Chapter Text
This story, as many others, could have started a long, long time ago.
Before the people we have come to love were born, before wars, kingdoms and countries stood where they now stand.
It also started with a friendship, not unlike the ones we know. A friendship that could be called unconventional by most, but perfectly reasonable by those who truly know.
It started with the blood god and the angel of death.
(Though, if you asked them, those titles were more for show than anything else)
More specifically, it started with Technoblade and Philza, two immortals roaming the world, sometimes together, sometimes apart, but always bound to find each other. While their friendship grew, so did they. Not physically, of course not, but their names started being whispered all around, their strength and prowess only getting better with the passing of time.
Anywhere you looked you would hear about Technoblade, about the Blood God, how he could bring armies down by himself, barely a scratch on his body. How he would stop at nothing to reach his goals, determination alone making him able to bring the mightiest tyrants to their knees, make them pray for any god that wasn’t the one before them.
(there was also a story going around about food…? potatoes, or pumpkins, something like that, though no one was exactly sure)
And throughout the land and see you would learn of Philza, the Angel of Death, the survivor, how he would survive tiem and time again with every odd against him, coming victorious from whatever challenge he may be confronted with. How nothing could stand in his way, not life, not death.
Children and adults were told stories of the Antarctic Empire, situated in the harshest of climates but being able to resist anything thrown it’s way.
They would learn about their battle strategies, tactics and battles. About their battle prowess, their ability to subdue even the most feared armies, the terror they instilled on every soldier’s heart at the thought of being on the wrong side of the coin. They were merciless, slashind, maiming and killing their way through wars, not once stopping for anything short than a white flag.
Every member of the court was to go down in history, from the ones that were there in the very beginning to the ones in the end. Every single one of them was as important as the one that came before and after, as skilled in their own way, and all deadly. Still, there were names that stood out. Names that, for one reason or the other, would be ingrained in the memory of anyone who had even a passing knowledge of the Empire. Those names were, of course, Peter Over, Wisp Exe, and Calvin the Second. There are entire documents speaking about them, their exact roles and why they are so important to this part of history. But that’s not here nor there.
They also learned of the rulers, the emperors, the dictators. Technoblade and Philza. A pair of hybrids, ruthless, brutal, deadly. No one could stand in their way, and those who were foolish enough to have, didn’t live to tell the tale. Alone, they could end wars. Together, they could rule the world
(almost did)
They knew, of course, of the hybrid status of the emperors. There were laws in most societies that protected hybrids, but those were rarely enforced. But they also weren't exactly popular amongst human communities, being discriminated against, cast aside, and in the worst cases, killed, only to have the government turn a blind eye on them. So when word got out that the rulers of the Antarctic Empire were hybrids, and not only that, one of them was part hostile mob? That did nothing to make them look better in the eyes of the public.
(it did make sense, then, that hybrids were welcome with open arms in their corner of the world. They were treated as any human, composing the majority of the population. Hybrids knew to go to the empire, most of them did not have the same judgements humans had. And if they did, the moment they stepped inside the borders looking for aid, those disappeared)
But what they weren’t told about was the other side of the empire. They knew about the harsh winters, but did they know about how, in those months when the soil was too covered in snow to be useful, when all animals were hibernating or hiding, when the winds and storms left nothing standing, not one person went hungry? no one succumbed to the cold? Did they know that the castle doors were wide open for anyone who might need it? It was a grand place, and the people who lived there could not even try to fill it by themselves. Did they know how the court with the rest of the castle workers went and gave food and warmth to those who needed them?
Because even if the immortal rulers seemed to not care about anything else other than bloodshed, their people knew better. They knew of the love only an immortal, after watching humanity grow for years, could have for them.
(their enemies did not know of their immortality, of course. They were seen just enough times and had good enough disguises for them to think that there was a lineage)
Eventually, the Empire fell. The rulers left, not defeated, but bored, mostly. Their people continued on, but by that point they did not need any sort of guidance or leadership, and could manage well enough alone. So, with the weight in their hearts that came with leaving a place you loved behind, but with the prospect of getting out of their routine, Philza and Technoblade left.
This time, they went their separate ways. They knew that, eventually, they would find each other again, so they had no repairs on leaving one another.
The Blood God went on to compete in more tournaments, breaking and setting records, fighting more battles. He took more time to learn about humanity, the stories they told each other, how they grew. But he did not get attached to anyone. He did not get attached, because he had learned long ago about how loyalty quickly changes, how their emotions go by so fast that he can’t keep up.
(he had also learned a long time ago how short their lives were, with barely enough time for them to enjoy. So no, Technoblade did not get attached)
Philza, for his part, went on to travel, to discover new places and create more things. He also learned about humanity, about their hubris, about their greed and envy. But he did get attached, because he also learned about how they loved each other, how they still fought even when there was no chance of winning, how they never lost hope.
(he knew they would be gone in the blink of an eye, their lives going by too fast, so why not have fun with them while he could? Yes, Philza did get attached, but maybe he didn’t know what attachment truly means)
But, as I said, that happened a long time ago, and while our story technically begins there, the most important part is yet to come.