Long, long ago.

In a certain forest, a girl opened her eyes.

The girl with black hair and red eyes stared blankly up at the sky, pondering.

Where is this place?

And who am I?

The girl had no memories.

The girl had no purpose.

The girl had nothing at all.

So she spent her days sitting idly, lost in thought, passing time without doing anything.

Then one day.

As she sat there again, lost in her thoughts, the girl encountered another being for the first time, someone other than herself.

A girl with drowsy eyes, black-purple hair, and matching hues.

Noticing the girl sitting absentmindedly, she tilted her head and asked.

– You. I feel a similar energy to mine. Who are you?

The girl couldn’t answer the question.

Because she too didn’t know who she was.

The girl with black-purple hair asked the silent girl again.

– …It seems you’re alive. Can you understand what I’m saying?

This time, the girl nodded.

Then, the girl with black-purple hair looked at her for a moment before murmuring as if realizing something.

– …Hmm, maybe I also felt this way in the beginning. By the way, you look completely empty; this could be interesting to watch.

The girl with black-purple hair spoke to her with a strange smile.

– You know, I’ll give you a present since you have nothing. Now, repeat after me: Evangeline.

– …Evangeline?

– Yes, Evangeline, meaning you’ll become a good news that alleviates my boredom. From now on, that will be your name.

– …I have a name, Evangeline.

The girl softly murmured the name she had received.

No longer was she a girl with nothing; she had become a girl with a name.

Thus, she became Evangeline.

*

From the day she received her name, the girl began to change a little.

Things that had reflected in the eyes of the girl who always passed the time absentmindedly started to appear new to her.

The clouds floating in the sky, the tall trees, the flowing stream, and the blooming flowers.

The girl began to wonder if those things also had names like her.

If they didn’t have names, it would surely be a pity.

The girl was incredibly happy to have received a name, and she wanted to share that joy with others.

So she asked everything that caught her eye.

– Do you have a name?

And to all those nameless things that could not answer her question.

To the clouds, to the trees, to the stream, to the flowers, she gave names.

Wishing that they too would rejoice like her, she attached simple sounds that even a girl who didn’t know how to speak could say, such as “Ah,” “Uh,” “Ee,” “Oo,” as names one by one.

Thus, one day, while the girl was wandering through the forest and naming what she encountered.

– Huh? A human? In such deep woods?

– Do you have a name?

– Huh? My name is Liru…

– I’m Evangeline.

The girl had met a being for the first time that answered her question.

– Oh, so it’s Evangeline. Where is your family? Where do you live?

– …?

– …What? Are you living alone in the woods without a family? No way… Oh no, could it be that you lost your memory and are wandering around? Ugh, my father told me to help those in trouble…

The little elf named Liru spoke while grabbing the girl’s arm.

– …Evangeline, would you like to stay at our house?

Perhaps if she followed her, she could meet more beings with names.

Curious about this being named Liru, the girl decided to follow her.

– Evangeline, this is the village where I live.

– …Village.

Following Liru, the girl arrived at a place she had never seen before, a fascinating place called a village.

– Yes, and over there is where our house is.

– …Home.

The village was filled with large, square houses.

– Liru? Who is this little human? Didn’t I tell you not to let strangers into the village?

– Ah, Dad. Well, she’s been wandering in the forest without any memory… she still looks like she’s around my age, so if left alone, it would be tragic… Could you please allow her to stay at our house until her memory returns?

– …Hah, I understand. I’ll have to tell the chief.

Inside, many Lirus were living.

– I’m Evangeline. Do you have a name?

– …It seems you really have no memory. Yes, Evangeline, I’m Arun, Liru’s father.

– Father, Arun.

– And I’m Luna, Liru’s mother. Nice to meet you, Evangeline.

– Mother, Luna.

The largest Liru was the father, Arun.

The second largest was the mother, Luna.

– Waaah.

– Name, waaah?

– No, she’s my little sister, Erue.

– …Sister, Erue.

And so, the girl began to live in a house of four Lirus.

– Evangeline, from today you’re a member of our village.

Thus, the girl finally had a place to stay.

*

The days spent with Liru were filled with learning.

The girl learned many things while living with Liru.

She discovered that the things she had named “Ah,” “Uh,” “Ee,” “Oo” were called clouds, trees, streams, and flowers and that Liru belonged to a race called elves, not just Lirus.

– Evangeline, try this. It’s roasted potatoes, and it’s delicious.

– …Hot, it hurts.

– Whaaat?! What are you doing putting your hand in the fire?! That’s super hot! Are you okay?!

– …It hurt, but I’m fine now. Ah… the potato is delicious…

– Phew, thank goodness. You seem to be okay…

She learned that flames are hot and hurt, but that roasted potatoes from the hot fire are tasty.

– Liru, are you going out to play with Evangeline today?

– Yes! Hehe, today we’re going to catch fish in the pond!

– Right, but don’t go to dangerous places!

The joy of going out to play with Liru.

– I caught a bunch of fish with Liru. I’ll gift this to the hardworking uncle protecting the village.

– Hahaha, thanks. This is an apple that the villagers just brought, want one?

– Delicious apple, I’ll gladly take it. I promise to return a more delicious fish to the uncle next time.

She learned the joy of repaying kindness with kindness.

And more than what she had learned, the girl gained many things.

– Why does Liru always only play with Evangeline? It’s unfair! Liru used to be closest to me!

– I want to be close with Pailin too. It would be more fun if Liru, Pailin, and I could all play together.

– …Huh? Huh? Really?

She made new friends.

– Liru, I read in a book that I don’t have a mom and dad. I… I don’t have a family?

– …Don’t worry. No matter what anyone says, Evangeline is my family.

– …Family. Liru and I are family.

They gained a precious bond, a family like no other.

The girl was grateful to the world.

To the world that had given her such precious things.

That was why the girl was happy.

She believed that these happy days would last forever.

And as time flowed, the girl began to speak like others, and on a certain day, little Erue grew to be as big as Liru was when she first met the girl.

– Today, everyone is going to the forest to find a birthday present for you. I’ll bring back a surprise gift, so Evangeline just wait at home, alright?

– I’m also going to make a flower bouquet to give to big sister Evangeline! Hah, this was a secret!

That day was the girl’s birthday.

Specifically, it was the day to commemorate when she first met Liru and came to the village.

To find a birthday present for the girl, all the children around her age left for the forest early that morning.

That day, a great uproar broke out in the village.

The children who had gone to the forest in the morning had not returned by nightfall.

It was unheard of for elves to get lost in the woods, so something must have happened.

Though the villagers searched all night for the children, they could not find them, and the girl could not sleep, praying that everyone would return safely.

Then, the following morning, the fastest member of the vigilante group returned with a horrified expression.

– …We found the bodies of the children, no, traces of the children’s deaths…

At that moment, the girl’s happiness shattered into pieces.

Evangeline wanted to befriend all the children in the village.

All the village children were her friends.

That was why all the village children went to the forest to celebrate her birthday.

And all of them died.

The somewhat aloof Pailin, the tearful Nia, the brave Erika, the cowardly Ronan.

Even Erue, who had always followed her, and Liru, who was her most precious friend and family.

All of them.

Death was the saddest thing the girl knew.

When the wisest and kindest village elder died, the girl wept.

And now, she could not even shed a tear.

In the sorrow that felt like the world was collapsing, the girl heard the voice of the vigilante.

The demonic beasts that seemed to have killed all the children were approaching the village.

The girl had read in books just how strong the beasts that the witches commanded were.

So she also knew that the village would never be able to defeat that beast with their total strength.

However, the villagers, who had lost their children, were only shedding tears at the words of the vigilante that they had to run away immediately.

At that moment, from the far side of the village…

[■■■■■■■■■■■■!!!!]

A massive roar resonated.

The girl realized.

That if it continued like this, all the villagers would die.

That a greater sorrow than the one she was experiencing would come.

So the girl stood in front of the enormous monster that had approached the village with heavy footsteps.

And shouted.

– Don’t touch the people! Turn back immediately!

The beast looked down at the girl for a moment before turning and disappearing to the opposite side of the village.

The girl was relieved.

At least now, the remaining villagers would not die.

At that moment, someone watching her murmured.

– Evangeline commanded the beast…

And someone muttered “witch.”

The murmuring gradually spread among the villagers.

Witch, witch, witch. She’s a witch!

The murmuring turned into shouts.

The girl saw emotions other than sorrow overflowing from the villagers’ eyes.

The villagers, who had once been so warm, were now staring at her as if they wanted to kill her.

– That girl is a witch! It’s her fault our children died!

– Evangeline commanded the beasts to kill the children!

– We treated you so well. Why?!

No, she didn’t, the girl shouted, but her words were drowned out by the villagers’ screams.

The rough hands of the villagers grabbed her.

Even as the girl screamed that it wasn’t her, the villagers ignored her pleas.

– It’s revenge! Burn the wicked witch!

– I’ll return the pain the children suffered a hundredfold!

– Witch hunt! It’s a witch hunt!

The girl was tied to the stake by the hands of the villagers.

Firewood was piled beneath her.

Oil was poured over her body.

– Burn her!

– Burn her!

– Burn her to the ground!

Even as the girl screamed that it was unjust, the villagers ignored her cries.

Flames erupted.

Flames spread across the girl’s body.

The flames were far hotter and more painful than she had ever known.

But what hurt more than the flames was the villagers’ attitudes.

They were her precious people.

The dead children were precious friends and family to her.

And she was sad for the children’s deaths, wanting to stop any more sadness.

But why could they treat someone who was grieving like them, a person just like them, so cruelly?

Why? The girl asked, but no one answered her.

They only shouted for her to burn.

Why? The girl asked again, but no one gave her an answer.

They merely cried out for revenge.

The girl understood.

They were too saddened and filled with anger.

They sought someone to blame.

The girl felt sorrowful about that.

Because she, too, was a being no different from them, her sadness turned into anger.

The anger, named wrath, was hot and painful like a flame.

Red tears flowed from the girl’s eyes, similar to that emotion.

Her hair was dyed red, just like that emotion.

For the first time, the girl loathed the world that had caused her such heat and pain.

She wanted to take revenge on the world, to return that heat and pain back to the world.

She wanted to burn it all away.

People cried out.

The witch, revenge.

So the girl became a witch.

So the girl took her revenge.

In the place where the flames roared, nothing remained.

And similarly, nothing should have remained for the girl.

Yet, the girl looked back at the world she had once been so grateful to.

As the girl burned, weeping and laughing.

She still had so much yet to burn.

At that moment, a girl with black-purple hair riding a massive beast appeared before her.

– Hehe, poor Evangeline. You’ve been through a lot.

The one who had given her the name Evangeline.

The girl realized that she was the witch.

– It’s actually all my fault. Bad people don’t even know it.

She was the wicked witch who had taken everything from her.

– Hehe, what a huge fire. It’s going to be fun playing with fire. You want to burn me, right? Then it’s a game of hide and seek. To that big tree over there. Got it?

The girl made a resolution.

To burn everything: the witch who had taken everything from her, the world that had given her pain.

To burn it all and in the end, to set herself ablaze.

*

Ding ding ding~ Good morning~ Ding ding ding-

When she regained consciousness, her head throbbed as if it would split.

As part of her usual routine, she wanted to hit her head; however, her body felt unusually unresponsive.

Was it like being pressed by scissors?

Thinking this, she frowned and opened her eyes only to realize that her whole body was bound somewhere.

Could this be another kidnapping? Just as that thought crossed her mind, the bed-like object restraining her was stood up, revealing a scene with quite a number of people gathered.

Somewhere, this scene felt familiar, as the high-ranking officials of the city who had been present on the podium during Yoon Si-woo’s hero inauguration were staring at me with rigid eyes.

Among them were familiar faces like Teacher Eve, Sylvia, Yoon Si-woo, and Martina.

What kind of situation is this? Is it a dream? Just as I tilted my head in confusion.

“It seems you’ve come to your senses. Then let’s get started right away.”

One of them opened their mouth.

“Answer honestly, Scarlet Evande. Are you an enemy of humanity?”