(ON HIATUS) To Reminisce [A Watcher/Hermitcraft Fanfiction]

Something's Off [Chapter Three]

A/N: Thursday is close enough to Friday.. right? heh

tw's: self harm (flashback) ; degrading thoughts/behavior (flashback)

wc: 2377

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The Void.

Except it wasn't like any Void he had heard of. The End's void was dark with a few star-like objects dotting it, darker as you went down. It wasn't the typical void, endless blackness in all directions. It wasn't even an infinite-room void, everything a blinding white.

No, this Void was gray.

A medium shade of gray, closer to black than it was to white, expanding endlessly in all directions.

There was a figure standing in the Void with him, except he wasn't sure how close the figure was. They seemed close, but for some reason, Grian couldn't figure out the details.

And then he could. The person– he assumed it was a person –was hunched over, hands over their ears as if in a panic, or pain. They were wearing an elaborate outfit, rich purples of varying shades. Grian couldn't make out anything else.

The figure continued to clear. Robes? He wasn't sure. There was something at the figure's feet, with a portal-like symbol on it. It seemed familiar. They were turned away from him.

Whatever mist that made it hard to discern the details disappeared entirely. Grian's eyes widened.

They looked like him. Hair the same color with the signature waffle, except their hair was in a neater cut but frazzled. Their skin was paler than his, as if they hadn't seen the sun in a long time. A pair of wings was wrapped around them, a purplish-gray.

They were murmuring something, although it was too quiet for Grian to understand.

Grian took a hesitant step forward. The doppelganger apparently heard him- or sensed him? Grian wasn't aware that he had made any sound. The person spun around and stared at him.

Grian's breath hitched. A pale face that looked all too much like his own was looking at him. His own purple, purple? eyes stared back at him, wide and swirling with unreadable emotions. Except fear. Fear was very much present in this figure. Their eyes were a deep purple, the same color as the portal.

"Nonononononoonono- you're not supposed to be here-!" Why do they sound like me?!

"What's that supposed to mean? Who are you?" Grian garbled, then froze. Because that wasn't Common, and neither was what the figure had just said.

"What!? What is this- how am I speaking- how am I here?" The figure didn't respond. They simply stared at him, then they became distorted. A distorted figure of something, a color Grian couldn't place, and a familiar feeling he couldn't discern because why does this feel like deja vu?

"Ĩ̴̟̿'̶̰̓͝m̶̢̠̑ ̸͉̉̈́ş̴̾̍ͅö̸̹́̔r̷͚̯̀r̸͚͗̊y̶̳̓." Their voice was distorted. It sounded so familiar.

"Ẅ̸̡̛̫͎̥̞̳̭̝̱́͌͛͆ĥ̷̛̩͇͉͓̖̘̑̽̌̃̽ͅa̴̖͖̖̻͙͗̊͐̍̒̈́̒̕t̸̡̨̻͚͇̖͍̖͈͋̚͝ ̴̡̱̘̜͎̣̣̻́̽̋͒̈́͘ͅd̸̨̖͚̯̩̼̪̒̓̎ö̴͎͕̋̒ ̷̗͎̥̒̇̅́̿̉̽y̴̲̲̲̲̯̥͒͒̀̉̐̅͂͘o̷̼͆́̅͆̕u̴̡̩̺͆ ̴͓͍̃̿̉m̶̛̪̘̙͋̍͛̐̓ē̵̛͕̮̺̽a̶͊̐̓̊̅ͅn̵͕̜̫̙̘͇̎͌̍͘?̴̗͈̘̫̪̝̰̲͎̂̈́" His own voice was more distorted than the figure's.

They smiled sadly, except they didn't because Grian couldn't see their face, but he could feel it.

"Wᒷ ∴╎ꖎꖎ ᒲᒷᒷℸ ̣ ᔑ⊣ᔑ╎リ ᓭ𝙹𝙹リ. I'ᒲ ᓭ𝙹 ᓭ𝙹∷∷||." It sounded exactly like the rest of their conversation, but for some reason he could no longer understand it.