Chapter 41 - The Girl Wants to Be M*rdered

# Chapter 41: The Snare **"Find the meaning of life."** This is a phrase that anyone living in the world might hear or come across at least once. What is the life we are currently living? Why do we exist here? Is there really meaning in everything in the universe? It's advice to find it, often spoken by those who've never even brushed the edge of that understanding. Truly... "ㅡIt's boring." With a snap, she picks a flower blooming nearby. A snowfield stretches out, white as an empty canvas. Among it, like a drooping bell, the flower displays three white petals. In this cold season where all others drop their leaves and hide their heads, only the snowdrop flaunts its beauty. The drooping leaves twirl through the air, driven by a delicate hand. As she lets go of the stem, the flower rides the wind, disappearing to some unknown place. The small flower lands softly on the snow, leaving no mark, its brief life coming to an end unremembered. Piteously, it will face a lonely death, with no one to remember. "ㅡPretty." Life, so fragile it crumbles at a child's gesture—does it truly have meaning? Did this flower have meaning? Perhaps the supposed meaning imbued in all things does not exist. Such was the scene that provoked this thought. **Crunch, crunch.** "Um... When will Sia be back?~♬" People might be unable to find meaning in their own lives for such reasons. Ellie. Sia. They're all searching for a needle in the desert. A needle that might not even be there. But the day will come when they realize. That meaning isn't a hidden treasure awaiting discovery, but something that blooms brilliantly between existences, as everlasting as a white flower in memory. It's something we must create. "ㅡI'm really looking forward to it." I'm simply waiting for that day. With great joy. As I wandered this flawless, snowy plain, feeling odd sensations underfoot, I thought. About everyone I know living beautiful lives. For the buds yet to bloom, I prayed quietly to the wind, asking for the warmth to help them blossom gloriously. And then— **Step, step.** "You're Alice, aren't you?" "...Who are you?" From beyond the forest appeared a mysterious girl alone, emerging in the place Sia walked every day. Instinctively, I realized. She'd arrived sooner than I'd thought. ** A person I'd never seen before. A young girl with green hair like fresh grass, of a similar age to Sia. Sia often called me a fairy, but the girl before me must have been the real one. Her ethereal presence was enough to make me think so. I've lived long enough to know every face and name I've encountered, but I didn't remember someone as distinctive as her, yet she knew me. This was embarrassing. 'Alice.' Those who know that name are few. Only Ellie and Sia. All things considered, there's only one guess. She must be someone Sia knows. "Hahn sent me." Her words confirming my suspicion. She mentioned a name I know well. 'Hahn' likely refers to using Sia's surname. Once I heard a familiar name, I, who had been cautiously keeping distance, sprang toward her like a kitten shedding its wariness. "ㅡReally!?" ".....!!" As I approached her, she backed away, unlike before when she'd been coming toward me. I felt a tiny pang of regret seeing her retreat, but started asking questions. "ㅡDid Sia send you? The pretty green-haired sister... Ah! Then you must be Lumiere, the one Sia talked about!" "...Yes, that's right. I'm Lumiere. Sia sent me." "Wow!" Lumiere. The one Sia said was the only person she could trust in the village. With everyone around seemingly against one person, even though she helps discreetly, Lumiere must have a good relationship with Sia. Sia hasn't realized it yet, in her innocence. The truest friend has always been by her side. In times of hardship and sadness, constantly there. Sia hasn't appreciated the courage it took. The one with a very small build and a propensity for nagging—someone who matched the impressions Sia often shared with me. Though the person in question just sighed when she heard my depiction. Why is that? Indeed, they seem well matched. "Ah, but why did you come here, Lumiere? Is Sia not with you?" "...No, I have a message to convey." Her green eyes, full of curiosity about the child looking up at her, showed such determination that it was clear she wasn't just here to relay a simple friend's message. What message was she going to deliver, with such resolve? I really wanted to know. "Hehe~ What's the story!?" I smiled softly. Excited anticipation filled my heart for the interesting events soon to unfold. As if sweet honey flooded my being. In this life, coming as a messenger of my one and only precious friend’s words, I had to listen—no matter what she had to say. Yes, of course, I must. Naturally, I should believe. —Even if it turns out to be a lie. I simply sat quietly, eagerly waiting for her crimson lips to part. And then, the story began. "Yesterday, Sia got a little injured—" Really? Did something happen to Sia? "She said her leg hurt, and asked if you could come down to the foot of this mountain." Ah. I see. It's truly a sad story. So heartbreaking, it could bring tears to my eyes. "ㅡWhat!? Sia got hurt!!? Is it bad?" "....It's not too bad. So, she’s waiting to play with you down there?" With that final word, Lumiere extended a hand towards me. That hand looked to me like the gaping maw of a predator about to devour its prey. A quagmire of a hand that, once entered, would be impossible to escape. It stopped, right before my eyes. The forest is a place where life breathes. And yet, ironically, her green eyes, reminiscent of such a forest, were devoid of any life. They were like a scorched forest sunk deep in the shadows. A perilous forest, holding its breath, waiting silently for its prey to appease its hunger, was all that existed in her gaze. Frighteningly so. "Uhm... but Sia said not to leave the mountain—" "ㅡIt's fine. It's just a little down the hill. Just a short walk from here." "Hmm... Okay, let's go together!" Slowly, I placed my hand over Lumiere’s outstretched one. Her hand, unlike the warm words she spoke, was icy cold. My warmth was being sapped away by it. "........" I wondered what she was thinking as she remained silent, observing my hand for a few seconds. But only briefly. As if steeling herself, Lumiere bit her lip hard, grasping my hand firmly. A small drop of blood fell from her lip onto the white canvas below. Was that droplet an apology to me? Or was it to chastise herself for being swayed by someone as insignificant as me? Whatever the reason, I blessed her strong determination. Such strong resolve, she mustered. Truly admirable. "Hehe~" "........" Our fingers interlocked tightly, and they wouldn’t be coming undone for a while. Two sets of footprints were etched into the pristine snowfield. One person coming in, two leaving. Would the opposite also hold true? ** Beyond the forest was a small clearing. An area thickly overgrown with tall trees and wild grasses. So thick, one could hide without being found. In that place, I spotted a figure kneeling. It was none other than Sia. "ㅡㅡ,ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!!" "Huh? Is that Sia over there?" "...Yes." From afar, you could feel the strangeness. A prickling sensation against the skin, an unsettling feeling. A place where malice had taken form. And in the midst of it all, Sia was there. As we followed Lumiere’s lead and approached, I saw why Sia was in such an awkward position. Her body was entwined with something brown, and a taut line extended from her neck to a nearby tree, preventing her from moving. It was as if she were a beast kept under control. Surely, she didn’t wish to be in such a position by choice. Ah. So that’s what happened. An interesting scene unfolded in my absence. Did Sia finally notice me? She lifted her bowed head, twisting her body desperately, trying to convey something to me. But the more she struggled, the tighter the restraints imposed their hold, compelling her submission. It was a sight that filled me with sorrow. "ㅡㅡ!! ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!!" "Huh? Sia, are you tied up? Why?" "Exactly. I wonder too... shouldn't you hurry and free her? Right?" "Uh? I got it!!" Lumiere gently nudged my back. Slightly pushed, I turned around briefly, then hastily sprinted towards Sia with my tiny steps. Step by step. "ㅡㅡㅡ,ㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!!" The closer I got to Sia, the more she shook her head side-to-side, making incomprehensible noises. With desperate eyes, on the verge of tears, she pleaded with me to understand. Unaware, those cries only fueled my desire to release her. Huh? What are you saying? Don’t come any closer? Run away as fast as you can? Is that what you’re trying to convey? Hehe, sorry, Sia. ㅡI can't hear you at all. But whatever silenced her voice and whatever restrained her body prevented the fulfillment of her wish. Unable to speak or move, how difficult and painful it must have been. I couldn't turn a blind eye to her plight. "Sia!!" "ㅡㅡㅡ!!!!!" Rushing over, Sia’s condition was dismal. Her eyes, unsteadily flickering, were bloodshot, and the cloth gagging her was soaked with saliva dripping out. Raising my only hand, I reached to free her mouth. "ㅡㅡㅡ!! ㅡㅡㅡ!! ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!" "Oops, sorry Sia, I’ll free you soon!!" "ㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!!!" The firmly tied knot was too much to handle with just one hand. But having no other choice, I diligently worked my little hand, doing my utmost to release her. While Sia shook her head, each movement was making the process slower. She was pleading desperately for me to run. To turn around and look. In her gaze, there was the image of a frantic child, and behind them, a man wielding a long stick. A dark shadow loomed over me as I worked to free Sia's bonds. Oh, I see, there was nothing to be worried about after all. The target wasn't Sia, but me. Of course, I had assumed as much, but it was a relief nonetheless. In the reflection within her eyes, the stick was being raised higher and higher behind the child. Higher. Higher, as if it aimed to pierce the sky, as if there was no room for forgiveness or mercy. Sia's eyes drowned deeper in despair with every inch the stick rose. Finally reaching its zenith, the pole began to change its direction under the force of gravity. Following the laws that dictate all things, it cut through the air, descending forcefully. But, preoccupied with freeing the ropes, the child had no way of perceiving any of it— —whack. "Almost there—Aaaahhh!!!" "ㅡㅡㅡㅡ!!!!" Bright red blood scattered like petals. ** The crow that had been watching cried out briefly, then quickly spread its wings. ** * * *