Chapter Text
The morning arrived far more quietly than Wemmbu expected.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he woke up in his own bed instead of against a stone wall beneath the earth. The familiar ceiling above him, the shelves lining the opposite wall, and the faint orange glow leaking through the windows should have brought him comfort. Instead, they only reminded him how unnatural everything had become. Home no longer felt as safe as it once had. Every ordinary object seemed to carry an invisible question behind it, as though the certainty he had always associated with this place had disappeared somewhere during the days he spent underground.
He remained where he was for several minutes, staring at the ceiling while trying to convince himself that the previous day hadn't been another strange dream. The conversations with everyone, the impossible memories they all shared, the realization that someone had walked through his life pretending to be him... none of it felt real enough to belong in the same world as the quiet morning surrounding him.
A soft knock echoed from the door.
"You awake?" Egg called.
Wemmbu rubbed his eyes before sitting up.
"Yeah."
"I made breakfast."
For the first time since returning home, a faint smile crossed Wemmbu's face.
"I'll be down in a minute."
After changing into clean he paused briefly in front of the mirror hanging beside the door. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps he simply wanted reassurance.
The reflection staring back at him looked exactly as it always had. The same dark horns curved from the sides of his head, his long purple hair fell messily across his forehead, and his wings rested naturally against his back, still carrying the faint marks left behind from the crash. There was nothing unusual about his appearance.
Yet he couldn't stop looking. For several long seconds he found himself studying his own face more carefully than he ever had before, noticing details that had never mattered until now.
The slight scar beneath his left eye. The uneven way one strand of hair always refused to stay in place. The tiny scratch running across the handle of Gambit from a fight months ago. They were such insignificant details that nobody else would ever notice them. But he did, because they were his. The thought unsettled him more than he cared to admit. Eventually he looked away and headed downstairs.
Egg was already sitting at the table, absentmindedly turning a mug between his hands while a small plate of food rested nearby. Judging by the dark circles beneath his eyes, he hadn't slept much.
"You look worse than yesterday," Wemmbu said as he sat down.
Egg let out a quiet laugh.
"I could say the same thing."
For a little while neither of them mentioned the previous night. Instead they spoke about ordinary things. Whether Parrot had ever finished rebuilding the bridge everyone kept talking about. It was such a normal conversation that, for several precious minutes, Wemmbu almost managed to forget everything else.
"So..." Egg eventually said, setting his mug down. "What do you actually want to do today?"
Wemmbu didn't answer immediately. He had been asking himself that same question ever since waking up.
A part of him wanted to investigate the underground complex immediately. Another part wanted to search for whoever had been impersonating him. And a much quieter part simply wanted to spend one ordinary day with his friends, pretending nothing had happened.
"I honestly don't know."
Egg nodded slowly.
"I figured."
Silence settled between them again, though this time it wasn't uncomfortable.
"We'll figure it out," Egg said eventually. "Whatever's going on... we'll figure it out together."
Wemmbu looked up.
"You really believe that?"
"I have to."
The answer was simple. There wasn't any grand speech behind it. Just honesty.
Before Wemmbu could respond, a loud knock echoed through the front door.
Egg frowned.
"That's... early."
Wemmbu stood first.
"I'll get it."
He crossed the room and pulled the door open. Standing outside was Parrot. His breathing was uneven, as though he had flown there as quickly as he could, yet there was no fear on his face. Only confusion.
"Wemmbu..." Parrot said slowly.
"There you are."
Wemmbu frowned.
"Yeah?"
Parrot blinked once. His expression became even more confused.
"I... thought you were at Spawn."
The words hung in the air. Wemmbu glanced toward Egg. Egg had already stood up.
"What do you mean?" Egg asked.
Parrot looked between them.
"I literally saw him ten minutes ago."
Neither Wemmbu nor Egg said anything. Parrot's confusion deepened.
"He waved at me."
The room suddenly felt much colder than it had a moment before. Wemmbu slowly shook his head.
"...I've been here all morning."
This hit the group like a heavy weight. Until now, everything had been based on memories and conversations that had already happened. They had argued over what people remembered, trying to determine whether someone had mistaken the past.
Now there was no past to question. Someone had seen him only minutes ago. Egg looked around at everyone before finally breaking the silence.
"If he's still out there, we might actually be able to find him."
Parrot looked toward the sky through the open doorway.
"He can't have gone far."
Theo nodded.
"I only left Spawn because I thought he was heading back here."
"So did I," Flame added. "He wasn't flying fast. If anything, it almost looked like he wanted people to notice him."
That sentence immediately caught Wemmbu's attention.
"...Wanted?"
Flame frowned slightly.
"I don't know. It just felt strange. He wasn't trying to hide."
Egg thought about that for a moment.
"If that's true... If the fake Wemmbu wasn't hiding, then maybe he wanted to be followed."
The thought made Wemmbu uneasy.
"We should stick together" he said.
Everyone looked toward him.
"If that's really the person who took me..." he continued carefully, "...then he already knows all of us. Separating is exactly what he'd want."
After everything that had happened, the suggestion seemed obvious.
Within only a few minutes everyone had gathered their weapons and supplies. Wings and elytras unfolded one after another as armor was adjusted and fireworks were checked. The ordinary sounds of preparation felt strangely reassuring. It reminded Wemmbu of countless adventures they had gone on together before any of this started.
Yet this felt different. Normally they knew what they were chasing. Today they didn't even know who.
Wemmbu stepped beside Egg.
"Sorry bro but you can't come with us. It's too dangerous for you."
"Yeah I know I would me more like a burden to you."
Wemmbu tightened the strap holding Gambit against his side. Without another word, the group launched into the air. The morning sky stretched endlessly above them as they climbed higher, the wind rushing past while the landscape below quickly shrank into forests, rivers and scattered buildings. From above, the server looked peaceful, almost unchanged from every other day they had spent flying together.
Only this time every movement below demanded attention. Every player walking through the distance. Every figure standing on a rooftop. Every pair of wings crossing the horizon.
For the first twenty minutes they found nothing. Spawn looked as normal as it could looking at the fact that it was
Just as Spoke was about to suggest searching elsewhere, a player waved toward them from below.
"Hey!" he shouted.
The group landed almost immediately. Parrot stepped forward.
"Have you seen Wemmbu?"
The player laughed.
"Yeah."
Every member of the group stiffened.
"When?" Egg asked.
"Just now."
He pointed toward the western forest.
"He flew over there maybe... two minutes ago."
Everyone turned toward the direction without saying a word. Two minutes. They had missed him by two minutes.
"Let's go," Egg said.
The group took off again. This time nobody spoke during the flight. The atmosphere had changed completely. Every passing second mattered.
As they crossed the forest, Wemmbu searched desperately below, his eyes scanning every clearing, every riverbank and every hill for even the slightest movement. His heartbeat grew faster with every minute that passed. But there was nothing, only trees.
Then Parrot suddenly pointed ahead.
"There!"
Far in the distance, just above the treeline, a small figure disappeared behind the mountains. For only a second. But everyone had seen it. Purple hair, dark wings' fancy clothing. Wemmbu.
"There!" Theo shouted.
"He's heading north!"
Without hesitation, every one of them accelerated, fireworks exploding behind them as they surged forward through the sky.
The figure disappeared behind the mountains before they could close the distance.
But this time...
For the first time...
They all knew they weren't chasing a rumor anymore. They were chasing someone who wore Wemmbu's face. The distance between them and the mysterious figure never seemed to change.
Every time the group thought they had begun gaining ground, the person ahead would disappear behind another mountain, vanish beneath the canopy of a dense forest, or slip through a narrow valley that forced everyone following to change direction. It wasn't the desperate flight of someone trying to escape. The movements were smooth, almost calculated, as though every turn had been planned long before they ever took to the sky.
Wemmbu pushed himself harder, the wind roaring past his ears as he leaned forward, wings beating with enough force that the familiar ache left by his crash began returning. He ignored it completely.
He had spent days wondering who had imprisoned him. Now, for the first time, he believed he might finally get an answer.
"He's turning east!" Parrot shouted from ahead.
"I see him!" Flame answered.
The group banked sharply, following the figure as it disappeared between two enormous cliffs that towered high above the surrounding forest. The narrow passage forced everyone into a single line, leaving barely enough room to maneuver without scraping their wings against the stone.
For a brief moment, Wemmbu thought they had him. The canyon only had one exit. There was nowhere else to go. The figure flew through first. Wemmbu followed only seconds later. The canyon opened into a wide vThe morning arrived far more quietly than Wemmbu expected.
There was nothing. Not a cave. Not a portal.
Not even effect particles. It was as though the person they had been chasing had simply disappeared into thin air.
Wemmbu landed slowly near the center of the valley, his eyes scanning the ground. Something didn't feel right. Not because the figure had vanished. Because the valley itself seemed... untouched.
The grass hadn't been disturbed. No recently broken leaves lay beneath the trees.
The water flowed peacefully through the center without a single ripple suggesting someone had crossed it. Whoever had been here had left no trace whatsoever.
Flame walked over beside him.
"You thinking the same thing?"
Wemmbu nodded slightly.
"He wanted us here."
Flame looked around.
"You think this was a trap?"
"I don't know."
His voice remained quiet.
"But he knew we'd follow."
Nobody spoke after that.
The excitement of the chase had faded, replaced by a strange unease that settled over the entire group. Even Parrot, who was usually the first to suggest searching further, had stopped talking.
Spoke finally broke the silence.
"So... what now?"
Before anyone could answer, a distant voice echoed from somewhere beyond the cliffs.
"Over here!"
Everyone turned instantly.
It was anothert player. The stranger landed hurriedly near the entrance to the valley, clearly surprised to see the entire group gathered together.
"There you are!" he called. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
Wemmbu stepped forward.
"What happened?"
The player pointed back toward the direction he had come from.
"I just saw Wemmbu."
The words froze everyone in place. Wemmbu stared at him.
"...What?"
"He was standing on top of the roof of the destroyed Law HQ."
Theo frowned.
"That's impossible."
"It isn't far from here," the player continued. "Maybe a minute's flight."
Parrot slowly looked toward Wemmbu. The real Wemmbu hadn't moved. He had been standing in this valley the entire time.
Which meant...
While they had all been searching this place...
Someone wearing Wemmbu's face had calmly appeared somewhere else on the server. Far enough away that he couldn't possibly have flown there in time. The realization struck everyone at once. They had never been catching up. They had been chasing exactly where he wanted them to go. And while every single one of them had been distracted... He had simply moved on to the next place.
Nobody spoke after that.
The player eventually apologized for interrupting before taking off again, completely unaware of the confusion he had left behind. As the sound of his elytra faded into the distance, the valley became silent once more, though the silence no longer felt peaceful. It pressed against the group, leaving each of them alone with the same unsettling conclusion.
Whoever they were chasing had never intended to escape. He had been controlling the chase from the very beginning.
Theo was the first to break the silence.
"We're done following him."
Several heads turned toward him.
"What?" Parrot asked.
Egg looked around at everyone before continuing.
"Think about it. Every time we arrive somewhere, somebody tells us he was somewhere else. Every direction we've taken has come from someone who genuinely believes they just saw Wemmbu."
Theo slowly crossed his arms.
"So?"
"So he's choosing where we go."
The words settled heavily over the group. Nobody argued because there was nothing to argue with. Every decision they had made since leaving the base had come from another witness claiming they had just missed him.
Not once had they chosen their own direction. Not once had they been ahead of him. Flame let out a quiet sigh.
"So what do we do?"
Theo remained silent for a moment before turning toward Wemmbu.
"What would you do?"
The question caught him slightly off guard.
For most of the day Parrot had been making the decisions, keeping everyone focused whenever confusion threatened to take over. Now, for the first time, he stepped back. Wemmbu looked across the valley. At the narrow entrance through which they had all flown only minutes earlier. Everything suddenly seemed different.
"He wants us to keep chasing him." Wemmbu said quietly.
"I think so too." Added Mapicc.
"Then we stop."
Parrot frowned.
"...Just stop?"
"We go home."
The sentence surprised everyone. Mapicc looked genuinely confused.
"We're just... giving up?"
"No." Wemmbu shook his head.
"We're doing the one thing he probably isn't expecting."
Parrot looked toward the sky.
"But what if he gets away?"
Wemmbu couldn't help letting out a quiet laugh, though there was very little humor behind it.
"He was never caught in the first place."
Nobody replied. Deep down, they all knew he was right. The chase had never belonged to them. It had belonged to whoever wore Wemmbu's face.
~~~~~~~
The journey back felt strangely different from the flight that had brought them there. Earlier, everyone had flown with urgency, constantly scanning the ground below for movement.
Now... Nobody searched anymore. The forests drifted beneath them. Rivers shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. Mountains passed by without a second glance. The entire server looked exactly as it always had. And somehow that made everything worse. Because somewhere below, someone who looked exactly like Wemmbu could have been standing in plain sight, speaking with another player, asking another quiet question, while they flew overhead without ever noticing.
After nearly half an hour, the familiar outline of their base appeared on the horizon. Nobody spoke as they landed. The excitement that had driven them throughout the day had long since disappeared, replaced by exhaustion and frustration. Parrot removed his helmet first.
"I hate this."
"So do I." Flame admitted.
"It feels like we're playing somebody else's game."
Lomedy looked toward Wemmbu.
"I don't think today's a complete loss."
Wemmbu raised an eyebrow.
"We learned something."
"What?"
Lomedy's expression became more serious.
"He wants to be seen."
Everyone looked at him.
"If he wanted to stay hidden, nobody would've noticed him. Instead he keeps appearing in places where someone is guaranteed to recognize you."
The realization made the entire day suddenly fit together. Every appearance had happened somewhere another player would naturally pass by.
Not hidden. Displayed. Almost... Like an announcement.
Wemmbu slowly looked toward the darkening sky.
"...Then maybe he's tired of hiding."
The words had barely left his mouth when a voice answered from somewhere behind them.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out."
Every single person froze.
The voice... Was Wemmbu's.
Identical in every possible way. Slowly... Very slowly... They all turned toward the edge of the clearing. Nobody questioned the player any further.
"See you at the Jaden's place." Then the voice teleported away.
Quickly very member of the group launched into the air almost simultaneously, wings unfolding in a rush of feathers and other stuff they accelerated toward the mysterious person. The atmosphere had changed completely. Nobody spoke during the flight. There was nothing left to discuss.
Either they would find another dead end...
Or they would finally meet the person who had been hiding behind Wemmbu's face.
The Great Sea came into view several minutes later. Then did Pirate Civilization.
But it wasn’t the main island. It was like an abandoned island far away from the heart of the civilization. There was a building or was. It looked abandoned and stood alone on top of the island overlooking the surrounding water, its upper floors partially collapsed after years of neglect. Cracked stone bricks lay in piles.
The group landed cautiously. Nobody rushed inside. Egg instinctively stepped closer to Wemmbu, while everyone else spread out just enough to watch every possible direction without separating completely. Only the wind moved.
"You sure this was the place?" Theo asked quietly.
The player who had guided them nodded.
"I saw him standing right there."
He pointed toward the highest remaining section of the tower. Everyone followed his hand. Nothing.
Wemmbu slowly walked forward. Every instinct told him something was wrong. The silence wasn't peaceful. It felt... expectant. As though the place itself were waiting.
He climbed the broken stairs one careful step at a time, Gambit resting loosely in his hand while Crucible remained secured on his back. Dust shifted beneath his boots, and fragments of loose stone occasionally tumbled from the damaged staircase, disappearing into the overgrown courtyard below.
When he finally reached the highest platform, he found it empty. He looked across the endless forest stretching toward the horizon. No sign of anyone.
Behind him, Egg reached the top of the stairs.
"Anything?"
Wemmbu slowly shook his head.
"No..."
Before he could finish, a quiet sound echoed behind them. Every one heard it and turned their head at once.
Someone stood on one of the broken stone arches overlooking the tower. Nobody had seen him arrive. For a brief moment, nobody understood what they were looking at.
Then reality settled in. It was like looking into a mirror. Except the reflection smiled first.
Nobody moved. Parrot's eyes widened. Flame lowered his weapon without realizing it. Lomedy simply stared.
Spoke looked from one Wemmbu to the other several times, unable to immediately tell which one he had looked at first. Even Mapicc, who almost never showed surprise, remained completely frozen. Wemmbu was the first to recover.
He stepped in front of Egg without taking his eyes off the stranger.
"...Who are you?"
The stranger tilted his head ever so slightly. His expression remained calm. Almost curious. He studied each member of the group one after another before finally allowing his gaze to settle on Wemmbu himself. When their eyes met, neither of them looked away.
The resemblance was almost perfect. Close enough that, if they had been standing alone, even Wemmbu wasn't entirely sure what another person would notice first.
The stranger's smile widened just enough to become unsettling.
"I've been looking forward to this."
The voice was identical to his. It was Wemmbu's own voice speaking back to him.
A cold silence settled over the ruined tower. The stranger took one slow step forward onto the cracked stone, completely unafraid despite being outnumbered. His eyes never left Wemmbu.
Then, with the same calm smile he had worn from the moment he appeared, he spoke again.
"Nice to finally see you without hiding my face."
For the first time since all of this had begun, the nightmare was no longer hidden beneath memories, missing days, or unanswered questions. It was standing directly in front of them.