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Zam is dying at his hands and he couldn't stop it and he can't say anything he can't do anything Subz can only watch as the words fail to realize themselves.
Vitalasy is leaning over his shoulder. Hot breath on his neck as he's forced to watch Zam's final life fade.
Zam can't know his care. Zam will never know how much Subz has missed him, will miss him.
The almost corpse of his second love whispers things about love, marriage even, and he cannot accept it.
Once Vitalasy hears these words he scoffs. His armourless boot left subz's vision as he walked away, disinterested now that the target was dead.
Only now can Subz admit his shared love. But it's too late. Zam is dead.
Subz...
Subz had killed him and he is dead now.
And Subz couldn't revive him. Vitalasy would know. Vitalasy can't know.
So Subz digs the grave. The shovel he carries grows in weight. By the end his arms ache and his eyes burn. Must be the dust.
When he picks up Zam's body it's limp, and cold.
His sun has frozen over, and yet the sky won't cry for him. The gods won't let it.
Subz covers the body as fast as he can. He doesn't look over the turned dirt. He doesn't wish Zam was seated there, laughing along as he jokes about losing another heart. He doesn't remember when Zam made a grave for him.
He does wish he could give it back.
At some point Vitalasy had left for the base leaving Subz to travel back by horse. Chances are he flew back. Or maybe teleported. It didn't matter.
Hor moved at a steady pace and was trained enough to not need subz's attention. So he had his thoughts.
Thoughts about.. the base he was building, and the materials he had left to gather, and nothing else.
There was no ghost in his mind riding along with him, eager to help trade for the quartz instead of him mining it. There were no rays of sun seeping through the nether fog, all thanks to him. There was no ghost.
All Subz wanted was to collapse on his bed (it was his and only his. Vitalasy would never sleep anymore. And Zam was gone in too many ways.) as soon as he got to the base.
He was almost there, stone ceiling and soft purple covers in sight, before Vitalasy stopped him.
Subz used to be able to read him so well, perfectly predicting what was to come but now he was met with the same frost that covered his sun. He wanted to reach out, to understand what had changed, but fear struck his heart.
He understood why Zam was scared of him now.
Vitalasy's eyes crinkled before he spoke with utmost glee, "That went great! Aren't you glad we don't have to deal with him now?"
Despite his seemingly open tone, Vitalasy was closing in on subz. He couldn't keep his eyes focused. He could barely keep his breathing normal. What was he supposed to do?
His throat was on fire when he responded, "y-yeah, real helpful and stuff…"
"Good to hear! I do have to wonder, why were you so nice with him when he was dying? You do want this right?"
A knife must've made its way into subz's chest.
"I wanted to be respectful, even if he was our enemy we shouldn't hurt him more now that he's… gone."
Vitalasy accepted the excuse with a clap of his hands, nodding slightly before walking off. He didn't see how Subz had to stop himself from reaching and pulling out his sword. He didn't see the shake of his hands or the anger burned onto his face either.
He makes his way to the bed, leaning on the wall and stumbling to close the door. He pushes the wooden frame aside and enters a blackstone tunnel.
This has gone on too long.
A desperate yearning wasn't the only thing Zam had left with him, the room he walked into was small and cramped yet covered in incomprehensible writings. Low lights from redstone torches made it near impossible to read the streaking purple.
He no longer had a choice to make, and maybe that was the worst part.
He was dragged into fate once again.