Chikutita
Sometimes, I wonder how we ended up here.
Lying in bed, wide awake once again, the memories return, relentless, haunting. Echoes of screams. The weight of what was done all those years ago. My life... fractured, maybe even lost.
And yet, somehow, I'm still here.
My thoughts are broken by the soft rustle of Harlu turning beside me. I smile to myself.
Would I do it all again?
Would I do it for her?
"Pandora," she murmurs in her sleep.
I draw closer, wrapping my arms around her. Her warmth grounds me. Her scent, familiar, comforting pulls me away from the edge.
Most people dream when they sleep.
Not me.
When I close my eyes, I'm dragged back back into the past, into the dark. That's my curse. My burden.
The debts of the father.
The deal.
The price of my mistakes.
Here we go again.