Chapter Text
It was weird having two strings.
That was specifically the weird part. It wasn't that his strings pointed straight up to the next levels, that was something that happened to people everyday. Those on the Noob level almost always had their soulmates on a higher one, doomed to never meet.
(Those doomed to have their partners fall into the void, string withering to a gray as dark as a wither skeleton’s bones. It unties itself more everyday; the first knot, then the second, then the third, before it finally falls off, leaving a now-bare hand and its owner in agony. One couldn’t even attempt to tie it, as it would unravel even quicker than before. They usually joined their other half of their soul not long after, the soul unwilling to be apart any longer)
Heartbreaking, truly, for all except him of course. Please, it’s him! He could make it to the next level and find his soulmates! It would be the easiest thing on the planet for him, even easier than jumping for the beef.
(He still couldn’t believe he made that jump. Him, who was starving to death almost everyday, making the one block diagonal jump for the beef? Please, he’s brave and bold, but even he wasn’t that much of a fool.)
But having two strings? Both the least of his problems and the absolute top priority. He needed to find his soulmates (and wasn’t that strange? Having two, both still red at that, strings when many others don’t even have their one anymore?) Evbo needed to find them, his very soul demanded it, whispering it frantically in his mind at every jump he did, successful or almost falling to his death.
It wouldn't leave him alone for nothing. Which was good because, although his own ambition was enough to keep him going to become champion (if that was even possible), it was nice to have another reason to keep going, keep fighting to live everyday. He pushed himself harder, completing every jump of the tower with terrifying ease, until the last one.
There he was now, staring at the last jump of the tower, trying to figure out just how to make the jump. It should’ve been simple considering the chat he just had with the Oldman, but it, for some reason, wasn’t. Perhaps it was the starvation finally getting to him, or maybe even the craziness of what had become his life in just a few days time.
“Well,” he sat on the block, “guess I’m screw- wait! That’s right! The barrier block!” And so there goes Noob Evbo, placing down said block, making the jump, and then jumping for joy as he makes it. Of course, him being him, he almost falls backwards, but with the grace of a cat, Evbo catches himself, yelling excitedly.
He was the first Noob to ever rank up! He did it! Proved the guards, his non-existent neighbors, and himself wrong.
Now all he had to do was get his blue boots, get to his new house, and find his soulmates! Speaking of soulmates, he-
He glances down, horror twisting his face. His strings go up another level. Another level that yes, he could easily clear, but who knows how long that would take? It took him months to even get here, and that was only after the Oldman’s help. Is he going to have to wait even longer to meet them? The two he’s fated to be with? The two he might not even get to see within this lifetime?
(What a horrid, horrid thought. He shutters, blinking away any tears that may fill his eyes. He’s stronger than this, he tells himself, hoping this time it’ll continue to be true. Evbo’s made it this far, he’ll get up to Master level in no time at all. A week perhaps, maybe less.
It’s going to be less.)
[]_[]
It wasn’t long until he screwed up.
It’s not his fault he’s a curious guy! He just wanted to know what would happen if he skipped the daily task for once, he didn’t know he’d be sucked into a Parkour Battle with a Master! A Master of all things! Please, hasn’t he dealt with enough in life already?! It was only his second day as a Pro, couldn’t he get some sort of lenience?!
Apparently not, as the Master’s attack dropped him all the way down to 1 heart. It felt as if every bone in his body was broken, searing pain coursing through him as he squints at the course. If he even takes a single step wrong, he’s done for. Gone forever, not even the prison nor the Oldman would save him, not this time.
But he had to do it. He couldn’t just give up now! He was already so much closer to the Master level than he was just a day ago.
(And by that he means he got a long, long night’s sleep with food to stave off starvation for as long as he would want. Listen, it’s not all that much closer, but it’s better than it was a week ago!)
Evbo stands tall through the pain, reaching into his inventory to grab the last few blocks he had remaining. It wouldn’t be enough, he’d die here and no one would ever remember him, not even his soulmates-
“I surrender!”
…What.
“I surrender!” The Master repeats, staring at him wide-eyed, hands held up in the classic surrender pose. The string, purple and tied almost lovingly around her pinky, flashes in his vision quickly before he ignores it. “I give up! I don’t wanna fight anymore!”
“What?” He truly couldn’t believe his ears. Why is she just… giving up? Weren’t Masters supposed to go to the death? “Huh?!”
“Did you not hear me? I give up! Take this stupid totem of undying and scram!” A totem hits him in the face in a blink, the Master disappearing in another.
He picks up the totem, confusion fluttering across his face as he stares long and hard. What was this supposed to do? Undying? Does it give a second life? Why just give up like that? The string appears in his mind and he smiles softly. Perhaps she was forced to do this battle, taken from her level, and was desperate to get back to her soul, even if it meant giving up something that seems as important as this.
(He knew the feeling well. If his soul was an animal, he knew it would be clawing desperately to be reunited with its other two parts. Honestly, the more he climbed the ranks, the less and less whole his soul felt. It was never whole to begin with, but at least it felt like it was his. Now it feels like there’s nothing left in him, a hollow husk. He hates it.)
He stashes the totem in his inventory. Evbo had other things to deal with, like recovering his health. His body was more in pain than his soul could ever be--that’s a lie but shush--and he was desperate to eat anything he possibly could get his hands on. Okay, maybe not anything, there was no way he could go back to raw beef and chicken, but exaggerating is much, much more fun in his mind.
So on he goes, eating the one piece of food in his inventory to regain enough mobility to make jumps to do his daily task. Luckily it was an easy assignment, just having to watch the farm animals parkour to eat. He sunk himself into the corner, tugging mindlessly on the strings connected to both his ring fingers as he grazed- he means, gazed upon the animals jumping. Surprisingly, all of the animals made it across.
“Maybe the rest fell into the void,” he laughs slightly, getting up slowly. “Well, at least I can get more food now.”
So on he goes again, making the trek to the ticket station to grab his food for the day, healing up enough that the only torment he had to suffer through was the pain in his soul. Which was--he wouldn’t say easy enough all things considering, but it was certainly easier than feeling like he broke every bone in his body 5 times over.
And so, as it goes, so does he, returning to his home to sleep the rest of the day and night away.
Well, he would’ve, if he wasn’t so rudely interrupted by someone knocking on his door.
He groans, getting out of bed and walking to the door, opening it with the best, most fierce glare he could muster, and mutters a simple: “what?”
“Parkour delivery service! Got anything you need delivered?” It was, surprisingly, his neighbor that spoke.
Evbo, in his uttermost tiredness, shakes his head no and slams the door. Did he feel slightly bad? Of course. Did it matter right now? Absolutely not. Was he going to apologize? …Maybe.
The second he collapsed onto his bed, he was out like a light.
[]__[]
The next day, he tried the course. It was going swimmingly of course. Or, as swimmingly as being a Master for 2 days and being forced to do jumps he’s never even heard of before. So he tries, and tries, and tries, before giving up. Falling gets boring when you do it enough times in a row, the pain in his legs going from blistering to barely even throbbing.
He does his daily task of being a delivery service before going to the training area he discovered on his first day. Maybe he can practice some of the jumps here? Much more preferable to do it 2 meters above ground than 6, or 8, or 12 or- you get the point.
Fortune doesn’t smile down at him this day, as another pro joins him, challenging him to a duel. Evbo misses one too many jumps, getting down to 2 hearts. His mind screams at him, the strings around his fingers tightening enough to cut off blood flow. He couldn’t fail here! He’s Evbo, soulmate to two and future champion! How dare he lose to someone who was doing the easiest jumps known to man!
He sets up his next jump, 2 block 360 into a 1 block 360 jump. Sure, it wasn’t the hardest, but his body was on fire for the 9th time today, and he just wanted to go home and pout.
Somehow, he lands it. Somehow, the other doesn’t.
(He’s only slightly grateful that the string upon the other’s hand was withering away. At least the Pro can join their soul once again.)
Evbo sighs, turning away from the battle and jumping his way back home.
Perhaps he’ll have better fortune tomorrow.
[]___[]
And fortune he does, for he wakes up feeling better than he has in a long time.
He tries the course again, making it to the last jump. His excitement is overshadowed by his shock.
“Oh for fu-”
[]__[]
Did he have to use the totem to get down? Absolutely. Did he also discover he hated what his life has come to? Absolutely. Was he going to keep trying to be able to achieve at least one of his goals? Not even a question.
The next day, he wakes with a brilliant idea. So brilliant, he doesn’t know why he didn’t think of it before! Obviously it’s because he never made it to the impossible jump before, but still, let the man dream! Maybe it was his soulmates bestowing their masterly wisdom down upon him, but he likes to think it was all him.
He does his daily task, grabs his food, and then runs around trying to find out who’s the delivery person for the day, and scares the stars out of them.
His neighbor turns quickly, almost falling off the block he stood upon, holding his hand over his heart.
“Evbo! What the stars?! Couldn’t you say hi like a normal person?”
Said person just grins wide. “I need to have a parkour course made in my house, but it’s a trip to get to, can you do it?”
“‘Course I can! …Uhm, where exactly is it?” And Evbo just grins wider, grabs his neighbor’s hand, and leads the way to the tower. It doesn’t take the two all that long to get there, or much more time to get up to the top to get to what he needs.
(Evbo, he’s discovered, is an insanely quick learner. Whether that be from being cool enough to have two soulmates, he’s just that cool in general, or he’s smarter than he gives himself credit for, but he learns the jumps quicker than he thinks any other Pro has.)
His neighbor looks at the jump before placing down something that “can copy parkour courses like these! Makes it much easier to do for us delivery people!”
The way down was harder. Why? Evbo doesn’t know, but it doesn’t take too much longer until the course is in his house. He tips his neighbor extra well before shouting a loud apology for the last time and slamming the door in his face.
He climbs to the top, staring down the impossible jump with all the focus one could muster, and jumps.
And proceeds to fall. His life flashes again before his eyes. He can feel his soul screaming in agony at never getting to reunite, can see his two strings already starting to lose their color and loosen. He squeezes his eyes tight and prays to the Parkour God before-
He lands harshly on the ground.
Evbo opens his eyes to see the void far, far below him. He laughs, loud and long, turning into sobs as he sits up. Through bleary, wet eyes, he looks at the two strings on his ring fingers, vibrant and tight as ever, and sobs harder.
(He swears he could feel 2 sets of hands on his face, wiping away the tears and rubbing his head and back, hugging him from both sides of his body. He swears he could almost hear whispers of two voices. ‘If it were real,’ he thought, ‘this would be the nicest thing I’d ever felt.)
It takes him far too long to get his bearings, and even longer to realize what exactly just happened.
It doesn’t take him much longer to get to his unsteady feet, climb into bed, and drift into the stars with hands holding his.
[]_[]
The next day (6 days, he repeats, 6 days, one more before the time limit), he gets to the last jump once again. He stares long and hard, eyes threatening to double and blur. He shakes his head, praying to both the Parkour God and his soulmates that he’s right about this, and jumps.
Somehow, it works.
Somehow, he crosses the border between Pro and Master.
Somehow, he earns his gold boots, walks out of the tower, and feels the sun on his skin.
He smiles wide, bringing his hands up to see which direction his strings are pointing in now.
The strings continued to point up.
Evbo considered jumping into the void would be a better option than this.