Raghnall Vs Bangle

Rhys puffed up his chest in pride but Inna just snickered.

She felt the laughter she's been holding about to burst but before she could let it out, she suddenly shivered from a cold gust of wind that passed by them. She wrapped her hands around her as her teeth clattered.

Looking around, she realized that the moon was actually now high in the night sky. And since they were surrounded by trees, the winds were now as cold as ice that she couldn't help but shiver involuntarily. Her thin robes did nothing to keep her warm so she began rubbing her palms together to generate even the smallest of hear.

Rhys noticed her shivering and he sighed. He knew that she had to go back. The forests here were known to be extremely cold during nights and he knew that if she stayed longer, she'll most likely catch a cold.

So, he stood up from his position and offered his hand to help her up. Inna took his hand and she dusted herself off when she was steady on her feet.

Rhys felt the pinpricks on his face from the icy chill of the wind. Then, he gestured for Inna to follow him as he walked.

"C'mon. You have to leave now. The winds here at these times are cold and violent so it'll be dangerous if we stay here any longer. Don't worry, i'll sneak you back to the walls."

Inna nodded and followed him wordlessly as she tried to stop herself from shivering.

And after about an hour, Inna was finally able to return back. She waved goodbye at Rhys who was on the top of the wall as she ran towards the direction of her dorm.

According to Rhys, she was currently near the East Protected Forest of the Academy. And if she were to follow the map she had, she'll arrive in her dorms in no time.

Inna carefully treaded the forests, trying to be careful to avoid her getting lost.

Then, after about three hours or so of walking, getting lost twice, and figuring out where the right path was on her own, she finally saw the familiar house. She ran towards it, excited to finally attack her bed when she noticed someone by the porch.

She stopped mid-run as she cautiously tried to see who it was.

Then, when she saw the familiar face illuminated by the moonlight, she couldn't help but gulp nervously.

It was Raghnall!

She almost forgot that she actually ran away from his training.

Inna silently walked towards him as she readied her sickly sweet smile that she hoped would make Raghnall forgive her. But just as she was about to speak, Raghnall beat her to it.

"You ran away from me."

He said in a sulky tone as he huffed. Hearing it, Inna laughed nervously as she tried to appease him.

"W-well, I'm back now, aren't I?"

Raghnall turned his back to her as he crossed his arms.

"That doesn't change the fact that you ran away. And you actually stayed out for a whole day."

Inna sighed as she squatted in front of him. She knew it was going to take a while so she decided to make herself comfortable.

"But I'm back and I'm now more motivated than ever to start training!"

The forced positivity in her voice made Raghnall click his tongue. She waited for him to reply but it seems that he's just blatantly ignoring her. She continued to talk, hoping it could lessen his sulkiness.

"Did you know that I can already fight with my eyes closed? I did amazing with applying what I learned, right?"

Still not replying, Inna sighed as she looked at him seriously.

"Hey... One whole week with only about four to six hours of sleep… do you think I can still function normally without giving myself a break? I want to be strong, yes. But I don't want to ruin myself along the way. Besides, I'm only asking for one day per month. Can't you give me that at the very least?"

Raghnall sighed when he heard the hidden sadness and exhaustion in her voice.

Well, he had to admit that what he's doing isn't certainly helping her.

He was too obsessed and in a hurry for her to get stronger.

He just didn't want her to… end up the same as before.

And he didn't realize that what he ended up doing was suffocating her instead which was endangering her body.

With guilt in his mind, he finally turned around to acknowledge Inna.

"I… understand. And I apologize for asking too much from you. You were obviously tired and stressed out from all the things you had to do and I failed to see that since you were always so… cheerful whenever we meet. And instead of helping, I was only adding more to your stress by forcing you to train. I guess a break once in a while won't hurt."

Inna smiled and she reached out to pat his head. But before her hand could even come in contact with his hair, Raghnall grabbed it roughly.

"What's this?! Where did you get this?!"

Inna struggled to release her hand but her efforts were futile. Raghnall's grip was far too sturdy for her to shake off.

She looked at him incredulously as she spoke.

"What's with you?! I just got it from a friend!"

Raghnall's grip tightened as his expression darkened. Then, his other hand grabbed the bangle and he suddenly uttered a spell.

"Streccan."

Inna gasped in shock and she swiftly countered his spell with another spell.

"Scrincan!"

Then, using all the power she can muster, she roughly shook off both his hands and withdrew a few steps back as she cautiously stared at him.

"What the heck are you doing?!"

Was Raghnall trying to remove the bangle from her?!

Raghnall clicked his tongue in annoyance as he stared at the annoying bangle. Then, he looked at Inna impatiently while pointing at the bangle.

"Hurry and take it off before someone sees it!"

Utterly startled and confused, Inna had trouble following his command. She held on the bangle tightly as she looked at him suspiciously.

"Why?!"

Raghnall looked conflicted and he started to sputter. But he soon decided to just answer her vaguely.

"Just because!"

Hearing his halfhearted answer, Inna was starting to get angry.

"If you won't give me a solid reason, then I'm not taking it off! It's something important that was given to me by a friend and I'm not someone who would remove it for a reason of 'just because'!"

Raghnall gritted his teeth in frustration.

Why was she not listening?!

Does she not know what that thing was?!

He really didn't want her carrying that around.

Nothing good ever comes from wearing it. It's bound to just cause trouble.

But if she wouldn't take it off without a valid reason…

Then if he told her everything about it, would she take it off?

Raghnall was about to explain his actions when a loud shout made both him and Inna jump.

"Can you lovebirds fight tomorrow?! Someone is trying to sleep and your incessant quarreling is making me want to throw a knife at your throats! And you Mr. Raghnall! Visiting hours are over! Get out and go back to your own dorm! And if I hear your voice still there, I'll be calling your prefect over and you'll have to answer to him!"

Ulima's cranky voice startled both of them as they instinctively looked at the house in shock.

Hearing Ulima's warning, Raghnall had no choice but to leave. So, with gritted teeth, he looked at Inna seriously.

"If you're not going to return it, or throw it away, you should just keep it hidden inside your pouch where no one can see. That thing is more trouble than it's worth. Trust me. So hide it at all costs."

Then with those last words, he turned around and walked until he disappeared into the dense mass of trees.