Apples of the Earth

4

Wilburs' point of view*

I look at dad as he walks. He seems fine. Last night really scared me. I'm glad he's alright.

"Hey Dad? Whats wrong with Techno?" I ask, willing my tiny legs to keep up with him.

"Well, Im not sure.  He's probably just tired." He says unconvincingly. We tread in silence until we reach the stronghold entrance. Dad has long since blocked off the way in with a door and has illuminated every nook and cranny of the tunnel with torchlight to avoid the dangers that lurk in the dark.

The whole point to come here is for experience. I don't know how or why it works. But you basically absorb energy from other things, be they living or not, and it grants you abilities through knowledge. I come with dad every time. Not for the experience, but fir the library.

Today we're getting some experience for little tommy. It's supposed to help protect him. And Dads going to get some top to enchant some more stuff. While they do that, I sit in the center of the library. The books are ancient and smell musky. I love it.

I hum to myself as I scour for something new. When I grow up, I want to own a library. It'll be beautiful and perfect. I'll have a fireplace to keep it warm and all would be welcome. A place where anyone can go to enjoy silence and tranquility.

I eventually find an old book I can garden read and sit down on the dusty ground. A soft breeze blows through the cracks and crevices in the cave, gently blowing across my face and keeping the hair from my eyes.

The heavy leather binding is difficult to pry open, the pages stuck together from age. I'm estatuc at the idea that I may be the first to read this is in years, or decades. Maybe even longer!

I eventually get started and find it to be a book on ancient medicine. The madness they considered technique before....

I look for words to learn. I may be the bookworm in our family but Dad is nearly as old as time and still at full strength. Naturally he has an extensive knowledge of vocabulary. And as for Techno, he's known more than me since the day I met him. I don't know how. He just came into the world a genius, I suppose. But everyone has their flaws. For starters, he's completely tone deaf. You couldn't pay me to listen to him sing. Furthermore, he has things in his head. Voices. That's the bigger deal of the two.

It's no secret in our house. I don't think he ever really tried to hide it either. They aren't always talking. And when they do h3 usually just doesn't listen. But sometimes they make him do stuff. Like the time we were crossing the lake.

He simply said "OK" and started breaking the ice. Das and I stopped to watch him. Soon, water was exposed and dad moved closer to pull him back and Techno just jumped in. We got him out easy enough, but thats the first time the voices scared me. That's why we try to keep Techno in his own room. I could probably help him, but it could be unsafe for tommy. It was his idea, actually. And I completely understand it.

I finally find a new word. Augur. It means foreshadowing to an ending, be it good or bad. I bet even Techno won't know that one. Now to find a way to casually bring it up. Bragging later will come easily.

I am three quarters through the book when Dad comes back from the zombie room where he was getting experience. Tommy is wrapped to Dads back and is sound asleep. Cute.

I think about his name. Theseus. The obvious choice for his namesake would be the story of Theseus. There's many of them. He was supposedly a great king who felled many enemies including the infamous minotaur. He eventually died when his step mom decided she didn't want to risk him taking the throne. A rather anticlimactic end to his wonderfully adventurous life. I hope I xould live up to that kind of story. I know it's unrealistic to hope to live forever. Heck, I nearly died last week after wandering into powdered snow while walking and reading.

I won't live forever. But I want to be remembered for always. I want future generations to be nursed on stories of my making. I want to write epics and novels alike. Capture the world with my music. Concor Villains and monsters, living through the most epic adventures in history. I want to live on after I die. And being a legend is a great way to do that. Heroes can not be overlooked or ignored. So I will be one. Maybe I'll let Tommy be my sidekick. Techno can be my body guard. Dad would be my mentor. Now all I need is a love interest. That'll be inevitable. I got the looks in this family.

"Ok Wil, it's abouttime to head home. How does mutton sound for dinnertonight?" Dad asks. I nod vigorously. We leave my sanctum of knowledge and I sadly part with my new book. Dad says I can bring some home but I never do. It feels like stealing. They were here before and will be there long after. I don't want to take from the future.

"I learned a new word!" I exclaim gleefully. Dad smiles at me.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" He asks.

"Augur. It neans like, foreshadowing. Like if you stubbed your tow, it dies not Augur well for you walkinghome peacefully. Neat, right?" I gush. But he isn't listening.

"Dad?" I follow his gaze and see smoke billowing into the sky in the far distance. What's going on?

He doesn't respond, he just yanks Tommy from his wrap and shoves him into my arms. I watch in awe as his wings unfold from nowhere, and he takes off unto the air with a single powerful beat of them. In mere moments he's gone.

And I realize that I am alone. In the snow. With a cold toddler. I ponder going back but we're closer to home anyways. I start jogging home, holding my brother close. Hunger sets in rather quickly though and I am reduced to a walk. Keeping my eye out for powdered snow, we press onwards.

Technoblades Point of view *

Mistake number 1. I decided to cook food for myself.

So I put the potatoes in the furnace, just to find we have no fuel in it. I decide to look for some. That is what we call mistake number 2.

I can't find coal or charcoal of any kind so I decide to check the basement. That would be number 3.

No coal or anything down there either. There's wood but I know most of it is for dads future projects. So I try to find another source. That would be number 4.

I find a switch on the wall. Number 5.

I flip the switch. Number 6.

The wall opens to reveal a room with 3 chests in it. The chests contain an assortment of supplies. Stuff dad never would let us have, at least not until he's watching us. From crossbows to flint and steel to lava to fireworks. Lava! That would be perfect! And so mistake number 7 was born.

The bucket was heavy and difficult to carry. But I got it to the kitchen. Now, how do I use it? I decided I'll try to tip it into the furnace. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you mistake number 8.

After that it was sorta a blur. The lava went everywhere and spread across the woof floor. It began to flood at me and I ran. I honestly couldn't tell you much after that. At some point I realized I  wasn't afraid of the fire. I was afraid of the consequence. But by then I was at least a mile away. I could no longer see the house but in my minds eye I could see the mesmerizing flames licking up the dry wooden walls and I found almost comfort in it. I remember being vaguely aware that it was fortunately snowing, covering my tracks. I remember noticing that there was Ash in the falling snow. And I remember falling. After that? I couldn't tell you.