Catherine clasped her joined hands together tightly. If she could bring Saul back, Catherine’s choice would have been different. She would have willingly chosen to bury everything. But if that wasn’t possible, she at least wanted to know the truth.

“I promise.”

The evil thing met Catherine’s gaze again without any particular disturbance and nodded with a calm expression.

At the same time the evil thing made its promise, Catherine turned around. She walked along the path the evil thing had offered without looking back at all.

“Cather…!”

David’s voice cut off abruptly, and Catherine’s steps stopped.

“Don’t look back and go.”

The moment Catherine was about to turn around, the evil thing’s low voice continued. When Catherine didn’t move for several seconds, hesitating, the evil thing’s voice came again. I will keep my promise.

As the evil thing’s assurance fell quietly, David saw the deeply hanging shadows blur dimly. He looked at Catherine’s straight back standing at the end of those shadows, at her not looking back.

David reached out his hand to catch Catherine, but all he could touch was the cold body of the black cane blocking his way…

Soon, the shadow began to move away like the hesitation had been an illusion. Faintly, he thought he heard such a whisper. I’m sorry. He couldn’t be certain… David groaned and finally closed his eyes.

* * *

Light ripples.

Catherine didn’t look back. She moved with quick steps, almost running. She walked toward where the light shone. Toward the other end of the corridor, that far end, toward the reddish round boundary shining beyond it.

To face the truth, to peer into the long-hidden secret the Cavendish brothers had concealed.

Catherine walked like kicking the floor. To shake off the regret that clung after her choice, she walked on without stopping at all. Shadows followed beneath Catherine’s feet.

The shadows beneath her feet clamored to catch her quick footsteps. Blaming her for daring to peer into secrets Saul hadn’t permitted her, for turning away from those swept up in this affair, for abandoning David who had tried to protect her… for making such a decision.

However, no clamor could catch Catherine’s steps. Catherine pretended not to hear the accusations that desperately tried to cling to each of her steps but couldn’t stick properly.

The moment she turned diagonally following the light, the black form of the evil thing standing far away in the distance flashed at the edge of her vision.

It was soon hidden by the wall blocking the round boundary. Catherine stepped inside.

At the same time she turned around, the shadows of the young Cavendish brothers standing beyond appeared.

Like they had been waiting for her to come, the brothers who had been standing still finally began to move. The light moved, and the young brothers’ voices followed.

“Huh?”

However, before he had even taken a few steps, young David’s steps stopped. He pulled at his brother’s sleeve, who seemed lost in thought. Brother, do you hear it? At his young brother’s sudden question, Saul belatedly stopped walking and blinked.

Then he remained silent for a moment like listening carefully. Catherine also stopped walking for a moment, standing behind the brothers, and listened.

“Did you hear it?”

Young David’s voice was heard asking in a somewhat urgent tone. That woman’s voice.

He continued immediately like he couldn’t wait for Saul’s answer. Catherine, who had unconsciously taken a step toward where the Cavendish brothers were, stopped. Then she frowned.

The surroundings were quiet. Catherine couldn’t hear any sound that young David was talking about. Saul, had he heard it?

At the sudden thought, Catherine’s gaze turned to Saul. And Catherine saw Saul’s face, frowning like her and with his lips pressed firmly together.

Like biting the inside of his lips, she caught a glimpse of them curling inward slightly for a moment. Soon, it was the moment when he moved his lips like he was about to say something.

“Let’s go see.”

David suddenly said.

“David, you…”

Before Saul’s voice calling his brother in a low, somewhat stern warning tone could finish, David rushed ahead two or three steps like running.

Because of the footsteps striking down on the thick carpet, David seemed not to have heard Saul’s call. He also seemed somewhat excited. Looking back at Saul, David said.

“Hurry up.”

She’s calling for brother now. At the following words, Saul, who had been about to speak again, froze. David didn’t notice his brother’s reaction and immediately turned around and ran ahead. 

The sound of light footsteps quickly moving away was heard. Saul’s voice, belatedly coming to his senses, rose up.

“Wait, David! Stop…!”

“Come quickly!”

David’s voice, now distant, was heard from ahead. Saul’s footsteps leaped up like trying to follow him.

“What on earth kind of sound do you hear…!”

With those words spat out in a tone like chewing and swallowing, almost growling, Saul holding the lamp also followed David who had run ahead, almost running himself.

Catherine, who had been standing still, also hurriedly chased after Saul.

Tap tap tap. Footsteps were heard. David’s figure was no longer visible, only his footsteps continuing from far away.

Outside the round boundary lit by the lamp, David’s feet leaping as he ran briefly appeared and disappeared repeatedly.

David seemed just out of reach but never caught. Because of this, Saul’s footsteps chasing after him, his face completely distorted, were also gradually getting faster.

Catherine gasped for breath. Though she didn’t seem to have been running for long, perhaps because she was already exhausted or because it had been so long since she had run like this, her legs felt stiff and difficult to move.

Each step running after the young Cavendish brothers felt like forcibly pulling something rooted to the ground…

Gasp. Huff. The sound of gasping for breath seemed to echo through her whole body. However, she couldn’t stop walking. David’s back figure, which had been wavering at the boundary of the round light, seemed to have completely moved beyond the boundary and was no longer visible. 

However, thanks to David’s footsteps and his voice calling and urging Saul to continue without stopping, following behind wasn’t too difficult.

But a child’s steps were very fast and never seemed to tire. If she delayed even a little, she felt she would lose them.

Saul chasing his younger brother seemed to have similar thoughts, as his steps carried clear anxiety.

Fortunately for Catherine, the quick succession of footsteps soon stopped. Saul also stopped. Gasping for breath behind Saul’s back, Catherine stared at young David slowly entering the reddish round boundary again ahead.

At the same time, seeing the familiar scenery revealed under the light together, she soon realized where this was.

“David, just go back to your room…”

The continuing voice couldn’t finish. Saul, who had been reaching out his hand toward David like trying to catch him, seemed to have realized it belatedly too. It was that landing.

Saul, standing near the very end of the corridor, looked at where the railing began revealed under the lamp’s reddish light and staggered back two or three steps like losing his balance.

Thanks to that, the light that had been fully illuminating young David’s figure was pushed away, and he came to stand straddling the boundary of light again. From that wavering boundary, David looked back at Saul.

“Saul, look over there.”

In the midst of red and dark, light and shadow intertwined, David’s attitude looking back at Saul was somewhat strange. Unlike just before when he had seemed somewhat excited, David’s attitude was very calm.

And she got the impression that his reactions seemed subtly off bit by bit. It didn’t seem like she was mistaken.

Catherine met David’s gaze that seemed empty like a doll’s and was startled, forgetting even that she had been gasping for breath.

Come on. Lifting his hand and pointing below the stairs, David whispered. Saul, standing in the corridor just before entering the landing, couldn’t move like he was guessing what was below.

“That person is calling for brother…”

David whispered once more. He muttered in an unclear voice like he was bewitched by something. When his voice ended, the dim space became quiet again. Catherine tried to breathe out slowly and listened carefully.

However, it was the same like before. She couldn’t hear anything.

And Saul couldn’t seem to hear anything either. Standing in the corridor, blankly looking in the direction David was pointing, Saul’s face held the faint fear characteristic of one facing something incomprehensible.

Catherine saw Saul close his eyes tightly and open them like he had met gazes with something existing below, hidden by the railing and invisible…

The light wavered. Catherine saw Saul’s hand holding the lamp trembling. David also seemed to waver between light and shadow, like repeatedly submerging below the surface and emerging. 

In the midst of that, Saul swallowing dry saliva like his throat was very parched was visible. That sound seemed to be heard too loudly.

“That, person.”

His hands, shoulders, and whole body all seemed to be trembling. Even Saul’s voice speaking to David was trembling terribly. Like trying to bite down and swallow that trembling, he bit his lips hard and breathed in deeply enough to make his shoulders heave.

However, perhaps it hadn’t quite subsided, as he moved his lips several more times then gave up and closed his mouth.

“Saul, quickly.”

David’s voice calling Saul urgently was heard distantly again.

“Come here.”

At the following voice, Saul closed his eyes tightly with an attitude of being completely unable to bear it.