Predatory Marriage

In spite of everything, Isha endured. It was a matter of pride, as a Kurkan. He had to ignore the pain, and the hunger.

The wooden door did not move for a long time. It was only when he was sure that he was never going to leave this place that it finally opened.

“Still in one piece?”

Isha couldn’t help it; for a moment, he wondered if his long imprisonment was over, and his eyes flared with hope, wild excitement. The tamer smiled and lowered something through the door.

“Your friend wanted to say hello.”

“……!”

Isha didn’t have the strength to lift a finger, but he recoiled automatically. The tamer was holding out Mel’s head.

“It’s all that was left after the dogs ate him,” the tamer added pleasantly. All the Kurkan children had watched as the corpse was devoured, and were much more obedient for it.

Isha stared at Mel’s face and felt the malice of those words. That was his friend, who had wanted so badly to go home. He was not allowed to rest even in death.

The tamer chuckled at Isha’s obvious fury.

“Maybe you need a little more time to think.”

The wooden door closed again. After he left, Isha did not move for a long time.

After that day, he began seeing things.

—Isha, Isha….

—It’s your fault, I’m dead because of you!!

Isha wanted to tell him he was sorry. But he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t even breathe. Beyond Mel, the other Kurkan children were crying out, tormented.

—Save us, Isha! Save us…!

They writhed in pain as they were beaten, and Isha could do nothing but watch.

He woke up to the sound of screams, and after that, he could no longer sleep. He drifted in a vague daze, feeling the burning pain of his festering wounds.

Finally, he realized it. This suffering was not going to end. It was entirely possible that he would live like this forever.

He was weak. He couldn’t endure this. If a tamer came now, Isha would beg him to make it stop, even though he knew that was what they wanted. He would scream that he was sorry if it made them open the door. His eyes lingered at the door, wanting to beat on it, no matter how it hurt his hands.

But he could do nothing. His whole body was bound in chains, and the only sounds that escaped through his gag were agonized moans. His breathing weakened. He no longer cared about pride. Only one thought filled his mind.

I want to die.

He wanted it to end. It hurt so much. Anguished, Isha prayed to God, who he hadn’t sought for a long time.

God, please, please, let me die.

But as usual, God did not answer. Isha was trapped in a hell that he could not escape, even in death, and he was going mad.

One day he cursed the world. Another day he cursed himself. But even this capacity was lost, as it went on and on, and he could no longer think enough to curse.

There was only longing for death, when the pain would end.

“……!”

The wooden door opened.

A beam of light filled that dark place. His eyes, accustomed to the dark, were slow to adjust to the sudden brilliance, and it took some time before he could see.

Isha blinked. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He had hallucinated many things, but never anything like this.

There was a girl, glowing white in the light. Her silver hair was messy, her cheeks pink, and her eyes a vivid purple.

Her face was still young, round and childish, and Isha suddenly thought as he looked at the lovely thing…

She looks like a snowflake…