Archive of Our Own

“Do you regret what you did?” Leo’s question left his lips easily, like the weight of it never mattered to JumperWho. But it did, it always mattered and while it seemed like it didn’t with her indifference and lack of reaction— it was.

So, with a heavy breath, she responded. A truth that hurt, but is a truth always good?

“No.”

“Cause it was the right thing to do.”

But was it? Was it really the right thing to do for somebody like her? Was it true of her to kill one of her spies, not have faith in her spy and end up stabbing them in their back? Are her morals wrong? Maybe she was just being overly dramatic.

It feels cold. Something that Jumper hates so very much. The rain tickling her skin and dampening her clothing didn’t help either. The fabric stuck to her skin like magnets, chasing the iron in her blood. It felt… uncomfortable, to say the least.

She sees her friends, a group she had held dear and close to her guarded heart: BAT. Parrot stood by the side. Her leader stood by the middle, Derapchu stood by right. Her spies stayed quiet by her side, like always. She doubts that her spies would be able to trust her, especially after killing BitOtter. But who knows? Maybe they are, but Jumper is just being self-conscious. Not like they know eachother.

She could hear their blurred voices. Their words were vague and she had trouble comprehending it with the salty tears welling in her eyes. All she heard was Leo arguing with her about the same morals they swore to share— as if he didn’t just break that oath with her dear avian friend?

With a sharp hiss of her breath, she turned away. Her eyes flickered between something with reluctance and hesitance, but it was ultimately overshadowed by her morals. She had done what she needed to, and he had done what he needed. That’s the end of the story, so she shouldn’t dwell on it anymore. She thought with logic yet moral always somehow affected her perspective.

Jumper held the strap of her elytra with a tight and firm clench. She slowly strapped it onto her shoulders, never bothering to double check. She was used to rushing, since she always seemed to attend late to missions. Courtesy of Derapchu inviting her to a call somewhere within 2AM and 3AM.

With a breath she held, the girl turned away and leaped into the air. For once, she had hoped that maybe the elytra wouldn’t work. Gravity would work against her and she’d find herself drowning in the ocean after the entire ‘conversation’ with Leo. Parrot stared at her with an empty look, Derapchu stared with horror. Leo, was indescribable. She doesn’t have the guts to describe his face. She can’t bare to think about the man.

For she might as-well just loose her control on her elytra and end up plunging into an ocean like a plane after turbulence.

She wishes that she had snapped back. At least once. At least twice, or maybe as much as she wished to do so. Point Leo out, how he’s blaming everybody for his mistake whereas he isn’t even aware of his own actions. Or he is aware, but he isn’t too brave to confront so. Ever since the incident, Jumper’s view of him have changed drastically.

It’s hopeless. She thought of him as a trustworthy leader. She’d follow in his footsteps and they’d conquer the server with their morals and passion.

Sure, maybe a handful of arguments altered her view quite a few times. It was frank, to be honest. BAT seemed like it was going to break off every 2-3 weeks. But that was the charm BAT had, the charm she loved so much and motivated her to stay in the organization. She wish she hadn’t, but let’s not drag that topic on, shall we?

JumperWho is running away, like always. She’s not facing her true emotions, she’s letting it all sink to the pit of her stomach, lets the acid burn it down and digests it. It ends up into her blood system, it becomes something she always does. A bad habit. Everybody had bad habits, no?

The rain hit her face like a hard punch. Like mother nature’s telling her to wake the fuck up and know where you’re flying off to before you waste your fireworks over flying in the middle of a stupid ocean. Cruel way to deliver a warning. Jumper hummed shortly, brushing off the thoughts winding through and focused on one destination:

Her base she used to hide and reside in way before she joined BAT. It was her first space of comfort before she ended up moving in to a base closer to BAT’s HQ. She left all her stuff here because she though she’d end up staying just for a while before the feeling of homesickness catches up and she’d have to return. BAT proved wrong.

They frequently visited her base, found ways to entertain her when she was bored and made sure she never felt cold. Sure, maybe the base she used to have has a large fireplace— but this base specifically? It’s like it’s a fire pit itself.

And she’s burning with their affection. Rotting in the flames of their actions and words. She enjoys it, even it she breaths out dark smoke. Coming back feels like returning to an ex you swore to never return back to. However, the girl has no other option than to suck it up and head there for temporary shelter.

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She finally arrived at the base. It was a quaint little cottage in the middle of a dark wood forest. Tucked deeply in the shadows where foxes would climb on the roofs like it was a structure for them to play on. It was surrounded by trees, so much trees to the point every night she slept there, at-least 2-3 pinecones must’ve dropped onto the roof tiles with a loud bang.

The moment she stepped in, she couldn’t help the glint of amusement. In a server like Unstable, you’d have expected that her base had already been ransacked or worst, burnt to the ground. But no, it’s standing tall and proud. All her items she left, newspaper, pens or medicine was sprawled on the coffee table just how she had left it.

She didn’t close the door behind her. Instead, her pink eyes searched for the fireplace instantly like an instant instinct. Logically, the fire was already out with how long she has abandoned and left it to die with dust bunnies. A frown pursed her lips. The wood was already insufficient enough to start a fire, she bets she’d have to go chopping for some more logs. Tragic, really. Loves warmth, and her favorite fireplace’s out.

…BAT’s fireplace would never. But it’s fine. She doesn’t think she’d want to talk about that as of now. Jumper breathed in a large breath of air, only to cough it back up after choking on the dust that came along. “Shit, this place is fucking dusty.” 

She already felt the insides of her nose swelling up. The snot was starting to run down the canals. Disgusted, the woman wiped away the gooey liquid on her sleeves as she tried her best not to sneeze and cause a sneeze fest with the ghosts in here, or something. Jumper never liked dusty places. It’s an invitation for an illness. She loved old and ancient antiques, however she never loved the dust clinging to porcelain.

She sucked the snot back her nose. It proved to backfire, however. It seemed to burn when she did, and she just ended up coughing and inhaling more dust. This can’t do. The base is way too dusty and dirty for a human being to stay inside.

Sure, she loves the fireplace there. It’s definitely larger than BAT’s fireplace. She’d want to light it up properly and take some time to herself, but the gnawing guilt and need to isolate or punish herself is growing stronger by the minute. Jumper can’t control it.

She knows this is wrong. She knows this is disrespecting herself, her justice and self-love. She knows she’s invalidating everything she once stood for, especially for herself. She knows yet she can’t help but push herself away and end up making things worse for her.

When all she really deserves is a break, a good rest, hot chocolate, her favorite blanket and everything that kept her safe. However, Unstable Universe was nowhere but safe. Her old lair? Unsafe. Even if she built a new base, people could easily find it. Her friends aren’t there to back her up, anymore. So, conclusion: everywhere is unsafe.

Unless, she isolates herself in a biome.

This sounds very stupid. She knows it herself. She’s throwing her body and her mind into unrecognized terrain to distance herself from the past. Furthermore, she’s causing harm to herself by being so far out in the map. If anything happens, she dies alone.

Of course, the thought scares her. But the thought to get revenge on Leo— it was stronger and it overpowered her morality. Her whole entire motto was: never betray a teammate. But you guess what? An eye for an eye, because she killed her spy to protect a friends of hers.

Although, it’s quite unbalanced. She ended up getting kicked out of the team by a person who commits the same crime. Foolish, isn’t it?

She was planning to get revenge on Leo. A person never betrays a teammate. That should stick with you forever. Even in Lifesteal and Levels SMP, she stayed true to her friends and marched with them each cross of the way. Sacrifices had to be made. She endured the consequences with silence. She always did. She doesn’t fight her karma, she deserves it.

She already received her karma for murdering a spy in cold blood. Which was getting banned off a team she loved the most. It hurt. If you compiled the pain with her guilt of the cold-blooded murder, Jumper would have every single right to cry her eyes out and whine or refute her fate. Turn into a villain. But she didn’t.

Because it isn’t right. She should suffer the weight of her actions.

Yet, Leo hasn’t. She thought his karma would be forcing her to leave the team. However, the moment she analyzed his stiff figure in the rain— all he could spot was that anger and indifference he always showed during reckless decisions. Maybe that’s also what's causing her to make a reckless decision. His stupidly blank look and complexion he displayed.

Did he not care? For her?

JumperWho is a woman who prioritizes vengeance and satisfaction. She’d do anything to get revenge on Leo, one way or another. She’s obsessed, she knows. She sounds like a psychopath. She knows. But she must make sure Leo will never mess with a woman like her again.

Or die trying.

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The brunette flew through the air, the foggy air below causing her difficulties to see properly. It was hard finding a biome to settle in. A forest seemed ideal, but because the area was so isolated from civilization, all kinds of mobs lurk the forest. She doesn’t think she can build a base and survive there overnight.

Jumper pressed her lips tightly, pink eyes scanning the far ground. It was hard to see with the wind blowing at her face but she’s managing, alright? Any other player would’ve toppled to the dirt by then. She’s holding up.

Just a couple minutes earlier, she ravaged her old chests and shulkers for items. She found some rockets, decided that it would be a good contributing thing to the long time she’ll spend in the sky. She tried searching for armor. It proved quite helpless, however. There seemed to be almost not a single piece of either netherite or diamond armor. She’ll have to stick with the armor she has.

Quite a shame. She’s not looking to search for anymore supplies. She doesn’t feel like it. She just wants to make sure she’s comfortable in her own place. That was quite hard to do considering she still hasn’t found a biome to settle in despite 30 minutes of flailing alongside the birds and random lost puffs of clouds.

Just as Jumper had thought she had no place to stay in at all, she ended up finding a perfect place to construct her unfinished plan of revenge. In the brutal cold where the winds never gave mercy, in the silence where you’d hear your own blood streaming through your eardrums. Jumper had never liked the snow biome. It was eerie and it terrified her a lot. Sure, maybe it was childish to be afraid of a little cold. But everybody has weaknesses and strength after all, right?

The snow crumpled under her skidding feet. Jumper wasn’t used to landing in a slippery terrain. She ended up almost falling hard on her head and give herself a concussion which she’d really not like. Nobody from BAT knows about her plan, or her whereabouts. Not even Derapchu, the person she’d call every night.

“I-It’s so cold.” Jumper shivered, her arms flying to hug her torso. Even under the hard comfort of her netherite armor, she felt extremely cold. Dread washed over the woman but you know what they say. Persistence was the dam stopping hesitance. Hence, she continued to walk around despite twitching with every snowflake that landed on her fingers or the nape of her neck.

Plus, the more she searched, the more she seemed to regret the decision of ever coming here. Her rocket supply was running low, on 22 now. Before coming here, it was 2 full stacks unfortunately reduced to the amount she had now. Naturally, the snow biome’s a few thousand blocks away from spawn had igloos small or big because players resided in the snow biome. Jumper was fascinated with those types of players.

‘How do they survive like that?’ She recalls herself asking way back in the past. Guess she’ll find the answer on her own by then. Gulping the saliva collecting at her throat, she continued to leave shoe prints in the snow, unbothered to cover them up incase a random player stumbles by. The frequent snowstorms would help her with that. She wouldn’t need to take the burden of turning around to mess around with the snow and cover her tracks.

It was hopeless. No matter how much Jumper mapped the area or turned around to make sure there wasn’t at-least one structure for her to rest in, all she found was endless piles of snow and clean rabbit bones tucked into the dirt like a flag of declaration. ‘Warning, do not go beyond’

The warning was clear as day. If there were so many rabbit bones around, the temperature must be so drastic and dramatic to leave a boneyard around. In the end, she was forced to stay in between two biomes.

The snow biome and the unknown forest. The grounds clashed with each other. The snow melted where the forest’s dirt was scattered. That’s just how Minecraft logic works. Biomes don’t mix in, or transition. It’s like somebody mashed up pictures together, not bothering to blend them in or blur the edges. One step, and you’re registered into a new biome. She found a tree a few meters stretching from the edge. Of course, she kept her promise of residing in the icy place. 

The tree was rather large. You could sit under it and bask in the non-existence sun. Read a book, play a Nintendo, write a letter to your penpal or something. Jumper sighed when she sat down by the trunk. The leaves managed to serve as a kind blockage for the harder and larger clumps of snow to pass through. She wouldn’t need to worry about practically rocks interrupting her sleep and bruising her pretty face. 

Slowly, she let her figure ease into the snow below. Sure, it felt uncomfortable. The water stuck in the snow dampened her back and her cheek. However it was the only thing that could give her quiet, peace and solace for now. The only bed that could send her to a sweet dream where she wouldn’t have to think anymore. Even if the bed was harsh and freezing under her palms, even if there was no blankets to warm her up— Jumper never whined about it.

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Jumper’s eyes fluttered open when a moth landed on her closed eyelid. She jolted awake, brushing away the insect and wiping the skin where it landed. She wasn’t afraid or disgusted by insects. In-fact, she found them amusing and concluded they were great subjects to study. Though, she cannot keep a positive view of them if they keep on startling her during her moment of vulnerability.

She felt cold. Really, really cold. The ghost of her breath above the plump of her lips was clearly drying the skin off, turning it chapped. Pain ached at her head and Jumper squeezed her eyes shut as if that would stop the constant pangs in her skull.

She desperately needs warmth, now.

Lucky for her, there were a few branches snapped off from the tree above her. It seemed like it sufficed enough for her to start a fire, even if small. It would hold up for now, and she’ll build a better campfire later. The dampness on her scalp didn’t hurt any less. Jumper grimaced, trying her best to warm herself up to no effort at all.

“Fuck, this headache really isn’t helping.”

Standing up, she forced herself to walk and circle around the massive tree. She grabbed the first few branches she found, tucked it beneath her armpit and continued shoveling at the snow in hopes she found more. Amidst the search, she evidently found another bone of a rabbit. Jumper felt a little sad seeing all the bones littered throughout. It just proved that she more alone than she thought.

‘Poor rabbits. You must’ve been so alone in the cold, weren’t you? I feel the same. I feel alone, too—‘ Jumpers trains of thoughts derailed when she felt her feet hook onto something hard below. She yelped, the sound pitched and loud as she felt her legs give out. Unfortunately, the woman was given no time to react before she fell face-first into the snow. 

Skin melt the cold touch of ice, and that never ended up very nicely.

“Nghh, shit…” A whimper of pain, followed by the girl flopping over to wipe at her nose that was now running with both snot and blood. Great, what a lucky day. The blood tinged her skin, painting thin coats of red paint where she wiped away the cold sensation. She held in the urge to sneeze, knowing that the blood will end up flying everywhere. She felt literal knots in each of her nostrils and she’d be lying if it didn’t hurt like a bitch.

“Mhhhg.” 

With slow and easy movements, she stood up and wiped away the remaining blood before it could drip down into her lips. Jumper doesn’t like the taste of iron, she’d throw up the moment she felt a bead of the taste on her tongue. Learnt that the hard way when she was younger.

The branches were still all snuggled up in between the crevice of her armpit. It was uncomfortable, sure, but she needs it to light the fire. She’s glad she brought her flint and steel as well, otherwise it’d be another hassle to find other stuff just to start a fire that’ll most probably die down after another storm.

Once she finally circled back to the front of the tree (well, she thought so) she dropped the bundle of sticks into a spot, rearranging it neatly. The sticks leaned against one another, their foots buried into the dirt. A quick and easy hack, quite sturdy if she says so herself. Parrot taught her.

She fished her pockets for her flint and steel.

Hissed when the cold metal touched the tip of her fingers. It hurt a lot, like she was touching the surface of dry ice. If the flint and steel underneath the fabric had already been froze to this extent, she doesn’t want to know what happened to the lens of her goggles by this point.

Anyways, no time to dwell. Vigorously shaking her hand, she ignored the icy sensation and held the item between her fingers.

Flick. The flame didn’t ignite.

Flick once again yet the expected view of the spark didn’t appear. Shit, did the cold mess up the thing that bad? Or is she using a worn down version.

Flick again. It didn’t come to life. Jumper was starting to get frustrated. Her warmth and heat source was going to rely on this last flint and steel she had found lying in her chest.

“Aishh…!” She hissed, the air seeping between the gap of her teeth. It wasn’t looking well for her. No matter how many times she flicked it, no matter how much force she applied, it just wouldn’t—

The flame ignited, although small, it gave Jumper a sense of security and relief. “Phew.” A soft exhale flew past her lips. The back of her wrist reached up her forehead and wiped away the non-existent bead of sweat collecting by her scalp. Muscle memory from past missions. Talking about past missions…

The girl plopped onto her butt, settling and adapting to the cold snow underneath. It was warmer when you got used to it, or maybe that’s just Jumper’s body telling her to get the fuck out and live her life.

Anyways, about missions. She wondered how her fellow group of spies are doing. The only reason she didn’t refute to leaving BAT was because she trusted Leo as a leader to put her spies to what they’re supposed to be used for. Not to enforce them in war or big battles. Some of them were only youngsters after all. Did they miss her? 

If so, she misses them too. Her spies were undoubtedly one of the many groups of people she trusted besides BAT. And her spies trusted her, too. She made sure to go out of her way to ensure their comfort and safety under her command. Every single of her spies that fell— she memorized their names and prayed for them every single day.

Are they praying for her, too?

Her thoughts were then interrupted by a loud growl. A loud growl of a bear. Actually, no. Not a bear. Scrap that. Her stomach rumbled loudly. Even if she was isolated and alone, red dusted her cheeks in embarrassment. ‘How embarrassing…’ she thought to herself.

Well, she only has a wooden axe to her name. Her BAT sword is around, but it’s not going to be used for hunting. Might as-well use the sword properly and hunt some animals down for food. She needs to insatiate her hunger— for a human being can be as feral as a demon when starving.

“Welp, no animal survives in this region besides snow rabbits and polar bears. I might aswell head to the other biome.” She said to nobody in particular. How lone. Jumper hastily stood up, her hands brushing away the snow clinging to her armor. Which naturally meant, she determined no animal could be surviving healthy and well under this area. So, to the neighboring biome there is.

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Swing!

Jumper’s axe raised in the air, with the momentum she’d given herself, she raised it down crashing into the air with one singular whip of her arms. The sharp edge of the stained axe drove into the neck of a rabbit. The flesh tore at it’s neck. The blade separated the flesh of the torso and the head.

The rabbit was left with no voice to scream. The blood gurgled in its throat once the axe was plunged deep into its meat. The perpetrator winced, staring harshly at the gruesome sight of animal gore. She was good at hunting, yet not used. There were always hunters in BAT, she wasn’t one of them. She either just cooked or ate happily.

Gripping the handle of the axe, she retracted it out of the rabbit. And with what little mangled body it had left, she held it tightly by it’s two floppy ears like the strap of a bag. And just before the girl wanted to turn around and finally return back to her campsite, she heard and felt something odd.

Having being assigned to a group of invisible people, she knew how to differentiate animal footsteps, if anything was secretly following her or how to know about invisible particles. Good news first— this wasn’t a player. Bad news? Either a bear or a bloodthirsty wolf. She can’t differentiate with the wind all up in her ears.

‘It’s behind me, isn’t it?’

Jumper gulped, the feeling of dread bubbling in her chest. And with slow steps, she settled the body of the rabbit down before turning slowly to whatever the fuck was creeping up behind her. Before her very eyes? A wolf? Yes. Is it bloodthirsty? Also yes. Does it happen to be the largest wolf she has ever seen? Oh, definitely.

“Oh, shit!” 

The wolf wasted no time in pouncing on Jumper. And in that matter of a few seconds, her life flashed right before her eyes. A wave of fear and desperation washed over her. Her armor only covered her chest and her upper arm, not her forearm. “Get off me!” She screamed, like it would. An animal hungry is an animal hungry. 

Luckily, before it could bite, a smart thought finally crossed in her mind. She forced her aching head to raise up— and slammed in straight into the wolf’s forehead. The wolf cries, sniffling as it backed off of Jumper.

Taking the chance since the wolf was distracted, she scrambled away. Dragging her pathetic legs as she reversed backwards.

She was quick, but the wolf recovered faster. It howled, with the booming voice reverberating through the air and it pouncing for the second time onto the girl. She was left struggling under its ginormous build, with Jumper squirming and kicking her feet in an attempt to shrug off the rabid animal. In a moment of fleeting franticness, she turned to her right. Maybe Leo would save her.

No, stupid. Leo left you to dry, why would he save you?

Her hair fell over her face where it should be tied into a purple ribbon. The lace was untied, lost amongst the walls of her thick hair. Her attention switched back to the wolf trying to devour her, how she was putting up a fight that she couldn’t win. Her wooden axe was torn away from her hands when the beast had caged her. ‘It’s pointless. Give it up,’ her thoughts were mixed between fight or die.

However, with just a little stretch of her arm, she could reach for the axe. And she luckily discovered it just a few seconds before she was going to give up and let the animal maul her. To do that, she’s going to need a distraction so she could push the wolf off and reach for the handle.

Pink eyes darted between the weapon and the wolf, then to the surroundings.

‘I’ll need to sacrifice something.’

But what? Her legs were incredibly important to her, her prized possession hence the name of JumperWho. She still remembers how she used that pair of limbs for her first week on Lifesteal for a stupid challenge she wouldn’t benefit from. ‘My arm.’ 

The thought was quick, reckless and just.. something last minute to satisfy the ache in her chest from her heart bumping thuds on her ribcage.

So for once, she stopped squirming and guarded her left arm over her face. As quick as she put up the front, the wolf was quicker. It immediately launched its teeth and fangs to sink into her sink, bypassing the sleeve of her hoodie. “Ah, shit!” 

Glossy tears were starting to form in her eyes. Between sobs and hitched breaths, she dragged herself to scurry back. Her free hand flailed in the air for the handle whilst the wolf gnawed on it like a woodchuck.

Of course, she made effort to stop or slow down the beast by kicking her feet. It made the wolf lose its balance every now and then, but then it would clam back around her wrist.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt her palm touch the wooden handle of the axe. Fingers wrapped tightly around the wood, weakly lifting it into the air. Barely succeeding with how much pain she was enduring in her other arm.

“Hngh—”

“Take this, you scum!”

And with the final battle cry, she plunged it into the face of the animal. She watched as the blade drove deep into its nose, and eyes, it split open its face. And if she focused, she would see the contents of its brain spilling between the bones.

It went limp. The teeth wasn’t pressuring her skin anymore. She felt it, anyways. Its hard teeth left her flesh as it fell back down.

For a few moments, she just stared with heavy breaths and wet eyes. Back to her arm, which was shaking uncontrollably. The pain was so sharp. Even if the source of pain left her, the after-pressure was still as bad. The blood was warm. A significant detail that comforted her. She’s alive.

And she now has two sources of food that could keep her going for some time! Isn’t that just great? Great was all she felt with the constant ache through her numb limb. Now, all she has to do is drag the two carcasses back to the tree she marked as her base.

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How is she still standing? Adrenaline only lasted for an average amount of time for a human. So then, was she human? The questions were rapid and repeating in her mind as she struggled to breath after the switch in temperature. Minecraft is harsh, ain’t it?

Once she arrived to her (barely) comfort space, Jumper quickly threw the carcasses somewhere behind a side of the tree. Luckily, the fire was still running. Not logical at all. Wouldn’t it have dispersed under the harsh weather?

Her armor was definitely scuffed up from the struggle earlier. But she didn’t have any materials or enchantment potions to fix or repair the part that needed fixing. She’ll just have to stick to it, as long as it’s still intact, it’ll warm her up even for a little bit longer.

Her left arm was trickling with crimson. Dried blood stained her fingernails, and fresh blood continued pouring down. Unfortunately, Minecraft doesn’t have a feature where you bleed out to death. All you have is the hearts system. You may pass out, but you may not die. That was Jumper’s case and right now she was on 6 hearts.

And she’d need something to wrap the wound up before she passes out and another beast eats her in her sleep. The smell of iron is enticing to starvation, is it not?

After scanning the area, there proved to be nothing, not a single fabric to tie up around her skin at all.

Actually, there is. Barely.

It’s tied tightly onto the handle of her sword. The BAT sword gifted after she had entered the organization. Ever since then, she would be determined to keep it safe and never let it break. The hilt had little holes and she used that to her advantage. In her free time, she handcrafted tassels with colors that represented each member. Company for her journey.

And the sheath— the sheath was wrapped in fabric covered in dyed logos of BAT.

Right, that’s it! Jumper, you’re a genius!

She kneeled on the ground, next to the sword. Slowly, she unsheathed it. The sword left the comfort of its shell. Gently, she placed the sword another place and focused on the sheath. The fabric was… enough to dress a wound and prevent further bleeding.

She got to work, untying the ribbon. Once the cloth broke free, she busied herself with tying it around her injured limb. Even though she struggled to do the task, but hey, let’s not talk about that. Who else doesn’t struggle when tying stuff with one hand? Now, she was hungry. Starving. Her mind flickered back to the ferocious wolf, maybe that’s what it was feeling. Animals and humans doesn’t differ much in behavior traits.

The predator, the prey. The owner, the slave. That’s how the world ran in this server. Just like the invisible mafia. She knew that a large portion of the players were most likely abducted and forced into the group. Most were just young teenagers. That’s why she absolutely hates wars and battles. Especially when she needs to put her spies to work.

She’d constantly debate with Leo. He wanted to use them for war and fight, with or without consent. He had good morals (she thought) but he acted on it with immaturity. They were her spies. And despite every protest she started, he shut her up with his intimidating leadership.

The fabric pressed on the wound. It hurt, she winced every few seconds. But it worked. The bleeding wasn’t as severe with the help of the makeshift bandage dressing so she was grateful for that. But now? She was starving. She’s a hungry woman, she craves meat and satiation.

The wolf was first, like it was revenge on the animal for ever attacking her. The split on its face had already dried up in a short amount of time. Just proof that the weather was brutal and unmerciful. Even if you get slit by the neck, it’ll dry up in the span of half and hour to just an hour.

“What am I on about? The animal was just hungry.”

Jumper shook away the thoughts and held her wooden axe. Now, was the time to skin the animal. Had she not joined BAT, she wouldn’t know even the basic fundamentals to prepping a wolf for dinner.

With slow and easy movements, she sliced the skin of the wolf and shredded the thin layer off, revealing the red muscle below.

And she continued the flow of her movements, letting the tip of the axe glide below the fur and just above the flesh enough to strip the wolf of its outer layer. The excess flaps of skin were thrown away, inedible due to the obnoxious amount of fur.

Once she finished the task, she was left with the beautiful artistry of a skinless wolf. The head was missing, she decided to chop it off since it proved unusable.

If she could, she would’ve took a picture. But she didn’t, all she had were her eyes to take in the detail and her brain to memorize each and every etch she created on the beast. Isn’t it mesmerizing, how life is? The wold was rabid, loud and persistent just an hour or two ago. Now, it was lying vulnerable and lifeless. Headless, skinless. If she could admire it for an hour longer, she would. But she wouldn’t, because she needs to debone it.

You can’t exactly expect her to eat the bones aswell, would she? 

The girl rushed to work, deboning the wolf. Her hand slid between flesh as her axe craved its way between nerves while she used her fingers to slowly pull the bones out. The flesh that were no longer supported by calcium-filled cartilage was limp like jello. She continued repeating the process for each part until the wolf— was now just clumps of meat stuck together.

And now, just to start gutting the flesh.

Slowly, she traced the tip of the blade over the stomach and created the opening of a void to its insides. From there, she found the ropes of meat tangled inside. Her finger slipped between the slit of the cut, scissoring it apart while her other hand reached for the gut.

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She tossed the meat by the edge of the bonfire, arranging the fresh meat with precision as the fire proceeded to cook the meat. She wasn’t a five star Michelin chef or whatever, she was a normal player surviving on Unstable Universe. 

And she waited for the meat to cook.

Waiting for meat to cook wasn’t that.. boring. Maybe that was because last time she went on a camping trip was with Leo, Derapchu and Nufuli. She also received news that Nufuli was dead— it was all so sudden, too. Nufuli, one of her closest friends in BAT. Gone.

She misses the faint and niche atmosphere with BAT. Derapchu, with his stupid jokes. Leo, laughing along with that awkwardly deep voice. Parrot maintaining the situation’s peace. Nufuli always sat beside her to whisper some sort of hidden insult towards Derapchu.

And she always laughed about it. No doubt that she found Nufuli to be the quiet joker of the team sometimes. His retorts and casual side-eyes always caught her stuck between hitched breaths and giggles. She misses the way she couldn’t breath and had to be scolded to sense by Leo.

She closed her eyes, letting her eyelids veil darkness over her irises. Her knees pressed against her chest and her arms rested over, her face buried into the nook of her arms.

She could almost hear Derapchu uttering puns and dad jokes. Nufuli leaning in, ghosting hot breath over her ear to whisper something like “he’s disgusting” or “he’s weird”

As if it wasn’t obvious enough, it was.

She lifted her head. Her brown hair was tangled and all messy after the encounter with the wolf in the woods. Her purple ribbon was missing, it probably flew away in the wind. So now, she just had one pigtail and it was tied in the pink one.

Originally, the ribbon was pink. But she bought another lace, a purple one. For Vitalasy, back in Lifesteal.

Oh, the meat was cooked. Minecraft logic wasn’t quite logical or whatever. No matter how professionally you cooked the meat, how long you let it sizzle and how pink or juicy it looked on the inside, it tasted the same. Bland, blank, empty. The only thing that made a difference was the texture. Let her thoughts tell you something; a tradition of BAT was to let meat simmer in soup to give it flavor. 

Most importantly, cooking it with your comrades. Seasoning or not, Jumper loved cooking or baking with her friends. At the end of the day, the bland food turned into what could match a delicacy in Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen or whatnot. Point is, the food tastes better when shared with friends. Right now, Jumper’s all by herself.

She picked up the meat with her bare hands, letting the cooked flesh pass her chapped lips. The familiar and uncomfortable taste filled her mouth almost instantly as she chewed. The wolf.. didn’t have that much meat to spare. A shame, really. The only thing making it feel good was the victory of defeating the wolf and living to see another day.

Eventually, she finishes up the remaining amount of meat just before nightfall. Perfect, no more meat wasted. She was full, now. No more rumbling from her stomach. The food didn’t satisfy her taste, but it satisfied her pride and hunger for sure.

She scooted closer to the fire, letting her head rest on the snow as a pillow but didn’t close her eyes yet. The fire kissed her skin with warmth, the orange hues painting a tint on her skin and a glint in the reflection of her eyes. At first, she couldn’t drift off to sleep.

Although, with the help of BAT and hallucinations, she was able to.

Leo had her head lying on his lap as his hand raked through her hair. Derapchu used her thigh as a pillow, snoring loudly. Parrot hummed, his vocals as clear as day, harmonizing with the owls. Nufuli lied in-front, face-to-face. Breaths mixed, Jumper basking in the solace of her friends.

That’s how BAT always slept on colder days in the woods.

Maybe Jumper’s mind could recreate the sensation, but her body wouldn’t. Either way, it provided enough sense of comfort through delusion as she ended up drifting to the abyss and slumbering.

Jumper was sat in the middle of a flower field under the biome of cherry trees. The sensation of grass beneath her skin and feet wasn’t unfamiliar, it was a feeling she had grown accustomed to and enjoyed deeply. The insects crawling over the grass, miniature and frail like ants; she let them crawl over her figure, as long as they didn’t sneak under her clothes. The sun was setting in the sky, marking the end of the day and painting the sky a beautiful shade of red and orange.

The wind blew against her face and it sent her brown strands flying over her features, getting all up in her lips or nose while she laughed in pure joy. She squinted when the sun blinded her a little too much. In her hands, she was cupping a small pile of shredded leaves.

 “Hahaha! You look stupid covered in leaves, Jumper!”

She tilted her head slightly, enough just to catch glimpse of the cheeky brown haired gamer grinning like a sheepish idiot. Derapchu. He tore up dried leaves on the ground, piling them into a mountain in his palms before showering it above Jumper. 

“Leave the girl alone,” Leo firmly scolded. But even he couldn’t hold back the tone of stifled laughter.

She turned to her left. A certain avian, just staring at the sunset, admiring the nature and the sky of Unstable Universe with silence and adoration. Parrot must have strong eyes, if he can stare directly at the beam without hurting or giving himself blindness for a few seconds. She stared quietly, observing how he didn’t even notice her eyes raking over his figure. Slowly, Jumper reached her hand out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ears. Parrot flinched, his unique eyes darting to her in a split second.

“You startled me.” He muttered, red dusting his cheeks at his own overreaction.

“Pfffftt! Should’ve seen the look on your face!” Nufuli barked with laughter. Jumper looked back front. He was sprawled on the grass, the cherry leaves falling with every strong gust of air. “Close your mouth before you get flies flying inside,” Jumper teased, light hearted. 

“Nah, let him learn.” Parrot smiled, his wings flapping with the flow of the air. Derapchu scooted over to Nufuli, copying the man’s actions and laying down with ease and relaxation. “Ahhhh,” he mocked, parting his lips wide just to parrot Jumper’s advice. She sneered at this. Derapchu has a bad habit of mocking people.

“You—“

“Pfff, bleeghh!” Derapchu shot up, startling everybody within the circle. He fisted at his chest, tongue stuck out. His eyes squeezed shut while Nufuli bolted up with concern. “Bro, you alright?” He shook his shoulders. “Yeah, I just…”

“Some leaves got all up in my throat, ugh.” He pressed his lips together, hesitant to open his eyes to meet the judgmental gazes of his friends. Nufuli’s lips curled into a grin, eyebrows pressing in interest. “You mocked Jumper, and you received instant karma. Mogged.” 

“Oh, shut it.” The brunette snarled, rolling his eyes sassily. In reply to the interaction, Jumper giggled, her lips melting into that natural curve she had in moments like these with BAT. Leo sunk to his knees, matching Jumper’s level and slung his arm around her shoulder. “You’re like the pole keeping the team with morales.” 

It was hard to see Leo’s face with the sun reflecting a flash of white, and with the air blowing like a tornado was forming? Consider it impossible. Jumper’s smile fell, just by a fraction. But then, it climbed back up almost instantly. Brighter than the last. “That’s really good!” 

Derapchu groaned, placing an arm over his eyes. “Ughh, she’s beaming again! Everyone, cover your eyes!” 

Jumper’s stare fell to Parrot, who was lost in the moment. His eyes twinkled with affection and adoration for his friends, watching silently rather than engaging. He savors the memory, stores it deep inside his smart brain. And then, to Nufuli.

Nufuli was the team, no, HER private joker. A companion she always found scooting closer when sat together. Somebody she found comfort in complaining and whining to, a place of both comfort and pain.

Her eyes raked over Derapchu, the guy in a blue hoodie. He was cheeky, mischievous and effortlessly funny. He was constantly teased by the team for his ‘weeb-like’ behavior, but it was what made him, him. Derapchu is a friend Jumper had loved and cherished very deeply, even from Lifesteal.

Then, to Leo. Leo is a refined man she looked up to. He has good morals, standing on the better side and supported the team when things weren’t looking so good. A true example of a great, great leader. A legend etched into the name of Bounty Assassination Hunters.

For once, Jumper found herself safe, so so safe between the arms and laughter of her team. Her group of friends. She’ll stick with them forever, no matter what.

.

.

.

The woman jolted awake, like thunder struck her whilst she was sleeping peacefully. Her mind was everywhere, scrambled and messy. Her thoughts were tangled into a singular vine, uncomfortable and aching her head. She hated the sensation of her problems all knotting into one in the back of her mind, just behind her eyeballs.

“Fuck, it’s just… it’s nothing.”

She muttered to nobody in particular but herself. A voice so confident now low and quiet, faint and meek like a shy rabbit. Her words didn’t help her, no, especially not after she noticed something warm under her fingernails.

She lifted her hands to her eye view, only then realizing the small amount of blood trickling down her fingers. Then, her hand reached to her neck, where she felt damp skin and light traces of a scratch. She must’ve scratched herself in her sleep, then.

It wasn’t deep enough to hurt that bad, but it definitely hurt, alright. However, there wasn’t any bandages or roll of unused fabric to cover it with anymore. She would have to just.. wipe it off and go off with her day, wouldn’t she? After all, she was strong. Someone confident and mentally strong in the team that stood by Leo in meetings by all means.

She was just about to perform her morning exercise, just to realize it’s still night time. She doesn’t have a watch to know what the time was or keep track. She just survives on where the sun rises and where the moon sets in after the sun falls. Slowly, she wiped away the excess blood with the sleeve.

And then, lied back down by the ground. She stared at the stars barely concealed by the tree above. Thinking of random things to keep herself distracted enough until she falls asleep. About Isaac Newton, about Eve— about everything that could happen in a minute under the tree. Like the branch falling, impaling her. Or stabbing between her nose and eyes all the way to her forehead, just like the wolf from earlier in the day.

The morning rolled around easily, time was passing in a blur. Was it the next day, or the day after yesterday? Was it three days after that day? She was way too drained and tired to know. A bunch happens to the human’s state of mind when it slumbers in a delusion for way too long. And drowsiness was one of it.

However, she’s sure it has been long since that dream. A day or more.

Slowly, she sat up. Feeling something acidic in her chest and pressure on her stomach. Great, she’s hungry again. And now, all she has is a small rabbit. That day, she planned to get much more rabbits to feast on. But because of the wolf, she fortunately and unfortunately wasn’t able to despite filling herself with the wolf meat.

Her finger touched her neck. Expecting a slit, there was only a scab. Sensible, the cold temperature must’ve froze it into a scab. No more warm moist on the nape, just bumps of dried evidence. She was going to slowly spiral into insanity. The bonfire was surprisingly still alive despite the few days of being in the cold.

Adjusting the collar of her jacket, she reached over to the dead rabbit. Grabbing it by its ears, the head dangled off the flesh of the neck. Barely. She decided to just.. cut it off. Yanking the head in a swift motion, she ripped it away and tossed it like it was a soccer ball. Then, got to work. She finished it up quite quickly, since it was already the afternoon. She’d need to hunt for food, she can’t spend time dwelling and slacking like last time with the wolf.

After eating a few slabs of flesh, she decided to craft a chest out of wood she managed to punch that day. Just a small container for her meat. She can’t afford an ender chest, it’s mostly all blown up and popped by Leo. Her fingers lifted the head of the chest, opening it before placing the meat inside.

A little unsanitary, she knows. But what’s more unsanitary and unhealthy than the entire situation she was in? All her wounds were growing into scabs instead of healing quickly. She hummed when she shut the lid back down, kneeling.

She faced the tree and the chest, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together. “God, allow this meat to not rot.” She murmured, a silent prayer of fear.

Opening her eyes, she stood up. Taking her wooden axe, she ventured off into the depth of the woods where shadows were darker than usual. Or maybe, it was just her. The shadows of her friends camouflaging as raging trees with the wind. Jumper didn’t really have any other objective during this, all she needed was to hunt and hunt.

She also, certainly wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. Whilst the brunette was walking, fixated on the ground where she stomped on crunchy leaves, the sound distracting her short attention span—something bumped into her. Or she bumped into something. Same thing either way.

The impact caused her to lose her balance, stumbling before falling on her ass. Did she run into a tree? Why was a tree that hard, then? Millions of possibilities strayed in her mind, and she just hoped that a bad outcome wouldn’t be whatever this was. Either this was just another Minecraft spawn she hadn’t noticed, or…

Her eyes slowly trailed over their feet, then to their legs and raked all the way up, settling on two players dressed in netherite armor. Hold on, players? Players existed this far out in the world? Her lips slowly drifted agape in disbelief, not noticing the stare that they gave her. Predatory, hungry for her armor. “H-Hello.” She greeted.

All basic survival sense flew out the window. Jumper would scoot away from them, but right now? She was starved for social interactions. Maybe these players could help her. A bright idea flickered in her mind, maybe she could slowly build her way to revenge with the help of the duo.

“Wow, your netherite armor is really pretty.” The person on the left, chimed. Let’s call her A. A smiled, cupping her cheeks innocently. The skin squished below her palms, and it just sent a pang of hope through Jumper. She was adorable, easy on the eyes— easy to fool for somebody who was lost in the influence of the temperature, delusion and isolation. I think you know who I’m referring to.

“I agree. Amethyst trims, huh?” Person B chimed in, his voice almost way too high to be someone friendly. Jumper’s sharp instincts only kicked in when the second flew, and she stiffened when they pulled out their swords from their hotbar. Shit, she doesn’t have anything. That wooden axe is… useless.

“Hey, now.” She tried to reason, putting her hands up and waving it in the air. However, the gesture of friendliness was quickly rejected when the girl pointed her sword at her head and the boy pressed it against her chest plate.

“Give us your armor.” They demanded. Jumper’s heart thumped rapidly. Her eyes widened when she realized what they were going to do. Pressing her lips thinly, the girl tried to negotiate. “Wait, can I please—” a single sword did she utter, yet the tip pressed further to her neck.

She gulped, feeling the cold blade against the scabbed part of her skin. She felt exposed, since they noticed how her neck was scarred and littered with scratch marks. “You can’t do this, it’s, it’s not…” Her pleas fell on death ears, since they both only sharpened their stare. “Give us your armor or we deathban you, girl.” The boy threatened.

Not like this. Please. “You don’t have to do this. Please, don’t.” She begged, voice cracking. On the verge of crying from fear. She didn’t have any weapon to fight back. All she had was her hope, bare determination and fading will to live that kept her going on even under snowstorms.

“Ughck!” She grunted, feeling the tip of the blade sinking in. “Okay, stop! Please! I’ll give you my armor!” Jumper cried out, and only then did the girl retract her blade after the look of pure need for survival.

Reluctantly, Jumper placed her hands on her helmet. She unclipped the safety belts, placing it by her right. No way, she really was doing this and for legitimate. She never thought she’d see the day she’d be begging for her life, but she did. And is doing so, right now.

Her hand went to her chestplate, slowly shrugging it off. To the band of her leggings, unclipping it and sliding it off. To her shoes, stripping away every protection she had ever. In the forest, it wasn’t cold. It was warm. But Jumper knew that later, when she steps back into the snow biome, it’ll automatically be as cold as being bathed in ice.

“Good.” The girl nodded, tucking away her sword while the boy picked up what remained of Jumper’s armor. A little dented her and there, but a few enchantment pots could easily fix that. They turned, sending a mocking wave and leaving the girl stunned in a puddle of emotions.

A shaky exhale left Jumper when they finally faded from her view. The experience itself was traumatic on her weak mental state, and will probably be traumatic to her physical state now. Her hands ran up her body, hugging her stuttering form. She needs to make it back to her base, and quick. She’s hungry, again.

“Fuck,” was all that left Jumper. A squeaked voice, when she opened the lid of her wooden chest. She didn’t expect the meat to turn out like this, she really didn’t. Would it have been better leaving it out under the cold?

Her hand was clasped tightly over her nose and mouth, barely able to fixate. The rabbit meat, emergency meat, was rotten. How? It was crawling with insects. Like ants, some maggots and others. She almost threw up at the smell.

She stared at her hunger bar. 3. She needs to eat. But how? She can’t possibly eat this, can she?

But then again, she has eaten rotten flesh of zombies on many occasions. She just wasn’t used to it, and would immediately puke after eating it. It was a survival matter however. She needs to refill her hunger bar before she starts starving to death, not an ideal death, would it be? With shaky hands, she reached for the meat inside the chest.

“Oh god, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” She gagged, murmuring between covered lips. “This is disgusting, oh fuck.” She cursed as she watched the little insects wry their way, squirming and panicking once the meat folded over itself. It crawled all over the tissues, sickening her to her stomach.

With slow movements, she dragged the meat over her lips. Tilting her head, she hung it barely just a few meters away from her tongue. She watched as the gravity burdened the little worms, the worms now climbing downward the block of meat. “Sh-Shit. Save me.” She managed to plead just before she dropped the meat into her mouth.

The taste was instant— pungent, disgusting and gooey. She could feel the juices of the larvae whenever she bit down, chewing when she wished she couldn’t. Jumper chewed faster, ignoring the bitter taste and quickly swallowed the block down her throat despite the salty feeling pouring in her lungs.

She needs to puke, but she can’t. She could feel remnants of the meat stuck between her teeth, and it terrified her. The effects began settling in, dizziness, nausea and blurred surroundings. Most importantly, the most recognizable feeling: the feeling of your body growing limp and motionless, and the soft embrace of snow acting like a pillow once your head hit the ground.

Jumper laid on the cold concrete, black sprawling all over and coating the room in pure darkness. Her hair draped all across the hard surface, thick and thin strands mixing together into a tangled mess while her eyes bore to the ceiling of the abyss. 

And slowly, the scene opened with a few blinks of her eyes. She sat up, slowly and carefully once the setting of a forest adjusted in her vision.

Her hand went to grip her head, firm and grounding herself to reality. “My head hurts so bad,” she stated to herself. Observing the surroundings, she could deduct a few important points. One, this was eerie. Two, she was completely alone, and how did she wake up here? Three, she has her amethyst trimmed netherite armor. Four, this was oddly familiar.

When she curled the fingers on her other hand, she only then noticed the steel base of the sword. She glanced at the mysterious object, it was nothing but a netherite sword. Specifically, BAT’s sword. Custom tassels looped around the hilt, that was definitely hers.

“Kill them, Jumper.”

A voice, calm and airy. However, way too silent and ill. She recognized it almost immediately, the way the voice echoed and bounced off each wooden surface of the trees. A voice she found humming along to, a parrot and the rabbit that parrots the parrot. “Huh?” She hummed shortly, climbing to her feet and standing up.

“Is this a dream?” She asked, to herself. “Kill them, Jumper,” the voice repeated. She refuses to associate the voice with Parrot. Because no matter how similar the voice sounded to him, it never held the fear or desperation he had in that moment. “I just— I’ll just need to kill them. Then this’ll be over.”

“Kill them, Jumper.”

She slowly walked up to the cube trapping the invisible player, geared head to toe in netherite armor and labeled with BAT’s logo. Her spy. Jumper stood there for a second too long, blankly staring at the spy that kept their head down whilst her hand gripped tightly at the handle of her sword.

“Kill them, Jumper.”

A hitch of her breath, and a flicker of hesitation. Maybe if she just let the dream pass by, she’ll awake. She wouldn’t have to go through the experience of killing the spy with her bare hands again, no, not again. “BitOtter…” she murmured, voice quaint and reminiscent.

The spy lifted their head, just enough for Jumper to deduce that they were staring at her with pleading eyes. “Kill them, Jumper,” that voice again. Almost all hope drained from the spy, and they lowered their gaze again.

A spy and their leader standing face to face. Loyal, versus loyal. A lie versus the truth. “Kill them, Jumper,” the repeating sentence was almost obnoxious and sickening to Jumper, now. Her friend’s voice being used to commit something heartless, much to add that she misses them, it pained her.

With a slow lift of her arm, she positioned the sword to a stance she was used to. It was also something she taught one of the weaker or newer spies. An easy move. Enough movement, less damage and more to just wear a person down than to kill.

She could hear the spy’s shaky breaths, the way their armor followed the rise and fall of their chest. Especially, she could hear the muffled scream when her sword struck too deep. The scent of burned flesh, melting itself into her subconscious. Haunting the girl.

BitOtter was slain by JumperWho

.

.

.

The familiar view of the desolate snow covered biome blacked in. Her eyelashes could practically fall off if she touched them even once, now. Her breathing pattern was irregular, pausing and resuming every second. It’s cold. She was cold, really really cold.

She glanced over the bonfire. The flame was out, no wonder she was freezing like hell. With a shudder, she reached for the lighter in her pocket. Cold to the touch, but she couldn’t care less. Flick, her thumb rolled the wheel. Anticipating the flicker of flame though there was nothing. “A few more times.” She breathed in, holding her breath as she continued with her futile attempts.

Flick. The flame didn’t grow.

Flick again. The flame was silent.

Flick again and again. The flame was invisible.

Flick again, again and again. The fire was inaccessible. There was no way to ignite a spark anymore. Maybe the cold got to her lighter quicker than she think, she should’ve stored it inside the chest.

Pressing her lips thinly, the girl’s eyebrows arched together. “Come on,” she pleaded, shaking the lighter vigorously. The lighter didn’t respond anymore. Not like a few days earlier, it wasn’t responding. “Damn.” 

Jumper was resigned to it, seeing how she let the lighter fly away from her grasp shortly after the multiple amount of fails.

Just sleep. You can pass the time. Just sleep. Just sleep. The unhealthy encouragement repeated in her mind like a mantra, unyielding and infinite despite her body’s beg to give herself some warmth and proper food. Jumper sighed, her breath frost in the air as her head dropped back down to the fluffy clouds below.

Her hand curled, the uncurled. Clenched into a fist, her thumb painting over her darkened nails. Stripes of white drew across the shell, an indicator of not eating well or healthy, considering how she only ate wolf meat as much as she needed to, then got her rabbit meat rotten just to devour it anyways.

She loved life. She loved the warmth that radiated from life. She loved clinging to another human being, how they were so full of emotions, morales and indicators that they were alive. And now? Her life was slowly decaying, leaving her a molten shell. Maybe she really was going to die a slow and lonely death. Nature would bury her with snow instead of her friends digging out a grave for her. That’s just the way of life, isn’t it?

Jumper felt herself grow restless by the second. The act of harsh movements wore her down enough for her eyes to be half lidded again. It was enough to get her drifting off back into the moment where she found rest and peace, although just a generation of her mind. It’s all in her mind, and her delusions are creeping into her eyeballs.

She’s hungry. She’s really, really hungry. JumperWho jolted up after a significantly sharp stab through her stomach, she could feel her guts wrapping around each-other— she could feel the slick tube of her trachea tighten by every passing second. She felt her lungs tight and burning with every breath she took in or exhaled. Every single action. Blinking, breathing, it hurt.

Jumper whimpered in pain, clutching her abdomen as she doubled over, folding her body in two as her arm tightened around her waist. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. She needs food desperately. ‘But what?’ She thought. She would need to act fast.

Her hunger bar should be around 1/2, or something like that. With the way she groaned and winced, it was clear that she was in absolute need of food before her system gave out. Minecraft rules are harsher in real life. To survive, you must adapt and cry about it. But Jumper can’t.

She will never adapt in a place where no life stands, no, not even her.

A sharp wail tore out her throat when her stomach had the feeling of being stabbed, once again. It felt like pins and needles were stabbing inside and that the sharp edges of the said needle was coated in toxic acid. She was burning, quite literally burning from the inside out and there was nothing she could do but eat and at-least give her hunger bar some refill.

Her eyes scanned across the terrain. No rabbits. No wolves, no sign of minimally an apple strong enough to grow under the breeze of cold. ‘I’m hungry,’ she thought. It was obvious, and that were the only two words she could utter or mumble. If she did anymore, her stomach would hurt again. The weight of the situation settled in. She needed to eat, eat, eat, eat or she would die here.

Would she want her name to pop up like: “Jumper starved to death”? She wouldn’t, it would sound way too pathetic for a smart woman like her. So, she did the last thing her mind jumbled up as a last minute resort to having food. She pulled her sleeve up until her wrist, and—

Teeearr.

The skin where her teeth sunk in bled out, and she cried. The pain was like an ultimatum to passing out, but what was more important than getting any food for her hungry stomach. She felt the iron slowly coating her tongue, streaks of her blood pooling into the free space in her mouth. And as she ripped away, 

all she could feel or hear was the sound of her flesh ripping, like the sound of a zipper with every tear. Like taking away threads of a knitted masterpiece. She felt the blood splash on her face, painting her cheeks, nose and lips red. As she had managed to rip away a part of her flesh, the sensation fully sucked in.

It’s burning. That gaping hole in her flesh, the crimson oozing out, the warmth of the blood, it was like a waterfall. It painted her jeans, the snow, the small snapped branches below. It painted the way; in where she viewed the world. It was… beautiful. Gorgeous, magnificent and magnetic.

She couldn’t glance away from the black hole tunneling layers through her skin, reaching up to her bone where pristine white was seen. Between the strings of meat, it laid there precious and still, like it was begging to be deboned.

But she can’t debone herself. Disappointing, ain’t it?

She turned her attention to her leg, and lifted the fabric of her pants just enough until it stuck by her upper thigh. She pressed her bloodied mouth onto her thigh— just above the knee. An additional feeling, she could feel the way a smile formed even against the skin threatening to break.

And then, she bit down hard.

Her breath hitched when the pain settled in, an indicator for her to rip the block of herself away from her outer layer. Riipp, it sounded. Like a person biting into a crispy drumstick of chicken, whereas in this scenario, the drumstick was instead raw and cold by the outside, warm in the inside. She loved crystal candies, when it had a hard rock but gooey insides.

She wasn’t eating herself. She was just eating crystal candies. That’s what she was doing, isn’t she? She hummed lightly as she chewed on herself (literally) and swallowed with a sigh of relief. Her hunger bar had immediately climbed back up to it’s full greatness. Now, there was no more starving!

She’s not hungry anymore.

She giggled, the light air that was seeping into her mind getting her high into euphoria. The spots where a crater was formed was starting to feel numb. She pulled down her sleeve and pants. She watched as it sank down, lying on her exposed flesh and darkened as the blood coated.

Eventually, even as she bled, even as it hurt, even as the pain occasionally numbed to a point the wound felt like it never existed. Eventually, the euphoria would drive her into a slumber where she met the definition of eternal sleep.

“What the hell happened to them?”

“Oh my god, they look horrible.”

“We have to help them.”

“How? We can’t bring them back to our base.”

“I’ll just…”

Jumper’s eyes drifted open, pink irises welcoming the now familiar sight of the region. However, the air felt somewhat lighter, or tenser, she couldn’t understand or comprehend. She felt the weight of something heavy and cold in her palms.

At first, she thought that it was only snow piled up in her hands. But as she focused more on the said object, it was indeed, a potion bottle. On the front, there was labeled a pixel heart. Her eyes widened like saucers, sitting up almost immediately after recognizing the object.

A healing potion. She looked around, noticing the traces of deep footprints etched into the snow. Whoever this was, they were kind enough to leave Jumper a trinket for survival. Although they saw Jumper at her lowest and most vulnerable, she accepted it, well, because there was quite literally a full potion of a healing concoction. Held in her hands.

Her hands. 

She thought she’d never see the day that in this situation, she’d have something so.. valuable. Enrichment was something scarce when you’re stuck in the snow biome with nothing but yourself. She clasped her hands together, muttering a string of quickened thank you’s before popping the lid open and drinking it in one gulp.

Now, she loved regeneration potions. It always tasted like lychee, watermelon or rambutan. The taste was sweet, it was something she missed and adored back in her days with BAT specifically.

She felt the life grow back inside, like the bud of a rose growing its petals as warmth rekindled in the stream of her blood system.

She felt the feeling of her flesh connecting back together as her hearts grew back to 10 hearts. She felt refreshed and nice, clean from her own fangs. Besides, the taste was a good add-on. It washed away the foul and strong smell of iron that remained. That’s when a thought popped in her head;

If a player passed by somebody like herself, in a condition where they were rotting in the snow and has ate pieces of themselves— surely somebody as morale as Leo would consider meeting her and finally clearing things up, wouldn’t he?

She doesn’t need a hug. Or to return to the past. All she wants, is the clear truth coming from Leo. The truth of how imperfect he is. Jumper knows that Leo struggles a lot with his life. He’s busy, drowned in documents and papers. Although she’s always there alleviate his burden. She supported him through every step he took, encouraging him to leap further even though he was the leader.

His imperfections made him human. But what made him seem like a villain was the way he refused to acknowledge that imperfection. He denies it. After all, denial is a river in Egypt.

So, Jumper would do what any excited person would do.

She opened her chest, where all contents of her inventory came to rest. And just to her advantage, she brought a pen and paper for emergencies. Jumper was always prepared with the said stuff. It was necessity for BAT members to carry some with them incase they needed to jot something down.

She held the pen firmly as she began to press down on the first piece of paper she owned.

And with amazingly fast strokes, she wrote letters and converted them into a sentence. With her cursive font, anybody in BAT or close to her recognized it as her own handwriting. She was often praised for her neat and natural handwriting, after all. This was, especially, for Leo.

And as she wrote, she poured her whole heart into it. With each sentence, she climbed more and more to the hope that ignited within her. Chasing that light, her note was now filled to the brim with many emotions. Anger. Happiness. Envy. Relief. She felt many things with every stroke.

And just as she signed her signature, her hand paused for a second. Then a minute. Haphazardly, she pressed down again to draw a small doodle of herself. Beautiful. She smiled, reading over the words multiple times before taking another two slips of paper.

And in that paper, her grip was less dedicated. Although she still put in effort to write to them, it was still less. She spent all her energy writing for Leo. Although she was bothered to do so for her other friends she cherished, her hand just lost it’s passion even though that was just a few seconds earlier.

Something can be as full of life in one second, and the other, they could be drained of said life. That’s how Jumper felt after writing for Leo, her hand just fell loose back to her torso. And after she had finished, she neatly did some origami to resemble a letter. She loved origami a lot.

Creating paper planes.. dolls, penguins. It was a small eccentric hobby of hers she did whenever stressed or having too much time to herself.

Thankfully, using the Minecraft delivery system, she sent the letter to them specifically. Although Parrot and Derapchu’s letters were obviously sloppy compared to Leo’s, there was three fundamental things included in the letter.

1. Coordinates 

2. Time to meet

3. Her cry for help.

Now, anybody with eyes would notice her desperate plea and whines for proper help, right? Especially when she’s begging from somebody she thought of as a leader. Especially when the leader was specifically the closest to her. He would come, wouldn’t he? So she’s going to be rescued.

He’ll see the messy state. Feel bad, rescue her. Then reflect on his actions. Guilt, it was one of the strongest feelings a human could have. And Jumper plans to abuse that specific emotion. After all, she was a mastered student of psychology. Interested in the way the human mind could react and function to.

Jumper was quite bubbly a few hours after she sent that message. She sent it at midnight, and she knew that they were all early birds enough to receive her letter and head over to her location. She wanted them to meet her by the time day comes. Even though the alluring sun wasn’t visible at a place like this, she still fantasized of it. Besides, she could aways trust her gut feelings.

A few hours later, Jumper decided that her gut instincts were nagging at her too much. By now, she needs to fly to the area she had marked for them to arrive. Otherwise, she’d be late, wouldn’t she? She really hopes she wouldn’t be as late to the point BAT leaves after she sent her letter.

She knows it herself. She has probably disappeared for 2 weeks or more. She lost count of time, but she’s sure her friends had tried searching for her at least once or twice, no? She strapped her elytra over her shoulder, brushing away her hair that got in the way. She luckily had a few more rockets left, around 22. The spot she marked wasn’t too far, so she’s sure her rocket supply should be enough.

After making sure her appearance was.. appealing, despite her blood-stained clothes, blue lips and pale skin, she just needed to make sure she was recognizable. She doesn’t have a mirror. Who knows what she looks like, now? 

Her thumb grazed over her front teeth, feeling the smooth surface and the icky feeling of her meat. She surely have to had gum issues by now, especially after dunking all that rotten meat in one go. Jumper stood up, dusting off the excess particles of snow clinging to her hair or body.

Jumper flew over the area with the set of coordinates. By now, the amount of rockets she had to support her was reduced vastly, to an amount of 12 despite her trying to save or ration it by walking occasionally. And when she was tired, she’d use her elytra and the rockets she has been saving.

She scanned the area. The foggy atmosphere did not help at all. The set of coordinates she gave them was randomized, but all she knew was that it was in the biome. She hasn’t walked through this particular area, considering she has never seen the frozen lake stretching over the terrain like a snake.

Jumper slowly landed, letting her feet plant back onto the ground as she swayed right and left from motion sickness (Jumper didn’t like flying in foggy places) and the dread that rooted deep within herself the moment she landed. She doesn’t know why, but her gut instincts say that something isn’t going according to her way.

As she walked, she checked her current coordinates. She was close, and all she had to do is wait if they weren’t there. If BAT had already arrived but left a few minutes after— then, such a shame. Jumper would hate that. Who knows what she would do?

Stepping closer to the radius she marked, she noticed two faint figures amidst the cold weather. Her eyes widened, swirling back to life as she sprinted to the two players. Who were they? One of them has to be Leo, they have to be Leo! Surely, Leo has came to rescue her—

and she’ll save him from the obnoxious and hypocritical state of his corrupted morals. She swore to her oath to help a teammate when they need help. That’s why she’s even doing this.

She wants to help Leo see the truth in his actions, how much loopholes there is in his ‘strong-willed’ sense of justice. That’s why she’s shivering or breathing in cold air in the first place. That’s why she’s in this damned place, doomed to damnation. Fate hasn’t been weaving her way, but it surely needs to now.

However, as she found herself inching closer to the two figures, she only then realized that not a single one of them had matched the description of the man she was looking for. Albino. Golden eyes. Black suit. All of those beautiful features hidden under heavy armor. His deep voice— it wasn’t deep. No, this isn’t Leo. She overheard them conversing or maybe arguing. A man with a soft and bird-like voice. A man with a pitched voice.

"You sound like you don't even want to help Jumper anymore, Parrot! She saved you; you should be taking up every single chance there is now!"

"I gladly will, but not with somebody like y--"

Parrot, and Derapchu. Jumper’s breath stucken in her throat, her mouth agape as she stared silently between the two figures arguing. She never saw Parrot ever losing his composure and yelling at Derapchu like that. Were they angry? Angry at her, or angry at eachother? Besides, either way…

She’ll need to intervene before Parrot accidentally says something he wishes he didn’t to Derapchu.

Derapchu, he was somewhat sensitive, of course. Yes, he managed to handle arguments and fights but when it came to statements judging his persistence or something he admired in himself, he can’t help but let his emotions get the best of himself. Jumper wouldn’t want that.

She doesn’t want to be the reason her friends aren’t talking with one another. Even though she probably is, considering how they look like they’ve been searching for her every hour of the day they could spend.

So, she spoke up.

"You two. I haven't seen you in long."

She muttered, her voice croaky and raspy after long time of not using it anymore. However, it contained that familiarity which made the BAT members recognize her. The tone, the sweetness laced in it, the energy that never seemed to make her sound serious.

“Jumper.” Parrot stared, wide eyed. In return, she smiled. “What—?“ Derapchu finally turned his head. His jaw dropped, blinking many times as if making sure that this wasn’t a dream. She wasn’t a dream, even if she looked like one. Jumper stood frozen as they examined her condition.

Brown hair tangled, messy and crispy. Snowflakes stuck between strands, damp and probably hard to detangle even if using her fingers. Pink eyes that seemed to blank out with every passing second, missing somebody. Attire that stained in brown, both from dirt and old blood.

She must’ve noticed how they were unsettled by her smile. Her chapped, blue lips that were formally plump and red, it was now dried and desaturated.

That made her smile fall, even if just a little. They seem to be vastly concerned. Or, maybe her smile wasn’t pretty enough. Maybe, she just didn’t hold that beautiful signature of warmth that she usually did. Her life, her humanity, it had given out the moment she started being obsessed with Leo. She was so focused on him, to the point she has been draining herself.

 The only thing they recognized was her voice.

'Jumper, oh— oh my god! You’re alive! Jumper!” Derapchu smiled. Despite her bad situation, despite her leaving them to dry, ghosting him for weeks— he smiled. He was elated to see Jumper alive and… not well. Well, at-least Jumper was alive, wasn’t she?

The irony of it all fell on her like dumbbells. She gets it, now. She had been so fixated on Leo, developing an unhealthy obsession that shouldn’t exist in the first place. To the point she has reduced herself to nothing but a former shell. She has ignored her friends.

She has truly failed her friends.

'Hah— Hahahah..!” She giggled awkwardly, not from joy, not from relief, but from frustration to herself. She was stupid. Placing her bet of life on a man so hopeless. Ghosting her friends, ghosting her humanity and morales she stood for.

“So, Leo didn’t choose to come, I see.” She croaked, on the verge of tears. “I did everything. I didn’t put much effort in my letter to you two, but I did everything I could for him. I even added a stupid little drawing of myself at the corner.”

”How naive, I am. I believed that the bastard would tag along since he’s the curious type. Always has been. But it’s Leo, huh?”

”I should’ve known.”

Jumper tilted her head, that fake smile returning to her lips. The smile that etched itself deep in the minds of Parrot and Derapchu, and would most likely stay forever. But she doesn’t know that. “In the end, that fucking idiot still can’t face me, huh? Coward.” She cursed, eyes glancing to the side before glancing back to the duo.

"No matter. I appreciate you two for coming here. I’ll answer your questions.” said Jumper as her eyes trailed over Parrot’s nervous figure. She took note of how his claws were burrowing into his palm. Not goo.

“Don’t do that, Parrot. You’re going to hurt yourself.” She advised.

"You don’t have a say about what hurts me or not. You left me— left us for 3 weeks.” Parrot retorted. “We— well, I wanted to believe you were banned off of the server. But you always showed up in the server list.” He added, pausing for a second after before continuing:

"Why, Jumper?”

The atmosphere grew thicker, if could even have. It was thick in the first place. However, Jumper’s smile faltered, she couldn’t muster up a facade anymore. No, not anymore. Not when she sees how much she had left for the satisfaction of a man who’ll never understand.

“Because I wanted to get away.” 

“I wasn’t ignoring you two. I was just taking time for myself. Alone, and contemplating the blood of my own spy on my hands.” She started, steady and calm tone despite the whirlwind inside. "There’s not really enough appreciation within BAT. I appreciate my spies. I appreciate Leo, and I appreciate you two. I’m sure you appreciate me back seeing you came here.”

"But I can’t help but feel... envious at the same time, you know?” She stared at the ground, then at her hands. "Maybe it’s because of Leo. He’s a great leader, a prideful man and someone strong. I admire his qualities and all his strengths. But am I sure that isn’t just my naivety speaking?” 

"I looked up to him, made sure to follow in his footsteps and swore my oath to every inch of my body. I took care of my spies like how he needed me to do so. I made sure that all my documents at least had a few mentions of his name or credits at the far left, under my signature. Where did that get me?" Jumper felt tears slowly pour out, warm on her skin.

She hasn’t felt warmth besides her blood in a while. In response, she brought her knuckles up to wipe away the tears despite her frostbit skin falling off with that smooth motion. "Of course, I don't regret helping you at all, Parrot. Actually, I'm so glad I helped you."

"Sometimes, I have to realize that my ideals and morals don't fit in a universe like Unstable. Justification is never quite justified. Helping you and making sure you brought the truth was the greatest thing I've done in my history of being a BAT member." She watched as Parrot glanced away.

"Don't blame yourself, Parrot. I did my decision. Leo did his. I regret absolutely nothing, and I won't regret the thing I will be doing to myself. I can't say the same for Leo."

"What the hell do you mean, Jumper? What're you going to do?" Derapchu’s face scrunched up, the skin between his eyebrows folding together. She felt a stifle of laughter. That face, it was something she was used to when bonding with Derapchu. "Don't do anything stupid, Jumper. Please, I'm begging. Don't do anything you're going to regret. Please." He pleaded.

As soon as that plead and beg for mercy left him, Jumper managed to choke out a rasped laugh. "Don't worry about me, Derapchu."

"Why the hell are you telling me not to worry? You disappeared for 3 fucking weeks. You can't do shit like that and expect me not to overthink your words." He spat. "I can." She replied. "Cause I'm your friend."

"I can't do this anymore. Say hello to Leo for me." She sighed, her eyes sinking down as her foot folded to take a step back. She observed as Parrot inched closer. "Don't follow me unless you want me to do something I regret." The girl felt guilt in her heart, watching her devastated friends. But right now? She needs karma. She needs revenge on herself. How could she be so blind and turn her back to her friends? Her friends?

"It's not your fault. I'm sorry." She turned away, facing her back to the friends she loved so dearly. "Wait! Jumper, what are you going to do?!" Parrot intervened.

She paused, just enough for silence to settle in the air. "Making Leo regret." She responded, adjusting the strap of her elytra. Her hand firmly gripped her remaining rockets before setting off in the air. She purposely hid her face away from them. Why? Because she knew they’d know exactly what she would be doing, just by a glimpse of her face.

She was sorry for what she was about to do. No, she really is. She’s sorry, and the tears falling down as she soared in the sky were proof and evidence. Her heart clenched— oh how much she wanted to hug them, return to them. But no, she couldn’t. What good is she, if she’s going to be selfish?

Throwing her friends out for her satisfaction for revenge of a man. When did she stoop that low? Why would she stoop that low? Why would she abandon Parrot, Derapchu and Nufuli’s side, just to satisfy her selfishness? Jumper, you are a selfish woman.

She mindlessly flew by, not caring enough for the small stack of rockets slowly decreasing by every use. Before she knew it, her rockets had ran out. She didn’t have anymore, and she was still heading full speed into the sky. The snowflakes hit her as she began crashing down.

Her figure plummeted to the ground. As she crashed, a loud scream erupted. From her. She screamed in agony— either the agony from her actions or the physical pain, it felt like a heavy burden on her. She skidded in the snow, she had landed head first to the dirt. Luckily, there was snow.

Other wise, she would’ve took fall damage and died instantly. Which she would’ve preferred, but that’s alright. Jumper felt something odd and ominous trickling down her head, buried beneath locks of hair. And as she assumed, it was blood.

She was already pale, starting to lose circulation. And with her obtaining a concussion and somewhat cracked head, that would not be ideal.

Life didn’t decide to finish her off. It’s torturing her. However much it may hurt, the guilt and gnawing thorn of leaving her friends— it hurt worse. She pressed her lips thinly as she used her hands to support herself, slowly rising to her feet despite the pain echoing in her head.

With heavy steps, she began limping to a random direction. Not quite random, mainly because she was following the path of a frozen river. She doesn’t know the way home, she already forgot about it. Who wouldn’t, when in such a drastic situation like hers? The river guided her, like a hand outstretching itself to offer her help and solace.

That hand, it was like the sun— like her god. So she spiraled through, accepting the guidance of the ice. It wasn’t lost on her, the fact that she started seeing something other than snow as some ethereal being that could help her. But she trusted the false wall she built, even if everything she stood for was the truth. What was the truth, anymore?

“Aren’t you getting tired, Jumper?” At the sound of the voice, she flinched. Familiar, hollow. Nufuli. She turned her head, pausing her footsteps just slightly to catch a glimpse of the silhouette of her great friend, Nufuli. “N-Nufuli?” She stammered.

Although the shadow was a bright white, glowing like the sun— she could feel it smile. She could feel him smile, to be more precise. She felt herself growing giddy, yet kept herself steady to remind herself. This isn’t Nufuli. It isn’t he’s dead. “Hello, my companion!” He greeted.

However, his voice was way too real to not be Nufuli. With his figure that stood out, pristine and pure, almost like an angel. “Is that really you?” She asked, voice trembling. “Who wouldn’t it be? I’m Nufuli, of course.” He responded, an inch of sass in his tone. That’s when Jumper gave in, a wide grin stretching ear-to-ear.

“Oh my, Nufuli! I haven’t seen you in long. Did you always have white hair?” She pressed her lips together in a smile. “White hair? Maybe you’re going crazy,” he responded. Maybe she was. Is she really seeing the ghost of her dead friend? “I really, really missed you.” She added.

“I missed you too.” He replied with a softer tone. “But, Nufuli. Aren’t you dead? Are you even Nufuli?“ She asked, thousands of questions at once. She felt Nufuli’s vibe drop, most likely upset. “Shh, keep quiet now. Don’t speak of me like that. It’s disrespectful.” He silenced her. “I’m sorry,” she apologized.

“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled.

“Let’s go,” said Nufuli as he held up a hand to rest on her back. He started walking, prompting her to walk alongside him. Jumper shot him a puzzled look, although not able to see his reaction. “Where to?” She retorted, freezing and reluctant to let him drag her off.

“To heaven, of course!” 

“I’m— what? I don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand? Aren’t you a smart girl? Can’t your trust me? I’m your angel, Jumper. I’ll bring you to damnation, and through damnation— you’ll find yourself at heaven.” He shrugged his shoulders, his grip on Jumper’s back slid to her hands. Jumper stared back in shock.

“You don’t wanna go to heaven, Jumper?” Nufuli turned, facing her. 

“No, I do—“

“Then follow me, Jumper.” His voice was starting to sound a bit forced and obnoxious. But what can she do? It’s either her religious beliefs are really kicking in and sending her wild hallucinations, or the human brain really sees angels and ghosts before death.

After all, they shared a world with humanity, just in a different frequency. With a sigh, she began to follow the dead man walking.

It has been a while they’ve walked together. Even though her hand was laced with his, his hands were still abnormally cold, just like her surroundings. It felt empty, like she was holding the air (or maybe she was) and just procrastinating for help from lord.

“When are we arriving, Nufuli?” She asked, impatience evident in the way she spoke. “Hehehe, Jumper. Impatient, aren’t you?” He giggled, the sound of his laughter. Jumper’s ears perked up, red dusting the tip of her ears. She hadn’t heard any BAT member’s laugh for a long time, she yearned to hear it again.

“Seriously. When?” She asked again, tone stern and firm this time. Nufuli went silent for a few seconds, only then did Jumper nudge him did she receive a response. “Jumper, we are here! Aren’t you happy? This is your key to heaven!” He chimed, snorting with how lost Jumper was in the entire situation. “I don’t get it. We’re still on earth.”

“Look up front~” He cooed. Jumper blinked slowly, as if asking ‘are you serious’. She assumed it was nothing, most probably her mind playing pranks on her until she actually turned her gaze to where Nufuli told her to.

Her breath stuck. There was a tall man, with beautiful albino hair. The snowflakes clung to every single strand, the curly strands sticking to his forehead. His yellow eyes, mesmerizing and flashy like thunder. His piercings, the one she begged for him to get. The formal attire she was used to. Everything, it was Leo. Seeing him for the first time after many weeks,

it brought her both immense pain and memories.

"Leo, you're here?" She asked, hurt present in her tone. She saw how Leo’s gaze sharpened, only adding to the emotional conflict inside. "Yeah, I am. What?" He responded, with a higher tone. The sudden shout caused Jumper to flinch, just by a little.

 "Nothing." She mumbled. Jumper felt her hand instinctively rise up to her neck, before pressing her sharp nails on the skin, scratching it until the scabs fell off. Leo stiffened, taking a step forward. "Hey, stop that." 

Jumper’s hand paused in the air, fighting between wanting to itch more or letting it fall to her side. But she supposed she wouldn’t want anymore argument with this singular man, she wasn’t going to waste her breath for him anytime longer. "Fine, happy?" 

The blood slowly streamed down her neck, pressing on her collar and staining it with red. She watched how Leo’s eyes were fixated on her scratches and scabbed cuts covering her nape and the front, how it softened just by a fraction before flickering back up to meet her eyes.

"...Jumper, are you okay?" He asked. With that one question alone, it was enough to have Jumper sinking back to the hollow corner where tears fell non-stop, off her own command. "No, I'm not. I can't— I can't possibly be okay, Leo." She stuttered out.

"I killed my spy. They couldn't fight back, speak or even look me in the eyes. They were inside a claustrophobic space. I slashed at them like there was no tomorrow. And they couldn't fight back. No, not at all." She pressed her lips together, eyes squinting to hold back anymore tears. His figure was starting to get blurry.

"And I'm glad I did it all for Parrot. But I'm not glad being thrown out and left to dry for a reason you also tried to commit upon Parrot. Sometimes, you tell people to reflect on their actions but you're never aware of your own. Nobody is brave enough to confront you about it." 

She watched as Leo crumbled by his insides. She knew what she was doing, breaking him apart and pointing out the hypocrisy disguised as justice and fairness. She knew Leo would’ve snapped at her by now, saying shit to defend himself like: ‘if you were me, you’d understand’ or something cheesier than that. She thought he would, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked down.

And typed something, in the chat. Although the chances of Parrot and Derapchu not even receiving the set of coordinates were insanely high at stakes, but he still did. She breathed in slowly, letting the thick air into her lungs before it breathed out. No, she didn’t want to have Parrot nor Derapchu involved back again into this stupid meeting of Leo’s.

She doesn’t want to bother Parrot nor Derapchu. She didn’t want to burden them, and she didn’t want to give Leo the satisfaction of rescuing her, no, not when he had learnt his lesson. Not yet, it was. With shaky hands, her arm stooped low to the hilt of her waist, where she held a sword.

BAT sword, to be specific. The tassels swayed in the air, handmade threads and crochet beautiful. However, they weren’t going to be the same. Not anymore, not when she placed her final bounty. They will be covered in a red so red— she swears defines the meaning of art, even though art is subjective.

For the first time in history, she’ll recreate something so great that her name will be known. Her face will be craved to see, her actions will be deemed worthy of worship. Her name, is JumperWho. And she swears to the holy spirit, the son, the lord— that she will mark this as a historical event.

Hear she out, for she’ll make sure her name echoes in the fragile system of Unstable Universe. Slowly, she folded her arms slightly, positioning the blade of her sword just by her neck. She felt the cold iron graze the irritated skin, and everything flashing in her mind through 7 seconds.

Her spies, she treated to a meal after every successful major mission. The fallen, she tended with watering their graves and giving them flowers.

Her friends, she spread her love and warmth through them. Igniting hope, morality and justice within their weak passion. She helped them build themselves up, watching as they grow to become bigger.

Her enemies, her base, the amethyst trims etched in her netherite armor.

And it was all going to fade away, that sweet, sweet memory. It was going to die, at the hands of JumperWho. She’ll be the one, to set herself free. And that’s just how she’ll go out, leaving the entirety of the server with a bang. Everything she had lived for, from day one to whatever day this was, it was all hard-earned.

Getting into BAT wasn’t easy. Achieving her own achievements wasn’t easy. Of course, she took pride in each of her trophies, physically and metaphorically as she hung all of them on a high pedestal of a white tree, in the back of her heart. And with every laugh, it grew, bigger and bigger.

However, with every pang of hurt the heart had to endure, did the tree wilt away. Slowly, slowly and slowly did the branches begin snapping off. The apples, the awards, the friends, the memories, it all fell with the branch. Slowly, slowly did it slowly fade out into the distance. Where heaps of love, passion, comfort, anger, envy, jealousy grew, she had decided to cut it off.

She felt the blade sink in. It hurt, it hurt a lot. Even though this was her own decision, it somewhat hurt more than when the bandits stole her armor. As she began to tear away at the nerves, burrowing the blade to the hilt— she heard:

 "Jumper?”

 You died!

JumperWho was slain by JumperWho using [Jumper's Wrath!]