Chapter Text
It all felt so sudden. It all felt so abrupt.
From zero to one. From one to a hundred. From nothing into something. Something into everything. Everything, everywhere, all at once, happened. In one singular tick, a mere second.
What started as merely throwing an ender pearl into the mouth of a pearl cannon ended in being stranded in an abode that surpassed reality.
It all felt unnatural, too surreal even.
Before this occurrence of events, Wemmbu and Eggchan stumbled upon an ender pearl cannon hidden within a mountain just as they were trailing behind a familiar face named Spoke. The two had recently voyaged amongst the Great Sea and were fresh from a battle against the Law, considering their armour durability being practically on life support; specifically Eggchan. Now with no matters at hand, Wemmbu now had the freedom to directly traverse to the Farlands to finally settle his goal of acquiring his orbital strike cannons.
But of course, on a server such as this, where all is unstable. Things do not always go according to plan.
The moment the TNT compressed within the pearl cannon exploded, the ender pearl flinged into the skies at a speed that rivalled light. At such a velocity, the pearl vanquished clouds in its wake, paving a path within the air as it soared through millions of blocks of terrain.
But in the corner of Wemmbu’s mind, something felt off.
With every second of the pearl being airborne, a tremor shook across his skin. The atoms that composed him whole began to vibrate; split from one, to two, then four to sixteen and so on, accumulating in an exponential nature as each particle blossomed into an amethyst plume reminiscent of that of the End. It was only when the pearl began to fall did it signal the atoms gradually pulling itself back together, condensing into one.
But on this occasion, it didn’t. In fact, it kept on multiplying. More and more. Fragment after fragment, each and every one of them beginning to glitch. Blinking once, then twice, each pixel splicing again and again.
What is this feeling? Wemmbu wondered. Is this supposed to happen? He wondered again.
Strangely enough, time seemed to slow as the pearl soared across the sky. The clouds began to redirect, the sun began to descend from whence it came and the moon, strangely enough, began to rise from the west. It was the moment that when the pearl’s surface touched soil, all of what was composed of Wemmbu… merged at once.
Normally, the fallen ender pearl would have led Wemmbu to materialise into someplace anew. But this ender pearl did not do that at all. This ender pearl led the fiend someplace else. Somewhere that did not seem right.
Wemmbu felt it all. His friend Eggchan did too.
…And at that, all went blank.
***
A distant bird chirps in the distance. Once, then twice. Wemmbu’s consciousness stirs reluctantly, heavy and slow, dismissing the calls as echoes of dream. He feels the soft prick of lush grass beneath his face, carrying the rich scent of fresh earth. Sunlight presses against his sealed eyelids, filtering through as it paints the void behind them in shifting hues; black, crimson, to gold. That was until something warm brushes his cheek, a warmth akin to that of a hand, a hand that felt familiar.
“Yo, wake up dude,” a voice echoed, muffled.
Wemmbu felt a nudge against his sides, causing him to squirm out of annoyance. Instinctively, the fiend attempts to swat away whatever was intruding him as if it were a fly, before stubbornly curling back into his sleep.
“Come on bro, you gotta see this.”
Wemmbu groans, displeased. The nudges continue to prod, and prod, and prod, until it all became too unbearable to endure, eventually causing him to coax his eyes open. Light stabs at his eyes as the lush world around him slowly drifts into focus, coalescing into shape and colour. A soft breeze wisps through his hair from time to time, teasing the purple strands into disarray. Once his view swims languidly into clarity, he is met with a familiar face. Hovering above him was a singular, floating eyeball, gazing down at him quietly. It was Eggchan.
”Took you a while dude,” he snickers.
“Yeah yeah shut up,” Wemmbu yawns, stretching his limbs against the surface.
Though his tiredness immediately washes away once his senses went alert. The fiend hurriedly stood upright, wiping away the remains of his sleep, taking in his surroundings. Blinking once. He sees oak trees, lush branches and a vast chartreuse terrain. A plains biome. Nothing more. But it lacked something, something Wemmbu had been trying to lay a finger on.
“Huh. This ain’t the Farlands…”
Before him, there should have been a fragmented wall loading into his sight. A warped landscape that marks the end of the world, containing layers of stone, dirt, gravel and ores packed into jagged, repetitive pillars and cliffs. Instead… It was just a regular plains biome with no signs of a chaotic mesh with multiple holes on it.
“This is in fact… not the Farlands at all,” Wemmbu notes, scrutinising the horizon. “Where are we?”
“Yo I’m lowkey confused, is this not where the cannon was supposed to bring us?” Eggchan questions, watching his friend frantically pace back and forth in confusion. “Unless the pearl cannon… didn’t work?”
Wemmbu halts in place, “Yo Egg, tell me your coords real quick.”
Eggchan deliberately brings out a compass from his inventory, inspecting for the X, Y and Z levels attached to the gadget.
“Bro… We are near spawn,” Eggchan murmurs. Wemmbu stares at his friend as if he grew a second eyeball before snatching the compass straight out of his hands.
”What?!” Wemmbu shrieks. The compass displayed coordinates that indicated their positioning being near the origin, far from the twelve millions of blocks that they had anticipated.
The fiend, awestruck, took in his surroundings once more. Wemmbu then decides to wander further, with Eggchan tailing behind, through the plains as he tries to pinpoint for further clues of where they could be.
Thankfully, his inventory remains the same nonetheless, stacked to the brim with necessities he had beforehand thanks to Linnwyrm. Shulkers of netherite gear, potions, golden apples and riches stacked inside of his personal enderchest; a fully mended elytra; netherite weaponry; his signature two maces, Gambit and Crucible; and a new addition to his arsenal, a netherite spear. All that was left needed in his inventory is a shulker of orbital strike cannons. Which is now an issue as they were nowhere near the Farlands, which withheld the weapon in the first place.
”Yo Egg, gear,” Wemmbu hands him a full set of enchanted netherite armour, “I’m rich now so remove all that diamond armour.”
On to the matter at hand, what Wemmbu is most confused on is the fact that the ender pearl cannon malfunctioned. However, the fiend is relatively not the brightest on complex things such as redstone, nor was he a genius or at any point interested, so he did not bother to look into it any further. With no clue on their whereabouts, the two decide to begin exploring the premises.
It only took a few minutes for something to finally catch Wemmbu’s eye.
“Oh look a cow, free steak,” says the fiend who instinctively hurls an axe at it.
That was until Eggchan tugs him back, disrupting his antics. “Bro just chill for a second!” he exclaims, putting Wemmbu in his place. “Is it not weird to you that there’s a cow freely roaming around?”
Both then glance at the cow, simply on their merry way munching on grass mindlessly.
“…And? What about it?” Wemmbu raises a brow.
Eggchan deadpans, “Does the ‘mob cap’ seriously not ring a bell to you bro? You taught me this a while back.”
It took Wemmbu a few seconds for realisation to finally dawn on him. Call him slow, but Eggchan was right. Due to the massive player base of the Unstable SMP, each player that joined would load chunks with a certain number of mobs in it. This was detrimental to the server in the long run as it lessened the chances of mobs spawning naturally, hence leading to their extinction in the first place.
Wemmbu warily glances at the cow, scrutinising it from its snout to its hooves. “Uh so why would a cow just randomly spawn in a populated server such as this? Especially near spawn? …Unless,” Wemmbu stills in thought.
“The player count decreased.”
”Now you get what I’m thinking,” Eggchan sighs.
”You’re right Egg, since when did you become so into this game?” snickers Wemmbu.
”It’s what being trapped in the End does to you bro, I’m practically Einstein now,” Eggchan proudly states.
The pair then continues traversing through the plains, chattering and cackling with every step. The plains unfold like an endless emerald sea frozen in time, where waves of golden-green grass ripple under the caress of a restless wind. Scatters of flowers amongst the greenery bloom in splashes of crimson and violet, fleeting across the rolling hills that swell and dip the earth. The sun amidst the morning sky ignites its radiance in a symphony of amber and yellow, casting long shadows of the oak trees that linger throughout the field.
“Hey Egg, am I tripping or does this land seem more vibrant than usual? I swear the grass was never this green,” Wemmbu halts his steps, inspecting the compass. “Plus… We should’ve been in a crater by now if we are this close to spawn.”
“I don’t know bro, it’s been a while since I’ve stepped into sunlight,” Eggchan shrugs, “but I’m surprised at the fact that we haven’t been jumped by a Wither yet.”
That was until the two step foot onto the hill’s summit, immediately met with a vista they never knew awaited for them. A breathtaking expanse, an expanse that evokes a sense of deja vu. Before his sight, he saw a prominent cobblestone tower scraping the sky, lit with columns of glowstone on each side, marking the origin of the world the two currently stand upon. Looking further, he saw three prominent structures that surround it. A bird cage, featuring a built statue of a parrot.
”Parrot’s old base…”
To its left, a stairway leading to a triangular building with poorly structured letters that spell out ‘SPOKE’.
“Spoke’s old base…”
Across the building, a pitifully built dirt house which did not even seem like a house at all.
“My old base…”
A wave of nostalgia courses through the pair. These structures were the former bases of people they have past met, with one being Wemmbu’s very own. This is the spawn point. Not the spawn point that had been griefed with withers, explosions and macrostructures of lava casts.
It was the old spawn, the spawn when the server was less populated. At a time where the server was at its prime.
“This is crazy, I swear this place was crater last time I saw it,” Wemmbu murmurs, “It’s as if we time travelled.”
Eggchan reverts his gaze to the fiend, “Say that again.”
Wemmbu side-glances, “Time travelled?”
”What are the chances… that we did time travel?” Eggchan repeats.
Both then glance at the scenery, letting the silence confirm what they both knew. It was obvious. They did, in fact, time travel.
“Aight, lets just explore then,” sighs Wemmbu, “I wanna see what time period we are in if we did exactly time travel…”
The pair then begins wandering down the hill’s summit to explore their surroundings with more depth, to which Wemmbu simply did by water-clutching with every jump he recklessly took.
To the best of Wemmbu’s memory, positioned before the spawn point would have been a village implemented by the Zam Empire, alongside that fugly statue of his adversary. It was until that the distance finally loads into Wemmbu’s view that there is in fact a structure present from afar, a civilisation and a towering statue of Zam himself, perfectly aligning with Wemmbu’s recollection. Down to every detail, colour and that beady smile of his.
“So if this village were to already be here…”
Wemmbu glances at a banner hanging from a light post, proudly displaying the distinctive, yellow insignia of the Zam Empire. Then, to the statue once more. He bites his tongue.
“This would mean…”
The fiend recalls the memories very well. The empire, the vault, the vault being empty… It all has never faded since that very day. A day that detailed a betrayal from who he once saw as an ally. A friend even. The bang of explosions, the disintegration of his civilisation, every block scorched into smithereens, he can recall it all too well. Especially that wretched smirk of that runt they call an excuse of a friend.
”You are just like so unbelievably weak that I’m not gonna try kill you— you are not a threat to my empire!”
A hand snaps Wemmbu out of his trance. By his side, Eggchan tilts his eyeball at his friend, silently signifying “Are you good?” to which Wemmbu nods with reassurance.
Sure the Zam of their timeline had changed, redeemed himself even, considering his reunion of the man during his time at the Law’s prison. But, considering these circumstances, they are in the past now. This past has a Zam that is far from their present self. This Zam is conniving, narcissistic and brainwashed by his power-hungry urges.
This Zam, did not have a taste of their own medicine yet…
…and that is an issue.
Thankfully, all of this can now be resolved. The Wemmbu of this current timeline, which he must admit, was incredibly weak compared to how he is now. His past self was brutal, had an overarching presence and wielded an orbital strike cannon yes... But overall, he must admit that he was quite average in terms of his skills with wielding a sword. Not to mention his god awful skillset and inexperience with wielding a mace.
But that Wemmbu is long gone. Let bygones be bygones. Despite handing over the title of being ‘The Strongest’ to FlameFrags, the fiend now knows worth. He is strong, stronger than what he used to be. He can wield a mace skillfully now, be it elytra-macing or breach-swapping. He has learned new effective play styles, such as utilising ice blocks to gain further distance. He has also recently tried out using the spear in his fights, which may still need some refining. Nevertheless, this Wemmbu is not the same Wemmbu Zam remembers of.
This Wemmbu is not the same weakling Zam perceives as.
This Wemmbu will make sure to be seen as a threat.
“You know what I’m thinking Egg?” Wemmbu slowly turns to their friend.
Eggchan glances to his left, from Wemmbu’s face to his hand, he sees it. A shulker box. A red shulker box. Not one, but three red shulker boxes. He did not know what was inside, but he had a pretty big hunch on what it could be. The fiend places the three red shulker boxes down, splaying a hand out to them. Signifying Eggchan to do the honours of peering inside.
Low and behold. Eggchan’s iris shrinks instantly.
Each shulker box was filled to the brim with TNT. Stacks of TNT. All sixty-four of them, cramped into the twenty-seven slots of each of the three red shulkers. If he did the math right, altogether Wemmbu had garnered at least five thousand blocks of TNT. It was quite the sight. Wemmbu took hold of a stack, muscle memory already kicking in the moment a sliver of his fingers slid against the dynamite’s surface. His irises lose its glimmer, devoid of emotion. If you were to look closely, scrutinise him to your limits, you would see a glimpse of malice brewing in those very eyes of his.
To the best of Eggchan’s memory, he recalls demolishing this area with TNT once with Wemmbu back then. But that was only applied to Zam’s statue, which he vividly remembers being disintegrated to the point of being unrecognisable. Now with Wemmbu being rich again, by somehow gathering an abundance of resources during the Great Sea conflict, it shook Eggchan to the core of the many possibilities his friend can do to relive this exact moment again. Especially now that Wemmbu had numerous shulkers worth of TNT in his hands; possibly more than what he had in the past.
Eggchan then watches his friend pull out a flint and steel, uttering these very words. Firmly enunciating each of them, one by one.
“Egg.”
Wemmbu grabs a stack of TNT, filling his inventory with numerous more. Eggchan’s eyeball dilates at the sight, expressing awe.
“Let’s blow this place up.”
***
Cushioned velvet, laced with golden thread and jewels. Many would die to experience such a luxury. The prince sinks deeper into the plush crimson, relishing the way the threaded embroidery feels against his spine. To Zam, the throne was the only place in the server that made sense. A pedestal to reign power to where the universe truly revolved around, with him at the absolute center. The prince let out a long sigh of contentment, proud to proclaim himself as a god cloaked in silk. Oh how Zam wishes for a mirror to be brought into the hall, simply so he can appreciate the silhouette he casts against the stained glass. The peace is perfect, that is because it is his peace.
Oh how Zam wishes for this peace to not be suddenly interrupted by—
“Your majesty!”
A slam echoes throughout the halls, insulting the tranquility that once settled. Zam’s eye twitches, evidently irritated.
”Prince Zam! Something terrible has happened!”
Sprinting on the red carpet, Zam sees a pangolin, clad in netherite armour, hastily stumbling to his feet. It is Pangi, a favourite bodyguard of his, a close friend in fact. Perhaps he will let this intrusion suffice for once.
”Whaaat is it now Pangi?” Zam drawls out, leaning his face against his palm.
“Uh soooo uhh— one of our colonies kinda got… blown up? Specifically the colony at spawn…” Pangi hesitantly spews out.
…
…
…
”What…?” Zam’s eyes widen. “First Parrot prison breaking, now this?”
The Prince presses a finger deep into his temples, sighing with exasperation. The soldiers guarding by the pillars, Manepear on one and FlameFrags on the other, also perk up at the sudden drop of news. Both are eager to listen in on the conversation, particularly Manepear, who had an irrepressible urge to do something other than sit in one place all day.
Zam closes his eyes, inhaling from his nose before exhaling from his mouth, an attempt to repress his annoyance, “Are you serious, the village was just implemented a day ago and you are telling me that it has been… destroyed?”
The prince opens his eyes. If looks could kill, Pangi would have been six feet under by an instant.
“Do you think… this could’ve been caused by… him?” the pangolin warily says, sweating profusely.
Even though the verdict was not explicitly stated, the familiar face of a particular purple demon immediately materialises in his mind. Zam absentmindedly laughs at the thought, causing Pangi to feel a little creeped out.
”Oh okay then…” Zam simply smiles, his annoyed demeanor disappearing instantly. “Let's go to spawn then.”
With Zam equipping his elytra, alongside Pangi and the two other soldiers, the group blasts off into the skies towards their destination, eager to witness the destruction made.
”It can’t be that bad, right?”
***
“Oh it is that bad.”
A few minutes pass and it did not take long for the destruction to be found.
Zam just did not expect for the destruction to be this… enormous. To think the prince gaslighted himself into thinking that the pangolin was simply bluffing. He was not bluffing alright.
“What the hell happened here…” Manepear murmurs.
Below them is not a hole. It is a crater, spanning miles across the green surface, a terrifyingly gargantuan bowl carved into the crust of the world that made the surrounding mountains look like mere pebbles in comparison. Thankfully, the destruction did not reach bedrock, instead it tremendously stained the plains at a surface level; which is in fact still just as bad.
Thankfully, it seemed that most of the civilians inhabiting the village had safely found refuge away from the disaster, all of which were crowded not a few blocks away. The group in elytras landed themselves just before the crater, marvelling silently of the destruction made. The explosions unravelled many openings of caves, alongside exposing a few water sources and lava pools.
“This would be nice for a mining colony I guess,” Zam sighs, trying his absolute best to not tweak.
Oddly enough, there is a singular wooden sign conveniently placed just before Zam. It is as if it was teasing him, awaiting for him particularly, mocking him mainly; which it is. Etched onto the sign’s surface, carved letters that displayed a message.
“ur empire is next my sweet sweet zam xD”
“urs kindly, wemmboo & eggchan”
…
“This kid can’t even spell his own username right,” Zam scrutinises, blankly staring at the sign.
Zam distastefully breaks the wooden sign with an axe, before turning to his group of soldiers.
”It seems that silly silly Wemmbu just doesn’t know when to stop trying, nor does he seem accustomed with losing yet,” Zam crosses his arms. “Though, I won’t give him the satisfaction of simply just killing him… He’s too weak for that.”
Zam chuckles, “You two.”
The prince points to FlameFrags and ManePear, who on call, immediately straighten their backs. Though Manepear slouched slightly, Zam was too ignorant to notice that.
“Tell the rest of our army to hunt this pest down. Do not kill him. Simply bring him to me.” Zam states aloud, bellowing each and every word. “Do not let him stop. Do not even let him breathe. Make sure he never feels at peace.”
The two soldiers firmly nod in confirmation before setting off to the sky with their elytras, leaving Zam and Pangi alone to marvel silently at what was once his statue and civilisation.
“Oh Wemmbu, what have you done now?”
Is this karma? Zam could only hope that it is not, but that was inevitable by now.
***
“So Egg, do you think I went too far with that,” says Wemmbu.
”Nah bro that was justified. Never liked that Zam guy since day one,” Eggchan laughs.
The two were currently soaring the skies on their elytras, flying with a destination in mind. Wemmbu can vaguely recall doing a side project during his early days on the server. The side project in particular being his own orbital strike cannon he had built underground. It is fascinating what boredom does to a person. Thankfully, Wemmbu still had coordinates saved in an old file of his that regarded its location, which has possibly already been obliterated by now if he got his events correct.
The fiend had a few goals in mind, very ambitious goals.
Relive his past moments.
Get rich as possible, now that the invisible mafia is practically non-existent as of now.
Fix some mistakes, possibly tie a few loose ends as he goes; even though it may completely disturb future events but he low key does not care about that nonsense.
Maybe find a way back to his current timeline, but he has time to spare.
But as of now, he is only fixated to one goal in particular.
Make himself known. A player far from weak. A force to be reckoned with.
Not to just Zam, but to the entirety of the server.
…And to do that, just like what he did to him. He will do the exact same.
Blow up his empire, relive the moment, just like what he did last time.