Euphoria was not like other children. From the moment of her birth, her cries were faint, her skin icy to the touch. Her parents, desperate to save her, sought the help of an infamous doctor on the outskirts of Edinburgh—one who had long been cast out of society for his unorthodox methods. This man, with trembling hands and a mind steeped in madness, replaced her failing heart with a cuckoo clock, its ticking mechanisms keeping her alive.

When Euphoria was old enough to understand, the woman who had raised her—whether her mother or some other guardian, she never truly knew—gave her a strict warning. "Don't touch the hands of your heart," the woman said sternly, brushing a stray lock of hair from Euphoria's face. "Keep your temper under control. And never, never, fall in love."

For years, Euphoria obeyed these rules. She learned to temper her emotions, hiding her anger and sadness beneath a serene mask. Her life was lonely but safe, her mechanical heart ticking steadily, the cuckoo chirping faintly on the hour.

But all of that changed the day she met her.

Something about her drew Euphoria in—her determination, her warmth, the way she seemed so alive. Against her better judgment, she found herself returning to the marketplace day after day, just to catch a glimpse of her.

When she was anywhere near, Euphoria's heart raced—tick, tick, tick—with the cuckoo bursting out with frantic chirps. The wood burned and the clock hands spun frantically as if desperately trying to run away. Euphoria dashed away even as she stood there baffled.

She ran behind the tall oak tree, clutching her chest, her hands rubbing over the soft fabric of her shoulder before dropping down to her sides. "My love boils in my heart whenever I look at you, the clock's hands spin and spin, and the wood seems to burn, but I can't love you, but I can never stop.." She whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.

I love her, I love her, I love her..

The words rang out through her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she could never stop..