A Period of Chaos - Chapter 48

Chapter 48. Cradle

While falling, the giant tentacles wrapped around the car to protect Ah-hee inside as much as possible.

However, snow piled up on top of it, and it was still pouring down through the gaps in the tentacles.

The strong pressure coming from all sides gradually distorted the sturdy ether-only vehicle. If she stayed like this, she would be crushed to death.

“Are you okay, Lieutenant? Did you escape safely?”

Ah-hee gently touched the tentacles that had become as hard as armor to protect the car with her hand. The ether tentacles did not disappear. That meant that Tae-joo was alive and had not lost his mind.

After checking on Tae-joo’s well-being, Ah-hee thought about her next step.

“How do I get out of here….”

It was absolutely impossible with Ah-hee’s strength. She didn’t know what to do.

Ah-hee worried and stroked the tentacle affectionately.

That was it. As if it had only just sensed Ah-hee’s presence, the tentacle twitched slightly. Soft tentacles like newly sprouted buds sprouted from the huge pillar.

“Lieutenant?”

Ah-hee tilted her head and grabbed the tentacle that looked so fragile for Tae-joo’s tentacle. The small tentacle twitched dynamically as if welcoming Ah-hee.

How much time had passed? Along with the sound of snow being dug up from above, a voice calling Ah-hee’s name was heard.

“Ah-hee! Kim Ah-hee!”

His hoarse voice sounded like a scream because he had screamed so much.

“Lieutenant! I’m here! I’m okay!”

Ah-hee clasped her hands together in front of her lips and shouted upward.

Drop! Drop! The sound of the snow dropping grew louder. The tentacles that had freed themselves from the snow piles weighing them down stretched their bodies and pulled the car out. Ah-hee’s eyes suddenly brightened.

Tae-joo couldn’t even wait for the tentacles to put the car on the ground. He jumped up and opened the car door.

“…….”

I thought you were dead. I wanted to die instead. I thought I should get revenge on the guy who opened this f*cking gate. But it was so painful that I couldn’t bear it even for a moment.

I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to kill them all. I wanted to kill them all and make them my and your graves.

Tae-joo swallowed the words that came to mind without any order. His bloodshot eyes were staring at Ah-hee. He was afraid that this was just an illusion.

Ah-hee was also speechless because she was so shocked. Tae-joo’s condition seemed to be worse than Ah-hee’s, who had been swept away by the avalanche. The blood vessels around his eyes were burst and bright red, and his hair was a mess.

“Your hand… why is it like this?”

Above all, Tae-joo’s hand was a mess. What on earth had he done to get it like this? All his fingernails were pulled out. Although they were growing at a visible rate, his fingertips were covered in blood. Ah-hee touched his red, cold hand and asked in shock.

“You really dug out the snow with your hands?”

It was ridiculous. Tae-joo’s tentacles provided more powerful labor than thousands of humans. He could perform magic without lifting a single hand. So why would he ruin his own hands like this and gouge out the snow? There was no reason for that.

Tae-joo didn’t even realize that he had done something so stupid. He soaked a towel in water and wiped Ah-hee’s bloody face. There was a small cut just below her hairline. It was caused by the glass shards from the broken car window. The wound wasn’t big, but it was deep.

“…You need stitches.”

Tae-joo, who was examining the wound, groaned in pain.

“I’ll just give you first aid. It’s your face, so you might be worried. I’ll put a bandage on it to keep it from getting infected. Go to the hospital as soon as we get out of this f*cking gate. Don’t worry, I’ll send you the best doctor who can sew it up without scarring you.”

He muttered darkly and checked to see if there were any other injuries.

“Did you cut your hand?”

“Your fingernails are all gone…”

He was worried about the wounds that weren’t even visible on Ah-hee’s body, and he rubbed his seriously injured hand as if he was wiping something dirty.

Ah-hee, shocked by the self-torture, stopped him in fear. The blood had drained from his fingertips, and the soft pink flesh that should have been under his fingernails was visible.

Tae-joo brought the first aid kit and treated Ah-hee’s wounds. A thick gauze was placed on Ah-hee’s forehead. She didn’t think her wounds were that bad, but she left him alone. She thought that would put Tae-joo at ease. In the meantime, Tae-joo’s fingernails grew back strong.

“I won’t let you go again. I won’t let you be in danger. Never again….”

Tae-joo clenched his molars, wrapping his already healed wounds.

For a moment, he lost sight of Ah-hee. Ah-hee was no longer in his sight.

To Tae-joo, controlling the tentacles was like moving his hands. It was the same as when a person moves his hands without much thought. He moved the tentacles without being deeply conscious of the brain’s commands.

However, that did not mean there were no restrictions. She had to be within his field of vision. That was also the reason why Tae-joo’s eyes were busy during the battle.

When handling multiple tentacles, it felt like he was moving multiple parts of his body at the same time. In order to move each of them individually with a clear goal, he had to have excellent motor skills such as reaction speed and dynamic vision.

The ether tentacles were very dull. Furthermore, at the moment of the accident, Tae-joo was controlling numerous tentacles.

He was always paying attention to the tentacles he left around Ah-hee. However, the moment she disappeared from sight, all Tae-joo could do was wrap the car around it to protect Ah-hee inside as much as possible.

As if a neuron had been cut off, the dull senses almost disappeared. If there had been a strong stimulus, it would have been different, but it was very quiet down there.

Tae-joo panicked, unable to figure out exactly where and in what condition Ah-hee was. At the same time, he lost some of his control over his tentacles.

This was because his mental power had declined. He wanted to bang his head on the floor to regain consciousness, but he held back. If he did that and passed out, Ah-hee would be in more danger.

Tae-joo, who had been digging out the snow without thinking, hesitated, unable to leave the place where Ah-hee had disappeared.

It was Ah-hee’s touch that briefly awakened his devastated mind. His senses, which had become sensitive due to contact with the Guide, conveyed her location to Tae-joo.

If Ah-hee hadn’t made that choice at that moment….

Tae-joo didn’t want to imagine what would happen next.

“Do you remember when we first met?”

Ah-hee’s voice rescued Tae-joo from his own hell.

His face was too dark. It seemed that he had been greatly shocked. His face was paler than Ah-hee, who had almost died. When she thought about it from the other person’s perspective, she could understand him.

If Tae-joo had almost died in front of her, Ah-hee’s shock would not have been any less. She wanted to comfort and calm him down.

“I was five years old then, but I still remember it clearly.”

“……”

“You saved me.”

Ah-hee whispered softly, holding Tae-joo’s hand. His eyes, which seemed to wander through the darkness, gradually focused and looked at Ah-hee.

Tae-joo remembered the small warmth that had touched him in a moment of crisis.

It was always Ah-hee’s hand.

“There was nothing dangerous. Because you saved me again.”

“……”

Tae-joo stared blankly at the pure white face smiling like a pear blossom. The living Ah-hee was by no means a mirage, and her delicate fingers were tightly interlocked, holding onto him.

The warmth flowing through the delicate flesh between her fingers was warm.

“I know that you will save me if I ever get into danger again. Since you’re protecting me, I am not afraid at all.”

“……”

“I won’t die. If I die, there’ll be no Guide for you. You’re stubborn and lovable and picky… If I die, you’ll die too. So I won’t die, and I can’t die.”

Ah-hee whispered playfully, pulling Tae-joo’s hand towards her and kissing the back of his hand.

Tae-joo’s face distorted with indescribable emotions.

“But if I die, I’ll grant your wish.”

“What…?”

“You can swallow me. I want you to feel full with my body.”

Torture, abuse, insomnia, hunger, thirst… The arrogant and tenacious creature that said that nothing could kill him had a fragile face.

“… Are you crazy?”

“I am crazy.”

Ah-hee whispered sweetly like honey. Her voice was terribly sweet.

“I wish you wanted me more.”

“Ha… More than now? How? If I did that, someone like you would be shattered into pieces…”

“If you’re happy, I will be happy too.”

“…….”

Ah-hee was saying that she didn’t care about anything. She never wanted to die, but she would have died for him.

It was obedience bordering on madness.

Tae-joo was panting and suffering as if he was being severely tortured. His head was burning hot and he felt like he was going to die. Ah-hee’s scent was painful. If he kept going like this, he might not be able to control himself.

“I love you. I love you so much. I love you enough to die for you….”

Ah-hee pulled Tae-joo’s face, who was pale and retreating, close to her.

Her moist lips breathed life into him, who was panting hard. Tae-joo collapsed like a sinking ship.

He was no longer affectionate or considerate, having surrendered. Running at her like a ferocious beast, he bit her lips. A moan, like scraping a piece of iron, echoed through the snowfield.

Was this joy or despair?

Perhaps, it was the beginning and the end between an Ether and the Guide.