Chapter Text
Life as a human was difficult. It came with a lot of hard bumps, and a lot of easy ones too. It depended on the day, on the weather, and on his luck. To say he wasn’t appreciated by the village would be an understatement. They loathed him, cast him aside, literally begged him to stay away, which, to their surprise, is what he did.
He left as a young teen, without even knowing why he was shunned by those who were supposed to care for him. His parents were unknown, so the village became family. Until it didn’t, and he was alone again.
He left, and never came back. They never searched for him, but it was alright. He had made himself a new place to call home.
As years passed, life got easier for him. He built himself a home, deep into the woods where no one would bother him, and decided to live alone. He figured things would be better this way, since he constantly got shunned by others. Now, he was alone and safe.
It was lonely at times, and he had to admit, a bit of company wouldn't be unappreciated, but since no one really wanted to stay, he didn’t force it.
He had the habit of traveling a lot, and one thing he noticed was that there was no one other than him in this forest. Not even a lot of animals. He figured it was because of the weather or the biome.
As all days were, the morning was quiet, no birds to greet him, no villagers to wave at him, nothing. It was calming, but also worrying. He thought, with a forest this large, surely there would be a sign of life other than him.
He shone away the thought, then went on with preparing his stuff. He figured he needed to find more diamonds, as his stacks were getting low. The wonders of being alone.
Once everything was ready, he left his home, made sure the door was shut right, then went off with his day.
Philza loves to travel, it’s in his blood. He isn’t sure if it’s because he gets to find new things, if it’s the adrenaline, if it’s the feeling of freedom, or if it’s everything all at once. One thing he knows, he isn’t letting go of this anytime soon.
His travels are usually quick and easy, but since he needs more diamonds, he needs to head to the North, which he’s never done before. He usually went for the South or East, as things were more quiet and calmer in those areas.
As per usual, his walk is soothing, and there’s nothing around. Not a single rabbit hopping about and munching what little food it finds. Not a single butterfly flying around and flapping its wings through the soft breeze. Nothing, it’s just him.
Phil doesn’t really mind though, it keeps him from being distracted.
He walks, and walks, and the forest is dense before him. It can take about half an hour for him to finally break free of the woods. The sun is still high up in the sky, so he doesn’t really worry about time. He’s sure he can reach the nearest cave system by noon, and get back by dawn if he’s quick enough.
And if he’s lucky.
In his life, Phil wasn’t really the luckiest. He lost his parents, got practically banished from the village he lived in, took care of his own self as a teen and got into his fair share of trouble. Even now, as an adult, he seemed to have never gotten this sort of curse off of him.
He wasn’t that different from others either. Blue eyes, blond hair, normal colored skin with a few scars here and there. His white and green striped bucket hat constantly stayed on his head, and he wore a grey haori, with a green undershirt and pants. He also wore a pair of geta, as well as a black backpack filled with ressources he may need during his adventures.
A normal folk, nothing so weird about him. Yet, the village never really liked him, not even when he was a kid.
It didn’t matter now, since he left that village years ago, and the hurt that came with it was left behind when he decided to make his own life.
However, he remains homesick for a home he never had. He’s made one, but it doesn’t feel right .
Phil sighs, and keeps on walking. He gets lost into his thoughts sometimes, and he’s surprised to not have bumped into a tree when that happens. He figures it’s one of those few times when luck is on his side.
He walks, and looks around. He thinks he’s about an hour away from the cave system, which is good enough, considering he’s been walking for half an hour now. Time passes by quicker in this forest, he notices.
He doesn’t think much of it, he’s used to it. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for him.
Phil reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a compass. The red arrow is pointing straight towards the North, and he smiles. He isn’t the greatest with directions.
So, he goes on and puts the item back where he got it from, and he hums a little tune to himself. It’s a soft melody, one he found himself humming when alone, without really realizing why he did that. He doesn’t know where it comes from, but he constantly finds himself singing it.
He continues to hum, and through the soft cracking of the sticks underneath his feet as he walks and the melody he sings, he hears a crack.
A loud and quick snapping noise coming from within the forest, and he stops in his tracks. He looks to his right, and there’s nothing.
He isn’t crazy, he knows he heard something. It was loud and clear, and he knows it came from the right. So he looks, he stares and he watches in case anything moves.
Phil doesn’t move and continues to watch, because if something snapped, that means there is life other than him. He doesn’t know if that’s a good thing or not.
He waits for a while, and although he’s both glad and concerned, there’s no other sound. He sighs, and since he doesn’t have all day, he can’t take the time to go out and look for whatever made that noise.
With a quick pull at his backpack to make sure it’s secure, he starts walking again, all while checking his compass a couple of times.
As he walks, he misses the fallen leaves. Not that they matter. Though, the sharp and red circle, illuminated by the fires of the underworld, hidden within the bushes is looked over by him without a second thought, and he continues his course.
The forest is quiet as always, and Phil walks alone.
At least, he likes to believe he is.