final echos

my heart reeks (of the life we once lived)

They screamed, plummeting into the void. For a moment, fear coursed through their veins- but when they stopped moving, they opened their eyes. And for just a moment-nothing short of a moment- they watched the world in which they laughed, they cried, they loved- they watched their life destroy before them.

Grian looked at his friends. No, his family. He dreamily looked at Mumbo, whose eyes bore tears, almost missing the sight. The void was dark, after all. He gazed to his left, to Scar, who gawped;not just grief, but shock, wonder-awe. Their world crumbling before them, harsh scarlet but also comforting tangerine. Contrasting emotions- grief, but a sense of freedom.

And when their view of the world instead became the sight of its remains, they linked hands. Grief was cruel, but uncertainty was certainly crueler. What now; what next? Pearl's shaky sobs, but Impulse's gasps- all their emotions, it plucked at his heartstrings. All their rushing thoughts, all their fears; it came together, entwined in what could be a permanent bond.

Because this, this was the end. They were the only ones to have survived together. Everyone else was gone- Xisuma was trapped in the nether, Cleo trapped in the End- who knows the state of others. It would never be known who-other than them- survived this. But wherever the survivors were, they were trapped there. That was their home now- it would be a matter of time before all the survivors die. Of starvation, or being killed off by some unknown entity.

It was a matter of time before they did too. So, as they watched the Sun for the last time, Grian took out a horn. And as the group tried floating to the horn, laughing and crying into it, blowing their laughter and cries into the brand-new object- Grian knew this could be the last. The last they'd enjoy each other's company. Tears welled in his eyes, but he pushed them away. If this was going to be the last of the Boatem's legacy, he's going to enjoy it.

So even though Grian lamented internally, even though he could see the remorse in Impulse's eyes, the misery in Pearl's lopsided grin-he whooped. He cheered, and in turn, so did they. While the sun rose over the last glimpses of their once home, they roared with laughter, blinking away their sorrows. He took one final look at the dismembered horizon as he split his sides laughing.

Charles half-heartedly his eyes, a sharp tangent of the sun stabbing daggers in his eyes. He groaned wearily. "Mumbo...one more minute...m'tired..." he muttered, turning over. A sharp branch jabbed his ribs through his woolly jumper- he yelped, awaking him with a jolt. A sunny blue sky filled his vision. Eyes widening, he shot up, an ache in his back.

What he saw was a change- it wasn't a dismembered, destroyed horizon. It wasn't a goodbye to a world, it wasn't overwhelming amounts of debris on the skyline- no, this was towering, lush trees. This was soaring mountains; this was a shining sun thrusting its heavenly rays on his mind. This was absolutely alluring-but that didn't remove that underlying unease to this new environment. It brought a sense of comfort to him amongst the confusion in his mind-but didn't eliminate the fear.

He stumbled up, the leaves almost giving away beneath his feet. He felt for those soft wings of him;they remained on his back. An eerie emptiness was in his soul. He just couldn't shake it, the feeling of being human was gone to him. But nonetheless, he lay down again, careful not to let the branches give away. He re-run through his memories, desperately trying to figure out where he is.

He thought of The Order Of Octa, Doc and Ren's chilling cult, which attacked Boatem time and time again. He lay, the nostalgia of the memories he was in pricking his eyes. Nihilistic Etho, not giving a care of the moon crashing into their home, False and Gem in their bunker huddling together, Mumbo at ease while writing the Mooner Texts, Pearl's shaky goodbye to her pets.

Tears brimmed down his face as he choked, covering his face with his icy hands. He curled in a ball on his side, not caring for the branch prodding at his side. How could he? How could he forget Bdubs? Oh, yes, that's right, they left him to die. He thought of the slow dawn of realization as the moon crashed as he got up from bed, tears welling in the corner of his eyes. If it was Grian in that situation, he would have certainly cried out in pain- not of his home being destroyed, but of being left behind. Of everyone forgetting you, leaving you to perish- alone.

That's it. He was in limbo- plummeting into the void left him dead yet alive. The freedom of death taken out of his hands, but the pleasure of life taunting him. Breaths defying his state, but not denying them either.

His eyes rimmed with tears, he shuffled to his back. "I suppose this is what I deserve," he quaveringly mumbled, "for leaving my friends behind. Eternal limbo." He ruffled through his inventory- empty,empty,empty- oh? Intrigued, he sat up, and revealed a shulker box from his otherwise empty inventory. He placed it on the leaves and opened it.