Chapter Text
TW: Death
It had been hours. It was well past midnight by now, and Scarecrow and Enty had fallen asleep in the waiting room chairs. The lights in the room had been dimmed. Aaron couldn’t sleep, he just couldn’t. Not knowing his friend was hurt. Not knowing something wasn’t right. They shouldn’t have taken this long. Aaron was on the verge of breaking when the door slid open quietly.
A doctor walked in, but immediately, Aaron knew it couldn’t be for a good reason. The doctor was reserved, solemn. There was hurt in his eyes.
“Are you all with Mr. Layman?” he said quietly. The others didn’t wake. Aaron couldn’t feel anything.
‘Please, no…’ Aaron thought to himself.
“I-I’m sorry I’m the one to tell you this…”
‘God, no…’
“There were…complications during surgery…”
‘NO!’
The man probably finished the sentence. Aaron couldn’t tell. His mind was a disastrous cacophony of screams and broken swarming memories. The man said what he had to and left just as quietly as he entered. Aaron stood in the same place. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t feel.
“…Aaron?” A quiet voice asked. Enty had leaned up and was rubbing his eyes. “Was that a doctor?” Scarecrow stirred now, looking towards the scientist. Aaron turned away. He couldn’t face them, he couldn’t…
“Aaron, what did he say?” Scarecrow said, standing.
Aaron couldn’t stop the tears from falling. He covered his mouth with his hands, but the tears still fell.
“Aaron?” Enty squeaked quietly, noticing something was wrong. “Is Gabriel going to be ok?”
Something inside Aaron broke. His heart shattered. He fell to the floor onto his knees, not making a sound, but his tears fell uncontrollably. Scarecrow ran over to him. Enty just stood still.
“…Aaron?” Enty said, much quieter now.
Aaron felt sick. This couldn’t be happening. He felt Scarecrow’s gentle hand on his back. He knew. Aaron couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t right!
His mind went to Gabriel, laying on the cold alley floor, staring blindly to the starry sky above, blood pooling beneath him. Aaron covered his eyes with his hands. He heard Enty let out a whimper. Scarecrow was silent, his hand resting on Aaron.
This wasn’t right.
This wasn’t right.
This wasn’t right…
--------
Two weeks later...
Enty had locked himself away in his room, the guilt of his actions consuming him. Neither Aaron nor Scarecrow could get him to leave, let alone eat. He avoided them at every chance he could. Scarecrow hasn’t seen Enty in days because Enty fully believed this was his fault. He believed he killed Gabriel. The others tried to tell him otherwise, but he didn’t listen. He just wouldn’t listen.
Aaron stayed mostly in his basement, just mindlessly fiddling with various broken clocks. He didn’t sleep much anymore; he just spent his nights tinkering away in dim silence.
Scarecrow didn’t know what to do. His own guilt chipped away at his soul, never ceasing. He made fun of Gabriel. He hurt him. He called him names, messed with him, insulted him. And yet…Gabriel was always there to help him when Scarecrow needed him. But now…Scarecrow couldn’t be there for Gabriel. He wasn’t there. He should have been there.
He was in the ambulance, right beside him. His friend’s face was so pale, and he had lost so much blood. He could still recall the moment they found him and Enty in the alley. Scarecrow didn’t believe it at first. But then he saw the blood pooling, and heard Gabriel’s screams…
Scarecrow sat in the living room, shaking his head from the thoughts as he felt the tears return. He didn’t know how he still had any left. His attention was grabbed as the basement door opened and Aaron slid out, his eyes tired. He had been crying as well. Aaron let out a sigh and walked over to the couch and sat next to Scarecrow, who didn’t even bother to hide his own tears anymore. There was no point. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the ticking clock on the wall. Finally, Aaron spoke.
“We…we need to get Enty out…” he said quietly, his voice defeated. Scarecrow just nodded in silence. Enty had been locked away for too long. They needed him. They needed him to be ok. The two men stood and walked up the stairs towards Enty’s room. Aaron knocked on the door. No answer. He tried to open it, but found it locked. Sighing, he pulled out some small tools and began picking the lock. He was expecting this. Scarecrow watched for a moment before his gaze was drawn to across the hall. Gabriel’s door was cracked open, as they had left it. He could still smell the old books Gabriel collected in there. The room was dark, which Scarecrow would never get used to. Gabriel always had a generous number of candles lit, causing his room to always have light coming from it. Scarecrow always wondered how none of the fires in the house were ever caused by Gabriel. Gabriel was...his first friend. His first true friend. He had promised to protect him. What a damn good job he had done.
He heard a click as Aaron got the door open. The two walked inside the dark bedroom.
“Enty…? Please come out, we…we need you…” Aaron said quietly as he slid in. There was no response.
“…Enty…?” Scarecrow added, scanning the darkness.
The room was completely empty.
They looked around but saw just the hollow room, with not a soul inside. Scarecrow felt something begin tearing away at his heart, ripping apart what pieces remained. Aaron walked over to the desk and saw a house key laying there. Nothing else.
Enty was gone.
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Enty stood outside in the cold across the street from their house. It was dark out now. The middle of the night. It was the only time he could sneak away without Scarecrow or Aaron seeing. There were no stars in the sky tonight. No moon. Just darkness.
He couldn’t stay with the others anymore. Not after what he did. He was a danger. A threat. He hurt his best friend. He had killed Gabriel, and his friend was gone forever because of him. He didn’t want to hurt his other friends too. He didn’t want to hurt his family anymore. They were better off without him, and he knew it. They would be happy again, he hoped. They had each other.
They should have never taken him in in the first place. Then they would still have Gabriel. He would still be alive. He would still be smiling. Laughing. They’ll never have that ever again because of him.
Enty took one last look at the house and, with a slow breath, began walking into the night.
Alone.
As he was meant to be.
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One month later…
Enty was huddling to himself, shivering underneath an old bridge somewhere far away. It was sleeting outside, with the falling ice hitting like thousands of needles on his skin. So, he had hid here, away from the hail. Nonetheless, the wind still ripped through his soul like jagged shards of glass. He was cold. He was hungry. He was alone. But this is how it must be. He pulled his old worn jacket tighter and closed his eyes, gripping his cross necklace tight in his hand. A gift from an old friend. It was all he had left. He was tired. Maybe if he could just sleep, then all the pain would go away…
He leaned against the icy stones, frozen tears in his eyes. He let the cold embrace him, and he succumbed to the darkness.
~
Enty blinked. He looked around him in confusion. He was sitting on an old mossy stone wall surrounded by beautiful green woods. A warm breeze blew through, rustling the leaves above. How had he gotten here? The sunlight was glistening through the trees, casting intricate shadows on the grassy forest floor below. The sunlight…
The sunlight didn’t hurt. He was in the light and it didn’t hurt. Nothing hurt. He wasn’t hungry anymore, he wasn’t cold, he wasn’t tired. He felt…fine.
He looked at himself and noticed something else odd. His jacket was no longer ragged and torn from the elements. It was its old bright red color, almost as new as the day he got it. Where was he? What was this place?
“It’s quite peaceful here, isn’t it?”
Enty froze. He heard footsteps behind him. That voice…he knew that voice. Enty closed his eyes. It couldn’t be…
Enty slowly turned around, opening his eyes slightly. He saw white fabric next to him. Familiar white fabric. All feeling left his body as he slowly pulled himself to his feet and, with teary vision, looked at the figure before him. It was Gabriel, smiling warmly before him, looking like he had always looked before. Enty couldn’t move. He couldn’t believe it. This had to be some trick…
Enty reached out a slow hand towards the man. He touched Gabriel’s arm. He felt his robe. He was really there. Gabriel was standing right in front of him.
“Enty, I-”
Enty ran forward and pulled Gabriel into a tight hug, his hands gripping the fabric of the man’s robe as tightly as he could. He let out a cry. A cry he had pent up for so many lonely nights. He felt his tears falling freely, staining his friend’s clothes as Enty buried his face in his shoulder. He could feel Gabriel hug him back. Enty was crying. Sobbing. Screaming. He squeezed his eyes shut as he clung to his late friend, terrified that if he let go, he would disappear for good. The two stood in embrace, with Enty’s sobbing echoing through the quiet forest around them.
After a few minutes, Gabriel pulled away. Enty stood before him and wiped his eyes. Gabriel was right there. He looked no different, smiling the same warm smile he always had. Enty’s eyes went to Gabriel’s side. There was no blood. No injury. Gabriel was fine.
“Enty…” Gabriel said calmly as he reached his hand out and set it on the shivering man’s shoulder. Enty looked up through tears that would not stop falling and met Gabriel’s gaze. His eyes were so bright, so lively…
“Wh-what is this…” Enty said through his tears. Gabriel smiled wider.
“This is Avantasia!” He said, motioning to the world around him. “A world at the core of the human spirit!” He said, guiding Enty to sit back down on the wall next to him. Enty did so, and the duo sat side by side, looking out into the forest.
“Avan…tasia?” Enty muttered.
“Yes! I have been here before, back in my old world. Though this world is always there, in everyone, everywhere, deep inside everybody’s mind. Do you remember how I would often meditate?” Gabriel asked. Enty nodded, recalling Gabriel’s…odd meditation habits. “Well, when I did that, I would be here.” Gabriel said, looking back to the woods before them.
“You came…here?” Enty said, still confused. Gabriel nodded.
“I have friends here I liked to visit. And when I had come here back in my world, I created a connection between this place and myself. So, when I…” he paused, looking down, avoiding Enty’s gaze, “…left you…” Enty felt a pang of hurt shoot through his heart, “…I came here.” He looked back towards Enty with a small smile.
Enty took in a sharp breath then leaned forward, pulling Gabriel into another hug. He couldn’t stop the tears no matter how hard he tried. He wrapped his arms around him again, holding him tight.
“…Please…come back…” Enty cried quietly into Gabriel’s shoulder. Gabriel put his arms around him.
“I…can’t Enty. I can’t…” he said, tears forming in his own eyes now. Enty just cried silently as he clung to Gabriel with all he had.
“I-I’m so sorry Gabriel…” he sobbed, hardly able to breathe. “I’m so sorry…”
“Enty…” Gabriel said, pushing Enty back gently. The man looked at him, tears streaming down his face. “I need you to do something for me.” Gabriel said, wiping away a tear on Enty’s cheek. Enty just stared at him, his throat tight from crying. “You need to go home, Enty. They miss you. They need you.” He said quietly as he rested a hand on Enty’s arm. Enty just looked away.
“But…but I…”
“They know it’s not your fault, Enty.” Gabriel said. Enty met his gaze, a pang of regret stabbing his chest. “I know it’s not your fault.”
Enty chocked back another sob. Gabriel held Enty’s hand in his.
“Rest your mind and forgive yourself, Enty. Then go back home.”
“…I can’t go home without you…” Enty cried in a quiet, broken voice, resting his other hand on top of Gabriel’s.
“I’ll always be with you, Enty. I’ll be with all of you. Remember what I said? This world is in the back of everyone’s mind. I will always be there, even when you can’t see me.” Gabriel said, turning his whole body to face Enty, who looked up with tired eyes. “I will be with you, Enty, I swear. But now, you need to go home. You have a life to live. So does Aaron and Scarecrow. And they need you in it. They need you.”
Enty felt Gabriel hold his hand tighter. He looked up and saw a tear run down Gabriel’s face, landing on the mossy stone below them.
“Please, Enty…I can’t rest knowing you’re out there all alone…” he said, his voice cracking. Enty couldn’t stand to see him cry. Enty pulled Gabriel into another hug, but this time, it was for Gabriel’s sake. Gabriel took in a shaky breath and clung back, resting his head on Enty’s shoulder. “Please, Enty…they miss you so much…” he cried quietly, hiding his face in Enty’s jacket.
Enty pulled away, sniffling and wiping his own eyes once more. He met Gabriel’s gaze and nodded, giving a small smile. Gabriel wiped his own tears away and gave a small laugh. Enty missed his laugh.
“Gabriel…?” Enty asked quietly, eying his friend. “Will we ever all be together again…?”
Gabriel gave a small tearful laugh and held Enty’s hand once more.
“Yeah, Enty. Someday. But for now, live your life. There is so much out there for you.” He said, smiling. Another tear ran down his face. Enty smiled and wiped his eyes again, but before he put his hand down, Gabriel was the one who pulled him into a hug this time, holding him tight. “I missed you...” he whispered through a choked voice.
“I missed you too…” Enty replied quietly, his tears never ceasing as he wrapped his arm around his friend. “…So much…” he whispered. As they hugged, Enty felt something tugging at his soul, as if it were trying to pull him away. He pushed the feeling aside. He didn’t want to let go.
He couldn’t leave his friend. Not again.
“…Gabriel…” he muttered quietly, eying the peaceful forest around him, “…are you…happy here?” he managed to get out through the tightness in his voice. Gabriel nodded.
“Yes, I am…” he said with a smile. “I have friends here who I care about, the world is peaceful, and there is always something new to learn will all the books they have…”
Enty felt himself laugh sincerely. For the first time in weeks, he was laughing. Gabriel and his books…
“So…your friends here…” Enty started, the thought of him being replaced creeping into his mind.
“The people here are good friends, yes. But you guys…” He said, pushing Enty away slightly to meet his teary gaze, “…you guys are my family. And we always will be, no matter what.” He said. Enty pulled Gabriel back into a hug once more, clinging as tightly as he could. “…We’ll all be together again someday, Enty.” Gabriel said, reassurance in his voice as tears slid down his face.
Enty closed his eyes and held on tighter to Gabriel, who held on to him firmly in his arms. That feeling of a tugging on his soul was back, and this time...he couldn’t push it away.
“You promise?” Enty asked, a darkness closing in around him. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want this vision to end.
“I promise.”
~
Enty awoke with a jolt, breathing heavy. He reached for his cross necklace and was able to calm himself down when he felt it. He held it tightly in his hands. He looked out towards the night where he saw the sleet had stopped and now there was only a light snow falling gently, causing everything to sparkle in the lamplight.
He stood up on shaky legs and exited his hideout under the bridge. He stood on a dead street, a light wind blowing the snow around.
‘Where do I go…’ he thought. He had no idea where he was or how to get home. He didn’t know where home even was. He looked around hopeless when something caught his eye. The wind was blowing flakes of snow across the stony ground down the road, the glistening snow dancing gently in the frigid night air, showing the direction the wind was going. As the it blew, Enty could swear it sounded different, as if there were voices far away being carried on the winter’s eternal wind.
He couldn’t place what, but something was telling him to go forward.
Taking in a cold breath, Enty watched the snow on the ground and began walking, following its illusion as he traced the icy wind down the dark street. He walked into the night once more, but this time…he was going home.
~
Enty stood before his old house. It had taken him a while, but somehow…he found it. It was dark outside on the street, but the house stood out as it had candles in each front window, shining a distant flickering light into the darkness around it. Enty didn’t know what to do.
He had no key, as he didn’t plan on ever returning. He had nothing. He wondered if the others would accept him back after all he had done…was Gabriel right? Did they really miss him? He had thoughts of turning around when the icy wind blew towards his back once more, turning him towards the house. He looked around but saw he was the only one on the street. It was just him and the gently falling snow, its descent creating swirling illusions in the night air. He stepped forward towards the house.
He reached the door, shaking as he did so. The porch light was on. He raised a shivering hand, and, after a moment’s hesitation, he quietly knocked. Silence. For a moment there was only silence. Right as he had the thought to turn away, he heard the door unlock.
Scarecrow opened the door, only a bit at first, but the moment he saw who was there, he threw it open all the way, nearly throwing it off the hinges. He just stared at the shivering, dirty, hurt, and starving Enty on the doorstep, tears flowing freely from the man’s eyes, his branches wavering weakly. Scarecrow just blinked in shock. He couldn’t believe it. Enty looked down.
“…Gabriel told me to come home…” Enty muttered through the shiver in his voice. Enty was about to say something else when he felt himself stagger back as Scarecrow ran forward, embracing his lost friend tightly. Enty heard the man cry out. Scarecrow was sobbing. He was crying for him. Enty couldn’t handle it. He put his own arms around Scarecrow and hugged him back, hardly able to breathe with how tight Scarecrow was holding him. “He…he said he wouldn’t rest till I came home…” Enty cried quietly, his tears returning once more. He heard Scarecrow let out another cry and pull him tighter.
They stood there a moment in the snow when Enty heard a gasp.
Enty looked up and saw Aaron standing in the foyer, eyes wide, hand covering his mouth, and visible tears flowing down his face. Aaron dropped whatever device was in his hand to the floor and ran forward, pulling the duo into a tight hug. Enty closed his eyes at the embrace. This was the warmest he’s felt in weeks.
The trio stood on the doorstep for an eternity. Enty felt the winter breeze blow around him, sending some loose snow around the group in embrace, but it didn’t feel cold. Enty squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn’t cold anymore. He wasn’t alone anymore.
After a while, the group pulled apart. Scarecrow’s makeup was smudged beyond recognition and he was unable to speak through his tears. Aaron was still sobbing uncontrollably. Aaron backed through the open doorway, letting the others follow him inside.
“How…how did…how did you find your way back?” Aaron said with a cracked voice, wiping his eyes as Enty walked through the door into the warm house. Enty just glanced behind him at the gently falling snow.
“…He led me home…” Enty said quietly, out of Aaron’s earshot as the scientist closed the door. He felt for his cross necklace once more, holding it tight in his hand. He muttered a ‘thank you’ as he walked into the house with his friends.
He was home.