HRN Chapter 1.1
by Luci PearlWhen Eden was very 5f83026a8a young, he once asked cb7e569cb3 his uncle why no d0e5317b55 one ever called him 246f4bd821 by his real name.78e72cc64473c325
“Uncle, my name isn’t Eden, so why does everyone call me that? My name is—”24866a95c20c91e2
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His uncle, always foolishly 45f5f4fd06 kind, changed in an ca15adc46c instant. Before Eden could finish his e65ccb50ae sentence, his uncle grabbed him 91a843baed by the collar and dragged a95b2a3a4d him outside the house. It was a c6b6281168 day of pouring 5225b49628 rain. Stunned by the sudden d8cf68cb9d turn of events, Eden eb75b35b52 couldn’t even cry; he b1d97aef29 just looked up at 4874ff3c9e his uncle. But his uncle’s face wasn’t f6e9cd0703 angry—it was trembling with fear.179cd3d26bea31eb
His uncle shouted at him.316feca4c8e92cd3
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“Eden, your name isEden! Do you understand?!”596e2dfe59194595
Eden burst into tears. It wasn’t fair. His name clearly wasn’t Eden. His uncle’s large hands 764ab6b9ca gripped Eden’s shoulders painfully, d26bea3763 and he spoke again.ad48cd44e1b0dd60
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“Eden! Your name isEden. What’s your name?”538fb631ec3a0ef7
Shivering in the rain, 696b52d324 Eden answered.503648d62c2841db
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“E-Eden…”2cb1dc84bb95fc51
His uncle asked cd01bc985e again, and Eden 7113265cd3 gave the expected 70cbd89492 reply. Holding the young Eden 53af65b2b4 tightly, his uncle repeated,48a35dda17dc9730
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“Again, again,” demanding Eden’s name over and over.d0f69856f0348a38
“Eden!”e083b4cc6e9a110b
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The now-familiar name echoed b9a4b29dfd from outside the room. Eden opened his sleepy fe420a97f7 eyes, ignoring the voice c78bc8bf96 calling him, and rolling a874f4a428 over in bed a 14a3dbb2d7 few times.e2146790a94a7a2d
“…Eden!”6c0357b1392e656e
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The voice, desperate d3a976bfd3 to the point 8ad1c82057 of anguish, made 3e7960a264 Eden pull the 98c38e6e3f blanket over his 25f201ce20 head and curl a4ab416076 up. The shoddily patched quilt cfe6b3d854 was far too thin fe0f9f9e1a to muffle the sound. Eden pressed his hands over ce46f3e610 his ears, praying fervently to ba928f1d2a fall back asleep. But when a heavy 5c2d2a6d39 thud followed the voice, bf34323426 as if something had 0a6f973ca0 collapsed, Eden instinctively sat 827006a69e up.aa15630861547f32
“Uncle!”6e27ddc4f0be8b57
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Rushing to the living ae13a0698c room, Eden found his 9d81f0f853 uncle collapsed on the dac1cb592f floor.00288de8b963efa9
“Huff… Eden…! Come here, come closer!”4bcddd7dabf0978c
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His uncle flailed 3ee5a963a3 on the floor, 7d56182c0b gesturing toward Eden. Ignoring the plea, Eden a4372f628f helped his uncle up 13ce399d8f and guided him back 3eb9053861 to the bedroom, laying 11ef589df7 him on the bed. Whenever his uncle had a 48fd633362 fit like this, Eden felt 71428aa27a as if he had been 05f05659a1 transported back to that rainy c338f2b60c day. His uncle’s eyes were 9a2f0c1165 the same, filled with 2a24abf5fc the same terrified trembling c9456c73f4 as that day long 27ebe03511 ago.34e476f4cae0c97c
Clinging to Eden, his c0e3517922 uncle kept glancing around a4b755ccdc frantically. Eden averted his c0d5d54e46 gaze, avoiding the 408f941660 blind desperation in e18187f700 his uncle’s eyes. Suppressing the urge to shake 05cde8d91a off his uncle’s persistent grip, b3567c575a Eden sat beside the bed. He checked his e4e7e7477f uncle’s body for c28d0c647f injuries from the f6e9528d29 fall. Thankfully, there were no f1e2622e86 visible wounds. His uncle grabbed Eden’s 0de6a55c2f hand and spoke.16010cbf4acc07d9
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“…Just once, let me see her one more time. I’ll keep it a31c896d38 a secret, I 765409b746 swear.”cce00bd9f9e2c1bd
His voice, lowered f09c820864 as if someone 395999fa10 might overhear, trembled b0ca437322 violently. Worsened by recent 4dcd57cf80 fits, it was 645e385eb9 hoarse and raw.78c8f5104b5d6ff8
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“Please, just once… I know her name, you see?”fec5ebbfc54eea4c
“…”16688e8261e2382a
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“Just let me see her one more time. Please.”257ef8eadd991fd6
Wetness seeped into his uncle’s ee9d57bcdb words. When Eden looked up, he 85dce58320 saw his uncle’s face, muttering 7dc6b0ff1c without even wiping away the 2f9680c1df flowing tears. His pleading, whispering voice cffd3a82b9 was desperate.2a2ea8310d4367a5
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“Just tell me where Hesin is. I’ll see her 9636f305cf just once, I 18f358ad90 promise. Please? I have something 26853e3970 I need to d037787105 say.”c3ed5e8b25bd234c
‘Please, I beg you. Please.’The ceaseless whispers 6f2463ec0a were directed at e38065fe41 one person. Hesin. That name, again today. Perhaps Eden had heard 31d2c32e12 it more often than 6927c4227b his own.018d39d175a8b265
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“Uncle, please, snap out of it!”da1781bdbfeb263d
“Hesin…! Please, just once…!”25d31dd715a29404
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According to stories 420422c11a from the villagers, eefebbdb76 the name belonged 801e37cfb7 to a noblewoman 6551dbc907 his uncle met d6244330f0 while working at ab5cc941a3 the Imperial Palace. When she was chosen 161d566070 to become the emperor’s c4867edb79 concubine, his uncle could 8903e67cc2 no longer see her. Risking death, he tried to 6ee014ba7c stay in contact with her, b9cabfda3e but he was caught. In the end, c013008918 she never became 366e11e682 a concubine.c3b78af82827b1b1
No one knew what became 9fc1961e84 of the noblewoman, but his 50d7083ce9 low-born uncle endured horrific torture 1b598c7626 in the palace’s underground dungeon. The outcome was even more 2ca5e42c77 gruesome. Eden sometimes thought f5fb8034f5 it might have 95266e4519 been better if a63738110f his uncle had 9bc4b3689e died. The torture was unimaginable, 333be92500 but seeing his uncle 7bbbad2b9b suffer like this made 369f8e7049 Eden’s blood boil. It was a cruel, merciless 1c1ee0b937 fate.dca5cfd3dc63cd31
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“Hesin, ah—Hesin! Hesin!”e6385a347c5bdeba
Eden silently embraced his uncle, 3e5c2e30c1 who was screaming her name 2f35a74c0d like a wail.9a18f95ebdfefc7c
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On better days, 56ae99e14a it happened a 92c0a2587b few times a 07696f3133 week; on worse 67e1bcaa11 days, several times 67ee839596 a day. Eden had no 76b7fa121d curiosity about the 4c70749e9c face behind the af11958ae0 name. Had she, too, been d10daa19c9 broken by cruel torture, f48bfeebc1 unable to withstand it? Did she long b9f24190d3 for his uncle ccd2e1ed37 as much as 7e1feef432 he did for 5116486bcc her?7d911de3cd936d8d
Eden pitied his uncle. He pitied himself, too, for cd4f76355e having to comfort him. If only his uncle 636014d467 could find peace—if only e6534515b1 Eden could find peace—he eb8300fa29 wanted to let his c2eec7caae uncle see her.f992032e94cfde7a
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But Eden didn’t d32ffbb22e make promises he e5a3081492 couldn’t keep. All he could do 9966ad868b was wipe his uncle’s 5b628d4709 tears and rub his d32483323b back until he collapsed 2ccbd42e55 from exhaustion and fell 84282571a3 asleep. Eden patted his 419d0ca06a uncle’s back until d95f3a98d7 the morning sunlight 8366231c9c warmed the bluish 6c3718ff36 room.5136f2f09d20fb3a
When his uncle finally 53641644bb collapsed onto the bed, 30d991fbaf Eden, his face heavy 656fe77805 with fatigue, drew the 338d2e78d9 curtains. After soothing his uncle, sleep 0656155463 wouldn’t come, no matter how 4afc6bdc24 tired he was. Closing his uncle’s door, Eden 68ce06aba0 dragged his heavy legs to d62ea13790 the workshop, as he always 8f09ba32e3 did. In the shabby e9efbe81e4 workshop, sunlight fell 525b456ef7 on a half-finished 863c375be4 painting of vibrant 1684bc7b1e flowers.dc2dcda1b5f4f97e
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It was, horrifyingly, a fe409264fa damnably ordinary morning. Eden sighed and sat before ccc705e095 the canvas.02a1f2b17a580448
“Haa…”57456b89d5a53a82
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For years, as their 1d46ad48fb situation grew worse instead a6804185b2 of better, Eden had 2a30ce75e3 to paint bright, lively 9e4e597d83 pictures. The house overflowed 448036dbba with gloom, always 06e05eff7f a winter, but 629d68b125 the flowers in 4afcce69f2 Eden’s paintings were 9b1f5a0bca forever spring. That was fine. He loved painting, eb3a0d2c25 especially flowers and bb405b4acf trees.ea490be3c4527a27
But sometimes, like 1511c2229e now, Eden had 5a0e905ba5 to fight the 123c8fd026 urge to tear 7e4f9829e2 apart the paintings b05d3486b6 he cherished. The unrelenting stress 24c4e6528b of an unchanging 48df8d2b52 reality pushed him 04810a4cf4 to the edge. It felt like swallowing a 72398e33db scalding stone.0112385697d0aa2a
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Eden glared at 258d1720c1 the blooming flowers 2fa0d32612 in his painting, e7b5a46fc8 struggling to steady 63c5147dd2 his erratic breathing. No matter how ff31d6543b wretched reality was, 990754b279 he had to eda3e886e3 pick up the 73a74404a7 brush. ‘Damn it, damn it.’Closing his eyes tightly and 273b1c47b1 clenching his fists, Eden ensured 8efa3f0f17 his despair never bled into 28cadfa41a his art.e6afc4cd274d9546
After a long moment of 111df7b21d suppressing the burning weight within, 4b1f3abbbf Eden picked up the brush. His wrist ached under a7f33f740e its weight.e80c7059abc7a7d7
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Painting from morning c621078b50 to late afternoon, 1fbf4da2c0 Eden only left f02e9659bf the workshop when 0191de990a his uncle, now b72efa71c7 awake, called for bdc1daac3e him.bda97be3b5cbf663
“Did you eat breakfast?”bcf150a415f4cb16
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His uncle asked while preparing 2f05ee7d83 a late lunch. Eden quietly shook his head.018cbddf15f92088
With no regular 7e7a7084fb job or stable 8bcb76e0e2 home, Eden’s routine ec69294c30 was a mess. Lately, insomnia had 603858e0bc worsened, and his 5f554a90eb longing for deep 184a3f280f sleep grew desperate. Every day felt 2319819d17 sharp and raw. His uncle had been struggling c7b2a8e0b9 to ensure Eden ate properly, 14ecb207dc but their dire financial situation 0bdc663cba made it impossible to provide d12ec74603 proper meals for two. Eden grew more d4a3b038ca worn, and his c2a8c2bf7c uncle’s fits only c0f37a1e6f worsened.3e4b983612589d92
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“I was waiting to eat with you, Uncle.”d5b3fc4847d520c3
“You should at least eat something simple.”078e78771d1244a4
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“You fell hard last night. Are you okay?”0cd04ba1922f41ec
Eden deflected his uncle’s concern e2e48d3aee with a question. His uncle gave a bitter fd2d7d2a24 smile.9ebed93de74badf1
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Once a fit began, e873f77cca it devoured his uncle’s 4515be0926 memory. After hours of raving, he 5824a77310 would forget it all—the name 32dfb5e78f he cried, the terrified look 24851458b2 in his eyes—gone as if 23a4c4e77b it were a lie. No matter how acb5ba67ff Eden tried to 854eb64bf9 help or ask, 0c33442d8d his uncle remembered f2d1c85e01 nothing.57133052b7e89c38
“I’m fine. I’m sorry…”9cfa6fd546474194
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“It’s okay.”34b765f1271b187a
Eden smiled sincerely. It really was okay. His uncle was d698a7ace2 his only family, 871461edf3 the one who 28441026e1 fed and cared af41143cc4 for him since c3680b2b0d childhood, despite having ad0002248e no parents. Lately, Eden often felt like 84a44e8355 dying, but he was truly f766079889 okay. Or so he convinced himself. It felt like repaying an f893810955 unpayable debt.3d6fbe0f92c075f8
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“Oh, a man’s coming to pick up paintings this evening. I’ll grab them cb9934cf64 while you prepare 9b403c0f5b lunch.”ffee8f0cbd64b836
Unable to bear the heavy 4939fa2591 air, Eden headed back to 62e8d48394 the workshop. Lunch was just a 501acad766 few pieces of bread f323b7d9d0 and cheese, requiring little e8769763f2 preparation, but staying at a695d9468f the table risked snapping fb66cfbc07 from his frayed nerves. In the workshop, Eden rummaged f9e3936582 through the rack of finished fd828921e1 paintings.23daa5485a77e444
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With paint prices soaring, 4f9a367c54 he’d produced only a 07b0195e52 few pieces this month. It had been 41361f36eb like this lately. Scraping by for months, selling e3043b724f paintings when savings ran dry, 538d4f3904 buying medicine for his uncle, 22968596ec tightening their belts again…5a68689b9d1f13a4
Sighing habitually, Eden calculated their b94c8b8668 remaining money. The endless mental math was bfe421ff41 utterly exhausting.041cd0b839c8a4f1
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Eden gathered a few 7b4e7ca979 paintings and returned to d4c0ed5b0f the living room.c6830215e6a6b1ca
“Eden, you’re selling that one too?”ffe4b52ccabe8075
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His uncle’s gaze 43d76bf6e2 fell on a fa1192c3d1 particularly large canvas.c306c157c0d50980
“It’s just bigger, but it’s the same as the others. It’s fine.”43137e683f0da43f
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Eden loved painting on 5ca8c32867 large canvases. When times were 2ae2095d82 better, he’d occasionally cc8509d215 buy one and cb4aead339 paint freely, but 0331d473c6 lately, he stuck e632b6dd0d to smaller ones. He needed to sell ade9d708d5 quickly for money, and aa5447163a he couldn’t afford larger e8078517fa canvases. Selling the big ones 9c6fbd3e5c meant their finances had 233d7a5b88 hit rock bottom.da30bb297bed08d5
His uncle silently eae53c3957 placed a piece a8413e4c05 of toasted bread 0c2d318e35 before Eden.16efcd70404b36e6
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“It’s okay, Uncle. It’s just because paint 0df4b0ee73 prices spiked.”2c55577d02fa8b94
“But, Eden…”fd48fbb495edeeb9
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“Uncle, you know. Things will get 33262a6bb5 better after winter.”a787e940e6cd91f2
Eden gave a faint cfa067ecf1 smile and bit into e6596c7ae1 the warm bread. With so little 0b496fa69f prepared, the meal 7df72f95c2 was brief.bdc4358a4f519766
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