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A few hours passed after Wemmbu's escape.
He visited Flames base only to be greeted with no one and a ransacked base. He was hunted down once again so he decided to just leave, find somewhere safe again.
He dug down, his breath heavy after the inital panic, sweat dripping down his forehead as he mined his way to the next safest place he knew. Manepear's treehouse. He knew there was no point in going back. It only brought bad memories, one he wanted to keep hidden and sealed. The stupid sign, he knew it was a bad idea to come back.. He hoped that he would at least be able to rest, even if it was for a bit. He spent hours digging under, when he finally resurfaced he saw it.
The tree.. It was nothing but charred remnants now. He covers his trace, as he pulls himself up from the hole and walks towards the tree. He looked around the jungle forest, weary maybe one of the lawmen caught up with him.. Slowly he reaches the tree, raising his arm as he places his hand on the charred bark, slowly closing his eyes to let out a deep breath.. His fists curled up, as he laid his forehead on the bark slowly letting out a soft mutter.
"I've trained, I've improved." his voice barely above a whisper. The silence stretched the wind blowing his short hair which he cut to go under a new identity. The silence was deafening as he slowly continued. "I've trained non-stop, for hours on end.. I trained with everything I got. But why am I still not good enough? Why am I still as weak as you said? As pathetic as Zam told me I was?" He let out a shaky exhale as his knees buckled beneath him.
Wemmbu slowly opened his eyes drifting down towards his palms which were covered by bandages, tattered and bruised from mace wielding and it's rusty handle. He bit his lip and clenched his fists harder that his nails dug into his palms leaving crescent-shaped which slowly started to bleed through his bandages. Wemmbu looked away from his palm as he slowly lifted his head towards the charred bark and burnt leaves. He sat in front of the tree for hours, not knowing how much time passed. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something but nothing came out. He closed his eyes and laid onto the dried grass beneath him finally finding his words.
“What would you think of me now Mane?.." His voice cracked slightly as the words left his lips. He felt the windy breeze as the sunset. He opened his eyes to look at the orange sky and smiled softly, slowly remembering all the times they had together in this treehouse. His voice cuts through the silence "Would I still be a lost cause?.. Am I STILL a lost cause?.." He muttered out his breath hitching as he uttered the last thing Mane told him, before looking up at the sky.
He frowned slightly, before he mumbled, his purple hair swaying in the cool air, "You really aren't coming back.." his breath hitch as he breathed heavily, slowly accepting it after all this time, Mane was never coming back. Wemmbu was never one to cry, but he's been so overwhelmed, tears slowly slipped out from the corner of his eye, accepting Mane is never going back to the tree house. His presence haunted Wemmbu, all the choices were for Mane. Even if Mane wasn't there to see it. He knew Mane wasn't coming back, he should hurry back.. he should.. But he stayed rooted, closing his eyes as he slowly drifted to sleep.
Before he knew it, his mind drifted into a dream. A comforting dream, the warmth made him relax. He was with Egg and Mane.. The treehouse hadn't been burnt down, the sun still shining above them, the warmth of the sun felt like a warm hug. Wemmbu looked down at his mace and gripped it tightly, as if it would disappear the moment he let go. His gaze shifted to Egg and Mane who were on the training ground, Mane being utterly disappointed in Egg's pvp skills and how Mane is beating Egg with no armor and weapon. Wemmbu could only giggle at this, giggling at how Egg is still losing. He sat down on the grassy field, watching the both of them hoping this moment could last forever. The three of them back together. Wemmbu knew this wouldn't last long.. He was reliving the moment, he hates how the last thing his own mentor said was that he was a lost cause. So he ignored it, for the sake of his own comfort.
Wemmbu skipped through his memories. Back on the top of the tree, the scorching sun that used to be his comfort, like a warm embrace now felt like it was burning him. He looked down at that sign "lost cause", rereading it over and over, not fully processing the words. He took a deep breath in and broke the sign as he flew down to Egg. He knew, even in his dreams, that Mane left. He was gone and won't ever return. What was there to return to?
In a panic, Wemmbu woke up from his dream, he sat up on the grass looking down at his prison clothes, only to notice an orange jacket over him. It was warm, someone put this over him.. He looked around the trees and the burnt down treehouse.. And he spotted it.. Someone's figure retreating into the woods. Someone... leaving? Who was that? It was still nighttime, but he knew he had to hurry and leave. The Law was always quick with catching up. He took the jacket and put it around his waist before digging down into the dirt, past stone, and into deepslate. Only then does he inspect the jacket.. He knew it was familiar..
With further inspection, he knew.. It was Manepears. Mane.. He was there, out of Wemmbu's reach and he didn't even know. Mane left his jacket over Wemmbu and disappeared again.. Wemmbu's breath hitched as he sat on the cold deepslate flooring and walls in disbelief. As if he didn't believe it. He gave a chuckle that came out sounding like a half sob and shock. He held the Jacket close, it felt like Mane finally acknowledged him.. As if this was Mane's way of saying "I was wrong". Wemmbu could only give a broken smile before exhaling. He missed Mane. More than he wanted to admit. Seeing his jacket, knowing Mane was alive, knowing Mane had even given his jacket gave him a sense of peace. Like the hole in his chest filled, just by a bit..
He wished that he could get a chance to even talk to Mane. The jacket was proof he still watched over him in a way, but he wanted to talk, to have a conversation. Wemmbu gripped the jacket before mining through the deepslate and leaving the treehouse once more with a smile, knowing Mane was still out there watching over Wemmbu. Knowing that Mane still somewhat cared for his apprentice. Wemmbu left that treehouse, the cold deepslate and the lack of fresh air was hardening his resolve to hurry and find the stupid end portal to finally see Egg and maybe even Minutech again.