Chapter 1: I'm Scared, Mom

Jun opened his eyes.

The first thing he perceived was an impenetrable darkness, a black shroud that covered his entire surroundings, preventing him from discerning any shapes or figures ahead of him.

He thought something was wrong with his eyes and blinked repeatedly, unconsciously, for a while, but the darkness did not disappear.

Being in an environment like this made his anxiety levels rise, and only now did he realize that absolute darkness was terrifying; it created a panic that began to suffocate him.

From what he could tell, it seemed he was trapped in this dark place.

He tried to move his limbs, but it was as if they were chained. His body didn't respond; it lacked strength, and the only part of himself he could control was his eyelids.

There was nothing wrong with his eyes; he knew this instinctively.

He knew he was trapped in this place because the space where he found himself was abnormally dark, as if he were in a basement or a closed-off area where light couldn't reach.

What comforted him was that he didn't have any vision problems; he could differentiate between blindness and a naturally dark environment.

"Where am I?" Jun wondered as his thoughts wandered in search of answers.

Who was he? Why was he in this situation? His mind throbbed with a sharp pain as he tried to remember. At the same time, something hindered him; he couldn't think clearly, as if his head had been struck.

But suddenly, Jun murmured, "My name is Jun."

The memories then began to return to him, one after another, and that persistent amnesia slowly but steadily started to fade.

Jun told himself that everything would be fine as the memories came back, one after another, trying to cling to reality. From what he remembered, he was nine years old, and he woke up in what seemed to be ancient China, an orphan without roots or a home, wandering through an unknown and terrifying world.

There was nothing he could do in this world that was now his reality because, as soon as he opened his eyes, he was being sold as a slave. He didn't remember much of his past life, but he knew how to distinguish between many things, as if everything was there except for names, faces, and some memories that seemed to be fading away.

But no matter how blurry the faces of the people appearing in his mind were, Jun called out for his mother, even though he knew deep in his heart that she couldn't help him.

"It hasn't been long." Jun now remembered that not much time had passed since he arrived in this new reality. As soon as he woke up, he was being sold as a slave.

"How did I get here?" The pain didn't lessen no matter how much time passed, but Jun forced himself to remember more details; he had to focus on the details.

Slowly, the images began to return. He remembered a man he had last seen, a simple face with sharp eyes, who had bought him in his moment of confusion and said to him, "You look good."

After that, everything went dark.

Jun understood that this man must know why he was there. But he didn't know his name, identity, or intentions. If his captor had wanted to kill him, he would have done so by now.

There had to be a purpose, an objective behind all of this.

As Jun reflected, his head continued to ache as if it were on the verge of breaking. It was an excruciating pain, but he couldn't afford to stop thinking.

He needed to understand why he was here, what they wanted from him, or rather, what was expected of him.

…

Time passed in the darkness. He didn't know how long, but his mind gradually began to clear.

An involuntary sigh escaped his lips.

At least he could breathe deeply, a sign that his bodily functions were beginning to normalize.

Although his situation was still desperate, Jun clung to that small hope. Now the darkness was his only companion, and the isolation began to consume his mind.

To stay sane, he repeated his name over and over again, clinging to his identity like a lifeline.

"I am Jun; I am nine years old; I am alone in this world, and I have to survive."

After a while, Jun felt a slight movement in his fingers, a sign that his body was beginning to respond.

The sensation was cold and damp, but he felt grateful.

He was alive.

Hunger began to grow within him, and the dryness of his mouth reminded him that he hadn't eaten or drunk anything in perhaps days.

But for now, that didn't matter.

The only thing that mattered was that his senses were slowly returning, which meant he wasn't dying.

Knowing that he still had some strength left,

Jun decided to move, applying force to his weakened body.

The hunger and thirst felt like a rush of adrenaline that pushed him, giving him the energy to keep going. Of course, this source of strength wasn't endless, so he had to be smart.

Plop!

He heard the sound of a drop of water falling nearby, and with effort, he began to crawl toward the source of the sound.

He moved like a worm, inching forward bit by bit, ignoring the pain in his torn jaw, which was probably bleeding now.

"Argh!" Jun clenched his teeth to avoid biting his tongue.

He wanted to reach that drop of water that might be his only chance to quench his thirst.

And finally, after many minutes of suffering, his efforts paid off, and he reached the wall from where the sound was coming.

He felt moisture on his tongue as soon as he started searching for water and licked the dampness desperately. The cool, revitalizing liquid was like medicine that immediately took effect on his body, tormented by different emotions.

In the darkness, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of a child drinking water from wherever it fell with a mixture of urgency and relief, clinging to life with all his will.

"I am Jun; I am nine years old; I am alone in this world, and I have to survive," Jun thought as he clenched his fists.