The Pause [Adopted Book]

Attempted Repair

I staggered as the pistons released, jolting me out of stasis.  It sent me lurching forward, almost tripping over the steve in front of me.  Hastily, I regained my footing.  There was a strange ringing in my ears that was slowly fading away as I took in my surroundings, which appeared to have changed a lot.

The first thing I heard was a shout of relief.

"Oh- Purple!  You're okay, thank Origin!"  My muddled brain took a second to place the name, and I looked up to see the bleary figure of Purple being cradled by a Violet Steve.

Wait, a Violet Steve?

And why was my guide splattered with blood?

Instinctively, I reached for my spear.  There were other steves here, too, causing a blur of bright colors all around me.  I panicked as my hands closed around empty air.

"Go away!"  someone shouted, and I felt lightning smack into me from above.  Fear clawed at my throat until I realized that unlike in my mind, my powers weren't gone.  I let the energy pool into my fingertips.  Then, I stopped.

No.  This wasn't the right way to do things.

"Unstable, stop that."  Purple scolded, his voice a little raspy as he moved out of his friend's arms.  "He's fine."

"No, he's not."  someone argued, voice hoarse from crying.  "He's a murderer."  It was the steve I had nearly tripped over.  I jumped back a little, realizing just how close he was.  He didn't look at me, or meet my eyes, but I could clearly see the orange and blue coloring on his hair and skin.  He was mirroring the Violet Steve's position, except that the body he held in his arms was clearly dead.

Revulsion seized me as I caught sight of the blood-stained body.  The steve Purple said I killed.  Not far away was my spear, its tip coated crimson.  I thought about grabbing it for a second, but I didn't want to touch the blood.  Nor did I want to get too close to the grieving steve.

"I- um-"  I stammered, still not sure what to do or say.  It was Purple who got my attention.  He had regained his footing and walked over to me, ignoring the protests of his violet friend.

"Hey, it's okay."  he comforted.  "But there's something you need to fix really quick, if you're up to it."  I didn't reply as he gently guided me toward a hazy patch of pale blue.

Oh, I had almost forgotten about him.

The steve was clearly unconscious, and judging by the sparse puffs of air coming up, he was struggling to breathe.  His icy cold skin was trembling, still trying desperately to warm itself.

"Oh."  I cringed back.  "I'm s- I um..."  The words stuck in my throat, but Purple didn't wait for the apology.  He pulled me down, close to the freezing body.

"Can you reverse it?"  he asked hopefully.  I hesitated.  I hadn't reversed any curses before.  But I had to try.  Otherwise, this steve would definitely die, and I would have even more blood on my hands. 

I hovered a hand over the shivering body, feeling the cold without even touching it.  I took a deep breath and blew out fog, letting the power grow inside me once more.

I concentrated hard, trying to draw back the power and magic, the same way I had done with some of my enchanted books.  Surely reversing a curse would be easier than casting it, right?

"What did he do to that poor steve?"  someone whispered, horrified.  Purple quickly shushed the voice.

"Back up, he needs to concentrate!"

I forced my hand a few inches closer, feeling the cold intensify.  How much worse was it for the cursed one?

"Come on."  I muttered to myself.  "You stupid, stupid."