The air above the shoreline quivered.

  A single chime rang, cutting through the silence with a clear, piercing note.

  Something shifted.

  A breeze stirred, carrying with it the faint sense that someone had arrived.

  "...A soul has come,"

  the princess murmured, slowly bringing her dance to a close.

  Upon the white sands, a shadow had appeared.

  Its darkness was unnatural, speaking of the torment it carried.

  A soul adrift between the living and the dead—

  its body and mind torn apart by suffering, barely held together.

  It trembled with a pain too deep to name.

  The soul writhed violently,

  like a bird flailing its wounded wings.

  The princess spoke softly.

  "…Calm yourself.

  It’s all right now.

  There is no one here who can hurt you anymore."

  She stepped forward without a sound,

  kneeling beside the soul and narrowing her eyes in a gentle smile.

  "Your heart has been screaming, hasn’t it?

  But no one ever noticed. Not once."

  Bathed in pale light,

  the soul quieted, just slightly.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "You don’t have to speak.

  Even remembering… must be painful."

  The soul trembled faintly.

  "I can feel it—what brought you here.

  At least, I think I can."

  She closed her eyes, placing her hand lightly on the soul.

  And then it came—

  a wave of raw anguish, black and wild, crashing from within.

  She saw it.

  Shouts.

  A service counter, somewhere in the city.

  You stood there, even when you were afraid,

  even when your legs nearly gave out.

  "Just smile and stay quiet."

  "Get someone higher up. I’m not talking to you."

  Stacks of papers collapsing from the desk.

  The clock reading 2 a.m.—again and again.

  As if time itself had broken.

  No help came.

  No matter how tired you were,

  you had to smile.

  Reprimands.

  Unreasonable demands.

  A never-ending mountain of work.

  Your vision blurred.

  A ringing in your ears.

  Breathing became difficult.

  Darkness swallowed your sight.

  And then—

  you found yourself here.

  "...So that’s what happened."

  The princess’s voice was gentle—like a tear slipping down a cheek.

  "You endured so much. You really did."

  Her words were slow, like listening to the sound of waves.

  Her voice softened, dissolving into the night air.

  "You don’t have to read the room anymore.

  You don’t have to think about tomorrow.

  You don’t have to become something just to be allowed to exist."

  Her white sleeves fluttered gently.

  "You seem a little calmer now.

  Just a little—like your chest loosened, even a tiny bit."

  She reached out and softly touched the soul.

  "Your name… what is it?"

  "...Saori."

  "Saori.

  You’re allowed to be here, you know.

  That alone is enough."

  The princess sat beside her, letting her sleeves brush gently against the sand.

  "This place... yes. There is nothing here."

  She paused, letting the silence breathe.

  "Only a quiet sea and the sound of gentle waves.

  It’s a space filled with nothing but kindness."

  Her voice blended with the wind, warm and familiar,

  like a forgotten lullaby.

  "So don’t be afraid.

  There’s no one here to scold you.

  No one to blame you.

  No more endless work.

  You don’t need to do anything—

  just exist."

  She looked quietly at the presence beside her.

  "Saori… your heart wants to rest, doesn’t it?"

  "...Yes."

  "There’s no time here.

  You can rest as long as you need."

  The sound of sand shifting blended with the breeze.

  A hint of citrus mingled with the salt in the air.

  "And when you feel just a little better—

  then, slowly… we’ll talk."

  She rose to her feet.

  With a soft bow toward the sea, she spread her translucent sleeves wide.

  And then—

  the wind stirred.

  Without sound, the air rippled.

  A faint koto melody rode the breeze from afar,

  delicate and warm, filling the space.

  The princess began to dance.

  As if praying.

  As if embracing.

  A dance to bear sorrow, to offer forgiveness.

  A dance like a white-robed shirabyōshi of old.

  AZUMA-YORI IDESHI TSUKIYO-NO SHIRAHAMA-NI

  SHIZUKA-NA UMI-NI HIKARI-SASU MICHI

  * From the far east, a moonlit night rises—

  on the white shore, the quiet sea opens a shining path of light.

  It was a dance that touched the soul.

  Saori’s spirit gently pulsed—

  as if wrapped in light and sound,

  drifting slowly into sleep.

  So fragile.

  So dreamlike.

  Like a heavenly maiden.