Yeah, only watched Pearl’s POV of Empires S1 so this is gonna be VERY inaccurate and OOC

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Love came in many shapes and sizes. You could love the opposite gender, same gender, other gender, multiple genders, multiple people and so on. But an uncommon one is definitely loving a demon. Especially if that demon is controlling you.

Joey loved Xornoth with his whole heart. At least he thought he did. He was actually just being manipulated to think he loved Xornoth, and that Xornoth loved him back. He was actually just forced into doing things he wouldn’t do otherwise.

When he woke up he had a feeling that this would be a bad day. A really bad day. With this unpleasant feeling he left his bed and carefully chose clothes. Today he and Xornoth would go on a date, and he was excited about it. There’s no way he can mess this up.

After nearly an hour of prep for the date he equipped his elytra and flew to the spot they’d have a picnic on. Yes, I know, having a picnic with a demon is not a common thing to do.

“Hello Xornoth love,” Joey greeted with his sexiest voice once he spotted Xornoth. “How are you?”

“Great when I’m with you,” Xornoth replied and gave Joey a quick peck on the cheek, causing a deep blush to dominate Joey’s face. “But do you know what would make me feel greater?”

“No, but I would love to hear,” Joey said, craving another kiss from Xornoth.

“I want an enchanted golden apple, the Notch apple,” Xornoth told him.

“Oh but dear, those are really hard to get!” Joey exclaimed. “I would love to help you, but I don’t know how to get my hands on one!”

“I’ve heard,” Xornoth began. “that the Ocean Queen owns one.”

Joey swallowed the piece of bread he was munching on before he answered. “Lizzie? There’s no way she’s giving me that. The other Emperors and Empresses hate you, Xornoth.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” he said with gritted teeth. “What I mean is that you steal it from her.”

“Xornoth dear, I’d love to but-”

“NO MORE BUT’S!” Xornoth screamed, finally snapping. A terrified expression took shape in Joey’s face. “I NEED THAT NOTCH APPLE. AND YOU WILL GET THAT FOR ME.”

He took a few breaths to calm down. “I’m sorry for shouting, but I really need it. So please get it for me babe, you love me right?”

“Of course babe, anything for you,” Joey replied, seemingly softened after Xornoth’s use of the word babe. “Stay here, I’ll be back soon.”

With the quest to get Xornoth a Notch apple, he took off in the direction of Lizzie’s empire. On the way there he tried to think of different plans to get it, each worse than the other. Once he reached the empire, he decided to improvise. He didn’t think Lizzie would attack him if he got caught, because that would start a war she couldn’t win. He was more powerful than her.

Right?

“No no, she’s a damn mermaid or fish or whatever, of course I can win a fight against her,” he muttered to himself.

“Unless her allies also join the fight,” a male voice said behind him. Joey flinched and spun around clumsily, almost falling over in the process.

“Joel?! What are you doing here?” he said quickly, eyes widening when he saw the mesa king.

“I should ask you the same question,” Joel said suspiciously. “Is your intention to ignite a war against the Ocean Empire?”

“No not at all, I promise!” Joey said nervously.

“Well, what brings you here then?” a powerful feminine voice echoes behind him. Joey spun around again, this time falling over for real.

“I- I- I’m sorry Lizzie Xornoth wanted me to get a Notch apple for him and-”

“Silence,” she demanded. Her eyes narrowed when he mentioned Xornoth. “He is a danger to us.”

“Xornoth? No he’s cute and loveable!” Joey defended him.

“He’s manipulating you,” Joel explained, putting a comforting hand on Joey’s shoulder. “You need to break free from Jim Joey, he’s a horrible person.”

Joey didn’t reply, instead he equipped his sword and swung it at Joel before he could react. A really deep wound opened up on his left arm. The adrenaline from Joey’s anger had caused it to be so deep that you could see the bone, yet Joel managed to hold in a scream.

Lizzie swiftly reacted, and summoned a bubble around Joey so he couldn’t escape.

“I’ll take care of you later,” she said with a threating bittersweet voice. She rushed over to her husband, who was alarmingly pale from the blood loss that was happening at a quick rate. “Please hang in there, I’ll get the bandages.”

She used magic to transport herself unbelievably fast. That however caused the bubble Joey was trapped in to disappear.

“You might feel good about accomplishing the mission of getting Xornoth what he wants, but regret will always get the best of you,” Joel said with a surprisingly calm voice considering he was literally dying.

“Anything for my love,” Joey replied before he broke into Lizzie’s palace and scavenged it for the apple. In the middle of doing so, he heard an agonising shrill cry of sadness informing him that Joel didn’t make it. He ignored the rising feeling of guilt and blood on his hands, and it was completely forgotten when he found the apple. Content with him completing Xornoth’s mission, he was readying himself for the flight home.

But just when he equipped the rockets in his offhand, he noticed a person falling towards the ground very fast. He didn’t recognise the person, and realised that they must’ve been teleported onto the server somehow.

Joey had the opportunity to save them, but simply watched as they hit the ground and the life leave their eyes. Or well, one eye as the other one was a cyborg eye. He started flying back, but stopped halfway to turn off the notifications on his communicator as it was flooding with messages. He read the messages whilst doing so.

<Smallishbeans was slain by JoeyGarceffa>

<Smajor1995 WAIT JOEL>

<ShubbleYT Isn’t permadeath on...?>

<Smajor1995 I think so...>

<MythicalSausage Why would Joey do such a thing?>

<GeminiTay I think he’s under the influence of Xornoth...>

<SolidarityGaming Maybe, but I actually can’t believe Joel’s gone>

<SolidarityGaming Who’s going to mock me now>

<Katherineelizabeth I never spoke to Joel that much, but I can’t imagine how horrible Lizzie is feeling>

<Iskall85 fell from a high place>

<PearlescentMoon WAIT WHAT IS ISKALL DOING HERE>

<PearlescentMoon AREN’T THEY SUPPOSED TO BE IN HERMITCRAFT>

<GeminiTay I CANNOT HANDLE THE LOSS OF ANOTHER PERSON>

<ShubbleYT Sorry for asking, but who even is that?>

<PearlescentMoon A fellow Hermit>

<GeminiTay We don’t know how they got here either>

<PearlescentMoon I’ll have to check if they’re still in Hermitcraft>

<fWhip There’s no need to, if they died here they’re gone for good, just like Joel...>

Joey starting to feel guilty again once he realised he put the whole server in grief. He could’ve saved Joel instead of escaping, and he could’ve catched that Iskall fella. But he didn’t.

‘Anything for my love’, he had told Joel, but was it really worth it? What if Xornoth didn’t actually love him?

What if he actually didn’t love Xornoth?

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WC: ~1.2K

Wasn’t planning on killing Joel in this, but angst stuff happens when you have me writing

Also Swoopy, you a future teller?