Chapter Text
The chirping of small birds and the soft breeze of a sunset greeted Tommy as he woke from the dream he had previously been trapped in. Large pine trees towered above him from where he lay, which Tommy noted was a patch of soft soil surrounded by grass and white tulips. There was even the faint trickle of water that came from a river nearby in the distance.
If not for the searing headache that seemed to be ripping apart the inside of his head he would have been pretty happy to feel such freedom in contrast to the harsh palace walls he was used to waking up to. This only raised a question: Where exactly was he?
He of course remembered what happened in the murder pit. There was no way he would forget about his near death experience, the craze he had felt when the scarlet of blood had spilled by his own doing… and of course, the fuckin bird dude who had taken him was also pretty alarming.
Wait, the bird dude - Philza…
Tommy’s headache began to lessen as he remembered the significance of that name. His savior, the man who had protected him despite them being strangers… He had to kill Philza.
It’s what Smiley Face instructed him to do.
He needed to do it, immediately.
But why?
Why would Tommy need to kill someone who seemed so incredibly kind, yet so powerful all the same?
The questions that swam in Tommy’s head made the boy silently hiss in pain, slamming his shaking hand over his head. Whenever he thought of the reasoning, an unbearable pressure would press deep inside of his skull.
Something told Tommy the only way to get rid of this was to go along with Smiley Face’s orders. He’d feel much better afterwards…
So instead of asking questions, he silently started to stand from where he lay. Tinder and wood were stationed in front of where the boy had previously been sleeping, the ruins of a previous fire resting scorched in a sea of grass and petaled white flowers. Although now extinguished, smoke rose to the pink and yellow sky.
Again, such a peaceful sight, yet so taunting.
On the far left was a sleeping Tubbo, unmoving despite Tommy’s shockingly loud movements. He didn’t have much experience in a forest such as this, so trying to be quiet was difficult. Little sticks of pine lay everywhere hidden in the blades of soft green grass.
There also lay the small sword Tommy had used in the pit tournament ever so briefly against Tubbo. Even the memory of what he had done shook Tommy to the core, but he needed a weapon… so he kneeled next to the blade, taking the hilt with ever so shaky hands.
Now where was Philza? He knew where Tubbo was, but the other man was nowhere to be seen.
Tommy surveyed his surroundings, seeking any sign of footprints or corruption of nature. There wasn’t anything too spectacular, although he did spot a tiny trail that led deeper into the sheltered forest. That was his best bet, so he walked towards the entrance cautiously, sword still gripped tightly.
Deep green leafy plants filled Tommy’s vision as he continued on the makeshift path, and although he was planning a swift murder for someone, the sight calmed him very much. It was a nice change of pace and scenery for Tommy’s hectic life.
Then the trail opened into a small clearing, where a winged man sat peacefully on the edge of a cliff, staring at the dazzling sunset. Tommy had never seen the eventide like this before; bright underneath soft shaped clouds, glares of light peeking through, preserving the little time of day was left.
What a beautiful sight this was for such a horrid act Tommy wished to do.
The boy’s steps shortened, going as slow as he could, as if he were a wolf stalking an elegant eagle perched in its nest. This felt so wrong for him, it went against everything Tommy believed, yet it was as if he had no control over his actions. With each step the blonde considered stopping, but that damn headache would come back, reminding him of the task he needed to fulfil.
Once again, he could not think about his actions. He was not in the tournament anymore, yet it was the same feeling. How did he always end up in this situation in such little time?
As he crept closer, Philza remained still, simply viewing the sun move further down the horizon. What used to be a bright pink was now a soft dark blue with sparks of yellow light. It was nearly nighttime.
He just had to do it, quickly.
Make it painless.
Or did Smiley Face want the man to be in pain? Tommy didn’t know.
Either way, Tommy shifted his sword upwards as he got to where Philza sat.
Just one swing down and it would land directly into the back of his neck.
Just one swing...
“You know, I’ve had many assasination attempts done towards me before, however they’ve never been this loud.”
Tommy froze.
Oh, shit.
Although Philza had not moved, his attention still towards the nearly consumed sun, he was aware that Tommy was there… and knew of his plans.
Philza sighed. “Come sit with me,” he patted the ground next to him. “We can watch the rest together.”
Confused, Tommy decided not to ask questions, only to himself. Why was he so… relaxed? Why was Philza not alarmed? If he knew about the murder attempt, surely he’d be enraged...
Tommy sat next to Philza, letting his legs swing off the edge, staring down at his feet. Silence filled the forest, only the sounds of grasshoppers leaping through the blades of grass could be heard, until Philza once again spoke.
“I know we’ve only just met, but could you tell me why you wished to kill me a few moments ago?” There was no anger, rather a confused gentleness. “I know how scary this all must be, but I…” he paused, as if trying to select his words carefully. “I am here to help you, Tommy. Help you discover who you are, what you are, all of that. At least the best that I can.”
Tommy’s head shook, the headache coming back once again, as if reminding him why he was there in the first place: murder Philza. “Why, though? Why do you care so much?”
Philza laughed gently, glancing back at the now night sky. The breeze that surrounded them was as tender as the avian man, once again making Tommy realize just how tranquil the area was.
“Well, for starters you are Tubbo’s soulmate. Although you don’t know him well yet, you must already know the kindness he possesses. Soulmates are also very scarce in today's world, so you two finding each other was a miracle hidden through disaster.
“When young avians get their Lyre marks, they will only glow when its other half still lives…” his words began to become hushed, the man now glancing towards the ground. “We avians have begun to go extinct due to humans knowing of us and seeking the magic that fills our blood. We are valuable to them, and therefore murder any of us that they find.” Philza looked over to Tommy for the first time since their interaction with a heavy, yet gentle gaze. “So when Tubbo’s mark lit, I knew it was my destiny to help find his other half.”
Tommy glanced at his mark, shocked to see that it was lit once again, although this time no pain followed. It was so strange to him, especially since he didn’t know how the hell he himself was considered this weird bird hybrid like Philza. There was no explanation...
“The other reason is that Technoblade had sent me a letter.”
Tommy’s eyes widened as he looked away from the mark on his wrist to the man who sat next to him. What the hell did that mean?
“Your brother and I are old friends, you see,” Philza continued, a small smirk rising on his lips. “When he was around your age, he would always sneak away from the palace into these very woods. One day I had been here, simply wishing to view the sunset just as we are now… we spotted each other in the distance, and although we were strangers, Techno didn’t seem frightened at all. It grew my curiosity.
So eventually we started talking to one another. He told me stories of his kingdom, the unfair ruling of Schlatt, and most importantly… you and Wilbur.”
This was all news to Tommy. Why had Technoblade, who obviously hated him and probably hated Wilbur, talk about them in what seemed to be a fond way? With everything that had previously happened the night before, and honestly Tommy’s entire life, this made no sense.
“He knew the only way to get control of his empire was to get close to the person who currently ruled it. He’s a very smart lad, you know,” Philza laughed gently once again. “So as the years went by, he got closer to the king, secretly planning the downfall of his ruling. Everything was going according to his plan, at least from what I knew, until I received a letter that told me otherwise.
It was about you of course. The letter spoke of what Schlatt wished to do to you in the pit tournament, that you would be some featured opponent. Technoblade knew the only way to save you from that fate… was to plan an escape. So that’s exactly what I did, and here we are now.”
Tommy had no idea how to process this information. So this entire time, for nearly his entire life, the brother he thought that hated him… was only trying to protect him? No, surely not. Technoblade was harsh, cold, always distancing himself from people. Tommy could not believe it was all an act, it couldn’t be.
“As for how I knew you specifically were Tubbo’s soulmate, well… I didn’t exactly know. Tubbo sure did, though…” there was a spark of annoyance in his tone now, as if the next part of his story had inconvenienced him somehow. “While Tubbo is kind, he is also very… how do I say this? Persistent, I guess? Driven by his passions?” Philza shook out his wings, feathers gracefully gliding near them. “That works. Anyways, when I had told him about my plans on rescuing you, something seemed to light up in his eyes, as if he had solved some unknown puzzle. He was far more excited about this than I thought he would be, and well, now I know why.
“Two days ago I had woken to a letter from Tubbo himself, telling me he went to the Antarctic Empire to save you himself!” Philza’s arms suddenly stretched to his sides, hands in a fist, as if expressing just how preposterous it had been. Tommy for the first time in a while felt genuine amusement. He didn’t know Tubbo too well, but that was definitely a Tubbo thing to do. It just made so much sense.
“And to make matters worse, Tubbo had no clue what a pit tournament was. Now how he ended up there, I have no idea, but I of course knew these two events would be correlated somehow… I was correct.” Philza then started to muffle his words, something about how Tubbo was going to kill them both someday, that he had chosen the wrong heir to his throne, and something about how he should’ve just left him in there.
It reminded him of how Wilbur treated Tommy, although not truly a father, just a father figure. It was refreshing to see.
“Anyways, I left for your empire shortly after Tubbo left, pretended to be a king from a fake kingdom, you know the rest. Now that you’re up to speed with things…” Philza’s expression then turned more serious, questioning, “can you tell me why you wished to murder me?”
Ah, right.
Something clicked back into Tommy’s brain, the drive of murder and blood, the smiled mask flashing briefly in his vision. He had a task to do… he couldn’t fail...
Tommy glanced to where he had placed his sword, grabbed the hilt, and pointed it straight towards Philza’s neck, startling the avian. Unknowing to Tommy, his own eyes had turned a bright purple, the hue of green hazed his vision. It was as if in just seconds the boy had been possessed by an unknown force.
“Tommy? What… Oh no.”
Philza leaped from where he sat, letting his wings frill up around him. What was once a soft breeze picked up violently around them. The avian's eyes were once again glowing like in the pit, in contrast to Tommy’s now purple hue.
Tommy got up as well, swinging mindlessly in Philza’s direction, hoping at least one slice hit its mark. All Tommy knew was he had to kill the target, no matter the cost, it was all he lived for.
Like an agile bird, Philza was able to dodge the messy strikes easily, letting the wind protect him from getting too close. This was not Tommy, and he knew that. He knew what this was.
“Get out of his head!” Philza screamed over the harsh sound of wind. “You know what I am capable of, Dream. Leave the innocent boy alone.”
Tommy wasn’t listening to Philza, in fact he didn’t even care about the horns that had suddenly appeared on top of the mans head, or the light that now came from Philza’s fingertips. Why should he, when his one target is to kill the man? If Tommy died too, well… that was alright. At least Smiley Face would be happy.
“You cower in people’s slumber, yet never face your enemies in the real world. That makes you a coward, one that can easily be defeated.”
Philza closed his eyes, gracefully lifting his finger to point upwards towards his mouth, his other hand going below the other. The wind gathered into one area below the winged man, lifting up as he began to speak hushed words in the finger that nearly touched his lips. In doing so, a large ball of light had started to rise from the antlers of his smooth grey horns.
Tommy still didn’t care, though. Whatever was happening… it wasn’t as important as his task.
That was until Philza’s eyes opened.
There was a voice in Tommy’s head that told him to look away from the eyes. Yet Tommy felt as if he needed to, a gut feeling.
“No, Tommy, keep going.”
Was that Smiley Face talking?
It sounded so much like him… It had to be...
“Kill Philza. Aim for the neck. Do it… NOW.”
Tommy realized he didn’t actually want to kill the man. His instincts told him to do the complete opposite.
“Look into his eyes.”
That was Tommy’s own voice. He was speaking to himself somehow.
“Philza will help you.”
Surely of all people, he could trust his own judgement?
So he did just that, staring directly into the mans gaze, seeing nothing but a white warmth. When doing so, Philza drew closer to Tommy slowly, allowing the wind to carry him. The orb of light still rested atop his head, unmoving.
He then took his pointed finger and placed it directly on top of Tommy’s forehead. A glow so bright rushed out of both avians, Tommy’s own Lyre mark starting to brighten with the force. It was as if he was calling for something to help him, alerting something that he was in danger...
The mystical orb of light on Philza’s antlers began to shatter, sprinkling over Tommy’s head. A bright purple liquid started escaping out of Tommy: mouth, ears, eyes, nose, all spewing with purple gunk, falling to the floor beneath them. This lasted for only a few seconds, but it felt so very long.
Then there was complete silence and darkness.
The sudden shift alarmed Tommy, his eyes widening then closing. Purple dotted his vision when he blinked, as if an annoying eyelash had gotten stuck. Energy was drained by both Tommy and Philza, them both panting, falling to the grassy floor below.
A sudden shift in the nearby woods entrance made them both turn.
“Uh,” the small voice of Tubbo began. “Did I miss something?”