Chapter Text
Jacky sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the ground.
There's a pang of guilt most experience when they abandon someone who meant the world to them. It tugs at your heart and no matter what you do, you just can't get it off. No amount of distractions can take away this annoying pit in your stomach.
Jacky looked at the bottle in his hand. Half drunken tequila. He took another swig and looked up at the empty bed next to his. He closed his eyes and sighed. He stood and walked into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection. Eyes red from the tears. Blue and brown eyes filled with pain and guilt. He took notice of his curly, messy auburn hair. He pressed his lips together and looked down at the razor and scissors. He reached for the pair of blades before hesitating. He bit down on his lip. He sighed and grabbed the scissors, snipping away the locks of red and allowing them to fall and gather in the bowl of the sink. He took the razor and shaved the shorter hairs that rested on his neck.
Once he was finished, he stared in the reflection once more, running his fingers through his freshly cut hair. He was a new person now. He was going to kill Meg before Imbra even got the chance. He needed to prove to him that he was a skilled fighter. He was more than just some pesky human. He was actually someone with a life.
Jacky walked out of the bathroom and grabbed his satchel. He opened the window and jumped down. He didn’t want Ghoulia questioning him. He landed on the hard ground, his boots digging into the dirt. He lifted himself up and ran towards the tower. The alley was a perfect shortcut. He needed to get to Meg before Imbra. He would be the one to kill her.
Jacky kept his hand rested on his gun as he ran. He needed to be ready. Ready for whatever Meg was going to throw at him. The key to murder is to be prepared.
His mind raced with thoughts and memories. Jacky slowed down and stood in the middle of an empty street. It was abandoned. Desolate. Jacky could practically hear the screams of his family. The flames roared as bombs dropped. He closed his eyes and sighed. His older sister guided him through the wreckage before she died. She collapsed onto the ground out of nowhere. Jacky had been left alone. Left alone for good. He had to survive on his own. But how? He was only 12?
Jacky practically giggled at the thought of Imbra's words. He knew Imbra hated him, but he didn’t think he'd hate him as much as this. To hate him as to throw him out like some street trash! But the words were starting to get to him, the more his mind focused on them, the more his body began to tremble. His eyes darted around, examining everything around him.
Jacky had to be brave. He had to be strong. He would not back down. Especially not from the war he himself had just caused.
Jacky continued to walk, putting on his goggles and lifting a bandana to his mouth and nose to cover the dust.
Imbra stared at the empty room. He could practically feel his airways closing as his heart raced. Tria stood behind him, their eyes darting across the room as they examined it. Imbra's face contorted to one of upset. He noticed the window and ran towards it. He leaned out of it, seeing footsteps imprinted on the dirt below. Imbra's eyes widened as he turned to Tria. "I know where he went." Imbra gasped. Tria bit down on their lower lip as they nodded.
"Gather your things, we're gonna find him." Tria demanded. Imbra had never heard Tria so serious but he did as he was told and packed his bag. Tria materialized an ax and held it close to them. Imbra picked up his satchel and stood in front of Tria. Tria nodded and stepped towards the window. They inhaled deeply before jumping out and landing on the hard dirt. Imbra followed suit and landed behind Tria.
Imbra's mind spun with the words he spoke to Jacky. Those cruel, angry words. He didn't mean them. At least, he didn't want to mean them. He was upset. Reasonably so but he didn’t want to say those words. He cared for Jacky and yes, he did unintentionally kill his brother but he had a good reason to be so defensive. Nocte killed Imbra’s childhood. Nocte abandoned Imbra. And Jacky killed the person who robbed Imbra of a happy life.
Imbra should be happy. He should be happy that his brother is gone. But something inside of him rang soundly, softly yet noticeable. He wanted to trust Nocte again. He wanted to give his brother the trust he thought he had.
But maybe that trust was a ruse. Trust he can twist and manipulate him into hate. To abandon Nocte the way Nocte abandoned Imbra. He had to do it.
Imbra didn't want to trust Nocte. He wanted him dead!
Imbra came back to reality when Tria put their hand on his shoulder. Imbra pursed his lips together and sighed. Tria looked down at Imbra with sad eyes. They seemed to understand Imbra's train of thought. Imbra furrowed his eyebrows when something caught his eye.
"Jacky headed this way." Imbra spoke. "Most definitely."
Tria searched for what Imbra was fixated on and saw bullet shells littered on the ground. Imbra followed the trail, hoping to the Gods that he'd find Jacky before Meg found him. He needed to find him before Meg did! He couldn't risk losing more people. Not after Nocte and almost losing Tria.
Suddenly, the two Enderman saw a figure. They wore a hood and they weren't very tall. Imbra gasped and ran towards the figure. "Jacky!"
The figure turned around quickly, grabbed Imbra's wrist and brought him to the ground. Jacky loomed above Imbra with fear and anger in his eyes. Imbra gasped, hand over his knife. Jacky took notice of this and laughed loudly. He drew his own knife and held it against Imbra's cheek. Jacky giggled softly and shook his head. His eyes glared bright red. Imbra noticed this quickly. He snarled and grabbed Jacky's shoulders, throwing him onto the ground next to him. Imbra was quick to draw his knife, holding it above Jacky. Jacky's angered look turned into fear. His eyebrows crinkled in fear as he watched Imbra's eyes dart across his face. Imbra exhaled softly, bowing his head, his hair hung over his eyes. Jacky grinned widely, Imbra's eyes grew wide as he gasped suddenly.
Black blood dripped from Jacky's nose. Deep green, sticky and thick, fell like a waterfall onto Jacky's shirt. Imbra looked down and saw Jacky's knife buried in his stomach. Jacky threw Imbra off before standing. Imbra shrieked in pain, letting out a loud Enderian cry. Imbra hissed and fizzled in and out of reality. Tria screamed in Enderian and pounced towards Jacky. Jacky yelled in surprise and grabbed Tria's wrist. Tria pulled away quickly, grabbing their gun. They stood steady and pointed it at Jacky.
Suddenly, a loud clapping came from the distance. She stood on top of a tall building. Bright red eyes glowed brightly before she stepped into the light. "Bravo! I see you've met my puppet, Rudrax!" Meg announced.
"Leave Jacky and Imbra out of this! It's me you want!" Tria yelled. "They didn't do anything to deserve this!"
"The only reason they're tied into this is to get you! Why else would I want them!? And now I have Jacky! And soon I'll have Imbra." Meg snarled, jumping from the building. She landed in front of Tria, twirling her dagger in her hand. Tria kept their eyes on Meg but they had to look at Imbra. They had to know that he was ok.
Jacky crouched down to face Imbra and smiled. He grabbed Imbra's wrist, the Enderman trying to pull away. Jacky giggled, leaning closely towards Imbra's face. Imbra tried his best to turn away, but using his extra hand, Jacky held Imbra's face. Jacky pressed a kiss against Imbra's lips, transferring blood to Imbra. The black blood seeped into Imbra's mouth. He struggled to pull away, the vile liquid trickling down his throat. Imbra pushed Jacky away, the boy stumbled back with a wide grin. Imbra coughed, choking on the blood falling down his throat. He felt himself fading.
Fading away from reality.
Fading from his body.
Becoming a new person.
Once emerald green, Imbra's eyes glowed bright purple. He screamed in Enderian, clawing at his face, attempting to pull off a mask that wasn't there. His mind was deteriorating. He felt the spines on his back prickle upwards, protruding out and tearing through his shirt. Large, black horns emerged from his forehead. He felt himself growing larger, bigger than his normal stature. The voices quickly faded away, Imbra fell to the ground and cried out. His voice was a mixture of English and Enderian, he couldn't get a single coherent word out.
Tria turned to him and gasped. "IMBRA!" The second Tria took their eyes off of Meg, she slashed through Tria's clothes and through their skin. Tria took in a breath of surprise, blood flying across their vision. Meg grabbed Tria's collar to stop them from falling and pulled them close to her face.
"I win." Meg said softly, yet maliciously.
Imbra's vision was blurry, yes, but he managed to lock eyes with Meg before jumping at her. He let out a scream in Enderian and tore through her shirt. Meg screamed and stabbed Imbra, the tip of her dagger hitting Imbra's core. Imbra cried in pain, he felt his pearl crack inside of him. Jacky's eyes fizzled from red to their original colors. Jacky collapsed to his knees and balled up the dirt in his fists. "IMBRA PLEASE! YOU CAN'T GIVE UP! PLEASE! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SO SO SORRY!" Jacky cried loudly.
The Enderman clawed Meg's face, grabbing her empty eye socket and the edge of her mouth, he tore her apart from the skull. Blood rained down onto Imbra as her body fell to the floor. Tria gasped as they watched the blood soak and drip down Imbra. Imbra turned to Jacky and walked towards him. He crouched down, letting out a small chirp and gently touching Jacky's face with his claws. Jacky cried and cupped Imbra's face in his hands. "Imbra please, I know it's still you, please come back, I need you, please!" Jacky sobbed. The Enderman chirped mindlessly and pressed his forehead against Jacky's chest. Jacky wept loudly and hugged Imbra. "Imbra, I miss you so much,"
As Jacky's tears fell on Imbra's neck, his skin didn't burn. Instead, it glowed a soft green. Imbra's body seemed to shrink down to his normal size. The horns on his head began to dissolve, along with the spines on his back. Imbra let out soft sobs and hugged Jacky tightly. Jacky's eyes widened. "Imbra!" He cried, grabbing Imbra's face. Bright, emerald green eyes looked back at him, the purple fading in and out.
"Wha– What h–happened to me?" Imbra sobbed softly. Jacky shook his head and pressed his forehead against Imbra's.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't have control, I didn't know," Jacky cried. Tria stepped towards the two and crouched down. They seemed to heal themselves, as the wound was now closed.
Imbra felt something warm and wet soak his side. He pulled away and looked down. Jacky…
"Jacky!" Imbra cried aloud. "You're bleeding!" Jacky laughed weakly and nodded.
"I know… I did it to myself…" Jacky explained. "I needed the blood to leave my body so what other way to do it than stabbing myself." Imbra inhaled softly, hand over his mouth. He shook his head repeatedly and looked down at the wound. He attempted to pull out the knife, but Jacky's hisses of pain stopped him. Imbra looked up at the boy with teary eyes.
Tria shook their head and brushed Jacky's hair from his eyes. Jacky looked at Tria, tears falling from his eyes. "I– I can help,"
"Why do you want to help me after what I did to Imbra…?" Jacky murmured.
"Because it wasn't you, it was Meg. I know you would never harm Imbra. I knew from the second I saw you, Jacky Auburn. I love you like my own." Tria replied. Jacky smiled softly and leaned into Tria's touch. It was cold, yet comforting. The edges of Tria's mouth curled into a soft smile as they brought their hands together, their core glowing brightly as they summoned their magic.
The magic of Enderians has always fascinated Imbra. The way each Enderman has their own unique magic to compliment them. An ability was never repeated, even if it seems like it, there's always a twist. Imbra's magic, however, was the most basic of abilities. Plenty of lower class Endermen had it. It was something he was born with. Other Enderman have to earn it. Not him though. He doesn't know why, nor has he questioned it. Sometimes, only sometimes, Imbra wishes he could do more. He wishes he wasn't just an Enderman who can make things float! He wanted to be useful like Tria. He was sick of being seen as some useless kid. He wanted to help Jacky. But he couldn't.
Jacky's eyes felt heavy, he slipped in and out of consciousness as Tria healed him. Imbra bit down on his lower lip and held Jacky's hand in his own. "I'm sorry about everything I said, Jacky, I–" Imbra spoke, tears choking him down as he tried to get a coherent sentence out. "I just– I've never had someone who cared so much for me that wasn't family. And by family I mean just Tria and Orion, and yes I love them to death, it's just–"
Imbra's eyes drifted downward towards the knife stuck in Jacky's side. Imbra sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I care about you, a lot actually, and this may be my only time to say this but, I love you, Jacky Auburn. I love you so much and without you, I don't think I would be able to love someone as much as I love you. It's corny, I know, but I just thought I'd let you know." Imbra murmured, tears rolling down his eyes. Jacky smiled and brought Imbra's face closer to his. They pressed foreheads, Jacky giggling softly.
"Imbra Lunabrooke, since the day I laid eyes on you, I knew we were gonna get along amazingly. And now, look at us, I'm bleeding out and you just confessed your love to me. God, I love you so fucking much!" Jacky softly laughed, cupping Imbra's face in his scarred hands. Imbra snickered and pressed his lips against Jacky's softly. Jacky smiled through the kiss, tangling his fingers in Imbra's hair. Tria smiled softly and sat back, using their powers to remove the knife gently, healing Jacky permanently.
The two pulled apart and fell into a fit of laughter. Imbra opened his eyes and looked into Jacky's perfectly mismatched eyes. Blue and brown eyes practically glowed brighter than anything in this world, brighter than an Enderman's eyes can, brighter than a thousand suns. Imbra was mesmerized by it all.
Tria turned their head towards the tower in the distance. They were close and if they were going to go home then they better do so soon. Imbra and Jacky looked over at the tower, Jacky pursed his lips as Imbra stood up. Imbra narrowed his eyes and pointed his gun at the tower. Biting down on his lower lip, he made a small explosion sound and put away his gun. "We gotta get up there." Imbra muttered.
Suddenly, a bright red orb rose from the tower. Imbra tilted his head to the side in confusion and turned to Meg's body. He examined it as it disintegrated into glowing red ashes. "I suspect she may not be the only one we need to kill." Tria said. Imbra turned to Tria and furrowed his eyebrows. "The Upside Down is composed of three gods. Meg was one of them."
"Edgar." Imbra said. "He was in my vision too. Is he a god too?"
"Maybe?" Jacky shrugged, standing up. Imbra hummed in question, he chewed on the strands of hair pinched between his index and thumb. Jacky looked up at the tower, suddenly his eyes lit up as if he had a lightbulb above his head. "If we kill the last two gods, maybe we can leave? Maybe it opens the portal home."
Imbra looked down at Jacky and tucked the hair behind his ear. "Is it a guarantee that their souls will open the portal?" Imbra said, puzzled at Jacky's theory.
"No, no, no, I believe Jacky might be correct. It's been a while since I've been here but if I recall, there are three gods." Tria explained, using their Enderpearl core to cast a hologram showing the evidence. Imbra nodded, cracking his knuckles. Jacky grinned widely, baring his sharp canine's and the gap between his front teeth.