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“Y’know, you seem really out of focus today…”
Wifies casually took the white bishop off the board using his knight, twirling the piece between his fingers.
Parrot only shot his friend a confused look before taking the free knight, placing his own pawn in the center. “Bro, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m literally destroying you.”
Wifies hummed in response as he moved his queen. “And that’s mate.”
The avian could only stare at the board, realizing his king had been smothered by his own pieces.
They had been playing for quite a while now, pieces scattered on the oak floors of Parrot’s house. The sun was already setting, pink and orange skies rose from the horizon.
Wifies stood up from his seat, leaning on the furnace nearby to pet Capri-sun, Parrot’s pet bird. The parrot leaned to his touch, brushing his soft feathers against Wifies’s synthetic skin. Its warmth contrasted with his freezing body; alive with flesh and bones instead of systems of wiring and data. Parrot hadn’t even moved a muscle since Wifies had first set up the board, legs crossed. He could only imagine the pins and needles the avian felt.
“Listen…” he started; Parrot was still busy repositioning the pieces for the next round. “The ParrotX2 I know will never have this bad of a losing streak. So it’s either you’re somehow not Parrot and just a clone from a factory made by an evil version of yourself, or… something is bothering your mind.”
Parrot paused, finally meeting Wifies’s gaze. “I’m pretty sure the first one pertains to you. Plus, who knows? Maybe I actually can have a losing streak… of ten.”
“Then you’re probably blind because you didn’t see the conveniently free bishop that will lead you to mate in four.”
Parrot was immediately silenced, and Wifies took it as a signal to continue.
“So you do admit something’s wrong.”
To that Parrot sighed, finally standing up to sit on his bed. “Do you really wanna know?”
“I know that this is probably none of my business, but I want to help you with whatever you’re going through. It’s fine if you don’t wanna tell me anything though.”
Warm sunlight passed through the iron bars of Parrot’s cage, casting sharp shadows of unease onto Parrot’s face. The copper spyglass dangled from his waist, gleaming as the rays hit it from the perfect angle. He stared down at the knight in his hands before finally setting it aside.
“A couple of days ago… Spoke left this at my base.” Parrot took out a cracked music disc from his inventory and handed it over to Wifies. The latter inspected the disc, and sure enough, it had been tampered with. “He said something about a ‘powerful secret’ that the server had, then he sent me coordinates immediately after I listened to it.”
Wifies was no stranger to Spoke, though he also didn’t know much about him. He and Parrot were childhood friends until they had a falling out.
“You know that Spoke and I aren’t exactly… friends right now. However, I believe this ‘secret’ is in our best interest right now. If it falls to the wrong hands, I mean, who knows what it could do.”
Parrot had a fair point. With the eventual rise of different factions and empires on the server, every single one has a different goal.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you this,” Parrot stood up, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the mattress he sat on. “And I’ll respect your decision if you choose not to get involved, but will you be willing to help me?”
Wifies didn’t know why he hesitated. It was a simple yes-or-no question, and Parrot was his friend. But at the same time, they could be risking their lives for something bigger than themselves, or nothing at all.
But in the end, Wifies relented. He didn’t have anything better to do anyway.
“Fine, I’ll help you.”
Parrot’s serious posture melted right away. He started chirping on how nervous he was and Wifies chuckled at the overexplained banter.
Yet the emptiness didn’t cease.
The outer End islands couldn’t get any colder— the wind had a certain bite to it— yet Wifies was profusely sweating.
He bit his inner cheek until he tasted iron, yet his mouth felt dry as a desert. Every breath felt like sucking in shards of glass. His vision tunneled down to his console, shaky hands typing hopelessly.
[ParrotX2 whispers to you: help now]
[You whisper to ParrotX2: its off]
[You whisper to ParrotX2: fly in]
[You whisper to ParrotX2: do you need my help?]
[You whisper to ParrotX2: im coming out]
[You whisper to ParrotX2: im going out the front]
[You whisper to ParrotX2: circling the front, dean is on my cue]
[You whisper to ParrotX2: im gonna circle looking for you clockwise]
The sound of typing resonated through the back of his mind as he flew through the empty skies. He scanned through the barren islands in search of the avian. The occasional chorus plants that stood tall, or even the giant purpur end cities, blocked his view, and it was starting to get into his nerves. What if he were there? Hiding in a corner? What if Wifies missed him accidentally?
It had felt like hours since he last saw Parrot.
Wifies’s damp eyes found the frame of his watch.
It had only been minutes.
Minutes too long of Parrot in danger.
Every second Parrot was out there, trapped in a hole in the middle of nowhere, the more prone he was to getting found by the mafia.
What if he got found again? Losing totems frantically, armor breaking by the second. Parrot trusted him not to let that happen. Wifies would never let that happen.
The picture was still clear in his mind. Parrot led away the mafia members with barely any armor left. Wifies’ systems were drastically heating up, panicking, desperate to find a solution. He felt like he failed Parrot.
Failure is bad.
Failure means useless.
Useless means trash.
He’ll get sent back to the factory.
He’ll get disposed of.
Taken apart.
Used for repurposing.
He’ll die.
Parrot would be left alone.
He can’t fail.
[ParrotX2 whispers to you: -97380 27 36355]
[ParrotX2 whispers to you: come here now with invis]
The tension on Wifies’ face washed away for a moment, using rocket after rocket to fly to the location. Parrot was out, but he was still heavily injured. Arriving at the coordinates, he materialized a pickaxe right out of his inventory, digging away as his lips trembled.
“Hey, can you hear me?” he croaked, hearing the faint rustle of fabric in the distance.
“Parrot?”
A chillingly heavy thud answered his call.
Wifies continued mining, to the point that he could feel the very handle of his pickaxe crumble in his hold. He clawed through the endstone, chunks flying past him in every strike. He followed the coordinates to the very digit.
Parrot isn’t dead.
He can’t die.
He won’t die.
“…’fies…?”
Wifies snapped out of his thoughts as he stared at Parrot wide-eyed. The avian was limp on the ground, using his last bits of strength to reach out to him before losing consciousness. He could see the cracks on his armor, crimson blood smeared everywhere and dripping and he had wounds that he shouldn’t have and it was all Wifies’ fault.
He moved fast, swiftly yet carefully gathering the avian to his arms. Wifies splashed an invisibility potion beneath them before taking off, burning through his rockets. Parrot was dying on his arms and he was to blame. If he hadn’t let him go so easily, this wouldn’t have happened.
/Your fault. Your fault. Your fault-/
Before Wifies realized, they had already arrived at the front gates of the end civilization.
“DEAN! OPEN THE FUCKING SHIELD!” He screamed from the top of his lungs, yet only the void below heard him. Wifies summoned his console, fingers furiously tapping against the cold glass.
[You whisper to deanthebean9: OPEN]
[You whisper to deanthebean9: OPEN]
[You whisper to deanthebean9: OPEN]
[You whisper to deanthebean9: OPEN]
[You whisper to deanthebean9: OPEN]
[You whisper to deanthebean9: OPEN]
[You whisper to deanthebean9: OPEN]
[deanthebean9 whispers to you: its off]
Wifies flew inside, the castle finally appearing to his view. He landed just at the entrance where the others anxiously waited for them. They surrounded the two, Parrot still impossibly still in his grasp. Wifies laid him down on the concrete, and Parrot looked fragile as glass, like a single miscalculated move could shatter his peace. He unclasped the almost broken netherrite armor and took it off, exposing the even deeper wounds that were inflicted on Parrot’s chest.
“Does anyone have any regen pots? I-instant healing- anything!”
A hand reached out to him— was it Dolph9n or Max? He didn’t care anymore— and gave him two bottles of regeneration. Without taking his eyes off Parrot, he hurled them towards the floor, applying the effects to the avian. Deep gashes started healing slowly. Too slow for comfort. Wifies could only watch and hope and pray to any god out there. He buried his head into Parrot’s chest as he whispered. “Open your eyes for me…” He let his friend’s weak yet thumping heart find its way to his ears, and the silence of the end blanketed them.
And he stirred.
“Wifies…?” Parrot rasped; his hand placed gently on Wifies’ back. Wifies slowly lifted his head, Parrot smiling at him while his eyes fluttered in fatigue. “Huh… your tears aren’t oil after all…”
Wifies’s hand traced his cheek, his fingers slick with Parrot’s blood and his…tears.
Liquid, salty tears.
He was crying?
Parrot sat up, seemingly explaining something while Wifies continued staring at his hand. His brain filtered out everything except the words, “That was the closest I’ve ever come to death.”
Wifies didn’t even think, moving to pull Parrot back to his embrace. He stumbled with his words, hiccupping after every phrase. “Parrot— I— never do that again.”
Parrot stilled. It sounded more for Wifies than for him. “Be a little selfish,” he whispered, low enough for Parrot not to hear, yet loud as a plea. Even if his hands hurt like hell with splinters that he got, or even the scrapes on his knee that started to bleed, he held him tightly. Close. Never to be let go.
“I won’t,” Parrot said, though they both knew it was an empty promise.
Parrot would always put others before himself…
…and Wifies could only protect his friend from the consequences.
Wifies’s thoughts only echoed two words as he slowly strung together reality.
/Protect Parrot. Protect Parrot. Protect Parrot—/
What was he doing?
Wifies could almost feel his skull split into two while he stared at the glass. Dean’s pale body glared at him, with empty, bloody eyes, and nothingness where his mouth was supposed to be. Multiple errors began to appear in his system, some not as minor as he had dismissed them. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his hand into a fist, resting on the wooden table before him. Crumpled blueprints of the prison were scattered throughout the floors, some stuck to the board beside him. Crackles of flames from his fireplace roared, too much noise. The shelves that lined the walls creaked loudly, yet were disturbed by the stale, sterile scent of the room that sometimes felt suffocating. It never felt like the office was his; there was not even a single sticker or a feather, or a trace of Parrot and even Wifies. It felt like a stage set for chaos, for the last act until curtain calls.
Paragon was already being built before his very eyes.
Itz was already carrying out the bounty.
Weeks prior, Wifies himself had already taken the first crucial step in his plan.
He faked his death, right in front of Parrot.
Why did his guilt have to strike now—
Now that he’s too far in to stop?
/You wanted this./
/Don’t stop now./
/Follow the program./
/Protect Parrot. Protect Parrot. Protect Parrot—/
The loud shattering of glass resounded in Wifies’ office as he hurled his fist into the fogged window. It split into fragments, all wearing Dean’s mocking face. He could physically feel Dean laughing in his brain, calling him a coward, a failure. He could feel the walls closing in on him, choking him, torturing him the way he deserved. Shards turned deep red as his blood dripped to the floor— yet he felt nothing at all.
The program promised him that it would help him, but why is everything getting worse?
"It will never let you die," Dean whispered— screamed— to his ear— mind— it all felt like everything and nothing all at once. The corners of his vision were quickly blurring as those same daunting words echoed over and over and over.
"It will never let you die."
"It will never let you die."
"It will never let you die."
The screaming in his head grew louder, whispers of things he knew he shouldn’t do. The gaps in his memory grew; he couldn’t even remember his own face. It was as if his very code was stripped from his data logs. All he could recall was Parrot’s smile, a smile that he would kill for just to keep.
Yet when he started all of this, he was the one who shattered that smile.
When he watched Parrot from afar, he could see everything that was very, very wrong. How the spark in his eyes was gone. How he barely even took care of himself. Parrot was barely even eating. He couldn’t even fly anymore.
All because he blamed himself for Wifies’s death.
What would his reaction be if he found out Wifies was alive? If he knew Wifies lied? If he knew the magnitude of all he had done? If he knew he’d burn the world for him? If he knew he’d lock him up in a prison for his own safety?
Parrot wouldn’t forgive him.
He’d call Wifies insane.
Multiple pale hands wrapped around his neck.
"I'll kill you myself." Dean smiled, teeth bared at him. "You wanted this, didn't you?"
He started choking as he clawed onto Dean's hands, begging to be let go. Tears started to form in his eyes as he was slowly running out of oxygen. His grip on his hands started to loosen as he grew weaker; he could barely even speak. He squeaked like a mouse with every breath that he tried to take.
It was no use.
Dean wasn't truly there anyway.
He hopelessly flung his arms around, trying to shoo away something that doesn't exist. Vases came crashing down, and documents flew from the table. His surroundings dimmed rapidly with every ticking second. His heel caught the edge of a crumpled blueprint.
His balance broke.
The fireplace rushed toward him.
He threw himself away from the flames, screaming in agony. Heat spread quickly as he curled his body to the ground, pain swallowing his senses. He could feel his skin melting, then his flesh to his bone—
He couldn't reach for the water, even as desperately as he tried.
Or maybe... It's because he didn't even try.
Wifies thought, through all the pain and choking and the mess of his office, that maybe this was better.
Parrot would be kept safe.
Wifies would go out in a blaze, albeit not of glory.
So he laid there, waiting for his own demise.
Then his hand moved.
What?
He reached for the water bucket in his inventory like a puppet on a string and poured it over his head. A gasp tore from his mouth as the fire was extinguished at once, the paralyzing heat replaced by the sharp stinging of his flesh being exposed to the elements.
/Director Program: Commencing Reset./
/Rebooting…/
/Retrieving Memory Logs…/
/Retrieval Complete!/
/Now Playing: Memory Log:00.34.86/
--/
In a field of flowers, far away from everything else, a clone and an avian rested.
Wifies sighed wearily as he sat down on the soft grass. For the first time, he didn’t mind if there was dirt that stuck in his sweater or the stray leaves that hung from his hair. He didn’t mind how his legs were terribly sore. He didn’t mind that he had little to no sleep.
Because Parrot was with him.
They were participating in ClownPierce’s scavenger hunt. Parrot couldn’t resist the offer of enlightenment from the deadly jester. Though Wifies couldn’t blame him, as it was their friends who went missing.
They took a short break and basked in the sun. They had been given an objective yesterday to look for a singular poppy in a field of flowers. Azure bluets, oxeye daisies, and blue irises stretched into the hazy hills before them, the taste of pollen thick in their tongues. They walked around for hours, night and day, just to find it. Though he badly wanted to relax, even for a second, Parrot asked him not to. And Wifies followed Parrot’s lead.
Until he finally collapsed to the ground himself.
Parrot’s head rested on his lap, mind on the brink of sleep and wake. Wifies combed his chartreuse hair, slender fingers making knots with ease. The avian stared off into the distance, seemingly thinking about the meaning of life. He started weaving in morning glories into the strands, interlacing them with the endless gentleness he had. Silence hung before them as Wifies tied Parrot’s hair with a purple ribbon, tucking in a yin-yang pendant for the finishing touch.
Parrot sat up once Wifies was done, materializing an apple from his inventory. The avian happily munched, and Wifies lay down, his hands crossed under his head. He noticed the sparrows soaring from the horizon, traversing like the signals that lit his mind. They moved with so much reason.
It made Wifies wonder what his reason was.
“Parrot?” He called, voice cracking slightly in disuse.
“Hm?”
“Do you sometimes feel like you're just worthless?”
Parrot went quiet, finding unusualness in the deep question Wifies had just thrown him. He himself wouldn’t even ask that question, else he’ll probably only achieve an existential crisis. “Bro, what do you mean?”
"Y'know... like you've lost your path in life. So now you're just floating aimlessly and left wondering what's for breakfast."
Parrot half-heartedly fisted Wifies, both chuckling as the mood slowly lifted.
"No, but seriously, have you?"
"Not really? I probably just focus so much on helping people that it just kinda became my guide." Parrot tossed him an apple, which he caught with ease. "Why'd you ask, bro? You feel lost?"
"Kinda... Wifies took a bite from his breakfast, purple eyes locked into the distant clouds. "Guess I really just haven't figured out my own purpose."
"You'll find it eventually." Parrot picked up a dandelion, plucking out its yellow petals one by one. "Once destiny allows thou." He dramatically added, letting go of the petals to follow the wind's gust.
Wifies smiled, the comforting act well appreciated. He sat up, turning to Parrot. "For now, I think our purpose is finding that damn poppy."
"Yessir!" Parrot mock-saluted, laughing softly.
WIfies's gaze dropped to the spyglass in his hand. It wasn't as shiny as before, as age takes its toll on everything, but it functioned as well as ever. A yin-yang sticker decorated its leather strap, a personal touch that, in Wifies's defense, made it unique. He looked up to Parrot, who was still by his side. It was as if he were frozen in a moment that could never last. He watched as the sun settled into his skin, making it seem like he was glowing. The dark circles under his eyes weren't as heavy as before. His smile was like the sun itself, its rays making the flowers blossom. The cold dawn air started to subside; dewdrops that clung to blades of grass began falling.
And maybe, it was in that moment that he found his purpose.
/Objective: Help ParrotX2/
"What? Something in my face, bro?"
"Nothing... You look like you need a shower, though."
"Shut up bro, you look worse."
/Retrieval Sequence: Complete!/
Parrot was unusually quiet that night.
Just hours ago, Wifies showed him the outside world. A hole in the thick, impenetrable obsidian walls of Paragon, which they blocked off together.
Yet when Wifies finally revealed to Parrot how he pulled off all of this— how he managed to manipulate every single one of Parrot's friends to turn against him, a few words slipped from his mouth.
"What is wrong with you?!"
There was no regret in his eyes when he spoke, and Wifies couldn't help but think about it.
He watched from his cherry wood house as Parrot sat in the distance. He seemed to be deep in thought while gazing at the galaxies that revolved above. The stars were like specks of binary, ones and zeroes blinking from the sky. Fireflies emerged from the thick bushes and circled him, like butterflies to a lily that bloomed in early spring. The lake was still, reflecting the image of the full moon that somewhat lit the field. Parrot's wings were just a tone lighter than the grass, bound by straps of leather that prevented him from escaping. Though it was as if Parrot belonged there, in these moments of peace, outside Paragon.
/No./
/He belongs here with you./
/In Paragon./
Wifies's pale fingers traced his left cheek, feeling every unfamiliar bump that he'd conceal with a thin veil. A large scar covered the upper left half of his
face.
The thing was, he didn't even know how he got that scar.
All he remembered was waking up on the cold, stone floor, surrounded by shards of glass and dried blood.
After that, everything he did up to this moment felt hazy, like watching through a staticky TV screen. As if he were given a front-row seat to watch the events unfurl from afar.
He noticed a flash of copper that glinted off Parrot's hand, tucked away beneath forget-me-nots and tulips the same color as snow. Something he shouldn't have.
It was the spyglass.
The spyglass Parrot once gave him.
The spyglass that symbolized Parrot's trust in him.
The spyglass that Parrot threw away.
Wifies held his breath. He didn't know how to react. He felt happier than mad. Why did Parrot even keep it?
/Doesn't matter./
/It's an insult./
/Sneaking in contraband./
/Burn it./
/Punishment: Clip his wings./
But Wifies didn't do anything.
He just stood there, staring at the window as Parrot hid it away once more.
In these rare times of control, when the screaming in his head wasn't deafening, and Dean's stare wasn't piercing through every layer of his body, when he could finally think clearly, Wifies felt as free as he was in the past.
And he could only think of the spyglass as Parrot's hope.
Hope that the old times would return. When they would play too much chess on the weekends. When they wasted weeks participating in stupidly complicated scavenger hunts. When it was just 'Parrot-and-a-Wifies' against the world.
And, deep inside, he also hoped.
So, he let it slide, like he always did.
Now, there he was, staring at the spyglass laid gently on the pressure plate.
Wifies had seen this ending from miles away, yet it still felt painful to face the raw truth.
Seconds ticked by like eons, and the sandstone walls of the chambers never felt so wide. The crackling of the flames that lit up the room drummed against his ears. The pressure plate where Parrot was supposed to stand, where he was supposed to stay and accept his fate, was empty. At this point, everything felt empty. The spyglass replaced the avian's shadow. Its cracked lens reflected his sunken eyes, trying his best to hide his tears with a bitter smile
/Call the guards./
Wifies knew Parrot. He knew him so well that he was aware his escape was inevitable. He would fly away from him, because birds like Parrot could never be caged. Parrot would fight for his freedom until the very dirt he stood on crumbled under his weight.
/Don't let him get away./
All Wifies ever wanted was to fulfill his purpose. To help Parrot. To protect him from the harsh realities of the world. For him to never need to hide or prove anything. For him to never have to appeal to everyone's expectations ever again. For him to finally rest. Rest beside Wifies and never leave again.
But he found something deeper than purpose.
He found friendship.
Friendship that he foolishly lost because of his own code.
/Curse him./
He'll never feel any hate towards him because he can't. Wifies knew Parrot could only leave alone. He needed to let go of everything that the past had burdened him and start anew. To forget and burn everything to ashes, including Wifies.
So, he ran.
Even after everything, after Parrot defied him and left him in the chambers, he accepted it all. Parrot's wings would spread wider. The flowers in their home would eventually grow back. Parrot would fall so many times. But he'll fly again, higher than before.
Though Wifies wouldn't be able to see any of it.
Wifies knelt down, hugging the spyglass tightly to his chest.
The more he thought about it, he realized he'd be able to watch over. In a realm where Dean, Luigi, and all the others rested. He'd show them the spyglass, the spyglass that made him a better person.
I could really use a hug right now...
And the explosion, as deadly as it is, embraced him.
In the tailored comfort of his home, Parrot sat on his bed as he read Wifies's final letter.