Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

His head was pounding by the time he could actually force his eyes open. It was a kind of splitting headache, the one where nails were being driven into his head repeatedly until he was sure that his skull would split in two. Staring up at the ceiling, unsure of how he ended up on the floor in the first place. His eyes flickered open and shut. Hands itched to force himself off the ground but arm muscles refused to cooperate under the circumstances. Instead, he wiggled and writhed, like a worm out in the sun, hoping for sleep to take him once more and he could forget this whole mess.

Technoweak

Lame

This is boring!!

What kind of wood is the ceiling?

Bored

Bored

Do something

Shut up, nobody cares!

Technoweak

“I hear you,” Technoblade groaned, forcing himself to roll onto his side. His limbs worked just fine. They just refused to work with him. Unsure of that reason, he pushed through the sleepy nerves and forced himself to his knees. “You’re bored of the ceiling. I get it.” He dragged his hands up to his head, running it down his face for a second before rubbing his temples. It released some of the built-up pressure in the back of his head. His own thoughts were a little clearer but with Chat screaming in the background, trying to get their voices heard throughout the thousands that lived in his head, it was impossible to get completely clear.

He hit something wet, just near his hairline, and he froze. He snapped to attention, headache was momentarily forgotten. He pulled his hands back to his line of vision, very aware of the state of the room. Sheets pulled off the bed, chests opened and objects were thrown throughout the room. The door was cracked open and long scars were carved into the door, clearly only having lived there for a few hours.

Blood. There was blood on his fingers.

His headache crescendoed as the voices suddenly found interest in something once again. A few begged him to see what was happening. Others asked about his family. But more of them… They just cried for blood. And that was the worst of them all.

“Shut up!” He demanded, rising to his feet to get a better picture of the room. “There’s already enough blood here.” His pants felt sticky and his hair refused to move around him like it always did. He was covered in the stuff and it definitely wasn’t his. “Chat… chat stop. What happened?”

The voices weren’t helpful. They just continued to shout until he couldn’t tell what they were saying anymore.

“I get it,” He groaned, resting his hand on the door handle. It didn’t need to be turned, the door was already opened. He pushed it open before Chat could get their say in the matter.

A chorus of voices screamed Don’t . But the deed had already been done. And for the first time, Technoblade felt regret.

The room was deadly quiet but it couldn’t have felt any louder. The blood on his head wasn’t the only blood around the house. He stumbled throughout the room, head full of cotton and each step stiff and uncertain. His eyes focused and unfocused, trying to keep him away from the truth. He leaned against the wall, trying to steady himself when he wanted nothing more than to fall over and sleep for the next week.

He knew his odds. Technoblade had no doubt as to what he’d find. He just really, really wished it wasn’t the case.

“Hello?” He called against the voices, eyes focused on a puddle of blood that was too big to be just from a minor injury. “Please… Please tell me this isn’t-” He stepped forward, eyes focused on the blood behind the counter. He could only tear his eyes away when he saw an arm.

Momnoblade

Death

Dead

Blood?

Blood?

Blood

I think he gets it.

He knows

Technosupport

“What… What happened, Chat?” Technoblade mumbled, eyes focused on anything other than the kitchen. “Who did this?” The chat wasn’t helpful anymore, back to spamming their favorite words and letters. The wall was his only support and he found himself slipping down it, head in hands. It was so loud but the fingers in his ears didn’t stop the sound from rattling his brain. The coliseum of people gathered around to laugh and taunt him. Even the few who tried to help just added to the noise.

“Chat… Please… Please stop,” He whispered. He squeezed his eyes shut but the sound of Chat’s excited chanting wouldn’t fade.

“Help!” The sound of someone shouting snapped Technoblade right out of his trance. His head snapped up, pink and red hair falling around him like a curtain. Eyes instinctively scanned the room, looking for the source of the noise. “Please… help…”

It was the sound of a child, a sibling that Technoblade had a few of. It was tear-filled and terror-stricken, as though it was their last chance to escape, knowing that death was imminent and failure led to death. A noise that made chat pause, instead filling his mind was the same collective question and answer.

Who is that?

Help them!

Help!

???

Anyone know?

Help!

Brother pog!

“Hey, hey, I’m here!” Technoblade called, rising to his feet and heading over towards the sound. He passed by a bedroom and three bodies littered the floor out of the corner of his eye.

“Get me out!” The child shrieked, pounding on the door to the cellar. “Techno… Please, get me out!” Technoblade dropped down to his knees again, shoving the heavy sugar bags off the door and relocating barrels of vegetables and water to a safer spot.

“Hey, you’re okay. I’m right here,” Technoblade replied gently, shoving a strand of pink hair dyed red out of his face and behind his ear. The pounding stopped as the crying resumed, awaiting their savior in the darkness of the cellar.

With the last of the supplies moved off the door, Technoblade threw the doors open. Chat approved of the rescue, returning to their mumbling only after praising Technoblade for his work. Underneath the doors and curled in a tight ball near the middle of the stairs, was a small blob. She was dirty and wet, nightdress soaked and pink hair stringy. Dirt and grime-covered her visible skin and her muscles trembled under the once white fabric she wore. Her face was red and her blue eyes were swollen as she reached for the brother who had saved her.

“Hey… Adelya… I’ve got you,” Technoblade soothed under his breath. He scooped up his sister carefully and held her close. She wrapped her arms around him, body shifting until it’d be tough to figure out which one started and which one ended. It was a pathetic picture, the only two survivors in a tragedy beyond human comprehension. Instead, the young girl sniffled and sobbed, her head buried in his shoulder and fists clutching his shirt fabric tightly.

“You’re safe, Adele. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

Brotherblade

Brotherblade

Brotherblade

Brotherblade

If we all spam Brotherblade, it will be funny.

Brotherblade

Brotherblade

Idiot, user, you just ruined it

Brotherblade

In the confusion of the event and the panic of the reality, the two of them sat in near silence. Adelya sobbed softly, her head hidden in the crook of Technoblade’s neck, the fright of being trapped in the basement being too much for her young mind to handle. Technoblade had shifted against the wall, his head hung low and arms tight in the protective hold. His head hurt, nails pounding into his skull with the intent to break it. The voices fell quiet, never silent but hushed and slow. It could have been peaceful if the streaks of blood on the wall didn’t exist. Perhaps if they didn’t wake up, they wouldn’t have been subjected to the horrors in front of them.

“We have to get out of here,” Technoblade decided, rising to his feet. Adelya whimpered, her grasp tightening around her brother’s neck.

“N-no… Don’t let me go,” She whispered. Technoblade chuckled, a dark, low laugh, and shook his head. His eyes lingered on the piles of supplies he had carelessly tossed to the side in his rescue of his young sister.

“I won’t put you down, I promise,” He promised. He shifted his sister to one arm, leaving the other open to grab a few things. “I’m going to get us some food, just enough to keep us alive. We’re going to get out of here before whoever did this comes back to hurt us.” Adelya shyly nodded her head, keeping her line of vision low enough to avoid the mess around them. Technoblade hummed softly, kneeling down the best he could with a four-year-old girl in his arms. Dumping a bag of potatoes out, he placed a few back into the bag, knowing all too well that just a few potatoes could easily turn into an overwhelming amount of them. He threw in a few carrots and beetroots before snagging a smaller bag of seeds, hoping that maybe he and Adeyla would end up somewhere where they could become useful.

“Tech… Techno, what happened?” Adelya whispered, bringing her watery, blue eyes up to meet his own red ones. He paused and frowned, headache returning in the attempt to recall the events that lead up to this.

“I don’t know, Delly. I don’t know. But we’ll getaway, I promise,” He swore, giving her his best attempt at a smile. “Now, Adele, keep your eyes closed, okay? We’re going to get out of the house.”

“What about Mommy? And everyone else?” Adelya pushed, shoving herself up more to try to see around them. Technoblade shook his head, turning around so she wouldn’t be able to see anything.

“No,” He snapped, meaner than he meant it to sound. Adelya jumped and blinked, a few tears filling her eyes. Technoblade sighed softly, eyes lingering on the half-opened door in front of him. “I’m… I’m sorry, Adele. It’s just us now. Okay?”

“But- But where are they?” She tried again, face turning into a look of betrayal and hurt.

“They’re gone, okay?” He attempted, but if his voice was shaking, he’d never admit it. How was one supposed to explain to a child that their family was dead? Red… Such a cherished color for something so awful. “They’ve left us. It’s just us.”

Adelya stopped asking after that. Instead, Technoblade glanced at the mess of a house that he’d have to walk through in order to get out of the other side. To get outside and away from the tragedy they had been stuck in. Keeping his hand over Adelya’s eyes, he kept his eyes on the floor. Afraid of what horrific vision he’d be filled with if he were to look up. Not for his sake, but for the sake of the sister he held in his arms. For the sake of Chat, the thousands of people he had living in his head. Because they were the people he’d let down if he saw what his curiosity alone wanted to see and he couldn’t bring himself to move anymore.

“How about we go on an adventure?” Technoblade suggested softly, dropping Adelya on the ground once they were far enough into the forest that the sly hands of the cabin they left behind couldn’t hurt them anymore. Adelya smiled up at him, distracted by the new lands to notice the blood in his hair and clothes.

“What kind of adventure?” She asked with a small laugh. She turned on her heels, determined to start the journey that she didn’t know the reason for.

“Well, let’s see…” Technoblade hummed, shoving his hands into his pockets. “What about we follow the path of a hero? There are plenty of myths that start like this.” Adelya turned back to face him, feet treading carefully on the ground. She was a risk-taker, walking backward at a young age that could get her killed.

“A myth? Tell me one! Please! You’re so good at stories!” Her eyes shone with a light that hadn’t been visible yet and Technoblade found himself smiling for the first time since he’d woken up.

Tell a story! The chat chanted, just as invested as Adelya was.

“Okay, well, let’s see…” Technoblade replied with a nod. “What about the story of the Sun-god, Ra? Or the story of the pharaoh Horus? He’s a pretty cool god too.” Stories of gods and myths had always made him feel better and he’d prided himself in sharing all of the best Egyptian myths with his little sister in front of him. Favorite stories that had become a source of comfort.

They really needed that comfort now.

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Tech, I’m tired of hopping!” Adelya whined, pulling at her brother’s shirttail. Technoblade sighed, glancing down at the small hands that held his shirt captive but he could hardly hear her complaint over the noise in his head. “I want to stop!”

“What?” He blinked, taking his attention away from where he had been steadily sorting his inventory. Adelya frowned, crossing her arms over her chest in her best attempt at an offended look. Technoblade scoffed slightly, crouching down to be at her height despite the fact that she had made it clear that she hated it when he did that.

“You’re not listening! I said I’m tired of hopping,” She huffed, sticking her tongue out at her brother. She pulled at his long hair gently, twirling it around her fingers like she did whenever she grew bored of his antics. “I don’t want to go through another portal. I wanna go home and live with Momma and Papa again.”

Technoblade sighed and gave her a soft smile. He patted her head and ran his fingers through the knots in her hair, the offending tangles from her constant running down the trails and fields they landed in. “I know. But this is better. We’re safer the more we move.”

“But I want to stay!” Adelya groaned. She stomped her foot and dropped to the ground, too stubborn to move. “I’m staying right here.”

“Adele…” Techno groaned, letting his wrists resting on his knees. “You can’t just stay here. You’ll get into trouble with the mobs once nighttime comes.”

“Nah ah. I’m staying. We’ve been through, like, five portals! No more servers!” Adelya complained. Chat didn’t help much, adding more noise to the sound of the birds chirping and the wind blowing. Why was everything so loud? Birds never sounded this loud before.

“Adelya, we can’t just stop here,” Techno sighed, settling down on the ground in front of her. “We have to keep going. Just one more server and then we’ll stop for a while, I promise. A few weeks in a server. I just want to get to a place where there is a lot of people so we can’t be found.” Adelya groaned and threw herself back on the ground. She spread her legs out like a starfish above water and whined.

“Yeah, I know,” Technoblade mumbled, hands subconsciously reaching up to rub his temples. “I feel the same way.”

“Do you have ‘nother headache?” Adelya asked. Technoblade raised his eyes from where they had been focused on the ground. His young sister had pushed herself up from the ground, leaning on her arms now. She had a curiously innocent look in her eyes and she looked about as concerned as a four-year-old could get.

“Mhm,” Techno replied. Adelya shifted over and wrapped her arms around him gently.

“Momma said hugs heal everything,” She whispered. Chat roared in his head, too loud and too obnoxious for his liking. He wanted more than anything to lay down and sleep, to remain unmoving until Chat shut up. It was the same kind of splitting headache he had woken up with a few weeks ago with. The same headache that’d come from the incident. Except, this time, it was different. It kept getting louder and louder until he whimpered himself and hid his face in Adelya’s hair.

“You look sick,” Adelya frowned.

“My head hurts so bad, Delly,” Technoblade groaned, shaking his head. “I don’t think it’s gonna stop.” Adelya shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re thinkin’ too loud. Maybe you should stop,” She giggled. Techno offered her a small smile and lifted another hand up to rub at his temple.

Blood

Blood

Blood

Aw, she’s sweet.

Sisterblade support

Blood

Blood

Blood

“Adelya, can we please just continue walking,” Technoblade asked, pulling away from the hug slightly. Adelya groaned and shook her head. “I’ll carry you if I have to. But we’ve almost made it to Hypixel. That’s the biggest server in the world. We’ll be safe there.”

“And then we’re done?” Adelya asked. Technoblade hummed softly, hardly trusting himself to speak. He couldn’t handle all of the sounds anymore. Hypixel would be louder, of course, but there they could hide.

“Then we’re done,” Techno agreed. Adelya groaned but reached up for Technoblade to pick her up. He rose to his feet and scooped her up in his arms, resting her on his hip. He glanced around their spot, just to make sure that they hadn’t forgotten anything. Every and all resources were precious. If they lost even one, who knew what would happen to them? Once he was satisfied with the search, he turned and started on their walk once again.

He was sure that the scenery was beautiful. Adelya kept pointing out different land features that this server seemed to have but he couldn’t see it over the noise in his head. What was it with Chat and being so loud? Didn’t they understand he could pay attention to them even if they weren’t screaming over his own thoughts? Technoblade felt like he was ten all over again and had slipped out of the tree, breaking his wrist in the process. It had been white-hot pain, lights dancing behind his eyes. The wind was knocked out of him and he had felt like he couldn’t even cry. Chat had the same kind of power over him. He felt like a guest in his own body and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d ever had a moment of silence.

“Is that it?” Adelya mumbled, glancing up from his shoulder. Her small, baby hands rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes. She looked so small now. Techno knew how chaotic she could get like she was a personification of Chat at their low point. But in the past few weeks, she had been a far cry from her normal self. He could only hope that once they made it to Hypixel, things could go back to normal.

“No,” He sighed softly, shaking his head despite her disappointment. “We’re coming close to the village it’s in, though.” They passed by the normal Nether portal that Adelya always mixed up with Server portals as his sister groaned dramatically. Technoblade winced, hand back at his temple once again before he could even recognize it.

“Adele, don’t… Please… My head hurts,” Technoblade pleaded softly. Chat screamed something in his head. It sounded like a new letter they’d gotten obsessed with. The birds chirped too loudly and the wind brushed through the grass too loud. The eerie sounds from the Nether portal were torture and part of him just wanted to stab his ears out.

“I’m sorry,” She whispered, still a little too loudly for his liking, but he’d take it. They kept to the path, grateful to see it turning to stone as they got closer to town. It wasn’t a big server, one of those that was mostly used for trading, and given the time of year they were arriving, it should have been fairly empty. 

“Why don’t you look for the portal?” He asked, leaning down to set her on the ground. Adelya nodded her head and grabbed onto his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. It was wrong to rely on his young sister to find the portal but he was convinced that if he picked his eyes up from the ground, Chat would scream about something else. And he was just learning how to handle the letter ‘E’ right now.

“I’ll find it!” Adelya cheered. She started to wander the town, her hand firmly in Technoblade’s. She did well, avoiding the people as they walked. She had learned from their past server trips to avoid the vendors. Adelya knew that they’d just be here longer and Techno knew she just wanted to get out of here.

They walked in silence. That buzz of the town hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut, his free hand coming up to plug his ear. Chat protested in his head, begging to be paid attention too. Techno knew better than to give them what they wanted. They always screamed the most unnecessary things.

“Tech?” Adelya mumbled, tugging at his arm. “There’s someone watching us.” Techno frowned. His eyes shot open and his gaze jumped up from the ground to the crowd.

“Where, Adele?” For the moment, Chat fell quiet. They whispered to each other, words not meant for Technoblade’s ears. Adelya tugged at his sleeve and pointed over at a vendor shop. She wasn’t wrong. There was an older man, in his late thirties, watching them. When Adelya pointed him out, he turned away for a second, eyes back on the axe he was trading for.

“Let’s get to the portal,” Technoblade said, tugging at his sister’s arm gently. Adelya nodded her head, stepping closer to him. Before the man could turn around again, they blended into a mob of people headed towards the South end of town.

“Why’s he watchin’?” Adelya whimpered softly. “That’s scary.”

“I dunno…” Technoblade sighed. Chat gave their feedback, a bunch of useless ideas and opinions running through his head. Until one of them came up with a good idea and Techno’s eyes widened. “Adele, we have to go. Now. They’re here to take us away.” Tears welled up in Adelya’s eyes and she clung to Technoblade’s hand tightly.

“Why? We didn’t hurt them!” She protested.

“They’re traders,” Technoblade replied. “They’re going to take us to a bad place. We need to get out.” Adelya whined again but she reached to be picked up and Techno did. With his sister safe in his arms, he pushed through the crowd until he could see the portal. He didn’t dare look behind him. If he looked behind, he’d have to admit what was happening and there was no way he wanted to do that.

“We’re almost there,” He whispered. “Hypixel is too big. They’ll lose us there.” Adelya whimpered softly and Chat screamed. It was overwhelming and he blinked, unable to focus. Chat was trying to be helpful, giving him advice about what to do, but it was too much. The crowd swirled around him and he knew that there were people pushing through to take him away. He had half a mind to give up there. He wanted to fall to the ground and sleep. Clutching Adelya tight to his chest, he knew that wasn’t an option.

“Move, Tech, move,” Adelya bit out over the noise. She sounded faint but from the look on her face, she was shouting. She was shouting and the blood rushed to his ears. His head pounded. He was overwhelmed

He took one step before collapsing to the ground.

“I’m sorry, Delly.” And everything went black.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Blood

Blood

Blood

Blood for the Blood God

Technosupport

This is what I wanted to see

Subscribed for this

Yes

Aren’t we being a little cruel?

Nah

NO

No

Blood for the Blood God

I just got here, what’s he doing?

Look at him fight!

Subbed for this

One of us

One of us

One of us

One of us

<><><><><><><><><><>

Chat roared. Lights blared. His headache made it difficult to move. He tried to pull his arms over but they didn’t cooperate. His eyes hurt. The sharp pain in his head forced his eyes close. His head rolled forward. Since when had he been standing? Or was he standing? He didn’t know anymore.

Chat was still screaming. Debating whether a hot dog was a sandwich or not. He didn’t even know what a hot dog was.

He fell back asleep.

<><><><><><><><><><>

 In his dreams, Technoblade was alone. He was alone with Chat and they hated him. They taunted and teased him. The room was dark, completely black, and yet, he felt like he was in the middle of a coliseum. Exposed and vulnerable. Chat mocked and hurt. The room wasn’t visible but he saw them anyway. Thousands of faceless voices with one goal in mind. He cried for mercy, begged the voices to stop. He thought that Chat cared more than this. But now he was alone and it hurt.

He woke with the same headache.

<><><><><><><><><><>

He couldn’t keep his eyes open and he drifted to sleep again. This time, the coliseum was real. He could see it all. Thousands of faceless voices surrounded him. They begged and cried for blood and he fell to his knees, sobbing. He wanted it to stop but his voice couldn’t be heard over the millions.

A sword appeared in his hands. The voices cheered for blood. Someone pushed a person in front of him and he cried. He begged to not listen to them, to be his own person. He wanted some peace of mind and Chat was insistent on not giving it to him. The headache returned, pounding nails into his skull until he couldn’t take it anymore. He swung the sword.

And was confronted with the petrified face of Adelya.

He awoke in a cold sweat. And this time, he could see.

<><><><><><><><><><>

It was a dark cell. Lanterns and torches lined the wall opposite of him but when Techno tried to move, he found that he couldn’t. Everything hurt. His head hurt, the same piercing headache that he had gotten familiar with over the past few days. Chat had quieted down to a short murmur. That was new. They offered words of encouragement, trying to get him up.

Wake up

Bad place

Bad

Bad

Sisterblade?

Where’s Adelya?

You’re hurt.

Trouble

Escape

Guys, this isn’t helping. He’s trapped and you know it.

Buzzkill.

Not pog

“Chat, do you have any idea where I am?” Technoblade mumbled, trying to force himself up, only to realize he was already standing. He blinked and glanced down, only to realize that he was tied down to something. He was restrained, back flat against a board. If he had any ideas, he was being restrained for a reason. He had a feeling he didn’t want to know why.

Chat wasn’t helpful. They made up excuses and he knew they were lying. The excuses weren’t even reasonable. There was a reason they were hiding the truth from him and again, he had a feeling he didn’t want to know why. Chat was trying to protect him from something and unlike his dream, he had a feeling he could trust them.

“Where’s Adelya?” Technoblade slurred, tilting his head to the side to try to examine the rest of the room. He didn’t think he was being watched. That helped a lot. But Chat muttered their apologies. They had no clue where Adelya was. “Great. Thanks, Chat.” They returned his sarcasm with some of their own. “What am I doing here, Chat?”

There were footsteps and he fell silent, unwilling to admit he had a secret weapon in Chat. Chat tried to supply more excuses and he knew they were lies but right now, they seemed better than reality. The door to his cell was opened, a hand on his shoulders. There were words in a language he didn’t understand and Chat pulled him back into a dream state once again.

Chapter Text

He was tired of seeing blood on his sword. Granted, he knew it was for a good reason. He knew that he would be bettering the future through all the bloodshed and hurt. And yet, he still hated to see it. A heavy feeling settled in his chest and he sighed through his lips, glancing around at the massacre that had occurred around him. Blood painted the walls. Many final lives had been taken in this room. Their bodies littered the floor, strung about in odd directions. Many before they could even have time to process what was happening. But he chose not to think about that too much.

“Philza… My dear angel,” Death consoled gently. Her hands brushed his shoulder and cupped his face. She knew and Phil found himself collapsing in his lady’s embrace.

He didn’t know how long he’d been stuck in that room, turning over many thoughts he knew he didn’t like. How often had he been used for other people’s benefit? It didn’t matter. The Angel of Death would always be pulled out of retirement no matter how much he wished to stay. There was always something he was needed for.

“You’re lovely… Perfect… You’re good,” The goddess of death soothed gently. Her fingers combed through his blonde hair that peeked out of the bucket hat. “Let the mortals stop using you like this.”

“I don’t think it’s that easy,” Phil chuckled softly. Darkly. He wasn’t in the mood for games. Death chuckled, warm and gentle. Things people assumed she wasn’t.

“Yes, it is harder than it seems, I’ll give you that.”

Another moment of silence. This one was more calming. Phil found himself relaxing under her touch. Eventually, he’d be forced to confront what he’d done, see all the blood he had shed, but his lady was soft and soothing and could make it all go away for just a few more minutes.

“There’s someone alive here.” He could hear the frown in her voice.

“What do you mean?” He asked, glancing up. His hand was already in his inventory, reaching for his sword once more.

“It’s vague… Either far or near-death… No, that’s not right. I feel neither of those,” She frowned, glancing around the room. Phil frowned, on high alert, and scanned the room once again. No one moved. He couldn’t even find breathing. He knew for a fact that these people were dead. He’d watched them die in front of him. Hell, he killed him.

“Fuck,” He spat, shaking his head. “There must be a place I haven’t checked.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Kristin…”

“I’ll come,” She insisted. The look in her eyes made it clear the conversation was over. With a shake of his head and a small smile, Phil nodded his head.

“Whatever you wish, m’lady.”

They started down the halls, Phil’s sword was drawn before them. Given his companion and the fact he was favored by death, he had a feeling he wouldn’t have to worry about dying. Kristin hummed softly to herself. They’d have to pause on occasion so she could claim the souls in the rooms. Death had a job, after all. But Kristin would smile and kiss his cheek before he could slip into a period of self-loathing for the chaos he had caused.

“What happened here, anyway?” Kristin asked gently. Her fingers grazed the feathers of his wings in such a way that only she was allowed to. It was a soft touch, near the base where the bone and muscles disappeared into his back. It felt intimate and it probably was. A touch only allowed by his lady. A comfort, gently trying to pull the answer out of him. 

“They were running an illegal fighting ring. Used children to fight their wars,” Phil frowned. He tried to not linger on the small bodies that lingered in the corner of one room. “They were dead by the time I got here.” Kristin hummed her disapproval. They went to leave the room before Death stopped, tilting her head to the side.

“There’s someone alive in here,” She mumbled, turning back around. “I know there is. It’s stronger here.” Phil frowned and turned around.

“I swear I killed them all,” He replied. “I don’t fail.” Kristin hummed again, her head tilted to the side.

“You don’t, my Angel,” She agreed. She took a few steps forward. “But maybe they do.” She headed over to the corner of the room where the small bodies were piled. She paused before dropping to her knees. “There’s someone alive here. I can feel it. A soul I can’t claim.”

“A child,” Phil mumbled. He joined Kristin on the floor but he couldn’t bring himself to move the bodies out of the way. He could barely get up before he was throwing up on the floor.

“Oh, love, they did a number on you,” Kristin soothed softly. She dropped down next to him, rubbing his back gently. “They really got to you this time.” Death was kind and soothing, giving comfort to those who came to rest. Phil leaned into the comfort but pulled away again before he could vomit over his mistress.

“They’re children,” He coughed out. Kristin pressed a kiss to his temple. “Those are potion kills, Kristin. Those aren’t pretty. How could someone do that?”

“They’re my children now,” She mumbled. Her hand rubbed soothing circles in his shoulder. “And I’ll take very good care of them. Now, can you please help me find the survivor?” Phil nodded weakly, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. He fidgeted with the green and white bucket hat on his head and turned back to the pile.

“Hello?” Kristin called, stepping back over. “I know there’s someone here. You don’t have to be afraid. We’re not going to hurt you.” They were meant with silence. Phil sighed softly and knelt down again, trying to channel the inner Angel of Death once again. Create that emotional barrier so he didn’t have to think about what he was doing.

“I don’t think you’re going to get a response-” A weak cry cut Phil off.

“I want my brother.”

Kristin perked up instantly, turning towards the sound and pulling Phil along with her. It sounded like a small girl, once that couldn’t be older than eight. Definitely younger than that.

“You miss your brother? Tell me about him, love,” Kristin replied, dropping down to the ground and starting to move corpses out of the way. Phil dropped down at her side and copied her. He tried to forget the number of children that had lost their lives here.

“He… He’s fourteen… He likes to tell stories. And he farms a lot too,” The voice continued. Shaky. Weak. She sounded close to death. “We went on an adventure and then we got taken.”

“Your brother got taken?” Phil asked. A small hand grasped his and he gasped. Both of his hands surrounded the one and he pulled.

Out of the pile, shocked and small, tumbled a tiny girl. She looked so small, shaking and afraid. She had a soft green dress on that had been dyed all sorts of colors. Phil didn’t want to think about why. Her pink hair was long and tangled, easily going to the top of her thighs. It hung in her face like a curtain, shielding her from the world. She jerked away at the sudden introduction to the world again but seemed to cower away once more.

“I want my brother,” She whimpered softly, bursting into tears.

“Oh, hey, mate, it’s okay,” Phil soothed. He reached out and set a gentle hand on her shoulder. The way his lady had done for him. The small girl curled into him, throwing herself into his arms and sobbing. Phil pulled her close to him, humming softly. He didn’t know what the girl had seen. He just knew that it was traumatic. “You’re okay. We can protect you now.”

“I want my brother.” Was the only response.

“Hey, hun,” Kristin mumbled, dropping down next to them. She set a gentle hand on the small girl’s back. “We know. Tell us about him.” The girl sniffled and glanced up at Kristin and Phil. Phil gave her an encouraging smile.

“You won’t hurt him, right?” She whispered. Kristin frowned, brushing her fingers through the girl’s long, pink, and terribly knotted hair.

“Of course we won’t,” Phil replied. The certainty in his voice seemed to convince the girl that he was trustworthy. She looked so much older than she should. Phil didn’t want to think about how long she had been here. 

“We were gonna go to Hypixel,” She frowned, brushing the tears from her face. “He promised we’d be done. We could stop hopping. And then we got caught.” She broke down into a coughing fit, shivering and shaking. Kristin patted her back gently, hoping to elevate some of the pain.

“What’s your name?” She asked gently once the coughing fit had passed.

“Adelya,” The girl said with no hesitation. “My brother’s Technoblade. He’s here. They’re hurting him.”

“What do you mean?” Phil questioned, shifting a bit so that Adelya could sit on his crossed legs. His pitch-black wings curled out and around, protecting Kristin and Adelya from harm. “What do you mean by hurting him?” Adelya opened her mouth to respond but was taken by another coughing fit.

This time, her breathing rattled and she spat blood into her fist. Kristin gasped softly and glanced up at Phil.

“Potion. You said potion death. Well, it’s slowly killing her,” She whispered, fumbling to access her inventory. Phil responded by curling himself around the small girl just a little more as if it would protect her from any further harm. “I don’t have any health pots.” Kristin spat, upset and angry. Her fist curled and her aura seemed to darken.

“I still have a few,” Phil jumped in quickly. He gently passed Adelya to Kristin. Adelya didn’t respond well to that. She whimpered, eyes wide with fear. Her small hands pushed against Kristin weakly. She looked nearly traumatized and Phil had a feeling it wasn’t from all the death she had seen today. “No, shh. It’s okay. I’m staying right here.”

Kristin cradled the girl in her arms gently. Adelya whined softly, looking around wildly. She didn’t calm until Phil placed a hand on hers and Kristin shifted her into a new position. Adelya hid her face in the goddess’s black dress, mumbling softly to herself. More coughs and sputters came from her, her small body shaking against the concoction of potions the traders had used to kill off the children here.

“I hate to think about what she’s been through,” Kristin whispered softly. Her fingers trailed through the pink locks gently. Phil produced an array of potions, setting them down on the ground in front of him. Navigating his inventory would have been easier if he had both hands but from the tight capture his left hand was in, he couldn’t consider stealing it away from the girl.

“I can only imagine,” Phil whispered back. Kristin hummed again, rocking Adelya back and forth gently. Eventually, he found the potion he was looking for and held it in front of him, carefully placing it in Kristin’s free hand.

“Hey, Adelya?” Kristin asked softly, prompting the girl to glance up. Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes and her muscles spasmed again. A poison potion, if Phil had to guess. He didn’t want to linger on that, no matter how angry it made him. “I’ve got a health pot, okay? It’ll take all of this away.” Adelya whimpered, hiding her face again.

“I’ve got some milk in there,” Phil replied. “We should try that first.”

“Excellent idea, my angel,” Kristin agreed. He took the potion out of her hand and replaced it with a glass of milk. Giving Adelya’s hand a squeeze, Kristin coaxed her to look up again, this time with the promise of a glass of milk to take the potion effects away.

“Just milk?” Adelya asked softly, eyes wide with doubt. She was expecting them to trick her, to make her believe in something else when that wasn’t the case. Phil nodded his head in confirmation, hoping it was enough to get her to believe him. And like magic, Adelya agreed, hand slowly letting go of Phil’s. Another coughing fit overtook her, the side effect of a harming potion. She spat blood into her fist again.

“This’ll take it away,” Kristin mumbled, uncorking the bottle and gently pushing the milk into Adelya’s hands. The girl accepted it, hesitant at first, but another muscle spasming convinced her it was worth a shot. Phil didn’t stick around for long before Kristin made eye contact with him, confusion and worry in her eyes.

“Someone else is alive,” She frowned. A whisper that Adelya didn’t seem to hear. Phil frowned, rising to his feet. “I can feel it. Distant, faint. Something’s off. Find it. It could be another person like her.”

“And if it’s not?” He asked, drawing his sword. He had a feeling he knew the answer. He just wanted his mistress to say it. Kristin shrugged her shoulders, shifting so that she sat cross-legged. She cradled Adelya in her arms like the girl was a newborn and Phil wished the image had happened in a more ideal area.

“I want them in my hands,” Kristin replied, handing her blessing easily. “You’re brave, Angel of Death.”

“And you’re the world,” Phil said. He placed his free hand on his chest, bowing his head in acknowledgment. Kristin smiled and he was off.

The hallways grew barer. He had no one to guide him, no idea what he was looking for. He couldn’t feel souls like Kristin could. He just carried out orders. But the labyrinth under the coliseum all led somewhere and Phil had the sinking feeling he was about to meet the Minotaur.

He pulled a torch off the wall and used it to light up the dark hallway in front of him. He passed by a number of cells, all empty although used. He paused at one, glancing at the scraps of fabric that lined one of the walls and wondered. Wondered if he’d ever learn why humanity had turned such a dark way.

“Keep going,” He whispered to himself. “You’ve got someone to find.” Phil shook himself out of his trance and backed out of the cell once more. Turning back down to the hallway, he heard it.

Was it a shout or a growl? He wasn’t sure which. He just knew it was bad.

Phil took off sprinting towards the sound, torch held out in front to prevent any stupid mistakes. Banging and clattering filled the hallways, drowning out any thoughts and ideas. There was definitely something alive, a minotaur of sorts. Phil didn’t know what side of war the monster was on. A bang to his left and he turned. Down the hall, he went and a growl from his right led him in that direction.

Until he stumbled into the room, sword drawn, and he stopped.

A boy stood against the back wall, angry, red eyes staring back. They were captivating, holding onto him just as tight as Adelya’s hand had only minutes ago. Clouded by anger and alight with fury. But Phil could see the pain and anguish behind them as if someone had been forced into a war he didn’t want to start. The boy growled, low and dangerous. Like a warning from a wolf with an injured paw. Phil held his sword up, prepared to attack if needed, but this Minotaur didn’t lunge at him.

He couldn’t lunge at him. The boy was contained. Trapped. Like an animal in a cage. Phil had been an animal in a cage once before his mistress had found him. Phil had to pause, consider whether or not this boy was friend or foe.

The boy made that choice for him. “I…” The boy finally croaked out, red eyes blinking the clouds and anger from them. “I think I hurt someone…” Phil relaxed at the defeated look that came from the boy.

“Hey, mate, what do you mean?” He asked softly. The boy shrugged his shoulders, as much as he could considering the chains were pulled tight and attached to the floor. He gave a submitting look, eyes downcast and hurt, and his bubblegum pink hair fell around him. A messy bun couldn’t keep it away from his face anymore. All together the child looked like he’d been through hell and couldn’t bear to remember it.

After a few minutes of silence, the boy spoke again. “Are… are you Philza?” He whispered, wincing at the way his words sounded.

“I am,” Phil replied, nodding his head. “What is your name?” He didn’t ask how the kid knew his name. He didn’t even know if he could trust the boy to not attack him. He knew just that the kid was bound to have trust issues and accusing him of things right away when Phil wasn’t even sure what he was capable of, would be a really stupid move.

“Technoblade,” The boy spat out as if the name disgusted him. “They said it was very fitting.” Phil froze.

“Technoblade…” He whispered to himself. His sword disappeared into his inventory instantly. Technoblade glanced up, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Suddenly it made sense. The pink hair should have been a dead giveaway. The boy looked so much like Adelya for it to not be true. “You have a sister. Named Adelya.”

The final bit of clouds and anger in Technoblade’s eyes disappeared and was replaced with fear. “Please don’t hurt her…” He stumbled over his words. “I know she’s here. I think I’ve seen her. They swore they had her and I know you’ll hurt her if I don’t listen. I’ll do it, okay? I don’t know what it is but I’ll do it.”

“Woah, woah, woah. Calm down, okay? I’m not here to ask something of you,” Phil replied, holding up his hands in surrender. Technoblade fumbled, glancing up. “I just saw her. My mis… Kristin. Kristin has her. She’s a fighter and she was worried about you.”

“Can I see her?” Technoblade begged. Phil had a feeling it was supposed to be out of character for him. He gave his best calming smile and nodded his head.

“Of course you can,” He replied. Technoblade just nodded his head and glanced down again. His eyes followed the chains that kept him trapped.

“I think I can trust you,” Techno mumbled softly. He glanced up at Phil once again. “Please… Please tell me that I can trust you. That my mind isn’t pulling a prank on me.” Phil stepped closer, hands held in front of him in what he figured was a calming manner.

“You can trust me,” Phil agreed. “I promise you that.” Techno nodded his head, satisfied with that. His eyes unfocused, eyebrows knitting together. Phil waited patiently. For what, he wasn’t sure but he waited regardless. But Technoblade didn’t respond after that.

“Hey, mate, I’m going to get you out of those chains, okay?” Phil asked. Technoblade blinked, bringing his attention back to him.

“Can I even trust him?” Techno whispered softly to himself, almost like he was talking to someone. Phil waited for confirmation. He wasn’t sure Techno had even seen him there. “I… I don’t know if I should…”

“Are you talking to someone?” Phil asked gently, attempting another step towards Technoblade. The boy flinched and Phil could see the toll he had taken. Technoblade’s shirt was dyed red with blood but some of it looked too new to be from anything other than an open wound. His wrists were rubbed raw from the handcuffs and he favored his left foot over his right. The boy himself was shaky and defensive, looking like he was on the verge of attacking and escaping at the same time. But there were scars running up and down his exposed skin. Phil had a feeling he was one of the coliseum fighters.

“I… Myself. I was talking to myself,” Techno replied quickly. He jumped and looked like he’d rather die than give any more information.

“Alright, alright, that’s okay,” Phil said, nodding in agreement. “Do you want out of those chains now?” Technoblade shook his head at first, glancing down at his hand.

“Uh… Yeah. I’d like out,” He finally admitted. Phil nodded his head again.

“I’m going to step over, okay?” He asked. Technoblade gave his consent in the form of a nod. Phil slowly made his way over and took out his pickaxe. Techno flinched at the movement but once Phil showed him he meant no harm with the pickaxe, he allowed the handcuffs and chains to be removed.

“Do you know what happened here?” Phil mumbled gently. Technoblade shrank away, back against the wall. His eyes went wide, clutching at the stone bricks behind him.

“My sister?” Techno shot back, mustering up the best glare he could manage. Phil nodded his head, pulling his robe around him properly once again. With a fix of his bucket hat, he gestured for Technoblade to follow him.

“Kristin is taking care of her,” He replied, hoping it’d bring him comfort. “She was suffering from a few potions but we gave her some milk and a healing pot so she should be doing better.” Technoblade hummed and once Phil started to move, he was only a few steps behind.

The trip back up to Kristin was silent. Phil didn’t push the kid into talking and the kid didn’t make any attempt either. On occasion, he heard Technoblade whisper something to himself. He brushed it off as nerves. He had no doubt that the two survivors were traumatized. He found it best to not mention it. But the selfish part of his brain almost wished there had been none. With no survivors meant no reason for Phil to try to fix everything.

“Kristin, I found Technoblade,” Phil called once he entered the room he’d left the two in. Kristin perked up, twisting her head around to look at the two.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” She praised, gesturing the two over. Phil made his way over obediently, swiftly, and was rewarded with a soft hand in his. Technoblade was more hesitant, opting to hang back until he saw Adelya and was down on his knees instantly.

“I managed to convince her to drink the health pot,” Kristin replied, glancing down at the girl in her arms. Adelya was curled close, eyes shut peacefully, and Phil found himself relieved to see the steady rising and falling of the girl’s chest. “She wasn’t too happy about it but she’s asleep now.”

“She’s stubborn…” Technoblade chuckled weakly, reaching a hand out to run his fingers through his sister’s hair. At the touch, he yanked his hand back, as if she had burned him. After a second, he reached back over, holding her hand carefully. Phil chuckled a bit and dropped down at Kristin’s side.

“They’re gods,” Kristin whispered, leaning over to whisper in Phil’s ears. He froze, blood running cold before he could stop it. The initial shock wore off eventually, Kristin’s thumb rubbing a calming circle on the back of his hand. “I think they realized it. Treated Adelya pretty poorly because of it. She can withstand quite a bit and said some pretty disturbing things.”

“It’d explain a lot,” Phil finally replied. Kristin hummed in agreement.

“I think I know who,” She continued, keeping her tone down. They received a suspicious look from Technoblade but he said nothing. “Blood and Chaos’s children. They disappeared a few centuries ago to raise children and a few decades ago, they were announced dead. Only two of their kids survived.”

“I don’t think they know,” Phil shot back softly. Kristin stared down at the girl in her arms. “Techno seemed to believe he was confined by mortal rules.”

They stayed silent for a few minutes. Technoblade shifted uncomfortably, obviously wanting to make some moves he wasn’t sure he was allowed to make. Kristin eventually lifted Adelya up and passed her into her brother’s arms. That seemed to take most of his anxiety away, cradling his sister in his arms as tightly as he could.

“We can't just leave them,” Kristin started. She stood up and gestured for Phil to do the same. “Certainly not like this. No, they need to be looked after.”

“What do you suppose we do with them then?” Phil asked, his wings shifting uncomfortably behind him. Kristin smiled, reaching up to brush a strand of his blonde hair behind his ear.

“You take them to the Antarctic Empire, of course.”

Chapter Text

Technoblade really needed to get a new Chat.

Antarctic Empire? Pog!

2/4 Sleepy Bois?

2/4 content!

Dadza!

Philza Minecraft!

Blood for the Blood God

Not on Phil, user!

He is married to a woman and that is interesting.

Dude, I remember this!

Hasn’t happened yet though! Let Techno figure it out.

Spoiler warning!

Yeah. He definitely needed a new Chat. He shook his head, hoping that the motion would cause Chat to realize he had no clue what they were talking about and shut up. He wasn’t so lucky but they faded to a murmur in the back of his head. Adelya shifted in his arms and Technoblade drew his attention back to his sister. It’s only been a few minutes since he got her back and already, he couldn’t let her go. He hated what he had done. And it was his fault. Chat tried to excuse him, telling him that it was their fault. 

Technoblade’s chat was full of jerks and annoyances who didn’t take responsibility for anything. He wondered what could have possibly happened to make Chat change their ways.

“The Antarctic Empire?” Philza mumbled, drawing Techno’s attention once again. “Kristin, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. This is the start of a nation. It can get messy and they’re kids.”

“Kids who need protection. You’re the Angel of Death, are you not? You’re more than capable of keeping them safe,” Kristin replied. She sounded a little more than frustrated and annoyed. Technoblade didn’t want to find out what she was capable of. Torture wasn’t necessarily fun.

Mumza

Mumza supremacy

Mumza pog!

Momza!

Mumza supremacy!

It’s Mumza!

Mumza my beloved <3

Momza pog!

Mumza!

Mumza my beloved

Wait, who’s Mumza?

Mumza

“I’m not going anywhere,” Technoblade spoke up, curling his arms just the smallest bit tighter around his sister. The conversation between the two strangers halted and while Chat seemed to grow attached to them instantly, they were just that. Strangers. Strangers who had shown up at a convenient time and knew a little too much for his liking. “Certainly not to this Antarctic Empire of yours. You couldn’t make me.”

“Techno…” Kristin drawled softly. Her voice had a hidden sharpness to it. It should have been threatening but he clung to it. It sounded like his mother, back when he’d get scolded for being distracted once again. A mother he didn’t have anymore.

Oh. So this Kristin must be Mumza.

“Hey, mate, you okay?” Phil asked gently, dropping down to his height in a crouch. Technoblade blinked and the piercing headache returned again, stabbing nails into the back of his eyes. He was getting really sick of Chat’s form of endearment.

“I’m okay,” Technoblade grumbled. His hand had already found his temple before he could even think about it. “I’m fine. Just spaced out.” Phil nodded his head and Techno could have sworn he saw something like concern in his eyes. Which didn’t make sense, considering the fact that Phil had only just met him a few minutes ago.

“As I was saying,” Kristin spoke up. Out of the two of them, Kristin definitely seemed to be the more direct. “We can’t just let you go out on your own now. I’m worried that those traders will be looking for you. And you can’t guarantee your or your sister’s safety in this state. You need a professional help who can genuinely heal your injuries.”

Chat grumbled in protest, upset at the idea of being unable to protect themselves. Technoblade would love to remind them that it was his body they put through hell. He would have too, if he wasn’t so worried about looking absolutely insane in front of Phil and Kristin. But a sinking pit in his stomach prevented him from arguing further, although he wasn’t sure why. He’d always been more socially shy but the tight feeling in his chest was foreign and frightening and he didn’t want to argue and make it worse.

“Whatever you think, I guess,” Technoblade sighed softly. He glanced down at Adelya again, fiddling with her hair. The girl shifted, a puff of air exhaled gently from her lips, and she looked almost frustrated. Perhaps she had those nightmares too. Ones where people were stabbed and bled until death were kind enough to claim them. He had no doubt that her’s lacked the torment of Chat, however.

“Technoblade,” Phil started gingerly. Techno jerked his attention back up, scolding himself for the distracted nature he could never seem to shake. Phil gave him another encouraging smile, one that seemed far too kind for the hell he’d been in over the past few weeks. “It seems like you think we’re forcing this on you. If you really don’t want to go, how are we going to stop you?”

“There’s plenty of ways to do that,” Techno spat, gritting his teeth together. Chat copied his sentiment, echoing words and phrases. He was sure some of them were quoting something but he wasn’t quite sure where they came from. Nor did he have the mental energy to play in Chat’s games at the moment.

His words seemed to force Phil to pause and Technoblade briefly wondered how much his words could stop before he’d have to resort to violence again. “I can assure you that I won’t use any of those ways to make you do what I want. Because there’s nothing I want other than making sure you’re okay and safe.” Technoblade rolled his eyes but Chat assured him that Phil and Kristin meant no harm. In their own ways, of course.

Crow father!

Philza pog!

Mumza supremacy

Emerald duo my beloved

Dadza!

Philza Minecraft!

Goddess of death <3

“I don’t know who you are,” Technoblade started softly, shaking his head. He stared down at his sister again, watching her shift in his arms once again. The pounding in his head almost made him miss the way her eyes fluttered under her eyelids. “I don’t know why you’re here. I don’t know why it’s just Adelya and I left. I just know that destruction seems to follow our path and every time, I can’t seem to recall anything that’s happened.”

“You don’t know what’s happened here?” Kristin asked quietly. Technoblade flinched under her gaze, expecting to feel the judgment only a few moments later, but it never came. Part of him wanted to believe that she wasn’t mad but he couldn’t trust that. He didn’t know if he would ever trust again.

Adelya groaned and whined and Techno had never been more grateful for the attention to be shifted off of him. The girl weakly pushed her hand against his chest, trying to push him away, before she glanced up enough to notice who he was. Half-open eyes shot all the way open and she whimpered, shooting up to throw herself in his arms.

“You’re here… You’re here… Techno, you’re back,” She whispered, bursting into tears. Chat roared in his head, but it wasn’t so overwhelming this time. They were more of comfort this time, trying to help him with his sister, but this was the one thing he didn’t need help with.

“Of course I’m here,” He mumbled, rubbing her back as tenderly as he could. “I wasn’t going to just leave you on your own.” Adelya cried, ugly sobs building in volume, and he didn’t know how to calm her down, make her stop.

“They hurt me,” She cried into his chest. “And it hurt and they were mean. And now everyone’s gone and then they saved me and it was so scary.” Technoblade hummed softly, unsure how to respond to that.

“Who saved you?” He asked gently. Adelya glanced up, shifting, and when she made eye contact with Phil and Kristin, he knew that there wasn’t a chance they’d be on their own again. They gave her a small smile and that was that. Adelya reached an arm out for Kristin. The woman made her way over and grabbed onto her hand.

“They’re nice,” Adelya confirmed. “I like them.” She tugged until Kristin relented and knelt down to pick her up.

“Can I take her from you?” She asked, face growing serious. Techno wasn’t really sure why considering the fact that they could take anything from them and he wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. Maybe whine, groan, protest, and if he was lucky, they’d let him fight for it. Nothing had changed. He had fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire.

NO!

Dadza pog!

Blood

Trust

Trust Dadza

Wait, why doesn’t he trust them.

Love Phil

It’s Philza Minecraft!

I thought they were best friends?

Wrong universe!

Go back!

CAW

“If you don’t want me to take her, just say so and I won’t,” Kristin replied, dragging him back out of his thoughts. Adelya whined and pulled at her arm again. She was four. Technoblade couldn’t trust a four-year-old to make the right decision.

“Let go,” She whispered. “Tech, please. I like her.”

And he relented. Chat screamed their approval and Kristin tugged the younger girl into her arms, scooping her up in the same way their father used to. She swirled her around until Adelya giggled and laughed before placing her on her hip. And it hurt. Everything became too much. Chat’s words ringing in his head. And then Phil stepped over, steps echoing, and he cried. His head was pounding and he knew there was no release. None until he slipped back into the dream world where he couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t.

“-’s got a headache.” He heard Adelya say and he couldn’t tell if she was too loud or too soft. Phil knelt down at his side and Technoblade wanted to flinch away. Maybe he did flinch. But the hand placed gently enough on his shoulder was almost grounding. He could feel that. He could focus on that.

“-ten does h- -ve them, Adel-” It was Kristin who was speaking, slipping in and out of focus and sound.

“Don’t focus on them,” Phil mumbled close to his ear. Just enough to hear. Just enough to focus on. Techno watched him reach his other hand up, brushing the tears from his face. Technoblade couldn’t help it. He leaned into the touch. When was the last time he’d been touched with care? “Just focus on my voice, okay? Just my voice and my hands. You’re going to be just fine.”

Chat had never helped with these episodes before, screaming and shouting with little regard for how he felt. This time, they backed off. They returned to a quiet mumbling as if Phil’s words actually meant something to them. It was annoying how the voices in his own head wouldn’t listen to him, but they’d listen to a stranger they’d gotten a strange attachment to.

“Make them stop,” Technoblade found himself whispering. He reached for something, fists tightening around the worn fabric of his brown, cotton pants. “I feel so unwanted here.”

“Make who stop?” Phil questioned softly. “Who do you need me to stop?” It was too late though. Instead, he just shook his head and Chat finally blessed him with the dream world again.

<><><><><><><><><><>

When he opened his eyes once again, he found himself back in the crowded coliseum. Of course, he was back. That awful room, domed in obsidian and thousands of fake lights to make it brighter. Chat sat around him, calling out, saying something, but he couldn’t listen. It hurt too much. There was always something about this world that brought out the worst in Chat and this time was no different.

Blood for the Blood God

That was their chant. Always had been. They were too much. How was he supposed to handle this? He dropped to his knees and then down some more, his hands over his ears. He wanted it to stop.

“Chat, please…” He called weakly. “Please make it stop. I’ll listen. I’ll play nice. Just stop this from happening, I’m begging.”

Chat didn’t listen.

Chat never listened.

He sobbed into his arms and wished for it to be over.

<><><><><><><><><><>

When he came too again, the sky was bright with fluffy clouds filling the pale blue expanse of space. There was oxygen there. He knew that. Wait. Since when was he outside?

Chat sprung to life at this revelation. The few gentle moments of calm were completely gone now. In a panic, he pushed himself into a seating position, more than ready to confront whatever it was he’d need to fight off to get out of here. He couldn’t let them put him in the coliseum again. He couldn’t pick up that sword again. He couldn’t face that again after this. He just needed to find Adelya to leave. That was it.

Blood for the Blood God.

‘Shut up,’ Technoblade thought right back.

“Ah, he’s awake!” Someone chirped happily nearby. It sounded familiar, someone he really should know, but the memory eluded him. He turned to face the voice, only to be faced with a man sitting cross-legged on a tree stump. Blonde hair, bright emerald eyes, and robes. Forest green robes. A bucket cap lay limply in his lap, matching the green with one set of strips. The others were white, though stained as if they’d been through too many wars.

Ah, yes. This was Philza. Thank you, Chat, for the reminder.

“Where’s Adelya?” Technoblade questioned, forcing himself upon his knees. His body really didn’t enjoy that, threatening to give away any chance it got. 

“She’s with Kristin,” Phil replied, a hint of caution in his voice as if he were speaking to a caged animal. “She almost didn’t want to leave you but she got bored of waiting around and wanted to explore.” That explained a lot. Adelya loved to explore, especially in a new place.

“Where are we?” Technoblade mumbled, glancing around the outdoors. It appeared to be the middle of the forest, a clearing most likely.

“Just outside of the main town. It’s just behind the Hypixel portal,” Phil continued with a shrug. “Adelya mentioned to Kristin that you were headed to Hypixel before you were kidnapped and I figured you would probably want to head there once you were back on your feet.”

Oh. That was certainly not what he had been thinking. Technoblade leaned back on his arms, allowing himself to fully wake up with the hope that it wasn’t a huge mistake to trust Phil to not hurt him like this. Chat mumbled to themselves quietly, some conversation that he clearly wasn’t welcome in. A stranger in his own body.

Instead of worrying about Chat and what they were planning next, he focused on the present. His hair fell around him like a curtain, although it was knotted and gross. He couldn’t remember the last time it’d been washed. The last time he was clean. He brushed it out of his face, eyebrows twisting in confusion as it easily reached his hips. He could have sworn it had only reached his mid-back a few weeks ago.

“Do you want to brush your hair?” Phil asked, pulling his attention once again. That man had a habit of pulling him out of his thoughts before he could completely space out again.

“Heh?” He replied, too confused and focused to hear him properly. Phil chuckled and his hand disappeared into his inventory.

“Your hair looks like it needs to be taken care of,” Phil replied, producing a hairbrush from inside a bag he’d been carrying in his inventory. “You can borrow my brush if you’d like.” The hairbrush was nothing special. Just a wood handle with bristles that he didn’t recognize. But the gesture was kind enough. Technoblade found himself reaching for it before he could really think about it.

“I don’t know how much it’ll do,” Phil shrugged, shifting on the tree stump again. “But it might be nice to do something about it.” The brush felt nice in his hand, a familiar feeling to the sword but knowing it wasn’t dangerous was some sort of comfort. Familiar and safe.

“Uh… thanks,” Technoblade mumbled. He dropped the brush in his lap and ran his fingers through his hair again, brushing it over his left shoulder to come through it. Starting towards the bottom, he slowly realized that the biggest clumps of hair were braids. Well, they had been braids at some point. Philza hummed in acknowledgment before leaning back on his hands.

“We’re back!” Adelya shouted. Glancing up from where Technoblade had been focused on the ends of his hair, he watched his young sister skip up from a worn path in the trees. “We saw the village!”

“Adele…” Technoblade started to say, standing up to confront her, but Kristin came up behind Adelya and placed her hand gently on the young girl’s head.

“She’s safe. I promise,” Kristin assured. “I would never put her in harm’s way. And you don’t have to believe my words. You can look at her.” Adelya slowly approached him, hesitant and worried, and hands hidden behind her back.

“I got you something!” She chirped happily. She got impatient and skipped the rest of the way over, holding something in her arms. Technoblade shifted onto his knees, leaning back against them, and tilted his head curiously. In her hands was a gold object. No, not an object. A crown. It had gems and they were all clearly fake. But Adelya seemed so excited by the crown that he couldn’t help but smile with her.

“It’s a crown! Now you’re a king like the stories you tell!” Adelya smiled happily. She set the crown down on the top of his head, clearly proud of herself for the achievement.

“They aren’t kings, Delly. They’re pharaohs,” Techno chuckled. “They’re like kings but they’re reincarnations of the gods.”

“Now you’re a pharaoh ,” Adelya corrected sarcastically. Technoblade laughed and messed up her hair. Adelya pulled away from his hand and rolled her eyes with a huff.

“Yes, I’ll be a pharaoh,” He smiled. Satisfied with her work, Adelya turned away and picked up the hairbrush from the ground. Chat screamed in annoyance, mad that Adelya clearly didn’t know enough Ancient Egyptian history to know that the crown couldn’t be more wrong. But this was Techno’s life and not theirs. He was not going to have Adelya sulking for the next two weeks all because she was too young to know the difference between a crown and an Egyptian pschent or atef.

“My turn,” She chirped happily. She brought the brush-up and before he knew it, he was having his hair brushed by his sister. Now, brushed was a relative term. He felt almost like he couldn’t even call it that. Adelya clearly had no idea what she was doing but it was nice to have someone else do his hair for once.

“Adelya, that’s not how you brush hair, silly,” Kristin laughed gently. She made her way over carefully, almost like she was waiting for Technoblade to snap at her. He had half a mind too but Chat advised it wouldn’t be such a smart play. “Would you let me touch your hair, Technoblade?”

“Sure,” He shrugged, words too soft. They were almost missed. Phil just gave him a nod, as if encouraging him in some weird way that Techno didn’t know of. An assurance maybe? Confirming that Kristin wasn’t going to hurt him? He really was sick of not knowing.

“Alright, Adele, you brush it like this.” Kristin’s hands were gentle. He could hardly feel them against him if she wasn’t so cold. It was like ice had grazed his skin. He shivered at first until he realized how clear the world seemed to be now and he welcomed the feeling with open arms. “See, Phil’s gets all tangled up like this when he’s flying. I keep trying to get him to braid it back at least but he doesn’t listen. Ever the adventurer. He listens to no one.”

“Oh, shut!”

“You know it’s true!” Kristin laughed. Her hand left Technoblade’s shoulder, passing the brush off to Adelya. “Now you give it a try.”

Technoblade wasn’t sure how long they sat there, just letting them work on his hair. Kristin and Adelya filled them in on the village they had visited, about the sights and the smells. Phil laughed along until he was prompted into talking about one of his adventures and he launched into a story about an old ruin he had explored. He’d found a portal that took him to a different world. Techno found that interesting.

Regardless, it was an interesting time. He didn’t trust them. He knew he shouldn’t. It had been one day and he had a feeling that there was something they weren’t telling him. And yet, Technoblade found himself speaking anyway.

“How far away is this Antarctic Empire?”

Chapter Text

Philza had been fully expecting to spend more time convincing Technoblade that he couldn’t go out on his own. Especially not with a sister as young as Adelya. Kristin had shot him a message over his comm while he was still waiting for Technoblade to wake up, explaining Adelya’s already growing attachment to them. Adelya was the easy one. Technoblade might be growing used to them already but he was the one who had fought him.

More accurately, he had tried to fight Kristin.

It was certainly interesting. Phil hadn’t been expecting that much of a fight from the young kid. One minute, Techno had been having a panic attack on the floor, hands over his ears and fingers digging into his temple. Adelya kept repeating something about a headache, how different it made her brother, but Technoblade seemed more shaken and afraid than anything. He’d begged for Phil to make them stop. As if he was afraid of them. Whoever this them happened to be. And then he snapped. One minute he was a shaking ball on the floor and the next, he had lunged himself at Kristin. Phil had only been seconds away from intervening and Kristin stepped away just in time before he could send both her and Adelya to the ground.

Adelya screamed about her brother’s headache like this was something she was used to. Kristin kept the girl from getting close, but that meant that Technoblade had turned his attention back to him. Those red eyes returned, cloudy and full of furry. He was ready to tear a government down. Phil didn’t know what to do with that. 

“Come at me, angel,” The kid had taunted. And so, they fought.

But now Technoblade didn’t seem to remember any of it. He’d returned to his quiet, reserved self who looked like he wanted to run and hide instead of getting caught any farther in this mess. That Phil didn’t understand. Kristin had sent him a look that said she’d explain later so now he just had to follow her lead.

“Simp!” A crow chirped, landing on his shoulder with a laugh. Phil chuckled and reached over to brush a finger over the raven feathers of his head.

“Glad to see the crows are keeping you busy, Brian,” He mumbled. Adelya glanced up from where she was focused on her brother’s hair, under the careful care and guidance of Kristin, of course.

“It’s a bird!” She smiled. “Is that your pet? I like him!” She stood up, handing the hairbrush over to Kristin, who rested back on her knees.

“I believe that’s Brian,” Kristin smiled. “He does most of the talking for the crows.” Adelya spun on her heels, suddenly a lot more interested.

“He talks?” She gasped.

“Birds don’t talk, Delly,” Technoblade mumbled, running his fingers through his half-brushed, greasy hair. Kristin chuckled and shot Phil a look.

“Well, Brian does,” Phil filled in with a small smile. Adelya gasped again, blue eyes widening at the remark. She bounced over, heading towards the bird on Phil’s shoulder with much more interest than before.

“I wanna see! Please?” She begged. Kristin chuckled and stood up, hairbrush twisting in her hands.

“Only Phil can hear Brian,” Kristin explained. “I can on occasion. But he doesn’t talk for anyone else.” Next to his ear, Brian spoke up again, starting a seven spam much to Phil’s disapproval.

“Ian, shut!” He chuckled. Kristin laughed lightly, although she didn’t move away from Technoblade’s side. He seemed to be mumbling to himself, something that took most of her attention. Adelya leaned onto Phil’s knees, glancing up at the bird on his shoulder.

“What’s he saying?” She questioned excitedly.

“Sevens,” Phil groaned. “Another crow loves his sevens.”

“Mhm, Ian loves to torture you like that,” Kristin agreed.

“What kind of things does he say?” Technoblade finally asked. Adelya turned to him, head tilted. Her interest in her brother’s words suddenly disappeared when Brian hopped onto her shoulder.

“The crows?” Phil asked, leaning forward in his seat. Underneath his cloak, his wings shivered, sick of being trapped under the coverings for so long. Technoblade met his eyes, expression wavering for a second. Phil froze, worried he had noticed the movement, but Technoblade looked away again.

“Yeah. You said they talk. What kind of things do they say to you?” He mumbled. Phil chuckled as Brian launched into some story one of the crows felt was necessary to share at the moment.

“Whatever they feel like, I guess,” Phil replied. “Sometimes they’ve only got one brain cell. Sometimes they’re helpful. Whatever they feel like that day.” Technoblade didn’t respond after that.

“He’s my best friend!” Adelya cheered. Brian didn’t respond, just rested on her shoulder constantly. The crows must have gotten bored of speaking again. Phil chuckled and smiled, running his fingers over Brian’s soft feathers again. “It’d be so cool to fly! I wish I could.”

“Did you know that Philza can?” Kristin said, stepping over closer to them. Technoblade didn’t talk to himself again, leaving Kristin free to join the conversation. Phil glanced up, curious to see where this was going. Adelya’s eyes went wide again, glancing up at Kristin with a shocked expression.

“He can fly?” She replied. “How? I wanna see! Can I fly too?” Kristin glanced up at Phil and… oh. She really wanted him to do this. Fine.

“Well, mate, I’ve got these.” Phil shucked his cloak off, the cool breeze instantly cooling off the sweaty skin that he hadn’t really been aware of until now. His wings shot open, thankful to be out of their confines. Adelya spun around quickly and gasped for the umpteenth time that day.

“Woah…” She breathed gently. Out of the corner of his eye, Phil saw Technoblade flinch and he paused, unsure how he should take it. He knew his wings had been exposed during the rescue. Only when he had ventured off to find Technoblade did he place his cloak back on, but he had a feeling that Adelya didn’t remember much from that time. “They are so pretty! Can I touch them?”

Phil returned his attention back to Adelya, opting to let Technoblade calm himself down again instead of risking another attack. “Uh… sure.” Adelya giggled and reached a hand out, brushing gently through the black feathers. His wings shivered again, unprepared for the touch, but Adelya didn’t seem to notice at all.

“Where’d you get them? I want to fly!” Adelya screeched, clapping her hands together. Technoblade flinched again, hands instinctively covering his hands, and Phil had a feeling this was going to be a long trip.

“Delly, don’t. My head,” Technoblade groaned, voice barely above a whisper. Adelya frowned, turning back to face her brother.

“Sorry, Tech…” She whispered, in the loudly hushed voice only a child could make. Phil frowned, more concerned about the thought of another headache. The other one hadn’t gone over so well. He didn’t want to worry about having to deal with that every time Techno got another headache. Adelya was quick to claim his attention again, however. “Where did you get wings? I’ve ever seen anyone with wings before!”

An innocent enough question. Phil really couldn’t let it bother him as much as it did. He wanted to smile, to laugh, but all he saw was a cage and chains.

“Some people are just born with them,” Kristin supplied gently, leaning down to set a hand on Adelya’s shoulder. “Some people don’t like that though. They’ll hurt people who are different than them because of it.”

“Like Techno?” Adelya questioned, innocent and naive. 

“Yeah, a little bit like that,” Kristin shrugged. “But it’s a little different sometimes too. They don’t want everybody to fight. Sometimes it’s other things.”

“Shut up,” Technoblade growled from where he sat. His eyes were angry and red and all wrong. “Don’t teach her that.” It was low and dangerous and too much and Phil found himself slipping into a dark time once again. Kristin set a hand on his shoulder gently, keeping those thoughts from getting too strong, too traumatic. 

“I’m sorry,” She mumbled gently, although Phil wasn’t sure if it was directed at him or at Technoblade.

“Do you fly places then?” Adelya asked, her eyes widening as his wings fluttered nervously behind him. She had no clue how thin the fucking ice was here, did she? Just a child who wanted to know. Why was it bothering him so much?

“Yeah, he goes to all sorts of places,” Kristin supplied helpfully. She rubbed a gentle circle on Phil’s shoulder, just hard enough to keep him focused on that. “His favorite right now has lots of snow.”

“I love the snow!” Adelya cheered. “We don’t get lots of it at my house. But I love snow! Tech, can we go see the snow, please?” Technoblade groaned and Adelya was reminded of his headache again.

“Sorry,” She whispered. She turned back to Kristin and Phil with a serious look on her face. “We gotta be quiet.” It was the kind of whisper yell that most children did, convinced they were actually being quiet when, in fact, they were really just adding more breath to their words and not changing the volume at all. Phil chuckled and ruffled her hair. At some point, Kristin must have brushed it out as well.

How long had they spent around these kids? He couldn’t tell. It felt like forever and yet, no time at all.

“How about this,” Phil started, keeping his voice lower for the sake of not provoking Technoblade again. “I’ll take you flying at some point soon. I’ll even take you to see the snow. But that means you’ve gotta stay with us, okay?” Adelya frowned, turning back to look at her brother. Technoblade didn’t say anything.

“Techno says we can’t go home,” The girl frowned. Her face seemed to fall, growing more and more serious by the second. “Said somethin’ bad happened there and now we can’t go back. He don’t wanna go with anyone but he can get scary sometimes.”

“Shut up,” Technoblade growled again. Adelya shut her mouth instantly. Kristin caught her before the girl could trip over her own two feet trying to turn around. Adelya was quick to jump into her arms and Phil vaguely wondered how often Adelya had to deal with her brother’s headaches like the one they had seen earlier.

“Sorry,” Adelya whispered. Technoblade blinked and he turned to his sister, face falling.

“No, Delly, I didn’t mean you. I wasn’t talking to you,” He stuttered, opting to hang his head in shame. “I’m sorry… I- Sorry. I’ll stop talking.”

“It’s okay, Tech,” Adelya replied gently. “You’ve gotta headache. I know that.”

“If it’s alright with you two,” Kristin started, turning to make eye contact with Phil. He knew she wasn’t speaking to him. The thought was appreciated, however. “Why doesn’t Phil take Adelya to look at the garden in the village. I promised her she could see it later.”

“What about Techno?” Adelya questioned, but her enthusiasm for the idea outshone her concern, already twisting in Kristin’s arms to grab onto Phil to make him hold her. “What’s he gonna do?”

“I’ll take him to look into getting a room at an inn, okay?” Kristin promised. “And we’ll get you guys some supplies before we go to the Antarctic Empire.”

“I don’t own much,” Technoblade sighed, his hand disappearing to rummage through his inventory. Kristin chuckled and passed Adelya into Phil’s arms before making her way over to him.

“That’s okay. It’ll be my treat,” Kristin replied gently. Adelya squirmed in Phil’s arms, desperate to get out of there and go see the garden already.

“Let’s go… Please? I wanna go see the flowers! And the frogs!” Adelya pleaded, staring Phil intently in the eyes. He chuckled and brushed her hair from her face gently. He was already reaching for his bucket hat and cloak again.

“Yes, we’re going. We’ll see the flowers and the frogs,” He promised. Kristin made eye contact with him, a promise of something he wasn’t sure he’d know of until later. Technoblade glared over at them, but he seemed to pause when he saw the look on Adelya’s face.

“Yeah… yeah, that’s fine,” Technoblade agreed with a sigh. Adelya’s face lit up and she squirmed in Phil’s arms.

“He said yes, let’s go!” She exclaimed, pushing against Phil’s chest to get set on the ground. He chuckled and complied, letting the girl squirm her way back onto the ground.

“Would you like to start down with us or-” Phil started to ask, not knowing who’s permission he was seeking at the moment. Technoblade shrugged, his hands running over his face. Perhaps he was dissociated. Phil could remember that state. Back when he was unsure of where he was or what he was supposed to do. He could understand that.

“We’ll meet you down there when Techno is feeling a little more up to moving,” Kristin filled in for him. “I’m sure he’s still very tired from… well, everything.” There was no protest from Technoblade. If he didn’t trust Kristin not to hurt him yet, he clearly didn’t express it.

“Let’s go!” Adelya urged again, pulling on Phil’s hand to get him to move. Phil chuckled again and offered one last wave to the other two companions before following his younger one. Adelya hopped, skipped, and jumped her way through the woods, marching on an invisible course that she already seemed to know. She was an energetic kid who loved to move, Phil was starting to realize. She was definitely going to be a handful but he loved her already regardless.

Techno was a good kid too. Phil had a feeling that deep down, he was. But he was broken, almost damaged beyond repair. Phil wasn’t sure what he was going to do with that, especially if he was taking them to the Antarctic Empire. It was a military government, designed to protect and expand. He hadn’t expected to be watching kids while he did that too.

“This way!” Adelya chirped happily. She turned to tug on his hand again, leading him in a different direction. Phil doubted that she knew where she was going but there was no harm in letting her pretend. The worst that could happen was that they got attacked and he had to protect them. Nothing too dangerous. And with his cloak on and wings concealed, there was no way anyone would expect anything different from them.

“Do you like gardens, Adele?” Phil asked gently. Adeya hummed and nodded her head enthusiastically.

“Yep!” She popped her ‘p’, skipping alongside him contently. “I had a garden at home! Mama got lots of food from it!”

“You like growing food in gardens or growing plants?” Phil asked gently. Adelya seemed to think about that one for a few seconds. She got quiet, as if Phil had asked her a very serious question, and studied the wall carefully.

“I like the flowers,” She finally replied. Her voice was a little more solemn than Phil was used to hearing from her. He waited for her to continue speaking, wondering if it was worth pressing on about or if she had really just thought about it like a child would when asked a question like that. “My papa always used to plant them with me.”

Philza wasn’t sure how Kristin had decided they were Blood and Chaos’s children. They seemed too sweet to be. But there was the strange headache. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with that.

“Alright, here we are in town!” Phil smiled, gently grabbing Adelya’s hand before she could slip away from him. He had a feeling that Adelya knew better, considering how anxious Technoblade seemed to be, but there was nothing wrong with taking chances here. “We’ll be heading to the garden now!” Adelya laughed and jumped up and down excitedly.

“I love gardens!” She exclaimed, tugging on his arm to get him to move with her. “Let’s go!”

The town was very clean and bright. Phil didn’t get much of a chance to sightsee last night when they were bringing Adelya and Techno out of the last server they had been in. Kristin had suggested that they got a hotel room but Phil mentioned that it might be too much for the two children. And in the dark, the town looked dead. The lights were still on, of course, they were. The citizens didn’t want mobs to spawn around them while they were sleeping. But without the bustle of the streets from the mid-day rush, the town looked deserted.

Now it was humming with life. The shops were open with colorful arrays in the windows. Considering it was just one server away from Hypixel, Phil wasn’t surprised to see the number of people roaming the streets. Adelya kept close, one hand in his while the other clung to the fabric of his cloak, pulling it around her like a shield. She peeked out, pointing out anything she found even remotely interesting. Phil chuckled as she stared a little too long in a general store window, where toys lay on display. But she pulled away from the window a second later, nearly bumping into a woman as she walked past.

“Sorry!” She squealed, jumping behind Phil quickly. The woman only offered a gentle smile.

“You’re fine, dear,” She mumbled, continuing on her way. Phil gave her a smile and a nod.

“Thank you,” He replied, tipping his hat at her. And with that, the woman disappeared into the crowd again. Adelya tugged at his sleeve, jumping up into his arms when he turned to face her.

“I almost… almost…” She whimpered softly. Phil smiled, scooping her up and hugging her close.

“Let’s go see the garden, okay?” He mumbled, heading in the direction the sign above the street pointed him to go. Adelya nodded her head, hiding her face in his shoulder.

Phil loved gardens. Actually, he loved designing. Architecture, terraforming, all of it. If he had a choice, it’s all he’d do. Perhaps in a different life, he would have gone into that sort of field, the grueling work of dirt under his fingernails and his designs on display for the whole world to see. But in this one, he hardly had time for settling down before getting dragged off to another war or job.

But if he had the time, he would have designed a garden just like this one. A worn wooden path lined the walkway, acacia if he had to guess. There were some guard railings at the beginning of the path of the same wood, keeping people out of the wildlife that grew naturally next to it. The archway was wide and welcoming drawing him in. Adelya squirmed as soon as she saw it, dropping out of his arms once again to get close to the flowers. Her fingers could brush over the blue cornflowers and red poppies that grew out of the ground just next to the guard railings.

There weren’t as many people here as Phil figured there would be. As they traveled farther into the garden, the people grew fewer and fewer. Once they got to the middle of the garden, where the biggest trees grew and the fields opened up to run around in, there were only a few people running around the grass. Phil settled down in the grass under a tree, crossing his legs Indian style and allowing Adelya to roam around as long as she was in his line of sight.

It didn’t take her long to get bored of being by herself. She retreated back to him a few seconds later. “Here!” She smiled, holding out an array of flowers in her hand. “These are for you!” Phil smiled back, cradling them in his hand.

“Thank you,” He replied. Adelya dropped back down in the grass, running her fingers through the grass with a smile.

“You’re nice. I like you. Sorry Tech’s bein’ mean. He don’t mean it,” Adelya sighed. She pulled up a few blades of grass and weaved them through her fingers. Her face suddenly fell. “He just… He got headaches. They make him mad. Mama said he’d be okay one day.”

“He gets different when he gets headaches, doesn’t he?” Phil asked. Adelya nodded her head.

“But you’ll love him! He’s nice! He tells stories!” Adelya smiled happily. She clapped her hands together, letting the blades fall onto the ground again. “It’s so much fun! And I know that he’ll like you! He’s just shy.”

“Yeah, I figured he was,” Phil chuckled. Adelya shot him a wide smile.

“I’m not. I like people!”

“Yeah, mate, I figured that one too.” Adelya laughed at that and pulled herself up from the ground again. She pulled out one of the flowers from Phil’s hands and tucked in behind his ear. A pink carnation.

“I think I’m gonna like staying with you.”