You're Never Alone. It's Never The Answer.

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Conflicting Lives- Chapter 7: Midnight Nightmare, Afternoon Patrol

Word Count: 2788

Scythe looked up at Martian from where he was poised on the ground, clutching the deep wound in his right side. The red-clad villain had knocked him down with a powerful blow, and he was now half laying, half sitting against the brick wall of the alleyway they were in. A small pool of Scythe's crimson-violet blood was forming on the rough concrete below him, also scattered across Martian's upper body from their fight.

Scythe tried desperately to crawl away from Martian. He still had his entire life ahead of him. He was scared to die, and he didn’t want to die either, but something told him that Martian wouldn't let him go, even if he was begging on the brink of death.

But he still tried. “Please…” Scythe said, his voice barely above a whisper thanks to his quickly fading strength. As Martian stopped in front of him, Scythe could no longer hold his head up to look at him. “Please… I don’t want to die…”

“If only you had realized that sooner.” Martian smirked, his confidence and hatred oozing out as he spoke. “Too bad, no one’s here to save poor, little…” His voice faded, Scythe seeing his lips move, words forever unheard.

His voice now barely audible to even himself, Scythe’s vision blurred with the tears that now ran down his cheeks,  mixing with the drying blood on his face. Martian squatted down to where Scythe was laying on the ground, and lifted his head with his fingers covered in the Enderian's blood.

In the brits place, a soft, worried voice filled. “...Scythe… Scythe!” The young Enderian’s eyes shot open and he scrambled to sit up. He moved his hand almost immediately to his right side where he swore he still felt the pain of his wound.

Scythe’s heart still raced and his breath still seemed to come a bit short as he looked around the room he was in. He was in his room, in his dorm, in Cursia, and far, far, away from Martian. Taking a deep breath, Scythe took his hand off of his side, the pain from his nightmare still lingering in his mind.

“Scythe, are you alright?” The soft voice said again, somehow filled with even more worry. He looked to the side and saw Ella sitting up beside him, her eyes filled with worry and her wings fluffed in a protective manner. Scythe moved his hand to hers and slowly nodded.

“I think so, now that I’m awake.” He said slowly, testing to see how much she wanted to know, and how much he was willing to share. The worry in Ella’s eyes softened slightly, but she was still very obviously concerned about him.

“I promise, Ella. I’ll be fine. I just need to wrap my head around what happened.” He looked away as he said that, thinking about the dream a moment longer, then looked at Ella one more time. “You don’t have to worry love, I’ll be ok.”

Ella crossed her arms and looked away, fake pouting as she spoke. “I don’t believe you.” she said simply, her wings flapping very slightly on her back. Scythe simply chuckled and pulled her close, resting his head on hers.

“You don’t have to believe me, you just have to trust me.” he said to her, and she took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around him in return. The pair stayed like that for a few minutes longer, simply enjoying the warmth and comfort of the other.

Eventually, Scythe spoke again. “How about we try to sleep again? It's still too early to be fully awake, and I have a patrol to watch for myself at noon.” he had said. Ella took a few moments before responding, her voice quiet and edged with sleepiness. “Fine, but you’re not escaping cuddles.”

Scythe chuckled, his chest shaking and his mood improving immediately, the nightmare temporarily forgotten. “Alright, alright. We can cuddle back to sleep, but we have to lay back down to cuddle properly.”

Ella almost immediately let go and layed back down in the bed, shuffling and adjusting to make room for Scythe to lay next to her, and held her arms out to beckon him down. He chuckled once more under his breath before adjusting himself to properly lay down, Ella pulling him to her as soon as he got situated, and he wrapped his arms around her in turn.

“Now sleep. And no nightmares during cuddles.” Ella said. “Alright, no nightmares with cuddles.” Scythe conceded. The two Enderian hybrids held each other, eventually falling asleep cradled in each others arms with no nightmares or unsettling dreams to be had for the remainder of the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scythe woke up a few hours later, the sun shining through the window blinds, the clock by the bed reading 10:40am. As he rubbed his eyes from their sleepiness, realizing that he now had an hour and 20 minutes to get dressed, eat, and get to the Agency building for his patrol.

“Good morning sleepyhead” Scythe heard Ella say from the doorway, not even realizing she had opened it. The sweet and savory smell of waffles met his nose, and he smiled a still-sleepy smile.

“Good morning my favoritest person in the world.” Scythe said, rubbing his eyes once more and getting up from the bed. He walked over to the doorway where Ella still stood, holding his arm out for a hug as he approached. Chuckling, she embraced his hug and after a few moments, let go and led him into the kitchen where the wonderful smell was coming from.

Spread across the kitchen counters was admittedly a mess, but amongst the mess sat two pretty plates of food. One of waffles, and one of bacon and eggs. Scythe’s mouth started to water from the smell and sight of the delicious food, and he grabbed a plate to get himself some breakfast. Ella soon followed, and they sat down at the small table to eat their breakfast/brunch.

It didn't take long to eat considering Scythe had found himself to be very hungry when he took the first bite. Once finished, he and Ella rinsed their dishes, and he helped her to clean up the mess that was spread amongst the kitchen counter. It took a few minutes longer than expected, and once the pair had finally finished cleaning the counter and washing the dishes, it was 11:00.

With an hour before he had to be at the agency, Scythe decided it was about time to get dressed in his Uniform and head out. He figured that if he left earlier than he usually would, he might be able to save some energy by going slower in case anything, or anyone, came up. Him and Ella talked for a bit longer after Scythe had changed.

He ended up leaving at around 11:15, but that still left him 45 minutes to get there. Before long, he pulled out his phone and messaged Joel.

Scythe: Do you want to join me on the way to Patrol?

Joel: Why? Are you lonely without me?

Scythe: Oh shut up! Have you met yourself when it's been a long day and you haven’t had the chance to see Etho or Lizzie?

Joel: …

Joel: Shut up. 

Scythe: Hmm

Scythe: No, I don’t think I will

Joel: Rude.

Scythe: Yeah :D

Scythe laughed to himself, and he was sure that Joel was too at his

house. It was a few moments until Joel started typing again.

Scythe put his phone back away, and started leaping and climbing his way up the nearest easily accessible rooftop. Once up, he looked around to make sure of which way he needed to go in. He realized he needed to go in the opposite direction he was facing, but once corrected, he started heading to the address.

Joel: Where do you want to meet? I have to get changed, but it shouldn’t take too long.

Scythe: How about that one café off of  [xxxx] and [xxxx]?

Joel: Sure, I’m about 10 minutes out, tops.

Scythe: I’m about the same, meet ya there.

Read

Leaping across all kinds of different kinds of roofs, Scythe swiftly made it to the café, making sure to put up an illusion before hopping back down onto the street and walking up to the building’s doors.

After placing his drink order, Scythe found a seat close to the door and a window so he could see Joel when he got here. It didn’t take long before he saw Joel walking up the door, and when he walked through the door, Scythe waved to get his attention. Joel waved back and walked up to the counter to place his own order, then joined the younger man at the table.

“Fancy seeing you here, eh stranger?” Joel said with a wide smile as he sat down in the chair. 

“Oh wow, didn’t know you hang around these parts, stranger.” Scythe responded while trying, and failing, to hold back his laughter

Before long, the two burst out into laughter, and once they had stopped laughing, a worker came by with their drinks. Scythe could swear he recognized her bright orange hair and antlers, with the pointy elf ears to match. Nevertheless, he thanked her for bringing their drinks, and took a drink of his own cappuccino.

Scythe must have been very visible in deep thought about the waitress, and Joel most definitely noticed. “You alright there mate? You’re thinking too much, I can tell.” Scythe perked up, momentarily forgetting that he was in the café in the first place.

“Yeah, sorry.” Scythe rubbed his head before continuing, “I feel like I know that waitress from somewhere else, I just can’t place where from.” He took another drink of his coffee, and waited for Joel to respond.

“I thought so too, but damn dude you think too much.” Joel said after taking a drink of his own coffee. After he took his drink he just shrugged ,”You’ll figure it out at some point, let's just enjoy our drinks until we have to go.”

“Fair enough” Scythe felt himself agreeing. He knew he would figure it out another day, but the girl seemed to stick in the back of his mind until the pair had finished their drinks and had to leave once more.

They had spent about 15 minutes there, and only had about another 15 to get to the Agency building. It would be a close fit, but they would be able to get there in time. Walking out of the building, Scythe turned to Joel with a mischievous smile on his lips.

“Bet I can beat you there without teleporting!” he said as he jumped away from the brunette. He had jumped to the ladder of a nearby building, using it to climb up onto the roof. Once he made it up, he disabled his illusion, revealing his hero uniform and he peered over the edge of the building to where Joel was standing before, only to find him missing.

“Y’know you’re a bit slow climbing things, right?” Scythe heard a voice from behind him, really close to his ear, and jumped. Turning around, he saw Joel there with his wings and hero uniform, smirking even wider than he had been earlier.

“Not fair! You have wings!” Scythe pouted. “You can use your wings to get there either, just like I can't teleport.” he tried to reason.

Joel pondered on the thought for a moment before responding. “Fine, sounds fair enough. But if the time cuts too close I can’t promise I won't fly the rest of the way” The brunette shifted his weight to one leg and crossed his arms. “Deal?”

Scythe stood up from where he was still crouched on the rooftop. “Deal. See you later, slow poke!” and with that, he ran and jumped to the next rooftop, landing well and keeping his momentum to run and leap to the next. 

After landing again, Scythe looked back to find Joel confused for a split second before making a running start and following. Both of them had smiles plastered across their faces as they ran, the lead constantly fluctuating between them. At one point, Scythe had misjudged a jump, landing rough and killing most of his momentum, where Joel had used his wings to help him clear the gap.

Seeing Joel use his wings to help him, Scythe recovered quickly, catching up easily with a small, innocent, teleport forward. “You use your wings, I use my teleporting!” he said as he caught up to Joel, teleporting to a nearby rooftop to gain the lead once more, smiling mischievously the whole time.

Joel, temporarily stunned and confused, launched himself in the air a moment later, zooming up to where Scythe was, now quite a few rooftops in front of him. “It’s not my fault you misjudged the leap! I was only using my resources!” he said before propelling himself further forward and up with his wings.

“If you want to play that way, it looks like I'll just have to use my resources too.” Scythe said to himself, Joel being well out of earshot by now. He teleported to the next few rooftops, closing the gap between him and Joel. Once he was close enough and made sure he had enough energy to teleport again, he teleported a few meters in front of Joel. He had positioned the teleport so that Joel would have to catch him if he wanted to keep flying, and so that he wouldn't crash down onto a rooftop.

And it worked perfectly. Joel saw Scythe falling in front of him and scrambled to catch him and keep flying before he crashed to the ground. After realizing what Scythe had done, Joel looked at the young enderian with a glare that shot all kinds of daggers.

“I used my resources, just like you did” is all that Scythe said in response, earning an eye roll and annoyed scoff from the winged brunette who held him. 

“You’re damn lucky that I care about you enough not to drop you right now.” Joel said after a minute more of just flying. Scythe saw that he was smiling, and he smiled as he replied, “I know, but all that teleporting was getting exhausting anyways.”

Joel muttered something along the lines of “Fair enough, I guess,” and flew the rest of the way to the Agency. It only took them around 5 more minutes to get there, and they spent probably around 12 or 13 getting there in total.

With those few minutes left once they actually arrived, they went inside to see who else was there, and to see if they could find their other 2 patrol members.

It didn't take long at all to find them either. iWork and Voidling were talking with each other just inside of the main doors, looking over at Scythe and Joel as they walked in. Voidling seemed to smile under his mask as he waved the pair over. “Lux, Stratos! Come over and chat for a bit before we go!” He said in a cheery tone.

Scythe smiled and walked over to them, Joel following close behind. “Hey guys!” He said as he got to them, and was handed a cup of water. He shrugged and took a drink, liking the way the cold helped to cool him down from the journey. 

“Safe passage here I hope?” iWork asked after handing Joel a cup of his own. 

Joel took a drink before he replied. “It was, but this child--” he looked at Scythe “-- decided to teleport in front of me while I was flying and made me have to carry him the rest of the way”

“Hey! I didn’t make you carry me! You even said so yourself; you care too much about me to have dropped me!” Scythe replied with a playfully offended gasp.

The winged man’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Oh, shut up! No one asked for your input peanut gallery!” he reported jokingly.

“Alright you two, settle down.” Voidling said, stepping forward slightly to position himself between Joel and Scythe as they stared at each other. The masked hero turned to iWork and said, “It looks like we might have our hands full this afternoon.”

“Hey!” Scythe and Joel said simultaneously, causing the other two men to burst out in laughter, themselves stunned into silence and just staring at each other.

“Did that just happen?” Scythe asked.

“Yeah. Yeah it did.” Joel replied.

And the pair stood in shock as Voidling and iWork died of laughter on the floor.

(to be continued)

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Conflicting Lives Island and Districts

Hi! This is an explanation of the Island that Conflicting Lives takes place in!

Warning! This may change slightly over time as I further develop the story of Conflicting Lives! This is still a new project, especially now more than every, so as I think further about certain areas of my story, some aspects may be slightly tweaks!

Esempy

Esempy is the name of the island where Conflicting Lives takes place. It is split up into 5 separate districts, each based on a Minecraft SMP and group of MCYTs. These districts are Hermiton, Survas, Empyria, Wynnra, and Drimas.

Hermiton

Hermiton is the district of Esempy based off of Hermitcraft and the Hermits. All of the characters that live in Hermiton are either only on Hermitcraft(in comparison to the other SMPs on this list), or were on Hermitcraft before any other SMP. Xisumavoid, Bdouble0100, GoodtimeswithScar, ImpulseSV, Joehills, Zedaph, and Keralis are all part of the Hermiton Hero District, With Xisuma(Voidling) as the Head and Bdubs(Spore) as the Second in Command. Impulse(iWork) is the healer of the district as he had studied medicine and healing magic profusely to help his friends and coworkers with any injuries they may endure. The role of the other heroes will be revealed as each character sheet comes out! Docm77, MumboJumbo, Stressmonster, TangoTek and GoodtimeswithScar are all Hermiton Villains, causing chaos and mischief wherever they may be. Doc(G.OA.T.) is one of the two most powerful villains in all of Esempy, and the strongest villain in Hermiton. He and The Blood God control virtually all villainous activity, instructing others to go on missions against the Hero Districts. Scar is a special case, as he is both a Hero and a Villain of Hermiton, but more of his story shall be revealed with his character sheet! Hermiton is the most advanced of all the Districts in terms of technology, often selling their tech to other districts to fund further technological research and advancement. Their buildings are also the most modern in terms of architecture and design, and walking the streets of Hermiton can oftentimes feel like a fever dream with how much there is to see around every corner. The terrain of Hermiton is relatively flat, with large hills/mini mountains dotting the landscape, making some areas hard to navigate. Hermiton is also the centermost district on Esempy, landlocked with no direct access to the sea surrounding the Island, except for a medium-sized river that crosses over the Survas District border.

Survas

Survas is based on 2 different minecraft servers, one far more known than the other. These two servers are The Life Series server, and Project:SSC. The characters that live in Survas either first appear in the life series before another server, or were placed here because I felt that they fit in Suras better than the other Districts. The Life series is a bit self-explanatory, but Project:SSC is a modded superflat survival server that I play on with friends which was made by one of them and is their passion project. It’s been so fun and absolutely amazing to play on this server over the 2 seasons it has, and I would recommend checking it out here! (https://ssc-info.carrd.co) Hira, Skizz, and Scythe are the three heroes of Survas, and are also among the strongest heroes as well. Hira(Atlas) is the head of the Survan Hero District, though initially they didn't want to. SKizz(Archangel) is the second-in-command as Scythe is too young to be that large of a position, even if he is stronger than most heroes out of training so recently. Rendog, Martyn, and Scythe are all Survan Villains, with Etho and Hira(RevvlChai) being Vigilantes. Rendog(Red WInter) is a very powerful villain, but not quite on the same level as G.O.A.T. or THe Blood God are, although he is still well-respected nonetheless. Etho(Argentum) is among one of the most powerful vigilantes, escaping capture multiple times from both heroes and villains alike.  Survas is just under Drimas in terms of technological advancement, often preferring a more simple way of life without large and fancy tools, relying on the handiness and comfort of handcrafted tools and weapons, especially those of which coming from a local provider. Survas is the least populated of the districts due to its odd terrain, but those who do live there know their neighbors well. Everyone knows the best bakery or crafts place in town, and regulars are everywhere you go. Survas is the district with the most variation in terrain; it has rivers and streams flowing throughout its entire area, many of which split out into other districts before returning to the ocean. Most of the areas are flat, but the areas of Survan that are the farthest inwards are much more hilly and elevated then the rest, with a mildly dense forest covering most of the area, spare for about 100 meters from the coastline.

Empyria

Empyria is based off of EmpiresSMP. The characters that live in Empyria are EmpiresSMP members, and were likely part of this server before any of the other servers on this list. All of the EmpiresSMP members are included in this list, even ones I myself have never watched, so please forgive any mistakes I make with how most of these characters act. Fwip, Joel Smallishbeans, Katherine, Pixlriffs, MythicalSausage and Smajor are all Heroes in Conflicting Lives. Fwip(Tinkerer) is the head of the Empyrian Hero District, with Pix(Guardian) as his second-in-command. Sausage(Protector) is the main support of the Empyrian Heroes, and more will be revealed about his abilities later in the story and in his character sheet! Joel Smallishbeans, Joey, OwengeJuice, Pearlescentmoon, and Smajor are all Empyrian Villains, with GeminiTay and Jimmy Solidarity as vigilantes. Joel(Tanuki) and Smajor(Chroma) do both lead double lives, but manage it very well thanks to their respective partners and support systems. Empyria is the second most advanced District in terms of technological advancement. Thanks to the close relationship Empyria has with Hermiton, Empyria gets almost every single new piece of technology, shorting out at the most advanced weaponry. Tinkerer is both the head of the Empyrian District and a Weapons Developer for his heroes, so even if he cannot get the weapons that Hermiton makes themselves, he is able to use his status and connections to get the materials and make powerful weapons himself. Empyria is the District of Esempy with the most land area, though also the most land unoccupied. This is due to the extremely hilly and borderline mountainous terrain on the eastern side of the Esempy island. The best places to live and  build in Empyria is inland, as the largest of the hills/mountains dot about the coast, making trips there difficult for those unfamiliar with the terrain it holds.

Wynnra

Wynnra is based off of Wynncraft. The characters that live in Wynnra are mainly considered to be dangerous or at the very least unpredictable species. In short, these characters have grown up in a harsh environment, gaining more street smarts than people who have grown up in other districts have. Grian is here because well, he was one of the people that made Wynncraft, so it kind of fits in my eyes. Grian, Hypnotizd, and Iskall85 are the known heroes in Wynnra. Grian(CuteGuy) is the head of the Wynnran Hero District, with Hypno(Sting) as his second-in-command. Iskall(Cybernetic) makes weapons for the others, often using them to help his fellow heroes get out of any sticky situation they may find themselves in. ZombieCleo, Grian and Sam are Wynnran Villains, with Lunaris being a vigilante. Grian(Xelqua) is both a villain and the hero district head, but he keeps his work strictly separate, often going to the other side of Esempy to Survas before doing any sort of villain activities as to not draw attention to himself. Cleo(Wildfire) is an extremely strong villain and well respected by others due to her power and strength, similar to how The Red King is. Wynnra is the farthest behind of the other districts in terms of technological advancements. They have transport of very old models and methods, but oddly enough, they don't mind and even prefer it that way for the most part. Trying to help out in any situation where a District like Hermiton needs all available heroes can be a little difficult sometimes due to the difference in available technology, but that never stops them from doing what they can to help anyways. Wynnra is the southernmost District of Esempy and has a very flat landscape, with small patches of trees and foliage scattered everywhere. The coastline is dotted with fishing towns and boat docks, and Wynnra profits a lot off of this fishery trade to the other Districts.

Drimas

Drimas is the District of Esempy based off of DSMP. All of the characters that live in Drimas are from DSMP, though not all content creators that have been on the server are in Conflicting Lives. This is for various reasons that I will not go into, but the creators that do have a character in Drimas are characters that I enjoyed watching while the server was still active, and still sometimes watch now. Philza, JackManifold, Nihachu, and Eret are all heroes in the Driman Hero District, with Eret(Strawberry) as the district head and Niki(Sirenade) as the second in command. Sirenade is also the Drimas Hero District main support and healer, as being part fairy allows her to heal most all injuries her team receives. The others roles as heroes will be released as their character sheets come out! Technoblade and Philza are both Driman Villain, Tommy Tubbo and Ranboo being Vigilantes. Technoblade(The Blood God) is one of the two most powerful villains in all of Esempy, with Philza(The Angel of Death) as his right-hand man. The Bench trio mostly stay on their own, but sometimes appear on the same scenes as some minor villains do Drimas is somewhere in the middle of all 5 Districts in terms of technological advancements. They aren't really near Hermiton’s level of technology, but are also not as old-fashioned as Wynnra is, so to say. Buildings in Drimas have a sort of business-casual feel to them, seeming professional and thought out, yet relaxed and welcoming at the same time. Drimas is the Westmost district of Empyria with a very hilly landscape and densely forested areas in non-populated areas. There is a smaller-than-average river running through it from Survas in the north and out into the ocean along the western coast.

Similar to the Pearl Artfight crusade I went on I went on one for Lizzie & Gem but I have less of them so I’m coming them.

A critter gem i designed for hutchin

Tanuki gem for Jellihuffy

Hades Gem for @mbohjeezart

A cute pride Lizzie for LizzieLied

Superhero Lizzie for @scythegameing

Ocean Queen Lizzie by PrettyBoxxy

Have a CL!Scott, as Chroma! Chroma is his Villain name given to him by all five cities in reference to his outfit full of color!

Conflicting Lives- Character Ships and Sexualities

Hi! Author here! I both decided and realized that there are probably a hole lot of unclear ships, atleast here on the Tumblr side, so I've made a list of all the ships in this AU, as well as some character's sexualities and orientations if they are not in a ship. I am always open to suggestions or just general opinion, and encourage them, just please don't be an asshole while you do so is all I ask.

Ships

Scythe x Ella

Flower Ranchers: Tango x Jimmy x Scott

Shadowsmalletho: Joel x Etho x Lizzie (I tried to combine smalletho and 'shadow' from most of lizzie's ships)

Mumscarian: Mumbo x Scar x Grian

Rotshine: Cleo x Pearl x Gem

Impdubs: Impulse x Bdubs

Tree Bark: Martyn x Ren

Other Characters

Cub: Demisexual

Joe: Aro Ace

Sam: Bi-romantic Aro Ace

Xisuma: Pan-romantic Ace

Zedaph: Bisexual

Hypno: Bi-romantic Pansexual

Iskall: Straight Ally

Lunar: Bi-romantic Demisexual

BigB: Gay

Doc: Bi-romantic Polygender

Augustus: Bisexual

Jevin: Pan-romantic

Skizz: Multisexual

Also, thank you to @starcrossedandstupid for helping me get pretty much all of the ship names I didn't know lol (fr I really appreciate it)

I'm re-opening commissions! With school ending and summer starting, I have a bit more free time to draw and just exist, so I'm pushing out my commissions once more! Even if you cant commission me, donating through my Ko-fi helps a ton, even just looking at my page helps! https://ko-fi.com/scythegameing/commissions

Conflicting Lives- Chapter 5: Panicked Feelings (The Meeting pt.2)

Word count: 2434

TW: Panic attack (warning when happening)

“I would love to share.” Snowfall said, emphasizing his voice on the word love, and Scythe could swear he caught a glare aimed in his direction, as well as Lunar’s. And that's when Scythe realized exactly who Snowfall was. 

The red accents, the cocky demeanor, and the voice. He hated that stupid, British voice, and he knew it all too well. That was Martian standing in front of Scythe, one of the strongest people from Cursia, hero or villain, and he was someone Scythe didn't particularly get along with.

“I was tasked to observe the two villains passively, as a bystander or by other means, and I think that you might want to re-think your… selection of heroes after this, Voidling.” The blond started, looking at Scythe and Joel, Voidling following his gaze with a confused and interested tint to his eyes. “For the last 5 weeks, I have been carefully monitoring the activities in the area affected by these two villains, and not only does it seem as though the pair have planned the decrease of their activities, but I also seem to have noticed the lack of a few specific persons in said area during my observation,” Snowfall then looked towards the other three IOs, and they all returned his stare, each expression conveying something different. 

Lunar looked like they were starting to get annoyed, Etho had a flicker of fear in his eyes for a small moment, and Augustus’ expression was unreadable, partially thanks to his mask. Scythe knew that he himself probably looked very annoyed, and he could tell that Joel's anxiety was starting to build as well.

“Storyteller,” Snowfall turned his full attention to her, “I don't mean to be rude, but your features aren't exactly the most concealable, even in your current outfit. Your horns, skin color, and other appendages seem to make you stand out in a crown.” Lunar narrowed her eyes. “And what do you mean by that, Snowfall?” they said, the tone of their voice betraying their annoyance.

“Oh, nothing at all, it’s just that during my observations, I seem to have noticed you talking to an enderman hybrid who appears to be eerily similar to our young hero in the room.” Snowfall then turns to Scythe. “I don't suppose you have any siblings do you, Lux?” Scythe's breath caught in his throat, but Snowfall continued before he could respond. “Of course, this is simply just a wild guess, what else could it be?” He turned back to Lunar, and continued what he was saying before, “I also seem to have never seen you as often as you claim to have been in our little surveillance area. Don’t you think that's quite odd? You seem to have this information like you have been consistently observing our Enderian villain, yet I haven't seen you as often as you say you were around.

In fact, I am inclined to believe you haven’t been there at all.” Lunar’s tail lashed to each side in frustration, her expression clearly aggravated. “And what proof do you have of your claims? What proof do you have that you were there, and I was not? I do not share my abilities, nor do I intend to, but I can confirm that I have been there as long as I have told with my research. What proof do you have with you to say that I have not?” She retorted, her anger even more evident in the tone of her voice.

Snowfall was silent in the few moments to follow, and the tension in the room was so thick it could have been cut with a butter knife. “You make a good point, I do not have any viable proof other than my own words, but I advise the gathered heroes to think about all that I will be saying.” he then turned to Augustus. “I seem to have noticed a lack of your presence as well, The Above. Yet again, I assume you are dressed in such a way right now to try and hide your identity. Even so, it feels as though I would have seen a similar style, or at least another outside party observing Ender and Tanuki at some point within the last 5 weeks, and have yet to see such.”

Augustus’ expression was still unreadable, seemingly neutral as he replied, “Of course you wouldn't have seen me, Snowfall. I don't make myself visible. I was only present in the first few weeks with the information I had to gather. Fighting styles do not take long to remember and record, especially for someone who does more forgery and weaponry such as myself.” Augustus kept his tone neutral and steady, his expression never faltering for a second.

Snowfall nodded, “I see. If what you say is true, I apologize for my accusations. You seem to be a man of reason, and I’m sure that you can understand my concerns about what information has been brought up so far.” Augustus nodded, but said no more. Before the blonde could speak once more, Voidling took his own turn to speak.

“Snowfall, I acknowledge your concerns, but my heroes have come here on an incredibly short notice, and I’m sure all of them would like to continue with their own personal lives as soon as they can. I have called you here not to argue amongst your fellow IOs, but to gather information to aid in the defeat of Ender and Tanuki.” The masked hero stood and looked at Snowfall. Scythe could tell that the leader was starting to get annoyed by the undertone of his voice, and his own breath seemed to labor slightly. “If you are here only to accuse my youngest hero, who has worked very hard to be present in this meeting today, then I must ask you to leave, and we will continue without what you have to offer to us. I suggest you choose your next actions very wisely.”

Sitting back down and taking a deep breath, Voidling gave the floor back to Snowfall, but not before shooting a small apologetic look at Scythe. The few seconds of silence that passed felt like hours to him as his anxiety rose evermore. “My sincerest apologies Voidling, I do not mean to take up your time, though I have one last thing that I feel I must add. Doesn’t it seem odd that there is an Enderman hybrid on both the hero and villain sides of our society? And two that seem to look so similar as well? I mean if you think about it, they aren't all too different; they are each around a similar height, they seem to have similar abilities, and not long after you had seemed to have called your heroes together in the first place, Ender and Tanuki seemed to become less and less active.

Don't you think that's odd? As soon as there is a plan in place among the Agency to take down two of the most annoying villains, they seem to just stop their actions and chaos. In fact--” Snowfall looked at Scythe, “-- I think that Lux here may not be as much of a hero as you all seem to think…”

(tw: panic attack)

And that's when it happened. Scythe suddenly felt as though he couldn't get enough air into his lungs.  His ears began ringing, every noise becoming distant and unimportant. The movements of the others in the room seemed to blur, and it felt as though he was in a foreign place, full of hostility. He would be discovered. His life would be ruined. He would never be able to live a normal life again. 

All of his closest friends would leave him, he knew it, he just knew it. His illusion faltered, and strangely enough, he didn't seem to care. The only thing he could think about was the blond at the front of the room, mouth moving but words unheard. Even if Scythe couldn't hear what the red-clad man was saying, he knew what it must have been. Martian had figured him out. He tried to stand up and walk out of the room, but his legs seemed to give way under him, unable to hold up his trembling figure.

Almost immediately, he could feel the presence of more bodies around him, and tried to push them away in his panicked state, feeling as though he would be taken from those he loved and cared for. He couldn't recognize the faces around him. Nothing looked familiar anymore. His eyes could see clearly, but his mind could not. He could not tell if they were friend or foe. He couldn't tell hostile from passive. Were they acting like they cared? Did they really all know? How did he know who to trust when he couldn't recognize the faces surrounding him? He knew that his illusion must have been completely gone by now, but what difference would it make when they all now knew about his lies?

Then, out of what felt like nowhere, three pairs of wings made a circular barrier around him. A pair of brown, white, and maroon wings seemed to enclose him, providing a guard from outside faces on his body, but doubled back as a wall to which his own thoughts could not escape. He curled in on himself, trying desperately to keep his growing anxieties away, tears swelling and rolling down his cheeks as they refused to keep to his eyes.

Then Scythe felt pressure on his shoulders. Looking up, tears never seeming to end their cascade down his cheeks. He knew the face looking back at him, and it was full of worry and pity. The short, fluffy brown hair brought him comfort adorned with a pastel yellow streak. Those chocolate eyes telling him that it would all be ok. With Scythe's ears still ringing and words still not quite being heard, the man in front of him looked up and past Scythe, and said something. Then he turned slightly behind himself to another person, the ringing in his own ears slowing, and he was able to hear some of the words the taller man said.

“Jim...the only … illusion magic…Help Scythe … identity … panic attack…” The words seemed random to Scythe, but at last the man in front of him looked him in the eyes once more, and Scythe was finally able to recognize him. Joel was crouched in front of him. Someone he could trust was there, and not just Joel either. Looking around, his senses slowly returning to him, Scythe recognized the owners of the other two pairs of wings surrounding him. Cuteguy and The Sheriff, wait no… Grian and Jimmy were the other ones there. The three older men were shielding Scythe with their wings, providing a barrier against the others for Scythe to help him feel safe and calm, and so that they can’t see him without his illusion.

“Scythe, are you ok?” Scythe turned back to Joel, and the brunette was looking at him with worry that was unparalleled to anything he had experienced from someone else before. Scythe realized he didn't quite know how to answer; he knew he wasn't ok, but at the same time he didn't really feel not-ok either. So instead of responding with words, he uncurled himself from the ball he managed to squeeze into and leaned forward to give Joel a hug that he very much needed.

The older man almost immediately returned the embrace, rubbing Scythe’s back in comfort as more tears seemed to roll down his cheeks, a morbid insight of the turmoil in his mind. “It's going to be alright. We’re here for you. All of us.” Joel said.

After a few more long moments of just sitting in the hug, feeling safe and cared for, Scythe leaned back and sat up. Joel moved his hands from his back to his arms, holding them gently as a show of comfort. Scythe looked at him, hoping his eyes said all they needed to, and looked around him at the faces and bodies that surrounded him. 

Lunar, Augustus, Jimmy, Grian, Joel, Scar and Etho were all there. Grian, Jimmy and Joel provided the winged barrier from those he didn't know as well, the others providing an extra barrier of comfort from what currently felt like an alien world. Scythe tried to speak, but his voice came only as a whisper, “I… my illusion… is it..?” he managed to get out before Joel finished his thought and answered, “Jimmy. He’s helping keep your identity a secret. He can't hold the entire outfit, but he got your general appearance. The only thing showing outside of an illusion is your clothes.”

Scythe thought about Joel's answer for a moment, then nodded and took a deep breath. He looked up at Lunar and Scar, then back to Joel. “Home?” is all he managed to ask, but he didn't need to say anymore. The three nodded and Scar left the outer circle, Scythe hearing him talk to someone, presumably telling Voidling that he was leaving to take him home.

Scar came back, and Scythe and Joel looked up at him. When Scar nodded, Joel picked the young Enderian up, enclosing his body with his wings to keep his main appearance safe and out of sight from the other heroes. Jimmy  relocated the illusion to the only visible area of his body, those being mainly his head and shoulders.

As he was being carried out of the room, Scythe heard Voidlings last words to the remaining persons in the meeting room. “This Meeting is now over. Thank you for the information each of you have provided. However, you will not be invited back here Snowfall. Good afternoon to you all, and I apologize for any and all inconveniences caused by Snowfall's poor choice of words..”

Scythe heard a scoff and footsteps passing him, assuming it was Snowfall that had passed him on his way out of the building. Joel held onto him a little tighter to let him know that he was safe, and Scythe felt grateful for his friends for making sure he's alright. He turned his head to look at Snowfall, or Martian as he knows him as, and the blonde man turned back with a glare shooting every dagger imaginable. Scythe returned it with just as much hatred and intensity. 

When he looked back up at Joel and to Scar they all seemed to share a silent agreement. This would not be the last they saw of the villain Martian.

AN: I know I've been posting a lot of new chapters, but please do not expect new chapters to always be this quick. This entire AU is one giant hyperfixation, and one that I have no clue how long it will last. I do not want a standard to be made that I know I will not be able to meet, so please dont expect too much from me. I dont have the most free time and to be honest, most of the writing I've been doing as of recent has been during classes that I should have probably been paying attention in instead of writing, yet here we are. I hope you enjoy as always, though!

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So sick of dog motif what about cat motif.

I love you but we don't love the same. I can't be near you when you want me to be. Your love is smothering and your need to keep me safe is trapping me. I'm my own person but I don't know how to show you that. I lash out and hurt you even though I don't mean to. I need you to move slowly around me or I'll bolt. I love you, even though I don't say it. If you stay still I'll sit next to you, and even though we don't understand each other we can be together like that.

I made a silly little Phighting! OC animation :)