Chapter 82 Harmless

Chapter 82 Harmless
~ Tyra ~

Zaran's face took on a bored expression, as if what I had just asked was so obvious that he couldn't understand why I needed an explanation at all.

"There is only one place in this entire region that produces werewolves stripped of their wolves just to satisfy the crazy obsession of some stupid moon god," he said before turning around and continuing to walk.

I stared at his back for a moment, completely stunned by how casually he had said it.

"The only thing confusing me is why you are not a zombie like the rest of them," he added without bothering to look back.

I hurried after him, not wanting to be left behind in a place where I didn't even know what could attack me next.

"How do you know so much about Blazing Moon? Have you been there before?" Another question slipped out of my mouth, my curiosity refusing to let me keep it to myself.

Blazing Moon was an isolated land. Outsiders were not allowed to simply wander in and out, and most people knew very little about what happened beyond its borders. Even those who lived there knew only what they were taught.

So how could this man know so much?

"I know a lot more than you think. I even know things they will never dare to tell any of you," he said casually, as if he had just mentioned something completely ordinary.

My brows knitted together. "How is that possible?"

"I am a witch. So many things are possible for me."

"Witches don't..." I started, but stopped myself midway when I realized I didn't actually know enough about witches to complete that statement.

All we had ever heard were stories. We were told that witches once lived in Blazing Moon, but that they had been driven away a long time ago. We were taught to be wary of them and their abilities, yet the man walking in front of me looked far too young to have lived during that time.

I decided not to ask another question. At least not yet.

I simply followed him while he continued walking ahead, saying nothing. Every now and then, he glanced down at his watch, apparently keeping track of the time and whatever else he seemed to know about this strange place.

True to his words, it wasn't long before the temperature began to drop.

At first, it was only a slight chill, but within moments, the cold became much more noticeable. It seeped through my clothes and bit into every part of my exposed skin.

I crossed my arms over my chest and rubbed them repeatedly, trying to generate enough warmth to keep myself comfortable.

Beside me, Zaran slowed down.

Before I could ask what was wrong, he reached for the fur jacket he was wearing and took it off, leaving himself in nothing more than a simple cream shirt that did very little to hide his muscular frame.

My eyes lingered for a second longer than they should have.

Damn. He was an eye candy, and not even the cold could stop that thought from crossing my mind.

"Here, take it." His voice pulled me out of my thoughts as he extended the jacket toward me. "It will keep you warm."

"No thanks. I'll manage," I refused without thinking, even though my fingers were already beginning to feel numb from the cold.

Zaran halted completely and turned to face me. His expression hardened, and something about the look in his eyes made me stop too.

"This is the last place to try to be stubborn."

Before I could respond, he threw the jacket over my back and took my hands, guiding them into the sleeves before zipping the jacket up around me.

I stood there in stunned silence, watching him make sure I was properly covered.

"If you keep up the attitude, you're going to freeze out here," he added once he was satisfied that I was completely protected from the cold.

"And you won't? Is your body made of steel?" I shot back, still trying to process what he had just done.

I was grateful for the warmth, even if I didn't want to admit it.

His expression softened slightly. "Thank you for caring, but you need it more than I do."

His eyes met mine.

For a few seconds, I found myself staring into those green eyes without saying anything. There was something strangely captivating about them, something that made it difficult to remember that I wanted to say something.

"I can't have you dying on me before I get you out of this place," he added.

I parted my lips to protest, but the sudden, gentle touch of his hand on my head stopped the words before they could leave my mouth.

"There is an alcove nearby. I can manage until we get there," he said, his voice calm as he brushed the tiny pieces of dirt from my hair.

I stood there quietly while his fingers moved through my hair, removing the last few pieces before he finally pulled his hand away.

Once he was done, he turned toward the ghoul.

"Kosi, go gather pieces of dry wood for a fire."

Kosi immediately obeyed. His body transformed once again, and within moments, he was airborne, flying away to do what he had been instructed to do.

I watched him disappear farther into the distance before turning my attention back to Zaran, who had already resumed walking.

"You're leaving him behind? How is he going to find us?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the direction Kosi had flown.

"He's a very good tracker. Don't worry about him." Zaran continued walking for a few more steps before looking at me. "What is your name?"

"Tyra."

He nodded, accepting the answer without asking anything else.

Silence enveloped us once again.

For a while, I managed to keep walking without complaining, but eventually, I couldn't ignore the exhaustion creeping through my body anymore. My legs were beginning to ache, and every step seemed to require more effort than the one before it.

To make matters worse, Zaran was walking so fast that keeping up with him had become a chore.

I finally slowed down and rubbed one of my legs.

"How much longer do we have to walk? My legs are almost giving out."

"About twenty minutes more."

He slowed down after saying it and turned to look at me properly, concern briefly crossing his face.

"I can carry you for the rest of the journey if you're not going to freak out."

"What a tempting offer, but no thank you. I think my legs can still survive another twenty minutes." Another refusal left my mouth almost immediately.

He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head slightly and continuing.

Twenty minutes later, we finally arrived at a rock alcove.

By then, darkness had completely surrounded the area, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead. I looked around, trying to make sense of our surroundings, but there wasn't much to see.

Then Zaran whispered a few strange words.

I watched in amazement as tiny points of light appeared along the walls. They looked like little fireflies, glowing softly against the darkness and illuminating the inside of the alcove enough for us to see.

I found a slightly elevated section of the ground and immediately lowered myself onto it, giving my aching legs the break they had been begging for.

Kosi arrived moments later carrying a bunch of dry wood in his arms.

Zaran took the wood from him and arranged it before making a fire. The flames soon rose high enough to spread warmth throughout the alcove, and I instinctively moved a little closer to it.

"Please, for the love of everything you cherish, don't leave this place. I'll be back in a few minutes," he said once the fire was burning properly.

My head snapped toward him.

"What? Where are you going?" I asked, and despite my effort to hide it, there was a slight note of panic in my voice.

"To find us something to eat."

My eyes immediately moved toward Kosi.

Then I looked back at Zaran.

"You're leaving me with him? What if he becomes hungry and decides to eat me?"

At that point, I didn't even bother pretending I wasn't afraid of the ghoul.

Before Zaran could answer, Kosi's face formed a small frown.

"Kosi no eat master person. Kosi only eat food master give."

I stared at him. The strange way he spoke was beginning to sound almost normal to me.

"Why not Kosi go find food and master stays back here?" I asked, and only after the words left my mouth did I realize that my brain had apparently decided to imitate the funny way the ghoul spoke.

I didn't even bother thinking about it for long. My attention returned to Zaran.

"He went to get wood. He can go get food as well."

Zaran stared at me with an expression that made it obvious he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You can trust him to find food you'll eat, but you can't trust him with your safety?"

"I, um..." I opened my mouth, but no reasonable response came to mind.

Zaran sighed. "Kosi is harmless to you. He only hurts people I tell him to, and you don't fall into that category, so relax and sit tight. I'll be back soon."

I wanted to remind Zaran that I had only known him for a few hours and had absolutely no reason to trust either him or his strange ghoul companion.

But before I could gather my thoughts enough to say anything, Zaran had already disappeared into the darkness, leaving me alone with Kosi and the crackling fire.