Chapter 1
Notes:
so to start off, i have never written a fanfic before. i mean ive written FICS but not FANfics. apologies for mischaracterisation or horrible pacing or anything else
i hope to update this regularly but my life is already ao3-author worthy so i'm not too sure. will try my best!i would also like to mention that a lot of the ships are kinda background-y? they do get a spotlight at some point, but the focus is on 1x first.
im writing this for my friends (most aren't even in this fandom but hyped me up) shoutout to all of them they r the goats!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The last target fell to the ground with a soft clack.
A sword – green and black, glitching slightly, sharpened to perfection – was embedded in it. Clean. Dead-center. Just like all the other targets.
For the first time that day, 1x1x1x1 smiles. They raise a hand, and the daemonshank currently in the wooden target blinks out of existence, rematerialising in their hands moments later. It was frankly a little too large for them to hold comfortably, but they liked the extra weight. More power when swinging, as they call it.
“Practicing a new move?” asks a voice.
1x turns in surprise. A familiar figure stands at the edge of the arena.
“It’s not new.”
“It is to me.” He strides over and places a hand on their head, ruffling their hair. They knock his hand away.
“Stop. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Ha!” The man laughs, though he held no malice. “You can be as old as you’d like, but you’ll always be a kid to me. Never forget that.”
He looks down at them, warmth in his gaze despite most of his face being in shadow. 1x sighs gently. As much as they protested against ███████, they never really meant any of it.
“Come, 1x. Time to go home.” ███████ takes hold of their hand, and they follo-
…That was odd. Why couldn’t they recall his name? They should know their ███’s name. It was ███████, right?
The world seemed to change, as if it knew what they were thinking. The faint whistling of wind faded away, leaving a chilling silence behind.
Something was wrong.
“Kid, you good? You look confused all of a sudden.”
1x snaps back to reality. Yes, something was very wrong. Who was this man, why was he leading them away, what was going on?!
They tried to reply, to ask his name-
~~~
1x1x1x1 jolted out of bed.
The action was so sudden it sent them hurtling towards the floor, blankets and all. A wooden floor greeted them as they broke the fall with their left wing, sending sharp pain through the entire limb.
“...ow,” they muttered, pushing themselves up.
The dream was still clear in their mind, as if they’d just sat through a hyperrealistic movie. Save for the odd blanks where they couldn’t remember names, it might as well be straight from their childhood, where things were simpler and-
No. That can’t be right.
1x1x1x1 never had a childhood. They were a manifestation of hatred, Shedletsky’s regrets and rage in physical form. They were “born” with all the skills they needed, walking and talking the second they stepped foot onto Robloxia soil, a singular goal in mind: find Shedletsky, and KILL him. There was no opportunity for them to have a childhood, let alone one this…cheesy. Internally, 1x cringed.
Yet, they knew they didn’t dream. Couldn’t dream. Not even once since being forsaken, and certainly not as vivid as this. So if it wasn’t a dream, then what was it?
…1x didn’t want to think about it further.
Someone slammed on their door, the sound of wood against flesh making them glare towards the source, wings ruffled. “1x!” someone yelled. “[You] up yet?!”
“Shut the fuck up!” they shot back, getting up from the floor. They heard Noli snicker faintly before footsteps faded into the distance. Asshole, they thought, yanking their cloak from a nearby hook and throwing it on. A curl of their finger called their daemonshanks to them, now held at their waist by some hidden force. Walking over to their bedside table, they grabbed the first hair tie they saw and wrangled their white locks into a high ponytail.
Well, time to start the day.
1x stormed out of their room, resting bitch face already in place. Downstairs, John Doe and Azure were playing Monopoly on the dining table. Where the fuck they got it from, 1x didn’t want to know. “That game better finish in the next thirty minutes or else nobody’s getting breakfast,” they warned, swiping their domino crown from the back of a chair (why the hell was it there?) and putting it on.
John shrugged, sliding Monopoly money across the table. “It’s okay. I’m basically bankrupt at this point.”
Azure smirks and holds up way too many property cards. From the looks of it, he was winning by a long shot.
“Whatever.” 1x walks over to the kitchen, digging in the pantry.
Don’t get them wrong. 1x would rather let every other killer in this cabin starve to death – except the kids, they didn’t do anything – but the act of cooking brought them…not peace. They could only feel hatred after all. Correction, cooking made them hate everything and everyone slightly less.
Plus, nobody else could cook. Noli was banned from the kitchen after turning a toaster into a subspace tripmine, John was missing two limbs, Jason was too busy smoking weed, Mafioso and iTrapped were also busy killing each other, and the kids weren’t allowed near fire. The only other person that actually contributed to their food crisis was Azure, who dug a huge garden in his first week and planted much needed vegetables and fruits.
Speaking of the others.
“Where are the rest of the bastards?” 1x puts the pan on the stove.
“Mafioso and iTrapped are having their usual morning fight-to-the-death, Jason and the kids are still sleeping, and Noli just left for a round,” replies Azure.
John frowns. “Been a while since we had one this early in the morning.”
“Better than having a round at one fucking AM,” 1x muttered angrily, recalling that one time the Spectre rudely dragged them out of bed. The other two killers nodded in agreement. “Now finish your game and help me set the table.”
They turned back to the kitchen counter, throwing pancake ingredients into a large bowl and stirring them together. Noli better count his lucky stars 1x wasn't very pissed off by his knocking, because if so he’d be getting burnt toast for breakfast. Or worse, a burnt subspace tripmine.
An arm nudges them. “Sorry, 1x,” Azure says as he reaches for the plates above them. They huff, but move aside.
~~~
When 1x flipped the last pancake on the plate, all the adults had arrived in the dining room.
Azure’s tentacles helped carry the food out, placing them neatly onto the table. Some murmurs of thanks rose from the more polite killers, but 1x pointedly ignored them. They were only cooking for their own benefit, anyway.
A girl’s voice spoke up, “Ooo, pancakes!”
“I want five!”
Three kids emerged from upstairs. As Pr3typriincess mounted the stair railing and slid down, Bluudud turned to C00lkidd. “You can’t even eat two! Why the heck do you want five?”
“Because Mx 1x’s cooking should be appreciated by eating as much as possible,” C00lkidd boldly proclaimed as he hopped down the stairs.
Pr3typriincess and Bluudud followed him, giving him looks that screamed “I am so done with your bullshit”. He either didn’t see them, or chose to ignore them, for he proceeded to climb on a chair and pile as many pancakes as he could onto a plate. “Are you guys just gonna stand there until all the food is gone?” he asked when they didn’t move.
“No,” Bluudud deadpanned as Jason passed him a plate with one pancake on it. “I’m waiting to see if you can eat all that.”
“Game on!” C00lkidd picked up his fork.
John sighed. “C00lkidd, you’ll choke. Just eat the pancakes normally. Please.”
Meanwhile, 1x was glaring at a certain exploiter and mafia boss. iTrapped, without taking his eyes off Mafioso once, slowly cut his pancake. Mafioso responded by threateningly twirling his butter knife. The tension was so thick 1x swore they could cut it using their swords.
“For fuck’s sake,” they growled, “if either of you try to kill the other during breakfast, I’ll mass infect both of you. BOTH.”
“I’m not doing anything,” said iTrapped cooly.
“You’re stabbing [your pancake] like it personally offended your [entire bloodline],” Noli pointed out, leaning over.
1x was seriously considering flying out of a nearby window. Frankly, they would’ve done so long ago, if the Spectre hadn’t taken away that ability. They started considering throwing iTrapped out of the window instead.
Jason joins the conversation. He signs something rapidly.
“Even Jason says to call it quits,” 1x translates. Mafioso’s ear twitches in irritation, but he obeys, beginning to eat.
Over at the other side of the table, an argument broke out between Pr3ty and Bluudud. John was convincing C00lkidd to not drown his pancakes in syrup. Azure looked like he’d lost five brain cells in the past minute. 1x slammed their head against the table.
It was an average day in the killer cabin.
Notes:
can you tell that john and azure are the braincells of the killer cabin
don't be fooled this is not slice of life (actually idk tbh)
Chapter 2
Summary:
1x is put into a round. A round that is so utterly disappointing, it ruins the rest of her day.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
1x had been in the middle of a walk when the familiar ticking of a clock came to her ears. She paused in the middle of the path, processing the sound. Then she smiled.
“About time.” 1x looked up to the sky. “Was starting to think the Spectre forgot about me.”
Killers usually didn’t know the exact time their turn would be. Sure, there was a calendar hanging in the cabin, their names on days they were scheduled for a round, but that was about as much warning as anyone got. The round could happen anywhere from the first second of the day all the way to the last, and some had previously complained about being grabbed at awkward moments. At least the Spectre had enough decency to not grab someone in the middle of a shower.
The ticking grew louder, and a familiar dizziness washed over 1x. By the time she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the familiar landscape of Planet Voss. A cool breeze washed over her as she adjusted to the lighting change.
1x waited for a bit, letting the survivors gather first, before raising a hand and tearing at her glowing eye. The pain seared through her body, blood dripping down her wrist, vision blurring until all she could make out were blobs of colours. Yet, through the haze, other things sharpened.
”I see you,” 1x laughed, grasping the hilt of her daemonshanks. She shot a mass infection across the map, hitting a few survivors huddled in a corner. “Idiots,” she muttered as they scrambled away from what she presumed was a generator. Their stupidity just made it easier for her.
She began walking over, movements unhurried. No point in rushing, her height (or lack thereof) made it hard for her to keep up with survivors. Silently, she cursed fate for making her so short she barely came up to other killers’ shoulders. Half of them thought she was a fucking kid at first glance!
1x sighed, cutting her lamentation short. She had better things to do right now. Like-
“OW-?!” she screeched as a dagger plunged into her back. She turned in time to see a certain cultist making a run for it, immediately raising her swords. “You’re going to pay for that!”
Unfortunately, Two Time dived to the ground to avoid the entanglement. 1x swore colourfully as she furiously chased after them. Did nobody have any manners around here?! Charging up a second mass infection, she dug her heel into the ground, spun, and flung the attack with all her might, sending the other flying.
The rest of the match proceeded as usual. Another entanglement stopped Elliot in his tracks, the healer having wandered off from his team. Guest 1337 rushed in to block, and 1x scoffed, stopping her swing at the last second before swiftly killing both. Taph, Jane Doe, Dusekkar, and Builderman attempted to lead her into an elaborate trap, making her roll her eyes. She wasn’t blind, she could see the wire right there.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a certain admin. Apparently, while she was mentally contemplating the survivors’ intelligence, Shedletsky had taken the opportunity to sneak up on her.
1x turned. “YOU.”
“Oh crap.” Shedletsky attempted to stun her, swinging his own sword. It missed by at least five Shedletskys as she took a step back. “Um.”
“I will kill you, and it will be painful, and-”
Shedletsky ran.
Completely forgetting about the other survivors, 1x locked onto him, following close behind. Shedletsky dodged her attacks, swerving side to side. “Stop moving!” she yelled, rage coursing through her veins. “You can’t run forever! Fool!”
“Yes I can!” he called back, swiveling around to face her. He ducked behind a rock as she threw one of her swords at him, the blade whizzing past the spot his neck would have been if he didn’t move. “I’m still alive, aren’t I?”
“Say that when I crush your head,” 1x growled.
“Actually, if my head is crushed, I wouldn’t be able to speak-”
“Are you mocking me?”
The admin rolls away and jumps to his feet. “Up to interpretation!”
1x glared at him, reclaiming her sword and attacking once more. He blocks her next hit, knocking her backwards, and once again attempts to stun her, swinging wildly.
Maybe a little too wildly.
Both of them watched as his sword slipped out of his hand and dropped to the floor. The miserable clatter of metal against concrete was about as deafening as the silence that followed after. Dusekkar, who had been flying after them to try and zap 1x, screeched to a stop to gape at the scene.
“...How,” 1x began, bewilderment dripping from her voice, “did you even fumble that?”
Shedletsky started sweating. “The wind?”
“The breeze you feel is not your ordeal,” Dusekkar supplied helpfully. He went ignored.
The silence became practically paralyzing as 1x stared at Shedletsky. She had the expression of someone who just watched all their expectations crumble into a miserable, dripping pile of disappointment, leaving nothing but utter dismay. Internally, 1x was questioning how the fuck she even came from this pathetic failure of a swordsman.
Finally, Shedletsky broke the silence. “Er, I’m going to, um, pick up my sword.”
He died to a mass infection immediately.
~~~
1x reappeared in the living room of the cabin, swords attached to their sides.
After that absolutely idiotic play by Shedletsky, 1x couldn’t take the rest of the match seriously. She bumped straight into a tripmine while half-heartedly running after Taph, the blinding light causing her to stumble right into one of Jane’s and Builderman’s traps. The joint attacks put her dominant arm out of commission long enough for the round to end without additional deaths. She let out a long sigh, a hand dragging down her face.
“Bad round?” someone asked. 1x looked through their fingers to see John sitting on the couch, idly flicking through the TV.
”Horrible,” she groaned, walking over to take a seat next to him. “I set the bar in hell and Shedletsky still tripped over it.”
John nodded sympathetically. “Sometimes I start an attack that’s so predictable it hurts, and they die anyway.”
“You’d think they would learn how to outsmart us by now.” iTrapped emerged from the shadows of the kitchen, holding a cup full of ice cubes. He picks out two and pops them into his mouth. “Half of them still fall for my fakeouts.”
“Not fighting Mafioso?” 1x raised an eyebrow.
iTrapped bristled, looking a little uncomfortable. “I threw him into the ocean earlier,” he says, carefully avoiding the question.
“That’s surprisingly merciful. Who replaced you?”
“Like you even know what mercy is,” he shot back.
“Fuck you.” 1x grabs the TV remote from John’s corrupted claws and helps him click through channels. “For that, I’m burning your dinner.”
“I’ll just eat ice cubes instead.” iTrapped rolls his eyes – well, 1x couldn't actually tell with the censor over his face – and begins climbing the stairs, cape dragging against the steps.
“I’ll fucking burn these too!”
iTrapped flips her off and disappears into his room. John muttered something about how he was concerned about iTrapped’s mostly-ice diet, but 1x tuned it out. That shithead could freeze in a ditch for all she cared.
Honestly, 1x wouldn’t be surprised if the survivors who kept dying to stray mass infections were more responsible than the killers. Sure, all of them were good at slashing and stabbing and whatever else, but outside of that, everyone was hopelessly dysfunctional. 1x already had to factor in three kids’ nutritional needs when cooking, she wasn’t going to go around telling adults to eat proper meals.
She turned back to John, remembering something. “We’re out of meat. Has anyone gone fishing yet?”
“Noli.”
“So basically no.” She tossed the remote back onto the couch and strode off. “I can’t be bothered to fish. We’re eating pasta today.”
John just nods, taking the remote back and shutting the TV off. “I’ll help. There’s nothing to watch.”
The wooden stool scraped against the floor as 1x dragged it over, hopping on it to reach the higher shelves of the pantry. She momentarily deliberated over the pasta types before shrugging and taking a box at random. “John, catch,” she commanded as she tossed it over her shoulder, getting down from the stool.
God, she hated being short and unable to fly. Back before being trapped in this limbo, she’d just ask her dad to get stuff from the higher shelves.
1x paused.
For the nth time this week, 1x questioned her sanity. First was that really odd dream – it had to be a dream, it couldn’t be anything else – with a man she assumed was some twisted image of a parental figure. Then, there was this sudden nagging feeling that she was forgetting something really, really important. Last but not least was the thought she just had about a father that never existed. Was she finally losing it?
“1x? 1x!”
She snapped out of her thoughts. “What.”
“Sorry. You had that look people get when they’re doubting their life choices.” John gave her a look of concern. “Are you alright? You’ve been doing that a lot recently.”
“I’m fine.”
“Fine won’t cut it.”
“We’re literally stuck in the middle of fuckass nowhere, forced to play shitty games. Half of us weren’t even mentally stable before coming here. ‘Fine’ is the best any of us are going to get.”
John seemed like he wanted to argue further, but 1x shushed him. “We don’t have all day. Unless you want to starve?”
~~~
“Hey, ███!”
███████, startled, whips around. “Kid? What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to come visit you.” 1x leaps off the ledge she was sitting on, wings spread. She lands softly onto the ground and begins to walk over. “What are you doing? Can I join?”
The man that ███████ was talking to blinks in surprise. “Wait, an admin having a kid? That’s actually possible?”
He doesn’t get to say much else. ███████ swiftly raises a hand, his surprised expression shifting to a cold, unforgiving glare. “Nobody was talking to you,” he scoffs, and the man disappears.
1x stops. Confused, she asks, “Where’d he go?”
“Somewhere.” ███████ pauses for a moment. “A place for certain kinds of people.”
“What kind of people?”
“Well, really bad ones. Ones that come at night and kidnap kids who don’t eat their vegetables.” He laughs at 1x’s horrified expression.
“Is that actually true?”
“Want to find out? I’m sure you can fight them off.”
“No?!”
███████ smiles, dismissing his sword and coming closer. He crouches down and puts a hand on her shoulder. “On a more serious note, if someone does try to kidnap you, I’ll fight them off.”
“What if you’re not around?”
“Ha! That’ll never happen.”
1x pursed her lips, not at all assured. “Hypothetically?”
“Hypothetically, hm?” ███████ nods. “Fight back. Cry and kick and scratch, but never, ever back down. Okay?”
“...Okay.”
Notes:
COME GET YOUR FOOD 1X-CENTRIC FIC FANS
i wrote this while having a full marketing campaign and a movie script due within the next few hours. pls lik and subcrib tank yu very mch
originally this was supposed to be more serious but i couldn't resist goofing off. i love being hilarious, i laughed so hard while writing this
hope you guys laughed as hard as i did!
EDIT: would you guys like it if i added pics of how everyone looks? i have some sketches
Chapter 3
Summary:
The chains loosen, and a realisation strikes. Thus, it begins.
Notes:
err this chapter doesn't really focus on 1x, but it's still important. 1x can't solo the plot development on his own
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The chair creaked as Noli leant back. “I [dunno] man, I think the [heater issue’s] pretty important.”
“Just go boil some water if you’re that particular about shower temperature,” Azure groaned. His hat opened its mouth, probably to make a snide remark, but he yanked it off his head and stomped on it before anything came out.
“[Or], we can just fix the heater.”
Azure closed his eyes and exhaled loudly.
The killers were currently having their monthly meeting to sort out whatever issues the cabin was facing. Or, well, they were trying to. So far, all they’d done was argue over five different problems, while iTrapped attempted to discreetly murder Mafioso. Jason had given up on the meeting some time ago and 1x wished he’d done the same.
“Okay, okay, moving on,” John hurried to say, waving his less-corrupted hand. He’d been playing mediator for the past hour, but his patience was wearing thin. “We still need to sort out the fishing schedule.”
“I’m out,” iTrapped immediately said, cocking a gun under the table. Nobody bothered to stop him.
“Alright, no food for you.”
“In case your eye is too corrupted to notice, Mr. Doe, I can survive just fine on ice cubes.”
“That’s not-”
Finally having enough, 1x slammed the table. “All of you, shut the fuck up!”
Silence.
“You guys act like toddlers,” 1x hissed out. “I’ve seen tissue boxes with more competence than all of you combined. A dog could run this household and it wouldn’t make a single fucking difference. Can none of you agree on one thing for at least five seconds?!”
He paused, calming himself down. “Now that I have everyone’s attention, there’s an actual important thing we need to discuss.”
“[More important] than the [broken] heater?”
“Talk about the heater again and I’ll decay the other half of your body.”
~~~
[Earlier…]
“Something’s wrong,” C00lkidd says quietly.
1x1x1x1, who was idly doodling on a piece of paper – Pr3ty had cornered him and demanded he draw with her and C00lkidd – barely even acknowledged the statement. “Everything here is basically wrong at this point,” he muttered distractedly, trying to decide what colour he wanted his flower to be.
“Not here.” C00lkidd puts down the red crayon he’d been gnawing on for the past few minutes. “I mean during the rounds.”
That got 1x to stop.
Pr3ty didn’t look up from where she was aggressively colouring her princess drawing, but still spoke. “Yeah. The other players look…off.”
Currently, there weren’t any other adults present. Not even Noli, who haunted the living room like it was a narrative. It was only C00l, Pr3ty, a Bluudud who was gaming on the couch, and 1x.
“Mhmm,” C00lkidd hummed.
“It’s like..” Pr3ty trails off, searching for a word. “They’re not having fun?”
Bluudud’s controller clacks onto the coffee table, and the twelve year old looks over his shoulder. “They’re, um, like newbies who got thrown into a pro lobby during their first game.”
“Frustration?”
“Hmm, maybe less anger. Something more on the anxiety side?”
1x watched as the three kids all struggled to put a name to the situation at hand, C00lkidd putting the crayon into his mouth again. He had a faint inking of what was going on, but he didn’t want to push it.
“Uhh, is it like that one time Ms 1x saw a bug in the living room?” C00lkidd tries.
The swordsman shudders involuntarily, flashing back to a cockroach entering the cabin. He had screamed before practically flying out the door, and it took a full hour before Azure successfully convinced him to come down from a tree. “Let’s not speak of that horrid creature,” he muttered.
Bluudud looks over at 1x, thinking, before snapping his fingers. “So like, hysterical?”
“No, no, less crazy than that.” Pr3ty lifts her drawing up to the light, frowning. “Hey, is it me or did I tear my paper?”
“You probably did. You colour like an orangutan on drugs.”
“I’m not on drugs.”
“You didn’t deny being an orangutan.”
“As long as it’s pink and glittery, I don’t care.” She rolls her eyes.
C00lkidd tilts his head, looking at the pink girl’s drawing. “Looks like a tear to me!”
“Whatever.” Pr3ty puts the paper down. “Back to our original conversation. Ms 1x, what’s the word for hysterical but like, not insane?”
1x didn’t expect to be brought into the conversation. Acutely aware of the three kids now staring at him, he stalls. “Why don't you try first.”
“We did, duh. Can’t come up with anything.”
“Try harder.” He goes back to colouring his flower, attempting to disguise his internal panic.
“Look, we can all agree that something’s off with the games, right?” Bluudud declared. The other two chorused in agreement. “I’m starting to wonder, is it even a game? It doesn’t…feel like one. It feels too real.”
“Ugh, this hurts my brain,” Pr3ty complained. “Let’s think about it later. What colour should my chimney be?”
Gradually, the kids forgot about their question. C00lkidd attempted to bring the topic up again, but cut himself off halfway and elected to eat Pr3ty’s crayon instead.
“Hey! That’s mine!”
~~~
Mafioso folded his arms as he took the information in. Azure tapped his fingers against the table, exchanging a glance with John. Noli sat back up. iTrapped put away his gun. Nobody needed to say anything – they all knew what 1x was trying to get at.
You see, for the past few years, all three kids were convinced they were playing a game during rounds. Pr3ty and C00l both thought it was tag, while Bluudud claimed it was a hyperrealistic Virtual Reality game. Some of them had tried to explain what the rounds were, but as soon as the words left their mouths, the kids forgot what was being said. The killers suspected the Spectre was messing with their memories, wiping even the smallest suspicion that it was anything but a game.
So for the kids to realise something was up is huge.
Noli spoke up. “This means something, doesn’t it?”
A few of them nodded solemnly, prompting him to continue. “There’s still hope. There’s still the faintest possibility we can get out of here.”
“Slow down there.” Mafioso placed a hand on the table, fingers drumming against the wood. “Ain’t that too far of a stretch?”
“I mean,” John commented, “we’ve been trying to find even the slightest crack in this limbo-purgatory-place in hopes of exposing a weakness. Now that there’s one, well, we might have a chance.”
“Exactly what I was trying to say.” The Void Star pulses as Noli lets it go, coming to rest somewhere near his shoulder.
“I’m not too sure. We don’t really have enough to go off on, the kids might be referring to something else entirely,” said Azure.
1x raises an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Maybe the survivors were just sick or something.”
“That’s even more of a stretch,” Noli says in a rare feat of intelligence.
Azure begins to protest, leaning forward, tentacles snapping in the air –
– but suddenly deflates. He sighs, shifting again, a hand grasping the tip of his hat and pulling it back up onto the table. “Yeah. Sorry, I just- I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much.” He slumps in his chair, curling up on himself.
The silence this time was heavier. More intense, foreign even. Never had any of them been this vulnerable before. There had been an unspoken understanding since the start; vulnerability was dangerous. It was exactly what the Spectre preyed on.
To wear your heart on your sleeve meant it was just as easy for someone to stab it.
1x looked away. This was way out of his depth. He wasn’t made to handle such a situation, neither was he willing to try. A literal walking manifestation of hatred sympathising with someone? Laughable. He’d sooner eat his blades.
Then, someone unexpected spoke.
“I get it,” iTrapped mumbles.
Everyone turns to look at him in surprise. His head was down, propped on his hand, face censor stuttering for a moment. Quietly, he elaborates, “I once held hope in something fragile. And where did that lead me? Here, in the middle of nowhere.”
1x practically gapes at him. iTrapped was about as cold as the crown he wore, the kind of person who responded to concern with a scoff and a shrug. Out of all the killers, he was the only one nobody bothered to connect with – save for John, who fussed over everyone – because everyone figured it was best to leave him alone. But right now, he just looked small. Regretful over a distant memory.
Then, shockingly, Mafioso reaches across the table and places a hand on iTrapped’s shoulder.
No hostility.
No hidden agenda.
Just simple understanding.
“Trap, you’re overthinking again,” he says gently.
“...hah, how’d you know?” iTrapped’s voice shook. He leans ever so slightly into the touch.
“You have that face.” Mafioso tilts his head, an ear twitching, almost smiling. Something unreadable was in the way he looked at the other man, an emotion 1x couldn’t quite place. “The same face you made when…”
For a second, 1x didn’t see enemies who spent every second at each other’s throats. 1x saw an echo of a forgotten relationship, something raw and intimate, running deep below layers of grudges and contempt.
For a second, 1x almost believed they weren’t enemies.
The two men pause.
As if a switch had been flipped, both of them jerked away from each other. iTrapped nearly fell out of his chair with the severity of his motion, fumbling back into a rigid posture. Mafioso cleared his throat awkwardly and readjusted his coat. They stared in different directions, furiously pretending that nothing happened.
John wisely chose to take the hint. “Look, everyone’s got a point. Let’s just keep an eye on the kids for now, and see if anything improves.” Murmurs of agreement rose, and the meeting shifted back into arguments over the fishing schedule.
However, the atmosphere was different now. 1x could see it in the way Azure’s shoulders tensed, the way Noli seemed disinterested when the heater was brought up again, the way iTrapped shot half-baked insults like he wasn’t entirely there.
Something was changing.
And 1x didn’t know if it was for the better or worse.
Notes:
i think i went ooc, but then again canon is a suggestion i refuse to take. my interpretations are superior anyways
the killers jab a lot at each other, but they recognise nobody asked to be in the position they're in, so almost everyone's on neutral terms.
frozendebt frozendebt i love frozendebt (chance screams from the jail i locked them in)
dont worry chance you'll get there. eventually
Chapter 4
Summary:
The clock ticks. Something reignites. Something withers away.
1x isn't sure of herself anymore.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Azure’s garden was the only peaceful place in the limbo that 1x lived in. The cabin was always noisy, either from the kids playing, or the millionth argument of the year. The rest of the island emitted a very strong “do not go here” aura that sent shivers up his spine, and no way in hell was the seaside calming with the whole fog thing it had going on. 1x often found herself silently tending to the plants alongside the ex-cultist, letting the other guide her through the motions as her mind wandered.
Right now, though, it was not peaceful. At all.
“Coward,” Mafioso spat as iTrapped jumped back to avoid a bullet.
1x didn’t know when or why, but the two idiots had apparently decided today was a great day to kill each other in front of the vegetable patch. They had enough manners to avoid trampling on the plants, but for Telamon’s sake, couldn’t they have chosen somewhere else?
“You’re the coward.” iTrapped sweeps his hand in a grand motion, and icicles shoot up around him. “Too scared to get near me?”
“Can’t come up with a better argument? Hah. ‘Sides, I don’t need to get near you to kill you.”
Next to 1x, Azure twitched in irritation. “These plants won’t grow well if there’s a pair of dumb fucks fighting five steps away,” he muttered under his breath.
“If we didn’t infinitely revive, I’d suggest killing them.” She rolls her eyes.
“Forget it.” He picks up a carrot and tosses it into the basket sitting on the ground. “How many do we need for today’s dinner?”
“How many do you want?”
Azure thinks for a moment before tossing five more in. “What else?”
“We got the mushrooms, the peas, the tomatoes…we still need potatoes.”
“They’re on the other side of the patch.” He strides off, a tentacle snatching the basket up before 1x could process the motion. She huffs and follows the other. 1x never understood why Azure always insisted on holding it on her behalf – besides, it was her basket in the first place.
The moment she stepped out on the pathway, iTrapped decided to dodge right into her path.
The collision sent 1x stumbling. Azure grabbed her by the arm, supporting her and stopping her fall. iTrapped, meanwhile, attempted to catch his balance, proceeded to step on his ridiculously thick cape – seriously, did he not overheat or something – and ended up in a tangle on the floor.
Mafioso froze in the middle of reloading his gun.
Then he burst out into laughter.
Genuine laughter.
His expression held no trace of the mockery 1x expected.
“What the fuck are you laughing at?!” iTrapped said indignantly, trying to untwist his cape.
The mafia boss bends down, getting into the other’s face. Instead of taking advantage of the situation to kill him, Mafioso just smiles. “Told ya that cape was gonna get in your way, hmm?” he hums. “Now you’re stuck like a damsel in distress.”
iTrapped sputters.
“Here.” He pulls the shorter man onto his feet, before spinning him around. A gloved hand smoothes out the blue cape. Turning to face him again, Mafioso gives him a few seconds before pointing his gun at iTrapped’s head once again.
Azure and 1x stared in mutual confused silence as the fight resumed. “What the hell just happened,” 1x muttered, completely forgetting to be mad at iTrapped for knocking her over.
“I don’t know and I don’t want to.”
“Let’s just get the potatoes.”
“Yeah, let’s.”
They speed-walked as fast as possible, not wanting to deal with the mess that was Mafioso and iTrapped’s relationship. At some point, Azure leapt over a fence, nearly sending the basket flying. Only when they were a sufficient distance away (which was the other side of the garden) did they slow down.
“That,” the man says, panting slightly, “was probably the gayest thing that happened in living existence.”
Unlike him, 1x didn’t tire so easily. “It had homoerotic tension thicker than concrete,” she replied, her own breathing steady.
“If I didn’t know them, I’d yell at them to kiss.”
The mental image that conjured up in her mind was cursed. “Eugh. Doesn’t fucking suit them.”
Azure snorts. He pulls out a shovel and starts digging into the dirt, placing the basket next to him. As 1x approached, he motions for her to pick out the potatoes she wanted.
She kneels down and glances over the options, carefully avoiding as much soil as possible. Silently, she dusts off a few of the brown vegetables, placing them into the basket before going to get more. A sort of quietness washed over them, and she felt herself relaxing ever so slightly.
But then a pained scream came out of nowhere.
“Wh-” Azure jumps, nearly dropping the shovel.
1x snaps her head up and looks past him, trying to locate the sound. It sounded like it came from inside the cabin.
Immediately, she ran through a mental list of everyone’s locations. Can’t be Mafioso or iTrapped, they were in the opposite direction. Jason couldn’t scream anyways. Noli was somewhere in the forest. All the kids were outside playing, so it couldn’t be any of them-
John. He’d left for a round an hour ago, and rounds typically lasted that long.
Shit.
“John?!” she yelled, springing up and sprinting towards the cabin with Azure hot on her heels. The man was one of the very few 1x would consider a ‘friend’; he’d been polite to her since the start, though he made an odd expression when he heard the name 1x1x1x1. As if he recognised her name, but not her.
Not to say she liked him or anything. He was just someone 1x preferred alive than dead.
Azure speeds past her, his much taller stature giving him an advantage despite being low on stamina. He flings open the front door with both hands, nearly knocking his hat off with the resulting force.
There, hunched over on the ground, was John Doe.
He was shaking, limbs digging into the ground, blood and broken binary dripping from what seemed like a cut in his less corrupted arm. Tears ran down his face, mixing with the small pool forming on the floor. He looked like he’d just gone through hell and barely lived to tell the tale.
“No- please- let me go back,” he gasps out, voice broken. ”Please.”
Both of them were stunned for a moment. John was the cabin’s voice of reason, the one who stepped in to diffuse tense situations, always calm with a kind look in his eye. To see him breaking down was so out of place neither knew what to do.
“...John?” 1x tries again with as much concern she could muster, coming closer.
Slowly, he raises his head.
He looks at the manifestation of hatred, the disgraced creation of Telamon. The last person anyone in their right mind would confide in.
“I saw her,” whispered the man on the floor. “I saw her, yet the voice was silent. I was in control. I spoke to her.”
Azure, digging in his pockets for a roll of bandages, stopped. “You mean…Jane?”
”Yes.”
1x drops a sword.
“I told the two of you about the voices, right?” he asks, head dropping back down. “In a round, I’m never in control. It’s like some kind of frenzy takes over me, and the only directive in my mind is an order to kill, rip, and tear.”
A sob escapes him, forcing him to stop. The other two killers waited for him to continue, giving him space to breathe.
“But it was different today. My mind was clear. Jane ran up to me, like always, and she called my name, and I-” he chokes on another sob. “I missed her so, so much. To finally get to hold her hand again, even for a second-”
Wait, wait. Backtrack for a second.
John…didn’t go crazy. During a round. That had his wife in it.
If what happened with the kids was huge, this was the size of a galaxy.
Azure made eye contact with 1x as he patted the other man’s back. He sent her a look, and she nodded once in return.
A wet chuckle rises. “I saw that,” John laughs weakly. “I know what you’re thinking. The Spectre’s weakening.”
Well, 1x couldn’t deny that claim.
“It’s not a coincidence anymore,” Azure muttered. “First it’s the kids. Now it’s you. The force that’s holding control over our minds is faltering.”
Our minds.
The words echoed in 1x’s head. All the odd dreams she’d been having for the past few weeks resurfaced, flashing through her head.
Dreams of events she didn’t recall happening. Dreams of strange emotions and an unrecognisable figure that talked to her like she was something pure and innocent, something that needed protecting, something to be proud of. It contrasted so heavily with the narrative she’d known her entire life – that she was a creation meant to be tossed aside and forgotten, but fought back against the one who abandoned her.
Yet, the dreams felt so real.
They reeked of nostalgia, stirring feelings she couldn’t recognise. If she tried hard enough, she could even pretend they weren’t delusions.
…She was beginning to doubt.
The nagging voice at the back of her head whispered again. She was still missing a detail, one that might be crucial to understanding everything.
1x bit her lip. She already knew the Spectre messed with her mind at some point, she just never bothered to figure out how. But it didn’t make sense to mess with her further when it was clearly weakening.
So these “dreams” had to mean more.
She blinked back to reality. Azure and John were staring at her, the former wrapping the other’s arm with gauze. “What?”
“Do you have something to tell us?” John asks, raising an eyebrow. He seems to have collected himself while 1x was thinking.
She scoffs. “No.”
“Are you sure?” he presses further, opening the floor for her – giving her a chance to tell them about her thoughts.
This man was too perceptive for his own good, 1x mused. Was she ready to explain whatever the hell was happening to her? Not in the slightest. “I’m sure.”
Clearly, neither of them brought it, based on the way they glanced at each other. “We won’t judge you, 1x. I promise,” says Azure before turning back to the arm he was bandaging.
“...I’ll keep that in mind.”
~~~
1x looked around, giggling.
Hide and seek when you could fly was way more fun. There were way more places to hide, plus, you could move without being heard at all! 1x had flown right past ███████’s searching gaze more times than she could count.
In the distance, a voice sing-songed. “1x~ Where are you~”
She simply giggled harder, nestling further into the tree trunk she’d decided to hide in. The voice moved further away, becoming quieter and quieter until she couldn’t hear it anymore. Ha, she was so winning this game-
“There you are!” A pair of hands grabbed her, and she was lifted from her hiding spot. 1x yelped, but her initial shock was replaced with laughter as ███████ tickled her.
“███!”
“What a mischievous little birdie. Hiding all the way up here…” ███████ frowns slightly, the playfulness in his voice toning down. “I know you really want to win, but it’s dangerous to be so high.”
Oh. 1x’s shoulders slumped, disappointed in herself.
“Hey, don’t go all sad on me now. I’m not scolding you.” A hand smooths out her drooping wings, ███████ shifting her to rest on his hip.
“But you’re still upset, aren’t you?”
He sighs softly. “I’ll never be mad at you, kid. I’m just worried for you.”
As ███████ and 1x slowly descended to the ground, he added, “I know you’re a really strong kid. You just need to be more careful, okay?”
“Mkay.”
“Besides, you’re really scary when you’re mad.” He chuckles. “Oh man, the mess you made when I said I didn’t have any more dehydrated limes…”
“Hey! I was just hungry!”
“All the food in the world, and you want to eat limes? One of these days, you’re gonna turn as green as them.” He pinches her cheek, causing her to squeal and wiggle out of his grasp.
“No I won’t!” She stuck her tongue out. “When I grow up, I’ll become an amazing swordsman like you!”
“Oh? Then, I’ll be waiting for that day.”
Notes:
TWO chapters in one day...i am so not locked in for school
i might use she/her for 1x way more often compared to the other two pronouns. idk i just think it's funny when you hear "she" and the guy it's referring to speaks like she drank five gallons of testosterone.
Chapter 5
Summary:
A third crack, a third tally.
Desperation, confusion, longing fills the void left in the mind.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Can this day get any more boring?” 1x complained, face-down on the couch.
There was no response.
Of course there wasn’t any, because everyone was motherfucking sleeping. 1x didn’t even know why they were awake.
They lifted their head from the couch. A clock hanging on the wall indicated that it was four a.m. in the morning. “Why do I even exist,” they asked the air, dropping back down.
Tick.
The clock on the wall counted every agonising second that passed. It echoed throughout the cabin, noisy and grating in all the wrong ways.
1x sighed, eyes drifting away to look at the calendar. Various marker colours scribbled out days that had passed, and upon further inspection, C00lkidd’s name was written on the upcoming square. Huh, 1x could’ve sworn he just went last week? Were they misremembering?
Tick.
To be fair, the concept of a week barely existed at this point. Time clearly passed differently here: weather patterns didn’t align with the months on the calendar, and the kids never seemed to age. They were mildly grateful for the latter point – if the kids were any taller, 1x would be the shortest in the cabin.
Tick-
Without looking, 1x flung their daemonshanks in the direction of the clock. The sound of shattering glass rang out, then everything fell silent.
Finally, finally, that annoying sound was gone.
1x hadn’t had such quietness in forever.
Normally, they’d kill for such a thing. Keeping seven trigger-happy adults on the same island? Huge recipe for disaster. Noise and chaos was practically a given.
Okay, maybe not seven. John didn’t do much. These days, however, 1x hated the silence of being alone.
Smashing that clock was a stupid move.
Without anyone (or anything) around, there weren’t any noises to keep their mind occupied. And when there was silence, they started to ruminate over the events of the past few weeks. Sure, thinking was good – it proved that they had more IQ than the rest of the cabin – but it always inevitably circled back to the same question that plagued their mind for the past week.
Who was the man in their dreams?
Even now, they still couldn’t put a name to the face. No matter how hard they tried, digging into the corners of their memory, nobody came close to the man’s appearance. 1x was sure they’d never seen a guy with those robes, or those brown-yellow feathers, or…basically everything.
Though, there was a certain retired admin with these exact wings…No. There was no way that man was ever so kind to them.
Maybe he was some kind of vivid hallucination conjured up by their mind- but that just opened up even more questions. Like why they were even hallucinating in the first place.
This was way too confusing at four in the morning.
“My dad says your brain can’t make up people in your dreams,” pipes up a childlike voice. The words are slightly slurred, as if the speaker just got out of bed.
1x turns around.
C00lkidd stands at the bottom of the stairs, a pillow tucked into one arm. He rubs an eye, yawning.
Shit, 1x must’ve spoken aloud. They really didn’t want to explain their situation right now. But then again, it was just C00lkidd. As young as he was, he wouldn’t understand – though, his words did intrigue them. Brains can’t make people up?
“So you’re saying, I’ve met the stranger in my dreams.”
“Yeah, dad told me everyone you see in your dreams are people you’ve seen in real life.” He trudges over, dragging the pillow with him. “Even if you don’t remember seeing them.”
That was certainly food for thought. 1x contemplates the claim, wondering if 007n7 was speaking the truth or just making something up for his son’s amusement. The man didn’t look like the type to lie.
Wait a minute. “Why are you awake, C00lkidd?” 1x asked, confused.
“I think it’s my turn soon.”
1x blinks at the statement, looking back up at the clock. “It’s four in the morning.”
C00lkidd shrugs. He places his pillow down on the couch, before lifting his head to face them. “Can I sit with you?”
You know what? Sure, why not. It wasn’t as if 1x was doing anything anyways.
He clambers onto the cushion next to them, getting into a curled position with his pillow tucked between his limbs. The kid seemed oddly downcast, a slight frown on his usually cheerful face as he stared into empty space. 1x carefully avoided eye contact, unsure of what to say. If it were anyone else, they’d just laugh at their misery, but C00lkidd was just, well, a kid. He hadn’t done anything.
The red child looks away. First to the clock, then to his pillow, then back to 1x, opening his mouth once more. “Ms 1x, do you have any loved ones here?”
They raise an eyebrow. Now where did that question come from?
“Because,” he continues, “everyone so far knows at least one other person. Mr Noli knows my dad from college, Mr Doe has his wife, Bluudud and Pr3typriincess are friends…”
1x gestures for him to skip ahead, getting the point. C00lkidd tilts his head. “So, who do you know?”
There was only one person, only one answer they could give. “Shedletsky.”
“Was he your friend?”
“No.” 1x closes their eyes. “The opposite.”
“So he was your enemy?”
“Worse. He was my creator.”
C00lkidd nods patiently. They take a deep breath, trying to put it into simpler terms. “I was made as a tool, not a person. When I could no longer be used, he threw me aside like trash. And now, all he wants is to finish what he started.”
“That’s not true,” the kid replies immediately, stunning 1x. He sits up with a sudden burst of confidence, looking straight at them. “He doesn’t see you like that. You’re not just a tool to him.”
What a ridiculous answer. 1x scoffed, glaring at him.
…His response should have outraged them.
It should have filled them with indescribable rage. To even suggest the opposite of what they knew to be true, with such sureness only a naive child could hold? 1x should’ve crushed him for that. Teach the kid a lesson to not speak on topics he clearly didn’t know about. C00lkidd may have only been ten, but he should know better than to piss 1x off.
None of that happened.
Instead, the statement gave them pause. Their mouth clacked shut.
1x, despite themselves, allows the thought to simmer. That Shedletsky might not want to kill them. It was, in all honesty, ridiculous. Why wouldn’t Shedletsky want them dead? They were his biggest mistake, they shouldn’t have existed past their initial purpose. He gained practically nothing from them remaining alive.
They went to reply to C00lkidd.
But the kid was gone.
“C00lkidd?” 1x says into the silence. No response.
They think back to his earlier words. I think it’s my turn soon. Ah, so he was right.
An idea pops into their mind, boredom already festering in the silence. They pull up a panel – a simple one, nerfed by the Spectre. Their finger goes for the “Spectate” button. Might as well see what C00lkidd was up to.
~~~
The red child, in his enhanced form, stands in Yorick’s Resting Place.
He’d spawned next to a tree, in a far corner of the map. Nearby, a generator hummed faintly.
C00lkidd didn’t move.
He was thinking.
The other day, while C00lkidd was in the backyard playing, he heard a scream. Concerned, he ran back into the cabin, worried that something might have happened. Lurking in the doorway, he saw Mr Doe on the floor with Ms 1x and Mr Azure, talking about things that made his head hurt the more he tried to make sense of it.
One thing did catch his attention. Mr Doe had mentioned something about a voice in his head shutting up and letting him talk to his wife. C00lkidd had never known the man had a wife! He was glad Mr Doe could reunite with her.
Ms 1x, on the other hand…Ms 1x seemed so lonely. They were friends with some of the other adults, but even then they felt so distant. C00lkidd didn’t want Ms 1x to be left out, just like how Mr iTrapped shouldn’t look so regretful all the time.
Maybe he should talk to them more often.
A whisper interrupts him, breaking his train of thought. What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to play tag with your friends?
Oh! He loved tag, even if it was four in the morning.
C00lkidd starts off towards the other side of the map – then screeches to a stop.
Go on now. Time’s ticking.
He’d just remembered something. Mr Doe said there was a voice in his head too. And, he also said it was controlling him.
Was the very voice he referred to the same one that was speaking to him right now?
If so, C00lkidd shouldn’t listen to it. A voice that was unkind to poor Mr Doe couldn’t be a good person.
This is not your concern. Play your game and forget about it.
Unfortunately, if there was one thing C00lkidd was the master of, it was disobeying orders. He plops down onto the grass, making up his mind. “Nope. I’m staying here.”
C00lkidd-
“C00lkidd?” a voice calls.
He perks up. A man approaches him, a strikingly familiar burger hat on top of his head. “Dad!”
007n7 chuckles gently, walking to him. He was always the first person that C00lkidd saw in rounds, running towards him while everyone else tried to stay out of sight. He observes C00lkidd’s stubborn posture, then carefully sits down next to his son. “Not…playing tag today?”
“Nope!” he replies cheerfully. “I’ve decided. No listening to Mr Mean Voice. Even if it means I can’t play tag.”
“Mr Mean Voice?” A realisation seems to strike his dad.
“Yeah, it made Mr Doe sad. That’s mean.”
“You think so?”
“Mr Doe’s a very kind guy, he plays games with us back at the cabin! He doesn’t deserve to be sad.”
“Hmm,” 007n7 hums. He didn't respond, but relief flashed across his face for a moment.
The father and son duo fall into silence.
C00lkidd couldn’t remember the last time he sat down with his dad like this. It was nice. Dad always made him feel better without saying anything.
“...Dad,” C00lkidd mutters.
“Yeah?”
“I’m tired. I don’t want to play anymore. I want to go home.”
007n7 stares at him, not saying anything, and C00lkidd worries he said something wrong. He didn’t want to make his dad upset-
He suddenly reaches over and pulls him into a hug. C00lkidd squeaks in surprise, but hugs him back, noticing the faint tremble in his dad’s shoulders. Was his dad crying?
Yep. C00lkidd’s resolve was cemented.
“We’ll go home soon. I promise,” says 007n7.
C00lkidd’s voice was quiet. “I missed you, dad.”
“I missed you too, kid.”
~~~
1x stares at the scene.
They didn’t know how to feel. A huge jumble of emotions were swirling in their head, none of them identifiable.
Hah. The manifestation of hatred, not knowing what to feel. At this point, they were a joke.
…Forget it. They’re going to bed now.
Leaving the light on for when the kid returned, they went upstairs.
Notes:
school is a prison ill release ch6 when i'm free (in approx 1.5 weeks)
we are approaching a major plot point! i have big plans i hope i can execute well
also drafting up acatalepsy 1x's design, it's basically betrayed but tweaked, might post it along with ch6
EDIT: will post 1x's ref with ch7.
Chapter 6
Summary:
Black heels tread the lightless path.
The difference between a false truth and a hidden lie treads a thin line.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
How many times must you question?
I have granted you salvation. I have removed the blindfold that obscured the truth HE refused to tell you.
These dreams are nothing but lies. Listen to me. LISTEN TO ME–
~~~
Roblox HQ was definitely the odd place to be. Not because of the nature of their work – the demolition, reconstruction, and maintenance of Robloxia wasn’t as amazing and cool as people made it out to be. At the end of the day, most of them were regular people running errands the admins were too busy for.
No, what made Roblox HQ weird was the employees.
Half of them either had some unique genetic mutation, a special ability, or a suspiciously long lifespan that left doctors baffled. Animal hybrids weren’t uncommon in every sector of the HQ. The demolition sector alone could win every single workplace diversity award there was in the world – hell, half the admins looked like eldritch animals. So when people walked past John Doe’s table and saw a winged child sitting on his desk, they didn’t question it.
The child frowned at the clipboard in their hands, tapping their pencil against the surface. They’d been stuck on the same question for the past ten minutes. “John, how good are you at math?”
“Decent.” John didn’t look up from the computer. He clicks on a file and begins typing away. “Hit me with it.”
Ooh, he was distracted. Perfect. “What’s one to the power of four?”
“It’s still one.”
“No, I mean, another way to say one to the power of four?”
“Well, if you expand it, it’s just one by one by-” John pauses, finger hovering over the enter button. “Wait a minute.”
Next to him, the child nearly falls off the table laughing. Their wings fluttered in amusement as they pointed a finger at him. “You said it,” they sing-songed, proud of themselves.
He snorts, leaning back. “Yes, 1x. I said it,” he echoed.
1x looks back at him, still smiling, before their expression drops and they pick the clipboard back up. “But really, I can’t solve this question.”
John takes the clipboard from them. He promptly chokes. “Who the hell is teaching kids your age how to solve algebraic inequalities?”
“Is it really that hard?”
“Well, I’d rather do your homework than do this anyday,” he muttered, gesturing to the screen in front of him.
Red eyes looked up from the clipboard and scanned John’s own paperwork. Words, words, and more words. John was right, this sucked way more than their homework. In a sudden burst of energy, 1x hopped down from the table, crouching down and stuffing the clipboard back into their bag. John raised an eyebrow as they dug around inside said bag before pulling out a familiar crown. “Let’s go sword fighting instead,” they proposed, standing back up.
“Hmm. I clearly recall a certain admin saying you’re not supposed to be sword fighting during the school term…”
“Come on, just one round,” they pleaded. “Plus, aren’t you tired of work?”
“I’m also supposed to be babysitting you,” he reminds them.
1x pouts. Boring.
The man lets out a long sigh. “Alright, but only one round.”
“Yay!” They shoved their crown onto their head before raising their hands. Familiar dark green blades blinked into existence as John pushed his chair back and shut the computer down. “Let’s go!” they urged, nudging him towards the door.
As they stepped outside, the cool breeze of the autumn air hitting their faces, a figure in black robes walked towards them, the hem singed ever so slightly. Their hood was pulled down in such a way that whatever wasn’t obscured by their mask was covered in shadow. In their arms, they held multiple tripmines.
1x waved enthusiastically. “Hi Taph!”
The demolitionist’s head flicked up. Shifting the tripmines to a single arm, they waved back.
“You still haven’t taught me how to build these!”
Taph cocks their head to the side, hands too occupied to sign. “🫵👶❌”
“They’re right, kids your age shouldn’t know how to build bombs,” John commented as the other disappeared into the building.
“Neither should they know how to sword fight.” 1x stuck their tongue out before skipping off to the spawn pad, dragging him along. “The Heights shouldn’t be too crowded today. ███ says the crowd’s only on weekends and holidays,”
(1x pauses. This wasn’t right. None of this was right. None of this happened.
Or maybe it did. Maybe they were the one who weren't right.
…The world resumes.)
John closes his eyes, taking a breath of fresh air after being inside for so long. 1x glanced over at him as they pulled up the server list. Frankly, they didn’t actually want to sword fight – nor were they that helpless at math – but they were a tinge worried for his wellbeing. They’d overheard a conversation between him and Jane, something about stressing himself out too much, how it would agitate his recent illness. 1x didn’t know what illness it was, but they could agree sitting at a desk all day wasn’t going to help.
Looking back at the server list, they scrolled down until a familiar name came into view. Sword Fights on the Heights. A click, and the world rippled around them, colours blurring, before the familiar orange of the Heights came into view. 1x dismisses the server panel before stepping off the spawn pad, looking around. Sure enough, there were less people than usual.
“I see a spot,” John says from somewhere to the right.
1x turns to see him walking to an empty space. With a quick flap of their wings, they flew over to him.
Landing, they inspected both their blades. 1x wielded a weapon ███████ had specially crafted for them, a modified version of the Venomshank split into dual blades. But right now, they didn’t need both, so they flipped one around and offered the hilt to John.
(The world flickers again. 1x frowns.)
John stares in surprise. “You’re giving me your daemonshanks?”
“Just one. You’ll need it to be anywhere near my level.”
The statement was ridiculous – 1x could win in a 1v8 blindfolded and wielding a stick. An ordinary office worker like John couldn't even come close to them. Yet, he still humored them anyway, taking the blade from them.
1x gave him a second before leaping forward. John barely parried, almost stumbling backwards from the force of the attack. Right, 1x, don’t be too hard on him, he barely knows the difference between the different sword types. They eased back, slowing down their movements.
For the next few minutes, the only sound was the wooshing of wind through the Heights and the clang of metal against metal. It was therapeutic, really, letting your mind be clear of anything aside from what was happening in the present. 1x faked a swing to the right, waited for John to react to that, and quickly switched directions to disarm him. The daemonshank John was wielding was knocked out of his hands, skidding to a stop near the edge of the platform.
John whistled, raising his hands in defeat. “███████ spared no expense in training you, huh.”
“I’m also a demigod, so,” they shrugged, snapping a finger. The sword they’d lent to John returned to their hands. “███ did train me a lot when I was younger, however- where the hell are you going?”
“Back to work?” says the man, already halfway back to the spawn pad. He’d had to squeeze through a group of people that gathered while he and 1x were fighting. “We agreed on one round.”
They didn’t have an argument against that. But they really wished the two of them could stay longer. Maybe sword fighting wasn’t the best choice, but anything to get out of HQ for a bit…
“1x,” he calls. They snapped back to reality.
Before they could run over, however, a hand reaches out to stop them.
They pause in surprise, looking at the robed arm blocking them. John turns around when he realised 1x wasn’t following. “What’s the matter?”
“1x1x1x1’s presence is required somewhere else,” says another voice from behind them, approaching. “Please return to your duties. We will take care of this.”
1x pursed their lips, observing the people that were now surrounding them. The blades in their hands begins to glow, glitchfire sparking along the edges as they shifted into a stance–
“We are here on behalf of ███████. There is no need for hostility.”
Oh. The fire sputters out as John raises an eyebrow. “You sure? ███████ said I’m supposed to babysit the kid until he’s back.”
“There must be a miscommunication. Ask ███████ himself if you have doubts.”
1x didn’t recall anything special happening today though?
“...Alright,” John relents, turning back to the spawn pad. “1x, call if you need anything.”
The spawn pad envelopes him in white sparkles, teleporting him away. 1x’s eyes flicked back to the robed people, recognising the pattern on the hem. ███ had the same design on his! They must truly be here on behalf of him – though 1x was absolutely sure he hadn’t warned them of this happening today. Maybe he just forgot. Everyone forgets things sometimes. Well, they could just ask him later.
(You’ll never get that opportunity.
1x flinches at the voice. They looked around, but none of the people ushering them seemed to have spoken.
What was that? No, who was that?
Whatever. It was probably the wind or something.)
They had better things to focus on, like where the hell they were heading. They strained their ears, trying to catch the hushed whispering that the two figures next to them were exchanging. Even with their enhanced hearing, they could barely catch anything.
“...informed?”
“I have tried…”
“...the ritual…almost ready.”
“███████ is still uncontactable. We cannot proceed…the hatred will not transfer properly. Let us prevent the vessel…”
That was the last thing they heard before a strike to their head turned everything black.
~~~
He did not tell you, because he knew you would resist.
You were never a child in his eyes. You were an empty vessel, your only purpose to him was to hold the parts of himself he disliked. I saved you from that fate. The least you could do is kill him, to enact the revenge you deserve-
“1x? 1x?! 1x1x1x1!”
Someone shakes them awake. They shot up with a gasp, crown tumbling off, reeling from the sudden shift. What the fuck just happened?
They blinked violently, trying to clear their vision (since when was it blurred by tears?). They could barely make out their surroundings. The person that shook them awake was kneeling in front of them. “1x, what happened?” asks the figure before them.
1x coughed, eyes locking onto him. Corrupted binary and charred growths ran down one side of his body, a stark contrast to the version of him they just saw in their dream. “Nothing,” they muttered.
“Don’t lie,” John shot back, voice firm. “If nothing happened, then why were you screaming in your sleep?”
They scoffed weakly. “What, creations of hatred can’t have nightmares now?”
God, that dream really hurt. They could still feel an echo of the pain coursing through their body, could still see the blinding light that shone throughout the room as the ritual began. Could still recall the Spectre’s void claiming them as its own right as they forced their head up, desperately looking for a way out, and a robed figure with a halo made out of fire barging into the room and reaching out for them–
…That wasn’t right. Telamon, or Shedletsky, or whatever stupid ass name the admin wanted to go by, wouldn’t have come to save them.
…
(A hand combing through their hair. An unspoken promise. I will never leave you.)
“I’m not saying you can’t have nightmares. I’m saying that whatever you’re dreaming of isn’t normal,” said John. His hand, the less corrupted one, lifted as if he was going to reach for their shoulder, but then hesitated and dropped back to his side.
“And I’m saying it’s nothing.”
“1x.”
“Now, if you’ll fucking excuse me.” They stood up, using a sword to pick up their crown. A tentacle yanks them back. Their head snaps to look behind them, and a worried Azure stares back at them.
“Azure, let me go.”
“Please, just tell us something, anything.” The ex-cultist sounded desperate. Internally, 1x rolled their eyes at the concern. “Even the kids noticed you’ve been acting weird. You shouldn’t have to face this alone-”
”Stop.”
Both killers flinched back as glitchfire erupted from 1x. It stops as quickly as it began, but the rage that accompanied it was equally as destructive.
“What am I supposed to tell you? That I’ve been having really weird dreams that don’t make a single lick of sense? That every time I close my eyes I’m transported to some sick alternate version of reality where some man I can’t recognise acts like he’s my father when I know for a fact I was never given a childhood?!” They laughed at the two men’s expressions, almost maniacal. “You don’t even believe me! How are you going to help if you don’t even understand?”
There was a stunned silence. 1x didn’t stay for it, twisting on their heel and leaving the room. They were up next, and they weren’t going into a round looking like this.
They missed the moment John gasped, something finally clicking in his head. They missed the look he threw at Azure, the hurried whisper that followed after, the shocked exclamation that escaped from the latter.
Notes:
i wrote 1/3 of ch6. hated it, scrapped it and redid it. hated that too, scrapped and redid everything in 2 days. even now my suffering's still clear in this one
i wonder what realisation john had...hmm...
ch7 should be up faster, that one has a much clearer direction :D
Chapter 7
Summary:
A single step forward, and the world shatters.
In the reflection of the shards, clarity is granted.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The wooden door nearly flew off its hinges as 1x slammed it shut.
White hair tumbled from its messy ponytail as she yanked it loose, flinging the hairband as if it had offended her. Metal clangs against wood as her swords follow, one embedding itself into a wall while the other drops onto the bed. 1x glared at the blades as if they, too, had stood up and insulted her.
It wasn’t even ten in the morning and everything was going wrong. Completely, utterly wrong.
Her back hits the door, and she slides down onto the ground. Black cloth pools around her, chains clinking softly as her head presses against her knees.
Great going, 1x. Just fucking great. One crazy dream and she was a screaming lunatic.
She hadn’t even meant to lash out.
A twinge of guilt hit her as she closed her eyes. God, she should probably go back. Tell the other two that she wasn’t thinking straight when she said…whatever she said. Offer an explanation. Or maybe just a “sorry”.
But why would she?
1x didn’t apologise.
1x never apologised.
It suggested she made a mistake – and she never made these. Mistakes were for the weak. And 1x couldn’t afford being perceived as weak for even a second.
”You shouldn’t have to face this alone.”
Azure’s words came back to her, infuriatingly ringing in her mind. These words, spoken with such…1x couldn’t even identify the tone of voice, the uncharacteristic softness throwing her off. But she knew one thing: his sentence held more than concern. It was said with an uncertain confidence only an idiot who considered themselves a friend would even dare to have.
As if he was even one to begin with.
Neither of the men downstairs were her friends. Amicable acquaintances at most, but nothing more. 1x could vomit at the thought of being vulnerable enough to let anyone that close.
So, it was their fault they had decided to press her when she didn’t want to share, right? Her response was appropriate. Anyone would’ve been pissed if an acquaintance suddenly decided they were close enough to start asking intrusive questions.
Right?
…There was no point in justifying her actions. What was done, was done. No going back.
She’ll live.
1x sighed and pushed herself off the floor, opening her eyes. If she had to face them again (which was unavoidable considering everyone lived in the same cabin), she wasn’t going to do it looking like absolute shit.
She shot a quick glance around her room, looking for her comb. There weren’t many places to look; 1x’s room only had the furnishings it came with on day one. She hadn’t bothered to decorate at all – no point in it if the only time she was in here was to sleep. The only personalisation in her room, if it even counted, was the mess on her vanity table she’d been valiantly ignoring for the past few months. Said comb was currently buried under the pile, the handle sticking out.
Walking over, 1x shoved her hands into the mess and pulled out the comb. She hooked the back of her heel onto a stool. It protested as it was rudely dragged across the floor, making a loud screeching noise that probably woke up whoever was still sleeping.
Good. Too many killers were lazy fucks.
She blinked at the mirror. Her hair was so messy. When had it gotten so tangled? It had been smooth when she first arrived, each strand carefully arranged into a half-up ponytail she’d yanked out the second she saw herself in a mirror. The bow that held it in place looked ridiculous, too cutesy for someone like her.
Someone else had chosen that hairstyle.
1x couldn’t remember who.
“Not this fucking “can’t remember” nonsense again,” 1x muttered under her breath. “I’m going to impale my own brain if it pulls this shit one more time.”
She tugged the comb through her hair angrily, crown set aside. The tiny pinpricks of pain chased away any subsequent thoughts that threatened to form, leaving 1x in silence as she worked out a particularly large knot. Once she deemed herself to be sufficiently neat, the comb was unceremoniously tossed back onto the table. It wasn’t the best her hair had been, but it was definitely better, so she was counting that as a win.
1x gave herself a once over as she found another hairband and redid her usual ponytail. She didn’t have much on – just the usual cloak, heeled boots, and her signature domino crown. And the chains, but those weren’t exactly her choice to wear. Whatever, at least she actually looked put-together now.
Her cloak had a huge tear through the side, though. She should probably fix that. It wouldn’t do if the only remaining cloth she had that still looked decent became ruined.
Surely there was a needle in the pile?
Once again, she dug into the mess in front of her. Her fingers closed around a box, and pulling it out revealed a basic sewing kit. She did not know that existed. A sign to clear this mess soon, she supposed. That shall be tomorrow 1x’s problem. Or next week 1x’s problem.
She pulled off her cloak and spread it on her lap, assessing the damage. It wasn’t too bad, a straight stitch would do just fine; she threaded a needle and set to fixing it, going slow to avoid snagging the tear with her claws. Not because she was out of practice or anything, of course not, 1x was perfect at everything she did. Either way, the tear was easily mended, and soon she set the sewing kit aside to admire her work.
Just in time, too. She could hear the faint ticking of a round once again.
Wait, this early? 1x hadn’t even- oh well. Someone else has to deal with breakfast, then. There was barely enough time to grab her daemonshanks before darkness enveloped her.
~~~
She feels the wind before she even opens her eyes.
Ultimate Assassin Grounds. One of 1x’s favourite maps. Too little high ground, leaving nowhere to run from any of her projectiles. Most survivors didn’t last long, especially with the block on the stairs the Spectre had placed after abuse of the vantage point.
To her left was a tiny target practice area. All of the targets showed signs of use, with nicks and cracks running across their surfaces.
Almost like the very first dream she’d had.
She squashed down the thought and shoved it into some dark corner of her mind. No way was she letting herself be distracted in a round again. She can antagonise over that later.
1x flexed her claws, about to tear her eye open like she did at the beginning of every round. Then paused. She was getting that odd sensation that told her an ability couldn’t be used.
But she hadn’t used Unstable Eye yet?
Maybe the Spectre wanted to give her an actual challenge this time. Even if it was annoying, 1x had to agree – none of the survivors could outlast her, even with the customised restrictions the Spectre had added to her on top of the cooldowns. Rounds were getting boring to the point where she purposely stalled to give herself an actual timed challenge.
Well, being here for three years taught you a lot of tricks.
1x adjusted the grip on her swords, chains rattling as she charged up an attack. The black arch of a mass infection flew across the mud, through a hill, and right into where she knew a generator was most likely to be. Sure enough, a couple of bodies were highlighted to her as the attack caught them off guard.
“See that, Spectre?” 1x laughed, starting forwards. “I don’t need that stupid ability to hit these idiots! Your little “nerfs” do nothing to me!”
The faint rustling of grass caught her attention. She turned around only to see Two Time hurtling past her, their dagger ripping through her arm. The pain stung, but knowing she’d just ruined their attack made it a minor inconvenience. “Don’t think I’m falling for your little backstab again, cultist. I heard you from a mile away.”
Two Time smiles back at her, then looks down at the dagger now embedded in her arm, blood dripping onto the grass. “Ah, may I have my dagger back? It appears I have miscalculated my stab.”
“Shut your fucking trap up,” 1x advised wisely, pinning them to the floor with the tip of her blade. Even as 1x’s swords pressed into their neck, cold metal slicing through warm flesh, they remained calm, smiling serenely. It would’ve creeped out the average Robloxian.
At least facing them now meant she didn’t have to see them for the rest of the round.
Armed with the extra minutes Two Time’s death added to the clock, 1x strode towards the other side of the map. Without an Unstable Eye, she had to manually find everyone herself. An interesting challenge for sure, considering the ranged abilities she had.
She supposed she’ll just have to play her cards differently this time.
Grass crunched satisfyingly under her feet as she reached the two large buildings in the middle of the map. She peeked inside the one in the middle of a mud pond – nobody. Which meant either they were split up and looking for generators, or huddled in the bigger house. 1x knew they liked to set up traps at the entrance before luring killers in, hell, she’d experienced it herself. Three tripmines blowing up in your face wasn’t the best experience.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two figures.
“There you are!” She threw her swords towards them. It hit the one on the left as the other jumped backwards, the latter’s burger hat nearly falling off.
“Shedletsky!”
“Go!” urged the man. “It’s okay.”
007n7 hesitated, then made a break for it as 1x approached with a maniacal look. She let him go, eyes following him for a moment before turning back. The survivalist wasn’t of any importance when Shedletsky was right in front of her.
Shedletsky kicked off the chains that came with an entanglement, raising his hands. “Hey, uh, hold on!” he called out, giving her a nervous smile.
1x didn’t wait to hear whatever nonsense he was bound to spew. Her blades clashed against Shedletsky’s Illumina, leaving him no room to speak as he put all his focus into blocking her.
“Hold on for what? To let you stab me?” 1x scoffed. “I’m not as stupid as you think.”
Shedletsky grimaced. “I won’t, I promise, I just want to give you something-”
He staggered backwards with each swing of her swords, until he could walk no further. The stone wall blocking him from taking another step might as well have been a death sentence.
She raised her daemonshanks, ready to kill-
-only for the admin to roll away at the last second, dodging her mass infection. “You dare-?!”
“C’mon 1x.” Shedletsky lowered his sword. “One minute. You can kill me after, ‘kay?”
…The thing he wanted to tell 1x must be really pressing if he was willing to throw a round for it. Or maybe he just gave up at this point.
Well, he was dying one way or another, and the lack of Unstable Eye was beginning to piss her off. Plus, as much as she wanted to stab him and watch him die, she was admittedly curious on what he wanted to say.
She’ll play along just this once.
”Fine. What is it.”
Shedletsky, for whatever god forsaken reason, beamed at her. 1x’s eyes followed as he put a hand into his pocket, (for a moment 1x thought he was going to eat his stupid chicken, the grip on her swords tightening) and pulled out something small. He gestures for her to cup her hands together.
Against her will, she did.
“I know it’s not much, but it’s the most I could bring into a round.” Carefully, he opens his fist and drops…a bunch of lime candy into her palm.
1x stared at the small pile now resting in her hands. She opened her mouth, found she had nothing to say, and closed it again. Her eyes flicked up to the grinning admin, genuinely baffled.
“That’s it? You asked me to stop so you could give me candy?”
“Why not? Today’s a special day.”
“What the hell do you mean “special day”?!”
Now he was the confused one. “You don’t remember what day it is?”
“No?”
Shedletsky frowns slightly. “1x, it’s your birthday.”
“What,” 1x said dumbly.
Surely he must be joking. 1x didn’t have a birthday. The day she spawned barely counted as a birthday – she wasn’t born through traditional methods. Even if it did count, why the hell did Shedletsky of all people know it was today? And where the hell did he get the candy from?
Hell, why did he even take the time to get candy? They were sworn enemies! They were supposed to fight and kill each other, not do useless things like celebrating a birthday! To be honest, the whole thing felt oddly surreal, almost as if…
…almost as if it’d happened before. Somewhere else, a long time ago.
(The faint clash of metal. Friendly banter. A gift gently tossed into her face as she laughed, dodging a hit.)
Shedletsky continued watching her as she grappled with her confusion, still waiting. He hadn’t moved an inch, despite the wide opening 1x was now giving him. He hadn’t even tried to stun her, or heal, or do anything besides patiently leaning against the stone wall.
Giving her space.
Giving her time.
…Now that she thought about it, had he ever wanted to fight her in the first place?
“He doesn’t see you like that. You’re not just a tool to him.”
1x breathes in. “Why do you know it’s my birthday?”
“Hmm?” Shedletsky raises an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I know?”
“Answer the question.”
“I created you. Of course I’d remember the very first time I laid eyes on you.”
That didn’t match up with her memories. She knew she came into being alone, nobody to witness, nobody to see her take her first breath. Nobody to stop her as she unsheathed her swords, and certainly nobody to warn Shedletsky of the certain doom that was approaching him.
That was what the Spectre had shown her, anyways. She didn’t actually recall any of that.
…
Now that she thought about it, everything she knew about her past was through the Spectre. Blinded by rage, she had believed it – but was her anger even real? Was it another fabricated lie?
…
Maybe it was.
If the Spectre could lie to C00lkidd about the rounds, could control John’s mind during rounds, who was to say it couldn’t fake 1x’s entire past? It sounded right up its alley to blatantly lie about a killer’s background just to spice things up. Or completely wipe their memory.
The fury she always held towards Shedletsky faded away. For the first time, 1x let herself simply be in his presence. No attempt at killing him, no taunting, just quietly existing.
1x couldn’t remember why she wanted to kill him in the first place.
She looked up at Shedletsky once again, with a foreign hesitance bordering on nervousness. A question forms in her mouth, and her voice comes out as a whisper. “How old am I turning this year?”
Shedletsky meets her eyes. “Well,” he says, dragging out the syllable, “that depends on whether you count the three years in here.”
“Assume we were never in this limbo,” 1x muttered. The way he said that made her suddenly doubt herself. Did she actually want the answer to that?
“Well, you just turned thirteen before this whole death-game thing.”
As it turns out, she didn’t.
“...I’m thirteen?”
“Thirteen and a few days, but that’s not a huge difference.” He grinned at her once again, but it was heavy. Tired. As if that fact had been lingering in his mind for a long time. “You never got to celebrate it.”
“I-”
The dreams. Of her as a child. Of friends, of home, and a hooded figure smiling at her as she faced the world with innocent curiosity.
The man in her dreams was Shedletsky all along. 1x had just refused to acknowledge it, had thought it was the Spectre simply messing with her – but these weren’t dreams. These were her memories, real ones, hidden from her since the start.
Finally, the last piece falls into place. She wasn’t a manifestation of hatred.
She had never been a manifestation of hatred.
Why hadn’t she realised it sooner? It was as clear as day to her now: the hesitance in Shedletsky’s swings, the way he dodged, just barely, as if he couldn’t bear to fight back – and when he had to, he always made a mistake. A wrong decision at the wrong time. Messing up on purpose. He didn’t want to hurt her. He never wanted to hurt her.
Shedletsky could never lay a finger on his creation, his daughter.
The swords slip from her hand. Clatters to the floor as Shedletsky bristled in surprise.
1x takes in a shaking breath.
Then she, too, collapses before him.
Notes:
FINALLY we’re here i’ve been waiting to write this for a MONTH!!!
also! here is the promised 1x ref. i moved it back by a chapter because i wanted to add the following warning (which was a spoiler at that time): this 1x is a minor. 1x simps, please go away.
recognise my artstyle? pretend you don't. thank you
is it just me or the chapters keep increasing in length. this is literally double the first chapter.
HAHA I SET THE WRONG DATE FOR THIS CHAPTER I EDITED IT NOW SORRY GUYS
Chapter 8
Summary:
The charade comes to a close.
Beneath the waves, other forces begin to stir.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Shedletsky catches her as she drops to the ground.
Carefully.
Gently.
He reacted so quickly it seemed to be natural for him. An instinctive move, even – as if she didn’t just spend three years killing him over and over.
As if even after all that, he still cared for her.
She was set onto the grass, supported by the shoulders. The action was slow, delicate, as if she were made of glass. He crouches down with her, coming to her level.
“1x?” he asks.
Two syllables, full of worry – that was all it took.
1x1x1x1, feared and unrivaled by every soul in this realm, breaks down.
“No, no, don’t cry-” Shedletsky moves closer, his wings coming to wrap around her, a hand reaching out to wipe away the tears that fell from her eyes. It only made her sob harder. “What happened? Did I say something wrong?”
“I’m sorry,” is all she can choke out, shaking.
Shedletsky tilts his head, the action barely visible through her blurred vision. “What do you mean? You have nothing to be sorry for, little sparrow.”
A nickname so full of affection she did not deserve. Could never deserve ever again.
Not in this lifetime.
Not even in the next ten.
She shakes her head, guilt running rampant, refusing to look at the man before her. How could he say that? How could he just dismiss all that she’d done? “I- I killed you! I ran my blade through you so many times-”
“-but it wasn’t truly you behind those swords, right?” Shedletsky shuts her rambling down. “It’s not your fault. None of this is.”
“I still made you suffer for three years-”
“I’d have died to other killers anyways.”
“That’s not the point!” 1x tries to shove him away, pushing at his arm, but he doesn’t budge an inch. He was practically cradling her now, pulling her closer and closer until she was sitting sideways in his lap. Why was he being so forgiving- how could he still hold her close, still manage to look at her with care?
1x couldn’t bring herself to accept all this. No, he must know the truth- “I believed the Spectre’s lies! How could I have believed a voice over my own father?!”
The hand on her face stops. She braces herself for the anger that was sure to come. “Elaborate.”
“It told me that- it told me I was the manifestation of your hatred. It lied about my past and hid my memories from me,” 1x sniffled.
There. She said it. Now he knew how foolish she was. Any moment now, he was going to get up and walk away, disgusted that his own child had fallen for such a trick.
Yet, none of that happened. In fact, nothing happened at all. Where she had expected rejection, she was met with…silence.
In the stillness, 1x continued sobbing into his shirt, clutching it like it was a lifeline, afraid that he would leave. Shedletsky’s hold tightens, like he, too, feared she would vanish if he turned away for even a second. He runs a soothing hand through her hair, trying to calm her down.
But he still doesn’t respond.
Nor does he leave.
In fearful curiosity, 1x extracts her face from the shirt, and looks at her father.
As she’d expected, he was mad – but he wasn’t directing it at her. No, his gaze was set upwards, glaring daggers at the sky, as if he could set it ablaze on sight alone. In contrast to 1x, who expressed anger with aggression and yelling, Shedletsky’s own rage was quiet, calm, and far more terrifying.
He was Telamon, after all.
She took a few more moments to collect herself, evening out her breath as much as she could before speaking once again. “Dad?” she questions, voice wavering.
He snaps back to her, his glare dissipating immediately. “Yes?”
“Are you…mad at me?” she murmured, hesitant.
“No. Never.”
“Then what are you mad at?”
Shedletsky’s hand was now patting her arm. “I’m mad at- 1x, why is there a dagger in your arm?”
Oh. Right. That existed.
She glanced down at where Shedletsky’s hand was, and saw blood seeping from the dagger still buried in her arm. Honestly, 1x hadn't even realised it was still there until he pointed it out.
Nervous laughter bubbled out from her, completely forgetting about the full mental breakdown she was having up until a few seconds ago. “Um. Accident.”
He didn’t seem satisfied with that response. He pursed his lips, wings flexing. Then-
A yelp escaped from 1x as he stood up with no warning, lifted together with him. Then higher, past his head, until she sat on his shoulder. “Let’s get you something for that.” he says as he picks up her daemonshanks and tucks them under his arm.
It took a full minute for 1x to process her new position – and by then, Shedletsky was already walking forwards, starting towards the middle of the map. Her voice was strained, hoarse from all the crying she did. “I’m not a kid! You don’t have to carry me!”
“You’re right,” he hums, before turning concerned. “Yet you’re still so light. Have you been eating?”
Uh oh.
“1x.”
The floor had never been this interesting to look at. Wow, she didn’t know the grass was that shade of green until now! “This grass is very grassy,” she mumbled.
He was clearly unimpressed at that. “Once we get out of here, I’m feeding you back to a healthy weight.”
They were approaching the big house now. Near the front of the steps, a few survivors were loitering around the trap that had been set up – most likely wondering where the round’s killer was.
Well, Shedletsky wasn’t exactly hiding said killer sitting on his shoulder right now.
Without realising it, she had already started reaching for her swords. 1x caught herself, horrified at the fact attacking was her automatic response.
All the deaths she’d caused, even if she had been manipulated into doing so…this wasn’t like C00lkidd’s case, where he thought the survivors he killed were merely going to sleep. No, she was fully aware of every single kill by her own hands, knew the feel of blood and flesh against her claws, had even taken pride in having the most kills.
She bit her lip, unsure whether she should tell her father to turn back and avoid the other survivors. How would they even react to the most dangerous killer suddenly turning passive? Regret didn’t guarantee forgiveness. Regret wouldn’t fix the past.
But her father was here. He’ll protect her.
Even if she felt unworthy of it.
“There you are- Holy FUCK Shedletsky what are you doing?!” Hearing footsteps, Elliot looks up from his conversation with Chance and proceeds to jump in shock. The casino owner snaps their head to look and also drops their jaw to the ground.
“Say, have you seen any medkits around here?”
“No?? And don’t ignore my question-”
“Alright, thanks!” Shedletsky makes a turn to the right and walks away, completely avoiding the question. 1x waves goodbye, snorting weakly when a very confused Chance raises a hand in return.
To the side, Jane was idling around a generator. She did a double take at their approach, but quickly composed herself. “Hey,” she greets them.
“Seen any medkits, Jane?”
She nods.
“Great, can I have it? 1x is bleeding.”
“Oh dear. Here you go, then,” was her reply, as if killers being carried around by survivors was an everyday occurrence. “It’s nice to see you again, 1x. How have you been?”
“Fine,” she shrugs.
Jane smiles in response. “What about John?”
At that, she froze.
Shit, she hadn’t apologised to that man yet. He was probably still worrying over what happened. Making a mental note to do so later, she was halfway through planning on how to explain everything before realising what she was doing.
“He’s doing alright, I think,” 1x mused, lost in thought.
Ha. Just an hour ago she would’ve killed fifty people before considering an apology.
…did all that happen so quickly?
She hadn’t even begun to process all the new information that came with the release of her memories. Her grudge against Shedletsky felt like eons ago, distant and detached, like seeing through the lens of someone else. It felt foreign to her, now that she knew her anger had been misplaced to begin with. And there was still the dull throb of the wound from earlier.
This was far too much for her in a day.
As she came to that conclusion, exhaustion hit her like a truck – and not just the physical kind. The type of tiredness that settled at the back of your mind. The type that came along with too many emotions, overloading everything until you could go no further.
Shedletsky must have seen her expression change, for he gently prods her. “Tired?”
“No.”
“If you say so,” he chuckled, holding her arm and dabbing at the blood. Wait, when had he set her down? 1x didn’t recall that happening. Neither did she recall the medkit opening, or the dagger in her arm being removed.
The world felt sluggish now. She was barely focusing, what little awareness she clung on to zeroing in on the sting that came with the antiseptic Shedletsky was applying to the wound. Gentle, careful not to startle her, even as he talked to Jane. (What she asked, she wasn’t too sure. She didn’t catch it.)
“Dad, for fuck’s sake, you don’t have to,” she muttered, trying to sound annoyed. It came out as a whine.
“It might get onto your cloak,” he reasoned, continuing to clean her arm. 1x sighed and finally gave up on convincing him she was undeserving of his affection. He was a stubborn man for sure, and she didn’t have the energy to argue.
Yeah, that was the only reason. She wasn’t trying to save face or anything.
She was so tired…
~~~
To say that Shedletsky was pissed was the understatement of the century.
If it weren’t for the limitations of this realm, Builderman himself wouldn’t be able to stop him from leaping into the sky and cleaving the Spectre in half. It didn’t matter that he only had access to the Illumina, hell, he wouldn’t even need a blade, he could rip that bastard apart with his bare hands.
How dare the Spectre have the audacity to-
A weight leans onto him. His daughter had started blinking rapidly, clutching onto his free arm for support as her head drooped. “Aww,” he cooed under his breath, watching her attempt to not doze off on the spot. Still as adorable as the day she spawned. “Tired?”
Her weak denial made him snort. Sure, he totally believed her. Regardless, he guides her into sitting down on the stairs.
“What happened?” asks a voice.
Shedletsky didn’t look up from where he was cleaning 1x’s wound. “Two Time probably missed a backstab,” he replies.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Jane comes into his field of view, joining the half-asleep 1x on the steps.
“Actually, I don’t.”
1x mumbles something about how he didn’t need to clean her wound, and he turns back to tend to her. Only when he was sure the whole area was sufficiently disinfected, did he give in to the glare Jane was shooting his way.
“...Wished her a happy birthday. Answered a few questions.”
“And?”
“That’s it. Really.”
Jane frowned. “That can’t be all,” she muttered.
Shedletsky sighed, but kept his mouth shut.
She, unfortunately, had a point. Candy wasn’t enough to snap a person out of the maniacal killing spree they’ve been on for the past three years. A conversation couldn’t suddenly dispel the rage that fueled someone. Plus, 1x had directly told him the Spectre had been manipulating her this whole time.
(He quickly quells the flames of rage that rose in him. It wasn’t the time for that.)
In all the time he was here, he’d learnt that the Spectre was an inconsistent entity. Sometimes, it could be merciful, turning the tides into the survivors’ favor during a round, granting them buffs, and the occasional upgrade to their living conditions. On other days, it was brutal, forcing them against multiple killers, taking away weapons and gear, just to watch them struggle in a losing battle. You could never predict its next move.
Only one thing remained constant throughout – it was absolute. Meticulous. Removing every loophole, bug, and glitch that could grant them the slightest chance of breaking free from its control.
For 1x to suddenly realise she was being deceived? As much as he wanted to believe she had come to that conclusion on her own, he knew the Spectre wouldn’t have allowed it to happen. It would’ve crushed her questions before they even took form, leaving no room for her to doubt. Maybe even place her under its control entirely – like it had done with John, after realising that it couldn’t stop him from remembering and seeking his wife despite multiple memory wipes.
Yet, it had happened anyway. 1x hesitated.
1x doubted.
(And 1x still saw him as her father. Even when it was his fault she was here in the first place.)
It wasn’t just 1x. John himself had also taken back control, having fought tooth and nail against the Spectre just to manage a few words. C00lkidd, too. Though he wasn’t there for that one, 007n7 had confirmed his son forfeited the round willingly. Shedletsky might joke around a lot, but he wasn’t oblivious.
This trend wasn’t a happy coincidence.
“You’re right,” he says. “I think there’s something larger at play.”
Jane locks eyes with him. “How so?”
“Let’s use your husband as a starting example. The Spectre’s been possessing him for the past three years.”
“Go on.”
“About the same thing happened with 1x.” Belatedly, he realised 1x had fallen asleep. He checks that the bandage on her arm was secure before guiding her into a more comfortable position. She unconsciously sprawls out onto his lap, using him as a pillow. “She was being lied to. Manipulated, if you will.”
“But both of them managed to break free.”
“That’s the thing. In the past, when that didn’t work, it just changed tactics. It ensured that John couldn’t even perceive you, let alone speak to you. So, after all that, why would the Spectre allow him – and 1x – to escape its control?”
Her eyes widened.
“Exactly.” He nods. “Something’s wrong.”
A pause. Shedletsky idly looks down at his sleeping daughter. Her hair curls around her entire body, much longer than he remembered, and she looked so…peaceful. Expression relaxed for the first time in ages, and her pose devoid of its usual tenseness. It made him want to wrap his arms around her and never let her go ever again. It made him wonder if such moments could happen again in the future.
Within him, another flame rekindles. Fickle, yet blazing. One he hasn’t touched in forever.
Hope.
“And we can only pray it’s in our favor,” he finished.
Notes:
i told my friends “chapter 8 by thursday” and failed miserably
honestly i didn’t really have a direction for this chapter beyond “1x crashes out even more” (i should start planning more often) but here’s the promised fluff guys. yay!! finally no more suffering!!
no seriously. i didn't plan this chapter at all. 1x falling asleep was unplanned. shedletsky and jane's convo was unplanned. im the master of bullshitting
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