Chapter Text
Avery felt like he was starting to become a madman.
Well, not exactly. He hadn't required any crazy knowledge to the point of insanity, nor has he ever gone crazy over solving a problem. He was fine with who he was. Just a boy in his grown age barely passing college while starting up a side hustle as a small youtuber with friends who entertain his crazy shenanigans. Yeah, Avery was definitely a normal boy who was acting appropriately like somebody that just passed by their high school days.
Until he found that damn laptop.
He can almost hear the angel on his right shoulder telling him to put it back, and how the original owner was probably going to look for it or how it wasn't any of his business to be snooping around a stranger's stuff. The devil on his left shoulder only leaned back on the foldable chair and sipped on their coconut drink, because at the end of the day — they both knew that Avery was going to use that laptop just for the love of the game.
Now he really wished he would put out his ears so he could actually listen to the angel once. He was only messing around with this supposedly harmless Minecraft world just to find a book alongside a note presumably addressed to him or whoever the note finds. At that time Avery for all his naivety only chalked it off as something harmless, just a slightly creepy easter egg that he then shared with the few viewers he usually attracts and anyone that would recognize or even be interested in it.
Which again, led him to that Google Drive. The videos and the one note was his only way to understand who this random guy was and why he had this Minecraft world all set up with weird notes and gateways. Avery with his inability to mind his own business and the beat of his big heart, decided that he was gonna explore the world as he at least owes it to D3rLord3 for basically giving him a free laptop (with a paid Word app, mind you) that he now uses for his daily activities.
He then set off with his world set in creative mode, finding the exact path D3rLord3 went through. All while marveling at the high structures and the highly detailed builds. The cave, the trees, it was something so beautiful yet noticeably impossible for a Minecraft world to generate. He passes through these unsettling areas while also giving out his own comments and opinions on the chat just as D3rLord3 did on his video.
Quickly, Avery reaches the crossroads. Just to mess with his viewers; Avery turned right. Almost doing what D3rLord3 told him to exactly do. But then he pauses. Giggling a little bit behind the screen at the (hopefully) unexpected move before cheekily typing on the chat that he was just kidding. He then moves to the left side of the crossroad, faintly seeing the familiar dark pitch black blocks starting to spread out on the cave walls and floors like unnerving vines. Then—he sees it. The imposing and ridiculously tall yellow gates.
Avery felt the back of his neck grow cold with sweat as his heartbeat starts to accelerate. This is what sent somebody as smart as D3rLord3 in a frenzied run to the other side of the crossroad. To the hallway with the doors, writing down a warning like he was being chased by time and death itself. Avery moves his avatar closer to the inside of the gate as he mentally prepares himself on what he was going to see. He quickly says 'YOLO' in his mind and walks behind the yellow gate to find—
A...lone golden block??
Avery frowns as he moves his mouse around to see what kind of mystery was surrounding the golden block itself. His expression speaking itself as he types down his own disappointment to the chat.
<TheMostMayo> uhh
<TheMostMayo> is that it
<TheMostMayo> its just a gold block
<TheMostMayo> that's not really that crazy
Avery quickly one hits the block, waiting for something that was never gonna happen. Damn. Was what he was seeing different from what D3rLord3 seeing? No way someone that was like him went frantic after seeing a golden block, it just doesn't sit right with Avery. He thought that maybe there was something he missed in the previous areas. And so Avery headed back to the crossroads— or at least he attempted to. His heart dropped as he realized that his game was in survival mode as soon as he entered the massive place. His fingers frenzied as he tries to turn his world back to creative mode. The silence of the area further fueling his feeling of unease. The feeling of being watched. His back felt cold as he was reminded of the black void behind his character.
He quietly collects himself. He felt like he was getting closer and closer to the truth, to where D3rLord3 went and why he continued. He knew these rows of yellow gates have meaning. Avery decided that no matter what it takes, he'll uncover the truth of this world along with finding D3rLord3. He can do this, even though he may not be able to decode any difficult puzzle or poetry like the man before him did— Avery knows that his will and his determination will be enough to get both him and D3rLorde out of this strange world.
And so like usual, Avery turns left. The menacing tall yellow gate welcomes him with the air that almost feels like a warning against his skin, even if he was only looking at it through the screen of a measly laptop. The wide scenery of mountains and bridges flood his sight. The two bridges with no rope or any form of decoration drapes itself before his character, and at that moment Avery remembers the words back on the pages of the book he abandoned inside the wooden chest. Dont turn left. Do not turn left. At th3 crrossro4ds d0 not turn l3ft.
So he let future viewers wonder if that was what went through his head as he takes the right bridge. He shivered as he looks down from the tall heights that the bridge between the mountains serves him. Fearing the worst as he holds the shift button like his life depends on it. He has never been here before. Although it looks a little familiar in the back of his mind, he still fears to fall even though he knows 'nobody' was there to push him off. He sighs as he takes a minute to admire more of the world and mountains around him.
He needs to find D3rLord3 faster. From the video recordings that he left Avery; Avery himself was guessing that there is a chance the same entity following D3rLord3 might also be following him around as he goes through these gates. Avery cautiously but swiftly navigates the world, trying to find a clue how to get out of the place. He sighs to himself, glancing at the clock near him. It was still a bunch of hours in his disposal before new years. He hopes that he can find D3rLord3 before the clock strikes midnight, even though he didn't really make plans with anyone today; he still wanted to enjoy welcoming the new year. But who knows? Maybe he'll finish this quicker than he thinks. Maybe there's a glitch or a cheat code to finish this faster.
He wished that was the case.