The Segmented Empire

Chapter 9

(TW): None

  Everything went by at the speed of a lightning strike, and the sharp burning sensation of the cold still filled his lungs. He pulled the man's haori closer around himself, the shock and realization of having seen him before were drowned out by his exhaustion. Every muscle in his body kept him pinned to the floor, forcing him to either look down or at the older man making tea in front of him. He didn't want to make conversation, nor did he feel it appropriate at that moment, so they both sat in silence. Phil, as Anguish had learned his name was, turned to him with a small cup.

  "I only have white, but it's probably better for you right now anyway..." He said, sitting down in front of Anguish and handing him the cup.

  He grasped it, bringing all his focus onto keeping his hands steady. He took a small sip, letting the liquid fall down his throat, maybe not as smooth as he expected it. He coughed, his entire body shaking again and causing him to almost spill the liquid.

  "Easy now lad.." Phil mumbled, bringing his hands forward to keep the boy steady.

  This was all wrong to the child, all of it, he shouldn't be here right now and he knew that. Yet, here he was, in a place he didn't want to be and with a man he didn't want to know. He wanted to leave, he wanted to think, he wanted to curl up into a ball and wake up from whatever nightmare he was trapped in. He took another small sip of the tea, putting all his focus back onto the cup. It was warm, Anguish liked that, letting it fill his body as he continued to drink the liquid. The heat reminded him of home, it reminded him of being curled up in his bed by his brother's side as he told him stories. He quickly pushed that thought away, he didn't want to think about his brother, he didn't want to think about anything that involved home. Whether he liked it or not, his home wasn't safe anymore, and it wouldn't be ever again.

  He pushed that thought down as well, not wanting to think anymore about the situation he was in. The silence continued to echo about the room, only ever being broken by the boy's small sniffles in an attempt to clear his nose. It was finally to the point of unbearable when a small knock sounded outside, it was firm yet delicate like a child was rapping on the wood. Phil turned to the noise, he eyed the door for a few seconds before getting up and walking over. Anguish continued to sit there, watching as the man opened the door with a simple greeting.

  A small and hyper voice responded, "HE'S BACK!" and jumped into Phil's arms.

  The older man let out a laugh, looking down at the boy in his arms, "How many times did you knock on that door while I was away?"

  "Enough for me to tell him to stop." Another voice announced, sounding much older than the other one.

  The boy that was in Phil's arms jumped down, turning back to the door to respond to the other voice, "You told me to stop after the first time I did it!"

  "Well, that's because it was annoying and loud." the other boy said matter of factly, walking into the house beside the younger boy.

  He turned his gaze over to Anguish quickly, studying his appearance with wide eyes. He looked to be the same age as Anguish only he was slightly shorter, he had short and fluffy brown hair that was covered by a black beanie. He wore a yellow sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black pants matching the color of the beanie. He wore round glasses that fully covered his brown eyes, which were still wide and starting. He wore simple sneakers which were also black. The younger boy next to him had blonde hair and blue eyes, which were also staring at Anguish. He was wearing a white shirt that was red at the collar and sleeves, and pale brown shorts which showed the small bandages he had on his legs. He had the same sneakers as the older boy but in a much smaller size and he was wearing a red bandana around his neck, the same color as netherrack.

  "Dad, who's that?" The blonde-haired boy questioned, looking up at Phil and pointing at Anguish.

  The older man blinked, looking at Anguish. He seemed to remember how he didn't know the boy's name. Anguish took this as a time to stand, he stared at the two boys in front of him, hesitantly opening his mouth to speak.

  "I'm...I'm Anguish..." He said, putting the tea on a small desk next to him.

  The older boy looked hesitant to approach him, but the younger one didn't miss a beat. He strutted towards Anguish, stopping before him with one of his hands outstretched towards him, the other behind his back.

  "Well, welcome to the man cave Anguish, I'm Tommy, the leader aka the biggest man here!" he said, a slight smugness in his tone.

  "And the most annoying.." the older boy said behind him, giggling once Tommy turned around to yell at him.

  Phil laughed at the interaction, turning back to the door and grabbing the hand of another small boy before closing the door and walking into a different room. Anguish wasn't able to get a good look at the boy, but he saw the slight color of obsidian as they walked off into the house. As he was trying to get a better look at them, the older boy walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

  "Well, if you're here then you need to know someone other than Tommy," he held his hand in front of Anguish like Tommy did, "I'm Wilbur, the mature brother."

  Tommy took a minute to realize what Wilbur had said, but once he did he immediately tried to quip back, going on a small rant about how mature he was compared to him. Anguish smiled softly, taking Wilbur's hand and shaking it slightly.

  "It's nice to meet you.." 

1051 words

  Thank you for reading Chapter 9, it didn't take me as long to write as I thought it would. All in all, I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you guys liked reading it. As always, if you have any criticisms or tips I would appreciate hearing them, it would really help me write this story and my other books in the future. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you have a  good morning/afternoon/night!

                      -The Author