Chapter Text
Avery found d3rlord.
It had begun to seem impossible, but after spending his entire day - his New Year’s Eve - solely on searching this Minecraft world to find him, he had done it.
And now they were having a conversation in this endless library, a supposed creation of something called the King in Yellow. Avery had never heard of such a thing, but as d3rlord explained it to him, the pieces started to fit into place.
An entity, one far beyond human comprehension. It held all the truths of the entire universe, of the past, present and future, anything that could possibly be known, it held within itself. And d3rlord had witnessed all of it the moment he went through that door.
His mind, barely clinging to life as the comprehension of the infinite knowledge ingrained itself into him. And now aware that Avery was going to find this world, and that he would come to suffer the same fate, d3rlord left a message warning him to run away.
But Avery had refused to run. Once he found d3rlord’s footage and knew where he could track him down, he entered the gate, travelling into worlds he didn’t even know could exist.
Then they found each other, and thus they got to talking.
Even though d3rlord seemed okay now, Avery knew he needed to save him before he was consumed.
That was why they were now trying to come up with a way to stop the King in Yellow. So d3rlord could be free, and so that the infinite knowledge wouldn’t hurt anyone else.
But they had run out of time for that now. The King had found them.
...
Suddenly, the wooden floor beneath them gives way to darkness. Avery has no time to react before he feels his mind begin to slow.
His arms go limp, falling by his sides. His mouse slides off the desk, making a small thud on the carpet. It was like Avery’s body began to shut down, he can’t even form words with his heavy tongue.
Avery’s vision blurs, yet he can vaguely make out messages on the screen. It might be his name, but he can’t make the words out anymore. He begins to sway slightly in his chair, trapped in a daze. The light emitting from his computer screen is all he can see.
And in his ears, Avery hears a voice. It’s unfamiliar, yet it forces Avery to follow its command.
“Sleep...“
Avery has no strength to refuse. And so he starts to drift away, but before that happens-
Something cuts through. An unexpected jab of pain, then another.
And with the third jab, Avery blacks out completely
...
—
Avery wakes up about ten minutes later laying on the floor, staring up at his ceiling.
“... Huh...?”
He holds up a hand to his head. He feels... off. Thoughts drag through his brain that feels like it’s stuffed with cotton, and he sits up in an attempt to correct himself.
“It’s okay... I’m okay…” he mumbles, trying to reassure himself. The thoughts come in quickly now, but his brain still feels exhausted, like some sort of power surge went off.
Avery wants to sleep. But he doesn’t.
The memories now return, and he recalls the moment right before he blacked out.
Something came after him and d3rlord. He couldn’t even see it coming... it all happened so fast.
Something was telling him to sleep, against his will. That voice in Avery’s head; it couldn’t possibly be his own.
The King in Yellow... it managed to find them.
Avery gets to his feet, fighting against the still lingering sleepiness. On his computer, Minecraft is displaying a death message:
TheMostMayo was slain by d3rlord3
... What?
d3lord3 killed him? Was that why he blacked out?
Did that mean those jabs of pain he felt before- those had come from being attacked by d3rlord?
That made no sense... how had the pain transferred over to him in real life? This was all still just a game...
Wasn’t it?
Never mind, that didn’t matter right now. Avery needed to get back to d3rlord, he must still be stuck in that other world they were transported to. So Avery picks up his mouse from where it fell on the floor, presses respawn and there he was, in front of the first gate again.
He doesn’t hesitate to enter it this time. Avery knows where he is going, and it was back to that hall of doors. He has to get through them quicker this time, there is no way of knowing how much time he has. d3rlord could be in grave danger, facing the King all alone.
But when Avery turns and walks back out the door, he does not find himself back in the hall.
It was the room with the church.
...
How was that even possible? He was supposed to go to the hall when he went through that gate, but somehow it had changed.
The King must be messing with him or something. It would surely know just how much he had grown to hate this room since what occurred last time he was here.
Avery tentatively heads towards the next gate, feeling dread creep up his veins as he looks at the graves adorned with blue orchids.
He had been the one to decorate them. He had read that stupid book in that stupid church and entered that stupid trance, repeating those pointless activities for god knows how long.
Avery had first read that book around 11am, and by the time he escaped that trance, it was close to midnight. He had spent twelve hours in this room, and he couldn’t even remember why.
...
What if he read the book again? Just a little bit, just to remember exactly what it is he saw-
But then Avery sees the signs placed by the gate.
You are real
You are special
Remember who you are
No.
Avery can’t forget again - he promised himself that. He needs to keep going. For d3rlord.
And so he steps through the gates, hoping to find himself back in the great hall. He still can’t understand how the gates had changed, but nevertheless, he persists.
Avery is now back in the great hall, but much further along than he was when he first left the church. In fact, he now stands at the final row. Nothing more stands between Avery and whatever lies behind the final gate.
...
Except for him.
d3rlord is still trapped. He’s somewhere behind one of the doors, and Avery has no idea how to get back to him. As far as he’s aware, there is no way to backtrack through the gates.
And even if he could, the King may just force him somewhere he doesn’t want to go...
Yet, there is another door Avery can enter on his right. He does not know what is behind it, but there is a chance d3rlord could be there. And despite that reason, there is something... else that entices him toward this gate.
Not the same curiosity that lured him toward that book in the church, no... it’s like a gut instinct. Something important is hidden in the world behind that gate. And Avery wants to go investigate it.
So Avery walks to his right into the penultimate gate.
When he exits, he tilts his head in mild confusion.
...
This place... he’s seen it already.
It’s the abandoned village from his original world. The very same, yet the grass is no more, replaced by white stained glass.
...
It’s strange. But Avery can feel something is hidden here. Something that he’s going to need.
—
Avery has been exploring for about twenty minutes now, and it seems fruitless. All of the houses remain unchanged, the chests still empty, the flooring still worn down. He even goes to the hidden house that would normally lead to the crossroads, but the way there has been blocked off.
But the feeling that something is here, it’s still eating away at him. What is it that he needs to find here? d3rlord is nowhere to be seen, and what could be more important than finding his way back to him?
The answer presents itself to Avery like clockwork.
Avery spots something; it’s a barrel underneath the white stained glass. Has that always been hidden in the village? The answer is unclear, but it doesn’t matter now. He breaks the glass and opens it up.
... It’s a book.
Avery is reminded of the last time he took a peek inside of a book like this, and it did not end well. But this has to be what his gut was telling him to find, the feeling began to vanish the moment he opened the barrel.
...
No choice but to read it, I suppose.
Avery opens the book. It has 74 pages, guess he’s going to be here for a while.
And then he starts to read.
...
It’s all going according to plan.