Author's Note: Last chapter! Thanks so much for reviewing, everyone. You're all great! Again, I'm a bit fuzzy on exactly what happened when, but I did my best. Please don't be picky. This'll be long, but it'll be worth it! This is dedicated to Aloria because today's her birthday. Happy birthday, ALoria!
Ramblings of the Doomed
Chapter 17: The End?
Kopii was tiring. Eris had made him spend the night in her revitalizing chair, but even with that, he was nearing his limit. Lina and her friends stood before him. The blue swordsman had leapt in to kill all of the Vrumugun kopiis at once, just when it seemed they would win. The tall blond swordsman called Gourry had fought Zangulus to a standstill. Lina and the short girl, Amelia, were facing Eris and her chimeras. And now the blue one faced Kopii himself, sword against staff. Eris was making Kopii fight, but he really didn't want to. He recognized that this was the boy he had talked about shaman magic with at the bar. And his friends called him Zelgadis… Rezo's great grandson! He said that he was sure Eris had helped make that body for him. So Rezo and Eris had turned Rezo's own relative into a chimera!? Kopii really wanted to stop now, but Eris wouldn't let him.
Suddenly, Sylphiel came in. Kopii panicked, fearing he would have to fight her as well. Luckily, they ran after that.
* * *
Kopii sat weakly in the rejuvenation machine, pretending to be asleep. He heard Eris and Zangulus talking.
"Is this what happens when he exerts himself a little? Your beloved 'Rezo?'" Zangulus asked, scornfully looking from Eris to the weakened Kopii. He and Kopii both knew that it was meant as an insult to Eris, not Kopii.
"Get out," Eris said, gritting her teeth.
"Don't worry, I'm going!" said Zangulus. He grinned at Kopii before leaving. Kopii didn't see it, but he could tell it had been done.
Eris laid her head on Kopii's knees and started talking dreamily about her Rezo-sama. Kopii went to sleep, sickened.
* * *
Eris was trying to get Hikari no Ken from the blond swordsman to open Rezo's legacy, but Kopii faced them once more before it was opened. She never asked Kopii, who probably could have done it.
But this time, Zelgadis launched an all-out charge at Kopii. Kopii was just barely able to block this. He felt something break on his forehead. To his surprise, Eris's headband fell to the ground. It revealed the rounded control gem on his forehead, convincing his opponents that he was indeed just a kopii, not the real Rezo. Shortly after witnessing him blow a huge crater in the city of Sairaag, they left again. Eris's control was not absolute anymore, but it was definitely still there.
From here, Eris decided to let Lina get one step ahead of her. As she predicted, they got into Rezo's legacy in the old city with Hikari no Ken. Then Kopii led her and Zangulus to a large room deep inside. There were red busts of Rezo on each wall, which creeped Kopii out. Eris, on the other hand, loved them of course. They let Lina and her group wander around searching for the Legacy itself until they ran into each other again.
When Lina's group finally found Kopii's again, Eris made sure they were separated. Seeing them all disappear, Zangulus ran to follow. He told Eris he'd choose his own path, and vanished into the teleportation square on the floor.
"Your own path, hmm…?" Kopii mused aloud. Hmm indeed… Xellos had told him he'd know when to leave Eris. It seemed to him that the time was drawing near.
Eris was sure now that the tablet that was Rezo's Legacy would bind the Demon Beast Zanafaar to Kopii perfectly. So they left Zangulus wherever he was, probably fighting Gourry, and went off to do just that.
Kopii was silent as Eris cackled, going on and on about avenging Rezo-sama. He stood quietly as she used all her magical energy to raise the Demon Beast Zanafaar and bind it to him. But as Zanafaar entered Kopii's body, that changed. He suddenly felt so angry that he couldn't stand it. Eris was laughing. Lina's group stared up at him in horror. Just like his dream, ghostly dragon heads waved around him. He was acutely aware of the control gem on his head. It was holding him back, pinching his mind. Just like Eris! Just like Rezo!! He shattered it with the sheer force of his will. Eris laughed insanely. Lina and her group were shocked. His rage grew uncontrollable. All Eris's fault…
He fired a magic bolt straight at Eris. She fell bleeding to the floor. He felt a frightening surge of satisfaction as he heard her murmur, "Oh Rezo-sama, where have you gone?" Then she was dead. He cackled with insane glee.
Kopii himself was a little fuzzy on what was going on. He could hardly see, hear, or otherwise sense anything through this anger. He knew he had been angry, but not THIS angry! He vaguely heard himself tell Lina that to surpass Rezo, he had to kill her. She shouted that they would kill too many people if they fought where they were. In a rare moment of reason, he agreed. So he Ray Winged into the air, bringing his enemies in another Ray Wing. Then the anger overwhelmed him again. He blasted the whole city of Sairaag away and smirked at them. He heard Sylphiel scream. 'No, I don't want to do this!' he thought. But it was far too late.
So they fought. So they fought. They put up a good fight, but they were no match for the combined powers of Kopii and Zanafaar. Sylphiel wouldn't let Lina cast the Giga Slave, which would have killed him. And Zanafaar was not stupid enough to let Hikari no Ken touch it again. Then he knocked out Lina! Zelgadis popped her and Sylphiel into a Ray Wing and quickly sent them far away. No matter. He could kill these three and go after the weaker two later. He toyed with Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia for a while. Amelia poked her finger at him and started calling him unjust. "It's not polite to point," he said with a smirk. He vaguely recalled hearing that before. Maybe she had even said it to him.
Then Lina and Sylphiel were back, holing a big ornamental sword. Zanafaar laughed. Foolish mortals! As if anything less than Hikari no Ken could kill him! But they caught him by surprise and stabbed him to Flagoon.
Zanafaar laughed once more. What would this do!? But then he felt the tree sucking at him, draining his strength to be its own. He screamed, and was gone.
* * *
They took Kopii down and laid him on the ground. He looked at their blurring faces with a sad expression.
"I lost…" he murmured. "Was it because I was just a kopii? Please tell me."
Lina bent over him. "No," she said sadly. "It was because you couldn't see what was in front of you."
"Oh," said Kopii. The world was beginning to go dark around him. "What do you see, when you look so far ahead?"
"A flower whose name I don't know yet!" said Lina, smiling at him.
Kopii smiled slightly. Then Zelgadis spoke up.
"What would you like us to put on your grace?" he asked. This was obviously another who had suffered at Rezo's hands. A kindred spirit who deserved a favor.
"I want no gravestone," said Kopii. "But if you could, I'd like to be buried beneath Flagoon." His eyes closed. At last, he could be at peace. He knew no more after that.
Lina, Zelgadis, Gourry, and Amelia were far too weak to dig right now. So they went to the next town to rest and eat, promising to return the next morning.
* * *
Kopii floated in blackness. He felt nothing except exhaustion. He knew that somewhere, he was in great pain. He was dying. Suddenly he heard soft footsteps approaching him. He lifted his head wearily to see… Rezo? The red priest was standing next to him. His eyes were open and they were a soft purple color, just like the kopiis' eyes.
"Are you here for me?" Kopii asked. "Is this the afterlife?"
Rezo smiled at Kopii. "Not quite, though it may be similar."
"What's going on?" asked Kopii.
"When I died, since I had managed to stop the harm I had awakened from being unleashed on the world, I was given a choice," Rezo said, frowning slightly. "I could move on and let the Lord of Nightmares judge me immediately, or I could stay with you for a time. Cepheid explained to me what was about to happen to you, so I thought perhaps I could help. I am here with the last of my strength. I can heal you and even allow you to have more magical strength. Then you can finally live your own life. Change your image, pick a name, and go live somewhere they've never heard of me."
"You'd do all that for me?" Kopii asked incredulously. "I thought you didn't like me!"
"I always wanted to talk to you more, Kopii. But by the time you came to be, it was already too late for me. I happened upon your thoughts while I was waiting here, Kopii. You're right, I never appreciated how much people cared for me until it was too late. Now, I don't have much time. Here," he said, offering his hand to Kopii.
"But what will happen to you?" Kopii asked, worried.
Rezo smiled again. "I'll go on then. I don't know what the Lord of Nightmares will do with me, but at least I got to help you before I left." He took Kopii's hand and Kopii felt Rezo's life force and power flowing into him, healing him. Rezo faded away more and more until he was just a red cloud that rose up into the air.
"Wait! Rezo!" Kopii called, scrambling to his feet. The cloud was gone. The cloud was gone. Redness seemed to cover Kopii, though. The place where the Bless Blade had stabbed him itched terribly. But he was too sleepy to care. He fell fast asleep.
* * *
Kopii slept all day. Luckily for him though, so did Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Sylphiel. But about mid-morning, Zelgadis came alone to Flagoon. He planned to bury the body himself. So he was shocked to find Kopii fast asleep but breathing, the huge stab wound in his chest gone without a trace. He debated what to do for a moment. Then he went back to the town where the others slept. He had noticed a while ago that his bank account had grown tremendously all of a sudden. So he took out a large sum of money and went to the tailor's shop.
"I need a set of clothing that would fit aka houshi Rezo," he said. Since the town was no near Sairaag, this tailor had made clothes for Rezo before.
"What would you like, sir?" the tailor asked politely.
"I don't know, it doesn't matter. Probably not red, though," said Zelgadis. "Try something like green, I guess. And gray."
So the tailor made a nice Rezo-sized outfit with a green shirt, gray pants and cape, and leather boots. He had the beginnings of these already, so it only took a few hours since business was slow that day.
Zelgadis took the clothing, paid for it, and brought it back to where Kopii lay under Flagoon. He set it in a neat pile beside his great grandfather's kopii. Then he put a note in one of the boots and left. When Lina woke up, he would tell her that he had buried the kopii himself, and they should move on.
* * *
Kopii woke up late in the afternoon to find a large butterfly resting on his nose. He blinked a few times and stared at it. It opened and closed its wings a few times before flying away. He sat up and put his had on a stack of clothes. What? He picked them up and realized that they were just his size. He quickly stripped off his old torn robes and put these new clothes on. They felt great! When he tried to put the boots on, he found a piece of paper in one. It was a note.
Kage,
I came to bury you but I saw that you were alive. So I thought you might like some different clothing. If you had anything to do with my mysterious riches, thank you. I will not tell Lina, because I hope to keep it for a while. I suggest you go find your own identity.
-- Zelgadis.
Kopii smiled, tucked the letter in his pocket, and set off in the direction of Rezo's house. He whistled slightly off-key as he walked. He was pretty sure he had left the house standing…
As it turned out, the house was a big pile of rubble. Kopii quickly used a levitation spell to lift the debris off of the floor. He pocketed Eris's money when he found it. Finally, he got down to the floor, which at least protected the basement. He went down the stairs, hearing high-pitched cries of alarm. The little kopiis had all run to the basement to avoid getting crushed, and they rushed out to greed him now. He smiled at them. Then he looked up at Vrumugun. He teleported the mage out of the tank, cleaning and clothing him with the blink of an eye. While he explained everything to Vrumugun, he found his comb and green rubber band. He once more pulled his hair back into a ponytail. It had grown longer over time, as had Vrumugun's limp brown hair.
Gathering up the 30 or so remaining kopiis, Kopii and Vrumugun went up the stairs and away from the rubble of the house.
"Where will you go?" Kopii asked Vrumugun.
"I will go to Seyruun," Vrumugun said. "I did not have a chance to visit the library there before. Then I may go try to find Zangulus again."
"Here, take some money with you," Kopii said, pouring half of Eris's money into another sack. "Don't worry, it's Eris's. And you should take some kopiis, too."
Vrumugun took the money, but then he hesitated. "The kopiis may not be a wise idea. And they may not wish to come with me."
Hearing this, the kopiis all laughed. A few of them leapt from Kopii's head, shoulders, and arms to Vrumugun's cloak. They clung there and giggled at him. He smiled slightly back at them.
"In that case, I would love to take some," he said, gathering them up to set them on his shoulders. Some climbed up to his head or into the neck of his cloak. "They will make my journey far more pleasant."
So Kopii and Vrumugun parted ways with their kopiis. Kopii went to live in a small village near a forest right by the mazoku barrier. They had, of course, heard of Rezo, but it didn't matter. They were friendly, though he was shy at first. He spent most of his days healing people and occasionally protecting the village from raiders. He was well-known for his own deeds. He was completely at peace with Rezo now, and the whole world as well. Zangulus and Vrumugun came to visit him once, as did Zelgadis. Xellos even came to see how he was doing. They all commented on the great pleasure he seemed to get out of life, and they were right. He often dreamed of Rezo, who also seemed very happy.
The tall kopii could often be seen running through fields or down hills. Sometimes the villagers said when he did this, a shimmering redness seemed to cling to him. When they told him this, he just smiled. "That's okay," he said. "He can come too."
Endnote: I meant to kill off Kopii, but I got way too attached to him. I couldn't. He deserves a happy ending. So now he's around if I want to use him again. Does this beg for a sequel? Tell me what you thought. Thank you all for reviewing, you're wonderful!
Ramblings of the Doomed
Chapter 17: The End?
Kopii was tiring. Eris had made him spend the night in her revitalizing chair, but even with that, he was nearing his limit. Lina and her friends stood before him. The blue swordsman had leapt in to kill all of the Vrumugun kopiis at once, just when it seemed they would win. The tall blond swordsman called Gourry had fought Zangulus to a standstill. Lina and the short girl, Amelia, were facing Eris and her chimeras. And now the blue one faced Kopii himself, sword against staff. Eris was making Kopii fight, but he really didn't want to. He recognized that this was the boy he had talked about shaman magic with at the bar. And his friends called him Zelgadis… Rezo's great grandson! He said that he was sure Eris had helped make that body for him. So Rezo and Eris had turned Rezo's own relative into a chimera!? Kopii really wanted to stop now, but Eris wouldn't let him.
Suddenly, Sylphiel came in. Kopii panicked, fearing he would have to fight her as well. Luckily, they ran after that.
* * *
Kopii sat weakly in the rejuvenation machine, pretending to be asleep. He heard Eris and Zangulus talking.
"Is this what happens when he exerts himself a little? Your beloved 'Rezo?'" Zangulus asked, scornfully looking from Eris to the weakened Kopii. He and Kopii both knew that it was meant as an insult to Eris, not Kopii.
"Get out," Eris said, gritting her teeth.
"Don't worry, I'm going!" said Zangulus. He grinned at Kopii before leaving. Kopii didn't see it, but he could tell it had been done.
Eris laid her head on Kopii's knees and started talking dreamily about her Rezo-sama. Kopii went to sleep, sickened.
* * *
Eris was trying to get Hikari no Ken from the blond swordsman to open Rezo's legacy, but Kopii faced them once more before it was opened. She never asked Kopii, who probably could have done it.
But this time, Zelgadis launched an all-out charge at Kopii. Kopii was just barely able to block this. He felt something break on his forehead. To his surprise, Eris's headband fell to the ground. It revealed the rounded control gem on his forehead, convincing his opponents that he was indeed just a kopii, not the real Rezo. Shortly after witnessing him blow a huge crater in the city of Sairaag, they left again. Eris's control was not absolute anymore, but it was definitely still there.
From here, Eris decided to let Lina get one step ahead of her. As she predicted, they got into Rezo's legacy in the old city with Hikari no Ken. Then Kopii led her and Zangulus to a large room deep inside. There were red busts of Rezo on each wall, which creeped Kopii out. Eris, on the other hand, loved them of course. They let Lina and her group wander around searching for the Legacy itself until they ran into each other again.
When Lina's group finally found Kopii's again, Eris made sure they were separated. Seeing them all disappear, Zangulus ran to follow. He told Eris he'd choose his own path, and vanished into the teleportation square on the floor.
"Your own path, hmm…?" Kopii mused aloud. Hmm indeed… Xellos had told him he'd know when to leave Eris. It seemed to him that the time was drawing near.
Eris was sure now that the tablet that was Rezo's Legacy would bind the Demon Beast Zanafaar to Kopii perfectly. So they left Zangulus wherever he was, probably fighting Gourry, and went off to do just that.
Kopii was silent as Eris cackled, going on and on about avenging Rezo-sama. He stood quietly as she used all her magical energy to raise the Demon Beast Zanafaar and bind it to him. But as Zanafaar entered Kopii's body, that changed. He suddenly felt so angry that he couldn't stand it. Eris was laughing. Lina's group stared up at him in horror. Just like his dream, ghostly dragon heads waved around him. He was acutely aware of the control gem on his head. It was holding him back, pinching his mind. Just like Eris! Just like Rezo!! He shattered it with the sheer force of his will. Eris laughed insanely. Lina and her group were shocked. His rage grew uncontrollable. All Eris's fault…
He fired a magic bolt straight at Eris. She fell bleeding to the floor. He felt a frightening surge of satisfaction as he heard her murmur, "Oh Rezo-sama, where have you gone?" Then she was dead. He cackled with insane glee.
Kopii himself was a little fuzzy on what was going on. He could hardly see, hear, or otherwise sense anything through this anger. He knew he had been angry, but not THIS angry! He vaguely heard himself tell Lina that to surpass Rezo, he had to kill her. She shouted that they would kill too many people if they fought where they were. In a rare moment of reason, he agreed. So he Ray Winged into the air, bringing his enemies in another Ray Wing. Then the anger overwhelmed him again. He blasted the whole city of Sairaag away and smirked at them. He heard Sylphiel scream. 'No, I don't want to do this!' he thought. But it was far too late.
So they fought. So they fought. They put up a good fight, but they were no match for the combined powers of Kopii and Zanafaar. Sylphiel wouldn't let Lina cast the Giga Slave, which would have killed him. And Zanafaar was not stupid enough to let Hikari no Ken touch it again. Then he knocked out Lina! Zelgadis popped her and Sylphiel into a Ray Wing and quickly sent them far away. No matter. He could kill these three and go after the weaker two later. He toyed with Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia for a while. Amelia poked her finger at him and started calling him unjust. "It's not polite to point," he said with a smirk. He vaguely recalled hearing that before. Maybe she had even said it to him.
Then Lina and Sylphiel were back, holing a big ornamental sword. Zanafaar laughed. Foolish mortals! As if anything less than Hikari no Ken could kill him! But they caught him by surprise and stabbed him to Flagoon.
Zanafaar laughed once more. What would this do!? But then he felt the tree sucking at him, draining his strength to be its own. He screamed, and was gone.
* * *
They took Kopii down and laid him on the ground. He looked at their blurring faces with a sad expression.
"I lost…" he murmured. "Was it because I was just a kopii? Please tell me."
Lina bent over him. "No," she said sadly. "It was because you couldn't see what was in front of you."
"Oh," said Kopii. The world was beginning to go dark around him. "What do you see, when you look so far ahead?"
"A flower whose name I don't know yet!" said Lina, smiling at him.
Kopii smiled slightly. Then Zelgadis spoke up.
"What would you like us to put on your grace?" he asked. This was obviously another who had suffered at Rezo's hands. A kindred spirit who deserved a favor.
"I want no gravestone," said Kopii. "But if you could, I'd like to be buried beneath Flagoon." His eyes closed. At last, he could be at peace. He knew no more after that.
Lina, Zelgadis, Gourry, and Amelia were far too weak to dig right now. So they went to the next town to rest and eat, promising to return the next morning.
* * *
Kopii floated in blackness. He felt nothing except exhaustion. He knew that somewhere, he was in great pain. He was dying. Suddenly he heard soft footsteps approaching him. He lifted his head wearily to see… Rezo? The red priest was standing next to him. His eyes were open and they were a soft purple color, just like the kopiis' eyes.
"Are you here for me?" Kopii asked. "Is this the afterlife?"
Rezo smiled at Kopii. "Not quite, though it may be similar."
"What's going on?" asked Kopii.
"When I died, since I had managed to stop the harm I had awakened from being unleashed on the world, I was given a choice," Rezo said, frowning slightly. "I could move on and let the Lord of Nightmares judge me immediately, or I could stay with you for a time. Cepheid explained to me what was about to happen to you, so I thought perhaps I could help. I am here with the last of my strength. I can heal you and even allow you to have more magical strength. Then you can finally live your own life. Change your image, pick a name, and go live somewhere they've never heard of me."
"You'd do all that for me?" Kopii asked incredulously. "I thought you didn't like me!"
"I always wanted to talk to you more, Kopii. But by the time you came to be, it was already too late for me. I happened upon your thoughts while I was waiting here, Kopii. You're right, I never appreciated how much people cared for me until it was too late. Now, I don't have much time. Here," he said, offering his hand to Kopii.
"But what will happen to you?" Kopii asked, worried.
Rezo smiled again. "I'll go on then. I don't know what the Lord of Nightmares will do with me, but at least I got to help you before I left." He took Kopii's hand and Kopii felt Rezo's life force and power flowing into him, healing him. Rezo faded away more and more until he was just a red cloud that rose up into the air.
"Wait! Rezo!" Kopii called, scrambling to his feet. The cloud was gone. The cloud was gone. Redness seemed to cover Kopii, though. The place where the Bless Blade had stabbed him itched terribly. But he was too sleepy to care. He fell fast asleep.
* * *
Kopii slept all day. Luckily for him though, so did Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Sylphiel. But about mid-morning, Zelgadis came alone to Flagoon. He planned to bury the body himself. So he was shocked to find Kopii fast asleep but breathing, the huge stab wound in his chest gone without a trace. He debated what to do for a moment. Then he went back to the town where the others slept. He had noticed a while ago that his bank account had grown tremendously all of a sudden. So he took out a large sum of money and went to the tailor's shop.
"I need a set of clothing that would fit aka houshi Rezo," he said. Since the town was no near Sairaag, this tailor had made clothes for Rezo before.
"What would you like, sir?" the tailor asked politely.
"I don't know, it doesn't matter. Probably not red, though," said Zelgadis. "Try something like green, I guess. And gray."
So the tailor made a nice Rezo-sized outfit with a green shirt, gray pants and cape, and leather boots. He had the beginnings of these already, so it only took a few hours since business was slow that day.
Zelgadis took the clothing, paid for it, and brought it back to where Kopii lay under Flagoon. He set it in a neat pile beside his great grandfather's kopii. Then he put a note in one of the boots and left. When Lina woke up, he would tell her that he had buried the kopii himself, and they should move on.
* * *
Kopii woke up late in the afternoon to find a large butterfly resting on his nose. He blinked a few times and stared at it. It opened and closed its wings a few times before flying away. He sat up and put his had on a stack of clothes. What? He picked them up and realized that they were just his size. He quickly stripped off his old torn robes and put these new clothes on. They felt great! When he tried to put the boots on, he found a piece of paper in one. It was a note.
Kage,
I came to bury you but I saw that you were alive. So I thought you might like some different clothing. If you had anything to do with my mysterious riches, thank you. I will not tell Lina, because I hope to keep it for a while. I suggest you go find your own identity.
-- Zelgadis.
Kopii smiled, tucked the letter in his pocket, and set off in the direction of Rezo's house. He whistled slightly off-key as he walked. He was pretty sure he had left the house standing…
As it turned out, the house was a big pile of rubble. Kopii quickly used a levitation spell to lift the debris off of the floor. He pocketed Eris's money when he found it. Finally, he got down to the floor, which at least protected the basement. He went down the stairs, hearing high-pitched cries of alarm. The little kopiis had all run to the basement to avoid getting crushed, and they rushed out to greed him now. He smiled at them. Then he looked up at Vrumugun. He teleported the mage out of the tank, cleaning and clothing him with the blink of an eye. While he explained everything to Vrumugun, he found his comb and green rubber band. He once more pulled his hair back into a ponytail. It had grown longer over time, as had Vrumugun's limp brown hair.
Gathering up the 30 or so remaining kopiis, Kopii and Vrumugun went up the stairs and away from the rubble of the house.
"Where will you go?" Kopii asked Vrumugun.
"I will go to Seyruun," Vrumugun said. "I did not have a chance to visit the library there before. Then I may go try to find Zangulus again."
"Here, take some money with you," Kopii said, pouring half of Eris's money into another sack. "Don't worry, it's Eris's. And you should take some kopiis, too."
Vrumugun took the money, but then he hesitated. "The kopiis may not be a wise idea. And they may not wish to come with me."
Hearing this, the kopiis all laughed. A few of them leapt from Kopii's head, shoulders, and arms to Vrumugun's cloak. They clung there and giggled at him. He smiled slightly back at them.
"In that case, I would love to take some," he said, gathering them up to set them on his shoulders. Some climbed up to his head or into the neck of his cloak. "They will make my journey far more pleasant."
So Kopii and Vrumugun parted ways with their kopiis. Kopii went to live in a small village near a forest right by the mazoku barrier. They had, of course, heard of Rezo, but it didn't matter. They were friendly, though he was shy at first. He spent most of his days healing people and occasionally protecting the village from raiders. He was well-known for his own deeds. He was completely at peace with Rezo now, and the whole world as well. Zangulus and Vrumugun came to visit him once, as did Zelgadis. Xellos even came to see how he was doing. They all commented on the great pleasure he seemed to get out of life, and they were right. He often dreamed of Rezo, who also seemed very happy.
The tall kopii could often be seen running through fields or down hills. Sometimes the villagers said when he did this, a shimmering redness seemed to cling to him. When they told him this, he just smiled. "That's okay," he said. "He can come too."
Endnote: I meant to kill off Kopii, but I got way too attached to him. I couldn't. He deserves a happy ending. So now he's around if I want to use him again. Does this beg for a sequel? Tell me what you thought. Thank you all for reviewing, you're wonderful!