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"...I am still unsure how making myself a crown from this would work." you said as you looked down the river. "Yes I do have the tools but I do not know how to create a crown of my own."
You shrugged as you found a suitable spot to sit near the river, "Might as well collect some gold. Perhaps I can use them for something else other than hoarding them."
A few hours had passed to which you were pleased with how much gold you were able to collect. "Perhaps Neon Yellow was correct after all." you smiled, "This is a good spot to collect gold."
You hadn't expected to find yourself in a place like this doing an activity as this. Much less the life you were living for the past time.
Having been created as a runaway king being a town’s blacksmith in a game, you hadn't had any opportunity to do anything aside from giving and receiving orders from players. Your game was rather uncomplicated. Guide players on how to create items such as swords and shields, and exchange them with other goods. It was a simple life. Players come and go. You remained there. There was no one else. There were going to be more characters other than yourself. So you waited patiently for that day to happen.
It did in a way.
What happened was that you felt your game shake and a bright yellow stick with a hole in their head took you out, giving you sentience. Breaking you away from your simple living and bringing you out into a world of chaos. There were so many characters running out from their games. Some looked similar, others different. Everything was loud. So loud. It was overwhelming.
The two of you hid under something. Above, there was sound. The sound of laughter. But the screams were louder. It was noisy. You covered your head. You don’t want to hear.
Never having had knowledge that there was an entire world beyond your little game, everything was confusing. Why was everyone screaming? Why was there laughter? Why were you brought out? Why you?! What is happening?! Why does it hurt?!
...It felt warm. Something was... touching you.
"I'm sorry." said a voice. You raised your head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to introduce you to the world like this."
The yellow stick was… holding you. Rubbing your back.
There, you uttered your first word, “Why?”
“...I’ll tell you later. When all this is over.”
The two of you stayed in that position for quite a while. Until the other felt that it was safe to come out. You left. Never to return to a place you couldn’t return to. And never did. It had been months since you left the place you knew in your entire existence.
“TK?” called out a voice.
You turned around, “Hello there Neon Yellow.”
They put their arm on their hip, “I told ya you can call me NY.”
“N…Y…?”
“Yup!”
“Why?”
The stick groaned, “You sure do like saying it a lot.”
“Yes.”
Neon Yellow put their head in their hands, “Ughhh why are you so cuteeee.”
“That I do not know.”
“I wasn’t asking you.” Neon Yellow giggled. It was light and airy. Like cotton candy but less sweet.
You tilted your head.
Neon Yellow waved a hand. “Don’t you think it’s getting late? We should go home now.”
Do you really have to? You were enjoying this. “One more?”
Neon Yellow had an expression you couldn’t tell but knew it was gentle. “Okie fine. You got a lot of gold ya know? Then again, you are someone literally named The King!”
That was also the name of your game. TK was shortened by Neon Yellow. It was easier for them to call you TK. You minded little of it.
Your pan weighed a lot. You took it out of the river. You blinked. You heard Neon Yellow gasp.
In your pan was something that looked similar to a sphere. It moved a little.
“Oh my fucking god, that’s a dot!”
“Dot?”
“A baby stick!” Neon Yellow took your pan away. “Awww! Its colour is like ours.”
You do not know how to react. You really do not know how to react to most situations.
“Hey,” Neon Yellow smiled, the dot in their arms, “Let’s keep it!”
Neon Yellow sounded confident. They always did. So you nodded. They smiled wide and gave you a peck on the cheek.
That… felt nice? Like the hugs.
Like how NY told you how happy you made them feel from the first time they saw you. That was the reason why they wanted to take you out but couldn’t gather enough courage to do so. Not until that day.
“...NY?” you asked.
“Hm?” they looked back, still cradding the dot, “Yes TK?”
“Can I have my pan back?”
“Eh?” NY had an expression like that sometimes. You wondered why some of your words made them react in such a way.
“My pan?” You repeated, “Can I have my pan back?”
“I-” NY smiled with a sigh, “Sure. Try carrying the dot too. It’s like the gold you found but much bigger and alive.”
Bigger gold sells for more. Would living gold be better?
NY handed the pan over to you. The dot stared at you. It was a little uncomfortable to have what looks like a head with tiny limbs staring at you with intensity. But you did feel something towards it. You felt the tips of your mouth curl up slightly.
“Awww! You’re smiling too, TK!” NY exclaimed. “Today’s going to be a wonderful day! Like how our life has always been and will always be!”
“Really?” You couldn’t help but ask. Why would they say it like that?
“Because there’s nothing better than living days in wonder and joy, TK! That means that everything will be alright!”
The way NY spoke sounded slightly off. As though they were trying to convince. Who they were trying to convince that you hardly knew.
So you convinced yourself that everything will be alright.
Everything will be alright.
That’s what you thought for years.
Before you realised how flawed Neon Yellow had been.
Before you and Neon Yellow argued for far too long.
How reckless, arrogant and selfish they were.
All because they were infatuated with you.
But at the same time, they did their best to treat you better.
You just couldn’t handle being with Neon Yellow and the twig for long.
So you left.
And came back not too long later.
Every time you came back, you left again.
Longer and longer.
Until you were sure you were never coming back.
The last time you returned, you stayed.
You did miss them yes but it wasn’t enough to make you go back to them.
Instead, it was because Neon Yellow hadn’t had any longer to live.
And there was no one else to care for the twig.
When you returned, the twig barely remembered you.
Neon Yellow had to convince it several times that you were part of raising it. And that it will be raised by you for the rest of its life.
Eventually, the three of you went back to being a family. You wished they had more time.
If only Neon Yellow had the courage to bring you before that day.
If only you weren’t heartless enough to leave.
If only you worked on improving.
If only…
More years had passed. The twig had grown.
You wished Neon Yellow was still around. To see the twig they had raised for years alone.
You passed by a playground.
The playground Neon Yellow had sent Gold to several times while raising him alone. The playground Gold played in with you before Neon Yellow’s code corrupted and had to be deleted.
“Pa?”
You turned around.
Gold held up a corn dog. “For you!”
You took it. This was one of Neon Yellow’s favourite snacks.
Gold raised his corn dog high. “Pa! Shall we duel?”
You placed a hand on your hip, “Be prepared to lose.”
The little duel session ended with you ruffling Gold’s head.
“Pa! I’m not a twig anymore!” said Gold as he fixed his hair then punched you lightly.
You chuckled. He will always still be your twig. You won’t leave him again.
The two of you turned around and left the playground.