P I N G S : @ClickClips @TheOceanSeeker @Chewbyham @HalfFilledCup @Supermemeguy

⚠️ Trigger warning ⚠️ : Blood, gore, vomit.

Chapter 11 - POV : Ranboo

Just to be safe, I teleported us right outside of the house. Cautiously, I pushed the door open. We stepped in, immediately met by Tommy. “Oh, thank God you’re finally here,” he said, sniffling. He was in tears, which was rare for him, but he wiped his nose with his sleeve and ushered us inside. I shut the door and walked to the bedroom. What I saw made me want to faint, throw up, and start sobbing all at once.

The whole room was a horror show. The floor was covered in yellow, acidic vomit. I won’t go into details, but the smell alone was enough to make me want to give it a fresh coating. Fighting nausea, I tried to get closer to the bed. Bright red blood was soaked into the sheets, dripping onto the floor and staining the carpet. I could smell the iron. Underneath the covers laid Tubbo. He looked like a nightmare.

His skin was as pale as a vampire’s, purple webs spreading all over his skin. Everywhere I looked on his body, there were cuts that oozed blood, like he’d been thrown through a plane engine. The liquid had drenched his clothes. He heaved in shallow breaths, chills running through him every few seconds. His lips were blue, still smeared with vomit. When he opened his eyes, I saw that they had turned the color of coal. His hair was tinted with gray. The original cut on his forehead had become black. I checked his pulse. It throbbed weakly against my fingers.

Tommy began to shake with silent sobs. Technoblade covered his mouth with his hands, pure terror in his eyes. I had to use all of my strength to keep myself from breaking down. I threw my stuff on the dresser, then sat on the bed next to Tubbo, not caring about the blood and puke that was now staining my clothes. I laced my fingers through his. His skin was as cold as ice. “Tubbo, are you with us?”

His eyes found me. “Hi, Boo,” he whispered, smiling weakly. “Lovely day, isn’t it?”

I fought back a torrent of emotions. “Techno, the potion,” I shouted. He seemed to recover, snapping out of his fear and tossing me the flask. I forced Tubbo’s mouth open and trickled the liquid down his throat. He shuddered, but nothing happened. My heart sinking to the floor, I recalled what Technoblade had told me about the cure : treatment and cures for Ender Venom vary depending on the case and person. What worked for one person might not work for another, and Ender Venom has only been successfully cured twice. Both cases used the same treatment to remove the Ender Venom : a special potion. ‘And if we fail?’ Then there’s nothing we can do.

“No,” I whispered. Then the dam I had used to stop my emotions from escaping shattered. “NO!” I screamed. That one word contained so much power that it caused a miniature earthquake. The room shook. Dust rained from the ceiling. Cracks spread through the walls. Tommy and Technoblade clutched their weapons, ready to cut down any chunks of the ceiling that fell.

Once the tremor stopped, an idea hit me like a train. I grabbed my book of Ender spells and flipped through it, looking for a spell to at least stop the bleeding. I found it successfully. I rattled off the incantation. Purple light glowed over the slashes all over Tubbo’s body, rapidly closing them. I watched as new flesh grew, blood vessels closed, and skin was fabricated over where there used to be injuries. After the aura faded, the only cut left was the original cut, glittering the color of obsidian. “There,” I said softly. “That should stop the bleeding.”

Tubbo's grip tightened on my hand. “Ranboo…” he whispered.

I looked him in the eyes. “Yes, Bee?”

“I know that I’m not going to make it.”

My heart seemed to stop beating. “What are you talking about? Of course you’re going to make it.”

“But I’m not.” His voice broke, eyes shining with tears. “Look at me, Ranboo. It’s too late. But I’ve accepted that. At least the last face I’ll ever see is yours.”

I started to cry. “Tubbo…”

“No use trying to comfort me,” he whispered. “I know what’s coming.”

“I…I don’t want you to leave me,” I sobbed.

Tubbo’s eyes were filled with compassion. “You’re strong, Boo. You’ll be alright without me. Just promise me that you’ll defeat Apollyon once I’m gone. Can you do that for me?”

My heart was racing now as it seemingly climbed up my throat. Tears ran down my face, dripping down onto the bed and staining the comforter in two different colors. “I…I promise, Bee,” I choked out, cupping my hand around his face. I held back my Enderwalk form. I didn’t want his last impression of me to be a monster. Somehow, I kept myself from transforming.

A flicker of a smile danced across Tubbo’s lips. “Good. By the way…has anyone ever told you how gorgeous your eyes are?”

I watched, frozen, as the last of his life force ebbed away. His hand fell out of mine. His body went limp. He exhaled slowly, eyes closing for the last time.

I heard Tommy and Techno crying behind me. I inhaled shakily, surprised that I wasn’t breaking down. Instead, I leaned down and kissed Tubbo’s forehead. “I’ll see you on the other side,” I whispered, teary-eyed.

I stood up. There’s no time to grieve right now, I amended. I need to summon Apollyon. Grabbing the hilt of my sword, I walked to the back door, opened it, and stepped outside. “Guys, stay in here,” I told Tommy and Techno. They nodded, too shell-shocked to speak.

I walked into a lush meadow, colorful flowers in every direction for as far as I could see. Grass squished underneath my boots. The sky was tinged pink by the sunset. The air smelled sweet, a gentle breeze carrying the scent across the field. The whole thing seemed to mock the tragic events that had just transpired inside.

Nevertheless, I took a deep breath to bring me back to my senses. Then I decided to get on with it.

“Apollyon!” I yelled, voice echoing throughout the valley. “Show yourself!”

Time once again seemed to slow down. The plants and trees stopped moving with the wind. The breeze died down. The sky darkened into a deep shade of purple. Instinctively, I took a step backward, sensing where the god would appear. Sure enough, with a flash of light, Apollyon appeared before me, face twisted into a grotesque smile.

“It’s about time you figured it out,” its multitone voice boomed.