Dreams and Nightmares

Returning to Xuanghen brings back to his mind many things, mostly terrible ones.
He is lied on his bed, staring at the ceiling in the total darkness. There are mixed thoughts, coming up randomly and not following an order.

1° /Flashback/
TiHao arrives and picks him up from the ground, in the corridor of the manor. It is the very first time he sees TiHao, as he was in the military camp. Somehow, it feels like a reassurance to be in his arms, especially after what he went through alone.

2° /Flashback/
Unable to hear, mute as it is typical with born deaf children. Daiyu, his mother, is holding him, shielding him from the old Qiu. He can see the movement of their lips, he doesn't understand anything of what is going on, he is too little. He looks angry and slaps her hard.
Old Qiu leaves the room and she hugs him tight, too tight, cradling him slightly. She has teary eyes and moves her lips but he can't understand a word.

3° /Flashback/
TiHao is in a lot of hurry and is taking Hwi's clothes off. He changes him completely and puts on him two metal, thin boxes, well hidden in his clothes. One containing his eastern ID badge and a long letter, the other with three red coppers. The other tries to communicate with him, trying to make him understand he hasn't to loose the boxes.
TiHao hides him inside a large backpack.

4° /Flashback/
He is by the table too, eating with hands, he is unable to use chopsticks still and even if he gets scolded, he can't understand. He only knows a few signs Daiyu taught him: Yes (nodnod), hungry (tapping mouth), tired (tapping nose), play (jump).
Daiyu is nearby but a servant is helping him out. Old Qiu makes his appearance and the atmosphere immediately becomes tense, except for clueless Hwi.
Daiyu dismisses the servant and serves wine for herself and old Qiu. She sips it and soon he does too. They begin to talk. Now he knows old Qiu mentioned TiHao and ShiHao were about to return. She freezes when old Qiu points her, then Hwi.
She leaves the room and old Qiu does the same, after her in quite some hurry.

5° /Flashback/
Hwi is inside the backpack. It is not very comfortable but it is warm regardless he can see white ground, from a hole.
He doesn't cry regardless the situation, he learnt crying will only lead to something bad. He curls up and waits, clueless.
Finally TiHao opens the backpack. He gives him some food. They are behind a large tent. The other tries to communicate with him again but this time it is too unclear.
He doesn't put him back inside the backpack but covers him further with clothes. He is almost a ball.
He takes his little hand and approaches what looks like a cage. There are a few northern men inside that come closer to TiHao.

6° /Flashback/

He enters his mother's bedroom. He can barely walk and he is quick to feel very tired moving, but it is not the point.
What he sees is a body, hanged with a rope. Daiyu. Lifeless.

Before Daiyu, while moving on his own, he finds another corpse. The old Qiu, with a dagger in the middle of his chest, but also a strange, blue skin, probably caused by poison. A truly horrifying sight.

7° /Flashback/
One of the northern men is Benjamin Riddle. He and TiHao talk, handing him a key. Benjamin takes Hwi, holding his little arm. TiHao leaves and not long after, fire from one of the biggest tents.
Benjamin opens the cage, picks Hwi up and runs in the forest with the other men, disappearing in the darkness while easterns quickly try to extinguish the fire.