After the accident that day, Saul remained kind but gradually grew detached. David was too young at the time to understand how Saul’s manner of showing kindness had changed. 

Because of this, David once believed it was entirely his own fault. Following the accident, whenever Saul’s increasingly detached gaze turned toward him, whenever Saul distanced himself and endured more things alone, David thought it happened because he wasn’t trustworthy.

Since the accident had been entirely David’s fault, since he had wounded Saul’s soul and brought him to the brink of death…

There was a time when David thought it natural for Saul to keep his distance.

“David.”

At that call, David slowly blinked. The memory of young Saul calling him “Dave” surfaced again. David wondered what that memory he had just seen actually was. If it too had been the evil thing’s doing, it must have been something that truly existed.

The evil thing could distort memories but couldn’t show things that never happened…

“You knew all along, didn’t you?”

David suddenly blurted out the question that had been circling in his mind.

There were many things he was curious about, many things still unclear in his mind. He also knew Saul wouldn’t answer. Despite knowing this, David wanted to ask this one thing.

He wanted to confirm where the moment he considered the beginning of everything truly originated. 

Not about the immeasurably vast scheme involving prophecies or mighty divine grace, but simply about where things had started between the Cavendish brothers.

“You knew all along, right?”

Yet contrary to the form of his question, the moment he voiced it, David became certain. Saul must have known. That would explain why he stopped using that gentle nickname from childhood when addressing his young brother.

It must have been because one night his young brother had burst into tears in his arms. Because he, young David, had been afraid, because the evil thing had called his little brother that way.

“You knew who the evil thing was targeting.”

So Saul must have known. Who the evil thing was truly targeting. Who the evil thing had originally wanted to tempt.

He must have known already during those early childhood days David had forgotten.

That must be why, on that day, he had willingly shielded David. What he had always thought was an accident might not have been an accident at all.

Answer me, Saul. With a hardened face, David urged him to respond.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

But Saul merely answered this way, looking at David with that characteristically detached gaze. He showed no particular emotion, acting like he’d heard something trivial. David glared at him, frustrated and resentful.

But even this seemed trivial to Saul, who turned his head before David could say anything more. He tilted the hand holding the lamp outward and turned slightly. From far away, the sound of someone running quickly could be heard.

One person, no, two people’s footsteps. David also turned his attention in that direction, and their conversation stopped there. Soon, at the far end of the corridor, two children were briefly visible running before disappearing.

They were the two brothers, slightly older than when David had seen them earlier. Their footsteps could be heard growing distant.

“We must hurry,” Saul suddenly said. “The evil thing is looking for Catherine.”

Only then did David remember he had been searching for Catherine. He had momentarily forgotten in the midst of these sudden events.

Simultaneously, he became confused. David had seen Catherine’s empty place and thought the evil thing had taken her. But what did “looking for” mean? Narrowing his eyes, David asked:

“What do you mean by that?”

David’s gaze turned to Saul. Saul’s eyes, which had been staring at the corridor where the young Cavendish brothers had passed, slid toward David. Deep shadows fell across his face, half-illuminated by the lamp’s light.

The shadows cast over his hollow eyes completely erased the faint signs of vitality that had vaguely lingered on his face.

“Have you forgotten why these things appeared?”

Saul said, moving his thin, tightly closed lips.

“It wants to tempt Catherine.”

Because she wants to know the truth. With Saul’s additional words, David finally understood the strange scenes he had witnessed earlier. While David had been caught in the evil thing’s temptation, something must have happened to Catherine.

Fortunately, Catherine had managed to escape from the evil thing, so it was now searching for her, displaying these strange scenes to reveal the truth Catherine sought.

The continuation of this strange phenomenon proved that the evil thing had not yet found Catherine.

“David, find Catherine.”

The lamp’s light wavered gently, rippling. The light cast on Saul’s face also undulated like shallow waves. Perhaps because of this, Saul’s eyes seemed to tremble.

“And persuade her.”

Whether this was truly the case remained uncertain, as Saul’s eyelids lowered, his tone somewhat tired and softened.

“Please.”

Saul whispered in a tone mixed with deep breath. That lowly dropped voice was heavy like clothes soaked with rainwater.

David, not taking his eyes off Saul as he lifted his lowered eyelids, asked:

“Persuade her of what…”

Before the question was finished, David suddenly remembered. Instantly, his face hardened. Seeing David’s expression, Saul seemed to realize what he had recalled. Finding it difficult to meet David’s silently accusing gaze, Saul gently touched the corner of his eye with his gloved hand.

Then, exhaling another long, dry breath, he opened his mouth with some hesitation.

“…Help Catherine withdraw from the deal.”

So that his death might once again find its proper place… David did not respond to that tone tinged with deep regret. For a moment, he repeatedly opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say.

You coward. Words of accusation circled in his mouth, but he couldn’t spit them out. The cowardice wasn’t Saul’s alone. David too had been cowardly before Catherine.

“Does Catherine know what it means to trade her death?”

Does she know that she won’t return to God’s side after death, but will rot, decay, and go mad? 

At this somewhat agitated accusation, Saul lowered his gaze and closed his eyes. Though he didn’t answer aloud, his reaction was answer enough. David pressed his lips together.

He simply couldn’t believe it. That Saul had acted so cowardly. Catherine truly knew nothing. Without knowing anything, she had sold her death.

And Saul, knowing this, knowing the price Catherine would have to pay for this deal, had bought her death. Though it wasn’t entirely unexpected… the confirmed truth was horrifying.

David felt he could never forgive. He could never forgive either Saul or himself. Even though this deal originated from Saul’s cowardice, the fundamental cause lay with both Saul and himself. 

David swallowed his agitated breath and roughly rubbed his face. He had no idea where or how to begin undoing this.

There were too many things to apologize for before Catherine…

* * *

Clatter. Catherine stopped at the sound of the window rattling.

Beneath her hand pressing down on her chest, she could feel her heart pounding. Deliberately ignoring the eerie sensation creeping up her nape, Catherine looked toward the windowed side of the path from the end of the dark corridor.

The window was shaking from the violent rain and wind striking it. Thankfully, nothing was visible in the pitch-black window.

Only then did Catherine lower her stiffly tensed shoulders and silently exhale a long breath. After repeatedly clenching and unclenching her cold, stiff fingertips, she once again proceeded toward the end of the quiet corridor.

The entire time she moved silently, staying close to the wall, Catherine pretended not to hear the intermittent whispers that clung to her ears.

Catherine, Cathy… That familiar sweet whisper stuck persistently like melted sugar. Catherine rubbed her ear and shook her head lightly.

But the voice seemed not to distance itself at all. Catherine tried to ignore the voice that clung to her like soot, persistently following her.

My Cat… The whisper came again.

It sounded like Saul’s voice, but Catherine knew it wasn’t him. The owner of this voice must be that shabby man Saul had mentioned. It undoubtedly belonged to the one who had been staring at Catherine through the study window just minutes ago.

Catherine hugged her chilled shoulders and shivered slightly…

Carefully moving forward, Catherine thought about what had happened in the study earlier. But no matter how many times she considered it, beyond knowing that strange things were happening, she couldn’t clearly understand what was occurring.

This was despite having been present when those bizarre events unfolded. Everything had been sudden and incomprehensibly complex.

Suddenly, her foot caught on something. Feeling like she might fall forward, Catherine stopped momentarily with her hand against the cold wall. Her legs trembled, seemingly from the aftermath of forcibly moving her limp body.

Catherine leaned against the wall for a moment and exhaled a long breath.

What on earth was that?

Taking rapid, shallow breaths that made her shoulders rise and fall steeply, Catherine pondered the strange phenomenon that had just occurred.