Illusions emerge layer by layer—
Where is this...where is this? Is this...the place he came from?
His hands and feet were chained to the wall, and there was no light around him. He huddled in a dark corner, hugging his knees, feeling as if his mind was as dark as the house before him.
The faint sounds of laughter and the wind could be heard from outside.
There was a melodious voice inside, as sweet as a silver bell. He could tell it just by turning his head: it was that Han girl, Sister Xiaoye—the only pair of black and white eyes among all the pale blue eyes in the village.
During the long time he was locked in that dark room, everyone avoided him. Only Xiaoye and Xuehuai would come over from time to time to comfort him and talk to him through the wall. That was the source of his strength to endure for so long.
"Don't worry," her eyes twinkled with a smile as she peered through the hole in the wall, "Meiji, you'll be better soon, and you'll be able to come out and play with us soon!"
Really... He recovered quickly? But what exactly was his illness? Did anyone tell him what was wrong with him?
He stared blankly at the eyes behind the small hole—it had been so many years; Xiaoye must have grown up by now, right? But he couldn't see them. He had almost forgotten what she looked like, because for seven years, he could only see her eyes through the small hole: bright, warm, and caring—
Ever since he killed someone when he was six years old, everyone has been afraid of him and called him a monster, but she still calls him her younger brother.
The laughter and chatter outside continued, irritating him. Who was she playing with? Why hadn't she come to talk to him yesterday? And now… what season was it? Could they go spin tops on the frozen river? Could they go ice scooping up fish? It had been so long; why was he still locked up here?
He didn't do anything wrong! He wants to get out...he wants to get out!
Driven by anger and despair, the child's eyes suddenly shone brightly in the darkness, as dazzling as glass.
"Creak—" A crack appeared in the wall next to us. A movable wooden board had been pulled out and then pushed back in. On it were a dried fish and a bowl of white rice, just like always.
"Little monster, eat!" the person outside shouted hoarsely, his voice filled with utter disgust.
That was Hu, his guardian for the past seven years.
After that incident when he was six, he was locked in this dark, unlit room, his hands and feet bound by chains embedded in the walls, for seven long years. Listening to the wind and laughter outside, the usually silent child suddenly erupted, sweeping his hand across the room, shattering all the utensils on the floor with a clatter.
"You little monster!" The guard heard the voice from inside through the wall, poked his head in, and glared at him. "Looking for death?"
However, in that instant, after just one glance, his body went limp.
In the darkness, the child's eyes were pressed tightly against the food delivery opening, peering out. He shook the chains violently and roared, "I want to get out! Let me out! Let me out now! Damn it, let me out!"
At his voice, the limp guard actually stood up again, but his eyes and movements were blank and slow. He walked slowly to the door covered with seals, took out the key, and mechanically inserted it.
The sudden light stung the child's eyes in the darkness, and he flinched. He then saw the menacing-looking man walk in expressionlessly, bend down without a word, and unlock the chains binding his hands and feet.
Huh, what's wrong with this guy? Why is he staring blankly?
But the thirteen-year-old had no time to think. He simply cheered and rushed out of the door that had imprisoned him for seven years. The wind outside blew against his face, and in the dazzling sunlight, he raised his arms and shouted to the village children playing in the distance, "Sister Xiaoye! Xuehuai! I'm out!"
Who cares? Let that scoundrel Hu die! Now, he's free!
But just as this thought of ecstasy flashed through his mind, he heard a scream coming from the room behind him.
He turned around in horror and saw an extremely horrifying scene—
That burly, towering Mogahu actually inserted the iron key bit by bit into his own throat! His expression was one of extreme pain, yet his hand seemed to be controlled by a demon, pushing it in inch by inch until it was pierced through his throat, twisting his own flesh and blood.
Startled, he stumbled backward and landed on the ground outside the door, rubbing his eyes.
No way? This...this must be a hallucination, right?
How could Hu suddenly do such a thing... just like those two constables at the post station, who strangled themselves to death!
Could it be... because he subconsciously said "Go to hell"?
"Ah! Murder! Monster... Monster is killing people!" The children in the distance turned around and saw this horrific scene. They screamed together and ran away, pushing and shoving each other. The Han girl was caught in the crowd and disappeared into the snow in an instant.
Xiaoye... Xiaoye... I finally managed to escape, why did you run away as soon as you saw me?
He came to his senses and instinctively tried to chase after him, but suddenly he was hit hard on the back of the head, and everything went black.
"You brat, you actually dared to run out here!" Someone behind him grabbed him with a big stick and lifted him up.
He was dragged into the clan's ancestral hall, where a large crowd gathered, discussing in panic: "The killing of the officials last time was barely covered up, but this time they've killed villagers! What are we going to do?"
"Another monster has appeared in our tribe! Our ancestor said that the reason we were expelled from the Kushan Empire a hundred years ago was because such a monster appeared in our tribe! It has demonic eyes!"
"Everyone, please stop arguing. He's still just a child... He had no choice but to kill the guards last time." An old man's voice rang out, sighing, "But now he can kill people just like that, what can we do?"
"Clan leader, you can't be soft-hearted anymore! The birth of the Demon Eye will bring disaster to the entire clan!" Countless voices suggested, the crowd surging with emotion. "It seems that simply locking him up isn't enough; we must gouge out his eyes to prevent this scourge!"
The old man pondered, his hands trembling slightly, and tried to light the flint several times but still couldn't get it to ignite.
He had always believed that the legend of the Moga clan being banished because of the demonic nature in their blood was false, but unexpectedly, at this moment, in the eyes of a child, all the tragedy was being reenacted.
The Moga clan, who lived deep in the mountains, had eyes that were a pale blue and a deep black, unlike anything seen in the Central Plains or the Western Regions. However, they showed no abnormalities in their daily lives—unlike the legendary demons who had killed people with a single glance and caused chaos throughout the Kushan Empire.
"Grandpa, don't gouge out Mingjie's eyes! No!" Suddenly, a boy's voice rang out, breaking through the obstruction with all his might. "Please, don't gouge out Mingjie's eyes! He's not a bad person!"
"Xuehuai, this is none of your business as an adult speaks, get out of the way!" The old man shoved his beloved grandson aside without any mercy and scolded him. When he saw the Han girl who had rushed up with him, he became even more annoyed. "Xiaoye, you get down here too—outsiders have no right to interfere in the affairs of our Moga clan!"
—If it weren't for this Han Chinese girl from elsewhere, Mingjie wouldn't be the way he is today.
"Lock him back in there for now. We'll hold a clan meeting in three days!"
The moment he opened his eyes, darkness enveloped him again. He frantically shook the chains binding his hands and feet, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Don't gouge out my eyes! Let me out! Let me out!"
"Meiji." A soft voice suddenly came from the wall behind him.