He had lost track of how long he had been staring at the back of his hand, his cobalt eyes focused on the fading mark. His body had been covered by these marks since his birth, but it seemed the farther he was taken from his home, the only place he had known, the less his markings showed. Now, all that was left was a mere crescent mark covered with four pairs of crossed lines. He assumed that they had some significance, but such a thing was beyond him.

He didn’t even know what his own name meant. The name Haoqi was still something only mildly familiar to him. It had been given to him by a group of soldiers who had found him in the ruins of the border town, Jiangshan. His memories of the town were spotty; he was never able to go into the town, and his only interaction with the outside world was through the dusty windows of the ancient tower where he was born.

His creator had claimed that it was too dangerous to go out, that the people of the outside world were not to be trusted. They were a group of barbaric fools, and, given the chance, they would tear Haoqi limb from limb.

Even now, when he was safely tucked away in a small office filled with aged scrolls and tomes, Haoqi wondered whether his current companions would attempt to do the same. Glancing above his hand, he saw the two talking in hushed tones, with the younger directing a curious glance in his direction every so often. Despite their attempts to be quiet, Haoqi was able to catch a few words here and there. “Golem”, “magic”, and “seals”. Idly, he wondered if the marking on his hand and the others that had since disappeared had something to do with these “seals”. But if that was the case, what was their purpose? Had his creator not trusted him?

Haoqi shook his head, dispelling the thought. No, his creator would not seal him due to a lack of trust. Had he not served him faithfully for so long, keeping him company when others would shun him? No, that simply could not be the case. His creator knew he could trust Haoqi, and that Haoqi had fully trusted him. It was something else. It just had to be.

Still, the doubts that had crept up would not return from whence they came; they kept nipping at his thoughts, trying to poison him with fear and mistrust towards his creator. What if, the voices hissed, your precious master placed those seals on you because he feared what he created? Perhaps you were a mistake; after all, you are the only one of your kind, are you not?

What if your master never intended to care for you, but rather to destroy you?

Trapped in his doubts, Haoqi barely noticed the younger man breaking off his conversation and cautiously approaching him, slowly reaching his hand out towards Haoqi.

Without thinking, Haoqi grabbed the man’s outstretched arm. Before either could react, the mark on Haoqi’s hand shone with a furious crimson light. Within the blink of an eye, the glow had enveloped his hand, and smoke began rising from the man’s arm. Yelping, the man swung his arm away from Haoqi’s grasp, cradling it in his robes. Haoqi’s eyes were once again drawn to the mark on his hand, which had quickly dimmed. An awkward silence filled the room as the two first looked at their hands and then each other, wondering what had just transpired.

“Now do you understand why I called you here, Quanbian?” The wizened man asked, examining the younger man’s hand, “It’s certainly a unique situation, you understand.”

The younger – Quanbian – nodded, muttering, “Still, I have a hard time to believe that, of all people, he would do this…”

“Do what?”

The two turned to face the boy, who was now matching their gazes with a rebellious stare. He repeated, “Do what? Do you think what my creator did was a crime?”

The older man gently sighed, as if admonishing an impudent pupil. Reaching to his desk, he grasped a wooden cane and pointed at Haoqi’s chest. He continued to speak benignly, “You, my boy, are a Golem. An artificial construct created by humans to act as servants.”

“Master Huixin, are you sure that this is a good idea?” Quanbian asked, glancing at Haoqi as if the boy were a chained dog.

Huixin chuckled and waved the comment off. “Now, Quanbian, I think you and I both know that telling the boy what he already knows is hardly dangerous. I may be old, but I’m hardly feeble.”

Fixing his gaze on Haoqi again, he continued. “Now, normally, the creation of a Golem is hardly a problem. All it requires is some light paperwork and then one is free to shape their Golem to their needs. Except for one, small rule.”

“And that is?” Haoqi asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“One must never, under any circumstances, create a Golem in the shape of a human. That breaks one of the most important commandments of our Lord God. Thus, the creation of a human-form Golem has been forbidden, and any such Golems must be terminated.”

Haoqi could feel a shiver run down his spine; if this man was serious, he had to get as far away as he possibly could. As Haoqi started to turn, Huixin gently tapped his back with the cane. In the blink of an eye, Haoqi’s body crashed into the ground, restricted by some unseen force. Growling, he spat, “So I suppose you want to kill me, then? Just like Master Meide said!”

Huixin squatted, his eyes meeting Haoqi’s on the same level. Gently, he replied, “No. Haoqi, you are an exception to the rule. There is something about you…something curious that differentiates you from any other human-form Golem I’ve ever seen before.”

“You appear to have a soul.”