Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hundred of years ago, a group of people became obsessed with the void and the power it could offer. They spread their word, telling tall tales of the strength and knowledge that could be given to those who follow the void. Soon the entire over world was aware of the void, and the rumoured End. Another dimension that had access to the void, with islands floating in the empty space. Rumours of dragons and other odd creatures residing there. Eventually more people became devoted to this idea, forming two groups known as the Watchers and the Listeners. They had different ideas on how the void communicated with the people of the over world, but still they tried to stay peaceful with each other. In order to keep control. Together they form the religion of the void. A religion that is now practiced by almost all rulers in the over world in hope they can gain power.

There is also the nether, another dimension that has several different biomes, ranging from desolate valleys to dense forests with trees unique to the dimension. In this dimension there are four main rulers.

Tango of the Tek variety who oversees the soulsand valleys and lives in a giant fortress known as, decked out. Rumored to have a labyrinth underneath it, full of dangerous creatures that respond only to the dungeon master. He’s a strong warrior, mostly using magic on the battlefield.

Impulse, a demon that who controls the nether wastes, a biome rich in glow stone, quartz, and gold. He resides in a nether fortress guarded by fierce skeletons with strong withering magic. Known to be fierce in battle, with impressive strength and skill with both weapons and magic.

Zedaph, another demon that resembles a sheep, with curled horns and hooves. They reside in the warped forest, which has blue trees and mushrooms. Although not as rich in materials its a popular location for those who come in from the over world for its more habitable environment.

And finally Skizz, who controls the crimson forest, which has large red trees and weeping vines covering the forest. Piglins can be found within, the shroom lights found within are a popular trade item. Skizz is rumored to once have been a divine creature that was disgraced, and banished to live in the nether. With large dark wings that sit on his back.

A couple years ago the watchers and listeners made deals with the rulers of the nether, hoping to facilitate trade and lessen conflict between netherborns and the people of the over world. All was well for some time, until it was discovered that people had been sent in to secretly mine resources from the nether and that spies had invaded the regions. Everything escalated and war broke out. In order to fight against the strength of the netherborns, hybrids were encouraged to join the battle. Some did by choice, some by force. Taken off the streets and out of homes, all in the name of winning the war, and keeping the void in control of the over world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The clashing of weapons, TNT exploding, bows being fired. Constant sound from the battlefield, as hybrids, humans, and netherborns all clashed. Order had been lost hours ago, the forest made it difficult for orders to be given out, but the fighting just continued.The air was thick with smoke and dirt, it was chaos, no clear grouping of soldiers. Just hoping you didn’t stumble upon a group of the enemy.
But a song then rang out over the battlefield. A blessing for the over world soldiers. But a curse for the netherborns, a signal that the Canary was about to appear. An omen of death, a hybrid with strong magic, obviously trained by the listeners.

A shadow appeared over the ground as the Canary blotted out the sun, their white robes and golden wings seemed to glow in the sunlight. They swooped down, still singing a tune as they released a magic pulse. Sending soldiers flying, and shrapnel went in all directions. Hitting both enemies and allies.

Both sides began to retreat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango focused and created a large shard of ice in his hand, aimed and threw it towards the Canary.

It hit them, piercing their torso.

They cried out, now longer singing, and they swerved harshly sideways then plummeted downwards. Towards the forest, Tango moved to go towards the area where they fell, determined to finish them off.

Tango ran through the greenery ordering allies to begin to retreat and finishing off any over world people.

Tango ran into a clearing where a person in the overworld uniform stood leaning against a tree, their back was turned but they were dirtied and looked to be holding their side. Tango lifted his sword as he ran forwards, ready to take them out. But the person turned and looked into Tangos eyes and the world suddenly had more color.

Tango stopped in shock staring at the person, who he could now see had golden hair and bright rich yellow eyes. Eyes that closed as the person passed out.

Chapter Text

Tango darted forward and caught the man, he stared at his face. Tan skin with freckles dotted on his face. A voice broke through Tangos racing thoughts.

“Sire?”

Tango looked behind him and found Etho, a tall demon with sliver hair and a mask covering the bottom of his face and neck.

Tango lifted the man into his arms and said

“ Call everyone back through the portal we’re retreating”

Etho looked confused by the human in his arms but pulled out a flare and sent it upwards. The sound of horns began to ring out as they recognized the signal.

Tango hurried to the portal, ignoring the rest of his people as he stepped into the swirling purple.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
The doors into the medical ward in decked out burst open as Tango kicked the doors. The tall woman with large dark wings on her back inside jumped, almost dropping a vial of potion she was holding.

“Wha-!” She yelped, wings flaring.

“Celeste, this man needs treatment!” Tango yelled rushing forward.

She stared for a moment at the human on his arms then pointed to a bed.

“Set him down”

She gathered bandages and potions.

“Sire it would be best if you wait outside”

Tango was still standing over the man, looking intently at his face.

“Sire?” Celeste questioned

“Uh- right of course…” he drew away and watched for a moment as Celeste began to unbutton the man’s top. “Update me on his condition as soon as you're finished,” he said. Then turned and walked out the doors.

Walking down the dark hallways, lit dimily by soul lanterns he walked up the spiral stairs to his bedroom at the top of the western tower. He summoned three fire sprites.

“Call the other three here, tell them that I found our missing piece.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The towering doors into Decked Out opened automatically as three men approached. A fire sprite awaited them, turning as they got close and leading the way into the fortress. The men were led into a sitting room with multiple plush chairs and sofas. There sat TangoTek he was hunched over on one of the sofas, with his arms on his knees.

The three men started to yell questions,

“Is it really them!”
“Where did you did them”
“Who are they!”

Tango looked up and straightened on the sofa, motioning for the trio to sit.

“ I was in the overworld, assisting with driving back the overworld forces. The canary appeared, they started to fire upon the field. I threw an icicle and hit them. They landed in the forest and I was making my way to where they landed, and stumbled upon him. Hes in the medical ward right now, Celeste is treating him. I told her to notify me on his status once she finished.”

It was silent for a moment then Impluse said

“So, is he human?”

“From his looks, yes”

The group looked at each other and settled in to wait for news of the mans condition.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste wiped her hands off and took off her bloodied apron as she stepped out of the medical ward. Making her way up the sire’s tower into his sitting room. The four inside jumped up as she entered.

“ Well, he had punctures wound in his side. Along with a broken arm and fractured shoulder, he also has some various cuts and bruises but nothing major” Celeste said

“So he’ll be okay?” Tango questioned

“Yes, once he’s awake I’ll feed him some potions, he’ll be healed in a few days” she paused “Although there was something unusual about him. From his looks I thought he was human but I sensed some magic concentrated on his back. I can’t be certain but I believe he’s a avian hybrid.”

“ If he’s a hybrid why would he be hiding his features” Skizz questioned.

“Hybrids are typically stronger than humans, and their traits can become targets on the battlefield. He might have had them hidden to protect himself, when he wakes I’ll ask him”

“Sire, if you don’t mind me asking. Who is this person? He’s from the overworld, is he not” she continued

Tango hesitated, looking at the other three for guidance.

“ I looked him in the eyes, he’s our soulmate”

“So when can we see him?” Zedaph asked

“ I suppose you can go in if you want to look at him, but he likely won’t wake until sometime tomorrow.” Celeste said “ I know you're all anxious to talk with him but I wouldn’t meet him all together. I’m sure he’ll be confused and frightened when he wakes. Meeting all four of the nether rulers at once won’t help him”

The quartet looked disappointed but agreed.

Chapter Text

Jimmy’s eyes fluttered open, he was in a room with tall ceilings made of dark stone, it was dim and cold. The lights were… a color he had never seen before. What exactly happened? Did he meet…no he couldn’t have…

He shifted and felt pain radiating from the left side of his body. He looked down and saw his arm in a split, he was shirtless and had bandages around his middle. Dark purple and yellow bruises covered his skin. His throat felt like he had swallowed a cactus from the desert.

”You’re up” a smooth deep voice rang out.

Jimmy turned his head and saw a tall avian hybrid, she had short black hair and sharp yellow eyes.

“My names Celeste, I’m a doctor. You were injured and brought here to be treated” she said “What’s your name”

”Whe-“ Jimmy started but coughed.

”Ah- sorry” Celeste apologized and picked up a glass of water, helping Jimmy drink it.

”I’m Jimmy… Where exactly is here?” Jimmy said.

Celeste paused and made a strained face.

” This is the nether, in the Soulsand Valley. We’re in the medical ward inside decked out”

Jimmy gaped up at Celeste, his face became even paler.

Celeste threw her hands up and tried to reassure him.

”Your not in any danger or trouble! My sire brought you here and demanded you to be healed. He was very urgent”

“Yo- Your sire… you mean Tango Tek? The vicious dungeon master, a magic powerhouse!” Jimmy sucked in a breath “Why did he bring me here!”

“Well… I can’t exactly tell you that. Uh- but I can give you some potions to heal your injuries faster, and then if your up to it you can meet Tango and speak with him”

“Spe- speak with Tango Tek” Jimmy whispered.

Celeste nodded, looking a bit meek.

”I’m sorry I can’t tell you more, I know this must be terrifying” She said as she walked over to a cabinet, pulling out some bottles of colorful liquid “You have a puncture wound in your left side. You also have a broken arm and fractured shoulder, along with some various cut and some nasty bruising”

She propped Jimmy up and uncorked one of the bottles.

”Here, it’s a potion of healing. It will heal your wounds faster” She handed over the bottle “ Oh, and… I’m sorry if this is a sensitive topic but do you happen to be a hybrid, an avian perhaps?”

Jimmy choked on the potion, coughing, then grasping his side as the bottle slipped out of his hands. Celeste grabbed the dripping potion and apologized, moving to grab a new blanket.

”Oh I’m sorry, I should’ve waited until you finished the potion. Here let me recheck your wound. Make sure you didn’t tear your stitches”

She started to unwrap the bandages covering Jimmy’s torso.

”Um- I… am an avian hybrid” Jimmy said

“I thought so, I could sense the magic on your back. You can release your wings, no one will force them away here”

Jimmy paused and looked distressed then schooled his face” Um- no I’d prefer to keep them away”

”Why?” Celeste questioned

“Their… they got damaged . I don’t really like looking at them anymore, and moving them can hurt”

Celeste stopped what she was doing and looked at Jimmy with a sad expression.

”Oh… I’m sorry that’s terrible, I couldn’t imagine…” She trailed off, surely thinking about her own wings.

”It’s alright, theyv’e healed as much as they can so don’t worry about them” Jimmy said

She hummed and rewrapped his torso, then washed her hands in a basin of water

”Well if your up to it I can call Sire here” She turned to look at Jimmy “I know this must seem… odd, but I promise no harm will come to you”

Jimmy grimaced and looked down into his lap.

”I… yes that’s fine” he said

Celeste nodded and walked out of the ward.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A knock sounded from Tango's bedroom, he was laying in bed Impluse asleep next to him. Zedaph and Skizz nowhere to be found, likely raiding his food supplies.

”Come in” Tango said.

Celeste stepped inside

“ He’s up, I gave him a potion of healing and spoke some with him. He confirmed he’s and avian hybrid, although I didn’t ask the exact species. He said his wings were damaged and he didn’t like having them out” She paused “His name is Jimmy, he’s agreed to meet with you”

”Did you tell him about…”

”No, I figured you’d want to tell him yourself. But do be… gentle he’s terrified, reasonably so”

”Right of course…” Tango said as he slipped out of bed and grabbed his large black leather cloak, swinging it around his shoulders as he walked out of his bedroom and down the spiraling stairs. Celeste trailed silently behind him.

The pair reached the medical ward, Tango paused outside the doors with his hand reached out. He took a deep breath then pushed open the doors. Inside sat a man, one of his soulmates. He was pale and covered in bandages and bruises. He looked up sharply as Tango stepped inside. Tango stood frozen awkwardly at the front of the room as he stared at his face. Jimmy hunched over further and somehow became paler as he gaped at Tango with wide eyes.

”I-your” Tango started then cleared his throat, stepping forward “I’m Tango”

Jimmy continued to stare, Celeste stood behind Tango and looked unimpressed by the words.

”Um, I’m sure your wondering why your here. I can ensure you I wish you no harm. I saw you on the battlefield, while I was…” Tango coughed again “I- I looked into your eyes when you turned to face me”

Jimmy was still silent, Celeste seemed further disappointed in her Sire.

”We are soulmates, that’s why I brought you here. I'm sure you’ve heard that the three other rulers of the Nether are my soulmates, and they are. We’ve been searching for our final piece for years now, and we’ve found it. I- we found you!” Tango threw out his arms, gesturing towards Jimmy.

…

Jimmy slumped backwards and his eyes rolled, passing out.

Celeste sighed “I feared this would happen”

Chapter Text

Jimmy awoke to the sound of glass clinking and the smell of watermelon. His head was turned towards a window, outside there were hills of brown, a large skeleton stuck out of one of the sand dunes. Jimmy focused his gaze back inside the room he was in, looking at a lantern glowing a strange color…

A strange color…

Jimmy jolted, lifting himself up with his right hand, the left still in a split. He gazed around the room, finding Celeste standing at a brewing stand with their back turned. Memories came rushing forward as Jimmy moved his eyes back to the lantern. He… he was soulmates with THE TangoTek. A powerful demon known for his presence on the battlefield , a skilled magic user. Who was rumored to have a labyrinth underneath his fortress, only rumored because no one who entered came out alive! And not only that but he’s apparently fated to the other three rulers. Ruthless rulers! Violent! Powerful! Handso-

“JIMMY!” A voice yelled.

Jimmy startled and looked up towards Celeste who had a worried look on her face.

”Are you alright- actually no, of course your not okay. Not after that mess of a first, well second, meeting” Celeste said as she rubbed her brow.

”That wasn’t a dream” Jimmy muttered.

”No” She deadpanned.

She walked back over to the brewing stand and picked up a bottle.

”Here, have another potion, it’s only been a few hours since you passed out” She gave the potion to Jimmy “I'm sorry about that mess, Sire may be skilled in fighting. But he’s a total disaster when it comes to words”

She picked up an item on the bedside table next to Jimmy’s bed.

“He made this for you, an apology for making you pass out” she passed him a lantern with an orange fire inside it “It’s a fire sprite inside, made of the Sire’s magic. It won’t go out unless he dies, and will point towards different locations here in the nether. It will also help keep you warm, it's hot in the nether, especially the wastes. But the valley is freezing. I wouldn’t go outside the fortress without that”

Jimmy blinked at the lantern in his hand, it emitted a pleasant heat.

“…Can I go outside?” Jimmy whispered.

”You still need to finish healing before moving too much” She paused “… but if you're asking if they’ll keep you here, then no they won’t. They all love fiercely, but won't force you to do the same”

Jimmy looked back out the window, “I see”

Celeste hovered for a moment but then moved back towards the brewing stands. A few minutes passed before Jimmy spoke up.

”Why are you here, I- I mean you're not netherborn are you?” He questioned.

Celeste looked back over her shoulder.

”No I’m not, Im black falcon hybrid. I came here when I was young, I was 13. Most people in the overworld didn’t like me because I’m a hybrid of a predator species. I met another hybrid who had fled into the nether, his name is Doc. He works in King Impulse's fortress, he taught me my medical knowledge” She paused “ He’s a creeper hybrid and part cyborg”

”Part cyborg?” Jimmy asked.

”Yes” she laughed “ he’s a redstone genius and used his knowledge to improve his body after he got hurt. He took up another apprentice a few years ago, a talented vampire named Mumbo. There haven’t been many overworld people coming into be nether since the war started. But plenty of hybrids seeked refuge from discrimination here”

Jimmy hummed. Celeste took off her apron and the gloves on her hands, revealing taloned fingers.

”I have to leave I’m afraid, do you have any other questions… or do you want me to bring in any of the other three?” Celeste questioned.

Jimmy shook his head no. Celeste nodded then left the ward, closing the doors behind her. Jimmy put the lantern back on the table and slumped back against the pillows.

What is his life?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango paced back and forth.

”I made him pass out! Am I that scary!? What am I supposed to do now? What are we supposed to do now!” He yelled

The other three sat on a sofa.

”We just need to take it slow. It’s not like he’ll pass out every time he sees one of us… Right?” Zedaph said.

”Can’t exactly blame him. Getting kidnapped, brought to the heart of enemy territory, finding out your soulmates with the four enemy rulers, and having to find that out by the most awkward person here. I'm surprised he didn’t pass out when you started speaking” Impulse said

Tango whipped his head around and glared at him.

”I would suggest that Skizz or Zedaph talk with him next, they don’t look as imitating, and are far more…articulate. Hopefully the boy won’t pass out again” Impulse continued.

Tango dragged himself over to the sofa and flopped down, sulking. But nodded nonetheless.

”What about the whole looking him in the eyes thing?” Skizz asked “I’d love to look him in the eyes, but I don’t want to freak him out either”

”Probably best to just avoid eye contact if he does, don’t want to overwhelm him” Zedaph answered.

”Fine, but we should let him heal fully before we talk with him again” Impulse stated.

They all nodded in agreement

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy laid in bed, Celeste had come by and given him another potion and some food and water. Saying that the split and stitches should be ready to come off by tomorrow. She also left some books, as well as paper and ink. In case he got bored… hard to be bored when you're alone with your racing thoughts.

Tang- the ma- The demon didn’t seem to be lying about being soulmates. He could now see a new color, a new splash of light in a world of gray. But Jimmy wasn’t just fated to him but the other three as well? Seriously what kind of sins did he commit in a past life to deserve this. Being fated to three demons, being a hybrid, getting taken by the list-

Jimmy sighed and sat up. He couldn’t stay here, he needed to get back to the overworld. Before they get mad at his disappearance, or worse his siblings try to find him and track him into the nether. He didn’t want them getting tied up in this mess. Or to know he’d discovered his soulmates.

Jimmy swung his legs over the side of the bed, pausing on the lantern on the table. Celeste said it could lead him places in the nether, and would keep him warm in the valleys outside. He looked down at himself, he was wearing light clothing. Just a white button, loose pants, and some socks. If it was freezing like she said he would need it to keep warm. But what if the demon could track him with it?
Maybe he could just use it until he got out of the valley? Then ditch it when it was warm again.

He grabbed the lantern and stood up, grunting as he stepped forward. The bruises along his entire left side and the wound in his torso was not helping him. But still he slowly opened the doors to the medical ward and peeked outside. The hall was made out of the same black stone as the ward. A plush carpet with what seemed to be multiple colors swirling on it stretched the entire hallway. Flickering lanterns lit the area. He left the ward, shutting the doors quietly.

Now he just had to find his way out of a gigantic fortress, with a rumored labyrinth underneath it. Which he could possibly stumble upon. Even if he made it out he would then have to get out of the valley and find a portal to the overworld. Great…

Jimmy lifted the lantern closer to his face.

”Can you lead me out of this fortress?” He whispered. He watched for a moment but nothing seemed to happen.

Jimmy sighed and lowered the lantern.

Muttering to himself “Wow, so helpful. Let me just wander around until I find an exit. Hopefully I won't stumble upon a deadly labyrinth that no one comes out of alive!”

He continued walking down the hall. In his hand the lantern flickered, shifting its flames in a different direction.

Chapter Text

Jimmy walked slowly through the long hallways of the fortress, it was empty, not a soul in sight. The silence was only broken by the sound of the wind howling outside. Suddenly the area was brighter. Jimmy looked down, the lantern's flame was bigger than it was before and was leaning to the right side.

”Huh- are you trying to lead me out? Do I need to go right?” Jimmy whispered, bringing the lantern closer to his face. He looked around but there wasn’t a clear turn anywhere, just a hallway that went forwards, unless he were to go backwards.

His hand jolted, Jimmy looked down and saw the lantern was trying to slip out of his grasp. He stepped forward as the lantern pulled him to the wall, when there was a groove in the wall to hold another lantern. Jimmy set his lantern down and grabbed the one in the wall. But it didn’t lift up, Jimmy furrowed his brow. Grasped it again and tried turning it, it turned to the right.

A deep rumble ringed out and the wall began to open up, revealing a dark staircase with no end in sight.

Jimmy gulped “Please tell me that’s not the exit…” he whispered as he picked up his lantern again. The flame was pointed towards the stairs.

Jimmy sighed “This is a terrible idea…” but still he made his way down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The stairs went on for what seemed forever, torches lined the walls. They lit up as Jimmy walked down, finally he reached the bottom and found a door. Jimmy reached his hand out, but hesitated, looking back up the stairs. It’s not like he really has another choice… he moved the bar across the door off and opened the door.

A blast of frigid air hit his face, in front of him was a tundra? Everything was covered in snow, a few pine trees were dotted around. A frozen river ran through the land, the room? Tundra? The area went as far as Jimmy could see. He gripped the lantern to his chest, the warmth radiating off of it was grounding.

He gingerly stepped forward, a bang sounded behind him. Jimmy whipped around to find that the door had closed. It disappeared a moment later. Jimmy gasped, falling backwards clutching the lantern tighter. He sat there in the snow until he could feel the snow soaking his clothes and skin.

Where was he? This couldn’t be the way out could it? Why is there some random tundra underneath the fortress…

Underneath the fortress…

Oh void.

He was in the dungeon.

…

The crunch of snow interrupted Jimmy’s spiraling thoughts. He turned to find an odd creature he’d never seen before. It was large and walked on all fours, with horns sprouting out of its forehead. It reminded Jimmy of a cow, but its size was more like a bear. It had an almost comically large nose. Oddly enough it had… armour? Armour covered its shoulders and back. The creature stared at Jimmy, then it huffed and put its head down, its horns pointed straight at Jimmy.

Jimmy tried to quickly stand but stopped as a pain in his side had had him gasping and sent his vision swimming. The sound of stomping grew closer, Jimmy closed his eyes, awaiting pain.
…

But nothing happened, Jimmy slowly opened his eyes as he felt a rush of warm air brush across his face. The beast was standing in front of him, no longer in a charging position. But was instead looking intently at the lantern in Jimmy’s lap.

Jimmy gaped as the beast then lowered itself to the ground… just sitting in front of him. Still peering at the flame, Jimmy was shaken out of his thoughts by the growing pain in his side. He looked down and saw splotches of red. He pulled his shirt up. His bandages were becoming soaked with red, he must have torn his stitches. Jimmy wasn’t sure if he should try to move, what if the beast become aggressive again? We wouldn’t be able to move quickly with the wound in his stomach opened again.
…

What was he supposed to do…?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango awoke, an odd feeling in his stomach. The other three had already gone back to their regions. His magic sense shouldn’t be getting triggered like this during the middle of the night. He already had a small staff, and all of them should be asleep, or at least in their rooms. So why…?

Another feeling rushed over him, a coldness that made him shiver. He shot up and out of his bed.

Jimmy.

Did he get up? Was he trying to leave? He was still injured and had no way to navigate the fort- no that wasn’t true. Tango had given him the fire sprite, had he taken it with him? If so…

Tango focused his thoughts onto the location of the fire sprite, it wasn’t in the medical ward anymore but below the fortress. Tango cursed, grabbing his cloak and summoning a another sprite.

”Wake Celeste and tell her to prepare some supplies, I fear Jimmy has been hurt” he said as he grabbed a torch on his bedroom wall and pulled it forward. The wall split open an Tango ran down the stairway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When he reached the bottom he threw open the door, brushing his hand against the seal to make sure it wouldn’t disappear. He ran directly on top of the snow, not sinking. He followed his senses running past trees until he reached a large clearing.

A ravager was sitting in the clearing, Tango approached and made out a body laying in front of it. It was Jimmy, he was laying on his right side, the lantern still clutched in his hand. His clothes were soaked, and not only with water. There was a patch of blood on his shirt, staining the snow underneath him. His face looked pale and his lips were turning blue.

Tango crouched down and gingerly picked up Jimmy, and turned back the way he came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was someone speaking to him…

Something cold and wet brushed his forehead, Jimmy whined and turned away.

The softness around him was tucked closer around him.

Everything felt far away, like he was underwater.

He cracked his eyes open and saw two tall figures, one dark the other… glowing.

A shushing sound and a hand running across his hair…

He shut his eyes again

Chapter Text

Tango sat in an armchair pulled next to his bed. Jimmy laid in the bed, he had a cold cloth on his forehead. After bringing his temperature back up he developed a fever. Celeste said it was likely from sitting in his wet clothes for so long, and the stress he’d been experiencing. Celeste re-stitched his wound and wrapped it.

Tango watched as his chest rose up and down again. Earlier he had been moaning and writhing, whispering about random things.

“No…don’t touch them…”
“Let me …”
“I don’t want-“

It worried Tango, was he dreaming about the nether? Or was it something in the overworld? Celeste had said his wings were damaged and that’s why he didn’t have them out. But she didn’t learn how they’d been injured. Had the war been the cause or something else?

Or someone else…

….

Tango refocused his thoughts as he heard a whine from Jimmy. His breathing had picked up and he was scrunching his eyes. Tango reached over and grabbed his hand.

He calmed down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy cracked his eyes open, he felt sore and sweaty. He wasn’t lying in a bed at the medical ward, instead he was in a lavish room with high ceilings. There were large sofas and chairs in the center of the room with a plush carpet underneath. Bookshelves lined a wall, a desk with intricate carvings was pushed up against the wall. It had various scrolls and books on it, it looked like it was about to tip over. There was a fire crackling in the hearth.

The bed he was on was comfortable with thick dark blue blankets and the sheets were a silky black. There was a canopy on the bed, made out of what looked like black lace. The fabric was tied to the bedposts. There were doors that appeared to lead to a balcony, Jimmy could faintly hear the wind whipping outside.

Jimmy turned his head as the large doors at the front of the room cracked open. Three heads peaked in, and Jimmy suddenly felt a stab of pain in his head as he looked at their eyes. Jimmy clutched at his head as noise started to fill the room. He opened his eyes back up and saw three demons all yelling and gesturing at each other. They also looked more colorful than they did a moment ago.

Great.

One had blonde hair and thick horns that curled protruding out of his head. His legs… they looked like a sheeps? But his upper body appeared humanoid. He seemed to be trying to shush the others.

The second one was tall and covered in scars. He was wearing clothes that resembled an overworld style more than the nether. It looked like a suit that had its sleeves ripped off. He also had a pair of black wings on his back, they resembled avian feathers. He had his hands up in a placating manner but was still yelling at the other two.

The third one was the tallest, with horns at his hairline that darkened in color at the tips. He had wings on his back that reminded Jimmy of a bat. He was shaking the other one with wings and gritting his teeth.

“I can’t believe you! We agreed not to see him yet? Why didn’t you check if he was awake yet!?!” The tallest yelled.

“HEY! You came up here with us, you wanted to see him too! Admit it!” The one covered in scars exclaimed.

“Guys, is this really the time!” The sheeplike one said.

Jimmy sat up in bed. They all whipped their heads around and stared at Jimmy with wide eyes.

…

“What do we do?” The one with the suit on unsuccessfully whispered.

Jimmy blinked.

They blinked back.

The door slammed open, and they all spun around. Tango and Celeste stood in the doorway. Tango looked infuriated, the flames on his head were taller than before and whipping back and forth.Celeste didn’t seem pleased either.

“What are you three doing!” Tango exclaimed

The three glanced at each other.

Their voices overlapped.
“We didn’t mean to!”
“We thought he was asleep!”
“It’s Skizz’s fault,”

“HEY!” The one with scars, Skizz, whipped his head towards the tallest as he pointed an accusatory finger at him.

Tango groaned and started pushing them outside.

“Let’s talk outside”

They were pulled out of sight and Celeste stepped into the room. Closing the door behind her.

…

“What…” Jimmy whispered.

Celeste sighed “ Those were the other three. the tallest was Impulse, the one that looked like a sheep was Zedaph, and the loud one was Skizz”

Jimmy could still feel himself gaping and his heart was racing.

“You tore your stitches by the way. And got yourself sick, you were out for two days with a fever.” She walked closer and handed him a potion “Luckily your arm was fine, I can take off your splint. Your bruises are mostly gone too”

Jimmy sipped on the potion, it was sweet and helped relieve some of the soreness in his muscles. He let Celeste take off the splint, and halfhearted answering some of her questions on how he was feeling.

“How did you end up in the dungeon anyway? It can’t be accessed by anyone other than Sire” She asked.

”I… I was wandering around, I had that lantern with me and it started pulling me to a wall. It opened up and I walked down the stairs where I entered. But the door closed behind me and disappeared when I stepped through. Then this… beast appeared and charged at me, I tried to move but that’s when I ripped my stitches” He paused “But the beast stopped before it reached me, it just laid down at my feet. I don’t really remember anything past that”

Celeste hummed and started to check his wound. Once she finished she turned to walk out. As Celeste was walking out Jimmy asked.

”Who got me out of the dungeon, and who’s room is this?”

Celeste paused and looked at him for a moment. Then sighed,

”This is… Sire’s bedroom, he sensed you in the dungeon and rescued you. You had passed out and were laying in the snow, bleeding”

Then she left the room.

Jimmy’s face suddenly felt a lot warmer.

Chapter Text

Jimmy sat in bed… the bed that belonged to the demo- to Tango. Why had he saved him? Why put him in his bedroom? Was it to make it harder to leave again? They may have been soulmates, but it wouldn’t be hard to piece together that he’d been trying to leave. Was he not angry with him for trying to leave…

Jimmy looked over at the door. He hadn’t heard the sound of a lock when Celeste left… and he really needed to talk with his… soulmates.

…

Plus he could get some information from them. Maybe then the punishment once he got back wouldn’t be so bad…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the bottom of the staircase to Tango's bedroom Tango glared at his soulmates. Skizz was whistling and looking away, Zedaph looked sheepish, and Impulse to his forehead.

”What was that!?” Tango yelled, throwing his arms up.

Sound erupted from all of them.

”It was their fault!” Impulse exclaimed, pointing at the other two.

”Oh please you came with us, you're just as guilty!” Zedaph said

”Yeah! You didn’t have to come with us!” Skizz yelled.

”Well- I didn’t think you guys were just gonna burst in the room. Why didn’t you check to see if he was awake!” Impulse replied.

Skizz’s wings flared, and Zedaph began to lower his head.

“GUYS!” Tango yelled “You’re all at fault, we agreed to stay away from Jimmy until he healed. Now he’s looked us all in the eyes.”

“At least he didn’t pass out this time” Zedaph muttered.

”Not helping Zed” Impulse whispered.

”Oh come on Top, you’ve already met him multiple times, I bet you were sitting up there watching him too” Skizz said.

Tango sputtered, a blue blush appeared on his cheeks and his hair seemed to be brighter.

”That is not the point!” He exclaimed. Then he grimaced and looked at the floor and sighed “But… yes I was watching him”

”Hah! See this is unfai-“ Skizz said

“I wasn’t done!” Tango proclaimed, Skizz pouted but quieted.

“He kept muttering things while he was sleeping… he sounded scared, like someone was hurting him” Tango paused. “It’s just… What if he was dreaming about the nether, about us? I mean he has good reason to be afraid, we’re all powerful and just a few days ago he was in a war fighting against us”

The other three looked at each other, looking a bit meek.

”What if the war damaged his wings? Celeste told me how important they are to an avian, what if we inadvertently caused him to get hurt?” Tango continued “He was likely trying to escape when he wandered into the dungeon”

The trio looked visibly distressed. Impulse was fidgeting, Skizz had wrapped his wings around him, Zedaphs ears were pressed down.

Tango sighed “Maybe it would be better we sent him back to the overworld”

A voice from the staircase called out “Maybe we could talk first?”

The four whipped their heads around, there on the staircase stood their fifth. He was gripping the railing tightly. The four were all gaping at him

Jimmy gulped nervously “I- I can’t stay forever… But I’d like to get to know you” He paused “If that’s alright…”

”OF COURSE!” Skizz yelled “ I- I mean, of course you can stay” He repeated, blushing.

”You can come to the warped forest!” Zedaph exclaimed.

“I’ll show you how to ride a strider!” Impulse proclaimed.

”No, come to the crimson forest first! I’ll show you the shroom lights, you’ll love them!” Skizz said.

”Hey!” The other three yelled.

”What? Snooze you lose!” Skizz replied.

Zedaph rammed his stomach, Skizz fell down but pulled Zedaph down with him. They began to wrestle on the ground. Impulse kicked them,

”Not the time guys!” He faux-whispered.

Jimmy let out a nervous chuckle.

Chapter Text

Jimmy stood up straight with his arms held out as fabric was pinned onto his body. He was getting fitted for clothing, he couldn’t travel in the nether without proper clothes. The person fitting him was named Cleo, they looked a lot like a zombie from the overworld. But apparently they weren’t some unheard of hybrid, but instead were the product of a magical experiment.

Celeste sat on a chair in the corner of the room. The room had mainly darker colors of cloth strewn about the room. But Cleo had pulled out more colorful fabric once she’d gotten his measurements.

”Sire wanted multiple sets made, he’ll be travelling into all the regions so he needs clothing suited for it. But nothing too fancy he needs to be able to move, and keep in mind he’s not use to the nether heat” Celeste said to Cleo. Then smirked and faux-whispered “But make sure he still looks nice, I’m sure the four of them will appreciate it”

Cleo chuckled “Oh don’t worry once I’m done with him they won’t be able to look away” she paused and looked at Jimmy “Not that you need much help, I heard that they couldn’t move their eyes away from you. Even with those drab medical clothes”

Jimmy blushed and averted his gaze, glancing at Celeste.

”Don’t you have other… duties to attend to?” He questioned, pouting.

”Nope. No one here needs any healing, and the staff here is pretty small. All upkeep like cleaning is taken care of by the Sire’s magic” She laughed “ Attending to you is the most fun I’ve had in a while”

Jimmy sighed.

”So, who do you plan to go with first?” Cleo asked.

Jimmy hesitated, how was he supposed to answer that? It’s not like he’d meant these people before, he didn’t really have much knowledge on them apart from what he heard.

”I… don't know. I suppose I don't really care, I’ll talk with them all eventually anyhow” He said.

”You should go to the warped forest, that’s Zedaphs realm. It’s more habitable to overworld people. Plus you wont need clothes that are as protective for it, so I can make that set of clothes quicker” Cleo said.

”That’s a good idea…” Jimmy said.

”By the way, Celeste said you're an avian. I wasn’t planning on putting holes in the back of your regular clothes since you don’t like having them out. But I can put them in your night clothes. No one will see you in them. If you’d like that?” Cleo added.

Jimmy hesitated, it's true no one would be with him at night. But having his wings out could still be a major risk. What if he shedded feathers? Or if someone barged in on him before he could put them away?

…Still keeping them hidden away the entire time would be difficult. He’s already been feeling pent up and gross, even without them out he could feel the phantom sense of grime in between his feathers.

”Yes… I appreciate that, "he finally said.

Cleo nodded.

Celeste stood up “I’ll go find Zedaph and tell him you’ll be going with him first,” She left the room.

…

“Now… I know Celeste said nothing too fancy, but she right about still making sure you still look nice. What about clothes for something like dinner. Wouldn’t want you in clothes you’d been wearing all day. Would you?” Cleo said, they had a grin on that worried Jimmy.

He gulped.

Chapter Text

Jimmy was led through a busy town square. There were mostly netherborns bustling around the streets, but he spotted some overworld hybrids in the crowd. Vendors and stands lined the streets, people yelling about their wares. It was more colorful than Jimmy expected, most people were dressed in colorful clothing and the tarps covering the tops of the stands were patterned. Or perhaps it seemed more colorful because he could now see four new colors.

Jimmy was shown to a winding staircase that led up a mountain. As Jimmy climbed he took in the vast forest around, it was colored with two of the new colors he could see. Though he still had no names for the colors.

Jimmy was greeted at the gate of Zedaph's home. It was made of stone that appeared to be from the overworld. Compared to the Fortress in the valley it was quite simple. Not nearly as intricate as and only the front was visible, it was built into a mountain. Still it looked regal and was made out of a white stone looking material.

Zedaph stood in front of the large doors. He was wearing a long white coat, it wasn’t buttoned up, and appeared to be to be lumpy on the sides. From what Jimmy assumed were pockets full of items. He had on a black turtleneck and black pants that were tied around his waist with a cloth belt.

He had his hands together in front of him and had a wide grin on his face.

”Jimmy! Welcome, it’s good to see you, and that you choose me first” He said, smirking a bit at the end.

“Uh- yes, I’m glad to be here” Jimmy said.

An awkward pause.

Jimmy felt Zedaphs stare, he could feel himself start to sweat.

Zedaph cleared his throat.

”Would you like a tour of the place first, or the forest?” He asked.

”Oh- um I don’t have a preference”

”How about we start in the palace first then, we can make our way to the back entrance. It leads out into the forest” He said, he started to step forward then paused and turned back to Jimmy.

He offered his arm to Jimmy.

Jimmy hesitated then took his arm, he could already tell he was blushing.

Jimmy was led through the towering doors, they shut behind them with a loud bang. The inside of the palace was white like the outside. The ceiling was high and there was another floor above them, it was open in the middle with a staircase at the other end of the hall.

Jimmy was led around the hall, being shown the insides of rooms. Large dining hall, a small kitchen, a sitting room, and a grand library.

”There are also some guest bedrooms on this floor, I’ll show you to one after. The servants' housing is upstairs, along with laundry, clothes makers, and the main kitchen” Zedaph said. His hooves clicked on the tile as Jimmy was led around the side of the grand staircase.

“But my personal rooms are down here” He said and pulled on a torch. A small door revealed itself and Zedaph pushed it open. Revealing a winding staircase, it wasn’t wide enough to walk side by side. So Zedaph walked ahead and Jimmy followed behind.

The staircase ended at a small hallway, a few doors lined the walls. The stone wasn’t white but instead a black like at Tango’s fortress. Zedaph opened the first door. Jimmy peered inside and saw a lab. Shelves lined a wall, filled with books, bottles, beakers, and other random items. A large table was in the middle of the room, it was covered with papers and items Jimmy didn’t recognize.

”This is my lab, I like to experiment with all sorts of things. It’s a pain to transport material down here. But I keep it down here since things often… go wrong” He said rubbing his neck.

”Go wrong…?” Jimmy questioned.

Zedaph laughed. “Nothing too bad… just some small fires and the occasional fire. It’s why the stone here is different, hides the burns and soot stains”

Jimmy blinked, then Zedaph shut the door and pulled him along. The next door was a sort of greenhouse. There were bright lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The room was lined with planters and pots, some of the plants Jimmy recognized but some were foreign.

”Those lanterns were a gift from Skizz, they replicate the sun, allowing the overworld plants to grow”

Jimmy nodded along. Zedaph shut the door, and led him to the double doors at the end of the hall.

”Well the other rooms are just my bedroom and some storage” He gestured towards the doors.

Jimmy smiled and took his arm again.

Chapter Text

Stepping outside Jimmy was greeted by the sight of the towering forest, vines twisted throughout the treetops, the ground was the same color as the trees and felt plush underneath Jimmy’s feet as he descended down the mountain. There were spotted mushrooms scattered around. Jimmy reached out and felt the bark of a passing tree.

”What is this color called? I couldn’t see it before, I’m not sure what to call it” Jimmy asked.

”Oh, well it's teal, that's Tango’s eye color. It’s a mix of blue and green, Skizz’s eyes are blue” Zedaph said

”Hm, they look like the same color to me”

”Very similar, Skizz and Tango almost didn’t notice they were soulmates when they first met”

”What about you and… Impulse. What are your eye colors?”

”Mine are purple, that's a mix of red and blue. Impulse’s are brown, that's a mix of… well you can mix a lot of colors together to get brown! It's nice to finally be able to see gold, it's a common color here in the nether. Lots of things are made out of the material” Zedaph paused “It’s a very beautiful color too” He said smiling a dopey smile at Jimmy

Jimmy blushed and looked away.

”Uh- um are their any creatures that live here, I haven’t seen any”

”Ah, there aren’t any creatures that live inside the forest. Although there are rumours of a strange tall creature with skin as black as night. People swear they see something out of the corner of their eyes, turn, and find nothing there”

”Oh? Do you not think it exists then?” Jimmy questioned, interested.

”Hm… even I must admit I’ve heard and seen some odd things before, one time I swore I heard something. But when I turned I only saw some strange purple particles in the air, then they disappeared. Even so I’m a scientist at heart, I like to have proof of things”

The pair finally stopped at a vast lava lake, and Zedaph pulled a clock out of his many pockets.

“Ah! It’s already so late! I'm sorry, when was the last time you ate? You must be starving” He said, pulling Jimmy back up the mountain.

”Oh, I’m alright, really I ate before I left Tango’s fortress”

”That was hours ago! We need to get some food in you, you’re far too skinny. What was the army feeding you!?” Zedaph said, then he started to ramble about nutrition facts.

Jimmy stared at him for a moment,

”How’d that clock work, I thought they didn’t work in the nether?” Jimmy asked.

”Huh-“ Zedaph said, snapping out of his rambling “oh, I made it. It took a lot of tinkering but I managed eventually. Hmm… I’ll make you one tonight, the other three already have one”

”Oh I couldn’t ask you to-“ Jimmy started,

”Nonsense, you're my soulmate, and you're not used to the nether. You won't be able to tell the time like the locals. Beside I pull all nighters all the time” Zedaph interrupted. “Oh- do you have any diet restrictions? I don't know much about hybrid diets, does your heritage affect your diet?”

”I don't have any restrictions, no. Some hybrids can have them though, or have preferences. It depends on the concentration of mob blood you have. The more you have, the more you’re like the mob”

”I see, how interesting. Do you have any preferences then?” Zedaph asked, he mumbled something about a notebook under his breath.

”No I’m not picky”

Not like he ever had the choice to be picky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy was led into a guest bedroom after dinner. It was large and decorated with ornate furniture, a fire was already lit in the hearth.

“Here we are, I’ll come collect you in the morning for breakfast, before you leave. Who were you thinking of visiting next?” Zedaph asked as he pushed open the door.

”… I don’t have a preference,” Jimmy replied.

“Alright then, Skizz’s crimson forest is the closet. It that good?”

”Yes, thank you”

”I’ll make travel arrangements…Goodnight Jimmy”

”Good night”

Zedaph closed the door behind him, Jimmy waited until he could no longer hear the clinking of his hooves before dragging a chair over and propping it underneath the doorknob. He walked over to bed, where his bag was set. Inside were his night clothes that Cleo had made. As he began to strip out of his day clothes, he wondered if should ask for some extra blankets and pillows. But decided against it, he didn’t need more things his feathers could hide under.

Jimmy pulled on his nightshirt, and pulled his magic away from his back. The sound of fluttering feathers filled the quiet room, Jimmy flapped them a few times. Their golden color glowed in the firelight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A knock at the door woke Jimmy,

”Jimmy, are you awake? It’s morning” Zedaph’s voice filtered through the door.

Jimmy quickly sat up “Yes! I’ll be out in a moment, I need to get dressed”

”Alright I have another set of clothing for you. Cleo sent it over”

Jimmy got out of bed and searched his bedding for any loose feathers. There were more than he was used to, probably because they’d been away for so long. He threw the feathers into the fire and willed his wings away again. Then he walked over to the door and quietly moved the chair back into its original position, then peeked out the door. Zedaph handed him the clothes, and Jimmy shut the door to get dressed.

”Have a good sleep?” Zedaph asked when he opened the door again.

”Yes, the bed was very comfortable” Jimmy grinned

Zedaph smiled back and offered his arm.

Jimmy grabbed it and let himself be led back to the dining room.

Chapter Text

Jimmy was in a small carriage, Zedaph said they weren’t used as much compared to other forms of transportation in the nether. Jimmy could feel why they weren’t, his back pained him as he kept getting bumped around from the rough netherrack terrain. After a few hours of travelling a large building surrounded by red came into view. It was made out of overworld stone oddly enough, even from the distance Jimmy could tell it had intricate carvings in the stone. There were several arches and pillars, along with two visible steeples. A large window sat above the equally huge doors at the front. It reminded Jimmy of a church…

The carriage was drawn through a street, this region didn’t seem nearly as populated. He didn’t spot any overworld people in the streets, only netherborns. The carriage came to a stop in front of the staircase leading up to the main building, Jimmy opened the door and stepped down.

”AH! Jimmy, Hi!!” A voice yelled out.

Jimmy looked up and spotted Skizz standing at the top of the staircase, he was waving enthusiastically, his wings were spread out behind him. Jimmy started to climb up the stairs, but then Skizz rushed down them and met him before he could get very far. Skizz threw his arms around Jimmy and lifted him into the air.

”I'm so happy to see you! I’ve got lots to show you” Skizz said, then gasped and put Jimmy down. “Oh my- I’m so sorry. I should’ve asked you before hugging you. Are you alright?” He asked

”Uh- yes…” Jimmy said, a little dazed, it had been awhile since he’d had a hug. Especially such a strong one.

”That’s good, sorry again…” he paused and turned, throwing his arm out towards the building behind them “Welcome to my home”

”Very impressive, it reminds me of the list… the churches in the overworld” Jimmy said as Skizz started to lead him inside.

”Yes, I visited the overworld years ago and was inspired by the churches. Very impressive architecture… although they held some less than impressive people” Skizz said, whispering the last part under his breath.

The doors opened as they approached, inside held a tall ceiling, Jimmy could fly around comfortably in here. He wondered if Skizz flew around in here. The hall didn’t have any pews inside like a church might have, there was a carpet running down till it reached a platform at the end. There sat a throne, it looked surprisingly comfortable for a throne. Jimmy looked to the side and spotted the entrance into one of the steeples, and could see the winding stairs inside. On the other side the door was closed, Jimmy assumed that led to Skizz’s personal quarters.

“I had a question, I hope it doesn’t sound…rude. The crimson forest has some dangerous creatures in it, and I don't want you to get hurt. Can you still… uh- fly?” Skizz questioned, his voice sounded squeaky at the end.

Jimmy paused.

”I…I can still fly. But not like I used to, and it pains me after a while. Besides I don't really… I’d prefer not to take them out” Jimmy replied

”That’s good- I mean that you can still fly, not that you’re hurt and in pain…uh” He cleared his throat “If you don’t want to take them out… would you be comfortable with me flying us up to the treetops. It’s a lot safer to walk up there”

”The tree tops?” Jimmy questioned.

”The trees here don't have leaves like in the overworld, the tops are solid, if a bit mushy. Plus the shroom lights are in the trees. themselves. You’ll be able to get a closer look up there anyway”

”Hmm… alright. Just don’t drop me. I’d hate to break a bone again”

”I’d never! You’ll be perfectly safe in my hands” Skizz proclaimed, putting a hand over his heart,

”Yes, I’m sure I will be”

Chapter Text

Skizz brought him over to the steeple with the closed door and opened it with a key, pulling him up the stairs, they passed several doors. Then Skizz paused to open one, it led out to a balcony, Jimmy was hit by a blast of warm air as he stepped outside. The forest had dots of light peeking out of the harsh redness, it stretched as far as Jimmy could see. it reminded him of looking at a city in the distance, or the night sky when he flew on clear nights.

”Uh- It would be easiest if I picked you up in a bridal style…” Skizz said, rubbing his neck. Apparently Jimmy took too long to answer as Skizz continued.

“Although I can carry you a different way if you’re not comfo-“

”Ah! No no that’s fine” Jimmy replied.

”Great…uh may I?” Skizz said, moving his arms out in front of him.

Jimmy nodded.

Skizz bent down and put his arms around the back of his knees and the top of his back, swooping him up in a quick motion. Jimmy wrapped his arms around Skizz’s neck to steady himself. He didn’t think it was just the heat that sent his cheeks flushing, or Skizz’s.

”Ready?” Skizz whispered.

”Don’t drop me” Jimmy said, and Skizz pushed off the floor with a powerful flap of his wings.

Jimmy tighter his arms around Skizz reflexively, Skizz gripped him tighter to his chest as he moved to be horizontal in the air. Jimmy looked down at the quickly passing ground as they flew, the wind in his hair felt familiar and he closed his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling.

When he opened them again he found Skizz staring at him. They looked at each other for a moment.

”Do you miss flying?” Skizz questioned quietly.

Jimmy grimaced slightly.

”Sorry! That was a stupid question” Skizz said, moving his gaze forward again.

”No…it's fine. I still fly, it's just- not the same. I enjoyed flying, it was an escape for me. Just get away from the world for awhile, but… since I got injured my- my siblings won’t let me fly alone. In case I crash or something” Jimmy said.

”You have siblings?” Skizz questioned.

”Yeah, three. Two brothers and a sister, I’m the youngest” Jimmy paused “Were not related by blood, but they're the closest thing I have. Their hybrids too…”

“What’s their names?”

”Grian, the oldest, he’s 27. Then there’s Pearl and Martyn, both 26. Im 25” Jimmy said

Skizz hummed “Hold on for a moment, need to land” he said as he began to slow.

Jimmy looked out and saw they were approaching a small lava lake. In the center was an island with a couple crimson trees on it. Skizz gilded them over and landed on top of one of the trees. Gently he lowered Jimmy down, Skizz was right the tops were… mushy, it felt like he was standing atop a wet sponge. His shoes were getting covered in a red liquid, he hoped Cleo had the foresight to waterproof them.

Skizz stepped over to the edge and knelt down, reaching around he pulled off a chuck of what Jimmy assumed was a shroomlight. He dramatically presented it to Jimmy,

“A shroomlight my lord~” He spoke in an exaggerated voice, bowing as he handed it over. Jimmy smiled and chuckled, it was warm in his hands. It shone brightly, sparkling as he turned in his hands. It would make for a good light in the dark nights of the overworld.

When Jimmy looked back up Skizz was staring at him, his mouth was slightly open and he looked distracted. He startled when he noticed Jimmy looking back at him,

”Uh! Sorry you just look… the light- it makes you glow” Skizz said with a fond look in his eyes.

These four were unfairly good at making Jimmy flustered, he thought.

”I’ve never seen these before, with how beautiful they are. I would think they’d be a popular export to the overworld” Jimmy said.

”They were, since the war started we stopped shipping them out. It was mainly the rich buying them anyhow.” He paused “ There very delicate, moving them around too much can cause them to shatter”

”Oh-really?” Jimmy said, looking down at the one in his hands.

”Yeah, although there is a special spell to make them stronger. I created it years ago, it's pretty difficult, you need to be able to weave magic very intricately into the light” Skizz said, gently taking it out of Jimmy’s hand. He broke off a shard and Jimmy gasped,

”Just a moment” He said.

Then he clasped his hands around the shard and Jimmy felt a burst of magic from him, after a minute he unclasped his hands. The shard didn’t look any different.

”There we are, now it wont break” Skizz smiled, and rooted through his pockets, pulling out a long cord. He began to tie it around the shard, then presented it to Jimmy.

”Here, a gift. I know Tango already gave you a lantern, but this might be a little more practical. A piece of the forest, can I put it on you?”

Jimmy blinked then turned around, Skizz’s arms bracketed him as he brought it around his front then tied it. He turned back to Skizz,

”Thank you” He said, smiling at Skizz.

”Uh- of course! I can’t let the others be the only ones to sweep you off your feet” Skizz proclaimed.

”Hmm I don’t know, I think you might be doing the best job at sweeping me off my feet, literally” Jimmy replied, chuckling.

”Talking about sweeping you off your feet, what time is it” He said as he began to root around his pockets.

Jimmy reached into his own and took out the clock Zedaph had given him at breakfast.

“It’s almost 6:00”

”Oh Zed gave you one of his clo- It’s almost six!” Skizz yelled. “We’re gonna be late!” He grabbed Jimmy, Jimmy barely had his arms around him as they launched into the sky.

”Ah- I forgot to mention, Impulse is coming for dinner. I think he just wants extra time with you. That little demon, in the morning he’ll escort you over to the wastes” Skizz said sheepishly as they flew quickly over the forest.

”Impulse!?” Jimmy squeaked. He wasn’t prepared to meet another one of his soulmates, well not exactly meet. They had met but… sitting at a table with two of his soulmates, sitting together…closely, and both of them had several inches on him, not to mention the muscle mass they both had. Jimmy thought as he looked at Skizz’s arms wrapped around him again.

Void he was screwed.

Chapter Text

Skizz set Jimmy down on the balcony, then led him inside.

”I’ll go talk to Impulse, so you can get changed first. Cleo set over some clothes earlier today” Skizz said as he pushed open a door “Just come down the stairs when your done, we’ll be waiting down there”

“Right…” Jimmy said suddenly aware of his windswept hair and the fact his shoes had been covered in the liquid from the treetops.

He stepped into the room, just like the other rooms, it had some impressive decorations and a comfortable looking bed that called to him. In the corner stood a mannequin. On it sat a black vest with a high collar that would come around his neck, It had gold detailing on it and matching buttons. Underneath was a deep blue shirt, the sleeves were long and poofed out at the ends. There were matching slacks that looked tight, and some elegant lace up boots with a small heel.

On the front a note was tucked into the vest, Jimmy pulled it out, it read,

”These will do nicely to bring out those golden features of yours, and make your soulmates very happy, don’t forget the earrings. I saw those pierced ears. P.S I included a ribbon for your hair, it seemed to be getting grown out” The “very happy” part had a crossed out section before it, from the little time Jimmy spoke with Cleo, he could only guess it said something more…crude before. Jimmy looked to the table next to the mannequin, there sat a small box, Jimmy opened it.

Inside sat a gleaming pair of earrings, there were two small dark blue gems that glittered. From them hung another one that was larger, it had gold around it that had been shaped outwards like sunbeams. A ribbon the same shade of his shirt was also inside. He’d been holding off on cutting his hair, normally he’d ask one of his siblings for help. But he hadn’t seen them in a while, and now that he’d been brought to the nether. His hair was past his chin, luckily he’s done his siblings hair in the past.

Jimmy began to get undressed, he hoped he could survive this dinner…

~~~~~~~~~~~

Skizz practically flew down the steps, slamming the door open. The hall had been transformed now decorated with large banners and curtains, and the lights had been dimmed for a more intimate feel. A table had appeared in the hall, there sat Impulse, who jumped when Skizz slammed open the door. Skizz quickly made his way over,

”Oh- Impy! He’s so pretty” Skizz squealed as he sat down in one of the chairs “Ugh, the way he looked in the shroomlight’s… He was glowing…” Skizz sighed, resting his chin on his hands.

”Too busy admiring him to be on time?” Impulse questioned.

”Hey- you’re already getting to spend extra time with him. I should’ve stayed out there all night with him, just us two” Skizz proclaimed “Ooh by the way, did you get him a gift? I made a shard of shroomlight into a necklace, apparently Zedaph gave him one of his clocks, and Tango gave him that lantern”

”I thought about it, but I don’t have a clue what to give him, I mean what does he even like…?” Impulse replied

”Just try subtly asking him tonight, although I did notice his ears were pierced. Maybe you should make him some earrings out of your gold, or some ghast tears? Or-“ Skizz said, then the sound of a door creaking open made him pause.

There stood Jimmy, he was dressed in a way that reminded Skizz of Tango, probably since their clothing came from the same maker. The vest accentuated his waist, he had on a tall pair of boots with a small heel that clicked as he walked over to the pair. Swinging from his ears were a pair of earrings, with an obvious sun motif. His hair was tied up into a small ponytail, though some pieces still stuck out along with his grown out bangs, framing his face.

Skizz felt speechless as Jimmy stood in front of him, when he glanced over at Impulse he seemed to be in a similar state. Skizz reached over and tapped his hanging jaw up, then stood

”My- Jimmy you look… radiant” Skizz said, smiling as a blush dusted Jimmy’s cheeks.

”Thank you…” Jimmy said quietly.

”Please, sit” Skizz said, pulling out a chair for Jimmy. Then he sat down himself and snapped his fingers. Some plates of food appeared on the table in front of the three.

”I hope this food is okay for you” Skizz said, picking up his utensils

”Oh yes, I’m not picky” Jimmy replied as he started to pick at his food.

…

Skizz kicked Impulse from under the table as he continued to stare down at Jimmy. Impulse startled,

”So Jimmy, you mentioned your siblings, care to us more about them?” Skizz questioned

”Um- well… Grian is my brother, he’s very... eccentric. He’s always pulling tricks on the three of us. He’s a parrot hybrid so I suppose being pesky is in his blood. Then there’s Pearl, my sister. She’s a moth hybrid, very strong headed but also very rational. Finally there’s Martyn, he’s an avian as well, a barn owl. He’s typically quite calm, though he can be very dramatic”

”What about you? What kind of things do you like?” Impulse finally spoke.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy flopped onto the bed, oh void that was… mortifying? Awkward? Hot-

Jimmy groaned as he rolled over, pulling the sheets tightly around him. He can’t keep thinking like this, he has to leave soon, he can’t get…attached. No matter how tall, muscular, or attractive his soulmates are.

It’s a miracle he hasn’t already been discovered, he was shot down in the middle of the battlefield. They had to have heard what happened, and without a body they likely assume he’s still alive. Although maybe they think the demon army collected his-

No, he couldn’t play dead. He had to return, they might take it out on his family if he doesn’t, especially if they find out he was willingly hiding from them.

…

Jimmy pulled out the necklace Skizz had given him. It glowed softly in the dark room, on his bedside sat the clock and lantern he’d been gifted. They would be useful when it was time to leave. He had to think of a good story to tell them, even if that meant roughing himself up before returning.

Impulse was going to take him to his fortress next, on something called a strider, apparently they could traverse lava. Jimmy knew that there was a portal into the overworld there. Although it’s likely sealed away because of the war, not easily accessible.

He needed to find a way in there.

Even if it meant revealing himself in the process, he liked his soulmates but… he was already too entangled in this web. He couldn’t leave, not with his siblings stuck with him as well. He couldn’t let them be eaten in place of him.

Chapter Text

Jimmy slowly opened his eyes, stretching his wings upwards as he groaned. He reached for the clock on his bedside, it was still early… Jimmy sat up, might as well preen since he was already awake.

Besides he needed to plan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Impulse skipped down the stairs towards the bedroom Jimmy was sleeping in, in his arms held the box with Jimmy's clothing. A special set made for the scorching heat of the wastes, he also had a gift for Jimmy, seeing those earrings on him last night only made up Impulse’s mind on what to give Jimmy.

Impulse knocked on the door,

”Jimmy, are you up?” He asked.

He heard some rustling and Jimmy called out,

”Ye-yeah I’m up, just a moment!”

An odd swoosh noise sounded out then the patter of feet coming to the door, Jimmy opened the door, he was wearing a set of light blue night clothes. A simple button up and loose pants,

”I have your clothes” Impulse said, holding the bundle up “I- uh also have a gift for you”

”Oh, well come in…” Jimmy said as he cracked the door open wider, Impulse stepped inside.

He set the clothes down on a table and pulled out a box out of his outer coat, he turned to Jimmy who was shutting the door. He shirt had two long holes cut out in the back

“Here I made these for you” Impulse said quietly, holding the box out. Jimmy gingerly took it out of his hands and opened it.

”They're made out of ghast tears, that's a creature that resides in the wastes, they drop those when you defeat them. I… thought you might like them” Impulse said, slowly getting quieter as he spoke.

Jimmy held one up and observed it for a moment, then looked up at Impulse and stared at him, he had an odd look on his face, then he spoke

”Thank you… these are… beautiful” He whispered

Impulse grinned, he could feel his tail behind him swishing behind him

”Well I’ll let you get dressed, those clothes will help with the heat in the wastes. Me and Skizz be downstairs”

Jimmy nodded and Impulse swept out of the room, feeling giddy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impulse and Jimmy walked out of the small town around the cathedral, making their way to the lava lake where a strider was waiting for them.

”I’ll have to ride in front since I need to lead him, just hold on to me once we start moving. Striders are pretty steady, but I don’t want you to get brunt” Impulse said as he got onto the strider then he motioned for Jimmy to climb on. Impulse wished he could sit in the back so he could put his hands around Jimmy… but alas he needed to lead the strider.

Jimmy swung a leg over the strider and hopped on, wrapping his arms around Impulse. Impulse took out the fishing line with a mushroom on it and began to lead the strider forward. He felt Jimmy tighten his grip around him as they moved.

…

“I was wondering… Tango told us he met you on the battlefield when he was hunting down… uh- why did you join the army? You don’t seem like the fighting type, or very…devout” Impulse questioned.

There was a long pause.

”You don’t know?” Jimmy whispered,

”Huh?”

”They- The religion of the void, it’s practically everywhere, every city and the towns, all the rulers are devout. Trying to gain power for themselves. But it’s…the leaders of the religion that control everything, they can get away with anything. The rulers all turn away to their wrong doings, especially when it comes to hybrids” He paused “Wh- when the war started they realized that more soldiers were needed. They started to… recruit people. Forcefully. Hybrids became even bigger targets, wanted for their traits” He finished, barely audible over the sound of lava popping.

…

“…I'm sorry, I- I shouldn’t have asked” Impulse whispered.

”It’s… it’s alright” Jimmy spoke, monotone.

”Your siblings, are they…”

”I… I don't know. I was… I was in the market when I was taken away. I'm not sure if they were found or not”

…

Impulse wrapped his free hand around one of Jimmy’s.

”We’ll make a deal, stop this stupid war. Its gone on long enough” Impulse claimed.

Jimmy didn’t reply.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After some time the fortress came into view, Impulse could see his wither skeletons lined along the bridges. Jimmy had been still and quiet, he must have fallen asleep. Impulse shifted slightly trying to wake him

”Jimmy, we're almost there” he said.

No response.

”Jimmy?” Impulse said, looking over his shoulder. Jimmy was leaned up against him with his eyes closed, his face was heavily flushed and he was breathing shallowly.

”Jimmy!” Impulse yelled, urging the strider to go faster.

He pulled into a small dock underneath the fortress, carefully getting off the strider, making sure Jimmy didn’t tip over. Then picked him up, Jimmy groaned but didn’t wake up. Running up the stairs into the fortress he blew past the guards, slamming the doors of the medical ward open.

“DOC! Doc, where are you!?” Impulse yelled, he moved to set Jimmy down on one of the beds. Impulse growled as he found no sign of Doc.

He brushed the hair out of Jimmy’s face “Hold on, I’ll be right back, then we’ll get you fixed up” Then he rushed out of the room in search of Doc.

He ran to Doc’s laboratory, But it didn’t have Doc inside. But his apprentice, Mumbo was there, he jumped up when Impulse burst inside.

”King Impulse!” He yelled.

”Where’s Doc!” Impulse growled.

”He went to his personal quarters-“

Impulse ran out of the room before Mumbo could finish, running to the other side of the fortress where the bedrooms were. Kicking open Doc’s bedroom door, making him jump where he was slumped in a chair.

”DOC! I need you in the medical bay! Now!” Impulse yelled.

Doc jumped up and followed Impulse.

”What’s going on? Who’s hurt?” Doc yelled trying to keep up with Impulse’s sprint.

”Jimmy!”

“Who!?”

“MY SOULMATE!”

”WHAT! When did you get another soulmate!?”

”A couple days ago! I forgot to tell you! I think he got heat stroke on the lava lake”

”He’s from the overworld!?” Doc questioned as they reached the medical ward, Impulse opened the doors and rushed forward.

…

”Uh- My king… Where is he?” Doc asked.

”I- I left him here…”

”Heat stroke can make patients delirious, maybe he wandered off,” Doc said “I’ll alert the guards to look around”

”Make sure they're gentle with him” Impulse said, still staring at the empty bed.

Chapter Text

Jimmy stayed still as Impulse carried him off the strider, the clothes Cleo made for him had worked too well, he could feel the protective magic pulsing off them. Luckily for him he had his own magic, an illusion was fairly simple to pull off. Especially when you're trying to trick someone who isn’t as magically inept.

He didn’t respond when Impulse spoke to him, he could take his time getting back. It just made this easier for him.

Jimmy quickly got out of the bed, dispersing the illusion. He opened the doors to the ward and spread out his senses. Searching for that spike of energy he knew to be a nether portal. It took him a moment but he finally found the signature he needed.

It was in a room at the bottom of the fortress. He could feel the life force of wither skeletons guarding the room, and some other netherborns around the fortress, he needed to be careful leaving. It be best not to be spotted, he blessed his dark clothing.

Jimmy quickly walked down the hallways made of dark red brick, carefully avoiding any people or guards. Jimmy refocused upstairs for a moment, Impulse had made his way back to the medical ward. The other life forces in the fortress began to move. Jimmy grimaced, he needed to hurry up.

He made his way down a long staircase, the air progressively became warmer as he got closer to the lava lake the fortress was built over. At the end of the stairs was a large door, Jimmy could feel magic runes pulsing off of it. If he opened this door it would alert Impulse…

Once he touched it there would be no going back, his magic left a mark. Even Impulse would likely recognize it from past battles they’d both been present for.

…

Jimmy reached forward pressing both his hands on the heavy door, and focused on weaving his magic to open the doors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impulse ran around his home, calling for Jimmy. Etho was by his side as well, keeping his sharp eye focused.

Suddenly Impulse felt a pang go through him, he turned to look at Etho who had also stopped walking.

”Those were the runes on the entrance to the portal room” Etho said,

Impulse grimaced and ran towards the staircase down, passing Doc he yelled,

”Doc! Etho! Follow me!”

He blurred past the wither skeletons and flew down the staircase to the portal, one of the doors had been opened by just a crack. Two golden handprints were sitting on the front, glowing.

Impulse ran into the room then skidded to a stop, Etho and Doc close on his heels.

Standing before the portal was Jimmy, he was turned away from them, in the process of shrugging off his protective outer coat. Beneath was the night clothes Impulse had seen him in earlier, the ones with the cutouts on the back. He paused when Impulse came into the room.

”Jimmy? Are you…leaving” Impulse questioned, Doc and Etho stood tensely behind him.

Jimmy didn’t respond, shrugging the rest of the coat off, dropping it to the ground behind him.

…

”Impulse… I wish you hadn't gotten here so quickly…” Jimmy whispered, barely audible over the swooshing of the portal.

“I- what? I thought you were sick? What’s going on… are you leaving? …Can we just talk for a moment?” Impulse said, taking a step forward “Is this about your family? About us?… about the war? We can end that, and then we can help you, find your family…”

”End the war? You can’t win, and they won’t give you a good deal. They take everything…” Jimmy said, still turned away from Impulse.

”We can… the- the Canary hasn’t been spotted since Tango shot them down, their strongest force is down. We can defeat them, or at least bargain with them”

Jimmy let out a harsh spout of laughter, Impulse could see his fists were clenched tightly.

Impulse’s stomach turned, he heard Etho and Doc shifting behind him, he risked a glance behind him, and saw Etho’s hand hovering over his blade. Doc was in a defensive position, ready to dart forward. He signaled them to stay calm.

”Jimmy…” Impulse whispered.

Jimmy continued to laugh then abruptly stopped and sucked in a breath,

”End the war… you can’t even defeat me, not to mention the other three” Jimmy said, his voice was monotone.

”…what?” Impulse forced out.

Jimmy just barely looked over his shoulder, staring Impulse in the eyes. His gaze looked hateful, but also…tired.

Impulse felt a pulse of magic and then was blinded by a sudden light, tearing his gaze away and covering his face he groaned. The light went out then he heard rustling and wind against his face.

Jimmy had turned around to face him, stretched out behind him was… a pair of wings… golden wings that appeared to glow.

Impulse’s mouth felt dry.

He heard Etho unsheathing his sword, and Doc let out a hiss and scrapped his hooves against the brick.

Jimmy had a blank look on his face.

”I'm sorry… I shouldn’t have let all this happen. But I have to leave, my… devotion comes first” He said blankly.

Etho and Doc both rushed past the frozen Impulse, and Jimmy stepped backwards into the portal, brushing a hand against the frame.

Impulse heard the sound of shattering glass and a purple light consumed the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy thrust himself into the air as soon as he stepped through the portal, flying upwards until he reached the clouds. It was nighttime, but he could spot the distant lights of a city, a particular building stuck out. One that closely resembled Skizz’s.

The wind blew in his face, whipping his hair into his face and rustling his feathers as he glided.

A storm was coming.

Chapter Text

Jimmy soared through the air, approaching the glowing city, where a large cathedral sat in the middle of the bustle. He slowed down as he got closer, gliding down to the front doors. Landing with a small click as his boots touched the ground, he focused his magic onto himself for a moment and the robes he typically wore appeared on his body.

He sighed and walked towards the towering doors, they opened before he could reach out. The inside of the cathedral was dimly lit, pews covered the cold tile, lined up in rows. He walked down the long hallway, his steps echoing off the high ceilings. He walked with his head down until he reached the bottom of the steps at the end of the hall, where he knelt down.

He waited for them to speak first.

…

“Canary…” A voice boomed, it rattled the hanging lights “Where have you been…”

”I was on the battlefield when I was shot down, the Dungeon Master, Tango tek, threw a shard of ice and it impaled me. I fell to the ground, inside the forest. I was discovered before I could leave, I was brought back to the nether. The Dungeon Master brought me to the Demon’s Impulse fortress, where I was held in a cell. I had to wait to break out using my magic until I was healed and able to evade the guards… I greatly apologize for my mistakes and lateness” Jimmy said, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

…

”We were getting worried, worried that we would have to replace you…with one of the other three” The voice was quieter, but it still grated on Jimmy’s ears.

”That’s not necessary, I’m healed. I can fight again” Jimmy said.

…

“…Good, you will return to the battle…soon”

”Soon?”

”One of the three will catch you up, a great plan has been set in motion… All hail the void”

”…All hail the void” Jimmy whispered. He got up but kept his head down as he walked back down the hall. He entered a separate alcove and walked down the stairs into the underground. He made his way over to a familiar door and opened it.

He groaned as he was tackled to the ground by a blur of color.

”Jimmy!” Three familiar voices called out.

”Hey guys…” He said as he wrapped his arms around the wriggling person laying on top of him, “Hey Grian, missed me?”

Grian had an furious look on his face but didn’t let go,

”Where have you been! You just disappeared! I couldn’t find you with my eyes, and Pearl and Martyn couldn’t find anything either!” Grian yelled, Pearl and Martyn appeared behind him, both looking angry and relieved at the same time.

”Seriously, what happened! The soldiers said you got shot down by the Dungeon Master, then you just disappeared!” Pearl said, pulling Grian off of him in favor of hugging Jimmy herself.

”Yeah! We couldn’t even sense you in the overworld, we thought…” Martyn started, but trailed off.

”It’s a long story” Jimmy whispered, he held up a hand and made a sign, a sign that signaled to the other three that they needed to get away from prying eyes and ears.

They all nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All four of the nether rulers sat in a room, The blaze born paced back and forth, leaving scorch marks on the brick. The one with sheep features sat on a chair, bouncing their leg up and down, hooves clicking loudly against the floor. The one with dark feathers, preened them anxiously. And the final demon sat slumped on a couch, looking dazed.

”I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!” The blaze born screamed, “Ugh! I'm so stupid, I can’t believe I didn’t see this!” he growled.

”And you're sure that Jimmy was…” Skizz started,

“Yes… Jimmy is the Canary” Impulse said, his voice quiet, “He… he left magic residue behind on the portal doors, and… he got his wings out right in front of me”

…

”It all makes sense… the hiding of the wings, him being so afraid of Tango, behind so standoffish but still coming around with us… maybe he just wanted information” Zedaph groaned,

”… I don’t know, he apologized before he left, and he… he had an odd look on his face. He looked so- tired, like hes already accepted everything”

”Of course he’s accepted everything! He knew we were soulmates! He had the golden opportunity to get insider information from us and took it! … Probably how he got a hold of such powerful magic too, selling people out!” Tango growled loudly, his fire burning hotly and letting off sparks.

”Would he really do that… I mean, I know we didn’t exactly know him, obviously… But we talked about his family. He seemed to care about them” Skizz questioned,

”Well- maybe he was just lying!” Tango yelled.

”Skizz is right… we talked on the strider, he said that the people who run the religion of the Void, they control everything in the overworld. Apparently they began to recruit people when the war started, forcefully.” Impulse paused, “Jimmy… I think he was telling the truth, at least partially. He didn’t have a choice when he joined, but… he must have been taken years ago if he has that powerful of magic, that stuff requires some serious training”

…

”He cared about his family, I could tell…he was being genuine when he spoke about them, he loves them” Skizz said, “He mentioned they were hybrids too, … what if thats why he’s been compliant with the Void, or why he had the return? Maybe their threatening his family”

Tango stopped pacing and his face was scrunched in a thoughtful look. Zedaph let out a sad sound,

…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The four siblings flew high above the clouds, light was beginning to appear on the horizon as the sun came up.

“I told them that I’d been shot down and taken the nether and was held there until I escaped once I was healed” Jimmy said “That’s only partially true… I was shot down, but before I was discovered on the ground I got rid of my robes and put away my wings. I just had on the typical uniform underneath. I was trying to leave when… the Dungeon Master appeared. He was moving to try and kill me, but I- we met each other’s eyes… were soulmates”

…

“WHAT!” Three voices yelled out in harmony,

”Soulmates! Seriously!” Pearl yelled,

Jimmy sighed “I wouldn’t joke about this”

”But- I thought the rulers of the nether were all soulmates…” Martyn said, trailing off as he realized.

”I'm getting there,” Jimmy continued, “I passed out, I woke up in Decked out-“

”Decked out!” Grian hissed, Pearl shushed him.

”Yes, decked out. I was in the medical ward, I spoke with the woman there, Celeste. She explained some things then went to fetch… Tango. He started rambling and didn’t seem to realize who I actually was and… confirmed that the other three rulers were his soulmates, which meant they were also mine…then I - I passed out” Jimmy said, embarrassed.

Martyn snorted and Jimmy hit him with his wing, making him swerve to the side.

”So, what happened then?” Grian questioned,

”Well… when I woke up Celeste showed me a lantern Tango had left behind, it was enchanted, an apology gift. It was meant to keep me warm while in the valley and apparently could lead me to different places in the nether” He paused, “That night I tried to sneak out, I took the lantern with me, I roamed for a while. But then the lantern started to drag me towards a wall, which opened up to a staircase leading downwards, I couldn’t see the bottom”

”Is this going where I think it is…” Pearl groaned,

”I went down and found a door, when I entered I was… in a tundra”

”A tundra!?” Martyn exclaimed.

Jimmy shushed him.

”The door, it just disappeared once I stepped through, then… this odd beast appeared. It charged at me but I ended up tearing my stitches-“

”Your stitches!” Grian yelled.

”I told you! I got impaled!” Jimmy exclaimed “Anyway… Before the beast could hit me, it stopped at my feet and just stared at the lantern. I ended up passing out, Celeste told me later that Tango had sensed something was wrong with me and… brought me back upstairs. But I had a fever for two days”

”Not long after I woke up, the other three came into the room. I think they thought I was still asleep, anyway they started fighting with each other then got dragged out of the room by Tango” Jimmy paused, “After Celeste checked me over, I- uh left the room and walked down the stairs, I could hear them all yelling at each other. And- well I- um agreed to stay for awhile…” Jimmy finished, blushing.

Grian cackled, “Oh!? Does Jimmy have a crush, or well- four crushes!?”

”Shut up!” Jimmy yelled, “I still wasn’t fully recovered, and I figured I would be able to get some information from them”

”Did you?” Martyn asked,

”…Not really” Jimmy said,

…

”So…did you like them?” Pearl questioned,

”I- that doesn’t matter…” Jimmy said, his face dropping “Before I could leave Impulse came across me in the portal room, they surely all know who I am now” He finished quietly.

…

”We should head back…” Pearl said,

”Yeah…” Jimmy replied, taking one last look at the sunrise, before turning back.

Chapter Text

Jimmy huffed as he laid in bed, he couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes his soulmates just appeared, the look of Impulse’s face in the portal room, Skizz giving him the necklace, how Zedaph stayed up to make him a clock, Tango’s face when he said he’d stay awhile.

…

He should’ve just let them kick him out of the nether. It would’ve
been better for everyone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pearl listened as Jimmy shuffled around in bed, his room being on the other side of hers. She worried for him, normally he slept fine plus… the whole soulmate thing.

Seeing Jimmy so… tired was odd, even during their most difficult times he always found a way to stay positive.

Jimmy has been protecting them for so long… It frustrated Pearl that she couldn’t do more for him. That she couldn’t stop him from going out into the battlefield, that they were still stuck here…

Pearl wasn’t particularly skilled with magic, nor could she fly as well as her brothers. Even so they still took an interest in her and she had to comply… her brothers had to comply. They were each other's weakness, there was no leaving if the other three couldn’t come with.

…

Pearl quietly climbed out of bed, padding over to her door. She needed to speak with the other two.

If they could get help from the outside…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impulse picked at the food on his plate, Skizz insisted that they eat together while they were all in the nether fortress. But the air was tense, everyone had different opinions on the… situation. Tango sat at the other end of the table stabbing at the meat in front of him, he had a stormy look on his face, his fire was burning bright, his long thin tail thrashed behind him.

Zedaph seemed quite immersed in his plate, Impulse wasn’t sure if it was because he was avoiding everything or was actually hungry. Skizz’s gaze darted around the room as he chewed.

…

The clinking of silverware was loud in the room.

…

Skizz coughed,

”I’ve been thinking… Maybe we could send so spy’s after Jimmy. I mean, if he was telling the truth about forcefully being a part of the war then we should help him, Shouldn’t we?” He said.

Impulse stood up,

”Skizz is right, we should at least try to… give him a chance. We didn’t even know about the forced participation of overworld people in the war before Jimmy talked about it. Who knows what else we’ve missed?” He exclaimed.

Tango sat silently at the end of the table, staring down at his plate.

”I think they are right, he didn’t seem malicious. It’s hard to believe he’d be a… war machine. And if he was telling the truth about his family, then they could be involved in this too” Zedaph said, looking towards Tango.
…

Tango sighed and scrubbed at his face, he looked more disheveled than when Jimmy had a fever for two days.

”…I suppose it's not a bad idea, but make sure their discret, the people of the void, are already hard enough to spy on. They’ll likely be on high alert with his return” He said.

Impulse moved to leave,

”I’ll inform Etho to send out some scouts-“ Impulse started but stopped as a shiver went down his spine, the other three seemed equally as tense. Tango and Zedaph both jumped up, eyes darting around the room. Skizz’s feathers had poofed out and he stretched out his wings.

A scratching noise came from above them, they all jerked their gaze upwards. Skizz readied himself to fly,

A dark figure was perched in the rafters above them, two wings were tucked behind them, hidden in the shadows. Two glowing violet eyes stuck out.

”Oh calm down, I'm not here to fight” A voice sounded out from the creature, it shifted and dropped down to the floor in one smooth motion. Impulse briefly spotted taloned feet before the robes dropped back down around their feet. The unsheathing of weapons sounded out, Impulse drew an axe, Skizz and Zedaph drew their swords, and Tango formed a spear out of ice.

Surprisingly the wings attached to the creature were brightly colored. Vibrant red, yellow, green, and blue stuck out compared to the dark robes that the figure wore.

”I just said I’m not here to fight” It spoke again, as they put their hands up, their hands were also distinctly taloned, and looked a bit scaly. They reached to pull down their hood, revealing a mop of light brown hair. Then pulled off their blank white mask, revealing a human looking face. They looked young, but had a serious look on their face as they lifted their hands back up.

”This is about Jimmy” They said,

”Who are you!?” Tango exclaimed.

”…My name is Grian, I'm Jimmy's older brother,” He said calmly.

…

“Your right about Jimmy not willingly being a part of this mess”

”And you? Or your other siblings, are you willing?” Zedaph questioned.

”No.” Grian stated “Look could you maybe stop pointing some very dangerous weapons at me? I’ll tell you more…” Grian replied.

They glanced at each other, then put their weapons down, but didn’t put them away.

”Good enough” Grian deadpanned as he lowered his hands, he took in a deep breath, “Jimmy wasn’t lying about the forced soldiers either, that is happening. But we were taken years before the war started, by the religion of the void. They wanted new members, members that could contribute in more practical ways. Rather than monetary like the rulers of the overworld”

He paused,

”Like most hybrids we were living on the streets, but we had each other even if we weren’t actually related. I'm not sure why… but they took an interest in us. They took us off the streets, forcefully, and began to train us”

”Us. Pearl and… Martyn?” Skizz questioned.

”Yes, they aren’t as skilled with magic as me or Jimmy but they have traits good for… reconnaissance”

”Magic, is that how you bypassed the runes on the fortress” Impulse asked.

”Yes, it was pretty easy honestly. You should consider redoing those” Grian smirked.

Tango pointed his spear at Grian,

”What do you want?”

“The same thing you do, defeat the Void” Grian started “Their planning something big, even we don’t know the full details yet. But if they pull of whatever their planning you’ll likely loose Jimmy and the Nether… forever”

The four of them all grimaced and looked at each other. Skizz motioned for Tango to lower the spear again, he did so reluctantly.

”Alright, we’ll hear you out” Skizz said.

”Good, but we’ll have to make this quick. They’ll notice if I’m gone too long”

Chapter Text

Impulse had another chair brought into the room, but Grian decided to perch on top of it instead of sitting.

”When Jimmy returned he told the head that when he was struck in the air he fell and was then captured and kept in this fortress. But he told us the truth about what he was actually doing the entire time, frolicking around with you four while his poor siblings were worried to death about him” Grian muttered the last part.

Tango cleared his throat,

”So, what exactly do the four of you plan to do against the Void?” He questioned.

”Oh no, not the four of us, just the three. Jimmy… doesn’t exactly know I’m here. Just Pearl and Martyn” Grian said,

”Huh- why?” Zedaph questioned,

Grian sighed, “He’s too selfless, I’m already risking a lot by doing this, if he found out he would try to stop it. He just doesn’t want to see us hurt” He paused, “He’s always been like this, its the reason he’s the Canary. Pearl isn’t very good with magic, Martyn can’t use it at all, and I can use magic. But I have more avian traits than Jimmy”

”More avain traits?” Impulse asked.

”Birds tend to be pretty fragile, especially non-predator species. Their bones are hollow to allow them to fly, but it also makes it easier to break them. I have a higher percentage of avian blood, hence my body more closely resembles a parrots” Grian replied.

”Is that why you have talons? I didn’t notice any on Jimmy, even when he took his wings out” Impulse questioned.

Grian nodded,

”Look I can’t be here much longer or they’ll notice I’m gone, I should be able to return eventually but I can’t come often. Pearl and Martyn can move more freely than me and Jimmy, and they're good with being stealthy. We should set up a spot in the overworld where we can pass messages”

”Not in the nether? It has less chance of being discovered” Skizz said.

”No, I’m using my magic to mask the fact that I’ve left the overworld, but Pearl and Martyn can’t do that. It has to be in the overworld” Grian replied.

Tango stood up,

”I need two lanterns”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy blinked his eyes open, his room was freezing and he felt reluctant to get out of bed. Even though he’d just spent the most of the night tossing and turning in it. He felt exhausted, his lack of sleep the past few days was getting to him. Still, he sighed and heaved himself out of bed, shivering as the cool air hit him. He pulled on his day clothes, adding some extra layers. He paused before he left the room, thinking about the lantern hidden beneath some floorboards. He could take that with h- no, he couldn’t take that with him. No matter how warm it kept him.

He shuffled into the hallway and as he passed Grian’s room he heard some rustling and… voices? His siblings' voices? He knocked on the door.

”Guys? Are you all in there?” He asked.

It went silent then he heard the familiar clicking of Grains talons on the stone floor. The door creaked open and Grian poked his head out, he looked a bit sheepish.

”Heyy Jimmy. Did you sleep well?” He asked in a high pitched voice.

”…Uh no not really, what- why are you guys all together?” Jimmy questioned.

”Just-uh hanging out, we peeked in your room to see if you wanted to join but you were asleep. We just figured it be better to let you rest, since you’ve been… uh struggling” Grian said,

…

”Uh okay…” Jimmy said, “Can I come in then?”

Grian blinked, some frantic sounds came from behind him.

”Of course! Come on in Tim!” Grian exclaimed, Jimmy let out a sigh at the nickname.

Grian opened the door all the way and let Jimmy in. On the bed sat Pearl and Martyn they were both staring at Jimmy with strained smiles.

”Hi Jimmy” They said in unison,

”Um, hi” Jimmy replied.

…

“Well! We need to go… uh eat!” Martyn exclaimed, he and Pearl stood up. Jimmy noticed they both had their hands behind their backs. They awkwardly shuffled around Jimmy, not showing their backs. Then they walked backwards out the door, Jimmy glanced over at Grian who was smiling at him.

”Okay- what’s going on” Jimmy asked,

”Nothing is going on Tim. Why would you think that” Grian replied.

Jimmy gave him a deadpan look. Grian just started back.

…

”…Ugh fine, keep your secrets” Jimmy groaned.

He swept out of the room, he needed some air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango leaned on the railings on one of the many bridges in Impulse’s fortress. The sound of heavy footsteps on the brick came from behind him, he didn’t turn. Impulse came up besides him,

”Stop blaming yourself” He stated.

Tango kept his eyes forward,

”I should’ve seen it, I mean and avain in the area the Canary should’ve been, who had a stab wound and injuries that could’ve come from a fall! I can’t believe I didn’t realize” He exclaimed.

”Oh come on, you didn’t know he wasn’t human when you brought him here. Plus I think we were all a little… distracted by the whole soulmate thing. Didn’t help that the soulmate was very easy on the eyes” Impulse said,

Tango snorted,

“Besides, if you had known then who knows what would’ve happened… I mean we probably would’ve imprisoned him, or nether we might’ve killed him! But now we can help our soulmate, and hopefully win the war while we’re at it” Impulse proclaimed, reaching over to grab Tango’s hand.

Tango squeezed Impulse’s hand,

”I hope this goes well, I mean what if his brother was lying. We’re putting a lot of trust in them” Tango said.

Impulse raised his hand and laid a kiss on it,

”As long as we’re together, everything will be okay”

Tango smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Martyn shrugged on his robes, black instead of the normal white. He was being sent out on a mission. He went on these often, his ability to fly so silent let him pass by undetected. He tucked a small piece of paper in his pockets, then grabbed the lantern Grian gave him. He claimed the Dungeon master made, once lit it should lead him towards the drop off spot.

He tucked it into his robes to hide it and made his way outside, he launched into the air. Once he was high enough he lit the lantern with a match, which wasn’t a particularly easy task so high up. The fire swerved to the side, he glided that way.

He flew for a while until the fire began to go out, he glanced downwards. With his sharp eyes he spotted a spot in a hill that seemed out of place, and slowed and descended. He landed quietly, the flame had come back to life and was now burning brightly. He assumed this was the spot, he spotted a call crack in the side of the rocky hill. His shoulders brushed against the stone as he entered, the cave went downwards and was pitch black at the bottom. Great.

He carefully made his way down the jagged slope of rock, he saw the edge of a hatch beneath a rock. He pushed it out of the way and opened the hatch, a purple glow was being emitted, definitely the right the spot. He jumped down and found himself in front of a swirling portal, a chest sat next to it.

He stepped forward and laid the note in the chest. Then he turned to leave the cave.

Chapter Text

Tango was going through his piled up work, he’d been neglecting it for almost two weeks and he was facing the consequences. He groaned as he grabbed another stack of papers, then his fireplace sent out a spark, the spark floated over to his desk. It formed into a scroll with a note attached, Tango grabbed it out of the air before it could fall. The note read,

”A copy of the note dropped off, Etho grabbed it from the chest. Had a light brown feather with it- Impulse, P.S sent copies to the Zed and Skizz too”

Tango unfurled the scroll and read it, It held some basic information on the watchers and listeners. Locations of military and religious bases, plans on upcoming attacks against the nether forces stationed in the overworld, and more.

Tango hummed as he looked it over, this information will be useful. The Void was good at hiding their secrets, plus reconnaissance wasn’t very easy. Netherborns stuck out like a sore thumb in the overworld, now they could be more prepared.

Tango had been conflicted on the continued war, he knew logically they couldn’t just charge in and destroy a religion that’s practiced everywhere in the overworld, and has existed for hundreds of years. But… he wondered how many of the overworld soldiers wanted no part in the war, how many of them were going to their deaths in these battles. How many people out there were like Jimmy, just trying to protect their loved ones, to survive.

Still, they couldn’t just let the overworld overrun their forces stationed, they’ll be key to ending this war. Grian had already explained that the kingdoms and cites needed to be defeated, the claws of the Void were sunk too deep, and rulers wouldn’t take kindly to losing their chance at power. Their army would be needed to deal with this.

…

Tango sighed and leaned back in his chair, he wondered how Jimmy was doing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy was not doing good, he thought as he laid in bed. He abandoned his soulmates and subsequently revealed himself to them as the person who’s been killing swaths of their forces. On top of that his own siblings are very obviously keeping a secret from him, and no matter how much he begs or tries to bribe them they won’t spill, and he still hasn’t gotten a haircut! He huffed, blowing his hair out of his face. The three of them have been avoiding him since he keeps asking what they're hiding, meaning he hasn’t had a chance to ask for their help.

He was on the brink of chopping it off himself, at this rate it was going to reach his shoulders before… before what?

…

He didn’t exactly have anything to look forward to, Grian wasn’t much help in telling him what the council had been planning, apparently he wasn’t told much either.

Before he had the fantasy of his soulmates to think about, dreaming about meeting them, getting to know them, falling in love, leaving this hellhole…

He reached his hand down his shirt, pulling out the necklace Skizz had gifted him. The cord was long which made it easy to tuck away, the thick robes he wore shielded the light, so he was able to still wear it. The other gifts were tucked away, the clock and lantern didn’t have a use in the overworld and it would be suspicious if anyone saw them. The earrings Impulse made even more so, he couldn’t be seen wearing them, a gift like that…

The lantern and clock could at least be chocked up as stolen, but this jewelry, just wearing the necklace was risky. He sighed as he tucked the necklace back under his robes.

A knock came from the door, Pearls voice filtered through,

”Jimmy? A meeting has been called”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy along with his siblings knelt in front of the council, made of both watchers and listeners from across the overworld. They were the old, wise, and mighty followers of the void. Jimmy wasn’t so sure about the mighty part, at least as individuals but they were definitely old.

”We have searched for many years… for this great mystery… a secret that will allow us to fully harness the power of the void” A collection of voices boomed in the large room, all in unison,

”We believe that we have discovered a portal… a portal that will allow us to be sent to the void… there we can gain our rightful power… work is being done… to collect the fabled ender pearls… one has already been found…once all twelve required are found… blaze powder will be used to turn them into eyes…then you four will enter” The voices continued,

Jimmy felt himself stiffen, this wasn’t sounding very good,

”Rumors of a beast… a beast that will stop us from gaining our power… you four will remove this beast… kill it…”

Jimmy stayed quiet, so did his siblings.

”Once more is known and progress is made… you will be told more…” The voices finished.

In unison the four stood up smoothly and walked out silently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango appeared in a flash in Impulse’s office, Zed and Skizz in tow. They looked queasy, but took their seats.

Grian had returned with more news on what the watchers were planning, insisting that the four of them be here. He continued to perch instead of sitting in the offered chair.

”Great, your finally all here” He said “The four of us had a meeting with the council, they say that what they’ve been searching for has finally been found after hundreds of years”

”What exactly have they been searching for?” Zed asked, he still looked a bit green.

”A portal, apparently once activated, will take anyone who enters to the void, where a beast awaits. Slay that beast and access to the power of the void will be granted” Grian paused, “Currently there’s a search for an item called ender pearls, twelve of them, one’s already been found. Pearl and Martyn have also been instructed to be on the lookout for them during missions”

Grian hesitated for a moment, taking in a breath,

”Once the portal is activated, they are going to send to four of us through, to kill the beast”

…

”How long do we have until all ender pearls are found?” Tango asked,

”I can't know for sure, the search is spread over the entire world” Grian replied, “That’s all we were told, they said more information will be given as the time approaches to activate the portal”

The four glanced at each other, this wasn’t great. They needed time to build their forces back up and plan.

”Thankfully all watchers and listeners of importance will likely be observing this, meaning they won't be around to command their forces. Leaving their forces weak and without instruction”

…

”Well that's all I had to stay, I need to get back. We’ll continue to send information” Grian said, moving to get up and leave.

”Wait!” Skizz exclaimed, “These upcoming attacks, do you know if Jimmy will be there?”

Grian hesitated,

“At least one of them, I'm sure, they tend to send him out at the last minute. To prevent enemy forces to be alreated before hand, guess their paranoia is paying off” Grian sighed

”Have you told him yet?” Skizz questioned.

”…No, although he knows we’re hiding something from him. If you were trying to speak with him while he’s on the battlefield, I wouldn’t recommend it. He might freak out or something” Grian said, rubbing his neck.

”Right! Of course… I wasn’t planning that at all” Skizz muttered.

”Right…” Grian deadpanned.

Chapter Text

Jimmy quickly shrugged on his robes over his uniform, pulling his wings out the holes in the back of the material. He hooked the long necklace with the listeners symbol onto his neck, he put on his blank white mask and pulled his hood over his head.

He was being sent out to a attack on the Nether forces, as always he had no warning before they gave the order. It always forced him to be on his toes and ready to leave at any moment.

He swept out of his room quickly making his way up the winding stairwell, his feathers fluttered as he stepped outside. He spread his wings and launched into the sky, it was almost sunset, the sky turning into dues of pink and orange. The air was cool, wind blew against him, ruffling his robes as he soared, dark clouds gathered at the horizon. A storm that would soon reach them, unfortunately for Jimmy he had to head straight in that direction.

Jimmy continued to fly in the direction despite his dread, no only about the storm but about the actions he was about to take. His soulmates were not only netherborns but the rulers of the nether, now they know who he is, that he’s the one who’s killed dozens of their people. Decimating them on the battlefield, lying to their faces about who he was, pretending only to get away from them…

What would happen if he meant them on the battlefield, they were all formidable in battle, especially Tango and Impulse. Would they kill him? Capture him, fight him… talk to him? What do they think about him… do they think he’s a monster? Heartless? A liar?

Or did they put the pieces together…

Jimmy refocused on the scene in front of him, booms shook the ground as TNT exploded, this area was used as a battlefield before, the ground was dusty and had craters scattered around. Dozens of people were dotted around, Jimmy could spot the familiar uniform of the overworld, and the dreaded golden armor and colors of the Nether forces.

He swooped high into the sky before he could be spotted, the air was damp and wind howled in the clouds. The rain hasn’t started yet, but soon there would be a downpour.

He took a deep breath, and angled himself into a dive. Closing his wings as he shot downwards, he burst through the dark clouds. People spotted him almost instantly, horns used by the nether forces rang out. The shouting increased as he swooped by close to the ground, both the netherborns and overworld people trying to take cover. Whether it be on purpose or by accident.

He focused his energy into a blast, his hand began to glow in a familiar matter, he aimed towards a small group and-

He had his breath knocked out as he was tackled from behind, he swiveled his head around as he tried to work out what just happened. He spotted a familiar figure wrapped around him, a figure that had pitch black wings. They flapped their wings hard and brought Jimmy upwards with them, hiding themselves in the clouds.

”Wha- SKIZZ!” Jimmy yelled, barely audible over the whipping wind inside the cloud, it was hard to see in the darkness. He blessed his mask preventing any wing or water slapping at his face. He struggled trying to throw Skizz off of him.

”Jimmy! It’s okay! It’s me Skizz!” Skizz exclaimed, still holding on tight.

”YES, I know it's you! That’s the problem!” Jimmy screamed as he tried to hit Skizz with his wings.

”OW! Stop struggling! I'm not going to hurt you!” He yelled,

”Why not!” Jimmy replied, he kicked his legs back as they swung around in the air.

”We- hey stop! We want to help you!” Skizz proclaimed, tightening his grip further as he tried to get them upright in the air.

Jimmy kicked his leg back hard, then he shook his head knocking his mask off, he lent down and bit Skizz’s arm. A metallic taste filled his mouth, but Skizz loosened his arms enough for Jimmy to slip out of his grasp. He flew upwards then harshly stopped, looking back down Skizz was trying to reorient himself.

”Jimmy! Please just wait!” He yelled, looking up at Jimmy.

”Go away! Stop tryi- trying to trick me!” Jimmy exclaimed,

”I'm not! I swear it- I swear on my wings, I-uh swear it on the other three! Please can’t we just talk!?” Skizz proclaimed, he had a distressed look on his face, the crackle of thunder rang out.

Jimmy hesitated… Skizz took the silence to fly up. Jimmy’s wet hair whipped around him as he stared at Skizz.

”Please… we know you didn’t have a choice! We can help you! Help you and your siblings! Together- we can defeat the Void, then we can be together! You won't have to live in fear anymore!” Skizz exclaimed.

Jimmy stayed silent, glaring at Skizz.

”We- we can stop them, you won't have to go through that portal and-“

Jimmy cut him off harshly, “What are you talking about”

”The portal, if we stop the Void you won't have to go through with you sibling and-“ Skizz was cut off as Jimmy slammed into him.

They fell downwards, exiting the cloud as they spiralled down. Rain poured down around them as they quickly approached the ground, Skizz wrapped his hands around Jimmy’s arms. Jimmy wound his hands around Skizz’s neck.

They hit the ground hard, rolling down into a ditch, they both kept their grips on each other. Once they slowed to a stop Jimmy yelled while sitting on top of Skizz.

”How do you know that!” He screamed.

Skizz grimaced, his hands moved down towards Jimmy’s wrists.

”HOW!” Jimmy screamed, his hair was falling into his eyes as he glared down at Skizz.

”I- Jimmy please” Skizz said,

”How.” Jimmy said, squeezing his hands, his hands began to glow.

Skizz let out a choked sound, he gripped tightly onto Jimmy’s wrists.

”They- Your” He coughed, “Siblings”

Jimmy gasped, loosing his grasp on Skizz’s neck. Skizz grabbed him and flipped them over, the wet mud squished.

”Please Jimmy, just listen. We can help you, your brother, Grian came to us. We can stop this, stop the Void, stop your pain” Skizz yelled, looking into Jimmy’s eyes.

Jimmy gaped up at him, then grabbed Skizz by the shoulders and sent a burst of magic through him, sending him flying across the muddy field.

Jimmy staggered up, and flew into the air with a powerful beat of his wings.

Skizz watched from the ground as he disappeared into the dark thundering storm clouds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grian and Martyn sat in Pearl's room, Jimmy was off at a battle and they needed to plan. Grian had weaved his magic around the room to prevent any unwanted eyes or ears.

Pearl paced around the room, large moth wings dragging behind her.

”We need to try and figure out this portal thing, it sounds dangerous. I mean a fabled beast? What if the four of us can’t even defeat it!” Pearl groaned, flopping down onto the bed.

”Relax, it's been three days since the meeting, and another Pearl isn’t anywhere to be found. It already took them hundreds of years just to find the damn portal, surely we have some time” Grian said.

”I know, I know but they're not telling us anything. What if we need to send urgent info but can’t get it out. They always keep a closer eye on us before important missions” She sighed “Can you imagine before this, they might follow us around!”

Martyn laughed and stroked Pearl’s hair-

The door slammed open, the trio all shot up, stood in the doorway was Jimmy. He was soaked, his golden hair was tangled and stuck onto his skin. Mud covered not only his clothes but his wings too, matted between the feathers. He had his gaze fixed on the floor.

”Jimmy, what happened? Are you hurt?” Grian asked, getting out of the bed, Pearl and Martyn followed behind.

Jimmy raised his head, tears were pouring down his face.

”Why are you doing this?” He whispered,

”What?” Grian questioned,

”I’ve done so much to protect you three… and you jeopardize it all?” He said, his voice choked.

The three stayed quiet, hearts in their throats.

”Skizz confronted me on the battlefield…” Jimmy whispered,

He sucked in a sharp breath,

”How could you do this! It won’t work! Whatever you planning, we can’t defeat them! People have tried, and they were decimated!” Jimmy yelled,

”You're risking everything!” Jimmy screamed.

”Everything!? We don’t have anything! We’re stuck in this hellhole!’ Grian yelled, his eyes stung.

”Nothing!?” Jimmy screamed, “I- Your” He cut himself off, breathing heavily. Then he turned and ran out the room.

Pearl rushed out after him,

”Jimmy!” She screamed,

Martyn grabbed her by the shoulder, bringing a finger up to his mouth, shushing her. They couldn’t talk about this outside of Grian’s barrier. He pulled her back inside, he had a grimace on his face. Grian was staring down at the floor, fists clenched tight. Pearl’s throat felt tight as she whispered,

”What do we do…?”

Chapter Text

Impulse was eating dinner with his soulmates when a knock sounded at the door,

”Come in” He said,

Etho stepped in holding a piece of paper,

”Another note was picked up, it was just dropped off” He said as he walked over to hand it over.

Tango and Zedaph looked curious as Impulse unfolded the note, Skizz had stopped eating with his fork halfway to his mouth. Impulse cleared his throat and read out loud,

”Why did you- uh that's explicit… let that idiotic winged demon creature guy come out to the battlefield and confront Jimmy?! He freaked out and confronted us, then he ran away and still hasn’t returned. Grian and Martyn both went out to look for him. The council will get suspicious if he stays away too long! You might’ve just ruined the entire operation you- uh that's just more insults…” Impulse spoke, the note itself seemed like it was scrawled hastily.

The three demons turned to Skizz, who looked very pale and sweaty. He closed his mouth and lowered his fork, chuckling nervously.

”Skizz…what did you do?” Tango questioned, glaring suspiciously at Skizz.

”Uhh…I might have been um- secretly going to the battles to try and talk to Jimmy…” Skizz forced out, voice high pitched,

The three continued to stare at him,

”and I might’ve spotted him, and I then possibly tackled him in the sky and tried to talk to him…”

”Skizz…please tell me you didn’t reveal what’s going on to him” Zed whispered,

Skizz groaned, moving his wings in front of him,

”Skizz!” Impulse yelled,

”I'm sorry, okay! I was weak and stupid! He got on top of me and my mind just went blank! I spilled everything immediately” Skizz exclaimed, a blush had now replaced the pale look.

”Grian told us explicitly to NOT interact with Jimmy!” Tango yelled.

”I know! I couldn’t help myself! I’m a slave to my own desires!” Skizz cried,

Impulse groaned and dropped his head into his hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wind and rain whipped at Martyn’s face as he flew, next to him was Grian who was smart enough to grab a pair of goggles before leaving. The storm was now in full swing, flashes of light appeared over their heads, thunder cracked in their ears.

Martyn kept his sharp eyes trained downwards while Grian looked in the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jimmy. Grian was trying to sense him but was having trouble focusing while flying in the storm, still they had an idea of where Jimmy was going.

Martyn scanned the ground below him, a dilapidated wooden house was barely visible through the hammering rain. Martyn spotted a glimpse of white and gold,

”Grian” He shouted, pointing downwards.

Grian scanned the ground then nodded and swerved downwards, Martyn followed. They landed in front of the house, the house was falling apart, walls were missing and half the roof had caved in. Moss and other plants covered the ground, as well as the house itself. Grian stepped inside first, pulling his goggles onto his head.

Inside was Jimmy, he was soaked and curled up in a corner with his head between his knees. He didn’t look up, even though Martyn knew he’d heard them walk in.

…

”Jimmy…” Grian started, “Please would you look at me?”

…

No answer.

Grian sighed and stepped closer, crouching down next to Jimmy,

”Jimmy, I didn’t mean it like that. We don’t have nothing… we have each other. I- I just want to see you happy, just like I want Martyn and Pearlto be happy, just like I want to be happy” Grian took in a deep breath,

”I know you don't want to lose us, you’ve been protecting us for a long time… and I’m frustrated that you have to do that. Even though your our baby brother”

A soft snort came from Jimmy,

”You were happy with them, right? You miss them. I know you do, I want you to be able to be with them. Not stuck here, stuck doing the bidding of the Void. Please can we just talk about this…”

…

Jimmy slowly lifted his head up, his hair stuck to his face and eyes rimmed red.

”Okay…” He whispered hoarsely.

Grian stood and held out a hand. Jimmy reached out his own shaking hand and let himself be pulled upwards.

Martyn stepped forward and threw his arms around Jimmy, they were both soaked and Jimmy felt cold. But still Jimmy hugged back, and it was the best hug Martyn had in a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy sat in bed, earlier he’d returned after… that whole mess. Grian and Martyn had pulled him to the baths while Pearl brought their extra bedding into Jimmy’s room. Piling it on top of his bed to create a nest, they all climbed in after the three boys were warm and dressed in fresh clothing.

They explained everything to Jimmy while preening his wings, how they decided on a plan, Grian going to the nether, the lanterns, the notes, and how Skizz knew where to find him. Jimmy listened silently as they talked.

…

”…are you okay Jimmy?” Pearl questioned after they finished,

”I- I need to think about… all this” He said, “You guys should go back to your rooms, just in case”

The three of them looked hesitant, but eventually gathered their bedding back up. Before pearl left she said,

”You need a haircut” She laughed, ruffling his hair,

“… You know, you could write a letter to them. Say whatever you want to them, Grian only explained the basics to them. Plus I’m sure they will be happy to hear from you…” She whispered.

Jimmy didn’t say anything, just ushered her out the room.

Jimmy felt exhausted as he sat in bed, he spent the entire night awake.

…

He sighed, turning his head towards his bedside table.
…

He reached over and opened the drawer, pulling out some paper and a fountain pen.

For a while he just stared at the paper, not sure what to write.

…

Finally he set the pen onto the paper,

”My dear soulmates…”

Chapter Text

Tango was startled awake as the doors to his balcony were slammed open, he started to form a spear of ice before recognizing the three figures that were standing there. Impulse had Zedaph and Skizz under his arms, he was panting. From what Tango assumed was the strain of carrying two fully grown creatures up to his balcony from who knows where, despite one of them also having wings.

Impulse stepped into the room, using his large bat-like wings to close the doors behind him. He dropped Zed and Skizz unceremoniously.

Zed groaned “Dude, what was that!”

“Yeah! You know I can fly right?!” Skizz exclaimed, standing up.

Impulse reached into a pocket and pulled out a scroll, it was unfurling, obviously already opened.

”This was just given to me, it's a letter. From Jimmy” He panted.

…

Tango threw the covers off of him, and Zed scrambled to his feet. Impulse fully unraveled the scroll, inside sat four large golden feathers. They looked neat and shiny despite being sealed inside a scroll. Impulse gently plucked them out of the way so he could read the letter.

”My dear soulmates,

From what I’ve been told my siblings have been communicating with the four of you to form a plan to take down the religion of the Void, despite my original thoughts on this plan, I want this to happen.

When Skizz appeared I was scared, I feared he was there to incapacitate me or worse, but I was shocked when he just kept trying to talk to me, insisting he could help. Then he began to ramble about plans, plans that were well hidden from the Nether. When he told me it was my siblings that had revealed that information I was angry, I felt betrayed and worried. Worried about the consequences this could bring.

Still, I spoke with my siblings and have come to understand the plan. But still I’m nervous, I’ve spent a large chunk of my life trying to protect my family, but now I also want to protect you. If what They say about the portal is true, that it does provide power. Then the Nether won't stand a chance. I want to escape Their clutches, I don't want to live like this anymore.

I’ve sent along four of my own feathers, avians traditionally will give them to their partners, to signify a bond. I hope you’ll accept them, they are typically worn on the person. In your hair, as a necklace, earring, slipped into clothing, etc. The placing doesn’t really matter as long as it is visible.

I hope you are all doing well, I’ll continue to write letters. Pearl and Martyn say they will do their best to smuggle in any letters you send, but please do not send any items. Those will be too hard to hide, I’ll already have to burn the letters you send to make sure they're not discovered.

-Jimmy,

P.S, Skizz you should try to control yourself better when fighting someone, especially when they have their hands around your neck. I may have been distracted but when your on top of someone it's a little hard to not notice ‘that’ in their pants”

…

”Really Skizz?” Tango asked,

Skizz glared, “I’d like to see how you fare against him!”

”Shut up! Don’t ruin the moment, Jimmy basically just professed his love to us!” Zed squealed, he reached over to grab one of the feathers from Impulse.

Tango snickered, but also grabbed a feather, as did Skizz.

”I wonder how we should wear these?” Impulse questioned, “I don't want them to get burnt in the air in the wastes, or around the lava”

”Just make it into a necklace, than you can tuck it under your clothes” Zedaph said,

”But Jimmy said they had to be visible” Skizz exclaimed, as he shifted the feather around, watching the light hit it.

”I didn’t say to have it tucked all the time, just when the conditions are bad” Zed replied.

…

”You seriously got a-“ Impulse whispered towards Skizz.

Skizz groaned and punched him in the shoulder,

”Shut up!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy walked down the corridor to his room, but stopped when he saw Pearl peeking her head out of her room, waving Jimmy over. He walked over and Pearl shoved something into his face. Sighing as he pushed the object away from his face so he could actually look at it.

It was a scroll, it didn’t have any markings, but still he felt butterflies in his stomach as he realized where it was from. Pearl grinned widely as she handed it over, she put a finger to her mouth. They couldn’t talk about this out loud, not here.

He clutched it to his chest as he ran to his room, Pearl snickering behind him. He closed the door behind him and flopped onto his belly on his bed, he unfurled the scroll,

”Dear Jimmy,

We are all so happy to hear from you, Impulse just grabbed me and Skizz from our places before flying us to Tangos. refusing to explain anything until we got there.

Your sister sent us a… note when you learnt about everything. So, we were worried about how it was all going to go. I'm glad you were able to talk it out with your family and that you're willing to help, we want to help you too.

I hope you’ll be pleased that we are now all sporting a shiny new feather. I have it weaved into my hair right now, although it may need to be turned into a necklace when I experiment, I wouldn’t want to accidentally turn it to ash.

Impulse has his around his neck, the wastes are too harsh to have it constantly exposed, so he needs to be able to tuck it away. Skizz turned his into an earring, I wonder if it's because of those earrings he gave you. Do you still have those? Tango has it in one of his many pockets, seriously that coat has a ridiculous number of pockets. It took Cleo awhile to make… I think he also enchanted it so he’d never lose anything, I guess that’s how the feather stays in place without falling out. Considering it sticks halfway out of its pocket.

Stay safe on the battlefield, please.

-Zedaph,

P.S, Skizz stays sorry, plus we are all very amused by his… behavior. He’ll be getting teased about this for the rest of his life.”

Jimmy smiled as he finished the letter, resisting the urge to write back immediately.

Chapter Text

Impulse was handed another scroll while in his office it read,

”More ender pearls have been found, we need to talk. I’ll try to be there tomorrow night, make sure the four of you are together at the fortresses. If there’s anyone else you want involved, bring them there too. We need to make a plan of attack.

-Grian”

A map of the over world was included, it had marks on it.

Impulse hummed, pulling out some sheets of paper, he needed to send some letters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy sat on his bed, his three siblings around him. Grian’s magic pulsed along the walls, making sure no one was listening in or watching them.

“It’s only a matter of time before they find the rest of the ender pearls, this makes four.” Grian said,

Pearl groaned, “Can’t they take longer…”

”The longer they take, the longer we're stuck here” Martyn replied.

”Ugh- yeah… I just want to make sure we have a good plan set up, we only have one shot at this” Pearl mumbled.

”What is the plan?” Jimmy asked,

”Well… it's still beeping planned, but the idea is to take over the major cities and take control. That means the religious leaders and the city rulers, which won't be easy. This will have to happen while we're dealing with the portal” Grian explained,

”Dealing with the portal, how are we going to do that?” Jimmy continued,

”No idea. Not much is known about it, we just need to hope we won’t die and can close it to prevent further problems” Grian said,

Jimmy sighed, he felt along his chest and found the form of his necklace through his shirt.

”Ooo, what’s that Jimmy?” Pearl asked, leaning closer.

”Uh- its a necklace” Jimmy stammered, a blush started to spread across his face.

”Oh, a necklace huh? Where’d you get that?” Martyn prodded, a smirk on his face.

Jimmy huffed “Oh shut up, you know exactly where I got it”

The trio snickered as Jimmy glared,

“Aw, its cute Jimmy, I’m glad your soulmates seem so enamoured with you… although just tell us if they ever bother you, we’ll-“ pearl started,

”Pearl!” Jimmy exclaimed,

Pearl cackled, “What!?; Your are baby brother” She reached out hugging Jimmy and ruffling his hair.

Jimmy groaned as the other two joined in on the hugs and cooing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The four rulers of the Nether sat at a long table, their most trusted advisors and generals next to them.

Impulse was at the head, Doc and Etho by his side. Doc looked as unimpressed as always, Etho was surveying the room.

Zedaph sat on the left side, His head scientist, Cub was there. Along with his general Scar. They both had sharp features, with bluish skin and scar had ripped wings protruding from his back.

Skizz was on the right. Ren, an overworld hybrid, was there with him, his wolfish features displayed proudly. Bdubs, a big eyed creature was there with his mossy blanket wrapped around him.

Finally Tango sat on the opposite head of the table, Gem, an overworld hybrid, sat next to him. She had tall antlers coming from her head, and she had her armor on. Celeste was seated next to her, her large wings folded behind her, yellow eyes darted around the room.

A familiar presence suddenly appeared in the room, except four of the occupants, everyone tensed. A robed figure dropped down from the ceiling and perched on top of a chair.

”Relax everyone” , Impulse said, as Grian lowered his hood. Although he kept his blank mask on.

“Glad you got my note” Grian drawled,

”Can’t you sit down?” Tango asked,

”No” Grian stated bluntly.

”Well let's get to business. There are four ender pearls currently found, only eight more to go until that portal can be activated. We narrowed down the cities that would be the most difficult to take control of, those cities will need more soldiers and the might of you four on the ground” He started, pointing at some of the marks on the map spread across the table.

”There are five cities to worry about, including the capital, the rest should be taken care of with relative ease. We need to figure out which city each of you will go to assist. The first city is here in the Taiga region, it's called Nix. It will be hard to ambush that city, the snow will slow down forces significantly, and it has city walls, but it has a river running into the city. It’s a weak spot, theirs gates they can close there but it takes a lot of men to close them, if you can keep those open it’s an easy way in”

”Then there’s Sabulo, in the desert. The sand can make it hard to travel, I’d recommend bringing animals that can carry people and packs with you. Plus there are many travellers in the desert, you can’t take a marked route. I’ll work on getting a compass for you to use. But otherwise the city the city shouldn’t be too hard to take over, it a trading center, not many permanent residents willingly to fight”

”Saltus, it's in a mountainous forest, it will be a slow moving process up the cliffs but the forest is dense and hopefully you won’t be spotted. They have a large number of soldiers, you should bring plenty of explosives to take out large swaths of soldiers ”

”Portus, it's along a coast with a coral reef. It’s a massive trade city, with a lot more permanent residents. But the Void’s presence there isn’t as strong. It’s built on sea cliffs, meaning it would be best to attack from the top and move downwards, keeping the high ground. Some soldiers should be sent around the sides to get into the ports, stop ships from leaving”

”Finally there’s the capital, Arvum. The Void is the biggest here, it's also where we reside. It’s in a plain’s biome so it’s easy to get to, but that's about the only pro about it. It’s the biggest city in the overworld, with large numbers of soldiers and watchers and listeners. There’s massive caverns underneath the city, that's where the portal was found. I think the best plan would be to set up a portal in the caves there. You’ll be able to go through and then move upwards into the city, we already found a spot where the portal won't be found. But you’ll still be able to get the soldiers up into the city, we’ll get you a map to follow. The four of you should take care of the other cities first then come to assist with the capital. All the important and powerful rulers will be down in the portal room, unaware of what’s happening on the surface and unable to give direction to surprised soldiers” Grian finally finished, out of breath

Whispers and glances around the room as everyone talked.

…

“I’ll take Nix, I can move well in snow and it will only help boost my magic” Tango said.

”Hmm, Saltus sounds like the best option for me, I can traverse mountains easily” Zedaph claimed,

”I can take care of Portus,” Skizz proclaimed with confidence.

”And I’ll take Sabulo, my soldiers can won't be affected by the desert heat”

”That was easier than I thought it would be… well in the meantime, we can bring you more information if you need it. But if any of your… former overworld residents can use magic to hide their traits than we can help you send them in as informants or saboteurs”

”How do you know we don’t already have people in the cities?” Tango asked,

”Oh, we know you don’t, unfortunately we are good at our jobs, sorta had to be. But with our help we can get you in and keep other followers of the Void off your backs. Having people in the cities also opens up the opportunity to build nether portals in those cities too. Though no promises” Grian drawled, “Any questions? I gotta get going”

”You and your… uh siblings? What will you be doing?” Gem asked,

“Being forced through the portal under Arvum, we still don’t have much information on what exactly that will entail other than the fact a dangerous beat awaits us. But hopefully we’ll be able to stall and then close the portal, preventing future… complications” Grian shrugged.

“What about healers and medics, where do you think would need the most of them?” Doc rumbled

“Nix and Saltus, any that can be spared afterwards should be sent to Arvum” Grian said, he unfolded himself from his perch, standing on the chair. “Well I have to go, send any more questions in your next note”

Then he flew upwards and disappeared and the shadows of the tall ceiling.

…

Scar giggled, “What a funny guy”

Chapter Text

Jimmy paced around his room, it only been a few days since Grian went to the Nether to begin to solidify plans and two more ender pearls had already been found. Martyn and Pearl have been out, preparing to get spy’s into the cities in preparation for the attacks.

Jimmy sighed, sitting down on his bed, he began to run his fingers through his feathers, soothing himself.

He wondered how many people would die in these attacks, there were people like him out there . People forced to do the bidding of the Void, most of them hybrids, being made to fight for a world that doesn’t even acknowledge them as equal.

There will be Netherborn casualties too, Jimmy was only slightly comforted by the fact they were fighting out of loyalty and love for their home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Martyn creeped into the dark cave, using his vision to maneuver his way to the small crack in the wall. He pushed himself forward, the rock scraping his robes.Soon it widened and he was standing in front of an empty nether portal frame, Martyn pulled out the flint and steel from his pockets and struck it into the frame. The portal lit up with a swoosh, the purple glow covering the walls. Martyn waited,

…

A man stepped out of the portal, he was tall and had his long brown hair in a ponytail. He was wearing clothes more suited to the nether, thick fireproof boots and a fireproof cloak that covered his body. A pair of dogs' ears protruded from his head.

They stared at each other for a moment.

Martyn held out a bag,

”Those clothes won’t do, you need to change, and go ahead and hide your features” Martyn stated, the man blinked before taking the bag.

Martyn took a step back and turned away, he heard rustling as the man changed into his clothes.

”Eh- you can turn back now” The man said,

Martyn turned where the man was standing awkwardly. He was now dressed in a more suitable outfit, a simple red tunic, what Martyn knew to be brown pants, and a pair of worn boots. Martyn noticed that even with his traits hidden his arms still bore a significant amount of hair.

“The bag has everything you need, I’ll bring you to the city and escort you inside. I have a cover set up for you, you’ll be working in the ports helping to haul shipments off the boats. That will grant you access to the ports, before the attack you need to rig up explosives along the harbour. I’ll bring those once the attack nears closer” Martyn explained,

”Ah- alright” The man said, “My names Ren by the way”

”…Martyn” He said, gesturing for Ren to follow him. They both squeezed back out and made their way out, before they exited the cave Martyn shrugged off his robes and mask, revealing his normal clothes underneath. A green jacket with a hood and black pants.

He exited the cave and began to walk towards the city, Ren walked behind him.

”If you need to communicate with the Nether you can come back here. But you have to be absolutely sure no one sees you, it will jeopardize everything” Martyn said, he spotted the lights of the city glowing in the distance.

The pair made their way into the city, slipping into the crowd easily. Martyn led Ren down the streets, they stepped into an alley and Martyn knocked on a door hidden there.

”X it's me, I’ve got your new helper” Martyn said, the door creaked open revealing a tall man. He had on a long black cloak and its hood was up, obscuring his face. He stepped to the side to let the pair inside,

”This Xisuma, he’s hosting you. He’ll bring you down to the ports tomorrow morning”

Xisuma reached his hand out to Ren, Ren gingerly took it, obviously nervous.

”He’s trustworthy, so don’t worry about… your appearances while inside here. X isn’t a fan of … religion” Martyn said, he took out a small pouch and handed it to Xisuma.

”I’ll check on you when I can but-“ Martyn said as he turned to face Ren, looking up at him.

He felt a twinge of pain in his head, he noticed that Ren’s pants were looking significantly less grey than they were a moment ago.
…

Martyn swooped out the door, quickly exiting the alley and running up the street. He heard Ren sputtering as he ran out.

What the actual fu-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pearl was in her room when the door burst open, she jumped.

”Martyn!? What the heck-“ Pearl yelled,

Martyn walked over to the bed and flopped onto it.

”Oh my god…” He groaned.

”What?” Pearl questioned, Martyn just groaned again. Pearl scoffed,

”What’s going on?”

Pearl looked up and saw Grian in her doorway, Jimmy stood behind him peeking in.

”I don't know he just burst in here” Pearl explained,

Martyn raised his hand and made the familiar symbol, telling Grian to put up a barrier. Grian complied,

”What happened, did the uh- mission not go well?” Grian asked,

Martyn sighed, “No”

”So what’s wrong?” Pearl asked.

…

“I led him into the city without robes on” Martyn spoke into the bed.

”Uh okay, so?” Pearl said,

”I didn’t have my mask on either…” Martyn whispered.

…

“Martyn… is this going where I think it is?” Pearl questioned.

Martyn hesitated.

Then he nodded.

”Oh my-“ Pearl started.

”He's your soulmate!?” Jimmy hissed.

”Yes…” Martyn moaned.

”Wait, who was it? Did they have big eyes or were they a wolf hybrid!?” Grian asked.

“The wolf hybrid… he said his name was Ren” Martyn replied.

”What he’d say after? What did you say!?” Pearl questioned, poking at Martyn.

”…Nothing. I ran out before he processed it”

…

”Oh Martyn…” Pearl groaned, covering her face with her hands.

”I panicked okay!” Martyn exclaimed.

”Better than me, I passed out. Technically I passed out twice, though the first time wasn’t my fault” Jimmy said.

Chapter Text

Martyn knocked quietly on Jimmy’s door, he heard some shuffling before it was opened.

”Want to go for a fly?” Martyn asked,

Jimmy hummed and walked out with him. They both took to the skies, flying up into the clouds. It was a sunny day out, the green plains stretched out below them.

”Is this about your soulmate?” Jimmy asked,

”…yes” Martyn sighed, “How did you deal with it?

“Uh- not well, although I’d say my experience was significantly more shocking. I mean I already knew that I had multiple soulmates, but learning who they were was… shocking” Jimmy said,

“I don’t remember actually looking into Tango’s eyes, so I just woke up in the Nether. The doctor there explained where I was but didn’t tell me why, but she didn’t seem aware of… who I was” Jimmy paused, “Later Tango came down to talk to me, and explained things. But then I passed out again…and you know the rest”

Martyn groaned, “At least I'm doing better than you…”

”Hey! I’d like to see you stay calm in that situation, oh wait you didn’t”

Jimmy yelped as Martyn swatted at him with his wing.

“UGH! I don’t know what to do… He probably thinks i'm weird” Martyn moaned,

“Yeah probably” Jimmy said bluntly,

Martyn glared at him.

”Not helping”

”You should just try talking to him, I mean you have to check on him eventually. Pearl doesn’t typically get sent over there, and Grian definitely won’t go in your place” Jimmy suggested,

Martyn groaned, barrelling downwards,

”You brought this on yourself! You need to confront it!” Jimmy yelled from above.

”You’re one to talk…” Martyn thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ren had been in Portus for a few days now, working down at the docks that Xisuma had led him down to the morning after he arrived. He spent the days unloading and loading shipments off of boats. The ocean was unfamiliar to him, even before he went to the Nether he’d never seen the sea before. It was a brilliant blue…

Ren sighed as he stared out at the sea, the waves crashing against the seaside cliffs. His soulmate… Martyn. What an odd way to meet, or maybe an unlucky way to meet? He’d run out of the building before Ren could even process what had happened, let alone go after him. Xisuma poked his head out after him, while Ren stood frozen in his parlor. Ren couldn’t get the words out to say what had happened.

What would Ren even say to him, He didn’t have a clue on what Martyn was actually like. He’d been understandably cold and detached, likely just trying to make sure getting Ren into the city went well-

“Get back to work!” A voice yelled behind him, Ren pouted but continued to make his way back to the ship he was helping load. His arms felt sore, suppressing his hybrid traits lessened his strength and stamina. It felt unnatural to be like this, it’s been a long time since he’d last hid his traits.

Ren had also been snooping around at night looking for a good place to put a Nether portal, If they could get one setup and pour soldiers into the city from the bottom. Then they’d be able to circle around the overworld soldiers and stop ships from getting out to sea, possibly leaving or trying to fire into the city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ren walked back to where he was staying, Xisuma had been very courteous to him. Providing meals and a comfortable room, he’d explained one night that he was hybrid too, although didn’t clarify what exactly. He had a vendetta against the Watchers and Listeners, and was more than happy to help bring them down.

Ren looked around for anyone, but didn’t see anything so he turned down the alley. Knocking a rhythm on the door tha Xisuma had taught him. Then he turned the knob and stepped into the pal-

Martyn was standing in the parlor, Xisuma nowhere to be found. He was wearing the same outfit from before, although now he had a headband wrapped around his head. Ren could clearly see his bright blue eyes.

…

”…Hey” Martyn gritted out,

Ren blinked then shut the door behind him softly.

”Hey…” Ren said,

Ren noticed that Martyn’s hands were shaking.

”Well! You seem to be doing good. I’ll leave now” Martyn exclaimed, moving to brush past Ren.

Ren grabbed his hand,

”Wait!” Ren yelled, “…Please?”

Martyn gritted his teeth but stood still.

”I-eh I know we are both… busy right now and I don’t know how this whole thing is going to go…but if it works and we both- well live…then I’d be really happy to get to know you” Ren stammered out, still holding onto Martyn’s hand.

A heavy blush appeared on the blonde's face, Ren could feel his own face heating up. He wished for his black goggles he wore in the Nether.

“…I- think that sounds…good” Martyn mumbled,

”Good…” Ren said, losing his grip on Martyn’s hand.

They stood there for a moment before Martyn gently pulled his hand away and stepped out.

Ren squeezed his hand into a fist, missing the warmth of the other’s hand.

Chapter Text

Gem was packing a small bag, essentials that she needed while in the overworld.

…

The overworld… it had been a long time since she was there, she barely even remembered it. Apparently her mother had brought her into the Nether, trying to escape the brutal situation in the overworld. Prejudge against hybrids had been worsening for years, the followers of the Void growing bolder, and more influential.

Her mother passed trying to get them to a safe area in the Nether, wandering around, suffering burns on her body and injuries, all while trying to keep her baby safe.

Tango had discovered her, he’d been patrolling when he found Gem and her mother, she was still cradled in her arms, being protected.

Tango took her in, since then the four of them have been like fathers to her. Raising her, educating her, teaching her how to protect herself.

The four of them were against her joining the war, but she wanted to protect her family against the evil that helped to take her mother away. She wouldn’t allow herself to lose her home, her safety.

Even if it meant returning to her birthplace.

…

Gem’s ear flicked as her door creaked open, four heads peeking into her room.

She didn’t look up when she said, “Just come in you four, no need to be shy”

They pushed their way in.

”Are you almost done packing?” Skizz questioned,

“Almost, not like there’s much I can pack,” Gem repiled.

”Are you sure you want to do this? You can still back out” Tango asked, worried

”Tango… I'm sure, I swear it. I want to help you with this! I'm more than capable!” Gem exclaimed, exasperated.

”We know you are! I mean we are the ones that made sure of it… we just worry about you” Impulse said,

Zedaph nodded, his ears flopping around,”Yeah, it’s a dangerous operation we just don’t want you to get hurt…or worse”

Gem sighed, walking over and throwing her arms around Tango and Skizz, Impulse and Zedaph wrapped their arms around her too.

”I know, I know. But I got this, besides if anything goes wrong I got four scary and powerful overlords to come help me” Gem teased, poking at the closest body.

Tango groaned, but they all squeezed tighter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pearl navigated the dark skies, it was a clear night but the moon was in a crescent. The cold wind blew against her, ruffling her robes, she was headed to Nix. Preparations were finally ready to get a spy into the city, She’d already been informed about some general facts about the person, like she was an overworld hybrid.

Jimmy had talked about how there were quite a few overworld hybrids living in the Nether. They had fled there to escape the harsh realities of the overworld, and the apparent crime of being a hybrid.

Pearl thought back to her early years, her family’s early years. She didn’t remember her parents' faces, just that they were kind, and that they had done everything to make sure she could live.

Teaching her magic to hide her traits, making her run when the mob came to their home…

She’d met Grian and Martyn not long after, the three of them had all been living on the streets, Martyn having to wrap his wings and wear a cloak, a cloak that she thought was gray for an embarrassingly long time, at all times even when it was blazing hot. Grian hid his too, at least until Pearl was able to teach him how to hide them. She’d tried to teach Martyn but couldn’t, he lacked magic, not even enough to perform something so simple.

The three of them wandered the forest often, rummaging for food, berries and nuts. There they discovered an old cabin, it wasn’t in the best shape but it was better than grimy alleyways or damp caves. They lived there, together, and an old hunter that lived on the outskirts of the town was kind enough to teach them some tricks about hunting and how to care for their home.

Two years after she first met Grian and Martyn she met Jimmy, a small thing. Thin and timid with brilliant golden features, at least after the grime had been washed off.

Pearl wondered what would have happened had they gone to the Nether, If just the three of them went, if her parents had taken her there…

Could it all have been avoided, would they never have been discovered, never taken?

…

Pearl sighed as she descended downwards, the ground was white and crunched underneath her feet. She walked over to a tree and pushed the snow at the base away. Pulling out a bag, she swung it over her shoulder and made her way to the cavern she’d already scoped out.

The cavern was exposed and easily seen, but it was icey and there was no easy way to climb down. No one in their right minds would try to get down there, not without wings like hers.

She glided down into the cavern, she blessed her night vision as she navigated the slick ground. She continued for a couple minutes, walking deeper into the cavern until she walked up to a large frame. She brought a striker out of her robes, placing the bag down then striking the flint into the frame.

She stepped back as the frame was lit, a purple glow covered the walls of the cavern. The color made Pearl feel nauseous.

…

Pearl sighed as she leaned up against the wall, Grian told her that the person she was going to meet would step through the portal once it was lit. But it’d already been a couple minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gem groaned as she was swung around again,

”Skizz I need to go! The portal was lit minutes ago!” She exclaimed as Skizz hugged her tight.

”Just one more minute…” Skizz groaned,

”Skizz… we are all going to miss Gem but she needs to go” Impulse said, extracting Gem from Skizz’s grasp.

Zedaph handed her bag back to her, Tango ruffled her hair as best as he could with her antlers in the way.

”Stay safe…don't do anything dumb” Tango said,

”I won’t, Love you guys” She said,

”We lo- love you too!” Skizz sniffed, his eyes were watery.

Gem smiled then turned and walked through the portal.

The first thing she noticed was how cold it was, her breath fogged in the air.

The second thing she noticed was the person in the cave with her, she tensed for a moment before realizing this is who was escorting her into the city.

They wore long white robes much like the ones the boy Grian had, with the same blank white mask. A bag sat by their feet, they pushed off the wall when they saw Gem, their hood was down. They had long brown hair, with small streaks of blonde hair, and a pair of large wings were attached to them. Although Gem didn’t recognize them as avain, perhaps an insect hybrid?

Gem hesitantly took a step forward , “Uh hi, Im gem”

“…Im Pearl” The girl, Pearl said “ Here you’ll need these, and change into the clothes in there. Yours are too recognizable and aren’t suited for the weather”

She handed the bag to Gem then turned away.

Gem felt a saw blush overtake her cheeks as she changed, she dressed as fast she could, the cold air biting at her skin.

She stuffed her own bag into the spot where the clothes had been.

Pearl turned back around then made a motion for Gem to follow, She carefully walked behind her. Feeling her hands along the wall as she was led into an open space, snow drifted downwards into the cavern.

”I’ll need to fly us both up” Pearl stated, holding her arms out.

”Oh- uh right” Gem walked closer, yelping as she was swept off her feet into a Princess carry. Pearl flapped her wings and they shot in the air, Gem threw her arms around Pearl as they floated in the air, then Pearl gently glided down onto solid ground. The snow crunched underneath them as she touched down, carefully letting Gem down.

She waited a moment as Gem regained her bearings then pulled her in the forest,

”Im taking you to a friend, His name is Keralis. He has a cabin out her in the woods”

”I thought I was going into the city?” Gem questioned,

”You are, He goes into the city to trade daily. He’ll do his business, while you- do yours” Pearl answered, “Staying out of the city will offer a more secure place to stay, and there’s less chance at being discovered this way”

Gem spotted a light in the distance, Pearl continued in that direction.

They came up to a wooden cabin, smoke rose out of the chimney. The pair climbed up the stairs and Pearl knocked on the door. It opened up revealing a man with tan skin and a kind looking face, and unusually large eyes.

”Ah Peralie! Come on in, I've been waiting for you” He exclaimed ushering the pair in, “And this must be my new housemate! What might be your name?”

“Uh- It’s Gem, it’s nice to meet you” She said, taking the hand he stretched out. He shook it excited,

”It’s good to meet you too! I heard about everything and just had to help you all! My good friend Shashwammy is helping out too, that dog man is staying with him I believe!” He said,

”I have to go now, you now what to do Keralis, but make sure she doesn’t get into trouble” Pearl said,

”Of course Pearlie! Give my regards to Brian and family!” He said, waving a hand at Pearl.

Pearl nodded at Gem then walked out the door in a burst of cold air.

Chapter Text

Gem awoke suddenly, a crash of metal jolting her out of her sleep. She clambered out of bed and reached for the sword next to her bed.

”Ah- sorry dear, Just trying to cook breakfast. I dropped a pan” Keralis grinned, “Once we eat we can head out into the city”

Gem relaxed as Keralis turned back to the fireplace he was perched in front of. A basket of eggs, and a plate of meat Gem didn’t recognize was next to him, Gem watched him crack a few eggs onto the hot pan.

Gem took in her surroundings, it was light outside and it illuminated the cabin better than the fire did the night before, there was one main room, with only two other small rooms. A bathroom Keralis had shown her and what Gem assumed was his own bedroom. She’d been set up on a cot, although Keralis offered plenty of blankets, transforming it into something more reminiscent of a nest.

The main room was relatively sparse, a bookshelf and table with a few seats. There were also some crates and barrels stuffed in a corner, and a small cabinet for the dish ware.

Keralis stood up carrying the pan, he brought it over to the table and set it down.

”Would you grab some plates and forks?” Keralis asked,

Gem nodded and padded over to the cabinet, grabbing two sets of plates and forks. Keralis took them from her with a grin, dishing out the food onto them. Gem sat down and thanked him for the food, the taste wasn’t what she was familiar with but it wasn’t bad.

”Make sure to dress snugly, it snowed all of last night. I believe Pearl left you a nice cloak inside the bag she gave you, plus some more clothes in overworld style” Keralis mentioned.

Once they both finished breakfast Gem went to change in the bathroom, and Keralis worked on hooking up his horse and getting his cargo in his wagon. Gem still wasn’t sure what exactly he traded in, or that he had a horse, apparently she totally missed the stable behind the cabin last night.

Gem opened the bag and pulled out a long cloak, It was a dark green color and was lined with animal fur. It clasped in the front and had a hood. Then Gem pulled out the extra clothes she was given, a plain black tunic with long loose sleeves, brown pants, a pair of thick socks, gloves, and a pair of sturdy boots that had spikes of metal at the bottom.

She happily changed out of her nightclothes into the warm outfit. The shirt was a bit loose, and the shoes were slightly tight on her feet but it was a lot better than freezing or being discovered for who she actually was.

She exited the cabin, and walked around the back where Keralis was. A horse with a brown and white coat was hooked onto a wagon that was loaded with crates and barrels like the ones inside.

”Ah- there you are, those clothes work okay? Warm enough?” He questioned,

”Yes, their perfect” Gem repiled,

”Good, good- although i'm afraid you can’t take that into the city” He said, pointing at the sword attached to her hip, “Here you can have this dagger, the guards won’t let you in with that sword so visible” He drew a dagger out of seemly nowhere and handed it over.

Gem huffed but took the dagger and put her sword back inside, tucking the dagger underneath her cloak.

Keralis helped her climb up into the wagon and climbed up himself, leading the horse onto a barely visible path. They passed the trees quietly, the snow crunching underneath the horse and wagon. Gem watched her breath fog in the air and hoped the snow on the branches wouldn’t fall down onto her head.

Finally the pair approached the city, the long road had already been cleared, with muddy footprints and wheel tracks marking the ground. The road ran along a river but then separated from it, leading to a smaller entrance than the one at the river. The river had small cargo ships moving in and out, along the riverbed there was thin ice that had formed.

A bustle of people moved in and out of the city, several guards were waiting at the gates. The gates were huge and made of sturdy wood and stone, they approached them and a guard came up beside the wagon.

”Keralis, here for your normal business I’d assume?” He drawled,

”Of course!” Keralis giggled,

”Hm- who’s the girl?” The man questioned,

”This is the daughter of a good friend of mine, He had to go off and fight in the war. So she’s staying with me for now” Keralis stated, not an ounce of hesitation.

The guard looked her over, Gem felt her heart beat faster and her palms grew sweaty,but she kept a straight face.

Finally the man nodded,

”Go on through, have a good day”

Keralis shook the reins, moving the horse forward and Gem let out a breath.

The city was full of tall buildings made of wood and stone, chimneys poked out of the tops of almost every building, smoke was thick in the air. People and wagons bustled around the city, it was mainly humans in the streets, but Gem spotted a few hybrids in the thick crowd. They passed by a street that had stalls and shops set up, tarps and fabric was strewn above them.

Keralis led the horse into a side street, only the backs of stores were there, it was empty besides them. Keralis yanked at the reins to get the horse to stop.

”I have my business to attend to, do whatever you have planned. But be careful, I won’t move from here so just come back when you’re ready. Here’s a map just in case, I marked this street and a few other prominent locations to help you find your way” Keralis said, pulling out a scroll and handing it to her. Gem took a look at it then tucked it into her cloak.

Keralis began to unload the cargo from the wagon, Gem hesitates then stepped away.

Her goal was to find weak spots in the city walls, and to possibly establish a Nether portal, one with a better location then the one she came through. So that the soldiers can more easily get to the city, rather than traversing the forest and likely end up announcing themselves to Nix before they reach the gates.

Gem walked through the streets, it felt odd to walk around with her traits hidden. She wasn’t used to the feeling of human feet and shoes on them, or moving her head without the extra weight of her antlers. She kept her hands underneath her cloak, ready to reach for her dagger just in case.

She walked through the streets for a while, taking in the city and its people, all the unique clothing, buildings, materials, and more. It was all unfamiliar to her. She continued through the streets until she was just a street away from the walls, she could see guards posted along the walls. She opened up the map Keralis gave her again, she needed it to mark any weak spots she found and where the guards where placed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pearl flopped down onto her bed with a groan, she was exhausted. She had to fly around all night, working on her mission for the Void and her own secret mission. Helping put a spy into Nix…

She wondered what kind of hybrid Gem was, she could sense the magic on her but she already had her traits hidden when she stepped through. She also seemed a bit young, perhaps Jimmy’s age or a little younger. Even so she walked with an air of confidence, she certainly wasn’t just a random person who was selected to play the role of a spy, but an experienced individual.

…

Pearl groaned as a knock came from her door,

”Come in…” She mumbled,

The door creaked open and familiar steps came up behind her, then the bed dipped beside her.

”How’d it go?” Jimmy asked, running his fingers through her tangled hair.

”Fine, everything went smooth the whole night” She said, confirming that both parts of her night went well.

Jimmy hummed, “They found more ender pearls, a total of nine now…”

Pearl let out a sigh,

”I see, that's… good” She drawled,

Jimmy just curled up next to her,

…

If she noticed that the bed dipped two more times later on then she didn’t say anything, just lifted her wings to cover the new occupants.

Chapter Text

The four Nether rulers awaited a visit from a certain pesky bird, an urgent meeting with all four of them in attendance was request- well more like demanded.

A familiar presence appeared in the meeting room, the room had dozens of maps spread around the room, colorful markers placed on them. Notes and letters were scattered on the table, intel from Ren and Gem, as well as the information given to them by Grian and his siblings.

As usual Grian neglected to actually sit down, Impulse had long since learnt to bring in the same chair. To make sure his chairs weren’t all ruined with scratches. Grian was wearing his usual robes, his colorful wings fanned out behind him.

”Nine ender pearls have been found, at this rate I suspect all twelve will be found within a week, week and a half at best” Grian said once he was situated on top of the chair.

”That’s… not great” Tango sighed,

”No it’s not, plus with the time for us to go through the portal, They are keeping a closer eye on us.Making sure we won’t bail, after this meeting I likely won’t be able to come back. I'm not even sure Martyn or Pearl will be able to get out. They’ve already been lowering how often we go out on missions” Grian explained, “Which is a major problem, if we can’t communicate then we can’t inform you when to start the attacks”

…

”I might have a solution,” Tango started, “I can form four ice spheres, If you smash them I’ll know. So once it's time to start the attacks break them, and we’ll begin”

”…Hmmm that could work” Grian replied, “Has progress been made in Portus or Nix?”

“Ren has identified areas where a nether portal could go up so we can encircle the overworld soldiers ,” Skizz said,

”And Gem has gotten us the guard rotations, positions, and learnt how many men are necessary to close the city's gates. Although she hasn’t found a better portal location”

”Hmm… Then- It might be best to build one where she is staying then, the current location is extremely difficult to get out of without wings. It keeps it hidden to others but you won’t be able to get your soldiers out. The cabin will also get you closer to the city” Grian paused, “Ren will need to build the portals himself, as long as you can provide the materials, he can grab them at the original portal he came through”

”What about Arvum?” Impulse asked,

”I was hoping you could get me the materials right now, I should be able to sneak down there and build the portal. Once its built I’ll leave a map on how to exit the cavern, and how to get to the portal room”

Impulse nodded, he stood up and went to get the obsidian for the frame.

…

Zed coughed.

…

”So! Grian how is uh- everyone?” Skizz exclaimed.

”…as fine as one can be before trying to take out a religion that’s been around for hundreds of years, and having to go through a mysterious portal that might lead us to our deaths” Grian said sarcastically,

”Ah…” Skizz mumbled.

Grian sighed,

“What else has Ren said?” He questioned calmly.

“Hm-? Uh not much, just some information about the docks and streets, oh- and some of the exits out of the city” Skizz said, “Why?”

“…No reason, just curious” Grian replied, avoiding eye contact, thankfully Impulse came back with the obsidian in a bundle.

Grian hopped off the chair and took it swiftly out of his hands,

”Well, I ought to be off…I hope you guys don’t die!” Grian exclaimed, then flew up to the ceiling, disappearing in the shadows.

”Bye! I hope you don’t die either!” Skizz waved after him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grain quietly entered the cathedral again, walking smoothly down the steps to his room. He pushed open the door, his siblings had piled onto his bed, waiting on him to return. Pearl and Martyn were both still awake despite it being night, in true nocturnal fashion. But Jimmy had to be shaken.

Grian but a spell around the room to briefly hide their conversation,

”Tango gave us these, they won’t melt. Once it’s time, we will break these and that will signal them to start the attack on the cities” Grian said, handing them out.

The three of them turned them curiously, it was cold like an ice cube, although it didn’t feel wet, more like glass in the winter.

“Keep those on you, but don’t let anyone else see them” Grian stated seriously.

They nodded and tucked them into their robes.

Chapter Text

Grian hopped over a large chuck of rock, it was damp and dark in the caverns underneath the city. Sharp rocks jutted out of the sides of the walls, and spirals of stone were attached to the ceiling, threatening to drop at one wrong move.

He kept his wings tucked tightly against his back to avoid scraping them against the stone. He had already been down here a few times scouting out an area for a Nether portal, and mapping out how to get out of the caverns from the portal.

Grian approached a large wall of stone, using his wings he flew upwards and wiggled through a small crack in the wall. Which gave way to a larger space, it was perfect for a portal. It was secluded and hard to get to, but there was another passage way up that would connect into the city. It was narrow but the watchers and listeners didn’t know about it.

Grian pulled the bundle out from his robes, opening it, revealing the pitch black material inside. He placed the blocks into the now familiar shape, then took out his flint n’ steel, lighting the portal. He knelt and placed the maps he made. For both the rulers and the generals of their armies, just in case.

Besides Grian had feeling that once those four were sure the city was taken they wouldn’t hesitate to go down to the portal room. As lovesick and determined as they were, it would make things easier if the higher-ups were already taken care of.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy laid on his bed, he hadn’t been sent out on a mission for almost two weeks, neither had Grian. Pearl and Martyn stopped receiving missions a week ago. Jimmy suspected it was because they were supposed to be resting and ready to enter the portal once it was activated.

Jimmy certainly felt rested, rested and anxious. Any day now…the last ender pearl could be found, only two days have passed since Grian last visited the Nether and the 10th one had been found.

Jimmy was… scared. He worried for his siblings, for his soulmates, for the people risking their lives to help the effort, and he worried that everything will fail.

That they won’t win, that the Void will stay in power, and possibly attain even more power due to the portal.

What would happen?

Would their betrayal be revealed ? Would they be discarded after they are no longer needed for their magic and skills? What would happen to the Nether? To his soulmates?

Jimmy doubted they would be spared if They got their hands on them, they were too dangerous and powerful to be kept alive. What about the citizens of the Nether? The netherborns and hybrids, would the hybrids be labeled traitors? Will the netherborns now face the wrath of overworld hate?

…

Jimmy slid a hand against his chest, feeling the necklace Skizz gave him, the other gifts were still tucked underneath his floorboards. Perhaps when the time came he would put Impulse’s earrings on, they shouldn’t be visible with his hood on. Plus his hair was still grown out, at his shoulders now, he constantly had to tuck it behind his ears.

Even though he wouldn’t have any use for it, he could also take Zedaph’s clock with him. It was a shame that he wouldn’t be able to take the lantern with him, it could be too easily discovered underneath his robes. Plus he didn’t want to possibly break it, if the rumors were true about the beast. Then they would be in a fierce battle, and probably getting thrown around…

Jimmy just hoped they could handle it.

Grian had strong magic, he could easily hide his presence and sneak attack a foe. But his body wasn’t as strong, with hollow bones, that were far too easy to break, and limited strength. At least he had his talons.

Pearl wasn’t able to harness as much magic as he or Grian could, but in a pinch her limited abilities could help her. Like Grian she didn’t have as strong of a body, but still she was fierce and determined.

Martyn couldn’t harness magic at all, but he made up with his skills. Being able to silently fly, and a strong grip strength… and bite strength. Although he had the strongest bite force, Jimmy, Pearl, adn Grian were not above sinking their teeth into someone to get a leg up.

Jimmy had strong magic, especially in offensive magic. But he used it to help him fly, because he had less hybrid blood, his body was more human and not optimal for flying. If he runs too low on energy then we won’t be able to fly as fast or smoothly, that could get him into some trouble if he doesn’t pay attention to his energy levels.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ren prowled around the skirts of the city, making his way to the spots he had discovered. He clutched bundles of obsidian to his side, he needed to build two Nether portals for the soldiers to come through and encircle the city. The main force would come from the front, out of the portal from which he entered the overworld.

Ren’s thoughts drifted as he made his way to the sea cliffs, he wondered how it was going in the Nether, how his friends were doing. Practically everyone living in the Nether was helping the effort somehow. Whether it be building new technology and weapons to aid the soldiers, brewing potions, making new uniforms and armour, doing spy work, or training the troops.

He also thought about his…soulmate. He was still getting used to the new color in the world, especially considering he could now stare at it everyday. Apart from the warped forests and soul sand valley’s, blue wasn’t very common, especially since Ren resided in the crimson forest region, where everything was red.

He hadn't seen Martyn since the start of his spy work, but it comforted him that he seemed open to getting to know each other. Although… that would only happen if they survived, Ren still had to fight here in the city, and if he wasn’t badly hurt he would then continue the fight in the capital. Ren didn’t know the details of what Martyn and his siblings would be doing, but he knew there was danger.

Even then, even if they both survive. They may not succeed, Ren knew of the watchers and listeners' brutality. Martyn would likely be killed, and if Ren was found, he would be executed as well. Not only for fighting in the war, but for leaving the overworld, and spying.

He hoped that this would go well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gem laid on the cot in Keralis’s front room, she and Keralis had already built the portal, hiding it in his stable out back. Any day could be the day of attack, even when in bed she was dressed in her uniform, with her armor and weapons beside her bed.

Oddly enough her thoughts kept moving back to Pearl… the girl that led her here. There was something about her, Gem didn’t know if it was her familiar stance, the one of a trained individual. Or maybe it was her bluntness, she was quick to leave after they arrived at the cabin, and hasn’t checked up on her.

Even though she was told that she was going to try to, maybe she couldn’t escape unseen.

Maybe it was her wings, they were large and colored a soft green, she had spots on them that looked like eyes, it unnerved Gem when she first saw them. But now she almost hoped to get a glimpse of them again…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scar watched the cluster of troops training, Etho was working with them now, allowing Scar a break. He walked over to where Cub was pouring over blueprints and machine art with Doc, Mumbo, and Zedaph.

Scar observed them for a while, knowing better than to interrupt them. Those four could get so absorbed in their work, it was even worse now that such a massive attack was on the line. If he interrupts, his head might get bitten off by Cub! Just like Scar he had razor sharp teeth and an appetite for… certain meat. Although their hybrid status allowed them to eat other food, they didn’t even need to consume human meat to survive!

Scar thought back to the war meeting, he and Scar had been selected to attend with Zedaph. As Scar was his head general and Cub was the main scientist, apart from Zedaph himself.

He was startled when another presence suddenly appeared in the room. He had drawn his bow when the dark figure had dropped down onto one of the chairs across the table. Ready to shoot one of his flaming arrows at it. but then he was told to stand down, that's when Scar noticed behind the figure were colorful wings. They stood out against the dark robes they wore, and the brick of King Impulse’s fortress.

The man had lowered his hood but didn’t take off the mask he wore, Scar had always found those masks creepy. They were always blank and white no matter what color the robes the person wore was, they didn’t even have eye holes! Scar assumed they used their evil magic to see through the mask.

The bird hybrid spoke to them about the cities they would need to attack and invade, he spoke quickly and clearly despite having all eyes on him, in a room full of sorta enemies.

Scar was impressed, even with as confident and extroverted as he was he probably wouldn’t be able to stay so cool headed.

He was a funny person.

Scar hoped he would be able to meet him again, he’d like to be friends with him.

Chapter Text

Jimmy awoke to his door slamming open, he jumped up, gripping his blanket.

”Get ready, it's time” A figure at the door said, their white robes fluttering behind them as they turned, Jimmy could hear them open Martyn’s door. Saying the same thing.

Jimmy got out of bed, quickly throwing on his white robes, after this… hopefully he would never have to look at these again. Let alone wear them. He crouched to the floor and pulled up a loose floorboard, revealing his gifts from his soulmates. They were slightly dusty from sitting still for so long, he grabbed the earrings and put them on his earlobes. Then grabbed the clock and tucked it into a pocket. He lifted the lantern into his hands, looking at the flame inside, he could feel the magic pulsing off of it. Enchanted to never go out, but as much as he wished he could take it with him, he had to leave it behind.

He stood and left his room, Grian and Pearl were already dressed and waiting in their black robes, backs stiff, and their masks in their hands. Jimmy shot a questioning look at the two, gesturing at his pocket that radiated coldness. Jimmy put his hand in his pocket, fishing for the sphere. He grasped it and shattered it, he felt the sphere burst into shards, and a pulse of magic.

Martyn stepped out of his room, white robes shining in the torch light, Jimmy motioned for him to shatter his sphere. He did so just before someone came down the stairs again,

”Come,” They said, voice monotone.

The four of them followed in a line, Grian in the front, Martyn at the back.

They were lead back upstairs, then down the long hall at the entrance. Passing rows of pews, the torches were dim and even their quiet steps echoed in the chamber.

They went behind the main altar, where the figure opened a secret panel, revealing a dark staircase. The air was cold and musty as they descended. Before long they reached the actual caverns, sharp jutting rocks, dripping water, bugs lurking in the shadows.

They kept on going downward, until Jimmy spotted… bricks mixed into the towering stone walls, they reached an entrance, a simple wooden door.

The figure leading them pulled it open, and they stepped into a different world. It now seemed like they were in a building, with walls made out of stone bricks, hallways and wooden doors going places they couldn’t see. They even passed a massive library, chests were randomly scattered in the halls.

Finally they reached the portal room, the council was gathered in the room, even with their masks on Jimmy could feel their eyes. Their heads followed their movements as the four walked in. Their was lava in the center of the room below the odd looking frame, unlike the Nether portals it was horizontal, not vertical. They stopped at the base of the stairs leading up to it.

All of the council spoke in unison,

”It is time… after hundreds of years… we will receive our… deserved rewards… your four are having a great…honor bestowed upon you… to aid you… you are given these”

Four of the council members stepped forward, two held a bow and arrow, and the other two held swords. They were ornate and didn’t look very practical, but it was better than nothing, Jimmy thought.

The bow and arrows went to him and Grian, while Pearl and Martyn received the swords.

Jimmy slung the quiver around his back, holding the bow firmly in his hand.

He felt a cold sweat drip down his face.

”Now…go and do…your duty” The booming voices spoke, Jimmy’s ears were ringing.

They stepped forward and unison, climbing up the stairs, they looked into the portal. The eyes had already been put in, each one seemed to look into Jimmy’s soul. The portal itself looked like the night sky, with a pitch black backdrop and dots of stars scattered inside.

Jimmy risked a look at his siblings, all of their shoulders were tense. Jimmy moved his hand, gripping Pearl's wrist, she startled then turned to Grian and grabbed his hand. Jimmy felt Martyn wrap his hand around his wrist.

Together they dropped into the portal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango was with his soulmates, pouring over their strategies and plans of attack, when he felt a harsh pang in his chest. He looked up sharply gripping at his heart.

”…Tango?” Zedaph asked, voice shaking slightly.

”It’s time, they broke the orbs” Tango stated.

They all looked at each other for a moment, this could possibly be the last time they saw each other…still they had to go. A go sent out two fire sprites, they would go through the portals first, warning Ren and Gem they were coming.

They all went back to where their respective troops were waiting, already dressed in armour with their weapons by their sides. The Nether portals glowed ominously as soldiers rushed around, hoglins were saddled up, cannons were pushed together, ready to be brought through the portal.

In four different regions of the Nether, The four rulers all stood in front of their armies, their people, their friends. The people that were putting their trust into them, willing to risk their lives to keep their home safe.

The four looked out onto the massive crowds, and said,

”It‘s time”

Chapter Text

Jimmy felt nauseous, he was kneeling on a platform of obsidian, his siblings besides him in similar states. He looked around, just past them was an… island? It was made out of a material he’d never seen before, a cream color and rough, with small craters embedded in it. Massive pillars also made out of obsidian came out of the ground, with odd floating objects on top, they radiated strong magic.

Tall creatures with pitch black skin, and gangly limbs wandered around. Apart from the island, nothing seemed to be around, just darkness, not even any stars.

”Is everyone okay?” Grian asked, standing up.

They all muttered an affirmative.

Jimmy was suddenly startled by a booming roar, he sharply looked up, and caught a glimpse of a flying beast, with black scales and grey spindles on its back.

The dragon.

They all quickly stood, grasping their weapons, Jimmy felt his magic pulsing through his body.

”Don't get too close yet! We don’t know what it's capable of!” Grian yelled.

They took off into the air, flying over to the island. They landed on the ground, the ground was solid but was hard to stand on with the holes in it, dust kicked up when they landed.

”What should we do!?” Martyn asked,

”I can feel some powerful magic from those orbs up top, we might need to check those out!” Jimmy replied,

”Martyn! Pearl! Distract it while me and Jimmy go up the pillars, make sure to keep your distance though. We don’t know how it attacks yet!” Grian yelled, flapping his wings and Martyn and Pearl nodded.

The pair went into the sky, ready to drive the dragon away from the two avians.

Jimmy followed Grian up the top of one of the pillars. The orb had a pink center with markings that Jimmy didn’t recognize on its sides, it was surrounded by glass. Jimmy could spot that out of the ten pillars, two of the orbs were surrounded by bars.

”This magic doesn’t seem defensive, I think it’s used to heal!” Grian stated, behind them the dragon roared.

“If it heals the dragon then we need to destroy them!” Jimmy exclaimed, “Let’s get back into the air, I’ll send a blast at it!”

Grian nodded and shot into the air, Jimmy followed, focusing his energy he sent out a blast of golden light. It hit the orb and exploded, sending Jimmy and Grian back.

The dragon let out a deafening roar, and started to fly towards them despite Martyn and Pearl’s best attempts to distract it.

Jimmy swerved, while Grain flew further upwards. Jimmy gripped his bow and pulled out an arrow, he notched the arrow and let it fly towards the dragon.

It struck it in its side, the dragon let out a growl and turned back around, a violet glow appeared in its mouth.

Jimmy’s eyes widened, and he harshly swooped behind one of the pillars.

The blast shot past him, landing on the ground in a cloud of purple haze.

“It’s healing!” Grian exclaimed.

Jimmy looked back, the dragon was flying around in a circle, a strand of magic connected it to one of the orbs. Jimmy could sense magic flowing between the two.

”We need to destroy all of them before we attack it, or else it will just keep healing!” Jimmy yelled, Martyn and Pearl had come closer while the dragon was busy.

”You two! Keep it busy, but don’t waste too much energy! Harming it now won’t do much good for us, me and Jimmy will destroy these orbs!” Grian yelled over.

”Martyn, wanna swap!?” Jimmy questioned, holding out his bow.

“You know it!”Martyn smirked and threw his sword, Jimmy passed over the bow and arrows.

Martyn and Pearl flew off to distract the beast.

”Jimmy, get into the caged orbs first then get the other ones” Grian yelled, pointing to the caged orbs.

Jimmy nodded, he flapped his wings with a burst of strength, hurtling him towards the first pillar. He landed with a thump, the cage around the orb seemed to be made out of iron. Something he wouldn’t be able to break normally…

But… he focused some magic into the sword, careful to not overload it and shatter the blade. The blade began to glow golden, he sliced through the bars like it was nothing, then thrust his sword right into the center of the sphere.

He was thrown back, narrowly avoiding being thrown over the edge of the pillar.

He got back on his feet, glancing over to where Martyn and Pearl were busy with the dragon, then swooped around the dragon, able to move swiftly, and more agile than the massive beast. Pearl’s sword scraped at the dragon’s sides, while Martyn drew back his bow. But then the dragon Swiveled around its head launching out a blast of that purple energy.

Martyn barely dodged the blast, but instead was knocked into one of the pillars. Jimmy grimaced as Pearl covered him while he got his bearings back.

He needed to keep working so they could end this quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango stepped out of the Nether portal, getting hit by a blast of freezing air, although it didn’t bother him. He luckily didn’t sink in the snow due to his magic, although the same couldn’t be said for his troops.

A familiar mop of red hair came into view, as she rounded the cabin that stood in front of Tango. A man walked behind her, in simple armour and an axe in his hand.

Gem looked to be in good shape, her golden armour was shiny and her sword looked sharp. She laughed and threw her arms around him.

”Tango! It’s good to see you again…” She whispered.

Tango hugged her back, but only for a brief moment.

”As excited as I am to see you again, we need to get moving. From my understanding the portal has already been opened at the capital. We need to make this as quick as we can so we can go help at Arvum” Tango stated.

”Right!” Gem exclaimed, “This is Keralis, he’s who I was staying with, he’ll be helping us out”

The man behind her, Keralis, nodded at Tango.

”I’ll help you bunch get over to the city, I know a route through the woods that should keep us hidden until we get close, gives us enough times to get cannons set up” Keralis said,

Tango nodded,

“Lead the way then”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impulse watched as his soldiers poured out of the Nether Portal, they were in a secret cave, hidden by sand dunes. He held a compass in his hand that pointed to the city of Sabulo. Doc and Etho stood by his side, Doc had completely reworked his robotic parts. They now looked even shiner and deadlier, his mechanical eye glowed a bright red.

Etho had his mask on as always, his dark red eyes observing everything, his sword was unsheathed. Its dark blade glimmering in the light coming from the entrance of the cavern.

It was time to begin the march to the city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zedaph stood in a dense forest, barely any light came through the thick treetops, it made it inconvenient to traverse the forest, but it also provided needed cover for his group. Without it they would be spotted easily, and likely shot down by cannons or overwhelmed by troops.

His people were already used to moving on the mountains and hills in the warped forest, as long as they had cover then they could keep moving.

Scar stood a length away, yelling orders at the soldiers, getting them into order. His torn wings sat on his back folded, his claws seemed freshly sharpened and his teeth shone.

Cub stood by his side, although he was the head scientist his vex blood also made him a formidable fighter. He was more than happy to help shed some blood, especially if it was done with his own inventions.

Zedaph turned and began the trek up the steep mountain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skizz smelt the salt in the air, and he could hear the crashing of waves against the cliffs.

Bdubs was helping guide the soldiers out of the nook in the side of the cliffs, holding a soul fire lantern, ushering them along the small trail out. His moss cloak was tied snugly around his shoulders, sitting over his armour.

Ren had been ordered to stay at the other portal location to help lead the troops out in the darkness.

Skizz had also received a compass from Grian, he gave that to the group that was marching into the front of the city, they would come from the original portal.

It was time to begin their attack.

Chapter Text

Jimmy thrust his sword into the second caged orb, this time he was prepared for the blast that came with it.

Behind him the dragon roared, he glanced behind.

The dragon was apparently not happy with him destroying the orbs, it was headed right at him. Its jaws opened wide, a horrible purple glow inside its mouth. Covering the giant razor sharp teeth in its glow.

Jimmy hopped up and went over the side of the tower, tucking his wings in as he dived downwards. The dragon swooped past him, Pearl and Martyn on its tail.

Jimmy swooped back upwards, looking at the other pillars. He had destroyed two pillars, Grian had also made progress, with three other towers missing their orbs. Jimmy flew over to the closet pillar, Grian was across on the other side of the circle.’

He landed on the obsidian, the click of his boots barely audible over the ruckus the dragon was making, he thrust his sword into the orb. Bracing for the release of energy.

He streaks wings out, ready to fly over to the next one. When a loud whooshing sound came from behind him, he quickly swiveled around-

He let out a yelp as he felt his chest burning, knocking his breath away, and felt weightless as he fell downwards.

He hit the ground hard, his sight went black as pain shot through him. He vaguely heard his name begging called…

He groaned rolling over onto his side, a sharp pain radiating from his wing, he glanced at it as the spots in his vision lessened.

His left wing was crooked, when he shifted it, it felt like a knife was stabbing into him. He groaned at the feeling.

Someone landed next to him, helping to pull him to his feet.

”Jimmy! How bad is it” Pearl asked. She had taken off her mask, or perhaps it had been knocked off by her odd flying patterns. Her face was scrunched up with worry, and she was panting from extortion.

The front of his robes were singed black,

“It’s fine, I can fix it with my magic-“ Jimmy choked out.

”But your energy levels-“ Pearl started,

”I have too, I have to be in the air. It will be too hard to hit the beast from down here, and I can be too easily knocked off the pillars…obviously” Jimmy stated, “Get back up in the air, I’ll be fine”

Pearl hesitated, conflicted. But Jimmy was right, he needed to be in the air to help them. She nodded and shot back up into the air.

Jimmy took in some deep breaths as the pain continued in his wing, this wasn’t going to be pleasant…

He focused his energy into his left wing and-

Jimmy let out a loud yell as his bones shifted back into place, they cracked as they were put back together. His wing let off a soft golden glow.

Jimmy gasped for air, the pain was subsiding, but he felt drained. Even so he had to get back up there. He grabbed his sword from where it had fallen then Jimmy stretched out his wings, wincing as his left complained under the strain. But still he flapped them, stirring up dust, and got back into the air.

Grian had continued to destroy the orbs, now there were only three left to get rid of.

Jimmy dragged himself up, stumbling when he landed on the top of the tower. He lifted his sword up, his arms felt weak, his hands were beginning to shake. He punctured the orb, his hair was blown back as the blast hit him.

He shifted his eyes back over to Grian, he had destroyed another of the orbs, and was already moving to the last pillar.

Jimmy turned to where Pearl and Martyn were distracting the dragon,

”Pearl! Martyn! Be careful, the last orb is about to be destroyed! I don't know what’s going to happen!” Jimmy screamed, making sure they heard him over the rumbling of the beast.

They must have heard him, as they backed off the dragon.

Jimmy heard the blast of the orb exploding from behind him, The dragon let out a roar threat left Jimmy’s ears ringing, it flew high up into the sky, but passed right by him and Grian. It descended down onto the odd structure in the middle of the island.

Jimmy focused his eyes onto it as his hand began to glow golden.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango marched in the front, Gem was by his side, and he knew Celeste was towards the back with the rest of the healers. He decided that it would be better if she helped with injuries instead of fighting. Even if he knew she could fly insanely fast and had an incredible eye, and aim. Grian had said this city would likely be one of the more difficult to overtake. And thus would produce more injuries.

Keralis was leading them through the dense forest. Apparently this would let them get close to the city without being spotted, which would allow them to set up some cannons. Zedaph, Doc, and Cub had all been hard at work developing new weapons to be used. They didn’t typically use cannons on the battlefield, it was too risky, Tango didn’t want his own troops being hit.

But now they could be used to blow holes into the wall surrounding the city, and to take down any ships that may be holding the… devout followers of the Void, anyone who would try and stop them from ridding the overworld of their regin.

Tango snapped back into focus as Keralis stopped in front of him and Gem.

Tango could smell smoke in the air, the walls of the city poked through the trunks of the trees.

”Alright, the city is just ahead. We are in front of the western gate, where the river feeds into the city” Keralis said,

Tango nodded, he turned to his soldiers and yelled out for them to place the cannons into position.

Snow crunched under their boots as they moved everything into place, then they fell back into line. Waiting for his signal.

Tango gripped his sword tightly, it was made out of his own magic and ice.

Gem warily nodded at him.

He lifted his sword into the air, and screamed,

”FIRE!”

The booms of cannons filled the air, then the sound of impact.

”FOWARD!” Tango yelled, his soldiers began to march behind him.

A drum was sounded as the people scrambled in shock, the soldiers on top of the walls drew their crossbows, men ran to the giant ballistae that were dotted along the wall. Readying them to launch,

Tango ran forward, pulling his magic into his feet. He was thrust into the air on top of a large shard of ice that jutted out of the ground. He hopped the small distance onto the top of the wall, the overworld soldiers were shocked but attempted to attack him.

Some rushed forward with their swords and axes, while some tried to fire the crossbows.But they couldn’t hit him, he easily danced around them, easily taking them out.

As convenient as it would be to kill them, he was trying to not be too…deadly. He knew some of these people were not doing this willingly, although any people wearing the robes of the void were not going to receive the same mercy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impulse dragged his feet through the sand, normally this region would be difficult to travel through.

Tall sand dunes, extreme heat, sand that shifted underneath every step…

But for him it was easy, the air almost felt cool to him, and he was more than used to going through soulsand when he visited Tango. Or scaling mountains and hills while moving around Zedaph’s region.

He glanced down at the compass in his hand, it shone with a slight purple glow, Grian’s work no doubt.

Doc and Etho marched alongside him, Doc was an imposing figure as always. He was taller than Impulse and his curling horns and odd looks didn’t help much, although it was good to look scary right now. Perhaps the people will give up easier, which meant Impulse could get to the Capital sooner.

Impulse blessed his wings, he wouldn’t have to walk back to the portal but could fly quickly over the sand.

Etho’s armour shifted with every step, the netherite gleamed in the bright sun, and with the glow of enhancements. His sword was out, paranoid as always, his eyes roamed the horizon.

The city was beginning to come into view.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zedaph climbed the steep inclines of the mountain, his troops slowly followed his tracks. His hooves made it easy for him to traverse the terrain , but some of his people weren’t so lucky.

He was thankful the thick dark oak trees were there to provide cover, or else boulders likely would have already been sent careening down the cliff side at them, after they had been spotted.

Scar was helping to carry some of the heavier loads, his wings helped him to balance on the incline. His armour was lighter too, which made it easier to haul such loads. Plus it was specially designed for Scars fighting style, he wasn’t often on the ground, preferring his bow. But when he was he was always moving, weaving through enemies, slashing his sword through weak spots. His armour also had braces built into it, helping to stabilize his legs.

Cub had heavier armour, he would likely be hanging back with his inventions, rather than getting up close and personal. But still Zedaph wanted his people protected and insisted he’d wear armour, just in case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skizz weaved through the soldiers, slicing at them as he passed. The streets were full of them, but there were more of his own forces. Most civilians had fled into their houses, faces peaked out windows anxiously, only to be pulled back.

He had spotted Ren somewhere in the fray, but had quickly lost him. The streets here were long but narrow, making it hard to move through the dense crowd. People dropped like flies as the overworld forces were overwhelmed, and surrounded, they had no where to retreat to. Orders were hard to pass along, if there were even any being given.

Skizz thrust his sword in front of a soldier, they dropped their sword, holding their hands up with a pleading look.

They were a hybrid, although Skizz couldn’t place what species.

Skizz narrowed his eyes…

He moved his sword to the side, gesturing for him to leave. They easily complied, running down an alley.

He had never been one for needless violence, especially against the innocent. He’d prefer to keep the bloodshed to the minimum, he didn't want to kill people, people like Jimmy. Forced to do the will of the Void.

Skizz spun around as a loud grunt came from behind him. His eyes landed on a tall man with an odd mask on, it covered his entire face, and his skin was completely covered. He had hit a man over his head with the hilt of his sword, a man that was about to attack Skizz…

”Hello! Im Xisuma, I housed Ren” He exclaimed,

”…Uh, hi. Nice to meet you?” Skizz mumbled

Chapter Text

The dragon didn’t move even when Jimmy blasted it, just let out a loud grunt, it sat on the structure in the middle. The structure was made out of a strange material, it didn’t even get scuffed by the dragon perching on it or from Jimmy’s blast.

Pearl swooped downward, landing a long slash against the dragon’s wing, it growled and snapped its jaws but still didn’t move.

Grian and Martyn attacked in sync, both firing arrows. Grian’s glowed a dark violet, imbued with his magic.

Finally the dragon moved again, quickly unperching from the structure, it launched itself back into the air with just a couple powerful flaps of its wings.

It flew to the top of the pillars, unhinging its jaws, ready to let out a fiery blast at the next person it saw.

Jimmy launched himself into the sky, holding back a yelp as his wing protested. Grian followed suit, they glided lower to the ground where Martyn and Pearl where.

”Do we have a plan?” Pearl questioned, keeping her eyes on the dragon flying above them.

”Uh.. attack?” Jimmy replied, “I can’t see any unique weak spots other than the usual stuff. Like the eyes, wings, belly…”

”It doesn’t seem to move when it’s perched so att-“ Grian started,

”LOOK OUT!” Pearl screamed, darting to the side, Jimmy instinctively moved as a blast of purple fire flew past them, striking the ground.

The shockwave pushed him to the ground, his siblings following suit.

The blast left a crater in the ground, the purple fire continued to burn around it. Jimmy glanced up, the dragon was descending again.

”Guys!” He yelled,

his siblings pulled themselves back onto their feet,

”Switch?” Jimmy panted, looking at Martyn.

They quickly switched their weapons as Pearl and Grian continued to attack.

Jimmy got back onto his feet, taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the pain in his wing before launching back into the air. He gripped his bow in his right hand, pulling out an arrow with his left, and focused magic into the arrow.

He notched the arrow, which was glowing and let it fire at the beast. It struck its black hide, and the dragon let out a loud growl.

Grian brushed past him, firing arrows in rapid succession.

Pearl and Martyn flew past the Dragon, slashing their swords into its side.

The dragon’s wounds were sluggishly bleeding, its blood was darker than Jimmy was accustomed to.

He notched another arrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango swung his forward toward another enemy, he spun on his heel and sent an icicle at another soldier.

“Tango! The church is this way!” He heard Gem yell, he turned and spotted her red hair and antlers through the crowd. Her golden armour shone even with the thick clouds covering the sun.

He pushed his way through the fighting, following her down a narrow alley, they twisted and turned between the buildings. Finally it opened into a clearing, a plaza. The church was big compared to the other buildings, built completely out of stone, with intricate carvings and stained glass windows.

A few of his own soldiers were outside the doors, Tango calmly approached.

”Theyv’e barricaded themselves inside Sire” One soldier said,

Tango hummed, then he slammed a foot against the door, the reinforced door cracked under his strength. He heard some yelps and rummaging from inside, probably the cowards trying to run.

He continued to slam into the door, tearing a hole through the door, large enough for his troops to pass through.

Tango stepped inside of the church, his boots clicked on the cold stone. A few people stood scattered around, trying to hide from his eyes. His troopers entered behind him, blocking off the door and windows.

A figure with more ornate robes stood at the end of the hall in front of a statue.

”You! You have gone against- the will of the Void… and- are desecrating this sacred place. You shall- not leave alive!” They yelled out, their voice kept shaking and cutting out as they pointed a shaking finger at Tango.

Tango smirked, beginning to walk slowly past the rows of pews.

”Oh really~?” Tango asked with a toothy smile. His sword dragged on the stone, a sharp screech echoing in the room.

The person took a step backward as Tango approached, trembling.

He climbed up the stairs, standing in front of them.

”Just how will you kill me? Where is your power? Your…Void?” Tango asked, stepping closer with each question.

The robed person shivered as coldness radiated from him,

”You- you will not prevail” They whispered, Tango would have loved to see their face.

”Oh, but I think we will. Right now all your major cities are being taken over, and then we are going to take out the capital. With help from the people you have wronged” Tango smirked, thrusting his sword underneath the person's chin.

”You're all powerless, and take people when they're weak, holding that of which they deem important over their heads. Forcing them to do your bidding…” Tango stated, pressing his sword closer, a stream of blood flowed down their neck. Staining their white robes red.

”How pathetic,” Tango said, glaring. Then he slashed his sword.

The person collapsed to the ground, a puddle of red quickly growing beneath them.

Tango turned back around, facing the small crowd of followers. Some had taken off their hoods and masks, revealing hybrid traits, they didn’t seem too taken with fighting anymore. But some still seemed ready to run, or even stupider, fight. Those must have been the humans.

Tango hummed, swinging his sword.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zedaph didn’t flinch as an arrow flew past him, finding its mark in an overworld soldier. Its fletching was marked with Scar’s signature orange and blue. The cannons boomed behind him, cutting through swaths of troops and buildings. He had asked Cub to bring his special cannon to wherever the watchers and listeners were, he wanted to make sure they would be too scared to put up too much of a fight. After all, he wanted to get to Arvum as soon as possible.

He swung his sword through the people brave enough to approach him, making his way to the church, where he suspected the followers of the Void would be cowering. He could see the tall steeples peaking over the other normal buildings.

Arrows continued to hit their mark, sending dozens to the ground in pain, or without their soul.

Zedaph's hooves clicked on the rough stone roads, he passed the wooden buildings, young faces peeked out windows, anxiously watching. Waiting for the results of the battle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impulse swung his axe through the head of an unfortunate soldier, shattering their helmet, and their skull. He wrenched it out as they quickly went limp, their body fell to the ground, a pool of blood growing quickly.

A boom went off behind him, Doc had fired the cannon that was now installed in place of his normal arm. Impulse didn’t even want to know how or why he did that.

Etho was slashing through crowds of soldiers , swerving around the attacks sent his way. His enchanted armour and sword gleamed in the sun that beat down on them. Impulse could handle the heat, but the brightness was certainly odd.

Towards the back of the city, was large building made out of sandstone, it had a large stained glass window that had a familiar broken square symbol in the middle of it. Impulse could only assume that the people he was looking for were in there.

Chapter Text

The dragon was waning, its wounds bleed a dark red that stood out against its pitch black scales. Arrows were stuck in its side, still pulsing with magic.

Jimmy hoped that the dragon would finally die, and soon. He could feel his muscles ache and his left wing protested with even small movements. His magic could only do so much in fixing the injury and keeping the pain down, plus his reserves of magic are almost drained.

He could tell his siblings were flagging as well, Pearl was panting heavily, sword gripped in her shaking hands. Martyn was sweating and red in the face, exhausted from flying and attacking. Grian looked pale and his eye bags stood out even more than usual, his speed in the air had decreased.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skizz surveyed the city from the entrance at the top of the hill it was built on, the streets were red and the air smelled metallic. He wished this didn’t have to be so violent, but negotiations wouldn’t get them anywhere. The soldiers that had surrendered, mostly hybrids, had been rounded up so they could keep an eye on them.

Grian had been right, the presence of the Void wasn’t very strong here. Even so the few brave enough to fight back had been…taken care of, and the smarter ones that tried to go to the forest of the sea were quickly apprehended by his troops.

“Sir?” Bdubs questioned, “What are your orders?”

”How many soldiers are in fighting condition?” Skizz asked, “and has there been any word from the other three?”

”Just under 500, and no there hasn’t been any word, good or bad, sir” Bdubs replied,

”…I'm heading to the capital, you stay here and manage the city. I’ll be taking Ren with me, and I’ll be taking 300 of the soldiers with”

”Yes Sir!” Bdubs exclaimed,

”Ren!” Skizz called, the hybrid's ear twitched, moving towards Skizz as his head whipped around.

“You're with me, gather 300 of the troops!” Skizz yelled,

He saluted then started calling out orders towards the mass of soldiers waiting.

They all got into formation, bloodied and dirty from the fight but uninjured. They marched behind Skizz, as he used a compass to get back to one of the Nether portals. From there he needed to travel back through the Nether to get to the one set up by Grian.

Then he would be in the capital, Arvum

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several cannons were wheeled in front of the holy building, the windows had been hastily blocked with furniture, pews from the looks of it. Zedaph would bet the doors were blocked in the same way. Luckily for him he had some lovely new cannons, ready to take down the entire front of the building.

Cub stood at the ready, his vex features had become even more prominent, his eyes glinted with mischief and bloodlust. Scar was still flitting around the skies, picking off the last of the stragglers still stupid enough to try and fight.

”Ready?” Zedaph drawled,

”Of course, my lord,” Cub grinned, his sharp teeth shined, ”Light the cannons!”

Flames were brought to the end of the cannons, the fizz of rope burning filled the air. Zedaph covered his large ears with his hands.

The projectiles were shot out with a bang, they were flaming, they hit the front of the building. Easily cutting through the stone, the stone cracked and rumbled, as smoke billowed from the holes left. Screams were heard from inside.

The wall groaned then crumbled to the ground, glass shards and chucks of rocks covered the stairs. Smoke and dust filled the air as Zedaph calmly walked up the stairs, his hooves unaffected by the debris.

The inside of the church wasn’t in much of a better state, the pillars that supported the ceiling had also been hit, they were starting to buckle underneath the strain. Rock covered the ground, and blood.

Some of the followers had been crushed, or hit with the fireballs, which instantly exploded in their faces. But a couple had been lucky, cowering in the corners as he approached.

”Will you die for your cause? Continue the hope for power that will never come, or will you live?” Zedaph exclaimed, his sword glinted as he lifted it. Pointing at the followers that started at him with shaking limbs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango watched as soldiers puttered around the streets, a group of hybrids, some in white, some in black robes were piled in a corner. They had surrendered easily enough, and Tango could only assume they were not the happiest about wearing those robes.

The rest of the overworld soldiers had been grouped together, weapons and armour taken. But their wounds had been wrapped, he easily spotted Celeste moving through both the overworld soldiers and his own troops. Wrapping wounds, setting bones, and passing out potions.

The main square had been largely destroyed, along with the walls around the city. Tango had already gone around to stop the fires in civilian buildings, he had no fight with them. Plus almost all buildings were made of wood, a fire spreading right now would not help.

”Tango!” Gem exclaimed, as she jogged over to him, “We just got word that Skizz had left for the capital”

“Anything from Impulse or Zedaph?” Tango asked,

”Not yet, but I’d imagine they won’t be much longer” Gem repiled,

”Hmm, alright round up the available troops, but leave at least 100 unwounded, just in case, then we move out” Tango stated,

”Got it!” Gem said, running off to collect the troops.

A cold breeze flowed through the city, his flames flickered on his head as he looked back towards the entrance of the city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impulse slammed his sword through the neck of the statue, its head crumbled as it hit the floor of the alter. Blood stained the tile of the cathedral, pooling on the cool ground. The door was mainly on the ground now, pulled apart by his axe, it now was mostly splitters.

“King Impulse, there are still soldiers to take care off” Etho stated, his sword was equally bloodied. Drops of blood landed on the floor as he held it still.

”Right.” Impulse said, his eyes glinted dangerously.

He could feel every bit of his demon blood running through his body as stepped back outside. The sun was high above them, the air was waving with the heat. Although it didn’t bother him or his soldiers.

Smoke billowed as booms ran out, the cannons tearing through the sandstone and clay of the buildings. Screams filled the air, as the people of the city ran for the back entrance. But his soldiers had already surrounded the city, still they had orders to not needlessly harm any civilians. Or anyone that surrendered, especially if they were a hybrid.

His demon blood was pleased with the bloodshed, but deep down he knew that this shouldn’t be taken lightly. Many of the dead might be innocent, or just too stuck in the Void’s web to be taken out.

Some of these people could be like Jimmy, just trying to survive and keep their loved ones safe. Forced into a life of misery and servitude to people who manipulated and abused them.

Still, some were followers for the prospect of power, power they won’t be getting. Not anymore. Impulse thought as he swung his axe towards the face of a soldier stupid enough to charge at him.

Chapter Text

The dragon perched in the middle of the island with a rumble, its claws digging into the small pillar in the center of the structure, which reminded Jimmy of a well. Arrows stuck out of its hide, its wings were torn, and its scales were shattered from the swords.

Jimmy felt remorseful, he didn’t know much about this beast, but few animals attack without reason. He and his siblings just suddenly appeared here in its home, and started attacking, aiming to kill.

But they didn’t have another choice, once it got aggravated with them there was no way to calm it. If they wanted to leave, they would need this beast out of the way.

Besides he’s done worse.

“Martyn, Pearl! Go for the stomach! Jimmy, we'll get the head!’ Grian yelled out,

”Got it!” Jimmy replied, notching a fresh arrow.

He pushed his magic into the arrow, into the arrow head, willing it to follow his command and to hit the dragon hard and quick.

He swooped closer to Grian, and they both flew towards the dragon’s face.

Martyn and Pearl went lower to the ground, barely avoiding not brushing the dusty ground with their chests. Their swords were at the ready, eyes locked on the softer belly of the dragon.

Grian and Jimmy released their arrows together, one shone bright with a golden light, while the other glowed with a purple aura.

They flew forward with a whistle embedded in the dragon's eyes.

Jimmy grimaced as the dragon let out a loud roar, its jaws unhingeing in pain and blood spurted from their eyes.

Martyn and Pearl darted forward, thrusting their swords into the stomach of the beast.

It threw its head back with a deafening roar, Jimmy felt his hair be blown back as the force of the scream hit him.

Suddenly… cracks began to form on the body of the dragon, glowing a light purple. Light shot out of its body as it began to rise into the air, the crackling sound increased as the riffs in its body spread. Until it exploded into small orbs of magic, which landed on the surface.

Jimmy slowly lowered himself to the ground, he felt the magic be absorbed into his body as he touched down. The magic was pure, and filled him with energy again. Grian landed beside him, Pearl and Martyn already stood by the fountain-like structure, staring inside.

”Uhh…guys you should come look at this” Martyn yelled over his shoulder.

Jimmy and Grian glanced at each other then walked over.

The fountain was no longer empty, it looked like it was filled with the night sky. It was pitch black with stars scattered around, it was odd to look into it. It looked endless, like Jimmy could jump in and just fall through the sky.Jimmy could feel magic radiating from it.

”I think… I think it's a portal. This feels similar to a Nether portals presence, and it looks like the portal we entered through” Jimmy said,

“Do you think it's going to take us back to the overworld?” Pearl asked.

”I would hope so, but I can’t say for sure…” Grian mumbled,

”I mean there’s only one way to find out…” Jimmy said,

…

”Um- hey, has that always been there?” Martyn asked, Jimmy glanced over to him. He was pointing up at the small pillar in the middle of the fountain.

Sitting atop the pillar was an egg, a black egg.

”…A dragon egg!” Pearl exclaimed,

”That definitely was not there!” Grian yelled, “Where did it come from! I don't recall the dragon pushing out an egg! A whole egg!”

”What should we do? Do we take it with us!?” Martyn asked,

”No! It’s an egg, that means it’s going to hatch! We don't need a dragon in the overworld!” Jimmy groaned,

”It might not hatch without its parent here, like how chickens have to warm their eggs” Pearl said,

”We shouldn’t take the risk…” Grian mumbled,

…

”Well if we’re not taking the egg, should we just go through. Who knows what it's like in the overworld, or how much time has passed” Martyn said,

…

”Together?” Jimmy asked,

”Together” The three responded,

They climbed onto the ledge of the structure, linking their hands together, holding on tight to each other.

They stepped forward, and Jimmy’s vision went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skizz stepped through the glowing portal and was instantly hit by the cold and damp air, the cavern he was in was decently spacious, a chest sat beside the portal. But the contents had already been retrieved ahead of time. He drew the compass and map out of his pocket, he handed the map to Ren as he stepped through the portal.

He glanced down at the compass which pointed to the right, he walked over as his troops began to push through into the overworld, quickly piling the space. Along the right wall was a small opening in stone, ducking his head he entered, the ground was sharp and jagged, but traversable. It led upwards into the dark.

He yelled over his shoulder,

“This way!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impulse walked quickly through the streets, Etho and Doc by his side. His axe, clothing, and skin was stained with blood. He was leaving red footprints everywhere he went.

He received the message from Skizz that he was heading to the capital, he wanted to join him as quick as possible.

“Gather any soldiers that are still in fighting shape and then follow me, I'm going ahead” Impulse stated, throwing the scroll of a map behind him.

Doc and Etho broke off behind him as he continued through the front gates of the city, heading back to his original Nether portal. He stomped through the sand of the desert, the sand shifting beneath his feet.

A familiar whoosh of fire filled his ears as a small fire sprite came down a dune, it stopped in front of him.

In Tango’s voice it spoke,

”I'm heading to the capital, along with Gem and most of my troops. I'm sure I’ll be seeing you soon. Still no word from Zedaph, but he’s probably just having fun playing with his new toys”

It finished the message then dissipated into smoke.

Impulse continued under the waning sun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The air was unsurprisingly smoky, with all the cannons set off and the still burning buildings.

”Scar! How are our soldiers?” Zedaph asked,

“Mostly unhurt, only about 150 will have to stay behind because of injuries” Scar replied,

“Good, find Cub and round up our troops, then we move back down the mountain. We need to get to the capital" Zedaph ordered.

”Roger,” Scar said, giving a salute. Then running off to find wherever Cub had gone off to. Probably inspecting one of the few followers that had surrendered, probing and asking questions.

Chapter Text

Skizz climbed up the steep incline, which had turned from jagged rock to stairs. The air was getting warmer and he could spot light streaming through at the end of the passage. He continued to lead his soldiers up until he reached the end of the passage, a wooden hatch was there. He could vaguely hear the sounds of a city from the other side.

He glanced back at his troops, Ren gave him a nod.

He grabbed the metal handles and peeked out, it appeared they were in a back alley behind a building . The hatch looked like it led to a simple basement on purpose, not a passage down into the deep caverns. He thrust the hatch open the rest of the way, climbing out into the open air, the buildings around them were tall, typical for the capital.

Based on Grian’s map, they should be on the edge of the city, on the south side.

“Fan out, you know your targets, take the city over” Skizz exclaimed, pulling his sword out of his scabbard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tango walked over the top of the disturbed tracks, following his army’s tracks from before. Gem and his men followed behind him as they headed back to the Nether portal.

He was more than ready to get to the capital, plus he couldn’t let Skizz take all the glory. Especially after his altercation with Jimmy…and he well… got too pumped up on adrenaline.

Tango was going to tease him about that for the rest of his life.

Finally the cabin and portal came back into view, the area around the portal had its snow melted away by the heat radiating out of it.

Tango quickly stepped through the portal, feeling the familiar heat of the Nether. The snow on his boots melted, and his clothes steamed as the water that had melted into them from the snow evaporated.

He easily navigated his way to the portal set up by Grian, the ground had obvious wear from when Skizz and his troops came through.

“Tango!” A voice called out,

From over the ridge of netherrack Impulse appeared, he seemed unhurt, although it was a little hard to tell with all the blood on him.

”Impulse! You okay, did everything go okay!?” Tango shouted as Impulse jogged down.

”Oh- im fine, none of this blood is mine” Impulse said as he reached Tango, he was panting, but pulled Tango into a hug.

”Where are your men?” Tango asked, letting himself be lifted off the ground, even with his own men right behind them.

”I wanted to get over here, Doc and Etho will lead them to the capital” Impulse said, putting Tango back down, he glanced behind Tango.

”Gem!” He exclaimed, holding his arms out.

Gem trotted over and happily threw herself into his arms with a squeal.

”Glad to see you're okay” Impulse muttered, squeezing her tight.

”You too” Gem replied,

Tango smiled,

”Alirght we need to get through, Skizz is probably already in the city” he said,

”Right, lets go” Impulse stated, his armor clinking as he stepped through the swirling purple.

Tango followed behind him.

The other side of the portal was an underground cavern, the ceiling held large jagged spikes that looked far too precarious in his opinion.

Impulse walked to the right side as Gem and his soldiers flowed out, quickly filling up the space.

“Looks like this is the way up!” Impulse said over his shoulder, bending to see up the passage.

”Gem, make sure everyone gets through the portal, then follow us up. Everyone knows their jobs” Tango ordered, following Impulse as he disappeared into the small nook.

The passage was cramped and dark, although two people could probably fit side by side, Impulse was far too wide for Tango to walk with him. Impulse was hunched over as he tried to avoid hitting his horns on the low ceiling, well- low for him.

Soon enough he could hear faint booms from above them.

Skizz had definitely arrived.

They both picked up the pace, the rough stone turned into smooth stairs as they got closer to the surface.

The sounds also grew louder, the distinct sound of cannons and explosions. Also some screaming and horns going off.

They reached the end, with Tango’s troops close behind them.

Impulse threw the wooden hatch open, and quickly climbed out, holding his axe at the ready.

Tango followed behind him, the air was smoky and it was loud, weapons clashing, explosions, fires, alarms, and more.

Skizz was always so dramatic.

”Do you think Jimmy has returned?” Tango asked,

”No idea, we should find Skizz” Impulse stated,

”Good idea” Tango replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zedaph climbed down the mountain as quick as he could, they already got messages that the other three had left for the capital. He definitely got a little distracted.

His soldiers followed behind him on the steep path, Cub was making sure none of the cannons were dropped or damaged, and Scar was on the ground, giving his wings a break.

It felt like an eternity before they finally reached the base of the mountain, where the portal was sent up. Zedaph eagerly went through, he was blasted with the fiery air of the Nether.

He waited as everyone came through the portal, then began the walk to the portal into Arvum.

As they approached he spotted some familiar figures, Doc and Etho, behind them were what must have been Impulse’s men. Zedaph ran toward them,

”Where's Impulse? Is he okay?!?” Zedaph asked hurriedly,

”He’s fine, he went ahead of us, didn’t want to wait… he’s really living up to his name” Etho stated, mumbling the last part,

“Of course he did…” He sighed, scratching at his floppy ears.

”Well lets get going, they need all the help they can get”

Chapter Text

The streets were crowded with the amount of people in them, Netherborns, humans, hybrids, and demons. All together in the same place, some fighting, some just trying to get away. Blood ran down the streets, outlining the gaps in the rough cobblestone streets.

Two demons ran through the dense crowds, taking down anyone who got in their way. Trying to find one of their feathered soulmates.

”Skizz! Ugh- where is he?!” Tango yelled,

”Maybe he’s closer to the center?! Or the cathedral?” Impulse replied, hurling his axe past Tango at an overworld soldier.

”Ah- thanks” Tango said . “We should go there then, but keep an eye out for Ren or Bdubs. Maybe they would know”

The pair continued on their quest, leaving a trail of bodies behind them. The cathedral was easily spotted, it was the tallest building in the city, even with most of the buildings being three stories or taller.

It was made out of stone and marble, with pillars of quartz, quartz that was stolen from the Nether. The windows were made of stained glass , depicting several designs.

The familiar and dreaded symbol of the watchers and listeners, eyes that seemed to follow them everywhere they went, and…birds. Specifically yellow birds, laying prone with their talons in the air, and wings flopped onto the ground. They were dead.

Displaying dead birds.

How nice.

Tango and Impulse approached the center of the city, the cathedral was just a bit further.

Impulse spotted a familiar set of white wings,

”Skizz!!!” He shouted,

The scarred man turned when he heard his soulmates voice,

”Oh! Impulse! Tango!” He shouted, waving at them.

He was standing with a group of his troops, who were hauling the cannons towards the cathedral.

”Im going to blow up the doors!” He exclaimed as the pair reached him.

”Fun, have you seen Jimmy, or his siblings?” Tango asked,

“No, I'm not sure if they're back yet, or maybe they're still inside? Grain mentioned there was a way into the caverns from the church” Skizz stated, “Anyway- apparently those higher up people came back up, they’ve barricaded themselves inside, along with a lot of the soldiers. Someone must’ve gone done there and warned them when the alarms went off”

”How annoying…” Tango muttered,

Faint magic radiated off of the building, protection runes, as weak as it was, it would still take them a minute to get through with their normal cannons.

Zedaph really needed to hurry up and get over here. His cannons were made to tear through runes like these.

”Should we wait for Zedaph to get here, his cannons will cut through those runes easily. Plus like you said we still don’t know where Jimmy or his siblings are” Tango suggested,

”Hmm… I guess, let’s wait for Zedaph. But once he gets here we need to attack, I don’t want them to start thinking of plans to escape, or fight” Skizz said, “ Are you two going to go back out there?”

“Might as well, but we’ll stick close by” Impulse said, swinging his axe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zedaph blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light, the air was thick with smoke.

“Zedaph!” A voice yelled, Gem.

Zedaph turned towards her as she rounded the corner, her armour was nicked and dented and places but she seemed un hurt otherwise.

”The other three want you at the cathedral as soon as possible, and bring your new cannons. Apparently there are runes on the building, it will be easier to get through with your cannons” She spoke quickly.

Zedaph nodded, yelling some orders for the cannon carriers and Cub to follow him.

”Why are they waiting for me? They can get through runes with normal cannons, it just takes more power” Zedaph questioned as Gem led him through the streets.

It seemed that the battle was mainly over, at least in the center of the city. Just a few stragglers of their own people.

“There still hasn’t been any word from your fifth soulmates, what was his name… Jimmy? They don’t know if he’s inside, or if he’s still busy… uh doing whatever?” Gem said, “What is he doing?”

”Hopefully not dying” Zedaph stated,

”Uh- right”

They approached the center, not far sat the church, stone gleaming in the setting sun.

”Zedaph!” Skizz called when he saw him,

Tango and Impulse weren’t far, jogging back over to the center when they heard Skizz call.

”You three are all good?” Zedaph asked, giving them all a once over.

”Yeah we’re all good, still nothing from Jimmy” Impulse said,

“We can’t wait any longer, we need to bust down those doors” Tango stated,

Zedaph nodded, motioning at Cub, he started giving orders to get the cannons set up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jimmy blinked his eyes open, staring up at an all too familiar stone ceiling.

He blinked again….

That wasn’t a dream was it?

He moved to get up-

Then sucked in a sharp breath.

Definitely not a dream.

He groaned as he sat up, his sore muscles and aching wing protesting at the movement. His throat felt dry and scratchy, and his clothes felt damp against his skin, they were also covered in dust and spots of dragon blood.

Why was he in his room… he was expecting to be put back into the portal room.

Guess those portals don't work like Nether portals…

He thought back to going through the portal, he thought someone had been speaking-

BOOM!

A loud explosion sounded out, the ground above him shook.

Guess more time than he thought had passed.

That or his soulmates were very efficient when taking cities over.

He was stepping out of bed when his door opened, his siblings all looking worn were standing there.

Pearl crossed the room, her hair was frizzy and windblown. Her dark robes had wet spots were the dragon blood had soaked in

“How’s your wing? Can you still fight, can you stand?” She asked, looking him over.

”I'm fine, it aches but I’ll manage. Whatever that dragon dropped helped restore some of my magic too, but not all” He said, his voice was scratchy.

Another explosion rang out, shaking the ceiling again, sending dust down. Faint yelling could be heard.

”I think your soulmates are here” Martyn said, “We better get out there before they take out all of the council members. I wanna give my piece to them” he finished, cracking his knuckles.

Grian chuckled,

“It’s time we show them all we’ve learned, up close and personal”

Jimmy smiled,

”Well, what are we waiting for”

They four of them climbed up the winding staircase, and another explosion rattled the building. A loud crash was heard, then screams and the faint sound of weapons crashing.

Martyn opened the door to the main hall and they were greeted by the sight of the large wooden doors on the floor in pieces, and the council members no remaining followers scrambling as soldiers poured in.

They eagerly joined the fray, Jimmy headed straight for his soulmates.

He easily spotted tango's blue flames, Impulse's tall figure, Skizz’s white feathers, and Zedaph’s curling horns in the crowd.

He shot a blast of magic at a follower who was about to hit a deer hybrid soldier, who had bright golden armour on and flaming red hair.

Zedaph spotted him first,

“JIMMY!!” He yelled, flashing a bright smile as he skewered a robed person.

The other three turned his way,

”Jimmy!” They exclaimed, eyes shining bright.

He grinned back, raising his hand and sending a burst of magic behind the bunch as some of the followers tried to take the opportunity to sneak up behind the four.

”You guys got here quickly!” He said, as they began to fight again.

”I got here first!” Skizz said proudly, as he punched someone to the ground.

He heard Grian cackling in the background, he turned and watched him wallop one of the council members.

”Ugh- don’t be annoying Skizz” Zedaph groaned,

”Your just mad you got here last” Skizz laughed,

”You try to climb up a mountain then back down with a bunch of people and equipment! See how fast you do it!” Zedaph huffed,

”Both of you, focus!” Impulse exclaimed, throwing his axe through the head of a soldier.

“Sorry!’ They called out,

Jimmy felt a lot better with the four of them by his side. He felt his earrings sway as he knocked another follower a dozen feet away into a pillar.

He spotted Pearl in the crowd, easily running through the group of followers crowded around her.

Martyn was just a bit further away, a hybrid soldier with the Nether emblem was by his side. They seemed to be fighting together, they both had wide goofy grins plastered on.

Jimmy had a feeling he knew who that was.

Jimmy flung an enemy towards Tango who thrust his sword into their chest, red quickly stained their white robe.

Although Jimmy didn’t typically enjoy violence, he felt this was more than deserved.

For 17 years he’d been a follower to a religion he had no belief in, forced to fight in their battles and wars, killing innocent people, people that were like him, stuck in a world where they were hated and abused.

He definitely wasn’t going to regret this bloodshed.

Chapter Text

Jimmy yanked up the floorboard in his old room, he reached into the small gap and pulled out the lantern Tango gave him. The blue fire inside still flickered inside, but it felt cool to the touch here in the overworld.

He looked around the room, the cold grey stone, a drab bed, no personal items. He wasn’t going to miss this room.

The lantern swung by its handle as he walked out of the room, closing the door shut firmly behind him. He walked back up the cramped stairwell one more time.

The hall had been mostly cleared of debris and other….mess, plus Tango patched up the front using some ice that wouldn’t melt.

Know it held cots and the wounded, a mix of netherborns, hybrids, and humans all together in one place.

He spotted Pearl on one of the nicer beds, a couple bandages wrapped around her wounds. She was red in the face and was talking with the deer hybrid Gem, who Jimmy was briefly introduced to by his soulmates. Gem also looked quite flustered, wringing her hands together and stepping from hoof to hoof.

He also spotted Cleo and Celeste in the corner with a makeshift brewing stand, Cleo was sitting on a stool with a pile of clothing, he waved to the pair as he passed.

He walked outside, the sun was shining, and the smell of smoke was mostly gone now. Rebuilding was already happening, the Nether was happy to lead both materials and labor.

Jimmy watched a pair of doves fly through the sky, disappearing behind a building.

He walked down the stairs, Martyn and his soulmate Ren were leaning against a crumbled building. Martyn looked happy, he laughed at something Ren said, the hybrid seemed pleased as well.

He spotted his soulmates in the distance, talking amongst themse-

“NOOOOOOOO!!!” A loud yell ran out,

Jimmy swung his head toward the direction of the sound, recognizing that voice.

Grian had a mortified look on his face as he stared at a heavily scarred man with blue wings on his back. Although the man didn’t seem bothered by Grian’s scream, instead preoccupied with chasing a small blue spirit that Tango had released to help with cleaning up.

Grian didn’t seem to be in any danger, just stunned, so Jimmy decided to just continue on his way.

Tango noticed him first,

”Jimmy!” He called out, “ Where were you?”

Jimmy held up the lantern,

“Just grabbing this, I couldn’t take it with me when I went to fight the dragon, I didn’t want to leave it behind” he said, “Even if it lead me into a deadly labyrinth”

“Hey! It wasn’t supposed to do that, in fact give that here, I can make you a new-“ Tango was cut off as Jimmy pressed his lips to Tango’s. His hair flared up into the air, burning brithtly.

”That’s alright, I like this one. You gave it to me after making me pass out, it’s sweet” Jimmy said, as the four of them stared at him with wide eyes.

”….Hey! I want a kiss!” Skizz yelled,

“No me!” Impulse exclaimed,

“Me second!” Zedaph proclaimed,

The three of them crowded around him, Tango still frozen. Jimmy chuckled.

”I guess this is long past due, after all you all did finish a war for me~” Jimmy said,

Pressing a kiss against Zedaph’s lips, he smiled as Skizz dragged him over. Skizz put an arm around his waist, and dropped him in a dip. Eagerly pressing a kiss to Jimmy’s lips. Jimmy was let back up with a giggle, and let Impulse lift him up so he could kiss him.

Jimmy was content to keep giving them kisses as they fought over the number of kisses each of them got.

He was content to spend the rest of his life with them.