joy.

As she fell under the weight of a deep and dreamless sleep, the world around her grew silent.

Evangelique ran through the piling snow gracefully, as if she was trying to tiptoe through it.

The golden fox shone a light on the winter under its feet, leaving a golden camellia behind it.

A song rose in the chilling air.

It was the soft sound of a violin. Its notes were melancholic, almost as the instrument itself was mourning over a loss. Solemn voices hummed within the still snowy air, chilling Eva with their sorrow.

As she ran, Eva saw a bright light turn into different forms. The choir of voices harmonized with a withering violin became drowned out by the song of a young man.

His voice was sweet and gracefully, yet overwhelmingly heartbreaking.

As Eva drew closer, she saw that a crowd stood in a circular formation.

Men and women of all ages and races dressed in pure white robes, their eyes shut. Intricate and ancient golden designs traced the silky fabrics and shimmered in the light of a golden glow, and each held a golden camellia in their hands.

A young man with flowing ginger hair and long, pointed ears stood beside an ivory casket. He wore pure white robes with golden designs just like others around him, but unlike the others, he wore a variety of xeranthemums and azaleas upon his robes.

The young man continued to sing, despite the tears that rushed down his face. They flowed and flowed, rolling down his frostbitten cheeks.

Despite the facial scars across his left eye and right cheek, Evangelique found the young man to be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

‘I think I have run into a funeral procession...’ thought Eva.

Though she had no right to remain in the cold, she could not seem to look away from what lied before her. In a funeral of white, she could feel an otherworldly sense of hope coming from the humming men and women.

However, when Eva paid closer attention to the young man, she found no such relief.

Anguish arose from the depths of his soul and into the air like a song.

Eva felt something pull at her heart, tearing away at its strings. Drops of crystal tears flowed from her eyes, and she could not stop them, no matter how hard she tried.

“So you have finally arrived...” called a gentle yet regal voice. A man with long, crimson hair set beside his violin playing.

Adorned in gold pieces of jewelry and dressed gracefully in oriental robes, he stared into Evangelique’s eyes for only a moment.

Once the moment had ended, he continued on with his playing. The voices sang out louder and louder as the young man turned to Eva.

They stood face to face with no word exchanged. The young man continued his song as he walked closer to her.

“Preciosa emitya noxtello, ena ta bresaiva morcorem abayaida.”

“Dear silent night, depart from the corpse with no breath.”

The painful song sailed in the growing winds.

“Ya, magnaisa lure, va irulimus desaiya ha mortia.”

“Oh, glorious light, shine in the dark of death.”

The young man’s lips quivered as his tears continued to fall.

“Pureila, uliviye, sacryia echospe ue Elohim ien invochai.”

“Beautiful, divine, sacred hope, I call upon Thee.”

Eva wanted to run away from what she had seen.

“Mira ke misera anima ha didache yo wai sha ie libera.”

“Take this despairing soul and teach it how to be free.”

The young man stood closer to Eva. His song had stopped.

He brought a golden camellia close to Evangelique. Her hands drew closer to the flower, brushing against the young man’s cold and bony fingers.

As she took the flower from him, her eyes started to shut. A slumberous weight overtook Evangelique.

As she fell under the weight of a deep and dreamless sleep, the world around her grew silent.