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Phil will never forget the moments that completely changed his immortal life for forever. He can think of three major events that completely changed his life and he splits them and calls them different "life times" that he's lived, since when you're immortal, lose track of time easily and it's easier to keep track of everything that's happened if you split them up into different "lifetimes."
The first lifetime was when Phil and his entire family and race was captured and taken away to be slaves.
This was back when Hybrids were still pretty new and society had yet to accept them.
He'll never forget that day.
-
Phil was cold. He was terrified and cold and couldn't see anything due to the black hood over his head. His small body shivers he presses himself against the cold stone wall he can feel against his back, letting out quiet chirps and whimpers he calls out for his parents. He doesn't know where they are anymore. He hasn't seen them since they were split apart and they put the hood over his head.
the cold, metal shackles lightly clink from his shivering as they're wrapped tightly around his ankles and stuck to a metal loop sticking out of the floor of the cell to prevent him from trying to run out of the cell when the door opens, or even fly out. Not like he could've done that anyway since they binded up his wings to lay uncomfortably and painfully against his back.
Tears start running down his face once again and quiet sobs fill the otherwise quiet air. He tucks his legs close to his chest and wraps his arms around them. He just wants to see his mom and dad, to be held them and comforted through everything.
But even he could tell that he was most likely never going to see them ever again. They were gone, and he was left alone.
He didn't get much sleep from that night on.
-
"What is WRONG with you?!?"
Phil flinches at the loud shouting coming from the other side of the wooden door that led to the row of cells he was staying in. Other avian Hybrids of various ages were all chained up in their own cells, some by themselves while others were in groups of two or three. They all watch with a mix of terror and concern as the door slams open to reveal of the scary men (is what Phil calls them) dragging in an avian Hybrid that was screaming and crying, stuttering and begging for forgiveness as they're dragged by their short black hair. The scary man throws the avian on the ground in front of him, giving every avian in their cells a clear view of everything happening.
The avian simply curls in on themselves, holding up their hands in a desperate attempt to try and soften any blows that be coming. This only seems to anger the already furious man.
"YOU DON'T CLAW THE GUESTS, YOU DISGUSTING ANIMAL!" The man shouts, giving two hard kicks to the avian on the ground in front of him to emphasize the last two words he said.
Phil and the other avians all watch on in horror, some even silently crying as they watch the poor avian hybrid get beaten by the man's kicks. Phil feels sick as he watches this and his feet and mouth suddenly move faster than he could process. He scrambles across the stone floor towards the iron bars, gripping onto them.
"STOP!" He screams, causing the entire room to fall silent.
Suddenly, all eyes are on him and he shrinks back once more, looking over at the scary man who has now turned his anger towards Phil.
"What did you just say you little punk...?"
Phil immediately regrets what he said as he starts scrambling back towards the far wall of his cell, but it was no use as the man unlocks the cell door and stomps over to Phil who can't go any further, pressing himself up against the hard wall.
"Did you just talk back to me, brat?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" The man raises his fist and Phil's eyes widen before squeezing shut, his hands flying up in a futile attempt to lessen the pain.
And then everything went black.
That night Phil had made the discovery that he was immortal.
Because when he regained consciousness and gathered his bearings, he realized was lying in a pool of his own blood, and had injuries no eight year-old should have been able to sustain, even if he wished for the release.
But as he was being bandaged up by some of the other scary men (only enough to keep him alive because the young ones were the most valuable), he came to a realization that he could actually help by taking the beatings instead of the others, to the best of his abilities. It wouldn't be much and it would be hell, but he had a power none of the others had, and he was going to use it to his advantage.
So, from then on, if he had the chance he would take the beating for another Hybrid. Some days weren't too bad and he could bear it. Other days he felt like he never would've been able to move again. Some of the other Hybrids would try to talk him out of it, to reassure him that he doesn't have to do this, but Phil wanted to.
Sure, it was hard, and painful, and agonizing, and some days he hoped he just wouldn't open his eyes. But if he can't die, then he might as well use that for the benefit of others. And somehow, thankfully, his captors never figured out what was going on, considering they didn't really see any of them as human and didn't bother to look closer into how he was still alive after everything he's taken.
As long as the others are safe, then everything will be okay.
-
He was twelve years old when he was sold off to some rich nobleman who wanted him as a gift to his wife.
It was a pretty popular trend for those rich enough to purchase an avian Hybrid to have one as a pet, like they were just a bird that sings and looks pretty. And Children avian Hybrids, like Phil, were in high demand due to it being easier to "train" (is the word his captors used) since they're still young.
And that's how Phil found himself being washed by one of the maids in the rich man's house. It would be rude and disrespectful of him to be covered in grime and blood in front of his masters. And while Phil didn't like having been sold off and treated like nothing more than a pet, he has to admit it feels nice to have a touch that didn't hurt and to be clean after years of being stuck in a filthy, blood cell.
And the maid who was helping him was very nice and sweet. She always looked tired but she always smiled at Phil in hopes of making him feel better, gently washing away all of the dirt and dried blood that was on his skin and taking great care with his blonde hair which now reached to about his shoulders. She spoke softly and treated him with care. He really liked her. He tried to ignore how her actions made him think of his mom, or how she'd look heartbroken when she would see another one of his scars.
She finished washing him, drying him, and then dressing him up in ornate clothing, decked out in various jewelry. It was kind of uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to complain. The nice maid told him that as long as he behaved and did what the master would ask, he could stay here. He made a promise to do just that. It may not have been great, but it would be way better than where he was before.
For the next few years, he had to learn how to act and how to behave. Don't speak unless given permission, only chirps and whistling. No clawing, biting, or flinching away from touch. That one was a hard one to learn but he eventually managed to steel himself and take it.
It wasn't the best situation and he certainly didn't enjoy it, the master would have fits of anger at times that he would usually be on the receiving end of. But he had a decently comfortable cage and the kind maid, Sarah was her name, and cared for him whenever the master wasn't around. She treated him like an actual child, even secretly teaching him how to read and write. She helped Phil forget about the position he was in.
But it didn't last.
-
As soon as he turned 18, he was sent back to that hellhole. The master's wife deemed him no longer cute and pretty now that he was older, and they set him back. He wanted to trash, to scream and cry. Anything that would keep him from going back to that place.
But he knew better. He knew that would only make it harder on himself if he did, so he kept his head down and went peacefully, ignoring the way his heart ached when he looked back and saw the sad expression of Sarah as he was thrown into the back of the wagon, tied up, and being taken away.
When he arrived back at one of those underground bunkers, he went back to how things were before he left, no matter how sick it made him feel. He offered himself up as the punching bag once again, in hopes of sparing the other avian Hybrids. He didn't recognize any of the faces, meaning the ones he once knew were either sold off to someone else, or worse...
It honestly became something of routine to him, something he got used to. Maybe it was just his imagination but the blows and screaming hurt less than they did when he was a kid, and he wasn't going to let these idiots break him.
He continued like this for years, until he was twenty-two. Four years of being punched, kicked, whipped, feathers ripped out of his wings, and more horrible things until he finally reached his breaking point, and what he considered his second "lifetime" began.
He was woken up from his sleepless daze by the sound of the main door creaking open. His eyes flutter open and he pushes himself off of the hard floor to see who was coming in, expecting it was breakfast time, but the child-like wails completely snapped him out of the haze as he straightens up.
The man was dragging a sobbing child inside, no older than six, screaming and crying for his mom. The man was shouting at him to shut up as he tugged him by the arm, only causing the kid to cry even more.
Phil was frozen where he sat, staring at the sight in front of him with a horrified expression. The sight in front of him, accompanied by the crying child, brought him back to when he first was taken away as a child, torn away from his parents and left to rot and be beaten. At this very moment, he could see his younger self in that little boy.
And that was his last straw. Something in him clicked and he formed a plan in his head. All he had to do was wait.
And so he did. He waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Until finally, the opportunity presented itself.
Once every month, a random Hybrid was taken out for who knows what. All Phil knew was that they would come back bloodied and shaking like a leaf. But, the important thing was that two men would unshackle the Hybrid and take them away, which allowed the Hybrid to use their limbs again.
And that was their biggest mistake. As soon as it was Phil's turn, he would make his move. And eventually, it came.
The two men open Phil's cell and unshackle his feet before hoisting him up. Phil found it a struggle to support his own weight, his legs weak and shakey from years of not using them, but as the men started to drag him out, he willed himself to stand just long enough to do what he needed to do. And with a rush of adrenaline, Phil struck.
In a flash, Phil wretches his arms free and rams the man on his right to slam into the wall. The man cries out but barely has time to react or fight back as Phil grips his head and continuously bashes it into the stone brick wall. In a matter of minutes, the man's skull was cracked open and bleeding everywhere, only then did Phil let go of what remained of the man's head, staring down at what he had done, panting, watching the blood drip off of his hands. He didn't even register anything going on around him at the moment. He was moving on sheer adrenaline, his vision clouded in red.
The other man charges toward him but Phil sidesteps him and wraps his arm around the man's neck, squeezing hard, causing the other man to choke and flail, clawing at Phil's arm. But it was no use as eventually, the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head and fell limp. Phil let his body fall to the ground but didn't want to take any chances of him just being passed out rather than dead, and made to break the bones in his arms and legs before he finally stopped. Phil's head was much clearer and he stared out at the carnage in front of him, but only for a bit as he knew his adrenaline would run out and he'd be deemed useless.
He quickly grabs the keys from off the hook on the wall and unlocks every cell, beckoning to the other avian Hybrids who all looked at him, not out of fear, but out of shock and relief.
"Come on, we have to hurry!" His voice came out hoarse but the other Hybrids listened as they all hurried out of their cells and followed Phil up the staircase. They ran into a few more guards but Phil, with the help of some other Hybrids that got the courage to fight back, were swiftly taken care of. They also took the time to go around the structure they were in and free any Hybrids they could find. Most were able to walk or hobble out, while the few that couldn't were carried by those who could handle it.
And eventually, everyone trapped inside that abandoned building walked out and were greeted by the twinkling night sky. The cool breeze and fresh air felt like heaven to them and they couldn't help but let out cheers of celebration before Phil continued to lead them, guiding them through the birch forest they were in the middle of. They managed to make some tools and weapons to defend against the monsters they came across before they scrounged up material to make a campfire and set up a makeshift camp, far, far away from the horrible building.
That was when Phil's adrenaline ran out, and he collapsed onto the cool grass and dirt, not that he complained. It felt so comfortable and nice compared to the dingy hard cell. But some other Hybrids were nice enough to help him over to a nearby stream to wash the blood off his hands. He caught a glimpse of his appearance in the river and he had to admit, he was a little surprised by his appearance.
His eyes were sunken in with deep eye bags underneath them, his blonde hair was a tangled, ragged mess that reached pretty much down his entire back, and his skin was littered with fresh and old scars and dirt, his limbs and body thin and fragile from the lack of nutrients. However, he noticed the wild look he had in his eyes, still a side effect from the rush of what he just did. He took human lives, yet he didn't feel remorse. Why should he? They did so much worse. Death was a mercy, if anything. But it was the only way for them to be free, and despite the fact that Phil looked like a corpse, he never felt more alive.
When he was helped back over to the fire, he took a good look around at all of the Hybrids he was able to save.
Most of them were without friends or family, meaning some of them created their own groups together or kept to themselves. Others helped nurse the wounds of those who were more injured, at least to the best of their abilities. And then some of the Hybrids were reuniting with their friends and family, embracing their loved ones and crying tears of joy as they held onto those they thought they'd lose or lost. A pang shoots through Phil's heart as he wishes he could be here right now with his parents, but he pushes the thought away. He didn't want to think about that right now.
For tonight, he just wanted to bask in his freedom. He'll worry about the rest when tomorrow comes.
-
The last "lifetime" that Phil still remembers clearly was when his life had truly changed for the better. Sure, as the years went by, Hybrids became more and more accepted, but that didn't mean discrimination disappeared, and there were still a few black market and illegal trading and selling done to Hybrids of all kinds (which were swiftly ended by Phil himself).
Other than that, he just continued on with his life. He used to find some place to settle down, meet some people and become friends with them. But none could match his lifetime, and eventually, Phil stopped counting who died and drifted away from people. He was still polite and cordial, but he never let himself have a close connection with someone in order to spare him the pain and grief of losing them.
His life flew past him in a blur as it all started to blend together. He stopped counting how old he was when it was his birthday and, if anything, stopped celebrating his birthday altogether. There was no point when he didn't know his age and there was no one around to celebrate it with him.
Even so, when that fateful day came, he would guess he was somewhere in his late thirties, but he wasn't sure.
He found himself exploring a huge city called Hypixel, with a grand colluseum in the middle, along with what looked to be various games and challenges people can participate in. Phil was more interested in the PVP though, and took a seat in the packed colloseum to see who would fight who. He never understood why people would fight each other willingly, even if it was friendly. To him, combat and fighting was nothing more than a way to survive, to protect yourself and others. But he's open to trying to learn, hoping to see some good fighters.
He folded his wings back anxiously, worried they'd get in the way of someone's view and they'd yell at him, but no one seemed to really notice or even care that he had wings at all. They were too focused on talking to the person next to them or on the event coordinators preparing the arena. Plus, he could spot a few Hybrids of various species scattered around in the crowd, so he felt a little more relaxed than he did earlier.
As soon as the event starts, the crowd erupts into thunderous cheers, some jumping out of their seats as the first two people step forward. The armor and weapons were standard iron, and the announcer explained that it was best two out of three, and that the loser would respawn and be alright. Respawning was something that Phil had heard a lot about in his travels but never really experienced it himself or with his own eyes, so he was already intrigued.
One by one, a pair of fighters would come out, the crowd would cheer or boo, and then the winner goes on to the next round.
Eventually, after about an hour of fights, it finally gets to the finale. The person who made it through the entire bracket was a younger brown haired man who Phil had to admit was pretty skilled. But he could feel the air was tense as the announcer introduces the person the man would be fighting.
"And now, the moment you all have been waiting for! Our reigning champion, the first ever Hybrid to take the title... it's TECHNOBLADEEE!!"
Somehow the colloseum got even louder, if that was even possible, and Phil watches as another young man walks out of the other end of the arena. He... was not at all what Phil expected from that kind of announcement.
He looked to be the same age as the young man he'd be fighting, maybe a little older. He had very short, slightly spikey pink hair and a tall, lightly toned form, and wore a red fluffy cape over his white poet shirt and brown pants, a red sash around his waist. But by far, the defining features were his Piglin tusks poking out from his mouth and his pointy ears. He had a wide, excited grin on his face as he waves to the people in the crowd.
He had Phil's full attention, and he wasn't sure exactly why. Perhaps it was how young he looked, or that he looked to be a Piglin Hybrid, or the fact that both of those things are true AND he was also some well-known champion here? Just how good was this kid?
He soon got his answer as the fight ended as quickly as it began. Technoblade ended up beating the other man easily, taking only minor damage, resulting in his win. The colloseum lost it as Technoblade raised his sword triumphantly.
Phil was just speechless. Phil has spent a good chunk of his life so far avoiding people in order to save himself from the pain of losing another friend. But something about this man made Phil want to find out more.
And find out more he did.
-
Phil had waited outside of the arena, waiting for Technoblade to come out. As soon as he did, Phil approached him.
"Hey, mate! Congrats on winning! I've never seen anything like it."
Techno smiles and flaps a hand at him. "Eh, it's nothing. Just another regular day for me."
Phil actually ended up laughing at that response. "No need to be humble, I guess!"
"Nah, being humble is overrated."
Phil laughed at that again. That's already more than he's laughed in a long time.
"What about you? What's your name? I've never seen you around here before," Techno asks.
"I'm Philza, but you can call me Phil."
Technoblade hums. "Phil, huh? Cool name," He says, and then glances over his shoulder and his eyes brighten. "I like the hair!"
That caught Philza off guard, blinking a couple of times. "Oh, you think so?" His hand subconsciously runs through his long, blonde hair. It's reached almost to his knees at this point, purely because even now, he still doesn't have the courage to bring something sharp close to his face to chop it all off. He didn't really like how long it was, as every time he saw his reflection, he thought back to his time in that cell, but he just couldn't cut it.
Technoblade seemed unaware of this thought as he nodded. "Yeah, man. I think it's sick! I wish I could grow out my hair that long,"
Phil lightly chuckles. "I mean, nothing is stopping you, mate. But I'd much rather have shorter hair like you."
Technoblade shrugs. "Fair enough, I guess. I just have it this short because it's practical." His ears perk up. "Oh, I know! Can you fight? Perhaps you can teach me how to fight with long hair!"
Phil hesitated, tensing up a bit. His rule is to not grow close to another person.
But... if it's purely just for training...
"Uh, sure, if you want."
Technoblade seemed to get super excited. "Yes! Thank you!"
Phil found himself smiling.
Perhaps it won't be that bad.
-
Before Phil knew it, one day turned into one week, and a week into a year, and suddenly, against his better judgement, he became friends with Technoblade. Despite his attempts to pull away, Techno just wouldn't let him do that and continued to seek him out even after Phil trained him.
He wasn't even doing it forcefully, he was just genuinely interested in Philza, and as much as the blonde man didn't want to admit it, he liked having the company. It was nice to be around Techno. He never asked any super personal questions or wonder why Phil does certain weird things, he just accepts it and adapts if needed. Phil is eternally grateful for someone like that, but he couldn't ignore the growing weight in his heart.
They have been friends for a couple of years now, but Phil still hasn't told Techno about his immortality. He figured if Techno wanted to be his friend, he should at least come clean about that and let him make his own decision, even if that meant he'd leave Phil.
But when Phil reveals he was immortal, Techno catches him completely off guard as he reveals he is also immortal.
After that reveal, the two became loser than ever.
Two Hybrids with no living family or friends left, finally having met someone who can relate to the other. Phil found himself laughing and smiling more around Techno, and he felt like life was worth truly living for again, not just surviving.
But it wouldn't be until one night when Phil came home from a trip to the Nether with some injuries did he reveal his past to Techno as he patched his friend up. Phil explained everything he went through starting from when he was a child all the way to the point he was able to finally break free, practically shaking and in tears by the end of the explanation.
Techno immediately hugs and comforts his friend, and pulls down his shirt just enough to show Phil an old branding scar from an illegal fighting ring he was forced to be a part of as a child.
Just when Phil felt like he couldn't appreciate Technoblade more, he was proven wrong. Here was a man who had gone through the very same thing he had, experienced the same things he had, and has the same life span as him.
In fact, after that night, Phil finally gathered the strength to take some shears and chopped off all of his hair, making it go no further than his shoulders. He was nervous about what Techno would think, but the Piglin Hybrid didn't care and said he was happy that Phil was finally happy. In turn, Techno started growing out his own hair, liking the idea of having long hair he can braid and style.
He doesn't really believe in a God, but if there was one out there, he thanks them every day for giving him a friend like Technoblade.
The two would make a name for themselves over the years. Philza and Technoblade, feared and renowned for their skill and smarts.
Phil finally found someone who was just like him.
And he'll spend the rest of his immortal life making sure he knows how much Technoblade saved him.