Hortus Arcanus planēta

ACT 2

Lumia

“The moment we said, ‘Ready… go,’ and touched the button—

…………

• Lumia’s Side

I was standing by a river deep within a forest.
I was wearing a beautiful shoe. But only one.

The other one swayed gently with the current, drifting farther and farther downstream.

Then, a hawk soaring high through the endless sky swooped down and carried the beautiful shoe away.

My shoe…
What am I supposed to do now?

The scene shifted.

This time, there was someone seated upon a magnificent stone throne.
I couldn’t see them clearly—their figure was blurred—but the person reigning upon that luxurious chair quietly stood up and kissed my hand.

Then, with my foot wrapped gently in soft hands, I was given a shoe to wear.

Huh…?
It was the same beautiful shoe from before.

Though I still couldn’t see clearly, some kind of bird landed upon the arm of the one seated on the grand throne.

Now both shoes were together.

The scene shifted once again.

This time, there was the raw scent of iron.

Anger. Sorrow.
And a burning pain in my throat so intense it felt as though I could kill someone with my own hands.

Beside me lay the shattered remains of a broken mirror.

Reflected within it were vivid crimson eyes.
Torn skin. Ragged clothing.

Consumed by the rage welling inside me, everything about myself looked hideous.

Everything was ugly.
And alongside a pain so intense it felt as though my chest would split apart, the metallic smell burned itself into my mind again and again.

The scene shifted once more.

Someone beside me whispered, “I love you,” while hiding the ugly version of me from the world.

And in that moment, I realized that I was broken.

The scene shifted again.

This time, I had become Ella.

But somehow…
Even though I was Ella, it felt different.

I couldn’t feel any emotions at all.

Silently, I cleaned.
Even when beans were thrown at me and insults hurled my way, I remained silent—like a machine, like a robot.

Expressionless.
Not looking miserable.
Not looking sad.

No matter what happened, I just kept murmuring, in a tiny, tiny voice with the exact same tone every time:

“I’m sorry…”

Reflected faintly in the window were my eyes—pitch black, devoid of all light.

The scene shifted again.

I was Ella once more.

But then—

At the exact moment Ella and El switched places with one another,
there was a sound.

A faint ringing sound.
Like a bell.

The scene shifted again.

This time, I was Cinderella, wearing a blue dress and glass slippers.

Beside me, I heard someone’s voice.

At first, I thought it was Al.
But the tone was different.
Even his clothes felt different from Al’s somehow.

“Will you marry me?”

And before I could stop myself, my mouth answered on its own:

“With pleasure“