“It seems the Priestess is tired from exerting her power.”
As soon as Amelia took her hands off the child, Aaron opened his mouth. Amelia's eyes widened in surprise.
“Let’s postpone today’s prayer until next week.”
"Yes."
Louis answered with her hands folded politely. Although she was Aaron's cousin, there was a strict hierarchy within the temple.
“Louis, you can go now.”
Aaron said with a leisurely smile. Louis also left. Amelia looked back at the woman with a look of disappointment. However, the woman, who was moved by the fact that her child was blessed by God and could receive treatment, had already left.
“I will take care of it.”
Aaron spoke kindly, looking down at Amelia, who had a confused expression like a cornered rat. However, there was a hint of coercion in his words.
“...”
Clearly, he won't leave her alone. At that thought, her fingertips trembled without me knowing.
“Shall I give you a hug?”
When she was still unable to move, Aaron spoke to her in a worried voice. His mouth was clearly smiling, but his eyes were not smiling at all.
“Oh, no.”
“...”
“I will go on my own two feet.”
Amelia refused Aaron's offer. She didn't want to move into his arms, if anything. Even skin contact with Aaron was horrible. So she had no choice but to follow him on her own two feet, trembling.
“It seems that your maid does not know how to take care of your body.”
Aaron, who was walking ahead, spoke softly. Amelia couldn't say anything in response and just moistened her lips with her tongue.
“You are a pillar of Escliffe.”
A body that cannot be hurt, sick, or even killed. Amelia was a body that could never be wasted.
“Even if you don’t die, doesn’t that mean you don’t know pain?”
It was fortunate that the child only seemed to have a fever, but what if the child had been infected with an infectious disease? Amelia, who was raised in the depths of the temple, had no way of resisting the plague. They were all the ones who would have been devastated if she collapsed without a plan.
“Stop it...”
Just as she was about to order him to turn back, Aaron, who knew that Amelia had no eyes to see, grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.
“I bet you didn’t think it would just end like this.”
Amelia was dragged to him, fluttering like a piece of paper. Since Aaron had decided to do it, Amelia had no choice.
“Oh, I hate it.”
Amelia braced herself against the stairs leading to the basement.
“If you didn’t want to come here, you should have listened to me.”
Did he know that his master had come? Woof, woof. A loud barking sound echoed from the basement. At the same time, Amelia's face turned pale. Aaron, who did not miss the moment when Amelia lost her strength, put Amelia on his shoulder and started down the stairs.
"No!"
She tried to wiggle her body, but the effect was minimal. Aaron reached the basement without wavering. The dogs locked in the cage found Aaron and wagged their tails. The dogs had short hair that was shiny and smooth, and their muscular bodies looked nimble; and they seemed more used to hunting than guarding.
“Yes, I was wrong.”
Amelia apologized hastily. If it were a dog, it would be terrible.
“I was wrong. I won’t do it again, ever again...”
But Aaron didn't stop. Her belated apology, uttered in a haughty tone and then in a panic, was ineffective.
“Please come in.”
Aaron opened the locked iron door with a key. There was a click, and as soon as the crack appeared, the dogs tried to squeeze in.
“Please. I won’t do it again.”
Although Amelia apologized several times, Aaron did not hesitate and lowered her slender body to the floor. Then he pushed her into the iron bars.
“Why are you so slow in learning?”
Aaron muttered regretfully and locked the door again from the outside. The three dogs came closer and began sniffing Amelia from her feet to her legs, as if they were trying to figure out whether she was prey or not.
“Go, don’t come any closer.”
Amelia stepped back in fear.
"Ah!"
As she continued to back away, her ankle got caught in the chain hanging on the floor. In an instant, the chain, sharpened by the dog’s teeth and claws, grazed Amelia’s ankle. There was a stinging pain and a faint smell of blood.
"Ah..."
At that moment, the dogs' eyes flashed as if they had smelled prey. In particular, the eyes of one dog with a large scar across its face flashed brightly.
“Catch her.”
The dog in her memory opened his mouth and drooled. Her consciousness flickered white.
On the day her twin sisters died, Amelia's mother lost her mind. She did as she was told, but that was all. She never did anything of her own volition. Naturally, her eyes, already dead, did not sparkle.
“It’s now.”
Amelia was also accustomed to the light-dead eyes. But the winter of the year Amelia turned ten was a little different.
“Oh, Mom?”
Her mother spoke, holding Amelia's shoulders tightly with both hands as she lay on the bed, wondering where the strength in her slender body came from. It was the first time in seven years that she had seen her lively eyes.
“Let’s go out.”
She doesn't know how the opportunity arose, but as if she had been waiting for that day, her mother pulled Amelia over and pulled her under her hood.
“If you stay here, you will die too.”
You can't, you. The mother, who wanted to protect her child by any means, muttered like that.
“Where are we going?”
“First, you have to get out of here. Get out of here...”
The mother's body, which had been walking along muttering as if that was her only purpose in life, stopped. A shadow appeared at the end of the corridor.
“...”
One man, three beasts. The threat conveyed by the growling sound was clear.
“What are you two doing so dangerously this late at night?”
The moonlight was shining. Aaron's face, sixteen and approaching adolescence, was revealed. Aaron's palm stroked the head of the beast next to him.
“You must know that movement is not permitted. Please turn back.”
At Aaron's words, her mother touched Amelia's shoulder with a trembling hand.
“See that bush over there? Run towards it. There’s a hole behind it big enough for you to fit through.”
“What about you, mother?”
“I can’t go with you. Can you handle it alone?”
And she whispered so that only Amelia could hear.
“You have to run no matter what. Got it?”
Amelia nodded her head in bewilderment. Then her mother turned around and started running wildly. When Aaron released the chains that were holding the dogs back, the hounds started running after her mother.
"Uh..."
Amelia, who had been standing there blankly, came to her senses belatedly. And following her mother's instructions, she started running west toward the bushes.
“Catch her.”
At that moment, Aaron finally let go of the leash he was holding in his hand. The dog, taking that as a signal, started to chase the running little thing. It was a dog with a large scar across its face.
“Don't come closer, don’t come closer!”
Amelia screamed and ran towards the bushes. No human would be happy to see a beast larger than themselves approaching, especially since it was clearly aggression-oriented.
“Ahh!”
Before she could even reach the bushes, she was trampled by the foot of a beast that flew in from behind. Amelia was terrified and struggled. The moment the beast's saliva dripped down her neck was terrifying in itself.
“Ugh, ugh, euaaaah...!”
The screams didn't even end. The dog that Aaron trained and unleashed bit Amelia's shoulder and dragged her along, just as it had been taught. Every time she resisted, the teeth dug in harder. It felt like the bitten shoulder would be torn off. The pain and fear paralyzed her body.
“Both the mother and the daughter are truly stupid.”
The dog that had arrived in front of Aaron spat on Amelia's shoulder. Aaron, who was looking down at Amelia, who was trembling with foam at the mouth, clicked his tongue briefly.
He dragged Amelia by the nape of her neck. Without even thinking about how to move her sore arm, Amelia was dragged away. The legs exposed under her skirt were red and swollen from the accumulated snow. Blood from the wound on her arm was dotted everywhere they passed.
"No!"
First, the mother, who had been dragged away by her hair, screamed when she saw her young child being dragged by Aaron's hand.
“You could have just pretended not to know. You could have just let this kid go...”
The face of the woman who was crying and hugging her in a hurry, wondering if her child had died, was sad. Aaron had a blank expression despite the woman's sobbing resentment.
“Someone must have heard the scream. Someone must have seen this! You can’t keep your secret a secret forever!”
At one point, Amelia's mother screamed venomously, as if hoping someone would hear her and run away.
“Everyone who sees this sight will die.”
“...”
“And those who heard your screams.”
Aaron laughed at that hope. He listened as the dogs snarled and scanned the area. A chilling wind blew from the place where the screams continued. It carried the smell of blood.
“That child is your future self.”
“...”
“Because you gave birth to her.”
Aaron said that and gently stroked the head of the dog, which was wagging its tail with blood on its lips as if hoping for praise.
“I gave birth to...”
Amelia's mother sighed as she stroked her head repeatedly. Amelia looked at the moonlight swaying behind her mother's shoulder.
“I’ve become worse than a dog.”
A night when hope was lost. Snow piled up on the shoulders of the frail mother, and her black hair blew in the harsh wind.
In the name of God, hell was ecstatically beautiful.
As soon as Amelia took her hands off the child, Aaron opened his mouth. Amelia's eyes widened in surprise.
“Let’s postpone today’s prayer until next week.”
"Yes."
Louis answered with her hands folded politely. Although she was Aaron's cousin, there was a strict hierarchy within the temple.
“Louis, you can go now.”
Aaron said with a leisurely smile. Louis also left. Amelia looked back at the woman with a look of disappointment. However, the woman, who was moved by the fact that her child was blessed by God and could receive treatment, had already left.
“I will take care of it.”
Aaron spoke kindly, looking down at Amelia, who had a confused expression like a cornered rat. However, there was a hint of coercion in his words.
“...”
Clearly, he won't leave her alone. At that thought, her fingertips trembled without me knowing.
“Shall I give you a hug?”
When she was still unable to move, Aaron spoke to her in a worried voice. His mouth was clearly smiling, but his eyes were not smiling at all.
“Oh, no.”
“...”
“I will go on my own two feet.”
Amelia refused Aaron's offer. She didn't want to move into his arms, if anything. Even skin contact with Aaron was horrible. So she had no choice but to follow him on her own two feet, trembling.
“It seems that your maid does not know how to take care of your body.”
Aaron, who was walking ahead, spoke softly. Amelia couldn't say anything in response and just moistened her lips with her tongue.
“You are a pillar of Escliffe.”
A body that cannot be hurt, sick, or even killed. Amelia was a body that could never be wasted.
“Even if you don’t die, doesn’t that mean you don’t know pain?”
It was fortunate that the child only seemed to have a fever, but what if the child had been infected with an infectious disease? Amelia, who was raised in the depths of the temple, had no way of resisting the plague. They were all the ones who would have been devastated if she collapsed without a plan.
“Stop it...”
Just as she was about to order him to turn back, Aaron, who knew that Amelia had no eyes to see, grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.
“I bet you didn’t think it would just end like this.”
Amelia was dragged to him, fluttering like a piece of paper. Since Aaron had decided to do it, Amelia had no choice.
“Oh, I hate it.”
Amelia braced herself against the stairs leading to the basement.
“If you didn’t want to come here, you should have listened to me.”
Did he know that his master had come? Woof, woof. A loud barking sound echoed from the basement. At the same time, Amelia's face turned pale. Aaron, who did not miss the moment when Amelia lost her strength, put Amelia on his shoulder and started down the stairs.
"No!"
She tried to wiggle her body, but the effect was minimal. Aaron reached the basement without wavering. The dogs locked in the cage found Aaron and wagged their tails. The dogs had short hair that was shiny and smooth, and their muscular bodies looked nimble; and they seemed more used to hunting than guarding.
“Yes, I was wrong.”
Amelia apologized hastily. If it were a dog, it would be terrible.
“I was wrong. I won’t do it again, ever again...”
But Aaron didn't stop. Her belated apology, uttered in a haughty tone and then in a panic, was ineffective.
“Please come in.”
Aaron opened the locked iron door with a key. There was a click, and as soon as the crack appeared, the dogs tried to squeeze in.
“Please. I won’t do it again.”
Although Amelia apologized several times, Aaron did not hesitate and lowered her slender body to the floor. Then he pushed her into the iron bars.
“Why are you so slow in learning?”
Aaron muttered regretfully and locked the door again from the outside. The three dogs came closer and began sniffing Amelia from her feet to her legs, as if they were trying to figure out whether she was prey or not.
“Go, don’t come any closer.”
Amelia stepped back in fear.
"Ah!"
As she continued to back away, her ankle got caught in the chain hanging on the floor. In an instant, the chain, sharpened by the dog’s teeth and claws, grazed Amelia’s ankle. There was a stinging pain and a faint smell of blood.
"Ah..."
At that moment, the dogs' eyes flashed as if they had smelled prey. In particular, the eyes of one dog with a large scar across its face flashed brightly.
“Catch her.”
The dog in her memory opened his mouth and drooled. Her consciousness flickered white.
***
On the day her twin sisters died, Amelia's mother lost her mind. She did as she was told, but that was all. She never did anything of her own volition. Naturally, her eyes, already dead, did not sparkle.
“It’s now.”
Amelia was also accustomed to the light-dead eyes. But the winter of the year Amelia turned ten was a little different.
“Oh, Mom?”
Her mother spoke, holding Amelia's shoulders tightly with both hands as she lay on the bed, wondering where the strength in her slender body came from. It was the first time in seven years that she had seen her lively eyes.
“Let’s go out.”
She doesn't know how the opportunity arose, but as if she had been waiting for that day, her mother pulled Amelia over and pulled her under her hood.
“If you stay here, you will die too.”
You can't, you. The mother, who wanted to protect her child by any means, muttered like that.
“Where are we going?”
“First, you have to get out of here. Get out of here...”
The mother's body, which had been walking along muttering as if that was her only purpose in life, stopped. A shadow appeared at the end of the corridor.
“...”
One man, three beasts. The threat conveyed by the growling sound was clear.
“What are you two doing so dangerously this late at night?”
The moonlight was shining. Aaron's face, sixteen and approaching adolescence, was revealed. Aaron's palm stroked the head of the beast next to him.
“You must know that movement is not permitted. Please turn back.”
At Aaron's words, her mother touched Amelia's shoulder with a trembling hand.
“See that bush over there? Run towards it. There’s a hole behind it big enough for you to fit through.”
“What about you, mother?”
“I can’t go with you. Can you handle it alone?”
And she whispered so that only Amelia could hear.
“You have to run no matter what. Got it?”
Amelia nodded her head in bewilderment. Then her mother turned around and started running wildly. When Aaron released the chains that were holding the dogs back, the hounds started running after her mother.
"Uh..."
Amelia, who had been standing there blankly, came to her senses belatedly. And following her mother's instructions, she started running west toward the bushes.
“Catch her.”
At that moment, Aaron finally let go of the leash he was holding in his hand. The dog, taking that as a signal, started to chase the running little thing. It was a dog with a large scar across its face.
“Don't come closer, don’t come closer!”
Amelia screamed and ran towards the bushes. No human would be happy to see a beast larger than themselves approaching, especially since it was clearly aggression-oriented.
“Ahh!”
Before she could even reach the bushes, she was trampled by the foot of a beast that flew in from behind. Amelia was terrified and struggled. The moment the beast's saliva dripped down her neck was terrifying in itself.
“Ugh, ugh, euaaaah...!”
The screams didn't even end. The dog that Aaron trained and unleashed bit Amelia's shoulder and dragged her along, just as it had been taught. Every time she resisted, the teeth dug in harder. It felt like the bitten shoulder would be torn off. The pain and fear paralyzed her body.
“Both the mother and the daughter are truly stupid.”
The dog that had arrived in front of Aaron spat on Amelia's shoulder. Aaron, who was looking down at Amelia, who was trembling with foam at the mouth, clicked his tongue briefly.
He dragged Amelia by the nape of her neck. Without even thinking about how to move her sore arm, Amelia was dragged away. The legs exposed under her skirt were red and swollen from the accumulated snow. Blood from the wound on her arm was dotted everywhere they passed.
"No!"
First, the mother, who had been dragged away by her hair, screamed when she saw her young child being dragged by Aaron's hand.
“You could have just pretended not to know. You could have just let this kid go...”
The face of the woman who was crying and hugging her in a hurry, wondering if her child had died, was sad. Aaron had a blank expression despite the woman's sobbing resentment.
“Someone must have heard the scream. Someone must have seen this! You can’t keep your secret a secret forever!”
At one point, Amelia's mother screamed venomously, as if hoping someone would hear her and run away.
“Everyone who sees this sight will die.”
“...”
“And those who heard your screams.”
Aaron laughed at that hope. He listened as the dogs snarled and scanned the area. A chilling wind blew from the place where the screams continued. It carried the smell of blood.
“That child is your future self.”
“...”
“Because you gave birth to her.”
Aaron said that and gently stroked the head of the dog, which was wagging its tail with blood on its lips as if hoping for praise.
“I gave birth to...”
Amelia's mother sighed as she stroked her head repeatedly. Amelia looked at the moonlight swaying behind her mother's shoulder.
“I’ve become worse than a dog.”
A night when hope was lost. Snow piled up on the shoulders of the frail mother, and her black hair blew in the harsh wind.
In the name of God, hell was ecstatically beautiful.
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