Crimson and Silver Christmas 🔔🎄
🔔 Episode 1: Silver Tears and the Christmas Night
Snow was falling.
Beyond the window, small white flakes drifted down in silence.
Mira：
“…It’ll be Christmas again soon.”
I let out a quiet breath.
Christmas…
No matter how much time passes, it always brings the memories back.
That day.
My father’s words—
and the night he never came home.
—This is a story from when I was still very young.
My Christmas was never extravagant.
My father was a scholar,
always buried in his research.
But even so, on Christmas—
he always made time to be with me.
A small house.
An old fireplace.
A Christmas tree with only a few decorations.
And yet—
On nights when my father was by my side,
that alone was more than enough.
On the day before Christmas,
my father left the house.
Mira’s Father:
“I’ll be home for Christmas. I promise.”
He said it in a calm, gentle voice—
the same reassuring tone he always used.
My father was often away,
but no matter how late it got,
he always came home by night.
He had never once left me alone.
So that day, too,
I had no reason to doubt his words.
Mira：
“Take care, Dad.”
My father turned back and smiled,
his eyes narrowing just a little.
For a brief moment,
he seemed different from usual.
At the time,
I never imagined those words would be the last I would hear from him.
That night,
I decorated the small Christmas tree
while waiting for my father to come home,
just like I always did.
Outside, I could hear the soft sound of snow
falling and piling up quietly.
Inside the room,
the fire in the fireplace flickered gently.
The sky grew darker,
and the snow grew deeper.
Mira：
“…Dad’s taking a long time.”
I stared at the little Christmas tree,
now covered with its simple decorations,
and waited.
But I wasn’t scared.
Not even a little.
My father had never broken a promise before.
So I thought,
He’s probably just late again,
and kept waiting—
reading a picture book by the fire.
But that night was different.
It was already past ten o’clock.
By now, he should have been home,
getting dinner ready like he always did.
A small feeling of worry crept into my head.
Mira：
“…I hope Dad’s okay…”
The father who was supposed to come home—
all little me could do was sit there
and wait.
The fire in the fireplace grew smaller,
and the room slowly grew colder.
I was born from a succubus and a snow spirit,
so the cold never really bothered me.
Even so,
my heart began to feel cold—little by little.
❄️ And then—
Before I realized it,
my eyes were filled with tears.
Mira：
“…Dad?”
I called out again.
That was when—
Knock. Knock.
The sound echoed through the quiet house.
—He’s home.
I jumped to my feet without thinking
and ran straight to the front door.
…but when I opened it—
Standing there were a red-haired girl
and a large, unfamiliar man with a stern face.
Mira：
“W-Who…?”
They weren’t my father.
Fear rushed through me,
and I felt like I might start crying.
Then—
Red-Haired Girl：
“Merry Christmas!
This is a present from me!”
She said it brightly,
holding out a wrapped gift.
Stern Man：
“Hey, Lilith.
That’s not from you.”
The girl called Lilith puffed up her cheeks.
Behind her, the large man quietly bowed his head.
Stern Man：
“…I’m sorry for coming so suddenly.
I didn’t mean to frighten you.
Your father asked me to come.”
His low voice filled the room.
He said nothing more.
And I… couldn’t ask anything else.
It wasn’t his face that scared me.
I was afraid that
if I asked the wrong question,
something important would break.
I slowly opened the gift.
Inside was a single book.
An adventure story—
one I loved very much.
It carried a faint, familiar scent.
Just that was enough
to make the warmth return to my chest,
if only a little.
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