“Phil,” Kristin said gently, “we have to do this”
He was still in awe of seeing her. Seeing her like this, in a physical body, so small, so fragile. But this was Her. He could see it when he looked into Her eyes. They held the knowledge of the starts in them. He would always trust Her. He knew she was right.
She tugged down on her hat, “it’s going to be okay.” He had to smile a bit, watching the black veil fall over Her face. Of course She managed to still keep Her hat and all its decorations intact, even in this form. She stepped forward, and was swallowed by the vortex of stars.
Peering over the edge, Phil couldn’t help but think the portal looked a lot like Her eyes. At first you think it’s an empty void, but if you look closer, there’s more to it than that. It’s not black, but a deep purple. There isn’t nothingness, but actually small pinpricks of light. Looking into the portal was comforting, in a way.
But even still, he edged back from the vortex. She said they didn’t have a lot of time, and he knew that. He knew She wouldn’t have come here unless it was absolutely necessary. But he wanted to hold back, to delay, to put this off a little longer.
He wanted to hope.
Techno had been gone on this most recent trip of his for months now. And Phil didn’t mind! He tried not to. He missed him, sure. And some days he missed him so bad it hurt. Like an ache in his chest that wouldn’t go away. But it was manageable, because Techno always came back.
Except apparently they were out of time. Something big was coming, something that even She couldn’t protect them from. And maybe Techno already caught wind of it. He’s smart, he’s resourceful. Knowing him, perhaps he heard about it and already started planning. Maybe even sent a note that Phil simply hadn’t received yet.
Phil knew this, he knew his friend. But that didn’t stop him from worrying. He just wanted to know. Just wanted confirmation that Techno was safe. It was selfish of him, he knew, but he desperately wanted to leave a few of his crows behind. So that if Techno came back, they could warn him. Tell him to get out fast.
A few of the crows in question landed on his shoulders and the brim of his hat. They chattered and cooed softly. One of them nibbled on his ear. He brought a finger up to stroke their feathers, not having the heart to reprimand them. He knew this was chats way of comforting him. And it’s not like Phil doesn’t always send crows after Techno, just in case. If something was wrong, one of them would return.
Alas, Phil supposed he had spent enough time stalling. He spared one last glance around the room. There had been a lot of good memories here. Ones he would hold onto for the rest of time. What he wouldn’t give for all of them to be gathered at this table, one last time.
Phil took a deep breath. He had kept them waiting long enough. He closed his eyes, taking a step forward, bracing himself for the free-fall.
Only to jerk back at the sound of a blessedly familiar baritone, “and where do you think you’re going, old man?”
“Techno!” Phil whirled around, his breath catching in his throat at the sight of his longtime friend. He rushed forward, barreling into the piglin and and burying his face into his fur.
“Mate it’s so good to see you,” Phil choked out, trying to shove down the lump in his throat, “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it in time”
Techno hummed, a deep rumble in his chest, “well, the voices were gettin’ pretty loud about some world ending even I had to get back for. They seemed pretty excited about it, so I decided to head back”
Phil laughed, pulling back slightly, “it’s a good thing you’re here. Kristin showed up. Here, at the server. Something big is coming, mate. Something She can’t even protect us from. We have to get out of here.”
“Come on then, old man. It’d be pretty cringe if we didn’t get out in time on account of your sentimentality,” Techno chuffed
Phil squawked, heading back to the table, “oí, sorry I was happy to see you, you brute. It’s your fault for leaving so long”
Techno stepped up to the edge with him, “hmm. Perhaps you have a point. We can talk about it after we survive our third apocalypse.”
Phil chuckled despite himself, peering over the edge again, “come on now Techno, I was really worried you weren’t gonna make it back in time”
Techno looked into the portal, narrowing his eyes a bit, “you won’t be getting rid of me that easily.”
“Besides,” Techno shifted, glancing over at him, “I promised you the world, Philza,” he continued, extending his hand, “I intend to make good on that promise”
“Well mate,” Phil chuckled, gladly taking it in his own, “to hell and back, then”
And they stepped through the portal together
