Chapter Text
The sound of rushing water filled the wide open space yet it seemed to be eternally still and silent at the same time. Nothing splashed about in the liquid void around as a lone enderman hybrid sat curled into a ball atop of an island only fit for one. He had no idea how long he had been there. Days, weeks, months, years, decades, and so on and so on. His memory seemed to worsen by the day and the undead scars burned into his gentle skin from touching the water. So all he could do was loathe and cry out into the silence of whatever plane of existence this was. He had only seen one other person in this void of a forever setting sun and unmoving ocean yet their visit hadn’t even left a lasting impression and he had forgotten them as quick as they came. It seemed so bad that he was forgetting his own name and face. Even when it was written on almost every page of the notebook he clung to and he stared at his reflection in the watery void.
Was that even his face?
It was a ridiculous question that had a simple answer but every moment longer in this plane made him feel like a stranger to himself.
A weak breath escaped him as slowly opened the soaking notebook in his hands. The pages stuck together and the words were smudge but they somewhat reminded him of what he once had. He had a family, an odd one but a family nonetheless. He had a son and best friends who he tried to be there for. Mentors who watched over him and helped him grow as a person. Though he tried to hold very few foes, they also taught him some things. However, it wasn’t always the best advice. Even so, they were sorta worth remembering in some way. A way to learn from their mistakes and how it affected him. It made him contemplate how he lived life up until his final moments and how he would have done things differently. What he would have said or done if he had another chance.
Even if he couldn’t do anything now, he just wanted another chance.
As more tears began to burn into his already scorned face, he noticed something happening around him. His blurred gaze slowly shifted up from the notebook as he looked towards the uncanny sky. The eternal sunset seemed to be fading at a rapid pace as darkness began to seep in and small lights started to decorate the sky. Shocked and confused, he shakily stood to his feet with his eyes fixated upwards. The unnatural hues of soft yellow and orange were chased away by shades of dark purple and the water around the small island seemed to drain slowly. He clenched his notebook to his chest as he shrank into himself as his surroundings began to change drastically. A sudden wind appeared that nearly knocked him off his feet. The harsh breeze was cold against his open burn wounds yet it seemed to warm them at the same time. It was a foreign yet healing warmth that seemed to wash over his entire body.
As he watched the sky turn dark and the water sink lower, a flash of light appeared behind him that caused him to turn. He squinted so his eyes would adjust to the brightness. Once he was able to, he realized it was a bridge. A bridge made of floating golden tiles that traveled across what was once the water over to a bed. It was a strange thing but he had been sitting on hardened earth with his knees tucked to his chest for so long that he had no real complaints. Like a moth to a flame, slowly began to walk across the tiles towards the bed. His notebook slipped out of his hand and disappeared into the abyss that was once the water. He didn’t care though. All he wanted was to actually be at peace. His tail hung lowly behind him and his lanky arms hung at his sides as he dragged his feet towards the bed. His hands rose up to touch the post of it, his finger pads tracing along the detailed engravings and the soft cushioned blanket. For the very first time in what felt like forever, he felt tired and his body was weighted. As if in slow motion, his entire body came crashing down onto the bed. He sank into the plush mattress and pillow. A purr of satisfaction seemed to creep from his dry throat. His two-toned eyes began to grow heavy as he began to blink slower. With blurring vision and slow breathing, he fell asleep for what felt like the very first time.
…
Snore-like purred seemed to escape the ender hybrid as he rolled over onto his back. Though the sound of him seemed to startle him a little. As he inhaled to stop it, his eyes fluttered open as he exhaled. He blinked slowly a few times before he was able to somewhat process what he was looking at. It was a ceiling made of dark oak wood. An oak wood ceiling that was quite familiar. He blinked a few more times before looking around him. The room was dark due to curtains blocking the view from the windows. The walls seemed to be also made from oak wood but the floor was made of stone. He rolled over once more to look down at the large rug on the floor. It was a mix of red and green though he remembered it used to be poorly stitched together. Sitting up from his resting position, he allowed his feet to make contact with the floor. The carpet was cool to the touch but it probably wasn’t as cold as the stone was. Shakily leaning on the post of the bed, he slowly stood up. Almost instantly did he fall back down on the bed, feeling like a child learning to walk.
It took him a moment to collect himself before attempting to stand again. This time he actually tried to muster up strength in his legs and took it much much slower. He was much more stable this time around and was able to take a few steps. With those steps, he moved towards the door of the room. It was left a sliver open, which let the sound of muffled voices carry into the room. At least they were muffled to the enderian. Reaching out for the door, he pushed it open a little further to allow him to shuffle out. His shuffling was able to carry him all the way to the edge of the staircase he stood atop of. For the first time, they intimidated him. Mostly because he didn't want to fall down on them. So with a shaky breath, the enderian pressed his palms against the walls to keep himself steady. He lowered one foot after the other with ease to avoid missing a step. This fortunately was not in vain as he had made it to the bottom of the stairs in very little time. With a relieved sigh, he stretched out his arms from what sluggishness he felt in them before continuing through the house. He followed the sounds that he had heard upstairs. Yet this time, they were much clearer and were actually voices. Voices that he recognized. They seemed to be coming from the kitchen area. So with more shuffling, the enderian made his way to the doorway of the kitchen. Looking inside, there were four familiar faces sitting around the table:
A blond man with large black wings, a piglin brute hybrid with a red cloak, a brunette goat boy, and a man with a porcelain smiling mask.
As soon as the enderman hybrid came into full view, all their attention was on him. Silence filled the air as they looked at him with stunned expressions. The enderian blinked slowly before clearing his throat hesitantly.
"Um, g-good morning?" He spoke, his voice feeling a bit horsey.
There was a pause, waiting for some kind of response. The first to stand up was surprisingly the piglin brute. His white circle eyes were at ease as normal but his brows were tilted in a weary way.
"Good morning, Ranboo" he spoke slowly, as he walked over to the hybrid.
Suddenly he was pulled into a tight hug by the piglin brute. It was a bit of a shock but Ranboo allowed himself to melt into the brute’s arms. It had been so very long that he had been hugged so warmly. It had been so long since his seen the piglin since he was the last thing he saw before,
Before…
He died.
Ranboo felt tears well up in his eyes and they began to burn down his face. He didn’t care though, even if it was hurting him. He was just glad to be back, to be alive, to be in the arms of his loved ones. He felt two more sets of arms wrapped around him as the scent of honey and charcoal filled his nose. The embrace and familiar surroundings made him feel so warm, both inside and out.
He was home,
With everyone who he held dearly.
~~~
The flickering of a candle held Ranboo’s focus as he enjoyed the feeling of small fingers playing in his hair. A few soft snorts escaped the small zombie piglet who called his son as he put flower pins in it. Michael didn’t ask many questions when the two were reunited and was just glad to know “Boo” was awake. All he wanted to do was play and talk about things he had done while Ranboo was “sleeping”. Which was when the enderian hybrid realized how much better that Michael had gotten at speaking common. Tubbo gave the credit of improvement to the sheep captain but Ranboo felt the goat hybrid should give himself credit as well. Though there was a tangent of guilt in his heart knowing he wasn’t able to be there for this newly forming growth of his son. Even if his mentor assured him that he didn’t miss too much. Any updates outside the arctic mostly came from Tubbo or Philza’s crows but nothing of interest had happened.
With that in mind, Ranboo felt more relaxed than normal. Especially after a certain masked man had dismissed himself a few days after his Ranboo’s revival. Phil and Techno claimed they didn’t need his help now that he was awake. Though it concerned the ender hybrid about the “help” Dream provided, if felt not to question things he wasn’t really wishing to know. So Ranboo let himself sink into a calm and domestic role as there was nothing to fight or defend anymore. The prison was empty, Techno & Tubbo had rekindled a bond, the spread of vengeances seemed to have died down, and some fighting had dispersed. No words of uprising conflict or whispers of betrayal. Everything was just quiet.
A bit too quiet.
Ranboo’s mind wandered to a few people he hadn’t heard much from. Such as Sam, who Techno claimed Dream was dealing with him. Quackity, who seemed to give up on the rivalry with Wilbur, at least from the dark avian’s words.
And Tommy.
The only thing he heard about Tommy was that he was tending to Church Prime and looking over Shroud. At least that’s what Tubbo told him. He said that he and Toms last spoke only last week but haven’t checked up on him since. Which brought a small bit of comfort but also made Ranboo worried. He trusted Tommy, he did, but things felt off without the blonde demon bothering and teasing him. He honestly expected him to come running in at any point, to hear the loud shouting or ill-mannered statements echoing in the distances and to smell of cornflower dye from his blue sweater. So many expectations yet none of them were fulfilled.
his eyes wandered from the candle to the window. It was late at night and it was snowing outside. The candle in the middle of the living room illuminated the darkness as he sat on the floor. Michael was still putting and taking pins out of his hair but Ranboo could feel his son resting his snout on his head. A soft chuckle escaped the hybrid as he turned around to scoop the small piglet into his arms.
“It’s time for bed, Michael” whispered Ranboo.
“Nooo” pouted Michael, before a yawn escaped.
“Yes, we can play tomorrow '' hushed Ranboo, before shakily standing at his feet.
Michael whined defiantly but curled up into his arms as he pressed his small face into the crook of Ranboo’s neck. The ender hybrid rolled his eyes playfully before making his way up the stairs. He had gotten his land legs back but walking up the stairs of this home was tiring. Though it did make him grateful that Tubbo decided to claim this base as their home away from home since walking up all the stairs in the Snowchester mansion in the state he was in would have killed him, again. A tired sigh escaped Ranboo as he reached the top of the stairs and headed towards the bed. In it already was Tubbo, past out. He reaches over to run his hand through the goat hybrid’s hair before laying Michael beside him. The small piglin whimpered as he made grabby hands to him.
“Boo” whined Michael, sleepily.
“I’m here, I’m here” assured Ranboo, as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“I’ll be here when you wake up, Michael” he added, reaching over to place a hand on his son’s cheek.
The piglet pouted before rubbing his face into Ranboo’s large hand, holding it close with his small hooves.
“You won’ leave again?” asked Michael.
“I won’t,” nodded Ranboo.
His duo-colored eyes softened as he looked into his son’s white ring pupils. It was a sweet statement but held a painful weight coming from Michael. He was worried that Ranboo would leave him behind if he fell asleep. It would seem silly if it hadn’t happened before. And this broke the ender hybrid’s heart a little that his son would be so worried about that at such a young age. With a shake breath, Ranboo cupped his son’s face in his large hands and pressed his forehead against his. He gently rubbed his face as he could feel small tears burning his thumbs.
“I won’t be leaving you any time soon,” he added.
“I promise,”
~~~
A yelp in surprise came from Ranboo as he got a snowball to the face. Techno and Wilbur laughed from their place across the yard. The hybrid huffed as he brushed the snow off as he looked over at Tubbo beside him. The brunette was just laughing at his dismay. Ranboo pouted before tossing a small snowball at the goat hybrid.
“We are supposed to be defending the fort!” exclaimed Ranboo, before scooping a large snowball into his hand.
“Nah, I'm enjoying watching you lose at a simple snowball fight” proclaimed Tubbo, crossing his arms.
“This is anything but a simple snowball fight” scoffed Ranboo.
“We are going against tryhards, plus you're the one who wanted to do this” he claimed.
“Yeah but mostly for the LOLs” shrugged Tubbo.
“Seriously” huffed Ranboo.
Tubbo nodded as he leaned against the small snow wall of the fort. Suddenly a snowball came flying and smacked him in his head. He grunted from the impact before looking up in what seemed like shock. Across the field was Wilbur cackling like a maniac. The goat hybrid furrowed his brows before looking over at Ranboo.
"Hand me the balls" he proclaimed, holding his hoofed hand out.
"Poor phrasing but okay" replied Ranboo, with a stifled laugh.
He scooped up more snow and handed it over to his partner. Suddenly, Tubbo chucked the snowball like a catapult across the lawn. Wilbur peeked back up just to be met with a fast ball of snow to the face. The winged brunette seemed to fall backwards from the impact, which got a laugh out of the piglin brute beside him. Though the laugh was short lived as Techno also got a snowball to the face. Now it was Tubbo to start laughing maniacally. Ranboo just shook his head as he continued to make snowballs.
As he did so, his eyes wandered over to the porch where Phil was sitting watching with Michael. The small piglin was cheering them as he bounced on his hooves to look over the porch railing. The blonde man watched solemnly with a soft yet familiar smile on his face and his black feathered wings splayed against the rails limply. It was a small thing but it brought a bit of warmth to Ranboo’s heart.
It was the type of posture that he recognized as one of being completely and utterly relaxed. To not have to worry or stress about things dwelling on people coming after them. No serious conflicts or favors needing to be returned. Everything felt homely and calm, with the exception of the banter during their snowball fight. It seemed like an impossible dream. Though Ranboo was quickly brought back to reality when he got another snowball to the face.
The enderman hybrid huffed in response as he threw another ball in retaliation. Doing so seemed to spark a conversation topic that he hadn't thought of until now.
"God, I wish Tommy was here, we're basically being cheated with Techno and Wilbur teaming up" huffed Tubbo.
"But that would be three to two, doesn't that seem unfair?" questioned Ranboo, lifting a brow.
"Technoblade is basically two people alone when it comes to a battle, besides Toms has both of his eyes" shrugged Tubbo, jokingly pointing to his scar.
"True, I guess, but where is Tommy? You said the last time you spoke to him was like two weeks ago?" asked Ranboo.
"I don't know, we haven't checked up on him in awhile since he said he was busy with Church Prime maintenance and taking care of Shroud" uttered Tubbo, dodging an incoming snowball.
"I see," hummed Ranboo, as he started making another snowball.
Hearing this seemed to increase the slowly building worry in the back of Ranboo's mind. Almost two weeks have passed and no sign of the blonde demon. There had been an attempt to call him on his communicator but there wasn’t a signal. Though it was written off as the weather messing up the connection, which was believable. Yet there didn’t seem to be an attempt on Tommy’s end to return that contact. Ranboo wasn’t completely sure why but that made him feel uneasy. He considered him as much as family as he considered Tubbo, Michael, and the Syndicate as a whole.
It felt like a hole carved out of his life,
Out of his heart,
Out of his soul.
Ranboo’s brows furrowed as he looked down at the snowball in his hand. A huffed slowly escaped his mouth before his breath hitched. He tilted his head back as a loud sneeze escaped him. It caught Tubbo, Techno, and Wilbur off guard. The three looked at him with wide eyes for a moment as he shook his head. He blinked a few times before looking at the trio with a slightly confused expression.
“I’m good,” he proclaimed, giving a thumbs up.
Another sneeze came, which was prepared for. Tubbo chucked the snowball he had in hand as standing up. He then brushed the snow off his pants and jacket before turning to the enderman hybrid.
“Maybe it’s time to head inside, we clearly won this snowball fight” claimed Tubbo, offering his gloved hand to Ranboo.
“Yeah right” scoffed Wilbur, from across the yard as he also stood up.
“Nah, I think they pretty clearly won,” smirked Techno, ruffling the brunette’s hair as he started to walk over to the duo.
“What, Techno!” exclaimed Wilbur, following behind the pinkette.
The piglin hybrid chuckled mischievously as he placed his cloak around Ranboo’s shoulders.
“Besides, I think we’ve been out here long enough, the sun should be setting soon” spoke Techno, “And some of us aren’t built for really cold temperatures, Wilbur”
“I can handle cold weather, I’ve been staying with you guys here since I was revived” huffed the brunette.
“And you’ve gotten sick three times” called out Phil, from the porch.
“Phil!” yelled Wilbur.
Ranboo, Tubbo, and Techno just laughed at the brunette dismay as they headed towards the cabins.
~~~
The quiet sound of footsteps thumped up the small stairs as Ranboo headed up them to the bedroom of his house. He was going to look for his cloak since Tubbo was going on his weekly visit to Snowchester with Michael and he wished to tag along since he was feeling better at getting around on his own. Yet he seemed to have misplaced his cloak since the last time he wore it. So he was just going to check the bedroom if it was there. He pushed open the wood door and began to search around the space. He looked behind the door, under the bed, and in a few of the chests. A huff of annoyance escaped him while his tail flicked side to side. He turned towards his closet when he felt his tail thump against something. That something fell over and hit the floor with a thump, spooking the young enderman hybrid.
He jumped in surprise as he looked for the source of the thump. His bi-colored eyes landed on a basket that was laying on its side. The contents of it were a bunch of yarns, threads of string, needles, and crochet hooks. It seemed like a strange array of items for a moment since it seems to have taken Ranboo so long to notice it. Yet as he crouched down to pick it up, a familiar scent filled his nose as he picked some blue yarn. It was wool yarn and it smelled like cornflowers. The same time of materials that Tommy used to make his blue sweater. There wasn’t a lot of it but it seemed to be enough for the enderman hybrid to recognize its scent. Which meant everything in the basket belonged to Tommy.
Almost everything.
As Ranboo sat the basket up properly and started to place all the items back into it, he noticed an odd looking book that had fallen out as well. It didn’t seem like anything he would expect his blonde friend to own. He picked up and ran his long fingers across the smooth yet detailed engraved book. The cover of it was a dark deep purple as vines, leaves, flowers, and skulls decorated it in gold. There wasn't a title nor an author of the book. Yet just holding it in his hands maybe something tighten in Ranboo’s chest. Hesitantly, he opened the book. The pages were made of parchment and the words were written in heavy smelling ink that seemed to drown out the scent of cornflowers from moments ago. Each page had different things on them such as stories, spells, types of ceremonies, and forms of summonings & exchanges. There were lists of items that were accompanied by illustrations of great detail. The edge of the pages had vines and flowers painted on them in a similar fashion as they were on the exterior of the book. Yet through all of this, there was a part of the book that caught Ranboo’s eye.There seemed to be a forgotten bookmark. It was out of place in the beauty pages, as it was just a thinly ripped piece of paper with a poorly doodled sheep on it. Ranboo lifted a brow as he scanned over the bookmark for a moment before looking down at the saved page. It was a summoning for the Goddess of Death.
Ranboo felt his entire body freeze for a moment.
Something was wrong, definitely wrong.
Why was this book with Tommy’s items?
Why was he looking at summoning the Goddess of Death?
What did he summon her for?
What did Tommy do?
Where is Tommy?
As the thoughts began to race through Ranboo’s mind, his head snapped up in surprise as the bedroom door swung open. Stepping into the room was Tubbo, with his cloak in hand.
“Ranboo, I found your cloak! Techno gave it back to me to give to you since he put some extra lining into it for the cold-” exclaimed Tubbo, before his eyes landed on the ender hybrid sitting on the floor.
“What are you doing?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.
“Um, I was looking for my cloak and accidentally knocked something over,” said Ranboo, as slowly looked down at the book in his hands, “but I know you wanted to visit Snowchester today but I feel we need to go see Tommy first”
“Oh, well that's fine since we haven't heard from him for a few weeks,” nodded Tubbo.
Ranboo nodded in return as he placed the odd book atop of the basket of knitting materials. He accepted his cloak from Tubbo before following the goat hybrid out of the room. As he started to tie it around his shoulders, his thoughts still raced with so many questions. He had been right to worry about Tommy’s wellbeing. All the signs were there but he hadn't noticed them till now. His absences for three weeks, not answering any calls on his communicator, and now realizing his belongings were in his house under his nose the entire time. Something had happened to the blonde but it had gone unnoticed for far too long.
Ranboo felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest as he followed behind Tubbo down the stairs and out the front door. Yet the thumping in his chest was quickly replaced with a short pause as he looked across the snowy yard. Standing at the bottom of the porch was Phil and Technoblade talking with a familiar tall totem-shark man known as Foolish. It was odd to see the demi-god this far from his summer domain or the nation built on a false desert. And he wasn't the only one to consider it odd.
"What the hell is Foolish doing here?" questioned Tubbo, lifting a curious brow.
"I don't know, do you think something happened in Las Nevadas?" spoke Ranboo, hesitantly.
"I don't know why he would come here if that was it, Techno and Phil aren't exactly allies with Big Q" replied Tubbo, as he started to walking towards them, "Let's go see what's up"
Ranboo nodded but his body suddenly felt stiff as he began to walk through the snow. He wasn't exactly cold with his cloak on but a chill ran through him as he approached the demi-god. Him and Tubbo’s approach seemed to catch all three men's attention.
"Ranboo, you got your cloak on! Does it feel warmer?" greeted Philza.
"It does, thank you for lining it" nodded Ranboo, looking between the winged man and piglin brute
"No problem, it needed freshening up anyways" shrugged Techno, "might even need to do some patchwork for your old Snowchester coat to"
"Can you do mine as well, Techno? The hood lining has been coming out since I sliced holes in them for my horns" asked Tubbo.
"Like fill the holes in or around the holes? I’m not that good with smaller stitches" replied Techno.
"I think you two can talk about this later, we still have a person to question here" interrupted Phil, gesturing towards Foolish.
"Oh right, hi Foolish '' hummed Ranboo, giving the totem man a small wave.
"Hey Ranboo, good to see that you're, um, alive again" smiled Foolish, though there was nervousness in his voice.
"Anyways Foolish, why are you here in the Antarctic again? I don't sense that you're being followed by a certain cat-maid again?" questioned Phil, crossing his arms.
"Haha, yeah no, I was able to shake off Hbomb months ago" claimed Foolish, puffing his chest out before coughing awkwardly, "But um, I was asked to come to the Antarctic to summon you all to a meeting"
"A meeting?" parroted Tubbo.
"Yup, Eret wanted me to tell you that she needs you ALL to come to the L'manhole for this meeting" nodded Foolish.
"L’manhole? Why there?" inquired Techno.
There was an eerie moment of silence as Foolish seemed to hold his breath before sighing.
"I can't exactly say why, it's not my place to, but Eret just told me to escort you guys to L'manhole, including that Wilbur guy" stated Foolish.
"That's a bit odd," muttered Techno, furrowing his brows. "Is it really serious?"
"I'd say so, since he wants all of you there" nodded Foolish, looking at all them.
"Well, we already made amends and an alliance with Eret so I doubt it's some kind of ambush" shrugged Tubbo, "We can drop in first since Ranboo and I were going to visit Tommy and then Snowchester"
Foolish just nodded in response but Ranboo noticed the totem man's expression dropped for just a second. It seemed to go unnoticed by the others since Tubbo and Philza stepped away to fetch Wilbur and Michael from the cabin. Ranboo followed behind Techno to get the horses. As he helped the pinkette gather the reins and saddles, his mind wandered back to the book had found earlier. He felt he could still smell the ink of the writing on his hands and the flashing of art in his mind. Especially the Goddess of Death and her summoning. Phil has spoken about her in the past or just referred to the goddess as "Her". He spoke highly of her but Ranboo had yet to ever meet her, even in death. Which was odd but he hadn’t really thought to question it or any of the memories from his time in his purgatory. The only significant memory from it was the final moments. Where the sky turned from a sunset to a dark purple void with distant lights looking like stars. He had moved across a tile bridge made of golden light towards a strangely inviting yet beautiful bed before rising to find himself in his bed in the cabin. It was an experience that seemed unique to him when compared to how Wilbur described his revival and when Tommy spoke about it for the first time. There was no train to pick him up nor the pain of being snatched back into his body. He had been gently guided back to the living by an unseen force. There was something that made Ranboo’s resurrection different and something deep inside him told him it had to do with Tommy. Why else would he have found that book in his basket? Yet the enderman hybrid was the only one who seemed to know at the moment since Tubbo nor Phil had spoken about it. All they said the first few days of Ranboo being awake was that they had to use the revival book that Dream held possession of. Yet they thought it didn’t work because he didn’t wake up immediately like the past times the masked man used it.
Ranboo felt himself spiraling as he thought more about it. So much that he found himself muttering unintelligible to himself. It wasn’t until he felt a hand touch his shoulder did he snap out of it. He flinched a little before looking up to see it was just Technoblade. The piglin brute was giving him a look of confusion as he held the horses’ reins in his hands.
“You good, Ranboo?” asked Techno, tilting his head to the side.
“Uh yeah, just spaced out for a moment” uttered Ranboo, nodding slightly before going back to fix the saddle of the horse in front of him.
“You sure? You don’t have to come if you don’t feel up for it” inquired Techno, as he led the two horses out the stable.
“I’m fine, besides it’ll probably do me some good if I get out more” assured Ranboo.
“Okay then, but we don’t want you to strain yourself too much” hummed Techno.
Ranboo nodded in response before towing behind Techno as they guided the horses back to the front yard. As they walked with them, a few of the hounds barked and playfully nipped at the horses’ hooves and their cloaks. Techno swatted a few of them lightly while Ranboo ran his hand across their white furs. Doing so, he noticed one of the hounds was just looking up at him. They were just a few steps out of arm's reach but they were just looking up at him as they walked beside him. He tilted his head to the side, which the dog copied. He then tilted his head the other way and the dog did the same. It was quite cute and it brought some ease to Ranboo as stretched out his hand to pet the hound. It leaned its head upwards to lean into the ender hybrid’s hand. This is when he noticed a yellow bandana around its neck. There was also an arrow embroidered on it, along with the letter “A” as well. Curiously, Ranboo paused to crouch down to the dog’s height to examine the bandana closely. It was made of yellow yarn that was tightly knitted together while the arrow was made in orange while the “A” was in white. The colors were soft to the eyes and sat comfortable loose around the hound’s neck where it wasn’t hurting them. Though it was a little damp from being covered in snow and pine needles as if the canine has had it for a decent time. A pinch of pain squeezed in the hybrid’s chest as he had a feeling he knew who made the bandana. Ranboo didn’t know why it brought him pain but it only made his worry grow more. He gave the dog a final pat before standing back up to trot over to his mentor.
Phil and Tubbo returned back to where the piglin brute and totem man were standing with Wilbur and Michael in tow. The winged man had already helped his brunette son mount one of the horses while Techno was guiding the tiny piglin to hold the reins while Tubbo supported him. Foolish seemed to stand close by but wasn’t interacting and was messing around with his communicator. Which was understandable to Ranboo since the closest people that Foolish was quite close to amongst them were, Tubbo, Michael, Tommy, and himself. Atleast to arms length.
Even so, the somewhat easy going atmosphere seemed to some simmer away as Ranboo mounted a horse with Technoblade. The brute nodded towards Foolish as the totem man began to lead them across the arctic.
~~~
The air was a lot warmer compared to the arctic but much cooler than the Nether after they emerged from the portal. Ranboo guessed what Techno said was true, it didn’t seem like much changed in what might have been half a year. Everything seemed peaceful with each other and the things around them. There were also a lot of different flowers growing alongside the prime path as they walked on it. It was actually quite nice to see since not a lot of flowers grew naturally in the arctic. Some of them were quite familiar with the ender hybrid. Clusters of hyacinths gathered near the Community House, peonies lingered down the path towards the Holy Lands, and forget-me-nots danced alongside the stairs outside the Royal Museum. Amidst those flowers, two stood out as they walked up the stairs of the prime path. In the place of what was the yard of Tommy’s shack were an allium and a daffodil surrounded but overgrown grass.
Those two unlikely flowers meant something that struck Ranboo’s heart.
Not only that but the element that the shack was in looked worn down as if it hadn’t been taken care of or anyone was staying in it. It rubbed him the wrong way. There wasn’t a sign of Tommy in it. Phil had spoken that the young demon had started to stay with them after Ranboo’s death and when Dream started hunting him again. Which explained the lack of care but he would have thought his friend would have tried to fix the place up since he had basically disappeared for three weeks. Yet it seemed untouched besides the two flowers in the overgrown yard. Another pain clenched in Ranboo’s chest which caused him to grip his shirt as a shaky sigh escaped his lips. Not enough to be agonizing but it felt like it was building up to be.
As the feeling started to fade away, the horses they were riding slowed down as Foolish came to a stop which caused the ender hybrid to look over Techno’s shoulder. Standing just a few steps ahead on the bridge that hung over L’manhole was Eret. Herobrine monarch barely glanced at them as they started to dismount. Their shaded gaze was fixated on a marigold flower in their gloved hands. It was only when Foolish stepped onto the bridge to place a hand on the ruler’s shoulder.
“They are here,” spoke Foolish, in what might be the gentlest voice that anyone has ever heard from the demigod.
Eret’s head lifted a little as they looked over at the small group before a soft smile curled on to their lips.
“Hello there, I didn’t hear you all arrive” they spoke, standing up from the railing of the bridge they leaned against.
“That’s a surprise, you are usually quite a very observant person” remarked Wilbur, dryly joking.
“I expected you all to come, yes, but I didn’t exactly know when since I know the trip through the Nether is quite difficult at times” shrugged Eret.
“It becomes easier to navigate when you have the human GPS and Foolish to guide you” proclaimed Tubbo, as he lightly elbowed Techno.
“Heh, well of course but I’d say Foolish did most of the work” snorted Techno, as he ruffled the goat boy’s hair.
“Even so, what's this thing that you wanted to tell us? It must be important since you gave Foolish directions for all of us to be here” questioned Phil.
“It is quite important but first things first” uttered Eret, before pausing.
They then let the flower they had in their hand slip out of it down into the caving hole below the bridge. After that, they turned to look up at Foolish.
“Can you take Michael back to the castle? What we are about to talk about isn’t something fit for a child’s ears” asked Eret.
“What? What do you mean?” exclaimed Ranboo, his ears perking up at the request as he whipped his tail defensively around his son.
“As I’ve said, we aren’t going to be talking about pleasant things so I wouldn’t to stress the young boy. I promise nothing will happen to him while he is at my castle, I’ve made sure of it” stated Eret.
“I don’t plan nor think of lying to you all, not like I have done in my past” they assured.
Ranboo furrowed his brows a little as glancing over at Tubbo for guidance. The goat boy gave the ender hybrid a reassuring nod, he placed his hoofed hand on Michael’s head. He sighed before looking down at Michael. The small piglin looked back up at him with curious eyes. Ranboo leaned over to pick his son up into his arms and nuzzled his face as Foolish approached him. He made eye contact with the totem man while slowly handing Michael over to him.
“Be careful with him, Foolish, or-” Ranboo started.
“Or else you’ll have my head mounted on a wall, I got it Ranboo, there is nothing to worry about” interrupted Foolish, as he lifted Michael up to rest the kid on his shoulder.
“There is always something to worry about with you,” replied Ranboo, with an unamused tone.
“Maybe but he’ll be fine, I’ve been pretty solid with taking care of kids” claimed Foolish.
Ranboo gave him an unconvinced look as he watched the older man walk back up the path. He gave a wave to his son, which Michael returned, before returning to look back at Eret. The brunette nodded before turning to walk across the bridge to seemingly lead them across it. They exchanged looks of curiosity before following behind them. The hanging bridge was pretty steady as they moved across it, no swaying or breaking planks. Though the ender hybrid felt he had a moment of dejavu as he crossed it. It didn’t last very long once they were on the other side of the bridge. Which when Eret started to lead them off the path and down a hill. The overgrown grass waved gently as the wind blew through its blades and brushed against their legs. Trees seemed to sprout around them and hid away their shadows underneath the dense leaves. As their surroundings became more wild, the ground became more uneven and dipped further downwards. Until they reached an odd opening into what looked like a cave. Ranboo had never seen nor noticed this, even with his history of mining trips. Yet he noticed a shift on the others’ faces as they paused outside the entrance.
“What, why are we here?” asked Wilbur, his brows furrowed as he glared over at the monarch.
“How else are we supposed to get to the bottom of L’manhole? I doubt that jumping is a viable or safe option” spoke Eret, yet with no malice in their voice.
“Even so, it also doesn’t explain why you wanted us to come here? This is feeling more like a trap the further we follow you” retorted Phil.
“It isn’t one, there is just something that you all should have the right to know that's down here” replied Eret.
Yet that was all the monarch had left to say before descending down into the cave. There was room to argue with the monarch but they had already started walking again so everyone just kepting following them. Heading down into the cave, Ranboo realized it was more of a tunnel with uneven yet smooth stone stairs. There was a hinting smell of gunpowder mixed with faded burning wood in the air but the observation fell on a dead nose since the other seemed unfazed by it. The thing that did seem to catch most of their attention was the dwindled scratches of words on the stone wall. There weren’t enough to understand what they wore since it seemed half of them were scorched away by something. Most like an explosion due to the history that the hole might hail from. Which wasn’t too much of a mystery once they reached the bottom of the tunnel. The exit looked like a large bomb had blown right into the stone. A few jagged rocks were scattered about yet had been covered with moss from the moist air that seemed to collect at the bottom. The earth was surprisingly soft under their feet and the terrain around them was surprisingly peaceful. Waterfalls poured down from above into a shallow bubbling lake. In the lake stood a pole of a infamously familiar multicolored flag, hanging limply in the light breeze. Around it the lake were small animals living quietly amongst themselves. Frogs croaked on lily pads, lizards warming on rocks, and mice nibbled on blades of grass. A few bees seemed to float around a decently sized patch of flowers just on the other side of the lake.
“This is beautiful” murmured Tubbo, lifting his hair up from over his eyes.
“It is quite nice, like there wasn’t anything before it” uttered Ranboo.
“Mother Nature truly knows to take her course when she is needed” hummed Eret, as they stood at the edge of water with their backs towards them.
“Is this all? To show us the ruins of an old country?” questioned Techno.
“No, it is not. I’ve brought you here under the will of a good friend of ours” sighed Eret.
“A will?” parroted Phil.
“Yes, though you are all the last to know of it, which I both do and don’t regret choosing it to be that way” nodded Eret.
“First simple of orders, hello Ranboo, ” they greeted, turning to face the ender hybrid with a solemn grin on their face, “Has everything been okay with? Any phantom pains or sore aches?”
“Not too much, I’d say, some of them have faded away” hummed Ranboo, as he ran a hand across his chest.
“That’s good, I’d imagine Phil nor Technoblade would have let you come this far if you were in pain, physically at least” replied Eret.
“Yeah, but what does that have to do with this ‘will’ you are talking about?” interjected Tubbo.
“Because he is the reason there is a will in the first place” claimed Eret.
“What?” said Ranboo, his ears twitching upwards.
With a slow nod, the monarch reached into their red tailcoat and pulled out a leather notebook. It was pretty worn looking and seemed pretty dense with pages. Eret held the book open with one hand before flipping to the first page. Their shade gaze looked down at it before glancing back up the group in front of them.
“Would you like me to read it or would you?” they asked.
There was a pause as they quietly exchanged glances. Unease and nervousness settled over them, along with curiosity. Something silently told them that the one who should make that choice was Ranboo and Tubbo. With a final look, the two nodded slowly. Eret returned the nod before a sigh escaped their lips before they started to speak:
“Dear whoever reads this journal. I’ve either left it in the hands of a good friend or abandoned it where someone could find it. You may wonder who it belongs to but you don’t have to wonder any longer. As it belonged, or once belonged, to Thomas Careful Danger Kraken Innit or just Tommy. I have many names after that, some epic and some not so epic. But they are just names that boil down to me just being Tommy Innit. A name that isn’t usually seen with praise. Which is fine, I have been a part of many things that just lead to destruction. From nations, houses, paths, and people. I don’t think I could have admitted to this in life without someone pushing me to but I shall admit I was at fault for a handful of things. I used to refuse to take responsibility or lie my way out of things. Which I think I was pretty damn good at but some people would argue. Besides that, I did take responsibility for some things. And one of those things involved a good friend of mine. A friend who had died unfairly recently. A friend who was a really good person and could be considered the opposite of me. A friend to most people and who found him reliable and loyal without being tied down. Which is funny because he’s married and has a son! Which is stupid.
Don’t tell Shroud I said that, I love that kid.
Besides that, it was unfair for him to die. I know death isn’t ever fair and rarely can be fought against. Yet that doesn't mean negotiations aren’t possible. So what could you even give Death in exchange for life? Well, another life. Sounds crazy but it’s possible to exchange the soul of the dead with a soul from the living. So that’s what I did. I unselfishly exchanged my second chance at life to give my dead friend one. The second chance I was given felt crueler than the first one I had before. The world seemed to move on without me while I felt trapped in the past. No matter who I was with or what I did, I felt stalemate and left behind. Nightmares and pains seemed to torture me constantly. I had people who I trusted to help me through it but they also seemed to leave me too or ignore me. I was unneeded and unwanted. And that feeling only seemed to grow after the loss of that good friend who was one of the very few people who seemed like they cared. Not just for me but everyone and his death affected many. Seeing them in hurt somehow made me feel guilty for becoming numb to pain. They deserved better and you who reads this also deserved better for whoever you are.
So that’s why I’m no longer going to be around, even if you try to revive me with that stupid book of Dream’s. I was given three days before the exchange was official and I would be able to bring Ranboo back. Ghostboo had faded long before Philza and Technoblade could revive him, it was obvious. I had given up almost all my items, my roles were passed on to friends, and said my farewells without causing worry for everyone. If I played my cards right and I should be gone by the time anyone reads this. I’ve left everything that has to do with my death and my remaining wills in the hands of King Eret.
-
If you see Ranboo, tell him that he better keep his promise and take care of Tubbo for me.
and that I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to welcome him home.
…
The faint sound of sizzling burns and sniffling seemed to fill the silence as Eret closed the book in their hands. A shaky sigh escaped them as they placed the journal back in their pocket. They slowly removed their shades for their whitened eyes looked towards the group. Red rings hung under their eyes as if they had been crying for a long time.
“I’m sorry couldn’t tell you all sooner, things would have gotten out of hand if I had everyone who was written in the journal to show up at the same time” they proclaimed, awkwardly clearing their throat.
The words were met with silence.
Ranboo’s trembling hand reached up to his face as tears burned into his face, trying to wipe them away but they kept coming like a stream. He could feel Tubbo’s weight leaning into his side, the goat boy’s hoofed hand tightly clasping his free hand. Through blurry eyes, the ender hybrid looked over his mentors. Techno’s eyes were fixed on the ground and not even trying to hide the glossy layer of tears in them. Phil stood close to him, seeming to try and comfort him but also himself. One of his black wings was draped around Wilbur’s shoulder as if to comfort him as well. The expression on the brunette’s face was one of confliction as hot tears poured down his face. Suddenly, the winged man stepped forward towards the monarch and grabbed them by the collar of their tailcoat.
“Where is he?” muttered Wilbur.
“Will, mate-” uttered Phill, but was swiftly ignored.
“Where the fuck is Tommy, Eret? I don’t- no, I WON’T believe my brother is dead by just some words on pages, I want to see him with my own eyes. He wouldn’t throw his life away just cause he was-” argued Wilbur, before hesitating on his final word.
“Sad? You were going to say Tommy wouldn’t throw his life away because he was sad? As much as I wouldn't like to point out hypocrisy during a moment of grieving, you did the exact same thing, Wilbur” retorted Eret.
“And I know it really hurts to think that something else you did rubbed off on him because of how much you cared for him, how all of you all did, but couldn’t feel at the time. But also he did it out of selflessness, which he thought he was incapable of. It might seem like he threw his life away for being sad but to him, it was to bring back a life because those around him were sad” they replied.
“Though, if you would like to see him, then you may” they sighed.
The monarch placed their hands atop of Wilbur’s and removed it from their collar as the winged brunette's grip loosened. They then turned to start walking again, just around the lake. The others quietly followed behind as they slowly started processing the words spoken to them. They were led around to where the bees seemed to be tending to the patch of flowers. Yet in the middle of the patch, on slightly elevated ground, was a beautiful carved glass coffin that was half buried into the ground. Periwinkle flowers neatly clustered around while a single marigold flower rested neatly atop of the black suit body with a red tie inside the coffin. The face looked soft and relaxed, even with a few scars decorating their hands and cheeks. Their closed eyelids shut tightly that hid away what would be shining and lively gray-blue eyes. Their dried lips had a flat expression that once constantly held a smug or mischievous grin on it. The skin was paler than normally and that was probably cool to the touch. It was uncanny yet heartbreaking to look upon the body.
“Tommy…” were the only words that Ranboo could choke out before fresh tears began to bubble into his eyes.
There was no voice or shout to respond to the name that fell from his mouth. No whitty or playfully mean reply. No weird nicknames or empty threats were barked out. Not even an odd sound escaped the body. Not even the faintest breathe.
It was like pinching and clenching that Ranboo kept feeling in his chest came full force as his heart was squeezed so hard that he thought he would stop breathing and fall to his knees all together. Yet Tubbo was the one to beat him to it as the goat boy’s legs seemed to buckle underneath him. His hands gripped as the earth under him as hitches of sobbing caused his body to tremble. Ender hybrid was quick to be on the ground to console his partner but to also join him in the grief. He wrapped his arms around Tubbo’s shoulders as he let him lean into his chest. The feel of tears staining his shirt didn’t bother him. Ranboo just rested his head between Tubbo’s horns as he let his own tears soak his hair.The feeling of three more sets of arms hugging around them as it became a group hug. A hug that was a cycle of comforting another and while comforting themselves.
Their hearts heavy as stone sinking into the abyss of any ocean of grief and guilt. Yet the light of the sun above its surface had faded long ago.