Timeline: April 2013
Word Count: 2.4k
TW: Idk how to explain it but literally the entire chapter is an allegory for religious trauma and homophobia
Nobody had ever warned Hypno that being gifted was a curse. He'd read countless stories about children like him; the special, chosen child who's magic could save the world or defeat a great evil. But he'd never asked to be one of them. In fact, he'd liked his mundane life as it was, predictable yet full of opportunity. He could do whatever he wanted with it.
But, when you have a gift as rare and precious as magic, those opportunities all suddenly become very limited. His parents had explained it all to him as soon as he was old enough to listen, that magic was dangerous, and how they would ensure it was taken away and controlled before it could hurt anyone. Of course, being a child with limited control over his own power, Hypno had no say in the matter.
He'd been sent away as soon as he was old enough to have his magic properly tamed under the guidance of other ex-spellcasters. Not once was he asked if he actually wanted to go, and his parents didn't even bother to see him off at the train station. They'd gone straight into town, bragging about how they'd 'saved their child from the dangers of magic' to anyone who'd listen, all while said child was left alone and scared. They truly believed they were doing the right thing, too lost in their prejudices to see how hurt Hypno was by all of it.
Things had only worsened once he'd arrived. Hypno had been given a long and tedious lecture on the dangers of magic, and as if that wasn't harsh enough, a single golden cuff was locked onto his wrist, forbidding him from using it. That was the worst part, having his magic restricted and trapped behind that cuff, as if a part of him had been forcefully ripped away against his will.
"A child has no control over their magic." He'd been told. "It's wild, and dangerous when left untamed. Until you're old enough to have it taken away, the cuff will help keep you under control."
Each night he would spend countless hours trying to remove it, tugging and hitting and clawing at it until his wrist was bleeding and he could barely breathe through his tears. It hurt him, as if it kept him trapped behind an invisible barrier and unable to break free. Yet it was still better than the impending alternative, the one that would permanently lock away his magic as soon as he was old enough to have it safely done to him.
Once again, Hypno didn't have a choice. He never did. Not when he'd been 'cursed' with this magic, not when he'd been sent away, not when he'd been cuffed and restricted, and certainly not with this stupid 'ceremony' that was bound to do more harm than good. He'd always been called quiet, gifted, golden, perfect... and he hated it. His silent obedience came from fear, not a will to comply with the rules of this horrible place or his parents.
He was determined to break free of it all someday, but would he ever bring himself to rebel against the same adults who'd controlled his entire life with an iron grip? Maybe he'd stay as he was forever, the quiet child who always did exactly what he was told.
"As you may already be aware, this world is divided between the three planetary dimensions. The Nether, the End, and the Overworld, where we reside. Each has its own large, corresponding celestial body, or what is commonly referred to as a 'main world', but many smaller worlds occupy the vast space around these 'main worlds'. Smaller worlds can only be created and accessed by those granted administrative powers, and we call these private worlds...?"
Hypno wasn't listening whatsoever, instead choosing to stare out of the window and watch the falling rain. He wondered what things he could do with the water, whether he could bend it to whatever shape he wanted or freeze it into cold and solid ice. He felt sparks of magic form at his fingertips, but it was quickly stopped by the cuff before it could develop into anything more.
It was then that he realised he'd been asked a question, and tried his best to think back on what had just been said. "Uh... servers?"
"Exactly. Each server consists of 3 of these smaller worlds; an Overworld, a Nether and an End. Similarly to how we can travel between the three main worlds, dimensional travel is also possible on servers through portals that..."
Hypno stopped listening again. Even if he was grateful to still get an education here, he knew this topic off by heart, as he'd eagerly studied it in the hopes of creating his own world where he'd freely use his magic however he wanted to. How he'd obtain the Admin powers needed, he wasn't quite sure yet, but he'd gladly accept an invitation to someone else's server if he was allowed to use his magic.
"Hypno? You're not listening to me, are you?"
"Forgive me sir, but I already understand the topic. There's three large planets, each large planet is surrounded by smaller planets, the smaller planets are linked to each other and are called servers."
"It's far more nuanced than that, but I suppose you seem to have a good enough understanding. You may leave early, you have a lot to prepare before tomorrow's ceremony."
Hypno tensed. He'd been trying to pretend that tomorrow wasn't the day he'd been living in fear of for 6 years. He still wasn't sure what he was going to do... and as per usual, it wasn't like he had much choice. It wasn't like he wanted to give up most of his magic, he just didn't know how to stop it from happening.
"Thank you." Was all he said, before standing and leaving the room. The halls were eerily empty, as spellcasters were quite rare around these parts, but Hypno had come to appreciate the silence. There was nobody around to hear him crying each night, and nobody to bother him when he didn't want to be bombarded with people telling him his magic was dangerous and evil.
But even if he could appreciate the loneliness here, the same question still bothered him. What was he going to do tomorrow? He couldn't bear to follow through with the ceremony and have his magic taken from him, but did he have much of a choice? He'd be a disgrace to his home and his family, likely expelled from society and told to never come back. Was his entire life really worth it just to keep his magic?
That said, his magic was like a part of him. Nobody would want to give up their liver or their arm just to stay in the favour of a family that would never truly accept them... So why should he? He would gain nothing from letting his magic go, yet the consequences of refusing to do so scared him into obedience every single time.
And even as the night passed and the next morning arrived, Hypno remained silent and acquiescing. Even if he was terrified, even if his heart was racing in his chest and dark circles lay beneath his eyes from his sleepless night, he'd reluctantly come to accept what was going to happen.
The next hour was nothing but a blur. He was led to the temple's altar, knelt in front of an officiant who spoke extensively about the evils of magic, but even as the minutes slowly ticked by, all Hypno could think about was what he'd do when he finally got out of this place. He struggled to envision a future in which such a huge part of him was just... gone.
Maybe he'd move back home and get a mundane job like everyone else. Maybe he'd waste the rest of his days searching for a way to undo the ritual that took his magic from him. Maybe he wouldn't even have that many days left to waste. Only time would tell, but no matter the outcome, the future certainly didn't look bright.
At least, that's what Hypno thought. Because only seconds later, a mistake was made. A simple oversight, one so small that it could easily be ignored, but one that threw both Hypno and the officiant quite the curveball.
They'd made the mistake of removing the cuff before his magic was purged.
Almost instantly, the rush of power made Hypno lightheaded. For the first time in years, his magic was right there, coursing freely throughout his body and begging to be used. He could barely believe what was happening, shocked that such a simple yet detrimental oversight had occurred. Not knowing what they'd just incited, the officiant continued, looking down upon Hypno as his breathing went heavy and his eyes wide.
"Worry not child, your suffering shall soon cease."
It happened so fast. Fear, rage, agony and disbelief all culminated into a burning mass of emotion, consuming Hypno in its insanity. He couldn't think, see, hear or breathe, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of it all. If he was screaming, he couldn't even hear himself, and if his eyes were open all he could see was bright light. He was engulfed in nothing but his own emotions, until without warning, everything stopped.
Slowly, his senses returned to normal. The first was touch, and although he expected pain, all Hypno could feel was a light tingling sensation that seemed to hang in the air around him. The next was sound, as he slowly became aware of dead silence. He could smell something burning nearby, and tasted blood in his mouth.
Finally, Hypno opened his eyes. He saw clouds, strange considering he'd been indoors the last he could remember. He looked to his left. Shattered glass and cracked stone lay beside him. Then to his right, where underneath the fallen stone lay a scrap of cloth. A deep purple colour, the exact same as the robes the officiant had worn seemingly seconds ago.
It dawned on him as he slowly sat up. The temple was destroyed. The others were dead. Rubble littered the ground, yet a perfect circle surrounded Hypno where none had fallen, as if something had protected him from the impact. The impact of what he'd just done. This was his fault.
Suddenly queasy, Hypno felt tears arise in his eyes. He didn't know what happened, or what he'd done. It was an accident, he didn't mean it, he'd- he'd just killed these people. They were dead, everything around him was in ruins, and he was to blame. Was this why they had wanted to take his magic? Were they right this entire time, that it was dangerous and had the power to kill?
No, he wasn't going to believe that, not yet. Dead or alive, they were still wrong, and maybe their forceful restriction of his magic was what made it do... whatever that was.
Hypno stood up, but immediately realised that he had no idea what to do or where to go. Home? He'd be disowned at best, maybe killed on the spot if the townspeople felt merciful. His own home wasn't a safe place for him, he couldn't go back there. Was there anything left to do but wander? It certainly didn't see, like it.
Maybe if he just started walking, he'd either find somewhere safe, or die trying. Whichever came first.
"What do you think?"
"I think it looks like a mask."
"Very helpful, Tin."
Xisuma snickered as he adjusted his new mask. It was far better than the prior attempts, which looked more like piles of scrap metal on his face than anything, and it was easier to breathe through. Not that the older ones didn't work, this was just better.
"Yeah, I figured out that 3 filters is better than one, which made a pretty big difference." Xisuma explained. They looked like large, circular things, one on each side and one in the middle. The mask was made of a smooth, shiny metal, and covered the lower half of his face. "I'm thinking of making a detachable visor when we have more glass."
"Ooh, what colour will it be?" Joe asked. "You mentioned wanting to paint your armour green, what about purple for the visor?"
"Purple?" False repeated. "That's a bit of an odd choice, isn't it?"
"It's the opposite of green." TFC pointed out. "It would contrast the armor and match his eyes at the same time."
"GUYS!"
The four friends were interrupted by BDubs, who came running over as fast as his legs could carry him. He tripped over his moss a few times, (which Xisuma had recently realised was able to grow like a living plant), but managed to make it over.
"Slow down!" TFC scolded, as if he were a disappointed father talking to his child. "I told you to trim your coat weeks ago, and now you're tripping over it!"
"That's not important!" BDubs insisted, pointing East towards the mountains. "I found somebody!"
"Another one?!" Xisuma gasped, jumping to his feet. The others quickly followed, and BDubs led them further into the valley where, indeed, someone was passed out in the grass.
He had to have been 17 or 18 years old at most, and although he didn't appear to be injured, he looked worn and exhausted. His golden blonde hair, held back only by a black bandanna, seemingly hadn't been washed in weeks, and the rest of his mostly black clothing was covered in mud and dirt. However, and most interestingly, golden glowing marks lay just beneath his eyes, almost like tears.
Xisuma knelt beside the young stranger. He had a pulse, and seemed to be breathing normally, but likely hadn't eaten properly in a very long time. Xisuma's touch seemed to awaken him, and he opened golden eyes that glowed even brighter than the markings on his face. Suddenly startled, he tried to move away, but Xisuma did his best to calm him down.
"Hey, hey... it's okay, you're safe. We won't hurt you."
The stranger's eyes went wide, but soon filled with tears. It didn't take long for him to break down entirely, his whole body shaking as tears flowed swift and freely "I know you're scared, but it's alright. We're here, you're gonna be okay."