episode_0026

From the moment his wrist was grabbed, all sorts of thoughts rapidly surfaced and vanished in Usher’s mind, repeating. Will he be caught by the mermaids like this and have to live forever trapped in the cave? When he was frozen, even forgetting to struggle. He noticed that the mermaid holding him didn’t say or do anything even after a long time.

“They’re sleeping.”

The mermaid he thought had caught him after noticing he was trying to escape was still asleep. He felt pathetic for being scared by just sleep-talking, but also felt relieved. As the tension eased, the strength drained from the hand holding the seaweed, and he almost fell straight into the water, but he took a deep breath and composed himself. Being held by the wrist was the problem, but moving his hand carefully, he found that the grip holding him wasn’t as strong as he thought. Still, worried they might wake up, he carefully peeled off the mermaid’s hand and entered the water, where the sight he had seen when he first fell into the water here came into view.

In the dark water. What illuminated the place were strange, blue-glowing seaweeds extending from that darkness, where it was questionable if there was even a bottom. The seaweeds, like giant pillars, were dotted with the green fruit that Phohati had fed him. Because he needed to breathe, he couldn’t go deep, but the gaps between the seaweeds were precarious, though it seemed he could somehow move by grabbing onto the stems and moving. What was concerning, however, were the mermaids sleeping on the seaweeds. With only their upper bodies resting on the seaweeds and their lower bodies in the water, several of their large tail fins could be seen swaying on the seaweeds.

Perhaps that was how the mermaids slept. To avoid touching their tails and waking them, Usher first reached for a seaweed whose tail fin wasn’t visible and let go of the seaweed he was on. He seemed to have dropped slightly because he couldn’t swim, but he just needed to climb back up the seaweed. Thanks to this, he became sure that if he kept repeating this, he could escape this place. The sight of the seaweed swaying precariously every time he moved was unsettling, but since there was no other way, being as careful as possible was the limit.

“Inhale, exhale.”

When he felt suffocated, he climbed the seaweed to breathe air silently and observed the mermaids who were getting further away. Fortunately, they didn’t wake up, and Usher moved from seaweed to seaweed, slowly but steadily. But Usher grew increasingly anxious. Despite coming so far that the mermaids were no longer visible, the cave exit was nowhere to be seen. The worst-case scenario, that this might not be the exit, even crossed his mind. Still, the cave continued. How long did he keep moving between the seaweeds like that?

-!!!

A sharp sound, like a woman shouting from behind him, reached Usher’s ears. The fact that he could still hear it despite the considerable distance was likely because this was a quiet cave. Upon hearing that sound, despite being in the cold water, he felt as though sweat was flowing down his body. He moved between the seaweeds as quickly as possible, but every time he poked his head out of the water to exhale his rising breath, numerous splashing sounds were rapidly approaching. As the sound got closer, anxiety began to grip and press down on his chest. Then, he realized there were no more seaweeds to grab onto and move.

Panicked by the unexpected situation, he poked his head out of the water and, as expected, the glowing seaweeds he had seen until now were nowhere to be seen. Even a little further away, a wall was faintly visible, illuminated by the light of the seaweeds. There was no exit visible. As Usher stared blankly at the wall, the sounds of water, now much closer, were heard. The moment he thought there was nothing left but to be caught by the mermaids like this. He realized that the water, which he had thought was still, was flowing. Looking now, the seaweeds here weren’t standing stiffly above the surface but were slightly tilted. Perhaps this was.

“He’s there!” “Catch him!”

He pushed off from the seaweed without a moment to think upon hearing the mermaids’ voices from behind and swam clumsily. Thanks to the water current, Usher was moving forward despite his clumsy movements. But perhaps his swimming skills were still inferior to the mermaids’? The moment he thought he was finally caught by a touch on his back. That touch didn’t grab him. No, wasn’t it pushing his back instead? Surprised by this, he tried to look back, but he was already being swept away by the intensified current.

“Cough! Cough!”

When had he lost consciousness? Coughing in his suddenly returning consciousness, he felt a dry sandy bottom. What he saw upon opening his eyes, thinking he was finally out of the cave, was disappointingly still inside the cave.

“Huh?”

However, for Usher, who hadn’t even thought that someone else might be waiting for him to wake up, the scene before his eyes was enough to make him utter a stunned sound. Usher thought, could he be dreaming right now? Above a brightly shining lake inside the cave, a pure white horse, showing no other color anywhere, was bathing. The only problem was the horn located in the center of the horse’s head. At first, he thought it was just a simple illusion, but no matter how much time passed, the pure white horse and the horn on its head showed no sign of disappearing.

-Neigh!

No, it even seemed like he was hearing things. Because the sound of the horse shaking its body after coming out of the glowing lake was vividly heard by Usher. Until this point, he thought this scene was a preposterous illusion, or a dream. But even such thoughts vanished when droplets of water that splashed up as the pure white horse moved roughly in the lake touched him.

“Cold! Cold…?”

The water droplets that touched his skin were as cold as ice. Didn’t dreams usually not include sensations like this? As Usher was flustered by the incredibly vivid sensation of the water. The pure white horse approached him. As the horse approached, he immediately became wary. He thought it was an excessive reaction since it was just a simple horse, except for the horn on its head. Nevertheless, Usher couldn’t feel at ease. He had barely escaped the mermaids, but he was still inside the cave. When he first fell into this cave, things he had thought were ordinary stones opened their mouths wide and tried to eat him.

He had been careless because of the mermaids’ beautiful appearance and was squeezed dry by them. Was that why? He couldn’t shake off the suspicion that the horse was just a horse in appearance but was actually a completely different, unsettling creature. Since entering this cave, he hadn’t encountered a single normal creature, despite things looking plausible on the surface. Especially the horn on the horse’s head made him unable to let go of his suspicion. That was why.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Usher shouted that, even while expecting that it wouldn’t listen to him. Not knowing what the horse would do to him next, he was filled with nothing but fear. But why?

-Neigh.

Along with the horse’s short neigh, the sound of its hooves stopped. Feeling puzzled by this, he carefully turned back the head he had turned away and was surprised to find the horse standing still. His surprise at the horse seemingly understanding his words was brief. As the horse rolled its large eyes, which felt somewhat endearing rather than rolling them around, watching his reaction, it cautiously moved one leg closer to him. When he backed away, he saw the horse quickly put its leg back in place and felt a subtle emotion.

The horse’s physique was larger than Usher’s. Compared to it, maybe it was about the size of the other wolves he had seen before entering this cave, excluding the silver wolf. Even if that horse were a herbivore like the horses on the surface, it would be impossible for Usher to overpower it, yet the sight of the horse observing his reaction seemed awkward. Looking at that gentle appearance, it didn’t seem to intend to harm him, but Usher couldn’t carelessly lower his guard nonetheless. Usher continued to scan his surroundings, not letting down his guard against the horse that was still looking at him.

It seemed certain that he was still inside the cave, but it appeared to be a different place from where those creatures had been. The glowing seaweeds from before weren’t visible, but for some reason, the inside of the cave was excessively bright. Perhaps that was because of the glowing lake where the horse had been bathing. If he had been a little more at ease, he might have admired this scene, but Usher was too sensitive now to have the leisure to appreciate such things. How long did they face off like that?

-…Neigh.

The horse seemed restless, as if tapping its feet, then made a sound like a sigh and wasn’t it walking deliberately towards him? It was absurd that a mere horse was approaching him with an expression full of annoyance, so Usher just stared blankly at it. The moment Usher let his guard down due to the horse’s actions. The approaching horse bit the back of his neck, his clothes, with its teeth.

“Gack!? Cough! Wa- wait! What the suddenly!”

And then, didn’t the horse, which had forcibly put him on its back, jump into the lake where it had just been bathing? Therefore, all he could do was close his eyes and hold onto the horse’s neck with all his might. The horse’s neck was made of firm and sturdy muscles that would elicit admiration, but for Usher, it only gave the impression of being uncomfortable to hold. Usher couldn’t possibly guess what the horse was thinking, putting him on its back and jumping into the glowing lake. But perhaps being submerged was only for a moment, as he soon felt himself coming out of the water and shouted.

“You! What in the world were you thinking…!”

However, his words couldn’t continue. When Usher, who had wiped the remaining water from his face with his arm, opened his eyes. Usher and the horse were, for some reason, standing on a transparent lake bathed in sunlight, and around the lake, wolves were gathered as if they had been waiting for him. Most of the wolves had surprised expressions, but.

“Eras is back!” “He passed through the cave.” “Was there a reason he was chosen?”

They were welcoming him. Perhaps because of its size, the most noticeable among them was the silver wolf. When Usher thought their eyes met. The wolf had already turned its back, showing only its rear view. He looked at the sunlight pouring down from the sky. Just a moment ago, he had been in that dark and cold cave. Being forcibly put on the horse and falling into the lake, the fact that he was outside the cave was unbelievable. It felt as if those terrifying experiences had scattered like an illusion.

“Ugh!”

However, he felt pain again in his groin area. That pain reminded him of the reality that was fading away. Perhaps because he had been squeezed by the mermaids, his groin area was still aching. From the moment he met this horned horse, the events in the cave, which were almost dismissed as a bad dream, regained their reality. The grotesque creatures targeting him and the sight of countless mermaids came to mind together, and he bit his lip.

“Splash!”

At that moment, his thoughts were cut off by the cold lake water that suddenly splashed over his face.

-Neigh!

“What’s with this all of a sudden? Again.”

Looking for the reason, he found the horse splashing exaggeratedly as if it were excited, breathing roughly. He didn’t know if horses were naturally good swimmers, but the sight of it swimming roughly was confusing, as the calm movement just moments before, like a small raft, was gone. Thinking there must be a reason for the horse that had been docile until just now to act like this, he noticed that the horse’s gaze was fixed on one spot and looked in that direction. And what he discovered was a pair of golden lights, brilliantly shining under the pouring sunlight. Usher, who had gasped slightly in the overwhelming joy that made it hard to even breathe the moment he met that golden light, raised his voice and called out her name.

“Belka!”

Because the owner of that golden light was none other than the girl’s. Although she might have been hidden and not visible among the large-bodied wolves, her redness stood out among the wolves without being buried. But was it because he shouted?

-Neighhhhh!!

“Huh?!”

The horse was startled and dropped Usher from its back, and he ended up falling into the lake. With a splash, as the water engulfed him up to his head, he reflexively closed his eyes. Usher flailed, looking for something to grab, but again, there was nothing in his hands. On the contrary, he couldn’t even flail due to the threatening current swirling near her. Perhaps that was caused by the horse moving its legs. Not only did it drop him from its back, but he was also nearly hit by the horse, and he gnashed his teeth inwardly.

‘This damn horse…!’

Thinking he would break that pretentious horn when he got out of the water, he tried to swim. However, his body didn’t easily float to the surface. Had he perhaps fallen into an incredibly deep place again? The deep water he had been in inside the cave came to mind, and he was suddenly terrified. Because he was in an awkward state, neither completely submerged below the water nor floating, closing his eyes to keep water out, he felt as though he had been cast into endless darkness. He had just barely escaped that terrible cave, and to drown in the water like this, Usher felt wronged. He wanted to open his eyes, but he didn’t want to. Because if it was a place like that again, Usher would fall into despair. It was then, when he couldn’t do anything.

[It’s okay to open your eyes.]

Someone’s voice, which he thought wouldn’t be heard because his ears were blocked by water, flowed into his mind. Water getting into his eyes stung and hurt. He hadn’t gotten used to that sensation at all, so he had kept his eyes tightly shut. To tell him to open his eyes.

[You don’t have to be afraid. It’s alright if you open them just a little, just a tiny bit.]

As if knowing his confused heart, the more distinct beautiful voice gently and sweetly caressed his chest. Ah, how could he forget this voice? Usher forgot his fear of water touching his eyes directly and carefully opened them. Then, at the sight that met his eyes, he forgot that this was underwater. Because he saw Belka, trailing her vivid redness like a tail and her dark red dress fluttering, slowly walking towards him across a green lawn where occasional white and yellow flowers bloomed.

However, his body floating in the air and the heavy, cold sensation of water felt instead of air every time he moved told him that this was underwater. But why were his eyes seeing the surface world? At that dream-like scene, Usher just stared blankly until the girl approached. When she finally reached him. Belka was standing in a position where he couldn’t help but look down at her. He was still floating in the air, while the girl was standing on the ground. Soon, she reached out both hands towards Usher. As if telling him to take her hand and come down, when he carefully took the girl’s hands.

Soon, led by Belka’s hands, Usher was finally able to put both feet on the ground. The problem was that he couldn’t breathe here.

‘Ugh! My breath!’

Usher felt that his limit for holding his breath was approaching. Therefore, the moment his body, ignoring its owner’s will, tried to inhale to breathe, even though it wasn’t air. He felt something soft covering his mouth.

‘I… can breathe?’

Opening his eyes again, which he had also closed because his breath was cut off, he saw a golden light filling his view. It was Belka. She had kissed him and breathed air into him. Even though he had regained his breath, Usher felt a dizzying sensation as if he was about to lose it again. As he let out a sigh of relief, the girl retreated silently, just as she had approached him.

“Belka, where is this?”

He asked her out of a perhaps hopeful thought. Perhaps because he was trying to speak in the water, gurgling air bubbles rose, and even though the sound was faint, buried in the water, the girl seemed to understand.

“It’s inside the lake.”

It felt slightly different from the voice he had just heard, but when Belka opened her mouth, small air bubbles like his rose upwards, and a beautiful, unharmable sweet voice, even underwater, tickled his ears. If there was anything more surprising than that.

“This is inside the lake? But no matter how I look.”

Belka said it was inside the lake, but turning his head to look around, he saw lush green grass and the sight of small flowers that commonly grew on the hill with the large zelkova tree where he had met Belka. He absolutely could not believe these were plants growing underwater. Even looking at just a small area, it was like this, but looking towards the deeper center.

“There are trees there too.”

Although there were only about five trees located down below in that indented area, they were no different from the trees in the forest he always remembered. The water itself was so excessively clear and transparent that he couldn’t even confirm it with his eyes now. What proved this place was underwater was only the fact that he couldn’t breathe and the sensation of heavy water subtly hindering his movements. It was then.

“Huh?”

He witnessed a strange sight passing by him. Usher, who spun his head at that unbelievable sight, was able to confirm that it wasn’t a lie. Because it was the sight of a fish, impressive with its light yellow stripes, flying as if swimming through the air.

“It really was underwater?”

It was a fact he already knew but had denied because of this surreal scene. However, seeing a fish swimming like that, he had no choice but to admit it. As he stared blankly at the tip of the fish’s tail swimming away, the girl’s voice reached him.

“Do you want to look around a bit more?”

To Belka, who held his hand as if she would lead him if he wished, he nodded as if enchanted. Then, the girl holding his hand pushed off the ground with her feet and soared up. He knew this was underwater, but if he didn’t call this scene flying, what could he call flying? The place they arrived at was the trees he had seen from afar. The sensation of looking down at the trees he had always looked up at and had to look up at, while swimming as if flying, gave him a sense of inexpressible emotion.

The colorful fish flying among the trees, far from running away when they approached, even seemed to approach them showing curiosity. Whenever Usher felt suffocated, the girl had to breathe air into him, but that slight inconvenience rather pleased him. With the pounding heart felt each time their lips met, the gentle and warm touch, it felt as though the bad feelings he had felt in the cave until now – anxiety, worry, apprehension, discomfort – were all being washed away cleanly.