Chapter Text
Black.
Everything was black.
They had been traveling for days from the place where he had been captured. His wings were bound by heavy chains that prevented any movement, denying him even the slightest bit of comfort.
He was not alone in that old cart. He listened carefully—the crying of a child, the groans of another man, and the murmurs of a woman. He could not see them; his eyes were covered with a black cloth that blocked his vision, but something told him they were all hybrids like him.
He tried to shift slightly to the left, but a sharp pull on his back made him stop and bite down on the metal between his teeth. To prevent him from harming the traffickers, they had forced a very uncomfortable iron bar into his mouth. When he had been captured, a weakness-and-poison-tipped arrow had left him almost paralyzed, and although the main effect had worn off, he still didn’t have enough strength to break free.
He could feel the terror of the others in the air. They had surely been captured in a traumatic way.
When the cart suddenly stopped, everything fell silent. He listened as someone climbed down from the front and walked over dry grass, approaching the back. Then he heard the fabric covering the cart being pulled aside, followed by a cruel laugh.
“It’s been a long time since we had one of those…” Philza felt something touch him—like the tip of an arrow, though it could just as easily have been the point of a spear.
“Oh, that one… it’s a commission from the queen. She plans to gift another one of these to her son,” the female voice explained disdainfully. Her voice was soft, but disturbingly robotic.
“That useless prince, always staring at his disgusting bird…” another unknown human whispered. Phil could hear the disgust in his words.
Then the first person grabbed one of the hybrids beside him. The man screamed in terror.
“Well, isn’t this a rabbit hybrid?” the mockery was obvious. “I think we should get rid of this one. He’s old, he’s male, and they’re hard to sell anyway. You know there are breeders who sell real jewels.”
“I know, but I wanted to fill the cart with something—even if it was trash,” the woman spoke again. Philza was beginning to hate that indifferent voice.
A quick movement, the sound of a cut, and the smell of blood reignited the child’s crying and the woman’s murmurs. He heard the man being shoved to the ground with contempt.
The murderer climbed back onto the cart, and the journey resumed.
Philza closed his eyes beneath the cloth and remembered how he had been captured. He remembered his family. He clenched his teeth, then quickly relaxed when he felt the metal again.
They traveled for a few more hours until they reached what he believed was their destination. The noise there was overwhelming—people laughing, chains clanking.
Growls were drowned out by degrading words.
A large hand grabbed the chains that kept him immobile, and he was violently thrown to the ground.
“Careful! The queen wants him intact!” If he were free, he would have bitten the woman’s neck. Damn bitch… Oh. Now his thoughts sounded like Tommy.
“Oh, is this the bird…?” an unfamiliar voice pulled him from his thoughts. The blindfold was removed quickly, and he shut his eyes from the sudden light.
“This specimen is perfect. As you can see, he has enviable black wings. He’s strong and fast,” said the same voice that had complained about the prince. “I’m sure Her Majesty will be delighted.”
“I’ll take him then. My companion will handle the payment and paperwork, so I’ll load the bird into our cart.” His eyes were covered again as his chains were grabbed, his wings pulled painfully—as if they were being torn off. He was thrown into a cage; he knew by the smell of rusted metal and the cold touch of it. “Do you have any sedative? In case he tries to fight on the way.”
“Oh yes, but it won’t be free. You know how things work here—” Philza felt a sharp sting in his arm and shuddered.
“My companion will pay.”
“You’re an idiot, I don’t have—” The words faded as his head grew foggy.
He was losing consciousness. He wanted to panic, but everything dissolved into nothing as sleep overtook him.
《♧》
When he became faintly aware again, he was being pushed. It wasn’t a cart—the movement was smoother, more regular, and much quieter. He was still inside the cage, but it seemed to be placed on some kind of trolley.
They stopped suddenly. Knocks on what he assumed was a door fully woke him.
“Come in” a strange voice called from inside. The doors opened, and he was wheeled in.
It smelled nice. Fresh.
“Mother… what brings you here?” the same voice spoke again, curious.
“My son, I’ve seen how fond you are of your pet, so I decided to bring you another one to grow your collection.”
“Another one…?” The warmth left the voice.
Phil felt fabric being removed—probably from his cage. Someone opened it and removed the blindfold from his eyes. In front of him stood a man wearing fine blue clothing, brown hair neatly kept.
“An Avian…” the man whispered. He wore white gloves and a small crown.
Phil assumed this was the prince he had been brought to.
Horrible humans who saw them as nothing more than pets.
“Yes, to keep Dream company,” the woman—now clearly the queen—said.
“You know Dream doesn’t like sharing.”
“Oh, George, please… That bird will be delighted to share with him.” The prince didn’t respond after that and gave an order to the guards, who covered Phil’s cage again.
The trolley was pushed into another room—larger and better lit. Soon he was taken out of his cage and thrown into a much larger one. One of the guards pulled out a key.
“Hey, bird, come here!” he shouted, tossing the key into the larger cage. This one wasn’t made of iron, but gold—it would be easier to escape if he weren’t chained. “You’ll want to free him soon…”
Laughing and mocking, the guards left the hall. Phil wanted to scream for them to unchain him; he was still too weak to break the chains on his own.
The sound of rustling leaves pulled him from his thoughts. Another hybrid stood before him. He had blond hair—not the same shade as Tommy’s. He wore a white mask with a painted smile—cheerful, yet eerie—and enormous black wings, very similar to Phil’s.
An Elytran, like him.
“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my sanctuary?” The young but harsh voice made him tense again.
He felt slow. He hated weakness potions.
“I’m Philza,” he said, barely intelligible with the metal in his mouth. He looked away, pointing his gaze at the key. “Could you please free me from these chains? I think that’s the key.”
“And why would I do that?” Mockingly, the winged blond picked up the key, examined it, then looked back at Philza “Nah. I’m not going to free you.”
Phil wanted to scream, but only sighed.
“Please…”
“This is my space. You’re an intruder.” The blond walked away, taking the key with him. “I’ll tell George to get you out of here.”
Oh. So this had to be—
“You’re Dream, right?” He hated speaking with the metal in his mouth.
“Oh wow, you know me.” Dream stepped closer, his mask unsettling. “That doesn’t change anything.”
“Dream!” The door burst open. George rushed in, holding diamonds in his hands.
“George, I want this thing out of my space. Now.” The blond crossed his arms, clearly annoyed.
“I can’t remove him. He’s a gift from my mother…” He looked worried. The interaction between them was strange.
“I don’t care. You’ll be king soon anyway.”
“I’ll make you a diamond sword if you let him stay until then.” He showed the diamonds.
“Only if it’s forged with Sapnap’s fire.”
“Deal.”
And suddenly the chains released. Finally, his wings were free. He could move again. He removed the metal from his mouth himself, breathing easier.
“It’s only temporary, Dream. I appreciate it,” George said, leaving soon after. Phil tried to stand, but his legs were still weak.
Strangely enough, Dream helped him up.
“I’ve never seen another Avian like me.” That was wrong. “You’ll stay here, but there are rules.”
“I’m not an Avian. I’m an Elytran.”
“Don’t lie to me. You have the same wings as me, so you’re the same.”
“No. We are the same, yes.” Phil studied him. He looked like a normal human with wings, so… “You’re an Elytran too. Avians have bird feet and a feathered tail. They also have more feathers behind their ears.”
Dream froze and tilted his head to the right.
“Oh…” Phil heard him murmur, confused.
“You’ve never seen another one of us…?”
“I mean, no. I came here when I was a kid, you know?”
Phil felt his heart sink. No—Dream had been captured as a child? Now that he looked closer, Dream’s wings were messy, poorly cared for. And inside the cage, there was no nest.
“Oh, buddy…”
Well… he could escape later, after teaching this kid a few things, right?