– Dad has something he really wants to show you.
– It’s the place where Dad was born. Murmansk has truly magical scenery.
– Let’s definitely go see it together.
– That’s Dad’s only wish.
With those words, Dad never came back again.
What was it that Dad wanted to show me?
To Alisa, the world felt so distant.
I couldn’t understand most of what my parents said.
The only thing I understood was guilt.
A world completely cut off from the rest.
A world barely created with the help of a deep blue crow.
She waited for death in the darkness.
*
In the massive hall made of ice deep within the castle, there were soldier charts everywhere.
They stood in line with their spears sharp and ready.
At the deepest part sat a middle-aged couple with black hair, wearing serious expressions on their thrones.
[How rude, Alisa.]
[What makes you think you can come here with your filthy feet?]
[The execution ceremony will be carried out only by my command.]
[Did you come here to relieve your own guilt?]
[How presumptuous.]
[You don’t even deserve salvation.]
“Is that… Alisa’s parents?”
“Correct.”
Yeonseo held Alisa in her arms, glowing with purple starlight while keeping watch. I stood behind, on guard to protect everyone, including the Magical Girl of Death.
Flinch!
Alisa, who was limp in Yeonseo’s arms, stood up. And then, breaking free from Yeonseo’s embrace, she dashed forward.
The little mouse disappeared in an instant.
It all happened so suddenly.
“Alisa!?”
“It’s dangerous!”
“……”
While Yeonseo and I gasped in shock, the Magical Girl of Death quietly watched as Alisa stood in front of her parents for the first time in her mouse form.
“Dad, Mom.”
[Shut that filthy mouth.]
[You killed us!! We lost our lives because of you!!]
[Thanks to a daughter who’s no better than a corpse for 16 years!!]
[We lost all of our time!!]
[Now, die!]
“I’m sorry. I came to apologize.”
Yeonseo rushed out in a panic, but the paper soldiers standing on both sides of the giant hall charged forward to block her.
The paper soldiers surged like a wave.
– Stop it! Don’t let them interfere with the execution ceremony!
– Everyone, charge!
– Don’t let them get close to the king!
Amidst it all, Yeonseo desperately shouted.
“Alisa!! Don’t listen! That can’t be true!! No parents want their child to die!!”
[Unique Skill of the Magical Girl of Dream]
[Dreamwalking]
From Yeonseo’s body flowed purple smoke, and the dreams of countless people spilled out, coloring the great hall.
A space filled with cold darkness.
Dreams painted in purple appeared like rivers, separating everyone.
Some soldiers fell into the dream of a person swimming by the seaside.
Some soldiers were trapped in a dream of a rainstorm, getting soaked and limp.
Yeonseo leaped over the confused paper soldiers and ran.
“Alisa!! I’ll help you!!”
I stepped forward to assist Yeonseo.
Snap!
With the sound of my finger snap, the vibrant dreams spread out like a kaleidoscope.
Radiantly shining dreams, so colorful it was impossible to see even a step ahead, looked as if a massive prism had been placed over them.
Dreams that fizzed up and vanished in people’s heads became a giant painting that lost its way in unconsciousness, shrouded in the starlight of deception.
The dreams that formed like rivers turned into a multicolored sea, swallowing numerous unconscious minds like waves.
– Ugh?! The dreams are flooding in!!
– I can’t see anything!
– We have to stop this!
Red
Blue
Green
Yellow
Pink
Purple
In the glowing, radiant dreams.
The beauty of the world that Alisa couldn’t see.
Hoping even a little would reach her, three girls ran to help the girl facing guilt.
Finally, we stood beside the small, unimpressive mouse.
“Alisa, you’re not alone.”
“What will you do if you go alone?”
“……”
The king governing the dream of death stood up, observing the scene.
[I came out of my hometown because of you.]
[There was no hospital to admit you there.]
The king, looking just like Alisa’s father, slowly approached the small mouse.
[I lost my job because of you.]
[I tried to work my entire life for someone who spent the whole day sleeping, acting like they were about to die.]
[I came out of the job I worked my entire life to take care of you.]
“…I’m sorry.”
Finally, the two faced each other.
The small mouse and the serious king.
A representation of Alisa’s view of her relationship with her father.
[Die.]
“…Yes.”
As Alisa bowed her head, tears fell from her eyes, and Yeonseo stepped forward.
“Alisa.”
“Yes?”
“Do you really think… your father wanted you dead?”
“……”
Yeonseo carefully reached out her hand, glowing with purple starlight, towards the king.
The faint traces of her father that remained in her unconsciousness.
To help find that trace, which I normally wouldn’t even be able to spot, I bestowed the blessing of inverse causality upon Yeonseo’s outstretched hand.
‘May you succeed.’
Purple starlight poured over the king dressed in luxurious black clothing, and slowly, a kind voice different from before emerged from him.
– Dad has something he really wants to show you.
– It’s the place where Dad was born. Murmansk has truly magical scenery.
– Let’s definitely go see it together.
– That’s Dad’s only wish.
“I’ll show you not a distorted version of your father through your guilt, but… the real dream contained in his unconsciousness.”
Purple mist spread across the cold space.
Warmth poured out, collecting the purple mist until it formed a small cloud. Inside that cloud, a man with a soft smile was excitedly showing a storybook to his wife.
– Ha-ha, look at this! The corners of his mouth are up! Alisa must be feeling good.
– Really? To me, it looks the same as before.
– No, Alisa loves listening to Alice in Wonderland the most.
“…Yeah. It was fun.”
In another cloud, an old man and patients with permanently gloomy expressions in the hospital awkwardly smiled and sang a birthday song. And the one who gathered them was her father, dressed in a ridiculous outfit.
– Ha-ha, it’s been so long since we’ve had a birthday party in this gloomy hospital.
– I’m so happy that I don’t even think of drinking.
– Happy birthday, Alisa.
– Thank you all for coming to see me.
– No. We hope this child wakes up.
– Alisa is too pretty and precious to be lying here.
“…I didn’t hear this. Th-thank you.”
In another cloud, her parents were rubbing Alisa’s arms, wishing for her to wake up healthy. Three exhausted hospital guards brought juice and food for them during their shift change.
– Your daughter is really cute.
– I have a daughter too, so I understand that feeling.
– It’s hard to get by, so I do accept bribes, but it hurts here during moments like this.
– If you need anything at any time, just let me know… I’ll do it for free for you.
– Thank you very much.
“…Thank you.”
In another cloud, her parents wrapped a handmade blanket around her.
In yet another cloud, her parents were praying with their hands together.
Tough,
Sad,
Painful,
But still, her parents lived for her.
Yeonseo watched the scene, shedding tears.
Perhaps this was what her parents truly wanted to show her in life.
“Did your parents really want you to die?”
“……”
“At least, I don’t think so.”
The small mouse form of Alisa had slowly returned to her original one.
A girl with black hair.
Clumsy and small, but now she wouldn’t give up on herself.
Alisa approached her father, now surrounded by purple mist, who was smiling instead of being serious.
“Dad…”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Alisa quietly hugged him and sobbed.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t go to Murmansk.”
“Make sure to go at least once. It’s truly beautiful there.”
“Yeah. I’ll definitely… wake up and go.”
“There’s a magnificent aurora there.”
As the man in the purple mist gradually faded away, he wore a look of longing.
The faint remnants of unconsciousness remained so weak.
Even the miracle of inverse causality could not last long.
But I could help decorate a wonderful farewell.
[Unique Skill of the Magical Girl of Deception]
[Dream World]
Rumble!
The cold ice ceiling of the castle slowly disappeared.
What filled the space was the endless winter night sky seen long ago.
No more cold execution ground existed to execute a girl.
An endless snowfield.
A tranquil night brought by snow.
Darkness spread across the white land.
In the vast darkness, the glow of fluorescent auroras swayed like curtains.
The light curtain seemed capable of covering the giant plains, shining so brightly.
It felt like fragments of every emotion were mixed together, glowing.
It felt like Alisa’s life, born from the imperfect fragments of emotions.
Tears threatened to stream down.
Green.
Blue.
Maybe white.
It could have been the blanket her parents wrapped around her.
A massive curtain of light.
Holding her parents’ hands with both of hers, Alisa looked up at it.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Alisa slowly stopped saying anything to the unconsciousness of her parents disappearing into the purple mist.
Whether it was her hesitation, which showed her immaturity in expressing emotions, or her search for words that no longer existed, she simply tried to feel this moment as much as possible.
Since we couldn’t know, Yeonseo and I could only watch Alisa.
And the Magical Girl of Death also quietly observed everything.
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