Free Wings

CHAPTER 19

Welp Schlatt officially the oldest character now! I was fucking wheezing while calculating his age! 😂

Tommy grazed his hand along the fluffy cloud he was gliding over, letting his head swarm with thoughts. He had ditched Ranboo and Tubbo quickly, not waiting for the two to catch up before he jumped out the nearest window. He felt guilty leaving the two like that, but he needed to get away.

His life seemed like a mess now, his eyes slowly opening to the reality he wished he didn’t need to face. All the times he questioned who he was, all the times he knew something wasn’t right with him being Dreams ‘brother’, all the times he had caught his brother talking to himself…Tommy growled, vigorously flapping his wings to increase his height in the sky, his blue eyes gazing at the swirling galaxy above him. 
   
His eyes became wet, tears falling down his cheeks as he fluttered his eyes closed, his wings movements stopping as he felt himself slowly start falling down to the depths of the earth. He had been fooled by Dream, he had been hidden from the truth for so long, hidden from everyone. But, part of him still cared for the other.

Dream had been his big brother, loved him, cared for him, or at least seemed to when they spent time together. How could he be evil, corrupt even? Why couldn’t he just hate him? Tommy let a shaky breath leave him before twisting around, opening his eyes to meet the ever so growing floor below him, curling his wings in as he started falling faster. 
   
His life was an utter mess. Everything that has happened in the past week and a half has been nothing but chaos. It frustrated him, he felt like he wasn’t in control anymore. But in reality was he ever in control? Or did Dream just make him feel like he was in control of his own life? He flung his wings open once he realized he was getting too close to the ground, flying back to a decent height in the air. “TOMMY!” Tommy looked behind himself to see his father behind him, trying to catch up to the other. The teen smiled, slowing down some for the other male. Once he caught up a comfortable silence filled the air, though Tommy didn’t miss the concerned glance’s the king gave him every few minutes. “Tommy, why don’t we land and talk.” It was out of the blue, but Tommy stiffly nodded knowing where this conversation would go. The two made it to an open patch in a forest, landing in the fluffy snow with ease. 
   
Even though Tommy was new to flying, he was excellent at it and picked it up easily. Phil was very proud of the other, though he hated it when the other tried to do tricks in the air like he did. “What do you want to talk about, Phil?” The older blond sat down in the snow, patting the area next to him for his son. The prince sat down, even if the snow was freezing and made goosebumps appear on his skin from the cold. 
   
“There has to be a lot going through your mind, Toms.” He stared, Tommy already listening to the other. “It has to be confusing, maybe even frustrating for you.” the avian could feel his throat tightening at the others words. “I don’t know what's all going through your head, but I want you to talk to me, get whatever it is off of your chest.” A comforting gray wing wrapped around him, along with an arm, pulling him into the side of his father. Before he knew what was happening the waterworks started again, him sniffling as Phil just quietly ran his fingers through his hair in a soothing way. It was peaceful in a way, being able to just cry with someone there to comfort you. But like before thoughts started ravaging through his mind, making him cry harder. So many answers unanswered, and deep down he knew most would never get answered. But one still bugged him, slipping out of his mouth through his cry. 
   
“Did he ever actually c-care about me?” Phil was startled by Tommy’s question, his hand pausing its motions as he looked down towards the younger avian. 
   
“What?” The prince looked up at his father with teary eyes. 
   
“D-Did he care about me? Or did he just want to use me to get those s-stupid crystals? Was that the only reason he kept me a-around?” Tommy sobbed, pressing himself further into Philza, who now was hugging the other tightly with both his arms. “Why? Why do I care about him? Even after learning all this shit? WHY DO I STILL CARE?!” Philza didn’t know the answer, he didn’t know Dream’s intentions with his son. He didn’t know why Dream had taken him, what he planned to do with Tommy fully. He didn’t know if the king cared about Tommy, he didn’t know what to say. 
   
“I don’t know, Toms. I don’t know the answer, I wish I did though. I can tell this is eating away at you, I can tell you're hurting.” Tommy still cried, Phil holding his youngest son close as he did. 
   
“I don’t know how to feel about this whole situation anymore. My life was a lie! Phil, my w-whole life was a LIE!” 
   
“I know, I wish I could go back in time and change all of this. I wish I had been there to save you that night. But I can’t go back and change it. As much as I wish I could, I can’t. But I won't let anything else happen to you, I won’t let Dream use you again, ok?” Tommy vigorously nodded his head, letting his teary eyes close as he quietly sniffled finally calming down. Philza let the other calm down before he spoke again. “I think we should get back home, yeah? Eat dinner and get some sleep. We’ll go on a morning flight tomorrow morning and then hang out with your brothers, ok?” Again, Tommy nodded, smiling at the idea of spending time with his family. 
   
“I-I’d like that, yeah.”

+ + +

Karl Walked down the winding stairs quietly, the whispering only growing louder the more he cascaded down. He was nervous, not understanding what it was exactly. He was trying to sleep when he heard faint calls, he couldn’t sleep anyways so he got out of bed to investigate the noise. But now that he was here, in some sort of dark stairwell that seemed to have never ending stairs he wasn't so sure this was a good idea. “Karl…” What was this? It seemed his question would be answered as finally he reached the end of the stairs, now seeing a pitch black hallway. Though at the end he could faintly see the color red, almost pulsing in a way. “Come to me Karl…” It was soothing, as if this wispy voice had all the answers to his problems. So, hesitantly he started his way towards the red pulsing light, fists to his sides balling tightly. 

It wasn’t long before he reached the end, walking in and letting his eyes take in the magnificent scene. In the room were rock like floors, beautiful red vines growing out of the ceiling and on the walls also with lanterns that light up the area, beautiful yellow and gold flowers decorating the vines as well. On the floor where small ponds spaced out randomly, lily pads floating on top of the glossy water. In the middle of it all was a huge egg, red vines seeming to be growing out of the bottom of it. He remembered the statue he had seen when he first came to the kingdom and gasped. Was this the egg? The egg that had predicted the world's end? “Karl…” The brownette perked up when the egg said his name, looking up to see a red vine reach out to him. Hesitantly he reached out, his hand wrapping around the vine as the vine did the same. “Next king…” The wispy voice echoed. “Fine next king...” These words confused him, but he listened intently. The vine crawled farther up his arm, making the other go on edge but he didn’t dare move yet. “Time… Time traveler…” 

“How do you know that?” Silence, silence for a long time. Then, a small echo-y chuckle filled the room. 

“I see all… I see your future… I see your problems, I hear your thoughts.” The egg’s words freaked him out, but he didn’t know what to do. “Calm… I am not a threat. I wish to ease your worries, time traveler.” Karl relaxed slowly. “You will rule wonderfully, you have a bright future ahead of you. Your efforts did not go to waste, future king.” Another pause. “I accept you as one of the next kings…” A blistering shock ran up his arm, making him gasp and fall to the ground, now trying to get the vine off of himself, the pulsing pain taking over his body. “Time traveler, next king, I give you abilities that will help you in time… They will help you rule alongside your two companions… I Accept you.” Karl sobbed as he twitched against the ground, throbbing pain only consuming him as he slowly started only seeing white in his vision, before everything swiftly turned black.