Cycle of Vengeance//A Camp Minecraft AU

Chapter Fifteen: The Final Three

TW: Descriptions of Death

The birds were silent as the dust settled over the churned up dirt. Large gashes scored the ground, creating gaping holes. Branches were snapped and torn, crisscrossing the worn trail Frost was following.

This place reeked of magic. But it also reeked of loss. A speck of orange caught his attention, snagged against an outstretched vine, fluttering slightly in a sullen breeze.

He neared it, his heart dropping as his suspicions were confirmed. Alxton's fur ripped free of the tendril and drifted away, lost to the wind as the hybrid had been lost to the world.

If only he had said something. If only he had done something. If only he hadn't been blinded by greed and hunger for power.

Maybe they'd still be in this world.

He could still sense them, but it was faint and quickly fading. He hoped it was due to the world's distance to his own and not....

He wasn't going to think about that. It was then he realized Alxton, Zud, and Kate had been right all along. But they paid the price for his mistake and it was too late to turn back. They were in the endgame- there was no room for neutrality.

He could sense the other world now. It was dark and savage and broken. And it was closer than ever.

But he couldn't help but wonder why they'd come so close to invading all of a sudden. He couldn't see into that world but he could sense its hostility. Surely a place without a united front wouldn't be able to make it to other worlds, right? What changed?

His eyes dropped to a mound of dirt that had been freshly dug. He must have wandered to the gravesite. The gears began to turn in his head, making him aware of just how much of a fool he had been.

A place so dark. A wicked arrow piercing Rafessor's lifeless form. Karan and Nico were nearby, Karan suffering from a fatal burn that exposed his windpipe and Nico with a gaping hole in his stomach.

A place so savage. The dragon's jaws tearing Garry in two, the mutilated bodies of Cheri and Mr. Chang outside. Ambrew and Biffle were rotting with them.

A place so broken. Everyone was accusing each other of being at fault. Sigils was glaring at Henwy, his eyes betraying his fury and grief. Gold and Karan were avoiding eye contact so their guilt wouldn't be seen. The sorcerers stood from afar, watching the madness, doing nothing. If the newcomers were fighting, there would be no quarrel with the three of them.

They had been their own demise. This- all of this- was their fault.

A twig snapped nearby, yanking him from his thoughts. "Who's there?" He called.

Florian tore himself free from the wild undergrowth, ripping his clothes as he went. His boots were smeared with mud, compliments of the storm. His eyes were wide. "What happened out there?" He asked, gesturing to the mauled stretch of woods.

"Loaf," Frost replied, shaking his head. "Loaf happened."

"And the three?"

"Gone."

Florian's brow furrowed and he fell into his thoughts, his gaze trailing to the graveyard.

"The other world is near," Frost said, "I can sense it now. It's too late."

"What? No- it can't be-"

"Flo, listen. It's too late."

Florian blinked, opening his mouth, but stayed quiet. A silence akin to the one after the dragon attack filled the land. It was like the world was preparing for a last stand. Clearly unnerved by the suffocating silence, he whispered, "What do we do?"