The Frozen Empire - An Empires SMP AU

20 - Death

Disclaimer - This gets kinda dark, and I'm trying to say this in a way that doesn't spoil it...

so be warned.

Gem had to do a double take, she had been coming back from a storage room, a shulker of bread in hand, when she saw Katherine lounging in a café. The estranged Emperor appeared to be doodling, scribbling anything into a small notepad that sat on the table. The Piglin running the establishment cast Gem a look of desperation, as if to say 'Why is it here?'.

Gem went off to get FWhip, who at the time was preparing to go to sleep in the home of a grouchy brute. Gem explained that Katherine was in the village, and how she was going to confront her, Gem hoped FWhip could come so they could make peace between the two.

"I don't know," FWhip said, gesturing to his practically mummified figure. "I don't think she wants to talk to me right about now."

"Oh c'mon!" Gem frowned, trying to put on puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"

"I think he should go," The Piglin snorted. "Maybe she'll kill him this time..." 

"No," Gem shook her head. "That's just-... ugh, never mind."

"What did they say?" FWhip asked.

"Doesn't matter," Gem denied, wafting her arm nonchalantly. "Now can you please just come?" FWhip dove into his duvet, he turned to face the wall.

Gem made her way out on her own, she took her time though, she was in no rush to talk to Katherine, but it was what they had to do.

She entered, the door caught on a bell, it chimed a bird-like chirp. Katherine whipped her head around, Gem flinched, she brought her hand up to wave.

"Hey Katherine?" She said questioningly. "What are you- what are you doing here?" She stammered, itching her elbow as a nervous tick.

"I'm just stopping in for an evening stroll," Katherine grimaced, her voice all twisty.

"Oh," Gem raised her eyebrows. "Sarcasm, ha ha, very funny." Katherine put on a mischievous grin. Gem came around to sit in the booth seat opposite from Katherine, she grabbed tightly onto the woolly padding. "So what are you doing here?" Gem lost her nervous tone.

"I was told to come here," She replied, fiddling with the pot of sugar that sat in the centre of the table. "By Sausage." Why sausage, Gem thought, couldn't you have told Joel to come our way...

"Why?" Gem said. "Wouldn't it be better to just go out and draw your birds?" Katherine released an annoyed grunt, she pulled her open notepad into her bag.

"I'm here to help free this world, and more importantly, Sausage." Gem blinked the hatred out of her eyes.

"You are?" Gem hunched back in her chair.

"And I know where Joel is," 

"You do-" Gem choked on her water. "Where?!"

"I hardly think I should tell you," Katherine reclined, turning away from Gem. 

Gem gaped. "Why not?" She said, her once strong tone now pleading and pathetic. "What have we done that was so bad?!" Katherine stood up, the table rattled and the water fell, a child Piglin swooped over, sponge in hand.

"You?" She stated. "You have done nothing," Katherine put back on her bag. "It's your brother, he narrowly killed me. And besides, the only person I owe anything to is Pix - he saved me when no one else did." Gem was confused.

"What do you mean?" Gem squeaked. "What did FWhip do?" 

"Oh well this is precious..." Katherine cackled, the Café suddenly seemed darker. "He didn't tell you..."

"Didn't tell me what?" Gem snapped defiantly. "What is he hiding from me?" Katherine came and sat down beside her.

"You think he's innocent..." Katherine laughed, placing her hands on Gems shoulders. "You think your darling brother wouldn't hurt a bee..." Gem started to breath heavier.

"What didn't he tell me?!" Her eyes welled, tears built like dams.

Katherine leaned in close to Gems ear. "He tortured me..." She howled. "He trapped me in a blue room and shot me if I answered wrong..." Katherines eye started to twitch. "Why do you think I was gone for so long?"

"No..." Gem whispered.

"I didn't remember it all initially..." Katherine spoke through gritted teeth. "But with every glance at blue, I see the month I spent in a cycle of torture."

"No." Gem raised her voice. 

"I couldn't sleep, my wounds stung like fire." She yelled. "I had arrows jammed into every reach of my body, on the verge of death, I waited for sweet release." 

"No!" Gem cried, tears washing down her face. 

"Then I was saved," Katherine spat. "By a man called villain - Xornoth...." Gems breathing was choked. "He saved me, and asked for no favour... as long as I stayed out of his way, and made sure everyone who posed a threat to him was eradicated. 

Gem returned to reality, she sat against a brick wall, her face dripping with blood. With slurred vision, she saw Katherine fending against swaddles of Piglin who were defending their queen. She jabbed and slice, cutting off arms and heads, massacring everything that got in her way.

Getting to her feet, Gem summoned rows of chomping mouths that erupted from the earth. Katherine sprung over the scaled mouths, bringing her axe down on Gem. She dove out of the way, Katherine passed back, hunting for a weakness in Gem's poor defence. 

It wasn't hard. 

Katherine made a string of multiple stabs, Gem fell to her knees, curling up into a ball, she released cries of help as Kathrine pummelled into her. She was desperate, and enraged, and out of control. Magic boiled up inside of her, it twisted into dark malice. She released a shrill scream, she combusted, shockwaves of pure energy blasting the surroundings. 

"STOP!!" She blacked out, everything became a blur. She went from being in unimaginable pain, to feeling a sense of nothingness.

She returned to reality. Everything hurt. Her clothes were darkened by pure red evil, her head thumped like a note block with stone under it. She was standing in the centre of the plaza, the Rivera was in ruins. Everything she spent half a year building was gone, now she stood with only the clothes on her back and-

Katherine was dead. Her body was lying on the floor, her left leg detached. A Hoglin chewed on her body, all her domestication had gone out the window. Every trace of Gem was gone from this world.

Next thing she knew she was yelling, at FWhip, he later flew away to escape her wrath. Then everyone else followed, they had a disgusted look in their faces, their eyes bore the same lifelessness as Katherine. Were they leaving? Gem hoped not... they still had to save the server and what not... Gem also missed her friends.

She started crying over Katherine, she hugged onto what remained, Katherine grew wet with tears. Gem screamed until her voice went hoarse, she cried until her eyes hurt, she felt her grip on reality slipping. 

The book of prophecies was by Katherine, opened on a page reading a simple prophecy.

A once statured Queen will bring the end of an Empire, using a power unkempt and rageful