Glass Sight

Prologue 零

"Please help me!" A helpless child, no older than ten years old, yelled out among the villagers. "Anyone! Please help me!"

The villagers glanced at the child, sympathetically; however, none were willing to step forward to help the dirty child. Not only was the child notorious, but the child's family was infamous as well. No one saw any value in helping out someone like the child nor the child's family, especially with the rumors that surrounded the mother.

"Please..." the child kneeled in front of the people, kowtowing until blood dripped from the forehead. "I beg anyone for help!"

If anyone were to look closer, past the child's dirty exterior, they'd see that she was a young girl who was quite pretty despite her predicament. Unfortunately, no one was willing to get near here in case they would suffer misfortunes for helping out someone like her.

Among the silence, someone finally stepped forward. An old woman who didn't have long to live, no longer able to bear the guilt of ignoring a child's pleas.

"What do you need?"

The child raised her head, her eyes still glistening with tears. "My mother. Please, save my mother."

The old woman sighed.

She was not a doctor. No one here was a doctor except the stubborn Old Man Li, but he wasn't going to help someone like the little girl nor her mother.

Even if the child was young, she still understood why the old woman didn't say anything else. There was one person who could help her mother, but was he willing to help her? She had pled with him before, but he wasn't willing to help her. Now, her mother was in a critical condition. She had to offer everything she had to help her mother.

The young child stood up, feeling a bit lightheaded from the blood-loss, and ran towards the home of Old Man Li.

Her small fist banged on the door, her cries louder than before. "Old Man Li, please help me. Please save my mama. Please, help me!"

An old man with a scowl on his face opened the door. His eyes flickered to the child that was kneeling at his door, the dry blood on her forehead mixed with the dirt on her face.

"Scram off!" He lashed out, raising his leg to kick her away. She ignored his rage and scampered to grab his leg pitifully.

"Please save my mother!" Hot tears swarmed in her beautiful eyes and she held his leg with an iron grip. Despite the obvious stares in her direction, she didn't care and continued to plea.

Old Man Li was going to kick her away again but then stopped. A malicious smile spread on his face and he finally agreed, telling her to lead the way to her mother.

A breath of relief escaped her mouth and she stood up, her legs shaking from kneeling so much. The bloodloss along with her dehydration from crying so much was making her dizzy, but she knew that she couldn't afford fainting when her mother needed her.

She and Old Man Li—following her—walked towards the ends of the town, where there was a small home in terrible condition. Old Man Li glanced at it with distaste, but went inside anyway.

When the little girl saw her sickly mother on the bed, she quickly sat next to her and cried again. Her mother, once a beautiful and healthy woman, now was thin and pale due to the white plague. Even though the little girl knew that the white plague had no cure, she still stubbornly refused to allow her mother to die without an attempt to save her life.

"Old Man Li, please help her." Her mother was coughing but she didn't care and held her hand firmly in her small ones.

Old Man Li immediately recognized the disease that the wench had. He swiftly covered his mouth with his sleeve and turned to leave. "Your mother is hopeless." Even if he had an objective, he still wouldn't endanger his own life for it.