Old Friend

"Leave Isdu alone. Now is not the time for jokes," interrupted Kasiel Isdu, who was preparing to undress in front of him.

Smirking, Isda turned her head. Then she quickly turned it back, and a blush appeared on her face. Apologizing, she quickly left.

"Another 5 years? No, even less. And we will all be free... I'm sorry. Let's finish the task," Kasiel added.

***

Alexander had been running without stopping for several days. Vallynor, Annino, and Glazik had already gotten used to it. At first, Vallynor came up with various methods to improve their current situation while holding Alexander's bag.

He even remembered that Annino could enter the shadows and take him and Glazik to the shadow realm. But unfortunately, even in the shadow realm, they quickly lost contact with Alexander due to his frantic speed.

In the first two days, Vallynor was dying of boredom because he couldn't talk to either Alexander or Glazik. Firstly, because he hadn't yet learned the magic that would allow him to communicate through thoughts. Secondly, Glazik was in a semi-sleeping state, and although she was used to it, she remained in that form. As for Annino, if he didn't die, he would surely wither, but fortunately, he was resilient. And Alexander took breaks, which saved everyone.

In the last few days, Alexander encountered enemies less frequently but became more vigilant. Once, during a rest at one of the stops (although, of course, I know that no one smokes), he told them the details of the paths they should take. No, not just take, but race through like lightning.

Along the way, they might encounter several fallen beings, and if luck was on their side, those beings hadn't completely lost themselves. After running for about half a month, they would reach an old city and use its teleporter to transport them to the nearest city from their destination.

Why don't they teleport directly to the city of Sinif? Alexander explained that the city had severed all connections with external cities to prevent some creature (a former comrade and valuable friend) from entering.

Vallynor, while still in Alexander's hands like a helpless princess, tried to develop and learn other spells, but circumstances forced him to abandon it quickly.

Then he tried to contact the necromancers from the book or find a way to return to that world. However, once again, he was unsuccessful. Sadly, he had to stop his attempts because everyone was currently asleep due to Exhaustion, and the world was closed.

So he began clearing his mind of clutter and started contemplating how to further develop. After all, he hadn't even reached the first stage of enlightenment. Therefore, after considering the situation, he cleared his mind and started developing his body, talking to Alexander in the process. Sometimes he received advice from him.

At first, Alexander was surprised why Vallynor had a disgusted look on his face during sports activities, but over time, he accepted Vallynor's strange behavior.

While Vallynor began a new round of clearing his mind, Alexander suddenly stopped earlier than the agreed time. Halting, he turned to the right and made a backward leap.

While Alexander and the others were flying back, a gigantic snake head with three horns emerged from the sand. It was entirely black, like sand and trees. Slowly raising its head, it looked around, searching with its hazy eyes. Then it noticed the four living beings.

The snake turned its head towards them and began examining them attentively. Alexander didn't move an inch; he simply stared at the snake. Vallynor, Annino, and Glazik looked at it in fear and were ready to flee if Alexander didn't hold them in his hands, standing motionless like a rock.

"We meet again, old friend," a voice suddenly sounded in their heads, causing the three of them to turn around.

They all looked at each other, trying to understand if their imagination was playing tricks on them. Finally, Alexander decided to speak up:

"Yes, it's been a while. How have you been holding up?"

Alexander stared at the snake and called his companions. Vallynor, Glazik, and Annino approached them. Annino soared and stopped at eye level.

"I feel that my end is near, my friend... Who are these children? I see them for the first time," the enormous snake slowly shifted its head to encompass all three of them with its huge yellow eyes.

Although the eyes were hazy, Vallynor felt that the snake could see and perceive perfectly. Snakes don't rely on their eyes but their tongues to detect scents. And during their encounter, this enormous snake had shown its tongue four times.

"I recognize one of them; it must be Baba Yaga. But the other two are a mystery to me," Heishe continued.

Alexander didn't immediately answer the question. It seemed he was contemplating how to respond. Then he shook his head, smiled faintly, and said, "You should have heard about them already. The witch didn't bother everyone for no reason in her final days."

"Her final days? That means... What a pity. I wondered why she became so active. So, this is her disciple. A soul that came from the external world. I pity you," Heishe said sympathetically.

"Pity me?" Vallynor asked in surprise, fearing that something bad would happen. But he quickly calmed down, looking at the composed Alexander.

"Yes, I pity you for ending up in this dreadful, cursed world. It used to be a paradise, but now it has turned into an abyss. Even hell is better than this place. And fate has brought you here. It's misfortune or, to put it differently, a curse. But you should be grateful that you didn't fall into the abyss and your soul wasn't devoured... My name is Heishe."

"I'm Vallynor... And this is Annino," Vallynor managed to calm down and introduced himself to Heishe.

"We meet for the first time, and perhaps the last. I would like to offer you a gift as a sign of our acquaintance, but I have nothing... Although a year ago, I shed my skin and lost both of my main fangs. I still have them. I give them to you. Use them wisely."

Before Vallynor appeared a huge snake skin and two white fangs. Overcoming his fear of snakes, Vallynor examined the skin and even touched it to feel its texture. The skin was as black as darkness itself, and the two white fangs were over two meters long. He quickly inspected them and then placed these beautiful gifts in his ring.

"The rings turned out to be quite convenient," Heishe said, observing Vallynor. His speech gave the impression that he saw an old grandfather enjoying his grandson's play.

"Thank you for such a valuable gift," Vallynor said, despite his surprise at such an unexpected present. He didn't forget his manners and graciously bowed in an Asian-Greek style.

It's strange that he's a snake. Why don't I hear that hissing "sss" in his speech? And why doesn't he elongate the sounds of words... Perhaps it's because these are mental messages?

"For me, it's useless junk that my grandchildren used to play with. They played and created in this place. And now... I'm alone," Heishe unexpectedly fell silent, as if caught in his memories.

Although Vallynor couldn't fully understand his words, he could grasp some details. He deduced that Heishe had lost all of his grandchildren. However, he still had questions, and he felt that he could find answers in the memories of the old woman. But he couldn't recall what exactly he needed for that. He required a spark capable of igniting it all.

"In this cursed world, it's the first, not the old, who fall. And the young... The fall is not determined by the age of the body but by the strength of the soul. The souls of the younger generation aren't as strong as those of the older generation, which is why all the children of the old generation fell before them, including my little daughter," Alexander responded with sadness, dispelling all misunderstandings.

Discovering yet another detail about the fall, Vallynor obtained the final puzzle piece. It was the spark that triggered the memories of the Forest Queen. Hundreds of memories flickered before his eyes, showing how her children lost themselves in her hands, went mad, and became fallen. Their souls knew only hunger and hatred towards anyone who wasn't like them.

It was even worse than becoming mindless undead because even as an undead, you don't lose yourself completely. You just fall asleep for a while, while weak, and when the time comes, you return.

However, falling and becoming fallen means plunging into emptiness where the soul becomes black and desolate. You can never become rational again, only a beast.

If a creature dear to you simply died, like in all other worlds, you would feel a little sad in your heart, realizing that you might not see it anymore, but you would know that it's somewhere out there, starting a new life, a new chapter. However, falling deprives you even of this possibility, deprives you of the chance to be reborn. And since this phenomenon is happening for the first time, no one knows everything about the fall and the fallen.

Heishe looked into the distance and then turned his head to Vallynor, saying sadly, "I would gladly welcome a new soul into my home... if it still existed. I have nothing left. Hahaha..." In the end, Heishe began to laugh self-destructively.

From fear of the enormous creature, Vallynor turned into compassion. And it wasn't just because he was so gentle and affectionate. It was because he himself had gone through moments like the loss of loved ones. The memories of the Forest Queen only intensified this fire of sorrow.

Suddenly, a massive black creature in the form of a praying mantis began to emerge from the sand nearby. Rising from the sand, it started looking around and stopped when it saw Heishe.

Heishe turned his head to the enormous mantis and started observing it attentively. It didn't take a minute before he shook his head with regret and said, "Another friend has fallen... Go. I'll stop him..." Heishe didn't finish his sentence before he flew, and half of his tail was severed.

Alexander grabbed the stunned group and started running. Vallynor, regaining his senses, began to shout to make his words reach Alexander's ears, "We can't just run away and leave Heishe behind!" Vallynor had a short conversation with Heishe, but it made him remember his devoted grandfather, which evoked sympathy and a desire to help.

Alexander started running a little slower, expecting Vallynor to ask him a question. In their minds, they heard a voice, "Don't worry about me. Soon, I will lock myself in my home... My cozy home... Think more about yourself, young man. You didn't come to this abyss by accident."

When Heishe finished speaking, Vallynor turned his head and saw Heishe biting the mantis and trying to drag it in the opposite direction. The mantis didn't resist, only attacking Heishe, inflicting multiple wounds, even piercing one of his eyes.

However, all the wounds gradually disappeared, then completely vanished from sight. With sadness, Vallynor pondered the fate of this old man. He couldn't look at Heishe as just a huge snake anymore. He had already given a gift and helped save the fallen mantis. And his final words made him reflect. Vallynor already knew that his arrival in this world was not a simple event. The Necronomicon he found always remained a mystery. How did he find that book in that cave? And what about the white rat? If I find a soul, I'll tear it out.

Exactly, I remembered. I created armies of the undead from these rats. And I animated one of them with an additional soul, making it stronger and slightly smarter than the rest.

But after that battle, I never saw that rat again. I wonder if it's still alive? And if so, I hope it seeks revenge.

***

While Alexander ran together with Vallynor, Annino, and Glazik, Caesar, tired, stood up from his study in Synife. He headed towards the door, holding a one-meter wooden stick in one hand. As he exited the room, he struck several shadows that loomed in the corridor with one end of the stick.

These shadows began emitting inhuman screams, after which lines of energy ran along the stick to the other end. The energy quickly merged and condensed into small stones that ended up in Caesar's hands.

Caesar, sending the stones into his ring, muttered, "They never give me a moment's rest. This makes 4850 of them already, soon reaching 5000... Maybe it's worth celebrating then, to summon these fallen souls?"

Contemplating what to do, Caesar occasionally poked and struck the shadows hiding throughout the corridor leading to the hall. It was the main hall where the throne of the God resided. The majestic throne slowly crumbled into fragments.

Observing as a few shadows clung to the throne, Caesar swiftly approached them with his stick and struck each one. Every time he wanted to strike, the process took less than a second. Caesar only needed less than a second to strike the shadows.

And within a few seconds, all the parasitic shadows disappeared, leaving small stones in Caesar's hand.

Watching as the throne slowly disintegrated, Caesar approached it and began delicately caressing the spot where he needed to place his hands when seated on the throne.

Shaking his head, Caesar turned around and left the castle, heading towards the Tower of Mages. Along the way, he delivered blows to hidden creatures in the shadows, which became smaller and smaller.

***

Vallynor finished another round of clearing his chamber of thoughts and gazed at Alexander's indifferent face as he cleaned his swords.

During their run, several ents disguised as ordinary trees blocked their path, forcing them to halt. We all fought, but Alexander was so strong. Even after his first strike with his sword, he realized that these accursed ents had very sturdy bark. He began striking multiple times in the same spot, aiming to sever their limbs or heads.

Annino used her abilities to restrain them, employing shadow magic to attack, but unfortunately, their enemies were ents. However, she at least slowed them down, which was good.

Glazik, siphoning my mana, attacked with blood magic, of which I already had very little. And because I hadn't even fully recovered from the first stage, my mana regeneration was very slow. And the necrotic energy was nearly depleted.

Vallynor quickly retrieved corpses from his inventory and began turning them into undead. At the same time, he summoned soul hands, primarily used for defense. When the soul hands were in close proximity to Vallynor, they could influence matter, blocking the attacks of the foolish ents. He even counterattacked with necrotic spheres, which had a weak effect against the fallen ents.

Now, as Alexander cleaned his swords, he said, "I hope you appreciate the gift from Heishe. Because he was supposed to return to his home, where he locked away his insane fallen family."

"We've only recently met, and I can't make any promises, but I will use what Heishe gave me wisely," Vallynor responded, recalling the snake's cloudy eyes. He seemed tired now and lost in thought.

"Heishe is an unusual old man. He's a black snake, and according to legends, he brings disaster and death. The son of Urabourus. Do you still think his skin and bones are ordinary items... Well, we should keep going," said Alexander, gathering his swords and cloth, and glanced at the spot where Annino and Glazik were.

Vallynor, rising mentally, summoned Annino to come. Since the last time Annino went on a 10-minute hunt, this little wolf cub made them wait for 2-3 hours. Although, if Vallynor hadn't remembered that it took a little mana, he could have contacted Annino using the familiar contract.

While Vallynor was walking, Glazik, observing from above, descended next to Vallynor. At first, Vallynor didn't notice, but Glazik became quieter and somehow uncertain, whether it was true or not. She became more modest and feminine, but during the conversation, she continued to be sharp and try to jab.

"When will we get out of this forest?" Vallynor asked, waiting for Annino.

"Hmm, why do you think this forest is called the cursed forest? Because once you enter it, it won't let you go. But if we follow the weak points, the influence weakens, and we can get out," answered Alexander, gazing into the distance.

"So, most of the journey will be spent trying to get out of the forest?"

"Yes. Hmm..." Alexander turned his head towards Vallynor and noticed his strange expression. "What?"

"Why can't we use teleportation to get out?"

"We can, but it doesn't always work," Alexander turned away. He understood why Vallynor was looking at him like that. "It's not my fault that the enemies didn't want to let me go. If you don't train, your body will remain weak, and you'll only cleanse your mind."

Vallynor thought, "He's trying to change the subject of conversation. And he's doing it too directly. Have thousands of years of living in isolation destroyed all his communication skills and tricks? Or is it because he's a warrior?"

Unaware that Annino had approached, Alexander picked everyone up and ran, surprising the pensive Vallynor.

***

"Maintain formation, keep the magic in the barrier... Ah, Lord Caesar, you've arrived," said the young man with red eyes, commanding his people by the city wall and giving them instructions.

"Good to see you're still holding on, Doro. I'll finish it quickly now," said Caesar, patting Doro on the shoulder. He headed towards the barrier that protected the remaining city from fallen creatures like the Fallen Vine, for example.

Most of the barrier, appearing like a dome, was covered in black vines that attacked it with thorns. The black leaves, withered and deprived of enough water and sunlight, clung to the barrier and drained its energy. Then the magical reservoir of the barrier replenished with their mana or mana crystals.

"Ready, device... When it dies, the released mana will be wasted if we just leave it like that," said Caesar, waiting for a minute. Then he jumped out of the barrier and headed towards the core of the Fallen Vine. Striking the unsuspecting vines, he ripped the soul from its body, causing it to fall lifeless.

Caesar picked up a small black soul stone, similar to all the other fallen stones, and turned back towards the castle. However, he stopped upon seeing the approaching drunk Gavriil.