Discovery at the End of Death
She slipped the noose around her neck as if it were nothing. The rope was rougher than expected. It startled her a little, but it wasn't a bad sensation. All she had to do was kick the chair away with her foot. Just like that, as if nothing had happened. A brief moment of pain, and then it would all be over.
That was when it happened.
Leo passed by the window. He looked utterly exhausted. His shoulders were slumped, his gait heavy and unsteady. Elizabeth quietly slipped her neck out of the noose. She stepped down from the chair. Every motion felt astonishingly natural.
She had meant to die. And someday, she really would. But not now. Not yet. She hadn't said her final words to him. I love you. Even knowing they meant nothing.
*
Leo sat on the edge of the bed. There was no particular reason. The spot just seemed right. He stared ahead, but nothing came to mind. A framed photo hung on the wall. Young Elizabeth smiled in it. It must have been a sunny day. A time that would never return.
Something stabbed at the center of his chest. Or maybe it was nothing at all.
He had always thought of himself as a strong man. At least, he'd pretended well. Aside from his childhood, he couldn't recall ever being truly shaken. But now was different. He felt drained, devoid of any will. It was unfamiliar, and that made it all the more strange.
He drank. He didn't think. He just drank. Focusing on the liquid burning down his throat. He didn't care what it did to his liver. His head spun. Maybe from sitting there so long.
"Gotta make dinner for Ellie."
She might not eat again today. Still, he'd make it. Whether it meant anything or not.
He opened the door, barely holding his staggering body upright. And there was Elizabeth. She had been about to open it herself. Her hand hovered in the air. The scene felt oddly off, like something from a distant memory frozen in time.
"…Ellie?"
"What are you doing?"
"I was… gonna make dinner."
His breath reeked of strong liquor. His words slurred, his lips dry. Elizabeth stared at him silently. Then she scanned the room.
"You drank?"
"…Yeah."
"Drinking like that all at once isn't good for your health. You know that."
Elizabeth spoke like a gentle scolding. She didn't care about herself, but Leo was different. She wanted him to live a peaceful, beautiful life.
"I have something to say. Sit down for a bit."
She spoke quietly, and Leo nodded. She walked to the living room table first. It was empty. They sat facing each other.
Elizabeth said nothing for a long while. Leo folded his hands and watched her. She neither met his gaze nor looked away.
"I won't drag this out."
Her voice was calm.
"I don't remember when it started. It just… happened one day. I realized I liked you, Dad."
No emotion colored her words.
"You wouldn't have known. You probably didn't even notice. Makes sense. To you, I was just a kid."
Leo drew a small breath.
"At first, even I thought that. That you could never love me. No matter how hard I tried, it was impossible."
Elizabeth rubbed the back of her hand, as if brushing off dust.
"But I fell for you anyway. Emotions can't be stopped. They just grow… and grow until you have to say something."
She lifted her head slightly.
"I like you. I love you. And that won't change. Not ever."
Leo's lips trembled faintly. He closed his eyes, then opened them.
"Ellie…"
"It's okay. You don't have to answer."
She cut him off with a murmur.
"This is just something I needed to say. Not asking you to accept it or feel burdened. I just had to."
She glanced out the window. Moonlight filtered in softly.
"Oh, and while we're at it, I want to ask something else."
She turned to look at Leo.
"What are you so sorry for?"
"…What?"
Leo blinked.
"Why do you keep mumbling 'sorry, sorry' in your sleep?"
"…Did I?"
"Yes. You did. 'Sorry, sorry, Elizabeth. I'm always sorry to you.'"
"…."
"I'm not pushing. Just curious. What could you possibly be so sorry for that you apologize even in your dreams?"
"…Everything. All of it."
As Leo fell silent, Elizabeth let out a soft laugh.
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to torment you or make things hard. I really don't mean it that way."
"…."
"Just know that. That I love you."
She stood slowly.
"So here's the thing."
Elizabeth's lips curved up slowly. It wasn't forced. Nor was it pure joy. It was a thin, light smile, as if filtering out the weight of complex emotions.
"I want to sleep with you tonight, Dad. Like old times."
Her tone was even, her voice low. The air in the room lightened for a moment at those ambiguous words—request or confirmation?
Leo didn't reply. He just nodded.
That night, father and daughter lay side by side in the familiar bed. Backs turned, sharing a thin blanket. Just three days. Not a long time in truth. But in that short gap had grown months of unspoken words and distance.
Now, it had narrowed, just a little.
The bed was plush. The faint creak of springs as his body sank in. A familiar sensation, yet it felt like something long forgotten.
Leo turned carefully. Slowly, without a sound, he shifted to gaze at her silhouette through the blanket.
He felt his heart beating quietly, steadily. It wasn't uncomfortable. If anything, it was a long-lost sense of peace.
She wants to sleep together. Maybe it was just a simple suggestion. But beyond those words, he sensed a faint sign of change.
Was Elizabeth truly giving up, trying to return to normalcy? Was her wayward heart slowly finding its way back?
That's how it felt.
Are we going back to everyday life?
He held onto that hope. Father and daughter. Warm and close again.
* * *
It was dawn, the moon fading. Blue eyes opened quietly. Lifeless as dry bark, utterly cold.
Elizabeth rose slowly. Leo slept on, dead to the world. Moonlight softly caressed his face. With delicate fingers, she gently brushed it.
Then, indifferently yet laced with inexplicable sorrow, a tear fell onto his cheek. Drip, drop…
"What am I supposed to do, Dad?"
Her lips quivered. She laughed through her tears. A smile on the verge of shattering as she pressed her lips to his. Sucking his lower and upper lips, parting them with her tongue to entwine his.
Just days without tasting him, and it was sweet as honey. Elizabeth devoured his mouth for a long while, tears streaming.
Like in her childhood—no, like before—she let her vulgar desires show, hands roaming his body. They lingered toward his groin. She gazed down hotly.
A sexual spell from an old grimoire came to mind. With it, she could take him in his sleep. But Elizabeth didn't want that. It wouldn't be love.
True feeling couldn't be complete alone. A bond required mutual hearts.
She withdrew her hand. She swallowed the lump deep in her chest. She wanted to, but knew it would shatter the instant it touched him.
This love could never be. Not desire, but truth—that made it impossible.
So she chose quiet farewell.
"Goodbye."
A final kiss, with tears.
* * *
"Have a good day at work, Dad."
Elizabeth hugged Leo as he headed out. She wrapped her arms tight around his waist, face to his chest.
"Yeah, I'll be back. Rest up at home."
"Okay. Take care."
She smiled innocently. The picture of a loving, peaceful daughter. Leo's heart warmed. Normal life—the one he'd longed for—finally here.
"Hey, wanna eat out for dinner?"
"Yes! Sounds great."
Leo left through the front door, his footsteps fading down the stairs. Elizabeth stood frozen in place. Her smile slowly vanished.
Expressionless. A face hardened cold. All emotion scattered, leaving only silence.
She prepared deftly. For death. To bid the world farewell.
She set the rope and chair in the living room. Her bedroom ceiling was unreliable. Fearing collapse and failure, she chose the sturdy living room.
She climbed onto the chair, eyed the ceiling.
"That spot looks good."
A little left of center. Her hands moved smoothly. Rope looped over, noose tied, deep breath.
She stepped up, neck in the noose.
Farewell, forever.
She kicked the chair.
Crash!
Thud!
"Ghk!"
The ceiling groaned low. Her body dangled. Throat crushed in pain. Breath choked. Face flushed red, fingers trembling. Instinctively, she grabbed the rope. But let go.
She gazed out the window. Brilliant sunlight poured in as always. Warm light, as if speaking to her.
Then—
Crack!
The ceiling gave way. She fell. Dust swirled. Planks tumbled.
"Hah… hah…"
She fluttered her eyes open. Failure. Even death rejected her? Or… not the end yet?
She rose slowly. In the corner, an old box caught her eye. Fallen from the ceiling? She brushed off dust, opened it.
Inside was a gold ring set with a ruby, a single old letter, and an unfamiliar black uniform.