Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In Memory of
Alex “the_axelk”
The Original Author

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Eight months ago…

It was a normal day…

Well, as normal as it could get on The Deadliest Minecraft Server, The Lifesteal SMP. Everyday was lived in constant fear of another war, another death, another betrayal. For most, it was better to be part of a team, especially when certain people were around. For Clownpierce, it was The P.M.C (Private Murdering Company). Founded by himself in hopes to strike fear that at any moment, anyone could be taken out.

“Clownpierce!” Leowook ran into the war room, an underground stone room with a table in the center and chairs around it. On the table was a map of the world and weapons leaning on the sides.

Clown grimaced at Leowook, who had interrupted his thoughts, waving him over. “What is it?”

“We have a new target,” He said.

A smile cracked across Clown’s face, he cracked his knuckles on the table in front of him. “Who is it? And who is paying?”

“Zam put the target on Rekrap, saying he’d pay handsomely,” Leowook said.

“Really, and how handsome are we talking?” Clown chuckled.

“He didn’t specifically say,” Leo said. “But, but, before you question, he said once Rek was out of the way, he’d visit us.”

Zam was an ally, but Clown didn’t trust him if he wouldn’t pay up front. After all… 

Clown pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the conversation at hand. 

“Pay up front or it’s a ‘no’,” Clown explained.

Leo looked taken aback but nodded, heading for the door. Before exiting, he turned back to Clown. “I think you’re a good leader, even if MinuteTech is gone, I trust you.” 

Clown looked up as Leo closed the door behind him. He’d been a good leader, the best in fact. Maybe it was just his ego. PMC had lost MinuteTech not long ago to The Phantoms, possibly worried he’d loose Leo as well. But Clown wouldn’t blame them.

So much faith, how little time…

Clown reached for his sword, standing up so quickly, the chair he was in fell to the floor.

“Who’s there?”

No response, only the slight shift of lanterns overhead gave any noise.

“I’m asking a question. This you Leo?” Clown said again, but again, no one responded. He looked at his Clown helmet(rather a mask) which sat on the table next to him, quickly grabbing it and fitting it over his head.

Nervous? I would be.

Clown whipped around, hearing the source directly behind him, but was faced with a mirror, one that hadn’t been there previously. He stepped back from it, bumping into the corner of the table, and almost falling backward on one of the chairs.

I expected better from a great assassin like yourself, Clownpierce.

“How do you know my name?” Clown asked, keeping his emotions out of his voice. “Who are you?”

The mirror… look in the mirror .

Clown took another step back. The light from the lanterns were suddenly whisked out, plunging him into darkness. He couldn’t see anything, beginning to wonder what kind of black magic this was. Blue light softly emitted from the mirror, casting the floor around in a hazy light. Curious, Clown inched closer, gripping his sword tightly. Reaching the mirror, he could see his reflection.

A dark, crude form of himself. His clown-like appearance mixed with a monster, with sharp teeth, spines across his back and sharp, bloody claws. He gasped and stumbled backwards, tripping over the fallen chair and hitting his head on the table.

Dazed, Clown pushed himself up, leaning against the table, and looked back to the mirror, ignoring his ideas of running. The beast stared back without fear, but there was something else… His eyes darted to the corner of the room, but nothing was there. Looking at the mirror again, were two neon white eyes in the same spot.

“Impossible,” Clown trailed off. “What are you?”

The eyes became larger as whatever it was stalked closer, before stopping above the table, which creaked slightly, meaning this thing was real, just unable to be seen… Except in this mirror.

A friend.

“That gives me nothing,” Clown growled.

It gives you everything, if you think about it long enough.

Clown stared at the eyes, trying to understand. He looked back at the reflection.

“Is that supposed to be me?” He asked.

Only if you allow yourself to become it. I can stop it, however.

“How?” Clown asked quickly, keeping in the back of his mind this could all be a trick.

I can be an ally of yours, you just have to agree to my terms.

“What, is there like a paper I sign my soul away on?” Clown laughed.

Excellent idea. Before Clown’s very eyes, pieces of stone and wood from the room manifested into bits of paper, which stuck together as writing appeared on the page.

Sign your name and you’ll have all the power you desire.

Clown squinted at the text, which was written in a runic language.

“I cannot read that,” He pointed at the text. “And I don’t have anything to sign with.”

A feather appeared in the hand that wasn’t holding his sword.

Better? Now sign.

“I don’t even know what it says,” Clown said. “For all I know you are making me sign my soul away to use me as a puppet for some strange evil plan to destroy the world. You seem evil enough, that’s what all villains do.”

The deafening silence made Clown think he just guessed right.

“You’re Ashswag aren’t you? Cut the chase and stop exploiting.”

You are smart, Clownpierce. I would have loved to work with you, and I am not Ash. May we meet again, in a better time.

“Wait!” Clown said. “What kind of power are we talking?”

Sign this agreement, and you’ll get anything you desire…

Clown looked at the paper and then at the eyes. He looked at himself in the mirror.

“You’ll stop this?” He gestured to the mirror.

I’ll do everything I can.

Clown took the paper and signed it without another word.

Thank you, Clownpierce, thank you. We’ll be meeting again soon. And you’ll have your power, as much as you desire.

In a fit of laughter, the mirror glowed brighter, and brighter until the room was cast in an eye piercing light. Then it snapped away, and the lanterns resumed their warm glow. Clown looked around, nothing seemed to have changed, the chairs were up right; the mirror was gone too.

“Clown–” Leo said, opening the door, quickly becoming confused at him staring at the wall. “Are you okay? Nevermind, Zam offered to pay with a stack of diamonds. I didn’t know if it be enough so I thought–”

“Get your sword and armor, Leo,” Clown turned to face him, looking at his sword. His mind slowly turning blank of the previous moments. “We have a target to kill.”

Chapter Text

With a sudden jolt, RAT sat upright, he was in pain all over his body. His arms felt like fire when he tried to move and his legs were numb. Above him, light pierced between the trees, momentarily blinding him as he slowly stood up. Once his eyes had adjusted, RAT looked around into the darkness of the forest. Trees in all directions. He tried reaching for a potion, becoming paranoid when his hands couldn’t meet the glass. RAT looked down at his belt, where his potions and other items should have been, but they were gone too. He looked up and around him, trying to get a read of the landscape. He was in a dense oak forest, not knowing when or how he got here. It was quiet too, only the sound of the tree branches swaying.

Too quiet. RAT thought. Normally there might have been birds chirping, or even a pig wandering around, but there wasn’t anything except a dark presence, like something was watching him.

Suddenly, a rustling sound entered the silence, coming from the bushes in front of him. RAT attempted to reach for his sword. Realizing it was gone too, he jumped up and tugged at a branch in a nearby tree, ripping it off with a rather loud snap and held it up to defend himself. The rustling became louder and soon heavy footsteps followed, along with labored breathing

“Don’t come any closer,” RAT half-yelled. “I’m armed!”

RAT stepped closer to the noise, preparing to attack. Whatever it was, it was big. Twigs snapped and soon a hand appeared. Then a foot and then RAT was staring at a face he knew all too well.

“ClownPierce?” RAT gasped.

“RAT!” Clown chuckled.

“Thank God it’s you,” RAT smiled. “I thought I was going to get attacked.”

Clown moved closer as RAT noticed he was limping.

“You’re limping,” RAT said. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, it’s just a scrape.”

Clown gesture to the bloodied, make-shift bandage on his left ankle.

“Are you sure?” RAT asked, seeming cautious. “It looks painful.”

“Please,” Clown chuckled. “I’ve been… We’ve been through worse.”

RAT nodded and looked around the area once more, secretly hoping something might have been different.

“I don’t know where we are either,” Clown spoke up.

The Forest seemed to swallow any light around them, only between the branches from above did any light shine on them.

“We need to find a way out of this forest,” RAT said

Clown nodded. “Yeah, no sh…” He cleared his throat. “Which way?”

RAT glanced at Clown before looking around the area. All around them was the same dark, spooky forest.

“We should go back the way you came,” RAT planned. “I mean, you came from there, at least we know nothing will kill us.”

“Alright,” said Clown. “Lead the way.”

“Why don’t you go first?” RAT offered. “After all, you know the area already?”

Clown hesitated but started back through the bushes with RAT following just behind.

As they walked, RAT started asking questions.

“How’d we get here?”

“Well, what do you remember?” Clown asked, not looking back.

“All I remember is waking up in the grass… just before you appeared,” RAT said.

“Interesting,” Clown murmured.

“What does that mean?” RAT asked.

Clown turned his head just far enough to see RAT while still trekking forward.

“So you don’t remember anything?” Clown asked. “Like, nothing at all?”

“Just waking up here,” RAT answered.

Clown looked away, not stopping.

“What, do you know something I don’t?” RAT questioned, feeling slightly annoyed when he didn’t get a reply.

“Clown? What’s it supposed to mean?”

RAT sighed after being ignored.

“Clown, What does that mean? ClownPierce!”

RAT had seen Clown when he was angry, but it had never been directed towards himself, feeling a mix of confusion and shock when Clown whipped around without warning and pointed his finger at RAT.

“Never call me that name again. Never. Again.”

RAT put his hands up by his sudden reaction.

“Okay, okay.” RAT said. “Calm down.”

Clown huffed and turned back around, staying silent as they walked; RAT did the same. After a few moments, they passed by an area with broken tree branches and blood on the ground. Clown didn’t stop, but RAT quickly went over to it and picked up a piece of clothing, then looked at Clown, down at his leg. It seemed as if he had torn clothing off for the bandage.

“Clever,” he muttered under his breath. He looked up into the trees and quickly hurried to catch up.

“How’d you get hurt anyways?” RAT asked.

“I cut myself,” Clown snipped.

Realizing Clown was in no mood to talk, he stayed silent for the rest of their walk, keeping his eyes on the area around them, not wanting to get jumped by any animal, or any person. It felt like they were walking for hours when Clown stopped. He moved next to Clown to see the end of the forest, and they walked out into the large pastures. All around them, large mountains shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds. In the valley they were in, it was mostly grasslands, yet in the distance, RAT could see a small village, tucked in the corner of the valley.

“Pretty damn special, ain’t it?” Clown chuckled.

“Yeah, Yeah…” RAT smiled, looking at Clown, noticing his expression changed.

“Something wrong?”

Clown pointed to something near them, not too far into the grasslands. RAT put his hand up to block the sun and looked in the direction. He could see something in the grass, it looked like an animal… or a person. Suddenly, Clown was limping towards it.

“Clown!” RAT said. “What are you doing?”

“Going to see what it is,” Clown stated.

RAT sighed and half-sprinted to catch up. As they neared, Clown stopped and sucked in a breath.

“What?” RAT whispered, watching Clown move closer until he was just inches away. He kneeled down and tapped on the thing.

“Hey… You good,” Clown whispered.

RAT sucked in a breath like Clown had done, as he realized it was a person. RAT moved closer as well. The person was wearing a yellow, blue, and black jacket with gray pants and blue shoes. Yet most of it was covered in blood.

“Wait, is that?” RAT murmured, as Clown moved the person on their back, revealing their face. Clown gasped and pulled his hands away.

“Oh God…”

RAT could see the bloodied and lacerated face of Rekrap. A large gash on his forehead had remnants of dripping blood, while the rest had dried. His clothes were torn and his right hand was bent back in a strange position, likely broken.

“Rekrap? Hey, Rek. Wake up buddy,” Clown said, while gently shaking his friend.

RAT watched Clown begin to tear up as he searched for any signs of life. RAT kneeled down and tried to feel if he was breathing. Even in the sun his body was cold, little pieces of ice slowly slid off his jacket. RAT didn’t understand.

“Rekrap… Please,” Clown cried. “Please, wake up. Please, please, please… Wake up…”

RAT looked at Clown, wondering if he should take him away from this place.

“Clown?” RAT said, after a few moments.

Clown looked at RAT, realizing what he was trying to do.

“I’m not leaving him, RAT,” Clown said through his tears. “He wouldn’t leave me. I’m not going to either.”

Maybe it was the emotion of hearing his friend, or another force, but RAT watched as Rekrap slowly curled his left fist, signaling life.

“Clown, look!” RAT said, pointing at what he had seen.

Clown watched as Rekrap slowly began to move, forcing past the pain to let his friends know he was alive.

“C-Clown?” Rekrap grunted. “I-Is that… you?”

Clown nodded, quickly wiping away his tears.

“I thought you were gone,” Clown sighed. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“You can’t… get rid of me that easy,” Rekrap coughed, putting his hand to his head, looking shocked when it returned covered in blood.

“We need to get you up,” RAT said.

Clown nodded. “Okay. Ready Rek?”

Clown and RAT grabbed Rekrap by the arms and pulled him up, careful not to injure him any further. Thankfully the scars on his face weren’t cut too deep and would heal quickly.

“Where are we?”

“Let’s worry about the task at hand,” RAT said. “Getting you to that village before night falls.”

Rekrap looked towards the village in the distance.

“We can make that.”

“Then let’s get moving,” Clown said.

Chapter Text

The Trio managed to get to the village by sunset, quickly searching for anyone, yet it seemed all the residents had left. So Clown chose the largest house, a simple two story house, where RAT showed off his famous move, Breaking ‘N Entering , to get inside. There wasn’t much inside but two beds, a bookcase, a few chairs and a furnace . So Clown let Rekrap take one bed so he could sleep and used some bandages he found to patch him up for the time being. As the moon began to rise, RAT and Clown stood on the balcony on the second floor , looking over the village.

“You’d think there’d be people here,” RAT said.

“Yeah,” Clown replied. 

The silence that fell between them felt a bit awkward.

“You think he’ll survive?” RAT wondered.

“Rekrap’s resilient,” Clown chuckled. “He’s been through more danger than anyone I know.”

“So I’ve heard,” RAT said.

“Yep, he’s a survivor.”

Clown stood in silence for a few moments before speaking.

“I’m sorry for lashing out earlier,” Clown murmured. “Not right of me.”

“It’s okay,” RAT said. 

“No, it’s really not,” Clown sighed. “I should have just kept my mouth shut.”

“Why did you ‘Lash out’, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I just…” Clown started. “I’ve just had some bad memories surface.”

“Do you want to talk about them?” RAT asked. 

“Not particularly,” Clown said.

“Fair enough,” RAT nodded.

Clown looked at the moon in the sky before looking at RAT.

“I’m going to check on Rek, maybe get him some water.”

“Okay,” RAT said, watching him leave. RAT stood looking out at the mountains for what felt like an eternity. Yet his eyes spotted something from the edge of the forest , it looked like a campfire , he could see the smoke from it going into the sky. People . RAT stood straight, yet gripped onto the railing to prevent him from trying to leave. 

“I can’t go now,” RAT whispered. “I’ll go in the morning.” 

He took another look at the campfire. Maybe it was his friends, maybe it was people who knew why they were all here. Maybe...

Stop.

RAT stopped himself before his thoughts could run away in a spiral of possibilities. For all he knew, whoever was by that fire could be people like Winsweep . RAT shuddered at the thought of finding him here. 

“He’s probably not,” RAT murmured. “Even if he was, he couldn't survive on his own.”

He looked back to the campfire. By then, he could see the speck of someone sitting by it. Soon, another someone came out of the forest and dropped more logs on the fire, sending a flurry of small sparks into the sky. 

RAT shook himself away from the thought of leaving and headed for the door inside when he felt a twinge of pain in his head. It was sharp and sudden.

“Ow..” commented RAT.

Suddenly his vision turned white and blurry, everything was flashing and he could barely see the things in front of him. 

RAT moved to what he thought was the door and felt his hands grip onto something, when he looked to see, he was gripping the head of a mace and his hand was bloody. RAT scattered back and felt himself fall to the ground. He panicked and moved against a tree and covered his eyes. When RAT uncovered his eyes, he saw a truly horrific sight

He saw his friends, Talon and Lux, both were bleeding on the ground. Then he saw Rekrap and Clown , both unconscious. Or maybe they were dead . In the distance, someone stood watching them.

He tried to run, he tried to move, but his body wouldn’t let him. He was forced to watch them suffer, bleed out. They were dying, and RAT didn’t know how, for all he knew, it could have been his own fault. But before his thoughts could think anymore, his vision cut out, his mind going numb, and everything turned to darkness.

Chapter Text

“Come on, RAT” A voice said. “Don’t you dare fall back asleep.”

“He needs time,” Another voice commented.

“It’s already been too long, I’ll slap him awake if I have to,” the first voice said. “Wait, I think he’s waking up. RAT, get up man.”

RAT slowly opened his eyes, the light from a nearby lantern burned his eyes but he stayed awake.

“Look who’s finally awake,” Someone said from somewhere in the room.

RAT looked around the room, spotting the source of the voice in the corner, staring out the small window. The figure turned around and smiled.

“Lux?” 

“Yep, it’s me,” Luxintrus chuckled, a smile on their face like usual.

“How? When?” RAT asked.

“Before you go on questioning, RAT,” Clown interrupted from his seat at the table. “I want to know what happened to you.”

“What do you mean?” RAT asked, confused.

“You don’t remember?” Lux asked.

“Remember what?” RAT countered, becoming more confused by the minute. “What the hell am I supposed to remember?!”

“You passed out,” Clown stated. “Or at least, after you fell down the stairs you did.”

“Fell down the stairs?” RAT asked. “Maybe just dehydration caused it?”

“Maybe,” Lux said. “But I don’t think bleeding is a common side effect.”

“Well nosebleeds are what happens when you are dehydrated,” RAT stated.

“ Who said anything about nosebleeds, ” Clown said, standing up and walking over to RAT’s bedside and setting down a glass of water.

“What do you mean?” RAT asked, starting to think back to the previous night. “How bad was it last night?”

Clown didn’t answer his question so he turned his head to look at Lux, hoping she would have answers, but she too didn’t speak. RAT sighed and tried to get off the bed, but he was gently pushed back down by Clown.

“You are in no shape to move, RAT,” Clown said. “Just rest.”

“I will not ‘just rest’ until I know what is happening,” RAT snarked. “So inform me, what happened last night?”

Clown looked at Lux and then back at RAT, taking a deep breath.

RAT felt a sudden mix of emotion ricochet through his body, feeling shocked and in disbelief, yet a slight bit of understanding as realization of the time he had lost filled his body.

“Three days?” RAT mumbled. “I’ve been out for three whole days ?”

“After I had gone to check on Rekrap, I gave him water and made sure he was off to sleep when I heard the door open,” Clown started. “Low and behold, you come tumbling down the stairs and huddled against the wall clutching your hand like it had been ripped off.”

RAT suddenly looked around, wondering where Rekrap was once Clown had mentioned his name.

“Rekrap is fine,” Lux said, seeming to know what he was thinking. “Parrot and Talon are taking care of him.”

“Wait, Parrot? Talon?” RAT said. “They are here too?”

“There’s more of us than we thought,” Clown said, nodding to Lux.

RAT nodded slowly and focused back to Clown’s story.

“Okay, so what happened after that?”

“Your ears were bleeding and you were mumbling incoherently,” Clown said. “I didn’t know what to make of it. I tried getting you to stop but it was like you were in another world. Nothing I did could get to you.”

“So what did you do” RAT questioned

“Uhh…” Clown hesitated

RAT felt his head for any bumps or bruises while keeping his eyes on Clown.

Eventually RAT found a small bruise on the back of his head, which was definitely not there a few days ago.

“You knocked me out?!” RAT exclaimed.

“It was the only thing for you to stop,” Clown explained. “Surprisingly, a stick to the back of the head works very well. I thought I killed you.”

“Very encouraging.” Lux said.

RAT sighed deeply and changed the conversation

“What about Parrot and Talon? Even Lux?”

 “Lux and Parrot arrived early that morning and we found Talon the next night, trying to steal bandages from one of the stashes”

“Where are Parrot and Talon now?” RAT asked Lux.

“They commandeered a house of their own,” Lux answered. “After all, this house is a bit small for just the three of us.”

“Parrot and Talon know more in the medical field than I do,” Clown said. “So they will be taking care of Rek until he is able to stand on his own feet again.”

“And I am staying with you two,” Lux chuckles. “After I watched ClownPierce almost give you disinfectant instead of medicine, I don’t think you’d survive if it was just him”

Clown flinched slightly at the sound of his name but didn’t say anything.
“Well, I should probably get back to what I was doing before you woke up, RAT.”

“And that is?” RAT questioned.

“Getting wood, water, medicine,” Clown said. “You know, the stuff we need to survive?”

RAT nodded as Clown grabbed a stone ax from atop the table and walked out the door.

“You saw that, didn’t you,” Lux asked.

“See what?” RAT said. 

“The way he flinched,” Lux said. “He did the same thing earlier when I said his full name.”

“And that is?” RAT said, playing dumb. 

“ClownPierce, idiot,” Lux stated. “I would think you’d know his full name by now.”

“He goes by Clown,” RAT said, remembering how he acted when he called him by his full name. “Maybe he just doesn’t like it.

“Maybe,” Lux said. “But I think something is up. Something he hasn’t told us, and I’m gonna find out.”

“Maybe it would be best not to test his patience,” RAT said.

“Probably,” Lux chuckled. “But what’s he gonna do? Kill me?”

RAT watched as Lux pulled out a sword from their belt and slashed it around as if she was attacking an invisible target.

“I could beat him in a fight if he tried, but I don’t think he would.”

For some reason, RAT severely doubted their statement.

Chapter Text

The days seemed to move slower as RAT spent hours in bed, healing from whatever sort of injuries he had sustained. When he tried to stand, he would feel light headed and could see spots in his vision. Other times he was able to stand, but he would randomly start bleeding from his nose, which would last for hours before stopping.

In that time, Rekrap had also been healing. Spending more time outside and doing simple tasks, like getting water from the well, or bringing stones to Clown for a small cobblestone wall around the village. On the fifth day of RAT’s ‘healing’, Talon visited him for the first time.

“Looks like someone is doing better,” Talon laughed, walking through the door and setting his pickaxe by the door. “When will you be able to start helping us?”

“Not for some time,” RAT answered. “Clown wants me to rest for a few more days before I start doing what Rekrap started with.”

“Well, anything is better than nothing,” Talon said.

“Yeah, I guess,” RAT said, rubbing his head. He could hear a slight ringing sound in his ears but brushed it off.

“I haven’t gotten the full story yet,” Talon said. “What happened to get you like this?”

“Oh I just passed out and my ears started bleeding,” RAT said, feeling the ringing still.

“Sounds painful,” Talon claimed. 

“Thankfully I wasn’t able to feel it,” RAT chuckled.

Talon nodded.

“Want to try to stand up? Get out a bit?”

RAT looked shocked. Most of the time people were telling him to stay inside, this was his chance.

“Yes!” RAT said, with a bit too much excitement as he threw back the covers and planted his feet on the cold, wooden floor before slipping on his shoes.

“Great,” Talon said, walking over to RAT and letting him use him as balance. RAT wobbled a bit as he took his first few steps, not feeling used to walking after laying for so long. But after a few more steps, he was able to sustain balance, even if that meant holding onto Talon’s shoulder.

“There you go!” Talon exclaimed, opening the door with his foot. RAT walked out into the sun for the first time in days. It burned, but it was a good kind of burn, the feeling of being free from the leashes of the bed. The grass waved in the wind and the tree branches swayed with the grass. He could Lux and Clown nearby, hauling stones towards their wall. RAT could also see Parrot and Rekrap sitting on the steps of their house near the well.

“How does it feel,” Talon asked, interrupting RAT.

“It feels great,” RAT said. He turned around to see Talon, but doing so was a mistake. His vision became blurry again and the ringing suddenly pierced his ears. The sound of voices screaming his name could be heard. But one stood out.

“RAT! Get Branzy out of here!”

It was Diansu.

What was Diansu doing with Branzy?

“RAT…?” Talon said, moving closer to him. “RAT, are you okay? RAT!”

Suddenly he was brought back to his current reality. It felt like his ears were melting off.

The ringing was so loud, painful, like the heat of a thousand suns. Everything became white before it flashed to a grassy field. He saw Talon, smiling and telling jokes, like he always does. And Lux was there, doing a trick with their sword.

Everything was so peaceful, it seemed like nothing could ruin the moment. And yet it all fell. The world seemed to flash before RAT as he was thrust into the same place, yet the once peaceful sky was a black and gray chaos. Lightning struck the earth from clouds that rained a red liquid, buildings collapsed and mountains fell. In the center of the chaos ridden sky, a purple and blue cyclone was pulling chunks of earth and broken buildings into it.

“RAT!” A voice yelled from the chaos. RAT looked to see Talon, cut up and limping towards him. He tried to grab his hand but he was too frozen in fear as his friend was pulled away towards the cyclone.

“NOOOO!” RAT yelled, sitting up in bed. His breathing was heavy and he felt light headed.

“He’s awake!” Clown gasped, nearly falling out of his chair. “RAT, calm down.”

RAT looked around the house to see Lux and Talon standing near the door and Parrot was standing near Clown.

“What happened,” RAT asked. “Where the hell am I?”

“Let’s calm down there, RAT,” Parrot said, gently having him lay back down. “You’re safe, you just had a little… accident.”

“If you think having a heart attack is little, then sure,” Clown sneered.
“Don’t tell him, ClownPierce ,” Lux mocked slightly.

Clown pointed a finger at Lux before he turned back to RAT.

“To put it lightly, you had a heart attack.”

“Maybe if someone listened to Clown’s ‘specific instructions’ we wouldn’t be dealing with this,” Parrot said, eyeing RAT.

“Don’t go blaming him,” Lux said.

“Well it’s his own fault,” Clown declared. “I told him to rest for a week, then he could start getting on his feet.”

“It had already been five days since the accident,” Lux replied. “Can you blame him?”

“Of course we can!” Parrot said. “That stunt could have killed him!”

“Stunt?” Lux said, angered. “That was a man wanting to be free!”

“Free from life?” Clown yelled at Lux. “I don’t think you understand the situation, RAT almost died!”

RAT could tell this argument was getting heated, but he didn’t know how to stop it. But Talon did.

“It was my fault.”

Everyone stopped arguing and looked at Talon. An awkward silence fell on the room

“What?” Clown spat..

“I let RAT out, I told him he could go outside,” Talon said. “I just… thought he wanted to get out. Thought it would be fine for a bit.”

Clown blinked a few times before sneering at Talon, he walked over to him and pushed him against the wall.

“Clown, what are you doing?” Lux said, shocked.

“Hey, hey, Clown,” Talon panicked. “Listen man, it was a mistake, yeah. But no need to get aggressive.”

“Maybe you should be the one who needs to listen better,” Clown spit. “What you did almost got your friend killed, you understand that?”

Talon nodded sheepishly.

“Next time you do something stupid, think before you do it,” Clown said, shoving Talon towards the door, causing him to trip and fall. Lux helped Talon up and they both left, but not before Lux gave Clown a death glare. When the door closed, Parrot looked to Clown. 

“Don’t you think that was a bit harsh?”

“Not listening is one thing I see from him frequently,” Clown said.

“He’s reckless, and a danger to us all.” Parrot said.

Clown glanced at RAT and then back to Parrot.

“I say we get rid of him,” Parrot strategized.

“What?” RAT forced himself out of the bed. “No, you can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Parrot asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to do so? Get rid of the one who constantly causes us troubles.”

“Parrot calm yourself,” Clown said. “Let’s not get hasty with our thoughts. RAT, please, go to bed. Parrot and I are gonna have a talk.”

RAT looked towards the windows, realizing it was night.

“I’m not a child, I can handle what you are talking about.” asserted RAT.

“But it is not for your ears, it is not that you cannot handle it, but it is not for you.” Clown said.

RAT sighed. He was worried about Talon now.

“Fine. But leave Talon alone.”

RAT pulled the covers up over his head as the door opened and closed. As he drifted off to sleep, the conversations of Parrot and Clown slowly faded, but the amount of times Talon’s name was said stayed in his mind the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

After Clown’s outburst, RAT didn’t see Talon that much. Yet Clown and Parrot were constantly talking and planning. Thankfully, Clown was allowing RAT to spend more time outside while he was healing. This time, the days seemed to move a lot faster.

A week felt like mere hours when Parrot helped him take off the bandages around his bruises and other wounds. Clown assigned him and Rekrap to do the daily tasks like getting water from the well and bringing the stones from the mine to the pile near the wall. One morning, while RAT and Rekrap were filling their buckets with water, Lux approached them.

“Good morning boys.”

“Good morning,” RAT said.

“Clown wanted me to tell you, Rekrap,” Lux started. “To go with Parrot to cut wood in the forest.”

“I can do that,” Rekrap said, grunting as he pulled his bucket out of the water with one hand, still not wanting to use his other hand since he broke it.

“What about me?” RAT asked, setting his bucket on the ground.

“Clown said to bring another bucket of water to him,” Lux said.

“Why can’t I leave the village like anyone else?” RAT complained.

“Ask Clown,” Lux said. “He just wants to keep you safe.”

“I can take care of myself,” RAT sighed.

“Don’t worry, RAT,” Rekrap said. “You’ll be doing stuff with us in no time.”

“Yeah,” Lux said.

“You’re probably right,” RAT said, looking at Lux. “Do you think Clown is mad at me?”

“I would say he is mad at Talon more,” Rekrap said. “Parrot told me what happened, I don’t think I’ve ever heard Clown react that way.”

“Maybe it has something to do with his full name?” RAT suggested.

“Uh.. Sorry, what now?” Rekrap asked.

“Clown seems to get defensive over his full name: ClownPierce, ” Lux explained. “I’ve called him by the name a few times and he usually doesn’t answer or will point a finger at me.”

“He reacted worse to me,” RAT said.

“What’d he do to you?” Lux asked.

“Yelled, pointed a finger,” RAT said. “Never seen him act like that. Ever.”

“Well, Clown does have a rough history,” Rekrap stated. “But I would have thought he would be over it by now.”

“What history does he have,” Lux asked.

“I… Don’t think I’m the right person to be sharing that sort of information,” Rekrap hesitated.

“So we just let it go?” RAT asked. 

“No,” Lux said. “We should ask him.”

“I get that you want to know more, Lux,” Rekrap said. “But that might just be a death sentence.”

“It’s not like he’s gonna kill me, right?” Lux chuckled.

“Don’t be so sure,” Rekrap murmured. “I watched him stick a sword through Pangi once.”

“And what did Pangi do?” RAT asked, uncertainly.

“Never found out, Pangi nearly died from his injuries,” Rekrap sighed. “Never spoke to anyone about it. I think he was too scared to share the trauma again.”

“So Clown would really kill someone?” Lux said, looking over to where Clown was hauling stones to finish the wall. “Just like that?”

“Never get on his bad side,” Rekrap said. “That is something I learned early in our friendship.”

“Never get on whose bad side?” Parrot said, seemingly appearing behind them.

“Ashswag,” Rekrap said quickly.

“Why Ash?” Parrot asked, who seemed to quickly regret his question as soon as he spoke it. “Oh yeah, his special boots.”

“Boots?” RAT questioned.

“Yeah, Ash made a special pair of boots that he could fly with,” Rekrap said.

“Fly?!” Lux exclaimed.

“I mean, no more than a few feet off the ground,” Parrot said. “But I guess it’s still flight.”

“Flying is flying,” Lux said. “Anyways, are you ready to head out Rekrap?”

“I am,” Rekrap said, taking an iron ax from Parrot.

“We’ll be back an hour before sundown,” Parrot said, looking at Lux.

“Sounds good,” Lux said, watching the two walk away. “And RAT, do you remember what you need to do?”

“Bring a bucket of water for Clown,” RAT sighed.

“Don’t feel left out, you’re helping us survive out here,” Lux smiled.

“I guess,” RAT said, picking up his bucket and began walking towards the wall where Clown was, Lux followed him.

“I get that you don’t feel very useful right now, but you’ve been through a lot, we all know that,” Lux said.

“Yeah,” RAT said, wondering if he should tell Lux about the weird dreams he had been having. “Do you ever get, like, dreams of other people?”

Lux nodded. 

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“What happens in those dreams?” RAT asked.

“Usually memories from old times,” Lux shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering,” RAT said, not feeling like he should say anymore. 

“Okay…”

RAT set his bucket down near the wall as Clown walked over to them. He took out a bottle from his belt and filled it with the water, taking a few sips before hooking back on his belt. 

“Thank you,” Clown said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I saw Parrot and Rekrap leave through the gates a moment ago, and they’ll be back soon.”

“Anything we can do in the meantime?” Lux asked.

Clown nodded.

“Yes, Lux, if you could go down to the mines and bring back some stone, there should be some left from our mining trip.”

“Sounds good,” Lux said. 

“Is there anything I can do?” RAT asked.

“Not necessarily,” Clown said. “You can fill up another bucket for Parrot and Rekrap  when they return.”

“Why can’t I do anything more complicated?” RAT complained.

“You are still healing,” Clown stated.

“Aren’t you still healing?” RAT remarked, causing Lux to look over at them. “I still see the limp in your step.”

“Yes, I am still healing,” Clown said, getting annoyed. “But unlike you, I haven’t passed out from my stupidity.”

“Well actually you-”

“Shut it, Lux,” Clown sneered.

“Hey, don’t talk to Lux like that,” RAT declared.

“I will do what I need to keep things going smoothly,” Clown half-yelled.

“Well I don’t think bossing people around is helping, ClownPierce ,” RAT snarked.

Clown sneered and walked closer to RAT, pointing a finger at him.

“You will shut your mouth. Right. Now.”

“What are you gonna do, ClownPierce? Cry?” RAT mocked.

“RAT stop,” Lux said.

RAT didn’t listen.

“Come on, ClownPierce, sooner or later you have to realize you can’t be the boss of things. You can’t be a leader.”

In a blink of an eye, RAT was shoved against the wall with a sword to his neck. Clown gripped the handle of the sword tightly, holding it mere inches from RAT.

“I could kill you right now, RAT,” Clown asserted. “No one would care, so one would come looking for you and do you know why? Because no one loves you. NOBODY!”

RAT felt his heart race at Clown’s words, he remembered what Rekrap said about Pangi. Was Clown really gonna kill him ? Suddenly, the sword was wrenched away from Clown and thrown across the grass.

“Get a hold of yourself, Clown!” Lux yelled, throwing a pickaxe at him.

Clown looked like he was going to kill Lux; without thinking, RAT grabbed his arm.

“Clown stop!” 

There was a sickening crunch as Clown’s fist connected with RAT’s face. RAT fell backwards and landed on the grass, his face hurt and a strange liquid ran down the corners of his mouth. He rubbed it off, looking at the blood that covered the palm of his hand.

Everything felt like a blur. Clown looked at him with horror, seeming sick to what he had done. RAT realized Clown’s words were true. Without thinking, he got up and ran. Turing at the gate and running towards the forest, he heard Clown call after him, but he didn’t care. Clown doesn’t care for him. He doesn’t care for anybody.

Chapter Text

RAT ran further into the woods, he didn’t care about Clown. Clown didn’t care for him, so he wouldn’t either.

The farther RAT ran, the darker the woods seemed to get. Suddenly, he tripped and tumbled down a slope, the knife he was carrying pierced the ground and tore off his belt while an empty potion bottle smashed into pieces against a tree root.

RAT slid down across the grass and dirt and soon came to a stop, but he didn’t attempt to get up, he just let his tears flow. He held a hand to his face where he was punched, the area felt numb and slightly stung at the touch. RAT hated Clown for this, but he hated himself more for running.

“RAT?”

RAT suddenly pushed himself up, his eyes still blurry from his tears, preventing him from seeing who was in front of him. All he could see was red and black and assumed it was Clown. He turned away, looking at the slope he had fallen from and wiped away his tears. 

“Go away,” RAT sniffled. 

“RAT,” The voice said. “Is everything okay?”

“I said go away!” RAT said, turning and throwing a rock at what he thought was Clown, but his eyes were met with a different, yet somewhat familiar face.

“Reddoons?”

Reddoons stood still, his suit dirty with green spots and his white shirt covered in spots of dried blood. His hair was messy and his glasses were chipped. Even with the messy clothes and blood, he seemed to be faring better than RAT was. 

“RAT, I ask again,” Reddoons asked. “What happened, are you okay?”

RAT tried to keep it together, yet could feel the tears welling up in his eyes and he was forced to let it out. He walked over to Reddoons and put his head on his shoulder.

“Uh.. Hey, RAT,” Reddoons paused. “I.. Uh-need to know if you are okay, man.”

RAT nodded, not wanting to speak.

“Okay, okay,” Reddoons said, not really knowing what to say.

RAT collected himself after a few moments and wiped the tears off his face.

“Why are you here?” RAT asked. “How are you here?”

“It’s a long story, and I was thinking the same about you.” Reddoons said

“Well, how long have you been out here?” RAT asked. 

“Well, I remember waking up near here about…” Reddoons paused. “Maybe fifty-ish days ago.”

RAT realized Reddoons has been here longer than he has, and he was clearly much more prepared.

“RAT?” Reddoons interrupted his thoughts. “Are you still with me?”

“Yes, yeah,” RAT said, quickly.

“Okay, are you the only one here?” Reddoons asked.

RAT debated for a moment telling him about Clown and the rest of their group but quickly decided against it. 

“No, it’s just me. I’m the only one.”

“Your nose okay?” He asked, taking some cloth from his pocket and wiping the blood off RAT's face.

“I just fell, nothing major,” RAT lied.

“Well, you don’t appear to be hurt too bad, so that’s good,” Reddoons said, checking RAT once more. “You should come back with me, we could use the extra set of hands.”
“We?” RAT questioned.

“Yeah,” Reddoons said. “You got me, Jaron, Vortex, Eight, Mapic, Spoke, and Ashswag.”

“Eight is there?” RAT said, surprised. “Is that everyone?”

“Unfortunately,” Reddoons murmured.

“Shouldn’t that be a good thing?” RAT asked.

“Not really, we had more members in our group,” Reddoons said, clenching his fist. “But then we were attacked by the Midnight Clan.”

“Midnight Clan?” RAT said.

“Yeah, about two weeks ago they arrived outta nowhere,” Reddoons said. “They attacked at midnight, hence the name. We hadn’t developed shifts yet so we were all asleep, they came quietly and went unnoticed until Vitalasy came back from the river. Then the fight ensued.”

“What happened then?” RAT persisted when Reddoons had stopped talking.

“We used what we had, which was just some swords and shields as defense,” Reddoons continued. “But they had much more power than we did. Their leader wielded a powerful staff, glowing with a strange stone at the top. I have never seen anything like it.” 

“And?” RAT said.

“I ended up going against their leader, they wore masks so none could be identified,” Reddoons said. “Except for their leader, he was easy to point out. You can imagine my shock when I was faced by Winsweep.”

“You challenged Winsweep?” RAT said, shocked.

Reddoons nodded.

“His fighting style was one I have not seen and as much as I hate to admit, I was quickly overpowered. I think that the moment I fell, everyone else began to retreat, leaving the cave we had called home, and ran for the forest.”

“You said you lost members,” RAT said. “How many?”

“More than I’d like to admit,” Reddoons sighed. “Moriya was among the captured. I watched Winsweep use his staff, and they seemed to freeze in their step before being bonked over the head and knocked out.”

“They were frozen,” RAT murmured. “Just like that?”

“Just like that,” Reddoons said. “I thought I was the last one left, I thought they were gonna kill me. But they left me, bleeding and broken. I thought it was over, but Vitalasy never surrendered in a fight. He tried to surprise Winsweep, nearly getting the jump on him too. But Winsweep must’ve heard him. I watched him kill Vitalasy, right in front of my eyes, stabbed through the heart.”

RAT could see his Reddoons eyes become glassy, yet no tears.

“They left us with nothing, only our dead friend,” Reddoons sniffled, clenching his fist. “If I ever get my hands on Winsweep, I will take him and rip his skull from his body and use it to drink his blood!”

RAT backed up.

“Too far?” Reddoons asked.

“Uh… A little,” RAT chuckled nervously.

“I’m sorry, things have been rough since the attack,” Reddoons said. “I’m honestly surprised we managed to keep it together.”

“I’m sorry that happened,” RAT said, solemnly.

“It’s okay,” Reddoons said, looking at his watch, which RAT didn’t realize he had. “We should go.”

“Go where?” RAT asked. 

“Back to base,” Reddoons said, walking away from the area. “Ain’t gonna let you stay out here by yourself. Come on then.”

RAT looked back to where he had come from, feeling slightly guilty about leaving Clown and his friends but quickly brushed it off and followed Reddoons.

Chapter Text

RAT followed Reddoons through the woods, taking all types of twists and turns, rounding at trees with markings and passing small, man-made stone piles. When they came to a clearing , Reddoons stopped, quickly stopping RAT before he could march into the clearing.

“Why are we stopping?” RAT questioned.

“I want you to follow my steps. Exactly as I do,” Reddoons explained. “Understand?”
RAT nodded and they continued, RAT followed Reddoon’s footsteps to the inch as they zigzagged through the area. He could see a makeshift fence on the outside of the clearing and wondered what it was. When They made it to the other side, RAT decided to ask.

“So what was the clearing for? And why the fence?”

“Most of it was built by someone before we arrived ,” Reddoons said. “We added the fence to keep people out.”

“And why were we following a specific path?” RAT asked. 

“Because it’s a minefield there, literally .”

RAT stopped in his tracks.

“Minefield…?”

“Yep, likely over 500 mines in that area,” Reddoons chuckled. “ Mapic nearly lost his legs on the first day . I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t see it myself.”

RAT seemed shocked, yet he didn’t know if it was because Mapic almost became an amputee or that someone had been here before them.

“Earth to RAT,” Reddoons snapped his fingers. “Still with me?”

RAT shook himself out of his daze. 

“Yeah, I’m still here.”

“Good, gonna need you focused,” Reddoons said, kneeling down to the grass. RAT watched as Reddoons pulled open a trapdoor, hidden under some fake grass.

“You first,” Reddoons said, ushering RAT over. “I’ll be right behind you.”

RAT looked down the ladder into a seemingly endless chute below. With too much hesitation, he put his feet on the first few rungs and began climbing down. After a few moments, he heard the sound of the trapdoor shut and could hear Reddoons following him. It took less than a few seconds before his feet reached the stone ground. He stepped away from the ladder and waited for Reddoons. When the two were safely on the ground, Reddoons opened a door on their side, leading RAT to a large cave tunnel . Carved in the stone were rooms for storage, beds, and what looked like an armory. RAT could also see people moving around, spotting Mapic, Vortex, and Eight.

“Welcome to The Resistance, RAT,” Reddoons said proudly.

“ The Resistance ?” RAT questioned.

“Our base of operations against Winsweep and the Midnight Clan .”

Suddenly, Eight ran up to Reddoons, interrupting their conversation.

“Reddoons, we secured more food this morning while hunting, Spoke has been in the forge creating better swords, and Jaron left an hour ago to cut down more trees for storage.”

“Thank you for informing me,” Reddoons said. “You know RAT, I assume.”

Eight looked at RAT and smiled. 

“Good to have you with us RAT, You’ll be a great asset in our fight.”

“He will,” Reddoons chuckled. “And Eight, could you prepare a bunk for RAT?”

Eight nodded and walked off.

“Seems like you keep things in line around here,” RAT commented.

“Well, things have been more tense since Ashswag … well…” Reddoons trailed off.

“I thought Vitalasy was murdered,” RAT stated.

“He was,” Reddoons clarified. “ Ash was close to him though, and he kinda went insane in the days following. Locked himself in one of the storage rooms and hasn’t left since.”

“Have you tried to get him to leave,” RAT asked.

“We did,” Reddoons said. “He refused and asked for chalk . We gave him coal because that is all we had.”

“Why ask for that?” RAT wondered. 

“Jaron went in there a few days ago, he is the only one who has,” Reddoons said, beginning to walk down the tunnel, so RAT followed at his heels.

“Came out in shock, saying Ash had written on the walls and talked about things that didn’t exist , I think he’s lost it.”

RAT didn’t know what to say so he didn’t speak at all.

Reddoons took RAT into a room where there were beds pushed against the wall and some mattresses and bedding on the floor. Eight was in the corner prepping a bed.

“This is where we sleep,” Reddoons guestred around the room. “ Curfew at 9pm and rotate scout positions every two hours , you will get a weapon and armor from Spoke and will hunt with Jaron and Vortex.”

“I will go hunting?” RAT asked, surprised.

“Yes, everyone helps in every job, whether they are skilled or not. You will be trained to keep up,” Reddoons said. 

RAT nodded, feeling excited to be part of the crew. Reddoons’ watch beeped again. 

“Come on RAT, dinner time.”

RAT nodded, stealing a peak at his watch, feeling slightly confused since it was only 4pm but followed Reddoons anyways, leaving the bunks and heading to an area carved out of the tunnel. There was a table in the corner, a few chairs scattered around, a pair of dice carved out of wood and handmade-cards on the floor . At the table, Eight was sitting down, Mapic walked out of a side door with a few plates of food, and Vortex, Spoke, and Jaron were entering the room and sitting down. Reddoons sat down near Vortex and RAT took the empty seat next to him. RAT noticed the other empty chairs around the table, assuming they belonged to the now captured members. 

“RAT,” Spoke said, patting him on the back. “Good to see you.”

RAT smiled and watched as everyone sat down, Mapic came over and sat down a plate of food in front of everyone. He sat down and smiled. 

“Good afternoon everyone,” Reddoons spoke up, as everyone began to eat.. “What was our progress report today?”

Eight finished chewing before speaking.

“ Spoke worked in the forge all day, creating a new sword for Jaron. I was in the mines and discovered a new branch of the cave . Vortex went hunting this morning and killed two chickens and a deer and Mapic prepared the meat for winter . Jaron cut wood and dug up a landmine. ”

“Good,” Reddoons said. “I also want to introduce RAT, even though most of you know him, he is joining our crew.”

RAT smiled as everyone nodded or welcomed him, everyone continued eating in silence besides some small talk between Vortex and Reddoons. 

“Say Reddoons,” Spoke said. “Where’d you find RAT anyways?”

Reddoons chuckled , set down his silverware and flashed RAT a smile.

“ Well, I was out by the river, filling up a bucket …” Reddoons paused. “Which I now realize is still sitting there. Anyways I heard the sound of glass shattering, so I decided to go check it out, low and behold I found him lying on the ground.”

Spoke nodded, expecting more of the story. “Anything else?”

“Frankly,” said Reddoons. “ I thought he was dead. ”

Mapic and Eight looked up as Jaron and Vortex stopped their conversation at the same time, seeming intrigued in Reddoons’ story. RAT looked around, the table had dropped to silence and all eyes were focused on Reddoons .

“Well, I can say that you don’t have a good throwing arm, that stone he threw went right by me.”

“ I thought you were…” RAT stopped himself before he could give away his secret. “I thought you were a hunter, or something.”

Reddoons had a look on his face like he wanted to ask, but Vortex had the same question.

“Why would you think that? You weren’t running from something were you?”

RAT took a bite from his food and shook his head, hoping Vortex would drop the conversation. Thankfully, it worked.

“Well, no matter the reason, you are safe with us,” Reddoons nodded.

When everyone was finished, Mapic took the plates and left to wash them. Vortex, Spoke, and Eight stayed seated and took the deck of cards and dealt in a game of poker and Jaron left the room quickly 

RAT sat with Reddoons at the otherside of the table as he explained his job.

“You'll be hunting with Jaron and Vortex in the morning, they leave early so you’ll need to be prepared.”

“I can do that,” RAT stated.

“Good,” Reddoons said. “Get to bed, they’ll wake you in the morning.”

RAT nodded and headed off back to the bunks, when he arrived, Jaron was in the corner, holding a dagger with him.

“I’m the first watch,” Jaron explained. “I’ll be leaving soon”

RAT nodded as he climbed into bed and tried to go to sleep, feeling his eyes become heavy as his dreams took him away.

Chapter Text

“RAT, get up,” Vortex said, shaking him awake.

“What?” RAT mumbled, opening his eyes to the dark room, he could hear the sound of soft breathing in the room.

“We got to go,” Vortex said, shaking RAT slightly harder.

RAT mumbled and pushed himself out of bed. Even though he couldn’t see well RAT found his shoes and slipped them on carefully stepping over Eight, who slept on the floor, and pushed open the door with Vortex right behind him.

RAT closed the door behind him and looked to see Jaron standing near them. Both were wearing green clothes and black pants, Jaron had a black hat on while Vortex was wearing a face mask covered with leaves.

“Are you ready to go hunting?” Jaron whispered.

RAT nodded as Vortex handed him a bow and a quiver of arrows.

“I’ll teach you how to use them,” Vortex said. RAT noticed they each had a quiver too, but they wielded crossbows. Vortex started towards the ladder, RAT and Jaron followed. They climbed the ladder into the crisp morning air, the sun had barely risen so it was practically dark in the forest.

Jaron motioned for them to follow him as they made their way through the forest. After a few minutes of walking, they stopped at a small bunker-like area, with sandbags covered in leaves and dirt and a roof made of branches and green bed sheets. Jaron opened the entrance and they climbed in. There was a viewing window out the front that they could shoot out of.

“Now we wait,” Vortex whispered.

“What lives in these woods?” RAT asked quietly.

“Deer, pigs, chickens, turkey,” Jaron listed. “Yesterday we saw a wolf.”

“See something, say something,” Vortex instructed. “Don’t let anything get away.”

RAT nodded and placed his bow on his lap like Jaron and Vortex had done. The silence felt so loud. As the sun began to rise, Vortex moved and looked out to the forest, he slowly raised his crossbow and loaded an arrow. RAT sat up to see what he was looking at, in the distance, there was a pig, quietly sniffing the ground, unaware of the hunters near him. 

RAT watched as Vortex mumbled something, pulled the trigger, sending the arrow flying. With a squeal and a thunk , the pig sprinted off in the woods, its squeals echoing off the trees

“Nice one,” Jaron said, pushing open the door of the bunker. Vortex and RAT stayed put, watching Jaron follow the pig. After a few moments there was another loud squeal before the forest silenced once again. RAT waited, feeling anxious as Jaron emerged, pulling the pig to the fort.

“Big boy, maybe 200 pounds,” Jaron grunted once he made it to the door.

“Good, take him back and gut immediately,” Vortex said. “Give it to Mapic and come back if there is time.”

Jaron nodded, taking the pig up and placing it on a sheet before dragging it away.

“We’ll wait a bit longer,” Vortex said. “I need to see if you can hunt.”

RAT nodded. The longer they waited, the higher the sun rose in the sky, RAT took a peek at Vortex’s watch. 9am. They’d been out here longer than he thought. RAT thought back to his argument with Clown, starting to feel guilty abandoning his friends like that, especially Lux. They didn’t know if he was alive or dead.

“RAT,” Vortex said, distracting him from his thoughts. “Look here.”

RAT sat up and looked out the hole. There was a deer wandering through the area, a small one.

“Take up your bow,” Vortex said.

RAT did so and knelt next to Vortex and took an arrow from his quiver and pulled back on the string.

“Deep breaths, don’t shake, pull back to your ear and let it fly,” Vortex instructed.

RAT pulled back on the string, he took slow, deep breaths and focused on his target, letting his nerves calm. Trying to forget about what he has done. He let go. Thunk , the arrow hit the tree next to the deer. The small creatures, startled,  scampered away, galloping into the darkness of the forest, leaving behind not a trace nor a sound that it had even been there.

“Don’t worry,” Vortex smiled. “It’s your first time, you’ll get better.”

“Okay. Thanks,” RAT sighed, feeling bummed he missed. 

“Let’s get going,” Vortex said, patting him on the back. 

RAT smiled as they left the bunker, making their way through the forest again, RAT became curious.

“So Reddoons found you? Or the other way around?”

Vortex nodded. “Reddoons found me, he needed someone who was strong and could use a weapon.”

“What does that mean?” Asked RAT, clearly confused.

“It means, I don’t waiver when a shot is presented.”

“Is that why you are a hunter?” RAT questioned.

Vortex didn't speak. When they made it back to the cave, Reddoons came out and shook RAT by the shoulder in a playful manner. 

“How was your morning?” he asked.

“We scored a pig and RAT got some practice in,” Vortex responded.

“Good,” Reddoons said. “RAT, are you cool with joining Vortex and Jaron for hunting in the mornings?”

“Sure,” RAT said.

“Alright then,” Reddoons chuckled. “I am going to map out more of the forest, I’ll see you for dinner.”

“And I think you should get more rest,” Vortex said to RAT.

“But I’m not tired,” RAT responded.

“You will be, trust me.”

As if on cue, RAT felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. He let out a yawn and his eyes drooped.

“Told ya,” Vortex chuckled.

RAT sighed, feeling like sleeping wasn’t going to prove he could be very helpful, but knowing he would be less helpful in the coming days without it.

RAT decided to take his word for it and made his way back to the bunks. It was very clean, all the beds were made and a shirt was neatly folded on one of the beds. RAT pulled back the covers, laying back and drifting away into sleep.

Chapter Text

Over the next two weeks, RAT learned the daily routine of the Resistance. In the morning he would wake up and go hunting with Jaron and Vortex, rest for an hour before training with either Vortex or Spoke, training combat and hunting.

In the afternoon, RAT would help organize the storage with Eight, making notes of supplies that they had on hand, ones that were dwindling, and what could be gathered and reserved throughout the weeks ahead. And in the evening, he’d help Mapic, and sometimes Jaron, cook dinner. While all his jobs were helpful, RAT enjoyed his training the most. Spoke mostly focused on basics and target practice while Vortex practiced in fake scenarios, so RAT would often ask to train with Vortex. 

“Slice, stab, you’re dead,” Said Vortex after poking RAT with the wooden sword.

“That’s not fair,” RAT said, pushing the sword away from his chest. “I wasn’t ready”

“Your enemies won’t attack when you're ready, they’ll take any chance to surprise you.” Vortex commented.

“Can you at least let me be ready?” RAT asked, trying to scratch himself under the heavy armor he was wearing. “Besides, it might help me learn to be ready quicker.”

Vortex simply shrugged. “Fine by me.”

RAT took a moment to adjust the armor around his body, it was so hot with all of it on, and he hated wearing it, even if it protected him.

“Okay, ready.”

RAT stood firm, preparing for Vortex to attack.

Vortex quickly poked RAT’s armor in the weak spots and sliced at his face, not actually touching the skin. 

“Stab, stab, slice. You’re dead.”

Vortex swiped RAT off his feet and into the dirt, holding his sword at his face.

RAT enjoyed the training, but he hates losing. Stop thinking like that, you are starting to sound like Winsweep . 

“I think that is enough for today,” Vortex sighed, hauling RAT back to his feet.

“When’s the day I get to challenge you?” RAT asked.

“Soon, just keep training.” Vortex took his sword and walked back to the cave.

Challenging was a big part of The Resistance, Reddoons made every member duel with Vortex to prove they could defend themselves if the Midnight Clan ever attacked again. Vortex was the best fighter, he always seemed to have a new strategy so it was nearly impossible to get the jump on him. RAT wanted to be the one of the first to win (Of course Reddoons was the first to beat Vortex to make sure it was possible), at least on his first try. 

“How’d you get to be the one everyone had to challenge?” RAT questioned.

“I guess I’m just a better fighter than Reddoons,” He said. “Don’t tell Red I said that. Now, I want you to practice against that tree. Hit it until it looks like it’s gonna fall.”

RAT looked at the tree, it was one of the largest ones around. “Do I have to?”

“Keep talking like that and you’ll never be ready,” Vortex growled, walking away. Vortex was right. So RAT pushed those thoughts aside, he had to keep practicing.

RAT trained hard the next few days and when the day came, today, he could duel Vortex.

“You think you’re ready?” Vortex asked, taking another bite out of his sandwich.

“I know I am,” RAT said, confidently.

Vortex looked him over once, checking his armor and threw a punch at it, nearly knocking RAT off balance; that of itself wouldn’t have looked too good in front of him.

“Alright,” Vortex said, finishing his sandwich and picking up his sword. “Shall we go?”

RAT nodded, picking up his sword and sheathing it at his side like Vortex had done. As they walked to the ladder, Eight came up to them and gave them each a potion.

“I heard you were dueling today, use them when you need to.”

“What potion is it?” RAT asked.

“They are both different, Reddoons made them. Not even I know what they are. But don’t worry, we decided we aren’t gonna make any more poison potions.” Eight chuckled. “Good luck!”

RAT seemed confused but hooked it on his belt and climbed the ladder, following Vortex to the training grounds, a large, circular pit carved into the mountain. Spoke said it was there when they arrived, saying it was probably made by the same person who placed the mines.

RAT couldn’t tell which was creepier, the fact that Reddoons and the Resistance didn’t know why the arena was built, or that someone had been here before them.

Didn’t I say the same thing about the minefield? RAT thought

Vortex and RAT walked through the tunnel into the arena, while it wasn’t too big, it was beautifully decorated with andesite pillars, blackstone seats that circled the pit and other unique things like lanterns and a fence around the pit. Vortex threw down the ladder they had been using to get down to the pit and the duo climbed down.

“I’ll give you a minute to mentally prepare,” Vortex said, walking to his side of the arena. RAT walked to the opposite side, feeling nervous and even shaking slightly. This was it, the moment he was prepared for, yet couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn’t ready.

“Calm down, RAT,” he whispered to himself. “You can do this.”

 He took a few deep breaths and faced Vortex, prepared for their duel. Vortex raised his sword, signaling he was ready. When RAT did the same, Vortex began to move towards him, his sword in his hands. RAT walked forward, he was not afraid of Vortex, he was ready for this.

The two circled each other, growing ever closer with each step. RAT waited, gripping his sword in his sweaty hands, nervous about what was taking so long. Suddenly, Vortex dropped his sword to the ground, letting it rattle, throwing RAT into confusion before pulling out his crossbow, shooting at RAT.

Thankfully, his armor helped him as the arrow deflected off it. RAT felt his armor vibrate, making a mental note to thank Spoke for it. When he turned his attention back, Vortex punched him across the face. He spun around and landed hard on his stomach

“Watch your opponent at all times,” Vortex uttered. “Never let them get the jump on you.”

“I would think before saying that,” RAT smirked, kicking at Vortex’s shin and causing him to collapse. RAT picked himself up and held his sword in his hands, being wary of his next move. Vortex stood up and chuckled. 

“Good one, RAT. Let’s see how you do in the next one.”

Vortex quickly picked up his sword and slashed at RAT, hitting the armor but not piercing it. RAT side-stepped and met Vortex at the side, swinging his sword. Unfortunately, Vortex must have known what he would do and used his sword to block. A clang of metal sounded as the sword collided.

“Give up RAT!” Vortex yelled, as the swords began to slip.

RAT looked between Vortex and his sword, his plan didn’t exactly work. Now he was in rock and a hard place.

The moment RAT broke eye contact, Vortex kicked his foot under RAT, sweeping him off his feet. He fell to the ground and his sword clattered to the ground next to him. He desperately tried to grab his sword, but Vortex kicked it away, showing his sword in RAT’s face.

“Like I said, never let your opponent get the jump on you,” Vortex huffed.

RAT sat in silence, still out of breath. 

“I take it there isn’t a chance for a second round?”

“As much as I would like to agree,” Vortex chuckled. “You only get one shot this time.”

RAT sighed, upset he wasted his chance to prove his skills.

“Careful now,” Vortex said, pointing to the side of RAT. “Your bottle broke.”

RAT looked to his side, seeing the broken potion bottle that Eight gave him.

“I forgot to use it,” RAT sighed. “Did you use yours?”

Vortex confirmed as RAT let out another sigh.

“Come on,” Vortex said, pulling RAT to his feet. “You will have plenty of time before you try again.”

“I guess,” RAT said, walking with Vortex back to the ladder. They climbed up and Vortex rolled the ladder backup and set it on the nearest seat. 

“Ready to go?” Vortex asked.

RAT quietly agreed and the duo made their way back to the archway entrance to the training grounds and back into the forest. 

“How long until I can try again?” RAT asked as they walked back to base.

“When you’re ready,” Vortex said.

“And that is when?” RAT questioned.

Vortex looked back at RAT.

“That will be for you to decide.”

RAT and Vortex stayed silent for the rest of the walk until they made it back to the trapdoor, Spoke was sitting outside the door with a crossbow in his hands. Instinctively, Vortex pulled out his sword, causing RAT to do the same.

“What’s wrong?” Vortex asked.

“I was coming back from the mines when I saw something,” Spoke replied, not taking his eyes off the forest. RAT followed his gaze, seeing nothing but the trees and the clearing of the minefield.

“Saw what?” Vortex asked.

“I dunno,” Spoke answered. “Something big.”

Vortex scanned the forest.

“Think your eyes are playing tricks on you.”

Spoke didn’t speak for a second but suddenly pointed into the forest.

“There! Look!”

RAT and Vortex turned to the forest. Initially, RAT did not see anything, but movement caught his attention. Deep in the forest, something was walking. Or Someone .

“Get Reddoons and Jaron,” Vortex said.

Spoke nodded, leaving his crossbow and sliding down the ladder. A few minutes passed before Jaron, Reddoons, and Spoke appeared from the trapdoor. Reddoons had a sword and Jaron had a crossbow like Spoke.

“I need to know what exactly you saw,” Reddoons asked.

“It was something big, likely a person,” Spoke said.

“I think it’s safe to assume that it’s a member of the Midnight Clan,” Jaron said.

“Nothing else lives in this area,” Vortex said. “I say we take that shot.”

Reddoons looked between the group before nodding.

“Agreed. Vortex and Jaron will take RAT and head north, cut him off, take a shot if you need to. Aim to stun. Spoke, you’re with me.” 

Jaron and Vortex nodded, half sprinting with RAT on their heels. When they reached the edge of the minefield on the north side, they hid behind one of the trees.

“Okay, if you see him, let me know,” Jaron said, loading an arrow in the crossbow. 

“And RAT,” Vortex said.

“Yes?”

“If things go bad, you promise me you will run?”

RAT was stunned by the sudden words but was pretty much forced to go along with it.

“I will.”

Vortex tilted his head down before glancinging back at Jaron.

They waited. And waited for what felt like forever. Jaron checked his watch, looking impatient. 

“Maybe they got ‘em already?” Vortex suggested.

“Maybe,” Jaron said. The silence persisted.

“We should head back–” Jaron started, when a tree branch snapped.

Jaron raised the crossbow and Vortex looked around for where the sound came from.

“Do you see him?” Asked Jaron.

“No.”

“Then keep looking.”

RAT tuned out the talking after a moment, he turned around and his eyes grew wide. Behind them, maybe 40 feet, was the figure. They were holding an iron sword in their hands. RAT’s mouth felt dry as he recognized the torn, patagonia sweater and the colorful design on the black shirt. It was Parrot.

“Jaron,” RAT whispered, pulling on his tan trenchcoat, trying to get his attention.

Jaron peered at RAT, catching a glimpse of Parrot.

“RAT, get down!” Jaron yelled, spinning around.

“Jaron no!” RAT cried.

The trigger was pulled and the arrow was shot. There was a scream and RAT watched Parrot stumble in pain, the arrow embedded in his shoulder.

Vortex ran towards Parrot, his sword gleaming in his hands. 

“Vortex stop, it’s Parrot!” RAT yelled.

“What?” Jaron looked at RAT, confused.

Vortex wavered in his step, giving Parrot just enough time to get a grip on his sword. RAT watched as Parrot slashed at Vortex, cutting him across the stomach. Vortex stumbled and fell to the ground as Parrot darted away, a puddle of blood quickly spreading across the grass.

“Vortex!” Jaron said, dropping the crossbow, not seeming to care about Parrot anymore as he rushed to help his friend.

RAT looked between Parrot and Vortex, in a split decision, he ran after Parrot.

He followed Parrot as he stumbled through the trees, yet became increasingly worried as he saw the clearing to the minefield. He didn’t know.

“Parrot stop!” RAT yelled.

He didn’t stop.

RAT watched as he ran into the minefield.

Time seemed to slow, Parrot ran into the field, his shoes hitting the sand-dirt ground. With each step, he moved farther into the field, each step coming closer to a possible demise.

There was a click, and all sounds around him stopped. As soon as RAT stepped onto the sand, he was instantaneously thrown backwards onto the ground. His ears were ringing, everything was so loud, yet quiet. He rolled over onto his stomach. everything hurt, yet at the same time it didn’t. RAT looked up to see a cloud of smoke and dirt billowing into the sky above him. He felt light headed and the world in front of him began to fade. 

Get up .

It was quiet at first, but then it was much louder.

Get up, RAT.

RAT felt weak, not wanting too.

You have to get up, RAT.  

Before it’s too late.

The voice persisted.

“Vortex? Jaron?” RAT whispered, he could still hear the ringing.

This is not your place to die. It’s not time yet .

“Who are y-you?” RAT coughed

You have to be strong, or else it will all fall.

“Answer my question,” RAT whispered, looking around in his vision for the source of the voice. “Who are you?”

Not here, too many witnesses. But I will return soon . Now, get up.

RAT was thrown back into reality, screams filled his ears and the ringing stopped. Still in shock, he tried to remember. Parrot and the mines. Vortex and Jaron. RAT quickly stood up, leaning against a tree. Looking in front of him, where the screaming was coming from, he saw Parrot.

His legs, blown apart from the mine. A red and black substance smeared the earth and the gaping hole in the ground. More blood was plastered all around, and bits of clothing gently floated through the air. Parrot’s sword was laying in a heap of shattered metal nearby.

The coppery taste of blood filled RAT’s mouth, he looked at himself, wondering if it was a frag mine.

When nothing appeared to be bleeding, RAT felt his lunch in his mouth and he immediately threw up, knowing the blood was not his. His heart was beating out of his chest as Parrot cried, tears streaming down his face, causing the blood on his face to flow with the tears

“AHHH! HELP! PLEASE!” 

RAT looked to his side, seeing Reddoons come up to him, checking him over before grabbing Parrot by the arms and pulling him from carnage. RAT saw Spoke out of the corner of his eye, he looked shocked and disgusted.

“Spoke, get Eight and have him prep a bed, anesthesia, and prepare for surgery,” Reddoons shouted, picking Parrot up in his arms as he cried in pain.

“RAT, what the hell happened to Vortex and Jaron?”

RAT didn’t speak.

“RAT! Fucking answer me!” Reddoons slapped him upside the head, getting his attention.

“Parrot stabbed at Vortex, Jaron stayed with him,” RAT yelled above Parrot’s screams of pain.

Reddoons looked at Parrot, noticing the broken tip of the arrow in his shoulder.

“Find them and get them back,” Reddoons said, whistling to get Spoke’s attention. “Tell Eight to make it two.”

Spoke hesitated to look at the mess of blood before running off towards home.

“RAT, go get Vortex and help Jaron bring him back.”

RAT nodded and ran back the way to Vortex. However, he couldn’t shake the gut wrenching feeling that this was all his fault.

Chapter Text

Throughout the night, pained screams and yells echoed through the halls and tunnels of the base. Most of the yells heard came from Parrot, who, even under anesthesia, could feel the pain as Eight worked to remove the shrapnel from his body and remove the dead tissue from his legs. Nobody could sleep during the night.

Jaron sat outside the medical room all night praying, while Spoke spent most of the time in his bed crying. Reddoons was in and out of the room, helping Eight with whatever he could while Mapic stayed with Spoke. Occasionally, when Reddoons left the room, RAT could see the blood stains on his white shirt, it reminded him of when he first met him, the way he looked.

RAT never got an explanation of what they were about. He sat with Jaron most of the night since Reddoons wouldn’t let him in, but during the time, RAT couldn’t help but think that if he had just told Reddoons when he first found him about Clown and the rest of his friends, maybe this never would have happened. 

This is my fault, I did this .

In the morning, RAT decided it was finally time to come clean.

“Reddoons?” RAT stopped Reddoons when he came from the medical room, RAT managed to catch a glimpse inside, seeing Parrot sleeping peacefully before the door closed.

“Yes, RAT?” Reddoons answered, trying to wipe the blood from his shirt, proving futile he gave up.

“How are things going? With Parrot and Vortex that is,” RAT asked, not ready to bring up his fault just yet.

“Better,” Reddoons said. “Parrot is finally getting some rest. Somehow, Vortex slept through most of the night and Eight is getting him stitched up.”

“That’s good,” RAT said. “Do you have something to do?”

Reddoons sighed.  “No, fortunately not. Why do you ask?”

“I need to show you something,” RAT sighed, feeling anxious.

Reddoons slowly nodded, seeming confused.

“And what is it you need to show me?”

“It’s. . . complicated,” RAT chuckled.

“Then why don’t you just tell me?” Reddoons asked, noticing his fidgeting.

“It’s not something I can just say,” RAT sighed. “It’s not that easy.”

Reddoons kneeled down to where RAT was sitting. 

“You know, you can tell me anything. And I promise, I will listen and I will try to understand it to the best of my ability, okay?”

RAT sighs. “It’s outside the forest.”

Reddoons stood up, immediately looking concerned.

“I’m not leaving Parrot or Vortex.”

“What I have to show you may be the key to saving Parrot’s life,” RAT said, knowing Rekrap had minor medical experience. Maybe not the best, but Lux was always a good substitute.

“Fine,” Reddoons said after a moment. “Jaron, join Eight, help him with what he needs.”

Jaron glanced at RAT with gratitude as he rushed inside the room. RAT looked at Reddoons, who was looking at him.

“This better be worth my while” Reddoons said, placing a knife on his belt holster.

RAT nodded and led Reddoons to the ladder, they climbed up and began their walk. However, when they arrived at the edge of the minefield, RAT looked at Reddoons.

“Could we take the long way?” RAT asked. “I don’t feel comfortable walking through this place.”

“Neither do I,” Reddoons said, already starting to take steps away from the field. RAT half-ran to keep in front of him. The two walked in silence, RAT didn’t want to explain the reason for this outing while Reddoons was spinning the knife around. Soon, RAT began to recognize the area, the trees became less dense and the sunlight shone through, a small slope was on their left. RAT moved up the slope slightly, finding some broken glass.

“Remember this place?” Reddoons asked.

“This… this is where you found me,” RAT said, remembering how it happened. “Then the river should be somewhere near here”

“Yeah, you were in shock. Why were you running?”

“Nevermind that,” RAT said, feeling tears in his eyes, quickly wiping them away. “Let’s keep going.”

Reddoons seemed hesitant yet followed RAT to the edge of the forest. They were greeted with the mountains again, he could see their snowy peaks as they pierced through the clouds, the rolling hills of the valley enclosed by them and in the distance, a place RAT remembered far too well.

“You see that village over there?” RAT asked, pointing to the walls that encircled the place he once called home.

“Yeah, found that in the first week,” replied Reddoons. “Looted it with Jaron and Mapic, that was the same day Mapic almost lost his leg to a mine.”

“So that’s why…” RAT muttered, remembering Talon complaining about why a house was missing a bed. 

“Why what?” Reddoons asked, getting annoyed when he didn’t answer. “RAT, why?”

RAT continued walking and Reddoons angrily followed, as the walls of the village came closer, RAT could really see things had changed since he left. Two watchtowers had been built between a metal gate which guarded the entrance and the wall had carved, wooden spikes atop its cobblestone exterior. Two banners hung at the side of the gate, each banner having a similar design. The background being a dark gray and a sword pointing towards the ground.

RAT pushed the iron gate open with a creak and slipped inside, Reddoons closed it behind him. The Village had mostly stayed the same, yet one of the houses had scaffolding on it and the wood was scorched in some places.

“RAT, what is this place,” Reddoons asked.

“Just wait,” RAT responded.

“God dammit RAT!” Reddoons yelled. “Tell me why the hell we are here?”

RAT stopped walking by the time they were at the well.

“You wanna know the truth?” RAT sighed.

“Yes.”

“Fine,” RAT said, taking a few breaths. “I’m not the only one, when you found me, I said I was the only one. I lied.”

“RAT?” 

RAT turned around and met eyes with the one man he hoped would never find him again.

“My God,” Reddoons gasped. “ClownPierce?”

Clown let out a grief filled sigh, staring at his shoes.

“RAT, I–”

RAT moved closer to him. He could feel all the hate and pain rushing back to him, yet instead of shouting, instead of running away again, instead of doing anything to get back at Clown, he let it all go. He couldn’t stay mad. Clown did what he was trying to do to help him stay alive.
“RAT, I-I’m sorry,” Clown said when RAT was just a few feet from him. “I shouldn’t have lashed out, I was scared of losing you. When I found your blade in the woods a few hours later. I-I. . . assumed the worst.”

RAT inched a few feet closer to him and wrapped his arms around Clown. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have run.”

He felt Clown return the hug after a few seconds. They only let go when Reddoons cleared his throat.

“Hate to break the moment, RAT. But can I get an explanation?”

“I was not alone, Clown and a few others are here with me,” RAT explained, feeling guilty.

“And what happened?” Reddoons asked. “Why'd you leave? Better yet, why did you not tell the truth?”

“I… uh,” RAT looked at Clown.

“Reddoons?” 

RAT watched as Rekrap ran from behind them and up to Reddoons, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.

“You’re here! It’s you! How? When?”

“Calm down Rekrap,” Reddoons said, looking at RAT. “We have much to talk about.”

“Yes, I’d like to know what happened, too,” Clown muttered, eyeing RAT. “Shall we head inside?”

“Can’t take too long,” Reddoons explained. “I will have to get back and check on Parrot.”

“Parrot’s with you?!” Rekrap gasped. “He didn’t come back last night, is he okay?”

Clown looked at RAT with concern and waved them over, pointing to the familiar two story house nearby.

“If you could, Rekrap, take our guest and make him comfortable.”

Rekrap smiled and led RAT and Reddoons into the house. Many things about it had changed. There were still three beds in the corners of the room, yet the furnace had been moved outside and converted to an outdoor kitchen. A fence had been built in the backyard with a garden, and a door had been built to get there.

Inside the house, in one of the unused corners, a small sitting area had been formed with five chairs and a table in the center. While he couldn’t see upstairs, RAT assumed it had stayed the same. Reddoon took a seat in one of the unused chairs while Clown left to gather the rest.

Rekrap sat next to Reddoons and RAT sat on his bed. Clown returned with Lux and Talon, who were equally as glad to see RAT and intrigued in Reddoon’s arrival, Clown sat away from Reddoons while everyone else took a seat on chairs, beds or leaning against walls around the room.

“Now that we are all here,” Clown said. “Let’s start from the beginning.”

Chapter Text

RAT felt like this conversation was never going to end.

“You’ve been here for four weeks?” Clown asked.

“Something like that, yes,” Reddoons sighed. “ We didn’t know about them until a few weeks prior.”

“Well you should have,” Lux said.

“How was I supposed to know anything?!” Reddoons said.

“You said they attacked you,” Clown retold. “Couldn’t you have seen signs of someone watching?”

“How was I supposed to know they were watching!” Reddoons growled. “I didn’t even know they existed!”

“So who was captured?” Rekrap asked.

“Moriya, Branzy, Planet, and Zam,” Reddoons said.

“And you don’t know what happened to them?” Clown questioned.

“How am I supposed to know? I was mourning the death of a friend!” Reddoons grunted. “I watch them kill Vitalasy!”

“Okay, okay,” Rekrap said, putting a hand on Reddoons’ shoulder. “Let’s calm down.

Reddoons sighed, eyeing Clown.

RAT sat in silence, listening to the conversation, not wanting to speak anymore. He’d already gone over why he ran away, the whole thing about Clown punching him. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal to Reddoons, afterall.

“What happened to that one house?” Reddoons said, once he collected himself.

“The burned one?” Rekrap questioned.

“Yeah, that one.”

“That is where the forge is,” Talon said. “However, the house caught fire and burned most of the way.”

“Couldn’t have put it in a less flammable place?” Reddoons mocked.

“At least we get to see sunlight often,” Lux replied at random. “Don’t you live in a cave?”

“It was there when we arrived,” Reddoons said.

“So was your arena, and that minefield you talked about,” Clown said. “Don’t you think it’s a bit weird?”

Reddoons didn’t speak and the room fell silent before Lux spoke up again. 

“You said you saw Winsweep?”

“I did,” Reddoons said.

“And he killed Vitalasy?” Talon murmured.

Reddoons bowed his head.

“You said they were wearing masks and cloaks? How many were there? What did the masks look like?” Clown questioned.

“Including Winsweep, there were six of ‘em. They were wearing black cloaks and white masks with smiles drawn into them,” Reddoons said.

“Any other markings you can remember?” Rekrap asked.

Reddoons nodded.

“On the side of the cloaks, there was a strange symbol, it was the color of blood and reminded me of a helmet.”

“Anything else?” Clown persisted.

“Nothing that I can remember,” Reddoons responded.

“What about Parrot?” Lux asked. “You said he was with you?”

“He’s safe with us.”

“Why didn’t he come back?” Rekrap asked.

“There was… an accident,” Reddoons murmured.

“What kind of accident?” Clown said, standing up from his seat and moving slightly closer to Reddoons.

“A bad one,” Reddoons said, not giving away too many details.

“Mind explaining further?” Clown said.

It was at this point RAT tuned out the conversation, getting bored of the constant questioning and banter between the group. He put his head in his hands, trying to block out the arguing of Parrot’s injury. He knew it was his fault, but part of him couldn’t admit it. 

You can’t be sure it was your fault. It could have happened to anyone. RAT thought.

Quite tedious, isn’t it?

RAT picked his head up. Instantly he noticed someone else in the room. It wasn’t Clown or anyone he knew. They were leaned up against the corner wall near the door to the garden. RAT examined the figure closer, noticing their tattered gray cloak and dark green clothes underneath gray armor. RAT also noticed gloves on their hands and a gold stone in the center of the chestpiece. The figure’s face was hidden so he couldn’t see who it was. Before he could say anything, the figure stood up straight and walked over to RAT.

Outside . Now.

 The voice that echoed from them was eerie and familiar, yet distant all the same. RAT didn’t try to resist the urge, he followed without a word. They walked through the open doorway, but as he stood up, Clown noticed him.

“Where are you going?”

The room fell silent and all eyes stared at RAT.

“I need some fresh air,” RAT answered quickly.

Clown looked him over briefly, studying his face. RAT wished Clown had his mask off at that moment, so he could see his face and know what he was thinking. But Clown simply nodded his approval before going back to the conversation.

RAT exited the house into the blinding sun, once his eyes had adjusted, he spotted the figure standing in an area near the gate. RAT trudged closer, his shoes squishing through the wet and muddy grass, he wiped his shirt clean of grass and dirt stains as best he could before stopping a few feet from the person. They stood facing away from RAT, directly facing the sun.

“Who are you?” RAT decided to ask.

Nothing. RAT asked again.

“Who are you?”

Again, no response.

“Mind answering my question?” RAT asked. “You asked me out here, could I get an answer? Hey!”

The figure turned their head to look at RAT. He noticed that they were covered by some sort of black cloth that wrapped around their face, maybe that’s what it was , no facial features were visible at all.

“You seem agitated,” the figure said.

“Yeah, a bit,” RAT responded.

“Why so?”

“Well you aren’t answering my questions, first of all, and I would like to get back to the conversation.” RAT explained.

“Really,” the figure chuckled.

“Yeah, really,” RAT said.

“Seems to me you didn’t want to listen, in fact I know you weren’t listening,” the figure said. “Besides, I’m sure you know most of it already.”
He had a point, most of the events that had been discussed RAT had already experienced.

“Fair point, you seem to know about me?” RAT said.

There was pause.

“I do.”

“Why can’t I know about you?” RAT asked.

Another pause, one that went on much longer than expected.

“That… won’t turn out in favor of your life,” The figure said, adjusting the hood over his head.

“My life?” RAT questioned.

“I should get to the real reason for dragging you out here,” The figure said, turning to RAT. The sun made his armor look very shiny, especially the gold stone in the center.

“Things are changing, RAT.”

“How do you know my name?” RAT immediately asked.

“That is besides the point, there will be an attack on the village in one week, Winsweep will kill you if you are not ready.”

“Winsweep?” RAT asked. “You mean the Midnight Clan?”

“Is that what you named them?” The figure chuckled. “Not too far off.”

“Different name I suppose?” RAT predicted.

“Yes. The formal name: The Midnight Leviathan.”

“What does the Leviathan portion in the name mean?”

“I don’t know, I can’t get closer to find out. . . He knows I am here.”

“Who does?” RAT questioned. “Give me more than just riddles!”

“I must go,” the figure said, turning away from him.

RAT fumbled for his dagger, realizing he left it on his bed in the house, he reached for the figure’s arm, grabbing hold of it firmly. 

“Get off of me!” The figure shouted trying to pull away from RAT, but that only made him grip tighter. “STOP!”

RAT felt his body go numb. It was so quick he didn’t know it even happened. One moment he was standing, and the next he was on the grass. His heart was beating out of his chest and his limbs stiffened. RAT tried to reach out for the figure, but was met with the harsh realization that they were no longer with him. He managed to roll onto his side and threw up.

“What did you do to me. . .” Everything burned as the world seemed to shift, RAT closed his eyes. 

“You coming or what?”

He sat up, looking around for the figure, the village or anyone he could see. Nothing. RAT spun around to see Lux, nearby was Talon, wearing his goofy straw hat, his hands and clothes were green from rolling in the grass.

“W-What?” RAT stuttered?

“Didn’t hear me, did you?” Lux chuckled. “I said we were going to Spawn, wanna join?”

RAT hesitated for a moment, curious and confused of what was going on. He reached out when Talon offered a hand to pull him up and went with them, recognizing different things as they walked. He was home.

“RAT, RAT,” Talon said, interrupting his thinking. “Want to hear a bad joke?”

“I guess,” RAT responded, not knowing what to say.

“How do you stop a bull from charging? You take away its credit card.”

RAT chuckled softly even though it was a really, really, really , bad joke. 

“I think you’d do better balancing a sword than telling jokes,” Lux said.

“I bet you can’t do better,” Talon challenged.

Lux chuckled at the challenge, taking out their sword and balancing it on the palm of their hand before letting it fall into their grip.

“Okay, I guess you can do it better.”

RAT chuckled as they continued walking, realizing something was wrong, suddenly it all came back to him.

“Hello RAT,” A familiar voice said from behind.

RAT slowly turned around to see Winsweep, the smile on his mask bringing back so many emotions and nightmares. Lux drew their sword and RAT instinctively did the same with his scythe, even if he didn’t remember previously carrying it.

“What do you want, Winsweep ,” Lux growled, pointing the sword at him.

RAT noticed his weapon, a beautiful staff with a purple and blue crystal at the top.

“I just want to talk,” Winsweep chuckled, the staff sparkled with electricity.

“You never want to talk,” Talon said.

“You’re right, I want to kill you, that’s how it usually plays out?” Winsweep said, keeping a tight grip on the handle of the staff.

“Mind talking about your new toy?” Lux asked.

“Not necessarily, but I’m sure RAT knows.”

Lux glanced at RAT momentarily but kept their eyes on Winsweep. “What?”

“I’m sure he wishes to forget our little… alliance,” Winsweep joked.

“RAT,” Talon said. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” RAT said, not even knowing what was going on.

“Really. After all these months, I’m surprised.” He laughed. “Why don’t I jog your memory a bit?” Winsweep said, taking the opportunity to raise the staff above his head.

“Wait no!” RAT yelled as the staff was thrusted into the dirt, blue and purple electricity sparked around them, shooting through the dirt and their bodies.  The ground shook and crumbled as a beam of a similar color blasted out of the ground, throwing everyone off their feet. RAT shielded his eyes as a cyclone formed in the sky. He looked around, Lux was unconscious and Talon’s eyes were full of terror and pure panic. RAT saw Winsweep nearby, getting up and sprinting at him, his staff in hand.

“RAT!” Another voice broke him from the chaos as the world faded black. He was alone again.

“What happened?” RAT mumbled, looking to see the figure standing a few feet  from him.

“The Singularity.”

RAT looked at his hands which were shaking slightly. He kept imagining blood on them, but there wasn’t.

“W-Was all that…R-Real?” RAT stuttered.

He paused. Eventually sighing and dipping his head.

“I wish it wasn’t true, none of you deserved that. Not you, not Lux, not Talon.”

“Why?” RAT asked. “Why did it happen?”

“I promise I will tell you someday, but that day is not today.”

“You can’t leave me with all these unanswered questions!” RAT yelled. “Tell me something! Please!”

Again, the silence lasted too long. RAT struggled with his emotions, but he needed a lead.

“Remember Bonesburrow?” The figure asked.

RAT was taken aback by the question.

“I remember, I blew it up.” RAT responded.

“Then you know I loved that place with every fiber of my being.”

RAT didn’t realize at first, but once he processed the words, it all became clear.

“Arathain?”

“We’ll talk again, I promise.”

He waved a hand over RAT’s face and all turned black.

Chapter Text

The smell of something cooking filled the space in the house as RAT slowly opened his eyes, feeling groggy, he slowly sat up in his bed. Glancing around, he was in the village house. Everything was mostly the same as when he was last here. Well, except for it being empty of people. He threw away the covers and slipped on his shoes, nearly tripping on his shoelaces on his way out. Near the front door was a grill, the fire was lit and it was cooking steak; a table was next to it with chopped carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce.  

Hmm, seems a bit fancy today, RAT thought to himself, remembering each morning before, with plain, and sometimes stale, bread to satisfy his hunger.

He strolled away from the house, towards the well in the center of the village. The sun was bright in the sky, shining above everything else, and the ground was muddy and cold as he sat on the cobblestone side of the well. 

RAT let out a long and tired breath, letting his thoughts wander.

“You seem relaxed, may I join you?”

RAT turned his head to the side to see Clown, shocked by the words and not his usual over protectiveness, he moved over to allow space for Clownpierce. Clown set a bucket of water down and sat next to RAT. The grass caved slightly as he got seated.

“You gotta stop waking up like this,” Clown chuckled, pulling off the clown mask, wiping away some of the dirt that covered the smile. His face was a bit paler than normal and from what he could see, without looking suspicious, he had some mud stains on his lower neck, but not much.

“You mean after an accident?” RAT asked, coming back to his thoughts

Clown smiled and RAT laughed softly.

“I take it you don’t remember anything?” Clown asked after a moment.

RAT shook his head. “I remember some.”

Clown nodded slowly.

“ Weird things have happened to you. . . To all of us, actually. ”

“Clown, do you… remember how you got here? ”

Clown peered at RAT and shook his head.

“ Not fully, but I have some memories.”

“What do you remember?” RAT asked, wanting to get as much information as possible.

“I remember I woke up in the forest..”

“Before that,” RAT said. “Before you woke up here.”

“Okay. . . I remember I was home, I was working on a new building and –”

“And. . . ?” RAT persuaded.

“And— Reddoons was there,” Clown said, closing his eyes . “I don’t remember our conversation, but then everything became weird. the sky turned black and it began to rain–”

“Blood ?” RAT interrupted.

“Yeah, yeah it did. I thought it was just rain,” Clown said, confused. “Wait, how did you know?”

RAT hesitated before speaking again. “ Lucky guess. Anything else you remember? ”

Clown stared at his hands, which twitched slightly. RAT looked at them too, staring at every detail and marking on his gloves: small rips that revealed his skin, stains of white and red. Clown shook his head, standing up and picking up the water bucket.

“Want to help me? I was making dinner for everyone tonight.”

RAT, slightly annoyed with Clown for not saying anything else, pushed himself off the ground and followed Clown back to the grill, he took some uncut vegetables and washed them in the bucket, he took a dagger and handed it to RAT. 

“Could you cut up these tomatoes and carrots?”

“Sure,” RAT took the knife and began cutting while Clown flipped the steaks, which were a bit charred on one side.

“In your absence, there were plenty of improvements done to the village,” Clown said, keeping his eyes on the grill

“How long have I been asleep?” RAT asked, his mouth feeling dry.

“I should have phrased that better,” Clown apologized. “ In the time you were with Reddoons, you might have noticed improvements on the wall, a new forge, the garden, and generally a few more improvements on our living conditions ”

RAT sighed in relief. “Don’t scare me like that, ClownPierce.” RAT caught his tongue, prepared for what Clown would say, but he must have not noticed what RAT said, or no longer cared.

“Simple mistake, my bad,” Clown replied. “It’s been a day.”

“Pardon?” RAT said.

“Your question,” Clown said. “Y ou asked how long you’ve been asleep. It’s been a day. ”

RAT nodded slowly, he looked away for half a second and cut his finger with the blade.

“AY!”

“Jeez, RAT,” Clown said, walking inside the house, emerging a moment later with gauze and a bandage. Clown carefully cleaned the wound and wrapped the bandage around it.

“There we go.”

“Thanks,” RAT said.

“Hey, no problem man,” Clown said, scooping up the vegetables in a metal tin and placing them on the grill.

“It’s good this village still has a lot left in it,” Clown said. “ Reddoons said his group looted it, and Spoke stopped by earlier and dropped off some materials for our forge. ”

RAT nodded.

“Wait, where’s Rekrap? Or Talon and Lux?”

“Rekrap and Lux left with Reddoons to check on Parrot.” Clown said. “And Talon went to the forest, uh. . .”

RAT noticed Clown trail off, he followed his eyes and saw Talon, walking back with some sticks and other small wood pieces in his arms . Clown left his place at the grill and walked over to Talon, RAT could see the limp in Clown’s step as he followed.

“I can take those,” Clown said, taking the logs from Talon. “Do you know how to cook?”

“Well if you count making box macaroni cooking, then yes,” Talon said .

Clown hesitated before turning to RAT.

“ You can cook, right?”

RAT hesitated.

“Okay then,” Clown said, handing the logs back to Talon. “Take those to the forge.”

Talon looked towards the partly scorched house and left.

“Go with him RAT,” Clown said before Talon got too far.

“Why?”

“Just go.”

RAT obeyed and quickly moved to catch up with Talon as he got to the door.

“What happened to this place?” RAT asked as Talon set the wood on stacks of other logs.

“ The first time we lit the forge, something inside it exploded and caught fire to everything.” Talon retold the story.

“Exploded?” RAT said, alarmed. “Was anyone hurt?”

“ Clown was, some of the coals burned through his shirt from the blast.” Talon said. “I tried to help him but he refused. I swear something is wrong with him”

“Maybe he wasn’t hurt then?” RAT suggested.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Talon said. “I don’t think I can forget the look on his face. He was in pain, like, a lot of pain.”

“ He has been acting a bit strange lately. ”

Talon agreed, making sure the woodpile was steady before leaving the hut.

“This place is weird,” Talon said, looking around the valley and the snow capped peaks surrounding them.

RAT nodded, looking around. It was the first time he truly acknowledged his surroundings, he could see movements in the whiteout, likely mountain goats.

As they stared, the sun reflected off something in the peaks, casting a sudden and bright light in their direction. Talon  shielded his eyes until it was gone.

“You don’t think they are watching, do you?” RAT asked.

 “Who?”

“ The Midnight Leviathan ,” RAT replied.

“Huh?” Talon blinked, confused.

“That’s their formal name,” RAT explained. “Reddoons called them the Midnight Clan but it is actually Leviathan.”

Talon raised his eyebrow at RAT.

“And you know this how?”

RAT paused, as the memories came back.

“I need to talk to Clown,” RAT said, leaving Talon.
“How do you know their real name?” Talon called after RAT but he was already too far to stop. RAT turned the corner of the house and ran right into Clown. He dropped the bucket of water he was carrying, which clashed to the ground and spewed water on his pants.

“RAT?” Clown asked, picking up the nearly empty bucket. “You okay?”

RAT nodded, trying not to seem so panicked. 

“I need to tell you something important.”

Clown nodded, putting the bucket on the ground and giving his attention to RAT. 

“Alright, what is it?”

“Did you hear or see anything before I was unconscious again?”

Clown hesitated. “You weren’t gone for too long, but when I checked the windows, I saw you standing in the field near the gates..”

“And was anyone there?” RAT asked.

“No, at first I thought you were theorizing or just walking around but then you reached for something and you collapsed,” Clown told. “Without thinking I was outside near you… Then I saw it.”

“Saw what?” RAT persuaded.

“It wasn’t anything I recognized, but I saw a faded silhouette of a person without a face ,” Clown said.

“Were they wearing armor ?”

Clown nodded. “ With a golden stone in the center …”

RAT hesitated for a moment. “I saw them too.”

“Is this what you wanted to tell me?” Asked Clown.

RAT paused, wondering if should tell him everything he saw.

“Well?”

“He said Winsweep was coming,” RAT finally stated.

“That better not be a joke,” Clown said quickly.

“It’s not, Winsweep is going to attack the village .”

Chapter Text

“I’m not gonna argue with you, RAT,” Clown said, taking the steaks off the grill and onto a wooden tray. “I’m not saying I don’t believe you but I cannot fully trust this information.”

“I’m telling you,” Said RAT. “He said Winsweep will attack in a week…  So that means five days tomorrow.”

“Five?” Clown questioned.

“Yes,” RAT nodded. “I was asleep for a day, then today, so tomorrow will be five.”

“I see you can still do math,” Clown laughed.

RAT frowned, annoyed at Clown’s lack of worry. He never faced down Winsweep personally, so it made sense who wouldn’t be as worried as RAT was.

“Like I said, I’m not going to argue with you, RAT. Help me drag that table over,” Clown pointed to one of the old, wooden tables nearby. RAT walked with Clown and took one of the sides, picking it up, but faltering when it was heavier than he expected.

“Want me to get Talon,” Clown asked.

RAT shook his head, still feeling like he needed to prove his capability,  and adjusted his grip before picking it off the ground a few inches. The two walked the table over just a few meters from the house, next to another table. Once the two tables were connected, RAT walked back to the grill with Clown at his heels.

“Honestly, it is kind of nice being here,” Clown squinted up into the mountains surrounding them. The sun had already started to set behind them and was casting an eerie pink and orange glow on the valley. “Could you go check at the gate to see if our guests are here?”

“Guests?” Asked RAT.

“Yes, I invited Reddoons and the rest of his group, ‘The Resistance' as he called them, for dinner.” Clown explained. “I would like to get more of a formal alliance with the group.”

“Are we not already allied with them?” RAT questioned.

Clown shook his head. “I would like to know what their motives are, I don’t want to put you in danger if Reddoons wanted to run off a cliff to chase someone.”

“He’s not that dangerous,” RAT said.

“Eh, I wouldn’t put it past him,” Clown scoffed. “Could you do what I said? I’ll get Talon to set the table.”

RAT agreed and walked towards the gate, passing Talon, who was carrying something cupped in his hands.

“What’s that you got?”

Talon opened his hands to show a napkin and a bloodied tooth inside.

“What the hell Talon?” RAT flinched with disgust. “Where did you get that?”

Talon opened his mouth and pointed to the side of his jaw, where the tooth should have been. 

“It just. . . It just kinda happened,” Talon attempted to explain how he had lost it. “I’m gonna put it under my pillow tonight.”

“I don’t think it works like that,” RAT sighed.

“Just you wait when I get money from the tooth fairy,” Talon said, cupping the tooth in his hands again and skipping off to his shared house with Parrot and Rekrap.

RAT sighed, chuckled slightly at Talon’s innocence and continued until he was at the gate, pushing it open with a loud creak and leaning against it. Just in time too, he could see Lux walking with Eight. Reddoons, Mapic, Jaron, and Spoke slowly trailing behind.

“RAT!” Eight exclaimed, giving him a half-hug. “Good to see you again.”

Lux smiled and nodded to RAT, leading Eight inside. Mapic and Spoke did the same while Jaron gave him a quick high five. However, Reddoons stopped before entering. 

“Rekrap and Vortex stayed behind to watch after Parrot,” explained Reddoons. “He’s under a good amount of painkillers and most likely would be fine with just Vortex, but Rekrap insisted on staying.”

“Makes sense,” RAT said. “Rekrap seemed worried for him, part of me wondered if he would stay.” RAT hadn’t actually thought about Parrot or Rekrap since the time he woke, he just hoped Reddoons couldn’t tell he was lying. Thankfully he didn’t seem to notice, so RAT gestured for Reddoons to enter and he gladly accepted, taking a seat at the end of the table where the rest of his group had already been seated. RAT sat across from Lux and next to Jaron. Mapic helped lay out the rest of the plates and silverware while Clown placed bowls of food like steak, vegetables and something that was probably tomato sauce around the table. 

RAT thought about the last time he’d eaten, and this was just making him even more hungry than he already was.

Once Mapic and Clown had been seated, everyone began eating, making small talk with each other and talking about their experiences in the new world they were in. Clown and Reddons, however, were seemingly avoiding each other's eyes and ate in silence, despite being next to each other.

“RAT, hey, I’m talking to you,” Lux snapped their fingers in front of his face until he looked at her. 

“Yes?” Asked RAT.

“Eight and I have been theorizing about the landmarks of this place, who do you think built them?” Lux asked.

RAT was confused by the question at first but he soon began his own theory.

“Well, what do you think?” He asked.

“I personally think it was some ancient civilization,” Eight jumped in from his spot next to Lux

“Projects like the Arena and the Minefield couldn’t possibly have been built by one person.”

“Unless it was they were god-like,” Jaron said through a mouthful of food.

“This whole place could have been built by a god.”

“You mean the valley?” RAT asked.

Jaron nodded. “Yes, this place is very large and the height of the mountains seem too high to be possible.”

“Well, it could be all natural,” Lux said. “I think it could have been the work of both. An ancient civilization with the help of a god.”

Eight nodded. “That’s a good theory. RAT, what say you?”

RAT thought for a moment, thinking of his encounter with Arathain. “I think it was from just one person too. Not a god, but more of a spirit, someone who has power, but cannot control everything.”

“That could make sense,” Jaron said, turning back to his conversation with Spoke. RAT took another bite of the bits of steak on his plate, looking up at Reddoons, who was now quietly talking with Clown. He noticed him and flashed a smile before giving his attention to Clown again. RAT felt a shift in the bench and found Talon next to him.

“Did you put the tooth under your pillow?” Asked RAT.

Talon nodded and scooped some food on his plate. “I did.”

“Don’t tell me you lost more teeth, right Talon?” Lux sighed.

Talon opened his mouth to show off the new gap in his jaw, RAT could also see another gap in his teeth at the back of his mouth where a previous tooth had been, but RAT didn’t know how he lost that one.

“Talon,” Lux groaned. “What happened this time?”

“Doesn’t matter,” smiled Talon. “All that matters is I will be getting money from the tooth fairy.”

“Talon, that money is useless here,” Eight said.

“Money is money, and with money you have power,” Talon jokes.

“Ugh, you sound like Diansu,” Lux sighed. “Wait, was he one of the few in your group who was captured?”

“He was not,” Reddoons said. As the words came out of his mouth, the table grew very quiet. “However I do think he is here with us.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Talon questioned.

“As the story seems to go, at least what Eight has confirmed, a cyclone-like portal opened in our worlds and brought us here.” Reddoons explained. “It is safe to assume that whoever was around the area of the cyclones are here

too. . . if they survived The Fall that is.”

“Survived the fall?” RAT spoke up. Eyes darted from RAT to Reddoons. "What's The Fall?"

Reddoons opened his mouth to answer, but eight quickly spoke out over him. "The Fall is what we are calling the event after we were all transported. It is the only explanation why so many of us were injured after we arrived, we all fell hundred of meters to the ground."

“So, that means. . . You-You’re not saying that–”

“I am,” Reddoons sighed, his voice getting softer as he spoke. “When we discovered Asai, their injuries were too great, having cracked ribs and a broken skull, shortly succumbing to their injuries a few hours later.”

“Asai is- No. . .” began Lux.

Reddoons slowly nodded, Eight lowered his head onto the table, as if he was tired of hearing the news.

“Unfortunately, Asai Hatsuyo is dead.”

Chapter Text

Dinner was quiet. It seemed like most of the Resistance was familiar with Asai’s death.

But everyone else? 

RAT could see the confusion among his friends and felt pain in his own heart over this news. Maybe there was a way Asai could have been saved? RAT shook his head, he wasn’t going to go down that rabbit hole of questions.

“You okay, RAT?” Lux asked.

RAT looked up to meet Lux’s eyes and quickly nodded, “I’m fine."

Lux hesitated, almost like they wanted to say something. But then they looked down and quietly finished eating as everyone had begun to do so too. Soon Mapic was helping Clown clear everyone’s dishes and silverware, taking them over to a metal cauldron to be washed.  RAT looked at Reddoons, who had gathered most of his group, besides Mapic and Eight, who were helping clean. He quickly stood up and moved over to him

“Could I speak with you for a moment?” he asked. “Privately?”

Reddoons took one last sip from his cup and set it down at the table, pulling RAT towards the gate; away from the crowd.

“What’s on your mind?” Asked Reddoons.

RAT hesitated but quickly asked his question. “You encountered Winsweep, you know he is relentless and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

“Yeah, what’s your point?” Reddoons questioned.

“I don’t think he’s done with us,” RAT said.

Reddoons smirked, looking at his hand and back to RAT.

“Of course he ain’t,” He said. “He’s ruthless. And relentless like you said. He could attack at any moment.”

“That moment is in five days.” RAT said confidently.

Reddoons lurched forward slightly; in turn, RAT stepped back.

“Reddoons? Are you. . Are you okay?” he asked.

Reddoons quickly collected himself, pushing his hand through his hair. “Yeah, fine. Better question, how do you know this?”

Once again, RAT hesitated. As much as he wanted to tell Reddoons the truth, it might make it less believable. He quickly thought of the best possible excuse.

“I saw it in a vision,” RAT finally said. It wasn’t the full truth, but it wasn’t a straight out lie. But he didn’t know how Reddoons was going to react with this information.

“You get them too?” He asked RAT.

“Visions?”

“Yes, I have had a few in my time here,” said Reddoons. “I can always see the future. Not fully, however. When I first found you, a vision told me someone would arrive that day, so I made sure I was outside in the forest — another told me I would meet an old friend — ClownPierce.”

RAT hesitated and made sure no one was around. 

“What? Did I say something?” Reddoons asked.

“Don’t say Clown’s full name while he was around,” answered RAT. “He seems to have bad memories with it.”

Reddoons slowly nodded, as if he knew why, but RAT didn’t pressure him to tell. He didn’t have to, however, as Reddoons started talking on his own.

“All the years of torturing and huntings on Lifesteal..”

“T-Torturing?” RAT questioned, concerned.

“The Deadliest Assassin in Lifesteal history,” Reddoons recalled. “All those years.. It makes sense. I still remember that day when Pangi…”

Reddoons trailed off but RAT already knew. The story Rekrap told him a few weeks earlier, where Clown had tried to kill Pangi, nearly succeeded too. RAT shuttered. 

“He can be violent,” RAT said.

“Very, he is dangerous if you are on his bad side,” Reddoons reminded. “I’m getting distracted. So, The Midnight Clan–”

“Leviathan,” RAT interrupted.

“Huh?”

“In the vision, it was revealed they are called The Midnight Leviathan,” RAT explained.

“Right, The Midnight. . . Leviathan will attack in five days tomorrow, right?” Reddoons confirmed.

“Yes.”

“Do you know where they are going to attack?”

“The Village,” RAT answered.

Reddoons’ eyes drifting towards Lux. “Does Clown know?”

RAT shook his head. “He doesn’t seem to believe me. He doesn’t seem worried about it.”

“I can talk to him,” Reddoons said, looking at his group. “But not today. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“This cannot wait,” RAT said. “This is life or death.”

“And I understand, RAT. But sometimes, in planning, there must be time for rest. You cannot wage war if you are tired.”

RAT let out a breath, knowing Reddoons was correct.

“We are going to solve this and keep what is ours,” Reddoons said, putting a hand on RAT’s shoulder. “Put on a smile and get some rest.”

RAT smiled and walked back to the rest of the group as Reddoons called The Resistance and took them back home. As night fell, Rekrap soon returned, explaining Reddoons forced him to leave, and soon after, the village was quiet. RAT sat outside at one of the empty tables, the place where he learned Asai was gone. It was hard to believe that people he had once known, were never coming back. People he would never see again, people he would never laugh with or get in arguments or talk to them ever again. The quiet wind blew the trees and the branches swayed in a soft rhythm. The wood creaked and the grass waved with the wind. It was peaceful. The moon shone down, casting the village in a soft white-blue light.

“I made a promise, and it seems like a good time to fulfill it.”

RAT looked back to see the same person who showed him that memory. Arathain. He sat down next to RAT, his armor rattled as he did so . The gold stone reflected off the moon and cast a spot of light onto the table. RAT still disliked how he could never see his face, it always made reading him all the more difficult. RAT turned his head down at the table, not making eye contact.

“Why are you here, Arathain?” RAT asked.

“I thought you wanted to know more?” He answered.

He did want to know more. He wanted to ask Arathain about the attack that was coming, how strong Winsweep was, where they were, what this 'Singularity' was. Eight and Reddoons briefly mentioned something like it, but he wanted to know everything there was to know. What he knew about his friends and how long he had been spying on them. But most importantly, why he wasn't dead.

“Your mind is racing, there are plenty of questions you must have, but only few can be answered.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” RAT asked, keeping his eyes on his hands.

“I may be a seer, but I don’t have all the answers.”

RAT finally looked at Arathain. “A Seer? So you can see the future?”

“The past and present as well,” Arathain continued.

“So you should have all the answers,” RAT concluded. “What’s Winsweep’s attack plan? How many soldiers does he have? Are the captured Resistance members still alive? What about–”

“RAT,” he tried to interrupt.

"How long have you been here? Is there anyone else like you here? Was anyone not transported? What about Mouthpiece and-"

"SILENCE!"

Arathain’s voice seemed to freeze time. The wind stopped and all noises around them seemed to silence themselves. RAT shifted in his seat, but even that didn’t make noise. 

“Just quiet yourself, RAT,” Arathain huffed. “I told you, I cannot tell you everything.”

“You can’t? Or you won’t,” RAT growled, already knowing where this was going.

“Just.. ask a question, and I’ll do my best,” Arathain sighed.

RAT thought, tapping on the table a few times before coming up with a good one.

“Is what you showed me, a few days ago, a real event?” AT looked longingly at Arathain, trying to search the darkness that covered his face, hoping to reveal anything.

“Unfortunately, it was. It shouldn’t have even happened, but you and Winsweep became greedy.”

“Me and Winsweep?”

“You always wanted to have power over others, that you weren't one to be messed with,” Arathain said. “Even on the day of my death.”

RAT nodded slowly. He had shown his power over others a multitude of times, killing Arathain, destroying BonesBurrow, even destroying his marvelous Airship, The Free Bird. Looking back, it was so much.

“Did I ally myself with Winsweep?” RAT asked.

“You did, but it was not the way it should have happened.”

RAT looked at Arathain. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

"You may not remember, but you and Winsweep were at it again," Arathain chuckled softly, as if he, too, could remember what RAT was clearly missing. "It was your usual duels, after he escaped NeverEnd. You found yourself at BonesBurrow, the wreckage of it."

"What then?" Asked RAT. 

Arathain glanced at him and laid his palms on the table, his knuckles facing towards the sky. He squeezed them before continuing.

"I don't know how it happened, but you and him were knocked unconscious. After you woke, you tried to help him-"

"I wouldn't have done that!" RAT exclaimed, but was met with Arathain's hand in his face, making him hush up.

"Well, you did. You found something I thought I buried far enough. . . An ancient relic,” Arathain sighed.

“The Portal Staff,” RAT murmured.

Arathain nodded. “He still has it.”

RAT put his head on the table. He was surprised he could even remember the name of the weapon. It seemed like most of his memories before The Fall, as Reddoons called it, were gone, and so were everyone else's.

“Why can I remember,” RAT asked.

“What do you mean?” Arathain responded.

“Why do I have memories? Memories before I arrived here. Memories of the world before,” RAT said.

Arathain hesitated, but RAT couldn’t tell if he didn’t know, or if he didn’t want to answer. Thankfully, he did give some clues.

“It could be memories.. Or it could be visions. What were they about?”

“The earliest one I can remember was about.. Well, I say Talon and Lux. They were bleeding and sitting against something, trying to stay alive,” RAT retold. “Near them was Rekrap and Clown, unconscious.”

RAT didn’t want to mention the fact they might have been dead, He couldn’t bring himself to the thought of it.

“Any others?” Arathain asked.

“There was one with a strange, purple and blue cyclone. Talon was also there. There was also thing one with Diansu, he was shouting something to me," He explained.

"What did Diansu say?" Arathain question.

RAT dug deep into his memories, thing back to that day, when Talon let him out against Clown's orders, when Parrot suggested to 'get rid of him'. "He said, 'Get Branzy out of here'. Any idea what it could mean?"

“Well, it might be memories and visions,” Arathain clarified.

“How can I tell the difference?” RAT asked.

“You can’t. Not without me around,” Arathain said. "I can help you with deciphering, but only if you can join me in a secluded location."

“So where can I find you?” said RAT.

Arathain paused. “Find me at the lake.”

“There’s a lake here?” RAT questioned.

Arathain stood up and climbed to stand on the table and pointed somewhere right of the forest. “There is a lake around there. Go to the far side and you’ll come across a small stone pillar. You can find me there.”

“Are there any other hidden structures around here?” RAT asked.

“There is one.”

He circled and looked around the valley, at least what he could see over the wall. RAT joined him and looked to where he was looking. Only the lush fields.

“Where am I supposed to be looking?” Asked RAT. “Arathain?”

Arathain didn't respond, his eyes trained on something in the distance, RAT could see just over the wall as something shifted into the forest. He didn't see it, just the rustle of trees.

"What was that?" RAT asked, his mind imagining a monster.

“Nothing, My eyes are playing tricks on me” Arathain said, looking at the star filled sky. “I must go.”

RAT nearly grabbed his hands to force him to stay, but remembered what happened the last time he did so. “Alright. But I do have one more question for you.”

“And that is?”

“Why are you helping me? After everything I did to you?” Questioned RAT. “I destroyed your home, ruined your reputation, and killed you. Why help me?”

Arathain chuckled, amused by the question. “Because you need me. All of you do.”

“Because of Winsweep?” RAT countered. “He has The Portal Staff?”

Arathain didn't speak.

“Even with an army, he is no match for me,” RAT clarified.

“Not just because of the staff,” Arathain said. “He has the Leviathan on his side.”

RAT gulped, a chill running down his spine. “What’s The Leviathan? Does it have to do with the name? Midnight Leviathan?”

“Soon, RAT.” Arathain pointed to something. “What’s that!”

RAT gasped and turned. After realizing nothing was there, he turned back to Arathain.

“What the hell was that–”

But Arathain had disappeared. 

“-For..” RAT trailed off, looking around once more, but he was gone. RAT took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh, stepping off the table and wandering back to go to bed. He could hear Clown snoring softly as he climbed into the bed and pulled the covers over his shoulders. But one thought remained in his brain as sleep pulled him away.

What was the Leviathan?

Chapter Text

RAT woke up early the next morning, though not before Clown and Rekrap. As he stepped out of the house, the cool air greeted him, crisp and tinged with the scent of dew-covered grass. The sky was still painted in shades of gray and amber, the sun barely peeking over the distant mountains.

He spotted Clown and Rekrap sitting by the well, their quiet conversation carried softly through the valley’s stillness. Curious about what had drawn them out so early, RAT walked over, his shoes crunching against the damp ground.

“...shoulder hurts but I can still do work, oh, hey RAT,” Clown said, glancing up mid-sentence with a small nod of acknowledgment. “Never seen you up this early, the sun's barely over the mountains.”

RAT shrugged, glancing at the faint orange hues illuminating the peaks. “I just felt like getting up. What about you two? What’s got you up so early?”

“We were over by the lake,” Rekrap answered. “I didn’t even realize there was one here, this valley is massive.”

RAT’s mind wandered briefly to his conversation with Arathain the night before. “Have either of you come across a pit of any kind?” he asked, lowering his voice slightly.

Clown tilted his head, considering the question. “Not that I can think of, but there is that old mine shaft near the village,” he replied with a grimace. “It’s a deathtrap, honestly. Full of twists and turns, hidden passages everywhere, and so many spots where the rocks look like they could collapse at any second. If anyone’s planning to go down there—and I mean anyone—you better take someone with you.”

RAT raised an eyebrow, noting the seriousness in Clown’s tone. “Coming from you, that warning actually means something,” he said, half-joking but fully aware of Clown’s usual nonchalance. "Were you down there? Are you okay?"

Clown gave a small chuckle. “I’m fine, and so is anyone else who’s gone down there so far. But I’m serious—don’t take it lightly. One wrong step, and you’re as good as buried.”

Clown immediately raised a hand, stopping him. “No, you’re not,” he said firmly. “Reddoons wanted you away from the house for a while. Parrot’s in good hands, so is Vortex. Let them rest.”

Rekrap frowned but sat back down reluctantly. “How are they doing, anyway?” RAT asked, leaning against the well and glancing between the two.

“Vortex is a mess,” Rekrap said, running a hand through his hair. “Twenty-seven stitches in his stomach. Twenty-seven. Can you believe that? At least Parrot didn’t cut too deep—he’s lucky in that sense. But it’s still bad.”

“And Parrot?” RAT pressed.

Clown leaned back, folding his arms. “Rumor has it Spoke and Reddoons have been in the forge nonstop,” he said. “Word around is they’re trying to construct some sort of prosthetic for Parrot. Whether that’s true or not, who knows? Probably don’t want to get his hopes up until they know for sure.”

RAT nodded thoughtfully, letting the information settle. The valley was quiet now, save for the distant rustling of leaves in the breeze. It was the kind of stillness that felt fleeting, ready to be broken by the next inevitable conflict.

Clown’s voice brought him back. “RAT, would you mind taking some medical supplies to The Resistance? Eight said they were running low, and we can’t risk them running out entirely.”

“I can do it!” Rekrap interjected enthusiastically, already leaning forward.

Clown turned to him with an exasperated sigh. “No, Rek. You’re staying out of sight for now, and that’s final.”

RAT glanced at Rekrap, who slumped back with a huff, before nodding to Clown. “Sure, I can handle that. Anything else you need while I’m at it?”

Clown hesitated for a moment, as if weighing something unsaid, but eventually shook his head. “No. That’s all for now,” he said.

With that, the three of them fell silent, the crisp morning air hanging between them. The valley slowly began to stir, bathed in the warm, golden light of the rising sun. A bird chirped somewhere in the distance, its melody carried softly by the breeze. Clown cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and gestured for RAT to follow him.

“C’mon,” Clown said, standing up and brushing off his hands. “Let's get the supplies.”

RAT nodded, sparing a glance at Rekrap, who remained by the well, absently tossing pebbles into the water. The two of them walked toward one of the houses on the far edge of the village. As they moved, the fallen leaves crunched softly underfoot, and the sound of their shoes stomping on the muddy grass filled the quiet.

When they reached the house, Clown pushed open the door, and RAT’s eyes immediately fell on the chaos inside. Chests and storage compartments were stacked precariously high, some leaning at odd angles, as if one wrong move might send everything tumbling down. Dust motes swirled in the faint light streaming through the small, grimy window.

Clown stepped inside, navigating the narrow paths between the piles with practiced ease. “Alright,” he muttered, rummaging through one of the sturdier-looking chests. “Here we go.” He hefted a decently sized box and turned to RAT. “Is that too heavy?”

RAT stepped forward and took the box from him, testing its weight in his hands. “Not too bad,” he said, adjusting his grip.

“But can you carry it all the way across the valley to the forest?” Clown asked again, raising an eyebrow. His tone was teasing, but there was a hint of genuine concern beneath it.

RAT nodded confidently. “Yeah, I can handle it.”

Clown smirked, stepping back and crossing his arms. “Alright, then. You’re on your own for this one. See you later.”

RAT turned toward the door, balancing the box carefully as he stepped outside. He began his walk toward the gate, his mind already drifting to the task ahead, when a sudden crash and a string of colorful curses erupted from behind him.

Startled, RAT turned back to see Clown sprawled out on his back the ground near the doorway. One of the leaning chests had fallen over, its contents spilling across the floor and into the grass. He could see mostly preservables, and some other stuff, but Clown was clutching his shoulder awkwardly, his face contorted in pain.

“Clown?” RAT called, hurrying back toward him. “You okay?”

Clown didn’t answer right away. He lay motionless for a few moments, his breath coming in short, shallow bursts. Then, finally, he murmured something under his breath that RAT couldn’t quite catch.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” RAT pressed, crouching down beside him. “Do you need help?”

“Yes, yes!” Clown growled, his voice sharp but shaky. He waved a hand dismissively, though he still hadn’t moved much. “I’m fine. Just... go.”

RAT noticed Clown’s arm, the one corresponding to the shoulder he was holding, was covered in dirt, just below the sleeve. Yet it was strangely darker than regular brown mud, almost black, as if mixed with something else. Though he couldn't dread on it much longer, following orders and walking away, He passed through the gate and set his sights on the forest ahead. The valley stretched out before him, bathed in soft morning light as the sun rose higher. The shadows from the mountains began to retreat, revealing the familiar landscape he had crossed many times. Once he was far enough away, RAT looked around where Arathain told him to, looking for the lake.

"I can do it on the way home." RAT told himself he needed to get these supplies to Reddoons. As he trudged across the valley, his eyes instinctively wandered to the mountains above. The jagged peaks stood like sentinels, unchanged yet commanding. RAT squinted when a sudden glint of light caught his attention, flashing in the distance. He stopped, scanning the rocky slopes. There it was again—a bright, reflective glimmer. Metal? A weapon? A structure? "Another thing to check out sometime."

By the time he reached the edge of the forest, the sun had fully risen, drenching the valley in golden light. The air here was cool and smelled faintly of pine.

"Five days. If I can’t get Clown to listen, this place will be nothing but ruins."

At least he’d gotten Reddoons to listen. Though the thought gnawed at him, but he shook it off. He needed to stay focused. If Reddoons even halfway believed what RAT had told him, maybe there was still hope.

RAT pushed deeper into the forest, keeping his footing steady on the uneven trail. The path eventually opened into a clearing, where a new gate stood blocking the way to the minefield. It was rudimentary but solid, likely installed recently to prevent further accidents.

"About time," RAT thought, nodding to himself. He skirted the gate, sticking to the outskirts of the clearing. He passed by the familiar riverbank, where an old tipped bucket sat half-submerged in the water. Memories of discovering Reddoons here came flooding back. RAT nudged the bucket with his foot, sending it tumbling into the shallow current. The water pulled it along lazily until it settled at the bottom.

“It’s barely even a river,” RAT muttered to himself, shaking his head. The stream was hardly more than six feet wide and no more than a couple of feet deep.

“You’re getting distracted, RAT. You can explore later,” he scolded himself aloud, snapping his attention back to the task at hand.

Finally, he spotted the entrance to The Resistance’s underground hideout. The trapdoor was camouflaged well, but RAT knew where to look. He set the box down, opened the trapdoor, and climbed down the ladder carefully, carrying the supplies with him.

The underground base was alive with activity. The faint hum of voices echoed against the cold stone walls. Jaron sprinted out of one room, carrying a bucket that sloshed with crimson-tinged water. RAT’s stomach turned as he noticed the blood droplets splashing onto the floor.

Mapic brushed past him with a bundle of deer venison, muttering a quick, “Hey, RAT,” as he headed toward the kitchen.

RAT barely had time to process the bustling scene before Vortex came barreling around the corner and collided with him. The impact sent the box tumbling from RAT’s hands.

“RAT!” Vortex gasped, stumbling back. “What are you doing here?”

RAT picked up the box and quickly checked inside to make sure nothing was broken. “Medical supplies. Clown sent me over.”

Vortex sighed and grabbed the box.  “Thank God, this is just what we needed.”

“Is everything alright?” RAT asked. “It seems busier than usual.”

“There was an accident down by the mines last night,” Vortex hurriedly explained. “I went down with Spoke to get more iron for the forge. We've been trying to make a prosthetic for Parrot, but part of the tunnel caved in and. . .”

Jaron hurried out of the medical room as Vortex trailed off. RAT looked down at the bucket he was carrying which spilled droplets of blood mixed with water onto the cold stone floor. RAT realized how much blood was on the ground.

“And Spoke?” RAT questioned.

“Alive, but injured,” Vortex sighed. “Why is it that everyone I know is on the verge of death? Parrot lost his legs, Rekrap broke his hand, Clown has a limp, and now Spoke. . .”

RAT put a hand on Vortex’s shoulder. “It’s gonna be alright.”

Vortex smiled slightly. “I should get these to Eight. You can stay if you want.”

“Can I go in and see them?” Asked RAT.

“Not now, maybe tomorrow when it’s less hectic,” Vortex said.

“Alright, I’ll see you soon,” RAT said. as Vortex entered the room, RAT caught a glimpse of the scene inside. Reddoons stood over the bedside while Eight’s hands were bloodied and–

The door swung shut, leaving him alone in the corridor.

RAT sighed as Jaron brushed past him, carrying a clean bucket of water. The sides were still streaked with blood, faint but noticeable, making RAT wonder just how much Spoke had lost.

He lingered in the hall, unsure if he should stay longer. He wasn’t a doctor (even if it was apart of his name), nor did he know anything about treating injuries. Standing there, useless, only made him feel worse. With a reluctant sigh, RAT turned to leave, heading back toward the exit.

Then, the sharp sound of shattering glass rang out.

RAT froze mid-step, his heart skipping a beat. He glanced back toward the medical room. "Should I check?" He walked to the door and cracked it open just slightly, enough to peek inside, but hopefully no one would notice him.

The scene was chaotic but not unusual. Eight and Reddoons worked over Spoke’s bed while Jaron and Vortex hurried to prepare medical supplies. Mapic was likely still in the kitchen. Nothing seemed out of place—no broken glass, no sign of what caused the noise. RAT let the door close quietly and leaned back against the wall.

But if the sound hadn't come from in there. . . Where had it come from? It didn’t feel right to leave without knowing.

RAT started down the halls, checking each room he passed, searching for any sign of broken glass. He glanced into storage areas and empty quarters, each time finding nothing out of the ordinary.

Eventually, RAT reached the end of the winding halls, where a single door stood apart from the rest. It was different—not just in location, but in its details. The handle was chipped, its brass tarnished, as though it had been worn down by years of use. The floor around it was stained with a strange blackish-gray substance that looked. . . unnatural. RAT stared at it for a moment, unease curling in his chest.

He glanced up and saw the faded label etched into a wooden sign above the frame:

Storage One.

A chill ran through him. He didn’t know why, but the name unsettled him. His gut told him to turn around, but his curiosity pulled him forward. RAT reached for the handle, hesitating, before finally pushed the door open.

The room beyond was dark—pitch black, save for faint slivers of light sneaking through the cracks. RAT slipped inside cautiously, closing the door behind him with a soft click. As the latch locked into place, RAT’s stomach dropped. He jiggled the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. He tried to use is finger to grip around the lock and attempt to force it open like that.

“No use,” he muttered under his breath, the sound of his own voice barely comforting. He rested his head on the as reality set in, he would be stuck here for awhile.

“Who’s there?”

The voice echoed through the dark, scratchy and strained, almost a whisper but loud enough to freeze RAT in place.

He knew that voice. It had been years but he remembered it from all the conversations. All the plots.

“Ashswag?” RAT called, his voice shaky. “Is that. . . you?”

Silence answered him. The kind of silence that felt heavy, like the air was pressing down on him. RAT’s heartbeat quickened, his breathing shallow as he strained to hear anything. Then came the soft thud of footsteps, followed by a scraping sound on the stone floor, like nails on a chalkboard.

“Ash?” RAT whispered, his throat dry.

The footsteps grew louder, closer. RAT pressed himself against the wall, his hands fumbling along the cold stone until they landed on the edge of something metal—a lantern. He grabbed it, gripping it tightly as if it might somehow protect him.

The footsteps paused. RAT held his breath. But then, they started again, moving away this time. Relief was short-lived when RAT noticed something strange. The footsteps weren’t normal.

"Two steps. Three. . . Four. . ." he thought. His stomach churned. 

Suddenly, a small candle flickered to life in the center of the room, its light barely reaching the walls. RAT gasped, his heart leaping in his chest.

"Just a candle. Just a candle," he told himself, though it didn’t ease the panic creeping through him.

“I see you, Doctor4t,” the raspy voice echoed again.

“And I can’t see you,” RAT shot back, trying to sound braver than he felt. He tightened his grip on the lantern, keeping close to the wall.

The faint glow of the candle stretched, revealing the edge of something—something that looked like a foot. But it wasn’t a foot. It was inky black, with clawed toes that seemed to twist unnaturally as they moved. RAT swallowed hard, fighting the urge to retch.

“Hand me the lantern, Doctor4t,” Ashswag demanded, his voice sharper now.

RAT hesitated. He didn’t want to get closer, but he didn’t see another option. Slowly, he stepped toward the candlelight, one hand holding the lantern, the other dropping to his side, feeling for some kind of weapon.

"Of course I didn’t bring one," he thought bitterly. "Brilliant move, RAT."

The scrape of claws against stone and the sound of bones cracking as a clawed hand twisted from the darkness, asking for the lantern. In what little RAT could see, the hand seemed to be made of the darkness itself and extended all the way back to the body. Five fingers ending in sharp points and a few small, curved spines ran down the arm. What was worse, it seemed to stretch unnaturally long, much longer than a regular human arm.

“The lantern!” Ashswag barked, his voice more forceful.

With trembling hands, RAT passed the lantern to the creature. The clawed hand snatched it away quickly, retreating into the shadows. RAT heard the clank of metal against the floor, followed by the soft hiss of a wick catching flame.

Light spread across the room, dim but enough to reveal the surroundings. RAT’s breath hitched as he took it all in. The walls and floor were covered in markings—black writing and strange, jagged drawings that seemed to twist and writhe under the lantern’s glow. Crates and barrels lined the walls, labeled neatly, yet the eerie symbols turned the room into something unrecognizable.

And then there was Ashswag.

He sat in the dim light, his form twisted and grotesque. While RAT couldn't see him fully, he was partially happy he couldn't. Ashswag set the lantern between them and snuffed out the candle, the room plunging back into near-darkness.

“Please, sit,” Ashswag said, his voice soft but commanding. “I want to know.”

RAT hesitated, his legs unwilling to move. “Know what?”

Ashswag tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. “The Singularity.”

Chapter Text

“The Singularity,” Ashswag rasped again, the black circles of his eyes barely visible in the flickering light of the candle. “You know about it.”

RAT kept his eyes down, staring at Ash's clawed hand, not wanting to answer.

"Answer me, RAT," Ashswag pleaded, his voice breaking slightly. Slowly, RAT brought his eyes up, connecting with Ash's stare, even if he couldn't fully see him, RAT could feel him tapping his fingers on the stone floor. His eyes frantically darting around RAT's body. His head twitching every so often.

“How do you know?” RAT asked, intrigued by the question. Eight briefly mention something of the sorts and Reddoons had brought it up at dinner the night before.

"As the story seems to go, at least what Eight has confirmed, a cyclone-like portal opened in our worlds and brought us here. It is safe to assume that whoever was around the area of the cyclones are here as well. If they survived The Fall that is"

RAT could still hear Lux's words, asking worriedly about Asai, whether they survived this 'Fall' he he mentioned.

Ashswag sighed loudly, bringing RAT back to reality. Ashswag pulled one hand away from the heat of the lantern and pointed at the nearby wall. “He told me.”

RAT followed the pointy finger to the cracked stone wall. He could see lot's of marking along the wall, pentagrams, random letters that spelled out gibberish. But the one that caught his eye looked to be a drawing. It was partially scribbled out with coal and it even looked like Ash had even tried to break it off the wall entirely, leaving minor cracks spider webbing across it. But what was there was clear. 

A four-legged beast with a large leaf like tail and small markings that looked to be spines ran down its back. It could have been a strange animal, but it appeared to have and exposed ribcage and wearing the skull of a horse.

“What. Is. That?” RAT asked, horrified by what he was looking at.

Ashswag dropped his arm, his neck making loud clicking noises as he turned back to face RAT, “You tell me.”

“You think I know?” RAT looked bewildered.

“He said you do.” Ash jumped to his feet, but crouched down closer to the lantern light, his jaw visible.

“Look, Ash,” RAT started. “I don’t know what you think this. . . thing told you. But I don’t know what it is.”

RAT blinked for half a second and almost screamed when Ashswag was crawling towards him. He barely closed his eyes, nor did he hear Ash begin moving, but now he was already reaching for RAT's face. His movements were sluggish as he crawled toward RAT.

The faint light cast eerie shadows on his face, and that was when RAT truly saw it—the black veins twisting and crawling over Ashswag's skin, branching like gnarled roots. They pulsed faintly, as if alive, and gave off an otherworldly sheen under the dim light. The burned appearance of his flesh only added to the unsettling sight.

“Your face!” RAT gasped.

Ashswag stopped and put one of his clawed hands over the side of his face. gently, he traced over the veiny-like substance that covered most of his face. RAT didn't know what to think. Ash breathed out a shaky breath.

“C-Corruption, it hurts,” Ashswag cried, a single tear streaking down his face. “He visited me that night. .  gave me that virus. . . Why must this world be so cruel. . .”

Reluctantly, RAT reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, forcing Ash to face him.

“I don't know what's happened to you in here, but you need help. Come out of here, we can help you,” RAT said, genuine concern filling his voice.

Ash pushed RAT’s hand away and gave a toothy grin, exposing his teeth again. On a closer inspection, RAT could see they were partially stained red. 

"Blood," He thought nervously.

“There’s no help for me," Ash rasped. "You know that."

RAT blinked in the dim light, looking between his side of the lantern and Ashswag's. It wasn't right that he could just leave him here, alone. Even if Ash was right about it. Even if this. . . whatever this was, couldn't be reversed or helped, RAT had to try.

“There can be, if you allow us,” RAT pleaded. "I promise you, we will do whatever we can to help you through this."

Ashswag sniffled. He put his claws over his face, "You promise?"

RAT nodded. "We will do whatever it takes. Want to get out of here?"

RAT stood up, waiting for Ash to do the same. But something was wrong, Ash didn't move. With a fluid motion, Ashswag's neck cracked and snapped towards RAT, meeting his eyes.

“We?” Ashswag asked.

RAT nodded. “The Resistance, The Village, ClownPierce and myself.”

Ashswag moved a few steps back and looked at the light in the lantern. 

“He showed me what happened. I know why we are here, how we arrived, why they killed him.”

“Killed who?” RAT questioned, but he already knew the answer.

“They killed him because of you, Doctor4t,” Ash growled. “He’s dead because of you!”

“Vitalasy,” RAT muttered, stepping back.

“You don’t deserve to say his name. . . You caused this, you brought death upon us!”

Ashswag began to march towards RAT as RAT moved against the wall.

“Ash! Ashswag stop! Stop!” RAT yelled.

“You brought upon the Singularity. You took us here where the Leviathan roams free!”

There it was again, that name. RAT looked at the drawing again.

"Was that the Leviathan?" RAT questioned himself. he quickly shook his head, focusing his attention back at Ashswag, who developed a deranged smile on his face.

Ashswag’s rage boiled over as he screamed, “You deserve to die!” His voice echoed as he lunged at RAT, knocking him off his feet. The impact sent RAT sprawling across the cold stone floor. Ash didn’t stop there; his claws dug into RAT's shirt, dragging him mercilessly before flinging him against the heavy wooden door. The force rattled the hinges and left RAT gasping for breath.

Dazed, RAT barely registered the pain in his ribs as he shouted hoarsely, “Help! Vortex! Reddoons! Somebody help!” His voice cracked, desperation filling each syllable.

Before RAT could gather his thoughts, Ashswag’s shadowy face loomed over him once again. Ash grabbed RAT’s arm with impossible strength, yanking him up as his claws sank into the soft flesh. Blood welled around the tips, the sharp, searing pain causing RAT to let out a howl.

Ash’s voice was venomous. “My hands shall relish ending you here and now!” His eyes burned with a manic intensity as he tightened his grip.

RAT’s vision blurred. "This is it," he thought. "No one will find me. They won’t even know what happened." He braced himself for the final blow—but just as his hope extinguished, a blinding light erupted, illuminating the room with a searing brilliance.

The force of the light hurled RAT backward. Ash’s claws tore free from his arm, leaving jagged, bloody wounds that dripped down onto the floor. RAT hit the ground hard, skidding to a stop against the wall. His head pounded as the light dimmed, leaving a burning smell and a faint sizzling sound lingering in the air.

“Get out of here, RAT!” A firm hand gripped his shoulder and shoved him toward the door. Disoriented and barely able to process what was happening, RAT stumbled to his feet. He felt a sharp kick against the door, and suddenly, he was outside, collapsing against the wall in the corridor.

The heavy door shut behind him with a foreboding thud, cutting off the noise inside. Silence followed, the kind that made RAT’s skin crawl. He hated silence.

A voice broke through his haze. “Are you okay?”

Blinking through the dizziness, RAT’s eyes focused on Arathain standing near the door. Wisps of smoke drifted lazily from the gloves on his hands. The sight was surreal, almost like something out of a dream.

“What happened to him?” RAT’s voice trembled, panic lacing his words.

Arathain glanced back at the closed door, his expression unreadable as he patted his gloves until the smoke dissipated. “I don’t know,” he admitted. His voice was low, clipped. “But you need to go back to the main halls.”

RAT shook his head weakly, his body still too shaken to move. His mind screamed at him to comply, but he was frozen in place, the adrenaline that had kept him alive moments before now drained.

Arathain sighed in frustration. With a huff, he grabbed RAT by the arms and hoisted him to his feet. RAT winced as pain flared in his wounded arm, but he didn’t resist as Arathain half-dragged, half-carried him back toward the main cavern. When they reached the wall before the entrance, Arathain set him down carefully but without gentleness.

“When they’re done, you’re going to tell them about the stupid stunt you just pulled,” Arathain said, his tone sharp. “Admit your mistakes, learn from them, and move on. You’ve had one too many accidents here, and you need to grow from them, or you won’t survive.”

RAT stared at him, still processing his words, before croaking, “Wait. Before you go.”

Arathain paused, his expression hardening. “What, RAT?”

“You’ve talked about this. . . Leviathan before. At least mentioned it. And Ashswag. . . he said something too. This place. . . it’s not normal. What’s going to happen?”

The silence that followed was almost as unbearable as Ash’s attack. RAT’s frustration built when Arathain didn’t answer immediately.

“Just give me something,” RAT pleaded.

Arathain exhaled slowly, his gaze darkening. “Fine. The Leviathan. It is like a fallen god,” he said simply.

RAT frowned, his confusion growing when Arathain didn't continue. “That’s it?” he asked, his voice rising. “That’s all you know?!”

“I’m doing detective work to find more,” Arathain replied, his tone defensive. “But it’s hard to gather anything when It knows everything that’s happening in the world. When I get more, I’ll tell you. That’s all I know. I’m sorry.” He looked away, his fists clenching. “Focus on the battle at hand. I’ll be back soon.”

RAT opened his mouth to argue but stopped as Arathain’s gaze flicked toward something behind him. Turning slowly, RAT saw Jaron standing awkwardly nearby, a bucket of water in his hands, bits of dried blood permanently stained on its sides. He looked pale, his wide eyes staring deep into RAT

When RAT turned back, Arathain was gone.

A heavy fatigue washed over RAT as he slumped against the wall. "I want this to stop," he thought miserably. "I want this all to be a bad dream." But the pain in his arm and the blood puddling across the floor told him otherwise. He forced himself to look at the jagged wounds, but the sight made black dots swim in his vision.

“No,” RAT muttered weakly. He clenched his teeth and tried to push himself up. His knees wobbled, and he barely managed to stand. “I need to go home.”

Jaron stepped forward quickly, alarmed. He reached out to steady RAT, shaking his head and speaking, but RAT couldn’t make out the words. His ears buzzed, and the world around him blurred.

Gratefully, RAT let Jaron guide him into the medical room. He sank onto one of the beds, too exhausted to care about the commotion around him. Shadows flitted in his peripheral vision, voices rising and falling in urgency. Bandages and gauze passed over his head, hands worked quickly, but all of it felt distant.

“You’re gonna be alright, RAT,” a voice said firmly, trying to reassure him.

“How did this happen?” another asked.

RAT wanted to answer, but the effort felt impossible. His body was shutting down, pulling him toward the oblivion he craved. He let his eyes close, hoping for rest.

“We’re losing him!”

“No pulse, chest compressions!”

“Is he breathing?”

“Restarting chest compressions.”

“RAT, stay with us!”

“RAT!”

The panicked voices grew fainter as RAT drifted further away. Darkness crept over him, but somewhere in its depths, memories began to stir, pulling him back to the nightmares he could never escape.

Chapter Text

                                                                                                  . . .He’s unstable, It won’t be long before he’s gone. . .

                                                  . . .Oceana needs a proper leader, none of which you are. Even then you need me. . .

                                                                                                                                                  . . .Whatever that was, it might have saved him. . .

. . .Did you see Ashswag? He had burns all over his body. . .

                                                                                                  . . .Take this knife and put it through his heart. . .

                                                                      . . . Ash, it’s okay, I’m not afraid, I’m not. . .

                  . . .When things don’t die, they mutate, they fester, and they suffer very, very slowly. . .

                                                                                                                                                . . .Oh how the king has fallen now. . .

The voices buzzed around his head, ricocheting off his skull like a million angry bees, each one stabbing a sharp stinger into his brain. RAT rubbed his temples, wishing for the noise to go away, but nothing was helping. But something about the voices felt familiar. . . Too familiar. It reminded him of someone. Someone lost to memories and thoughts.

RAT blinked his eyes open, a calm cloudless sky greeted him, but the sun blazed with such intensity it hurt to keep his eyes open, so he looked away. The gentle rush of the wind over his body, filling his ears with a sense of peace. RAT stretched his hands out, feeling the grass wave along with the wind. The ground was cool and slightly wet, sending a small spike of chills through body before he adjusted. He turned his gaze up again, watching the sky as clouds slowly began to streak across it.

It was so peaceful, he wanted it to stay this way, stay like this forever.

But something interrupted the peace, something forcing RAT to sit upright, he glanced at his surroundings. He was in a grassy field that stretched as far as the eye could see, with nothing but him and his thoughts. RAT pulled his knees to his chest, a feeling of confusion and anxiety filing in. 

"Calm down, think RAT," He told himself. "What's the last thing you remember?"

He closed his eyes to try and picture his surroundings. A cave. A dark room. A room full of allies.

"The Resistance," RAT said aloud, only to quickly break down in a fit of giggles.

"The Resistance, what a goofy name," He laughed. "Sounds straight out of a storybook."

"The Singularity," RAT thought. "That’s what they called it."

RAT attempted to refocus on his thoughts, when out of nowhere, something darted behind him, making him screech in fear. He jumped up in a defensive position, but whatever it was didn't seem to notice him, or it just didn't care.

RAT shook out all the anxiety before realizing something. He wasn't in any pain, none whatsoever. He held his arms up to the sky, faintly feeling the buzz of pain that should have been there. 

"Interesting,"  RAT mused.

RAT took another moment to check his body for any other feelings of pain, but after finding none, he decided it was time to move. He circled around, taking in everything around him. A few miles away, maybe, was a small mountain range. A little closer was what looked to be a ruined portal structure. And behind him was a small village, thankfully not too far of a walk. It was his best chance to find people, someone to tell him where he was. 

RAT found his way onto the path and passed by a few village houses, but unfortunately could find anyone. He rambled around a bit more before finding a stack of hay bales, plopping down on one of them, frustrated.

"Why does this feel so familiar," RAT said aloud. He had to think. Think like he'd never thought before. Deep into his memories

Arathain. . . Lux. . . Winsweep. . .

Rekrap. . . Reddoons. . . Clownpierce. . .

Almost instinctively by this point, RAT opened his eyes and looked around him, almost worried Clown would suddenly appear and try to kill him. He did not need to think of all the nightmares he had, nearly every night, of Clown trying to murder him. 

"None of it's real," RAT reminded himself, closing his eyes once more. "What else?"

Arathain. . . Visions. . . Past and future. . .

Reddoon gets visions too. . . Ashswag. . . Corruption

"He said the Leviathan gave him the virus. Infected him?" RAT wondered. "Is it possible to find a cure?"

RAT was interrupted again as someone darted by him, RAT's eyes shot open just as the figure tore into a bale of hay and collect some of it before sprinting off again. Without so much as a second thought, RAT was after him, stopping the figure at another house

"This is my chance RAT thought, out of breath. “Excuse me!”

The figure didn't respond, backpedaling out of the house, so RAT tried again, “Hey, can I ask you a question?” No response, they were either ignoring him or they were deaf. But RAT felt determined to get an answer. He stepped to face them, only for the figure to quickly turn around, throwing away from stoff they had on them. “Are you deaf? I’m talking to you!”

RAT grimaced, raising a fist to punch the figure, hoping to scare a reaction out of the fella. The figure suddenly dashed away, leaving RAT in the dust,  “Stop! I just want to talk to you!” He yelled, forcing his feet after the figure. It wasn’t long before another person in a blue shirt joined the first, sharing things between themselves like minerals and weapons before parting ways.

“What are they doing?” RAT wondered while chasing the person as they seemed to be running randomly around the grasslands. “They must be mentally insane.”

RAT skidded to a stop at the mouth of an exposed cave, nervous to follow as the person he was chasing bravely jumped down many feet onto the hard stone below. He couldn't lose his only lead, so he jumped.

RAT landed hard on his knees, a spike of pain ran up his legs and abdomen, almost like being shocked with electricity. His breath heavy, RAT took another moment to collect himself, swallowing hard, he forced himself forward, stepping into an underground chamber half buried into the wall, the only entrance was a small gap in the rock wall.

The air was thick and stale, almost had a taste, even. A smell of ancient earth and the tinge of old blood. At the otherside of the room, was the figure. And between them, covered in torches, was something that looked like a cage. RAT's eyes darted back to the person, who was frantically digging through the contents of an old wooden chest. The soft clinking of metal echoed through the dungeon.

"Finally, you realize how long I have been chasing you?" RAT gasped for breath, he looked down as a small bit of blood trickled down a scratch from in his knee.

The person stiffened but didn't turn to look, simply kept taking items and stuffing them in their pockets. RAT crouched slightly, narrowing his eyes as he leaned in to catch a glimpse of their face.

Then he saw it.

His breath hitched—his stomach twisted into a knot so tight it hurt. He stumbled backward, his back slamming against the cold stone wall. His knees buckled as a violent shiver ran through his body. No. No, this wasn’t possible.

The figure—no, the person standing before him—was—

"No, it's not true," RAT gasped. "This isn't real, just another memory."

The other him—the stranger who wasn’t a stranger at all—stood motionless for a moment, as if weighing something. Then, without a word, they pocketed the last of their supplies and took a slow step back, eyes locked onto RAT like a hunter watching a wounded animal.

“Wait,” RAT choked out, his voice barely more than a whisper. “You—you're—”

But the figure didn’t answer. Instead, they turned and slipped into the light beyond the dungeon, vanishing through the small entrance and back to the surface. RAT didn’t move. He couldn’t move. His entire body was frozen, his mind an endless, spinning void of impossible thoughts. The déjà vu. The feeling of knowing this place. The whispers in his mind that told him he had been here before.

Now it all made sense. He had lived through this already.

That person… was him.

* * *

He didn't know how long he had sat there, slumped against the mossy cobblestone wall. RAT kept replaying the scene over and over, trying to make sense of it. Trying to understand.

"Th-This can't be possible," RAT mumbled, pushing his hands against is face. He stared at the cage in the center of the room, the light slowly fading from the torches. "It just can't be."

He was back on Day One.

Before he destroyed the End Portals,

                                        Before he killed Arathain,

                                                              Before he crashed The Free Bird,

                                                                                                      Before he met Winsweep and trapped him in NeverEnd,

                                                                                                                                                                                     Before The Singularity.

When Asai was still alive and everything was normal. When everything was just how it was supposed to be. RAT wanted to scream, he wanted to curse Arathain, he wanted to throw things. He tore a loose stone from the wall and chucked it at the cage, knocking over one of the torches. He stood up and kicked at the cage, until his foot hurt, but even then he kept going.

RAT's breath came in short, sharp bursts. His fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles white and his veins throbbed. He took one more kick at the cage and screamed at the top of his lungs, the sound reverberating off the stone walls.

“This is a memory,” said RAT aloud, forcing himself to calm down “No wonder he–I–whatever, the reason why I cannot be seen or heard."

His released his fists and walked to the outside of the cave, letting the evening sun touch his skin. RAT breathed out a heavy sigh. "There must be a reason I am here," RAT thought.

“Arathain, if you are listening, give me a sign," RAT pleaded. "Please. . ."

But like everything he asked for, it was met with no answer. Just silence. Pure, undisturbed, painful silence. He hated it. It reminded him of his failures, where people would just look at him, wonder why he had done it. It was the way Lux looked at him after crashing The Free Bird.

"I need to retrace my steps," RAT thought, looking at the wall in front of him. The only way back up to the surface. "But where did I go next?"

RAT scanned the wall for anything that he could climb on, eventually finding a foothold. Slowly but surely, he scaled the wall, pausing when he got stuck, but never did he jump off. Step after step. He hated his lack of upper arm strength.

The granite dug into his palms, creating new marks on his hands. But after so long, RAT felt the grass above him and clawed up one more time, rolling onto the soft, grassy surface. He laughed and looked down into the pit. 

"Let's never do that again," He said to nobody. RAT looked at his palms, realizing they were red, raw and bleeding. "Shit." RAT reached down and ripped off the fabric from his pants and tied the loose strips around his hands, hoping to stop any sort of infection.

RAT sat up and rubbed his temples, trying to think of where his past self went next. Unfortunately, thinking was harder than it usually was, it felt like his memories were all spread out on the ground and he was shifting through them like sand, unable to differentiate one thing from the next. The sun dropped lower and lower in the sky and the moon rose up from the east. 

RAT watched it get higher in the sky, shining brighter and casting a deep glow on the world around him. He had to start moving soon, but he needed a lead.

“The Stronghold!” RAT gasped suddenly. It was his goal all along, to destroy the End Portals, to keep his world alive as long as possible. If his judgement was right, RAT still had a few hours before his past self made it to the first stronghold. He stood up tall, looking for anything familiar to guide him. Unfortunately, nothing reminded him.

Everything looked the same.

RAT huffed in anger but he couldn't let himself get upset over something like this. But RAT still felt his angry rising, bubbling over.

“Why must this always be so difficult! I blame you Arathain!” RAT cried. "Why bring me here? What am I supposed to be learning form this?"

You have every right to blame him.

RAT jumped, emitting a terrified scream. He turned around, looking for the sound of the voice. "Wait, Arathain?" RAT asked, thinking it was inside his mind. He took one more glance at his surroundings, but it appeared he was alone. "Hello. . . ?"

Why must you be sad, Doctor.

“Folly?” Asked RAT, questiong his sanity. It sounded enough like Folly, but slightly. . . different.

No I am not Folly, I am less powerful than her. Maybe. . .

RAT opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, thinking of what to say. “Then who are you? And I know damn well you’re not my conscience.”

A fit of laughter followed, Let’s just say I’m a friend. . . someone to help.

“What are you?” RAT asked, continually spinning in circles. “Why can’t I see you? And how do you know Arathain? How do you know me?”

Questions. So many, but little time to answer. It said. I remember knowing people like you, always having the same questions. I always answered, but never the answer they wanted so dearly. It's a curious thing.

RAT became confused. “And what answer were they looking for?”

Hm, not one they could find so easily.

“So you’re like a god?” RAT questioned, making his 9th rotation before stopping and facing towards the moon, his neck craned upwards, glaring at the craters in it's shiny surface. 

A god is all knowing, It explained, seeming to be coming from everywhere around RAT. However, if one is all loving, it cannot be all powerful. And if it is all powerful, it cannot be all loving. The terrifying existence of a soul is to suffer at the hands of the creator.

RAT didn’t know what to make of this. Whatever this creature was, it seemed to be insane. “Can you at least tell me why I am here?” RAT pleaded.

Knowledge is earned, not given. It is not for me to tell. If you choose to-

“Then why the hell are you here!” RAT lashed out, not waiting for the voice to stop “What’s your point?”

A long pause followed. Long enough for a nearby sheep to walk out of sight. Finally, It answered. Mistakes are made for a reason, Doctor. It is a choice to learn or repeat. It's like history, eventually it all repeats. War has been happening for centuries, and when mortals believe it is over, they are just one bullet from the sorrow war brings. Things must die eventually, or else they suffer a slow and painful death.

RAT gasped, remembering Astron had said something similar before he could destroy the last portal. 

“Admit your mistakes, learn from them, and move on,” RAT repeated.

You are filled with such pride, Doctor. You think you are better?

"That depends," RAT clarified, not liking how this invisible creature kept calling him 'Doctor'. "If you are saying I am better than people like Winsweep, Diansu and Noxintrus, then yes. However, if you are talking about Clown, Lux, and Talon. . ." He stopped. "I'm better than Talon and Lux in fights, but I believe I'm equally matched to Clownpierce."

Let me rephrase. Do you think you have made good choices? Better, the best choice you could have possibly made?

"What are you referring to?" RAT asked, noticing the ground a few feet from him, it shifted slightly. Even better, he could make out two imprints of feet crushing the grass. It was enough of a lead. He turned towards the direction and noticed the imprints move backwards slightly.

"BOO!" RAT made claws with his hands and clawed at the air in the same direction. The imprints moved back several more feet before they disappeared entirely. RAT scanned the grass for any sigh, making a few steps forward to see if whatever it was had jumped backwards for some sort of dramatic effect to scare RAT.

You think you are powerful? Just from scaring little ol' me? It asked. There you go again, that feeling of pride.

"How does scaring you make me prideful?" RAT felt confused, but secretly he had an idea he wasn't ready to admit.

It makes you feel better about yourself, satisfaction even.

"Oh, and to answer your question," RAT started. "I made my choices, and I wouldn't change them. Ever."

Then maybe this will show you your faults, your betrayal.

The earth rumbled, forcing itself upwards and then down on itself again. Cracks shot through the grass as stone grinded against stone and mixed with dirt. RAT tried to move away but the ground below him gave way. Thankfully he managed to grab onto a bit of stone that was forced to the surface. He looked down into the darkness below him, seeing the nothingness as the loose debris quickly vanished from sight.

"What the fuck is that!" RAT gasped, trying to regain his grip as the ground slid beneath him, grinding into his wounds and making it harder to hold on.

That, Doctor4t, is The Void.

Something heavy and hard slammed down of RAT's hands. He cried in pain and felt his fingers slipping. He tried to hold on, but it was no use. He looked at the sky one last time, before his hands slipped and he plummeted into the endless darkness. He fell farther and faster, but there was no wind to scream past his ears. For a moment, RAT found it hard to know he was falling. There wasn't anything below him, nor above him anymore. He was trapped.

* * *

RAT tried to scream, but no sound came out. His attempts to move were futile, the darkness restricting his body. He looked around, but it was only the black night, but there were stars. Small, blue and white dots that painted the darkness above him, like eyes watching his every move. Judging him, whispering about him, laughing at him. At this point it didn’t even feel like he was falling, simply floating in the endless reach of space and time.

RAT tried his voice again but still, nothing. But then something felt. . . Off. Different, even. His body felt warm, heating up from the cold that had once surround him. RAT felt his hand touch something. He reached his hand out and rubbed it. It was soft and fuzzy, thick too.

RAT squinted his eyes open, just enough to look at what he was feeling. He was in bed, a nice, soft bed. With a soft pillow and red sheets. RAT pulled the covers over his head, mumbling to himself. 

"Wait a damn second," RAT thought.

RAT threw the covers off him and pushed himself up to look around him. The darkness had transformed into a small, cramped feeling room. The walls were made of black-gray metal and so was the floor. The area around the bed and a small desk near him was layered in purple carpet. RAT looked at the wall behind him, seeing a strange painting hanging. Although he couldn't tell what it was supposed to be of.

"No no no no no!" RAT gasped, throwing himself out of bed. His shoes hit the floor hard, the sound reverberating off the walls. The heavy drum of machinery could be heard from the walls, the muffled voices from outside the iron door. RAT grabbed the knob of the door, beginning to twist it when the room shook violently. A deafening crash, followed by the agonizing screech of metal being torn apart. A deep echoing groan rattled the room, the painting falling from the wall, shaking pencils and a plant pot off the desk.

RAT's knees buckled, falling head first into the door, smacking his head against the metal and leaving a bruise.

"FUCK!" RAT gasped, pushing the door open and stumbling into the main room. He looked around, seeing the people, the friends, enemies. His fears were confirmed.

This is The Free Bird and he landed right in the middle of the expedition to the ancient cities he led so many years ago. RAT looked around the main floor and could see many familiar faces. Koda, Winsweep, Bon, Diansu, Astron, Moriya, Lux and a few others. All clamoring about the sudden clash of sounds. Before things could settle, a voice screeched over the intercom.

“Please don’t get out, that wasn’t us landing, that was us hitting the side of a mountain.”

RAT chuckled slightly, recognizing the voice of Sillvia. He glared around the airship at all the faces, all his friends that he would eventually betray. This expedition was not what they thought is was. RAT saw Talon bound past him, laughing, not even a bit concerned about what would happen.

A terrible sight.

RAT gasped, but quickly realizing it was that same voice-creature-whatever, “Stop doing that to me, you scared me half to death," RAT growled.

You remember me? It laughed a reply.

RAT nodded,“Yeah, it’s only been, like, a few minutes.”

Oh it has been much longer than that, Doctor. I cannot control time, I think. Anyways, how do you like it. Familiar?

RAT hesitated but realized what that meant. “So you’re saying I was sitting in darkness for months?”

Never can tell can you?

It didn’t feel right, it felt like mere minutes. But then again. . . “I don’t trust you,” said RAT, not wanting to question his sanity any more then he already had. This whole place was an upside down nightmare. Almost a dream. If dreams had people you cared about getting their legs exploded by landmines like Parrot. Or getting their faces lacerated like Rekrap on the first day. Or even seeing a friend turn into a deranged half-monster like Ashswag.

Pity. It said.

“You’re insane, you know that?" RAT grumbled, not wanting to picture all the things that has happened to his friends.

Thank you, I take kindly to your words.

RAT squinted in the direction of where the voice sounded like it was coming from, it almost looked–

As if you could see me? It asked.

He opened his mouth to argue but stopped. 

"How did it know?" RAT thought. "That's impossible. It must just be guessing."

Oh, I know lots of things. Lots of things. . . It continued. It’s just if I can remember right. That reminds me. Arathain, what a fellow, powerful as a seer, like me. 

“So you’re a seer?” RAT questioned, trying to make sense of it.

I think so. It said.

“You think. . . ?” RAT thought aloud. “The hell does that mean? You don’t think, you know .”

If only it were that simple.

A light wind blew into RAT’s face, coming from the same place he was hearing the voice. RAT was about to reach a hand out, when the airship made another thunderous noise. A hint of metallic groans and whirs before the pounding drum of the engines slowly faded into a deep hum.

Ah. . . Right on time, want to get out for a bit?

RAT took one look at the space once more before sprinted ahead, he pushed the main doors open and dove onto the grass below, the breeze caught in his face as RAT took a deep breath in. 

The sky stretched endlessly above, a deep ocean-blue canvas painted with wisps of soft, white clouds drifting lazily in the afternoon breeze. The sun bathed the world in gentle warmth, its golden rays filtering through the sky like liquid light. The faint whisper of wind rustled through the tall grass, swaying in rhythm with nature’s quiet song, flowing silently with the airship's hum.

Lying back against the earth, RAT let out a slow, contented breath, feeling the cool blades of grass tickle their skin. The scent of fresh greenery mixed with the distant, salty tang of the sea, filling their lungs with the essence of peace. With eyes half-lidded, they watched the clouds shift and dance, forming shapes that faded as quickly as they came—an endless story written in the sky.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the world was still. No battles to fight, no worries to bear—just the sky, the earth, and the quiet hum of existence. RAT ran his hands through the prickly grass. Then he looked at the airship, such a magnificent sight. Yet RAT knew it would all come crashing down around him, literally.

You created something beautiful, The Voice spoke near RAT's ear, but this time he forced himself not to flinch. Such a marvelous beast, flying the skies where nothing else could catch it. . . Far below, they watched as the gods they once trusted rained hell upon them. And when the smoke had cleared and the dust had settled, from the ashes rose a beast, born of wrath, forged in darkness—

“What are you doing?” RAT asked.

Apologies, I was relaying the old sayings, It replied, You become lost and forgetful when you were supposed to die, oh so long ago.

“You must be a spirit,” RAT questioned, sitting up, he noticed two footprint sized imprints on the grass by him. “Like Arathain?”

It let out a raspy laugh. You talk about him. Isn’t he also The Mason?

“Yeah, he was, ” RAT replied, watching Winsweep bonk his head while exiting the airship, only to be pushed down the stairs by Lux.

Why, It continued, seeming to have ignored what RAT said. You speak of him so much in your mind, and with your voice, I’ve begun to think you might secretly love—

“No! I don’t!” RAT interrupted. “He betrayed and hid a secret from me. Arathain also persuaded everyone else to lie as well.”

RAT waited for a response, seeing the imprints shift, but he didn’t get one, instead, he lay back on the grass, running his fingers through the blades again. “I still don’t understand why."

Why what? It asked.

“Why are you showing me all this,” RAT finished. “You said I needed to see my betrayal, or something like that. But everything I did was justified. I wanted revenge, I trapped them and the ghost—Mouthpiece in the airship, and crashed it. It was the only way. Maybe if you had been there, you would understand. It was haunting me, appering in my corner vision, terrorizing me. . ."

But you didn't tell anyone, It spoke the truth, making RAT feel rather uncomfortable for how much It knew. You had allies, and could have used their help, but no. Death was the only way.

"You say I should regret it, but I don't," RAT dropped his head.

Maybe it would be better to fast forward, you know all this. The Voice spoke softly.

“Wait, I thought you said you couldn’t control time—”

But before RAT could finish, the ground beneath his feet shifted. The sky blurred and the vally turned to trees in an instant. The airship that was once right next to him cast a shadow from above. And when RAT looked up, he could see two people falling slowly from the sky.

“No, this isn’t—” RAT mumbled. He wanted to run, he wanted to leave. But the two people landed from the sky near him. It was himself, and the other was Astron.

“Astron, Stop!” RAT yelled at them. He rushed over towards them, but something grabbed him before he could make it. "NO!" Even if they could hear him, it wouldn’t change the past. HE watched his past self hold an ender eye detonation key at the sky.

Click

The sky erupted in fire and chaos as the airship's hydrogen ballasts exploded. RAT clearly remembered when building them, he implanted a remote detonator in each. A deafening roar split the heavens, followed by a blinding flash as flames consumed the massive vessel. The once-proud ship, gliding gracefully through the clouds, now tore apart in a violent inferno. Jagged shards of metal and splintered wood rained down like meteors, leaving trails of smoke as they plunged toward the earth.

A shockwave rippled through the sky, sending a thunderous boom across the land. The pieces of debris crashed around him, setting trees on fire and crush porr animals that had gotten in the way. RAT stole a look at his past self, seeing the look a pride and marvel. But now all he felt was pain regret. RAT never thought what it was like being inside the airship during the crash. All he could do was helplessly watch. 

You know what is happening up there? It grumbled. Your once friends, panicking, screaming, some just accepting their fate, like Talon. You did this, Doctor4t, their deaths are in your bloodied hands.

Soon bodies began falling, faster until they hit the ground or the leaves, some safe from the impact, others not so lucky. RAT spotted Winsweep and Diansu land on a nearby tree, with Luxintrus right behind them. RAT felt tears stream down his face as The Free Bird neared the mountain side. One more body jumped from the airship, but it was too late.

RAT shielded his eyes as the ship slammed into the mountainside with an earth-shaking crash, metal screeching as it crumpled against the rock. The force of the collision sent debris cascading down the slopes, massive chunks of wood and steel tumbling like avalanches. For a heartbeat, there was silence.

And then—

A deafening explosion tore through the air, throwing RAT off his feet, as a blinding fireball erupting from the wreckage. Flames surged upward, swallowing the remains of the airship in a furious inferno. The mountain trembled as the blast echoed through the valleys, sending more shockwaves that shattered loose boulders and sent them plummeting into the river below. Black smoke twisted into the sky, a dark scar against the once-peaceful horizon, as the fire consumed the remnants of the airship.

Feel any pity? Feel the weight of your actions Doctor? The Voice asked.

RAT knew what the right answer was, he could feel it too. But RAT wiped away the tears with his shirt and brought his head up, needing to look strong, "No, I will never feel pity for it. For them.” RAT turned his face away from the wreckage.

RAT’s eyes flew open as a hand gripped the back of his neck, forcing him to look at the wreckage and the friends he nearly killed. He tried to fight the creature, knowing this was It, but clearly he was no match for It.

Then look at it! All of this suffering and pain, all of it is your fault!

RAT managed to rip away from the grip and whipped around, flailing, before falling on his face. RAT pushed himself up and faced the voice, just in time to see a golden hand fade away. From what he saw, it had been pointing at something. He turned to the direction and saw a group of people chasing something up a mountain.

It almost worked, The Voice said into RAT’s ear. But you missed just a few. And there they go, chasing your pathetic ass.

“I know what’s next,” RAT huffed. “If you are taking me to my mistakes, my faults, it must be Never End.”

That’s a good one, I’ll think about it while you traverse the next one, The Voice said. See you there.

"Don't you dare drop me into the Void place again!" RAT gasped as the ground opened up below him, swallowing him whole.

Chapter Text

RAT pondered his reality. His brain continued to fail and make a jumbled mess of everything he was trying to sort out, but constantly, one thought would ricochet of his skull a few times before sailing out his ear for a new thought to take it's place.

“Was Arathain behind all this?” RAT thought curiously. “Was he trying to get me to admit I was wrong?”

“No, I’m never wrong.”

His thoughts trailed back to that night in the village. After the dinner and when he was alone with Arathain for the first time in a very long, long, long time. The night when Arathain explained it, the memories and visions. He still hated him, How Arathain never told him what he needed. It was infuriating. But at least Arathain did tell RAT something helpful. Winsweep and the attack.

“Winsweep has some sort of relic, The Portal Staff, and I allied with him? When?" RAT felt confused "Why can I have visions but not remember something that could be the key to everything?”

All this was so confusing. And what about that voice? RAT saw it had some sort of hand, it looked like it was made of gold and yellow glitter. It also had footprints. Whatever it was, it did exist, just invisible to the naked eye.

“Where am I going now?” RAT thought. He was so sure it could have been Never End, tricking Talon and Winsweep to go through the portal. But the way the spirit-voice creature put it: "That’s a good one, I’ll think about it while you traverse the next one.” It might not be it after all. RAT sighed, but couldn’t hear it, just like it had the first time he was here. He looked up, seeing the small blue dots that covered the darkness. But this time, instead of floating, RAT could feel himself falling slowly. He could feel the soft current of air move by his arms and through his shirt.

Suddenly, something snagged at the back of his shirt, catching him and stopping him from falling. RAT thought it was some sort of monster, kicking at it until he ripped free. RAT looked up at it, only seeing it was a large stone spike. RAT glanced around him, seeing many spikes, all of different sizes. Some appeared into view as he drifted farther down, while the others further from view seemed to be much taller, reaching for the sky like giants fingers.

Finally, RAT reached the bottom, his shoes touched down on a gray, sandy ground. Looking up, the dots were gone, replaced with a plain black sky. He didn’t know what to make of it, whether he was supposed to walk around or just stay where he was.

Thankfully, something answered his questions. It was a light in the distance, slowly getting bigger. At first, RAT panicked, but realized it was just a butterfly. A gold and pink butterfly, which flew past his head; circled in front of him momentarily, before fluttering off into the darkness. Unconsciously, RAT followed, mesmerized by the little creature, seeming unaware of what was around it. But RAT very well was, as he stepped on a skeleton, which crunched under his weight.

“Holy Shi–” RAT stopped and looked around, they were everywhere. Skulls, ribcages, and full skeletons were scattered around with weapons on the ground too. One had a spear stuck in its ribcage. While another was half buried, an ax in its skull. “What happened here?” RAT thought. The butterfly was waiting for him, flapping its wings to stay afloat

“Peculiar.”  

The bug started moving again and RAT struggled to follow, trying not to trip or step on the bones. He tried calling out when the butterfly started to get farther away, but his voice didn’t respond, the darkness seemed to trap all sound.

“Dammit,” RAT thought angrily. Running to catch up to the butterfly, catching himself twice after almost falling. However, RAT stopped and pulled a dagger out of the arm of a skeleton, placing it through the buckle of his pants “Just in case.” The butterfly suddenly stopped at a large wall. Looking up, it towered over everything, including some of the largest spikes. The darkness was much more clear here and RAT could see farther around him. There were more skeletons, some laying on the ground, others against the wall. And some. . .

“They were trying to climb it," RAT realized. Multiple skeletons clawed at the wall. RAT carefully walked around and examined each. Each one or group had a different strategy of getting through of over the wall. Some had pickaxes and what looked like a power drill, making a hole into the wall. One hole was easily four feet deep into the stone exterior. Another group had a long rope tied around their waists. RAT looked up, seeing the lead skeleton hanging from the wall, the rope had tangled around their body and was strangled. . .

RAT looked away, imagining how painful that must have been. He turned back to the butterfly, which was hovering where he left it.

“Why bring me here,” RAT thought. “What purpose does this have? Another vision? A memory?” The little butterfly flipped in the air, flapping over and landed right on RAT’s nose. Without thinking, he slapped it off. It faltered, trying to fly away, but dive bombed to the sand and landed quietly, unmoving.

“NO!” RAT cried. He crouched down and scooped the little creature in his hands. Its legs twitched slightly, signaling life.

“Come on little guy, stay with me,” RAT prayed. But, unfortunately, the butterfly stopped moving, and its colors slowly faded gray. RAT sniffled, wondering why he was feeling sad for such an insignificant thing. He dug out a small hole and placed the butterfly inside, taking a piece of bone and sticking it in the makeshift grave. And then he sat there, he didn’t know how long, and stared at the mound of sand.

RAT looked at the wall again, then at the bodies, imagining the different people and their stories.

“What was on the other side that was so important to these people.”

RAT laid down, closing his eyes, wishing for something. . . Anything.

“You think they’re dead, Sir?” A voice muttered

“No, he’s breathing.” Another said.

“But what is he? Not anything I’ve ever seen before. Sir?” A third, deeper voice asked.

“A Magnock maybe?” Said the first.

RAT’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of voices, he pushed himself off the sand and wiped the sand off his face as best as possible, careful to keep it away from his eyes. Hearing footsteps he looked up, seeing three people. Not anyone he knew, but they were all wearing yellow smiley face masks over their faces and black clothing, so it was hard to tell. He could also hear them whisper to each other.

“He is alive.”

“Doesn’t look like one of the beasts.”

“Think he’s friendly, Sir?”

“Keep your weapons ready, but don’t scare him off.”

The tallest one of the group, the one the other two kept calling sir, approached RAT, offering a hand. RAT felt confused, never seeing someone have this much trust with him on first confrontation. RAT slowly reached his hand out and took it, letting the person pull him to his feet.

“I’m Vital,” He said, letting go and gesturing to the other members of his crew. “One with the sword is Nox, and my friend, BW, is the one with the crossbow.”

 It took RAT a moment to realize they were actually speaking, that noise was hitting his ears. He didn't realize how suffocating the silence was until now. he tried for himself.

“Wow,” RAT said, happy to have is voice back again, only to realize that saying that might have come off weird.

“Uh… yeah.” Vital responded, looking back at BW, flashing a hand signal. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Doctor4t… ” He extended his hand to shake Vital’s.

“Well, Doctor forty–”

“Actually, just call me RAT,” RAT interrupted, wondering how they were able to see with the masks on their face. It must have been like Clown's or Talon's mask, with a small peep hole in the eyes. But then again, there really wasn't anything that looked like they were able to see. But RAT didn't dwell on it for long. Vital nodded and pulled RAT over to the others.

“You must be trying to get over the wall too,” BW said, clasping his hands together and rubbing them in a quick motion.

RAT tilted his head. “Wall?”

BW gestured to the large wall near them, making RAT feel stupid. The trio walked towards the base of the wall and RAT followed behind, making sure he had the dagger with him, which he left by the grave. 

“You must not have learned of the wall yet,” Vital assumed. “Right, RAT?”

RAT shook his head. “No, I don’t know what it’s for yet.”

“Must not have been listening when your spirit explained it,” The third member said, grumpily.

“Don’t mind Nox,” Vital said cheerfully. “He’s just been in a bad mood since we lost A.”

“Right, because ‘another lost soul’ is nothing to worry about,” Nox growled.

“Don’t worry,” BW said, stopping when they reached the base, putting his crossbow down against the wall. “They will find their way… eventually.”

“Wait, wait, woah.” RAT stopped. “Nox?”

The third member turned to look at RAT, the yellow smiley face seemingly staring into his soul. “Yeah? What?”

“Like Noxintrus? Winsweep’s ally?”

Nox let out a nervous chuckle. “Sorry? I-I don’t know anyone named Winsweep.”

RAT stumbled forward and grabbed Nox’s arm. He reached up for the mask,  “No, you are Winsweep’s friend, Diansu’s ally. Remember?”

Nox pulled away from RAT, slapping his hand away and pushing RAT into the sand. Quickly brushing the residual sand off his sleeves. 

“Hey, don’t touch me, man!”

“Alright,” Vital interrupted. “RAT, one thing is clear, respect boundaries.”

RAT desperately wanted to argue, but kept his hands to his sides, pushing off the sand to stand up. He watched as BW ran his gloved hands against the smooth stone wall, knocking on it twice.

“It’s the real deal, look at the runes.”

Vital moved over and examined the runes etched into the stone. RAT looked at the runes from behind them, feeling like he didn't really belong. Vital looked up into the night sky.

“BW, go get something to start a fire. Nox, if you would, find food?” He commanded.

The two gave a nod and went in separate directions, leaving RAT and Vital alone. Vital sidled up next to RAT and grabbed him by the shoulder. His gloved hand cracking down on the bone. RAT gasped and tried to get him to stop, but Vital's grip was just too strong.

“Listen to me RAT, these people are like family. We may not remember much before, but if you dare try to hurt them, abuse them, or anything of the sorts, I will personally send you to the darkest depths of this place myself. Do you understand?”

RAT quickly nodded; Vital took another moment before letting him go, “Go find some rocks, small ones,” He said.

“Sure, yeah,” RAT huffed, looking back where he came from and leaving to do as instructed

* * *

Nox held the body of a small animal on a stick over the fire, carefully turning it over, letting it cook on all sides. BW was fiddling with some sort of pendant he had, twisting it between his fingers and rubbing the emerald green stone in the center. Vital was flipping through a tattered book, taking a pencil and writing through it. RAT, on the other hand, sat on the other side of the fire, slightly further. Not wanting to be near Vital. Above them, the stars that covered the sky were completely gone, and in their place was a moon without craters. Practically a white circle in the sky.

“So how’d you die, RAT?” Vital asked suddenly, shifting through the bag that Nox had been carrying on his back, putting away the book.

“Huh?”

“Like, did you die to a falling ladder? Maybe stung to death by bees. Oh! Did you drown in a kiddie pool?” Vital laughed

“I.. uh, just.” RAT mumbled, trailing off.

“Memory is a bit fuzzy?” BW asked, his head shifting to look at RAT. “Don’t worry, it happens to all of us, but you’ll get it back in a few days. I assumed you don’t know anything about this place then?”

RAT shook his head, it was weird not being able to see their faces. It reminded him of talking to Clownpierce, his face hidden behind that helmet. It was the same with Talon, or anyone who wore some sort of mask. RAT tried to think if there was anyone else but couldn't come up with anything.

“Well, Vital can clue you in on it. He’s been here the longest,” BW nudged Vital jokingly, which earned him a growl from Vital.

“Taking into account you probably haven't met anyone else, or had some spirit clue you in… That wall," He gestured to the stone structure near them. "Get on the other side of it, and return to your previous life, or go somewhere better.”

“Has anyone ever done it?” RAT asked.

Vital looked around at the skeletons at the wall. “Don’t know, but if not, we’ll be the first. Anyways, this place is The Void, purgatory between life and reincarnation. There are hundreds of thousands of people here, stuck trying to find the wall, while some have perished trying.”

“It’s a brutal way,” BW said. Nox nodded, his hands moved to his face and tipped his mask forward slightly, just enough where RAT could see his teeth. But that also allowed him to confirm his theory. The charred skin instantly gave away that this was Noxintrus. Nox lifted the creature from the fire, bringing it close to his mouth before biting into it. Then he passed it to BW, and he did the same. But when BW tried to give some to Vital, he refused, putting his hand in the way.

“Would you like some, RAT?” BW offered. The dead animal didn’t look particularly appetizing, so RAT shook his head as Vital continued.

“The only thing we can remember is how we died. Nox here died in a prison due to starvation, supposedly he was a traitor to his nation. BW, died on impact with the ground, he fell a couple hundred feet and was skewered on a tree.”

RAT twitched with disgust, just imagining the pain he must have felt. “Hopefully it was an instant death.”

“And I died fighting for my people,” Vital explained, placing a hand over his heart. “The enemy ambushed us during the night, the battle was intense and we were forced to retreat. When I tried to attack, I was stabbed through the heart.”

“I’m sorry that happened,” RAT mumbled, trying to imagine what that must have felt like, what kind of pain was felt after his death. “That must have been painful. Do you remember anything about your killer?”

Vital paused, while he couldn't see his face, RAT could tell he wanted to say something. Vital quickly used the pencil in his hand and drew a smiley face in the sand Nox turned his head to look at the drawing while BW tilted his head to the sky. “Some," Vital uttered. "All I know is the bastard wore a mask. Kinda like mine, but white.”

RAT looked up from the fire, a thought dawning in his mind, “You say half was white? Was the other half black and red?”

“Yeah, yeah, it was,” Vital said. “Why?”

“Was he also wearing a purple sweater vest? With yellow markings?” RAT asked.

“Yes, they were… Why? You know him?”

RAT nodded slowly, putting the pieces together, how Vital died, who he was killed by. It all made sense. “You were killed by Winsweep, which means you are Vitalasy.”

Chapter Text

“That’s not possible,” Vitalasy—Vital said, using his hands to push off the sand, his shoe kicked a loose rock that Nox started playing with. The fire made a loud spark, startling BW, who was already on his feet. Vitalasy turned his head over at Nox, then turned his attention back to RAT. “It seems absurd you know me, or any of us for that matter.”

“It’s the truth, and if I had to guess, Nox died by Winsweep as well,” RAT said. "Where I come from, they were allies."

"But why kill Nox if he was an ally?" Vitalasy questioned, his hand moving to Nox's shoulder and getting in front of him, almost as if he were protecting him from whatever RAT was saying.

RAT put a hand on his chin, thinking, "If I had to guess," He started. "Nox did something that made Winsweep not trust him. How's you die again?"

“What about me?” BW interrupted, stepping closer to RAT, but was quickly pushed back by Vitalasy. “Do you know me?”

RAT shook his head, running the name through his mind, but he’s never heard of anyone by the name BW.

“It doesn’t matter, even if it is true, we need to focus on getting through that wall if we want a chance to get back to our old lives,” Vitalasy said. He stepped over and brought his boot down on the fire. Sparks flew into the night, wood crackled and snapped.

Vitalasy kept stomping until the fire was just pieces of gray. He quickly buried and mixed it with the sand before scattering the rocks. "Get your stuff ready, we walk the wall until we find a weak point."

RAT watched as Nox and BW quickly gathered their things, not hesitating like RAT was, unfortunately, Vitalasy noticed this.

"RAT, we have to go, we can't wait any longer," He said, handing their pack to Nox.

"Why? We are at the wall, why not stay here?" RAT questioned. 

"Because there are things out there that are not human," BW answered, pulling his mask off just to sneeze. RAT caught a small glimpse of his face, but he still didn't know who he was.

"Like?" RAT prompted.

"Giants, monsters, leviathans," Nox said, tightening the straps on their pack, they were ready to go, but RAT still had questions.

"What about your missing member? A was their name? What happened to them?"

"Lost in the Spikes," Vitaslasy muttered. "Heavy fog rolled in and we got separated. I worry..." He turned his head at Nox before lowering his voice to a whisper. "I worry they are gone. Forever."

"I'm sorry about that," RAT whispered. "I can only imagine what it feel like to lose someone close to you. When you first found me, you mentioned about me being a monster, what did you say?"

BW suddenly held up his fist in the air, pointing his crossbow into the spikes around them. Vitalasy and Nox instantly went on high alert, unsheathing weapons and daggers for protection.

"What is—"

"SHHH!" Nox hushed RAT. They waited and listened for whatever BW had heard, but there was nothing. Vitalasy crouched close to the ground, feeling the sand.

"He's feeling for vibrations," RAT realized 

"Gargantuan, three minutes out!" He announced. "Alright RAT, we have to go."

“What do you mean we?” RAT questioned. "I'm not going with you."

"RAT, I understand this hard to understand, but if that thing gets us, that's it, game over," Vitalasy explained.

"No, I have to get home," RAT pulled away when Vitalasy tried to grab him.

"There's no going home yet, RAT," Nox spat. "The Wall, remember?"

"No, no, no. I'm not really dead, I just have to find the spirit and make him send me home."

Vitalasy froze mid—step, he slowly turned back towards RAT. RAT looked at BW and Nox, who were also motionless.

"You're not serious are you?”

“Vital… if he’s not actually dead…” BW trailed off.

The air was quiet, Nox gripped the handle of his sword tighter, his gloves creaking at the pressure. The next second, BW was pointing his crossbow at RAT's chest, finger on the trigger and prepared to fire at any moment. RAT didn't know how this could all happen so fast, the feeling of betrayal sticking in his brain.

“RAT, tell me. Did you die, or not?” Nox asked.

RAT hesitated, unsure what to say.

“If you really knew them in a previous life, you’ll tell them the truth,” BW whispered.

“No.. I—I was sent here,” RAT explained. “By some sort of golden—handed person.”

"Vital, what are you doing?" Nox panicked. RAT watched Vitalasy's hands go to his mask, pulling the straps off his head slowly, his hands trembling slightly as he did so. He looked afraid. Behind the mask he was afraid. It made sense, not knowing what was next. This world was dangerous, and they were just trying to survive.

“Put your mask back on, Vital. Vital? Vitalasy!" BW gasped.

Vitalasy looked between BW and RAT.

“Take your soul and run,” Vitalasy pleaded.

RAT was shocked. “No, I’m not leaving.”

Vitalasy lunged at RAT and knocked him into the sand, taking RAT’s dagger and holding it at his neck

“Listen here you piece of shit, if you stay here, they will die. I’m not losing another one. They can sense your soul and they will hunt us down. You have a better chance at surviving in the Spikes than here, understand?”

RAT gasped and pushed himself away, taking a look at Nox and BW, who stood quietly, not seeming to care. Or maybe they did, but they were just following orders.

“At least give me my weapon,” He said.

Vitalasy tossed it at his feet, picking up his mask and pulling it over his face, hiding his fear with a smile.

“If you hear a behemoth—giant—anything, don’t try to hide, keep running!”

“What’s a behemoth?!”

“JUST FUCKING RUN !” Vitalast shouted. Without any more thought, RAT sprinted into the darkness, leaving them behind.

*  *  *

The sound of heavy footsteps repeated, shaking the ground with a rhythmic thud, thud, thud. Dodging between spikes; piles of bones;weapons, RAT kept his footing, knowing one misstep could mean his demise.

“How could I have known? This really wasn’t my fault,” RAT thought. “It wasn’t my fault for getting sent down here either… Is this what that spirit guy wants me to see?”  

RAT continued running, he could hear his heart thumping loudly, almost worried it would give him away. It took him a moment to realize the ground wasn’t shaking anymore. RAT slowed down and hid behind one of the larger spikes, taking a moment to catch his breath, practicing some breathing techniques he learned from Rekrap until his heart rate slowed.

“What the fuck am I doing?” He said aloud. “Why am I here?”

He huddled close to the spike, wanting to stay there, but also wanting to get out of this nightmare. To distract himself, RAT thought back to his memories before all this happened.

The first day of Content SMP.

Making Clown’s scythe.

Bonesburrow.

Lux, Talon, Diansu…

“Diansu,” RAT wondered, he technically wasn’t human, more of a machine—robot with a CRT—monitor for a head. “If he died, would he show up here?”

He wasn’t sure anymore. Running his fingers through the sand, he let the grains slip between them, cold against his skin. It reminded him of all those nights by the waterfront in his hidden home—the one he built after destroying The Free Bird—where the waves whispered instead of screamed, where fear didn’t loom around every corner. There, he had only his own thoughts to pass the time.

“Why can’t things just be normal?” His voice cracked, raw with frustration. “Even for five minutes.”

The words barely left his lips before a sound—low and grating—scraped against the silence.

RAT’s head snapped up, eyes locking onto the nearest mossy cobblestone spike. His breath hitched. Clawed fingers wrapped around the jagged edge, curling slow and deliberate. Each digit tapered into a wicked, razor—like point, scratching softly against the rock as it gripped.

"Ashswag...?" RAT barely breathed the name, regret flashing through him the second the sound left his throat.

The hand recoiled. Then, from behind the spike, it stepped forward.

At first glance, it resembled Ashswag—inky black skin, spined limbs, that familiar, unnatural movement—but this was something worse. Something far more twisted.

Its head was crowned with curved horns, arching back like jagged spears, leading into a row of thick, serrated spines that trailed down its back. Its limbs—too long, too sharp—moved with eerie precision, claws digging into the sand with every calculated step.

Then it inhaled—a short, quick breath through its nose.

It was searching for him.

RAT barely had a second to process before its head snapped toward him.

And that’s when he saw it.

Half of its face was corrupted.

This wasn’t just a beast. It wasn’t just a monster. (Or maybe it was.) But it hadn’t always been this way. It was like Ashswag.

A horrible realization sank into his gut.

It used to be one of them.

The creature prowled forward, slow and deliberate. RAT instinctively tried to back away, but it noticed—they always noticed—and surged forward, closing the distance in an instant.

"Stop!" RAT shouted. The beast didn’t falter. It let out a guttural growl before lunging.

RAT barely had time to react. He threw himself to the side, rolling as the creature shot past him, crashing into the sand, its head cracking against the spike. It recovered instantly, claws tearing into the ground as it twisted back toward him.

"Moriya!" RAT's voice came out desperate. He thrust out his hands, a futile gesture of recognition. "Stop! It's me—RAT! Doctor4t!"

But the creature didn’t stop. It only stared.

And then, it moved.

RAT rolled out of the way as Moriya jumped at him again, snapping his teeth down when he got close. RAT knew it wouldn’t work, he could barely get Ash to listen, so his best option was to start running again. And that’s what RAT did. Dodging between the spikes as Moriya quickly gained on him.

RAT originally thought he could possibly outrun Moriya, enough dodging and weaving and maybe he Moriya would get tired of the antics and leave, but his hope drained when the spike forest suddenly dropped away and brought him into an open clearing of sand. Above RAT's head, the white orb in the sky was slowly fading and the dots were appearing once again.

"Like their own twisted day—night cycle." Looking forward again, there was no ground. It was a cliff. Thankfully, RAT had just enough time to stop himself from sprinting full speed over the edge. RAT breathed out a breath of relief as he looked into the abyss below, and then another one of fear when he could hear footsteps behind him.

RAT turned, half expecting Moriya to be right behind him, but he wasn’t more than a few yards away. 

“Moriya, if you don’t kill me, I could try to help you,” RAT said, trying to reason with someone he knew couldn’t be reasoned with, not in this state at least.

RAT noticed that he wasn’t moving closer, but slightly moving back. Then next moment, Moriya's jaw unhinged, making a painful crunch in the process. RAT looked carefully through his teeth, curious, yet frightened of what was about to happen. He wouldn't have to wait too long. RAT took a step back, hearing the electricity crack and the red and white beams of lighting sparkle with his maw.

"M—Moriya?" RAT whispered.

The electricity sparkled brighter and cracked louder as a ball of red energy seemed to form inside. RAT took a step closer, entranced by the sounds. Then another step, another...

“Get down doctor!”

RAT shook himself from his daze, his eyes spinning momentarily before something darted past him. RAT steadied himself, seeing someone wearing a trenchcoat and a suit, running toward Moriya, who didnt really seem to care too much about this new person, his focus still on RAT.

The figure grabbed Moriya by the neck and wrenched him into the ground, right as the red plasma blast fired, soaring off over their heads and exploding in the air with a thunderous bang! RAT stared at the fight, his gut wrenched backwards, knowing if the figure hadn’t saved him, he would have died.

Moriya yelped in pain as the person stabbed a dagger through his neck, a black liquid seeped down the blade and splattered across the sand. RAT gasped and ran towards them.

“Stop! Let go of him!” he yelled. The figure glanced over for a second, giving Moriya a chance to kick his way free, bite down on their arm, rip some of their sleeve clean off, and escape into the darkness.

RAT tried to follow but knew it would’ve been futile. Instead, he turned back to the person, who stood silently, despite the blood dripping down their forearm and painting their hand red.

"Are you okay?" RAT asked, not knowing how to stop the bleeding. "Here, let me help you, I have some friends who can probably get you bandaged up."

The figure lightly pushed RAT away. “No, I am okay."

RAT frowned. “Um. Okay. But..." RAT looked in the direction they appeared from, the only thing was the cliff, yet the footsteps only seemed to make contact with the ground a few feet from the edge. "where did you come from? There's a cliff right there. And unless you can defy the laws of physics, you shouldn't be human.”

“Well,” They said. “He’s smarter than he looks. Yes I’m a spirit, Doctor. Did I not say that already.”

RAT put two and two together before speaking.

“You’re that thing, the one who sent me here!” RAT accused him.

“I didn't mean to send you here.” The figure said, wiping some blood off his pale colored face and adjusting his tie. They kind of reminded him of Diansu, with the trenchcoat and the red tie and the suit. Diansu was always fancy and well dressed. “You were supposed to stay floating above, but for some reason the universe thought you were dead and let you float to the bottom.”

“Dead?” RAT gasped, keeping his thoughts on the conversation. “I’m not… I can’t be.”

“It doesn’t matter,” The person grunted. “I’m sending you home. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” He reached a hand forward to try and grab RAT’s arm.

RAT instinctively pulled away. “No, what about Noxintrus and BW and Vitalasy?”

They looked back into the spikes. In the direction of the wall, “They make it out on their own.” 

“We can’t just leave them here!” RAT yelled, not even the slightest bit worried about anything hearing him.

“Keep your voice down, Doctor,” They whispered. “We don’t want any unruly creatures finding us.”

“No, not until you tell me what happens to them. What that creature was, and what happened to Moriya,” RAT cried.

The figure pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an annoyed sigh. He turned his head slightly, glancing over the cliff.

“Lots of questions, so little–”

“Shut up!” RAT covered his ears. “Shut up, enough with the stupid riddles. Tell me something! You’re like Arathain? A spirit? You have to know something. I’ll take anything at this point.” He looked at the man with pleading eyes.

“Mnyama wa Usiku.”

RAT squinted in frustration. “That’s just random fucking gibberish.”

“Can you remember it?” He asked.

RAT sighed but nodded. “Probably.”

The Knight stalked closer, gripping RAT’s shoulder, pushing him to the edge of the cliff.

“Tell Arathain. Forgive me Doctor4t. But I can’t let you know anything else, not yet.”

“What–” 

The person grabbed RAT by the shoulders and hurtled RAT over the edge. RAT screamed in fear, watching the person quickly get farther away before turning to dust. RAT tried to steady himself, turning over and over, summer saluting in the air, but reality hit him hard. And so did he with the ground

Chapter Text

It always felt like he was waking up to darkness. That’s what the past few weeks have been, almost in their entirety. Ever since he arrived, something seemed unusual about this place. Maybe it was the mountains, how they seemed to touch the clouds. Or maybe it was the MineField. Or the Arena. Places that were built before he even arrived. 

While RAT could barely remember the fall-or at least the actual falling part of it-it seemed he was the only one who could remember anything. Through his conversations with his allies and friends, no one seemed to know anything.

However the portal? The day it opened up in his realm, his home. That was a vivid memory of his. How it seemed to form out of nothing and pull everything into it, like a hurricane mixed with a black hole.

"This is all Winsweep’s fault." He thought angrily. "If he never existed, we wouldn't be in this mess."

But what Arathain said, how he allied with Winsweep at some point, that maybe he was part of this mess too. RAT breathed in and let it out in a long and heavy sigh, just for it to turn into an over exaggerated scream.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" His voice echoed through the empty expanse of nothing that he was in. His brain hurt, his chest hurt, his arms and legs and eyes and everything hurt. He hated this life, he hated this valley they were stuck in, he hated everything that had happened to him and all the people that had died because of Winsweep's mistake.

"What was it that spirit asked me?" RAT felt a surge of panic in his chest. He'd already forgotten what he was supposed to remember.

RAT felt something hit his skin, something warm, then a splash of cold, like getting a bucket of cold water dumped on himself. He slowly opened his eyes, tired of the darkness he seemed to be stuck in, and quietly glanced around the room he was in.

He was in the medical room, in the Resistance’s underground base. To his right, was a wall and the wooden door. RAT twisted his head to the left, seeing the additional beds that had been stolen from The Village, one of which had someone sleeping in. RAT could see their chest rising and falling with each breath, possibly sleeping, but he couldn’t be sure, since RAT couldn’t see their face. RAT rolled onto his back and let out a loud sigh.

“Why am I here, what happened, ” RAT wondered. He couldn’t remember anything prior, his memory was still fuzzy. Before he had another chance to think, the door to the droom opened, letting in another blast of cold air. RAT quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep as footsteps entered the room.

“You think he’ll wake up soon?” One of the voices said. That was Vortex. RAT could recognize his voice anywhere.

“I don’t know,” The second voice responded, which RAT knew to be Reddoons. “We just have to pray, and hope that spirit did something good.”

“I don’t trust that thing, he comes in at night and looks like he is trying to kill RAT,” Vortex said.

“I don’t trust it either, but it’s better than what’s coming. . . Hopefully,” Reddoons' footsteps started to move away. RAT squinted his eyes open just enough to see the two of them around the other person in the room, Vortex was holding a bottle of water and slowly helping them drink it.

“How you holding up, bud?” Vortex asked. “Parrot?”

“Fine,” Parrot mumbled, pushing the bottle away from his face. “How do I look?”

Vortex chuckled while Reddoons walked to RAT’s bedside, forcing him to close his eyes again.

“I don’t know anymore, I feel like we are doing the best we can, but, also we're not,” Reddoons sighed.

“You are doing the best you can, Reddoons,” Vortex said. “He’ll wake up eventually. As long as he’s alive. I swear he’s got plot armor or something. The amount of times he’s been out like this? Gotta be something keeping RAT alive.”

“I know, I know, and you’re right. Maybe there’s something helping RAT that we don’t know of” Reddoons said. “We’ll need a few people to stay behind to watch them.”

“I can stay behind, maybe I can convince Rekrap to do the same,” Vortex suggested, as the door opened again and another person stepped in.

“Vortex,” a more feminine voice spoke. “Mapic needs help in the kitchen.”

RAT heard the footsteps retreat quickly before she continued. “And Reddoons, who’s gonna stay behind to watch these two?”

“Vortex and I were just discussing that, Lux. Vortex and Rek will likely stay behind, possibly Eight as well,” Reddoons said.

“Maybe Talon too, things have been tense with him and Clown and I’d like to keep them away from each other,” Lux asked.

“Talon and Clown?” RAT thought back to the first few days when Parrot suggested to ‘get rid of’ Talon.  “Clown wasn’t seriously considering it, was he?”

"No," Reddons said suddenly. "We have few people as it is, we need as many people who can fight to defend the Village."

Lux sighed. RAT squinted his eyes open to see them right next to his bedside, leaning against the sheets. "I'm scared. Scared for his health. I'm afraid he's going to die."

RAT closed his eyes again when she turned to face him, nearly flinching back when their hand made contact with his face, but he stayed as still as possible. Parrot coughed loudly and had a sound like he was getting stabbed.

"He'll live," Reddoons muttered, taking Lux's place at the bedside. "I promise you that much, he will not die on my watch."

The room dropped silent, which was probably a good time to reveal himself. RAT opened his eyes and reached a hand up and grabbed Reddoons’ arm.

Never in his life had RAT ever heard Reddoons emit such a loud, high pitched scream. One so loud, Eight, Mapic, and Vortex all ran into the room to help, yelling,“What’s wrong!” and, “Are you okay?” and, “Are they back?” In rapid succession. 

RAT saw Lux fall against the wall, laughing hysterically, while Parrot had nearly fallen off his bed, the blanket covering his body fell to the floor. At that moment, RAT saw the damage for the first time. He remembered what happened, what he looked like the day of the accident, but seeing it now was a different story. The landmine had blown up both of his legs, up to his knees, which were wrapped in bandages all the way up to his pants. (They were actually shorts now because they had been folded and ripped in different places.)

When Reddoons found his voice again, he tried to wave off Mapic and Eight, but they didn’t move and insisted on staying. Then he turned to RAT.

“How long have you been awake?” He gasped for breath.

“Not long,” RAT coughed. “Few minutes.”

“You should have seen the look on your face,” Lux said, wiping away tears. “Pure gold, I don’t think I have ever heard anyone scream that loud, or high pitched. And I have seen it when Blake screams.”

“Your voice is so deep,” Parrot spoke softly. “How in the world did you manage a sound like that?”

“I’m never going to acknowledge it,” Reddons responded, clearing his throat a few times.

“I certainly will,” Lux giggled, trying to catch their breath too. She took a few deep breaths before staring directly at RAT. He could see the gears in their head turning, trying to think.

"Before you say anything," RAT interrupted Lux. "I'm sure you all were worried, but I am fine, I feel perfect in fact."

"Well, for starters, you're actually here," Lux smiled.

“Yeah, I am,” He responded, not knowing exactly what that meant, but he decided to be playful about it. “Can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Vortex muttered something under his breath before bringing the water bottle to RAT. “Want some?”

RAT nodded, taking the bottle and drinking it. The water was cold, so cold it hurt to drink. He handed the bottle back and tried to get up.

“No no no,” Reddoons said, lightly pushing RAT back into the bed. “You are not going anywhere. Not yet.”

RAT sighed. “Why, I feel fine.” He took a look at his body, noticing layers of bandages on his arms, but nothing seemed to hurt anywhere.

Lux walked over, slowly and carefully unwrapping the bandages, despite Eight’s protests against it. RAT felt as each piece of cloth was pulled off, he expected there to some sort of pain if he had so many, but there wasn't any. No buzzes or zings of pain.

“That’s not possible,” Lux said, stripping the final bandage off his arms. There weren’t any scars or wounds underneath the cloth, nor were the bandages bloodied. “I don’t understand.”

“They were, that’s–how is this possible?” Reddoons said.

“Were?” RAT asked.

“Not now RAT,” Reddoons said.

“You know what, no, NO!” RAT sat up, startling everyone. “I want the truth. I’m not a child, I want everything that happened. Why are my arms bandaged, but no scars? What’s going on between Talon and Clown?” RAT remembered a key battle that would be happening soon. “And How many days until Winsweep attacks?”

Reddoons exchanged glances with Lux, Vortex, Mapic, and Eight.

“Mapic, Eight, go continue with your activities. Vortex and Lux, find Rekrap, Clown, and Jaron,” Reddoons turned to RAT, lowering his voice, speaking directly at him. “And you, don’t attempt anything stupid, there is enough medicine that can put you to sleep for the entire battle.”

RAT raised an eyebrow at the threat, but kept his mouth shut. Lux glanced at RAT before following Vortex, leaving him alone with Reddoons and his own thoughts.

* * *

RAT was quiet while waiting for them to return. He avoided eye contact with Reddoons, who quietly leaned against the wall near him.

'Don’t attempt anything stupid, there is enough medicine that can put you to sleep for the entire battle.'

He couldn’t stop thinking about what Reddoons said.

“He couldn’t have meant it… right?” RAT wondered about this until Lux and Vortex returned with Jaron and Rekrap. But Clownpierce wasn’t among them.

“Where’s Clown?” Reddoons asked the question that RAT was going to ask.

“We couldn’t find him,” Lux explained. “He’s been clearing a path up the mountains for days now, I can only assume that’s where he is now.”

“Of course he is,” Reddoons sighed. “Put a man in a box and after a while he’ll…” He looked at their confused faces and dropped it.

“Anyways,” Jaron said, walking over to RAT, checking him over and at his arms. “Quite remarkable, I’ve never seen something like this happen before.”

“And what happened?” RAT questioned, unsure he was fully prepared for whatever Jaron would say.

“Ashswag attacked you, he punctured deep, jagged wounds in your arms,” Jaron explained. “I found you after who knows how long, in the hallways.”

“It must have only been a couple of minutes,” Reddoons said. “There wasn’t much blood. I mean, there was but it hadn’t dried.”

RAT looked at his arms, confused on how something that seemed so fatal, could have healed so quickly. Like Jaron and Lux said, it didn’t really seem possible. He looked at Lux, who was standing near the door, not looking at him. Vortex and Rekrap were quietly talking nearby.

“So, what do you want to hear?” Jaron asked.

RAT opened his mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted by Reddoons.

“No no, we are going to tell him what I want him to hear.”

“Hardly seems fair,” Rekrap said. “I think RAT should get to pick and choose the story he wants. Right?”

Vortex and Jaron both nodded, and RAT could even see Parrot slowly moving his head out of the corner of his eye. Reddoons pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy breath. 

“Well, I’m out voted here,” He said, walking back to his wall and leaning against it once again. The room was silent until RAT realized he should ask a question.

“You believed me?” RAT asked. “That Winsweep was coming?”

Rekrap and Lux exchanged glances.

“We didn’t have much of a choice,” Rekrap said. “Of course Clown didn’t believe Reddoons when he told us what you said. But apparently he had some weird vision two days ago and that’s that. Next thing you know Lux and Clown have us training to fight like Winsweep fights.”

“Sounds impressive, What happened between Clown and Talon?” RAT looked at Lux, remembering what she said earlier, something about tensions rising between them.

“It’s complicated,” She answered sheepishly. “But nothing we need to be concerned about.”

Hesitantly, RAT nodded, but he had a feeling like there was more to it than Lux was letting on. He decided to drop it and move onto something else. Before he could, however, Parrot decided to speak up. Even if it was more of a whisper than an actual voice.

“I have something for you, RAT.” Parrot whispered. “You sleep talk. Like, really, really loud. It’s like you were trying to talk to someone if they were standing on the other side of the room. I’m not the only one who heard it, right?”

Reddoons eyed Jaron and Vortex, who both shook their heads, and gave them a look that said, We’ll talk later.

“Sleep talk?” RAT said, getting butterflies. “What did I say?”

Parrot sat up to try to look him in the eyes. RAT could see he was barely holding on. He looked dead inside, like there wasn’t anything left for him.

“Well, last night you were babbling about a butterfly. And then you were talking to someone called Vital?” He coughed once more and motioned Vortex for water. “You were out of it. I’m surprised no one else heard it.”

“Sorry to interrupt, but I thought of something I wanted to ask,” Lux said, turning to look at Reddoons.

“Is there a reason why Clown doesn’t like to be called by his full name: Clownpierce .”

Jaron, Rekrap, Reddoons and Vortex all exchanged nervous looks.

“It’s not a topic we go into anymore,” Jaron said. “Mostly because it was a dark time for us… and Clown.”

“Would you at least be willing to give some details?” Lux asked. ‘Maybe give some explanation why he attacked Talon?”

“Wait, Clown attacked Talon?!” RAT gasped, pushing himself out of bed and stumbled towards Lux. “What did he do to Talon? Who started it? Is everyone okay??”

Lux pushed themselves against the wall, trying to move away from him. RAT realized how close he was and walked a few steps backwards. He looked around, mainly Rekrap and Reddoons for answers, but everyone looked shocked at what just happened. Vortex and Parrot looked like they were gonna pass out from shock while Jaron and Rekrap just stood quietly, yet their faces showed it all. Wide-eyed and jaw dropped.

Reddoons, on the other hand, didn’t move, simply staying where he was, leaning against the wall.

“What, why are you looking at me like that?” RAT questioned

The room was silent before Vortex made a noise, deciding to speak up.

“We’re… We’re not being fully honest with you, RAT, there’s a reason why we all look like this.” He stole a quick glance at Redddoons. “Most of us, at least."

“And that is??” RAT asked, not sure if he wanted to know the truth.

Jaron and Rekrap put RAT back into the bed, despite RAT’s struggles and tell them not to.

Reddoons stayed where he was, quietly watching RAT, and seemingly everyone else.

“RAT,” Jaron began. “You’ve been asleep for a day.”

“That’s good then,” RAT said. “We still have some time to prepare for Winsweep.”

By the look on their faces, it wasn’t accurate.

“The clock is up, RAT,” Lux sighed. “The final 24 hours.”

“B-But, but, you just said I was asleep for a day,” He pointed at Jaron.

“You were asleep most of today,” Reddoons said, from his spot on the wall. “When we found you, RAT, you were in bad shape, and unfortunately, we couldn’t save you.”

“What?”

“Three days ago, you stopped breathing," Rekrap said. "We tried everything, but nothing worked."

RAT blinked, not believing it, he stared at his arms, then processing what the spirit said to him. 'The universe believed you were dead.' It all made sense.

"RAT," Rekrap put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from shaking. "You have been dead for three days."

Chapter Text

"Three days. I was dead for three entire days?"

RAT’s voice trembled as he spoke, each word barely making it out between shallow breaths. His body felt shaky, detached. His eyes jumped from face to face in the dim room, searching for something—anything—to tell him this was a joke. A cruel, twisted joke meant to scare him. His gaze landed on Reddoons, suspicion creeping in.

“Calm yourself, RAT,” Rekrap said gently, placing a steady hand on his shoulder.

The room had quieted since he woke. The once-crowded infirmary room was now mostly empty. Only a few remained. Reddoons had sent Vortex, Jaron, and Lux off to train, giving him the space to talk privately with Rekrap. Now, Reddoons stood beside Parrot, slowly feeding him pieces of bread—no, a cheese sandwich.

“Calm? Why should I be calm? I was dead, Rek,” RAT muttered, looking down at his hands in disbelief. He flexed his fingers, curled them into fists, then released. Again. Again. But no matter how hard he tried, the only thing he felt was a heavy, hollow numbness.

Rekrap gently took RAT’s hands to steady them, but flinched, withdrawing his right hand quickly.

“I get it,” he whispered. “But you’re alive. That’s what matters now.”

RAT tried to slow his breathing. He recalled the things Astron used to tell him after he’d destroyed the End Portals. He forced himself to remember the days before this mess—or at least, the ones he could remember.

He gave a faint nod and pulled his hands away.

“If you two are finished,” Reddoons said, not looking away from Parrot, “I want to go over the battle plans.”

“I already know. I’m staying behind.”

At first, RAT thought Rekrap had spoken. But then Parrot lifted his head slightly—it had been him.

“No shit, Parrot,” Reddoons smirked. “But seriously, Rek, I need you to stay here. Watch over Parrot, Ash... and RAT.”

“I can fight,” RAT said at the same time Rekrap responded, “Of course.”

Reddoons turned toward them, his tone sharp. “No. You stay here, RAT. I can’t have you running into the thick of swords and spells.”

RAT crossed his arms. “If I can stand, I can fight. I feel fine.”

“It’s not about how you feel. I can’t risk you getting killed again,” Reddoons snapped, glancing briefly at Parrot. “Or anyone else.”

Parrot’s injury still hung in the room like a ghost.

“Parrot stepping on that mine wasn’t my fault,” RAT growled.

“It kinda was—” Rekrap began.

“Rek, you’re great and all, but I need you to shut it,” RAT cut in, sharply.

Rekrap’s mouth opened to retort, but he hesitated. He shut it again, backed away to lean against the wall, arms crossed, staring down at his shoes. For a second, RAT regretted it—he might’ve hurt Rekrap’s feelings—but the rising tension in his chest wouldn’t let him focus on that.

“Reddoons, I can help,” RAT said firmly. “I can take down Winsweep. We can end this.”

He thought of Nox, BW and Vitalasy. The three he’d met in the Void.

He thought of Moriya. Asai, and possibly countless others who were gone. If Nox was dead, surely Winsweep had gotten rid of others.

He then thought of Zombie, and Void, taken by Winsweep before this nightmare was created. And for what?

“Five dead. Possibly more. Winsweep has to be stopped, no matter how it’s done.”

The words slipped out loud this time, filled with fire.

Reddoons slowly sat down on the edge of an empty bed, removing the shades from his eyes. He exhaled deeply. RAT could practically see the gears turning behind his eyes.

“No,” he said finally. “And that’s my final answer.”

RAT stared at him, stunned. The words spilled out before he could stop them.

“What are you so afraid of? And don’t say ‘nothing.’ Clearly something’s eating at you.”

“You wouldn’t understand—”

“Try me.” RAT’s voice cut sharp through the air. “Whatever it is, I can take it.”

“You think you’re brave,” Reddoons muttered, his voice hollow. “But you have no idea what’s coming.”

“I know Winsweep better than anyone. I know what’s coming,” RAT insisted.

“YOU DON’T KNOW!” Reddoons’ voice exploded, shaking the room. RAT instinctively stepped back. Across the room, Rekrap lifted his gaze. “You think you can handle everything, but you can’t. This attack—” Reddoons gestured to RAT’s arms, still bearing faint scars even though the bandages were gone “—proves that bad shit happens. You’re not invincible. Vitalasy thought he was, and look where it got him!”

“Reddoons,” Parrot murmured weakly from his bed, “stop...”

“I...” Reddoons choked on the words. His voice cracked. He looked away.

RAT just stood there, unsure of what to feel. Reddoons—Reddoons, of all people—never cried. Not even when Parrot got hurt. Not when others died.

Come to think of it, RAT couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen anyone really cry. Maybe someone did when he died—but from what he saw himself? Very few ever showed it.

A quiet question broke the silence.

“What was it like... when Vitalasy died?”

RAT blinked. He hadn’t meant to ask it. He didn’t even realize the words had come from his own mouth.

But now, they were hanging in the air. Heavy. Real. And waiting.

No one dared to speak. The room was still. Even the distant sounds of life beyond the room—footsteps, clanging armor, murmured voices—seemed to fade into silence.

All eyes drifted to Reddoons.

“It was...” His voice wavered. “A difficult time.”

He didn’t meet their eyes. Instead, he stared at the floor, as if the memories were carved there, etched into every crack of the stone.

“I don’t want to get into it too deeply, but... the way they left him. They just left him there. Left him to die.”

A thick silence followed, broken only by the soft creak of the cot as Parrot shifted beneath the sheets.

Rekrap was the one to speak next, his voice low, “The Midnight Leviathan. Winsweep.”

Reddoons gave a faint nod, lips pressed into a thin line. “Yeah. Winsweep. They came like a storm—like death itself. They took what they wanted, left destruction in their wake, and... when they were done, they just walked away. Like none of it ever mattered.”

He paused, swallowing hard. A breath escaped his mouth, thin and trembling.

“I would’ve gone after them. God, I wanted to... but I couldn’t. I couldn’t leave Vitalasy there. Not alone.”

His voice cracked on the last word.

Parrot stirred again, his voice soft. “But... Ashswag was there, wasn’t he?”

Reddoons nodded slowly. “He was. He stayed. Until the very end.”

There was a long pause.

“I can only imagine what he felt... holding your best friend in your arms, knowing there’s nothing you can do. That kind of helplessness—it’s a special kind of hell.”

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“The worst part?” He looked up now, and for the first time—really looked—his eyes were glassy, rimmed red. “He died thinking we were gonna win. That somehow, we’d turn it around. That there was still hope.”

Reddoons turned his head slightly toward RAT, voice quieter than ever.

“You ever see someone smile as they die?”

RAT didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His throat felt tight, his chest hollow. The image forced its way into his mind—a battlefield soaked in ash and blood, and amidst it, someone smiling... because they believed.

“And when it was over...” Reddoons wiped a hand over his face. “We buried what was left. No final words, no speeches, no grand sendoff. Just dirt, a makeshift headstone. And silence.”

No one spoke. Not even Parrot. Rekrap had looked down again, but there was something different in his posture—his arms weren’t crossed anymore. His hands were clenched tight at his sides.

Reddoons sat back, his shoulders hunched.

“I still hear him sometimes. In the quiet. Like he’s still out there. Still waiting for us to finish what we started.”

RAT opened his mouth, then closed it. His fingers brushed against the healed marks on his arms, as if they might tether him to the present.

“He trusted me,” Reddoons said, barely audible. “He trusted us. And we let him die.”

A heavy silence followed, like the room itself was mourning with them.

And for the first time in what felt like forever—something shifted behind RAT’s eyes. Something deeper than anger. Something colder than grief.

It was guilt.

And it was real.

It built up in his chest, but worse, it reminded him of his own life. The people and friends he lost... he betrayed. Lux, Talon, Moriya, Astron, and so many more that it would take forever just to name them off. He thought back to the scenes he was shown by the spirit. 

The End Portals and The Free Bird. Everytime he lied and made false promises to the ones he loved. For the first time, he truly felt sorry. Not just sorry for his friends, but sorry for the person he had become.

"I'm not going to let you go out there, RAT," Reddoons winced. "I can't lose anyone else."

If anything, it would be better for him to fight, you have a better chance of winning.

The voice was strong and blocked out all of RAT’s thoughts. He covered his ears hoping to not seem too suspicious.

“What the heck was that?” Rekrap said; RAT realized he wasn’t the only one who heard it.

RAT scanned the room, knowing the voice, he just needed to find—

There he was

He stood against the wall behind Reddoons almost like a statue. Kinda like a mini Soul Mord. RAT laughed at his own joke, examining the spirit. The shadowy face, the gray armor, white hair and the strange goggles sitting atop the head made him recognizable. It was a good kind of feeling, but a slight hint of a dark one, concerning the past.

I don't mean to interrupt this, but the clock ticks on.

“Is all of this just in our minds?” Reddoons shouted.

The MindScape. I hate to bring people in here, but I would prefer no interruptions today.

“What kind of interruptions?” RAT asked, looking past Reddoons, at Arathain. Reddoons turned to look at Arathain himself, a scowl forming on his face, moving towards the wall where Arathain was, gripping the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheath it at a moments notice

“Reddoons, stop,” RAT said, but he had already taken a sword from its holster.

“You come in here once and you try to kill RAT, now you come here again and attempt to finish the job," Reddoons sniffled.

I would not have done such a thing. He is alive because of me.

“Well ain't that the worse lie I've ever heard, I found your poison bottle!”

RAT gasped and looked at Arathain, waiting for him to say something.

That... was not mine.

“It was not any of my own, none of them would have had that,” Reddoon said, stopping in front of Arathain, gripping the sword so tightly his knuckles had gone white.

You think you are scaring me? You don’t have the nerve .

Reddoons looked at the sword in his hand, then at Arathain.

“Don’t do it,” Rekrap murmured.

RAT waited in painful silence until Reddoons stepped back.

I understand you don't trust me, but I promise, I only want what is —

RAT watched in horror at what unfloded before him. Reddoons twisted and stuck the sword through Arathain's heart. With one quick flick, the blade was twisted through his body and pulled from his flesh.

“Reddoons, what the hell was that…” He felt sick. Was it possible for Arathain to die? Wasn’t he already dead?

A sound poured from the place Arathain’s mouth should have been, it was like a low growl, but eventually turned into a raspy laugh.

You are so idiotic, Reddoons. I am already dead, what part of you thought it would work? HA!

RAT let out a sigh of relief.

Arathain walked over to Reddoons and whispered something in his ear before backing off.

“Fine,” Reddoons scoffed. “He’ll fight. But if he dies.. His blood is on your hands.” He spat at Arathain.

Perfect, and you’re welcome RAT.

RAT nodded at Arathain. But instead of disappearing, he instead moved towards him.

You’ll thank me later.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rekrap asked.

Arathain made a gesture to be quiet and his body slowly faded.

The room was once again silent. Reddoons had his eyes closed and murmured something under his breath.

“Rek, you stay for the battle. RAT, I assume you know how to fight?”

“Of course,” RAT replied. “I’m not that rusty.”

“Then I want you to rest for the remainder of the day. Don’t fight me, I’m still letting out there on the front lines, but I’d wish for you to have more time to recover. Please RAT, just listen to me.”

RAT wanted to say no, he wanted to train with Vortex and see Clown again. He wanted to find Talon and make sure he was alright. He wanted to talk with Arathain again. But after all this, after hearing Reddoons' story about Vitalasy, fighting was pointless, Reddoons had been through enough today.

He’d been fighting against his friends since the very first day. Arguing with Clown, running away, lying, disobeying orders… everything. He was the one dragging them all down.

“Alright, but not too long.” He said, staring Reddoons down, wanting him to know he was serious. Reddoons stared back, unflinching. Then relaxing and smiling again.

“Come on, Rek,” Reddoons said, grabbing Rekrap’s hand.(It's probably not like that though.) “We have some training to do.”

The door opened and closed. RAT grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around himself. 

“Good luck out there, RAT,” Parrot rasped. “I wish I could join you, but unfortunately my fate has been handed to me.”

“You’ll be out of here soon, Parrot,” RAT promised.

“Heh.. U–Unless you’re hiding a pair of prosthetic legs, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” He closed his eyes, thinking about the battle that would take place soon. 

"Oh and one more thing, RAT," Parrot caught him before his mind could drift off.

"What is it?"

"If you find Winsweep on that battlefield," He smiled. "Make sure you suffers as much as Vitalasy did."

RAT nodded, "Can do." As his mind drifted, he could only think one for thing.

"I can stop him. I can end this, once and for all."

Chapter Text

RAT had been awoken in the early morning hours, so early in fact that when Reddoons had dragged him out into the forest, the moon was still high in the starry sky. Streaks of clouds had been painted into the sky, covering some of the brightest stars, creeping closer to the moon, ready to block it out.

The two walked with pace across the valley. Reddoons carried two wooden boxes of weapons, while RAT had bandages and a few homemade bombs that Vortex put together, after disarming some of the landmines and taking the gunpowder in them.

RAT could see the village all lit up with fire braziers and lanterns and whatever else they could find. When he got closer, he spotted Talon and Spoke digging holes for the pile of landmines near them.

Mapic opened the wrought iron fence for them and directed them to a place behind one of the main houses, where Lux, Eight, and Jaron all stood next to a hand-drawn map of the valley. Reddoons set the weapons down on the ground and took the boxes from RAT, setting them next to the weapons. He was being extra careful with the box of explosives.

“Okay, roughly an hour until first light,” Eight said, pointing a finger at the map. “We will have Talon and RAT stationed in the center of the village, each will have a dagger. Spoke, Mapic, Jaron, myself and Lux will be behind the forge, which is closest to the gate.” He pointed to the front of the village walls on the map. “Landmines have been set at the entrance, if you need to leave for whatever reason, take the back entrance, a small hole dug through the wall.”

“Where will I be?” Reddoons asked.

“You and Clown will be on lookout, find a place high up and keep watch,” Eight tossed him a spyglass, which Reddoons caught before it hit the ground.

“Do I have to go with Clownpierce,” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Yes, you have no other option,” replied Lux.

Reddoons sighed, picking up a sword from the box of weapons and twisting it in his hands for a few moments before leaning it against the table

“Why will I be in the center of the village?” RAT asked.

“Well,” Jaron began. “We thought it would make it seem like there are less of us, and that we aren’t ready for an attack. Therefore, it seems they are getting the jump on us, when it’s really the other way around.”

“That’s why I like you,” Eight said. “You’re smart. Most of the time at least.”

“Okay, it wasn’t the best idea,” Jaron sighed.

“And what idea was this?” Lux curiously questioned.

“I’ll tell you soon, when this battle is over,” Jaron said.

Mapic left with Jaron to extinguish the braziers while Eight went to catch some sleep, according to Lux, he’s been up for the past four days straight.

“Rekrap stayed behind?” Lux said to Reddoons once they’d left.

“Correct, he and Vortex are going to watch over Parrot and Ashswag.”

“Vortex isn’t fighting?” RAT asked.

“Nah, decided to keep him at base,” Reddoons said. “He said it would be a good time to check on Ashswag again after…” He took a glance at RAT. “After, well you know the story.”

“Could you tell me about the spirit?” RAT said out of the blue.

“Pardon?” Lux wondered.

“The spirit. Reddoons, you said you thought that… uh… a spirit attempted to kill me? About a poison bottle?”

Lux gave a confused look at Reddoons, which he shooed them off to find Clown before whispering to RAT.

“Two days ago, before you woke up, when you were still dead, that spirit who visited us last night was at the side of your bed. He slipped past Vortex, who had been asleep” Reddoons retold. “Spoke entered just a few moments after and found him with the bottle in his hands, it was still full according to Spoke.”

“And then what happened?” RAT asked, trying not to believe Arathain would do such a thing.

“Spoke alerted me and we waited to see what the spirit would do–”

“Wait, if you thought he was gonna kill me, why not get him away from me?”

“Well, technically, you were already dead.. But—but—” Reddoons quickly continued, seeing the horrified expression on RAT’s face. “He placed his hands on your chest, and after a moment, you started breathing again.”

“So he wasn’t trying to kill me,” RAT said.

“We can’t say for sure, maybe you weren’t fully dead and he came to finish you… wait… shut up, RAT, don’t laugh this is serious!” Reddoons grumbled while RAT hid his laugh with a cough.

“What then?” RAT struggled to smother the laugh completely.

“He turned to leave but saw us there and that’s history. He stood there for a few moments before disappearing into thin air.”

“Like I said, you cannot be sure he was attempting to kill me, a poison bottle doesn’t matter,” RAT said, keeping his worry away from his voice.

Reddoons hesitated for a moment, then he sat down and lay down in the grass.

“I don’t know,” He huffed. “I just wanna survive this.”

RAT looked around, each fire brazier was being quickly extinguished, and the life of the village seemed to be going out with them.

"Not today, not ever." He thought.

“When’s the last time you’ve gotten rest?” RAT asked.

“Not for a while, but I’m fine. I–I can go some time without sleep,” Reddoons replied.

“Are you sure? You look tired,” RAT said.

Reddoons waved his concerns away. “RAT, I said I was fine,” He squinted his eyes towards the gate.

RAT looked past him and saw Clown, slowly moving his way towards them. He stopped just a few feet from them. With his mask on, it was hard to know what he was thinking, for all RAT knew, behind that scary smile, Clown was scared. Or maybe he was angry.

But most likely, RAT thought he was tired. Everyone was. He could only imagine how hard Clown has been working these past few days. RAT then looked at his right arm, which was fully wrapped around with bandages, even around his hand, his gloves were also gone. 

"Must have lost them."  RAT speculated.

“Is that why you got put on watch duty?” Reddoons jokes, pointing at his arm.

Clown pulled off his mask, just so they could see him roll his eyes, before he stepped over to RAT.

“You scared the hell out of us.. Scared me. Shouldn’t you be resting?”  Clown asked.

“I get that I died, but I’m fine now,” RAT smiled. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you at first,” Clown whispered after a few moments of silence. “I wanted to delay the inevitable. I–I–I…”

“It’s okay, I’m fine now, you don’t have to worry. I’ve been through enough, I can take care of myself,” RAT said.

“Well, worrying about you is the least of our troubles, RAT,” Reddons said, narrowing his eyes at Clown as he stepped away from RAT. “We still have a battle ahead of us.”

RAT noticed what Reddoons did, but didn’t say anything, he gave a simple nod and backed away.

Clown looked at Reddoons, a chuckle escaping his lips. “Just like the old days?” He remembered. “A steak out, watching the enemy, waiting to get the jump on them, or steal something important. Remember that?”

Reddoons pulled out the spyglass and dropped it into Clown’s hands. “I’ll find a place for us to scout.”

“Wow,” RAT said, once Reddoons was out of earshot. “Almost like he doesn’t remember, or didn’t care enough to say anything.” RAT looked back at Clown to see his face, but he’d already covered it with the mask. Lifesteal's Deadliest Assassin had returned.

“Is everything alright emotionally?” RAT asked.

Clown turned his head towards RAT, the black slits on the mask staring at him, the teeth that made up the smile were covered in small droplets of dried blood. Part of the mask actually had a small, spiderweb-like crack across the eye, which made him look even more menacing, not that he wasn’t already.

“We have a long day ahead of us, like Reddoons said,” Clown murmured. “Winsweep won’t know what he’s facing, and when he gets here, I’ll make sure he feels every bit of pain that is coming to him.”

* * *

RAT waited in the center of the village, a dagger at his side. Talon stood next to him, swaying back and forth, he had his straw hat with him today. He could see Lux and the others waiting behind The Forge, and just barely over the top of the wall, in the watchtowers, Clown’s head could be seen peeking around every few minutes. Reddoons was probably with him too.

He glanced back at The Forge, spotting Spoke near Lux. He was laying against the wall. RAT remembered faintly and injury he sustained.

"Right, his foot." RAT remembered. "Crushed under rocks in the mines."

Like Jaron once said, everyone seemed to be getting injured or killed.

“Looking stylish today, Talon,” RAT cleared his throat.

“Thanks, I guess,” Talon responded. “This is boring.”

It was. They had been standing, or moving only a bit every now and then, for over 3 hours. But without any confirmation from Arathain on when, all they could do was wait.

“How do we know they are gonna attack anyways? Neither Clown, Lux, or Reddoons would tell me anything, and it seems no one else knows either.” Talon said. 

RAT didn’t know how many people Reddoons or Clown would have let in about the why or how, but it might have been for the best. At least for Arathain’s safety that is.

“I’m hungry,” Talon said again for what was probably the millionth time.

“Talon, you had a chance to eat breakfast, but you chose not to, you wanted to sleep,” RAT sighed.

“Because I was up longer than you, I buried landmines all night.”

“And how many did you bury?” RAT questioned.

Talon counted his fingers, showing nine fingers up.

“Nine?” RAT said. “That’s not a lot.”

“We had fifteen… Well, actually it was sixteen, but Spoke wanted to throw one like a frisbee,” Talon said.

The explosion that came from the gate this morning made much more sense. He could still remember Lux running full speed out the gate, ready to kill in case it was Winsweep.

“You are such an idiot, Talon,” RAT laughed. “Sometimes I wonder how you haven’t been killed yet.

“I’m special like that.”

* * *

As the day dragged on, the attack seemed more and more likely to happen at any moment.

Once midday passed, there were a few shifts in position, Jaron traded places with Talon and Lux passed around water. Unfortunately Clown and Reddoons couldn’t get any, in worry that the element of surprise would be lost. The clock ticked, a minute felt like an hour, but RAT watched the sun slowly drop closer to the mountains, he could see even Jaron looked worried about it.

A few times, it looked like Arathain appeared in the corner of his vision, but it was hard to tell. RAT laid on the ground, feeling the grass on his body, the wind gently washing over him, his heart was pounding out of his chest.

"What if it doesn’t happen?" RAT thought. " What if Arathain was wrong?"

He quickly shook the thoughts out of his mind, but he felt them slip back in.

"Arathain said it would be today. What if he really didn’t know? What if it's a trick?"

But then a thought dawned in his mind, one that RAT didn’t want to think about. He tried to force it away, scoop into a bottle, put the cork on and throw it into a pool of lava.

"What if Arathain lied to us? To me?"

“This isn’t right,” Jaron said, forcing RAT back into reality. “The sun has almost set. They still aren’t—”

He stopped and crouched down, putting his hands on the grassy dirt.

“Do you feel that?” Jaron asked.

RAT sat up and waited quietly for whatever Jaron was talking about. “Are they—?” 

“Shh.”

RAT stayed quiet, but then felt what Jaron was feeling.

The ground was shaking, not by much, but he could feel the tremors, like the beginning of an earthquake. Suddenly he felt a painful spark and pulled his hands from the ground and jumped up. Jaron did too, but let out a yelp of pain in the process. He glanced at the forge hearing similar screaming, seeing Spoke and Mapic standing up, Talon was shaking his hands like they were burning, and Lux was trying to calm Eight down, who looked like he was having a panic attack.

“What was that?” Jaron gasped, blowing on his hands.

“It was like an electrical current,” RAT guessed.

“But from what?!”

“That… That I don’t know,” RAT paused, noticing Reddoons climbing down the ladder, opening the gate and quickly leaving the compound.

Lux noticed it too and peeked from cover to see what was going on, she was likely worried about the landmines.

“How could electricity run through dirt?” Jaron kept questioning. “It’s dirt!”

“Technically it can, but it is only under certain conditions,” RAT said.

Jaron hesitated. “Well… Okay, I guess that’s useful.”

RAT leaned down to touch the ground again, his hands shaking as he touched one down, quickly pulling away. 

“Still hurt?” Jaron asked.

“No,” RAT said after a moment, putting his hands in the dirt. “It’s not there, it’s stopped, and the shaking is gone too.”

“You don’t think it was, like, a monster?” Jaron tapped his fingers together.

“Seriously?” RAT said. “I don’t think there are monsters here.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that, RAT,” Jaron whispered. “On the first few days here, Vortex and I found a note written in the dirt near the minefield.”

“And what did it say?” RAT asked.

'Turn back now, or be devoured by the beast.' Jaron said, ominously.

“That’s scary,” RAT said, sarcastically, but Jaron didn’t pick up on it.

“I know right!” Jaron exclaimed, fumbling with his dagger and it dropped to the ground. “I didn’t need to hear anymore, nor did Vortex and we hightailed it out of there.”

“Where were you trying to go?”

“Reddoons wanted us to scout around the edges, near the mountains,” Jaron said.

RAT looked around, meeting Lux’s eyes. Something was wrong, and they knew it, the attack hadn't come yet.

“Get me some help over here!” Reddoons shouted, pulling a body into the village, he kept pulling his hands away from the shoulder and shaking them out before pulling again.

Ignoring the plan, Jaron and Eight ran over to help him, grabbing the body and lifting them over their shoulder, rushing them to the center well, with Lux close on their heels. RAT ran up once the body was set down, Eight pulled out a bottle and poured a bit of water on their face while Reddoons searched for a pulse.

“What happened to him?” RAT asked, looking at Clown’s body. “Is he dead?”

“No, he has a pulse,” Reddoons confirmed.

“What happened,” Lux asked again.

“He was leaning on the edge of the watchtower when he just fell over the side and landed on his neck,” Reddoons explained. “Sorry for abandoning the plan, Eight, but a death on my hands was not about to happen.”

Eight looked up at the sky, where the sun was getting close to the mountains. “Don’t worry about it,” He said.

“I do fear we have a problem,” Reddoons said, glancing at RAT. “And I can see you know it too.”

“It’s not happening, is it?” Jaron mumbled.

“What!” Lux gasped. “How can you be sure, what if they are about to attack?”

“It was clear as day, something we all missed,” He said. “We’ve been tricked.”

“And how have we been tricked?” Lux asked as Clown coughed a few times, also making RAT let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Reddoons tried to piece it together, but RAT realized it before him.

“All of us are stationed at the village,” RAT said.

“Yeah, that was the plan,” Eight said, helping Clown sit up. “Two against one, we had more–oh no.”

RAT gazed at Eight as he, too, realized the truth.

“We had everyone stationed here at the village,” Reddoons continued. “In the vision, the attack would happen here. But it never was here in the first place.”

“Then where was it?” Jaron asked, Lux had a worried look on their face.

“It’s happening at our home, Jaron,” Reddoons cried. “At The Resistance.”

Chapter Text

RAT stumbled over a slick, moss-covered log, hitting the ground hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. His palms scraped through wet leaves and grit.

"Get up!" Lux's voice was sharp, urgent. She was already beside him, gripping his arm and pulling with all their strength. "There's no time to stay here—move!"

She was right. They had to keep going.

He shoved himself to his feet and ran.

The forest blurred around them—gnarled roots, moss-covered stones, sharp branches tearing at their clothes and skin. Every breath was a struggle, every footfall a gamble on uneven ground. The group had splintered under the weight of exhaustion and fear.

RAT, Lux, and Clown were straggling behind. Ahead, Reddoons and Jaron pushed through with grim determination, Reddoons occasionally glancing back to make sure they hadn’t lost anyone. Mapic and Eight were somewhere in between, guiding them through the trees to make sure no one was getting lost or left behind.

Behind RAT, Talon was just barely visible, a silhouette weaving between trees.

Clown panted beside him, half-limping, half-running. Spoke wasn't doing much better, his injured foot dragging more with each step. RAT remembered how fast they'd once been, how deadly, how unshakable. And now they ran like broken toys trying to keep up.

“How long has it been?” RAT muttered aloud. “Two months?” He glanced at Clown again, the bandages on his arm not doing much justice for how long its been. It seemed absurd he could still be injured.

Yet it felt longer. Too long. And yet not long enough to process any of it.

The forest changed as they moved—grew stiller, darker. Even the air seemed thicker. The usual sounds of birds and distant wind faded to silence. Not the peaceful kind. The waiting kind.

Eight stood still up ahead, eyes locked on the ground. “Go around The Minefield! I’ll help Talon.”

No time to argue. They kept moving, swerving through the treeline. The path to The Resistance loomed closer—until something shifted in the air.

“Do you smell that?” Clown gasped suddenly, nearly tripping over his own boots. His voice trembled.

RAT caught it too then. A scent like iron. Like scorched stone and rot. The faint, electric tang of something wrong.

Lux shoved Clown ahead before he could slow. “Push forward. You want to help? Then move. Don’t stall now.”

They broke through the last row of trees—and stopped cold.

There was no Resistance anymore.

The ground where the hidden entrance had once been was ripped open, like the world itself had been clawed apart from below. The camouflaged trapdoor, the surrounding thicket of trees—it was all gone. Nothing remained but destruction.

Jagged shards of stone jutted skyward like broken teeth, curling into a warped slope that led into a sunken pit. The forest around the opening had been annihilated, trees uprooted or obliterated entirely. Patches of grass were blackened. Deep gouges clawed across the dirt.

Blood and dirt was everywhere.

Footprints—some booted, others bare—painted crimson trails through the mud and grass. Broken tools lay scattered, bent swords half-buried in the muck. Someone's helmet had been crushed flat like an aluminum can.

Lux stumbled to a stop, eyes wide. Their breath caught in their throat.

“My god…” she whispered.

They all gathered slowly at the edge of the crater. Nobody said anything at first. Nobody could.

Then Spoke finally found his voice. “What happened here?”

His question was barely audible. But the fear in his eyes said enough.

Clown stood beside Mapic, hands clenched at his sides. His mask hung loosely in one hand before he hurled it to the ground. “What did this?” he demanded, voice cracking. “What could have done this?”

No one answered.

Reddoons took a step closer to the edge. “Rekrap?” he called out, voice echoing off the stone.

“Vortex? Parrot?” Jaron’s voice followed, hollow and desperate. “Anyone?!”

Only silence replied. A dead, suffocating silence.

No birds. No wind. No survivors.

They weren’t too late.

They were far too late.

“Okay,” Reddoons said grimly, eyes scanning the open pit, “I need a few of you to come down with me.”

RAT stepped forward immediately. “I’ll go.”

Jaron followed without hesitation, then Mapic. Lux came last, glancing at Clown as he moved to join them.

“No no,” Eight said, stepping in front of him, hand out. “You stay up here.”

Clown opened his mouth to argue, but something in Eight’s eyes—an edge of something bordering fear—shut him down. Silently, he backed off. The four chosen followed Reddoons into the ruined base, descending carefully down the uneven slope of fractured stone and dirt.

The air grew colder the deeper they went. Not just in temperature, but in presence. Like the earth itself was holding its breath.

“It’s eerily quiet in here,” Mapic muttered once the pale gray light of the surface had disappeared behind them. His voice echoed, too loud in the silence. “Where’s all the light?”

Reddoons knelt, brushing rubble aside with his hand until he uncovered a dented lantern half-buried in dust. He knocked it against the ground until it clanked. Everyone flinched.

Mapic handed over a box of matches with shaking fingers. Reddoons struck one. The first spark failed, so did the second.

The third lit the lantern.

The flame cast a flickering amber glow, pushing back the dark just enough to reveal twisted stone overhead, sagging from a collapse. Walls were cracked open like ribs, the inner bone of the earth exposed. Black scorch marks stained the stone. Blood smears trailed along the floor, some of them dragged.

“Mapic, take Lux and try to find any supplies,” Reddoons handed him the matchbox. “Check any storage rooms that are left standing. RAT, Jaron—The medical room.”

Lux hesitated. “And where will you be?”

Reddoons looked down the corridor, eyes narrowing at something only he seemed to understand. “There’s something important here that cannot be forgotten… if it’s still here.” He shook his head. “Never mind. Just go.”

They split up.

RAT and Jaron followed Reddoons deeper in the underground, the corridor seemingly sloping downward, cracked stone crunching beneath their shoes. The medical wing door loomed ahead, partially buried in rubble, warped from an explosion or something worse.

Reddoons split up from them when they arrived, disappearing down the tunnel, the light of the lantern slowly fading.

Jaron reached for the handle and twisted. It didn’t budge.

“Blocked.” He frowned. “Something’s behind it.”

“Move,” RAT said, backing up. He charged shoulder-first into the door.

It shattered under the impact, hinges breaking, crashing down with a reverberating thud that seemed to echo too long. Something popped in RAT’s shoulder—he gritted his teeth.

“RAT, duck!”

Jaron yanked him down just as an arrow whistled through the air, skimming past RAT’s head and embedding itself in the wall behind him.

“Stop!” A voice whispered from inside the dark room. “Don’t come in here! I-I'm armed!”

“Rek?” Jaron called out, breath catching.

“Jaron?” The voice cracked with fatigue.

RAT recognized it. “Wait—Parrot?” he said cautiously, staying low. “It’s me. It's RAT. Are they gone?”

“Yes…” Parrot’s voice trembled. “They’re gone. I think. I’ve been hiding—I can’t move. Please… help me.”

RAT inched closer to the room, eyes struggling to make out shapes in the dark. He crouched near the threshold. “Are you alone?”

“Yes,” Parrot rasped. “Just me.”

RAT stepped inside, hands reaching through the dark until he found Parrot's. But he flinched away.

“No—don’t pull. You have to free me first.”

“Free you?” Jaron felt around the wall beside him. “What’s holding you?”

“I don’t know—it’s like the wall grew around me.”

“We need light,” Jaron said. “RAT, stay with him—I’ll get the lantern.”

Jaron ran off, his footsteps fading quickly, swallowed by the void of the corridor.

RAT stayed kneeling in the dark, the only sound their unsteady breathing.

“I heard them,” Parrot whispered. “Walking around above me. And below. They never talked. Just… footsteps.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know anymore. I couldn’t see anything. I stopped screaming not long ago.”

RAT said nothing. What could he say?

Jaron returned, setting the lantern down, showing the truth.

The stone behind Parrot wasn’t just a wall. It had moved. Shifted. Formed itself into spiraling, jagged chains that wrapped around one of his arms and slithered up around his neck like a noose. The rock gleamed faintly in the lantern’s light—black with streaks of red, like dried veins.

“What the hell…” RAT gasped, backing up a step. “How… how did this happen?”

“It was Diansu,” Parrot mumbled. His voice cracked. “That staff. It warped the world around it. Tore the ground open. Like it was nothing.”

RAT stared, sickened. “He did this to you?”

“And maybe worse to the others,” Jaron added grimly, already taking out his dagger. “Hold still.”

The stone was hard—naturally so—but with enough force, the dagger cracked through the thinner links. Jaron worked methodically, not saying much, until the chain around Parrot’s arm broke.

Then the one around his neck.

Parrot collapsed forward into their arms, shivering uncontrollably.

Jaron helped him up. “We need to get you out.”

But as they turned, Parrot clutched RAT’s wrist with surprising strength.

“Wait—RAT.” His voice was hoarse, desperate. “Rekrap went to find Ashswag after the attack started. Please… if he's still down here… find him. Please.”

RAT glanced at Jaron.

Jaron nodded. “I’ve got Parrot. Go.”

RAT hesitated only a moment, then turned and ran. Down the dark hallway. Deeper into The Resistance.

The silence followed him like a predator.

* * *

RAT clutched Jaron’s lantern with white knuckles as he descended deeper into the ruined base. He hadn’t realized how important it would be—how the light from it would be the only thing keeping the suffocating blackness at bay.

The tunnels here were almost silent, save for the occasional groan of a collapsing lantern, snapping from its chain or the drip of unseen water echoing from nowhere and everywhere. The deeper he went, the more unnatural the silence became—like the base itself was holding its breath.

And something about that quiet felt… wrong.

He turned a corner, carefully—then another, passing door after broken door. Most hung off their hinges, others were sealed shut with debris or scorched earth. Each time he approached one, he hesitated, hand trembling slightly before throwing it open. Empty. Every time. Yet it always felt like something was just barely out of sight. Watching. Waiting.

Rekrap had to be here somewhere. RAT had to believe that.

But even that thought couldn’t shake the cold prickling crawling up his back.

Then he saw it—just ahead. A faint, flickering glow spilled into the corridor from around the next bend. Lanterns. Too many of them.

Cautiously, RAT crept closer, inching along the wall until he could peek around the corner.

The hallway beyond was lit in full, all the lanterns hanging from the ceiling mysteriously glowing. The light wasn’t warm—it was sterile, white, like the inside of a freezer. It made the blood on the floor stand out even more.

And there was a lot of blood.

But only a little pooled beneath a figure slumped against the far wall, their brass-colored armor reflecting the lantern light in muted gold. There were gashes torn through the plating—punctures, deep ones. Like claws, RAT thought. Or teeth.

The floor and even the walls bore the same marks. Long, jagged scratches that trailed off like something had been dragged, or had thrashed in its final moments.

He approached slowly, each footstep crunching against broken glass and loose gravel.

He tapped the gloved hand of the person. Once. Twice.

“Hello?” he whispered. “Are you… are you okay?”

No response. He leaned in, heart thudding in his chest.

Then—

“Don’t touch him!”

RAT jumped violently, letting out a scream as Rekrap came barreling into him, nearly knocking the lantern from his grip.

“What the hell, Rek!” RAT gasped, trying to steady his breath.

“The armor,” Rekrap said, panting. “It’s charged. Electricity. Ash touched it and—just don’t.”

RAT blinked, eyes scanning the armor again. “Elysium?”

Rekrap nodded. “I think so. I don't know much about it. Eight used to talk about it before things went to shit."

RAT’s throat went dry.

“Wait… Ash? Ashswag is here?”

Rekrap hesitated, his face clouding with a guilt RAT recognized too well.

“I had to, RAT,” he muttered. “He was trapped. I didn’t have a choice.”

“You let him out?” RAT hissed. “After what he did to me?! He tried to kill me, Rek!”

“He wasn’t himself,” Rekrap replied, not meeting his eyes. “He’s different now. Better.”

“Better?” RAT barked, incredulous. “You call this better?”

He gestured toward the body, toward the deep gashes in the wall. “Did Ash do this?”

“Yes,” came a voice—deep, and inhuman.

Both of them froze.

Slowly, they turned.

At the end of the hall, partially cloaked in shadow, stood a towering figure. His head nearly scraped the ceiling. That ceiling was nearly seven or eight feet tall. His body was humanoid in shape but twisted, warped. Inky black corruption spiderwebbed across his limbs and chest, pulsing like veins. One eye glowed with a sickly neon white, the other was sunken in shadow.

His face… still bore the echoes of Ashswag. But warped. His jaw was longer now, mouth fuller of jagged, bloody teeth. His voice crackled when he spoke, like static pouring from a broken speaker.

"He looks similar to Moriya," RAT's mind swirled to the memory of how he looked. "But more sane. Probably."

“RAT,” he rasped again. 

RAT didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His entire body had gone cold.

Ash stepped forward, his footfalls unnaturally quiet for someone of his size.

“You’re alive,” Rekrap said gently, stepping between them.

“I am…” Ash replied, his voice barely above a growl.

Rekrap reached up toward him, standing on his tiptoes to inspect a burn across his scalp.

Ash flinched.

Then, without warning, his hand lashed out and pushed Rekrap’s own hand away, accidentally drawing some blood with his claws. Rekrap winced—but didn’t back off.

“It’s okay,” Rekrap said, voice soft. “I know. It still hurts.”

Ash’s breathing was ragged. Wet. Almost like a beast.

“I brought something for Reddoons,” he growled, stepping toward the body slumped on the wall. With disturbing ease, he grabbed the armored corpse by the waist and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

RAT stared at him in horror. The body dripped. The armor, supposedly impenetrable, was mauled, dented, pierced.

Ash turned his head slightly, one neon eye locking onto RAT.

“Are they here?” he asked, voice low.

“Reddoons. He… He might be ahead,” Rekrap said cautiously. “We were just going to—”

Ash ran his tongue slowly over his bloody teeth, like he was savoring the memory of something.

RAT’s stomach twisted. "Did he bite through it? Through Elysium?"

That wasn’t possible.

That shouldn’t be possible.

And yet, the proof was right there. Slung over Ash’s shoulder like a trophy.

RAT didn’t move until Rekrap snapped his fingers in front of his face.

“RAT. Focus. We need to move.”

RAT took a step back, then another, still holding the lantern in a death grip. Ash followed silently, looming behind them like a shadow given form.

He wasn’t attacking.

But that almost made it worse.

He could. He could do it, any second. But he wasn’t.

And somehow, that terrified RAT more than if he had.

* * *

The faint glow of sunlight bled in through the cracked stone ahead—warm, real, and blinding after so long in the dark.

But just before the tunnel opened up to the surface, Rekrap stepped in front of Ash and held out a hand.

“Wait, hold on,” he said gently, his voice barely a breath. “Ash… I think it’s best if you stay here. Just for a moment.”

Ash stopped. His towering form loomed in the half-light, casting jagged shadows on the walls behind them.

“Why?” he rumbled, low and sharp.

Rekrap swallowed. “There are people out there—friends—who don’t know what happened to you. They might… misunderstand your appearance. Some of them might blame you for things. And—”

“Have I done wrong?” Ashswag interrupted.

The silence that followed was unbearable.

“You tried to kill me,” RAT muttered, unable to stop the words from slipping out.

CRACK.

Ash’s head twisted with a sickening snap, neck rotating inhumanly fast toward RAT. A white neon eye locked onto him. “I did what?” he asked, tilting his head like a curious predator.

RAT froze. The air around him dropped ten degrees. His legs refused to move.

Rekrap immediately threw himself between them, waving his hands frantically.

“Ash, Ashswag, hey! Focus on me, bud, look at me.”

Ash’s head slowly turned back toward Rekrap. But RAT could still feel that eye boring into him, even when it wasn’t looking.

“Just… stay here. Please,” Rekrap said. “Wait for me.”

Ash nodded once, almost too slowly. Then, like a statue, he stood still. Silent. Eyes closing—not from peace, but as if trying to make himself invisible.

And just like that, the presence seemed to fade.

RAT and Rekrap emerged into the sunlight, squinting as their eyes adjusted to the natural brightness. The surface was alive with movement.

People were digging through the wreckage of the Resistance, salvaging what supplies they could. A makeshift triage area had formed near the edge of the pit, where someone was tending to Parrot—the scratches visible around his neck and wrist, but he was alive.

Reddoons and Vortex stood near the slope, quietly observing the scene.

It was Vortex who noticed first. He nudged Reddoons and pointed.

“RAT! Rekrap!” Reddoons called out, jogging to meet them, worry on his face. “You’re alive! What the hell happened down there? I want to hear everything.”

RAT didn’t hesitate. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

Reddoons blinked. “Yes, I did.”

“What was it?”

There was a long pause.

“Something we may need later.”

RAT didn’t press further. He only nodded, unsure whether to be reassured or concerned.

Vortex crossed his arms. “Where’s Ash? You said you were looking for him. Is he dead?”

Rekrap’s expression shifted. He straightened his back slightly.

“We did, he’s alive,” He said. “But there’s something else about him, he’s… different from what you know. But that doesn’t mean he’s dangerous. But he will attack if he feel threatened, so just—”

“Out with it,” Reddoons said.

“He’s corrupted, or something like that. That’s what he called it: The Corruption, ” Rekrap explained.

“Great,” Vortex scoffed, rolling his eyes. “'The Corruption.' That sounds totally normal and not horrifying at all.”

“Not until you see him,” Rekrap muttered.

Reddoons squinted toward the tunnel. “He’s out here?”

Rekrap gave a quiet nod and walked back toward the dark mouth of the cave. Moments later, Ashswag stepped into the light.

And the camp went dead silent.

Every head turned. Conversations ceased. Movements stopped mid-step.

The moment eyes landed on Ash, everything changed.

He looked monstrous. taller than he was before, his limbs marred by pulsing black veins, patches of corrupted skin glistening like oil in the sunlight. One glowing eye. A mouth full of too many teeth. Something that looked like scales— maybe even armor—hung from his frame like it had been burned into him. There was something off in the way he moved, something RAT hadn't noticed before—like a puppet missing half its strings.

Lux took a step back, hand hovering near their weapon. Eight visibly flinched. Vortex edged closer to the slope like he was preparing to bolt at the first sign of a twitch.

Ash said nothing. He just stood there, like a storm cloud that had learned to walk.

Then his head tilted toward Reddoons, and for the briefest second, something flickered behind that eye. A memory. A recognition.

“I bring a gift for you,” Ash said in his static-laced growl. “Old friend.”

He dropped the body unceremoniously in front of them.

The armor clattered against the stone—brass-colored, punctured, charred. All the breath seemed to leave the group.

Lux gasped audibly. Eight’s eyes widened. Vortex, for real this time, let out a curse under his breath.

Reddoons dropped to one knee, quickly removing the dented helmet.

“No way…” Eight whispered, stepping forward.

“Is that—?” Lux began, almost afraid to finish the thought.

“It can’t be,” Talon murmured, disbelief in his voice. “There’s no way.”

But it was.

Even if it didn’t make sense.

Even if it shouldn’t be possible.

Lying on the ground, eyes barely open, weakly breathing—but unmistakably alive—

Was Will BL.

Chapter Text

"Impossible..." Lux's voice barely a whisper. "How? How did you kill him? It's Elysium for hell's sake!"

"He's not dead," Rekrap clarified, his hand hovering just above Will's face. He leaned in and gently moved the hand across his face before pulling away. "He's unconscious. He looks sick, too, possibly he is dying."

RAT inched closer, staring at his body. His face was pale and his cheekbones were visible.

"Malnourished." RAT commented.

"What?" asked Vortex.

"He's starving. Probably not getting fed enough," he claried, eyes flickering around the faces huddled around Will.

"Sound about right," Reddoons said. "Vortex, Eight. Come over here and help me with his body."

"Don't touch him," Lux said. "What if he's sick or something? He could get us all sick!"

"If he were sick then it wouldn't matter with us all clamoring around him," Talon muttered, crouching down and poking at his boots. He flinched backwards, getting zapped from the remaining charge it left.

RAT nearly laughed, but it wasn't a good time. He looked up at Ashswag, who was staring at the treeline in front of him, unfocused on everything around him. RAT turned his attention to Lux. She locked eyes with him for a moment, waiting for him to say something. And when he didn't, she turned their attention back on the group.

He was ready to help Reddoons when movement caught his eye above the pit.

His head turned.

Eyes barely catching the flash of someone disappearing into the forest around them.

RAT quickly glanced around at everyone to see who left.

Eight, Vortex, Lux, Reddoons, Talon, and Ashswag next to him.

Jaron, Spoke, and Rekrap standing near the slope.

He didn't need to see anyone else to know who was gone. Parrot couldn't sprint off like that for... well... reasons.

His feet were already moving before his mind could tell him to.

"RAT, where are you going?"

His heart skipped a beat.

He turned to face Reddoons. He could feel all eyes on him. Even the forest had gone quiet.

"I need to clear my head," He lied. "It's been a long day."

"It had been for all of us, that doesn't mean you can just disappear."

RAT opened his mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted by Rekrap.

"Reddoons," He said, bumping him in the shoulder. "It's alright. He can go. You said it yourself, he needed as much rest."

Reddoons eyed him suspiciously before letting out a sigh.

"Fine, go. But don't go too far."

RAT smiled, giving Rek a grateful nod and took off up the slope and into the forest, looking for any sign of Clown.

He quickly found a pair of footsteps in the mud and followed the general direction that the footsteps went in. He walked farther than he wanted to and worried he had lost his trail.

RAT was ready to turn back when he heard something snap and a soft thunk of something hitting a tree.

He didn't wait another second, darting through the trees, over a fallen long and careful not to scare Clown when he saw him. 

The assassin was hunched over, gripping a low hanging branch so tight his knuckles were turning white from the lack of blood flow. The clown mask was lying besides his shoes, a strange liquid was dripping from the inside of it.

RAT paced over and picked the mask from the ground.

His friend didn't acknowledge his presence, he just grunted, breathing heavy.

"Clownpierce?" RAT said, examining the strange liquid that coated the inside of the mask at the bottom. "Are you... Are you okay?

Clown tilted his head up, locking eyes with RAT—but something in his stare twitched.

Then, without warning, his whole body lurched.

He doubled over, letting out a choked gasp before violently retching a thick stream of black sludge onto the grass. It hissed on impact, eating into the soil. The smell was sharp. Like a rotting animal mixed with metal.

Steam curled upward from the liquid as it contracted and expanded in place.

It looked like it was breathing.

RAT flinched back. “Holy shit!”

Clown didn’t answer at first. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, which shook unnaturally.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, voice garbled like it was bubbling through tar. “Hand me my mask.”

RAT ripped his eyes away and dropped the mask, realizing what the sludge in the mask was. He gagged and kicked it away with his foot, shifting closer to Clown, but he pushed his palm out, arm extending in full to stop RAT from coming closer. 

“Just stop, I said I was fine.”

“I don’t believe that for a second,” RAT returned. “Clearly you’re sick, or worse, dying. Even though you don’t want to acknowledge it yourself, it’s the truth.”

Clown hunched over and let out a sigh before standing straight.

“RAT, I’m fine, nothing is going on… with… me…” Clown shivered and put a hand over his mouth. He lurched backward and fell to the ground.

RAT raised an eyebrow at Clown, confused until he let out a scream.

“No, Get back, HELP!” His body tensed, then going limp. Everything went silent

“ClownPierce!” RAT rushed to his side, his eyes were staring blankly into the sky; his body was cold to the touch. RAT shook him a few times.

"Wake up, wake up, idiot. Don’t do this to me. Please don’t be dead, please don’t be dead." RAT thought, not knowing what he should do.

It might have been a good time to go get help from Lux or Reddoons, but right as he started to turn away, Clown’s body twitched and a voice rolled out of his mouth, but it wasn't his. RAT knew his voice. This wasn't Clown.

“Don’t do that, please, I don’t have much time.”

“Who are you?” RAT whispered

Clown’s head turned slowly until his eyes locked onto RAT’s.

“RAT, It’s me—Arathain,” he said abruptly. RAT froze. It was like hearing the voice of a ghost through a corpse. In fact, it essentially was. He gasped, unsure of what to do or say, but he quickly found his voice

“You tricked us,” RAT hissed. “You said the attack would be at the village.”

“It was supposed to be,” Arathain’s voice rasped, somehow gentle despite everything. “But that’s not why I’m here. I need to tell you something. Something important!"

“You’re a liar,” RAT barked, stepping back. “Everything you say is a distraction. After everything you’ve done, it feels like everything is just a lie, something to distract me, keep me away from something you don’t want me to know.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. But I don’t have time to convince you. Just… listen.”

RAT could barely stand to look at him. Seeing Clown’s mouth move—but hearing Arathain's voice—was like staring into something cursed. Unholy.

"How can you expect me to trust you after everything that has happened today."

Silence, then—

“I have time for one question,” Arathain said. “Then I need you to trust me.”

RAT clenched his jaw, his fists shaking. But something in the way Arathain held himself… wasn’t manipulative or vague. It was fearful. Even pleading.

“What are you afraid of?”

Arathain’s borrowed eyes lowered.

“Him. The one who watches. Who whispers. The Leviathan,” he said softly. “He’s already begun to break us apart — with lies, visions, false memories. He feeds on our doubt.”

RAT felt the fear creeping in again. “He’s been here?”

“Many times from what I can sense. He sees through you. Knows your thoughts, your plans. I stay hidden when he’s near, but…” He looked off into the woods. “Time is running thin.”

“Why me?” RAT asked. “If he can see my thoughts, why risk talking to me?”

“Because I’ve found someone whose mind he can’t touch.” Arathain leaned closer. “But I cannot say who. You must trust me.”

RAT hesitated, his heart pounding. How could he believe him? After everything. He took a moment and really went through the last two months of being here. He thought of every conversation and memory made. He thought of every memory before The Valley. How Arathain acted when he was still alive.

The only time he had ever acted like this was when he was about to die. RAT could still remember the fear in his tone. It was just like it was here.

Whatever was watching them. Whatever this Leviathan was, it truly frightened Arathain.

Maybe this was his fault.

His chest tightened.

He had always been so sure of himself. So convinced that if he stayed angry, if he pushed hard enough, he’d be right. He'd be justified in his actions. And not just killing Arathain all those years ago. Everything he did.

He felt the weight of years of guilt all fall on him at once. The same crushing feeling he felt when he was forced to re-experience his memories with that spirit.

Pride that blinded him. Pride that made him turn truth into lies, friends into enemies. Pride that left him alone when he needed others most — and made him ignore the fear in his former friend's voice.

It had gotten him killed once. Worse—it had nearly stopped him from seeing the truth.

He looked down at his trembling hands.

This was his fault, and he hated himself for it.

“Okay,” RAT whispered, holding back his tears. “I trust you.”

Arathain had picked up Clown’s mask from the ground. With a tired flick of his fingers, the smile twisted into a frown and back again — a grotesque ripple. Then he arose from his knees.

“Clown won’t remember this. But he’ll find you. He’ll know what to do.”

RAT blinked. “Wait—what do you—”

Suddenly, Arathain stepped forward—too fast. He grabbed RAT by the wrists, dragging him into a tight embrace. It felt wrong. Cold. He wasn’t trying to comfort him—he was restraining him.

RAT struggled. “Let go of me—HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“No one can know,” Arathain whispered in his ear. “I’m sorry.”

RAT flinched. His whole body jolted with instinct—panic flaring in his chest like wildfire. He fought to pull away, clawed at the arms locking him in place. His breath came in sharp bursts. But the grip only tightened.

Stronger than it should be.

Stronger than it had any right to be.

He twisted, kicked, tried to scream—but the sound never came. It was like the air itself had been stripped from the world. A suffocating silence swallowed him whole. His vision blurred. The sky above, so wide and endless, collapsed inward into a tunnel of flickering light and creeping dark.

“LET GO!” he gasped, but it barely passed his lips.

His knees gave out.

He was falling. No, sinking—like something had tied stones to his thoughts and dropped them in the sea.

The static in his head surged.

Arathain’s voice echoed through it, muffled and distant, like a fading memory.

“Forgive me.”

RAT’s fingers trembled against the cold arms that held him.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

“Arathain…” he whispered. Not in anger. Not in hatred.

Just heartbreak.

A pause.

A breath.

Then, like the last page of a story being turned too soon, the world went silent.

“Goodbye, Doctor4t,” came the final, cracking whisper.

And RAT was gone.

Chapter Text

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The soft echoing of the staff on the old wooden floors of the Fortress.

Diansu tightened his grip around the relic as his eyes kept drifting towards it.

No matter how many times he had seen it, it alurred him with its knowledge. The want to learn everything about, but the fear of its power. He had seen first hand the kind of power it held. He used it just a few hours ago.

A small chuckle escaped his lips. The way the earth bended and crumpled to his will while holding this staff. It was marvelous. 

He turned a corner, counting the branching hallways to make sure he didn't get lost again. Diansu did not need to be late for his meeting.

"One, two, three, four," He counted slowly. 

He stopped quickly at the fifth hallway. The walls were lined with rusted copper pipes that never seemed to work no matter how many times he would twist the valves. Winsweep told him to leave them alone, but he couldn't help himself. 

“Diansu?” A soft voice echoed from behind him.

He turned quickly, something that always made people nervous. It was his strategy to keep his dictatorial role, despite coming off as Blake's second in command. He wasn't particularly fond of that.

Unfortunately, this sudden turn caused him to lose his grip on the staff. It slipped from his fingers and he had to reach for it before it could hit the ground. 

“Yes?” He asked, flustered. His eyes caught with Branzy. He was holding his hands up as if trying to block an attack. Diansu smirked, the exact reaction he was looking for. But it felt cruel to do such a thing to him.

“Is Will around?" Branzy whispered, slowly lowering his arms. "I didn’t see him come back."

Diansu tried not to show a grim expression, but it must have slipped. Branzy's eyes went wide in horror.

“He should be back soon,” Diansu lied. “He might of gotten separated in the chaos. Now go back to your quarters and wait until dinner.”

“Are you sure?” Branzy pressed.

"He'll be there," He said through gritted teeth, knowing he couldn't escape the truth forever.

Branzy nodded quickly. "Okay, thanks, bye." He sprinted down the hallway, turning a corner and disappearing out of sight.

Diansu hated lying to him. He understood Branzy was probably one of the weakest members, which is surprising that Winsweep hadn’t thrown him off the balcony yet. Even with Branzy being small and rather weak, he liked having him around, he saw a spark in him that would make a great leader one day, but he didn't want him to know Will might be dead.

He sighed and forced his way down the hallway behind him. The walk to the door at the end felt like an eternity.

He glanced at the Soul Molds that lined the hallway. The first line of defense.

Diansu opened the old spruce into the spiral staircase. He hiked up the stairs to the main tower. Round and round he went, passing by the small windows that looked over The Bridge.

Leveling off at the top floor, Diansu was faced with a pair of large doors. Made of dark oak and bedazzled with bone and scales of some unknown creature. Diamonds, emeralds, and rubies surrounded a symbol carved into the door—The Symbol of The Beast—As Blake called it.

He didn't look to long, passing the two Soul Molds that guarded the outside, but let him pass as he got close, pushing a door open and stepping inside.

“Diansu,” Winsweep welcomed him in. He stood at the balcony of the tower, leaning most of his body against the flimsy wood fences. It was a small section that overlooked The Gorge below, and where Winsweep had spent most of his time.

The maniacal man gracefully walked towards him, past a desk in the center, which was covered with papers and books and broken glass and lots of other things he couldn’t see from where he was standing. Soul Molds lined the walls here too, there were a few other things around the room that Diansu didn’t have time to think about by the time Winsweep was in front of him.

“My staff please,” He held a hand out, and Diansu returned the relic to Winsweep. He gripped the staff, breathing in and letting out a chuckle. 

“I take it was successful.” He said, not phrasing it as a question.

“Yes, the rebel base has been eliminated, and their forces are now scattered. They will not be returning anytime soon.”

“Perfect,” Winsweep said. “I knew I could trust you to lead them. After our last attack... I'm sorry I couldn't be there myself. But that doesn't matter, what’s our weekly report?”

Diansu sighed, knowing there were problems he would not want to know about.

“Earlier this week, Noxintrus starved to death, he refused to eat and perished. Troops are happy and no more traitors in our midst, like Astron,” Diansu practically whispered. He kept his eyes away from Blake and trained them on the balcony. The railing was broken in a few spots from the multiple people that had been thrown over the edge.

“And the attack?” Winsweep questioned.

“The attack went well, unfortunately we lost Will in the chaos,” Diansu said.

“Necessary casualties, there will be a good amount of death in our endeavor,” Winsweep stated.

“We cannot be sure if he is dead,” Diansu tried. “If possible, I would like to request–”

“No rescue operative will be taken. We can only assume he was killed during battle,” Winsweep decided for him. "An honorable death for his nation, wouldn't you agree?"

He knew this would happen. His shoulders slumped in frustration, but quickly regained his composure. Will was one of their best fighters, and Winsweep just wanted to let him go.

“Very well. Two people were spotted near the bridge early this morning, however, both escaped.” Diansu finished his report.

Winsweep sighed and turned away from Diansu.

“How well do you know the spells for this staff?” Winsweep asked.

“Well enough,” Diansu answered.

Winsweep gave Diansu a look as he walked to the desk. He took up a heavy-looking purple book, then cracked it open with a thud that echoed across the chamber-like room. His fingers moved fast, flipping through brittle pages etched in languages long dead. He stopped suddenly.

“This one.”

Raising the staff, he muttered something under his breath. A low and guttural voice, like the groan of shifting tectonic plates. The staff’s gem pulsed once, then again, before igniting in a oily blue and purple flare.

He tapped the bottom of the relic into the ground lightly. It barely made a sound.

The floor trembled. Lines of magenta light snaked outward in intricate, runic shapes—each carving itself into the stone with a hiss, glowing brighter with every breath.

The air grew heavy. Electric. The walls groaned.

Then—BOOM

A pulse of violet-pink energy burst from the center of the sigil, forcing Diansu to shield his eyes, but Blake stood motionless. Unaffected. A rift tore open in midair, jagged and swirling like a wound in reality.

And from it—something fell.

A figure tumbled through, landing hard on the stone. The portal shrieked like a dying beast and snapped shut, leaving only a scorched circle in its place and the smell of ozone hanging in the air.

"Ah fuck.. What just—" They froze. "Hello? Where am I?”

Diansu watched their eyes dart around the room, their way their face lit up with fear after seeing him and Winsweep, they crawled backward until they hit the desk.

“Get back, I don’t want any trouble.”

“Hello, Kaboodle. Good to see you,” Winsweep laughed darkly, his voice cold.

“Blake?” she gasped, her eyes darting around the tower chamber. She pointed at the staff, still faintly glowing. “What is that thing?”

Winsweep didn’t answer.

Instead, he lifted his chin slightly. “MrCube.”

A low creak echoed from the far wall.

Kaboodle flinched. Diansu turned, modulator catching in his throat.

From a column cloaked in shadow, a figure stepped forward—silent, slow, and deliberate. Cube had been there the entire time, watching. Not breathing. Not blinking.

Just… waiting.

He emerged fully into the light. The lanterns reflected coldly off his armor. His presence was suffocating.

Kaboodle scrambled back. “Who—?”

Cube said nothing.

He moved like a specter, gliding over the floor, then grabbed her roughly by the arm. His grip was unshakable—too strong for someone so quiet.

She struggled. “Let go of me—!”

“As for you, Diansu,” Winsweep said, his voice lowering like a guillotine. “When will the new Elysium sets be finished?”

Diansu watched as MrCube half walked, half dragged Kaboodle to the door. His eyes focused back on the man in front of him.

“Soon.”

Winsweep’s smile was thin and humorless. “Soon?” He stepped closer, slow and casual. “You've had over two months. You’ve forged two suits. One of which was on Will when he died—”

“Captured,” Diansu corrected sharply. “We don’t know what happened to him.”

Winsweep ignored the interruption.

“Two months. Two suits. Meanwhile, I watched you forge four entire sets in the week before we claimed Spawn.”

Diansu’s fists clenched behind his back.

“Elysium isn’t netherite. It takes as much netherite to make one elysium ingot as it takes to make a full set of Netherite armor,” he said carefully. “Every ingot takes time—ancient debris, copper, I don’t have the tools I need.”

Winsweep sighed, his gloved hand tightened even further around the staff.

“No,” he said softly. “You just don’t have the focus. You’re distracted. That’s why I searched your quarters.”

Diansu froze.

“I found the box, you know,” Winsweep continued. “Your little… collection.”

He turned to the desk and picked up the cardboard box of vinyl discs and portraits—delicate, colorful relics of another time. He plucked one of the vinyls from the box and turned it between his fingers, admiring the shimmer of the dark red and gold.

Diansu’s voice cracked. “Don’t—”

But Winsweep was already smiling.

He snapped the disc in half. The sound echoed like a gunshot.

Diansu stepped forward, furious. “You have no right—”

Another disc clattered to the floor. Winsweep crushed it under his heel.

“You owe me results, Diansu,” he growled, picking up the small, framed portrait of Diansu and Arathain before breaking the glass and ripping the picture into tiny pieces. “Not excuses. Not memories.”

He hurled two more discs over the balcony, laughing. A brown and blue one was thrown into the wall. A total black disc, which he shattered with the butt of the staff.

Then, with a sudden pause, he picked up the last one. It gleamed a bright turquoise.

Diansu went still. “Don’t. That one’s—” his voice dropped to a whisper, “ancient. Please.”

Winsweep raised a brow. For a long second, he seemed to consider it. Then, slowly, he set it down on the desk with theatrical grace.

“See?” he murmured. “I’m merciful.”

The hollow eyes of Winsweep's mask stared past Diansu, seeing MrCube and Kaboodle. They were still standing there. Still watching him.

“Take her, Cube. Diansu, walk with me.”

MrCube roughly pulled Kaboodle out the door, followed by kicks and screaming, as Winsweep and Diansu followed shortly behind. They descended the spiral stairwell quickly, only stopping at one of the floors when they ran into Pangi.

He blinked and quickly bowed to Blake. Diansu sneered, hating it.

"Pangi," Winsweep chuckled, taking out a slip of paper. "I was hoping to find you. I have a job for you."

"Of course my lord. I am of assistance."

Diansu noticed how he kept his head down, eyes averted from Blake's hollow gaze. It was a common trend. No one ever wanted to look him in the eyes, even his most loyal followers like Pangi and Noxintrus—before he was killed—Never dared such an action.

Blake handed the folded paper to Pangi, who took it quickly.

"Contact our spy in The Valley," Winsweep commanded. "And give them those instructions. If they succeed in the killing they will be rewarded."

Diansu raised and eyebrow at the words as Pangi bowed once more and fled. Winsweep turned back Diansu.

"Keep moving."

They did.

Diansu followed him down another flight of stairs, expecting to stop at the main floor. However, Blake kept following the stairs to a lower part of the fortress Diansu hadn't ever been too. According to Noxintrus, it was a labyrinth of tunnels and rooms that stretched much farther than the walls of the fortress, some even exiting in caves around The Gorge

It was much darker down here, bats hung from the ceiling and redstone torches lit the path. 

They paused at a door after following the maze of tunnels, Winsweep knocked three times before it opened.

The hinges creaked in pain, letting the air in. Diansu was instantly met with the smell of rotting meat, he gagged but Winsweep didn’t seem to mind.

Inside the small room was a doctor's office style bench, one that a patient would sit or lay on, but this one was full metal and had black and red and brown stains on it. Blue lanterns cast a strange glow on the mossy, deteriorating walls. Peering into the corner Diansu was horrified to see a pile of bodies piled against and atop each other.

“Traitors,” Winsweep spat, his tone not even showing a bit of remorse for them. “The lowest of this world. I’m sorry you had to see this, Diansu, I thought I could trust you, clearly I was wrong.”

“What?” Diansu could barely get a word out before Winsweep punched him across his face. His screen-like face cracked and caved inwards as he stumbled into the bench. Before he could react, a pair of hands grabbed at him and forced him onto the table. Metal shackles clanked on his wrist and neck, as another wound over his waist.

“Winsweep! Blake! What is the meaning of this!” Diansu yelled, kicking his feet and struggling under the restraints

“There are no places for traitors in my army,” Winsweep said coolly, keeping his distance as Diansu flailed his legs and tried to move, but resistance was futile. “Terrain, do what you must.”

Terrain’s head jerked into view above Diansu, upside down and far too close.

His face was mottled with pulsing black veins, spiderwebbing across his skin like roots beneath ice. One eye was bloodshot and jittering, the other completely clouded over. From the corners of his mouth, a thick, tar-like fluid dribbled out in slow, oozing strands.

He grinned, but it wasn’t human anymore.

“Ooooh, yessss… Winsweep said fix the little machine boy,” Terrain crooned, voice slurred and gurgling like something speaking through sludge. He leaned closer, a ragged hiss escaping his throat, the sound of rot breathing.

A drop of the sludge hit Diansu’s tie. It hissed as it made contact—the cloth immediately singeing. Diansu turned his head in disgust, but couldn’t look away.

Terrain giggled—a broken, high-pitched sound, like cracked glass scraping across metal.

“Let’s open you up and see what’s twitching inside.”

“You can’t kill me, Blake,” Diansu rasped, warped with desperation. “Oceana needs a proper leader. Someone who understands power. Someone built for it. That’s not you. You need me.”

Winsweep laughed—low and bitter, like it hurt to do so. “I’m not getting rid of you, Diansu. Just… modifying you. Reprogramming as some might say.” He turned toward the door, pausing with one hand on the rusted handle.

He glanced back, eyes sharp and cold.

“This isn’t Oceana anymore.” A cruel smirk curled across his face. “We are The Midnight Leviathan.”

Diansu thrashed in his bonds, metal scraping metal. “Coward! You’re nothing without—”

SLAM.

The door shut like a coffin lid.

The smell of old rust and rot swelled again. Diansu coughed and turned his head, trying to ignore the pile of bodies mounded in the far corner. He squinted, trying to make out the faces, to recognize them. Moriya? Noxintrus? Astron? No—Astron was thrown off the balcony.

But something behind the bodies… Something shifted.

It shimmered—a black so deep it swallowed the light from the blue lanterns. And then it moved again.

Diansu froze.

It wasn’t a wall. It was something sleeping. Something big. The texture of it was impossible—wet and coarse and scaly.

Then it rose.

Massive limbs unfurled from the shadows with a quiet, bone-deep groan, brushing the ceiling with inhuman grace. The pile of corpses shifted under its weight. It didn’t look at Diansu. It just walked—silently, almost respectfully—past him and vanished through a second, rusted door that peeled open for it like a wound.

Diansu’s mouth trembled. “What in the hell…”

He didn’t have time to finish.

Terrain stepped back into view, crowbar in hand, his smile wide and twitchy

“I’ll keep your core warm, Diansu,” he whispered, his face slick with sweat and the black fluid. “Don’t want it freezing up in the afterlife.”

The crowbar slid under a panel in Diansu’s neck with a click.

He gritted his teeth and jerked, sparks flying as cables were exposed, blue light strobing from inside his chest.

“Stop—don’t do this. I can fix all of this—!”

SNIP.

His legs stopped first. Then his arms.

One by one, Terrain severed him like an old puppet.

The light in Diansu’s eyes flickered.

“…Please. I can’t die. Not now. Not ever. I was made to outlive all of you…”

His head lolled to the side. A long, final hiss of power escaping.

And Diansu Vulkarch, the last of Oceana, fell silent.