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Of course they run out of food while in a Nether Fortress. And of course Philza is on low health at this time. And of course he got attacked by a Wither Skeleton he didn't notice.
"Phil! Phil take out your Totem!"
Of course Ranboo would fuss over him. He was used to people fussing over him. But it was fine! He was the Hardcore master, after all. He knows a thing or two about dodging Death. He's been doing it for centuries.
So he put off taking out the Totem. He snickered as he watch the Enderman Hybrid squirm.
"Phil."
"Yeah?"
"Phil."
"Yeah?"
"Phil."
"Yeah?"
"Phil."
"Yeah?"
"Phil--"
In a practiced move, he reached into his inventory and pulled out the Totem given to him by Ranboo. The area around them dazzled with gorgeous emerald and golden light as the Wither Effect was purged from the winged man's body. New life surged through him as his veins pulsed with a golden glow.
Ranboo let out a sigh of relief. "Phil, you scared me."
"I knew what I was doing, mate. No need to worry."
"Oh please. Plenty of need to worry."
The kid nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden introduction of a powerful feminine voice. For his part, Philza was only pleasantly surprised.
A woman rose from Phil's shadow. Her kind face was lightly covered by a veil, and her flowing dress was as black as the void. The air around them became cold enough for Ranboo to see his breath despite being in the Nether. The woman wrapped her arms around Phil from behind in a sweet embrace. The winged man leaned into it, turning slightly to lift the veil to press a sweet little kiss to her cheek. She rolled her eyes at him and draped the veil so that it covered them both. She shifted so that they could properly kiss each other.
For his part, Ranboo felt like he was intruding. The sight before him seemed so personal, and he felt very out of place witnessing it. The kisses they shared were sweet and chaste. There was quiet laughter shared between them like little secrets being passed. As if they had forgotten about the world around them, and they were untouchable.
He had to admit: The sight of them was a bit on the ethereal side.
Ranboo jumped a bit at the sudden screeching of a Ghast. He brought his shield up to protect himself from the creature's fireball. The woman turned her head to look at the sudden intrusion. With a flick of her wrist, the Ghast had died on the spot. The Enderman Hybrid rushed over to the spot where the Ghast died to pick up the Ghast Tear.
"Talk about rude."
"Yeah, sorry, dear. That's the Nether for you, though. Can't have a moment of peace and quiet around here."
"I'm surprised you didn't Spawn-Proof the whole Nether by now."
"Wha--No! No, I--No!"
The couple shared a laugh when Ranboo came back. The young man scratched his head in pure confusion.
"Uhhhh Phil?"
"Yeah, mate?"
"Who is this?"
Philza gawked at him in offence. As if the knowledge of the woman's identity should be common knowledge and it was taboo to ever forget it.
"Wow, you never told your friends about me? I'd be offended if we didn't meet up in like once a century."
"It doesn't...It doesn't have to be that way, you know." Phil spoke to her in a more hushed tone. As if it was a secret from the universe. He held her a little closer, almost scared to let her go.
"Phil..." She laid a gentle hand on Phil's cheek. "You know I can't."
"Phiiiiiil?"
"Oh! Right." Philza slipped from under the woman's veil. He brushed his yukata down and readjusted his hat to their proper places. "Ranboo, this is Kristin. My wife."
"You're married to a shadow lady?"
"Shadow lady. That's a new one. Most people just call me Death."
Ranboo gave a curt laugh at her joke. But when he saw the two of them smiling and holding hands, he realized something.
"Wait that--That was not a joke. You're Death. Ohhhhh geez. Oh geez. Oh man. I am so sorry, Lady Death, I didn't--"
"Awwww he's so cute! No wonder you adopted him, Phil!"
"I did no such thing!"
"I can't believe you made your son worry about you like that! After all the effort he went through to get that Totem for you, you go and nearly give him a heart attack! You're a horrible man, Philza!"
"I deny any and all adoptions!"
Kristen brought the veil over him again and pinched at his cheeks, cooing at him for his fatherly instincts. Phil batted her hands away and retaliated with sweet little kisses decorating her face. His wife squealed in delight, pretending to try and get away. And the two of them laughed.
Ranboo had never seen the man so happy.
That happiness seemed to come to a grinding halt when Kristin grabbed his wrists earnestly. Phil studied her in confusion, wondering if he did something wrong. When all he found was a sad smile, the confusion was washed away, leaving horror in its wake.
"Wait--No. No, Kristin! Not now! Just a little longer! Please!"
"You know I can't, Phil."
"Says who?! Kristin, please! Please, I don't--"
She cupped his cheeks in her hands and gingerly brushed away his frantic tears with her thumbs.
"I'll see you later, my sweet angel."
She brought him in for one last kiss. Phil held her in a tight embrace as he returned it. His arms were firm, desperate to keep her with him for a few precious stolen moments.
As soon as Kristin broke away, her form began fading away. He buried his face in the crook of her neck for as long as it was tangible. Until his arms wrapped around himself and he was on his knees and curled in on himself. He held his heartbroken sobs back. He thought he would be used to it by now.
But he knew he would never let himself be used to leaving her presence. She was too precious for that. Too beloved. Too dear.
He knew that as long as he loved her as much as he did, her departure would always hurt worse than any injury known to man.
The oppressive heat of the Nether air rushed in to fill in the void left by the chill of Death. Philza hardly noticed, but it nearly suffocated Ranboo. He gulped in the burning air into his lungs, nearly choking himself with it.
Once his body got used to the sudden change in temperature, he looked at Phil. The man had draped his raggedy wings around himself, as if he was still so cold. The young man walked over and gently placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
The two of them stayed like that for a few minutes. Despite what just happened, the silence between them was rather comfortable.
Slowly, Phil stood back up, tucking his wings back into place.
"Sorry you had to see me like that, mate..."
"Nah, it's--it's fine. I mean, your wife kinda just, uh, decided not to exist anymore."
Phil sputtered a laugh. He tugged the hybrid's sleeve and led them back to their Nether portal. They had to restock on their food supply.