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“I’m not leaving until you tell me what the hell is going on.”
“Avery, just-“
“No. Tell me what’s going on, Derek.”
D3rlord’s grip on his pickaxe tightened.
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”
Fuck, Avery was stubborn.
The room was dark as giant eyes stared down at the duo in the center. Could it even be called a room? D3rlord tried to block out the eyes behind Avery and tried to focus on his face.
Not like he could focus on anything after seeing it.
“We don’t have time, Avery.”
“Yes, we do!” Avery grabbed the knight’s shoulders and shook him back and forth. The metal on one shoulder was like ice, and the cape on the other was torn and covered in dust and dirt. “There- there has to be another way. Please, there has to be another way.”
“Avery, stop,” The knight pulled the other’s hands off his shoulders. “You can’t stay here. You have so much life left to live.”
“And I owe it to you.”
“No, you don’t! That- that’s the most insane thing I’ve ever heard, you don’t even know me!”
”I don’t care!” Avery shouted back. “You warned me, Derek, you are only a part of this because of me! It’s not your fault you’re here, and I’m not letting you die for me!”
“If you don’t go, we’ll both die!”
The silence was deafening. Avery backed away. Derek was quickly looking for ways to force Avery to leave other than the threat of death. Even with knowing everything that has been, is, and will be, he couldn’t see Avery leaving. He desperately looked through the disaster of his thoughts, but nothing said he would leave. Not on his own.
“You won’t leave?”
“No.”
“…what’s in your inventory?”
“What?” Avery asked.
“What’s in your inventory?”
Avery snuck a quick glance at his inventory.
“Sword and food. Why?”
Fuck.
“…no reason.”
“Just talk to me. I’m not asking a lot from you. Just… talk. It’s not that hard.”
“You don’t understand!” The knight yelled back. “You never will! We’re both going to die, Avery!” His voice cracked. “You need to turn the hell around and walk off that edge!”
“So you’re telling me to kill myself?!”
“If it means you’re not here once it’s ready to merge!”
“It? Merge?” Avery threw his sword into the ground. “This is exactly what I’m talking about, Derek! You don’t tell me anything and it pisses me off! Tell me what’s going on. Right now.”
“Avery. Leave. Just- please,” D3rlord’s grip on the handle of his pickaxe loosened. “I’ll kill you if I have to. If it keeps you safe.”
Emotion faded from Avery’s face. His smile fell, his eyes were empty, and his shoulders dropped. “Will you really?” He reached down and picked up his sword. “Because the way I see it,” He took off his Hawaiian-like shirt and tossed it aside, leaving his dusty tank top the only thing on him that covered his torso. “You don’t have the fucking guts to kill me. You’re too scared. You wouldn’t kill me. And even if you did try to, I’d kill you first. Remember, you’re looking at the god of Skywars.”
“That’s what you think of me? A coward? You think I wouldn’t do it?”
“…yeah.”
D3rlord unhooked his torn cape from his armor.
“Then come at me.”
Avery stood there, near frozen. So the knight was serious.
“So be it.”
And he lunged.
The blade was met with the pickaxe, and the knight deflected it.
“For someone so sassy, you’re so weak. You can’t kill me even if you wanted to,” D3rlord commented as he deflected and dodged every strike Avery dealt. “A king has lost to a lord. You can’t possibly beat me. Just leave and save us both the trouble.”
Avery held his sword with sweaty palms, his blood running cold as he watched the eyes behind the knight.
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
They blinked.
And his head pounded.
The pain was sharp as he tripped over his own leg and fell to the ground, his head close to exploding.
His sword clattered against the golden tiles on the floor and his head was buried in his hands. The slime man tried to speak, but only hisses of pains and the occasional curse came out.
Fuck.
Derek rushed to Avery’s side, the tension from the previous scene fading.
“Don’t tell me you looked at the eyes. Avery. Avery! Did you look at them?!”
“It- fuck- hurts like hell… feels like ‘s gonna explode…”
The knight held the slime in his arms, staring up at the largest eye in the sky. And if your eyes were sharp enough, you could see the faint image of it.
Of the King.
“Poor little Derek and Avery…” The king mused. “The gate to the physical world is finally open. And I will rule what is mine. Neither of you will be lucky enough to witness it. So open your eyes,” Cold hands slithered out of the darkness and reached for the duo. “Look at your God.”
“I’d rather live in Hell than live in a world where you rule,” D3rlord muttered.
“Look at me,” The king repeated.
“No.”
“Derek Hutchins.”
The knight’s eyes snapped open and without thinking, he stared into the eyes of the King.
“You shouldn’t know that.”
“You, of all people, should know that I know that,” The king sneered. “Your brain is filled with infinite knowledge. And from the looks of it, the same can be said for your friend. So open his eyes. You want to stay together, correct? Make him look through his brain. Find the spell. Repeat it. Let me into your world.”
“No.”
”I… I stand… and give my eyes to you…”
D3rlord’s head whipped around as he watched Avery’s mouth move with each word of the spell that was said.
“Fuck,” The knight swore.
He buried his head in the crook of the slime’s neck. He listened to the words and joined in.
“I stand and give my eyes to you.”
“One by one.”
“Shadowed shore far undone.”
“To you I pour the corroded sun.”
“Wake me as one.”
“Two vessels,” The king thought. “I suppose I can work with that.”
As the knight opened his eyes again, he looked up at the slime who still looked like he was in pain.
“…until next time, friend,” D3rlord muttered.
The knight heard four more words as the last words he would ever hear. He held the other boy tightly as he heard them. And as the world faded into nothingness…
“…I love you, Derek.”