Chương 61: Chapter XVII — Prisoners of Fate

Galan passed by the waiting room, his thoughts heavy. May they find peace, he thought, glancing at the grieving families. They've been through enough already. He stepped out into the night, the festive air of the plaza hitting him like a physical force. His mindcast pointed west, toward the Peacekeepers' Station. Time to see how the sinners are doing. He sidestepped a group of kids running with takoyaki skewers. One of them, a little girl with braided buns, stumbled on a loose flagstone.

Her skewer tilted, and the top dumpling, glistening with sauce, tumbled to the ground with a soft, tragic plop. She froze. Her lip trembled, and a moment later, a heart-wrenching wail erupted from her small chest.

"Kenta, look!" a boy shouted.

"Hina is crying!" Kenta stopped, clutching his own full skewer. He looked at his food, then at Hina. With a determined nod, he walked over and held it out.

"Here."

"You can have one of mine, too!" another girl offered. Hina sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Arigatoo..." she whispered. She took a bite from Kenta's skewer, a tiny smile replacing her tears.

"Ooh," another boy grinned, pointing.

"Hina likes Kenta...!"

"Kenta has a girlfriend! Kenta has a girlfriend!" the group chanted. Kenta turned bright red.

"N-no, I don't! I didn't mean it like that!"

"But you didn't mind it," his friend teased.

"I—I... Aah!" Overwhelmed, Kenta turned and sprinted down the street, disappearing into the crowd. Hina looked confused, but an older girl put a comforting arm around her.

"Don't mind them. Boys are silly."

"Ah, understood," she said weakly as her eyes turned to the pavement. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Come on, everyone," the older girl commanded.

"Let's catch up to them." Galan smiled as he watched them go, the warmth of the scene lingering in his mind as he rejoined the bustling crowd. Hmph. Maybe they have the right idea in avoiding the onryoo's judgment. But then, the image of Ryosuke, broken and sobbing, flashed in his mind.

"Some… worked off their debt in my warehouses, unpaid. Others signed over their farms and precious belongings." Galan's smile vanished. He had heard stories like this a thousand times. Powerful men, vulnerable women, debts paid with 'special services.' He remembered the cold satisfaction of removing men like Ryosuke during his reign and the necessity of the purge. The memory pulled another one to the surface. It wasn't his own, but one he had restored to his wife, Cang Cu, all those years ago.

The cold night of Tsukinoya faded, replaced by the warm midday sun of a village in China. Here, he and Aurelia floated above the scene as disembodied observers. Below, a young girl ran joyfully into her parents' arms.

"Who are they?" Aurelia asked, confused.

"Where am I?"

"Don't panic," Galan's voice echoed around her, speaking Chinese.

"This is the memory of a girl named Cang Cu. She is living peacefully in Sichuan. But soon, she will lose her innocence, just like you did. The end of her story... is the start of yours."

"I don't—" The scene shifted. Night fell. The village was ablaze. Raiders on horseback stormed through the streets, torches and blades in hand, cutting down anyone in their path. Aurelia watched helplessly as the peaceful life below was shattered. In a blink, she was inside a grand house. The girl, Cu, was crying, reaching for her parents as maids huddled in fear.

"It's going to be okay, Cu," her mother soothed.

"Go with them." Her father, Siféng, stared out the window, his expression grim.

"Listen to Mama. Stay hidden. Don't make a sound." As the maids took the girl away, Siféng turned to his wife.

"I can't leave you behind."

"You have to," she said, holding his hands. Tears streamed down her face.

"Cu needs you. I'll distract them." Knowing that his wife was as stubborn as he was, he relented.

"Fine… I won't let anything happen to her." He pulled her into a tight embrace. For a moment, the world narrowed to their shared breath, the desperate warmth of their final goodbye. He pulled away, his fingers lingering on her arm, before disappearing into the shadows of the hallway. Left alone, the mother wiped her tears. She steeled herself, ready to sacrifice everything for her family. Outside, the screams grew closer. A booming voice echoed from the yard, drunk and slurry.

"Alright, lads! This is the last one! Once we've cleared this house of its treasures, we'll be rich!" The front door splintered inward with a deafening crash. A massive man stepped through the wreckage, planting his axe on the floor. Six others followed, their weapons glinting in the dim light. They fanned out, a menacing semi-circle.

"Hehe, look what we have here, Boss," one raider sneered.

"A pretty little bird who didn't fly away." The leader chuckled, taking a heavy, deliberate step forward.