The story opens in the woods with a 'Wanted' poster on a tree. The picture on the poster was of a 20-something-year-old man with dark brown hair up in a ponytail, green eyes, and tanned skin.
This is the story of how I died. But, don't worry, this is actually a very fun story and the truth is it isn't even mine. This is the story of a girl named Sayori. And it starts with a star. Now, once upon a time, a reddish-gold shooting star fell from the heavens and, from this small star, grew a magic white flower. It had the ability to heal the sick and the injured.
The scene then switches to night, as a shooting star flew across the sky and landed in the soil, before a beautiful white flower grew. Nearby, an old lady with a black cloak on was walking through when she discovered the flower with her lantern. Intrigued, she approached it.
Oh, you see that old woman over there? You might want to remember her. She's kind of important.
Years later, we see a couple of hills with a palace and a town being constructed.
Well, centuries passed, and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved king and queen. And the queen, well, she was about to have a baby. She got sick. Really sick.
Inside of the palace, a pregnant queen was lying in bed, gasping in pain, as the king knelt beside her bedside, holding her hand. If nothing can be done to save his wife and her baby, both mother and child will be goners.
She was running out of time, and that's when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic reddish-gold flower.
That night, all the guards and villagers headed to the woods to begin their search for the reddish-gold flower.
Meanwhile, the old lady from before slowly removed a basket to reveal the white flower. She removed her hood and knelt close to the flower.
Ah, I told you she'd be important. You see, instead of sharing the star's gift, this woman, Amnelis, hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years, and all she had to do was sing a special song.
Amnelis: Flower, gleam and glow
Let your power shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine
Suddenly, the flower began to glow brighter than ever, as Amnelis sang, before her face became younger and her hair turned from grey to blonde.
Alright, you get the gist. She sings to it, she turns young. Creepy, right?
Just then, Amnelis heard voices approaching. She quickly covered the flower up with the basket and went to hide. But, as she did, she accidentally knocked the basket over, revealing the flower.
"We found it!" A guard shouted.
Two guards carefully removed the flower, its roots still in the soil, and put it in a pot, unaware that Amnelis was watching and glaring.
Back at the castle, the flower was put in a bowl of broth. The queen weakly sat up and drank the broth, as the king held it up to her lips.
The magic white flower healed the queen.
Much later, a daughter was born to the king and queen. The baby girl had long white hair and brown eyes and was lying in a bassinet with a mobile of various objects.
A healthy baby girl, a princess, was born, with beautiful white hair.
The king and queen both smiled at their newborn daughter. Their daughter giggled, as the queen picked her up and laughed softly. The king smiled as he placed a crown on his baby daughter's head.
I'll give you a hint: that's Sayori.
That evening, the king and queen, who was holding baby Sayori, lit a lantern and launched it into the sky to celebrate the day she was born.
To celebrate her birth, the king and queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. And for that one moment, everything was perfect.
That night, the royal family was asleep. They didn't notice the door to the balcony open by itself.
And then that moment ended.
Amnelis, who had become old once again, snuck quietly towards the sleeping Sayori and began to sing the same song from before. And just like the flower, Sayori hair glowed, which meant that not all the magic of the healing flower had disappeared when the queen had ingested it; it had just been absorbed into Sayori. Amnelis picked up a strand of Sayori's glowing hair, as she became young again. Taking a pair of scissors, she snipped the strand off, but, as luck would have it, the strand stopped glowing and turned brown.
Amnelis gasped in horror and became old again, and part of Sayori's cut hair turned brown, before Amnelis came to a realization. If any part of Sayori's hair is cut, the hair loses its power and turns brown. So now, Amnelis is left with no other choice but to take the baby away.
The king and queen were awoken by a cry from baby Sayori and saw Amnelis stealing their child. Amnelis looked back and glared at them, before she disappeared into the darkness with Sayori.
Amnelis broke into the castle, stole the child, and just like that-gone.
Somewhere in a forest, we now see a hidden tower with a light coming through one of the closed window shutters, as we hear Sayori, now a little older, around 5 years old, singing.
Sayori: Heal what has been hurt
Change the Fates' design
The kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the princess. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Amnelis raised the child as her own.
Inside of the tower, Amnelis brushes Sayori's hair, which is now longer, as Sayori continues to sing.
Sayori: Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine
Once Sayori finishes singing, just like that, Amnelis turns young again and continues brushing Sayori's hair.
Amnelis had found her new magic flower, but this time, she was determined to keep it hidden.
"Why can't I go outside?" Sayori asked Amnelis.
"The outside world is a dangerous place," Amnelis lied, "filled with horrible selfish people. You must stay here where you're safe. Do you understand, flower?"
"Yes, Mommy," Sayori said.
That night, Sayori sneaks down the stairs and past Amnelis room.
But the walls of that tower could not hide everything.
Sayori opens the window and watched as thousands of flying lanterns sail through the sky.
Each year, on her birthday, the king and queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky, in hope that one day, their lost princess would return.
As Sayori watches the lanterns, she leans against the window sill and smiles, wondering where they are coming from and who they are meant for.