Bound by a Promise (2)
As Noel took a step closer, he felt a strange power flowing from the frame.
It wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling, which left him feeling conflicted.
While Noel was lost in thought, Asin spoke up.
—Do you also feel the power flowing from that frame?
When Noel nodded, Asin stepped closer to it.
As she approached, the picture frame began to tremble.
Sensing something strange in the vibration, the man looked down at the frame, then raised his eyes and locked gazes with Noel.
Perhaps he felt a sudden chill.
Without warning, the man bolted.
Noel was about to give chase, but something darted past him in a blur.
—I'll chase him!
It was Kkamangi.
Noel didn't know where the little spirit had been hiding, but he let out a breath and relaxed.
He'll definitely catch him.
After all, tracking was the one thing Kkamangi excelled at, second only to eavesdropping on other ghosts.
He's probably having the time of his life right now.
Noel looked at Asin amidst the murmurs of the surrounding crowd.
—The divine retainer whom the Mountain God spoke of is imprisoned within that frame. I can see the seal upon it.
“Really?”
It seemed the weeping he had heard earlier indeed came from the picture.
—Yet, something is amiss.
Asin placed a lightly clenched hand against her chin.
“What's strange about it?”
—The seal has grown exceedingly weak. It is fragile enough to be shattered with a single strike of a fist.
“You mean she's staying inside the frame on purpose?”
—It appears so, though I cannot fathom why.
Noel agreed with Asin's sentiment.
It truly made no sense.
—...She must be afraid.
When Tamrang spoke, Noel turned to look at him.
Instead of squatting as he usually did, he was staring intently at the painting.
“Afraid of what?”
—The world outside, the changed times, and perhaps even the strange comfort she found while imprisoned... She fears all of it.
It sounded exactly like the fears Tamrang himself had once harbored.
“Did you also not want to come out?”
—Half of me did not. But the other half burned with a desire for vengeance against those who reduced me to such a state. It was that thirst for revenge that drove me out of my fan.
Tamrang reached out and touched the painting.
A flurry of sensations swirled at his fingertips.
—But now, those feelings have faded significantly. I suspect it is due to your influence. Besides, I am far too busy adapting to this changed world as it is.
Tamrang stepped back and studied the painting.
Even a single painting changed with the passage of time.
Thoughts, actions, and even perceptions—everything had shifted.
“Revenge isn't always a bad thing, but it rarely ends well for anyone,” Noel spoke nonchalantly.
He had encountered countless ghosts who had dedicated their entire existences to revenge.
With very few exceptions, they all ended up in regret.
The sheer futility of their vengeance, coupled with the realization that they had wasted their lives, always hit them the hardest.
“Well, shall we go after him?”
Noel set off at a leisurely pace.
For once, Kkamangi felt incredibly reliable.
“...Haah, haah.”
The man panted heavily in the park-like area behind the art museum.
The moment he had locked eyes with that person—whose age was hard to tell, somewhere between a boy and a young man—goosebumps had erupted all over his skin.
His only instinct had been to run.
The man looked down at the picture frame.
“I startled you, didn't I? I'm sorry for running away so suddenly.”
He gently caressed the edge of the frame with his finger.
He handled it as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
“We'll go back inside in a bit. Once we're sure we've lost that strange person.”
The man smiled softly at the frame.
“I'm not a strange person, you know.”
At the blunt voice, the man flinched and spun around.
He immediately took a step back.
“Are you going to run away again? Go ahead. I'll just chase you down again.”
Noel's words bordered on a provocation.
—Yeah! I'll chase you!
Kkamangi declared, standing proudly on all four paws.
“...Who on earth are you, and why are you doing this?”
The man hid the frame behind his back, looking deeply troubled.
“Isn't that my line? You took one look at my face and bolted. The least you can do is tell me why.”
“...It was a misunderstanding.”
“You were talking to the picture frame. Did you run because I caught you?”
As Noel took a step forward, the man retreated two steps.
Backing away was one thing, but the way the man stared at him was incredibly unpleasant.
He was looking at Noel as if he were some kind of monster.
...Ah, seriously.
A surge of irritation flared up inside him for the first time in a while.
It was the exact look he despised most.
“Yes, yes... I'm sorry. I apologize. I was just... so startled, that's why.”
The man bowed his head, trying to brush the incident aside.
Even giving him the benefit of the doubt, his reaction was far too extreme.
“Then, if you'll just let me see what's in that frame...”
“No! Absolutely not!”
The man cut Noel off, desperately clutching the frame to his chest.
If he had looked like a cornered dog with its tail between its legs a moment ago, he was now baring his teeth.
How could a person's demeanor shift so drastically in an instant?
“...Are you possessed, by any chance?”
At Noel's question, the man gasped.
For a fleeting second, his eyes filled with utter despair.
Just then, a spectral force shaped like a hand emerged from the frame and caressed the man's face.
“W-what are you talking about?”
The man denied it, but Noel only let out a long sigh.
He's possessed, all right.
—He appears to be possessed by the entity within that frame.
Asin's assessment matched Noel's.
I don't feel any malice, though.
It certainly wasn't a curse.
Rather, it felt closer to a mutual promise.
The reason it hadn't felt entirely pleasant was likely due to the nature of that promise.
Once a promise bound someone against their will, it became no different from a curse.
—Tamrang. What do you see?
Asin turned to Tamrang, who immediately let out a heavy sigh.
His face practically screamed his reluctance.
—I see a red thread. The entity in the frame and the man are so tightly bound they resemble a cocoon. They are undoubtedly entangled by a promise.
The red thread was faint, causing Tamrang to squint as he spoke.
Just how old was this promise?
That confirms it.
Noel did not hesitate.
Clap!
He clapped his hands together, channeling his spiritual power.
As the resonant vibration rippled through the air, the man shuddered violently before gasping for breath.
Noel immediately pressed him with a question.
“Forgive me for being blunt since we've just met, but you're suffering right now, aren't you?”
“……Please, save me.”
The man squeezed out the words, sounding as if he were suffocating.
The hand-shaped force tried to reach out from the frame again, but it seemed blocked by something and could go no further.
“Take a deep breath and tell me what's happening,” Noel coaxed him gently.
“Whenever I look at that... I go crazy.”
“How do you go crazy?”
“It's like I'm possessed. I can't escape it. I can't stop thinking about the w-woman in that painting... It's driving me insane! Please, I beg of you, help me!”
“Will you show me the frame?”
At Noel's request, the man reluctantly held out the frame, his face pale with terror.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
Was it dread?
Or sheer terror?
“It's alright,” Noel said, stepping closer.
Watching Noel, the man turned the frame around with trembling hands.
A woman stood beside a flowing river.
Faint scales were visible on her face, though she didn't quite look like a mermaid.
Yet, with hair as blue as a river reflecting the sky, she was clearly not human.
The woman in the painting turned her head with agonizing slowness.
Her expression was profoundly sorrowful.
—...N-Noel!
Kkamangi shrieked in surprise and clung to Noel.
—Noel, Noel! The picture is moving!
With a startled face, Kkamangi buried himself deep into Noel's chest.
—How could a divine retainer commit such an act?
At Asin's stern rebuke, the woman in the painting slowly bowed her head.
Was she unable to speak?
Or was something else wrong?
“Give it to me.”
Deciding that breaking the seal was the priority for now, Noel reached out.
“...But, but I feel this overwhelming urge that I shouldn't let go of it.”
“If you don't, you'll never escape that painting. Are you fine with that?”
“No! No, no! I'm absolutely not fine with it! You have no idea how horrifying it is to feel affection for someone... when you don't actually love them at all.”
“Then hand it over.”
Urged by Noel, the man hesitated, breaking out in a cold sweat, before finally thrusting the frame forward.
His hands were still shaking violently.
The moment Noel snatched the frame away, a look of intense anxiety washed over the man.
—……I... I am so sorry. I am truly sorry.
As soon as Noel held the frame, a faint voice echoed in his mind.
It sounded as if she were weeping.
—Run away! Quickly! This is not something I can control!
At her warning, Asin looked at the man.
The fear in his eyes was slowly morphing into something else.
It was an emotion bordering on pure rage.
—Run, Noel!
At Asin's signal, Noel bolted. Asin glided over to the man and placed her hand upon his head.
Thud.
Under the crushing weight of her divine pressure, the man staggered and collapsed to the ground.
—He will not be able to stand for some time.
Asin immediately flew back to Noel's side.
“I could have handled that.”
—It will cause no harm to his physical body, so do not worry.
Asin smiled reassuringly. Noel nodded and quickly made his getaway.
He took the subway and got off at a station far away from the art museum.
To be honest, he had no idea where he was, but surely there would be a decent place nearby.
Exiting the station, he walked into a cafe.
After ordering some cake and a drink, he headed for the most secluded corner seat.
When Noel looked down at the frame, the woman was still hanging her head, behaving like a condemned criminal.
Was she trying to elicit sympathy?
“You can come out, can't you?”
Noel pointed out the part that made the least sense to him.
—...No. I cannot.
“What? But the seal is incredibly weak.”
He wasn't joking; it felt like a mere flick of his finger would shatter it.
As Noel raised his hand to do just that, the woman cried out in a panic.
—No! You mustn't do that!
Noel paused, his annoyance plain on his face.
“Why not?”
—That human from earlier... he will come looking for me.
The woman looked up, her eyes wide with terror.
“What does that matter?”
—...A promise binds me and that human. A promise that can never be broken. You saw the hands holding him back, didn't you? That was not my doing.
The woman beat her chest a couple of times and shook her head.
“So that hand-shaped force I saw earlier... that was the promise?”
At Noel's question, the woman nodded slowly.
—What manner of promise did you make?
Asin pressed for answers.
A promise was not something to be trifled with lightly.
Because it functioned like a contract, it was nearly impossible to resolve unless one of the original parties was involved.
—...But why are you helping me?
The woman looked at each of them in turn.
She was deeply grateful, but she couldn't understand.
How did they even know she was here?
“Weren't you captured by a spell?” Noel said, rubbing his neck.
She hadn't just been captured; she had been sealed inside a painting.
It seemed the "child" the Mountain God spoke of was still unaware of the full story.
—Did... did He send you?
For the first time, a smile graced the woman's face.
“Well... something like that,” Noel gave a somewhat vague reply.
Though the Mountain God had made the request, the one who had asked the Mountain God was likely the deity this retainer served, so it amounted to the same thing.
—I cannot express how overjoyed I am that He has not forgotten this humble servant. I...
The woman choked up, her voice trembling once more.
—If only I hadn't been foolish enough to fall for a human's spell...
She prostrated herself completely within the frame.
In her frustration, she struck the ground with her clenched fist.
—Why did you get caught by a spell?
Kkamangi blinked and asked.
—...Because I am a very insignificant being. Even the human who cast it never expected the spell to actually succeed.
The woman replied politely, even to Kkamangi.
“What... So it was just an accident?”
Noel looked utterly dumbfounded.
He had expected some grand, dramatic backstory.
—Yes. It was a mere accident, which meant the human lacked the power to undo the spell and return me to my original state.
One would expect her to be filled with resentment, yet there wasn't a trace of negativity in her voice.
The woman looked up and reached out.
Her hand pressed against the invisible barrier of the spell, as if touching a solid wall.
—...That human.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
—A human as insignificant as myself.
Though she was bound within a painting, a deep, aching longing shimmered in her eyes.
—He kept apologizing to me like a fool... and showed me the world.
...Huh?
Noel tilted his head slightly.
This was a completely unexpected turn of events.
—I, who had never once left my river, witnessed the diverse colors of spring, experienced the lush green of summer, saw the brilliant foliage of autumn, and felt the quiet stillness of winter.
The woman bit her lower lip as she finished speaking.
A torrent of emotions washed over her.
Was it sadness?
Affection?
Or simply a profound, lingering longing?
—...By the time white hairs began to sprout on that insignificant human's head, I realized I could finally leave this place. The seal had weakened.
—And yet... you did not leave?
Asin asked, recognizing the emotions reflected in the woman's eyes.
—Yes. I feared that if I left, I would never be able to stay by his side again. As I agonized over the decision, he spoke to me. He asked me to stay with him just a little longer. He, too, knew the seal was weakening. And so, we made a promise.
The woman gripped the back of her hand tightly.
She shouldn't have done it.
She should have ignored the foolish, inexplicable emotions tugging at her heart, and the fear that followed them.
—...I promised to stay for as long as he wished, but in return, he had to cherish me above all else during that time.
The woman closed her eyes tightly, her arms trembling from the force of her clenched fists.
Noel let out a quiet sigh.
The ending was painfully obvious.
—It was a... foolish promise. One day, that insignificant human simply disappeared. I waited and waited, but he never returned. He abandoned me.
Humans don't value promises as much as you think. You didn't know that.
Noel looked at her with a touch of pity.
A promise was a form of contract, and in such agreements, the disadvantage always lay with long-lived entities like her.
—A promise that has lost its master... becomes nothing short of a curse. I cannot leave, and whoever possesses me is forced to cherish me. I have lost count of how many times I have been trapped in this endless cycle.
...Ah. That's why she told me not to break the seal.
Noel only now did Noel understand.
According to the terms of that promise, without the words releasing her from staying, the cycle would repeat indefinitely.
The holder of the painting would be bound by the promise to cherish her forever, and she would be forced to endure the artificial affection of complete strangers.
No matter how agonizing it was, a promise had to be kept.
—I despise myself for being so foolish...
The woman dug her nails into her skin as she spoke.
As she began to claw at the back of her hand, Asin spoke to her gently.
—You loved that human, didn't you?
—……
The woman's eyes widened.
—That is why you gave him so much of yourself. It is not your fault, so do not harbor such hatred for yourself.
Asin wanted to soothe the spirit's wounded heart.
How could love ever be a sin?
—……
Receiving comfort for the first time in hundreds of years, the woman's eyes welled with tears once more.
—But... in this place where there is nothing but a river, I do not know what to do. If I do not blame myself, I cannot bear it. If I do not blame myself... *hic*.
The woman burst into tears, looking up at Asin.
Bzzzzzz.
Just then, the cafe pager on the table vibrated.
Noel stood up and flicked his finger toward the painting.
Crack.
As the seal shattered, the woman stared at Noel in utter shock.
—Why did you do that?! Now that human will come! He might come and kill you...!
The woman clutched her head with both hands.
She was consumed by terror.
—People have slaughtered each other just to possess this painting... to possess me!
“It'll be different this time,” Noel replied readily.
—...What?
The woman stared at him, unable to comprehend.
“In short, you just need to hear the words telling you that you don't have to stay anymore, right? I think I can get those words for you.”
Noel smiled brightly.
After all, this was a battle that had to be fought head-on.