Acts of Redemption

follow the trail

Purple flew around the Nether looking for Yellow for what felt like hours without success, the frustration was already getting to him.
He had gone far from the tower when his tears had completely clouded his vision enough that he had to land if he didn't wanted to hit a Ghast or something.

Purple landed on a large chunk of floating land with a huff. He could see the layer of land below, a larger piece of land connected to a lava pit.

The area was filled with zombie piglins, who wandered around like the mindless idiots that they were. Purple was sure the brutes won't come this way, not with so many zombies around.

Purple whimpered quietly, forcing his fists against his face to dry his stubborn tears but to no avail.

─ Fuck...─ He whispered, his face still stinging from the slap from his King. ─ Fuck...Fuck, Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!!

He yelled, as loud as he could, until his heart stopped aching, until his throat was raw.

Purple felt like his body was on fire, all that frustration piled up on top of his soul and burned like poison in his veins, and he couldn't stop it.

─ Hes going to kill me... ─ The bad thoughts swimming around his brain again. ─ I failed him... And he's going to kill me.

So many thoughts rushed through his head, so many feelings that he didn't knew how to deal with, his head hurt, his stomach hurt.

─ They are right... I'm just as disposable as anyone else in this forsaken place... ─ He gasped, his sobs stuck in his throat as the realization hit him like a truck.

Purple sobbed, not bothering to hide his pain, he grabbed a rock from the floor, gripping it tightly in his fist before throwing it on the layer below as hard as he could. It shattered at impact. ─I had one fucking job!!

He jumped off the land, landing on the layer below and receiving a few blank looks from the zombies. ─ I had one job, and I screwed... I screw everything...

The tears wen down his cheeks like tiny rivers of pain. ─ I'm so fucking useless... That I can't even do this one thing right...

He lifted his feet, ready to kick another rock when he noticed a small trail of blood droplets going down into a crack on the foundation, down into a cave.

The King stepped into the corridor once again, but this time he wasn't here to negotiate, he was not in the mood.

No brute tried to stop him or stay in his path, no one wanted to die in his hands and they knew to keep their distance from their lord.

─ Second Coming. ─ He said, huffing when the orange stickfigure didn't move nor respond from his corner, head touching the bars.

─ Look at me when I talk to you.

─ I told you my answer already, don't waste your time. ─ The shorter stickfigure's voice was whispery and rough, he had no energy right now.

But the King didn't leave, in fact, he came closer, enough to reach Second's arm through the bars. He gripped so tightly that it made the prisoner gasp, before he was slammed against the bars, forced to his feet.

─ I'm not here to play any games with you anymore. ─ The King dropped his calm demeanor, barking at him. ─ You will do what I tell you to do! Do you understand?

Second Coming grunted at the force which the King held him against the bars, staring at him with a sneer. ─ Bite me.

With that the King growled, shoving his prisoner away from him, making him fall backwards on the floor.

─ If you won't help. Then you are of no use to me. ─ The King turned to the brutes at the door.

─ Double the security, we cannot have any other problems. We got a change of plans..

Purple slowly slid down the cave entrance. He grunted quietly when he landed.

Looking around there was barely anything to see other than a few cracks and loose rocks, but what keep his attention was the trail of blood droplets that kept going deeper into the cave. So he did the only reasonable thing, Purple kept following.

The trail was inconsistent, the blood didn't splatter or made a perfect smear on the floor, it was one or two drops of blood, it was kinda gross when Purple actually thought about it.

His thoughts were stopped abruptly when he heard a whimper of pain.

Slowly peaking around the wall, he saw Yellow, sitting on the floor, using what he could only assume to be a dagger to try painfully and slowly pull the nail from deep within his side, he seemed to be failing miserably.

There was some blood on the floor and the blade, tears streaming down the stickfigure's face, and for a moment, Purple forgot his own pain.

He gave a step forward, accidentally kicking a rock, and before he could do anything Yellow sprung to his feet, rushing to grab his diamond sword.

With a gasp, Purple stepped back, but he was now face to face with a very angry Yellow, who was pointing the sword to his throat with one hand while the other covered his bloody wound.

─ Ah. It's you. ─ Yellow sneered, looking at him with disgust as if he was but a simple parasite in his eyes.

─ Nice to see you too, Yellow...

Yellow growled, pointing the sword closer to his face. ─ You were fucking following me?

─ You left a pretty easy to follow trail. ─ Purple shrugged, but that only got Yellow more mad.

─ Have you not done enough? Have you not cause enough trouble for a lifetime?? Can't you just leave us alone??

The yellow stickfigure grimaced, holding his sword tighter when Purple began to speak.

─ I have orders to bring you back, Yellow. King is pretty mad about it...

─ I don't give a damn about what King feels. ─ Yellow pulled his sword away from his throat, but still keeping it at reach, not done being mad at him. But the pain won, and he slowly backed away from him, trying to go back to his corner of the cave. ─ Go! Leave! I'll spare your mediocre existence so we can beat the life out of you later!

─ No wait! ─ Purple scrambled to approach Yellow. ─ Please, I don't think he will forgive me if I don't bring you back! He's going to kill me... Yellow, please!

Purple grabbed Yellow by the arm, trying to stop him from moving but Yellow turned abruptly, punching him straight on the face. He fell to the floor.

─ Do not touch me! Don't you understand?? I don't care what will happen to you! You deserve this!

Purple's hands turned into fists. ─ You don't know what he's capable of... He's going to destroy everything if I can't get you back.

─ Hes going to destroy everything regardless if I'm there or not! You two deserve each other, two stupid, greedy bastards looking for power that doesn't belong to them!

─ He wants Second Coming!

For a moment, Yellow just stared at him in confusion. Purple wanted to throw himself at lava at this point but he forced himself back to his feet.

─ What?

─ My... My Lord ordered us to keep Second Coming in the palace... He wants something from him but won't tell me what...

If possible, Purple would be able to see the cogs turning on Yellow's head, the smoke coming out of his ears. After a long pause, Yellow mumbled. ─ He wants Second's powers...

The purple stickfigure frowned, looking down at his feet. ─ I don't think Second Coming agreed... King seemed upset about it and told me to...

He stopped mid-sentence, what could he say? He did such horrible things and was willing to let them starve to appease his King.

─ To what? ─ Yellow asked, impatiently.

─ He wanted me to torture all of you, so Second Coming would feel forced to accept his deal.

And oh, Yellow saw red at that moment.