The Segmented Empire

Chapter 10

TW (slight yelling)

  The day was slow, and the warmth inside the house made it all the more comfortable for Anguish. He was sitting atop a furnace, listening as Tommy rambled to Wilbur about everything he and his "sidekick" had done that day. Wilbur was only half-listening, sitting next to Anguish on a chest. The boy was still getting used to the new setting, but he was finding it much easier now that he was properly introduced, and warm. The latter probably being the main factor.

"The creeper probably would've blown us up if I hadn't attacked first!" Tommy said enthusiastically, bringing his arms up as if he was showing off his muscles.

  Wilbur chuckled at that, looking over at Tommy "Correction if I hadn't attacked first." he emphasized the I as he spoke.

  Tommy quickly objected to his statement, going on a small tirade about how brave he was. Anguish snorted at the interaction, the younger boy had reminded him of his brother, possibly more than he wanted him to. He turned his head away from the two boys in favor of looking out the window, the thought of his brother made his throat close up. He pushed the thought away as best as he could, taking a shallow breath as a way to calm himself. Wilbur seemed to take note of this long before Tommy did, turning towards Anguish with a worried expression.

  "You okay?" he mumbled out, "it looks like you're going to cry.."

  Anguish quickly shook his head, turning to look at the brown-haired boy.

  "I'm..I'm fine, just, not thinking the happiest thoughts is all.." he replied, bringing his hand up to wipe his watery eyes.

  Wilbur turned away from him and got up, walking over to a small chest in the corner of the room. He opened it and grabbed something, quickly running back over with it behind his back.

  "Stand up and turn around," he said, "it'll only take a minute."

  Anguish looked at the boy, his eyes scanning over his expression to see what he was planning. He reluctantly stood and turned to look at the wall, his mind running with different possibilities of what the shorter boy was doing. A weight fell onto his shoulders and a hat was placed over his head, it engulfed him with warmth and the feeling of security. He stood for a minute, letting the feeling register in his head before he grabbed the fabric of what was put on him. It seemed to be a cloak made of purple velvet, and it faded subtly to black at the bottom. He studied the garment, turning to look at the boy who had put it on him. Wilbur smiled at him warmly, glancing over at Tommy who was now staring.

  "What is this?" Anguish said suspiciously, only now attempting to pull the hat off to look at it.

  "It's my mum's cloak and hat," he declared "here, let me help you out a bit."

  He pulled the sleeve into Anguish's view, helping him pull it onto his arm. It wasn't a surprise that it was too big, but the boy couldn't help but sink into its warmth. Wilbur pulled a veil over his face, it draped down from the rim of the hat almost completely engulfing the front of him. The brown-haired boy stepped away from him, giving him another warm smile.

  "She would let us wear them when we were feeling upset or angry about something.." he said.

  Anguish didn't know how to react to the situation, he sat there continuing to sink into the heat of the cloak.

  "Wait, if it's your mother's then why are you letting me wear it?.." he questioned. The reality of the situation finally registered in his mind.

  "Well, dad said you'd be staying here for a while for your safety..." he admitted, "So that means you're kinda like family now, like Serarphy"

  His expression changed, realizing Anguish had no idea who Serarphy was. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

  "He's kinda like one of our other brothers, or at least we think of him as one." he explained.

  Anguish nodded, pulling the cloak closer to himself. The word "family" was comforting to hear, he didn't understand why but it made him feel warm inside. Not as though he needed it, he was already drowning in warmth due to the garment he had been put in. That thought made him laugh and he smiled at the two boys softly. Tommy, who had seemed to finally be able to speak, blurted out very loudly and enthusiastically.

  "THE HAT FITS YOU SO WELL!" He ran over to Anguish, his eyes sparkling as he looked up at the older boy.

  Anguish chuckled, despite the strange situation, he felt at home here. That thought comforted him more than anything.

                                          ??? (P.O.V)

  I stepped down the hall, listening as my footsteps echoed through the room. The King paced in front of his throne, it was easy to tell he was resisting the urge to pull his sword on somebody.

  "My lord-" I started

  "Have you found the boy!?" He quickly cut me off, his tone sharp and full of anger."

  "Unfortunately not sir, but we were able to break through the obsidian blocking the portal," I replied, keeping my stance calm, "It leads into a frozen wasteland, he wouldn't have been able to get far."

  He let out an impatient sigh, walking towards me. The rage radiated off of him as he got closer.

  "You find that boy, or your head will be hanging on the wall in my study!" He yelled out "Do I make myself clear!?"

  I nodded quickly, turning on my heel and walking out of the great hall.

  I quickened my pace slightly, walking past the dungeon and into the armory. My ax hung high on the wall, the light from the room shone on the blade. I grabbed hold of it, tearing it down from its holding place. I ran my hand over the blade, feeling the heat from the freshly cleaned netherite. I smirked, the feeling of using it again so soon tugging at my entire body. I would finally be able to finish what I started so very long ago, and this time, I didn't have Scar in the way to protect him from me.

  Not anymore. 

1059 words

  Thank you for reading chapter 10, I hope you enjoyed it! It was really fun for me to write, I hope it's at least somewhat accurate to how Tommy and Wilbur act. I didn't wanna make it completely like them since they're supposed to be children but I wanted to keep their characters at least somewhat. If you have any tips or criticisms about this story or my writing in general please let me know,  it'll help me write this book and others in the future. I hope this was a fun read and that you have a good day/afternoon/night!

                  -The Author