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Theseus was rushing to get back home before dark. He had been at the village, visiting his friends Eryn and Freddie while also trying, and failing, to find a gift for his father's upcoming birthday. He was climbing the hill to get back when he slipped on the snow and he fell face first. It felt like it was dark for only a moment as his face slammed into the ground, but in that moment, everything changed.
When the fifteen year old lifted his head, he was confused because the sun was in a different position. It was now late morning and that didn't seem to make any sense. He looked around and realized the snow was gone and the grass below and around him was much more overgrown than it should've been… it was also warmer out, hotter than the warmest days in summer, but it had just been the tail end of winter.
As he shakily stood, he looked around and noticed the nearby forest was far more denser and the trees looked thicker. He looked around and couldn't understand what had happened, so he took his cloak off and numbly continued his trek home.
Except when he cleared that hill and looked to where his home should be... there were only ruins. Overgrown and reclaimed by nature. Crumbling stone and the roof was completely gone. He felt like a ghost as he wandered the ruins of his home. In a split second decision, he dropped his cloak and fled back to the village... maybe they knew what was going on.
Except, the village was also in ruins. There were four people, though, digging all around. When he stumbled forward, one of them spotted him and yelled in a language he didn't understand. He looked around, bewildered by the sight. Then they yelled again when he took a few more steps forward.
"⍙⊑⏃⏁'⌇ ☌⍜⟟⋏☌ ⍜⋏?" Theseus' words were laced with confusion as he looked around, getting closer to the village he had just been in.
The people shared a look and one of them reached out and gestured for the teen to follow. He didn't know what else to do, so he did. He was scared because it had just been winter, but now it's summer and everything was in ruins and overgrown. He kept looking around the village in dismay.
Theseus was led into a large tent, which held a bunch of items… some of which he knew. His heart stilled when he saw Freddie's pendant. It was beaten up and tarnished, but it was clear as day to him because he had designed. He could still remember the day he had given it to the silversmith, begging the man to make it for two coins. He was so grateful the man did do it, letting him gift it to the other boy during the Sun's Festival.
Slowly, he reached out to the pendant, but froze when someone yelled at him in that language again. He spun around, eyes wide as he gestured to the pendant, "⊑⍜⍙ ⎅⟟⎅ ⊬⍜⎍ ☌⟒⏁ ⏁⊑⟟⌇?"
Someone spoke again, a woman with… pink hair? He's never seen anyone with that hair color before. Either way, he couldn't understand it, but he got the message as she gestured for him to sit. As he was sitting, he was looking at the small group and wondering why they were dressed strangely. Why was the woman wearing pants? Like, good for her, but with the hair and pants, he was worried she was going to be burned at the stake or something.
The shortest member of the group, a boy who looked about his age approached and pointed to himself, "Tubbo."
The blond furrowed his brows, "⏁⎍⏚bo?"
The boy nodded, smiling brightly, "Tub-bo."
"Tubbo?" Theseus brightened when he realized he got it right.
Then another teen came up to him, taller than the blond and it made Theseus scowl slightly. He wanted to laugh as they hesitated, "Ranboo. Ran-boo."
"Rain⏚⍜⍙?" He realized it didn't sound right and tried again before he could be corrected, "Rainboo?" He could see the dejected look and saw them sigh before nodding.
The woman came up gently pushing this Rainboo away, smiling softly at him, "Niki."
"⋏⟟☍⟟?" It sounded so similar, but was so off at the same time.
"Niki," she tried again, still smiling.
"⋏iki?" He was trying to figure out what he was doing wrong… but was corrected when he heard her emphasize the first sound, "Niki?"
She nodded and said something else before being pushed to the side by a bald man who didn't look all that much older than him. He heard Niki say something in a scolding tone as the man rolled his eyes.
"Jack," was all he said, crossing his arms.
It was the strangest name Theseus had ever heard of, but that also, surprisingly, made it the easiest to pronounce in this new language, "Jack?"
Tubbo pushed Jack aside and then said something while pointing to him. "⋔⟒?" He asked. Apparently the boy understood and nodded. So, Theseus glanced around once more before pointing at himself, "⏁⊑⟒⌇⟒⎍⌇."
He watched as Jack and Niki's eyes widened and how they exchanged some words before the pink-haired woman pulled out a stange black device that seemed to light up on one side. She tapped it while saying something to the two teens that understood her. He watched as they groaned and left the tent, leaving him alone with the two adults.
She held the device up to her ear and he was amazed with how the glow ceased. Niki began speaking to it, though, and that confused Theseus more than anything because why would she be speaking to it as Jack stared him down.
Then, Niki pulled the device away from her ear and it lit up again as she tapped on it again. The teen froze when he heard his father's voice coming through it, "⏁⊑⟒⌇⟒⎍⌇?"
The teen's heart pounded as he heard the man's voice, "⌿⏃⌿⏃?"
"⋔⊬ ⏚⍜⊬," why did the language sound so foreign coming from his father? It was as though he hadn't been speaking it his whole life, "⟟⏁'⌇ ⌇⍜ ☌⍜⍜⎅ ⏁⍜ ⊑⟒⏃⍀ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⎐⍜⟟☊⟒."
"⌿⏃⌿⏃," Theseus looked around the tent, trying to see where his father could possibly be, but saw nothing, "⍙⊑⟒⍀⟒ ⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍?"
He could hear the man say something in the language the others spoke, but it didn't make sense. Then, "⏁⊑⟒⌇⟒⎍⌇, ⍙⊑⟒⍀⟒ ⊑⏃⎐⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⏚⟒⟒⋏? ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⊑⏃⌿⌿⟒⋏⟒⎅ ⏁⍜ ⊬⍜⎍?"
The teen paused, "⟟ ⎅⍜⋏'⏁ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅ ⏁⊑⟒ ☌⎍⟒⍀⊬. ⟟- ⟟ ⍙⏃⌇ ⍙⏃⌰☍⟟⋏☌ ⊑⍜⋔⟒ ⏃⋏⎅ ⟟ ⎎⟒⌰⌰," he was trying to make sense of it all. "⍙⊑⟒⋏ ⟟ ⌰⍜⍜☍⟒⎅ ⎍⌿, ⟒⎐⟒⍀⊬⏁⊑⟟⋏☌ ⍙⏃⌇ ⎅⟟⎎⎎⟒⍀⟒⋏⏁. ⍙⊑⊬ ⟟⌇ ⍜⎍⍀ ⊑⍜⋔⟒ ⌰⟟☍⟒- ⍙⊑⟒⍀⟒ ⟟⌇ ⟒⎐⟒⍀⊬⍜⋏⟒? ⍙⊑⟒⍀⟒'⌇ ⎎⍀⟒⎅⎅⟟⟒ ⏃⋏⎅ ⟒⍀⊬⋏ ⏃⋏⎅ ⟒⎐⟒⍀⊬⍜⋏⟒ ⟒⌰⌇⟒? ⍙⊑⊬-"
"⏁⊑⟒⌇⟒⎍⌇!" His father's voice broke him out of his line of queries. Then another thing was said in the odd language before his father took a deep breath, "⏁⊑⟒⌇', ⟟⏁'⌇ ⏚⟒⟒⋏ ⏁⊑⍜⎍⌇⏃⋏⎅⌇ ⍜⎎ ⊬⟒⏃⍀⌇ ⌇⟟⋏☊⟒ ⏁⟒☊⊑ ⏃⋏⎅ ⟟ ⌇⏃⍙ ⊬⍜⎍ ⌰⟒⏃⎐⟒ ⏁⊑⏃⏁ ⋔⍜⍀⋏⟟⋏☌."
The blond looked up at Niki and Jack, who kept looking at him like he was some animal they were being forced to butcher. Their eyes looked at him with sorrow and a pity he didn't enjoy. He looked back at the device, his mouth going dry, "⟟- ⍙⊑⏃⏁? ⟟ ⎅⍜⋏'⏁ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅. ⌿⏃⌿⏃, ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⟟⌇ ☌⍜⟟⋏☌ ⍜⋏?"
"⏁⊑⟒⌇⟒⎍⌇," his fathers voice was thick with emotion, "⍜⋏⌰⊬ ⏃ ⎎⟒⍙ ⌿⎍⏚⌰⟟⌇⊑⟒⎅ ☊⏃⌇⟒⌇ ⍜⎎ ⌿⟒⍜⌿⌰⟒ ⌇⌰⟟⌿⌿⟟⋏☌ ⊑⏃⎐⟒ ⏚⟒⟒⋏ ⎅⍜☊⎍⋔⟒⋏⏁⟒⎅- ⟟ ⎅⟟⎅⋏'⏁ ⏁⊑⟟⋏☍ ⊬⍜⎍-"
"⌿⏃⌿⏃!" Theseus cut his father off, "⌇⌰⍜⍙ ⎅⍜⍙⋏! ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⏃⍀⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⏁⏃⌰☍⟟⋏☌ ⏃⏚⍜⎍⏁?"
His father took a very audible breath, "⏁⊑⟒⌇', ⊬⍜⎍ ⌇⌰⟟⌿⌿⟒⎅-"
"⊬⟒⏃⊑, ⏁⊑⟒ ⌇⋏⍜⍙ ⍙⏃⌇ ⍙⟒⏁-"
"⏁⊑⟒⌇⟒⎍⌇!" His father cried out, another thing slipped out in the odd language, then, "⊬⍜⎍ ⌇⌰⟟⌿⌿⟒⎅ ⏁⊑⍀⍜⎍☌⊑ ⏁⟟⋔⟒." The teen's eyes widened as his father continued, "⟒⎐⟒⍀⊬⍜⋏⟒ ⟒⌰⌇⟒ ⟟⌇ ☌⍜⋏⟒. ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⋔⍜⏁⊑⟒⍀'⌇ ⏚⌰⟒⌇⌇⟟⋏☌ ⟟⌇ ⏁⊑⟒ ⍜⋏⌰⊬ ⍀⟒⏃⌇⍜⋏ ⏁⟒☊⊑ ⏃⋏⎅ ⟟ ⏃⍀⟒ ⌇⏁⟟⌰⌰ ⏃⍀⍜⎍⋏⎅."
The teen stood up abruptly, causing Jack and Niki to back up slightly and say something to his father, who responded in kind. Theseus began pacing back and forth as his hands found his hair, "⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⎅⍜ ⊬⍜⎍ ⋔⟒⏃⋏ ☌⍜⋏⟒? ⎎⍀⟒⎅⎅⟟⟒, ⟒⍀⊬⋏, ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⏃⏚⍜⎍⏁ ⏁⊑⟒⋔?"
"⟟ ⏃⋔ ⌇⍜ ⌇⍜⍀⍀⊬," his father's apologies filled his ears, but he couldn't really comprehend them… his brothers in everything but blood were gone. "⟟- ⊬⍜⎍ ⍙⟒⍀⟒ ☌⍜⟟⋏☌ ⏁⍜ ⌰⟒⏃⍀⋏ ⍜⋏ ⊬⍜⎍⍀ ⏚⟟⍀⏁⊑⎅⏃⊬. ⏁⊑⟟⌇ ⍙⏃⌇⋏'⏁ ⌇⎍⌿⌿⍜⌇⟒⎅ ⏁⍜ ⊑⏃⌿⌿⟒⋏!"
He whipped around and stared at the strange device as tears formed in his eyes, "⟒⎐⟒⍀⊬⍜⋏⟒ ⟟⌇ ☌⍜⋏⟒?" He had to double check, not believing the words despite all the evidence he was seeing.
There was a pause that seemed to go on forever, until he heard the man mutter, "⟟'⋔ ⏃⎎⍀⏃⟟⎅ ⌇⍜."
A sob broke free from the boy's throat as he looked around the tent before bolting past the pair and away from the device that seemed to hold his father prisoner. He ran past the two teens that were clearly trying to listen in with no luck. He ran until he reached his old home once more, ignoring the footfalls behind him.
He glanced at the cloak he had dropped before fleeing to the village. He fell to his knees and gently grabbed it from the ground. Eryn had given it to him one year when his father was away on business and it was him and Techno. He didn't want to bother his brother with the fact he had burned his own messing with fire, but Eryn had known and took it upon him to replace the cloak.
His friends were dead. His home was in ruins. Everything he knew was just… gone.
He held the cloak to his chest as he began freely sobbing, mourning a life he never got to have. He never got to see his friends grow old and he never go to say goodbye. He was alone and everyone had been forced to move on.
Someone put a hand on his shoulder, gentle and kind, like Freddie had done when his cow Henry had died. A blurry figure was knelt in front of him, pulling him into a tight embrace as they spoke in soft words he could not understand.
Theseus ended up passing out in the person's arms, a hand rubbing his back with a gentle motion. Later, he would have to wake up and learn to navigate this new world. Right now, he could cry and mourn.