Philza was born during a tumultuous time. The last vestiges of humanity were banding together to form a solution against the monsters spawning in the world. Philza had been a parentless child when the first district was established. In those days, everyone was afraid. Society couldn't function properly. Civilians were never sure that the monsters wouldn't arrive at their doorstops. The humans left outside the walls were scrambling for access to safety. Hybrids, humanoids with alien features, had just started appearing and causing a widespread panic. In these times, no one could afford to be a good person. It was a time and place where everyone lived for themselves.

Philza was no exception. As a child without parents, he grew attached to the one person that stuck right beside him, a fellow orphan named Sneeg. They were thieves in the night. They stole what they needed to in order to survive. Philza's conscience never snapped at him that what he was doing was wrong because even it knew that if he didn't steal, he wouldn't have anything. He would be homeless without food or water. He would be dead, and Sneeg would have died, as well. Philza will never be ashamed of those harsh days in the street.

When Philza was nearing his adulthood, the districts began to change. There were a few more. Widespread panic had quieted, but the crime rates were never able to drop. It became even worse when people discovered something unique about themselves that would later be called superpowers. Some people naturally possessed the ability to alter reality or time in some key ways. Philza's powers activated around this time. He can still remember the excruciating pain he went through when his wings snapped out of his back like diamond shredding paper. Sneeg was there with him, but it seemed that the trauma of watching his friend almost die in a bloody mess activated Sneeg's ability to shrink his size on command. When their powers finally settled in their body, they used them like everyone else did at the time: to benefit themselves.

The government decided to do something about the crime rates. They decided that the only people who could defeat superpowered criminals were superpowered law enforcers. To achieve this goal, they presented the world with seven superheroes of varying powers. These superheroes fought against the villains like the government swore they would, and the world seemed to reach some form of equilibrium. Philza and Sneeg never cared much about the villains or heroes. They were simple thieves, so that world didn't involve them.

It didn't involve them until someone tried to steal from Philza's stash. He had been angry at the time, but he soon discovered that the careless thieves were merely twin brothers with nothing to their name. Philza never imagined himself to be a father. He never wanted a family. He had Sneeg, and that's enough for him. But these two boys, staring up at him with wide eyes, both ready to defend the other... Philza saw himself and Sneeg in those twins, and he didn't have the heart to turn them away.

Philza raised the boys. He gave them names, a home, and a support system. Life wasn't perfect. Philza still had to steal to make ends meet. But he truly loves his children. Even if he knew they would be the death of him, he couldn't turn them away. They were his children in the most important sense of the word.

Then, his boys wanted to be heroes. Wilbur became one first, sneaking off with his friends to enlist. He left a letter behind, explaining his motives. He wasn't becoming a hero because he wanted to save lives or give back to the world. He wanted to make enough money that his family never struggled again. He wanted to bring his father and brother out of poverty. He promised to return with his first paycheck, when he had become someone in the world.

Philza wanted to leave him be. He wanted Wilbur to follow his passions, no matter how selfish they were. Techno was not as easily persuaded. He remained with Philza for a few weeks before he rushed off as well. Philza was left behind in an apartment falling apart at the seams. He wanted his boys to find their way in the world. He wanted them to be their own people. He knew that if he held onto them too tightly, he would choke them in his grasp. He determined that they would come back to him eventually. Wilbur would become a musician and Techno would become a farmer, the lives the two of them dreamed about.

Sneeg came to Philza, looking like a walking corpse soaked in blood. When Philza got the full story after nursing Sneeg back to life, he learned just how horrible the world was. Turf wars between villain gangs along with the ever-increasing unrest towards hybrids was causing the districts to descend into madness and violence. Philza realized that his boys were willingly joining that world. He rushed to convince them not to be heroes, tracking them down to the hero tower itself. When his words failed, Philza became a hero alongside them. If his children wouldn't choose a peaceful path, he would force the districts to be a peaceful place. His boys would never get hurt as long as he was around.

He didn't become a top hero for the people. He became a top hero for his children.

And the path of being a hero led him to his last son. Philza knew about Wilbur's new friend, the vigilante of Logstedshire. It was the district no hero dared to touch in fear of risking the wrath of the gangs spilling over to the other districts. Philza admired the vigilante, and he enjoyed how happy Wilbur was when telling stories about his new friend. Wilbur brought the vigilante around, and Philza finally met the infamous Vermillion, the Red Angel of Logstedshire. Vermillion had been in awe of him, at first, but with time came comfortability. Vermillion became part of Philza's life beyond being Wilbur's friend. He was in the tower a lot more than other civilians, getting close with all manner of heroes. Despite his rough and annoying exterior, he weaseled his way into people's hearts.

It started out as jokes. He would mimic the way Wilbur said 'dadza'. He would call out for Philza using the moniker 'dad' when he thought Techno was being unfair to him. He would tell Philza that he was a terrible father when Philza showed favoritism towards Wilbur or Techno.

The jokes stopped being jokes. Philza is never entirely sure when. He just knows that at some point or another Vermillion became his youngest. Philza would wrap Vermillion into his arms, holding tightly onto the boy that could never simply say when he was hurting. He was carefully prying into Vermillion's mind and soul, discovering all the parts of the vigilante that were put away because of a fear of rejection. Philza accepted his son, and he was given the privilege of being a father of three instead of two.

All of his hard work went down the drain. Vermillion began distancing himself. He was purposely destroying most of his relationships, and he was completely avoiding Philza. He couldn't do anything as Vermillion slipped away from him. Philza wondered what he could have done to make his son stay. What he could have done to convince Vermillion that no matter what, Philza wouldn't leave him. The world could hate him, and Philza would never let go of his hand. The masses could scream for his demise, and Philza would never stop fighting for his life. The walls protecting the districts could fall, and Philza would make sure all three of his sons were flown to safety.

There was never a pain worse than seeing Wilbur on the ground. He was thrashing around like a madman, and his eyes were completely unfocused. Vermillion was standing a few feet away with sheer panic in his eyes, his chest pumping with too much air. The wind blasted all around them at the speed of a tornado. The worst part was seeing the green cracks all over Wilbur's body, mirrored by the green glow around Vermillion's hands. Vermillion looked up at him. His eyes met Philza's for a split second. Philza will never be able to explain how he felt in that single moment. His son was dying, and the other one looked like he would rather be. Vermillion left out the window, flying away with the wind before anyone could talk to him. Philza would have gone after him, but Wilbur's body had gone still. Philza paid attention to that son, knowing that his other one would return to him eventually.

Vermillion never did. That was the last time Philza had seen his son. The next he knew, Warden was explaining softly that Vermillion was dead. Everyone reacted. They all grieved, and Philza... he just remembers the darkness of the hospital room. He sat at Wilbur's side until his son woke up from a coma. Philza was the one to tell Wilbur, and he'd never seen his son that heartbroken. Philza was torn between relief at seeing Wilbur alive and knowing that Vermillion was dead. Philza held Wilbur tightly for days on end, keeping them both locked in a state of delirious comfort.

Techno pulled them both away from their grief in order to shower and eat. Techno seemed to take it better than everyone else, but Philza knew his son better than anyone else. Wilbur knew his twin brother even more so. They both knew the thoughts racing through Techno's head. Philza, as a father, had to put his own grief aside to help his sons reckon with the truth. Once they seemed to settle, Philza allowed himself to feel the full weight of his heartbreak. He continued being a hero in order to save the lives of the sons he had left.

Philza never believed the news. When he saw the newspaper transitioning from mourning the disappearance of Vermillion to discussing his reappearance, Philza thought nothing of it. He didn't want to get his hopes up for some printed gossip. He couldn't afford to believe that his son was alive only to have the desperate wish to reunite cruelly torn away from him.

Techno entered into Philza's room a while after the newspapers first appeared. Philza heard some of the other heroes talking about how Vermillion was alive, but Philza never dared to hope. It wasn't until Techno told him, outright while trembling on his knees, that Philza allowed himself to believe. He absorbed all news and every scrap of media that told the tale of Vermillion.

He was sent to deal with a riot between humans and hybrids. It was standard work until he saw his son trying to break it up. Philza quickly cleared the way in order to have a conversation with Vermillion. He tried to maintain a cordial distance since all the heroes he had talked to made it clear that Vermillion was not enjoying having his lie brought into the light. Philza attempted to get answers, wanting to know why Vermillion felt justified in letting everyone grieve. All he got in response was the possibility of reforging his relationship by starting over. He even got the name 'Theseus'. Philza would take that chance if it meant he got his son back.

Now, Philza feels like he's losing him all over again. Wilbur is lying on the ground, but he's awake. He's fine. A little worn out with a couple of burns, but he's alive and he isn't going to die. The Ender Heart's attempt on Wilbur's life was just that- an attempt. Techno made sure to beat the creature until it was completely dead, something breaking in his mind as he saw both of his brothers almost killed by the beast. Philza knew he should have gone to calm Techno down or make certain that Wilbur was fine...

But Theseus was unconscious. Blood was pouring from several wounds. The disgusting green light pulsated around his hands.. Theseus seemed to be breathing, but Philza needed to make sure. He tried getting close, but lightning jumped from the glow onto the ground around Philza. Whatever the power was, it was reaching for Philza. It wanted to consume. Philza had to distance himself or risk getting hurt by the power. It took everything inside of him not to move closer, though, because his son was right there. It was the son he had failed before, and the son he refused to fail this time around.

"Dad?" Wilbur questioned softly, crawling over. He placed his head on Philza's chest as they watched Theseus. They were waiting for the green light to dissipate. Soon, Techno joined them in the wait. He sat on the ground beside Philza, but he didn't reach for physical comfort. Philza kept his hand open, just in case Techno decided he needed something to help steady him.

The light didn't dissipate, but Theseus's eyes did slowly open. His normally blue eyes were glowing that nasty green color. Theseus glanced at them for a fraction of a second, but his attention swung to the Ender Heart. The beast's head had been smashed in. Purplish black blood formed a large puddle all around it. The body of it was starting to flake away into dust particles. One of its eyes was open, though, revealing a thin sheen of that same green color. Theseus heaved in breath. He looked around for something before his eyes settled on his family. He smiled at them, and Philza hated this smile. It was the sort of smile someone used when referring to a pyrrhic victory. It was the sort of smile someone used when they found amusingly horrible irony. It was the sort of smile Philza had spent so much of his life fighting to keep that smile off his sons's faces.

"I'm sorry," Theseus whispered. In the next second, he blinked out of existence in a flurry of green particles. It reminded Philza of the way Ender teleported.

"No!" Wilbur called out, diving forward with an outstretched hand. His fingers grasped nothing as he fell forward. Philza grabbed Wilbur, pulling his injured son close to him. He heard Techno behind him hit something, a gruff 'damnit' echoing in the dark cavern. Philza closed his eyes. He struggled to understand why his son wouldn't just trust him. He struggled to understand what that weird green light and seemingly fatal power was.

Most of all, he struggled to understand why he kept failing.