Chapter 5

Climbing onto the rooftop edge, I spread my arms.

Looking down at the world below, I felt no fear, shed no tears.

Only a sense of exhilarating relief, of finally being peeled away from this rotten mess.

Jump.

Only by jumping could I truly fly.

I slowly closed my eyes.

Just as my feet were about to lose contact with the ground, a force from behind abruptly yanked me back.

I fell to the ground.

In the dim twilight, I saw a person.

A human body with a pig face, dressed in black.

He wore a pig mask, his face obscured.

The pig face was somewhat terrifying.

It was covered in wrinkles, its mouth half-open, revealing a row of menacing tusks inside.

“Who are you?”

That grotesque face filled me with fear.

He didn’t answer me but raised a hand and gave me an identical mask.

I took it.

He gestured for me to open the mask.

Inside was a note, with eight large words written on it.

[An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.]

From beneath the mask, the person’s voice was hoarse, muffled.

“Who I am isn’t important.

Luna, do you know the difference between a human and a pig?

Humans wield the butcher’s knife. And pigs, only after being fully butchered and sent to the dinner table, gain value recognized by people.”

I stared at the mask, bewildered.

“Do you want to be human, or do you want to be a pig your whole life, letting others carve you up?”

The figure in black chuckled softly.

He leaned down and pressed the mask into my hand.

“As soon as you put it on, it means this game of turning the tables begins immediately. I will help you.

Luna, this time, what will you choose?”