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“No… no…”
The detailed memory of his friends remains still mint in Mob’s mind. Though, he could not even call what was left in Twixxel’s house remains. There were only puddles of fresh blood, staining the wooden floor that was still considered newly crafted and the grass just barely trailing outside the house, as if Twixxel had attempted to run away from the danger. Mob still couldn’t comprehend how he hadn’t heard the slaughtering just feet away from his own household, how he slept through a crime scene. It almost made the what happened simply a nightmare that he hadn’t woken up from yet.
What the worst part of it all was that Verity had acted so casual , as if this was an every day thing for it. Mob was much too aware of how Verity disliked the voidling. It would stare so intensely with a quivering smile by even a finger just barely scraping Mob’s clothes, how he would say cryptic sayings as if trying to scare Twixxel away, how restrained his voice would sound when directly speaking to Twixxel. Though Verity did not touch Twixxel then despite his clear but silent malicious intent. The only time Mob had turned his back was when Verity made a move. Mob was told by Twixxel himself to make sure the ball remained in eyesight, which wasn’t a challenge at all, regarding that Verity followed Mob everywhere. One slip of the mind left Twixxel deceased, just because he couldn’t follow such a simple direction.
He failed Twixxel, and he had to pay the price of it by being left alone with Verity once again, with the weight of guilt and defeat left behind in punishment of failure.
The sun began to set upon the horizon, casting long shadows from the windows. The sunlight snapped Mob out of his trance as it blinded him temporarily, he shook his head with a low grunt, shifting his spot to keep the sun away from his eyes. His mind still indulging in what he had beheld all those days ago. He could still taste his own vomit that had refused to release at the crime scene, simply making him nauseated again. He could not just… simply accept that Verity had murdered his friend, that Twixxel was truly gone, that Mob was doomed to stay with this borderline serial killer for the rest of his days.
It was quiet, too quiet for whatever was left of normalcy to remain. By now, Verity would’ve asked an irrelevant question in attempt to raise Mob’s spirits, interrupting his thoughts purposefully. Verity had been attempting so desperately pathetically to strike up conversation in Mob to ease the obvious tension, the topic on regular basic deeds of searching for more iron ores in a nearby cave or collecting harvesting crops just behind the base. However, its methods ran void every time. Perhaps Verity had finally taken the hint that Mob did not want to be bothered with his useless statements, though Verity taking a hint in general was wishful thinking.
He lifted his gaze, expecting the yellow ball to be sitting on his crafting table, watching him deeply with that same smile plastered on his face, but was met with nothing. Mob shoulders stiffened with alarm. Where could that ball have gone, and for what reason?
Mob simply did not have a clue on what this could mean, Verity had never left Mob alone, as if it physically couldn’t. The only time Verity had left Mob willingly, was the night it has slaughtered Twixxel. What else was there to kill? Who else was there to kill other than him? Mob was gaining breath to call out for Verity, before hearing a sudden knock on his front door.
Mob’s head snapped towards the door, his pupils widened as the rising words choked. Mob’s mind immediately swarmed to flickering questions as an uncomfortable silence formed between the door and the enderman. Who was there? Was it Verity? Who could that possibly be? Who? What?
“Wh—who’s…” Mob questioned quietly, his voice barely steady as he wondered and feared who was behind that door.
“Yo, Mob!”
That voice.
Was that…?
Another knock came, chipping off Mob’s train of thought.
No… that can’t be…
“Twixxel…?” Mob dared ask, with a small, vulnerable tone. His initial instincts were to grab his sword and stand ready for whatever was on the other side, but his feet were already surely making its way over to the door before he could even consider defense. Mob stood, his hands trembling visibly. What if this wasn’t Twixxel, and he was simply hallucinating? Perhaps his mind had dove so low that he began to hear nothing but a voice he so desperately wanted to hear again.
Another knock emerged, somehow sounding impatient than the last two knocks. Mob’s eyes began to water as his hand teased the doorknob, but not quite touching it. He aggressively wiped away the pre-tears attempting to form. Mob won’t admit that he was afraid of what he was going to see, but there was no way to know if he didn’t check. It was either nothing or something, no inbetween.
Mob opened the door slowly, a void black demon with a striped scarf. Their expression as normal as it can get. Twixxel. It was Twixxel. No doubt about it. No blood seemed to stain any part of his body, as if the crime had never really happened in the first place. He was standing there, as if everything was fine. Mob stood there for a small moment, his expression blank as reality slowly seeped.
“Yo, Mob.”
Twixxel repeated in the same tone, putting a friendly hand up. Mob’s eyes filled with tears once again, before he instinctively and immediately wiped away, before suddenly pulling Twixxel into a tight, needing embrace, almost knocking him and Twixxel down in the process as Twixxel squaked and stumbled a bit in response to the sudden collision. Mob’s hands tightened on the back of Twixxel’s shirt, reassuring himself that Twixxel was really right here, real and well.
“Oh my god.. it’s.. it’s..” Mobs voice cracked humiliatingly, before allowing a choked sob to escape his throat, putting his face into Twixxel’s shoulder, hiding it with hidden shame of breaking down in front of his friend. Twixxel appeared dumbfounded at his friend’s sudden vulnerable action, but clasped Mob back gently.
“You… okay, bro?” Twixxel importuned, his voice genuine. Mob only responded with another choked sob as he sucked in a breath as his grip tightened on Twixxel. So many questions swarmed his head, which simply overwhelmed his already fragile state. Twixxel seemed to be patient and allowed Mob to get his thoughts together, rubbing his back in minimum comfort.
After a few minutes of choked relieved sobbing, Mob pulled from the embrace to look at Twixxel properly.
“I—..Fuck…I—I’m so glad you’re okay, bro…” Mob commented, wiping his tears away again.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Mob sucked in a shaky breath in response, averting his eyes briefly.
“I—I thought Verity did something to you, man! The blood in your house, his cryptic messages about it… I thought you were gone!” Mob explained, tears riling up again, not wiping them away this time.
“Well… I’m not, Mob. I’m fine.”
“I know… I know now…” Mob replied, allowing a tear to drop before eventually wiping it away. Though Mob couldn’t help but notice how casual Twixxel was being about this, something felt off, but before Mob could entertain the thought, Twixxel suddenly spoke.
“Let’s go inside, I think you need company.” Twixxel offered, putting a hand on Mob’s sulking shoulder. Mob didn’t respond immediately, but his shoulders softened at the suggestion. Mob nodded, not trusting his voice. Mob moved out of the way to allow Twixxel entrance.
Mob watched as Twixxel walked in quietly, before following alongside. Mob sat on the edge of his bed, observing Twixxel as he sat near his bed on the floor next to Mob. Mob eventually averted his eyes towards the floor, he couldn’t help but ponder again. He had seen Twixxel’s blood in his house, right? He may have not have seen Twixxel getting murdered, but he surely saw the aftermath of what Verity had left for Mob to see. Those vague messages from Verity just barely hinting at what had happened, Verity may not tell the entire truth, but it surely didn’t lie. Twixxel was clearly gone, but here he was, sitting here as if nothing had happened. The mere thought of Verity suddenly reminded Mob that Verity was still not here. Mob’s shoulders visibly tensed of the self-reminder, Twixxel was here, but Verity wasn’t, a situation that Verity would not allow to occur without quickly interfering. Mob’s thoughts halted when Twixxel suddenly spoke up.
“Is this helping?”
Mob looked at Twixxel with a jumbled but tense expression.
“What?”
“This,” Twixxel stood up, gesturing to himself, as if he was making anymore sense to Mob.
“Is this making you feel better?” Twixxel elaborated, his voice sounded hopeful, almost desperate.
“I…I guess…” Mob said uncomfortably, his fingers slowly gripping the mattress of the bed beneath him.
“Good.” Twixxel replied happily, his voice wavering to a point that Twixxel doesn’t even sound like himself, it was almost a mixture of his and another voice.
“At least this will get you to talk to me.” Twixxel said relieved. For what?
Mob stood up, his eyes slowly widening.
“What are you talking about.” Mob questioned with clear fear in his tone, wanting to back away but his legs were already backed into the side of his bed. This sudden change in demeanor was too great, too sinister. This wasn’t Twixxel. Twixxel would never act like this.
“You… you’re not Twixxel!” Mob pointed a shaky finger at the voidling.
“I never said I was.” Twixxel… or whoever this was…said with a friendly smile. This time his voice nothing like Twixxel’s, leaning into a voice that Mob had come accustomed to hearing all the time. There was no mistaking that desperate but friendly tone. It suddenly all made sense.
“VERITY, STOP!” Mob yelled with a mixture of anger and fear in his tone. Twixxel’s smile dropped into a sad and worried expression, taking a step back.
“I.. I…I thought I was helping…!” Verity defended himself, the fake Twixxel tail floating behind it. Mob looked at the fake Twixxel with pure rage, the fucking audacity.
“Make me feel better…? You’re PRETENDING TO BE TWIXXEL!" Mob almost screamed, tears filling his emerald eyes again. Mob turned around, clenching his eyes shut, refusing to lay an eye on Verity. He felt so humiliated. He had gave in so easily that Twixxel was truly there, even knowing exactly what he saw all those days ago, he still fell for such a lie. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what went through Veritys mind when he had broken down on his shoulders, he couldn’t even imagine how Veritys came up with this idea in general. For what? Just for him to talk to it? How desperate do you have to be?
He let out a shaky breath, not allowing himself to break down in front of Verity again. He had embarrassed himself so awfully already. Verity had gone quiet, before its voice broke the tense silence.
“I just… don’t understand why!” Verity stated, he seemed to had returned to his regular ball form as his voice came from below near his feet. Mob opened his eyes, looking downwards, the ball looked devastated and worried as he looked back up at Mob. Mob crossed his arms, before sighing shakily.
“Don’t do that. Ever again…” Mob said, his voice barely in a requesting tone.
“Please.”
Verity didn’t respond immediately, Mob stared more intensely at Verity at the lacking response, before Verity spoke in a quiet, resigned tone.
“…Okay.”