Their eyes met. Thud. It was staring directly at Catherine. Thud. Red eyes. Thud. Her heart seemed to drop. The pounding grew more violent. Thud. Lightning flashed again. Thud. Through the pale light. Thud. Its pale lips moved, crumbling at the edges. Thud. Then darkness swallowed everything.

[Catherine.]

It said her name. Catherine stumbled backward until her back hit the wall, involuntarily letting out a startled gasp. Thud. The sound of it striking the window continued relentlessly. Thud. Her eyes, now accustomed to the darkness, could see it screaming. Catherine! A voice that shouldn’t have been audible struck her ears like lightning.

[I love you…!]

A wailing cry swept over her.

[My Cathy…!]

Even amid the wind that threatened to tear the surroundings apart, it persistently stared at Catherine.

[I love you, I love you…!]

Catherine covered her ears with trembling hands. Thud. Thud. But the pounding didn’t stop.

[I love you…!]

That scream, nearly a howl, remained completely unblocked.

Thud. The window seemed ready to shatter at any moment. Her legs, frozen stiff, wouldn’t move. Thud. The red eyes staring fixedly at Catherine burned intensely, looking ready to break through the window and pounce on her at any second.

[Catherine!]

Behind the screaming figure, a brilliant white light pierced down.

“Don’t listen to it.”

At that moment, a voice reached her. A dark shadow stepped between the startled Catherine and the figure outside, grabbing her shoulder. The touch was thin and bony. Standing so close, she couldn’t clearly see who it was.

“Run.”

The voice, however, was familiar. Gripping Catherine’s shoulder like a claw, it whispered those words. The hand turned Catherine around and began pulling her arm, running down the corridor. Her arm was dragged forward first, followed by her stiff legs. Catherine nearly fell, but managed to steady herself, almost embraced by those arms.

[No!]

Just then, the figure outside screamed. Bang! An impact strong enough to shake the entire wall rattled beneath their feet. Catherine, hurry. Despite this, the dark figure paid no attention and continued pulling Catherine’s arm. Together they ran down the corridor.

Catherine clutched her black skirt hem and ran desperately, keeping pace with the figure’s swift steps. Flash. Lightning illuminated bar-like shadows that disappeared before their footsteps could reach them.

[Catherine!]

As their paired footsteps grew faster, a voice rang clearly from far behind Catherine.

[Hahaha. My beloved Cathy…! You can never leave me!]

“Don’t listen to the unholy thing.”

Two voices sounded simultaneously. That laughter, which should have been buried under the storm, followed them like soot. Catherine! The dark figure called.

Flash, lightning struck. Leaving the bluish light disappearing beneath their feet, they escaped the corridor lined with long glass windows.

Gasp. Huff. Catherine breathed heavily. Even after leaving that corridor, they continued running for quite some time.

Catherine kept running, following wherever the hand that held hers led. She couldn’t stop her feet, partly because the grip on her hand was so firm, but also because she didn’t want to let go. While running, Catherine squeezed the thin hand that held hers.

That cold hand with its palpable knuckles. A familiar sensation. The hand she had vowed never to release. Saul… With that name escaping alongside her ragged breath, the footsteps ahead finally halted abruptly.

Due to the sudden stop, Catherine, her feet tangled, fell into the arms of the person turning to face her. Arms so thin their bones showed caught her.

Within that gaunt embrace, Catherine leaned against the hand holding her shoulder, catching her breath. In her downcast view, she glimpsed neatly polished shoe tips.

As she continued catching her breath, the hand holding Catherine slowly released her. …Saul! Surprised, Catherine grabbed his arm before she could even catch her breath properly. She felt his movement hesitate within her grasp. Soon, a low voice fell upon her head.

“Catherine, release this.”

But Catherine wouldn’t let go. She raised her head and gazed into eyes that shone distinctly blue even in the dim corridor. Ragged breathing filled the silent surroundings. Catherine. That soft resonance captured her attention. Catherine’s lips trembled.

“Don’t go.”

Despite her pleading whisper, Saul shook his head. He covered Catherine’s hand that gripped his arm and gently pulled to remove it, shaking his head slightly.

In his usual dry voice, Saul answered, “I cannot.”

Saul stepped back half a step, looking ready to turn away. In that instant, Catherine’s hand slipped and lost its grip. Alarmed, she quickly reached out, catching his thin arm again. She spoke urgently.

“Stay with me.”

I love you. At this confession, delivered with disordered breathing, the man’s usually dry face contorted in pain.

Catherine looked into Saul’s blue eyes and tightened her grip, fearing he might push her away and flee. He whispered again with an anguished expression.

“Don’t do this.”

You promised. You promised not to love me, didn’t you? His whispered voice sounded reproachful, perhaps even swallowing pain. But Catherine paid no heed. After exhaling briefly, her voice quickly followed.

“I never agreed to that promise.”

“…Catherine.”

His call ended in a low, smothered groan. A sigh-like breath followed. Catherine pulled on Saul’s arm, and when he wouldn’t budge, she stepped forward herself.

She embraced Saul’s thin waist and rested her cheek against his cold, rigid chest. Listening to his slowly rising and falling chest, Catherine spoke.

“We have only one promise, Saul.”

“Catherine, please…”

A stillness where nothing seemed to move… Catherine closed her eyes. Feeling his hesitant hands about to grasp her shoulders to push her away, she embraced Saul more deeply.

She felt his chest slowly expand as he took a deep breath. Then suddenly, Catherine raised her head, guided by the cold touch caressing her cheek. She tilted her face into his thin hand. Where their dramatically different temperatures met, Catherine whispered while gazing into his blue eyes, deep and cool like a winter lake.

“Tell me you won’t leave me.”

But Saul didn’t answer.

With an unreadable expression, he quietly looked at Catherine before exhaling a long breath. Following his exhalation, Saul’s shoulders slowly slumped.

His gaze lowered as well. As Saul’s chin tilted down, Catherine carefully embraced his shoulders. Dropping his stiff, cool lips, Saul whispered.

“Please forgive me, my lady…”

At last, his cold breath settled on Catherine’s cheek. It was a dry kiss.

“I forgive you.”

Catherine murmured, tightening her arms around Saul. But no sooner had those words ended than the breath touching her cheek withdrew.

Saul buried his face in Catherine’s shoulder. She felt his straight nose bridge and sunken eye sockets press against her. Don’t. Please, don’t forgive me… Saul muttered painfully. Catherine silently stroked his pitch-black hair.

A sound like an animal’s cry, seemingly swallowing pain, resonated from Saul’s throat, as though he couldn’t bear her affection. Catherine tilted her head, resting her cheek against the back of Saul’s head.

A somehow sobbing resonance continued. She felt him swallowing his breath. There were signs of him repeatedly opening and closing his mouth, clearly hesitating before speaking. Catherine quietly pressed her lips to Saul’s ear.

“What… am I forgiving?”

“Anything.”

I forgive you. Catherine whispered again, gently dropping her lips on his earlobe. But Saul couldn’t bear this and grabbed Catherine’s shoulders to push her away.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to look at her, nor could he let her go, breathing heavily enough to make his shoulders rise. A grinding voice continued briefly before breaking off.

“Don’t. I have… to you…”

Saul’s hands gripping Catherine’s shoulders trembled faintly. Catherine watched his trembling hands for a moment before slowly closing and opening her eyes. She truly felt all right. Though Catherine didn’t know what wrong Saul thought he had done to her, she was willing to forgive him whatever it was.

“I have committed… an unforgivable sin.”

Catherine wanted to tell him she would forgive that too, but seeing Saul so tormented, the words wouldn’t leave her mouth.

Catherine couldn’t understand Saul, but… he seemed to suffer more whenever she showed him affection. For his sake, Catherine remained silent. She didn’t want to see him in pain.