Savage Forest - Chapter 123.2

Tarhan’s final words came through in a barely audible whisper.

“So, this is finally the end. I thought this wretched life of mine would come to a close, but…”

The rain mercilessly hammered down on his body.

In the darkness, his expression was hard to see.

“But you haven’t even granted me that freedom. You’re alive and well like this…”

Tarhan pressed his forehead to the ground.

The fallen man finally sobbed. It felt as if he was making a confession before her.

“You’ve already killed me once, Enya.”

His voice wasn’t accusatory. He was merely stating a fact. He was close to pleading that she would never silently leave him again.

Through clenched teeth, Tarhan spat out.

“So if you kill me again, no matter who you are, the heavens will punish you…”

Enya couldn’t believe her ears.

She never expected Tarhan to dare curse her before God.

That the heavens would punish her.

The moment she realized the man was in a dire situation, Enya’s eyes widened before something hot began to well up in her eyes.

After a moment, she found the words she needed to say.

“…Come in.”

Stepping aside from the entrance, Enya addressed Tarhan.

“It’s raining. Come in, Tarhan.”

Her voice cracked.

Eventually, something dripped down her cheek with a soft splat. It wasn’t rain.

Tarhan lifted his head with a pained expression, clearly unable to believe Enya’s words. When he saw her tears, he hesitated once more.

In that instant, an overwhelming despair crossed his face.

Enya commanded again.

“Come inside, Tarhan.”

As she said this, Enya wiped her tears. Fortunately, no more fell.

Tarhan closed his eyes as if dazed, then opened them again. A profound sense of submission flickered across his face. Slowly, he began to rise, like a dog obeying its master.

The rainwater that had pooled on his muscular back dripped away.

The narrow passage felt cramped even for Enya, but for Tarhan, it was a true obstacle. He hunched over, pushing his large frame into the small space where Enya had been with Senu.

As expected, the cave, which had felt suffocating throughout the night with Senu’s cold body, was instantly filled with Tarhan’s overwhelming presence. Enya remained crouched uncomfortably, watching the man who had forced his large form into the confined space.

Tarhan only glanced once at Senu’s lifeless body at the back of the cave.

Whether he didn’t care to ask or had become indifferent to everything but her, she couldn’t tell.

The wolf had followed them into the cave but stopped at the entrance. The creature seemed to take on the role of a sentinel, crouching with its front paws gathered as if ready to tear apart anything that dared to interrupt them. Yet, contrary to the wolf’s expectations, the two remained silent.

Only silence fell between the two of them.

In the narrow cave where the rain couldn’t reach, the air felt slightly warm from the heat of their living bodies, but that was all.

Such suffocating quiet had only existed between them once before.

The day their child died.

As the memory of that day resurfaced, unbearable pain washed over Enya again. She buried her face in her knees.

She didn’t know where to begin.

Tarhan seemed equally at a loss for words. He sat cross-legged, his face buried in his hands, lost in the same silence.

The stillness wrapped around them like chains. If it were possible, she felt she could endure it until death came, becoming gravel and sand together with him right there… but the silence had to be broken.

Finally, it was Tarhan who spoke first, his hoarse voice cutting through the suffocating air.

“…You asked me if I remembered the name of our child, didn’t you?”

There was a sense of resentment woven into the exhausted man’s voice. He still kept his face buried in his hands, his head resting heavily on his palms.

Enya lifted her head slightly from her knees and focused on him.

At that moment, she almost missed what he was trying to say. She couldn’t quite grasp his intentions regarding their past conversation.

She recalled that time vividly.

She had indeed asked him that question. Tarhan had avoided answering, but in the end, he admitted he had never forgotten. Enya nodded, tears spilling from her eyes as she stared at him.

His strained voice flowed through his hands, filled with pain.

“…Did you really think I could forget the name we chose for our child together?”

The question felt like a blow to Enya’s heart. Her eyes widened.

Tarhan continued in his painful tone.

“Or did you just want to blame me? That day, I asked myself a thousand times. The heavens know, the gods know, that the child’s death was my fault, but if that made you feel better… I’d gladly bear that burden a thousand times more. If it eases your heart…”

Enya froze, her mouth slightly open.

Since that day, she had tried several times to discuss the incident with Tarhan.

The results had always been the same.

He had been reluctant to bring it up, and her heart had been wounded by his reaction. They had both continued on, covering the festering wound with dirt time and again.

But that was just how she saw it.

Tarhan had been thinking entirely differently. His fingernails dug fiercely into his skin, the rough movements leaving marks on his face.

“It was always me. I couldn’t be a proper husband or father. Rahil’s death is my fault. I spared that b*stard Kahanti’s life. No, I’m the worthless Cartantina who couldn’t even protect you, and because of that… from the very start, you should never have met someone like me. That’s where everything went wrong.”