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Air surrounded his body as he fell. He was always falling. Falling deeper and deeper each minute. The void was not a forgiving place. It never was.
Ren didn't know what he was doing with his life. After the Double Life, he wasn't able to go back onto Hermitcraft. As soon as that stalactite hit his head, he started falling. He thought his body was gonna hit the cold cobblestone instead he fell through, doing a front flip as he did and ended up in the void. It was cold. So so cold.
All he could feel was the wind against his skin and fur. No matter how much fur he had, it was freezing cold. Every time he tried to adjust himself, it was always either him falling on his stomach or back. So he turned onto his back. Feeling his limbs as they soon raised in the air due to the velocity he was falling at. Feeling the cold air against his finger tips.
Ren was stuck in the void for a year. Just in this dark cold void. Some days, he cried. Feeling the warm tears form before they went into the void. He missed everyone. Falsie, Doc, Martyn, hell even Scar and Grian. He just wanted someone around. He was tired of just talking to himself, acting like he was with his friends but in the end, he ended up breaking into tears.
Suddenly, he stopped falling. His back soon hit a surface, causing a massive wave of pain which ended up with Ren screaming out in pain. Tears soon started rolling down his face as he coughed up a bit of blood. It felt like his back was broken from such a fall but it was fine. It took a while for him to collect himself and attempt to stand. His legs didn't last long, soon collapsing under pressure. After all, it had been a year since he walked.
"Mortal, we have found a use for you." A deep voice spoke up as Ren watched eyes open around him, whatever was there had surrounded him. Then he saw it. The watcher symbol. Highlighted in that bold purple that stood out against the abyss that he had grown used to. "What do-"
"Don't you dare speak. You will listen and soon you will watch." It quickly cut him off. His hope was slowly going away. This wasn't going to end well. Wasn't it? "You'll speak when spoken to, understand?" Ren only nodded as his ears lowered, he just wanted this to end. He didn't want to talk to the watchers. The same ones that put him in this situation. "While your suffering is delicious.."
It started, soon showing its physical form. It was humanoid in a way. Large pairs of wings on its back. A mask covering their eyes with that same watcher logo. It stepped closer, eventually grabbing Ren's chin and forced him to look at the Watcher. "You have a different purpose now, Stargazer. You are a man of theater, a hybrid who has given us the most emotion. You and that listener..have such great chemistry. We wonder something..and that's where you come in.”
The Watcher let go of Ren, who quickly stepped back but it quickly grabbed his hands and dragged him back. "Work with us and you won't have to suffer anymore." He could see the smile grow on The Watcher, growing more manic. It sounded too good, but at the same time. What choice did he have? Either be stuck in a void until the next game or actually have a purpose. No longer rotting away as he fell. Ren took a deep breath.
"I'll do it."
-
What was he doing..?
Standing before Ren was Martyn, tears rolling down his face. Tied down onto Black Heart Alter. He looked down into his hands, there it was. The Red Winter Axe. The same one that gave him his scar. Why was he here, he didn't want this! All he could hear was the gentle breeze, his shallow breathing, and Martyn. His hand's voice as he muttered to himself.
"Martyn..? Are you ok?" Ren spoke out, lowering the axe down. "Get it over with..m'lord," He could hear the pain in Martyn's voice, sounding like the man had been crying for hours. The axe was thrown away, colliding with the cold stone as the king rushed to his hand. Hugging the man he loved for so many years.
-
Dogwarts seemed to always grow colder when that thing was around. He was surprised to find himself back here. Where it all began. Over the past month, Martyn had been reliving the other games but only the moments where it impacted him the most. The moments where it caused him the most pain. All starting with Last Life. At this point he was prepared for what was gonna happen in Third Life. Here it was.
Winter was coming.
He took a deep breath as he walked up onto the altar. Preparing himself for what's going to happen. Although, things did take their turn. A boot was pressed against his back, pushing Martyn down onto the cold stone. He had lost his breath, he wasn't prepared now. All that time he spent was worth nothing now.
He started to sit up and once he did, he was stuck in that position. Feeling cold restraints on his limbs. When looking, it was purple. Although he couldn't spend much time focusing on his restraints. Not when he could hear that thing walking up onto the altar. It grabbed Martyn's chin, forcing him to look at this fake version of his king. The one who put him through all of this.
"Martyn, are you ready?" What kind of question was that? No! Hell no he wasn't ready. He was going to feel the pain Ren felt when he did this. He could only see its manic smile grow. Eventually hearing a low laugh as his chin was let go, he dropped his head. He didn't want to look at it. He never did.
Just focus on the breeze. Focus on your breathing. Calm down. He didn't want to fuel its motivations. He didn't want to think about the axe in its hands. "Martyn..? Are you ok?" What kind of game was it playing with him? "Get it over with...m'lord," He spoke out, eventually starting to mutter what he thought was going to happen until he heard the axe drop.
Warm arms wrapped around him. Martyn felt comfort. He could only feel more tears falling down his face, soon dampening the cloth they fell on. He hadn't had comfort in so long. "It's going to be ok, Martyn. I'm here now," This was him. This was Ren. The man he thought he lost. Martyn sobbed into Ren's shoulder, letting all his emotions out.
Ren only comforted him. Softly rubbing Martyn's back, playing with the soft blond hair that was held back by a bandana. "I've missed you.."
"I missed you too, so so much."
Martyn started feeling his limbs be released, immediately hugging Ren back tightly. Oh how he'd longed for this moment, wishing for his pain to go away. It took a couple of minutes until he let go of Ren and looked at the hybrid straight in the eyes. "Why? Why the hell did you join them?!?"
Ren was taken aback by both the questions and yelling. His ears immediately shifted down. He didn't want to answer this question. He never did. He knew Martyn hated the Watchers. After all he was normally the one who dealt with the man and his vents. "I had no-"
"Don't give me that bullshit!" Martyn immediately cut Ren off. Shaking his head as he did so. His arms moved from wrapping around the hybrid to grabbing his shoulders tightly. "Tell me why! You can't just tell me that you had to!”
"You aren't listening to me!" Ren cried out as he placed his hands on Martyn's. "You always tell me after every game, you fall into a void after your red life. That's what happened to me after Double Life." Martyn tried to interject but Ren quickly stopped the man. "I was stuck there for a year when I finally landed. I was given a choice. Join or be forced to."
"If you didn't want to join then why have you been tormenting me?" That's what broke him. Immediately assuming the worst. "Tormenting you?"
"Yes, tormenting me! The past few weeks have been constantly living through pain and suffering! It's all their fault! They took you away, they took everything!-" Martyn's ramblings were put to the end when Ren shushed him, eventually pulling back in for a hug. Martyn broke into a sob."It's over now. I'm here," That's right. He was here.
Everything was ok. It always is when Ren is with him. He started feeling the hybrid remove his arms. Martyn slowly opened his eyes, he was confused why Ren was pulling away until he saw it. Ghostly purple hands covering the hybrid's mouth and ears. He could see the eyes, so many eyes. "Ren..?" Martyn reached out for the hybrid. Wanting to reclaim who was his.
He could see tears start falling. It was controlling him. It was clear Ren didn't want to but he was forced to pick up the axe. Then The Watcher showed itself, just to rub salt in the wound. Show how easily it could take happiness away. Martyn wasn't just gonna allow it to kill him easily. He quickly stood up and was about to stand his ground until…
-
Ren enjoyed the comfort of having Martyn close. After all he loved the man, he couldn't help but enjoy his hand's company. Although it felt off. This was too good to be true. Turns out, he was right. He felt hands on his head. He couldn't control himself. He could only watch.
Forced to pick up a cold discarded axe, his- no it's grip tightened on the hilt. Eventually raising up the axe as he watched Martyn pick himself up from the ground. Ren could only assume he was going to try and defend himself until..
Ren didn't want to describe it. He never would. "We weren't expecting you to break so soon.." The watcher spoke up, turning him around to face it. The hand on his mouth moved to his cheek, softly rubbing it with its thumb. It would be a sweet gesture if it was from anyone else. "Look at all that raw emotion that we got out of you, all it took was one death.."
Every eye that was watching him wrinkled or it's way of smiling. Ren didn't dare say a thing, just silently sobbed. Where was Martyn when he needed him? "Now we will give you control although..you still need to listen. Be a good dog and just follow your orders and you won't get hurt! It would be a shame if we had to start controlling you again. We aren't opposed to it."
It let go of him, almost as if The Watcher was throwing him away. The world was crumbling around the two of them. Bits of the ground started to disintegrate, leaving holes. It only walked away from him, leaving him alone in this crumbling world, slowly revealing the void that lies underneath the surface. "And remember Ren," The watcher started, causing Ren to quickly look up. He started to wish he didn't.
"Our Will Be Done.”