Yuzuki wore a rare smile as she made her way home. For the first time in what felt like forever, her body felt light, free from the constant gnawing ache of illness. No stabbing in her chest, no heaviness in her legs, no fog clouding her eyes.
It wasn't true healing she knew that much. The effect was temporary, borrowed time. But even so, the relief was intoxicating.
With this medicine, I can finally move forward, she thought, her steps carrying a spring of joy. She had a plan: earn money by venturing into the hidden dungeon outside the city walls.
Dungeons cursed places born of twisted essence and resentment were nests for demonic beasts. Dangerous, yes, but the lowest-ranked ones could be handled if she prepared carefully. And inside them were resources, monster parts, and rare materials that fetched a good price.
That's where it begins. I just need to survive long enough…
The corners of her lips lifted higher as she walked, almost skipping in her relief.
like a boulder had been removed from here shoulder
But—
Thud!
She toppled sideways, crashing into the muddy ground. Pain flared hot across her forehead, spinning her vision into chaos.
One moment she had been walking steady, light as if she were healed. The next, pain consumed her, leaving her breathless and reeling.
The vials she had just purchased slipped from her trembling grasp, rolling away across the dirt.
"Ahhh—!"
A weak gasp tore from her lips as she blinked rapidly, struggling to steady her dizzying vision. Her breath came shallow. The fleeting joy she had felt moments ago shattered like fragile glass.
Slowly, Yuzuki raised her black onyx eyes. Her damp hair clung to her forehead, half-blinding her as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
Shadows loomed in the narrow alley. A group of figures stood before her boys in ragged clothes, even filthier and more unpleasant than her own. Hunger and ugly joy gleamed in their eyes, the look of predators who had cornered easy prey.
One of them lowered the wooden club he had used to strike her, stepping out from the side where he'd been hiding. He was tall and thin like a stick, but the cruel grin stretching across his face made her blood run cold.
"Well, finally, we found you," he said, his tone dripping with cruel satisfaction.
Beside him stood another a boy just barely older than a child, but his gaze glittered with the same malice as the first.
Yuzuki's heart thudded violently. She forced her body to move, dragging her arm across the mud toward the scattered vials.
Just a little closer… if I can grab them
Crunch!
Agonizing pain shot through her as a boot slammed down on her frail hand, grinding her knuckles into the dirt.
The thin boy pressed harder, twisting his heel into her flesh, smiling with sadistic delight. "So close, yet so far," he sneered.
Yuzuki squirmed desperately, trying to yank her hand free, but his weight didn't budge. Instead, his grin widened, eyes gleaming with twisted glee.
Then, without warning
Thwack!
A wooden stick smashed against the side of her head. Her face slammed into the mud, filthy water splashing into her mouth as her vision exploded with pain. She gagged on dirt, gasping for breath.
"You should stay down," the older boy mocked, his voice cruel and amused. "Like the dog you are."
The tallest of the three crouched low, his thin frame folding like a vulture stooping over its prey. He plucked one of the vials from the mud and rolled it lazily between his fingers, the crimson liquid inside catching the dim light with an almost mocking gleam.
He leaned down until his shadow fell over Yuzuki, bringing the vial so close she could see her own warped reflection in the glass.
Fury and frustration boiled in her chest, battling against the sharp pain throbbing in her skull.
Her vision blurred, the world tilting and spinning, yet one truth seared itself into her mind
Her last hope was being toyed with, balanced carelessly in the hands of these jackals.
Her heart pounded, rage and helplessness mingling in her veins. She forced air into her lungs, forcing words past her trembling lips.
"W-What… do you g-guys want?" Yuzuki rasped, her voice hoarse.
Even as she spoke, the truth weighed on her. There were three of them. Three predators circling her, while she was nothing more than prey. She had no strength, no power, no way to fight back.
All she could do was endure—endure whatever twisted whims they chose to do her.
"Well, what do we want you ask with that filth mouth of your's," the man sneered, crouching close, his eyes glinting with malice.
Her lips trembled, her body shaking as she tried to rise from the mud.
He clicked his tongue. "Now… you know you shouldn't steal, right?"
"Y-Yes," Yuzuki whispered, barely audible.
"Then why," his voice turned sharp, "did you steal my stuff?"
Her black eyes widened in confusion. "W-What stuff?"
Crack!
A wooden stick smashed a top of her head.
The tallest boy let the vial dangle between two fingers, swinging it lazily just above Yuzuki's reach. The red liquid sloshed inside with each movement, a quiet taunt. Every time she dragged herself forward and stretched her hand toward it, he lifted it higher, just out of reach.
"Pathetic," he sneered. "Look at her crawl."
Mud smeared across Yuzuki's dress and skin as her knees scraped against the ground. Her fingers trembled, slick with dirt and pain, yet she reached again—because she had to. That vial wasn't just medicine.
It was her hope.
"Begging in the mud like a stray dog," another boy laughed. "I bet if we told her to bark, she would."
Their laughter rang in her ears, sharp and piercing. Yuzuki clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached. Her vision blurred not from tears, but from the pounding in her head and the fury boiling in her chest.
"No… I won't bark," she said, her voice shaking but defiant. "I—I am n—"
Rough fingers tangled into her black hair, gripping hard at her scalp. Pain exploded as her head was yanked backward—
Thump.
Her forehead smashed into the ground. Mud filled her mouth, her vision flashing white.
Thump.
Again. The world spun, her ears ringing as something warm trickled down her face.
Thump.
Her body went limp, strength draining from her limbs as her cheek pressed into the cold, filthy ground.
"I," the boy hissed, tightening his grip.
"Don't."
"Think."
"That."
"I."
"Gave."
"You."
"Permission."
"To."
"Talk."
Each word came with another violent slam, his voice low and venomous, as if savouring every moment of control.
Yuzuki's fingers twitched weakly in the mud. Her thoughts scattered, slipping in and out like broken fragments.
I won't beg…I won't…
Her chest burned, breath coming shallow and uneven. She could taste blood. The vial—her medicine—was still there, just inches away, dangling in cruel hands she could no longer fight.
Laughter echoed above her, distant and warped, as if coming from another world.
After what felt like hours, the blows finally stopped.
Yuzuki lay motionless in the mud, her face swollen and broken, blood leaking freely from her nose, lips, and brow. Each breath was shallow, painful, her chest trembling as if it might give out at any moment.
"Tch… looks like she didn't steal from us after all," the older boy scoffed.
He straightened up, brushing dirt from his clothes as if nothing of value had happened.
"Let's go. She's not worth it."
He turned and walked away.
The other two followed but not before one of them kicked Yuzuki hard in the ribs.
"Stay down, trash."
Another spat beside her head, the glob landing in the mud near her cheek.
Their footsteps faded, laughter echoing faintly down the alley until even that disappeared, leaving behind only silence… and Yuzuki.