I May Fall-Chapter 7
Wednesday, April 9th, 2014 08:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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mindcrackloveThis chapter is wayyyy long. Like almost 6,000 words. I won't apologize for it's lengthy-ness because I think it turned out pretty ok. It's not beta-ed more than me looking over it a few dozen times, so please feel free to point out any errors you see. I would like to thank Aleks for helping with ideas for this chapter. I hope you enjoy I May Fall 7- In Which Etho is in the Matrix
Etho stood on top of the mountain, basking in the warmth of the midday sun. For a moment he considered smiling before remembering why he stood where he did and deciding it wasn’t appropriate. It was hard not smiling, even with the circumstances. He felt so light, lighter than he had felt in weeks. Which was odd. He should feel heavy and burdened; he was just about to lead a bunch of innocents to their deaths. But he felt weightless, as if he might float off the mountain top and up to the Aether at any moment. It was a nice feeling, Etho decided not to question it for the time being.
He looked to his left and saw a small group of archers, he recognized a child who stood among them. She was clutching her bow, hanging on for dear life. She was frightened, he realized. He stared at her a moment longer, analyzing her mid-length brown hair, searching her murky blue eyes. He couldn’t figure out where he knew her from, it was teasing at the edge of his mind but he couldn’t quite latch onto it. A single letter popped into his head, T, and he held onto it as he turned to face the next group of people standing on the mountain with him.
Behind him stood a much larger group, all of them held swords; some even had pieces of armor. To most it would seems like an enormous army capable of out numbering and conquering any foe. But Etho knew better. He knew the Collective Mindcrack Armies would outnumber him 5 to 1, their soldiers were probably more skilled fighters as well. He knew he was leading his soldiers into a massacre. But what could he do? What were his other options? Anyway, it didn’t matter because he felt so light, so, so light. So who cares?
Etho took time to look over every soldier; he tried to memorize all their faces. He wanted them ingrained in his mind forever, so even when they died they could live on in his memory. He knew it was a morbid thought, but once again it didn’t seem to matter. He felt so nice.
His eyes rested on a young man in a turquoise shirt a moment longer than the rest. He felt that strange sense of familiarly the same way he had with the child, but he couldn’t quite place the face. The man had short brown hair and a face that Etho felt wouldn’t just blend in with a crowd.
How do I know you? He asked himself. And then suddenly a loud ringing sounded in his ears. Bits of red started poking its way into his vision and he coughed, choking as if there was dust in the air. He was inside the mountain, in their base, screams filled the air. He saw the same young man who stood among his ranks but this time he was sprawled across the ground in an unnatural position that could only be formed by a human with many shattered bones.
He heard himself call out to the body, taking unsteady steps toward it, “Joe! Joe Hills!” He choked out the name, the dust in the air made it hard to breathe.
And then the fit was over and he was back on the mountain with the clear blue sky and warm sun.
Etho took a few deep breathes of the clean mountain air, clearing his lungs of any imaginary dust that had worked its way inside of them. His feeling of weightlessness was gone, replaced by a hollow feeling that sat in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn’t right, but Etho couldn’t quite place his finger on it.
“You,” Etho called, pointing to the young man, “What’s your name, soldier?”
The soldier immediately straightened up and responded, “Joe Hills, sir.”
Etho rolled his eyes, “Don’t call me ‘sir’.”
“But everyone always calls you that, sir.” A girl replied.
Etho turned towards the voice which had come from his right. The voice belonged to a girl who appeared to be about 17. She had short blonde hair cut into a neat bob, her brown eyes were wide and seemed to swallow Etho whole with the concern that rest there.
The girl also looked familiar and a heart-wrenching feeling of loss watched over Etho. And then he was in the medical bay staring at this same girl’s lifeless body. A man he could not see, seeming to be more like an apparition than an actual being, told him that the girl had been shot through the heart and killed.
When the man was done speaking and Etho was back on the mountain, he was on his knees gasping for breath once more. This time his lack of breath wasn’t due to dust in the air, but because his heart ached as if he was mourning. A moment ago he never knew this girl existed; now he was breaking over the thought of her death.
What was going on today?
The girl rushed over to him, also falling to her knees. She placed a hand on his arm, “Are you alright, sir?” The concern in her voice matched that of which Etho had seen in her eyes.
He doesn’t know where the words come from, but before Etho can stop them they are out of his mouth, “I…thought…you were...dead.” He coughs choking gasps between words, struggling to regain his composure.
Etho had been staring at the grass, fingers clenched and gripping the blades. But at his words the girl lifted his chin and looked directly into his eyes, “It’s ok. Everything is ok now.” He knew those words somehow, but they didn’t belong here, in this moment. They were special to another time, another person. He just didn’t know when or who, “I’m fine, sir. I’m alive and well.” She smiled
Etho nodded and rose from the ground, the girl followed suite. He was just about to ask her about the five people she was standing with, it seemed oddly urgent that he found out, when a flaming arrow landed at his feet. He jumped back, nearly falling back to the ground.
“Alright,” The girl shouted to the soldiers, “It looks like it’s show time. Everyone into positions!”
They saluted all too perfectly and replied in unison, “Yes, General!” Before moving from an unorganized clump to perfect rows. The archers nocked arrows.
“Archers, take aim.” This order came from a boy who appeared to be about the same age as the girl.
“What gives him the right to give orders?” Etho asked the girl, “Actually, what gives you the right? Isn’t this my army?” He wasn’t trying to be rude, but the girl was taken aback. What did they do to make Etho question them? He’d never done it before.
“We’re the Generals, sir.” All six of us,” She gestured to the group she had been standing with earlier, “We were selected to help take care of this army. You didn’t exactly seem up to the job a week ago.”
“‘Generals’? What does that even mean? I don’t remember choosing any of you to run my army. I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself.” Etho wasn’t sure why he felt the need to argue with the girl, but he did.
“You didn’t select us.” Neither her expression nor her tone gave any hints about what she was feeling.
“What, was there some kind of public vote? This is a military operation, not some sort of popularity contest!” Etho shouted at her before being teleported away again.
He was standing in the base again, the man he now knew as Joe Hills stood next to him.
“There are rumors…” Joe told him, “The Generals were sent here by another Mindcracker…not spies…They are here to help.”
When Etho was brought back to the top of the mountain he looked at the girl, an accusatory look in his eyes, “Did one of the Mindcrackers send you here?”
She seemed to think about it for a moment, come to a realization, and then speak-still nearly expressionless, “I don’t know.”
“How can you not know? Someone pays you to sabotage my operation and you don’t even bother asking who?”
“I may have asked, but I don’t know who ordered us here. It’s impossible to be certain.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t know, Etho. How can I know if you don’t? I don’t even know my own name.” Her voice broke and her eyes were pleading, begging for answers Etho didn’t have.
“I don’t understand…”
The girl looked like she was going to give an explanation but was cut off when an arrow came whizzing past Etho and pierced her chest, killing her instantly. Etho watched in shock as her lifeless body slumped into the grass before he turned to see where the arrow had come from. As it turns out, the child, T whatever, had fired the shot. She was shaking, barely able to keep her grip on her bow. Suddenly she vanished, only to reappear a second later, now she was crying and her arms were wrapped around Etho, her face buried in his stomach.
Etho looked over to the girl’s body once more, too shocked to do anything else, just in time to watch it dissolve into the ground. He didn’t move, too unsure of what would happen next. So he just stood there for a moment with the crying child attached to him.
Only a moment later a man, a doctor it seemed judging by the medic armband he wore, walked up to them and placed his hands on the child’s shoulders, gently removing her from Etho, “Come now, T, we must leave Etho to fight his silly war.” She nodded and they walked off the mountain, evaporating into the sunlight as they fell to into the valley below. By now Etho was extremely confused. He found the confusion frustrating.
“What is going on!” He shouted at the sky. His shout was more of a demand at the universe to make more sense than an actual question. No one seemed to take notice of his shouting and at first he didn’t understand why. And then he looked down across the valley and saw the CMA advancing.
“Archers, fire when ready!” The same boy as before ordered.
The archers did, taking out a few of the opposing soldiers. They all nocked another arrow.
“Take aim! Fire when ready!” The boy called again before turning to Etho, “Are you planning on leading your army into battle?” He nodded towards the large group Joe Hills stood amongst.
Etho nodded firmly, tuning to face his soldiers. He turned back to the boy after a moment and spoke under his breath so no one but the man could hear, “Should…Should I give a speech or something?”
“No, no. Just go when you’re ready.”
Etho nodded again and put his back to his army, facing the advancing CMA soldiers. He took a deep breath, unsheathed his sword and charged. At first Etho was worried they wouldn’t follow him, but after a moment he heard their battle cries behind him as the sound of their boots smashing against the ground mixed with his own. He smiled, Let’s give them a good fight.
Most of the battle was a blur for Etho as he fought, relying purely on instinct and reflexes he had been honing for years. The whole thing was a mixture of swords clashing, small slashes biting into his skin, and bodies slumping to the ground. So many bodies Etho had given up on trying to remember all their faces
After what seemed like hours there was finally a break in the fighting, at least for Etho. He was standing in a little alcove right at the base of the Mindcrackers’ mountain. He was completely alone except for the bodies of two CMA soldiers; he tried not to look at them.
Etho looked up to see that the sun was starting to set, So it has been hours. He walked around the alcove, tracing its stone walls with his fingertips, making sure to give the entrance a wide birth, lest he be spotted.
He took deep breaths, meditating on the day’s events. A lot of odd things had happened and he wanted to take this quiet moment to sort things out in his mind, who knew how many more of these moments he had left.
“Retreat!” It was the boy calling Etho’s army back to the base before night fell. Etho smiled; surprisingly happy the young ‘General’ had survived to this point.
I wonder if Joe Hills is still alive…Etho’s thoughts were interrupted as the loud ringing from earlier returned and he leaned on the cold stone, struggling to stand as visions flashed through his mind.
He was back in the base once again, the same version of it he had been teleported to the first time. There were screams, and dust, and Joe Hills’ crumpled form about half a dozen blocks away from where Etho was. He was still calling out to him though he was no longer getting any closer, “Joe! Joe! Joe Hills!”
Etho realized he didn’t have the same view of the body as he had the last time he was teleported here. Before he was standing, trying to get closer to the body. Now, it seemed, he was eye level with the form, he must of collapsed and is now on the floor as well. The good part about being down this low is that there wasn’t was much dust as before and now he could safely take deep breaths.
He heard a deafening explosion that cause his ears to ring even more and summoned the red tint to return to his vision. Etho knew he needed to get out of the base as soon as he could, he knew that the only thing that would cause this must destruction was TnT and that if charges kept going off the whole mountain would cave in around him. But still, instead of trying to find an exit he attempted to drag himself over to Joe, trying to shout his name over the roar of the room. But the mixture between how loud he needed to be and the dust coating his throat was making it difficult.
He had moved about one block closer to Joe when he felt a pair of hands grab onto his shirt, yanking him to his feet the best they could. Etho looked to see to whom the hands connected and was surprised to see the doctor. Before he had a chance to thank the doctor for coming back for him, he started dragging Etho towards one of the side entrances of the base, moving away from Joe.
“Stop! We have to go back!” Etho shouted into the doctor’s ear.
The man supporting him gave him a questioning look, “Why, in Notch’s good name, would we do that? I think you hit your head a little too hard, sir.”
Etho started to shake his head fiercely, until he realized how much that hurt and abruptly stopped, opting to use his words instead, “It’s Joe Hills. He’s back there. We can’t just leave him.”
The doctor looked back to where they had been a moment before and saw the young man’s crumpled form, jumping to the obvious conclusion but deciding to humor Etho anyway, “T! Go and check that man’s pulse!”
Etho’s eyes widened in surprise and horror as T stepped from where she was standing on the opposite side of the doctor into his line of sight. The girl was a mess, her blue-grey clothes were coated in dust and dirt and blood, her hair was a mess and it looked like she had a cut on her arm. He cursed himself for not sending her away from the war when he had a chance.
When T got to Joe’s body she leaned down and took his large, muscular arm in her tiny grasp. Pressing two fingers lightly against the pulse point on his wrist, she waited 30 seconds, hoping to feel a pulse that had already ceased minutes earlier.
Etho watched on, holding his breath, hoping against all hope that this man hadn’t sacrificed himself for him. When T looked up at him her blue eyes glistened as tears began to form, she shook her head confirming what all three had already known before she even walked over there.
Etho was teleported away again.
When Etho was back in the alcove he felt much the same as he had when he had first been taken away by visions. He was out of breath, still gasping for breath as he choked on the invisible particles in the air. Any good feelings or lightness long sucked away, the hollow feeling grew worse every time he was teleported and now he felt completely empty. Why was this happening to him? And today of all days?
“Retreat!”
Etho flinched as the sound reverberated through the alcove, he decided he should start making his way back to his base; he was on the other side of the valley so it was going to be a long trek made even worse by all the CMA soldiers. He picked up his sword, which he had dropped when he collapsed against the wall a moment ago, and stepped out into full view of the battlefield.
He looked around at the steep hills and two large mountains that kept their conflict confined, he saw bodies everywhere. Some were lying on the grass, motionless, surrounded by pools of blood. Others where upright and moving, weapons in hand, chasing down an enemy soldier, retreating back to their base, or locked in a battle where only one would come out a victor. It hurt Etho to know that all of this was happening because of him. Whether the soldier was fighting for Etho or against him, there were all their on his behalf.
His army, his war, his responsibility.
The words popped into his head, he felt like he knew them from somewhere but could not quite place them. But there were true. His army; both armies were his, really, controlled by his actions indirectly or not. His war; it was his war it was caused by his actions and could only be ended by them. His responsibility; every death was on his shoulders.
“Retreat!” The call came again and Etho looked around and found that the boy was with the majority of his army and they were being pushed back to their mountain. It would be only minutes before they reached the entrance and sealed it off. Lucky for Etho he knew where all the hidden entrances were. Which of course he should, he had designed the place himself, after all.
He decided that instead of rushing through the open field to catch up with his troops that he would hug the hills that walled them in, there would be less enemies and he might pick up a few of his own straggling soldier along the way. He kept his sword in his hand; he was on guard, looking around for anyone who may try to attack him.
He had made it about halfway to his base when he noticed a small battle going on between about a dozen men, half were his and half were CMA. It looked like his men were greatly outmatched in skill, there was one CMA soldier who was very skilled and was taking on three of Etho’s men at once. He was using tactics that were questionable in honor, kicking a soldier who had fallen, pulling out a hidden blade to gut another while she was distracted with his sword, but they were very effective moves. Which was a problem. Etho knew he needed to intervene.
He ran up to the battle and by the time he had arrived three of his soldiers and two CMA soldier was on the ground, unmoving. The skilled fighter, who seemed very familiar to Etho but he couldn’t quite tell who he was because he was only seeing his back and not his face, was busy with the last three of Etho’s soldiers. The other CMA soldiers were hanging back, watching the fight but not joining in. Etho took this opportunity to sneak up behind them. He stabbed one in the stomach, dropping him to the floor but drawing the other two’s attention almost immediately.
He expected them to call out to the man fighting his soldiers, but they didn’t. They hesitated to draw their swords and attack, which surprised Etho greatly. And then he remembered he was Etho, he was the reasons this war was being fought, so the soldiers most likely recognized him. But, unlike the CMA soldiers, Etho didn’t hesitate.
He ran towards the closest one and aimed for his chest, trying to pierce it. Unfortunately the soldier reacted quickly enough and brought his sword up to block Etho’s blow. The other soldier had made it to them now and tried to swing for Etho’s neck. Etho ducked and while he was low he slashed at the soldier’s leg viscously, getting as many hits in as he could, causing the soldier to collapse.
As soon as the one soldier was down Etho shot back up, ready to fight the last remaining one. He didn’t see him at first; he turned in slow circles searching the area for him. And then he spotted him 50 blocks away, running back towards his base like a child. Etho sighed, he was proud to know that none of his soldiers would run, even the youngest of them would fight until it was over.
The only CMA soldier who remained now was the one fighting his soldiers. Etho looked back at them to see how the battle had progressed. Only one of his soldiers remained now, Etho knew he needed to intervene right away or the one left would end of like the others.
Etho decided against being stealthy this time, he felt it wouldn’t help in this particular situation. So he just ran at the soldier’s back, sword ready to pierce or cut at anything it made contact with. When he was about one block away the CMA soldier hit his soldier in the head with the hilt of his sword, causing him to fall to the ground, and turned to face Etho.
Etho didn’t waver as he closed the small gap between them. His sword clashed against the other man’s sword and they both pushed against their weapons as hard as they could, trying to knock the other to the ground. As they were doing this Etho remembered he had yet to see this man’s face so he looked up. And he almost pulled back.
Violet eyes that burned with a passionate fire stared back at him. They were blood thirsty, savoring the thrill of the fight but yearning for that final blow. They were slightly playful, as if this was all a game. But none of that really mattered to Etho. All that mattered was the color.
“Nebris…?”
he man that Etho half hoped was Nebris smirked, “So you recognize me? I think some of the others I’ve dealt with today have, but none of them have actually bothered to say my name.”
They continued to push against their swords as they spoke, “Of course I recognize you. Don’t you know who I am?”
Nebris pulled back, hoping the action would cause Etho to loose balance and fall over. It did not, and when Nebris realized this he charged at Etho who blocked the attack with a simple motion. Nebris’ sword slid off of Etho’s easily. Nebris came at him again, this time putting more force behind the swing. Etho just caught the sword with his own and pushed back against it so they were in the same position they were just minutes before.
Etho took this opportunity to speak again, “Nebris, do you know who I am?”
Nebris rolled his bright eyes, “You’re just another one of the enemy’s soldiers.”
“Who’s the enemy, Nebris?” Etho was only prodding him because he knew Nebris could sometimes get lost in the battles and forget who he was fighting. Often, Nebris would get to a point where he was just fighting for the sake of fighting. Which was fine, sometimes, but right now it wasn’t fine. It was far from fine.
“Anyone not in CMA uniform, obviously.”
“But, Nebris, who is the leader of the enemy?” Etho kept using Nebris’ name to try and pull him out of his haze. This is how he always used to do it when they were living together, using his name reminded him of who he was which brought him down from wherever is mind had wandered to.
Nebris pulled back again, but this time Etho was expecting it. He had realized a minute ago that they were near the edge of the valley and Etho was ready to use that to his advantage.
Etho quickly stepped so Nebris was between him and the wall. He took a deep breath and ran at Nebris with all his strength, using his sword to pin his so called ‘enemy’ against the wall before he had time to react.
“Nice reflexes.” Nebris’ smirk never left his face
Etho didn’t understand how he could look so calm and content, it didn’t make sense. Wasn’t Nebris at all effect by what was going on around them? Didn’t the dead bodies and the sounds of war and death that floated around them bother him?
“Drop…drop your sword.” Etho commanded Nebris while they both struggled to regain their breaths.
“Now why would I do that?”
“Nebris, come on. Just do it. Can’t you for once in your life just listen to me?”
“‘For once in your life’? You make it sound like I’ve had the opportunity to listen to you in the past.”
“You really don’t know who I am. Do you?” Etho searched Nebris’ eyes for any hint of recognition but found none. They both continued to breath heavy, sharing the same air as their mouths were only inches apart. When Etho finally admitted to himself that Nebris had no clue who he was, he pulled back, “Damn…”
“I think that’s the foulest language I’ve ever heard you use.” Both Nebris and Etho froze at the words. “Oh my god…Etho?” The question was a wisp, barely audible.
Etho sucked in a breath at the sound of his name being spoken in that gravelly voice. He couldn’t form a coherent string of words so he just nodded as his chest tightened.
“How…how did I not realize it was you?” They were both just standing there, looking at the other. Suddenly a CMA soldier ran past, “Crap…” Nebris moved in on Etho and reversed the position they were in earlier. Now Nebris was pinning Etho against the wall.
“Do you need some help, sir?” The soldier asked.
Etho raised an eyebrow at Nebris and mouthed, ‘sir?’ chuckling slightly.
Nebris responded by stomping on his foot, “No, I’m fine here. Move along, soldier.” The soldier nodded and continued on.
“You know, you could have gotten rid of him without pinning me to the wall.”
“Ya, but what fun would that have been?”
“And, now you could let me up. He’s gone.”
“Again: Where’s the fun in that?”
Etho’s smile wavered and then fell, “This isn’t supposed to be fun. This is war, Nebris.”
Nebris’ smirk remained as he replied, “War is fun, Etho. It’s like a game, don’t you see?”
Etho was shocked by Nebris’ reply and tried to push him away but failed, “You think this is a game? A game, Nebris, really?” Etho gestured to the dead soldiers that lay scattered around them, “Is it a game to them?”
“Oh, lighten up, Etho. They don’t matter.”
“Of course they matter! They’re the only ones who matter in all if this!” Etho tried again to push Nebris off of him but he wouldn’t allow it and kept Etho pinned against the stone.
Nebris leaned in so he spoke against Etho’s lips, “What about you, Etho? Don’t you matter? Or me? What about us? Do we matter?”
Etho didn’t know how to reply. Of course they, Nebris and Etho together, mattered. But was now the time to be thinking about that? Shouldn’t they be concerned with the lives that have been lost? And, anyway, since when did Nebris care about Etho?
Etho looked away from Nebris. “I thought…I thought…”
“What did you think, Etho?” Nebris’ tone softened, it was no longer cocky and challenging, it was soft and concerned.
“I thought you didn’t love me anymore…”
Nebris sighed, “I’m sorry if I made you think that.”
Etho looked back up at Nebris, staring into his violet eyes, getting lost in their depths, “Do…do you still love me?”
“Yes…I mean, of course. I don’t think I could have ever stopped.”
Etho nodded, “If you love me...will you do something for me?”
Nebris hesitated, after a moment he leaned in, resting his forhead against Etho’s, “If I can, I will.”
Etho sucked in a breath at the contact, he had never expected to be this close to Nebris ever again, “End the war.”
Nebris shook his head against Etho’s, “You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Etho pleaded like a child.
“Why don’t you end it if it’s so easy to do?"
“You know the only way I can end it is by dying! Is that what you want? Me. Dead.” Etho had tears in his eyes, he’d started off yelling but faded out until the last word was a choked whisper.
“How could you ever think that?” The words were nothing more than air against Etho’s lips.
“You made me think that! You chose them over me!”
“I’m sorry, alright! I’m sorry! I messed up! But I love you, Etho…” Nebris was begging with Etho to believe him.
“What about the next time I mess up? What happens when I make another mistake? Are you going to run away from me again?”
“You didn’t just ‘make a mistake’, Etho. You killed one of our friends.” Nebris’ voice was too calm.
“And we’re back to that again…” Etho sighed.
“It was always about that.”
“You know it was an accident.”
“How could it have been an accident? I understand if you expected him to respawn but there was no way he could have survived that.”
“Something went wrong, I could never figure out what but it didn’t go off the way it should have.”
“I always thought your redstone machines were ridiculous. And dangerous.”
That was the last straw for Etho and he once again tried to break free from Nebris.
“No, you’re staying right here for a little longer.” Nebris informed him.
“Stop it, Nebris, let me go.” Etho continued to struggle.
“No, Etho, we’re not done talking. You still don’t believe that I love you.”
Etho freed his arms and began grabbing at Nebris, trying to get him to back off, “Ok, you love me. I believe you. Now let. Me. Go.”
Nebris sighed but didn’t let up so Etho started to swing his arms, trying to hit Nebris with the hilt of his sword so he could make his escape.
“Stop struggling, Etho. Someone is going to get hurt.” Nebris started to try and pin Etho’s arms again when Etho just ignored him. They stood there, struggling awkwardly for a minute, Nebris trying to pin Ethos arms, Etho trying to escape.
After a few minutes things started to get a bit for violent and forceful, they were both attempting to subdue the other through painful means. Etho began to swing his sword, not caring which end made contact.
“Nebris, just let me go!” Etho froze as he felt his sword make contact. Nebris’ grip loosened and Etho pulled away to see that his sword was buried in Nebris’ side. Etho took a few steps back and Nebris fell to the ground. “Nebris…?” Etho squeaked out.
Nebris didn’t respond. Etho knelt down next to him. “Oh my gosh, Nebris. I’m sorry…Oh my gosh what have I done?”
Nebris continued to remain silent but he reached out and took Etho’s hand in his own, “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Etho informed Nebris, “Why didn’t you just let me go? You should have just let me go. I’m sorry, Nebris…” Nebris squeezed his hand and pulled him down so their faces were as close as they were before.
“It’s ok, Etho. It doesn’t matter.” The words were barely audible as they floated out of Nebris’ mouth.
“How could you ever say that? You’re going to die because of me. Of course it matters.”
“It doesn’t matter here, Etho. Haven’t you figured it out yet? This is just a dream, none of this is real.”
Etho rolled his eyes as tears began to form, “Of course I know this is a dream! But it doesn’t matter if it’s a dream or not, because it’s you, Nebris.”
Dreamscape or reality, if Nebris needed his help Etho would be there.
“You have to go now, Etho, and so do I.”
“No, we can stay here. Together. This is my dream that means you don’t have to die. I can stop it somehow.”
“Etho, you have to go and find me.”
“Find you? I don’t understand.”
“You have to save me, Etho.”
“I will, I’ll stay right here and I’ll save you. Just don’t die, not yet.”
“You have to wake up and save me. I need your help, Etho. You have to help me.”
“How can I save you if I wake up!” Etho didn’t understand, he was so frustrated.
“The real me. You have to save the real me.”
Etho shook his head, refusing to believe the words, “No, your fine. We’re both fine. We can just stay here and you’ll live and we can end the war somehow.”
“Save me, Etho. I need you to save us. Save them. They’re the ones who matter, not me, not us. Why did you kill him? Save me, Etho. Save us. Save them. Be our hero, Etho.” The words were all scrambling inside Etho’s head, mixing together into nonsense he couldn’t decipher. The world faded away until it was nothing but blackness, nothing existed but Etho, Nebris, and those words. They weren’t just Nebris’ anymore, they were dozens of different voices all pleading with, all questioning Etho. The words felt like tangible things as they swirled past him faster than Etho had ever thought possible.
“Save them. Save her. End the war. Why did you start this all? Help him, he’s dying. Save me, Etho. Save us.” Right when Etho thought he couldn’t take it anymore, when he couldn’t take the painful words rushing past him, three words cut through the fog.
“Kiss me, Etho” Nebris breathed the words in such a way that Etho wasn’t sure if he had actually heard them. But he didn’t care; he leaned in and kissed him anyway. He felt Nebris’ lips move slightly against his own before falling still. The grip on Etho’s hand loosened and fell away. Etho looked into Nebris’ eyes and saw the passion drain from them, replaced by a cold emptiness.
And then Etho opened his eyes and saw T’s smiling face looking down at him.
“He’s awake!”
Post-notes: Please let me know any questions/comments/concerns you have, any and all feedback is much appreciated! Sorry if this turned a little more shippy then expected. Not that there's anything at all wrong with shippy, it just took a sharp turn in that direction, at least for a little while.
Links:
Song that inspired this story
Chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter six
Etho stood on top of the mountain, basking in the warmth of the midday sun. For a moment he considered smiling before remembering why he stood where he did and deciding it wasn’t appropriate. It was hard not smiling, even with the circumstances. He felt so light, lighter than he had felt in weeks. Which was odd. He should feel heavy and burdened; he was just about to lead a bunch of innocents to their deaths. But he felt weightless, as if he might float off the mountain top and up to the Aether at any moment. It was a nice feeling, Etho decided not to question it for the time being.
He looked to his left and saw a small group of archers, he recognized a child who stood among them. She was clutching her bow, hanging on for dear life. She was frightened, he realized. He stared at her a moment longer, analyzing her mid-length brown hair, searching her murky blue eyes. He couldn’t figure out where he knew her from, it was teasing at the edge of his mind but he couldn’t quite latch onto it. A single letter popped into his head, T, and he held onto it as he turned to face the next group of people standing on the mountain with him.
Behind him stood a much larger group, all of them held swords; some even had pieces of armor. To most it would seems like an enormous army capable of out numbering and conquering any foe. But Etho knew better. He knew the Collective Mindcrack Armies would outnumber him 5 to 1, their soldiers were probably more skilled fighters as well. He knew he was leading his soldiers into a massacre. But what could he do? What were his other options? Anyway, it didn’t matter because he felt so light, so, so light. So who cares?
Etho took time to look over every soldier; he tried to memorize all their faces. He wanted them ingrained in his mind forever, so even when they died they could live on in his memory. He knew it was a morbid thought, but once again it didn’t seem to matter. He felt so nice.
His eyes rested on a young man in a turquoise shirt a moment longer than the rest. He felt that strange sense of familiarly the same way he had with the child, but he couldn’t quite place the face. The man had short brown hair and a face that Etho felt wouldn’t just blend in with a crowd.
How do I know you? He asked himself. And then suddenly a loud ringing sounded in his ears. Bits of red started poking its way into his vision and he coughed, choking as if there was dust in the air. He was inside the mountain, in their base, screams filled the air. He saw the same young man who stood among his ranks but this time he was sprawled across the ground in an unnatural position that could only be formed by a human with many shattered bones.
He heard himself call out to the body, taking unsteady steps toward it, “Joe! Joe Hills!” He choked out the name, the dust in the air made it hard to breathe.
And then the fit was over and he was back on the mountain with the clear blue sky and warm sun.
Etho took a few deep breathes of the clean mountain air, clearing his lungs of any imaginary dust that had worked its way inside of them. His feeling of weightlessness was gone, replaced by a hollow feeling that sat in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn’t right, but Etho couldn’t quite place his finger on it.
“You,” Etho called, pointing to the young man, “What’s your name, soldier?”
The soldier immediately straightened up and responded, “Joe Hills, sir.”
Etho rolled his eyes, “Don’t call me ‘sir’.”
“But everyone always calls you that, sir.” A girl replied.
Etho turned towards the voice which had come from his right. The voice belonged to a girl who appeared to be about 17. She had short blonde hair cut into a neat bob, her brown eyes were wide and seemed to swallow Etho whole with the concern that rest there.
The girl also looked familiar and a heart-wrenching feeling of loss watched over Etho. And then he was in the medical bay staring at this same girl’s lifeless body. A man he could not see, seeming to be more like an apparition than an actual being, told him that the girl had been shot through the heart and killed.
When the man was done speaking and Etho was back on the mountain, he was on his knees gasping for breath once more. This time his lack of breath wasn’t due to dust in the air, but because his heart ached as if he was mourning. A moment ago he never knew this girl existed; now he was breaking over the thought of her death.
What was going on today?
The girl rushed over to him, also falling to her knees. She placed a hand on his arm, “Are you alright, sir?” The concern in her voice matched that of which Etho had seen in her eyes.
He doesn’t know where the words come from, but before Etho can stop them they are out of his mouth, “I…thought…you were...dead.” He coughs choking gasps between words, struggling to regain his composure.
Etho had been staring at the grass, fingers clenched and gripping the blades. But at his words the girl lifted his chin and looked directly into his eyes, “It’s ok. Everything is ok now.” He knew those words somehow, but they didn’t belong here, in this moment. They were special to another time, another person. He just didn’t know when or who, “I’m fine, sir. I’m alive and well.” She smiled
Etho nodded and rose from the ground, the girl followed suite. He was just about to ask her about the five people she was standing with, it seemed oddly urgent that he found out, when a flaming arrow landed at his feet. He jumped back, nearly falling back to the ground.
“Alright,” The girl shouted to the soldiers, “It looks like it’s show time. Everyone into positions!”
They saluted all too perfectly and replied in unison, “Yes, General!” Before moving from an unorganized clump to perfect rows. The archers nocked arrows.
“Archers, take aim.” This order came from a boy who appeared to be about the same age as the girl.
“What gives him the right to give orders?” Etho asked the girl, “Actually, what gives you the right? Isn’t this my army?” He wasn’t trying to be rude, but the girl was taken aback. What did they do to make Etho question them? He’d never done it before.
“We’re the Generals, sir.” All six of us,” She gestured to the group she had been standing with earlier, “We were selected to help take care of this army. You didn’t exactly seem up to the job a week ago.”
“‘Generals’? What does that even mean? I don’t remember choosing any of you to run my army. I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself.” Etho wasn’t sure why he felt the need to argue with the girl, but he did.
“You didn’t select us.” Neither her expression nor her tone gave any hints about what she was feeling.
“What, was there some kind of public vote? This is a military operation, not some sort of popularity contest!” Etho shouted at her before being teleported away again.
He was standing in the base again, the man he now knew as Joe Hills stood next to him.
“There are rumors…” Joe told him, “The Generals were sent here by another Mindcracker…not spies…They are here to help.”
When Etho was brought back to the top of the mountain he looked at the girl, an accusatory look in his eyes, “Did one of the Mindcrackers send you here?”
She seemed to think about it for a moment, come to a realization, and then speak-still nearly expressionless, “I don’t know.”
“How can you not know? Someone pays you to sabotage my operation and you don’t even bother asking who?”
“I may have asked, but I don’t know who ordered us here. It’s impossible to be certain.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t know, Etho. How can I know if you don’t? I don’t even know my own name.” Her voice broke and her eyes were pleading, begging for answers Etho didn’t have.
“I don’t understand…”
The girl looked like she was going to give an explanation but was cut off when an arrow came whizzing past Etho and pierced her chest, killing her instantly. Etho watched in shock as her lifeless body slumped into the grass before he turned to see where the arrow had come from. As it turns out, the child, T whatever, had fired the shot. She was shaking, barely able to keep her grip on her bow. Suddenly she vanished, only to reappear a second later, now she was crying and her arms were wrapped around Etho, her face buried in his stomach.
Etho looked over to the girl’s body once more, too shocked to do anything else, just in time to watch it dissolve into the ground. He didn’t move, too unsure of what would happen next. So he just stood there for a moment with the crying child attached to him.
Only a moment later a man, a doctor it seemed judging by the medic armband he wore, walked up to them and placed his hands on the child’s shoulders, gently removing her from Etho, “Come now, T, we must leave Etho to fight his silly war.” She nodded and they walked off the mountain, evaporating into the sunlight as they fell to into the valley below. By now Etho was extremely confused. He found the confusion frustrating.
“What is going on!” He shouted at the sky. His shout was more of a demand at the universe to make more sense than an actual question. No one seemed to take notice of his shouting and at first he didn’t understand why. And then he looked down across the valley and saw the CMA advancing.
“Archers, fire when ready!” The same boy as before ordered.
The archers did, taking out a few of the opposing soldiers. They all nocked another arrow.
“Take aim! Fire when ready!” The boy called again before turning to Etho, “Are you planning on leading your army into battle?” He nodded towards the large group Joe Hills stood amongst.
Etho nodded firmly, tuning to face his soldiers. He turned back to the boy after a moment and spoke under his breath so no one but the man could hear, “Should…Should I give a speech or something?”
“No, no. Just go when you’re ready.”
Etho nodded again and put his back to his army, facing the advancing CMA soldiers. He took a deep breath, unsheathed his sword and charged. At first Etho was worried they wouldn’t follow him, but after a moment he heard their battle cries behind him as the sound of their boots smashing against the ground mixed with his own. He smiled, Let’s give them a good fight.
Most of the battle was a blur for Etho as he fought, relying purely on instinct and reflexes he had been honing for years. The whole thing was a mixture of swords clashing, small slashes biting into his skin, and bodies slumping to the ground. So many bodies Etho had given up on trying to remember all their faces
After what seemed like hours there was finally a break in the fighting, at least for Etho. He was standing in a little alcove right at the base of the Mindcrackers’ mountain. He was completely alone except for the bodies of two CMA soldiers; he tried not to look at them.
Etho looked up to see that the sun was starting to set, So it has been hours. He walked around the alcove, tracing its stone walls with his fingertips, making sure to give the entrance a wide birth, lest he be spotted.
He took deep breaths, meditating on the day’s events. A lot of odd things had happened and he wanted to take this quiet moment to sort things out in his mind, who knew how many more of these moments he had left.
“Retreat!” It was the boy calling Etho’s army back to the base before night fell. Etho smiled; surprisingly happy the young ‘General’ had survived to this point.
I wonder if Joe Hills is still alive…Etho’s thoughts were interrupted as the loud ringing from earlier returned and he leaned on the cold stone, struggling to stand as visions flashed through his mind.
He was back in the base once again, the same version of it he had been teleported to the first time. There were screams, and dust, and Joe Hills’ crumpled form about half a dozen blocks away from where Etho was. He was still calling out to him though he was no longer getting any closer, “Joe! Joe! Joe Hills!”
Etho realized he didn’t have the same view of the body as he had the last time he was teleported here. Before he was standing, trying to get closer to the body. Now, it seemed, he was eye level with the form, he must of collapsed and is now on the floor as well. The good part about being down this low is that there wasn’t was much dust as before and now he could safely take deep breaths.
He heard a deafening explosion that cause his ears to ring even more and summoned the red tint to return to his vision. Etho knew he needed to get out of the base as soon as he could, he knew that the only thing that would cause this must destruction was TnT and that if charges kept going off the whole mountain would cave in around him. But still, instead of trying to find an exit he attempted to drag himself over to Joe, trying to shout his name over the roar of the room. But the mixture between how loud he needed to be and the dust coating his throat was making it difficult.
He had moved about one block closer to Joe when he felt a pair of hands grab onto his shirt, yanking him to his feet the best they could. Etho looked to see to whom the hands connected and was surprised to see the doctor. Before he had a chance to thank the doctor for coming back for him, he started dragging Etho towards one of the side entrances of the base, moving away from Joe.
“Stop! We have to go back!” Etho shouted into the doctor’s ear.
The man supporting him gave him a questioning look, “Why, in Notch’s good name, would we do that? I think you hit your head a little too hard, sir.”
Etho started to shake his head fiercely, until he realized how much that hurt and abruptly stopped, opting to use his words instead, “It’s Joe Hills. He’s back there. We can’t just leave him.”
The doctor looked back to where they had been a moment before and saw the young man’s crumpled form, jumping to the obvious conclusion but deciding to humor Etho anyway, “T! Go and check that man’s pulse!”
Etho’s eyes widened in surprise and horror as T stepped from where she was standing on the opposite side of the doctor into his line of sight. The girl was a mess, her blue-grey clothes were coated in dust and dirt and blood, her hair was a mess and it looked like she had a cut on her arm. He cursed himself for not sending her away from the war when he had a chance.
When T got to Joe’s body she leaned down and took his large, muscular arm in her tiny grasp. Pressing two fingers lightly against the pulse point on his wrist, she waited 30 seconds, hoping to feel a pulse that had already ceased minutes earlier.
Etho watched on, holding his breath, hoping against all hope that this man hadn’t sacrificed himself for him. When T looked up at him her blue eyes glistened as tears began to form, she shook her head confirming what all three had already known before she even walked over there.
Etho was teleported away again.
When Etho was back in the alcove he felt much the same as he had when he had first been taken away by visions. He was out of breath, still gasping for breath as he choked on the invisible particles in the air. Any good feelings or lightness long sucked away, the hollow feeling grew worse every time he was teleported and now he felt completely empty. Why was this happening to him? And today of all days?
“Retreat!”
Etho flinched as the sound reverberated through the alcove, he decided he should start making his way back to his base; he was on the other side of the valley so it was going to be a long trek made even worse by all the CMA soldiers. He picked up his sword, which he had dropped when he collapsed against the wall a moment ago, and stepped out into full view of the battlefield.
He looked around at the steep hills and two large mountains that kept their conflict confined, he saw bodies everywhere. Some were lying on the grass, motionless, surrounded by pools of blood. Others where upright and moving, weapons in hand, chasing down an enemy soldier, retreating back to their base, or locked in a battle where only one would come out a victor. It hurt Etho to know that all of this was happening because of him. Whether the soldier was fighting for Etho or against him, there were all their on his behalf.
His army, his war, his responsibility.
The words popped into his head, he felt like he knew them from somewhere but could not quite place them. But there were true. His army; both armies were his, really, controlled by his actions indirectly or not. His war; it was his war it was caused by his actions and could only be ended by them. His responsibility; every death was on his shoulders.
“Retreat!” The call came again and Etho looked around and found that the boy was with the majority of his army and they were being pushed back to their mountain. It would be only minutes before they reached the entrance and sealed it off. Lucky for Etho he knew where all the hidden entrances were. Which of course he should, he had designed the place himself, after all.
He decided that instead of rushing through the open field to catch up with his troops that he would hug the hills that walled them in, there would be less enemies and he might pick up a few of his own straggling soldier along the way. He kept his sword in his hand; he was on guard, looking around for anyone who may try to attack him.
He had made it about halfway to his base when he noticed a small battle going on between about a dozen men, half were his and half were CMA. It looked like his men were greatly outmatched in skill, there was one CMA soldier who was very skilled and was taking on three of Etho’s men at once. He was using tactics that were questionable in honor, kicking a soldier who had fallen, pulling out a hidden blade to gut another while she was distracted with his sword, but they were very effective moves. Which was a problem. Etho knew he needed to intervene.
He ran up to the battle and by the time he had arrived three of his soldiers and two CMA soldier was on the ground, unmoving. The skilled fighter, who seemed very familiar to Etho but he couldn’t quite tell who he was because he was only seeing his back and not his face, was busy with the last three of Etho’s soldiers. The other CMA soldiers were hanging back, watching the fight but not joining in. Etho took this opportunity to sneak up behind them. He stabbed one in the stomach, dropping him to the floor but drawing the other two’s attention almost immediately.
He expected them to call out to the man fighting his soldiers, but they didn’t. They hesitated to draw their swords and attack, which surprised Etho greatly. And then he remembered he was Etho, he was the reasons this war was being fought, so the soldiers most likely recognized him. But, unlike the CMA soldiers, Etho didn’t hesitate.
He ran towards the closest one and aimed for his chest, trying to pierce it. Unfortunately the soldier reacted quickly enough and brought his sword up to block Etho’s blow. The other soldier had made it to them now and tried to swing for Etho’s neck. Etho ducked and while he was low he slashed at the soldier’s leg viscously, getting as many hits in as he could, causing the soldier to collapse.
As soon as the one soldier was down Etho shot back up, ready to fight the last remaining one. He didn’t see him at first; he turned in slow circles searching the area for him. And then he spotted him 50 blocks away, running back towards his base like a child. Etho sighed, he was proud to know that none of his soldiers would run, even the youngest of them would fight until it was over.
The only CMA soldier who remained now was the one fighting his soldiers. Etho looked back at them to see how the battle had progressed. Only one of his soldiers remained now, Etho knew he needed to intervene right away or the one left would end of like the others.
Etho decided against being stealthy this time, he felt it wouldn’t help in this particular situation. So he just ran at the soldier’s back, sword ready to pierce or cut at anything it made contact with. When he was about one block away the CMA soldier hit his soldier in the head with the hilt of his sword, causing him to fall to the ground, and turned to face Etho.
Etho didn’t waver as he closed the small gap between them. His sword clashed against the other man’s sword and they both pushed against their weapons as hard as they could, trying to knock the other to the ground. As they were doing this Etho remembered he had yet to see this man’s face so he looked up. And he almost pulled back.
Violet eyes that burned with a passionate fire stared back at him. They were blood thirsty, savoring the thrill of the fight but yearning for that final blow. They were slightly playful, as if this was all a game. But none of that really mattered to Etho. All that mattered was the color.
“Nebris…?”
he man that Etho half hoped was Nebris smirked, “So you recognize me? I think some of the others I’ve dealt with today have, but none of them have actually bothered to say my name.”
They continued to push against their swords as they spoke, “Of course I recognize you. Don’t you know who I am?”
Nebris pulled back, hoping the action would cause Etho to loose balance and fall over. It did not, and when Nebris realized this he charged at Etho who blocked the attack with a simple motion. Nebris’ sword slid off of Etho’s easily. Nebris came at him again, this time putting more force behind the swing. Etho just caught the sword with his own and pushed back against it so they were in the same position they were just minutes before.
Etho took this opportunity to speak again, “Nebris, do you know who I am?”
Nebris rolled his bright eyes, “You’re just another one of the enemy’s soldiers.”
“Who’s the enemy, Nebris?” Etho was only prodding him because he knew Nebris could sometimes get lost in the battles and forget who he was fighting. Often, Nebris would get to a point where he was just fighting for the sake of fighting. Which was fine, sometimes, but right now it wasn’t fine. It was far from fine.
“Anyone not in CMA uniform, obviously.”
“But, Nebris, who is the leader of the enemy?” Etho kept using Nebris’ name to try and pull him out of his haze. This is how he always used to do it when they were living together, using his name reminded him of who he was which brought him down from wherever is mind had wandered to.
Nebris pulled back again, but this time Etho was expecting it. He had realized a minute ago that they were near the edge of the valley and Etho was ready to use that to his advantage.
Etho quickly stepped so Nebris was between him and the wall. He took a deep breath and ran at Nebris with all his strength, using his sword to pin his so called ‘enemy’ against the wall before he had time to react.
“Nice reflexes.” Nebris’ smirk never left his face
Etho didn’t understand how he could look so calm and content, it didn’t make sense. Wasn’t Nebris at all effect by what was going on around them? Didn’t the dead bodies and the sounds of war and death that floated around them bother him?
“Drop…drop your sword.” Etho commanded Nebris while they both struggled to regain their breaths.
“Now why would I do that?”
“Nebris, come on. Just do it. Can’t you for once in your life just listen to me?”
“‘For once in your life’? You make it sound like I’ve had the opportunity to listen to you in the past.”
“You really don’t know who I am. Do you?” Etho searched Nebris’ eyes for any hint of recognition but found none. They both continued to breath heavy, sharing the same air as their mouths were only inches apart. When Etho finally admitted to himself that Nebris had no clue who he was, he pulled back, “Damn…”
“I think that’s the foulest language I’ve ever heard you use.” Both Nebris and Etho froze at the words. “Oh my god…Etho?” The question was a wisp, barely audible.
Etho sucked in a breath at the sound of his name being spoken in that gravelly voice. He couldn’t form a coherent string of words so he just nodded as his chest tightened.
“How…how did I not realize it was you?” They were both just standing there, looking at the other. Suddenly a CMA soldier ran past, “Crap…” Nebris moved in on Etho and reversed the position they were in earlier. Now Nebris was pinning Etho against the wall.
“Do you need some help, sir?” The soldier asked.
Etho raised an eyebrow at Nebris and mouthed, ‘sir?’ chuckling slightly.
Nebris responded by stomping on his foot, “No, I’m fine here. Move along, soldier.” The soldier nodded and continued on.
“You know, you could have gotten rid of him without pinning me to the wall.”
“Ya, but what fun would that have been?”
“And, now you could let me up. He’s gone.”
“Again: Where’s the fun in that?”
Etho’s smile wavered and then fell, “This isn’t supposed to be fun. This is war, Nebris.”
Nebris’ smirk remained as he replied, “War is fun, Etho. It’s like a game, don’t you see?”
Etho was shocked by Nebris’ reply and tried to push him away but failed, “You think this is a game? A game, Nebris, really?” Etho gestured to the dead soldiers that lay scattered around them, “Is it a game to them?”
“Oh, lighten up, Etho. They don’t matter.”
“Of course they matter! They’re the only ones who matter in all if this!” Etho tried again to push Nebris off of him but he wouldn’t allow it and kept Etho pinned against the stone.
Nebris leaned in so he spoke against Etho’s lips, “What about you, Etho? Don’t you matter? Or me? What about us? Do we matter?”
Etho didn’t know how to reply. Of course they, Nebris and Etho together, mattered. But was now the time to be thinking about that? Shouldn’t they be concerned with the lives that have been lost? And, anyway, since when did Nebris care about Etho?
Etho looked away from Nebris. “I thought…I thought…”
“What did you think, Etho?” Nebris’ tone softened, it was no longer cocky and challenging, it was soft and concerned.
“I thought you didn’t love me anymore…”
Nebris sighed, “I’m sorry if I made you think that.”
Etho looked back up at Nebris, staring into his violet eyes, getting lost in their depths, “Do…do you still love me?”
“Yes…I mean, of course. I don’t think I could have ever stopped.”
Etho nodded, “If you love me...will you do something for me?”
Nebris hesitated, after a moment he leaned in, resting his forhead against Etho’s, “If I can, I will.”
Etho sucked in a breath at the contact, he had never expected to be this close to Nebris ever again, “End the war.”
Nebris shook his head against Etho’s, “You know I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” Etho pleaded like a child.
“Why don’t you end it if it’s so easy to do?"
“You know the only way I can end it is by dying! Is that what you want? Me. Dead.” Etho had tears in his eyes, he’d started off yelling but faded out until the last word was a choked whisper.
“How could you ever think that?” The words were nothing more than air against Etho’s lips.
“You made me think that! You chose them over me!”
“I’m sorry, alright! I’m sorry! I messed up! But I love you, Etho…” Nebris was begging with Etho to believe him.
“What about the next time I mess up? What happens when I make another mistake? Are you going to run away from me again?”
“You didn’t just ‘make a mistake’, Etho. You killed one of our friends.” Nebris’ voice was too calm.
“And we’re back to that again…” Etho sighed.
“It was always about that.”
“You know it was an accident.”
“How could it have been an accident? I understand if you expected him to respawn but there was no way he could have survived that.”
“Something went wrong, I could never figure out what but it didn’t go off the way it should have.”
“I always thought your redstone machines were ridiculous. And dangerous.”
That was the last straw for Etho and he once again tried to break free from Nebris.
“No, you’re staying right here for a little longer.” Nebris informed him.
“Stop it, Nebris, let me go.” Etho continued to struggle.
“No, Etho, we’re not done talking. You still don’t believe that I love you.”
Etho freed his arms and began grabbing at Nebris, trying to get him to back off, “Ok, you love me. I believe you. Now let. Me. Go.”
Nebris sighed but didn’t let up so Etho started to swing his arms, trying to hit Nebris with the hilt of his sword so he could make his escape.
“Stop struggling, Etho. Someone is going to get hurt.” Nebris started to try and pin Etho’s arms again when Etho just ignored him. They stood there, struggling awkwardly for a minute, Nebris trying to pin Ethos arms, Etho trying to escape.
After a few minutes things started to get a bit for violent and forceful, they were both attempting to subdue the other through painful means. Etho began to swing his sword, not caring which end made contact.
“Nebris, just let me go!” Etho froze as he felt his sword make contact. Nebris’ grip loosened and Etho pulled away to see that his sword was buried in Nebris’ side. Etho took a few steps back and Nebris fell to the ground. “Nebris…?” Etho squeaked out.
Nebris didn’t respond. Etho knelt down next to him. “Oh my gosh, Nebris. I’m sorry…Oh my gosh what have I done?”
Nebris continued to remain silent but he reached out and took Etho’s hand in his own, “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” Etho informed Nebris, “Why didn’t you just let me go? You should have just let me go. I’m sorry, Nebris…” Nebris squeezed his hand and pulled him down so their faces were as close as they were before.
“It’s ok, Etho. It doesn’t matter.” The words were barely audible as they floated out of Nebris’ mouth.
“How could you ever say that? You’re going to die because of me. Of course it matters.”
“It doesn’t matter here, Etho. Haven’t you figured it out yet? This is just a dream, none of this is real.”
Etho rolled his eyes as tears began to form, “Of course I know this is a dream! But it doesn’t matter if it’s a dream or not, because it’s you, Nebris.”
Dreamscape or reality, if Nebris needed his help Etho would be there.
“You have to go now, Etho, and so do I.”
“No, we can stay here. Together. This is my dream that means you don’t have to die. I can stop it somehow.”
“Etho, you have to go and find me.”
“Find you? I don’t understand.”
“You have to save me, Etho.”
“I will, I’ll stay right here and I’ll save you. Just don’t die, not yet.”
“You have to wake up and save me. I need your help, Etho. You have to help me.”
“How can I save you if I wake up!” Etho didn’t understand, he was so frustrated.
“The real me. You have to save the real me.”
Etho shook his head, refusing to believe the words, “No, your fine. We’re both fine. We can just stay here and you’ll live and we can end the war somehow.”
“Save me, Etho. I need you to save us. Save them. They’re the ones who matter, not me, not us. Why did you kill him? Save me, Etho. Save us. Save them. Be our hero, Etho.” The words were all scrambling inside Etho’s head, mixing together into nonsense he couldn’t decipher. The world faded away until it was nothing but blackness, nothing existed but Etho, Nebris, and those words. They weren’t just Nebris’ anymore, they were dozens of different voices all pleading with, all questioning Etho. The words felt like tangible things as they swirled past him faster than Etho had ever thought possible.
“Save them. Save her. End the war. Why did you start this all? Help him, he’s dying. Save me, Etho. Save us.” Right when Etho thought he couldn’t take it anymore, when he couldn’t take the painful words rushing past him, three words cut through the fog.
“Kiss me, Etho” Nebris breathed the words in such a way that Etho wasn’t sure if he had actually heard them. But he didn’t care; he leaned in and kissed him anyway. He felt Nebris’ lips move slightly against his own before falling still. The grip on Etho’s hand loosened and fell away. Etho looked into Nebris’ eyes and saw the passion drain from them, replaced by a cold emptiness.
And then Etho opened his eyes and saw T’s smiling face looking down at him.
“He’s awake!”
Post-notes: Please let me know any questions/comments/concerns you have, any and all feedback is much appreciated! Sorry if this turned a little more shippy then expected. Not that there's anything at all wrong with shippy, it just took a sharp turn in that direction, at least for a little while.
Links:
Song that inspired this story
Chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter six
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Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 02:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 02:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 02:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 02:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 02:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 04:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 05:15 am (UTC)Let me take a minutes to get my emotions under control
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Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 05:21 am (UTC)The whole thing was a dream. Except the last two lines. That's when he woke up. Does that make sense?
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Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 08:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 01:16 pm (UTC)So it was all a dream huh? What were the flashback thingys then? Were they part of the dream? And that Nebtho... <3
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Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2014 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, April 11th, 2014 04:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Friday, April 11th, 2014 06:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, April 14th, 2014 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, April 14th, 2014 01:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Saturday, April 12th, 2014 10:28 am (UTC)Just..YES! \o/
Now I just have to wait for the rest. (There is more right, right?!) DANGIT. Patience is not one of my virtues =P
Also might have spotted a typo? and two CMA soldier was on the ground,
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Date: Saturday, April 12th, 2014 07:18 pm (UTC)There will be more when I get around to writing more. Slightly stuck. Must take time to work out ideas. But, some of these guys will be happy to know, currently my main focus is to try and finish a chapter of Hacking Mindcrack. Which I'm also kinda stuck on.
Glad you like! :D
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Date: Monday, April 14th, 2014 11:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, July 7th, 2014 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, July 8th, 2014 02:47 am (UTC)Well now im crying
Date: Thursday, June 12th, 2014 08:32 pm (UTC)So many feels (great job)
More plz