As the year drew to a close and the new month of January arrived, the sky gradually came under the control of the full moon. The night when the moon was full was terribly quiet.
In Blackwell Heights, in a magnificent mansion, a man was having a seizure, screaming at the top of his lungs. As the clouds passed quietly, the blood on the moon grew a little darker.
The night's stillness was torn apart by an endless, monstrous noise. It seemed as if it would shake the entire island, but no one was surprised and ran out. Even the wild beasts were in a hurry to hide. Among those with human forms, no one was awake. They were all in a deep sleep like death, immersed in another reality.
Another reality within that reality, and another reality within that - in this endlessly repeating circle, souls are thus deceived, toyed with, and trampled upon.
"Huh..."
Angie's consciousness was slowly returning to another reality within reality. In the quiet night when no birds were singing, a strange echo was ringing somewhere. At first, she thought it was a hallucination. However, she had not misheard the unidentified strange noise. It was faint but clear, coming from somewhere in the forest in the middle of the village.
She got up and went to her parents' room. They were both sleeping soundly, snoring. Angie hesitated for a moment, then put on a cloak over her pajamas and opened the front door. The echo was still ringing.
Angie retrieved a small lantern from the shoe cabinet in the doorway and cautiously stepped outside. She was a little scared, but her curiosity outweighed her fear.
She walked slowly toward the dark forest lit only by moonlight as if possessed by something. Whatever it was, it was more than mere curiosity that was driving her at this moment.
Strange. Doesn't anyone hear this sound...?
As she entered the dark forest, the echoes suddenly stopped. It was as if the source of the sound had noticed her intrusion and quickly held its breath.
The forest without wild animals was not dangerous even at night. The game reserve where herbivorous animals such as deer live was surrounded by thick winter undergrowth and was not easily accessible. The bare branches were covered here and there with snow that had not yet melted.
Crunch, Angie's boot tips lightly stepped on a dry branch. The moonlight was hidden by clouds and slowly seeping into the darkness. At that moment, she saw clearly. A figure was moving quickly between the trees in the distance, their bare branches without leaves.
Angie stood frozen in surprise. If she hadn't gasped, she would have screamed. Was it a winter beast? It had to be. The shadow had moved quickly behind the bushes, and there was no more sound.
Minutes passed that felt like eons. She didn’t dare light the lantern she was holding in one hand. Angie stood there for a long time, then moved her stiff legs. Whatever she had just seen, she wanted to get home quickly. Before she knew it, the moonlight was much lighter as if shrouded in fog, and she was a long way from home.
An owl hooted somewhere overhead. Angie almost tripped in surprise. The fear that hadn’t even occurred to her when she left the house suddenly surged over her. The moonlight suddenly dimmed and the surroundings became even darker. Was it her imagination? It seemed as if the airflow around her had suddenly changed.
Angie hurried along and took a shortcut through the bushes that led to the house. Then she struck a match and lit a lantern, lighting it as she walked along. The moonlight was getting dim, so there was nothing she could do.
“...!”
And she swallowed a second scream. A human shadow swept through the dense trees. And then total darkness fell over her vision. The moon had disappeared completely. It was an eclipse that had never happened on the island before.
Angie lifted the lantern in shock, almost fainting. It wasn’t courage or curiosity. Her survival instinct, born of fear, made her move on her own to see who it was. The trembling lantern gave off a faint light. And Angie saw it.
“Wh... Who... Who are you..."
The man in the purple light looked like he was not from this world. His eyes, reflecting the light of the flashlight, were a blue-gray like the sea, and his hair, curled in fine curls, was dark blue in the moonlight.
It was a face so beautiful that it was hard to believe it was her two eyes. If it weren't for his tall stature and strong physique, he would have been mistaken for a woman. The man was just about to open his mouth.
An ear-piercing roar echoed from across the forest. Startled, Angie's hand dropped the lantern. The area was instantly covered in darkness. And Angie's consciousness also went dark there. Just before her slender body fell to the ground, a man's hand quickly pulled her up.
The man lifted her up in his arms, holding her in his arms carefully and preciously.
Because he had held her tightly in his arms in case he dropped her, red stains were starting to spread on Angie's coat. He tried his best not to get the blood on her clothes, but there was nothing he could do. Fortunately, the blood didn't splatter on her face.
The lantern was only shining above his neck just before it hit the ground. Nothing else could be seen except his face. There was no more screaming. It seemed that his father's mind, which had been tearing apart wild animals, had finally come back.
The moon slowly revealed itself again. He looked down at the face in his arms. Angie stood motionless as if in a deep sleep.
It was strange. He had only ever looked at her from a distance, but this was the first time he had seen her this close and even touched her flesh. He slowly lowered his head. His cold lips lightly touched her eyelids above her long eyelashes and then left. His lips also settled on her pale white cheeks and the red lips beneath them.
His mind was spinning. There was a dizzyingly good scent. Who knew that the scent of someone's body, without perfume or any artificial scent, could be this sweet.
A heavy sadness was sinking into his heart. He was not allowed to love. Like his grandfather and father, he too was cursed. The feeling of truly cherishing someone was an absolute luxury.
The long grace period came to an end. And that year, six girls passed his visit. They were selected from among the many girls through a meticulous screening process, with neat appearance, healthy bodies, and conditions of not more than three years since menstruation. However, there was not a single girl among them who did not offend his feelings.
Some people became so conscious during the process that they barely had a sense of self. Naturally, they didn't have a proper conversation. It was nothing more or less than an exchange with a machine.
Children who had more than half of their subjectivity left showed excessive interest in him. They were like bees with excessive curiosity or ambition. They were like bees that somehow landed on a beautiful and gorgeous flower petal, sucked up all the sweet honey, and merged with the flower.
Kyle had no choice, no rights. After months of blood tests, Mrs. Dunst sent the girls home. The machines returned home as if nothing had happened, with only their memories erased, but the bees, whose blood had been harmonized, were different.
As soon as they left his visit, they were sent underground to be 'treated' appropriately and used as remedies. No one on the island questioned the sudden disappearance of the daughter or the neighbor girl.
And then came the seventh remedy. Kyle heard the knock without feeling or emotion. He felt nothing now. Just as some girls in the past had reacted like mechanical parts, he now felt like he had lost his own emotions.
Deficiency? No. If he continues like this, he will completely wither away. He would rather die like this. How much better it would be if this tenacious life were to just end as if it had never existed in the first place. Rather than endure this pain and live... Rather than sucking the nutrients from innocent children to sustain his life.
He truly dreamed of his own demise. He was always living in hell. The suffering was so cruel and horrible that it could not be endured by the weak mind and body of an individual.
And the seventh child made an unexpected suggestion. The girl, who introduced herself as Angie, was completely unaware of the situation she was in. She was saying things he had never heard or expected.
"This is a story I imagined on my own. It seems so sad and unfair that all the good protagonists meet tragic fates, so I thought, what if it really happened like this?... I changed it based on that imagination."
What is this kid...
Kyle looked up for the first time from beyond the curtain. The girl's face was obscured by the billowing cloth.
There seemed to be something wrong with the consciousness device. The ability to create and adapt stories on its own... There was too much ego left. To an unnecessary degree.
In Blackwell Heights, in a magnificent mansion, a man was having a seizure, screaming at the top of his lungs. As the clouds passed quietly, the blood on the moon grew a little darker.
The night's stillness was torn apart by an endless, monstrous noise. It seemed as if it would shake the entire island, but no one was surprised and ran out. Even the wild beasts were in a hurry to hide. Among those with human forms, no one was awake. They were all in a deep sleep like death, immersed in another reality.
Another reality within that reality, and another reality within that - in this endlessly repeating circle, souls are thus deceived, toyed with, and trampled upon.
"Huh..."
Angie's consciousness was slowly returning to another reality within reality. In the quiet night when no birds were singing, a strange echo was ringing somewhere. At first, she thought it was a hallucination. However, she had not misheard the unidentified strange noise. It was faint but clear, coming from somewhere in the forest in the middle of the village.
She got up and went to her parents' room. They were both sleeping soundly, snoring. Angie hesitated for a moment, then put on a cloak over her pajamas and opened the front door. The echo was still ringing.
Angie retrieved a small lantern from the shoe cabinet in the doorway and cautiously stepped outside. She was a little scared, but her curiosity outweighed her fear.
She walked slowly toward the dark forest lit only by moonlight as if possessed by something. Whatever it was, it was more than mere curiosity that was driving her at this moment.
Strange. Doesn't anyone hear this sound...?
As she entered the dark forest, the echoes suddenly stopped. It was as if the source of the sound had noticed her intrusion and quickly held its breath.
The forest without wild animals was not dangerous even at night. The game reserve where herbivorous animals such as deer live was surrounded by thick winter undergrowth and was not easily accessible. The bare branches were covered here and there with snow that had not yet melted.
Crunch, Angie's boot tips lightly stepped on a dry branch. The moonlight was hidden by clouds and slowly seeping into the darkness. At that moment, she saw clearly. A figure was moving quickly between the trees in the distance, their bare branches without leaves.
Angie stood frozen in surprise. If she hadn't gasped, she would have screamed. Was it a winter beast? It had to be. The shadow had moved quickly behind the bushes, and there was no more sound.
Minutes passed that felt like eons. She didn’t dare light the lantern she was holding in one hand. Angie stood there for a long time, then moved her stiff legs. Whatever she had just seen, she wanted to get home quickly. Before she knew it, the moonlight was much lighter as if shrouded in fog, and she was a long way from home.
An owl hooted somewhere overhead. Angie almost tripped in surprise. The fear that hadn’t even occurred to her when she left the house suddenly surged over her. The moonlight suddenly dimmed and the surroundings became even darker. Was it her imagination? It seemed as if the airflow around her had suddenly changed.
Angie hurried along and took a shortcut through the bushes that led to the house. Then she struck a match and lit a lantern, lighting it as she walked along. The moonlight was getting dim, so there was nothing she could do.
“...!”
And she swallowed a second scream. A human shadow swept through the dense trees. And then total darkness fell over her vision. The moon had disappeared completely. It was an eclipse that had never happened on the island before.
Angie lifted the lantern in shock, almost fainting. It wasn’t courage or curiosity. Her survival instinct, born of fear, made her move on her own to see who it was. The trembling lantern gave off a faint light. And Angie saw it.
“Wh... Who... Who are you..."
The man in the purple light looked like he was not from this world. His eyes, reflecting the light of the flashlight, were a blue-gray like the sea, and his hair, curled in fine curls, was dark blue in the moonlight.
It was a face so beautiful that it was hard to believe it was her two eyes. If it weren't for his tall stature and strong physique, he would have been mistaken for a woman. The man was just about to open his mouth.
An ear-piercing roar echoed from across the forest. Startled, Angie's hand dropped the lantern. The area was instantly covered in darkness. And Angie's consciousness also went dark there. Just before her slender body fell to the ground, a man's hand quickly pulled her up.
The man lifted her up in his arms, holding her in his arms carefully and preciously.
Because he had held her tightly in his arms in case he dropped her, red stains were starting to spread on Angie's coat. He tried his best not to get the blood on her clothes, but there was nothing he could do. Fortunately, the blood didn't splatter on her face.
The lantern was only shining above his neck just before it hit the ground. Nothing else could be seen except his face. There was no more screaming. It seemed that his father's mind, which had been tearing apart wild animals, had finally come back.
The moon slowly revealed itself again. He looked down at the face in his arms. Angie stood motionless as if in a deep sleep.
It was strange. He had only ever looked at her from a distance, but this was the first time he had seen her this close and even touched her flesh. He slowly lowered his head. His cold lips lightly touched her eyelids above her long eyelashes and then left. His lips also settled on her pale white cheeks and the red lips beneath them.
His mind was spinning. There was a dizzyingly good scent. Who knew that the scent of someone's body, without perfume or any artificial scent, could be this sweet.
A heavy sadness was sinking into his heart. He was not allowed to love. Like his grandfather and father, he too was cursed. The feeling of truly cherishing someone was an absolute luxury.
The long grace period came to an end. And that year, six girls passed his visit. They were selected from among the many girls through a meticulous screening process, with neat appearance, healthy bodies, and conditions of not more than three years since menstruation. However, there was not a single girl among them who did not offend his feelings.
Some people became so conscious during the process that they barely had a sense of self. Naturally, they didn't have a proper conversation. It was nothing more or less than an exchange with a machine.
Children who had more than half of their subjectivity left showed excessive interest in him. They were like bees with excessive curiosity or ambition. They were like bees that somehow landed on a beautiful and gorgeous flower petal, sucked up all the sweet honey, and merged with the flower.
Kyle had no choice, no rights. After months of blood tests, Mrs. Dunst sent the girls home. The machines returned home as if nothing had happened, with only their memories erased, but the bees, whose blood had been harmonized, were different.
As soon as they left his visit, they were sent underground to be 'treated' appropriately and used as remedies. No one on the island questioned the sudden disappearance of the daughter or the neighbor girl.
And then came the seventh remedy. Kyle heard the knock without feeling or emotion. He felt nothing now. Just as some girls in the past had reacted like mechanical parts, he now felt like he had lost his own emotions.
Deficiency? No. If he continues like this, he will completely wither away. He would rather die like this. How much better it would be if this tenacious life were to just end as if it had never existed in the first place. Rather than endure this pain and live... Rather than sucking the nutrients from innocent children to sustain his life.
He truly dreamed of his own demise. He was always living in hell. The suffering was so cruel and horrible that it could not be endured by the weak mind and body of an individual.
And the seventh child made an unexpected suggestion. The girl, who introduced herself as Angie, was completely unaware of the situation she was in. She was saying things he had never heard or expected.
"This is a story I imagined on my own. It seems so sad and unfair that all the good protagonists meet tragic fates, so I thought, what if it really happened like this?... I changed it based on that imagination."
What is this kid...
Kyle looked up for the first time from beyond the curtain. The girl's face was obscured by the billowing cloth.
There seemed to be something wrong with the consciousness device. The ability to create and adapt stories on its own... There was too much ego left. To an unnecessary degree.
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