Fight or Flight (V1)

Chapter 42

Getting a new Alter Ego is always a strange experience.

But an Alter becoming a player is far stranger, let alone a player's brother.

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Ex came into existence in a bad mood. He was the personification of negativity, after all. He knew what his purpose was, and he understood what he had to do. Or at least, he thought he did.

So he spent his first day gathering information. He didn't want to do anything crazy yet. He'd pop up every once in a while, just to try out things.

And that's when he got his hands on the dragon egg.

It was a strange item, but a dangerous one. All Ex needed now was to cast lightning on it.

And he succeeded at first.

But then Xisuma came back out and quickly /killed the dragons and hid the egg again.

It made Ex want to destroy the server even more, yet he wasn't sure why.

Perhaps some destruction would calm him down.

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Ex was confused. He'd had a craving for destruction, for destroying the server, but deep down, he didn't really want to. 

So when Xisuma suggested he take some time alone, for a long time, he happily obliged.

And then with a warm goodbye, Xisuma shut him in the deepest recess of his mind.

He wasn't sure how long he spent alone, but it was nice. Just him and his thoughts, able to sort out his morals.

He spent a few years there, finally coming to his senses. He knew who he was, and it wasn't a true evil. He was Xisuma's troublemaking side, his regrets and yearning for revenge. Him, as an alter, had come to be thanks to Xisuma suppressing that side for so long.

But that didn't mean he was bad. He was just... Xisuma's opposite. Like his siamese twin. Like his brother.

When that realization came to him, something shifted. he felt his code change, as he began to grow into something more than an Alter.

And then the day came when Xisuma brought him out once again.

The Hermits had been wary of him, but he didn't mind. He just wanted to explore.

"Xisuma?" He had asked. "My code is changing. What's happening? I'm not worried, I'm just curious."

Xisuma had answered after a brief pause. "Something similar to the birth of an Alter. Your code is evolving with you self-awareness. You're becoming your own player."

Ex had been so surprised, he jumped back into Xisuma's mind by mistake. 

"My own player?"

"Yeah." Xisuma stood up and dusted himself off. "You should fully change in a couple days."

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After he had become a player, Xisuma had pretty much adopted him as his twin, since that's pretty much what he was.

The other hermits had warmed up to him a little bit, and he'd stuck around for a good while.

But all good things must come to an end, and Ex wished to explore other servers.

So there they were, just him and his brother, on the console island.

"You ready?" Xisuma asked.

Ex shifted in his boots. "I never will be."

Xisuma let out a laugh and entered the code that would bring the server wall down temporarily. "Now, remember. This could take you to any server, as long as it doesn't have a white-list. So stay safe, okay?"

"Okay." Ex took a deep breath and leapt through, allowing himself to fall down, until he found himself in the lobby. He quickly ran over to the single portal, the one that would take him to a random new server.

"RuStIc hOuSe!?!?!"

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I'm aware that the last few chapters have been a little short, but I'm trying to make sure too much doesn't happen in a single chapter :)

A quick note: The next chapter may be a little short as well, since my b-day would be the day after. I'm writing these at 8pm at night, and the night of the 18th I'm gonna want to go to bed early :3 Thanks for your understanding!

(and yes, this chapter is actually relevant. well at least, it will be later)

Happy Summer, dear Seekers!