Upon the Ruins of a Broken World II A Dreamsmp AU

Unfaltering Darkness

Tommy shot upwards and past Philza, waving to him tauntingly.

"Oh, so the apprentice wants a challenge?" Philza smirked back. "Come on then." 

Phil pumped his wings and took the lead, heading straight for the cavern roof... and thousands of glowvines. Philza hit the first of the stalk and be twisted left. 

Tommy angled his wings the way he had seen Philza do and banked left, narrowly missing the first few vines. They were in a hanging forest now. 

Tommy dodged glowvines and he swung crazily across the air, flapping harder to keep up with Phil's skilled manoeuvres. Philza shot higher up, to where the low ones were theicker and the glow berries hung heavy from the vines.

Tommy breathed in deeply, sterling his nerves and flew upwards, gaining speed. Philza was barely three feet before him, curling past vines like liquid grace. This was his element, Tommy realized. 

But, it was also Tommy's. 

Philza curled up, straight to the cavern roof lay exposed. Tommy flew after, both near vertical. 

They burst into a tunnel, darkness surrounding them. At first, Tommy didn't feel the calling or the cold hands. He only focused on the man before him, twisting in the air as the tunnel curved right and left. 

A hand grabbed his foot, ripping him back.

"Phil!" He cried before more hands clamped onto him, pulling his feathers, tail, arms and legs. 

Tommy fell down onto the cold stone surface, straining against his captors. He looked up straining his eyes. Where was he? 

Was he in the void again? 

No, he could see the faint outline of a man in the darkness. He had obsidian wings and green clothing. Phil. 

Tommy strained against the hands, pulling himself toward Phil. He vaguely heard someone calling his name. It was faint, as if they were calling trough a wall. 

"Phi—" A hand clamps down on  his mouth, smothering the sound. Phil twisted around and walked carefully to Tommy. Why?! He could see Tommy. 

Tommy but down on the hand and it retracted. 

"PHIL!" Tommy screamed as another hands gripped his head, forcing his mouth closed. They were crawling all over him now, pulling at him. No!

Philza leapt Tommy, stepping on his fingers. Tommy screamed in pain but watched as Philza bent down to reach.... and touch his hand. 

Philza grabbed his hand and pulled with brutal strength, ripping Tommy free of the hands. 

"Tommy is that you?" Philza asked as he gather Tommy in his arms. 

"Yes it's me—" Tommy jerked into Phil, wrapping his arms tightly around the man as the hands came closer, taunting laughs ringing in the distance. 

"Don't let them take me, Phil!" He said through clenched teeth. "DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!" 

"Who's taking you Tommy?!" Philza asked as he started to run down the tunnel. 

Fear started to cloud Tommy's head as the hands got better grip. 

"Who's pulling at you, Tommy?" Phil asked as he leaned his body against the pull. 

"Phil, you need to run, NOW!" Tommy screamed at the hands tugged at him violently.

Phil's face set in determination as he dug his heels in and pulled back against the hands. He steeped his strength and leapt forward, the hands loosing grasp on Tommy. 

"GO!" Tommy cried as Phil dove into a sprint running down the tunnel. Phil opened his wings, flapping to lengthen his strides and give him more power.

Tommy clutched Philza, making himself as small as possible. 

"It's okay, Tommy, I got you." Philza whispered in his ear as he sprinted. 

"We're almost there." Tommy looked up and saw a well lit room. The hands saw it too. They screamed in rage and leapt up, grabbing his feet. Tommy kicked at them, trying to dislodge their hold. 

"Tommy?" Philza asked. 

"RUN PHIL, JUST RUN!" Tommy screamed at the hands clasped down on his wings. Tommy shook them vigorously. He need to get out. He needed to get free. 

"GO TO THE LIGHT PHIL!" He yelled and felt Phil pour more energy into his sprint. 

Philza was three meters form freedom. Two. 

The hands grabbed his heels. 

One.

They ripped him free from Philza's arms. 

"NO!" Phil cried and grabbed Tommy's hand before it slipped free from his shoulders. 

Tommy cried out in pain as he was stretched between the two forces. The hand and Phil pulled equally hard, one in the light the others in the dark. 

Tommy did not want to fall into the dark and I rob the hands of the cold beings that grasped at him. 

"Please..." His voice cracked, his vision swirling and turning black at the edges.

The last thing he heard was Philza, screaming.

"Tommy?!"