Chapter 10: A Flicker in the Dark
The night descended with an eerie stillness. L’Manberg was shrouded in a tense quiet, broken only by the occasional sound of soldiers patrolling the walls. The air was thick with anticipation, every shadow cast by the moon feeling more ominous than usual. Everyone knew what was coming. The battle with the Syndicate was imminent, and the weight of it sat heavily on their hearts.
Tommy and Tubbo sat side by side in Tubbo’s office, the room dimly lit by a single lantern on the desk. The flickering light cast long, wavering shadows over the maps spread out before them. They’d spent hours going over strategies, tweaking their defenses, and planning for contingencies. But no amount of preparation could erase the anxiety gnawing at their minds.
“Do you think we’ve done enough?” Tommy asked quietly, his eyes fixed on the map in front of him. He traced the borders of L’Manberg with his finger, following the route they expected the Syndicate to take.
Tubbo didn’t answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as if searching for some reassurance in the wooden beams above. “I don’t know,” he admitted after a long pause. “We’ve done everything we can, but it still feels like it won’t be enough.”
Tommy felt a knot tighten in his stomach. Hearing that from Tubbo, who usually exuded confidence in the face of danger, made the fear feel more real. He wanted to say something comforting, something that would ease the tension between them, but the words wouldn’t come. The truth was, he shared Tubbo’s doubt. The Syndicate was too powerful, too relentless.
“They’ll be here by sunrise,” Tubbo continued, his voice steady but grim. “We need to be ready for whatever they throw at us.”
Tommy nodded, leaning back in his own chair. He wanted to believe that they could pull off a miracle, that somehow, against all odds, they could win. But the odds were stacked against them. The Syndicate had Technoblade, Philza, and whoever else was lurking in the shadows—people who had already destroyed L’Manberg once before. This time, they would come for blood.
Silence stretched between them, the weight of unspoken fears filling the room. Tommy’s thoughts drifted to the conversation they’d had earlier in the day, the way Tubbo had opened up to him. It was rare for Tubbo to show vulnerability like that, and it had meant the world to Tommy that he had. It reminded him of how much they’d been through together—how much they had relied on each other when everything else seemed to fall apart.
He glanced over at Tubbo, the light of the lantern catching the edges of his face. There was a tiredness there, a heaviness that came from carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders. But underneath it all, there was something else, something that had grown between them over the years—a bond that went beyond friendship.
“Tubbo,” Tommy began, his voice quiet, “I meant what I said earlier. About us, I mean.”
Tubbo looked over at him, his eyes soft but searching. “I know. And I meant it too.”
Tommy felt his heart skip a beat, the familiar rush of adrenaline mixed with something more. Something deeper. He wanted to say more, to put into words the emotions that had been building inside him for so long. But it was hard. Harder than facing any enemy.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Tommy said, forcing the words out. “But if something goes wrong… if one of us doesn’t make it—”
“Don’t,” Tubbo interrupted, shaking his head. “We’re both making it out of this. Together.”
Tommy swallowed hard, trying to push down the fear that was threatening to overwhelm him. “Yeah, but just in case…”
Tubbo reached out, placing a hand on Tommy’s arm, his touch warm and reassuring. “We’re going to be fine, Tommy. I won’t let anything happen to you. And you won’t let anything happen to me.”
Tommy’s chest tightened at the sincerity in Tubbo’s voice. There it was again—that unshakable trust, the thing that had always kept them together. Even in the face of everything, they had each other. And that, Tommy realized, was the one thing the Syndicate couldn’t take from them.
“I’ve got your back,” Tommy said, his voice stronger now. “No matter what.”
Tubbo smiled, the tiredness in his eyes giving way to something softer, something hopeful. “And I’ve got yours.”
For a moment, everything else fell away—the looming battle, the uncertainty of the future, the weight of their responsibilities. It was just the two of them, sitting in the dim light of a lantern, connected by something unspoken but deeply felt.
“Get some rest,” Tubbo said, breaking the moment. “We’ll need all the strength we can get tomorrow.”
Tommy nodded, but as he stood up to leave, he hesitated. There was still so much he wanted to say, so much he hadn’t found the courage to voice. But maybe, he thought, some things didn’t need to be said. Maybe they were already understood.
He gave Tubbo a small nod and turned to leave, but before he reached the door, Tubbo’s voice stopped him.
“Tommy?”
“Yeah?” Tommy turned back, meeting Tubbo’s gaze.
Tubbo hesitated, as if searching for the right words. “Whatever happens tomorrow… just remember, we’re in this together. Always.”
Tommy’s heart swelled, and for the first time that night, a genuine smile tugged at his lips. “Always.”
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The dawn came faster than expected. The sun barely peeked over the horizon when the alarm bells began to ring. The Syndicate was on the move.
Tommy and Tubbo were already at the front lines by the time the first scouts reported in. The Syndicate was approaching from the east, their forces moving quickly and with purpose. The tension was electric, everyone on edge as they braced for the coming storm.
Tommy stood beside Tubbo at the city’s walls, his sword clenched tightly in his hand. The battle was about to begin, and the weight of everything they had worked for hung in the balance.
As the Syndicate’s army came into view, Tommy took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest. This was it. The moment they had been preparing for.
Tubbo stood tall beside him, his eyes fixed on the approaching threat. “Ready, Tommy?”
Tommy nodded, gripping his sword tighter. “Ready.”
And as the first wave of the Syndicate’s forces crested the hill, Tommy knew one thing for sure—whatever happened next, he wouldn’t face it alone.
