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A hum seems to crawl across the empty air, a song he recognizes, but can’t remember hearing.
A lost memory, if you must, drifting in the wind, across the field filled with sunflowers, swaying and dancing, unbeknownst to the horrors which is life.
Give me your eyes, I need sunshine.
__________
Five years, three months, and 12 days.
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He met Zam five years, three months, and 12 days ago.
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Four years, six months, and 23 days ago, he met Eggchan.
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Six months and 12 days ago, Egg died.
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Five years, three months, and 12 days ago, Wemmbu stopped living.
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Four years, six months, and 23 days ago, Wemmbu started living again.
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Six months and 12 days ago, he did not die with Eggchan.
His will to live was only replaced, not with hope, not with laughter, not with the promise of hanging out with his best friend the next day,
But with pure, undeniable rage.
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Twelve years, five months, and 9 days ago, he met Manepear.
Eleven months and 3 days ago, he left.
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Leaving him with nobody but Zam.
Zam manipulated him.
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He left Zam.
Five months ago.
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…Seven months ago— he forgot the day— he met LettuceK.
Six months and 12 days ago, Lettuce died.
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The point is, Wemmbu learned to not trust people. All they ever did was hurt him, or leave him, or go off and die, or— whatever else people do.
It should be nothing new, the ache in his chest, the void in his heart that he could never fill. But it still hurts.
And so he filled that void with the only thing he knew.
Fighting.
Getting involved in things he shouldn’t.
Constantly going in and out of the police station.
It was all he knew how to do— all he was taught to do.
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Wemmbu had last fought someone an hour and 12 minutes ago.
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He won.
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Obviously.
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He had left the guy unconscious in an alleyway, fleeing before the cops arrived.
And that's how he ended up on top of a skyscraper in the middle of Capital City. He wasn’t really paying much attention to where he was going whilst running, he just ran.
Dissociation was the easiest escape anyways.
The wind was strong, strong enough to blow his long purple hair around, messing it up, but not quite strong enough to be annoying.
He watched the sun fall below the sky, standing dangerously close to the edge. Breathing. Thinking. Going over everything he did wrong in that fight.
“Are you going to kill yourself?” A voice asked from behind him, almost too quiet to hear.
But Wemmbu heard.
“No.” He said simply. He didn’t want strangers pretending to care. And he wasn’t even lying.
“Ok.” The voice replied, creeping closer. Trying to keep his steps quiet.
The voice doesn’t believe him.
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That's okay.
Wemmbu doesn’t turn around, hoping that if he ignores the other for long enough, he might go away.
The voice only steps beside him.
Wemmbu glances at him, to see who could possibly have the nerve to annoy him.
He doesn’t know the guy, but his yellow hair and skin reminded him of Zam.
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Wemmbu hates anyone that reminds him of Zam.
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“My name's Rejoice!” The boy— Rejoice— chirps, way too happy to be standing on the edge of a skyscraper.
“Ok.” He replies, still hoping to escape the conversation.
“What's yours?”
“...Wemmbu.” He probably shouldn’t have answered him— as that's literally what partaking in conversation is— but honestly, he has nothing better to do with the rest of his day.
“Okay! Hi Wemmbu! It’s nice to meet you!” Rejoice grins, messing with a sunflower clip in his hair. “What's your favourite flower?”
Now that, that got his attention. People usually ask what he's doing, not about his favourite flower. He didn’t have a pre-prepaired answer, he never thought to rehearse this in his pre-planned conversations with people that never speak to him.
This, this was off script.
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Wemmbu didn’t know how to feel about that.
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He glances at Rejoice, “I don’t know bro, what kind of question even is that?”
The others eyebrow furrows.
“What do you mean you don’t know your favourite flower!?”
It sounded like it physically pained Rejoice to know that Wemmbu didn’t know. The corners of his mouth twitched, stifling a laugh.
“Well… Wemmbu… I’ll have you know that you are now public enemy #1.”
He’s pretty sure he already owns that title, but whatever bro.
This time, he can’t hold back his laugh, bursting into a fit of giggles as Rejoice looked at him like he just slimed out his entire family.
“Ha! I made you laugh!”
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“Bro, you actually have like, a sound barrier breaking laugh!” Parrot grinned, smiling even though they most definitely got caught.
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“D’alright bro” he replies, forgetting for a second that he is the #1 humanity hater.
“My favourites a sunflower!”
He glances at the pin Rejoice had on his hoodie, and the hairclip in his hair before replying. “Yeah, I kinda got that”
Rejoice seems to think for a second before speaking again. “...You seem like a purple hyacinth kind of guy.”
“Sure, bro.” He replied, (Wemmbu had no idea what a hyacinth was).
The two continued to watch the sunset for a while, Rejoice telling him about all kinds of flowers, how to take care of them, how much sunlight each kind needs, etc. Wemmbu wasn’t really listening, he wasn’t interested in forming a new friendship.
Although, he had to admit, Rejoice was fun to be around.
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…
As night rose above the clouds, and stars started blinking into the sky, Wemmbu and Rejoice parted ways. Hopefully for good. He can’t afford any more attachments.
As he walked down the stairs of the building, he silently cursed himself for having gone up all those stairs in the first place. Because this time, he wasn’t dissociating, so he could actually feel the pain of 80 flights of stairs.
By the time he got to ground level, he was tired and sweating. Ready to collapse on the floor at any given moment. He leaned against the wall for a good 10 minutes, trying to catch his breath.
Why was that more difficult than a fight against Flame? He wondered, pulling himself off the wall and starting his journey back to his small apartment. He used to share one with Manepear and Flame, but after they abandoned him, he had to sell it and get a smaller one.
Because he was only 17. A highschool student. Who also happened to be unemployed. So yeah, he didn’t have the kind of money to afford a 2-bedroom apartment.
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Sometimes, he still wonders why they left him.
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They were brothers, the three of them. Mane was the oldest, Flame the middle, and him the youngest. However, the other two were blood related, and he was just some kid Flame found in a trash can twelve years ago.
So he never really felt like he belonged.
He looked so drastically different from his brothers that people immediately assumed he was just a really close friend.
He doesn’t blame them though, he was quite literally purple, an end variant, who had wings. Oh, and horns and a tail, but so did the other two.
Flame and Mane both came from the nether, had matching blindfolds, and were around the same height.
Wemmbu was always shorter.
It used to tick him off as a kid, but he has worse things to worry about now.
He thinks they left because he was never truly one of them.
Because he was never quite as strong, or as fast, or as good at fighting.
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“God Wemmbu! You have to stop acting on impulse! How many times do I have to tell you this!? You almost got yourself killed and you still can’t let go of your pride enough to listen to me! You know what bro, you’re nothing but a lost cause. I don’t want to see you ever again.”
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Never good enough.
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If he thinks about it for too long though, it makes his head hurt.
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So he decided to think about something else as he rounded the corner to the block his apartment is on.
Like how if Egg were here, he’d probably be saying something inherently stupid in the most monotone voice possible. He almost never saw the man not trying to be nonchalant.
Wemmbu misses Egg more than anything in the world. He was the only person who could reason with him, who could make him re-think his actions. The only person who ever treated him like a human, instead of a tool.
Wemmbu firmly believes that there was nobody in the entire universe that deserved death less than Egg.
He was one of the kindest people— scratch that— the kindest person Wemmbu knew.
Well, unless it was finals week, that is.
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He smiled at the memory of Egg telling him to dangle people over a pit of molten lava as he arrived at his apartment building, once again having to climb more stairs. He could have used the elevator, but he does not trust that thing. It would probably break as soon as he used it, given his luck, and then he’d have to figure out how to pay the medical bills.
His phone went off in his pocket as he got to his door, and he assumed it was a text from Rejoice, as they had exchanged numbers before leaving. Wemmbu physically couldn’t say no to the other, he would have been so sad.
Unknown number:
Haiiiiii
Hello
Did you make it home???
Yea
That's good ^_^
He changed the contact name before turning his phone off and going to bed, falling back into a nightmare he’s had almost every night for 6 months.
____________
The city was empty of people, unusual for such a busy area. It was almost 3 in the morning, and Egg and Wemmbu were walking the streets, talking about school.
They walked past a particular alleyway, and Egg had heard a meow, wanting to go find the cat that made the sound. The other had a weird obsession with cats. Wemmbu didn’t want to bother with a street cat, but Egg insisted, walking into the obviously dark and menacing alleyway despite Wemmbu’s concerns.
Wemmbu sighed, but still followed. He had a bad feeling about this, but he had ‘bad feelings’ about a lot of things that turned out to be okay in the end.
He should have pushed harder for Egg to ignore it.
But he still followed, not wanting to leave this best friend in the alleyway of doom.
“Cmon Egg leave the-”
“Well well well, look who the cat dragged in!” A voice said from the shadows, familiar red hair and green clothing stepping into view.
“That was like, really cringe yo” Egg replied, holding a small cat.
“Yeah man, think of a better intro and then come back.” He but in, trying not to giggle.
“Oh come on! It wasn’t that bad!” Lettuce exclaimed, walking further into view.
Yeah, Wemmbu had a really bad feeling about this.
“No, it definitely was-” Egg started again,
“What do you want?” He interrupted. Wemmbu did not have time for this, he was literally just trying to have a nice walk with his best friend, and this, this was just an inconvenience.
“You know very well what I want, Wemmbu.” Lettuce smiled, ticking him off even more.
He sighed and turned to walk away. He did not want to hear another speech about how he was a ‘horrible person’ and ‘needs to change his ways’. The Law (the organization Lettuce ran), was stupid anyways. They say they’re ‘bringing justice’ to the city, but in reality, all they do is ruin the lives of people they deem ‘bad’.
So yeah, Wemmbu didn’t really like Lettuce.
That's when yet another person steps out of the shadows, blocking the entrance. He turns around again, facing Lettuce. He didn’t know what the plan was, he could easily take a 1v2. He instinctively goes to stand slightly in front of Egg, because Egg didn’t know how to fight, and Wemmbu wasn’t just going to let him get beat up.
“Listen to me, Wemmbu.” Lettuce glares, “I have given you chances time and time again, and you’ve never listened to me. I told you to change, to stop fighting, to leave those poor innocent people alone. But you didn’t, and you’re going to pay the price.”
Wemmbu just laughed, a harsh laugh as he prepared to fight. He thinks Lettuce has a death wish, because in no universe could LettuceK beat Wemmbu in a fight.
“Sure, buddy, if you say so”
He found this hilarious actually, laughing even more as Lettuce started walking towards him.
But that was exactly what Lettuce wanted.
For him to be distracted.
For him to forget completely about the guy blocking the entrance.
For him to forget about Egg.
For him to not notice the guy— Ace— pull out a gun.
For him to not notice Ace pull the trigger.
For him to not notice Ace miss.
For him to not notice the bullet hitting Egg square in the back.
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But he heard the sound of the gunshot.
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And he heard the sound of his best friend scream.
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Wemmbu doesn’t think he's whirled around that fast in his entire life. He saw Egg look at him, fear coating his eyes as he reached to touch his back, pulling away with blood-soaked fingers.
For a split second, the two just stared at each other. And the next, Wemmbu attacked.
He sprinted over to where Ace was, pulling Gambit from his inventory, and hitting him over the head with the mace in less than 5 seconds.
Ace fell to the ground and didn’t get up, his crushed skull slowly seeping a pool of blood around him.
He slowly turned to Lettuce, his rage blinding him.
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How fucking dare he.
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How dare he set this up.
How dare he take his best friend from him.
Lettuce slowly stepped back, stress visible on his face, his smile turning from confident to pleading.
“Wemmbu I— h-he wasn’t supposed to miss.”
That didn’t matter. They would have killed Egg anyway, because ‘no witnesses’ or something.
“I’m going to kill you.” He seethed, stalking towards the other.
And the worst part, the part that pissed him off the most?
Lettuce looked like he completely accepted it.
Like he knew how wrong he was.
Like he knew he deserved it.
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LettuceK did not beg for survival.
LettuceK did not move a muscle as Wemmbu pointed Ace’s gun at him.
LettuceK did say one thing, though.
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“This is all your fault, Wemmbu.”
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He hesitated.
Which caused him to miss his shot, shooting the wall behind Lettuce instead. He dropped the gun and killed him with his other mace, Crucible.
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Egg was curled up on the floor, blood everywhere. On his wings, on the floor, on his clothes.
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It was wrong, it was all wrong! They were supposed to be heading home, giggling about stupid shit, not— not— this! Egg was supposed to be telling him about some philosopher, not bleeding out on the floor.
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Wemmbu knew this image would haunt him until the end of time.
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He rushed over to his best friend, holding Egg as his breathing became labored.
Wemmbu knew he couldn’t save the other. He’d already lost too much blood.
There was nothing Wemmbu could do.
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“Wemmbu, you were the best friend I could have ever met.” Egg smiled at him, blood dripping down the corner of his mouth.
“Stop.”
“T-these have been the best 4 years of my life and—”
“Egg stop, please, you’re— you’re not dying!” He pleaded, starting to shake.
“And I wish I could have seen you graduate.”
“Fucking— stop! Stop it! Please!”
“And I hope you can move on with your life”
“Stop.”
“And I know you’ll do good things with your life.”
“Stop.”
“A-and thank you for being my best friend.”
“Stop!”
And he did.
Eggchan never took another breath.
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Eggchan never opened his eyes ever again.
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Wemmbu sat there, unmoving, until the cops arrived.
He did not cry sitting there, with Egg dead in his arms and blood that was not his own staining his clothes, his skin, his mind.
He did not cry in the police car.
He did not cry at the station, telling Minute what happened. He still remembers the look in the older man's face as he retold the situation.
He did not cry after being let go.
He did not cry while walking back to his apartment.
He did not cry as he stared at the ceiling of his bedroom for hours on end, refusing to get up.
He did not cry at Egg’s funeral.
But he finally broke when he went to the others favourite fishing spot, alone.
Without him.
And the realization finally hit him.
Egg was never coming back.
And Wemmbu was completely, utterly, alone.
____________
…He woke up late.
School started 20 minutes and 12 seconds ago, and he was still laying in bed.
To be honest, he wouldn’t have gotten up at all and just skipped again, if not for his phone going off.
#1 sunflower defender:
Where are you schools gonna start soon???
Wemmbu?
Wemmmmm
Wake up >:(
He smiled at his phone, it was stupid, but it made him happy that at least someone cared enough to see where he was.
Yeah hi sorry I missed my alarm
I’m on my way now
Well you’d better get here fast, teachers asking where you are
Ok ok I’m trying bro
Leave me slone
Slone
Shut up
Slone
Do you want a mace to the face today?
No, not really :c
Then I suggest you be quiet
Ok fine
I’m so incredibly sorry Wemmbu :ccc
He forgot to grab food before leaving, so his stomach was growling as he sprinted across the city to get to school before 3rd hour, because it takes him almost an hour to walk there everyday.
What can he say, he’s a broke, unemployed teenager. He barely has enough money for subway tickets home every day.
He already has to stress enough about finding money to feed his cat, Socrates.
Wemmbu didn’t know anything about the actual guy Socrates— or cats actually— but Egg talked about both quite a bit. He probably shouldn’t have impulsively adopted the cat Egg found the day he died, but oh well, he’s not about to leave the cat to fend for herself in the streets again.
Plus, he's already gained an emotional attachment, and would kill anyone for that cat.
He was still thinking about when he was going to eat as he ran into his third hour class, only 10 minutes and 23 seconds late.
The teacher didn’t so much as spare him a glance as she went back to teaching. He didn’t really care, what's another tardy when he already has like 100.
Most teachers didn’t like him. He was loud, got into fights, and never did his work. It was so much worse when Egg died, though, because the glares from his teachers quickly turned into pity once word spread.
It was the same with the students.
And he hated it. He could deal with glares and hate, that was easy, that was almost fun. But pity? He would rather crawl in a hole and die then be seen as weak. He didn’t want anyone knowing his personal business, that was between him and himself.
He preferred arguments and being ignored so much better, because with fights, he knows what's coming, but with pity? That was a whole new realm, something he couldn't predict. He hoped people would forget and move on, but society never forgets.
And to make matters worse, he had to deal with FlameFrags in most of his classes.
Maybe he really should have jumped off that skyscraper and changed the trajectory of Rejoice’s life forever. It would be better than this.
“You’re late.” Flame said to him.
“And you left.” He replied, that being his go-to response purely because it was the only thing that got the other to shut up.
And not at all because he was still hurt that he left.
Nope.
Wemmbu did not care in the slightest.
Flame glared at him before turning back to the teacher, who was talking some shit about the invisible mafia or something, he didn’t really care. Who even names their group ‘the invisible mafia’? That just sounds stupid. Like if he were to create a server-dominating evil group of destruction and doom, he’d name it something cool, like, like null or something.
Maybe Ashswag should have asked Wemmbu for help on naming his group. Maybe then he wouldn’t be making fun of it.
Yeah, he’s 100% bored out of his mind. What can he say, history is the most boring subject out there. The only good classes in this stupid school— according to him— are math and PvP class. Whoever said ‘they don’t teach PvP in school’, was wrong in so many ways they might as well have said the earth was flat.
And good for him, his 4th hour was math. And he had Rejoice in that class. And it was one of his only classes without Flame.
Math was the only AP class he took, and one of the two he got a good grade in. He just really likes numbers.
Numbers make sense, they don’t change, or switch up, they just are. Plain and simple. Numbers don’t make his brain hurt, or bore him out of his mind. Give Wemmbu a complicated math problem that would take hours to solve for anyone else, and he'd do it in 30. It was the only thing his attention span could handle without driving him crazy.
It was a good distraction, and Wemmbu lived off distractions. He loved the feeling of understanding a complicated problem almost as much as bashing someone's skull in. Too bad the most he could do in his PvP class was make someone's nose bleed.
That's what The Forge is for.
Speaking of the forge, he was going to actually go in person later. He needs money. Bad. And if killing a few guys for a thousand bucks every few weeks was what it takes, then that's what it takes.
Wemmbu doesn’t like fighting in the forge itself, it was too loud, too many people watching, making bets on their lives.
He’d rather take more… private hits… for more money. But those are far and few between, and at least Wemmbu gets to actually kill people in the forge. Fights at school are nothing compared to the rush of watching the light of his opponent's eyes fade out as the crowds scream around him.
And the best part? He could be completely anonymous. Nobody knew that their best fighter wasn’t even technically old enough to join the group. All they knew was that he was an end variant with long purple hair, which could be anyone.
He knew people in his school knew who he was, as he’s heard the conversations in the hallways. ‘Dude, did you see! The Invisible Knight came back again last night!’ ‘Did he win?’ ‘Obviously, bro’ ‘My bad yo, just a question!’
He was— or ‘the Invisible Knight’— as people liked to call him— was a pretty controversial figure. He was strong, yes, but some people thought he was only that strong because of his maces. Wemmbu didn’t care much for honor though. He was taught that honor didn’t matter as long as he won. He could blame that teaching on Manepear.
He honestly couldn’t wait any longer for the day to be over so he could go fight.
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And, as if on cue, the bell rings and he rushes to get out of that god forsaken classroom. He doesn’t pay attention as he walks down the halls, occasionally bumping into people on the way to class. He was too busy fantasizing about who he was going to fight that day.
He was still pondering this as he went to go sit down next to Rejoice in math, pulling a notebook and pencil from his bag, proceeding to fidget with the pencil.
That was another thing about him, he was always fidgeting, his attention span was about the same as a 5-year-olds, and he never knew when to shut up. Social cues were as confusing as Parrots' rants, and that was saying a lot.
“Hi Wemmbu!” Rejoice smiled, turning to him.
“Hey bro” he replied, smiling back.
“Did you hear about the essay in history that's due Friday? How does she expect us to write a 10-page paper on the invisible mafia, when she doesn’t even give us time in class to work on it!” Rejoice complained, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
“Wait, there's an essay due? I kinda zoned out the whole hour.”
“Yes, and it’s going to be the death of me.” Rejoice cried, slamming his head on the desk, which made Wemmbu laugh.
He was going to respond, but he didn’t have the chance, because their teacher decided to actually do his job.
And Wemmbu paid attention. Or, as much as he physically could.
Before he knew it, his 2nd favourite class was over and he had to dreadfully walk to ELA. He thinks he hates ELA more than literally anything. It was worse than history. In fact, he hopes whoever created ELA, died a slow, painful death. Because what do you mean Wemmbu is expected to read an entire book and then talk about it!
He used to not even crack open the book, and just have Egg tell him what happened the day before the dreaded socratic seminars. His heart sank a little as he looked at the empty seat next to him.
So now, he has a socratic seminar to wing. Because he wouldn’t be caught dead reading a book. Random bull-shit go, or something.
Maybe he should have at least read the back of the book— State SMP 2.5— before today. Because literally who even are Saparata and Fluixon.
Doesn’t this Saps guy literally go to this school?…Eh, it’s probably just a coincidence.
They seemed kinda gay though. Just like the characters in the last book they were supposed to read— Searching for a World that Doesn’t Exist— those guys were definitely gay. And the guy who wrote that book also literally goes to this school. He used to hang around Parrot a lot, but Wemmbu hasn’t seen Wifies in like a year. What a small world.
Next thing you know, someone like JudeLow is going to show up out of nowhere. Who even knows anymore.
Finally, finally ELA was over and he could finally go eat food. The cafeteria food is literally the worst food he's ever eaten in his life, but he gets it for free, (perks of living alone at 17) and he's starving.
He gets a tray of… something… and goes to sit at his usual table, alone. He’s just about to start eating when Boosfer shows up.
“Hello my good friend Wemmbu!” He yells, and god was he loud.
Wemmbu just groaned in response, pushing his tray away and laying his head on the table. The last thing he wanted to do was interact with Boosfer.
“Well someone's in a mood today!”
No response.
“Hey Wemmbu, how would you rate the food today?”
He fought the urge to cover his ears, or punch the guy in the face, or both.
“I’d rate it… a six out of seven!”
“What does that even mean!?” He finally replied, suddenly figuring out that there are, in fact, worse things than ELA.
“Absolute cinema!”
His maces were practically screaming at him to be used.
Wemmbu did not end up eating his crappy school lunch. He did not lift his head off the table. And he tried to ignore Boosfer’s ragebaiting.
He prays that one day, one of his hits is Boosfer.
Wemmbu has never left the lunch room faster in his life, stomach still growling because he hasn't eaten anything in almost 3 days.
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Mane would have forced him to eat by now.
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After tonight, he’d be able to afford 3 meals every day for the next few weeks. It sounds like heaven. And he’d have enough to buy Socrates the good cat food. The two will be living the luscious life, at least until Wemmbu has to go fight again.
He wonders what Rejoice would think about his… situation. He’d probably be concerned about him, and tell him to stop.
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Rejoice would be concerned about him.
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…Interesting.
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Wemmbu just won’t let him find out. Some secrets aren't meant to be shared, anyways. Not even Egg knew, when he was still alive.
Hell, even his brothers didn’t know. Either he was really good at sneaking out, or they just didn’t care. He hopes it's the first option. But the second wouldn’t be that surprising, either.
Study hall wasn’t anything interesting, he just used the time to bother Jaden, not bothering to go over to Rejoice, because he was with Lopezz.
And she was the only other person, besides the police, who knew that he killed Lettuce. So she didn’t really like him. He doesn’t blame her either, Lopezz and Lettuce were really good friends. She was really nice, too. It’s a shame he had to threaten her, to make sure she didn’t tell anyone what really happened.
He’s always catching her glaring at him, but he’s used to it.
The bell rings, and the cycle continues as he walks to his final class. PvP class.
His favourite.
He’s the second best in the class, of course the only person better than him being Flame. If only he could use his maces.
He would win so fast if he could…
Sometimes Wemmbu wishes Flame would join the forge, just so he could get an actual fight against the other.
And win.
Sometimes, he’s half-tempted to use his maces in class anyways, on the really annoying people.
But he’d go to jail for murder, and people would find out who he was.
Which wasn’t really ideal.
So he settles for beating the ever-living shit out of his opponents.
And that's exactly what he did for the next 20 minutes, switching partners every 10. He had just got done winning a fight against some scrawny kid when Flame walked over.
He could feel his anger flair as the guy he won against ran away, probably to go to the nurse for a broken nose. He’ll get in trouble later for that. But he didn’t really care, his attention being fully on the man standing in front of him.
His brother.
Who left him.
Who left him for dead.
Who left him without any money, or a way to fend for himself.
His grip tightened on the wooden sword they were allowed to use. Depending on the day, the class rotated through multiple weapons, hand to hand, sword, and axe.
All other combat styles were deemed ‘too dangerous’.
Which was annoying, because Flame specialized in sword.
So that meant Wemmbu was completely, utterly, doomed to fail.
I hate my life.
“Hey bro” Flame said, and his eye twitched.
“Don’t ‘hey bro’ me.” He snapped, because how could Flame just act like nothing happened? How could he act like he hasn't left!
“Sorry, bro”
Wemmbu was going to strangle the guy. He was actually going to kill him. He was going to—
“Are we gonna fight or not?” Flame said, seeming to catch onto his anger.
He just nodded, knowing that if he opened his mouth, he’d end up saying something that would get him in even more trouble.
The two circled each other for a second, both waiting for the other to attack first.
Flame stuck first, and he dodged, albeit a little too slow. The sword nicked his shoulder, sending a sharp pain down his arm. He jumped back, glaring at the other, before swinging at Flame himself. And he missed.
But that's okay, because he can just try again and hit the other this time!
He misses again.
And again.
And again.
The other was laughing, and he could feel the rage bubbling under his skin, red-hot and searing.
“C’mon bro, focus. You’re too impulsive.”
This was Flame’s way of telling him to ‘lock in’, that much he knew. The two didn’t train together for years for nothing.
He only tightens his grip on the sword before swinging again, catching the other off guard, and the sword connected with skin.
And suddenly, he's nine years old again, having landed a hit on his brother for the first time.
____________
“I did it! I did it, I did it, I did it!” He yelled, throwing his arms up in the air and jumping around like he’d just won the lottery.
“That was just a one off, bro” Flame replied, rolling his eyes and pretending to not be excited for his brother.
Mane just nodded at him, but that was maybe the most approval Wemmbu ever saw from the man.
____________
“That was just a one off, bro” Flame grinned, clearly remembering the same thing.
And that somehow hurt worse, that Flame still remembered that moment from 8 years ago.
His glare only deepened as he rushed the other again, the two continuing to trade hits until the 10 minutes were over, both of them being dead tired and sweating like crazy.
“You got good, little brother,” Flame said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.
“I haven’t been your little brother for 11 months and 4 days.” He seethed, hitting Flame’s hand away as if it burned him.
Emotions flashed across his face, and Wemmbu didn’t care enough to decode it. He did seem to be surprised, maybe he didn’t expect Wemmbu to remember the exact date the two left for training and never came back.
But he remembered.
How couldn’t he?
It was the day Mane called him a lost cause.
He can still remember staying up in his shared room with Flame, waiting and waiting for them to come back.
For the two to come through the door laughing about something Mane said, and he would welcome them home with a smile.
And then they would play some kind of board game together late into the night. And Wemmbu would continue to be happy.
But they didn’t come back.
And Wemmbu waited hours, eventually going to the living room to sit on the couch right by the door.
And hours turned into a day.
He still didn’t move from his spot.
A day turned into two.
And then three.
On the fourth day, he went to go buy food.
Four days turned into five.
Five days turned into a week, and then two, and then a month had passed.
And Wemmbu had sat on that couch, hugging his knees to his chest, waiting for his brothers to return, for an entire month.
Eventually, he didn’t know when, because the days started running together, he finally realized that they weren't coming back.
And that was the first time he’d cried since he was five years old.
Sure, Egg texted him during that month, but he didn’t respond, and Egg didn’t know where he lived at the time.
He almost gave up that day.
That day he realized the people he cared for most in the entire world, just got up and left.
He texted Egg instead.
Told him where he lived.
Told him what happened.
And Egg stayed with him the entire day as he cried.
And from that day on, one thought kept haunting his mind.
What did I do to deserve this?
He disassociated for the rest of class, just purely going through the motions as the bell rang for the last time of the day, and he started his trek home, getting off the subway and making it home a little before 4.
The entrance to the building the forge was in was a little over 30 minutes away, so he was going to rest and get something to eat, then leave at 6, but he was too excited to wait.
So Wemmbu ate dinner (finally!), and went to get ready.
Most fighters chose not to be anonymous— because they want the ego booster if they do win— but Wemmbu didn’t. He chose to wear a disguise instead, not only so he would be recognisable when not himself, but also to not accidentally reveal his identity by accident.
He was disguised in diamond armor and a purple veil that completely covered his face, with a smiley face drawn on it in sharpie. Black boots that had small heels (to make him look taller), and he put his hair up in a ponytail, because he can’t have that getting in the way. He also wore a little crown, a gift from Zam back when they were still friends.
He looked much different then he does at school, usually wearing a purple hoodie, black sweatpants, and some beat up converse he got from Mane when he turned 13. He also usually left his hair down, not wanting to bother with it.
The only reason he had long hair in the first place was because Wemmbu has beef with scissors. When he was seven, Flame got tired of Wemmbu refusing to cut his hair, and cut it himself while he was asleep.
Wemmbu was so incredibly angry that day, he told Flame he’d never cut his hair ever again.
And 10 years later, Wemmbu kept true to his word. Plus, he liked his hair long anyways. Pissing off Flame was just a nice perk.
He felt untouchable when his identity was hidden, like he could finally be himself. While still having a reputation of being the most feared man alive.
Well, besides the owners of the forge. Nobody knows who the owners are, but everyone assumes that they’re incredibly good. They were the only two people more feared then him.
People looked his way as he walked down the street, some looking confused, (being the few people who didn’t know about the forge), and most a mix of excited and scared. He walked with confidence, head held up as if he owned the streets, much different than how he usually was, head down, pretending he doesn’t exist.
He ducked into a specific alleyway after 30 minutes of walking— of course it had to be an alleyway— and knocked in a specific pattern on the wall at the end of the alley.
The brick wall opened inward as a bouncer opened the door, took one look at him, and let him right in.
“Hello, Mr. Invisible Knight.” He said, smiling a bit.
He would smile back, but the guy couldn’t see his face, so he waved instead. He doesn’t talk much when he comes here, he’s too paranoid that someone would recognize his voice.
He follows the man down the stairs into a room with a front desk, which was where you were supposed to write your name down so the people who planned the fights could create the lineup.
He saw hundreds of names he didn’t recognise as he wrote down his alias on the paper. He can’t have anyone in this place knowing who he was.
He then walked through the door beside the desk, a huge cafe sprawling out in front of him. There were hundreds of people already there, sitting and chatting with each other as if they weren't going to be forced to kill each other for money in an hour. He thinks only about 10 people would exit this room at the end of the night.
He scans the room, calculating who would be a problem, and who wouldn’t, as everyone's attention slowly turns to him, smiles and grins turning into worried expressions.
And suddenly, the entire room was dead quiet as each person re-thought their choices.
Because every one of them knew who he was.
And they all knew they would die in a fight with him.
He smiled under his veil, walking to an empty table and sitting down, heels clacking on the floor, echoing across the too-silent room.
And slowly, conversations resumed, but dread hung in the air like a cloth.
Nobody wanted to fight Wemmbu.
And that's how he liked it.
Of course, he’s fought people cocky enough to think they could beat him, but he always won.
If he’d ever lost, he wouldn’t be standing here, now would he?
In his 3 years of fighting at the forge, he's almost lost only once.
His name was __venthatguy, and Wemmbu thinks that was the most fun he’s ever had fighting someone. Too bad he had to die, Wemmbu would have loved to fight him again. This was only seven months ago, and his fights had been getting more and more difficult recently, which he was glad for. More difficult fights mean more fun.
Eventually, after around an hour, a different forge member walked in, announcing that the grid had been created, and the first fight would be between 2 people Wemmbu didn’t know. Those two people stood up and followed the member, one was shaking pretty bad, and the other seemed pretty calm. He knew the calm one would win.
10 minutes later, the calm guy walked back in, albeit pretty disheveled. He would not survive another fight.
The next group was called, some guy named Deanthebean9 and someone named Babblu, who was very pink. He thinks the pink one will win.
He could hear the screams of the crowd outside, roaring ever louder as the fight ended. The pink one had won.
A few rounds later, and it was finally his turn. He didn’t catch his opponents name as he walked into the hallway, and he turned right because ‘don’t turn left at the crossroads’ or something, he didn’t read the book. His opponent turned left as Wemmbu walked forwards, turning another corner at the end of the hallway, now facing a door with engravings in it. He didn’t understand the enchanting table language, though, so he couldn’t read what it said.
He walked through the door, a small room waiting for him. There was nothing but a small bench and a gate, which would raise to signify the start of the fight. They didn’t provide gear, as it was a free-for-all. No rules. Only death. And the winner won all the money bet on them. The forge itself winning the losers bets.
He can hear the announcer’s voice booming over the speakers as the crowd screamed.
“And now, ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between! The fight you’ve all been waiting for! The Invisible Knight vs…” he once again couldn’t hear his opponents name over the roar of the crowd.
He smiled, he was finally back.
He belonged here.
The gate opened, and he walked out into the arena, kicking up dirt from the floor as he raised his arms to the crowd, slowly turning around.
The arena itself was dug into the ground, walls made up of wooden support beams. The crowd sat in seats around the arena, walls around the crowd's seating also made up of wood.
It causes the room to be very dark, with minimal amounts of glowstone on the walls. He could barely make out the faces of the crowd as he waited for the signal to start, his heat starting to beat in anticipation.
A firework shot out of the dispenser in the floor, and Wemmbu attacked, wind charging into the air and bringing down his mace on the other man’s shield, temporarily disabling it as he launched back into the air and dealt the killing blow. He laughed as the other man fell, blood starting to seep from under his crippled body.
It was over before it even started.
And suddenly, Wemmbu was 1000 dollars richer.
This, this was what he lived for. For the thrill of fights. For the love of the game. For the rush of adrenaline buzzing under his skin. For the feeling of freedom.
He raised his hands to the crowd once again, grinning wildly, and took a bow before leaving the arena back where he came, and he sat in the cafe again, waiting for his next fight.
Eventually, round 1 ended. 150 people entered the arena that day, and after round 1, 75 remained.
They got a 30 minute break before the second round started. Wemmbu’s skin was itching to fight again, he was probably addicted to the high fighting got him.
He watched blood drip off Gambit onto the floor to pass the time instead.
16 groups later, it was his turn, and it was decided that he would be the one fighting twice this round, which he wasn’t surprised about.
He once again turned right in the hallway, walking out as the gate rose. He didn’t bother with the crowd this time, he’d already had his fun with them.
The firework went off, and the fight commenced.
This opponent survived a bit longer than the last, she actually knew how to dodge.
She still died in less than 3 minutes.
There was blood everywhere, on his armour, on the floor, on his mace, and he didn’t care.
He felt like he could do this forever.
He hadn’t stopped smiling since before the first fight.
He once again bowed and walked back into the cafe, waiting impatiently once again for the last group to be called, which would be him again.
This time he tapped his nails on the table as he waited, almost jumping up in excitement when his name was yet again called.
He waited behind the gate, again walking out when it rose, starting immediately as the firework went off. This guy survived 5 minutes.
Time was a blur, fight after fight coursing through his veins as if they were blood.
He fought, he won, he waited, he got money.
He was up to 5000 now.
But the night was still young. Suddenly, it was round 4 and only 18 people were left. 9 would leave the arena alive.
The pink guy from earlier— Babblu was it?— was still there, sitting alone just as he was.
Wemmbu knew he would be in the last group, he always was. Because how else would they end off the night, if not with a bang?
He watched Babblu get up once again, the two making eye contact as he walked away. Wemmbu flashed him a thumbs up, and Babblu grinned at him.
20 minutes later, Babblu came back covered in even more blood. He flashed Wemmbu a bloody smile and came over to sit next to him.
Neither spoke, but they sat in comfortable silence until Wemmbu’s name was called for the last time.
He walked out of the room, down the hallway, turned, and waited in the room for the last fight of the night.
The gate rose once again.
He walked out and met his opponent in the middle.
The firework went off, and he shot up into the air, taking a chance to look at the crowd, because why not! He was going to win anyway!
He scanned the faces, eyes briefly landing on someone familiar.
Someone with a sunflower pin in his hair.
Rejoice?
His grin faltered, and he hesitated, missing his shot.
The crowd gasped.
Wemmbu doesn’t hesitate.
Ever.
Shit.
He thought, quickly ending his opponent's life before standing in the middle of the arena, once again scanning the crowd, trying to find his friend.
But Rejoice was gone.
What was he doing here?
It was the only thing Wemmbu could think of on the way home. Rejoice didn’t seem like the kind of guy to gamble on lives.
But the two had also only known each other for 2 days.
Wemmbu did not dream that night, as fighting at the forge was the only thing that drove away the nightmares.
Wemmbu had fun.
And he can’t wait to do it again.
____________
The next morning, Rejoice texted him.
#1 sunflower defender:
Good morning!!!
Morning ^_^
Do you wanna hang out today?
Why not?
I’ve got nothing to do today anyways lol
Yay :DDD
The skyscraper at 2?
Sure bro
C:
He turned his phone off and continued to eat his breakfast, planning to clean his armour before leaving. He doesn’t clean his maces though.
He sighs and grabs the cleaning supplies, scrubbing at every crevice until the armour shined again. He was almost out of supplies. He should probably get more when he goes out.
He can afford it.
In fact, he can cover his rent for the next 3 months with 6 thousand dollars. He can afford food for both him and Socrates.
He holds the cat close to his chest as he thinks about all the things he can afford to buy.
He doesn’t remember the last time he was this happy.
He should probably start going to the forge more often.
He could probably get rich from this.
If you told 9-year-old Wemmbu that his ‘job’ was skilled gambling, he’d probably believe you.
He was still smiling as he left to go meet Rejoice.
His smile fell as soon as he got to the building and remembered the grueling 80 flights of stairs.
What even was this building for anyways? It was completely empty at all times. He didn’t care all that much though, as long as he wasn’t getting caught trespassing, he was fine.
By the time he got up all those stairs, he felt like he was going to die. He practically dragged himself over to the edge, where Rejoice was sitting, criss-cross applesauce.
“Hi!” Rejoice smiled at him as he sat down next to him.
“Why doesn’t this building have an elevator!” He complained, flopping backwards onto the floor.
Rejoice just stared at him, before breaking out into laughter.
“What!?”
“Wemmbu… oh my god Wemmbu there’s literally an elevator right next to the stairs!” He giggled, face red from laughing too hard.
It was his turn to stare at the other.
“You’re kidding. You’re actually kidding.”
The other just continued laughing as Wemmbu realized he was incredibly stupid.
Rejoice's laugh was contagious, though, and soon both of them were giggling like teenage girls.
Eventually though, they calmed down enough to have a normal conversation, but would randomly break into laughter again.
Was it that funny?
…Kind of.
“Were did you go after I left when we first met? I never saw you leave the building?” Wemmbu asked,
Rejoice didn’t answer for a second, seemingly contemplating his answer.
“I live here.”
Oh.
Well that explains how he even knew I was here.
“Like, like with your parents or…?”
“No, they died 2 years ago. I inherited their money, but I was 15. I didn’t know how to use it. I lost the apartment, and didn't know how to get a new one. So I moved into the first abandoned building I saw, which happened to be here.”
They both went quiet for a second, and Wemmbu had no idea what to say.
“I’m… really sorry that happened.” He finally said, he had no idea how to comfort people. “I could help you get a new one if you wanted?”
Rejoice just hummed, thinking over his offer. “I like this place, actually. Maybe someday when I open a flower shop, I’ll buy my own place.”
“A flower shop?”
“Yeah! What else am I gonna do with my obsession?”
“I hope that works out for you bro” he smiles, and he truly means it.
“I hope so too. What do you wanna do? Like when you’re older?”
He pauses, he has no clue.
He’ll probably continue fighting for money until the day he never leaves the arena again.
Continuing to take hits until the day he dies.
“…I haven’t thought about it.”
“Wemmbu! We’re seniors! You’ve gotta give it some thought!”
“I just haven’t gotten around to worrying about that bro”
Rejoice lightly punches his shoulder and giggles, “oh no, we’re both gonna be homeless!”
“Rejoice bro, you literally have money! You are choosing to be homeless!”
“Hey! Don’t diss on my free home! At least I don’t have to worry about rent!”
“Oh come on, it’s not that bad”
“You’re barely scraping by bro”
“How do you even know that”
“It’s kinda obvious, you barely eat and you’re always glaring at Flame. I kinda just put 2 and 2 together”
“That’s still a pretty big jump of conclusions.” He states, turning his face towards the sun, letting the wind blow his hair around for a bit.
“Turn around” Rejoice said instead of answering him. Wemmbu complied, turning to face away from Rejoice.
Rejoice started separating his hair into three parts, starting to braid his hair as he continued to talk.
“Well, I’ve been going to the same school as you for most of my life, and everyone knows you and Flame are siblings. So it was a little obvious he and whoever else in your family left. You didn’t show up for a month, Flame looked guiltier than Ashswagg was, and when you showed back up, you walked separate ways to go home.” He explained as he finished the braid.
Wemmbu and Zam used to braid each other's hair.
No, he was not going to think about him. He was in prison. Zam couldn’t hurt him anymore.
Wemmbu was kind of surprised that Rejoice could figure out what had happened based on a few details, but then again, the guy is much smarter than him.
“Here” Rejoice says as he turns back around, handing him a hair clip of a purple flower he didn’t recognize. “Purple hyacinth, the one I thought you might like.”
Wemmbu didn’t know what to say as he clipped it into his now braided hair.
“Thank you” he smiles, “now we’re matching”
It was a pretty flower.
And Rejoice didn’t ask any more questions about his home life.
Eventually, Wemmbu headed home, actually finding the elevator this time. He still can’t believe he didn’t see the elevator— it was literally right there.
Socrates welcomed him as he walked inside, and he picked up the cat, holding her close and burying his head in her fur.
Sure, he still misses Egg. And he still hates Mane and Flame. And he’s still scared of Zam. And he still feels no remorse for all the people he’s killed.
But, maybe, just maybe, things will turn out okay.
Because he has Rejoice now.
And he’s determined to keep this friendship.
He refuses to break the ‘third times a charm’ saying.
He hopes there will never be a fourth.
For his sake.
And Rejoices.
____________
The next 8 months go by in a blur, he continues to talk to Rejoice, the guy quickly becoming his best friend. He turned 18, and graduated soon after.
He continued to fight at the forge, more often than usual.
Fighting never got boring.
He was doing more than fine financially by now, so he no longer needed the money.
It was just a nice perk.
He had gotten a nicer apartment, and he thinks Socrates appreciates the space.
He continued to see Rejoice in the crowd, every time he fought. He doesn’t think Rejoice was betting, or he hoped not.
It would be quite the awkward conversation if Rejoice was betting on his best friend’s life.
He hadn't seen either Flame or Manepear in almost 5 months. He hopes it stays that way forever.
He still has nightmares, but not as often as he used to. He was a normal weight now, too, because he could afford food.
Rejoice got a job at some community garden, to help him save up and buy his own store. Wemmbu tried to pitch in some money, since he was kind of rich now, but Rejoice refused his help.
Things were… ok.
Wemmbu never thought things would get better, but they did.
He made it out of the storm alive.
And without killing everyone!
He was going to go back to the forge later that day, he hadn't been in a few days and the itch was coming back.
He’d gotten a hit the other day, someone requesting he kill this guy named Boomie. The guy was… really strong actually. Wemmbu almost lost.
Almost.
He’d run into Parrot almost 2 weeks ago too, the guy had somehow managed to become mayor of the city at 18.
He wasn’t about to ask how.
He saw Spoke, too, actually. The guy seemed pretty stressed out, and was running pretty fast from a bunch of hooded figures.
He hopes Spoke didn’t die.
He doesn’t know how Flame is doing, and he finds that he doesn’t really want to know.
Saying he’s moved on is quite the overstatement, but he’s more or less accepted what his family did.
He’s still thinking about his run-ins with old friends while sitting in the cafe.
He was waiting for the 1st round to start, smiling to himself under his veil, when a completely invisible person walked into the room.
…
…
…
Interesting.
…
…
…
He’s only seen a few invis people in his— now 4— years of being a part of the forge.
He hopes this guy— or girl— or whatever bro it’s 2026— is good at fighting.
The invis person seems to look at him, but he wouldn’t know. He still waves anyway.
The shoulder plate of his diamond armour moves, so he assumes the invis guy waved back.
The guy then goes to sit off with some random group of people.
Babblu walks in a little later, which surprises him. He hadn't seen the pink man in 8 months, he just assumed the guy didn’t want to risk his life again.
But his face broke into a smile when he saw Wemmbu, walking over and sitting next to him.
He looks at the guy and tilts his head to the side, as if to say ‘bro why are you back?’
Babblu just sighs, looking really tired all of a sudden. “My friends in prison, I’ve been trying to bail him out.”
He just hums, as if to say ‘who?’
“I bet you don’t know him— or maybe you do. I don’t know. ‘names PrinceZam. He used to run this place, but got caught. Used to be called the ‘Prince Zam Empire’, back when he ran it.”
He froze, and completely stopped tapping his fingers on the table, turning to look at Babblu so fast his veil almost fell off.
He wishes he could tell the guy not to bail him out.
But he couldn’t talk.
“…Given that reaction, I’m assuming you knew him!” Babblu laughs.
Wemmbu nods.
“Did you like him? Like were you guys friends?”
At one point. But he couldn’t say that. Couldn’t explain to Babblu what Zam did to him.
He could feel himself start to shake, only slightly, as he shook his head no.
He hated how upset he got at the slight mention of that man.
Babblu noticed his reaction, and Wemmbu could see the gears turning in his head.
“Wemmbu. You’re Wemmbu.” Babblu whispered, so nobody would hear him.
“If you tell anyone I will literally kill you myself.” He whispers back.
And then Babblu starts laughing. And he is suddenly very confused.
“What are you laughing about?” He angrily whispers, lightly punching the guy's arm.
“Oh my god dude! There is no way that you’re the Invisible Knight bro! From what Zam told me, I thought you were, like, really weak.”
“Shut up!” He whisper-yelled. Babblu said that a little too loud for his comfort. “And no, I’m not as weak as he thought I was.”
“I’m assuming you probably don’t want me bailing him out?” Babblu asked as he went back to whispering.
“No, not really.”
“Well!” Babblu grinned, “I guess you’ll just have to kill me in the game!”
“I won’t hesitate” he smiles back, but it’s not like Babblu could see him do so.
He guesses the friend of his enemy is his friend… or something like that.
Babblu’s name gets called 10 minutes later, and Wemmbu wishes him luck.
Babblu doesn’t come back.
He sighs, so much for bailing out Zam. Too bad I didn’t get to kill you myself.
It takes another 20 before his name is called, along with the invis guy.
Good. He hoped that he’d get paired with them.
He can feel the excitement course through his veins as he walks down the familiar hallway, turning, opening the door, and standing behind the gate.
And once again, walking in once the gate opens.
He hears the crowd, their roars feeding his ego. He smiles.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
He walks toward the middle, him on one side of the dispenser, and invis guy on the other. The other visibly seemed nervous, so he decided to wave at the other.
Fear tactics, or something. He learned it from Zam.
The firework explodes from the dispenser, and he wind charges up, as he always does, swapping from his sword to his mace last-second, the invis person blocking his hit just in time.
He laughs and shoots back up, disabling their shield as he tries to hit the person again. They once again run away just in time.
Annoying.
He tries again, and this time, he hit his shot, but he wasn’t high enough to kill.
The other yelped and sprinted away to heal.
Definitely a guy then.
He assumes the invis guy has been watching him, since he was able to sort of predict him.
He looks for Rejoice in the crowd, eyes locking onto his usual spot, filled by someone else.
He shrugs it off, his best friend probably had better things to do.
He turns his attention back to the invis guy, wind charging up and coming back down faster than the guy could react to.
Green and yellow sparks explode into the air, blinding him as the invis guy pops a totem.
Remember when Wemmbu said that there were no rules? He lied, there was one. No totems of undying.
If you used a totem, you were KOS.
He waited for the light to leave his eyes to finish the guy off for breaking literally the only rule.
How hard can it be to follow one rule?!
His eyes narrowed as his vision cleared, and he looked at the guy in front of him.
And his heart stopped.
…
He dropped his sword in surprise, backing up.
…
No, no, this can’t be happening.
…
This cannot be happening right now.
…
…
…
“R— Rejoice?”
…
…
…
He had tried to kill Rejoice.
…
…
…
Oh god, oh god, he was bleeding. Like bad.
Wemmbu didn’t know what to do.
Rejoice was bleeding in front of him and it was his fault.
The other man smiled sadly at him.
“Hi, Wemmbu.”
The crowd screamed, they had no idea what was going on.
Wemmbu has never not killed someone before.
Kill him! Kill him!
The crowd chanted.
Too loud, it was all too loud.
It was too loud and the lights were too bright and everything was too much.
He felt like throwing up, or ripping out all his hair, or both.
His heart pounded in his throat as his eyes darted around the room.
He continued to step backwards, slowly, away from Rejoice, away from his sword, holding his arms to his chest.
He looked at his hands. They had blood on them.
Rejoices blood.
He was going to scream.
He had to get away— needed to get away.
So he did the only other thing he knew how to do.
Wemmbu spun around and ran.
The crowd's yells of murder wishes on Rejoice turned into shocked ones for him.
Everyone was so shocked that nobody stopped him as he sprinted out of the building, feeling as if his airway was closing up.
He couldn’t breathe.
He couldn’t fucking breathe.
Wemmbu didn’t notice the crowds turning to stare at the boy running past them covered in blood.
He didn’t feel very strong anymore.
What was Rejoice even thinking?
Why would he—?
Does he have a death wish?
He could hear his breath hitch as he slammed open the door of his apartment, and then slammed it behind him again.
He slid against the door, sitting down and putting his head in his hands.
He sat there until the panic attack subsided, and then sat there some more, staring at his floor.
Socrates had come over to him, meowing in stress as soon as he got home, and when he didn’t pick up the cat, she just sat next to him and went to sleep.
He couldn’t get the image of Rejoice almost dying out of his head.
It was like a broken record, repeating over and over as he forced himself to get up. To shower and change.
To wash his hands.
Over.
And over.
And over.
And over.
And over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.
And over again.
Until his hands were blistered and bleeding.
He knew his hands were clean, but he couldn’t get the blood off.
It was staining his skin.
And he couldn’t get it off.
Wemmbu didn’t sleep that night.
Or the next night.
On the third day, he dragged himself out the door.
He didn’t know where he was going, but he was not spending another month trapped in his apartment.
When he couldn’t sleep, he cleaned his maces for the first time since he was 8. He spent over 10 hours just scrubbing at the metal.
He left Gambit and Crucible at home as he walked, zoning out as he passed street after street, rounded corners, walked into a familiar building, and got in the elevator.
Rejoice was sitting at the edge, same spot as always. He silently sat next to him and hugged his knees to his chest.
They sat like that for a while, neither moving, neither wanting to talk about what happened.
“Why do you fight?” Rejoice eventually asked him, staring at the sunset as it fell below the clouds.
“Money.” He responds, and it wasn't technically a lie.
“No, Wemmbu, why do you fight.” Rejoice says, as more of a statement this time, and he knew that there was no escaping this one.
He hesitates for a second, trying to figure out an answer.
“...I guess… I like how… exhilarating it is?” He starts, trying to put his reasoning into comprehensible words. “I like the adrenaline rush, I like how predictable fights are. I like watching the light leave someone else's eyes— and to know I was the reason? It’s like… rewarding… almost. If that makes sense.”
Rejoice was just watching him, not an ounce of judgment on his face. He was listening intently, gesturing for Wemmbu to continue.
“When I’m fighting, I feel like I don’t have to hide anything. I don’t have to hide what I’m truly feeling, It’s the only time I feel free. It’s weird, but it feels like nothing can hurt me. It’s just me, the other person, and the drive to kill. I like the way they try to escape, to live. It’s almost like a game, ‘who can survive Wemmbu the longest?’ I know it’s messed up, but I’m not a good person, Rejoice.”
Rejoice seemed to be contemplating his words, eyebrows scrunched in thought.
“...You didn’t used to be like this.” He said eventually, “what changed, Wemmbu?”
There it was. The question he himself has been asking himself every night as he tried to sleep. Well, before he almost killed Rejoice. It followed him like a bad smell.
He didn’t immediately answer, but a part of himself knew the reason.
“...A year ago, my best friend was murdered. By LettuceK’s friend, Ace. Egg— that was his name— was the only person who could talk me out of doing… this. He was the only one stopping me from killing everyone I came across. And then he died. He died and he left me and I didn’t know what to do. So I became ruthless. Because he isn’t there to stop me. I turned into the one thing he hated.”
Wemmbu couldn’t bring himself to look at the other.
This was personal, too personal. He’d never told anyone about this before, about his why. About the way something in him just snapped, the day Egg died. He was still hugging his knees as Rejoice spoke again.
“So why aren’t you killing everyone in your path? I don’t think you’re a bad person Wemmbu, I just think this world has been cruel to you, and you weren't given the opportunity to figure out how to cope. So you turned to the morals you were taught.” He said slowly, as if he was still trying to fabricate his thoughts.
“Sure, yes, murder is bad, but you don’t know any different. How could anyone blame you? You grew up around violence, around pain and hurt, and you weren't comforted when something bad happened. So of course you turned to fighting. You aren’t a bad person, Wemmbu, you just never had someone to care for you. And the one person you did have, died. Nobody blames you. I don’t blame you.”
And Rejoice hugged him.
He doesn’t remember the last time someone hugged him.
Or comforted him.
Or looked at him long enough to see that he was struggling.
Or cared.
Wemmbu is a very emotional person, but he's pretty good at hiding it. Usually.
He tensed up for a second, not knowing what to do, or how to react, before practically melting into the others arms.
And he cried.
And Rejoice just held him.
And the two sat like that for over an hour.
He hasn't felt this cared for since Egg was alive.
Maybe that was affecting him more than he thought.
For once in his life, he didn’t feel like he needed to have his guard up, to be ready to fight at any second, to put on a persona that wasn’t truly him.
But right now, he wasn’t the invisible knight. He wasn’t a mass murderer. He wasn't a ruthless killer.
He was just Wemmbu.
And he hopes that, someday, he can be Wemmbu all the time.
But he’s content with this moment.
He wishes this could last forever, but sadly, they needed to have a very serious conversation.
He turned to Rejoice after pulling away from his embrace.
“...You have a lot of explaining to do.”
The other just smiled at him.
That same smile. That same hair clip. That same red and blue hoodie. That same pin.
It was like nothing happened.
Rejoice looked away from him before starting his story.
“I knew you were part of the forge, it was obvious with the way you carried yourself, how you fought, how you acted. I’ve known for a very long time, and I was always expecting you to just disappear one day. To turn up dead.”
“And when you disappeared for a month… I thought… I thought that was it. And it wasn’t. You came back. So I started going to the forge fights.”
Wemmbu listened intently, still having no idea what this had to do with him basically attempting suicide.
“And I learned about The Invisible Knight. The man who won every single fight he was part of. Diamond armour, purple hair, and a veil to cover his face. I’m sure you’ve heard the story’s.”
Wemmbu nodded, because who hasn’t?
“The first time I saw you fight was on a Friday over a year ago. You only fought on Friday nights. And I knew immediately, that it was you. Especially when you started looking for me at every fight. But I still had my doubts.”
“So I decided to sign up for the next fight. I knew they’d put you with me if I showed up invisible. I had to know for sure. And I was right. They put me against you.”
“I brought a totem because I knew that you’d kill me easily, way before I’d be able to reveal myself. And I planned my escape, in case it wasn’t you, or if I needed it.”
Rejoice looks down at his hands in shame.
“Wemmbu, none of this is your fault. It was my choice.”
“So why didn’t you just ask me?”
“I was afraid of being wrong. And also impulse. Believe it or not, I love chaos just as much as the next guy” Rejoice giggled, obviously tired of being forced to be serious for too long.
“Well that’s great. Now we’re both being haunted down by a very angry forge!”
“Oh come on, this is the stuff you enjoy! And who can go wrong with a little bit of running from some very angry people every once in a while?”
Wemmbu was also tired of having to have a serious conversation, because both of them were literally the most unserious people alive.
He grinned.
“How hard can it be to kill 1000 people anyways?”
“I’d say… pretty easy”
“Yeah, sure bro, like you’ve done this before”
“You never know, Wemmbu…”
“Rejoice you literally refused to let me kill a spider once”
“It was cute okay!”
____________
The next few days were spent with Wemmbu hiding Rejoice at his apartment. They needed to figure something out, because Rejoice couldn’t hide forever.
Wemmbu knew they’d be safe in his apartment because nobody knew who he was, and even if they did, he and Socrates (+ Rejoice now) are the only living things who know where Wemmbu lives.
Rejoice immediately took a liking to Socrates, and he thinks she likes Rejoice more than she likes him.
Which, like, ok, he guesses. Payback for saving her life… immediately getting more attached to his best friend…
He and that cat have beef now.
He had set up the pull-out couch in the living room, so Rejoice wasn’t sleeping on the floor. Because that would be highly uncomfortable, he thinks.
Who knows, Rejoice is weird.
They were on a walk that night, both being extremely tired of staying in a small apartment all day.
The moon was full, and the stars were blinking in and out, twinkling and dancing throughout the night sky.
Wemmbu wishes he could be as care-free as a star. Wishes he could live without the world constantly shooting him back down.
It was almost as if he was a character in a story, and his entire life was pre-written.
He laughs to himself.
That’s a stupid thought.
The duo had gotten ice cream earlier, because why not get ice cream while being on the run from a very angry organization?
Rejoice had braided his hair again, and he was still wearing the clip Rejoice gave Wemmbu 8 months ago.
They were talking about everything and nothing, giggling like crazy as Rejoice brought back up the time when Wemmbu completely missed the fact that there was an elevator in that skyscraper.
Yes, it has been 8 months.
But it was still so funny.
Wemmbu couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. He constantly checked behind his shoulder, but never saw anyone.
It was just paranoia.
…
…
…
Right?
…
…
…
No, even if he was just paranoid, he wasn't risking it.
He already failed Egg.
He wasn’t about to fail Rejoice too.
“Rejoice, we should start heading back.” He said, turning to the other.
He thinks the other noticed his stress, and quickly agreed.
“Theres a faster way to get back,” Rejoice told him, “we just have to cut in between a few buildings.”
Wemmbu nodded in agreement, the more they cut through the city, the easier it is to lose anyone potentially following them.
So that's what they did, cutting through building after building, street after street, block after block.
That feeling never went away, though.
He was about to tell Rejoice to keep taking detours when a figure dropped in front of them.
He couldn’t see their face, or any of their features because their hood was covering their face. They were in all black clothing, no wonder Wemmbu didn’t notice them.
A few seconds later, another person dropped down next to the other. They must have been traveling across roofs. This new person was a bit taller, but not by much. Wemmbu also couldn’t make out any of their features, as they were wearing the same thing as the other.
Wemmbu could only assume that these two ran the forge.
His heart sank as he looked at Rejoice, the others eyes wide in fear. Rejoice looked at Wemmbu and smiled.
“We should probably run.” He quietly remarked.
“You think!?” Wemmbu responded, already turning around to make a run for it.
But the mysterious figures were faster, wind charging up and once again landing in front of them.
This is not happening again.
“It’s a little late to be bothering us, maybe you should go back to coordinating hundreds of deaths.” Wemmbu laughed, stepping back a bit.
The slightly taller one only pulls out a sword in response.
Oh god this is really happening again.
“Live, Rejoice!” He yelled as he shot up into the air, attempting to hit the sword guy with his mace.
The person dodges, and goes to hit Wemmbu with his sword, and Wemmbu blocks with his shield just in time.
And then realization dawned on him.
Both of the other people were wearing netherite.
Wemmbu and Rejoice weren't wearing armour.
Oh they are so dead!
He wasn’t about to go down without a fight though. If running wasn’t an option, then he would fight ‘till his last breath.
It was a funny feeling.
The knowledge that he was going to die.
That both of them were going to die.
No, he was going to get Rejoice out of this if it was the last thing he ever did.
He still had to open that flower shop.
So he ignored his fear, and continued to fight the sword guy, while still trying to keep an eye on the other guy.
Who had pulled out a spear, and was trying to attack Rejoice.
Neither of them were prepared for a fight. Wemmbu only had, like 15 golden apples.
15 golden apples, no strength or speed pots, 30 wind charges, a sword, and Gambit.
Panic flooded his mind like an exploding dam.
He abandoned his fight with sword guy to attack spear guy, landing a mace hit and causing the other to retreat for a second, to heal.
He hit another shot, but without strength, he was probably doing, like, no damage.
He blocks another hit from sword guy, heels of his converse digging into the ground. He turns his head towards Rejoice and yells for him to run, before shooting back into the air.
He hits the sword guy this time, still doing literally nothing.
He wasn’t used to being this powerless.
Sword guy basically ignored him, both enemies turning to each other. They shared a look— or at least Wemmbu thinks they did— and started chasing Rejoice.
He thinks this probably the worst time to be thinking of this, but Wemmbu can’t help but remember a song Rejoice said he liked as he chased after.
Give me your eyes, I need sunshine.
They had speed, and he didn’t.
Give me your eyes, I need sunshine.
Wemmbu felt as if he could never catch up.
Your blood, your bones, your voice and your ghost.
He felt like he could only watch as the two easily caught up to Rejoice.
We’ve both been very brave, walk around with bowed legs.
He screamed as both started attacking Rejoice.
Wait for the scary day, we both pull the tricks out of our sleeves.
He felt utterly helpless.
But, I’ll believe in anything, and you’ll believe in anything.
He couldn’t let this happen again— he couldn’t.
I said I’ll believe in anything, and you’ll believe in anything.
He still felt so far away, even though he was running as fast as he could.
If I could take the fire out from the wire, I'd share life and you’d share a life.
He watched as the sword guy stabbed Rejoice through the arm.
If I could take the fire out from the wire, I'd share life and you’d share a life.
Wemmbu heard his scream.
If I could take the fire out from the wire—
And he caught up, slamming into sword guy, both of them falling to the floor.
I’d take you where nobody knows you, and nobody gives a damn.
Both jumped back up equally as fast, Wemmbu starting to fight both of them at once.
I said nobody knows you, and nobody gives a damn.
He could see Rejoice out of the corner, holding onto his arm as it bleed.
And I could take another hit for you, and I could take away your drips for you,
Too much, too fast.
And I could take away the salt from your eyes, and take away what's been assaulting you.
He looked like he was trying not to cry.
And I could give you my apologies, by handing over all the olive trees,
He hit sword guy away at the same time he raised his sheild to block spear guy.
And I could take away your shaky knees, and I could give you all the olive trees.
Sword guy backed off for a second to go heal.
But look at the trees and look at my face,
Wemmbu was tiring, he couldn’t last much longer.
Then look at a place far away from here.
He thinks the other two know that.
So give me your eyes, I need sunshine.
They shared a look again, Wemmbu still unkowing of what it ment.
Give me your eyes, I need sunshine.
He grit his teeth, swollowing the pain as he went after sword guy again.
Your blood, your bones, your voice and your ghost.
He has no idea how he’s lasted this long.
We’ve both been very brave, walk around with bowed legs.
Probably shear luck.
Wait for the scary day, we both pull the tricks out of our sleeves
The two continued to trade hits.
But, I’ll believe in anything, and you’ll believe in anything.
Until metal conncted with flesh.
If I could take the fire out from the wire, I'd share life and you’d share a life.
Sword guy’s sword tore through his hoodie fabric, grazing his arm.
If I could take the fire out from the wire, I'd share life and you’d share a life.
He could feel the sting.
If I could take the fire out from the wire—
He could feel the warmth of the blood that spilled.
I’d take you where nobody knows you, and nobody gives a damn.
The smell of iron hiting his nose.
I said nobody knows you, and nobody gives a damn.
He went to go after the guy again, but stopped.
I said nobody knows you, and nobody gives a damn either way.
And then he realized.
About your blood, your bones, your voice, and your ghost.
Where did the other guy go?
Because nobody knows you, and nobody gives a damn either way.
“I-it’s been fun hanging out with you, Wemmbu.”
You know that I’ll believe in anything, and you’ll believe in anything
His heart stopped beating as he turned around.
Because nobody knows you, and nobody gives a damn either way.
…
…
…
Rejoice had a spear impaled in his chest.
…
…
…
And the whole world came crashing down around him.
____________
Rejoice wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was crying as the spear guy ripped the weapon out of his chest.
And Rejoice screamed, falling to his knees, coughing up blood.
Wemmbu didn’t think, didn’t care about the fight anymore.
His sword clattered to the ground as he ran over to Rejoice, kneeling next to him.
He looked at Wemmbu, tears streaming down his face, and even in death,
Rejoice smiled.
Wemmbu held him close, tears streaming down his own face.
He sure has cried a lot in the past 2 years.
“Please don’t die.” Wemmbu whispered,
“Please Rejoice.”
“I-I’m sorry.” The other coughed.
“You—” his voice broke. “You have to live. You can’t die. Don’t fucking die on me!”
The memory of Egg in the same situation flashes through his mind, over and over again.
As if he could do nothing but remember everything he wants to forget.
“Do— do you wanna know another flower I-I think you’d like?”
“Sure, Rejoice. Whatever you want.”
“Striped carnations.”
Rejoice leaned into Wemmbu’s arms, coughing up his lungs.
“Wemmbu— Wemmbu I’m scared.” He whispered.
And then Rejoice went very still.
The rise and fall of his chest stopped.
And he died with a smile.
…
…
…
Rejoice, the happiest person Wemmbu has ever met.
…
Rejoice, who dreamed of opening a flower shop.
…
Rejoice, who wouldn’t shut up about flowers.
…
Rejoice, who braided his hair.
…
Rejoice, who gave him that hair clip.
…
Rejoice, who is dead in his arms.
…
Wemmbu didn’t know how long he sat there, crying.
Why can’t he have one person?
He noticed both of Rejoice’s killers walk over.
He assumes they’re going to kill him.
He finds that he doesn’t care.
Wemmbu just hugs Rejoice tighter as the two stop in front of him.
He slowly looks up, his own tears blurring his vision.
He’s never been more angry in his life.
But he’s too tired to do anything about it.
“Just fucking kill me already!” He cries, glaring at them.
The two once again share a look, and spear guy finally starts talking.
“Wemmbu, we’re not going to kill you.” Manepear said.
Was it possible to be more upset then he already was?
He let out a strangled cry as the realization hit.
“I hate you! I actually fucking hate you!” He screamed at the man as he shakily stood up.
“Wemmbu bro, you gotta understand, he broke the rule. You know this.” Flame tried to reason,
“No, no, I don’t wanna hear it!”
“He broke the rule.”
“‘He’, was my best friend.” Wemmbu whispered. “Please, Mane. Just kill me. I don’t have anything left.”
“No— dude— Wemmbu bro, why would we do that? You’re our brother.” Flame replied,
“I haven’t been your brother for 1 year, 7 months, and 11 days.”
“You’re still keeping track of—” Flame hesitated.
“Of when you left me? Yeah, yeah I remember that. I remember that clearly. I remember not leaving that apartment for a month, because I was convinced you would come back if I waited long enough.”
“We had our reasons.” Mane finally spoke up,
“Oh yeah? What? What could possibly justify leaving a 16 year old alone in an apartment he couldn’t pay for.”
“We became the owners of the forge.” Mane replies,
“Oh yeah! That explains it all!” He laughs.
“I left because I failed you, Wemmbu. I taught you to be ruthless. I taught you that fighting was the only way out. And I knew— I knew the forge would ruin you. And it did. But at least I could make sure you only had fights you could win. I left because I knew literally anyone else would be better for you to be around. And I thought you had Egg.”
“Egg was murdered a year and 19 days ago.”
Mane didn’t say anything.
“I’m never going to forgive you.”
“I know.”
“I’ll hate you until the end of time.”
“I know.”
“I’ll hate you both every day that I still walk this earth.”
“I know.”
“I hope you die.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to kill you someday.”
“You can try.”
“I’m going to kill both of you.”
Flame scoffs.
“He told me that he wouldn’t leave like you did.”
No response.
“You made him break his promise.”
No response.
“You took the only thing I still had in this life.”
“...I know.”
He heard police sirens in the distance, and both of his brothers turned to leave.
“It’s not over yet Wemmbu. I’m proud of you.” Mane says before him and Flame turned to run away.
And Wemmbu was left standing in a quiet city, the only thing he could hear over the pounding of his own heart was the approaching cop cars.
He takes out his phone, seeing one notification. He clicks on it.
#1 sunflower defender:
I’ll never forget you.
He doesn’t respond before putting his headphones in, I’ll Believe in Anything by Wolf Parade drifting into his ears as he waits for the police.
Give me your eyes, I need sunshine.
Give me your eyes, I need sunshine.
Your blood,
Your bones,
Your voice,
And your ghost.
We’ve both been very brave,
Walk around with bowed legs.
Wait for the scary day,
We both pull the tricks out of our sleeves.
But, I’ll believe in anything,
And you’ll believe in anything.
I said I’ll believe in anything,
And you’ll believe,
In anything.