Inna didn't have the energy to smile as brightly as before but she tried a little, for him. And although it was quite a somber and a nearly emotionless one, Raghnall was satisfied with the smile she gave. So, with another small pat on her head, he continued on with his story.
"So, as the weeks passed, we naturally grew closer. Then, it came to the point that his visits were no longer limited to sneaking in every night. He started visiting during the day too, usually during his breaks or just simply his spare time. On prayer breaks, we spend the whole day holed up in the room talking about our dreams and what we wanted for the future to be like. Then, without my knowing, he began to discreetly slowly move into my room by leaving his stuff one by one. And the next thing I knew, after about three weeks or so, he already transferred his bed across mine and all his things were neatly placed at the other end of my room. I didn't even notice how often he stayed with me until he told me that every time he visited, he would always leave one of his belongings behind."
"Truthfully, I was amazed at how smooth he was able to execute such a thing since i'm usually overly cautious of people. It's a habit I've picked up since childhood that I made me more observant and careful. But to think he was able to do such a feat… Well, this just goes to show how comfortable I was with him."
"And that officially sealed our 'roommate' status. So, now that we were roommates, we tend to spend most of our times together. At first, it was all fun and games. We felt like children who just had our first sleeping party. I remembered that back then, on our first official night as roommates, we literally spent the whole night just talking about random things. Although we didn't ask each other about anything too personal, we felt like brothers who were separated at birth. We talked about books, stories, growing up, our habits, likes, dislikes, and various more random stuff that were too numerous and weird to mention. Talking with him, he made me learn about various stuff he knew from being a commoner, like how to farm and how to make a book using animal skin. And in return, I was able to offer some guidance on some problems he had regarding theories on magic."
"From that day on, Aril and I became more comfortable around one another. And from how tightly knit we were then, I could no longer imagine the days back when we remained in a single room without uttering a single word to each other. Every day, we relied on each other's company for comfort. We spend our times together just laughing and talking and we had such a great time that it was as though we didn't have any problems in our lives."
Then, Raghnall paused and the fond smile he had on as he spoke suddenly dropped.
"A-and so, because of that, I failed to realize that Aril had a troublesome life outside the dorms. Well, he's always been really great at hiding stuff. In fact, it took me so long to even realize that he… he was having a hard time. It took me so so long that when I did, it was a-all t-too l-late."
Raghnall sucked in a breath as he tried to stop himself from stuttering. As he talked about it, the emotions he bottled up years ago suddenly resurfaced, making his mouth quiver so much that he had to strongly purse his lips to stop it.
Then, after a few relaxing breaths, he continued.
"Aril… he… Well, originally, he had trouble with his studies. So, since he was staying with me, I tried helping him by explaining some mechanics behind topics I knew about. With my help, he was able to answer the questions in his mind that hindered him from progressing. And so, day after day, he was able to grow stronger and his true talent was starting to show."
Raghnall shakily smiled as he tilted his head, making his cheek rest softly on top of Inna's head.
"He... He had the gift of 'seeing.' He's able to see even the smallest magic particles in the air. But the thing is, he had trouble understanding what he was seeing. Being probably the only one in the whole academy with that rare gift, of course, no one would be able to release his real potential. Well, there could've been one person but… she was no longer there."
Raghnall paused as he sighed. The sigh felt heavy on his chest as he willed himself to continue despite his heart filled with sadness.
"And so, with a bit of my help, he was able to realize and use his talent in its fullest. And when he was able to use it to his advantage during his classes, it was inevitable that Aril would become stronger."
"And well, it was also inevitable that the people around him would notice him becoming stronger."
"Y-you mean…"
Inna couldn't help but gasp out. She intended to just listen intently but with the sudden turn of events, Inna couldn't help but let her emotions get the best of her.
Hearing her trembling gasp, Raghnall shakily smiled as sadness enshrouded his eyes.
"T-the students from higher classes... I didn't know that t-they started to target Aril. Because he showed great progress, his professors were thinking of letting him take removal exams for their subjects. And if he were to pass them all then he'd have a chance to get remeasured for his power levels. And if his power level increased then he'd finally be able to get out of lily class."
"The students overheard one of the professors talk about it and, since it was quite a rare event, the word quickly got passed around. Then, it reached the ears of some… frightening people."
Raghnall gulped as he shakily let out a breath.
After nearly eight years, he can no longer remember who they were.
But he always and will continue to remember what they did to Aril.
The scars, the bruises, the blood…
He remembered every detail that every time he blinked, he can see it vividly as if he was still there, staring wide-eyed at his body.