Chapter Text
The house was quiet.
Not peaceful.
There was a difference.
Peaceful implied that everyone was asleep, or reading, or quietly doing whatever normal people did when there was nothing else to do.
This was not that.
This was the kind of quiet that happened when everyone had run out of things to argue about.
The house was large enough that silence could settle into it.
It was where banned Lifesteal players stayed while they waited.
Not forever.
Hopefully.
The server was still active, but they weren't.
They were in limbo.
Waiting for the next season.
Waiting for the next chance.
Waiting for the server to reset itself and give them another opportunity to return.
The house had gradually become a strange mixture of temporary prison, vacation home, and shared living space.
There were bedrooms scattered throughout the upper floors, some occupied, some empty. The kitchen was almost always stocked with food, although what counted as "food" depended heavily on who had gone shopping last. Some couches had been dragged into strange positions over time, chairs that no longer matched the tables they belonged to, and various personal items scattered across the rooms.
Someone had left armor sitting beside the front door.
Someone else had abandoned a half-finished project in the living room.
There were books on shelves that nobody remembered buying.
A pair of boots sat upside-down in the hallway.
A sword had somehow ended up hanging from a chandelier.
Nobody questioned it anymore.
It was simply the house.
The house for the banned.
The house for people who had nowhere else to go while Lifesteal continued without them.
And somewhere inside that house, Wemmbu was bored out of his mind.
He sat upside down on a couch, his legs hanging over the backrest while he stared at the ceiling.
He'd been there for long enough that he had memorized the cracks.
That one looked vaguely like a creeper.
That one looked like a fish.
That one looked like a face.
He'd named the face Gregory.
Gregory was his best friend now.
"Gregory," Wemmbu muttered.
Nothing happened.
"You're boring."
Still nothing.
Wemmbu sighed and dropped off the couch.
He landed on the floor with a thump.
Somewhere upstairs, someone yelled.
"CAN YOU STOP DOING THAT?"
Wemmbu yelled back.
"NO."
A pause.
"FAIR."
Wemmbu grinned.
That was better.
At least someone was awake.
He wandered toward the kitchen.
There were already a few people there.
Some were eating.
Some were talking.
Some were doing absolutely nothing.
Wemmbu grabbed something from the counter and leaned against the wall.
"How long until the next season?"
Someone looked at him.
"Nobody knows."
"Helpful."
"You're welcome."
Wemmbu ate.
He stared through the window.
Outside, everything looked normal.
The house sat in the world like any other structure.
But Wemmbu knew there was something surrounding it that nobody else could see.
The code.
He'd seen it before.
Everyone knew it was there, even if they couldn't see all of it.
The house was surrounded by server code.
Not the harmless kind.
The dangerous kind.
It ran through the walls.
Under the floor.
Across the roof.
Around the windows.
Some of it was invisible unless you knew what to look for.
Some of it glowed faintly.
Some of it moved.
And all of it mattered.
One wrong change could break something.
One wrong command could alter the house.
One wrong interaction could affect a player.
And if you did something really stupid?
You could erase something.
Wemmbu had been warned.
Several times.
The warnings had all been very clear.
Don't touch the code.
Don't enter the code room.
Don't experiment with it.
Don't go poking around just because you're bored.
Wemmbu had agreed.
He had nodded.
He had promised.
He had even looked genuinely sincere.
That had been before he got bored again.
He glanced toward the hallway.
Then toward the others.
Nobody was watching.
His grin slowly returned.
He set down his food.
"Be right back."
Nobody asked where he was going.
That was probably their first mistake.
The hallway became quieter the farther he walked.
The sounds of conversation faded behind him.
The floorboards creaked beneath his feet.
He passed the stairs.
Then a door.
Then another.
At the end of the hallway was a section of the house that nobody really used.
Wemmbu opened the door.
Darkness.
He stepped inside.
The air felt different immediately.
Colder.
He shut the door behind himself.
Then the code appeared.
Lines of glowing information ran through the darkness.
Some moved vertically.
Some horizontally.
Others curled around each other like glowing threads.
Wemmbu smiled.
"There you are."
He stepped closer.
The code reacted to him.
Not visibly.
Not in a way anyone else would have noticed.
But Wemmbu could feel it.
He understood it.
Not completely.
But enough.
He could read some of it.
Some lines were simple.
Some were impossibly complicated.
Some made absolutely no sense.
He walked farther in.
A strand of code passed through the wall beside him.
He ducked.
Another moved across the floor.
He stepped over it.
The code was everywhere.
The entire house was wrapped in it.
Wemmbu knew this was dangerous.
He also knew exactly what everyone would say if they caught him.
Wemmbu.
What are you doing?
We literally told you not to come here.
Get out.
Now.
He smiled.
"Yeah, yeah."
He reached toward one of the lines.
Then stopped.
That wasn't the one.
He didn't know how he knew.
He simply did.
He walked deeper.
The code became denser.
Brighter.
More unstable.
He could see little fragments of information flashing past.
Coordinates.
Player data.
World information.
Server rules.
Permissions.
Wemmbu's eyes widened.
"Holy shit."
He stepped closer.
He wasn't even thinking about leaving anymore.
This was interesting.
Really interesting.
He reached toward a cluster of code.
It shifted.
He pulled his hand back.
"Okay."
He laughed quietly.
"Maybe don't touch that."
He continued looking.
Then he saw it.
A tiny line.
It was almost invisible.
It didn't seem connected to the rest of the code.
It was simply there.
A single thread drifting between everything else.
Wemmbu frowned.
"What are you?"
He leaned closer.
The line flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then something appeared.
A name.
His name.
Wemmbu stared.
"...What?"
The code shifted.
More information appeared.
A different world.
A different server.
A different version of him.
Wemmbu's eyes widened.
"No way."
He reached out.
This time, the code didn't react violently.
Instead, a window opened.
Not a physical window.
A window made from light and code.
Through it, Wemmbu could see another world.
Another server.
And another Wemmbu.
He was standing inside a cave.
Wemmbu stared.
The other version looked almost exactly like him.
Almost.
But something about him was different.
His posture.
His expression.
The way he held himself.
He looked tired.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
Wemmbu tilted his head.
"Interesting."
He reached toward the window.
The image sharpened.
Then memories appeared.
Not his own.
The other Wemmbu's.
Wemmbu blinked.
He hadn't expected that.
He looked again.
A memory.
Then another.
Then another.
He watched.
He saw the other Wemmbu's life.
The people he'd met.
The places he'd been.
The battles.
The betrayals.
The friendships.
The enemies.
The arguments.
The moments that had made him stronger.
And the moments that had broken something inside him.
Wemmbu's expression slowly changed.
"Huh."
He leaned closer.
This wasn't just another version of him.
This was a completely different life.
A different universe.
Different rules.
Different people.
Different history.
And yet...
He was still Wemmbu.
Wemmbu smiled.
"This is fucking cool."
He continued reading.
He found Flame.
Mane.
Eggchan.
Parrot.
The civil war.
The kingdom.
Everything.
He learned about relationships that were nothing like his own.
Flame wasn't his best friend here.
They had fought.
A lot.
Mane had history with him too.
Complicated history.
Eggchan was important.
Very important.
Wemmbu kept searching.
The memories were fascinating.
He could practically feel the other Wemmbu's emotions through them.
Exhaustion.
Paranoia.
Loneliness.
Betrayal.
Fear.
Wemmbu paused.
He stared at the other version of himself.
For the first time, he didn't laugh.
The other Wemmbu looked exhausted.
He looked like someone who desperately needed a break.
Wemmbu understood that feeling.
Maybe not exactly.
But enough.
He opened the window fully.
The other Wemmbu looked up.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell?"
Wemmbu grinned.
"Hi."
The other Wemmbu stared.
"Who are you?"
Wemmbu pointed at himself.
"Take a guess."
The other Wemmbu's hand immediately went toward his weapon.
Wemmbu laughed.
"Relax."
"You're..."
"Yep."
The other Wemmbu stared at him.
"...Me."
"Correct."
"What?"
Wemmbu leaned against the edge of the window.
"Apparently there's another version of you."
The other Wemmbu looked at the glowing code.
Then at Wemmbu.
"How?"
"I found the code."
"That's server code."
"Yeah."
"You shouldn't be touching it."
Wemmbu smiled.
"You're the second person to tell me that today."
The other Wemmbu frowned.
"Who was the first?"
"Everyone."
Silence.
The other Wemmbu lowered his weapon slightly.
"What do you want?"
Wemmbu thought about it.
"Honestly?"
The other Wemmbu nodded.
"Curiosity."
"Curiosity?"
"I found another universe."
Wemmbu gestured around.
"And another me."
He smiled.
"How could I not investigate?"
The other Wemmbu didn't seem amused.
Wemmbu studied him.
He already knew why.
The memories were still sitting in his head.
He knew what this version of himself had been through.
He knew what he was afraid of.
He knew who he trusted.
He knew who had betrayed him.
He knew exactly how tired he was.
Wemmbu tilted his head.
"You look like you need a break."
The other Wemmbu stared at him.
"I don't."
"You're lying."
"I'm fine."
"You're really bad at lying."
The other Wemmbu looked away.
Wemmbu smiled.
He had expected that.
"How about this?"
The other Wemmbu looked back.
"We switch."
"What?"
"Places."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know you."
Wemmbu laughed.
"You know you."
"That doesn't mean I know you."
"Fair."
Wemmbu leaned closer.
"But I'm offering you a break."
The other Wemmbu hesitated.
"You'd go there?"
"Yep."
"And I'd come here?"
"Yep."
"Why?"
"Because I want to see it."
The other Wemmbu frowned.
"That's your reason?"
"Pretty much."
He thought for a moment.
Then added:
"And I'll figure everything out for you."
The other Wemmbu went still.
Wemmbu watched him carefully.
He knew that sentence would matter.
He'd seen the memories.
He knew exactly what those words meant to someone who had been carrying everything alone.
"I'll figure it out," Wemmbu repeated.
The other Wemmbu's grip loosened.
He looked exhausted.
Betrayed.
Lonely.
He looked like he didn't know what else to do.
Finally, he nodded.
"...Okay."
Wemmbu smiled.
"Good."
He moved his hand toward the code.
The other Wemmbu did the same.
The connection brightened.
The code began moving faster.
Wemmbu laughed.
"This might hurt."
The other Wemmbu looked alarmed.
"What?"
"Probably."
"Wemmbu—"
The world exploded into light.
For a moment, there was nothing.
No sound.
No floor.
No sky.
No server.
Nothing.
Then everything snapped back into place.
LS Wemmbu opened his eyes.
He was standing in a forest.
No.
He blinked.
That wasn't right.
He wasn't supposed to be in a forest.
He looked down.
His clothes.
His own clothes.
His hands.
His inventory.
Everything was still there.
His sword.
His equipment.
His items.
Everything.
He looked around.
The trees were familiar.
The landscape wasn't.
He smiled.
"So it worked."
He opened his inventory.
Everything was exactly where it should be.
He closed it.
Then he looked toward the horizon.
The memories flooded through him again.
This wasn't his world.
This was the Unstable Universe.
And now he was inside it.
LS Wemmbu's smile widened.
He knew where he was.
He knew what was happening.
He knew who everyone was.
He knew their relationships.
He knew their secrets.
And none of them knew who he was.
Not really.
He laughed quietly.
"This is going to be fun."
At almost the same moment, UU Wemmbu opened his eyes.
He was lying in grass.
He didn't move.
For several seconds, he simply stared upward.
The sky was unfamiliar.
The trees were unfamiliar.
The air felt wrong.
He sat up.
His heart started beating faster.
"Where..."
He stopped.
There was no house.
No cave.
No familiar kingdom.
No one.
He slowly stood.
He checked his surroundings.
Nothing.
He checked his inventory.
His items were there.
His weapon was there.
Everything looked normal.
Except the world.
He turned slowly.
Forest.
Every direction.
Forest.
UU Wemmbu swallowed.
"Where the hell am I?"
No answer.
He took a cautious step forward.
Then another.
Every sound made him turn.
A branch snapped somewhere in the distance.
He froze.
His hand went to his weapon.
Nothing appeared.
He waited.
Silence.
He slowly lowered his hand.
The other Wemmbu had promised he'd figure everything out.
He had trusted him.
So this was probably part of the plan.
Probably.
UU Wemmbu looked around again.
He had no idea where he was.
He had no idea what server he was on.
He had no idea what had happened to the other Wemmbu.
And he had absolutely no idea that, several worlds away, the other version of himself was already smiling at the opportunity he'd been handed.
The switch was complete.
Neither universe knew what it had just inherited.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Wemmbu had spent the last several minutes trying to convince himself that this was normal.
It wasn't working.
He stood between two enormous spruce trees, staring at the landscape around him. Moss covered patches of stone beneath the trees, and the uneven ground disappeared into thick undergrowth. Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, painting shifting patterns across the grass.
There was no house.
No server hub.
No familiar terrain.
No sign of the strange structure he had expected to wake up inside.
And, most importantly, there was no sign of anyone.
Wemmbu slowly turned in place.
"Okay."
Nothing answered.
"Great."
He looked down at himself.
His clothes were still his.
His weapons were still his.
His inventory was still there.
That was something.
At least he hadn't been stripped of everything.
He reached for his mace, hesitated, then let his hand fall.
There was no reason to pull it out.
Yet.
He started walking.
He didn't know where he was going.
He just knew standing still wasn't going to help.
The forest stretched farther than he could see. Every direction looked almost identical, which was deeply irritating.
He stopped beside a small hill.
For the third time, he checked his surroundings.
Nothing.
"Where the hell am I?"
A twig snapped behind him.
Wemmbu spun around.
His hand immediately went toward his weapon.
Someone stepped between the trees.
Pink hair.
Wemmbu froze.
He knew that face.
Hannah.
Or someone who looked like Hannah.
She stared at him.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Hannah's eyes widened.
"Wemmbu?"
Wemmbu frowned.
"...Do I know you?"
Hannah's expression changed instantly.
"What?"
"I said, do I know you?"
She stared at him.
Then her surprise was replaced by irritation.
"Oh, don't start."
"Start what?"
"Wemmbu."
She walked toward him.
"What?"
"Are you seriously doing this right now?"
Wemmbu took a cautious step backward.
Hannah stopped.
"Why are you backing away?"
"Because I don't know you."
"Yes, you do."
"No."
Hannah stared at him.
Then she looked him over.
His clothes.
His hair.
His equipment.
His expression.
Something about him was off.
She just hadn't figured out what.
"You've been banned," she said.
Wemmbu blinked.
"...Okay?"
"So how the hell are you here?"
"I don't know."
Hannah narrowed her eyes.
"Did you exploit your way back in?"
"No."
"Use some kind of bug?"
"No."
"Server code?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Hannah's eyebrows shot upward.
"You're telling me you don't know what server code is?"
"I know what server code is."
"Then you know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Not this server's code."
Hannah paused.
"What?"
Wemmbu sighed.
"I don't know where I am."
Hannah stared at him.
He looked completely serious.
"Okay," she said slowly. "Let's try this again."
She pointed at him.
"You're Wemmbu."
"Yes."
"You're banned."
"I don't know what that means here."
"You're on Lifesteal."
"I don't know what that is."
Hannah stopped.
"...What?"
"I don't know what Lifesteal is."
"You're on the Lifesteal server."
"I've never heard of it."
Hannah stared at him for several seconds.
Then she looked around the forest like maybe someone was hiding nearby with a camera.
"Okay. This is either the weirdest prank you've ever pulled, or you've actually lost your mind."
"I haven't."
"Do you know who I am?"
"No."
"Do you know anyone here?"
Wemmbu hesitated.
"I recognize some people."
"Who?"
"Flame."
Hannah's expression changed.
"Mane."
Another pause.
"Parrot."
Hannah's eyebrows rose.
"Eggchan."
"Okay."
She folded her arms.
"Anyone else?"
"I don't know."
"How do you recognize them?"
"They're people I know."
"But you don't know me."
"I know someone who looks like you."
Hannah stared.
"...Right."
Wemmbu shifted uncomfortably.
"Where are we?"
Hannah blinked.
"You seriously don't know?"
"No."
"You don't know what server you're on."
"No."
"You don't know who I am."
"No."
"You don't know anyone here."
"I just said I recognize some people."
"And you don't know why you're here."
"No."
Hannah slowly exhaled.
This was getting worse.
She reached for her communicator.
Wemmbu noticed.
"What are you doing?"
"Calling everyone."
"Why?"
"Because something is seriously wrong."
Wemmbu immediately shook his head.
"No."
Hannah looked at him.
"No?"
"I'm not going anywhere with a stranger."
"I'm not a stranger."
"You are to me."
She stared.
"...Fair."
Hannah thought for a moment.
"Then stay here."
Wemmbu frowned.
"Why?"
"Because if you run away, I'm going to have to chase you."
"I'm not running."
"Good."
She started typing.
Wemmbu watched her carefully.
"What are you telling them?"
"That I found you."
"Why?"
"Because everyone is going to want to know."
"Why?"
"Because you're Wemmbu."
Wemmbu frowned.
"Apparently that's important here."
Hannah looked up.
"You have no idea."
Spawn
The message spread quickly.
At first, only a handful of people arrived.
Then more.
Then more.
Then practically everyone.
Lifesteal had never been particularly good at ignoring drama.
Especially when the drama involved someone who was supposedly banned appearing in the middle of the season.
By the time Hannah arrived at spawn with Wemmbu, a crowd was already waiting.
Wemmbu stopped.
His eyes moved across the gathering.
There were too many people.
Some he recognized.
Some he didn't.
Parrot.
Flame.
Mane.
ClownPierce.
MinuteTech.
Mapicc.
Baconwaffles.
Hannah.
Derapchu.
Pangi.
PrinceZam.
Woogie.
Spepticle.
Peentar.
ECorridor.
And plenty of others.
Names he'd heard before.
Names he'd never encountered.
Alternate versions of people he knew.
People who should not have been standing together like this.
Wemmbu's shoulders stiffened.
Parrot noticed immediately.
"Wemmbu."
Wemmbu looked at him.
Parrot smiled.
It was friendly.
That somehow made Wemmbu more suspicious.
His Parrot was not someone he trusted easily.
He knew better than to assume that a different universe meant the same person would behave the same way.
Still, the resemblance was unsettling.
"Hi," Parrot said.
Wemmbu gave him a small nod.
"Hello."
Parrot looked at Hannah.
"What happened?"
Hannah crossed her arms.
"I found him in the forest."
Mapicc immediately laughed.
"You found him?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"He was just there."
Mapicc looked at Wemmbu.
"Of course he was."
MinuteTech frowned.
"You're sure it's him?"
Hannah nodded.
"It's definitely Wemmbu."
"Then how is he here?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out."
ClownPierce stepped closer.
"Maybe he finally learned how to unban himself."
Someone laughed.
Mapicc called across the crowd.
"Yo, Wemmbu! Did you hack your way back in?"
Wemmbu stared at him.
"...No."
"That's suspicious."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Baconwaffles laughed.
"Bro, I thought you were banned!"
"I don't know what that means."
The laughter died down.
Clown tilted his head.
"Okay."
He looked at Minute.
"That's new."
Before anyone could ask another question, Mapicc called out again.
"You gonna stop hacking for once?"
Wemmbu frowned.
"I don't hack."
Mapicc laughed.
"Sure."
Wemmbu looked at Hannah.
"Why does everyone keep accusing me of things I don't understand?"
Hannah didn't answer.
She was staring at him too.
Because now she was noticing it.
The posture.
The tone.
The way he kept looking at everyone as though he expected them to attack him.
This wasn't their Wemmbu.
She just hadn't wanted to say it yet.
"Okay," Hannah said.
The crowd quieted.
She stepped forward.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Lifesteal."
Spoke shouted:
"That's a terrible way to start."
Hannah ignored him.
"Right now, Wemmbu either figured out how to get unbanned, managed to give himself amnesia immediately afterward, and somehow forgot the entire server..."
Mapicc snorted.
"...or..."
Hannah looked directly at Wemmbu.
"...this isn't our Wemmbu."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Wemmbu looked around.
Nobody moved.
Nobody laughed.
Then Woogie quietly said:
"...Holy shit."
Someone else whispered:
"Wait."
Parrot's expression changed.
Flame stared.
Mane stopped smiling.
MinuteTech narrowed his eyes.
ClownPierce looked fascinated.
Mapicc looked like he'd just been handed the most interesting problem of the season.
And then everyone started talking at once.
"What?"
"Alternate version?"
"Like another universe?"
"Is that even possible?"
"How the hell did he get here?"
"Can he get back?"
"Where's our Wemmbu?"
"Is this a prank?"
"Is he actually Wemmbu?"
Wemmbu took a step backward.
Too many voices.
Too many people.
He looked at Hannah.
Then Parrot.
Then Flame.
Then Mane.
He recognized all of them.
But none of them were his.
That was becoming increasingly obvious.
Parrot stepped forward.
"Everyone, calm down."
The crowd slowly quieted.
Parrot looked at Wemmbu.
"Can I ask you some questions?"
Wemmbu hesitated.
"...Okay."
"What's the name of your server?"
"Unstable Universe."
A murmur went through the crowd.
"Where's our Wemmbu?"
"I don't know."
"How did you get here?"
"I was somewhere else."
"That's not very helpful."
"I know."
Parrot smiled faintly.
"What happened before you woke up?"
Wemmbu thought.
"I was... somewhere."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"You don't remember?"
"I remember."
"Then where?"
Wemmbu hesitated.
"That's complicated."
Mapicc laughed.
"Of course it is."
Wemmbu glanced toward him.
Mapicc immediately grinned.
"Sorry."
Parrot continued.
"How did you arrive here?"
"I woke up in the forest."
"Before that?"
"I don't know."
"Did anyone bring you here?"
"No."
"Did you use a portal?"
"No."
"Some kind of command?"
"No."
"Hack?"
"No."
"Exploit?"
"No."
Parrot nodded.
"Okay."
Another voice interrupted.
"How many hearts do you have?"
Wemmbu looked toward them.
"...Ten."
Someone sighed.
Wemmbu frowned.
"What?"
MinuteTech rubbed his face.
"Of course."
"Why does everyone keep reacting like that?"
"Because on Lifesteal, hearts matter."
Wemmbu stared.
"Okay."
Parrot asked another question.
"Can you respawn?"
Wemmbu blinked.
"...Can I what?"
The entire crowd went quiet.
Parrot repeated himself.
"Respawn."
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"No."
A few people exchanged looks.
Wemmbu looked increasingly confused.
"What?"
"You've never respawned?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know what you're talking about."
Flame looked at Mane.
Mane looked back.
Neither spoke.
Parrot's expression softened.
"Okay."
Wemmbu folded his arms.
"Can someone explain what that means?"
Parrot opened his mouth.
Before he could answer, Hannah stepped in.
"Break."
Several people groaned.
"What?"
"We need to talk."
Hannah looked around.
"Everyone go calm down. We'll resume in a bit."
Wemmbu looked relieved.
Finally.
Silence.
Space.
A chance to think.
Except that apparently "break" meant everyone splitting into groups and immediately talking about him.
Wemmbu remained near spawn.
He didn't know where else to go.
He watched the Lifesteal members disperse.
They weren't leaving.
They were simply moving into smaller groups.
Hannah and MinuteTech went one direction.
Mapicc, ClownPierce, and Baconwaffles went another.
Parrot stayed with Flame and Mane.
Woogie wandered over toward Derapchu and Pangi.
Others formed their own little circles.
Wemmbu could hear fragments of conversation.
"...definitely not our Wemmbu."
"No shit."
"He doesn't even know what respawning is."
"That's actually kind of adorable."
"Don't tell him that."
"I'm not."
"He's going to hear you."
Wemmbu frowned.
Adorable?
He didn't like that.
Then someone shouted from across spawn.
"HEY!"
Wemmbu looked over.
Pangi had just been hit.
He fell.
Disappeared.
Wemmbu's entire body went rigid.
"What the fuck?"
Nobody reacted.
Mapic laughed.
"Got you!"
Wemmbu stared.
Pangi was gone.
Dead.
Just...
Gone.
He looked around.
Nobody was panicking.
Nobody was screaming.
Nobody was running.
"What happened?"
Hannah glanced over.
"He'll be back."
Wemmbu stared at her.
"What?"
"He'll respawn."
The player reappeared.
Wemmbu's face went blank.
Pangi immediately yelled:
"YOU CHEATED!"
Mapic laughed.
"Skill issue."
Wemmbu slowly turned toward Hannah.
"...What just happened?"
Hannah looked at him.
"He died."
"I saw that."
"And then he respawned."
Wemmbu stared.
"How?"
"That's just how the server works."
"People can come back after dying?"
"Yes."
Wemmbu looked toward the player.
The person was already arguing with their attacker again.
Wemmbu's voice dropped.
"So death doesn't mean anything here."
Hannah paused.
"Not exactly."
"But you can just come back."
"Yes."
Wemmbu looked genuinely disturbed.
That explained so much.
The threats.
The fighting.
The laughing.
The casual way everyone treated violence.
They weren't fearless.
They simply lived under completely different rules.
Wemmbu looked at the people around him.
"That's terrifying."
Hannah blinked.
"Why?"
"Because none of you are afraid."
The answer was so simple that Hannah didn't know how to respond.
Across spawn, the conversations continued.
Chungpire
Mapicc leaned against a tree.
"So we're all agreeing he's not our Wemmbu?"
MinuteTech nodded.
"Yes."
ClownPierce smiled.
"Definitely."
Baconwaffles glanced toward Wemmbu.
"He looks scared."
Mapicc laughed.
"He's Wemmbu."
"Not our Wemmbu."
"Fair."
Clown tilted his head.
"Do you think he's dangerous?"
Minute considered.
"Potentially."
Mapicc smiled.
"Definitely."
Hannah looked at him.
"You don't know that."
"He's an alternate Wemmbu."
"So?"
"Have you met Wemmbu?"
Hannah sighed.
"Fair point."
Flame and Mane
Flame crossed his arms.
"He keeps looking at us."
Mane glanced toward Wemmbu.
"He's probably comparing us."
"To them."
"Yeah."
Flame frowned.
"Do you think we're enemies?"
Mane shrugged.
"Apparently."
Flame laughed.
"That's weird."
Mane smiled.
"Yeah."
Then Flame's expression softened.
"I kind of feel bad for him."
Mane looked at him.
"Same."
Parrot
Parrot watched Wemmbu from a distance.
Woogie walked over.
"You're thinking."
Parrot nodded.
"He genuinely doesn't know."
"Think he's lying?"
"I don't know."
Woogie glanced toward Wemmbu.
"He looks terrified."
Parrot smiled faintly.
"That's what worries me."
"Why?"
"Because if he's telling the truth, then he's completely alone."
Woogie nodded.
"And if he's lying?"
Parrot looked toward him.
"Then he's very good at it."
The break eventually came to an end.
Hannah and MinuteTech returned to the center of spawn.
Wemmbu immediately noticed.
They looked serious.
Minute stepped forward.
"Wemmbu."
Wemmbu sighed.
"What now?"
"We've made a decision."
"I don't like the sound of that."
Hannah crossed her arms.
"You're not fighting."
Wemmbu stared.
"What?"
"No fighting."
"I can fight."
"We know."
"Then why?"
"Because we don't know what you're capable of."
Wemmbu frowned.
"I know what I'm capable of."
"Maybe."
"And I can protect myself."
"We're not saying you can't."
"Then this is stupid."
Minute nodded.
"Probably."
Wemmbu stared at him.
"You're not even going to argue?"
"No."
That somehow made it worse.
Wemmbu threw his hands up.
"Fine. Whatever."
Hannah continued.
"You're also not wandering around alone."
Wemmbu's head snapped toward her.
"Excuse me?"
"Someone stays with you."
"Why?"
"Because we don't know if you're planning something."
"I'm not."
"We know."
"Then why?"
"Because we're Lifesteal."
Wemmbu stared.
Again.
That apparently explained everything.
He sighed.
"I don't need a babysitter."
Hannah smiled.
"Nobody said you did."
"You're literally assigning someone to follow me."
"Supervision."
"That's a babysitter."
"Call it whatever you want."
Wemmbu crossed his arms.
"I hate this server."
Mapicc laughed.
"You've been here like two hours."
"I hate it already."
Flame laughed.
Wemmbu glanced at him.
"You think this is funny?"
"A little."
Wemmbu shook his head.
Then he looked around.
Everyone was watching him.
Some suspicious.
Some amused.
Some genuinely concerned.
Some curious.
He still didn't trust them.
Not remotely.
But for the first time, he understood something important.
They weren't going to let him leave.
And they weren't going to let him fight.
Which meant, whether he liked it or not...
He was stuck with them.
Wemmbu sighed.
"Fine."
Hannah nodded.
"Good."
"But I'm not happy about it."
"We noticed."
"And I'm not a child."
MinuteTech glanced at him.
"We know."
Wemmbu frowned.
"Then stop treating me like one."
Nobody answered.
That was probably an answer enough.
The Kingdom of Caves had never been quiet.
Even when nobody was fighting, there was always something happening.
Footsteps echoed through stone corridors. Voices carried through tunnels. Somewhere in the distance, someone was arguing about territory. Somewhere else, someone was laughing.
The entire place felt temporary.
That was what Wemmbu liked about it.
Nothing here was stable.
Nothing here was permanent.
People could build something impressive one day and lose it the next.
It was almost familiar.
Almost.
Wemmbu walked through one of the wider caverns, hands tucked into his pockets.
He had been here long enough now that people had stopped staring at him every time he walked past.
That was good.
Attention was useful.
Too much attention was not.
He had spent the first few hours doing what anyone in his position should do.
Observing.
Listening.
Learning.
Except he had already started with an enormous advantage.
He knew this place.
Not from experience.
From memories.
UU Wemmbu's memories.
Every important face.
Every major relationship.
Every argument.
Every rivalry.
Every alliance.
Every stupid decision.
Every person who mattered.
It was almost like being handed a map of a city before entering it.
The only difference was that the map contained all the things people desperately wanted to keep hidden.
Wemmbu smiled to himself.
He knew Flame.
He knew Yungy.
He knew Shoebilly.
He knew Parrot.
He knew exactly how much Parrot cared about his people.
That was useful.
Very useful.
He also knew what people expected from him.
UU Wemmbu was impulsive.
UU Wemmbu was reckless.
UU Wemmbu could be stupidly brave one moment and catastrophically cautious the next.
He was easy to read.
People knew what he cared about.
People knew what made him angry.
People knew what made him panic.
They knew how he fought.
They knew how he talked.
They knew how he thought.
Lifesteal Wemmbu knew all of that too.
The difference was that he could choose not to behave that way.
He rounded a corner.
Flame was standing near one of the entrances, talking with Yungy.
Flame noticed him first.
"Wemmbu."
Wemmbu looked up.
"Hey."
Flame watched him approach.
"You going to the meeting?"
"What meeting?"
"The Saparata-Arachn1d one."
"Oh."
Wemmbu thought for half a second.
"Yeah."
Yungy raised an eyebrow.
"You forgot?"
"I've had a lot going on."
Flame snorted.
"Since when does Wemmbu have things going on?"
Wemmbu smiled.
"Since today."
Yungy laughed.
Flame shook his head.
"You're weird."
"I've been told."
Wemmbu walked past them.
Neither followed immediately.
Yungy glanced at Flame.
"He's acting weird."
Flame shrugged.
"He's Wemmbu."
"Yeah."
Yungy looked after him.
"But..."
Flame waited.
Yungy shook his head.
"Never mind."
They followed.
The meeting chamber had already begun filling when Wemmbu arrived.
The room was carved directly into the stone.
Large pillars supported the ceiling, their surfaces rough and uneven. Torches had been placed along the walls, their flames flickering whenever someone walked past.
Two groups had gathered on opposite sides.
Saparata.
Arachn1d.
Not everyone had come personally, but enough representatives were present that the room felt crowded.
Wemmbu recognized almost everyone.
Some faces were familiar from UU Wemmbu's memories.
Others were less important.
Background players.
People who existed around the edges of the story.
They still mattered.
Every person could become useful.
He took a seat.
Flame sat nearby.
Yungy settled across from him.
Shoebilly was closer to the center.
The representatives from both sides began discussing the current situation.
Wemmbu listened.
Territory.
Resources.
Fighting.
Movement through the caves.
The same arguments repeated themselves in slightly different forms.
Neither side trusted the other.
Neither side wanted to surrender anything.
Nobody wanted to admit they were losing.
Wemmbu found the whole thing fascinating.
Not because the situation was complicated.
Because it wasn't.
The problem was people.
People always complicated things.
He leaned back.
Flame glanced at him.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"You've barely said anything."
"I'm listening."
Flame frowned.
"Since when?"
Wemmbu smiled.
"Since today."
Yungy laughed.
Flame rolled his eyes.
The meeting continued.
Eventually, Saparata looked toward the other side.
"We can't keep doing this."
Someone from Arachn1d answered.
"Then stop attacking."
"We aren't the ones attacking."
"Right."
A few people laughed.
Flame muttered something under his breath.
Wemmbu watched them.
Then he spoke.
"Why don't you just stop fighting over the territory?"
The room quieted slightly.
Saparata looked at him.
"Because that's what we're fighting over."
"I know."
"Then what are you suggesting?"
Wemmbu shrugged.
"Give them some."
Flame looked at him.
"Some what?"
"Territory."
Yungy frowned.
"That's it?"
"No."
Wemmbu smiled.
"Obviously."
He leaned forward.
"Give them the areas they want."
Nobody interrupted.
"Then take something more valuable."
Shoebilly narrowed his eyes.
"Like what?"
Wemmbu looked around the room.
"People."
Silence.
Not complete silence.
Someone shifted.
Someone else muttered.
But nobody spoke.
Flame frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Wemmbu's expression remained perfectly calm.
"Parrot's side has a lot of people."
"Yeah."
"They need food."
Flame's eyes narrowed.
"Okay."
"They need somewhere to live."
"Obviously."
"They need supplies."
Wemmbu nodded.
"Exactly."
He rested his elbows on the table.
"So don't attack the army."
Yungy stared at him.
"Then what?"
"The people behind it."
Shoebilly frowned.
"Explain."
Wemmbu smiled.
"Take some of their people."
Flame's expression hardened.
"Capture them?"
"Yes."
"And then?"
Wemmbu shrugged.
"Destroy their homes."
The room became noticeably quieter.
"Take their supplies."
A few people exchanged glances.
"Get rid of their belongings."
Flame stared at him.
Wemmbu continued.
"And make sure they know exactly why it happened."
Yungy leaned forward.
"Wemmbu."
"What?"
"Where are you going with this?"
Wemmbu looked at him.
"Nowhere complicated."
His voice remained almost conversational.
"You take someone from Parrot's side. You make them watch everything they've built disappear. Then you let them go."
Someone across the table shifted uncomfortably.
Wemmbu continued.
"They'll have nothing."
Flame's expression had gone completely flat.
"And then?"
"They go back."
"Why?"
"Because they'll blame Parrot."
The room froze.
Wemmbu looked around.
"Who else would they blame?"
Nobody answered.
He continued anyway.
"Parrot is the one trying to bring more people onto his side. More people means more mouths. More mouths means more resources. If someone loses everything because their faction can't support them..."
He shrugged.
"They'll figure it out."
Yungy stared at him.
"You want them to turn on Parrot."
"Eventually."
"That's your plan?"
"Part of it."
Flame leaned forward.
"That's fucked."
Wemmbu blinked.
"Why?"
Flame stared at him.
"You seriously have to ask?"
Wemmbu shrugged.
"It's a war."
The words settled over the room.
No dramatic delivery.
No anger.
No grin.
Just a statement.
That somehow made it worse.
Someone from the Arachn1d side finally spoke.
"You're suggesting we deliberately destroy people's lives just to make them angry at their own leader."
"Yes."
"And you think they'll just go along with it?"
"Not all of them."
Wemmbu smiled.
"That's the point."
Shoebilly looked genuinely disturbed.
"What happens to the people who don't turn?"
"Nothing."
"And the ones who do?"
"They leave."
"That's it?"
"That's enough."
Yungy shook his head.
"No."
Wemmbu looked at him.
"No?"
"I'm not doing that."
"I didn't ask you personally."
"Good, because the answer is still no."
Wemmbu leaned back.
Flame stared at him.
There was something in his expression now.
Not fear.
Not yet.
Suspicion.
A tiny, uncomfortable thought.
Something is wrong.
He couldn't explain it.
Wemmbu had always been capable of terrible ideas.
But this wasn't the kind of terrible idea Flame was used to hearing from him.
This was too calm.
Too organized.
Too deliberate.
And Wemmbu knew exactly where to press.
He had chosen Parrot's people.
He had chosen their homes.
Their supplies.
Their loyalty.
He had identified the weak point in the entire conflict in less than a minute.
Flame looked at Yungy.
Yungy was thinking the same thing.
Something was off.
But neither of them knew what.
Saparata finally spoke.
"No."
Wemmbu turned toward him.
"No?"
"We're not doing that."
Arachn1d's representative nodded.
"Agreed."
Wemmbu shrugged.
"Okay."
The casual response made several people stare.
"That's it?" Shoebilly asked.
"What else would I say?"
"You just proposed something horrible."
"And you rejected it."
"So?"
"So we're done."
Wemmbu leaned back.
"Next idea."
Nobody immediately spoke.
The room remained quiet.
Then Flame laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
More because he didn't know what else to do.
"You're fucking insane."
Wemmbu smiled.
"Maybe."
The meeting eventually moved on.
The proposal was rejected.
The discussion continued.
Wemmbu barely paid attention.
He had already gotten what he wanted.
Not territory.
Not power.
Information.
He had learned exactly how far each person in the room was willing to go.
That was much more valuable.
When the meeting finally ended, people began leaving.
Flame stayed.
Yungy stayed.
Shoebilly was still nearby.
Wemmbu stood.
Flame looked at him.
"You know..."
Wemmbu glanced over.
"What?"
"That was really fucked."
Wemmbu smiled.
"You've said that."
"Because you keep saying fucked-up things."
"Fair."
Yungy walked over.
"Are you actually okay?"
Wemmbu looked at him.
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
Yungy studied him.
"You've been acting strange all day."
Wemmbu smiled.
"Have I?"
"Yes."
Flame nodded.
"Definitely."
Wemmbu shrugged.
"Maybe I'm just tired."
"You're never this calm."
Wemmbu laughed.
"Apparently I am now."
Shoebilly walked past them.
"Don't encourage him."
Wemmbu grinned.
Flame shook his head.
"You're weird."
"That's what everyone keeps saying."
Yungy smiled.
"You're still Wemmbu."
Wemmbu looked at him for a second longer than necessary.
Then he smiled.
"Yeah."
Yungy didn't notice anything wrong with the answer.
Flame did.
Not enough to understand.
Not enough to accuse him.
Just enough to remember it.
Later, Wemmbu walked through the caves alone.
The torches cast long shadows across the stone.
He passed people talking.
People laughing.
People arguing.
Normal.
Everything looked normal.
That was the funny part.
Nobody knew.
They were all walking around with the assumption that Wemmbu was Wemmbu.
They didn't know he'd seen the memories.
They didn't know he'd mapped their relationships.
They didn't know that he understood exactly which buttons to press.
He reached a quiet section of the caves and stopped.
For a moment, he stared into the darkness.
Then he smiled.
The first idea had failed.
That didn't matter.
There would be others.
He had time.
And he had something UU Wemmbu had never possessed.
A complete understanding of the people around him without any obligation to care about them.
Wemmbu turned and continued down the corridor.
Behind him, Flame stood at the entrance.
He had followed without realizing it.
He watched Wemmbu disappear into the darkness.
Yungy appeared beside him.
"You following him?"
"No."
A pause.
"...Maybe."
Yungy looked down the corridor.
"What do you think?"
Flame was quiet.
"I don't know."
Then, after a moment:
"But he's definitely acting weird."
Yungy nodded.
"Yeah."
Neither of them knew why.
Neither of them knew what had happened.
Neither of them knew that the person walking away wasn't the Wemmbu they knew.
And Wemmbu?
He knew exactly what they were thinking.
He just didn't know they'd started thinking it yet.
For now, that was enough.