Chapter Text
"You're finally here."
The invisible player spoke with that stupid voice changer again.
For months on end, this complete stranger had been plaguing Flame for seemingly no reason. They had send hundreds of armies after him. It wasn't anything that Flame wasn't used to from his earlier days on the server.
But they just kept coming and coming.
They drained Flame of all his resources, located and griefed every temporary base he made, found and ambushed him wherever he was. They stalked him for months, reminding Flame that there was nowhere he could run to without them knowing.
And worst of all, they had killed Lomedy.
Lomedy, his best friend was dead.
-
Lomedy hadn't been happy with how Flame would constantly kill whoever he wanted. Innocent players who didn't even know him, players who begged for mercy, players who had promised to give up whatever battle they had initiated and surrendered, players who didn't even want to fight in the first place. If Lomedy wasn't friends with Flame, he was sure that he could've just as well been one of those players. So he didn't say much at first.
But then it got too intense.
Lomedy could almost see the blood on Flame's hand become thicker and thicker. Even after he had washed it all away, Lomedy could still feel it there. Thousands of dead players who weren't able to continue their lives here because of him. Every time Flame came to greet him, he could practically smell the blood.
"Lomedy, are you okay bro? You look a little sick." Flame had asked once.
"Yeah I'm… I'm fine. Just- just a little sick today. You should go home so you don't catch anything."
Flame didn't think twice about suspecting that Lomedy was lying. He blindly believed his words, simply because he trusted him. He didn't realise the hint of fear in Lomedy's voice every time they spoke. He didn't notice the way Lomedy would try his best not to go near him when he visited. He was too busy complaining about the consequences of his own actions.
One day, Lomedy just snapped.
"Flame, I've told you over and over that you need to stop killing random players!" Lomedy had scolded for what felt like the millionth time this week. The more he did, the more tiring it became. Lomedy wasn't sure when Flame would just get fed up of it and kill him at first, but if Flame didn't care of the lives of others then why should he care what he thought?
"They-they're the ones who picked a fight with us first! They should've known what they were in for!" Flame whined. The same excuse he always used. He never took accountability for his actions.
Lomedy had sighed in disappointment and irritation again. "Flame bro, just stop. I was there I watched it happen. That shop owner did nothing to you. In fact they didn't even say things that were that bad to me! They were just trying to chase us away because they thought that you were going to steal from them!"
Flame just shrugged. "It's not my fault these chunguses are so weak."
He couldn't keep doing this.
"You know what Flame? We're done. I'm done."
"What?" Flame laughed at first. "Lomedy, what are you talking about?"
"I'm done Flame! I'm done being your friend! If you won't change, then I don't want to associate myself with you. Keep my mace or whatever. I don't think you'll give it back."
Flame's expression quickly turned sour. Lomedy had been complaining for the past few weeks now about his methods of keeping them… safe. It had grown more and more incessant. Flame had even considered kicking Lomedy out himself so he could get some peace and quiet and rest without someone nagging him for how he chose to live on the server.
"Okay fine. Whatever. Don't blame me if you die!" Flame hadn't looked back as Lomedy walked out, shoving the immortal demon out the way with his shoulder. Flame was strong enough to resist it, but he didn't. He just kissed his teeth in annoyance, expecting his friend to return after realising that Flame was right and that fighting and killing people was the only way to be protected.
But he didn't see Lomedy again after that for a good while.
What he did see was a gravestone outside his base, exactly a month after Lomedy had disappeared.
"Your friend will be dead soon, Flame."
Lomedy?
Flame was always a hot-headed person. He would easily believe rumours and get angry at things like this. To him, this was an obvious threat towards Lomedy. Whoever the person that made this was, Flame would hunt down and kill.
No one was messing with Lomedy.
Even if they hadn't spoken in weeks.
-
The memory ran through Flame's mind as he stood in front of the invisible player in the snow.
"Who are you? Tell me. You've been tormenting me for weeks- you killed my best friend!"
-
Flame had finally cornered the player who had left that gravestone at his base. It took him days to track him down - going through so much gear to get the answers Flame wanted. He was almost tricked multiple times. Players pretending to not know anything because they didn't want to get tangled up with him due to his merciless reputation. It felt like a miracle when they were left alive - which only happened when Flame got distracted by something else. Now, he would be able to know this player's connection to Lomedy. Or better yet, he would know why he was threatening him.
And if he felt like it, kill him.
He had clearly been leading Flame into some sort of trap; it didn't matter. Flame was the immortal demon. Whatever was thrown at him, he would survive it.
"You have nowhere to go. Now tell me where Lomedy is or today will be your last-"
"Flame?"
Flame stopped in his tracks, still holding the sword at the player's throat. Lomedy had stepped out into the light that shone into the cave and was standing towards Flame's right. He didn't seem to have been harmed, but Flame wouldn't forgive this player for kidnapping Lomedy and threatening his friend's life.
"Lomedy? What-what are you doing here bro?" He wasn't sure whether to be focused more on being wary of a possible trap or the relief that Lomedy was alive.
"Flame, stop. Please."
"Bro what?"
The player smirked. "Yeah Flame. You should listen to your friend if you want him to stay alive."
Flame held the sword closer.
"Flame- stop! If you kill him I'll die too."
"How is this guy going to do that bro?"
Just then the player had pulled out a fishing rod.
Flame immediately backed off and put his sword away after seeing it. He knew what this was. It was the same thing that Ashswag had used back when he was part of the mafia to easily kill anyone who was in his way.
A fishing rod stasis chamber.
He wasn't going to risk losing Lomedy after searching for him for this long.
The player's smirk grew, seeing the power Lomedy's life had. The leverage it gave. "Oh-hoh so you really do want to protect him! Alright then! Now drop all your armour."
"Bro what? Ain't no way I'm gonna-"
Flame stopped as the player lifted the fishing rod, ready to pull it at any time.
"Okay okay! Stop bro just- just once I give you my gear you'll let Lomedy go, okay?"
The player shrugged - it looked like an indication that he would.
Flame slowly took off his gear, proud piece by proud piece, leaving his red eye trimmed chestplate for last.
It was the symbol of his strength.
But if he had to, he would give it to save Lomedy.
Flame tossed it over, scowling at the grin on the player's face as he picked it up and wore it, switching out the pathetic diamond chestplate to Flame's netherite one.
He back away from the player, closer to Lomedy to try and protect him in case the player tried anything to harm Lomedy. He didn't check to see if Lomedy was okay. All he was focused on was making sure that he was alive.
He didn't see the expression Lomedy made behind him.
"Flame, if I somehow don't make it out alive-"
"Lomedy, what are you talking about? Let's go bro."
Lomedy scoffed at Flame's interruption. "Typical. Never letting my finish my sentences the first time. You always do whatever you want for your own selfish interest, don't you Flame?"
What in the world was he yapping about now?
"Lomedy come on? We need to get out of here?"
Flame grabbed his friend's arm, trying to pull him out of the cave. Lomedy knocked away his hand. He was trembling slightly and his breathing slightly quickened in panic. He could still feel the blood on Flame's hands - in fact it felt like there was even more on them. He felt sick. He wanted to throw up again. He wanted to run away.
But he stood his ground against the immortal demon. Against this murderer.
He made his breathing speed return to normal and tightened his fists in balls as support.
"Listen to me for once! If I don't make it out of here alive, then promise me that you'll stop killing random people."
Flame grabbed Lomedy's arm again, not noticing the state he was in. "Yeah sure whatever, if it means you'll come back. Now let's go-"
"What an emotional reunion!" The player who held Lomedy captive interrupted. He clapped, the fishing rod still in his hands. "But Flame, haven't you realised that Lomedy's life is still in my hands?"
Flame shot daggers at the player, attempting to intimidate him. But it didn't work. The player clearly wasn't scared of him at all. Maybe if the situation was different, he would've.
"I'm not scared of you Flame. I'm more scared of the Director. I wouldn't have done this if it weren't for them, y'know?"
"The- who now? You're saying the Director made you do this? Who names themself to Director that's stupid." Flame laughed despite being on edge.
"Indeed they did! An invisible player wearing flow trims came to me and payed me a really good amount for this. So much so that I couldn't say no! They also promised that I could keep everything you gave if I did… this!"
The player raised the fishing rod once again.
Flame let go of Lomedy and ran at the player, sword unsheathed and ready to kill. He didn't see anything except the player in front of him. He didn't see anything except his target.
But although he was quick, the clink of a fishing rod breaking came quicker.
Flame swiped at him but he dodged. The sound of an enderpearl teleporting away replaced where Lomedy was standing. He didn't even look back to watch.
He didn't see Lomedy's empty, saddened smile. The sorrow in his eyes when Flame wouldn't even look at him. This whole time he had been looking at his target instead of the person he said he would protect.
He wouldn't uphold the promise they made.
The quick promise to stop killing people.
He only swiped at the player who pulled the fishing rod in rage. He had no armour on, but he didn't care. He swiped, he dodged, he hit and swung and striked and attacked and hit the player over and over, giving him no time to fight back. Flame didn't register the look of fear that was now on the player's face as he realised these were going to be his last moments on the server. He didn't stop until that smug smile was wiped off the player's face.
He didn't stop until it was wiped off the face of the server.
He barely acknowledged the sound of the death he had caused as he checked his communicator. He didn't want to believe what he read.
Lomedy fell out of the world.
He couldn't protect his friend.
He felt weak and worthless.
Flame didn't look back at Lomedy as he ran because he realised how pathetic he would have looked. He didn't look back at Lomedy then because he didn't want to see Lomedy get teleported away to his death. He didn't want to see whatever pained expression Lomedy probably made.
"I'm going to kill whoever the Director is…"
Then hundreds of armies began to come after him. At every battle, the Director was there. Watching.
After every battle, Flame would miss the chance to kill them.
-
"No, that was all because of you."
Flame glared at the Director. He didn't get closer because he knew that they would just teleport away again. This would be his best and probably last chance to find out who the Director was.
"How was this because of me bro? I didn't do anything!"
The Director sighed in disappointment. Somehow, it felt familiar to Flame; he couldn't figure out why that was.
"Didn't you make a promise to Lomedy? To stop killing people after he died?"
"Bro- that wasn't even my fault! You sent hundreds of armies after me- I had to defend myself!"
"There you go with another excuse. You haven't changed, even after everything."
"Then you tell me what I could've done bro."
"You could've spared them? You could've ran away? Anything but kill them!"
Where had he heard these words before?
"Bro whatever. It doesn't matter."
"You haven't changed at all. Lomedy doesn't consider you a friend, you know? It's one sided. He already told you that you weren't friends anymore, didn't he?"
"You don't get to tell me that bro."
They stared at each other in silence for a few minutes. The only sound that could be heard was the light crackling of fire from the torches.
"You saw he died, didn't you? In the same cave that we're standing in."
The torches that hung on the walls glowed, continuing to watch the scene.
"He isn't dead."
What?
"I made you believe he died so that you would try to change. If he had truly died then, it would've been because of you. But it didn't work. You're just too selfish and proud to change. You're a lost cause."
Where had he heard that before?
"Where is Lomedy?" Flame demanded.
"You still haven't realised?"
The Director took out a bucket of milk. Were they going to reveal themself?
Flame gripped his sword in anticipation.
"Flame…" The Director slowly drank the bucket of milk. The invisibility wore off. Beneath it was the face of the one person Flame didn't expect to see.
"I am Lomedy."