Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Rae had been serving the void cult for ages, even being titled prince or servant to the Void god by his best friend, The Violet Reaper. No one knew Violet's real name, not even Rae, and they had been friends for years, even before he joined the cult. It's not like names matter anymore... not after that cult was wiped out, with only Rae surviving its downfall.

Rae still hears the screams, still hears the explosions ringing in his ears, and he cannot forget the sight of Violet's dead body. Violet's head popped off and got stuck on a torch (almost placed perfectly) whilst his legs exploded into small pieces of flesh around his torso, and his arms flew and hit the walls. His arms were just there on the floor, motionless. It was a sickening view that could make even the strongest of necromancers doubt their ability to raise the dead.

Rae's vocal box still hurts years later from the shriek he let out before running as fast as he could. That's the day he fell, the day he tripped and fell into the End portal and out to the overworld before the portal closed on him, never to open for the ex-prince again. Rae could never go home ever again. Where would he go? Who would help him? Would he have to stay by himself with no one to help him ever again?

Almost suddenly, vines of deep turquoise and blisters of bright whitish-blue steep down from the walls and grab the man's forearms. Rae tries to fight back, but the vines cover his mouth, which distracts him from trying to break free. The vines intoxicated him with their spores, and a vine different from the others with hot pink ribbon-like strings goes through Rae's left eye. His left pupil rolls back before his entire eyeball turns into a glossy, pale, creamy sandy colour like endstone with the colours of the vines faded into it.

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His body ached, the vines has left him alone now but he had passed out completely. What would happen to him? Would someone find him? NO he could still hear his surroundings and no voice or footsteps or any sound suggesting even the tinniest of life was around. All he could hear is the turquoise he had recognised as sculk pounding in his ears and the warden begging to be released.

He needed to get out of there but how? It isn’t like he could move or even see.

Maybe if he just… *darkness*

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It took him… well he doesn’t even know how long it took to wake up but he wasn’t at the portal anymore, he was in a forest on his own.

The moon was almost rising, danger. If he knew anything about the overworld he knew that it isn’t safe for Enders. Rae was familiar with stories of Enders being killed for their loot or just because selfish overworlders wanted the realm to themselves. His End parent had been killed in the overworld before goddess Enderian and god Epros took him in to take care off. That is how he ended up in the cult, he wouldn’t be more grateful about his gods actions to take care of him though.

Rae has decided to set camp up in a tree.

All he could think about all night was what had happened. What would he do? He didn’t have his gods and he was considered a deadly species to the realm he had ended up in.

He would just have to plan everything in the morning if he isn’t dead by then at least.

That night he barely slept but finally fell asleep as silence filled his ears.

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Rae woke up to the sound of rustling beside him. He saw a bear? A teenager? Stealing from his bag with a white-haired hybrid looking nervous and paranoid right next to them.
“Bruin, we should go…” The hybrid whispered anxiously. The bear, Bruin, nodded in agreement.

Rae sat up and grabbed his bag.
“Drop everything.” Rae spoke bluntly. Rae, speaking, startled the hybrid into jumping back and hitting the now blooming, floral ground.
“Athena!” Jamie yelped which Rae assumed to be the hybrids name. The place where ‘Athena’ had fallen into, had been a bed of wither roses. The thorns of the forever dying flower pricked at Athena’s skin which caused a vein of ink-like black to trail among the hybrids ghastly leg and travel upwards towards which could only be assumed as their heart.

Jamie immediately gave Rae his items back before preparing to jump down to help Athena but Rae grabbed the bears wrist before they could get to the child.
“It’s dangerous, let me get her.” Rae spoke calmly. He didn’t know why he cared, they were just two dumb teenagers who tried to steal his stuff.

Rae puts on black safety gloves before jumping down and grabbing Athena, pulling her out of the withered flowers. He had been aware of the sickness it carries as he has done research on it before.

Athena puts their arms around Rae tightly.
“Thank you!” Athena cheered and Rae tried to push away with failure in the attempt.

Rae sighs as he realised that these teenagers will most likely not leave or die out in the wild. He would have to take them under his wing until he can ditch them with another person or a suitable place to stay.
“You can stay with me for now.” Rae groans until he sees the grateful smile on their faces which he can’t help but feel a light spark in his stomach.

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It had been three days since the teenagers' appearance…

Rae never slept. He couldn’t risk losing Athena and Bruin. There was nothing special about these kids but Rae for some unknown reason cared for them deeply.

Rae was slowly falling asleep, getting increasingly exhausted but he couldn’t stop watching for zombies or risks.

Suddenly, Rae’s eyes shut gently into the sweet release.

ID - Child abuse starts

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” A much younger Rae yelps in pain as his hair is pulled.

“SHUT UP!” A man with deep gold eyes yells back at him before pushing the child into the basement hitting his head on the floor.

“Ow! It hurts da- Mr Fable!” Rae cries out in pain, holding his head and stepping away from the man… Fable standing over him.

Fable grabs his arm and bends it in ways that break it making Rae cry and scream in agony. Fable throws Rae onto his bed and then walks back upstairs with one final statement spoken.
“Never even attempt to call me dad again.”

Rae poured and poured tears into his bed sheets. He was in pain and hungry. All he wanted was food but he’d only get Fable and Icarus’ leftovers (if he was lucky).

Eventually, exhaustion hoisted over him into a peaceful sleep. As peaceful as it can be with the incidents that were at the event.

OD - child abuse ends

Rae woke up in a hot sweat. He looks around to see Athena’s tent and a cover on top of him with a certain pink-haired teenager staring in deep concern.
“You’re awake? Are you okay!?” Athena calls out once she has woken the older man's stir.

A large cloaked figure grabs Athena and covers her mouth, dragging the teenager away. This makes Rae panic and charge towards the man.

The black-haired man somehow knocks the cloak off the figure's head and reveals… Violet. He has found his best friend.
“Rae?” Violet smiles in complete dumbfounded shock.

“Violet!” Rae cheers and finally shows the happiness that he hasn’t revealed since before the cult fell. Violet pulls the man into a hug holding Rae tightly like if he didn’t then Rae would go missing again.

Athena looks at Rae, then looks at Violet in confusion.
“Rae who is this?” Athena asks whilst quietly staring down the tallest man.

“This is my brother, Violet.” Rae states. They aren’t brothers but they might as well be. Violet smiles even wider and softer at Rae’s words. “Could you leave us to talk, Athena?”

“Hi!!! I’m Athena” She cheered, happy with Rae’s answer. Before leaving let the two men be left alone.

Violet looks at Rae with a concerned expression this time.
“Nightmare?” Violet asks putting his hand on Rae’s shoulder in a soft but firm gesture.

“Fucking Fable.” Rae mumbles. Violet hates Fable and Rae knows it. Fable ruined both their lives, Rae just didn’t know what happened to Violet.

“Just forget about him, Rae.” Violet states that it is easy to forget your abuser, uncle and step-father… like Fable or Rae would consider each other family though.

“You think it is that easy?” Rae annoyingly said Violet didn’t know anything about Rae’s abuser. How his arm had healed incorrectly so he had to break it to make it take its shape or how starved he was! How that man took both his mothers away! How could he forget Fable? How could he forget the man who made his life a living hell? That is something no one could forget.

“I know what he has done to you Rae, I know it feels impossible but it isn’t.” Violet spoke bluntly.

Rae felt like screaming, crying and punching a wall all at the same time.

It wasn’t fair. How could it be fair? He had comforted Violet for ages before, made them feel safe and loved but when Rae needed it he was told to forget about his trauma. God dammit he would rather be fallen into a false sense of hope that he would get his mother's back.

No it wasn’t fair for him to get angry, he is being dramatic. Fable could have killed him. Rae shouldn’t be angry. Violet is trying his best.

“I’ll forget about him.” Rae spoke almost emotionlessly after a few seconds. “You are right, I should forget about Fable and move on.” He looked at the ground.

Rae could scream or cry. It would be fair. He just looked at the ground like it would make it all better (he could only hope).

Violet smiled at this. “Good.” That is all they said before walking out of the tent.

Rae was upset. He couldn’t be, he wasn’t allowed to be. It just wouldn’t be fair, he is supposed to be kind and caring not full of hate or any negative emotion.

He wasn’t allowed to be angry, sad, jealous or disgusted. He was taught to be friendly, listen, and do as he was told. Show positive emotions even if he was treated wrong. Being quiet, seen not heard was better for him. A smile always made him look prettier than his voice did…. everyone said.