3rd life, but make it Corika!

{Flowers} The start of it all

Mhph...

Where... Did I fall asleep outside?

Army slowly opened his eyes, groggily sitting up on the soft grass, looking around. He felt weird, a bit disoriented. Trees surrounded a clearing, and a giant spruce in the center.

He looked down at himself, expecting to see his oversized theater shirt and fluffy pajama pants. Instead, he wore a more practical version of his normal clothes: Jeans, crimson boots, and a simple tank top. His parka had been replaced with a green bomber jacket, that cut off at his waist. Army pushed a strand of hair behind his ear- wait.

Hair?

Army... He ran his fingers around the edges of his ears. Small. Human-like. His tentacles had become hair. He...

"...I'm h-human?"

He looked around, expecting to be alone. Nope, He saw others- his friends- lying asleep or unconscious on the ground. Only, they had hair instead of tentacles and small, human ears. And for whatever reason...

Vintage, or who he could assume to be Vintage, his cyan hair now had a green fade. Army instinctively placed his palm against his forehead to rub under his tentacle (which often calmed him down), and his fingers grazed something. He took the something off, looking at it.

Instead of his beret, he now had a beautiful flower crown, made of green carnations, daffodils, and poppies. He placed it back on his head, a little shaky. He flopped back onto the ground, hugging his knees and leaning against a tree.

And only a few minutes later, Aloha stirred from across the clearing. His pink tentacles now fluffy and soft. He lifted his head from the ground. His eyes rested on Army, and he instantly stood up, running to the ginger and quickly kneeling besides him.

"Army, did... You're a human?"

Army looked up at his lover, nodding. "I t-think we all are. D-don't know why.."

"You alright?" Aloha asked, his hand on Army's shoulder.

"I w-will be.. I-If you're here.." Army managed a tiny smile. Aloha embraced the former octo, kissing his head.

Soon, people started waking up. Most reactions to the human-ness was a simple "Okay, that happened..." Some didn't acknowledge this.

As everyone woke up, Skull-who's wristbands were now green, instead of the black they used to be- walked up to the giant spruce, circling it. "...There's something written on this."

"...What does it say?" Prince asked.

Skull ran his hand over the bark, cleaning his throat. "This world is a challenge for you. We have sent you to a world with the rules of Minecraft for a game of sorts. The rules are simple: Each of you has three lives. When you lose your last, you become a ghost and watch over this world. Each of you wear a life indicator in the form of flowers, jewelry, or even something you had before like different colored cloth. When you are on your final life, your indicator turns red, and your goal is to now kill anyone who stands in your way. Good luck."

It was silent. Army curled up into Aloha's arms, shaking. Emperor grasped Gloves' hand tightly.

The silence was broken, by Rider clearing his throat. Army noted his sanitized eye had turned green, as did his hairband. A bright green and not the subdued blue-green it was.

"Then, we may as well split off." He said. "Group up, sure, but we need to find food and shelter, and I doubt we'll be able to tolerate each other after a while. And if we're living together with someone on their last life..."

Skull nodded, understanding the implications. "I say we split into duos. We'll be less likely to kill each other if we're with a romantic partner."

Mask sighed. "I'll just live by myself, then. Don't mind me." Without waiting for another word, he walked away from the group, her green armband blending in with the forest surrounding the group.

"Well... I'll see you all around, then." Rider said. He took Goggles' hand, and headed in a different direction from Mask.

"I'm taking Army then!" Aloha declared. He scooped up Army, keeping him safe in his arms. "Let's find someplace nice for you..."

"O-okay..." He leaned into Aloha's chest. He would sleep, but his anxiety buzzed in the back of his head, keeping him awake.

After a while of walking, the two came along a beautiful little grove. A hill surrounded it on one side, the face sheer enough to be mistaken for a quarry of sorts. Flowers decorated the grass, and a small pond was in the center.

"What do you think of this, love?" Aloha asked, kissing Army's forehead. "Goes with your crown."

"G-guess it does, darling." Army said. "T-this... would be a good home for us."

Aloha smiled. He carefully walked into the grove, setting Army down on a patch of soft grass. "I'll carve out a home for us. If this world really does run on Minecraft logic, it'll only take a few minutes. Get some rest, love."

Army nodded, curling up as Aloha got to work. The sounds of the breeze in the trees and grass made his eyelids heavy, and soon, he fell fast asleep, his worries becoming nothing more than a buzz in the back of his mind.