Chapter Text
Bright was a great descriptor for The Realm of Gods; everything had at least a faint glow to it, from the surprising amount of gold spruce trees to the pale blue grass. Scott also found it cold, in a muffled way. It was oddly comforting, actually.
When was the last time I felt cold?
He hadn't expected how light his soul would be or that it would be various shades of cyan, though he had heard once that one's soul was their favorite color.
Focus, Scott , he told himself. We only have an hour.
It dawned on him that Pearl and Xornoth weren't there. Did they mess it up? Maybe he messed up?
No, Scott was in the right place. The forest was unmistakably Aeor's territory. Xornoth was here too, somewhere. He didn't know how he knew, but something told him they weren't far.
Maybe this (most likely) magical hunch could lead him to them and Pearl. Maybe even Exor, which could save time if none of them were too far apart.
Before he could start walking a familiar song filled the air, originating from somewhere to his right. An old church hymn he memorized when he was a kid.
A religious song in godly territory. Following it seemed like a safe enough bet.
On the bright side, Exor is definitely close, Xornoth thought. …That's the only "bright side" here.
Everything was bloody red and faintly glowing like radiation. The smell bordered on rancid. The only thing that wasn't red was the twisted silver leaves on what used to be trees.
It was exactly what Exor wanted them to contort The Overworld into.
They wanted to go home, back to the farmhouse, but Xornoth wasn't going to back down. At least they knew Scott was somewhere in this nightmare.
Thanks soul connection!
Hopefully, Pearl had also arrived safely. Why had they been separated, anyways?
Why did Xornoth have to be surrounded by corruption? It had only been a few minutes but their heart was already pounding.
Don't think about that too much; focus on finding Scott and Pearl.
Something they hadn't heard in years began whispering through the cursed plants to their left. An old hymn, but it was in the wrong key.
Why not at this point?
The Realm of Gods was a mess. Pearl was standing in water up to her ankles that felt… wrong. Not that it was actively hurting her, but it felt like looking at a dead plant. It's there, it's in your vicinity, but it's not doing anything. Except it was water, and water can't die.
She was also glowing orange like one of Pix's candles, though, so maybe dead water wasn't too out there.
Around her were closed flowers and dull green goo (ew). Strewn about the landscape were large pieces of structures that broke up the almost blinding white sky.
Pearl had her sword, but neither of the twins. That's not good.
Hopefully Scott and Xornoth got here safely.
She stepped out of the water, but none of it stuck. I guess souls are waterproof?
A good distance away, there was a forest split down the middle, cyan and red, glowing like a Christmas tree. Bingo.
If Xornoth and Scott had arrived successfully, they'd most likely be in there and it was safe to say the gods were, too. Pearl began running (didn't want to waste the hour); a cacophonous duet could be heard, getting louder the closer she was to the forest.
The lush trees eventually thinned to a large clearing of pale grass that subtly changed between blue and red hues; it was the source of the music. The other side had a red forest that looked like a bargain bin crimson forest. Xornoth emerged from there, purple with silver antlers.
Oh thank Aeor, Scott thought, waving to his brother.
"Scott!" Xornoth called, voice filled with the same relief he felt seeing that they're okay. Still no Pearl, though.
The twins ran towards each other, the clearing seemed to shrink before suddenly jerking in opposite directions. Scott stumbled while Xornoth fell.
"Are you okay?" Scott asked.
"Yeah."
Still pathetic. A distorted voice echoed that made Scott's skin crawl. Maybe even more so.
Exor.
You really cannot stand to be polite for one second. Can you, brother?
Aeor.
Two giant, radiant stags faded into view, making themselves known. Exor was uncanny: ink black fur, many swirling red eyes, and silver antlers that twisted in a way that defied logic. Meanwhile, Aeor's cyan coat was unnaturally pristine and his antlers were a shimmering gold.
Oh gods.
Xornoth carefully stood up. If souls had lungs, they'd certainly be scared to breathe. Both of the great stags were right there ; they could do anything to them and Scott. Maybe Scott would lose his wings, too, or Exor could… they didn't want to think about that.
We will not hurt you.
I might. Their chest tightened.
" Don't ," Scott warned, somehow dropping the temperature just enough to be noticeable. Okay, magic still works here. Would be great if they still had magic, but oh well.
What do you think you can do against me ?
"Want to find out?"
You can't even control some measly ice magic! You're worse than that second rate wizard.
"The same wizard that uncorrupted me?" Xornoth whispered.
"And fixed my memories," Scott added.
They have a point.
Shut up, you insolent mortals. Exor's neck twisted unnaturally, focusing a blood red eye on them. Xornoth flinched.
Aeor sighed. We know why you are both here.
"Is Pearl here, too?" they asked.
Ugh, yes.
She will arrive soon enough, but we need to talk. Maybe you will change your minds.
"About what?" Scott asked, stepping closer to Xornoth.
I will keep this short. You and your friends are ruining everything.
"What?" they responded in unison.
"Oh my gosh," a familiar voice gasped.
Pearl wasn't sure what she was expecting; they were called "The Great Stags" after all. However, one looked ethereal and the other was someone's sleep paralysis demon.
Or we can have this conversation with her here, that works too.
"Anything you can say to us, you can say to her," Scott asserted.
Apparently she insulted the demon (most likely Exor) by existing. Good.
Xornoth turned to look at her and their face lit up. The ground responded by jerking towards the gods, bringing her closer and causing them and Scott to fall.
Could you please stop that?
We'll see.
Aeor sighed. Let us return to the point.
"I think we have different points here," Pearl interjected. " Our point is fighting Exor, but I heard you say something about us ruining everything."
You certainly ruined my champion.
"Oh really, how? Cause they seem pretty happy to me!" She challenged.
He-
"They," Xornoth quietly interrupted.
I could kill you right now.
"But you won't." Their voice got a little louder. "Because then Aeor would win."
You are the worst champion I've ever had!
"You've said."
Case in point. They didn't talk back before!
"I'd say why but you'd take it as a compliment," Xornoth said.
" So sorry I gave them confidence !" Pearl added. "But maybe if them being happy ruins everything, everything needs to be changed!"
You made them weaker than they already were!
"At least she didn't make me tear my wings off." Xornoth went quiet again.
It was for your own good.
Pearl looked over to Aeor and Scott, who had been quiet this whole time. The stag looked impatient and bored while Scott looked like he was going to commit a murder; his now glowing antlers blazed with anger.
Scott was fine with letting Pearl and Xornoth rip into Exor for a bit; it was honestly great entertainment. Then that was said. He had assumed that Xornoth's wings were cut off by an angry mob or something, not that .
"I'm sorry, YOU DID WHAT?"
They didn't complete their task.
"SO YOU TORE OFF A COUPLE OF LIMBS???" Scott looked to Aeor, the god who he was told was kind and just and cared about everybody. He didn't expect all of it to be true, but any reasonable person would think making someone tear off parts of their body for messing up was cruel, unusual, and deranged.
It took Aeor a moment to notice Scott was looking at him, but eventually responded, What Exor does with his champion is none of my business, or yours.
"His champion is my brother."
You didn't know they were your brother until recently.
"Because you and your brother can't talk out your issues!" Scott was fuming. "And they are still my brother."
You still need to kill them.
"I refuse."
Would you rather cause an eternal winter?
A part of the story came back to him. If Exor's champion wasn't defeated, Aeor's would cause an eternal winter. If good didn't win, Aeor would destroy the world himself.
Corruption would be much better , Exor said to Xornoth.
"Corruption is gross," they responded.
"Seriously?" Scott was trembling with rage. "You are both willing to destroy the world instead of, I don't know, TALKING TO EACH OTHER IN A CONSTRUCTIVE MANNER?!"
Exor is a horrid listener.
"I DON'T CARE! You have both been dragging mortals and the safety of the entire world into your petty feud for centuries . Centuries you could've been talking! Do you not care about all the lives you ruined or at least screwed up?" Scott angrily asked. "No, really, tell me. Do you care?"
No, destruction is kind of my thing.
They were necessary sacrifices for a greater cause.
"Greater cause. Greater cause ."
Pearl and Xornoth stepped back.
"What 'greater cause'? You mean to tell me that all of the people you,” Scott pointed at Aeor, "claim to care about and protect, are worth less than a sibling rivalry . It doesn't benefit anybody! I can understand it the first time, assuming the story is accurate, things got a little out of hand. But instead of stopping there, you were both like 'I'll get him next time' and now you have both just caused excessive amounts of damage!"
I have been very fair to my champions.
"MY MEMORIES WERE WIPED FOR YOUR 'GREATER CAUSE'! I LOST MY BEST FRIEND FOR DECADES BECAUSE OF YOUR 'GREATER CAUSE'! AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW HALF OF WHAT EXOR DID TO XORNOTH! HOW, BY ANY METRIC, IS THAT FAIR?"
"Wait, I'm your best friend?" Xornoth checked.
"Yes."
"Oh!" they said, happily surprised.
Your parents altered your memories. It was not my doing.
"Well, it wouldn't have happened if you had just even briefly considered dealing with your greater fucking cause on your own!"
He didn't notice the ice shooting up behind him.
You should be grateful-
"For what? You're both assholes! We'd be screwed up either way! I'm done being your champion and I promise you Xornoth wants out, too!" Scott finished.
Something shattered right above his ears and he stormed over to his friends. He felt lighter.
Neither god said anything, seemingly stunned by his audacity.
"Holy shit," Xornoth whispered.
"That was amazing!" Pearl exclaimed.
"It felt amazing and I'm ready for a fight," he said.
She pulled the sword out of its sheath with a wide, mischievous grin.
Exor spoke first. You undermine us and you still want to fight?
"Hell yeah!" Pearl hollered.
"I still have a bone to pick with you !" Scott added.
If it weren't so stupid, I might respect that decision.
I do not know how you did that, but if you insist on a fight, you will get one, Aeor decided.
What was he referring to when he said "that"? Scott decided it wasn't as important as the fight.
"I'm definitely going for Exor," Pearl stated.
"I'll join you." Scott still had some boiling rage to get out and some ice magic to use.
"I'll go for Aeor, but don't kill Exor before I get a hit in," Xornoth requested.
The worst, most demented, nightmare inducing laughter in the universe flooded the trio's ears. You think you can kill me? This is going to be the most fun I've had in centuries!
Little champion, you lack magic and weapons. How do you expect to land even a single blow?
Xornoth's face held the realization that with all their preparations, they didn't think to even bring a dagger.
"I'll figure it out!" They answered.
Then let us begin. Three… Two…
One.
They started running.
Pearl and Scott didn't make it far before the pastel grass turned into blood red vines, intent on stopping them in their tracks. She slashed them with her sword, causing a smell like rancid smoke to leak into the air. Scott grabbed her arms and launched them both into the air with his snowy wings.
You really think you can avoid my corruption up there?
"No, but I can do this!" Scott swooped over the walking nightmare's back and dropped Pearl.
She stumbled for a moment. The fur was disgusting and slick, but she regained her balance by sticking her blade into the god. Pearl ignored the pooling silver goop in favor of locking her eyes on the target of Exor's head.
Scott knew Pearl's plan instantly, but she'd need a distraction. He scanned the area before deciding to go for the antlers; that would really screw up Exor's balance.
He forced the air around him to chill, trying to keep it concentrated in his hands. Exor suddenly began thrashing and swinging, snapping Scott's focus. Before things got out of hand, he launched the magic, encasing the god's overly twisted antlers with ice instantly.
"Oh my Ae- gosh, that worked!"
Xornoth skidded to a stop in front of Aeor.
Are you still set on figuring something out? he asked. I could provide you with a temporary weapon.
"I'm done having business with gods. Bring it on."
Very well. Let us begin.
Okay, all Xornoth had to do was dodge until they spotted a weakness or some way to land a hit. Not the best plan, but it'd have to work.
Ice spikes shot out of the ground; they managed to jump out of the way. Aeor hadn't gotten up. He barely even moved.
They dodged more ice while trying to come up with something. Climbing wouldn't work, odds are Aeor wouldn't let them get that close. Elytra definitely wasn't an option and now was not a good time to test soul physics.
A dodge didn't go too well and Xornoth faceplanted on the grass. Wait… grass. They were in a forest with lots of magic plants. Corruption was basically a fucked up plant…
It was a stretch but they had an idea!
Exor was melting the ice, so Scott kept adding more. Between that and whatever fWhip did to the sword that kept Exor from healing, the stag was being thrown off.
Pearl made one more deep cut at the base of the neck before using the blade to scale it. It would be so much easier if he'd stop thrashing so much, but that wouldn't stop her. She wasn't sure exactly what Scott was doing with his magic but it was definitely working.
Exor abruptly swung his head down in panic, almost successfully throwing her off.
Scott yelped and Pearl turned her head to see red vines pulling him out of the sky.
Oh hell no.
She carefully crept down to one of his many, large, crimson eyes.
There weren't enough words to describe the scream. Nightmarish, maddeningly loud and distorted, unholy would also work, like a ghast shriek cranked up to 12.
Scott flinched while pinned down by corruption. Exor, however, almost collapsed at whatever pain he must be feeling. Scott could use that if he acted quickly.
A hoof landed only a few feet away. He took a quick breath and flicked his hand. A thick vein of ice trapped part of the god's leg, soon forcing Exor to fall.
Hopefully it was enough.
Xornoth jabbed their hand into the ground for extra insurance. Growth, stems, leaves, roots, other plant words. The grass started growing rapidly, soon transforming into vines.
"Holy shit it's actually working," they whispered.
Why wasn't Aeor saying anything? Or at least making more ice?
The god was looking towards the other fight and whispered, He is… actually losing.
Xornoth took advantage of the distraction and brought all their focus to the grass around Aeor. In mere moments, they managed to pin him to the ground in a tangle of unidentifiable plants. He didn't struggle, he didn't speak. He just seemed resigned.
Their antlers shattered, just like Scott's had.
Speaking of their brother, Xornoth look to see what had helped bring Aeor down.
Scott was tied down by vines, silver goop leaked from Exor's inky fur, and Pearl stood over what used to be an eye with a sword. She looked up and met their eyes before nodding.
It was Xornoth's turn for a little revenge before Pearl dealt the final blow.
They thought for a moment before using their newfound magic and whatever traces of Exor's power were left to force the corruption to free Scott and wrap around one of Exor's antlers.
It cracked like a falling tree branch.
If they were in their actual bodies, everyone's ears would've been ringing from the howling shriek that escaped the god.
Pearl was flung backwards to a few feet away from the base of Exor's neck. She picked up her sword and was moments away from finishing the job when a voice echoed through the air.
STOP.
Aeor.
"Why should I?"
I swear that we will leave mortals alone until the end of time, just do not kill him.
"Don't you two hate each other?" Scott asked. "It kind of feels like you're contradicting yourself."
Exor is still my brother and we are the last of our kind. Despite our "feud" as you have all put it, I do not want him dead.
Pearl considered this for a moment. It was entirely up to her how this would go. She could kill Exor, like she planned, or she could give them both the chance to improve. Like she had with Xornoth.
"Alright," she started. "Here's what's going to happen: I won't kill Exor but if you break that promise, even if I'm dead, if I hear about new champions or corruption or anything beyond normal worshiping, I'll get Gem to bring me back here and then you'll both join your old friends. Got it?"
Was Exor trembling? It felt like a mild earthquake.
I promise. Aeor was a little desperate.
"What about you, Exxy? It is your life on the line right now."
If someone had told her a few months ago she'd have two gods at her mercy, she probably wouldn't have believed them. Pearl also wouldn't have believed that she'd become one of a former demon's best friends.
I… promise… his voice was weak.
"Good. Best of luck with working it out, you two, I mean that." She slid off Exor's back. When she got back to her empire, she was going to take a shower. "Ready to go?" She asked her friends.
Their expressions were priceless.
"I'm so glad you're on our side," Scott said.
"That was amazing," Xornoth agreed.
"Thanks, you both were amazing, too!" She responded. Honestly, they did even better than her. They both confronted the beings that held too much power over their lives, and lived. "Xornoth, you didn't tell me you could do plant magic!"
"I honestly just tested a leap in logic."
"It was still cool," Scott stated. "Maybe you could ask Katherine to teach you a few things."
"I'll think about it." Xornoth was smiling.
Another voice came through the air. "Pearl, Pearl! PearlPearlPearlPearl." She'd recognize it anywhere, Sausage.
"Sounds like it's time to go home," Scott said, probably hearing Jimmy.
She turned to the gods. "Remember, if you break that promise, I'll be back."
Pearl focused on Sausage's voice, she went numb again before feeling the apothecary's wooden floor.
"Scott, please do something," Jimmy said.
He had honestly been panicking a little since Scott's antlers dissolved into golden dust. Now his boyfriend still seemed out of it and the hour was almost up. He didn't know what he'd do if this didn't work.
His worries eased when a certain hand touched his shoulder.
"I'm back," Scott whispered groggily.
"Great! Um, how are you feeling?"
"Tired, a little light headed," the elf answered, "happy to see you."
"I'm happy to see you too," Jimmy replied. "We're going to go to House Blossom now. Is it alright if I carry you?"
"What if my antlers scratch your face?"
Oh. Oh . He didn't know.
"Don't worry about it." It was all Jimmy could think to say.
"Okay."
Jimmy looked to Gem, who was still trying to get Joey to tell her why he brought Xornoth back by kissing them on the cheek. They were actually the first one back, since they jolted up and started blushing almost immediately. Honestly, it was probably what those two were whispering about earlier. Meanwhile, Sausage had helped Pearl up, supporting her weight as she leaned on him.
Jimmy carefully picked up Scott, bridal style; the elf rested his head on Jimmy's shoulder and smiled. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Gem took a deep breath. It all worked! None of them died! Scott and Xornoth were a little off, though. Could they have used too much magic? That didn't make sense; to her knowledge, their natural supply shouldn't have been depleted this much unless they actually had other magic, but she could ask them about it later.
"Alright, I'll get a few horses, then we can go see Katherine," Gem told the others. "Try and keep them awake." Their souls would be in the process of readjusting for a few minutes and sleeping usually disrupts that.
"You got it, Gem!" Sausage gave a thumbs up. "I'm very good at being loud!"
"We know!" Joey said.
Gem rolled her eyes and left. Between those two, nobody should have any issues staying awake.
Katherine placed one more potion in line (she started organizing them in rainbow order while waiting for everyone to show up) when her comm buzzed. Gem!
<GeminiTay> We're on our way
<katherineeliz> How did it go?
<GeminiTay> I don't know the details, but they aren't dead. Pearl is exhausted and Scott and Xornoth are a little loopy and more focused on their boyfriends at the moment
<katherineeliz> Hmmm
<katherineeliz> anything else?
<GeminiTay> Apparently Scott was lightheaded when he woke up
<GeminiTay> Also both of their antlers dissolved
<katherineeliz> What do you mean "dissooved"???
<katherineeliz> *dissolved
<GeminiTay> I'm going to have to sweep the dust up when this is all over
<katherineeliz> was there blood???
<GeminiTay> No
<katherineeliz> huh
<katherineeliz> I'll see you in a bit
<GeminiTay> Thanks, again
<katherineeliz> no problem!
Okay, Scott and Xornoth might've overexerted their magic somehow? That didn't explain the antlers…they might need regen potions. Pearl, however, most likely just needed some sleep. Katherine will figure it out after actually giving them a checkup.
As long as Katherine had known Scott, he'd had golden, branch-like antlers; now, though, it was like they were never there at all. No wound, no scar, no need for regen potions. It was the same for Xornoth, too. Fortunately, they both seemed to have refocused on their way over and could actually answer questions.
"Okay, do either of you have any idea why your antlers are gone?" She asked.
"I basically cussed out Aeor," Scott admitted.
"Oh!"
"It felt good."
"I don't think we're champions anymore, thankfully," Xornoth added.
"Ohhh, okay. I know what's going on. Both of you got a bunch of magic that's been in your system for decades taken out. That's why you both feel funny," she explained.
"Oh yeah! I have plant magic now!" Xornoth announced.
"Congratulations!" Katherine said. "I'm going to mix something up for both of you to speed up the regenerating process. Then you can take a nap."
"Finally," Scott sighed.
"Yep! I'll be right back."
As she closed the door, Katherine heard the two start discussing medical based stories from when they were kids.
Xornoth was definitely looking better, no longer resembling a sleep deprived ghost. They were happier, too; that was good. She'd still have to give them a proper check up after they woke up, though.
Katherine opened the potion room door, releasing the smell of flowers and burnt powder into the hallway. She put on gloves and clicked on the brewing stand, blaze powder already being loaded in. The basic ingredients were obvious: water bottles (just 2, in this case), netherwart, and a ghast tear. Then it was time for the special ingredients: rose petals, lapis and amethyst powder, and rosemary.
After a couple minutes, she had two finished magic regen potions. Normally slightly smaller doses would be given, but elves could generally process higher potion dosages easier; besides, they needed something strong to recover the amount of magic removed from their system.
For those two, the main downside would be the taste.
"-and that time I tried to get you to remove a blood feather so we wouldn't have to tell our parents," Scott said.
"I hadn't even touched it yet and you started crying," Xornoth finished.
"We were pretty reckless, weren't we?" He asked.
" I was reckless. You were clumsy," they answered.
"Oh, how things change."
"Haha, yeah," Xornoth agreed.
They looked around. This was a different room from the last time they were there. "Hard to believe it's only been a few months."
"It feels like a year," Scott agreed. "At least ."
Sounds about right. Just a few months ago, Xornoth hated everyone and everything and wanted to destroy it all. They thought Scott was pretending to not remember them. They were scared that at any minute they would do something that would make Pearl decide they weren't worth the trouble.
Now, Xornoth and Scott never had to deal with the gods again. Pearl had decided they were someone worth protecting, Scott and them could be- are best friends like when they were kids, they could be in a happy relationship with Joey, and they could fly again. It was everything they ever wanted, almost too good to be true.
Suddenly, there was some commotion in the hallway.
"Pleeeease?" Joey whined.
"We're just a little-" That was Jimmy.
"Alright, alright! You can come in, but only for a few minutes. They need to sleep." Katherine was definitely annoyed with them both.
The door swung open and they entered. Joey ran over to Xornoth and hugged them. "How are you feeling, Xorny?"
"Tired, but I'll be fine."
"Great! Also, I want you to tell me all about your standoff with those gods," he requested.
"I promise I will, but not right now."
"How does it feel not having antlers?" Jimmy asked.
"Kind of like cutting off long hair; my head just feels lighter," Scott said.
"Do you still feel lightheaded?"
"A little. I mostly just need a nap," he said. "How's Pearl doing?"
"She's out cold," Jimmy answered. "Gem and Sausage are keeping an eye on her."
"That's good."
"Okay, medicine time!" Katherine announced, handing him a bottle of sparkling, pink potion. "Small warning: it tastes really bad."
Xornoth didn't hesitate to down the liquid before gagging. "It tastes like rocks."
Scott hesitated before doing the same, and Xornoth's description was bitterly accurate except for the hint of floral sweetness in the aftertaste. It didn't help the experience, but still.
"Now you can rest. Joey, Jimmy, you both need to go home," Katherine stated.
" Fine ." Joey gave one more squeeze before getting off of Xornoth. "I love you, Xorny! Let me know when you're up!"
"I love you too." With how red Xornoth's face was at that , Scott couldn't wait to see their face when they got to kissing on the lips.
Speaking of which, Scott gave one to Jimmy. "Thank you for your help today."
"Don't mention it, sleep well!" he responded.
Jimmy and Joey left and Katherine drew the curtains. "If you need anything, let me know."
"We will," Scott said.
"And, Xornoth? I'm going to give you a checkup when you're awake," she added.
"Okay," they yawned as she left.
They both tucked themselves in, and Xornoth turned to face their brother.
"Hey, Scott?"
"Yeah?"
"You're my best friend too."