Chapter one: Where it all Began

I was determined to run away as the branches smacked against my face. My breaths became harsh as the moon shone through the trees. I could hear the sounds of wild animals howling and growling in the distance, but none of that stopped me from running, a run for emancipation... It's all coming back to me now... The cold crept into my body despite my pumping blood that was keeping me somewhat warm. I don't know how long my feet battered against the ground for momentum, but my attempt was for the city. I was striving for Dakima. My bare feet ached and bled as I pounded over the planet's crust, but that didn't matter to me. What mattered to me was getting away from that horrible place, that awful man! Why, why was he so cruel to me!? What did I ever do!? I could hear him in the distance behind me.

"Vila!" I heard him shout at me. "Come back here, you wretch!"

I don't want to. I don't want to go back!

I forced my body to run faster. I refused to be caught by that man! How did he catch up with me so quickly? I thought he was asleep. Before I knew it, I could hear his thumping footsteps behind me. He was coming closer! I pushed myself further. I was trying so hard!

"Arg!"

He snatched the back of my shirt and pulled me to the ground. I could feel myself trembling in my vigorous painting in fear of what this man was capable of.

He looked down at me with his thin purple eyes as I sat in the dirt. That damn look he always gave me. It didn't take long for him to catch his breath and was able to speak to me with that chilling deep and smooth voice I always hated. "Vila," he said, "I swear, if I didn't make a deal with your mother three years ago, I would strangle you this moment."

I tried to crawl backwards away from him a little, but I was just so scared, so all I did was quiver at his quiet wrath.

"Hello?"

A voice?

I must have made it only a few feet from the main trail to Dakima city before I was caught, and someone just happened to be on the road in the distance. Thank Methel*!

"Hello, is someone there?"

I saw the light from the lamp where the voice was coming from.

"Get up you!" The awful man said with a hushed and harsh tone. He then he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me up to my feet with a force that hurt. "Ah, yes, hello there!"

The stranger came up with his small lamp as he stood by the trail. "Hello; what are you doing away from the trail over there?" His voice was so calm and intrigued by our appearance.

"Oh-uh," the man stuttered for a quick excuse, "My imai* here was just trailing off as we were walking home, and so I had to come over and get her back onto the road. She tends to lose her focus." My master chuckled to lighten the mood.

The stranger looked at my master with a slight sense of disbelief, to me with a more understanding look in his eye, and then back to my master. "Your imai you say? Her skin is quite too pale for her to be from Kiram*."

My master chortled slightly to the stranger's remark. "Yes, yes, that's true! Her mother couldn't keep her any longer because of food expenses and such, so the woman gave her own daughter to me." His voice went back to that sweet and smooth texture. If molasses was a sound, that's what it sounded like. It complimented his fancy yet casual clothing of a purple suit along with his long black hair and his slender figure.

"I see." The stranger looked down the road in the direction he was going towards Dakima and then looked back to my master. "I'd say, would you mind if I stayed at your place for the night? I'll be sure to pay you for your service."

"Of course, of course!" My master must've been a tad flustered just to seem normal at the time. It wasn’t like he didn’t have room for the man. "Please, let me take you to my home!" He walked up to the stranger and introduced himself. "Pardon me, my name is Gonma Kataka." He bowed to show some respect.

The stranger bowed as well and responded accordingly, "Sommi Tesuki."

Gonma called me back over his shoulder, "Vila, pay your respects to the man." His phrase was stern.

I immediately ran up and bowed. "Hello, I am Vila. I am at your service while you stay with us." I then felt someone's hand gently rub against my messed up blonde hair. I looked up with my big blue eyes to see Sommi giving me a smile in the dim light.

His face-it looked so-friendly. I didn't feel safe after Mom left me, until that night...

"Well then," Gonma interrupted the moment and brought us back to reality, "Shall we go on?" The jest in his voice worked well with his creepily pale skin.

Sommi gazed at Gonma with a toned-down grin and answered, "Let's."

As Master and Sommi-kan* walked down a side trail to the house talking to each other, I made sure to remain in the back out of respect for the two. I wasn't sure how late it was, but all that running had made me exhausted. By the time we got to my master's house, I was ready to sleep in my bed.

"Vila," I heard Master Gonma command which stopped me in my tracks. He looked to Sommi-kan and asked him, "Are you hungry, sir? I can have her make something for you."

"Oh no," Sommi-kan replied sounding nervous, "I can't do that, I'm already imposing enough as it is."

"Oh, please, I insist!" Master Gonma wouldn't take no for an answer.

Sommi-kan gave into his offer. "Alright Kataka-kan, I guess I could have a little bit of something." He then looked at me with his slightly slanted green eyes. "Well Vila, what would you like to make?"

I was stunned at the time, that he asked me what I wanted to do. Master Gonma never did that. "Um-would you like some nupum* pancakes?"

He just stared at me with a big smile framed by his scruffy brown beard before replying in a soft tone, "That sounds wonderful."

I couldn't help it, but his kindness brought a smile to my face, something that hadn’t happen since my mother had left me. I miss her so much. I went into the kitchen and made some nupum pancakes as Master Gonma and Sommi-kan chatted some more about adult stuff. Right before I finished making the batch, Sommi-kan came in to tell me that I could bring his serving to his room. If I remember correctly, he said something about eating alone sometimes, that it feels good every once in a while. I didn't want to be left alone with Master Gonma, so I was quick to serve Master's plate and then went to the guest room where Sommi-kan was staying for the night. I wasn't sure why, but for some reason, I felt so safe with him. It's funny, now that I think about it. Someone whome I've known for about three years and I felt uneasy with him, but then I met someone for a few moments and already felt safe around him. Why was I instantly attached to this man? Was it because he had already treated me better than Master Gonma?... I went up to the door curtain of his room and knocked on the frame. "Your dinner is ready, Sommi-kan," I called out.

"Come in."

I went in to see him sitting on his bed, still in his black robe covered in the pattern of yellow suns. it looked like he was contemplating something. He looked at me with a gentle face and spoke in a calming tone, "Thank you Vila, you may set it on that small table."

I went over to do so while keeping my focus on not spilling the food. The beauty mark under his left eye, though, was captivating to me for some odd reason.

"So how old are you Vila?" He asked me.

"I-I'm seven years old now," I answered after I placing the platter onto the table.

"Seven?"

I nodded sheepishly.

I remember that there was an awkward pause in the air before he spoke again, "Did you love your mommy?"

"I was only four-years-old when Mommy gave me to Gonma-kan, so I don't remember her much, but I do remember that she was pretty and nice."

"I see," he said as his eyes kept giving off this soothing sensation, not like the dissembling personality Master Gonma would use to persuade people. "You must miss her a lot then?"

I nodded a little more energetically. "I miss her very much, Sir."

"Vila!" I heard Master Gonma call out my name in an irritated fashion.

I swiftly bowed to Sommi-kan and ran out the door to meet my master. I went into his chambers and saw him sitting at his desk. He had a frown on his incredibly pale face, and I knew exactly why.

"Go to your room," he said in a hushed yet angered tone, "I have a few words for you that need to be heard in absolute privacy."

The fear that I felt in that moment was excruciating. I had my head hanging down like a beaten dog who was expecting more battering from her aggressive master. I could feel the warm and salty tears trickle down my rosy cheeks as we stepped down into the basement where my room was.

He spoke to me with such a quiet rage that made me tear up even more because I knew that a stern talking wasn't the only punishment that I would receive. I'm still not sure how he did it, but the way he spoke when he was angry, that was always terrifying to me. He only yelled when he was calling my name, but he always managed to say things in a condescending tone that brought chills to my spine. I never once dared to look him in the eye whenever he got like this... I saw from the top of my sight that he began to take off his belt to whip me with it.

I can't run away, or he'll make it worse...

The tears came streaming down my pale face. I knew what he was about to say next.

"Vila, turn around."

I don't want to!

"What's going on here?"

I gazed up to see Sommi-kan at the base of the stairs. He almost looked appalled by what he was seeing.

Master Gonma was so surprised to see that Sommi-kan had come down the stairs a bit in the middle of our routine. "Oh, Sommi-kan! I'm terribly sorry, I thought you were asleep. Please, don't trouble yourself here. This isn't your problem."

Sommi-kan just stared at him with a serious look and spoke with a sullen tone, "I would still like to know what's going on here. Perhaps I can help resolve this." He then began to step down the stairs and came up to Master Gonma.

Was Sommi-kan actually oblivious as to what was going on, or did he already have a sense of a conflict?

I'm not sure what was going on in Master Gonma's head, but he suddenly whipped out a knife from his sleeve and charged at Sommi-kan!

I wanted to react, but all I did was stand there and watched Sommi-kan defend himself.

Sommi-kan simply remained calm and stepped to the side before the pointed dagger reached him. Then he performed some kind of hold on Master Gonma and twisted his arm backwards. This forced Master Gonma to turn around and release his grip on the knife.

I was astonished at the little time it took Sommi-kan to disarm a rough man when he himself seemed so common.

"Now I know what the problem is," Sommi-kan mentioned as he looked at the back side of my master with a dissatisfied look. "I'm sure that if Vila's mother saw you now, she would be disgusted and disappointed in you."

"I don't care!" Master then shoved Sommi into the heavy bookcase that was directly behind them which caused Sommi to loosen his grip on the man. That was enough for Master Gonma to break free and he grabbed Sommi by his black robe and forced him into the shelves. He pulled Sommi back then forced him into the shelves repeatedly as Sommi kept grunting from the impact.

I couldn't take it anymore! I didn't want to see this horrible man destroy another life! I just-I just couldn’t!

I can't take this anymore!

I ran over to them, then started to scream and beat my fists at Gonma. "Stop it! Stop it!"

It was easy for Gonma to just throw me to the ground once more, but this time he did it with all his might.

I barely saw it from the corner of my eye, but Sommi was able to overpower Gonma with the help of my distraction. He threw Gonma towards his own side and slammed him against the bookcase and this caused Gonma to lose his grip for a short second.

I watched from the cold floor as the two struggled to get the upper hand in their grappling. Sommi finally got the better side as they slid against one of Gonma's heavy statues and then shoved him to the ground. Sommi spoke over Gonma in a deep and a wrathful voice that I hope he never reuses, "I will never let you touch her again!"

I then looked above at the statue they just assaulted and saw it tilting at a dangerous angle. Before I realized it myself, the art piece was about to fall on top of them! My instincts kicked in and I pulled Sommi out of the way by his arm with all of my strength.

The statue came crashing down and squished Gonma into a puddle of flesh and red liquid, his limbs sticking out from underneath the mighty bust.

Sommi was quick to obscure my vision with his hand and spoke in his soft tone again, "Don't look sweetie, you don't need to see this." His voice was a bit shaky, but I can now understand what his concern was.

Sommi took me to the closest inn on the borders of Dakima city and we tried to sleep off what just happened after eating some food. I don’t recall resting at all that night. He said that when the morning came we had to leave the city, for good. I went willingly with him of course, but the events of the night prior was still causing me to quiver at the time. He did ask me if I wanted to wait on a bidding board for someone to buy me again, though, and that thought was even more terrifying to me than being by his side. Following him at that moment sounded like the best option, and I still hold fast to it.

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Imai- Female servant.

Kan- A neutral honorific similar to ‘san’ in the Japanese language. It can mean ‘Mr,’ ‘Mrs,’ or ‘Miss.’

Kiram- The country in Fupum that is located on the Eastern Quarter and is also known as the hottest country.

Methel- A god from ancient beliefs but has many followers still. It is said that he is the creator.

Nupum- A type of flower that is dried up to make powder for easy-made pancakes and other sorts of cheap bakery.