CHINESE ARYA STARK meets THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
*A Wattpad Featured story*
When everyone wears a mask, who do you trust?
In the unforgiving empire of Erden where the Imperials reign supreme, Sarna is a slave. After escaping the brothel where a m...
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"Driven by loneliness, Nüwa created copies of herself from earth, but then that task grew weary. She dipped a rope into mud and splashed it onto the ground. Where the drops landed, a tiny human crawled free. But with it, came unfairness. Those she created by hand became rich and powerful, those she created by flinging the rope became the poor."
The All Mother—The Immortalist Lores
CHAPTER TWO
"So," Biyu said. "Where are we headed?"
Without Facechanging makeup, Biyu's strong features were most prominent. Castrated when he was eight, he was sold to the same brothel as I was, and he quickly became one of their most prized possessions. He had distinctive feminine traits—a tiny waist, and a heavenly voice that covered a wide spectrum of notes. His brown eyes twinkled whenever he smiled, and his long black hair curled like waves lapping against a shore. He was so desired, both men and women had paid handsome sums to spend a night with him when he was in the Pavilion.
"Candy!" A middle-aged man wearing a green hat shouted, jerking me from my thoughts. "Freshly made date candy! The finest in Jade City. Only one bronze Credit per stick!"
I stopped in front of the stall and ran my eyes down the rows of squarish sweets skewed on skinny bamboo sticks. They looked like rocks caked with mud.
"No, thank you," I said.
"I'll take two," Biyu interjected.
"Sure thing, kind sir." The man whipped two rows of the hard candy up and handed them to Biyu.
Biyu passed him two bronze Credits and handed me one.
"I said I don't want candy." I pushed his hand away.
"You know," Biyu said while stuffing the first sweet into his mouth, "Sometimes, I feel like we've never met. And maybe like you don't want me around anymore."
"Don't exaggerate. I just don't feel like eating sweets, that's all."
He shrugged, then without warning, bounded into the crystal shop next to us like an excited puppy. I had to drag him back by the sleeve to prevent him from colliding head-first with a piece of rock his height.
Nothing excited him more than rocks. I sighed, exasperated. This was why I refrained from walking around with him. Crystal shops were abundant in Erden, as precious stones were its main export next to gold. Whenever we chanced upon one, Biyu would waste our hard-earned money on stupid rocks when we should be saving them for our Visas.
Biyu stuck his face onto a glass case which held a glittering purple geode, eyes wider than dinner plates.
"Why hello, beautiful," he cooed. "I wonder how much you cost."
