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Karl jerked upward. His breath was coming in short gasps, eyes wide and panicked.After a few moments he was able to calm himself down, realizing he is safe now.
His mind wouldn’t let him forget the feeling of a sword piercing through his body. The coldness forming inside him as his vision went black...
He had just ended another adventure. A different version of Tubbo, taking Karl’s life after the unsatisfied king demanded for it. It was always extremely unsettling for Karl to see different people with different lives, wearing the same faces as those around Karl in another time.
It was even more unsettling when he’d watch those with the same faces as his loved ones. When he would watch them die...
He knew he had to write down the words, the knowledge of the other timeline...but first he had to see Sapnap and Quackity. He wanted to see them smile again and hug then once more. He wanted to feel safe again.
Karl got up from his spot on the ground and took out his compass. It looked like he was in the middle of a forest. There was some snow on the ground, and he slightly wondered if he was near Snowchester. His compass would lead him back to the Community House though. From there he would know where to go.
With that he began to walk.
_________________________________________
As he was nearing the Community House, he already spotted one of the people he was searching for. Karl’s heart was filled with relief and gratitude at the luck.
Quackity stood ahead, eyes down and locked onto a paper that was in his hands. His eyes shot up when he heard Karl approaching.
“Oh thank God you are here Quackity. I-“ Karl started.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Quackity’s cold voice stopped Karl in his tracks.
“I....” Karl started, voice unsteady and traced with confusion and concern. He had missed the other man greatly. It has been a long time since he had spoken with either Quackity or Sapnap, due to Karl’s travels to other times. He knew his emotions were unstable, and he didn’t want his fiances to see him in such a way. He knew that the moment they saw him, they would see how much of a wreck he was.
So he avoided them.
But...it hasn’t been too long. At most, maybe it’s been a week since he had last seen either of his beloveds, Quackity slightly longer since he seemed too busy to be around at the time.
Karl quickly tried to think of what could have happened since then that could have caused such a change in the man in front of him...
But there was nothing.
“I asked, what the fuck do you think you are doing?” Quackity’s voice brought Karl’s panicked mind back to the present.
“I....I missed you. I was looking for you. You and Sapnap...” Karl began, but stopped when he saw the enraged look in his lover’s eyes after the first few words left his mouth.
“Oh you missed me? That’s rich. This coming from the guy who forgot all about me, who went off and made an entire nation, conveniently without me. You and Sapnap can have each other!” Quackity yelled out with anger. His last word ended with a voice break, his pain showing through. He snapped his mouth shut and began to stalk away.
Karl reacted before his mind could catch up to what just happened, and he quickly moved towards the hurt man, arm outstretched...
Only to snatch his hand back when an axe moved quickly through the air, where his hand was moments prior.
“Don’t.” Quackity gritted out, axe suddenly in hand with a deadly look in his eyes as he stared Karl down. He must have taken it out of his inventory when he heard Karl approaching again.
That was the only word he let out before throwing an enderpearl and teleporting away from Karl’s sight.
Karl didn’t bother trying to stop the tears from coming down now.
_________________________________________
Karl was on the move again.
He had to find him.
Find Sapnap.
He thought he told Quackity about Kinoko Kingdom. He really did.
‘Did I imagine it?’
‘Are my memories lying to me?’
‘Did I really forget Quackity?’
He had to find Sapnap. Surely he would know.
He was running and running, mind empty, having panic and fear taken place within his head.
He had to find Sapnap.
He had to find Sapnap.
He had to....
He stopped running, realizing he was hyperventilating. He stood there, bent over with his hands on his knees, fighting to breathe.
‘It’s gonna be okay.’
He kept repeating this to himself until he felt his breathing was more under control.
This didn’t stop his eyes from turning glassy once more.
‘Stop, don’t think.’ Karl told himself, trying to prevent himself from breaking down again.
Then he heard a voice.
An extremely familiar voice.
His head snapped up, and there he spotted him.
Sapnap was there, looking to his left where George was. They were in the middle of a conversation, walking to a destination unknown to Karl.
Karl wasn’t too sure where they were, or what exactly was happening. All he cared about right then was that Sapnap was there.
‘Thank God!’
Karl wasted no time running up to Sapnap, slamming into him with an immediate hug. He heard a noise from Sapnap, the sound of his breath leaving him for a moment at the sudden impact. He felt guilty, but was more relieved over the fact that Sapnap looked safe and sound.
‘We can work this out together, no more secrets. I can’t lose him too. We can talk to Quackity and-‘
Karl’s thoughts stopped when Sapnap placed his hands onto Karl’s shoulders and shoved him off.
The man stumbled back, confused by the man’s actions. He looked at Sapnap’s face, and his heart sank when he saw the irritated look he was recieving.
‘No....’
“You...you don’t hate me too, do you Sapnap?” Karl spoke out, worried.
“Hate you? No I don’t hate you-“ Sapnap started.
‘Oh thank G-‘
“-I don’t even know who you are.” Sapnap finished.
“...What?” Karl eventually replied.
“I don’t fucking know you. Sorry for being rude, but I don’t like random people coming up and nearly tackling me to the ground out of the blue.” Sapnap said with hostility in his voice. George stood by the side, watching with confusion at the scene. At Karl.
‘None of them remember...’
“I...I’m your fiance...” Karl said, his voice shakey once again.
“Fiance? I’m sorry but, I think you have the wrong person.” Sapnap replied. He almost looked guilty at having to be the one to tell Karl the bad news.
“No! I-I’m not wrong! I can prove it! You’re name is Sapnap. Your nickname is Pandas. You're best friends are Dream and George. You have a fish named Mars. You like visiting the Nether because it’s warm there. You-“ Karl rattled on, panic and desperation lacing his voice as he walked forwards towards his apparent fiance.
He only stopped when he felt a sharp prickle into his chest.
During Karl’s speech, Sapnap had taken out his sword from his inventory when Karl started walking towards him. Right now, the only thing seperating them was Sapnap’s sword. Karl looked at his lover’s face.
He saw nothing but uneasiness and panic.
“You fucking stalker. What the fuck....” Sapnap said in a shaking voice. Sapnap’s hand was slightly shaking as well, fearful over the fact that an apparent stranger somehow knew so much about him and his personal life.
“No, Sapnap please-“ Karl said quickly, trying to brush the sword aside and grab Sapnap’s shoulders. He wanted him to focus and hear the truth in his words.
But....Karl felt a sudden sharp pain through his body. A burning pain spreading through his torso and chest.
Sapnap had sliced into him, deep and lethal.
Karl didn’t know when he fell. He just knew he was now staring at the grass right in front of his face.
Quackity hated him.
Sapnap didn’t know who he was.
He never felt as truly alone as he did in the moment.
His vision went black as he heard muffled voices around him and an all too familiar coldness within his body.
His eyes closed, never to open again.