Chapter Text
I was numb. I knew what was coming, I was the one that would cause it. The end. I wondered what life beyond would be. This place, my home, would be gone forever, and it would all be because of me. If someone had told me initially that everything would amount to this, I would have laughed in their face.
“Is (y/n) okay?” Tommy mumbled to Tubbo.
“I don’t know. They’ve been walking around the smp as if they’re leaving on a long trip.” Tubbo responded.
“(Y/n)? You okay?” Tommy called out.
I turned to look at him and smiled. “Yeah, Tommy. Everything is fine.” I had debated for the past month if I should tell him or if I should tell anyone about what would happen. But, they don’t know. And knowing is a burden. Plus, I promised Techno that I wouldn’t say anything. He was so worried about the kid when his time came, and I wouldn’t be the one to break that promise.
“Are you ready for the battle?” Tommy asked me. We were going to the end. Another dimension that held the dragon. Upon learning about its existence, everyone had been buzzing with excitement about the battle. It was like everything that happened didn’t matter anymore. The wars, the withers, the betrayal, the prison, pogtopia, Schlatt, L’manberg, everything was just put to the back of everyone’s mind.
I felt the pain in my heart. “Yeah, buddy. I’m ready.” Was I ready? Was I really ready for it all to be gone?
That damn book. I wish it had never been created. I wish I had never read it.
It wasn’t a revival book. It didn’t have any secret about how to bring someone back to life. It was all a lie. Dream XD had lied to us all, convinced us that immortality existed, but it didn’t. It wasn’t a book of life, creation, or whatever it was thought to be.
I hadn’t intended to read it. I really hadn’t. When Philza gave me the book in a frantic hurry, telling me to hide it and never let anyone touch it again, destroy it if I had to, I was confused and honestly terrified. Why had he given the book to me? Techno had given it to him to take care of. Why me? Was it because I could go undetected? I had always moved in the background, never taking center stage, never supposed to be the main character in a storyline. That was left to Dream, to Tommy, to Wilbur. I wasn’t supposed to be a hero, or a villain, I wasn’t supposed to be anything more than someone that progressed other people"s stories.
So why me?
I hid the book well. When Dream escaped the prison he went on a crazed rampage searching high and low for the book, destroying everything in his path. I had heard that he was looking for me, and I wondered how he knew I had it.
“I know you have it. Where is it?!” He spat at me. The collar of my shirt was balled into his fist, making it impossible for me to escape.
“I don’t have it.” I mumbled. My heart was pounding. I was terrified. I had never been this scared before. There was something in his eye that I never thought I’d see from someone I had once considered a friend. Anger, fury, but there was a glint of fear within them, and that scared me most of all. What was in that book?
“I’ll kill you.” He seethed.
“Then you’ll never get the book back.” I told him. It was the truth. No one knew where it was but me.
Dream panted, he was going back and forth in his head on whether or not he should just end me right then and there, but I still had all three of my lives left, so there was really no point.
He let me go, leaving a wrinkled mess on my shirt.
“I’ll find it. You know that, right?” He said to me.
I looked at him. “Good luck.”
I didn’t read the book that night. I was too scared, and both Techno and Philza had warned me not to read it.
I read the book when Techno died. He wasn’t supposed to. That’s not what was supposed to happen. My best friend wasn’t supposed to leave. In a panic, I ran and ran and ran until I couldn’t run anymore. I didn’t know what to do. But then it came to me.
The book.
I could bring him back.
I pushed myself off the ground and made my way to where I hid the book. I held the leather-bound book in my hands, brushing off the dust that had collected. I pulled open the book and started to read.
I was confused at first when I read the first couple of pages. It wasn’t an instruction book on how to bring someone back to life. Instead, it was a play-by-play of everything that has happened. It was a story, our story. Even down to the smallest detail.
The hotdog cart. The war. The discs. Everything was here.
And then there was me.
“(Y/n) sits in the cave reading the book. They are confused. How was it all possible that everything was here? There are still more pages left in the book, but it’s unlikely the instructions are there. Were they blank? They wondered what comes next, and what they have to do with it all. How was this possible?”
My own thoughts were splayed out on the page. My heart began to pound as I flipped to the next page. I continued to read through the very end.
I was going to end it all. Everyone had their own storyline. Everyone would have their moment as the main character and everyone already had their moment. Everyone, except me.
So it was written, so it will be.
I would kill the dragon and when we all got back to our home, I would destroy the book, and the smp would disappear. We would never be able to come back. Some of us would end up somewhere else. Some people who were lost would reunite. And some of us would never see each other again.
Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t help but laugh. It was all for nothing. Everything that happened was pointless and we would all just forget when we would spawn in different worlds.
Armor and weapons clanked. People laughed and joked, and friendships seemed to be repaired.
“You read it didn’t you.” Dream asked from behind me.
I turned around to look at him. “Yeah.” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Dream sighed. “I guess everything comes to an end at some point, right? It’s just our time. Maybe the memories stay and we can look back on the good times or maybe they disappear and we don’t have to feel the pain that it all caused.”
I nodded.
“I guess we should just focus on enjoying the last few moments.” He gave me a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I really am. You were a good friend, and I ruined that.”
I nodded again, a silent acceptance of his apology.
“Just-” He paused for a moment. “Keep smiling through. You always do. It’ll make it less sad.”
“Dream-”
“It’s just the end for here. Maybe we’ll meet somewhere else.” He smiled at me.
“Yeah. We’ll meet again.”
“Let’s go!” Tommy cheered and everyone started to jump through the portal.
The battle was crazy and chaotic, just like how everything always was. The dragon was massive and terrifying and I felt severely underdressed in simple iron armor.
Everyone was laughing and yelling at each other, throwing out ideas and plans left and right. Not only did we have to avoid attacks from the dragon, but we had to try and stay out of the crossfire of each other.
The dragon was definitely wounded and it seemed that the battle was coming to an end quickly. It was no match to how many people we had in our group. The book seemed to burn into my back where I had it strapped under my armor.
I drew back my arrow on my bow, taking careful aim before letting the arrow fly through the air. It was like the world went quiet as it soared quickly and silently. It embedded itself into the chest scales, striking right through the heart. The dragon roared in pain, and for a moment I wondered if I had shot myself. It fell to the ground and everyone cheered at the victory.
After running around in excitement, people started to jump through the portal to go back home.
“You should tell them.” Dream told me. He nodded to Tommy and Tubbo who were still excitedly chatting, not thinking about going through the portal anytime soon.
“I promised Techno I wouldn’t.”
“Then you should make sure they do something good in the end.”
I knew what he was talking about. I understood and I agreed. Dream jumped through the portal and just as Tommy and Tubbo were about to I stopped them.
“Hey! Guys!”
“Yeah, (y/n)?” Tubbo asked with a smile.
“Did you see how cool everything was? I was so cool and-” Tommy rambled on and on.
“Yeah. I saw Tommy. You guys did really well. I’m really proud.” I told them. “Techno and Wilbur would have been proud too.”
Tommy and Tubbo fell silent for a moment.
“Yeah, they would have.” Tubbo agreed.
“I’m sad they couldn’t be here.” Tommy mumbled. “But I’m glad at least one of our figurative siblings could have seen it.” He smiled at me. I was taken aback. I had always seen them as younger siblings, but I never imagined they thought of me as an older sibling.
Tommy and Tubbo both stepped forward and wrapped their arms around me in a hug. “Thank’s for everything, (y/n).”
I hugged them back, not wanting to ever let go.
“When you get back-” I paused and they looked at me. “When you get back, go to the bench and play the disc. It’s a moment to celebrate, isn’t it?” I smiled.
“Yeah. It is, isn’t it Tubbo?”
Tubbo nodded and we jumped through the portal.
I smiled, watching them chat on the bench while the soft music was playing. The sun was setting and it was picture-perfect.
I held the book in one hand, and a lighter in the other. Most things were destroyed by fire, so it was only fitting that in the end, the book was too.
I flicked the lighter on, the small flame blowing softly in the breeze. I wondered what was beyond. Where would I end up? Who would I meet? Who would I see again?
In the end, it didn’t matter. Because we’ll meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when. But I know we’ll meet again some sunny day.