1 Chapter 1: Elysia Soubuelle

A young girl, appearing to be 12 or 13 years old, lies on a hospital bed. She is surrounded by a diverse group of people—some in casual clothes, some in office uniforms, others in lab coats, and some in nursing attire.

What is common among them is that they all appear sad, with one pair crying non-stop while gazing at the girl. She, however, remains calmly looking out of the window, not bothering to acknowledge the spectacle around her.

The girl, who should be in the prime of her life, displaying youthful energy, looks hideous with black lines resembling veins running all over her body. Yet, her medium purple eyes and now-dull silver hair suggest that, if not for those black marks, she would be a drop-dead gorgeous lady who could have continued to capture hearts left and right. However, due to cruel fate, her beauty remains hidden from the world.

The Black Mark Disease is a condition that initiates from the tips of the toes and gradually progresses towards the brain, turning nerves black in color. This slow and excruciating spread extends throughout the entire body, destroying the nerves present and ultimately reaching the brain, resulting in the death of the patient.

It is advised to euthanize patients the moment they encounter this disease, as there is currently no cure. Even if a limb is severed, the individual still succumbs to the disease.

Due to this, this disease is marked as the worst kind of illness to contract.

The girl should have been euthanized, but on the very same day she was admitted, when she was 4 years old, her family went missing completely without leaving any traces. To this day, they have never been found. Due to legal procedures, she continued to suffer for 11 long years. Finally, the day has come when she will be given relief from her pain by the very same disease that caused her that pain.

Throughout her life, only two things provided her support and solace: painkillers and an audio novel left behind by her grandfather.

At first, the girl found solace only through the aid of painkillers, making her accustomed to their dosage. Consequently, the pitiful girl could only take them sparingly when her limit of pain resistance was reached. Now, she doesn't even frown at the amount of pain coursing through her body. No one knows whether it is a blessing or not.

When she was 7, she began searching for alternative ways to divert her mind from the pain. She watched cartoons, tried singing, attempted to engage in conversation, and even just tried to sleep, but nothing seemed to work.

Finally, when she turned 8, she discovered novels—or, to be more precise, audio novels, as she did not know how to read and write. Surprisingly, she could understand everything, even complicated words, easily.

In just a month, she grew frustrated because the novels provided to her contained themes of hope, freedom, and love—things she had never received. The individuals looking after her were only doing so because of their jobs, and the government would pay hospitals fees for the Black Mark Disease carriers. In exchange, various samples were taken occasionally.

Finally, she found a piece of work with the tags #Dark and #Tragedy. She liked the story because, according to her, this one was the most relatable to real life.

And with that, she continued to listen to novels. Eventually, she got an item brought by the government officials - a voice recorder, in the place where her grandfather was kept some 50 years ago when he contracted The Black Mark Disease.

When her grandfather contracted the disease, he immediately negotiated with the government to be experimented on, and in exchange, his family would receive financial support. The contract was signed, and he was taken away. While staying at the research center, he recorded an original novel meticulously thought out by him. In his despair, where no one loved him, he created a novel—'Survival Against Vampires.' He essentially sold himself, yet no one came to visit him when he was sick, when he needed them the most.

Same as her.

So, she sympathized with him and listened to the novel.

She liked it too much. From the moment she got it at the age of 12, she continued to listen to it till today, when she just wants to say goodbye to the lonely moon devoured by darkness yet surrounded by countless stars. The moon, not at all looking lonely, but to her, she is the same.

The ones standing around her, to her, are all hypocrites. They could have ended her suffering themselves over the 11 long years, yet for the sake of saving their own hides, they shed crocodile tears in front of her and continued to watch her suffer.

The pair who is crying actually took her samples, and they only met 2 years ago. Yet, they offered to end her suffering by killing her, a stranger. She declined, as she is stubborn and determined. She wanted to show everyone that she can endure the pain. From that day onwards, she never whimpered in pain, never took painkillers, and never cried. Boldly, she faced the pain after tasting a little bit of warmth.

But within just a year, the girl began to feel numbness spreading throughout her body, eventually leading to an absence of pain, which offered her some respite. However, ten months ago, her body ceased to respond to her entirely when the disease reached her neck.

Now, the girl is at an age when others her age fall in love, take steps into the adult world, and experience many new things in life. However, she lies on the bed, devoid of all these experiences, about to face something everyone experiences—death. Yet, she does not care, for to her, life and death are one and the same—meaningless.

"Uncle, Aunt, please do not cry. Be happy that now I can finally leave this world." At last, the girl spoke, her voice calm and clear, although it sounded hoarse.

"Sniff-sniff, my dear, we are not crying because you are dying. In fact, we are happy that you can finally find peace. But we are crying because we created the medicine for Stage 1 only, and only because of you. Other patients have never lasted until the day they die naturally." The male among the pair spoke, his voice choked with tears.

"Then I can be proud of myself for achieving the impossible, I guess." She spoke again in her hoarse voice, with a proud tone, although it was fake, as the girl could no longer feel anything in her heart.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Suddenly, a sound was heard from the ECG, signaling the stopping of her heart. Everyone in the room gazed at the girl lying on the bed, as if she were peacefully sleeping, her eyes closed and breathless. With deep respect, they bid her farewell. Not only those present but the whole world witnessed the death of the bravest girl—an individual who fought The Greatest Disease in humankind until her last breath.

She never asked to be killed, even when she was a child.

She, a human being, a child, suffered for 11 long years, finally could rest.

She left behind her name in history as only because of her; the medicine to counter the greatest disease could be created.

Elysia Soubuelle, the granddaughter of another brave man, Nathaniel Soubuelle, passed away after fighting against one of the Legendary Curse known as the Physique Corrosion Curse, cast by a Dragon who could only witness it all in sorrow.

Her suffering and eventual death acted as the catalyst for the dragon to break free from its own desolate existence, thus allowing her journey to extend beyond when it should have ended.