TCGAD 4

To those who find it hard to keep their purity, let them abandon it. -Nietzsche

☀️

My memory comes and goes in fragments, then finds its place again. My vision is hazy, and my mind is clouded.

All I can recall are the moments when Lemon came into the room, bringing food or something like that.

“…P-please, save me.”

I couldn’t endure anymore. I begged desperately, stretching out my hand, pleading for someone to save me. I told them my strength was completely drained, that if this went on, I might really wither away and die, that my ribs felt like they were being mercilessly crushed. I pleaded ceaselessly. It wasn’t an exaggeration—my waist genuinely felt like it was being shattered.

“Have a pleasant time.”

Lemon just smiled, staring into the void. With a bright, cheerful grin, she slammed the door shut. I collapsed like wilted kimchi, my limbs dangling limply. I was so exhausted I couldn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

“-Ugh.”

When I opened my eyes again, my hair was being roughly grabbed. A massive figure was rubbing his lower body against the side of my face. Swish, swish, swish! A hot friction burned against my temple. From the corner of my eye, I saw something dark red, like a club, moving in and out repeatedly.

“Huff…”

My deeply sunken hip bones ached unevenly. The coarse p**ic hair was already matted with something white and hardened, disgustingly tangled. Slick, slimy. My temple was just as sticky.

“My b**ch.”

Noticing I was awake, he grinned wickedly. He gripped the neck of a wine bottle roughly and shoved it upside down into my mouth. Gulp, gulp—the wine spurted violently from the bottle’s mouth.

“Drink to the wedding toast too.”

After satisfying his own thirst, he grabbed my chin and lifted it. Wine poured over my face like a waterfall, drenching everything in red.

“It’s wine made from grapes crushed on Mount Olympus.”

He shook the bottle dry, squeezing out every last drop. Drip, drip! He poured it all over my face and then tossed the bottle aside. The poor glass bottle shattered with a loud crash.

I was completely soaked up to my chest. As if the wine wasn’t enough, he l**ked my cheeks and neck again. He was so persistent it felt like my skin would peel off entirely.

“Sweet.”

He grinned with satisfaction and resumed thrusting his hips.

“…Ugh, wait a second.”

My head shook violently. My skull throbbed. I pounded his thigh with my fist, but his rock-hard thigh didn’t budge an inch. It was truly like a concrete wall. It wasn’t something you could compare to a human body.

“Ha, huff.”

My touch was mercilessly crushed. The monster gripped my head like a steering wheel, shaking his hips back and forth mindlessly.

“…….”

I stared blankly at his vulgar, filthy figure, driven by a single purpose.

Overlaid on this sight was a scene I’d seen before.

I was returning home with my grandmother after shopping at the market. Somewhere, I heard a whimpering sound, and my head naturally turned toward it.

“Huh?”

In one corner of the neighbor’s yard, two dogs were entangled. A brown dog was gripping the waist of a white dog, which was tied up, with both front paws, shaking its hips relentlessly. For a moment, I wondered what was happening.

“Hey, you rascal!”

The old man from the neighbor’s house rushed out. He struck the brown dog with a broom. Startled, the brown dog leapt up in place.

At the same time, a bright red thing protruded, swaying wildly in the air. I didn’t know exactly what was going on, but the sight felt strange and oddly embarrassing.

“Getting all over another male like that, how shameful! Get lost, get out of here!”

The old man scolded, and my grandmother clicked her tongue.

“A fighting dog, huh.”

Staring blankly, I finally realized it was a dog that had escaped from the fighting ring on the hill behind the village.

The brown dog had a large head and unusually thick front legs. Its muscles were overly developed for a yard dog. There was even a small tag with a number on its ear.

“Male dogs do that to dominate others, even their own kind. It must have come to steal food and got into a fight.”

Back then, I was too young to understand what he meant. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I realized dogs sometimes mount others as a violent act of submission.

The law of the jungle. I came to understand that they have their own rules.

“…….”

But now.

It’s clear to anyone that the balance of power is tilted toward him. There’s no need to establish dominance in this relationship.

I raised only my eyes, keeping my head still, and saw a glint of wild eyes through his sparse hair. They were truly half-mad eyes.

If it’s not about domination, then… is he actually feeling l**t for me?

“Look at this.”

He lowered one hand and grabbed my p**ic hair. My thigh twitched upward. I tensed, fearing he might touch my limp c**k and crush it, my body stiffening with anxiety.

But the monster just kneaded my p**ic hair as he pleased.

“…What a weird color.”

He smirked.

“Should I make a fur armor with this hair? Though it doesn’t seem like it’d protect your body at all.”

He chuckled, saying utterly nonsensical things while staring straight into my eyes.

“You’ve got eyeholes too. Two of them.”

“W-why would you…”

Why state something so obvious in such a bizarre way?

He’d already touched every hole in my body—my ears, the crevice under my armpit… If he could see my sweat pores, he’d probably rub those too.

He even tried to touch my nose. I flailed my limbs, begging him not to touch my nostrils, that I might actually suffocate and die. I pleaded desperately.

“…….”

Of course, my words were completely ignored. His fist-sized g**ns pressed against my nostril, squirting sticky s**en with a hiss. A foul stench hit me, and nausea surged within.

“Cough, cough!”

I rinsed my nose and mouth repeatedly with the water Lemon had brought. My throat ached terribly. S**en and water churned chaotically in my already ruined stomach.

I heard a snickering sound, as if he found it amusing.

“No hole to f**k, so what am I supposed to do?”

He snorted derisively. I bit my lower lip hard. I wanted to throw dirt in his eyes and run away right then…

But the reality holding me captive bound me tightly.

“Your mouth?”

My body flinched at the word that came from above. My knees jolted upward as if struck by a hammer.

“Yeah, open your mouth.”

My chin was forcibly lifted. The eyes I met swirled with a violent, sticky l**t.

“Hades was born from the throat. Why don’t you give birth through your mouth too?”

His c**k twitched roughly.

It was pitch-black, with a ridiculously large g**ns. The dark red shaft pulsed with bulging veins, making it look like some ferocious, living thing. As if it would rip open its maw and swallow me whole…

I couldn’t fathom how I was supposed to fit that in my mouth. It would surely tear.

“Open it.”

Seeing my hesitation, he thrust his hips impatiently. He had no patience at all. Thud, thud—his g**ns battered my lips again.

“Open it.”

I shut my eyes tightly. I already knew from experience—resisting like this was pointless. He’d get what he wanted in the end.

As I opened my mouth slightly, my jaw trembled. Sweat beaded down my spine from the tension.

“Hng…”

His g**ns forced its way in, stretching my mouth wide. A savage smell overwhelmed me. The urethra rubbed roughly against my tongue, filling my mouth with a chaotic taste. It felt like a snake slithering down my throat, coiling inside.

“Ha, hng…! D**n, your mouth’s so tight. Should I just punch it open, huh, hng.”

He muttered vicious words, his hips slamming against my throat. Unfamiliar tears welled up in my eyes, streaming down. The hot liquid mixed with his slick c**k, making w**, squelching sounds.

“Grr…!”

Soon, his head j**ked back. His coarse, mane-like hair flew wildly, and the Adam’s apple in his thick neck stood out.

A harsh, scraping sound came from his throat. At the same time, hot liquid spurted onto my tongue with a puff!

“Hoo, hoo…!”

His body shuddered with the intensity of his c**max. The violent vibration left my jaw aching, as if it might dislocate.

Only after emptying every last drop into me did he pull his c**k out with a slick sound. Then he rubbed his filthy g**ns all over my eyelids.

“Ugh!”

I shook my head violently, and he laughed mockingly. Why was his c**k so quick to recover? It was already swelling again.

I thrashed wildly on the cradle. Creak, creak. The poor bed screamed in protest.

“I can’t, I really can’t do this anymore. I might actually die.”

The muscle pain was unbearable. My whole body felt like it had been beaten. I tried to crawl away on all fours, but my ankle was grabbed instantly. The strength was immense.

“…Let go.”

My wrist was twisted in an instant. I was dragged helplessly under him. The surroundings darkened, as if I’d been swallowed by a beast’s maw. Then, suddenly, the light in front of me went out.

“Ugh.”

Something forced its way into my throat. It was hot and sticky. Was it the soup Lemon left? Or the s**en he’d shot? I couldn’t tell.

Day and night blurred together. Reality and dreams repeated and overlapped.

“Heck, heck…”

Somewhere, I heard a beast’s groan. It felt oddly familiar, so I looked closely. It was two dogs—the brown and white ones I’d seen in the neighbor’s yard.

“Huff… Haack.”

I stood blankly in a corner of the yard, watching the dogs mating in a frenzy. The grotesque, repulsive scene made my stomach churn, but for some reason, I couldn’t look away. Soon, their faces began to blur. Slowly, they transformed into the monster’s face and mine.

“Argh!”

Goosebumps erupted over my body. I jolted upright, drenched in sweat.

“…Bridegroom?”

A high-pitched voice called out. My vision was dim, with stone walls flickering before me. Something was stuck to my eyelashes. I quickly rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand.

“Hup.”

I recoiled again, scooting back on my b**t. It was Lemon. Her appearance startled me every time—tall as a giraffe, with terrifying horns sprouting from both sides of her head. It was impossible not to be scared.

“Are you okay? You must’ve had a bad dream.”

“Y-yeah… a little.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say I was more startled by waking up to her, so I mumbled vaguely. Lemon smiled softly and continued.

“Lord Phon is here to see you.”

I didn’t know who that was—an unfamiliar name. The idea of a guest visiting this cave was bizarre.

“Bulkan, seems like your honeymoon is pretty sweet, huh?”

A high-pitched voice came from outside the door.

“Not even showing your bride to your closest friend, tsk.”

I froze. I quickly glanced at my appearance. As expected, I was a mess. My clothes were torn to shreds, my exposed skin covered in red marks, looking like some kind of skin disease.

And my ankle… it was so swollen the shoelaces had burst.

“I’m deeply offended.”

I wanted to get up and put on some clothes, but I didn’t have the strength to move a single eyebrow. I barely managed to pull the blanket up to my chest. I was trembling, unsure when the door might open.

“And?”

The monster just yawned lazily. The muscles connecting his arms and waist stretched wide like a fan, then snapped back elastically.

“It’s about Lord Hecate3). Come out quick.”

The monster grimaced fiercely.

“S**t.”

Then he slowly sat up. As his massive weight lifted, the bed creaked, begging for mercy.

I didn’t know who Hecate was, but if they could make this foul-tempered monster move, they must be someone significant.

“…Fucking pig.”

The monster grumbled, rummaging through the room. He casually draped a cloth over his lower body. The cloth barely hung on his sunken hip bones, his p**ic hair peeking out precariously. He flung the door open, practically n**ed, growling in irritation.

“I’ll rip your head off.”

“So violent. I was dragged here too, you know.”

A glimpse of blonde hair peeked over his massive shoulders. Considering how enormous the monster was, the blonde must be quite tall too.

“You never show up, so I had to come run your errands myself.”

The cave door slowly closed. Through the narrowing gap, I saw unfamiliar eyes.

“How long have you been holed up in that room? Not even hunting.”

The voice grew fainter as they moved away. I stared blankly at the door.

Those eyes I just saw—what were they? They were a beautiful green but felt alien, almost reptilian.

Lost in the strange afterimage, a large shadow fell over my face.

“Bridegroom, Lemon will escort you.”

Lemon spoke in a sing-song, high-pitched voice. She wrapped me in a sheet. As she moved to lift me, I shook my head frantically.

“W-wait, I can walk on my own.”

“Oh, yep yep!”

Lemon quickly let go of me, stepping back like a praying mantis. I put strength into my calves and tried to stand.

“…Ugh.”

My body briefly floated, but I soon collapsed, crashing onto my b**t. Lemon giggled softly.

“Bridegroom, are you doing kegel exercises? That’s great, but Lord Bulkan is waiting!”

What exercises? I looked up at her in confusion, and her arms reached out again.

“Kind and strong Lemon will take you to the bath!”

My body was lifted into the air. Being carried like a baby flooded me with indescribable shame.

And to think she was the one who’d been bringing me meals in this room. I never imagined I’d cause such a nuisance in my life.

“…Sorry.”

I buried my cheek in the sheet, embarrassed. My chest burned with heat. God, I was so mortified I wanted to bash my head and die.

“It’s fine, it’s my job! Lalala, working Lemon is always happy!”

Lalala, lalala. Lemon grinned ear to ear. Her bizarre humming filled the cave.

☀️

I hurriedly prepared to meet the guest. First, I washed off the traces on my body with bathwater. I draped a white cloth over myself and adorned my wrists and ankles with countless accessories. I put leather soles on my feet, wrapping straps up to my calves to secure them.

I stood awkwardly in front of the mirror. I looked like a dog forcibly dressed up. No matter how many times I wore it, I could never get used to this outfit.

“Kyaa, you’re perfect! Like a single blooming flower!”

A single flower? More like a scarecrow with clothes haphazardly thrown on… But I kept quiet, not wanting to offend the one who’d worked so hard.

Once again, I was carried by Lemon through the corridor. She stopped in front of an unfamiliar room.

“Where’s this?”

When I asked cautiously, Lemon answered.

“This is Lord Bulkan’s room.”

I let out a soft “ah.” It had been days since I was kidnapped to this cave, but this was my first time entering Bulkan’s room.

As Lemon seemed about to knock, I quickly spoke up.

“Um!”

She looked puzzled, so I smiled awkwardly.

“I’ll walk from here.”

There’s a limit to being a burden—I didn’t want to be carried like a child in front of a stranger. Lemon rolled her eyes briefly, as if lost in thought for a moment.

“Okay, sure.”

She smiled and set me down like a scarecrow. A sharp sensation shot up as my feet touched the ground. I clenched my teeth, enduring the pain. Lemon knocked on the door.

“Lord Bulkan, the bridegroom is here.”

What kind of reaction was that? But Lemon, as if used to it, politely asked if she could enter.

“And?”

A curt response came from inside.

“Annoying.”

The next moment, the heavy door slowly opened.

“This is…”

The room came into full view. I thought the cave owner’s room would be lavish, but it was even barer than the cradle. The only furniture was a bed and a dining table. The only notable thing was a pile of gold and treasures stacked like a mountain on one side. Even that was scattered haphazardly on the floor, looking more like a gold mine than anything else.

“The bridegroom has arrived.”

The monster and the guest were seated at the table. Four eyes turned toward me. Sweat beaded on my palms from the tension. If I could, I would have fled this room immediately.

But the monster blocked my front, and Lemon stood behind me, barring my way. She gave me a subtle nudge.

“You can sit next to Lord Bulkan.”

Caught in a dilemma, I reluctantly took a step forward. A sharp pain pierced my ankle. I clenched my teeth to suppress a groan. It felt like my molars were sinking.

Limping, I moved like a cheap robot.

“Lame b**t**d.”

The monster snickered. I pretended not to hear. I had to focus on not tripping pathetically.

“Phew.”

Finally, I managed to sit beside the monster. I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

“Then, have a pleasant time.”

Lemon left the room. My last lifeline had vanished. I sat there, rigid with tension. Then, a soft voice came from across the table.

“You’re the bride, then? I’m Phon, the prophet.”

Phon’s eyes curved gently.

“I serve the temple of Goddess Hecate.”

Up close, his face was even more beautiful. His skin was porcelain-white, and his smooth, flowing blonde hair reached his waist.

“…Yes.”

His green eyes stared piercingly at me. My heart thudded, sinking for a moment. His slit-like pupils sent a chill down my spine. His face was flawlessly beautiful, but its perfection made him seem less like a living being. It was as if a protein puppet was being manipulated by strings, creaking and j**king.

“You must be wondering why I came all this way.”

I calmed myself, gripping the cloth under the table tightly.

“It’s about Hecate’s daughter, Empusa.”

Amid my tangled thoughts, new names emerged. I sorted the information mentally. Hecate is a goddess, and the person before me serves her temple. Empusa seems to be her daughter…

But what does that have to do with anything?

“Empusa is furious right now. She’s smashing everything. The village has burned down, and several humans have already died.”

Phon clicked his tongue.

“All because of this guy, Bulkan.”

The news was horrifying, but the monster just blinked impassively. He asked in a flat tone, “Why?”

Phon let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Because Empusa wanted you as her mate!”

The monster sneered.

“That kind of female.”

As if done with the matter, he picked up a large bone from his plate.

“Tch, tch, you heartless b**t**d. Eating the white cow she sent as a gift, feeding the precious Pegasus horn to Cerberus!”

Phon stabbed a piece of fruit with his fork. I thought eating with hands was the norm here since the monster did it, but apparently not. The monster was just primitive.

“Empusa prayed to the goddess to punish you.”

This time, Phon’s gaze slid toward me. Those green eyes again. Up close, I noticed his pupils were vertically elongated. I suddenly understood why they reminded me of a reptile’s.

“Because of that, Bulkan had to drink an entire river.”

His pupils narrowed to slits. Cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.

“You can marry this human and love Empusa.”

Such a statement was unimaginable in Korea. The monster, unfazed, kept tearing into his meat.

“Look, friend. I was just fooling around with a river nymph until a moment ago.”

Phon lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret.

“Empusa may have a bad temper, but she’s beautiful and clever, isn’t she?”

The soft voice cracked hoarsely at the end, like a snake hissing, sending shivers through me.

“There’s so much to enjoy in this world. Wine, beautiful goddesses, cute nymphs!”

Phon waved his glass as if toasting. His voice grew louder, but no one joined him. Undeterred, he continued.

“And yet, the great Bulkan turns out to be into men?”

He gulped his wine, staring at me. His lizard-like eyes scanned me slowly from top to bottom.

“I heard rumors and thought you’d be some burly guy. But your face is prettier than expected.”

His gaze was unsettling, like a snake slithering over my skin. The beauty no longer charmed me; it only gave me chills. I hunched my shoulders.

“…….”

His eyes roamed my body, sliding down my calves, lower, and lower… until they settled on my ankle.

I suddenly remembered my swollen, red ankle, where the monster had roughly rubbed.

“By the way,” Phon set down his wine glass and reached under the table.

“I noticed earlier your bride could barely walk.”

I instinctively tried to pull my foot back, but his hand was faster.

“Why not heal…”

The next moment, something terrifying happened. The monster, who had been ignoring Phon’s chatter, suddenly swung his fist.

Crash! Phon tumbled across the table, slamming into the cave wall. He looked up at the monster, stunned.

“What the…!”

His skin was torn, exposing his jawbone. Sticky blood stained the cave floor.

“Why did you touch my bride’s ankle?”

The monster tilted his head slowly. It was hard to believe this was the same man who’d just punched his friend’s jaw.

“Trying to break it…? Are you in heat too?”

Phon trembled with rage.

“You dog, how dare you…”

An ordinary person would have been gasping in pain, but he stroked his jawbone. Blood gushed with each touch.

“Uh, we need an ambulance. A doctor, is there a doctor here…”

Shocked, I stared blankly, then scrambled. I needed a phone to call an ambulance, but there was no way a primitive cave like this had one.

“Oh, Lemon!”

I realized I needed to call Lemon. As I stood from the chair, my balance faltered. I pathetically tumbled to the floor.

Thud! The loud noise made the monster’s head whip toward me.

“Ugh.”

I let out a pained groan. The monster glared at me. A normal person would rush to help someone who fell.

But for some reason, he just watched, not blinking. It sent chills through me. Was he testing whether I could stand on my own?

“…I see.”

A sudden exclamation broke the silence. It was Phon. His smooth, bead-like voice sounded eerie.

“You didn’t heal your human bride’s ankle because you’re afraid he’ll run away on two feet, aren’t you?”

What… what does that mean? I wanted to ask, but the monster didn’t respond. He kept glaring at me, motionless.

As if frozen in place.

“What’s this?”

The air felt unnaturally heavy.

“Poor human.”

A voice came from behind. I turned to see Phon staggering to his feet from the floor.

“You’ll wither away like a corpse in this dark place.”

The blood from his jaw had stopped flowing—not clotted, but frozen, as if time had paused for just him and me.

“Dragged here ignorant, you’ll bear an heir and die.”

He approached closer. I tried to back away, but he was much larger and closed the distance quickly. Before I could blink, he was muttering in my face.

“Lord Hecate is furious.”

My breath caught. Fear stiffened my cheeks. I couldn’t speak, gripped by cold terror.

“Once you’ve birthed her children, she’ll demand your body as a sacrifice.”

Each word he spoke seemed to etch itself into the back of my skull.

“Then that dog won’t even glance at your useless hide.”

His curse-like words hit me, and I felt s**ked into something. The next moment, everything resumed. The pooled blood spread, and Bulkan’s mouth twitched.

“He’s mine.”

Everything was as it was a second ago, except Phon had vanished, like he’d been cut out of the scene. I couldn’t believe it, even though it happened before my eyes. Stopping time and teleporting away…

The monster didn’t comment on it, as if such abilities were normal for him.

“…….”

Were the words I just heard true? I trembled in my seat.

“You didn’t heal your human bride’s ankle because you’re afraid he’ll run away on two feet, aren’t you?”

Phon’s words echoed in my head. Did he really, intentionally not heal me…?

It felt like opening the first page of a horror novel. I was foolish. I assumed Lemon, who cared for me so diligently, wouldn’t neglect my treatment.

The monster deliberately, deliberately…

I stared into the void with empty eyes. The sated monster reached out. A chill ran through me, and I instinctively scooted back.

“Get your hands away.”

The monster tilted his head, puzzled.

“Why’s my bride acting like this?”

Then he grabbed my arm. I thought my shoulder would pop out.

“Don’t touch me!”

Forgetting my fear, I gripped the table. But it was futile. My nails only scratched the table’s edge weakly.

“Let go… let me go.”

The monster grinned, clearly enjoying this, and cornered me like a predator stalking prey, closing the distance leisurely, step by step.

“Don’t come closer.”

He moved like a four-legged beast. His overdeveloped arm muscles looked like front legs.

“Don’t… don’t come near me.”

I crouched in the corner, looking up, clutching my ankle with trembling hands, trying to hide my weakness.

“Ugh…!”

The monster buried his face in my neck. Sniff, sniff. Hot breaths blasted my nape.

“Oh, my foolish human bride.”

I twisted to escape, but he sniffed my neck, scalp, and ears, not missing a single spot.

“You reek of musk.”

Huff, huff. His erratic breathing sounded like an excited dog.

“In heat, luring other males, huh?”

His Adam’s apple quivered. A growling sound rumbled in his throat. I glared at him with burning eyes.

“You crazy b**t**d, you lunatic. You… you deliberately didn’t heal my ankle, did you?”

His small eyes flicked to the air, then back to me. He tilted his head again.

“You broke it trying to escape me. Why should I fix it?”

His large hand seized my ankle. Pain like a bomb exploded.

“Ugh!”

My shoulders shook. Tears welled up. It hurt so much I thought I’d die.

“You tried to run from me with this.”

His grip was relentless, like a noose. The more I struggled, the tighter it became. His claws dug into my anklebone.

“Aaah!”

I was crushed by maddening pain.

“The prophet touched your hind leg. Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Let go, you crazy b**t**d!”

I punched his nose and pushed his chin, but he grabbed my wrist with one hand. I was completely bound, limbs tied.

“If my thing reeks of musk, I won’t forgive it. I’m possessive.”

My knees trembled, and my thighs tensed.

“I don’t even want light to touch what’s mine. Light belongs to the gods, not me.”

His merciless words bombarded me. His claim of being a strict enforcer wasn’t a lie. He looked like he was judging me.

“But if you can’t conceive, you’re nothing. No different from a gutless worm. Your bloodline will roll in h**l forever.”

The violent pain layered and built until it vanished entirely. My ankle felt no further sensation.

“So hurry and bear my child!”

Endorphins surged like fireworks, exploding. My vision turned white. The monster hoisted me onto his shoulder. The sudden height made me dizzy. A candlestick lay upside down, its small flame fading.

I was flung onto the bed, bouncing limply like a ball.

“Sleep there.”

How was I supposed to sleep like this? He spat the irresponsible words and slammed the door shut as he left.

My body burned. Cold sweat coated me, followed by hot sweat.

“Ugh, sob!”

My eyelids, elbows, and knees ached unbearably. My joints felt like they were clashing.

“…It hurts.”

Hoarse groans escaped my parched throat.

“It hurts so much.”

But no one listened. I hugged myself tightly with trembling arms.

☀️

Suffering alone, a piercing loneliness gripped me. There was no one in this world to help me. Nothing remained for me. No one remembered me. Loneliness bound me like a rope.

“…Bridegroom.”

A voice called. I furrowed my brow slightly. Did I mishear? No one would come for me… Was I hearing things now? As I scolded myself, a cool sensation touched my forehead.

“Bridegroom.”

It wasn’t a mistake. The slightly high-pitched voice told me it wasn’t the monster. I opened my burning eyes. My heavy eyelids parted slightly, revealing a shadowy figure.

“You have a high fever.”

The cool hand felt soothing. I’d always been frail, often feverish as a child. My grandmother would always check my forehead like this…

“Grandmother…?”

I let out a soft breath. The hand on my forehead trembled. Fearing it would pull away, I pressed my cheek into the palm.

“I had a scary dream.”

Tears I’d held back burst forth. Hot liquid streamed down my cheeks. I’d tried so hard not to cry like a weakling in front of my grandmother. But now, in pain, maybe it was okay for a moment. I gave myself absolution.

“A terrifying monster was in it. And…”

My throat caught. My sentence broke pathetically. My burning throat forced me to swallow before continuing.

“I thought you had passed away, Grandmother.”

It was the worst nightmare I’d ever had. How could I dream something so horrific?

“My ankle hurt so much… But it’s okay now. You’re alive, Grandmother… I’m okay.”

I wished she’d say something. But all I heard in the darkness was a long sigh.

“You’re delirious from the fever. No choice. I’ll grind some herbs.”

What was she saying? The fever dulled all my senses. Even my hearing felt muffled, like I was underwater.

“It’ll ease the pain for a bit, but it won’t fully heal.”

The hand moved away. I was so upset and tearful at its absence.

Was I truly alone now? A bone-deep emptiness hit me. Then a herbal scent brushed my nose. The hand returned, this time to my ankle.

“It’ll hurt a bit…”

I flinched instinctively, but the cool hand gently held my ankle. There was no trace of violence or force.

I relaxed slightly. I craved another’s warmth so much. I missed that touch, even just a fragment.

“Grandmother… I miss you.”

I mumbled softly, and a voice answered.