The Hidden Kingdom // DreamSMP

Chapter 20: Scattered

"What are you doing in my house?"

Tommy scoffed, stepping towards the stranger. "This is my home Connor. This is my home!" He waved his hands around.

Connor raised a brow. "What- This is my estate."

Drowning out their bickering, you slip past them and into Tommy's home. It was small and—unique. Chests were placed around the room and dirt covered the walls and ceiling.

You just needed a break. The muffled arguing seemed to grow louder, resulting in an incoming headache. Putting a hand to your temple, you groaned in annoyance. "Fuck. Maybe I should've stayed with Phil."

So, you broke the only rule that was ever given to you. You slipped away and into L'manburg and went to the only place you knew you'd be comfortable in.

Karl's home.

You knew he wouldn't be there. You knew he was missing. But it was the only familiar place you could retreat to without being under the watchful eyes of Technoblade or Phil. Even Tommy.

Slipping through the doors and onto the path, you reached into one of the many enchanted pockets of your armor and pulled out a potion bottle of the iridescent liquid that would make you disappear.

The glass shattered as the curses of Techno and Tommy resounded through the air. Consumed by the potion, you were gone.

——

The sound of your footsteps and the crunching of snow. The cold was familiar to you now, having not experiencing snow before in your old world. Though it wasn't nearly as cold in L'manburg as it was near Techno's house. He did live in the arctic region after all.

You looked down towards you feet and noticed they had started glimmering, signaling that the potion would wear off soon and slowly reveal yourself to the naked eye. You hurried towards Karl's house and finally opened the trapdoors and walked inside.

The room was cold and slightly messy. It was desolate and silent. There was no longer the muffled yelling from Tommy and Techno from the next room. There was no crackle of the familiar warm fire that seemed to always be lit. There was no shuffle of potion bottles as Techno would usually be making potions during the day. There was no ruffling of feathers from Philza, a sound you've grown to familiarize.

Papers scattered the floor and various splatters of ink were present as well. Your eyes narrowed and trained towards the familiar table you once sat at. There was a journal or, in better terms, the remains of a journal. Its pages had been ripped out and there laid a single feathered quill next to it. Ink had dried under the tip, indicating it had been in use and was most likely dropped.

"The fuck...?" You cursed, confused by the scene in front of you.

Crouching down towards the ground, you pick up a few papers. Your brows furrowed. Turning through them, you each paper was completely empty. There was not even a single drop of ink despite the various ink splatters on the floor and the ink dipped quill that had now dried.

You sat down at the table, gently placing the empty papers on the wooden table that had been stained by countless meals and ink from, what you assume, the countless times that Karl had decided to write about your world. Afterall, it was the only one he could travel to with your key.

Looking towards the journal, it appeared as though Karl had been writing something before he had disappeared. You looked to the page and noticed it hadn't been empty. But it was clear it was unfinished due to the line that dragged on from the last letter on the page.

"Diary entry #xx

She's gone and so is the key. I guess it's my fault she left. But it's worrying. That key isn't normal. I know it isn't. But I didn't think it would affect anyone. It never did to me.. So why did it affect her? And why couldn't she remember?