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The wedding was in two days.
And the couple was beyond excited, talking late into the night about how they’d finally be joined together as one, how they’d wanted this for so long, holding each other and murmuring sweet nothings and promises until they fell asleep in one another’s arms It was typically with Karl curled face first into Sapnap’s chest with Sapnap’s chin brushing his hair, Karl’s hands on Sapnap’s sides, Sapnap’s arm thrown across his torso.
The wedding was in two days, and yet Karl felt a pull.
It was undeniable and it wasn’t something he could throw away. It was an obligation. He would have to time travel again. He would have to risk his life, again, just before his wedding.
And he couldn’t tell Sapnap. This late into their relationship the man knew about his adventures, but this? Karl couldn’t worry him like this, could he?
But besides that, did he even have the time?
At the very thought the pull became infinitely more intense, and Karl was swept through. His breath was punched out of him, and he had no choice but to succumb and feel the present dissipate before him, eyes rolling into the back of his head until he suddenly fell onto his hands and knees on solid ground.
Karl gasped to catch his breath before slowly rising to gain his wits about him. He’d fallen into a corridor of sorts made out of dark red brick. And the heat was just short of staggering, forcing Karl to shed his sweater and wrap it around his waist before he overheated.
When he walked to the window before him and saw great lakes and oceans of lava, he realized with sudden dread that he was in the nether. He’d never time traveled to a nether fortress like this before. And the history of nether fortresses were particularly difficult; one could only imagine how hard it was to obtain information about their ancient peoples if their transcripts and stories could be burned at a moment’s notice. If he had gone into the past, it would be both a good and bad thing. Good because he’d likely obtain valuable information, and bad because he had no idea what to expect. Nether fortresses weren’t exactly “safe.”
Karl jumped at the sudden voices echoing down the hall and ducked for cover behind a pillar. He clasped his hands over his mouth and slowly peered around the corner as the voices grew closer. They were speaking a language he was woefully unfamiliar with. And Karl had gotten around, he knew almost every language there was to exist. It only made him more certain that he was deep into the past, or that he’d found a lost civilization.
A pair of wither skeletons and a blaze strode by, and Karl paled. He had no weapons on him, and even when he ventured to the nether back home Sapnap was always with him to keep him safe. If Karl got himself into a bad situation, it would be unlikely he would be able to get himself out.
Once their footsteps faded away Karl started down the corridor in the opposite direction. Everytime he heard footsteps he launched himself to stand flat against the wall, holding his breath until they passed. He needed to get out and hopefully find a nether portal. Why, of all places, would he be dropped here in time? Was the Inbetween trying to kill him or something?
Eventually he saw light at the end of the tunnel, and began to tear faster down the hall. He could just make out netherrack, soul sand, and the rest of the typical rough terrain that was of the nether at the end. He was just about to formulate a plan on how he was to get down from the nether fortress to the netherrack ten blocks beneath him until he heard a baby’s crying.
Karl stilled, his blood running cold.
Why would there be a child here? And besides that, wasn’t it dangerous for them to be crying like that? What if they attracted attention and got hurt? Was that a human child?
Karl looked back down at the netherrack, his chance of freedom. The Inbetween hardly wanted him to be here, he knew he was meant to make his way to some sort of portal nearby, but yet… he couldn’t just leave this child without ensuring they were okay, right?
“Honk.” Karl muttered, and turned over his shoulder toward where he heard the baby’s crying. The expletive was mostly just to humor himself, because he was downright terrified, but he definitely felt the notion behind it.
He stopped at a window in the corridor to see if he could simply peer and spot the source of the sound, and as he squinted he realized he just barely could. A small human child, sitting all by themselves, bawling. It broke Karl’s heart. He didn’t have too much experience with children, and he and Sapnap had never talked about kids before, but he couldn’t deny the tugging at his heart. If he could save this baby, if he could protect it from the fortress, he thought it would be worth risking his life. Karl couldn’t bring himself to leave the poor child behind.
He began back down the hall, faster and faster until he was closing in. The child was sitting out in the open, on a bridge connecting two of the towers. Karl took a left and found himself smiling despite his terror. At the sound of his footsteps the baby turned and looked up at him, curious of Karl as he came closer. Their cries died down and Karl smiled at them. They were wearing a diaper and an orange shirt burnt around the edges and stained through with ash. The baby began to babble, and Karl knelt so that he was at their height as the baby rose to their feet.
“Baba, adu abba ya?” The baby was speaking nonsense, and was standing on shaky legs. They were just learning how to walk, and Karl reached out to steady them, grabbing their small hands in his and letting the baby latch on.
“Hey little one, why don’t we get out of here? We’ll go find your mom and dad.” Karl said, and the baby tilted their head to the side with wide eyes. When Karl moved to pick them up under their armpits, the baby didn’t struggle and was glad to make themselves comfortable in Karl’s arms, resting on his hip. Karl smiled victoriously for only a second before a sense of dread fell over him.
Now how was he supposed to escape with a baby? Karl supposed he could go back to where he was and try and jump, taking the brunt of the fall, but did he really want to risk that? What if somehow the baby got hurt? He would never forgive himself.
Karl didn’t have much time to ponder any more. Over his shoulder he heard shouting, and when he turned to see what was happening he saw a group of blazes and withers staring at him. For a second neither party moved, staring at each other. The baby continued happily babbling, and Karl swallowed. When one of the blazes shrieked, Karl broke into a sprint.
He didn’t have to look to know that the group was chasing after him, and cradled the baby’s head to his chest despite their complaints. Karl had nowhere to run, no idea where to go. He needed to hope he’d find an exit soon, and fast. He yelped as a blaze’s fireball whipped by him, and when the baby began to babble once more, struggling to break free from his hands. Karl refused, and hugged them tighter.
For minutes the chase dragged on, and Karl was running out of options. For all the commotion they were causing, he wasn’t surprised to chance a glance over his shoulder and see that more withers and blazes had joined them in pursuit. Karl found a set of stairs at the end of the hallway and started up them, taking two steps at a time. When he reached the top he felt himself go sick immediately. There was nowhere to run, fenced in at all sides. He’d accidentally cornered himself. And with so many right on his tail, it would be impossible to jump the fence with the baby. He was done for.
He heaved and protectively clutched the baby to his chest, lower back solidly pressed to the rail behind him. He glared at the blazes and withers as they came closer, and braced himself for impact, arm shielding them both.
But the attack never came.
The entire group had stopped short and were simply looking at them. A wither skeleton stepped forward and tried to talk, its voice scratchy and distorted. Karl could barely make out words, and with a frightened groan he stepped farther away, the fence uncomfortably digging into his lower back now. Even if he could jump the fence, they would plummet straight toward lava. Karl and the baby were trapped.
Karl shook his head. “I-I don’t understand.” He stuttered nervously, and the skeleton exchanged a glance with a blaze. Karl had never seen this from blazes and wither skeletons before. He didn’t know they were capable of conversation. It was bizarre. Back home it was common knowledge to avoid both wither skeletons and blazes at all costs, because they would kill you. With what was playing out before him, Karl was confused. Why hadn’t they killed him already?
The baby began to babble again, and Karl bounced him to rest on his hip easier. He was poking at Karl’s face but Karl didn’t dare to take his eyes off of the group in front of him. They might have been being nice now, but they could be waiting to attack them when Karl’s guard was down.
The only time he looked away was when he heard a ghast scream. By habit he turned to the source of the sound and clutched the child even closer. They were getting even more fussy, but Karl didn’t care. He was determined to keep the child alive. When the ghast drew closer, Karl squinted and saw there was something on top of it. That was another first; he certainly had never seen that before. Several meters away the ghast lowered and came to a stop at the edge of a pier. Karl almost cried in relief when he realized it was a person who had been on the ghast. They jumped down from a saddle and began to make their way over to them.
Finally, Karl would get some sort of explanation and help. He was glad to see they were armed, sword attached to their hip and covered head to toe in iron armor. When they grew closer Karl expected a slaughter, for them to mow through the skeletons and blazes in front of them, but they didn’t. The skeletons and blazes cleared a path, and instead of reaching for their sword the person reached for their helmet. They tore it off and threw it to the ground, not stopping walking as they did so, revealing a full head of long, dark, curly hair. They were a woman with bright orange eyes and tanned skin, and Karl felt an alarming sense of déjà vu wash over him. The child in his arms began to struggle, and Karl looked at the baby in shock.
“Mama!” They cried, and Karl’s jaw dropped as the woman strode forward. Karl had no choice but to pass off the baby as they reached out to their mother, and the mother screamed in joy, tossing the baby in the air before kissing their forehead and cuddling them to her chest.
She turned to Karl seriously and began to speak in a tongue he didn’t understand. Dumbstruck, he stood there not knowing what to do, and the woman pulled out her sword and pointed it at him, balancing the baby on her opposite hip. The woman towered over him and held such ferocity in her eyes, and Karl yelped and put his hands over his head in surrender.
A blaze at her size leaned in close and whispered something in her ear, and understanding flashed in her eyes.
“You. Do you speak English?” She asked, and Karl’s shoulders dropped in relief.
“Yes, I do, I do!” He said quickly, and the woman did not lower her sword.
“What business do you have here?” She asked, and Karl trembled. She was terrifying, and Karl had a distant, ugly feeling that he knew her somehow.
“I was just passing through! Your baby was crying and alone, I thought he was in danger and just wanted to get him to safety. I— I thought they were going to kill him.” Karl rapidly explained, gesturing to the crowd of mobs that had formed behind her. She tilted her head to the side and studied him.
“I haven’t seen another human here in years. Has someone sent you?”
“N-No, I’m just a scholar.” Karl explained, and it was a bit of a lie but still held some veracity. The woman finally grinned.
“A scholar you say? Well why didn’t you say so, so am I! I’ve been studying the nether and have lived here for years, I’m so glad someone else finally has had the sense to explore it.” She said with an exaggerated sigh, and finally she dropped and sheathed her sword. Karl followed suit in letting his arms drop to his sides. Maybe he was supposed to be here after all.
“I would love to hear everything you’d have to say.” Karl said seriously, eager just to get out of his current predicament, and the woman’s face lit up.
“Ahh, I haven’t had someone from the outside to talk to in ages!” She exclaimed, and gestured for Karl to follow her. “I apologize if my English isn’t too good, we speak primarily Blazeon and some Piglin here.” She explained, and began to lead Karl down corridors with ease, the group dismantling behind them and going about their days, the baby bouncing good naturedly and content about her hip. “And don’t worry, you’re not the first to think that blazes and skeletons are evil. That’s why I’m here; they’re not evil, they’re misunderstood. In fact, I find they’re more humane than most humans.” She said, and Karl nodded, genuinely smiling for the first time since he’d been there. The woman was talkative, and he was glad for it.
They soon came to a small house in the fortress, and Karl had never seen anything like it. It was your typical house but made out of netherbrick, and instead of flowers there was netherwart and mushrooms growing. She placed the baby on the ground and it started crawling toward toys in the corner of the room. Karl saw something that resembled a shaker and another toy that resembled some type of stuffed animal. Karl finally glanced up to see the woman gesturing to a table, and he sat down across from her.
The woman smirked, curling her hand into a first and leaning her arm to the table. “I’m sorry, I never introduced myself. I’m Lalahon.” She said, and reached out her hand for him to shake. When his hand fell into her gloved one, he suppressed the urge to wince at her hearty shake. This woman was stupidly strong. And Karl already had a lot of respect for her; she was raising her child in a nether fortress, somehow befriended its residents, and was determined to learn of their history. Lalahon was fascinating.
“Karl.” He replied sheepishly and she laughed, tossing her massive mane of hair over her shoulder.
“What brings you here, Karl? What do you want to know?”
“I’d love to learn everything, if you don’t mind. Where I’m from there aren't many books or knowledge on nether history.” Karl said, and she nodded. Lalahon learned back in her chair and propped her feet up on her table, putting her arms behind her head.
“Many people don’t know how the nether works. And a few years ago, I didn’t either. A lot of people run by the mindset of act first and ask questions later. And when it comes to life or death, people are more likely to lash out. The nether is full or lava, people capable of launching fireballs at you, people equipped with swords, bows, armor. And it makes matters worse that they speak in a different tongue; the language barrier is downright deadly. I’m sure you found that out for yourself earlier.” She said, and Karl nodded, folding his hands to the table.
“I know a lot of languages, I was surprised to find there are some I still don’t know.” He admitted, and Lalahon smiled.
“When I first came here, they were all as scared of me as I was of them. Through context clues I was able to learn their language. My husband,” she said, shaking her head with a smile, “Was the first to attempt to learn English. He should be home soon.”
“Your husband?” Karl echoed, and she shrugged.
“Yeah. The nether works very mysteriously, I’d never heard of anything like it; it’s not something us humans could ever begin to understand. When they want, they can force themselves to appear in human form. They can morph, if you will. In our world it’s normal to see hybrids; people who are pigs, foxes, cows, turtles, birds. I’d like to think that back in ancient times animals in the overworld had the ability to do the same. We never see people who can morph from human all the way back into animal form, and they’re instead simply born as hybrids. Here in the nether, things are different.” Lalahon said, and Karl’s head was spinning. It made sense, and yet it hardly made any sense at all.
“In the nether, many still have the ability to morph into humans. But it comes to no surprise that most prefer their original forms. They’re more comfortable in their own skin, or shall I say bones or flames? So my husband and I had a child. He’ll be the first of his kind, and my goal is to show the outside world that the nether isn’t as scary as it seems. It’s my dream for people to visit and not jump on their instinct to attack. Deep down, they’re people just as we are, protecting their homes. And who are we to fault them for that?” She asked rhetorically, and it all made perfect sense. No wonder they didn’t have much knowledge, it was impossible when humans insisted on looting and killing in fortresses.
Before Lalahon could say anymore, the front door opened. A man stepped inside, and Karl looked him up and down in awe. He was clearly a blaze, flames rippling and tearing around his body. But he was surely in the form of a human.
He spoke in his native language, and Lalahon nodded at him.
“Yeah, we found him. This is Karl, he’s a scholar like me who’s come to learn about the nether.” She introduced, and Karl waved nervously. At the man’s hesitation and stern gaze, Lalahon rolled her eyes and fell forward so that all four of her chair legs hit the floor with a slam. “He’s the one who found the kid, actually.” She added, and his gaze softened.
“Karl,” he finally rasped, extending a hand. “Thank you for rescuing our son.” He said, and Karl took his hand, his palm warm against his. Karl noted that his grip was a lot less strong than his wife’s, and was grateful his hand didn’t break.
“The pleasure’s all mine, sir.” Karl bowed his head, and the husband moved to stand beside his wife.
“If you’d like, I could show you our library. I’ve documented a lot, if you’d like to see.” Lalahon offered, and Karl nodded excitedly. He hit the jackpot.
Before Lalahon could get up, the husband put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Has Pa… Pam… Pan…” He cut off in frustration, and Lalahon smiled patiently at him.
“It’s okay, take your time,” She murmured, and turned to Karl. “He’s trying to refer to our son,” she said, and reached down to pick up the baby who had crawled his way over to her leg. “He has a birthmark on his stomach and I decided to name him after it, but I hadn’t realized how hard it would be to say. The ‘duh’ sound isn't really in the Blazeon language.” As Lalahon’s husband continued to struggle, she finally reached out and put her hand on his arm. “Call him the name that’s easier, my love. Maybe we’ll have to change his name after all, huh?” She asked, and the husband rolled his eyes.
“Sapnap,” He rasped, “Has he eaten?”
Karl felt his heart drop at the other end of the table.
The déjà vu suddenly made a lot of sense. Looking from baby to mother, the resemblance to his Sapnap was staggering. Long dark hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, the very fact that Sapnap was half-blaze... how hadn’t Karl realized sooner? He clapped his hand over his mouth and shut his eyes.
Was he with Sapnap’s parents right now?
“Karl, are you alright?” Lalahon asked, and Karl shook his head. He waited for a few seconds before replying, not trusting his mouth.
“Ma’am, just out of curiosity,” Karl began, beginning to sweat more than before, face burning bright red, “Your baby’s birthmark, it looks like a panda, doesn’t it? It’s just above his left hip, and there are spots for its eyes, aren’t there?” Karl asked nervously, and Lalahon’s eyes went wide. She lifted up the baby’s shirt, and sure enough the markings were there just as Karl had described. The baby giggled happily, and Karl felt his heart cease.
“How did you know that?” She asked quietly, her face dropping. “Have we met before?”
“No, no,” Karl shook his head and rubbed at his face. “We haven’t. And I haven’t been all the way truthful to you, ma’am.” He said, and Lalahon and her husband exchanged a look. He didn’t care about keeping the truth any longer. “I’m from the future. I time travel, and ended up here. It’s hard to believe, and it’s magic, but I promise you it’s true. Your baby, Sapnap,” Karl began, watching as Lalahon held her baby closer, “Is my best friend.”
A silence fell over them, and Lalahon looked shocked. Her husband’s face was carefully neutral, his hand still on her shoulder. But before Karl could say anymore, she spoke.
“I didn’t, I don’t—” She stuttered, and shook her head with a weak smile. “I don’t want to mess with time, and I don’t doubt that there’s enough magic in this world to make something like time traveling possible. So I don't wanna know what becomes of our family. But,” she said, cradling her baby’s back, “Would you tell us who our son’s become? Is he happy? Has he found someone nice? Is he healthy?” Lalahon listed hopefully, and her husband squeezed her shoulder.
“Sapnap is strong, and he looks exactly like you, ma’am. He makes me laugh, he protects me, and his heart is the largest I’ve ever seen,” Karl said, and spread his arms wide as if to emphasize it. “He’s suffered through lots of sadness in his life, but he is very happy now. In a few days, he’s even going to be marri—” Karl cut off.
Karl wasn’t here to learn more about nether history. He was here to meet Sapnap’s parents and… tell them about their marriage.
“My baby gets married?” Lalahon asked, her voice harboring a softness Karl hadn’t thought she was capable of. Karl felt tears well in his eyes, but could you blame him? He would never get to meet Sapnap’s parents in the future. It was the truth. With Bad as Sapnap’s adopted father, it meant something had happened, something Karl would be unable to change. He was lucky enough to meet them now.
“He does,” Karl nodded, and unfurled his hands. He stood out of his seat and crossed the distance over to Sapnap’s family, and splayed his left hand out on the table. “In two days.” Karl said, and Lalahon gasped. She let go of her husband and took Karl’s hand in hers, touching the silver ring before bringing it to her forehead with a small sob, her baby—Sapnap—innocently babbling at her side.
Lalahon looked up at him with a watery smile. “Congratulations.” She murmured, and Karl met her smile.
“Thank you.” He whispered, and Lalahon held out his hand to her husband who took it and did the same. He ran his hand over the silver before encasing Karl’s hand in his.
“My blessing.” He murmured, and Karl looked at him in surprise. Lalahon nodded animatedly next to him.
“You do,” she agreed. “You have our blessing. Thank you for making our son happy.” She said, and Karl fought not to burst into tears. “Please, for us, when we’re not there, please keep him happy. All of our faith is in you, Karl, okay?”
“I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else.” Karl breathed. “And I promise you, I will do everything I can for him. I will.” He said, and Lalahon laid her hands over her husbands, holding their hands together. Karl looked down to the side at the baby he’d ran with, clutched to his chest, determined to keep him safe, innocent, wide eyes meeting his, and—
He woke up.
Karl gasped, sitting up in his bed with a start. The bedroom was dark, sunlight filtering in through the blinds in their windows. It was early morning, the comforter empty next to him. For a minute he laid staring wide at the ceiling to catch his breath, before he shakily decided to move, stumbling and heavily leaning on the side of the bed and the door as he made his way outside.
He unsteadily began to make his way into the kitchen, heart beating faster at the smell of eggs, at the sound of light humming. Karl stumbled forward on wobbly legs, and finally turned the corner to the kitchen.
He smiled at the sight, and Sapnap turned to him in greeting before catching the look on his face, stopping his movements altogether. Karl began to unravel and Sapnap strode forward in easy movements to catch him, pulling him in and letting his head rest on his shoulder, hand cradling the back of his neck. Karl breathed harshly into his shoulder, and Sapnap tangled his hand through his curls.
“What’s wrong?” He asked softly, and Karl pulled away, shaking his head.
“Nothing’s wrong, Sap.” Karl breathed, and pressed a strand of Sapnap’s hair behind his ear, taking in every detail about him. His mother’s eyes, her hair, her skin, his father’s nose, and his father’s mouth. He smiled in bewilderment, and Sapnap raised a brow, smiling back simply because Karl was smiling, and Karl hugged him.
“I-I time traveled,” Karl stuttered, and Sapnap went tense. “And I met someone.”
“Oh yeah? Who?” Sapnap asked, tone just on the brink of jealousy and concern, and Karl giggled.
“Your mom. And your dad, Sap.” Karl said, and Sapnap’s face dropped at once.
“My mom…? And…” Sapnap stopped himself, shaking his head. “How were they? Where were they? Who were they, I—Are you being for real or are you screwing with me?”
Karl beamed. “They’re wonderful, Sap. Your mother is just like you. Strong, smart, funny. You have her eyes and her hair. She was a nether scholar, she lived in a fortress with blazes, wither skeletons, and ghasts. She spoke Piglin and Blazeon. Your father was a quiet man who was learning English, and he was a blaze. The baby they had with them had a birthmark,” Karl said hurriedly, excitement making him spout everything without taking a breath. He put a hand to Sapnap’s hip, thumb dipping where he knew the marks were, “and it looked like a panda.” Karl finished, and it was Sapnap’s turn to bury his head in Karl’s shoulder, hugging him tight around his torso.
“You met them. You really met them,” he said, and Karl squeezed him tighter. “Did they talk about me? What did they think about… us?” Sapnap asked, and Karl patted at the back of his head, happy tears welling back up in his eyes.
“They gave me their blessing,” Karl murmured. “They took my hand in theirs, and they gave me their blessing for our wedding.” Karl said, a tear escaping and falling down his cheek.
Sapnap pulled away and pressed his hand to the side of Karl’s face, pressing the tear away with a soft hiss as it evaporated in his palm. Karl leaned into it, letting his eyes shut.
“I love you, Jacobs.” Sapnap whispered, and Karl nodded.
“I love you too, Sap,” Karl agreed softly, and opened his eyes to peck at his lips. “I love you more than you could ever know.” He sighed, and Sapnap kissed him again before pulling away with a mischievous smirk, hands dropping to his hips.
“Okay, but real talk—was I a cute kid?” Sapnap asked. “‘Cause Skeppy said I wasn’t but Bad said yes and I wanna know who’s telling the truth.”
Karl paused in shock before bursting into laughter, pushing him away with a roll of his eyes.
“You’re such a nimrod!”
“To be clear, I’m pretty sure I was a cute baby,” Sapnap boasted, “But I need you to tell me because I—” Karl turned back around with a flourish, exasperatedly cutting him off with a kiss, putting his face in his hands and pulling him closer, Sapnap’s hand falling to his waist to brace himself.
“Yes, Sap,” Karl laughed once he was sure he’d stolen most of his breath, “You were cute.” He giggled, and Sapnap grinned, ignoring the hidden insult, turning back to their breakfast.
“Damn straight.” He murmured, and Karl leaned his head to his shoulder with a laugh as he finished, intertwining their hands, and shutting his eyes. “I’m glad you could meet them.” Sapnap eventually said, and Karl squeezed his hand.
“Me too, Sap,” Karl murmured, playing with Sapnap’s ring between his fingers as he finished their breakfast. “Me too.”