"Alright boys, don't spend too much, you've already gotten your allowance for the week." Phil told Technoblade and Wilbur, who were both on opposite sides of him, each holding one of his hands.

Philza had decided to take Wilbur and Technoblade out for a shopping trip since he had noticed that the three of them couldn't spend as much time together. Since Philza had adopted Tommy a year ago, it was the only thing Philza could put his attention towards. Philza would constantly be running around the house tending to his needs. It didn't help that Tommy was a troublemaker and caused chaos wherever he stepped foot, so Philza could barely take his eyes off the two-year-old. This in turn caused Philza to spend significantly less time with his older two, though they didn't seem very bothered by the change - which Phil was more than grateful for. Still, he knew it would be a good change of scenery to leave Tommy with a close friend of Phil's while he spent more quality time with the boys.

"Yeah yeah" Technoblade dismissed, waving a hand in an almost repudiate manner, earning him an eye-roll from Philza.

Wilbur let go of Phil's hand, skipping ahead and exclaiming excitedly, "I'm planning to buy some new shoes!", with a huge grin plastered across his face.

"Don't you already have perfectly functioning shoes?" Technoblade stated, staring at the grey and black shoes Wilbur was currently wearing.

"So?" Wil asked, raising an eyebrow, "at least I care about what I wear!" he said, staring up and down at Techno's clothing with a judgemental look.

"What's that supposed to mean, idiot?"

"Don't call me an idiot, idiot!" Wilbur shouted, crossing his arms with contempt, only for his mood to change in an instant, "Anyway, you should get some clothes yourself, Techno!"

Technoblade seemed to ponder over it for a second before shaking his head, "Nah... I've been meaning to get a pocket holder for my dagger though.", he said, staring at the dagger's handle which was bluntly poking out of his pocket. "I clearly need it." Wilbur looked in awe when Technoblade mentioned the dagger he'd been carrying around. Phil knew he'd never admit it, but Wilbur secretly admired how skilled Technoblade naturally was with a weapon. Wilbur wasn't even half as good, which was the reason Techno was allowed to carry one around while Wilbur wasn't - Phil was too worried he would accidentally stab himself.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I also need some strings for my guitar!" Wilbur announced, walking backwards as he talked to Technoblade and Philza.

Phil chuckled, waving his hands for Wilbur to move to the side of the road as people passed by them on the busy streets of the marketplace. It was quite crowded, with the occasional person smiling as they saw the boys. It wasn't unusual for people to soften at the sight of two children just being children, several times even stopping to offer them a greeting. Phil took a moment to breath in the sight of his two excited eight-year-olds chatting. The sky was a clear blue, with a few pure white clouds floating above them. The smell of cooked meat being sold and the sound of dozens of people chatting across the many shops and stores brought a smile to Phil's face. He was grateful for having so much. Could it really get any better than this?

They roamed around several shops, buying clothing and gadgets, even going to a bakery for some snacks. Technoblade couldn't help but get distracted whenever he saw a guard or swordsman pass by. They just seemed so proud and strong, as though they could do anything in the world. Something Technoblade always wished for himself.

They were currently at the library. It was quite huge, with nearly 3 floors and wide, enormous rooms spreading out to reveal tens of thousands of books, all ranging from anything you could ever bring yourself to imagine. Technoblade loved it. To the surprise of most people who met Technoblade and Wilbur, Techno was the nerdier one. He wasn't a fan of fiction, instead he loved to read about the different wars that took place in history, as well as the different strategies they used. His favourite book was "Sun Tzu: The Art of War" which he would read for hours, trying to decipher everything his 8-year-old mind could comprehend.

He was on the second floor, roaming an aisle filled with books about combat and war, such as the best maneuvers in a fight, or which stance would help most during an attack. Phil and Wilbur were both on the first floor, which was filled with more content for children. Technoblade found it boring there though, even teasing Wilbur about how childish he was for still reading fairy tales. Although Technoblade would come here often, he had the intent to get as many books as he could to read back at home.

As Technoblade was flipping through the pages of a book, he heard some commotion from the aisle behind him. Techno put the book back as he cautiously sneaked to the corner of the aisle and peered behind it, still holding several books in his arms. The disturbance was coming from two men, presumably in their late 20's, both speaking in a rather quiet yet aggressive tone. One of the men who had dirty blonde hair was backed up on a table near the wall, as the other with curly black hair violently kept him down with his sword. Technoblade quietly watched the scene unfold. Though their voices were hushed, Technoblade could faintly hear their whispers.

"Don't you dare bring my family into this!" The black-haired man said threateningly, gritting his teeth as he tightened the grip on his sword. "They have nothing to do with this, and I'll make sure it stays that way."

This earned him a chuckle from the other man, who seemed to be quite enjoying the situation. "Is that so, hmm? Well then, I wonder what you'll do if I report the evidence against you to the king...surely your family won't be so far away from investigation...ey? Oh, how I hope they don't find anything ugly in there..." he whispered, almost sounding boastful. Technoblade noted that the man was probably an assassin, with his dark clothing and cape, and the several scars spread out across his face. What was an assassin doing in a library? Especially at the busiest time of day? Maybe he was just too much of a rookie? Or maybe he just felt that the man with the black hair wasn't a threat or a problem. He was dressed more like a villager than the former, so that could be a possibility.

"You wouldn't." the other spat, pushing the sword further into the man, so much so that Techno began to see blood oozing out of his chest and onto the sword.

"Oh, wouldn't I?"

Doubt flickered in the man's eyes. As if he was heavily considering the question, but he continued, "They wouldn't believe you anyway. It's my word over yours, you don't stand a chance."

The man with blonde hair smiled a smile that made Techno physically flinch, making him question if he should run while he still had the chance.

"That's where you're underestimating me. I never rely on chance; I rely on facts alone." he said not a second before Technoblade realized a silver dagger in his hands. In an instant the other man jerked in pain as the dagger was stabbed straight into his gut. Without a moment of hesitation, he then kicked the now bleeding man off of him and covered his mouth with his hand. Technoblade saw as the man began struggling violently before managing to bite the suspected assassin's hand, which only earned a curse from the blonde man, who then slashed the black-haired man's neck wide open.

The moment was quick. Techno couldn't even form his thoughts.

All he saw in front of him was a limp body and blood. He was frozen to the core. He was frightened.

Then he heard it.

Blood...?

Blood...

BLOOD

BLOOD!

BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD! YES BLOOD! WE WANT BLOOD!

All of a sudden Technoblade could barely comprehend what was going on. The sound rang like a pack of rampaging dogs. He couldn't even hear his own thoughts, all he heard was a thousand voices telling him that he needed blood. But he didn't. Technoblade didn't want blood. He was scared. He wanted Phil.

BLOOD! BLOOD! GIVE US BLOOD! GIVE US BLOOD! WE WANT BLOOD! YES, BLOOD!

BLOOD! BLOOD! WE WANT BLOOD! GIVE US BLOOD! BLOOD!

Technoblade stumbled back, letting go of the books which were in his hands, the loud thud mixing in with the rest of the deafening sounds. Techno completely forgot where he was, what he was doing, and what was going on, all he could focus on was the corpse in front of him. The black-haired man who looked almost asleep, but his eyes far too wide and blood far too much for that to be the case. Only for a second did Techno remember the blonde man, and only when he looked up towards the figure, did he see him sitting on the window's edge, smiling at Techno before climbing down an instant later. But Technoblade barely realized.

The voices began to clamor, louder than before, more needy and fierce.

Technoblade had never experienced such severe insanity before. All he heard was the screeching of hundreds- no, thousands of voices demanding one thing. Blood. The scarlet liquid of the man laying in front of him.

IDIOT they spat, all muffling the clarity from each other's words.

"I-i can't" Techno said hiding his head in his arms as he pleaded for the voices to show mercy. "Please, I can't."

YES YES, BLOOD! BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD! WE WANT BLOOD! GIVE US BLOOD!

Technoblade couldn't hear himself think. All he wanted was for the voices to go away. Techno began to shriek. Or, maybe he didn't. Technoblade couldn't tell.

The voices became increasingly louder and overwhelming. He couldn't even form a single coherent thought.

BLOOD! BLOOD BLOOD! JUST GIVE IT TO US! YOU IDIOT! BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD!

The voices rung in Technoblade's head like thousands of screeching drums and thunder, the overbearing agony numbing him from his surroundings. Technoblade felt like he was going insane by the seconds. He was losing his mind.

BLOOD YOU FOOL, BLOOD! BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD, BLOOD! BLOOD! RED! BLOOD!

What Technoblade did next wasn't an urge to satisfy his own curiosity or the longing of figuring out his true nature, as many would believe for ages to come. No, instead it was the fear of a young pink haired boy, who so desperately wanted out from the torture he was going through. The agonizing pain which led him to what would lead his path for years to come. Technoblade rose - as excruciating as it felt to put so much force and focus to such a tedious task - he got up, from his arms first, then his knees. Technoblade got up with more force he had ever used in his life, only his instincts guiding him through the haze of screaming and shouting. The eight-year-old walked towards the body. The voices only getting louder as Techno stared at the corpse dripping all over, as a pool of scarlet blood surrounded him. Each step seemed like a chore. Each breath, each voice, each plead for blood. It all seemed like too much.

At that point it didn't matter what he did, so long as it made the madness go way.

Technoblade never remembered taking his dagger out. He never remembered bending down towards the bloody body. He didn't remember having an intent. But he did remember as he gashed the dagger straight into the chest. Then again, at the arm. Then the throat. Technoblade just went all at it. At this point he wasn't even sure if he was dreaming or not. It felt surreal. He couldn't feel anything. Was this what they called madness? Not knowing if you're thinking, not knowing what you're doing, or if you're even awake? He didn't know.

But it didn't matter.

Because the voices were content.

No, more than that. The voices were proud.

Yes, blood. Blood for the blood god.

And then they quieted.

"T-Techno?"