Good Things Never Last

Chapter 35

As soon as I realised I was alone, all of my emotions rushed to the surface. Yes, life was good there. Before that day, I had made new friends and everything seemed to be going great. But I wasn't free. I'd been confined to a box. Even though it was a large box, I couldn't get out. And it was possible that my brother was going to die. Yeah, that wasn't helping.

I cried for what seemed like hours, releasing every ounce of feeling I had, leaving me tired as I stared blankly at the ceiling above me. I'd never realised how lost I'd been during my time here. How I was gradually losing my identity. I used to be a fun-loving, kind person to everyone I met, but I had become a massive act. I'm trying to stay sane, but it wasn't working. I was a shell of my former self, and I was finally beginning to crack. That was my final thought before succumbing to the soothing darkness.

A little shake jolted me awake. I groggily rolled over to face the unfamiliar person, still refusing to open my eyes and accept the fact that I was awake.

"Hmmm"
The gentle shake became more frantic while I refused to open my eyes.
"What"
As I half-opened my eyes, a blurred figure knelt down at my level, wearing black and white.
"Shhhhh Y/N"
I jolt up quickly after hearing the serious tone in my friend's voice, shocking me slightly.

My eyes began to focus on the raven-haired boy seated in front of me as I rubbed them. He was dressed in the same way he always is. He wore plain black pants, a white hoodie with a flame on it, and a white bandana to keep his hair away from his pale face. He didn't typically have such a pale complexion.

"What is it Sap?"
As he rose from his hunched position, he let out a trembling sigh.
"Dream's duel with Tommy starts in an hour. Gogy and Dream have already left. I couldn't leave you here knowing you might never get to see Tommy again. I couldn't bear the thought Y/N"

His voice was hardly audible. It was only loud enough for me to hear.

"Dream doesn't want you coming. Look, I don't know what happened between you and him earlier, but he's acting really off. I did ask if you could come, but he rejected my request before I even finished the sentence, but I couldn't leave you"
I sat up, confused about what I was hearing. Sapnap was willing to defy his best friend's desires just to make me happy. It was unexpected, but I decided to ask about it later because the clock was ticking.

"How long do we have?"
Before shifting my gaze to Sapnap, I notice a black hoodie on the floor.
"We need to leave within 5 minutes. It's a long walk and we need to get there early"
I just nod as a yawn slips through my lips.

"I reckon they'll duel at dawn cause they'll want to be all cool and shit. So that gives us roughly an hour to get down to the prime path"
I leap to my feet, grabbing the hoodie, and pull it over my head before brushing my fingers through my hair.
"Ready. Let's go"
I didn't wait for his reply. Grabbing his hand, I rushed down the corridor, quickly making my way down the stairs and rushing out the front door.

"Jeez Y/N we still have 40 minutes"
"40 minutes! You said we had an hour like 2 minutes ago"
"Well someone cough you cough didn't want to wake up"
"Wow Sapnap, low blow, real low blow"

We went down the wooden path, making small talk to lighten the mood between the two of us before the battle that would determine almost everything. Sapnap came to a complete stop when a hill emerged across the horizon. I came to a halt as I saw him go through his pockets before taking out some rope.

"Look Y/N, I don't want to do this, but it's a safety precaution"
"I know Sap, it's fine, I'm still a prisoner here after all"
As I stared up into his eyes and extended my wrists towards him, a slight smile appeared on my face.

He wrapped them with the rope before we continued up the slope, being exceedingly kind while doing so. He then slipped his finger through the gap he created between the rope and my wrists to make sure it wasn't too tight. He then let go completely and continued on his way.

As I approached the summit, I was greeted by two groups of people, the closest of which consisted of a blond boy wearing a white sweatshirt, which was almost fully covered with netherite armour. One stood tall, his dark hair adorned with a big golden crown. Another stood there wearing a blue t-shirt and goggles. And a man in a green hoodie stood behind me with his back to me. Thankfully.

My gaze is drawn to the other group, which consists of four individuals.

They were all dressed alike and apparently engrossed in conversation. The tallest of the group had brown curly hair and was feverishly swinging his arms about, visibly worried. A boy with two orange fox ears protruding from his head and a brilliant tail dangling from his lower back stood to his right. A tiny brunette child sat on a nearby rock, intently watching bees as they buzzed over the flowers, attempting to keep his mind off the inevitable.

Finally, there was a tall blond boy with unkempt hair and large dark bags under his ocean blue eyes. He didn't appear to have slept in weeks. Even though I was almost a hundred metres away, I could see the dread in his eyes as he stood tall, nodding along with what his boss was saying.

As he slowly turned his head in my way, his deep blue eyes locked with mine. He must have felt my gaze on him.

But before I couldn't make any sort of movement towards him, a masked face snapped towards mine.