Wehmutstau und Sturmgesang

27. Haunted

The moment clarity struck him, Mingi threw himself around. He could feel the weight of his limbs again. The cold air around him, winter seeping from bare rock. Mingi hadn't wasted his time with building a comfortable home when he came here. He came to rage and to sleep.

And he expected to die.

He didn't understand how he was alive. Or perhaps this was beyond death already?

It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. He wanted his peace, and he wanted to be with Seonghwa in his dreams. This disturbance was irrelevant. Some stray wanderers. Lost in the eternal ice, he chose as his last resting space.

With a mighty roar, Mingi came to his hands and feet. He felt heavy from his long rest, but strength brimmed in his limbs, more potent than ever before.

Only rage filled his heart. For being disturbed, and for needing to fight when he was already spent from this lifetime. When his sole way to be back together with Seonghwa was to join him on the other side.

If only Mingi weren't such a coward. Seonghwa sacrificed his life for his people. Showed resilience and strength until his last breath.

And here Mingi was, too afraid of following him.

The shadows laughed at him. Pointed with quavering fingers at the pitiful demon. Until the end, he was useless. His size and brawns never served Seonghwa since he was blind. Mingi didn't even know he was gone until it was too late.

His instincts were shamefully tied to his every waking moment. They kicked right in to guide him through the blindness of his life. Alert and lively.

A blade hissed from its sheath.

"Don't hurt him!" A voice called and Mingi bared his teeth, his fangs. The weight of his horns seemed heavier than he remembered. Or perhaps that was just the burden on his mind.

Coarse fur tickled Mingi's ears when his muscles tensed, ready to pounce. A tug on his tailbone was followed by a hiss through the air, as if by a leathery whip, but no pain followed. Perhaps his long rest did harm his limbs.

Mingi didn't dwell on it.

"Calm down!" Someone yelled at him and the demon flung himself at them. Lifted massive arms to dig in with grown-out claws that could rip a bear apart like paper. An unexpected force met him, cold steel that felt warm, like the touch of the sun Mingi didn't feel in so long. It was dull, didn't cut at him, but the demon stumbled back when a sudden flash of memories overwhelmed him.

Sparring outside in the gardens. The sun was scorching, but a tree spent shadow for him and Seonghwa. Seonghwa also disliked the sun. But his laughter had been so sweet. The whirr of blades so alarming until they clashed with brute force. Mingi remembered flinching, terrified of the attacks he couldn't perceive. But Seonghwa took his hand and kissed his fingers.

"Everything is fine."

Tears welled in Mingi's eyes, and he blinked at them harshly as he jumped back. So many voices. Reality blending with his memories. He grabbed at his head, at his overgrown horns and yanked on them as if he wanted to tug his skull off to empty everything inside it out and put it back on. The agony made his feet stumble, and he crashed into a corner.

"Nothing will hurt you."

"You also said you would never hurt me... So why? Why am I all alone in the dark without you now?!" Flailing, Mingi curled around himself to get back up. His throat constricted his breathing. Gasping for air, he got to his knees, clutching to his head until it throbbed with dull pain, distracting him from his confusion.