Liuyin's Past

"Actually... this place was my home, too."

The swing swayed gently, the faint scrape of its chains unusually clear.

Liuyin sat beside Griseo. As she looked into Griseo's eyes, an inexplicable feeling stirred in her heart—some instinct told her she could trust her.

So she took the chance to tell the story she had kept buried.

Ten years ago, an outbreak of anomalous corruptive breath had thrown the people of the old mining district into a panic.

A spirit medium appeared from nowhere and convinced the residents that drawing lots to choose someone to sacrifice to the Hollows would quell the Calamity and save everyone else.

They believed her. With their lives at stake, no one wanted to be the one who saw through it.

Before the drawing began, young Liuyin stood holding half a steamed bun. She looked up at Aunt Afang, who cared for her, and asked, "Why does everyone have to draw lots?"

Aunt Afang crouched down and stroked her head, smiling as gently as ever.

"Don't be afraid, Liuyin. I'm here. The drawing's just for show. Nothing will happen to you."

Little Liuyin believed her. After all, this was Aunt Afang, the person who took care of her.

But in the end, Liuyin drew the red lot. The residents sent her into the Hollows. Standing at its edge, so small and alone, she looked back, still worried that Aunt Afang might be upset.

Later, inside the Hollows, Liuyin awakened the ability to listen to the whispers of the dead.

Through those whispers, she learned the truth: the spirit medium was a fraud, the sacrifice was a lie, and the whole thing had been a deception from the start.

Worried for Aunt Afang's safety, she followed the dead's whispers out of the Hollows. But what she found