Author's Notes
Uhh... I may or may not have forgotten to publish this chapter yesterday... sorry. :I
I'm glad everyone liked last chapter! Thank you, Soviet platypus, for your review!
GiggiEba, thank you for your wonderful support! :D I'm really glad I nailed it on the aesthetic. I'm very proud of how it turned out.
ThinMint, I'll fix that, then. I also like the idea of armored phantoms! You'll have to wait for everone's reactions though. Thank you for your support!
Anywho, let's get on with the story!
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Blight's POV
I kept the monsters at bay with my rot-sand, careful not to let anyone notice. Then Eba warped us, and we sailed through the void. I watched them warp off again. But I was still here. I looked around, alert and at the ready. I summoned a shadow to act as a vessel and defend myself if it came to that.
I heard a growl from the void and turned in it's direction. There was nothing but darkness. And more noises. I kept turning, searching for their origin. Every so often in a rhythmic fashion, I heard guttural and ghostly exhales. Then a voice, one that carried throughout the darkness.
"Demon... born from rot and raised from poison... why are you Here?"
I looked around in vain. I spoke loudly into the void. "I am Blight. My friend and vessel intended to warp us to the surface. Why have you separated me from her?"
I heard another exhale, and the sound of falling sand. Grain by grain, just like when I summoned something. "You possessed a human... yet I see no evidence of harm, physical nor mental... explain."
I turned towards the sound of falling sand, and found a gaping circular maw filled with teeth like swords. It's body was made of a dark-brown tornado of slow-moving dust. I could also hear a series of clicks now before each exhale.
"I made a promise."
"Demons don't keep promises."
"I am not a normal demon."
The massive being moved around me, it's snake-like body following it from the darkness. "True... you were not spawned as a demon... correct?" I stared grimly at it. The disgusting sounds that protruded from it's throat were unnerving.
"How do you know, foul creature?"
"Everything that spawns in your world comes from the void... from the air you breathe to the creatures you eat... answer me, demon."
"You are right. I was not spawned as a demon. Are you a demon too?"
"I am Void... Guardian of creation... tell me, demon... how was life before your unholy spawning?"
I scowled at the monster before me. It's jaws seemed to rotate every time it moved and in the direction it was going. "I cannot remember." I felt searing pain come over me in waves. Similar to when Darkness split me from my original vessel.
"Do not lie to me demon... answer."
"Ugh... wh-Why? Why d-do you want to know?" The monster didn't answer. It just stared at me with it's wide-open jaws. "Gah... I... I didn't get the chance to live a full life. M-my partner... poisoned me. Because I didn't treat her well."
"Elaborate, demon"
"I... I beat her. Shouted at her, called her names. One day, she decided that she was fed up with it. And she poisoned my food."
"Do you know why you became a demon after death?"
"No."
The worm-like guardian neared me, until I was inches from it's gaping maw.
"Because Of your sins... the sun, creator and destroyer, decreed it."
I blinked at it. "The sun?" Void drew back.
"Indeed... He created both you and I... this world, the three realms, the clans... He is the most powerful spirit." I tried to come closer, but there was nothing for me to grasp.
"Then... if 'He' is a spirit, and I'm a demon... what are you? Some sort of god?" The beast recoiled into the darkness only to appear behind me.
"Know there are no gods, demon... only mortals who live long enough to watch the others perish." With that, Void disappeared into the dark. His voice rang in my head as I warped.
"Only Mortals... and the void."
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Time leap; 0.1 second(s) since initial warp. Blight's POV.
I was back in Eba's mind, and we were all on the grass a few meters away from the house. Her friends began moving, but Eba did not.
Eba? Are you okay?
There was no answer. I had to think fast. The tall one groaned and tried to stand up. I took control of Eba's body while desperately trying to wake her up.
Wake up, Eba! Your friends need you! Come on, dammit! Fuck...
I opened Eba's eyes and found the tall one's own looking at her with concern. I managed a tired smile. Her body was exhausted, and I could barely keep her eyelids from closing. "Are you Okay, Eba?"
"Y-yes. Just tired."
The guy nodded and stood up shakily. The rest of Eba's friends had noticed us, and were rushing to our aid. The skeleton girl helped 'tall guy' stand up properly. It seemed that warping multiple bodies was physically taxing for both the endergirl and her friends.
The creeper was helping the slime girl up. "Are you okay, Z?"
She nodded. "I'm fine." Then a gasp escaped her mouth. "Simon! Your arm!"
The creeper boy stared at his forearm in confusion. His hoodie had a large hole burned into it, revealing bright-red skin. He put out the tiny sparks on the green cloth and healed his burns.
"It's fine, See? I'm okay." The slime girl nodded and gave him a hug.
"Thank the lords. I thought you might've gotten hurt in the explosion." The creeper smiled.
"Me? Hurt in an explosion? You do know I can explode?" She pulled away from him in surprise. I sat cross-legged on the grass, watching everyone's exchange. Most of the friends were asking Thomas for the details, and I watched with interest.
"What happened?"
"Did you get the redstone?"
"Are you guys okay?"
"I didn't know you could explode!"
My attention was drawn back to the slime girl and creeper. The boy had a laughing smile on his face.
"Of course. I'm a creeper."
"And I'm a slime but I can't split off into tiny bits of myself!"
"You do make slime, though."
"Don't bring that up!"
The girl pushed him away with a flustered smile and covered her face with her hands. The creeper boy turned to me with his own smile.
"Are you Alright, Eba?"
I nodded. "Yes. I'm fine, just need to rest a little." He walked over to the slime girl, and the blaze princess sat down beside me. There was an odd aura coming off her in waves.
"Are you hurt, Eba?"
I shook my head. The blaze girl was squinting lightly at me. "You Sure? Your eyes are different." I blinked.
"D-different How?"
She extended a hand out to me, reaching for my cheek. "They're grey." I leaned back. Dammit, Eba, wake up! My cover is compromised! I gave the blaze a sheepish smile.
"R-really? I-I d-don't know why. B-but I'm not hurt, so that's g-good r-right?" She gave me a small frown.
"Are you sure you're okay? You're stuttering more than usual." I cursed myself for slipping up. Little did she know I was frantically trying to wake Eba.
"Oh. Um. sorry. Just... a little shaken up, you know?" The blaze nodded distractedly and smiled.
"Do you need a hug?"
I smiled back at her. "Yes, thank you." The blaze girl enveloped me in a soothing embrace. Her body seemed to produce heat naturally, but that aura gave me a light headache. I was still trying to wake Eba.
Come on! For all the lord's sakes, wake up!
...uh...
Eba? Wake up!
...what?...
Wake up, Eba! Hurry!
...B-Blight? What happened?"
You blacked out from the warp. And there is a lot of stuff for me to tell you. But I need you fully aware, okay?
Um... okay.
Run though my memories. Catch up on things. Quickly.
Right.
I felt her comb through the few minutes that had happened while she was unconscious. The blaze let go of me.
"Do you feel better, Eba?"
Your turn.
Okay. Thank you.
We'll talk later.
I relinquished control of her body and 'sat back'. Eba blinked and smiled at the blaze.
"Yes, I feel better. Thank you, Kait." The blaze smiled, searching 'our' eyes.
"They're magenta again." Eba raised an eyebrow.
"What is?"
"Your eyes. They changed back to that pretty color." Eba blushed and looked away.
"Th-Thank you, I guess." Kaitlin's smile widened and she stood up, extending a hand out to Eba. The endergirl took it. 'Tall guy' walked up to us, skeleton girl in tow.
"Are you good now, Eba?" She smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine. Is everyone else alright?"
He nodded. "Simon is putting everything away and Iza's chatting with Lila. We got plenty of redstone."
Eba's smile widened. "That's great!" Her smile became a confused frown. "What... what did you need it for?" Thomas pointed to the Auikyani, the airship anchored on the plains near the house.
"Simon has plans for another airship. He says it will be able to carry more, and will have weapons. You know, for self defense." Eba nodded.
"Okay. Will it be bigger? Will I get to... 'captain' it?" Thomas smiled.
"Of course. He says it will be a little bit smaller, though." Eba felt a little disappointed, but she covered it up with excitement.
"Yay! How soon will we finish it?" Thomas shrugged.
"Not sure. You should ask Simon, he might be able to tell you."
"Okay!" Then she turned away and walked towards the storage shed where the creeper boy supposedly was.
Was there something we were going to talk about?
Right, yes. Eba, did you... see anything strange while we warped?
Uh... no.
Are you sure?
Yes, I'm sure. Why? What's wrong?
Take another look through my memories Eba.
I felt her search through them again, and she 'gasped'.
In the name of all the lords, what is that?
That is Void, guardian of creation. He sort of stopped me mid-warp.
That's so creepy!
I know. Did you seriously not see any of this?
No...
That's very weird. I had never heard of Void in all my decades of being a demon.
Um... did... did you really beat your wife?
Yes, I did, and I'm ashamed of that. I... wish I had been a better person. That I had treated her better.
I felt some old memories resurface. Of the very few happy times we had together.
Why did you hurt her?
I don't know. My father used to beat my mother. I guess... like father like son.
But... you two look so happy. Why would you... ruin that?
Please, I don't want to talk about it. It's the reason why I'm a demon, a monster spawned from rot and poison. A creature of death.
Is it?
Yes. My wife poisoned me, and when I died I became a demon.
But... you're not like that. You're different than you were in these memories. More... friendly. And good.
A demon can't be good, Eba.
Then I guess you're not a demon.
I thought this over, the words resonating in my mind.
Then... what am I? Void called me a demon.
But 'Void' doesn't know you like I do. You're just a spirit, a spirit with special powers.
Spirits have elements too, they're just not as... evil.
Blight, stop it. You are not evil, or a demon, or a monster. You're my friend. My family.
Family. Was I truly part of her family?
Do you really think so, Eba?
Yes I do. You need to stop talking down to yourself.
I'll... I'll try.
... need a hug?
You'll blow my cover.
Why do you need to stay hidden anyways? Why can't I tell everyone about you?
We've already talked about this. We don't know how they'll react to you having a demon-
Spirit.
-inside your head. They might feel threatened, and try to hurt you.
No they wouldn't. They're my friends. None of them would hurt me. Or you.
How can you be so sure? Humans are unpredictable.
Well, so are spirits. Besides, what could they do? I can just warp away and try to reason with them from a distance. And I can defend myself.
But... fine. Just not right now. I'm pretty sure the blaze girl suspects something.
Kaitlin? I don't think so. She was just curious.
Perhaps. But I felt something else.
What?
A nightmare. Multiple nightmares.
Is... is that bad?
Usually not. But these were not regular nightmares. They were trauma-induced nightmares. The really bad ones, so to speak.
I thought all nightmares were really bad.
These are worse. They won't go away, and will cause some serious mental health issues if they are not dealt with.
How do we help her?
Demons can absorb nightmares, siphoning their strength out. The memories that caused them will fade over time as well.
Can you do that? Absorb her nightmares?
I could try... but these are terrible nightmares. Judging by their strength, she's had them for quite a while.
So?
It could harm the both of us if that energy is not discharged somehow. We might begin having the same nightmares,
But can we help Kaitlin?
We could certainly try. But... I'd have to reveal myself. And I'm not quite ready for things to go to shit.
Okay... how about tomorrow?
Seriously?
W-well, I mean, we have to help her, right? Cuz she's in uh... mental pain and stuff. You know?
Fine. Tomorrow. In the clearing, the one where we train.
Okay. Thank you, Blight.
Mmhmm.
We walked over to The creeper, who was now talking exitedly with Tall guy.
"... redstone circuit for energy."
"But it'll be slower."
"Well... yeah, but more efficient. We don't need to keep an eye on it to make sure the coal doesn't run out and such. It can stay in the air without any assistance from the crew."
"Okay... what will we need?"
"Another balloon. And birch. Lots of birch."
"Okay... we'll get to logging soon."
Eba's hands pricked exitedly at the thought of logging.
Why do you do that?
Do what?
Get exited over cutting trees.
Well, I like it. It's... good exercise and stuff. It makes me feel strong. Like Thomas.
Am I allowed to rot one of them?
Uh... as long as you do so discreetly.
The only way I know how.
Eba giggled, and Thomas turned to face her with a smile.
"What's so funny?" Eba's giggle stopped suddenly, and she gave the guy a flustered smile.
"Uh... n-nothing. Can I... go logging with you guys?"
Simon smiled at Eba. "Of course. Just be careful, though. I tend to nuke the trees instead of cutting them."
Eba was shocked. Thomas chuckled at her expression. "It's true. He almost blew me up once."
Simon punched him in the arm. "That was your fault. I told you to run."
"Yeah, five seconds before it blew up!"
"It was plenty of time for me to run."
"Yeah, you're a freaking... lightning bolt or something!"
Their banter lasted for quite a while. Eventually Eba walked off towards the edge of the forest so she could draw.
Do you have your sketchbook?
Yeah. I always do, cuz otherwise somebody will want to look through it.
True.
We sat under the shade of a large tree, 'talking' and drawing. Eba let me draw on occation, but my art was never any good. This time, I drew a 'spider'. Looked more like a fat ant.
For those few hours when we did nothing but talk and doodle, I felt happy. At peace. Better than I had felt since I became a demon. Just me and Eba, tracing lines on a piece of paper with a crude pencil. A family.
And this time, I was not going to ruin it.
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Theridas's POV
Pepper had told us she needed to go back home that day. I was honestly confused, just like Ella.
"But why do you have to go?"
"Oh, I have to, babygirl. I can't live here with you guys. I have my own apartment in a different building."
"I thought you lived here now. With me, and Theridas, and lady Anastasia."
"I'd love to, honey, but I can't. It's too crowded for the four of us."
I was leaning against the bathroom's doorframe, watching the exchange.
"No it's not! We can share the bed! There's room for all of us!"
"Aw, that's so sweet. But I can't, dear. Theridas is uncomfortable here, sleeping on the couch, and it's even more uncomfortable with me in there too."
"But he doesn't complain!"
"That's cuz he's a gentleman. Don't worry, sweet thing. I'll come visit."
"Please do. I'm going to miss you."
The young Ghast girl ran up to Pepper and gave her a big hug. The creeper woman returned it with a smile.
"I'll miss you too, babygirl."
I smiled fondly at them. Pepper and I had been talking, and she decided that we needed to have a 'real first date'. So, she needed to go back home, and tomorrow I'd go and, uh... knock on her door and ask her out. Properly.
The beautiful creeper woman stood up and walked over to me, the smile still lightning up her features. "Hey, love."
I extended my hand out for hers, and she took it. I pulled her towards me, pressing our foreheads gently together. It was thrilling to be so forward, scary too.
"I thought you weren't going to call me that anymore, Pepper. Since we haven't had our first date." She giggled.
"Who are you? Theridas would never act so manly." I felt a blush flare up on my face, and my smile turned awkward.
"Uh, I um..." She smiled at my response.
"Ah, there he is. Hello." I chuckled, and she took the opportunity to steal a kiss. It is very exiting to be with Pepper. She's just so... so spontaneous. Like, it's just impossible to read her sometimes.
"Um.. hi, Pepper. Uh... where do you live?"
"Why Don't I take you there? After all, it's dangerous to walk the streets alone in the dark."
"But... you do know I'll be returning in the dark, right?"
She leaned in, a terrifyingly familiar and mischievous grin on her face. "Well... you could stay the night. A girl does get pretty lonely." I gave her a nervous laugh.
"Um... I-I think I'll take my chances with the dark. Heh. Y-you know, to-to not ruin our first date, right?" She smiled, running a hand over my back.
"True, that's true. Okay, then. You drop me off, come back here, it's morning, you arrive and take me to a romantic first date. How about that, hun?"
I smiled back, still a bit nervous. "Su-Sure. I'll, uh, I'll try. Yeah. Yeah, it's going to be fine." Pepper giggled again and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Then she peeked into the bedroom, where lady Anastasia was sitting.
She waved at the tired ex-monarch. "Bye, Miss Anastasia. Hope you get better." The ex-queen smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Pepper. Have a good night."
Pepper gave her a thumbs up and walked over to pick up her stuff. She was currently wearing some of my old clothes because she took a bath, and her own were in a ball stuffed into one of my shirts. I walked to the door and opened it.
I gestured for her to leave. "Ladies first."
She smiled and left the room, swaying her hips dramatically. "Why thank you, good sir."
We nodded goodbye to miss Brekelbaum (she grunted in return) and walked out onto the busy nighttime streets. Surprisingly, there were few people out compared to most other days. I questioned Pepper about this.
She looked around and then gazed at the night sky. "Well, hun... most people work around here, you know? But everyone just sort of likes to relax during the weekends. Nobody really spends time out on the streets cuz most of them are chilling at home or with friends or something."
I nodded. "How long does the 'weekend' last?"
"Two days; Saturday and Sunday."
"How long does a week last?"
"Seven days. From Monday to Friday."
"What about the days in the middle?"
"Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday."
"Okay. What do you do during the weekend?"
She stopped and leaned against another large stone building. "Um... I usually spend the days either at the park or the library. And the nights at the cousin's bar."
I nodded. "Doing what?"
She looked a bit nervous now. "I like to take walks at the park and, uh, hang out with my friend Kyle at the library and... *ahem*... get insanely drunk at the bar."
"Really? That's it?"
She rubbed her arm, clearly embarrassed. "Weeell... let's just say Joel wasn't the only one who... whored around at night." She avoided my gaze, a blush tainting her pale cheeks.
I smiled and took her hand. "That's Alright, Pepper. You don't have to hide that from me. I, uh... I understand. I guess."
She looked up at me with a confused face. "You... you aren't mad or-or, like, uncomfortable with that?"
"Mmm... no. Why would I be?"
"W-Well, most guys don't like to hear that sort of thing."
"Uh... I... suppose I don't fit in that category, then."
She smiled and enveloped me in an embrace. "No, and I'm very glad." The proceeded to give me a big kiss on the lips. She pulled away and dragged me towards her apartment.
We arrived an hour later at the apartment complex where she lived. It was thinner than miss Brekelbaum's, but much taller and with different shade of grey. Almost blue. Pepper brought me up to the fifth floor and stopped us in front of a room with a red door.
She raised her hands, an embarrassed smile on her face. "Ta-da! This... this is my place." She unceremoniously opened the door and gestured for me to come inside. I gave her a smile.
"I'd love to, Pepper, but uh... remember what we discussed earlier. I... wouldn't want to ruin our date somehow."
She gave me a cute pouty face and nodded. "Ooookayyy... when will you show up?"
"Uh... around noon? Or... a bit earlier? I don't... have a watch."
Pepper giggled. "Okay, Then. Around noon. I'll be waiting." She slowly closed the door with a loving smile. I stared at the door for a while, unable to move. After what felt like an eternity, I snapped out of it and walked back towards my own apartment.
Ella was playing with her dolls, lady Anastasia was sleeping, and the night was quiet. I sat down on the couch, Pepper's absence leaving me hollow. And cold. She was quite warm, for an overworld mob. I dozed off after some time, and dreamt.
I was seven, about Ella's age, perhaps a few months older. I was hiding in a closet, staring out through the small crack between the doors. My father was sitting on the edge of the bed, his face in his hands. I watched for a while, wondering what was going on. Then I heard a knock.
My father stood up and opened the large stone door. The king was standing there, and he gave my father a warm smile. "Good afternoon, Harrius. I hope this is a good time?"
My dad nodded. "Of course, my king. What do you need?"
The king sighed. "Please, call me Fergus. There's... something I need to tell you. This is probably too sensitive for your son to hear."
My father looked around for a moment. "Well, he's not here at the moment. Should we go elsewhere, you reckon?"
The king shook his head. "No, no. This is alright. May I come in?"
He nodded and stood aside. The tall monarch stepped in and pulled a chair over. My father did the same, and they both sat down next to the bed. I could see them both clearly from my hiding spot.
5e king rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm... sorry to hear about Madeline."
My father's eyes clouded over with grief. I kept quiet, wanting to know who Madeline was. "Thank you, Fergus. She... She was a fine woman. I just... wish she could have met Theridas some day."
"This was not her world, Harry. And hers is not ours. However, I'm glad that the two of you had enough time to... reap the fruits of your love."
"Me two, my king. I will miss her greatly."
"We all will, Harry. Did your son know?"
"No, I never told him. And I intend to keep it that way."
"Why? Do you believe you are sparing him in some way? By not telling him who his mother was?"
"I am sparing him. This... this love between two mobs from different realms, it's... this shouldn't happen. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."
"But was it not real? Did you not love her very much? Did she not love you?"
"Yes. We loved each other dearly. But my son should find a life for himself here. In his own realm."
The king sat back in his chair. "You cannot shape his destiny, Harry. But... rest assured knowing that it is very unlikely for him to ever leave the nether. If he finds love, it shall be right here where he is safe."
"It's not his safety I'm concerned about. I don't want him to feel torn between his home and a potential lover's. It shouldn't have to happen."
"Don't worry, my friend. He will be fine."
My father nodded, a tired smile blooming on his face. "Thank you, Fergus. Was that all?"
The king stood up. "Yes. Oh, and Harry." He stopped at the door, his hands on the stone knob. "Theridas may be from the nether, but he was not born in this world. You cannot keep him chained here. One day, you will have to let him go."
Then he left, gently closing the door behind him.
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Author's Notes
Yay, I finally posted another chapter! I'm sorry it took me so long! I've been busy, and now the chapters are so long, and it's just... it takes a while, okay? :(
I really hope you guys enjoyed it! It seems there is more to Theridas than meets the eye, huh? ;)
Anywho, Thank you all for your time and support. Have an awesome day!
~ LeMafiaKreb