When all the children of the tribe were born with heaven’s blessings, she alone was forsaken by the stars.

On the day of her birth, the sky darkened as though shielding its eyes, and a flock of crows cawed ominously, caw-caw!

The tribal members, terrified by such omens, could only be comforted by the priest’s intervention, who really didn’t want to put on this show.

With blood, a double circle was drawn.
A large sigil was etched into the ground, looking quite spectacular.

Astrology. The power handed down through generations by those who worship the heavens.

A little too powerful, really. It’s no wonder the empire wanted them wiped out.

Symbols of stars were scattered all around — humans peeking into the sky for a glimpse of the world’s truths.

Into the priest’s mind flowed the knowledge of the heavens… and then… it wasn’t long before his face turned as pale as a piece of tofu left out in the sun.

Of course, that was expected.

Heavenly Murder Star

Born to stain the world with blood, a child with the tendencies of a murderer.

The girl born today was destined to take the lives of hundreds, no, thousands.

But… the priest didn’t disclose this little detail to anyone.

He simply couldn’t.

– “What do you think? Just as I said, right? It’s not an ominous sign. She’s my child, so I get it.”

The woman spoke with a face like she was auditioning for the role of ‘dying mother.’ Most likely, she would leave this world right after giving birth.

She, too, was one of the tribe.

So she couldn’t be oblivious to the ominous signs staring her right in the face—like a bad hangover! The grim future that awaited her child.

– “Surely, she will live a happy life.”

Even without me.

Even without him.

Strongly, more strongly than anyone else.

More happily than anyone else.

Even while saying these words, tears streamed down her face like a leaky faucet.

Ignoring all those heavenly principles she had devoted her life to learning, she painted a rosy future for her child, who would be left all alone in this chaotic world.

And what lay ahead for this child? Just blood and death.

A path lined with corpses, with a twist of horror.

Denying all the harsh truths, she spun a tale of her child being born into the world, experiencing wonders, meeting someone special, falling in love, and living a regular and joyful life, just like everyone else.

The only bummer was that she wouldn’t be around to witness it.

Faced with this surreal vision, the priest found himself absolutely mute.

That the child must be killed…

That this child was never meant to see the light of day.

In the end, all discussions surrounding her fate were swept under the rug — like that strange fungus in the corner.

And then, a girl was born.

Born through the tragedy of her mother’s death.

Her life began with a sin, no clarinet required.

Yet, the priest put in all the effort he could muster to steer her back onto the ‘right path,’ time and time again.

He tried desperately to raise her correctly in a world where she was left alone, without a mother or father. Talk about a tough gig!

Such was the absurd endeavor.

No one understood more than the priest how absolute a fate given by the heavens could be.

In the end, no matter how much you squirm, you can’t escape your predestined fate.

Because it’s called fate precisely because it’s inescapable, like your Aunt Marge at a family reunion.

The girl, Lien, grew more with each day, a little every day.

Hair as white as snow, and eyes as black as night.

Her beauty, a spitting image of her mother’s, blossomed like a flower in spring, to the point where many secret admirers within the tribe started to pop up like daisies in a field.

Only the priest knew of Lien’s true nature.

Lien’s hunting wasn’t for daily sustenance.

Whenever she hunted her prey, she took her time, slowly… watching with rapt attention as life slipped away, as if she were savoring the moment like it was a gourmet meal.

As if she were tasting death, the finest delicacy.

What if Lien ever killed a person…

Well, that would be an irreversible mess!

The girl would surely swirl the world in blood, and countless lives would be reduced to little more than a sad footnote in history.

No one would be able to rein her in.

And to the priest, that future didn’t seem light-years away! Oh no!

The more Lien grew, the less she would be satisfied with merely killing animals.

That day would arrive sooner than anyone thought.

She was bound to fulfill her destiny and be engulfed by her true nature — like a cake in a hungry bear’s grasp.

Then what do I do…

The priest ultimately made a decision.

She must die.

That child has to be killed before she spirals too far, before it’s too late, preferably before tea!

*

Intent to kill.

Lien could almost feel it radiating from the priest’s eyes as he looked at her with a touch of ‘fatherly love’ that was dangerously misplaced.

The man who had raised her as though she were a daughter instead of a death sentence was now plotting to take her out.

But Lien didn’t panic.

She already knew. That she was a rather peculiar being.

The villagers. Each time she glanced at their kind faces, filled with warmth, Lien found herself daydreaming about how efficiently she could off them.

Of course, she realized such thoughts were off the charts bad.

In reality, she had never harmed anyone, not even a fly—though she thought about it with some creativity.

She genuinely liked the villagers.

Yet, the thoughts inevitably intruded. A little stab here could do the trick. Perhaps a cut there would end the problem.

Lose focus for even a moment? Boom! Dark thoughts would charge in like a bull in a china shop.

Such a being could be nothing short of a monster. And it was definitely not right to leave such a monster roving free.

Thus, it was only natural for the priest to think such things.

For her father-figure wanting to eliminate her? It made total sense.

There was zero need to feel sorry.

“…Lien? What on earth are you off to at this hour?”

However, feeling a bit suffocated — just a smidge — Lien made her way to the forest for some hunting practice.

An uncle she randomly bumped into queried her about her whereabouts. No biggie; this kind of thing was just another Tuesday.

“I’m just bored of sitting still, thought I’d stretch my legs a bit.”

“Is that so? But why do you look… No, never mind. Maybe I’ve drank too much. Perhaps I’m seeing things. I should head home for some sleep!”

With those ill-advised words, the man disappeared faster than leftovers at a family gathering.

Lien brushed off the man’s strange behavior like lint from a sweater.

Now, nothing stood in her way.

Her snow-white hair was about to be splattered with red blood as if it were an art exhibit.

In the dark woods, the echoes of dying animals filled the night with their death cries.

This was what she did every time she felt something within her remained unfulfilled.

Only this activity could satisfy her instincts.

Only these acts could bring her inner turmoil to a standstill.

Thinking it over, her father’s reaction was indeed expected.

She was, after all, a monster. If she found solace in such vile and horrifying acts, then it stood to reason he’d want to kill her.

So, it shouldn’t matter.

It shouldn’t weigh her down.

She could sense a pain in her heart—an annoying little ache.

But it didn’t matter. Most likely, it was just from her constant running around.

Something was running down her cheeks.

But who cared? It was probably just blood — nothing to get worked up over.

So, she was okay.

She had to be okay.

“You are…”

These thoughts were racing through her mind as she was wrapping up her business with a deer.

Suddenly, a man’s voice pierced the silence. Through the bushes, she caught sight of him approaching.

Lien, startled, did her best to suppress her murderous urge.

She must not kill a person.

This was a mantra the priest had preached numerous times. But… suppressing those urges was hard!

She was already intoxicated with blood—her mind was swirling like a dizzy hen.

“Don’t come any closer! I said don’t come!”

He shouldn’t!

If he did, she wouldn’t be sure she could rein in her instincts any longer.

But ignoring her urgent warning, the man moved closer, and then…

“What in the world do you think you’re doing?!”

He wrapped her in an embrace.

“Simply put, you looked like you were crying.”

The man made some ridiculous comment.

She couldn’t possibly be crying.

Because she was a monster.

A monster who reveled in death and got a thrill from blood.

There was no way she could feel repulsed by her actions.

No chance she would feel any disillusionment about being drawn to such gruesome behavior.

Surely she wouldn’t be crying because she loathed herself.

Indeed, she found herself far too vile.

She must certainly be smiling.

She was probably grinning ear to ear at this very moment.

“It’s all right. Just calm down a bit, and everything will be fine.”

But why, oh why…

Did the tears flow so freely?

She couldn’t comprehend it.

It was perfectly acceptable for her father to wish for her demise.

She wasn’t even scared of being seen as a monster once her true nature was uncovered.

With the villagers and those like family, being treated as a monster and meeting an untimely end didn’t bother her in the slightest.

She had never felt afraid of dying under the weight of everyone’s hatred.

Really, it was nothing.

No worries.

She was a monster, after all, so why should she be concerned?

No reason for her heart to hurt.

But still…

“Maybe crying will help. When it gets tough, you should let it out. Why keep it all inside?”

Could those words blanket her with some comfort?

The more she sobbed,

The more the tears flowed, almost as if to show she wasn’t alone—could she feel warmth growing, like she was being wrapped tighter in that embrace?

Warmth radiated from the man’s arms, whispering gentle reassurances.

That it was okay.

That she was just like him.

Not a monster.

So, crying was fine.

Feeling sad was perfectly acceptable.

As the world slowly regained its original colors,

The vision, once steeped in blood, now reflected the most beautiful and majestic night sky.

That was Lien’s first encounter with that strange man.