A Faithful Memory

Ranboo: Project End

That night, after what remained of Kristen's cake had been stored away for later snacks and the cleanup had been done, the family gathered once more around the fireplace in the living room. They were in a much quieter mood now, so there wasn't a lot of talking. Kai hummed to himself where he knelt on the floor, his back against a chair, giving everyone quick glances now and then as he nibbled another large piece of gingerbread. Philza and Kristen sat beside each other on a couch, the Lady with her head resting on Phil's chest. Her husband stroked her hair sleepily. Techno and Ranboo sat near Kai, close to the fire. Techno was in the very armchair Kai leaned on, with his soft blanket over his knees, his head thrown back and eyes closed, his hands limp on the arm rests. Ranboo sat straight-backed on the floor next to his avian friend, his dark glasses on, the tip of his black-and-white tail flicking about. Every now and then he would lean over and whisper to Kai, who would nod and whisper back.

The fire danced on the hearth, flickering and crackling as a log popped, sending a tiny shower of sparks into the air. The warmth spread throughout the room, and the only light was the deep, fluttering gold of the flames. Kristen yawned.

Ranboo, whose hands had been vaguely twisting and wringing each other, finally spoke up. "Hey, uh, guys? Do you...do you mind if I tell you all something?"

The sound of his low, clear voice in conjunction with the sound of the fireplace provided a narrative air to the sleepy atmosphere. Techno opened his eyes. Storytime.

Phil looked over at the Enderman hybrid. "Sure, mate. What is it?"

Ranboo coughed. His tail began to twitch a little faster and he absently rubbed the crown he was still wearing. Kai tapped the floor next to him. "It's okay, Ranboo."

The Enderman hybrid nodded gratefully to his friend. "Kai already knows about this, and...and we talked about it, and now I guess I want to share it with you guys."

Techno shifted in his chair, sitting straighter. He pulled his soft blanket a little higher over himself, wishing he could actually see Ranboo's face from where he was, and not just hear his voice.

Theories, people, theories.
He's gonna talk about family. -L
What about the scars?
It's gotta be about Project End.
Shhhhhhhh we don't talk about the Projects!
Shut up! I wanna listen! -T

Philza and Kristen sat up a little more, still watching the fire. But they were listening.

Ranboo swallowed. "Okay, so..."he cleared his throat and began speaking somewhat rapidly. "So, as you all know, I'm a hybrid. Half Enderman, half...something. I don't even know what my other half is; I never found out. But that's...that's what I am. And the thing is...I shouldn't exist. I shouldn't exist. Not naturally. I..." Ranboo stopped and drew a long, slow breath.

Kai broke his gingerbread piece in half and offered some to his friend. Ranboo took it with a murmured "Thank you", and ate the whole thing in one mouthful.

He resumed after a few moments, his voice steadier now. "I was created. In a lab. Maybe six years ago. I was one of six hybrids, all of whom were like me. We were Project End."

Techno's hands gripped the arm of his chair. I thought he said he wanted to talk about this later. He wondered if he could slip away from the group unnoticed. But Phil and Kristen were sitting where they could see everyone. And he didn't want to draw attention to himself right now. So he just sat there, hoping against all odds that Ranboo's story would not bring up all his worst memories.

"I don't know why we were made." Ranboo said. "We were never told. We were kept in a single room all the time, and every day men in white would come and take one of us away. They ran tests on us and...and made us preform...tasks so they could see what we could do." He bowed his head. "My brothers and sisters and I, we tried to stick together. Tell each other what we went through so the rest of us were more prepared. I was the youngest, so the other five did their best to shield me from the worst of their experiences. It didn't help when the men came for me, though."