The Tear-Stained Wall 81

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And along with that thought, a white hand burst out from the pitch-black darkness beneath his feet.

It was a hand that was familiar if one could call it familiar, and unfamiliar if one could call it unfamiliar.

A bone-thin, gaunt hand with protruding bones that gave off a chill just by looking at it.

‘It noticed.’

As if realizing Seoho’s existence, the hand approached even faster. Along with the hand getting closer and closer, his heart pounded loudly.

It felt like his thoughts were paralyzed. His breath, which had been coming easily just moments ago, was blocked, and his tongue stuck firmly to the roof of his mouth.

The sound of his own heartbeat was so loud and fast that he felt he might get motion sickness. His head hurt as if it would split from the ringing—beep—heard in his ears.

At the hand that had suddenly approached right in front of him, Seoho unknowingly squeezed his eyes shut, then covered his ears and curled his body up into a ball.

Without even recognizing that an unpleasant sound was coming from inside his mouth as his jaw trembled, he prayed and prayed again for it to just pass by pretending not to see.

But contrary to Seoho’s wishes, the hand was getting closer and closer. He could feel it even with his eyes closed. The large hand spread wide to grab him.

“Haa.”

White breath leaked from his mouth.

Just as all the strength drained from his body that had been frozen stiff as if giving up everything.

Something that started from deep inside his body, from inside his belly, gradually spread throughout his entire body. It was divine power that spread softly and flexibly as if breathing life into him.

At the warm warmth that spread to every corner of his body that had been curled up tightly, Seoho took his first deep breath since discovering the hand.

“Hup.”

As he took his first breath, his body began to stabilize rapidly.

Seoho gathered his two hands that had been covering his ears in front of his chest, held them together, and exhaled. Then the warm warmth circulated through his body even faster than before.

‘Rosetta.’

The refreshing and invigorating divine power received from Rosetta, cool and clean as if life was sprouting anew.

Feeling the divine power that was cold yet cozy throughout his entire body, Seoho raised his head that had been deeply bowed. And he discovered the hand trembling right in front of him, unable to approach any further.

As he took in the white hand that was wandering here and there restlessly as if not knowing what to do with its suddenly blocked movement, laughter came out inappropriately for the situation.

There was no need to run away or be afraid.

‘You’re with me.’

Though it was in a dream, still the divine power, Rosetta, was with him.

It was okay not to be afraid like this. As he let out laughter like that, the thing that was nothing but a hand stopped its actions as if it had heard Seoho’s laughter.

And the hand, which had remained still right in front of his nose for a while as if looking at Seoho, gently waved.

It was a very small movement, but he could tell it was a greeting. The moment he saw that greeting, Seoho instinctively realized.

That today wouldn’t be the last time seeing that hand.

‘It will come looking for me again.’

But even so, he wasn’t scared. So Seoho openly waved his hand back toward the gradually breaking space and the increasingly fading hand. And he buried his body in the pitch-black darkness that was destroying this space.

“Seoho!”

His eyes snapped open and he took a deep breath. A beautiful face looking down at him with a completely disheveled expression. The divine power surrounding it.

The moment their eyes met, relief came. The blue eyes resembling a lake were shaking aimlessly as if hit by a storm, but strangely, looking at those trembling eyes made his tensed body relax instead.

‘It’s over. I’m safe now.’

The hands firmly gripping his shoulders were strongly supporting him. Seoho raised the corners of his mouth while looking at Rosetta, who couldn’t even blink for fear of losing him.

“I’m back.”

That he came back safely, well, without anything happening. That there’s no need to be afraid. That I’m here now.

As if confirming it, Seoho pulled Rosetta’s hands that were gripping his shoulders. And he placed those hands on top of his heart, which was beating slowly on his chest.

At the same time, plop, a water drop fell onto his face.

Yes, from the moment he opened his eyes and faced that completely blurred face, he had indeed realized that he had made him cry.

Along with the apology for having caused worry, gratitude toward him who liked him this much coexisted.

So Seoho smiled even more brightly.

“You should answer me.”

Rosetta clenched his teeth. And after making gasping sounds several times, he answered in a voice completely soaked and muffled.

“…Welcome back.”

With those words, Rosetta collapsed. Rosetta, who buried his head on Seoho’s heart, cried soundlessly.

Seoho reached out both hands without saying anything and embraced him. Though his chest became hotly soaked, he hugged him even tighter and stroked his back.

He was a person so large that it was overwhelming to embrace him with both arms, but that made it even better.

Feeling the warmth enveloping his entire body as in the dream, Seoho patted him until dawn broke.

***

Even after seeing his swollen eyes, Seoho, who couldn’t say anything in particular, could only worriedly caress those eyes with his fingers.

Though they had lain in bed all night, neither of them had been able to sleep after that.

It was natural. Rosetta couldn’t bear for Seoho to fall asleep, and Seoho too couldn’t fall asleep leaving him today.

‘I know that hand won’t appear for a while at least, but…’

It was obvious that telling Rosetta such things wouldn’t get through to him. Rosetta was lying down firmly gripping the waist of Seoho, who was sitting leaning against the bedside.

Seoho recalled Rosetta, who had followed him all the way to the bathroom as if he would never let go, and stroked his face.

Tears were still leaking out intermittently.

He knew that comforting him at times like this would make him cry more, but he couldn’t ignore Rosetta either. As Seoho was wiping away the tears flowing out again, Rosetta buried his face in Seoho’s belly again.

Seoho gently stroked Rosetta’s shoulders. How much time had passed like that again? Along with a knock, Puti’s voice was heard.

“Your Majesty. Did you cough?”

Seoho answered instead of Rosetta, who had no reaction.

“Puti, come in.”

As soon as Seoho’s answer ended, the door quietly opened and Puti looked at Seoho as if puzzled.

And Puti, who had examined Rosetta burying his face in his embrace in turn, met eyes with Seoho again with a completely shaken face. But right now there was something more important than explaining the situation.

“I’ll tell you later. First, could you bring an ice pack or cold wet towel? I think his eyes will hurt.”

Puti turned his head sharply again to look at Rosetta, then moved quickly.

“Yes, and I’ll call Mage Aris.”

“Thank you.”

Thanks to Puti moving swiftly, Seoho was able to receive a cold wet towel right away. Puti left the room again saying he would quickly bring Aris.

Once the door closed and only the two remained, Seoho called him while caressing Rosetta’s round and soft back of the head.

“Rosetta, will you show me your face now?”

Then Rosetta shook his head and buried his face even deeper.

“I think your eyes will hurt. They must be stinging. Hm?”

At Seoho’s coaxing and gentle words, Rosetta, who flinched and trembled, muttered softly.

“Right now I’m ugly.”

“Pardon?”

“I can’t show such an unseemly appearance.”

Seoho let out a small laugh.

“At this point? And does it end just by not showing your face? My belly is all soaked.”

Then Rosetta opened his mouth once more.

“I always want to show you only good things. I want to give you only the best…”

“Rosetta is always like that. And it’s okay because you’re cute.”

“That’s a lie.”

Seoho bit his lips, held back his laughter, then said firmly.

“The original never changes. But if I keep leaving you like this, you’ll get uglier and uglier, right?”

Rosetta hesitantly pulled his face away and showed his face slightly.

As expected, perhaps because he rubbed his face on the belly, his eyes were even redder than before. Seoho lifted the handkerchief.

“Keep this over your eyes. You heard earlier, right? Aris will come soon, so you just need to endure a bit.”

Rosetta nodded wordlessly. After placing the handkerchief over Rosetta’s eyes as he lay down properly, he spoke. Since he had calmed down to some extent, it seemed okay to talk now.

“Were you very shocked?”

“…Yeah.”

It seemed like properly talking about what happened then would help Rosetta become mentally stable. Seoho spoke while grasping Rosetta’s hand that was fumbling over the blanket.

“I was shocked too. But it was really just for a moment. Because the divine power protected me.”

“Yeah.”

“It felt like Rosetta was by my side, so I wasn’t scared. And you actually did protect me too.”

Along with a brief silence, Rosetta answered in a slightly cracked voice.

“…I didn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything.”

It was different from what he thought. Seoho lightly shook the hand he was holding.

“You held my hand and woke me up from sleep, didn’t you?”

“Your body suddenly became blurred. The divine power weakened, and your body became cold.”

Seoho could feel Rosetta taking a deep breath.

“Your heart slowed down and you were barely breathing.”

Seoho patted Rosetta’s chest.

“You must have been shocked.”