A Faithful Memory

Vanished

When news of what had happened to Schlatt and Quackity spread through town(the boy was more than happy to stir up whatever anger he could against Technoblade), people began coming to the Minecraft home. But they never found Technoblade, and Philza was tight-lipped to all strangers. Kai, Ranboo and Wilbur stopped going to town and stayed either at their own home or in the Recantos' home, where Sam asked them nothing, but made them pies.

What friends they had among the towns-children made the decision to stick with the three Minecrafts and Hannah, Niki, Foolish, Jack and the others were often seen hanging out about one or the other of the houses. Quackity was not seen among them. In fact, the duckling hybrid was not seen much at all, and people began to wonder what had become of the boy after his horrifying encounter.

Philza was more than happy to put up his charade of normalcy, if only to spare his children the tongues and eyes of the numbers of people talking about his eldest. Some thought the Minecrafts were sheltering Technoblade in approval of what he had done. Some believed they were just as shocked and surprised as everybody else, and their seclusion was an attempt to recuperate after the terrible murder. Others wondered if Quackity could even be believed, since there had been no witnesses besides his father, and Schlatt had his own reputation.

Phil was not hiding Technoblade. His son was nowhere in the house at all. One morning he'd come to the whole family and told them briefly what he had done. Wilbur had been scared, Ranboo uncertain but he tried to understand, and Kai had asked question upon question, trying to figure his brother out. Philza was disappointed. Though it had taken a long time, Techno had broken the promise he made not to hurt Quackity. He gave in to the demands of the Voices. But Phil was unwilling to leave his thoughts there. He knew how powerful the Voices could be for Techno, he just didn't know why they were renewing their demands after so much peace and happiness together.

Technoblade left. Of his own accord and wishes, he packed up what he needed and set out elsewhere. He assured his family it would not be permanent, and he was only going to find answers, but he was still leaving. It broke Kai's heart especially. Ranboo and Wilbur did their best to comfort him, but Wil...now he wrestled with a new image of his brother he did not know how to resolve with the kind, gentle giant he had known all his life. Very rarely had he seen Techno angry, and only once had he seen his brother angry enough to kill. Back then, Wilbur had been too young and his attention span too small to understand what was happening. Now he knew what a Blood god was capable of, and he knew it had been for his sake.

Of course, Philza knew his son would be struggling with these feelings, and he spent as much time as he could with Wilbur, letting him talk out his feelings and trying to help him see why Techno had decided to avenge him. Wilbur came to know a lot more about Techno's past than the others during these conversations, including about how the hybrid and his father had first met. Philza hoped through understanding to help Wilbur empathize with his brother, despite how much Philza did not agree with what Technoblade had decided to do.

Wilbur, meantime, had his own ideas of how to get to the truth of things. In addition to his father's conversations, Wilbur began investigating Quackity as well. Techno's actions had seemed only somewhat justified to him and he was curious what story Quackity told. And...he had some other questions to ask as well. So, on a hot afternoon, after begging and pleading and coaxing, he convinced Kai to go with him to meet Quackity by the pond halfways between the town and the Minecraft house. The avian was more than reluctant, however, and secured Wilbur's promise to leave if Kai got sick of the conversation.

They walked through the little woods to where Wilbur, through Niki, had summoned Quackity to meet him. There, at the pond's bank, they sat down to wait. Kai, fidgeting and nervously nibbling one of his own blueberry muffins, kept his wings hunched close over himself and stayed right behind Wilbur. If Quackity tried anything, he would be there for his brother.