Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

  It was only the start of the round, and it was already going so horribly wrong.

  It was taking place at Horror Hotel—John Doe’s most advantageous map, and also Dusekkar’s weakest. The entire game, he’d had one target in mind: Two Time. He’d tried to use his Corrupt Energy to trap a vulnerable Noob doing the generator in the synthwave room, only for this move to be thwarted by the cultist’s swift backstab. This had enraged John Doe, and for the past ten minutes, they were stuck in a constant loop around the outdoor area.

  Builderman and Elliot both did their part in helping Two Time—Builderman with his sentry serving as a constant distraction for the killer, and Elliot saving them several times with his pizzas. Dusekkar, however, seemed to be completely redundant. He’d fired two Plasma Beams, both of them hitting the other supports instead of the right targets, and he’d completely mistimed his Spawn Protections. As much as he despised Two Time, it was still his duty to protect all survivors—or else, he would be considered useless. Just like now.

  More importantly, he knew that as soon as Two Time was dead, the killer would go for him next.

  John Doe had now trapped Two Time in a corner, stomping on the ground to create a Digital Footprint so they couldn’t get away. The cultist cowered in fear as they were about to be torn in half and forced to turn to their second life. He clawed at them with his corrupted arm while they couldn’t do anything to defend themself.

  Dusekkar thought of spells he could use to save them. Both Spawn Protection and Plasma Beam were on cooldown, so perhaps an offensive spell? Blood Leech would be perfect here—it would be able to take John Doe out of action for at least a couple of minutes until he recovered. The pumpkin instinctively began manoeuvring his staff in order to cast a spell he’d used so many times that it was engrained in his muscle memory... but after a couple of moves, a sharp pain spread across both of his arms, and all of his muscles froze still. Dusekkar winced from the sensation and dropped his staff with a thud, all the while Two Time was fighting for their life.

  Builderman had been watching the pumpkin doing those inexplicable movements, completely bewildered. He noticed Dusekkar’s frown as he was picking up his staff. A frown filled with grief.

  “Ya doin’ good?” the fellow admin asked. Whether it was out of genuine concern or out of confusion, the mage wasn’t sure.

  “I am not the one who matters here. About my sanity, do not fear. This world has already made me less of a deer.”

  As he finished his words, he started floating back to the corridor in order to fix the generator there. Builderman was left even more confused by his cryptic rhymes; he’d been noticeably speaking in riddles a lot more. It was always hard to gauge how he really felt, but he kept insisting there was nothing wrong.

  However, there was something wrong. As Dusekkar tried his best to connect the wires properly, he couldn’t help but mourn all of the power he’d lost. He’d learned hundreds of spells over the course of his life; he was one of the most powerful people in all of Robloxia—and now, his arsenal had been limited to two simple spells, neither of which he was that familiar with. Magic had used to be his passion—he loved experimenting with different combinations of spells and even trying to invent new ones; he was known as a pioneer in the niche world of mages. Now, he had been reduced to nothing but someone on the sidelines.

  He was worthless. The other supports always provided some value to the team no matter what, while he didn’t even know how to use his only two spells properly.

  Goddammit, those three wires got tangled! He wasn’t even able to fix the generators quickly enough.

  The only thing he did was keep going back to the few magic tomes and textbooks about Robloxia’s geography that the Spectre had left the survivors, in an attempt to figure out ways to break out of this realm. He would try to brainstorm solutions and connect the dots while everybody else slept, but so far he hadn’t figured out much. There were plenty of possibilities floating around his mind, but he couldn’t muster any concrete solution.

  The harder he tried to think, the more his head started hurting and the more exhausted he became. Perhaps the Spectre was physically preventing him from reaching a solution, similarly to how he physically couldn’t cast spells.

  Just how did Dusekkar bring any value to the other survivors? They barely even paid him any mind unless they wanted something out of him. Taph was the only person who let the pumpkin complain to him and talk about his feelings, but even he seemed to get tired of him sometimes. The demolitionist only paid him any mind because he, too, would tend to be neglected and misunderstood.

  But at least Taph hadn’t lost anything. At least Taph knew what he was doing.

  The envy Dusekkar felt of him, as well as the two other admins, was palpable. They didn’t suffer nearly as much as he did, he thought. They were able to get adjusted to it all, while only he couldn’t move on from the past.

  An angelic chime could be heard from the other room. Then, frantic footsteps. The mage didn’t need to look away to know that Two Time had just respawned, as expected. The noise of John Doe stomping on the ground carried through the air—he was likely trying to hit the newly respawned backstabber with Corrupt Energy. Spikes started rapidly rising from the ground—but something seemed wrong: Dusekkar could hear them coming closer and closer.

  Before he could get off the generator, a black spike impaled him from below, tearing his stomach open.

  Why was he going for him!? He hadn’t even done anything the entire game! But as it stands, killers would often pick him out, knowing he couldn’t defend himself.

  Dusekkar found himself in a gap between the wall and the spikes, leaving him with only one narrow pathway out. However, there was something standing in front of him, blocking the way. A creature towering over him, a creature manipulated to kill him. John Doe’s chilling, artificial smile was enough to send chills down his spine.

  Just like how he hadn’t been around to help Two Time, nobody was around to help him either. He deserved this fate, he thought. As he clutched his fresh wound and tried his best to shield himself from John Doe’s relentless clawing—but in the end, it was no use.

  Right as it all seemed hopeless, he spotted a figure sneaking up behind the killer. A dagger stabbed John Doe from the back, which made him freeze up from the pain.

  Two Time?

  Dusekkar used this small window of opportunity to slip past the corrupted man, making his way out of the trap. Unexpectedly, the cultist grabbed him by the hand and started running with him. They weren’t the strongest, but since the pumpkin was already floating in the air, he felt as light as a feather.

  The feel of their cold, dry hand gripping him made him shudder. He tried to make them let go, but they wouldn’t budge. His deer tail unconsciously swayed left and right, reflecting how apprehensive he felt.

  “If you could please let me be. Where are you taking me?”

  “One is leading thee to a place of safety and tranquillity. Come forthe, for thy wounds shall healeth.”

  So they were giving him a taste of his own medicine. How quaint. He sighed.

  Right as they were turning a corner, Dusekkar turned around and saw John Doe back on his feet, preparing to launch another Corrupt Energy at the two of them. However, as soon as he stomped on the ground, a bullet struck him from the other side and stunned him, allowing them to escape.

  Thank you, Chance.

  In the end, Two Time led the mage to the ball pit on the other side of the map. Builderman’s dispenser stood there, and that’s also where Taph had concentrated all of his traps. Dusekkar sat against the wall in order to slowly recover his wounds. The cultist wasn’t hurt, but they still sat next to him. Their bony spawn wings quivered ever so slightly. Just looking at any of Two Time’s spawn insignias made Dusekkar sick in the stomach.

  Quick footsteps were approaching. Dusekkar felt the urge to stand up and run away, but when he was about to do that, the backstabber grabbed him by the wrist to stop him.

  Taph entered the ball pit—that sound had been coming from him. The pumpkin sighed in relief. Recently, he had been even more paranoid than usual.

  As soon as the demolitionist noticed his condition, he ran to him and kneeled down to look at his injuries. One didn’t even have to see his face to know how worried he was.

  Dusekkar, are you okay? Is there any way I can help?

  “Don’t keep your worries unfrosted. I am simply exhausted.”

  The admin slouched back where he was sitting on the plastic balls. He could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away. Was he really that tired?

  “Thou should beest sitting here not, divine pumpkin. Thou must spendest the next rounds at thy cabine!” Two Time remarked sharply.

  Their unnerving smile was still plastered on their face, but it didn’t match the crazed look in their eyes. Their left eye’s iris was white and their right eye’s was black; that asymmetry in their gaze always made Dusekkar feel a little on edge, but now he was especially disturbed.

  He stood up and took a step towards Taph in order to get away from the cultist, but he tripped and quickly lost balance. The demolitionist caught him in his arms.

  “What... is happening...?”

  He was about to pass out from how exhausted he was. Taph embraced him with his soft white wings to try to make him feel some comfort. Soon enough, he felt a certain wetness on his shoulder. The pumpkin had started sobbing quietly.

  He was crying.

  A being made of fire was crying.

  Dusekkar hadn’t even realised his tear glands had filled to the brim. All of his emotions had come to a head, and he’d chosen the worst time possible to let it all out: in the middle of a match, right in front of that degenerate cultist.

  But as much as he tried to stop himself, he couldn’t. He hadn’t cried once since he had been forsaken; this was the result of eons of pent-up emotions. Taph rubbed him on the back and tried his best to make him feel better. If not through words, all he could do was offer him as much comfort as possible.

  However, it was hardly working.

  “I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...”

  Dusekkar’s entire body was shaking. His cerulean, white-spotted tail was hanging low. Amidst his sobs, he could only mutter quiet apologies like a broken record, while Taph didn’t know how he could possibly console him. The pumpkin was apologising not only for how useless he was as a support, but also for how he was forcing the hooded person to see him like this.

  Two Time simply looked at the two of them, with that same nondescript smile. As much as they wanted to chip in, as much as they wanted to convince him that he really wasn’t useless, they knew that they would be shut down immediately. They felt a great sadness, knowing that there was nothing they could do to help him.

  Even though Taph was one of the few people they were close to, they felt a certain wave of resentment toward him. He wasn’t doing a good enough job making him feel better. If only they had been the one embracing him and not the demolitionist; by now, he would’ve calmed down.

  Wanting to distract themself, Two Time stood up and peeked out of the ball pit. They saw John Doe chasing Chance in the play area, while Guest 1337 was desperately trying to get in the way to protect the gambler. The cultist didn’t want to be labelled as a useless sentinel again, so they ran off to the frontlines.

  Eventually, Dusekkar passed out in Taph’s arms, but the demolitionist didn’t let go of him. In the end, they stayed like this until the match ended.

  The only casualty was Two Time.

Chapter Text

  In this realm, the sun didn’t exist.

  They were all stuck in an eternal night, with the full moon glaring over them like a prison guard. There weren’t days, and there were no calendars to keep track of them—but there was still a constant routine that all survivors and killers would follow. Every 6 hours, a round would begin, and after every 3 rounds, there would be a 12-hour break to let everybody rest. In order to feel more at home, the survivors had nicknamed the three rounds in this cycle the morning, noon, and afternoon rounds respectively. The night break was what they always looked forward to.

  It was right after the afternoon round that all survivors were gathered in the main cabin.

  Everybody, except...

  Most were in the dining area, where they were eating the food Shedletsky and 007n7 had prepared. The two of them couldn’t agree whether to make fried chicken or hamburgers, so this evening’s meal was chicken burgers. The survivors had agreed amongst themselves that whoever didn’t participate in the afternoon round would be made to cook dinner. This rule didn’t apply to Two Time because they were a complete disaster in the kitchen.

  There were only two people on the top floor, playing 15-ball pool on the billiard table, all the while the CRT television babbled on endlessly in the corner. The soft light of the lanterns reflected off the shiny pool balls and illuminated the cultist’s black cloak. Two Time carefully aimed the cue stick, making sure to strike the exact pose Taph had taught them in order to shoot appropriately. Leaning forward; one hand below the butt of the stick to grip it; eyes dead focused on the cue ball.

  There were only two balls left on the table; next up to land was the 14 ball. It was right in the middle of the board, far away from the nearest pocket, at an awkward angle from the cue ball—but it wasn’t hopeless. Two Time tried their best to visualise the trajectory of it in their head. They were going to bounce off a wall, then bounce off another wall, then hit the 14 ball and end up landing it in the pocket to the left of it. It was a perfect plan!

  Taph observed the cultist carefully as they drew the cue stick back and forth, readying themself to shoot. Their black and white eyes quivered ever so slightly, but their smile was completely unshakeable. Suddenly...

  Clank!

  Two Time shot it with full force. The cue ball slammed into the wall before bouncing off it and slamming into the perpendicular wall, and then, amazingly, it didn’t even graze the 14 ball and landed straight into one of the corner pockets. It was a foul! The cultist gasped in disbelief.

  “Agh! Spawn forsaketh one’s blasted lucke!”

  Taph couldn’t help but snicker at the cultist’s refined swearing.

  Two Time had hardly accumulated 10 points, meanwhile the demolitionist already had well over 61, which meant he had already won.. Not knowing whether they realised this or not, he chose to keep it going anyways. He tried to communicate to them what they did wrong.

  Your power was enough and your point on impact was good. However, your angle was wrong. You would have succeeded if you were a little to the left.

  Knowing that the backstabber was still trying to learn Taph’s sign language through their own initiative, he tried his best to use his body to point to different places in conjunction with his gestures. It seemed to work, with Two Time looking up at him like a fledgeling bird looking at their parent teaching them how to fly.

  He proceeded to retrieve the cue ball from the bottom of the table and put it in a convenient place on the board in order to easily land the remaining balls with his remaining shots. Meanwhile, Two Time spoke to him:

  “Thou knowest quite a share about this. Hast thou experience with billiards in the past?”

  The way they stared at him with such infatuation—it gave Taph chills. They were carefully observing his every little move—from the positioning of the cue ball to the way he leaned over and located the cue stick. Even though this was such a trivial, natural shot, they made it look like they were watching the most decisive move in the finals of a billiards championship.

  Despite their awkwardness, he knew they had no bad intentions—they were only trying to make conversation.

  A bit of deliberation, and then...

  Clank!

  The shiny 14-ball fell into one of the central pockets perfectly. Only one more ball was left.

  Now that this was finally over with, he looked up and signed in response to their question.

  I never had the time to play such games, so I guess not. I’m happy you offered to play with me.

  “A pleasure, it is.”

  It wasn’t like Two Time had anyone else to spend time with.

  As Taph was preparing to shoot the 15-ball, they looked down from the railing, into the dining area of the floor below. Chance was standing on the stage, showing off different kinds of magic tricks to the other survivors’ amusement. Elliot and Noob were observing them carefully, trying to catch even the slightest signs of their sleight-of-hand moves—but the gambler’s mastery of the craft made that impossible to spot. Guest 1337 and 007n7 were looking at the stage from a distance as they were dining on one of the tables and talking about their pasts. Earlier, they’d seen Builderman and Shedletsky, the two self-proclaimed leaders of the survivors, sitting in front of the fireplace leaning on one another. And still, someone was missing.

  Out of all of them, they all resented them.

  Whenever they so much as opened their mouth, everybody would seem displeased. The other survivors had grown annoyed with how much Two Time brought up their beliefs and thought they were trying to convert them to their nonsense worldview. The impressionable Noob had even started to believe in their supposed truths, until Dusekkar and Builderman had staunchly made them reconsider.

  Most survivors weren’t very vocal with their dislike towards them, but they noticed how everybody would go quiet whenever they showed their face. They tried to talk to their teammates on an individual level, but they would quickly run out of topics and always resort to their religion. Two Time had spent their entire life isolated in their community—they didn’t know how to communicate with outsiders, and this saddened them.

  The only person who paid them any mind was Taph, who also happened to be singled out due to his hurdles in communication—but even he showed signs of aversion whenever Two Time brought up the Spawn. This is why they tried their best to avoid that topic, sometimes resorting to staying completely silent—they didn’t want to lose the demolitionist as well.

  They didn’t want to lose him like how they lost...

  Taph waited to be absolutely sure in his calculations before launching the cue ball. After a precise wall bounce, it hit the 15-ball and transferred its momentum onto it, and in the end it continued moving for just long enough to land in the pocket with a satisfying clank. He raised his fist in celebration.

  After going back to the tally paper, he added 29 points to his own score, making for a grand total of 112 points, while Two Time had only 8 to their name. They had only landed the 8-ball—but to their credit, they had employed an impressive kiss shot to achieve this. Even Taph had been blown away by that genius move of theirs.

  As soon as the demolitionist noticed they weren’t next to him, he turned around only to see them leaning over the railing, staring blankly at the other survivors, most likely still with that haunting smile. None of them had even caught sight of them.

  Taph quickly ran to Two Time and tapped them on the shoulder, which made them jump. Their body had already been shaking.

  “Ah! Pray excuse me. One was simply lost in thoughts.”

  It’s okay, don’t worry. Want to play another game?

  The cultist nervously looked left and right. Their eyes were always shifty, but now they seemed especially on edge.

  “N-No, sorry; o-one is... not in such a mood no more. Thou can goest.”

  There was a certain glint in their eyes Taph didn’t recognise. He knew something was wrong.

  Is there anything bothering you? You can always tell me.

  “It is... It is simply...”

  Their voice was shaking. For some reason, they were afraid to ask him this simple question.

  “Knowest thou how the divine pumpkin beeth?”

  Taph tilted his head to the side in confusion. This was just about the last thing he expected to heal out of them.

  They left the main cabin immediately after appearing on the winners’ table, not even looking at me. I think they don’t want to be bothered. Why are you asking?

  “W-Well...”

  Beads of sweat were appearing on the cultist’s pale face. Their manic smile was beginning to deform slightly, but they tried their best to keep it stable. Nobody needed to see the secrets hidden behind it.

  “One is... worried about them. They seem’d in a bad mood earlier... and one wanteth to know...”

  Two Time stopped in their tracks when they saw Taph signing.

  You don’t need to tell me if you’re not comfortable; I’m sorry for pushing. Please get some rest.

  He noticed how much they struggled to respond, and seeing how secretive they tended to be, he would rather stay in the dark than potentially risk their trust in him. Although, he was pretty curious: why would they be so concerned about the one survivor that treated them the most?

  Two Time grabbed Taph’s hands and shook them.

  “Th... Thank you... And, err, see you next round!”

  The demolitionist considered giving them a hug, but Two Time was already gone by then. They rushed out of the cabin as quickly as they could. He was left completely bemused.

  This was the first time they had seen them speak normally in a long time.

* * *

  Two Time tried to sleep, but they couldn’t. They spent what felt like an eternity tossing and turning in bed, their sheets doused by their cold sweat.

  Dusekkar never left their mind. The possibilities of what could be happening to him were infinite. What if he was too scared to talk to anyone? What if he thought others wanted to keep a distance from him? What if he was hurting himself? Two Time had been analysing Dusekkar’s every move, trying to figure out just what was happening to them—but since he kept his distance from them, they couldn’t help. They thought the only reason he was cold to them was because he wasn’t at his senses, and once he realised how much they cared about him, they would finally be able to fix him.

  They weren’t exactly sure why they felt so drawn to him. However, there was one thing they could notice: he was just like Azure. The way he tried his best to seem sophisticated, but in the end had a soft heart. The way he showed such devotion to his craft. The way he would rather keep his own frets under wraps in order to preserve the others’ innocence. They felt drawn to how abrasive he could be at times, yet how warm he was deep down, behind his distant exterior. He was clearly going through a lot, and all they wanted was to be able to help him out of this mess.

  Perhaps they felt this urge to make up for the horrible mistake they had done.

  Unable to hold it in any longer, Two Time stood up and took off their pink sleeping mask. They were going to check on him. They needed to—it would be insensitive of them otherwise. He hadn’t even gotten his dinner, had he? He must probably be starving by now, despite being too scared to get out and get his portion. There was no way Two Time was going to let him fall asleep hungry!

  And so, with their garments still doused in sweat, they left their cabin to go to the main one. They would rarely go here so far into the night break—every survivor would rather let every blink of sleep count, themself included. It already looked different than usual, with the light on the ceiling being turned off. The place was only illuminated by the lanterns scattered about.

  Strange noises could be heard from the second floor. Somebody was sifting through the bookshelves next to the staircase, desperately trying to search for one particular book. When they felt Two Time’s presence, they turned around to look at them.

 The glow from their eyes and mouth immediately gave away who it was.

  “D-Divine pumpkin...?”

  Small rectangular glasses were resting on their face—those were the ones they would put on for reading. Their blue deer ears shot up as soon as they heard that stupid codename the cultist had given them.

  “Ugh... Not you...” they murmured.

Chapter Text

    Two Time stood before the staircase, looking straight at the pumpkin. The white moonlight coming from the latticed windows highlighted Two Time’s features like a spotlight. They hung their spawn tail low and their pale skin glinted with sweat, all the while their pink sleeping mask was stuck lopsided on their forehead. Normally they were calm—to an alarming extent, even—but now, they seemed different. It made Dusekkar even more scared.

  “If you don’t want me to fear, tell me what brings you here,” he uttered as he slammed the book he’d been holding shut. The cultist’s sudden appearance was so unexpected that he was trying to hold off from activating his fight-or-flight response.

  “One wanteth to... checke something here. Pray excusest one’s interruption, hehe.”

  “Ah...”

  Two Time started walking up the stairs to reach the bookshelves.

  Getting closer.

  Approaching him.

  Dusekkar instinctively took a step back—but he quickly hit the wall of books behind him. His blue ears shot even further up.

  “One must asketh thee... Art thou doing well? And eatest thou earlier? One wanteth to ascertain thy wellness.”

  As Two Time reached the top, the terror in Dusekkar’s eyes only increased. The flames behind his pumpkin started cracking more loudly, and the cultist seemed completely oblivious to it all. The mage swallowed.

  “Forgive my stiffness, but please mind your own business. I’ve had a bad day, and I don’t want you, too, getting in my way.”

  He was using every ounce of restrain he could muster not to push them away, sending them flying down the stairs. But even then, Two Time still didn’t get the message. They took a couple of steps closer. Now, there was so little distance between the two of them that he could feel their heavy breath against their chest. Their unrelenting stare quivered ever so slightly. It was impossible to make out how they were truly feeling, or their true intentions.

  “Divine pumpkin, one knoweth thou mistrustest them, but one is still worry’d about thee. Thou may not have grasped the true potential of thy capabilities, but thou art still an important part of the team. Thou art just as precious as everybody else. So please, afraid be not thy feelings with one to share. One shall tryeth to help thee in any way they can, because...”

  Two Time realised they were saying too much, so they quickly stopped themself and covered their mouth. O Spawn, he didn’t need to know as much as they let out! Nobody needed to know. They felt the urge to run away on the spot, but they knew that would make things even worse, so they simply continued smiling. Beads of sweat continued appearing all throughout their skin.

  Dusekkar’s tail curled inward. They couldn’t help but feel a little... wrong. But not in a bad way. Two Time’s words struck a chord with him, and the way they spoke so shyly yet so charismatically was strangely adorable. He disliked them so openly—so why did they still allow themself to be so vulnerable? They were always nonchalant no matter the situation; he was convinced they were completely emotionless, if not psychopathic. That stupid name they had coined for him—divine pumpkin—he assumed it was to poke fun at him, but now he wondered to what extent that really was the case.

  There was another thing he had noticed—they hadn’t mentioned the Spawn a single time this encounter. In fact, he hadn’t heard them mention the Spawn in a long time, especially when he was around. This was completely out of character.

  Dusekkar was afraid. Afraid that a missionary of such a horrible cult would start growing on him. He needed get away from them as soon as possible, otherwise...

  “Two Time, I appreciate your concern, but... I can’t in good conscience let those feelings burn. My thoughts about you are conflicted and it’s best that we keep this can of worms restricted. Please, stay away—I don’t want to... Ah...”

  He was too shocked to even speak. Completely unpromptedly, the backstabber hugged him. He could feel blood rush to his brain as his blue tail curled even further inward. Their cold sweat made shivers run up his spine.

  He felt disgusting being so close to such a horrible person. A person who perpetuated the brainwashing of hundreds of people, causing them to kill others and themselves thinking they were securing their immortality. He didn’t see Two Time as a victim, but rather as a predator.

  He remembered just how close they had gotten to convincing Noob to stab themself with a kitchen knife—it had been a horrifying experience. It had been Noob themself who’d come up with that idea, but it had been Two Time had planted this idea into their head that they could respawn as well. He remembered how he and the other survivors had to frantically lock Noob in their own cabin so they couldn’t hurt themself, while he explained to them through the door just how harmful the Spawn’s beliefs were. It was a scary experience, one that had put a permanent rift between the cultist and everybody else.

  And now, he was sympathizing with Two Time and hugging them. Did they really feel about him the way they claimed? Or was this just another ploy?

  Despite these doubts, Dusekkar’s arms moved by themselves and, to his own disbelief, he hugged the backstabber back. He knew how badly he needed to feel anybody’s touch, even if it was coming from such a degenerate. He felt so wrong for accepting this, and yet, it made him feel comfort. Anyone would’ve sufficed—and it just so happened to be them.

  Two Time was whispering vaguely discernible words as their grip tightened. They leaned on to Dusekkar as if he were their own bed at their old home. Their entire body was trembling, and so was their voice.

  “I’m sorry... I never wanted to kill you... I... I just want you to come back... Please forgive me... Please Spawn...”

  It didn’t take them long to realise they were saying this out loud.

  Oh no.

  Without warning, they let go and pulled themself out of the pumpkin’s grip. They tried to get away from him so quickly that they lost balance and fell on their back.

  A look of pure horror had replaced their usual smile.

  “Two Time! Two Time, what happened?”

  Dusekkar knew this was serious. This was the first time he had seen them without their signature smile. He squatted down on top of them and grabbed them by their bare shoulders, which made them shudder.

  Two Time looked away. Their face was beet red, being held like this by...

  Images of Azure flashed in front of their eyes as the pumpkin was looking straight at them. They had never been touched like this—not after they killed him. Dusekkar had no deeper intentions with his—he was simply trying to make sure they were okay after such an unexpected reaction. And yet... They couldn’t help but unearth those warm feelings they had buried deep in the past.

  “Worry not: one is doing fine. One simply... said too much.”

  “I... see. I’m not going to ask you to elaborate. Please, just... Don’t tell anyone about this—we already have enough on our plates.”

  Two Time saw that Dusekkar about to pull away—but they didn’t let him. There was no way they would let him. They didn’t want his gracious touch to go away.

  They wrapped their arms around his back, pulling him back towards them. Both his ears and his tail perked up in surprise as he stifled a gasp. Two Time simply stared at him as they reeled him in, their mesmerising black-and-white eyes drilling holes into his mind. This was such a bold move coming from them, especially to someone who disliked them so openly.

  He felt so utterly wrong. And yet... He didn’t want them to stop.

  “What if somebody sees us like this...?” Dusekkar muttered.

  It had been mainly thanks to him that everybody was against Two Time and the spawn cult. The incident with Noob had only sealed the deal. If they learned that this was what he was up to...

   “They shan’t,” the cultist whispered. “Nobody cometh here at such a time.”

  They put a hand on the back of Dusekkar’s head and pulled him toward them. Even though he was the one on top of them, even though Two Time were scared out of their mind—they were the one initiating everything. They always did this with Azure, and right now they felt no different from back then. They knew it wasn’t actually him, but they wanted to feel the sensations he made them feel once again.

  The mage, however, thought it was about time they stepped up their game. They leaned closer and grabbed Two Time’s chin, which made them yelp slightly. They could faintly feel the warmth emanating from his fiery head. Unexpectedly, the pink sleeping mask resting on their forehead slipped onto their eyes, which made their vision turn completely black—but Dusekkar didn’t seem to care. He spoke tauntingly:

  “I still hate your guts, but your mere touch makes my feelings erupt. You want this, don’t you? Only once shall I let this conduct.”

  Suddenly, the cultist felt something hard against their lips.

  It was his blue pumpkin grazing them.

  “Mmmph~”

  It didn’t feel particularly nice. Dusekkar’s scorching fire was bound to leave them some burn marks. And yet, they were enjoying this more than they ever could’ve hoped. Nobody had dared to touch them in such a way for so long.

  They tried to imagine his face from behind that sleeping mask... But instead, they could only see Azure.

  It was a painful kiss.

  Perhaps this was what they deserved after killing him so selfishly.

  ...

  Tears started flowing out from behind Two Time’s mask. As soon as Dusekkar opened his eye-holes, he saw the glint on their rosy cheeks that reflected the raging flames inside of him.

  Oh no.

  He let go as quickly as he could, a trail of drool still connecting his cutout of a mouth with Two Time’s thin lips. A surge of panic jolted throughout his body. What if he had just misread the situation and overstepped? He had let his impulses get the better of him—but that was no excuse. There was a chance that they could’ve...

  It took the backstabber a couple of seconds to realise that the contact was over. They sleepily shuffled around and, despite struggling, pulled their mask back up. Something was caressing their face. As soon as they touched it, they realised: it was their own tears.

  They were crying.

  The shock on Dusekkar’s face was enough to snap them back to reality.

  “Divine pumpkin, you... Thou did nothing wrong. One simply remembered something in the past, and it made them...”

  They spoke so calmly—and yet, it was hard for them to articulate words amidst their quiet sobs.

  “Ah, that’s... I see.”

  The mage drew away from them and stood up. Two Time made no effort to bring him back. As much as they yearned for his touch, they were now aware of how much it hurt as well.

  Dusekkar wiped his mouth clean of the cultist’s saliva.

  “Please leave now. I have yet books to prowl.”

  Two Time tried their best to get back on their feet, but they struggled to keep balance. The pumpkin grabbed them by their hand to help them up—this simple gesture made them blush once again.

  “Already...?” they asked, struggling to form coherent words. That kiss had been so raw and cathartic that they struggled to stay in touch with reality.

  “Don’t get too accustomed to this,” he remarked sternly. “Normally I am not going to treat you with such bliss. I will never accept you and how your beliefs have caused people such pain. But... you’re always welcome to visit me here, and we could do this again.”

  Again!? Two Time assumed he would immediately regret all of this. Did he actually enjoy this?

  “One... thanketh thee...” they stuttered.

  They didn’t know how they could possibly express their gratitude. Somebody they had fantasised about for such a long time was finally giving them their desired attention. They took such an unbelievable risk by pushing this—they couldn’t believe it actually worked out.

  “Don’t be mistaken—I am not accepting your advances because you have my heart taken. It’s simply that nobody has shown me such passion unshaken. Now go!”

  No sooner had Two Time nodded to this command than they dashed down the cabin and left the cabin.

  Tears were still pouring out of their eyes—but they didn’t know whether those were stemming from the crushing regret of remembering Azure, or from the unstoppable ecstasy of finally getting close to Dusekkar.

Chapter Text

  Glass Houses. An entire thirty minutes were still left on the clock, and yet only four survivors were alive. Both Elliot and Builderman had been left out of the round, which meant the team didn’t have a proper source of healing—this allowed c00lkidd to easily plow through Chance, Guest 1337, Noob and Shedletsky.

  And now, that monstrosity of a child was now chasing his own father.

  007n7 was clenching his teeth in pain as he limped. He was one hit away from certain death—he knew he was completely done for, unless one of the other survivors miraculously showed up. Sadly, he was too useless for them to care—they all knew that, and they had chosen to do the generators instead.

  As his last resort, he made his way to the west entrance of the big mountain, c00lkidd following him closely behind. Making use of how dark it was, the retired hacker found the perfect opportunity to clone himself and deceive his son. An exact copy of him appeared out of thin air, running out of the other exit, meanwhile his hardly visible self ran up the stairs to the second floor of the mountain.

  After a couple of seconds of not hearing c00lkidd’s footsteps, 007n7 thought he had successfully gotten away. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and summoned his c00lgui in order to escape before the killer caught on to his stratagem.

  Big mistake.

  As he was setting the coordinates for his teleportation, he heard his son’s voice behind him.

  “Hey, dad! Found ya! Found ya!”

  A black command prompt appeared in front of c00lkidd before he dashed forward, employing one of the first exploits his dad had ever taught him: Walkspeed Override. 007n7 was unable to close his c00lgui, so he could only brace himself as he was about to be torn apart by one of his own moves, from his own son.

  However...

  Something blocked him from smashing into his father. A faint blue forcefield around the survivalist. He looked around and saw Dusekkar floating before the staircase, his fiery head leaving a small glow around himself, as he cast Spawn Protection on him. He had been stealthily stalking c00lkidd, waiting for the perfect opportunity to protect the burgerhead—and it paid off.

  007n7 used this opportunity to get away, running up to the balcony and jumping off of it while the killer recovered from the impact.

  However, that was his final error.

  One of the pizza minions had been waiting in front of the ledge, and it ambushed him as soon as he landed. A single punch from it was enough to knock him out and set him on fire, making him die from his injuries.

  Dusekkar looked down at his wristwatch that showed the timer and the condition of all survivors. He swore under his breath when he saw 007n7’s health drop to 0%.

  c00lkidd looked down as his father was knocked out—but instead of fearing for him, he simply sighed in disappointment. He wanted to be the one to catch him—not his helpers! Oh well, he would prove himself next time.

  He jumped down from the balcony and entered the big mountain again in order to go after Dusekkar. The support was right about to leave, intending to sneak back through the west exit—but he predicted exactly where he was planning to go.

  “Think fast, chucklenuts!”

  c00lkidd launched a stud at the wall. Thanks to its properties, it passed right through it and hit the pumpkin in the chest. The child simply laughed as his bones audibly cracked from the impact.

  Dusekkar clenched his hands into fists in frustration. The one time he successfully manages to protect somebody, it all goes in vain—and now he’s going to die because of it. As much as it hurt, he tried his best to move forward, hugging the wall of the small mountain. He knew Taph had set up a nest on top of it, and his only hope to get away was reaching it.

  However, c00lkidd could read his yellow aura, so he knew exactly where he was going, even with his vision obstructed. He ran back through the south entrance, past 007n7’s burning corpse, and wrapped around the big mountain to get in Dusekkar’s way.

  As soon as the mage saw his twisted smile, he knew he was done for. With his temporary slowness, he was bound to get hit.

  Right at that moment, however, he saw a black-and-white figure in his peripheral vision. It was someone he hadn’t seen the entire match, despite having stalked the killer for the entire game.

  Two Time.

  As soon as their face registered, images of last night flashed in Dusekkar’s mind.

  The cultist’s encouraging words.

  Their forceful, yet wavering touch.

  The pink sleeping mask above their mesmerising eyes.

  The sensation of their dry lips. Their yearning tongue.

  Their sheer desperation.

  The pumpkin’s spotted blue tail unconsciously curled inward again. He was distracted. Despite managing to dodge one of c00lkidd’s punches, the second one hit him right in the stomach. He groaned in pain as that muscular fist slammed into him.

  Rather than continuing his assault, the killer suddenly turned around to face Two Time, right as they were about to stab him. He had heard their footsteps from a while away since they had forgotten to crouch. Before they could stop themself, they shot their hand holding the dagger forward, stabbing c00lkidd from the front. This served as decent oblation, but it wasn’t quite enough to stun him.

  “Ah, Two Time!” he cheered. “Two Time, I haven’t seen you at all this time around!”

  If their face could turn any paler with fear.

  The kid immediately forgot about Dusekkar, instead shifting targets to the backstabber. He would tend to target Two Time quite a lot as he considered their respawn mechanic cheating. Besides, he had heard the other killers complain about them plenty.

  Given how close he was to them, c00lkidd successfully landed a punch on them before they got the chance to run. The cultist rushed towards the staircase of the small mountain, followed by c00lkidd, who was in turn followed by Dusekkar. The mage tried to zap both the killer and the survivor, but due to his shaky hands he could only hit the former.

  Two Time ran up the small mountain, hopping over the tripwire Taph had placed between two of the steps—but c00lkidd wasn’t so watchful, tripping over it and slowing down even more. When he reached the top, a well-hidden Subspace Tripmine exploded in his face, which completely disoriented him.

  “That was mean!” he cried.

  The cultist, meanwhile, ran up to Taph, who had been doing the generator near the ledge.

  “Hooded one. A medkit would do one wonders in these trying times.”

  He turned back to look at them—and when he did, his head froze in place, and so did his white head wings. Even from behind that shadow, they could feel the bewilderment from his eyes.

  Taph had noticed. Noticed the blisters on their lips. He knew the cultist didn’t like eating foods when they were hot, and there weren’t many things that could’ve caused those burns...

  Two Time began to feel uneasy. Their smile started quivering a little as their spawn tail dropped down. The shame they had been feeling for the past hours had just gotten a lot worse.

  “Er... Is there anything wrong?”

  This made Taph realise he’d been staring. He shook his head and handed the medkit to the cultist. They bowed down a little to thank him before jumping off the  ledge, set to reach Dusekkar who was floating at the foot of the small mountain.

  c00lkidd got back to his senses, and rather than going for the easy target that was the demolitionist doing the generator, he fell off the ledge as well.

  When Two Time ran up to the pumpkin, they didn’t say anything. The two of them simply stared at each other for a couple of seconds. This was the first time they were face to face since that encounter, so things were naturally quite awkward. Dusekkar’s tail unconsciously wagged left and right. As always, he felt discomfort and disgust just by having to look at them—but at the same time... he couldn’t help but feel a sense of attachment. As much as he hated them, their mere presence gave him a sense of safety.

  Despite how much he had struggled the previous round against John Doe, this time around he played an active part in prolonging chases and using his two spells to the fullest instead of sulking over his lost prowess. And as much as he didn’t want to admit it, this extra effort he put in was all thanks to Two Time. They had just filled a gaping hole in his soul, a hole they didn’t know had been present, and this was enough to motivate him.

  The backstabber looked away, being the first one to end this brief staring contest, before handing him the medkit they had been given by Taph.

  He turned to check out the white box shoved in his arms, before looking up at Two Time. They were going to need the medkit as much as he did—so why were they giving it to him?

  “Thou art low—please healest. One shall stall for time.”

  When c00lkidd got close, the cultist ran towards the pillar in the middle of the map in order to loop him, leaving the other two survivors in the clear.

  Since both of his abilities were still on cooldown, the pumpkin had no choice but to retreat. He made his way up the small mountain, where Taph had just finished his generator.

  Dusekkar pulled out the medkit and began patching up his wounds. He was nearly done when he realised the demolitionist had been silently glaring at him, watching as he wrapped his chest with bandages.

  “If you could your thoughts spare, what is up with that stare?”

  Taph let out a long sigh—but he didn’t beat around the bush at all. He signed slowly, so that he could be understood as well as possible.

  You’ve been up to something with Two Time, haven’t you?

  The pumpkin’s ears perked up as an expression of shock overtook his face. His eye-holes were open as wide as they possibly could be, opening a window to his wildly cracking flames.

  He’d just been caught red-handed.

  He knew just how observant Taph was, and he immediately realised he had likely seen their burn marks. Given how Two Time had likely shown signs of their attachment to him, there was no point denying.

  “Please don’t assume anything amiss. It came to nothing more than a kiss.”

  The hooded man’s suspicions had been proved right!

  He grabbed Dusekkar by the shoulders and shook him, meanwhile the pumpkin’s fearful face only exacerbated due to his former subordinate’s dramatic reaction. However, nothing could portray the madness Taph felt at that moment. The two closest people to him, one of whom hated the other... having an affair together!? This couldn’t be real! No, there was no way the pumpkin could ever...

  Why would you do that? Did you... Did you agree to doing it?

  Yes.

  Yes, he had always wanted it.

  In fact, it had been him who initiated it.

  But...

  “I can’t say... They wouldn’t want me to. Please, nobody must know about this. I’d rather forget about it.”

  It all suddenly clicked in Taph’s head.

  He didn’t say no outright, but his implication was very clear to him.

  Two Time’s odd behaviour, them trying to get close to him and proceeding to ask him about the pumpkin... They wanted to gain Taph’s trust in order to get closer to Dusekkar.

  Meanwhile, the sheer dislike he showed towards them—it likely stemmed far deeper than simply their involvement with the spawn. Perhaps... Perhaps they had done things like this in the past as well.

  He was disgusted. Disgusted that he’d put so much faith in a person who did such vile things.

  As much as he didn’t want to believe it, as much as it didn’t make sense that Two Time would be like this, he knew that Dusekkar wouldn’t lie to him. Especially about something so serious. The sheer shame that he showed—he hated to admit that he had been taken advantage of by someone he scorned so vocally.

  ...

  Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to make sure they never hurt you again.

  Taph hugged the former admin in an attempt to comfort him, wrapping both of his pairs of wings around him. However, he remained stiff as a log. Unbeknownst to him, Dusekkar did not feel better—in fact, this only made him feel guiltier.

  “Um... No...” he uttered, before slowly pulling away.

  The demolitionist retracted his embrace. He was left bewildered and asked him what was wrong.

  “You don’t need to do all of that. Your intervention is only going to make everything more complicated than it has to be. I appreciate your concern and I know you’re always willing to help, but I would rather deal with this issue by my own hand.”

  Taph simply nodded. As much as he wanted to chip in, he didn’t want to potentially make this harder for him.

  An uncomfortable silence filled the air. The demolitionist was still completely horrified at this discovery, while the pumpkin felt a certain dread loom over them.

  He remembered to check the wristwatch that showed the survivors’ status. He watched in real time as Two Time’s health dropped from 30% to 0%.

  That self-sacrificing idiot.

  In the end, despite Dusekkar’s best efforts to protect him, Taph was killed. Being the single worst survivor at Last Man Standing, Dusekkar died shortly afterwards as well. It was yet another decisive victory for c00lkidd.

  The following two rounds, Noli and 1x1x1x1 were killers respectively, and both of them managed to win as well. By then, most had noticed Dusekkar’s improved performance and how resourceful he was with his two abilities—he had managed to save Builderman and Chance from certain death several times—but the killers had caught on to just how annoying his impact on chases was, and they would immediately switch targets to him. Killing him first had likely won Noli the match.

  He found it miraculous how he’d gone from crying in his former subordinate’s arms because of how useless he was to being a crutch to the team, just in a matter of a couple of rounds.

  Meanwhile, both Taph and Two Time struggled to help at all. Shedletsky yelled at the cultist after their unsuccessful backstab caused him to be sliced in half by 1x1x1x1’s Mass Infection. They simply stood and listened to his complaints, while their mind seemed to be completely elsewhere.

  Hours felt like mere minutes as the night break rolled around. Everybody remained in the main cabin for a couple of hours to eat dinner and talk, except Taph and Two Time who went to sleep immediately. The atmosphere was sullen all around due to the sheer amount of death that had occurred the past rounds, but the survivors still tried their best to ease the tension.

  Dusekkar tried to be more sociable for once, spending time with his former colleagues, Builderman and Shedletsky. They were happy to properly catch up with him, but they could both see he was somewhat in distress. They simply chalked it up to how he still struggled to cope with his loss of power and tried to have fun with him anyways.

  Little did they know, that had been the last thing on his mind.

  He couldn’t stop worrying about Taph.

  The way he twisted the truth so shamelessly.

  The way he made him fear both for his and his own safety.

  Over time, the survivors started leaving the main cabin in small groups. When Dusekkar saw his fellow admins off, he was the only one left in there. When he made sure everyone was gone, he resumed his constant search for a way out of this realm. His last session had been cut short by Two Time’s intrusion, and it took him a bit to remember where he had last left of.

  That’s right—he had been looking into how respawning worked in this world. From what he had gathered, each map was its own separate Place, with the survivors’ residential area serving as a network for those Places. It wasn’t that much different from the Game Gateways back in Robloxia.

  However, matches differed from PvP combat in normal Places. Usually, game developers would disable players’ ability to feel pain in order to prevent real-world harm as much as possible, and it would be illegal to have that option enabled. Here, however, dying in a match felt just as real and as traumatic as dying in real life. This was done likely in order to exasperate the anguish caused to everyone here, while making them go through this over and over and over again. Despite the recreational opportunities they had been given, Dusekkar was the only one who truly grasped the extent of how evil this world was by its nature. Whatever force had trapped them in here was sadistic to the core.

  However, he tried not to think about it too much—it would only result in despair. He used his extensive knowledge of Roblox thanks to his admin position, along with his unparallelled knowledge of magic, in order to figure out a way out.

  As he sifted through the books in the shelf next to the entrance, one of them caught his attention. It had a big spawn symbol on its cover—however, he could tell it was not a propaganda tool of the Spawn Cult. Rather, it claimed to be a textbook all about respawning and setting up spawn points, intended for advanced game developers.

  Hmm...

  What if this was the key?

  What if he somehow glitched himself and respawned in a Game Gateway in Robloxia, where he can contact exploiters and get them to backdoor into this realm and free all the other survivors?

  It was wishful thinking, but if he continued this like of reason, he was sure he could somehow find a way.

  He put on his tiny glasses, sat on the sofa in front of the campfire and started reading. It was a weirdly comforting feeling, not being disturbed by anyone but his own thoughts. Despite the fact he was reading something so dull and technical, he felt at ease for once. And yet... He couldn’t shake off that vague feeling of anticipation.

  As minutes turned into hours, Two Time never came.

Chapter Text

  A couple day cycles had passed, and Two Time would make no attempt to contact Dusekkar.

  They wouldn’t talk to anyone, in fact. They simply tried their best to do their job as a sentinel. They won some rounds, and they also lost some—but no matter what, never did they open their mouth. They only ever tried to speak to Taph a couple of times, but all he did was glare at them coldly. They asked him what was wrong, and he simply signed to them:

  I know what you did to Dusekkar. Don’t approach me.

  Confused, Two Time tried to make him elaborate—but he physically pushed them away. The demolitionist had seemed in a terrible state for a while, and he would likely refuse to hear them out no matter what they told him. So, they simply accepted it: they had just lost a friend.

  Their only friend.

  All because of him.

  ...

  At least they knew that the pumpkin found comfort in them. At least they had felt his touch, his lips. Whenever they felt lonely, they could always go to him, and he would give them the attention they’d always craved. He was more than enough for them.

  So... Why were they avoiding him?

  They tried their best to help him during rounds, as always—but outside them, they never talked. Their burn marks healed quickly and nobody would’ve even considered something had happened between them. They could do so much more, but... Two Time chose not to visit him, despite having been invited.

  Dusekkar showed signs of wanting to talk to them the past rounds, sometimes hanging around them waiting for them to initiate conversation—but they never did. There was something not allowing them. The sheer shame they felt, it overpowered any positive feelings that kiss had given them. They had let somebody so disrespectful to the Spawn get so close to them, a vessel intended to spread its beliefs. They felt like a bee leading a bead to their hive, only to let it be destroyed.

  Above everything, they were scared. Scared that the Spawn would be angry at them, that it would feel disrespected by their disloyalty. They were not a true believer, unable to control their own urges.

  But at the same time... They knew that Dusekkar was not evil but simply confused. He would grow accustomed to it after they convinced him—not through their words, but through their touch. Giving him what he wanted would be more than enough.

  Their encounter in the main cabin had made Two Time realise just how desperate Dusekkar was. Desperate just like them. If they were slick enough with their initiation of physical contact, there was no way he would refuse. And the more he got a feel of them, the more he would get attached to them, and eventually take a liking to them. It was the perfect plan.

  All they needed was to gather up the courage to see him. But that was easier said than done. The backstabber couldn’t help but feel a bit of contempt for him, contempt for all the ways he had hurt them as a person. However, they knew that feeling was irrelevant. They wanted to rid themself on it before they could even consider talking to him—they didn’t want to potentially explode on him and do things they would regret.

  In the end, they didn’t matter—it was not themself that they needed to worry about. Only the Spawn.

  It was a couple of hours into the night break. Two Time had knelt down on the wooden floor in their cabin, their hands clasped together. They were praying to the Spawn shrine in the middle of the room, as they always did. The only source of light was the candles placed to illuminate the framed Spawn insignia behind them. Potted nightshades adorned the altar, eternally blooming in their purple glory. Those were Azure’s favourite flowers, and the Spectre had made sure that they’re able to take care of them.

  At least that way, they would be able to continue his favourite hobby, keeping a part of him forever with them...

  Staying in focus with their prayer was becoming more and more difficult, which made their head hurt. Two Time felt their faith slowly disappear, which completely terrified them. After all, it had been thanks to it that they had their second life in the first place—without it, their lord might grow angry with them and take that divine gift away from them. They had done what was needed to get their second life—they had killed the one closest to them—but just as easily as it had been granted to them, could it be snatched from them.

  As it stood, with nobody with the same beliefs as them being there to reinforce them, it took an extreme show of willpower if they wanted to remain rooted in the Spawn’s protection—and inevitably, their mental fortress was beginning to crumble. It disgusted them how they were so attracted to somebody that hated their beliefs with such a passion—and yet, they couldn’t help it.

  Despite how painful that kiss had been, they enjoyed it more than all the hours they’d spent praying, and it made them reconsider where their priorities truly lied. It’s true that Dusekkar had done many bad things to them, but...

  The Spawn had ruined them more.

  However, one question remained clear: what was Two Time without the Spawn anyways? They wore only it, they talked only about it, they knew only it; they were it. They lacked any personal expression, they lacked a gender, they lacked anything that made them a person. They didn’t even have a name, goddammit! They had never introduced themself, and none of the survivors knew what to refer to them as. Shedletsky called them “Cultist Dude”, Noob called them “Sasuke Hair”, Chance called them “Billie”—but it had been c00lkidd’s nickname, “Two Time”, that won the etymological lottery and stuck around.

  Their name had been coined by a brainwashed 10-year-old, and they hadn’t had any idea just how ridiculous that fact was until recently.

  But at the same time, they didn’t want their own identity. They themself didn’t feel real—ever since Azure was dead, nothing felt real. The Spawn was the only thing left to ground them in reality, they thought.

  As they continued praying, their distractions would only get worse. Their thoughts would always jump somewhere else—either to all the times they’d cuddled with Azure where they couldn’t be seen, or to the feel of Dusekkar’s fiery tongue in their mouth. All they wanted was to feel that pleasure again; they couldn’t rest easy until they could reach that high.

  After hours of unsuccessfully channelling the Spawn, they decided tonight it simply wasn’t going to happen. Just like the couple of nights before this. Right now, all they needed was to sleep.

  After a bit, they were all ready for sleep. Their pink sleeping mask was resting on their forehead, and they had even put on their Spawn pyjamas for extra comfort. They didn’t wear them every time they slept, but right now it at least somewhat helped them experience the warmth and softness they were craving so badly.  

  Right as they were about to jump into their bed, there was a knock at the door of their cabin. It was quiet, almost a little hesitant, but firm. Who could possibly be looking for them at this hour? They struggled to recall the last time anyone had come to their cabin.

  They sleepily walked over to the door and pulled the knob without a second thought, completely clueless as to what that simple decision was about to cause.

  As soon as they saw the person on the other end, their eyes shot up wide in shock.

  “D-Divine pumpkin?”

  He looked the same as always—but they could catch only a hint of weariness in his expression. He had been so distant around them until recently—never in a million years did they expect him to simply come to them.

  Dusekkar felt bewildered for the first split second he saw them, as he always did. He used to think it was because of their face and their constant unnerving smile, but he’d realised it was because of the Spawn insignias on their pyjamas. Even then, seeing them ready to sleep confirmed his fears: he might have just woken them up. He should’ve made up his mind earlier and come then, he thought. He shook his head in frustration at himself.

  “Apologies for my intrusion. I simply wanted to check up; I’m worried by your seclusion.”

  He was... Worried about them?

  Two Time felt shivers all around their body. Their tail unconsciously rose up.

  They had barely even exchanged any words, and they were already getting excited...

  “Thou may come in.”

  It was a miracle Two Time hadn’t started shaking yet.

  Dusekkar entered the cabin and tried to find a place to sit despite the darkness. In the end, he settled on the foot of their bed. It’s good that he couldn’t spot the Spawn pattern on their bedsheets as well.

  ...

  He was sitting on their bed.

  Completely defenceless.

  ...

  “I wanted to ask: are you okay? It’s been a bit since we talked, and you look like a stray.”

  Dusekkar looked down, afraid to meet Two Time’s hypnotising eyes. He didn’t want to fall into his trap of lust once again, for it was not why he’d come here.

  First and foremost, he needed the cultist’s help for escaping this realm. Since they had a second life, they were most likely the only possible person who would be able to perform the potential glitch of respawning back in Robloxia. That’s why he needed to earn their trust.

  But also...

  As much as he didn’t want to admit it, part of him was genuinely worried about them.

  Them constantly clinging on to him, constantly trying their best to help him in rounds... As much as they put him off at first, he couldn’t help but find it endearing.

  His hatred and his admiration were currently at war in his mind—and neither side was winning. It was like an end-game in chess, where both players were too incompetent to find a checkmate.

  “One is the same as always. Something may be wrong, but the Spawn’s embrace is always here to help one through. Why art thou asking?”

  “No reason. But speaking of the Spawn, it’s about time I told you why I’m such a heathen. I know you won’t believe me, but if you knew, I would feel a sense of completion.”

  Two Time could tell he had been intending to talk to them about this for a while. As much as he showed his disdain towards them, he never properly explained why—he only ever talked about how their beliefs were a hoax and how they got innocent people killed. They were bound to hear him out at some point anyway, they thought. They gulped and reluctantly nodded.

  “It happened after some of my fellows had been forsaken. I dabbled in the Spawn religion, as I was desperate their souls to reawaken. I was an admin, so I already knew some of their teachings were inaccurate and fishy—yet still, as a last result, with learning their spells I made myself busy. In the end I tried to perform a ritual and restore someone to their former glory—but the spell was a fraud and nearly resulted in a fate most gory. All it did was permanently take away some of my power, which later allowed the Spectre to abduct me into this world dour. It was because of the Spawn and their fake spells that made me end up in this hell!

  During my last days of being free, the extent of the Spawn’s lies I wanted to oversee. While I still could, to your premises I went to spy—and what I saw made me cry.

  All I have to say on that matter is... Two Time, riddle me this: have you ever killed someone in exchange for promised bliss?”

  The cultist was trying their best to comprehend what Dusekkar was saying despite the cryptic nature. They couldn’t believe any of it, especially with how little they knew about magic or being forsaken.

  However, this one question was something that caught them completely off-guard.

  They remained quiet, trying their best to retain their smile—but internally, they were screaming.

  More images of Azure resurfaced.

  Him lying prone, clueless as to what his secret lover is about to do to him.

  Two Time plunging their dagger into his heart from behind.

  The blood gushing from that lethal wound.

  The shock of his face as he turned back.

  “What have you done...?”

  His haunting last words replayed in their mind once again. They made them feel that same guilt they’d felt all that time ago:

  They’d killed him.

  Azure trusted them more than he trusted anyone, and they’d killed him.

  It had been done to appease the Spawn, but nothing could alleviate how much guilt they felt. No amount of piety could rival how much they missed him.

  Before Two Time had realised it, tears had started coming out of their eyes. They were sobbing uncontrollably.

  Their elders had taught them to keep their smile up no matter what, in order to show the world how much happiness the Spawn brought them. However, they weren’t happy. They had been nothing but a wreck ever since that day.

  There was no use smiling anymore.

  The divine pumpkin already know their darkest secret. There was nothing to hide from him anymore.

  Dusekkar couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them. After all, it was not their fault that they had committed something so cruel.

  “I had a hunch,” he uttered gravely. The concern on his face was palpable—but Two Time couldn’t see him through their tears. “I’m sorry for forcing you to remember so much.”

  He needed to comfort them. They deserved at least that much after triggering their trauma. The pumpkin stood up and embraced Two Time, which only made them sob more. They didn’t understand.

  “I’m... I’m a killer... Why art thou...?”

  “You may have ended them, but you are not the one to blame. You didn’t want to lose them; it is not the same. It was your cult that made you commit this mistake, and I don’t want you feeling like a snake.”

  Dusekkar spoke softly, trying his best to comfort them. To Two Time it felt so jarring seeing them like this—they didn’t remember the last time he had such an affectionate tone.

  “But thou sayeth... Thou sayeth thou hateth me. One is... confused.”

  “I don’t hate you, Two Time. I only hate how you let your own beliefs ruin you. Please listen to me and accept the Spawn for what it is: an evil hoax that forced you to kill.”

  Two Time’s grip loosened and their sobbing became less frequent.

  Hearing what the divine pumpkin thought so directly, something awoke in them.

  But it wasn’t a revelation. Rather, it was a certain anger. An intense ire. The hatred they’d been taught to feel towards outsiders of their religion, as well as something more... personal.

  They broke out of the hug, leaving Dusekkar confused. Tears still flowed out of their eyes, meanwhile their mouth was completely straight.

   “Thou wantest something from one, do thee not? Is that why thou art here? Thou hast no other reason to worry about one.”

  The cultist’s tone had turned from grieving to interrogative, as if a switch had been flipped in their head. The mage was taken aback, his blue tail slowly wagging in confusion. A certain fear overtook him. The fear that they were actually right with their question.

  “It is not the only reason I came here. I need your help for something, yes—but first I want to make sure your condition to hear. As for your favour, I’m looking for a way out of this painful existence—and with your respawn capabilities, you are the only one who can provide assistance. This is not just for my own good—it is for everyone, if you would.”

  “Everyone, thou sayest...”

  Two Time crossed their arms and turned their back to Dusekkar. For some reason, he disgusted them. They couldn’t bare to even look at him. It was already setting in just how much he had hurt them over the time they’d been forsaken.

  They realised: he was nothing like Azure.

  The backstabber turned back to the pumpkin, only enough for him to see their black-and-white eyes. The sheer madness raging inside of them.

  They were smiling again, but this time it felt even more forced and unnerving than usual. Their facial muscles were twitching.

  “It really is very bold of thee, Dusekkar.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  This was the first time Two Time had ever called him his real name. The mage could know something was terribly wrong. He instinctively took a step back from them—but they had forgotten that they were standing right in front of the foot of the bed. They fell down on it in a sitting position.

  Two Time turned around completely. Their tears were completely gone, replaced by nothing but lunacy.

  “It is so very bold of thee, how thou art asking for my help—but thou hath done nothing but hurt me and make others hate me. The truth is, I owe nothing to ye all!”

  This was the first time Two Time had ever raised their voice. Normally they were so calm, even in the face of immense stress or isolation—but now was finally their breaking point.

  They pushed Dusekkar onto the bed and dragged him forward before sitting on top of him.

   The pumpkin was too shocked to defend himself. This was the last way he expected them to react.

  With their one hand, Two Time grabbed both of his wrists and pinned them down above his head. Meanwhile, they used their other hand to undo his belt that kept his robes in place.

  “Wh-What are you doing?” he stuttered.

  He knew he could easily overpower them if he wanted to, given that he was fairly bigger—but for some reason, he enjoyed the thrill of it too much. Even though he knew that this was not the time to be feeling as aroused as he was.

  Amidst the darkness, only Two Time’s smiling face was illuminated thanks to the flame that was Dusekkar’s head. The lighting made them look even more intimidating than they already were.

  “Thou art no longer in control, pumpkin.” The cultist cackled maniacally, which made the mage shudder. No words could do justice describing the fear in his eyes. “I’ve tried so hard to make thee likest me, I’ve saved thee countless times from being killed—and the way thou repayest me is by pushing me away whilst asking me for even more! Spawn curseth thee!”

  As they were screaming at him, Two Time had managed to completely undo his belt while still holding down his wrists with their other hand. They quickly tossed it aside and began partially taking off his robe, revealing the grey tunic behind it. It was drenched in sweat.

  “It is because of thee that nobody wanteth to associate with me, I know it! Thou hath always known that I have killed my love, and thou told that to everyone! Thou insolent scoundrel! Taph was my only friend, but recently he cannot even look at me. This was thy doing, I just know it! Thou art the reason I don’t have anything in this world, thou art the reason why I’m always alone—and thou hast the gall to ask for my help! Spawn curseth thee! Spawn curseth thee and thy blasted malevolence! Burnest thee in the fiery inferno of the Banlands!”

  Warm tears began streaming down Two Time’s face once again, seeping down to Dusekkar’s pumpkin. He felt less like he was looking at a person, but at a ravenous lion ready to rip into them. The amount of fury they were unleashing was akin to a starving predator swarmed by unbearable parasites.

  Dusekkar had finally realised the extent of just how much he’d hurt Two Time. He also realised that they were not the one that deserved this treatment. They were now aware of that fact as well.

  It was the first time they’d ever used first-person pronouns to refer to themself, because they knew they were defending their own, barely existent ego.

  “I’m... I’m sorry...” he muttered, struggling to form coherent words. “I’ve realised my mistakes, and I want to make up for everything, but there’s... not much I can do...”

  “As if thou expectest me to believe this. Thou art not sorry, and thou still hatest me, because Spawn forbid that thou admit to casting one of our most powerful spells wrong. Shame! Shame, I say!”

  Two Time pulled up Dusekkar’s shirt, revealing his bare white torso—and more importantly, his undergarments. Now, the erection protruding out of them was more than apparent. The cultist laughed.

  “Funny, isn’t it? Thou always tryest to act so high and mighty—yet thou let the person thou hatest the most see thee like this. Thou art little but a hopeless slut. Thou enjoyeth this, dost thee not? I know thou enjoyeth this.”

  “You are the one initiating this, don’t forget. Seeing me like this, it only pleasure in you begets.”

  “One is simply doing thee a favour, divine pumpkin. Don’t get sly with me—I know thou only wantest me for all those favours thou can get out of me. Too bad this will happen on my terms.”

  Dusekkar opened his mouth to say something, but before any words could come out, Two Time leaned down and kissed him. The pumpkin’s tongue of fire made contact with the cultist’s human one. They put their free hand on the side of his head to get a better grip on him. The mattress creaked as he squirmed around and make slight whimpering noises—but with his hands being restrained, he couldn’t free himself. It’s not like he wanted to free himself anyway.

  Truthfully, the former admin didn’t remember kissing anyone throughout his eternal lifetime. Not anyone, except for Two Time. Nobody was quite as unhinged and borderline masochistic as they were, to the point of voluntarily burning themself. As much as it hurt them, they couldn’t help but shove their tongue deeper and deeper. They loved the thrill of it, knowing they were going somewhere nobody else had gone before. The mouth of a being that was fuelled by magic instead of blood. Their Spawn tail couldn’t stop wagging in excitement.

  They could feel the erection in Dusekkar’s underwear growing, which made them aroused themself. They started rubbing their waist on his bulge, only to see how he’d react—and as expected, his body trembled even more, while his deer ears were shaking up and down. Oh Spawn, how easy he was to please.

  As much as they hated him for everything he had done to them, nothing could rival the thrill they were experiencing. They were finally getting their revenge on him, they thought. They were using him to derive as much passion as possible—that was payback in their books.

  When Two Time thought they’d had enough, they let go of him. Strings of saliva were still connecting the two of them’s lips, and they made no effort to get rid of them. Dusekkar made some incomprehensible noises while his flaming tongue was still out. It was obvious he was hungry for more.

  He really was a lot like Azure.

  Their hand was still resting on their face, softly caressing it. They were staring down right into his burning eye-holes, with a gaze full of sick joy.

  “Actually, maybe I can allow myself to forgive thee, Dusekkar. Others may avoid me, but at least thou art so nice to let me do whatever I want with thee. I don’t need anyone, as long as I have thee to play with.”

  Their smile was now wider than ever and they were attempting to stifle chuckles. While mere minutes ago they were grieving over Azure’s death and lamenting how much pain they’d endured, Two Time was now overtaken with mania.

  They let go of Dusekkar’s hands and cheek and scooted back a bit. He sighed in relief. Relief, from the knowledge that the cultist wasn’t going to go as far as he’d thought.

  But then, when he leaned up to sit, he saw what they were doing. His jaw dropped in horror.

  Two Time was taking off their pyjama top, revealing their black tank top with the Spawn symbol on it. They tossed the shirt on the floor, before moving on to their pyjama pants. As they were taking them off, their pink underwear was revealed, as well as the skin of their pale legs. It was ridden with black claw-like scars, similarly to the scars on their arms. Countless of Spawn rituals, official or not, had led up to having so many of them.

  “What are you...?”

  Dusekkar was so shocked that he couldn’t even finish his question.

  This wasn’t going to be over anytime soon.

  It seemed like Two Time had been anticipating this question eagerly. They were smirking like the Devil.

  “After all, I decided that I am going to help thee with thine escape plan, divine pumpkin. If it concerns my knowledge of the Spawn, I would gladly assist. However, there is only one thing I must ask of thee in return:

  Thy consent.”

  ...

  ..

  .

Chapter Text

   The round was dragging on. The survivors were clinging on to life as Slasher’s rampage echoed throughout the Tempest.

  Shedletsky had been stuck in a chase for the past 15 minutes, and despite Elliot keeping him alive with his pizzas and Guest 1337 trying his best to take hits for him, things weren’t looking good for the swordfighter—he was one hit away from dying. The team needed somebody to slow the killer down. They needed somebody who could single-handedly put an end to chases.

  Dusekkar was the perfect person for the job. And yet, he was doing nothing to prevent his former comrade’s demise. He simply sat on the cold, rocky ground at the edge of the map, shuffling to find a comfortable position. He was leaning against one of the dilapidated walls next to the “staircase to nowhere”, as Chance liked to call it.

  Memories from Two Time’s cabin played out in the mage’s head. He was in no state to be in a round. Especially not after...

  He had always wondered what it felt like. Despite his long life, he’d never done the deed with anyone beforehand. People saw him as wise, powerful, knowledgeable—but nobody dared be intimate with him, for he would always pushed people away.

  Who would want to give that kind of attention to him anyways? Not only did his squash of a head make him unattractive to most, but also his fiery essence was bound to burn anybody that got close to him.

   That’s why Dusekkar wasn’t prepared for it. Normally, he wouldn’t have said yes. Yet, as much as he regretted it...

  He still wanted more.

  Nobody was crazy enough to explore that side of him. Nobody, except Two Time. He felt an odd sense of gratitude towards them.

  This combination of enjoyment and self-loathing made him feel unbearable shame. He was supposed to hate them, he was supposed to protect people from their harmful influence—yet now, he himself was being influenced by them, in the most personal way possible. He allowed them to see him in his most vulnerable state and gave them permission to exploit that—and whether they actually did that was hard to answer.

  Despite having been able to resist or tell them to stop at any time, he instead chose to listen to his own urges and let them have their way.

  Both of them knew very well where this was going to end, and both of them strived towards the same outcome.

  In the end, Dusekkar would never be the same.

  ...

  Bang!

  A gunshot rang out from below the large temple. Chance had managed to stun the killer, which allowed Shedletsky to get away from the killer and hide. He limped as he ran towards the crumbling walls at the edge of the map—right where Dusekkar was sitting for the entire game. It was about time somebody found him.

  “Whew...”

  Shedletsky brushed the buckets of sweat coming down his forehead as he sat on the ground against the wall opposite the pumpkin. He checked the surroundings once again to make sure Slasher wasn’t still on his trail—and sure enough, he had moved on to giving Chance some justice.

  The swordsman was breathing heavily, his curly brown hair turned shiny from his own sweat. Now was the perfect time to munch. He pulled out a chicken leg and started ravenously devouring it like how a child devours cotton candy. The entire time, Dusekkar hadn’t once acknowledged hid presence—he was still stuck looping in his thoughts. And dealing with the flashbacks.

  “Hey Matt! What’s wrong, man?” Shedletsky asked, noticing how much he was dissociating. Despite being on the brink of death, he was more worried about his fellow than about himself. Given how much history the two of them had, it was easy to see why—yet now, he was all but an acquaintance.

  “It’s nothing that should make you vexed. My worries shall soon be fixed.”

  Dusekkar’s voice was dry and monotonous. Despite his rhymes, there was no rhythm or playfulness in his speech—only sombre.

  “C’mon, dude—you always say this, yet it never gets better. You’ve gotta speak up!”

  The pumpkin sighed regretfully.

  “Try as I might, I failed to bring you back. Here, I’m not a mage—I’m just a cheap hack. There is nothing you can do, so please let me stay aloof.”

  Shedletsky already knew about Dusekkar’s attempt to let him out of this realm before he himself was forsaken. Being the last stronghold of Robloxia’s stability, it was crucial that he maintain his grip on reality, quite literally. If he hadn’t failed reviving Shedletsky, he would actually have a good chance of foiling the Spectre’s plans. This was something that had been eating at him for a long time, and recounting that experience to Two Time had made him remember just how guilty and scornful he felt. If he’d never trusted the Spawn cult, he likely wouldn’t have been so harsh on the cultist.

  However, despite mentioning it, this monumental failure was not what Dusekkar kept ruminating on, and he knew it. Even as he spoke to Shedletsky, images of last night flashed in his mind. He tried hard not to grimace at the feel of Two Time’s insides. How forceful and confident they were, yet how easy it was to overpower them into submission. Their erratic and unpredictable movements, combined with how gentle and careful they were. It was obvious they were inexperienced, just like him—but they still had a certain charm to them.

  Dusekkar’s tail curled up again, and this time he noticed it. Ashamed, he covered his face with his hands. What was he even thinking!? Right in front of his colleague too...

  The swordsman struggled to find a way to respond to him. He could see there was something very wrong with him, especially with his unfounded embarrassment. Giving him some space was the least he could do. He remained silent as the fried chicken helped his wounds slowly heal themselves.

  Suddenly, Shedletsky saw something from the corner of his vision. It was Slasher, sprinting down the large temple, his eye glinting red. He dashed forward in order to get out of Raging Pace and run straight towards the resting survivors. It seemed it was time to run again...

  The sentinel stood up and positioned himself behind the archway, ready to strike the killer as soon as he entered. As the masked man’s footsteps were getting louder, Shedletsky closed his eyes and blindly swung his sword ahead, expecting Slasher to attack him without waiting. However, the killer already knew his tricks.

  As soon as the former admin opened his eyes, the swordsman saw a familiar hockey mask right in front of him—and he didn’t seem stunned at all. Far from it, in fact.

  Dusekkar was too slow to realise what was happening. Despite being in the perfect place at the perfect time to protect him, he wasn’t quick enough in casting Spawn Protection.

  Cue the Gashing Wound.                     

* * *

  Two Time woke up in their own bed, obscured by their own Spawn-patterned bedsheets. It was only slightly darker than before, and a lot colder. It took them a while to come to their senses—they just knew that something felt missing. Something was... gone.

  An inexplicable feeling of panic set in. They rapidly sat up and looked around. That’s when they noticed: they were completely naked. The dark scars on their thighs and shoulders were clearly visible.

  And also...

  New scars were throbbing on their neck.

  Burn marks.

  It wasn’t just them—their entire body was aching.

  Flashbacks from what happened last night popped into their mind. A shiver crawled up Two Time’s spine just by them recounting it. They hugged themself tightly—mostly to protect themself from the cold, but also to remind themself of what it felt like to be so close to somebody again.

  It took them some time to recount the full extent of it.

  O Spawn, what had they done!?

  Who did they think they were, having their way with somebody who rejected their beliefs so staunchly? They felt so impure, so violated, having him enter them and leave his lasting trace. Never could they reverse the effects of this, as parts of him would forever taint their soul.

  They had no value as a vessel of the Spawn anymore, as their body was forever disgraced by a heathen. And it was all their fault.

  Dusekkar would’ve never offered to do such a thing—when he entered their cabin, all he wanted to do was ask for their help. It was them who turned around and did this to him, in order to deliver some sort of twisted revenge—but was it really revenge, when all they did was make him feel pleasure, while completely tarnishing their relationship with the spawn?

  As much as they didn’t want to admit it, Two Time still loved him. Getting to know him in ways nobody had ever known him made them love him even more. The reason they felt empty was because they didn’t wake up in his arms, the same way they’d fallen asleep.

  Even after all the ways he’d hurt them, they still loved him. They had nobody else to love. Seeing any kind of reciprocation from him, completely genuine or not, made them feel happier than they ever had, despite the crushing knowledge that they’d just committed an unforgivable sin.

  Emotions were raging in their mind like a tornado. Love and hatred, pleasure and regret, uncontrollable lust and heartbroken piety—they were stuck in an ever-growing vortex.

  The only silver lining was that they were one of the two survivors to be left out of the round, which meant they had time to process everything. However, they felt like not even an eternity wouldn’t be enough for them to come to terms with what they did.

  As much as they wanted to stay alone, Two Time’s stomach was grumbling. The hadn’t eaten for almost a full day. They sighed, dreading the prospect of having to go to the main cabin and interacting with the other survivor who had been left out—but there wasn’t much of the choice.

  Just who could it be? Noob? Maybe Builderman? Or... him?

  There was only one way to find out.

  Two Time put on their usual outfit, making sure to also wear a black scarf to hide their burn marks. They still hurt like hell, and having to touch them made it even worse. The sheer amount of adrenaline back then allowed them to bare the burning—but now, it was worse than they ever could’ve expected. At least, knowing who caused those wounds alleviated it somewhat.

  While also making them hurt even more.

  ...

  Still drowsy, Two Time made their way to the main cabin. As soon as they opened the door, their tail froze still in fear. It was just about the worst person they could’ve possibly seen. Taph’s white wings could be seen poking out from behind the sofa.

  Taph was sitting in silence, watching the crackling campfire, with a packet of pop-rocks in his hands. His diet truly was strange. As soon as he heard somebody enter, he quickly pulled his bandana up before his head shot toward the direction of the new visitor.

  Their eyes met.

  Two Time was trying their best to maintain their signature smile, but it was difficult. They had turned from being excited every time they saw him to dreading having to look at him, all in the span of a couple of days. Not only did he know, but he also had the completely wrong idea.

  As soon as Taph caught a good glimpse of Two Time’s face, he tossed his candy aside and jumped up from the sofa to approach the cultist. As soon as he got close enough to make the situation uncomfortable, he stopped in his tracks and simply stared at them. Analysing every single cell of their body. Even though his eyes were obscured, the backstabber still felt like their entire life was being spilled in front of him.

  “E-Err... Hooded one, is there anything which botherth thee?”

  Taph didn’t flinch for a couple of seconds, as if their apprehensive question didn’t even register in his mind. But then, he signed stiffly:

  You smell different.

  Two Time rapidly started sniffing their own body, starting from their hands and moving on to their armpits.

  They felt the familiar scent of smoke and incense all over them, with a tinge of pumpkin spice. Dusekkar’s signature aroma.

  It was a strong, invasive scent. Now, the cultist smelled just like him—there was no denying it.

  “One hath... Well...”

  Panic started setting in, as their surroundings began turning black. Their lungs felt heavy, and it suddenly felt a lot harder to keep balance.

  Two Time tried to take a step back from the demolitionist to get some space, but they tripped on their own foot and ended up falling on their rear.

  As they were desperately trying to scoot back, Taph took a step toward them. He leaned down to grab them by the scarf and look straight at them. Their faces were so close to each other that it made Two Time get flashbacks of last night again. Except, the demolitionist’s intentions were far from suggestive.

  Rarely did they ever feel so afraid by somebody. The panic that came from being chased by Slasher didn’t come close to the one they were experiencing now. The glare Taph was giving them from behind that hood contained enough indignation to execute somebody on the spot.

  He grabbed their black scarf with their other hand and began trying to take it off.

  They knew exactly what he was doing.

  “Halt! Get thy hands off one!”

  Two Time couldn’t let him see the damning evidence for himself. They grabbed both of Taph’s hands in a desperate attempt to wrestle him off. In response, he kicked them in their friend stomach without hesitation. The pain forced them to pull away, which allowed him to easily remove the cover.

  The cover hiding the burns on their neck.

  They were even worse than the new ones on their lips. So much worse.

  Taph let go of them and took a step back in shock, letting them drop to the floor.

  It was very obvious who had caused those.

  The demolitionist signed something, but Two Time could hardly make out what they were saying. They deciphered something in the same vain as “What did you do?”.

  But they couldn’t admit to anything. Both for their, and for Dusekkar’s sake.

  “O-One doth not know what thou accusest one of! Leavest one alone!”

  ...

  You molested him, didn’t you?

  “N—”

  Before Two Time could even defend themself, Taph leaned down and launched his gloved fist at their face. He struck them with such force that blood started flowing from their nose.

  They couldn’t believe it. Somebody they’d considered a friend until recently was ready to beat them and accuse the worst of them with no hesitation.

  Taph started forming words with his arms again. His sentences were longer than usual, but the cultist tried his best to follow along with their limited knowledge. They leaned up from the ground in order to see him more clearly.

  I saw Dusekkar before the round started, while I was on the porch. I saw him coming out of your cabin. There was something very wrong with him: he refused to eat, and he couldn’t even respond to me. You did this to him, didn’t you?

  The demolitionist was never the type to be confrontational—what he saw must’ve truly shocked him. If he knew the truth, things wouldn’t look much better, but now, he was making them out to be some kind of monster.

  Except...

  “But thou hast understood wrong! He wanted it, and one wanted it too!”

  Taph glared right into Two Time’s eyes again. He really didn’t like that.

  The demolitionist knelt down on top of them so he can get a better look at their bloodied face. They noticed that he couldn’t stop looking at them, as if he wanted to memorise all their features photographically.

  That’s what they all say. Did you forget that he hates you with all his heart? In no world could he have agreed to it.

  Two Time couldn’t say anything. They realised: his assumptions weren’t too far from the truth. It’s true that Dusekkar had said yes, but that was because they hadn’t given him the choice to say no.

  Not only had Two Time disgraced the Spawn and their own body—they had done something even worse to him. They hadn’t seen Dusekkar since they woke up, so they didn’t know just how bad his condition was.

  Or whether he could even forgive them for what they did.

  Taph clenched his fists out of frustration, which made Two Time assume he was going to hit them again. They shielded their face with their arms as their entire body quivered.

  “I’m... sorry...”

  Tears started pouring out of their eyes. Those were tears of regret, with a fear of consequences imbued in them.

  Taph was able to tell that their apology was genuine—but it was impossible to look past such a despicable act. He’d always seen them as a friend and still did, which made it even harder to believe that they would be capable of doing something so horrible. As much as it tore at him, he still felt as if they got close to him just to be able to take advantage of Dusekkar.

  There was one other possibility, but... it was impossible.

  Taph wanted to bring down his justice on them. But he remembered that this is not what Dusekkar would want. He himself didn’t want to do it either, as much as he despised them. It was best to leave them alone, as their regret was already gnawing at them, he thought.

  Right as the demolitionist was about to get off them, somebody appeared next to the staircase, surrounded by the aura of Spawn Protection. Somebody had just respawned—the killer’s first victim this round.

  It was Shedletsky.

  Seeing his former subordinate on top of the cultist, he was quick to ask Taph for an explanation.

  The demolitionist couldn’t lie to somebody he still looked up to so much.

  He told him the truth.

  ...

Chapter Text

  Two Time stared at Shedletsky in horror as Taph was signing to him. They didn’t catch quite what he was telling him, but they could already figure by the shock on his face.

  Now, the demolitionist wasn’t the only one that knew.

  The cultist stood up and wiped the blood off their face. Before Taph could react, they snatched their own scarf from his hands in order to put it back on and hide the marks again. It made them feel even more anxious than they already were if those were visible, despite the fact the two other people in the room already knew. What if somebody else respawned and saw them like this?

  “You’ve got lots of explaining to do,” Shedletsky said sternly as Two Time was trying their best to hide the evidence.

  Two Time’s Spawn tail was clenched up firmly. This is what they did whenever their fight or flight response triggered. Taph was manageable, but there was no way they could evade Shedletsky’s bad side.

  As soon as they finished putting on their scarf, they glared right into his soul, still maintaining that unsettling smile. They weren’t intentionally trying to intimidate him, that’s how they always acted—but he was put off regardless.

  “All one hath to say is, the two of you are fooled. One sweareth by the Spawn that the divine pumpkin hath agreed!”

  Shedletsky clenched his fists. If he could furrow his eyebrows any more, one of his arteries would pop.

  “Quit your bullshit already,” he growled.

  The swordsman stepped toward Two Time and forcefully shoved them back, which nearly made them lose balance and fall. Taph had to pull him back by the arm to prevent him from physically confronting them further.

  “Let me go, dude!”

  Shedletsky struggled initially, trying to get out of his grasp and get to them—but he quickly got back to his senses. He and Two Time were stuck in a staring contest, both of them hiding an equal amount of anguish behind their intimidating eyes.

  The former admin tried his best to keep his composure—but it was difficult. It all suddenly clicked in his head, why Dusekkar was being so avoidant and couldn’t do anything in the round. He’d always known him as capable and reliable, and he would never buckle down under stress. The two of them had been through so much already, so seeing him like this was completely unexpected. There was no way he could act like this unless something completely devastated him. Losing his magic was one thing, but he already seemed to be coming to terms with this. To Shedletsky, the person he hated the most violating him seemed like the only answer.

  He didn’t know the extent of how much Two Time had harmed him. All he knew was that they were going down.

  Suddenly, everybody’s attention was diverted. A figure appeared at the edge of the cabin, engulfed in a ball of Spawn protection.

  It was Dusekkar, who had just been freshly dissected by Slasher.

  He lethargically looked at the others, with the same deadpan expression engraved on his face since he’d woken up. It was quite an unassuming scene, all things considered. However, his eyes quickly locked in on Two Time. Despite being physically unable to blush, his cheeks felt warm.

  The mage had never seen them ever since he woke up, with them sleeping naked in his embrace. Once more, he felt the urge to scoop them in his arms—but he quickly shook his head and cleared those thoughts away, remembering Taph and Shedletsky were also here. He reminded himself of how much they put him off whenever they kept following him around during rounds, and how they would obsessively stare at him with those deep, mismatched eyes. It truly felt unsettling to him at the time, and he didn’t know why they kept at it despite his obvious aversion.

  Except now that he looked at their face, Dusekkar couldn’t help but find them adorable.

  He tried to look for an explanation as to why, but the only thing he could come up with was that last night had really messed with his brain.

  ...

  It didn’t take him long to notice Two Time’s busted nose.

  Without saying a word, the mage rushed over to them—but he made sure to maintain some physical distance, because there were people around. They didn’t need to know about how he truly felt about them. If somebody found out he felt that way about a Spawnist...

  “Who did this to you, Two Time?”

  Dusekkar looked at them with concern like a doting mother, meanwhile all they could do was smile back at him. Beads of sweat were appearing on the cultist’s face as their Spawn tail wagged left and right. They were happy to see him—but at the same time, they were completely overtaken with fear.

  As much as they craved the comfort of his touch, they were well aware that he only knew how to hurt them.

  They opened their mouth to answer his question—

  “I... I have...”

  —but nothing comprehensible could come out.

  It wasn’t long before they realised their mistake: they spoke in the first person. The Spawn would never condone such egotistical behaviour!

  Awkward chuckles escaped their burnt lips—they tried to laugh in order to stifle a groan. The others glared him, while Dusekkar’s worry only grew.

  They realised everybody was staring at them.

  They realised everybody was staring at them.

  Being the centre of attention was not something they were used to. They were so used to being avoided that actively being perceived made them paranoid. The backstabber didn’t see themself as real outside the context of the Spawn. After all, they were all but a vessel for it.

  A vessel that has failed its purpose and disgraced the name of the religion.

  ...

  Without saying another word, Two Time ran. As much as their stomach rumbled, they didn’t care about having breakfast anymore. They only wanted to escape the other survivors. Escape the one that made the Spawn hate them.

  However, they couldn’t escape their mistake.

  ...

  By the time two more rounds passed, everybody knew.

  While Shedletsky couldn’t physically hurt them, he settled for a more insidious approach to make them pay. He told everyone.

  Two Time couldn’t even come near the other survivors—they would always be assaulted by their judgemental gazes. They were deathly afraid by them, for they knew that they’d most likely learned. They couldn’t even go to the dining room to get meals—they were that scared of interacting with anybody.

  Over time, the starvation they experienced went away. A certain emptiness replaced all of their sorrows.

  They didn’t see the point anymore.

  When they didn’t appear for dinner, nobody batted an eye.

  Instead, everybody was swarming Dusekkar, who was sitting on one of the dining tables.

 He was being swarmed with questions pressing him on whether he was okay or what had happened. They were all showing clear concern toward him, or maybe it was out of nosiness—but regardless, he felt overwhelmed. The world around him felt like a blur, and he could hardly make out anybody’s face. As he was trying to eat from his plate, he gave one-word responses to every question. Mostly refusing to elaborate.

  He noticed how everybody was flocking to him while completely disregarding Two Time. Everybody thought he was the victim, when in reality he was the one who perpetuated it. It was him who kissed them for the first time, and it was him who didn’t turn down all of their forceful advances.

  It was him who said ‘yes’.

  If anything, Two Time was the one victimised. Dusekkar saw himself as the main reason nobody believed them in general, as he began their cycle of isolation.

  He had no reason to scorn Two Time. His hatred toward them was only an outlet of all their pent-up frustration from failing to revive Shedletsky and being forsaken. As much as he wanted to keep despising them, he simply couldn’t find it in himself.

  Maybe... he didn’t hate them like he’d used to.

  Dusekkar slammed both of his fists on the table, making everything on it clatter loudly.

  “That’s enough!”

  The other survivors were taken aback by his sudden reaction. What used to be a cacophony of obnoxious voices turned to silence. Finally, he could think.

  He closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands. His deer ears curled inward in order to protect his face as well.

  Flashbacks of last night sprung back into his mind. Except, they weren’t the product of his lust. An image of them crying resurfaced, lamenting the one they had killed, their body shivering as they accepted his hug in a desperate search for comfort.

  Dusekkar didn’t embrace them in order to earn their trust. He did it because he empathised with them.

  His tail wagged slowly like the pendulum of a grandfather clock.

  He, too, had been tricked by the Spawn—and he suffered greatly for it. It had never been Two Time’s fault for killing the one closest to them; it tore his heart to see them only blame themself for something they had been pressured into doing.

  His libido had completely taken over him when Two Time began their advances—but now, he remembered the grievous words they spewed to him while pinning him to the bed and he couldn’t help but feel guilty. Despite having apologised then, only now did he realise the true extent of how much he’d hurt them.

  The damage had already been done.

  If he wanted to make up for his mistakes, the only thing he could do was avoid hurting them further.

  Dread enveloped him at the mere thought of saying what he was about to.

  However, he knew it was the right thing to do.

  “For the record, I did consent. Two Time has no sins to repent. May you please not pry to a further extent.”

  Everybody was frozen in shock. The notion of Two Time committing such an unforgivable act seemed less surprising to them than Dusekkar allowing it. When everybody was too stunned to speak, Shedletsky was the one to voice out the sentiment shared by the others:

  “Are you sure...? I thought you hated—”

  “I told you: do not pry any more. This is our own personal issue at the core. From now on, everything is going to stay the same; I only ask that you give us enough space.”

  Without saying another word, Dusekkar stood up from his chair and walked out of the main cabin, slamming the door behind him.

  Crickets chirped, buried in the unevenly cut grass of the yard. They were some of the only other creatures besides the survivors living in this realm—but they were lucky enough not to be made to participate in those death games. The pumpkin envied them for being able to lead peaceful lives, even in this prison of a world.

  As he walked, he couldn’t stop cycling between his thoughts.

  Part of him wanted to check back on Two Time—but mostly, all he wanted was to be left alone. His mind was set—he needed to go back to his cabin and continue his research on finding a way out of this hell. Dusekkar was so close to a breakthrough, he could feel it; it was the cultist who was the key to everything. If he could study their respawn mechanics in more detail...

  As he was heading towards his personal office, a loud clack grabbed his attention. Followed by the pattering of footsteps. Somebody was running after him.

  When Dusekkar turned around, he was greeted by a most familiar figure. Sporting sullied white wings, forever hidden under his hood. Taph stood in front of him, trying to catch his breath. He was unconsciously obscuring his face with his white head wings—something he was prone to doing when nervous.

  The former subordinate brought his palms together and bowed down slightly.

  I’m sorry.

  His entire body was quivering. He was moments away from bursting into tears, overtaken by his own guilt.

  Dusekkar simply looked at him with a completely deadpan expression.

  “I am not the one you should be apologising to.”

  No sooner had he finished his sentence than he turned his back to him and began trudging away.

  Though...

  It wasn’t really his fault, was it?

  Dusekkar remembered the time Taph hugged him and comforted him in the ball pit instead of being useful in the round. Rather than fulfilling his role as a support, he put the mage’s feelings first. He didn’t have many friends, so he valued the few people that he deemed close very much.

  It was all because of Dusekkar that he began to resent one of those close people, and there was no coming back from it.

  After he took a couple of steps away, the pumpkin stopped in his tracks and turned his head back to look at him. The demolitionist was facing the ground, trying his hardest not to cry.

  Dusekkar put his hand on his shoulder, which startled him.

  “I don’t want you blaming yourself, Taph,” he uttered. His voice was barely louder than a whisper. “It was me who should’ve told you the truth on their behalf. Yet still... Right now, to look at you my conscience can’t allow. Sleep well, and ciao.”

  Dusekkar proceeded to quietly return to his cabin without looking back.

Chapter Text

    Dusekkar’s desk was stacked with difficult, technical books about different glitches and exploits in Robloxia, open on random pages. Torn-out papers with various writings and scribbles laid on top of them, embroidered with his neat handwriting—however, not even it could make them look nor read as any less chaotic. An uneaten bowl of tomato soup was sitting on his bedside table, giving the entire room an uncharacteristic culinary scent. Flickering candles lit the small wooden cabin as he frantically looked over his notes, his comically small reading glasses resting in front of his eye-holes.

  It had been several hours since the previous round and sleep was calling to him—however, he couldn’t allow himself. At least not yet. He was so close to a breakthrough to fully develop his escape plan—he’d already figured the necessary conditions for fulfilling it; all that was left was figuring out how to create or move a spawn point out of bounds.

  Despite knowing freedom was within his grasp, Dusekkar couldn’t help but fear. After all, if the plan ended up requiring what he thought it took, he would be taking a massive leap of faith. His gut was screaming at him that there was no way things would go as intended—but his desperation to regain his own powers pushed him to keep going. After all, there was no worse outcome than remaining stuck here... right?

   His mind jumped to what he could lose if the attempt failed.

  Normally he wouldn’t care, but now...

  ...

  Suddenly, Dusekkar heard a faint knock at the door. His tail shot up in surprise.

  Speak of the devil.

  The mage thought he was mentally prepared to see them gain—but now, the butterflies in his stomach were trying to break out. For, he planned to tell them how he truly felt that very encounter.

  The knocks persisted. He figured it was no good making them wait any more.

  The old floorboards creaked as Dusekkar walked over to open the door for them. Without hesitation, he pressed the handle and pushed.

  Two Time was standing on the other end, wearing their typical grey cloak and T-shirt of the Spawn. However, they weren’t smiling. This was probably the first time he’d ever seen them be with a straight face on will. That, combined with their badly bruised nose, made them lose some of their unique charm that Dusekkar was so infatuated with—but while they made no effort in keeping appearances, they were just as attractive on the inside.

  They weren’t wearing their scarf, which meant the bite marks Dusekkar had inflicted on them were on full display.

  Physical proof that they were all his.

  Without even realising it, Dusekkar’s tail had curled into a circle again. He tried his best to control himself—now was no time to be a deviant.

  “You actually came,” he remarked. He seemed emotionless—that’s because he was trying his best to stifle a smile.

  “One had made a promise to help thee,” they uttered. Their quivering voice was rarely louder than a whisper.

  It was jarring seeing them talk without their signature expression. Is that how they truly felt at all times? Never mind, he needed to stay composed.

  “Thank you for your care. Please take a seat in the chair over there.”

  The cultist walked into the cabin and took a quick look around. The towering bookshelves in this room made them nauseous; the number of books they’d read in their lifetime were likely not even a fraction of the number of books contained in here. They wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that Dusekkar had actually read all of those, while having nothing else to do. They had always admired how smart and knowledgeable he was.

  Even though...

  Two Time sat down on one of the two chairs around the pumpkin’s desk—however, as soon as they did, they nearly fell backwards.

  “Ah, this one has been broken for a while. To sit here, you shouldn’t go the extra mile. Please move to the one for your style..”

  He was willing to take the worse seat for their sake...?

  The cultist said nothing as they moved to the other side of the desk to sit on the chair there. It was slightly warm—Dusekkar had obviously been sitting here. As they looked at all the papers strewn around his workspace, their head began spinning.

  The pumpkin walked aside for a bit in order to fetch something. When he came back, the cultist sensed a delicious scent in the air—it made them even more hungry than they already were. It had been six whole rounds since they’d last eaten. He was carrying a bowl that had obviously come from the kitchen.

  “I made you something while the others were gone. It’s not much, but I hope you enjoy.”

  Dusekkar pushed some of his notes aside to make room for the food before placing it down.

  It was tomato soup. Two Time’s favourite. Before they realised it, a genuine smile crept up their face while their Spawn tail slowly raised.

  It only took a couple of quick sips with their spoon for their eyes to water. The mage’s cooking wasn’t anything too special, but the backstabber’s starvation greatly amplified the taste. They couldn’t get enough of it.

  Their eyes shifted left and right. Of course, nobody except Dusekkar was looking at them meticulously—but they didn’t mind that. They grabbed the bowl and began gulping it down like a dehydrated athlete who’d just finished their day-long marathon training.. When they were finished, not even a drop of soup was left inside the bowl. The only parts of it that weren’t already in Two Time’s stomach were stuck to their lips.

  Their hunger wasn’t completely gone, but this was enough to satiate them.

  The cultist noticed how the pumpkin was looking at them with a smile, which made them a bit embarrassed. They had made him of all people go out of his way to make them a meal, all because they were too scared to get their food. An apprehensive Thank you escaped their burnt lips.

  “There is some soup left on your face. Allow me to remove every trace.”

  “Wh-What art thou...?”

  Completely unprompted, Dusekkar fetched a handkerchief from his pocket and rubbed it on Two Time’s mouth to clean it. As if they weren’t already embarrassed enough, now they felt like they were about to melt. A rosy hue was beginning to colour their face, while their vocal chords produced some incomprehensible noises. They could feel the breeze created by their own frantically wagging tail.

  This was such a small thing to be so flustered over. That’s because Dusekkar wiping their mouth wasn’t the only action at play here—there was something more to his excessive care.

  Two Time saw themself reflected in the mage’s sultry eyes. Themself, from back when they were trying so hard to assist him and make him like them. Now, it was as if he was finally returning the favour; he acted just like how they did back then. They didn’t know how to feel.

  “Why doth thou all of this for me?” they asked, avoiding eye contact again. They were scared to look at him, as he felt like a different person. He was completely different from the cold, emotionless Dusekkar they were used to.

  “You deserve my kindness, since for so long I couldn’t my feelings harness. I’ve realised that you and I are quite the same, seeing how the Spawn has put us both through so much pain, though in different ways. I know how much they have brainwashed you, and your beliefs no longer cause me disdain. I’m sorry for having to see you lash out; I’m sorry for all the torment I’ve caused you throughout; I promise amidst all your distress, happiness to sprout.”

  Before he even realised it, Dusekkar was on the verge of tears. He didn’t expect to let his emotions run so wild—and yet, he still wanted to say more.

  It was hard to see Two Time’s eyes as they were obscured by their overgrown black hair. However, their slowly oscillating tail made it obvious that a lot was going through their mind. Dusekkar had started to learn what the movements of their tail entailed—but at the same time, he was afraid of others learning what his own tail said—especially Two Time.

  “One appreciateth thine attempts to make up, but... It is already too late.”

  “What?”

  “Why art thou confused? Seest thee not? Everybody thinks I have done something unforgivable to thee. I am not sure whether thou hast told them the truth—but it is unlikely they will believe you regardless. Now, even the Spawn hateth me for sleeping with a blasphemer. Understandest thee not? Thou hast ruined me!”

  Tears welled up in Two Time’s eyes. They were trying their hardest not to lose control the same way they did three rounds ago. Their feelings were a whirlwind of hatred and regret.

  As soon as they thought they were beginning to get over Azure, they did something infinitely worse.

  Dusekkar stood up and rushed over to the other side of the desk, where they were sitting. This made them slightly unnerved at how close he was.

  “I didn’t ruin you, Two Time—we have ruined each other. You did nothing wrong by pushing our boundaries; what others say shouldn’t be a bother.”

  He knew how dire the situation was, and he tried his best to find some way to reassure them—but it was hard. What the two of them had done may have been pleasant, however it was never meant to be.

  The cultist looked at him straight in the eye. The fire from Dusekkar’s head was reflected by Two Time’s hardly contained tears.

  “Nothing wrong? Thou art so oblivious. My faith hath been deteriorating; the Spawn hath not been responding to one’s prayers. Today, one finally managed to reach the Spawn again—but it was not benevolent as it always is. It telleth one, that one deserveth their second life not, and that it would take it away from one if it could. This is all because thou hath entered one and poisoned them with thine unholy seed. If only it hadn’t been for thee…”

  The cultist's tears finally broke out. This time, however, they weren't in hysterics—instead, they were simply mourning. Mourning the loss of the only purpose of their being that was left—their faith.

 “Why, oh Spawn, why would I ever fall in love with thee? And why showest thou such kindness to me? My everything hath crumbled because of this! Spawn curseth thee!”

 Dusekkar had thought he hated Two Time, but it tugged at his heart to see them cry like this. He was certain that its words towards them were simply psychosis induced by the Spectre. They had been left with the impression that their deity was beginning to reject them—when in his eyes, they were the one rejecting it.

  And what was Two Time without their faith? A nobody. A lost, empty soul, universally despised. An ant exiled from its colony, doomed to fend for itself in a world full of predators.

  They resonated with Dusekkar. He, too, had lost his one only passion with being forsaken. And somehow, it had been their reassurance from some rounds ago that had motivated him to try his best regardless.

  It was about time that he did his part.

  The pumpkin sat on Two Time's lap, facing them.

  Startled, the backstabber immediately looked up at him. Those crackling flames... they were hypnotising. They quickly got lost in his gaze. His hollow head. His alien beauty. Their tears began to subside.

  Dusekkar put his hand on their neck, resting it on their burn marks. They whimpered, the pain making their entire body jerk. He continued to rub his fingers on their healing skin as they tried their hardest not to scream.

  “On yourself, quit being so rough,” he said sternly. “The sorrows you’ve gone through have already been enough.”

  “Ah...”

  He knew perfectly well that he was hurting them. This was to give them a reality check more than anything.

  Two Time’s bony tail curled inward and their face became warm again. Weirdly, they were enjoying this. They had always found a sick sense of enjoyment whenever Dusekkar would burn them. Any kind of pain was something they were used to receiving from him—and now, they were so used to it that they actively craved it.

  The pumpkin pulled away from Two Time’s neck, which made them flinch again. He moved it to caress their cheek, while wrapping his other arm around their back. Despite showing no hesitation in causing them pain, he also wanted to show them affection and make them feel comfort. After they writhed because of him mere seconds ago, now they were leaning against him, relishing his every touch.

  “Saying it feels like a crime, but... I love you, Two Time.”

  ...

  What?

  Two Time smiled awkwardly, this being their default reaction to everything. However, their face was becoming beet red. This sudden confession took them by complete surprise.

  Dusekkar used his hand embracing them to grab their tail. They felt a jolt rush up their spine as he fiddled with the white spikes emerging from its thin exoskeletal base. This appendage of theirs was nobody very sensitive and they didn’t let anybody touch it—and yet, his exploration of it only added to their enjoyment, Every movement of his hand made them shiver slightly, meanwhile all they could do was smile awkwardly.

  Unexpectedly, Dusekkar tugged Two Time’s tail forward, making them yelp. Every passing second, he pulled it more and more, which only exacerbated the discomfort they felt from this. And yet, they wanted him to continue.

  The mage cupped their face in his hand and spoke with a subtle, enamoured smile:

  “Only now did I come to understand what hid behind my avoidance grand. From being so fascinated with a Spawnist, myself I banned. I wanted to prove my might over somebody others saw as a blight—but in the end, it was your asserted light that shone through my prejudices trite. Whether the Spawn accepts you or not, know that in my heart you have a spot. Even if everybody wants your head on a stick, I will defend you, strong or sick.”

  Dusekkar felt something flowing down his face when he finished speaking. He let go of Two Time with one hand to check out what it is. 

  Hot, transparent wax.

  A singular tear.

  He let go of their tail to hug them again, this time more tightly.

  “Divine pumpkin…”

  The cultist couldn't speak. Not even in their wettest of dreams could they have expected things to turn out like this.

  Normally they would be completely elated to hear such a confession and have him show them so much affection—but with the wrath of the Spawn, they weren't so sure anymore.

  They opened their mouth to say something more, but they were quickly shut up by Dusekkar's botanical lips. This took them off-guard at first—but as soon as they got a feel of that familiar heat on their already burnt lips, a sense of comfort washed over them. They slowly closed their eyes.

  No longer did they imagine Azure's face in his place.

  The kiss was quick, and their tongues didn’t touch—and yet, the mage was more passionate than he’d ever been. This was the first time he’d allowed himself to truly savour them without disdain putting a damper on his enjoyment. 

  When Dusekkar pulled away, he softly put his hands on Two Time’s shoulders, gazing at them with infatuation. However, their black-and-white eyes didn’t quite reflect his love. Normally, they would be ecstatic at the fact their feelings were reciprocated—but now, not even that was enough to distract them from the disaster of them losing their faith.

  What they said next would leave the pumpkin in shock.

  “Get off me.”

  He felt his heart skip a beat. Despite this, he wasted no time in standing up from their lap and taking a step back.

  Dusekkar didn’t expect to be turned out so brusquely the one time he initiated intimacy, and that worried him. What if he overstepped? What if he’d just made them uncomfortable? What if the physical pain he’d caused them was more than they could manage? There was only one thing he could say:

  “I apologise...”

  He looked down, his deer ears drooping down as well. The pumpkin could do nothing but fidget with his hands and wallow in his own embarrassment.

  The two of them stayed like this for what felt like an eternity. An arm’s distance away from each other, neither of them saying a thing. A thick fog of awkwardness filled the air.

  Two Time looked blankly at all the books and papers stacked on the desk, before their eyes slowly shifted to their finished bowl of tomato soup. Just looking at it nearly made them burst into tears again. For once, he had gone out of his way to do so much for them, and they...

  “Divine pumpkin, I love thee also...” they spoke.

  Dusekkar’s ears shot up.

  He had to actively resist the urge to rush over to them and hug them again.

  It was impossible to read the cultist’s expression. Somehow, now that they weren’t smiling, it was even more difficult to gauge their true feelings. After struggling to string together words, they continued:

  “...however, I cannot help but despise thee. It would have been different, had thou not hidden thy feelings and hurt me so much. It would have been different, had I not let thee have my virginity. I want to adore thee, I truly do—thou art now the only person that seeth me as something more than a crazed fanatic. Yet, we cannot reverse all the pain we have caused each other. I’m in love with thy touch; every time thou kissest me or caressest me, it is as if warm sunrays enlighten me and make me feel alive. And yet, every time I see thee, I can only feel frustration and disgust in spite of my fascination with thee. I will need some space for an indefinite time, and for that I apologise.”

  The transparent wax flowing down Dusekkar’s face only increased. He buried his head in his hands, in a lame attempt to hide—even though they could see his weakness on full display.

  The one time he finally got rid of all of his prejudices and allowed his attraction toward them to run rampant, he was heartbroken immediately. And it had all been his fault for.

  If only he could go back in time and bring back all the avoidance he had shown them. If only he could’ve convinced the other survivors to accept them despite their harmful beliefs. Memories of past encounters with them played back in his mind and he wondered what he could’ve done differently so that they weren’t so conflicted now.

 As much as Two Time wanted to feel bad, they were completely numb at this point. So many thoughts were rushing through their head that they had managed to completely block them out, causing them to default to being emotionless. They knew those feelings were going to come back to bite them—but until them, they wanted to stay calm.

  The cultist knew the only appropriate thing to do was to change the topic. After all, breaking his heart and their own was not the reason they’d come here.

  “Now, about the escape plan...” they uttered, avoiding looking at him. “Hast thou thought of anything?”

  Dusekkar gulped. This was another one of his biggest worries—for, the only way for it to be pulled off was brutal and gruesome, ignoring its unreliability.

  However, he knew there was going to be no point in hiding it from them.

  He wiped the tears of wax off his face and spoke. His grave voice reverberated through the cabin walls.

  “In order for the plan to get by, one of us will have to die.”

Chapter Text

  Work at a Pizza Place. One of John Doe’s stronger maps, and also Two Time’s weakest.

  The killer had been chasing Dusekkar ever since he laid his eyes on him when the round started. Over the past couple dozen rounds, the pumpkin had become infamous among the killers thanks to his ability to single-handedly end chases; combined with his relative defencelessness, this made him a prime target.

 All it took was a single plasma beam at the beginning of the match to set him off.

  The other supports scrambled to keep him alive; even 007n7 tried to use his clones to block swings for him—and yet, his health was slowly being chipped away. Whether he was hit by a single spike or if he hovered over John Doe’s trail of corruption for too long, his health would slowly wither away.

  Before he’d even realised it, his floating became more unstable, and he was spilling blood. Dusekkar was only a single hit away from certain death.

  As he was rushing into the loading dock, he didn’t watch where he was going, and he was caught up in a Digital Footprint. His movement slowed as the corruption spread across his body and began eating his own flesh from the inside.

  John Doe was catching up, while the trap had made him unable to run.

  This moment of weakness sealed the mage’s fate.

  Except...

  Two Time, who had been fixing a generator on top of the loading platform, sensed the killer coming.

  It didn’t even register in their mind that Dusekkar was here. They simply wanted to make up for how much they’d struggled with landing stabs the past rounds, making them die in the most embarrassing way. They didn’t want to help the others as much as they wanted to feel confident in their own capabilities.

  Even though they had only rediscovered it recently, their self was the only thing they had to cling on to.

  The former cultist waited for John Doe to enter the loading dock. As soon as he did, they leaped down from the platform and protruded their dagger forward, performing a spinning motion with their body in order to maximise the chance that they land a backstab on him. This was a manoeuvre that took much precision and dexterity—but they had successfully pulled it off hundreds of times without a problem.

  Except this time, the only thing they managed to hit was the killer’s trail of corruption. The had leapt off way too late, completely missing the killer with their dagger.

  John Doe immediately turned around. Within an instant, his mutated arm made contact with Two Time’s skull, sending them stumbling back. The internal injuries he’d just inflicted caused them to cough up blood.

  Completely forgetting about the half-dead Dusekkar, he switched targets to them, seeing them as an easy kill. After all, he’d noticed that the other survivors were quite reluctant to help them when in danger, even more so than survivalists.

  He chased them up the stairs of the loading platform, where he quickly closed the gap thanks to his speed boost from that Digital Footprint. He swung his claw forward, while Two Time could do nothing but brace themself and cower in anticipation.

  They knew that they were going to die first yet again. And every passing round, the pain and torment from dying would get worse and worse.

  Right as the cultist thought their organs were about to be rearranged again, John Doe’s claw... barely even grazed them.

  A faint blue forcefield spun around the backstabber, saving them once again from likely death.

  The killer looked down, and—there he was. The divine pumpkin, clutching his torn abdomen, followed by a trail of his own blood.

  “Not to flaunt, but... You forgot someone,” he stuttered. His heavy breathing impeded his delivery, but his intention to taunt the killer was clear. And it worked.

  John Doe stomped his foot in frustration. While the corruption that had taken over him muted his emotions, there was still a man behind that mask of code. A man trying his best to fulfil his designated purpose.

  After all, the killer had been promised... He had been promised that he would get to see her one more time.

  The mage would always get in his way whenever he was near—especially when he was trying to kill Two Time. He would always see that pair work together, and they would end up being a lethal combo. It wasn’t rare that John Doe lost, with Dusekkar and Two Time being the only remaining survivors.

  If he wanted to fulfill his quota, if he wanted to see her again... The two of them needed to go down first.

  This time, luckily, their fate was sealed.

  He knelt down and spun around, ready to launch his spikes in whichever direction he wanted. Dusekkar wasn’t sure where to go, as he wasn’t sure whether the killer would go for him or aim to entrap Two Time.

  His question would be answered very soon when he was reduced to nothing but a pelt on a giant skewer.

  In the end, thanks to having mastered his abilities, John Doe cruised through the other survivors. He specifically left Two Time for last, feeling quite confident due to their poor performance the past games. However, he couldn’t have predicted how much this would change once there were no other survivors. Embarrassingly, he couldn’t land a single hit on them, instead being backstabbed twice and looped endlessly. They didn’t care to help their teammates anymore, but they would do anything in their power to prevent their own death.

  The timer ticked to zero before Two Time even realised it. Their vision blurred for a moment and they reappeared at the winner’s table, having it all to themself. Usually during last man standing, the other survivors would gather near the winner’s table patiently waiting for their teammate to come out on the other end alive—but nobody waited for Two Time now. Nobody, except Dusekkar and Taph.

  The backstabber looked around to check the surroundings, and they quickly locked eyes with the pumpkin.

  He was looking at them yearningly, waiting to one day finally feel their touch again—but the only emotion they could display was aversion.

  Tears welled up in Two Time’s eyes as they turned away and stood up. However, the stoic expression on their face never changed.

  All they wanted was for him to go through with his plan already. They wanted him to stop caring, because the only thing he was doing was making it hurt even more. It hurt them how he was always trying his best to protect them, but they couldn’t even land a single stab. They couldn’t reciprocate, nor did they want to. Why did this have to be so difficult?

  Two Time wasn’t sure if they could ever forgive Dusekkar for all the ways he had hurt them. If they had any respect for the Spawn or themself, they could never afford to forgive him. They felt the same about Taph, who had also tried to reconcile—but they couldn’t possibly see him the same after he assumed the worst of them and told the others.

  Not only was the backstabber hated by everyone, but they were also let down by the two people that had ever cared about them.

  Two Time didn’t even stand to look at them. They ran off, out of the main cabin, like they always did. Despite how malnourished they were, they didn’t even bother waiting to fetch dinner.

  Once again, everybody was gathered at the dining area, acting like nothing was wrong. They all knew, however: everything was wrong. Ever since those allegations were thrown at Two Time, the survivors were divided on whether to believe Dusekkar that they were innocent. Division and distrust manifested throughout the cabin as everybody wondered who else could be capable of such a thing. And yet, they tried their best to continue acting like everything is fine—that was their only hope of actually winning rounds.

  Instead of eating dinner, Dusekkar was holed up in the kitchen once again, making something. He would always be making something alongside his dinner, usually enough for one or two people.

  Shedletsky figured the pumpkin had taken up this hobby in order to make up for the loss of his magic capabilities. However, he was only half right.

 After Dusekkar was finished putting the tray of raw chocolate chip cookies into the oven, Taph sneaked up behind him. The mage turned around to sit down, and seeing the winged figure so unexpectedly startled him so much that he jumped.

   As always, the demolitionist made very little noise. He had watched Dusekkar prepare the cookies—just like many other meals he’d made. Rarely did he ever put so much care and precision into the things he did. And so, a very reasonable question was floating around the former subordinate’s mind:

  This is going to be for them, isn’t it?

  Dusekkar looked down, his ears drooping low. Even thinking about this made him dejected. He remembered how much for granted he’d taken their constant fawning, when now they were doing the complete opposite.

  “I can only do so much. After all the hurt I’ve caused them, they deserve as such.”

 All he wanted was to go back and recognise the love they gave him. All he wanted was to give them the love they deserved.

  Don’t blame yourself. You didn’t know better.

  Taph appeared apathetic from behind that hood. He’d also attempted to make up with Two Time, but they couldn’t find it in them to forgive him—not after he’d punched them in the face and made the others hate them even more. It saddened the demolitionist, and he still occasionally cried remembering all the time the two of them had spent together—but he’d accepted that there was no going back.

  Dusekkar, however, couldn’t accept it.

  “Taph, you don’t know the full extent of the mistakes I’ve made. That mark on my conscience will never fade. Just know that I’m trying my hardest, both as a survivor and as a person, and I’m fulfilling my oath of being a better version.”

  The demolitionist simply nodded. He knew there was something deeper than that—but if he pressed or jumped to any conclusions, it wasn’t going to end well.

  Dusekkar read back on his escape plan to pass the time before the cookies were ready. He didn’t remember how long ago it had been when he’d written it—but he still wasn’t ready to put it into action. After all, it required Two Time’s full cooperation—but if he told them everything, he wasn’t so sure whether they would be able to make it work.

  Freedom was within the pumpkin’s grasp, he could feel it. However, he would never feel ready until he made up with the backstabber—never mind the fact making up with them was required for the plan.

  After all, once the operation was executed, they would likely not be coming back.

  After a while, he pulled the cookies out of the oven. They were a crisp golden brown, oozing with melted chocolate. He’d already used this recipe a couple of times, and only now was he confident that he’d mastered it. If anybody saw him carrying them around, they would most likely beg him for one—that’s why he tucked them all in a lunchbox. Not before sneaking one into his mouth, of course. The snack was turned to ash as soon as it touched his inner flame, but his nervous system of a human allowed him to savour it like how one normally would.

  It was now time to head to their cabin. Whether they were going to quietly accept their food and disappear or whether they were going to show some appreciation for once, it was hard to predict. Dusekkar never stopped hoping for the latter, but it was almost certainly going to be a former, just like every other time he’d done this.

  Despite these hopes, he didn’t expect anything in return from them. All he wanted was for them to be healthy and happy, despite everything.

Chapter Text

  Two Time lay sprawled on their bare mattress, staring at the wooden ceiling.

  They had nothing to do.

  Their shrine to the Spawn in the centre of the cabin had been reduced to ruin. The numerous candles had been knocked over and the glass frame protecting the Spawn sigil was cracked. Despite this, the nightshades kept in ornate flowerpots were in full bloom, generating energy from the cabin’s complete darkness and the resident’s eternal sadness.

  Two Time would smell their flowers and remember what life was like before they were forsaken. Their time in the Spawn Cult. The only moments they remembered from back then was the time spent with Azure. Those short moments of joy when the two of them held hands and wandered through the meadows of tall grass, disregarding the orders of their superiors. Jumping back to the past gave them at least some solace.

  Until they remembered the darker moments of their experience.

  The backstabber took off their cloak to look at the scars on their upper arms. Blue cuts on their deathly white skin that have healed, but never completely.

  Being sliced with a dagger in order to leave permanent marks. This was one of the main punishments they endured at the hands of their teachers. It had been said that the more scars a cultist had, the more they have acted out and broken the rules—and needless to say, Two Time was notorious for how many scars they bore. Even though they usually acted out with Azure together, they were the one to get the brunt of the punishment.

  However, this didn’t deter them from pursuing their faith. They deserved all the pain they’d been caused.

  Right...?

  Knock knock.

  Two Time’s racing thoughts were put on hold as they heard somebody at the door. There was only one person who would ever dare come near their cabin. It had essentially turned into a routine for them, letting him see them for a minute before having him leave again. Sometimes they wished they didn’t have to open—but in some cases he would wait for hours in front of their door, so they knew they didn’t have much of a choice.

  As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted with the cosy scent of freshly baked cookies. Their mouth watered by that sensation alone. In his other hand, he carried a plate of clam risotto—one of Two Time’s favourite dishes available here. They didn’t even know tonight’s dinner was clam risotto—they couldn’t bear being in the main cabin for long enough to check. They loved any kind of seafood because the strict diet given to them by the establishment barred anyone from eating it.

  The edges of Two Time’s mouth stretched, almost forming a smile. They rarely smiled anymore, so now whenever they did, they truly were genuine.

  The backstabber wordlessly took the plate and the box of cookies before disappearing into the darkness of their room.

  Cold and wordless, as always. That’s how they treated everyone, even Dusekkar.

  They still didn’t see him the same way they saw the others. But they couldn’t bear to possibly love him. Not after he caused the Spawn to...

  ...

  Their memory jumped back to that night. Even though they hated him back then as well, the only thing they could do was enjoy themself. That was one of the few times in their life they could forget about their faith and their responsibilities as a believer, and instead experience true pleasure.

  Not once had they ever paused to think of the consequences. Maybe it was better that way.

  Two Time hadn’t realised it, but they were craving that rush again. Despite their underlying animosity, despite the two of them doing it with a desire to ruin each other—this was one of the few times they had ever felt truly loved.

  The backstabber turned around and returned to the front door, right as Dusekkar was closing it behind him, looking down. They needed to utter something quick, something that could do justice to all of their feelings—but they didn’t have time.

  Why?

  This was the only thing they could muster.

  The pumpkin turned around. This was the first word he had ever heard them utter in a long time. He turned only his head to look at them. The unsteady flames shining through his carved features were the only thing illuminating their sullen face. There was a certain glint in their contrasting eyes—one he was all too familiar with.

  “Why continuest thou...?” Two Time reiterated. “Why continuest thou to show me such kindness?”

  Dusekkar reopened the door completely and took a step inside. The storm of butterflies brewing in his stomach turned into a typhoon.

  For once, the outcome was different.

  “You haven’t been eating well. I want your woes to quell.”

  This didn’t answer Two Time’s question. They knew just how dreadful their situation was, and where their biggest hurdles were. And yet, Dusekkar had been doing everything in his power to alleviate them. Just like his role in the rounds, he was taking care of them from a distance, without even asking anything in return.

  His selflessness ate at the backstabber from the inside. The past was repeating, but their roles had swapped.

  A bolt of rage suddenly struck Two Time. They curled their hands into fists.

  “Thou only maketh it worse! I told you I needed space; the only thing thou art doing is making me bear unnecessary feelings!”

  Dusekkar was taken aback by their sudden yelling, his tail clenching in fear. The rejected cultist wanted to say more, but when they looked at the mage’s wide eyes, their expression of fury was replaced by one of sadness. Just from a single look at him, they could tell he was completely ready to apologise, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.

  Two Time looked back at the cookie they had grabbed from the jar. It was still warm in their hand, bearing its own unique cracks and pores, with chunks of chocolate poking in between. They could tell how much effort Dusekkar put into getting every ingredient of the recipe right while still putting his own flair into it. He would pour his heart into every single meal he made them—it was the only way he could show them how he truly felt. And how did they repay him? All they did was, quite literally, bite the hand that fed them.

  The former cultist looked down and clasped their hands together as if they were praying—this was an involuntary tic they’d developed recently.

  “I also want to... thank thee...” they muttered quietly, their shame preventing them from speaking any louder. “Even though I cannot stand thee, thou... Thou makest my life just a little sweeter.”

  As they finished their words, the backstabber took a sordid bite of the cookie they had taken. Even though there was nothing about it that could hurt them, they still felt pain as they chewed it.

  No matter whether they chose to forgive him or not, they were going to feel pain and be conflicted with themself. They thought that not forgiving him would spare them of being so split, but that only ended up making things even worse for the both of them.

  Tears filled Two Time’s eyes.

  As much as they didn’t want to make up, they had to. It was the only step forward.

  “Even after all the pain one hath endured from thine hands, one wanteth to... I want to forgive thee, divine pumpkin.”

  It was impossible to gauge how Dusekkar was feeling. His mouth was ajar, while his eyes showed a mix of fear and confusion and ecstasy. He had switched between a dozen emotions in the matter of minutes, and so had they.

  “The Spawn hath taught me to look away from the past and forgive,” Two Time continued, “and I still stand by this creed. I am aware of how much thou hatest my beliefs, and I have tried hard to see where thou art coming from. I have reached the conclusion that I stand far above the Spawn in thine eyes, and I am not the same as it. In the past I would have vehemently opposed this view—but now, I cannot help but get behind this. Ever since the Spawn rejected me so harshly, I have begun to reconsider.

  I remember all the torment my superiors have put me through. Thou art one of the few people who hast seen my scars—those were all inflicted on me as punishment. I snuck out many times in order to spend time with the one I loved, and because of this they accused of me of treachery. They isolated me from everybody and forced me to cut my own skin in an attempt to make me lose my sense of self—and it worked. When they made me kill my beloved, I was... I was left a nobody.

  The rest of my life, I have been looking for any trace of him I could find—and eventually, I laid my eyes upon thee.

  Thou wast right to push me away, and I blame thee for this not. I was reaching the edge of thy boundaries and continually made thee uncomfortable—I understand that. Never could I have ever expected thee to begin caring about me—but at the same time, I couldn’t be more grateful. It was hard to accept thee after all the ways thou hast ruined me—however, thou art trying to make up now, and that is all that matterth.

  Thou hath made me rediscover my ego, and I... Much as I’m suffering right now, never have I felt more alive. Never have I felt so seen. It has taken me a long time to adjust to this. At first, I thought my life had become devoid of meaning—but now, I have realised: I am not one of the Spawn. I am me, and the Spawn is merely an extension of myself.

  Thou shouldst accept that I will never turn away from my faith. I will always cherish the Spawn and strive to be as sublime and benevolent as it. However, I will not let it deny my freedom and push me away from others like how it did before. I will not let it make me love thee any less.

  Part of me still hath hatred for thee—but I will try to let go of it, much like thou hast let go of thy hatred. I will not run away any longer. Take my hand and make me yours.”

  Two Time extended their arm forward.

  An invitation.

  A proposal.

  They were smiling again, their face lacking the eeriness and superficiality it usually had when they did that. Instead, they exuded a certain sadness.

  Dusekkar simply stood there, mortified. This was his dream scenario—but never could he have predicted that it would come true. Once again, his tail unconsciously rolled up. Hardly contained excitement was taking over him—but with insurmountable fear slowly creeping up as well.

  The mage cupped Two Time’s hand in theirs. Their soft skin felt like a cloud melting inside his grasp. Their glistening eyes reflected his fiery core.

  “I love you, Two Time. Don’t you forget that.”

  “I love thee also, divine pumpkin.”

  The backstabber caught Dusekkar in a hug, grasping him as tightly as they could. They wanted to make up for all of the affection they had missed from him—and he felt much the same way.

  It was a miracle.

  A miracle that, even after all the pain they had inflicted on each other, they were able to remain in love.

  And yet... Dusekkar knew that it wasn’t going to be forever. If he wanted to commence his plan, if he wanted his powers back, then it needed to end.

  As much as he didn’t want it to, it was bound to end.

  The following rounds would follow a certain routine: Dusekkar and Two Time would try their best to keep their distance from each other when the other survivors were around—but once they could be alone, it was impossible for them to get off of each other. Being one another’s only solace, their mutual attachment grew incrementally, to the point of it being hard to keep it a secret anymore. However, Dusekkar still tried his best not to be seen talking to them, for he knew how his association with them would ruin the moderate respect the others had for him. He still attempted to spend time with Taph and the other survivors, as he still felt a sense of belonging with them, unlike Two Time.

  The backstabber struggled to control their jealousy whenever Dusekkar tried to socialise in favour of being with them, but those feelings would disappear immediately whenever he came back and greeted them with his hugs. Never did they try to express how possessive they felt of him, but it was really beginning to eat at them. They hated how dependent they were on him, but knew they had no other option. They were already satisfied with how amazing he made them feel whenever he was around, so they made no effort to change.

  The two of them held back from kissing or anything further than that—not only to prevent the others from being caught up on Two Time’s burn marks again, but also because they wanted to put their emotional bond above any pleasure physicality could bring them. And it was working. Neither of them wanted to make the same mistakes as those in the past. What had been a mere illusion of love had turned into the real thing, and both of them wanted to keep it that way.

  Except...

  Two Time couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

  It all stemmed from the Spawn. It kept trying to make contact with them despite it having rejected them earlier. Trying to warn them.

  Its presence felt off—it was not the Spawn they were used to. However, part of them couldn’t help but listen to it. They had listened to it all their life—they were drawn to take its word as truth.

  Even though...

  That would render every single word of affection, every single meal he had made them, every time he hugged them or touched them, meaningless.

  ...

  Splashes of water made Two Time snap out of those deranged thoughts. They looked around: they were dipped in the lake next to the main cabin, wearing nothing but their lavender tankini. They had thought about wearing pink swimsuit the Spectre had given them instead, but Dusekkar protested against it.

  Dusekkar...

  “Why so aloof? Now’s the perfect time for some goof!” he grinned.

  In the past, they never would’ve thought it was possible for him to smile so much. Seeing him have so much fun with them made them feel a certain joy.

  “Nobody forceth thee to keep up with those stiff rhymes, remember,” they jibed, before they waved their hands forward to splash some water back at Dusekkar.

  The pumpkin covered his face as to not let any water get into his flame. It had been the other’s idea to go out for a swim in the lake despite knowing the dangers water posed to him, and he had foolishly agreed.

  “Thy is so used to it to this day that thy can’t have it any other way,” he explained jokingly. “If thee can speak like thou is from the last century, then surely rhyming for thee is beyond just reverie!”

  Two Time’s previous smile contorted into a face of playful exasperation. But even then, it was hilarious to see somebody so intelligent be unable to grasp their language.

  “Thou used the pronouns wrong... It is ‘If thou canst speak’.”

  “It’s called creative reinterpretation. Let thy speak with thee’s linguistic complications!”

  Dusekkar laughed heartily, simply from looking at the former cultist’s confusion. It seemed making a fool of himself to tease others wasn’t beyond him. However, Two Time knew the perfect way to get back at him.

  “Thou art really asking for it now!”

  Without warning, they lunged toward him with so quickly that they loudly splashed water around them, and grabbed him by the antlers before pulling him down in order to submerge him. Luckily, Dusekkar was able to predict this in time. Instead of trying to dodge, he wrapped his hands around them into a hug. Upon feeling their body against his, the backstabber immediately froze up, their tail clenching.

  He made use of their one weakness!

  “Did you just try to put my flame out? A shame, I like it more when you pout.”

  This remark made Two Time realise: they really had just tried to kill him.

  But why? Why had they done that? This was one of their happiest moments in a long time and they never wanted to lose him. So what were they thinking?

  Those morbid thoughts were suddenly washed away when Dusekkar pecked their cheek. That little kiss felt electrifying. They swooned left and light as their lips twisted into a woozy smile.

  What they loved about him the most is how he would always distract them from their frets.

  “One willeth forgive thee for mocking them—but only this time,” they scoffed theatrically, accepting their defeat.

  The two of them simply stared into each other’s eyes. The cultist’s eyes of disillusionment and polarity, and the pumpkin-s eye-holes of enlightenment.

  It was true—he really had enlightened them. He had turned into the one light in their life. As unstable as that light was, it still gave them hope.

  Feeling the warmth of his body amidst the frigid waters felt comforting. Even in this dire world, even against all odds, he stood by their side.

  The fact that such a pleasant moment ever came to be was, too, a miracle. Thousands of mistakes led to this one outcome—and they regretted nothing.

  “I wish that we could stay like this forever...” they uttered sleepily.

  “This world is our purgatory eternal. I want to always be with you, even if our time spent together may be a kernel.”

  Dusekkar combed through their damp hair with his hand. The overlooking moonlight only accentuated their beauty and grace. Despite having gone through so much manipulation, their quartz white skin emanated spotless purity. He didn’t know what he could possibly do if he ever lost such a pristine soul.

  It was at that moment when the mage made up his mind: he wasn’t going to perform the plan. He wasn’t going to sacrifice them. He would be happier with Two Time by his side than he ever would be with his unrivalled magical powers.

  As long as they were beside him, everything was going to be okay.

Chapter Text

  Everything seemed perfect on the surface. After so long, they were finally going to sleep together again. As the atmosphere around the other survivors was only getting more conflicted and separated, with interpersonal conflicts popping up left and right, the relationship between Dusekkar and Two Time remained a stronghold of safety and happiness. Even while surrounded by so much death and suffering, they were able to find serenity in each other.

  At least, that’s what Dusekkar thought.

  Two Time’s mind gradually became more and more flooded by those thoughts. The Spawn telling them things, even when they had never prayed to it.

  After some time, they felt like they had really done a disservice to it. They had chosen a heretic over it, so that’s why it was telling them those things. As much as they wanted to choose that heretic over the entity the had believed in for as long as they remembered and they still did, they felt like they couldn’t. Even though the Spawn had no physical control over them anymore with them being out of the cult, the mental control over them was just as effective.

  If the things it was telling them were true, then...

  Two Time’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the door to their cabin opening.

  “Are you ready?”

  Finally. They’d been waiting for this for so long.

  ...

  ..

  .

  In the end, they did the act again. This time, it was planned. It was pure. It was done out of love and not out of desire to hurt each other. For once, life felt blissful.

  And yet, Two Time’s ached everywhere. Their muscles were cramping and there were burn marks all throughout their bare body. It felt reminiscent to the punishments they endured back at the cult. The cut scars on their skin were going to be accompanied by new burn scars.

  They didn’t think that what they did with Dusekkar was wrong—however, all signs pointed to that conclusion. Sometimes, Two Time felt like the two of them were never meant to be together, and it had been an outward defiance of fate for them to love each other.

  And yet, th is world was the best possible scenario for the backstabber. Maybe not for Dusekkar—they felt like he had many better people to spend time with, but he chose them. As much as they felt like they didn’t deserve them, he made them infinitely happy.

  But why did he even begin pursuing them in the first place?

  Two Time’s mind jumped back to the first time their spark appeared. Them checking up on Dusekkar, who was browsing the shelves of the main cabin. They reminisced his alien beauty from back then—somehow, it had shone even more brightly back then than it did now. It had been his hypnotising eyes that had made them unwittingly reveal to him how they truly felt.

  What surprised them was the fact that he hadn’t minded their advances, instead pulling them into a kiss. The two of them had kissed many times after this, but none could rival his passion during the first.

  In the beginning, Two Time thought he wanted to use them for his plan. Then, after he professed his love, they thought he was supply desperate. But the more they ruminated on this, the more they kept coming back to the first interpretation they had.

  Dusekkar had never talked about to them about the escape plan recently. Even when they kept pressing him about it, he would always dodge the question. He might have simply forgotten about it, but Two Time thought there was something deeper than that. He had told them: one of the both of them would have to die.

  Knowing him, he certainly wouldn’t kill himself. He was likely going to ambush them when they least expected.

  It had been Dusekkar who insisted that they sleep together. They’d been indirectly asking for it for a very long time, but it was him who finally made it happen.

  And, to put it lightly, he didn’t hold back during the act.

  Regardless, having them be so vulnerable with him also gave him an opportunity. The perfect opportunity to kill them while they slept.

  Dusekkar snored lightly as he embraced Two Time’s body. Even in his sleep, he held them so tightly that they could burst at any moment. Normally, they would feel indescribable comfort surrounded by his warmth. The sensation of his slow, fiery breath brush against their head; the quietly crackling flames behind his pumpkin that helped them fall asleep; the feel of his silky skin.

  Those were all meaningless.

  Now, Two Time felt like they were trapped in a furnace.

  They were convinced that as soon as they fell asleep, Dusekkar would murder them in cold blood for the sake of his plan. Those same two hands grasping them so tightly would wrap around their throat and strangle them with no hesitation. The only reason he wanted to have sex was to get one last rush of pleasure before ending them.

  Panic slowly crept up their throat. The Spawn’s divine voice began ringing in their ears like a heavenly cacophony.

  One of them was going to die tonight. Either Two Time or Dusekkar. And they certainly didn’t want to die. They didn’t have very much to live for, but their inexplicable fear of being killed was more apparent than it had ever been. They had experienced so much death trapped in this realm—but it happening by the hands of Dusekkar felt more painful than anything they had ever experienced yet.

  The divine pumpkin was not their lover. He did not want to escape this realm. All he’d always wanted was to get rid of them, a blemish of the survivor team. As much as Two Time loved him, they couldn’t bring themself to trust him completely.

  He cared about the way he was perceived more than he cared about them. All the things he’d ever done for them were simply ways to manipulate them and to get them to trust him again. And it worked.

  This is what the Spawn’s voices told them. And as much as they didn’t want to believe it, they had no choice.

  If they wanted to ensure their survival, there was only one thing left to do.

  Two Time shuffled out of Dusekkar’s iron grasp so their hand could reach the nightstand. They blindly searched for a particular object they had left there just in case. It was a very familiar object—one they were all too used to holding. Sure enough, it was there.

  Their movements made the pumpkin open one of is eyes before closing it again.

  He was waking up. They needed to be quick.

  The cultist hugged Dusekkar. Not only because they wanted to see what it felt like for the last time, but also because it made their procedure possible.

  Their embrace made the pumpkin open his eyes completely, his golden flame lighting up their expressionless face. He smiled warmly as soon as he saw them. It made him truly happy to be beside the one he loved.

  ...

  That smile was immediately replaced by a face of complete horror.

  Two simple movements. Thrust in, thrust out. The white Spawn bedsheets were dyed sanguine.

  “What have you done...?” Dusekkar gasped.

  His words barely came out. His blood that kept him alive by carrying the magic across his body was rapidly spinning out. He’d been stabbed right in the heart, which made him start losing his power to speak. Losing his power to move. Losing his power to breathe.

  A twisted grin made its way to Two Time’s face. Despite having smiled so much in the past, Dusekkar had never seen them with such a face.

  “Glory to the Spawn! Glory to the Spawn! Glory to the Spawn! Glory to the Spawn!” they chanted.

  It almost seemed like they were in some kind of trance. Despite their manic expression, they spoke monotonously and their movements were almost robotic.

  The cultist continued thrusting their accursed dagger in and out of the divine pumpkin’s back. It was the exact same dagger they’d used to kill Azure. However, this was no carefully planned ritual; they were committing a selfless killing.

  The pumpkin’s flame was dwindling and becoming more and more unsteady. A million thoughts were rushing through his mind. Every single decision he’d made in his life began playing in front of his eyes. One fact remained clear: he’s dug his own grave by associating with such a menace.

  As Two Time continued praising the Spawn, Dusekkar could only reach one conclusion: the Spectre was manipulating them. It wanted to get rid of Dusekkar because of his risk of escaping, and it used Two Time to do the job. He had fallen right into its trap.

  His head began smoking as his fire began transmuting into gas. His fire had been reduced to little more than a candlelight. Two Time seemed to bear no mind to his passing, as they had been completely taken over by their religious psychosis.

  The mage kept trying to utter something, but due to his rapidly waning magic, it was reduced to little more than a whisper. His inaudible words were interrupted by desperate gasps for air, even thought he only thing he was achieving was blowing his own lifeforce away.

  He used his last bit of energy to mutter three words:

  “I... love... you...”

  ...

  The smell of incense filled the air. With the room’s one light source disappearing, it was reduced to unbreakable darkness. The divine pumpkin had been turned from one of the greatest sorcerers alive into a lifeless Halloween decoration in mid November, all because of the hands.

  He passed in Two Time’s hands, still convinced that he loved them.

  ...

Chapter Text

  Two Time found themself in a field of blooming nightshades and tall ferns. A soft breeze from the north caressed their face. Groups of fireflies were mindlessly flitting about, lighting up the overcast sky. The mild gloominess, along with all the beauties of this world, coloured the surroundings a soft shade of purple.

  This felt just like those days of freedom. Freedom, not only of the Spectre’s realm, but also of the burden of having killed the one they loved. The days of wandering through the meadows, smelling the flowers, observing the bugs and other critters that were also wandering. For all they knew, they were in heaven.

  Except...

  Among the chirping of crickets and cicadas, Two Time could make out sobbing from the distance. It was weirdly familiar, as if they’d heard that same crying dozens of times.

  They made their way through the towering grass in order to reach the source of that sound. Soon, they accidentally kicked something. Or, rather, someone.

  A person in brown robes was kneeled amidst the ferns, covering their face with their hands. A brown witch’s hat was resting on their head.

  The stranger turned around to face them. Despite being slightly obscured, their olive-green eyes were visible, glistening with tears.

  Wasn’t that...?

  “Azure?”

  Two Time kneeled down in order to look at them.

  It really was him.

  It’s been so long, they thought they would never see him again. And yet... Here he was.

  They couldn’t resist the urge. Their eyes filled with tears as they snatched him into a hug.

  But his body felt cold and rigid. It was not the way they remembered him.

  “Azure, there is so much one hath to tell you. One is...”

  “███████, I’m disappointed in you.”

  Azure pushed Two Time off him and stood up. His ethereal face was still overridden by tears, but his look of anger replaced any sadness he felt.

  “How could you?” he asked. His hands were shaking; he looked at them like they were some kind of monster.

  “What meanest thou...?” Two Time looked like they were about to faint anytime now. They had never seen their lover talk to them like this. “Azure, one trusteth thee over anything. One canth not express how much regret they have for everything they’ve done. For as long as one hath lived since then, all they’ve wanted was to have you back...”

  “Lies!”

  As their lover yelled at them, the ground shook. With his fury, it felt like the entire world was going to fall apart.

  “Azure, I... I would do anything for thee,” Two Time sobbed. “I would do anything to make things go back to the way they were before. Please, don’t hate me...”

  The cultist’s tears watered the nightshades on the ground.

  This heartbreak made them feel worse than every single time they’d ever been killed put together.

  “There is nothing you can do to fix what you’ve done. How could you forget about me? How could you forget me and find somebody else, only to make the exact same mistake you made with me? You never deserved my love, ███████, I will never forgive you.”

  I will never forgive you.

  I will never forgive you.

  I will never forgive you.

  I will never forgive you.

* * *

  Taph couldn’t sleep.

  His gut was eating him alive. Inexplicable anxiety filled his entire being, making him feel like something terrible was about to happen. His gut was oftentimes wrong—but so painfully stubborn.

  The demolitionist figured there was no point staying in his cabin anymore if he wasn’t going to sleep anyways.

  He headed out, greeted by the shining red moon. Whenever he was stressed and wanted to be alone, there was one place he would always go: the dock. Watching the small waves in silence gave him a sense of tranquillity—a break from his hectic life.

  Except this time, there was a certain stench wafting through the air. Incense, combined with spoiling food. This made him feel even more uneasy, but he thought it would be best not to pay it any mind.

  The wooden boards of the dock creaked as Taph stepped on them. As soon as he reached the end. He sat facing the lake, his feet dangling off the edge. The waters were lit scarlet from the blood moon’s glow.

  He tried his best to enjoy himself and find a bit of solace. But out of nowhere, he was greeted by a horrifying sight.

  A corpse swam up the water’s surface. It was completely naked, with its back riddled with dozens of stabs. It wasn’t hard to figure out who it was by the tail and pumpkin head.

  Dusekkar.

  Taph didn’t even have the time to process this until another corpse appeared next to the first one. This time, it was fully clothed in its signature black garments and it had no wounds to speak of.

  It had a jagged tail and pair of wings, ones that resembled the Spawn symbol. This was a dead giveaway as to who it was.

  Two Time.

  The two people Taph had ever seen as friends. Drowned. Decomposing.

  It didn’t feel real. It felt like a nightmare.

  But as much as Taph tried to wake up, as hard as he pinched he skins and as much as he plucked his own wings, he couldn’t. A small stack of feathers had piled up next to him, every single one being a painfully unsuccessful attempt to deny reality.

  Taph thought his living nightmare couldn’t get any worse, yet this was beyond despairful.

* * *

  Cold.

  It was very cold.

  The bodily warmth of them had disappeared, replaced by a barren nothingness.

  The mage opened his eyes and looked around him. A thick fog was enveloping the area, but he could make out brown pillars and bridges in the distance.

  He recognised the platform he was sitting on as a place he’d been to many times. The ring of fire in the SFOTH arena—the heart of his old comrade’s greatest creation.

  There was something below him. A black plasma shifting around.

  It looked just like...

  A respawn point.

  Memories came rushing back to Dusekkar. Why he’d come to this place, and the person he was trying to bring back.

  His numbness was quickly replaced by a horrifying realisation.

  The Spawn cult’s ritual had worked out after all. Except, he hadn’t revived Shedletsky, but himself from the future.

  Had he been wrong about the cult all along? Had he simply done the ritual wrong? And how could’ve things gone any differently, had he not messed up?

  As this crescendo of regret and reconsideration was hitting him, a certain glint caught the mage’s eye. The Blade of the Dusekkar, right where he’d left it after the ritual.

  As soon as he grabbed it, he felt enlightenment rush through his mind, as thousands of memories flashed in front of him. Every single spell he’d ever cast played back in an instant.

  Suddenly, he felt capable again.

  His old powers had returned to him.

  Dusekkar was flooded with a mix of ecstasy, terror and disbelief. But the joy of his abilities coming back overpowered all else.

  This really was the best case scenario.

  The pumpkin smiled, looking up at the orange overcast sky.

  “Thank you, Two Time.”