Chapter Text
"Parrot, before you say anything, I can explain." Spoke was already running. Behind him, he heard someone yelling his name in a tired, angry voice that could only belong to a king who had spent far too much time dealing with him.
"SPOKE!"
"Okay, maybe I can't explain!" He sprinted across the grass, blocks disappearing beneath his feet as he jumped over a small ditch and nearly ran straight into a tree. At the last second, he twisted sideways, caught the trunk with his shoulder, and stumbled forward. He heard a loud laugh coming from above him.
"Nice move there, Spoke." Spoke looked up. Wemmbu was perched on the roof of a nearby structure, watching the whole chase like it was the greatest entertainment he'd had all week.
"Shut up!"
"You almost died from a tree."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did." Spoke gestured sharply at him, all the while running backward in the chaos. "The tree moved."
Wemmbu stared at him. There was a pause. Then he burst out laughing. "Bro."
"Don't bro me."
"You're stupid."
"I prefer 'creative.'"
"You're stupid."
Spoke grinned. "That's what makes me creative." A second voice came from behind him.
"You're both stupid." Flame.
Spoke turned his head just enough to spot Flame by the path, arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold with the look of someone who had long ago accepted that these people were beyond saving.
"You're supposed to be on my side!"
"I'm on nobody's side."
"Traitor."
"You blew up Parrot's storage room."
"I didn't blow it up." Flame raised an eyebrow. Spoke slowed down for half a second. "...Technically."
Parrot had finally caught up. He was not running anymore. Somehow, that was worse. Spoke knew that walk. It was the walk Parrot took when he stopped being angry and started thinking. That was dangerous.
"Spoke." Spoke smiled nervously. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
"Spoke."
"Something."
"What?"
Spoke looked toward the distance.
Then at Wemmbu. Then at Flame. Neither of them looked particularly interested in helping him. Wemmbu was still smiling. Flame had the faintest expression of amusement on his face.
"Okay," Spoke said. "In my defense, your storage system was incredibly vulnerable." Parrot stared at him. "You broke into my storage system."
"I tested your security."
"You stole half my supplies."
"Security test."
"You replaced the other half with dirt."
"Psychological security test."
"And then you left a sign saying 'skill issue.'" Spoke smiled. "I thought that part was funny." Parrot closed his eyes.
For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then Wemmbu burst out laughing again. "Okay, that one's actually good."
"Thank you."
"I wasn't complimenting you."
"You don't have to."
Parrot sighed. "You know what? Fine. I'll deal with you later." Spoke's grin widened. "Later?"
"Later."
"That sounds bad."
"It should be." Parrot turned away. Spoke watched him leave. Then he looked at Wemmbu. "Think he bought it?"
Wemmbu slowly looked at him.
"You literally admitted everything."
"Oh."
Flame shook his head. "You're stupid, bro." Spoke laughed.
"Yeah." For some reason, the word lingered in his mind. 'Stupid', he told himself. It was nothing. Just a joke. He'd heard it a thousand times. So why did it suddenly feel familiar, like it was brushing against something he should remember?
The afternoon passed normally. At least, Spoke thought it did.
There was nothing strange about spending several hours walking around the server with no plan, sometimes causing trouble for people who hadn't hidden their valuables well. There was nothing unusual about Wemmbu appearing out of nowhere to annoy him.
There was nothing unusual about Flame telling him that whatever he was planning was a terrible idea before Spoke had even explained what the idea was.
And there was certainly nothing unusual about Parrot repeatedly threatening to ban him from entering his storage room.
It was normal. Completely normal.
Spokeishere like things normal. Normal meant predictable. Predictable meant exploitable. And exploitable meant fun.
By sunset, he had already forgotten the earlier chase. He stood on the edge of a hill, looking down at the land below. The world spread out beneath him in familiar blocks and colors. Trees gathered around the river. Buildings rose in the distance. Torches flashed as night came closer.
Spoke tilted his head. Something felt strange. He couldn't explain it. He'd been here before. Obviously.
He'd been everywhere around here. But that wasn't what bothered him. It was the feeling that he'd been standing on this exact hill before.
Not yesterday.
Not last week.
Something older. Something he couldn't place.
He looked toward the valley. There should have been a small structure there. A house. Dark walls. A crooked roof. A little path leading toward the river.
Spoke stared. There was nothing. Only grass. He blinked. The strange feeling disappeared. "...Huh."
"What's 'huh'?"
Spoke nearly jumped. Wemmbu was standing behind him. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough."
"That's creepy."
"You were staring at grass."
"I was thinking."
"That's even creepier." Spoke shoved him lightly. Wemmbu laughed. "What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"Sure."
Spoke glanced back toward the valley. Nothing. Just grass. Maybe he'd imagined it. That was all...
"You coming?" Wemmbu asked. "Yeah."
Spoke followed him. Neither of them noticed the small patch of grass behind them that had been disturbed.
That night, Spoke had a dream. He was standing in a dark place. Not as dark as night. There was no moon. No stars. No torches. No light from anywhere.
Just a huge empty space stretching in every direction. Spoke looked around. "Hello?" His voice disappeared into the dark.
No echo. Nothing. Then he heard footsteps. Someone was running.
Fast.
Spoke turned. A figure appeared far away. He could not see their face. They were running toward him. No. Away from something.
"Wait!" The figure did not stop. Spoke ran after them. The ground under his feet changed.
Grass became stone. Stone became dirt. Dirt became something broken and strange. Buildings appeared around him. Broken buildings. He knew some of them. That was impossible.
He had never seen them before. At least...
He did not think he had. The figure disappeared around a corner. Spoke followed. "Hey!"
Something moved in the distance. A shadow. He stopped. There was a person standing there. Spoke could not see their face.
But somehow, he knew them. He knew them so well that his chest felt tight. "Who are you?"
The person did not answer. Instead, they looked past him. Their face changed.
Fear. Spoke turned. The whole edge of the world was falling apart. Not dropping. Not burning. Just disappearing. Pieces of the world were vanishing into blackness. Buildings were cut in half.
The sky cracked like glass. Something screamed. Spoke looked back at the stranger. They were gone. "Wait!" The ground disappeared under him.
Spoke fell. And someone whispered right beside his ear.
"You were supposed to remember."
Then everything went black.