Wilbur

Shubble holds a bolt of lightning in her hands. There must be something solid underneath that Shubble is holding onto, but the brilliant light paired with the small cackling bolts rippling across the surface make it hard to focus on the bolt. She uses it like a chisel, carving patterns into the ten foot glass pillar. She stands on top of the wind to reach the highest points, but right now she kneels on the ground to carve symbols into the lower part. The golden light illuminates her face, filtering into her eyes to make them gleam like the fires of the rising sun. Her lips are pressed firmly with a determined expression. When she carves the last curve, the lightning crepitates in her hands as it disappears. She wipes her fingers across the surface, and all the symbols begin to glow a pure white color. As Shubble stands up, she takes a step back. The symbols flicker, and when they come back, they glow a dark purple-black.

It's magic, but Wilbur can't feel a single emotion towards it. His fear has not completely gone away because he still grows anxious at using magic himself, but he can witness it without even a spike of panic rippling down his spine. He wants to believe that this is Shubble's doing. Her confidence travels through the bond, dispelling his unfounded emotions. Wilbur is swayed into trusting Shubble no matter what because she's his familiar. If he can't trust her, he can't trust anything.

She turns to Wilbur with a patient smile on her face. Wilbur looks from Shubble to Aimsey. The prince is standing on the edge of the precipice. They stare up at the late morning sky, squinting at the gray storm clouds festering in the distance. As if they know someone is looking at them, Aimsey turns around to glance at Wilbur. They keep their nose up towards Wilbur, but they do nod at the king. Wilbur acknowledges Aimsey's readiness by sending enough energy towards Shubble that she knows it is time to begin.

Shubble joins Aimsey at the edge of the cliff. Aimsey lifts their hands up. Their form begins to flicker like a fire in the wind, but the basic colors of their outfit remain clouded over the horizon. Tawny sparks pop into existence. They circle around Aimsey before fizzling out silently. Nothing visible happens in the sky, but Wilbur can feel the growth of a forbidden power. The mana in the air begins floating upward as if guided by a powerful gravity. The void spirals beyond the rings of untraceability spells Shubble has formed in order to ensure that no one else can notice the void above their heads. Aimsey can sense it because of their constitution as an Enderian, and Wilbur knows it is there simply because he is a god.

Shubble forms her hands into a ball with her fingers spreading away from each other. The wind begins to blow around them, sharp and heavy with the musk of a storm. Buzzing fills the air, an anticipation right before lightning strikes. The clouds on the horizon move a little faster across the land, but they do not draw any closer. As quiet as a heartbeat, Wilbur knows that lightning has struck somewhere nearby because of the thunder. Shubble's eyes flash with light in the same instance the lightning would have struck, and her smile seems as dazzling as the sun as she turns to Wilbur. She reaches for his arms, grabbing his hands. Her fingers are burning hot and he feels a tingle of electricity race up his limbs, but it doesn't cause him any pain. It doesn't even wound him. All he can focus on is her ecstatic happiness. "It's storming!"

"Our plan worked," Wilbur breathes out. Although he would never go so far as to doubt Aimsey and Shubble, part of him had been certain that this would be impossible. At first, he was concerned about Origin's god of nature or the sky. He understood that the gods did not like it when others interfered with their domains. He's done enough research while Shubble had been building the glass monoliths and Aimsey was collecting enough mana for the spell that Origins did not have a god. They had a myth about an ancient ruler called the Crowfather. It was a legend that wouldn't affect Wilbur's current actions. So, the gods weren't predisposed to ruin Wilbur's plan, but the universe was becoming an increasingly present factor. Wilbur's murderous attitude towards Aimsey was getting harder to hide as the days wore on. Wilbur would keep control because he was familiar with the touch of insanity, but one day he will snap and kill the prince instead of trying to negotiate the terms of them going back to the End. Wilbur, under Mojang's influence, was the threat Wilbur had mostly been concerned about.

No longer, though. Their plan was complete. It was raining, but not a drop of water splashed onto Origins' many buildings. Lightning danced across the void, but the thunder did not reach anyone's ears. The wind blew through like an invisible assailant, but no one could see the clouds that were dragged along. Under Shubble's crafting and Aimsey's natural genius, the two of them have carried out Wilbur's will. The only thing he could do for them was to bless their endeavors. As a new god without a known domain, it wasn't much, but it was better to have any god's blessing than none at all.

"It will take some time for the drought to settle, but the people will no longer have viable crops by spring. It should be around that time that they withdraw from the war in order to form alliances to get food and fresh water," Shubble explains, keeping a firm hold on Wilbur's hand as she stares down at Origins. Wilbur is not quite sure what ultimately broke Shubble's resolve to keep him at arm's length, but she seems to have grown accustomed to his presence. She no longer wears any expressions of discomfort or disgust as she glances at him. He knows by the way that she sometimes looks at her reflection that she is still unused to her status as a phantom, and she probably never will be. But she doesn't seem to blame Wilbur anymore. He isn't sure why that is, and thinking about it any further will merely make him mourn his lost humanity or fully commit to an apathetic mentality.

"Origins will be a much better place without any water resources," Aimsey agrees, keeping a small distance from the phantoms. Even though they have spent days together, Aimsey remains a dignified, removed attitude towards their partners in the mission against rainfall. Wilbur prefers it that way, but Shubble found a way to bridge the gap between the royals with her cheerful disposition.

Even now, Shubble releases Wilbur's hand to discuss something with Aimsey. Wilbur lets his eyes fall on them even as his thoughts dart away from the present situation. As of right now, Origins will no longer have rain. As Shubble claimed, it will take some time for this to become a problem, especially since Origins still has a river running through it. He has to find another way to ruin Greater, even if it isn't attacking Origins specifically. He needs to force Greater out of this war as soon as possible.

Wilbur stops when something prickles at the edge of his vision. The shadows beckon to him, snickering that someone is reckless enough to think they can spy on him. Wilbur hardly registers that he can hear shadows as he tilts his attention towards where they stretch to him. He feels a few of them curl around his own shadow, grabbing hold of it like that could puppet his physical body. Wilbur stares down at them. He orders them to return to watch the presence, and they continue to giggle maliciously as they scurry back to the darkness. Wilbur looks to Shubble and Aimsey, "Be quiet a moment."

"How dare the likes of you order me to be silent?" Aimsey proclaims with a haughty tone. Shubble touches Aimsey's forearm with a reassuring smile. Aimsey settles down, grumbling beneath their breath as they cross their arms. Shubble looks at Wilbur for an explanation, and he knows the moment it registers in Shubble's head. Her easy expression fades away. A serious one takes its place as her pupils expand into slits. The yellow color smolders with a blackened edge like a piece of paper in a candle's flame. She turns to the rocks that form a makeshift path to somewhere further down the mountain. The darkness sways at the edges as if it were the shadows of tree leaves instead of rocks. Wilbur does not utter a word; he does not need to. Shubble sinks into the ground under their feet. Aimsey makes a noise, reaching hesitantly to grab Shubble before their white hair falls beneath the rock. Aimsey misses, and Shubble is gone in a matter of seconds. The next second, Shubble has returned with someone in their arms.

The supposed spy is a young woman. She has long pink hair that falls down her back with a few loose braids framing her face. Her persian green eyes stare up at Wilbur with a widening expression. She wears an aqua blue dress with a white and gold girdle. She attempts to hide her face in the shadows of an aqua blue hat with a conical crown and wide brim. It does little to hide her, though, as Shubble's eyes quickly return to their original state. Shubble's mouth gapes open, and the spy looks up at Shubble. She is finally able to whisper a name, "Pris?"

The pink-haired spy, 'Pris', stands up. Shubble does nothing to push her away. Instead, Shubble reaches out to hold the spy's hands, keeping the latter steady as she begins speaking. "I knew it! I felt water in the air, but it wasn't coming down. I came to investigate. I saw one of the glass pillars. I recognized the design as something only an honor student of the Kinoko Scholar's Academia could do. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I was really hoping that you were here. I couldn't think of any other witch who could do something like this! I mean, you look a little different... A good different, of course, but you must admit that the last time we met you had brown hair and... you weren't slightly transparent. Are you okay? Is this a curse? Ugh, I told you we couldn't trust that necromancer."

"Who is this poor person?" Aimsey asks, moving to stand near Wilbur. It seems Wilbur gets a little bit of trust from the Ender prince simply because Aimsey knows Wilbur as opposed to this new stranger. Wilbur doesn't want to, but he finds a part of him trusting the spy. He acknowledges that this stranger must be formidable if they are able to sense water in the air, recognize magical symbols, and teleport since they just suddenly appeared behind those rocks. Wilbur's trust comes from his bond with Shubble. For reasons that Wilbur could pry into if he was less inclined to maintain some semblance of privacy, Shubble trusts this new person.

"Hey! I am not a poor person!" Pris says, whirling around to face the Ender prince without any hesitation in her eyes. The visage is oddly familiar, and Wilbur's expression slides to Shubble. The phantom rushes to intervene between Aimsey and Pris. It clicks in his mind that Pris' flustered expression is exactly the same as Shubble's. There are definitely some differences, but it seems that one of them adopted the countenance from the other.

"Wilbur, Aimsey, this is Prismarina. We were... roommates back at the academia," Shubble explains. She isn't lying so much as she's holding back information. Wilbur feels a few memories trickle between their bond, and he realizes this was the other person Shubble held close at the school besides the one who taught her how to teleport and time travel. Shubble and Prismarina met as students of an elementalist class, and they grew close because they lived in the same dorm. Prismarina helped Shubble master her powers over rainwater, and Shubble supported Prismarina when her emotional state dissolved. They became very close to the point that Shubble calling them roommates was a gross oversimplification. Shubble considers Prismarina her sister, and there's enough memories there to serve as proof that their bond had been genuine.

"You're a royal... King Wilbur of L'Manberg, the everlasting song," Prismarina says, pointing at Wilbur with a knowing look crossing her face. Wilbur raises an eyebrow at her, only slightly impressed that someone recognized him. He finds himself a little more astonished when he realizes that Prismarina is not scared of him. She carries no terror in her eyes or hesitance in her gait as she correctly identifies him. He could be losing his aura, or there is something more to Prismarina than her appearance lets on.

"Excuse me, I am a royal, as well. I am Crown Prince Aimsey," The Enderian states, placing a hand on their chest as they speak with a sureness that truly only a member from a ruling class family could ever master.

Prismarina blinks blankly at Aimsey. "I've never heard of you. I do not believe there's any royal family with a member called... Aimsey, was it?"

"I take great offense to your ignorance. It would do you much better to reexamine what you think you know, Overworlder," Aimsey hisses, using the title as an insult even if it isn't one for the people who overhears it.

"Prismarina," Shubble calls before an argument can break out. Prismarina glares at Aimsey for a second longer. She turns to Shubble without a trace of hatred on her face. Her sparkling eyes speak of such love that Wilbur knows Prismarina considers Shubble to be her sister in the same way Shubble does. Their chosen familial bond reminds Wilbur of his family. He misses Tommy's bright smiles, Techno's silent comfort, and Phil's reassuring presence. He misses Kristin. Shubble's voice rings in his head distantly as he pushes his emotions away. "What are you doing in Origins?"

"Ogien exiled me. My own sister kicked me out of my homeland because I spoke out against the war. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I tried to find you. I went to the academy, but they all say that you're wanted for crimes against divine knowledge. I went into the forest you told me you were going to. I saw that the fog was cleared away. Congratulations on that. I just kept going north when I couldn't find you. The people of Origins have been very nice to me even if they don't know who you are," Prismarina explains, tears rising to her eyes as she explains her situation, desperately searching for understanding from Shubble.

"Ogien is the name of Oceania's current queen," Wilbur interrupts their heartfelt moment. As a member of a royal family, Wilbur knows who runs every country in their corner of the world. Oceania, the chain of islands in the south, is mainly held in an iron-fist by Ogien. Wilbur has personally never met her, but Samantha has told him about her experiences with the oceanic queen. She holds little tolerance for pirates, and she mainly uses her army to purge the sea of marauders. Ogien holds a distaste for traditions. She has destroyed a fair amount of ancient structures both on her islands and below the waves simply because she holds no respect for them. She is most known for her aloof attitude, acting as if she's above everything when she very clearly controls Oceania like a puppeteer pulling strings.

"Forgive me, Wilbur. This is... Princess Prismarina of Oceania, the younger sister of the queen," Shubble explains. She doesn't seem apologetic, merely protective of Prismarina. Wilbur wonders how lowly Shubble must think of him to suspect that he would hold Prismarina in unfavorable conditions to force Oceania's hand.

"Ex-princess, remember? All I said was that Oceania should not be involved with the war. With Ogien's insistence on killing all pirates, our army is stretched thin enough. But Ogien doesn't see reason. She wants the land that Greater promised her if they win the war at the expense of the islands we already have. I mean, it is a lot of land, but it isn't worth lives," Prismarina sullenly explains, crossing her arms over her chest. She tilts her head down, but Wilbur can see her trembling lip. Shubble reaches behind her to slot her fingers around Prismarina's hand.

"Greater promised Oceania land. I thought land was the reason Greater was fighting in this war," Wilbur mentions carelessly. He doesn't know what else Greater could be after.

"Greater isn't in this war for just any piece of land," Prismarina answers, looking back up to meet Wilbur's eyes. They glisten with tears, but beneath the watery droplets, she seems extremely determined.

"The ex-princess is correct. The people of Origins say that their overlord wants a specific piece of L'Manberg's land. They also want someone from L'Manberg's army," Aimsey agrees, though she does get an angry look when she calls Prismarina an 'ex-princess'.

Prismarina looks back at Wilbur. "A representative from Greater came to Oceania about a year ago. The Overlord of Greater was not happy with Oceania's decision to attack Business Bay. Greater very specifically ordered for that land to be left alone. I don't know. The representative went to Business Bay afterward, but it seems they couldn't find whatever they were looking for. They left Business Bay in Oceania's control without making us change anything about the way Ogien runs it."

Wilbur hesitates. If Greater didn't want Oceania to attack Business Bay, something important must have been there. If the representative left Business Bay to Oceania, whatever the important thing was must not be there anymore, and if Greater isn't angry, the important thing must still be intact. If Wilbur combines these facts with the knowledge that Greater wants someone from L'Manberg's army, it makes it very clear that Greater is after either Kristin or Tommy. He can't confirm which one because he doesn't know if Greater knows about Kristin's demise. If they do know, however, Tommy is their target. Wilbur doesn't know why, but he doesn't need to know why. He needs to get to Tommy immediately and protect him.

"We must finish our mission here now, Shubble, then we leave for Pogtopia," Wilbur explains, hoping that Schlatt can do something right for once in his life and ensure that Greater doesn't storm his capital to take Tommy by force. If Schlatt is that incompetent, though, Wilbur will get Tommy himself. No one is taking Wilbur's brother from him- not even a continental superpower like Greater.

"Wait- you can't do that. You have to let me come with you. Shubble, please, you're all I have," Prismarina says, the tears falling down her cheeks as she makes Shubble face her. Prismarina holds Shubble with such a tight grip that Wilbur would believe that Prismarina couldn't stand with Shubble's support.

Shubble wants to agree, but Wilbur cuts her off before her feelings can form into words. "Prismarina, our mission here today is to weaken Origins enough that Greater forfeits in this war. As you astutely observed earlier, you are doing this by not allowing rainwater into Origins. This plan will take time to become fruitful, however. As you have shown an interest in removing Oceania from this war, it would be beneficial for you if Greater was removed as well. To be incredibly blunt... if you can help us, I will allow you to travel with us."

Prismarina looks from Wilbur to Shubble for confirmation. Wilbur can feel Shubble's hesitance, but she ultimately gives a shaky nod, looking away from Prismarina. The pink haired woman forces her lips out of a frown as she turns to Origins. Prismarina takes in a deep breath before she raises her hands to the river. Wilbur sees the white water slow down, and eventually, the water lies still in the riverbed. Prismarina carefully brings her hands to her chest. Like a cut ribbon, some of the river continues down the predestined path while the other half is dragged backwards. In a matter of minutes, the river is completely dry. Wilbur does not know where the water has gone, but it clearly isn't there anymore. Prismarina smiles slightly before her knees lock together. She falls to the ground. Shubble catches her, sinking down with her sister. Prismarina's head rests on Shubble's shoulder as the rest of her muscles go completely lax. She looks up at Wilbur, blinking slowly.

"You have my gratitude, Prismarina. You have done a great service for us. In exchange, I shall allow you to travel with us until this war is over. When the war does end, you may go wherever you would like with Shubble at your side," Wilbur promises, leaning down on his knee beside Shubble. Prismarina's smile widens, and her eyes flutter shut. She sinks completely into Shubble's hold, falling unconscious. Wilbur looks back up at Shubble, who stares intently at Prismarina's face while brushing pink hair off her forehead. "Shubble, how do you know Prismarina?"

Shubble starts to twirl Prismarina's hair around her finger. "As I said, we were roommates. In the beginning, Prismarina was arrogant. I thought she was fine, but we didn't really become friends until Prismarina offered to help me learn to manipulate water. She's the successor of the Water Witch position, after all. As we worked together, I learned that Prismarina was... well, she was in a bad place. Her mind was broken. She came to rely on me to keep her sane, and I found that I didn't mind. The longer I stayed with Prismarina, the more I realized that I love her. She's my little sister. I always wanted one, you know, and especially now when the rest of my family is dead. Prismarina is all I have left. I would do anything for Pris, Wilbur. You have to understand that."

"I do. I would do anything for my brothers," Wilbur agrees, glad that Shubble told him the truth without his influence in her mind. And he knows simply from the memories that Shubble seems to be shoving into his thoughts how close they are. He can even tell that Shubble carries an odd trait just like him: possessiveness. When Shubble says that she'll do anything, Wilbur knows that there are no limits to that statement, no lines Shubble won't cross. Wilbur recognizes it because he shares the same sentiment for his family. Maybe it's because both Wilbur and Shubble have lost someone important to them that they cling unhealthily to the ones they have left.

"I would do anything for my sibling," Aimsey agrees somberly, staring out at the people of Origins. Shubble leans her head against Wilbur's shoulder as she holds Prismarina. Shubble does not dare glance at Origins, but Wilbur's attention is confined to their limited scope. The people are panicking. And soon, that panic will travel all the way up to the Overlord.