Chapter Text
Navigating the blocky cave system was a grueling in reality . The terrain wasn't a smooth; it was a jagged staircase of massive, meter-high stone cubes. Steve could have hopped up them without breaking a sweat, but for a standard human? It was an exhausting, full-body workout.
"Ugh," Oliver grunted, his shoes scrambling for purchase as he hauled himself over the edge of a stone block. "This is definitely a workout..."
Venti, light on his feet and blessed by the wind, was already several blocks ahead, scaling the cavern effortlessly. He turned, looking down at his struggling boyfriend. "Huh? Is it hard for you?"
"It is..." Oliver panted, wiping his forehead. The sheer scale of the blocks from a his perspective was daunting. He couldn't just casually leap up the blocks like how Steve would.
"It wasn't so hard for me," Venti teased lightly. As Oliver neared the Archon's area, Venti reached down, grabbed his boyfriend's arms, and easily hoisted him up the rest of the way.
"You have the power of Barbatos and anime on your side," Oliver joked between breaths, letting out a breathless laugh.
Venti giggled, dusting off Oliver's shirt. "Yeah, whatever that was again. I remember you saying something about this 'anime' thing." He gave Oliver a brief, comforting hug and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before pulling away with a bright smile. "And I am Barbatos! So... I get all his power regardless!"
Oliver smiled warmly, his heart fluttering from the kiss. He recalled one of Venti's voice lines from the game and giggled. "Thank Barbatos..." he paused, squinting at Venti. "Wait a minute..."
Venti had started walking ahead again, but hearing the phrase made him stop and giggle. "Why do I have a feeling I might have said that before...?"
"Maybe you have~," Oliver giggled.
The deeper they trekked, the darker the cave became. But soon, a faint, flickering orange glow began to bleed into the tunnel from the distance.
"Ooh! Some light!" Venti pointed ahead. "Could that be the surface? Or, ooh! That mineshaft you mentioned?"
Oliver was instantly wary. "Maybe, but stay close," he warned, grabbing onto Venti's arm. The reality of Minecraft mobs was setting in. They hadn't encountered any yet, but if they were going deeper and deeper underground, it was only a matter of time.
Venti giggled at how tightly Oliver was clinging to him. "Babe, I'm the one with the bow, remember? Are there other monsters around? Hopefully not as dangerous as the Wither."
"No, not typically," Oliver whispered, his eyes scanning the pitch-black corners of the tunnel. "And they're usually really loud. We'd hear a zombie or a skeleton if one were close." He swallowed hard. "All except one... one that's completely silent. It just creeps up right behind you."
"Hmm," Venti hummed, curious. "Which one would that be?"
Oliver opened his mouth to answer, but he wasn't prepared for the reality of the game's most infamous sound.
Sssssssss.
Neither of them had time to react before the explosion violently rocked the cavern. "Woah!" Venti shouted. The Archon instantly found his footing, throwing an arm out toward his boyfriend. In a split second, a tempest of Anemo energy swirled around him, locking him safely in place against the shockwave, befoire he got slammed into the wall.
Oliver squeezed his eyes shut. When he slowly opened them, he was staring face-to-face with a block of coal ore.
Venti sighed, slowly dropping his hand and letting the wind barrier fade. "That was close."
Oliver let out a shaky breath, standing upright on his own as the adrenaline faded. He frantically dusted the pixelated dirt off his clothes. "Okay," he joked, his voice trembling slightly as he tried to keep the mood light. "I think I've had enough of Minecraft: VR Edition. Or Minecraft: Ready Player One Edition."
Venti stepped up behind him, gently rubbing circles into his back. "Babe, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay."
Venti rubbed his chin, looking genuinely concerned. "Babe... I don't mean this in a mean way... but it seems like the people of your dimension aren't... the strongest. Like... you know..." He struggled to find the right words, desperate not to offend his boyfriend.
But Oliver didn't take it to heart. He just laughed and waved Venti off. "Venti, I told you!" he giggled. "That's why I said you could probably take on Doctor Barclay and he'd just wither away into nothing. Even Diona could probably kill him with just one burst of her Cryo energy. We just aren't built like you guys. We're... very basic."
Venti smiled, but his worry lingered. "Yeah, but... will you be strong enough to actually handle the powers I just gave you?" He pointed to the icy-blue earring. "It won't be too much for your body to handle?"
"Well—" Oliver blinked, considering it. "I'm not sure. But I don't think so. I think I'll be fine." He reached up, gently fiddling with the casing on his earlobe. "I haven't actually used it yet since I still need a sword. But I do feel... cold? Like the Cryo is actually flowing through me." Still, feeling it and channeling it were two different things.
"Oh! I have an idea!" Venti gasped suddenly.
"You always do~," Oliver smiled.
"But come on, before I explain, let's get into the light first." Venti pointed toward the glowing area up ahead of the cavern.
As they stepped out of the narrow tunnel, the source of the light revealed itself. Tucked away in a massive stone hollow was a bubbling, mid-sized lava lake, bathing the surrounding cavern in a bright, searingly warm glow.
"My word..." Venti marveled, stepping right up to the edge of the pit. "Is that straight-up lava?"
"Yep," Oliver said, quickly grabbing Venti's arm and yanking him back a step.
"At least it feels warm and cozy!" Venti beamed, stretching his arms out to soak in the intense heat. "I was feeling a little chilly in those tunnels!"
Oliver could only laugh. Of course Venti would find comfort in a pool of deadly, molten rock. "Just don't fall in."
"Trust me, I won't! We've got plenty of room." Venti turned his back to the heat. "So, about my idea!" He held out his hand, and in a brilliant flash of teal light and swirling wind, his beautiful bow materialized in his grasp. He flipped it around and held it out to Oliver. "This!"
Oliver blinked, stunned. He slowly reached out to take it. "Uh? Your bow? But I thought you said you wouldn't give me your weapon because then you'd be defenseless."
"Well, I'm not giving it to you for battle! It's just to see if your Cryo Vision actually works with you," Venti explained, pointing to the weapon now resting in Oliver's hands. "Anyone can use any Vision with a weapon. Even though mine is paired with Anemo, it can temporarily act as a conduit for another element."
"Oh!!!" Oliver's eyes lit up as the game mechanics clicked in his head. "Oh, right! I remember I used to use your bow on Childe, just to try out the different playstyles with him since he was Hydro, and I—" He stopped dead when he noticed Venti staring at him in utter confusion. "...You... don't understand a single word I'm saying."
Venti snorted. "Not really. But I do know it's about that 'video game' you said you played!" he giggled. "And wow, you know Childe? The Fatui Harbinger?"
"I know almost everyone in the game," Oliver smiled. "Mostly the male characters, though, because I am extremely gay."
Venti was about to reply, but the sheer, blunt honesty of the statement caught him off guard, and he burst into a fit of laughter so hard he nearly tipped backward into the lava.
"I... I don't know where that came from. It just slipped out—" Oliver stammered, his face burning red.
"Oh my word," Venti giggled, clutching his stomach and shaking his head. "Why do I get the feeling you had a crush on me before you even met me? Like you saw me in this 'video game' and instantly fell for me?"
Oliver blushed furiously and looked away. "Yep, that's exactly what happened... Haha..."
Venti gasped playfully, covering his mouth. "What? You saw my Archon outfit, got one glimpse of my belly button, and just melted right on the spot?"
Oliver swallowed hard. The memory hit him like a truck— He remembered when he heard Genshin Impact had a comic on Webtoon, and went to cheek it out. Seeing Venti in his Barbatos attire, that midriff, that deep, coin-slot navel on full display at the front of the page... he remembered having to physically put his phone down to stop his racing heart.
And now, that feeling was back with a vengeance. It wasn't just the lava lake making him sweat anymore, and the Cryo Vision chilling his earlobe wasn't doing a damn thing to cool him down.
Venti noticed the dramatic shift in Oliver's expression and his playful teasing melted into a soft, apologetic smile. "Oh no~ I'm sorry! Getting you all flustered when we're trapped inside a tight cave~ Shame on me~"
Oliver gripped the bow tightly, desperate to change the subject. "C-Can we just... you know, do the training?"
Venti snorted. "Okay, okay, fine~!" He winked, then clapped his hands together, shifting back into instructor mode. "So," he pointed to the weapon. "This is one of my bows. It's called—"
Oliver, still flustered but eager to prove his nerd knowledge, blurted out, "Skyward Harp!!!"
Venti blinked. "Uh? No?" he corrected gently. "That's not the Skyward Harp. That's my oldest bow. This is my newer one: The Daybreak Chronicles. I mostly use this one now when I really want to pack a good punch."
"Wait? It's not Skyward—" Oliver brought the bow closer to his face, inspecting the intricate design. "Oh, right. It's not. It's... not even Elegy for the End?" He looked back up at Venti. "What did you say it was again?"
"The Daybreak Chronicles," Venti smiled proudly. "Guess you don't know everything, haha."
Oliver stared at the unfamiliar weapon, his gamer brain rapidly calculating. "Orrrr... maybe this was added in a update while I was in stasis." He grimaced, a profound sense of loss washing over him. "Which means I missed a chance to pull for this... damn it."
"Pull?" Venti asked, tilting his head.
Oliver quickly coughed. He did not have the energy to explain the brutal, soul-crushing gambling mechanics of Genshin's gacha system, nor did he want to explain how he nearly smashed his monitor after losing a 50/50 to Qiqi while they were standing by a Minecraft lava lake deep in the caves. "Well, uh... about the bow... what do I do?"
"Oh! Well, it should come naturally. Just let your new energy flow into it."
"Okay." Oliver took a deep breath. He hadn't mentioned it to Venti yet, but the second he gripped the bow, he did feel a shift inside him—a cold, surging hum echoing from his earring down into his fingertips.
"Your power should channel the moment you draw the string. Instead of my Anemo arrows, it should conjure Cryo arrows."
"But... I don't have any arrows," Oliver pointed out.
Venti facepalmed. "Oh, right! Duh..." He quickly held out his hand, summoning a glowing arrow from thin air. "You wouldn't have any since you're not naturally a bow user. I'll have to lend you one." He placed it gently into Oliver's hand. "This is an Anemo arrow, but it should transmute to Cryo the second it senses your Vision."
Sure enough, the moment Oliver closed his fingers around the shaft of the arrow, the swirling green wind snapped into a sharp, crystalline spike of pure ice.
"Woah..." Oliver breathed, captivated by the frost radiating from his hand.
Venti giggled. "Ehe!" He stepped out of the way, gesturing grandly toward the bubbling pit. "And look what we have here! The perfect target practice. Shoot the lava, to see if your Vision works,"
Oliver looked down at the legendary bow and the single, freezing arrow. He had used a bow exactly once in his life... playing Wii Sports Resort.
Definitely not the same thing, but he figured he knew the basics. He gripped the handle tightly, raised the bow, held on the icy arrow then slid it into place, and pulled back the glowing draw string. Closing one eye, he lined up his shot with the center of the molten pool.
He let go.
The Cryo arrow sliced through the heated air, striking the top layer of the pixelated lava. It didn't burn. Instead, a massive web of frost erupted from the point of impact. The piercing cold violently, and rapidly expanded, instantly solidifying the thick liquid into a pitch-black sheet of obsidian. The freezing energy surged outward until the entire lake was choked out, plunging that section of the cavern back into darkness. Jagged icicles instantly formed and hung from the stone ceiling above.
Oliver lowered the bow, staring in absolute awe at the frozen wasteland he had just created. "Woah..."
Venti beamed, clapping his hands excitedly. "It works! Your Vision is working perfectly!"
Oliver smiled, a proud, ecstatic grin spreading across his face. "Woah, I just did that! And I'm not even in my avatar! I'm... I'm literally using magic!"
"I'm so glad you can channel it! Now we just have to find you a sword so we can get out of here!" Venti reached his hand out, waiting for his bow.
Oliver happily handed it back. "It was a thrill holding your weapon," he chuckled. "Even if it was just for a minute. I actually used it!" It was, undoubtedly, one of the best moment of his life.
Venti giggled, taking it back. "I don't just let anyone handle my gear, you know! Ehe~! You get boyfriend privileges~!" As soon as Venti touched the bow, it vanished in a quick, pulsing breeze of teal light.
Oliver watched the particles fade. "So, where does it go? When you do that?"
"When I dismiss it?" Venti asked. "Well, all Vision holders are granted a tiny pocket of invisible space. It's almost identical to the domains we Archons have, only mortals can't step inside those—they only fit weapons and small items." Venti tapped his chin. "I just store mine in my personal Archon domain since I do not have a vision. You should have one tied to your new Vision. Well, I'd assume so."
Oliver nodded enthusiastically. "Wow, it's literally Hammerspace!" The cartoon logic thrilled him. He wondered if he could stash a comedically large mallet in there and pull it out to smash a Hilichurl like a Looney Tunes episode. "You think I have one?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Venti admitted. "I'd hand my bow back to let you test it, but if you stash it and can't figure out how to summon it back, I'd be out of a weapon!" Venti chuckled. "And even though you're my boyfriend, I can't have you taking my prized weapons~!"
Oliver laughed, placing a hand over his heart. "Hey! If that happened, it would be a total accident!" Though, he understood the fear. If Venti's signature weapon randomly glitched out of his inventory in the actual game, Oliver would probably cry, too.
With their elemental test a massive success, the two set off deeper into the cave, determined to find the materials for a sword.
~~~~~~~~~
Back In The Real World:
The sterile, fluorescent hum of the facility pressed heavily on the boys as they waited for Oliver and Venti to return. Some paced the sterile corridors, but most remained anchored in the breakroom—the only place with actual chairs.
Mark and Thomas had departed earlier to search for the missing duo. Though Mark had bluntly stated that tracking them down across an infinite multiverse of dimensions was a near-impossible task, they all agreed it was better than sitting idly in the lab.
Mark had popped back briefly, dropping off provisions that were significantly better than the breakroom's stale offerings. "Here," Mark had announced, setting two perfectly square, pixelated cakes and a plate of blocky cookies on the table. "I managed to breach the Minecraft dimension while tracking them."
"Oh, wow... that's actual Minecraft food?" August asked, leaning forward in his plastic chair to inspect what Mark had brought..
"Yep," Mark replied, pointing to the pixelated icing. "Eat up. It's perfectly edible." Without missing a beat, he summoned his weapon, sliced a tear into reality, and stepped through the portal. "I'm heading back out. If I don't find them, let's hope they show up here." The portal snapped shut behind him.
August picked up a blocky cookie, admiring its strange texture, and took a bite. "Hmm! This is really good!" He turned to Jasper, who was already standing up. "Way better than all the bugs I had to eat, haha. Though, believe it or not, some of them weren't terrible." He paused mid-chew. "You okay?"
"Yeah, just heading to the restroom," Jasper replied quietly. "I'll be back."
August nodded, then turned his attention to Arnold, who was sitting silently beside him. "Hey, Richard, wanna try?" August offered him a cookie.
Arnold stared blankly at the treat. "I'm not that hungry," he muttered.
"You sure? It really is edible," August encouraged with a soft smile. "Beats the stale candy in the vending machine or those flavorless cup noodles."
Arnold hesitated, his eyes lingering on the pixelated chocolate chips. Finally, he sighed and took it.
"Seriously, it tastes amazing," August promised.
"I'll be the judge of that," Arnold took a small, tentative bite. He chewed slowly, his dull expression shifting slightly. "Okay. It's very good."
"See? Told you!"
Arnold swallowed and took another, larger bite. "Tastes just like I remember."
"Remember?" August blinked, momentarily confused before the horrific reality of Arnold's situation dawned on him. "Oh... you were inside of..."
Arnold was still trapped in the in his altered existence.
"Geez..." August shook his head sympathetically. "Your memory... it's just tied into the world you went inside,"
"Yeah," Arnold whispered, staring at his hands. "I still don't fully understand it. But... that's what my life is now." He wiped a few blocky crumbs from his mouth. "I thought I was just a human. Just a teen living his life. Then, it turns out I was a fictional character named Kid Powers, and now... now we have this shit." He looked at August, his eyes hollow with a deep, existential grief. "Richard. Kid Powers. And now... Arnold? That name doesn't even ring a bell! When I thought I was Richard, hearing the name 'Kid Powers' at least struck a chord deep inside me. But Arnold? Nothing."
Of course it meant nothing, as August thought. Arnold had his timeline rewritten. The old Arnold may as well be long dead, even if his physical body is functioning. "What was the life you actually lived in there?" August asked gently.
Arnold blinked, staring at the floor. "It's confusing." He swallowed hard. "I am the grandchild of Mr. Litwack."
August recognized the name instantly from his childhood of watching Wreck-It Ralph. The arcade owner. Arnold had been integrated into the universe's lore. "So... your full name is Richard Litwack?"
Arnold nodded slowly. "Yes." He hugged his arms around himself. "Well, I was? Am? Both... work." He let out a long, heavy sigh. "I'm not a human. I'm a game character from the Kid Powers cabinet. Grandpa found my cabinet in a junkyard and hooked it up to the outlet. But there's more to it... I was always an experiment. I had a brother who was the first experiment... And... he was a virus. It... he was the reason all the game characters came alive in the first place."
August was speechless. The sheer depth of the lore was staggering. Arnold wasn't just dropped into a story; he had been intricately woven into the foundation of its world, complete with family ties and a tragic backstory. And August knew exactly who was responsible for this nightmare, as did everyone in this lab.
Desperate to offer some small comfort to the broken boy beside him, August pushed the plate closer. "Here. It's probably way too much sugar, but at least it's not from our depressing world, right?"
Arnold took another cookie with a weak, appreciative smile. "Yeah. Video game food is always the best. My boyfriends would tell you how much I love the pancakes in Sugar Rush."
August smiled back, reaching for another cookie himself. He was just about to take a bite when a cold, synthetic voice suddenly echoed from the facility's PA system above them.
"Motion Detected... Transfer Building 2, Front Door."
August froze, the cookie halfway to his mouth. "Huh?" He looked over at Arnold, whose weak smile had instantly vanished, replaced by mirrored panic.
August dropped the cookie, bolted out of his plastic chair, and sprinted from the breakroom. He skidded to a halt in the main hallway and whipped his head to the right, facing the heavy, knobless exterior door at the end of the corridor. He rushed forward and peered through the small, reinforced glass window.
Outside, the blistering blizzard was still raging. Through the howling, thick white snow, a solitary figure was trudging slowly toward the facility's entrance. The person was heavily bundled in a massive, thick winter overcoat—the kind designed for an Antarctic expedition. The heavy hood was pulled up, completely obscuring their face.
August gasped, his breath fogging the cold glass as his eyes went wide with terror.
"Oh, fuck..." He scrambled backward, his heart hammering against his ribs. "Is that... is that my dad?" he stammered, frantically looking back out the window. "I can't tell!" he panic-whispered to himself. "Shit!"
He spun around and sprinted wildly back down the hall, realizing with sickening clarity that there was nowhere to run. The facility was entirely open. There were no hiding spots. DId he gather up everyone and play alseep in the chairs? Shit... August can't do that... Arnold's old transfer chair was complety busted.
"Guys! Guys!" August screamed as he slid back into the breakroom. "We have a massive problem!"