Page 11 of Echoes of Eternity

The oppressive atmosphereof my home had taken on a new, sinister edge. My husband’s suspicion had festered like an untreated wound, and the once-faint whispers of doubt had grown into a loud, insistent cacophony. The tension between us was palpable, and the shadows in the corners of the house seemed to loom with a darker significance.

It began one evening when he stormed into my room, his face twisted with anger and distrust. He had grown suspicious of my frequent absences and the pallor that had settled on my face from his frequent misuses of me, signs that he twisted into evidence of infidelity. The accusations began with harsh words and escalating threats, and I found myself caught in a maelstrom of his rage.

He was relentless, his eyes blazing with a fury that left no room for reason. “You think you can deceive me?” he roared, grabbing me by the arm and shaking me violently. “I know what you’ve been up to. You’re hiding something, and I’m going to find out what it is!”

I struggled against his grip, my heart pounding with fear and a growing hatred. “I’m not—” I began, but he cut me off with a furious glare.

“Lies!” he spat. “If you have nothing to hide, then you won’t mind if I search every corner of this house.”

He began tearing through the room with a wild, frenzied energy that bordered demonic possession, throwing my possessions aside as if they were worthless—mirroring how he felt about me. Books and trinkets flew through the air, crashing to the floor and scattering their contents. The once orderly space was quickly reduced to upheaval, a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil.

I never thought he cared this much about me, especially after seeing me as little more than an empty shell for so long. It was as if he was trying to free me from my own confines, even as he destroyed everything I had held dear. The contrast was jarring; this raw emotion felt foreign, and I struggled to reconcile it with the apathy I had grown accustomed to. How could he unleash this tempest now, after years of indifference?

“Where is it?” he demanded, his voice a growl of frustration. “Where is the proof of your betrayal?”

I stood in the corner, paralyzed by fear and helplessness, as he continued his rampage. Each broken item, each disheveled piece of clothing, was a reminder of howdeeply he sought to destroy me. The house, which had once felt like a prison, was now a battleground of suspicion and rage.

His search grew increasingly frantic, and I could see the desperation in his darkened eyes. It was not merely about finding evidence; it was about breaking me completely. He was determined to reduce me to nothing, to make me suffer until I could no longer stand.

As he tore through my belongings, his anger seemed to reach a new intensity as he overturned furniture. The once-cherished possessions of my life were now scattered and trampled underfoot, each item a casualty of his wrath.

In the midst of his temporary insanity, he stumbled upon a small wooden box that had been tucked away in a hidden compartment of my wardrobe. His eyes narrowed with suspicion as he opened it, revealing a delicate pendant lying nestled within. It was an intricate piece of craftsmanship, a symbol that I had come to associate with Noboru’s presence in my life.

My husband’s eyes widened. He picked up the pendant, his fingers tracing its delicate design with a mixture of curiosity and malevolence.

“What is this?” he demanded, holding it up with a triumphant sneer. “What have you been hiding from me?”

A cold dread seeped through my veins as the significance of the pendant became clear. It was a hidden relic, a token of a moment when I had teetered on the edge of despair and had been pulled back from the brink ofwishing for death. After our first union, Noboru had fashioned the pendant out of nothingness, his divine powers shaping its intricate design with a precision that spoke of both his skill and his care.

The vivid memory surfaced, pulling me back to a time when the world seemed far away, yet fraught with its own complexities.

I stood in the quiet solitude of the forest, where moonlight filtered through the trees, casting a serene glow around us. Noboru, now fully redressed in his armor, stood beside me, his eyes reflecting both the moonlight and a deep, reassuring warmth.

My cheeks flamed over what transpired between us out in the open as his eyes grew heated with desire. He ran a finger down my cheek.

“I have something for you, Matsui.”

I clasped my hands in front of my chest, unsure of what I should be feeling.

He held the pendant delicately in his hands, the craftsmanship evident in every curve and line. With a soft smile, he placed it around my neck, his touch gentle and deliberate.

“This pendant,” he said, his voice like a soothing balm against the chill of the night, “is not just a token of our bond. It is imbued with a fragment of my divinity. Whenever you feel lost or in need, it will call to me. Just hold it close and let its presence guide you.”

I looked up at him, uncertainty clouding my gaze. This would create a new complication, but I couldn’t bear to reject his gift. “But what if I’m afraid, or if the darkness feels too overwhelming?”

Noboru cupped my face with his hands, his touch warm and grounding. “Then let the pendant be your beacon. When you need me, it will find its way to me, and I will come to you. You are never truly alone, Matsui. Let me be your warrior.”

His words were a promise etched into my heart, and the pendant itself had become a symbol of that assurance. Weighing it in my hands, its significance was clear. It was not just a beautiful artifact but a lifeline—a connection between us that transcended the barriers of our worlds.

And now it stood as evidence of my betrayal.

“That is nothing,” I said desperately, trying to reach for the pendant, but my husband held it out of my grasp. “It’s just a trinket I bought at the market.”

He laughed bitterly, his eyes filled with a mix of rage and triumph. “A trinket? Then why did you hide it so carefully? Why does it mean so much to you?”

The realization that the pendant, which had once been a symbol of solace, because of my husband was now a source of more pain made me feel even more helpless. The object that had once provided me with a sense of comfort and connection was now twisted into another weapon against me.

He continued to scrutinize the pendant, his anger shifting into a deeper, more malicious intent. “You think you can play games with me?” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “You will pay for your deceit. I will make sure you suffer for every lie you have told.”

---