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Wyll rushed through the forest, nearly tripping on a branch. He quickly picked himself back up and continued to dash through the lengthy field covered in trees. He ran out of speed potions long ago and didn’t have much time before it would turn dark outside, leaving him to rot at the feet of the Undead, who only come out during nightfall. Tonight, an eclipse was going to take place. Even though during an eclipse doesn’t mean it will be completely pitch black outside, with the time of midnight about to hit, Wyll was unsure if he could survive until reaching the base.
Well, base was an overexaggeration to say the least. It was actually just a tiny little cozy house he and Mugm built to hide away from opposing teams. The plan behind this home was actually built around the beliefs of others. Nobody on the server would ever think they willingly would choose to live here unless they saw it for themselves. Thus, it’s safer to leave it unattended without finding it trapped or griefed later than any other base they could ever build.
Those beliefs mostly go for Mugm, though. Wyll is more than sure not a single soul expects that voidling to live in a cottage and Wyll was no exception to this himself. That was before Mugm actually did start living out his normal day to day life in the accommodation, which took Wyll by surprise since he was more than sure the other wouldn’t even agree to the construction of this property, let alone help build it as well. But it seems that's just what Wyll thought.
In the distance, Wyll spotted the lanterns glow in the night’s gloominess. The fireflies surrounding the little wooden house helped light up its structure. Wyll let out a calm sounding sigh, relaxing, as he slowed down his pace. The whole reason he was so afraid of tonight was because he didn’t have much stuff on him. He left most of his fighting gear here, at home. He originally only planned to go mining for some gold to make more golden apples, but while he was doing that he completely lost track of time. By the time he realised how long he’s been down there, he was already nearly out of food. Wyll was unsure if he could make it back in time before starving to death.
But here he was now, back at home, safe. No longer on Death’s doorstep, no longer in danger, no longer surrounded by mobs, no longer at the risk of being found by other players.
It did lack in players around here right now and no, Wyll didn’t mean just any ordinary players in general, he meant it was a bit too quiet and peaceful, to the point it was unsettling. He wasn’t too worried about this, usually his teammate, Mugm, is just doing his own thing at this hour since he refuses to sleep for some reason. But, Wyll had an unpleasant feeling in his chest for this night. It just felt like something was off. Maybe it was his empty stomach or lack of sleep finally getting to him. I mean, after all he’d been in that mine for days by now.
Wyll stepped foot on the porch and saw the lights were off inside. This was unusual to say the least. Mugm always told Wyll to keep them on since he’d sometimes go get food during the night. Wyll didn’t complain about it since they didn’t have to pay any bills on a server dominated by blood thirsty individuals and it definitely did sound most ideal to Wyll after that one time he got startled by Mugm when he was trying to go downstairs for a snack.
Since the voidling is as dark as the room at that hour, without the space lit up, all one can see are only the creature’s eyes. Which, if you think about it, is horrifying to witness at 4 AM when you are half asleep.
Let’s just say Wyll was unable to close his eyes that night…
Putting that thought aside, Wyll wasted no time and quietly opened the door just in case Mugm actually did actually decide to sleep for once, making his way to the kitchen to replenish his hungerbar. He took some cooked steak out of the fridge and got some cutlery to cut it. He couldn’t stand seeing golden carrots anymore, let alone eating them after everything he’s been through.
Every bite he took felt heavenly, even if the steak was kind of dry after lingering in the fridge for who knows how long. Any type of food was of luxury to his stomach after the many times it complained during the trip back. Despite the appetizing meal, his stomach was still upset. It wasn’t because of hunger this time, it was because of the unsettling feeling from earlier. Even if Wyll wanted to lay in his bed right now more than anything, he still had the gut feeling to check up on Mugm and see if he really is asleep or not. Who knows, the void creature hasn’t heard from him for as long as he has been deep down in the caves. So, at least he should let Mugm know he was back home safely just in case he truly wasn’t asleep.
Wyll started to make his way up the stairs he’d been pushed down ‘jokingly’ by the voidling before. Which resulted in him dislocating his ankle, leaving him to stay in bed all day. Wyll still wants to get revenge on Mugm for that, but he never really had the opportunity to do so. Neither did he want to injure him in the process…
As Wyll made it to the top of the staircase, he looked to the right towards Mugm’s bedroom to see the door slightly ajar. That’s odd, he’s never seen Mugm leave his room door open before. The lights inside were off as well. Maybe he was asleep afterall? Wyll wouldn’t want to wake him up by barging in, but he wants to make sure if that’s even the case to begin with.
The wooden planks creaked under the weight of his steps. He gently opened the door, only to be faced with the sight of a bedroom missing its core element, the bed. Huh, where was Mugm then? Wyll ignored the fact that Mugm’s bed was literally missing and asked himself if the other was just using the bathroom.
No, that couldn’t be it. Wyll would’ve heard some sign of life if that was the truth. I mean, he took his sweet time enjoying that steak. So, Mugm couldn’t have been in the bathroom for that long, right?
…
Did Mugm go searching for him?
No… that’s just egotistical. He would’ve just sent Wyll a message. He wasn’t the type to waste his precious time looking for his teammate who kept putting themselves in danger, or at least that's what Wyll thought.
But, if he wasn’t here, at the base, then… where was he? Maybe he went to get some gear and hasn’t returned yet? Who really knows…
Still, his bed missing is very odd. Did he go get dye to change the color of it? But, Mugm already had a black bed, and Wyll personally had never seen Mugm use any different colored bed before other than black.
Just by justifying the denial of all these possibilities, Wyll was starting to get a bit worried.
The dim lit room he was situated in seemed to brighten up slightly. There was a minor reddish light coming from behind him. He turned around only to see a vine wrapping around a singular chest that seemed to be coming out of nowhere specifically. He also noticed that red flowers were blooming from it? Huh, how was the vine still alive, let alone the flowers not wilted? How weird… He thought.
Wyll approached the chest and as if compelled to open it, he lifted the lid to be greeted by a dusty signed book. He took it out of the chest and saw it was titled ‘Karma.’ its writer being Mugm. Was this a message Mugm wrote before leaving? Well, guess it wouldn’t hurt to read it, right?
Why was it named karma though? That isn’t really something you title a ‘See you later’ message book, but oh well, hell find out soon enough.
In the book were written the following lines:
Page 1/15:
Wyll… There’s something I need to confess…
He was secretly rehearsing his death every night.
And I knew. But, pretended not to…
Page 2/15:
Maybe…
He just wasn’t as desperate for the Brotherhood…
Page 3/15:
I know my love was different from his.
Page 4/15:
But it was love too!
Who could really blame me?
Page 5/15:
If you’d seen the look on his face too.
You wouldn’t be able to judge me either.
Page 6/15:
“Well, I brought you here because, I have a contract. So, here's how things are going to go.”
“Once you take me down, I want to leave Brotherhood. In simple words, I want to leave the Brotherhood.”
“Even if you like, you know, fight me, like I’ll just jump down myself and your contract’s gone.”
Page 7/15:
He’s been running away from the very beginning…
Not once did he face his real feelings.
Did clinging to that noble cause, your sense of worth,
ever really fix anything?
Page 8/15:
What came of it?
Page 9/15:
A meaningless death.
Page 10/15:
And even if we'd been granted happiness within the group,
We've still felt alone.
Page 11/15:
Because humans are the root of all this pain.
Page 12/15:
We're creatures that can't seem to love…
Without exploiting. Or without falling into the hands of jealousy and envy.
Page 13/15:
He fell in the void.
I saw the death message.
I…
Pushed him into it.
Page 14/15:
Goodbye, Brotherhood.
It was nice while it lasted.
Page 15/15:
-Mugm.
Wyll shut the book closed forcefully causing a kind of loud slam sound.
It was all coming together now. This message was something Mugm probably wanted to share with Wyll a while back, but didn’t trust him enough. Maybe it wasn’t a problem of trust, maybe Mugm just wasn’t comfortable enough to want to talk about it after writing it, or maybe… maybe he was scared Wyll would just see him as a sensitive weakling.
The book faintly glew in Wyll’s hands. The signature: “Mugm” was weakly flickering. It reminded him of a torch that was about to be put out at any moment.
Why didn’t he share this book with Wyll? Wyll could’ve helped him, he would’ve helped him. He wouldn’t have ever even thought of betraying him. Why didn’t Mugm just confide in him about more private matters for once?
Why not even once…? Why did he keep all of this dread to himself, sulking in a corner?
Why?Just why? WHY? W̸̛̙̯̟̪̺͉̹̯̜̫̝͌̄̈́̀͐̿̀̈́͗̈́͆̌͜͜͠͠ͅH̷̛̬̱̗͔̤͚̦̳̽́̀̔̅͛́͗͌̕͝Y̸̱͖̲̯̬͎͕̭̽̍͂̚͜?
W̷̟͍͚͔̦̚H̶̨̡̰̜̫̓̑̇̊̒̎͝͝Ȩ̴̛̼̼̬̓͑̾͛͝R̵̳̞͈̺̈Ẹ̶̢̨͔̫̭͖͙̟̠̲̱̭̖̈͋̄͛͂̒̈́̾̑̍͘͘͜ ̵̛͇͙̝̪̹͒̈́̀̇̆͐́̚͜͝I̷̢͌̉͒̒Ṣ̷͍̬̹͎̯͙̞̿̀͑͌̐̓̒͛͋ ̶͓̮̗͈̜̘̯̩̒̀͌̍̍̍̔̄̚̚͝Ḧ̸̘͈́̽̑͑͌͐̕͜E̴̢̢̖̝̙̲͉͕̭͆̀̆͒̍̔̄̀̓͒͒̊̕͜͠͝?̶̞̾̀̋́͒̇̿̀̏̈́̌̚ H̴̨̢̝̖͈̟͑̄̏̏̃̈́͋́͑͝E̴̖̻͓̝̓̊̇̅͘ ̵̨̧̞͖̼͕̤̳͚̟̦̂C̴͎̀̈́͘͝Ö̷̙̞̬̿͒Ṳ̴͚̣̞̖͈͆̎̍͑̆͊̚ͅL̷͈̪̹̰̊͋̐͒̈͑̓͋͑Ḑ̷̢̧̧̛͕͙̺͇͙̦̘̯͂͒̿̂̈́N̸͎̺̱̾̆̌̓͋̃̏͐͗̌̋̅͑̑'̵̧̡̰̤͉̘͕͈̜̥̮̠͗̀̒̀͆͌͛̋̓̓̑͝͠͠ͅT̸͖̈̆̋͋̿̔͑͂͌̄̕̚̕ͅͅ ̶̥͕̀̃̔̍̀͗͂̈̑͝͝H̷̡̧̱̗͓̦͈̝̱̰͎͍̻̳̗͑́͐́̐͋͠͝A̸̧̨͎̳̟͉͓͚̝̜͓̲̒̐͐̓̆̈̚͘͠͝V̸̢͈̭̖̬̮̯̣̠̬̪̲͋̑̄̈͋̈̑̆̈̇̎Ẻ̷̙̌̀̈̌̉͛͜͠ ̵̡̛̤̘̠̱̦̳̥͈̀̎͘͝Ǧ̴̢̛̩͙̲͇̳̯̬͈̫̪̓̅̿̓̓̔͆̃Ờ̴̤̗̰̳͕͎̹̲͍͍̻̰̹̝̏̓͑̋͗̎͋̚Ṇ̴̻̤̆̍̾͘͠E̵͙̜̪̩͊̀̂ ̷͕͑̓͛̌̽̕T̶̢͙̘̹̰͍́͑̅́̿̀̚͜Ò̵̻͔̥̺̩̱̰̙̱̠̹̳̼̳̐̓̿̌̈́̂͆̈O̵̧̢͚̣̘͎̠̦̦̹͑͒̊͐̐͋̅̀̃̚̕͜ ̴̧̨̗̹̝͍̣̤͇̰̫͛̉͝͝F̷͍̥͔̰̙̣̈́̍͌͑͊͊A̴̢̩̤̜̾̈́̅͋̊͒̀̒̈́̇̎̚̚R̵̢̡̢̼̘̼̯̠̥̪̈́̄͋̔̌̆͒͝ ̶̺̹͙͍̪̆̊̄͛͐̆̔̈́͊̈̽͗̃̉̕ͅR̴͓͖̝̍̈̂̔̚͝Į̴̰̗͖̺͓̙͕͔̘̗̈́͒͋̀͗͛͊̂͛͋̕͝͝ͅG̸͓̪͓̥̪͍̺̹̗̐̂͋͂̊͋͠Ḫ̷̢̞͖̭̣͉̟̣̦̬͉̫̰̀̏̽̃̓͛͂̄̐̇̐̕͝T̵̬̥̘͈̹̘̤͕̥̻͗́̈́?̸̣͚̟̣̦̟̰̞͌͆͊͋́
I̵͈̔̉̔͌̋̂͂̾͊̑͛͊̉̎͠Ṱ̴̨̢̡̭̯͇̹̺̟͔̓͊͆̑͂̍̆͂͛̏̂̒́͆̑'̴̙͉̬̘̦̥̥̐̿͗́̈́̄̅̿̇͠S̸͓͍̳̞͆̄̆͘͝ ̴̡̡͚̖̟̩̠̦̤̱̱̇̉͊̓͂̀͐̇͑̚B̸̨͈̘̯͕̥̪̂͆͊͆̾̈́̚͝E̵̢̠͈̟̓͗͑̿̀́̑̓͝͠E̷͉̭̥̖̘̰̫͆̂̆̉́̋͌̕͠N̶͈̩̻̮̠̗̪̯̖̬̓̐̆ ̷̡̘̤̘̦̜̤̓̽̃̾͝D̸̢̢̡͚̫̣̩̮̭̼̍Ą̵̻̬͓͚̺̮̬̔̈́̆̿̈́̊̕͠͝Y̵̜͍̝̫̆̅̐̉̒̑̉̒̆̍̈̕S̶̯͉͎͔̙͎̓̅́̀̔̄́̔̀ ̷̛͔͈͎̥̜̝̫̜̬͊̔̈́̍̌̊̄͝͝ͅS̶̳̜̭̯̃I̵̭̥̱̮̜͋̈́̄̒̂͌̉͂́̍̀͋̈́Ņ̴̛̳̮̩̯͙͈̯̩̠͚͖̞̉̓̄́̽͋̕͜͝C̶̳̺̘̗̥͓̮̼͕͋͗͌̌̌́͌̈́̃͘͘̚͘͝Ę̵̗͈͎̘͙̙̩͈̞̙̠̹̳̳͌͂͂̏͒̓̀̊̄͂̀̂ ̴̥̥͈͓̺̩̠̺͆̍́̓̿̒͛̄̅̍͜͠͝H̴̡̤̬͇̟̓̈́E̴̡̢̩̗͈̲̟͔̜̺͇̩͕͘͝͝ ̷̫͇̭̮͊̿͆̌̋W̵͉͙̔͠A̵͖̦͈͓̰̞̹̽͒̽ͅS̵̤̲̮̱͇̺̼͉̩͕̣̲͗̊͒̕͘͜͝ ̸̹͖͍̲̦̯̒̿̐̊̐͝S̴͍̭̺̻̬͚͑͊̌̚T̸̢̻͉͓̥͇̟̭̫̟̤̏͊̎̒̐̊̅̓̐̾̒̕ͅU̶̜̻̎͗̌C̸̻̭͙̻̜̠̻͉͚̄̅̎̀̚K̸̡̞̺̮̬̍ ̶̛̹̰̊̈̂̊̇̏̓̉̍̅͘͝I̴̦̖͍͕̖̿͛͝ͅN̴̛̛̪̙̞͕̺̘̬͐̀̆̓̽͂̌̈̽̆͝ ̸̟̞̜̃̋̃̅͠T̵̡̙̟̮̹͕̘̼̤͈̝̦͈͗͛̽̏̍̈́̓̿͘͝H̷̞̘̯̖̺͐͋̽͛͋͒̒͐̀̈Ã̵̬̭͈͍̣̳̱͇͎̔̔̏͂T̶̮̘͉͚͓̾͑͌̐ ̷͇̒͑̎̿͝C̶̛̛̣̖̩̙͓̲̉̓̓̐̕̚͝A̸͕͉͎̋̍̋͋̈́̈́̐̋̕V̷̩̩̱͈̪̌͐̆̍̐͂̃͘͘̚Ę̴̧̘̥̭̩̮̣͗̄̈̽͌̆̑̓̋̕͜͝,̸̮͙͇͎̾̊̉ ̶͓̞̙̟̠͙̦̪̹͖̎̐̓́̄̈́̏͘͘͝͝Ñ̵̥͍͚̘̠̺̰̒͊ͅƠ̶̡̱̹̺͎̊̓̌̑̄̉̓̍̀̚͝͝͝.̶̡̧͈͇̮̼̩͈͒.̸̨̧̦̦̘͓̭̩͔̭̀͊.̶̨̢̧͈͉͙̯̘̘͉͎̑̈́̑͐̌̍̾̚͜͝ ̵̨̣̏͐̔̀͝H̶͇͚̞̄͊͑Ẻ̵͎̂͆͒͋͑̎͂́̅͝ ̷̛̪͚͙͎͒̑̅́̂̾̂͂͌͛͠J̶̡̛̜̩̳̰̖̲͕͉̓͌̂̓͑̚U̴̱̭͔̼̲͌̎̇́̀̓̀͋̉͑̕̚̕̕͜ͅS̶̡̠̩̰̝̿́̾̒̀̆̚T̴̨̋͋̄̇̾̓͌͒̽̀̑̔̓̈́͠ ̵͕̣͇̼̜̆͌N̴̮̦̗̻̝̭͆̈́́̑̏̇̐̄͜Ȩ̶̮͎̲̭̲̱̝̠̈́͛̈́̽̋̑̂̾͛̈̒͗͑̚ͅV̸̧͇̳͍̹͓̳͉̩̪̌̓͂̀̾̒̂̄̀̔̂̋́͐ͅȨ̶̙̩̫̹̩̪͙̳͈͔̣̹̈́̓̈̈̌̅͒̓́̕͝Ř̶̤̀͛̎͘͝
̸̛̺̮́̑͐͌͑͗̎͗̽́̈́̈̎̐Ŗ̴̄̌̿͑̿̈́E̷̘̮͙̮͓̽̆̈̿͐͂͒̉̋̂̊͋͂̉Ą̷̛͈̺͕͌͑̂͋̓́̆̄͂͠ͅḼ̶̨̛̘̭͖̘͔̣̓̍̄̋̒̈́̽̿́̓͝͝L̸̥̜̪̪̝̩̰̞͙͆̎̓͜Y̵͔̙̠͇̭͎̝̓͆̊̃͆̈́̆̿͠ ̷̢̮̮͈̬͉̬͙͇̣̗͉̘̗͇̄̀̈́̉̄̏̋̀̽T̵͎̝̠́́̎̈̔̋̓́̀̍̅͛̚H̴̛̜̰̻͚̺̦̤̟̯̝͊̃̎̇O̷̳̹̲̟̘̝̦̓̆̊͆̉̉͒͒̍̽Ų̸̮̖͈͖̩̰̰̙̼͍̖͕̓̈́̀̈̇̀͐̏̕ͅG̸̡̛̺̝̘̙͙͍̍̎̂͛͛͌̅̓̓Ḩ̵̗̗̜̓͂́̒̀̈́͌͠T̶͓̣̜̗̪̟̪̜̤͎̳͓̄̈́̓͂͜͝ ̷̟̮͙͕͚̖̊̅̓͊́̈Ą̸̧͙̜͈̩͕͈̫̄͋̄̎̿̾̃ͅB̵̤͎̼̞͎͈͇̑̓͘͝͝Ơ̶̼̜̰͇̦̙͆̊̔͆͂̅̐̅͘Ũ̶̧̖͈̥̥͈̖̺̣̤̻͕̰̀͗͛̆̐́̿́̿̍͜T̸̢̻͎͔̖̗̼̜̘͍͙̰̭̩͌̈͂͛̀͑͋͝͠ͅ ̵̫͕̈́̃͐̐̂́̏ͅĻ̸̛̤̫̘͒̀̿̉͒̈́́͆Ȩ̸̼̳̜͇̫͔̤̺͎̟͔̈́̃̐̎̆͝Ȃ̷͉̓́̈͗͛̍͌̀͛͘V̴͚̺͓̯̜̖̥̭̦̤͍͚̲͗̇̇͊́̿́́̈͗͠I̸̡̭͓̘͈͇͍̭̹͙̠̪͎̍͐́͜͝N̴̺̱̑̌͑̽̇̀̒̑̚͝G̸̨̧̧̧̢͚̤̦͓̻͙͕͖̙͇̃̄̈́̃̇͋̾̽͝ ̴̨̥͛̎̑̍̂̏͒̆͋͛͝I̴̧͈̮̻͚͉͑̔͐͋̓̇̾̇͘͝͝T̶̰̓̏̈̕ ̸̨̻̥̬͇͖͙̹͈̞̺̇͌̈́́͘͝ͅA̶̢̢̲̹̱̭̘̝̋͊͑̈́̀̓̐ͅN̷̤͖̑̐̾͐͐̽̅̓D̶̡̫̟͔̖̱̓̈́͋͋̒̈́̓̀̀̓͌̀̋͠ ̸̢͔̖͙͚̯̰͌̿̔̀͗̾͝C̵̣͓͎͕̊͘͜H̷̲̩͒͌Ḙ̷̢͕͎͍̜͎̇̐̎̈́̈̏̾̆̒C̷͖̥̻̦͚̫͈̭̹̥̩̿͋̒̑̍̀̚͠͝ͅḲ̷̢̯̳̗͚͕͓̄̆̑͑̊̅̏̄̚͠Ì̸̻̰̮̱̼̩̒̋͊̑̋͠N̶̢̛̤̬͎̞̣͚̪̤̙͍̽̐͗̃̈́̈͝G̵͙̓̈́̌͆ ̵̡̠̭̺̲̳̗͖̩̞͉̟̃̿͊̿̏͆́̏̓̉̂̋Ư̵̰̈́̿̈́̿̍̾́̾̍̆̋̕P̵̛̳̓̀̋͆ ̵̛̥̝̟͇͇̤͚̑̽̓̏͂̈́͆͊̀́̓̉͗̆Ọ̸̡̹͕̲͚̅̄͆̿͠Ņ̷̡̲͈̳̗̭͕̮͖̻̮͔̆͂̈́̒͂͆̈̂̇̈́̚ ̷̯̺̯̠̤̘͎̗̆̈́̈́͂ͅH̷͇̞̰͈̰͈̹̻̦̰̉͌̓̊̿̈́̊͜ͅĮ̷̺̩̺̞͈͈́͛͊̈́͛͋̓̔̓̎̀̕̕͜S̵̛̱͚͈͕̩̹͉͉͚̜̎́͛͐͑͛͋͌̇̏̍͌̀͜͠ ̸͍͖̦̄͂̒̎͛T̸̡̛͇̱̜̤͓͓̫͕̠̜̜͌͆̌̈̉̔̍͜͝E̶̡͖̺̩̹̲̭͓̱̮͈̿̾̅́̒͜A̵̻̗̟͕̱̺͂̓͐́͐́͌M̴̧͕̩͔̘͓͖͈̺̩͇̂̅̇̅̊̕͠ͅM̷̢̹̤̮̼̅̊̄͆̋A̴͍̬̰̞̞͍͈͉̾̅̃̔́̽͊̅͗͘͝ͅͅT̶͍̣̐̀̏̽͑͘͝͠E̷̛̛̗͊̔̅͋̀̇͆͝.̷̨̡̰̬̺̽͒͐̊̈́̓̍͂͌̓̒
W̶̩̹̗̗̼̝͚̒̉̐̐́̀̅͘H̸͈͍̺̣̮̞̭̓̒̍̓̕͝Ḙ̴̢̡̧̛̛̜̮̝̱͓̘̪͂̑̽̉̔͒̆̽̾͂̊R̶̼̯̖̞̺̼̮̗͙͇̓͗́̄̽̐̈́͂͝Ę̶̻̝͎̫͕͍͔̹̉̊͑́ ̷̡̢̢̪̺̳̣̩̠̩͋̾́͒̇͑͐̔̕͜İ̶̧̟̦͔͇͎̮̟̑͊̄͆̀͌̉̌͗̍͝Ŝ̴̞͚̜̹̬̳̟̾͑̔͂̏̂̉̒̉̚͘͜͠ ̶̢̛̟͎̲̍̓̋̇͆͑̂̓͒͌͘͜͝M̷͉͍̜̻͇̰̤͂͑͑̃̽Ư̵̧̱̳̤̗͖̭͈̥̥̖̄͛͑̚Ǵ̶̡̗͇̥͍̘̝̪̲͐̍̊̈́͜͠͠M̴̧͕̙̭͎̞̘͛̉̑̉͌̅͛͛̕?̵̨̧̡̧̖̰̗̟̟̭̥̞͔̬̒̀͛͗͂́̅͆͆͊̅̋͋͘͜ ̵̡̫̞̪̲̰̣̫͉͚̼̒̊̔̇̚͠ͅḪ̵̢̨̯̞́͑͗̀̒͋̑͆̅̐̚ͅͅĘ̵̢̘̟̠̜̦͎̙̤̻̌̎̊̒̾̐̀̍̚'̷͍̞̮͙͍̭̫̼̉̈́͗͒͑͂S̵̜͕̲̀̓̎̈́̐̋̔͝ ̴̡̨̡̛͉̰͓̼͙͕͙̺̹̬̓͛́̐͌́̄̎̐͛͑̕͠N̸̗̖̘̖͇̫̺͇̒́̈́Ǫ̴̛̗̯͉̯̮̲͎̗͙͇͎͛̾̈́̀́̄̏͜Ţ̵͎̭̝̬̹̞͓̫̘̬͍̩̪͋̄ͅ ̸̢̨̧͎̗̝̜̖͕̊̿̆͑̽͐͆̂̔̐́̊̋̀͝D̶̘͚̍͊̔͐̉̃Ę̷̫̱̓̂͂͆̏͝͠͝A̵͓̼͎̝̙̼͔̝̬̰̬̲̜̭̓͐̀̀̋̇̐̊̈͑͐̕D̶̛̰̹̮̟̜̫̬̭̒̀͑͛͛͊͝,̴̡̛̤̱̼̦̺̦̻̭̩̘̠͇͚̻̔̃̚ ̴̧͔̠̠̪̼̙̄̃̋͘R̴̨̜̱̦̝̟̒̆̄̾̓̀̀̓Î̴̥̗̯̟̰̳̳̽͂́̉͛͜G̷̢̦̟͎̤͖̬͑̒̔͋̐̑̈́̕̕͝͝Ḧ̵̹̳̝̦́̀͑ͅT̵̤̜͕̣̳̝̼̠̟̦͕͕̥͕̥́̌̄͊̿̀?̶̡̧̡̫̫̳̮̟̮͆̀͊̓̚͠ͅ ̶̨͍̪͎̱̟̺̩͖̲͙̩͒͗̈́̒̄͠ͅĮ̵̧̰̪̮͖͙̩̞̀́͊̈́̽͂͌̽̌̀̿̃̈̐͠ ̸̢̠͓͍̠̥̏̃D̶͓̯̄Į̸̬̩̱͖͔̘̮̥̦̋̾̂́͜ͅD̴̺̣͓̠͓̜̒̋̾͠͝N̵̪͉̤̤̎̕'̶̢̢̭̭͙̇͗̔̎͜T̵̢̛̛̬̠͚͈̘̹̣̯̊̀̈́̑̓͝ ̵̲̪̂Ŝ̶͍̫̞̝̟̙̞͓̼̗͉̠̹̍̆͊͆̄̆Ĕ̷̡̩͙͚͙͍̯̋̃̍̉̇̆̓̚͜͝E̴̢̬̳͇͙̲̕ ̷̡̨̛̳͈̣̰̟̘̗̹̳͇̈́̍͋̾̅A̴͑̀̾́̄̕ͅN̸̟̰̘͎̥̠̍͑͜Y̷̨͖̻̭̆͑̉͝ ̶̤͈̭͚͉̋D̶̡̠̟͔̯̫̰̬͇̬͇̹͙̪̓̂͛͘͝Ẽ̵͚͍̻͈̝͖͍̝̺͗̓̍͋͐̕̕͝Á̵̧̬̟̥̺̯̘̹̘̪͒͗̒̈͛͝T̵̼̥̙̬̭̜̟̞̅̄͑̈́̉̊̈̾͜ͅḤ̴̪͓̭͉̙͇̠̔̾͐̍̿͒̍ ̵̧̙̲͚̹̤͚̌͑̌̆̏̆̅̕͝Ḿ̵͉̩̐̆E̶͓̗̬̯͋̐͒̓͌̾̑̈́͘͜͝Ş̴̡̟̖̝̳͖͔͖̟̞̩̯͎̝̌̾S̶̨̞̹̠̹̞͙̮̟̤̳̯̤̺͍̃͆͗A̷̡̠͚̞̬̹̅́̀̇̑́̆G̸̢̝̙̙̬̼̮͑̓̿͜Ë̸̡̝̳͈͓̱̝̯̮̼͉͔̬̳̫̑̋̑̂̐̈́͐̉͛̃͠͝S̸̙̱̗̬̭̪͊͜,̴͇͍̿̅̿͑́͘
̸̨̛̝̱̱͎̊̒̉̑̈́́̎͐Ḥ̸̛̬̟͍̱͋͒̈́̓͗̑͌E̷̢̬͈̱̝̹̣̽̈́̆̐̈́̄̅̄̊̌͜͝'̴̧͓͍̥̰̦͈͍͎̪͈̈́̓͒͊̆͐̿̈́͑͗̈̔̾͗͜ͅS̶̙͕͂̄̉́͋̽͑͑̄͂̄̏͝ ̸̧̢͓̳͖̲̫̩̜̲͉͓̖̭͙͛̌͛̂͊̆͗͗͌́̅̑̓͗͠G̵͉͛Ờ̸͍̲̰̞͔̠͖̤͈͔͇̪͖̮͉̊́̓̀̒̕̕͠T̴͎̗̀̿́̈́̚͠ ̸̗̜͑́̆͌Ţ̷͔́͆̋̄̉̏̈̉̏̅̇̈̋͘̚͜Ơ̸͚̘̤̰̪̻̲͛̄̈̈́̿͛͝ ̶̜̰̀́̀̏B̶̗̮̱̩̣͇̹͖̎͂̏̄͂́͆̍́̈̈̈́ͅE̵̛̟͈̺͍͕̞̣̐̑̐͊͒̌ͅ ̷̦̗̪̤̗̠̪̱͚͗̓̑́̄͌̇̌͠S̶̤̻̣̣̥̩̼͓͚̞̹̾ͅͅO̶̡̡͚̬̩̫̥̥̩̻̬̺̞̼̔̑̿̏̃̉M̸̩͎̖̣̮̥͓̙̻̼̩̭̤̓̑̐̈̾͌̚͝ͅͅĘ̸͚͔̣̔̏̂̚W̴̡̠̥͎̗̺̮̽̓̔͋̌̿͋͒͗̊͝ͅH̴͎͍̰̅͝Ę̶̛̝̮̭͇̝̠̦̒̎̔̈͒͝͠͝R̴͈̂̈́͛̈̏Ê̶̢̝̩̺̮̳̱̝̫̩̼̼̋̋͠ͅ ̷̭̱̟̓̅̏̓̑̌́̕͝Ņ̸̨̥̞̺̩͙̱̞̜̹̀͐̒̎̉̓͆̀̆̄͘͠Ḗ̸̛͓̣͋̂̓̀̈́̾͑͘Ǎ̷̱̤̏̐̇̀́̅̆͒̀̈̇͘͝͝R̴̢̳̗̱̬̱̩̣̝̦͙̈́͋̀̉̅͛͆̈́͛̅̆͜͝͝ͅB̸̨̼̫̪̲̼̤̥̽͛͗Y̴̢̥̼̪̭̺̳̗͔̠̐̇͆́̐͜͜.̸̳̙̘͍͔̩͎̱̘͉̲̳͚̙͒̃̈́̈́̔̓ ̴̧̜̬̖̻̲͊͒͛̊̐̉͐̓̚͠P̵̡̺̜̗̤͊̃̀̈́̈́̔̔̂̃͒̚͝͝Ḻ̸̳͍͉͂̂̇̄̀͌̑́̅͋͘͘̕̕͝E̸̢̧͙͇̳͇̝̬͗̓̈́̈̓̂̂̆̐͊Ȧ̷̧̩̫̻̱̩͙̻̿͌̆̕͜͜S̷̨̛͙̞̹̮̪͎̅̐̎̈́̄͌͒͂́̕͝Ȅ̸̢̢̛̩̪͓̙̹͖.̶̧͕̣̫̬̦̪̮͈͈̍̐̐̓͂̂
I̶̛͎͉̘̲̟͑̑̚ ̴͇̹̜͈̞̼̗̹̐͛͂̿̀̾̌̋̂̚Ņ̸͕̯̋̂É̵̡̪̠̲̺̭̘̤̝̹̪̻̺̯̔̍͆̕Ȩ̵̩̞̟̮̖̳͇̩̱̓̑͑̒̊̾͒͝ͅD̵̯̘̰͍͈͚̺̫̒̅͘ ̸͍̤͚̩̤̥̰̈́̓̐̄̊̋̌̕͝T̶̨̯͉͍͚̞̩̪͍̆̎̌̇̾̿̀̑̈̄̃̓̄̾͘͜O̵̩̻̩̤̙̅̔̓̓̿̆̄̈́͗͘̚̚͝͝͝ ̴̮͓̹̩̬̩͗̈́̿̊̄̽͒̓͘͜͝ͅF̸̖͚̣͍̬̰̞͑͂̚͝Ȋ̸̭̫̪̥͕̋̎͑̇͋̋̈͌̉N̸͔̣̬̠̖̫̫̻̜̜̤̯̈́̂͗͆̆̿Ḋ̸̼̪̰͒͂͗̓̑͌́̕͘͠ ̵̛͔̟͓̖͚̮͎̙̜̗̰̱̩̒̉̌̑̽̒̐̚͜ͅH̶̜̝͖̤̩̠̰̞̞̼̙͖̍̉̅͌̈́́͂̈́̈̽̎̀́͆͠ͅḮ̷͔̪̝̜͍̞̘̳̰̥͖̓͊̿̆̐̉͐̕͝M̴̭̦̜͔̆͑͑́̒̉̃͒͐̑̒͂̀̌̚ ̴̹̬̮̆̈́̌̂͒̀͘͠Į̵̙̭̱͙͙̗̥̗͙̐ ̷̨̛̩̭͇̥̝͍̩͈͖̠̙̳͈̃̆̈́̾̎͐͛͗̇̕͜͝N̴̡̬͍̥͈̪̻̼͙̭͖̝͇͔̒͛̓̒̊͂̏͒̆̅̅̃͝͝ͅȨ̸̨̗̯̝͖̭̭͉͕̪͕̯̺̦͑͑Ẹ̵̣͉̣͔̋̆͆̾͋͋͊̕͠͠Ḋ̸̡͓̹̻̝̦̣̲͙̤͖̦̙̟͝ ̷̡̨̺̫̎̽̋̓̄͛̌̇̀̄T̴̢̢̻̜̻̪̄̈́̎̑͐͊̑͜O FIND MUGM… huh?
(WHERE IS HE? HE COULDN’T HAVE GONE TOO FAR RIGHT?)
(IT'S BEEN DAYS SINCE HE WAS STUCK IN THAT CAVE, NO... HE JUST NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT LEAVING IT AND CHECKING UP ON HIS TEAMMATE.)
(WHERE IS MUGM? HE’S NOT DEAD, RIGHT? I DIDN’T SEE ANY DEATH MESSAGES. HE’S GOT TO BE SOMEWHERE NEARBY. PLEASE.)
(I NEED TO FIND HIM I NEED TO FIND MUGM… huh?)
As Wyll was starting to panic, he saw that same red glow out of the corner of his eyes. It belonged to the flowers that bloomed from the vines which held tight onto the chest. But, this time they were brighter. They were starting to bloom from under the floor boards, leading Wyll out of the room.
Wyll put the book in his inventory and started following the flowers. They bloomed down the stairs, it was rather weird. But, this server was never that normal to begin with. Gems feeding on the energy of the deceased players? Yeah, that definitely wasn’t normal in any other server, but it was in this one. Which is what he was most worried about. He didn’t want Mugm to be on the brink of death just like he was a few minutes earlier, when he was running through the forests barely clinging onto consciousness from how starved he was. From how helpless he was. From how helpless he felt…
What if Mugm also felt just as helpless? Wyll just left for mining for days straight without giving a sign of life. He didn’t know how Mugm must’ve felt after not being contacted for so long. Especially by his only current teammate.
Wyll was starting to feel more and more uneasy with every minute passing by. He ran after the flowers, he quickened his pace. The flowers did too, not once stopping from blooming. How was it even possible? Wyll didn’t know, but if they were leading him somewhere starting from that chest, then they were probably leading him to Mugm.
They guided him through the night, through the light that was absent from the eclipse. The flowers never stopped shining brightly, not even once.
Wyll almost gave up on keeping up with them when he saw that they went down in a cave.
Afterall “Death lillies” are called that for a reason, no? Why was he following them? Was he trying to get himself killed? But, even if he did end up dying, he would just respawn back at the base so it didn’t really matter all that much to him.
What he found unexpected was when they led him to the End portal nearby. Did they want him to go to the End? That was quite risky, but he didn’t come all the way here for nothing. So, he jumped in.
Being met with the flowers again on the other side, he did what he could do best at the moment. He followed them…
The void didn’t specifically have a namable color, it was just darkness. Disregarding that, he still could spot his friend, his teammate.
He wasn’t wrong afterall. The flowers did lead him to Mugm.
Even though the void was nothing but darkness, the lands there still somehow glimmered and so did the white accents on Mugm’s outfit. Maybe that explains why it wasn’t so hard to spot him.
Wyll sprinted to Mugm, dashing past the flowers. He couldn’t feel his legs by now.
You know, being stuck down in the mines, with not a crumb of food left and always getting jumped by hoards of mobs is not the best way to conserve energy. He was still exhausted from his trip back in the overworld, let alone going on this one.
Wyll would’ve shouted Mugm’s name, maybe even considered giving him a hug from how relieved he felt to finally see him, but he was way too out of breath to do either of the above.
It wasn’t needed, though, for Mugm heard Wyll panting.
“Wyll?”
…
Wyll still didn’t have the breath to say anything. But, it’s okay since Mugm can talk for him.
“Uh, look, I don’t know how you knew I was here, nor do I know what you know.”
A pause.
“Wyll, what’s in your inventory?”
Wyll just looked at Mugm dumbfounded.
“What’s in your inventory?” Mugm repeated himself.
Wyll still didn’t know if there was something specific Mugm knew he had on him that he wanted but-
Oh, wait… The Book! That’s the only thing Wyll had on him that bore an actual deep connection with his teammate. Thus, he took out the book, holding it in front of Mugm.
Mugm’s face changed. He seemed more… serious.
“So, I guess you read it?” He asked.
“Yes…” Wyll said as he finally catched his breath.
“Well, then I guess you know why I am at this spot exactly, Wyll. On the same edge where Nezo officially left The Brotherhood.”
…
“Wyll, do you understand why my bed was broken?”
Wyll didn’t have to give it much thought. He already knew just as he was asked.
“...Are you insane?” he said without giving it much thought. Maybe at that time, I did say it in a harsher tone than I meant to.
“Honestly, Wyll, I thought you abandoned me. Wouldn’t be too surprised if you did, though. What’s a weapon with emotions anyway? Maybe I am doing us a favor afterall.” Mugm spoke with a monotone, then stepped closer to the edge of the island.
“Dude- don’t jump?? Hey, don’t do it, please!” Wyll’s eyes widened in shock and his voice cracked just at the idea that Mugm even thought about doing it.
“I don’t want to hear it, Wyll. My decision is final.” He looked away from me and then he disappeared.
I wish I had returned earlier. I wish I could’ve stopped him, but I simply was too late. He was too deep into the belief that I saw him as nothing more than a burden. It’s funny how I was the only one that really cared, haha. He did jump.
And I sat there, on that specific island. Which now meant as much to me as it did to him. I stood there, as I saw the first death message pop up in chat.
>>> Mugm_ fell out of the world >>>
I was left speechless. I didn’t know what I could’ve done to save him.
What I saw after, were 4 consecutive messages. Mugm was slain by those who were at spawn at the moment.
With that, Mugm’s gem was now broken.
And, I, am writing this in his room hours past the incident. I failed as a teammate, no? I should’ve been here earlier for him, I could’ve saved him. I should’ve communicated with him more throughout my journey.
…
Maybe that wouldn’t have changed anything as he didn’t message me once during that time either.
I have many regrets. Maybe following the flowers was one of them.
“Spider lilies”, huh. Symbol of death, highly toxic.
Yes, they did lead me to death. But, it wasn’t my death. It was the one of someone who used to be my teammate. He’s been banned for about two hours now. I really wish I hadn’t followed them. Maybe it would’ve been better if I just had no idea on why Mugm died in the void, or why his bed, his spawnpoint, was missing.
Curiosity killed the cat afterall. Funny how Mugm used to be called an angry kitten, huh.
What a bunch of coincidences. But, yeah, what is done, can’t be undone. I suppose I can accept this fact and move on. I’m sure I can find another teammate, but I don’t think anybody will ever be able to replace him.
With that said, I’m reaching the end of this story.
Or at least signing this book as “Aftermath” by Wyll.
That summarizes the unfortunate occurrence. It’s like a Part II of the book he had found in Mugm’s chest after rummaging through his belongings. He even placed both of the books back in the wooden box where he found them in the first place. How sentimental, no?
But, as time passes on, Wyll will move on from this unpleasant phenomenon.
Even if it takes him ages to heal from it, even if it takes otherworldly amounts of coping. Even if it comes back to bite him in the end…
There will always be the next Season. And he’ll be able to see his deceased friend once more.