"He… he had h-his eyes c-closed, with b-blood dripping down his cheeks as though they were t-teardrops. I… I tried my b-best to heal his eyes but I can't heal something that was… no longer there… nor can I make it appear out of the blue. The only way to heal him back was to g-get his eyes back with them being in perfect condition. And even with that, it can't even be a guaranteed full recovery."

"And so, after I forcibly dampen my shock and disbelief, I tried to do the most logical thing that popped into my mind… I began to ask him to explain what happened."

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"I tried, again and again, to ask him but Aril just faced me with a tired face as he smiled sadly. And I was quite disturbed by his expression. Despite the fact that his eyelids were shut tight, I could feel in that moment that Aril just… gave up. He looked like he didn't want to try anymore. He didn't want to hide it, nor did he want to act all happy. He no longer wanted to be optimistic about anything, and instead, he just kinda… stopped caring, in a sense. And I can easily tell it from his limp shoulders and his empty smile. It was as though he was telling me that he was tired of it all, of all the things happening around him and to him. With one look, I could tell that Aril just simply gave up on everything, even on himself."

"And I didn't feel comfortable seeing that kind of Aril. It felt wrong like he wasn't supposed to be that kind of person. And so, I tried to comfort him, saying that everything was going to be alright."

Then, out of the blue, Raghnall snickered humorlessly which slightly startled Inna.

"A small ten-year-old kid trying to comfort a grown man... It would've been a comical sight if we weren't at that situation during that time."

Raghnall released another snicker that held the same amount of nonexistent humor than the previous one. Then, after ending it with a small dry sigh, he continued on with his story. His face held a wistful expression as he internally struggled to get the words out of his mouth.

"I tried my best to make things seem better... t-tried to make him smile… I tried everything to remove the emptiness in his expression but it didn't seem to work. Instead, Aril just continued to smile blankly with his eyes closed. He didn't even bother to wipe the blood trickling down his cheeks as he continued to face the window."

"Given that kind of reaction after so much of my efforts, I began to get p.i.s.sed and so I pleaded him with anger in my tone to tell me what exactly happened. I told him that if he didn't, I would go to those wicked people and ask them myself, not caring whatever they would do to me."

"That seemed to get a rise out of him as he abruptly turned around to face me. He shook his head furiously as he tried to grab on to my shoulders. He had trouble finding them at first but after using his magic to sense the magical particles around him, he was able to grasp them tightly and shake me slightly."

"I was startled with the… desperation… I felt in his actions. So startled that I couldn't help but ask him what was wrong. And he… He just started shaking his head again and again and the lack of 'wordy' responses was starting to get on my nerves. And so, I told him to speak up and to tell me what exactly happened..."

"B-but when he did…"

Raghnall took a moment to compose himself by burying his face yet again on his hands. Then after exhaling loudly, he continued to speak with his face still buried in his hands.

"It… it was intelligible. H-he was no longer able to speak. and I finally realized why he tried hard to keep silent... He was hiding the fact that, aside from removing his eyes, they cut off his tongue as well. And when I tried to cast healing spells on it, I realized that they even burned off the wound, making it impossible to be healed since the healing process was sealed off."

Raghnall sighed once again, his heart heavy as he tried to approach the most dreaded part.

"and when I heard the gibberish reply filled with him just half-screaming syllables, my heart just broke so much that I burst into tears in front of him. It was such an ironic moment because even after all he's been through, he was the one comforting me."

He let out a snicker as he leaned back on the chair they were in. He still hid his face with his hands as he continued to talk.

"Aril... he's the kindest guy I've ever met and I swear to you that guy never deserved such treatment. If only I was strong enough at that time, I would've avoided such a tragic situation. He wouldn't have to suffer like that. I could've ended it if I was strong enough."

Inna was about to argue with him, saying it wasn't his fault. And that he shouldn't blame himself because he had no choice nor control over the situation. But before she can even get a word out, Raghnall continued on with his story.

"After I cried my heart out, Aril began to tap his head as a sort of gesture. I figured that he was telling me to communicate by reading his mind so I immediately casted the spell. And so, we sat there in the room in silence as the voices in our minds began to speak."