This chapter is also a very LONG conversation. I tried my best to make it not tedious :'D I hope you enjoy!

Memory Steve ran back to him. In the area now stood the trap Illusion Steve had built for Sabre – a rainbow-colored shrine with chests inside, which could be locked from the outside with an iron door. The chests would probably lure Sabre inside. "Illusion! Please explain – " He stopped mid-sentence and tensed when he saw a colorful entity wearing a rainbow sweater.

Oh no, Rainbow Steve?! He panicked. Oh Colors, I don't want to deal with another enemy right after Sabre!

But when he registered that Rainbow Steve was lying on the grass with the most depressed expression ever, he calmed down. This wasn't Rainbow Steve. It was Illusion Steve disguised as him with his shapeshifting powers. "...May I ask what are you doing, lying on the grass? And why are you already disguised as Rainbow Steve? Sabre's not here yet."

Illusion Steve sadly looked up, his frown a thin line and those colorful eyes empty. "If I disguise myself as Rainbow Steve for a long period of time, can I be as happy and as oblivious as he is?"

Oh no.

Illusion Steve.

He made a joke about being in eternal pain. He was definitely not doing ok.

Memory cleared his throat. "I apologize for interrupting you and your coping, but why was this diagram in your study room?" He took out and unfolded the blueprint about absorbing Steves.

Illusion jumped up and snatched the diagram. His Rainbow Steve disguise faded away, revealing his true form. His blue and purple eyes blazed with alarm. "That's none of your business!"

"Illusion," Memory warned. "How much do you know about absorbing or fusing Steves? It's dangerous and takes years to perfect!"

"I know enough!" Illusion spat. "Don't worry about it!"

"I have the right to worry. My father failed because he was unprepared when he absorbed Galaxy Steve. I don't want the same thing to happen to you. I want you to stay careful."

Illusion blinked and stepped back. For a moment, it looked like he was reconsidering whatever plan he was going through. But then he shook his head and glared at Memory. "I won't fail. Don't underestimate me!"

"This has nothing to do with underestimating you," Memory reasoned. "I'm simply trying to understand what you are trying to do."

"You don't need to. Just do what you are told, Memory! Only I know what the best plan is!"

"I warn you that I'll keep questioning you until I get an answer. As your only loyal henchman, I expect transparency from you."

"Oh, so now you're entitled to learn everything just because you're loyal?!" Illusion accused. "Is the power I've allowed you to have finally getting to you? What are you gonna do now? Betray me and steal my memories so you can find out what my plans are?! You'll become a traitor if you do that and I'll have to – "

Memory jumped back. His hidden eyes flashed with confusion and hurt. "Erase your memories? I wouldn't."

Illusion froze, his eyes betraying his astonishment. "Wait...you weren't? You were never planning to betray me."

...The 'never' in that question makes it hard to answer it truthfully. Fortunately the mask hid his vulnerable expression.

"Illusion, I promised that I would not betray you nor erase your memories, and I plan to honor that. I want to learn, which is why I'm asking you to tell me more if you are willing to." And it was the truth. The thought of erasing Illusion's memories to find out his plan never crossed Memory Steve's mind.

Illusion Steve looked down in shame. Disguising as Rainbow Steve must had affected him; his guilty expression was endearing. "I apologize for the way I've been acting, Memory. I know I've been more frustrated and indecisive lately. It's just...there's a lot been going on right now."

Memory sighed and relaxed his muscles. "Did Alex upset you? During that confrontation, I learned that you can't have freewill until you finish your father's mission."

Illusion glanced sideways as he fidgeted with his hands. "Yeah...remember last time we talked? How I told you that I wanted everything to stay normal by forcing everyone to forget about the old reality? How I just wanted this huge task done for Galaxy Steve? It's all because I can't be free until I finish it. And what if my work is undone? My mind will be locked down again..." He shuddered. "I don't want that to happen..."

Memory scratched his chin. "I see...I've always noticed that you were stressed, rightfully so because of the incredible expectations placed on you. But now that I know that you have no freewill, I better understand why you're upset. In our last conversation, I warned you that forcing everyone to accept the illusion would worsen the problem. I told you that your solution wouldn't work. If I had known that you depended on this mission to gain your freewill, I would had offered more help. I apologize."

Illusion gave a melancholic smile. "No, it's ok. I'm glad you warned me. You understand how much my job sucks. I didn't ask for it, but I have do to it anyways if I want my freewill back. Alex didn't understand that and accused me of so many things, when it's Galaxy Steve who started it all!"

"But she offered to help you find a better solution if you surrendered," Memory added. "She could have given you better insight than what I can offer."

"Well, it's too late to ask for her help now. She won't cooperate." Illusion huffed and sank down in defeat. "And...she's right. I don't want to go through with this plan anymore."

Memory Steve chewed on the thought. He had a suspicion, but to actually hear it from Illusion Steve lifted a tense, foreboding feeling off his shoulders. "Do you need a hug?" He offered.

"No. How about a head pat instead? Maybe later I'll ask for a hug."

Memory patted Illusion's head, ruffling his already messy hair a bit more. Pat pat. His shorter cousin closed his eyes and puffed out his cheeks, pretending he was still aloof.

Secretly, Memory thought about Illusion Steve lacking freewill and how that hindered his own plan. He was hoping he could sway Illusion to work for Void Steve, but that was impossible if he was bound to Galaxy Steve. He wasn't sure what do to do now, but he wanted Illusion Steve free. Regardless, he had to help Illusion complete this mission.

Illusion dodged the next head pat and hissed, "Ok, that's enough! Thank you! Ugh, this is entire day is starting to feel like a filler chapter."

Memory set his hand down and reverted to his serious posture. "You've told me that we would continue with the current strategy until you found a new plan. Well, have you found one?"

Illusion Steve turned away. "Yeah...I may have gone a bit crazy and couldn't distinguish my own feelings from Galaxy Steve's feelings. I went mad for a bit, desperately wanting to make sense of my own world. So I did a lot of reading and learned something...extraordinary."

Whatever he learned in that library last night, Memory Steve realized. "What did you learn?"

Illusion Steve tensed and there was a long pause. "...It's too complicated to explain. I promise I'll tell you later. But listen to what I have to say now: what I discovered changes everything. That's why I've changed my mind about my plans."

Memory perked up, beaming underneath his mask. "Well, congratulations on the new idea! Why haven't you told me sooner about the new plan?"

"Weeeeellllll..." Illusion faced him again, but his eyes still looked to the distance. He awkwardly shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "...For this plan to work, we can't have Sabre's memories erased anymore. I need you to restore the memories we stole from him...and he needs to remember you again."

"..."

"...Memory?"

"..." Despite every ounce of his body wanting to protest, he still smiled and kept his hidden eyes wide, as if that would combat the growing frustration and anger. "...One moment, please." Memory Steve teleported far away from the Illusion Town, screamed into a grass block, and teleported back to Illusion Steve.

"Ahem, I apologize for my brief absence." He brushed the dirt off his coat and adjusted his tie. He forced himself to remain calm and to smile again. "Anyways, please, please elaborate!" This was the first time Illusion Steve cooperated today, and he couldn't lose that.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would oppose it. I was afraid that you'd betray me and erase my memories...that fear later manifested into that outburst..." Illusion brought his gaze down as he fidgeted more. "I'm sorry. My gut feeling makes it hard for me to trust anyone. But I want to trust you. After learning that you do care about my goals, I decided to finally open up about it. Glad I did." He let out a soft laugh, relieved to get all of that off his chest. "Are you mad that I changed my mind about Sabre? ...Do you regret giving me head pats?"

Memory let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, 'mad' is a strong word but...I'm rather annoyed. Why does this new plan require him to remember everything?"

"Because he knows more about this extraordinary thing than I do. I need his knowledge for my plan. I don't think he'll be willing to share what he knows unless there are stakes involved. I need him to remember the infection and the power I have over him. That'll force him to cooperate."

"And why must he remember me? Why can't you cooperate with him when he doesn't know about the infection, the old world's state, and me?"

Illusion's multicolored eyes darted away. "I think it'll be hard. He'll suspect that I'm hiding information from him and refuse to negotiate until he knows the truth."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. If you knew the thing I need to talk to him about, you would understand why I need him to remember."

Memory looked down, disappointed.

"Why do you even want to erase Sabre's memories?" Illusion Steve asked.

Memory Steve felt his heart race. "Sabre is one of the few people who remember me, which makes me uncomfortable. He destroyed me because he knew about my existence, after all."

"Really? But just him?"

Memory pulled on his coat's cuffs. "...I must admit... I'm uncomfortable with anyone remembering me, not just Sabre. I'd rather be forgotten." ...Wait...do I really want that? To be forgotten?

"Well, are you uncomfortable that I remember you?" Illusion Steve challenged. "I helped you overcome that drawback of people forgetting about you. I remember that moment: you seemed happy about it. And nothing bad has happened ever since you returned to the Overworld, with more people remembering you."

Memory Steve looked away, deep in thought. "I...I guess not. Perhaps I'm letting my emotions control my judgement. My emotions tell me that I want no one to remember me, though my other instincts tell me otherwise."

"How about this?" Illusion looked back and gave a small smile. "Let's drop our original plan to erase Sabre's memories to integrate him into the illusion. I want you – yes, you – to help me with my new plan by returning Sabre's memories and doing other tasks. And once my plan succeeds, you can erase Sabre's memories. You can always erase his memories again, you know. You have that ability now after blocking his ability to recall them."

"That's right!" Memory Steve's spirits lifted. "Then I suppose temporarily restoring his memories isn't too big of a risk."

"So are you in?"

"Well...one more thing..." Memory looked away nervously.

Illusion rolled his eyes. "It's another drawback, isn't it?"

Memory Steve rubbed his neck sheepishly. "If I restore Sabre's memories, I won't remember who he is, and that'll hinder your plan. If I restore knowledge, I risk forgetting about that knowledge."

Illusion chuckled and shook his head, his smile growing amused. "Your powers are incredible even though they come with so many drawbacks. You teach me that I need to be careful with all the power I have."

Memory Steve's face warmed. Did Illusion Steve really find his powers impressive, despite how many drawbacks and weaknesses they had?

Illusion Steve looked away while tugging on his coat. "I'll help you remember Sabre when you restore his memories...you won't have to worry about it."

"Splendid." Memory relaxed. "Besides restoring Sabre's memories, how else can I help you?"

Illusion turned back to him eagerly. "You know my goal: giving Galaxy Steve a peace of mind, using the resources I have. This time though, I need Sabre on my side, not against us. Usually, I can force people to work for me by using my powers, but that won't work on Sabre. How can I get him on my side?"

"When I worked with Void Steve, I've seen him promise great things to the allies he wanted." Memory Steve briefly hesitated before continuing, feeling a sudden pain from a certain recollection. "Not just power. Sometimes he would give them false hope or make them turn against their allies."

Illusion Steve narrowed his eyes and pushed his glasses back up. "Yeah...I'm not gonna give Sabre any power. Never. So giving him a false hope will do. I can make an illusion of anything he wants to see. Will that work?"

"It would, if he forgot that you were Illusion Steve," Memory scoffed. "If you want him to trust you, you need to offer him something real."

"But there's nothing good left that's real!" Illusion fussed. "How am I gonna find something real that Sabre would love to see?"

"Don't jump to that conclusion yet! You actually have someone who can give Sabre enough hope to consider listening to you. Someone you haven't put under the illusion yet."

Illusion perked up, knowing exactly who Memory was talking about. "But Sabre fears me because he believes he is dead."

"If the negotiation fails, I can erase his memories and he won't remember that he's alive."

"Yes but that actually won't – " Illusion quickly looked away and coughed loudly.

"But what?"

Illusion straightened up and nervously laughed. "Nothing. If you're up to erasing his memories in case this all fails, then be my guest."

"Will that be all you need from me?"

"Well, if we're going to use him to get leverage over Sabre, then there's another thing I must do. I need you to help me build a machine that'll remove the infection from him..."

Memory teleported onto a low hanging branch on the Illusion Tree. He crouched down, watching the entrance. The Guardian was arriving to the Illusion Town with Sabre following him. After completing that redstone machine and curing him, Illusion sensed the Guardian and Sabre coming. The new plan had begun...

"This – this is amazing!" Sabre spun around to observe all the features of the Illusion Town, his simper expressing sadness and nostalgia. Memory Steve dove behind rainbow leaves before Sabre could spot him on the Tree. "I can't believe there's another Rainbow Tree of Life! I was worried this entire infection was gonna be hard to stop. But this Rainbow Tree changes everything, Guardian!"

"Exactly, Sabre!" Guardian replied. "And that's not all. I believe that there is someone who's excited to meet you."

Memory moved out of his hiding spot to see the Guardian introducing Sabre to Illusion, disguising as Rainbow Steve again.

"Rainbow? RAINBOW STEVE! I knew you came back!" Sabre embraced Illusion Steve, who was using every ounce of willpower to not cringe. Sabre released him and eagerly started a conversation. The disguised Illusion Steve played along.

"Can I speak to the Guardian alone for a bit?" Illusion/Rainbow Steve asked after talking.

Sabre perked up. "Oh, does this mean the Guardian can hear and see you?"

Guardian nodded. "Yes I can see Rainbow Steve." He looked away before Sabre could spot the disturbed sadness in his eyes.

"I'm so glad, Rainbow Steve!" Sabre cheered. "Alex and Time Steve didn't see you or even remember you. But at least the Guardian can! And yeah, you can go and talk to him. I'll be looking around town!"

As Sabre wandered around, Guardian and Illusion/Rainbow Steve met at the corner.

"Not bad, Guardian," Illusion complimented. "You gained his trust."

"Yes I have," The Guardian laughed. "I must say, it's refreshing to be treated with respect by him, since he doesn't remember that I work for you! So, when will you lure him into the shrine and trap him inside?"

"Actually...there has been a change of plans."

The Guardian tilted his head. "A change of plans? We're not going to trap him and erase his memories?"

Illusion Steve shifted back into his true form. He gave Guardian a wink. "I'll take care of the rest."

Guardian remained speechless as Illusion Steve approached Sabre. Sabre jumped back. "Wait, who are you?!"

"It'll all be answered, when you get your memories back."

That's my cue, Memory teleported by Illusion's side and gave a courteous bow.

Sabre made a perplexed expression. "...Who's that?" Hearing this gave Memory Steve immense satisfaction.

There was a loud gasp. Memory and Illusion turned around to see the Guardian backing away in disbelief and horror. "I should have known. You teamed up with Memory Steve, one of the most despicable Steves to have ever existed?!"

"That's right, Guardian," Illusion tucked his hands into his coat pockets and sneered. "I've had Memory Steve work for me ever since he escaped the Spiritless World. He is the key to integrating Sabre into the illusion."

Hatred burned in the Guardian's lightning blue eyes and his wings raised. If it weren't for Illusion's presence, he probably would had pounced at Memory by now. "I – I can't believe it. I've always known that your methods were problematic, but I tolerated them because I wanted a better future for the Overworld and the Spirit World. But to team up with him." He pointed a finger at Memory. "You have gone too far! To team up with Void Steve's minion puts you on a level as low as Nightmare or Elemental Steve!"

"Void Steve's minion?" Sabre tried to follow the conversation. "But I thought that was Elemental Steve!"

Illusion Steve's sneer morphed into a scowl. "Really? Out of all of the terrible things I have done, this is where you draw the line? You condemn me for teaming up with Memory Steve?"

The Guardian adamantly shook his head. "Memory is one of the evilest Steves ever! Of course you don't understand, Illusion Steve. If you knew what Memory Steve did to my brother a long time ago, you would change your mind! I bet Memory Steve doesn't even feel remorse about what he did!"

Memory Steve flinched and his heartbeat accelerated. He knew exactly what the Guardian was talking about...

Illusion Steve rolled his eyes. "I thought you didn't care about the past world, Guardian, as long as the illusion made things better."

As Guardian fumed, Memory Steve forced himself to stay still, despite the painful memory pounding against his mind and threatening to make him scream. "It was...generations ago. And I, I was simply following Void Steve's orders."

"GUUUUUYSSSSS." Sabre yelled out, stomping on his feet. "Please, can someone tell me what's going on?! I feel like I'm missing a lot of stuff."

Illusion Steve huffed. "Memory Steve and I will take it from here, Guardian. Memory Steve is my henchman, and nothing will change that. Understand?"

Guardian's wings shuddered with bottled up anger. He forced himself to take a deep breath and step aside. "Very well, Illusion Steve."

"Actually, Guardian." Memory Steve approached him, head dipped down in shame. "I do have some guilt about what I did to your brother. Will you allow me to confess my guilt?"

Guardian crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. "I demand you spit it out then. Go ahead. Apologize to me. Not like I'll forgive you anyways."

"I sincerely apologize about...this." Memory Steve generated a memory-erasing dart and stabbed it into Guardian's neck. Guardian yelped and squirmed. The anger in his eyes vanished like fog. Using some of his powers, Memory Steve teleported the Guardian somewhere else and stumbled. He was not used to teleporting other Steves with his abilities, and that took a lot out of him.

Illusion Steve helped him stand up. "Nice one!"

"But it was a deviation of the plan. I did not expect the Guardian to act like that," Memory Steve hissed through his teeth as he tried to recover. "Hopefully erasing his memories of me will prevent him from betraying you."

After Memory stood on his own, Illusion gave him a worrisome, curious expression. "You hurt the Guardian's brother a long time ago. What did you do?"

"Well – "

Then Sabre attacked Illusion and knocked him down. "What did you do to the Guardian and who the hell are you?!"

"Mem-Memory, restore his memories now!" Illusion tried to push Sabre off him, his eyes frantic. Sabre had grabbed him by the neck and was shaking him.

"But without you helping, I might lost my memories when I restore them!" Memory Steve yelped.

"JUST DO IT! I'll help you!"

Memory Steve unblocked his powers, raised his hand at Sabre, and restored all of his memories.

Sabre stilled. His expression ambiguous because of his black bandana and flatlining mouth.

Memory Steve blocked his memory powers again, though it felt a bit different this time. ...Did I even unblock my powers in the first place? Something felt off.

Illusion Steve shoved the player off and jumped back up, immediately joining Memory Steve. He corrected his crooked glasses. "God, he's ridiculous!"

Memory eyed Sabre. I...I remember him! He faced Illusion. "How did you use your powers to help me while Sabre was distracting you?"

Illusion looked away and tucked his hands back into his pockets. "Don't worry about it."

Nervous, Memory took several steps back, hiding from Sabre's view.

Sabre got up and rubbed his head. "I, huh, what?!" His eyes glued onto Illusion Steve. "You?! What's happening and..." The player slowly looked up, noticing the Illusion Tree towering above. "No...this is impossible. Is that a Rainbow Tree of Life?!"

"Welcome back to the world of knowing, Sabre," Illusion Steve greeted arrogantly. "I'm glad you're here, because I've been wanting to show you what I've been working on."

"So this is an illusion, not a real Rainbow Tree of Life." Sabre noticed the surrounding walls. "You made a copy of the Rainbow Town." He returned a furious gaze at Illusion, balling his hands into fists. "As if you didn't mock me enough by disguising as him."

"That's right, Sabre. This is the Illusion Town, and the Illusion Tree will be a power source to turn my illusion into reality! No more of that 'grows once a generation' bullshit or other unfair rules that this world follows, because I can create this tree anytime. This tree will create so much hope!"

"That...you can't do that. You can't just make a Rainbow Tree of Life!" Sabre protested. "No big of an illusion can ever become reality. There will always be someone who questions it and makes the whole thing fall apart. And it's just a tree. I mean, yeah, you can always create another one with Alex's powers, but your illusion powers...they can't possibly..."

"No point in arguing. You can't win."

"Gah, I'm just so confused! Really confused." Sabre shook his head. "There are holes in my memories. Is it because of the illusion?"

"That's right! You are forgetting reality. This illusion will soon feel real, and you'll be like the other Steves who already gave into it."

Sabre paled. "But how did you do that? Your powers can't affect me."

"Oh, Sabre, you are alone while I have so many allies helping me. For instance, the Guardian betrayed you and Alex, which is why those two aren't here right now."

"What?!"

"And secondly, there is a henchman that I would like you to meet. Memory Steve."

Sabre hesitated before turning around to see Memory.

Memory bowed. "Greetings, Sabre. We meet again."

Sabre went deathly still. "Oh, so you can talk! Is this actually you, or is this an illusion? No...Guardian warned me that you came back. Are you the real Memory Steve?!"

Memory nodded.

"Aaah, I can't do this anymore! I gotta blink!" Sabre jerked his head back. He looked back at Memory Steve dumbfounded. "You aren't erasing my memories? And hold on, are you working for Illusion Steve?! That's why I'm starting to lose my sense of reality. The only Steve who is able to manipulate my memories is you."

"And he will erase the memories of all stubborn people who oppose me!" Illusion Steve boasted. "You can't defeat us Sabre. You're outnumbered."

"You're wrong!" Sabre pouted. "I'll always have someone who's got my back. Watch!" He turned and gave Memory a friendly wave. "Heeeeey, Memory Steve! Since you're Illusion Steve's minion, and I gave Alex and Guardian a chance to be my allies, I guess I also owe you a Sabre Pep Talk™. Memory Steve, come to the light side and ditch Illusion Steve! You won't regret it!"

Memory rolled his eyes behind his mask and groaned. He didn't approve of Sabre being able to talk, but he might was well play along.

"I don't think he's convinced," Illusion mumbled. "What can you offer that will make him want to join your side?"

"Well, Memory Steve buddy, you've been a villain for too long. I think you should give being-a-hero a chance. It'll show you're flexible. That looks good on resumes."

"Pfft, are you serious?! There's no way he's gonna – "

"No, no." Memory raised a hand to shush his cousin. "Elaborate, Sabre. What looks good on resumes?"

"What?!" Illusion gasped.

"Flexibility looks good on resumes," Sabre explained. "Employers look for that in potential workers. You'll be immediately hired next time you show that in your resume!"

"Okaaaaay." Memory brought a hand to his face and pretended to think. "But how else will I benefit if I join you? Will I be paid better?"

"Oh, I actually don't have money," Sabre said. "Can I pay you in exposure instead? I have a lot of followers on social media. What do you say, Memory Steve? Allies?" Sabre offered a hand. "I can give you other benefits too! I bet Void Steve didn't give you healthcare coverage, but I can! I can also provide you EAP."

Memory Steve stood silent for a minute as his poor brain wondered why the hell Sabre thought a Steve who erased memories uncontrollably would accept exposure as payment. As if offering exposure as payment wasn't already insulting? And what the hell is social media anyways?

Memory shook his head. "I am disgusted and no longer interested in working with you."

"What?! Rude! Why are people so greedy?!" Sabre turned around to pout.

Illusion relaxed. "You were joking, right? You weren't actually gonna join his side?"

"I was joking, but at what cost?" Memory replied in a deadpan voice.

Illusion Steve approached the pouting player. "Why fight this? Why are you trying to fight me when you are alone? Wouldn't it be easier to join me?"

"Well, let me ask you this: wouldn't it be easier to not be evil?" Sabre challenged. "Yeah, you stole Alex's powers and combined that with your own power to pause the illusion. That is not cool, but honestly, that's all you had to do to make Galaxy Steve happy, since the infection doesn't harm him anymore. You could have stopped there, but you didn't. I don't get it. Your illusion is just unnecessary."

"You're unnecessary," Illusion Steve snapped.

"Oh, are you getting butthurt? And seriously, you're gonna work with Memory Steve too?" He glared at the masked Steve. "I don't know if you know this, chief, but that guy is dangerous and evil. He was a minion of the Void Steve; so many things can go wrong if you trust him. I refuse to believe that you're working with him because you're evil too, because I know your intentions are good."

"Sabre, you underestimate how well I work with Memory Steve," Illusion scoffed. "And you are not giving my offer of an alliance a chance. Here, let me show you someone you can reunite with if you join my side. Memory Steve?"

Memory Steve bowed to accept Illusion's silent request. He escorted him and Sabre to the hidden hallway and led them to the portal to his prison.

Word count: 4778

My brain cell in charge of writing: Describe Memory Steve's sense of humor for me.

My brain cell in charge of characterization: *shrugs*

My brain cell in charge of writing: Cool, thx

I tried to make this chapter entertaining XD

I struggled the most with writing emotions in this chapter, so feel free to give constructive criticism or suggest words/phrases I can use to better convey emotions.

Thanks for reading! Take care and stay safe. See you in the next update!