# Chapter 41
“Rite. What you’re doing right now is blackmail.”
“And what about what you’re doing? Preventing me from going outside while you wander around alone—what is that?”
“When did I ever tell you not to go outside? I told you not to go to dangerous places. The forest, the village.”
“I came back from the forest perfectly fine. What’s the problem?”
“You went into the forest and brought back a monster, and you’re asking what the problem is?”
As my voice rose again, Rite’s eyes glinted. I had always been the one to soothe Rite when he was excited, but today he was unusually calm.
I felt the situation was developing strangely. It seemed like I was moving according to someone’s intentions, following someone’s lead. Since only Rite and I were living and breathing in this space, it was obvious who the scriptwriter was.
I looked at the person who had moved with confidence that I would follow his plan, who was now probably delighting in the fact that things were going according to his thoughts.
“You went in on purpose. To make me angry.”
There’s a complete difference between doing something knowing I’ll be angry and doing something specifically to provoke my anger.
“Am I starting to get on your nerves now, Arden?”
I felt like I’d been stabbed in the back.
“If you just wanted to rebel, keep it within limits.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You know this isn’t just simple rebellion.”
Rite’s eyes instantly turned fierce, as if he had received a terrible insult.
Don’t be afraid to talk with your adolescent child. Keep trying to communicate. That was what parenting books repeatedly advised, but it wasn’t an easy task.
The author probably hadn’t considered the possibility that an adolescent child might harbor inappropriate desires toward their caregiver. That’s why they could easily write such advice.
“…Rite, it’s about time you understood.”
“Understood what?”
“That I cannot give you what you want.”
“Be more specific. I want many things from you, so I’m confused.”
His voice was sharp. This seemed to be an unscripted line, as the superficial calmness that had been present dissipated, revealing the face of an unstable boy.
“You and I… cannot have a relationship based on sexual feelings.”
“No. You’re wrong about that.”
“On what basis?”
“You saw that night. Do you need any more proof?”
Rite’s blood-stained red finger pointed at his bedroom door. Even though I didn’t want to remember, the image from that night naturally came to mind. The purple eyes glowing intensely in the dark room, almost beastlike; the lips that habitually sucked my fingers now biting different fingers; the saliva flowing down those fingers. The bright red desire that wasn’t hidden even in the darkness.
I tightly closed my eyes and reopened them to drive away those thoughts. In my sight, I still saw Rite holding a monster’s head with blood on it. I had tried to raise Rite as a human. So, was Rite’s current form close to human?
“…It’s because you’re too isolated.”
No, even before that. Had humans ever been nobler than beasts?
“It’s because we’ve been living in this small cabin, only looking at each other. That’s why you’re confused.”
“That again?”
“You said it yourself. That you were afraid of being abandoned. You have only one human relationship, so you believe it’s special and cling to it.”
“Isn’t it the same for you?”
Rite threw the Achris head he was holding onto the floor. It rolled halfway before getting caught on a large horn and stopping somewhere between me and Rite. The Achris’s empty white eyes faced toward me. Despite that, the eerie feeling that it was watching me gave me goosebumps.
“You’re the same. Unique. Special.”
“…”
“Do you think I don’t know your heart?”
“Even so, you and I are different.”
Rite let out a hollow laugh. Neither of us would yield our opinions. So the conversation could only continue to circle the surface.
“Do whatever you want. I’ll do the same.”
Even though I was tired of this fight, I had no white flag. I couldn’t choose surrender, and I couldn’t see any chance of winning either.
“Do what you want with that too—use it or throw it away.”
After gesturing with his chin toward the torn head of the Achris, he passed by me and headed to the bathroom. I heard the sound of water. Rite was washing off the blood.
My guilt was growing heavier and heavier. Unable to bear that weight, I simply sat down. The Achris’s eyes were still watching me.
* * *
Though I fell asleep with anxiety, the morning was better than my worries. It was due to attention being diverted elsewhere. It was raining in the Winter Forest.
It was a sudden and unseasonably late rain. This wasn’t a region where rain never fell, but it wasn’t a place where rain was common either. Moreover, for it to rain at this point when summer was ending was quite extraordinary.
Raindrops fell onto the snow-white accumulation, making small sounds. When this very small and faint sound was repeated countless times, it became loud enough for me to hear. The sound of raindrops falling onto the snow on the ground, onto the trees, and tapping on the cabin, each subtly different, combined to create a rather pleasant harmony.
When I opened my bedroom door and came out, I saw Rite’s back as he was watching out the window. He had pulled the rocking chair to the window and was sitting there, looking outside. For Rite, who had only lived in Winterishe, a rainy day was a special event.
“I guess we can’t go out today.”
Rite spoke without taking his eyes off the window, then turned his head toward me after a beat. On rainy days, the roads would freeze and body temperature would be difficult to maintain, so it was better not to go outside. Although what he said was correct, yesterday’s conversation came to mind, and I couldn’t easily nod. Was I having a battle of pride with a child now? I belatedly felt pathetic.
“…I suppose so.”
It wasn’t as if Rite had made it rain. It was a childish emotion.
That day, it rained all day long.
* * *
Rite’s rebellion never took a day off. The adolescence that came with the rain caused me to sink into agony almost every day. The new problem surfaced on the night of the day it started raining.
“…What are you doing?”
When I opened the door after washing up to prepare for bed, I saw Rite sitting on my bed. We had agreed not to enter each other’s rooms. Although it was my unilateral announcement, Rite had been following the rule, so it could be considered an implicit agreement.
However, since I was the one who had dragged him into my room a few days ago, it was awkward to immediately chase him out coldly. While I was contemplating what to do, Rite stared up at me.
“Do you have something to say?”
“…”
“If not…”
“I want to sleep here tonight.”
His bold statement made me laugh hollowly. Rite pretended not to notice and smiled brightly, tilting his head slightly. Somehow, as he grew, his coquettishness only increased. Was he becoming shameless, or was he developing a cute side?
“No. And I told you not to enter my room without permission.”
“Arden was the first to break the rule.”
Rite said, repeatedly opening and closing his palm. Though the scars had faded, the scene of blood flowing from his palm was still vivid.
“That was when you were injured. All the medical supplies were in my room. It was an exception due to special circumstances.”
“So if I get hurt, it’s allowed?”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
My expression hardened. Rite, who had been staring at my face, immediately smiled and shrugged his shoulders. It meant he was taking a step back.
“I’m scared of the rain sounds too.”
“You don’t look scared at all.”
“…”
“It’s too late to change your expression now. Besides, how can someone who was watching the rain with curiosity suddenly be afraid of it?”
Rite’s expression, which had been showing a pitiful face with drooping eyebrows, gradually returned to normal. If anything, it was slightly colder than his usual expression.
I didn’t want to argue anymore. I approached the bed and grabbed Rite’s arm to pull him up. I thought he might resist, but Rite got up more easily than expected.
So I let my guard down. That was my mistake.
I woke up earlier than usual to the small sound of something tapping on the window. The rain that had been pouring all day continued into the next day. The rain seemed to have weakened a bit, but the fact that it was continuing for a second day was worrisome. A sudden climate change wasn’t something to be ignored.
If it continued to rain like this, the first to be affected would be the creatures of the forest. Plants would freeze, and the wet fur of animals and monsters would cause their body temperature to drop rapidly. Then, what remained was death by freezing.
If the already sparse plants and animals in this barren land froze to death, it would inevitably affect the people here too. The roads were already frozen, so the price of firewood might have already increased. Jack’s shop would make some money. That thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I sensed movement outside. It was too early for Rite to be awake at this hour. Puzzled, I opened the door, and the first thing that responded was my sense of smell. The smell of blood was intense. Rite’s figure was captured in my widened eyes.
“Rite!”
A loud shout immediately escaped me. My heart pounded fiercely. The slight drowsiness that had lingered was instantly gone.
Unlike me, who was in shock, Rite was holding an animal’s head with a calm expression. His body was covered in dirt, his right sleeve was rolled up revealing scales, and blood dripping from that arm fell to the floor drop by drop. Once again, blood spread through the gaps in the wooden floor.
“Is it because it’s thicker than the Achris, or because it’s wet from the rain? This one didn’t cut easily.”
As Rite said, the cut surface of this animal was particularly messy. This time it was a white buffalo. Though not classified as a monster, it was a much more violent and aggressive dangerous creature than the Achris. It was still raining outside. The animals would have been more sensitive to the sudden rain. Moreover, white buffaloes were herd animals.
“Are you out of your mind? I told you not to go to the forest just two days ago.”
“I had no choice.”
I was so dumbfounded that words failed me. My strength drained away. Leaning against the doorframe, I wiped my face with my palm several times.
“I didn’t want to be alone at night.”
