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In a stormy weather, deep in a forest, there was a shrine for a God that mustn't be disturbed.
The forest was thick, filled with monsters like piglins, enders and witches. It was designed to drive away any alive being should they not be a mob and were approaching. Nobody knew when the forest started growing but it had been a rule, as old as time, to not run into the forest unless you had a death wish.
Other shrines for other Gods were welcomed to the public to use as worshipping centres and for curious visitors to learn. So it was an incredibly unusual sight for a shrine to be so out of reach for a mortal. It was as if the God didn't want to interact with mortals. Stories and legends spread faster than truths, kids were taught that the God in the forest were arrogant and didn't feel the need to be worshipped by low mortals.
In a stormy weather, deep in a forest, there was a brunette running for his life.
The brunette was young, a kid no older than 12 years old. The child's eyes were bright gold, brighter than any sunflowers that ever grew. Tiny scars covered the soft skin, over the thin body and hollowed out cheeks, and a noticeable cut from his elf-like ears. Rain showered his greasy hair and torned clothes so naturally, a pity sight.
Heavy breathing and loud footsteps replaced the sounds of rain falling. The skies were gray and it didn't seem bright anywhere near nor did it look like the skies would clear anytime soon. He did not bring his wooden dagger as he wasn't expecting to run into an infested forest, so he was trying to find shelter nearby to avoid encounters with any mobs. It was apparent that he hadn't seen any mobs in the forest since he ran in but calm waters could carry harsh waves.
Brushing the thick bushes in his way, the child slowed his pace and entered a medieval themed building.
Wilbur knew he wasn't supposed to be there. The floor stained with mud and dirt from his feet were proof of how out of place he was in there. He felt bad for whoever was the God this shrine was dedicated to, years of pushing mortals away to keep the shrine clean just went to waste when he took one step inside.
It was like a giant dark themed castle made only for the wealthiest of mortals. There were red roses in big vases, paintings of a woman which Wilbur assumed was the God (or more suitably, Goddess) that the shrine was built for. Two sets of staircase, left and right, going upwards to a throne way too big for any piglin or enders to sit on, one that only fit for a Godly being. Torches put in holder made of iron and a chandelier made of gold designed with several gems around it hung high above him.
The medieval theme of dark colours but sparkled with jewelleries and gold around really left Wilbur awestruck.
Unlike the mortals in the town next to the forest or villages nearby, Wilbur did not believe in the simple legend that the 'God' of aforementioned shrine was arrogant. It was clear that the Goddess cared a lot about her shrine, the upkeep and tidiness seemed to be kept rather often. Even better than some other shrines that belonged to other Gods, and he hadn't been to many shrines so that was something, surely.
He liked to think the Goddess may cared more about the worth of the soul coming in, the forest being a challenge on how strong and capable the soul could be. The reason he survived was probably luck, many mobs disliked storms. Whether it was because of how harmful water would be or the general annoyance at wet clothes didn't matter. Wilbur would say he was in more danger than he originally used to be.
The Goddess caring for the shrine greatly probably would make all of his fate worse.
He had came into the shrine and stained the all purity in it with filth on his body and dirty wet water from his hair. The Goddess would be sure to punish him with a great curse or something worse than death. If he plead mercy, he wasn't sure if he could be gifted with it. He hadn't meant to even come to the shrine. He just so happen to ran into the forest while running from the townsfolk chasing him down for reasons he still hadn't figure out. And while he had survived the forest (barely), he didn't think he'd be able to fight any of the mobs, let alone the Goddess herself.
He wasn't strong at all and his story didn't make his soul any more worthy. Really, his life was one of a pathetic man who would die early rather than a warrior who would fight millions for peace. So how did his story went?
For starters, despite being born (but never raised) there, Wilbur wasn't fit to be with the townspeople.
The town was small, relatively only a little bigger than a village but still big and economically independent enough to be called a town. People looked down on him with disdain and hatred in their eyes, spat on him for simply breathing and always find a way to somehow hurt him indirectly like telling him to do work harder than kids his age should do.
When he asked what he had done to be treated to so badly, people would scream at him. They'd tell him how stupid he was to think he was innocent or to go back to the Faerie Realm. He didn't understand back then since he remembered growing up in the town and never having heard of a place called 'Faerie Realm' by any chance.
Growing up, he learned how to read and talk by his own though he didn't remember when exactly did he picked up the skills. He had to do petty theft and steal food every now and then to make sure he wouldn't starve to death (if he had money or anything for a trade, they would never give anything to him, unless they were desperate or he offered something very valuable).
He found peace in written words. The people hated him going in the library but he didn't mind anyways. He always spent his time searching for books thrown away with other rubbish or newspapers left untouched. Anything that he could read was treasure to him. He sometimes find poetry or lyrics to songs he never heard, and he would belt these out with pride and happiness. He would make up melodies and sang, even with the glares from people.
And... that was all, really. He wasn't raised by a loving parent who died from an incurable disease. He wasn't a brave and cheerful child who have determination in his heart. He was but a poor lonely child with nobody to care for him. He had no parents, no siblings, no family, no friends, no love. He wasn't or considered to be special by any means.
So really, if the Goddess had seen a worthless child making a mess in the shrine, what kind of punishment would she give?
While Wilbur had hopelessly wished for mercy, that the Goddess would simply let him go and bid him goodbye for his age. However, knowing the tales of other Gods punishing mortals who even tried to disrespect them and he was sure that he had done more than just staining the place. He hadn't move from the entrance, thinking that the two footsteps he was still standing on was enough filth for the place.
So his second, more realistic approach, was death. Sure, that was dark but it was the most plausible at the moment. Maybe if his luck wouldn't run out sooner than expected, he would be given the chance to be a servant to the Goddess. That was still dark but at least he wouldn't have the fate to die at 12 years old.
He silently also wished that none of this would come so close to happening. That the storm would stop before the Goddess noticed and Wilbur would (hopefully) have enough luck to survive getting out of the forest. The storm didn't seem to end soon though but he read once that Gods don't visit the mortal realm often so his hope have some foundation. Foundations made of thin weak sticks, but foundation nonetheless.
However, when the ground started to shake, the foundation was long gone. A figure appeared in front of him, long blonde hair that was so light it looked almost white paired with angelic blue eyes. The figure (which he assumed was a man due to the facial hair) wore green robes on top of black turtleneck. A bucket hat in the colour of lighter green and white on top of the man's blonde hair. There was an emerald hanging from the hat and a red heart pendant placed on the neck of the man.
The most eye-catching feature was the huge wings of black feathers on the back of the man, keeping him on air, and the light coming from a golden floating circular crown on top of the man's head.
An angel, a fallen one, maybe.
Wilbur questioned was who this was. Of course, he didn't mean it in an offensive way and he knew that before him was an angel, but he couldn't see an imagery of the angel from the many portraits hung on the walls. The Goddess in the paintings have dark brown hair that fade into lighter shade of brown with piercing suns for eyes.
(He ignored the way he had many resemblance of the woman.)
The angel stared at him, eyes too perfect to be human. Wilbur shivered but didn't back away to avoid leaving more mud on the floor. The man landed on the ground, too close to Wilbur for comfort. "Mate, are you alr-" Wilbur didn't wait for the angel to finish as he ran back into the forest. He apologised in his heart for the mess he made as he heard the angel yelled for him to come back.
His feet hurt from the run into the forest, stepping on stones and sharp thorns of twigs sunk into the mud. He didn't forget the pain, he hardly ever could, but he much rather endure short pain and live than die from being too much of a scaredy cat ("Haha, a dumb coward changeling!" The kids would mock him).
He hadn't made it half way through his run when a large piglin appeared in front of him. His feet was too weak to run, his body too small to do damage, his breathing too heavy to think of a plan. This was it. He was going to be killed by this piglin and nobody would even know how he died. The piglin grunted before grabbing his torned shirt. He shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the pain of being ripped to pieces, but instead he was being carried somewhere.
Perhaps the piglin wanted to share his hunt with his pack. He did read that piglins were more likely to come in packs though lone hunters weren't rare. Oh well, at least he would give some kind of benefit to the piglins. It was better than dying for nothing, wasn't it?
Defeated in fear, he didn't open his eyes. Not until the piglin dropped him on the floor and he heard someone scream, but the scream wasn't his. "Techno, you can't just drop him like that!" A voice yelled. Wilbur shot his eyes opened to see the angel, hands on the hips. It almost reminded him of a father scolding his son. The pigl- Techno huffed before crossing his arms. "He's not gonna die, Phil. Nobody would wanna hurt this kid, he practically reeks her magic," Techno groaned.
Confused, Wilbur sat up before curling up to avoid smudging the floor again. Who was 'her' and why would he have 'her' magic? He was a human. Humans don't have any magic unless taught and nobody would teach him the slightest of it. The angel, Phil apparently, sighed before turning to him and he tried not to flinch. He failed. "Oh, you poor thing," Phil took a step forward and Wilbur's hand instinctively rose to cover his face.
When he realised he wasn't about to get hurt, he lowered his hand. "I'm sorry," he apologised though he did not know what for exactly. The angel and the piglin in front of him exchanged looks. Afraid, he didn't look at them any longer. He didn't know that much about the two creatures and he wouldn't want to accidentally offend them. "You don't need to apologise for anything, mate," Phil's voice was gentle, almost like a bird crooning its' fledgling.
It warmed Wilbur's heart.
Wilbur peaked up, he wanted to say that Phil was wrong. That he should apologise for ruining this sacred place and not following the angel's demand for him to come back.
But he didn't, because he knew that would be his end. Ruining a shrine's beauty and offending the creatures in it, that would pile up to some very serious punishment. Techno only had subtle movements like the breathing and the slight swaying from side to side as a reaction though it was clear there was some kind of emotion hidden from his eyes. "Kid, we're not gonna eat you. Pretty sure your mom would kill us if we even lay a finger on you," Techno clearly joked but Wilbur was too confused to register it.
His mom ?
Now, ever since Wilbur could remember stuff, he never seen anyone of his family. No mother, father, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, not even his grandparents. He didn't dare to ask the people about his family and instead believed his whole life that he was a sole survivor of his family.
And now Techno just told him that his mother, a woman he had never met, would be mad at him being hurt. "Mother?" He mumbled without a thought but he didn't take it back. He was so confused to know there really was someone who cared for him. Phil smiled and crouched down to Wilbur's eye level. "Yeah, do you remember her?" He asked with a smile and while Wilbur was scared, he shook his head.
Because really, he didn't have to lie and he was pretty sure lying to angels are like very looked down upon. "No, I've never seen her before," he muttered. He could see the way Phil's eyes lowered and how the happiness fade into sadness. "Of course, you were only two years old when she had to leave you," the older sighed but the smile never wavered. Gold met sapphires, the two stared for a while before Wilbur turned to Techno.
Now that he wasn't panicking or scared, he really looked at Techno this time. A body of a warrior, almost all covered in battle scars. Long pink hair and tusks clearly lived just as long. A blood red eye on the left and a light blue eye on the right, clearly blinded by a scar stretching from across the piglin's face. The clothing seemed grand, as if he was a royalty of some sort with the crown on the top of their head. The piglin's ear twitched, which Wilbur learned before meant 'hello'.
Wilbur blinked before waving slightly. He couldn't believe in his voice not to crack if he speak. "Come on, mate. you are covered with mud and dirt. I can't imagine that being comfortable," Phil hold out a hand to him. "Let's get you cleaned up," Wilbur nodded and took the hand. Even though he had no idea why they were being kind to him, he knew a bath sounded so good right now. He couldn't remember the last time he actually washed himself.
He took on step forward before stopping and looking down. Right, his feet were still dirty. He glanced at the angel who didn't seem to be bothered by it. "Mate, it's fine. I'll clean that shit up later anyways," Phil said as if it wasn't a big deal.
Maybe the Goddess to this shrine had assigned this angel for the upkeep of the shrine, that would make more sense. Wilbur nodded and followed Phil's lead.
They didn't go to a bathroom, instead they entered an indoor hot spring. There are flowers of all colours and soft green grass around the spring, along with a wooden bench. It was amazing, to Wilbur at least. He never seen a hot spring as pretty and welcoming as this one. He gaped his mouth in awe, simply appreciating the beauty of it.
The older pat his head and he looked up to see Phil smiling. "Go ahead, mate. I'll come back and get you some clothes," and Wilbur was alone. He wasn't sure what exactly Phil assumed he was going to do when left alone but he decided to take a bath. He took off his top (that barely did its' job to cover his upperbody) and his ripped pants before entering the water with only his shorts.
It felt so refreshing . Wilbur couldn't remember the last time he let his body relaxed this way but dear Life herself, he loved it. He knew he shouldn't enjoy it too much since he would probably never enter this place again if he could leave. After all, this was no place for mortals like him to stay in. Despite his mind's scolding him for enjoying the short bath, he didn't get out from the spring until the angel came back in.
"Here you go, mate. I was hoping to find something more casual but we only have these," Phil handed him a white button up shirt and a pair of long black pants. Wilbur wanted to deny the offer, saying that his clothes before was still great (even if it wasn't) but that would disregard the effort the older put to find these clothes. He decided to accept it instead. "It's alright, I appreciate it a lot," he replied genuinely and Phil nodded before leaving the room.
Admittedly, the clothes did feel much better than his torned yellow sweater and brown ripped pants but of course it would. It was made to be put in a shrine (though he was curious on why the shrine have a bathing area or where they would even store the clothes). He didn't know what to do with his old clothes and so he folded them as neat as he could.
He planned on waiting in the room but he was bored, really bored. He shouldn't be, he was sitting in a place that not even humankind could reach nowadays, he should be proud or happy or whatever those fantasy warriors in books he read. He didn't feel like a warrior. He felt like child being taken care of by a random man, out of pity, and he hated pity.
Wilbur got up from the soft grass and decided to get out from the room. Where to? He wouldn't know but it would be less bored than whatever this was. As he walked out, the first thing he noticed was his muddy footsteps to the room. The next was another muddy footstep but one that looked bigger and may belonged to a giant pig.
They belonged to Techno.
Shivering, he didn't look further to where the footsteps go. Instead, he followed his heart and walked the other way. The hallway was long and dimly lit by torches and glowstone. While he didn't know anything about building, he was sure that this was something that should be appreciated. The architecture and the process of building must've taken a long time. He didn't know shit about who or how the shrines for Gods were designed or built but it was so amazing he wanted to show his gratitude to whoever did. As he was too busy looking around, he stumbled upon someone and fell to the ground. He rubbed the back of his head and opened his eyes to look who he had bumped into.
It was Phil.
Oh fuck.
The angel quickly grabbed his hand and helped him up, "Dear XD! I was just looking for you everywhere," Phil said, no tone of anger but a hint of worry. It bloomed something inside of Wilbur, something he would not say. "Sorry, I was bored in the room," he replied, looking down on his feet. A hand gently took its' place on his head, ruffling his hair. "It's alright, mate. You must be curious about this place," Phil smiled.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to go? The shrine have a lot of places you can explore," the older took his hand.
"Is there a library?" Wilbur asked without hesitation and flushed when he realised how eager he sounded like.
Phil giggled before nodding and they walked through the hallway. It didn't take long before Wilbur realised that Techno's footsteps were leading to the same place and while he panicked but didn't show it. "I take it you like reading?" The angel shot a question, a start up to a small talk. Wilbur nodded and smiled, "Yeah! I didn't have much too read before," he talked albeit too excitedly.
Nobody talked to him before, unless you count the insults. Nobody seemed to want to talk to him because he was a 'changeling' or something. He didn't know what those were and when he asked, everybody dismissed him as if he was asking an obvious dumb question.
It was part of the reasons he liked books. They never yell or glare at him, plus they help him gain more knowledge and Wilbur could save the books from their sorry fate to be thrown away. It was a win-win. So to have someone who was willing to both hear and talk to him, it would be like a gift from the Gods.
Well, this was an angel even if a fallen one, so technically it was a gift from the Gods, just not directed to him.
He began to ramble on and on about a book he read before. Specifically the one about anteaters and how much the book helped him realised he hated anteater and still do. Weird fucking creatures. He didn't know why Mother Nature, God of Nature, decided to have those fuckers on this Earth but again, Mother Nature let humans lived here too so maybe she just didn't give a damn or something.
As much as he would want to disagree with the voice at the back of his mind, he was already so attached to Phil. He hated it.
He hated how he loved the hot spring.
He hated how he loved the clothes Phil let him wear (one he didn't deserved to even look at).
He hated how he loved the way Phil actually listened to him and paid attention to what he ranted about.
He hated how he loved the way Phil smiled and looked at him lovingly instead of sending glares or yelling.
He really hated how attached he is.
But that was going to be future Wilbur's problem, he decided. So he kept ranting and walking through the halls with the older, not bothered to stop and think if they were there yet because of how long they've been walking. He only realised how much time had passed when he finally stopped talking about his hatred of anteaters and why organic maple syrup was the way to go for any food.
Flushed, he looked down and fiddled with his fingers but didn't stop walking. "Sorry, I rambled a lot more than I should've," he apologised though he was not actually sorry. He just felt a little pang of guilt in his heart knowing Phil needed to listen to all his worthless words. "No need to apologise, mate. You seemed very passionate when you talk and I love that in a person," the older, again, ruffled Wilbur's curls.
When they stopped, Wilbur looked up to Phil. The question "Are we here?" was left unsaid but the angel seemed to decipher it since he nodded. They both entered the room and Wilbur felt like he was in heaven.
The many books arranged beautifully on the shelves, the table of chairs made to sit and read as many books as you want, and his most favourite, the dim lighting of the room that would get him in the mood for reading. It reminded him of when he would stay up all night, reading books in his little cave with only a torch to spare him light. The library was an absolute pleasure to be in, a delightful place. He didn't realised his mouth was gaping until the angel playfully closed his mouth.
Embarrassed, he covered his face before uncovering it to continue loving where he was. One key piece, or well, person was the piglin that brought him there, Techno. He must've had forgotten to trace the footsteps while talking about a blue sheep in town that he loved. Somehow, Techno seemed to fit into the scenery. The long powder pink hair gently placed on the shoulders with a crown to decorate the top. Crimson red eyes staring into a book and the slight huff every few second. Instead of looking like another mob hungry for blood, the piglin looked oddly serene. It almost looked like the pinkette was made to be there.
For some reason, Wilbur didn't feel so scared anymore. Techno looked rather calm and collected, despite the many battle scars covering the piglin's face. It was unusual for sure yet he can't help but feel as if this was normal. Just a person reading a book, no big deal but the big deal was that person was the piglin that picked him up like a toy.
Phil nudged him and pointed at Techno, "Techno love to read as well. I'm pretty sure he read most of the books here already," Phil playfully whispered to him. Wilbur nodded and studied the sight. Techno was reading a book about 'Fae and The Faerie Realm' which sounded weird. Then again, he read a book about various types of mushrooms once so he couldn't really say he could. "You can go talk to him, mate. He may look like he will beat you up any time and he isn't so good at socialising but I promise you he's actually really nice," Phil pat his shoulders.
A normal human being would definitely freak out and scream "NO! HE CAN KILL ME IF I MAKE HIM MAD!" or run away. Wilbur, however, was not like any normal human being. While yes, he was scared, he thought that he could thank Phil for the hospitality by at least getting to know Techno.
He hurried to the piglin's side. Techno didn't seem bothered and flicked his right ear to Wilbur. Wilbur smiled and this time actually using his voice to reply. "Hello, Te- uh-" he stopped himself. Would Techno be okay with Wilbur using his name? Wilbur would not want to offend him seeing how easily the pinkette could lift him. "Technoblade, or Techno if you want. I don't really mind," Technoblade answered his unsaid question.
He knew that piglins name their kids weird names but Technoblade? Now that one was just plain unusual. It wasn't like he could blame the pinkette as the piglin didn't pick the name (maybe). He realised he had yet to introduced himself to any of the two who had helped him get out of the storm which, admittedly, was pretty insulting. "I'm Wilbur!" He introduced happily. Techno hummed in acknowledgement and continued reading.
Seeing how deeply the other was reading, Wilbur was intrigued on the contents of the book. He tried to silently read it along with Techno without bringing attention to himself.
He kind of failed.
"Faeries used to sneak out human's offsprings and replaced the children with their own. This was because when humans were the dominant species, it was a great honour to have a human to take care of their children. These little faes are often called 'changelings' and was more commonly found in rural areas such as villages or small towns," Techno spoke out the words in the book.
Wilbur was embarrassed, his cheeks and ears reddened as a result. Though, he'd lie if he said he wasn't interested in the topic. Fae and changeling were the two words he had always been called by the townsfolk. In a desperate attempt to show curiosity, he leaned a little further. Techno understood this and huffed before reading once again.
"Much like faeries, changelings are humanoid creatures that look too perfect to be a human. Things like uncommon eye colours, pointed ears, sharp nails and pale skin were the few easy features to detect faes. However, once a changeling stayed on Earth for too long, their magic would drain. They would either become a powerless fae or die due to magic loss."
Huh.
Uncommon eye colour, pointed ears, pale skin, those are features Wilbur possessed. His eyes golden unlike everyone else who had brown, green or blue, his ears a little pointed, his skin almost as pale as vampires. Had everyone in the village thought of him as a changeling? Was he a changeling?
Techno didn't continue reading, clearly noticing how Wilbur started to panic silently beside him. "Are you okay, kid?" The pinkette asked, an attempt to show he cared. A poor one, but an attempt nonetheless. The brunette by the side didn't respond verbally. His eyes was wide and he was clearly in shock, maybe a mental crisis.
Techno didn't pry but the piglin was watching him closely. It wasn't until a few minutes Wilbur finally talk. "Am I a changeling?" He asked. His voice was small and it almost sounded like a whisper but piglins have sensitive hearing so Techno heard it clearly. Wilbur expected Techno to nod, maybe he wished for the other to hesitate a little too. Instead, Techno shook his head in an instant. "Nope. You have magic but it isn't the same as faeries. If you were a fae, I wouldn't give you my name at all," Techno replied with a shrug. Wilbur didn't realise the hand on top of him, the one scratching his scalp lightly, was Techno's.
At first, he was a little relieved. Learning that he wasn't a changeling and that the town had wrongfully accused him of being one (though he couldn't blame them, really). The next second, he was confused yet again. He wanted to know why Techno wouldn't given the name to him if he was a fae or why both Phil and Techno said he had magic. He wanted to ask both but he could tell which one was more important.
"Uh, why wouldn't you give your name to a faerie?"
Great question, Wilbur. That was obviously the more important one, mhm. Though if he would encounter a fae in the future, the information on what not to do and why not would be good to know. Considering how he was in a forest filled with magical beings, there was no doubt that there could be more than a few faeries around.
Techno flipped the book to a page and began to read it out loud. "Names hold power in the faerie society. Names can allow them to use the owner of the name to their liking and sometimes even control the owner's actions," piece by piece the content of the book was voiced. Names meant power. No wonder why nobody had wanted to befriended him. It made sense but it didn't lessen the pain of not being able to have friends.
Techno started to continue the reading once Wilbur nodded. The older of the two read the book and Wilbur learned a lot from it. It turned into some sort of bedtime story type of moment. Techno reading a book to Wilbur but not to put him to sleep, instead as a nice moment of bonding.
Oh, bonding.
Ignoring the clear attachment Wilbur had made, he listened to all the words Techno said. Each and every single syllables landed attentively on his ears. He only checked the clock in the library once Techno closed the book as they finished. It had been at least an hour since Wilbur first entered the room. "Come on, kid. Phil's not gonna be happy if you don't eat," Techno deadpanned as he stood up. There was something lacing the words that Wilbur could not figure out.
Instead of wondering, he followed Techno's lead to get up from the chair. They didn't say anything, as if there was a silent agreement for both parties to stay quiet and for Wilbur to just follow. The silence was surprisingly very comfortable, it wasn't heavy or deafening. Wilbur didn't feel the need to fill the silence with his rambles or awkward small talks.
Entering a room, he noticed a very long table in the middle of it. A chandelier hang from the top and candles brighten the table's surface to reveal a family worth of food. At the furthest end sat Phil, smiling with grace. Techno easily took the seat closest to the older, leaving Wilbur to decide on his own.
The choice were hard to make. He could be wary; taking a seat furthest from Phil and Techno, or he could give into his emotions; sitting at the other seat closest to Phil which paralleled with Techno's. There were a total of 20 chairs, two were occupied by the duo already on the table. With a sigh, Wilbur let his heels take him where they wanted to go as he himself didn't know.
He ended up parallel to Techno.
Phil clapped both of his hands together, startling Wilbur a little. "Let's say our prayers, shall we?" The angel cupped his hands together and Techno did too so Wilbur copied the action, afraid of doing something wrong.
He expected them to pray to whichever Goddess this shrine was built for, which he was right. What he did not expect was the Goddess to be Lady Death. "We thank Lady Death for her mercy to not land the end of our life today. Please, let us enjoy this meal and more to come in the future," Phil said the prayer so easily, as if they weren't praying for Lady Death to let them live another day.
However, Wilbur did not show his fear, only shutting his mouth and watch. Phil and Techno have yet to lower their cupped hands, so he didn't as well. Was something supposed to fall or appear in their hands?
Apparently so.
He flinched when he felt the feeling of petals and leaves in his hand and he lowered his head to identify the flowers, though he couldn't because it had been too long since he read the book of flowers' meanings. His flowers were long and the flowers grow around on the stem almost symmetrical. They were yellow in colour, almost like gold (like his eyes).
He raised his head to the other two which also had flowers in their hands. Techno's flowers were white and small with stems quite long for their size. Meanwhile, Phil's flowers were blue in colour with some petals drooping while some stood tall. They both smiled at the flower though Techno's smile were more subtle than Phil's.
Phil turned to him to see his hands and immediately crooned. "Aww, mate, she gave you snapdragons! Plus yellow ones too," The older's eyes looked at him as if he was the older's baby taking the first step. Wilbur tilted his head slightly, "What do they mean?" A question without a need to be voiced. "Snapdragons typically mean grace and strength due to their beauty and ability to grow in rocky areas," Phil explained without a missing beat.
Interested, Wilbur didn't put the flowers down, gripping them with hopes that Phil would explain further. "Lady Death loves to give flowers to the ones who managed visit her shrine, they all represent what she think of you or who you are," The angel chirped happily. Almost like Wilbur when he had rambled about types of sheep they had in town.
Phil pointed to the flowers in Techno hands, "Those are called Astrantia. They symbolises a protector who is brave and strong. That's what Lady Death think of Techno," Techno side-eyed the angel but only let out a huffed. "Yeah, mhm, and what about yours, Phil?" The piglin asked to which Phil blushed in response.
"Mine are Irises which meant wisdom and knowledge," the angel explained though Wilbur could tell that wasn't the full of it. Techno rolled his eyes, "And since those are blue, it means devotion and trust. Y'know, like love or whatever." Phil slapped away Techno's hand with a laugh. Techno didn't say anything, the look in his eyes showed 'I am right silently'. "We ARE in love, mate. Literally bound to each other," Phil crossed his arms without letting go of the flowers.
Wilbur giggled at the banter the two were having which fade into a laugh when Phil joined along. Then he realised what Phil and Techno were implying. Phil and Lady Death were together, as in married kind of together. Holy shit, Wilbur was in a room with Lady Death's husband which he surprisingly wasn't shocked at. To be fair, the angel helped with the cleaning in the shrine, it made sense for Phil to have some kind of relation to the Goddess (even though Wilbur wasn't expecting them to be married of all things).
The laughter died down and Phil looked at Wilbur with a smile. "Snapdragons mean grace and strength. She think of you as such, probably because of how strong you are to handle the storm and the forest," Phil talked before stuffing a small piece of steak into his mouth.
"And how you are a beacon of her magic," Techno added and Phil nodded with a chuckle. There it was again, the mentioning of magic but now more specifically Lady Death's magic.
Phil continued his ramble, "They could also mean deceiving but don't take it the wrong way. I think she just wanna to tell you that you're good with words and stuff," the angel took a bite of a steak. Wilbur nodded though he didn't see what the Goddess saw in him. Was he graceful? Was he strong? Was he good with words? He couldn't understand. "And they're yellow which means they're specifically refer to you as family or a close relative of some kind," Techno added before going back to silently eating.
Okay, that one Wilbur didn't understand.
But it was alright. Everyone ate their food silently, except Phil who fiddled with the flowers some more. Nobody said a thing until Wilbur decided to ask an important question he was supposed to ask Techno before.
Taking a deep breath, he hesitatingly opened his mouth to shoot the question. "Why do you guys keep saying I have magic? I'm a human?" He asked and it felt like a heavy rock was lifted off his shoulders. Phil and Techno directed their eyes to each other, a silent conversation made with looks. "Because you're not fully human, mate," Phil answered. That was confusing. Techno said he wasn't a changeling or a fae, what other creature could he be? And not 'fully' human? Was he a mix or something? Actually, was it even possible?
Like the child he was, Wilbur looked towards Phil to try and find an answer. Instead, he was asked a question. "Do you believe there are different universes with the same people?" The angel questioned. Wilbur nodded. If there were Gods and beings with magic, were alternate universes such a long stretch? Surely not. Hoping Phil would explain further or answer his question, Wilbur smiled with hopeful eyes. Unfortunately, the older just smiled and continued to eat.
The rest of the dinner was uneventful. Wilbur's question didn't get an answer but Phil's did and it made him feel the slightest of angry. So after the dinner, he decided to face Phil about it. "Hey, I asked you a question but you never answered," it sounded more like a question. Phil sighed and kneeled down to him, just like how the angel did when they were at the front.
"Do you think in any world, any universe, you could be the child of me and Lady Death?" Phil asked, and it was really starting to be annoying on how his questions kept being questioned instead of answered. In a huff, Wilbur shook his head with crossed arms. Phil's eyes were filled with grief of some sort. "You're wrong," the reply was short but surprised Wilbur.
Could there really be a way, a world where he had parents who would be an angel and a Goddess?
Wilbur's crossed arms fell to his sides, eyes widened and mouth gapped. "That's why you're not fully human. You are physically but you're too filled with magic to be considered a human," Phil cupped his cheeks softly. He stiffened at the words. He was human. He was always human, but he was magical too. He was Death's son and he was also Phil's son, indirectly. They were his parents but somewhere else. So close yet so far.
His eyes filled with tears, water flowing without Wilbur allowing it to. His arms raised and instinctively hugged the angel. His face was buried into the angel's shoulder. He didn't want to let go, he never wanted to. He just wanted to stay there, in Phil's arms. It was no wonder why his heart was so weak to Phil. "You have to go back, Will," Phil muttered, it was clear that both of them didn't want to. Wilbur's grip onto the older only tighten, "No, please," he croaked.
Phil let go, revealing Wilbur with puffy eyes and never-ending flowing tears. "You believe there are other universes, right?" The same question was given and Wilbur nodded all the same. The angel smiled and ruffled Wilbur's hair one last time.
"Then I wish that you too exist in another universe and we could live as a family."
╰─⌲ ⊹・•・✻・•・
A brunette ran out of his room, dressed in yellow sweater and black pants. The boy wore a smile as he rushed down the stairs into the living room. An older blonde was on the couch, reading a book and smiling when he noticed the boy. "Dad, dad! What's this book?" The boy pointed to the book, curiously. The blonde chuckled and let the brunette scoot closer. "You want to read it with me?" The older lowered the book so the boy could see. Excitedly, the boy nodded.
"Let me tell you a tale of a boy who's parents loved him, no matter the universe."