DanMachi: It's destined to lose its self.

The speed of falling into the abyss of despair was increasing. Kopii felt his balance slipping away, like sand through his fingers. He jerked frantically, trying in vain to grasp the fleeting reality, and collapsed onto the cold stone floor. A desperate thought pierced his mind: "No! I can't die! I must go on!" He tried to get up, but his disobedient body refused to obey. "Get up, damn body, move!" Kopii shouted into the emptiness, realizing that losing consciousness was tantamount to death within these cursed dungeon walls. If not from monsters, then from blood loss. "It's useless… Why is my body so weak, so useless? Why am I so insignificant?" The only thing keeping Kopii on the edge of oblivion was an all-consuming thirst - a thirst for life, a thirst for more.

But even this insatiable thirst couldn't heal his wounded body. Hope, like a fragile sprout, pushed through the thick layer of despair, but its light was not enough to dispel the darkness. Kopii didn't give up. The pain no longer mattered. If his legs failed, there were still his arms. He began to crawl forward, leaving behind a bloody trail of scraped skin and tattered clothing. He simply wanted to rely on luck, on a fleeting encounter with adventurers - it was his only, ghostly hope for salvation.

Kopii's fingers were worn to the bone, but he continued to crawl, clinging to life with his last strength. He wanted to live, wanted to laugh, wanted to taste food, but the hope of salvation dwindled with each passing second. His body went numb, his senses dulled. He could no longer hear anything, see anything. Kopii could no longer move. He gave up. If even his own body had betrayed him, there was no point in continuing this pointless agony. Consciousness slowly faded, plunging him into the abyss of darkness.

"Everyone has a destiny, Kopii. A hero dies defending everyone – that's his destiny," the caregiver said, gently taking his little hand and leading him back to the orphanage. "They don't want to play with me and they keep taking my toys… Is that my destiny too?" Kopii said with sadness in his voice.

"Yes, Kopii. That is your destiny. When you were born, your destiny was already predetermined. And not just you, everyone has one, even the gods."

"The gods?" Kopii whispered in surprise.

"Yes, Kopii. Destiny is boundless, it is everywhere. It is everything in this world. Without destiny, no living being can exist."

"And… me… if I don't like my destiny, can I change it? I don't want them to tease me, I just want them to play with me."

"Destiny is unchangeable, Kopii." After these words, Kopii became even gloomier. "But you should try to befriend them. Maybe your destiny is to become friends with them in the end. Kopii, don't be upset." But these words brought no comfort, and the caregiver, noticing his sadness, hastened to add:

"But I heard that destiny can be changed if you try. Just believe in yourself and never give up." She stroked Kopii's head. After these words, he looked at the caregiver's face with hope in his eyes and asked:

"Really?"

"Yes, Kopii. If you try and work hard, you can achieve anything you want. I believe in you." She picked Kopii up and kissed him on the forehead. "Let's go quickly, it's getting dark."

"You're not lying to me, are you?"

"Of course not. How can I lie to such a sweet boy like you?" Kopii was embarrassed by these words and hid his face in her shoulder.

"Oh, look who's blushing!" Hearing this, Kopii pressed even closer to her and blushed even more.

"That's a lie! I'm not blushing! Lie, lie!" Kopii said indignantly. She just laughed sweetly and said:

"Okay, Kopii, you're not blushing."

Kopii raised his face and, looking into the face of his caregiver, proudly declared: "Yes! That's right! I'm not blushing!"

The caregiver smiled and carried Kopii into the orphanage building. Inside it was warm and cozy, smelled of freshly baked bread. She sat him at a table, where plates with dinner were already set for the other children. Kopii, a little encouraged by the caregiver's words, glanced at the children sitting opposite him. They were discussing something lively, not paying attention to him.

He mustered up courage and said quietly: "Hello." In response - only a short glance and silence. Kopii felt how the hope, barely born in his heart, began to fade. He lowered his head and began to eat, trying to ignore the laughter and conversations around him.

"We used to be friends… Why can't they play with me now? Is it because of how the village treats me?" Kopii chewed without appetite, poking at his plate with a fork. Memories of the past, when they all ran together on the lawn, played hide and seek and shared sweets, now seemed like a distant dream. What had changed? Why had they become so distant? Was it all because of the whispers of adults, their sidelong glances and warnings?

He stole a glance at one of the boys, with whom he had once been inseparable. He was now enthusiastically telling something to the others, and didn't even seem to notice Kopii. Inside, everything constricted from resentment and disappointment. The caregiver's words about believing in oneself and the possibility of changing fate echoed in his head, but now seemed empty and meaningless.

After finishing dinner, Kopii got up from the table and quietly left the dining room. He wanted to hide so that no one would see his tears. He went to his room, where there was twilight. He sat on the bed, hugged his knees and wept quietly. "Why is that? What did I do wrong?" - he whispered through tears.

The caregiver just watched Kopii cry. She couldn't force the other children to play with him. She knew that the children of the villagers said that if they played with him, they would no longer play with them. She roughly understood why he was being treated this way. He was different from the other children: he had dark, as dark as darkness, hair and the same eyes.

When Kopii came running to her in tears and complained that he was being bullied and called names, he just fought back. And they complained to their parents, and it was always Kopii who was to blame.

Parents came to the orphanage and complained about Kopii. We couldn't do anything. After all, our orphanage depended on this village, because of this we punished Kopii.

The caregiver quietly entered the room and sat next to Kopii on the bed. She hugged him and pressed him to herself. "Hush, Kopii, hush," she whispered, stroking his head. "Everything will be alright. You are strong, you can handle it." She knew that her words wouldn't change the situation overnight, but hoped that they would give Kopii at least some comfort and hope.

Kopii pressed against her, and his tears gradually subsided. He felt the warmth and care of the caregiver and knew that she would always be there, no matter what. He raised his head and looked at her with his dark eyes, full of gratitude and trust.

"You lied to me… Destiny cannot be changed."

"Kopii, you can't change your destiny so quickly. You need to try and move forward, despite everything, and then your determination and desire will be able to change destiny. Nothing is so easy to change in this world. So just try and never give up."

"I don't want to wait that long… I want everything at once."

"You must be patient. There's no need to rush anywhere, Kopii."

Kopii turned away from the caregiver, his shoulders trembled again. "Why should I be patient? Why can they play and laugh, and I have to wait until my destiny changes? It's unfair!"

The caregiver sighed. She understood his impatience and resentment, but knew that there were no instant solutions. "Kopii, I understand that you want everything at once. But that's not how it works in life. Just as a flower doesn't bloom in an instant, so fate doesn't change at the snap of your fingers. It takes time, effort and faith in yourself."

She took his hand and looked him in the eye. "Remember I said you have to try? That means you have to be strong, despite what others say to you. Prove to them that you are no worse than them. Show them what a wonderful person you are. And then, maybe, they will want to be friends with you."

Kopii wiped away his tears and looked at the caregiver with doubt. "And if they don't want to?"

The caregiver smiled. "Then you will know that you have done everything you could. And you can find other friends who will appreciate you for who you are. The main thing is not to give up and believe in yourself." She hugged Kopii again and said: "Now come on, wash your face and go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a new day, and you will have a new opportunity to change your destiny."

"Oh, look, there's someone lying there."

"Who is it? Do you know him?"

"No, I've never seen him before."

"He's still breathing. How can he be alive with such wounds on his body? He has a great willpower, it's quite commendable."

"Why don't you try to heal him?"

"Okay."

Two unknown people healed Kopii.