Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart…

'Cuts and bruises, shouts and screams: they all later turned out to be no more than giggles and laughter under trees, in a forest, by a rundown cabin which barely stood on its own anymore, but was as good a home as any other.

The door hung loose in its hinges and, as if that wasn't enough, the frame itself was rotting - just like the panels on the walls and the roof made out of old hay and moss in equal parts. It was all so detailed, like he was still there, but it felt more like a mirage, with all the other things around him and that shoddy cabin being so blurry, that it all felt more like a vague story someone had told him once.

He stood there by the house, looking around, trying to recall how he had gotten there and when he had grown so fragile again. He instantly spotted the morning glories that had been planted only a short while ago by the foundation of the house. As a gardening choice, it seemed moronic, but clearly, they knew no better.

"Techno!" he heard, but when he turned around, looking for where the voice had come from, his search ended in disappointment as there was not a single soul there.

The whispering woods carried the sound of the wind all around him as if trying to blow a calmness back into him, but every second made the pace of his heart pick up, more and more like in a race that would never end. The harsh smell of rotting flesh hit his nose and, in an attempt to find the source, he looked down at his hands to see that they were covered in blood, fresh blood, but that too didn't last, because as soon as he blinked in his hand rested a flower - a purple hyacinth.

Once again, his eyes wandered around, and he was not met with the promised scene of a peaceful forest but rather its edge. Mountains covered the horizon, hiding a promised land that could grant the future he so craved in his mind but refused to reach because his heart wished to stay.

Stay… Stay where?

"Techno?" He heard once more, but before he could turn around, before he could see who had called for his name with such worry and fear, something lunged at him from the forest.

And then it went dark.

Techno shot upright in his bed, taking deep breaths as his hands gripped his hair in a tight hold in a desperate attempt to ground himself, to calm his racing heart. His lungs filled with air, air that felt like it was burning his throat, bringing him back into reality.

'This again? What caused this? Where are we? Is everything okay?'

The voices filled his head as he pushed himself out of bed with a deep sigh, rubbing his face with the palms of his hands. This is horrible, he thought as he got up to get his clothes, which had been thrown on the ground the night before by the side of the bed. He needed a cold wash after having a nightmare like that - a nightmare from so long ago that he couldn't remember the details.

He did not even bother to put on his whole attire - just his linen shirt, his pants, and the boots on his feet were enough for him since he knew that soon enough, he would have to take it all off for a dip in the river that would hopefully clean him from the clinging dread he still felt within.

So he went. Techno trekked through the snowy tundra, over the hill, to the nearest plain where a river was flowing, undisturbed and unaware of his own turmoil. He had to brush his way through bushes and low branches, but nothing he hadn't done before, and nothing that would leave any scar more permanent than the ones already littering his skin. He was used to this journey. It was a journey he'd made many times before, just to get some alone time to himself, to wash off the sweat that collected over his hard work, or the blood from a hunt that satisfied his voices, granting him a few minutes of silence.

But a harsh splash in the water pulled him out of his thoughts, and as he looked up in confusion, perhaps expecting to see a wild beast, he spotted her. Eris was sitting in the middle of the river, her body bare, scrubbing down every part of it. Techno could have sworn that she had blood covering the collar of her neck and the length of her arms, but he couldn't be sure because as soon as he tried to take a closer look to understand what he'd seen upon her, she spotted him, making his head dart to the side, his cheeks visibly gaining a tinge of red to them.

He had forgotten that she was living with them now. It always was him and Phil against the world, and when he was introduced to the idea of a third person staying at the commune, he hadn't been happy about it, but decided not to voice his protests. When he cursed himself in his head, getting mad about not speaking up, this was what he was worried about. So used to his day-to-day life, stuck in his pleasant routine, only to be pulled into a situation he didn't know how to escape. A social butterfly he was not.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be here," he murmured, hoping that she wouldn't be mad but more importantly that this wouldn't make things at home even more awkward.

But a simple giggle from her allowed him to push out a breath, assured that everything was still okay, everything was gonna be fine and he wouldn't need to find another distant land to live out his days in embarrassment.

"Dont worry about it, you can look," she said, more of her form emerging from the water with every step she took towards shore.

He could feel the confidence radiating off of her from a mile away, unbothered by his presence. Despite this, he did not wish to have even a glance in her direction and that really was the difference between the two of them. It showed off something that he didn't have, and perhaps something he envied.

But despite his inhibitions, Techno looked her way. Her body was riddled with scars, some smaller, some larger, some years old and others more fresh. The only part that seemed clean of any imperfections were the black hands, which seemed like they'd been dipped in black ink that was slowly crawling across her skin. Her long, black hair clung to her body and wings that were almost tucked completely behind her, reminding him of how beautiful the night sky was when Kristin decided to ''speak'' to Phil.

She stepped out completely and grabbed the towel that was neatly placed on the grass - close enough to the river, but far enough for it to be dry. Techno noticed her oddly sharp and bright blue eyes that scanned the ground as she made sure every part of her body was completely dry to avoid the discomfort of wet clothes sticking to her, a concern Techno never felt too fussed over.

"How did you get them?" Techno blurted out without thinking, catching her eyes as the sentence echoed with confusion and regret within his mind. He shouldn't have asked that, he shouldn't have, and yet he had, and now he really hoped he hadn't ruined the impression he had on her. But once again, the worry flowed away, as if going along with the sound of the river as she weakly smiled and scanned her own body, almost like making sure that the question he had asked her wasn't about something she imagined in her head.

"Battles, wars, minor disagreements, pick your poison really. I could ask the same question to you, though," she stated, looking over at him and running her eyes across the parts of his body that weren't covered by his clothes - his neck, arms, face, all covered in scars, and she imagined the same weight to them as her own.

"Same reason," he replied, looking down at himself just the same way she had just moments ago.

The exchange, although brief, had settled on them like a heavy blanket that would not be removed so easily. With this blanket came the silence that Techno liked, but not now, not here. He wanted to break the silence, but everything that the voices suggested seemed either stupid or flat-out rude, so he allowed the silence to settle in while she got dressed, paying no more mind to him.

How odd, he thought, as he gave her another look that she wouldn't notice. They had barely spoken to each other, but she had already piqued his interest. She seemed like a mystery box that would take time to open, and in a way he envied Phil for knowing so much more about her because, in this situation, he didn't want to wait.

"You can jump in if you want. I'm ready to leave, so you don't have to worry about me." And that was that. With those last few words, she left, leaving him perplexed, with the voices rambling about things Techno didn't want to hear.

After he had washed himself, Techno made a decision to show off his hound army to Eris in an attempt to seem more friendly and approachable and maybe, just maybe, make her forget about the awful interaction by the river. Well, he thought it was awful, as the only thing he could bring himself to ask was a question he'd wished he wouldn't hear directed at himself.

So he had asked her to follow him, letting her inside a fenced off space with a gate that Phil had only recently replaced. He had noticed her body shaking just a bit as she was met with so many dogs - it was difficult to count all of them. Some still had dried blood clinging to their fur from a recent battle or hunt. Techno, of course, paid that little mind.

This was Techno's attempt to socialize - to show off the things he loved, hoping that the other would see it and start up a conversation where he could flex his experience; but seeing Eris' frozen body and hands tighten into fists, he was worried that his favored strategy might not work this time.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He saw a tinge of fear, hidden deep in her eyes like stones at the bottom of a vibrant lake, as she took in the scene of so many hounds in her presence. Techno's personal war machines.

"Yeah, yeah. Just… a lot of wolves," she said, composing herself. Techno couldn't help but notice her erratic breath.

Techno was worried but decided to pay no mind to it so long as she didn't complain. He loved all animals, especially dogs, but he hadn't really expected himself to be a dog person, not at first. All those times he had scoffed at people, who were treating these animals with affection others reserved for human members of their family confused him, but that all changed once he got a dog of his own.

One dog turned into two, and over time more of them joined his pack. But it wouldn't be Techno without finding some use for the things he loved, and once he got these dogs, he quickly discovered what great assets they were in battle. He could still recall the times he stood over a battlefield, atop one building or another, as the dogs ripped enemies to shreds with their powerful jaws and sharp nails.

But that was then, and this is now. This place seemed too familiar to him, with the scratched up fences and the roof made by Phill while Techno was out wondering about. This was the place where he knew that even if the whole world would turn on him one day, he would still have this, still have his dogs, dogs that wanted him around, that waited patiently and hoped to see him soon, because as soon as he walked in - all of them would run, trying to get every bit of attention for themselves.

However, for some reason, Eris didn't really seem all that thrilled to be there. With her arms tightly crossed over her body, she stood in the corner as far from Techno as possible to avoid any curious pup from coming near her.

"That's Max," Techno started, "That's Skypowergirl and that over there is Apollo. He's kind of our favorite, but don't tell the rest." He introduced each dog one by one, seeing Eris finally relax a little as Apollo approached her, noises raised curiously at her.

He was the only wolf that had fur as white as the snow, and after he'd spent a moment sniffing Eris' body, she finally leaned down to pet him. The touch seemed unsure, as if she was expecting the dog to snap and bite off her hand, but it didn't. Instead, Apollo leaned into the touch and licked her hand as though to assure her that everything was okay. This earned a giggle from her as she continued petting him, scratching his ears and back, making sure he knew he was loved and could be satisfied with her affection.

Soon enough, all the dogs had noticed this and were trying to get a bit for themselves, crowding around her, and that made Techno smile. His plan had worked; he couldn't help but feel pleased with himself.

"Kids! Dinners ready!" Phil shouted in the distance, making Eris jump up on her feet, eliciting a laugh from Techno.

Soon after, they were sitting by the table in the middle of the front yard. Techno knew that just moments ago, the table had been covered in snow and Phil, as always, had brushed it all aside to serve their food - a hearty rabbit stew. There wasn't really space to eat indoors - the rooms were filled with chests and brewing stands, leaving only so much space for a person to walk through, let alone have a proper meal. So, the outside was a decent option for now, and while he didn't really know how Phil and Eris coped with the cold, he was okay with it himself, considering his body temperature was naturally quite high.

"Well, you can all serve your meals yourselves. I'm not gonna do that as well for you," Phil commented, pouring a bowl full of soup for himself.

Techno poured his own portion, larger than the others', of course, and then sat down, looking over at Eris, who was sitting right across him and next to Phil. He didn't know if she was somehow still terrified of him or if she just preferred Phil, but he tried not to think about it. That wasn't an easy task given that the voices would remind him of it.

'She hates you. You scared her. You should apologize.'

Techno shook his head, trying to ignore them, a motion that was clearly noticed by Phil, who took to brainstorming a way to pull his friend out of it.

"Sure brings back memories of the Antarctic empire, doesn't it?" Phil proudly stated, expecting Eris to question. Even though she enjoyed Phil's stories, there were still some things he chose not to tell - just in case she needed another interesting topic to listen to.

"Antarctic empire?"

"Yea! Techno and I took over the world once, all a part of an Antarctic empire!" Phil announced as Eris looked over at Techno with curiosity glistening in her ever-bright eyes.

"Well, almost. We actually got punished for it, too," Techno said dryly, eyeing his soup like it was the most unappetizing thing he had seen in his life.

Despite his dry remark, he noticed the curiosity that was still shining in Eris' eyes, waiting for them to continue the story. That was the moment when Techno made another mental note about Eris that would stick with him for a long time - she enjoyed stories. She, a person who gave off the vibe of caring only about the history she wrote herself, cared about other people's experiences to the point where she could sit and listen for hours. It wasn't something Techno had expected, but he did enjoy watching her puff up her wings and lean over the table just slightly, like encouraging him to continue the tale, but Phil beat him to it. For some reason, Techno had the urge to give him a slight death glare.

"Techno here thought it would be funny if we took over the world. It didn't necessarily go as planned, but we did achieve what we wanted by the end of it," Phil said, puffing his chest while Techno made it his goal to stuff his face and avoid the conversation. But as usual, his emotions ran over him like a wave, and the only way he could think of avoiding those emotions was to push himself once more into the discussion.

"We got brought back to trial as soon as we were done with our little project," he noted, finally finishing his bowl with a huff. "I'd say it's not all that interesting. Maybe you have some stories you could share?"

As difficult as it was, Techno really tried to keep the conversation going. As he had figured out prior, Eris seemed like the type of person he would like to know. What kind of morals did she hold? What was she doing after leaving Phil? Why was she the way she was? Her body was littered with scars, yet she seemed so cheerful and child-like. Was it because of Phil? Or, maybe she was like that with everyone, and at the end, his questions really couldn't receive a satisfying answer lest he said them aloud.

But just like before, Phil decided to answer for her, once again earning a slight glare that surprised Techno himself in its ferocity. "I can think of one thing you used to do. Care to finally explain what was with that falling thing you did?"

"Falling?"

"I can't believe you had to bring that up," she scoffed, running her hands over her face, almost like she was embarrassed. Almost. "I used to do this thing where I would pile up a huge pile of snow or find an already existing pile, fly really high above it and then… freefall into it."

Techno felt a chill wash over him as he imagined the scene. He had seen a lot of elytrians and had spoken to them, Phil included. He had seen them fly and take care of themselves, as well as tell their stories about how it felt to be high in the air with no one to see or hear you, but he had never heard of this. So, just like Eris, he leaned over the table - signalling to the girl that he wished to hear more.

"And why was that necessary?"

"There was something about it," she started, looking up at the sky as if to put her mind back into that situation and feel the rush of wind on her skin, to understand herself so that the words would come out as precise as she could muster them. "Something about it, the idea of free falling - it felt greater than flying. You can feel the wind run over you in this rush, and you have this sense of being in control while at the same time being completely out of it. It's always more about the fall than the crash."

"Scared the shit out of me the first time I saw it," Phil remarked as he finally finished the soup and rose from his seat. "Well, I'm off to tend to the turtles. Eris, are you joining me?"

She hopped up from her chair almost immediately, an action that irritated Techno even more. Mere moments ago, her attention had been on him, and she seemed hesitant to leave - but here she was, almost jumping in happiness at Phil's invitation.

'Are you jealous? She likes him more. You have nothing in common with her.'

Techno once again shook his head to get rid of these thoughts, but this time there was no one to see it. He was left all alone, the voices being his only company, and while he usually found no issue with it, now it was different but…

Different how?

"Deus damnet…" he cursed to himself.

Days of Eris living with them turned into weeks and then months. Techno grew closer to her, bit by bit, earning more and more of her trust, just as Eris earned his in turn. Days went by of them taking care of the commune, talking about random things that came up on the spot. There was a sense of Eris avoiding more personal topics eating away at Techno. Did she not trust him? Every time he would ask about her childhood or things Phil couldn't tell because of her absence, she found some clever means to twist the conversation in her favor, making him share his own experience instead.

Getting so lost, he finally turned to Phil for advice, and the old man advised him to train her, or to take her out hunting.Two things he wouldn't know if she would enjoy, but here they were, deep in the forest, far away from the commune after a sparring match, laying under a tree - her head on his legs as he pressed his back against the birch tree behind him.

The bird songs carried them off into their thoughts as the sun lingered around with a promise of setting soon and bringing the stars on its way out. It was peaceful. It was nice. Techno finally experienced silence from his voices without need for bloodshed, and they, too, listened to the animal footsteps, to the calm wind passing by and the gentle breathing from Eris as she tried to rest.

Techno noticed her chest rising and falling as she attempted to fall asleep in his lap, not in the erratic way he'd seen her breathe when he saw a glimmer of panic in her eyes. Instead, for once, it was a relaxed rhythm. Soothing.

'This is nice. This is nice. This is good.'

The voices whispered as Techno took in the sight of this girl. This time, he had decided to not be vague and tell her where they were heading. 'Surprised' was an understatement for how he'd felt when Eris came out of Phil's house dressed in a fancy white blouse, with puffy sleeves tucked in a black corset that matched her pants and boots as much as it did her wings. It was like she had prepared to go out to a ball, not for a hunt, but Techno would be the last person to complain. He himself did much of the same, always worried about encountering someone without looking his best.

He was braiding a strand of her long hair as they sat there, enjoying the peace in the glow of the sunset. They had lit up the surrounding area, of course, making sure no one would intrude, but they weren't planning to stay for long in case Phil got worried - and yet they shared an unspoken wish to see the stars.

They sat there for a while, sharing the silence while enjoying each other's company until Techno noticed her slowly opening her eyes and looking up. Seeing her like this, a wave of tranquillity washed over him. This felt different from any other time they'd spent together.

"Kristin is speaking," she almost whispered, and Techno looked up to be met with an aurora, like a spider's web spreading across the sky.

It wasn't as vibrant as usual, but it was still visible, given that they weren't that far from the tundra. This was the moment that all of them were looking forward to. Techno knew that this was everything to Phil. He also knew that this was something much bigger than anything a mortal would offer - it was affection at its finest. This was what love could do, and all he could hope for was to give something that his lover longed for in the future in the same way, whoever and whatever that might be.

All the times Techno had walked outside at night and seen Phil's glowing face as he stood between the two cottages on the bridge and looked at the aurora with a smile, all the times he had whispered 'I love you too' up at the sky, knowing she would hear, or at the very least, hoped she would. He could imagine Phil standing there right now, just like always, having an almost one sided conversation.

"When Phil found me in the forest as a kid, when I was scared out of my mind… that story about a God loving a human was the first thing he told me," Eris admitted.

Techno not-so-subtly studied her as she spoke. It seemed like nothing had changed except for the lights flickering in her eyes. It could have been the aurora lighting up her face, but Techno could have sworn that in that numb expression of hers, he saw hope, or perhaps gratitude, or maybe something he didn't recognize at all.

Eris sighed and let out a slight giggle that seemed to drown in sorrow. "She could have torn the world apart, she could have punished the people who caused him to lose his wings, but she gave him this - a thing to look forward to every day, a thing that reminded him that the strongest things in the world aren't actions, but what you mean by them," she said. Lifting her arm, she reached out to the sky like she could touch the aurora and feel it between the tips of her fingers like the soft web it appeared to be in the night sky.

Techno was about to express his own thoughts, but as soon as a breath left his lips, he heard a loud crack nearby, as if someone had stepped on a branch. They both hopped to their feet and took down the surrounding lights, scurrying to hide in the nearest bushes. Eris attempted to cover them with her dark wings, and as soon as they had made sure both of them wouldn't be spotted, they sat there waiting.

"I swear I saw lights here," a voice called in the distance - but it was getting closer.

"We have no guarantee it was Eris though. You are going too far man, we have been looking literally everywhere. She can fly. For all we know, she could be miles or half the world away," said the second voice, and Techno couldn't help but look over at her in confusion. But she refused to return the gaze, wholly fixated on the distant dark in front of them.

"Alright, if you're gonna be like this, then I guess we can head back," responded the first voice.

They sat in the bush for a minute longer until they were sure the strangers had left and then mustered the courage to step out of their hiding spot. Techno didn't know what to feel - it was like a mix of everything all at once, but he was sure that confusion was the strongest emotion of it all. He looked over once more at Eris, who was brushing off her clothes in an attempt to tidy herself up, not really caring about what they had just heard.

"What was that all about?" Techno questioned, and when she glanced up, it seemed like the realization of her not being alone hit her like a bale of hay. She peered all around, almost like making sure that he was talking to her - or maybe it was her looking for a way to escape. Either way, she would find nobody and nowhere to go, and all that came out was a deep and long sigh, followed by her rubbing her eyes in disappointment.

"Look, there are things I did that I'm not so proud of."

"Such as?"

Techno needed answers more than ever, and this time he was dead set on not letting her avoid the topic. As soon as she turned around, ready to leave, he grabbed her by the hand, pulling her back and giving her a stare that made sure she knew there was no avoiding this conversation.

"A good fighter with the power of flight - most people in high places could use someone like that. It's a good way to earn money and favors, so I took the jobs without even thinking. No matter if I disagreed with their views, no matter if they were evil or good, I did what I was asked to do," she stated, not even daring to look Techno in the eye. "I guess it was expected I would run into trouble at some point like this. That's all I'm gonna say."

That's when Techno heard the first click. It all made sense - the scars, the confidence, the fact that she had almost taken him down in training just hours ago. They shared the same experiences, just under different circumstances. The hilt of a blade and the blood of enemies were as familiar to him as the air in his lungs, and so it seemed that she thought the same way, but he sure as hell hadn't expected it.

Back when Phil mentioned Eris for the first time, they both stood over a battlefield - the Angel of Death and the Blood God, admiring their handiwork. It was just another battle that Techno vaguely remembered, all of them mixing together in his muddled mind. Bodies littered the field, and only Phil and Techno were left standing on top of it all, looking over the destruction.

"You think we're immortal?" Asked Techno in a joking tone as he made quick work of cleaning his trident with the snow clenched between his fingers.

"No, I don't think so. More like extremely talented."

"I don't think anyone could come close to the power you and I hold, Phil."

Phil laughed as he jumped down from the mountain of snow and bodies they had been standing atop of, closely following Techno, who was already thinking about heading home. This was so familiar to both of them, too familiar. This had become such a mundane thing that it didn't affect them at all, the bloodshed not raising a second thought in their minds, and the next morning they would wake up and add the memory of this to the blurry collection of wars they had won.

"I could disagree with that too," Phil said, and Techno gave him a curious look as the older warrior rushed to walk by his side. "I raised this one girl a while ago, and I swear to you, the potential was radiating off of her."

"Oh, yeah?" Techno snickered as he shook his head, almost in disappointment, but the smile on his face showed how lighthearted it really was. "Well, if she's as ambitious as you're saying, you better hope she doesn't make a government because then all of those hopes of yours will be gone in just a swift move of my sword."

What was a joke back then seemed like a faint outline of reality, as she was now standing right in front of him, her eyes still glowing with that piercing shade of blue despite the darkness surrounding them. She seemed concerned, no, terrified of what he was thinking, but all he could hear were the voices in his head.

'One of us! One of us. One of us…'

He opened his mouth to say something, but she had already yanked her arm from his grip and started walking back home, hoping he would do the same and simply follow her. And he did. He followed quietly, looking at her small frame compared to his, her wings tucked behind her but taught like a bowstring, tense and ready to launch. She seemed so close but far away, a feeling he had felt before with a different person, in a different place, at a different time.

"Tech, you're being an idiot," a high pitched voice had harshly and proudly stated once as the owner of said voice stood over his kneeling body with her hands tightly tucked at her sides.

Techno looked down at his hands. He felt the smell of dying flowers, and as he looked down, he was met with two yellow roses in his hands, already withering away. He turned his head to the side just a little to take in the sight, as the girl impatiently sat down next to him and pulled the flowers out of his hands.

Soon after, she gently placed them in a hole filled with water that had been dug just moments ago and buried the roots deep inside the soil. She seemed so gentle, a feeling Techno knew all too well from her as he recalled braiding these same flowers in his shoulder-length hair that she oh so loved. She claimed it reminded her of the sunset, when the sky was coloured in that warm shade of purple and pink before hiding away from the moon.

Techno looked back at her, hoping to see her expression or meet her eyes, anything, but all he was met with was this blurry frame of a person. It was just one of the many things he had forgotten over time, and maybe it wasn't that important. If it was, wouldn't he remember?

"There, all done!" She proclaimed as she stood back up.

The forest near the cabin was filled with different flowers they had decided to move, but why? Was she a bee hybrid? It was another thing Techno had forgotten and probably would never remember, and as he looked around, trying to figure out why the flowers were planted so close to the foundation or why there was no one but them in the middle of nowhere, he could feel her eyes on him.

She reached down and rubbed her small, pale hand on his head, as if assuring him, and when he looked up, he was sure she was doing just that, given her smile that stretched out so wide, showing off her dimples. Techno felt so much confusion that he felt like at any given moment it would explode out of him.

"Come on, get up! We should think about dinner!" She said as her hand reached out to help him up, and to his surprise - he didn't hesitate at all.

In one moment, there were two. In the next, there was just one.