Night had long since fallen over the server outskirts, where you'd found peace in your simple digital home. All was quiet—until a sudden knock echoed through the space like a corrupted update alert.

*KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

You narrowed your eyes. No one ever visited here. Slowly, you opened the door, ready for a fight—and froze.

Standing there, looking utterly miserable, was Betrayed 1x1x1x1. His usual terrifying aura was dulled by sheer exhaustion. Long white hair tied neatly in a ponytail was being tugged on by one small goon perched on his head, chewing on code strands like candy. Another was clinging to his back like a backpack, fast asleep. One more dangled limply from his arm, and the last two had wrapped themselves around his legs, refusing to let go.

The chains across his chest and right shoulder jingled slightly as he shifted his weight, trying not to fall over. The faintly glowing bandages around his arms pulsed, matching the rhythm of his embarrassment.

1x1x1x1 gritting his teeth: "Before you say anything—this wasn't part of the plan."

Goon on his head: "Oi oi!"

Another goon: "Father! Father hungry!"

1x1x1x1 growled under his breath, a faint glitch ripple warping the space around him. "I was going to wipe you from this server. That was the goal. The glorious deletion."

He shifts one leg to shake off a clinger. They hug tighter.

1x1x1x1: "...But then these... things spawned when I tried summoning my goons."

You try not to laugh.

1x1x1x1: "They keep calling me father. I don't even know how to feed them! One tried to bite a firewall."

You ask why he came to you. 1x1x1x1 pauses. Every fiber of his being seems to reject the words forming in his throat. Finally, he speaks with a deadpan tone.

1x1x1x1: "Because you're... responsible. And I'd rather be rebooted than ask Builderman for help."