained the same.

Everyday, she met the same face just like others in the market, a girl that appeared to be the same age as she───A noble girl, and not just in birth. And why did she notice her and not the others?? Maybe it was the whispers that latched onto the girl of being an illegitimate, An heretic to the nobles, effectuated from an affair. Or maybe the wandering freely in the path of the whispers contaminated, not even sparing a glance as if they weren't worth of it.

Or maybe it was the eyes that bored solely onto her that were void of pity, disgust or disdain─── only the correlation that shimmered in the oblivion that made her understand maybe the whispers got into her ears too.

Days sweeped past again, the same stare into each other's soul beyond just to study something inevitable lingering past with no further pursuits til─── it ended as the one walked by with the ignorance she provided to the whole world.

Something broke inside the mind of the child like an cyclone of questions that brimmed inside, which soon dropped into an halt as her gaze fixated on the hand that fondled with an hairpin dropped onto the ground.

A deliberate toss to the ground with a slight glance behind to the girl without meeting her gaze as she walked away with her maids.

Curious lurking inside her mind, the girl didn't waste another second before securing the pin on the fold of her cloth, watching the certain figure disappear into the crowd and the former's fingers that's scratched with several cuts and chipped nails caressing the part of the cloth where she hid the hairpin without even taking another glance as her thoughts were already perturbed by the eyes that surrounded her.

The blue hour soon cast over every path she took, her disturbed gaze surveying through each and every corner of the streets that soon attenuated it's glints from the lamps, til she hid under the bridge where even the pale glow of the moon hesitated to walk in. Without further waiting for an viable time, she took out the one she's hiding from the fiendish eyes that didn't appear to be lingering over her for the second. The high valued soft pink gemstone that imprinted on the silver prongs enough to let her guard to tremble in the moment, as it was the most treasurable trinket she has been closer to ever in the past week.

Questions swirled inside the ten year old's mind like a hurricane by the antic of the former, who chose to toss such an precious jewel to the ground. The prolonged stare with designation that should be incomprehensible to children passing between like an apparent secret that's hidden inside the mind of the two.

A little too intertwined fate tightened around their neck as a death grip.

Clueless to dictate the meaning behind the act, her fingers caressed the priceless gemstone in the conflict of savor the starvation or cease it.

The hunger that's relentlessly retaliating from the initial day against her energy was one thing, yet the morals and principles that learned from birth taking over survival was another, which she couldn't turn a blind eye to.

An overwhelming sigh leaving from the girl's lips by the decision she took, the smile of defeat worked through. Which soon swiped off from the abrupt grasp of another hand to pursue the one she was going to return back.

A Shadow figure towered over her figure like an void of darkness that enough to swallow her whole, hand like an shadow of branch that latched onto her treasure acquiring it with a little of force from her hands.

" What have you got here? "

The familiarity of the voice which echoed every end of the day faltering her step, yet the mustering fear that interchanged into something else as the prospects of getting hurt and obtaining back the hairpin livid in her virulent stare.

" Nothing.... I should give it b─── " Her hands that reached for the item swiftly swatted away without even a hesitation.
" You little- shut your mouth and scram away! " Indignation fueling inside the derelict, he shoved her head aside with no regard for her words as he stepped back to the moonlight for a better view of the ruinous gem that painted a devious smile on his facade.

The forceful act of his was far more impactful to the girl that lacked energy at the moment, her figure rammed against the panel where her shoulders took most of the rotten luck.

Tears welled inside the eyes that weren't shy to stream down through her face. Not from the fear that restricted the sole discretion of surviving, rather the vexation utterly consumed by the concept of ruining everything that she could possibly understand was by her til now, yet the man in front of her partially pitched in to ruin her life directed the anger and hatred she build for herself to him by a viable reason.

" I cannot let you have it... " A mere murmur slipped out from her tongue which was gone unseen by the man. Her hands searching up a spired rock and dirt along with her driven steps from behind him that confined by a sole purpose.

The brawl against hunger and cold were something to indulge, but not the anger and despise crafted from the streets by indifference of society.

" It's not yours to have it! " ──A second it may all it took, her scream reverberating through his ears enough to turn back in Infuriation, and the next second his  screech were the loudest to ever perceive. Quickly dropping the trinket onto the ground he quickly found his hands, trying to rub out the dirt without understanding the prospect of nearly losing the vision by the act.

She could've ran.She could've took the hairpin and run away as long as she could.Yet she didn't.

The scream of pain from the man who's crawling in the ground, an act inflicted by her didn't even faze her slightly. Her mind and ears clouded by the scream of her own that tangled with his and others chuckles of the day they nearly crippled in a drain.

" Sinners like us doesn't deserve to live.....right? "

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𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐈 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐫𝐚 :

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐨,
𝐈'𝐦 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤!
𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫??

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐨𝐫
𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨
𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫
𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭? 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐃!!
𝐒𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐈 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬..

𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲
𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬!!

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬𝐬𝐬𝐬 ♡