Hello y'all! :D How are your days going?

I updated my Abt Me page on Wattpad after a long time and it looks quite nice and I am genuinely proud of myself for sitting myself down and doing that :D Yes I'm a little dweeb(is that the right term for this-?)

Also I'm writing this before MCC is ending so idk who won but cheering for Orange Oozes! Was mostly excited bc full iDots team, but Spifey and Skeppy went poof and now it's Ant and Eret- I mean I still love them ofc- yeah :D

I only found that out from friends, this is why sometimes, despite what happens on that app, I want Twitter so I can actually know abt these things when it happens- like I'm always behind by hours, days, weeks- but yeahhhh-

ALSO- ty guys for commenting :] I genuinely love talking to y'all so ye-

I ended a paragraph like that three times already- lol-

Ok let us start :D We are at the angst portion of the book so wheee-

Thump. Thump. Thump.

That was the only noise he could hear. The soft drumming of his own heart which had now calmed after the night fall, and the sun had risen once more for several hours.

Ant doesn't know when Callum left, probably sometime in the morning. He remembers hearing the fox's nervous footsteps which eventually turned to soft snores. What he can't recall is the door opening and closing, as he was left alone in the house.

He doesn't remember falling asleep either but the feeling of being well rested without taking his potion yet told him otherwise.(I'm so inconsistent with the sleeping crap help-)

He was still curled up in a ball on the ground, his back pressed against the bedroom door which led to the rest of the house. His tail was swaying back and forth slightly every now and then, wrapping around his feet. His ears were down, pressed against the sides of his head.

His eyes strained from crying so much, non stop that at one point he had sobbed with no tears. His throat was rough and dry from the constant whimpers, sobs and gasps. His nose twitched and burned slightly as he sniffled, the only trace of his hysterical crying from earlier. Well, besides the wet carpet he lay on.

A cold breeze whisked over him from the open window, the curtains shifting as a beam of sunlight peaked through, lighting up the whole room. The carpet was soft under his touch yet hard and uncomfortable to lie on.

He wanted to move. He would be lying if he said he didn't. But all sensations of his limbs were gone, like he floating in a dream. He doesn't know if that's from not moving for hours on end, simply sobbing, or if it was from pure grief.

The grief of losing him, after he felt like he had it all together, like he finally had someone, having someone in his life who cared for him constantly, who would always be there.

And he's gone.

And it's all his fault.

Red... I miss you...

Red's not coming back.

Not if you keep just lying on the floor like this.

Ant sat up slowly, his body aching from being in the same position. He leaned against the door, stretching out his muscles before sighing, slowly getting up.

Ant, you promised them.

He turned the handle on the door hesitantly, before squeezing his eyes shut and walking out determinedly.

They're counting on you to save them. The part under their Eggpire self. Don't let them down again.

His footsteps were soft and quiet on the wooden planks, as if he wasn't sure what he was doing and truth be told, that was exactly what he was doing. He didn't know where to go, who to look for, what to find. Well, maybe he did.

Callum.

A little sticky note was on the door in messy handwriting.

Hi Ant.

I'm going out just to clear my head, it's been... a hectic few days. I know you understand.

Come find me when you're ready? I can't do this without you. - Callum

He didn't touch it but he read it.

They're all counting on you Ant. He told himself, taking a deep breath. Callum, Red, Puffy, Ponk, Hannah, Skeppy... you promised them all you would get them out as soon as possible, carry through. Don't let them down. Save them.

Bad would've wanted you to.

Ant opened the front door, swinging it open to reveal a beautiful, but barren Badlands.

Not completely barren. He reminded himself. Their all  still here, just... hiding. Except for Callum.

It was almost hard to remember that, it seemed so quiet, so still. He didn't want to take another step, taking a step alone, against his friends. It made him feel sick to the stomach, dizzy, like he wanted to pass out.

The temptation to go back inside was strong but he refused to give in. Even the egg keeps it's promises. You might as well do better than it Ant. His feet didn't budge.

Why did it feel so... scary now?

It felt so... hopeless. Lonely. Impossible. Stupid. Weak.

C'mon Ant. You can do it. Go, find Callum. The first step. It felt...almost weird. A buzz fogged his brain, making him want to go back to sleep. He continued to take small steps, slowly making his way through the Badlands.

It felt... unreal. Everything felt faded, all colour drained. It's like... he lost his perspective on life.

He supposed that's exactly what it is. Red made him feel alive, like no matter how bad things got, everything was still fine.

Now he simply doesn't know anymore. Or maybe he does. 

He really doesn't get this feeling. 

"Hello." Ant said softly to himself, hearing the scratchiness yet familiarity of his own voice. He's not sure why he does that. His voice sounds the same. It's familiar. The only thing he can still grasp. Even if the Egg gets to him, his voice sounds the same. It's stupid that he finds comfort in his own voice, but really, that's the only thing that'll ever be the same. 

Everything comes and goes. But he misses the things that have to go, and is scared of the things that come. 

He just wants to go back in time to before they all went, before the new things came...

Memories danced in his mind of his bond with the original Badlands, the Eggpire members, Pummel Part Crew... god he hasn't seen them in so long. 

He just wants to go back to simpler times. Except this time, with Red. 

Red. Velvet Iscake. He shares the same last name as him now. The fact alone makes him smile. He was his comfort, something he could always lean into. He was funny, smart, cute and would always try his hardest for himself and his friends. 

A tear slipped down his cheek. Yet he doesn't choke up. He's not... sad. He thinks. 

It's just all numb. He can't say he likes it but he doesn't hate it either. 

Better than pain right?

"Someday soon." Ant began breathily. "Everything will be like it used to. We'd all be happy and it'd be like when I first joined, a sense of belonging and peace, except now with everyone else too. No more stupid egg, no more impending doom, no more violence. 

It'll be simple. It'll be quiet. We'll be happy." Ant swore.

He repeated this in his mind, telling himself his goal to keep himself focused. It was soothing almost. The repetitiveness. He knows exactly what'll come next. 

This mindset caused him to blank out without him realizing until sudden footsteps snapped him out of the trace, causing him to come back to reality.He was in a forest, and something was walking towards him, purposefully.

"Callum?" Ant tried. Who is he kidding, of course it's not Callum. The footsteps are too light and quiet, too small and quick. Besides, with how close the creature was, Callum would've seen him too. 

He swung his head toward the sound, angling his head to the ground and spotting...

...a cat. 

A Siamese cat, just like himself. It had neatly kept long fur that looked so soft and fluffy. It was lean yet well fed and strong. It's tail resembled a question mark, showing its playfulness and curiosity. 

She was very pretty. 

She had wide blue eyes that stared up at him, sparkling, her ears twitching as if listening to something. Ant kneeled down, the cat letting off small mewl as she rubbed up against his legs. Ant smiled softly, beginning to pet the other's head, scratching occasionally. 

"Hey. You lost too?" The 'too' was added more as an after thought. The cat purred happily, leaning into his touch. "This probably looks really weird, a Siamese cat being pet by another, larger one. But again, who's around here to see?" A stab in his heart was felt, but Ant ignored it. 

The two sat there, enjoying each other's company for a few moments. It felt like a break, an intermission. He doesn't get it, but he likes it. It was... quiet. 

Suddenly, the cat, who had by then lay down, rolled over and away from Ant's touch. She began to walk back amongst the trees, deriving from the path Ant found himself on. Ant watched her go, thinking that was the end of their interaction. 

He was wrong. 

Before the cat could disappear from view in the shadows on the deep forest, she turned her head, halting in movements. She looked at him expectantly, her eyes shining with something mysterious. 

It was like a signal, something telling or hypnotizing Ant to follow after her. He doesn't know if he's going insane, but he complied to his instincts, following after a moment of hesitation. 

The cat seemed to like that, continuing to walk  forward when she saw that he was following. They silently trekked through the familiar forest, Ant staying attentive for any hints of his familiar fox friend. 

He found none. He was left alone.

To be fair, I left him alone first. He wants a normal life here too, he wanted my help to get them all back. Instead I shed away. 

Just like Puffy. Again. 

I'm sorry Callum... I'll make it up to you I promise. 

He must've blanked out again because the next thing he knew, he felt a warm presence brush against his legs. Ant stopped walking, looking down at the cat who stared back up, almost looking as if it was smiling. 

Ant looked up at their destination. The Skephalo mansion. It was weird to still call it that but hey, a meme sticks he supposed. 

The cat prodded him to go inside, nudging him at the direction of the doors. Ant complied, opening the door and entering the large, quartz building. He held the door for her, the cat immediately wandering through the hallways as if it had a purpose. 

I've gone insane haven't I? I'm following a cat that I found in the forest instead of looking for the one other person who's not corrupted. 

But at the same time... something about this cat felt special. Like she knew something he wanted to tell him. 

The hallways were quiet, still. Ant remembers the old days, filled with him, Hannah, Ponk, Bad and Skeppy just running freely, laughing, without a care in the world. That might've been the manipulation but he was happy. He had a family. He had fun. 

That's been so hard to find again. 

As he followed the cat up the spiral  stairs, he could almost hear the echoing laughter and joyful chatting with every footstep. He smiled. It didn't feel real but it wasn't forced. 

The floor they were on, the third floor, was unused since the original Eggpire  was disbanded. On it, there was only three now empty rooms which used to be a weaponry, a library, and a treasure room. Red and Puffy had cleared everything in them after the first coming of the egg, and no one used these rooms since. 

Ant waited patiently for the cat to pick a room, curious to know what's at the end of this little walk. To his confusion, the cat walked towards the treasure room and library, and to the small wall between the doors. She meowed at him, calling him over to that spot. 

"Do you mean in here?" Ant asked softly, nudging the cat in to what used to be the library. The cat didn't budge, still facing the wall, looking up at the torch hung up on the wall.

Wait...

The meeting room. 

The Eggpire has hidden it behind this wall, wanting to be careful for no one to see any of its plans and whatever it was plotting. They had also cleaned it up, clearing anything and everything in the room, and like the other Eggpire rooms, no one bothered to return to it. 

Maybe they should've? 

Ant lit the torch, before punching the fire shut and pulling it down; the code. Bad was friends with a few good redstoners after all. 

The wall opened up, pistons giving the bricks out of the way, showing off a thin stone corridor. Ant couldn't see anything, only darkness even with his night vision. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, walking towards the meeting room. He was careful, eats straining for the noise of talking, footsteps, a heartbeat, anything. 

What could've been in there? The cat clearly knew something. Callum? An Eggpire member? Another friend or captive? Or maybe there was something there that could stop the egg, or a secret of the egg, or maybe the cat even worked for the egg. He kept his mind open to every possibility.

But none of his thoughts could've matched with the sight in front of him. 

It was a figure, or a person. Even without his night vision Any was sure he could've seen them as they emitted some kind of eerie glow. They were standing in the far end of the room, or rather, floating. They were facing Ant, back seemingly against the wall. 

A look of interest was painted across their face, as if Ant intrigued them in some way yet they had a sort of tired face. Their tail swished in large, smooth strokes that the other seemed to not even notice. Their hoodie was hung over their head, loose and floppy. A grey checkered scarf was wrapped around their mouth, the ends winding down their front. 

A bioluminescent liquid outlined a large splotch where his heart would be, that part glowing brighter than the other parts. It looked dry, yet Ant could sweat it dropped at the same time. 

Ant didn't even do or say anything. All he could find himself to do was stare at the other in shock, eyes wide and jaw hung over. His body told him to run away but also to run forward and wrap the other in his arms but he found himself unable to move. 

Before, he said his mission felt impossible. And here was the impossible in front of him. 

Well, of course he knew this probably happened but when it didn't happen, or they didn't see it happen,  for almost two years, he assumed corruption of the egg made death different. Apparently not. 

"Hello." Their gaze looked at Ant expectantly, but Ant didn't react. They sighed. "Let's do this formally then shall we? Hello Antfrost, my name's Halo."

Ok let me just say a few things here... 

This chapter was more of like tribute to Floof while trying to continue the plot, along with some kind of feeling of depression for Ant, which I actually had fun writing ngl but not the point.

For those of you who don't know, Ant's cat, Floof, passed away recently... she meant a lot to chat and Ant's community/fan base, but ofc more to Ant himself. 

She was really pretty and adorable, and her little like surprise pop ups in his streams made me so happy and felt very wholesome. Plus, Ant always just looked so happy to see her. .

Ok, the next part might sound stalkerish but I am genuinely worried for Ant. Losing a pet feels horrible, and I can't imagine what it's like. Velvet tweeted that he was down the next day, and yeah. MCC he seems alright, but idk, i don't wanna seem weird but just... hope that Ants doing okay. 

I do like how the community was so nice and caring about it on Twitter, saying kind things. It's a change in what's happening to Dream, and it's moments like these when I wish I had Twitter do I could also say smth and know sooner idk. 

Antfrost is just such a cheerful and nice streamer, just wishing the best for him after his loss... 

Yeah sorry you guys probably didn't hear that that was a random rant I'm sorry- but yeah, that was my mindset midway through this chapter haha...

I'm not sure if it's like- respectful or smth to put her in a chapter after she passed... idk, I see this more as a tribute but idk if it's wrong to. Some thoughts on that would be great/nf

Ok I'm not gonna make it longer than this already is, kinda disappointed in today's chapter not as angsty as I wanted it to be but I had fun writing abt mental turmoil and I sound like a psychopath for saying that- 

Take care guys, lysm/p <3 see you guys soon and ty for reading :)