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Mane wanted to strangle his past self right now for being so stupid.
Mane knew he wasn’t like other players from the day he spawned in as a cub. At only 8 his family abandoned him with his aunt and uncle, claiming he was a lost cause and would only bring their image down. But while his aunt and uncle were ok at best, his cousin was the one he connected to the most.
A small boy with honey amber eyes just turning 6 years old looked at him with wonder in his eyes, and Mane knew from that point forward he would protect Flame no matter what. They were cousins by blood but brothers by war, and Mane wouldn’t have it any other way.
They lived in peace until Flame turned 10 and Mane was already 12. Flame’s mother led him outside for a “surprise” in a oddly sweet voice that didn’t match her other side she showed. Mane had a bad feeling but Flame was naïve, wanting to believe his mother finally remembered his birthday this year. He waved off Mane’s concern and walked hand in hand with his mother and his father placed a hand on Mane’s shoulder once they left the room and said “everything will be fine.”
But there was something about his voice, something about his tone, the intent of him, that pulled at his instincts, screamed at him to check on Flame, to check on his cub.
Despite Flame’s fathers yelling, Mane sprinted out the door with an animalistic power of something desperate. As soon as he got outside he heard it first before his human mind could process it, screams. An unworldly scream that didn’t sound human but Mane recognized it regardless. It was Flame’s.
Mane’s body moved before his mind caught up to it, running towards the yells with all his might his small body could muster. As he got closer he smelled smoke, but mixed with that was something that smelled like beef but it was off with a hint of a sweet musky sense mixed with it.
Somewhere in the back of his mind Mane hoped the screams where just playful ones, that the smell was a grill made by Flame’s mother, that maybe his instincts were wrong. Maybe a that part of him that wanted to be blissful was right, maybe he could be normal with Flame’s parents and he’d finally be whole.
But when he came into the clearing he froze with fear.
Flame, his cub, his baby, was tied to a pole in the middle of the clearing with fire licking his skin. His screams were animalistic, one of the most desperate pleas a boy of barley double digits could make. The which of a woman that dared to call herself Flame’s mother, stood in front of the fire with a book in her hands chanting in an unknown language with a smirk on her lips.
Before Mane could do anything hands grabbed his wrist and dug into his skin, Flame’s father stood behind him with a dead look but he restrained Mane regardless. Mane pulled against the man with despair clinging to his voice as his screams melted with Flame’s, one of pain and fear and another with desperation and worry.
10 minutes felt like hours but once the ritual was over Flame was dead, but fate wouldn’t be so merciful to let him die here. Another scream ripped though Flame’s body’s throat, skin curled back onto his bones, horns ripped though skin that wasn’t his own, a tails curled out of skin, and once it was done the flames no longer hurt him. Flame fell forward out of the fire and once he opened his eyes his once warm amber eyes now lost his innocence. One of his eyes were blood red with both eyes having slit pupils like Mane had when he was angered.
His face was broken in so many was that if Mane tried to count them he would count for eternity. That once innocent face that gave Mane’s life light was gone and a shell of a boy that he once knew was left. And something in Mane snapped.
He couldn’t even remember what happened next, all he knew was that in the dust of the ending of innocence stood the both of them. Flame was to weak to sleep, his new eyes just stayed open, glossed over like he had seen hundreds of battles. And Mane just held him with a predatory want for safety for his cub. Blood still dripped from his mouth, the taste of flesh still lingering on his tongue, Flame was still burning hot to the touch, but Mane just held him like he could protect his blissfulness that had died in the flames of the fire.
Unbeknownst to the brothers a man stood in the forest out of their view and had seen the whole thing go down. Though he couldn’t intervene due to fate, but what he could do was give the 2 a offer. When he first stepped out of the shadows he was immediately met with claws. Mane jumped forward with an animalistic power and sliced at his throat, which would’ve been a kill shot in the dragon hybrid didn’t weave out the way.
Mane was running on pure instincts and adrenaline, the blood of his aunt and uncle was still fresh on his tongue. But the dragon didn’t look fazed by the action and once he jumped out of his reach, lowered his head and eyes, an act of submission. His wings also dropped and the acts were enough for Mane, though his primal instincts, to fall back to in front of Flame, putting himself in-between him and the dragon. Still able to protect Flame but not directly in front of the strangers ready to attack.
The dragon then dropped to a knee which surprised Mane enough to loosen his stance before the dragon started talking in a soft voice. “I do not wish to hurt you” his tone was almost fatherly and from behind Mane, Flame mustered enough strength to stand but leaned on Mane heavily. “I have a server for players like you, I can help you. You don’t have to trust me but I can swear on the levels that run in my blood that I won’t hurt you.”
Before Mane could respond there was a small hoarse voice that came behind him “promise?”. Mane wanted to crumble right there and now, just a reminder that Flame was barley 10 and had to go through everything. He still believed in promises yet his skin had been torn off and made a new.
But there still meant that maybe a sliver of innocence stood in the dust. Maybe that sliver could blossom. Mane couldn’t do it by himself, he himself was just as broken, but maybe this man could help. Maybe he was naïve, maybe he was too trusting, but instead of screaming his instincts told him to go with the man.
Mane watched as the dragon smiled softly and raise his hand slowly to extend his pinky finger “pinky promise”. Mane kept Flame from getting any closer and the dragon’s face had an understanding look. He then stood slowly, being careful to show the brothers every move he does, his wings extended on his back, not like a treat but like an opening. He smiled “I’m KJ by the way”.
KJ was the father that Mane and Flame never had. He was kind, gentle, a warmth in the coldness of this world, a light in a dark tunnel, someone that could be trusted with their very life. KJ introduced the brothers to the only other resident of Levels at the time, Renders, and slowly but surely the 2 started to open up. Flame and Renders partially because brothers as they did literally everything together and KJ would always be there if they needed to talk.
Slowly more players joined as well. Render was taken to Levels before Flame and Mane, he was a human but due to some experiments he now was half human and half zombie. Then after the brothers was a siren named Jaden that was highly wanted across thousands of servers for his kills, who in reality was only 14 years old who wanted to be a pirate but players kept hunting him. It didn’t matter who they were, it just mattered that they were hurting and KJ didn’t want them to hurt anymore.
But when Flame was 14 and Mane was 16, KJ called for the brothers to meet with him and the 2 followed without hesitation. When they saw him there was someone hidden behind him, a spider hybrid most likely due to the legs they could see.
KJ smiled and moved to show the player, they had long purple hair that was unkept and dirty, slightly lighter purple skin that was heavily scared, purple eyes with black sclera and white slit pupils, his clothes were dirty but there was a certain aura about him that screamed royalty. He clung to KJ like he was afraid he would disappear if he let go and the dragon simply laughed and curled the boy in the cup of his wing.
“This is Wemmbu” he said softly “he’s around Flame’s age and I want for you to look after him for a little bit, just until he is well enough to live on his own.”
Mane hummed, he’d done this before when Jaden joined Levels a year ago so it wasn’t unusual. So he asked “alright, is there anything I need to know about this little guy”.
The spider hybrid, or Wemmbu, curled closer to KJ as the dragon talked “well he was royalty but there was a incident that lead to him being the only survivor. He’s highly trained and doesn’t trust easily but once he does he gets quite clingy” he laughed at the last line as Wemmbu scoffed and buried his head into KJ’s shoulder.
Mane smiled and kneeled in front of Wemmbu, mirroring what KJ did to him and Flame the first time they met. The boy flinched but still look too Mane with curiosity “hey I’m Mane and that’s behind me is Flame, my brother”. Flame and Wemmbu held each others stare for a while but it wasn’t threatening, it was more a curiosity then anything. Slowly Wemmbu unfurled from KJ’s side and walked towards the both of them with wide eyes. He nervously looked back at KJ and the dragon simply nodded.
From that day forward they were 3 of a kind. Even when the month had ended Wemmbu insisted he stayed with Mane and he wasn’t opposed to it. It was different with him, Wemmbu and Flame had some psychic connection and would always be attached at the hip, and Wemmbu was always knew when Mane just needed to be around someone.
Wemmbu blended with the brothers like they were his own flesh and blood. It was like something clicked between them.
Mane remembered the days of him training Wemmbu that ended in disheveled laughter. The play fights Wemmbu and Flame would have that didn’t really matter who was the winner because they would all end with the 2 cuddled together. When Flame would cook delicious meals for Mane and giggle at the lion hybrid’s appetite. The times when Flame and Wemmbu would ambush Mane when he worked himself too long and drag him down onto a dog pile.
It was perfect.
Untill it took them.
Years later Mane watched as Wemmbu fall into the portal after tying to save Jaden from the same fate but ultimately failing and getting dragged in with him. Flame didn’t waste a second, he ran after Wemmbu at full speed while Mane’s body froze like it did on the night Flame was turned. He wanted to move, to save his cubs, but his body wouldn’t move an inch and soon he would be dragged in as well.
And somehow he just forgot everything.
But now he remembers.
But was it too late?
He’d hurt his cubs in more ways then he could count, he remembered the look of devastation on Wemmbu’s face when Mane left, the disappointment in Flame’s voice when Mane left the empire. He wanted to run straight up to them and smother them in a hug while apologizing a million times over.
But Mane knew that Wemmbu and Flame weren’t ready to see him. Mane was sloppy and his trail was plan to see for anyone as skilled as his cubs, they would find them when they were ready. If they remembered like him then they most likely went to each other first, they were attached at the hip and Mane didn’t blame them for not going to him first.
But he wanted so bad to see them again, to rid the guilt on his shoulders, to drag them into his den he made just for when they got back. To feel the heart beat of them just to remember their alive and still here. Just to hold them tight and never let a soul hurt them again.
He was a lion hybrid, it was in his nature to have a pack, but now he had nothing due to his past self’s stupidity. He sat alone at his new tree house and tried everything to get his mind off his cubs. He hunted, scavenged, cleaned, rearrange, anything just to push his thoughts down.
But while he walked out onto his balcony he heard the sound of talking from below. Always being cautious, Mane grabbed his spear and strained his ears so he could hear the talking of the people. They were probably travelers, he got a few of them before and usually they left after he showed his face. He honestly didn’t have the strength to kill right now so he’d probably just scare them off.
“Are you sure this is the place” a voice asked.
“Yeah his trail leads here and you know how much he likes tree houses” the second voice laughed but it seemed bitter.
Now Mane’s interest was peaked, that would mean that these two were seeking him out. Maybe bounty hunters, but while he had made his trail sloppy for his cubs to find it would take a well experienced player to find him which meant either a highly trained player was looking for him, who’s pressured dead by the server. Or-.
Oh.
“Mane’s path was sloppy, he’s not sloppy he’s cunning, he’s either dying or this isn’t Mane” Wemmbu hissed as he leaned on the handle of his mace.
“This place practically has his name on it” Flame retorted, his tail lashing behind him as he started to climb up the ladder with Wemmbu following begrudgingly. Mane moved back into his house with his heart beating out of his chest. They were here, his cub had came looking for him why was he hiding?
Deep down he scared, what if they didn’t come here for the reason he wanted them too? What if they came to kill him? What if they wanted revenge? Mane wouldn’t blame them if they wanted to but he couldn’t help but be careful.
The both of them walked into Mane’s living room, Flame leading them and Wemmbu standing close behind. Wemmbu huffed liked a stubborn kid “this is just going to be a dead end like every other lead. Just because we found somebody’s house doesn’t mean we found the miracle we’ve been dreaming of.”
Flame shot his head back to glare at the spider hybrid “well this is our last lead so unless you want to give up on looking for him so quit nagging me.” Wemmbu was quick to shut up and Flame was quick to soften his body language. His tail wrapped around his leg in a wave he only did when he was nervous or needed comfort. Flame sighed “Spidey I-”.
“No I get it” Wemmbu muttered while keeping his eyes glued to the floor “but- what if we’re the only ones that remember. What if we find him and he just overdo the things I worked so hard to fix.” Flame didn’t response his tail just curled harder in his skin. “We’ll talk later” Wemmbu finally whispered so softly that Mane had the strain his ears to hear him “lets just continue and-” Wemmbu finally noticed Mane, who was standing in the doorway behind Flame.
Flame raised an eyebrow before he turned to look straight at Mane, the color drained from his face. Instinctively, Flame positioned himself in front of Wemmbu, being prepared to use his body as a shield if anything did go wrong. And the thought that Flame could fathom a world when Mane would hurt either of them broke him The real Mane would never but the Mane that had been on this server did.
But there they were, Mane thought, his brothers, his kids, his cubs. They had followed his trail even with the thought that maybe he would still be that cruel man he was back then. They were here, in his house, so close to him that he could make out every scar and cut on their skin, so close that in both him and Flame extended their hands their fingers would brush.
Mane reached his hand up carefully to his blindfold and peeled the piece of cloth off his face, revealing amber eyes with slit pupils. He could already feel his eyes stinging with tears but he paid no mind as his eyes were too busy being stuck on his cubs.
“Wemmbu, Flame” his voice was raw, a broken tone that made the duo in front of him pause. “I- I don’t know where to begin but I’m sorry. If- if I didn’t forget I wouldn’t have done any of that in any universe. But I can’t undo what that shell of a person I was did to you.”
“Whatever hellish being trapped us here undid years of work I did to make myself better and reduced me to a shell of myself. I can’t undo it and I know I may never be able to make it up to both of you but just please know I wouldn’t have done any of that stuff if I was in the right mind.”
Tears fell down without any barrier holding them back, Mane kept his eyes trained to the ground in almost shame. Mane was vulnerable, he put all his cards on the table for his brothers to see and wouldn’t dare look back. He hasn’t felt this weak since the day the his brothers were ripped from his hands but even then he had forgotten just minutes after. Maybe the real last time he felt this way was worth KJ when he broke down in the dragon’s arms due his fears.
Either way it had been a long time since he let himself feel vulnerable, but he’d let himself be vulnerable for Wemmbu and Flame. He didn’t expect to be forgiven, he expected to be thrown to the street like he deserved, but his thoughts were cut off by a warm mass crashing into his chest.
Flame buried his head into the crook of Mane’s neck, blindfold in his hand revealing crimson and amber eyes filled with tears just the same as Mane. Flame’s body was naturally warmer as he was a demon hybrid from the nether, but when his emotions got the best of him his body’s temperature would rise. Right now, his whole body felt like it was on fire, and when his tears reached his chin they evaporated due to the sheer heat of his body.
But Mane just held onto Flame tighter, he didn’t see the immortal demon or a monster, he saw that same 10 year old that he watched the light fade his eyes and that he swore to protect.
Wemmbu stood frozen behind Flame, even with his head turned to look away from Mane he could still see the tears flowing down his face like waterfalls. When Wemmbu spared a glance at the both of them Mane simply smiled and waved him over. He looked so small, it didn’t matter that he was now a full adult he would always be that kid that would beg Mane for another minute of sleep or another hour of training.
Wemmbu’s walls broke and the spider hybrid came running into Mane’s arms beside Flame. Mane held his cubs as his voice barely croaked to life “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I love you both so much, I’m sorry, your not a lost cause.”
The sound of a sob cut Mane out of his rambles as he pulled back slightly to see Wemmbu was the one responsible for the noise. Flame just held onto Mane tighter like he was his life line.
No one would hurt his cubs ever again, Mane decided, it didn’t matter what happened in the past because for here on out no one would lay a finger on either of them. He might’ve fucked up but he’s not going to fuck up any longer, he was going to make it right.
Mane didn’t know the specifics of how they got to the den in his house but they ended up their regardless. His den was made to resemble the one in levels as much as he could make it, warm fairy lights, hundreds of blankets of pillows, located at the certain of his base, it was the closest it could be to their den back home.
Mane laid in the middle of their dog pile of limps, Flame to his left and Wemmbu to his right. Both of them were actually practically merging with him with how close they were to Mane. Wemmbu was rested on Mane’s chest, tear marks on his face but he was no longer crying. Flame’s head was rested on his shoulder while his arms were wrapped around Wemmbu’s back. Mane himself could feel a purr rumble out his chest at the slight in front of him.
It felt like home, though they were so far away from their real home this was the closest they were. Tomorrow they would talk, Mane would apologize a hundred times over and promise to protect his cubs a hundred times over. But for now he would settle with his cubs safe in his arms, free from harm and finally back home.
Mane leaned down to place a kiss on Wemmbu’s hair then turned his head to place another one on Flame’s forehead. The duo was already fast asleep, probably exhausted from their crying party earlier. Before Mane fell into sleep he smiled and swore to himself “were going to get home, I promise.”