Prologue
The grand antechamber was bathed in soft, elegant light, tall windows reflecting the gleam of golden chandeliers.
Two elf maids, dressed in immaculate uniforms, stood silently at a respectful distance, awaiting their mistress's next command.
Melodia Luminis, clad in a gown of celestial hues that accentuated the purity of her lineage, gazed at her reflection in a great silver-engraved mirror. Her hair, carefully arranged and adorned with delicate pearls, cascaded gracefully over her shoulders. She looked every bit the perfect noble, a princess worthy of her bloodline—but within her, a storm of emotions raged, impossible to contain.
"You may leave," she said, her voice calm yet firm.
The two maids exchanged a brief glance before bowing and departing in complete silence, leaving her at last alone.
She moved to a nearby table where her magical nightingale—Simmone's gift—rested. With a small key, she unlocked the drawer and began taking out the keepsakes her friends had given her. Memories swept over her one after another.
"Your name is Melodia? That's such a pretty name!"
"I'm Yuna, by the way… would you like to be my friend?"
The words echoed as she looked at the leaf-shaped brooch Yuna had given her when they were children.
"I don't really know what friends are supposed to give each other, but… I want you to have this as a symbol of our friendship."
"It's something very precious to me."
She heard the voice again as her fingers closed around the small hammer Thalindra had entrusted to her.
Finally, she drew out a worn book—Haruto's gift.
"I know how much you love music, so I thought: what could I give to the girl who has everything?"
"I decided on this book filled with beautiful songs."
"It was my very first when I learned to play the violin."
"I'm sorry it's so worn with age."
Melodia smiled sadly, hugging the book to her chest as if it still carried his warmth, despite its frayed cover.
"Fool… this book is a treasure to me, no matter how worn it is…"
She drew in a long breath, then closed her eyes for a brief moment before shaking off the tide of memories.
From beyond the great double doors, the murmur of the banquet drifted in—a distant echo, as though it belonged to someone else entirely. The music on the other side was cold, calculated, stripped of feeling… so unlike the melodies full of life she had once shared with her friends. A shiver ran down her spine.
Her fingers, cold and trembling, clutched at the hem of her dress. It wasn't fear she felt. Nor sorrow. It was something deeper, heavier.
"Time to raise the curtain and end this farce."
Her eyes, once clouded with doubt, now burned with resolve.
The towering doors loomed before her, ready to be thrown open at any moment. She stepped forward, placing her hand against the wood, her breath unsteady.
Her fingers trembled for the briefest instant… but then stilled, firm.
No matter what awaited her beyond those doors—she was not alone.
And this time, she would not waver.