★ LABYRINTH ★ JAX X GN! READER || TADC

⭑ stranded lullaby ⭑

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this chapter will be short, but only because I don't want a huge three-thousand word mega chapter clogging up one page. hope you understand! thanks!

also, should I make a Spotify playlist for this story? Just a playlist composed of all the chapter titles in order? I think that would be fun.

anyways  enjoy!!!!

~jax pov~

In the time I had dragged myself out of my room and down the hallway, the abstraction had spread to my right leg. I was still able to walk, though I stumbled and fell every other step or so. Luckily, I hadn't been caught in my half-abstracted state as I maneuvered my way through the circus. My body ached and my head felt like TV static.

I eventually got to the main circus floor, right in front of where caine had opened the abstraction chamber to lower y/n in. But instead of only terrible memories reminiscing, my entire deteriorating self was filled with hope.

I took one more hard stumble before standing and cupping my hands to my mouth. "Caine!" I shouted.

No answer.

I grumbled, trying to keep myself level. I look a deep breath and tried again.

"CAINE!!" I shouted as loud as I could.

Caine almost immediately appeared out of a puff of smoke next to me, causing me to jump a bit. "HELL-O MY DEAR BOY! WHAT DO Y-...oh dear..." his energy faltered as he saw my situation. He censes his levetating and placed his feet flat on the ground, which surprised me. From the way his eyes shifted as he looked at the abstractions clinging to my body and how he gripped his cane anxiously in his gloved hands made it crystal clear that he'd never dealt with anything like this before.

"This is a rather...desperate situation, I hope you understand..." he hesitated. I nodded. "I know, and that's why I want to be sent to the cellar early."

Caine's eyes widened. "Early? But why?" he asked, baffled at my request.

"I just don't want to be a hazard to all the others when I do fully abstract." I explained thoroughly. Caine looked up at me and I could tell he was thinking about kaufmo and y/n. "Goodness..." caine turned away, tapping his cane against the side of his leg in thought. "Are you sure about this? You don't want any final goodbyes?" he asked carefully.

I shook my head. "I don't think there's enough time-" I cut myself off sucking air through my teeth as I could feel my digital flesh being eaten away by the writing abstraction.

Caine hesitated again before sighing and turning back to me. "Alright then." he tapped his cane on the ground before snapping his fingers and opening up the large hole in the floor. I took a step forward and peered down into the pitch-darkness, the warbling sounds of the abstractions barely meeting my ears.

"Oh, I suppose I should tell you this before you go- but...I'm very sorry about y/n. I could tell that they meant a lot to you, and it's truly a tragedy that they had to depart so soon..." he confessed. His genuine sincerity shocking me. I glanced at him over my shoulder and nodded. "...Thanks." 

I turned back to the cellar entrance, though I could still feel caine's presence behind me. I glanced at him over my shoulder admist the quiet awkwardness. "Uhmm...you think I could get some privacy?" 

Caine realized his disturbing presence and chuckled. "Of course." he snapped his fingers and he was gone in a puff of smoke.

I waited a moment to make sure he was gone and then smiled to myself. Great! He fell for it!  I dug my gloved hand into my front overall pocket and pulled out the longest rope I could fit in there. I had made it sewing together a lot of other ropes and double-stitched to make sure it was extra strong to hold my weight. 

I tied one end of the rope around my waist and ran over to an assortment of colorful blocks scattered about and tied the other end to the heaviest orange block, pushing the other blocks against it to secure the hold. 

When I checked everything off the preparation list, I stood at the very edge of the gaping void leading to the abstraction cellar. I struggled to leave my shaky breath. Was I really about to do this?

The biting pain returned all throughout my body, so strongly now that I let out an audible high-pitched groan. It crashed like waves throughout my body, forcing me to drop to my knees and take deep breaths.

The pain slowly (but not so surely) began to ebb away, and I shakily got back on my feet. I stared down into the darkness with lidded eyes, swallowing the fear and uncertainty rising in me before I jumped down into the pitch-black abyss...

─── · 。ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───