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‘Shoot. Shoot, shoot, shoot.’
Rek froze as he heard footsteps approaching his hiding spot. Underneath the statue of MrCube, he had been plotting the structure of the final boxing match to occur in the End. 4C and Aeon had had to leave and Allrich had left momentarily to gather resources, so Rek was on his own underneath the statue.
Not as Jeremy, but as Rekrap. Without his mask.
Jeremy was his disguise on the server, a way to escape his fame and live like any other citizen of Eclipse.
Or, as normal as you could be leading one side of a civil war. While simultaneously being voted president on a server no one knew he played on.
It was difficult to keep up at times, but Jeremy felt freeing. His disguise gave him a chance to live normally, where he could achieve things and fight for his views without his fame giving him an unfair advantage.
No one was staring at him. Whispering his name in awe.
Just… Jeremy.
Of course, that was all about to crumble down. The sound of a shovel filled Rek’s ears as the player grew closer to him. He didn’t have time to get his mask or run away. They were right there.
In a moment, moonlight shone through the hole. A shovel cleared the rest of the way until Rekrap was facing down the last person he wanted to see in his current state.
“You’re— Rekrap?”
MrCube’s voice filled the room. Rek tensed as he backed himself up against the wall.
It was all falling apart in front of him.
“I never realized you were a phantom… This makes so much sense!” Cube laughed, giddy.
Rek’s wings flared from behind him. He knew it was irrational to be afraid— Cube wouldn’t hurt him, after all— but he was nervous.
The gig was up. His identity would be revealed to the whole server. Everyone would know who he was.
He shouldn’t be scared.
So why was he shaking?
“…Rek? You okay?” He blinked. Cube had come closer, the tunnel that brought him there closed behind him. “You spaced out a bit there.”
Rek breathed out, forcing on a smile. “Yup! Perfectly fine. Guess this means it’s over, huh?” He laughed, but it sounded robotic and forced. “So much for our fight.”
“The true owner has come to claim his server.” Cube proclaimed, not sensing Rek’s discomfort. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
He appreciated Cube. They were both on Lifesteal, although they didn’t interact much in the anarchy server. But…
He sighed. Cube had been friends with these people before he’d joined Lifesteal. Jeremy was still a newcomer, in their eyes. His former identity would easily be forgotten in favor of his true self.
At the very least, he was glad he had 4C, Allrich, and Aron. Despite his fame, they had continued to treat him normally. But he wasn’t confident in the rest of the server’s ability to follow suit. He’d seen some of the members as they talked about him. How they formed an entire faction, made an entire election for Rekrap2. Someone who had never set foot in their civilization before.
He’d regret having to leave before their big finale but… it was over.
He steeled his nerves. “Sorry, Cube. We were keeping it on the down-low.”
To his surprise, though, Cube just nodded. “I’m sure fame can get a little much sometimes, huh?”
His head snapped up. “You— what?”
“Fame. The people on this server are all close friends of mine, as Eclipse is, but ever since I joined Lifesteal, it’s been a little different. Like I’m different. And… I’m just a member. You’re, well. You.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Very astute.” His smile felt a little more real, though.
“Yeah, you’re kind of right. It’s hard to meet people, with my name and all that.” He gestured towards the mask sitting on the table next to Cube. “When I was Jeremy, though?”
He grinned, momentarily forgetting the danger of his identity leak. “It’s just so freeing, Cube. Like I’m any other server member. Just at the karaoke yesterday, I felt like a part of the group instead of some distant idol.”
Cube smiled. “I’m glad. That you could find peace in Eclipse. Gods know we both need it after the chaos Lifesteal puts us through.”
Rek chuckled. “Absolutely… kinda just sad it’s over, now. Didn’t even make it to the end of the week.”
Cube’s next words surprised him.
It wasn’t something Rek had even considered, when Cube had entered the meeting room.
“Who says it has to be?”
He stopped. “You’re going to tell them, right? I mean, you’ve been trying to figure out my identity the entire time I’ve been on the server.”
“I mean, you just said you didn’t want to be seen as an idol. If you really want to live normally, like anyone else… I think I can keep this secret hidden.”
It felt like all of the pressure in his limbs melted away. “Cube, you have no idea how much this means to me.”
“Hey, what are friends for, yeah? Mid might be upset when she finds out I knew, but that’s kind of the fun of it.”
Rek grinned mischievously. “I may or may not have Zam on a soundboard to mess with her.”
“Oh, no, you didn’t!” Cube laughed. “That’s gold. I can’t wait to experience the conspiracy theories from that.”
“Hey, now that you know… it wouldn’t be too difficult to, say, fuel the flames, would it?”
“I’m sure, with my political power, I could throw some names into the ring. After all, I am the ‘smartest person on the server.’”
Despite Rek’s nerves moments before, he felt himself relaxing even with Cube’s company, enough to crack jokes and actually laugh.
He wasn’t thinking straight before. He was so set on hiding his identity and living like everyone else that he had forgotten what he wanted to accomplish coming into the server.
Just having a good time.
And as the stress melted from his shoulders, he felt himself doing just that. Even in the company of his supposed mortal enemy.
They were all friends in the end, yeah?
“Making his way into the arena… he’s a thief of the night. Children have nightmares of this man. It’s Jeremy the Phantom!”
Rekrap Jeremy glided into the arena, silky wings reflecting the purple lights of the end to cast a ray of light onto the ring. He held his breath as cheers rang out around him, the Rekrap Institution chanting his name.
This was it.
“And in this corner, he is probably the smartest person on the server… It's MrCube6!”
They stared each other down. One battle for the fate of the server.
However, right before the bell would ring out and the match would begin, Cube sent him a reassuring smile, mouthing a message to him.
“Stand strong. You’ve earned your place here.”
Jeremy grinned, although it was hidden underneath the mask. He nodded in return, dropping into a fighting stance for the match.
He belonged here. He was Jeremy the Phantom, leader of the Rekrap Institution.
And he would win this battle.
The bell rang. They sprung at each other, fight underway. The roar of the crowd filled his ears, but didn’t reach him. It was just him and Cube. A battle for the ages.
When the dust settled, he reigned victorious. The crowd chanted his name. He looked down at Cube, who was smiling despite his loss. Upon offering a hand, Cube accepted it and rose to his feet.
When the cheers died down, he was left in the center of the arena.
He felt nervous. But not the same as he had before.
During that talk with Cube, he had a realization. His identity didn’t really matter. Even if everyone found out about his true self, he had earned his place among their ranks. He had become part of the group.
And even if he was still revered for his legacy, he had made some real friends on Eclipse. Ones that he trusted would treat him the same either way.
He looked into the crowd and met 4C’s gaze. The slime gave him an encouraging smile. Allrich and Aeon cheered harder at his attention, making him laugh despite himself. His team, his friends, were here no matter what.
He turned to his side, where Cube stood.
“Well, Jeremy. As the true owner… what next?”
Jeremy laughed at Cube’s playful tone. “Well… I think there’s just one final thing to do.”
The announcer’s voice cut through their quiet exchange. “Jeremy… I heard you have some words to say, after your colossal victory.”
He took a deep breath.
This was it.
He’d earned it, right?
“Hey guys, it’s me.”
The stadium exploded with cheers and chatter. Through it all, Rekrap grinned.
He was the true owner of the server. A member of Eclipse. He was Jeremy the Phantom. A free man.
It just took an enemy, or should he say a friend, to help him realize that.