Chapter 60: Reconciliation?

"To say that one waits a lifetime for his soulmate to come around is a paradox. People eventually get sick of waiting, take a chance on someone and by the art of commitment become soulmates, which takes a lifetime to perfect." —Criss Jami, Venus in Arms

"Do you not know that God entrusted you with that money (all above what buys necessities for your families) to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to help the stranger, the widow, the fatherless; and, indeed, as far as it will go, to relieve the wants of all mankind? How can you, how dare you, defraud the Lord, by applying it to any other purpose?" —John Wesley

"The common man prays, 'I want a cookie right now!' And God responds, 'If you'd listen to what I say, tomorrow it will bring you 100 cookies." —Criss Jami, Killosophy

***

With a mix of begging and rageful yelling, Arlan filled the silent cave with his cry for help when Xenia began skinning him off. It won't heal nor go back to the way it is. Only when he dies will every part of his body grow and regenerate.

So long as he is still alive, Arlan would experience the excruciating hellish

pain being inflicted by his opposition. Xenia could not care less about what Arlan says or does because he knows that sooner or later the kid will break and give up the life he should not have.

"Stop it! It hurts so much! Ah..."

His words were literally dry and his voice could only produce that much. It

was hoarse and rough, like he hadn't drunk water for so long.

"But we've only done your right arm. There is still much more skin left to be flayed."

As though he was a clueless child when Arlan begged him to stop, Xenia shrugged his head and tilted it to the side. Then, he maliciously continued flaying Arlan as though he had lost all the empathy and pittance he had in his body. Because no matter how much Arlan cried for help and for it to stop, Xenia just turned a blind eye and kept going.

As someone who was well organized when it comes to his work, Xenia

gently placed every skin on the ground, creating a skin silhouette beside Arlan. The owner of the peeled-off skin.

"Feel blessed, Pack."

Up until now, Pack hasn't said anything but when she heard that from Lakambini, her blood suddenly boils from within. She just could not accept such repulsive words when she has been through a lot.

"Really?! You want me to feel blessed?! Do you have any idea how much I've suffered?! We've suffered! And you want me to feel blessed?! Are you saying that our bad experiences here are something to be grateful about?!"

She was angry with some of her spit and vomit stinking from the side of her mouth after throwing up once again.

"Surely, only suffering living on this island has caused you. But what about the good memories? Isn't that something to be looked back at? I want you to feel blessed because you were born a Balmackian, brought forth a gift from god, and not needing to undergo what Xenia is currently experiencing right now."

Still confused, Pack glanced at Xenia's direction and immediately averted her gaze, for she can't look that long at the torturing of Arlan. His arms looked pinkish and red, the flesh could be visibly seen, and he was bleeding all over. It's a miracle that Arlan still hasn't kicked the bucket yet with blood loss.

"I don't get you," dizziness began to strike, Pack. "What's going on with Xenia?"

"Unlike you, Balmackians, we in the tribe had to suffer mentally for as long as we are alive when we consume and receive the gift from all of you.

That goes the same with Xenia. He consumed human flesh, maybe a gift from two or more previous gift holders, and even acquired their past traumas. What's currently going on inside Xenia's head is a mess. More than one voice was telling him of the tragedies."

"Huh? What are you saying? Voices speaking to him? That's ridiculous!"

"Fufufu, lying to you won't do me any good, Pack. It's insignificant. I would love to show you what I'm talking about but since you already own a gift, I can't make you experience it firsthand to understand me. If only we could own more than one gift, such a person would be powerful."

"Haaaa! N-No more... of this... I give up. Kill me now, please!"

"Not yet, Arlan. I could still see the flame's passion burning within the depths of your eyes. It is yet to waver."

"Please... Xenia... Kill me. Let me... die already."

"As long as the words I'm waiting for your mouth to speak aren't released, I will not stop. I will let you die but I will just torture over and over again until you beg me to..."

His eyes were blank, almost as if lifeless. Each gaze from him feels cold and unenergized. This must be the price he paid for to torture his friend and finish what he already started.

"I didn't really... want to kill you, Xenia," Arlan began sobbing but he was shedding blood as his tears. "I had no intention... of doing so. All I wanted was for you to ask... for my forgiveness, which you... didn't do."

Yes, Arlan was now crying in front of the nonchalant Xenia who stopped flaying Arlan to listen to what he had to say.

"Will you really be capable of forgiving me? And will you forgive me even if I don't ask for forgiveness? Because I won't ask for your forgiveness, Arlan. I'm owning up to my mistakes— transgressions. And I won't thank you too if you ever forgive me without me asking for it. I want you to remember all of it."

"It doesn't matter... anymore, Xenia. Living without my family would be... pointless anyway. Just kill me... so that I'll be able to meet... my family."

Xenia clenched his sword so tight but it went unnoticed. He still didn't shed any emotion and became silent.

Up above the hole where Arlan's eyes were watching the moon, two black birds cawing as they flapped their wings in the air came into his view. And then, he remembered a saying being passed down by the elders.

"To us, Balmackians..., death is imminent...when a pair of ravens appears and begins cawing."

The two ravens were none other than Mischief and Bandit. Xenia's pets.

"Say, Xenia... Will you cry if I die?"

For a solid minute, Xenia was silent.

"You're not saying anything... Then, I'm guessing that... you will. Haha."

"Of course, I am. You idiot."

An awkward silence fell upon them. Xenia stopped doing what he was doing and got off on top of Arlan.

"My body's aching so much that I can't move an inch. Come on, help me."

Arlan lost his last breath. Once again, death befalls him. Slowly, they witnessed how Arlan's skin placed from the ground crawled back to his body, attaching themselves. Within several minutes, Arlan was as good as new when the last drop of blood he lost came back to him.

*Gasp*

"Welcome back, Arlan. How was your dream? Were you able to meet your family?"

~