The Bitter Sting of the Kiss
BACKTICK CHAPTER_TITLE: The Night of the Forgotten Blade BACKTICK
The absence of him... Aah! The grief surges like a wave, overwhelming me. My body trembled from the soul-searing kiss, breath trapped in my throat, yet the feeling was so electric, so addictive... the kind of sensation I had never experienced before. With every time her lips parted, the longing would crash back in. Aah... It's not just the lips. It feels like my entire body is melting. How can I even describe this? My eyes are dazed as I stare at her. My mind has turned into a wet, foggy mess—no thoughts left at all. Does the way I look so empty-eyed make her laugh? She does, with a playful little smile. Soon, our foreheads gently press together. Her breath, sweet and warm, teases my nose. Her pointed nose brushes mine in a way that is both innocent and sinful. "It was your first time..." she asks softly. I feel a flicker of embarrassment, but I can't bring myself to lie to her. It feels like I couldn't even if I tried. Besides, she'd see right through it anyway. "Huff huff... Virginity makes everything taste even sweeter..." She licks her red lips once more, savoring the taste, eyes glowing with predatory hunger—the look of a predator who just found its prey. In front of her, I can't resist. Before I know it, my body is lowered onto the sofa by her hands. Miho naturally climbs on top of me, her voluptuous body pressing down as she gazes at me with a smile that's far too wicked. Her eyes are dark with unrestrained lust, a vast greed burning in them like a starving beast. Yet even that terrifying sight is heartbreakingly beautiful. Aah... My breath comes in short, ragged gasps. My whole body burns, hot and feverish. I can't breathe properly—I'm suffocating. I can't control myself. I desperately want her. Just as I thought she understood my turmoil, and just as she shows mercy once again, she covers my lips with hers. The kiss this time is even stickier, more heated than before. It's a real adult kiss. Aah... My heart keeps melting deeper into her.
Days passed. In the pitch-black night, my steps feel heavier than ever. Miho walks beside me now. I glance at her. She smiles softly, as always, radiating that carefree ease. We are deep in a remote mountain valley. At the middle of an unnamed, towering peak, we finally find a naturally formed cave. I swallow hard. Inside, a sinister aura swirls like smoke. My heart starts racing wildly. I swallow another dry lump and take another heavy step. Step by step... I move forward. Without realizing it, my fists clench so tight my knuckles turn white. A cold sweat trickles down my back. It's been a month. A month of searching thanks to Miho's help, and finally I've found it. My heartbeat thunders as I push deeper into the darkness, unable to calm it. The moment I enter, the smell hits me like a knife—sharp, nauseating, like blood mixed with rotting flesh. I grit my teeth and push farther in. Finally, I spot an old man staring back at me. He looks pathetic. His clothes are rags, soaked in sweat, body covered in filth. Trash and animal carcasses lie scattered around him, maggots writhing on the corpses. My face twists in disgust. He raises his head. Between the small flames of the torches, his eerie eyes are the only thing that stands out. I can't hide my tension. I take another step forward. In his lap, I see a familiar rusty sickle. He is gripping it tightly. Yes... I came this close to dying by that. No... I did die. The memory flashes before my eyes like lightning. The injustice and rage that once boiled inside me stir again. I stop. He looks at me. His gaze meets mine. I finally speak, trying to keep my voice steady. "Do you remember me?" The old man says nothing in reply. His expression is the same as before—like he doesn't recognize me at all. The anger surges again. I can barely contain the bubbling rage. "You really forgot me?" "You... hah... hah... What are you? Not a cop, at least..." He definitely forgot. Completely. The rage boils over. Did he really forget everything? Forgetting our family like that? Forgetting that I died...! How could he forget when I was killed by my own hands? I make a face of utter disbelief, then burst out laughing. My eyes, however, never smile. They glare with cold, murderous rage. "How could you forget? How... how could you let our family rot like that? How could you forget me? You threw me into hell..." His face twists. He studies my features more carefully. Then he gasps. His skin turns deathly pale. Finally... he remembers. "How... how are you still alive? I... I killed you that day. I personally tore your head off... Why are you still alive?" "Aah... How fortunate. You finally remember? You finally..." "How are you..." He trembles. His voice cracks with agony. "How are you still alive?!!" "Well... I was just lucky. Or maybe I wasn't meant to die." "This can't be... This... this is impossible. How... wait! Right! So you're still the same old ghost! You ghost bastard! You came back to haunt me again! Stop it! Please, just stop! I had no choice! I... I couldn't do anything else!" What is this nonsense...? My face twists. The old man shakes like a leaf, babbling nonsense, screaming as if he can't believe it. He thinks I'm a ghost too. Did he go mad? Did the madness take root in him? I feel even more wronged. This situation is insane, infuriating. "Why are you acting like this? Where's the man who tried to kill me that day?" My voice rises, trembling with fury I can't hold back. I stride toward him. He suddenly raises the sickle and points it at me. The exact same pose as the day he aimed it at me. My chest stings like fire. "You... you took everything from me. Every last thing..." "That... that couldn't be helped! We had to... we had no choice if we wanted to survive!" "What kind of 'had no choice'? Explain it to me. Why did you sacrifice our family? To what kind of being? What is this village even? Why us?!! Tell me everything!" Tears well up from the injustice. All the pain I've held back explodes. The old man trembles weakly. He keeps repeating the same meaningless words. "We had no choice... that's all..." It's worse. Unfair. Because of some pathetic old man, I lost my father, my mother, and now myself. "Say the truth! What were you sacrificing us for?! To whom?!" "H-he... a very long time ago... the village elder. N-no... not the village... the lord of this land... y-yes... the owner of the earth." "Owner of the land? What does that even mean?" "I don't know. I really don't know! It wasn't a beast... and not even a minor ghost! It was... it was a mountain spirit and a demon at the same time." "What nonsense..." He squeezes his eyes shut, sweat pouring down. He shakes like a reed. His whole body looks unstable. "So why us? Why sacrifice our family? Why us?!" "What does it matter? Anyone would do... We just made a contract with it. To protect the village, to bring good harvests, and to let our children walk prosperous paths... It was like a protector... It only asked for three sacrifices..."