Raghnall tried his best to lower the volume of his footsteps as he trod back to the Academy. He figured to just leave the village quickly in case Rhys gave chase or another weirdo, who can't seem to take a hint, comes up and tries to talk to him again.
But as selfish as it is, he still didn't want to return her to her dorm and end their little trip with such a bad note. So, looking for a peaceful place, he decided to go to his favorite spot in the whole academy.
As soon as he entered the campus, he immediately uttered a teleportation spell that sent him to the place he always went to whenever he felt down.
He stared at the beautiful place with a small smile. His most favorite spot was a garden fit for the highest of kings. It held nearly every beautiful flower known by man. And in the middle of the sea of these colorful flowers was a pond that held the clearest water he's ever seen. It was so clear that it looked near-transparent and whenever the moonlight strikes its waters, the pond glows and twinkles making the whole garden look majestic and enchanting. And to complete its beauty, a white marble statue of a beautiful woman stood tall and proud in its center.
And at the most inconspicuous place of the garden, there stood a small elegant pavilion made with the same material as the statue. Raghnall slowly approached the pavilion as he breathed in the pleasant smell of the flowers. But he paused slightly as he admired the lilies that surrounded the pavilion. Then, feeling the slight stirring of Inna in his arms, he made his way to the pavilion that held a long cushioned seat.
There, he slowly lowered Inna to the chair as he pulled the other similar chair across it to be near her. After a few seconds, Inna began to stir again and after a few twists and turns, she slowly opened her eyes.
"What happened? Did I just... Fall asleep?"
Raghnall chuckled as he leaned his elbow over the seat's armrests.
"Yeah. I had to carry you from the village until here so you better be grateful."
Then, as if to exaggerate, he slumped on his seat and groaned in exhaustion.
But he soon abruptly stopped his act when he noticed that something was wrong.
He suddenly heard a series of sobs and he immediately stiffened. Completely alarmed, he could only sputter his words as he tried to wipe Inna's tears with his sleeves.
Inna didn't know why she was crying as well. She just suddenly felt so… down. Then, the tears just started to form and fall. And she didn't even react in time for her to wipe them off or cover her face. She just stared on the ground before her as her tears began dripping down and uncontrollable sobs started to come out from her mouth.
Seeing Raghnall was busy panicking in comforting her, Inna suddenly had the urge to apologize.
"I'm sorry. I'm such a mess. I don't know why. I'm sorry."
Raghnall's heart squeezed at how her voice cracked while apologizing and he couldn't help but gently pat her head.
"There's no need to apologize. It might've been from the drink that's making you feel like this. Don't worry. Just let it all out."
Inna nodded as her damp eyes glistened with gratitude. Then, seeing that Raghnall's sleeve was starting to get too wet from her tears, she felt ashamed and decided to reach into her spatial pouch to grab a handkerchief. But she accidentally brushed her hand on something moist and metallic and she instinctively drew her hand back.
But when she did, she saw her fingers tainted with a red hue. She flinched when she saw the blood on her fingers but confusion took over her as she reached into her spatial pouch again. Feeling a sudden sense of determination despite the dread she felt, she slowly took out the item that held blood and was slightly surprised to see that it was the sword she used before she was stabbed.
Raghnall noticed the surprised expression on Inna's pale face as she looked at the sword. And he somehow felt like he had the need to explain its presence.
"I… uhh… I picked it up before I left. I thought it was important to you since it looked like it had a family crest. Sorry, I shouldn't have picked it, huh."
Inna finally tore her eyes away from the sword as she somberly smiled at Raghnall. Then, with the same smile, she stared at her bloodied finger.
"I… I almost tried to kill someone. I... I just... couldn't stop myself…"
Raghnall felt that something was terribly wrong with her tone so he gently lifted up her chin.
"No. You hesitated. I saw it. Before you swung your hand, they stopped for a fraction of a second. Because of your hesitation, you didn't kill him. Trust me."
Inna's eyes held a hint of relief but her somber smile still remained unchanged.
"Well, if I wasn't able to... 'hesitate' for even just a short time, then the slash on his neck would've been so much deeper."
She knew how dangerous she was.
Or how dangerous the 'thing' inside her was.
And she no longer trusted herself and guarantee the safety of the people around her.
Who knows when she'll suddenly switch and kill the people she cared about most.
Seeing the same fearful look Inna had back then, Raghnall sighed.
He really wanted to replace her miserable look with a happy smile but he had no idea how to do so, hence he can only sigh in dismay.
"Why is this still such a big deal for you? He didn't die. We established that. But it would've been better if he did. That'll send a great message to those students who're annoying you. And besides, its a duel. There will be times that the opponent will be killed in a duel. It's nothing new. And even adventurers have killed someone one way or another."
Raghnall sighed as he hesitantly continued.
"Even I… killed someone."