Married to a Man who Wants to Kill me

 

 

I had a dream. It was the same dream as before.

 

The image of Lethenia bound to the stake. As soon as I saw the scene, I was filled with a fear that knew no bounds.

 

And then I heard a strange laugh. A sound that only I could hear.

 

Once again, the excruciating pain, as if my heart were breaking into pieces, surged forth. Please stop.

 

The owner of the laughter, an entity beyond comprehension, enveloped me with even greater force. Am I really going to die like this?

 

No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free.

 

As if telling me to give up, the enigmatic presence inflicted indescribable pain on my heart.

 

“Ha-“

 

I woke up gasping for breath, cold sweat dripping down my face. My heart was beating fast.

 

When I turned my head, moonlight was streaming in through the window. It was still deep in the night.

 

My large bedroom was filled only with the sound of my ragged breathing. Vivid traces of the intense fear I had felt in my dream lingered in my mind.

 

Why did I dream of that again…… When I recalled that laughter, I felt a pain in my heart as if someone were piercing it with a sharp weapon.

 

It was as if the terrible pain I felt in my dream was continuing into reality. Eventually, the inexplicable pain disappeared as if it had never been there.

 

It happened in a very short moment. Was I not fully awake yet?

 

Even as time passed, the eerie and unsettling feeling didn’t fade, making it impossible for me to fall asleep again. Restlessly tossing and turning in bed, I suddenly thought of Alexis.

 

My loyal spirit

 

‘Maybe talking to Alexis will make me feel a little better…….’

 

I finally took out the notebook.

 

[Alexis.]

 

[Yes, master. What can I assist you with?]

 

The spirit responded promptly to my call. Seeing the familiar handwriting of the spirit, I felt somewhat comforted.

 

[I’m having trouble sleeping because I had a bad dream. Then I thought of you.]

 

[Oh, I see, you had a nightmare.]

 

[Yes, it was a dreadful dream, and I had it twice.]

 

[What kind of dream was it?]

 

[A dream where I became a witch and got sentenced to be burned at the stake.]

 

As I recalled the dream’s content, shivers ran down my spine once again.

 

[Don’t worry, master. You have a trusty spirit by your side; I’ll protect you.]

 

[I wish you could enter my dream and save me. It was really a terrifying dream.]

 

Once again, the spirit soothed me with sweet messages, but this time the unpleasant feeling of dread would not go away. I poured out the details of the strange dream to the spirit as if confiding in a friend.

 

[In that dream… I always hear this strange laughter. I don’t know what it is, but it feels very unsettling. And in the end, there’s excruciating pain, like my heart being torn apart.]

 

[You felt such dreadful things in your dream?]

 

[Ah, you don’t have a body, so it is difficult for you to sympathize].

 

[I have felt similar pains myself once.]

 

Even a formless spirit goes through such terrifying pain. Unconsciously, I gripped the pen a bit harder.

 

[Why? When?]

 

[When I was born as a new being.]

 

A new being? The spirit’s answer was somewhat cryptic.

 

[You mean you used to be something other than a spirit?]

 

[I used to be a normal person too, though now I’m a monster like this.]

 

The subsequent revelation from the spirit made me unintentionally drop the pen. The spirit used to be a human.

 

I wondered if Alexis was a name he had used in the past. The idea that Alexis went through agonizing pain and became a spirit bothered me.

 

I didn’t know the spirit’s full story, but I had a feeling that it carried deep wounds within.

 

The way the spirit referred to itself as a “monster” seemed somewhat pitiful.

 

I offered words of heartfelt comfort to the spirit.

 

[A monster? Alexis, you have no idea how warm and affectionate a presence you are.] 

 

[Is that so?]

 

[If you were a human, I would have fallen for you already.]

 

[Well, I suppose that’s possible.]

 

I chuckled at the spirit’s lighthearted response. As the tension in the air eased, I cautiously asked the spirit.

 

[Do you regret becoming a spirit?]

 

[It was a decision I made without any regrets… but now, I can’t help but feel that way sometimes.]

 

[Is there no way to go back to how you were before?]

 

[It’s impossible. Unless I’m born again.]

 

There was no sign of emotion in the spirit’s smooth writing. However, I could sense an unexplained resignation in the spirit’s answer, which made me feel sad.

 

‘It seemed like there was a deep and complex story behind the spirit.’

 

But I didn’t want to pry further into the spirit’s painful past. Instead, I composed another comforting message.

 

[Alexis, I’m going to be such a good master that you won’t regret it. How can I make you happy?]

 

[It’s very simple].

 

[Like what?]

 

[All I want is for you to be happy, so happy that you can forget about an insignificant spirit like me.]

 

The spirit’s warm response filled me with a sense of comfort. In the late hours of the night, my emotions seemed to flow more freely.

 

I wanted to tell Alexis everything, at least as much as he was willing to tell me about his past.

 

I suddenly felt the urge to confide in Alexis, who had shared its past with me without hesitation, as if I wanted to lay bare everything to this spirit who had been so open with me.

 

After all, he’s invisible, and he’s not someone I’d get tangled up with in real life.

 

Above all, I had a strange certainty that we had a strong bond that no one else could break. With determined resolve, I picked up the pen again.

 

[You’ve told me a secret; I’ll tell you a secret].

 

[What is it?]

 

[The truth is… I also have another name.]

 

[A name?]

 

[Kim Sejin. That’s my real name.]

 

Kim Sejin. My long-forgotten birth name. It felt strangely alien when written in Asha’s language.

 

[That’s your real name?]

 

[I’m not Lethenia. Maybe if I told this to other people, they’d think I’m insane.]

 

[I find it hard to believe as well.]

 

[…I came from a different world. Somehow, I was pulled into Lethenia’s body.]

 

After some time, the spirit’s writing appeared.

 

[From the day Lethenia woke up].

 

[That’s right.]

 

Finally, the spirit posed a somewhat subtle question.

 

[Then where do you think the real Lethenia went?]

 

I had heard that Lethenia’s body had become lifeless on the day she collapsed. I’m not sure, but I can only speculate that she took her own life and passed away.

 

With me now occupying this body, it was highly likely that Lethenia’s true soul had vanished.

 

[I don’t know. It’s just speculation on my part, but maybe that day, Lethenia left this world for good.]

 

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

 

Theo’s gaze lingered on the magic notebook for a long time. The premonition that had always given him a chill in the pit of his stomach was confirmed.

 

It wasn’t that Lethenia had changed. There was an unknown presence inhabiting her body.

 

He already instinctively knew that fact.

 

Lethenia’s confession only confirmed it. With a complicated heart, he let out a long sigh.

 

He recalled the conversation with the magician he met in Schubert.

 

<To possess a soul is the power of a black mage, and there is only one being in this world capable of it.>

 

<What is it?>

 

<Demonio, a malevolent entity that parasitizes the very souls of humans.>

 

The elderly mage, who looked as if he could pass away at any moment due to his ailment, fixed his gaze on Theo with a questioning look.

 

According to records handed down from ancient times, Demonio was a creature that preyed on the weaknesses of feeble humans. It stimulated negative emotions imprinted on their souls and gradually expanded its influence.

 

As a result, those consumed by Demonio were constantly plagued by unstable emotional states. Theo asked,

 

<What are the signs of someone being consumed by Demonio?>

 

<Occasionally, they experience auditory or visual hallucinations and feel strange pain in their hearts. Then, at some point, a mark will be revealed.>

 

<Does that mean they become black mages?>

 

The elderly mage shook his head and continued with difficulty.

 

<It’s similar but different. Black mages pay with their lifespan, but those marked by Demonio have both their body and soul taken away. They may look like the same person on the outside, but they start to behave completely differently, like entirely different individuals.>

 

Finally, Theo asked the most important question of all.

 

<How can I get rid of Demonio?>

 

The magician explained to Theo the only way to eliminate Demonio.

 

He woke up from his thoughts and returned to reality. Then he asked himself a question.

 

Who is trapped inside Lethenia now? The answer was unknown.

 

Whether it was the demon called Demonio, a stranger from another world, or both… 

 

What is certain is that the real Lethenia is gone.

 

In all black magic, sacrifices were needed, and if those sacrifices held vitality, even more potent sorcery could be performed.

 

Could the sacrifice made for the pact with Demonio have been Lethenia herself? Did she eventually give up on herself, unable to bear the sorrow that day?

 

As this thought occurred, it felt as if his chest tightened inexplicably.

 

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t heal Lethenia’s desolate heart.

 

All she wanted was Ianhart’s love.

 

He wondered what kind of love could be so profound that it was worth sacrificing one’s life for.

 

He reviewed the conversations they had shared, turning the pages of the magic notebook.

 

And then he recalled his memories with Lethenia—no, with Kim Sejin—one by one.

 

Every time he remembered her smiling at him with Lethenia’s face, he felt strange. Strange feelings he had never experienced before.

 

When he thought about her dazzling appearance, how could he associate her with something as sinister as a demon?

 

Logically, he should have suspected that all her actions were some kind of trick by a demon trying to ensnare him. But his mind went blank like a fool every time he locked eyes with her.

 

Now, he couldn’t even entertain impure doubts when he looked at her.

 

‘Could I really have been enchanted by something?’

 

A laugh escaped his lips at the absurd thought. The rays of light passed through the window and spilled onto the open magic notebook.

 

Before he knew it, the morning was breaking. Even at that moment, Theo found himself worrying about her, wondering if she had fallen asleep by now or if she was having another nightmare.

 

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊