Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Uhm… hello? Can you hear me? 

I… can’t see you… But, I swear I could sense you here just a second ago… 

Hello? Is anyone there- Oh! There you are. 

Hi! I've been expecting you. It's been a while since I've had anyone to talk to. 

Well… since I know who you are... I guess I should … introduce myself or something.  

Hello, the people call me- 

Oh wait, no. That's stupid. You obviously already know who I am.

How else would you have been able to find me…  

Sorry. Anyways, since you're here, I suppose you're looking for my assistance. You… need something, desperately. 

Is it… closure that you seek? Knowledge? Truth? 

Or perhaps… just a good story for the generations to come? 

Hmm… I suppose I could help with that. I've been watching you for a while now. You seem like an interesting individual. A curious heart. A pure soul. And… a desperate desire to right past wrongs. I see…  

Alright then, I shall tell you a story. Something… that will probably seem very familiar to you. Like you’ve heard it all before, in a different time, a different place, a different world perhaps.

You may find yourself very confused, some things may not play out the way you remember them to. But do not worry, everything will fall back into the right places, all in due time. 

So, the tale I'm about to share with you is one of bloodshed & conquest. Of desire & deceit, love & loss, discovery & destruction. Of kingdoms and cities which rose up from ashes, only to crumble once again under the weight of what had kept them thriving.  

Does this story have a happy ending? Well, like most things do, that depends on your perception. 

But regardless of everything, I… hope that you find whatever it is that you’re looking for. 

>~~∆~~<

Hmm, where should I begin? How about a quick recap on our world's history? 

As you probably already know, the origins of our universe are ancient and complex, not even I  know the whole truth. So to simplify things for both of us, I’ll be basing this small history lesson on an old human records book I read once. So don’t be surprised if I missed out some details or told parts inaccurately. You humans always tend to understand things wrong one way or another. Anyways, I suppose we should begin. 

As hard as it is to hear, the truth is that the world is meant for suffering. Long ago, at the beginning of time, before life, there was only darkness. It would have seemed similar to the current End dimension’s void, only much thicker and heavier, endless and inescapable. The universe was empty, cold & unfeeling. Later on, humans synonymised this darkness with evil & sorrow. And for the lack of a better term, it was dubbed as Taint. 

Soon however, there came a force which put an end to the Taint’s tight embrace on the world. Taint was shoved to the side, and in its place, life was created. Your worlds as you know it now, the Overworld, Nether & End realms came to be. Plants & trees sprung from the ground, water flowed through rivers and oceans, wind gushed through valleys. Suddenly, everything was filled with so many different colours, sounds & sensations. 

And this force that started it all, this light in the dark, was called Magic. 

Now, unlike Taint, Magic was sentient. As in, it had emotions, thoughts, and a voice. Magic wasn’t a God , per se. It was more of a presence, not in a physical way, since it had no body, but in the sense that it lingered and buzzed through the air. Taint, although seen by humans as Magic’s opposite, was more of an environmental variable of the universe. It’s important to note that at this point in time, Magic had not rid the world of Taint, it merely overshadowed Taint, pushing it to the sidelines. Taint is and always will be present, an underlying, unseen evil. 

Humans were by far Magic’s greatest creation, living things that were capable of both creation & destruction. These first few generations of humans are now known as T he Founders  in present day. In those times, Magic was incredibly affectionate towards its children. It would reach out and talk to them frequently, asking how they were, teaching them how to live and survive, giving them gifts. The most notable of these gifts, was the ability to wield magic itself. 

The early Founders lived like gods. With Magic’s help and guidance, they were powerful and capable of so many things. Records claim that they could materialise matter out of nothing, explode whole mountains with just a flick of the wrist, lift entire bodies of water with just their minds’ will. They ventured all across the Overworld, and eventually claimed both the Nether & the End, discovering all the riches and creatures these places had to offer. They built structures and fortresses everywhere they set foot, places to store their ever-growing supply of treasures. They possessed an abundance of knowledge and spells, knew how to cast enchantments and brew potions never even heard of in today’s day and age. 

And Magic was always there, watching over as the Founders accomplish feat after feat like a proud parent. They conquered worlds, their civilisation thrived.  

But this prosperity did not last long. As I said, the world is meant for suffering. The Founders continued to want bigger & better, more More MORE. And once they’ve already gotten so much, there’s really only one thing left to gain. 

So after years of hard work and trial & error, the potion of Immortality was created.  

And you cannot imagine the chaos that erupted after this potion was made. A group of Founders demanded that the recipe for this potion to be shared and made common knowledge. While the Founders that contributed in the discovery of this potion wanted to keep the secret of eternal life all to themselves. The humans let their minds grow clouded with selfishness and desire, one thing led to another, and eventually war broke out. Entire forests burned down, fortresses full of supplies ransacked and blown up, neighbours killed neighbours, families murdered friends. Thousands of people died overnight. All of this for the sake of a dumb bottle of liquid. 

Magic was so incredibly horrified by its children’s greed, and disappointed that they had resorted to murdering their own kind, their own brethren, just for the sake of power.

So it stepped in, ceased all the fighting, and separated the Founders into 3 factions. Those who threw the first punch in the war were sent to live in the fiery caverns of the Nether, those who helped in the creation of the Immortality potion were sent to the floating islands in the End’s void, and those who stayed neutral in the whole war remained in the Overworld. If humans couldn’t live together in peace, then Magic would make them live separately, both as punishment, and for their own safety. 

Magic never wanted humans to suffer, it only ever wished upon what’s best for them. But as it looked down on the civilisation it helped to grow and prosper get washed over by bloodshed and greed, Magic knew that its presence among its children, was not what was best for them. So with a heavy heart and a sorrowful soul, it withdrew. 

It cut off all communication, and stopped offering guidance or help. All of Magic’s gifts were taken away as well, gone together with Magic itself. There was no longer magic that flowed through the humans’ blood, nor magic that settled in their surroundings. The Founders could no longer create or destroy with a snap of a finger, and enchantments, spells & potions no longer brought about any effect. 

And with the absence of Magic, Taint quickly took its place. An endless darkness swept over the lands, and monstrous creatures rose from this darkness. Huge, dirty-white flying octopus-like creatures rampaged in the Nether, exploding and destroying structure after structure. Rotting, undead corpses and grotesque figures made out of bones stumbled around in the Overworld, killing and consuming every human in sight. Dark humanoid creatures infested the End. Tall and gangly, they quickly grew savage and hostile if looked at for too long, tearing off limbs and biting off heads. The children of Taint had a thirst for human blood. 

For a while, everywhere you looked was just death, death, death. Humans dying to monsters, humans dying to starvation. Humans burning to death, falling into the void to death, stabbing each other to death.  

Very quickly, Magic realised that with too much magic, humanity would be the cause of its own destruction. But with no magic at all, humanity was at the world’s mercy. So it compromised with itself, and decided to provide the humans with one last gift. 

Three bonfires, one for each realm. They were flames that no matter what you did, whether it be dousing them in water or cutting off the oxygen supply, never died out. They didn’t burn either, sticking your hand in them would only cause a slight warm tingling feeling. The Founders called them the Eternal Flames.  

The Eternal Flames emitted magical essence which floated through the air, and rested onto the ground. They provided the world with the magic that it needed so much in order to survive. Light washed over the lands, repelling the monsters during the day. Trees and plants sprung back to life, some even in the Nether & End. Spells, enchantments and potions could work once again, though only to an extent much weaker than it once did. 

As the Eternal Flames only acted as a source of magic for the environment, humans no longer had magic coursing through their veins. Magical energy needed something to physically latch on to, whether it be a plot of land, or an item such as a weapon. 

However, as a means to survive, the Founders were allowed  back remnants of their former power. Those that lived in the Nether manifested a resistance to fire, and could even manipulate flames at their will. Overworld humans grew large angel-like wings of various colours, which allowed them to fly away from the reach of monsters on the ground. The humans that lived in the End developed the ability to teleport, allowing them easier access to the multiple floating islands they resided on. 

While it wasn’t as much as they once had, they made do. Very soon towns and cities were rebuilt from rubble. A leadership system and jobs were formed, making sure that everyone had a part to play in the restoration of society. And even in the absence of Magic, humanity survived. 

Now, centuries later, the generation of Founders have long died out. But their legacy lives on in the minds and hearts of their descendants. Ever since then, the 3 factions lived together in peace, no more fighting, no more wars. And travel between realms for business matters or even visitations is now a common normality.   

Why don’t we take a look at each faction’s present day state? You look like you could use a reminder. 

Well, the kingdom that resides in the Overworld is called the Aviant Empire, formally known as the Antarctic Empire due to a former Ice Age that has since thawed out. It’s winged inhabitants are peace-lovers, mostly consisting of farmers and miners. They are the main source of food and ores for the three realms. 

The City of Ignis is located in the depths of the Nether. Being descendants of the Founders who first started the war, Ignisians were excellent warriors and blacksmiths. Along with the other resources that the Nether had to offer, Ignisians provided the realms with weapons for defence against monsters and other threats. 

Lastly, the Isles of Ender housed the Ender people. Their kingdom consisted of multiple floating islands which scattered the End void. Having since developed more advanced means in travelling from place to place, they no longer relied on their teleportation powers as a primary method of transportation  Enders were descendents of the early creators of the Immortality potion, and hence they were best in the handling of magic. They supply the realms with any enchantments and potions they could need.

Now, it is important to remember that even though humans can’t see or hear it, like Taint, Magic is and has always been present. While the Eternal Flames are remnants of Magic , providers of magical energy that Magic left behind, Magic itself didn’t simply disappear. Even in present day, Magic is always there, watching and judging its children's every move. Every decision made, ever wrong or right done, Magic sees all. 

 >~~∆~~<

Alright then, that concludes our story. The three factions existed together harmoniously and everyone lived happily ever after- Sike.  

Did you really think that was the end? Well my dear human, I should warn you, this is just the beginning.  

Don't you remember what I told you?  

The world is meant for suffering. 

Next time on "Change the Fates' Design" 

....

“We-we need to-” Tommy choked out, drawing in shuddering breaths. “We…”

His throat tightened as he buried his face into Techno’s shirt and bawled, tears streaming out and soaking the fabric. Techno’s grip tightened, gently squeezing his brother as he sobbed in his arms. 

Muffled cries filled the silent emptiness around them.

....

Chapter Text

The little gremlin was being annoying again.

“Come one, Dad. Loosen up a little.” Tommy whined. “It was a prank!” He gagged as his dad helped him button his shirt all the way up, before pulling away and tugging at his collar. “And why do I have to wear this stuffy suit anyway!?” 

The king sighed. “I’m pretty sure there’s a difference between pulling a prank and coating both your brother’s room in green slime, Tommy.” Phil reached over to grab a red tie from the dresser, his wings nearly knocking over a candle-stick lamp in the process.  Phil’s black wings were fully-grown, and could measure up to 6.5 feet long when stretched out to their full length. “And you need to look proper for the public, Tommy. It’s your brothers’ birthday today.”

“Excuse me, but the slime was practically the definition of prank.” Tommy scowled as Phil looped the tie around his neck. “And I figured that it would be just the perfect birthday gift for Wilbur & Techno anyways!” To be honest, he wasn’t really sure beforehand if Techno would like it, the older twin usually acted much more serious in any situation. But Wilbur always found most of the stunts he pulled hilarious.

Phil sighed. “Tommy, you snuck into their rooms in the middle of the night, and planted multiple small hopping cubes of swamp Slime. A type of monster, may I add. Which nearly gave them both a heart attack when they woke up in the morning.” Phil rubbed his table, utterly unable to believe this child. “And you call that a birthday gift!?”

“Well, yeah.” Tommy said matter-of-factly. “They’re cute. And they aren’t even dangerous anyway, all they do is jump around and leave slime trails everywhere.”

“You do realise that those things are trying to kill us, right? They’re just too tiny and weak to actually do anything. Need I remind you, the bigger Slimes could swallow you whole until you suffocated to death.”

“Well, duh. That’s why I got small ones.” He replied, as if it was the most common sensical thing in the world.

“Wha- Where are you even getting them from!?" Phil shrieked incredulously. “You’ve literally never been to a swamp in your life!”

Tommy gave a sly smile. “I have my ways. Don’t worry about it.”

“You- How can I not- Whatever...” Phil shook his head in defeat. “I’ll ask some of the servants to clean up your mess. But I want you to apologise to your brothers later.” There was absolutely no chance that Tommy was actually going to apologise.

Phil fixed up the last touches on Tommy’s tie. “There, all done.” He took a step back to get a better look at his son. “You actually look like a proper prince for once.”

“Well I feel less like a prince, and more like a wrapped-up cardboard box.” Tommy gave his wings a stretch, frowning when he felt their movement constricted by the stiff suit. “Ugh, I can’t wait to get out of this thing.”

Noticing his discomfort, Phil frowned and reached out to smoothen Tommy’s feathers. “Are you alright? Is the suit making your wings feel any pain?” He asked in concern.

Tommy immediately pulled away from his touch, “I’m fine, dad. I told you to stop making my wings out to be some type of big deal.” 

Unlike Phil’s wings, or the wings of any other Avian, Tommy’s wings had grown out abnormal and disfigured. Although they were covered in fluffy, butter-coloured feathers, there was a huge bald spot on his left wing. They were also much shorter, and twisted so awkwardly that it looked painful. If you weren’t looking closely, they could often be mistaken as stumps.

They've been this way for as long as Tommy could remember. Apparently there had been some freak accident that occured when he was around 2 or 3, which injured his early developing wings so badly that they couldn’t grow out normally. Tommy’s biological parents had died in that very same accident. Phil had been nice enough to take in the scarred, orphaned child as one of his own. 

His parents had been close friends with Phil, and Tommy didn’t want to pry for specifics, so he didn’t quite know what happened that day. What he did know, was that his wings were utterly useless. He couldn’t spread them, or flap them, or use them to fly. In other words, Tommy was crippled. 

And he hated how people treated him differently because of it.

Phil sighed and withdrew his hand, mumbling something about moody teenagers. He pushed open the double-doors of the dressing room, and gestured at Tommy to come along. Tommy quickly grabbed the grey cloak resting on a chair in the corner and wrapped it around himself, concealing his broken wings, before following his dad into the large open room outside.

The interior of the ballroom was loud, bustling with energy and movement. Everywhere Tommy looked he saw blurs of colour as Avians of various wing shades flapped and zoomed around. Servants decorated the walls with banners and hung colourful streamers on the chandeliers. Cooks hurried from table to table, balancing steaming hot dishes on their palms and arms. The usually polished marble floor was littered all over with rainbow confetti and ribbons. 

“Why'd you insist on having all this anyway?” Tommy thought out loud as he looked around. The way the family celebrated royal birthdays was different every year. Sometimes it was something simple, just a nice dinner together with the family. Other times there would be a public party involved, but it was never to this extent. 

“What’s so special about this year for the occasion?” Tommy scurried after Phil as the king began to make his way through the hustle towards the other end of the room. The other Avians around them barely seemed to notice them enter, too occupied with their tasks at hand.

“It’s your brothers’ 21st birthday, is it not? It would be pretty anticlimactic if we didn’t do something special to commemorate today.” Phil replied. “I mean, they’re full grown adults now! And according to our laws, I can technically step down whenever I want and pass on the throne to Techno.”

Tommy frowned, “Couldn’t that already happen when they turned 18?”

“No, 18 is the age for a prince to able to become king if the previous king had already passed on.” Phil shook his head. “Did you pay attention to anything at all in your history lessons?”

“Uhh…”

He took that as a no.

“Anyways…” Tommy said with a laugh, quickly changing the subject. “So… What birthday present you get for Techno and Wilbur? Surely it won’t beat my slimes of awesomeness!”

Phil pretended to nor hear that last part. “Well, I’ve been thinking about getting Wilbur another instrument, since he loves that guitar we got him years ago. Maybe a flute or something? As for Techno….” He mused, pausing in his tracks. 

They had walked all the way across to the other side of the ballroom. Now they stood next to an ornate spiral staircase which led to the 2nd floor. Before them was the main entrance to the castle, huge wooden double doors had wing-like patterns intricately engraved on their surface.

“I was planning on getting a Netherite sword for Techno, since I knew he wanted one so badly, so I sent a request for one to Ignis.” Tommy’s eyebrows immediately rose in interest.

Their kingdom, the Aviant Empire, typically provided crops, meat, water and ores to the other two kingdoms, since being in the Overworld, their kingdom was the only one that really had access to such resources. One of these other kingdoms was the City of Ignis, the Nether kingdom. The Ignisians were crazy good at combat and weapon-making and that kind of stuff. So in return for the food and ores, the Aviant Empire would receive well-made weapons back from the Ignisians. 

But while Ignis would usually be very agreeable to manufacturing iron or gold or even diamond weapons for them, Netherite was a totally different story. The legendary metal could only be found in the deepest depths of the nether. It was not only be unsusceptible to fire or lava, its armor was also practically indestructible, and weapons made out of them could slice through anything. From stone and diamond, to muscle and bone. Making it the most valuable resource the Nether had to offer.

Hence, it was much harder to convince Ignis to send over anything made of Netherite. They tended to want to keep they’re most powerful weapons to themselves. As slightly distrustful as this behaviour may seem at first, it was quite understandable, really. Similarly, the Avians never looked to send over their most freshest food or shiniest ores to either of the other realms. The harsh reality was that that’s just how things work. People usually tend to prioritise themselves over their friends. And that goes the same for kingdoms as well. 

Throughout history, absolutely no one in the Isles of Ender, the End kingdom, had possessed anything made of Netherite. And in the Aviant Empire, only the majority of rulers (with Phil being one of them), and a handful army generals had ever owned a Netherite weapon. 

Tommy however, thought that Netherite was so cool.

“Really!? Oh my god, that’s awesome!” Tommy smiled widely. “Do you think Techno will let me hold it? You never let me even touch to yours!”

“Uhh I hate to break it to you kid, but they rejected my request.” Tommy’s heart sunk in disappointment. “Which is a little odd, I thought that they would’ve conceded when I stated that it was the future king who would be the wielder of the weapon. But I guess the Ignisians are feeling a little stingy at the moment. And since relationships between our two countries have been rocky for a while, I didn’t want to pry further.”

“So since the Netherite-plan isn’t going to work out, I was thinking about bringing Techno on a trip to the End instead-” Tommy straightened, a question hung from his now open mouth. “-which you will not be coming along on.” Phil quickly added on

“Oh COME ON!” Tommy cried out. “Then is Wilbur going?” Phil stayed silent.

“WHAT!? Now that’s just not fair! Why does Wilbur get to go but not me!?”

Phil sighed. “Tommy, we’ve been over this. The world is dangerous, and I’m not about to let you go and get hurt in an unfamiliar place.”

“Yeah yeah, all this the world is dangerous crap again. Apparently it’s not too dangerous for Techno and Wilbur!?”

“Your brothers are different, Techno is going to be king one day, so he needs the experience, and Wilbur is capable enough to take care of himself-”

“Oh so I can’t take care of myself!? I’m 16 goddamnit! Not a fucking toddler!” Tommy fumed.

“And the reason I’m not “capable enough” is because you never let me do anything. You’ve been babying me all the time. I’ve never had any real battle experience. I’ve never stepped a foot outside of the capital. And I’ve never even seen the Nether or End portal. So of course I’m not as capable as Techno or Wilbur, ‘cos how am I supposed to do anything of importance if most of my time is spent on house arrest cooped up here in your fancy little castle!?”

“Tommy, you need to understand that all these precautions are put in place to protect you. Your wings-” Phil tried, only to be cut off by Tommy.

“My wings. Of course it’s about my wings again!” His blood boiled in frustration. “I’m flightless, not helpless. How long will it take for you to realise that I don’t need this type of protection!? I am perfectly competent even if I can’t fly!”

An uncomfortable silence settled over them, which was quickly broken by the sound of someone hollering for Phil. He turned around to see one of the party planners waving him over.

“Look kid, I understand your frustration… and we’ll talk about this later, okay? It looks like I’m needed for the sorting out of the party later.” The king tried for a small smile. “Why don’t you head over to Niki’s bakery to collect the cake we ordered? You know how much your brothers love Niki’s baking.”

Tommy grumbled before swiftly turning around and storming away. “Fine. But I’m only going to get away from all this crap.”

The door slammed shut behind him.

>~~∆~~<

Town square was particularly busy that day. Much like the castle ballroom, decorations were put up in light of the birthday of two royals, filled with light and colour and laughter. Tommy’s family never demanded or even asked for such festivities to be held, but the citizens still carried them out even if they weren’t obligated to in any way. The Avians adored the royal family, them having done a great and fair job in keeping the kingdom prosperous and safe for many centuries.

Hanging from the side of buildings were banners and streamers of pink and yellow, Techno & Wilbur’s favourite colours respectively, along with the signature blue and white Aviant flag, flapping in the wind. Rows and rows of temporary stalls & booths were lined up within the large courtyard, with vendors selling all kinds of snacks and trinkets. 

A large crowd had gathered, with people buzzing around from place to place. Parents hurriedly chased after children who ran about excitedly from booth to booth. Most of the things sold were themed after the royals, Techno’s favourite food; mashed potato, cardboard figures of Wilbur’s signature guitar, replicas of Phil's green-white striped bucket hat which he always wore whenever he wasn’t on formal duties, just to name a few.

Unsurprisingly to him, there was nothing Tommy-themed available. In fact, he would have been shocked if there was something based on him being sold, the people never really paid much attention to him. Even now, people barely took notice of Tommy as he weaved through the masses towards the other end of Town Square. With his broken wings being covered by the cloak wrapped around his shoulders, he drew no attention from anyone else at all. If Tommy were Phil, or either of his brothers, he would have been swarmed at this point. But no, he was just plain, old Tommy. And people continued to mind their own business as if they weren’t in the presence of a prince.

It wasn’t that they disliked Tommy in any way, it was just that he hasn’t really had enough notable public appearances for them to like him, or even recognise him, for that matter. Hell, because of his wings, Phil hadn’t even let Tommy leave the castle walls until he was 14 years old. So up until 2 years ago, Tommy had been more of a myth or legend to the Avians rather than an actual person.

But while Tommy spent his childhood barred from civilization for his own protection, the rest of his family grew increasingly popular with the people. Phil was the best king the Empire has ever had (in Tommy’s opinion). Techno was the crown prince, and was an absolute beast in combat. He would usually appear for the public eye at the weekly sparring tournaments. He never lost. And everyone loved Wilbur, he would frequent local bars, parties and festivals, performing song after song with his guitar for a cheering audience.

Tommy was, well, Tommy. He could count on one hand the number of times he had ever been needed somewhere for the people to see. So to the Avians, all they knew about the youngest prince of the Empire was roughly how he looked like (blond hair, blue eyes), that he couldn’t fly, and that he was adopted. Granted, all the princes were adopted, so that was more of general-royal-family-knowledge rather than a Tommy-knowledge.

It wasn’t that bad though, regardless of how Tommy would often make it seem.  Even though the overprotectiveness could get annoying, Tommy knew deep down that Phil just wanted to keep him safe. Techno had never really been a big part of his growing-up, with all his training-to-be-king, and he always put on that nonchalant demeanour. But despite his seeming careinglessnes, Tommy knew that Techno loved him too. And Wilbur was the best brother anyone could ever ask for, having raised Tommy almost as much as Phil had. As a child, Wilbur was always there for him, whether it be singing him to sleep, or spending time with him whenever he was lonely,

So who cared what the public thought, he had a family who loved him.

Not related by blood, but still family. He thought to himself, in attempt to cool off from the fight with his dad. He let that thought carry him forward as he pushed open the glass door and entered Niki’s Bakery. The bell hanging against the doorframe gave a light jingle, and the strong scent of baking bread wafted into his nose.

“Hey Niki, It’s Tommy!” Tommy called out upon seeing no one behind the counter. In fact, he was the only customer there at the moment, with everyone else being drawn to the excitement outside. 

Niki’s Bakery was the most popular shop for cakes and other baked goods in the kingdom, with Niki being such a talented individual. Her shop was small, but quaint, with a sort of home-y feeling to it. Lining the two walls at the side were shelves upon shelves of treats and pastries on display, just looking at them made his mouth water.

“Oh, hi Prince Tommy! Good to see you,” greeted Niki as walked out from the small doorway at the corner of the shop which probably led to the kitchen and pantry. Tommy winced slightly at the usage of his title, he had never been one for formalities.

Niki must’ve just been in the middle of something because both her hands and cheeks were smeared in flour. Her long pink-dyed hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she wore a grey apron over her light blue overalls and white undershirt, with her sand-coloured wings folded neatly on her back. “I assume you’re here to collect Techno & Wilbur’s birthday cakes?”

“Yeah,” Tommy grumbled, plopping down onto a stool in the corner of the room. “It appears that old Dadza got annoyed with me again, so he sent me away on a chore to clear his head or some shit.”

“Oh,” Niki made her way to the back of the counter and took a seat, “You got into a fight with King Phil again?” 

Niki was one of the only friends outside the castle that he had made in the past 2 years, with her being introduced to him by Wilbur. Being close friends with two princes and acquaintances at the least with the rest of the royals, she always roughly knew what was going on among the family.

“Ugh, yeah…” Tommy groaned and began playing with a strap of his coat, “I mean, come one! Dad can’t just bring Techno & Wilbur for a trip to the End and expect me to just stay put and not want to go!”

“I see, that’s rough. Is it because-?”

“Yes it’s because of my wings!” Tommy cut her off, and continued his outburst, “You have no idea what it’s like to be constantly treated like a broken piece of glass, Niki!” He threw his hands up in exasperation.

Niki sighed, “Although I don’t agree with some of the things King Phill does, you’re only 16, Tommy. And no matter how mad you get at your dad, you need to remember that he just doesn’t want to lose you.”

Tommy huffed and slumped back against the wall. “I know, I know Dad’s just trying to protect me, but it gets annoying, y’know? Everything’s so unfair.” 

“Yeah, I get it.” Niki bit down on her lip, before her eyes lit up as an idea came to mind. “Hey, I have two friends who live in an underground bunker in the woods beyond the kingdom borders. We used to go on exploration trips together a lot when we were younger... I’m planning to visit them sometime soon. So while your family's on their boring, stiff visit to the End… why don’t I bring you along?”

“Really?” Tommy immediately perked up. It wasn’t quite as exciting as a trip to a different dimension, but at least it was something new, something different, going out of the kingdom's borders. At least it was an adventure.

“Yeah of course. The place is only slightly more than half a mile away out from the kingdom's border. And I’m sure Puffy and Jack– they're the friends I’m talking about– won’t mind."

"And your Dad and brothers will be away, so no one will notice if you sneak out.” Niki smirked. “It could be fun! You up for it?”

“Aww HELL YEAH!” Tommy jumped up and whooped in excitement. “You promise?”

“Promise.” Niki smiled. “Now why don’t you come to the back and help me do the finishing touches on your brothers’ birthday cake-”

A deafening boom exploded.  Muffled screams rang through the air.

>~~∆~~<

“Wha-what was that?” Those words involuntarily left Tommy’s mouth with a tremble.

A second blast hit, his hand shot out to grab onto a nearby shelf in order to stabilize himself as the earth shook under their feet, cakes fell off their displays and splattered to the ground. His ears were ringing, why were his ears ringing?

Explosion. There was an explosion. He could still hear screams from outside.

Already, Niki, who had lost her balance during the initial blast, had gathered her bearings and was helping herself to her feet. She shuffled over to the front window, drew back the curtain slightly to take a peek outside, only to quickly slam them shut again. She whipped around to face Tommy, sweat was forming on her brow.

“Tommy.” Despite her attempt to remain calm, there was a slight quiver in her voice. Tommy noticed that she wasn’t using his title, something that she had always done. “Put on your hood. We need to get you out of here.”

“Where are we going?” His head followed her movement as she moved to grab her hooded cloak from a hook hanging on a wall. “What’s happening? What’s going on out there?” His nose lifted into the air, was that smoke he smelled?

She ignored him, busying herself with taking off the apron and putting on her cloak, pulling up the hood. Tommy grew impatient, nerves getting to him. “Tell me goddammit!” Taking matter into his own hands, he went over to the window and yanked open the curtain. His jaw dropped.

Outside, there were waves of screaming and coughing people running as smoke rose into the air above them. The stalls, the festival which had been set up for his brothers, were charred black and burning down. There was fire, so much fire. More fire than he had ever seen in his life. No Avian was capable of setting off this much fire this quickly, so how-?

Ignisians. He realised. Ignisians are here. This is their fire, we're under attack.

His mind was whirring. It doesn't make any sense. The three realms have been at peace for millennia. Why his kingdom? Why now? 

“What are you doing!” Niki hissed, using one hand to yank the curtain shut and the other to tug Tommy’s hood over his face. “They might see you!”

“Wha- So what if-?”

“This obviously isn’t some run-of-the mill prank the Nether kingdom is playing.This much destruction, this much chaos, this is war, Tommy!” Niki breathed, as if trying to convince herself as much as him, “The Ignisians are fighters, we’re no match for them! And what do you think happens to the royal family in a nation that loses in war?”

They get imprisoned, if not executed.

“We need to get you out of the kingdom, now.” Niki grabbed his arm, “Here’s the plan, we can go out through the backdoor. I’ll carry you and fly-”

“My brothers.” He jerked free from her grasp. “And- and Phil! They're out there somewhere! I need to get to them!” 

“Tommy, I’ll look for them later. Right now we need to make sure that you’re safe. If you get caught, you can’t fly away, they can.”

“N- no.” The royal family of a losing nation gets imprisoned or executed. Executed. The thought rang through his head over and over again. “They- they’ll kill them! I need to- I need to make sure they’re fine.”

Tommy began to back away towards the door. “I need to find them.” Blood was pounding in his ears, but his voice was firm.

“Tommy-” 

He ran over and shoved open the door.

“TOMMY!” Niki yelled after him as he booked out onto the open courtyard. The open, burning courtyard.

>~~∆~~<

Tommy dashed through the streets, with Niki’s screams for his name long faded into the distance. He passed by swarms of Avians, whether they be running or limping, all of which were heading in the opposite direction. Away from the castle, away from the centre of the chaos.

He coughed, before easing himself and drawing in a raspy breath. Already, the polluting smoke in the air was penetrating into his system, making his lungs burn. The incessant waves of heat began to itch his skin and sting his eyes. His pace never faltered.

I need to find them.

Occasionally, he would pass by clusters of wingless people, clad in black armour that shimmered purple. Ignisians. Ignisians wearing Netherite armour. Amidst the disarray, Niki’s warning spoke up from the back of his mind, Tommy always lowered head and ducked into another direction whenever he caught sight of them.

Whatever glimpses of them he did get, they were always mid-fight with Avian soldiers. Although the Avians put up a good fight, it was obvious that they were struggling. Niki was right, they were no match for the Nether kingdom. Avians lived within rolling green hills and stone-pebbled towns, they were peace lovers. But Ignisians were born and bred in brutality and violence, they were raised for war.

There was blood. Crimson and dark, staining the ground, dripping down walls. Even as Tommy averted his gaze away from any fighting, he would always see it, it was everywhere. So much blood. He didn’t want to ponder over who it might have belonged to, or what had happened to the people who lost it.

I can’t let them get hurt.

Somehow, in the haze of panic, Tommy found himself running towards the front doors of his castle. At the sight of it, he screeched to a stop.

Flames could be seen peeking out of every window, every opening of the place. So much so that you could tell that the castle was engulfed in fire, from both the inside and out. The trees and shrubs in the front garden were all ablaze, withering to the ground into a pile of black soot. Above him, torrents of black smoke billowed upwards, blocking out the sun.

His castle, his home... was gone. 

Tommy’s thoughts grew frantic. The castle was destroyed, filled to the brim with orange flames. No one could’ve been left in there. His family weren't in there. 

Could... they have-? No. Tommy shoved that thought to the dark corner of his mind. He couldn’t even give that possibility a chance. His family were here somewhere, he just needed to find them.

Come on.

Tommy began to circle the burning castle, running along the outer ring of the once-front gardens, head darting left and right in hopes of maybe spotting one of his family straggling around or something. Large chunks of smothering debris fell down from the upper levels of the castle, one ended up dangerously close to Tommy’s head that he had to duck out of the way. The structure was beginning to cave in on itself, at this point, there was no doubt that it was unsalvageable.

Tommy’s hair was matted in sweat and drops of it dripped down his back. There was dull stinging of heat and smoke on his eyes and nose, which was sure to kick in into full-fledged pain later on. But that didn’t matter, not right now. He continued searching.  

He hadn’t come across a single soul by the time he had made it a quarter around the  compound, not even an Ignisian soldier (he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing).

Where are they?

The longer he ran with no clue of their whereabouts, the more the adrenaline coursing through his veins began to seep away as panic took place. An aching burn grew in the muscles of his leg, he probably couldn’t keep this up for long. So it was either he found them quickly, or the Iginisians will find him.

Ignoring the sting in his respiratory tract, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Alright, think, where was everyone before we were attacked. He had just spoken to Phil not long ago, in the castle which was currently burning to the ground. Techno… to be honest he rarely kept track of where Techno goes during the day, the guy tended to do his own thing. And Wilbur… wait.

The L’mantree. A burst of energy pulsated down his legs and he sped forward, fueled by the hope blooming in his chest.

They can't be gone.

The L’mantree was a tree resting atop a slope at the castle’s back garden. It had initially been planted by a late king named Lament, whose name baby Tommy horrendously mispronounced. In the end, it was dubbed the L’mantree from then onwards by his whole family. 

The L’mantree was by no means a huge or grand-looking tree, but it was… welcoming.  Its branches were spread wide open, as if welcoming you into an embrace. The leaf canopy would shield you from the hot sun in the summer, and tiny white petals would fall and scatter the ground around it during the spring.

Sitting under the L’mantree was Wilbur’s favourite spot to chill and clear his mind. He had always said that he found the best inspiration for songs under the comfort of its branches. He always stopped by the tree before a big event. He must be there right now. 

I can’t lose them.

Almost there, just around the corner now. If he hadn't been rapidly alternating between heaving, panting and coughing, he would be screaming out Wilbur’s name. His shoe caught a ditch in the ground and he fell forward with a grunt, before prompting pushing himself up and continuing his pace, ignoring the grazes on his legs.

Now more than ever in his life, he fucking hated being cursed to the ground. 

I need them.

He turned the corner. His heart stopped.

There was Wilbur, standing a few feet away from the L'mantree, diamond sword in hand, trying to fight off four men in the dreaded black-purple armour. 

Don’t get him wrong, Tommy knew that Wilbur was an exceptional swordsman, but much like literally any other Avian (with the exception of maybe Techno), he couldn’t possibly beat an Ignisian on a 1 on 1, let alone a 1 v 4.

Wilbur frantically blocked strike after strike, unable to find an opening for even an attempt at attack as he was backed up towards a foliage. His opponents on the other hand, swung at him effortlessly, like they weren't even trying. The sight made Tommy’s blood boil.

Well, anger was one of the emotions he felt at the moment, along with the dread and relief that swirled around in his mind. In the flurry of emotions, his lips parted, “Wilbur…?”

As soon as those words left, he immediately regretted it. 

Although it came out in a tone barely above a whisper, in a setting which had just been the sounds of swords clashing and fire sizzling moments before, his voice distinctively sliced through the air. Five heads turned towards him.

“Tommy…” Wilbur’s eyes widened, sword lowering slightly. Distracted, 

Noticing the opening, an Ignisian wearing a golden chain around his neck struck at the side of his lower rib. Unable to block it, the Netherite easily sliced through Wilbur unarmoured flesh like butter. He let out a cry of pain and sank to his knees onto the pebbled ground, hands pressed onto his side in which blood was beginning to seep from the wound.

Tommy tasted bile at the sight of his brother’s blood, “No!” He charged forward.

Swiftly, the same Ignisian who had wounded him grabbed Wilbur’s left arm and twisted it behind his back, before propping him up and holding a sword to his neck. “Not a step closer.” He warned, voice firm. 

Tommy froze, arms trembling by his sides.

“Now listen here, I’m assuming you are the prince Tommy.” The Ignisian with the gold-chained necklace continued, a note of amusement had entered his voice. The guy was finding fun in this. Sickening. “You can either come with us willingly. Or we can knock you out and I kill your brother over here.” 

Tommy sucked in a breath as the sword was pressed up closer against Wilbur’s neck.

“Punz....” Another Ignisian, one wearing a black headband, spoke up, with warning in his tone. “You know we can’t kill the royals, we need them alive” 

A sigh. “Jeez Sapnap, you’re so boring. I was just having a little fun.” The one holding Wilbur, Punz apparently, rolled his eyes. “Fine, kid, so I can’t kill him. But I can make him lose an arm, or a leg, or both. I don't really care. So, what will it be?"

Wilbur grit his teeth, head raised in attempt to avoid the blade at his throat. His maroon beanie had fallen off onto the ground.

Besides the Ignisians who had spoken so far, two others stood by stoically. 

One of which stood at Sapnap’s side, he wore a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses (in a different time and place, Tommy would have made fun at how ridiculous they looked). Tommy couldn’t read Sunglasses-dude’s expression very well, considering the black lenses covering his eyes, but his lips were pressed in a thin line. If Tommy didn’t know better, he would’ve thought that Sunglasses-dude looked slightly… concerned? Concerned for who, Wilbur? 

Well, that possibility might not be totally outlandish, considering that Sapnap was visibly biting down on his lower lip, with eyes flitting back-and-forth between Tommy, Punz & Wilbur. That didn’t make sense though. They were winning this war, a war that they had started, Sapnap & Sunglasses-dude had no reason to appear even a little bit distressed at the current situation. Tommy knew that something was off, but his mind was too blurry and jumbled to ponder over it for long.

The last Ignisian had on a circular white-painted wooden mask, with a simple black smile drawn on to its face. The smile on his mask was unnerving, like something out of a horror story. 

Smile-dude had a poise that was totally unlike his companions, not aggressive, not anxious. If anything, he looked… bored. With his body slack and leaned back, head not even looking in Wilbur or Tommy’s direction. He looked like he’s seen and done many things much more “exciting” than this, like he’d rather be anywhere else but there. 

But despite his nonchalant look, Tommy noticed that Smile-dude maintained a stable stance, with an hand ever-wrapped around the handle of a purple-tinted Netherite axe, always prepared to strike if anything happened. And among the others, he had the most dark-red blood stains on his armour.

A raging storm grew in Tommy’s chest, heart slamming against his ribcage. Right now the initial shock and worry was gone, replaced by rage. Wilbur’s hand at his wound was now slick with red. He was growing limp from the blood loss, arms slackening.

Tommy clenched and unclenched his fists, teeth clenched together, “You bastards!” In a moment of anger, he screeched. “Don’t you dare hurt Wilbur! I- I’ll kill you!”

With that, he charged forward. At full speed with his fists raised, running purely on adrenaline.

The last thing he saw was Sunglasses-dude swiftly swerving around Punz to the front, and a blur of purple & black. There was a hard knock against the side of his head. And suddenly Tommy found himself on the ground, with a knee pressed on his back and arms pinned behind him. Despite being disoriented from the impact on his head, Tommy screamed and writhed in Sunglasses-dude’s grasp.

“LET ME GO YOU- argh-” He spluttered at the mouthful of dirt he got for his troubles.

“Ugh you’re so loud and annoying.” said Sunglasses-dude, who used a hand to press down at the base of Tommy’s neck. “Dream, permission to shut him up?”

The last new voice, who Tommy would've guessed was Smile-dude or “Dream”, spoke up, “Yeah sure George, we need them to be unconscious when we bring them back anyways. Might as well knock him out now.”  From his tone of voice, he sounded like the leader of the group.

Just like that, the pressure on both his back and neck increased drastically. Tommy felt the air in his lungs exit, leaving him choking. “C- can’t-” He wheezed.

His lungs were burning, like fire was scorching him from the inside. The ground in front of him blurred, and black rimmed his vision.

There was a sharp gust of wind, and the sounds of surprised yelps. The weight on his back disappeared, with George having been knocked off him. Tommy immediately sat up, palms on his neck as he gasped for air. He looked up.

There stood his brother, Techno, still in his birthday suit, golden prince crown, and signature pig mask covering his face from the nose up. His long pink hair was braided as usual and rested in his back. His light-pink wings, of similar shade as his hair, were spread out and slightly curved around Tommy, as if shielding him. 

Raised in his hands was a black-purple sword, a Netherite sword. Phil’s Netherite sword.

A surge of relief rose in Tommy’s chest. Phil and Techno had met up, Techno knew where his dad was, his dad was probably safe. And Techno was here now, the best fighter in the whole kingdom. Everything would be fine. They would be fine.

Already the four Ignisians had circled them, weapons raised. Punz still had Wilbur at knifepoint. He had lost consciousness by now from the amount of blood he lost, head lolling back.

“Well, if it isn’t Prince Techno. How despicable, fighting us with our own weapon .” Dream spoke up, sounding like he was smirking under that mask. “People have been talking about you, saying you’re an exceptional fighter. C’mon then, let’s test that.” The four of them tensed up to fight.

A beat of silence. Techno’s free hand twitched at his side, he looked down at Tommy, then back up at Wilbur.

In a heartbeat, Techno grabbed Tommy with one hand and hauled him over his shoulder, such that his knees rested at his chest. Then with a single sweep of the wings, they took off into the air.

“Wha- WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Tommy screeched, pressing down on Techno’s back. “WE NEED TO GO BACK AND SAVE WILBUR!” 

Sounds of shouting came from below, Ignisians demanding them to get back there. Suddenly, something bright and hot whooshed past his ear. Seconds later, another came, a gleaming ball of orange flames hurtling towards them, illuminating the space around them. They were shooting fireballs.

The third fireball had come dangerously close to hitting its target. Techno swerved to avoid it at the last second, but it still nicked the edge of his wing. Luckily the wind put out the small fire before it could do any real damage.

Soon, they had flown a decent distance away, the fireballs stopped coming.

Techno let out an audible sign, and began to mumble under his breath. Tommy was pounding at his back in rage.

“WHY ARE WE STILL FLYING AWAY!? GO BACK!”

“Tommy are you insane!?” Techno spat out. “There were four of them, all in Netherite. I’m only one armourless dude. Maybe I could take one of them alone, maybe, but definitely not four! Especially with both you and Wilbur unarmed and injured!”

Silence hung in the air. Techno sighed, “Look kid, Wilbur’s my brother by blood. Along with you and Phil, I love him more than anything else in the world. But I’d rather two of us escape, than all three get captured or killed…. We couldn't win.”

By now they were flying out of the capital, somewhere Tommy would’ve been excited to go if not for the circumstances. Techno squinted at the forests in the far distance, outside the kingdom borders. 

Tommy hadn’t noticed how dark it had gotten. With all the dark, soot-coloured clouds of smoke rising up and covering the sun, the sky was painted black

“C’mon, Phil’s hiding out the outside forests while I set out to look for you and Wilbur… his arm got burned quite badly. Niki’s there too, she told me roughly where you had run off to.” said Techno, voice low.

“No! They’re going to kill him! We need- we need to-” His legs flailed and kicked, but Techno ignored him, focusing on what lay ahead.

Tommy’s pounding didn’t stop. 

Wilbur, trying to act annoyed at yet another one of Tommy’s mischiefs. Only to smile softly to himself when he thought Tommy wasn’t looking.

Wilbur, singing him a song under the L’mantree that he had personally written for his 16th birthday.

A young Tommy, afraid of thunder, crawling up onto Wilbur’s bed and dozing off to sleep, curled up next to him as a storm raged outside.

Hot wind slapped Tommy’s face repeatedly, before quickly cooling his skin, Only then did he realise that his cheeks were wet, smeared with tears.

When had he started crying? 

Slowly the rage left him, leaving an empty feeling inside. His cries softened, squirming weakened.

Wilbur, with blood pouring out from a wound on his side.

Wilbur, lifting his chin as a sword was pushed up against his throat, with beads of red lining the edges of the blade as it nicked his neck.

There was red. On Wilbur’s hands, soaking his yellow sweater, dripping onto the ground. So much red.

“We-we need to-” Tommy choked out, drawing in shuddering breaths. “We…”

His throat tightened as he buried his face into Techno’s shirt and bawled, tears streaming out and soaking the fabric. Techno’s grip tightened, gently squeezing his brother as he sobbed in his arms. 

Muffled cries filled the silent emptiness around them.

The Complete Book of Records

Author : Anonymous

Section : Factions - The Aviant Empire

Date Active : Year 0000 - Present Day

Population : ~5.74 million (Last updated Year XX34)

Alies: City of Ignis & The Isles of Ender

Current Ruling Power: King Philza Everwing  Under Ignisian Rule (Last updated Year XX34)

Location of Eternal Flame: [Redacted]

Specialisation: Due to its location in the Overworld, The Aviant Empire - more casually referred to as "The Empire"- has constant access to most, if not all, essential resources. Hence, it is by a large margin the hub of all cultivation of crops and harvesting of meat. It also deals with the mining of all necessary ores (such as coal, iron, diamond etc.) from beneath the earth’s surface.

The Empire is responsible for supplying the people of the Nether and End with such resources. The Isles of Ender may also request water to be provided by the Aviant Empire if/when needed.

People: Like Ignisians and Enders, the people of the Aviant Empire, also known as Avians, closely resemble the appearance of humans from the Founding Era. What makes Avians stand out are the large angel-like wings that protrude out from their back. 

Avian wings are covered fully by layers of feathers, which may vary in shape and colour. Wings generally begin growth at birth, and the wings of a grown adult average about 5 feet each when fully spread. 

Wings can be used for flight. Maximum flight speed averages at about 200 miles/h in a fully grown adult. This ability of flight was originally a gift from Magic in the Year 0000, as a means to obtain safety from the monsters on the ground.

An Avian's bones are hollow, with little bone marrow. This decreases average body mass, and aids in the efficiency of flight.

Geography : The Aviant Empire has a total land area of 320 square miles, with a 10 feet tall wall surrounding it, marking the kingdom’s border. Beyond the border are miles upon miles of unclaimed territory, including forests, desserts and oceans. The kingdom’s highest natural point is the summit of Mount Aero, located in the district of North 2, measuring to a surprisingly low height of approximately 550 feet.

The Empire is separated into 5 major sections, the Capital and its 4 surrounding districts, named North 1, North 2, South 1 and South 2. The Northern districts are where all ore mining and underground work takes place, while the Southern districts consist mostly of flat farmland. The Capital houses royalty and the nobility. It is also the hub for most shops, markets and festivals to take place. Business and trade matters are also settled in the Capital. 

Regardless of profession or social status, any and all Avians are free to travel between the 5 districts, and even out of the kingdoms borders, whenever they please. 

Within its borders, the kingdom is fully lit, in effort to ward off monsters and other hostile creatures from threatening the safety of its people.

History: The Aviant Empire was originally known as the Antarctic Empire, due to an ice age which lasted approximately 2.4k years, from the Year 3012 - 5434, and had taken on its current name, The Aviant Empire, ever since.

The people of the Aviant Empire are the descendants of the early Founders who stayed neutral during the original war. As a result of their pacifism during the war, these Founders had been sent by Magic to live in the “friendliest” realm.

[for more information, turn to Section: General History - xxxx]

Note: Hello! I wanted to leave this book for you. I figured you might need it. It’s a good way to keep track of and record things that you might forget. The last pages are even blank, plenty of space for you to write your own entries! As always, I wish you good luck.

Yours Truly,

~[Redacted]

Next time on "Change the Fates' Design" 

....

“What- what about monsters?” Tommy croaked, speaking for the first time since it had happened.

The image of the Creeper from earlier flashed through his mind. “Do- do they..?”

“No. The monsters we fight lack a soul. They do not feel. They do not reproduce. They do not live.” A hint of a grim smile played on Niki’s lips. “They are the manifestation of animosity. They are the children of Taint, our opposites. They are the dark, and we are the light.”
....

Chapter Text

Most of the smoke had parted by dusk. The sun seemed to linger on the horizon, emitting honey-orange streams of light across the lands, which illuminated their hastily set-up camp in its warm glow. Casting down a non-existent hope.

The small camp Phil and Niki had set up in the woods was surrounded by canopies of Willow trees, offering them concealment from any passing Ignisian scout they may have set out to look for them. It was simple as well. The few items that they had managed to grab out were left dumped in the corner under a tree. There was a small sitting area made with fallen logs they had found arranged in a circle. It looked kinda like they were having a campfire, but without the actual fire.

Tommy had not spoken word since Techno touched down at their rendezvous point.

Phil was beyond relief at the sight of his two sons returning safely, greeting them with open arms, in which Tommy wordlessly squeezed him back. The older man frowned at his silence, but his eyes widened in alarm when he realised that one out of three was missing. Tommy couldn’t bear to look his dad in the eyes as Techno told Phil what had happened. 

After that, Phil left them for a while to have some alone-time not far from camp. Tommy swears he could hear the sounds of angry punching of trees from his direction. His heart clenched.

As if it would comfort him, and possibly even to console himself, Techno reminded Tommy that Wilbur was wanted alive (apparently he was in hearing distance of the Ignisians’ conversation with Tommy), so there was a high chance that they would see him again. That, in fact, did the opposite, and left dread hanging heavy in the air. 

They weren’t stupid, they were all aware of the reality of the situation. The Ignisians didn’t want to keep Wilbur alive out of the goodness of their hearts, but because he has something that they want. They didn’t know what that “something” was, but who knows what the Ignisians are willing to do to Wilbur to get it.

By the time Phil had hobbled back to their circle, his knuckles were bruised and had splinters sticking out of them. He drew in a breath and held it as he bent to sit down on one of the logs. Confirming what Techno had previously told him, Tommy noticed that Phil indeed had a pretty serious-looking wound on his right arm, with the old bandage snaking all the way from his wrist to the bicep. Apparently stray Ignisian-induced fire had caught it.

Honestly it was a miracle that Phil was the only one with a relatively major injury. Techno & Niki were unscathed, and Tommy only had a pair of scraped knees. And no casualties. Well, apart from maybe... 

The adults proceeded to discuss their next course of action, to which Tommy immediately zoned out on. Still wallowing in misery and self-pity, their entire conversation went by in a blur to him. However, he somehow managed to catch snippets, to which he connected the dots himself.

They needed to get to the Isles of Ender, that was one thing that they could all agree on. Their kingdom’s relationship with the End kingdom has always been significantly better than that with the Nether kingdom. By now, the Enders would have probably gotten news of the fall of the Aviant Empire, Phil was certain that they would be readily offered refuge if they sought for it.

The biggest stump in that plan was that the only known portal to the End was located in a stronghold underneath the Capital, which was at the moment swarming with bloodthirsty Ignisian soldiers. And looking for a different stronghold was out of the question, considering that Eyes of Ender (an object that allowed you to “see” the path to the nearest stronghold) required both an ender pearl and blaze powder to be made. Twelve of such Eyes were also the only essential items needed in order to actually activate the End portal.

Getting an ender pearl was relatively simple, granted there was danger in fighting an Enderman. The real problem was the blaze powder, which could only be obtained by grinding the inner fibres of a Blaze’s blaze rods. This particular monster could only be found in the Nether. And there was absolutely no way they were going to set a single foot in there.

It was at this roadblock did Niki speak up. She had two friends, she said, who lived in an abandoned stronghold somewhere out in the woods. Being adventurers, they were always prepared for anything, and definitely had the materials they required. Hell, they had even opened, and used, the End portal there multiple times before. Their stronghold wasn’t far, they could reach it by noon if they set off by wing in the morning, and Niki was confident that she knew the way. They could escape to the Isles using that End portal.

A few more concerns were brought up, to which Niki promptly resolved. Then it was final.

With the night coming down upon them, the sky had gotten significantly darker. Techno & Phil (despite his older son’s protest for him to rest) left to put up torches in order to light up the area. Niki rested a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, and shook him out of his daze. He jumped slightly at the sudden touch, raising his head to look at her.

“Hey,” Niki offered him a sad smile. “Looks like you’ll be getting both the adventures you wanted.”

>~~∆~~<

The sounds of crickets chirping rang through the air. Tommy tossed and turned from where he laid curled up on the ground. His grey cloak was draped over himself like a blanket. It was fucking freezing out there, and he couldn’t exactly hug his wings around himself like the others could. 

They didn’t start a campfire, and even put up minimal torches, just barely enough to ward off monsters. The light and smoke from fires any larger would practically broadcast their location to any Ignisian that was looking.

Tommy let out a soft groan and sat up, arching his back to loosen his aching muscles from lying on a hard surface. Light snoring could be heard from somewhere across from him. It was probably Phil, Techno had never been much of a snorer. But Tommy had no doubt that they were both fast asleep, having gone out like a light the moment they hit the ground. They deserved the rest, they were exhausted.

Honestly, Tommy was exhausted too. Everywhere was sore, and his eyelids felt like there were weights hanging off of them. He was so tired, he wanted to sleep so badly. To numb the pain, both physical and emotional, by succumbing to the abyss of obliviousness that is sleep.

But everytime he closed his eyes, the cracking of fire, the screams of his people- his own screams- would echo around in his head. And Wilbur would be there, appearing within the darkness behind his eyelids. Everytime, Tommy’s breath would heighten, his heartbeat becoming more rapid… until he couldn’t take it anymore and his eyes shot back open. Everything hurt so much that he wanted to cry, but he had no tears left to.

Tommy groggily pushed himself off the ground, catching sight of Phil and Techno’s dark outline curled up sleeping against a tree on the other side of the circle of logs. Niki had offered to take watch, saying that she would take the time to plan out their route tomorrow. She was probably somewhere around here, possibly wandered off a bit from camp. Tommy didn’t bother to ponder over her whereabouts.

He needed a walk, he needed to clear his head. Tommy stumbled over towards a torch which Phil had hung on an old Willow trunk, it was the furthest torch they had placed from camp centre. Vaguely recalling being told to not leave their circle of light, he stopped in his tracks, opting to stare at torch's flickering yellow flame. He grimaced at the sight. He probably would never see fire the same way again.

A soft rustling of leaves could be heard from the darkness beyond. Out of curiosity, and probably because his sleepy brain couldn’t think straight, Tommy decided to find out the cause of this sound. He walked further out into the shadows, away from the torch’s illumination.

Suddenly, there was a figure in front of him. Tommy’s slow brain took a while to comprehend this sudden change in his surroundings, so he just stood there, staring blankly. It looked… green? But it wasn’t a plant, plant’s didn’t have flesh or skin. It wasn’t an animal either, this was too… grotesque. And what animal stood up to nearly his height?

Tommy squinted, focusing his vision. On closer inspection, he realised that It stood on four legs, which were sharpened to look thorn-like at the ends, like a spider. It had no arms, with the outline of a rib cage poking out from its torso. Its bald head resembled a human skull, but there were black empty sockets where its eyes should have been, and its mouth hung open, with sharp teeth jutting out. It was covered entirely by cracked, green skin, with white pus seeping out from the cracks.

A Creeper

Tommy frowned as this thought somehow surfaced in his hazy mind. He had read about them before, from books in the castle library, and even seen one walking aimlessly in the distance from time to time. He had never been this up close to one though.

Upon noticing the human, the Creeper seemed to perk up. Its flesh started… moving, it rumbled, forming bumps all over its body which rose and sank like waves on the ocean. A soft but growing sizzling sound followed, as if it came from the Creeper’s core. Tommy stiffened, before slowly backing away. What's happening?

Suddenly, a sword was driven through the monster from behind and came jutting out at the front. The monster froze as the rumbling and sizzling ceased. The weapon was yanked out, and the creature sank to the ground. Tommy watched in horror, but also in a strange awe, as the whole thing began to melt . Its flesh, skin and bones dissolved into a disgusting, bubbling green goo, which seeped into the ground beneath them. Tommy felt bile rise into his mouth, he was going to be sick.

A hand grabbed his wrist and he tried to jerk away in shock, only to relax when he was met with a familiar face. It was Niki, she was probably the one who had killed the creeper. And she did not look happy.

“Follow. Now” She seethed in a whisper, pulling him away by the wrist.

Tommy took one last glance back at the dead monster as he was dragged back to camp. The green goo had begun to ” evaporate ”, turning into trickles of white gas which rose from the ground, and leaving behind small piles of grey powder. His nose wrinkled in disgust and he turned away.

As soon as they were back within the proximity of the torches’ light, Niki whipped around to face him and yelled, “What do you think you’re doing!? ”. Tommy gulped, suddenly fully awake again. Even in the dim lighting, he could see that her cheeks were flushed red. 

Niki quickly looked back to make sure she hadn’t stirred Techno and Phil from their sleep, before promptly diverting her attention back to Tommy when they hadn’t moved at all. They’d always been heavy sleepers. 

“Do you not understand what ”Don’t wander away from the light" means?!” Her voice had a noticeable dip in volume, but the impact was all the same. “You could’ve gotten hurt! Do you know nothing about how to act around monsters!?” She shrieked.

Tommy didn’t reply. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to people constantly worrying about him or anything anyways. Ehem- his wings- ehem. 

And if he were to be completely honest, no, he didn't really know how to deal with monsters. His family had never let him out of the Capital until literally just a few hours ago. The Capital, which was always brightly lit 24 hours around the clock, where monsters could never spawn. So the only "real" exposure he had with monsters were with “harmless” ones (like the small Slimes), or from reading about them or looking at drawings of them. 

Noticing his silence, Niki sighed, all previous fury now gone. She took a seat on one of the logs, and gestured at him to sit down next to her. “Look, I know you’re worried about Wilbur, we all are. But would Wilbur really want you to be stupid and run headfirst into an exploding chunk of meat?”

Oh, so those things exploded. Good to know.

And if Wilbur was here, he would probably have reacted similarly to how Niki had, killing it and pulling him away to be yelled at. But unlike Niki, after the scolding, Wilbur would then ruffle his hair, and taunt him about one thing or the other. Tommy’s heart clenched at the thought.

“We’re all hurting here. I saw Techno and Phil almost have a mental breakdown while they were putting up torches. And I… don’t even know if my parents are okay…” Her voice softened and cracked at the last part, but she quickly cleared her throat and continued, “ But, the only way for things to ever be okay again is to keep moving forward. If not for yourself, then maybe for those you care about?”

Guilt churned in Tommy’s stomach. Here he was, sitting idly by practically unable to function, while everyone else was going through the same thing, if not a worse situation than him. Phil and Techno had known Wilbur for longer than he had… and he hadn’t even thought about Niki’s family. Tommy curled his knees up to his chin. He felt selfish. Pathetic and selfish.

And it must have been written all over his face, because the next thing he knew, Niki was gently squeezing his shoulder. “Hey, hey, don’t feel guilty. You’re the only one of us who doesn’t have any memories of experiencing loss before. No one is blaming you.”

“It’s… okay to feel. It’s okay to hurt, it’s okay to- to grieve.” Tommy did not like the use of that word. “And everyone deals with bad things in different ways. It makes us human, to care about one another, to hurt when someone you care about gets hurt.”

Niki leaned back, blowing out air from her mouth. “Hell, even animals do it. Sometimes they travel in herds and live in packs, look out for one another, show pain for their deceased family. Living things are just meant to survive together, and I think there’s some magic in that.”

“What- what about monsters?” Tommy croaked, speaking for the first time since it had happened. 

The image of the Creeper from earlier flashed through his mind. “Do- do they..?”

“No. The monsters we fight lack a soul. They do not feel. They do not reproduce. They do not live .” A hint of a grim smile played on Niki’s lips. “They are the manifestation of animosity. They are the children of Taint, our opposites. They are the dark, and we are the light.”

There was a beat of silence as she let her words sink in.

“Okay, we got a little side-tracked. The point is, have as long as you need to take everything in. And when you’re ready, we’ll be here for you, as we’ve always been.” Niki smiled softly, “Everything’s going to be okay. We’re all in this together.”

With that, Niki moved to stand up, “Well, I should probably get back to-” Tommy’s hand shot up to grab her wrist, cutting her off.

“What is it?” She asked, looking down at him with worry in her eyes.

“Uh-” Tommy fumbled for words. Welp, too late to turn back now.

“It- it’s just that I feel so useless .” Words began gushing out, having been bottled up in his heart for so long. “I ruined everything ! I called out for Wilbur, which distracted him and caused him to get hurt in the first place! I was so stupid, I charged at them... Why the hell did I charge at them!? Why was I even there in the first place!? If I had just listened to you, Wilbur would’ve been the only one who Techno needed to save! It's all my fault! Wilbur could’ve been fine! He- he…”

Tommy’s voice began to crack as he sniffled, throat tightening. “What was I even thinking of achieving by going after Wilbur!? I just became a burden… I can’t save anyone! I’m useless, I can’t even fight like any of you can! I-”

“Tommy listen to me, what happened to Wilbur is not your fault. ." Niki cut him off, looking at him dead serious in the eye. "I mean, you knew exactly where Wilbur had been at the time, and I told Techno where you ran off to. If you hadn't gone to Wilbur, then Techno wouldn't have followed your path and found him. Then none of us would have any idea where he had been, or what had even happened to him. Now, there's at least reassurance in knowing, right? Plus... at least Wilbur had the comfort of seeing a familiar face before he got taken."

Tommy stayed silent, listening, wanting to believe her words through the doubt clouding his mind. 

"What I'm trying to say is that, you are not useless, Tommy. You are so stupidly brave, braver than I could ever be, and I admire you for that. But you want to get stronger, right? You want to learn how to fight, so... Why don’t I train you?” Niki asked softly.

Tommy slowly breathed in, trying to calm down from his outburst. “Wha-what?”

“You heard me.” She stood, and offered him a hand. "You said you didn’t know how to fight, but you want to learn right? I could teach you right now. I mean, I’ve got nothing else better to do while on watch, and I doubt you’ll be able to sleep. It won’t be much, but at least you’ll know the basics.”

She gave a reassuring smile, “And eventually, next time someone you care about gets hurt, they won't end up like Wilbur on your watch-"

"You make it sound like he's dead ." Tommy snapped, nerves from crying getting to him. "Wilbur's NOT dead."

"Tommy, of course he isn't dead, I didn't mean it like that." Niki whispered softly, her hand was still there. "He's somewhere out there, waiting for us, for you. And I bet that when you next see him, you’ll be able to do some of the saving.” 

Tommy looked at her outstretched hand. After a moment's hesitation, he took it. Niki helped him to his feet.

“Alright, now first things first, how familiar are you with a weapon like this?” ” Niki unsheathed her sword and handed it to Tommy. It was a simple, iron blade. Unenchanted.

“Not much.” Tommy altered his grip on the handle, the weight of the metal felt foriegn in his palms. “I’ve had combat training before, but nothing major and only with wooden swords.”

“Alright, let me see your stance.” He adjusted his footing and posture, Niki nodded.

“Not bad, but could definitely use some work.”

>~~∆~~<

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Asked Techno gruffly, using a hand to push away a tree branch as he ducked under it. Phil’s Netherite sword was strapped securely to his back, Techno being the best person to defend them if it came down to it. 

“It seems like we’re just walking in huge circles.”

Niki rolled her eyes, “Yes, I know where I’m going. We’re almost there, I think I recognised this area.”

Did she? Because all Tommy saw around them were trees and trees, and oh look! More trees. They could’ve passed by the same tree 5 times and he wouldn't have noticed, everything just looked the same.

After they had touched down from their flying trip (Techno carrying Tommy, with Phil’s arm injured and Niki exhausted from being up the whole night), they had been following Niki’s lead, wandering around for the past 10-or-so minutes, which may not sound like that bad. But with how sure of herself Niki sounded, it seemed like she could find it instantly. 

But no , now they had tired minds, tired wings (apart from Tommy), and tired legs. Great.

Tommy stumbled forward, almost crashing into a tree. God he was SO sick of trees. And so, so tired… he couldn't wait to find this stupid portal, get to the stupid End. And finally get some uninterrupted, nightmare-free sleep-

There was a sharp whizzing sound, followed by a yelp. Tommy heart leapt, turning to look back

There stood Phil, still as a statue, a bit of colour had drained from his face. Behind him, lodged a tree trunk, was an arrow, having just barely missed his head by a few inches.

The Complete Book of Records

Author : Anonymous

Category : Monsters - Creeper

Spawning Areas: Dimly lit areas in the Overworld

Characteristics/Appearance: Creepers have an average height of 5 feet 3 inches. They stand in a spider-like manner on four legs, with the base of their feet sharpened to resemble a thorn-like shape. It is unclear whether these “sharp” leg can be used as means of attack. Each leg measures an average of 2 feet.

From the torso up, the bone structure of a Creeper loosely resembles that of a human. Creepers have no arms, its rib cage and other bones can often be seen poking out from under their torso skin. They seem to have no other organs.

Although their head bears no hair, nose or ears, its skull shape is similar to that of a human. They have no eyes, only empty sockets, and a gaping mouth with sharp, jagged teeth jutting out. Due to their absence of sight, smell or hearing, it is unclear how Creepers know when they are in the presence of humans and other creatures. Though it is theorised that they could possibly be able to sense vibrations in the ground.

Like any other monster, Creepers are unable to reproduce. They do not need food, water or air to “live”

A Creeper’s flesh and skin are a green colour. Their skin is cracked and broken, with white pus-like substance seeping out from the cracks. Their flesh is infused with countless particles of grey gunpowder, which can be ignited to start an explosion. [see next section]

Attacks & Dangers posed: The flesh of a Creeper is infused with many particles of gunpowder. In the presence of a human (or when agitated), its inner-flesh will begin to flip and move. From the outside, it will look like they are “rumbling”, with bumps rising and falling rapidly like waves on their skin surface.

This movement of their flesh causes a lot of friction to be generated, which in turn drastically increases the Creeper’s body temperature. The high temperature will ignite the pockets of gunpowder in their system, which will create an explosion that will kill the Creeper itself. 

Anyone within 3 feet of a Creeper explosion will die, and within 5 feet will be injured.

A bite from a creeper (although unlikely) will almost definitely get infected.

After “Death”: Upon being killed, the body of a Creeper will begin to “melt”. Their flesh, skin and bones will all begin to disintegrate into a slimy green liquid seconds after being killed.

A minute after a Creeper’s “death”, their body’s green goo will start to evaporate into a white gas which wafts into the air above, leaving behind their grey gunpowder. The components of this green goo and white gas have yet to be studied.

After about five minutes, the whole body of the creeper will be gone. All that’s left of it will be piles of gunpowder.

Weaknesses: Being a creation of Taint, Creepers materialise from darkness and shadows, and hence are incredibly sensitive to light. However, they do not burn in light.

To kill a creeper, stabbing it anywhere through the trunk of the body usually works. Beheading, explosions, burning etc. are other methods that also get the job done.

Other Warnings: If possible, try not to engage a Creeper in close-range. It is best to shoot it down from a distance.

Next time on "Change the Fates' Design" 

.... 

Tommy saw red. Another one of his family hurt, another one of his family taken away from him.

This wasn't fair.

The Ignisian drew closer to his brother, flames danced across his arms menacingly. He brandished a Netherite sword. Techno’s Netherite sword.

....

Chapter Text

The Complete Book of Records

Author : Anonymous

Category : Monsters - Silverfish

Spawning Areas: Within the walls of Overworld Strongholds

Characteristics/Appearance: Silverfish are insect-like creatures. Their bodies are slightly elongated, and they have an average size similar to that of a Cockroach. They have a shiny silver, shell-like protective exoskeleton, with tendril-like antennae and tail. 

They move incredibly quickly on six legs, but are unable to fly.

Silverfish are found in nests within the walls of Strongholds. They always live in colonies.

They are resistant to fire or lava, heat and cold, and do not drown in water.

Like any other monster, Silverfish are unable to reproduce. They do not need food, water or oxygen to “live”. It is unclear why they even live in nests since they don’t even lay eggs.

Attacks & Dangers posed: To put it simply, being bitten by a Silverfish hurts like hell, it feels like fire in your veins, eating against your insides.

When alone, Silverfish pose little harm. Although their bite is venomous and may cause infection if not treated properly, a single Silverfish bite is usually nothing to worry about.

However, when attacking as a colony, Silverfish are a large threat. Multiple Silverfish bites within the same time frame have serious/severe effects on the body. Apart from pain and infection, such effects include (but are not limited to) muscle weakness, paralysis, muscle spasms, vomiting, nausea, hallucinations, and if not treated, eventual death.

A Silverfish bite will swell red around the edges, and may leak pus.

It is important to remember that Silverfish only become vicious if their nest is provoked, or if they feel threatened.

After “Death”: Upon being killed, Silverfish shells/bodies will remain undecomposed for a few days. But once this time is up, their bodies will disintegrate into wisps of grey smoke and return into the atmosphere.

Weaknesses: Being a creation of Taint, Silver materialise from darkness and shadows, and hence are incredibly sensitive to light. However, they do not burn in light, and are able to still spawn in the presence of light if it is within Stronghold walls 

Since Silverfish are resistant to them, using fire is useless. Stabbing them or crushing them may work, but is a hassle/too slow to do if their colony is collectively attacking. Your best bet is to get rid of them by using explosives, obliterating a bunch of them at the same time. Certain splash potions may also be effective in deterring/killing them.

Other Warnings: When in the vicinity of a Silverfish nest, do NOT mess with or attack the nest. Do not even go near the nest. When unprovoked, Silverfish are usually passive.

Phil stumbled back, startled. Everyone froze, four heads snapped up towards the general direction of the arrow’s source.

“Who’s there?” A feminine voice called out warily from beyond the clusters of leaves. 

Niki’s face immediately lit up at the sound, “Hey Puffy, it’s Niki!”

“Niki?” There was a soft rustling of leaves, initially from a distance away before slowly drawing closer. A woman, Puffy, dropped down from the branches above them. “Niki, you’re here!” She moved forward to give Niki a hug.

Puffy had on black combat boots, and wore a red coat with gold buttons, with a white undershirt and knee-length dark brown pants. A gold-rimmed brown pirate’s hat rested on her thick and long, curly white hair. She had by far the most vibrant pair of wings Tommy had ever seen, pastel and streaked with all the colours of the rainbow.

Noticing the other three people around, Puffy straightened, “Oh, Prince Techno, Prince Tommy, and King Philza,” She gave a slight bow, “It’s good to see you all safe as well.”

“No need for formalities, Puffy.” said Phil grimly, “I’m no king here.” She nodded in understanding.

"And you could've chosen a better way to reveal yourself to us." Techno grumbled, "Y'know, one that doesn't give us all a heart attack."

"Sorry- better to be safe than sorry, in case you guys were Ignis." Puffy said sheepishly, before gesturing at everyone to follow her. “Best not to be out in the open like this. I know for a fact that those hot-heads are still out looking for y’all. Come, let’s go inside.”

She eyed Niki, smirking. “It’s a few minutes walk away. You were more than just a bit off my dear,” said Puffy teasingly. 

Niki rolled her eyes, not bothering to think off a comeback. Four pairs of tired feet trudged behind Puffy as they weaved through the lush forest. 

“Me and Jack know what happened. I went out to investigate as soon as we saw smoke coming from the kingdom.” Said Puffy, filling in the silence of their trek.

“Jack wanted the two of us to evacuate to the End immediately once we were sure that the Empire had fallen. But I told him to wait in case someone like you-” She nudged Niki playfully with an elbow, “-came looking for an End portal.”

“I almost lost hope for that this morning, when I saw that Ignis had started barring Avians from leaving the kingdom. I didn’t expect Niki to drag the royal family along though.”

The news that his citizens were trapped, practically prisoners, within their own homes was disturbing, and made Tommy's skin crawl uncomfortably.

“Well, Niki said she knew a way to escape from here. So-” Techno shrugged, “Here we are.”

“Ah, gotcha,” said Puffy, “Where’s Prince Wilbur though?”

Tommy looked down at the ground. Phil pursed his lips, “Ignis took him… he’s not dead though.”

“Oh, uh, that’s rough- sorry about that.” Puffy got out difficulty upon realising that she had threaded on a sensitive topic. “I’m- uhm- sure he’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.” An awkward silence passed. “So... does the Isles know of what happened here?” Phil asked, trying to make conversation.

“Yeah they do. Jack took a quick trip to the End last night to inform the crown prince and his collective about the fall of the Empire. They took it surprisingly well. But they mentioned something about knowing something was off when they realised that the Empire’s End portal was closed from the Overworld’s side.” Puffy replied, running a hand through her hair.

“Jack’s down in the stronghold now by the way, he came back this morning to pack some stuff up before we officially move out.”

“Why did this Jack person go tell the crown prince?” Tommy asked in curiosity. Phil & Techno perked up at the sound of the youngest prince’s voice, surprised yet relieved that he had spoken. “What about the king or queen?”

“The End’s previous queen died from childbirth when the crown prince was born, and the king had passed just last year from sickness.” Answered Phil, “He's is still 17, and can only become king next year when he turns 18. So the Isles of Ender is currently led by a collective consisting of the crown prince, his adopted younger brother, and two of their father’s advisors.”

Tommy nodded, signalling that he understood. He never really kept up to date with news or affairs, especially those of other realms. Those were more of a Phil-Techno-Wilbur kind of business.

The Ender “king” was still 17, only a year older than him. Tommy couldn’t imagine having the weight of managing a kingdom shoved onto his own shoulders.

Their group took a shark turn into a totally different section of the forests. Tommy noticed that it was much denser here. The canopy overhead was thick and only allowed slivers of sunlight to peek through the cracks between its leaves, the foliages of trees grew so close to each other that he sometimes had to shimmy sideways in order to get through. The air was more humid too, musty and heavy to breath. A dark oak forest maybe? Tommy thought that he recognised the dark shade of the tree trunks.

Soon, they were being led towards a rocky crevice at the base of a mountain, hidden behind a thick growth of bushes. After a bit of shuffling and squirming, they all successfully made it to the other side of the crevice. Turns out, the other side was a surprisingly spacious, single “room” cave, with vines snaking down its walls. A single lighted torch was put up on a wall at the very back, probably to prevent any monsters from spawning.

“We are currently standing right above the stronghold,” Said Puffy, hurrying to the side of the cave where Tommy was standing, “There’s a button hidden on the wall somewhere here, it opens up the entrance.”

“How’d you guys even find this place?” Techno asked gruffly, “Strongholds are pretty hard to find, even if you do have the materials to do so. Plus, why’d you even bother coming all the way out in the middle of nowhere to find one when you could just use the community End portal back home?”

Home .Tommy thought fondly. What he wouldn’t give to be back there right now.

“Before Niki left to start her bakery business, me, Jack and her used to go on adventures together a lot. Y'know, like exploration trips, both inside and out of the Empire’s walls. Checking out different biomes, collecting treasure, discovering ancient ruins from the Founding era and whatnot.” Puffy’s eyes lit up in a longing nostalgia.

“We stumbled upon this place on one of those trips- Don’t bother asking for the specifics.” She snickered, “Let’s just say it involved creepers, pigs and a lot of fireworks.”

Niki smacked the other girl’s shoulder, “You promised that you wouldn’t ever bring that up again!”

Puffy laughed, “Hey, it’s not my fault that those pigs loved you so-”

“Anyways,” Niki interrupted, face blushing red as she avoided looking at the Puffy's smirking face, “Stronghold, portal, yes.”

“And that’s not even the weirdest thing that happened to us,” Puffy continued, ignoring Niki's glare, “You should’ve seen all the things the three of us got up to, drove all our parents crazy . I… I wonder how they're doing now…”

Tommy was standing the closest to Puffy, so he wasn’t sure if anyone else heard that last part, considering how softly she had mumbled it. Niki apparently had, since she reached a hand out to clench Puffy’s tightly.

His stomach churned at the thought. That’s right, along with Niki, Puffy & this Jack person were also Avians, they probably had family living in the Empire too. They must be worried sick for them. He hoped that their families were okay.

Puffy squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again, biting down hard on her lip as a hand swept against the wall, brushing some vines out of the way to reveal a small stone button. It was barely visible against the stone of a similar shade. She pressed it gingerly.

There was a whirring sound, coming from somewhere below them. Then came tapping as a section of the ground slid open into the wall. There left a gaping square-shaped hole at the corner of the cave. Tommy caught sight of a ladder, worn-out but sturdy-looking, that led down into darkness, into the stronghold .

When Puffy turned back to face them, she was back to her confident, cheery self. “Well, down we go."

>~~∆~~<

Tommy had been to the Aviant Empire’s community stronghold before, once, when he was younger. He barely remembered it.

The stronghold was located right below the castle, but the entrance to it could be found at the building’s side, just next to the stables. The stronghold was usually bustling with activity and business. With Avians and Enders alike hurrying back and forth, transporting supplies through the End portal from the Overworld to the End, and other supplies vice versa. There were also a small amount of people who would occasionaly hop between realms just for visitations and vacations.

It was a complete mess down there, but it was an organised mess.

Tommy couldn’t really remember where the community Nether portal had been, but he’d rather not think about that right now.

When he was 10, Phil brought him down to the stronghold to examine the Founders’ “intricate architecture” as a part of his studies. Hah, ”intricate”. Apparently old, cracked stone bricks stacked upon more stone bricks were now considered something worth marvelling at as ”intricate”. Good to know. (if it wasn’t obvious, 10-year-old Tommy thought the trip was pretty boring, something he came to regret thinking as he grew older, being cooped up and all that)

The Avians kept the interior of the stronghold and its End portal well-maintained. Despite wanting to preserve the Founders’ handiwork, they exactly couldn’t risk a large chunk of stone crumbling off the ceiling and falling onto some poor person doing their job could they? 

So a bunch of the more worn-out parts of the walls and ceiling were renovated and rebuilt. The end result was spot-clean hallways and polished stone brick floors. Even the Silverfish that once infested the walls had all been exterminated. Tommy had never seen the portal room before, but he was sure that it must’ve been equally spotless.

The stronghold they were currently in was nothing like the one back home.

That’s the first thing Tommy noticed as they followed Puffy down the maze-like hallways of the structure. 

For one thing, it was absolutely filthy. A layer of dust and grime seemed to coat every surface. Vines had invaded the walls and ceilings, and other vegetation sprung out from between the cracks of the floor. Some parts of the walls were also beginning to crumble due to decay. 

And Tommy always turned his head the other direction whenever he caught sight of the skittering thin legs of a Silverfish on a wall, nose crinkled. He never liked insects, they were disgusting. He had no idea how Puffy and Jack had the stomach to live here of all places.

Though as they neared their destination, he noticed that the surrounding conditions did gradually improve. Any dark green foliage on grey stone were less thick, and soon he saw no more Silverfish pests crawling across the walls. He also noticed that some sections of the place were rebuilt with a sturdier, less decrepit material. It was also much cleaner, more homely.

They rounded a corner, and were met with a long wide hallway, stretching at least 300 feet straight forward. Apart from the occasional torch that hung on the walls, it was completely empty. There was, however, a circular shaped doorway at the end of the corridor, leading to a separate room. From a distance peering into that room, Tommy could just make out a flight of stone stairs leading up to a flat pale-yellow & green platform.

The layout seemed familiar. And the sharp intake of breath from Techno beside him confirmed Tommy’s suspicions. It was the End portal room.

They had made it.

“Puffy! Niki! Hey!” A man burst out from an iron door at the side of the hallway which Tommy hadn’t noticed earlier. He looked not much older than Tommy, 18 at most.

“Jack!” Niki rushed over and enveloped him in a hug. “It’s so good to see you!”

Forget Puffy’s, Jack had the most coolest wings Tommy had ever seen. They were a dark cobalt blue at the base, with the colour slowly deepening into a red at the tips. When he moved around, the rustling of the feathers made the red of his wings look like essence of fire flickering on a hotter, blue source. He was dressed for practicality, simple black and blue striped tee with long green camo-pants.

“I’m so glad that you’re safe! It’s been rather boring around here without you.” Jack beamed, returning her gentle squeeze.

“Oh, Your Majesty, and Your Highnesses.” Jack greeted the royals with a slight bow.

Phil gave a wave and Techno a grunt in acknowledgment. Tommy merely cringed at the title. He never liked being addressed as “Your Highness” in any situation, especially not here, where it was just another stinging reminder of a once-was.

He wasn’t quite sure with what he felt about this Jack-fellow.

Jack glanced around, “Where’s…” Puffy shot him a knowing look. He swallowed and gave a firm nod, “I see.”

Now that the happy reunion was over, Jack swung around to walk back into the room he had come out of, “Well come on in! I was just doing some last packing of supplies, we can leave for the End right after.”

Inside was… not what Tommy had expected.

Its interior layout looked exactly like how he remembered the stronghold’s library back at the Empire, But here, the rows and rows of bookshelves were cleared out. And instead of old books, there were numerous chests, all left wide open and emptied.

“What… is this? Where did all the books go?” Phil breathed, sounding both in awe and shock.

“Oh, we gave them all away to the Enders to put in their Great Library a few months ago," Jack shrugged, “Those books were obviously ancient and valuable, full of runes and history and stuff. But we didn’t really need them. And the Enders could get more use out of them than we could, being the magic-brains and all that.”

“So we made the once-library into a storage room to keep all our supplies. As you can see, I’ve already finished packing up the stuff from the shelves, all that’s really left is food… which by the way, do the 4 of you want anything to eat? You can help yourselves.” Said Jack, gesturing to the handful of chest on the floor in the corner of the room, “ You guys look terrible.”

They did in fact, look terrible. None of them had had any real rest since the night before the attack. And having escaped with nothing but the clothes on their back and a single sword, they hadn’t had anything to eat since before then either. 

It was only at Jack words did Tommy finally feel the effects of the lack of food in his system. His stomach growled, it felt like it was chewing on itself from the inside out.

Phil, Techno and Niki had already gotten their hands onto something by the time Tommy reached a small chest in the corner. (Somehow Techno had found a potato, seriously, potatoes never catch a break from Techno). Tommy flipped open the lid, satisfied to see that a couple pieces of bread sat at the bottom.

He took one out and took a big bite. Bread was decent, it was enough to fill him up, but not too flavourful that it would mess with his food-deprived-stomach and make him feel sick. Tommy let out a sigh, closing his eyes to relax as he leaned back on the table behind him-

Wait, since when was there a table-

Tommy whipped around. Behind him was not a table, but a large purple cube, no bigger than a typical chest. Along its edges and rims, there were detailed decorative lines carved on its surface. 

Out of curiosity, he reached a hand out and tapped the side of the box. Only to immediately hop back with a yelp when the top began to slide open. Cautiously, Tommy peered down into the box only to see darkness, an abyss that had no beginning nor end.

What the-

“I see you found the shulker box.” A voice interrupted his thoughts. Tommy jumped, startled and looked back. Oh, it was just Jack.

“Oh whoops, sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” Said Jack sheepishly, pointing at the shulker box, as he called it. “Do you know what that is?”

Tommy had heard of Shulkers before, those weird shell monsters from the End, but not shulker boxes. So, no, he didn’t know what it was. Tommy shook his head.

“When I visited the End yesterday to inform them of the situation, the Enders were nice enough to lend me one of these things, to help with the transport of all our supplies.” Jack explained. “Along with some added-on enchantments, they’re made from the shells of dead Shulkers, hence the name shulker boxes.”

“Each shulker box is kinda like their own mini pocket dimension. See?” Jack reached his hand into the shulker box, and Tommy couldn’t help but let out a small gasp as his arm disappeared, melting into the darkness.

“You can put as much stuff as you want in here. And when you’re done, you can pick the whole thing up and move it somewhere, and all your stuff will move along with it. That reminds me…” Jack began to move his hand around in the void, as if rummaging through something. 

“I need to get an Eye of Ender. The portal’s already mostly filled, I took out an Eye from its slot to close it this morning, so just one is all we need to activate it again.” He pulled out, a palm-sized orb now sat in his hand. Its inside was cloudy, a dark green colour with lighter green vein-like projections spreading out from its center, where there was a black cat-eye-like slit. An Eye of Ender.

“This’ll do.” Jack smiled to himself and pocketed the Eye. “Wanna give it a try?”

“What?” Tommy blinked. He couldn’t possibly mean-

“Yeah, you’ve gotta admit it’s pretty cool right?” Said Jack encouragingly, “Go on. Reach inside and pick something out.”

Tommy gulped. He didn’t really want to, what if his hand detached itself of something? But then again, he didn’t want to appear like a pussy in front of someone he didn’t know very well more than he didn’t want to lose an arm. So…

He stuck a hand into the darkness.

Wow. Having a void hug his hand wasn’t painful in any way, it was more like a tingly feeling that dug deep into his bones. And… Jack really wasn’t lying when he said that there was a lot of stuff in there. Tommy could feel his hand brush over piles and piles of things just scattered all over the place- or void- voidplace?.

After some moving around, Tommy wrapped his fingers around something and pulled out. In his palms rested two orbs. The larger one was cool to the touch, like glass and looked a lot like an Eye of Ender, just without the light green veins. The smaller one had a rock-like texture, and was black, with sizzling orange lines on its surface.  

Jack whistled, “Woah, taking two things instead of one. Greedy huh?” He teased. “You know what Ender pearls and fire charges are?”

Tommy nodded. He did, in fact. Although he had never used either of them first hand, he had seen them in action before. When an Ender pearl broke open, it teleported the person who had the last contact with it to its place of impact. And a fire charge would explode into flames when cracked open.

“Well then, keep them.”

“Huh?” Tommy asked incredulously.

“I mean it. Fire charges are relatively easy to craft, if you’ve got blaze powder. And even though those Ender pearls were a pain to get- we are soo lucky Endermen are too dumb to notice if you sneak up on them by the way- there’ll be plenty in the End. So we aren’t really losing anything.” Jack said with a laugh. “Consider it a gift, the start of a new friendship.”

Tommy decided that he liked Jack.

“Thanks.” He smiled, and thrust them into the inner pocket of his coat.

“Now what-”

‘Shush.” Jack hushed him abruptly, suddenly going very, very still.

“What do you-”

“Shut up, trust me.” Jack snapped, Tommy looked at him, surprised to see that there was fear in his eyes. He complied and kept his mouth shut.

They fell into a silence. Seconds ticked by. The air around them began to feel... unnatural, wrong. 

“Do you hear that?” Whispered Jack, voice shuddering. Tommy nodded, eyes widening.

A muffled tap-tapping sound… footsteps? No one in the room was walking around though, all either sitting on the ground or leaning against a wall. And… why were they coming from outside? They were… getting louder, closer.

Shit.

The iron door slammed open. Everyone in the room froze, heads turned towards the figure at the doorway.

There stood a man, wingless, decked in shiny-purple, wielding a shiny-purple sword.

The Ignisian grinned, the outline of a smile could be seen from behind the red-yellow-black striped mask he wore. “Oops, am I late to the party?”

>~~∆~~<

All hell broke loose.

“GO! GET OUT OF HERE!” Techno yelled, charging forward with a flap of a wing and launching himself into the air. He barrelled into the man and pummeled him into the ground, away from the entrance.

Tommy stood still, blinking dumbly. Around him the rest were scrambling to their feet, barking instructions at each other in a panic. 

Ignis was here, Ignis had found them. They were supposed to have made it. They were supposed to be safe. How had Ignis found them?!

They must have been followed, Ignis must’ve seen them somehow. Shit shit shit-

A pair of arms lifted Tommy off from where he stood rooted to the ground, swinging him over his shoulder with a huff. The pair of blue-red wings on his carrier’s back told him that this was Jack. Jack was carrying him. 

His other hand was wrapped around the purple shulker box. All their valuables and belonging were in there, of course he couldn’t just leave it behind.

The half-eaten bread slipped out of Tommy’s grasp and tumbled to the ground, left behind and forgotten as Jack hauled him towards the iron door, where the rest of them had already gathered in a hurry.

Techno and the Ignisian were still brawling it out in the corner, with Techno trying in vain to pin the other to the ground. The Ignisian’s arms suddenly burst into flames. Techno snarled, rolling out of the way and onto his feet to avoid the heat, 

The Ignisian let out a laugh, cold and maniacal. He too pushed himself up, before swinging a flaming arm in a wide circle, sending waves of sizzling orange shooting through the air between them, towards Techno. 

The last thing Tommy saw was his brother holding the Netherite sword out in front of him, deflecting the heaps of flames with the fire-proof metal like a shield, before he was hoisted out of the room. They surged down the outside hallway, towards the portal room.

“What the hell!?” Tommy shouted, finally snapping out of his daze, “Why are we running? We can’t just leave Techno!”

Was it just him, or was there some serious deja vu going on right now? Tommy clenched his teeth at the painful memory. No, this wasn't like the day before, this was different.

Luckily, it seems like the man fighting Techno was on his own, since there were no other Ignisians surrounding them in the hallway. Niki, Puffy and Phil were sprinting ahead in front of them. 

It was too narrow to fly here.

“Keep it together, Tommy! We need to activate the portal, or else we won’t make it out of here!” Jack huffed. “Techno’s strong, he’ll catch up to us later. And he’s throwing himself right into the fire just to give us some time, so the most you can do for him right now is make use of it!”

Tommy hated how Jack was right. His nostrils flared, needing to take his frustration and worry out on something, “What are you still carrying me for then!? Put me down now! I can run on my own!”

“I’m sorry but I don’t exactly trust you to not run right back to Techno.” Jack panted, both the weight of the shulker box and Tommy was evidently slowing him down, but he still refused to put the younger boy down.

Underneath his panic, Tommy beyond livid. He squirmed and struggled to free himself from Jack’s grasp, uttering strings of colourful language.

There was a huge bang, like the sound of a door being kicked open. Tommy glanced up, and his heart leapt into his throat. His struggling grew more frantic.

The Ignisian stood at the doorway, holding Techno off the ground by the collar of his shirt. Techno looked incredibly worse for wear, with bruises littering his skin and a trickle of red streaming down the side of his face. Techno bared his teeth at the Ignisian, who merely smiled smugly, before his muscles tensed and he smashed Techno into the opposite wall.

The damn wall was ancient, it had already been struggling to hold itself up.

The wall caved in, crumbling into rough, jagged clumps of rock. The prince couldn't crawl out of the way in time, he couldn’t avoid the falling debris. His leg got caught under the rubble. Blood seeped out onto the ground, red pooling on the stone tiled floor.

Techno’s screams echoed down the hallway.

Time seemed to stop.

All of a sudden, Tommy saw Wilbur. Bloodied with a sword at his neck. Unconscious and limp on the ground. 

Techno trapped under heaps of rock, screaming in pain as blood pooled around him.

Tommy saw red. Another one of his family hurt, another one of his family taken away from him.

This wasn't fair.

The Ignisian drew closer to him, flames danced across his arms menacingly. He brandished a Netherite sword. Techno’s Netherite sword.

Wilbur, Techno. Techno, Wilbur.

I won't be useless this time. I won’t lose anyone else.

I won't lose another brother.

Tommy threw himself off Jack’s shoulders, rolling onto the ground back to his feet. Jack yelped in surprise.

“Tommy! WHAT ARE YOU-”

Tommy took off in the opposite direction, adrenaline rushing like waves through his veins, as he ignored the hollers and yells from Jack, and the other adults, behind him. He didn’t know how, but he was going to save Techno. He has to, he-

He caught a glimpse of a skitter of grey on the wall behind the Ignition. An idea popped into Tommy’s mind.

A hand reached into his coat’s pocket and he pulled out a familiar black and orange-striped orb. The fire charge Jack had gifted him just moments ago.

It sizzled upon touch, but didn’t burn his hand. With a heave, Tommy swung his arms and threw it forward with as much strength as he could muster.

It soared through the air… right past the Ignisian, exploding into torrents of flames in the wall behind him. The fire charge’s fire licked the Ignisian’s back, not affecting him at all. The man turned to look at Tommy, that annoying smug smile still on his face.

He had missed…

Except, he hadn't miss. Tommy smiled knowingly, and continued his dash towards Techno. Behind the Ignisian, swarms of Silverfish crawled out of the exploded wall, emerging from the flames.

Hundreds, thousands of the silver insects, scampering across the ground, towards the Ignisian, up his leg. The man yelped, swinging his –Techno’s– sword around wildly, in a pitiful attempt to swat them away. 

The Ignisian’s yelps eventually morphed into shrieks, letting Tommy know that he had been bitten.

“To put it simply, being bitten by a Silverfish hurts like hell, it feels like fire in your veins, eating against your insides.”

“When attacking as a colony, Silverfish are something to be wary of. Multiple Silverfish bites within the same time frame have serious/severe effects on the body.”

“It is important to remember that Silverfish become vicious if their nest is provoked”

Tommy had probably read about Silverfish in some old book in their castle’s library years ago. He didn't know how or why this random information had found its way into his brain just when he had needed it the most. 

All he knew was that he was damn well going to use it. 

Well, he also knew that there was a nest in that wall when he caught sight of a Silverfish running along its surface. And that because the Ignisian was standing the closest to that wall, he would be seen as the enemy, as the sole target. The prey.

Tommy grinned triumphantly, only to have that smile wiped off his face as he arrived at Techno’s side. His brother’s condition looked so, so much worse up close. 

His pink hair was matted and soaked in red, the same shade as the ground around him. On his back, his shirt had a long stripe charred black and singed through, with flesh red and blistering beneath. 

Tommy didn't like seeing Techno like this. His older brother was supposed to be strong, fearless, a protector. Not like this, weak, soaked in red.

Techno’s eyes were closed, but to Tommy’s relief, his brother groaned when he neared his limp body. He seemed to be teetering along the edge of unconsciousness.

He was also well and truly stuck under the piles of rocky rubble. There was absolutely no way Tommy would be able to free him without hurting him further. Which means the only way to get Techno out of there would be…

Tommy reached back into his cloak pocket and pulled out Jack’s second gift to him, the Ender pearl. He grabbed onto Techno’s arm, before raising his hand and throwing the pearl towards the portal room as hard as he could.

You've saved me once, big man. Now I'll return the favour.

Behind him, the Ignisian’s screams had subsided into moans of agony, too exhausted to make a noise any louder. He crumbled, twitching on the ground, just as Tommy and Techno blinked away.

Tommy felt weightless, like he was floating in nothing. There was just darkness. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t breath, he couldn’t think. As though his consciousness had just been ripped from his body.

A split second later, he found himself collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. Note to self, he did not like that, he did not like that at all. Teleporting? Not fun.

Hands came into view, urgent yet concerned, grabbing onto Tommy’s arms, hauling him to his feet. He wobbled uneasily, trying to adjust to the spinning world, before eventually regaining his balance. The hands –Niki, he realised– gently guided him up a flight of steps. The End portal steps.

From the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of Techno, being heaved up by Phil, Puffy and Jack. His leg, the leg that had been trapped under the debris, was twisted unnaturally, painfully. 

Tommy’s insides lurched. At least he’s safe, at least he’s alive. He thought, as he reached the top of the steps. His legs trembled, barely able to support his own weight any longer.

Before him was a square, pale-yellow frame, held together by dark green metal wiring, with a width of about 10 feet on each side. Twelve glowing green Eyes of Ender were slotted into the frame, three on each side, surrounding the centre, which was just a dark, pitch black void. Within the dark were specks of light that shimmered like the stars in the sky.

Tommy gulped, momentarily glancing at Niki apprehensively. 

Niki smiled, squeezing his shoulders gently in reassurance. “Go on, it’s okay, we’ll be right behind you.”

Tommy pursed his lips, and gave a terse nod, turning to face forward. He took in a deep breath and jumped.

A tingling sensation spread throughout his body, deep into his bones, as the abyss swallowed him.

>~~∆~~<

Sounds and sensations flickered in and out. There were voices, many of them, enough to fill a crowd. He couldn’t make them out exactly, words contorted together, until only something garbled reached his ears.

Tommy groaned, eyes blinking open. The dirt was… yellow. Since when was dirt yellow? 

“Hey,” A voice rang out, clear, separate from the mumbling. 

Tommy looked up, his vision zoomed in and out of focus, until eventually, he could make out a face of a boy. A young one, probably around his own age. The boy had brown hair and blue eyes. 

But his most prominent feature was a patch of skin on his face, stretching from his left ear, across his nose all the way down to the bottom right side of his jaw. An irregularly-shaped, dark purple mark.

A dark purple mark, a mark of an Ender. Tommy remembered through the haze of his mind.

Around him, Tommy could see that the rest of his group was also coming to, stirring up to a sitting or standing position. There was a crowd of people, all with similar dark purple skin patches, surrounding them, watching them and murmuring among themselves. In the distance, he could make out numerous, light-purple skyscraper-like towers.

Had- had they made it?

“Hello,” The brown-haired boy said again, snapping Tommy’s attention back to him. 

“We over here were expecting you guys. I’m guessing you’re Prince Tommy of the Avian Empire?” The boy asked, reaching a hand out to Tommy, offering to help him up.

“My name is Tubbo, I am the crown prince of the End.” The boy smiled.

“Welcome to the Isles of Ender.”

Next time on "Change the Fates' Design" 

....

Wilbur pursed his lips, eyes darting between the food and Sapnap, unmoving, silent.

“What? Cat got your tongue? It’s not spiked, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He bent down, broke off a small piece of the bread and popped it into his mouth, “See? Not spiked.”

Wilbur just continued to glare at him, mouth shut tight.

Sapnap sighed, “Look dude, I just wanna have a civilised conversation with you. If you’re not up to eating, that’s fine by me, but you’re going to have to eventually. And I’m not going to hurt you or anything, I wouldn’t do that even if I was allowed to.”
....

Chapter Text

They say that hell can be described in two words, heat and despair.

Some say that the Nether can almost quite literally be synonymous to hell. Wilbur had always thought those rumours were ridiculous, an over exaggeration really. But right now, honestly they kinda made sense.

What woke him wasn’t the loud incessant shouting that came from the floor above, or the sharp clanging of clashing blades from somewhere in the distance, or even the intense throbbing at one side of his head that felt like the worst migraine he’s ever had.

No, instead, what brought him back into the waking world were the torrents of dry, pulsating heat that slammed into his being. It made his skin crawl and itch, stinging with uncomfortable pin pricks everywhere. Sweat had already thoroughly seeped through and soaked his shirt, leaving it slick and sticky against his skin. The ground and wall beneath him were warm, almost burning, to the touch.

Wilbur groaned and lolled his head to the side, squeezing his eyes shut and wincing at the ache in his neck from having been in that awkward position for so long. He took a few deep breaths, in and out, taking a few moments to adjust to the fiery hotness enveloping him.

Ugh everything hurts... And why the fuck is it so hot? My room isn’t usually this hot. What the fuck did Tommy do again... 

Wait- why am I waking up on the ground? Moving to sit up from where he had been slouched against the wall, he felt layers of shidting bandages wrapped around his torso under his shirt. Wilbur’s eyes blinked open and his heart screeched to a stop. 

He was in a cell. There wasn’t a lot of space, he guessed that if he stood upright with both hands raised in a T-shape his fingertips would just barely be able to touch the opposite walls. In front of him, instead of a wall was a barricade of iron bars, on the outside opposite him, was another cell, empty. And the other three walls, ceiling and floor, were made of the same dark-red material, Netherbrick.

Just like that, memories came crashing down like a tidal wave on a mission to wipe out a city.

His and his brother’s birthday. The festival. Singing to himself under the L’mantree.

Explosions of fire out of nowhere. The castle on fire, the kingdom under attack. Screams ringing in the air.

Being ambushed under the L’mantree. A sword to his neck, blood at his side. Pain. And at the very end, somewhere within the impending darkness, there was a child.

Tommy. 

Wilbur jerked upwards, only to be held back by something tugging on his hands followed by a soft clinking sound. He looked down, and realised that he was chained to the wall. The metal bands around his wrists were searing hot, but he barely felt them at all what with the cascade of thoughts that were rapidly surging through his mind. 

Tommy, where’s Tommy? Wilbur’s eyes darted around the cell, affirming to himself that he was indeed alone.

Tommy had been there. He had been there and he was being pinned to the ground. Wilbur remembered, in fact that was one of the last things he remembered before he blacked out. The Ignisians had both him and Tommy trapped, overpowered. As much as didn’t want to believe it, there was no way that Tommy had been able to escape. He must have been captured as well, so where was he?

What about Techno? Phil? Where are they? Thought Wilbur, as dread crawled up his spin. He hadn’t seen them at all during the attack. Surely they must be alright, surely they must be safe, surely-

Wilbur whimpered and curled in on himself, bringing his knees up to his chest, unshed tears welling up in his eyes. The initial feeling of panic had washed away, and was now replaced with forlorn. He was torn between wanting to be the strong older brother for Tommy- wherever he may be- and wanting to go back to being a child, to simpler times. When all he had to do was rely on Techno and Phil’s lead.

None of this should’ve happened, it was supposed to be his day, his birthday , a day of joy and celebration and surrounded by people he loved and who loved him. Not this. This should’ve been a nightmare, something dreaded and scary, but distant and impossible. Not real, this shouldn’t be real .

Except it was, it was real. The Empire had lost. He had been captured. His family were nowhere to be seen, and he was so very alone.

There was a clanging sound as the iron-barred door of the cell dragged open. Wilbur immediately uncurled himself and sat, refusing to appear small or weak to the Ignisian who had walked in despite how he felt inside.

Considering how he wasn’t used to seeing Ignisians without armour on, Wilbur thought that his visitor looked rather strange, and also rather familiar. Black hair with white bandana, Sapnap, his name was? 

Anyways, Sapnap wore a white hoodie with a flame design at the centre, two daggers- not Netherite- sheathed into his belt. In one hand, he held a decently sized waterskin. And in the other, a wooden bowl with two pieces of bread in them.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Sapnap remarked, placing the bowl and waterskin beside Wilbur’s feet, “That’s good, I was hoping to be able to talk to you. But you should eat up first.”

Wilbur pursed his lips, eyes darting between the food and Sapnap, unmoving, silent.

“What? Cat got your tongue? It’s not spiked, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He bent down, broke off a small piece of the bread and popped it into his mouth, “See? Not spiked.”

Wilbur just continued to glare at him, mouth shut tight.

Sapnap sighed, “Look dude, I just wanna have a civilised conversation with you. If you’re not up to eating, that’s fine by me, but you’re going to have to eventually. And I’m not going to hurt you or anything, I wouldn’t do that even if I was allowed to.”

Silence.

“Ugh, how about this. To prove that I don’t have any ulterior motive-” Sapnap plopped down and sat crossed-legged in front of Wilbur, “Ask me anything, and I’ll answer it the best I can. Go on, come at me.”

Wilbur looked him over, eyes flaring with suspicion. Sapnap could just lie, there was nothing stopping him from it. But at least some answers, even untrue ones, would be better than none at all. So eventually, his lips parted, “Where’s Tommy?”

God he sounded horrible, voice all broken and raspy. His eyes momentarily darted to the waterskin on the ground. He probably should drink something. His throat was so dry, he hadn’t drunk anything in god-knows how long, and he’s probably already lost so much water with the sheer rivers that he’s been sweating.

“Your brother?” Sapnap raised an eyebrow and shrugged “Beats me. He skedaddled away along with that other prince and the king.”

Relief flooded into Wilbur’s chest, but he quickly pushed it down and kept his face neutral, not wanting to give himself false hope (or show it). “Tommy, Techno and Phil… escaped? But- Tommy was right there, how-”

“How could we not have got him? Your brother Techno swooped in and snagged him without even trying to fight with us. Gotta give it to the guy, he a smart one, we would’ve gotten all three of you if he tried anything.” Said Sapnap, letting out a chuckle.

“Though Punz was absolutely furious when they managed to escape, he would not stop grumbling to us about it.” Sapnap shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not that bummed that we didn’t manage to get all four of you, and I think Dream and George feel the same way. We only need one of you anyways, for the time being at least.”

Good, that’s good. Wilbur wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what they needed him for , but at least his family were okay. At least they’re safe, away from here. “Hold on- How long has it been? How long have I been passed out for?”

“It’s midday right now- though there isn’t really night or daytime here in the Nether- The invasion was yesterday.” Sapnap replied. Really? He’s only been out for less than a day? God with his body aching all over and with how sluggish his limbs felt, Wilbur was surprised he hadn’t gone through hibernation and back.

“Which reminds me, you should probably drink something. Your voice sounds terrible, and I can’t have you dying on me from dehydration.” Sapnap picked up the waterskin and offered it to Wilbur, “Unlike you guys, we don’t need to drink water, and it vaporizes real quick here. So water’s hard to come across around here. I had to go through a lot of trouble to get this, I spent the whole morning trying to convince the potion makers to hand over some of their supply.”

Wilbur eyed the outstretched hand which was offering him water, wariness growing within him once again. He didn’t think that it was poisoned, if Sapnap wanted to kill him, there were other ways that weren’t quite as troublesome, like stabbing him. And if the “water” was anything else, Sapnap could just force it down his throat right now, or even simply fed it to him when he had been unconscious. 

“Why are you being so goddamn… nice ?” Wilbur snatched the waterskin out of Sapnap’s hand, but didn’t open it to drink. “You came in here, gave me water and food, and is having a fucking conversation with me like we’re good old friends or some shit.” He fumed, “You and your people fucking destroyed my home and locked me up goddammit! I’m your enemy, so stop acting all friendly!”

Sapnap blinked, before letting out a low laugh.

“Don’t get me wrong, Wilbur, I don’t like you, at  all. In fact, I absolutely despise you. You and your family, for all the things you guys have done to my people.”

Wilbur’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, unsure about what these “things” they had  supposedly done were. But Sapnap didn’t seem to notice. He huffed and leaned against the wall, his face now contorted in an uncomfortable grimace. 

“But… as much as I hate you, and as much as I think that you deserve to be here, I don’t think that this should be torture , y’know? I don’t think anyone deserved that, not even your family.”

Ok now Wilbur was mad. This guy had the audacity to say that Wilbur’s family had done unforgivable things when it was his people who had pillaged a whole kingdom!?

“Oh cut all your righteous bullcrap.” Wilbur seethed, jaw clenching tight, “ Excuse me , how dare you accuse my family of such things when you’re the ones who interrupted the peace we’ve had for centuries. Your kingdom has always treated everyone else with hostility, while mine has been nothing my friendly to yours.”

“HAH, friendly !?” Sapnap leaned back against the wall, letting out a mocking laugh, “You’re calling me the self-righteous one. Don’t play dumb with me. You’re deluding yourself if you say the Empire has done nothing wrong. Friendly, what a joke- You know what you guys did.”

Sapnap whistled, upon noticing a hint of confusion creeping into Wilbur’s expression of distrust and anger, “ Wow , you really have no idea huh. Guess you really are clueless.”

“Clueless about what ?” Hissed Wilbur.

Sapnap straightened, looking at the other dead serious in the eye, “Wilbur, Ignis has been in famine for more than a decade . Children are starving to death on the streets, countless people are just skin and bones, struggling to get by, all because of your family , Wilbur.”

Wilbur's mouth opened to let out a dry laugh. Surely this must be a joke, right? His family- Phil would never do such a thing. They had loads of food back home, loads to share. Starving a whole other kingdom? Starving innocent people ?! His kingdom weren’t about that. Surely Sapnap was lying.

The hard line that the Ignisian’s lips were pressed into told him otherwise

“Wha-what do you mean?” Asked Wilbur, uncertain.

“It means what I said it meant,” Sapnap rolled his eyes, “Even after multiple requests, pleas and attempts, the Empire hasn’t been supplying us with enough food for years . And when we threatened to cut off our supply of weapons and other resources to your kingdom if you didn’t increase it, you guys just threatened back to cut off the food supply entirely. And well, the Empire has enough weapons already, they could make do without new ones for a while. But Ignis definitely couldn’t survive without any food.”

“You're lying. I don’t believe you.” Wilbur frowned, “I’ve never heard of such things. I’ve been to the food storage warehouses. I’ve seen and helped with the food trade before. Ignis had always gotten the same amount of food as the Isles have.”

“Hah, did you ever think, Wilbur.” Sapnap breathed, fists clenched tight at his side, “Sure, we may have gotten as much food as the Isles have. But the End has a population of around 4.6 mil, whereas Ignis has one of 8.2, almost twice the number of people!”

“The Nether isn’t like the End, they harvest their own Chorus fruit over there. We have no other safe way of getting food. What do you expect us to do? Eat the bacteria-infested, rotten mushrooms that grow in the wild here? Or expect literal villagers and civilians to risk their lives fighting huge feral hogs in order to get their meat?”

“So since the Empire has been pushing us around for so long, not heeding our ancestors’ deal, not giving us what we need to live .” Sapnap huffed, “We finally decided to barg in, and take it ourselves.”

They were met with a heavy silence. Wilbur suddenly grew increasingly aware of the thick air of heat around him, gnawing at his throat, suffocating him. His breaths grew laboured. 

As much as Wilbur wants to deny it, what- what Sapnap said has to be true. The look on the other’s face was one of such genuine passion, anguish and… and pain. Unless Sapnap just happened to be a master manipulator, there’s no way he would be able to fake raw hurt of that intensity.

But… surely not. Surely Phil hasn’t been doing all this, or rather, not doing anything. Surely Phil hasn’t let all this happen behind his back, hasn’t been lying to him. Surely Phil must be unaware as well, right? Right?

“Even if everything you just said is true,” Said Wilbur slowly, failing in his attempt to appear unfazed, “So- that’s it then? You invaded the Empire for the sole reason of getting food ? Really?”

“I find that kinda hard to believe, y’know. Why did you guys take me then? Why am I here? You’ve won, you’ve gotten your dumb food. My family’s long gone, they aren't bothering you, so I might as well be let go to find them, and be out of your hair.” Wilbur huffed.

“Seriously dude?” Sapnap raised an eyebrow, “Nice try, but we both know that’s not going to happen.”

“Worth a shot,” Wilbur shrugged, “By really though, what… What are you going to do about my family? And why am I here?”

Sapnap blew air out of his mouth, “I’m not sure what the game plan for them is, but I know that Dream sent out a few search parties to look for them out in the woods they ran off to. We’ve got no word from them so far. As for why you’re here…”

Sapnap seemed to shrink, slouching down as his eyes darted away from Wilbur, avoiding eye contact, “Look, I’m not entirely sure if I’m allowed to tell you about this. Technically I was ordered to just give you the food and water and then leave. But… I think that you deserve to be warned.”

Wilbur froze, biting down hard on his lip. Warned about what?

“You’re right though, getting food isn’t the only reason we decided to invade the Empire… We want something else that your kingdom has.” Sapnap ran a nervous hand through his hair, “Either tomorrow, or in a few hours, they’ll come interrogate you, demanding for the location of it. I just wanted to warn you that-”

“H-hold on,” Wilbur cut him off, voice cracking slightly. “What is this it that you’re talking about?”

Sapnap paused, as if contemplating if he should say it, before he gulped and replied, “It's the Flame. We want your kingdom’s Flame.”

All of a sudden, for a moment time seemed to stop. Everything became numb. He could no longer feel the pulsating heat against his skin, not the throbbing pain all over his body. All he felt were Sapnap words, reverberating like an echo within his head. The Flame.

The Eternal Flame, his kingdom’s Eternal Flame. It was the Empire’s source of magic, source of life. Without it, light would cease to exist, his kingdom would become shrouded in darkness… And nothing would stand between his people, and the monsters’ wrath. Time would regress, back to a before, back to the Founding era.

If the Ignisians took the Flame, so many of his people would die.

Why did the Ignisians want the Empire’s Flame? They had their own. Could they possibly just hate the Avians so much that they wish to see his entire kind suffer? 

But before Wilbur could get those questions out, Sapnap spoke up.

“I’m warning you, they want the location of your kingdom’s Flame desperately . And I know what lengths they’re willing to go in order to get that information from you. Just because I disapprove of torture , doesn’t mean they all do.” Sapnap took in a deep breath, seeming flustered. Ice crawled through Wilbur’s veins at the use of that word,

“George is like me, he doesn’t really like gruesome methods either, you don’t have to worry about him. Though he is currently out leading a squad to defend one of the outer villages from a Ghast attack.” Sapnap continued, speaking rapidly. “Now Punz is the one you need to be careful of. That motherfucker is ruthless, he has some serious bloodlust going on. Honestly he needs to see a doctor or something-”

“Though, you’re lucky that Dream is the higher ranking than Punz, so he has the last word in all this, besides the king of course,” Sapnap visibly grimaced, “Dream doesn’t have anything against such methods, but he won’t do anything if he doesn’t have to. So if you just be good and give them the information they want, you probably won’t get hurt.”

Loud yelling could be heard coming from above. Sapnap’s head turned towards the direction of the sound, he cursed under his breath before quickly hoping to his feet. “God I’ve been here for too long, they might start questioning.”

He turned towards Wilbur, who was still staring back dumbfounded. “I’m not sure if I’ll be here when they come to interrogate you… and I’ll try to convince them against using any extreme methods, but there’s only so much I can do. So If you want what’s best for yourself... please just listen to what I said and tell them what you know.”

With that, Sapnap turned towards the metal bars, preparing to leave, “Alright, I should go. I suggest you eat that bread by the way, wouldn’t wanna waste food that some starving citizen out there would kill for-”

“Now wait wait wait wait wait- Hold on for a second.” Said Wilbur hastily, stopping Sapnap in his tracks, who looked back at him over a shoulder. “I… appreciate the warning and everything… and I think I’ll keep what you said in mind…” Wilbur gulped, shuddering at the thought.

“But, isn’t there a bigger elephant in the room here? You go on and on about how you guys want my kingdom’s Flame… But what do you need ours for? Don’t you have your own?”

Sapnap blinked, “Oh yeah, I guess I did miss out that part.”

He sighed, dragging a palm down his face, “Well, remember when I said George was out defending a village from Ghast attacks?” He waited for Wilbur’s nod before continuing.

“Yeah, well that’s the thing. Our villages normally don’t get attacked by monsters. But they’ve become more and more frequent recently, especially in the outer districts. The fact that they’re even able to get close indicates that the magical charm that had been casted on Ignis’ lands centuries ago by late Enders have been broken.”

Wilbur’s stomach lurched, growing uneasy. Magic here was…breaking? That could only mean…

“That’s right,” Sapnap confirmed upon seeing the look on Wilbur’s face. His own expression was one of grim, contorted in a grimace.

“Wilbur, Ignis’ Eternal Flame is dying.”

The Complete Book of Records

Author : Anonymous 

Category : Factions - The City of Ignis 

Date Active : Year 0000 - Present Day 

Population : ~8.18 million (Last updated Year XX34) 

Alies: The Aviant Empire & The Isles of Ender

Current Ruling Power: King Schlatt Scaldor III (Last updated Year XX26

Location of Eternal Flame: In the Vault under Central Nether Fortress

Specialisation: The City of Ignis - more casually referred to as "Ignis"- take pride in their exceptional combat and swordplay, as well as their aptitude for blacksmithing and weapon-craft. Hence, they are mainly responsible for the forging and supplying of weapons & other defences to the Overworld & End realms, to be used as protection against monsters and any other of Taint’s dangers.

Since many of the Nether’s resources are needed for potion-making, something the Enders specialise in, Ignis also provides the Isles of Ender with any such ingredients needed for brewery. Such materials may also be catered to the Aviant Empire if needed/requested. 

Due to the abundance of gold found beneath the grounds and even within the walls of the Nether, Ignis may also be called upon for gold supplies if those from the Overworld’s mines are insufficient.

People: Like Avians and Enders, the people of the City of Ignis, also known as Ignisians, closely resemble the appearance of humans from the Founding Era. However, unlike Avians, who have wings, or Enders, who have black markings across their skin, Ignisians do not have any remarkable outward appearance that make them particularly stand out.

Ignisians are pyrokinetics, they have the ability to generate and manipulate fire. They are resistant to fire, smoke, and are able to withstand high temperatures in which Avians & Enders are unable to. It is unclear what the maximum temperature Ignisians can endure is, but the highest ever recorded is ~4500˙C.

Young Ignisians first manifest their powers at an average age of 7-9 years old. It is during this “puberty” stage is when they undergo something known as Sparking, in which their fire is wild and uncontrollable. Some signs of Sparking include (but are not limited to) spontaneous combustion of body, involuntary sparks or explosion of fire shooting out from body, unintentional lighting up or setting fire to surroundings etc. Sparking usually stops as their powers stabilise a year after they had developed.

Geography : The City of Ignis consists of numerous caves & caverns, cliffs, valleys, forests, lava lakes etc. There is no definite border in place that marks the kingdom’s territory, hence Ignis's exact total land area is unclear, however it is estimated to be ~950 square miles. Anything beyond the “border” are treacherous uninhabited lands, most of which have not been explored due to the ever-looming danger of monsters.

At the center of Ignis lies the central Nether Fortress, which serves as a “castle” to the residing ruler. The Fortress is located at the side of a vast lava lake, which measures ~2 square miles in area. Above the surface of this lava lake there is a town, which has a foundation made up of platforms held up by stilts and pillars. Although Ignis has no official capital, this town is the closest thing to one, with most of the wealthier people residing there.

The Fortress is the only structure within Ignis that is made of Netherbrick, due to how difficult it is to obtain this material. Houses and structures located in the central town are made of either white Quartz or Blackstone. While for outskirt towns and villages, they are built either with stone, or with Crimson and Warped wood from Warped Forest tree bark.

Regardless of profession or social status, any and all Ignisians are free to travel across the kingdom, and even out of the Ignis’s “borders” (if they dare to do so), whenever they please. However, few from the outskirt villages ever choose to do so, as if they do not own horses or Striders, travel is incredibly slow and difficult.

Shortly after the end of the Founding era, early Enders aided the Ignisians in warding off monsters and creatures that may pose a threat to the safety of the people. These Enders casted an enchanted on all claimed Ignis land (much like the one casted in the Isles of Ender). This enchantment serves as a deterrent against monsters, and prevents them from spawning in, or even getting into close proximity of Ignisian towns and villages.

History: The people of Ignis are the descendants of the early Founders who threw the first punch which started the original war. As a result of their hostility and provocative actions during the war, these Founders had been sent by Magic to live in the harshest realm as punishment. 

In the beginning, Ignisians struggled greatly to survive against the Nether’s unforgiving climate and deadly creatures, many died. But eventually, with Magic’s gifts, they managed to pull through and formed the City of Ignis.

[for more information, turn to Section: General History - xxxx] 

Next time on "Change the Fates' Design" 

....

He didn't want to be hated, or feared, or anyone's enemy. He didn't want to be a monster.

But maybe... maybe life was just unfair. Maybe he didn't have a choice. And if he wanted to help his people, his family, maybe he'll be the very thing they saw him as.

Even if it meant losing himself, even if it meant being the villain of this story.

So even as guilt and dread churned in his gut, his steps forward were unwavering, determined.

With a deep breath, Dream accepted the fire charges from Schlatt's outstretched hand.

....