Chapter Text
“I’m not with them, I-I swear! I was with Gus the whole time. I was trying to get him to you!”
“Maybe we can trade him for Augustus. I’m sure the Emperor would want him back.”
“I’m not lying, Gus was showing me around! There was a sandwich, he showed me this breathing thing, please, you gotta believe me!”
The smell of despair and rotting bones woke me up. I was surprised I wasn’t dead yet. I had been in here before, but only on patrols. Only the worst of the worst were imprisoned in the Conformitorium.
“What are you in for, Golden Guard? Getting a life?” The other inmates laughed and made up clever remarks of their own.
“I’m in for treason, invading the Emperor’s mind, running away, and… impersonation.” I didn’t tell them the whole truth. How would they understand? They’re not clones! What makes it worse is that there were more of me that probably found out the truth
I found a rock and started throwing it against the wall. It always bounced back. But this time it wouldn't. This time, it couldn't bounce back. Nothing was the same after it hit that wall. Its whole world was turned upside down as it shattered. The rock's whole life was based on a lie. It had no family. It was just a copy of someone else. It had nowhere to go.
Belos came in and unlocked the cell. “Hello, Hunter,” he said, with a smile on his face. He opened the door. I sprinted past him but started falling down the hole in the middle of the tower. Belos caught me with his magic, if you can even call it magic.
“Let me go,” I said. “Why can’t you just let me die, like all the others? Why am I special? Just kill me already!” In truth, I didn’t want to die. My mouth just said whatever popped into my head. I didn’t care. I was too mad.
“I need you to train.” I knew he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t because everyone else was around.
Why didn’t I know sooner? How was I made? What does he want me for? The whole way down Belos carried me with his magic. Where’s Flapjack? I’m gonna die, aren’t I? Can I at least know what’s going on? The cold started to get to me. What will I do when we get there? Are Willow, Gus, and Luz okay? Is there a way to teleport without Flapjack? Before I knew it, we were at the castle.
We went to the basement, where the Coven Heads always played Hex’s Hold’em. Last night, they had too much apple blood. It was spilled everywhere, cards were all over the place, and someone had spray-painted on the wall “TERRA WUZ HER”.
We kept walking down. We passed the dungeon cells on the way to the next staircase. There were no guards. This place had been abandoned ever since the Conformitorium was built. There were bones everywhere. I thought about the Golden Guard masks in Belos’ mind. My “family” was just a bunch of clones and a lying human.
We went down to the final basement. I’d never seen it before. Nobody had. Yet somehow it felt familiar.
"You should recognize it, I'm surprised you don't," Belos said.
"Why should I? After all, you 'found' me in the streets. Where was I made? Why am I here? What do you want with me?" I instantly regretted what I said, but there was no going back. After all, if he kept me alive, he must want me for something. The trouble is, I have no idea what.
Then it hits me. I was here to make another one of whoever I was. He said he needed me for training, so that's what he wants me to do. As soon as he makes another grimwalker, I'm as good as the dead Titan.
Before I knew what was happening, I was chained to a table with holes in it.
"Wow, this is the best table you could get? Aren't you the all powerful Emperor of the Boiling Isles? Or did everyone realize you were lying about everything?" He sneered at me as his arm turned to goo. I tensed.
"W-what are you doing?" I saw Belos' hand raise to attack.
Then it all went black.