How about Cosmic Horror? Chapter 15

The oppressive silence and the gazes boring into her from all directions made it hard to breathe. Worried she might have a nervous breakdown if this continued, she decided to speak first.

“Excuse me, do you have something to say to me?”

They stirred at her question.

“We’re merely here to observe.”

The figure in yellow spoke first. His face was hidden by his deeply pulled hood, but she could tell from his voice that he was a man.

“More precisely, sneaking a peek like this is all we can do. We’d rather not share the same fate as that guy.”

The giant lizard shuddered, as if horrified.

“To think the progenitor of the Deep Ones would end up like that. Truly the Master of All.”

The serpent, coiling its body, added.

The elephant statue’s tusks began to spin. The ever-flickering flames whispered.

“The Crawling Chaos is nothing compared to Him.”

Irae wasn’t shocked that the lizard and flame spoke like humans or that a statue moved. She’d already realized this was a dream. Anything could happen in dreams. 

Crawling Chaos, huh? What’s next—does chaos enlist in the military these days?

Thinking it was yet another absurd term typical of a dream, she spoke carefully.

“Um, since you have nothing to say, can I take my leave?”

It was a dream, but being surrounded by their gazes was uncomfortable.

Another stir ran through the group.

“How insolent…”

“Mind your words. If He intervenes, not even I can guarantee your resurrection.”

The monster seated upon the ivory throne issued a warning, silencing the elephant statue that was about to respond.

The man in yellow turned away first. His robes fluttered without wind, and his form vanished from sight. The elephant statue clicked its tongue as if displeased, then soared upward.

The giant lizard leapt into the lake. The flame exploded and scattered in all directions. The serpent burrowed into the ground, and the toad transformed into liquid, seeping into the earth. The pillar and the monster on the ivory throne vanished without a trace. And then she woke up.

“Ugh.”

A splitting headache gripped her the moment she opened her eyes. She clutched her head.

Why does it hurt so much? It felt like she’d stayed up all night at a computer writing a report. She felt exhausted, as if she’d exerted an immense amount of mental energy despite doing nothing.

Was this another aftereffect of the fall? This wouldn’t do—she needed to take some medicine. She rose from the bed and stumbled out of the room.

Medicine was usually kept in the kitchen, right? Remembering how her mom always kept it in the kitchen cupboard, she headed that way on instinct—only for the world to spin and she collapsed to the floor. Crawling into the kitchen, she pulled herself up by the sink cabinet and began rummaging through the cupboard when a familiar voice called out.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“My head hurts, so I was looking for painkillers. Do we have any?”

“Painkillers. Hold on a sec.”

He reached into the cupboard and immediately pulled out a box of painkillers, a familiar brand.

That’s strange. It was empty when I checked. Did I not look properly?

As she puzzled over it, he handed her a cup of water and the pills.

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

She immediately popped the pills into her mouth and sat down at the kitchen table. He stood beside her, leaning on the table, and asked,

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“I took the meds, so it should get better soon. But I’m a little worried… what if it’s a problem with my brain from the accident?”

“Did it start hurting suddenly for no reason?”

“Yes. I just woke up…”

“Did you have a dream?”

Why ask about dreams when my head’s splitting? Still, she answered dutifully.

“I did have a weird dream.”

Maybe he wondered if poor sleep caused it, since you don’t dream when you’re in deep sleep. Slumped on the table, she felt his hand part her hair and touch her forehead.

The moment his slightly warm palm enclosed her forehead, the pain oddly eased. Instinctively, she pressed closer, rubbing her forehead against his hand. He chuckled, as if pleased.

“You’re like a cat.”

“It strangely doesn’t hurt when I touch you.”

“Yes. I’m absorbing your pain so you don’t have to hurt.”

She’d heard of the saying ‘A mother’s touch can heal anything’, but this was a new one.

“Are you a vacuum cleaner?”

“Add ‘high-performance’ to that.”

She burst out laughing at his playful response. Now that the pain was gone, she felt much better and decided to keep bantering with him.

“But if you absorb it, wouldn’t you be the one hurting? I don’t want you to hurt on my behalf.”

“Don’t worry. It’s like a drop in the ocean.”

He spouted nonsense without hesitation. Meanwhile, the headache faded steadily, nearly gone now. The meds worked unusually fast today.

“Wow, I feel much better.”

“So, does that make me a pretty decent husband?”

“Yes. Really…”

Lifting her head from the table, she froze. For a split second, his face was human—the one from the photo. But it was fleeting. The unrealistically handsome image dissolved like a mirage, replaced by something equally unreal: black mist.

This time, there wasn’t even a proper shape. Tentacles, planets, bouquets, boxes—at least they had some defined shape, but this was amorphous. It almost resembled smoke billowing from a factory chimney.

“Your expression says something wild’s up here.”

He sounded like a casual worker curious about the office cafeteria menu.

Sweating, she described it at his prompting.

“Transcendental, abstract expressionism? It’s so deconstructed that it defies definition. The closest thing I can think of is black smoke.”

“So it has no fixed form. Is it scary?”

The black smoke writhed continuously. She looked at him—perfectly human from the collarbone down, but something not even remotely biological above—and shook her head.

“No, not really.”

If this were their first meeting, she would’ve screamed. But he’d just taken care of her when she was in pain. He’d taken her where she wanted to go, dried her hair, massaged her when she was sore, and cooked for her every day. Thinking of all the things he’d done, there was no reason to be afraid.

“Could you kiss me, then?”

His sudden, mischievous question caught her off guard.

“They say whether you can date someone depends on whether you can kiss them.”

She looked at him in bewilderment. Kiss him, when he didn’t even have a face? Didn’t you at least need a mouth to kiss?

She hesitantly reached out toward the black mist. He obligingly leaned down so she could touch his face without standing. Soft skin met her fingertips. It felt like a human face, but it looked so weird in her eyes.

Feeling her way with her fingers, she found his lips and gently traced them. Physically, it seemed possible. The issue was her heart.

Did she dislike him? No, she didn’t. She thought it was closer to ‘like’. And he was her husband, not a stranger.

But she’d never kissed anyone before. Thanks to her memory loss, she was mentally a complete novice. And he was asking her to do it? It would be easier if he made the first move…

“I can.”

She blurted out after a moment of thought. No one’s born knowing how to kiss. If everyone else can do it, so could she.

She rose from the chair, using her fingertips to locate his lips again. Carefully, she leaned towards the black mist, following the mark she’d made with her finger. Her stomach churned with nervousness, and her heart pounded in her chest.

Was it anticipation or fear? The fact that his face was a mist made it feel like walking into the unknown…

Just as she got close, her nose bumped his. Startled, she pulled back and felt his nose with her fingers. Tilting her head to avoid bumping, she moved closer.

Finally, her finger touched his lips as a marker. Now, there was nothing between them but her finger.

She pressed her fingertip against his lips. Soft and supple. Slowly, she lowered her finger and softly pressed her lips to his.

It was nothing special, but a once-in-a-lifetime first for her. Her cheeks burned, and her heart felt like it was about to burst.

Does this count as a kiss? She couldn’t bring herself to go any further. Rolling her closed eyes nervously, she started to pull away. But his strong arms were faster, holding her tight.

“Not so fast.”

He murmured against her lips.

“That’s not a kiss if it ends there.”

Pulling her waist close to prevent retreat, he kissed her his way, unlike her hesitant kiss. He instantly took control, expertly exploring her mouth.

She couldn’t think straight. Her heart raced, and her mind clouded. Her limbs went weak, and her body trembled slightly.

Overwhelmed, she clung to him. He chuckled low and lifted her onto the table, parting her dazed legs with his knee without ever breaking the kiss. She could do nothing but receive it. She had no defense against these unfamiliar sensations.