Home Is Where The Heart Resides [Permanent Hiatus]

Chapter Twenty Four

To nirvana we go!
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In his mind, Techno hadn't expected the journey to this so called 'Nirvana' to take such little time.

The name itself made sense. From his own research, the term had popped up at least once or twice. His personal library was a combination of both his own and Phil's. Borrowed sneakily of course. But Phil didn't need to know that. 'Said it fostered a dangerous curiosity that they weren't ready for.'

And maybe that was true. Phil was an entity that pushed beyond what he was capable of understanding. Relatively speaking, of course. There were countless stories he was fed as a child of the many things he had seen and done. How he had rode the rippling tides of oceans in Endlantis, whose waves could leave even the bravest warriors as victims to the sea. Or his flying through the city of Solarium within the nether; it was said that its narrow and tall cityscape gave a claustrophobic sense of nausea that most couldn't navigate and survive unscathed.

But at the end of every story delivered just before his bed time, the hero would always survive. And at the end of story, he could feel his eyes drooping closed as he melted into dreams of similar adventures, ones he couldn't wait to have on his own. And because of that, Techno wouldn't deny that his father was his hero. Not that he would ever openly admit it, especially not to his brothers. Prime knows they would never let him live it down. Maybe they wouldn't ever find out.

But this place, it seemed like a place of wonder. As they walked, the Dream fellow spared little detail in his description. "It wasn't my first home. Not by a long shot. But over time, it became the only place I wanted to be. It was safe. We were safe. And there weren't any threats, Dad made sure of that. It was all he wanted for us, still does. But I can't wait for you two to see it. Of course once everything is over. Oh, but maybe we'd have to help Niki trim some of the roses and shrubbery around the area. It's her month to take care of it. Last month was Ranboo and he did a pretty good job. It'll be hard to beat him." And he would just continue to talk. And talk. And talk.

It reminded him of his brothers. How they would always chat on the way to the main city. Even if not to each other, they'd ramble on til the well of their words would dry up. And all Techno would do was simply listen. Offering a nod is solidarity or even the occasional mark to spur them on. Trudging along as he was doing right now. He found comfort in the silence. Happy to know that they felt heard and listened to without interruption. He thought it was enough at times. Sometimes that was all he needed, but of course it didn't work both ways. If he had ever gotten the chance to be with Wil again, he'd make sure to engage with him. Made sure that his brother knew he would always listen to him. See the signs. He wanted desperately to prove that to him again. Seeing the look on Phil's face had crushed him that night in Jerona, but not as much as knowing your missing brother was just out of arm's reach.

That night, he hadn't been able to sleep. Or rather, he did, but his dreams weren't really dreams. They had been nightmares. Plagued with the same vision of the day Wilbur left. The way his brother stared back at the two on land, face as neutral as ever. Staring at them with the coldest look he could imagine on Wil's face. The wind much harsher than it actually was, the world around them dyed into monochrome. And he'd dive into the water, against the protests of Tommy. Trying to swim after the ship. Lungs burning from the strain as he'd swim and swim until he couldn't arms stinging from the cold water, his breaths shorter than before. Gasping for air as he swam against the harsh waves. Water invaded his airways as he fought against the tides, being pulled in every which way until eventually, the ship would grow farther and farther. His brother leaving every time, leaving him to drown in his wake. And everytime he'd sink, succumbing to the icy water, he'd see Wil sinking beside him. Just watching him as they both drifted towards the bottom of the sea.