Xia Miao refused to believe it was hopeless. Gripping the boy's hand, she charged toward the door once more—only to find herself and the boy back where they started in the blink of an eye.
The door stood right before them, yet it might as well have been on the far side of the world.
Duan Shou’s mind reeled. He’d never encountered anything like this. He could walk through the door just fine, so why couldn’t Xia Miao?
Duan Shou wasn’t the sharpest, but gradually, he realized where the problem lay. His gaze drifted to the white-haired, red-eyed boy, and an unsettling thought crossed his mind—that white-haired monster.
The boy murmured, "I can’t leave here, can I?"
Xia Miao forced a smile. "No, of course you can."
The boy hadn’t met many people, and those who came to see him usually hid themselves under layers of clothing. Yet somehow, he could always tell when someone was lying.
Like now. He said with certainty, "You’re lying."
Xia Miao’s expression stiffened.
Strangely, even though he knew she was lying, he didn’t feel angry. He sensed no malice from her.
"Go," he said.
He pulled his hand free from hers, his voice calm, devoid of emotion.
But Xia Miao felt a pang of discomfort.
She’d been the one to boast about taking him away, to finally give him the courage to step out of that dark room—only to let him down in the end.
Pressing her lips together, she didn’t move.
The boy tilted his head, watching her for a long moment before speaking softly, "It’s alright. You should go."
The sounds of searching grew louder. Soon, those people would arrive. If they discovered an outsider in the mansion, they wouldn’t spare her.
Duan Shou called from the doorway, "Hey, 09, get in here!"
Xia Miao glanced back at the lit room, then turned to the small, lonely figure in the hallway.
The boy’s eyes held no expectation, as if he couldn’t even imagine hope.
Gritting her teeth, Xia Miao grabbed his hand again and ran.
"We’ll find a way out!"
The long hallway was lined with doors. She pushed each one, certain she’d find a room they could enter. If not a room, then a window. There were countless ways to escape confinement—she refused to believe only that one door existed.
Duan Shou shouted from behind, "Are you insane!?"
But soon, even his voice faded.
The boy was used to keeping pace with adults, never struggling when "escorted" by them. Yet now, he stumbled alongside Xia Miao.
Her steps were frantic, so swift that even the candlelight couldn’t keep up with her fleeting shadow.
Several times, he nearly fell, only to be yanked back by her grip at the last moment.
Xia Miao shoved at every door they passed, but fate seemed determined to mock her—not a single heavy wooden door budged.
The boy lifted his head, staring blankly at her back.
Finally, they reached the end of the hallway.
No door. No window.
Xia Miao scanned the walls, but there was no escape.
Then the boy pointed at the wall. "There’s a door here."
Xia Miao looked. A black door, nearly invisible in the darkness, as if hiding from sight.
She didn’t know what lay beyond, but with nothing to lose, she reached out. The door creaked open.
Pitch black. Not a sliver of light.
As she hesitated, the boy took the lead. He stepped forward, pulling her into the dark room.
Another creak—the door shut behind them.
Now, even if they turned back, the absolute darkness offered no path out.
"I don’t want to be the Divine Child," the boy said suddenly.
Xia Miao looked down. In the darkness, his presence was oddly vivid—white hair stark against the shadows, pale face, crimson eyes, all clear as day.
"I overheard the adults," he continued. "On the night of the full moon, they’ll take me up the mountain and offer me to the Ancestral Temple."
"I shouldn’t be afraid. They say it’s a blessing from the heavens. But I am."
"After the ritual in the Ancestral Temple, every branch temple will take a piece of the Divine Body to enshrine."
"That way, everyone can have happiness."
Xia Miao froze. "What do you mean… they’ll take a piece?"
"My body is precious," the boy recited mechanically. "My hair, my eyes, my flesh and organs—all are treasures."
A chill crawled down Xia Miao’s spine. "They’re wrong!"
The boy blinked, confused. "Wrong?"
She gripped his shoulders, locking eyes with him. "Your body is precious. That’s why you should protect it. No one has the right to hurt you."
He seemed to half-understand, still lost.
"Your body belongs to you," Xia Miao said firmly. "No one else gets to do anything to it that you don’t want."
The boy’s expression softened with dawning realization. Slowly, he clasped both hands around hers. "What you’re teaching me… it’s not what the adults say."
"Then whose words do you prefer?"
"Yours."
Xia Miao grinned. "Damn right. Trust me—I won’t steer you wrong."
In the darkness, there was only each other.
The boy lowered his head, lost in thought. After a moment, he tugged her forward. "We’ll be out soon."
Xia Miao didn’t know how he knew, but sure enough, light soon pierced the black.
She quickened her pace—but in an instant, the boy let go.
She turned.
"You shouldn’t stay here with me," he said.
Then he pushed her.
As Xia Miao crossed the threshold between dark and light, the brightness vanished. The boy stood alone in the shadows, motionless.
A sensation of falling—then Xia Miao landed hard on cold stone.
Duan Shou’s shocked voice rang out beside her.
"09! Where the hell did you come from?!"
He’d been sure she’d gotten herself killed. Yet here she was, appearing out of thin air.
