Chapter Text
“When you have a chance to make a choice, make one that you know you won't regret…”
-Kafka
“You're staying?”
Derek backs Avery up into the edge of the altar.
“Yes”
“You won't leave?”
“No.”
…
"Avery what's in your inventory?"
"What?"
"What's in your inventory"
Just as Derek moved to quickly push Avery off the altar, suddenly Avery moved and punched him before he could react, knocking the man back.
"Im not falling for that Derek!"
Avery stepped forward, his grip tightening around the sword as his hands trembled.
"I don't care Derek."
"Im tired of all this!"
"If we're dying, we're dying together. No matter what."
"You saved me so many times and yet... I did nothing but be a burden on your shoulder."
"You're not a burden Avery-"
"YES I AM DEREK. MY WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE, EVERYWHERE I GO, IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME STORY, I JUST WEIGH PEOPLE DOWN."
"And Im tired of it."
"You still have a life to live-"
"AND THEN WHAT?! I WAS PLAYING THIS GAME FOR 15 FREAKING HOURS, I WAS STUCK IN THAT GODFORSAKEN CHURCH PLACE FOR 12 HOURS AND I BET THAT I WOULD STILL BE STUCK THERE IF IT WASN’T FOR THAT SIGN. NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE EVEN CHECK UP ON ME. NOT ANY OF MY FRIENDS, NOT MY FAMILY, NO ONE!"
Avery takes a shallow breath.
"Your life is much more valuable than mine Derek!"
"You can actually make a difference! You're crazy smart, attentive, observant, patient, and kind!"
"Unlike me who's not even smart, can barely pay attention to anything and also impatient!"
"Aves-"
"If you still want me to leave.
Avery breathed deeply in and out.
. . .
"Then make me."
Avery points his sword at Derek with a fierce look in his eyes.
Derek backs up, boots scraping against the gold, his hands half-raised.
"Aves listen-"
"NO! YOU LISTEN!"
Avery charged.
His sword cut through the air in a wild swing, forcing Derek to jump back. The blade barely missed his chest.
“I’m done listening!” Avery shouted, advancing again, not giving him space to breathe.
Derek stumbled, trying to steady himself. “You’re not thinking straight-”
“I am thinking!” Avery snapped, swinging again, faster now, but reckless.
Derek ducked this time, the sword passing just above his head.
His heart pounded.
This wasn’t a fight anymore.
Avery wasn’t holding back.
Derek tried to think of a plan quickly. He searched his inventory for anything that he can use to his advantage.
His fingers hovered for a split second, then stopped.
Got it.
Avery didn’t slow down.
“Running away again?!” he shouted, charging forward, sword raised.
Derek snapped his inventory shut and stepped back, just barely out of range as Avery’s sword cut through the air in front of him.
Too close.
Derek reached behind him and threw something to the ground right below where Avery wants to step on.
Avery didn’t notice.
His foot came down hard.
Splat.
The moment his sandal hit the ground, it stuck.
Avery’s eyes widened. “What?”
He tried to pull back, but his movement slowed, like his leg was dragging through thick glue.
Derek didn’t hesitate.
He rushed forward.
“Sorry,” he muttered under his breath.
Before Avery could react, Derek closed the distance and shoved him back, forcing him off balance.
Just as Avery fell on his butt, he dropped his wooden sword. Derek immediately kicked it off of the altar.
The sword clattered off the altar and disappeared into the void below.
Silence.
Avery froze, staring at where it fell.
Derek didn’t move forward.
“It’s over,” he said, breathing heavily. “Just stop.”
Avery let out a shaky laugh, still sitting on the ground.
“See?” he muttered. “Useless.”
Derek frowned. “That’s not-”
“I can’t even win a fight,” Avery snapped, his voice breaking. “What am I even doing here?”
His hands clenched into fists.
"Aves no-"
Just as Derek lost focus, Avery moved.
He shoved Derek hard, slamming him onto the ground and pinning him near the edge of the altar.
The eyes are still watching them fight.
Derek struggled. “Aves, listen to me!”
“I am listening!” Avery snapped, his hands gripping Derek’s red scarf, holding him in place. “That’s the problem!”
Derek froze.
Avery’s breathing was uneven, his eyes shaking, not with rage this time…
but fear.
Derek’s expression hardened. “There’s no other way, My mind is already doomed from the start when i looked at it!"
“There is! You just won’t take it!”
“There isn’t enough time!” Derek shot back, his voice slipping slightly. “You know what happens when I looked at anything other than my screen-"
"I don't care!"
The words came out sharp, but also broke at the end.
Avery’s grip tightened.
“I don’t care how bad it gets,” he said, quieter now. “We figure it out. Together.”
Derek shook his head weakly. “That’s not how this works.”
“Then we make it work!”
Silence.
Derek looked at him, really looked this time.
“…You’re asking me to risk everything, to risk yourself, to risk the lives of millions” he said softly.
Avery’s eyes burned.
“And you’re asking me to watch you throw yourself away!”
Derek flinched.
Avery leaned closer, his voice dropping.
“You don’t get to decide that your life is worth less than mine.”
Derek’s gaze faltered for a split second.
“…If I don’t do this,” he said quietly, “it won’t just be me.”
Avery’s grip tightened.
“I know.”
Derek froze. “…Then you understand.”
“Yeah,” Avery said, his voice shaking. “I understand that if it gets into my head… it will be free in the real world.”
The void stares at them.
“…It’ll be in the physical world.”
Derek searched his face, hoping, waiting, for hesitation.
It didn’t come.
“Then why are you still doing this?” Derek demanded, his voice cracking. “Why are you still stopping me?!”
Avery swallowed hard.
His hands trembled, but he didn’t let go.
“Because I’m not letting you do this just to stop it.”
“That’s not your call!” Derek snapped. “You don’t get to gamble everything on, on me!”
“I’m not gambling!” Avery shot back. “I’m choosing!”
Silence hit hard between them.
Avery’s voice dropped, quieter now, but heavier.
“…I know what I’m risking.”
His grip tightened slightly.
“I know what happens if I’m wrong.”
“…And I’m still choosing you.”
Derek’s expression cracked.
“…You idiot,” he muttered under his breath, but there was no anger left in it.
Avery let out a weak, broken laugh.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “Probably.”
The wind howled louder, like the void itself was waiting.
Derek’s fingers loosened around Avery’s arm.
Just for a second.
“…You won’t survive this,” he said quietly.
Avery shook his head.
“Maybe not.”
He took a shaky breath.
“…But neither will you if I let you do this.”
That was it.
No more arguments.
No more time.
Avery’s expression hardened, not with anger…
but with resolve.
“I’m not losing you.”
Derek’s eyes widened. “Avery, wai-”
Avery pushed him.
Hard.
Derek’s body slipped past the edge-
his hand shooting out instinctively.
“AVERY-!”
Their fingers brushed-
almost catching-
almost-
then slipped apart.
Derek disappeared into the void.
The world went silent.
Avery stood there, frozen.
His chest heaving.
His hands trembling.
“…You said I wasn’t a burden,” he whispered.
His voice broke.
“So let me carry this… just this once.”
Avery pulled out the book he had found before coming here.
The same one.
The one that held the spell Derek was going to use, to invite the King into his mind.
But now…
Derek was gone.
And without the one who cast it, the spell had nowhere to go.
Which meant.
Avery was the only one left.
He swallowed, gripping the book tighter.
Then he stepped forward, standing at the center of the altar, gold gleaming faintly beneath his feet, the symbol carved around him.
The air felt… wrong.
Really wrong.
Heavy and thick.
The eyes are still watching him.
Avery cleared his throat, his hands trembling slightly as he opened the book.
“…Alright,” he muttered under his breath.
“Lets do this.”
“I STAND AND GIVE MY EYES TO YOU
ONE BY ONE
SHADOWED SHORE FAR UNDONE
TO YOU I POUR CORRODED SUN
WAKE ME
AS ONE”
…
The last word left Avery’s lips-
and the world went silent.
Completely.
No wind.
No sound.
Nothing.
Even the void around him seemed to stop moving.
Avery stood there, frozen, the book slipping slightly in his trembling hands.
“…Did it-”
A sharp pressure hit his head.
Avery gasped.
not in the game.
In real life.
His body jolted in his chair, breath hitching as his hands flew to his head.
Something clawed at the inside of his mind.
not pain.
Not exactly.
It was worse.
Too many thoughts.
Too loud.
Too much.
His voice came out weak, barely above a whisper.
He forced his eyes open and stared at the screen.
His character stood motionless on the altar.
The symbol was gone.
The light was gone.
And the eyes.
The ones that had been watching.
Had disappeared.
Completely.
Avery’s breathing slowed.
Too quickly.
Too suddenly.
“…It worked?” he whispered.
Silence filled the room.
Then-
Something moved.
Not on the screen.
Behind it.
Avery’s eyes didn’t blink.
Couldn’t blink.
“…W-what? ,” he murmured, his voice trembling.
The reflection in the monitor shifted slightly.
Just slightly.
His own face stared back at him
But the eyes…
Didn’t match.
They were yellow unlike his hazel one.
A faint smile formed.
His hand reached up and touched his face.
He stared at it.
Then suddenly, nausea hit him.
Right…
He’d been playing that game for 15 hours straight without stopping, and he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything the entire time.
He immediately got up from his desk and rushed to the bathroom.
He threw up into the toilet, gripping his head, fingers tangled in his hair like it was about to explode.
“F-fucking hell…” he muttered.
Avery rubbed his eyes.
He walked to the sink to wash his hands, glancing at himself in the mirror.
Man… he looked like an absolute mess.
Dark eyebags hung under his eyes, and they were bloodshot, like he had played a game for an unhealthy amount of time.
Oh wait…
He had.
But the worst part was his iris.
At first glance, it looked the same hazel color he’d had since he was a child.
But when he stared long enough, he could see it.
a faint hint of yellow,
slowly becoming more noticeable.
He blinked.
And the yellow was gone.
Avery sighed and walked to his small kitchen.
He grabbed a bottle from the counter, the same one he had before he started playing that Minecraft world.
There was still some water left.
He drank it quickly, gulping it down until the bottle was empty.
His eyes locked onto the wall clock.
He squinted.
It read 00:41.
He had been playing Minecraft from 9 AM until 12 AM.
On New Year’s Eve, too.
He reached into the fridge, looking for something he could eat.
Oh.
An apple.
Not the best food, but hey, at least it was something.
Avery took a bite.
…
Just as he was about to swallow, the nausea hit again, worse this time.
His stomach twisted violently.
He felt the apple leaving his hand as he dropped it.
Before he could even make it to the bathroom, he felt bile rising in his throat.
He dropped to his knees, one hand clamped over his mouth, the other gripping the top of his counter.
“Ngh-”
It forced its way up anyway.
He gagged, coughing as he turned to the side, barely managing not to choke.
His vision blurred.
His head throbbed-
no.
Pulsed.
Like something inside was pushing outward.
Avery squeezed his eyes shut, breathing uneven.
Before he even realized, there's already some tears pricking his eyes.
“S-stop…”
The taste in his mouth-
it wasn’t right.
Not just bitter.
Not just acidic.
Something else.
He slowly lowered his hand and looked down.
…
For a split second-
it looked darker than it should’ve been.
Thick.
Wrong.
And weirdly... With a hint of yellow.
Avery blinked hard.
And it was normal again.
He stared at it, breathing shaky.
“…I’m just tired,” he whispered, like he was trying to convince himself.
His fingers trembled slightly as he wiped his mouth.
But the feeling didn’t go away.
It didn’t fade.
If anything-
it felt like it was getting worse.
The Apple is Disgusting…
the apple id sugsting
the apple is disgusting
the appleis disgusting
the apple is disgusting
the apple is disgusting
the appls is disgusting
the apple is disgusting
the apple is disgusting
the apple is disgusting
The words repeated in his mind-louder each time.
Avery squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing uneven.
“No…”
His fingers twitched slightly.
“Stop…”
But it didn’t.
It just kept going.
The apple is disgusting.
Avery pushed himself up from the floor, one hand gripping the counter for support as his legs trembled beneath him.
He swallowed hard, his throat still burning.
“…I’m fine,” he muttered weakly.
He wasn’t.
He turned away and made his way back to his desk in his bedroom, each step feeling heavier than the last.
The screen was still on.
He looked around his bedroom.
It was still a mess…
Like always.
Books were scattered everywhere, some open, some closed.
Papers covered the floor, filled with notes from his college studies.
His used clothes, from… he didn’t even know when, were still piled on his bed.
Empty chip bags and energy drinks were scattered here and there.
He sat down in his chair and pulled himself closer to the desk.
He stared at the screen.
It was no longer in that minecraft world.
Just the world selection screen.
That world…
was gone.
Then.
he remembered.
The King.
Avery’s breath hitched slightly.
Why was he still… himself?
Then Derek’s words came back to him.
The King would be free in his body.
But…
he still had control.
For now.
His fingers twitched slightly.
He could just-
end it.
Save the lives of millions.
As long as he was still in control.
He got up from his desk and stepped out into the small living area of his dorm.
The lights were still on.
He didn’t remember turning them on.
Or maybe he just forgot.
His gaze drifted toward the couch, clothes tossed carelessly over the armrest, a bag half open on the floor.
Normal.
Everything looked normal.
That made it worse.
Avery reached for his jacket, grabbing it without much thought. His fingers fumbled slightly as he pulled it on.
The fabric felt heavier than it should’ve been.
Or maybe that was just him.
He paused for a moment, hand resting on the door handle.
…
You could still stop this.
His grip tightened.
He opened the door.
The hallway outside was quiet.
Too quiet.
The faint noise of the building lights buzzed overhead.
Avery stepped out, letting the door click shut behind him.
He didn’t look back.
His footsteps echoed softly as he walked down the hall, each step slow… deliberate.
Toward the stairs.
Towards…
…
The roof.
…
The hallway felt longer than he remembered.
…
…
…
He climbed the stairs slowly, each step echoing softly in the narrow space.
When he reached the top, he pushed the door open and stepped onto the roof.
The cold air hit him immediately.
Avery paused, letting his eyes adjust as he looked around.
The moonlight and stars shone as they brightened up the whole night.
The city stretched out beneath him, lights flickering in the distance, quiet… distant… almost unreal.
Everything felt so far away.
So small.
He took a step forward.
Then another.
His footsteps were softer now, almost careful, as if the ground might crumble beneath his feet.
The wind brushed past him, tugging lightly at his jacket.
Avery’s gaze drifted upward for a moment.
The sky was still clear.
Still perfect.
“…Huh.”
The sound barely left his lips.
He kept walking.
…
Closer.
…
And closer.
…
Until the edge came into view.
…
He stopped just a few steps away.
…
The drop below stretched endlessly into darkness.
…
Avery stood there, silent, his hands resting comfortably at his sides.
His fingers twitched slightly.
His mind is… oddly quiet and…
…
Empty.
…
…
…
How nice.
…
…
…
…
…
One more step left.
“Sometimes you make the right decision, Sometimes you make the decision right.”
-Dr. Phil