93 Human being appreciates what he has lost

In search of Caera, Ramiel went to the third floor of the dungeon. His sixth sense told him that this was where the elfess might be staying.

He passed a thriving farm where skeletons were working up a sweat.

" A little more and the harvest should begin. "

It took several months to grow plants on the ground, but in the dungeon, the time needed to grow plants managed to shorten to about 60 days. All thanks to the dungeon's mana, which directly stimulated the roots.

This was a major convenience for creatures living in the dungeon. Thanks to this, they were able to avoid death by starvation.

On his journey, Ramiel stopped at an orchard. As a food lover, he couldn't pass by the appetizing-looking fruits.

Although he tried to restrain himself, his nature proved stronger. Before he knew it, he was already standing on a tall apple tree, looking for the plump fruits.

The choice fell on two appetizing-looking apples.

Ramiel bent in all sorts of positions to reach Mother Nature's gift. When his fingertips made contact with the red skin, out of the corner of his eye he noticed the lone figure of an elfess.

" I got you." By coincidence, Ramiel killed two birds with one stone. Sometimes it's good to be greedy.

~~~~~~

On the shore of a small lake sat alone Caera. The bored elfess was playing with the embers of the campfire, poking it with a stick from time to time.

Above the flames dancing happily stood a small rack that supported a travel kettle.

From time to time, the quiet sound of crackling wood could be heard in the air. The flames were greedily devouring finely chopped pieces of wood, enjoying themselves.

Combined with the quiet sound of water, this created a special atmosphere.

Caera spent the whole night here. She didn't feel like disturbing Asme and Ramiel in their hideaway.

Sometimes solitude is good for a person. One has time to sort out the mess in one's head, to slow down the hectic pace of life, or to delve into one's past.

The elfess used the time given to her, to honor the memory of her fallen comrades.

Her head was flooded with happy memories of shared hunts and adventures together. Despite the grim past, this was one of the happier times in her life.

She felt like a free bird then, unfettered by any constraints. Life was beautiful, no worries, no attachment to anything. If she wanted, she could live in a different place every day.

However, all good things must come to an end one day.

Along with the happy memories, came those covered with sorrow and pain.

In Caera's mind appeared the image of the soldiers of the elven empire, who murdered her friends in a brutal way, with maniacal joy.

They were deaf to requests for mercy or a painless death. The words of the desperate adventurers reverberated from their unfeeling hearts, covered with a thick layer of rocks.

There was no reason to show mercy to the princess's companions, by whom their queen, whom they worshipped with fanatical devotion, had committed suicide.

At the sight of the unit commander's mocking attitude, laughing in the face of the elfin's plea for mercy, Caera felt a stinging pain and growing hatred in her heart.

" May I sit down ? "

Through the tornado of dark thoughts and memories, the calm voice of a man she hadn't expected to hear in this place broke through. It was like an ethereal torchlight illuminating the gloomy shades of gray.

Before Caera realized what she had done, she involuntarily nodded her head. The reflex was as natural as breathing. Hearing the man's voice, her mind reacted intuitively, allowing him in.

Ramiel sat next to Caera maintaining the prevailing silence. The distance between them was negligible. There was very little, and their shoulders would have rubbed against each other.

After a while, he joined the elfess, together with her poking at the burning fire with a stick.

Ramiel had to admit it. It had its own charm. The silence, combined with the crackling sound of the dancing flame, calmed irritated nerves.

Muscles that had been as tense as a rope supporting a bridge relaxed, and the mind calmed. Without knowing why, Ramiel became terribly sentimental and melancholy. Perhaps he was influenced by the charm of the campfire, or Caera's mood had rubbed off on him. No one knew it.

In the scarlet flame dancing on the smoldering piece of wood, Ramiel could swear he saw a scene, vividly taken from the past.

There, a ten-year-old boy was having a good time in the woods with his family. In his lap slept his younger sister, whose white hair with black tips fell in waves over her baby face.

Around the campfire, the head of the family entertained them by playing a slow melody, to the rhythm of which the boy's mother hummed the words of a song. She wasn't very talented, but little Ramiel didn't mind.

He enjoyed the time spent together, under the starry sky. He couldn't complain about the lack of love from his parents. Although they worked hard every day, once every few months they set aside a free week to go camping in the woods together.

The boy always looked forward to that day. He especially enjoyed his father's ghost stories and the delicious sausages made by a woman with beautiful platinum hair.

Ramel's mother was a great cook. Even Gordon himself bowed before her culinary skills.

" Ramiel, wake up Lili and wash your hands together with her, I will bake you sausages in the meantime "

With a decisive movement, the boy lifted the half-sleeping girl. Little Lili mumbled something under her breath, then fell asleep again, leaning against Ramiel's back.

Ramiel's mother laughed under her breath at the sight of her son's adorable attempts.

Although the sight of the boy lifting a huge weight was hilarious, the woman didn't want him to hurt himself. Although Ramiel displayed above-average strength compared to his peers, he couldn't lift Lila.

Taking pity on him, his mother gave him a helping hand. In the blink of an eye, Lili was in her arms. The little girl's tiny arms wrapped around the woman's neck, sealing her in a tight embrace. Her chin rested on the beautiful woman's shoulder, and a modest amount of frothy liquid gathered at the corners of her slightly averted mouth.

The boy scoffed. His cheeks puffed out and his arms crossed in a gesture of exasperation.

" I would have managed ! You didn't have to help me ! I am strong. " Ramiel's masculine pride felt offended. If he couldn't lift his younger sister now, how could he face the future with his head held high? If he gave up now, he would do it again in the future.

His logic was twisted from an early age, but there was a lot of truth in it.

" Ramiel ... " Faster than lightning, Ramiel stood at attention, bowing his head to his mother. In the blink of an eye, her autocratic voice, unaccepting of opposition, reached the boy's mind.

It was from her that he inherited his favorite ability to shout without raising his voice.

" Pfhahaha " The man guarding the campfire, laughed a hearty laugh.

" Ceti, you shouldn't be so hard on him. It's good that he wants to grow into a strong man. "

The woman's amethyst eyes looked pityingly at the man, criticizing him for his coarseness.

" Are you saying that he is raising our children badly ? "

The man swallowed the lump in his throat. Even he, the head of the family, had to bend his neck in front of the woman's shouting. Sometimes it's better to keep quiet about some things, even if you think you're right. Ramiel's father found this out many times, but he never drew the right conclusions.

In this family, it was the boy's mother who kept everyone else on a short leash. If not for her, chaos and anarchy would have prevailed.

The man who accompanied her throughout her life was a wonderful man and husband, but he lacked parental instinct and common sense.

" Ramiel, what are you waiting for ? Come with me," he said. "

" What ?!!! '' Shock crept onto Ramiel's face, and his eyes shook in disbelief. For a brief moment he looked away, and Ceti left him far behind.

" I'm already running! " The boy ran towards the woman with all his speed, almost killing himself on the way. If there was anything he feared, it was his mother's fury. Legends say that even Lucifer hid in the farthest reaches of hell when Ceti was angry.

A few minutes later, all three were at the stream. Ceti washed the half-asleep Lila's hands with the utmost care. Her ability to sustain sleep beat Avi's.

" Ramiel, do you remember what I told you ? "

The boy put a finger to his lips, wondering what it could be about this time. The decision he would make could determine his past. He had to think carefully about the words he would use. Otherwise, he'll say goodbye to his pocketbook and computer.

" The fact that Dad is sometimes dumber than a shoe ? "

Ceti's gaze expressed more than a thousand words. It was enough for Ramiel. He fucked up all the way.

" Wait ! Don't take away my computer, I already know ! "

A painful thought popped into Ceti's head. Am I really that terrible ?

Ramiel had a tough nut to crack. He was left with three possibilities. Under unbearable time pressure, he made the mistake of choosing two options. One was to be a man's secret, between him and Father.

Don't criticize him. As a child, Ramiel was stupid, very stupid.

" To protect Lili, and call you a terrible witch when you don't hear it... ".

In a panic, Ramiel covered his mouth. Hoping he didn't say it, he glanced uncertainly at the woman's figure.

Shit.

He could say goodbye to his pocketbook and computer for the next month.

" So you call me a witch ? "

" That ... it's not true ... I was mistaken ... " Ramiel wanted to hide underground. Even he didn't believe the pathetic excuse he came up with.

Sorry, Dad... Guilt filled his young heart. By accident, he had broken a man's contract that should have lasted until the end of the universe and one day longer.

Fortunately, Ceti let it go this time. She couldn't blame the child for what his father had done.

Unfortunately, the man isn't so lucky. In the woman's head, there was already an idea of how she would take revenge on her husband.

" Khm. Let's pretend I didn't hear that, you can start again. "

Ramiel breathed a sigh of relief. He had temporarily managed to avoid the executioner's axe.

Mobilizing all his gray cells, he concentrated to avoid making a mistake like last time.

" To protect Lili, and give up the idea of being a hunter. "

" Very good, and now we're going back. "

Ramiel didn't even squeak a word. He walked obediently beside Ceti, silent as the grave.

" Have you thought about what you want to become in the future ? "

Ramiel tried his luck one last time, tempted to do so by the devilish whisper in his head.

" I really can't become a hunter ? "

Ceti sighed heavily. No mother wants her child to put her life on a knife edge. She had to find a method to get it out of Ramiel's head

" Mom will be sorry if you die in the dungeon. Being a hunter is a dangerous job. You probably don't want me to be sad. "

"Hm... In that case, I'll become an astronaut. I want to fly a spaceship and explore black holes ! The physics teacher said that they were real magic before mana came into our world.

Ceti felt a headache coming on, related to knocking another dumb idea out of Ramiel's head.

" Remind me that I need to talk to your physics teacher again... ".

Ramel grimaced " Alright, but Mom, please don't yell at him again. After the last visit, he called you an angry orangutan. But don't worry, you look very pretty. "

Unbeknownst to the boy, he had just signed a death warrant for an elderly teacher...

~~~~~~~

" Tsk... astronaut... "

From an early age, Ramiel was interested in space. Mainly for this reason, he led his development towards the element of space and gravity. Adding darkness to the equation, space will be created. At least that's what his theory says. Whether the thesis is accurate, no one knows, except for the being who created the universe, but this being was silent as the grave.

A piece of wood fell into the bonfire with a clatter, blurring the vision created by the living flames. Ramiel's humor broke down. He would really give up a lot to return to those days, if only for a day. To spend time with his family, and eat his mother's cooking.

At the mere mention, a lone tear rolled in his eye. This was the main reason he hated the past. It brought with it only painful memories.

" Astronaut ? " Caera's brow lifted. She was already accustomed to most of Ramiel's strange words, but this particular one intrigued her.

" Remember the silver dots in the sky ? "

" Mhm "

" The astronaut is engaged in studying them. His goal is to explore space, in search of the secrets of the universe. "

" That's amazing, I'd like to meet one someday. " The elfess's pointed ears fluttered excitedly. Her love for exploring the secrets of the world was reignited.

Caera's golden eyes turned to the despondent Ramiel. Her astute attention did not escape the ominous glow of the aura, enveloping the man like a winter jacket.

It was different from the chilling aura that usually seeped from Ramiel's body. The one present gave her goosebumps, filling her heart with panicky fear and hatred. Massive amounts of fury and an intense will to exterminate every living species flooded the elfess's consciousness.

It was something new, something Ramiel had never shown before. His innermost emotions and desires, buried at the bottom of his soul, broke through in a moment of weakness, releasing a particle of his true aura.

What he presented before was a limited version of it, adapted to a weakened body. Otherwise, it would have crumbled under the pressure. But now, a tiny part of it manifested, putting him in mortal danger.

Caera was afraid, hellishly afraid of the black glow surrounding Ramiel. It resembled tarry streaks of black pride, stretching into infinity.

(A/N I know that ten-year-old children don't behave like this, but I accidentally deleted Lila's character file and can't remember the age difference between the siblings. In the comments you will find the Condemned Wolf)