Content warning: two brief italicized moments; one contains a depiction of manipulation and the other contains violent (but not graphic) imagery
"I'll bring you back, Father, so you can finish what you've started..."
Memory assembled a writing wall from cobblestone on a new island. First, I have to break the illusion while the heroes are distracted with Sabre.
He set down one of the glitching flowers, one of the three keys in his mission. It expanded into a screen, which replayed Sabre from his world watching in helpless horror as Shadow Steve took over his avatar. "Ah! Woah, what's happening?!" Sabre's hands were off the keyboard, but his avatar moved madly. "I've lost control! Shadow Steve is controlling my character!"
Memory scowled, wondering if Shadow Steve knew about Sabre's account, and what would had happened if he discovered and pressed that "Disconnect" button. Not that it mattered. It was a memory now. Something he had to study, to find out how Shadow Steve pulled off what he did. It wouldn't be an easy task, and Memory wished again that he had Reality and his analytical skills to help him.
At least most of the work will be done by Sabre, he thought optimistically.
Memory took out wooden signs and jotted down ideas. One sign after another. One idea after another. He placed the signs on the wall, constructing a step-by-step guide of his plan and all the important factors and countermeasures he could think of. In this dimension where time stood still, he paced around, studied, and brainstormed for what felt like days.
Finally, Memory wrote down the last step of his plan.
Release Void from Galaxy or Reality's mind.
This was it. He had the chance to bring his father back. That alone was enough to send his heart racing. He could give his father another chance to take over and destroy this world.
He could finally, for once, prove his worth to Void.
After the ink dried, Memory approached the wall that was plastered with ideas and steps. He brought the final sign to it.
Then hesitated, holding it inches from the wall.
Why was he hesitating? Was it because he feared this plan would fail? It couldn't. He had enough information and more than enough time to foolproof it! It couldn't fail. Then again, did he ever come up with a plan that actually worked? He shuddered, remembering how Void ordered him to never make his own plans. But what other choice did he had? Void needed him, and Memory needed Void. He had to go through with this plan.
"Memory, you're all I have left. You are my only family and my only friend. I trust you to not become a weak, backstabbing traitor like them. Please...don't ever leave me...I don't know what I'll do to myself if the last person I love leaves me!"
Memory tensed and held the sign further from the wall. He made a promise to never leave Void. To never become as weak as Galaxy. The worst part was that he had already broken that promise once, when he had tried to run away from home because of that. But he returned, more determined to uphold that promise.
So why was he suddenly struggling?
"...Reality."
A peaceful world no more, but a world on fire.
In the center of a burning field, Reality clung his bleeding arm. His entire body trembled as he choked out rapid coughs. Ashes covered his silver hair and purple clothes. His tearful eyes blinked out the stinging smoke, once again seeing the dead bodies among the dropped items and destruction.
Sabre. Alex. Guardian. Time Steve. All dead.
"Why...why..." Reality gritted his teeth and held his arm tighter as he tried to limp away, despite his broken leg. But then a dark figure arrived and kicked him to the ground. The dark figure grinned and stomped on the injured leg. Reality screeched in pain. He attempted to push himself up with his good arm, but the dark figure pinned his head down, forcing Reality to see the corpses around him. He hyperventilated until he burst into a coughing fit.
As the dark figure sparked with energy, surrounding the burning field with lightning, Reality began to flicker. The dark figure knelt down and grabbed Reality's unstable form, yanking out what seemed to be the ghost of a terrified, dead Galaxy.
Reality shrieked as the figure completely severed Galaxy's spirit from him. He collapsed, transforming to a weak, sick Illusion. As the dark figure absorbed Galaxy's spirit, the weak, dying Steve whimpered, "Why? I should have stopped you, Memory..."
Memory's stomach twisted and dread consumed him.
"I can't!" He turned and threw the sign into the lava. "I can't do this!"
Reality was a good Steve, despite his flaws and misguided beliefs. He wanted a peaceful world and was willing to defeat anyone who stood in his path. But he was also sensitive and anxious, just wanting something in his life to go right for once.
Memory couldn't allow Void to threaten this world. Reality could not handle the stress of that. He would lose his mind. He would blame himself for not stopping his cousin. Would he then give up like Galaxy? How would the failure crush him? Break him?
Memory was evil, but he would never forgive himself if he put Reality through that pain. He now felt disgusted for offering Reality that chance to work with Void. Why did he think that was ok?
"I can't!" He ignited a TNT and threw it at the wall. The explosion destroyed it, sending the cobblestone blocks and signs flying into the lava sea. Realizing too late how foolish that was, he kicked a nearby block. "You moron!" This plan wasn't about Reality! It was about Void! His father! The reason Memory existed in the first place. He had to put Void first. But any plan where he brought back Void would break Reality's heart.
Memory sat by a crafting table in defeat. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands against his forehead, battling the loud thoughts. What is this? What's happening to my loyalty?
Am I...am I becoming weaker?
The thoughts of weakness tormented him. He took out leaves and wires. He began crafting a crown, wanting to lessen the thoughts. He hated his mind for this, but his thoughts eventually morphed into his memories with his cousin. How Illusion asked him for ideas and advice. How he worked with Reality to negotiate with Alex and Guardian. How Reality looked after him when he was injured. He remembered how much he cared for his cousin.
Why did I give him that harsh farewell? He thought remorsefully. I mean, I had to end it, for his sake and my sake. But why?
He got up and teleported away, arriving at the same island used to trap Sabre, which had been split into two. He put his hands in his pockets and looked mournfully at the lava chasm and the broken machine. "Forgive me, Reality. I should have listened to my own advice."
There was no black-and-white solution, yet Memory stubbornly stayed with Void.
He dipped his head down and sighed. "If only it didn't come to this, wondering why I have to choose between you and Void. How did it end up this way?"
Observing the flowing lava, he recalled one of Sabre's memories he'd studied. One of the three keys. The one that involved raging formations of water and ice. The one where Memory first learned the term "computer."
He summoned the glitching flower, which transformed into a screen. Instead of displaying the Overworld, the computer's center monitor glowed bright blue with white text.
"Ok guys, I have no idea what's going on," Sabre said while looking at his spare camera. "I thought I was perfectly safe in the temple because Blue Steve can't attack me here. And BOOM, my computer just straight up crashed!"
That Blue Steve. The first Blue Steve Sabre encountered. One of the components of Rainbow Steve. He had the ability to corrupt a computer, the machine that allowed Sabre to interact with this world.
When the screen morphed back into a flower and floated back into Memory's hand, he glared spitefully at it.
A Steve. A simple, but powerful, Blue Steve damaged Sabre's computer. He left a bigger impact on Sabre's world than Reality Steve! If he was genuinely terrified when Reality stole his account, why did Sabre seem rather unfazed about his computer crashing? Why was Memory Steve unable to find the actual memory of Blue Steve corrupting the computer? He could only find bits and pieces related to that memory, like the filming and editing, but it seemed like Sabre never went through the trauma of seeing his computer endangered. That he didn't find the encounter worth remembering.
Why? Did that powerful Blue Steve mean nothing to Sabre, despite being one of the Steves who fused to create his adopted son?
Well, Memory wouldn't be surprised if Sabre didn't take Blue Steve seriously. He had seen his memories of encountering his first Red Steve and his first Green Steve. He saw what Sabre had done to those two. He saw Sabre push them to their limits just to understand them.
How could that bully be the same player who sacrificed everything for the sake of all good Steves? How did Sabre, who used to torment Steves for his own curiosity, become a selfless protector of all good Steves?
Memory had begun to wonder if Sabre's actual nature was to be cruel. That the kind, heroic persona was just an act. Well, after seeing how Sabre had acted with all those powers and no memories to guide his decisions...
Memory shuddered. Wall. Wall. Wall – he quickly cut his thoughts of that dark prison and the explosions and the fireball.
...After that terrifying mission, Memory just had more proof that the player didn't value the lives of Steves as much as he claimed.
Memory looked at the sky, eyes glowing with hatred. "Why couldn't he just be honest with how he felt?"
Reality was right. Sabre treated this world like a game. He had gone through a similar threat before from Blue Steve and faked his terror. Did he fake his terror too when Reality stole his account? Did he pretend to be afraid to boost Reality's ego, causing him to arrogantly push that "Disconnect" button? If Sabre didn't fake anything...could Reality had been saved from his trauma?
And what if Sabre revealed who he really was to Void? Void wanted to become the greatest force in the universe. Learning that there were thousands of indestructible players would had crushed Void's self-esteem. But would knowing the truth, and hearing Sabre's omniscient prediction of his defeat, save Void from his own downfall?
Who was Sabre really? What motive did he had to fake his emotions just to feel more invested in a world where he didn't belong? Why did Sabre care about this world?
Well, Memory knew one thing.
Sabre was the reason why Void was gone and Reality was traumatized.
Galaxy Steve too. He hurt Void and Reality.
Galaxy Steve and Sabre. They will both pay.
Memory crushed the glitching flower and snarled. "I think I found a different way, Reality. A new plan, where I can serve both you and Void. I can only hope that you'll forgive me for what I'll do."
He summoned the red flowers. Void's memories casted a dim, sinister red glow. Memory gave a heavy sigh. He knew the flowers couldn't hear him, but this was now the closest thing he would ever get to saying goodbye to his father. "I know you want Galaxy to pay. You want to destroy this world to spite him. But during your absence, I met someone. A nephew of yours. He cares about this world, and I care about him too, so...I can't let you destroy this world. I'm sorry, Father, but you're not special. You're not the only one hurt by Galaxy. You'll gain nothing from revenge...
"...That's why I'll give you something better. A different world to destroy. A different world where you'll be worshipped. Multiple worlds, if you want."
Memory took out his leaf crown and weaved the red flowers into it. A blood red crown to mark the return of the dark tyrant.
"If I succeed, maybe then...you'll be proud of me. That's all I ever wanted..."
Word count: 2060
"Ah, my long time enemy...past perfect tense." - Stress while struggling to edit this chapter, February 2021
And yeah, like I said in the previous chapter's A/N, this and the next few chapters are short.
Thank you so much for reading! See you in the next update. Take care and stay safe.