Lost Mind

Chapter 11: The Little Enderman's Ghost

I'm dedicating this chapter to Technoblade, who—though he didn't know my name or who I was—impacted me in countless ways. He will be forever missed by millions of people. May he rest in power.

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"No!" Technoblade cried out as his sister saluted to him. He dove after her, but he couldn't get there in time. With a sad smile, Mellohi leaned backward and toppled off the bridge.

He knew the fall wouldn't kill her. That wasn't what he was worried about, no. It was the water she was careening toward that frightened him.

A faint splash sounded from the bottom of the chasm, and Technoblade gazed down frantically at his little sister, writhing and thrashing in the water. Her haunting screeches sent chills down his spine as he watched her skin burn.

"Do something!" Philza screamed, and Techno panicked. He'd only been under this kind of pressure once before.

"Like what!?"

"Anything!"

With a swift hand, The Blade whipped out his crossbow. He nocked three arrows into the chamber, twisted it onto it's side, aimed, and fired.

Mellohi's cries were silenced. Her head, heart, and abdomen were tainted red as her life leaked out of her.

She did not disappear.

"Why isn't she respawning!?" Philza hollered.

"She gets a choice," Techno murmured.

"What?"

"Didn't you hear what she said? She gets a choice on whether or not she'll come back."

"She'll come back, won't she?" Phil gripped Techno's cloak desperately. "Won't she!?"

The Piglin stayed silent. He couldn't pry his eyes away from her, from the arrows lodged in her corpse.

A bone-chilling wail pierced the afternoon sky as Philza fell to his knees. Technoblade couldn't stand it anymore. He left his father's side and jumped down into the lake below.

With a splash, he landed a few feet away from Mellohi, who's skin was still sizzling. Quietly, he dragged her body out of the water and onto a nearby rock, where he toweled her off with his cloak and gazed into her lifeless eyes. The eyes that killed.

"It was 24 hours, right?" he asked softly, wiping her hair away from her face. "That's what you said. You have 24 hours to choose life."

A shiver ran down his spine, and he gripped her hand tightly.

"Please come back," he begged. "I know you can hear me. Please, I need you."

Her body did not stir.

He planted a small kiss on her forehead and laid beside her, silently crying out to any god who would care enough to lend an ear.

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The midday sun beamed down into the chasm, warming Technoblade's face as he stirred. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. When did he fall asleep? The grass under his hands was soaked with dew. He blinked his drowsy eyes as he reached for his crown, which had fallen off in the middle of the night.

His hand brushed against something cold, and he froze. Mellohi was still there. Her 24 hours were up. And she was still dead.

Technoblade gazed at her burned corpse in horror. Why was she still there? Why didn't she come back? Why? Why? Why!?