Chapter 1: Even Through The Loneliest Nights, The Girl Continues To Wish For It

Growing up, Shiori's life had been one of many hardships.

Not only did her mother pass away giving birth to her, but her own father, unable to cope with the pain, blamed and resented Shiori for it; distancing himself from her in the process.

Little Shiori, who had done absolutely nothing wrong, was treated as if her existence itself was a sin by the only person she had left in the world. 

A young girl who didn't even know the warmth of her own mother's touch. An innocent child who could recall neither the face nor the voice of the woman who birthed her. And above all, a grieving soul who, no matter how much she wished for it, no matter how many nights she cried herself to sleep, and no matter how much she hated herself for being born, wondering why it wasn't her who died instead, had to face the cold, hard truth that was—

Her mother was dead. And Shiori would never see her ever again.

That was the reality that Shiori Novella was forced to accept as a child.

And yet, despite the isolation forced upon her, not once did Shiori ever come to resent her father for how he treated her, instead doing her utmost to be considerate and stay out of his way. Even though all she really wanted was his love, and even though she was hurting just as much as he was, Shiori, for the sake of not hurting him any more than she already had, reluctantly chose to give up on having a paternal bond with him.

Unfortunately, the theme of isolation would continue as Shiori started going to school.

You see, Shiori was a gifted child blessed with enough intelligence to be deemed a 'genius'. That, in conjunction with her uncanny desire to learn new things and her inherently peculiar interests, made it so that Shiori's peers were unable to empathize with her. What Shiori had in intellect, she severely lacked in congeniality and typical social skills, consequently resulting in her alienation.

Within the scope of that loneliness, however, Shiori found solace in reading stories.

Through the countless books she read, Shiori was able to immerse herself in the world of fiction and forget about all her troubles—even if only for a short while.

The sadness, the anger, the excitement, the anxiety, and most importantly, the happiness that Shiori felt as she inserted herself into these stories was something that she didn't want to give up. Because using those stories to imagine what a happy, normal life would be like was the only thing that gave her a sense of hope and optimism for a better tomorrow in her otherwise hard-knock life.

However, the funny thing about life is that no matter how long and no matter how fast you try to run from it, the slow and steady tortoise that is reality will always win that race against you in the end.

If reality is a cruel joke, then Shiori's life must've been the punchline. 

And that was made no more apparent than when, on one fateful day, after coming home from school, Shiori came to find that her father had gone missing.

Naturally assuming that he would return, Shiori continued her normal day-to-day activities. She would cook breakfast and dinner for two, but only one plate would be emptied. She would run another bath after she finished taking hers, but the water would never get used. Every time she left the house, Shiori would say, "I'm heading out". In the same vein, every time she returned, Shiori would say "I'm home". And every single time, without fail, she would be met by the same deafening silence.

Over and over, she methodically continued the same routine.

Day by day, she carried on as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Week after week, she told herself that he would come back soon. 

But he never did.

Shiori's father had completely abandoned her. Leaving her behind without so much as a word of goodbye.

It was only then, when she was forced to acknowledge the cruel reality of the situation, did Shiori come to understand that she was truly all alone in this world. 

Not a single tear came to her eyes, but instead just one word. 

Why? Shiori asked herself. Why did he leave me behind? Why did my mom have to die giving birth to me? Why am I always alone? Why are my interests so different from everyone else's? Why am I so different from everyone else? Why does everyone hate me so much? Why do I have to go through all of this? Why am I being punished like this? I don't understand why. And I… I don't know why… Why am I…even alive? For what reason? I just…don't get it…

A single tear fell down Shiori's cheek as not only her stoic facade but her heart, along with her will to live, began to shatter into pieces. 

It was at this point that Shiori Novella had truly reached rock bottom.

However…

Just when all hope seemed lost and Shiori began to fall into the depths of despair, a shining ray of light suddenly appeared before her.

"Don't cry, dear; there's no danger now," a soothing voice spoke up, pulling Shiori into a gentle embrace. "Yes, it's over, my little Shio-chan. Now everything is alright, and you must go to sleep."

Through her tear-filled eyes, Shiori could just barely make out the figure of a woman. She had long jet-black hair, the same color as Shiori's, with white streaks running down the ends to go along with her bright golden yellow eyes.

She wasn't quite sure why, but when she heard those words filled with such kindness and empathy, Shiori couldn't help but feel like she could trust that person, passing out from exhaustion not soon after returning her loving embrace.

As her consciousness drifted further and further away, Shiori had yet to realize that, when she next opened her eyes, the course of her life would be altered drastically. 

And at long last, her countless prayers for a normal life would finally be answered.