Animation vs. Rainimator (ft. AVA, AVM, Rainimator)

Chapter 11- Begin Again

 "Shut up, Nar- whatever."

She growls like a wither. "How dare you misspell my-"

 "Very well." He cuts her sentence, then scoots over to the bookshelf beside him. In his hand held a thin book. "This.. will choose your date of death. The random number between 1 to 15. If it's 1, you'll die tomorrow when the striders reach the horizon between the land and the lava. If it's 15, the same pattern."

 "Obviously, it's going to be page 1. You want me dead as soon as possible."

He picks a page and opens the book. "1. Wow. You're a genius, Abby."

He closes it slam shut and fixes his eyes at me. "You die tomorrow." he twirls his spear in his hand and demonstrates a death show with it, pretending to slice off his head. "Slit."

 "I knew you turned to page 1 on purpose Naeus. I don't fall for your measly tricks."

***

I just feel numb. This whole thing, this world, these people are all psychos. I wish none of it happened. I wish I could've stayed with Rain. I miss the olden days with him in old Glacierford. I miss making the snowman with him and naming it 'Rainigail jr. '. I miss stuffing our mouths with fresh oven- baked cookies the baker on the street gave us with sweetness for free whenever we saw him. 

I wish somebody will hug me. Anyone. Well, anyone except for Naeus and his dumbfounded wife, of course.

I stand up, careful not to hurt my leg due to the big ball of netherite attached, and walk over to the dim candlelight at the corner.

The wax was almost gone, the fire slowly started to decease. I picked it up from the gold plate and placed it in my hands. It was all goopy and waxy. However, I was impressed by the eternal glow it didn't lose. 'If only..' If only I was born a fire. Then I can only be loyal to the candle and the lighter. When I die, I can be revived. I don't have to feel the pressure of this warring realm melted with poor sacrifices that had to be made.

 "Abigail." I turn around, placing back the fire in its rightful place, to see if someone called my name. Yes, they did.

 "Uncle Hogsworth.. and Kralos.." they were standing in the doorway, waving to me. They both ripped their armor off and tossed it to the side. I ignored the stupid chain ball. I dragged it along and let it feel friction as I stumbled along the brick floor and threw myself in their arms. 

 "You don't know how much I've suffered with guilt.. H-Help me.. H-" Warm droplets of tears dripped like a waterfall. They didn't say anything, just hugged me tighter. 

 "Oh Abi.." the three of us just cried and cried, until the resent strangling our little hearts was cleansed enough for us to calm down. "Abigail, you poor child.. You poor, poor child...."

A gust of wind blew through the bars and tangled my ginger hair. It blew the fire out in a matter of a millisecond. At the same time, their appearance started to turn vaguely transparent.. Their grip loosened, and I couldn't feel their soft and fatherly touch anymore.

 "No, no.. Stay with me.. Until the end.. A-and.. Help me...."

They shook their heads together as they disintegrated to thin air, "You innocent child...."

***

 "King Naeus's request. He wants me to finish you off." Narcissa dragged me to the pool of lava, which made cracking sounds of molten rock.

 "What are you going to do, push me in?" I try to stay cool. Even though he kills me off, I'm going to stay brave and courageous to the very end. For my friends, and for their safety. Naeus dealing with me should buy them time.

 "Yes. I'll take you to the cliff."

I just roll my eyes and she tugs on the rope around my arms and legs hard. I stay in complete silence, as she drags me to the highest point of the Nether, the cliff where the ceiling of the Nether makes contact with. "Well, this is it."

She takes out a knife, then slices my ropes. I look at my arms, red with the remains of rope tightened. I pick the leather pieces off and throw them in the lava. She presses her knife against my neck and lets out a feminine giggle.

 "Any last words?"

I stay put, hardly flinched. "I hope y'all get wrekt."

 "Admire your choice of words." The last group of remaining crawling striders reached the horizon as they quarreled about who should get the blue spotty mushroom. She kicks my back, and my body lounges forward, causing me to fall. I get stunned for a minute because of her powerful kick. I think I'm falling forever. I squint my eyes as I feel the heat of the lava right below me. 

When I open them, I see them. Uncle Hogsworth and Kralos, and... Rain. My uncles were wearing casual clothes, out of their armor without their bloody weapons. And Rain, he wore the same blue sweatshirt from when he was my soulmate and childhood friend. He's waving his hand to me. All of them are waving, as in farewell. They came over and put their hands on my shoulder. "Abigail.. Did you forget us?" I shook my head. "Of course not.."

Rain hugged me and kissed me on the forehead. Tears once again escaped from my eyes. I felt part of my black dress drenched with his tears. He cried for a bit on my shoulder, then wiped his tears himself and held both of my hands. My heart felt very warm with his touch. He smiled a humble smile and whispered in my ear. "You're safe, Abigail.. You can finally be in peace..." 

 "Rain... I miss you..." I stretched my arms wide enough to hug him back the last time, but I never did. He vanished to white powder and disappeared..

 "R-Rain..?" he reappears behind, this time his presence so bright I go blind.

They all sigh. "We're proud..." Those were my last words I heard as I start to melt.

//Naeus's POV//

I witnessed my ex- daughter's death right in front of my eyes. She falls, and dives in the lava. I smirk in success as I open the window to let the fresh Nether air in which smells of red vines, piglins, and wither roses. After a while, Narcissa walks in the room, closing the nether spruce door behind. She wore a purple robe with a pinch of soul sand embedded inside her sash with dark, red long gloves, like usual. 

 "M'lord.. Is this the potion you were curious about?" she slipped a vile from her chest pocket and tapped on my shoulder.  

I turn around to see a hot pink potion in a little glass flask. "Yes, dear. I heard that it erases a person's memory more than dementia does to a human, am I correct?"

 "Yes, m'lord. Not lethal, but a dangerous one."

 "And did you mix this with Abigail's lava before her 'death'? You didn't really kill her did you?"

 "This should create the power of fire resistance when blended in with lava. Like you ordered, we purchased a lot of these from piglin merchants. About 2 tons, from what I estimate. Then we poured every drop of it in the lava before she went in." she paused, "Abigail is alive. She's just in a deep slumber."

I look out the window to the lava. "Good, good. She shall forget her past with that kid Dragon Tamer.. Then, she shall begin again as the new Nether princess. This time, our plan won't fail..