Chapter Text
The game happened quickly, taking only a few minutes to eliminate all the survivors. This was a great relief for Azure. The delivery man was the first to fall, and after him, everyone else quickly fell.
The fact that a certain occultist had spent the entire game in a ball of sobs and occasional convulsions didn't help his teammates much in winning the game.
The hat that followed him like a parasite kept spewing cruel words and threats, which only soured Azure's already bad mood.
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When the game ended, all he did was return to his cabin and his room. He didn't bother to greet his fellow comrades; it's not like he could talk even if he wanted to.
When he got to his room, he quickly closed his eyes and decided to relax a little from the anxieties that had followed him all day.
That lasted for about a few seconds until he noticed the visitor in his room, automatically tensing up and taking a few steps back, bumping into the entrance to the room.
The specter
Incredible...
And in a display of power, followed by a very awkward silence, the specter finally let Azure know the purpose of their visit.
They didn't know how it worked, but ideas came to their mind automatically without the specter needing to say a word.
Azure was a little envious of this curious power; it would really save them the trouble of carrying that parasitic hat.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Azure finally looked back at the specter. The specter looked at them with an impatient look, as if his answer would be the answer to every evil that plagued them.
The deal was simple: he would become a survivor and regain his original body, but in return, he wouldn't be able to break the facade of hatred and revenge toward a certain occultist that the Spectre had so painstakingly designed for him.
Azure didn't know how to feel. Unlike what the survivors might say about him, his hatred toward the occultist wasn't that big. He was a little hurt from being stabbed in the back that time, but that couldn't erase all the feelings he held and still holds for his beloved.
As much as he tried to resist those feelings, he knew that one of his greatest desires was to rebuild the relationship he had with them. Even if it wasn't romantically, Azure just wanted to be back with his favorite person in the world.
But if he had to act as the specter dictated in exchange for his normal appearance, would it really be worth sacrificing everything? His remaining connection to Two Time in exchange for a body he didn't feel repulsive in? Would he be willing to do that?
Before Azure could dwell on the matter further, they decided to make a decision.
They shook the specter's hand, thus accepting the deal, as well as its terms.
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That night, Azure couldn't sleep. Anxieties had kept him awake since he was a child, and that night was no different. But what did change were the origins of those anxieties.
How would Two Time react? Would they hate him? Would they cry? Would they beg for his forgiveness on their knees, or would they not even look at him again? He doesn't know what frightens Azure more: Two Time's complete rejection or their indifference.
With that final thought, Azure let the cloak of night finally claim him, concluding a very interesting day in the eyes of a certain host.
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The first thing Azure felt was his heart pounding, a cold sweat running down his chest, and his body paralyzed.
Scanning, he realized he was no longer in the hunters' cabin, but in a forest that seemed suspiciously familiar.
Could he have been sleepwalking? He remembers that during his time in the Spawn cult, it was a normal occurrence; after all, members eventually lost their sanity sooner or later.
While Azure was lost in thought, he saw a green glow in his peripheral vision.
That glow quickly turned into a sword that grazed him close enough to deduce who it belonged to.
His body finally came back to life and began to listen.
Azure's panicked brain told him nothing more than to run, and, unwilling to find out what would happen if he stayed, Azure happily complied.
Something felt strange.
In addition to being hunted by one of those he considered a comrade less than 12 hours ago, his body felt lighter and his head was no longer spinning.
That's when all the understanding hit him.
The specter wasn't lying; Azure had become a survivor.
-Look what you've done to us- that irritating voice couldn't belong to anyone other than Azure's beloved hat.
Which miraculously didn't undergo any changes due to its host's sudden transformation.
In other situations, Azure would have thrown himself the hat as hard as he could. At that moment, he thought of nothing more than running and escaping the hunter as fast as his legs would carry him.
As he ran across the map, he managed to spot a figure in the distance. The closer he got, he recognized it as the pizza delivery man.
Azure, trying to get the man's attention, began waving his hands as a sign for him to flee.
But all his attempts at communication were in vain because the delivery man seemed absorbed in his own world.
Oh well, Azure thought, if the hunter changes targets, it's much better for me.
As the hunter and Azure approached the figure, he could see the delivery man's face change from a look of confusion to one of pure horror.
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The delivery man stood still in terror. Azure really couldn't stop calling him an idiot in his mind. -Are you serious, you see a killing machine and you just stood there waiting for your death?- he thought
Azure didn't hesitate, and when he was near the delivery man, he took his hand and ran as fast as he could to the center of the map.
The delivery man seemed to have snapped out of his trance halfway there, but Azure didn't care. Later, they would take the trouble to reintroduce themselves.
They ran and dodged for what seemed like an eternity to Azure. -Is this what it feels like to be hunted?- Azure promised himself to give the survivors a bit of an advantage the next time he went hunting.
A blue flash crossed their periphery and suddenly the hunter was no longer behind them. The survivor, whose name he can't remember, was distracting the hunter while yelling at them to run.
Azure didn't wait for them to repeat it twice; he turned and started running, not noticing that he was taking a certain pizza delivery man with him.
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When Azure reached an area he recognized as safe, he finally allowed himself to stop and take a break, his lungs burning from the exertion he had made earlier.
During his time in the Spawn cult, he didn't usually take part in rituals or other activities that required endurance, although he still retained his usual strength. It seemed that so much time of time being "dead" had really taken its toll on his body; all his muscles felt atrophied.
Before he could finish his train of thought, a voice cut through the silence.
-You really saved me out there, didn't you? If it weren't for you, 1x1x1x1 would have really turned me into a pulp- he said, scratching his hair and laughing nervously.
-By the way, are you new? I've never seen you around here. What's your name? My name is Elliot, if you want to know.- Azure opened their mouth, wanting to answer the questions, but not a single sound came out.
Azure grabbed his throat and tried again. As he suspected, he couldn't speak. At that moment, Azure swore he heard the voice of that little hat-demon laughing in his ear.
Elliot, noticing Azure's expression, became more nervous.
-Are you okay? I know it's shocking to be chased in your first match. Believe me, it doesn't get easier with time- Elliot said, crossing his arms.
Azure, accepting that he wouldn't be able to voluntarily utter a single sound, began to gesture with his hands at his inability to communicate.
-Can't you talk?- Elliot asked, picking up on the signals. Azure nodded.
- I see. Okay, buddy. When the game's over, we'll find a way to communicate- the blond said as he pulled something from behind his back.
-Here, the hunter left you a little bruised in that chase.- Azure hesitated a moment before grabbing the pizza from the other's hands.
Suddenly, he felt his scratches slowly heal.
Azure let out a satisfied sound and sat down on the floor so he could enjoy his food more accurately.
Elliot sat beside him and they remained silent for a while, allowing Azure to gather his thoughts.
Although he was now in his original body, the specter decided to take away his ability to speak again, and although he hated it, it seemed that his hat could no longer communicate his thoughts.
Now what had once been an arrogant voice that filled the silence Azure couldn't, seemed to have been displaced to a place where only he could hear.
Apparently, Azure's suffering was evident, as Elliot patted him and smiled.
-I understand your situation. When I arrived here, I was just as lost as you. I think I was even worse.- Elliot sighed. -I spent my entire first playthrough curled up in a ball, crying in a corner.-
Azure snorted in response. Although the situation wasn't similar, that story still brought them a bit of comfort.
That comfort didn't last long.
Only he and Elliot remained.
Azure heard Elliot swear under his breath as he saw the status bars. Elliot stood up and signaled for him to do the same.
-We need to get out of here, and find a place we can hide- he said as he led the way.
Suddenly, he felt his heart skip a beat, and fear flooded his senses.
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The hunter had found them before they could find a place to hide, and when that happened, both he and Elliot decided to go their separate ways.
Luckily for him, the hunter decided to focus on Elliot.
But that didn't stop him from running like his life depended on it.
And before Azure knew it, he was deeper into the forest.
Azure looked around and noticed a pile of Nightshades in a secluded spot.
That really caught their attention.
Azure approached cautiously, scanning his surroundings for any traps the hunter might have hidden there.
And when Azure finally found himself standing in the middle of that pile, a feeling came over him.
His entire body and mind felt numb, and the desire to lie down in the Nightshades consumed him.
Azure succumbed to his desires and lay down.
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He woke up in a field of Nightshades, all of them dancing to the rhythm of the wind.
Suddenly, he felt a presence behind him.
£©°←—é←+?- That voice.
Azure turned and looked at the person they wanted so desperately wanted to see, but they looked strange.
Not as he remembered them, but as they looked now, worn out, with a hint of madness in their eyes.
Suddenly, the scene changed before his eyes.
No, Azure was no longer in that beautiful field of Nightshades with his beloved, but now in the main temple.
Pain soon clouded his senses.
This was a scene he remembered perfectly; after all, who would forget the moment of their death?
Everything went black.
And suddenly, he heard a voice.
Congratulations, my dear one, you've been noticed by the Spawn.
May your days be full of joy and your devotion remain intact.
Azure stood up suddenly, breathing heavily and his mind still paralyzed.
He watched as the pile of Nightshades had disappeared, except for a few growing at his feet.
Suddenly, he saw the counter reach zero. He had survived without the hunter finding him.
It was time to return to the survivors' cabin.
It was time to see them again.