In the dim pre-dawn light, the imperial soldiers gathered around Yue-lieng’s house – silhouettes in the darkness. The orders were whispered and soon a team of guards burst into the house. The door was kicked in, revealing several men clad in black lamellar armor with red accents—the colors of the Nakagawa family. Their helmets had broad covers to protect the backs of their necks. Some of them carried swords while others wielded spears.
„Where is he?!”
„Where is the boy?”
„Grab him!”
„Move, move, move!”
The silence of the night’s end was torn apart in moments by many voices shouting at once. Startled from sleep, the boy quickly leaped to his feet. He panicked when several of them rushed to grab him, and mercilessly began dragging him away.
„Why?! What did I do?” He cried.
"W-what is this about?" his mother asked, her voice weak and trembling, as she raised on her bed.
She was not graced with a response. The soldiers instead dragged her son out of the humble abode. Outside, he started to resist.
"What is going on?!" his mother asked again, trying to get out of bed, but the loud shout took most of her energy. In her weakened state, she was too slow to ever catch up to them.
In the greyness of the morning, slowly giving up to the rising sun, Yue-Liang dug his heels into the ground, wiggling like a madman, trying to escape the grasp of the guards. „I didn’t do anything! Let go of me! I have to take care of my mother! She is sick!” He yelled but was rendered silent with a punch to the guts.
He bent, gasping, as a kick swept his legs from under him, taking him off guard, and making him slam painfully into the dirt.
„Stop, leave my son alone,” the mother gasped stumbling outside.
"Mother! Go back! This is just a misunderstanding! It must be! I’ll be fine," he called out off the ground, as the guards began picking him up.
He received a knee kick to the stomach from one of them, followed by a punch from another.
„No! Stop!” The mother yelled. „First you took my husband, now you are taking my son?! What did I do to you!” She cried.
The soldiers paid little attention to her, as one of them stopped his comrades, by pushing them away.”What are you doing idiots?!” He growled. „The orders were to bring him, not to beat him up.” As he finished speaking, he went on one knee by the boy's side to grab his arm. He turned it, exposing the palm, only to check the silver mark.
Although the assault stopped, the commotion had attracted the neighbors' attention, and the window of a nearby house opened, revealing Yura's face. She rubbed her sleepy eyes only to freeze when she saw her friend being picked up by the soldiers.
"What is going on?!" she cried out. "Why are you taking him?!"
Amid the chaos, Yue-liang's mother bravely stumbled out of the house, determined to protect her son. But her legs betrayed her, and she collapsed, gasping for breath. "Stop, you bastards!” She shouted from the ground before a terrible cough rendered her voiceless.
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Witnessing the distressing scene, Yura couldn't bear to stay inside any longer. She leaped out of the window and rushed towards the fallen mother, but a soldier intercepted her. "She needs help!" The girl protested desperately, fighting to escape the man’s grasp. He let go of her, pushing her away, and causing her to stumble a few steps back.
Struggling to rise, Yue-liang's mother managed to prop herself up on her hands, but her condition was grave. Coughing heavily, blood appeared around her mouth as she tried to speak to her son, who was getting dragged away toward the village.
Infuriated and fearing for her friend’s mother, Yura charged at the guard, attempting to push him away. In response, he seized her again and forced her down. She kicked him with a knee, squeezing a groan from his mouth. In retribution he drew his short sword, its blade soon menacingly poised against her neck. Emotions and adrenaline overwhelmed Yura, leaving her panting heavily.
"You're coming with us too!" the soldier growled, pressing the blade closer. "Pick her up!"
Reluctantly, the other men obeyed gathering around them only to pick her up, while their comrade got back to his feet on his own. A bit further away the other guards were dragging the unconscious Yue-liang away.
The commotion had attracted the attention of every neighbor. Some bravely watched from open windows or stood by their doors, while others peeked through the safety of shuttered cracks, too fearful of the soldiers to intervene.
Silence gripped the crowd; even Yura's mother could only watch with tearful eyes as her daughter was taken away, kicking and screaming, her heart heavy with worry and despair.
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Yue-liang awoke to darkness and bitter cold, finding himself confined in a dim, narrow cell along the grimy stone wall. Faint light filtered through a small, high window at the end of the corridor, casting eerie shadows. The pungent scent of urine, sweat, and mold permeated the air, assaulting his senses.
His head throbbed with pain just like his stomach. His face was burning, but as he moved some of the muscles, it also erupted with pain. He touched his right eyebrow which caused him to wince in agony, discovering a bruise there.
Memories trickled back, revealing the brutal encounter with the soldiers and the distressing image of his mother in her sickened state. Fueled by a surge of emotions, he rushed to the cell bars, gripped them tightly, and then began to shake, as if it was possible to rip them apart.
Two other figures lay nearby, fellow prisoners likely caught stealing from the Nakagawa family. Their ragged clothing and weakened state spoke of desperation and struggle. They must have been former peasants, driven to thievery by the relentless pressure of hunger and homelessness.
Desperation compelled Yue-Liang to call out for the guards, his voice echoing through the desolate corridors. "Hey! Guard! Guard!"
One of the men lying on the floor responded with a sharp, feeble retort, "Shut up, ya brat!"
But the boy refused to be silenced, his heart pounding with fear for his mother. "What happened to my mother?! Guard! Hey!" he continued, shaking the unyielding metal bars in frustration.
A primal scream erupted from him, a mixture of fury and panic, as he searched desperately for a way out of his dire predicament.
In the dim, oppressive cell, desperation consumed Yue-liang, driven by his singular focus on finding his mother. His hands grasped the door, attempting to move it, but the stubborn lock held firm, denying him any exit. Fueled by resourcefulness, he tried to pick the lock or lift the door off its hinges, but he lacked the proper tools and his body was too weak, so the weight of the heavy piece of iron proved immovable.
"AAARGH!" he roared in frustration, his fists pounding against the unyielding metal bars, using every ounce of strength within him. Yet, the prison remained unmoved, its cold, harsh reality closing in on him.
"Stupid boy," the prisoner commented dismissively.
The other one remained silent, sitting on the floor with his gaze fixed on Yue-Liang. Darkness shrouded him, preventing his face from being spotted.
The tantrum continued for what felt like an eternity until exhaustion finally overcame Yue-Liang, and he sank to his knees, defeated. The weight of the situation crashed down on him, realizing that escape was impossible, and his heart ached at the thought of being unable to check on his mother. The cell became a suffocating prison.