Wilbur

As Owen explained, Origins is a prosperous city. The buildings near the center of the city are exceedingly large, made from strong brick and tiled shingles. The outskirts of the city are filled with cozy townhouses with well-maintained yards. A river runs through the left side of the city. There are streamers planted in the ground along the riverbed except for where a large water wheel spins eternally. There are people- humans and hybrids- walking around the streets with brightly colored clothing and loud voices ringing out. In the fields filled with blossoming crops ready for a harvest, there are tents set out where the people from the mountainside cities have descended to live during the war. The sunlight warms the lively earth below, allowing for multi-colored flowers to blossom even when the surrounding mountains are mainly covered in powdered snow.

Wilbur stands on the other side of the Lyssa mountain from Fort Jasper. He gazes down at Origins. He notes every detail he can. Some part of him envies the people living in relative peace. He knows that his own people are suffering greatly. They do not have the happiness or prosperity like Origins does, and it's all because Greater's Overlord and council of lords are able to keep the war from truly reaching their mountains. The Lyssa mountain is in constant conflict, but Wilbur knows that the other mountains are left untouched. Mainly because they border with a lot of countries not participating in the war, but also because Pogtopia has been unable to claim Lyssa mountain and move on. Whoever is leading Greater is doing an exceptional job at protecting their people, which really brings into question what Greater wants in this war.

"Can you do anything?" Wilbur asks his companion. Shubble shifts her attention away from him when he looks at her. When Shubble first teleported the both of them to this area, she had been perturbed by his decision to ruin Origins. He could feel her hesitance in his heart like his skin felt wind. He reassured her that it was temporary, and she finally accepted the uneasy truth that war demanded bloody sacrifices. Wilbur didn't want to, but he found himself reminding Shubble about Greater's history with the Wild Lands. Wilbur felt the second Shubble remembered that her entire race (former race, technically) were destroyed by Greater's allies. She didn't want to hurt anyone else, and the thought was honorable. It quickly was dismissed when Wilbur informed Shubble that this situation was a 'them or us' type of deal. Shubble finally accepted the situation for what it was: a genuine war. She wasn't eager to help Wilbur, but her defiance had faded away.

"The mana in the air is... strange," Shubble admits. She begins to lift her hands. Her fingers prod the air above them. As her fingers reopen from a fist, a gray mist shrouds them. A gray light pulsates from her palms. The white puffy clouds in the air disappear as if they were never there. Shubble's eyes fly open as she lands on her knees. She heaves in a tight breath, pressing her glowing hands against her chest. Confusion fills her eyes as she presses down harder on her chest. Wilbur winces. He thought Shubble would have noticed by now that she no longer had a beating heart. Wilbur realized the moment he woke up from his divine sleep.

"It's a temporary fix. It requires a lot of mana, and I have to be present to keep the weather like this," Shubble explains to Wilbur with a tight expression. She rises back to her feet. Wilbur offers his arm to her. She looks at his forearm for a long moment before she grabs it. Wilbur considers this progress. Shubble will fully forgive him eventually. He just needs to prove to her that all his decisions are for the best.

"What would it take to permanently seal the weather?" Wilbur asks. Shubble's expression hardens as she thinks. Wilbur can feel her mind pulling away from him. Wilbur closes his eyes as Shubble's mind pulses right next to him. He does his best not to infringe on her personal thoughts. He already feels bad enough that her emotions sometimes seep through. Luckily, none of her thoughts actually come to him. The one thing that does is a static image, like a painting. Shubble throws a careless thought about her time as an honor student of Kinoko's Scholar Academia away, and it ends up planted in Wilbur's head. He distracts himself with it.

Shubble had a softer face when she was younger. Her smile came easier. She was energetic and positive. She attempted to intimidate her fellow classmates. The upperclassmen saw her as adorable, and her immediate peers knew she was more bark than bite. Her underclassmen, though, were absolutely terrified of the Storm Witch. Shubble was certain she wouldn't be able to fix her reputation in their eyes until a few of them came to her in need of assistance. She gained their admiration. There were two particular students that Shubble grew closer to. A brunette boy with multi-colored eyes wearing a pair of swirling goggles who taught Shubble how to succeed, and a girl with pink locks and cyan eyes who held Shubble's hand the nights when the fog became too thick...

"I have ideas," Shubble says, pulling Wilbur out of the memories that don't belong to him. He squints his eyes as he grows more accustomed to being in his own body. He looks at Shubble. She isn't looking at him as she stares up at the sky. "Ideas, but nothing good enough. I can't think of anything that will work immediately. Even if I could, we don't have the power source. We would need to stabilize the mana in the air and inject enough of our own to enact the spell. It would kill me if I tried. It would probably kill many magic users if they all tried."

"Excuse me," A voice calls out as soon as Shubble stops speaking. A figure stands at the corner of their vision, suddenly appearing. Wilbur turns his body to face the figure directly. He tilts in his head in surprise when he notices the figure has dark purple skin. Their dark black hair is covered by a thin circlet made from a silver metal that Wilbur doesn't recognize. They wear a purple vest over a white shirt and black pants with purple boots. A brooch ties the whole look together, starring a light green gemstone with a dark green streak down the middle. Wilbur knows it as an Eye of Ender because of his royal classes, but he never thought he would see one in real life. "What are you doing?"

"What is an Enderian doing here?" Wilbur asks absentmindedly. Shubble startles beside him, her attention pinning on the Enderian. Shubble has seen Ranboo before and his pet drake, Pearl, but Ranboo seems to only be part-Enderian. This was a full-blooded creature that must have come directly from the End dimension. Most people know that the End and Nether dimensions exist, especially ancient and magical creatures like gnomes, but ever since the portals were closed, there have been a dwindling number of creatures from either realm. If this Enderian came from the End, there was an awakened portal somewhere in the world. Wilbur took that information in stride. Something dangerous could happen if the gods discovered a portal was open. Wilbur knew because he felt a divine emotion grip around his heart, informing him that it is his responsibility to close the portal.

The figure bristles at the words. Their tail flickers behind them sharply like a whip. They school their features after a few seconds. They regain a pompous air, sticking their nose up at Wilbur and Shubble. "I am simply looking for a very important person. Not that it is of any concern for poor people."

Wilbur finds himself smiling. He is far from poor, but he isn't offended. He sees potential in this situation. Wilbur would never take advantage of Ranboo, but he has seen the boy's capabilities. There was potential in him, and he was only half-Enderian. Wilbur raises a placating hand towards the Enderian. "Ender beings, as I know, are not fond of water. It means little in a barren realm such as the End, but the Overworld is composed of oceans, rivers, and most damning of all, storms. Would it not be better for us all if the rain simply... went away?"

The Enderian's purple eyes widen as they minutely nod along to the words. Wilbur knows that he already has the creature hooked, but he wants to seal the deal. He continues his smile as he takes a step forward. The Enderian looks at him with slight alarm, but they do not flinch or walk away. Wilbur's smile softens, a mimicry of Shubble's younger self's smile. "My name is Wilbur, and this is my friend, Shubble. It is in our best interest for the rain to disappear, but weak creatures such as ourselves are in dire need of assistance. Perhaps someone as powerful and mystifying as yourself can find mercy in your heart to help us."

The Enderian glances between Wilbur and Shubble. The violet pupil in the periwinkle sclera does little to help Wilbur understand what the Enderian is feeling, but he can read body language. He knows the creature is hesitant to help Overworld strangers, but the appeal of no longer having rain is an appealing one for a creature that literally burns in water. The Enderian finally rises up to their full height, a little taller than Shubble, with a regal expression on their face. "Very well. I am Prince Aimsey of the End. For doing me such a great favor, I shall graciously help you with your noble pursuit."

Wilbur stills. He feels something foreign rage through his body. For some reason, knowledge seeps into his mind like a leaky faucet dripping water droplets into a basin. The portals between the realms were sealed away centuries ago. It was during a great war between the gods, after the purge that rid the universe of any unnecessary gods. It was a fight between the protector deities. The triplets who chose to protect each of the three realms. In the end, the god of the Overworld banished his sister to the End and his brother to the Nether. He made certain that the worlds could not interfere with each other. The greatest god of them all, the universe itself, Mojang, agreed to the terms. It was Wilbur's duty to seal this End portal, yes, but it was also his job to eliminate Aimsey. Wilbur had a faint feeling when he saw Ranboo about killing the Enderian, but it was much stronger in the presence of the prince. Aimsey was definitely not supposed to be here. This was going to cause a divine war. Wilbur, for whatever reason, felt sympathy for the guardians of the realms. He almost felt like he knew them personally, so he knew that the goddess of the End would not like him killing her subject. Captain Sparklez, too, wouldn't like Wilbur going against Jordan's goddess. Wilbur should kill Aimsey. It was the divine thing to do.

Wilbur wasn't a full god. He had no inclination to obey Mojang even when the universe whispered in his ear. He hesitantly knew that refusing a direct order would cause something terrible to happen. Wilbur knew firsthand the consequences of such a refusal, though he wasn't sure how he knew that. He could have everything ripped away from him, but he didn't care about that. He needs to protect his people first. He needs to ensure the safety of his family first. The gods do not care for him. He doesn't know for certain why the realms were sealed away. He doesn't know why Aimsey is really here or how they got here. What he does know is that he is going to win this war, and he will deal with the consequences of victory later. When he's reconstructing his nation, he will find the portal to seal it. He will attempt to convince Aimsey and Ranboo to go through, but if they refuse, he will do what the universe wants.

For now, he needs to stop the rain. He needs to destroy Greater's paradise.

"What Ender abilities do you have?" Shubble asks. She stands slightly in front of Wilbur, shielding him from the divine threat standing right in front of him. She must feel his emotions tainting her own, but she doesn't have the knowledge that Wilbur does. Wilbur knows she doesn't because she would be freaking out if she knew.

"As a member of the royal family, I am capable of bending the void to my will, just as I do with my subjects," Aimsey proudly proclaims, clapping their hands together. Dark blue cracks appear around Aimsey's body, as if the air around Aimsey was pulling back the curtain to reveal snippets of the night sky. Aimsey twists their hand to bring all the portals hurtling towards them. They teleport a few feet backwards. When they are done with their display, Aimsey walks back to their previous position. They lift their head in the air but flick their eyes downward to look at Wilbur and Shubble, silently expecting praise. Wilbur is certain that if his heart was beating, it would have stopped. He doesn't feel in the right state of mind after seeing a blatant display of void magic. It is supposed to be forbidden in the Overworld. Wilbur is only thankful that the divine knowledge about eradicating Enderians seems to stop his fear before it can choke him.

"We might have just stumbled into some good fortune," Shubble whispers to Wilbur. She turns, so only Wilbur is able to see the flash of hurt on Aimsey's face from not being applauded. Something funny glistens across Shubble's tuscan yellow eyes as she turns back to the Ender prince. "That was quite impressive, your highness. You must be a prodigy in your realm."

"Yes, I most certainly am. I am considered a genius even among the royal family," Aimsey boasts. Wilbur idly wonders what the royal family consists of. Are there more members just waiting to slip through the portal? If Aimsey is looking for someone in the Overworld, could there be other Enderians looking for them? Wilbur stops going down that train of thought. It is not going to go well for him.

Shubble turns back to Wilbur. "We learned about the void in academia. It is a form of elemental magic, like fire or water, but it is also a primal magic source, like light or time. The void absorbs everything around it, including mana in the air and rainwater. With a little time, Prince Aimsey will be able to create a large enough portal that it covers all of Origins. It will absorb the rainwater, obviously, but if it absorbs the mana in the air, we have an unlimited source of mana. Aimsey won't need to be near the portal or even expend much of their own mana."

Shubble looks around. Something bright flashes in her eyes, and Wilbur recognizes the energy of a scholar on the cusp of learning something new and important. Despite her genuine kindness and sunny disposition, Shubble was inflicted with the same curse as all honor students before her: an insatiable need to learn and experiment. Shubble is stronger than her peers because she hasn't descended into madness yet. Wilbur has the uncanny feeling that becoming his familiar has opened Shubble's mind up to the insanity that eats away at the edges of researcher's minds. Wilbur will protect Shubble from the painful effects of insanity, but he can do little for the sparks of genius that will find Shubble from underneath the blanket of her madness. Wilbur knows that it won't be all bad, especially if it allows Shubble to grow past her inhibitions to do something that will save many lives.

"I'll make pillars. I would have to make them out of glass, but I can do that with some sand and lightning. If I use my own lightning, I can imbue the glass with magical properties. I'll be able to turn the void invisible... at least to the people within the perimeter of the glass pillars. They won't even know their rainwater is being taken from them!" Shubble exclaims, whirling around to face Wilbur. She's smiling. Just like Wilbur stole the young student's smile, it seems Shubble has stolen his smile, too. It borders on manic, pairing well with her glowing eyes. She seems ecstatic to experiment with new magic, completely forgetting that she's going to send a whole city into an unplanned drought. Well, Wilbur won't remind her.

"I must congratulate you both for your brilliance and aptitude. I could not have made it as far as I have without your help, Shubble, and truly, Prince Aimsey, you have done us a great service. Only your kindness can match your intelligence," Wilbur compliments his companions. Shubble is hardly listening to him, and Aimsey flushes with pride. Wilbur means every word he says even if he's only saying it to appease Aimsey's ego and remind Shubble that she's important to him. He needs to keep them both close for several reasons: to appease the divine urging in his mind, to keep himself sane, to remind him that magic isn't to be feared, to keep the remnants of humanity fluttering in his inhuman chest where his heart used to beat.

"We must begin working immediately. Allow the people of Origins to enjoy their peace for a little while longer. Before they know it, they will know the pain of war. They will feel it as everyone else has," Wilbur promises. And, hopefully, Greater's Overlord will cease the pointless fighting. Greater will pull out from the war, and Wilbur will be alone with Manberg and Badlands as his adversary. And, if Tommy and Techno do as he asks, Manberg and Badlands will leave the war. Peace is on the horizon, Wilbur can feel it as surely as he feels Shubble's rising hope beside him and the universe's heavy gaze on his shoulders.