“Yawnnnnnnn…*sounds of bed sheets rattling* it morning? *proceeds to get down from the bed and get dressed and moves to the Common Hall” “Good morning ol…*sigh*”

Every morning it’s the same scene. This old man, as I call him, seems to just drift off without warning. But it’s not the usual kind of tiredness. There's something off about it, something I can’t quite place. His eyes…when they’re open…always look hollow, like they’re drained of life. Almost as if he’s just... well, dead.

I shake the thought off, glancing away. What he dreams about or whatever it is he does in that silent, dead-eyed stare... not my business, right? Besides he doesn’t tell me anything about himself, he is a total mystery, anytime I ask about it, his whole character changes, it almost as if I’m staring at someone else, that presence usually send chill down my spine and I know for a fact firsthand how terrifying he really is under that simple calm face he puts on all the time. How annoying, he can at least share and be more of himself around me. Seeing him like this, I can’t help but feel sympathetic towards him, he must be holding in a lot, I wish I can help just like the way he did for me. If not him that day, I might still be living in such a miserable world.

I decided to make breakfast and kept his nice and warm in case he awakens from…whatever it is he does. I sat opposite to where he was at the table and began to eat, after a while I had finished my meal with only a cup of tea that remains and he still hasn’t woken up.

“So you’re just going to stay like that huh…*proceeds to poke his head*…well I just can’t sit around here doing nothing, why don’t I shop for a while, we are running low on some food”

Normally we often go together or more like he does the shopping and I personally tag along, he always have specific routes to take and time to go out when leaving the house of the house but since he’s out cold I guess I’ll go alone today. "Dressed in comfortable, flowing trousers that cascaded to my ankles, I complemented my look with fitted, elbow-length tops adorned with intricate patterns. Short sandals gave them both style and agility, enabling quick steps through the crowded stalls along with this bracelet he gave and told me never to loss it as for reasons unknown, It a beautiful item to who cares anyways. Just like we always did, I took the paths I was supposed to take along with leaving at the specified time.

As I arrived at the market, the familiar sounds of bustling merchants and cheerful chatter faded into a distant hum. My heart calm and gentle, beating calmly against my ribcage. A knot tightened in my stomach, and I felt the air grow heavy around me. “Good day sir!” “Oh my a young lady, how may I help you” “well first off all I’ll need this, that one and a little bit of that” “oh I see…here is your purchase ma’am” “Thank you very much” “please come again” I smiled politely at the merchant, my fingers brushing against the items I had chosen. The contents were fresh, a stark contrast to the muted world I often found myself in. “This is nice”, I thought, appreciating the distraction from the silent house and the stillness of Tauer. As I gathered my purchases, I had a sudden prickling sensation creeping up my spine. I dismissed it at first, attributing it to the chatter of the crowd or the weight of the bags in my arms. But when I turned to make my way through the throng, I caught sight of them. Two figures stood a short distance away, their backs turned toward me. But it was the way they moved, the way their laughter echoed, that sent a chill through my veins. I recognized them instantly those faces, THOSE SPAWNS OF HELL, BASTARDS!!!, WHAT, WHY… HOW??. My heart plummeted. “WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE? HOW CAN THEY STILL BE HERE, NO NO NO NO, NOT AGAIN, I CAN’T…not again!” Everything suddenly felt sluggish, this memories, this pain, this feelings, I was once pulled out from the clutches of pain and suffering, this world had nothing to offer me ever since I was born, and finally, just finally did i find hope and peace only for it to be swept away from me. Without hesitation, I decided to make a run for it, only for me to bump into one of their associates in a nearby ally. *Thump!*

“Huh…what’s this? Why don’t you watch where you’re going, lady?” The voice was gruff, laced with mockery, and it had me terrified. Frightened, my legs gone numb, I could barely breathe, the face of this man had already been etched into my head a long time ago, a crooked nose and a wide, smug grin that revealed too many teeth. His eyes, cold and calculating, bore down on me, and I felt the walls of the bustling market close in, trapping me in this moment.

“Ohhhh…Why, if it isn’t our favorite little ghost,” he sneered, his breath warm against my face, but the chill in his tone sent ice through my veins. HE RECOGNIZED ME!!! The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. He is the construct, the extension of my nightmares.

Attempted to sidestep him, but his hand shot out, grabbing my arm with an iron grip. “And where do you think you’re going? I haven’t seen you in ages. You’ve changed, but not enough for me to forget that pretty little face. And also…I haven’t forgot the gift you left me the day you left *proceeds to point at his ravaged scared face*” Panic surged within me, “Let go of me!” I managed to gasp, forcing the words through clenched teeth. I twisted my wrist, trying to break free, but he only tightened his grip, an amused glimmer in his eyes as if he relished my fear. “You think you can just disappear and hope to be free?” he growled, his voice low and menacing. Without warning, he drove his knee into my stomach with a brutal Thump! The breath left me in a sharp gasp, my vision blurring as I doubled over, pain radiating through my core. I could hardly register what was happening when he followed up with a vicious punch to my face. Squish!! The impact echoed in my ears, sending a jolt of agony through my jaw. Punch after punch, I could feel the blood vessels in my face being squished. I felt the world tilt as I stumbled back, the crowd behind us a distant blur.

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Pounding against my ribcage as I fought against the wave of dizziness threatening to pull me under. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, mingling with the bitter tang of fear. “Get up, little ghost!” he taunted, taking a step forward, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. I could see the pleasure he took in my pain, the way he reveled in the power he held over me. He proceed to pull my hair to raise me upward “So…where is he?” “wha...what do you mean?” “Oh playing dumb is see, well than that’s all right, I mean you are back with us after all these time right? That’s a good thing *crack splash!! Proceeds to smash his head unto her skull*” “*cough cough cough slosh!! *… drip drip drip” I was bearly conscious at this point, my body nub from the pain and agony. I felt the world spinning, a disorienting whirl of colors and sounds that blurred together as the man dragged me by my hair once again, forcing me to stumble after him. Each step sent jolts of pain through my skull, the weight of my own body feeling like a burden too heavy to bear. I could barely muster the strength to lift my feet, my legs shaking with every hesitant step. “Keep moving, little ghost,” he taunted, his grip cruel and unyielding. His voice was a harsh whisper in my ear, tainted with sadistic delight. “We wouldn’t want to keep the others waiting, would we?”

I fought against the haze of pain clouding my thoughts, trying to focus on anything but the throbbing in my head and the metallic taste of blood that clung to my tongue. I wanted to scream, to call for help, but the words died in my throat, choked by fear and desperation. He shoved me roughly towards the back of a weathered carriage, the wooden surface scraping against my skin as I was tossed inside. “Tie her up,” he commanded, his voice echoing with authority. My wrists were bound tightly, the ropes biting into my skin, but all I could focus on was the sound of the world fading away little by little.

It…it was dark and cold, but…I could still remember it all, I have always hated them for it, even if I didn’t show it, even if I didn’t, I have always despised them. We were poor, scraping by in a world that seemed to turn colder with every passing day. I was an only child, but I wasn’t cherished. I was just another burden in my mother’s eyes, a daily reminder of the life she’d been forced to endure. She had a way of looking at me, eyes full of resentment, like I was some curse bound to her, and it seeped into every word she spat in my direction.

I learned early to stay quiet, to make myself small and unseen. I thought if I could be silent, still, perhaps I’d escape her wrath. But it never mattered. No matter how little I spoke, or how carefully I tiptoed around her, she found reasons.

Every slap, every harsh shove, each bruise on my arms and shoulders—they were gifts, she’d say. “You’re nothing but a cursed burden, die” she’d hiss, face twisted with anger. “I never wanted you. You ruined my life.”

My father wasn’t any better. The rare times he staggered home, reeking of stale ale and smoke, he would barely spare me a glance. To him, I was less than a shadow, something beneath his notice. A ghost he avoided as he collapsed into a stupor. I learned not to wait for him, not to hope he might lift me from my mother’s fury, for he never did.

For years, I endured it. I absorbed every blow, every word, thinking that maybe this was just how things were meant to be. That maybe I was, in some twisted way, deserving of this. But it all went downhill the day they sold me. The memory is sharp, like glass shards lodged in my mind. I remember the fear in my stomach, my small hand trying to find my mother’s, just once hoping she’d pull me close. But all she did was push me forward, shoving me into the merchant’s grasp as if I were nothing more than a broken trinket, worthless and unwanted. She didn’t look back. Neither of them did.

In that moment, something inside me shattered. Every ounce of hatred I’d bottled up, every whispered curse I’d buried, boiled over. It poured out of me like a flood, twisted in the merchant's grip, turning to face them, teeth bared like an animal. My voice, usually so quiet, now tore from my throat in a savage, broken cry.

"You think you can just sell me off?!" I screamed, voice shaking with fury. "You think I’ll just disappear and make things easier for you?! I HOPE YOU ROT AND DIE IN THIS PLACE BOTH OF YOU! I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON THE LIFE YOU’VE MADE FOR YOURSELVES AND FEEL EVERY OUNCE OF THE MISERY YOU PUT ME THROUGH!!!"

My mother’s eyes widened, but I barely noticed. The words were pouring out, years of hatred spilling forth like venom. "I was just a child! A CHILD, and you made me wish I’d never been born! Well, you’ll get what you wanted, won’t you? But don’t think I’m the one cursed here. No you are! You’re cursed, trapped in your own hell with nothing but bitterness and hate to keep you company." I struggled against the merchant’s hold, snarling as I glared at my father, his blank, drunken eyes watching without a hint of emotion. "And you!" I spat, voice low and dripping with contempt. "You were never a father. You filth, a useless, pathetic hollow shell pretending to be human. You left me alone with her, like a coward. I hope every drink burns in your throat. I hope it eats you from the inside out."

I could feel the tears stinging, but I refused to let them fall. My voice grew hoarse as I screamed, raw with a rage that had been buried for so long it was like poison flooding my veins. "I’ll never forgive you! Never! Not a single one of you"

The merchant pulled harder, but I fought him, kicking and clawing like a cornered animal, my voice echoing with venomous hatred. "I am not yours to throw away! You think selling me will rid you of me? No. I’ll be the ghost that haunts you, the nightmare you can never escape. I hope it kills you, slowly and painfully." As he finally dragged me away, I was left gasping, the last of my fury leaving me in a raw, desperate whisper. "I hate you both... I hope you suffer every day for the rest of your miserable lives."