Aiko says in a confused tone.
Aiko: [Fiancé? But I haven't chosen anyone—]
Her father interrupts her, continuing with excitement.
Father: [Trust me, you'll fall in love with him. He's from the Gambu family, even wealthier than us.]
Aiko responds with worry.
Aiko: [But I want to have the right to choose my own fiancé.]
Her father's brows furrow, and he grips the door handle tightly.
Father: [Shut up. If you say anything like that in front of them, you'll regret it.]
Aiko falls silent. Her father's smile returns.
Father: [That's better.]
He extends his hand toward Aiko.
Father: [Come on, let's go.]
Aiko tucks her purple hair behind her ear and cautiously takes her father's hand.
They slowly descend the wooden stairs of the mansion, each step creaking under their weight.
In a corner of the mansion, a boy with brown hair and eyes stands confidently beside Aiko's black piano.
Seeing Aiko, the boy smiles, approaches her with respectful steps, bows, and gently kisses her hand.
Boy: [Good day, beautiful lady. Truly, your beauty is as boundless as they say. I am George Gambu, from the esteemed Gambu family.]
Aiko can't admit it, but she wants to punch the boy in the face for kissing her hand without permission.
Aiko says with disgust.
Aiko: [Gross.]
George Gambu stares at her in disbelief, and her father shoots her a cold look.
George Gambu: [Excuse me, what?]
Suddenly, a hard slap lands on Aiko's face, sending her crashing to the floor. Tears well up in her eyes as she places a hand on the stinging spot, looking at her father, who glares at her with rage. A chill runs through Aiko, as if a cold breeze has hit her.
Father: [How dare you be so rude? This young man treated you with respect, and this is how you respond?]
The only thing Aiko can think of at that moment is: (Why don't I just kill him?)
George Gambu says with a sly tone.
George: [Oh, please forgive her on my account. Perhaps she's just afraid to admit her feelings.]
Aiko's brows furrow, but she lets out a deep sigh.
Father: [Only for your sake.]
Aiko's father adjusts his suit.
Father: [You two should go talk for a bit.]
Rage consumes Aiko, but she says only one thing.
Aiko: [Yes, Father.]
Aiko places her hands on the floor and slowly stands.
George extends his hand toward her.
George: [May I accompany you, my lady?]
Aiko reluctantly takes George's hand. They pass through a hallway lined with yellow walls, adorned with chaotic red stripes.
At the end of the hallway stands an iron door. The corridor is eerily silent, so much so that even Aiko and George's breathing echoes.
George stops in front of the iron door.
George: [What kind of room is this?]
Aiko shrugs.
Aiko: [I don't know. They never let me come here.]
George gently grabs the door handle but quickly pulls back.
George: [It's freezing.]
He grabs the handle again and opens the door. The room is pitch black, so dark that nothing is visible.
The lights flicker on. The room is empty, surrounded by plain white walls and nothing else.
Aiko looks around in surprise.
Her father's voice crackles through a speaker in the upper left corner of the room.
Father: [Well, Aiko, I did say he was to be your fiancé… but plans have changed. We want you to kill him.]
George starts laughing.
George: [Her, kill me? She's just a delicate girl.]
Aiko's father continues.
Father: [And let me add, he can attack you too. Only one of you can leave this room alive.]
George shouts.
George: [Hey, you bastard, you're ruining yourself with this! My family will—]
Aiko's father cuts him off.
Father: [This arrangement was made with your family's approval. For now, goodbye.]
The speaker goes silent. Aiko speaks in a worried tone.
Aiko: [Hey, what are we supposed to—]
Aiko stops talking as she notices George's smirk.
George: [Sorry, little girl.]
Aiko says in confusion.
Aiko: [What do you—]
Suddenly, Aiko feels herself falling. She sees George pulling her ankle, slamming her to the ground.
Aiko hits the hard floor with a loud thud, writhing from the impact.
Aiko: [Hey, stop it!]
George sits on Aiko's stomach, making it harder for her to breathe.
Aiko says with difficulty.
Aiko: [Hey… stop… it hurts—]
Aiko feels a heavy punch to her face. George begins pummeling her face with his fists.
George: [I want to get out of here alive. I have no choice.]
George starts punching harder. With each hit, more blood spurts from Aiko, splattering around them. The sounds of punches and Aiko's sobs fill the room.
Aiko's tears begin mixing with the blood, forming a pool like a lake of crimson.
Aiko: [Please… it hurts so much… I don't want to die.]
George pauses, reaches out, and gently caresses Aiko's face.
George: [You have a pretty face…]
Aiko, sobbing, is surprised by George's soft touch, a stark contrast to his earlier violence.
Aiko leans into George's touch.
George: [So how about…]
George flashes a sadistic grin.
George: [How about I take it from you?]
Aiko's eyes widen in shock and terror. George stands up and begins kicking and stomping on Aiko's face.
George: [How does it feel? Huh? How does it feel to have your perfect face destroyed? Huh?]
Aiko: [Please… please stop… I don't want…]
Aiko feels helpless. No one is coming to save her. She has no friends to worry about her. She's always been alone, and now she's going to die alone.
Suddenly, Aiko no longer feels punches. She hears no movement from George.
Slowly, she opens her eyes and sees the strangest sight of her life. George is frozen, and not just him—everything is still, and everything except Aiko has turned gray.
Aiko is bewildered; this isn't something that happens every day.
???: [Were you really thinking about just dying?]
Aiko jumps at the sudden voice and looks behind her in fear.
A man in a black cloak stands there, his face strangely obscured, as if covered by a mysterious mist.
???: [Don't tell me you're ready to give up. I know you're stronger than that.]
A warmth fills Aiko, as if she's seeing someone important after a thousand years.
Aiko says with difficulty.
Aiko: [Who… are you?]
???: [I'm not human. At least, not for now.]
Aiko responds in surprise.
Aiko: [Then who are you?]
???: [You really don't know the answer to that?]
Aiko starts to feel confused.
???: [What do you want to do?]
Aiko: [What do you mean?]
???: [Do you want to live?]
Aiko swallows hard.
Aiko: [I do, but…]
The man points at George.
???: [Then kill him.]
Aiko's eyes widen in horror, and she says in a trembling voice.
Aiko: [No, no… I—I can't…]
???: [Just shoot him with your magic.]
Aiko: [But—]
The man interrupts her.
???: [Worried about your humanity? I get it. Killing someone means letting go of your humanity… but it's your only choice. If you don't choose, you'll never have a future.]
Aiko: [Future?]
???: [If you're afraid of killing, that's not a sign of weakness—it's a sign you're human. But if there's no future for you to live for, what's the point of being human? Dying with honor? In this world, the only thing that matters is survival. Those who can't make a choice die, and only those who can decide live.]
Aiko's eyes light up with realization.
Aiko: [So I just have to… but my father—]
???: [I killed him. I killed everyone here.]
Aiko shows no reaction; it doesn't matter to her.
???: [Your father only wanted to use you for his own gain.]
Aiko conjures magic in her hand and aims it at George.
Aiko: [I know. It's time to build my own future.]