Chapter Text
"Wemmbu… oh Wemmbu…" called out a figure, his skin pitch black, glowing white eyes illuminating the surrounding area, "You think you're such a great hider don't you?" He chuckled walking around the empty expanse of a hallway. The hallway itself was dark, built of deepslate and blackstone, end rods lighting the way throughout the hall. The man himself was peeking into every door, looking for the tiny mischievous creature. A small giggle was heard further down, through a room he hadn't checked yet. The shadowy man calmly proceeded down, knowing he had already won their game.
The interior of the room was drab compared to the rest of the extravagant housing. A product of the previous lord that had lived there, the shadowy man's father. It held remnants of previous years, Pyne Hollyhock wallpaper covering all four walls, the black and white flowers were always Wemmbu's favorite. A smirk fell upon his face when he looked towards the bed in the center of the room, a purple tail swishing back and forth under the bed, high pitched giggles bubbling up and filling the dark room with light energy. The void hybrid slowly creeped towards the tail, leaning down slowly so as to not disturb the child. He stretched his hand out and quickly seized the swishing tail.
"Gotcha!!" He cried, dragging the boy out from under the bed. A high pitched screech was heard until loud laughter took its place.
"That's no fair Minute, you always beat me!" Wemmbu yelped, pouting and crossing his arms. Minute chuckled into his hand, delighted by the boy's antics.
"Just get better then! How will you become the 'strongest' of the void if you can't even beat me at hide and seek?" He lightheartedly called out as Wemmbu got up to go sulk. Minute quickly followed, knowing how Wemmbu's temper got when he lost. Which he reflected on, knowing he'd have to break that bad habit sometime soon. As they walked into the hallway Minute took note of Wemm's outfit, a long nightgown with sleeves covering his tiny fists, his hair tied into a bun at his neck as it wouldn't go any further. He'd been attempting to grow it out but the constant complaining about it touching his face and overwhelming him had gotten bothersome, forcing Minute to take off a few inches to make it more manageable. Minute himself wore his 'casual' clothes, consisting of a loose pullover and slacks. His dark hair messy with constant leaning down to inspect hiding spots.
"I'll become the strongest Minute you'll see," Wemmbu retorts, a smug grin upon his face. Quickly distracted he asked, "can I have some pastries now? I'm soo hungry," The need for sugar and the rush that came with it overtaking him.
Minute sighed, knowing he couldn't say no to his little brother, "Sure buddy, let's go," he called, making his way to the kitchens.
——
Minute had known Wemmbu since he was born, he was only eleven when it happened. When the king had sent a letter to Minute's father, informing him of the Queen's pregnancy. The two were ecstatic, eagerly informing their closest friends about the good news. Minute's father quickly informed his mother and him about the pregnancy, he told minute that he would be entrusted to protect the boy, since he was older and his father was a close confidant of the king. Minute eagerly agreed, excited over the thought of having a baby brother. Responsibility came naturally to Minute, and his parents used it to the greatest extent.
The birth was hard, the labor took over a day. And the Queen was ill and shaky for months after. And Wemmbu was born sickly, a "congenital heart disease" his parents told him. It meant that he'd need extra care growing up, even if it wasn't severe. As a result, the King and Queen almost never let him out of their sight, only certain friends and family were able to see him, and always with a guard present. Minute was always allowed though, they insisted Wemmbu needed a good big brother to look up to and that they trusted his parents.
——
Wemmbu slept a lot. That's what Minute noticed the most. After the boy's second birthday it hadn't begun to improve either. Whenever he visited the nursery, eight times out of ten the boy would be fast asleep. And when he wasn't he always looked a little drowsy or out of it. He once asked the Queen when she was sitting in on their play date.
"Madam, why is Wemm always so tired, does he not like me? Is that why he doesn't want to play?" He asked, his eyes shining with tears. Wemmbu had fallen fast asleep on him in the middle of their game, leaving figurines scattered all around the play mat.
"Oh hunny…" She murmured, crouching down to be on his level, "It's just a part of his condition, he can't help it. It has nothing to do with you I promise," she smiled at him, reassuring the poor boy that he had done nothing wrong.
Minute nodded his head in response, he had nothing more to say on the matter. He just held the smaller boy close and silently prayed to the void that Wemmbu's condition would disappear.
——
Now Minute was sheltered, all of the royal kids were. But he wasn't stupid. He saw the way their kingdom was collapsing. The King and the high Cabinet were all corrupt, including his father. The peasants were essentially slaves, hard manual labor being almost all they were allowed to do. It was jarring and terrible looking out from beyond the castle. Disease and despair lined the streets, a disease that seeped in and clutched. The voidling breed can't handle those emotions, causing a collapse in mental stability and essentially rotting their minds. Revolt was inevitable. And Minute was now fifteen, his brother four, and he knew he had to do something, or else they would be taken just like the rest.
He had been preparing for ages, gathering food and clothing for him and Wemmbu. He foretold the collapse long before. Their parents were inadequate, especially in an emergency, so he made sure that they would be able to escape quickly and evade the hoards. He had locked things in his bedroom, he had a route of travel, and a home to stay in when the time came. He knew his people would have to be sacrificed. It was an inevitable fact, but he knew that he would be willing to kill a thousand people to save his brother. It wasn't a question of "if" anymore, it was "when". And that "when" was coming faster than he ever expected.
——
It happened on a cool day, the wind howling against the castle. The maids rushed to close all the windows, the soft pattering of feet echoed through the halls. It was gloomy and gray, the air held the twinge of disease from the lower parts of the city. There was no escaping it. Minute was cleaning his room while watching Wemmbu. The boy was telling him about his day. As he was recounting breakfast, a resounding scream rang out the castle. He almost brushed it off, maybe a maid being punished. But more screams kept echoing, with different tones and pitches. Tens of people were screaming and it wouldn't stop.
Minute scrambled, he knew what was happening. As he quickly looked over at Wemmbu he noticed the swelling tears in the boy's eyes. His face growing a purple splotchy hue in the cheeks, a sign of a tantrum. While trying to calm the boy he reached under the bed and grabbed his stash. Within it there was an elytra, and even rarer, a mass stash of rockets he had stolen from his fathers vault. He grabbed Wemmbu, whose tears were rapidly falling. Minute hushed him and checked over their current clothing.
They were both wearing their regal wear, clothes made for the castle, inflexible and audacious. As Minute took account of this he quickly pulled out spare black clothes to put them in. So as to blend into the void and the builds of the kingdom. As he was changing Wemmbu he heard the yells and stomping growing louder, letting him know that the infected were coming their way. Adrenaline pumping, he grabbed his elytra and fastened it atop his wings quickly and buckled Wemmbu into a harness that he had been gifted by the Queen years ago. Although the boy was growing, he was still smaller than average, a product of his health issues, but Minute was tall for a fifteen year old, standing at a whopping 6 '3 already. And so Wemmbu was able to fit into the harness securely and comfortably.
Minute stood on his windowsill. His brother strapped to his chest. He was feeling more fear than he had ever felt before. Fear for his brother, and fear for himself and his family. He knew they were bound for death. He had been mentally preparing for years. But it was so different as he was standing on that window. He knew he had to jump. It was for his own good. And jumped he did.
The wind was rushing past his ears, blocking out the sound of the child crying against him. It was almost as if Wemmbu knew he would never see his family again. His tear stained cheeks flush from the wind, tiny fists clenching at Minutes sweater. The flight took forever, Minute burning through his supply of rockets quickly. And with their safe house being 100,000 blocks out, it took them 2 days of nonstop travel to get there.
The house itself was made of a mix of unobtainable nether and overworld blocks. It was large and Italianate. But it served a purpose and that was to keep them safe. Minute heaved the child out of the carrier and placed him on the ground. The young child looked anxious, small fists clutching at Minute's pants.
"C'mon Wemm-Wemm, it's time to go inside. This is our new home." His face twisting into a minuscule smirk. He grabbed the boy's hand and led him up the stairs and into their new home.
——
Wemmbu had hit his teenage years at this point. And Minute was depressed. The boy wasn't necessarily rebellious per say, but he was certainly moody. As he had gotten older he was learning how to manage his symptoms by himself, which severed his need for Minutes help every time he was especially ill or his pain was high. But it made Minute sad, as he had basically become Wemmbu's only parent at this point. (With Wemmbu first calling him Dad when he was eight, it promptly made Minute cry. Wemmbu promptly realized how deep that word was to him, and now uses it specially when he wants his words to stick.) He was stuck on how to reconnect with his son.
One other major development was Wemmbu's new fascination with the Overworld and the Nether. All places that he had only read in books and areas Minute refused to take him, he had become more adventurous and inclined to have short streaks where he "ran away". The first time he did it, he was found in less than an hour and only 300 blocks away from his home. His purple shade contrasted against the endstone sand. Minute was furious, and told him to go to his room while he thought of a punishment. But Minute was incapable of physically hurting him, and instead gave him the roughest lecture Wemmbu had ever heard.
The escapes had only gotten better over time though, he was able to run further and blend in easier, hoarding dark clothes to blend in with the void around him. It was genius, and frankly worrying for a fourteen year old. One day when he got home, only spending a couple hours exploring, he was intercepted by Minute at the door.
He had a tight look on his face, stress evident in the way he carried himself, "Wemm-Wemm, can you please just tell me what you're doing? I swear to Void I'd be more understanding if you just let me know."
"I want to find someone Minute, It's so boring with just us here. I want friends," Wemmbu muttered, the topic had evidently been weighing on him. Minute felt bad, knowing that he was the reason he had none. He had become so overprotective after their escape that he didn't want to even risk an accident with his kid.
"I understand that buddy, but it's for your safety. One day you'll understand," he sighed, already knowing this fight was going to lead to a major fight. And fight it did.
"Dad!! You don't understand how lonely it is out here! I have no one! Why don't you want to help?" Wemmbu cried, desperate for an answer even though he knew it wouldn't have been the right one for him.
"You'll get it one day, Wemm-Wemm. I promise."
Wemmbu's eyes started to tear up and he quickly retreated to his room. But Minute knew this wasn't over yet.
——
The running had only become more consistent post-fight. With them being almost every other day. Minute was worried, but he hoped it was just a phase that would soon quiet. And that nothing bad would come of it. He wished only the best for his son, and he hoped he knew that. His hands tightening around his mug of tea as he looked out over the open space of the Void.
——
Wemmbu was wandering the abandoned cities of the End when he heard a high pitched scream. He instantly panicked, as much as Minute thinks he was "too young" to remember his parents and the incident. It was still vivid in his memory, and screams like that only reminded him of it.
But he was a teenager now, and he knew he couldn't be a pussy. He was going to have to investigate the noise, he had stolen his fathers dagger for a situation like this. The noise seemed to be coming from a cluster of Chorus trees up north, and he slowly approached. As he came closer he surveyed his surroundings, noticing a lack of hoard, typical of the disease that tore away his kingdom. The scream resounded again, much louder this time around, signaling that he was getting close.
He drew closer, and started looking for the person that could've achieved such a noise, It seemed to be coming from a tiny shrine in the middle of the Chorus trees. He approached as silently as he could, feet scraping along the rough, sandy ground that was the endstone. And laying in a swath of blankets layed an infant. His eyes wide open and staring at the purple boy in front of him. Wemmbu took note of the babies pitch black skin and equally as dark pupils. He seemed to be abandoned, with the only sign of other creatures being a large rainbow colored cloth that the baby clutched in his fists.
It seemed as thought the Gods watching over him had given him his one wish. A friend. He knew what he had to do as he picked up the baby and cradled it within his arms.
"You're going to be my friend now OK?" He cooed down at the baby, brushing its tiny head with his fingers. The baby smiled and squealed up at him, as if knowing that this stranger was a kind soul.
"You're going to love it at my house, my Dad can sometimes be a dick, but that's a part of his charm!" Wemmbu grinned down at the baby, the child then laughed back up at him. Like he fully understood. The teenager chuckled and started his long walk back home, with a small bundle in his arms.