Inna hugged him back in relief when she felt that her words finally got through Raghnall's thick delusional skull. Feeling her arms wrap around him, Raghnall gripped her tighter as he spoke, his voice no longer quivering.
"You're really a wonder, you know that? After nearly eight years, it's the first time I felt this... weird feeling… How do you do that? Did you cast a spell on me?"
Inna chuckled under his embrace as she gently patted his back.
"It's called talking, boy. Talking about it can help you get it all out and may even get you the closure you deserve."
"And trust me when I say this but I bet Aril has already forgotten everything."
Hearing the strange confidence in her voice, Raghnall softly let go of her. His confusion visibly showed in his face as he asked her.
"What do you mean by that?"
Inna smiled weakly as she remembered her times when she was a just a soul walking the red pathways of Hel Halja.
"I'm sure of it. He no longer blames you nor anyone else. He's at greater peace not remembering anything."
Raghnall didn't know why but the certainty in her voice made him believe her and he felt better and better. But, still, thinking about the strangeness of her words, he furrowed his brows in greater confusion. He didn't understand why Inna sounded so sure of what she was saying so he wanted to ask her more about it. But when he looked into her eyes, he noticed that she was far too engrossed in the thoughts inside her mind that he felt that if he did ask, his words would just be drowned out. So, he decided to just let it go and rule it off as one of the many crazy things she does.
With Inna still engrossed in her memories and Raghnall still slightly bothered over her words, they both sat in silence for a few moments. Then, a gust of wind swept over the fields of flowers and Raghnall suddenly felt something stuck in his eye. He rubbed them slightly until he felt that it was gone. Then, he suddenly remembered something.
"Well, even if Aril's death wasn't my fault, everyone else's is."
Inna snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at him in surprise.
"What?"
Raghnall gently caressed his eye as he held a soft yet sad smile.
"I actually… I have a unique ability… Just like him. But for Aril, it was his eyes. For me, it was my body. You could say I'm a Mana Eater. My body can absorb Mana from living things and convert them into magical energy. It's something I inherited from my mother but it's not that amazing as it sounds. As of now, I still can't absorb a lot since I haven't trained for magic for… eight years. But… anyways, that's another story."
Raghnall closed his eyes as he tried to compose himself. He noticed that it was easier for him to talk about it now. He no longer felt the heaviness he previously felt. And so, after a short sigh, he was able to form a small smile as he spoke.
"So, even after the Academy cleaned up the whole room and my father nearly forcing me to return home, I remained there in the same room, still having Aril's eyes in my hands. I… at that time, I blamed myself immensely. So I made a promise to always remember my mistake."
Raghnall caressed the skin below his eyes as he looked at the beautiful array of flowers before them.
"I used my ability to absorb Aril's eyes, making his mana turn into my own. At first, I thought his eyes would simply deteriorate and turn into energy inside my body but unexpectedly, instead of that happening, his ability transferred to me and I was able to see what he was able to see. At first, it was magical. I was at a loss of words at how beautiful everything was. But then, every time I used the ability, I always remember him, and I remember what happened."
"And I wanted his eyes to see, thinking that it would do something… I wanted his eyes to see the suffering of those who made him suffer. So, ignoring my father's warning, I decided to take revenge."
Raghnall's lips turned into a tight line as he contemplated in telling Inna. He didn't want her to be scared of him, but he wanted to prove to her that sometimes, killing people can be the best comfort and the only option left as the right thing to do. And so, even if she were to end up killing someone, as long as she didn't do it in cold blood or to someone innocent, then it's completely justified.
"I… fifteen of the students that I knew were involved… I… I had to do it for Aril…"
Inna's eyes widened as she looked at him with disbelief.
"You… y-you killed them all?"
Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, Raghnall felt himself panic at the thought of Inna being terrified of him.
"I… Wait… I did it for Aril! They… they ruined his life! If that's how it was, I ruined their lives as well! Pain for pain! That's how this world always has been. I took their eyes, took their tongues and left them for a day. Just as how they did to Aril. And they ended their own lives, just as how he did."
Inna looked at him, disbelief was still evident in her expression.
It's 'how the world always has been'?
She's been in this world for a year and she somehow had the feeling that it was like that. But to think that she'd hear it from Raghnall's own mouth as he justified torturing fifteen people in the name of revenge...
She just couldn't wrap her head around it.
And truthfully, she felt a sliver of terror as she looked at Raghnall in a new light.