Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Wifies—I can’t even sprint anymore.”

“Drop the block.”

His tone didn’t waver. It was still the same cold, calculated voice he used with everyone else.

Wifies still hadn’t changed his mindset. Everything Parrot once knew was now different.

“Look, Parrot.”

Wifies looked at the lava pool, dropping all his items. Leaving nothing left to start “fresh”, just like he had said.

“There. All my armor—and the totem.

“So you know I’m serious.”

Wifies met Parrot’s gaze, lingering a bit too long. His expression didn’t change, though—it never did.

That look, that gaze. It felt different, maybe a sliver of his past. Maybe it was a mock to Parrot—but he didn’t want to believe he changed. This version, was just a mask. After everything. Would he have still cared? At least, in this moment. It seemed like he did.

He walked down light birch stairs, leading them to what seemed like the end.

Parrot slowly followed, trailing a few blocks behind.

“What is this?”

No response.

“Wifies,” Parrot tried again. “What is this?”

“Step on a pressure plate.” Wifies paused. “It won’t kill you.”

When Parrot made no move, Wifies repeated himself, more stern and demanding this time. “You will step on a pressure plate.”

Reluctantly—and mainly out of fear—Parrot walked to the pressure plate further away from him and tentatively stepped onto it.

Wifies followed soon after, stepping on the other pressure plate.

“You left me without a choice, Parrot,” Wifies began. “From this point on, if either of us steps off, if you try to break a block, the entire chamber blows up with us in it. I told you this prison was perfect, Parrot. I gave you a chance to live freely. You wouldn’t take it.”

They sat there in silence, maybe a moment where Parrot realized, that this was reality.

Maybe Wifies had changed, but doubt clouded his mind. Maybe he was too blind to realize that. Denial sat in his thoughts, but he knew. There was one thing that could mean something, maybe it wouldn’t matter now. But trying never hurt anyone.

Parrot opened his inventory, and there it was, hidden. His prized possession—a spyglass. The spyglass.

“You really have nothing on you?” Parrot asked.

“I told you I’d start over. On the same footing as you. No items, no nothing.”

Was this how it really ended? The same way it started, maybe it was meant to be.

“Wifies.” Parrot pulled out the spyglass from his inventory and zooms in on his ex-best friend.

“Where did you get that?” Wifies asked, dumbfounded. His tone wasn’t as harsh anymore. It sounded more dumbfounded and shocked. “I—I tracked your entire inventory, Parrot. Where—how did you get that?”

A pause. Then—“Remember when I threw it off the top of the prison? I went back to pick it up after I tried to kill you.

“I don’t know why I kept it.” He paused again. “Maybe because it—it reminded me of who you used to be.”

“I told you before. I killed that version of me, Parrot, I had to. Guards, please—”

“Wifies,” he interrupted. “You know what I realized? I’m not smarter than you. I’m not. This prison? The only reason it’s perfect is because of that exact reason.

“But you know the one difference between us? It’s that I never lost hope in you.

Wifies stared at him, completely silent as Parrot continued. “Every single day, for the past 3 weeks that I was inside this prison, I thought that at some point maybe you’d snap out of it and you’d realize what you did was wrong and you’d let us both out.”

He zoomed out with the spyglass. “I don’t want to do this. I really don’t. I don’t,” he repeated, as if trying to convince himself. Parrot zoomed in again.

“You kept saying you killed your past self to become who you are today. But both of us know—you will deny it, but both of us know that there’s some version of you deep down that wishes you hadn’t done this, that wishes that you hadn’t faked your death, and that wishes that you didn’t manipulate my friends and kill them, and do all these things to me, and wishes that they could go back.

“You know that, and you’re staring at me right now because you know that.

“Wifies, when I leave this place, when I get out of this prison—just know, even after all that you did, I’m not going to remember you as the player who did all of these horrible things.

“When people ask me about who Wifies was, I’m going to remember you as the Wifies I used to know.

“The Wifies that cared about other people and was kind to everyone.

“The Wifies that gave me the spyglass.” He lowered the item as if proving something.

“Please, Parrot. Please. Give that to me before you hurt yourself.”

Parrot stared at Wifies for a moment that seemed to last for longer than the second it really was, then said, “It’s all yours.” He said it just like the first time, just like the first time when Wifies had sacrificed himself for Parrot, the time he had chunkbanned himself, all just so Parrot could learn the secret.

Parrot threw the spyglass out between the two of them and stepped backward and off the pressure plate.

Wifies, as if on instinct, jump-sprinted toward the spyglass and picked it up, and in that exact moment, Wifies’ guards—Parrot’s friends—hurried down from the staircase, trying to prevent the moment.

Parrot presumed Wifies had private messaged all of them while he had been talking, but it was too late to stop him now.

The TNT sizzled, reminding them of the impending doom upon them as one of the guards splashed themselves and Wifies with a turtle master potion.

Another tried to splash Parrot with the same potion, but he was too far away and had already set his mind to what was going to happen next.

And when Parrot locked in an idea—any idea—that idea was going to stay.

The sound of the TNT ticked with every second—not that it mattered anyway. Parrot knew what was going to happen, and Wifies could never have prevented this.

“I told you, Wifies. I warned you.” He heard his voice break, just slightly, but he had to keep going. The end was so close.

Soon, he wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

“I’m tired. I’m tired of running, and I’m tired of fighting.

“I’m tired of believing in something that will clearly never happen.

“I’m sorry, Wifies, but it seems as if the happy ending is not in this universe.”

The hundreds of TNT exploded, and all that was left in the aftermath were the two messages that popped up in chat.

ParrotX2 was blown up by ParrotX2

ParrotX2 left the game

Chapter Text

Wifies couldn’t believe it.

Pressure plates.

Of course it was pressure plates.

He hated them now. He hated them more than he would ever admit.

He and Parrot had started with pressure plates, and ended with them.

It almost seemed as if fate had decided to punish him for his actions, to kill the one person he actually cared about.

“Parrot, you are the only person I care about on this server. If you were to die, there’d be no point for me to play here…

“…listen, Parrot, you were never in any danger. Trust me, there were many times you could’ve died, but you didn’t. Because this is the story that I wrote. I controlled everything. I told them not to kill you.

“…but I’m here to protect you. That’s all I care about now.

“No one will ever hurt you again, Parrot. Together, together we are going to build a world. A world where you never have to worry about dying ever again…”

He remembered those words like an echo, distant but clear.

It seemed like he had said them almost decades ago, not just the mere months it had been.

But that wasn’t the point.

The point was that he had failed. He couldn’t stop Parrot from getting hurt.

And in the end, Parrot had died not to some outside force, not from mobs or a war, but from the hands of the same person who swore to keep him alive.

He’d died from the TNT that Wifies himself had commanded to be planted.

His hands had written the ending, and they’d written Parrot’s death.

And now, he was standing on not just the destruction of a chamber that used to be intact, but the grave of his dearest friend.

Wifies sat in the crater, thoughts flooding his crumbling mind.

He’d never felt so… useless, unable to control the one thing that mattered.

Life had never felt so empty.

Memories and flashbacks flooded back. Wifies had cared so much about his little bird—yet he caused more pain then anyone else had to him.

His hunger bar slowly depleted, sitting as a memorial of what he had Parrot face. Providing enough food for him to survive, yet never be able to actually live, to sprint or such.

It felt like a mockery in memory of… whatever that was.

One he for sure couldn’t stand, but knew that he would have to deal with sooner or later.

He hoped it’d be the latter.

Loneliness had never felt so empty.

A moment or two passed as he sat there, still too stunned and in grief to move.

It was the first time in weeks Wifies felt like himself, but why hadn’t it felt so free?

Why was it so painful?

The initial thought spiraled into more, and left his mind in a frenzy of nothing.

Wifies thought he might crumble, break, even.

His guards stood a few blocks around him, breaking the silence as Wifies’s hunger bar finally dropped to zero. One guard stepped forward and splashed a regeneration II potion on him, and soon enough, lingering around him were pink particles that quickly regenerated enough health so that he could survive.

Was he really surviving, though? Or was it just the shell of what living felt like?

He despised himself for surviving—it should have been him to die. For Parrot to survive and no longer need to rely on Wifies. In the end, they both gained wings, yet only one flew.

The guards, probably afraid of Wifies having a potential outbreak, dropped a netherite chestplate in front of him before quickly flying out of the crater, spamming rockets in the air. Wifies, against his will, picked it up, but didn’t put it on. He didn’t want to get reminded of what stung.

Of what still stung.

And when he finally walked away, he felt as if there was a large, gaping hole in his heart.

A large, gaping hole that felt as empty as the void.

He had wanted to do the right thing.

But now, he wasn’t even sure what the right thing was.

So, Wifies did what his mind offered first

He moved.

Not quickly, but just enough for it to have meaning.

He placed one block, then another, all while his hunger was still at zero. All the while, he was still starving and hurting.

He used anything he could find within reach—quartz, wood, stairs.

There was no body, no items left to remember him with.

Except for the spyglass.

He crafted an item frame and placed the spyglass in it.

He stared at it for a while, mind blank as his hands held signs.

Then, finally, Wifies placed the sign next to the grave and typed:

Here lies ParrotX2.

In another universe, maybe his ending could have been different.

And so Parrot’s grave was finished.

And yet—and yet—he couldn’t help but place another sign right next to the one he’d just planted.

Here lies Wifies.

Something else died along with the explosion: his humanity.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough. For now, at least, and for him, maybe fate would give him another chance.

Even though deep down, he knew he never even deserved one.

But for the first time since the explosion, he felt something other than emptiness.

Wifies whispered two words, short and simple. Something honest. Something dedicated to the person he cared so much about, but failed so hard to protect.

“I’m sorry.”

~~~

Wifies wandered around aimlessly, feeling dead on his feet and as if he were just a ghost, floating around the large expanse of the world without a purpose.

Well, that wasn’t technically wrong. His entire life purpose had been to protect Parrot and keep him alive, but he’d failed.

And it was his fault.

He heard a nearby parrot caw in the distance and was harshly reminded why he had come there.

He wasn’t there to think the same rotating thoughts, he was there to tame a parrot, a parrot with the same type of feathers and color that his Parrot had been.

There had to be one of the ones he was looking for here—this jungle was huge.

“No, no…” he muttered to himself. That was a red one, a gray one, blue…

There! High up in the trees, a cyan parrot perched.

Wifies climbed up a vine hanging down from the tree with twenty-six seeds in hand. His armor clunked heavily against it.

Back when Parrot had given Wifies back his armor with the Director trims on it, Wifies hadn’t disposed of it. He’d kept it tucked in his ender chest, just in case one day Parrot really does decide that he could trust Wifies again.

Now, Wifies was wearing that same exact armor set. He could’ve worn his original set, but this set felt more special.

Parrot had worn it before, after all, and there was little left in this world that belonged to Parrot.

They were either all destroyed during the war against the Invisible Mafia, or had been burned by lava.

He wishes he had kept more of the things Parrot had given him… there weren’t many of those, though. Wifies did still have the two shulkers filled with items Parrot had on him before entering the chamber, but…

It hurt too much to even look at those white shulkers. It reminded him of the person who used to carry them, and it reminded him that that person was now dead—to his hands.

Another parrot cawed, once again ripping Wifies from his thoughts. He was at the top of the jungle tree now, and luckily, the parrot he had set his eyes on was still there.

It wouldn’t be there anymore if Wifies didn’t move soon, however.

He slowly made his way over to the parrot, and the little animal cocked its head at him, staring deep into his eyes and occasionally glancing at the seeds in his hand…

It resembled Wifies’s little bird so much.

Without much more thought, he fed the bird, and it was tamed on the second try.

For a second, all he did was stare at his new pet.

Then he took out a nametag with ParrotX2 written on it and named the parrot.

It’d only taken two seeds for this parrot to trust him.

Trust was so easy for this little creature.

If only the real Parrot had trusted him as easily.

He didn’t do much after. He just sat there, while his parrot flew around and eventually settled down on his shoulder.

It reminded him a lot of the dog he had convinced Parrot to tame.

He’d later named it to Wifies, then dropped it into the void to convince Parrot he had died.

Now, he regretted that choice. He regretted every single choice he made toward becoming the Director, every single choice he had made as the Director.

And every choice the Director made, had affected Parrot in some way, usually more negatively than positively.

As the sun set, he was reminded of the very first time he and Parrot had met when Parrot had invited him to solve Spoke’s secret. That was more than a year ago, but to Wifies, it felt like it was only week ago.

“Hey, Parrot, do you think we’re friends in every universe?” he whispered softly into the night, voice barely able to be heard.

The parrot sitting on his shoulder couldn’t say anything, but he could’ve sworn it breathed, “But, Wifies, we weren’t even friends in this one.”

~~~

The beds still felt the same.

The sheets still felt the same, the same cotton texture, the same smell, and was still somehow, miraculously warm from all those nights long before.

The snow blew harshly against the beacon-themed windows that Wifies had built all those months ago, and the fireplace crackled softly. He ran his hand down gingerly on the bed Parrot had set his spawn on, letting the touch of the familiar sheets whisk him away.

“Why are you setting your spawn?” Wifies had asked Parrot. “It’s a hardcore server, so don’t you think it would be useless?”

Parrot took a moment, thinking. “Well, I don’t know. I went through the end portal and it always brought me back to spawn and that just got annoying—so it just became a habit of mine, to set my spawn point somewhere.”

“That’s… interesting. Although—that is a fair point, I guess.”

Parrot opened his mouth, then closed it again. Wifies watched his little bird expectantly, waiting for him to say whatever is on his mind.

Eventually, Parrot said hesitatingly, “Do you… do you think it’s always going to be like this?”

“Like what?” he asked. He was sure he already knew what Parrot meant, but he wanted the clarification.

“The running. The hiding. The fighting. Do you think it’s always going to be this way, or do you think that it will all end one day? I hope it does,” he added under his breath.

Wifies didn’t hesitate to answer. “I believe the war will end. We will win, Parrot. The people will come to their senses. You’ll see.”

Parrot sighed. “You make it sound like everyone is just one mind waiting to be changed.”

“Or maybe, they’re all just one mind waiting to be convinced that what they truly want is worth the risk,” he countered.

And now that Wifies thought about it, he should’ve listened to himself. He should’ve convinced himself that letting Parrot go, that letting Parrot out of the paragon wasn’t going to kill him.

He had wanted to, so desperately, to let him go.

And now, here he was. Sitting on the empty bed, beside a fire that felt cold, in a room that should’ve never felt this empty.

Wifies sighed, and stared at the empty spot beside him. Hoping that maybe, it could give the warmth he had lost days ago.

“I should’ve let you go,” he whispered. “I should’ve let you out of the paragon. I should’ve at least tried to believe that you’d be more careful.”

A beat passed in the silence.

“But I didn’t. And now… I’m left with barely anything.”

The fire crackled in the silence of another pause.

“You died remembering me as the Director.

“I lived knowing you chose the path that killed you, because living trapped with me had become so tiresome you decided death would be a freer existence.”

Wifies has said something like that, hadn’t he? Back when he, Parrot, and Dean were traveling to the farlands, he had said something like that. When Ratrick had asked who he would choose to die, live, and stay trapped after a hypothetical ravine caves in.

He’d said it himself, when Parrot had asked him why he chose Dean to die when he’d already chosen that Parrot escape and live:

“Staying trapped in a cave is worse than dying; if you’re trapped, you’re forever unable to do anything, so I’m sparing Dean by giving him the release of death.”

It sounded ironic, how he had said those exact words but wouldn’t give Parrot his release. The paragon wasn’t any better. It wasn’t really safety, not really. It was just another build to keep Parrot trapped, hidden behind an illusion of perfection.

He should have known; the signs were obvious.

That keeping someone trapped—no matter how pure the intentions were—was still keeping them caged.

It was a choice then.

And now?

Just an echo of a choice.

And Parrot?

He has always been a bird, and birds were meant to fly.

Yet, the day Wifies had trapped him in that cage and called it protection, he hadn’t saved him.

He’d only taught him how it felt to fall.

Chapter Text

The cherry blossom petals danced around Wifies’s feet as he walked around the pond. Soft pink memories brushed past his feet, swirling gently in the air like ghosts. His new pet ParrotX2 followed him like a looming shadow, fluttering its little wings steadily.

The pond ahead glimmered with a lazy kind of peace, the surface still untouched—like time had forgotten about this place.

To him, time had started to pass more slowly than it had been before—almost patient, even.

And maybe it was just him, but the world seemed to die along with Parrot.

The world seemed less colorful now; less bright.

Maybe even less alive.

It was as if something on the server had died when Parrot’s death messages showed up in chat.

He let out a weary sigh as he threw out a fishing rod into the same lake Parrot had once fished at in Paragon. The lake where he showed up uninvited, all just to mess with him.

It was quite amusing in the moment, he thought, how Parrot reacted whenever he got into close proximity with him.

At the same time, however, it did hurt. Every time Parrot flinched away, or his tone sounded off, it felt as if Wifies’s heart was being torn apart with thorns. It still hurt, even during those three weeks when he and Parrot had done everything.

He would still cherish those memories though, however in genuine they were. Because they reminded him when things were genuine. Before he chose the wrong path, before he became the Director, and before Parrot’s trust in him had completely shattered like a fragile mirror hitting the ground.

He ate a golden carrot, then decided with a heavy heart that he was going to visit Parrot’s grave. He hadn’t been back since the day he died, and the only thing he could do now was to at least stop by, right?

Would Parrot even want him to visit him in his grave, even if Wifies was the one who built it in the first place?

He went anyway.

The sun was setting once again, and the parrot was now settled on his shoulder, perched lazily as he walked.

When he descended from the staircase he saw the grave. It was the same one he had made a few days before, so he knew it was going to be there. He wasn’t sure why he got so surprised and depressed when he saw it, with the spyglass still stuck in the item frame.

Maybe it was because he was still in denial.

It felt like something had changed at the grave site, but it still looked seemingly untouched. Maybe it was just his paranoia.

As he walked closer and closer to the massive crater, he noticed that the spyglass looked different—it was enchanted. Shining purple as Wifies popped it out to examine it.

The enchant on it was unreadable and seemingly corrupted, its symbols changing every second. No player on the server could do this…

…except for one person, perhaps.

The Admin of the server.

Why would he do this? He must have a motive, Wifies thought. Just as he thought it, a message popped up in chat, as if reading his mind:

UnstableAdmin joined the game

The admin was rarely online on the server. They were only ever here when they needed to do something, or propose a crazy idea. They were known for making dangerous deals with the people on the server.

The admin teleported to Wifies, and Wifies backed away a bit, still clutching onto the spyglass.

“Hello, Wifies,” they said. Unlike Wifies had when he was hiding behind the title of The Director, there was no voice changer. “I have a… proposition for—”

Wifies cut them off. “I don’t care what it is, leave. Now.” Did they really have to log on and come while he was just trying to wallow in his depression and misery?

“What if it has something to do with your beloved Parrot?” That shut Wifies up, and the Admin seemed to notice as they continued on, sounding like they were trying to suppress a smirk, “I’ve been monitoring your actions for the last two weeks or so.”

“You seem to care about Parrot a lot. Or, should I say, cared. However, that’s not the point, I believe it was rather… unfair for those who were unfortunately banned from the server.”

“And?” He forced himself to throw the next words out. “I can’t do anything about it.” I wish I could. “Even if I wanted to.” I wish I could go back in time.

“Well. You could give me the spyglass, as you may have noticed, or not. Items among the server that once belonged to someone have all received a special enchantment that can only be applied through admin commands.

“And using those items, you can revive the person it used to belong to. There is also another price, one greater than just the items.”

Wifies stared, stunned by what the Admin had just revealed.

“However. I’m willingly going to revive your little bird.”

“What’s… what’s the price?” Wifies managed to stutter out. He paused in surprise—it wasn’t like him to stutter.

Well, not anymore. Not ever since he’d become the Director.

He flinched a bit on the inside at the title.

“You don’t get to know the price until after it is certain Parrot will be one of the two to be revived,” the Admin continued, not seeming to notice Wifies’s internal battle against his mind.

Silence.

The deal seemed good, too good, and the unknown price made him hesitant to agree too quickly.

Wifies wanted to revive Parrot; and Dean, too, if possible. However, he didn’t want to risk anything that the two wouldn’t want him to risk.

He thought, maybe there was another way to revive them. Maybe he could trick the admin?

Could gaslighting them work? Maybe manipulation?

All of those options could work. Or fail horribly, and then the admin would probably ban him.

And then Parrot would have no chance to come back to life.

~

Wifies paced around the house, boots dragging lightly against the wooden floor. The silence in the house buzzed louder than it ever should have.

He paused at the window. Rain trailed down the glass like it knew something he didn’t. The Admin hadn’t stated what the price was, only giving a vague answer.

Wifies didn’t trust unclear words. Especially from someone like them.

What kind of deal didn’t name its price?

He clenched his jaw, looking at the window then back in front of him. The house was still the same—untouched. Even the enderpearl stasis was still there. Parrot wouldn’t have taken that offer. Dean wouldn’t either. They’d know better.

But it didn’t stop the ache in his chest. The thought of seeing them alive again… it was tempting.

Addicting.

Dangerous.

The image of Parrot’s laugh—so stupid and bright—flashed in his mind like lightning behind his eye. It was directed to Wifies, yet it still bounced off the walls of his mind like it belonged there.

But now it was gone. Still. Quiet.

He began pacing again, faster now, thoughts spinning darker. If the Admin wanted something, then that meant they needed something. And if they needed something or had something that mattered to them… Wifies could use that to his advantage.

He didn’t have to pay the price, because he could redirect it.

Everyone has something to lose.

Wifies had lost the person he cared about.

And ever since he had lost Parrot to his own hands, he knew, even the most powerful gods had something to lose.

Maybe it was a person. A pet. Or even their own humanity or soul.

All Wifies had to do was find out what that was, and then he could use it to exploit the Admin’s decisions.

And once he found out. He just had to twist it.

His reflection in the glass stared back at him—sharp-eyed and unfamiliar.

It reminded him of the Director.

The one who played with lives as if they were merely just pawns, moved others like pieces, and never flinched when it came time to sacrifice a knight for checkmate.

He played a gambit. But now, he was going to be the lucky one.

To fix his mistakes and restore what the server was once before.

He just couldn’t mess up.

But he won’t. His idea would work.

…Right?

If it didn’t, then Wifies could lose his one and maybe even only opportunity to revive Parrot and to apologize for all that he’s done.

Chapter Text

Once the Admin finally teleported away to go bother some other unfortunate player, Wifies sat down beside the heart-shaped cherry blossom lake.

He wanted to think.

About what, he wasn’t exactly sure. Probably about the offer the Admin just threw at him.

And, at first, he could control the thoughts that floated into his mind.

But soon enough, he lost control of that too.

Just like he had everything else.

He didn’t want to remember, but it seemed like memories didn’t particularly care what he wanted.

They came uninvited, tearing through him like glass with every smile, every word, and moment in time.

Each time he closed his eyes, it wasn’t grass beneath him. It was the marble floor stained with blood.

Not his. Never his.

The memories flooded in, a wave of emptiness washing down.

It hurt when it did, and he had been in pain for weeks.

He hated it.

Out of all people. Why him? Why Parrot?

He would’ve traded places. In a heartbeat.

It could have been anyone. He wouldn’t have given a single fucking flying rat’s tail if it were anyone else.

He laid on the grass, the green leaves brushing lightly against his skin.

The wind was moving quietly. Was this the peace Parrot once wanted?

It felt nice—

yet stolen.

Wifies lived his life with freedom (well, most of the time, at least), but in Parrot’s last few months, he had been trapped right under his ex-best friend’s thumb.

He would admit, the words ex-best friend made him realize what it felt like to truly miss someone.

The ghost of the memories they had together in the cherry blossom hovered near him.

With Parrot, he felt loved. He felt cared for, and now. Nothing lingered, not even the fun carelessness he experienced with him.

It was like it was voided.

Thrown away right along with Parrot’s death.

“Wifies.”

The sharp, jarring sound of a voice, followed by the chirp of his pet bird, was what grounded him back in the present.

The present. Where Parrot was already gone and dea—

“Wifies,” the voice repeated, saving him from yet another doomed spiral. They were always going to be doomed, weren’t they? All the happy endings, all the would-be’s written in the stars for them were washed away the moment he chose to go through with faking his death.

“Wifies,” the voice said a third time. Forcing himself to actually try and pay attention, Wifies turned his back to the lake and toward the player calling him.

It was Leowook.

This couldn’t be good—the last time he’d seen Leowook besides when hiring (actually, hiring would be a stretch. It was more like threatening, really) him to be a guard was back when he’d killed Nufuli.

He will admit he does regret it—perhaps, if he hadn’t pulled the trigger, Parrot would still be here today, slowly learning to forgive Wifies.

“What brings you here?” he forced himself to ask. The words tasted like ash on his tongue—everything he’s said in the past few days have been, really. It was just only then did he realize.

Leo eyes the bird perched on his shoulder, likely judging him for his awful skills at letting go. At his terrible emotional attachment to the past.

“What do you want?” Wifies bit out. Leowook’s gaze moved from the bird to him.

Eventually, he spoke, voice confident.

“I want you to revive Nufuli.”

He didn’t ask. It wasn’t a question, more like a demand.

Wifies sat up straight, more out of surprise than anything.

“I can’t revive anyone on the server,” he said, choosing to pretend to be clueless. “Believe what you want but even I don’t have that power to do that.”

“Don’t act as if you don’t know,” Leowook huffed, annoyed. “I overheard you and the Admin talking.”

“You—what?”

“Relax. The news is all over the server now—the Admin’s decided to make it one big competition, where only two can win.”

What? Wifies thought. A—a competition? But—I thought they—

Of course they wouldn’t make it easy. Why would they?

“When is this competition?” he said out loud, trying to keep his cool demeanor.

“In a week. Teams are allowed—which is why you and I should team up.”

“And why should I?” he said, a bit snarkily. If Nufuli were to be revived, then he would have to either give up Parrot or Dean.

But… if it did come to that, he knew who he was going to choose. It would be Parrot, no hesitation. Always.

It has always been Parrot.

“You killed him,” Leowook snapped out. A film of grief washed over his words, and Wifies couldn’t help but feel guilty. Nufuli was Leowook’s Parrot, after all. “You killed him for absolutely no reason at all—he no longer has a purpose?” His pitch was mockingly high. “What a bullshit reason. What was the real reason, Director?”

The last word was sneered out, and Wifies flinched.

Because he shared Parrot’s spyglass, he didn’t say. He knew it was a petty, jealous thing. Especially since Parrot was still trying to cope with the “death” of his best friend.

Now ex-best friend, Wifies reminded himself.

He wondered what Parrot’s last thoughts were. He wondered how Parrot saw him, in those last moments—or if he had thought about him at all.

What was Parrot’s seven minutes like? Was Wifies in any of them?

“Aaaaand he’s gone again,” Leowook grumbled, shooting an arrow at Wifies.

“Hey!” he said, fully back in the present again. “What was that for?”

“It doesn’t matter. Listen, just—you’re teaming with me.” It was said with such conviction Wifies had to refrain himself from laughing out loud.

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“You can’t force me,” Wifies argued. He felt the parrot on his shoulder shift on his little talons and hop off. He watched as it pecked at the grass, likely looking for seeds.

“Yes, I can,” Leowook said, and Wifies ripped his gaze away from the cyan bird. He could almost hear the smirk in Leo’s voice as he pulled out something from his inventory.

A spyglass.

And not just any spyglass. It was enchanted.

Wifies sputtered and jumped up in panic. He sprinted to Parrot’s grave, faint flaps of a bird’s wings following him frantically.

Sure enough, the spyglass was gone.

And when he turned around, Leo had already emptied a bucket of lava into a one-block hole, toying with the spyglass with a glint Wifies couldn’t read in his eyes.

“Don’t,” he warned, heart pounding erratically fast in his chest. It felt like his lungs were being squeezed, leaving no air to travel through his body. It felt like Parrot was dying all over again. “Don’t,” he repeated. It was a whisper this time, a plea.

He can’t remember the last time he’s pled with anyone. Anyone but Parrot, at least.

It seems that Parrot was Wifies’s exception in many things.

“Team with me,” Leowook said again. He fiddled with the spyglass in his hands some more, and all Wifies wanted to do at the moment was kill him for even touching the item.

He should’ve kept Nufuli alive. He could’ve threatened Leowook with his life now, if he had.

He internally smacked himself. No. Those were the types of thoughts that led him to where he was now.

“Why?” he eventually choked out. “Why me? Why not someone else—like Jumper, or Derapchu?” Leo would get along much better with them, he thinks—knows.

“Both you and I know that, out of everyone who would want to participate in this competition, you have one of the best chances of winning,” Leo said, sounding almost bored. “Forget Wemmbu or Clownpierce or even Flamefrags—you have the smarts they don’t. And I have a feeling the Admin is not just going to host a PvP tournament to decide who gets the revive item.”

“Well, why do I need you, then?”

“You don’t. But you need this spyglass to revive Parrot, don’t you?” He smirked.

“Fine,” Wifies gritted out. “Give me back the spyglass, and I will team with you.”

“I don’t think so,” Leowook said, tucking the spyglass back in his inventory. “In fact, I’m going to keep it until the moment you need it to revive Parrot—you know, just so I know you cannot back out of this deal.”

Wifies refrained from lashing out. That was Parrot’s spyglass—their spyglass! Leowook couldn’t just—he couldn’t just take it and not give it back!

When he didn’t say anything else, Leowook seemed to smile sharply, almost. “Amazing. I can’t wait to work with you again, Director.”

Long after Leowook had gone, Wifies was still staring at the spot he was standing, wondering if the title of the Director would ever fully ghost him like he sometimes wished the wretched memories of him and Parrot, back when they were happy and together, would.

Chapter Text

Leowook POV

Leo hadn’t wanted to use the spyglass—Parrot’s one and only chance at revival—as leverage as Wifies.

He really didn’t, even though he did still blame the avian a tiny bit for Nufuli’s death.

The familiar flare of grief welled up inside of him, filling his every vein until he questioned, once again, why he hadn’t killed the Director already.

I still need him, he reminded himself. If we’re teamed, he can help me win the event, and I’ll have a greater chance at gaining the revive for Nufuli.

I can kill him after it all ends, if I must.

For now, I just want Nufuli back.

Wifies POV

The book felt heavy in his hands—or maybe that was just his heart.

He opened it, feeling the leather crease in his hands as he flipped through the pages.

It wasn’t completely blank—the first few pages were inked with words, some desperate and others lonely.

He hadn’t written in this book in a long time.

Now, the letters would be left unsent, unseen.

His pet ParrotX2 fluttered onto the pink wooden desk he was sitting at, peering curiously at the book. He made it sit down and grabbed a nearby quill, dipping it in some ink made from a squid’s ink sac.

Dear Parrot,

It’s been a while since I last wrote to you. That being said… you were right. About the past self I said I had to kill still having a spark left in me, struggling to reignite.

Past me was more trusting. More kind. More morally correct, having more boundaries and doing all that I could to keep us you safe.

But past me was also a cowa coward, and, at the time, did not know the full extent he would go just to keep you safe. Past Wifies did not understand the things he could and would—no, did—do for and to you.

After you died, I think a bit of Past Wifies came back. Not all of him, though. Just enough to remember the type of person Current Wifies used to be.

The type of person you lov befriended.

And this time… this time… His handwriting turned shaky as he gripped the quill tighter, almost making it snap into two pieces.

Parrot, I promise you, I will revive you and one day, hopefully, miraculously, somehow… one day, I will make it up to you and apologize for all that I’ve done.

I don’t know if you ever will fully forgive me, or if I even deserve it.

But what I do know is, that even with parts of the old Wifies back, even with bits of the feeling and empathy and awareness of consequences back—

—there is no end to the things I’d do for you and to get you back. Even if it means I’ll have to continue being the person you and I both hate.

I guess I still really haven’t learned my lesson, yet, huh.

It’ll be okay, though. I promise.

This time around, I swear I will be better; if not for myself, then for you, I will try.

Lov always yo your dea Sincerely,

Wifies, your best friend

He stared at the last three words for a long moment before crossing them out.

A wet spot appeared on the parchment, blurring the words out. Wifies startled, wondering when he had started crying.

The sound of an elytra and fireworks outside startled him, and he quickly wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his gray hoodie. Snapping the book shut, he tucked it away out of sight.

When Leo waltzed into the cherry blossom house like he owned the place, Wifies’s face was void of any emotions once more.

“Why are you here?” he demanded to know coolly.

“Well, the revival tournament thing is coming up in a few days, and if we’re teamed, we would want to practice working together, no?”

“No, absolutely not,” he said immediately. “I’ll work with you only when I have to—which is during the event and the event only.”

Leowook sighed. “Look, bro, I don’t want to deal with you either, but if we want any chance at winning this thing—”

“How do we even know that the event is going to even need teamwork to solve and win?” he interrupted. “It’s probably just going to be some sort of dumb, server-wide scavenger hunt with challenges for the revivals.” A picture of lanterns and ice parkour and tridents and a game of chess in an obsidian box flashed through his head.

Wifies pushed the painful memories away. Not Now. He could mull over the past later, when he was alone and there was no one to catch him cryi moping.

“We don’t,” the former leader of B.A.T. admitted. “But it’s always good to be prepared.”

Wifies scowled. “So this could all just be for nothing, and your threat about burning the spyglass would’ve been empty.”

“Exactly.”

“Can I at least choose what we do first?” Giving up on the argument sounded like the best option; after all, Leo did still have leverage over Wifies with that stupid spyglass.

“No.”

His scowl deepened, and as Leo told him to follow him, all he could think was the things I do for him are actually ridiculous.

~

They’ve been flying for thousands of blocks when a large structure came into his render distance—a tall, spiraling mass of blocks reaching for the heavens.

A two player parkour course, it seemed like.

When they landed, Wifies peeked down, and much to his dismay, it seemed like it started from bedrock level.

Great.

“Put everything you have on you in this chest,” Leowook commanded, pointing to a double chess in front of them. “You can keep your armor, a water bucket, stack of food, and a few totems on you—just in case you fall.”

As Wifies reluctantly complied (he kept his book on him though, there was no way he was putting that in the chest where Leo could potentially see it), a sense of deja vu washed over him.

A secret on the server they must find.. inventories being emptied into large double-chests… a guard non-verbally telling them they’re good to go…

…a large ice parkour, Parrot’s voice ringing through the large hollowed-out ice cap as he swerves and jumps onto the next platform. A bow being fired at a target, counting the beats inside his head as to know when to jump. A wooden knockback sword, the way—

“Wifies. Director. Hello?”

The sharp sound f his cold title snapped Wifies out of his grief-tited trip down memory lane, and he quickly blinks away the fogginess clouded up in his vision.

“Hi,” he said stupidly—because what else was he supposed to say? “Maybe, if he pretends Leo is Parrot and they were doing a silly little parkour course together to kill some time, they would be done faster.

“Hi?” Leo said, sounding a bit confused. “Uh, we’re starting now.” He then jumped down into the pit, all the way down to the bedrock level.

Wifies stared down at him absently for a bit, thoughts full of stray memories.

He took a deep breath and followed, placing water beneath his feet at the last second.

After he gathers it back into his bucket, Leo leads him to a small platform made of netherrack.

As they worked on the course, Wifies noticed the parkour course theme changed as they went up. The very bottom had been the nether, with blocks of netherrack and blackstone being used. Then it became deepslate, then stone, then eventually the surface of the overworld with the biomes constantly changing.

Wifies wondered where Leo had gotten all the materials and time to build this—had he hired someone else, maybe Horace, to build it for him?

But wasn’t he broke now, after his entire base was blown up and destroyed by the hacker the Director sent after Parrot?

The two (he refuses to use the word duo) were halfway up the parkour course when they were interrupted by a book signed by UnstableAdmin popped into their inventory.

Curious, he opened it and felt his heart rate pick up in excitement when he read the first sentence, quickly skimming through the text.

Inside, it read:

If you wish to enter the Unstable SMP Revival Event to have a chance at winning a revival token for a dead friend, please make your way to spawn and drop a paper with your full name and the name of who you would like to unban into the hopper.

You’ll know which hopper is the one when you get there; griefing and sabotaging any other player will lead to an immediate disqualification from the event.

The latest entries that will be accepted are two days before the day of the event.

—UnstableAdmin

Wifies was gone with all his items back in his inventory before Leo could even say anything, rocketing towards spawn as fast as he could.

When he arrived, a long line of people were already waiting outside an enormous build that reminded him of a coliseum.. He was a bit surprised that no one was cutting or that it was so organized, but the Admin had power, and people listened to people with power—especially when they had the ability to ban you. That was how it worked in Unstable, after all.

It’s how it’s always worked.

When it was finally his turn, a player with no armor (likely a server moderator with op) handed him a sheet of paper and gestured at the nearby anvil. Cracks had formed in the iron-fused objects from earlier players.

Shakily, he wrote Wifies — ParrotX2, and dropped it into the hopper.

Chapter Text

The rest of the training sessions with Leowook weren’t terrible, but to Wifies, they weren’t exactly pleasant either.

He forced him to do everything—PVP training, escape rooms, puzzles, more parkour, even riddles; everything and anything to get them ready for the Revival Event.

Wifies couldn’t express how much relief he felt when the day of the Event finally arrive, how much relief he felt when the training sessions could finally end. Because now, they can finally begin. Begin fighting for that revival token he needs to unban Parrot.

Wifies flinches, a bit, at the words finally begin, flashbacks of the Director talking about being able to begin building a world with just him and Parrot shooting through his mind like lightning.

No, he reminds himself as he sorts his inventory. I can’t—I can’t get distracted today. Parrot depends on that.

Leo met him outside his cherry grove house, and the two elytra’d away and out of the prison.

It was the first time Wifies left the obsidian-encased world since Parrot died. He had built it for them, to live peacefully together. But now, it served no purpose. Except for a memory of what had happened, and what could have happened.

~

The start of the Revival Event took place at spawn, which looked way different from when Wifies last saw it. Gone were the large craters and withers; the Admin replaced it with a crystal-like tree biome and in the very center, a large podium stood.

It was beautiful. Each tree unique from one another, yet still had a sense of uncertainty lingering in the air. Spawn seemed peaceful for once. No fighting, no death. It seemed like a grave yard, each tree representing a player that had once thrived in the server.

As usual, players were still joining the server—but there were no death bans this time around. Maybe the Admin had turned it off at spawn, just for this event.

It could have just been him, but he felt uneasy as the player count increased. So many players that could have replaced Parrot and died that day, yet it had to be him. That was how it was orchestrated, and nothing could change the script.

Wifies landed on a nearby crystal tree and scanned the crowds beneath the podium; it looked like the entire server had showed up, even people that haven’t been on in months were online. He recognized more players there than he’d expected—JumperWho, CoinMonke, BeckyTronIII, Quakenstein, SpokeIsHere, Mapicc, MinuteTech, Wemmbu, Eggchan, FlameFrags, Reddoons, Pangi, PrinceZam, Horace, TheobaldTheBird, Sharpness, WyLL…

He scanned the crowd once more, and the sheer number of people who’d joined this event unnerved him more than he was comfortable with. It was a ridiculous amount, easily spanning hundreds—thousands of players. If he somehow won a token at the end, it would have to be considered a miracle.

Because, so far, the chances were not looking in his favor at all. Maybe Fate didn’t want him to win. Maybe it only wanted to punish him for what he did.

“Here comes Derapchu,” Leo said from his side, reminding Wifies of his existence; Leo had told him Derapchu was going to help them with the event, and Wifies just shrugged in response. He didn’t really care if Derap joined them, but he didn’t see why it was exactly necessary. It wasn’t like Derapchu would be able to help them in any way, shape, or form. “Hey, Derap.”

“Hi, Leo!” Derapchu responded as soon as he landed, barely sparing Wifies a glance. Again, he did not care. “Is—is Jumper joining us? You never clarified.”

“No, she isn’t. She’s going to be teamed with all of her spies to try and get the token for a spy who had fallen in the past.”

“Oh. Okay.”

A moment of silence, then—“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” Derap murmured. “The—the number of people who are here. I’m surprised the server isn’t lagging.”

“Yeah. Hopefully this doesn’t mean we won’t be able to get a token.

“Yeah—”

“What do we do if we only manage to get one?” Wifies interrupted; the question had been tickling the back of his mind ever since he realized just how many players they were up against. “Who’s going to get it then?”

He suspected Leo would take it for himself to revive Nufuli, but he couldn’t anything with Parrot’s fate in his hands. Of course, if he did say Nufuli he would argue, but Wifies’s options were limited, and his hands were tied behind his back.

“Nufuli,” Leo said without a beat of hesitation. His tone was closed off, which often meant that the subject was not up for debate.

Wifies didn’t care. “That’s absolute fucking bullshit.” To his side, Derap blinked a bit in surprise; Wifies didn’t curse much. “Based on how many people there are here, the luckiest we’ll get is one revive token out of the two, and if it weren’t for the stupid threat of the spyglass getting thrown in lava, I would’ve left now if I hadn’t already.”

Leo stared at him for a bit, seemingly challenging him. Wifies stared coolly back until he finally backed down. “Fine. Whoever finds it gets to choose who it’s getting used on.”

Wifies clenched his teeth, but didn’t argue. That was the fairest option, for both of them, so he had to agree to it even if it meant Parrot might not get revived.

“Players of Unstable Universe,” the Admin boomed, and instantly the chatter below their tree settled down. Wifies glided down into the crowd, Derapchu and Leo following close behind. “Welcome to the Revival Event.”

Cheers met the end of their sentence, the shouting imbeciles’ volume deafening. Wifies resisted the urge to tell the nearest yelling players to shut the hell up.

Up until that moment, he never realized just how bitter he’d become.

“I presume you all have received the signed book and quill I distrubuted throughout the server”—another wave of cheers—“and put your names into the hopper a few days ago. That’s why you’re all here, isn’t it? Although—a few of you wrote only your names on the slip of paper dropped into the hopper. Perhaps those players are only here for the leverage or money they could make off of this event, if they are to win the tokens.” As they said this, the Admin’s gaze swept over several of the more powerful and unfeeling players—FlameFrags, WyLL, Reddoons, Sharpness, PrinceZam…

Oh. In that moment, Wifies felt stupid. He should’ve known that there were going to be players who joined even if they didn’t have anyone in particular to revive. And, if his presumption was correct, most of the people he guessed the Admin was talking about were going to sell the revive token off, or trade it for something that would mess up lives later in the long run. They had the power, numbers, or strength to do so and survive, too.

They may be doomed.

“The event will span the time of however long it takes for both revival tokens to be found, whether it be days or weeks or months or even years. The rules are simple and should not be too difficult to understand; killing any player will result in disqualification, but sabotaging and making things harder is allowed; after all, I like my entertainment.

“You need a special item of the friend you’re reviving to be able to use the revive token, and it is only when both revive tokens are used will the event end.” By this point, the entire crowd was silent, save for the occasional murmurings to teammates and friends. “And, as most of you have probably realized by now, those items are gone; that is because I have taken them from each and every one of your inventories and hid them throughout the entire server—”

“What?” Wifies hissed at Leowook. “Do you—not have Parrot’s spyglass anymore?” In the background, the Admin continued yapping—“You must find the item by following a series of clues and defeating a few obstacles—”

The look on Leo’s face was all he needed for an answer. Wifies crowed in victory. “That’s great—amazing, actually. Now I don’t have to help you anymore.”

He pushed away and into the crowd before Leo could say anything, ending up next to Mapicc, Spoke, and MinuteTech.

“—and these obstacles will eventually lead you to where the revive tokens are hidden. Manage your time carefully, and perhaps you will be the winner.

“And with that, may the best friend win.”

Chapter Text

Cheering and whooping followed the Admin’s last statement, and in just a moment, spawn turned into chaos. Players crowded around to quickly elytra away to get a head start for the scavenger hunt.

The skies seemed to be flooded with people, the forests nearby weren’t any better. Nametags all showing people either flying away or running as far out from spawn as they could.

And every player seemed to each be holding out a signed book. When Wifies looked into his inventory, he found a book as well, signed by none other than the Admin himself.

The title was Item Clue 1 - Wifies, and the inside contents appeared to be a set of coordinate numbers that he did not recognize.

In a few quick minutes, Wifies was almost left entirely by himself except for Jumper with her spies, MinuteTech, Spoke, Mapicc, and FlameFrags.

Nearly half the people here to witness the event had flown away just to get more time.

Even Leowook was gone, having taken Derapchu with him. At least the prick knew when to leave a topic alone.

He wanted to search alone, just to make sure he would have the revival token all to himself. But he knew that was a stupid decision, and would set himself up for failure. Knowing this, he was left without a choice: he had to work with someone else.

Wifies backed away from the tree he had been standing near; he was set on one goal. To find the revival token and revive Parrot.

The Admin wouldn’t let him win so easily, though; that he knew.

“WIFIES.”

Wifies snapped back to reality; something or someone was calling his name.

“Bro? Hello??”

It was FlameFrags, the so-called strongest player on Unstable. Being impatient, as always.

“What do you want?” Wifies turned around to get a good look at him.

“Do you want to team, or whatever?”

“Team?” Surprised, Wifies took a small step back. “With—you?”

“I mean, does it look like there’s anyone else around us asking?” The immortal demon huffed. “Who else?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be, like, the strongest player on the server or something? Why do you need to team with me?”

Now, obviously, Wifies would happily take FlameFrags as a team—good with puzzles and PVP, the two of them had an easy path to victory—but he needed to know his motive here. Someone like Flame wouldn’t just—ask people like Wifies, however powerful he used to be, to team up.

So, the question was, what did Flame want from him?

Flame seemed to understand to an extent, of what Wifies was thinking, because the next thing he said was, “If you’re thinking about what could I possibly want? I just want one of the revival tokens,” He shrugged. “Pretty simple, together we can find both, and you could have one to revive your precious little birdie Parrot, and I can keep the other one for later use.”

“That sounds… feasible enough.” Surprisingly. Although, he shouldn’t have been surprised; Flame was one of the people who the Admin had not-so-subtly glanced over during the part about people joining without someone to revive.

Wifies shifted uncomfortably in the awkward silence that followed after.

“So—is it just gonna be us or..?” He trailed off.

“Minute is going to join us, probably.”

“Minute?” Wifies echoed. Out of everyone he knew on the server, Minute was one of the last people he’d expected to be allied with Flame, as their morals were vastly different. “Why… him?”

“He also wanted the revival token to trade for items, you do realize how much its worth?”

“Isn’t Minute affiliated with Mapicc and Spoke? Don’t you hate Spoke or something?”

“Well, from the looks of it, Spoke did something to anger Minute, so he agreed to help me for now. He also has a use for the revival tokens as well.”

“Who is getting the token if we do get it? There are three of us.” Wifies didn’t care much about any other potential teammates, after all; he was only concerned with the chances of getting a revival token.

And, right now, it didn’t look like he’ll be getting it anytime soon, with his diddle-daddling. They should speed this up.

He tapped his foot impatiently.

Flame shrugged, “We could flip a coin—or fight for it. Either way, I will be getting one, one way or another.”

Now, Wifies wasn’t dumb. If he argued, Flame would likely just threaten him into it, and if he tried betraying later on, he would end up dead.

“What does Minute think of this? Have you talked to him about your… terms?”

As if on cue, MinuteTech walked over and answered his question. “I don’t exactly care which one of us gets the revival token, but if I do end up getting it, I’m probably going to use it on one of the innocent players who were slaughtered during the time of the Invis Mafia.”

Ah. That sounds like MinuteTech—even if he wasn’t the easiest person to read, his intentions were mostly good.

“Should we go? We’re a bit behind on time compared to the other players by now.” Wifies pointed out; the other players had started earlier, giving them more time to find the tokens. Which, like he implied, was a major disadvantage to them.

“Yeah, follow me. I have a few ideas of where the tokens could be possibly hidden,” Flame responded.

Shortly after, he fireworked away, heading towards what seemed to be the direction of Zam Empire. Or, at least, what used to be Zam Empire. It was all rubble now, abandoned just like every other old civilization on the server.

As Minute prepared to follow Flame, he paused momentarily. Then turned around ever so slightly and said—

“Don’t trust everyone who wants to team with you.”

Wifies flinched. Just a fraction—but Minute noticed.

The player said nothing else. He just gave Wifies one last look before taking his elytra out and vanishing into the skies after Flame.

The silence became deafening.

Spawn still buzzed with players looking for the tokens, yet all he could hear was the faint rush of his own breath and pounding of his heart.

He found himself looking back at his inventory, looking back at the set of coordinates given by the Admin.

The numbers blurred as Wifies’ thoughts spiraled. He knew how the Admin liked to play games. It couldn’t have been this easy. It never was, never has been.

It couldn’t have been so simple.

Slowly, he closed the book, placing it in the back of his inventory once again. Wifies looked up out of habit to examine his surroundings, and through the trees, he saw the Admin.

The Admin hadn’t left yet; he had watched everything that happened. Every word and thought exchanged.

As if Wifies’ stare had been an invitation, the Admin turned, a cold stare meeting his. A private message appeared at the bottom of Wifies’ screen:

Admin ➤ Wifies: I would listen to him… Appearances may be decieving.

The words burned brighter than the rest of the chat, as if the Admin wanted them to linger.

Wifies tore his gaze away from the Admin, but the unease didn’t leave him. The book pressed heavily in his inventory, the words blurring together like lies. Flame said he knew where the token is… but what Minute said…

He gritted his teeth. The game had only just begun.

This wasn’t just a scavenger hunt.

This was just another game covered in lies, betrayal, and deception.

And to the Admin, this was nothing more than another performance.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure we’re at the right place?” Wifies asked, for the third time.

“Yes, bro.” Flame replied, annoyed.

“This doesn’t seem anywhere near where the book instructed us to go.” Minute pointed out.

“Your book,” Flame corrected as he used another firework. “We have different stuff in them.”

“What’s in yours?”

“Nothing you need to know.”

They fell into a silence after that and passed by Zam’s old Empire ruins, the once prosperous civilization now a wreck.

Wifies has heard the stories of what happened—how Wemmbu nuked the entire thing with multiple strikes from an orbital canon.

Slightly, he flinched as the image of hundreds, if not thousands, of TNT raining from the sky reminded him of the TNT that had blown up Parrot.

He wondered if there was ever a time when his mind was not on Parrot.

They flew past ClownPierce’s old base, also blown up by the TNT Parrot had Leo plant.

He remembered the moment Parrot bounded back to him, tired but happy with his victory.

The rubble from the explosion had still been stuck in his wings.

Speaking of rubble, the base was still completely leveled, the killer clown not having bothered to fix anything.

Where was his base at now; did he move yet? Perhaps to the Nether—wasn’t he one of the players who controlled the Nether near spawn?

They glided through the old Mafia City, where armies of invisible players used to march every day.

Seeing it deserted and empty except for a few stray, curious souls evoked a sense of… triumph in him. Or was it triumph?

Triumph would be something Parrot would feel, having fought the Mafia for so long.

Was it something Wifies would’ve felt, before Parrot?

They soared over the obsidian box Spoke built for him, where Wifies banned himself for Parrot.

He still hadn’t figured out what the secret they’d been chasing after for so long was—Parrot never told him after his chunkban was removed.

Had it been worth it?

And finally, they landed near a large chasm in the ground that stretched out into what looked like a cave. Dripstone lined its ceiling, the faint glow of ores catching in the shafts of sunlight that managed to seep into the large cave.

Wifies switched his elytra back with his chestplate.

“This place is rather… empty.” Minute commented, quickly scanning the barren land before them.

“Bro, you know the Admin wouldn’t make it easy.” Flame jumped down in the ravine, footsteps quick and precise. “We should split up—maybe two of us go look in the cave, and the other checks aboveground. How about—MinuteTech, you stay on the surface. Me and Wifies can go look—underground.”

“Sure.”

FlameFrags POV

The sound of their footprints echoed off the stone walls. Flame and Wifies had walked for minutes, wandering in circles. Always ending up where they had first entered.

Flame watched Wifies as he scanned the cave again before sighing.

“Is there even anything here?” he questioned. “We’ve been searching for so long, and still haven’t found anything yet.”

“It should be here. The book said that the next clue was located here.”

“Then why isn’t it here?”

Flames laughed, cold and emotionless. He’s laughed countless times before—as a Zam Empire guard, a diamond trim, a solo player. It’s never sounded so hollow and empty before, even to his own ears.

When he glanced at Wifies, hair messier than Flame has ever seen it—not that he has seen it enough to know what it usually looks like, but still—he let out a breath, careful to steady it. No weaknesses here, not even now.

“Because this is clue isn’t for you, bro. It’s for me.”

“What?”

Flame looked up, smile half-crooked, half fake. “Aren’t you supposed to be like, smart, bro? The Admin didn’t just gives us clues to let us easily find the revival tokens, they would never do that. They gave us chances to make a choice.”

“Flame… what are you talking about?” The former Director turned around to look back at him.

“Bro—do you trust me?” Flame asked.

“Do I? Of course I do—”

Flame opened his inventory, the 3 different splash potions seeming to shine brightly from where it was located.

“Good,” Flame said. “Because you won’t have to ever trust anyone again, after this.”

He’d told himself it wasn’t betrayal.

He’d told himself that this was mercy.

The book in his inventory still burned with the Admin’s words.

To bring one back, another must fall.

And he’d already made his choice.

Wifies POV

“What do you mean by that?

“Flame—”

Wifies realized what he meant.

“The clue in your book. You have to kill someone, don’t you?”

Flame didn’t respond. Only pausing briefly, as if he was looking in his inventory for something.

“Answer me.” He demanded.

“You were going to kill me, right? You had Minute stay up on the surface while you isolated me and you.”

Wifies heart skipped a beat.

“Bro—don’t make this harder then this has to be.” Flame’s voice was quiet now, not loud like how he usually spoke to him “It’s nothing personal. It’s just… the way it has to be.”

He sounded like Parrot.

“Has to?” Wifies repeated, each word louder then the last. “You know how much I needed the token. There are thousands of other players you could have to killed. So why does it have to be me.”

“You lost someone too, bro. You should know how it feels, to lose someone. That’s what happened to Parrot, right? Actually. You killed him. At least, that’s what I think from what I’ve heard. That Parrot wouldn’t have died, if it weren’t for your selfish actions.”

Flame took out a strength pot.

“Funny thing is… I’ve also had to fight the person I want to revive. But I don’t think you would understand.”

He threw the potion.

Glass shattered against the deepslate stone, emitting yellow particles around Flame—then orange, and a cyan blue.

“So that’s it, huh?” Wifies moved back, opening his inventory to rearrange his hotbar. He was done for, having almost no PVP gear on him beside his sword, shield, and a few totems. But that wasn’t going to help him against the Immortal Demon, the strongest player on the server. Almost no one fought him and lived to tell the tale. “You’re just gonna betray me, for the revival token?”

“Yes, bro, I don’t have a choice.”

“Everyone has a choice. No matter what the Admin says.”

“You had a choice not to trap him in Paragon.” Flame retorted, getting closer and closer. Wifies backed away, heart pounding more than it’s ever had in his life. A wall met his back, and Flame used it as an opportunity to box Wifies and place a single cobweb at his feet.

He paused and looked at Wifies—really looked.

“You’d do it too,” Flame spoke. “If you thought it would bring him back.”

“I’d never kill someone for it.”

Flame’s jaw clenched. “That’s the difference between us, then.”

He swung his sword, fire aspect setting Wifies in flames in seconds. It burned. It reminded him of how the TNT felt. How it could have felt to Parrot. Knowing that the TNT exploded, and killed him in his last moments.

He could never imagine how much pain Parrot felt because if him. Maybe he didn’t want to imagine it, because it would only hurt himself.

“I thought you didn’t even want the token. That’s what the Admin said.”

“The Admin isn’t always right. I lied to them because I knew they would use it against me. I’m not stupid, bro.”

The fire burned through his health and armor durability as Flame continued to try to kill him. Not long after, he popped his first totem.

2 more left.

Wifies became anxious. He needed to escape. He looked at his inventory to quickly equip another totem as Flame potted up again.

Fire resistance this time. Flame’s mistake? It splashed onto Wifies too, buying him precious time.

Netherite axe… fighting would be useless. Flame had the upperhand.

Crit.

Seven hearts.

Elytra… he could try to fly away, but without rockets and being in a cave, it would be useless.

Crit.

Six and a half hearts.

Twenty durability left on his helmet. He had to act now—or he would lose his 2nd totem.

Enderpearl—yes. That was what he needed.

He threw it, narrowly avoiding the next crit from his sword.

He hit the ground hard, pausing ever so slightly. However, he couldn’t stop moving yet. Not when every second mattered. Wifies swapped his near-broken helmet for a spare iron helmet. It wasn’t enchanted, but it was still something.

Flame was already there. Always faster. Always ahead. Always better.

Another swing, another heart gone. Four hearts left; they stared, watching Wifies try to escape. Taunting him with what could happen if he stopped for even a moment.

“Wifies, there’s nowhere to run. Just give up!” Flame shouted, voice echoing across the cave.

He didn’t bother to respond. It would only waste his breath.

Flame lunged forward to where Wifies stood. In a split second, he barely managed to bring out his shield and blocked one singular hit from Flame’s netherite sword.

Wifies’ totem glowed faintly in his off hand. One or two more crits, and his second totem would pop, the only thing buying him enough time to escape.

The strength pot gave Flame an upperhand, each hit nearly broke Wifies’ guard.

He scanned his surroundings, spotting a dripstone hanging above.

And an idea had formed.

He waited for Flame’s next swing—moving out of the way as he broke the block above the dripstone.

It fell, crashing down between them. It didn’t directly hit Flame, but it bought him a heartbeat. Enough time to breathe. Enough time to think.

Wifies’ lungs burned with every inhale. The air here was barely breathable. Dust, smoke, and something else—ash, maybe, from the torches Flame had carelessly thrown down earlier. His heart hammered his chest, like the ticking of a redstone clock.

He couldn’t win. He knew that. But if he could survive long enough, maybe, just maybe, Minute would realize something was wrong.

His eyes darted around the cave floor: ore veins glinting faintly under torchlight, cobwebs clinging to the broken mineshaft, the faint shimmer of lava seeping through a crack. He could use that. Maybe. However, he had to act quick, and he had no time to craft a bucket.

He pulled another pearl from his inventory; he only had two left. He had to use them wisely. The torches shone brightly, showing off Flame’s shadow. Wifies took his sword out once again, keeping it close to where he moved the enderpearls. Flame walked closer, eyes lit up with that same determination Wifies had seen once before—in Parrot.

Once again, it was aimed at him.

“Bro,” Flame called out, tone deceptively calm. “You know I didn’t want this.”

Wifies didn’t reply. He ducked into a tunnel that branched from the main center cave. He crouched, and still, he only just barely fit in the tunnel. The rough surface dug into his shoulder, hand brushing against the cold stone walls.

Flame’s footsteps echoed closer, quickly following behind.

“You think running will change anything?” His voice was louder now, reverberating through the cave. “You think Parrot would forgive you? You can’t even forgive yourself, bro.”

That one stung deeper than any sword. But, he had bought himself time to eat a golden apple and regenerated back up to seven hearts.

Wifies moved before he could think as he spotted Flame sprinting towards him. He rushed out of the tunnel and bumped straight into Flame. His sword swung wide as Flame blocked it effortlessly with his shield.

He countered it immediately, his blade slashing downward. Wifies moved to the side, the sword grazing his shoulder.

Six hearts.

He swung again, forcing Flame back a few blocks, but Flame’s footing never faltered. His next hit came from above, a crit.

Four hearts.

The fire resistance ran out. 8 minutes had never felt any longer. The next hit from Flame, would do much more damage.

“You’re dragging this out for no reason!” Flame shouted. “This would have been a quick death if you just let it happen.”

“Maybe I just want you to change your mind and feel something,” Wifies hissed, slashing again. The sword glided off Flame’s arm, leaving faint burns.

He laughed, bitter and broken. “Good hit. Doesn’t change anything.”

Flame threw three potions once again at his feet. Speed, strength, and fire resistance. The sound of glass breaking echoed within the cave.

Wifies barely saw the movement, only felt the hit. His shield cracked, losing durability quickly. Another hit dropped him down to his last heart.

Every motion was a heartbeat, every swing a choice.

He narrowly dodged, swinging towards him. Missed. Flame pivoted, kicking him back, then swung his sword down once more.

Crit.

His second totem popped.

“Last one. Just stop trying.”

The atmosphere was tense. So tense in fact, a blade could cut it in half.

“Bro, this is mercy. It’s just mercy—”

“Flame. Stop lying to yourself.”

Flame flinched slightly. Just barely noticeable.

It bought Wifies enough time, though, enough time to act.

Crit.

He wasn’t sure how much health Flame had or how much extra gear he had. But a hit was at least something. It gave him some more seconds, more time to think.

Flame quickly processed what he did, his skin ablaze. Burning the netherite armor that covered his entire body.

“If Parrot asked you to kill for him back then, you would do it in a heartbeat.

“So, what changed?—” He paused to look at Wifies. A smile plastered on his face.

“Perhaps two people died that day. Not only Parrot, but so did you.”

Another stab to the stomach. This one hurt more. More than the fire from Flame’s sword. More than anything in the world.

“I would never kill anyone, even if it would bring him back.” In that moment, Wifies tried to forget about Nufuli.

Laughter followed.

“You really are naive,” Flame commented.

“And you are just a monster. To kill someone if a friend even asked.”

“Could never say no to a friend, could I?”

Flame caught Wifies off guard with that comment. However, within a few minutes, the atmosphere changed. It was no longer just the tension, the fast-paced fighting. Something changed in Wifies, and something that died long ago—with Parrot. Had resurfaced.

Flame jumped again, preparing to swing another critical hit once more. Wifies, however, had something up his sleeve.

He looked at his hotbar. One potion. Silver-tinted glass.

And although he hated what memories it brought back, he had to do it.

Flame swung his sword down—

—and Wifies threw the potion.

Glass shattered, the millionth time that day.

"Invis? Really?” Flame huffed out a breath. “Bro, even with that, you won’t be able to escape.”

Wifies took off his armor. As dangerous as it was, it was his only way of escaping.

Flame swung wildly at nothing and everything, sword cutting through the thick air but finding nothing.

He held his breath, trying to not make a sound. He couldn’t risk it. His heart pounded so hard against his chest, it sounded like thunder in his ears. Every step he took echoed back, threatening to give him away.

If he got caught, he could get one-shotted. A crit with a netherite sword did 11 hearts of damage, and he couldn’t—shouldn’t—waste his last totem.

He could still hear Flame, taunting him. Calling his name.

He had to move.

He had to—

Explosion.

Flame’s arrow hit the wall barely a block away from his head.

Wifies stayed still, crouching out of habit and nerves. The particles from the potion started to slowly fade away. He was running out of time.

“You’re not the only one who’s lost someone. You think you’re the only one who hurts?” Flame stepped closer to where Wifies stood invisible. “At least I’m doing something about it.”

Wifies froze. He remembered Parrot’s voice—the way he’d trust Wifies, how they got through the problems Zam and his Empire had faced them with. Together.

And then, he remembered the explosion. The TNT. The fire. The memories that died in that room.

I should’ve reset my stasis chamber before joining the event.

He snapped back to reality.

No more flashbacks, no more of the past. I have to focus on the present, and I shouldn’t let such a thing end the future now.

Wifies glanced into his hotbar again. He had two enderpearls.

Flame was still looking for where Wifies was hiding, getting dangerously close in some moments.

The icon above taunted him; he had 4 minutes left of his invisibility before it ran out.

Fuck it.

Wifies ran out from the corner where he rested. He had gained back some of his hearts, sitting at 5 hearts now.

“There you are.” Flame turned around, scarily quick. How could he find his invis particles so quick? He took out his bow, angling it straight at Wifies as he tried to go out of the cave that led to the ravine.

Whizz.

The arrow flew straight past Wifies’ head while he sprinted towards the cave’s entrance.

Daylight shone through the cracks of the ravine; the exit was so close now. However, Wifies couldn’t relax at the sight of the exit; Flame was still on his tail.

He sprinted, barely making it out of the cave. When he turned around, Flame was still close behind.

While scanning his surroundings for a good place to throw his pearl, he noticed the gravel sitting above the cave. Without another second of thought, he broke the stone above, letting the mounds and mounds of gravel fall freely. In seconds, the entrance was blocked. Trapping FlameFrags inside.

“Bro. What the—”

Wifies was gone before Flame could even get out his pickaxe. He had thrown his last two pearls to escape the ravine and away from where the fight took place.

And now, he could keep on finding the clues. But, for now, he ran away. Far from the ravine, and far from spawn. He escaped from Flame, the person who had betrayed him.

That’s all that mattered. He was safe. For now.

Flame’s POV

I should have kept my pickaxe on me—I’m so stupid. I let him go.

I may have lost my chance now, but mark my words, Wifies.

I will find you in every dimension to get the token. No matter what it costs, no matter who it costs.

Because I promised him, to revive him when I can, and I could never say no to a friend.