Chapter Text
"There is a tide in the affairs of men."
-Act 4, Scene 3. (Julius Caesar)
I've been wandering for some time now.
In fact, I think I've been wandering my entire life. Aimlessly traversing the land, meeting countless people in countless cities, gaining no real achievement or wisdom from my experiences. I suppose at first I must have been running away from something, but after so long of running I've forgotten why I even started. Forgetfulness is a fatal flaw of mine if I'm being completely honest. I can remember my name, the fact that I am now 22 years old and that I've been travelling alone for far too long. Loneliness eats away at the soul until you as a person are nothing but an emotionless husk, staying alive and continuing the long race, hurdling at incomprehensible speeds towards the inevitability of your doom. Pathetic to think that the only reason that I have for waking up in the morning is my own subconscious need to fill the gaping black hole of my destitute self-actualization. The tendency that I have to get caught up in cynical, pragmatic thought spirals once again ran away with me; and as I pondered my existence and walked in solitude, I realized that I'd come across a populated area.
A bright and cosy town consisting of spruce cabins was suspended over the water on a dock-like foundation. The main plaza was dotted with little stalls, with people bustling around, selling goods and chatting happily. A boy dressed in a well-tailored three-piece suit with a green tie tucked into his blazer was having a serious-looking conversation with another man in formal dress. The boy had chocolate brown hair with tiny goat horns sprouting from his head and striking blue eyes. Despite the clear height and age difference, the boy seemed to be in charge of the other male.
"Big Q, we'll need more people if we're going to do that."
"I know Tubbo, but this is much more important than just New L'manberg-"
"Shh!" The younger of the two cut off his beanie-wearing companion quickly once he saw that I was able to listen in on their conversation.
"I'm sorry," I apologized honestly, not wanting to interrupt important business with my presence.
The horned boy shook his head with a kind smile.
"Nothing to worry about, we'll continue this conversation later," he directed his attention towards the older male for the last portion of his sentence, who nodded in solemn understanding before casting his eyes to me.
"Where are my manners? My name is Quackity, it's lovely to meet you," I shook his outstretched hand semi-cautiously, a bit intimidated by his charismatic personality.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I'm Y/n. You'll have to forgive me for my rudeness, I'm new to the area. Whatever this town is called…" I replied, followed by a light-hearted sigh.
"This is New L'Manberg!" The blue-eyed boy piped up excitedly.
"And this here is the President himself," Quackity interrupted, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Oh come on, there's no need for titles here. Besides, we all know that you do more in the way of Presidential duties than I do, Big Q."
"You humble yourself, Tubbo. You've done more for this country than Schlatt - or ever Wilbur - ever did."
The goat-hybrid sighed in resignation.
"Alright, I suppose so. Sorry about that, Y/n. As Quackity said before, I'm Tubbo and I am the current President of this great nation.”
I smiled at the boy's enthusiasm for his work as well as his apparent closeness with his friend.
"Well, it's a beautiful country."
"Thank you! I'm guessing you'll be staying for a while?" Tubbo asked curiously.
"I might as well. I'm interested in learning more about this place now," I decided with a hum.
"We'll get you some accommodation then," the President announced, beckoning for me to follow him.
I followed his lead with Quackity walking alongside me until we were met with a residential area lined by almost identical buildings. Tubbo chose an empty house and guided me inside.
"So, are you like a backpacker or something?" Quackity asked me while the three of us began setting up my new home.
"More of a nomadic traveller. I walk to new places, stay for a while, get to know the people and then head on my way," I explained.
"I see," he said with a nod.
I've been staying in New L'manberg for roughly a week now. The residents were all very lovely people with bright outgoing personalities. From the cabinet, I'd met Fundy; a fox hybrid with bright orange hair and a sarcastic attitude. Usually, he helped advise the President and Vice President with their deliberations. There was also Ranboo, an intimidatingly tall boy who was half black and half white-skinned. He told me that he was part enderman, which intrigued me to no end, however that didn't explain his other half - or the golden crown which he wore everywhere. I'd sat in on a few cabinet meetings after developing a bit of a bond with the Vice President, who I found incredibly easy to carry a conversation with. Most of the time, I helped Ranboo keep minutes and take the odd note here and there. After everything I've seen of this world, I find it only natural to pay attention to the smallest of details around me.
I wish I could say that I was closer to Tubbo, but sadly I wasn't. He was a hard person to read, and generally closed off to others - especially strangers like myself. The burn mark that adorned the left side of his face and the sadness he held in his eyes told me he had a tough past, but It's best not to question personal details such as that.
I had learnt a small amount about the history of the country from Quackity during my stay. He detailed to me that the country was originally named L'manberg (something I could have guessed myself) and was started by Tubbo, his best friend Tommy and a man named Wilbur Soot. I'd briefly met Tommy once, however, all he did was yell "WOMAN!" and run off somewhere rambling about 'primes'...whatever that means. Tommy was a sweet kid, but he seemed to care more about enjoying life and messing about than his brunette best friend.
Wilbur was a whole other story.
Quackity explained that he was the forerunner in the entire revolution against the Dream SMP (the outer lands which encompassed New L'manberg, ruled over by a mysterious dictator who I had yet to meet). Wilbur had dreamed of freedom, of independence. And after completing his goals, he held an election; one that he lost horribly. I wasn't informed about many of the historical events of the country post-election - Quackity had become visibly upset when even mentioning Wilbur's name -, but I was told about the death of a great man. With a monotone voice used to hide his pain, Quackity explained why Wilbur wasn't around. He didn't go into detail about his cause of death, it seemed too painful for him to think upon.
Now, I'd never seen anything of this nature in all my travels, but believe it or not (I certainly wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes), Wilbur's ghost had taken a physical form after his demise. He called himself Ghostbur and he was a sweet yet naïve man who contrasted greatly with his living self. When I asked about his life, he apologized for not having many memories of 'Alivebur', so I left the topic alone.
One day, Tubbo called an emergency meeting with all important members of New L'manberg as well as Tommy, who never showed up for important Government discussions. When I asked if I could sit in on the session, I was abruptly shut down by the President, who denied my request due to the sensitivity of the matters being discussed. I acquiesced but knew in my heart that I would still find out what they were talking about - even if I wasn't in the room. So there I was, with my ear pressed up against the wall, trying my darndest to hear the voices inside the room.
"Tommy, these are desperate times for all of us," Tubbo’s voice spoke first.
"Yeah, because Dream is being a bitch!”
“He’s being perfectly reasonable and listening to our propositions, Tommy, but you keep fucking up all these meetings by running your mouth!” Quackity snapped.
“He’s still being a dickhead about it,” Tommy argued.
“Ok, fine. He may be overreacting a little bit with some of the measures he's put in place, but he complied and took down the walls on the conditions we discussed last meeting. But then you didn't cooperate and kept doing the same childish shit that you always do, Tommy! And now we've been given one last chance!” Quackity yelled, the sound of him slamming the table making me jump a little.
The room went silent.
“One last chance for what…?” Tommy whispered hoarsely.
“To end this peacefully! Look, Dream’s given us an ultimatum. And as much as I didn't want to do this, I'm going to have to take it, Tommy,” Tubbo explained.
“What’s...what’s the ultimatum?”
“Either we exile you from New L’manberg, or Dream declares war on this nation and traps us all inside those obsidian walls again.”
Tommy started yelling various profanities after that point and was only silenced when the president shouted above him,
“TOMORROW. This is your last day, Tommy! So I suggest you get a good night's sleep…”
And with that last utterance, the meeting was adjourned and the cabinet began packing up to leave the room. With the information I'd just heard, I scurried away, back to my home. I went to sleep that night terrified.
New L’manberg was not the place I'd originally thought it to be.
Morning.
Day of Tommy Innit’s final trial and exile from New L’manberg.
I'd already decided that I didn't want to see the proceedings, but from a distance, I watched the crowd gathering.
Somehow overnight, a looming obsidian wall had been built around most of the borders of New L’manberg.
Atop the wall at the east side of the nation, Tubbo stood in front of Quackity, Fundy and of course, Tommy.
Facing them was a man dressed in full netherite armour wearing a porcelain mask painted with a smiley face. I didn't even need to be told who he was. There was no one else he could be except for Dream. The elusive man who I'd heard so much about. He had a threatening aura about him, and I quickly found myself walking away so that I couldn't see the trial.
I ended up at the library, a quaint little place in the sub-basement of the town hall. The room was filled by floor to ceiling bookshelves stocked with literature of all imaginable genres. Cosy lanterns hanging from the roof lit the room in a warm, orange glow. Occasionally, there'd be a small desk with a reading lamp and an office chair, and nestled in the corners there were comfy leather armchairs for reclining with a good novel.
It seemed like the library was empty - as I had hoped it to be - so I picked up a random book and settled down in an armchair to read.
'L'manberg: A History’ the title on the decorative cover declared.
That sounded like a helpful book for me to be reading right about now. So without any further thought, I flipped open the book and began reading.
L'manberg (alternatively spelt as L'manburg ), was an independent nation-state in the Dream SMP . It declared its independence from the Greater Dream SMP on July 29, 2020, and gained its independence after the Dream Team SMP vs. L'manberg War on August 2, 2020. It was reformed as Manberg on September 22, 2020, but was restored to New L'manberg on November 16, 2020.
L'manberg had an official national anthem, which no other faction had. It is one of the only factions to have an official flag.
L'manberg was formed initially as an autocratic nation. With support from his people, Wilbur Soot made himself President with Tommy Innit as his vice-president, establishing a ruler-for-life method of leadership. However, after civil conflicts arose, Wilbur moved to turn L'manberg democratic in order to ensure citizens listened to him more. He hosted an election, and although he intended to only allow his party to run, the election ended with Jschlatt as L'manberg's new president.
Under the Jschlatt Administration, Schlatt ruled as a dictator and reformed the country into "Manberg". Schlatt's first order was to exile the founders of the nation, Wilbur Soot and Tommy Innit. This action largely diminished popular support for Schlatt and led to the creation of Pogtopia, a faction focused on overthrowing the current administration of L'manberg. Tensions between the two factions increased as more people began to support Pogtopia, until--
The rest of the pages were torn out of the book. As I frustratedly attempted to find the rest of the information, I heard a thunk noise from behind one of the bookshelves.
Slowly, I got up from my chair and took a cautious step towards the source of the noise. Through the shelves, I could see the outline of a figure. A man, by the looks of their build. Average height.
But what freaked me out was that I hadn't heard them come in.
"Hello…?" I called, peering around the bookshelf to come face-to-face with the person.
"AH!" He yelped, dropping his armful of books as he jumped in surprise.
The man in front of me had shoulder-length, shaggy blonde hair that was partially covered by a green and white striped bucket hat with a single, small emerald hanging from the brim. He was dressed very strangely, wearing a green poncho of sorts and baggy brown pants. But what I found most fascinating about this man, was the humongous black wings that were tucked neatly behind him. They were almost like that of an angel, twice his arm span and seemed to be protruding naturally from his shoulder blades.
I'd heard stories in my travels of an ancient race of immortal beings called the Elytrians . They were humanoid creatures that lived in grand palace-cities which floated in the air, and they travelled by the blinding white wings they were born with. Of course, the Elytrians were just a myth. A tall tale passed down from generation to generation around campfires and woven into folklore, muddied through time until the details were twisted beyond recognition.
Could this man before me perhaps be an Elytrian? Or perhaps a long lost descendant of the mythical creatures.
"Your wings…" I started, pointing dumbly at the feathered appendages.
"Oh, yeah…" the unknown man replied sheepishly, subconsciously tucking his wings behind his back and obscuring them from my sight.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't think about-" I apologized furiously, realizing that I had upset the man by bringing up a sensitive topic.
"It's fine, mate. You didn't know any better. Besides, it's not every day that you see someone with wings!" He laughed off my embarrassment with his kind and gentle British accent.
"Let's start over," I said, holding my hand out to the stranger with a smile, "I'm Y/n! It's lovely to meet you…" I trailed off, allowing him to fill in the space with his name.
"Philza. But I prefer just Phil," the man who I now knew as Phil shook my hand firmly.
"Do you need help picking up those books, Phil?" I asked, pointing down at the books that he had dropped in surprise.
"That'd be great, thanks," he sighed, the both of us kneeling to collect the hardcovers.
As I gathered the books in my arms, I examined a few of the titles on the covers. "Bee farms for dummies," "Everything you need to know about turtles," and "Agriculture in the tundra" were some of the more interesting picks. Most of the books involved farming, exploration and fighting; with some rare exceptions of storybooks. In particular, he had several books on folk stories regarding the personification of death. Huh.
"Thanks so much for helping out, mate," Phil praised when I handed him the books I had collected.
"Of course! It's my fault that you dropped them, after all," I laughed.
"Nice meeting you, Y/n. See you around!" He said graciously as he exited the building with his arms of books.
For the rest of the day, I read various books of fiction and non-fiction alike. By the time I decided to check out of the library, the sun had set and twilight had overtaken the sky. Dazzling shades of blue danced with violet and pink as night began to take over and the moon began to rise.
It was peaceful as I walked back to my home with a few books that I'd borrowed to read later.
When I looked out the window of my bedroom, the sky which had now taken on a beautiful, deep oxford or indigo blue was filled with stars that lit up the horizon by their infinite numbers.
It was a magical night. Certainly, not one that I wanted to waste inside, so I pulled on my shoes once more and ventured past the walls to do some stargazing.
After I'd found a solitary hill with a good view of the stars, I sat down on the ground and looked to the sky.
My hill was a fairly large one, with trees surrounding the clearing where I sat, and it overlooked the bright lights of New L’manberg which lay to my left side. The obsidian walls made me uncomfortable to look at, so I limited myself to watching the sky.
Sighing, I took in the scene of millions of stars, nebulae and galaxies, and relaxed back on my hands.
The peace and quiet of the moment made me way jumpier than I usually would have been when a rustling of leaves interrupted my calm.
"Who's there?" I called towards the offending bush.
I was now on my feet in a defensive stance as I waited for the stranger to show themselves.
More rustling sounded, and a tall man emerged from the shadows. As he came into my view, I squinted to get a good look at his features in the moonlight.
The man was dressed in dark jeans and a leaf-green hoodie. From under the hood, dark blonde hair sprouted messily and framed his face. His hair wasn't particularly long, but some parts of the front had fallen into his emerald eyes. Even though it was dark, I could see that he was very handsome. He had chiseled features and lively eyes. Pink lips were pulled into a lopsided smirk and freckles were spread across his nose and high cheekbones.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think that there was going to be an angel in my spot tonight," the man hummed as he walked closer towards me. His voice was deep, but still a bit child-like and ever so slightly raspy. That and his appearance told me that he was around my age.
"An angel?" I laughed incredulously at his poor attempt at a pickup line.
His grin widened as he now came to stand towering in front of me. Looking down at my face, he tilted his head curiously.
"Is that not what you are?"
Shaking my head no, I smiled at the flirty stranger.
"If this is your spot, I'll take my leave," I started, moving to walk away before I was stopped by a hand grabbing my wrist.
"I'm not opposed to company," he whispered in my ear.
The man pulled me by my wrist so that the two of us were now seated on the grass. He was sitting so close to me, and I knew that he could hear my heart racing. He smelled nice, like pine needles, cinnamon, bergamot and something musky...like the forest after a storm.
"I don't recall seeing you around here before...and that intrigues me," the stranger confessed, his voice low yet warm and inviting.
"Well, I am new to this area. I arrived in New L'manberg a bit over a week ago," I explained.
He raised an eyebrow playfully.
"Well, I'm disappointed that I didn't meet you before now. Were you perhaps hiding from me?"
I laughed.
"I'm not sure how I could have hidden from you if I don't know who you are."
He went silent for a moment, his eyes boring into mine intensely as though trying to figure something out.
"It's Clay,” he said blankly.
"What is?"
"My name. Don't go forgetting it now. Although, you can call me whatever you want."
"Smooth, Clay," I joked, smiling as I shook my head in mock disbelief.
"Do I get to hear your name or am I going to be left hanging?"
Humming, I looked away from him with a mischievous smile.
“I dunno...stranger danger and all that.”
“Oh, come on! Please? I just told you my name, isn’t it common courtesy to return that gesture?” Clay exasperated, crossing his arms and pouting dramatically.
“Alright, alright. But only because you asked so nicely,” I teased him. “Y/n.”
“Y/n… Y/n,” he repeated slowly, sounding out each of the syllables carefully. “It suits you. Although, I’m still fairly sure you’re an angel.”
Snorting, I leaned back on the grass and returned to watching the stars.
Clay seemed nice enough, and he h adn’t given me any reason to not trust him, so I decided that stargazing with him tonight didn’t sound too bad of an idea.