Somewhere inside the cube, I had stopped breathing normally. Here I was, eyes leaking somewhere between "bro this is too much" and "please let me out."
I had been listening the whole time. No idea how many minutes had passed. The fire had burned lower, and Kevin's voice had sunk heavier with each word. Lyra and Levin were still sleeping soundly. Their faces looked better now. Color returning with steady breaths. But somewhere around minute five, Kevin's story nosedived straight into heartbreak. I couldn't even count how many times I'd lost it.
I felt pathetic. Just before Kevin started his story, I had been stressing over whether I'd be a hypocrite. Now, compared to his decision to lie to Levin… I felt like shit. Absolute shit. I'd lost count of how many times, mid-story, Kevin had been crying, and I was the same. We both cried like a pair of idiots. Well, he could only hear my sobbing, not see the tears. If my outer cubes could sob, I'd be shaking like a broken maraca right now.
I hovered closer to the fire, still watching Kevin. He hadn't moved. His voice had gone quiet, his gaze lost somewhere deep beyond the flames. And I had a hundred questions in my head… but none of them felt right to ask. So, I stared at the fire too, mind still turning with everything Kevin had shared. The cave felt colder now, though the flames still burned.
If I had been in his shoes, I wasn't sure I would have survived it.
To love a woman so deeply that every laugh felt like a promise. To dream together, to share life's rhythm as if nothing could break it. Then to watch that same woman, still wearing that smile, try to end the life of their unborn child. To stop her. To fight for that fragile life. To sit through the night with trembling hands, helping her bring that child into the world. To hold that newborn with pride and joy, only to return moments later and find her gone. No farewell. No explanation. Only empty space where a family had been.
That's not tragedy anymore. It's cosmic cruelty...and he lived through it...
He chased her across kingdoms and ruins, because no man could give up on the one person who had meant everything. Desperate to understand. Desperate to ask. Why?
Only to learn, too late, that while he chased shadows, the child he had saved was left behind—waiting, longing, slowly learning to ask that same "why?"
Then to raise that child alone, knowing that the one memory the boy carried of his mother was the moment she had tried to kill him. I could not even imagine it. I doubted any man could face that choice without breaking somewhere deep inside. How could you not lie in that situation?
Love. Marriage. A child.
These were things so far beyond my reach they may as well be on another planet. When I thought about the stakes Kevin had faced, and how easily one choice could break everything. I couldn't blame him. Not for a second.
Kevin hadn't done anything wrong. He just never had a better option.
I'd thought I understood hardship. I hadn't even come close. I pitied him. I respected him. I saluted the man from the deepest part of my heart. He had become the man I could only hope to measure up to.
I still remembered the first time Lyra met him—rough around the edges. Big frame. Arms dusted with flour from some half-finished meal. When he smiled and spoke to Lyra, no one would have guessed the weight he carried beneath it all. Just an ordinary man from an ordinary village, or so it had seemed. But behind that warmth was something deeper. Something heavier than anyone could imagine.
And now, I saw that man in a very different light.
Across from me, Kevin sat in silence, gaze lowered. I hovered closer. My voice came out scratchy.
"Uh... so, Kevin. Dumb question."
Kevin turned, waiting.
"Can I... can I call you bro? Like... brother?"
I sank a little lower, almost embarrassed.
"I mean… yeah, weird. A dice asking that. But... well, you just told me everything. Deepest secret and all. It's fine if you don't want to. Yeah, damn, this is weird."
I hesitated. "Forget it."
But... something in me wouldn't let it drop. I needed this.
"But hey..."
I spun once, trying to play it off.
"If someone saw you right now talking to me, they'd probably think the First Ember finally lost it and started seeing dice hallucinations."
Silence.
Damn. Super awkward.
I'd never done a confession to a girl, and here I was, not even a confession, asking a man to be my bro.
Kevin exhaled hard. His shoulders shook. And then—he let out a rough laugh. Not a polite chuckle. A real laugh. Warm and loud.
"Yeah," he said, a little giggle escaping. "You're a strange one."
I drifted down and lightly landed on his shoulder.
"Strange? Sure. But come on!"
"You're not gonna find a cooler bro than me." I hopped up and down above his shoulders.
"Bet you've been craving someone calling you bro again, admit it, huh?" My voice slipped into full salesman mode at that point.
Kevin reached up and smiled. He gave my side a gentle tap.
"But alright. Brother it is."
For the first time all night—he smiled, and this time it wasn't because of my dumb show. This was his own smile. The kind you'd call… relieved. I settled there on his shoulder for a bit longer. If cubes could smile… I think I was doing it.
"Yeah. I think we both needed this." I grinned.
Then I shot out in front of him. "Now bro, high five or fist bump. We need one."
Kevin blinked, puzzled. "Fist bump?"
"Come on, bro! It's the sacred bro ritual."
He didn't answer, but his eyes said it clear. I get it.
I spun again for extra style. "Alright then. Brace yourself."
"On three!" I called.
My core flared. I grew larger—just about the size of his fist. Mana charged through me, humming with energy.
Across from me, Kevin smiled wider, his fist rising. A soft flame shimmered to life across his knuckles. The flame wasn't there to harm. It carried only warmth, something like a promise to shield, to share, to welcome.
I faced him head on.
This was it—the moment of bro destiny.
"One... two... three—"
His fist met my glowing dice-body with a crisp, resonant ka-CHAK!
The sound rang through the cave as if sealing something between us. Sparks burst and swirled in the air, dancing in the dim light. Just for that moment, the whole cave seemed brighter.
We both laughed.
Yeah. The ice had cracked, just a little. Sometimes, that was all you needed to start. The younger, livelier man beneath it was still there. One grin at a time, he was finding his way back.
Then Kevin surprised me. He grinned once and reached into his space ring.
WHAM.
A heavy jar of beer hit the ground between us.
Clink, clink.
Two empty glasses followed. I was speechless. I'd never been a fan of drinking. But right then, in that moment, in that atmosphere—not a single thought of rejecting the offer crossed my mind.
No, I WANTED IT.
I wanted to drink. But... we were still missing something. As if reading my mind, Kevin gave me a smug smile. Another flash of his space ring—fwip.
A thin straw dropped neatly into one of the glasses.
"What's the straw for?" I asked, pretending not to grin.
Kevin smirked. "Unless you plan on swimming in it, you'll need one."
"Damn, bro. Now this is what you call brother. We understand each other."
Kevin chuckled and started pouring. The rich scent of malt filled the cave. I leaned in, straw ready. This was going to be the most brotherly drink of my entire second life. No. Let me correct that. My entire life, including the first.
Kevin lifted his glass. "To surviving." I bobbed once in agreement. "To brothers."
The glasses met with a soft clink. He took a deep drink. I slurped through my straw with all the dignity a floating dice could manage. The taste hit warm, earthy, bitter with a faint sweetness. A heavy drink for a heavy night. Perfect.
Kevin let out a satisfied sigh. "Been a long time since I drank with someone." I floated in place, spinning slow. "Been my first time drinking. Well, technically. I think. The first time as a dice for sure."
That earned a real laugh from him. A warm, tired sound, lighter than before. We drank in quiet for a bit. No more words needed. Just two strange brothers, sharing a drink by firelight while the world outside kept spinning. And for a moment, things felt a little less heavy. But it did not stay that way. Soon enough, things got messy. It all started when I suggested a game. Just a simple dice game. We would both pick a side, Odd or Even.
I picked Odd, of course. Even? Please. No real dice rolls that way. The rule was simple. Every time I rolled an Odd number, Kevin had to drink.
And so we played.
One jar became two. Then another. Soon empty jars were stacking around us like we were building a tower. We laughed so hard I could barely keep myself hovering straight. I should've gotten a medal for this. I drank and had to spin myself just to roll for the game. Imagine how dizzy I was.
At one point, I rolled Odd numbers ten times in a row. Kevin slammed his glass to the dirt.
"This is—this is absolutely ridiculous!"
"More ridiculous than my entire past!"
I froze for half a second. Had he drunk too much?
Then he burst out laughing, so hard he nearly toppled backward. So I laughed with him. Harder than I had since this whole mess started. Kevin leaned over, grabbed a half-eaten piece of roast chicken from the plate near the fire, and took a bite. "This is so good," he mumbled, mouth half-full.
Juice dribbled down his chin. He didn't care.
Damn. This guy was just eating basic forest BBQ, but somehow made it look like one of those insane mukbang videos. The crunch. The drip. The way he chewed with a straight face like it was a culinary masterpiece. It made me want more, even though I'd already eaten half a chicken myself.
"Hey! I want some too!"
He tore off another chunk and tossed it toward me. I hopped up and caught it midair with my dice mouth.
"Nyam nyam... beer en chimken, thhuis ess soo ghood," I mumbled through a full mouth of chicken.
"Another one!" Kevin grinned and lobbed another piece.
My body moved on instinct. I leapt again.
"HAWPP!"
Caught it clean. Smooth. Ultimate performance.
"Good, good b—nice one, Dan," he said, chuckling.
...
Wait.
Wtf.
Did this guy just treat me like a dog?! I floated back with dramatic offense.
"Excuse me? Did you just 'good boy' me?"
Kevin blinked, feigning innocence. "I didn't say that."
"You were about to! That tone had full-on 'pat-pat' energy. Don't lie!"
He laughed. "Relax, it's just chicken."
I hovered higher. "I am a legendary magical artifact with a mind and soul, with PRIDE and D-I-G-N-I-T-Y."
"Not your golden retriever."
Kevin smirked and tossed one last piece my way.
"You catching this one or not?"
My eye twitched. My body jumped automatically and caught it with a spin.
I got betrayed...
By my own body...
"…FMDL. Looks like I'm an elegant retriever."
Kevin didn't stop. "There-there, pat-pat. I got some bones here, you want some?" I was about to explode when he casually threw out another question.
"So how does your body even work? You can eat and drink, but where does all of it go? Do you need to pee or something?"
I froze.
...
That—was a damn good question.
Now that he mentioned it… I'd never really thought about it before. I could feel and taste food. I even got full. The beer definitely made me tipsy… or was I drunk already?
"No... I never needed to pee. Or anything like that. But I think it all gets transferred somewhere else? Maybe become mana?"
Kevin leaned in slightly, his tone shifting. "Explain."
"Errhhhh. Okay. So remember when I tackled the Mega Tusk by going super big? I burned through a ton of mana. My left side even turned transparent. But then I noticed something, when I ate the chicken, my mana regen ticked up a little."
"Interesting," Kevin said, slipping right back into his lecture mode.
"Gahhh! Enough difficult talk! Let's have fun again!" I wobbled over to my glass. "Kevin, I can't literally piss, but I can do this!"
I took a long sip of beer through my straw, then floated high like a performing seal.
And then, slowly… carefully…
I poured it back out from my mouth.
"BEHOLD! THE ONLY PISSING DICE IN THE WORLD!!" I shouted proudly.
"A MIRACLE OF MODERN MANA ENGINEERING!"
Kevin choked on his drink, coughing from laughter. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
"I DON'T KNOW, BRO, BUT I'M DOING IT WITH CONFIDENCE!"
We both lost it again. I spun in circles, spraying beer mist like some kind of possessed soda fountain, while Kevin wheezed and slapped the dirt, barely holding himself together. Somewhere in the middle of the madness, Kevin shook his head and said between hiccups, "Been thinking hard about your words." He grinned, eyes glazed but happy. "If someone saw us... The First Ember, talking with a dice. I've really lost to myself now." He raised his glass toward me, almost solemn. "Here I am. Drinking with a dice."
That broke us again. We laughed until our sides hurt.
"WAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kevin slapped the dirt again, nearly falling over.
I gasped."Pffft—WKOAKWOAKWOK!" I wobbled in place. "Hey, be careful what you say. If word gets out, your entire reputation might get diced."
Kevin groaned, half laughing. "No. No puns. I can't handle puns right now."
I floated a little higher. Couldn't ignore a summoning cue like that. Throwing my voice all dramatic.
"Behold! The legendary First Ember, slayer of monsters, conqueror of dungeons... now rolling under my command!"
Kevin buried his face in his hands, laughing harder. "HA HA HA—stop. You're going to kill me!"
I pointed a corner at him. "Also, for the record, this body has no liver, which means technically, I've been carrying the both of us."
"Carrying?" Kevin laughed. "You're literally the one who made me drink ten shots in a row! Did you cheat?!"
"Hey, RNG is sacred. You can't question the dice."
Kevin rolled his eyes. "What is RNG?"
"Don't ask! Show some respect to the Dice, o humble disciple of the Dice Lord... as I ruin your sobriety!"
"One sip at a time."
"Now, offer your master a drink!" I declared, swaying like a royal drunk.
Kevin played along, carefully pouring the drink into my glass, his hand shaking.
I floated closer, mock serious.
"Bro! Steady hands, bro! The fate of the First Ember's dignity rests on this pour."
Because of my words, his hand slipped. We both burst out laughing again.
"WKOWKWOKOW! BRO! That was on you!"
"AHAHAHA!" Kevin clutched his stomach, falling over.
I was rolling so hard across the dirt, I half believed the cave had started rolling with me. After a few moments, I was still wobbling on the dirt, catching my breath. Kevin wiped at his eyes, shaking his head with a tired grin. We finally took a breath. The laughter faded. The cave felt a little quieter again. Kevin leaned back against the wall, gaze drifting toward the fire. His smile lingered, but something behind it had grown softer. I floated closer, sensing the change.
"Bro," I said quietly. "There's something I wanted to ask you. For real this time." I hovered a little closer.
"What should we do with Levin? Do you think he'll remember the Black Phoenix thing? Or... should we tell him?"
Kevin's smile faded a little. He exhaled slowly. "If the pattern's the same, I think he won't remember it... I'm not sure myself what to do. "
"If he does remember, we'll tell him what happened during the fight. But if he doesn't... maybe it's better to let it stay hidden. Either way, I'll be there for him this time."
"Alright," I replied.
Kevin glanced at the two of them. "What matters now is for them to be safe."
Both of us looked at Lyra and Levin, still unconscious.
"But I think they're both doing fine." I hovered over to them.
"Look! Pretty sure they're just sleeping, right?"
Kevin let out a faint breath and smiled, eyes softening. No words came, just quiet agreement and then I heard it—a soft snore.
Lyra's.
Maybe she'd been snoring for a while, but the sound had been drowned out by our laughs. I watched them for a bit. They looked peaceful now. Just two kids deep in the best sleep they'd had in ages. At this rate I might join them.
"Bro, let's get some sleep. Before we roll into another drinking quest. Tomorrow's waiting."
As I drifted back, positioning myself just beside Lyra, I muttered, "Next time... dice tournament. You're going down, bro." Kevin just chuckled, shaking his head. "Good night, idiot dice. Don't spin too much in your sleep."
"Why'd you sound just like Lyra..." I mumbled, heavy with drink, eyes already shut.
Then I heard him speak again, voice quiet and simple.
"Thank you, Dan."
***
End of Volume 2. The Departure