As Memory led the way through the dark prison, with Sabre behind him and Illusion following, the player's complaint broke the silence. "Look, man, nothing's going to convince me to join you!" He continued to fuss when they arrived at the glowing portal.

Memory Steve nodded towards the portal. "Come, Sabre."

Sabre grounded himself, but Illusion Steve rolled his eyes and shoved him through, with Memory Steve following.

"Rude!" Sabre had collapsed onto the white floor. He got up and dusted his clothes before looking up. "Where did you even take me and...No...No way!"

While Memory stayed near the portal. Illusion marched towards the machine that held Time Steve and deactivated it. In the glass chamber, Time Steve jumped awake with a gasp, scanned the area, and froze when he and Sabre met eyes. "Sabre?!"

"Time, it can't be you?! ...Can it?" Sabre ran towards the machine, shaking his head. "This might be another illusion. I need to know if it's truly you."

Time Steve nodded frantically as he tried to move in the chamber. "It is me, Sabre! Ask me a question that only I would know."

"How did you say goodbye when Galaxy Steve absorbed you?"

Time Steve slumped as his mask concealed his wince. "I wrote my goodbyes in a book, which you found after I disappeared."

"And how did we save Alex from the infection?"

"I froze her in time, then you removed her powers...the bad things that Guardian warned us about happened, didn't they?"

Sabre beamed. "It really is you! And yes, someone did take Alex's powers. It was Illusion Steve. Do you know him?"

"Of course. He's my brother." Time Steve turned to Illusion Steve, who remained by the machine.

"That's right! You were both created by Galaxy Steve. That makes you two family."

"Actually," Illusion Steve interrupted. "There's three of us in this room that are family."

Memory Steve looked up from counting the levers he had left (two remaining). Sabre, Illusion, and Time Steve all stared him down. The imprisoned Steve tilted his head in confusion. "Um, who are you? I believe that I've forgotten your name."

Sabre shot him a paled expression. "Oh my god, Time, this is something you need to know! I'm so sorry to bring this up, but this guy is – "

"My name is Memory Steve," the masked Steve interrupted. "I was the one who erase your family's memories."

The déjà vu chilled the silent room.

"No," Time Steve rasped. "No...no no no no. This can't be. THIS CAN'T BE. Sabre, is this true?!"

Sabre grimaced. "It's true. I'm sorry."

"YOU ARE A MONSTER." Time's maddened movements rattled the chamber that held him. "I HATE YOU."

Memory walked to the side of the machine, not even bothering to look at Time in the eye. He already knew he'd be upset, so his second breakdown didn't faze him. "You should have seen it coming a long time ago. Your father's action and what your actions would eventually led to me taking your memories."

Sabre looked back and forth between Memory and Time. "What's going on here? Wait, Illusion said three family members are here. But Memory isn't a creation of Galaxy. He can't be family! Unless..." He locked his covered stare on Memory Steve. His skin paled again as he started to tremble. "Memory, are you Void Steve's son?"

Memory nodded at Sabre.

Sabre jumped back and covered his hand with his mouth. "No way! I knew you worked for him, but, oh my god, you were his son too?!"

"You're Void Steve's son?!" Time Steve repeated. "Then that means..."

Illusion shot his brother a sympathetic glance. "Yes, Time. He's Galaxy Steve's nephew. He's our cousin."

Time gulped. His clock-mask hid his expression, but Memory Steve could sense the dread, shock, and anger radiating from him. "This...this can't be happening." He shook his head as a low laugh crawled out of his throat. "This person ruined our family! And to now know that he is family...is just...disgusting."

Memory finally glared at Time, hoping he could somehow sense the enraged expression under his spiral mask. "So high and mighty, like you always were. It won't change anything. You can't change anything."

"Wait, Illusion Steve, you told me that you killed Time Steve!" Sabre changed the subject. "But you clearly didn't. You were bluffing!"

"Correct, Sabre. Time Steve's death was simply an illusion. Not only that, but I have cured him too."

Sabre looked back at Time Steve, mouth wide open. "For real?!"

Time forced himself to take a deep breath. "Yeah. He removed the infection from my powers. And I still have my powers."

"I helped with that," Memory muttered.

Sabre returned to the machine and banged a fist on the glass. "Then let him go! Illusion Steve, the fact that you haven't killed him is proof that you actually don't want to hurt people. So why are you still going through with your plan?!"

"Oh, I'll let him go eventually. But under one condition: you work for me." Illusion circled around Sabre while wearing a sneer. "You help me bring the perfect reality to the Steves, then I'll release Time from the prison he's been forced to live in."

"Why can't you let him go now?"

"My goal is to help Galaxy Steve make sense of the world, and he's unable to handle a world where his careless actions have hurt the people he love." Illusion pointed to Time Steve, who looked absolutely miserable. "A perfect reality is a world that isn't damaged by his old mistakes with Void Steve. If he sees Time now, he will panic and my mission will fail."

Sabre tensed. "That's what this is all about? You're trying to make a reality that doesn't remember all the bad things he's done? That's how you plan to make Galaxy Steve happy?"

Illusion Steve perked up. His multi-colored eyes ignited eagerly. "Well, if that's how you understand it, then yes!"

"Galaxy feels a lot of guilt, yeah. And I know he wants to forget about it all, and you're helping him with that. Then why are you keeping him?" Sabre fixed his concealed gaze at Memory Steve. His nostrils flared. "You saw how Memory Steve made Time upset. So he's gonna hurt Galaxy too. Why are you keeping him around if you goal is to make Galaxy forget about all the damage he caused? Your plan makes no sense!"

Time Steve looked at Sabre in horror. "Wait, Illusion is working with Memory Steve?!" He turned to his brother. "Illusion, did he force you to hire him?! Or are you working with him willingly?"

The youngest Steve cowered back with his eyes wide. "Well...umm, this is different!" He looked away from Time Steve and Sabre as he rubbed his hands mindlessly. "I originally tried to get rid of him or to put him under the illusion. But then we had an agreement and we..."

Memory took a step back, hoping that his boss actually prepared a response to this. He gulped, worried that Sabre or Time would force Illusion to turn against him.

"Ugh, I wish I had a sword on me!" Sabre huffed. "Illusion, you're keeping Memory Steve around because he can help you? The same reason why you want me to join you? You're afraid that you'll fail, so you're recruiting all the help you can get, even if your allies may not actually agree with you. You need help, even though you don't want to admit it."

Memory Steve realized that Sabre had a point. Was that the truth behind Illusion's new plan? Did he even have a plan? Was he so worried about failure that he hoped Sabre would create a new plan for him?

"It's more than that," Illusion persisted. "Just join me, Sabre. And once I trust you, I will tell you my plan and then you will see and understand."

"What do you possibly want from me?!" Sabre threw his arms up in frustration. "You said it yourself: I can't defeat you because I have nothing and nobody. How can I help you if I'm already useless?"

After shooting a nervous look at Memory, Illusion gave a dark chuckle. "You and I both know that you aren't as useless as I say you are. You know what advantage you have that none of us do, and I need that for my plan."

Sabre straightened. His blindfolded eyes wore who-knew-what emotion, and he certainly would not reveal that emotion. "I refuse to help you."

Memory lowered his head and facepalmed as a scowl formed under his mask.

Illusion rolled his eyes and pretended to head back to the portal. "Fine! Refuse to help the Steves who deserve a better life! Just like all the years you held back who you really were so you could live among us for your entertainment!"

Sabre raised his shoulders. The fluff on his onesie bristled like a defensive cat. "Don't you dare say that. I'm especially not going to help you now if you're gonna disrespect what I've been through!"

Illusion paused with a grunt. "Memory Steve, can you remind Sabre what'll happen to him if he doesn't join me?"

Memory Steve exhaled, "Thank goodness." Looks like the plan didn't work after all. Back to Sabre being clueless. "Well, Sabre, I recommend that you say farewell to your memories."

Sabre quickly shielded his eyes and backed to the corner. "No, stay away!"

Memory Steve generated a dart, ready to shoot it at Sabre.

"WAIT!" Time Steve roared.

Illusion ran up to Memory Steve and grabbed his arm, shaking his head. Memory Steve rolled his eyes and despawned the dart. Sabre nervously unshielded his face. The three turned to Time Steve, who did his best to look back despite his limited movement. "Is that was this is all about, Illusion? Are you unsure if you want to bring this world under the illusion?"

Illusion Steve gave a heartless, bitter expression.

"I told you before, it's never too late to change your mind," Time Steve assured. "Just let me know, and I'll help you undo all of this! I just want the best for you. I want you to be better than Elemental and Galaxy. Maybe Sabre has a better idea and you can work with him."

Illusion tensed and bared his teeth. "Why haven't you learned yet how much I hate it when you say that?"

"Why? I'm just saying – "

Illusion charged at the machine and slammed his arm on the metal, sending a chilling echo in the room. Memory and Sabre both flinched at the noise. They exchanged glances of mutual worry and confusion, silently confirming that this brotherly fight was indeed real.

"It doesn't help! Your words never helped, even back when we were stuck inside Galaxy Steve's mind!" Illusion's chest heaved as his eyes locked on Time Steve with glowing wrath. "You should have never tried being my friend inside Galaxy Steve's mind. If you never tried being a hero in my life, then maybe I would at least feel content about these responsibilities Dad forced me to do. You ruined this! You ruined my life!"

"He's not forcing you to do these things! What's gotten into you,?!" Time Steve pleaded. "I know it's unfair have no freewill, but I can help you! You're not alone!"

"I don't need your help! Your help never did anything good! If you really want to help me, then do something besides telling me lies as your family FALLS APART!"

Time Steve trembled. Memory Steve cringed as he felt Time Steve's aura shift from hopeful and desperate to...heartbreak.

He took that as a call to action. "That is enough!" Memory stepped between Time and Illusion. He was near the lever, so he activated the machine, causing Time Steve to fall unconscious.

"No!" Sabre cried.

"Sabre, Illusion Steve, I suggest we both return to the surface world," Memory Steve commanded.

"Yeah...yeah," Sabre said, with an underlying surprise that he agreed with Memory Steve. "We all gotta chill after this. Seriously, Illusion Steve. You're giving off big Origin Steve vibes. I've never seen you this mad before."

"Shut up!" Illusion spat. "You know that once we return to the Illusion Town, Memory Steve will wipe your memories. I brought you down here so you can see your friend. But since you refused to help me, I will erase your memories and you'll go back to thinking that Time Steve is dead."

"Fine." Sabre slouched in defeat as Illusion and Memory Steve escorted him back to the portal. He looked over his shoulders to the machine. "Goodbye Time Steve. If you're listening, don't lose hope! I'll get you out of there!"

Sabre sulked near the entrance of the Illusion Town after so many fruitless attempts to break through the invisible barrier. "This sucks."

"I actually didn't know that an invisible barrier existed until I saw you crash into it," Memory Steve, who was watching over him, added.

"It's because Illusion Steve trusts you for some reason! Honestly, I still can't believe you're here and you're Void Steve's son. I thought I was done with Void Steve, but then you came back. While all the people he destroyed...aren't." That last word was bitter.

Memory scoffed, "Perhaps the universe found it important to bring me back to serve Illusion Steve."

"...Illusion Steve gave you the ability to control your memory powers, didn't he?" Sabre guessed. "Wait, does that mean you can't control when you erase memories?"

Memory flinched. Sabre was picking up that he couldn't control his powers, and he didn't like it...

Sabre shrugged and sat down on the grass. "Illusion Steve ordered you to erase my memories of Time Steve, right? Go ahead. I can't do anything about it."

Memory Steve's heart raced as he remained still. Sabre just surrendered? The last time an enemy surrendered without a fight happened a long time ago, and that moment still insulted Memory Steve and revived bitter emotions. Sabre giving in also irked him, while his mind fearfully wondered what this surrender could mean. Back with Rainbow Steve, Sabre had pretended to be vulnerable and give himself up with the traps and the memory helmets. Memory Steve still hated himself for falling for it, because he got himself trapped twice and killed.

Sabre was surrendering again with no worry...why? Did he have another counterattack to defeat him? And the fact that he finally knew that he couldn't control his powers. What if Sabre also discovered his critical weakness, despite Guardian's cluelessness?

I have to figure it out. And for me to learn more...he has to remember me longer. Mentally fussing, Memory Steve deactivated the illusion power and erased Time Steve from Sabre's mind, while letting the player keep his memories of him.

Memory Steve teleported to Illusion Steve, who sealed away the stairways to the underground hall and picked up the lever. He briefly checked the memory flowers that replayed Sabre finding Time Steve in prison. "His memories of Time Steve have been erased. But I preserved his memories of me, since I'd like to have a word with him later."

"Really?" Illusion looked perplex. "Anyways, can we meet in the Memory Dimension? The plan to get Sabre on our side obviously failed, so I want to talk about our alternative plan."

"Of course." Memory actually hoped Illusion would suggest that.

The sound of wings approached the Illusion Town. "I'm back!" The Guardian landed. Memory teleported out of sight before Guardian could spot him.

"Guardian!" Sabre ran up to the gray-clad entity and shook him. "Memory Steve is working with Illusion Steve!"

Guardian stared back as if he witnessed Sabre slipping into a muddy pig pen and laughed. "Are you trying to make me betray Illusion Steve? This is a poor attempt. Your lies can't compete against Illusion Steve's power."

"DARN IT!" Sabre trudged to the corner in defeat.

"Oh, Guardian, I apologize for the confusion but I'm glad you're back!" Illusion called out. "I'm going to run an errand in another dimension. Bring Alex from where I locked her up and build a machine for her here. Hook the machine to the Tree, and make sure Sabre doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Of course, Illusion Steve. What errand are you running?"

"Oh, you know, the calm and collected ones."

"AAHH!" Illusion threw a cobblestone block into the lava lake and resumed pacing around. "I just don't get it! Why is Sabre still refusing to help?! Is he really letting everyone suffer just to protect his secrets?!"

Memory had no clue what Illusion was ranting about ever since they arrived in his dimension. They haven't even discussed Illusion's alternative plan yet. He could only guess what he and Sabre knew and why they wouldn't explain it, and it frustrated him that he didn't understand.

Knowing this was the only thing he could do, Memory took out the books and files out of his inventory. "I've recovered these from the destroyed study room."

Illusion perked up and eagerly accepted the books. "Memory...thank you. I've had a long day, spending all day stressing and debating if I should change my plan, only for Sabre to refuse to help me and for my brother to tick me off. So seeing that some books survived from my reckless decisions today is pleasant. Can you hold onto them for me in your dimension?"

Memory slyly backed away when Illusion tried to give them back. "Only if you tell me what's wrong. It's obvious that there is something bothering you and you want to express it. If you still want to rant, I will listen without any of the judgement the heroes give you. Please consider my generous offer."

Illusion groaned before sitting on a grass block to mope. "Time and Elemental don't remember anything about their childhood. But you remember growing up with them, right? What were they like growing up?"

Memory sat on his haunches next to Illusion. "Umm, well, they were kind, and playful. And pretty proud of being the sons of Galaxy Steve." Despite how much of an irresponsible hero he was.

Illusion scoffed. "Time was still like what when I was growing up in Galaxy's head, and it sucked. When Galaxy Steve was infected, he couldn't enter his mind to see me, because his own head became an enigma to him. So Time stepped in to raise me, but I wish he didn't."

Memory leaned forward with interest. "What did he do to upset you?"

Illusion slammed his hand on the ground as his eyes ignited with unleashed anger. "He fed me so many lies about Galaxy Steve! Well, maybe to him they weren't lies. He told me that Galaxy was a great person who's grown so much, doing everything he can to make the world of Steves better than ever. Time told me that his life was difficult because of Galaxy's mistakes, and that my life was going to be so much better because Galaxy's changed.

"But here I am now, stuck doing this task for Galaxy Steve. Galaxy should be doing better. He should have learned his lesson, grown stronger, and moved on. But noooooo, he made me to do his work...just like what happened to Void Steve. Not only that, but Void Steve was created with freewill, but I lost mine the moment I became an adult?! It's like Dad learned nothing from all the damage Void Steve caused, except 'well, if I let another freak to do my hard job, I'll make sure they don't have freewill so they won't go too far and I can get away with being irresponsible this time!'

"Think about it! How would you feel if that happened to you? How would you feel if your brother told you about all these amazing things about your dad and how you're going to have a great life because he's grown as a person, only to find out that he's pulled the same mistakes on you?!"

Memory silently concealed how offended he felt when his cousin called Void a freak. After calming down, he said, "I see...you're frustrated and disappointed because you believe it's all unfair."

"Yes! Yes! I didn't ask to be created to fix a mess for people I've never known! I didn't ask for this task and for my freewill to be taken away once I was old enough to have a purpose. Especially since I expected better. Time told me that I would have a better life than him – actually getting to know my dad, helping him with his job to protect the world. I was excited for that! I couldn't wait for Galaxy to gain enough power to bring me and Time out of his head. But then it turned out he only wanted me to do his job for him, and now I'm messed up in the head too because I lack freewill. Now I'm just following orders, no longer passionate about a life I used to looked forward to. I feel like Time ruined my life by giving me expectations. If he never told me these lies, I wouldn't feel disappointed because I wouldn't know that I deserved a better father..."

"Hmm, and the only way to let it go and be free is to complete this mission," Memory added. "And rather than only pausing the infection, you want to make the entire world perfect, because you fear an imperfect reality will upset Galaxy Steve and you will lose your freewill again. You don't want to feel disappointment again, so you want to make sure your job is completely done, and you don't trust Galaxy Steve to learn from his mistakes in an imperfect world."

Illusion didn't want just a perfect reality. He wanted a reality that didn't create anymore tragedies. He didn't want to be disappointed by life again or by hurt by the failures of other people. And maybe deep down...he wanted to make sure no other Steve went through what he did. To be created without freewill in a chaotic time by a Steve who wasn't in their right mind. A disappointing existence.

"Yeah...that's right," Illusion sighed as he flipped through a random book. "Galaxy's mission is vague enough that I'm free to interpret what he wants. That allows me some freedom of choice, but I want complete freewill. I wish Galaxy wasn't so dumb that he forgot to learn his own lessons. I wish reality was perfect in the first place, because if it was, maybe Galaxy Steve wouldn't have gotten sick and repeat his mistakes, then I wouldn't be here!"

The disturbing hidden message of Illusion's vent haunted Memory. He chose his next words cautiously. "I'll play the hero's advocate for a moment: you must keep in mind that Galaxy Steve was infected, which caused him to relapse."

...why was he defending Galaxy Steve? Didn't he also hate his uncle for continuing his bad habits after defeating Void Steve? Well, his repeated mistakes led to Illusion's creation, and Memory couldn't hate Galaxy Steve for allowing him to meet his youngest cousin...

"He's the protector and ruler of the Steve Realm. He doesn't have that excuse," Illusion countered.

"Is that why you don't trust Alex?" Memory asked. "Compared to Galaxy Steve and Origin Steve, she seems much more competent, so I'm surprised you don't trust her."

Illusion held up another cobblestone block. Instead of throwing it into the lava, he traced his fingers along the block's patterns with a bitter expression. "She also had a relapse. She went back to her old habit of blaming herself for everything and nearly restarted the world! I watched that whole thing from a distance when Sabre and Time dealt with her." Illusion Steve must be hyperaware of the fact that everyone had flaws. Instead of embracing it, he saw that as a constant threat that could unravel a perfect reality. Could that explain his desire to control everything? Could that explain why he found it difficult to work with Alex, Sabre, and others?

Memory suddenly felt like the target of Illusion's frustration. He was also far from perfect, having to confess many of his flaws and drawbacks. Why did Illusion Steve put up with him? Suddenly feeling like he owed so much, he stood up, accepted Illusion Steve's books, and summoned a shulker box to place them in. "I appreciate you for telling me. You must have struggled to express your frustration and disappointment. However, are you sure you want to continue acting this way? Will expecting the worst from everyone and being upset about life help you at all?"

Illusion glared at Memory.

"I don't say this to antagonize you," Memory quickly clarified. "In fact, I relate. Galaxy Steve forced my father and I to do his work. Then he hated us for doing his job with our evil methods. I know what it is like to be despised because of circumstances I didn't ask for. However, I worry that if you cope with your frustrations by mistrusting everyone and reaching a difficult goal alone, you'll give the world and Galaxy Steve the last laugh."

Illusion looked away. His messy hair concealed his eyes as a dark laugh emerged. "Hah, don't worry. This world or Galaxy Steve won't get the last laugh. In fact, let's talk about my new plan!"

Memory straightened up. "Well...if you want to discuss that, then we can start now, I suppose."

Illusion smirked. "Remember the thing that changed everything, motivating me to change my plan? Sabre has something that'll bring the Steves to a better reality, in the most peaceful way possible. I'm unsure what he can do, but I assumed that once he knows my plan, he'll know exactly what he needs to do to help me. But he won't help...so I'll have to figure out the remaining steps myself." He ended that sentence with a nervous giggle. "This is the only way..."

Something in Memory Steve told him to speak up. He knew that Illusion would do anything to avoid failure, the thing he feared the most. Was Illusion Steve pushing himself not just to avoid failure, but also as a cry for help? Memory Steve wanted to find out to stop the recklessness, but he was too clueless, not knowing what direction Illusion Steve was taking.

"Anyways, this plan will be complicated, so I'll need your help. In fact, Memory, you're the only person who I can fully trust." Illusion gave him a smile, which warmed his heart. "Thank you for listening to me."

"Well...then you can also trust me to understand your plan and to keep it between us." Though Memory was also questioning what in the world he was getting himself into.

"Here's what I can tell you right now: have you wondered where Galaxy Steve has been all this time? He's another key to my plan. He also has knowledge and abilities necessary for this plan."

"Galaxy Steve has the ability to travel to other dimensions," Memory said. "Are you going to take the Steves to a new dimension, away from the infection? That'll cost too much power and risk a black hole! How does Sabre fit into this?"

"Because the 'dimension' I want to take the Steves to is far beyond Galaxy Steve's ability, and Sabre is the key to find that dimension. But I'll handle that. For you...this is what I need you to do..."

Word count: 4586

:3 Get hyped for next chapter. It'll be a fun one :3

Btw, what do you guys think about my interpretation of Illusion Steve and all the emotional issues this piece of garbage has? I've worked really hard to make Illusion into a more complex, tragic character and to reveal his characterization through these conversations. I'm proud of how much work I've put into my disaster son headcanons, but unsure if I did it justice in my writing. So what do you guys think?

Anyways, thank you so much for reading! See you guys in the next chapter! Take care and stay safe.