Diego, still lying on the ground, looked at me as I remained silent for a long time.
His eyes, full of concern, fixed on me, as if trying to catch any sign that would tell him I was really okay.
"Kai, are you okay?" he asked in a hoarse voice, full of worry.
I could only nod slowly, trying to calm my mind that was still overwhelmed with flashes of images coming at me all at once.
Everything felt so blurry, even though I was trying with all my might to focus again, my thoughts kept drifting.
"Ah... maybe just some broken bones," I replied softly, trying to reassure Diego, even though there was a knot of anxiety in my heart.
"Yeah... pretty much the same," he answered, smiling weakly and letting out a long sigh, exhausted.
But then something came to his mind.
Diego looked at me with a sharp gaze, his eyes seemingly trying to check every movement of my body.
I knew, he always cared, even more than I expected.
"How's your shoulder?" he asked again, this time in a more serious tone.
He didn't seem to be joking, there was clear concern behind his voice.
I looked at the wound on my shoulder, still stinging, though it wasn't too deep.
I glanced at the injury, which still hurt but wasn't too serious.
"It's just a small stab, nothing too deep. Besides, there's a first aid kit here, right?" I replied with a faint smile, trying to joke even though the pain still lingered in my body.
Diego didn't waste any time.
He immediately stood up and quickly walked toward a room deeper inside the underground station, where the medical supplies were stored.
I could only watch him, slightly confused by his rapid reaction.
"I WAS JUST JOKING, HEY!!" I yelled as I lay there, watching him walk off in search of the first aid kit.
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I swear this guy...
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Not long after, Diego returned with a small medical kit that seemed fairly complete.
He came with a look of relief on his face, but still worried, showing how deeply concerned he was for me.
"Kai, it's here..." he said, running over to me, his tired face looking a little calmer.
Quickly, Diego helped me stand up and began cleaning my wound and applying a bandage to my injured shoulder.
I was a bit surprised by how skilled he was at handling this, it seemed he was much more competent than I had expected.
"Where did you learn to wrap bandages?" I asked while watching his hands move quickly and carefully, observing how he did it with such attention.
Diego gave a small smile, without looking at me.
"Ah... from my mom. My dad used to come home all bruised from fighting with thugs in the streets, so I'd often watch my mom take care of him," he replied casually, as if it was just a normal thing.
I fell silent for a moment, trying to imagine how Diego's father, who I knew as a strict yet loving man, could have had such experiences.
"Ah... that makes sense," I murmured, recalling how Diego's father reminded me of a Siberian Husky, tough, loyal, and tireless.
But there was one thing that still tickled my mind.
Why could the son's personality be so different?
Diego, full of energy, cheerful, and like a Golden Retriever, was so different from his father, who appeared colder and tougher.
It was as if they came from two different worlds.
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"By the way, how come you don't have any traits like Uncle Harvey?" I asked with a mischievous smile, trying to lighten the mood even though we hadn't fully recovered from the situation yet.
Diego chuckled softly and continued his work without saying much.
"Don't you know my mom's personality, Kai?" he replied jokingly, his eyes glowing with happiness even though we were still stuck in this tense moment.
I nodded slowly, feeling a bit embarrassed for not thinking of it earlier.
"Ah... now that I think about it, your personality really does resemble your mom's," I mumbled, realizing that I had known Diego and his family for a long time, but sometimes I forgot how much of an influence his mother had on him.
His mother was the one who always supported and strengthened their family.
After finishing my bandage, Diego stepped back a little and carefully inspected his work.
"Done. Try not to move too much, so it doesn't get worse," he said with a satisfied smile, though still a little tired.
I nodded, holding back the slight pain I still felt.
"Thanks," I said quietly, feeling a little better with the care he had given me.
Diego just smiled and shook his head.
"Relax~," he said lightly, trying to ease the tension between us, while pulling out his phone.
I stared at Diego's phone screen, hoping there would be some news or clues about what was happening outside.
I felt restless, but nothing mattered more than knowing if Diego's family was safe.
With a bit of frustration in my tone, I asked,
"Any news from your family? Is the internet still working?"
Diego immediately grabbed his phone and started checking.
After a moment, he shook his head and said,
"Hm... still no internet." Then he paused, as if trying to process something.
"I think my family's fine, since my dad's there. Ah... my dad sent a message before the signal died," he continued, his voice now filled with confusion and worry.
His face, which had been somewhat calm, now clearly showed concern.
"Look!! What did I tell you, he said I should go home... he told me to go to the bunker. He said not to worry about mom, just find a safe place," he said, his voice shaky.
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Typical Uncle Harvey, always thinking his son can be relied on.
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I thought to myself, picturing Diego's father as the tough, calm figure who trusted his son to take care of himself.
"But it's the same outside. This ugly monster is still there," he said, pointing to the lifeless creature lying near us.
I paused, reflecting, staring at the creature with mixed feelings.
Seeing it here, dead at our hands, made me reflect deeper on what we were really facing.
"Voraxes..." I murmured quietly, mentioning the creature's species name.
Suddenly, my vision began to darken.
An odd sensation crept through my body, as if I were connected to something much larger, darker, and stronger than anything I had ever felt before.
A power I couldn't resist.
A burning sensation stung my eyes, rushing through every vein in my body.
It felt like an energy flowing through me, taking control of my entire being.
In an instant, flashes of images began to appear in my mind, so clear, as if I were witnessing the events unfold in front of me.
I saw a dark battlefield, filled with blood and destruction.
The terrifying Voraxes army, giant insects covered in sharp thorns and dark auras, clashing with the graceful and brave elven forces.
"Elves?" I murmured, a name that often sounded like something out of a fantasy novel.
It felt like watching a film with special effects.
"Is this real?" I muttered, unsure of what I was seeing.
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Suddenly, my vision shifted, as if I was being forced to see something else.
It was the Queen of the Voraxes.
Her body was much larger than the guard we had just defeated, and she was in a cave, guarded by creatures I assumed were her protectors.
The same creatures we had just killed.
But beneath that, something was different.
The vision, It was as if I was being guided to look at something, a specific part of her body.
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Her weak spot...
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The weak spot was located on her back, right behind a layer of spines that seemed impenetrable.
The spines protected her body, but there was one clear spot, tightly shielded by a defense layer that wasn't easy to penetrate.
That was her weakness.
If something could break through that layer, it might be the key to destroying the Queen of Voraxes.
As I blinked, my view shifted again.
I saw more images, elves fighting desperately, but many were falling in the battle.
Amidst the chaos, I spotted an elf who looked different from the rest.
He wore brighter battle armor and carried a bow glowing with holy light.
I was stunned because he easily defeated the guard we had just taken down.
This elf seemed to possess immense strength, and he was trying to strike the exact spot on the Queen of Voraxes' body.
But just as he was about to succeed, the Queen of Voraxes realized something was wrong.
I think it was because one of her guards hadn't responded to her call, and with a roar, she released a scream that shook the entire battlefield.
The sound of that scream was deafening, filled with fury that seemed to seep into your bones.
The elf, who had been so close to victory, didn't know that that scream had summoned the entire Voraxes army.
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Hundreds...
No. Thousands!
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In the fierce battle between a single elf and thousands of Voraxes soldiers, the elf finally fell.
I was shocked.
All these glimpses were vivid memories from a battle that had happened long ago.
I could feel it, the vision of their history, the battles that took place long in the past.
But suddenly, my vision seemed to be thrown back to my body, as if signaling that what I had seen was enough.
"Hah...?" I blinked, trying to regain focus and process what had just happened.
Diego, still lying on the ground, looked confused as he saw me suddenly making sounds of confusion.
"Kai, are you okay?" he asked hoarsely, his voice laced with worry as he saw me seemingly lost in thought.
I snapped back to reality, my body trembling intensely.
My rational mind began to work, reminding me that what I had seen wasn't for entertainment.
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IT WAS A WARNING.
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Uncontrolled panic started to seep into my mind.
"No... no... we have to get out of here before the Queen screams!!!" I shouted in panic, trying to stand despite feeling like my body would collapse.
Time was running out, and I knew we didn't have much of it.
"Why, Kai? What's happening?" Diego asked, his voice filled with confusion.
His eyes were wide, still deeply puzzled.
I tried to clear my thoughts as fast as I could.
"The Queen... she's calling her army. If we don't move now, we won't survive."
My heart raced, but I tried to speak clearly.
Suddenly, a loud sound echoed from within the station tunnel, startling me.
That sound was deafening, filled with rage and terrifying shrieks.
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"KYYEEAAAIAIIIAIIAIAIHHHHHHH!!!"
It was the Queen of Voraxes, and I knew this was bad news.
That scream shook the entire ground, as if calling her army from all directions.
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"Oh shit, AGAINNNN!!!" I shouted, feeling panic take over.
"This is it... the Queen's calling her whole colony!" I couldn't hold it in anymore.
We had to act fast.
"WHAT?" Diego looked even more confused, anxious, and not understanding what was happening.
"There's no time to explain!" I said urgently.
"We only have one option, kill the Queen, or we die!" My voice grew hoarse, and I could feel the tension engulfing us both.
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Without waiting any longer, I ran toward the Queen's lair, leaving Diego still trying to process my words.
I knew he didn't fully understand yet, but I didn't have time to explain more.
Every second that passed could be our end.
When I arrived at the large hole I thought had just been made inside the station, I could see it clearly.
The massive hole was like a cave for the Queen's nest.
When I entered, I saw the creature, Queen Voraxes, just like I had seen in my vision earlier.
A giant, grotesque creature, seemingly incapable of movement except to reproduce.
I recalled the battle images I had seen long ago, the elf who tried to strike the exact same point, the one behind those impenetrable spines.
And though many had fallen in that battle, they kept trying to break through that defense, focusing solely on one spot until their last breath.
I quickly searched for something I could use to fight, and my eyes caught several large rocks scattered around the place.
Without thinking twice, I grabbed one of the rocks and began to climb the Queen's massive body.
"I have to do this... I have to..." I murmured, trying to calm myself.
Time was running out.
The sound of the insect army's footsteps grew closer, and the sound of their wings echoed louder.
The decision had to be made quickly.
I struck the spines protecting the Queen's body with the rock I had grabbed.
But the spines were too hard and solid, causing the rock to shatter.
I tried pulling the spines with my hands, but it was futile.
My hands started to bleed from the useless effort.
"Ughhh... pleaseeee..." I cried out desperately, my voice echoing in the room.
Only the rustling sound of the approaching insect army filled the air. I felt drowned in despair, not knowing what to do next.
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Then, suddenly, in my despair, my eyes landed on something that might save us.
A metal pipe.
It was Diego, who had come back holding the pipe, trying to pry off the spines blocking our way.
"HMMMPPPHHHHHH!" Diego used all his strength, but the spines didn't budge.
I immediately helped him, pulling the pipe away from him as he pushed.
With the same determination, we worked together to remove the spine.
"COME ONNNNNNNNN!!!" I yelled, putting everything I had into it.
I prayed the spines would come loose.
Each attempt was wearing me down, but I knew that if we failed, we'd die here.
Finally, after a long struggle, the spine came loose!
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But in the panic, the metal pipe was thrown far away, falling to the ground.
Diego quickly stepped forward, trying to strike the exposed part of the Queen's body.
But it only seemed to anger her further, and the blow didn't penetrate the layers of flesh.
Diego kept striking, but all it did was cause him pain.
Her scream became even more horrifying.
"KYYEEAAAAIIIIIIHHHHHHH!!!"
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I looked at Diego, the feeling of despair starting to settle on my face.
I didn't know how we were going to survive.
But I knew one thing, if we didn't kill the Queen now, it would all be over.
Diego, panting heavily, stared at me with eyes full of confusion and fear.
I could see how hard he was trying to understand the situation, but there was no time for further explanation.
I looked at the Queen, growing more enraged by the second, and my body shook, not just from fear, but from a resolve to survive.
WE CANNOT DIE HERE!