Chapter Text
CRACK!
"Oh!" The traitor fell face first onto the snow. He was weak and shivering, it was a miracle that he had even gotten this far alive. But he couldn't stop here. He pushed himself up, wiping the snow from his face and hot-pink horns despite the fact that his bare hands were heavily trembling. Then he heard the crack again. It sounded like glass breaking, driving him to look back out of curiosity. Subspace reached a hand out towards the peculiar artifact when a bright beacon emerged out of it, causing him to shield his eyes with his arms in a panic. The light started shifting and taking the form of something that he thought he would only ever hear from a children's fairytale.
It looked down upon him.
"Hi there!" It smiled.
Subspace felt his jaw slowly drop at the sight. He was frozen (half-literally and physically). He took a step back, stumbling and nearly falling back onto the snow. The figure… an entity!!? Sure the illustrations from the books were a bit different, they said they were young, that their eyes were soft and welcoming. Enchanting like the woodland creatures of Blackrock and wings where light could shine through. That they were nothing but a myth of the far and distant past who flicks around protect spawnlings from their nightmares. Though most are not taught to see them remotely as a figure of worship or praise. Those from Korblox never cared for mere fairytales. Obviously it turns out that was an over-exaggeration of the very creature in front of him. He tried to speak, but really… what could he say? It would probably just take his life here for being a nuisance
It held its left hand out, blue light glinting from their palm and seconds right before they were able to summon their gear it glitched out and dissipated. It looked surprise, eyed widened as they looked wards their hands, teeth grinding together in anger. Then it looked at him.
"…Mortals." The entity rolled its eyes and in a quick flash they zipped away with its blue moth-like wings carrying them, leaving a sparkly trail before it dissipated into the air.
He was left there in the snow. The traitor shook his head, coming back to his senses before he noticed the mirror buried in the snow, picking it up with cold shaky hands. While the glass of the mirror was shattered, in its handle was a gap where a crystal-shaped vial filled with molten-gold fluid fit in snugly. He'd like to examine it, but with his current predicament he couldn't guarantee that he could extract the vial without breaking it. Hold on, is he really thinking about that right now? Where are his priorities!? They're after him! Perhaps he'll try when or if he makes it out of this place alive…
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Years are fast for immortals. So he thought he could wait it out. The mirror could not be opened from the inside while it was fully intact (he's tried), and the only way out was to break it. Darkheart made sure of that. Somehow it felt no different from how THEY used to punish him in his youth. It felt like THEY were never truly gone, not with the way his siblings behaved around him.
At first Firebrand talked him through the imprisonment. Saying that he'll forgive him if he apologized, or how he'll be let out if he says he's ready. But he could never get a response out of Ice Dagger. Why should he apologize for being himself after all? At some point Ice Dagger thought that Firebrand just stopped trying for them. He couldn't tell how many days or years had passed anymore, but the reassurance stopped coming only recently.
Until he heard that crack from the inside, doing just enough damage to the artifact for him to let himself out.
When Ice Dagger saw cracks in the voided empty space, his expression finally lit up with something for the first time in years. He held his hands out towards the cracks and shot out beams of icicles, again and again until the shards flew out along with a bright blue beacon. His wings sprung out as he finally felt air for the first time. Winter air. He opened his eyes, the sight not as blinding as he expected it to be. Because he wasn't met with sunshine, he was met with a winter wasteland and a complete stranger beneath him. They were already on the brink of death, which did not make them a factor of his concern. Though even as he left, he could not shrug off the thought of why Firebrand left the mirror in the middle of Blackrock nowhere, unable to summon his gear. Despite that he could roam freely and use his powers. So he figured he'd deal with that problem later.
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Crossroads. He remembered Firebrand being a great figure of authority here. 'King' as one might say, or so he's heard. There wasn't anywhere Ice Dagger could find him within the region, with all the places he pops up in while being careful not to be seen by any mortals. Gosh Crossroads looks different, and so much more complicated! How long was he in that mirror?
His quick search came to a stop in a random secluded corner of Crossroads. Ice Dagger sighed. "Where could you be… you told me you liked this place. Huh?" He noticed a door that was suddenly engulfed by shadow, it's outlines glowing a bright green. Oh! Ice Dagger's form fell splattered onto the concrete ground in the form of a clear puddle. An instinct when he wanted to hide.
Darkheart emerged out of the door, peering his head both ways as if he was making sure there weren't any unsuspecting Inphernals around. He walked out of the door, seemingly humming to himself. Ice Dagger couldn't help but silently scoff at the sight of them. But then he thought 'Where were they going?' He waited until they were facing away to follow by slipping his form into any nearby reflection, street lamps, glass windows. While the latter blended in with the shadows. To his surprise, Darkheart just went underneath one of the bridges that led to Blackrock specifically. There was a wooden platform there, and a fishing rod laying. There wasn't a spot for him to get close and watch without being spotted. Besides the waters below…
He dove in, now even a splash being heart as he blended in with the waters. They're just fishing..? Hm… that can't be right. Ice Dagger quickly got sick of waiting for them to do anything.
He internally sighed and left. Quietly.
He wondered where all of his other siblings were.
Ice Dagger tried again to search for Firebrand outside of Crossroads, taking note of his observations around the regions of the Inpherno wherever he zipped by. Machines… Deadly Flora, City split between ground terrain and sky, and… Bright Desert on fire. Oh. Ice Dagger's hovering came to a halt, his wings slowly fluttering. His right eye twitched twice upon the sight.
He sneered at it. "Oh, you hypocrite. You dare run away…after this? After what you've done to me?" The deity muttered to himself. Of course even Ice Dagger could tell that it was no ordinary fire. It was raging and beyond a glimpse perhaps one could even feel keening? His eyes were glued to the flames. Is that why he never came back for him? Why he never let him out on his own accord? Why he left them in the middle of nowhere in Blackrock? The heat. Maybe it was just the heat that made his eyes water… yeah. He needed to leave before he completely lost it far too soon.
As a not just the God of snow but also a representation for dreams and secrets (and also a result of his past shyness)he could hide in reflective surfaces or in the form of them, using this, he tried to find the rest of his siblings. What were they up to now? He made some mental notes to himself about what he observed…
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Firebrand. Missing??? There's nothing that Ice Dagger was interested in knowing about him for reasons out of fury. At most, he's made sure that he's gone from this world. Really gone. Not dead, simply gone. However, he has also realized that his brother is a complete and utter hypocrite. How dare he, to allow the wrongful imprison of his own blood while shedding even more than Ice Dagger himself believed he was worth. It didn't matter that it was Darkheart who sealed it shut for him to be unable to escape. They both let it happen, they both are guilty. He does not know where Firebrand has ended up, but internally, he so dearly hoped he did not come back and get in his way again.
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Windforce. Not much exactly has changed about her. Does being bolder count? Ruling a faction of a region is not too surprising, especially since it was apparently that chunk of earth that's floating in the sky. Definitely a Windforce thing, Ice Dagger thought.
The most surprising thing about her was the choice of having a descendant. First-generation. The question Ice Dagger had was why now? Why so recently?
About the descendant himself, Ban Hammer. Originally, they saw him in Crossroads, took interest and decided to follow him up until he returned to this lava region called 'Banlands'. It was an absolute pain to remain hidden there. Especially with its temperatures… then his mother visited. He found out more about him by visiting his dreams. Those fairytales that were made about Ice Dagger weren't a complete lie, but he wasn't there to protect anyone from their nightmares. Of course while most dreams of Inphernals were nonsensical and random, it did tend to reveal parts of their characters. A justice-seeking warden being the child of a destructive temperamental Deity of the skies. Ice Dagger could laugh.
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Darkheart. Just as Ice Dagger had expected, there was not even a smidgen of guilt on their face after what they've done to him. Even if he secretly hoped so, but maybe they just decided to forget? But just how much will it take for him to actually care? How far could he push to make them care? Someone like them… maybe they deserve a fate such as his. If they knew what they put him through then maybe they could finally learn some empathy. Maybe even if they didn't learn, it would certainly bring Ice Dagger the satisfaction.
Though following one deity just leads to finding out more about another.
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Venomshank. Once again, Ice Dagger noted that nothing much has changed. Besides him taking in a pupil that isn't his own spawn. Again, why only recently? What's so special about this mortal 'Sword' for Venomshank to take them under his wing? The sad thing was that he would lose them eventually and judging from how everyone seemed to be occupied with their own thing… who's gonna leash him when that loss takes a toll?
One thing Ice Dagger had often found ironic was Venomshank's little… problem. How everyone was just fine roaming around normally whilst he got sealed in a mirror for, who knows how long at this point? Ridiculous. Otherwise, he doesn't really matter.
He tried to visit Sword's dreams for anything that made him perhaps special. Nothing really. Mostly about this friend of his, and the wish to have a better relationship with his mentor. One like family, or perhaps the acknowledgement and reassurance from Venom himself that they are in fact family. If only he knew what came with being one of them.
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Ghostwalker. It was difficult to make any important notes about him. Other than he's just been doing what he's always done since they were all newlyspawns, and that he is almost utterly impossible to find. Truly, it really is just all he knows.
The watchers only continue to do what they were made to do, but he didn't think he could ask any of them for help. They would only probably tell Ghostwalker about him, and he'd rather not let any of his siblings know he'd been set free.
Another thing to note, he had memories of Illumina and Ghostwalker working together. Though for the past days that he'd been (painfully tried) watching him, there was not a sight of Illumina herself.
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Illumina…
The one place he knew to try and look was an ancient tower long when their creators were still around. Illumina took it the hardest when THEY disappeared from the Inphinity. Some of them were relieved, others were numb to it. Even then, Illumina had started to become more distant than ever as they moved on with their lives. Would it really be worth the hassle to look for him?
It was a tall spire, formerly used by THEM to reside in the Inpherno whilst in the middle of programming their forms. Possibly to perfect their code and design. That's what Illumina told him at least.
Not only that but it was incredibly far from the rest of the regions, surrounded by violent waves of the sea. As if it intended to keep any mortal out. Still, Ice Dagger persisted against the weather, the one corner of the Inpherno that Windforce did not tend to.
The air felt as if it had gone stale as soon as his feet reached the barren ground below, and in front of him stood the spire. Tall in it's former rusted glory. It's a miracle it still stood on a land that had no grass or flora, no life.
"Let this one patch of land remind you all of the world without the balance you provide." Ice Dagger remembered THEIR words. Then he walked forward towards the massive doors. With how old they were he had to force it open with his bare hands, the rust creaking with every push. If the doors were closed that could perhaps mean no one had been here for centuries. Not even his siblings. He'd finally gotten the doors to open with a loud creak. By the Heights, it was incredibly dark.
Seems like this place hasn't changed much besides get older… Ice Dagger held his hand out once again attempting to summon his weapon. The blue spark glinted in his palm once more, it was there, but he just couldn't reach it. Like no matter how far he stretched his arm out it was just out of his grasp. Why, why isn't this working!? His hands began to shake right in front of him.
He swallowed his fury, after all his powers were still functional. Just not to the full extent. Ice Dagger summoned a crystal from his right palm and with a quick flick of his wrist he shot it towards the ceiling in the middle of the room. The crystal burst and materialized into a chandelier made of ice that illuminated up the whole room in a light blue glow.
It really did seem to be just some place for THEIR belongings. While the outside was tall and formerly (despite rusted) grandiose the inside truly wasn't all that much. The bottom only filled with the dust it had collected and a mysterious hovering sphere in the center of the room. It was cracked, meaning it was most likely useless.
"Illumina! Maybe…?" Ice Dagger called hesitantly. Besides Firebrand, Illumina was nice to him too. Perhaps he wouldn't react too violently if they saw him, right? They'd be the last to react that way.
Then again the building was a spire so perhaps there was something at the very top? Ice Dagger's wings flicked up, taking him to the very top of the spire while his magic make-shift chandelier hovered by his side until they reached something that appeared to be a study area. Bookshelves with an headache-amount of rolled the up paper that acted as 'records' on one side of the room. On the other side, messy desks littered with more scrolls. Gosh, THEY really loved writing huh? It would take forever to look through them, but Ice Dagger decided to try and skim through anyway. He didn't find anything useful. Blablabla, 'creation of the Swords, nature in the Inpherno' that sort of jargon he didn't care for.
Of course, as expected, it was all written in the ancient language that only they Deities speak of.
One desk was particularly clear and drew his attention, scrolls neatly rolled up and put together. One scroll was opened and laid out, only barely filled with writings. Such handwriting that was so posh it was easily recognizable, and it was not their creator's. Ice Dagger carefully picked it up in his hands. His eyes flicking down to the last few sentences.
'—Remember this. The half of yourself that has been stolen. One of them has it. Find it before its too late, and establish your great dream for the Inpherno—"
"Must be Illumina's writings…" He muttered. "Wonder if he's been in the spire for all these years." There was something in the corner that made his pointy ears perk. A shift? A slight gust of wind that came from just the smallest movement. Robes shifting and a spot of light that didn't come from his own chandelier. He snatched the scroll into his hand out of curiosity, commanding the crystal to shatter as an act to kill the light. The shards scatter all over the floor and Ice Dagger divides his form into in piece of the fragments reflection.
A faint glow manifested into the room, phasing right through the walls. He didn't need a light source, Illumina's figure himself was the light source. He seemed…different? Was it the light? Was it the way he was hovering rather than walking despite only having one wing? Or was it the way his figure glitched like an avatar rather than a real body. Ah, right… Duh.
Of course, he should know that the Illumina right now that everyone has probably been talking to was not the real him. But a light projection from his own power, but he just never knew why Illumina decided to hide his physical form away. He's also often use his followers as a communication extension.
"It is rude to snoop through one's belongings right under their nose, you know?" Said Illumina, gazing at the shards on the floor which then started to glow before little balls of light came together from each piece of the shards before fusing together and Ice Dagger came right out.
"Ehehehe…" The Deity of Ice chuckled sheepishly. "I guess I have a lot more to learn about being sneaky."
The older deity sighed. "So long. And you haven't changed…" Illumina couldn't help a fond smile. "So silly, and still oh so small." He was about to reach out and ruffle his hair, but he stopped himself before he could make contact. Ice Dagger assumed it was because her hand would just phase right through them.
"Wow, how long have you been in here? I could barely get the doors to open!" Asked Ice Dagger. He really had the face of a baby lamb with being so wide-eyed and his cheeks being rounded. He did this on purpose. After all, maybe their perception of his appearance would change since they haven't seen him for so long.
"Not as long as when you were gone… tell me, where did you go? I've searched for you for a long time I could just—never remember." Illumina raised a brow. Ah, the question he dreaded she'd ask.
Ice Dagger raised a brow. Had Darkheart and Firebrand never told him? "You… really don't know?"
As Illumina shook his head, his lips pressed into a thin line as the realization dawned upon him. His own brethren imprisoned him and left the others to believe he had run away instead. His right eye twitched again, a fuzzy static in his mind becoming louder and louder. Until he forced himself to snap back to his current reality to face his oblivious sibling. He didn't want her to think that he was angry.
Ice Dagger sighed. "I—I've hidden away. After how I've hurt some of you and other mortals I took plenty of time. I went to the uninhabited outskirts of Blackrock." He turned away, looking 'ashamed'. Probably like that hypocrite when he made his 'mistake'.
The Deity of order raised a brow in skepticism in typical fashion. "For hundreds of years?"
"…" Ice Dagger turned back to face them. A barely contained look of shock hurt behind his eyes that shifted into a dead smile. "For hundreds of years…" His eyes narrowed.
Illumina looked at him with a hint of pity. Still, he decided not to pry anyway. Not with seeing that look on his younger brother's face. "Well, it is nice seeing you again, but I will need that back." Illumina pointed at the scroll still in his hand. He did so without much protest. For he was no longer a prisoner, nor an angry deity seeking vengeance after being wronged and forgotten. No one even thought to search for him after all those years
He was Ice Dagger, the youngest of the SFOTH, their 'baby brother'.
And nothing more than that.
"What exactly have you been doing in here that's made you stay for so long? I mean, no offense but you look a bit…dimmer from when I last remember you."
Illumina's shoulders seemed to slump as if they were weighed down by a sudden wave of dejection. His wing lowered. "I have been searching for a way to regain the other half of my power. It was lost in a great conflict between myself and…" He paused, losing the courage to mention the true events. "Ah, it's been so long. So much has happened without you. Things I cannot remember."
It all rushed into his head 'The rest of my half, my dream for the Inpherno.' Even more secrets.
"Perhaps I could help you? I still have all of my power." He placed a hand on his chest. "What is it that you dream of for the Inpherno? You said so in the last sentence of your writings."
Illumina shook his head with a light chuckle. "Nosy you are. Always did bring a smile to my face." He brought a hand up, reaching towards the ceiling of the spire. The Deity of Order summoned a weak speck of light, it glinted like a small star as he brought it into his hands. Like how some younglings would wish upon them when they were dashing across space. "I only dream of abolishing agony, for futility to be accepted to avoid the pain of fleeting moments, and bringing unity… through perfect order."
"Then…" Ice dagger raised a finger, tapping the little star with a tint of his own power. It hovered until it reached the very top of the ceiling before bursting into particles of glitter-frost like a weak flurry. "You have made a wish before me, a Deity of dreams, and that means it shall come true. I mean, now that I'd like to help you with that of course. I too have a dream of removing suffering from the world."
Despite her monotone expression, Illumina's eyes had subtly widened from surprise of their brother's willingness to help accomplish his dream?
"So tell me everything." Said the Deity of Ice, a grin on his face.