Content warning: injury description, discussion of trauma and abuse, and toxic behavior

THE BOIS ARE BACK.

RRFF is out of hiatus! Sorry for the lack of updates. I just got really busy with college and other stuff, so I had to put RRFF on hold. Thank you so much for being patient. RRFF should be good to go with weekly updates for a while, hopefully. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

"Ah, Memory, I've been wondering where you were." Elemental took a seat next to his 10-year-old cousin, on a bench overlooking the bedrock garden. "My father's visiting a village with your father and Time's currently reading, so I came to find you and – what happened to your hands?!"

Memory kept his gaze focused on…nothing particular. He was focused more on a feeling than an actual sight.

"Let me see your hands, Memory."

Memory sighed and brought his hands up, mustering the strength to look at the scrapped skin and raw blisters. Some cuts were still bleeding, staining the cuffs on his shirt.

Elemental placed his orange and blue hands on them, glowing with energy. The cuts and bruises on Memory's hands mended themselves. The red swelling reverted back to clear copper skin. The only features that remained were the scars Memory gained yesterday.

"What happened to your hands?" Elemental repeated. "Did you…try to break a block? I thought Void Steve was joking about taking away your ability to break blocks!"

A sob escaped Memory. He dropped his gaze and hugged himself, regretting that he left Void's castle without his mask on. "A grass block," he croaked. "A grass block did this to me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break it."

"Why were you willing to hurt your hands over a silly grass block?!"

"It's been only a week since he took my ability away. He said I would get used to it, but it's driving me mad!" Memory tightened the arms around himself as he started to shake. At least shielding himself from the world made him feel something. "It's like having no body. My hands can't feel anything. No texture. No heat. I need stimulus. I need something to break. Something for my hands to do."

Elemental's face fell, his golden eyes sympathetic. "I'm sorry. While I was training with Galaxy, I drained all of my powers. My arms couldn't feel anything for two days! It was an absolute nightmare. I can't imagine not feeling what I touch for the rest of my life. I'm sorry that this happened, but I believe you're strong enough to get through this."

Memory met Elemental's gaze, his wet eyes gleaming with gratitude. "Thank you for listening."

"Of course. Anything for my family."

"I apologize for changing the subject, but what's that on your head?"

"Oh, this?" Elemental pointed to the leaf crown he wore. "It's from a trip to a woodland dimension I had with my father. While I was there, I learned how to make laurels or crowns made out of leaves."

"It looks lovely."

"Why thank you!" Then Elemental's face brightened, inspiration sparking in his eyes. "Say, can you still craft things? Would you like me to teach you something?"

Memory tensed, not noticing his hands curling into fists. "…It depends on what you teach me." After what Void had done to him, Memory was wary of new activities and if they demanded him to sacrifice something important.

"It'll be harmless, I assure you. Here." Elemental placed two crafting tables down and handed Memory a few blocks of leaves. "In that dimension, there were advanced crafting tables specialized in creating these crowns. You can still make them using simple crafting tables if you know the recipe and technique, but it'll be a slower process. If I teach you how to make these crowns, will they give your hands enough stimulus to keep you sane?"

Memory perked up. "It's worth a try, I suppose. How do we begin?"

Elemental began teaching him how to braid thin wires together into a headband, arrange leaves, and attach them together. Memory lost track of the time as he completed the crown.

"Excellent job!" Elemental cheered. "You did better than my first try!"

Memory shrunk back at the compliment. "For a first try? Thank you?"

"How do you feel, now that your hands had something to do?"

Memory smiled, now realizing how relaxed he felt. "Better, much better. I cannot thank you enough for this. If I need to feel again, I will craft another one of these crowns. I won't hurt my hands again."

His cousin smiled back. "You're welcome. Perhaps another time, I'll give you more lessons on making different crowns. I'll be more than happy to teach you! We can just leave these crafting tables here and come back to make them."

Memory laughed. "Not like I can break these crafting tables away. I suppose this will be our activity."

"That's right. You have visiting museums and studying books with Time, and you and I have crafting. I'm quite excited about this!"

"Yeah…it sounds wonderful…"

Memory embraced Reality, who continued sobbing into his shoulder as they sat by the Illusion Town's wall. "Are you feeling better?" He starting to feel uncomfortable by how long the young Steve had been crying.

"I-I don't know."

"It's no trouble. Take your time." Memory wrapped another arm around Reality, who flinched but then relaxed by the sense of security.

"No! I – I don't – I don't – I don't know how to feel better. It…it just keeps replaying in my head! I could have died!"

"But you didn't, and focus on that. Being alive," Memory soothed. "Try focusing on breathing instead of your thoughts. Or focus on the grass or the air. Anything."

After several failed attempts to breathe between his sobs, Reality finally wheezed in a huge gasp of air.

Huh, Rainbow Steve also did that when he got stressed, Memory thought. (He remembered more about Rainbow after stealing all of Sabre's memories.)

Reality stopped trembling and lifted his head up, revealing his puffy eyes. "I…I think I'm getting better."

That actually works?!…Maybe I should try that on my own time.

Relieved, Memory let go of his cousin. He took out a piece of cloth and silver eyeglasses and handed them to Reality. "Here. I held onto your glasses after you left."

Reality accepted the cloth and used it to dry his eyes and blow his nose. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you're feeling calmer."

"No, seriously." Reality put on his glasses and looked up at Memory. "It was terrifying out there, but, for some reason, I was more terrified of coming back than what I saw out there. I knew if I came back, they would have pressured me to talk and see how cowardly I am." He twisted the cloth before weaving it through his fingers. "And I didn't want to look like a coward in front of them. They would mock me. But…coming back to you and just letting it all out…was exactly what I needed. Thank you."

Memory was speechless. Out of all the villains he had worked for, Reality gave the most compliments, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do with them. "Um…well, you're welcome, Ill – I mean, Reality Steve. I certainly would appreciate a similar act of kindness if I was in your situation."

Reality smiled and leaned against the Town's wall. "But even if I wasn't such so afraid of coming back…there was a good chance I'd be stuck out there forever. I could barely move out there. I had to do things with my mind somehow, and my physical form was breaking apart! I was lucky that I was able to move at the very last minute, allowing me to rejoin the server."

Memory chuckled. "Luck is a strange force. An unexpected, but perfectly timed event that helps you. Perhaps you can thank Time Steve and his contributions to time for allowing you to find luck outside of the server."

"Yeah, I should." Reality nodded. "Though you know what was strange? …I felt my brother's energy at those last few minutes."

"…I don't understand."

"I don't understand it either! But I know my family and I felt my brother near! I was glitching and thought I was gonna die a horrible, painful way! But then I felt some energy. It felt like the same energy you, Time, and Galaxy have. And I heard someone in my mind, telling me to go back and fix everything. Suddenly, I could move through the pain again, and I used that to return to the server. To return to you."

"Fascinating," Memory pondered. "I suppose with how new your situation is, anything could have happened. We're lucky that this energy found and helped you." But did that even happen, or was that a product of the young Steve's stressful imagination? There was no way the energy could had come from Time Steve or Galaxy Steve…

Reality shrugged. "Must be a family thing. You're in danger, then suddenly, a family member comes in to save your life or your crippling sanity! I guess that's what Galaxy Steve wanted when he created me…" He looked off to the distance. After a few moments, he wrapped his arms around himself and started shaking again.

Concerned, Memory set a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Are you thinking about that world again?"

"I-I can't help it!" Reality said in a panic. "I talked about what happened in the last moments, and now I'm thinking about everything else that happened out there!"

"You don't need to! Just focus on this server and how this is your world! Try to put the other world out of your mind."

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT!"

Memory jumped back up, shocked. Reality stood up, his desperate eyes threatening to spill tears again.

"Memory…" Reality dipped his head down as he continued to tremble. "Can you…erase my memories?"

Memory stumbled back. "What?!"

Reality let out a small cry and buried his face into his cousin's shoulder again. "Please erase my memories of what I saw outside of the server. I am terrified and probably always will. So I just want to forget! I want to forget it all! I want to forget this stupid idea that my stupid, stupid brain came up with!"

Reality's plea stunned Memory. This was the first time someone asked him to erase their own memories.

"And…I want to forget about everything! Erase all of my memories. I'm begging you! I want to forget what I saw out there. I want to forget I was created by Galaxy Steve and my purpose. The reality I wanted is terrifying and the illusion I created is a stupid mess, so I just want to start over! I-I don't know what's going to happen to me if I have no memories or no purpose that I remember. Maybe I'll become like Elemental, but I don't care! I'll do anything to just start over. So please, please, erase my memories!"

Memory stammered, "I…Reality…I – "

"Please! For me! For your family!"

"I…I…" Words were failing Memory. His own, confused thoughts were failing him. All he could do was take Reality off his shoulder and gently push him back. "Reality Steve, this is all sudden…I won't do it."

Reality stepped back, a look of despair and shock in his pink and blue eyes. "Why?"

Memory sighed, knowing how tough these next words would be. "You must remember that I'm ordered to erase memories to hurt people. I understand you want me to help you by erasing your memories of what you've been through, but it will hurt you. And I will never hurt you."

"Well, you erase memories to help the people who order you to, and I'm asking you to erase my memories, so you will help me! I won't get mad. Just erase them!"

"I understand that you want to feel better, but please listen to me and realize that losing your memories won't help you as much as you believe it will!" Memory insisted.

"W-what do you mean?"

"You're an intelligent Steve who made a discovery that no Steve before has made," he explained. "If you were able to discover that strange, ascended world, you'll be able to discover it again, no matter how many memories you lose. Reality, you refuse to disconnect again because you remember the horrors you saw out there. I fear that if I take away your memories, you'll repeat the same mistake and disconnect again, because you wouldn't recall what happened last time."

Reality opened his mouth to argue, but paused. He looked away, a dark expression forming in his eyes.

Memory continued, "You said it was luck that you survived and returned to the server. If you forgot about the danger and disconnected again, there is no guarantee that there will be luck to save you next time."

"…I guess you're right. But – "

Memory brought his cousin back into a hug. He rested his head on Reality's silver hair, needing extra confirmation that his cousin was actually here, not going away anytime soon. "Reality, I know you're hurt, but I refuse to put you into a cycle of pain…I don't want to lose you. I apologize that I can't give you what you want, but – "

"No, you're right. Don't apologize." Reality returned the embrace. "…Thank you so much, Memory. I'm a mess at protecting my own life because I'm so obsessed with making everything right for others. After everything I've done, I stopped expecting people to care about me. It means a lot that you're looking after me."

"Of course. I want you to be safe. And besides," Memory chuckled, now feeling foolish that he didn't mention this before. "You have Sabre's account. That makes you immune to my powers. You don't plan to return his account, correct?"

Reality laughed. "I can't believe I forgot about that! And yeah, I don't plan to give it back yet. I need some leverage over him so I can force him to do what I say. Well, after he comes back…Memory?"

He released Reality, while still resting a hand on his shoulder. "Yes?"

"I won't ask you to erase my memories, but I'm still scared." Reality brushed the ruffled hair out of his face, revealing his petrified expression. "I can't stop thinking about that world and how I nearly died. It terrifies me. What should I do?"

Memory casted a sympathetic aura. "Perhaps I can help you find something else to think about. You've had a long day and deserve a break."

Reality nervously nodded. "A distraction…I'd like that. Something else to think about."

"If you want a distraction, we can talk about something else. I'll discuss anything to take your mind off things. Just ask," Memory offered.

Reality looked down, deep in thought before finally saying, "So, you can't break blocks? Can you tell me more about that?"

Memory flinched. Well, he didn't want to talk about that, but he already made the offer. Besides, he should know at this point Reality wouldn't judge him. "Very well. Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts."

The cousins moved away from the Town's wall. They headed towards the Illusion Tree and sat on the roots, watching the setting sun and the sky's growing orange hues. Memory organized his thoughts, wondering how he should explain his story. Should he start from the beginning, or simply give the hard facts?

Then a random thought occurred. In addition to telling his story, maybe he should…

Without command, Memory's hands reached for his spiral mask. A click sounded as he unclipped the mask and set it down on his lap.

He tugged down his balaclava, letting it rest around his neck like a scarf. The cool air greeted his copper brown, clean-shaven face. It also greeted the nape of his neck, which was exposed due to his spiral-patterned undercut. His dark brown hair fluffed into its fuller, coily shape once freed from the balaclava, no longer pressed against the top of his head.

When he turned back to Reality, the young Steve widened his eyes and blinked twice. "Memory…I've never seen your face before. I feel like I'm meeting a brand new person!"

Memory's mind went aaaaaaaahhhhhhh! and he immediately looked away, arm shielding his face. His face grew warm as so many regrets screamed in his head.

"Oh, I didn't mean any offense!" Reality quickly added. "I just appreciate that you trust me enough to see your face. I think you look quite nice."

Memory lowered his arm slightly, peeking back at Reality with his red eyes. His eyes didn't glow fiercely like Void's bloodred eyes; Memory knew that his eye color was like the soft reds that supported the main yellows and oranges of a gentle sunset.

After another moment of hesitation, he completely lowered his arm. To show his true face to Reality. He realized too late that he probably looked foolish. He never trained his face to hide his emotions, since the mask would do that for him. His panicked thoughts had definitely translated into a timid expression: a nervous frown and lowered eyebrows. He wondered if he was blushing, which would had brought attention to the reddish-brown freckles scattered across his face.

"You have freckles?" Reality asked in awe. "I didn't expect that. You're like Galaxy Steve."

Memory laughed nervously as his hand covered the lower half of his face, as if that would conceal all of his freckles. It certainly did nothing to hide the mole near his right eyebrow. "I-I suppose I'm full of surprises."

"Did Void Steve have freckles?"

Memory choked down a more rambunctious laugh. "He tried to deny it! He asked me to teach him how to hide them with make-up."

Reality shook his head and chuckled with him. "Sounds about right for Void Steve. They look nice on you."

"Th-thank you." Memory brought down his hand, still feeling warm as he gave a bashful smile. He feared that Reality would find him unintimidating or childish because of his freckles. Although that fear was disproven, he still couldn't believe he finally showed his face.

"Honestly, I expected you to look more like Time. You're like an older brother to me, so I projected Time's looks onto you. Sorry about that."

Memory's smile faded and he darted his gaze away. He tensely fidgeted with his lowered balaclava, mulling over Reality's words until – "AH!" He gasped in pain and shut his red eyes tight.

"Are you ok?!" Reality cried. "Did I say something wrong?!"

"No, no, you're fine. I have light sensitivity," Memory hissed as he blindly searched through his inventory. "My mask has properties to combat it, but without it, I can't stand light in the Overworld. I need to wear glasses if I don't wear the mask." He felt the familiar, rectangular frames of his tinted eyeglasses and pushed them onto his face. He slowly opened his eyes, relieved.

Reality gave an excited gasp. "Finally, I'm not the only one who wears glasses! Also, let me guess: Void Steve told you wear that mask to look more intimidating?"

Memory nodded, a smile replacing his wince. "That's exactly why." The mask was a bit uncomfortable at first. However, with the alternative choice being people knowing what he looked like and how he felt, he tolerated the mask. He eventually had gotten so used to it, that he now felt uncomfortable if people saw him unmasked.

Well, he didn't feel uncomfortable around the mindless Demon Steves from the Spiritless World and his family. And Reality was family.

Memory cleared his throat and straightened up. "Now, shall we begin? To explain my weakness, I must first tell the story of Void Steve and I. He created me because he needed someone to assist him, like how your brothers assisted your father. During that time, I was the youngest in the family, meaning my powers were not as developed as your brothers' powers. Void devised a training plan to make me become as powerful as Time and Elemental."

"Oh, how many years apart are you, Time, and Elemental?"

"Hmm, excluding all the time loops and time jumps we've been through and our immortality…I'm 5 years younger than Time, 2 years younger than Elemental."

Reality tilted his head. "Why did Void Steve take so long to create you?"

"You have to keep in mind that he mainly had destructive powers. While Galaxy Steve created your brothers in seconds, Void Steve struggled with creating a new life, for he could only destroy."

"So that's why it took him years to create you." Reality looked away with a horrified glow in his eyes. He must be thinking about how many centuries it would had taken for Void Steve to recreate the universe, if it took him years to create one person. If Void Steve had won and destroyed the world, the empty universe would wait centuries for its new ruler to finally grant it life. Not that it bothered Memory, who would had survived the apocalypse and skipped the wait in the timeless Memory Dimension.

"By the time he created me, Elemental and Time Steve were already intermediate with their powers, already specialized in them. Void trained me intensively to catch up with them. One of the strategies he used, well…" Memory looked at his gloved hands. "…Was making me unable to break blocks and taking away my destructive powers."

Reality shuddered, briefly looking at the concealed, underground passageway. "And how did it relate to the training?"

"When a Steve cannot break blocks and is trapped in a stressful situation, they exert even more energy to escape. For example, if they're trapped in a cage that they cannot break, they'll use more energy to finally break the bars or teleport. In my case, being unable to break blocks and…" Memory trailed off.

"Memory?"

Memory's thoughts were swarmed with darkness, hoards, tight spaces, and the face of his father, telling him to solve problems on his own and scolding at him for feeling powerless.

"Memory!"

The older Steve flinched. He blinked the fear out of his eyes and shook his head. "…In my case, being unable to break blocks and experiencing…high, high stress from my training forced me to use more energy, causing my powers to adapt. I was unable to break blocks in the physical world, so my powers transformed, giving me the ability to 'break blocks' in the mental world…memories. I could now access the minds of Steves, erase memories, and seize control of them at times. That's how my powers became specialized so I could catch up with your brothers."

As he told his story, Memory recalled what Sabre had told him in the Memory Dimension. He had social anxiety, and he didn't know its name until now. For as long as he could remember, this nervousness had accompanied him every time he interacted with someone. It was all in his head, just like his powers once they transformed to affect the mental world.

While his powers grew stronger, that nervousness worsened every year. What if Sabre's theory was correct? That his social anxiety was the reason he lost control of his powers? During his training, did his social anxiety somehow fuse with his transforming powers, making this constant nervousness activate his powers against his will? Making him erase the memories of everyone who talked to him?

And…what would had happened if Void Steve never took away his ability to break blocks? Would his social anxiety never fuse with his powers? Would Memory still have friends because he would had never erased their memories by accident?

Well, not like those questions mattered now…

"That's a…fascinating story." Reality forced himself to smile. "It's a shame there aren't many published studies of Steves with mind-related powers like us. I'm glad to learn directly from another Steve like me. I have to ask though, did Void ever give you back your ability to break blocks?"

"…No. He never did." Memory swore that Void Steve promised to give it back after training. However, he was unsure if he that made up to motivate himself to endure the training, or if that was a genuine promise.

"That's…disheartening," Reality commented with a hiss. "How do you live without the ability to break blocks? I can't imagine living like that."

Memory shrugged as he opened and closed one of his hands. "I've gotten used to it. It's actually possible to survive like me when you have other powers. I can't break blocks for food or shelter, but I can scavenge through chests for those resources." Before losing control of his powers, he survived by simply buying resources at the market. However, once merchants started forgetting about him in the middle of buying items, that simple task became impossible. Although it originally disgusted him, Memory resulted to stealing, teleporting into homes to raid their chests, and erasing the memories of people who caught him. Before his father shaped him into a full villain, Memory used to leave behind diamonds or emeralds to silently pay the people he robbed. He still felt some shame that he could no longer go to a simple place like a market.

Reality gasped suddenly. "Wait, is this why you used TNT to destroy the signs Sabre placed down to warn you? Because you couldn't break the signs, but you can place down and ignite TNT to destroy things for you."

Memory formed a smug expression. "Correct. TNT is another way I survive."

"Why didn't Void Steve just provide resources for you? Or allow you to break blocks during your off days?"

"He told me that I had to survive without his assistance. In the end, his judgement was correct. Gaining resources on my own provided me plenty of practice with teleporting, erasing memories, and problem solving. It was constant training!"

Reality gulped and tensed his muscles. "Memory…can you tell me other ways Void trained you?"

Memory leaned against the Tree as he thought. "Well, he first used my weakness as a convenient way to correct my errors. He could train me at any time, and if I made a mistake, he would bury me, knowing I couldn't dig myself out."

Reality did a double-take, forming an astonished expression. "Hold on, he buried you as a punishment? Did I hear that correctly?"

"Yes, it was very easy for him. He could discipline me anywhere in the world with any blocks on hand."

"Any block?!"

"Yes, any block," Memory explained. "Though sometimes, he had a preference on what block to use. Sometimes I messed up by disagreeing with him and needed to be taught humility. He would trap me in a chamber made out of dirt, knowing how humiliating it was to not escape a dirt house."

Reality leaned closer, a hand hovering over his agape mouth. "And what else did he do to you?"

"When I needed more practice, he would take me inside a cave and block the entrance. I would spend days inside, defending myself from the monsters by erasing their memories or controlling their minds." Memory thought about the first time Void trapped him in a cave. He remembered how terrified he used to be. How he used to beg his father not to close the cave. How he used to promise he would give up more of his free time to train harder. How futile those cowardly attempts were. And when Void's complaints about weakness dug deeper thorns into his confidence, Memory stopped pleading. He learned that facing the caves were better than facing the harsh truth of how much he disappointed his father.

"He'd let me out once I trained enough. Though I once escaped before the training's end by making a creeper blow up the cobblestone wall he made." Memory suddenly tensed, a dark recollection overwhelming him. "…He didn't like that, telling me only a coward would make that mistake. He sent me back in, closing the cave off with obsidian this time. I had to stay for five extra days."

"Did he at least give you food and torches when he did that?!"

"Sometimes, but not always. The times he didn't were the most stressful."

Reality dropped his hands, revealing his horrified expression. "And you couldn't mine in the cave either, so you couldn't gather coal for torches or craft a sword, right?"

"The point of my training wasn't to craft weapons or see in the cave. The point was to learn how to use my powers in high-stress environments."

Reality groaned, climbed down the root, and stomped around. "Memory, the point wasn't to train! Your father…he-he locked you up every time you did something he didn't like. That's not training. You didn't have to go through that!"

Memory gave a confused blink. "What do you mean? Of course I had to go through that. That's the reason why he took away my ability to break blocks. To force me to get better at my other abilities. Isn't that how you improve?"

"No!" Reality spat. "Do I imprison my enemies to improve their prison-escaping skills? No! I imprison them to strike fear into them." He scratched through his hair, frustrated as he searched for his next words. "But…but a parent shouldn't do that. You were his child, not his prisoner! He shouldn't have done that! That wasn't training. He was imprisoning you, Memory."

Memory stumbled back, horrified by Reality's accusation. "No, he-he told me himself it was training!"

Reality forced himself to take a deep breath. "Look, I know you learned a lot from this training and it shaped who you are. I believe you. But…I'm worried that your father called it 'training' as a cover up. What if he took away your ability to break blocks just to make it easier to control you? Not to help you get better at your powers, but to have easier ways to hurt you."

Memory stood up and backed away, shaking his head furiously. "Void and I only had each other. He would never try to hurt me! I had to go through the trials he put me through. I had to become stronger, better for him."

Reality's muscles tensed as he grimaced. "Fine. I won't argue anymore if you choose to believe that. But Memory…I want to remind you that don't have to be perfect. Making mistakes is natural. No one should be buried alive for every mistake they make. I'm glad that I don't do that to you, but I'm aware that my plan to make the perfect illusion caused me to shun anyone who made a mistake against me. After learning about what your father's done to you, it disgusts me that I have something in common with him…"

Seeing the shame in Reality's eyes put a heavy weight of guilt on Memory's shoulders. He gave an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry that this discussion has upset you. I wanted to take your mind off things, but I made it worse."

Reality waved his hand around frantically. "Oh no, you didn't do anything wrong! I'm glad you told me this, actually. In fact, it's me who should be apologizing to you."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do you remember that I let Alex keep her powers because she convinced me to assign her a special task? And that potion she showed us? Well…I assigned her to find a way to get rid of you."

Memory dropped his jaw, his red eyes wide in surprise. "What?"

"I assigned her that mission back when I didn't fully trust you. I expected you to betray me, so I wanted get rid of you after you served your purpose, but I knew I'd eventually grow attached. I knew I couldn't bring myself to destroy you when that time came, so I assigned Alex to find a way to kill 'an unknown, lurking enemy' so she could do it for me. But I trust you now and I regret giving her that mission! I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for everything. For attempting to kill you behind your back, for leaving you in the dark about my true plans, and anything else you had to put up with."

Memory was still perplexed and speechless. He recalled when he offered to erase Alex's memories at the bakery, and how Illusion insisted he could handle that. Was that because Illusion didn't want him to see Alex's memories? To see the memory of her receiving that mission to destroy him?

"I forgive you, Reality. As a matter of fact…" Memory climbed down the root and gave another bow. "You were right to mistrust me: I was planning to betray you. I wanted to bring Void Steve out of Galaxy Steve's head to complete his revenge. That was back when I thought you were an enemy, as irresponsible as your father. But you proved me wrong, and now I want you to succeed. Again, I apologize for my blatant disloyalty."

Reality drew out a long breath before forcing out a laugh. "Wow! My closest friend was thinking about betraying me! And trying to get back to his father! What is wrong with my intuition?! HAHAHAHA. Anyways, I forgive you as well."

Memory jumped back. Did Reality just call him his closest friend?

"I didn't trust you at first because, well, you're evil, and I wanted to create a world free from evil," Reality continued. "But I want you around now. I realize that getting rid of evil isn't the best idea. I have done some bad things to get stuff done. And evil things caused more wonderful things to grow; Nightmare Steve's reign allowed Sabre to meet Rainbow Steve. And well, the existence of evil allowed me to meet you. I can't shield Galaxy Steve from everything that hurts him forever. But how can I create a world where everyone is happy while still allowing bad Steves to exist?"

Memory tilted his head. "Oh, is creating a perfect world still your plan? Do you still plan to make Galaxy Steve happy?" And how long to you plan to keep him in your mind? And…would you still join my side if I suggested we both work for Void Steve?

Reality began to look frustrated. "I don't know. I was so headset on entering Sabre's world, but I don't want that anymore. I didn't think of any other options. What should I do? You've seen history, Memory. What do the successful heroes do?"

"It's not my place to tell you that, since I'm not a good Steve. But for starters, what do you want?"

"I just want…everyone to be happy. They all deserve better heroes and more honest heroes. That's all I ever wanted, but I took it too far and became a hypocrite…"

Memory scratched his chin in thought. "I suggest you choose a smaller goal for now. You're an overachiever who puts a lot of expectations on himself, do you know that?"

Reality nodded slowly. The bags under his eyes became more noticeable. "Yeah, I am an overachiever. It's because I don't want to work too hard in the future. Sabre and his friends always had work to solve new problems, and it brought them so much pain. I don't want to go through what they did. I just want to take on one task. One task to solve all the problems and stop new ones from arriving. I just want freedom. But that's too much. I guess for now…finding Sabre is the main goal. He has my powers, after all."

Memory gave a nod of approval. "That's a good start. We can search for him tomorrow, when it's brighter." He looked at sky, seeing the nighttime colors fully replace the bright oranges.

Reality perked up. "You'll help me?"

"Yes, I still pledge my loyalty to you. Although I'm evil, I'll help you achieve your goals, even if those goals are heroic."

It was the least Memory could do. He badly wished he had done more before, to prevent Reality from disconnecting and seeing whatever horrors he saw…

But then again, if someone had stopped Reality from disconnecting, Memory would had never learned about the…

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35,096 views.

Reality gave a tired sigh and sat by the Tree again. "Hey…before this, I wished I could freeze time because I didn't feel ready at all. But with you…I feel more confident. More hopeful about the future. Thank you for everything, Memory."

Memory took of his tinted eyeglasses and smiled softly. He sat by Reality, who leaned on him as his eyes grew heavy. "You're welcome."

35,096 views.

Memory's smile suddenly melted into an anxious expression. He tried to swat those numbers away, but they persisted. 35,096 views.

Of course, his main priority was to help his friend, but Memory still had his own task to complete. His new task to deal with Sabre and the tens of thousands of people from his world.

What am I going to do? I need access to that world for my plan. He watched as Reality eventually fell asleep. But there's no way in hell I'd let him disconnect again!

Memory sighed as he gave the sleeping Reality a comforting pat on the head. It's fine though. I'll find another way to complete this plan…

Many years later, Memory sat on the same bench in front of Void's castle, the warm air greeting his unmasked face.

"There must always be a balance between good and evil," Void said in the castle to Elemental. Elemental, the poor Steve who lost all of his memories weeks ago. "It's inevitable. The iron golem is made to defend families. The pillager is made to destroy and steal. This is the balance, but they are not equal…"

It was the same lecture that he had given to Memory as a child. Memory didn't understand why he was telling Elemental all that. That was Memory's special father-life-lesson lecture, not Elemental's.

Memory muttered under his breath, "The balance is a truth that everyone must know. I'm not special…" Yet, the fact that Void used those exact words frustrated him. Then stop thinking about it, you fool!, he thought as he produced a leaf block and began crafting the same crown Elemental had taught him when they were kids. He tried his best to transform that growing frustration into deeper focus on the laurel.

After all, he had learned his lesson after damaging Elemental's leaf pin. Never again.

"Wow, you're amazing!"

Memory paused from crafting. A wide-eyed, intrigued Elemental looked back at him. Did Void already finished his lecture, letting Elemental roam freely in the dimension?

Memory shrunk back. "…Thank you?"

"Void Steve told me he had a son. Is that you?"

Memory nodded. Void warned him not to interact too much with Elemental. Otherwise, he might suspect he was the Steve who erased his memories. So he intended to give as minimal information as possible.

"Huh, I imagined you to look edgier," Elemental commented.

Damn it! Memory bent over to laugh. He was supposed to despise Elemental after everything that had happened, but, damn it, that was the funniest thing he had heard in a long, long time.

Elemental gave an embarrassed smile before clearing his throat. "Anyways, that leaf crown is fascinating. You're quite the impressive crafter. I especially find it interesting because I used to have a leaf crown. That was, until I lost it." He looked down sadly. "I forgot who made it or where I got it. It hurt when I lost it, knowing I'd never know how to find another one."

Hurt? I'm hurting more than you! Memory's bitter thought ceased his temporary playfulness. Suddenly, a sinister idea formed in his head. He gave Elemental a friendly smile, a convincing disguise of what should have been a mischievous smirk. "I'm sorry that you lost your old crown. If it can lift your spirits, I can teach you how to make a crown that resembles your old one."

Elemental perked up. "You'd do that? For me?"

"Of course, of course. Any friend of Void Steve is a friend of mine." He handed him a leaf block. "Now, these simple crafting tables aren't meant to create these crowns, but they can still craft them. It'll be a slow process, so you'll need to take your time and work with your hands, if you have the patience and confidence for such a foreign concept."

Elemental tensed, staring at the crafting tables as if looking at them for the first time (oh wait, it probably was). He gulped silently before nodding. "It's worth a try. What's the first step?"

Memory paused from placing the leaves on the wire. "I apologize if this is a sensitive subject, but I've heard that you suffer from amnesia. Is that correct?"

Elemental sighed as he weaved his crown. "It's true. Well, I know I have an older brother, Time Steve. Other than that, the past is all a mystery. I don't know my family."

"I'm deeply sorry about that. Truly I am," Memory said as he put his hands behind his back. His hands summoned five flowers from the Memory Dimension. "If there was any way I could help you, truly I would in an instant."

Elemental darted his gaze away and dried off a hidden tear. "I just wish for any sign of my family. A name. A memory. Something. That's all I want. I want to know where they are and if they're out there. If they're…looking for me."

While Elemental was looking away, Memory brought out the five flowers. The flowers projected Elemental's heartwarming memories of spending time with Galaxy. Disgusting smiles, condescending laughs, and dumb adventures they took instead of helping Void with his job.

Memory sent a jolt of silent power into the flowers. They flinched and their images flickered and ceased. Now anyone would mistake them as normal flowers, because he permanently erased those memories, making them irretrievable.

Forcing his scowl to transform into a smile, Memory replied, "I'm sure you belong in a family that's as kind and marvelous as yourself. I hope they find you soon."

"I hope so as well…"

"Of course, but we can't be certain" Memory weaved the five flowers into the crown he had been making. "The worst case scenario is that they don't look for their missing member. As if…they have no interest in finding someone who's a burden, a problem child, in the family, and they'd rather forget than look." He fought so hard to maintain that innocent smile. "Oh, I hope that's not the case!"

Elemental began to look nervous. "…Yeah, we can't be certain. I certainly hope…that's not the case, but I won't know why they disappeared until they come back. Or…if they come back. Am I strange for wanting to know my past?"

"Not at all, my good friend. It's normal to be curious. Elemental, don't give up on the hope that you'll remember your family." Memory added the final flower and grinned in satisfaction. "No matter what it costs you…"

"Yeah! I won't!" Elemental perked up, determination in his eyes. "Oh, I also finished this crown. What do you think?" He proudly showed his crown to Memory.

Memory inspected the crown. When he had erased all of Elemental's memories, he had also erased his experience. Elemental had to relearn some of his powers and skills, but it seemed like he used muscle memory to create a fantastic-looking crown. But Memory wasn't going to tell him that.

"Hmm…," Memory pondered. "It could use some more work. I almost mistook it for a bird's nest, if the bird wanted to endanger its whole family! But it's only your first attempt, so I forgive you for the crown's cheap appearance."

"Oh…" Elemental set his work down, embarrassed about it now. "Sorry…I suppose I'll keep practicing, and eventually I'll recreate my old crown. Your crown looks amazing though. You added flowers into it!"

Memory offered it to his cousin. "The flowers never decay either. I would like to gift you this, my new friend."

Elemental accepted and wore the flower crown. "Thank you so much for your kindness! I think I'll be wearing this crown for a while. I hope our paths cross again and you can teach me more. And I also hope I can remember my family."

"I hope you are able to as well." Memory stared sinisterly at the flowers. "But please don't lose your mind as you look for answers!"

He knew that Elemental, being the son of a promise-breaker, wouldn't listen to him. Every day, Elemental would become more mad from not knowing his past. Every day, he would become more desperate and willing to follow Void Steve.

And while he spiraled down this dark path, Elemental would never know that the memories he desperately wanted – or what was left of it – were literally in arm's reach, in the crown he wore.

And that gave Memory immense satisfaction.

Word count: 7441

Reality: Wow, let's recap…Sabre refused to work with me and lost his memories. I failed to control Alex, Alex absorbed the potion that plays a role in killing Memory so I can't take it away from her, Guardian betrayed me, and now I'm Reality Steve.

Reality: The plan and my mind spiraled out of control. Sabre already knows how to use my powers and escaped. Alex and Guardian also escaped after taking advantage of Memory's weakness.

Reality: But on the plus side, I got a headpat, a hug, and eventually a face reveal from Memory. I also learned more about his dark past, while Memory's changed his secret plan (that I have no knowledge of) about two times now…Wow…this was a crazy week.

Chapters 10 through 16: Reality Steve, that wasn't a week. All of those things you just said happened in one day.

Reality:

Chapters 8 and 9: Yeah, and remember us? The chapters where Memory taught you how to swear, you "defeated" Sabre, Guardian betrayed/captured Alex, you and Memory ate the Overseer's cookies, and Memory learned Time was alive? That happened yesterday.

Reality:

Reality:

Reality: This frikin' fanfic and its pacing…

Memory: Who are you talking to?

Reality: Don't worry about it.

Thank you for reading!

btw, if you plan to reread this chapter, I have a reading game for you: take a sip of water or eat a cucumber slice every time the chapter says "block(s)." Y'all are gonna be very hydrated by the end of this chapter.

Anyways, see you in the next update! Take care and stay safe.