Interlude: The Grieving Goat part I

[POV Krampus]

That night, in the inverted world without signs of life, I walked while staring blankly at the moon hanging above me. A gentle breeze blew my brown fur that always shielded me from the night cold that people said pierced to the bone.

The dim flickering lights and shadows cast by the skyscrapers were the only companions on my leisurely walk.

Empty. Quiet. No sound of innocent children's laughter. That's what I always felt every time I went to the mirror world.

As a high-class Fearborn, it was easy for me to go back and forth between my world and the mirror world. Unfortunately, creating a gate to trap prey was another matter. Usually, that gate would open on its own without reason. Like a new species suddenly appearing on earth. No one knew the reason, even for us Fearborn.

However... there were two ways to deliberately open that 'gate.'

The first was by injecting extreme fear into a place, to the point where fear turned into a center of gravity that attracted and opened that 'gate.' A concept similar to wormholes once proposed by a clever young man whose name, if I'm not mistaken, was Einstein. While the second way...

"Oeek... oeeek..."

"Huh?" I tilted my head.

A faint crying sound was heard, making me have to flap my long ears several times to hear it more clearly.

"From the north. Who's crying?"

Curiosity made me transform my body into mist and quickly go toward the source of the sound. There, right in a narrow alley, I found it, a grey baby stroller.

I approached, and sure enough. A small baby was crying loudly when I uncovered the stroller's hood.

A human baby. Female. Small and beautiful. Only the size of my fist.

"Poor thing. How did you get to this terrible place, sweet baby?"

I lifted her, cradling her in my palm with great care. Stroking her still moist and slightly chubby skin. That was when her crying stopped almost instantly. Turning into sweet laughter. Her hand reached up, as if trying to grab my fingers.

Ah... she was crying because she was cold, wasn't she?

A sweet smile spread across my face.

I began to play with her, letting her laugh happily as she managed to grab and play with my fingers with her tiny hands.

Human children. I didn't hate them. Look at that innocent, sweet, shining soul. That small figure who didn't understand anything yet. A pure soul untouched by sin.

As Santa Claus's twin brother... I could see it very clearly. A bright light enveloping almost her entire body. Beautiful and warm. I loved it, very much. Seeing it always calmed my heart, always made me smile.

However, a bitter sigh escaped as I remembered how this beauty would be ruined by this dirty world.

Slowly but surely, that light would fade as she grew older. Whether because she herself began to know sin, or because she was stained by this world that was already full of sin. I didn't know which. But that was the reality.

Long ago, before I was created, they said this world was still pure, with sacred light and innocence illuminating almost every inch of its land. That's what was said in the Bible. No different from paradise.

A bitter curve spread on my lips.

"Maybe... a world like that would be very beautiful."

Unfortunately, humans were sent down by God to the world. At first everything went well, until a drop of black ink stuck to one of Adam's children. Drop by drop, that ink finally overflowed from its container. Then... Adam's children came to know sin when the first blood was shed.

But... God is Most Merciful.

Newborn children are always free from sin. Pure and shining. At least in my eyes. Eyes that can see who is pure, and who is sinful. Who is a good child, and who is a naughty child. My brother also had the same eyes as me.

Ah... that's right.

Santa Claus, my brother. My light. The chubby one who always smiled generously and took the form of a thick white-bearded old man so no one would be afraid when he brought gifts.

Fearborn, yes, he was one of them. Actually that nickname only appeared in the last few centuries, when the evil creature hunter organization was formed. In ancient times we were only called 'evil creatures' or 'good creatures' by people.

At that time humans still relied on myths, that's where we were born. Those beliefs... all of them carried enough spiritual energy to awaken entities that had never taken form.

Santa was born first, only a few hundred years later it was my turn.

You see, light will always produce shadow. To prevent their children from becoming naughty, parents began telling the shadow side of Santa. And that's where I was born. When I was born, my brother wasn't angry at all, instead he welcomed me warmly and let me play my role, as long as I didn't kill children.

Yes. Since then. When Christmas came. After calculating good deeds minus sins, we worked together. Santa distributed gifts to good children. While I kidnapped, scared, and played tricks on naughty children until they learned their lesson.

The world felt so beautiful. So innocent. Good children became better. And naughty children grew into better people as adults.

We truly enjoyed it.

At that time, the world was indeed dark. There were only candles and incandescent lamps. But in our eyes, the world was so bright because children grew into wise adults.

Some might grow into criminals, but not many. Like a tree, not all its fruit is always good, some may be rotten and riddled with worms.

By the way, when we had free time we often rode the sleigh together through the snow. My brother's reindeer pulled us from the front. Sometimes we circled the earth seven times just to go sightseeing when bored. Those were truly beautiful days. Especially when he accidentally crashed into an ice desert until we were thrown and our bags scattered on the ice.

A small laugh suddenly slipped from my mouth. Not only because of remembering that silly incident, but also because that small baby had started putting my fingers in her mouth.

"Hey, that's dirty."

I quickly pulled them away, then gave her a pacifier from my gift bag. Just an ordinary pacifier. No need to worry.

Ugh... okay, maybe not an ordinary pacifier, because that pacifier could also produce sweet, nutritious milk just by sucking on it.

"I hope you grow up healthy, sweet child."

I stroked her cheek with great care.

"If my brother were here, he would definitely be very happy to see you."

My smile slowly turned into restrained bitterness. Remembering Santa brought not only sweet memories, but also bitterness at the same time.

At that time, the era was advancing. Science and logic were developing. Slowly, spiritual power was thinning due to the lack of human belief in myths. Entities like me increasingly couldn't manifest in the human world.

But again, God seemed to be saving us.

He divided the world of life into three parts. The human world, the middle world more commonly known as the mirror world. And the Fearborn world, a dark place almost similar to the depiction of Hellheim in Norse mythology.

However, that dark world also brought consequences. Entities defined as 'good creatures' couldn't survive there and disappeared. And that's where I lost my beloved brother.

Huh, even in his final moments, he sacrificed himself and gave me all his abilities to give gifts to good children. He believed that one day the world would unite like in the past. And if that time came... I would have to take both roles at once if he could no longer be present in the world.

After waiting a long time, the day I waited for finally came. One day, I came out right on Christmas night, the night when spiritual power seemed to be dedicated only to me—we might be the right word, because I also absorbed a little of Santa's essence.

At that time... I felt so excited. Memories of activities like in the past filled my head like Noah's flood. I was ready to give gifts to good children, as well as punishments in the form of tricks on naughty children.

However, what awaited me wasn't a world that looked as bright as before.

Maybe it's true. Lamps had conquered the night. But in my eyes... the world was very dark. Too much sin. Too much naughtiness.

At that time... for the first time... my bag slipped from my grasp. Items scattered. I didn't pick up any. Only letting myself fall with my knees touching the ground first.

At that time... I realized one thing... this world was not the world I knew.