**Chapter One: The Gloom Beneath the Cliff**
In the dream, snow fluttered down like a parade of tiny, white butterflies, dressing the steep cliff walls in a shimmering silver.
The snow drifted down through gaps in the cliff, landing softly below, adorning the tangled, dead vines that clung to the steep rocks with an immaculate white coat.
At the edge of one such towering cliff, a girl sat in a wheelchair, exposed to the snowy scenery. She stared quietly at the steep walls, the falling snow, and the darkness below that seemed as bottomless as an abyss, remaining utterly still, as if she were a corpse.
Snowflakes gently landed atop her fluffy head.
“Pe…ilo…”
In her daze, a voice called out to her, echoing nearer and clearer until it tickled her ears.
“Peilo.”
The girl slowly turned her head.
She saw a middle-aged woman in a black cloak approaching from behind, stepping lightly on the thin layer of snow until she stood behind the wheelchair, smiling warmly.
“What are you daydreaming about? I’ve called you so many times, but you didn’t hear me…”
The woman smiled sweetly.
She brushed away the snowflakes from the girl’s head and shoulders and softly asked, “How are you feeling? Is your body okay?”
The girl appeared indifferent.
Unlike the noble etiquette her mother taught her, which required returning a smile, she refused to even glance at the woman again. Her gaze lingered only briefly before turning back to the snow drifting into her line of sight.
She watched as the snowflakes fell through the gaps in the rocks above, swaying delicately as they plunged into the depths of the cliff, ultimately vanishing into the darkness.
After a long silence, the girl spoke up, “Nothing.”
Her weak voice, always melodious, now sounded cold and lifeless, like a silent night.
But the middle-aged woman seemed unfazed by her coldness, still wearing a smile, and asked again, “If you feel any discomfort or pain, you must tell me right away! You can’t bear it all alone.”
“Mmm.”
A heavy, entirely dismissive response.
Then silence fell between them.
After a moment, the girl slowly extended her right hand from under the blanket covering her, exposing her delicate arm to the cold wind and snow, palm up and fingers spread wide, as the crystalline snowflakes landed on it, melting into water from her warmth.
Upon seeing this, the middle-aged woman removed her wide-brimmed black hat and shook out her gray-white hair before placing it onto the girl’s head.
The hat was a bit too big; the girl’s head was small, making it sit askew. The woman adjusted it a few times symbolically, but no matter what she did, it couldn’t sit straight, so she let it be.
“How about it? Have you had enough of the snow? Let me wheel you back inside.”
Once she gripped the wheelchair’s handles and stepped back, the girl firmly grasped the hand rims and displayed clear resistance, gently shaking her head.
“The moon hasn’t come out yet. I want to see it.”
The middle-aged woman’s smile faded to a pained expression.
“But you’re very weak right now… you can’t stay out here for too long. It’s so cold; what if you get sick?”
The girl immediately replied, “It’s fine; I don’t mind.”
“But I do.” The woman grew serious. “You can’t keep tormenting yourself; that’s not the right way to handle things. You’re not dead; there’s a great chance you will survive, and thrive! Your legs aren’t completely without hope…”
“Romani Doctor.” The girl interrupted, her tone hauntingly calm, “Please stop lying to me, okay?”
“… I’m not.”
“We will ultimately d*e here; many people say that.”
“Who said that? That’s completely untrue…”
The girl raised her head, fixing her indifferent gaze on the middle-aged woman’s face. “Can you look into my eyes?”
“……”
The middle-aged woman studied the girl’s bright eyes and pale face hidden beneath the hat’s brim—what a beautiful girl she was.
How many times had she marveled at this in her heart? Yet the more she appreciated it, the less she found words to say.
The middle-aged woman went silent, prompting the girl to continue.
“Euphemia is dead.”
“And little Barney, he died two days ago. I saw them—” The girl raised her delicate hand and pointed down towards the abyss, “They carried Barney’s corpse and just tossed him off the edge here. Just like handling livestock; once he went down, not a sound was heard… Soon enough, it’ll be my turn, right?”
“…Peilo.”
The middle-aged woman seemed to have begun to lose her temper. Her tone became firmer: “They are them, and you are you! How am I supposed to talk to you right? You can’t just give up on yourself; you must recognize your uniqueness! As long as you’re okay, all those things can be endured. Why don’t you ever believe me? You’re not like them!”
She paused, her tone softening a bit.
“You and Iliush. You both are special beings here.”
“And so what?”
The girl remained unconvinced.
“… What do you mean ‘so what’?! That’s—”
The middle-aged woman was at a loss for words.
Her fingers trembled as she gestured toward the rebellious girl in the wheelchair a few times before finally letting out a sigh.
“You won’t listen to reason… Fine, let’s head back. I’ve made an exception by letting you out this time; I can’t indulge your little tantrums any longer.”
Without seeking any agreement from the girl, she regained her grip on the wheelchair handles and turned it around, pushing it back towards the cliff’s depths.
In the distance, she could faintly see a wooden door with a small window set into the stone wall.
The girl raised her head.
Above the cliff, the soft yellow light of dusk still lingered, and the moon was nowhere in sight for a long while.
But deep down, the girl knew she wouldn’t wait for the moon. The jagged boulders overhead obscured the last glimmers of light like a giant curtain.
“Soon, you two will be relocated.”
The girl’s body suddenly stiffened, her pupils quivering.
Suppressing her inner unease and terror, she attempted to ask without betraying her anxiety, “Where to?”
“To Silgaya, I suppose.” The woman replied, feigning ease.
The next moment, the resistance from the wheelchair made her pause.
Furrowing her brows, she looked down to find the girl stubbornly gripping the wheel, her left arm caught in it, and looking up at her with red-rimmed eyes.
A hint of barely noticeable sorrow flickered in the woman’s eyes.
But she had her responsibilities.
“Let go,” the woman instructed.
The girl slowly shook her head, “I don’t want to go.”
“Peilo, you know…”
“Doctor, why did you save me back then?”
“……”
Faced with the girl’s trembling question, the woman found herself speechless.
She felt grateful that she had saved the girl before her. But she also understood that the girl might not share that sentiment.
To her, it was merely the beginning of yet another nightmare.
“I’m very thankful you saved me. Romani Doctor, you’re… you’re a good person, I believe you… can I ask you for one more thing?”
Looking into the girl’s pitiful gaze, the middle-aged woman slowly turned her head away.
“No.”
But the girl seemed not to have heard her, continuing to plead in a trembling voice.
“You… let me go… please…”
“Just let me go…”
“Not happening.”
“Please…”
“Impossible.”
“…..”
Suddenly, the girl fell silent.
The middle-aged woman immediately realized the situation had gone awry. With lightning speed, she grabbed the girl’s cheeks and squeezed, forcing her mouth into a round shape that wouldn’t close again.
“Ugh—cough cough!”
bl**d flowed from the girl’s mouth, staining her clothes.
“Peilo!”
This act of biting her tongue thoroughly angered the middle-aged woman. She swiftly drew out a syringe from her pocket and jabbed it into the girl’s pale neck, injecting the clear liquid into her body.
The girl’s pupils dilated instantly.
Her hands flailed wildly in the air for a moment before dropping down. Her tense body went limp, her mouth ajar, drool mixed with bl**d spilling down her chin.
The middle-aged woman tucked the syringe away and watched the girl for a moment, only relaxing when she realized she wouldn’t move again.
“From now on, I won’t be lenient with you anymore.”
“Spare me… I… I’m sorry… please… forgive… me…”
The girl mumbled incoherently, seemingly surprising the middle-aged woman.
“Wow, you can still talk!”
“It looks like the dosage of Mandrake needs to be increased…”
Creak, creak…
The wheelchair rolled over the white snow, being pushed into the dark abyss.
