Work Text:
(Rough Timeline: After ‘Minecraft Pro VS 1000 Player Civilization’ - Before the start of any of the UU Arcs)
Wemmbu can’t remember anything from his childhood. Or at least- he can’t remember anything from when he was nine and younger. Even the memories of when he was ten to thirteen were a little fuzzy. The main thing he can remember is that when he was fourteen he met Eggchan, who was roughly a year older than him. And after that it was clear as glass.
He did know that he was a demonic avian hybrid. If you wanted to get really specific, he was an End demon who could mimic voices and a violet-backed starling hybrid. So with that logic, he must have been from the End. He did have a surprisingly good sense of direction when he was in said dimension, along with knowing the time fairly easily. Though those perks had slightly faded from the years he spent in the Overworld.
With all of that in mind, what actually happened? Wemmbu had questioned it for literal years, but not even Egg, who was a high authority seraphim and could ‘see all’ (or so he claimed), could figure it out. So again, what was his past? Did he have parents, and if so were they still alive? How did he even get to the Overworld if he was born and lived in the End?
It buzzed in his mind for so long. Right now he was just inside the treehouse, boredly sitting on a couch. There wasn’t much he could really do right now besides think. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall what had happened when he was younger.
~?~
About ten years ago, before Wemmbu was a fighter, before he had survived physical and mental harshness, before he was even in the Overworld: he was simply a child in the End.
He wore a white short-sleeved top that had a turtleneck-like collar and a light blue ruffled hem, which was worn over a white long-sleeved undershirt. Said undershirt’s sleeves slightly draped over his hands if his arms were down, making them appear oversized. There was also a light blue ribbon that hung from the right side of his hip. He had plain black straight pants, and small white boots. And, on top of his head, gently set by his deep purple horns, was a small golden tiara with pale purple gemstones, lavender rose quartz, carefully attached.
His hair was shorter, though still long enough to be tied into a messy yet nice looking bun, and was still that same purple shade. Though his bangs didn’t fade to white, and there wasn’t a pale blue streak. Instead it was like how his hair was before his ‘Invisible Knight’ identity. His light purple skin wasn’t littered with scars from battle or torture, instead it was soft and clean and untouched. His eyes were the same deep amethyst, though they seemed.. Brighter, more alive and energetic. His deep purple, almost black horns were small and not very sharp, along with his demonic tail of the same shade and his violet-backed starling wings.
And since he was much younger, he was also quite small. Instead of standing confidently at a height of around six feet, he happily skipped and was about two feet shorter. Overall, Wemmbu seemed more soft and quietly energetic when he was younger.
Now, he wasn’t exactly royalty per se. But, Wemmbu’s mother, an End demon hybrid, was a high-ranking guard. A second-hand to the General, a lieutenant. And with that position, her family gained perks. So Wemmbu could enjoy small luxuries such as a little tiara or comfortable yet fancy clothes. Unfortunately, though, his father could not enjoy those perks much.
Wemmbu’s father, a violet-backed starling hybrid, was ill. And so far the doctors couldn’t do much. No one was sure what sickness he had, just that it wasn’t contagious, and that it was slowly killing him. Of course Wemmbu wasn’t fully aware of that part, though. He simply believed that his dad wasn’t healthy and they hadn’t found the right medicine yet. Everything could be cured, couldn’t it?
Overall, Wemmbu was very joyous, albeit quiet. He could softly ramble about things that interested him, or silently laugh if he heard about something funny that happened. He also had his fair share of a mischievous streak, but almost everyone loved him for it. The End wasn’t a very exciting dimension, so a distraction and a bit of fun was decently welcome.
The demonic avian also learned quite quickly. Despite not being able to fly quite yet, he knew very well how to take care of his wings. He was shown three times by his father two or so years ago, and it has stuck with him since. He was also very polite if the time called for it. Mostly because his mother had gently drilled proper etiquette into him, wanting him to have good manners. He was her only son, after all.
And, while he was friendly or on neutral terms with almost everyone he met, adults and other kids alike, he only really had one friend. A voidling named SpokeIsHere, or just Spoke. He was about a year and half older than Wemmbu, but he enjoyed listening to Wemmbu ramble. Sometimes he would even chat about his own interests too. The two enjoyed being mischievous with one another, and Spoke tried to help Wemmbu with mimicking if he could. Unfortunately Spoke split his time between the End and the Overworld, though, so Wemmbu only saw him for about half of the year (according to Spoke he was in the End during the colder part of the year, Fall and Winter, and in the Overworld during the warmer parts, Spring and Summer). Oddly enough, Spoke wasn’t even from the End or the Overworld’s voids. He was instead from the Nether’s void. But Wemmbu didn’t really know what difference it made, so he didn’t think about it too much.
All in all, Wemmbu’s life was good. And hopefully nothing would happen that would ruin that. Unfortunately, he was oblivious to any of the horrors going around.
~?~
A year later, when Wemmbu was about eight and a half, disaster struck.
He was walking around outside, before wandering back into his home. He skipped to his father’s bedroom, hoping that he would be awake for once. His father had been bedridden and asleep for months, but Wemmbu still kept the hope that he would recover. Maybe if Wemmbu was lucky then his dad could teach him more about mimicking people’s voices?
So, the demonic avian opened the door and hopped inside. It was dark, the lanterns had unlit candles in them. A cool breeze came from the window that was slightly open at the top. The floor was made of purpur, a large white rug covering most of it. The walls were endstone bricks, with a painting of Wemmbu and his parents hanging above the large bed. Overall nothing seemed amiss.
“Dad?” Wemmbu called softly, slightly bubbling with excitement. He skipped over to be at the side of the bed. “Dad?” he said once more.
His father was asleep, as usual, but.. Something was wrong. His light skin was even paler, his frame thin. His black hair seemed messier than normal. And Wemmbu couldn’t hear his soft breathing- actually, his father’s chest wasn’t moving at all. Which was weird.
“Dad?” Wemmbu murmured again. This was odd. Normally his father stirred after the third time Wemmbu called for him. So, Wemmbu lightly shrugged and gently poked his father’s arm. Still nothing. What was going on? “Dad!” Wemmbu said, voice a little louder. And yet again, there was no response. Not even a twitch.
It didn’t matter how much Wemmbu called for his father, or poked him, or tugged on a sleeve. Even when Wemmbu climbed into the bed, there was nothing. Even when Wemmbu very carefully ran a hand across one of his father’s wings. Absolutely nothing.
Feeling uneasy, Wemmbu left the room and looked for someone he knew. He wandered outside and went to the busy part of the town, searching. Eventually he saw a guard that he remembered had checked on his father before. So then he walked over and lightly tugged on their sleeve. The guard looked down with a confused expression, “What do you need, Wemmbu?” She asked softly.
“Dad’s not waking up,” Wemmbu answered quietly.
The guard’s face shifted, looking worried. “I’ll check up on him. You stay here, okay?” Wemmbu merely nodded, and the guard left.
Wemmbu waited for about five minutes before a few doctors rushed past him in the distance. He raised a brow and watched them curiously. They were going to his home. But why?
Before he knew it his mother was quickly walking toward him. “Wemmbu,” she said.
“Hm?”
“Your father is..” she hesitated, and Wemmbu could see how watery her eyes seemed to be, “he won’t be with us anymore.”
“..What does that mean?” Wemmbu queried quietly. “Is he leaving?”
“Kind of,” his mother sighed. “You’ll see him again, one day,”
Wemmbu stayed quiet for a few moments. His brain was buzzing with confusion and he was trying to recall anything that would tell him what was happening. The only thing that came up to him was whenever he saw people gathered around a grave. And then it dawned on him. Clearly his mother realized that, as she kneeled down and gave him a hug.
“I don’t want dad to leave yet,” Wemmbu said quietly, feeling a lump start to form in his throat.
“I know,” his mother choked out, “neither do I.”
~?~
“Wemmbu, dear, I’m sorry, but I really don’t have the time right now,” his mother said, starting to leave the house. She had all her armor on, her sword clipped to her belt.
“What’s happening?” He asked worriedly, “You never need all your armor.”
“Nothing you need to worry about, my dear,” his mother said. But her tone was almost terrified, and her tail curled around her leg shakily. That same thing that Wemmbu did when he was scared.
“Mum-” he started, but she had already shut the door. His face lightly fell, and his wings twitched uncomfortably.
It had been about seven months, and tension seemed to rise every single week. He had heard rumors of fights breaking out at the borders, something about a watchtower being taken over. He didn’t know much, since every time someone noticed he was listening they switched topics.
His mother had been home less and less, constantly getting messages on her communicator, though Wemmbu assumed they were orders from a general or something.
Within that time Wemmbu’s quiet cheerfulness had started to diminish. By now he was just quiet, silent even. He carefully walked down roads instead of skipping. He had a neutral expression instead of a gentle smile. His tail almost always was down and still, instead of excitedly swishing.
What was worse was that his appetite started to disappear as well. His mother and family friends tried to get him to eat, but he couldn’t manage much. He didn’t like it. He wanted to eat and sleep easily, he wanted to be able to ramble away or mimic odd sounds, he wanted to be able to run or skip around again. He wanted to be able to visit and hug his father. He couldn’t even go to Spoke for comfort because the voidling was in the Overworld and wouldn’t be back for another.. Three months?
A few hours later his mother came back. She looked tired, her armor was slightly battered, and her sword was unclean. Immediately Wemmbu wanted to ask questions, mostly about if she was okay and what happened. But he saw the exhausted look in his mother’s eyes, and her body language. So, he quietly went to his room and waited for a long time, thinking that she wanted time to herself.
Eventually he heard muffled words, so he sat against his door and perked his ears. He couldn’t make out exact sentences, but he heard a few things.
Fighting
Thirteen already dead
Four missing
Surprise
Unprepared
Screwed
War
And at that word he stopped listening. He quickly ran away and hid in his bed. What did ‘war’ mean? Was a war starting? Who started it? Would his mother be safe? Would he be safe? Hundreds of questions buzzed in his head, and soon enough he was getting teary eyed. So, Wemmbu simply squeezed his eyes shut and tried to go to sleep.
~?~
The next day wasn’t much better. His mother was gone almost the whole time once more, and simply left a small note about what to do for food if she wasn’t back by certain times. Wemmbu tried his best to follow it, but he mostly hid in his room for the day.
When his mother got back, he tensed with worry. She wasn’t in as bad of a condition as she was yesterday, but she still didn’t seem very well. Panic was also obvious in her eyes and expression. Quickly she looked at Wemmbu and tried to calm herself, though she didn’t manage it very well.
“Wemmbu, dear, listen very carefully, okay?” She started. Wemmbu merely nodded, his tail slowly wrapping around his leg. “We’re going to have to hide you, alright? It’s not safe in the End right now.”
“Why is it not safe?” Wemmbu asked hesitantly.
“There’s just.. A lot going on. But you’ll be fine, I’ll be fine. We’re going to get you to a safer place, okay?”
Wemmbu nodded, not trusting himself to speak. What happened next was very quick. Wemmbu wore clothes that were very simple, much different from what he normally dressed in. He also had to leave his small tiara, which took a few moments of convincing. Then his mother slightly cut his hair. Not too much, just enough that it couldn’t exactly be tied up anymore. He was sad about it, but he tried not to complain.
The next thing he knew, his mother was leading him to the main island. It was a long trek, and they had to hide a lot. Wemmbu wasn’t sure why, seeing how he didn’t see any danger. But he still complied and stayed quiet the whole time.
Eventually they made it. But the portal leading to the Overworld was also surrounded. By whom, he didn’t know. The uniforms on the soldiers looked different from what he saw in town. Wemmbu tried to not notice how his mother tensed at the sight of them. “Okay,” she whispered carefully, “listen very closely, Wemmbu.”
Wemmbu nodded nervously.
“I’m going to distract them, and when you can you’re going to run into the portal, okay? And after you get through to the Overworld, just run away. I’ll find you soon enough, don’t worry,” She explained. It was simple and direct, almost in a way that Wemmbu guessed was how she commanded soldiers. But because of how straightforward it was, Wemmbu could easily understand it. He carefully nodded, repeating the instructions in his head over and over again. “You ready?”
Wemmbu stayed still for a moment. Quickly he hugged his mother one last time. She hugged him back, placing a small kiss on his head. Then she pulled away, smiled at him, equipped her armor and sword, and ran off.
The demonic avian watched in horror as his mother walked up to the soldiers. He could tell that she was speaking to them. But quickly the soldiers guarding the portal launched at her, weapons drawn. Wemmbu watched as his mother blocked and parried, swung her sword and killed or at least incapacitated one or two guards. He froze at the sight.
Soon enough, though, his mother somehow caught his eye. She nodded, and he knew that he had to go. So, Wemmbu ran. He kept his eyes on the portal, and only ran there. Whether it was because the soldiers were busy fighting his mother, or because he was running too fast, he didn’t know, but he had made it. He made it to the edge of the portal and barely spared a single second before jumping in.
Going through the portal felt very.. Weird. It made him light-headed, made his vision swim, and made his body ache in a way it never had before. And then suddenly he was surrounded by grass and stone. Wemmbu paused and looked around. There was no sign of the portal he had gone through, no sign of the End, and no sign of his mother or the soldiers. So he simply ran. He ran away from where he had appeared, ran away from the End, ran away from his mother and his home.
And he ran until he physically couldn’t anymore. His chest ached and his breaths rattled in his burning lungs. His vision slightly spun, and for a moment he wondered if he was going to pass out. Thankfully that didn’t happen. As soon as Wemmbu recovered he started walking.
And he walked.
And walked.
And walked.
And walked.
Eventually he took a break, and then went back to walking. And soon enough he had entered a tundra. Exhausted from the running, walking, and lack of food or water, he sat down against a tree. And he closed his eyes, hoping that he would see his mother soon. At least the cold kind of reminded him of home. Maybe if he got lucky he could find Spoke in the Overworld, too?
~?~
Wemmbu stifled a sigh. He was still bored as hell, and had so many questions. Again, he couldn’t remember anything. And it was seriously ticking him off. Because why did he have amnesia and why did no one know what happened? It was stupid, and he was just irritated.
“Hey, Wemmbu!” Egg suddenly called.
Yeah?” Wemmbu called back.
“Come here for a second!”
“D’alright,”
And with that Wemmbu shrugged, got up from the couch, and walked over to Egg, abandoning the thoughts and buzzing questions.