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墨書 Inktalez
Every night, the demon would emerge from countless doors deep within the castle, coming to the hall to play exquisite music. Natalie was very curious about where he spent his days. However, she did not dare to ask, as the demon had never spoken of it and seemed unwilling to let her know.
The demon did not notice what Natalie was doing for him; in his eyes, she was like a transparent, non-existent entity. When he played at night, Natalie would simply be in a corner of the hall, quietly appreciating the music.
As time passed, although the two did not communicate verbally, there was an inexplicable understanding between them.
This understanding seemed to bring about some changes in both of them. The demon's piano music lost some of its loneliness and solitude but gained a touch of joy and tenderness.
When Natalie heard the demon playing beautiful melodies, she could not help but hum along. When she was happy, she would dance gracefully in the hall to the rhythm of the music. This cheerful and harmonious atmosphere caused vibrant flowers to bloom around the castle. Various unknown beautiful birds circled above the castle, reluctant to leave.
As they spent more time together, the demon began to linger longer in the hall at night. Initially, he would play just one piece before leaving, but later on, perhaps due to Natalie’s singing and dancing along, he would continue playing one piece after another until Natalie showed signs of drowsiness before finally stopping.
Watching her sleeping face, the demon quietly approached her side and gazed at her for a long time. He longed to reach out and touch her gentle contours, but each time his hand would only hover in mid-air. Each time, Natalie would awaken in a half-dream state and vaguely see the demon beside her; she would feel a sense of safety and warmth settling within her, then close her eyes again and peacefully fall asleep.
The beautiful days passed quickly, but Natalie found herself sinking into a new loneliness. She could only see the demon at night and hear him play wonderful music. Hearing that music brought her immense joy. However, during the day, she was all alone in the castle while the demon seemed to vanish somewhere. The vast emptiness of the hall made her heart feel hollow once again. This immense emotional gap left her feeling lost.
Early winter arrived; the trees around the castle withered, and life’s breath gradually faded away. Natalie gazed sadly at the first snowfall outside the castle and felt an overwhelming sadness. She wanted very much to visit the place where her lover was buried. But with four months still until spring next year—four months until her lover could awaken—the heavy snow outside made the roads wet and slippery, so she had no choice but to give up on that thought.
When night fell, she remained gloomy and inexplicably sorrowful. As the demon played the piano, he noticed her unusual expression and felt uneasy.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she replied.
"Why do I feel like you're not so happy?"
"Maybe I'm just a bit melancholic and lonely."
"Why do you feel melancholic? Why do you feel lonely?"
"Perhaps I miss my Lover."
The Demon fell silent.
"What can you do to not feel melancholic and lonely? Is there something I can do for you?"
"I feel very lonely during the day when I'm by myself. Can you play music here during the day?"
"That might not be possible," the Demon shook his head.
"Why not?"
"Demons only belong to the long, dark night. Only in the darkness of night can demons exist. During the day, I hide in the darkest room deep within the castle, away from the light, so I cannot play music here during the day."
"But I'm too lonely by myself during the day. What should I do?" Natalie looked at him pitifully.
The Demon thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll teach you to play the piano. During the day, you can play music by yourself. That way, perhaps you won't be so bored."
Natalie nodded. So every night, the demon taught her to play songs, and during the day, she practiced diligently what the demon had taught her. Natalie was very talented and, combined with her hard work, she quickly became quite good at playing. Even the demon praised her for making rapid progress.
Days accompanied by music passed quickly, and her loneliness seemed to vanish. At night, she sometimes listened to the demon play, sometimes the demon listened to her play, and sometimes they played music together.
Another month passed, and new, greater troubles arrived. Days seemed to stretch longer, while nights became shorter. When she strongly realized this, Natalie discovered that she had fallen in love with the demon. When one falls in love with someone, pain inevitably follows.
When the morning sky revealed its first rays of dawn, the moment Natalie opened her eyes, she eagerly anticipated the arrival of night. Whenever night came, she fervently wished that time could slow down even more. Natalie longed to see the demon's indistinct figure and to hear the sound of his agile fingers dancing on the piano, yearning to play harmonious music together with him.
The more Natalie craved the night, the more painful it became for her heart. Undoubtedly, she still deeply loved her deceased Lover, even though in a few months, her dead Lover would be resurrected in spring. Since then, Natalie's emotions became increasingly complex and painful; she also grew more silent. She began to deliberately avoid the arrival of night and meetings with the demon.
The demon also seemed to become silent. At first, he was moved by her love and willing to help her, but later, after spending time with her, he couldn't help but fall in love with her. He couldn't remember how long he had spent alone playing the piano without an audience—how lonely it had been. But now there was someone listening, someone appreciating him; what a wonderful thing that was!
Yet he understood that Natalie still loved her Lover. She had willingly given him her soul in order to revive her beloved Lover. Likewise, he was a demon without emotions or a soul; how could he love a mortal woman?
A sense of bleak helplessness and despair quickly spread throughout the castle like a surging tide. During the day, they eagerly awaited the arrival of night; when night came, they yearned for the separation of day. Both sorrow and joy were so intense and clear.
At first, the demon played one piece after another throughout the night, with music filled with sadness. Natalie no longer sang lightly or danced along with the music. She sat far away in a corner of the hall, lost in thought as she experienced the pain brought by love. But as nights went on, the demon stopped playing and silently sat before the piano, gazing into the boundless darkness of night. Natalie also sat silently in a corner of the hall.
Spring was soon approaching.
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