The second chapter for the double update! Enjoy!
Also, buckle up, readers. Get ready to read a long, looooooooong conversation in this chapter.
Memory Steve summoned a bundle of flowers. Shielding them away from Illusion Steve's view, he double checked that these memories were the correct ones. The flowers grew vines and they all twisted together, fusing into one bigger flower. "Let's start with this one. This memory...is from Galaxy Steve when he visited a more complex dimension." Hopefully that careful choice of words will make Illusion Steve realize something. "The complex dimension had Steves too. In this memory, Blue Steves were celebrating a festival and entertaining Galaxy Steve. That was why he hung out with this Blue Steve village often, until I erased his memories, making him unable to find the village again."
"So he visited this place often?" Illusion Steve carefully picked up and inspected the memory. He sat on the grass with his legs cross, the flower set in his lap. "Then let's find out why he came to this place often." He closed his eyes and hovered his hands above the flower. Immediately, the flower projected a large moving image. Memory Steve backed off. The image engulfed the 10x10 area Illusion Steve was sitting in. The grass turned blue and the flower projected a hologram of a big blue tree with icicles dangling from its branches.
Behind the tree, six Blue Steves stepped out and surrounded the silent Illusion Steve.
"Our Galaxy Savior!" The leader of the Blue Steves opened his arms out, greeting no one in particular. "We are honored to have you as a guest at our Celebration of the Blue Moon!"
"Come with us, Galaxy Steve!" The Blue Steves crowded around an invisible person before walking around the tree, which was now surrounded by chests and strange inventions. "We have some things we think you'll like! And at the end of the day, we'll eat. We made your favorite: sandwiches!"
The memory continued. The Blue Steves rushed through the image, showing off their wonderful gifts and inventions unique to their village. Illusion Steve remained still, but seemed to be following along. Although his eyes were closed, he seemed incredibly immersed, nodding whenever he learned something intellectual from the Blue Steves and looking perplexed whenever the village presented something unusual.
Soon the image faltered and disappeared. Memory Steve took a step forward. Illusion Steve hadn't moved an inch. Suddenly, lightning surrounding Illusion Steve. He glitched and morphed, transforming into another Steve.
Memory Steve jumped back, shocked by Illusion Steve's new appearance. How he donned a galaxy-print hoodie and a familiar hairstyle and looked so much like him. "Illusion Steve...why do you look like Galaxy Steve?"
"What?" Galaxy Steve's voice came out of Illusion Steve as he opened his eyes and looked down at himself. He stood up and screamed. "What?! No!" Lightning struck again and he morphed back into his true form – the Steve with light blue hair, lab coat, and multi-colored eyes. He looked away and pushed his ponytail off his shoulder and behind his neck...several times. "That was my shapeshifting ability. I got too into analyzing those memories that I accidentally lost control of my ability and shapeshifted into Galaxy Steve."
Memory Steve calmed down but was still confused. "Shapeshifting?"
"Yeah, shapeshifting," Illusion Steve repeated, trying to act as if nothing happened.
He must be embarrassed, Memory Steve thought. But I won't judge. He knows I have less control over my powers than he does.
"Fascinating," Memory Steve began. "Why exactly did you transform into Galaxy Steve? I know some Steves have the ability to become imposters. Like Dark Steve, but he only knew how to disguise himself as color Steves. I've never met someone who could disguise himself as Galaxy Steve so convincingly."
"Heh." Illusion Steve smirked, gaining a confident posture. "Well, my shapeshifting power is linked to my illusion powers and analytical powers. When I analyze memories, I use the memories to construct illusions. Since many people only want to see what they like, I use my powers to filter their true memories, blocking the distasteful ones and letting the favorite memories become the foundation of my illusion. Sometimes, I can block the favorite ones and let the distasteful ones build my illusion. Also, when I analyze memories, I find out who the most important person is to someone. And since I am Illusion Steve, I can easily disguise myself as a that important person."
"Ah, so that's why you looked like Galaxy Steve for a moment." Memory Steve picked up the big flower before desummoning it. "Those Blue Steves cared about their protector so much. He was significant to all of them."
Illusion Steve nervously laughed. "Yeah...he was."
Memory Steve turned to Illusion Steve, who continued fidgeting with his ponytail. "Is there something wrong? Did those memories help you?"
"Oh, they did help! It's just..." Illusion Steve sighed. "I'm not surprised why those Blue Steves cared so much about Galaxy Steve. I've analyzed the memories of almost all of the Steves left in the Overworld. And many of then consider Galaxy Steve as the most significant person in their lives."
Memory Steve tilted his head. Under his breath, he whispered, "Really?...He took his job as protector of the Steves seriously for once..."
"I guess he did a good job," Illusion Steve added. "They were all counting on him to save them from the infection. And now...he created me to do that task for him."
Memory Steve knew that Illusion Steve was created to make sense of the world for Galaxy Steve. That meant...Illusion Steve was born in a time when the world fell apart. He'd only known a life with chaos. Galaxy Steve, those Blue Steves, heck, and even Memory Steve grew up in a peaceful environment with no threat of the world looming over them. However, Illusion Steve had only known a world that took more than it gave.
"You've only known a chaotic life," Memory Steve said. "And since Galaxy Steve tasked you to create order and sense in his life – two things you personally don't understand – I can see why this mission challenges you. And since you know all those Steves worship Galaxy Steve...you must feel a great expectation."
Illusion Steve paused, an excited glow in his eyes. "Yes! You understand! Galaxy Steve created me to fill in his place. To finish what he started. I'm doing his job. When I see the Steves' memories and see how much they counted on Galaxy Steve, I just think about how much work I have to do to fill in his place.
"And, oh Colors, what would happen if I fail? If I fail, will I disrupt the world even more by making every Steve think Galaxy Steve betrayed them? Will they no longer love him? I don't know what happens if someone changes their mind about who's the most important person in their life; I guess I'll just reanalyze their mind to see who their new significant person is and take their form. But during these times...if Galaxy Steve and I let them all down, what if they have no one else to look up to for hope? Will their next significant person become no one? And if that's the case, will I become a nobody and a loser when I reanalyze their minds?
"Will I even be sane enough to reanalyze their minds? I'm afraid that I'll break too, like the other Steves, if I fail..." Illusion Steve flinched and clamped his mouth shut. "...Darn it, I rambled. Sabre's way of speaking is contagious."
"It's quite alright," Memory Steve quickly assured. "I could tell that you've been wanting to say these things out loud."
Illusion Steve glared at him. "Yeah, and what of it?"
Memory Steve shrugged. "It's your honest thoughts and worries. You have the right to be worried. I know meeting expectations is stressful, so I won't ridicule that."
Illusion Steve relaxed and looked at the lava lake.
Memory Steve teleported to the blue shulker box and picked another item. He returned to Illusion Steve and offered the item. The foam item was a miniature replica of a sheep and squishy. "Squeezing this toy may relieve your stress. Feel free to keep it; I have 20 more of these thanks to your father."
Illusion Steve accepted it and began fidgeting with the toy. But his tense expression was still there.
"...And you know what's insulting?!" He added abruptly with a hiss. "I can't figure out why Galaxy Steve failed to stop the infection. I can't figure out what he did wrong and what happened. I wish I knew what he did wrong. But it doesn't matter, because it doesn't change the fact that he couldn't to save the Steves from disappearing and now I have to rebuild the world. Yes, I do enjoy this task, but I find it frustrating that this entire thing could have been avoided if Galaxy Steve was more experienced at his job! It's insulting because I know that Galaxy Steve is inexperienced because he pushed away most of his responsibilities for Void Steve to handle. It's like this whole infection happened because of past mistakes he made literally generations ago!" Illusion Steve dipped his head, relieved to finally get all of that out of his chest.
Poor Illusion Steve, Memory Steve thought. He's suffering so much because he has to clean up the mess created by Galaxy Steve's carelessness and mistakes...Wait, do I do that? Do I create more messes for people when I erase their memories? Memory Steve shook that train of thought out of his head.
"...You'll eventually figure it out. I am sure of it!" Memory Steve added with a light-hearted tone. "You have the power of Alex. You have the power to create any solution. Just...give yourself time to figure it out. Also remember that you hired me for a reason. I can do things for you that you don't need to worry about. You won't carry this burden alone."
Illusion Steve perked up. "...Thank you. Really, out of everyone I have met so far...you were the first one to encourage me to not give up. I'm worried that I'll fail, so I'm forcing so many people to work for me. It's pleasant to have someone willingly on my side..."
"Is forcing Steves to cooperate the only reason why you conceal their memories about the past reality?" Memory Steve asked. "What about your worries about their expectations?"
Illusion Steve scoffed, shaking his head. "Wow, you caught on fast. I mean, yes, all I have to do is stop the infection, which I already did, and be done with my job. But my job is to help Galaxy Steve stay sane and happy. I'm afraid that if the Steves remember the infection, they'll all think about how terrible the infection was. They'll all wonder why Galaxy Steve didn't save them in the first place.
"They all expected him to save them, but the infection is proof that he let them all down. I know Galaxy Steve will feel guilty and think about all the 'what ifs,' once the Steves accuse him of being a failed savior. His happiness and sense of mind will be gone, and I'll have to spend my entire life defending him and helping him rise back up. And I don't want to work for the rest of my life. That's why my illusion extended this far; it's easier for me to get rid of the painful memory entirely than to help Galaxy Steve and everyone else let go on their own terms."
Something in Memory Steve's mind clicked. This was what he hoped to learn about Illusion Steve. He couldn't shoot down the idea now. He just had to roll along, to get Illusion Steve to continue chewing on the idea. "How frightening. I'll be honest, I originally thought your illusion pausing the infection was the simple solution. But now I realize that the solution won't freeze the consequences of your actions and Galaxy Steve's lack of action, which is a whole other problem."
Illusion Steve glared at him. "My mission depends on the outcome. Of course I worry about how people will perceive the consequences. I'm guessing that you worry more about the doing than the consequences, unlike me?"
Memory Steve chuckled. "I suppose you're right. That said, how are you certain that the Steves will hate Galaxy Steve for not saving them? Just like how you have the ability to stop the illusion, you have the ability to test how the Steves will naturally react to Galaxy Steve's mistakes and use the illusion to cover up their memories if the outcome is undesirable."
Illusion Steve stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Well...I mean...Sabre did forgive Galaxy Steve despite everything with Void Steve. Maybe he can convince Galaxy Steve to forgive and love himself again. But I think Sabre's changed and won't do that anymore. I mean, he already ridicules and doubts me! He doesn't see that what I am doing is right!"
"All...people like him are stubborn with their ideologies." Memory Steve was about to say "heroes," until he remembered that Illusion Steve considered himself as a hero.
Illusion Steve looked down, a dark expression cast over his eyes. "...I wonder how Elemental Steve did it."
Memory Steve flinched at the mention of that name.
"Yeah, Elemental Steve was sure something, based on what Time Steve told me," Illusion Steve continued. "But he had a plan. And he did convince Sabre to work with him for a while. He got Sabre to trust him. And after his...death, at least Sabre developed a respect for him. Memory Steve, do you have any of Elemental Steve's memories when he was with Sabre?"
Memory Steve quickly eyed one of the nearby trees. He suddenly felt tempted to snatch off one of the branches and the shear the leaves off. But he knew he couldn't do that. The blue shulker box full of inventions felt distant, with only the green leaves in his mind. He nervously imagined the texture of the leaves and the twisting and weaving of the plants. The thoughts produced unsatisfaction and growing stress, which made Memory Steve feel worse.
"...Are you ok?"
Memory Steve finally spoke after bottling down his rising panic and grief. "I do not, unfortunately. The last time I erased his memories was when Void Steve took him in, a few years after he forgot about Galaxy Steve."
Illusion Steve sighed. "...I wish I have the chance to talk to Elemental Steve. To figure out how he did it. How he got Sabre to understand him. And...I want to meet him. It would be nice to have a brother to work alongside with. Unfortunately, I cannot create a perfect illusion or copy of him because he's just so mysterious to me."
"You want to be more like Elemental Steve? Is that what you're saying?"
"He's the ideal goal, yeah."
Huh, strange, Memory Steve thought. You two are similar in interesting ways. Elemental went mad because he didn't understand his purpose. But you know your purpose, your father, and your expectations, and that's driving you mad. Opposite yet similar...Maybe Elemental Steve would have still gone mad if he knew Galaxy Steve was his father and why he created him...
"...I advise you to not compare yourself to others," Memory Steve finally said.
Illusion Steve looked at him with confused eyes. "...Why?"
"Comparing yourself to others will make work even more difficult," Memory Steve explained. "Also, it just isn't accurate for your case. You're unique. You're trying to rebuild a world through illusions, not establishing dictators and destroying worlds like Elemental Steve. Don't compare yourself to him."
"Then what do you suggest I do?! How can I figure this stuff out, as me instead of as Elemental Steve?! This whole mission is difficult!"
"I believe you are struggling to execute your mission because you feel pressured to complete it as soon as possible, which can lead to impulsive decisions. Perhaps you should take some breaks, so you'll be able to evaluate your plans with better judgement. Your mind needs breaks like your body."
"A break? I don't need one," Illusion Steve mumbled. "I need to get back to work."
"Illusion Steve." Memory Steve approached his cousin, looking at him straight in the eye. "You are a young adult and your hair is already turning gray from stress. This is not normal. It takes years for a Blue Steve to turn into an Elder Blue Steve, and I thought they lost their colors too fast until I met you. You need this break."
"My hair's always been gray," Illusion Steve argued. "My main color is gray."
"No, your main color is silver, and it's tarnished now," Memory Steve corrected.
"Oh, so you're claiming that you understand my own color palette more than I do?!"
Silence.
"Actually, that's false because I don't know what my own colors are supposed to mean," Illusion Steve finally admitted, looking at the cuffs of his white coat. "No one understands my color palette. I feel like an English teacher is going to ask their students to figure it out though."
"...What's an English teacher?"
"...I don't remember what that word means or when I learned it..." Illusion Steve looked off to the distance, an enlightened(?) look on his face.
Memory Steve huffed. "The point is...I suggest you take breaks and learn how to relax. That'll clear your mind and make it easier to understand things. Oh, did you learn things that'll help with your mission from that Blue Steve village memory?"
"Yes! Tons of things! I learned what Galaxy Steve thinks is an ideal village."
"That's wonderful. Promise me that you'll allow yourself to take a break once a day and I'll agree to keep supplying you memories for you to analyze."
Illusion Steve stepped back, an offended expression on his face. He muttered something and crossed his arms. "Fiiiiiiine, but you cheated on me anyways. You didn't show me one of his adventures from another world when I asked you to."
Memory Steve perked up, hidden eyes wide with glee. "I beg your pardon. May you repeat that?"
"I said: you didn't show me one of his adventures from another world when I asked you to." Illusion Steve stood up straight and formed a scolding, accusatory look. "Tell me...how often do you lie to make people feel better, Memory Steve?"
Memory Steve crossed his arms and tilted his head upwards. The mask hid his new smug expression. Usually, he would dread being caught lying or deceiving an ally. But this was the one lie he was hoping his cousin would notice.
"That memory you shared with me...I know it isn't actually Galaxy Steve's memories. I saw that the memory was an entire group of memories before you fused them together...You didn't erase Galaxy Steve's memories for that one memory, didn't you?" Illusion Steve asked in a low voice. "You erased the memories of an entire village. No, you wiped out all of their memories."
Memory Steve continued to smirk.
"And you can't travel to other dimensions like Galaxy or Elemental Steve, so you couldn't have gone to this more advance dimension to erase their memories." Illusion Steve's eyes started to burn with rage. "The only way for you to erase their memories is for that village to actually exist in the Steve Realm. You lied about it being in a complex dimension."
Memory Steve bowed. "You are correct! The village you saw in the memories was an actual village from the Steve Realm generations ago. It was the most advanced Blue Steve civilization, full of innovators who invented all sorts of items never seen before."
"It was the most advanced civilization until you erased all their memories and process, pushing them back to a simple society," Illusion Steve snapped. "Those inventions from that memory could have been all over the Overworld. Those Blue Steves could have changed the Steve Realm for the better and make it more advanced, if you didn't erase their memories about their lives and their inventions. Why did you do that?!"
"I was simply taking orders," Memory Steve replied. "I'm surprised to see you upset about this realization, considering your current plans are similar to my previous work of erasing a civilization's memories."
"Well, I'm not blocking memories to push back technological advances!" Illusion Steve huffed. "Why did Void Steve tell you to erase the Blue Steves' memories?"
Memory Steve chuckled darkly. "He didn't tell me to. Galaxy Steve was the one who ordered me to erase their memories. I erased their memories for Galaxy Steve." Just like how you are blocking everyone's memories for your father.
Illusion Steve took a step back, bewildered. "That...that doesn't make sense."
"I also lied that the memory was collected when Galaxy Steve became a threat whose mind I frequently wiped out. That memory was back when Void Steve and Galaxy Steve worked together, before they split. I used to work for both Void Steve and Galaxy Steve."
"But Galaxy Steve would never erase the memories of other people, especially with the friends he made. It doesn't make sense for him to do that."
"To me, it makes absolute sense why he did that."
"Then tell me, why did he order you to erase the memories of an entire Blue Steve village? What kind of a person was Galaxy Steve back then?" Illusion Steve was demanding answers, but a glow in his eyes betrayed his fear of learning these dark truths.
"Galaxy Steve was a friend and a local hero of the village. He visited them very often to enjoy celebrations. However, Void Steve had to destroy the village because they were getting to powerful. Galaxy Steve already allowed him to make all decisions by himself, so he could not stop him. He hated the idea of the village shunning him for not stopping his brother from attacking them, so he ordered me to erase their memories of him before Void Steve could come. Since he was so embedded into the history of the village, I had to take almost all of their memories.
"Those Blue Steves in that memory...only half of them survived Void Steve's attack. In that memory, that celebration was the last festival of their life.
"After Void Steve destroyed the village...Galaxy Steve came back to re-introduce himself. He offered to help them rebuild, never telling anyone the truth behind the village's destruction. He became a hero and a friend all over again because of that perceived kindness. Since the village didn't remember him, they wouldn't know that he was the reason why Void Steve attacked them and they wouldn't hate him. Nor would they shun Galaxy Steve refusing to help them invent new things, for they forgot about their former glory."
Illusion Steve wobbled a bit. He gently sat down on a nearby grass block and thought. "Galaxy Steve...he did this more than once, didn't he?" He asked with a hint of disgust. "He wanted to run away from his responsibilities and the negative consequences of his neglect. So he kept ordering you to erase the memories of people he indirectly hurt. Even if it meant destroying years of process...How many times did he use you?"
"Almost as much as Void Steve used me." Memory Steve knew that he was well-known for his infamous crime of erasing Time Steve and Elemental Steve's memories. Barely anyone knew he also did other tasks, especially the things he did for Galaxy Steve. "The Steve who ran away from his difficult responsibilities and used my memory powers to run away from consequences...that was your father."
Illusion Steve scoffed. "It was my father. But it's different now. He's changed! He's a good person now. And it doesn't matter what bad things or mistakes he did in the past. It'll all be irrelevant when my illusion becomes the new reality. No one will know about his bad past."
Memory Steve closed his eyes. He knew he reached a point. He could tell Illusion Steve right now. Point out the hypocrisy that just came out of Illusion Steve's mouth. But he knew how sensitive he was to criticism. It was safer to allow Illusion Steve to realize the hypocrisy on his own time.
"One more question, Memory Steve," Illusion Steve asked. "You stole a bunch of memories, and you were fine with using those memories for me. Are you ok with the fact that you steal memories from other people? How do you handle the consequences of your actions?"
Memory Steve shrugged. "I was created to erase memories, and my powers naturally make people forget about me and what I've done to them. I cannot feel upset about something I was destined to do, especially when other people order me to perform these tasks. The people I attack are good people. The good have more fun than the bad; they'll eventually create new memories and won't miss what they lost. I work for the evil side of the universe, and the evil side has to exist to keep the good side in check. Don't you agree?"
Illusion Steve sighed. "I can't argue with that. I'm doing bad things for a good means. But I believe it's all more complex than pure good and pure evil. That's too simple. I believe it's more...more...I can't find the words right now."
"I understand." Memory Steve gave Illusion Steve a respectful bow. He approached the cobblestone building and opened the door. "I suggest you put some thought into it. Perhaps we can discuss this another time."
"...we will." Giving his henchman a final spiteful look, Illusion Steve exited the Memory Dimension.
When the door closed, Memory Steve sighed and sat on a nearby grass block. "Did...Did I do the right thing?"
If Illusion Steve was smart, he would reflect on what Memory Steve had told him. He would eventually figure out that Galaxy Steve's downfall was caused by him erasing memories. He would eventually realize that he was repeating the same mistakes his father made in the past. Hopefully, Illusion Steve would accept that covering the world in an illusion was just as bad as Galaxy Steve escaping from his dark truths and failures.
But if he finds it out, will he change his plans? Will he learn quickly and actually succeed? If that's the case, I'll never be able to bring Void Steve back, all because of me. Am I wrong to help Illusion Steve, even if it would go against what Void Steve and I want?
Memory Steve couldn't decide what to think, but he was glad that he at least did something.
Illusion Steve was foolish like his father, but it was not his fault. It was Galaxy Steve's fault. Galaxy Steve influenced his son's thinking and set him up to complete a difficult task. Illusion Steve never asked for that. Memory Steve pitied that, so he couldn't just do nothing. Not after that Red Steve village and learning so much about his cousin.
"Well..." Memory Steve concluded under his breath. "I can at least say that I tried. That I did my part in helping him. Even if he discovers my hidden warning, that doesn't mean he'll actually find a healthier approach to his goals and succeed!" Overcoming mental problems wasn't as simple as realizing what was healthy and unhealthy for you. Memory Steve especially knew this harsh truth.
"If he doesn't adapt in time, Illusion Steve is still likely to fail, even with my help." Memory Steve summoned the glowing red flower. "Which means you can still come back, father. I can promise that."
Word count: 4606
Phew. Yeah, that was a long, looooong conversation.
Dialogue has always been my weakness in writing. I have a problem with making dialogue sound unnatural and just DRAGGING it out. I've been working very hard to make dialogue more natural. But dang, this conversation got very long.
I tried to keep the conversation organized. Making it clear when the topic changes, making the conversation contribute to the plot/characterization, and breaking it up with small action paragraphs. Though I still recognize it as a very flawed conversation, though I can't rn put my finger on why. Feel free to give constructive criticism about this whole chapter. I'll seriously appreciate it XD
Anyways, thank you for reading! Chapter 7 will be less dialogue heavy. Take care and stay safe.