Freedom.
What did a caged bird dream of, if not freedom?
No matter how large the cage was.
No matter how cozy or comfortable it seemed.
No matter how protected it was.
A bird was still a living being.
And to live was to desire.
Like all living beings who strive for greatness, the bird was meant to soar through open skies.
The longer it was confined, the greater its yearning to break free.
Such was the situation of Melissa Arkwright,
the only daughter of House Arkwright.
The most loved, the most spoiled, and…
the most cursed of them all.
From birth, she suffered from a rare disease.
Elysian Sickness.
The only known case in centuries, a divine curse.
The victim's body overflowed with vitality.
Their cells regenerated too quickly, emotions burned too brightly, and mana leaked uncontrollably.
While it sounded like a blessing, it gradually tore both body and mind apart…until one day, they finally burst like a bomb.
Upon seeing the condition of his newborn daughter, the patriarch of House Arkwright, Saint Arthur Arkwright, was completely helpless.
He poured all his wealth and influence into saving her, summoning physicians and healers from across the world.
The best of the best.
But even they could do nothing more than stabilize her condition temporarily.So they had no choice but to keep her under constant supervision.
Melissa grew up in such an environment,
a life wrapped in silk and glass.
Every breath she took was measured.
Every step she took was watched.
She was surrounded by maids, healers, and guards, all smiling politely at her.
But beneath those smiles lingered a fear she never understood.
As she grew older, frustration began to bloom inside her.
"It's okay. I know everyone is doing this for me,"she would tell herself.
Frustrated as she was, she never voiced her complaints.
"Please, my daughter," her father would say softly,
"I know it's hard. But one day, surely, when you're cured, you'll go outside."
But that wasn't enough. His comforting words weren't enough.
She knew her condition. How could she not, when the pain reminded her every day?
She knew everyone worried for her, but she was still just a child.
Her days passed within gilded halls,
the curtains always drawn to keep the light from agitating her condition.
The gardens she loved could only be admired through her window,
and even then, only on rare occasions.
That was the farthest she ever went.
Her dresses were lined with runes to keep her mana stable.
Even her toys were enchanted, crafted so they wouldn't harm her fragile body.
She was given a proper education, but that only made her life crueller.
Perhaps ignorance would have been kinder.
For the more she learned about the world, the more her curiosity grew.
She wanted to see it all for herself.
A tale of people meeting in disaster, slowly becoming friends, and overcoming every obstacle.
A heart-throbbing adventure.
A festival under the stars, laughter echoing through the night.
A joyous party.
She wanted to go out and dicuss such with the childern of her age.
She wanted to play with them.
Sometimes, late at night, she would press her hand against the windowpane and stare at the moonlight spilling across the courtyard.
That was the only time she felt free,
when the world was silent,
and she could imagine herself flying beyond the walls,
where no one could tell her how to breathe or who to be.
She would close her eyes…
and dream of everything she could never have.
Then one day, her chance came.
Her chance to be free.
A physician suggested that visiting a certain gate and drinking fresh water near a sacred tree might ease her condition.
She didn't hesitate for even a second.
She pleaded with her father, who reluctantly agreed.
He couldn't accompany her due to official duties, but he sent his best knights in her stead.
It wasn't a large gate, merely a first-category one.
Melissa was excited, truly joyous, for the first time in years.
And how could she not be?
That was the moment she had always dreamed of.
******
_Tick!
The lights flickered, then flared back to life.
Crystal chandeliers bloomed with golden radiance, scattering a thousand fragments of light across the marble floor.
The crowd turned as one, whispers rippling like a soft tide through the grand hall.
At the top of the staircase stood her,
a girl with hair like woven sunlight, cascading in soft waves over her shoulders.
Her sapphire gown shimmered with every step she took, each movement catching the light and breaking it into a quiet symphony of blues.
For a moment, it was as if time itself hesitated; the laughter died away.
She descended gracefully, her hand resting lightly on the polished rail, her eyes calm yet distant, like the ocean at dusk.
Each step she took echoed softly in the hearts of those watching.
Murmurs spread through the hall.
"Is that… Lady Arkwright?"
"By the Saints… she's breathtaking."
Her gown rippled like liquid light, and the jewels at her throat caught the chandelier's glow, scattering halos across her pale skin.
When she reached the final step, the violin resumed, a slow, haunting melody that wrapped the hall in reverent silence.
Even the air seemed to shimmer around her.
She smiled faintly, graceful, poised, and untouchably distant.
Like a dream no one dared to wake.
I continued to stare at her, but unlike the others, my reason was different.
'Is that okay?'
[No. It's not.]
Dark shadows lingered around her, the same ones I had seen earlier around the knights.
"My lady…" Grace muttered, eyes wide.
"Listen carefully," I said, turning to her.
"She's the core of this dream. If we want to get out, we need to wake her up."
"But how?" Grace looked at me, worry etched across her face.
"The same way I did with you. I just need to touch her to use my skill."
"…Alright. What do you need me to do?" she asked, her expression firming.
Just then, a cheerful voice rang through the hall, and everyone went silent.
"Everyone, thank you very much for coming to my party."
The guests around us smiled, raising their glasses in unison, their eyes hollow and unmoving.
"Truly, I'm so glad. I've always dreamt of this moment," she said softly.
"Even if it's just for today, I want everyone to enjoy themselves to the fullest."
She bowed her head slightly. A faint, twisted smile crept across her lips.
"Just for today," she whispered, "everyone should laugh."
Slowly… every guest began to smile.
Their lips stretched too wide, their faces frozen in grotesque delight.
[This is really bad.]
"Even if it's just for today," Melissa continued, her tone lilting like a broken music box,
"Everyone should dance, to their heart's content."
_♪ ti—la—TI—LA—TII—LAAA!! ♪
The violins screeched.
And then, one by one, the hollow guests began to dance.
And that's when the nightmare truly began.