Prologue: I Lost Her

Episode 1

1. Prologue: I Lost Her

Her eyes, once sparkling like emeralds and brimming with the vitality of new leaves, were now closed, never to open again.

Her golden hair, once shimmering like radiant sunlight, had become dull and lifeless, no longer emitting any glow.

Her once soft and supple fair skin was now marred in places, decaying and sloughing off.

Her body, once filled with a sweet fragrance, now reeked with the stench of rot.

He clung to her decaying body, wailing like a madman.

I was wrong, I was wrong.

Please come back.

I won’t do it again.

Please come back and look at me.

Stay by my side.

Please…

But no matter how long he cried out in regret and apologized,

she never opened her eyes or smiled at him again.

*

He remembered his past life.

Not everything was clear. In fact, most of his memories were faint, as if shrouded in thick fog, so much so that he couldn’t even recall who he was.

Yet, in that meaningless, dreary gray world, the only thing that shone brightly, the only thing that felt warm—her presence—was vividly and distinctly etched in his memory.

He couldn’t clearly recall who she was or what her name was.

But her clear, sparkling green eyes, her bright smiling expression, the warm touch that radiated from her gentle hands, her light and lively steps like a butterfly, and the nightmarish scene of all that collapsing and sinking into a pool of red blood…

All of it was as vivid as if it were unfolding before his eyes right now.

*

In his past life, when he was still a young boy, he first met her in a forest.

It was a forest where the trees weren’t too dense, allowing sunlight to filter through brightly. Covered in wounds, he was leaning against a tree, catching his breath.

He was exhausted.

That day, after being beaten by *them* again, he had wandered into the forest to rest, nursing the trivial thought that he had probably taken all the beatings he was due for the day.

In truth, the wounds covering his body didn’t cause much pain. He was born with a body that didn’t feel pain easily.

But even so, after a brutal beating, his body would lose strength, making it hard to stay upright. So, after a beating, he would find a secluded place, lean against a tree, and rest. This forest, rarely visited by others, had become a good refuge for him.

The world was divided into two types of people: those who avoided him and those who hated him.

Those who avoided him would make awkward faces and steer clear when they saw him. That was preferable. Those who hated him would approach with crooked smiles whenever they spotted him.

And then came the violence.

It didn’t hurt much, honestly. But his lack of reaction seemed to provoke them further. It was as if they were testing how long he could endure without showing pain.

The boy endured the violence with mere boredom. It was tiresome. Sometimes, when the beatings dragged on too long, he would fake groans or screams to appease them.

He couldn’t understand why he hadn’t died yet after enduring so much. Were they deliberately hitting him just enough to keep him alive?

Probably. His status wasn’t one that could be easily killed and brushed off. To truly kill him, they would need a proper justification and circumstances.

Once, he had fought back and beaten them all down. That was when he realized, young as he was, he was stronger than most of the adults who attacked him.

But the aftermath taught him something else: even if he had the strength to resist, he didn’t have the right or privilege to do so.

After that, he stopped resisting altogether. He took the beatings like a routine, then came to the forest to rest.

When would this tiresome world finally end?

The boy closed his eyes, leaned his head against the tree, and let out a long, heavy sigh.

How much longer would he have to linger in this meaningless world, existing through another dull day?

Half-opening his tired, weary eyes, he saw the gray world blur into his unfocused gaze.

Just,

A world devoid of meaning.

Some time passed when something moving caught his eye.

A person?

It was a young girl, about his age.

Normally, people didn’t come this way, which was why he rested here. Should he move before she noticed him? But it seemed too late for that.

Judging by her finely dressed appearance, she looked like the daughter of some noble family. Had she wandered into the forest and gotten lost? The way she was looking around nervously didn’t bode well. Hopefully, she wasn’t coming his way.

People were troublesome.

Whether with looks, words, or fists, being hit didn’t hurt much. But he had already endured his share of violence for the day and didn’t want to deal with any more. He just wished she’d pass by.

But, as always, his wishes went unanswered. The girl, scanning her surroundings, spotted him, her face lighting up as she began hopping toward him.

A sigh escaped him.

“Excuse me,” she called out politely as she approached, her refined manner and speech confirming she was indeed a noble’s daughter. Ignoring her might lead to complaints about being rude, so he couldn’t just brush her off. She looked lost, so it was probably best to point her in the right direction and send her on her way quickly.

“Sorry, but I’m lost…” she began, then gasped, stopping in her tracks as she got closer. She seemed to realize only now that the boy leaning against the tree wasn’t just enjoying the forest scenery but was battered and struggling.

He didn’t care about her reaction. He just wanted her to leave quickly, so he pointed roughly toward the way out of the forest.

“The exit’s that way.”

Her gaze lingered on his pointing finger, followed the direction he indicated, then wandered over the wounds scattered across his body. Her eyes trembled, clearly startled.

“Hey, are you okay? You look really hurt. Should I get someone? You need help, right?”

“I’m fine, I don’t need help. Just go. It’s that way.”

“No, but…”

He pointed toward the exit again and closed his eyes.

Everyone he knew either disliked or avoided him. No good had ever come from people showing interest in him. So, he disliked and avoided people too. The kindest thing they could do was ignore him and pass by quietly.

So, he hoped this girl would stop bothering him and just leave.

But no matter how long he ignored her, the sound of her presence didn’t fade. Even with his eyes closed, he could sense her fidgeting nearby, restless. He tried to keep ignoring her, but even after waiting a considerable time, there was no sign of her leaving.

Finally, with a sigh, he opened his eyes again.

Huh?

Green.

He froze at the sight of the clear green before him.

Something transparent and sparkling was looking right at him.

The girl, who had been watching him closely, gave an awkward smile and a soft chuckle as their eyes met.

…Did people’s eyes always have color?

It felt unfamiliar. The idea of noticing color in someone’s eyes.

Enchanted, he stared into her green eyes. It was as if he were seeing a person’s eyes for the first time.

He had never paid attention to the color of others’ eyes. Had he ever even had the chance to look into someone’s eyes like this?

He rarely made eye contact with others, and when he did, their eyes were always filled with contempt.

But her eyes shone with a vivid green,

Clear,

And transparent.

Unbeknownst to the boy, this was the first time in his life he had met eyes that looked at him with nothing but kindness—no contempt, no dismissal, no disgust, no negative emotions at all.

He blinked a few times but couldn’t tear his gaze away from that clear green.

As he stared into those transparent eyes, the color that began with her green eyes started to spread outward. The colorless girl in a colorless world began to take on hues.

Slowly, he began to notice the golden hair glimmering under the dazzling sunlight, the soft pink lips that looked moist and delicate, the white hat adorned with a green ribbon perched neatly on her head, and the bright lime-green linen dress she wore.

In a dim and dreary world, she alone radiated vibrant color.

Perhaps he had been staring too intently, because the girl hesitated, stepping back slightly, her lips moving nervously as she stammered.

“But you look really hurt…”

He snapped out of it, realizing he had been staring at her eyes like a fool.

“Don’t worry about it. Just go.”

“But how can I just leave someone who’s hurt like this?”

“I’m not in pain. Leave me alone.”

That was true. He wasn’t in pain.

But the girl’s gaze dropped to his left arm, where a long wound was still bleeding. One of *them* had stabbed him with a knife, for some reason.

He grabbed the wound with his right hand, hiding it from her view.

“…I’ll see a doctor later, so just go.”

He had no intention of seeing a doctor, but he blurted out an answer he thought might satisfy her.

The girl raised her clear eyes to meet his again.

“Then let me at least stop the bleeding. That’s okay, right? But you have to see a doctor later to get it properly stitched up.”

“…”