Chapter 113 - The Dream (2) (1/2)
(Tom's PoV)
”H-how do you know?” The old man hissed. His eyes flashed with dangerous glint as his body stiffened and went into alert, ready to pounce on me if I were to threaten his existence.
”Easy.” I smiled. ”I had nothing against you. I'm just curious why did you sound so malicious when you told us the story. Especially when you mentioned the man. But when you mentioned the ex lover, you had a loving hint in your eyes. My first assumption that you are somehow related to her, but to say that you used to be her secret admirer, it doesn't match with your expression.”
”So, it came to the second conclusion, which is you are her family. But, after hearing your point of view as a ghost in this story, I realized that you must have died before she did. You still lingered in this world because you couldn't bear to part with your family, so you chose to stay to watch over them. But, you had to watch your daughter committing suicide in front of your eyes and you couldn't do anything about it. Even if you searched the sea to find her, you couldn't see her soul. That's why you're still here, drowning in your grievances over your dead daughter.”
”Even after the cause of her death had died, you still couldn't accept it.” I took a deep breath after talking so much. I've just awaken from my deep sleep for several days, talking so much had tired me out. I was surprised but a frustrated feeling arouse.
The old man's facial expression changed repeatedly as I spoke. After some time, he finally calmed down as his stoic expression softened.
”Indeed, she was my daughter, my one and only. She was the only one that her mother left for me. Her mother died after giving birth to her, but she made me promise to be a good father to her and to make sure she married a good man. Too bad I died before I could witness her wedding, so I refused to go to afterlife so that I could at least see her wedding. When I saw her got together with the man, I assured myself that he would treat her good. I had waited for a year, but he still didn't have any intention to marry her. Even so, my daughter loved him and he had been treating my daughter so well.”
”But, I witnessed him cheated on her and had been so furious ever since. Too bad, I didn't have sufficient energy to let her know that he was not a good man.” The old man dropped his head in self-blame.
It must have been hard for him to witness the person he loved the most was gone just like that. The good thing was the woman, this old man's daughter, was nowhere to be found, which meant she must have gone to the 'waiting area'; a better place than here.
”Old man, I understand your point. But, it didn't get us anywhere? What's with the chain?” The little girl wore an impatient look in her face, but at least she was polite enough to let him finish with his story.
The old man cleared his throat. ”What I meant is this chain is used to bind someone. The problem with that cheater is he made a vow that if he cheated, the sea would take him. His vow was heard by the King of the Sea, so it was granted so quickly. The mystic kingdom underwater is not to be trifled with. They are known for their authority over ghosts, souls, or the residents of another dimension which related to water. Water ghost, monsters, kappa, they are all under the authority of the King of Sea. Making a foolish vow when he knew he did cheat, he must have challenged the authority. And that's what they despise the most. So, they spared no time and chained him up.”
”But, as I see it, the chain in your feet is slightly different with the one from the sea. The one that bound the cheater's feet looked as if it was made of water, but at the same time it was so sturdy. Yours, on the other hand, looks like it was made of ...” The old man picked the chain and frowned a bit as he studied it for a while. ”...I sensed fire, but it's not pure fire. Rather, it is made from coals. There is still fire inside the chain, but somehow it's not activated. I wonder why.”