**Chapter 1: The Last Sunset

The white ceiling, yellowed at the edges, looked like a forgotten painting abandoned above my head. I lay on the hospital bed as I had for days—months, perhaps. I no longer knew the difference. My eyes were open, fixed, carrying the coldness of despairing ice. The scent of antiseptic gnawed at my nostrils. I stared quietly at that nothingness above me, at eyes that had long lost their light.

(Selia)

My black hair, tied in a tight ponytail, lay behind me like a shadow that never moved. The air was heavy, as if it bore the weight of my illness that had worn me down for years. I heard the doctor’s footsteps as he left my room, speaking to the young man in the hallway in a tone so clinical, so empty of emotion:

"There’s no noticeable improvement… her condition is stable, perhaps worsening. I recommend transferring her abroad. Maybe… there’s still a faint hope."

I whispered to myself, my voice faint like a fading breath, my lips barely moving:

"Ah, yes… as always. There’s no hope of healing me. Why do I even try? The outcome is always the same… Death would be far kinder than this cruel torment. Even jumping would require a courage I don’t possess…"

My words whispered into the white walls of the room, but found no listener.

Moments later, my brother Liam entered, phone in hand as usual, his face tense with haste.

He glanced at me, didn’t come closer, and said while typing on his screen:

"I have to leave. My fiancée is waiting. Selia, I’ll book the flight tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll move to a new hospital. Get yourself ready."

Then he closed the door behind him, leaving me alone again.

I didn’t answer. My words were stuck in my throat.

I felt despair engulf me—not just from my illness, but from my brother’s behavior, as if he had grown accustomed to my suffering, as if it were a given.

I looked back at the ceiling, and felt my heart—unable to beat—plummet without sound, like a feather falling into the sea of indifference.

I said:

"Even Liam… no longer fears for me. He’s grown used to me as a patient. As if I were just a piece of furniture, moving from place to place."

---

Later, a nurse entered carrying a food tray. But I refused to eat.

She looked at me with irritation and said: "You have to eat something, Selia!"

Silence.

She placed the tray in front of me sharply, then left, leaving the food to cool. The door closed behind her—like the closing of mercy itself.

The day passed as usual: I read old magazines I had memorized from my long stay, spent the day shifting between the bed and sitting by the window, watching the sunset unfold over the city, painting the sky in a faint red, like an open wound bleeding into the horizon. A soft breeze brushed my hair, reminding me of my inner pain…

---

That night, the sky was thunderous. Rain fell like tears, and thunder shook the walls.

Suddenly, I woke up to a strange rustling sound.

A soft noise…

A black cat!

It slithered like smoke, its fox-like yellow eyes glowing in the dark, playing with the edge of my blanket. Its shape was strange, its fluffy tail moving like vapor. Its slender body kept shifting, approaching… I tried to grab it… but it leapt like a ghost. I followed it outside the room, rising quickly despite my pain, stumbling forward with weak steps.

Suddenly—

The corridor… completely empty.

The light dim, the walls silent.

The hospital was entirely empty. No sound. No movement.

All doors were open… the beds, vacant.

I whispered to myself:

"Where is everyone?"

No one answered. Not even the walls. The silence was thick, suffocating, as if everyone had vanished at once.

I stepped forward… one step, then another… into the pitch darkness. I felt the cold floor burning my feet. And the darkness swallowing me whole…

Suddenly—

I stepped on the cat’s tail. It shrieked:

**"Miaaooo!"**

It jumped in terror, and my hands scrambled for something to hold. I tripped… my voice tore through the silence… and I slipped at the edge of the stairs. My body fell backward… slowly, like a feather drifting… as if I were flying through terrifying emptiness.

Suddenly, time stopped.

My scream echoed in the distant horizon, then faded.

Then everything disappeared.

When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the hospital.

I was surrounded by shadows in a strange, dark place. Golden petals floated around me like tiny stars, illuminating my face, clinging to my clothes—then began to crumble, one by one… until they turned into black ash, weighing down my body, then scattering like cursed snow, melting into the darkness.

I looked around. I was wearing an elegant black dress with white patterns, studded with jewels. My hair fluttered in the shadow… in the light… in the wind.

Then the place dissolved around me, and I found myself inside a castle.

Suddenly… a voice came—

deep, masculine, carrying something mysterious: a mix of tenderness and authority, echoing from afar:

"Welcome, Selia. I’ve been waiting for your arrival with great anticipation."

I froze. I turned around, then lifted my gaze…

And there, on a throne made of black stone and dark metal, sat a man—elegant.

He wore dark blue royal robes, over them a long black cloak, like coal, trailing on the ground. A shining sword hung at his side. His tall boots gleamed in the dim light. His hair was black as night, and his glowing green eyes stared at me from above, beneath the faint moonlight seeping through the castle’s massive crimson windows behind him. He rested his head on his hand, watching me as if he had known me for a long time.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling.

He smiled faintly and said:

"I am Aino, Lord of Despair. And you, Selia… are now my fiancée. And soon, you will be my queen."

His voice echoed like distant bells within the throne hall’s crimson drapes, moonlight slipping through the windows, soft music playing faintly from afar, a carpet embroidered in deep kohl stretched beneath our feet.

I struggled to comprehend my situation… How did I get here? Who is this man calling me his fiancée? And about to make me his queen?! So many questions piled up in my head, aching.

Suddenly, Aino rose from his throne like a black shadow, advancing toward me with heavy, audible steps—like the ticking of a clock. At that moment, my heart pounded fiercely. I stepped backward, my feet sinking into the carpet as if walking on sand, glancing around for an exit.

Suddenly, I felt his shadow… his breath… before me. He stared at me coldly and said:

"Don’t be afraid… you’re not here to die."

He leaned toward me, towering like a shadow, adding:

"You’re here… to become my wife."

My heart froze for a moment. I felt lightheaded, as if the castle itself pressed down on me. I gripped my new dress tightly. My voice choked in the air, as if dust filled my throat. I saw his hand slowly reaching toward me, black ash swirling around me. When his fingers touched my chin, my body trembled. My cheeks flushed with shyness. My eyes reflected his green gaze—carrying a deep, heavy sorrow.

I thought of running, but his eyes pulled me like a magnet.

In a tone that allowed no refusal, he said:

"**The despair that brought you to me is not a burden… it is a gift. And together, we shall turn it into a sword that cuts through the illusions of Charo.**"

At that moment, the swirling ash around me transformed into a black wedding crown, embroidered with shimmering threads, suddenly appearing above my head. I gasped in weak, broken surrender:

"... What?!"

As he looked at me with a calm, suspicious smile…

**To be continued...

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