Chapter Text
When Avery first loaded up the Minecraft world, everything was normal.
Everything had been normal, for a while. Until he found that singular mine, with that book. And sure, he knew that the world has belonged to someone else previously, and would have had stuff like this.
But he wanted to know what the numbers at the end of the book he did not write meant.
And so, when he uploaded that video, expecting nearly nothing for a while... he was not expecting someone to reach out.
Avery might not have noticed the email, had he been a bit more invested in college. Avery might not have noticed, had he a different work schedule. Avery might not have noticed, if it didn't mention Minecraft and Youtube.
It was just someone asking to use his video in their own video. Avery didn't mind, he didn't care. The YouTube video was the least of his problems right now. Work was killing him, along with having to keep up with college studies.
He sent a short reply, telling the other that all usage was perfectly fine, and got ready for work.
That... that was about six months ago. Six months ago when he sent that email. Six months ago when he had no idea what it would entail.
And now, he was staring at those same gates that had been found. Those same gates that had made d3rLord3 run. Those same gates that held something behind them.
Which was why he was recording it. Which was why he needed just some proof of what happened this night, the night before New Years.
The gates were large. Unmoving, shrouded in darkness like nothing inside of Minecraft. Well, none of those builds from before this were from Minecraft. Nothing natural about this. Nothing good about this.
Still, he had to look. Maybe, just maybe, he would look away from the screen as he did. It seemed like a risky thing to do, to not look at the screen and let his recording do the work. It would take just a glance, and then he would leave.
Leave the gates behind and he would find out what happened to D3rlord3. He would watch his footage carefully, and he would see what D3rlord3 saw safely... right?
Right. Right. "Right," he breathed out.
He walked close enough that a few pixels further would reveal it to him. Whatever it was.
Avery sighed, glancing down at the keyboard. Looking at the a key. Looking at the mouse. Looking at the screen.
Avery looked back down at the keyboard, and pressed that singular key. He moved the mouse slightly to the right and up, looking towards whatever it could be.
Curious pulled at him. But he wouldn't look up. He wouldn't look, even if it was a pulling sensation. He wouldn't look, he wouldn't, he promised himself he wouldn't look.
But... maybe a glance wouldn't hurt. A blink, even. "Stop trying to convince yourself to look, Avery. God, you know that wouldn't be a good idea, idiot."
Avery didn't look, as he walked himself further behind the gates.
Avery didn't look, as he moved his camera where he assumed there would be something.
Avery didn't look, as he backed up. Avery didn't look, as he moved himself out of the gates.
Avery didn't look, as he turned around.
Avery only looked, when he moved away from the gates.
Where he saw a hall. There was no more cave. There was no more darkness. The only thing that stood in front of him, was the hall. With it, came many, many more gates.
Avery decided that he would deal with this later, as he paused the game to go through his recording.
Avery didn't look at the first part.
Avery barely glanced at it throughout the middle.
Avery stared as he watched himself enter the gates and see-
It hurt. Everything hurt, but he couldn't look away. He couldn't move and it hurt. Everything hurt, and that's all he could think.
It hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt it hurt ith urt itheur it hurti thurt it hurt uth hurt GODS IT HURT.
Avery tore himself away from the screen, grabbing his head as if he could keep himself from leaking out. As if he could keep himself alive like that and he knew.
He knew what Derek looked like. His name was Derek, Derek Hutchins. He was 23, suffering, he knew the same thing. He knew, they knew, both of them ran. He needed to run. He needed to get back onto that world he needed to he needed he nedded to.
"FUCK."
Avery scrambled to grab the edge of the desk, pulling himself closer to the laptop, to the game to everything that would save him, because that's where Derek went.
Because that's where he would be fine-
Avery closed the recording window, and opened the world right before blacking out. He couldn't think. He couldn't think
He couldn't think he couldn't think he couldn't think cant think cant think cant think stop it stop it stop it stopotstopit stopstoptstopstopstostoztostop-
Avery fell unconscious for approximately one minute, before waking up to the hall in front of him, along with-