"The Wither" - Epilogue

            Witherius rested upon the throne that previously belonged to the High Emperor. Before him were assembled King Pyran, King Irritus, Entity 303, and an imposing wither skeleton clad in netherite armor.

            “Thank you all for coming. Now that everyone is present, it is time we discuss where to go from here,” Witherius opened. “For our first order of business, we must decide on the new government.”

            “As we have already agreed, you shall rule as emperor of this land,” Pyran affirmed. “But what shall I and the others be responsible for under the new regime?”

            “I propose that you and Irritus each continue to rule over your people and lands, reporting to me on particularly important matters and serving as my generals in times of war. Additionally, Gaath, here, shall be appointed as king of the wither skeletons, and we shall decide on a new piglin to replace Zavlok. 303, you shall serve as my right hand,” the wither detailed.

            “I believe that to be the ideal decision,” the entity responded.

            “I look forward to working with you going forward, and I believe our new government will usher in a new era of prosperity,” the ghast king haughtily agreed.

“It will be an honor,” Gaath the wither skeleton general replied.

            “I like it! With the builders gone and us in charge, the Nether shall truly be a better place,” the blaze king affirmed. “And I would suggest that, due to our expertise in smithing, my people provide the equipment for our armies.”

            “It shall be so,” Witherius proclaimed.

            “Also,” Pyran solemnly added, “I think Zavlok would have wanted you to have this.” He held the fallen piglin’s battleaxe out to Witherius with a hand formed from netherite.

            “Thank you. I will make good use of this in his honor,” the wither promised. “Before we adjourn and attend to our individual duties, we must send forces to eradicate the builders that remain,” Witherius directed. “I suggest that we send a sizable portion of each kingdom’s army to hunt them down. Any objections?” The emperor waited for several seconds, hearing no protest. “Then it is decided. Furthermore, I would like Gaath to lead this conquest. Can I rely on you for that?”

            “It shall be done, my liege,” the undead knight proclaimed with a deep bow.

            “Good. We are through with our agenda. You all may go.”

Ì

            “We need to talk,” Right told his brothers as they hovered alone in the throne room.

            The other heads responded in turn:

“I like talking.”

“By your tone, I assume there is a problem?”

            “Indeed, there is,” Right gravely responded. “I have come to the conclusion that 303 will almost certainly betray us someday. He too easily agreed to help us. When asked about his motives, he basically just agreed with everything we are doing, and he seems to have surprisingly little ambition for how ancient and powerful he is. Not to mention the overly charismatic way he talks.”

            “I have been thinking the same thing since shortly after we met him,” Center agreed.

            “I, for one, never trust anyone who sounds that much like a politician… except for you guys, of course,” Left concurred with a chuckle.

            “But what shall we do about it?” Center queried. “I think it unwise to simply try and convince the others that he is a problem.”

            “Why not destroy him!” Left exclaimed in response.

            “Have you even seen him fight?” Right sarcastically responded. “He is more powerful than Viran was, and likely by more than a slim margin. No, I believe our only option is to bide our time and prepare for his betrayal, without letting on that we know anything, of course,” he concluded.

            “I agree. We mustn’t make our move until he makes his,” the middle head declared.

            “Fine, we can wait,” the third head grudgingly muttered. “But when that traitor makes his move, I look forward to smashing his skull! … If he even has one.”

            “With that decided, there is something else I want to discuss,” Center began. “What shall we do with the flask?”

            “We must retain possession of it and keep it safe,” Right answered with certainty in his voice. “I think it will come in handy when we finally have to destroy the entity.”

            “Correct,” the leader of the three stated. “But I do not find it just to keep the efreeti trapped in the flask. She did not oppose us of her own accord and does not share in the builders’ folly.”

“I agree, Center. She should live mostly outside of the flask, and we should not often use it to force her hand. But we must keep it to ensure her loyalty when it is most needed.”

            “I respect her fighting skills; she shall be a useful ally.”

            “Then we are decided. Now we must make haste in our preparations. We must speak to Pyran about forging that suit of armor we discussed earlier.”