‘She could get everything she wanted. Everything. But, in the end…all she ever wanted…was…to be…Loved.’
‘But,’
‘Who would be able to love a puppet?’
‘A puppet that couldn’t do anything right if she wasn’t told how to do it.’

In a black casket lined with blood red paint, a beautiful young girl lay in a deep sleep from which she was never meant to wake up from. Red roses surrounded her inside the casket as she rested on pearl linen cushion. Her black renaissance gown was clean from the blood she shed before she died. It was laundered to keep the truth from being revealed…the truth which was her death.

‘Archaea.’ A young man sat on the bench where he first met the girl he loved. The only one who accepted him despite what he really was. She saw him in his real form but she didn’t mind, she even compared herself to him.
‘You can kill all you want while I can only dance when my puppeteer tells me to.’ He recalled her words that very moment. She had a blank look on her face. She didn’t smile or frown. Her voice had no tone. She had no emotion.

‘Everyone loved her but they didn’t love her. They loved the puppeteer.’
‘The puppet who wasn’t a puppet wanted to dance as a girl. She wanted to dance with her whole heart. She wanted to dance with her own will.’
‘But she couldn’t…because, in her mind, she was a puppet. Nothing but wood, string and paint. No heart, no mind, no will.’

‘I want you to smile for me.’ It was a nice autumn morning. The young man, Orcus, sat beside Archaea. She was counting the petals of a red rose, the flower she said was her favorite before she was tied with strings.
‘Alright.’ She said. She had a false smile on her face.
‘The puppeteer must’ve made her dance again.’ Orcus thought. Whenever she was wearing a false smile, it was always after she did what she resented to do the most; dance under the puppeteer’s control.
‘What are you doing demon?’ Archaea asked. She never called Orcus by his real name, only by his real identity.
‘Come with me.’ He carried her in his arms and took her out of the Orchard of Roses. He released his black wings and showed her the whole orchard. They could see beautiful red roses that looked like they were painted on a green canvas.

Archaea stood in front of ruins, old and covered with vines and flowers blossoming from different places. Orcus stood by her. She looked around, no interest for the beauty that surrounded her. The young man took her hand and gripped it tight.
‘Follow me.’ He said. She followed.
Orcus took her to another ruin. She could hear flowing water and she could smell fragrant flowers. Her eyes were closed, since the demon asked her to close them.
‘Open.’ He whispered. She opened her eyes. Fresh water was falling down an old ruin making it look like a waterfall. Lilies floated on the lake formed by the mini fall. The water shimmered before her eyes. Unfortunately, she didn’t know if it was beautiful or not.
Orcus looked at her, not showing the pain and disappointment he felt. He had another idea.
He took her hand and pulled her under the fall. There was space for them to stand and look from behind the fast-falling water.
‘I’ll let you feel freedom. How the beauty and pain of it feels like.’ Orcus took some water into his palms and washed away the paint on Archaea’s face. The puppeteer would paint her pale cheeks with pink paint, covering her natural rosy cheeks, completely treating her like a useless doll.
‘Cold water.’ Archaea said. The deep blue disappeared from her eyes, revealing a hostile red color. Her blond hair turned onyx-black and her dress black. Orcus could now see the real beauty that she was.
‘Archaea.’ He brushed her long black hair with his fingers. Her eyes were innocent. They had no idea what was happening. ‘I love you.’ Archaea closed her eyes as she felt the warm palm of the young man on her cheek, his other arm was wrapped around her waist. His lips felt even warmer.
‘What is this?’ she suddenly trembled to her knees. Her eyes were full of fear and uncertainty. ‘Demon! What happened to my hands!?’ she said. She opened her palms. They were stained with blood, innocent souls, no doubt.
‘I see.’ He closed her palms. It was clear, why she was turned into a puppet.
‘Why? I’m ugly! What happened to me? What did you do to me demon!?’ she saw her reflection on the clear water.
‘What?’ Orcus looked at her. She was full of fury. She was looking at him like how the other people looked at him. ‘No.’ he was afraid of this. His only friend was starting to reject him as well. ‘No.’ his head was hurting. ‘No.’
‘Demon.’ Archaea walked backwards, slowly, fearing the demon as he transformed into his real form. His wings came out and his skin turned into fur covered with blood and gore.
‘NO!’ she fell down on her back still trying to get away from the fearful creature. ‘Stay away from me!’ she ran from him. He stood there. Watching another soul fleeing from him.

‘What’s wrong Archaea?’ the puppeteer asked. He stood in front of Archaea’s room.
‘What’s wrong with Archaea?’ his wife asked.
‘She won’t come out. She’s scared.’ Their daughter said.
‘What did you do to Archaea this time?’ their eldest son asked. He was very concerned about Archaea. She was his baby sister after all.
‘No need to worry about her, my son.’ His mother said.
‘I should worry.’ He turned away. He hated his family. His sister never meant to become what she was. It was the pain she was being fed with that turned her into a sadist. She killed and killed for her own joy and pleasure. Fearing the family image would be hurt…you know the rest. She was turned into a doll. Treated like one so she turned into one.

‘Time to dance Archaea.’ Her mother opened the door. ‘What?’ she was surprised. She rushed to her and pulled the sleeve of her gown.
‘Why are you wearing this dear?’ she asked. There was fear in her voice. Archaea looked at her blankly.
‘This is my favorite dress.’
‘Take it off.’
‘No.’
‘I said take it off!’ her mother shouted.
‘Stay away from me!’
Her mother was stunned. She has never said that to her. Not even when she was just a normal girl.
Archaea left the room and went towards the theater. Meanwhile, her mother went and told her father of what had just happened.

Archaea stood in front of the curtain. She thought of Orcus. Wondering where he was. Wondering what he was doing.
‘WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME DEMON!?’
‘Oh.’ She fell on her knees. Her hand over her face. Those words could never escape her. She hated her new memories. She hated the ones with her ‘family’, on the other hand, those with Orcus…
‘Archaea.’ Her father called. She stood and went to him.
‘What are those, puppeteer?’ she asked. He had needles in his hands. Strings were attached to them. ‘What are you going to do with those? She asked again. The puppeteer didn’t answer. Instead, he walked towards her with a sinister look on his face.
‘NO!!!!!’
Archaea sat in the corner, blood flowed from her wrists and ankles. She was completely a puppet now. No matter how much she wanted to cry, she couldn’t.
‘Don’t take them out. Otherwise, you’ll die. Poisoned needles. You’ll trigger the poison if you take the needles out.’
‘Sister.’ Her brother knelt in front of her. She looked at him. She was in pain, but she was keeping it, as usual. He wrapped his arms around her.
‘Brother. Why should I endure this?’
‘Because you’re a wonderful person. They are jealous of you.’ He stood.
‘Real~’ blood spurted from his chest. She couldn’t believe what she saw. Her only brother, the only one who loved her and would supply her with even a little happiness.
‘You know mommy and daddy don’t like brother. He doesn’t respect big sister as the beautiful doll that she is.’ Her little sister had stabbed him with an ax at his back. His head lay on her knees.
‘Doll?’
‘Oh no! You’re all bloody sister! Let me clean you!’ her little sister ran to get cloth and water.
‘No. let me clean you.’ A lady appeared by her side.
‘I see. Yes. Please do.’ Archaea said. She was a banshee. She was wearing a white dress, stained with blood.

The curtains rose. The theater was full of people who admired the life like doll that danced ever so gracefully on the stage. She was the most perfect thing the people have ever seen.
‘It hurts.’ She thought. The needles were deep inside her wrists and ankles, giving the puppeteer control of her whole body.
‘Dance Archaea, dance.’ He said. She danced. She was smiling despite the pain.
The people saw a happy doll. A perfectly happy doll. They loved her. She was beautiful. She had beautiful blue eyes and beautiful pink cheeks. Her golden hair was pretty and silky and it flowed like a fall down her back. She danced gracefully across the whole stage.
‘Dance.’ The puppeteer’s wife was watching her with her little sister. They were watching their beautiful doll bring fortune to the family.
‘You love me…’
‘You love me because…’
‘Because…’
‘Because I’m not…’
‘Me.’
‘Archaea’
‘Demon.’ She recalled the demon. The only person to accept her completely. Despite her blood-stained hands, he loved her.
‘DANCE.’
‘DANCE!’
‘DANCE!’
‘Demon.’ She thought. His face, his smile, his lips, his hands. She couldn’t feel but he held her hand that tight anyway.
‘Demon.’
‘Let me go.’ She whispered. Her mother was surprised. The moment the words came out, a sadistic look was directed right at her.
‘Demon.’
‘Help me.’
‘DANCE!’ said the puppeteer. Again and again and again. ‘Dance beautiful doll!’
‘LET ME GO!’ she pulled the needles from her wrists and ankles. It was painful but she had to do it. She pulled the strings, sending the puppeteer falling to the stage.
‘Archaea! No! Have mercy!’ he pleaded.
‘Did you have on me!?’ she asked furiously. She took a needle and slit his throat. Once again, she was stained with blood. She left the body on the stage for all to see. The doll that they thought was so perfect wasn’t so perfect at all.
‘COME BACK! MURDERER!’ her mother shouted. She turned to the crowd. ‘That girl! She killed your children! She was the murderer who roamed our streets to kill innocent children!’ she said, turning the crowd against Archaea, but she was gone, to the ruins to find the demon.

‘Where are you?’ she roamed the forest. She was weak. Unfortunately, her life rested on the needles, and since she pulled them out, nothing was left to help her live…but then…
‘I can’t die.’
‘I have demon…’
‘Demon!’ she shouted.

‘Archaea.’ Orcus could hear the young lady’s cry. He stood. His demon form has not disappeared since the day she fled from him. Sadness engulfed him since then.

‘Where is the young murderer?’ her mother came into the forest, wishing to finally end the embarrassment that was cursed to their family. All she was left to was her young daughter, as perfect as she wanted her to be, unlike her older sister. What a disgrace! She thought.

‘Demon.’ Archaea limped. She was weak. So very weak. The poison was taking effect.
‘Demon.’ A hallucination appeared before her. It was him. He was smiling at her. Looking proud.
‘I’m free…’ she whispered. She couldn’t take it anymore. She fell to the ground and closed her eyes.
‘De…mon…’

‘Archaea!’ Orcus fell to his knees. He held the corpse in his demonic arms.
‘Or…’ Archaea used her remaining strength and opened her eyes. ‘Forgive me…’
‘Archaea.’ Orcus had no idea what to say anymore. He was so devastated that his words won’t even come out.
‘Orcus…’ he was surprised. For the first time, she called him by his real name, but, she was about to die, and he couldn’t do anything for her but weep and be happy that she said his name along with the most beautiful smile he’s ever seen. A real smile.
‘What a catch I have before me! Two murderers! It must be my lucky day!’ a lady appeared with a crossbow. She had a lunatic’s expression on her face.
‘The puppeteer’s wife…’
‘I’ve waited for this day to come ever since you were born, you curse!’ she said.
‘You were a curse! An ugly curse!’
‘Stop it!’ Orcus ran to her.
‘Don’t come near me! GO TO HELL!’ she pulled the trigger to the crossbow.
‘I’ll take you along with me.’ Archaea suddenly appeared in front of her and slit her throat with a needle. An arrow was deep in her abdomen. She was bleeding. Her dress was stained with her blood. Finally, she was able to cry.
‘No…’ Orcus caught her body. He slowly turned back into his human form and held the corpse tight in his arms.

‘She died. She regained her freedom with the price of her life.’

The people saw Archaea’s natural beauty as she lay dead in her black casket. No one knew how she ended up in the casket, and how she died. No one knew.

‘Are you Archaea’s Orcus?’ a lady in white appeared behind Orcus. He was in a cemetery, late night, visiting his dearest Archaea.
‘I am.’ He replied.
‘Archaea asked me to give you this when she can finally be with you eternally.’ The lady revealed a paper. ‘Do you understand?’
‘I…’ he opened the paper. It was a message written in blood. He looked up. The lady disappeared. ‘I understand.’ Cold air surrounded him. It felt like someone wrapped her arms around his neck.
‘I understand completely.’ He cried with a smile on his face.

‘I love you…but I can never tell you that.-Archaea’