what I'm believing is that the present year of the dream smp is 2021, our current year, and that the year that cy is currently living is only in the triple digits.
kinda fucked this, my bad. quite upset with it, but you know what? fuck it.
word count: 10,512
(third person pov)
"Valan!" Cy's voice called out, exiting out of the Nether Portal while stretching her arm out to the sky. Cy didn't particularly like bringing Valan into the Nether, it was very hot in the Nether and you couldn't use water because it'll evaporate just as quickly, so she usually had her sweet bird outside in the Overworld to wait for her. She let out a deep sigh as she ran her hand through her hair, being mindful of her antlers, before humming softly when she heard the cry of her bird, she chuckled to herself when Valan landed on her arm and started rubbing her cheek against her own "Did you find anything, my sweet bird?" she asked, pulling out a couple berries and having her eat out of the palm of her hand.
"val didn't find anything."
"we couldn't find anything."
"there wasn't anything to find."
"how was the nether?"
"it's boring without pretty lady."
"i'm hungry too."
Cy couldn't necessarily talk nor understand Valan like her birds, she was Philza's-- she lowered her gaze at the thought of Philza, it's been a couple centuries since the last time that man sent her a letter, or Tinan at that. The moment she noticed that she wasn't aging compared to the others around her was probably when she visited the village once more and that the villagers were getting older while she still retained her youthful look. It was scary, watching that the people, even the animals around her, growing old and dying while she remained young, she was only grateful that Valan was still with her. She was the only thing she had left, her longest living friend and the only reminder she had of Philza. Valan noticed her dampened mood so she quickly moved and sat on her shoulder and started opened one of her wings and managed to wrap it around her head before leaning against the side of her head, she hummed at the affection and leaned her head in the direction Valan was.
"Ah, I'm glad to have you by my side, Val. I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have you." she giggled when she noticed Valan's chest buff out with pride, letting out squawks as her birds hovered around them both and let out tweets of agreement "Hehe, shall we go home? I've got what I wanted, now it's time to relax." they all let out more squawks and tweets of agreement before fluttering around her, some even flying ahead. As usual, Valan didn't leave her side and sat snuggly on her shoulder. They weren't near a snowy biome and she didn't live in a taiga biome but it was beginning to get colder with winter approaching, she had more than enough wood and food to survive so she had nothing to fear. She didn't necessarily like the cold either, it made her feel sluggish and and fatigued. She disliked the cold so much that she'd rather be in the Nether cause at least it made her feel more alive. She pressed her hand against a passing tree, smiling to herself when she felt the wind blow through and blow her hair back slightly.
'Everyday there's always something new.' she thought to herself, brushing pass many bushes and flowers beneath her feet then pushed through a couple vines and smiled to herself when she stood atop a hill littered with various flowers that also overlooked her lovely cottage. She had been growing the flowers on the hill for many years just to sit within the flowers and bathe in the light of the sun, she enjoyed doing that very much because it was a nice way to pass time, she inhaled deeply through her nose 'Life couldn't be bet--'
"AAAHHH!!" Cy let out a loud scream, jumping back when something fell from above her and landed right in front of her, even her birds and Valan flew back at the sudden appearance. After she finally settled down, she looked down at what had fallen and was blown away at the sight of a person. She looked up in confusion and sputtered out weird noises, where the hell did they even come from? There were no trees nearby or mountains, so where on earth did they fall from? She shook her head and knelt down to the ground and looked over the person, she raised a brow at the odd clothing they-- or, well, HE was wearing. Turning him over so he would lay on his back, the man beneath her had messy brown hair and light skin, she could only guess that he had brown eyes. He wore an odd multi-colored hoodie with a teal swirl, black pants, and purple shoes "How odd. I've never seen anyone that dresses like you, dear boy." she muttered to herself, she gasped silently when she heard a groan coming from him.
"who's the boy?"
"where did he come from?"
"he looks weird."
"what a weirdo."
"he doesn't look like he's from around here."
"is he a threat?"
"threat to the goddess?"
"Threat? Don't be ridiculous." she muttered, hooking her arms under his legs and back before standing up, holding him bridal style "If anything, he just looks tired." she said, noticing the dark bags under his eyes, she managed to caress his cheek but hummed when she noticed him actually snuggle up closer to her, she giggled softly "I should take you home, by the looks of it, you took a pretty nasty fall." she starts to walk away but stopped when she noticed that Valan was trying to lift something, she knelt down to where she was and noticed that Valan was trying to lift a book that had the same swirl that was on the boys hoodie and was titled "Tales of the SMP". Hmph, it must be his, with a shrug, she grabbed the book and let it rest on his chest as she made her way home.
(time skip: with karl jacobs)
Karl Jacobs, and interdimensional being that takes the form of a human, has the ability to travel through the depths of time. He cannot control where or when he appears, sometimes going hundreds of years into the future of hundreds of years back into the past from his present, sometimes even a couple years back or forward. After every adventure, both bad and good, he returns to a white realm known as the Inbetween. The Inbetween was a gateway of sorts, for traveling through time and that it served as his "home away from home." The only flaw for whenever he time travelled, other than the fact that he cannot control when or where he goes to, little by little, he begins to lose pieces of his memories. There were many books in the Inbetween written by an unknown author, they each said something different every time he travelled through time but the most common ones were the ones that repeatedly told him that the Inbetween was a safe haven for him and that he should feel at ease, but the ones that really startled him and made him feel uneasy were the ones that read, don't stray from the path.
Karl awoke with a tired and pained groan, slowly raising from the comfort of the bed he was laying in and pressing a hand onto his forehead, writhing a little at the pain his headache was giving him. When he slowly opened his eyes, he gasped silently to himself when he realized that he was in room, but it wasn't just any old room, he recognized the room he was currently resting in. He threw the covers off his body and rushed out of the room, he remembered the layout of the room because of his frequent visits in the past, he found comfort in her humble abode that put his mind at ease. He slid to a stop when he finally found her, her back was to him as she was too busy brewing something so he waited when her hands were away from the table when he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her back.
"Mum!" she let out a startled gasp at the shout, stumbling forward but caught herself before she accidentally knocked over her Brewing Table, Potions and various ingredients at the sudden embrace. She raised her arms and turned back to find the stranger crying as he tightened his grip around her, crying into her back as he buried himself deeper and deeper into the warmth of her back.
"mum?"
"why did he call her mum?"
"what a weirdo."
"well she is like a mother."
"our mother."
"mother."
"mum."
She shook her head, now the birds were chanting mum or mother or any other way to mum, but she ignored them as she managed to turn herself around and look down at the boy before her. He refused to let her go, he refused to look at her, maybe it was out of fear that she'd disappear the moment he opened his eyes. She lowered her hands and rested one on his back, soothingly rubbing circles into his back while the other was running through his curly brown locks. He relished in the affections from the woman he viewed as a mother, and he'll always be grateful to his fiancé to introducing him to her, he just found absolute comfort in the woman. She was like a flower that could never wither away, going untouched from the world of conflict and war. They stood in silence for a couple minutes and only when he felt her move her hands to rest on his shoulders was when he finally looked up at her, she goes to question him but stopped at the sight of the bright smile on his face as he stared up at her.
"Oh, mum! You have no idea how great it is to see you again!" he cheered, sniffling as he raised his arm to wipe away his tears with the sleeve of his hoodie "I missed you so much! I'm sorry I haven't been visiting as much as I used to, but I've just been so busy with everything!" he finally pulled himself off her but grabbed her by her hand, leading her outside to her garden, to which she was startled and alarmed that he even knew the way "There's so much I need to tell you!"
"W-Wha-- now wait a minute!" but he didn't, he sat her down outside on the chair and he sat in the one opposite from her and the only thing keeping them apart was the table in between them. Before she could say anything he was already telling her everything about his latest adventurers, he would always do that with the Cy he knew, telling her everything he did. There were many times that she wanted to interrupt his storytelling to tell him that whoever he was referring "mum" to was not her, but she just couldn't help but be enraptured in his stories. She long gave up in trying to tell the boy as she rested her elbow on the table, laying her chin in the palm of her hand as she let out a hum, listening closely in his story. She giggled softly at how expressive he was, waving his hands around and making cute little expressions, he reminded her of that of a child.
"It was amazing! I think you would've loved it!" he took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair as he looked around his surroundings, he then finally looked back at her and raised his hands apologetically "I'm sorry! I've been rambling for too long, haven't I? I just-- I really missed you, mum." when she noticed he finished telling her his story did she finally collect herself, to which she sat up straight and held her hands together tightly, he noticed her uneasy expression and reached forward, touching her hands "Mum?" he flinched back when he noticed her give him an apologetic and confused expression.
"I'm sorry, my dear boy, I thoroughly enjoyed the tale you have been telling me, but I'm afraid I don't who you are." his hand flinched back "You keep calling me mum, but I don't ever remember giving birth to a child, or being a mother figure to anyone. You're the second person I've ever met that wasn't a villager or a mob." she slowly grew concerned when she noticed him begin to tremble, she slowly reached out toward him but gasped silently when he abruptly stood to his feet, his seat falling backwards with how fast he stood to his feet.
"W-Wha-- no! You couldn't... you couldn't have forgotten!" he ran his fingers through his hair, this was her! He knows that it is! This is Cy! This is the woman that took care of him whenever he and his friends-- his fiancé's came to visit and listened to them talk endlessly! She wouldn't forget who they were, who HE was! He loved her, and in return, she loved him just as much and called him son on so many occasions! There had to be a logical explanation as to why she didn't know him, he then thought back... he hadn't returned to the Inbetween, he always did whenever he time travelled "U-Um, this may sound odd but, what YEAR is it?" she gave him a confused look.
"Uh, if I remember correctly, it's currently XXX."
...
...
What?
'H-How on earth...?!' he shook his head in disbelief, that was more than thousands of years into the past! He looked at her and shook his head once more, he knew that the woman before him was the woman he knew in the present, but how the HELL was she alive? He always did wonder how old she was, nobody-- NOBODY knew just how old she was and the oldest person that knew her was Philza, him being her OLDEST friend as she's stated many times. He looked down at the woman and saw she was beginning to stand to her feet, slowly reaching towards him 'B-But-- she's not the woman I--'
"Are you alright, my dear boy?" she asked gently, concern heard in her voice. She noticed him beginning to hyperventilate as his trembling grew worse, going as far as he started to grip his hair tightly in his fingers and beginning to pull at it. He screwed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth as he felt the tears threatening to fall but gasped gently when he felt her wrap her arms around him and pull him into a hug once more "I don't understand what you're going through, my dear boy, but I hope I can help ease the pain you're suffering through. If I somehow remind you of your mother, I hope I can find a way to comfort you." he shook his head once more, sniffling as he let his hands slip from out of his hair and wrap around Cy once more, gripping onto the robes covering her body as he began to sob into her chest.
He's just so tired.
Wanting nothing more than to rest.
To be home with the ones he loved.
He just wants it all to end.
"My boy," he opened his eyes and sniffled, relishing in the warmth of her hand when he felt her cup his cheek and wipe away his tears with her thumb, he then noticed that she was kneeling down, if anyone saw them, they would've mistaken the seen of a mother comforting their crying child "you must be tired. Telling by your adventure, it seemed like it was a long and tiresome one." when she noticed he stopped crying, she slowly removed her hands from his face and held his hands delicately in her much larger ones "How's about you stay with me for awhile, hmm?"
"R-Really?" she smiled brightly.
"Of course! I could use the company, and I've enjoyed listening to your stories very much." she brought his hands up and gently kissed the back of them "But for now, how's about you go back and rest? I think you need that more than anything, hmm?" he let his head hang a little before nodding.
"Yeah... yeah, okay." she smiles once more.
"Atta boy." she then stood up once more, not letting go of his hands, she then turned and started back into her cottage "I still haven't gotten your name yet, my name is Cy, what's yours?" he felt his eyes grow heavy, tightening his grip on her hand as she led him through her home.
"Karl... Karl Jacobs." she giggles softly.
"You have a cute name, Karl." he felt his eyes widened slightly.
"You have a cute name, Karl." she said, he felt himself blush as the woman smiled down at him, it felt as if the sun itself was shining on him when she smiled at him, having never met a woman, or rather person, as warm as her. He had only met her after accompanying his fiancé had visited her with himself and their other fiancé, saying that he'd love for them to meet her and that she was nothing more than the literal embodiment of the sun, and that she was. She looked back and smiled softly, a faint blush adoring her cheeks when she saw him turn slightly pink but covered his face with his arm.
'Such a cutie.' while walking through her cottage once more, Karl looked around and only then did he notice that he really was further back into the past than in his present. Things he usually saw in her cottage were missing and so many pictures weren't hung up in their usual spots, the only ones he could find were the few of her and Philza. He already knew that Philza was some sort of immortal being that's been roaming the grounds of the Overworld for many years, but he never speculated that Cy was one as well. But the thing he did notice was the Iron Axe sitting in a glass case on the mantle of her fireplace, if remembered correctly.
"Why do you have that axe there, Cy? Isn't it just an ordinary Iron Axe?" one of his fiancé's asked, pointing at it "[My First Gift]?" they questioned, she giggled softly as she pressed her hand against the glass.
"Well, as I labelled it, it was the first gift given to me." she smiles softly "To others it may not be significant, that it is nothing more than a simple Iron Tool, but I'll treasure it forever."
'So it really did mean so much to her, keeping it to such a prestige condition for so long.' Karl was now sitting back down on the bed he was resting on before, Cy kneeling down once more with her hands on his arms.
"Rest well, Karl, and when you wake up, I'll be here waiting for you." she smiles brightly, tilting her head to the side "I've been told that I have a friendly and relaxing presence!" he mirrors her smile but was more soft.
"Alright." as she promised, she stayed by his side, pulling out a chair and resting her hand on his head, gently threading her fingers through his hair and humming softly, only when she noticed that he had fallen asleep did she stop and quietly leave the room. She inhaled through her nose and leaned against his door, she then whistled softly and watched Valan fly through her house and land on her shoulder.
"I want you to keep a close eye on that boy, alright?" Valan tilted her head to the side "There's something about that boy that worries me, you know? With how emotional he was-- and with how he called me mum?" she shook her head "It was as if he knew me, you know? Just--- make sure he doesn't hurt himself, mmkay? Just stick to his side when I'm not around." Valan had a conflicted look on her face, she was meant to stay by HER side, Philza picked her specifically out of all the lost souls that lingered around him to watch over her and be by her side. She didn't like the fact she had to leave her side just to watch some boy, Cy noticed Valan's pouty response so she giggled softly and began to pet her softly "Come on, Val~ you're the only one I trust to keep him safe." that seemed to have set her off, she snickered to herself when she noticed that got her, she hummed and pressed a kiss to her body "Thank you Val~" she cooed softly, she opened the door and watched Valan fly off her shoulder and fly over to where Karl was sleeping.
'Now that I don't need to worry...' she closed the door once more and walked into her personal library filled with many books she's collected from various villages and out chests she's found, taking a seat before pulling out the book she was meaning to return to Karl 'Tales of the SMP?' she questioned, she caressed the cover of the book with her thumb before running her hand along it. She noticed many bookmarks sticking out of the book and her hand twitched above it, wanting nothing more than to read the contents of the book, but she knew better. It wasn't her book, she didn't have the right to read it, but she wasn't the only one curious.
"read the book."
"read the book."
"read the book."
"read the book."
"read the book."
"Quiet!" she calls out to the many birds fluttering around her, inching closer and closer to the book while repeatedly chanting the same line. She noticed they were completely enraptured with the book as much as she was, it was almost concerning. She shook her head and stood to her feet, letting her hand glide across the many books on her shelf before putting his book on the shelf but having it stick out more so she would remember about it latter "The book has a story I mustn't know about." she ran her hand through her hair, eyeing the book warily before sighing softly and sitting back down on her chair.
<Protector whispers to you> are you alright, my dear friend?
<Cy> I just meet an interesting young man today
<Protector whispers to you> interesting? pray tell
<Cy> well... he spoke to me as if he knew me, he even knew the layout of my cottage despite it being the first time he's even been here, he was unconscious when I brought him in, for heavens sake! he even called me mum!
<Protector whispers to you> mum? well, you certainly do act motherly, I don't see anything wrong with that
<Cy> what's wrong is that I don't know him, my dear! what's strange is that he appeared out of literal thin air, he just popped out of nowhere
<Protector whispers to you> if he's causing you any trouble, don't hesitate to contact me, I'll deal with him myself
<Cy> pft, as much as I appreciate the gesture, you and I both know that I can handle myself
<Protector whispers to you> heh, that's true. you can become quite the terrifying individual, it's a shame you prefer to stay out of conflict
<Cy> I'm a rather pacifistic person, my friend. there are different ways to intimidate a person without the need for violence
<Protector whispers to you> yeah? how?
<Cy> using the right set of words to destroy a person. psychological damage is just as great as physical damage
<Protector whispers to you> ... that's quite dark
<Cy> it's the truth. you can break a man's will if you use the right choice of words, my friend. with no will, they have no determination to fight and will easily submit
<Protector whispers to you> now you're beginning to scare me
"Pft, hehehe!" Cy begins to giggle before leaning back in her chair, she inhales deeply while tapping against the armrest, she closed her eyes briefly before smiling to herself.
(time skip: the next morning)
Karl woke up feeling better than he did the previous day, he goes to sit up but he finally noticed the light weight resting on his head. He opened his eyes and they started to water a little when he noticed that Cy kept her promise, she was currently sitting in a chair beside the bed with her hand resting on his head while also reading a book. Resting on her shoulder with Valan, also reading the book with her, haa, he remembered that bird. There wasn't a time where Valan wasn't by her side, she was always seen with Cy and when she was she was delivering private letters to people. Valan was a stubborn bird to certain people, unless it was Philza, and would squawk and peck at people who would get close to the two people. He didn't need to speak crow to know that she was insulting the people she didn't like. That bird rarely liked other people and was always cautious whenever Cy met new people, the only person Valan let relatively close to Cy would be Philza and his sons.
"Hmm?" he flinched slightly when Cy finally noticed he was awake, Valan looked noticeably irritated that he was awake but didn't let Cy notice when she turned and smiled down at the young boy "Ah, you're finally awake, Karl! Good morning~" she cooed softly, she blinked when she heard him sniffle. She quickly put her book down and got off her chair, kneeling down so she was at eye level with him, reaching forward to rest her hand on his cheek "My boy, why on earth are you crying?" he simply shook his head, slowly raising himself while placing his hand on top of hers.
"It's nothing, mu-- um, I mean, Cy. I seemed to have woken up and yet I still feel like I'm dreaming by seeing you instead of the empty space of this room." this caught her by surprise, she looked at Valan then back at him before giggling to herself while blushing softly.
"Are you flirting with me, boy? If so, I believe I'm a little too old for you." he quickly rose up from the bed, vigorously shaking his head and hands side to side.
"N-No! No, no, no! It's not like that!" she then noticed him grip his wrist and only then did she noticed the two golden rings on both of his wedding fingers, her eyes widened at that as she covered her mouth.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know." he shook his head.
"No, really, it was my fault. It kind of did sound like I was flirting with you." she offered him a kind smile and he returned it, he saw her stand up then flinched slightly when he noticed Valan giving him a dirty look, he sighed to himself, she really doesn't like him now, he then rubbed the back of his neck "You just... really remind me of the woman that could always put me at ease, and since I haven't seen her in a long time... it's a blessing that I'm seeing you right now." she blushed once more before chuckling, kneeling down once more to pat his head.
"I see, maybe you can tell me all about this person over breakfast." Cy now sat at her dining room table with a perplexed expression, she made quite a lot of food for them both to eat but she was watching Karl absolutely scarf all the food down, even Valan was staring at him with a surprised expression. Karl finally noticed the silence and lifted his head up, flinching softly when he saw the two staring at him "I can't tell if you like my cooking or you've been starving with how fast and how much you're eating." he goes to say something but nearly choked on the food, she quickly passed him some water as he harshly punched his stomach before gulping down the water "Goodness! Calm down." he finally takes a breath and gives her a wonky smile.
"Sorry, though it's true, I haven't really eaten properly in awhile." she hummed at that, reaching over the table to wipe away a few of the crumbs on his cheek.
"That's no good. It isn't healthy not eating properly, my boy." he pats her hand and so she pulls back, he wipes his face with the sleeve of his hoodie and smiles bashfully, she chuckles and leans her cheek onto the palm of her hand "So, what are you planning on doing today? Do you want to spend some time with me, or do you want to go off on your own?" he was in the middle of eating but froze at the questioned, he lowered his fork and looked up in thought.
'I don't know how long I can spend here with the past Cy, and when I do have the go back, I'll forget everything that happened. I don't want my time with her to end, I want to spend as much time with her as possible!' he gave her a flustered expression.
"If you don't mind, I'd really prefer to spend some time with you, if you don't mind, that is?" she lights up at the suggestion.
"Not at all!" she cheers, clapping her hands "It's been so long since the last time I've had proper company, I wouldn't want anything more than to spend some time with you." he soon mirrors her expression, she then hums, leaning to the side in thought while tapping her finger against the table "I'd really like to hear more of your adventures, Karl. I enjoyed that last one you told me, it was so... thrilling." he stared at her before lighting up.
"Sure!" before he did though, Karl began helping her around her cottage, this gave him the chance to look at things, especially in places where things that he usually saw that weren't there now. The first thing that he noticed were definitely the photos, the only ones he saw were the ones of herself and Philza in the Overworld and the Nether, most of them were taken when they were in her garden, a few were of them running from mobs, but what he saw in most of them were just how bright and happy she was.
'She became a little tougher over the years, she's still rather gentle and good natured, but she's one hell of a PVP player when pushed over the edge. Definitely one of the top three when compared to those two.' his eyes then wondered back over to the axe he saw the day before, his fingers glided over the glass case and he stared at the axe '[My First Gift]... I never would've imagined she kept something as common as an Iron Axe for so long. Maybe it's from the friend she always mentioned, but that would mean they're just as old as she is!' he frowns slightly as he stared at the axe before flinching when he felt something on his shoulder, looking up, he was startled to see Valan looking at him.
"O-Oh, Va--" he cut himself off, Cy still had yet to tell him the name of her bird "um, I mean, hello pretty bird?" he wanted to curl up into a ball with the way Valan gave him such an unimpressed look, even this bird was judging him. She then flew off his shoulder but gestured with her head to follow, and so he did, he looked back at her when he saw her perch herself on his shoulder once more but he followed the direction her head was pointing and there he saw Cy in an open field with a birds nest in her hands. Both he and Valan watched as she cooed at the sweet birds in the nest, who chirped happily at the sight of her, she giggled at them before raising her head and setting the birds nest up in a tree with little to no effort. He noted the fact that she was still the same height she was in the present, standing at exactly 8"6ft tall.
After petting the birds on their heads gently with her finger, she turned her head and smiled brightly at the sight of Karl, waving her arm. He returned the gesture before approaching her, he expected Valan to leave his side the moment he was close to Cy but was surprised that she was still sitting on his shoulder. Cy grinned that Valan was being obedient and stroked her beak before taking a seat in the flower meadow, patting the spot beside her for Karl to join her, he didn't hesitate to do so and proceeded to lean into her side as he began telling her each of his adventures. He noticed that she was absolutely enraptured with his stories, not once getting distracted by the things around her and listening closely as he spoke. He was just as expressive as he was the evening before as he spoke, even Valan paid close attention to the story. As he continued telling a story, this time about a lost city, Cy continued to listen but was occupying herself by making a crown of flowers.
"There were so many amazing things, I wish you could've seen!" he then felt a bead of sweat form on his cheek "Ah, actually, now that I think about it, I don't think you would've liked it very much. It would've been a little too dangerous for your liking, but some of the sights there were definitely a sight for sore... eyes?" he slowly trailed off when Cy placed the flower crown on his head, some of the petals from the flowers fall and be littered in his hair, she noticed this and giggled softly when a couple fell even further and landed on his shoulders and a single petal landed on his nose.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." she said through giggles, she reached forward and grabbed the one on his nose before turning and blowing it away "I believe it suits you rather well, my boy." he readjusted the crown on his head before letting out a loud laugh, this caused her to smile, knowing that she was able to make him laugh. They continued to sit out in the flower field though this time, Cy was teaching Karl how to make flower crowns as he spoke about who he was engaged to "So~ who are the lucky two that claimed your heart?" she questioned, making gestures with her fingers to Karl for him to loop a few of the steams together, he blushed softly at the question.
"Oh, they're just..." he lets out a long sigh, the blush on his cheeks growing brighter at the mere thought of them "too good for me, you know? I disappear on them, and yet when I come back, they're waiting for me and shower me with so much love. They deserve better, but I just, can't help but want to hang onto it a little longer. I love them, and they love me, but at what cost?" he closes his eyes, his Cy knew of his ability to time travel and knew what it would cost whenever he used his ability so he would always vent to her whenever it became too overwhelming. He knew the woman beside him at that moment wasn't his Cy, his mother, but he just couldn't help but let it out "I want to be better, I want to be better for them, but what I do cannot be interrupted. I have knowledge that cannot be spoken, I have lost things irreplaceable, and at what cost? I miss the feeling of feeling safe, and relaxed, and nurtured... I miss the feeling of being home." she frowned sadly when she noticed his once happy mood had deflated as he continued to speak, balling his hands into fists and destroying the flower crown he was making. She raised her hand and placed it on his head before pulling him down and having his head rest in her lap, he gasped lightly and tried to push himself up but was stopped when she started running her fingers through his hair.
"I understand." she spoke softly, his eyes widened at her words as Valan perched herself on Cy's knee and stared at Karl, he sniffled softly and Valan rolled her eyes before lightly patting his head with her beak before flapping her wings and resting on the side of his head, Cy smiled at that and continued to pat his head "Well, I don't entirely understand what you're feeling, though I do get it. There's this feeling in my heart that's telling me that I've lost something, perhaps even forgotten something, but with what I've forgotten, there's a chance to do something new and replace what has been forgotten. Make new memories, happy ones to fill that gap in my heart." she smiles sadly "The last person that visited me was a good man, he told me of his travels and adventures much like you have, but he stopped sending me letters a good few years ago and I grew lonely once more. I had no one to speak to, no one to spend time with... it's horrible being forgotten, much less forgetting someone. But we move on from those dire times, you know? There's no use clinging to the past when there's so much to look forward to in the future, but it is good to cherish the things we have in the present."
'Cherish the things we have in the present?' he sniffled at that thought 'It's been so long since I took the time of day to cherish them, the next time I'm in my present, I'll spend every living second I can just to make up for the lost time.' she began humming and at that moment Karl drifted to sleep upon her lap, she leaned down and smiled at the blissful look on his face, only when he's sleeping does he look like he's truly relaxed.
Soon, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months where Karl would spend time with Cy. She was that sort of aid that helped him through every tough moment he lived through, most of the time they would spend together with him telling her more tales while she told tales of her own, some other times they would go out and adventure on their own. Whenever they would relax in her flower field, he'd always find a way to fall asleep, sometimes it would amaze her. There was one time where they were out in the by a lake and Cy noticed Karl was looking rather closely at a family of ducks while caressing one of his rings, the same when he stared at a group of pandas, he flinched when he saw her staring at him before snorting and looking away, this caused him to blush brightly and start yelling, this only caused her to start snickering while walking away as he chased after her. Though, Valan too, has been beginning to warm up to Karl little by little as well. She was stubborn at first, of course she was, she loved no one more than Philza and Cy, but this young boy was making the lonely woman she knew so happy. Valan was a little upset with Philza when he stopped sending her messages and stopped visiting her all together, going as far as to making it difficult for her to find him to find out why, so she was grateful to Karl for bringing out the best in Cy, seeing that bright and genuine smile that she would only see when Philza was around.
"You enjoying yourself there?" Karl asked, giggling to himself as he felt Valan snuggle closer into the crook of his neck.
"She likes you." Cy cooed softly, appearing by his side wearing her outing attire, tugging at her gloves and scratching under her beak "I'm glad she warmed up to you, Karl. Makes me feel more at ease, having her watch you whenever I cannot." Valan huffed then sneered at the little birds that were giving her smug looks.
"and here you said you weren't going to like him."
"didn't you say you hated him?"
"and here you are being coddled by them both."
"Now, now~ no teasing." she said, she giggled herself when she heard the birds start laughing themselves before hovering around both herself and Karl, she then let out a breath and shuddered softly "I'm not particularly fond of cold weather." Cy murmured softly, rubbing her arms to warm herself up as she and Karl trotted through a winter biome. Looking down at him, she hummed softly when she noticed him infatuated with the snow falling from the sky, giggling to himself when a single snowflake landed on his nose that caused him sneeze, this caused her to laugh as she reached forward and caressed his cheek "Why did you want to come to the Snowy Tundra?" he grins to himself and she watches in slight surprise when he just let himself fall onto the blanket of snow beneath their feet.
"Just to enjoy the snow!" he cheered, throwing his arms up, evidently throwing snow up as he did, some hitting Cy in the face. He gasped when he realized what he did and goes to stand up, apologizing to her but stopped when he saw her wipe the snow off her face and smirk at him jokingly. He let out a squeal when she picked him up and threw him into the air and he landed back in the snow, all her birds and Valan were chirping happily as they hovered around the two as they played in the snow. Cy gasped when she hurled a snowball at his face and caused him to fall to the ground, she immediately rushes over to his side but started to laugh when he threw a snowball at her face before proceeding to tackle her down into the snow with all the amounts of strength he had.
Currently, he was giggling as he watched Cy get surrounded by polar bears. She was sitting down enjoying the snow as best as she could as the sun shun down on them when a baby polar bear trotted up to her and sat itself down on her lap, she laughed at the small baby animal before she was surrounded by its family. What looked like the polar bears father came and started pressing its body in hers, a couple others did the same and this threw her into a fit of laughter as they were showering her in affection. She looked over at Karl and laughed before reaching out towards him, her other hand pushing a polar bear away from her face when it tried licking her, he giggled at the way the polar bears were messing her hair up with their relentless affection. He took her and was sat in her lap and the baby polar bear that was sitting in her lap was now in his lap.
"Aren't they cute~?" she cooed softly, she looked at a certain polar bear and grinned softly "You look like a Steve." this caused Karl to flinch softly, stopping his petting on the baby polar bear in his lap.
"S-Steve?" he repeated, she nodded, raising her hand and pressing it against the bears head "Why Steve of all names?" she shrugged her shoulders.
"Not sure, really. It's a pretty simple name it is, but its got a nice ring to it, no?" she giggled to herself, wrapping her arms around Karl and rubbing her cheek into the top of his head "An emotional support bear." Karl purses his lips at the mention of that.
'That reminds me a certain anarchist.' he thought, thinking about the man in general 'No wonder those two got along so nicely.' she laughed at the look he was giving her.
"What? Is Steve not a good name?" he raises his hands, shaking his head.
"No, no! Not at all, quite the fitting name, actually." she smiles, clapping her hands.
"I'm glad." she blinks when she hears him sneeze, she hummed softly and leaned down and rubbed his cheek with her knuckles, now noticing how his nose was turning a shade of red due to the cold "Hmm? Do you want to head back home, my boy? I believe we've played enough in the snow, and it's beginning to get darker." he nods his head.
"Alright." she stands to her feet, holding her hand out for Karl and helps him to his feet "Can we have hot chocolate when we get back?" she chuckled at the request but nodded nonetheless.
"Whatever you want, Karl." he grins, holding her hand and jumping up and down.
"Thanks, Cy!" she looks down at where he was holding her hand and felt her heart ache softly when he turned and smiled up at her, to her, he reminded her nothing more than a child looking up at their mother. A mother, huh? She didn't really view herself as a mother towards people, she was just the type of person to treat people the way she herself would want to be treated, but ever since meeting Karl, things have been looking a little differently. She began to love Karl as her child as he loved her as a mother, it took her some time for her to warm up to being called mum, her birds didn't count in her opinion. She was flattered that the birds viewed her as a mother as well, but to her, it was different coming from Karl.
It felt nice.
"I won't be out for long, try to keep yourself entertained, mmkay?" she wrapped her arm around him and tousled his hair before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his head, he nods his head while leaning into her hand when he felt her move it to cup his cheek.
"Mmkay..." she squishes his cheeks and that earned another giggle from the both of them, planting a final kiss on his forehead, she leaned away and took a step back.
"Don't leave his side, Valan. I'll leave him to you." she chuckles when she saw Valan salute her, she ruffles Karl's head once more before turning and going off to find a Ocean Biome after finding a treasure map by pure chance. She offered if Karl wanted to join her but he refused her offer and wanted to be the one to stay and wait for her to return. This definitely caught her by surprise, she never had anyone waiting for her, it felt good whenever Karl did stay behind and she returned home to him waiting patiently for her. This was one of those times, she waved goodbye to Karl and Valan one more time before turning and leaving to where the treasure map was leading her.
"What should we do now, Val?" he asked the bird, only to laugh when she moved so she was resting in the hood of his hoodie. She would always do that when she got really tired, sometimes he would forget she's there and other times he would move his hoodie so that it was back to front, allowing him to lie back and have her sleeping on his chest. Ah, sleep, he's been graced with good rest since being in this era, he just feels so at peace in the presence of the younger version of Cy. If he were to compare her to his present Cy, this one was a little more naïve compared to his Cy, less protective. So much has happened in the present that's caused her to act more tougher, overly protective with a couple people and super aggressive to the people she didn't like, and it was rare for her to not like people when she loved everyone.
Entering her house once more, closing the door behind him, both himself and Valan preoccupied themselves by watering all of Cy's plants and he smiled to himself at the sight of the new pictures hanging on the walls. This time, he saw photos of himself and Cy standing together doing whatnot together. The funniest one he could find was definitely the time when Cy threw him into the water and her birds managed to capture it, it was definitely a funny scene to see. His definite favor would be the one when her birds captured the moment he surprised her by placing a messily done flower crown on her head while she was reading, it startled her, but she was overjoyed at the gift and pulled him into a hug. He could still see the flower crown he made for her in her room on her dresser hanging on the mirror, he heard the sound of Valan cawing at him so he turned towards her and watched as she flew off the windowsill and rested on top of his head.
"Are you done, Val?" she cawed loudly and he laughed, scratching beneath her beak before wandering around the empty house. It always marvelled him that she was able to keep her house in such prestigious condition despite it being thousands of years since she's lived in the same cottage, the wood not once looking worn out and not a speck of dust of cobwebs in sight, the house was completely untouched, both inside and out. He pushed open the door to her room and looked around, he noticed the little notes on both the frames and the mirror itself, looking forward, he read through a few of them.
[just remember, you're very beautiful]
[I hope you have a good day today]
[don't forget to smile! you're never
fully dressed without a smile]
[I'm always be by your side,
no matter how alone you feel]
:)
"Do you know who gives her these, Val?" she shook her head, shrugging. That smiley face was in most of the notes, there was nothing awfully creepy about the notes, they were all positive ones and they complimented her and told her not to forget that she wasn't alone even when she was, but it was that blasted smile that always creeped him out. He didn't want to think about it any longer so he left the room, but of course, not without leaving a note himself. He pulled out a piece of paper from his inventory and began writing on it before sticking it to the mirror, he smiled to himself before leaving her room and entering her library.
He loved spending time in her library, it reminded him off his own library but hers felt more homey, heh, she even had a fireplace. There were times where he couldn't sleep and he'd wake up in the middle of the night, he would immediately go to Cy for comfort but wouldn't be able to find her in her room but instead in the library. All he had to say is that he couldn't sleep and she'd have him resting in her lap once more, sitting in front of the fire as she read him a story to help him fall back asleep, and that was all it took. He let his fingers glide across her chair before sitting in it himself, he giggled to himself when he saw the comparison of his much smaller size to her large one.
"I don't want this to end..." he muttered to himself, wrapping his arms around himself and hugging himself, he'd have to forget everything that happened if he returned home. He didn't want to leave, her didn't want to leave Cy all alone, but this wasn't even his era, he wasn't even meant to be there, this wasn't the time period where he first met Cy so he already fucked that up, I mean, in the present, he's pretty sure Valan hates his guts, know look at her! She's cuddling into the crook of his neck, well, that was an upside of this shitfest. He turned his head to look at her book shelf and in the corner of his eye, gosh, he wished he didn't look. In the corner of his eye, he saw his book sitting in the bookshelf, he shook his head immediately, closing his eyes and turning his head away in an effort to ignore it and not give into temptation "No! No, no, no! Not now, I don't want to leave just yet." he told himself, shaking his head side to side, Valan looked up at him in concern.
There were many times he's acted like this and each time Cy was always there to calm him down and bring him back down to earth, but she wasn't here this time to quell his nerves. Valan let out soft crows as she pressed her body against his cheek and started caressing his cheek, this managed to calm him down slightly but he was still on edge a little. He couldn't take anymore so he abruptly stood to his feet and started to leave the room but the feeling of a bright glow caused him to stop on his tracks, now he really couldn't ignore the book anymore. He looked back towards it and saw that it was moving around before throwing itself and other books out of the bookshelf and landing on the floor, the book opening on its own and various pages flipping pass.
"Oh... gosh, dammit." he hadn't noticed Valan flew off his shoulder in shock until he felt her tugging on the back of his hood, he waved her off and knelt down to pick up the book. He felt his eyes glaze over as his hand brushed over the cover of the book before watching the pages flip through once more before stopping at a page and a bright light enveloping the room, he shook his head and slammed the book shut while throwing it to the ground but let out a grunt when the book opened itself once more, he winced and raised his arms to shield his eyes from the blinding light.
No.
No.
No.
This... I don't--
"I don't want to leave!" he cried out, he tried to flee this time but the book didn't let up this time and the light enveloped the entire room before finally disappearing, Karl vanishing with the light and the book. Valan couldn't believe what she had just witnessed, first a book flying off the shelf, it opening on its own along with a blinding light coming from it before it and Karl disappeared. She shook her head in a panic before she fled the cottage in search for Cy, it had already been a couple hours since she left and it was beginning to get dark so she should be returning home right about now.
'This is all my fault.' she couldn't help but be to blame, she had one job and that was to watch Karl like a hawk, and right now he was gone without a single trace. She was disappointed in herself, but the worse thing was not only Karl disappearing, but Cy returning home and being alone again. It took centuries for someone to new to enter her life and spark a flame in her heart once more, it was different then meeting the villagers. She knew she'd outlive them as they grew older and died, so she tried not to grow attached to them, Philza was different, he was immortal like herself. Cy knew Karl was different as well, she didn't know how different, so that's why she loved him. He wasn't going to leave her alone, at least not without saying goodbye... pah, what a joke.
"Fighting those Drowned was rather difficult." Cy murmured softly, shaking her hair and pursing her lips after feeling her damp hair "At least I got a trident out of all that, no?" she grins to herself as she pulls out the trident from her inventory and marvels at it, all it needed was a little enchanting and it'll be irreplaceable "I think Karl will like the stuff I found as well."
"karl!'
"karl!"
"hurry home."
"we miss karl!"
"valan has him all to herself."
"i'm jealous."
"Heh, am I not enough for you lot?" this immediately caused them to stop talking and start apologizing to her and saying how much they love her as well, she giggled at the affection but stopped at the familiar sound of wings flapping. Looking ahead, she raised a brow when she noticed that it was Valan... wait, Valan? What was she doing here? "Valan? What? Where's Karl? Shouldn't you be watching him?" she asked as she raised her arm for her to rest on, she was sure she was a few hundred blocks away from her cottage, so Valan flew quite the distance. As she rests on Cy's arm, taking deep breaths after flying full speed over to where Cy was, her birds hovered around Valan because they could understand her while Cy couldn't.
"what's wrong?"
"what's wrong?"
"why are you tired?"
"why'd you fly so far?"
"where's karl?"
"pretty boy karl."
Cy waited patiently for Valan to tell them what was happening as she looked around to try and find Karl anywhere, Valan wouldn't just leave him alone, she grew attached to him and was either by his or her side. She did try it once when she still didn't like him, they were in a jungle biome gathering a few materials after getting a little lost and Cy jumped up and was standing on a tree looking around to find the way out of the jungle when Valan flew up and onto her shoulder looking smug, she was punished by Cy ignoring her and being left outside when night fell.
But right now... she wouldn't do that.
"What's the matter, Val?" she asked softly, raising her other hand and using her fingers to make her lift her head, soon she started to frantically caw. Of course she didn't understand what she was saying, she wasn't her bird, but what she was saying certainly did get a rise out of her birds, this didn't go unnoticed by her.
"gone?"
"what do you mean gone?"
"how is he gone?"
"weren't you supposed to be watching him?"
"he was your responsibility."
"how did he disappear?"
"He's gone...?" Valan looked up at her with tears in her eyes and gave her an apologetic look, Cy shook her head when her birds started to repeat the words gone, disappear and Karl so she grits her teeth before kneeling down and jumping off in the direction where her cottage was just to see if it was true. She didn't want it to be true, she didn't want to be alone again. She just hopes she was joking with her, but she knew Valan would never play such a cruel joke on her.
She knows she hates being alone.
She let out a breath when she landed on the cobblestone footpath leading to the entrance of her house so she rushed forward and threw the door open and started calling out Karl's name while looking everywhere for him, she slowly felt tears gather in her eyes when she couldn't find him in any of the rooms. She remembered hearing the birds mention book so she kicked the library door and saw books scattered all over the floor and the book that was with Karl the first day she found him was missing, she shook her head in disbelief while reassuring herself that she was simply over thinking.
He would just leave her.
At least, not without a heads up.
He knew. He KNEW how she hated being alone.
Returning to her room, she sat at the edge of her bed and was begging-- pleading in her head that Karl wasn't gone, at least, forever. That he was going to come back. That she wouldn't wake up alone and that she'd be greeted to the sound of his enthusiastic good morning and a hug, he gave the best hugs. With her face in her hands, she shook her head as she held back the tears and finally raised her head to look at her mirror, only then did she notice the new note laying on the dresser beside a quill and ink. Reluctantly standing up, she picked the note up and read through it, and this caused tears to glisten in her eyes.
[I hope you know how much
I love you and how much I appreciate
living with you! meeting you was
the best thing that's happened to
me and I'll make sure not to
forget you!]
~ karl jacobs
And below his name was his iconic little swirl, she shook her head before she fell to her knees and it slowly started sinking in that Karl was gone.
He was gone.
And he didn't even say goodbye.
All that he left was a flimsy little note.
"After everything..." she cried, clutching the note to her as tears ran down her cheeks "I'm alone again."
(time skip: present day)
[The Forgotten One!]
There was always something off about
this woman that didn't sit right with
people of the Dream SMP. She's been around
longer than the owner of the server himself,
maybe even longer than that Philza guy.
Everybody seems to like her a lot too,
I mean, nearly everyone calls her mum.
Isn't that a little weird? She's too nice for
that it's almost annoying. I mean, when is
there a time she isn't smiling or helping
someone with their problems?
Isn't she just tired of being nice? Doesn't she
just wanna go APESHIT? I can't stand the thought
of being nice 24/7 without being able to let loose.
But when she did let her anger overwhelm her,
she was more of a threat than that bloody pig. I mean,
who else do you think taught him?
She was just a force to be reckoned with.
Undefeated.
Untouchable.
Unbreakable.
...
...
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to leave.
I know how much you hate it when we disappear without saying goodbye.
I know how much you hate being alone.
I'm so sorry.
"Karl!" he opened his eyes with a gasp, clutching his book to his chest, when he heard the sound of his name being called. He looked around and noticed he was laying in a familiar looking flower field so he slowly pushed himself up and looked over in the direction he heard the call, his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the woman beaming over at him while waving her arm "I had a feeling it was you! You always fall asleep in my flower garden!" slowly, a smile similar to the one she wore on her face itched onto his face.
"Sorry, laying in your flowers is so relaxing. I even had a wonderful dream." she giggled at that as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Well, you can tell me all about it over a cup of tea. So, how about it?" smiling softly, he slowly stood to his feet and wiped the single tear running down his cheek.
"I'd love nothing more, mum!"
[Karl Jacobs, Time Traveller]