Chapter Text
ARC II: Part One
Sun rays hit the wounded face of a pink-haired man. Trying to open his eyes, he groans. He can’t move properly. The only parts he can somehow feel were his fingers and toes. All the other parts of his body are numb with the pain.
His mind starts to panic with the heaviness of his body. The man doesn’t know where he is or how he got to this point. Everything is a constant blur in his brain. He tries his best to sit up but it was no use. Then, he tries the next best thing to do: to open his eyes.
When he succeeds in opening his eyes, he almost immediately closes them with how bright his surroundings are. Letting his eyes adjust to his environment, he finally realizes that five people are all around him.
Now, he is convinced that he ended up in heaven. There are two people with feathered wings and one with weird-looking pair of wings. He doesn’t really know. One has a fluffy striped tail and the other is a tall heterochromatic-skinned person.
Okay. Thinking about it, it looks and sounds more and more like hell. The feather-winged ones also have back and brown wings instead of white. Oh, crap. Did he die and end up in hell?
They are saying something, but his brain still can’t decipher. There are sounds and their mouths are moving, but he just can’t understand. After a few painful minutes, the blond man with a green striped bucket hat makes the four other people move back and leave the room.
“Can you hear me now, mate?” The soft voice of the old man reaches his ears. It takes a lot of his energy to produce a single nod.
“Okay. Alright. That’s good.” The man sighs in relief. “I would recommend for you to not move. I mean, you really can’t move anyway, but I’d still love to warn you.”
The gold-eyed man stares at him nonchalantly.
The old man clears his throat. “Aha, yes. Not really the time to joke, I know. That was my bad.” He laughs sheepishly, rubbing his nape with his right hand. “May- may I know your name? I would like to know the name of the one I saw floating by the river.”
Gold eyes look away with concentration, staring at the scenery outside the window next to where he lies. Nothing comes into his mind. It was blank. There is not a name that flashes in his thoughts. He cannot remember. It dawns him how horrifying it is. He can’t remember his name, where he came from, or any other needed memories.
It pains his head to think.
He shakes his head, stopping when he gets dizzier. It is getting harder to breathe by the second. He is consistently trying to calm himself down on the inside, but the panic is slowly wrapping its palms around his neck, choking him.
A gentle hand lies itself on his arm, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Calm down, mate,” the man tells him, worry paints his eyes, “You don’t have to think about it right now. What you need is to do is to rest and heal up first. After that, we can figure things out along the way, okay?”
He closes his eyes and hopelessly resigns, burying deeper into his pillows.
“Okay. Rest up, mate.” The man pats his shoulder, careful to not hit any of his wounds. Then, he stands up to leave the room.
The pink-haired man realizes that he still doesn’t know his savior’s name, so he croaks up, “W-“ he clears his throat. “Wait.”
The blond looks back at him. “Is there something you need?”
He glances at the glass of water. The man’s blue eyes widen. “Oh, shit! Right. Sorry. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken care of somebody else.”
The blond gets the glass of water and assists him in drinking. Now, with more moisture in both his throat and lips, he asks his savior, “What about you? What’s your name?”
“You can call me Philza. Philza Minecraft.”
“Thank you, Philza Minecraft.” His voice is dripping with genuine.
That warm smile of the old man will guide him all throughout the way.
—
Philza Minecraft was doing his usual daily routine. Waking up, then preparing meals for his children and ate with them. Although there was still a hole inside his heart, having his children with him made him happy. He was the happiest as he can be for the past years he’s felt dread and alone.
There was nothing that could replace these children. Seeing that their stack of food was about to be finished, he called out to his eldest. “Wilbur! We’re about to finish the resources. I swear to god, one or more of you are snacking on the meat. There’s absolutely no way they can be finished in just three days.”
Wilbur laughed heartily. “Uh, oh. Somebody’s about to get in trouble.” He leaned on his father’s ear and whispered intentionally loud, “I reckon that it’s Tommy who munches on those meats. Him and his filthy raccoon hands. Thieving is in his blood, I tell ya!”
The teen looked at him in disbelief. “Fucking rude! For your information, I do not steal meat! Those are icky and gross to touch! I have some grace and manners.” He huffed indignantly. “I steal shiny apples, carrots, and watermelons, mind you!”
Philza sighed, knowing that a banter is brewing. “Alright,” he said, ignoring the way Wilbur teased the raccoon hybrid by poking him multiple times, “If it wasn’t you, Tommy, who was it?”
Tommy stopped snarling at Wilbur and faced their father. “Isn’t it obvious? It was this guy.” He pointed at the smallest teen who instantly spluttered with protests. “Ranboo’s too much of a goody-two-shoes to steal from the chest and Tubbo’s have itchy hands when he’s hungry. So it can only be Tubbo.”
Alright. That was pretty smart of Tommy, Philza had to admit. That wasn’t to say that the boy was dumb. No, he was far from dumb, but he rarely showed that side of him. He was impressed and proud.
The father looked at Tubbo with an eyebrow raised. “Toby?” He asked sternly. It was the tone that can make the children break with one stare.
The bee hybrid’s lower lip wobbled, breaking under pressure. “But Phil…” He exaggerated the length of the name. “I was really hungry.” He tried to give the avian a pleading look, but Phil has long grown past the time he gives in to those looks.
He just appeared unimpressed. “We had a full long chest of cow meat, Toby. Do you know how many are left?”
Tubbo shook his head, looking like a reprimanded pup. “No…”
“Six.” Philza deadpanned. “Six pieces of meat are left. Consequently, there are only a few butter, garlic, and thyme left. I wonder why that is.”
“But steak is my favorite!”
“You can eat steak, but not fifty times a day, Tubbo!”
The bee hybrid, let out alligator tears and hid behind the tall hybrids. “Wilbur, Ranboo! Phil’s being mean!” He let out a loud and annoying cry.
Ranboo and Wilbur covered their ears. “Oh, my goodness. There’s buzzing that comes with the cry. Phil, make him stop!” The tall enderman hybrid whined.
Tommy was just laughing loudly in the background, making the noise unbearable. Phil groaned. “Okay! Alright. We’ll have a separate storage for your steak addiction. But you can only get the meat there or else, I will never get cow meat ever again. Understood?”
Tubbo instantly stopped crying and became all rainbows and sunshine again. “Agreed! Aha! I got my own meat storage. I’m the favorite child.”
“That’s not fair! I’m the favorite child!” The raccoon hybrid shouted back.
Seeing another set of arguments coming as Ranboo and Wilbur also didn’t back down, Phil decided to move quickly to the front door. “I’ll be leaving to get some food! Bye! Love you guys!” He shouted and immediately went out.
Walking out, he heard some shouts of “Hey!” and “Wait! Who’s your favorite child?!”. He cackled, ignoring them purposely.
Philza took a couple of steps back, bent his knees, and shot himself up the sky. The travel was a short one since their farm was by the river. It didn’t matter to him if the journey was short or long, he loved to stretch his wings and fly through the sky.
The avian stretched as he landed near their farm, making his joints crack back into place and folding his wings back into place. He picked some vegetables and fruits, also getting some meat from the chickens, cows, and sheep.
He put them back neatly in the chests. He was going to bring them back home with his sons. They were too many to bring back alone. Although, he did put some cow meat in his inventory for Tubbo.
Phil walks to the riverbank, wanting to fish for a while. Then, he noticed the tint of red.
“What the fu-“ He cut himself off, furrowing his eyebrows. This was the first time that the river got tainted.
The avian readied his crossbow for any attackers. He would not let any hostile entity near his family. Following the trail of blood, his eyes caught a body floating on the water. He looked around to see if there were any other people, but seeing as there was none, he quickly ran to the person and lift him out of the river.
“Holy shit,” he swore, seeing the multiple slash and stab wounds on the person’s body. The person also had a gash on his forehead which, he inferred, needed to have some stitches.
Removing his cape, he ripped out some strips of cloth. He put pressure on the bleeding wounds, wrapping the strips of cloth around them when they stopped.
“Man. Who the hell did this to you, mate?” He clicked his tongue. This person might be dangerous but the avian’s not one to look away from a person in need.
Phil looked around the pink-haired man to see if there were any identification on him. When he saw the communicator, his eyes brightened. But it was immediately diminished when he saw how broken it was.
Then, he saw what was around the man’s neck.
The avian gasped, eyes widening.
“Kristin…” he whispered, holding the amulet close to his eyes. “This is the amulet that I gave her years ago.” Caressing the crow engraving with his thumb. His heart beats fast in his chest.
He has to save this person to know where he got the amulet. Hope began to flood his chest. Phil might see his lost love again.
Tears wet his eyes as he dropped everything to carry the mysterious person. He needed this. This person ignited the flame in his heart that he has long since extinguished. Just one glance and his heart will be calm. One glance. That’s all he needed.
Phil never noticed the weight on his back as he flew. He only had one thing in his mind. When he landed on their front lawn, his sons flocked around him as chicks do with their mother hen.
“Phil! Who’s that?” Tommy put his face close, sniffing the stranger’s body. He made a disgusted face. “He smells too metallic with all the blood. Ew.”
“Wilbur, can you please prepare a new bed for him?” He requested urgently, nudging the person on his back.
Wilbur nodded, noticing the urgency. “Got it.” He went inside and did what was told.
“Phil, do you need me to carry him for you?” The tallest one offered. “You must be tired from all the work already.”
“Yes, please, Ranboo,” he said, giving the man to the hybrid’s arms. He had to admit, that the body was heavier than he expected. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Anything for you, dad.”
After some minutes, Wilbur invited them in again. Ranboo was the first to go into the room, putting the person down gently on the bed.
The eldest child hummed. “He kinda looks like a prim and proper princess or something. He also got this nice sharp thingy on his hair. Looks expensive.” He got the hairpin out, looking at it closely.
Their avian genes always loved shiny things and this hairpin had gems and pretty carvings on it.
Phil slapped Wilbur’s hand. “Put it back. That’s not yours, Wil.”
“Alright. Alright.” Wilbur pouted and put it on the bedside table. “I wasn’t gonna steal it,” he muttered.
Tubbo watched the person with big eyes. “He seems rich. Are we gonna sell him? What should we do with him?”
“Tubbo, what??” Ranboo spluttered. “Why would you even want to sell him? That’s immoral. We should eat him.”
Tommy looks at them with a creeped-out expression. “What the fuck is wrong with the both of you?”
“We are perfectly fine and sane,” they both said at the same time.
“Alright.” Wilbur clapped his hands. “All of you should go away and leave Phil and me to clean the guy up.”
They protested loudly and kept arguing until they hear a groan come from the stranger.
“He’s alive!”
They watched as the man struggled to move and make his eyes open.
“Should we help him?”
“Shh!”
“I’m just saying! Man’s having a hard time.”
Then his eyes fluttered open.
—
Princess Niki waited for her best friend to wake up before she decided to go on with their journey. They couldn’t and shouldn’t stay in one place. Soldiers from the attackers were most likely still searching for them.
The princess made them wear hooded cloaks to hide their faces from anyone who might come close. However, Jack Manifold was still weak from the poison so Niki did her best to heal him with what she had. She only had a few healing potions left. They have to reside somewhere.
Assisting the soldier on the horse, the princess led them to the safest place she can possibly go: to Queen Minx’s kingdom. It was the only one near enough to go to with a wounded companion. It was also one of the only kingdoms she trusted at the moment.
With Jack still resting his head on her shoulder, they’ve arrived at the gates of the neighboring kingdom. It took hours to get there. She felt the adrenaline beginning to leave her body.
“Halt!” A soldier shouted at them by the gates. Niki noticed that multiple soldiers were guarding the kingdom. It looks like they’ve become wary of what happened in the Arcticulous Kingdom.
She stopped her horse as ordered, not wanting to have aggravated soldiers on them again.
“Put down your hood. Identify yourselves and state your purpose,” the soldier stated sternly, pointing a sword at them.
Again, the princess did as ordered. Putting down her hood, she stated, “Princess Niki of the Arcticulous Kingdom. Gravely in need of Queen Minx’s audience and guidance.”
The soldier gasped and sheathed his sword. “Princess Niki!” He turned to his companions and began ordering them. “Open the gates and let them enter! They are our guests!”
Princess Niki held in her sigh of relief. She was tired, hungry, and thirsty. She didn’t even know if her family was safe. Praying to the heavens for their safety, the princess entered the kingdom with a heavy heart.
“Your Highness,” the soldier addressed her as he bowed, “Is there anything that you need? Anything at all. I know you must be exhausted from what happened.”
Niki nodded. “Please.” She looked at Jack Manifold. “He needs all the help. He was hit by an arrow laced in poison. He needs immediate medical care.”
“Understood. May we take him, Your Highness?” He asked, still bowing.
“Yes, please. Just be careful. I’ve dressed his wounds but it might not be enough.”
“Noted, Your Highness.” The soldier signaled his scouts to carefully take the wounded man from the horse.
When they’ve safely put down the soldier and carried him, Princess Niki felt like a huge weight was lifted. Her friend was going to be saved. He would live. She almost felt like breaking down. At least one person she cared about was certainly alive and healed.
She took a deep breath and ask the remaining soldiers to lead her to where the queen was. They agreed with no protests. The queen and the princess have been long-time friends. It was frequent that she visited with no prior notice and the queen would still let her in.
Princess Niki gets down from the horse’s back as soon as she arrived at the palace. She almost ran to where the queen was, needing to see another person she holds dear alive and well. The soldiers let her be, knowing that they needed their time together alone.
Tears flow down her cheeks as she saw her friend. “Niki!” Queen Minx shouted in delight; she was glad that her trusted companion was safe from the attack.
Disregarding all formalities, they ran and hugged each other tightly. “I’m so glad you’re safe. Oh, my God.” The queen cupped the princess’s face. “Are you hurt anywhere? Who else is alive?”
Niki nearly sobbed. “I don’t know!” She cried, covering her face with her palms. “I was outside the kingdom when it happened. I was supposed to- crap.” Her breath hitched. “I was supposed to give a present to my brother, but when we arrived, the whole kingdom was on fire.”
She gritted her teeth as multiple emotions came to her at once. The anger, the pain, the sadness, the loss. Her whole life was gone in a flash. One can never know how to deal with such a sudden loss.
“Shh…” Queen Minx tried to comfort her but there were no words to comfort this grievance. “Wait. Did you say we ? Who’s we ?”
“Jack Manifold and I.” Niki wiped her tears. “He’s the only one I know who’s alive.” She took shaky breaths, calming herself down. “I don’t even know if my family is alive.”
“I’m really sorry, Niki.” The queen gnaws her lower lip. “You can stay here for the meantime. Anything you need, we’ll try to help, okay? Anything for a friend.”
Feeling the adrenaline drop even further, the princess said weakly, “Thank you, Minx. This really means a lo-”
Her vision darkened, knees giving out as she fainted. Queen Minx, thankfully, caught her in time. The last thing she heard and saw was the queen shouting orders to the guards; the last thing she felt was arms tightly wrapping around her.
Princess Niki fully welcomed the embrace of darkness, wanting nothing more than to escape this nightmare.
—
There was a reason why Queen Kristin chose Eret as her first General. They were competent, strong, and smart. In this dangerous situation, those characteristics were fully shining. She had to remind herself to give them a raise when they get out of this situation.
They’ve been running for hours and although Queen Kristin and Chancellor George were starting to tire, the general stood tall and encouraged them to go on. There was no sweat on his body nor his face. The queen was more than thankful that he was still on their side.
The general knew the kingdom and its surroundings more than anybody, not even the royal family themselves. She has scouted all the area repeatedly, found assassins, and slain them before they can even reach the kingdoms. If there was anybody who knew the hidden passages and routes, it was her.
After never-ending turns and twists, they’ve lost the soldiers chasing them. George immediately gave out and lay down on the ground. He was never one for physical activities.
Queen Kristin patted his back comfortingly. She was also panting from the tiredness, but had more stamina since she’s led wars before.
“Your Majesty, you can rest for now before we continue our journey first thing in the morning.” The general looked at her with their shades still on.
The queen nodded. “Are you okay to guard us for a while? You can wake me up when you get tired.”
General Eret chuckled. “Your Majesty, with all due respect, I can stay awake later than normal beings like you lot. Trust me. This energy can go for at least two days.” He smirked.
Kristin laughed. She shouldn’t have doubted her knight; she did handpick him. “Still. Don’t exhaust yourself too much, okay? I still need my number one general.”
“Don’t let Dream hear that from you.” The general snorted.
Worry flashed in the queen’s eyes. “I hope they’re doing fine. They’re strong, but…”
“Do not worry, My Queen. Those kids are stronger than they look. I trust that they’ll be alive. They’re smarter than they look. A menace, really.” Looking back, the general was the one to train the two. They’ve learned from the best.
That still didn’t prevent the queen from worrying. He was still her son. Her mind then wonders about her daughter. She prays to the Blood God that both her children were safe. She would give anything to see them again. Maybe not now. But she would search far and wide for them.
Even if it would kill her to do so, they would be reunited no matter what. Not even Schlatt and his minions would prevent the lioness from going to her cubs.
“Guys?” George’s voice cuts in.
“Hm?” They looked at him.
“I’m really tired so I’m gonna sleep ahead.” He yawned shamelessly, resting his head on his arms, and slept immediately. It was like the flame being put out by blowing the candle.
Eret looked impressed. “That was quick.”
Kristin laughed. “George sleeps like a log. He’s always sleepy for some reason.”
“Well, I think you also need some rest, Your Majesty.” The general removed his coat. It was a shock that they weren’t wounded from all the arrows shot at them. It was all thanks to the general.
Eret gives the coat to the queen. “You need it more than I do.”
Queen Kristin smiled and took the coat. “Thank you, Eret. Really. I can never thank you enough.”
“You saved me when I was younger, Your Majesty. I swear my loyalty to you and your clan until the day I perish. You need not thank me. It is the least that I can do.”
No words were needed to be said. In the end, General Eret never woke them up and let them get the rest they deeply needed.
Eret had a plan if ever this happened. They would never allow the kingdom to perish for longer than they needed. They would never accept the suffering of the royal family if he had a say on it.
It was time to call an old friend.
—
Dream watched in horror as the king cut down the ropes and fall from a great height. Although there was a river under the bridge, it was impossible to survive with how fast it runs. The general felt his throat strain from the heartbroken shout he let out.
“TECHNO, NO!”
He almost felt stuck in his place until an arrow shot right beside him. Then, he was reminded of his friend on his back, needing help. Dream cursed loudly as he ran away from the arrows.
Time wasn’t something he can waste at the moment. The general can grieve after they were safe. He can grieve after he can guarantee that Sapnap’s going to be okay. If he could at least save one person. That was all he wished for. Just let them be alive.
Knowing that the soldiers couldn’t follow them anymore from the king’s sacrifice, he let himself rest for a bit. The general put down his friend on the tree trunk, assessing the harm done.
There were only a few healing supplies left in their inventory. He had no qualms in giving them all to Captain Sapnap. After doing some first aid, Dream carried his friend again.
No matter how tired he felt, he needed to get to a safe place first. There was one place he knew would help them. It was only a few more kilometers. Just a few more steps.
His aching body was catching up to him, but he pushed and pushed. Nothing was in his mind aside from getting to the place.
When he saw the pretty buildings of the kingdom, he almost cried in relief.
A few more steps.
He arrived at the gates.
Never realizing his bleeding wounds.
Dream shouted for help at the gates.
Then, his body gave in. When he saw a guard running towards them, he accepted his consciousness disappearing.
They were finally safe.
He thought as he bled at the gates of Kinoko Kingdom.