Chapter Text
“Until next time friend”
Avery read as the classic death screen appeared before his eyes. His hands were still, left fingers hovering over the WASD keys, a habit most have.
Where would he spawn? What would he do, then? Would he even try to do something? He didn’t know.
What he did know was that he’d be pretty far away from where he was supposed to be... With him.
d3rlord3—Derek. His friend.
He had been outsmarted by someone, once again. He couldn't believe it, is he really that dumb?
He wanted this to be different; he wanted him to be different... which he is was.
Avery stared at the screen for seconds— minutes, perhaps— simply thinking, likely dozing off. He was trying to process (or accept it, both were as difficult) what had just happened.
But it seemed like none of it was worth it, he couldn’t even form proper sentences. He sat there, not doing absolutely anything. Time didn't seem to matter at all, he had probably forgotten where he was.
None of it really mattered...
No, snap out of it.
“D3rlord!” he said in a single breath, hands immediately grabbing the laptop’s mouse.
He clicked the ‘Respawn’ button and tried to reconnect back, to at least try and change his friend's mind, but he had no luck.
He couldn’t respawn; it was as if the game had broken, but nothing like that ever happened... not until now, at least.
“No- what’s- please, please work!” he said as he desperately tried to rejoin the world.
He tried everything, every possible way- all except one.
Closing the game.
But closing it was too risky, Avery didn't want to do it. What if he loses again? What if something worse happens??
...Avery had to at least try, no? For him, to repay... for everything.
He couldn’t waste any more time.
Avery closed Minecraft, the laptop’s screen switching back to his Youtube channel. He was planning on uploading the recording after everything ended, but this was all far from over. He still needed to save Derek.
He went through his desktop, searching for the game, but his mind had only one thought—one name—Derek.
Minecraft had finally loaded, the welcome message being no other than, “Keep going forwards!”
How could he, when there was no path?...
Not again...
He clicked on worlds looking for the single one that had mattered, his singleplayer world.
…Singleplayer?
Nevermind that, he had to—
…
...It’s gone..?
“...Huh?”
His phone buzzed.
It had been a while since he checked his phone; he usually didn’t have to do so, he had everything he needed in his laptop, so checking it was a waste of time. Well, of course he checked it every once in a while, his parents do like to check up on him.
He grabbed it, the screen’s brightness making Avery look away for a few seconds before lowering it. He always had a habit of forgetting to lower the screen’s brightness when it was late.
Once he did, he noticed it was… 9:15 am.
How did time pass by that quickly??
He focused on the notification—it was a recommendation for a video.
It was none other than the person who had discovered the ‘code’ from his inventory the day he uploaded that video, Wifies.
That’s when he remembered something.
At the library, before Avery read the book as instructed, D3rlord3 had sent a weird message he assumed was random keys… but it wasn’t, was it?
And Wifies had already solved it once.
It was a Google Drive link.
Genious.
He went through his files, trying to find his recording…
Oh, he never stopped recording, did he?
Yeah, he did that first.
“Sheesh- fifteen hours?” he said out loud, but his mind was somewhere else... but then he really thought about it. Fifteen hours was... it wasn't it, there was supposed to be more, right?... He decided to go forward with the recording to check, and… somehow, some of the footage was gone, moments with D3rlord3. The final ones.
Gosh, this was all too much- first, he loses the world, and now the recording??
He just needs to lose him for it to count as a third time.
...
...What if-
No, focus.
He went back to the library momenr, pasting the link on Google.
And there it was. Another One Drive folder.
His heart skipped a beat as he saw...
…nothing.
Nothing at all.
Yeah, no. This didn't make any sense at all. How- why would you send a One Drive link just for nothing to be there??? Is that even possible?-
A single recording appeared.
Things like these only happened if… if the owner of the folder…
He didn’t think, he immediately clicked on it.
It was him. Well, his recording.
Avery skipped some, if not most, parts of the video. They weren’t important— at least, they weren’t for now— he just needed to find the moment where it all ended.
Ended. What a terrifying thought.
And what if he saw something he didn’t want to see? The mouse hovered over the seek bar, but Avery was hesitant…
Did he really want to know? Was he ready for whatever he was about to see? He could simply close his laptop and celebrate new years.
But with who?
Cruel reality was that there was no one Avery could reach out to.
His colleagues were busy, and there was this silent rule where they wouldn’t bother each other on holidays.
That’s probably the reason why he spent over 16 hours on a Minecraft world unbothered.
Focus, Avery.
He had to focus, he needed to know what had happened to d3rLord3, he had to know what made it so necessary for him to push him off without even trying to find another alternative for whatever was happening.
The video played. There he was, having one last word with that creepy yellow eye.
“As for you… you idiot.”
The eye was disappearing— or, well, dissolving..? He wasn’t sure— and it wasn’t a pleasant sight, not at all.
“Isn’t it ironic— That a king loses to a lord.”
The rest was plain silence. It seemed like D3rlord3 wanted to say something, he had opened the chat box and Avery swore he would, but the recording ended there.
No- there has to be something more, he can’t just-
He went back to the general file, realizing that there was another file.
“Goodbye”
No.
Avery clicked in the file, there was a YouTube link.
No, no, no…
He could hear breathing, but no voice.
Avery started reading the Google document, his throat tightening as the faint breathing fled through his ears.
One small thud, another one.
The sound then cut off.
Avery stared at the screen for what felt like minutes before giving in to the headache he was trying so hard to avoid.
If it wasn’t for his window curtains, his eyes would be burning, too.
He was not a night owl person— New Year’s was the sole exception— he always woke up early despite sleeping so late, so this sure was a change.
One his body was declining.
He was fast to close the laptop, his system finally catching up to the horrendous amount of hours he’s spent awake.
And, just like that, all he could think was to sleep. He forgot everything he ever cared about, everything he needed and wanted, he prioritized his sleep over everything.
Everything.
Which was weird, because just a few moments ago he’d been desperately searching for d3rLord’s last moments; a certain someone he spent New Year’s with, a Minecraft player who warned him about his Minecraft world, a stranger.
His body made its way through the room, stumbling into things he had recklessly left on the floor due to the laziness of organizing his room.
Finally, he reached his bed, and within seconds he had collapsed on it.
He succumbed to a heavy, deep sleep, one he had never experienced before.
And it was nice, way too nice.
Birds chirped outside, but there was no sound of humanity; only him and his thoughts as they slowly drifted off into the depths of his clear mind.
The thing is…
Just as he was having the best sleep of his life, a certain someone was going through what could—and most definitely is— considered hell.
Pain. Agonizing pain.
No, not even that. He could think of all existing words and synonyms for what he’s feeling, but words would only minimize the extreme, tortuous feeling he’s experiencing right now.
Derek had finished writing the document, writing his final goodbye, and was now recording what is considered to be a failed attempt at trying to say something— anything— Avery could get out of him before he leaves this world.
But, as he tried speaking, all he could feel was that pain of a headache he tried to avoid for the last, what, days? Weeks? Probably months, considering it’s New Year’s.
He knew what was going to happen once he closed that Minecraft world, and yet he tried fooling himself into believing there was a painless way out.
Fool.
The headache worsened every second that passed by, so no words were spoken as he recorded.
He collapsed against the table, a high pitched sound and mosaic filled his senses, all of them. How does that work? He didn’t know, all he knew is that he needed to look at his computer before he completely dozed off the world.
And, for once, that thought wasn’t as bad.
The pain was insufferable; the thought of finally resting, finally letting go of all this pain… It was tempting. Way too temping.
But he needed to finish this, he needed to leave one last thing of himself.
Something he’ll get remembered as, despite his meaningless existence.
With all his willpower, he grabbed his mouse.
He knew all possible digital shortcuts, so uploading a video within seconds and making one last Google File wasn’t a problem.
Bearing the pain and temptation was.
But his mind was strong, how else would he be able to contain all this infinite knowledge? Not only that, but the existence and presence of a cosmic entity— a god-like creature— inside his head.
Of course, the thought itself was terrifying. Before everything, he knew nothing about this King in Yellow, but now? With all this knowledge—his knowledge— he perfectly knew who he was. And he could sense him from behind, watching his every move. Or maybe it was his own mind playing tricks on him, Derek couldn’t trust it, not with this cosmic entity slowly consuming his every thought.
As he finally created the Google File and uploaded the video, all his senses magically disappeared.
Well, not magically, but that’s a way to put it.
The thing is, with unlimited knowledge, you’re far too conscious of how your body works. You suddenly remember you’re breathing, blinking, swallowing, hearing… it all becomes intended. Not only that, but you get all the information of what’s happening inside your body.
For Derek, this meant knowing that, as he is near death, his senses will slowly fade away. His hunger and thirst were far gone, and he could feel how his sense of smell and taste were gradually vanishing.
But it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be.
Yes, the headache was intolerable, but aside from that… It was okay.
…
Open your eyes, my vessel.
You dare sleep while you wear my pallid mask?
Your purpose is far from over, my vessel— we have only just begun.
Breathe now, vessel.
Rise.
Derek’s eyes shot open, his body running with a sweet sensation of alarm followed by a dreaded, cold shock, navigating through his whole system. He could feel his heart rate surpassing the average amount of beats, each blink possessed by a dripping gold filling his pupils as they slowly melted inside his eyes and ran through his tear ducts.
The feeling was intoxicating, but far from death.
No, he wasn’t dying… but nor was he being saved from it.
He was being denied the peace of death, being stuck on this filthy terrain called his dorm as he… fully merged.
Ah, so that’s what it is.
The King had finally found its use on him.
Maybe he had already found one months ago—when Derek saw it— and was simply playing with the already sealed fate.
It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings.
He was not on his desk and collapsed, not anymore…
He was inside his bathroom, tears flowing through his face as he hyperventilated ahead of his mirror, it having a perfect crack that divided his face in two.
And he, despite everything, was still himself.
Until he blinked, revealing an elegant shadow behind him, a pale but smooth mask hovering over him… just not enough for Derek to feel its decadent touch.
Derek took a few more seconds before finally moving away—
Do not look away from the glass, my vessel. Look at us.
Breathe. Let the cold air fill your forever unresting lungs as they plead for death to unravel itself amongst your tethered bones.
Do you feel it?
Death cannot have you.
Not while my weeping song still vibrates inside your throat, producing exquisite agony.
He couldn’t exactly move; it was as if a silent chanting commanded his presence.
His hands stood still against the sink, providing the only support he could trust as he stared endlessly at his reflection.
It was weird… he could somehow feel his pupil melting, being one with his agonizing tears, but his reflection looked just fine.
Sooner than later, the pain started to become bearable. He didn’t know if it was because minutes staring at his own reflection passed by, or because what he was staring at calmed the pain down.
It’s just like the world, right? Staring at him makes it bearable.
But don’t let words fool you; just because it’s ‘bearable’ doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
It did, a lot.
His arms were tired, and so was his whole body, but he couldn’t stop staring.
It was comforting, or at least that’s what he feels. He could see his whole face deforming in the mirror, that’s a mental illusion the brain makes when it decides to stop processing an unchanging and unmoving object. It begins to ignore features, but his eyes looked the same.
In fact, they were more detailed than before. He could see every single thing about them; from the iris that kept flashing a strong, gold colored light, to his eyebags, the consequence of more than two months of staring at a screen endlessly.
He had to do something, this felt like he would make Derek stare into his soul for years.
“Can I stop staring now?” Derek asked out loud, not sure if that would do anything. The shadow behind him seemed to move slightly, the face slightly twitching as his question hung in the air.
After a few seconds of silence, he gave an answer, just not out loud. There was no need, he consumed every inch of Derek’s mind, so why bother to use words?
The question isn’t whether you can but whether you’re allowed, my vessel.
Derek let out a loud sigh, the irritation he’s actively feeling causing the headache to worsen.
“May I look away?”
You may. There is no need to continue staring at us.
And, just like that, all that kept Derek from completely falling down disappeared, making him collapse against the cold bathroom floor. His legs were numb from standing up with no rest, of course the first thing they’d do was to give up.
But that wasn’t the issue at the moment.
Controlling the wave of tiredness that slowly crept inside his system was.
Finally away from the computer with no headache after months sure was a relief, but it had its downsides.
For just how long will this ‘rest’ take?
He thought as he crawled into his bed after using all his strength to stand up.
It didn’t take a minute before he passed out.
For how long?
It’s funny you ask...