Taking Control of Panic

Chapter 6

I woke up to the sun shining directly in my face. I looked around me and saw both Tubbo and Tommy using me as a pillow. 'Great, how am I going to get out of this one' I thought to myself. I tried to push them off as I climbed out of bed, but they both groaned. "C'mon. It's 11:00am. You should be getting up anyways" I said as they sat up. I walked downstairs and was greeted by the welcoming smell of bacon. I saw Technoblade in the kitchen making bacon and eggs while Phil was seated at the table drinking coffee and reading a book.

"G'morning." I said and sat down at the table.

"Good morning, Ranboo!" Technoblade said with an unusual amount of enthusiasm. "Bacon and eggs are almost done."

"It's so early. Why are you so excited?"

"It's training day! I haven't trained in a while and I'm excited to watch Tubbo take you down."

"Tubbo? I'm fighting against Tubbo?" "Yeah. You'll start with the weakest and work your way up." He said and I nodded. I didn't like that I'd be fighting against him, but at least I would be around the same skill level.

"Who's the strongest?"

"Obviously me. My power is strength, afterall. Phil and Tommy have only beaten me once, but they had many potions and strong armor." He said as I nodded. He walked over and put some food on our plates as I said a small 'Thank you'. Tommy, Wilbur, and Tubbo came stumbling down the stairs and sat at their spots at the table.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Tubbo asked, shoving food into his mouth. "Well, it's training day so we'll go out to the field. Tubbo, you are to train with Ranboo today." Phil said as I saw Tubbo's face light up. "Techno and Tommy, you can fight together. Wilbur, you need some more practice, so I'll help you."

"I think that I am doing just fine." Wilbur scowled. "You're doing great, but I noticed your form has gotten bad, so we'll focus on that." Phil said as Wilbur shoved more eggs into his mouth to stop him from arguing. We finished eating and cleaned up. Phil said that he's taken a couple days off of work to help. I followed the family out of the house confused about where we were going. Tommy and Tubbo were beside me and seemed very excited. When they stopped, I was confused. We stood in a giant field that was closed off by trees. Tommy saw a chest, pulled out swords, and handed them out to everyone. Tommy and Techno quickly ran off to a side of the field and started their match as Phil put armor on me and Wilbur did the same for Tubbo.

"So, Ranboo, you'll focus on fighting with a sword today. Tubbo will teach you how to hold it and fight properly. He's good with the sword, since he can't use his powers in battles. Whoever knocks the other down and has them pinned wins." Phil explained, "I'll leave you two to it. Will and I will be on the other side of the field. Holler if you need us and good luck!"

I watched as they walked away and looked around. I saw three punching bags hanging from trees and three targets with bows, arrows, and axes near them. To the left of them were Tommy and Techno. Tommy was throwing fire and Techno was dodging it managing to get some hits on Tommy. Phil and Wilbur were setting up to the right of us, so Tubbo and I were in the center.

"Ready, boss man?" Tubbo asked and I nodded. "So, to start off, hold your sword like this." He held his sword out as I studied the position of his hands. I copied the position as he glanced to make sure it was right. "Perfect. Next, movement is important. Make sure to move around and reach for different angles. The armor should protect you, but this is how to block with your sword."

"Like this?" I asked and swung my sword up for protection.

"Yep! And, a shield will help, but we'll practice that later. Are you ready to start? I'll go easy on you."

"Sure. I'm pretty nervous. Don't make fun of me if I suck."

"Of course! I was pretty shit when I started. Tell me if you need a break." He said and I nodded and copied his stance. "3. 2. 1. Go!" He yelled and we started.

I blocked a couple of his hits with my sword and tried to get a hit on him, but missed. He hit my armored chest which confused me and pushed me back. He hit once more and pushed me to the ground. Putting his foot on my chest, he smiled down at me. "One to zero," He said with a smirk. Lifting his foot off, he held his hand down to pull me up.

"Thanks," I mumbled. "How'd I do?"

"Pretty good for your first try. I didn't get Wilbur down my whole first day. Maybe try moving more."

"Ok, let's go again!" I said with enthusiasm.

Tubbo blocked my hit and I blocked his. He readjusted his sword, so I took my chance, spinning around to his side and hitting him to the ground. I put my foot on him and smiled.

"I did it!!!" I said with pure excitement shown on my face.

"Woooooooooooo!!! Let's go Ranboooo!!!" I heard Wilbur shout and clap which made me happy. I helped Tubbo up and studied his face, without eye contact. He seemed to be surprised that I got him.

"Good job! Man, you are a quick learner." He scoffed.

"Thanks? Want to go again?" I asked and he nodded.

We continued training until sundown, only taking three breaks for water. I won 6 and Tubbo won 15. It was a start, and I seemed more confident in my skills. Tommy and Techno left earlier, so it was just Tubbo, Wilbur, Phil, and I still in the field.

"Hey, Ranboo. Nice job! Pretty good for your first day." Phil complimented me and I smiled. "We were about to go home, but I was wondering if you'd like to test out your easiest power, control of light and darkness. What do you think?"

"Sure. Why not. Who should I try it on?"

"Me." Wilbur spoke up with excitement. "I want to see what it's like." I looked in Phil's direction and he nodded. If I unfocused my eyes, I could see a blurry outline of his eyes. I noted the fact that everyone except Will and Techno had blue eyes. Apparently mine are blue too, but I've never checked.

"Okay. How do I do this?"

"From what I read, you have to look directly into his eyes for more than three seconds without unfocussing them. Since it is somewhat dark out, he should be blinded by the darkness, not the light."

"Okay. Will? Are you sure you're ok with this?" I asked and he nodded.

I stared into his eyes, seeing the chocolaty brown color. I stared for about two seconds before blinking and shaking my head. It burned to look directly at him.

"You got this Ranboo. Focus. It might take a couple tries." Tubbo said and put his hands on my shoulders.

I looked back and held the stare for longer. Eventually, I saw..... myself? And Tubbo? I blinked, shook my head, and stumbled backwards as Tubbo held me up. Wilbur fell to the ground with a shocked face. I locked down at my hands and they looked the same, but it felt weird.

"Woah." Wilbur said and stared up at me. "That was so cool!!! I couldn't see anything and couldn't move!!" He explained and jumped up.

"That was..... Weird." I said, slowly. Tubbo sat me down, picking up on my emotions of weirdness, discomfort, and sickness.

"What happened for you?" Phil asked. "I- I saw through his eyes. I saw myself and Tubbo. It was... bizarre. I'll get used to it though. I have a headache and don't feel the best. Can we go home?" I asked and they nodded. Tubbo held onto my arm the whole way to my bed after I told him that I was light headed and dizzy. It made me smile knowing that he cared.