Chapter Text
All eyes were on Philza the moment the war between Manberg and Pogtopia broke out. As the commander of the army, people looked up to him, depended on him to shield them. He vowed to protect his nation, no matter the cost. He never thought the cost would be this high.
At the base camp on the outskirts of Pogtopia, Philza was planning the army's next move. His eyes were glued to the screen, ears perked up for any new information that came in. His impeccable strategies ended battles before they began, as if calling Death herself to raze the battlefield: swift, silent, and painless. It earned him the title "Angel of Death". But he did not like the title being given for that reason.
The war had been going on for 7 months now. 7 months of death and destruction on both sides. So much needless pain and suffering. Countless lives lost because politicians couldn't settle their differences with civility.
Fuck that Jschlatt. Philza cursed mentally. He only wanted the war to end at this point. And thank gods, today may be the day.
The Manberg army had finally surrounded the capital of Pogtopia. A peace treaty was currently being negotiated by his closest friend, and top general, Technoblade.
"Philza, come in." A staticky voice came from the communications.
"Techno! What's your status?"
"Currently waiting on President Soot to come to a decision. He seemed quite shocked by your demands."
"How so?"
"Well...he expected much less leniency. In exchange for complete surrender and loyalty from Pogtopia, Manberg would provide all essential resources and support for reconstruction, and address the food and water shortage by providing necessary technology, while planning for future trade between nations. Sounds like a deal too good to be true."
Philza sighed, remorse in his tone. "It's the least we could do. I doubt Soot would want to see his people suffer any longer, and neither do I."
"You're too good for this world, you know that? Softza."
"Techno, keep it professional on the channels..."
He couldn't see it, but Techno knew Phil was smiling. Still, there was an air of caution in his tone. "Sure, sure, Commander Craft. But...are you sure Schlatt is fine with this? Doesn't seem like him to settle for peace."
"I got through to him. Convinced him to accept my treaty proposal. He even gave us the supplies to begin laying the groundwork for the water filtration, remember?"
"Right, those pipes you had us lay in the sewers. Though something still seems off. But I can't quite place what."
"Well, just stay on high alert. You're still technically in enemy territory. I'm sure it's nothing 'The Blade' and his squad can't handle."
"And if it came to it, I'm sure the 'Angel of Death' would figure a way to rescue us."
Soft chuckles could be heard from both ends.
"You know I hate that nickname. We sound like edgy teenagers...and you know I've always been a pacifist."
"A pacifist army commander? That's a funny joke."
"A pacifist that could still whoop anyone's ass, including yours."
"Now look who's being unprofessional?"
Even more laughing. Leave it to two high-ranking officials, being best friends, to find the light in the dark.
After a short pause, Philza could hear Techno take a deep breath. "Soot's calling us in. Report back soon Phil. It's finally time to end this."
And the coms shut off with a beep.
Technoblade had always followed orders. That was what good soldiers did. And it was what the voices demanded from him. Lately though, the calls for blood seemed to be drowned out by a singular voice that sounded suspiciously like Philza, who kept asking if his orders were always right. But it was going so well, so maybe he was just paranoid.
President Wilbur was shocked, but grateful for the terms. They greatly benefited his nation and people, and being part of Manberg wouldn't be the end of the world. The document was signed, and cheers erupted in the conference room. All Techno had to do now was return the document back to Philza, and the war would be officially over.
It was perfect.
Too perfect.
A deafening boom erupted through the capital, the vibrations shaking every wall in the building. Everybody in the room was thrown onto the ground, save for Techno.
"What's going on?"
"It sounded like an explosion!"
"From where?"
Panicked voices echoed through the room, barely audible over the explosions.
Techno knew it. It WAS too good to be true. Schlatt would never willingly do anything that wouldn't give him more power or control. He must've done something, but what?
"That doesn't matter—we need to move, now!" Techno ordered.
"You...you did this didn't you?" Wilbur accused.
"I knew it. You guys never wanted peace to begin with. This was all part of your plan, to kill us all!" He held the hilt of his blade, preparing to strike.
"No, it's not! Why would I be caught in it if I was a part of it? And we don't have time to argue, we all need to leave-"
Techno reached out to the ones closest to him, being Wilbur and his secretary, to try and pull them to safety. But before he could do anything, the roof came crumbling down. He instinctively leaped away, throwing himself out the door. He turned to look back, but it was too late for everyone else. The entire west side of the building had collapsed. Anyone in that section...their chances of surviving would be next to nothing.
He had a clear view of Pogtopia now through the large gaping hole. The city was engulfed in flames, explosions bursting up from the ground.
The dots connected in his head. The pipes he helped lay throughout the sewers...the ones Schlatt gave. Those weren't to help—they were explosives.
He slammed his hand on the nearby pillar, cracking it in fury. A guttural scream from his throat. His entire squad, dead. President Soot, dead. Any chance for peace, dead. The voices reveled in his rage and death surrounding him, but no. Not now. He can't let emotion control him. There will be time to mourn later. He had to save whoever he could.
He ran through the halls, dodging fallen obstacles, searching for the closest exit while simultaneously opening doors to find survivors. He reached a large, blue door that seemed promising, and he burst through. It was not an exit, but he did find someone. In the corner, there was a small child with blond hair, wearing a red and white t-shirt and jeans. He was crouched down, hands covering his head and tears streaming down his face.
"Who are you? What's going on?"
"Hey, kid, don't worry. I'm here to help." Techno crouched down to the child's level, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You're the big fighter that came with big brother Wilby! Where's...where's Wilby?"
Oh no. No, no, no. Techno thought back when Wilbur mentioned his sibling, Tommy Soot. This was him. The fondness he spoke of his little brother with, how he was the only one left to care for him...if Techno wasn't already racked with guilt, he was now. He can't tell him. Not yet.
"He's...busy! Uh, he sent me to come get you! Tommy, right? My name's Techno. Come on, I'll take you somewhere safe, it's dangerous here!"
Techno extended his hands, and Tommy crawled into his embrace. He clung to him without hesitation—small, shaking, and heartbreakingly trusting.
Techno carried Tommy in one arm, sprinting away from danger and avoiding falling debris, smashing through obstacles using his shield and superior Piglin strength. This child was no more than 7, and he's already been forced to go through such trauma. He always knew this war was wrong, but now it truly made him realize.
Manberg was the villain. And he was the weapon.
Moments ago...
The ground shook beneath Philza, grabbing onto a nearby table to support himself. He heard frantic screams from outside the tent. Were they under attack? What about the peace treaty? Did something go wrong? Thoughts raced through his mind while he ran outside. One of the soldiers running by saw Philza, and immediately stopped to address him.
"Commander! It's Pogtopia!" It was Lieutenant Sapnap, one of Techno's friends.
Philza turned to look in the direction of the capital, letting out a soft gasp as he saw massive plumes of smoke rising to the sky. "
"Lieutenant, status report, now!"
"Yes sir! Explosions seemed to have been set off from within the capital. The source seems to be unknown. None of our troops were engaged in battle since the ceasefire was called, so it wasn't us."
"Mobilize all available troops to assist Pogtopia in search and rescue, and set up emergency shelters and medical tents."
"But sir, they're-"
"Did I stutter? Those aren't enemies, they're innocent civilians. And they are in danger, we're not just going to stand by and let them die. Go. Now."
With a quick salute, Sapnap went to give the orders. Philza returned to the tent and swiped on the screen to access communications to give orders, but he got a sudden call. He picked up, and was face-to-face with the Manberg president, Jschlatt. He wasn't much of a president though. More of a tyrant.
"Commander Craft."
"President. Apologies, but I am quite busy right now. There's an emergency." Philza said with urgency, false sincerity in his tone.
"I know, I started it anyways." Schlatt had a devilish grin on his face.
Philza froze. "What?"
Schlatt chuckled, which turned into full-on cackling. "Did you really think I was just going to settle for peace with those bastards? There was only one ending to this war, destruction for them, and victory for us! So I blew them up!"
"But, the peace treaty! We were...so close!"
"Oh Philza, you may be a genius on the battlefield, but you're next to nothing in the field of politics. Pogtopia is weak. But their ideas of 'freedom' and 'liberty' have attracted a large population, and, a wide variety of hybrids. Imagine what we could do with that kind of manpower."
"They'll never follow you after what you've done."
"Oh they won't know that. What they will know though, when the papers are published, is that President Soot went insane and tried to take the capital out in a blaze of glory. And fortunately, the nearby Manberg army heroically saved everyone they could," Schlatt said with heavy sarcasm.
"Quite the tale I've spun, don't you think? We'll be their heroes. More so, you, Philza. You'll swoop down and save them like you always do for 'poor civilians'. And who doesn't like to follow a hero? The best part is, they'll never know it was you who brought this onto them!"
"What...do you mean?"
"You did this! Your proposal and ceasefire, though stupid, gave us a very good opportunity to infiltrate Pogtopia. The 'pipes' I gave you to lay in their infrastructure weren't to help. They're bombs! And you personally ordered your general to plant them without even needing me to sneak them in!"
Philza looked horrified. He did this. He caused this. He killed them. He ruined all chance for peace.
"Now, be a good little bird and go in there, act all righteous, and save some people. I still want them to work for me!"
Philza's eyes lit up. Hope and defiance burned through the guilt. "There's one major flaw with your plan Schlatt."
"Yes?" Schlatt raised an eyebrow.
"It rides on my obedience."
Schlatt fell silent, his smile faltered slightly.
"You miscalculated."
Philza punched the screen, shattering it, cutting off contact between him and Schlatt.
He grabbed his walkie, trying to reach Techno
"Techno, come in!"
No response.
"General Technoblade, come in!"
Static.
"Dammit. Hang in there mate, I'm coming."
He grabbed an earpiece and his tablet, bursting out of the tent and spreading his jet-black wings, taking flight. Another reason why he was called the 'Angel of Death'. Despite Jschlatt's scheme, he couldn't just sit idly by. He can't undo what he's done, but he can still help. He flew full speed toward Pogtopia while he watched vehicles move out.
It was so much worse than he thought. The city, barely looking like one, was in ruins. From above, the city was unrecognizable—smoke and fire erased its shape. Philza directed his men through the wreckage below, wings beating against the flames as he fought to save what little remained, frantically searching for a familiar trace of pink and red.
Screaming.
He heard screaming.
Philza's eyes darted towards the sound, and he saw a small child floating onto a large wooden plank in the middle of a river that ran through the city. He was doing everything he could to keep water off himself.
Philza swooped down. His protective instincts screaming at him. The child had a peculiar complexion-half black, half white face. A long, lanky body, eyes of differing color, with a long, thin tail. All signs pointed to the child being a hybrid with Enderman origins. If he fell into the water...
Philza scooped the child up, who screamed at the sudden loss of footing.
"Ahh!"
"It's okay! I'm here to help. I'll take you somewhere safe."
"Flying! So high up!" The child flailed, panicking. His breathing becoming rapid.
Philza placed a hand on the boy's head, gently turning it to him. "Hey, shh, just look at me. Focus on me. You're okay."
Philza smiled at the child warmly, like a father comforting their child after a nightmare. Slowly, he calmed down and clung tightly to the Elytrian.
The two eventually reached a medical tent set up by the Manberg army, he gently plopped the child down onto a bed, before kneeling down to meet the boy's eyes.
"Hey, do you mind telling me your name?"
"R...Ranboo."
"Hello Ranboo, I'm Philza. Would you mind telling me what happened? How did you end up in that river? Where are your parents?"
"Big...boom. Daddy teleported me and mommy away, but another boom made us fall into the river. It...hurt...so much! I...closed my eyes to try to make it go away...but mommy was gone when I opened them and I was on that board..."
Philza winced. A child should never have to go through this. And he brought this on him. Ranboo's parents...were likely dead. Even indirectly, he was involved. He killed them, and his heart ached in pain. The guilt threatened to swallow him whole. But he can't tell Ranboo that. Not yet. He can hate himself later. There was still more he could do to help.
"Where are you going Mister Philza?"
"I have to go help anyone I can. And there's someone I need to find. I'll try and look for your parents as well, Ranboo. Be good boy and wait here, okay? These people will tend to your injuries. I'll be back soon, I promise." Philza gently pat the other's head.
With that, Philza stepped outside and flew off again.
Techno burst through the door of city hall just in the nick of time. He held Tommy against him, shielding him from the dust. Thankfully, he managed to evacuate everyone still in the building before it collapsed. He let Tommy back on the ground gently, who looked terrified.
"What happened to Pogtopia? Wasn't Wilbur protecting it?" Tommy looked in horror at the city in flames, the panicking of the people.
"He...he did. He did his best, but a really bad man tricked him and caused all this..."
I caused this. Techno screamed internally. The voices mocked him for feeling remorse. Calling him "softnoblade". Saying he should be proud of all the blood spilled.
"Where is he now?"
Techno's mouth dried up. In all the battles he'd been in, nothing compared to the dread he was feeling right now. He couldn't find the words to tell a child that he watched his last surviving family die right in front of his eyes, that it was his fault his older brother was dead.
Techno struggled to face Tommy, but pushed through. "Tommy, Wilbur is..."
"Techno!"
A voice from above caught their attention, snapping up to look. It was Philza! He landed in front of the two, before running over to pull Techno into a tight embrace.
"Thank gods you're alright mate!"
"Phil...can't breathe."
"Sorry, sorry. I just was so worried," Philza backed away, then turned to Tommy. "Who's this little guy?"
"H...hi! I'm Tommy! Your wings are very cool!"
"Thank you but...are you okay? You're hurt." Philza gently wiped at the blood on Tommy's face with a napkin.
"Yeah I'm totally fine! I'm a big man! It's what Wilbur said I am!" He forced a smile, but was clearly shaken up by the whole ordeal.
"You're...you're Wilbur's little brother! Don't worry, we're here to help Pogtopia deal with this entire situation. There are emergency camps set out throughout the city. Let's take you to one, yeah?" The small child nodded at that suggestion.
"Techno, where's President Soot? I need to find some way to explain this whole situation with him...and he must be worried sick about Tommy here."
Techno looked grimly and shook his head. Philza instantly knew what he meant, shock briefly flashing across his face before masking it.
"Tommy, can you walk fine? Or would you like one of us to carry you?" Techno asked.
Tommy nodded his head, reaching his arms out to Techno, who gladly picked him up and wrapped his arms around him tightly, hoping to give Tommy any semblance of comfort in this hellscape.
The three walked through the streets. If it weren't for the destruction, it'd almost look like a lovely family out for a stroll. But that would never happen, could it? Philza and Techno could never go back to who they were. In the war, they only spilled blood when necessary, never taking more than needed. Now, they killed hundreds, if not thousands of innocents. Tommy was orphaned, his life forever changed. And Ranboo was likely in a similar situation. How would the two men break the news to them? The fact that they played a part in destroying their families? And yet, they were the ones who saved their lives.
How twisted fate was.