Welcome back! Today, I'm bringing you guys a DOUBLE update! Two chapters!
Chapter 5 was originally super long (over 11.5k words), so I divided it into separate chapters for better pacing. Chapters 5 and 6 go together well, so I want to post both this week. Enjoy!
The next day, Alex failed her mission to destroy Sabre, as Illusion Steve expected. With the power he had stolen from Illusion Steve, Sabre had given Alex the ability to break out of the illusion. Now she had resistance to the illusion, though she only had a handful of her original power – enough power to defend herself.
The heroes' new plan was for Sabre to play dead while Alex pretended to still be under the illusion as a henchman. Illusion Steve knew this. He knew that he simply had to remove the power that made Alex resist the illusion to make her fall back into the trance and foil the plan. However, he rolled along with it. Alex begged and "convinced" him to let her keep her power to continue defending the world from other threats. Illusion Steve "agreed" by giving Alex a special task for her to complete.
Illusion Steve's decision confused Memory Steve. Why didn't he defeat Alex when she falsely reported about destroying Sabre? Why did he continue watching the heroes roam freely, making them more likely to defeat him? Was he that confident that they wouldn't win? What special task did he assign Alex? Was there another threat?
Well, it didn't matter. Memory Steve was content if Alex resisted and Sabre was roaming freely. After all, that would make Alex and Sabre more likely to defeat Illusion Steve, which was what he wanted.
Illusion Steve also assigned Memory Steve a new mission. While spreading his illusion across the Overworld, Illusion Steve encountered a Red Steve village that refused to give in to his power. He ordered Memory Steve to erase their memories to make it easier for them to fall into the illusion.
Hiding on the top of a hill, Memory Steve spent the morning observing the village. He identified that the village only had a population of six Red Steves, though only four were present while two left for errands. One was the oldest (with a dark red color), one had an eyepatch, one had glowing red eyes, and the last one had a mohawk. They assembled supplies and frequented the crafting tables. Were they planning to fight Illusion Steve? If he weren't assigned to wipe their minds clean, Memory Steve would had allowed them. Alas, that was not the case.
The Red Steve with glowing red eyes entered a workshop alone. Seen through a glass window, the inside of the workshop was divided into two room. The Red Steve was in the bigger room, standing near crafting tables and redstone blocks. Locking his hidden eyes on the location, Memory Steve teleported into that room.
The Red Steve cried in alarm when Memory Steve approached. "Back off!" The Red Steve's right fist suddenly burst into flames. Red Steves were less likely to cower away and break eye contact. So Memory Steve had to attack and force the Red Steve to look away, without getting injured himself.
Memory Steve concentrated a huge portion of his powers into his right hand, which he also clenched into a fist. He charged at the Red Steve and punched him square in the face. The Red Steve cried and shut his eyes in pain.
There was flash and Memory Steve found himself crammed in a closet of chests, the workshop's smaller room. Thank goodness he wore a mask. Otherwise the redstone dust flying around in the closet would had triggered a coughing fit.
Wait...Memory Steve recalled the workshop having a TNT symbol on its door. He opened one chest. It was filled with sand blocks and gunpowder. Delighted and already imagining their usefulness, he grabbed several stacks of each. He opened and reopened several other chests to find flint and steel. When he finally obtained one and closed the final chest, he heard voices outside.
"What happened?!"
"Who...who are you? Who am I?!" That was the Red Steve with glowing eyes.
"What?!"
"Hey, I hear noises from the closet" A third voice said.
Memory Steve cursed silently under his breath. He got so preoccupied with supplies that he forgot there were 3 other Steves he had to take care of. He had to get out of this closet before they all saw him. He spotted at the small window, concentrated on the gravel pathway in front of the workshop, and teleported outside.
"Hey!" A new voice cried.
Memory Steve froze. Two Red Steves that he never saw before stared back at him. One wore a hat while the other wore armor. The two Steves who left the village to collect resources. They returned!
Behind them, the other four Red Steves exited the workshop and looked at Memory Steve in horror. Usually, Memory Steve would be advance towards his enemies. But because of the sudden situation, it was now him walking backwards in fear while the six Red Steves prowled forward.
"Who are you?" The oldest Red Steve snarled.
"What should we do with him?" The armored Red Steve asked. "We should discuss this."
Several Red Steves turned to look at the armored Red Steve, while several did not.
A flash of light.
Memory Steve fell down on his hands and knees, back on the hill he spectated the village from. Nausea drowned him as he hyperventilated, his hands trying to cling onto the grass. Finally, a sob slipped out of his mouth as he trembled more.
He hated working with a crowd, he hated being in a crowd, and he hated being seen by a crowd. Sure, it was only six Steves, but any group larger than three people was a crowd for him. Crowds were unpredictable. Some people would break eye contact with Memory Steve while others wouldn't. The result was a very disorienting memory wipe that left him feeling sick.
This stupid, stupid drawback. These stupid powers that are out of control.
Memory Steve got up and punched a tree. Why wasn't he more careful?! And why was he still like this? It was only six Steves! That was almost as many Steves in his family. Why couldn't he handle six Steves?
Just...please...please just let there be only six. No more surprises, he pleaded to no force in particular. He had to make sure the Red Steves were isolated, so he could erase their memories one by one. Although he wasn't fond of Illusion Steve, he knew his boss ordered him to do this because he believed he was skilled and reliable enough to. So he had to. He couldn't let this mission down, unlike the one with Sabre...
With better concentration and confidence, Memory Steve erased the memories of all the Red Steves.
He teleported to the village's entrance and looked at the sky. "Illusion Steve, the village's memories have been erased."
Then thunder surrounded village.
"Well done, Memory Steve," Illusion Steve's voice said from the sky. "The entire village is now under the illusion now that they don't remember reality. They will no longer resist. You've done well. Three hours from now, please meet me at the Illusion Town so we can discuss more about – Hey, you! Shut! Up! ...Ugh, Memory Steve, you're dismissed. I have something to work on."
There was thunder and Memory Steve felt Illusion Steve's presence disappear.
Memory Steve blinked, perplexed. Was another Steve resisting the illusion and giving his boss a hard time? Would Illusion Steve later ask him to erase that person's memories? Considering that Memory Steve had...a rough start with today's mission, he would feel more assured if he had a better idea of who this troublesome Steve was. It didn't hurt to already observe a future target before his next task, right?
Memory Steve concentrated on the lingering energy of Illusion Steve. He had to use a bit of his family's power to trace where the energy was coming from and to teleport near his cousin.
Memory Steve teleported onto a new hill, hiding under the shadows of the trees. He heard two voices below. He stalked towards the edge of the hilltop and saw Illusion Steve talking to a Red Steve who was tied up. He noticed the shiny badge on the Red Steve's shirt. He must be the leader of that village. Memory Steve silently watched the conversation.
"You know, your village has completely given in to the illusion by now," Illusion Steve said to the Red Steve.
"NO!" The Red Steve leader cried.
"Oh, yes! Usually, I would give such a basic Steve mercy, and let someone else force them into the illusion. But I want you to remember a little bit of your past reality. You know how despairing the infection was. How difficult it was to protect everyone. You lost so many important people in your life. Don't you want to make sure the infection doesn't take any more lives?
"Why won't you become my henchman? If you become my henchman, you'll remain leader of the village. I want you and your people to go find other Red Steves who are resistant to the illusion and to convince them to accept it. Convince them to get rid of the mental pain the infection has left and to enter the paradise of my illusion."
"But...to forget the past just like that..." The Red Steve looked away. "That doesn't seem right. It's wrong."
"But it is good."
"Good?!" The Red Steve started laughing. "You're crazy! How is any of this good?! Why can't you just pause the infection and let the Steves keep their memories of it?!"
"I want to get rid of all the pain of the past. Pausing the infection gets rid of the physical and mental pain. But what's the point if the painful memory of the infection still lingers? The Steves will never move on and be happy, and I want them to be happy."
"Who sent you again?!"
"Galaxy Steve, my creator. He ordered me to do all of this so he can make sense of this changed world. So if you have a problem with what I'm doing, you might as well accuse your great protector as a villain."
"He wants to make sense of this world? Well...wouldn't the illusion keep him confused? How is he right now?"
"Ummm..."
"You haven't checked up on him? Shouldn't he be your top priority? More than me?" Red Steve chuckled. "Well, I'm flattered I'm such a big concern for you."
Illusion Steve blushed, baffled by the Red Steve's strange choice of words. "Listen, I have everything under control!" He snapped. "I know more than you. And if you don't comply and follow my plan, I'll destroy you!"
"DO IT THEN!" Red Steve shook in the ropes. "Do it! Prove to me that you're the villainous hero who needs to get his hands dirty to make things right!"
Illusion Steve stumbled back. "Umm, well, ok then. I'll..."
After a moment of hesitation, Red Steve laughed again. "I knew it. You can't do it. What does that say about you?" Then he launched forward, pausing in his mid-attempt at pouncing at Illusion Steve.
Illusion Steve jumped back and shielded his face.
"Heh, if I'm just a basic Red Steve, like you said, then why are you scared of me? Just let me go! Just give it up and go back to Galaxy Steve!"
"Enough!" Illusion Steve bristled, anger in his multi-colored eyes. He raised a hand and lightning struck. It injured, but didn't kill Red Steve. The captive Red Steve was stunned silent, a sick mix of terror and concern in his scarlet eyes.
Illusion Steve straightened his posture. Memory Steve could sense him attempting an intimidating, villainous vibe, despite the weak and vulnerable state he was in seconds ago.
"I'm done with you. I will lock you up for now. Please consider your only two options during your imprisonment. You can either join me and accept the illusion willingly, or I'll have someone wipe your memories clean."
Illusion Steve raised a hand and thunder roared.
"No! Nooo!" The Red Steve screamed at the sky. Then he disappeared.
Illusion Steve hugged himself and paced around, appearing to be in a pained trance. He heaved heavy breathes as he trembled more. After what seemed to be eternity, he finally sat on the grass and cried. It was a silent cascade of tears, the racing breathes being the only sounds.
Memory Steve gasped and placed a hand over his mouth. What's happening to him?
"Oh...oh Colors...if I'm falling apart now...I don't know what'll happen to me if I don't finish this all..." Illusion Steve sniffed and took off his glasses. He hovered a hand over his now puffy eyes. A soft roll of thunder later, he unshielded his eyes, which were no longer red and swollen. Was that his shapeshifting ability? Memory Steve wondered.
Illusion Steve put his glasses back on and fixed up his lab coat before teleporting away.
Memory Steve took a step back. There was nothing left to see, so he decided to arrive early to Illusion Steve's headquarters.
Memory Steve arrived in the enclosed area that was headquarters, which was recently renamed to the Illusion Town. When he looked up, he gasped. An enormous, rainbow-colored tree in the center of the base greeted him. Was this a Rainbow Tree of Life?!
The pink colors of the tree stood out against the yellows, blues, and greens. No, this wasn't a real Rainbow Tree. This must be a project by Illusion Steve. A faux Rainbow Tree to store a lot of power.
It was still a few hours until his meeting with Illusion Steve. He didn't want to enter that dreaded cobblestone building yet. However, at this moment, the awfulness of being in that glass chamber was far from his worries.
Illusion Steve's breakdown was still fresh in his mind. Memory Steve was used to seeing villains lose their composure. It was a typical occurrence, accompanied with rouge thunder, fireballs, and a few chairs thrown around. Though to just break down like that...
He had never seen a villain break down and start crying...Memory Steve thought he was the only one who did that...
A breakdown was a result of high stress and other factors. What caused Illusion Steve to snap like that? Not only that, but Illusion Steve seemed so terrified. What was going on? Did he panic because he felt like he was going to fail Galaxy Steve if he didn't convince that Red Steve to join him?
And why was Memory Steve even thinking about all of this? Didn't he want Illusion Steve to fail his mission so he could bring back Void Steve? Of course he wanted that. He also expected Illusion Steve to tear himself apart as he approached his demise. But did he actually want to see him fall apart?
...No.
No he didn't. He couldn't just let that young Steve break down so easily...
As Memory Steve continued his silent stroll along the town's walls, he wondered if he should bring up the topic and ask Illusion Steve if he was ok. Seriously, if a Red Steve challenging his authority was enough to unhinge him, then who knew what else would provoke Illusion Steve. That had to be addressed right away.
But was it smart to bring it up? If he did, Memory Steve would have to confess that he spied on Illusion Steve and that captive Red Steve. After failing to erase Sabre's memories and refusing to serve as a spy for him, Memory Steve felt that Illusion Steve wouldn't approve of this. And if Illusion Steve was not willing to listen to that Red Steve's point of view, then he certainly wouldn't listen to Memory Steve's point of view. Memory Steve was a villain after all, while Illusion Steve fancied himself as a hero.
So...what could he do that wouldn't get him in trouble and make Illusion Steve feel worse?
...I got it! Memory Steve huffed and teleported away.
The armored Red Steve patrolled the village alone. He yawned. "What a boring day. There's no threats, so why am I still patrolling?"
Well, he's alone, so guess he'll do for now. Memory Steve teleported in front of him.
The armored Red Steve screamed and his fists ignited. "STAY BACK! WHO ARE YOU?!"
Memory Steve immediately raised his hand and thunder surrounded the Red Steve, who was suddenly paralyzed. He handed the Red Steve a few redstone items and whispered a command. "Go cause some trouble for me."
This was Memory Steve's ability to mind-control or possess other Steves. Although he hated giving back memories directly, one benefit was that he could put some of his power and control into the victim's mind along with the memories. That allowed him to temporary control the victim.
The best part? The armored Red Steve wouldn't know. Which meant hopefully Illusion Steve would never know...
After the armored Red Steve finished his task, Memory Steve released Red Steve out of his control, took all the memories back, and teleported back to Illusion Steve's headquarters.
"Memory Steve, report back to me at headquarters in a few minutes."
Perfect timing, Memory Steve thought as he entered the cobblestone building. Ever since their agreement, Illusion Steve placed a button inside the building to open the door from the inside. Memory Steve placed a hand on the iron door and concentrated a portion of his energy onto it, enchanting it. Suddenly, the window glitched and blacked out.
When Memory Steve opened the door, what was outside was no longer the blue sky and grass. What greeted him instead was the endless void space and a sea of lava. The Memory Dimension waited outside instead of the Illusion Town. The cool air of the Overworld was replaced by the warm atmosphere of the Void. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him. The entire cobblestone building (or more specifically, a copy of the building) had spawned in the middle of the land surrounded by lava.
He desummoned all entities in the dimension and summoned a collection of memories from the sky, placing them in his inventory. He snapped his fingers, and a blue shulker box generated. He grabbed a certain item from the box. All while thinking, what the hell am I doing? Why am I doing this for him?
Standing by the building, Memory Steve pulled out the item he got from the box. It was a cubic toy that he confiscated from Galaxy Steve a long time ago. He was deep in concentration as he twisted and turned the cube until footsteps caused him to look up.
Illusion Steve opened the door and stepped out of the building. He looked at the "night" sky and the lava suspiciously. "What is going on here?" He tensed and stilled, refusing to turn around and see the Steve behind him. "What did you do, Memory Steve?"
Memory Steve placed the item away and bowed in greeting. "Welcome to the Memory Dimension. Now...I can explain."
"How did you bring me here?" Illusion Steve inspected the cobblestone building, still refusing to look at him.
"I brought you here because I discovered something urgent. Urgent enough that I have to talk to you face to face," Memory Steve quickly made up. "During my mission at the Red Steve village, one troublesome Steve escaped and caused damage. Now, I eventually caught him and erased his memories, so he's fully integrated into the illusion." Including his memories of him being controlled by me, which you can't figure out. "However, the damage was already done."
"What?!" Illusion Steve whirled around. Anticipating that, Memory Steve teleported away so Illusion Steve didn't meet his eyes. "I mean, umm, care to explain what he did? Actually, before you answer that, tell me why you had to bring me to your dimension to talk about this. We have the building, you know. Did you want me alone? I thought you told me that you couldn't talk to anyone because of your powers."
"I used my powers on the building's door, turning it into a portal to this dimension. I used the same power before on Sabre, who entered my dimension through his dirt house shelter. And actually, in this dimension, I can interact with people without my powers erasing their memories!"
Illusion Steve finally looked at Memory Steve, his purple and blue eyes narrowed skeptically. "And why didn't you tell me this before when I asked if there was a way around your drawback?"
"Like I said...there is no effective or practical way around my drawback. Theoretically, yes, I could overcome my drawback and spy Sabre if we forced him to wander in my dimension, but that is impractical. Players can't last in a dimension that's surrounded by lava."
"...I feel like somewhere in this multi-verse, there is a group of players – wandering in a revamped Nether, riding on these strange creatures, wearing a special type of armor – laughing at you and your claim that they can't survive near lava."
"...What?" Memory Steve gulped. Did I say something wrong?
"Oh, nothing. Nevermind. Next question: why did you bring me here to tell me this? Why not the building?"
Memory Steve look out a flower that held Red Steve's memory. "It would be easier for me to show you what he did instead of describe it. So here is his memory of what he did when he escaped the village."
Illusion Steve blinked and finally relaxed. "Ok, fine, show me."
Memory Steve projected the memory. Illusion Steve saw the memory replay the armored Red Steve smuggling a huge amount of redstone items from the mines. The Red Steve constructed a pyramid of redstone and activated it. Lightning pelted at the pyramid, the roars getting louder and louder.
"Someone help us!" The Red Steve cried. "My village is in danger!"
The memory showed Memory Steve teleporting near the pyramid, chasing after Red Steve. Then the memory went dark.
Hopefully, the act I commanded that Steve to pull off was convincing, Memory Steve thought.
"Was he trying to get Sabre's attention?" Illusion Steve asked.
"I'm unsure if he knows about Sabre, but he was definitely causing trouble. Implying that someone was in distress, which would shatter the illusion to the people who heard his cries."
"Did you shut the pyramid once you took care of that Red Steve?"
"Yes. But I couldn't dismantle the pyramid, sadly," Memory Steve replied. "It must have been enchanted by a Red Steve's special powers. Since I know you can prohibit powers, I ask that you locate the pyramid and use your powers to dismantle it, or conceal it."
Illusion Steve nodded and Memory Steve desummoned the memory.
"That's pretty important information. Thank you for the warning, Memory Steve. I never expected a Red Steve could cause a huge alarm."
"In my experience, many villains underestimate Red Steves' ability to be heroic."
"Well, thank you again for completing the mission. You know, since I'm already here..." Illusion Steve generated two blocks of diamonds and handed it to Memory Steve. "Huh, my powers work in this dimension...I wonder." He raised his hand and concentrated on the lava sea surrounding them. The lava sea glitched and briefly turned into a lively blue.
Memory Steve warned, "Please don't do that to my dimension."
Illusion Steve rolled his eyes and set his hand down. "Fine."
"Hmm, may I ask how you day has been? I've noticed there has been a slight change in your attitude."
"Really? The day has been like any other day." Illusion Steve looked away. "Just keeping this illusion in check."
"Is that so? Well then, if you would like to return to work, you can enter the building and it will take you back to the Overworld. I will be here for the time being." Memory Steve bowed and sat down on a nearby grass block. He took out the cubic toy and reshuffled it.
"Wait...what is that?" Illusion Steve was behind him now, eyeing the item curiously. The toy had six colors – red, blue, green, orange, yellow, and white. The colors were confined to small squares on the cube in a 3x3 fashion, but with no predictable pattern.
"I believe Galaxy Steve called it a Rubik's Cube." Memory Steve handed the incomplete toy to Illusion Steve, who inspected the grooves and gaps of the cube. "It was from a dimension full of gadgets. I think it's supposed to be some sort of puzzle. It took me a while to figure it out and – "
"Got it." Illusion Steve rotating the cube one last time. The Rubik's Cube had all 6 colors confided to its own side, making the pattern finally organized.
"You solved it! Impressive," Memory Steve praised.
"It was a simple puzzle." Illusion Steve shrugged and handed the cube back to Memory Steve, before doing a double take. "Wait...that item doesn't exist in the Overworld. You said Galaxy Steve knew what it was?"
"He did."
"Of course... Galaxy Steve travelled across dimensions," Illusion Steve began. "Void Steve was worried that the landmarks and people of different dimensions would remind Galaxy Steve of his past. So he hired you to erase Galaxy Steve's memories every time he returned to the Overworld." Illusion Steve turned his gaze to the Rubik's Cube. "And you confiscated any of the items he brought back from those dimensions, so the items would never remind him of the dimensions he visited."
Memory Steve nodded.
"...How many items have you taken from him?"
To that, Memory Steve burst out laughing. "I-I don't know how to answer that! I've put up with your father's nonsense many, many times. More times than a sane person is capable of handling." He felt his eye twitch behind his mask.
Illusion Steve took a step back, concerned. "So...a lot of them. And a lot of stolen memories."
"Yes, a lot of items and memories."
Illusion Steve cleared his throat. "Anyways, can I see what memories you took from Galaxy Steve? I can't believe I didn't think of this before. With those memories, I can see the worlds Galaxy Steve saw! What places he visited, what they had, and most importantly, what made him happy. I have analyzed Galaxy Steve's mind already, but his memory is still limited since you took most of his memories. If I have that info, that'll help with my mission!"
"Your mission to help Galaxy Steve live in a blissful world? The memories I took can help you find out what makes him happy?"
"Umm...yes, that mission!" Illusion Steve looked at Memory Steve eagerly. "If that's ok with you. Can I see his memories? I want to analyze them and find out what the other worlds have."
It was a good thing the mask concealed his smile. Memory Steve wanted this to happen. He knew this would only work if he inspired Illusion Steve to ask it first, since there was no way he'd accept help on his own. "Of course. I shall gather them now."
"Actually...I have another task to do. Can we do this some other time?"
"Oh, time also pauses in this dimension," Memory Steve explained. "No second will pass in the Overworld while we are here."
Illusion Steve's enthusiasm returned. "Ok, if that's the case, show me!"
Word count: 4541
Illusion Steve, learn how to relaaaaaaaaax.
I did my best to split proto-chapter 5 and to end new-chapter 5 at a natural area. So if the ending seems off...guess I didn't do a good job at splitting the chapter XD Whoops.
Remember, chapter 6 will be posted soon!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Take care and stay safe.