E13 - The Beast and the Prince

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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names. This is handled on a best-effort basis depending on how the subtitle file was created so they may be incomplete or inaccurate. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:01] Nana
    This is bad.
[00:02] Nana
    The depths of their consciousnesses will
    connect through Strelizia and merge!
SIGN    "This is a story of a monster"
[00:14] Zero Two (002)
    That room was the entirety of my world.
[00:18] Zero Two (002)
    A closed world that would never
    touch what lay outside the windows.
[00:24] Hiro (016)
    That place was the entirety of my world.
[00:28] Hiro (016)
    The Garden, a closed world
    where only children lived.
[00:33] Zero Two (002)
    But that day, I went outside
    for the first time.
[00:37] Zero Two (002)
    To this day, I haven't forgotten.
[00:40] Hiro (016)
    To this day, I'd forgotten all about...
[00:42] Zero Two (002)
    How vast the sky up above was.
[00:44] Hiro (016)
    How warm the hand I held was.
[00:47] Both
    And the promise we made.
SIGN    "This is a story forgotten"
[00:54] Zero Two (002)
    Who am I?
[00:57] Zero Two (002)
    Back then, that question
    never even crossed my mind.
[01:02] Zero Two (002)
    I was trapped in that room for
    as far back as I can remember.
[01:07] Zero Two (002)
    I felt like I had even older memories,
    but I soon forgot them.
[01:15] Zero Two (002)
    I didn't know what this was, either.
[01:18] Zero Two (002)
    Probably a stand-in for
    what you'd call a mother.
[01:26] Zero Two (002)
    One day, for the first and only time,
    she brought me something that wasn't food.
SIGN    The Beast and the Prince
[01:49] Zero Two (002)
    It was a picture book.
[01:52] Zero Two (002)
    As I turned the pages, its bright
    colors jumped out at me,
[01:55] Zero Two (002)
    as did various shapes.
[01:58] Zero Two (002)
    It had words, too, but I
    couldn't understand them.
[02:04] Zero Two (002)
    And after that day,
    she never showed up again.
[02:10] Zero Two (002)
    Anyway, this book was
    my first "pretty thing."
[02:15] Zero Two (002)
    The outside world surely had many more.
[02:19] Zero Two (002)
    That's what I innocently
    believed in that moment.
[02:24] Zero Two (002)
    It turns out that I was half-right
[02:28] Zero Two (002)
    and half-wrong.
[02:33] Hiro (016)
    Who am I?
[02:36] Hiro (016)
    Back then, that question was
    all I ever had on my mind.
[02:41] Hiro (016)
    I was in the Garden for as far
    back as I can remember.
[02:45] Hiro (016)
    We lived there to become parasites who
    would fight for Papa and the others.
[02:51] Hiro (016)
    All of us children were referred
    to by our code numbers.
[02:55] Hiro (016)
    The lower the number, the higher
    the child's potential as parasite.
[02:59] Hiro (016)
    The double-digits up to 099,
[03:02] Hiro (016)
    the teens in particular,
    were given special treatment.
[03:06] Hiro (016)
    I was one of them, and I was told
    I was special, unlike everyone else.
[03:20] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Are you crying?
[03:23] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Am I a weirdo?
[03:26] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    I mean, I'm not like everyone else.
[03:31] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    They've all stopped smiling.
[03:35] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    They don't get mad or cry anymore, either.
[03:38] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    But I still shed tears.
[03:42] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    I wanna be like everyone else, too!
[03:45] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    What should I do?
[03:47] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Should I get more injections?
[03:53] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Our codes are in the teens, so we were
    different from the others to begin with.
[03:58] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    I don't want that.
[04:00] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Being different is scary.
[04:11] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Hey, want me to give you a name?
[04:15] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    A name?
[04:16] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Yeah, I gave myself one.
[04:21] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    A unique name like the people
    in books have, and not a number.
[04:27] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    My name is Hiro.
[04:30] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Hiro?
[04:31] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Well? You'll feel better if you're
    like me and have a name, right?
[04:35] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I'll give you one!
[04:39] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Okay...
[04:40] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Your name will be...
[04:45] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Ichigo!
[04:46] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    I-Ichigo?
[04:48] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Yeah.
[04:49] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Because that's how your code
    is read. 015, for Ichigo.
[04:54] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    That's my name?
[04:58] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Yeah. What do you think?
[05:03] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Having a name can make you feel
    like it's okay to be different.
[05:08] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Really?
[05:10] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Yeah, because it's a unique
    name that exists for you alone.
[05:15] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    For me alone?
[05:16] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Yep. Ichigo.
[05:21] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Can you give the others names, too?
[05:23] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Huh? Sure.
[05:25] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Then let's get everyone in on this, uh...
[05:29] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Hiro!
[05:30] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    You can give everyone names!
[05:34] Hiro (016)
    It was just a game.
[05:37] Hiro (016)
    I gave many children names.
[05:40] Hiro (016)
    Samii, Junna, Nakku,
[05:43] Hiro (016)
    Toshi, Sakuto, Shinya,
[05:46] Hiro (016)
    and... Mitsuru.
[05:50] Hiro (016)
    A name is but one way to refer to a person.
[05:53] Hiro (016)
    But just having one made us feel
    our anxieties fading away.
[05:57] (Flashback) Guard
    What are you doing?
[05:59] (Flashback) Guard
    You're not allowed to change your
    designation without permission.
[06:06] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    What's so bad about giving ourselves names?
[06:10] (Flashback) Woman
    That's...
[06:11] (Flashback) Guard
    One of the teen codes, huh?
[06:16] (Flashback) Guard
    Anyway, don't go doing things as you please.
[06:25] Hiro (016)
    The adults never answered my questions,
[06:29] Hiro (016)
    and the other children never asked any.
[06:36] Hiro (016)
    Children were gradually disappearing
    from the Garden at regular intervals.
[06:41] Hiro (016)
    The adults never told us where they went.
[06:46] Hiro (016)
    Meanwhile, I was designated
    a special research subject,
[06:51] Hiro (016)
    and I underwent tests at
    the Lab all by myself.
[06:56] Hiro (016)
    If I did well, I was given a reward.
[07:00] Hiro (016)
    But even then, there was still
    no one who'd answer my questions.
[07:09] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Horns?
[07:17] (Flashback) Dr. Franxx
    Marvelous.
[07:19] (Flashback) Dr. Franxx
    She's leagues better than
    all of our past specimens.
[07:22] (Flashback) Dr. Franxx
    I can't believe she has
    developed such a human form.
[07:34] (Flashback) Dr. Franxx
    Oh!
[07:36] (Flashback) Dr. Franxx
    Look! How amazing!
[07:38] (Flashback) Dr. Franxx
    You're an amazing child!
[07:47] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Who's that girl with the horns?
[07:50] (Flashback) Woman
    Another question?
[07:53] (Flashback) Woman
    Return to your room.
    That's not for you to know.
[08:00] Hiro (016)
    That was the first time I'd
    seen a child with red horns.
[08:05] Hiro (016)
    And now there was another thing
    I wanted to know more about.
[08:08] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Oh, I know.
[08:10] Hiro (016)
    If nobody would answer me,
    I could just go find out for myself.
[08:18] (Flashback) Guard
    You there. The lobby isn't that way.
[08:22] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I guess it wouldn't be that easy after all.
[08:25] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I don't see any back doors, either.
[08:29] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I never knew it was so difficult
    to look for something by myself.
[08:37] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    That's her!
SIGN    The Beast and the Prince
[09:15] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Wow.
[09:16] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Wow!
[09:19] Hiro (016)
    For some reason, it made
    me really, really happy.
[09:26] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Mitsuru!
[09:30] (Flashback) Mitsuru (326)
    H-Hiro...
[09:32] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Are you going to the Lab?
[09:34] (Flashback) Mitsuru (326)
    Yeah.
[09:36] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    What's the matter?
[09:39] (Flashback) Mitsuru (326)
    I'm going to get an injection.
[09:42] (Flashback) Mitsuru (326)
    If I don't, I won't be able to stay.
[09:46] Hiro (016)
    All the children there knew what it
    meant to get an Elixir Injection.
[09:53] Hiro (016)
    While you could expect a drastic
    improvement in your aptitude scores,
[09:57] Hiro (016)
    it had an incredibly low success rate.
[10:00] Hiro (016)
    And if it failed, you wouldn't come back.
[10:03] (Flashback) Mitsuru (326)
    I want to become a parasite with you.
[10:07] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Huh? With me?
[10:09] (Flashback) Mitsuru (326)
    If I come back alive, will you pilot with me?
[10:15] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Of course!
[10:27] (Flashback) Guard
    Again?
[10:28] (Flashback) Woman
    It's 494 this time.
[10:30] (Flashback) Guard
    It was 367 before that.
[10:32] (Flashback) Woman
    We just spoke yesterday.
[10:34] (Flashback) Guard B
    Papa threw them away.
[10:37] (Flashback) Woman
    Will I be next?
[10:40] (Flashback) Woman
    I'm scared!
[10:43] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    We gotta do something.
[10:45] (Flashback) Goro (056)
    But Papa and the others made the decision.
[10:48] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    There's nothing we can do.
[10:50] (Flashback) Guard
    Code 016.
[10:53] (Flashback) Guard
    Get ready.
[10:54] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Um, where do the kids go—
[10:56] (Flashback) Guard
    Get ready.
[10:57] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    U-Uh...
[11:04] (Flashback) Guard
    His sensitivity is becoming a problem.
[11:06] (Flashback) Guard
    It might affect the other children.
[11:09] (Flashback) Guard
    Shouldn't we increase his
    yellow blood cell dose?
[11:12] (Flashback) Dr. Franxx
    Leave it as is.
[11:14] (Flashback) Guard
    Sir?
[11:15] (Flashback) Dr. Franxx
    I'm very interested in what kind of parasite
    a child like him will grow up to be.
[11:58] (Flashback) Guard
    What are you doing here?
    Return to the Garden.
[12:01] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    S-Stop doing that. She's in pain...
[12:04] (Flashback) Guard
    That's none of your business.
[12:06] (Flashback) Guard
    Come with me.
[12:06] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    B-But... But...
[12:11] Hiro (016)
    But...
[12:13] Hiro (016)
    The things I wanted to know
    kept growing in number.
[12:16] Hiro (016)
    Who are we?
[12:19] Hiro (016)
    Why can't we give ourselves names?
[12:22] Hiro (016)
    Where did the kids who disappear go?
[12:24] Hiro (016)
    Will Mitsuru come back?
[12:26] Hiro (016)
    Who is that girl?
[12:29] Hiro (016)
    Why don't the adults give me any answers?
[12:33] Hiro (016)
    Why isn't anyone else asking any questions?
[12:36] Hiro (016)
    Why is she...
[13:32] Hiro (016)
    I didn't understand anything, but...
[13:38] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Get away from the window!
[13:48] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Come this way!
[13:50] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I can get you out of here!
[13:55] Hiro (016)
    But you...
[13:58] Hiro (016)
    You smiled back then.
[14:16] Hiro (016)
    In this world where questions
    and answers fell on deaf ears,
[14:26] Hiro (016)
    you shone brightly in my eyes.
[14:34] Zero Two (002)
    That was my first experience
    of the outside world.
[14:39] Zero Two (002)
    It was covered in white and cold.
[14:47] Zero Two (002)
    Everything around me was unfamiliar.
[15:09] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Wh-What are you eating?
[15:12] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    N-No! Don't swallow it! Spit it out!
[15:19] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Ow!
[15:29] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    You meanie! I was only trying to...
[15:36] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Wait, do you not understand what I'm saying?
[15:40] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I'm Code 016. Hiro.
[15:44] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    What's your code number?
[15:48] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Man, does she not understand me at all?
[15:51] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Hey, you're barefoot.
[15:55] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    002? I've never seen a
    code in the single digits.
[16:00] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    002...
[16:03] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Oni? No, Zero Two?
[16:07] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Not very good, huh?
[16:10] (Flashback) Zero Two (002)
    Eo To!
[16:12] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Huh? Do you understand what names are?
[16:15] (Flashback) Zero Two (002)
    Eo To!
[16:16] (Flashback) Zero Two (002)
    Eo To!
[16:19] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I should've thought of a better name.
[16:24] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Let's go, Zero Two.
[16:26] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Let's go somewhere far away!
[16:33] Zero Two (002)
    I didn't understand his words,
    but I knew his voice called to me.
[16:39] Zero Two (002)
    I saw things with him.
[16:41] Zero Two (002)
    I walked with him.
[16:43] Zero Two (002)
    And it was so much fun.
[16:52] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Here you go.
[16:55] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    It's food.
[16:57] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Wait a sec.
[17:00] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    There.
[17:01] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Say, "Aah."
[17:24] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    What? Are you sure I can see it?
[17:28] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Thank you.
SIGN    The Beast and the Prince
[17:32] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    The Beast and the Prince, huh?
SIGN    In the deepest, darkest part of a forest lived a tribe, hidden from all. They had large wings on their backs and were beautiful, but they were what would be called beasts. Among them was their princess, who had huge, ashen wings. Their law said that once one turned sixteen, they would be allowed to fly outside the forest.
[17:36] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Wow, these pictures are so pretty!
[17:39] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Let's see... "In the deepest,
    darkest part of a forest..."
[17:44] (Flashback) Guard
    Yeah, no doubt about it.
[17:45] (Flashback) Guard
    They're in this area.
[17:51] (Flashback) Guard
    They should still be nearby. Look for them.
[17:54] (Flashback) Guard
    Sir.
[17:57] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    R-Relax. They'll let us off if I talk to th—
[17:59] (Flashback) Guard
    What do we do about Code 016?
[18:01] (Flashback) Guard
    002 takes priority. If he resists,
    you may kill him.
[18:09] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Don't worry.
[18:11] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I'll protect you.
SIGN    the Prince
[18:18] Hiro (016)
    "In the deepest, darkest part of a forest
[18:20] Hiro (016)
    lived a strong and beautiful beast princess.
[18:24] Hiro (016)
    Beckoned by the moonlight,
[18:27] Hiro (016)
    she wandered into a country of humans,
[18:30] Hiro (016)
    and in the moonlit garden of a small castle,
    she fell in love with a prince.
[18:35] Hiro (016)
    But the princess was a beast.
[18:38] Hiro (016)
    She had ashen wings on her back.
[18:41] Hiro (016)
    Not knowing what to do, she went to see
[18:44] Hiro (016)
    a witch who lived at the edge of the forest
[18:46] Hiro (016)
    and said, 'I want to live as a human.
    I want to be united with him.'
[18:52] Hiro (016)
    The witch replied like so:
[18:55] Hiro (016)
    'I can help you if you offer me your wings.
[18:59] Hiro (016)
    But keep this in mind.
[19:02] Hiro (016)
    No matter how you disguise
    yourself, you are a beast,
[19:07] Hiro (016)
    and you will consume the
    prince's life one day."
SIGN    And so, the princess went to see a witch who lived in the same forest and said, "I want to live as a human. I want to be united with him." The witch replied like so: "I can help you if you offer me your wings. But keep this in mind. No matter how you disguise yourself, you are a beast, and you will consume the prince's life one day." The princess ripped off her wings and was assaulted by pain far more intense than she had ever felt. She could never fly again.
SIGN    Even so, she smiled happily, with tears of joy streaming down her face. "I'm human! I'm human! I'm the same as him now!"
[19:14] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Sorry. I was just thinking
    how sad this story is.
[19:19] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Is it because one of them isn't
    human that they can't get married?
[19:24] (Flashback) Zero Two (002)
    Awwi?
[19:25] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Yeah. Two people who love each other
    promise to be together forever.
[19:32] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    If they were both human...
[19:40] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Nothing. Come on.
[19:41] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Let's walk some more.
[19:45] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Are you okay?
[19:46] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Let me see.
[19:49] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    It's blue?
[19:52] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    A-Anyway, I need something to...
[20:00] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Endure it!
[20:01] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I read in a book that animals
    lick their wounds to heal them.
[20:16] (Flashback) Zero Two (002)
    Awwi?
[20:19] (Flashback) Zero Two (002)
    Awwi.
[20:21] (Flashback) Zero Two (002)
    Awwi?
[20:24] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    Yeah. Once we get out of here.
[20:27] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    I want to be with you forever, too.
[20:29] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    And then, I'll be your da...
[20:35] (Flashback) Zero Two (002)
    Da...
[20:40] Zero Two (002)
    I don't know why, but tears
    flowed from my eyes.
[20:41] Hiro (016)
    What's wrong? Don't cry!
[20:43] Zero Two (002)
    It wasn't because my wound hurt.
[20:44] Hiro (016)
    Er...
[20:48] (Flashback) Hiro (016)
    It's a mistletoe.
[20:50] Zero Two (002)
    Yeah, those were probably tears of joy.
[20:55] Zero Two (002)
    The picture book's world was pretty,
[20:59] Zero Two (002)
    and I believed that if I was with him,
    I could be the same, too.
SIGN    "But that wouldn't be allowed"
[21:04] Zero Two (002)
    But this world didn't allow it.
[21:08] Hiro (016)
    Why? Why is it?
[21:11] Hiro (016)
    Am I not able to find the answers I seek
[21:14] Hiro (016)
    because I'm just a child who doesn't
    have the power to protect anyone?
[21:19] Zero Two (002)
    Why didn't I realize?
[21:22] Zero Two (002)
    That he and I were different creatures,
    with blood of different colors,
SIGN    "Erase these memories"
[21:27] Zero Two (002)
    and that I was a monster?
[21:33] (Flashback) Guard
    It's what you get for
    forgetting you're children.
[21:34] Guard
    Erase those memories. They're noise.
[21:35] Hiro (016)
    Zero Two!
[21:36] Sage
    But he's an interesting specimen.
[21:37] Zero Two (002)
    Darling!
[21:38] (Flashback) Ichigo (015)
    Aren't you gonna give them names anymore?
[21:39] Mitsuru (326)
    Why? You liar!
[21:41] Nana
    This is bad.
[21:42] (Flashback) Guard
    Monster.
[21:44] Zero Two (002)
    That's why I swore to become human,
    no matter what I had to do.
[21:52] Zero Two (002)
    If I were the same as him,
    I could be with him forever.
[21:58] Both
    Delphinium!
[22:04] Ichigo (015)
    Hiro, get away from Zero Two!
[22:07] Ichigo (015)
    She got closer to you to suck you dry!
[22:09] Ichigo (015)
    If you stay with her,
[22:11] Ichigo (015)
    even you'll lose your humanity!
[22:14] Zero Two (002)
    That's right.
[22:15] Zero Two (002)
    After all, I...
[22:18] Hiro (016)
    The picture book.
[22:22] Hiro (016)
    You were the girl with the picture
    book back then, weren't you?
SIGN    "And a story of reunion"
SIGN    Episode 13
SIGN    The Beast and the Prince
SIGN    The Beast and the Prince
SIGN    In the deepest, darkest part of a forest lived a tribe, hidden from all. They had large wings on their backs and were beautiful, but they were what would be called beasts. Among them was their princess, who had huge, ashen wings. Their law said that once one turned sixteen, they would be allowed to fly outside the forest.
SIGN    And on her sixteenth birthday, the princess took flight to the world beyond the forest. She crossed the steep mountains and the surging rivers and reached a land of humans. The moon shone brightly in the sky.
SIGN    She landed in a castle garden, where she found a young man gazing up at the moon. The princess hid in the bushes and stared at the young man, and for the first time, love bloomed in her heart. But he was clearly of a different race. A beast and a human could never be together.
SIGN    And so, the princess went to see a witch who lived in the same forest and said, "I want to live as a human. I want to be united with him." The witch replied like so: "I can help you if you offer me your wings. But keep this in mind. No matter how you disguise yourself, you are a beast, and you will consume the prince's life one day." The princess ripped off her wings and was assaulted by pain far more intense than she had ever felt. She could never fly again.
SIGN    Even so, she smiled happily, with tears of joy streaming down her face. "I'm human! I'm human! I'm the same as him now!"
SIGN    The princess once again set out for the land of humans, this time on foot. In the desert, she spotted a group of people. "Oh, no! Is there anyone who can save him?!" There lay a young man, his leg bitten by a snake. The princess rushed to his side and sucked the venom out from his wound."Thank you, o brave lady. I am the prince of these lands." It was the same young man she had met in the castle. "I owe my life to you. Please marry me."
SIGN    A wedding ceremony was held soon after. The priest asked the princess, clad in a wedding dress of pure white, "Do you vow to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
SIGN    "I do." The two exchanged rings, and when the priest said so, they sealed their vows with a kiss. And cheers rang out across the land. "Bless the brave girl who saved our prince's life!" The whole kingdom celebrated their marriage.
SIGN    "Humans! Humans! They have neither the wings to fly nor the claws or fangs to hunt. Such weak and frail creatures, but they are so, so warm. Humans are wonderful!" After the wedding, she lived happily as the princess of a human land. She supported the prince in his work, traveled the world, and saw oceans studded with glints of sapphire, sparkling grasslands, and auroras that swayed like raging flames. The princess took the prince's hand and said with a smile on her face, "Grab on to me and never let go, *******."
SIGN    But the princess's happiness was short-lived. She woke up one night to a pain that threatened to rend her asunder and found her body turning into one of a beast. "Why? I asked you to make me human!" On her back were jet-black wings, tearing through her flesh and skin to spread. "Using magic comes at a price. You've attained plenty of happiness as a human. Now, it is time for you to lose yourself and turn into an ugly monster," the witch of the forest whispered to her. "However, if you kill the person you love most, you will be freed of your curse and return to the beast you originally were."
SIGN    The princess gazed at her beloved prince as her claws reached for his throat. She loved him more than anything and anyone, but the desire to rip his neck apart welled up inside her. As she desperately tried to clench her fist and stop herself, her claws dug into her skin, and blood started gushing out. "If I kill the prince, I will be freed of this curse..." With tears streaming down her face, she kissed the prince on the cheek.
SIGN    When the prince awoke,
    the princess was no longer
    beside him. Instead, the bed
    was covered in jet-black feathers.
SIGN    In profound sadness,
    the prince searched
    all across the land for her.
    But nobody had seen the princess.