A/N:

The next two chapters are both gonna be flashback chapters. The memories Phillip's are unlocking are getting further and further apart, and if I skipped all the connective tissue and went right to you know exactly what it'd be a bit of a disservice to my boy :P my poor sopping wet meow meow.

Every morning and evening after Caleb's disappearance, Phillip would check the site of the portal in the vain hope that it would open for him. That he would have an easy entrance to the Witch's realm. It became a habit, integrated into his daily routine.

Unfortunately, it was futile, and his fellow villagers told him as such. They insisted Caleb was dead - Killed by the very beast he hunted. Such was the fate of the Witch Hunter General. But Phillip refused to give up hope, though it diminished from a roaring flame to a couple of tiny embers the more time passed.

Denial only caused him to never process the grief. He'd sunk into a deep depression. The sort where he frequently didn't have the energy to leave bed in the morning - but at the same time refusing the aid of his fellow man, he felt unworthy.

This was the situation he found himself in on the eve of his 19th Birthday. He laid in bed, trying to sleep his life away. But his stomach demanded some sort of sustenance. So, he levered himself out of bed and slipped on Caleb's jacket. He found it gave him strength in times like this. As well, he strapped a satchel to his waist containing his journal and ink quill. Fishing, to him, was extremely boring and a little bit of doodling would help pass time.

But because the universe was seemingly against him, just as he began to row out on a nearby lake - a storm began to brew. Claps of thunder filled his ears as the waters began to rage.

A bolt of lightning hit the waters next to him, and the boat was completely unable to stand the strain. It capsized. It was all so sudden, he barely registered what was happening as he sunk like an anchor to the lake's floor.

Adrenaline filled his veins as he fought to resurface. The water was only about neck height, he wasn't very far out after all. But when he did? He was mystified. He didn't see the dark blue skies or the silhouette of the nearby town, but he appeared to have been transported into some sort of cave system?

He levered himself up onto the lake's edge, taking a moment to gather his thoughts…and air out his freshly ruined journal! Having little better choice, he used small rocks to separate the pages so they wouldn't stick together when they dried.

As he sat and waited for his items to dry, he became more and more perplexed by what possibly could've happened. Was this…The…Afterlife- No, he perished the thought.

Perhaps it was some sort of underwater cavern? Or…Had he been teleported somehow? No, no, that latter option only existed in the fantasy novels the nuns scolded him for wanting to read. In an attempt to pass the time, he placed his head on his satchel and tried to sleep the rest of the evening away.

–

Phillip had hoped it was just a bad dream, and that he would awaken back at home in bed. He'd been having similar such nightmares for years - the church deemed them signs of demonic possession. Nothing but twats, the lot of them.

But, it wasn't a dream. He awoke still in the strange cave, a horrid crick in his neck and back. Standing up, stretching, and dusting himself off - before shoving his diary back in his bag. While everything was still a bit damp, he wanted to get a move on.

The cave system was downright laberinthyne! It took him what felt like hours to find an exit. But he was thankful when he did. It looked like the sun was just beginning to rise…over some sort of giant skull?!

What…What was this place? It looked- Horrid! The smell, too - he actively felt himself gag as the air was scented of rot. He could only imagine the horrible creatures that lived here.

Wait a moment…Was this…Had he found the land of the witches?! Maybe this WAS his lucky day! With a renewed sense of hope, he barrelled forward in search of Caleb. And he vowed to make the witch responsible for taking him away pay dearly.

–

Phillip slowly made his way to a nearby town, at the tip of the Knee. Known as 'Femare.' When he did, he was met with downright mockery. At best, like some sort of cryptid - and at worst, a weakling unable to perform magic.

But he knew he had to bite his lip and just take it. Put on a friendly smile and gather any sort of information he could. He was in a land titled 'The Boiling Isles', built upon the decaying corpse of a creature known as 'The Titan'. He was able to confirm that it was, indeed, the land of witches! He knew he was on the right track, if it took scouring every god-damned inch of this land he would find Caleb.

During his travels, despite everyone's nay-saying - he found a way to do magic. Just like a witch. He'd discovered the first Glyph, the Light Glyph, during a solar eclipse he was unable to find eye-protection for. Don't ask how he found the others… He did not want to talk about it! ESPECIALLY not the fire glyph! The scars from that swarm of firebees would never heal…

He'd hoped he would somehow be able to win over the townsfolk. But he had very little luck. It caused his hatred to extend beyond not just the witch that had been terrorizing the village, but all of witch kind. To everyone who pointed and laughed at him, and everyone who sat by and did nothing.

In actuality - most Townsfolk were actually relatively polite. But there were a few that weren't - which caused Phillip to fall into a horrid circle of anger. He hated everyone around him, and in turn it made everyone hate him.

But he had to put his feelings on the backburner, for now. He had a mission to complete.

–

Five. Years. That's how long it took for him to even find the tiniest hint of Caleb as he scoured the Titan - Toe to Skull. Every villiage, town, or settlement he asked if they'd seen or even heard of a human named Caleb. None did.

As a secondary goal, he tried to find a way to create a portal home. He'd grabbed samples of the water from Eclipse Lake - the portal he'd used to arrive. But the samples proved unstable, they… literally backfired. When heated over a flame, the beaker blew up - causing searing hot water to slashed across his face in a horizontal line.

The pain was so bad, he passed out - and he dreamt of a celestial being. One covered head to toe in Glyphs - seemingly the Titan himself. Despite obvious appearances, the Titan was not dead. Even though he was dormant, his magic was what powered the land.

But eventually, the day he waited for arrived. He got lucky - he'd arrived in a bustling town named Bonesborough. People pointed towards a witch named Evelyn, who ran a market stall of Human Knickknacks. If anyone, ANYONE in this whole isle had heard of Caleb, it was her.

Unbeknownst to Phillip, this was Caleb's bride.

Walking up to the stand, Phillip covered his head with a cloak. Making sure his ears were covered.

"Whatcha buyin?" Evelyn leaned over the table and gave him a sly smile. "I can tell you are a man of fine taste. Can I offer you this genuine human teapot? Only a little cracked."

"No, no, I'm not looking for a souvenir. I'm looking for information." Phillip said, looking her in the eyes.

Evelyn laughed. "Now, I don't know what kinda gal you take me for - but I don't offer those kinds of services." Before her eyes darted, and she leaned in and whispered "But I know a guy, around midnight there's a night-market…"

"I'm looking for a human. Named Caleb. Caleb Wittebane. Have you seen him?"

This took her aback. The man in front of her looked shady as hell. So, she lied. "Nope, never heard of anyone like that. Now, are you gonna buy somethin or what?"

Wind taken from his sails, with tears choking his throat - Phillip simply turned back around and walked off. Perhaps it was his fault for getting his hopes up - but, he thought this was finally going to be it! Augh!

Whatever, he shook his head and took a deep breath. He still had one more place to look - Carpel City.

"Well, that was weird…" Evelyn muttered, under her breath. As soon as he was out of sight, she took off from her stand and ran back to her home. She found Caleb in one of the upstairs rooms - building a cradle. For they'd just found out she was expecting.

"Eve!" Caleb squeaked, pulling his wife into a hug. "You're home early, was business that dead?"

"No, no." Evelyn shook her head. "I'm only taking a break. A strange man came asking for you, by name…He was wearing a strange cloak, and he had a voice oddly similar to yours."

"A voice similar to mine?" Caleb repeated, raising an eyebrow. No, surely- surely it couldn't be…his little brother, Pip? He just had to go and see for himself. IWorst case scenario, well - a good fight was just what he needed to get the blood pumping!

He grabbed his bride's hand, and together they walked back Bonesborough.