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Ah. This is it. Jaden looked up into a sky of grey, the distant figure of netherite armor is closing in and he can just vaguely see the mace that's definitely pointed straight at him. It's Nitenly, the silent farlander that decided to leave with Firestar after they had that little argument with Wemmbu about picking fights they can barely win. This time, Wemmbu really picked a fight he couldn't win.
Jaden_MAN was smashed by Nitenly
It's quick, he's halfway across the sky when he feels the dense metal crash onto his head. The world spins, his neck recoils backward as the impact blows him back toward the ground where the Null swarm towards him like hyenas rushing to a fresh, dangling carcass. The trident in his hand has flown out of his grip and fell somewhere else—he hopes it doesn't break. He hopes Wemmbu picks it up. It hurts, where his skull meets mace, where he heard an audible crack somewhere in his body as he plummets from the sky.
He hears Wemmbu gives a surprised yell when he hits the ground. He felt a foot on his arm, a sword scrapped against his armor, someone tripped over his limp leg. I'm going to die. Jaden thought as his finger twitched, No. Run, Wemmbu. Run. Get out of here. Spoke towers over him, white eyes and a psychotic gaze penetrating through him, his maniacal laughter is loud and blood-curdling. He feels like dirt underneath someone's shoe, the way Spoke stares down at him like he's just a tiny bug that could be squashed easily. Then he remembers Wemmbu is still alive.
Wemmbu, run, just run. Don't look back.
It hurts, it really, really hurts.
Is this it? This must be it.
"Ban Wemmbu," Spoke commands his army, "Ban Wemmbu now!"
No, please. Wemmbu, just go. Please, don't die.
When Jaden hears the familiar sound of his riptide trident launching across the sky, a sigh of relief escapes his lips.
I'm sorry, Wemmbu, I said I'd catch up.
The Null kick his limp body across the dirt as they chase after Wemmbu who's long gone, leaving him to soak in a pool of his own blood mixed with rain.
Jaden once heard that when you die, the brain replays its best memories for 7 minutes.
It's grey, patches of black filling his vision as his blinks slow. Colours flash across his eyes as he feels his head get heavier.
Jaden hopes Wemmbu is in his seven minutes.
Then he sees a tiny glimmer of light. A part of him knows it's not the rays of sunshine that peek through Linnwyrm's windows in the early morning, where the birds sing and the ocean calls. If he blinks a little slower, maybe he'll find himself at Codmaster's house in Highwater again, where he'll get a fishing rod and sit there by the water with him, watching the clouds drift by. But the heavy tapping of rain against his skin drags him back to reality—that he's about to die and leave Wemmbu behind.
Pirate Civ, the Great Sea. A crater is left where his castle once stood, but he doesn't care about that anymore—he's just sad such a nice build went to waste over some petty rivalry. If he didn't try robbing Wemmbu then, where would he be now? If he just left Eggchan's Empire alone that day, maybe things would've been a lot different. Someway, somehow, his and Wemmbu's fates had begun to intertwine in unimaginable ways.
He heard Wemmbu's laugh so loud Jaden felt his ears ring in the silence after. A hearty laugh—he thought, he hoped this part of Wemmbu never changes, even after he's gone.
Rejoice. The wardens he laid down as a trap, the screaming he heard as he stood outside the factory, he still remembers the way he scoffed when he saw Rejoice's death message. Rejoice, who looked towards Jaden like a sunflower that always points to the sun despite everything. Now that he lies here trying to catch his breath, he wonders if Rejoice also felt this pounding fear in his chest that day.
"It's in the past, we've been through so much together anyway." As if Wemmbu could hear his thoughts, he replied. Forgive and forget, Rejoice once said. Rejoice deserved to see the sun that day too, but his sunflowers will never get to reach towards the sky anymore.
The Invis Knight. Blue veil and trident in hand, he followed Jaden around in search for some treasure that might not even exist. Jaden would consider them to be his very first friend, the one person that stuck with him despite everything, the one person that gave him the chance to rebuild his civilisation. The one person that despite being lied to, he couldn't even get angry at.
The empire doesn't matter, but thank you, Wemmbu. He wanted to say, but his lips quivered and not a sound came out. And yet he felt an understanding pat on the shoulder, like Wemmbu knew what he wanted to say.
The Law, he still remembered his scouts reporting the Law soldiers chasing after two people, headed to the borders of his Empire. He was going to simply chase them away, tell them to leave their politics in the main server—but he changed his mind the moment he saw it was Wemmbu and Eggchan cornered on the beach, about to be taken. Maybe the skies heard his wish, and the rain began to pour as if telling him to step in.
It was Wemmbu that reached a hand out to him first, so he'll be there if Wemmbu ever needs it.
When he got captured by Lettuce, when his empire fell once more, it was not rage or sadness that he felt. Liberation was what he called it, where he no longer slept worried if he was going to be invaded, if his people were going to starve, where people would covet his position and power. He still kept in touch with the pirates left alive from the whole ordeal, though it seems like they won't be getting any letters anymore.
He misses his people, the pirates he lost. The Great Sea still lingers in his mind—the ocean, the breeze and the feeling of riptiding through the open air. He just wants to walk through the markets one last time, maybe sit at the tavern and listen in on the little conversations of his beloved pirates, cast another line out along the shore just once more.
He still remembers the caves like it was yesterday. Accidentally summoning a warden, getting forced to fight his friend, accidentally walking into the arrow in the process—Jaden still laughs when he thinks about it, he hopes Wemmbu does too. Getting put into a purge, finding Eggchan in the midst and having to protect him; because Wemmbu will be devastated if Egg gets hurt. And a friend of Wemmbu is a friend of his. Soaking in a hot tub with everyone, getting trapped by the thorns' curse and saving Eggchan together.
He couldn't leave Wemmbu to survive the caves by himself, he would've been even more lonely without Egg. Jaden still remembers the occasional blank stare and the light that faded from his eyes—he couldn't let his friend suffer all alone with no one to call for help. "Thank you, Jaden. I really owe you one." He heard Wemmbu say.
Travelling through the farlands, running from Null, searching for the forge. He couldn't help but feel a little angry; if he didn't miss that hit on Spoke, if he just managed to pop that stupid totem, then they wouldn't be in this situation at all. Teaching Egg how to water bucket clutch and watching him land his first, he still remembers laughing and cheering Egg on with Wemmbu on the sidelines.
"Thanks. And I'm sorry." Wemmbu muttered in his ear.
But Jaden knew Wemmbu was not there.
Wemmbu was somewhere far across the sky, and he won't turn back.
This Wemmbu isn't real.
As if it knew, the figure disappeared and faded away.
When the rain stops, Wemmbu won't be there.
When the rain stops, all that's left will be the ruins of a friend's civilisation.
When the rain stops, Wemmbu will have lost another friend.
When everything comes to an end, Jaden will be dead, and the maggots will find a bitter aftertaste of regret and pain.
I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Emma. I wish we could've reunited on better terms. I wish I was stronger. I wish I was strong enough to save your kingdom.
It hurts—
Codmaster is still waiting for me to go home. He said he was going to save so much fish for when I get back.
My head stings.
I'm sorry, Flame. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Lomedy. I wanted to give the mace back when we got out of this. I'm so sorry, Flame. you can have the mace back. I just wanna be good buddies with you again.
…It doesn't hurt anymore.
Rejoice, I'm sorry. I miss you. I feel like I don't deserve to miss you. Not after what I did to you. I'll come see you soon. Then I'll make it up to you.
I'm really, actually dying.
Thank you Wemmbu. Thank you Egg. You two were so fun to hang out with. I had so much fun. I wanted to explore more of the server with you.
Thanks to you Wemmbu, I got a chance to see all the beauty of the universe…Things I never knew were in the world. I'll miss you. I'm sorry. I'll say hi to Rejoice for you.
I don't-
I don't wanna die-
I really don't want to die—
"Hey, hey!"
Standing in a sea of sunflowers, a familiar voice from behind leads him to turn around. The breeze is warm, and his chest feels lighter. He takes a deep breath in, the scent of flora soothing his heart. The cheerful boy holding a bouquet of sunflowers, stretches a hand out.
"I missed you so much, Jaden! Let's watch over them together now, okay?" Jaden can't help but chuckle at the boy's smile.
"Yeah. let's go, Rejoice." Jaden takes his hand and runs towards the soft light in the distance.