Kajin slowly opened his eyes. Looking around, he realized he was lying inside a cave.

"Well, well, well, look who finally woke up!" said Ruya, suddenly appearing in front of Kajin’s face.

"Ruya?" Kajin asked, confused. Sitting up, he glanced around the cave, noticing a large number of squirrels gathered around, all staring at him.

"Uh..." Kajin muttered. "What happened?" he asked, placing a hand on his forehead. "All I can remember are the things that damn Minotaur said to me," he thought.

Ruya sighed deeply and sat beside him. "While you were confronting Zardo, you released a massive explosion that turned into a giant beam of hot crimson energy," Ruya explained. "The only way I can describe it, ... pure anger."

Kajin’s eyes widened. "An energy explosion?" he wondered aloud. "I’ve never experienced anything like that... an energy explosion..."

Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder. "Hey, is everything alright?" Ruya asked.

Kajin turned his head to look at Ruya. For the first time, he noticed the bandages wrapped around Ruya’s chest, stomach, and arms. "He saved me... and it cost him this," Kajin thought, lowering his gaze as his hair fell over his face.

Ruya smiled warmly and gave Kajin a few light pats on the back. "C'mon, Kajin! It’s okay! This isn’t your fault, bro," Ruya said with a laugh. "That’s what friends are for! I might be a bit of dead weight for now, but at the end of the day, we’re still together!" he added with a joyful grin.

Looking down, Ruya noticed drops of water falling onto the ground. Kajin’s shoulders trembled slightly as tears ran down his face.

"I’m sorry... Ruya..." Kajin said, clenching his fists. "I’m so, so sorry... It was all my fault," he said shakily. "I wanted to learn more about something from the past... so much that I didn’t care about the consequences. I was selfish... I’m nothing but a worthless slave... I shouldn’t—"

Before he could finish, Ruya pulled him into a tight hug.

Kajin froze, completely caught off guard by the sudden embrace. His face re-emerged, revealing his tear-streaked white eyes.

"Stop saying that bullcrap," Ruya said firmly. "You are not a slave! You are my best friend!" he declared, hugging Kajin even tighter.

"Best friend..." Kajin whispered to himself, the words resonating deeply within him.

____

A thick wooden door swung open, and Kajin was roughly kicked inside by some guards. He fell to the ground, covered in sweat, and lay there breathing heavily. The guards laughed at him.

"I bet the floor tastes good," one guard joked to the other as they shut the door, leaving Kajin alone in the room.

Kajin slowly sat up and staggered toward a corner of the room, leaning on the walls for support. He paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"Another day like this, and I feel like I’ll die..." he thought.

"How was the training, dear brother?" a warm voice called from the window.

Kajin looked over and sighed. "The last thing I need right now is you, Anastasia..." he said, annoyed.

Anastasia giggled playfully. "Oh? What? Did something new happen today?" she asked, full of curiosity.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Of course not. The only new thing today was the joke the guard made," Kajin replied coldly.

Anastasia laughed. "Although I hate it when they make fun of you, I have to admit I really liked that joke."

As she continued to laugh, Kajin remained silent.

"You know I don’t like it when you laugh like that," he said.

Anastasia slowly stopped laughing and turned to him. "I know, I just can’t help it," she said softly. Taking a breath, she asked, "Have you made any friends?"

Kajin chuckled ironically. "Why the hell would I need friends, Anastasia?" he replied. "And even if I wanted to, no one—and I mean no one—would want to be friends with me."

Anastasia listened carefully to him. "Good point," she said. "But," she added, "don’t give up on friendship just yet."

"Hmph! And why shouldn’t I?" Kajin asked.

"You never know, brother," Anastasia said. "You might need someone, or others, when you’re at your lowest. And when they’re there for you..." She paused for a moment. "You’d be thankful and wish they’d stay by your side until the end."

Kajin remained silent, staring at Anastasia.

With a smile, she rose from the window. "If you’re lucky enough... you’ll find a best friend, someone you’d consider a brother," she said.

Finishing, Anastasia jumped out of the window and disappeared.

Kajin sighed softly and looked down at the ground.

"Best friend...? Hmph, what a joke..." he muttered, slowly lying down on the floor.

____

Slowly, Kajin wrapped his arms around Ruya in return. He buried his face in Ruya’s shoulder and began to cry loudly.

"Thank you... thank you so, so much," Kajin said through his sobs.

Ruya smiled warmly, tears of joy streaming down his face as well. "No need to thank me, Kajin. For me, having you is the most important thing."

Having said this, Ruya started crying too. Cracknut suddenly leaped at them and joined the hug.

"I guess I know now what you meant... Anastasia," Kajin thought. "This feeling... it’s so good. I guess I really am a lucky person after all..."

They stayed like that for a while before Ruya finally pulled away and placed his hands on Kajin’s shoulders.

"Now, how about we eat? I’m starving!" Ruya said, rubbing his stomach. Cracknut mimicked him, doing the same.

"Yeah, I agree," Kajin replied, wiping the tears from his face.

A group of squirrels approached, carrying a basket filled with various fruits. Ruya jumped in excitement at the sight.

"Finally! I’ve waited so long!" Ruya shouted, his voice full of enthusiasm.

Kajin looked at the food in front of him. "I’ve come a long way. Ruya... Cracknut, too," he thought, watching them rush toward the basket. Ruya fought with the squirrels for the fruits, getting pushed around by the crowd.

A small squirrel approached Kajin, holding a red apple in its tiny hands.

"Thank you," Kajin said with a soft smile, taking the apple. He took a big bite and looked at it thoughtfully.

"This apple tastes suspiciously very good..." he muttered.

As he held the apple, a faint magical aura surrounded it.

"Woah," Kajin said, his eyes widening slightly. "Magic..."

Getting up, he walked toward the basket of fruits, pushing aside the squirrels and Ruya, who were still bickering over the food. Kajin placed his hands in front of the basket, and all the fruits began to glow, surrounded by the same magical aura.

The squirrels, Cracknut, and Ruya froze in awe.

"Magic fruits..." Kajin said, his voice filled with surprise and excitement.

"Magic fruits?!" Ruya shouted, his jaw dropping.

The squirrels looked at each other, confused, trying to understand what was happening.

"Magic fruits," Kajin explained, "are so rare that even a small one can cost up to 100 gold coins. They have incredible effects, boosting abilities like strength, magic, stamina, and more."

He exhaled deeply. "It’s truly amazing to find so many here."

Kajin turned toward the squirrels. "Do you guys have more?" he asked.

The squirrels glanced at each other and nodded.

Kajin smiled. "Do you mind sharing some with us?"

The squirrels squeaked in agreement. Kajin removed his magic-weighted bag and handed it to them.

"Okay, fill this with as many as you want. We just need at least ten," he said.

The squirrels nodded again and scurried off quickly.

Taking another bite of his apple, Kajin looked over at Ruya.

"Everything alright?" Kajin asked.

Ruya stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes.

"Yeah, I’m good," Ruya replied. He paused for a moment before continuing. "But like I said earlier, I’ll be kind of a dead weight for now. The burns I got on my muscles mean I won’t be able to shoot with my bow for a while."

Kajin nodded. "Don’t worry, I accept it. I mean, you saved my life. If this is the price I have to pay, so be it," he said firmly.

Ruya smiled, placing a hand on Kajin’s shoulder. "You’re the best, Kajin. Anyway, I’ve gotta go. Cracknut said he wanted to show me something."

With that, Ruya ran out of the cave toward the squirrels. "Cracknut! Where are you?!" he shouted.

Kajin chuckled softly and walked outside the cave too. Looking around, he saw trees swaying gently and squirrels playing among the branches.

"Vanessa... I’m coming," Kajin muttered as he stepped toward the forest.