He Ate What?

He let out a deep sigh, as if releasing a heavy load from his chest. "I ate the mariaban's fur…"

His words made me furrow my brows in confusion. "The mariaban? Its fur? What do you mean?"

I glanced at Iris, expecting a clear explanation. Iris spoke up, "That creature before was a mariaban. It's not as lethal as a genderuwo. But, you would have been killed if I wasn't there."

"So, you're telling me you ate its fur? For what reason?" I questioned Arlo, still puzzled.

"Well, a mariaban's fur has many benefits. By eating a mariaban's fur, you can become immune to iron weapons." She stopped for a moment and then continued.

"But, there are drawbacks… Such as losing control over your emotions because of the dark magic in your body and being unable to use magic for a while, including the most basic ones too."

I was stunned by Iris's words. "What? So, Arlo can't heal anyone because he ate that fur, right? Why didn't he wait until he healed the wounded ones with us?"

I stared at Arlo, but he looked away, acting as if he didn't hear me.

"Arlo didn't realize it would take away his healing power," Iris said.

The boyish girl sighed, "He's pretty worthless without his healing power."

"Well, I can't argue with that. Hey, Arlo…" Iris gazed at the anxious boy.

The lady librarian caressed Arlo's head and said, "I guess you have no choice but to learn from me."

"But, I can't… Do you think I haven't tried to learn from someone else?"

"Then try harder," Iris smiled, her red lips forming a graceful curve.

"What about me? I don't think I can train with my injuries," I asked.

"I'll restore my mana first and then I'll heal you and Ray. Oh, that reminds me… I need to rest now."

Iris left the chamber. I watched her fading figure; she seemed reliable and strong. I wished I could be like her.

"That mage used a lot of mana to shield this temple. I can't even imagine how exhausting it must be," the sword wielder said as she got up.

"I feel like a burden," I said.

I looked at Arlo; his face was showing discomfort. He kept his eyes on the ground.

"What?" He asked me, sensing my stare.

"Nothing…"

The mood became tense, and I didn't know how to talk to them. My head was still very heavy from the dizziness, and my body hurt terribly, yet the interactions between the party members were draining and wouldn't let me relax.

"I don't like you," Ray said to Arlo, her fierce look fixed on the poor boy.

"But, Ray he-" I tried to intervene, not wanting the cold mood to get worse. Arlo couldn't conceal his emotions either; his eyes were teary as soon as he heard Ray's words.

"He's just a huge problem for us. How dumb could he be? He ate a mariaban's fur in the middle of a crisis," the sword wielder said, sighing deeply.

Arlo was already sobbing at Ray's harsh remark. His body looked more frail than ever; I felt sorry for him.

"Hey, don't be like that… He was just trying to be more helpful by improving himself," I defended him.

"See where it got him. He's useless now, what can he do?"

I touched Arlo's shoulder, trying to comfort him. But, it didn't seem to make any difference.

"Don't be useless like him," the sword wielder said before exiting the chamber.

Arlo was doing his best to hide the tears that rolled down his cheek. His face was red, his breath was uneven. I sympathized with him; I knew how it felt to be in that situation. To be the useless one, to be blamed. It certainly wasn't a pleasant situation to be in.

"Hey, it's okay to cry. Don't wipe your tears away and hide from me," I said to him.

He didn't raise his head; he didn't look at me. I reached for his hand to comfort him, but he just pulled his hand away.

"I don't hold it against you. It's okay; you didn't realize that it would take away your power. It was a simple mistake; everyone is allowed to make mistakes."

I smiled sincerely, trying to persuade him. He sobbed louder after hearing my words. This time he met my eyes, still with fear and guilt for what he had done.

"But, if I wasn't so foolish, I could've healed you. I'm sorry…"

"No, don't say sorry to me. It's okay, I'll be alright. Don't you remember? Iris said that she would heal me."

His tears kept flowing, his eyes still locked into mine. "Lo," he said my name.

"You were close to death, Lo."

I looked at his ripped clothes that were stained with blood. I could see his lovely figure outlined well with that red shirt and overall jeans.

I could notice some visible injuries on his skin. It made me feel more sorry for this boy.

"It's okay, I'm still alive, right?" I said with a cheerful laugh.

I hugged him gently, hoping to ease his pain. He hugged me back, clinging to me as if I was his lifeline.

That simple hug hurt my injured body, but it was worth it. I'm glad I could ease his suffering. He was the one who offered me help when I had nobody to ask for.

"Hey, do you mind if..."