A heavy rain had been pouring over the city of Shan'ezhou for days, as if in a weary attempt to wash away all the filth of the world. However, I knew that even this great rain could not wash away the unfortunate marks etched upon my body.
I, Yeyue, clutched my head with my hands and huddled by the side of a deserted road running through a forest. Every effort I made to hide the pair of long, pointed skeletal protrusions peeking through my hair and my dark wings proved futile. These body parts seemed to scream to the world that I was a stranger here—a "monster" who inherited the Demon bloodline.
"Look at her! That can't be a human!"
A group of people across the street pointed at me, laughing in mockery. One of them approached and struck my head violently with an empty beer tin he held.
"How can creatures like this live in this city? Get out of here, you omen of bad luck! A monster like you is a curse to us as well!"
I whimpered in pain. I had a human appearance; I had a human heart. Yet, because of these alien features, I was worse than a beast to them.
'Mother... why was I born like this? It's not my fault I'm like this, is it?' That question echoed inside my heart, mingling with the tears that fell alongside the raindrops.
Shivering from the cold, I closed my eyes, waiting for death. But suddenly, the raindrops falling on my head stopped. I struggled to open my eyes. A black umbrella was held over me. It was held by a young boy. Judging by his clothes, he didn't seem to be from this city. In his eyes, instead of the disgust or fear I was used to, there was endless kindness.
"You are badly hurt..." he whispered very softly. He knelt down right beside me.
I pulled back in fear. "No... don't hurt me... I didn't do anything wrong to you..." I closed my eyes tightly again, expecting a painful blow.
Instead, I felt the warmth of his hand stroking my head.
"You are so different. I've never seen anyone like you before. You're like a sorceress princess from the stories I heard when I was little," he smiled. That smile was so pure that the pain huddled in my heart for all these years melted away in an instant.
He took a warm cup of coffee and a slice of bread from his bag and held them out to me.
"Take this."
With trembling hands, I took the slice of bread. Its warmth spread through my body, giving me a new sense of life. 'While the whole world despises me, one single human has accepted me.'
"I have to go. Stay safe," he said, handing the umbrella to me before disappearing into the rain.
I held that umbrella close and cried for a long time in the rainy street. But those were not tears of sorrow; they were tears of joy born from the feeling that "at least one person in this world accepted me." I took a small bite of the bread. It was the most delicious meal I had ever eaten in my life. I did not know who he was, but my heart whispered that we would meet again someday.