Kopii glanced from Raven to the note. "Raven, if I don't learn the elven language, then I won't be able to fulfill your wish. You understand that, right?" he said, putting the note away in the closet.
"Yes, I understand, but it's your choice - to learn or not to learn," Raven replied, going upstairs. "Alright, Kopii, let's go, the dungeon awaits."
"Are you fully healed?"
"Don't worry, Kopii, wounds heal on me like on a dog," Raven boasted, heading towards the валионская башня (Valion Tower).
That's how his days went. If he wasn't going down into the dungeons, he was helping Raven or sparring with him. Two weeks passed this way. During these days, he realized one thing: Raven was hiding a lot.
"Hey, Kopii, hurry up! Today is going to be a special day!" Raven shouted with joy, nudging him to walk faster.
"Don't push me, Raven. Where are you rushing to?" he asked, noticing that Raven was acting strangely today. But he didn't attach much importance to it, because Raven almost always changed. Kopii was just used to it, but today Raven was somehow even stranger.
"Today is a very important day, a day that will help you a lot! The answer to your question that you've been searching for for weeks, today will be the key to its solution!" Raven exclaimed, overtaking him.
"I don't understand you, Raven. What key?" he asked questioningly, looking at Raven's back. The more he talked to him, the more he fell into a stupor.
"Well, you'll understand soon," Raven replied. "Soon, very soon," he whispered.
"What's very soon?"
"Just forget it, Kopii, let's go faster," he said, lingering in one place. "You will be able to continue your path," Raven whispered.
Turning to Raven, he asked questioningly, "Did you say something there, Raven?" He noticed how Raven's face changed for a second. He frowned at what he saw.
"No, Kopii, what's with that face? Come on, we're almost at the tower. Let's hurry… And how lucky you are, Kopii, that the Loki family went on a hike."
"Yes, lucky."
"But I'm actually surprised that she also went. I thought she would continue your search," Raven muttered, entering the валионская башня (Valion Tower).
"You talk as if you know her."
Raven stopped at the question, but after a moment he sighed.
"No, I don't know her."
He didn't notice the changes in Raven and started descending.
"Hey, where are you, Raven?"
He looked back. Examining Raven's expression, there was that smile as always… but it looked somehow worn out.
"I was just thinking."
"And about what?"
"About what awaits us ahead."
"Us?"
"Yes, Kopii, about us."
"Hey, you know I'm into girls."
"I'm not talking about that, Kopii. Alright, let's focus on the dungeon, you yourself said that you can't relax in the dungeon."
Overtaking Kopii and starting to walk ahead.
We descended lower and lower until we reached the seventh floor. Raven wanted to go further, but Kopii stood in front of him.
"What is it, Kopii?"
"It's nothing, just don't go further, Raven, you're only level one. There's no need to rush so much."
"Kopii, what are you so worried about? You're with me. For you, monsters below the tenth floor are just insects."
Going around him, Raven continued walking.
"Even a bear can be defeated by insects."
He grabbed Raven's hand.
"No, Raven, it's dangerous, because I won't be able to help you."
"And why, Kopii?"
Jerking his hand away.
"Well, because," he faltered.
"Come on, speak."
"Yes, because I won't always be by your side. You shouldn't rely on me, Raven," he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.
"I know that, Kopii. Do you think I didn't notice how you haven't killed a single monster the whole time we've been together? We've been going down into the dungeon for a whole month, a month, Kopii!"
"So what."
"It's because you want me to get stronger."
Raven interrupted him, starting to run away from him.
"Stop, Raven, it's dangerous, you're only level one!"
He rushed after him. He didn't see Raven's joyful face. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up with him. Kopii's eyes widened at this fact.
"Why is he so fast?" he thought, unable to catch up with Raven.
Raven looked back at him, and his smile widened even more.
"Not much left," he whispered to himself.
He strengthened as Raven slows down no slow motion not for a second he accelerated to the limit.
"Got him."
Grabbing Raven's hand.
"Ah haha, you caught me. I thought…"
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
"What?"
His eyes widened.
"It can't be."
It burst from his lips. Kopii immediately understood what monsters were approaching them. He was not afraid of them, but he understood that there were many of them, and killing wouldn't work. For the first time in a long time, he fell into a stupor, he just didn't understand what to do. There were no positive outcomes in this situation. Seeing the killer ants crawling out from behind the wall, only one idea came to mind.
"We need to run!"
"What why?"
Raven shouted, shortening the distance between the killer ants.
"What! Stop, Raven!"
He reached out for Raven hoping to catch him. But he felt only emptiness, his eyes widened.
"Why so fast?" he thought. But his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of battle. Clenching his teeth, he rushed after Raven. He hoped his old tactics would work.
But his hope collapsed when he couldn't contain his strength, shattering an ant's head.
"It can't be."
Kopii's face stretched in horror.
"Raven, run!"
That was the last thing he said before feeling thirst and all-consuming hatred.
"No, no, no, please," he thought. But his thoughts were not destined to come true. Kopii rushed into the pack of killer ants, tearing everyone in his path.
"Whoa, Kopii, you've finally stopped holding back. Always wanted to see you in action!" Raven shouted, not at all surprised by the change in him.
"Finally," Raven whispered, watching him. With each passing second, there were fewer and fewer monsters. And when Kopii killed all the monsters to the last one, he turned his attention to Raven, starting to shorten the distance.
Raven watched as he got closer and closer. A smile played on his face, but quickly his face was lit up with horror.
"What are you?" Raven screamed in horror seeing Kopii's eyes.
"Stop, Kopii! AAAAA ahh it hurts!" Raven screamed in pain from the severed arm.
Turning his back to Kopii and starting to run away, but he couldn't run far.
"Khha, khha," Raven coughed up blood. Watching as Kopii's hand pierced his chest.
"What?" His eyes widened in horror.
"It can't be."
He recoiled, watching Raven fall to the cold dungeon floor. Coming out of shock and horror, he rushed to Raven's fallen body.
"Don't die, don't die," trying to close the wound with his hand, he knew it wouldn't help, he just didn't want to believe what was happening.
"Wait, wait, wait, I had a potion. A potion. Just don't close your eyes."
Looking up, Kopii froze.
"Raven…"
He looked into empty eyes, which had only recently held life, and now only emptiness.
"Raven."
He didn't believe what was happening. He had few friends in his life. And for the first time, thanks to Raven, he could understand what true friendship was.
"Th…this can't be true."
"Please."
Drip, drip.
"Please."
Drip, drip.
"Why, why?"
He sobbed, unable to hold back the tears any longer.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
Kopii did not hear anything that was happening around, he heard only his own heartbeat. Sudden pain from a bite brought him back from his stupor. Looking around, he was surrounded by killer ants. Clenching his teeth.
"It's all your fault."
Laying the lifeless body on the dungeon floor. And he rushed towards the ant closest to him. Killing everyone who caught his eye.
"If you had listened to me," he thought, killing the last ant. "Then everything would have been normal." Raising his tearful gaze to look for Raven's body.
"Where is he?"
But no matter how hard Kopii tried, Raven's body was nowhere to be found. He only saw magical stones.
"Why?"
Falling to his knees.
"I couldn't even keep his body."
He grabbed his head with his hands. He started to come to from the shock.
"Buah."
He was sickened by the cruel truth. He now fully realized what he had done.
"Buah. It can't be, I didn't want to."
Tears flowed like a stream. And inside, he felt only a growing emptiness.