[Intro] [The steady, oppressive TICK-TOCK of a grandfather clock. A solo, melancholic piano plays a rigid, repetitive melody. The mood is stifled, yearning, and quietly rebellious.] [Verse 1] [Female Vocals - Elara (Soprano)] (Singing softly, almost to herself, with a mix of boredom and deep frustration) Mother is stitching a tapestry border. Father is preaching on virtue and order. The fire is crackling, the teacups are poured, And I am so safe, and I'm terribly bored. They speak of the future, a suitable match, A sensible husband, a respectable catch. A house in the square with a lock on the gate... Is this all there is? Is this my whole fate? [Pre-Chorus] (The piano melody breaks its rigid structure, becoming more flowing and romantic. A solo cello joins in.) I look past the curtains, out into the street, Where the fog and the gaslight so quietly meet. They tell me there's monsters and thieves in the gloom, But the only real monster is trapping me in this room. [Chorus] [The music swells with a passionate, Broadway "I Want" energy. Sweeping strings, soaring vocals.] [Female Vocals - Elara] I want the shadows! I want the chill! I want a life that refuses to sit still! Keep all your firesides, keep all your tea, This suffocating parlor is burying me! I'd rather face demons and dance on the edge, Than wither away on this safe, narrow ledge! If safety is gray, and if danger is red... I'm leaving this house before I am dead! [Verse 2] (The rigid ticking returns, but Elara's voice is now decisive and firm.) My sister is sleeping, so perfectly pure, Of her small, quiet life she is perfectly sure. I slip on my cloak and I silently creep, Past all of the people who live while asleep. The brass of the doorknob is cold in my hand... I'm leaving the borders of this quiet land. [Pre-Chorus] (The music builds, a sense of breathless anticipation.) The hinges are turning, the night air blows in, It smells like the damp, and it smells like a sin. I step on the cobblestones, slick with the rain, And I swear I will never come back here again. [Chorus] [Full, soaring orchestration. A triumphant, yet naive release.] [Female Vocals - Elara] I'm in the shadows! I'm in the chill! I'm finding a life that refuses to sit still! I've left the fireside, I've left the tea, The suffocating parlor is empty of me! I'm looking for demons, I'm walking the edge, I've thrown myself off of their safe, narrow ledge! The safety is gray, but the danger is red... I'm walking the night with no fear and no dread! [Outro] [The music softens to a gentle, mysterious flutter of woodwinds and strings. The ticking clock is gone, replaced by the faint sound of distant city noises and wind.] (Softly, looking around the dark, empty street) The city is sleeping... The fog rolls in... I'm finally... free. [The music fades on a beautiful, slightly eerie, unresolved chord—leading directly into the opening notes of "Symphony of the Night" where Valerius finds her.]
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