A stone without a soul

ㅤ "Supersoft?" Caius tensed, absorbing the information that gave him a prickly hope. "Exactly." The red-haired guy grinned. Despite his bandit-like appearance, he was actually an actor in a traveling troupe. His story sounded more like a play script than a true story. But he told it in such a way that Caius wanted to believe him. "Isn't this just another legend? More like a fairy tale." "Perhaps you've heard of the Evil Forest? How it once turned to stone, trapping every living thing within it. Not only every cell was petrified, but also the soul. Everything the branches and once-living plants touched shared their fate. No amount of soft could save their victims, no matter how many bottles you used." The boy spoke with great inspiration, his gaze fixed on something far away. It was as if he were seeing a clear picture, moving his eyes from detail to detail. And the heart fluttered, experiencing vivid emotions. "Is it true?" It was still hard to believe. But he wanted it so badly… Hope echoed in his chest like pain, a lump rising in his throat. "Does supersoft exist? Can it really remove any petrification?" "I turned to stone along with the forest," the guy said with a grateful and proud smile. "My friends saved me. Try asking Baku, our boss," the guy glanced at a large man enjoying himself in a crowd of young and not-so-young people, buying them drinks and laughing heartily. "He went through fire and water for me, but he got supersoft." And it was clear the boy was proud not of himself, but of his loyal friends. A strong bond, capable of breaking any curse. And he sincerely wished for Caius to save his dad. He didn't doubt his will. "Thank you…" Caius trembled, unable to stand up right away. His breath caught in his throat. He burst out with a loud cry: "Thank you!" and took off running towards the man in question. Baku.

* * *

Supersoft may have turned out to be a rare thing, worthy of the title of legendary, but finding it did not require such legendary effort. It took a lot of effort to obtain, and a couple of times Caius almost gave up hope. It wasn't the fierce monsters that were the obstacle, though Caius had lost a fair amount of blood to them even in his bestial form. He'd earned deep scars—a small price to pay for life. Puzzles became a true stumbling block. Caius wasn't a fool, but he was stuck for a long time. And there was no turning back — either obtain the valuable, life-giving artifact, or perish trying. It was lucky that Caius had inhuman endurance, otherwise he might not have lived to see the saving idea. As a result, Caius ran to his father’s statue, inspired by his luck, almost without resting. One thought kept him on his feet: he was about to see his father, hear him speak, feel the warmth of his embrace. He could barely hold back his tears. And then came the fateful moment. Supersoft had indeed broken the stone spell. Ramrus's body fell limply to the ground, pinning terrified Caius. Neither the screams nor the shaking brought the man back to consciousness. His lifeless gaze remained fixed ahead. Caius had overlooked one crucial thing: the turning of his father's flesh to stone wasn't the main problem, but the stolen soul that had brought it about. And Ramrus's soul had vanished along with the other victims of the former king's ritual. And what was lost could not be returned. What remained of him was restored by the supersoft. Caius didn't know what to do next, stunned by the realization of the futility of all his efforts and worries. Very quickly he stopped trying to crawl out from under the lifeless, breathing body. He closed his eyes, letting silent tears roll down, and wished never to wake up. But this wish, too, was not destined to come true… ㅤ