Unrecognizable

~Chapter Twenty-Eight~

It must be midnight or later.

Even so, Sage couldn't sleep. He just wasn't tired. Of course, he could force himself to sleep by clambering into his bed, but, as he had discovered the prior day, the world had become so corrupt that it was possible to sleep without a bed. And Sage didn't fancy getting stuck wherever Void did last time the admin slept in a bed. Sleeping without a bed was odd indeed. He couldn't quite tell that he was asleep, his dreams weren't fully encapsulating. It was as if he could still tell that he was awake and in the living world; he could still feel the sensation of the chair, floor, or whatever he was sitting on. He still felt rested when he woke up, though. Above all else, Sage was purely curious about the whole thing. The last time he slept without a bed was an accident; he got so caught up in his own mind that he hadn't even realized he was so tired until he woke up.

But now was different. He couldn't sleep because he just wasn't tired, not because he physically wasn't able to. He lay sprawled on the floor of his room, reading and rereading his notes. Of course, Sage could be doing something productive, like gathering more chorus fruit for Void... But lying on the floor like a dead person seemed much more appealing at the moment. He honestly didn't know what was up with him. A week or so ago, the duplicate would be jumping at the chance to work on something or unsettle someone else, or, honestly, anything. But now... He mentally added that to the list of things to talk about with Void.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Sage sat straight up as he heard the familiar movement of pistons, then saw the door open and the bee-suited Hermit walk in. He glanced down at the ground to see Sage sitting there, and cocked his head in confusion. "...hello...Sage...." He seemed worried. Sage could guess why; it isn't every day you walk into a room to see someone sitting on the floor, staring at you.

"Hi, Void," Sage said, standing up. He brushed off his knees and leaned against the wall as Void sat in one of the chairs. "Can't sleep?"

"More like 'won't,'" he clarified. "Sleeping is dangerous." The admin stopped talking and his gaze fell slightly, making it clear that he was remembering what happened last time he did so. Sage couldn't blame the other for being unwilling to risk whatever happened last night happening again. It seemed like quite the unpleasant experience; Void's haunted expression when Sage first woke him up was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.

"You could always sleep without the bed," Sage proposed, shrugging. This got Void's attention; the admin fixed his eyes on Sage's again, confusion clouding his gaze.

"What? That's not possible."

And what a fine segway into Sage's notes that was. "You'd be surprised." Void blinked confusedly at this. Folding his arms, Sage continued. "I actually managed to fall asleep yesterday very far away from any bed. Fun experience. Didn't get trapped in any voids. Highly recommend." Come to think of it, the sleeping mechanisms seemed to be corrupting much more noticeably than other things. Maybe it was because it was so complex. Eh, whatever. The point was, Void was certainly hooked now.

"Really?" Void's eyes were wide behind his visor and he leaned forward slightly. "That's not normal." No crap. 

"That's not the only thing." What should he mention first? Well, it only made sense that he'd go in order of his notes. "I talked with Mumbo earlier, and he has no recollection of anything before coming to HermitCraft. He thinks he's been here since the beginning of time or something." 

Sage didn't have to be an experienced detective to understand that Void had not just something, but everything to do with this. The look on his face was evidence enough; even behind the visor of his helmet, Sage could see his face flush with guilty color and his eyebrows raise with confusion, and was that concern? Sage's own eyebrows furrowed. How much did he know? And why hadn't he told Sage?