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Philza was there when Techno was thrown out of heaven. He had to watch them drag his best friend away by the wings, unable to intervene. Because Techno was being punished for something he didn’t do. Not Techno, but Philza was the one to let the demon go. Philza was the one to look into burning eyes on a too young face and lower his sword. But Techno took the blame for it. He pressed their foreheads together and closed all of his eyes, even as both knew that the other angels were coming.
“For you the world, Phil.”
Techno’s last words haunt Philza just as much as his screams do. As the sight of his burning wings does as Technoblade fell. Philza has always been of a higher rank than Techno, so nobody dared to suspect him of being part of the betrayal that was sparing the life of a demon. And for a while, Philza tried to live like that. He tried to live with the fact that his best friend took the blame for a mistake Phil did, because Techno wouldn’t want him to give up.
But he can’t. Not when he instinctively turns to empty air, expecting his best friend to be there. Not when he is so lonely it hurts. So Philza ends up where he is now, standing at the edge of heaven. This is the direct way down, not to earth but straight to hell. When angels fall, their wings are set aflame so they may never come back up again. Philza’s wings aren’t burning. There is no mass of angels around, no higher ranking members holding him by the wings, no smoke to force his eyes closed. Only him and the way down.
Philza knows it will hurt. Angels aren’t supposed to ever enter hell. This will be different than visiting earth for a mission, or even fighting demons in the void between the realms. Nobody has taken this way willingly before. Not that Philza has ever heard of, at least. And he is one of the oldest angels around. He doesn’t need to breathe, like he has seen humans do before performing tasks that terrify them. Instead Philza blinks, each eye after the other, and then he takes a step forward. Philza falls silently, until darkness swallows him up.
-----
Niki was never an angel, but he has seen multiple fall in her existence. Not many, because angels don’t often fall, but she knows what to expect. She lives close to the landing place, an entrance to hell nobody but fallen angels take. Most are devastated, screaming and crying for days as the loss of their wings aches and the constant smoke in the air forces them to close most of their eyes. They often beg for forgiveness, before they get used to the fact that none will come.
Hell is different from heaven in many ways. There is no way to be cast out of hell, but more powerful demons may take your magic. There is no big community, instead smaller villages gathering together. Fallen angels don’t often keep most of their magic. They’re still powerful, sure, but there are more powerful demons in most villages.
The last one that fell was different. Technoblade, he called himself. Though he cried, he didn’t beg for forgiveness and though his wings were gone and eyes turned red, he never closed all of them. Niki helped him up, helped move him to her village, where he has been staying ever since. Techno is powerful, even for a fallen angel. The fall didn’t seem to have robbed him of his powers like it does to others. He explained that the power of an angel comes from their faith. Niki didn’t ask what it is he believes in. It is not her place.
Technoblade is peaceful. Unlike many demons of his power level, he doesn’t seem to want more influence. He hasn’t challenged Niki on her place as the leader of the village, though he offers his support if she asks it of him. She would even go as far as to say that they are friends. Still, Techno doesn’t seem to be the weirdest fallen one she will be seeing.
The ground isn’t shaking, but there is a certain pressure in the air that comes with great amounts of power. Niki looks up from where she was writing down another recipe she had recently tried out. Wilbur, who was sitting with her, shoots her an uncertain look. She nods at him.
“Tell the others what’s going on. I’ll take a look at it.”
He leaves without question and Niki hurries to the landing zone. Never have two angels fallen with this little time between them. And when Niki arrives, she sees that this isn’t the only unusual thing about the newest fallen one. While his wings are burning with a fire brighter than any demon could produce, they don’t turn to ash, don’t burn up into nothingness. No, where the fire touches the glowing white feathers, they simply to darker than ash, almost as if the wings were made out of the void itself. The angel isn’t screaming, either. No, he is falling in complete silence. And when Niki approaches him, he seems to unconscious.
She curses under her breath. She has never seen something like this before. Without a second thought, Niki sends out her own flames, a message to the only person who could maybe help her. Now only to hope this fallen angel won’t wake up until Techno arrives.
-----
Philza wakes up to the sound of a familiar voice, calling his name. He doesn’t react at first, but soon he can make out desperation and fear coloring the words, causing him to immediately sit up, wings fanned out and all eyes snapping open at once. He doesn’t close them again, even as his focus lands on a familiar face. Technoblade stands in front of him, only something looks wrong. Where once were magnificent wings, nothing remains and there seems to be short horns peaking out through his hair. But even with red eyes, Phil recognizes his best friend.
“Techno.”
His voice is rough, no longer melodic the way it used to be. Techno immediately stops struggling against the person holding him back. A demon, with flames dancing around her form and glowing eyes, stands between them. She seems to have used all of her strength with holding Techno back and the glow fades slightly as Techno stops trying to move past her.
She almost falls when in the next moment, Techno is kneeling on the ground next to Philza. Phil can feel clawed hands hold his face softly, can see the tears in red eyes. Yes, Techno isn’t an angel anymore. It seems he has adapted well to being a demon. But then again, Philza isn’t an angel either. Never again.
“How did you fall? What happened?”
Techno’s voice is angry, but Philza can hear the desperation underneath clearly. Without a second thought, he wraps his wings around his friend. He pays no mind to the fact that they are a different color, just like he pays no mind to the way he can feel his own power, his very magic shift and warp, adapting to the changes he went through. Philza smiles.
“I didn’t fall, Techno. I jumped. With you to the gates of hell. I told you that, didn’t I? I couldn’t stay alone.”
The only thing important for now is that he has his best friend back again. Everything else is something he can think about later. Later, he will wonder what happened to his wings. Later, Techno will introduce him to the village, to Niki and Wilbur and the kids. Later, Philza will find himself standing next to Techno, going over maps and plans with a smile on his face that spells trouble. Later, they may even take on heaven itself.
For now, they hold each-other and cry. Because angels don’t cry, but neither of them are angels anymore. For now, Philza will press his forehead against his best friend and feel his magic move in time with his pulse, will listen to how alive he is. For now, that is enough.