Xia Qingzi - The | Demon Girl Juicing. Chapter 1....

A shadow detached from the treeline. At first, Qingzi thought it was a man—tall, broad-shouldered, wearing the black-and-crimson of the Alchemy Enforcement Squad. Then the shadow stepped into the moonlight, and she saw the truth.

Xia Qingzi had not tasted fear in three years. Hunger, yes. Despair, certainly. But fear? That required hope, and hope had long since been squeezed out of her like water from a rotten gourd. Xia Qingzi - The Demon Girl Juicing. Chapter 1....

Would you like me to proceed with a short story opening along these lines? If so, here's a quick example of the tone and direction I could take: A shadow detached from the treeline