Knock! Knock!

My eyes snapped open at the sudden sound to find morning light pouring in through the frosted windows. The rays spilled across my curled-up form onto Techno, who was still asleep under my head placed on his shoulder.

Patches had moved in the night to lay on the bricks before the fireplace. The fire inside had shrunk but still burned enough to provide some warmth to Techno, me, and the wolves.

Knock! Knock!

The rapping came again, this time more urgent. Techno began to stir next to me, Nyx opening her eyes sleepily on his lap.

I stood quietly as Techno opened his eyes, looking around to get his bearings. My senses were slightly off as well after being in a sand biome a bit ago where the heat was unbearable even in the night.

Now, cold clouded in the corners as winter had finally begun and the snow biome temperatures were worsening. It made me bunch my hoodie around my hands and tug up my hood.

Knock-

I pried the door open as ice snapped free from where it had frozen over on the doorframe. A cold wind pushed into the room, making me cringe.

Ranboo was on the other side, his closed fist still raised in mid-knock.

His hair was being pushed around from the wind under the cloudy sky, his eyes watering from the temperature. Snow clung to the bottom of his dark pants and shoes, a trail of footsteps behind him.

But what caught my eye was the panicked expression on his face.

I instantly shook off my lingering sleep, straightening my shoulders and opening the door further so he could come in. He quickly ran in, never taking my eyes off of me as he stepped over wolves.

"Ranboo, what-"

His mismatched hands grabbed my shoulders tightly. "Y/n, Tommy and Tubbo are going to fight Dream today."

I stared at him for a second, my brain trying to process the words. Techno shot up beside me, Nyx waddling after his heels.

"What? Today?" Techno said, coming over to us. His pink hair was a bit ruffled from sleep and his crown was so tipped I thought it would fall off.

Ranboo nodded hurriedly, his own small crown bouncing. "Dream left Tommy a message at his house saying for them to meet at some coords. Tommy and Tubbo are gathering supplies and told me to grab you, y/n."

My mind finally caught up, snapping into motion.

I opened the door once more with a stabbing burst of wind and ran through the deep snow to my house. Snowflakes were falling thickly from grey clouds, sun rays barely breaking through.

Ranboo and Techno ran after me, glancing at each other.

Inside my own home, I marched into the chest room I had shared with Tommy. The room was tucked into a corner with chests covering every inch that was available. A maroon carpet lay softly on the spruce floors.

Tommy's side of the room was messy and had supplies thrown everywhere without any sign of organization. On the other side, the chests were neatly stacked and materials were arranged in a well-thought system.

That was my side.

My navy hoodie replaced my purple one now that it was dry, Ranboo and Techno coming into the room as the hood dropped around my neck. Then I clasped my belt with my sword in it around my waist.

I slipped a copper dagger in another loop, careful to keep it away from touching my bare skin. It was a precaution if all else failed.

"Y/n, this could be dangerous," Ranboo said, his voice wavering at my back.

Potions clinked together in chests as I dug through them, searching for red and pink. My eye caught on the colors I was trying to find and I clipped them to my belt.

I turned to another chest as I spoke to Ranboo with my back turned to him, "Of course it's going to be dangerous. I'm fighting a god that has years upon years on me. Even if I was just battling Dream it would be dangerous."

Inside this chest, there were stacks of ender pearls, their bluish-green exteriors shining in the warm lantern light. They were smooth in my hands as I placed them in a small pouch at my hip on the belt.

"What if DreamXD has something you don't know planned?" Ranboo asked again.

I shook my head, moving over to the ender chest. There was a quiet humming sound near it, radiating its unnaturalness like the sun.

"I have no idea what he has planned, Ranboo. I won't know till I get there."

"But what if your magic backfires on your system like Foolish said?" Real fear was in his voice.

Yellow particles burst from the chest as I opened it, turning purple once they began floating in the air. The humming became a whooshing sound when I plunged my hand into the void-like inventory.

"I have to risk that, Ran. This is my only chance to save not only Dream but everyone else too."

Ranboo quieted down, the only sound being the shuffling of my hands in the chest. A moment later I grasped what I had been searching for.

The first piece of armor I pulled out was the chest plate, twinkling and shimmering in its purple blanket of enchantments. I slid it over my head so the shoulder pads were straight, fastening the straps at my side.

Next, I slipped the bracers over my wrists in two swift swipes. They rested over my navy hoodie, soothing some of my racing nerves.

I sunk my armor-laden arms back into the chest, this time pulling the last piece of armor out. The ender chest fell shut with an echoing and soft click.

Ranboo spoke up again, in a much quieter voice, "What if you die?"

I froze, holding the pair of netherite boots in my hands.

My death wasn't out of the picture. Foolish had warned me about that over and over and had even tried to get me to back out of this plan.

But, my stubbornness and confidence rose to meet his warnings and then passed them.

I had been made and created for this, my sole purpose for being brought to this land was to destroy the darkness for the ones I loved.

So I sighed, pulling off my boots with strong tugs. I dropped the netherite boots to step into and they stopped with a plop.

I was about to tug them on when I was turned around and something soft touched my leg.

I had to tilt my chin up to look into Techno's blazing but gentle eyes without my boots to give me some height. There was determination and worry in his eyes that made my rush to leave stop.

When I looked down, Ranboo's black and white fluffy tail was wrapped lightly around my leg, just brushing my pants. It was a sign of worry and protection as he stood a little to the side.

"Y/n, is there a chance you will die?" Techno asked, his voice lacking emotion. It was hidden underneath his shield of worry.

My eyes darted away from his and onto my sock-covered feet. I hated my answer, especially when it came to telling Techno.

"Yes, there is a chance. If my magic rebounds into my system, it could kill me or leave me defenseless against DreamXD."

Techno stared at me for a moment and I could see his wheels turning. His pointed ear twitched, some pink strands of hair moving with it.

Then he did what I didn't expect from him.

His arms wrapped around my shoulders, engulfing me in his chest and fluffy cape. There was enough height difference between us that he had to stoop a little to dig his head into my shoulder.

I froze for a minute, surprise holding me still. After a second, I scrunched my eyes closed and gave into my fears, letting Techno's heartbeat anchor me, where it pulsed under my ear.

We stood there for a moment, every unspoken word drifting between our slowed breaths and tight arms. Every I love you sister and brother went through each of our minds, never being said to know it.

He wouldn't stop me from going to the fight. In fact, he would release me and let me finish putting on my armor, then open the door for me to go.

Techno knew my heart like his own, so he would let me do what was right, even if it meant losing me.

That's what family does. They support you and want you to follow your heart till the ends of the earth.

When we pulled away from each other, tears glistened in each of our eyes. I gave him my best smile through the sniffling and reached up on my tiptoes to push his crown back into place.

"This isn't goodbye," I said, my voice stuffy. "I'll be back to braid your hair and then help you and Phil build the wolf pen."

A single tear slipped from his eye and he smiled small. "And I need you to come back so I can fix your aim."

A tear-stained laugh erupted from me, lifting the bittersweet mood a bit. I wiped my face with the only part of my uncovered sleeve and stepped back into my boots.

I didn't have to tilt my head as much now to see into Techno's eye, but Ranboo still remained as tall as ever. He had to bend in the small room to not bump his head or knock his crown off.

Red and green streaks rolled down Ranboo's face in tears, scarring him. He didn't seem to care about the way his tears were burning his skin.

His eyes were glazed over and his lips were pulled into a thin line of sadness and fear.

My boots clinked against the wooden floor then quieted on the carpet as I walked over to him and didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug. His tail remained around my leg, loosening as I closed the distance.

My words were a bit muffled from my face being pressed into his suit, "I'll be back, Ran. You don't need to write that down because I'll be back faster than you can forget."

He sniffed, some strange colored tears dropping onto my chest plate. They lost their color as they dripped away from his face.

I stepped back from him, craning my neck to look into his face. I gripped his arms tighter when I saw a flash of purple glide through his watery eyes.

"Ranboo, fight it. You won't have to deal with him for much longer," I reassured quickly, searching his eyes as the purple wavered.

His arms went slack but I kept my hands tight on him. Emotion became leached from his face, a void staring back at me.

Techno placed his hand on my shoulder from behind, a drop of aggression dripping into the air.

"Ran, we're right here. Stay here with us," I said, trying to remain calm.

And to my surprise, the purple disappeared as the puppet master lost control of its strings on its marionette. DreamXD hadn't been expecting Ranboo to fight back.

An apology was already forming on Ranboo's tongue, but I cut him off with a gentle expression. I stepped away so I could see them both.

"Techno, take care of Ranboo. Just keep an eye on him until this shitshow is over." I turned to Ranboo after looking at Techno. "You get some rest and drink some tea with honey. It helps."

They both looked at me with tears shining in the low light of the windowless room as I moved past them and into the entrance hall. Once we were there, I opened the door with a surge of cold wind.

I blinked back my tears and smiled, my lips shaking with emotion.

But despite it, my voice was steady and strong, "I'll be back before you know it. But if not, take care of my pets for me. Oh, and make sure lotuses are planted near my grave."

It was a morbid request, and they both knew it, but I had to ask just in case.

Techno nodded gravely, knowing how important the golden flowers were to me.

The golden lotuses were the last symbols of my mother and her pure light.

Before I could change my mind and run back into the safety of their arms, I ran out of the door and into the stall at the side of the house. I hauled Ash's saddle onto her back and grabbed the reins as I mounted.

She huffed and pawed at the snow, taking in the challenge of its height.

I patted her neck, leaning forward in the saddle to tell her, "Show me what you got, girl."

Ash took off, not even bothered by the snow, wind grabbing her mane into its current.

I turned in my saddle, and the last thing I saw was a tall enderman bent over in my doorframe next to my brother wrapped in his dark red cape before the snow and clouds drowned them out.

~~~~

the fight. OMG HOW ARE WE ALREADY HERE

all your comments on the last part about how this book is ending made me so sad but so happy cause you're all so sweet

i love you all so much and your votes and comments make my day :) thank you for being an amazing and supportive community. I'll save the rest for the final words lol

have a wonderful day, and drink some water or I will threaten you with :] MUWAHAHA