Chapter Text
"Come on, Egg," Wemmbu gently mumbled as he held the Seraphim's hands. So softly that Egg was starting to question him. "We need to get out of here."
It had been about a week since the Invis Guy — as Egg and Wemmbu had decided to call him — sold the Seraphim to Arachnid’s Empire, leading to Wemmbu being enslaved to him and Yungy. Of course, knowing Wemmbu, he'd already made an escape plan.
They walked through the empty, darkened halls, the demon's heels clicking as quiet as Wemmbu could afford to make them. On the other hand, Egg's footsteps were sincerely silent, guided by Wemmbu's grip on him. It was difficult to really walk besides each other with how Wemmbu's hands, albeit loosely, were still in handcuffs. He'd tried his best to budge it off, but he got too impatient and left it as is. Egg's arms were covered in chains that were forced broken by Wemmbu's mace.
Egg could feel how tense his best friend's body was. He was almost shivering under the pressure and underlying hope of finally escaping after a mere seven days, his bloody hand squeezing Egg's tightly. Egg squeezed it back, flashing a small smile as Wemmbu looked back in slight surprise. There were still a few hints of Arachnid's guards' crimson red blood smeared around his jawline and some dripping from his cape. To their surprise, but also to their demise, reinforcements hadn't appeared as of now — which either meant that Arachnid was lurking in the shadows to only kill their hope when they thought they finally escaped, or Arachnid truly had no clue about their attempt.
"Are you sure?" Egg's headwings fluttered minutely, a brief sound of his feathers jostling quietly echoing throughout. "Won't Arachnid, or Yungy—"
"They won't." Wemmbu paused in his footsteps, turning to face Egg. His hands clasped the Seraphim's, dried up blood gently pinkening his pale skin. He stared into Egg's soul which, both felt like an assault to Egg and undeniable determination. "I won't let them. Not again."
The walk continued in the repetitive silence that was occasionally broken by the sound of Wemmbu shuffling, dragging Egg along as quick-paced as he could without further making the Seraphim uncomfortable. After all, the chains around his body that almost restricted his movement were starting to annoy him. Egg wished he had taken them off before they'd made a move — but now it was too late, and they couldn't make a clatter of noises trying to rip the metal off. Especially if Wemmbu were to decide to use Gambit.
They made a multitude of turns while finding a way out. Accurate to belief, Wemmbu did not plan out or scout the area for an escape. This randomisation of wandering around was starting to visibly upset Egg. At one point, the Seraphim offered to use one of his eyes to seek out an opening, but Wemmbu had insisted that he wanted to do the work — even if it took days for them to achieve freedom.
… He could’ve sworn it was all going well.
The sickening choke he heard behind him as his hand couldn't feel Egg's anymore almost made him gasp audibly. He almost feared turning around, but did so anyways.
"Egg—" Wemmbu's voice already cracked, panic settling into his chest. He tried to walk forwards, to get Yungy's grip off of him — but instead was held back by another guard in diamond armour. He would've kicked them off, maced them off, anything, if he didn't feel so weak right now. Weak from worry. Weak from panic, from caring. "No, please..."
Yungy raised one eyebrow, that smirk still on his face. Expecting everything that had just happened. "What?" He mocked, holding Egg by his hair. The Seraphim gasped in pain as it pulled at his nerves that usually kept it down on his disarrayed face. A whimper escaped the angel and Wemmbu instinctively tried to reach out, forgetting he was currently restricted from stepping any closer. A netherite blade from the guard touched his neck, playing against his skin threateningly. "Tried to escape, huh? I'm surprised you didn't choose a better way," He chuckled at the demon's expression — the mix of frustration and despair a dessert to him. "Especially considering you just became royalty. Didn't even bring that pirate with you."
The desperateness in Egg's now uncovered eyes was getting to much for him. Wemmbu reluctantly looked away, his face scrunching up as his heart only sank even more at how he was acting. He couldn't even bear to give one last glance at him.
The quick sheathing of a sword from its case pierced through his ears, instantly forcing Wemmbu to look back at the two.
"No, please, wait..." His vision was starting to blur, hot tears stuck underneath his eyelids. He couldn't cry. Not yet. Not ever. "W—wait, please, Yungy. Please... don't hurt him."
Wemmbu sounded so undeniably fragile at the moment, to everyone's surprise. He hated how frangible he sounded; how disheartened he was. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Arachnid was right. Undeniably so. It was true that, no matter what, if anyone had Eggchan; they had Wemmbu under their control.
“Arachnid wouldn’t— want you to do that,” He stumbled over his words continuously, trying to reason with Yungy, even if it didn’t make sense. “Right? He— he’d want me under control, under the control of him. Just— that… that means you shouldn’t kill Egg, right?”
There wasn’t a second of hesitance as Yungy slit Egg’s neck, the sound of skin ripping so easily silencing the both. Only one could speak again, while the other was quietened forever. Blood spewed out like water from the wound continuously, multiple veins destroyed by the singular blade. Its dark crimson red dyed his now dirtied, white shirt and collar, before seeping into his pink tie like watercolour — and at last, his signature suit. The heavy smell of iron filled the empty hall, letting Wemmbu stare before he finally processed it.
And for the first time, he didn’t relish in it. He didn’t smile like some crazy person with no morales. It felt like a physical blow to his stomach. He felt like he was going to vomit.
Yet, he didn’t. Yet, he couldn’t even move a single bit. He couldn’t mutter an apology, or cry his eyes out until he passed out from utter exhaustion. He couldn’t try to get revenge for his best friend — one of his only friends on the server. One of the only people he ever trusted, protected, served, laughed with.
And he was never going to get him back.
He was dead.
Forever.
A thud followed as Yungy finally let go of Egg, letting the paled body drop to the floor like a doll with its strings cut. Like a puppet that had finally fulfilled its purpose, thrown away as if he was a toy to be discarded. A cruel bundle of laughter followed, as if Egg had lost his life for the sake of the second-in-command’s entertainment.
“Oh, look at him!” Yungy couldn’t help but comment at how Wemmbu had stilled. “Pathetic. Truly, so sad and pitiful.”
“You—”
“Yup!” He announced as if he had won a grand prize. “Your best friend’s dead. Oh, really, it is sad, but… Who knew that after that whole ordeal and negotiation, he’d die in the end anyways?”
Yungy leaned in closer, a casual smile on his face. Wemmbu hadn’t realised his legs had already buckled, and that he was already kneeling on the floor, his whole body numb. He couldn’t help but look up at him instead of avoiding his gaze.
He didn’t need to pay attention to what was going around him to understand what Yungy was saying. The ringing in his ears was deafening enough, but he could still lip read. He was so aware yet unaware. Everything began to blur like pieces of glass being forced together with a hot glue gun.
And it’s all your fault.
It always was. It always was, no matter what he did. Even if he were to try and help someone, he would still get their civilisation blown up. Even if he tried to save a group of people by escaping, he’d always end up with one less than he started with. Even if he tried to train, to get stronger to protect everything he loved, he still lost the very thing he swore to protect.
Arachnid hadn’t even ordered for Yungy to put him in their prison. He wasn’t forced to do another mission as punishment. He wasn’t forced into an arena to fight against Jaden once more. He was instead dropped off back at his mansion he’d claimed upon becoming royalty. Forced into his room, then left alone.
He didn’t know whether he wanted to sleep, lie down, walk around, start macing everyone in his vicinity, try to escape, or just die. So he let his body collapse on himself once more — back sliding down the now shut door as he sat with his knees up to his chest. His arms dwindled by his side limply, serving no purpose but to just touch the ground meaninglessly. Everything felt numb. He felt cold. The room felt cold. It felt as if the air from his room had been sucked right out and he was somehow in a space-like vacuum. Arguably, he didn’t know what that truly felt like, but he could’ve sworn that’s how someone would describe it.
His eyes were completely dulled, pupils taking up his irises and making it seem as if his amethyst eyes had turned into a complete, darkened void. He stared at the ground aimlessly because his head couldn’t even bring itself to look straight ahead of him. All of a sudden, it felt like all of his limbs and bones and just his whole body in general was rotting.
Maybe this is what it feels like to die on the inside.