Howl of the Dark World is an event in SINoALICE.
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| "Howl of the Dark World" |
Intro Scene[]
Noya:
Aha hahaha!
Parrah:
Hee heehee!
Noya:
It's almost time for a conquest.
Parrah:
Time for a massacre.
Noya:
But this time, you can have a laugh.
It's a comedy.
Parrah:
This time, you might cry.
It's a tragedy.
Noya:
How you deal with it is up to you.
Parrah:
But be sure and do your job properly!
Noya:
Be sure and give it your all!
Verse 1[]
When did I begin to realize that
I was more than just a beast?
The beasts around me didn't talk and didn't care
whether life in the cave was boring.
I'd always been lonely.
I yearned for contentment,
so I went wandering and discovered something new.
A species called humans
who live and laugh with companions at all times.
※
They had no fangs and no claws.
Such weak creatures.
But they do have words and knowledge.
Such fascinating beings, humans.
I wanted to live among them.
Once I'd determined as much,
I began to observe them regularly.
What delights humans?
What do they desire?
Verse 2[]
After observing for a long period,
I began to understand.
Humans love to hunt beasts.
They love to take the bark from wood,
the core from fruit, the ore from stone.
And when they are happy, they smile.
A grin is unlike the bared teeth of beasts
because a sight of their happy faces fills
you with warmth instead.
I wanted to see those faces and so
I hunted beasts, mined for ore, and
carried the yields to them.
※
But upon seeing my body,
they called me a monster.
Even tried to kill me.
Why did they not smile at me?
Why did they snarl at me?
Then the realization came.
My father was right all along.
Humans judge someone by how they look.
Surely, my appearance
must have frightened them.
With that realization,
I ceased approaching the humans.
Verse 3[]
I told myself to forget them.
But forget them I could not.
My loneliness deepened.
Before long, I found myself
observing the humans habitually.
Maybe the unattainable nature of my
desire was exactly what made it so
appealing.
I longed to be like them.
※
And then, one day
I met a human taking a stroll.
She was slow and weak.
And so, I let my guard down.
When she tripped and began falling,
I unknowingly helped her, exposing my
hideous form.
But she didn't scream in horror.
She didn't try to kill me.
Rather, she chuckled and with a smile
on her face said "Thank you."
Verse 4[]
After the incident,
I met her every day.
Time with her meant freedom from the cold loneliness.
She emitted a warmth like the sun.
Even though I could understand human
language, I couldn't speak it well.
Just pronouncing her name was difficult.
But despite my poor speech,
she listened to me intently
and never without a smile.
My heart feels full when I am with her.
※
But why would she want to be
close to a monster like me?
I couldn't help but ask her.
Why wasn't she afraid of me?
The answer was simple.
Her eyes couldn't see.
She couldn't see my appearance.
Verse 5[]
So, we spent more time together.
But no matter how intimate we grew,
my uneasiness would not go away.
I could not suppress the rising dread
that she would discover the truth
and run away in fear like all the others...
If she knew my true form, surely she too
would distance herself out of fear.
For that reason, I decided, before
she became even more important to me,
to tell her the truth:
that I was hideous.
※
"But you're a good person."
Her answer shocked me and I realized
that I, too, had developed a
prejudice against humans.
I felt ashamed for having doubted her.
She judged me not by my appearance,
but by my heart.
I'm sure I smiled at that moment.
The same smile that the humans make.
Verse 6[]
Since then, the distance between
us was bridged rapidly.
Our days were filled with laughter.
There was no awkwardness in our smile.
She taught me how humans refer to such happy days.
The term became my favorite word.
We would speak every day until the moon had sunk.
She taught me many things.
About humans and about herself.
I learned that despite the cruel fate of her
blindness, she was a kind person
who prayed for the happiness of others.
※
And then became a beautiful starry night.
At the place we met, she whispered,
"I want us to be together forever."
A brief moment of silence ensued.
I still had not told her that I was a monster.
But she had already become
a very important part of my life.
I couldn't live without her.
As such, I could not tell her the truth.
Verse 7[]
The moon waned, waxed, and waned again.
Beneath it all, a new pain had been developing.
With each passing day, the truth
became more difficult to reveal.
Couldn't I just live the lie?
Part of me wanted to do so.
But the sight of my upholding of the lie
would be more appalling than my looks.
That fact alone proved
how unfit I was to live beside her.
※
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew.
Clearing away the clouds concealing the moon,
a beam of light fell on my heart once again.
"Surely I am being too narrow minded, once again."
I recalled that until I had met the girl,
I, too, had been a perpetrator of prejudice.
As long as I held that memory close to my
heart, nothing frightened me anymore.
Verse 8[]
For the first time, tear of happiness
rolled down my face.
A strange feeling welled up from my
heart and spread through my body.
It made me want to shout.
We both felt the same.
After a brief moment of shared joy,
she raised a condition.
"If we're going to live together,
I want to receive the villagers' blessing."
The request was just like her.
※
Having learned the importance of
open-mindedness, I immediately agreed.
"I'll tell them first," she said,
as I watched her depart for the village.
Meanwhile, I built a house for us to live in.
Imitating the qualities of human dwelling
proved to be difficult, but when I
imagined the life ahead of us,
even the struggle was a joy to behold.
Despite the difficulties,
it was a time of unending
happiness.
Verse 9[]
"I'm sorry for everything."
She returned from the village with
the news that the people were expecting us.
Surely the villagers had given their
approval right away.
I imagined how childish she must have
looked and couldn't help but smile.
As we approached the village, she
seemed to grow nervous and quiet.
I, too, was quite anxious, but didn't
let it show so I could encourage her.
※
I could see the village on the horizon.
My arms grew tense.
A group of humans were marching toward us.
Armed to the teeth,
the gang unsheathed their steel.
But with the girl on my side, everything
must be alright.
The words of an angel would surely assuage
even the staunchest haters.
Slowly, she drifted away toward the soldiers.
Verse 10[]
"Tear this monster limb from limb!
The demon must be judged and punished!"
the scream from her beautiful lips reverberated.
Am I dreaming?
What was this talk of a reward?
I don't want to know.
What does she mean her life is in danger?
What in heaven's name is she thinking...?
※
Bewilderment, despair,
confusion, misery, hatred.
A score of emotions devoured my heart.
The soldiers thrust their weapons into me,
but my body felt no pain.
The only pain... was in my heart.
Whose voice could it be
that I heard screaming?
※
I don't know. I remember nothing onwards.
When I came to, I was at the bottom of a deep cave.
My body was soaked in liquid that smelled of iron
and the thirst in my heart had barely been quenched.
When did her lies begin?
Was there any truth to her love?
There was no way to know...
Rumination was only a waste of time
Still, my thoughts won't cease.
※
Enough seeing.
Enough knowing. Enough believing.
I wish I had no cognition.
I wish I had never learned
to understand the words of humans.
I wish I had never met her.
Still, she...
I can never become a human.
But, to understand her feelings,
I had no choice but to learn about her world.
To that end, I extinguished my own light
and stepped into the darkness of her world...