He lay, staring blankly at the ceiling. He did not know how many days or weeks had passed. Getting up from the bed and heading to the bathroom, walking up to the mirror, he saw an emaciated face and pronounced bags under his eyes.
– Do you think you can hide from all your problems?
– Shut up.
Dunking his head under the stream of cold water.
– Ahaha, look at yourself, you've become so pathetic. Killed one loser and that's it. Life is over.
– Shut up!
Raising his gaze to the mirror, he was met by his reflection, but with black eyes.
– How can we be one whole?
His face twisted in disgust.
– Shut up! You're just my imagination!
– You can think whatever you want, but we both know the truth!
– You're just in my head! You're just in my head!
Clutching his head, he screamed like a madman.
– Ahahaha, you're just my imagination!
– Stop deceiving yourself.
– ENOUGH!!!
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Striking the mirror, he screamed.
– Ah ha ah ha. You think this will help?
– Just leave me… – Kopii said, muffled.
– Ahahahahaha, – loud laughter rang out in his head. – No, no, no, Kopii, we are one whole. Wherever you go, I will always be by your side.
He decided to simply ignore this voice. He did not know who it was or when it had appeared.
«It doesn't exist.»
– Hey, did you say something?
– Shut up, – Kopii whispered, heading for the basement exit.
– Hey, hey, are you going out for a walk again?
But seeing how he was silent, he spoke.
– Have you already forgotten those gazes?
At these words, Kopii's body tensed involuntarily.
– It's just my imagination… like you. Nothing more.
– And are you sure about that?.. Well, fine, you can keep ignoring me. You're so good at it. Just need to cope and ignore all your problems. Ahahaha, a pitiful sight.
The whole following journey, he was in silence, until he reached his destination.
After a while, leaving the shop, holding a face mask, even if it was a child's mask, he did not care. He only wanted to get rid of those gazes. The mask helped him become bolder.
– Think you can hide from all your problems behind a mask? What a foolish idea. But what else could I expect from you?
– …
Putting on the mask, he felt the cold touch of the mask on his face, and he felt more confident. Even if the visibility in this mask was poor, he simply did not care. He just wanted to hide from all those gazes, even if they were only part of his fantasy.
– You look like an idiot in it. Well, basically, as always.
– Just shut up!
– Look, mommy, mommy, that man is talking to himself, – pointing a finger at Kopii.
– Don't look at him.
Watching as the mother led her child away from him, he sighed.
– Ahahaha.
– Shut up, – Kopii cut off his laughter. He did not want to listen to him or his comments anymore.
Some time later, lying on the bed and taking the sheet with Raven's wish. But however much he looked at these beautiful patterns, he could not understand them.
– Looking at that sheet again? Think that if you stare at it every day, you'll get smarter?
– If we are one whole, aren't you insulting yourself?
Putting the sheet back into the wardrobe.
– I knew you were stupid, but not this stupid. You managed to amaze me, Kopii.
At his words, he frowned.
– Yes, you're right, we are one whole. But if that's so, why can't we differ from each other? – after a pause, he continued: – Do you know how we differ? – Seeing Kopii remain silent, he continued: – It's our views. As one whole, absolutely everything, everything you know, I know too.
– And what are you trying to say?
– Are you stupid? I already said, our views differ. Why do I have to chew everything up for you?
– Just say it, or shut up.
– As I said before, we have the same memories, but different perceptions of them. In short, we understand the same information differently. Understood or not? For the stupid, I can explain a thousand times.
– Shut up, I understand.
Turning on the light and lying down to sleep, he thought about this whole situation and how it could be solved. Under such thoughts, he fell asleep.
– Wake up.
– Wake up.
– Wake up.
– Shut up, – he mumbled, but the voice in his head only grew louder.
– Come on, wake up; weren't you planning to descend into the dungeon today? It's been two weeks since you last went into the dungeon, or are you going to hide in your inner world from all your problems again, but you know, even then I won't be surprised.
– Shut up. Can you ever just shut up?!
Rubbing his sleepy eyes and getting out of bed. This was already the second night without nightmares.
«Time heals, turned out to be true?» – He thought, washing up. He roughly knew that about two weeks, give or take, had passed since Raven's death. Two weeks of sheer inaction.
– See, Raven was so important to us. And you've come to terms with his death in just about two weeks. That proves how important he was to you.
– If we are one whole, then I don't need to explain myself to you.
– No way, you managed to figure something out on your own? You're not as talentless as I thought. Well done, well done! Apparently, sleep has a good effect on you; you've even started to develop.
Kopii's face twisted in irritation. He was beginning to hate the voice in his head more and more.
– Shut up.
Now leaving his house.
– Hurry up, why are you walking so slowly? And you can take off your useless mask; we both know you'll do it soon. So why not get ahead of time? Come on, take it off. Or better yet, jump off a roof.
– Come on.
– Come on.
– Come on.
– Just shut up already!
Unable to bear it, he shouted. At his shout, everyone's attention turned to him. Lowering his gaze as much as possible, he still felt their gazes on him, felt their studying looks over his body. The fear of seeing hatred and contempt in their eyes defeated Kopii.
He simply stood and looked down, unable to even move.
– Well, are we going to stand here for long?
– Hey, hey, Kopii.
– Ah ha ah ha.
But Kopii heard nothing; he sank deeper and deeper into himself. But a sudden jolt helped bring Kopii back to a normal state.
– Sorry.
Raising his gaze, he saw that no one was looking at him anymore; everyone was busy with their own affairs again.
– I should have gone through the alleys, like yesterday.
He whispered to himself, turning into the first alley.
– Hey, hey, you've finally come to your senses; I was starting to think you were going to have a panic attack. But you know, Kopii, I would have liked to see that; maybe it would even be fun. Hey. Hey. Are you even listening to me?
– Can you be quiet for even a little while?
– You can't imagine how many times I've heard that from you. I even counted how many times a day you say it: one, two, three, four, one hundred seventeen! That's how many! See, you dimwit, how much smarter I am compared to you? But I repeat, we have the same memories.
At some moments, he did not understand what nonsense his imagination could spout. He guessed why its attitude changed so quickly: from hatred to acknowledgment of his mental abilities, or vice versa. But even so, there remained something in it that never changed: its character, and it reminded him every second of how much better it was than him, and that in its eyes, he was the most pitiful.
– Oh, oh, we've finally arrived. At last, the boring days are over.
Kopii ignored it. Entering the Tower of Babel, he was met by a familiar scene: everyone was busy with something. He slipped through the whole crowd to the entrance to the dungeon. Standing for a little while, deciding whether to descend or not.
– What are you standing for? Come on, go! Stop hesitating!
– Be quiet, – Kopii whispered, taking a step forward towards new adventures.