Chapter Text
“Before i killed Avid he put an idea in my head”
The man in front of Legundo crosses his arms. The doctor’s grip tightens on his weapon,as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he has regressed. He is ready to kill Owen if it comes to it, permanently. He wants to give Owen one chance before it's all over, whether “over” means his time at Oakhurst or either of their lives is something the doctor doesn’t know. What he does know is that he can’t risk being turned.
The vampire looks down “he said- and he had some dreadful ideas I want to clarify. So this really was a stroke of brilliance on his part.”
A step closer
“Death is too good for you.”
No. no. noonononoNoNONONONONONONONONO
“I want to continue throughout the world knowing you feel what I've felt.” The man is deathly still, looking calm, composed even.
“No.”
“Do you want to know the worst part of being a Vampire, Doc?” His posture finally shifts “It's not the bloodlust, or watching everyone you love turn to dust in the blink of an eye” Owen shrugs and gestures with each point he makes, stepping closer to Legundo. He takes one step closer, standing like a brick wall face to face with the other. Legundo grits his teeth, eyes wide, knuckles white holding the handle to his sword.
“No.”
“It’s that when you want out-”
“No.”
“You’ll sharpen the stake-”
“Don’t!”
“And you'll find you-”
“Don’t you dare!”
“Can’t do it yourself!” The lumberjack pulls out his axe stepping closer. “You find-”
“NO!” Legundo stumbles back climbing up the side of the small hill, his heart thudding in his chest as the other closes in.
“YOU CAN”T DO IT TO YOUR OWN SELF!” Owen takes one more step, standing just below the doctor, his arms outstretched. “SO WHAT’LL IT BE DOCTOR!? ARE YOU GOING TO DO HARM TO ME OR LET WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, HAPPEN!?”
“NO!” Legundo screams as the Vampire lunges forward and strikes, splitting his shield in half. “NO!” The man desperately tries to push the other back, axe clashing against sword. “GET AWAY!”
But no matter how many times he strikes the monster in front of him, the force that pushes back doesn’t crumple. The final strike. Then everything goes black. ____________________________________________________
“Did you not see what we saw!”
The first thing Owen is greeted by after leaving his house is screaming. The screaming is between a certain red man and a not so biblically accurate angel.
“No! No! No! She’s alive- she’s alive okay?” She argues back, almost pleading, stepping back from Red.
“Guys?” Owen tries to butt in and ask what they’re arguing about but the two don’t even bat an eye in his direction. “No! That’s- no no no you’re hallucinating!”
Reddons shouts, stepping closer making her scramble back even more. “Guys-” Owen is cut off once again.
“You saw them!” The man looks like he’s barely holding himself back from screaming at the girl in front of him.
“Did I see them?” Ayngel falters for a second looking down before whipping her head back up to look at Red “I did- i did see her she’s alive- she’s alive! She’s alive and well-” Owen’s already walking to the wall and can barely hear Reddons shout something back at her.
“I’m ready to look for them, I'm ready to look for them.” Owen mutters as he jogs to the maze doors, going through the wooden structure he built. “And- and- and it’ll be- and I'll find her and we’ll make Apo pie.” He keeps speaking to himself as he walks through the long stone corridors, stepping in and climbing out of the small crater lodged in the middle of the hall. Hauling himself out he sees Sillvia bent over…
Quiet sobs escape them, and their shoulders shake and heave slightly. Owen stops freezing in his tracks, seeing blood splatters in front of them, sure not uncommon for the maze but- Silvia turns around “I-”they can’t get anything else out just breaking into incoherent hics and sobs. Owen’s gaze is drawn down to their feet.
He sees a skull.
He pushes past Silvia eyes wide looking down in front of him.
A skull. A skull with demon horns.
Silvia starts to hyperventilate as Owen circles it, a strange calm settles as something horrible builds up from his stomach. He tries to wrap what he’s seeing around his head, disbelief blocking out the realization.
“It’s not my fault-” Silvia slurs, their voice muffled by tears and gasps. “It’s not.”
That’s Apo. They’re gone. They’re never coming back.
That horrible thing building up finally bursts. Owen’s throat squeezes tightly closed, he can barely pull in the rapid breaths he’s taking. Tears prick the corner of his eyes- I have to go- Have To Run Something instinctual inside Owen screams.
With a sudden burst of adrenaline he stumbles away from his friend’s remains and runs. Through the halls, turning corners with blurry vision. Despite his disorientation, Owen easily hops over the fire trap, shaking as he reaches the corner of that hall. The brunette slowly places his hand on the stone in front of him sucking in a gasp of air.
Stop, stop crying. Owen thinks, his arm harshly wipes away what wets his face. You have to be strong. You have to be fine. Bury it, bury it! You have to be a leader! You can't give up on them again! Owen drills into himself. I have to keep them together- I have to keep myself together.
The voices pound at his brain, all merging into incomprehensible gibberish ringing into both ears. Still Owen tries to calm down. Breathing deep, focusing on the gurgle of lava from far away instead of acknowledging what he just saw. Eventually his breathing evens, his heart slows its pounding ever so slightly and the voices become more coherent. Owen turns his head to the next corridor expecting to see the regular hall of the maze.
Instead he sees just a plain hallway? Well plain except for the body leaned against the far wall. Great another corpse. D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶t̶h̶i̶n̶k̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶t̶h̶a̶t̶. After the night he spent in the maze alone in the maze, the building area with the crane, the wall, and everything, Owen is no longer phased by the changing of the maze. But he is surprised that the body isn't a skeleton like most, the death must have been recently, maybe from the second clearing A̶n̶o̶t̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶s̶ ̶i'̶l̶l̶ ̶h̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶e̶l̶l̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶. The (what he assumes is a) man is dressed funny too, a torn up bloodied white- dress? Robe thingy? No judgement to the dead man. Just a strange get up. Looking along the walls for traps he sees none but that doesn't soothe his nerves that were left on high alert after…. That.
As Owen carefully approaches he sees the subtle rise and fall of the presumed corpses chest… he's alive? After one last glance for traps Owen runs up to the body crouching in front of it. “I guess I should carry you back to the clearing.” The runner murmurs to himself. The eyes in front of him flutter. ____________________________________________________________________________
Legundo wakes up to a blurry figure and the stinging brightness of the sun. It takes him a while to blink out the sleep and see- He forgot. Owen. The lake and- Ow that hurts. Legundo clutches his shoulder, a gaping axe wound on his shoulder as well as a few dozen half healing scratch marks. Am I turned? Why is it so bright? I don’t feel any different. Lagundo closes his eyes and steadies himself on the wall. He takes deep breaths and pushes past the pain. “Owen-”
Opening his eyes, Legundo actually sees clearly. “Owen” backs up quickly, grabbing a bow and pointing it right in his face- Not Owen. “Who are you and how do you know my name?” the brunette presses for answers, moving the bow closer threateningly.
Now that Legundo can actually see he sees this isn’t Owen and he’s not in Oakhurst either. Firstly the man doesn’t have red eyes or white hair, no fangs in his serious grimace either. Instead he has brown hair similar to when Legundo first met the man and these brownish amber eyes. So not a vampire. And this man has a lot more meat on his bones, looking nowhere near as thin or emaciated as Owen. But the similarities are striking, same big eyes, same face shape, same hair just shorter, and he’s wearing different clothes, a green sweater and denim pants. Secondly he's in a big stone hallway with skies far too blue to be Oakhurst... Where am i?
Legundo puts his hands up taking a deep breath “I’m a doctor, my name is Legundo and I'm not going to hurt anyone.” “
How do you know my name?” He repeats, eyes narrowing.
“Ummmm lucky guess?” Despite how much he doesn’t want it to, Legundo’s voice comes out choppy and forced. Holy Spirits that sounded suspicious. “Coincidance, I know someone who looks just like you and he happens to be named Owen too.” The doctor lets out a nervous laugh that doesn’t soothe either of their nerves.
‘Owen’ quirks an eyebrow. “Do you really expect me to believe that.” The man deadpans
“No. But it’s the only answer i have.” Legs tries to soften his tone into something more honest. “Listen, i am just lost and- confused. And i mean no harm.”
The stranger narrows his eyes before he slowly lowers the bow, scanning over Legundo, looking for any sudden movement. “Are you from the second clearing- uh the glade?” His expression relaxes slightly, still weary and suspicious but not outwardly hostile.
“I don’t think so? I passed out, then i woke up here.” Legs finishes his word with an small sigh finally putting his hands down, slowly so he doesn’t get shot out of surprise.
“Did you wake up in an elevator? How’d you get…” The brunette gestures the bow around Legundo.
“Elevator?” He tilts his head and mutters out confused before clearing his throat. “I was attacked by uh… a monster.” The Doc’s tone grows quiet, is it a lie? Owen is a monster, but, so is he, it feels wrong in a way, but also right? Still technically not lying.
That seems to get the others attention, as he considers Legundo with a sharper look “Like- a giant terrifying earth shaking monster or the weird guys who drop their flesh?”
“Neither??? Are those common? Should I be worried?” Is this my life now? Dragged through different hellscapes? Never able to save anyone?- No, thinking like that won't do anyone any good. Compose yourself.
“The latter yeah, the first one not so much but anything's possible.” The stranger breaks out into a small weary smile and finally puts his bow away, offering a hand to the injured doctor. “Can you stand?” ‘Owen’ asks, eyebrows furrowing in concern
“Yes, I think so.” With help from the other Legs stands up without much pain or difficulty, of course taking the hand with his uninjured arm. He’s even the same height as Owen… The doctor thinks, his eyes narrow at the stranger. The two walk down the hall silently, turning the corner and stopping at the trap set in front of them.
“Uh- oh… You can't climb with that arm can you?” Owen turns back and grimaces at Legundo, pursing his lips in thought.
“No. No I can not.” He says with a sigh and smile that looks more like a grimace “Do you have any blocks with you?”
Owen looks through his inventory “I do.” And the man seems to hesitate before making the bridge and going over it.
He stands at the bottom for a second and the doctor can see how tense he is and goes to ask him what's wrong but the brunette turns the corner and bolts before he gets a chance. Uhhhh…. Weird. The doctor shuffles over the wooden structure and lands at the bottom, turning to corner to find the Owen imposter- but his eyes are drawn down to a skull, sitting in a puddle of blood. Devil horns? Legundo stands shocked before bending down and observing the bone for a minute, taking in details. No cracks or visible trauma to the head- and the skull is strangely pristine, not caked in old blood or flesh, not the work of any animal he knows of. Well that explains why he was standing there like that. Legs thinks with a grimace.
The hallway in front of him is straight but not exactly simple to pass, craters, magma, vines. Though the sunshine and greenery he can see through the wooden doorway set up behind the dwarfing stone walls is alluring, so he shuffles his bloodied and bruised body through each blockage until his boots step through the long green grass. Outside of the wooden construct the doctor is faced by a large plane of grass, houses, and trees inclosed by the same stone walls he was just standing between.
Voices hit his ears and he turns his head to the small trail leading further into the plains. It’s the familiar tone of arguing and shouting, hurt words being thrown around. “Look, do we know it’s her? We’ve seen skulls before, it could’ve been another demon.” A woman with brown hair seems to be trying to de-escalate, her voice tremors slightly as she gives out comforting words
“See? She's still alive! I know she is! I saw her!” a smaller girl yells, her clothes look tattered and her arm is wrapped with gauze it- Is that a halo!? ARE THOSE WINGS!?
“How long ago!? A day!? A WEEK!?” a masculine voice shouts, coming from a red masked figure that is almost being held back by the brown haired woman. ”You think i didn’t see them too! I’m just sane enough to admit their dead!”
The purpled hair girl clenches her fists in response, she hesitates before sending a punch at the red man.
“AYNGEL!” the brown haired woman gasps, turning to check on the victim of the ‘brutal’ assault.
Ayngel, how fitting… Legs can’t help but think to himself while silently watching this arguement. The man hardly stumbled in response obviously not very shaken from the attack, despite the other woman holding him back he throws a punch right back at ‘Ayngel’. Before the other can do anything else in response the brown haired woman gets between them, pushing them away from each other.
“Okay okay okay! That’s enough! Stop- hitting each other and-...” the woman sighs. “Just take a break? No screaming no shouting, go on a walk!” The woman commands, the other two step back sheepishly and start to walk away. After seeing this the woman sighs and steps away.
The doctor blinks. It’s best not to introduce himself after such a tense moment, so he makes a plan to create tools and get himself food so his wounds finally start to heal.