Fang Li had another dream.
He dreamed that he had become a child, growing up in a temple.
She was not allowed to have playmates.
Because there were no children in the temple who enjoyed playing.
She was not allowed to step beyond its threshold.
Because no one in the outside world was willing to reach out a hand to her.
Even the people around her spoke of her like this.
"Is that the 'oni'...?"
"Why would something so evil be in such a sacred place...?"
"Stop talking. The head priest has instructed us never to discuss her carelessly..."
"Let's go..."
"Yeah..."
And so, the believers of Buddha, who claimed they could save all living beings equally, all kept their distance from her.
"Ahh..."
How lonely that was.
"Ahh..."
How miserable it was.
The head priest had been lying, hadn't he?
"Please rest assured and remain here. No one here will see you as an 'oni.'"
He had said that, so why did everyone around her treat her this way?
"This is a sacred place where people pray for protection."
Liar.
This was clearly a cage that stole people's freedom.
"The people here are all your companions."
Liar.
There was clearly no one here but cowards who did not even dare approach her.
"Every life is a gift from heaven."
Liar.
Heaven had never blessed her.
"There is no true evil in this world, only people who have lost their way."
Liar.
If that were true, then why did everyone call her evil?
So, she understood now.
"In the end, I am different from everyone around me."
That was only natural, wasn't it?
The heaven-gifted child of Gozu Tenno, the avatar of Indra.
Because of her extraordinary birth and overwhelming power, people feared her as an "oni" and excluded her