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I had dreamt of you before, but they'd never felt like this. Most dreams felt hazy, unreal, like I was in some other form than my own. This, though... This felt so different. Like I was ME, my body and soul having been thrust into some liminal sub-reality. I was scared at first. Was I sinking into a bad place because I was finally losing it? Was this a deathbed vision without me realizing it?
But then I saw your face. Your confused, always-slightly-frightened face, chipped with old paint, baring the bones that should have stayed hidden beneath rotting skin. You were free of blood on your face and you clutched your arm of bone close to your chest. You laid eyes upon me and grew even more confused. I just stared at you for longer than I should have. Then, after a minute of vexed silence, I smiled. God, I had to.
"Hi," I said.
"H--Hello... Um... Do I know you?" you asked me. I held my hands behind my back, scuffing the invisible ground beneath us. "Am I dreaming again? Or have I..."
"No, you're not dead. And you're not dreaming. Not this time. She's not here."
"How do you know?"
"I didn't want to talk to her." You furrowed your brow and cocked your head. I chuckled. "I'm... the person who created you." My heart ached at the way your eyes lit up, sad as they remained. "Not, like, your mom! I'm not related to you. I'm... the person who CREATED you."
"You're my... god?"
"I wouldn't go that far. You're... Okay, how do I say this without making you upset? I'm... You're a character... that I made up. That I thought of and did... a lot of creative stuff with."
I probably couldn't have made that worse if I tried. And yet... you seemed oddly okay. You straightened up, dropping your arm. I waited with baited breath for you to respond.
"I'm not real?" you asked pitifully.
"You're real. In the world of your friends and family, you're real. But I... I made you. And now here you are."
"Did you make everything else, too?"
"No. Other people came up with the boat and everything."
"Including my friends? My... family?" I nodded. You cleared your throat. "Oh."
"They're real, too. As real as you. As real as me, too, I guess. Who's to say I'm not a creation of some writer or-or some creative?" You studied my face for a long time. I mean, REALLY studied it. Every bit of my face that I had poured into you. Every bit of my aches and pains that I manifested into this... creature, this being, before me.
"Did you and your friends decide on the fate of our boat together?" you asked. I gulped, my chest already growing heavy.
"No. That was... a fate a couple of us came up with after that... friend group fell apart," I answered. "I'm sorry. I really wish things could have ended better for all of you. But... people went behind other people's backs and then another person left and... Now, it's just you."
"And Onyx. And Nicky."
"That's very true."
"Are they going anywhere? Have you... lost them, too?"
"No. Thank God, no. They're still my friends. We've... spoken a lot about how we wanted to go about giving you... an ending." The fear in your eyes broke my heart. You took a few steps towards me, letting go of your arm. I stiffened up.
"An ending? That-That's it? I'm going to-You're done with me? After all that you did to me?"
"It's not-I'm not going to kill you off! You..." I held up my hands. You backed off a bit, still panting. I sighed. "I'm sorry. For everything I did to you. I made things... so hard for you. And it was because I was trying to process so many of my own problems through you. You were... You ARE my anxieties and my fears. And I realize how cruel it is to make this person who is nothing but the worst parts of oneself. But... I made you because I know those parts of me are beautiful. I made you because I wanted to show things could get BETTER. I realize... I didn't give you many chances for them to stay better and for that, I'm sorry. I tried. But... when you have a character for so long, you can only do so much besides run in circles sometimes. My intent was always for you to be happy. Tests were... needed. But you got... you have a family through it all. I'm sorry that it fell apart due to reasons outside of the control of both of us. I'm sorry I can't give you the ending you deserve. I'm sorry it all fell apart and I'm sorry I put you through hell again and again and AGAIN. I love you, Bee. I always have. You are my creation and I... I have cherished you for so long. You don't have to love me in return or forgive me. You can tell me you want to go and I'll send you back. But I needed you to know. I wish I could give you so much more because it's what you deserve. You are a good person and I wish there were more opportunities for you to learn that. Please, if you won't believe anyone else when they tell you, believe ME."
You listened to me with more intent than I've ever seen in my life. I watched you flit from fear to confusion to heartbreak to whatever laid behind that slight smile you gave me. Tears welled in your eyes. You closed the short distance between us until only a few feet remained. You searched so hard for the words through your tears before you spoke.
"You mean that?" you said, your voice small and broken. I chuckled, tearing up myself.
"I have for years," I told you. Without warning, you suddenly leaned forward with your arms out. It's funny. I know I made you to be a walking corpse held together by threads of magic and a prayer, but I never expected just how light and flimsy you were. Hugging you felt like hugging a heavy sheet. Like a weighted stuffed animal. Enough substance to be held but still light enough that it felt almost like nothing.
"How do you plan to end this story?" I almost didn't want to answer you. If I did... that would be it. And you'd be gone.
"I always planned for you to return home," I admitted. You pulled away from the hug. "Not to Hollowvale. But HOME. Where they rebuilt and accept those like you. The formerly dead. Your town was always a necromantic playground. People were always happy there. There may be other people like you. But if not... That's okay. Their kindness will welcome you with open arms. It was always meant to. You'll go... and you'll find someone who may have forgotten you in his old age, but you will reconnect with him. She won't bother you. I had plans for a way for her not to bother you anymore but... I can't bring them to fruition. But she won't bother you. You weren't supposed to stay there but now... Now you can. You'll live a happy life in your hometown, loved and accepted after years of being run out."
"And the boys?"
"Nicky will go with you. His creator and I agreed on that. Onyx's... had other plans for his character development. They're going to use him in a game campaign and... we kind of made it canon that he's going to end up there out of the abyss." Your face fell. "He'll be with you for a bit. You can say goodbye."
"Please... Oh, gods, PLEASE. I can't... I don't want to lose him. Oh, GODS, I couldn't bear to just lose him like that." Your closed fists came up to your face and you covered it with your arms. "After we lost track of everyone else, after they kicked us out... I need to reconcile with Onyx. I trust him. Gods, I trust him, I TRUST HIM. I wish he knew that. He needs to know that. Even after everything, I love him so dearly. He's always been like a brother to me. I don't care if we fight, I don't care what happened before, I was being childish. He's always been there... I can't lose him so soon."
"You won't. You won't lose him soon. I promise you. His creator and I promise you." You gave a shuddering breath. Your arms slowly fell from your face, revealing your inky-tearstained skin. "You will have your happy ending. As you deserve."
"Thank you... For everything. And I truly mean everything." I smiled. My face grew warm and damp as I frantically tried to wipe it clean. The haze worsened, presumably for both of us by your reaction. "Will I ever see you again?"
"...Probably not. But I will think of you always."
"Even through what they put you through?"
"You mean more to me than they ever did." You let out a mirthless chuckle. "I love you."
"And I, you. You, who gave me life. Gave me existence. Gave me meaning." My vision blurred.
"You can grieve the loss of them! Don't think you can't just because I don't associate with their creators anymore! They were your family. You can mourn them. It's okay."
"I will... What's your name?" Your face blossomed into a smile as the word left my lips. "That's very pretty."
"Heh... thanks. Say hi to the boys for me."
"I will."
Much like how I had been sucked out of my body, made to feel odd and out of place, I felt myself slam back into it and jolt awake, back in the place I knew I belonged. You were gone. And I sat there in my bed and wept for a very long time.