Xelqua Rising || The Lost One AU

51. Birthday Surprise

AN

Since the last chapter was posted, a beloved content creator in the Minecraft community has passed. I may not have watched his videos, but everything I have heard of Technoblade has been nothing but good. May he rest in peace.

--

People were crowded in the city. They piled on top of each other in the streets, and hung out of windows. Flags were strewn on clothes lines and painted on sides of buildings. Children ran around with faces painted blue, giggling  as they chased each other around. People threw blue confetti in the streets as they let out happy cries.

In the center of this all was a small platform upraised a bit and surronded by pillagers and gaurds. On this platform sat the young birthday boy, seven now. All these people had come out to celebrate the growing Convex. "There's so many people!" He exclaimed. He was used to crowds, sure, but this was a lot even for him.

"They all wanted to celebrate with you," his father told him with a smile. It was true.

His father walked over to one of the gaurds. "I think we have waited long enough. Tell the people that they can come and present their gifts now."

The guard turned and passed along the message, and in no time there were people steadily coming up to the Convex one by one. Each one bowed before him before handing him a present.

Diamonds and lapis were the most common among these gifts. This greatly delighted the Vexes. They were often supplemented by toys and treats. No one dared ask the Convex for healing or for fulfillment; it was the boy's birthday after all— he deserved a day off. Before long, the gifts pilled up. Even if they were in chests, there were too many— they spilled over the sides and littered the ground.

The young child was given a wonderful assortment of food throughout the day. Fresh turkey, grapes off the vine, the best stake the city had to offer, mashed potatoes— anything he dreamed of and more. At any rate, as the sun was about to set, both he and his family were stuffed, and the assortment looked almost untouched since it was so large.

The crowd had thinned down considerably now. It actually looked as though you could walk around in the streets comfortably. The speakers that had been set all around the city were playing music, though they could only now be heard by Ryan. He knew that they had been playing all day, but there was too much noise to hear them up until now.

The young Convex jumped out of his chair. "Hey Nathan, let's dance!" He suggested with a grin as he did a flamboyant spin. He had been sitting still all day, and as great as presents were, he wanted to play now.

"Okay." Nathan replied as he too got up from his chair. It was rather boring watching his brother be showered with gifts for hours on end while he got nothing.

They began to dance side by side, making up silly looking dances. They quickly were riddled with laughter and before they knew it, night had come and nearly everyone else had gone home. Trapped in their own world, they continued on still.

That was, until a loud slap resounded. The boys stopped immediately, turning their heads to the source of the sound. Standing there was a guard with his hand extended, and beneath him on the ground was a small child. A pillager stood there, crossbow pointed at the boy.

"What is going on here?" The father said as he walked over to the scene. The small child groaned as he sat up, rubbing his cheek that had a red hand print on it.

Ryan walked over now, and as he got close he found that the kid had to be a few years younger than him. His clothes were dirty and his hair was messy. He did not speak.