-1-

The day he lost his parents, Parsifal gained a twin brother.

...He was a strange kid who insisted his name was Organ, or, just let him use a single letter instead.

What human being doesn't want to have a unique title, a unique name?

-2-

Likewise, the organ doesn't like being called "brother" by Parsifal.

Every time he heard the call of "brother", he would always emphasize, "You will forget", or, he would repeat -

"Please call me P."

Then there was the terrifying red eyes of the organ, the way she kept coughing up blood but never seemed to get any worse, the calmness that sometimes belied her age in her words, and the white, backless dress she wore that inexplicably frightened him...

The organ was an extremely strange child.

Even Parsifal, who was also a child, could see that he was strange.

-3-

——But, in the eyes of children, these are not important.

The important thing is that the organ was very, very good to him.

When Parsifal was first imprisoned in the cage, the organist would secretly visit him every day and bring him delicious food, clean water, and a warm quilt or pillow.

He would quietly sneak in through the crack in the door every night, take away these things before dawn every morning, and leave quietly.

Besides, the organ always had no trouble unlocking the cage.

Every time he sneaked in to see him, he would just open the cage -

Come in and stay in there with him, or pat his back or touch his head.

-4-

He was very awkward doing these things, as if he was practicing soothing a small animal for the first time in his life.

Every time he was hugged from behind, he would stiffen for a moment and then tilt his head in confusion.

-5-

Parsifal was a little shy at first, because he had always felt that he was an only child who needed to venture out on his own. Even when he met his twin brother, he felt that as the older brother with a knight's name, he shouldn't...

Seeking refuge from such a short, thin brother who doesn't even have a name.

But the organ was so calm and gentle, and even though the hand that reached out to comfort him was as thin as a stick, Parsifal could feel a very healing sense of security.

His brother was undoubtedly pitiful and sickly, but somehow Parsifal felt that he did not need to be protected.

Besides, staying alone in the cage, staying alone in this strange place, he was really...

So scary, so scary.

-6-

Parsifal still remembered the outside world. He also knew that not every child had to wear a white dress.

...So, fear could not be removed from his blue eyes.

On the third night when the organ was unlocked and put into the cage to accompany him, Parsifal could not help but tremble and pull out his sleeve - he tried to calm himself, but was still panic-stricken -

"Since you can unlock the cage, can you unlock the other doors? Brother, this place is not good, why don't we escape together--"

The organist looked at him blankly, as if he had no idea why he asked such a question.

-7-

"Why should I run away? I'm the organ. This has been my life since I opened my eyes."

-8-

Parsifal was speechless for a moment.

He suddenly realized that his brother had never grown up in a normal, happy place.

Therefore, in the eyes of the organ, there is no "normal" and no "happiness".

Parsifal tried hard to convince him.

"But...but...outside...the child won't be locked in a cage..."

"The kids here aren't locked up in cages all the time. It's because you're new here, and that's why new kids are locked up in cages."

"...There's more to it than just...toast...coffee...and bacon...cheese...and candy..."

"What?" The organ was even more confused. "Are there so many kinds of food? Is there anything more delicious than toast and coffee?"

"Outside... there are... instruments other than the organ... There are light instruments that you can carry on your back without having to sit upright in a tall, dark church..."

"Hmm."

-9-

The organ stopped asking questions and fell completely silent.

In the dark night, the other pair of red eyes in the cage showed almost no signs of blinking, like some strange beast poking its head out from the corner of the wall.

...But Parsifal was not afraid, because his brother's knees and shoulders were close to his - he was almost leaning over, listening very attentively to his description of the outside world.

Moreover, his knees and shoulders are really very thin.

Although they looked exactly the same, Parsifal, who had never been hungry and was in good health, felt that he could pick up and smash his younger brother with just one hand.

-10-

The organ is like some fragile object. Who would be wary of the approach of a fragile object?

-11-

He then went on to tell the world outside the organ, describing his favorite instrument, marshmallows, and the rolling wooden board on wheels in a child's voice.

The organ was silent, but Parsifal felt that he had taken every word to heart.

So, on the night of the seventeenth day, Parsifal thought he might understand and again suggested escape.

-12-

The organ still shook its head.

"I can slip through this door and unlock this cage because I've seen many doors like this, many locks like this. Many, many."

-13-

"But all those children in those cages? Every one of them tried to escape. And none of them managed to escape."

"Besides, you were sent here, brother. Since you were sent here, there is no place for you to 'go back' to in the outside world."

He paused, then whispered, "There's only one way to leave here... but you don't want to choose it."

-14-

Parsifal did not understand at the time what the organ meant by the only method.

But it doesn’t take long to figure it out.

——On the 21st day, singing was heard from the window outside the room containing the cage.

It is different from the distant and vague chorus in the past.

That was the voice of the organ.

It is light, gentle and tender, as if it will disappear if blown by the wind.

-15-

He could tell that it was the organ singing, and even though the organ always said he was a fool who could only play the organ, Parsifal knew that he sang very well.

Because, at night, when he was afraid, the organ would sing him a lullaby, gently touching his forehead as it sang.

Although the temperature of his fingers always made Parsifal shiver, who could bear to give up his brother's lullaby and sleep-inducing service?

The organ was truly musically gifted. Parsifal had imagined more than once what his younger brother would look like in the outside world, playing the organ and singing. Ah, his younger brother could learn guitar with him, since he couldn't take the bulky organ with him after all...

The organ will definitely like the guitar.

He knew that when he talked about how the guitar could be carried to any place and played, the fingers of the organist couldn't help but twitch slightly.

-16-

…But what is the organ playing outside today?

It was daytime, and the organist had a lot of performances to prepare for during the day and would not come to see him.

Parsifal rubbed his eyes and sat up from the cage. He grabbed the cage bars and with some difficulty stretched his head towards the window.

He saw the organ in the courtyard.

He squatted under the white statue, singing and planting flowers with his head down.

He planted a tulip, a pure white tulip next to a large field of pure white tulips.

The pure white tulips gathered together look like the white skirts on the children.

The organ in a white dress sang, and a new white dress was planted.

The movements were unusually gentle, the singing unusually soft.

-17-

Parsifal inexplicably wanted to hear what the organ was singing, but its voice was too soft, and Parsifal had to stand on tiptoe even harder.

——But the soft singing was immediately interrupted.

Not far away, more and more bright and powerful laughter came, making the place lively and noisy.

It's the other children.

The organ stopped playing immediately, and he lowered his head even lower, concentrating on covering the newly planted flowers with the dark soil.

The children who were gathered together and laughing came closer. Their voices were amplified by their excitement. Compared to the soft and small singing just now, they were really energetic.

"congratulations!"

"This is fantastic!"

"I envy you so much—"

-18-

The extremely excited children gathered around a proud child whose face turned red with excitement.

"You've been practicing so hard for so long, and you've finally been chosen!"

“Many adults chose him at the same time!”

"The teacher is also very happy! The teacher actually changed his attitude and praised you for being a good child!"

"That's great! Tomorrow you will be taken to the outside world by adults—"

-19-

The noisy, lively children skipped away.

The organist stood up straight, lowered his eyes, and quietly added the last handful of soil to the newly planted white tulip.

He stopped singing, or maybe the song was completely over.

-20-

Just like a small tulip planted in the soil, its lifespan after blooming is always very short.

-twenty one-

Parsifal looked at his back as he planted flowers, and for some unknown reason, he felt a vague sense of fear.

...He didn't know what he was afraid of, but that night, when he heard the gate outside the courtyard being pulled open and the child who had been so excited during the day being pulled away by a carriage...

Parsifal huddled in the corner of the cage, trembling with fear.

The organ crawled into the cage, patted his shoulder, and said seriously:

"It's okay, brother. I will protect you and won't let you wear a white dress too."

-twenty two-

Parsifal shuddered and looked up at him.

The organ remains very calm.

“…I saw it when you were planting flowers during the day.”

"Um."

"Did you plant all the white tulips in the garden?"

"Um."

"After each child is selected, will you plant flowers?"

"Why not? White tulips can make this place cleaner."

The organ looked out at the dark courtyard. "Even though I have to live here, I hate getting dirty. Planting flowers is the only way to make it cleaner."

Parsifal also looked towards the courtyard in the darkness.

The pure white sea of ​​tulips swayed gently in the night breeze, like a shallow sea with ripples.

-twenty three-

Who knows how many white tulips there are in the sea of ​​flowers.

Only the flower-growing organ knows.

"Besides, brother, you should understand," the organ turned around and blinked his red eyes at him, "they won't have complete bodies anymore. So it would be easier to plant flowers than to make graves."

-twenty four-

—At that moment, Parsifal vomited.

-25-

The organ knows when to plant flowers, the organ knows how many flowers it has planted, and the organ knows why it plants flowers in the yard.

The organ knows everything.

But he just watched silently. He remained on the sidelines.

So cold... like a monster with no consciousness or emotions at all.

-26-

He lay in the cage, vomiting, sobbing, and trembling...for a long time.

The organ seemed to be standing next to him, looking down at him. Moreover, the organ put its hand on his back, patting it gently, its movements confused and stiff.

Parsifal… was reluctant to let him go.

This is his only younger brother.

Said he would protect his brother.

My brother just doesn't understand.

Besides, what can my brother do?

He was also trapped here, coughing up blood when walking, not having enough food to eat, and so fragile that he seemed like he could be broken by a child's push.

-27-

Parsifal clenched his fists. "...Do you sing every time you plant flowers? This habit of yours is too weird. You must change..."

The organist shook his head.

-28-

"That's not a song," he said quietly. "Brother, that's a hymn to death."

-29-

"Just as I must play the organ, I must sing a hymn to death. This is my duty here..."

He blinked, and his eyelashes covered his blood-red eyes for a moment.

"It is my eternal duty."

-30-

Parsifal opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, and closed it again.

He found it absurd and ridiculous.

"A hymn...to death? You...those people...trained you...to praise death?"

Surprisingly, the organ smiled at this question.

This was the first time in many days that Parsifal saw him smile.

Although the smile was still stiff and strange—it was truly terrifying when paired with Organ's pale skin—it was not fake.

The organ was obviously in a better mood because of this question.

-31-

"Of course not. Don't you know, brother? Death, whom I shall praise, the Banshee, loves tulips, music, and hymns most."

-32-

"Come on, brother. I'll show you."

The organ held out his hand to Parsifal.

For the first time, a lively and brilliant look appeared between his brows, like a child who was about to introduce his favorite toy to his playmates.

"The subject of the hymn... the Banshee."

-33-

It seemed like a peaceful and calm place.

...That seems to be the case.

Until the organ took Parsifal's hand and led him out of the cage, out of the room, and through the silent corridor.

It was a dark night with no moonlight.

The twin brothers walked hand in hand to the center of the courtyard, where the white tulips and statues seemed to glow by themselves.

—Parsifal followed his brother to the place where he had been tending flowers during the day, and then, for some reason, a red light seemed to flash in the darkness—

The statue made a soft "click" sound, opening the passage leading to the underground.

-34-

The organ led him slowly into the tunnel.

The darkness that was approaching seemed even darker and thicker—Parsifal could not help but shrink and hide behind him—

"This is my exclusive responsibility," the organ whispered. "Don't be afraid, the adults will never find me."

...What responsibilities?

Parsifal was confused, but soon, a light came on in the tunnel.

It was the organ that struck the match and lit an oil lamp.

Large boxes of matches were piled on a wooden shelf - Parsifal understood why he always brought hot food and a pile of lit firewood.

"It's right here... Look."

-35-

Parsifal looked in the direction he pointed and held his breath.

Hanging from the mottled stone wall was a huge, enormous gray-white sickle.

-36-

"Shhh."

The organ's voice was so soft it was almost a whisper: "That's a dead banshee. Don't wake her."

...The dead Banshee?!

"Since he's dead, how can he still——"

"Keep your voice down. Come over here, brother."

-37-

Behind the gray-white sickle are pictures painted on the stone wall.

The organist led him through everything about the Banshee with the oil lamp.

-38-

The Banshee is born from the death of all shadows and feeds on the death of all shadows.

Dark death creates the banshees. Dark death is also the food that attracts them.

Therefore, wherever they appear, anywhere, there will definitely be death, disaster, or evil around them.

Therefore, it is called the "Banshee".

They are the messengers of death, the death knell of the living... Though called "banshees," they have no gender, merely a mass of dark shadows draped in a shroud...

Of course, this indescribable black shadow is neither alive nor dead.

Therefore, the Banshee is immortal, and in the perception of some humans, is a life that can be "eternal" - however, since it cannot die, it is naturally not considered life.

How can something that has no past, no future, and has never lived be life?

If it is not life, how can there be "eternal life"?

-39-

Just like every race.

The Banshee also has her weaknesses.

The Banshee's true form is the source of their birth.

The strength of their source also reflects the strength of their power. Some banshees are so weak that they can only curl up in their shrouds and gasp for breath, while others can split their bodies and transform into giant sickles.

Therefore, the Banshee is not a creature powerful enough to cross the world and crush everything.

They are just shadows that keep pursuing different deaths, wandering from world to world.

Tasting more evil, devouring more shadows, greedily and darkly hunting death.

They are born in the shadows and often end up in the shadows.

-40-

You won't die, but you will fall down when your energy is exhausted.

Banshees hate their own kind. They will slaughter and devour each other. Their nature is solitary and wandering. When such creatures fall, naturally nothing will be kind enough to collect their bones, regroup their energy, and wake them up.

However, Banshees rarely [die] - no matter how big the gap in strength is, there are still only a few who can use their overwhelming advantage to chop their own kind into pieces.

Most of the time, the result of them slaughtering each other is just to leave each other with wounds that can slowly heal. The lucky ones will eat their fill and die and become stronger again, while the unlucky ones cannot find food and will temporarily sleep in a shadow due to lack of energy.

Even if you [die], you will [wake up].

Therefore, in the eyes of some higher-dimensional creatures, the banshees are just a group of annoying, non-threatening stray cats who are good at hiding in dark corners and eating garbage.

A few deaths will satisfy their hunger, and they will fight and devour each other when they meet... This kind of thing is not worth mentioning.

-41-

Until, in a certain world, at a certain moment.

A pitch-black banshee was born.

-42-

After the Banshee was born... in a certain world, at a certain moment...

All other Banshees are dead.

-43-

"That is the most powerful Banshee. Also, the last... Banshee."

The organ stopped before the last painting, which was painted with a huge, chaotic black shadow.

The shadow was so big that it almost swallowed up the two little boys in front of the painting.

-44-

Parsifal drew back a step and shuddered.

But Organ raised the oil lamp, looked up and approached it.

"Look."

His eyes sparkled, and his tone was so brisk that he almost sang.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

-45-

Praise death.

Offering poems, songs, piano music and tulips.

Praise... this last banshee.

-46-

“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

The organ murmured, "If only one day I could offer my own death to it. If only I could die countless times... No, countless deaths are not enough, if only I could..."

Parsifal did not hear his last words.

The almost bloodless lips that were worn out by the organ were not even a murmur, but so low that he almost held it on the tip of his tongue.

-47-

"If I could...possess this Banshee completely."

-48-

Parsifal took a few steps back.

As he took a few steps back, he even let go of the corner of his brother's clothes.

"Brother...it's scary here...let's go back...okay? I want to go back..."

The word "home" was about to come out of his mouth, but he swallowed it back.

Parsifal trembled and said, "I want to go back to the cage..."

-49-

The organ in front of the painting turned its head.

The flickering flame of the oil lamp made his red eyes look very soft.

"Of course, brother. I will protect you... Don't be afraid."

He approached Parsifal, the candlelight flickering, and the pale cheeks that were not fully illuminated made it look like something out of a painting of a banshee.

"Now that you have the answer you wanted, go back to sleep."

Parsifal took a few steps back again: "I——"

"Goodnight...Brother."

-50-

The candle went out.

-51-

On the morning of the 22nd day, Parsifal woke up from his cage.

He rubbed his eyes and threw off the blanket.

The organ tapped the cage bars softly.

"Did you sleep well last night, brother?"

Parsifal raised his head and looked at his brother, somewhat confused.

"I don't remember...it seems like a scary dream..."

"Don't be afraid. I will protect you."

-52-

The brother's calm and gentle face was still full of security. He squatted down and stuffed hot bread and milk into Parsifal's hands.

"Have breakfast, brother."

“…Oh…Okay. Thank you…”

Parsifal stuffed the bread into his mouth, and somehow he ate it a little too fast.

Maybe he was hungry because of that vague nightmare.

"Oh right...brother...what I wanted to say a few days ago, let's run away..."

"I'm sorry, brother."

-53-

The organist blinked. "I have duties to perform here, so I won't run away."

-54-

Besides, I don't want to escape.