Why... had she become like this?
Yin Chao could not understand it.
The monster before him had not noticed Yin Chao under the Long-Handled Lamp's protection. She crawled down from the upside-down bookshelf and sniffed at the wooden floor like a puppy.
Her tangled, curly black hair resembled the fur of some large mammal, writhing slightly with Elena's movements.
She stopped in front of the hidden compartment, where Yin Chao had lit the Long-Handled Lamp-where his scent had disappeared.
Finding no clues, Elena turned and returned to the basement.
Yin Chao followed closely, climbing down the ladder.
With the Long-Handled Lamp in his hand, he could see every corner of the dark basement.
He had expected it to be dark and damp, but to his surprise, it was furnished with remarkable warmth and comfort.
There was a clean, tidy bed, a desk covered in little trinkets, and a wardrobe filled with all kinds of pretty dresses.
It was easy to tell that this was a little girl who had grown up surrounded by love.
But the bed was large-unnaturally large.
Large enough for five little girls of the same age to sleep side by side.
Yin Chao saw Elena crouching in a corner, her back to the entire room.
The clean bed stood in stark contrast to the filthy stains on Elena's body. Perhaps she stayed crouched in that corner because she was afraid of dirtying the sheets.
A faint melody drifted from the corner where Elena crouched.
She hummed very slowly, without lyrics, only a simple tune.
It echoed through the empty, deathly silent basement, spreading a sorrow called longing.
Yin Chao noticed a photograph on the little desk. Elena stood in the middle, flanked by her father and mother, both smiling brightly.
Behind them stood this archive.
That