Chapter Text
“WAIT!” was the last thing he typed before noticing that his character had taken the final hit, sending him falling into the deep, dark void, drifting rapidly away from D3rlord3.
“Until next time, friend,” appeared in the chat.
“NO, NO, NO!” he shouted as fireworks exploded outside his window, their reflections flickering across the glass and casting a dim glow over his room. His reaction was almost immediate—he opened his inventory once again. He had managed to get a new water bucket when he went to search for the supposed gold hidden atop the gigantic tree. He didn’t really know how high up they had been when he was pushed, but it didn’t matter.
“Isn’t it ironic?” popped up.
Avery hunched forward, bringing his face closer to the screen, forcing himself to focus on the exact moment he’d be just inches from the ground. It was risky—maybe the hardest thing he had ever done in all his hours playing Minecraft. Nothing guaranteed there would even be ground to land on for a water drop. But did that even matter? This guy, someone he had only met a few hours ago, was willing to use his mind to break the possibilities of the king—or whatever that damn thing was. All just to save him from something he was supposedly destined for.
“A king defeated by a lord.”
This wasn’t supposed to happen to the knight.
The water block was placed. Avery hit it—and his character survived. From what he could see, there was only a flat surface made of bedrock, something practically impossible to break “easily” without a diamond pickaxe.
His eyes welled up with relief. His skin prickled, and his breathing grew heavier. He saw the massive tower of stone, blocks of gold, and the same bedrock. He switched to an iron pickaxe he had crafted earlier and held down the click, starting to break the blocks that would let him climb back up. He knew Derek didn’t fully understand this world. Yes, he knew things—but that only made it easier for him to believe he was right about everything. Tearing himself apart for a greater good.
The screen blurred whenever tears gathered in his eyes. Climbing had never felt this agonizing. His eyes burned, but he refused to blink. Every time he placed a new block, he saw that distant light… and those eyes, fixed solely on Derek. Or at least… until one of them turned toward him.
His heart pounded violently. A headache and a sharp pain in his stomach overtook him. His right hand gripped the mouse tighter, pushing forward as fast as he could, with a relentless fear that made him nauseous.
Blood rushed through his veins; he could feel its pulse beneath his pale skin every time his fingers moved across the keys and his arm slid over the desk.
Then he reached it. And at the center stood D3rlord3, his back turned, with that massive yellow iris constantly forming and collapsing at the same time. Derek didn’t seem to hear him—he didn’t even move. Maybe because of the pain he was going through, or because his mind was being tormented by the entity.
“Derek?” he typed, trying to get him to turn around. Nothing happened. He remained completely still. Avery let out a shaky breath and broke down in tears, seeing him like that… as if he were dead. The thought terrified him.
Slowly, he stepped in front of him—Avery now facing the giant eye directly. He clenched his teeth in fury and frustration, grinding them as if they might shatter at any second.
“You wanted me,” Avery sent, still holding the pickaxe, his body trembling with helpless anger. “I don’t care what you’re planning. I don’t care if you’re trying to reach the real world.”
“My vessel, you have a weak mind,” the speakers echoed. The voice was rough, dimensional—low tones reverberating inside his head.
“I will give you half of my being.” Sweat dripped from his forehead down to his cheeks, then along his neck, soaking into his shirt. He had never felt so terrified to type a sentence. “But in return, erase all the infinite knowledge from Derek’s mind.”
“How interesting…” The smaller eyes of the Lovecraftian being vanished as its form grew larger, the screen freezing intermittently as it became more and more imposing.
“Do it,” it commanded. “You have no other choice. You know everything, don’t you?” The response was hostile—almost mocking. A direct hit to the king’s ego.
But they both knew he was right.
A voice in an unknown language whispered into each of his ears.
The boy with the slime skin dug his nails into the wooden desk, breathing so heavily it felt like his lungs might burst. Images flashed through his mind; his head throbbed, and thick tears streamed down his face.
He tore his gaze away from the screen and leaned back into his chair. It was unbearable. But he had come too far to abandon his first—his only—friend. He owed him so much, even if he was a stranger… because that stranger was his friend.
Was he really willing to give up half of himself for him?
“Derek…”
A small drop of blood fell from his tear duct; a minor hemorrhage spread across his left eye.
“I’m a mess,” he muttered with a faint smile, noticing the golden knight’s character begin to move again.
“Avery—” he didn’t get to finish reading.
He closed his eyes, trying to free himself from the weight drowning him. His heart didn’t hurt as much anymore. He thought about the thing he feared most: being alone, being a failure—just a pathetic nobody.
“But I’m not…” he whispered to himself, still hearing the fireworks outside. He opened his eyes once more, the bright, extravagant lights reflecting in his golden gaze.
“You are real, you are special”.