Chapter Text
The Underworld is a place that’s best described as red, hot and dangerous, full of boiling lava and creatures of flames. The land of fire, smoke, and demons. A thing people of the Overworld scared their children with when they misbehaved, telling them the stories of the ‘demonic, black-eyed creature that’d take them away’.
Tommy personalny had no idea what that was about.
Well, technically his sclera might be black, but his irises were still bright blue, thank you very much. But he wasn’t gonna go kidnap some random kids, he had better things to do! Like running around the crimson forests with his friends or bothering his dad with ideas for new machines until he didn’t have any other option but to pay attention to him.
Or one of his favorite new activities, bothering Technoblade. Which he was going to do right now.
You see, the Underworld wasn’t full of mindless beings just wandering the boiling land as some dumb Overworlders think, quite the opposite actually. The creatures born in fire, like for example demons or blazeborns, were the most common, but there were just so many beings that were far more intelligent that some humans or whatever.
And even if it was usually referred to as ‘the Underworld’, it was most commonly called Elysium by the ones living there. Sometimes also Erebus or Nether, depending on the region.
Tommy’s heard of people coming down and being very surprised at the amount of villages, cities and just civilizations as a whole when they first saw it. They were also rather surprised at their ruling system, if that was even the right word to call what they had.
Here, there weren’t any ‘royalty’ or ‘presidents’, there were just more powerful beings taking care of certain areas of the Underworld and keeping them safe, and in exchange, the citizens helped out their Protectors when needed.
Tommy’s dad, also known as Samuel Aweman or just Sam, was one of the main advisors of the Badlands’ Protector, his right hand man. The Protector, Bad, was a very powerful demon who had been taking care of his land for decades now, loved by his citizens and his court. Tommy thought his dad was very lucky to end up as a friend of someone with so much power and kindness.
Bad’s court was basically just his advisors, friends, and just beings that he wanted close to him and who’s word he cherished. Tommy really liked spending time with some of them, like Ponk, who almost always had a lemon cake (yes, they had them) ready for him to taste and was just a really nice and funny person to talk to. Or Sapnap, Bad’s kinda, not really, but somehow son, who could be a real dickhead, but he was a great guy to do stupid shit with.
And then there’s Technoblade, who… wasn’t technically part of the Badlands.
The man was actually someone Bad was teaching how to be a Protector as far as Tommy knew. Which meant he was basically living in the castle with all of them, but wasn’t a Badlands’ member. (Even if he went everywhere with them. It was basically some formalities or something.)
When he first met him, Tommy was terrified and amazed at the same time. The guy was a demon, same as him, but he was huge, with very long, very curly pink hair, and looked like he could fold Tommy in half. But when he finally found the courage to talk to the man two years ago, he found out he’s actually a big nerd.
Which was exactly why he loved pestering him so much about everything.
“Techno!” Tommy shouted as he burst into the castle’s library where the older demon sat with a book in hand, jumping at the sudden noise. “I have a question!”
Techno turned to look at him with narrowed eyes, his dark gray scera not so different from Tommy’s own.
To think about it, they had a lot of similarities in the looks department. Obviously, Techno would never be as handsome as the Big Man himself, but they still had the same red-fading-to-black horns (though Techno had, like, six pairs, all in different lengths, where Tommy only had two so far), same very long and pointy ears, and same long tails with puffs of fur at the end.
His dad even joked once that they looked more alike than Tommy and himself did.
“What do you want this time?” Techno was displeased, but that wasn’t gonna stop the Great Tommy from achieving his goal.
“Could you help me with something?”
“Depends,” the older demon replied as he got back to his book. “Is it doing your lessons’ work for you again?”
“No!” Tommy ploped down on the couch next to him, trying to jostle the other, but he was far too light. “I just need some help-”
“There we go again.”
“-with proving Skeppy wrong.”
A book was closed. “I’m listening.”
Tommy snickered to himself, laughing even more at Techno’s annoyance at his glee, but he knew the other demon well enough to know he was just pretending to be mad.
Techno sighed, massaging his temples. “What exactly do you need help with?”
“Well,” Tommy began as he laid down on the couch, throwing his feet onto Techno’s lap, “Skeppy said there’s no way I’ll be able to do a summoning spell big enough to transport a person, so I, of course, said that I’ll do it by the end of the week!”
Techno groaned, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. “ Theseus.”
Tommy grumbled at the use of his full name. Almost nobody did that, not even his dad (except for the times when he was in trouble), but Technoblade had heard the name and immediately was like ‘ah, yes, perfect’. No matter how many times Tommy corrected him, Techno was dead set on calling him that. (And maybe Tommy didn’t actually mind that much. It can be their thing.)
“Can you even do any summoning spells?” Techno was now looking straight at him.
“Of course!” He didn’t even need to lie there. “I’ve been practicing them with dad, and I’ve actually managed to summon a whole ass chair!”
“Well done,” Techno praised as he ruffled Tommy’s blond curls, scratching the boy between his horns. “But it’s a lot harder to summon a living being than an object.”
“I know. That’s why I asked you! You’re, like, the strongest demon here! Well, besides Bad, obviously.”
Techno hummed before throwing Tommy’s feet off of his lap to get up and walk to one of the bookcases.
“We’re gonna start-”
“Fuck yeah!”
“-by learning the theory from the old Grimoires.”
“Ughhhh.”
“You need to study a bit about the circles before you can-”
“Sir Blade!”
They got interrupted by one of Bad’s messengers bursting into the library, the little flames surrounding their body flickering rapidly.
“What is it?” Techno asked as he abandoned the bookshelves, his voice void of the previous playfulness, formal coldness taking its place.
“The council requires your presence, it’s an urgent matter.”
“Very well,” Techno replied before turning to Tommy. “I gotta go, but I’ll come and help you as soon as I can, okay? I promise.”
Tommy grumbled to himself, but nodded. He knew some things couldn’t wait.
Techno left, his long cape swaying behind him.
The messenger made brief eye contact with Tommy before swiftly following after Techno.
Figures.
It’s not like he was anyone important, just the fucking son of the second in command here. Okay, don’t get him wrong, he doesn’t want to just be treated like his father’s son and nothing else. He was his own person, he had his own duties in the castle, he wasn’t just sitting there doing nothing.
But it seemed as though almost nobody really thought of him as someone whose presence matters! Most of the helpers (Bad really didn’t like the word ‘servant’ for some reason) treated him like he was a menace, a dirty, little pest who’s only here because his daddy insisted on it, they should just get rid-
Tommy took a deep breath. There’s no point in dwelling on what he might have overheard some helpers talking about. He shook his head and focused on what he wanted to do.
Right. So something was happening, most likely a meeting was held in the great hall right now, and Tommy didn’t like being left out.
One of the things that people usually don’t know about demons is that they all have their little special powers. It’s usually just a type of spell that a specific demon can perform effortlessly and it’s often unique for everyone.
For Tommy, it was size shifting. Meaning he could change the size of his body, be it either getting smaller, or really big (which he wasn’t very good at yet. It’s hard, fuck off).
Yeah, yeah, not very impressive to things like his dad’s explosions or Skeppy’s ability to turn everything he wanted into diamond, but it had its perks.
Like getting really small to go and listen to the important meetings.
Tommy was used to the feeling of his power spreading through his body, the warmth that it brought, as the world got bigger and bigger, his once tall frame now an inch high.
He giggled to himself as he ran through the hallways, keeping close to the walls to remain unseen. The long, red hallways were full of fancy, wooden display tables with flower vases on them, which were great to hide behind if anyone was passing by.
Thankfully the meeting hall wasn’t so far away from the library, so he only had to run for a little bit. He stopped close to the main doors and slipped in after one of the helpers carrying something inside.
He whooped quietly in joy when he was finally inside the massive room. Red, black and gold decorated everything, from the curtains hung on the walls, to the chairs surrounding a big table in the middle of it all. He ran to the side, keeping close to the walls to avoid staying in open space, and quietly creeped closer to the table.
He could already see Bad, The Great Protector, whose already very tall figure seemed even taller from his perspective, his huge horns, black skin and completely white eyes didn’t make him look any less threatening. (But Tommy knew very well what a softie he really was.)
Tommy made his way to one of the chairs and hid under it, very thankful for the fancy fabric that covered the entire thing down to the floor, making a nice, little tent for him. A perfect hiding place.
He sat down and waited for more people to arrive. After a while he heard footsteps coming closer and Ponk arguing about something with Antfrost, quickly followed by more voices, all slowly quieting down as everyone took their seats.
And of course, it was Tommy Luck(™) for him to decide to hide under his father’s chair. The Fire must really love him…
“Alright!” Bad’s voice echoed in the room, and Tommy could see in his mind how the Protector was spreading his arms wide with a smile. “I see we’re all here, so let’s get to the issue at hand.”
Footsteps were heard again, followed by the sound of the doors closing, meaning that the helpers were out of the room. This was serious shit then.
“Alright,” Bad said, his voice calm but serious. “You know I don’t usually require you to just abandon whatever you were doing to just attend a surprise meeting, but this is nothing ordinary, but I still want to apolo-”
“It’s okay, Bad,” Tommy’s dad said from above him, startling him a little. “We understand, get to the point.”
“Ah, yes, thank you, Sam.” A smile was clear in the Protector’s voice. “The matter at hand is that the Badland’s court has been asked to attend an Overworld meeting hosted by the Forest spirit’s at Puffy’s request.”
You could hear a pin drop in the silence that fell upon the room.
Even Tommy, little, unimportant Tommy, knew how concerning the issue was.
Captain Puffy was the current ruler of the Aerial, the Upperworld. The kingdom in the clouds, the Ones Above Everything, or whatever you want to call it. Either way, she was the one who controlled most of the things ‘up there’, someone with great power whose kindness should never, ever be mistaken for weakness.
For her to call a meeting, one in the Overworld at that, was not a normal thing. Something must’ve happened. Something bad.
Sam suddenly adjusted his legs, swaying them backwards and almost kicking Tommy in the face. He managed to avoid the foot, but he still had to grab his dad’s boot for balance, making the older one stiffen. Tommy froze as well, waiting for anything to happen, but it seemed that his dad wasn’t gonna do anything.
“Do we know anything?” Techno asked, making Tommy focus back on the meeting.
“From the message I’ve got, I know that we weren’t the only region to be called there. Most of the bigger Protected Lands have been called there, as well as the Forest Courts and Aerial’s kingdoms.”
“Do we have any ideas what this might be about?” Tommy recognized Velvet’s voice from the chair next to him.
“It’s supposedly about a danger that might concern us all,” Bad said before sighing heavily. “That’s all I know, Puffy was very secretive.”
“So we’re going there?” Sam asked, his tone so far away from the usual gentleness Tommy was used to. “It does seem a bit suspicious, but are we ones to ignore a potential threat? Especially if Puffy herself was the one to ask everyone to come?”
Tommy snickered to himself.
“I suggest we vote,” Bad answered. “Everyone can voice their opinion on the matter, and then we can decide what we want to do.”
The room was quiet for a bit.
“I think we should go,” Ponk said with confidence, probably crossing his arms like he always does. “Puffy wouldn’t call us for nothing. Gotta be something serious.”
“I agree,” Ant chimed in. “We should at least check it out.”
“Yeah, same.” That was Velvet.
“Same.” Skeppy.
“It does sound suspicious,” Techno added, his deep voice even more prominent in Tommy’s small form. “But we aren’t cowards, so I think we should go.”
“It’s good to hear your opinions,” Bad chirped, clapping his hands. “How about you, Sam?”
Tommy’s dad hummed, taking a while to think. Whatever his decision was, Tommy was sure his father would do the right thing, he always does.
“As much as I am typical to overthink,” he started, “I vote we go there. Even if it’s just to check things out.”
Everyone in the room voiced their agreement, quiet murmurs echoing in the room.
“Then it’s settled!” Bad exclaimed, clapping his hands once more. “Thank you for your input. Now we can all go back to our previous tasks.”
Everyone started getting up, conversation starting among them again as chairs scraped against the ground. But there was still one more problem-
“Sam, you coming?” Ant asked Tommy’s father, who had remained in his seat even when everyone was leaving, which was not ideal.
“Yeah, yeah,” Sam chuckled. “Just wanted to finish my drink, I’ll be out in no time.”
“Okay, see you then!”
“Bye!”
As soon as the doors closed, a hand came and (gently) grabbed Tommy, making him shriek as he got taken from his hiding spot.
He tried wiggling away, but was soon met with the frowning face of his father.
His dad’s ears were pointy, his sclera was just as black as his, his irises vibrant red, staring right into Tommy’s. Sam’s head was adorned with seven pairs of horns, two long, and five smaller ones, nestled in dark green hair. The light green freckles that decorated his face were doing little to soften the frown on his dad’s face.
"'ow do," he stuttered out, waving.
"Tommy." Oop, that voice meant trouble. "Why in the world were you here?"
"Ah, father, you know me," he started, but he didn't really know what to say. But he was the extraordinary Tommy Aweman, of course he can do it. "I'm just here… ughhh… looking for… ladies. Yes, ladies, they love me, obviously, and I-"
"The truth, Theseus." The sharp voice of his dad cut him off. Shit shit he might have girlbossed a bit too much.
"Well," he says as he makes himself comfortable in his father's open palm, grabbing his pointer finger for balance, "I was there when Techno was called for the meeting, so I wanted to know what it was about. I didn't really know it was that serious, but can't change the past I guess."
His dad kept frowning at him. He sighed heavily, dragging his hand down his face as he lowered his hand down so it rested on the table, giving Tommy an even better view of his father's tired expression.
"Tommy," he stressed, staring straight into his son's eyes, "you cannot just listen in to meetings like that, it's not very nice."
"But I want to know what's going on!"
"I know, I know." Sam's hand curls a bit more around him, gently bringing Tommy closer. "But you shouldn't sneak in. Next time just ask someone if you can attend as well."
Tommy scoffed. "As if. Nobody would let me."
"Why wouldn't they? You're my son."
"That's the thing!" He stood up on his father's palm, waving his hands around. "That's all I am seen as here! Your son . Nobody sees me as a council member, nobody sees what I do here!"
"Tommy," his father said gently, and for some reason it made Tommy want to cry. "I know it's hard, but for us, me, Bad, Techno, the others in the court, you're someone valuable. We just didn't think you'd want to attend boring meetings like that."
"I want to help," he gritted out, staring his father straight in the eyes. "I'm old enough to assist with any issues we come across, don't treat me like a child."
"Alright, alright," Sam laughed. "I'll speak with Bad and from now on you'll be an official council member, is that alright?"
"Yes," Tommy replied beaming. "Can you let me go so I can shift again?" He asked, motioning with his hands at his too-small body.
"Nope," his dad answered as he got up from the chair, Tommy held safely in his hands. "That's your punishment for sneaking in. Now you're going to suffer."
"Noooooo," he whined as he slumped dramatically in his father's hold. "How am I supposed to be a big man now?"
His dad only laughed as he carried him down the hall.
o0o
Tommy had been to the Overworld enough times to be familiar with it, but it still amazed him every time saw how different it was from his home land.
It’s not as if he hasn't seen green (seriously, that was literally his dad’s main color), but the vibrant grass and bright blue sky was a bit weird for him. He was used to dark tones and lots of red, not whatever this was.
“What’s the frown for, Theseus?” Techno asked from his right, smirking at his discomfort.
“Shut up,” Tommy immediately replied, smacking Techno in the arm. “It’s just weird…”
“Oh no, poor Tommy can’t bear the sight of something more attention grabbing than him.”
“Shut up, man!”
“Tommy,” a voice said from his other side, a hand settling down on his head, and when he turned he saw his dad looking down at him. “We’re about to walk into the meeting hall, please behave.”
Tommy growled lowly, but nodded.
To get to the Overworld they had to walk through a portal, which still gave Tommy some nausea. But the moment they stepped out they were in a bright-skied, eye-hurting, vibrant world, surrounded by the pillars of the arbor surrounding the portal, right in the middle of the Ancient Forest.
Now they were walking along the stone path leading to the great meeting hall where they were supposed to see Puffy and everyone else. Tommy spent every second admiring everything around them, staring at the birds flying over their heads and colorful flowers growing next to the path.
A gentle tap on the shoulder made him look straight forward, straight at the big building before them. It was made out of spruce logs, planks, and stone bricks, covered from roof to ground in vines. The whole building was lit up by lanterns, but
Tommy knew that at night it would be surrounded by fireflies.
“Here.” Something was placed around his neck, and he soon realized it was a necklace with a ruby on a golden pendant. He raised his head to look at Techno who was staring back at him with gentle eyes. “You can use this to contact me if you’re in any trouble. Just touch the gem and think hard about me, and I will respond, see?” Techno pointed at an identical necklace he wore. “But I’d prefer if you didn’t cause any problems in the first place.”
“Don’t worry, Techno!” Tommy smiled widely at him. “Nothing will happen, I can handle it.”
The older demon hummed at him before ruffling his hair. “Whatever, now pay attention, we’re about to enter the hall.”
Bad, who was walking in front of them all, knocked hard on the big doors, the noise echoing slightly.
Soon, the doors opened to reveal a male faerie, both hair and short beard dark brown, dressed in the long and flowy clothes typical for the forest people.
“BadBoyHalo!” the man smiled brightly, spreading his arms wide.
“Captain Sparklez!” Bad replied just as enthusiastically, embracing the man (which looked quite funny considering the height difference.
“Please, stop calling me that, Jordan is enough.” The man said in a fake sad voice, but quickly got back to grinning at them all. “It’s good to see you all here. Now, let’s go inside, we’re still waiting for a few people.”
Jordan Sparklez was probably the most powerful of the Forest’s occupants, but he never really acted like it, though Tommy knew better than to underestimate him. He’s heard enough stories about the unfortunate souls who wanted to hurt the Forest and its occupants and faced the rage of the great Forest Spirit.
They followed Jordan into a big room with a massive circular table in the middle, all sorts of plants growing in every corner of the room. The ceiling was very high, made of glass, so they could see the fluffy clouds above their heads. There were lanterns everywhere, and they were sure to bathe the room in warm light at night.
Tommy could already spot a lot of important figures there. For example, Schlatt, the Protector of Nevadas, and his right hand, Quackity, who was supposed to take over the land very soon, along with the rest of their court. They were talking with Captain Puffy herself, both her and her son’s, Foolish, natural glow were almost blinding when he looked their way.
There were other people as well; Protector Minx with her people, Mushroom king George, Jordan’s advisor - Sneeg, Callahan (Tommy wasn’t sure what type of God he was, but he knew he was powerful) and many more who he didn’t bother to list.
Tommy saw Sapnap run up to George to chat with him, and, after getting an approving nod from his dad, went to look for his own friends here.
He found Tubbo, Jordan’s faerie apprentice, and Ranboo, Sneeg’s brother? protege? whatever, chatting next to one of the buffets in the corner of the room. He made his way to them just in time to hear the end of one of Tubbo’s weird dreams.
“-so wherever you run,” Tubbo explained, waving his arms around, his bug wings fluttering in excitement, “you would always end up in the same place! You were just trapped in that one clearing for eternity!”
“Tubbo, can we please talk about something more cheerful now?” Ranboo begged, covering his black and white face with clawed hands. “I just asked how’s your day been so far.”
Tommy sped up and smacked his hands on Ranboo’s shoulders, resulting in him screeching.
“Tommy!” Tubbo grinned at him, high-fiving the young demon. “What are you doing here, bossman?”
“It’s great that you ask!” Tommy gave him a big smile as he puffed out his chest. “I am here as one of the official Badlands’ representatives!”
“That’s awesome!” Ranboo chirped, no longer spooked. “But does that mean you won’t be hanging out with us?”
Tommy scoffed. “Just because you bitches will be technically lower than me doesn’t mean I’m gonna deprive you of my glorious presence!”
To be honest, Tommy hadn’t really thought about this part of being ‘someone important’. His friends were here mostly because they had connections with the Forest Court, not yet in a position to be a representative. They might be in the meeting hall right now, but they wouldn’t take part in the meeting itself.
“Why the long face?” Tubbo asked as he peered at him from under his bangs.
“I think he just realized he won’t be able to pull pranks with us while the others are talking.”
Tommy growled at Ranboo’s words, mostly because he was right.
“Awww, don’t worry.” Tubbo threw his arm around the demon’s shoulders. “We can still hang out after the meeting is done, I promise.” The words made Tommy smile at them again.
He was about to call Tubbo a clingy bitch, but the sound of the main doors opening interrupted him.
A tall figure in a green cloak walked into the room, face hidden by a white mask with a simple smile on it. Most of the people around turned to look at the entering being, reacting in either surprise, happiness or annoyance.
Puffy walked up to the newest guest. “Dream!” she exclaimed as she hugged the cloaked man. “I was scared you weren’t going to show up!”
Dream hugged her back, murmuring something to her. Soon Sapnap and George were making their way to him, striking up a conversation.
“The Angel of Luck himself,” Tubbo mumbled from Tommy’s right.
“Man’s wanted a big entrance,” Tommy whispered back, scanning the room for his father for no particular reason, because the Big Man Tommy was never nervous.
“Doesn’t he have, like, a vendetta against you or something?” Ranboo asked from his left.
“Maybe…”
“Yeah, Tommy basically destroyed his scrolls last time they met, spilled juice over them and all.” Tubbo patted Tommy’s back with a laugh.
“Didn’t mean to,” Tommy grumbled in reply.
“Yeah, just as you didn’t mean to interrupt that meeting he was having with the Badlands that one time and force them to stop everything?”
“Tubbo-”
“Or when you smashed that one gem he’s been searching for for weeks?”
“Shut-!”
“Theseus,” someone said from behind them, making them all quickly turn around with wide eyes. The three of them were met with the piercing red eyes of Technoblade staring them down. “The meeting is about to start, so we have to take our seats.”
Tommy hummed, nodding. He bid his friends goodbye and followed Techno to the big table. The boy took a seat next to his father, grinning brightly at him and getting a smile in reply.
“I see you’ve got a new member today with you” Tommy turned around to stare at Dream who was currently standing behind Bad’s chair, which was right next to his dad’s. “What a wonderful surprise.”
“Hello, Dream,” Bad didn’t seem to notice the clear annoyance in the other’s voice, or he just chose to ignore it. “Tommy here has been officially approved as the newest Badlands’ representative, isn’t that exciting?” He asked with a wide smile.
“Very,” Dream gritted out. “Absolutely amazing.”
“Is there a problem?” Sam asked with a frown.
“Of course not,” the angel quickly assured, not fooling Tommy in the slightest. “Now, excuse me, I think we’re about to start.”
The green man left without sparing them another glance.
“He’s a little bit weird, don’t you think?” Bad whispered to Tommy’s father.
“You could say that,” Sam replied, still frowning.
Tommy looked from his father to the cloaked man walking away, not really liking the tension left behind in the air.
“Now that everyone’s here,” Puffy said from where she stood next to her seat, “It’s time for the meeting to start!”
Silence fell over the meeting hall, every servant and apprentice having left the room, now only the courts’ members remaining.
“Alright.” Puffy took a deep breath before continuing. “I won’t be delaying it any longer. A threat is coming towards us, and that threat is someone disturbing the Life forces.”
The room erupted in concerned and angry voices, but were quickly silenced by Puffy’s raised hand.
“I know,” she continued. “The Spirits have informed us of someone of great strength trying to absorb the world’s power not meant for them. That can only mean that there is a being somewhere in the Realms who wants to take control over everything. This has only happened once before and we all know how that ended.”
“Do we have any leads?” Jordan asked and Tommy had to stop himself from taking a double take at the grim tone of his voice.
“No,” Puffy replied, shaking her head. “We only know that it’s someone powerful and dangerous. So if anyone finds anything, do not do anything stupid.”
“What can we do to help?” Minx chimed in, her usual relaxed demeanor gone. “There’s no way we’ll just be sitting around and waiting to shit to happen, yeah?”
“The best thing we can do right now is strengthen our defenses, stay alert and make sure we’re surrounded only by the ones we trust.”
Almost everyone started to murmur to each other, whispers of anger, fear and nervousness filling the room.
“I will not let some scum take my land away from me,” Schlatt exclaimed with crossed arms. “Nevadas will not surrender without a fight. We’re willing to join your cause, Captain.” Quackity and the rest of Schlatt’s court nodded at the Protector’s words.
“Same here,” George said, raising his hand. “The Mushroom kingdom will do its best to be of help.”
“We’ll do our best to assist you,” Bad spoke up. “The Badlands will lend you our power.”
Soon every group gathered around the table voiced their opinion of the matter, and Tommy could almost see tears at the corners of Puffy’s eyes when everyone offered their help.
“Thank you, everyone, thank you so much!” The ruler’s voice was thick with emotions as she nodded at everyone in the room. “I think that’s enough emotions for now. Let’s all take a quick break, shall we?”
Everyone hummed in agreement, getting up from their seats. Tommy saw some people go for the food, but he decided to go deeper into the building, walking down the long hallways and looking for anything that could interest him.
He didn’t really know what to think about the threat. He knew that someone wanting to steal all the world’s power was definitely not good, but was someone really able to do that? Didn’t that require some help from the higher deities?
Tommy shook his head, tracing the patterns on the hallway’s wall with his fingers. He liked the deep parts of the Forest’s meeting hall, even if the never ending hallways made it seem like a labyrinth. They just had that mysterious and magical vibe to them.
He was admiring the fine details when he heard murmurs coming from one of the rooms he walked past, making him stop. He cautiously creeped to the door, putting his ear to it.
He was able to make out a few words. ‘Now’, ‘quick’, ‘no mercy’, ‘attack’, ‘kill everyone’. He really didn’t like when this was going. To make matters worse, when he took a step back, the floor creaked.
Silence.
“Someone’s at the door.”
Tommy didn’t wait another second, he bolted across the hallway, the sound of doors slamming open and heavy footsteps quickly following after him.
Fire, why did he have to go so far away from everyone?!
“Get that rat!” Someone screamed behind him, and Tommy would never admit it, but he was scared shitless at that moment.
His feet pounded against the wooden floor, his breathing loud as his lungs struggled with how fast he was running, but it seemed as if it wasn't enough as the enemy seemed to be getting closer and closer, making his heart raise to his throat.
He was gonna fucking die. He was gonna die here and he didn’t want to die, no, please, he diDN’T WANT TO FUCKING DIE LIKE THIS-
A thought came to his mind.
The necklace that Techno gave him.
Tommy ducked in between two pillars put very close together, squeezing through them into another hallway, allowing himself a smile when he heard the angry growls of the people chasing him when they couldn’t fit in the gap like him.
The demon grabbed the ruby, thinking hard about contacting Techno, jogging away from the attackers.
Techno Techno Techno Techno Techno Technotechnotechnotechnotechno-
Theseus?
Tommy could cry in relief.
Please please you have to run, there are attackers in the building-
Tommy, what’s going on? Where are you?
You have to get everyone the fuck out! Tommy heard the attackers finally squeeze in between the pillars, the sound of them running making the boy quicken his pace.
Okay, okay, we’re evacuating the building, now where are you?!
I-
Suddenly there was a deafening sound of explosions, and the ground shook under his feet, making him stumble, but he continued running.
The whole building shook once more as another boom echoed through the wood and stone, beams creaking at the loss of support. The ceiling started to crumble, stones falling down above Tommy’s head.
A good chunk of the wall and ceiling fell down just behind him, cutting the attackers off. He laughed, but it was a sound void of joy.
Tommy, please, where are you
The demon ducked into a long hallway that seemed untouched by the explosions, panting heavily as he leaned against the wall for at least a second of rest, and grabbed his necklace.
Is everyone safe?
Theseus-
Please, are they safe
…Yes, everyone got out safely, except for Dream and your father, who’s currently looking for you. Same goes for me, so I beg you, tell me where you are
Tommy pushed away from the wall, wiping away dust and soot from his eyes.
Northern hallway, the azalea one, overlooking the lake
Thank you, Theseus, we’ll be there soon, hang in there
The boy started making his way towards the way the others would be coming, trying very hard to keep himself from collapsing, the adrenaline having worn off by now. Somewhere to his left and from behind him he could hear the fire raging, and with a dull type of sadness he realised that the Great Forest Hall will not survive the attack.
“Tommy!”
He looked up with a speed of light, making eye contact with his disheveled father. He was covered in soot and ash, but he was here, he came for him, he was gonna live-
“Dad!” Tommy cried out, this time not able to stop the tears as he ran towards his father. (Why were these hallways so goddamn long?!)
“Tommy, never run off like that again!” his dad shouted as he was quickly making his way to him. “You were gonna give me a heart attack, please, I beg of you, I just want you to be safe-” He got cut off.
Tommy stopped in his path, whole body frozen.
There-
There was a sword sticking out of his dad’s chest, piercing him from behind.
That- that was his dad… His dad just- His dad just got stabbed.
No.
No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
“D-dad?” Tommy whispered, his voice wavering.
Sam’s only response was the black blood that slowly leaked out of his mouth as he stared at his son, eyes wide in terror.
The sword was pulled out just as fast as it attacked, his father falling down on the floor as he lost his support.
Tommy was still frozen, staring at the crumbled form of his dad, just laying there on the floor. When he suddenly felt himself come back to his body, the ringing in his head disappearing, he ran without thinking to land on his knees next to his dad.
“Dad?” he breathed, checking his father’s chest to see the extent of the damage. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he realised it shouldn’t kill him, Sam was a powerful demon, he would be fine. He had to be fucking fine. “It’s gonna be okay, dad, we’re gonna get Ponk, you’re gonna be okay, yeah?”
Sam gave him a faint smile, bringing his shaking hand to place it on Tommy’s.
“Oh, how sweet.” The mocking voice made Tommy immediately stare at the person responsible for all this, body shaking as he glared at the smiley face above him. “What a touching little scene! A son witnessing his father’s death, soon to be doomed himself!”
Tommy wanted to run, but it was like he completely lost control of his muscles, body glued to the floor. Plus, he couldn’t just leave his dad like that.
“T-Tommy,” Sam wheezed out, his shaking hand now pushing at the boy’s chest with barely any strength. “Run.” Tommy stared hopelessly at his father’s blood-covered face. With a heavy heart, he detached himself from his dad’s side and bolted across the hallway.
“Oh, no, no, too late for that,” Dream’s voice boomed from behind him and suddenly the angel was in front of him, grabbing him the horns and making him trip, though the metal grip didn’t let him touch the floor.
“No, please,” Sam weakly called out, trying to push himself up, but failing, the tears in his eyes matching Tommy’s. “Take me, leave him alone, please!”
“Oh, but this little demon right here-” Dream shook him by his horns, the boy whimpering at the action. “-he’s the reason for my failure, ever single fucking time! How did you even manage to raise such a screw up?”
“Shut up,” Tommy gritted out, but the man only laughed.
“You won’t be fucking shit up any longer, Theseus . Now.” Dream snapped his fingers and a portal appeared behind them. “Say goodbye to your dear father, you won’t be seeing each other again.”
“No!” Sam screamed, but choked on his own blood as he tried to say more.
“Dad!” Tommy shouted as he dragged away, trashing in the angel’s hold. “No! Dad, no!”
The pure horror his father had on his face was the last thing he saw before he felt a sharp pain in the neck and everything went dark.