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Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Techno marched on as the sun slowly set behind him. His footfalls heavy as he crossed between borders of different lands. He made his way out of the forest into the large desert before him.
The sand crunched beneath his feet, and he sighed. At least he could use this opportunity to get out of the rain.
Checking his supplies, he was good for a trek in the desert. Water being highly essential, and likely hard to find.
‘It’s getting hotter!’
‘It's a DESERT stupid’
‘SHUT!’
‘EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE’
‘Technolost! Technolost!’
‘Lost!’
‘You’re lost, admit it!’
“Chat, no. Shut up. I’m not lost.” He grunted.
‘Technolost!’
‘Eeeee’
‘Guys leave the old man alone!’’
‘Technolost! Technolost!’
‘It’s hot!’
‘TECHNOLOST!’
Technoblade rolled his eyes, and continued without a word. Chat was too noisy tonight, it’d be much more efficient to keep moving rather than attempt any chance of sleep.
He pulled out an apple to take a bite, highly alert of his surroundings. Mobs should be spawning soon, but shouldn’t get too close as long as he keeps his torch lit.
A few cacti in the distance. More sand…
A temple? Gotta check that out.
A snow-white rabbit bounced around his feet, jumping around him with no clear destination before it scampered down a nearby sand dune.
Techno stared after it for a few seconds, the memories coming to the front of his mind. It’s been a long time since he had gone to a desert of any kind. Not since before he had met-
No.
It’s been years. Many, many years. Not even the longest living of them all had made it anywhere close to the present. It’s better to not think of that. It only brought more pain, more suffering than he should have let happen. He shouldn’t have let anything happen.
He should never have stumbled across that village. He should have left the second anyone got friendly. He got too chummy, too soft.
He paid the price for that dearly.
Techno stopped for a moment to glance at the sky. Chat was silent, likely observing and figuring out what he was looking at.
Stars littered the dark blanket of night, each twinkling and blinking in their own patterns and formations. Constellations could be made out, but Techno couldn’t be bothered to figure out which was which. It was undoubtedly a beautiful night. No light pollution made it this far in the wild. Everything here was pure, untainted from man-made structures and destruction.
Aside from that temple, he noted. Though that felt like it had always belonged. As if it had stood silent for millennia, quietly watching over the land.
If that made sense.
‘Nah.’
‘Technolame’
Techno tore his eyes from the stars to groan in annoyance. “Chat, really?”
‘You sound like you’re quoting a book.. LAME’
‘Old!’
“Well, if I am so lame and old Chat, then maybe I won’t go and explore that really cool temple huh?”
‘Guys take it back, take it back!’
‘I WANNA GO!’
‘Sorry! Say sorry guys!’
‘Explore! Explore!’
“That’s what I thought.” The hybrid huffed out a laugh. He no longer distracted himself with the stars, and made his way to the temple. Old temples may mean old and rare loot. He’s heard rumors over the years that some may hold riches beyond comprehension. Though he knows better than to be that optimistic.Some held only cobwebs and dust.
Before it blew up the unsuspecting adventurers with its traps.
Techno never worried about that before though, he wasn’t going to start now.
Upon his approach to the temple, it was as if the entire night air changed. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “Chat, no messin’ around right now. I want everyone on high alert. Not sure what’s happenin’, but I’m certain it’s not good.”
‘Got it!’
‘360 degree vision lets gooooo’
‘DANGERDANGERDANGER’
‘What’s the worst that could happen?’
Techno unsheathed his sword and took his first step onto the temple’s grounds. He waited with baited breath as he listened for any whirrs of machinery or snaps of lines. The moment for a trap to go off, mobs to swarm, the place to collapse or explode. For something to just happen as if he tainted a sacred structure. And yet…
Nothing happened.
Tightening his grip on his sword, Techno dared to venture slightly more in. The feeling had still not gone away, if anything, it felt worse. He was getting paranoid, eyes shifting and glancing in all directions. Years of battle and war making him hone in on the slightest shift of movement. The barest brush of air.
It practically drove him mad as nothing continued to happen. He just couldn’t let his guard down like this, he knows what will happen, what always happens. The second he relaxes he’d get bombarded by whatever is causing this unease in the air around him. At least Chat gave him an edge, while often chaotic, can be most helpful in giving him thousands if not millions of extra eyes.
Speaking of…
“Chat.” He mumbled. “Even higher alert. Someone’s watchin’, I can feel their eyes on us.” This didn’t help the situation any, if whoever was watching him was connected in some way to the heavy atmosphere, it could be dangerous, immortal or not.
Still, nothing happened, and Techno only cautiously continued forward.
It all went to hell the second he got close to the middle of the temple’s courtyard.
A shift in air behind him, and Techno was swirling around with a snarl. Sword out on only a deadly path to give nothing less than a lethal strike. Yet he hit only air.
Red eyes behind a skull mask glowed in his rising fury. Whatever this is, he’s done with this game.
Once again, the air shifted behind him, and Techno made to move faster than before, but found that. He. Couldn’t.
He couldn’t move.
It was as if the atmosphere and space around the area all converged on him at once, effectively weighing him down enough that he could no longer react. Gravity heavy enough around him that while he could barely stand, he wouldn’t be able to do much else.
“What!?” He seethed. “Chat! I can’t see, what is going on, what is behind me?”
‘...’
‘This isn't good…’
‘Oh we pissed off something alright.’
Techno blanched. If Chat was this unnerved about what was happening, it’s a situation that he should most definitely get out of this very instant.
He tripled his efforts to escape, desperation growing by the second. His right foot moved slowly, as if pushing the very planet he stood on. Barely moving an inch.
Oh god, screw the buried alive thing, this is how he’s gonna spend the next 100 years of his life. Trapped by an evil temple with no escape.
“Hello child.”
“...”
“Excuse me, what?!” As if everything had been lifted, Techno was able to turn swiftly around, almost growling at the aspect of being referred to as nothing more than a kid.
There was nothing there. Yet…
“I know you’re here. And I know you are keepin’ yourself invisible or something. I can assure you I’m a lot older than you think, certainly no child.”
“Yet to me you are but a child. Your age means nothing to me, nothing more than a fraction of time in the lifespan of the universe.”
“Who are you to talk? You can’t even show yourself to me. Who. Are. You?”
“You wish me visible?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Very well.”
It happened in a flash of light. Techno stumbled back as a shadow loomed over him, a figure appearing tall and imposing in the night only lit by stars. The sacred atmosphere could be explained a lot more now that Techno could see who exactly was residing here.
Dark flowing curls hidden under a gold-embroidered hood. Eyes glittering gold - no different than the stars shining above them. In fact, the dark robes they wear are littered with them, the very constellations that Techno could never bother to learn the names of, strung together. Techno had never seen anyone wearing such garments in all his years alive. Combined with shining gold bracers and greaves that almost made him jealous. Almost.
Seeing this person tower over him, Techno could only realize one thing.
“You’re a God.”
“Yes. What gave it away?”
There was a roar of laughter in his head as Techno flushed red in embarrassment. “None of that from you! This makes no sense!”
The figure crouched lower to the ground, and its shining gold eyes looked at Techno as if it was reading him like a book. “Why not? I am here in front of you, is that not more than enough?”
“The Gods of this world are dead.” He hissed. “Have been for thousands of years. Yet here you are claimin’ to be what has long been lost.”
“I have been at rest for a long time. I was not aware of their passing until long after it happened. After I awoke. After my grieving, I had nowhere to go, so I stayed, and I watched.”
“Watched?” Techno questioned.
“The growth of humanity, the rulers, the warriors, the innocent. The pain of the deceased. The joy of those once loved. The pain of those alone and lost. I’ve seen it all, yet, there was always something that caught my eye.” It raised a finger to slightly point at Techno, sending him stumbling back in surprise.
“What? Me? I’ve never met you before, no reasons for you to stalk me. Go find someone worth your time.”
“You are the one whose mind is a battleground, whose soul yearns for blood, whose heart desires companionship. One who has walked the lands for centuries, but has yet to truly find himself. You are special.”
Techno huffed and crossed his arms. “A lot of people say that. I may be different, but a curse is a curse. Stuck with it now, stuck with it forever. Just a hybrid with one too many thoughts in his head, and can’t control himself.”
“Do you know what you are, little one?”
“Easy enough, I’ve been called a monster one too many times, I think it’s pretty obvious.”
The figure sighed. “You are becoming what you have claimed lost to the world. I sense a blessing within you, bestowed on you by one deity who could not let his legacy go unforgotten.” The figure lowered its hand. “You’ve heard its name before, Godling.”
“You don’t mean…” It was dawning on him. What he had only heard in passing, what was chanted in the thrill of battle, what he yelled as he conquered his enemies.
‘Blood for the Blood God!’
‘BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD’
‘EEEE’
‘Guys we’re gods! WoooOOoooOOoOOOoo’
‘Blood for the Blood GoD!’
‘Blood God!’
‘Blood God!’
‘Blood God!’
‘BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!’
“The Blood God...” The hybrid whispered. The God in front of him still heard it clearly. “You are telling me I’m a fuckin’ God?!”
“Not yet. You are still young, still growing over the years. You will reach Godhood eventually, even though it will still take some time. Your knowledge will expand, your strength doubled, your status known all around. The Blood God had done highly sacred and forbidden magic in an attempt to prevent his death, and in doing so, created a God when Gods were no longer supposed to walk this plane of existence. You are a miracle, standing here. Even if you do not realize it.”
It was a lot for Techno to take in. Being a God and all, that was not something he saw happening in any of the times he’s thought about why he was the way he is. He’s basically a God amongst men, or well, a soon-to-be-God. It was cool and all, and Chat seems to love it, but well…
It isn’t something he really desires.
Techno dug his foot into the ground. “I know I should be feelin’ as if it is an honour or somethin’, but I just can’t. Being a godling or whatever may seem cool and all, but it has brought me much more pain than anythin’ else I have dealt with. My friends have all passed on and left me much more weary than before. It’s not somethin’ I feel like I can deal with.”
“You wish that it wasn’t you.”
“I do.”
The being squinted its eyes. “I can tell you what you want. Your desires roll off you in waves. Who you wish to see most in the world, more than anything. You miss them.”
Techno bowed his head. “More than anythin’ in the world, yes.”
“Do you wish to die?”
Now that caught Techno off guard. “W-what?”
“Do you wish to open that door to the other side, Godling? To climb the stairs and hold once more unto those you have lost?”
“O-of course I would wish to see them again. They were my family. But what you’re sayin’ is…”
“I could let you die, yes.”
Techno narrowed his eyes at the God. “Who are you? You show up, tell me more about myself than I could have ever known, and then outright say you could kill me. Never once have I perished at the hands of another, and yet here you stand, confident in your ability, God or not.”
The being chuckled, and shrunk down in size, much to Technoblade’s surprise. “I suppose that I have yet to introduce myself.” As it reached a size much similar to Techno’s own it held out its hand in greeting. “I am the God for those who wish, who dream and desire as they look to a better future. I reign over the stars as they blanket the sky over humanity. I can promise destiny, whether it be good or bad.”
“...”
The being shrugged as it stared off into the distance. “I don’t really have a name. You hear of the ‘Blood God’ or ‘God of Wealth’, or ‘God of Love’. If I ever once had a name, it’s not one I remember.”
Techno warily held out his hand. “Pleased to meet ya. I’m sure you already know who I am.”
The God chuckled. “Of course, of course.”
“Y’know the Greeks often had names for all of their Gods. Why not take after it? They were referring to you lot anyway..”
The deity sighed. “Perhaps. I will take the name Tyche, if only to converse amicably with you.”
“Alright then.” Techno stared back at Tyche. “You say you could let me die.”
“A God can perish at the hands of another God, that is true.”
“But would you? Would you grant the only other deity still roaming the world an eternal slumber?” Techno whirled around to pace away from the other being. He realized Chat was also oddly quiet. It just left him with building frustration. “It would make you alone again. You despaired before, you said it yourself. Would you not despair again?”
“Maybe, but tell me.”
Techno turned back around to the other God. He arched an eyebrow, hidden by the mask, but Tyche could probably tell anyways. “Tell you what?”
Tyche looked him right in the eyes. Bright, shining gold, to a deep blood red. “Is this what you truly want? Is this what they would want for you? Think about it. Times are changing, and I’m sure you’ve felt it. The world is going to change, the universe is changing. Is hope really all that lost for you to shove your life aside for it?”
Techno turned away. “They are all gone. My friends, family. Gods, Phil.”
“Is this what Phil would have wanted you to do, Techno?”
“No. But he’s not here now, it’s not his decision to make.” If Phil truly was here to tell him, Techno would have followed him in a heartbeat. But Phil has been gone a long time. He lived a good life, if not one full of hardships. Techno had held him as he cried for those lost. How he could outlive his own children, how he, a human much older than anyone else, could survive and carry on almost as long as the hybrids known for their long-lasting life.
Tyche stared at him as he reminisced. Knowing, understanding. Then he turned around and headed towards the main entrance of the temple. “Come inside, before a spider takes a bite out of you. Relax, eat, sleep. Much better to do it inside with company than out here all night.”
Techno watched as the deity disappeared out of view, before looking back at the night sky. “You’ve been quiet Chat, everything alright?”
‘What would happen to us?’
Techno started. “What do you mean? Chat?”
‘If you die, where do we go?’
‘What happens to us?’
‘Do we simply stop existing??’
‘Everyone of you is making this depressing, guys.’
“I…” Techno’s hands curled into fists. “I’m sorry Chat , I didn’t…”
‘...’
‘I don’t want to die…’
Techno buried his face into his hands, and took a shuddering breath. He didn’t say another word as he followed the God into the temple entrance.
Tyche was patiently waiting for him inside. “I want you to think about this, Techno. This is a major decision that affects your life, literally. If in the end you wish to do it, I’ll do it without hesitation. But I want you to think this over, take as much time as you need. Stay a while, really understand who you are and what you wish for yourself.”
“I- thank you.” Techno mumbled. He looked at the other with caution. “Perhaps, you could tell me more about the Gods, and what a future as a, uh, Godling, is like. Maybe even tell some stories. I do enjoy those.” Techno shot his hands up apologetically. “I-i-if you want to, of course! Not like I’d force you to do anythin’ for me.”
Tyche simply laughed. “It’s no problem. It’d be nice having a Godling running out and about. It’s been a long time since any Godlings were around, even before the Gods passed on. Though I’ll admit, you’re a lot more mature than any of them were, they were practically children. Though I guess you could chalk it up to the fact you grew up much differently than they did.”
“I’m still technically a child?” Technoblade was astounded. “You weren’t just mocking me earlier?”
“Yes.” Tyche smiled.
“Ah well. Please tell me more then. I’m sure we have all the time in the world.”
Laughter rang throughout the halls of the temple like music.