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Chapter Text

Endercon. You can feel it in your bones. Something is going to happen and everything will change.

For the better! Of course. You're going to win. You have to!

But, it's easy to forget Endercon is today for a few moments as your wooden sword locks against the armor stand. It never hurts to have some practice, especially with Endercon lasting long into the night.

Not that you've ever had a terrible run in at Endercon, but the thought has your stomach twist for a moment. It's enough to get you to slash one of the arms off the stand. Your pig, Reuben, manages to shove his head under it before it clatters to the ground with an obnoxious sound. While you focus on the armor stand, Olivia seems to stop fidgeting with the buttons on her red tunic long enough to examine something around the chairs of your treehouse. She takes a moment to look through the bookshelf and you expect her to enter one of those silent focuses she's known for.

"Which would you rather fight," Olivia's voice suddenly draws you from your focus, making you swing sloppily and nearly knock the armor stand over. Your eyes trail over to her for a moment before returning to the armor stand as she continues. "a hundred chicken size zombies or ten zombie sized chickens?"

"Duh, ten zombie sized chickens! Who wants to fight a horde of tiny, fast moving zombies? That just sounds like suicide." Your words are a half scoff. Sure, you're not the worst fighter to ever live, but even Gabriel the Warrior would run at the sight of all those zombies!

"Ugh," Olivia shudders, coily black pigtails almost drooping as she does, "but imagine their feet."

"Imagine being the guy who got devoured by a horde of chicken sized zombies." There's a strange, almost startled half-laugh from you. "Well, that's assuming the chickens' abominable nature doesn't win out. Then they'd be terrifying."

"That's what their giant feet are for, obviously. Have you seen chicken talons?" She curls the fingers of her left hand like talons, nearly causing her brown bracelet to fall off her arm. You catch her in your periphery pushing it back into place on her russet brown wrist.

If you were to peel your eyes away from the armor stand now, you could catch a glimpse of Reuben rolling his eyes. He snorts, almost like a human would at such a thought.

"Seems Reuben thinks he can square up with them." You take another swipe, this one sloppy, and he squeals in agreement.

Olivia trails the beginning of her sentence in a way that makes you realize you're getting a redstone lecture. The armor stand might as well have been hit with a spectral arrow at this point. If anything could get you laser focused, it would be squirming out of feeling like an idiot while she goes on about redstone like it's as easy as crafting a stack of sticks.

"It took me some time to get the materials but the daylight sensor's finally on the roof," You can hear the redstone click from her hotbar into her hands. It's almost like she's speaking another language entirely. As she paces, you catch the occasional scrape of her shiny gray boots on the floor.

"Uh huh."

"and if I did this right," There's the shuffling noise of redstone being placed down, "these lamps should turn on once it gets dark."

Okay, that's something you can half understand. Technically, everything needs at least some illumination, and your eyes take in some of the torches lining the walls. Just enough to drive the mobs away, tell them that this is not their turf.

Nobody likes talking about the spider incident. Nuh uh.

Anyway, why do you need more light? There's plenty—

"I just didn't want to leave Reuben here with nothing while we're at the building competition." Olivia dusts some redstone off her gray undershirt.

"He's coming with us." Your sword nearly clatters out of your hand as you turn to her. The armor stand would probably be breathing a sigh of relief if it had lungs.

"Really?" Olivia asks as Reuben makes the armor stand's relief end with a headbutt. He honestly hit it so hard you expected him to leave a pink stain on it.

"What kind of question is that? Of course he's coming along!" You avert your gaze for a moment as your sword vanishes. Olivia may never think you'd hurt her but it's just bad form to stare someone down with a sword. You watch the thoughts turn through her black eyes.

"Okay, I'm not saying he shouldn't come, I'm not... But don't you think it's a little weird that you take him everywhere you go?" Olivia gently grabs one of your light brown hands. It reminds you of how you'd joked about how even she was taller than you. Not by much, of course, but what else did you expect from someone as lanky as her? It's a good thing she can't get any taller.

But still, how could she say that? You'd been friends for years! She was there when you first found him! Reuben sits at the windowsill now. When the heck did he get that fast? It felt like just yesterday he was tripping over his legs. He's just barely under the height of a full grown pig now.

"He's my best friend, you know that." Okay, maybe that's a poor choice of words. Not for Reuben, it seems, who beams at your side. Again, who let him get this fast? It's not fair.

"I didn't mean... I didn't mean anything by it." Olivia's words are a sort of defeated sigh. "I'm glad he's coming, it's just... I don't want people to have one more reason to call us losers. I'm tired of it."

For a moment, you wonder how you ended up here. Today was supposed to be different. A day of not thinking about life's challenges or the horrors of the night. Just you and your friends going to have fun.

"I'm tired of being a laughingstock." She says, and for a moment, you can feel that in your bones. Year after year you've lost and lost miserably. You can see the Ocelots grinning, high fiving and rubbing it in like a harming potion straight into a wound.

Well, they're jerks. A thought bubbles in your mind, Who cares what they think? But that's shut up by the thought of being laughed at again. It makes you want to crawl into a hole and die.

"Yeah." The word crawls out of your throat like a wounded spider. But we can do it this time, say the words caught in your throat.

Reuben steps between the two of you, passing glancing between the both of you, as if he's not sure where to go first. Somehow, this is enough to get Olivia to snicker.

"Alright, he's worth it." With her words, he brushes his head against her leg. You ignore the momentary betrayal.

Before he can leap over to your side, a hiss echoes from below the treehouse. Visions of climbing creepers enter your mind. A spider, crawling the outer edges of your treehouse, climbing through leaves like they're not even there.

Your hands hover over your hotbar's sword slot and Reuben immediately charges behind you. Here's hoping your armor stand skills translate to fighting a creeper. You wave Olivia back. If you're about to do something stupid, she shouldn't be caught in the inevitable blast radius. She hesitates, but steps back regardless.

Reuben, however, does not.

"Reuben, don't—" You nearly kick him back with your foot from impulse. Right. That would hurt like something awful to him.

The trapdoors roar open, nearly knocking you back. All you catch is the familiar sight of a creeper, but something's not right, it seems too fluffy, too tall. Your sword flies out of your hand and you wail like a terrified ghast. Reuben shrieks and nearly rams you to the ground in panic. Olivia seems to be scrambling for purchase, at least until she stops and her brows furrow.

"Axel!" She shouts and you realize your vision has become a haze. It takes a moment to catch your breath, realizing it's coming out in a thousand sputtering gasps. Axel wavers as he lets out a laugh. You catch him debating if he should brush back his short, spiky dark brown hair or the tears threatening the corners of his black eyes.

"Oh man! You guys totally freaked out! That was—!"

His beaming is cut off by Reuben hitting him full force to the stomach. If he wasn't built as wide as an iron golem he'd be on the floor writhing in pain. Instead he just grimaces, brow furrowing as he tries to impart that pain onto Reuben with his eyes.

"What is wrong with you?!" Olivia charges to his side. You manage to stand up straight, your breaths finally feeling like something other than lava to the throat. You realize then how a blast like that would have taken the entire treehouse apart. It's not that big!

"Great, now I'm going to smell like a pig at Endercon!"

"Is that really your priority right now?" Olivia grabs him by one of the sleeves of his green jacket.

You inhale sharply, like it's foreign to you. It takes a moment to shove back the fear of being fresh spawned and in front of a creeper for the first time. To think of death by explosion or your home being torn apart. All of your posters of the Order, all of your cool stuff and all of the memories… Just gone.

It takes you a moment to think of what you'll say next. "I nearly... I could have..." You wheeze. Axel seems to soften a little.

"Was it really that convincing...?"

"I NEARLY HIT YOU WITH A SWORD!" Your words are almost akin to a roar. It makes you want to recoil from the force alone. For a moment, Axel seems tiny. You're surprised the words didn't take every spare bit of oxygen from your lungs.

"I didn't think it'd be that bad..." He admits, finally peeling off the creeper mask and running his hands along it.

"Well, if Endercon ever has a mob costume competition, at least we won't be losers there." Olivia sounds like she hates that she's admitting that. "But next time, pretend to be an ocelot or something!" She slugs him gently and Reuben nods.

You manage to finally stand up straight, unaware your shoulders and neck are clenched harder than a piston ready to spring. You nearly jolt when Reuben nibbles on Axel's foot.

"Alright, alright, creepers are off limits! I get it!" Axel can barely get the words out between tickled laughs.

"Please tell me you didn't just bring the mask..." Olivia groans.

"Reubennnn, come on!" Axel begs and Olivia rolls her eyes. "Jesse! Call him off!"

"I don't think I can do that." You can't help but snicker as well. Olivia looks like she's about to develop a migraine. Reuben looks like he's about to start attacking Axel's black sandals next. Or maybe his orangy brown pants. You catch Axel trying to push him back with one hand. Reuben nearly nibbles on the black fingerless glove covering it.

Reuben nearly jolts in surprise when Axel deploys his secret attack, wrapping him in an Enderdragon costume. That seems to be enough to get him to stop attacking Axel's digits and he breaks into a trot and squeals mightily. Axel beams like it's his calling. You note how it makes Reuben look like a baby of the species, barring where it stops at his neck and torso. Eh, you could pretend he's a pink bellied dragon.

"The fireworks?" Olivia's voice ups a small notch and Axel deflates.

"Right here." He juggles one as proof. Olivia looks like she's about to burst a blood vessel and she lunges for his arm. "What? It's not fully out and about, look." He holds out his hand in front of her and she pulls back.

You pay it a glance. The firework sits in its small, inactive form. Harmless and easy to juggle with. You wonder how many fireworks jugglers use that trick.

"I'm not stupid." Axel scoffs. "I like a good explosion as much as anyone but all our stuff is here. That's stupid."

"And it's for our build today." You step forward, narrowly avoiding Reuben as he charges between your legs.

"Look what you've done!" Olivia mocks betrayal as she clings onto Axel. Reuben nearly snags the black goggles off her lime green beanie. She barely stops him. "Now Reuben is going to destroy the Overworld!" She manages to shake Axel, despite his weight, side to side and he can't help but snort.

"Oh no! Who's going to tell the Order?!" Axel pretends to be terrified.

"You're the one who gave him the idea!" You say as Reuben jumps onto your back. You mock a defeated fall and he squeals triumphantly. "AHHH!! Gabriel help me!"

There's a chorus of laughs between you, at least until Olivia's eyes go wide. "Right... We're going to be late at this rate." She takes a glance to the open trapdoor, as if she's secretly thanking Axel's prank for that. You know she'd never admit that. Instead, she snakes down the ladder. "Don't forget to check your inventory!" Those words she shouts at you sound like they just occurred to her. Axel follows shortly after.

You take one last glance at the posters dotting the treehouse, for a moment almost living vicariously through them. A sigh escapes you, if you keep your head in the clouds you'll never get there!

"Olivia's got the redstone and cobble, Axel's got the fireworks..." You mutter as Reuben snaps out of his draconic persona and paws at the open trapdoor.

"In a minute, I'm thinking..." A fireworks machine... Would that be enough? Your hands absentmindedly peel open a chest and your eyes land on enough wool to last a while. Right. Axel had a 'Nether beds' phase. You do not want to think about the time you begged Petra to come along, just in case you found ancient debris. She was 'busy.' Yeah right.

"What if we made something scary?" You ask as Reuben hops to your side. He tries to flare his wings, somehow. "...Hm. I dunno if we have enough for a dragon."

But maybe...

You slide down the ladder one handed, Reuben tucked close to your chest. It makes you wonder if the dragon egg could hatch for a moment. Come to think of it, has anyone besides the Order seen it? Nobody had really mentioned a location of it, either. Who knows if there's another Enderdragon out there. Unfortunately, your treehouse is stationed on a medium sized tree, so you don't have more time to think.

"I'm telling you, if people could make a portal to the Nether, who's to say they can't make a portal to another world?" You catch Axel in one of his little rambles.

"Please don't start with this again! If the Old Builders were real then someone would have seen one of those portals already!"

"What if they're hidden somewhere really secret?"

"...Whyyy?" Olivia whines, clearly too tired to even try to logic this out.

"How about we focus on Endercon, first?" You interject as Reuben starts to squirm out of your arm. It's not like you're against the whole discussion, but you have better things to talk about! Besides, you're still surrounded by a bit of woods. It'll take you some time to get to the building competition.

"Speaking of Endercon..." Axel beams, "I heard a rumor. But you need to promise not to tell anyone."

"Okay." Olivia says, hoping and praying it does not involve the word 'portal.'

"It's in two parts! One more awesome than the last!" Axel beams as you all break into a slow pace. The overwhelming urge to spill your idea is pushed down for a brief moment. "Part one, the special guest at this year's Endercon is none other than Gabriel the Warrior him-freaking-self!"

If that's part one, then what the hell is part two!? "Whoa! Okay, that's hard to top." You hold back a gasp. To think you could meet Gabriel, the one who's sword before all mobs tremble!

"Indeed." Olivia concurs with a nod.

"Part two: according to my sources, the winner of the building competition's gonna get to meet him!" You can hear Olivia gasp behind you before her eyes peer around.

"That'd be the highest honor, can you imagine?" You beam and Olivia nods. You impulsively dust your dark gray sleeves and gray shirt, as if he's somehow here to judge your appearance.

"Really? I can barely think of it. He's awesome. It'd be amazing to meet him!" Olivia gestures her hands to the sky for a moment before withdrawing her wrists under her head. You honestly didn't expect her to be just as excited as you. Wasn't she more of a redstone person…? Well... Everyone liked the Order, you suppose.

"You know, Reuben should be reallll careful around Gabriel." Axel leans in close to Reuben, nearly tripping over himself as he walks. "Last time he saw a dragon, it didn't... End well."

Reuben glares a hole into him. Axel tugs at the gray lapel of his jacket, eyes darting from side to side.

"What? End well. It writes itself." Axel forces his gaze to the patches on his jacket, anything to not have to look at Reuben.

Olivia interjects, eyes crawling back to the both of you. "So... Your source makes posters for a living?"

Axel looks like he just swallowed a live fish as a horde of posters come across your vision. They're pasted haphazardly on the thick trees of the forest. You must be getting close. Some depict the Enderdragon, claws curled towards its chest, while others depict Gabriel's face, dark brown skin barely hidden under a navy blue helmet heralded by a diamond blue gem in its center. He smiles so wide it pushes back his dark brown horseshoe mustache.

"My source is a—ugh. You should know by now you're my only friends." Axel shoves one beige palm to his face.

"I honestly thought Petra told you." You admit.

"Oh come on, she's too busy to even think of spreading a rumor like that!" Axel seems even more cowed than before. "I wish I could get a rumor from her. That'd be awesome."

"Hm..." You think for a moment. "You know what else would be awesome? Building some kind of scary mob on top of our fireworks machine!" You gesture some inactive wool in front of them, doing a sort of awkward dance.

"Wouldn't it catch on fire?" Olivia raises an eyebrow.

"Not if we're really careful!" You strike a pose like you're holding up a sword and are about to tear into a horde of mobs. "But think about it! A big, scary mob!"

"Like a creeper!" Axel interjects. Olivia rolls her eyes.

"Endermen give me the creeps more than creepers do. Ironic, honestly."

"Really? You're going to say that after today?" Axel snickers and slugs Olivia gently. She rolls her eyes.

"How about an Enderdragon?!" You beam. Axel and Olivia exchange glances for a moment. You can feel the anxiety about to swallow you whole.

"Do we even have enough materials for that?" Olivia seems unsure as she turns to Axel for a moment. He looks a little like he has something to hide.

"Well, I have enough purple wool for the eyes, and... Hey." Your brown eyes narrow as they fall on Axel. He seems to be sweating bullets.

"Alright, alright! I have some wool." He holds out a few swatches of black and gray wool, averting his eyes. It takes you a moment to take the hint and scoop them up.

"Nether beds, again? Really?" Olivia asks with a sort of disappointed snicker. Reuben's wing brushes against your leg and you recognize the fluffy texture. You can't help but let out a startled laugh. To be fair, what did you expect of a guy who loved to put patches on his jacket?

"I didn't know you could shape wool like that!" Your words are almost a bark. Axel looks like he could give redstone a run for its iron with how crimson his face is. "That's very impressive." And now his embarrassment has melted into an utter inability to get a single word out. At least he's more pink than red, now.

"We better win, now." Axel slugs you as you look over the wool in your hands.

"If we don't I'll shear all the sheeps for you." You inventory the wool after your sacred vow.

"You'd better." Axel gently grabs you by one of your green suspenders, nearly carrying you around like a bag out of impulse.

"Crafter's honor." You hold your hand to your chest as if your heart will leap out if you don't.

"You brought the wood too, right?" Olivia approaches, eying you up for a few moments. You nod solemnly, showing enough wood, planks, and fences to make Olivia's wrist ache on your behalf.

"You have the dispensers, right?" You ask her in return.

"Right." Olivia nods back.

"We cannot lose," You beam, forgetting the temporary anxiety and every terrible loss ever, "bring it in!" You hold out your hand. Axel and Olivia's hands meet yours. Reuben taps one hoof on top. You stammer, suddenly, unable to think of something witty to say.

"Prepare to dare!?" Your words jumble out of you and Olivia fights back a snort.

"Dare to prepare!" She inverts your saying eagerly.

"Predare!" Axel doesn't notice his screw up. Olivia looks like she has a frog hopping in her mouth. Reuben seems to be embarrassed by everyone's existence.

After that awkward ordeal, you head to Endercon, occasionally running your hands through your inventory as if it'll walk away. Your mind swims with imagery, of talking to Gabriel, to standing under your grand dragon and finally to the Ocelots glowering under its wings, unable to compete or compare.

"We are so ready!" Axel beams, dragging you out of the visions of grandeur. You nearly choke on your own throat, wheezing for a few moments. The forest begins to thin.

"This is going to be different, we're going to win." Olivia sounds like she's trying to will it into existence. If you could get some air in you'd concur as well.

"Nice pig, losers." You can barely see the offending person as they walk past. Seems the threshold for Endercon's beginning is you being unable to even muster a swear. It seems you'll be raving a thousand better insults in the treehouse later. Reuben whines and Axel and Olivia seem to be trying to kill the offender with their glares.

The building competition is a small walk away from the main con, consisting of a few fenced in plots and a reception desk at the front. Some of the people have already started to build. You catch someone trying to scrape details onto a stone statue while another person fluffs up a large, wooly cat.

It's almost enough to distract you from—

"Great. There's Lukas and the Ocelots." Axel's words are almost a hiss.

"Man. They've got matching leather jackets and everything." Olivia flanks you and the sight is almost enough to make you choke on air again. What do they need leather jackets for? Especially dyed as black and shiny as they are. It makes you feel like every social interaction you've ever had is a failure. Each jacket has an ocelot patch on the back. Something like that must unite people forever.

"So cool..." Axel seems like he's caught in haze. It's like your battered ego has been set on fire.

Don't spiral about it, don't-

"Well, well, well," Aiden's eyes are on you now, piercing and lime green. You can feel fire at the back of your throat, burning any attempt at a dignified word. "if it isn't the Order of the Losers." A laugh explodes out of his throat so fast you expect it to turn his pale taupe skin dusty with gunpowder from it. You expect someone among them to mutter not to even try and compare you to the Order.

"Look, the fail squad's here." Maya's voice is a sneer, almost fading into a chorus of undignified snickering. All their eyes are on you, as if the very sight of you is enough to humor all of them. Maya's pale blue eyes flicker to Aiden and he follows her with a snort.

"Lukas, get a load of these losers!" Gill beams, paying a glance to Lukas, who seems to be the only one of them not looking your way.

"Let's go, guys." Lukas turns, suddenly, blonde curls almost defying their pompadour, pale fingers wrapping around Gill's arm like the leather will slip from them like water.

"Can't stand to look at us?" Your voice finally works at the last moment. Lukas' eyebrows nearly suffocate his eyes and he sighs, pulling Gill away. You watch Gill's peach skin turn pink in a sort of flush embarrassment.

"I said, let's go." Lukas glares at Aiden as Maya slinks to Lukas' side, almost catlike. Lukas seems to mutter something into Gill's ear and Gill looks back at you, black eyes softer than a few moments ago. Aiden stays still for a moment too long before slinking away as well.

What was that about? You wonder for a moment. For a moment, in your periphery, you catch Lukas gesturing at the chests and the Ocelots bickering back at him, something about 'all in good fun.'

"Your name?" The green eyed woman at the booth suddenly interrupts and your eyes lock onto her. You can barely catch what the Ocelots are yammering about now, all you know is it sounds like a quiet argument. The light brown woman ahead is dressed in a formal black suit and her hair is combed just as professionally.

"Axel, and how do you do?" Axel smiles. The woman's eyes narrow.

"Team name, please." It seems she's been getting a barrage of jokes. You catch her pushing her black glasses back up as if she's trying to force her eyes to focus. Axel looks like he was just hit in the face.

"Team name?" He echoes and you all pay glances between each other. They hadn't asked for that before. Maybe it was to do with the Gabriel stuff? "We are not ready for this."

"Our anonymity..." Olivia wails quietly.

The Ocelots eyes lock back onto you, a snickering wave between them. Lukas stands there, almost unreadable. What is his deal?

"We're the Dead Enders." You flare your arms akin to a dragon's wings. Reuben follows your initiative and it takes so much effort to keep him from charging up onto the booth and flaring his wings as well.

"Sounds like a name for pirates." Axel comments.

"No, like endermen, Enderdragons." You hiss at Axel under your breath.

"It's cool." Olivia beams at your side.

"Okay, Dead Enders, you guys are in Booth 5." The attendant says with a gesture that points in the vague direction of the booth. Or well, it's more of a pen. Eh well.

Axel heads through the gate and almost trips on his own feet in an excited haze. Reuben rushes over the gate right as Axel stands up straight, but not before the Ocelots laugh again. That's enough to turn your excited march to Booth 5 into a strange sort of combined agonizing shuffle. You step to the wooden fence posts.

As you mull over each and every detail in your head, each stack of wool—

"Is that—a freakin' beacon? They have a freakin' beacon!?" Axel is adjusting himself like he's seen a whole new star in the sky. You take in the machine the Ocelots are building, noting the stained glass and pistons they're putting next to them.

"That's stained glass. They're not just building a beacon." Olivia inches closer, gesturing for you to follow her lead. "They're building a rainbow beacon!"

How in the hell are you supposed to compete with a beacon of all things? On sheer impressive scale alone you're not winning that fight. A beacon needs a Nether Star for crying out loud! And it's not like you're going to be ending up with anything of that caliber anytime soon.

"We're gonna lose." Olivia whines softly and you agree with her for a moment.

"No, we have... A theme." You desperately scrounge up any excuse to not wallow in a miserable future. Olivia just looks at you like you've grown another head.

"We should probably stop staring at them." Olivia attempts to pull her eyes away right as Gill slugs Aiden with his elbow.

"Look who's back! The Order of the Losers!" Gill smiles so hard it pushes his thick black beard down. You try not to laugh at the idea of him swallowing it.

"Good one, Gill!" Maya is practically high fiving him as she speaks, a giggle trailing at the end of her voice.

"Hey." You hear someone say from behind them but you can't make out who it is.

"There'll be enough time stare at it when it wins at Endercon." Aiden steps toward you, soaking in the gloat like it's sunlight.

"You're more obnoxious than usual." Axel comments from behind you.

"Hmmm, well, maybe not all of you." Aiden kneels down to Reuben's level.

"Hey!" The voice echoes again.

"Endercon doesn't allow outside food, you know." Those words are enough to make you want to grab him by his green shirt, tear his jacket off and stuff it down his throat so hard it comes out of his nose.

Reuben squeals as you step forward, face on fire. "Shut up."

"What's that?" He's in your face now, doing his best to tower over you. Every muscle in your body tenses, teeth gritted together like iron bars.

Olivia makes direct eye contact with him, if she were to be holding a weapon he probably would have thought she was going to kill him with it. He pulls back as she speaks. "Jesse said shut up. Do you need to hear it again?"

"Maybe I do."

"Stop wasting your time, Aiden!" Lukas is on him suddenly, grabbing him by the sleeve. His gray blue eyes are borderline piercing, the pale beige of his face seeming to redden for a moment. "We've got work to do."

"You're lucky I'm busy." Aiden says as Lukas looks about ready to drag him away. He squirms out of his grip, nearly swatting at him as he does so.

Someone snakes behind you, pickaxe draped over their shoulder. "Hey Jesse." Petra turns to you and then pays a glance to the Ocelots, who are now too busy looking her way to give Lukas a verbal lashing. "Guys."

"Hey, Petra." You say gently. Seeing her is like catching sight of a wild pink sheep. Or maybe like catching a phantom through the trees for a brief moment as it hunts someone else down. It's a good thing she's recognizable. Sure, short spiky orange hair may be only slightly uncommon, but it's hard to find someone else with a blue vest and one uneven black sleeve. Or a blue striped bandana on the head. Or black boots with spiky soles.

"How's the build going?" Her black eyes are back on your group. You wonder why she wears another gray, jacket-like vest on top of her clothes.

"Only time will tell, but we're optimistic." Axel says and Olivia seems to want to nod along to that.

"Hey, Petra," Lukas diverges from the Ocelots, "I forgot to thank you for that Nether Star."

"Hey Lukas, not a problem." Petra nods gently, her gloved hand still gripping the pickaxe.

"You helped these tools?" Axel takes the words right out of your mouth.

"For the right price, I'll help anyone." She somehow finds a way to shrug with an iron pickaxe over her shoulder. "If you need anything, you know where to find me." She starts to head off.

"None of us know where to find you." Olivia utters, a little bewildered, as Petra slinks through the treeline.

"Exactly." She says before she is gone. Mmm... A phantom would have been much nicer about their exit.

"Hey, if you're cool with Petra, you're cool with us. No hard feelings, guys." Lukas says and he passes a glance behind him. "So how about we forget about all this and y'know... Go back to it being about how cool our builds are?" His eyes are mainly on his group as he speaks.

Weird... You can't make heads or tails of him.

"Sure. May the best team win and all." You hiss at him. He smiles strangely. It doesn't meet his eyes, not even close.

"Alright, alright. Well, we'll see how that goes, then."

"Would it hurt to put your wolves on a leash too?" Your eyes fall onto Aiden and he recoils, his square nose crinkling as you say that. Lukas shoots him a look, teeth threatening to pierce through his lips for a moment.

"Haha, you're... A funny guy, Jesse." His words come out strangely, as if he suddenly wants to be somewhere else. Maybe if Axel is right about those Old Builders...

"People of the Overworld!" Interrupts the announcer before either of you can give the other another verbal blow. "Welcome to the Endercon building competition!" As you turn, you realize it's the woman from the booth, now standing up on stone blocks in the middle of the competition like it's a grand stage.

"Now this is a very special Endercon," She raises her voice above the crowd that has begun to clap and cheer. Seems you weren't the only ones to see the posters, "not only will the winners have their build displayed at Endercon, but they will also have the honor of meeting Gabriel the Warrior!"

The crowd roars and for a moment there's a kinship between you all. The echoing of building plans and the strange thought of 'hey, wait, do I need to tear it down when they move it?'

You realize then that you and your group are cheering as well when the Ocelots' dumb rituals echo across your hearing. Ugh. They even have a handshake and a chant?!

"Handshake? They have a handshake? We don't have a handshake!" Olivia suddenly drags you out of it and you stammer something. You try to think over the chant of the Ocelots going 'Ocelots! Ocelots!'

"Then we'll just... Make... One?" As soon as the words leave you, Axel and Olivia are holding up their hands. Oh dear. You're stuck in this, aren't you? "We'll call it the uh....?" Griefer Grab? No, the announcer lady just told you not to grief, Redstone Rap?? Maybe?? Warrior Whip?? Are you going to fight the build?

"Builder... Bump...?" You press your fist between them and everyone awkwardly stretches out their fists to meet you. If Reuben could, he'd stuff a hoof in his face.

If you could, you'd make yourself forget that instantly.

"Aaaand now I'm nervous again." Olivia looks at the ground.

"We just suck at... Handshakes, alright?" You hold out your hand. "But last time I checked, the Dead Enders were damn good builders." You all put your hands together, grinning, even as Reuben joins in with a hoof.

"Building starts... Now!" The announcer's voice echoes as you all enter position. With one last pat to Reuben's head for good luck before you leave him on the ground, you and your friends build that fireworks machine so fast it feels like a haze.

"Oh noooooo, a fireworks dispenser! I'm so scared!" Aiden mocks as you place the last block as you stand on your handiwork.

"Stay in your lane, Aiden." You jab back, hands pressing against each wool block in your inventory. You swear, if it were possible, his dark brown hair would have stood on end. You hop down, Olivia and Axel following suite. You pass the wool between them, whispering which wing and limb they'll each take.

"Phase two, go!" You say as you build at a speed you never have before. You hope you've calculated this right. As it comes into form, you realize, with the familiar pit of anticipation in your stomach, that this is it. You're not going to be able to top this Enderdragon.

At least you were here, you think as you peer out on the top of its massive snout. Its jaws reach to the sky, open wide like it'll swallow the sun whole. You peer at each build, the dragon's height being the least of your concerns now. Olivia places the lever next to you.

"And now," You press your eyes closed, "the moment of truth." You and Axel turn to Olivia as she reaches her hands towards it.

"Here goes nothing." She pulls the lever.

Fireworks burst into the sky, seeming to fire from its throat. It makes you feel like a genius, thinking of how to position its head so that you would achieve such an effect.

"Aw man, it looks so cool! We're gonna win this for sure!" Axel speaks at your side.

"The dragon was definitely clever." Olivia says and your ego grows to a ridiculous size.

People step from their builds, announcer included. Reuben peers at them, laying down on the ground. Their necks crane to the sky as the glow of the fireworks lick your back.

"Guys, people are looking at us." You say as Axel strikes a pose in a desperate attempt to look cool. Olivia puts her hands behind her back, beaming.

"Good build, man!" Someone yells out in the crowd, pumping their fist into the air.

"What?! No way..." Aiden's looks like he's never seen such an injustice in his life. "It's just a bunch of dyed wool!" He looks like he's about to throw a fit.

His eyes glance to a small pool of lava, a part of someone's 'Nether portal recreation' build. It really looks more like a ruined portal with the crying obsidian and surrounding netherrack. Somehow, he has enough anger in that stupid body of his to smash straight through the netherrack, recoiling for a moment. An evil thought crawls in your head, one hoping the fire devours him.

Reuben shrieks as the lava hits his wing, erupting it into flames. "Oops!" Aiden mocks innocence, eyes locking onto yours like he's savoring it. Reuben runs for the woods, squealing all the way.

A yelp tears from your throat. "Reuben's on fire! No, no, come back boy!" It takes everything to not break your legs jumping down there.

"That punk! I saw him do it!" Axel glares down as Aiden tries to step away from the growing flow of lava.

"The lava's getting closer!" Olivia echoes as Lukas hops down the wooden parts of his build and snags Aiden away. This time, you can see the anxiety on Lukas' face.

"It's gonna ruin the build!" Axel echoes.

"Reuben's going to get lost out there!" Olivia shouts back at him.

Or worse. You think. You look at the woods, then the setting sun. All you can think of are the mobs. You might need backup. But the build! Won't someone come and close down that damn lava flow!?

"Stay here, save the build. I'm going after him!" You take one glance back as you jump off the build. In your periphery you can see them jump down as well, bracing around the lava flow.

"We've got it covered, Jesse! Be careful!" Olivia yells as you charge into the woods like your legs are on fire. "Just follow the lights back, we'll be there!"

As you leave behind the civilized world, you realize then and there that the sun's rays have been dying for longer than you've thought. You strain your ears, not only for Reuben's oinks but for the telltale noises of shuffling feet.

This was a terrible idea. Going out at the beginning of twilight was suicide, especially alone, and even more so with just a wooden sword. Very rarely did monsters go after other animals.

Your mind flicks back to the fire as you shuffle through the woods. Out here, still on fire or not, he's an easy target. And that's assuming he's survived the damage from his burning costume. The moon's out, full and barely paler than the darkening sky. It's not dark enough yet. You can afford to be noisy.

"Reuben?" You call out. "Are you out here, buddy?"

There's oinking in the distance. A small drove is out there, at least. At least Reuben is distinct, a big spot on one side and all. You take one last glance at the sky and press through a small dip in the hills.

Hoofprints. There's hoofprints. But they're too many and too big. You do a double take, running your eyes along them. Still too big. Still too many. Reuben may have gotten too big too fast but he's not an adult quite yet. Regardless, you follow the too big hoofprints, just in case his have been trampled over. In the worst, would you not crawl too for companionship?

But as you step into the drove, a few pigs scurrying together for protection while others eye you up, you don't find him there. You know him. He'd be running between your legs by now.

And then the smell of smoke hits you.

Your legs burn, your throat aches, it's like every part of you is on fire. Please no, please no. Don't do this to me right now. You think. Was this the cost of winning? You'd throw it away for any chance of him—

You see the smoldering costume. It looks limp and empty. Was it long enough for him to crumple into dust?

"Please," you wheeze, your fingers clutching one warm wing, "don't be toasted Reuben."

There's nothing under there. No sign of death or struggle. More like he just shoved it off. Your gaze flicks and you find hoofprints. Big but not... Too big.

"Sorry, Axel." You wheeze as you breathe in the smoke and grab the warmest part, trying to fan it into a renewed flame. Instead, what remains dies soon enough. Just your luck. It clatters out of your hand and you debate scooping it up just as a keepsake. As if somehow, anyone would want to see it again.

You can't think about this right now. You're losing what little light you have.

There's rustling. Every part of you tenses. Has the darkness crept in already? You're still and silent and realize whatever's in the brush is too small to be a threat. Besides, if it was hostile, it'd have gotten to you already.

You should probably pull out your sword soon. You consider this as you approach the tall grass, hearing whatever is inside panic a little and backs against a block making up the small hill behind the grasses.

"Reuben?" You call to him before you even see his head. He stops shuddering and pulls out from the grass. He seems uninjured but you look him over just in case. "You gave me quite the scare, buddy." You kneel down as rub the top of his head and he leans in close.

"Okay, I definitely owe you one for that. Hopefully Endercon is also including pig snacks in the prizes." You look back for the trail of smoke from the dragon costume, hoping it'll work as a beacon of some kind. Nope. Seemed to have stopped smoldering. That's... Good, sure, but not when you're feeling like every direction is alien.

"Follow the lights..." You murmur as footsteps echo around you. Reuben tenses in turn and you catch the faintest movement of green. Your voice rises to a shriek. "Run!"

You're not going to fight them all off with a wooden sword. Anyone knows that. If you keep running, they can't catch you. They won't. You can't stop until you see the lights.

They echo across every corner, every direction. No lights, no lights, just the woods, the trees, the hills, more grass and some grass that moves and red eyes and and—

Keep running.

An arrow whooshes by your head, barely missing it. You charge again, Reuben at your heels. There's another whizz in the air and this one hits you in the shoulder, taking you to the ground out of the shock of sheer pain.

You'll give them one thing, you think as you pull out your sword, they're good at working together. Zombies on the ground, slowly shuffling over, skeletons at the front and back, and who knows how many spiders clutching onto the treetops.

It seems they hesitate, trying to figure out who goes first. You manage to slash one excited zombie's arm, rotten blood pouring out like a flood. You curl your shoulder away, you're not fresh enough to try and pull out that arrow this far away from help. It stumbles back and you rise up and stab it straight through the chest. It crumples into dust around your sword, rotten flesh hitting the ground with a loud thump.

That awakens the mob and the skeletons rush in. There's a flurry of arrows and you can barely pull out of the way. You can hear them clatter their jaws in a strange mock frustration. You do not want to wonder how conscious they are.

A spider takes the open opportunity, fangs piercing into your wounded arm. It tries to drag you, its weird feet pawing at you. It's so hairy. You swipe at one of its eyes, slashing it harshly enough for it to let go, a greenish blue fluid weeping from its wound. It tries to cling onto you and you slash again, nearly taking its head apart.

There's a crack and your sword decides this is the end for it. You're downed on the ground, arm bleeding, vision blurring. You don't know if it's blood loss or fear. You coil close to Reuben, a selfish impulse of some kind.

The spider takes the opportunity with malice glee, even as you desperately trade blows with it. You manage to break one of its fangs off with one hit and it shrieks, slamming one awful furry limb into your face. You can feel the bruise already, assuming you live for it to hurt in the daylight.

Something pulls the spider back and slams it to the ground with a force you haven't seen before. You heard something crunch and the rapid swooshes of a pickaxe through the open air. Then there's a strong hand on you, pulling you away. The spider's greenish blue blood stays in your periphery. You can hear the mob jolt altogether as one mass, taking a moment to hesitate.

"Do your legs still work?!" Petra yells but it seems more out of concern. You can barely see her face. "Dammit." Her eyes land on the wounds on your arm. She pulls you like a dead weight and Reuben desperately follows.

If your vision wasn't a haze before, her speed would be enough to turn it into one. You can barely register the lights of the torches and the sudden cold draft of a cavern before your shoulder screams. Then there's the feeling of wounds being stitched closed by something wet and warm.

"You should be glad I didn't get Wither today." You hear her comment as your vision finally ebbs back to normal. Reuben sniffs around you rapidly, like you're going to disappear. You make out the scars on her arm now, catch the spider bites on her wrist and the claw marks running down her forearm. You wonder if those claw marks are from the same origin as the ones that begin where her shorts end.

"I didn't take you for an alchemist." You admit.

"No, this cost me a pretty blaze rod." Petra pushes you up into a sitting position, eyes flickering back to the outside. "Can you walk now?"

"I'm too busy figuring out how the hell I'm still alive." You look at your limbs like they're going to vanish into the void.

"I wanted to show you something. That's how." Petra pats you on the shoulder.

"And why me?" You shamble onto your feet oddly. "Don't you like palling around with Lukas?"

"The Ocelots can't keep their mouths shut. And before you ask, your friends also weren't an option." Petra turns her back to you, readjusting one of the reddish brown belts on her right boot. You wonder why the left one only has one. It does seem she trusts you or at least thinks you're not capable of hurting her. You take in how unnatural the cavern is, like it was carved by human hands.

"What? You were afraid Axel would blabber?" You laugh as she stares at you. "Oh. You know what... That's probably true."

"And Olivia would freak out if I showed her this." Petra comments before she flashes a strange sort of smile. "I'm kind of not regretting it. You did pretty good for someone with a sword worth less than gravel."

"I was flailing like an enderman in a boat." You fire back.

"A lot of people would have gone down without a fight." Petra nods and Reuben paces around you.

"I had my reasons." You look down.

"It's not stupid to want to stay alive." Petra passes you. "Now come here before the mobs decide torches aren't scary."

You follow her, Reuben trotting anxiously at your heels. He occasionally glances back as if you're being followed. Where the cave should be darker, you notice it grows brighter, almost like daylight.

"Do you live here...?" You ask, noticing the bed tucked in one corner.

"Noooo... We're breaking and entering into someone's terribly closed off cave home!" She rolls her eyes before gesturing you in close. She takes one last peek around. "How much do you know about the Nether?"

"Politically or in general?" You tilt your head.

"Why do you think I would be asking about politics right now?" Petra seems genuinely flabbergasted at that.

"Full of fire? Like nighttime mobs but way worse?"

"Close enough." She flicks something into her hands and you notice the outline of a skull. It's awfully dark.

"Is that a Wither skull?"

"Yeah, fresh off the skeleton's neck. You're the first person to have the pleasure to see it." Petra's teeth lock into a sharp smile.

"Will I be the last?"

"If things go right, hopefully not."

"Why did you decide to get that?" You reach out one hand to touch it. It still feels warm. A strangled noise escapes you as you pull your hand away. Petra pockets the skull.

"They go for quite a few diamonds. Makes a very good display piece." Petra turns to head deeper into the cave. You follow her.

"How many?"

"Take an armor set's worth and multiply that by four."

"Four?" You echo and Reuben squeals in shock at the amount.

"Yep. I had to haggle a bit with this guy who's meeting me today. Hopefully he pulls through at Endercon today."

"I honestly thought you'd... Already have diamonds by now." Your hand locks under your chin for a moment, fingers tapping right under your mouth. Petra shakes her head.

"Nah, I'm not much of a miner. Besides, people like someone who'll do the dirty work for them."

"But if he's got enough diamonds for it, then doesn't that mean he could just get it?"

"Not the kind of guy who has the time for it. Kinda my inverse, you know?" Petra laughs a little at that.

"You did that all in one day?"

"And saved you from the jaws of doom, too." Petra slugs you, smirking. She misses your shoulder and nearly hits you in the neck, almost knocking your dark gray bow tie off your shirt.

"Damn. You're one hell of person, you know." You press her hand away gently and she seems to allow that. Good thing she's feeling merciful, you suppose.

"Oh believe me, I already know." You step to her side and she stops and looks at you. "You know, you could come with me. If you had some better tools you could have taken them."

"You know me, I'm more of a builder." You stop as well, meeting her eyes. You feel a nervous smile crawling across your face. Petra cocks one eyebrow up in confusion.

"Really? I saw what I saw, Jesse. You have a fighting spirit in there." She seems genuine about it, her voice soft for a moment. "You'd make a hell of an ally."

You're not sure what to say to that. Your eyes peer around and you notice the crafting table and chest. A strange chuckle escapes you. "Why do you keep your stuff so far from your bed?"

"Who wants to fall onto their chest in the middle of the night?" She retorts.

"Not that close!"

"Sureeee." Petra rolls her eyes with a wry smile. She steps over, shuffles through the chest, and hands you some things. You run your eyes over the stick first before noticing the two shiny gray ingots.

"Iron?"

"Yeah. Stone breaks pretty fast too. Why would I leave you high and dry like that? Besides, I'm about to come into some diamonds." She says and you take that opportunity to start crafting. She'd really let you do that? Honest and true?

"I think you have a little too much faith in me." You say, holding out the sword. The way it shimmers is like nothing you've seen before. An iron sword. A whole milestone given to you. She steps towards the exit, seeming to expect you to want to soak in the moment alone. You swing it through the air a few times, hearing how it swings. Reuben rolls his eyes a few times.

You step to her side and she leaves. Outside is a sprawling wooden bridge. It's wall maintained with a long rail. She lives within range of Endercon? Makes sense. There's a lot of people to trade with nearby.

"Check it out, Endercon's all lit up." You can see the lights dance in her dark eyes. As you look over, you notice the fireworks and the snout their lights illuminate. A gasp crawls out of you.

"We did it... We won." You can't believe it. An actual win. You won. All of you. Was it the dragon? The fireworks? Something else?

"Good for you, Jesse." Petra smiles at you.

"It's about time, Lukas and his gang of jerks have been giving us so much trouble. Might as well give him trouble for once." You're about to say something worse before Petra interrupts you. So much for having one moment of being a meanie.

"Lukas might be a bit arrogant but he has come through for me, even in tricky situations. It wouldn't hurt to get to know him." Her voice is soft again. It's hard to imagine this is the same person who eviscerated a spider a few minutes ago. "If anyone's more of a builder than a warrior, it's him."

Not you. You think of the word left unsaid. You consider the way he dragged Aiden off, as if he was a rowdy wolf chasing after a sheep. What was his deal, exactly? He didn't exchange insults with you.

"I'll be a gracious winner. That's all I'm promising." There's still some fire there. Maybe she's right. Maybe you are a bit more of a warrior.

"Little steps, I guess. Endercon didn't start in a day."

"C'mon, I don't wanna miss what's left." You start walking and she follows behind you.

"Speaking of, remember what Endercon was like before it was cool?" Petra speaks up as you step towards the middle. You remember the days of it being a smaller convention. It was your personality for a few hazy months as a fresh spawn.

"Remember what we were like before we were cool?" You beam.

"Don't get cocky."

"Oh, you wound my warrior's spirit, Petra. You really do." You scrunch your eyes closed as you laugh, a hand under your chest. Petra holds out one arm to stop you.

A few mobs spill out from the treeline. Creepers coil together. They step onto the bridge and you look back. Spiders and zombies descending from above the cavern. Your eyes drift belong the bridge, to the waters below shimmering in the moonlight.

"This... Doesn't look good." Petra admits as she takes up the position at your back. She did say you could fight them off with a sword. But a fight you can avoid is a fight won regardless. The water will cushion your fall. Who wants to wander into Endercon bloodied? "And there's only one way off this bridge..." She says as if you haven't seen that. "Whatever we do, we do together!" Petra speaks up and you eye up the mobs.

"Alright, alright, let's jump!" You decide against using your sword against the horde of mobs. You're pinned at both sides, and while there's one person for each side, it's just not worth it. You brace as you hop off, hearing the hiss of a creeper about to blow behind you. There's the sound of the bridge breaking as it does. So much for that way, but you lost that the moment you jumped.

Bats flutter by you and you can hear a torrent of mobs hit the water after you. It takes you a moment to realize both you and Petra are screaming. The cold water rushes around your form once you hit and you nearly inhale a bucket's worth out of shock. For a moment, you flail, before your consciousness kicks back in and you start to swim. It seems Petra didn't give you the benefit of the doubt as you notice her swim over.

"You know you're supposed to swim, not fight the water, right?" She comments with a glare as you sputter, snorting water out of your nose. "Come on, I know a way back." As you follow her lead to shore, you hack and sputter.

The way back isn't very long, per se, but it definitely felt longer with how cold you are. You're grateful you live in a forest biome, that would have been a death sentence in a snowy biome. You hear Petra fiddling with something before an inactive, soft block hits you in the shoulder.

"Wha—?" You pick it up, noticing how the block squishes strangely.

"It's a sponge, sucks up water, the works. Unless you have spare clothes or would rather head into Endercon sopping wet."

You press it to one shoulder and suddenly you're no longer damp. You're about to use it on Reuben when he shakes off all the water. "That's freaky." You say as you pass it back to her.

"It's pretty effective." She says, tossing it up and down. "Still not wet. Good. I'd hate to have to smelt it today."

"Because—?"

"Did you not pick up what I was putting down? You're coming with me." She presses you forward and you can see the threshold of town before you. Once you enter, she hushes down a little, a few people passing you two. It's hard to strain your ears to hear her with the music playing. "Just let me do the talking." You look over the buildings, how some are so tall they stretch to the side, and some short yet wide enough to provide several alleys.

"Why do you want me to come along?" You whisper back.

"Wouldn't hurt to have backup, y'know." She slugs you gently. "Try to look intimidating, okay?"

"Like this?" You do your best impression of someone that'd make even Gabriel shudder. Petra grimaces.

"So, about that warrior's spirit..." Petra looks like she's regretting being in your presence. You deflate a little, shoulders slumping.

"Jesse!" Axel's voice drags you from your show of embarrassment. You catch his unibrow pulling up in a sort of confused glance. Olivia steps up behind him.

"And Petra...?" Olivia looks almost like Petra just hopped out of the shadows. Your eyes glance to the building behind her. Your build.

"Haha yep, we all know Petra and how super super close we are!" You say and Petra looks like she wishes that mob horde had killed her. "Ugh. Fine, she saved me while I was looking for Reuben." You pull your head back and growl out a sort of sigh, short brown curls trailing behind you as you do. Reuben hops over your feet and runs a full circle around your friends' legs. Olivia scritches him behind the ear and he leans into her hand.

"You couldn't save the costume?" Axel sounds like his heart's been torn out. You awkwardly flick some hair back as it tries to devour your face.

"Yeah, it was pretty... singed." It's a half lie. Not like you'd remember where it is now anyway.

"Sorry we didn't come with." Axel gestures a little awkwardly.

"Oh come on, I handled myself out there. Give me some credit." You smirk. Petra clears her throat. "What? You said I fought valiantly."

"There's a fine line between brave and suicidal. Just because you got lucky tiptoeing it..."

"Whatever." You fire back.

"I should have let the mobs eat you." Petra nearly tackles you to the ground and you laugh so hard it hurts.

"Oh, break it up you two! I wanna savor my first win!" Olivia pleads. You wiggle out of Petra's grasp and look up at your build. A few plucky Order cosplayers sit at one of the dragon's thin feet, discussing the origin and effort of their costumes. You can hear Olivia poke Axel and ask why he didn't end up joining in.

The fireworks seem to have finally run out and your build appears to be more akin to a hangout now. As you peer back at the cosplayers, you wonder why they seem like they're missing someone. That's weird. The Order only has four members, right?

"I still can't believe we won." You say.

"I really wish I could have gotten that part in the back to look better." Olivia admits. Maybe you shouldn't focus on that. You stand before it, peering up at the grand dragon. It seems Reuben still wishes he could be flairing his own set of wings at it.

You feel Petra tap you on the shoulder. "Can I steal you for a minute?"

"Oh, right." You stammer.

"Wow, subtle." Olivia comments as Reuben jumps at her heels. It seems he'll be heading off with them. Probably for the best.

"Ah... Well! Nothing to see here." You back away and you can feel Petra die inside again.

"...As a punch to the face." Olivia scrunches up her face. "Axel and I were gonna head into Endercon anyway. See you in there?"

"Dibs on the free cake by the map booth!"

"That stuff tastes terrible, Axel!"

"Really? I like how they make it."

"They bake it... It takes forever and it doesn't even—" You can't make out the last of Olivia's words as they head off. Damn. You kind of wanted to hear the cake gossip.

"Focus, Jesse. We're supposed to meet in there." Petra points to an alley that's barely bright enough to ward off mobs. Reuben bumps into your legs. Seems he's sticking with you, you suppose. Maybe the deal's more interesting than free cake.

"In the dark alley?"

"You think a trade like this will happen in the light?" Petra scoffs before heading into the alley. You follow her, head on a swivel. This doesn't seem right. She looks around, utterly bewildered. "He said this alley, this time... That's weird."

Eyes peering around, you spy a chest. You step to it and Petra grabs you on the arm. "What? I'm just trying to get a look at it."

"That's stealing."

"I wasn't gonna open it!" You bark back. "I was gonna say that he's probably meeting us here." Petra releases your arm and looks at the chest. She tilts her head.

"Why would he do that?"

"Either a test of good will or he's an idiot." You respond. "Do you really want to give a guy who'd dump diamonds into a chest a Wither skull?"

"Ahem." A voice rouses you from your monologue and you nearly hop onto Petra's shoulders. She presses you back and her face drops into a grimace.

"Ivor. Hey." She steps forward. You eye up the stranger. His black eyes carry something heavy, almost like he's calculating every move. His eyes pass from Petra to you. He's a very distinct figure, you see now, cloaked in a dark yellowish green robe. His skin is grayish and a pale, almost pink beige. Every black hair on his head is long, same with the mustache and beard it fades into.

"You said this was between us, not you and some scared little fresh spawn you snatched out of the woods." He turns his head up, thin eyebrows furrowing, and you feel offense twist inside you. Is he really doing the whole 'not even worth my sight' gesture on you? You meet his gaze. He tries to turn to Petra. You keep staring at him.

"He's here to make sure you keep your end of the bargain. Isn't that right, Jesse?" She pats you on the shoulder and you harden your gaze.

"Keep your eyes off, I'm not armed." Ivor retorts, gaze falling onto you. There you go.

"What do you need the skull for, Ivor?" You keep your eyes locked on him.

"Can't a man have a hobby?" He steps to you, raising his head above you. You flick your gaze off him for a moment. "I collect things. That's all." He looks back to Petra. "You have the skull, correct?"

She pulls it out and hands it to him. He examines it as if it'll grow legs and jump out of his hands.

"I already know you saw the chest." He looks over the skull, gaze locked onto you for a moment before peering back to the skull in his hands. "Go on now, you've earned it." You're about to look back at him before Petra pulls you back to the chest.

Well, he's been willing to be vulnerable, a chest out here and all. You let Petra open it. It's her spoils, after all. You peer down into the chest and nearly jolt back.

"Lapis? Lapis? Are you trying to—!" She turns and he's gone. It's like he was never there at all. You charge out of the alley and realize with horror that he's gotten the jump on you. You hear Petra hiss in some air through her teeth. "Oh he's deadder than the damn skeleton I plucked that skull from."

You try and figure out what the hell to do next. What could he want with a Wither skull? Come on, dammit, think for a moment!

"Wait..." You gasp and nearly stumble back. "Nobody collects Wither skulls."

"What?" Petra looks at you like you've uttered something ludicrous. She looks like she's about to shake a thought back into your head.

"It's suicidal. Any self respecting trophy collector is told to stay away from them! You... Anyone could break in with enough soul sand to make a Wither!" You look to Petra. "You should know this, you got the Star!"

"That was a trade with—oh dammit!" She curses and nearly slams a fist into the nearby wall. "Of course a sleazeball willing to summon a Wither would do that."

"We're going to stop him." You retort.

"And how are you planning on doing that, genius?"

Combing Endercon for him might be ridiculous... But someone might have seen him. He might have gone somewhere you can't quite fathom. Who knows if he's really going to stick around for Endercon? But with Gabriel here... Withers are often used for sabotage. That's why they require a ton of permission to even get clearance to start making one.

"He's got to still be around here somewhere." You say, your eyes peering around. The crowd is an ebbing thing, like a tidal wave. Every glimpse of green you hang onto but none of them match him. Petra looks over your shoulder, and you kneel next to Reuben. "Didya catch a whiff of him, buddy?" Reuben shakes his head. Right. Pigs don't make particularly great trackers.

"I'll meet back up with you." Petra says and she's off your flank before you can protest. You sigh, seems you'll have to comb through this place yourself. Probably a good thing, though. She's probably much faster than you can even comprehend.

You glance for her. She's gone. Like she drank a potion of invisibility or something. As you shuffle into the crowd and pass by familiar booths, it's easy to lose yourself for a moment. To forget the deal and revel in the fact that you're here. You've finally won.

But nobody's paying you any mind, not anymore. That's... Strange. It feels hollow. All of those years fighting Lukas and his gang, insults growing more and more venomous for what? A moment in the sunshine? Was that what they were addicted to?

Their focus shifts, the wave of the crowd becomes harsh. Someone almost knocks you off your feet rushing past. You don't know what they want until you hear their calls.

"Gabriel!"

"How many hits did it take to kill the dragon?!"

"I heard you could bring it back! Could you help me? Please!"

He's flanked by two ushers that are trying to fan away the crowd. You can barely catch the deep blue of his armor between them. "Save your questions for the keynote!"

"But it's all booked up!"

"Still save your questions?" The usher seems like he'd be pushing Gabriel forward if not for his reputation.

Why does Gabriel need ushers? Isn't he the Warrior? Landed the final blow to the Enderdragon? Sure, nobody wants to be swarmed, but he doesn't need backup. It makes you feel weird. He's not even looking at you.

By the time you think of what to say to him, to tell him about the Wither brewing, he's out of your sight. The crowd is interlocked for a few moments before they break into clumps. You and Reuben slink through those open gaps. He lets out a few frustrated snorts.

"They nearly ran me over too, boy." You admit and he seems to chortle at that.

"Jesse! There you are!" It takes you a moment to recognize the voice and the figure pushing the crowd aside. You recognize Petra behind him first before you recognize Lukas. "Petra told me everything—" He seems breathless as he steps to your side.

"Hold on a minute," You nearly push him away, "what makes you think we're all buddy-buddy all of a sudden?"

"Jesse, I told you—" Petra grumbles before two other figures push through the crowd.

"Lukas what are you—" Maya's voice seems calmer before her gaze flickers to you and her eyelids droop. "don't tell me you're asking that loser for advice." Gill keeps looking between her and Lukas, almost like he's trying to find some hidden cue.

"Knock it off already!" Lukas suddenly snaps and you see something flicker across Maya's gaze. "This is serious, someone's planning on building a Wither!" He looks almost as if he's about to shake her and she lets out a strange, strangled noise.

"A Wither? A Wither Wither?" She echoes and the crowd curls around you like a giant animal. Maya's hands suddenly run through her long, straight tawny hair. Lukas looks back at you as Maya's teeth click into a grimace.

"I didn't ask you to bring your buddies!" You snap forward at Lukas swiftly, teeth clacking with the force of your words. Lukas stiffens as you do. The people are whispering all around you, some starting to panic. A few charge in the direction of where you last saw Gabriel.

"He's trying to help you, you idiot!" Petra suddenly forces her way between you.

"I saw him heading towards the hall." Lukas points into the distance and your eyes soak in the glowing, rounded structure in the distance. A structure you've never seen the inside of before. How are you going to look for a Wither in there?

"Gill, Maya," Lukas suddenly speaks up and the two of them look at him. "Come with me. I have an idea." The two exchange a glance, tense and strange. Lukas steps a few paces forward before looking back. They take a moment to follow after him.

Petra steps to your side. "I'm going after them. You get your friends and meet us at the gate."

You swallow your frustrations for a brief moment. "Fine." Some of it leaks out regardless. Petra sighs and leaves without any other further protest. As you step into Endercon, you think. Axel made mention of the map booth... But he's probably left by then.

"Stay by my legs." You order Reuben and start charging through the crowd. It takes so much effort to watch where you're going, to not turn into a swung mace in the crowd. You peer for red, for green for—

You smack your nose against leather. Reuben pushes your legs and you barely mutter a thank you. "I'm..." You begin, locking eyes with— "Not sorry?"

Aiden looks like he wants to send you flying through the air. He scuffs your collar and his words are a hiss. "Great. You and your feral wolf of a friend have everyone convinced there's a nutcase building a Wither!"

"Let me go." You snap, fingers digging into his wrist. You catch every detail of him, how his eyes fall in a sharp rectangle, his hair parted slightly to the side. Every part of you begins to hate him, how his shirt mocks Magnus' armor with those four stupid yellow buttons. How his pants and jacket seem to blend into the same dark color, as if he'll disappear into the night and come for you then.

"Winning isn't enough for you? Huh? You have to turn my friends into panicked idiots?!" His eyes gleam with a rage, almost like burning tears are about to pour from them. "You get one whiff of glory and you go crazed, dontcha? You can't just know your place!"

You clamp your fingers down and he winces, letting go long enough for you to worm out of his grip. Chatter echoes around you. Why did people let that happen? "I don't have time for this!" You snap at him. Your insides burn with something and your vision burns.

"I know you cheated." Aiden hisses, eyes red like a wolf enraged. "How else did you get to the top? Huh? You're a loser! We had a good idea! Any fresh spawn could think up a fireworks display. You put a stupid dragon on top and it's suddenly good? Please!" His voice is shaking. The chatter erupts. For a moment, you think Aiden is about to cry.

"A cheater?"

"I mean, I did think it was kinda cool."

"Maybe he bribed the judges with diamonds."

"The Wither's a lie?"

"A beacon should have won!"

Your stomach twists. You didn't cheat. You know that. You won. You didn't cheat.

"I didn't—we didn't—"

"I bet your friends slipped the judges a few diamonds." Aiden smiles. "Looks like I'm not the only one with terrible friends?"

Axel and Olivia would never... They couldn't.

"They wouldn't."

"It must hurt seeing you always so upset, huh? You're weak."

The next thing you know you have him on the ground. He's squealing like a dying animal and you can barely register the sound of your fists hitting him. There's shuffling behind you and you fall back before the hands grab your collar. Blood dribbles across your knuckles.

"He's not worth it, Jesse!" Olivia cries out.

"He just—he said—" You can barely comprehend what you have done. Every word is a sputter. Aiden is crumpled on the ground, milking his torment. You wonder how much of those hits are going to bruise later.

"Don't start with the ghast tears, Aiden." Axel snaps at him as Aiden lets out the most dramatic wail. You don't realize you're on the ground until Axel pulls you to your feet. Everything feels like an echo, like it's not real all of a sudden.

"Come on, we need to go." Olivia's words are a mile away. You swear it. You can barely breathe.

"I just..." You remember thinking of your sword. You could have killed him. Aiden whines on the ground and you know that's at least halfway real. "I can't take it anymore."

Axel practically drags you towards the gate. "Good thing it was just you hitting him. I'd probably have broken through his skull in the first punch."

"I'm going to jail." You whine.

"I know you. You wouldn't do that unless he did something first." Olivia admits, taking your hand and brushing away the blood. "What'd he do?"

You sputter. "He grabbed me. I couldn't get him off."

"Sounds like self defense to me." Axel nearly drops you at the gate. He crinkles his brow and Olivia groans.

"Don't start." Petra hisses.

"Yeah, we've been waiting!" Maya complains, tapping one foot impatiently. Lukas looks at you and you nearly vomit at the sight of him.

Gill pokes his head out of a nearby bush. He whispers to Lukas before slinking back into it. What is up with him? Lukas whispers something to Petra. Great. She gestures you all into a huddle and you catch a glimpse of the usher. He peers at you like you're a new type of mob.

"The hall has a basement, apparently." Petra whispers in your weird little huddle.

"I hate basements. They're always so gross." Maya sticks her tongue out.

"Maybe yours is." Olivia fires back. Maya looks at her for a moment before she breaks out laughing.

"I'm not liking what I'm hearing over there!" The usher suddenly shouts out. His eyes fall on you. "You've gotta wait for the keynote."

"We have an emergency???" You stammer awkwardly.

"Uhhuh." The usher mock nods at you. "Sure. You're about to die or something. Got it."

Petra looks at Lukas before he sighs. You catch Lukas putting his hands to the side of his mouth, like it'll carry his voice. "GILL! DO IT!"

"Huh?" The usher asks as Gill suddenly leaps out of the bushes.

"How is that supposed to help us?!" You yell at Lukas as he chucks a stack of seeds at the usher. "Are you crazy!?" You yell again as a hoard of chickens suddenly rush at the usher.

"Disengage!" Lukas yells and Gill charges towards the hall. The usher screams like a ghast and you hear him charge deep into Endercon. Petra laughs so loud you can hear it echo against the sky.

You and your weird little makeshift crew charge into the hall. "Where did you get that bonkers idea!?" You can't keep your voice down anymore. Lukas laughs.

"One of our first builds was a chicken! Poor guy had a panic attack in front of it."

"That's mean." You snap.

"We can be nice when the world isn't ending!" Petra shouts. "Now come on." Gill suddenly charges out of the bushes and joins you, leaves adorning his jacket like a coat of fur.

"I don't even want to ask what your deal is." You say.

"Element of surprise, baby!!!" He points at you before skipping into the hall.

"And we're the losers?!" Olivia takes the words out your mouth.

"For the record, I never approved of the whole losers thing." Lukas looks back, nearly running into the hall's wall. Maya averts her gaze for a moment.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," You sigh as you step into the hall. There's barely a crowd yet. "lead us, Gill." Gill beams, bouncing up and down for a few moments. He charges towards a tucked away door.

"Everyone, be quiet." Lukas orders and the group all crams themselves through the door.

"I can't promise silence when I kick his ass." Petra admits in a whisper.

"You've earned it." Lukas nods at her. Reuben rolls his eyes. As you creep inside, you notice nothing but potions and books. Shit.

"Where did he go...?" Olivia whispers.

"Looks like we can be loud and proud, huh!" Maya shouts, taking the time to slam her brown boots onto the floor. Her voice echoes off the walls and Olivia nearly slugs her off balance. "What? It's just us down here. You scared?" Olivia seems to raise an eyebrow when she catches the blue 'E' on Maya's shirt, muttering something about Ellegaard.

"We do have the numbers advantage." Petra nods. "And I'm definitely going to kick him to the Aether."

"Ugh, if you're going to start with that then I'm going to hope the world ends." Olivia groans and walks ahead.

"We've got to find that Wither." You try to swallow how uncomfortable Ivor's inevitable beat down is gonna be.

"I wish Aiden could see this. It's pretty cool." You hear Lukas chatter idly. As if you hadn't nearly knocked out Aiden's teeth out a few moments ago.

Maybe if you find the Wither... Or at least the skulls, you won't need to find Ivor then. Probably! You scour around, eyes running along the menagerie of potions. You didn't think they could have so many colors.

"Finders keepers, right?" You hear Axel ask suddenly as Petra inspects a golden sword.

"I am not stooping to his level." Petra snaps back as she examines the sword. "Not for a heavy, soft thing like this."

"You're an inspiration to us all, Petra." You can hear Axel scooping up several potions. Petra scowls before pocketing the sword.

"Don't you already have a better one?" You snort.

"I'm gonna trade it, okay?!" Her face turns red for a moment.

"Sure..." You nod at her before heading deeper into the basement. Axel steps around you and you catch a glimpse of what he's looking at.

"What do you need all these potions for?" You ask as he reaches for a glowing potion. He rolls his eyes.

"What's he need them for?"

"Probably to save his sorry ass when this blows up in his face." Petra echoes back.

"You know he's gonna notice his special potion's missing, right?" You say, as if the other potions are going to be ignored somehow. Axel glances to a nearby potion and places it on the little quartz pedestal.

"Tada." He dusts his hands off.

"Wow, what a splitting image." Olivia rolls her eyes before she notices a lever. You reach for it. "Don't—" She starts but you've already made your choice.

A bookshelf suddenly unravels, the hefty noise of sticky pistons rumbling against the walls. Your breath hitches at the structure before you.

"There it is." You gasp and everyone clusters around you. Before you sits the familiar recipe of a Wither, a 'T' made of soul sand, it's just missing its skulls. Petra steps to a chest next to you and rummages through it. Wait... The center's different? What's that?

Olivia steps to the strange block in the center. It's a light, orange-y brown with a gray command console. She reaches out one hand and pulls it away. For a moment, she looks like she's going to be ill.

"I don't like this."

"It's a Wither, nobody likes those!" Gill shouts the obvious.

"No, I mean... The block! It's like a small machine... But it feels alive." She reaches her hand out again and yelps.

"Are you hurt?" Axel nearly drops a potion mid snatch.

"I felt something!" Olivia snaps.

"Guys." Petra heaves suddenly. "There's three skulls in here."

"He can't even build a Wither correctly." Maya rolls her eyes. "There's no such thing as a Wither that works with a whole new center." Olivia pulls close to the block again and brushes a finger against it. You hear her shriek, fall back, and Petra rushes to pull her to her feet.

"Olivia!" You and Axel cry out and he steps to her side. She heaves for a few moments, eyes glimmering strangely. It takes her a moment to breathe and start speaking again.

"Follow, follow.... FOLLOW!" She screams like thunder crackling. You hear shuffling upstairs.

"Olivia..." Axel squeals and searches through the potions. Petra clutches Olivia tight and Lukas moves in, rubbing her arm like it'll bring her out of the muttering.

"We have company!" Maya yells as footsteps echo outside the door.

"Chase..." Olivia chants.

"Snap out of it!" Petra shrieks. Lukas looks to Axel.

"Dark blue, are any of those potions dark blue?" Lukas can barely stammer, hands shaking.

"What! I'm not giving her any of these, they might be poison!" Axel snaps, shaking his head like he's trying to wrap his jaws around several opponents.

"It's water! Water!" Lukas yells, voice shrill like he's calling for help. Axel's fingers clench so hard into his palms you think he'd be able to draw blood.

"She's dying—oh by the sky, she's dying!" Maya wails as Olivia shudders again, screaming in a language you can't comprehend.

"Amulet! Amulet!" She shudders and howls in Petra's arms.

"Axel! Water!" Lukas yells and Axel glares a hole straight through him.

"Water isn't going to help her." There's a voice, quiet. Ivor steps between you and your group parts. Olivia is still shaking in Petra's arms, muttering incoherently. "Set her down."

"No." Petra clutches Olivia tighter as she claws at Petra's face. "I should kill you for this." Petra's voice is a low rumbling thing.

"You don't understand." Ivor hisses before he looks back at Olivia. "Give her to me." Ivor holds out a hand, gentle and strange.

"Fuck off!" Petra snaps. Ivor steps closer and Petra paws at her inventory desperately. He lunges suddenly, snatching Olivia out of Petra's arms. Petra lunges at him like a wolf at a sheep. Ivor sets Olivia down on the ground and her shuddering stops. She breathes normally and her chants die down into a chorus of awkward breaths.

"If I hadn't intervened, the connection could have killed her." Ivor steps in front of Olivia as Petra brandishes her sword. "You need to stay out of my way."

"You're going to destroy the world." You hiss and Ivor stares you down.

"If I wanted that, I would have let your friend die." He speaks calmly, even as you pull out your sword. Petra looks like she's about to lunge again and something suddenly drops in front of her. You step to her side and she allows herself to look down.

"Diamonds?"

"What you were promised, yes." Ivor nods as she scoops them up.

"Why the lapis, then?" She hisses. "I would have never thought..."

"I do appreciate someone who goes the extra mile." Ivor seems to admit. "You have a good head on your shoulders, it seems. More than I expected from a bounty hunter."

His gaze teeters between all of you. Petra counts the diamonds in disbelief as Olivia finally stands up. Axel nearly scoops her into a hug.

"Tell them." Ivor speaks suddenly.

"What...?" Axel mutters, grabbing Olivia like she'll flutter away.

"Chase... Obey... My head is killing me..." She presses into Axel as she speaks.

"Nothing about destroying the world? That's rather odd, don't you think?" Ivor paces around you all. "I'm giving you two options. You can leave here right now, either by force or by your own two feet, or you can help me."

"Are you mad?!" Lukas shouts and Maya pushes him back. "What else would you make a Wither for?"

"The audacity." Ivor hisses. "You're the one who stuck your nose in. You made such awful assumptions." He suddenly sighs. "I'd prefer to be diplomatic about this. But you've wasted so much of my time." Ivor's body tenses. "You have two options. Consider your next move carefully."

You can't believe what you're about to say.

The words catch in your throat. Everyone stares. Ivor tilts his head at you, like you're a new mob he's caught sight of.

"We'll help you if you tell us what's going on." Your words are like a snap. Ivor fires a glance back at Olivia before returning his icy gaze to you. "It's either that or we squeal." You snap.

Ivor seems knocked off balance by that. He seems to take inventory of you all. It's not like he could catch you all before you squeal. Ivor grabs the bridge of his nose, hissing out a breath. "You people... You never know when to quit, do you?"

Petra fires a look at you, one that tells you to uppercut Ivor in the chest and run. You stay still. "I want answers, Ivor! We all do!" You inhale deeply, as if you're about to break out into a sky shattering scream.

"Alright! Damn you." Ivor shakes his head like a spider is on his back. "I suppose you are owed an explanation... Especially if I want you to do your job." He gestures you all together. Petra's deadly gaze lies on you for a few moments before she joins the hazy circle you've all formed around him.

"What the hell do you need a Wither for?!" Lukas takes a swing at him and Ivor simply hops out of the way with a snort.

"I need a monster few have seen before." Ivor scoops up Lukas' fist. "Watch your temper," He lets go but keeps his gaze on Lukas, "the Command Block will stop it from acting out too severely."

"...What." Lukas steps back, eyes wide.

"That's what that thing is?" Olivia shudders.

"Yes. It would be a foolish endeavor to set a Wither on the world without a lead."

"But why?" Lukas asks. "Why do you need a monster? What are you trying to prove?" Lukas' gaze falls on you. You're not able to meet his eyes.

"Yeah! Who's to say you won't just set it on us?!" Maya interjects, rushing to Lukas' side. Ivor's eyes flicker to Olivia again. She shrinks under everyone's gaze.

"Leave her alone!" Axel snaps. "You creepy weirdo!" He looks about ready to tear Ivor's head off.

"Don't." You beg him, one hand braced out like it'll stop him. Olivia shivers and inhales sharply.

"It's... It's supposed to follow... Something."

"You have the opportunity to learn the truth today." Ivor steps to your side. "I promise I mean no harm. In fact... I want to help you."

"The truth...?" You echo.

"It's quite a lot to speak of here." Ivor's hand finds its way onto your shoulder. "But I think you'll understand."

"It's not supposed to kill." Olivia chokes out. "It can't."

"But it could do something worse!" Petra interjects. "Jesse, let me—" You is about to lunge before the sound of shattering glass hits your ears. She's suddenly slow, sluggish. Ivor steps past her with a glare.

"You have what you want." He hisses into her ear as she tries to hit him with one slow arm. He pushes her back like she's lighter than a feather. "Is it wrong for me to get what I deserve? Huh? We've lived under lies for decades. Is it cruel for me to want them gone?"

"L...i...e...s?" Petra croaks.

"Do you know how maddening it is? To know the truth when no one else does? Come with me. All of you. I will lift the veil from your eyes."

"Who's... No that... You..." Lukas stammers. "What are you talking about?!"

"It's supposed to scare... Someone. I can't... Remember." Olivia shoves her head into her hands.

"If you want the truth you will need to help me." Ivor snaps his gaze back to you. "So get your damn group together!"

"But what are we even—" Lukas stammers before a potion is thrown his way.

"At my signal, you will throw that." Ivor says. He glances back at the rest of you. "You all will be crowd control, and you—" He looks at you directly and your stomach drops. "You will come with me."

"Jesse, you can't—" Petra manages as you step after Ivor like your legs are fresh and new. You hear commotion upstairs, cheering.

"Oh, and grab those Wither skulls for me, won't you?" Ivor speaks over her.

"He's not going to kill anyone Petra. I understand now." Olivia's words are distant. "I... I can feel it in my bones. I know it." She steps towards the Wither's inactive form and comes back with the skulls. She places them in your hands.

"You can't—Jesse!" Petra screams like a wounded animal, grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you. "My gut has never led me wrong and I know this. He's trouble."

"If he acts out... I'll stop him." You stammer.

"Stop him now!" Petra shakes you harder.

"I... He gave you the diamonds...? But he seems weird." Axel seems unsure of what to say or do. "But... I trust Olivia. She'd know."

"And I know danger!" Petra lets go of you and looks like she's about to lunge at Axel's throat.

"I trust my friends." Axel snaps back. "I've known Jesse for years. He wouldn't do something awful!" Petra looks like she's about to wail like a dying ghast.

Lukas, Maya and Gill seem huddled together. They look at you. Lukas sighs. "I think... You have a good head on your shoulders, Jesse. I'll do it."

Maya gulps strangely and looks around. Gill speaks up. "Yeah, yeah. You seem... A real leader type! Haha. Maybe you and Lukas could be coleaders? Or... We could work together next year? All of us?"

"I suppose after all this we probably could." You can't help the way your voice shakes. All you can think of is Aiden's battered body on the ground. Petra grabs you by the arm and looks at Lukas and then you again.

"You're making a big mistake." It sounds like she's pleading. "This is going to get you killed!" She lets go and steps away. "Do you really trust him?"

"...I need to know what he's talking about." Your words are almost distant. "If he does something wrong, I'll stop him. Okay? I won't let him hurt any of you."

"If he does hurt you, I'll stab him for you." She sounds so weak and tired. "Now go before I drag you back." You nod at her before charging after Ivor. When you come to his side he smiles, almost out of relief.

"I was worried you got cold feet." He whispers.

"Me? No, no, my feet are always warm. Like the Nether." That remark makes him look like he wished he picked a better person to take aboard. He rolls his eyes and coughs. There's a grand, illuminated stage in the center of the auditorium. You can hardly see it through the crowd.

"Your friends?"

"Give them a moment."

Ivor scoffs. "Cold feet."

It takes you a moment to realize the voice you're hearing. Your eyes glance toward the stage. It's Gabriel! In his armor, in the flesh, answering questions! Must be awfully boring to go from heroism to a glorified stage display. Your eyes worm around the armor, the cyan outlining where the shoulder guards meet the main armor, the same cyan pulling down into a sort of hill like shape and outlining where the tassets meet the leggings of his armor. You wonder why he lets there be a break between his gauntlets and his arm.

"With enough training and dedication, anyone can become a hero!" The way he shouts it seems... Oddly performative? Like he's done it enough to become second nature.

"Anyone?!"

"Yeah, I almost got killed by a slime once!"

"A big one?"

"No! One of those tiny little ones!"

"Did you choke on it?"

"I heard you slashed the dragon's head clean off!"

"People, people, be patient!" Gabriel orders the crowd. You hear Ivor growl like an angry wolf. "You, up front?"

"When—when Ellegaard—uh, the dragon? How did she kill it? Isn't she a big redstone nerd?"

"You should never doubt the strength of a proper contraption!" Gabriel fires back with glee. "Yes, she could turn even a broken piston into a terrible weapon!"

"Woah!"

"Gabriel! Gabriel!" You hear the chants fire out around you. You look behind you and Petra's peeking behind the door. She steps out and looks at you. Lukas rushes past her and he's joined by the rest of them. Petra only looks at you, mouthing two words.

"I'm sorry."

She rushes past you, knocking Ivor to the ground. He brushes off his robe as he stands back up. She's already making her way to the stage.

"Gabriel!" She shouts.

"He's not going to believe her." Ivor hisses. Why... Why is he upset about that? Shouldn't he want that?

"There's—Someone's—" Petra is slapped back by a pissed off member of the crowd. She pulls out her sword and they back off. "There's a Wither right below us!"

"Don't start with that rumor! It's always some new thing with Endercon!" A voice in the crowd fires out.

"A Wither? Here? Don't you know Wither skulls are incredibly regulated?" Gabriel seems almost... amused.

"It's in the basement! I saw it! I can show you—" Petra is suddenly pulled back.

"Don't." Olivia whispers in her ear. Ivor smirks.

"Well, I must admit, you do keep good company." He pushes through the crowd. "Now come along."

You feel a pit form in your stomach. Was Petra right? She seems to be squirming against Olivia now, eyes pleading. She's not willing to use her sword on friends. Good to know.

With what you're about to do, that feels like it's going to change.

"I have a question for you." You hear Ivor say as you follow him.

"Excuse me, sir, you'll have to wait your turn—" Gabriel interrupts as the crowd looks to you two. You almost want to shrink into nothingness.

"Just be honest with me, Gabriel, do you really believe anyone could become great? Perhaps... a legend?"

"With enough hard work—yes." Gabriel seems to deadpan. Ivor shudders for a moment. Rage? Is there... a history? What is the truth? Is Gabriel hiding something? What is going on?

"Oh? I didn't work hard enough, did I? I was plunged into obscurity not for your lies but for not working hard enough? Have I heard you right?!" Ivor roars, pushing through the crowd. Gabriel's eyes widen.

"Ivor?"

"There he is! He's the one with the—" Petra pleads as Olivia and Axel drag her into the crowd.

"What are you doing here...?" Gabriel utters as you follow behind Ivor. He gestures you forward. Gabriel nearly pushes you back but you leap out of his reach.

"Why don't you tell them the truth, Gabriel?!" Ivor leaps up onto the stage before pointing you beside a lever. You step to the lever's side.

"I see time has made you bitter." Gabriel bites back at him as Ivor corners him. His gaze flickers between you two.

"And it's made you an even bigger fool." Ivor peers back at the crowd, wrapping an arm around Gabriel. Gabriel seems to try to squirm away. "Now, you all were promised greatness, weren't you? Oh believe me, you'll get it."

"Somebody stop him!"

"What is he doing?"

"Gabriel... Can't you—?"

There's the sound of chaos. You hear people being shoved back and the shrill shrieks from a startled crowd.

"I'm sorry this is how they had to learn the truth..." Ivor's voice is quiet as he pulls the lever. You see the Wither's form towering above you. Your stomach drops and you can feel the skulls in your inventory like several dead weights. He nods at you and you pull them out, earning a horde of shocked gasps from the crowd.

"But nothing built can last forever, Gabriel." Ivor looks to the crowd as the skulls click into place.

"No!" Gabriel shouts as the shockwave knocks you into the crowd. You can barely comprehend the beast's howling calls as Ivor pulls you to your feet. It rises before you, Command Block clutched in its ribs.

An actual Wither. In front of you. You created it. You helped. Somewhere, Petra screams, struggling against the horde of your friends.

"Creature! Attack!" You hear Ivor roar next to you and a skull whizzes past your head. The crowd disperses, screaming as the monster sizes what remains up. Olivia suddenly lets go of Petra and falls to the ground, screaming like a dying animal. That's enough to get Petra to stop fighting as she scoops her up.

"Call it off!" Petra screams.

The beast fires another skull into the crowd and you catch Gabriel dodging, eyes wide with terror. You can't believe what you're seeing. For a moment, the beast looks at Olivia, before returning its gaze to the crowd. It roars, blocks pulling from the wall into its form.

"Jesse, tell him to stop!" Petra yells at you and Lukas pulls out the potion and stares at it.

"Axel—I think—!" He yells as a blast rockets past him, knocking the potion out of his hands. It clatters onto the ground.

"Everyone, stay calm!" Gabriel steps in front of you, shivering grip on his sword. "You're no match for me, you foul monster!"

"Creature, attack!" Ivor roars and points to Gabriel. It lunges, form growing larger and darker and Gabriel jumps and swipes at the beast's 'heart.' It knocks him back with a strange force, nearly taking his armor off. You watch the skulls beginning to distort as a black substance spreads. White shards tear from a lip-like structure.

Ivor laughs. "Oh, look at you! The mighty Gabriel, unable to deal with a monster!" He looks to Lukas. "Now!"

"Axel!" Lukas shrieks.

"This?!" Axel holds out the potion and Lukas nods. Ivor catches a glimpse of it and the abomination nearly snaps newly formed sharp teeth onto his arm. A terrible gasp tears out of his throat as he dodges out of the way. Tendrils begin to tear off the beast's body.

Axel throws the potion right as more of the black growths crawl across the beast's heart. He recoils.

"Creature... RETREAT!" Ivor orders as the beast hisses loudly. It slashes at him with one tendril like limb. "No, no, this wasn't... This wasn't supposed to happen! Not like this!" He pushes past you and retreats beyond the hall.

"Ivor! You coward!" Gabriel screams. The beast's new, gleaming purple eye sets its sights upon him. Olivia suddenly breaks from her trance and leaps in front of it, yelling in some language you can't understand.

"Run!" Her voice doesn't sound right as she yells. "I'll be right behind you!"

"We're not leaving you!" You yell back.

"It can't hurt me!" Olivia leaps at it and it recoils, flailing growing limbs like a madman.

"He's right..." Gabriel utters with horror. "I can't defeat this thing. Follow me!"

"Where are we going?!" You shout after him as he runs out of the auditorium.

"The temple! Everyone, to the temple! You will be safe there!" He screams into the crowd. You hear something explode back behind the temple and your stomach drops. You look behind him. Petra—Lukas—Axel—

"Where's Olivia?!" You shout "Maya and Gill?"

"Maya and Gill are looking for Aiden!" Lukas shouts. "He..." Lukas hesitates for a moment and Petra pushes him forward.

"Come on, we need to move!"

"Olivia!" Axel shouts before he catches a glimpse of one of the beast's massive tendrils. A purple beam hits your periphery and you start running again.

"Don't look back!" Gabriel orders and you hear several people rush past with shrill cries. Some of them are cut off. You don't want to think of what happened to them.

You barely comprehend leaving town. Barely comprehend rushing through the treeline. All you can think is how the mobs have gone. You lock your eyes onto Gabriel's armor, unable to hear half of his orders now. You just follow desperately.

"Here!" Gabriel shouts as you arrive in front of a massive stone temple. It seems tall enough to devour the moon. You hear the sounds of several people pushing past you, clamoring inside. "It's pure obsidian in here, it shouldn't be able to get in!" And true to his word, beyond the stone walls is an obsidian chamber.

You and your friends rush in and you can hear Lukas start to breathe heavily. He falls onto the floor as Axel looks to the doorway.

"They're gone.... Oh... No... No nonono..." Lukas curls into himself. Petra looks at you.

"I told you!" She yells at you. "I told you he was trouble!"

Gabriel keeps his eyes to the hallway, recoiling every so often. "I can't... I can't save them all."

"I killed them!" Lukas shrieks. "My friends—they're all dead! They're dead!" His breath breaks into heavy hiccuping gasps. Axel looks to you.

"Olivia! Did you see her?"

"I couldn't—I..." You stammer and Petra slams her fist into a wall.

"I told you! I told you!" She yells before slumping next to the wall. You look around the room and catch a glimpse of the Nether portal. A set of stone stairs lead up to it.

"I'm not leaving her!" Axel pushes you away. "We're not—!"

"She's dead!" Petra screams. "They're all dead!"

A tendril bursts through the ceiling and Petra barely slashes it back. Olivia rushes through the hallway, irises so small she might as well have white eyes.

"I tried to make it stop." She heaves and puts her head on your shoulder. More tentacles burst through the ceiling. "I'm sorry."

"...What?" You gasp.

"I can't stop this by myself..." Gabriel heaves as he slashes one of the tendrils at Petra's side. "We need to find the others."

"The Order?" You stammer.

"Soren's been missing for years but—Ellegaard and Magnus... Go through that portal. The temple isn't far." Gabriel holds out an object. You step back out as you realize he's holding out the amulet. Your eyes trail the interlocking glassy pillars, how they run to a golden center with an almost lapis colored gemstone. Its cyan part glows brightly. "Take the amulet and guard it with your life." You obey and run your eyes along it.

You don't feel worthy of it. Gabriel barely meets your gaze.

"Olivia! Is anyone alive out there?!"

"It hasn't gotten everyone." Her eyes are hollow. Axel snags her and pulls her to the portal. Lukas snaps out of his heaving fit and looks at her before she's gone.

"They might be alive...?" His words drift out of him.

"You two need to go with them. I'm going to see if anyone's out there, I'll help who I can!" Petra shouts.

"You can't! That's suicide!" You beg her.

"If anything happens, I'll meet you back at the temple!" Petra looks back to you.

"Lukas! Get in the portal!" You shout as you follow after Petra. She pushes you back. Lukas curls at the base of the stairs, shuddering like a wet cat. One of those terrible beams pulls down from the sky and snags Gabriel.

"Gabriel!" You yell as Petra chases after him, right as one snatches her up as well. You're nearly knocked away by another wretched tendril.

"Lukas! Help—" You yell back at him and see him breaking into another fit. You look back up at them. They're close enough. You could—

Oh no.

Petra's your friend.

You can't... You can't just leave her there. After everything you've done to her today you can't.

You lunge for her, grabbing her leg with a strength you haven't comprehended before. The beam flickers out as she hits the ground, nearly taking you down as well.

She heaves, glancing at you for a moment. Your eyes are terrible, pleading things. Her gaze returns to the sky. "Gabriel's still up there!" Panic frays the edges of her words.

"Jesse, just go!" He shouts at you, struggling like a fish out of water.

"No!" You won't let him go, you can't! You're not going to be responsible for the Order's dissolution, for his death! You charge like your life depends on it.

You can barely comprehend the harsh texture of the tendril as it slams into your stomach. Your body collides with Lukas, throwing you both into the portal. The Nether's ground is just as harsh, making you wish the spider hadn't bit through your clothes earlier. You know the Nether burns, but not the way of shredding skin.

Lukas scruffs you gently by the collar, legs shaking. As you catch his gaze, you swear he looks like he's about to start crying. Panic floods you for a moment until Reuben dashes to his legs and rubs against them gently. When you stand, Lukas slumps next to Reuben, shuddering.

"Where's Petra?" Axel fires off to your side. He's quicker than a damn firework. Must be the adrenaline. Olivia gaze seems to have cleared, she's breathing normally.

"I...." Lukas can't meet his gaze.

"It was chaos out there!" You interject. "I... Lukas didn't do anything."

"I got scared. I couldn't—I could barely breathe! I couldn't..." Lukas stammers and Axel's gaze hardens.

"You got scared?" He steps close and Olivia digs her fingers into his arm.

"Knock it off." Olivia shakes her head shortly after. "I can't.... I can't hear it anymore. I don't... Where did you see her go?"

"I didn't see her! I—" You stammer. "Gabriel. He's—I left him." You bury your head in your hands with a strange, strangled huff.

"He should be strong enough, right?" Axel's sharp gaze is suddenly like that of a mob trapped in a grinder.

"Nothing is." Olivia's words don't sound like her own. Axel steps to the portal and Lukas cries out.

"You can't go back out there!"

"Because you're scared?" Axel snaps back. "Because you're a scared little fresh spawn that can't do the right thing!?"

"I couldn't..." Lukas' gaze shutters between you all before he suddenly snaps, "It wasn't my idea to start this whole mess! I should have trusted Petra!" He looks to you. "She's never been wrong."

Axel looks like he's about to fire back before his shoulders go slack and he looks at you with pleading, desperate eyes. "Jesse. He's right. Make him stop being right!"

Your heart hammers in your throat. You can feel your mouth go dry.

"Olivia said..."

"She's not fully there!" Lukas shoves himself in a corner. "I saw... She was in a trance! You—you listened to someone who was hypnotized!"

"I am here." Olivia interjects. "It wasn't... Something went wrong. I'm not sure what took over, but it's... It wasn't there originally." She clenches her eyes closed and Lukas puts his hands to his head and starts muttering.

"I got them all killed for you!" He shouts, gaze flickering between you like you're about to pile on him for his inventory. "Why did I do that!? Why did I trust you!? Aiden was right!"

"You take that back right now or else I'm turning you and your inventory into dust." Axel approaches Lukas and he screams, a strange noise you've never heard. It's like pure rage and absolute mourning had a messed up baby.

"You're terrible people!"

"It's the machine." Olivia interrupts. "It's close, I hear it now." Her eyes seem to hold a hint of purple. Axel looks back at her.

"What...?" Lukas heaves, his skin a few shades paler.

"The block... It's awake. Hungry. Tired. Angry. Bound."

"What the hell are you saying?" Axel shudders, falling back.

"It was always going to end this way, wasn't it?" Her voice echoes against the Nether as something peels through the portal, coughing and wheezing. The figure looks up at you.

It's Ivor.

Your words die in your throat. Lukas' hand clench into enraged fists. He grabs the man by the collar of his robe.

"You manipulated us! You—YOU DID THIS TO HER! YOU MADE ME—"

Ivor kicks him in the chest and he falls. Lukas gets up shortly after and lunges again, paid only in kind with a slash to one of his arms. Olivia coils around the portal, eying it up.

"Step away." She warns. Ivor glares at her, before he looks to Lukas and drags him back. A tendril rushes through the portal, more massive than it ever was, and crushes the portal into useless dust. It slithers back through what remains of the decaying connection.

You watch the purple fade from her eyes and your eyes flicker to Ivor and Lukas. Lukas looks like he's about to bite through Ivor's arm as he's trying to restrain him.

"Help me." He pleads at you.

"After what you did?" You snap. "Let him go."

Olivia steps between you. "It wasn't his fault."

"You're sick in the head!" Lukas yells. Ivor gestures for her.

"Hold his arm for me, will you?" He says and Olivia follows. He produces a wrap of gauze. You can recognize the familiar handiwork of spider silk. As he wraps it around Lukas' arm, the other's gaze on him like an ocelot about to tear up his face, he mutters, "Potions are going to be in short supply. There's no use in wasting them." His eyes meet yours and they seem to hold the weight of the world.

"I understand what you were trying to do." Olivia's words are quiet. "I... You wanted to tell us something, right?"

"What good will it do in the world now?" Ivor hisses as he lets go of Lukas. Lukas' teeth grit harder than ever before. "Do not make me waste more bandages on you."

"What did you do to her?" Lukas is practically frothing at the mouth. "Is this your plan? Make her a servant so we'll burn the world for you?!"

"The connection must still exist." Ivor shakes his head. "I thought..." He steps away from Olivia, his eyes wide. "What did you do?"

"I didn't... I tried to stop it! But it's angry. It's... It's following. It doesn't want to!"

"It's not supposed to want anything!" Ivor looks like he's witnessed something horrific and impossible. It's like he's surrounded by a crowd of hungry things.

"...Did I do this?" Olivia backs away, looking at her hands. "Is it angry because I imprinted on it?!"

Ivor looks at her and his mouth drops in horror. He shakes his head. "There." He points into the distance. "The Order has built a rail that leads to our temple. Follow that and you should be safe."

"Why should we trust you?!" Lukas snaps. "After everything?"

"You should learn to be quiet." Ivor hisses at Lukas. "The Nether is a hostile enough place."

There's fire in your throat. You contemplate a retort for a moment but Ivor just shakes his head again. "There is food past the temple portal, if you like pork." He comments. Before you can ask what the hell he means by that, he takes a swig of something and vanishes into thin air.

Olivia shakes her head and blinks, like she's remembered something. "He's right, it's—" she skips a few paces forward and gestures wildly, "here!" You trudge over and realize, she's right. There's a massive minecart rail system right there. Lukas sputters something in utter disbelief.

"What...? How?"

"He wasn't lying." You admit. What the hell is with that guy? Axel handles one of the carts.

"They seem stable enough?" Axel continues shaking one. He presses each cart gently, and indeed, they seem stable. Not broken, not booby trapped, nothing.

"How did you figure that out?" You ask Olivia. She shuts her eyes and shakes her head.

"...Soren said something about... Ellegaard's idea?" She blinks her eyes open.

"Alright, don't... Don't do that." Lukas interrupts. "...I don't know what Ivor's deal is... But I shouldn't have... Augh." He buries his head in his hands and groans. "I... I can't think straight. I'm sorry. I... Either he's right or he tricked us. And I don't know which is worse. But what I said wasn't right, I'm sorry."

Axel looks at Lukas for a moment before shuffling back to the minecarts, clearly nibbling at his lip. He groans, throws his head back, the whole nine yards. "Alright, alright, I get it!" He slams his head into the minecart. "...I pushed you into saying that."

"Didn't Petra say we could wait until the world's not ending to be nice?" Lukas laughs awkwardly. "...I. I don't want to wait."

"I just... Why couldn't you do anything?" Axel's words are heavy, tired. He crawls into the minecart.

Lukas rubs his arm awkwardly. "I... I wanted to. I knew I should have. It... I couldn't move. It felt like my entire body was frozen. And—and on fire. Everything felt like I'd mess up and I felt like I couldn't do anything anyway." He looks away. "I... if I did something... We could have saved Gabriel. I could have looked for my friends. I could have..."

"I could have stopped Olivia." Axel admits.

"If you did, we would have died." Olivia retorts as she climbs in the minecart behind him.

"But what if it... Wasn't like that?" Axel's words are shivery.

You're silent for a moment. "I... I didn't look back either. All I could think of was running." You say. "I don't think I could think about anything else other than to run."

Nobody says anything else. Reuben presses his head against your leg and with that, you all climb inside the minecarts. You flick a lever and it moves, taking you over a large lava lake. You realize with horror; this track is only one block wide.

You hear wailing in the distance. Ghasts, most likely. Olivia's eyes peer across every part of the Nether as the carts rattle along.

"It's full of so many dangerous things." Her words shudder out. "But it feels... Familiar."

Lukas looks down and you hear him yelp. "Please tell me this thing is stable!"

"If it can hold me, it's stable." Axel rolls his eyes.

"Well it's also got to hold my anxiety!" Lukas yelps back and Axel snorts.

"Yeah. That might put us overweight."

"Oh, that's a drop!" Lukas wails out suddenly as you see Reuben duck. You can feel your lunch try to crawl out of your stomach.

"What are you talking about—ohcrapyou'reright." Axel suddenly squeals. A scream tears through your throat as the minecarts pick up enough speed to make you wish the Wither had devoured you. The drop stops, but the speed continues even at a straight line.

"Please tell me this thing is going to slow down!" Lukas says what you want to.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I think this is the first time I've ever felt alive." You hear Axel shout excitedly. All you can imagine now is Lukas wishing him dead. Reuben squeals and ohdearskyabovethere'saturn—

You swear the minecarts are about to throw you at the turn. Somehow, they don't. If you weren't going too fast, you'd have thrown up already. Another turn and you're glad the carts seem to be slowing. A wheeze escapes you and you hear the carts chug along slower and slower.

In the distance, you catch a glimpse of a large, spiraling netherrack structure. That must be your destination. You sigh strangely and feel your breath be taken by waves of nausea.

But you can't follow through on that as you hear the familiar wail of a ghast. If this thing doesn't stop—oh dear. You're going to ram right through it. Your gaze flickers to your sword for a moment before the ghast screams as an arrow pierces its head. Then several more. Its form tears apart into nothingness and a tear smacks you in the face. You pocket it quickly as the carts pull to the structure.

"I think... I threw up in my mouth a little...?" Lukas stammers as he pulls out of the cart before he breaks into a dry heave. You're docked under a small netherrack overhang.

"I think I did it in my body." Olivia stammers. "Several times!" You shrink into your cart and Reuben rolls his eyes.

"Augh, new guy, don't!" Axel whines as Lukas gags. There's the clop of hooves behind you. You gasp and shutter back, arms in front of your group. "Wha—?" Axel starts before he notices the group before you. You catch the floppy ears, white pinprick eyes and tusks.

Lukas pushes you aside suddenly and steps to the group of Piglins. "We're friends of Petra. You've met her, right? She says you guys have good trades?" He presses his lips into an anxious smile. You catch a few of the Piglins holding swords, all seemingly dressed in similar orange-y tunics.

You hear the Piglins mutter between each other. "Petra?"

"Uh oh." Axel mutters. Reuben steps forward and examines the Piglins curiously. One kneels down and pets him on the head, snickering as he nuzzles into them.

"I have heard of Petra in passing. She most often works with those in the crimson forest back there." A Piglin in the back points past the stairs. Right in the direction Ivor had spoken of. "But you are here for the temple, yes?"

"I... Didn't think the Order's legend traveled this far." You admit. "I'd always heard the Nether was—"

"A harsh place, yes. But your world would kill us just as harshly." The Piglin up front nods. "What purpose brings you to these ruins?"

You hold out the amulet. The Piglins suddenly mutter amongst each other, even the one petting Reuben disperses back to them. You pocket it, just in case the rumors are true.

"Have they taken in new members?"

"Perhaps negotiations are underway?"

"Ask them!" You hear one whisper shout before sighing. "You have the amulet, why?"

"...Gabriel's probably dead." You admit. "We need to find the others."

"A Wither, then?"

"Something worse." Olivia steps forward. "Wait... Why would a Wither kill someone who slayed a dragon?"

"The dragon does not take one's life force slowly as it fights, does it?" The one at the front speaks again before raising an eyebrow. "What could be worse than a Wither?"

"One with the power of a Command Block." Olivia answers. The Piglins go silent and mutter amongst themselves.

"There is a reason some magics are forbidden! Who... Who did this?"

You gulp back your guilt. "I... We don't know." Nobody interrupts your lie. You look up the stairs.

"If there is anything to be done... It will have to be in the temple. Go now."

You step up the stairs, everyone following in a strange silence. One of the Piglins pet Reuben goodbye.

"Have you been protecting this place for a while?" You ask one as the rest of your friends step to the portal. "I saw your handiwork with the ghast."

"It was... Awkward in the beginning. People of the Overworld often take. They rarely give."

"I'm sorry." You stammer.

"But there's no reason to hurt a traveler. Save your world."

"I'll... We'll try." You say.

"That's a start." You hear them say as you step to the portal. Axel shivers in front of it.

"It shouldn't be out there, right?" He peers at Olivia. She closes her eyes.

"I don't think so."

"...So why can't I move?"

Lukas sighs gently before pressing his way in. He steps through the portal. Axel veers back, howling like mad, before running after him. Olivia rolls her eyes and follows. That leaves only you and Reuben, you suppose.

You pat him on the head. Just in case Olivia's wrong.

As you feel the worlds ripple together, you catch a glimpse of the moon. Was it really still night? Dark and deep, as always? You thought the moon would have started to set by now.

Oh. And your legs are wet. Why is there water outside the temple? Where— what? You look for Petra and remember. Right. She's not here. You do know you're in a small pond, surrounded by a sparse forest biome.

The crack of bone drags you out of it. Axel throws the disintegrating zombie's form away from him before grabbing you by the arm and dragging you out of the small water body.

"We're not going to find it tonight." Olivia looks around.

"We need a shelter and fast." Lukas says as you pull out your sword. "It's suicide to try and survive out here."

"A hut should be quick." Axel says.

"What? Then we're not going to see danger until it's at our door! We should build a treehouse!"

"Aren't you supposed to know where that thing is?" Axel retorts. "Besides, treehouses attract spiders!"

"Creepers can still sneak up on us! We have..." She blinks a few times. "It's far. But what if I'm asleep and nobody sees it?"

Great. They're going to stun lock each other at this rate. You sigh. What are you supposed to pick?

Alright, well. Time is of the essence and all. Dirt is plentiful, trees are time consuming so-

"Let's build a hut." You say. "Quick, easy, done." Olivia looks like she's about to complain but it seems even she's too tired to do that. You can't blame her. Lukas rushes to your side, already prepared with a bit of dirt.

"Aiden said to get rid of this, but you never know when it'll prove useful!" He laughs awkwardly as he holds it out, like he's expecting you to slap it out of his hands. You look at the stack of-

"Sixty four dirt blocks? What were you guys doing?!" Olivia asks, eying the stack and then Lukas. He looks around strangely, like a thief caught in the act.

"I... I was working on a terraforming project on the side. Thought about building a little bee garden? You know?"

"Bee garden?" Axel scoffs. "You know those things sting you the moment you take their honey."

"Not if you put a campfire under them," He admits, holding one out. "Although, we'll... Probably need it for the house."

You sigh and begin to outline the hut. You prepare to divvy up the stack but it appears Lukas is handing out more dirt. Axel accepts it weirdly while Olivia gets to building.

"Why campfires, exactly?" Axel asks Lukas as he builds up one of the walls.

"I'm not sure, but that's what I read in a book once. I never got to try it." He sculpts one wall in a speed you've never seen before. Suddenly he's nearly on top of you, placing blocks before you can even register them visually.

"We would have had time for a treehouse!" Olivia snorts at Axel as Lukas races around the roof like an ocelot drunk on swiftness.

"Shut up." Axel growls.

"You're just jealous." Lukas brags, sing-song, and dives in through the door.

"Wouldn't have hurt to have some windows, though." Olivia mutters. "How are we going to see anything?"

"Give me a few minutes and I can probably build another level?" Lukas' voice echoes behind the door.

"Stop rubbing it in!" Axel rushes through the door.

"I'm just trying to help!"

You groan. They're going to kill each other at this rate. Olivia seems to notice before you can hop in and chases after them. You slowly open the door and find Axel staring Lukas down as he places the campfire.

"Does anyone have any meat? Potatoes? Kelp?" Lukas looks to each of you. There's the shuffling of people scrambling through their inventories.

"I only have a few beetroot." Olivia admits.

"Now when you say meat..." Axel starts, stepping in front of Reuben.

"I'd presume anything other than pork?" He raises an eyebrow. "I can see if I have some string and make a fishing rod when morning comes. I have... A few fish?" He sets them on the campfire.

You sigh. "All I have are potatoes."

"Wouldn't hurt to put them here." Lukas motions you over and you place it over the fish. You sigh.

"I'm not... Really the kind of person to eat that kind of stuff."

"Fish?" Lukas raises an eyebrow.

"I mean, I might... I might have to with everything that's going on." You rub the back of your neck anxiously. "If I'd known, I'd have grabbed something from Endercon."

Axel clears his throat awkwardly. "Okay, I'm going to admit something. But nobody's going to freak out. Promise?"

"Okayyyy?" Olivia tilts her head strangely.

"I might have snagged a bit more at the cake booth to share later." He holds up the cake before glancing around. Lukas sets down an oak block. "Showoff." Axel furrows his brow as he places down the cake.

"It's just one block!" Lukas whines.

"I could have built that." Axel retorts, crossing his arms.

"I get we can 'wait until the world's done ending to be nice' and all, but I'm getting a headache from this." Olivia says, stepping between them. "I already have to deal with the monster in the back of my head." She shakes her head at that last part.

"Sorry." Lukas and Axel's voices overlap as they speak. You grit your teeth awkwardly as Olivia looks over your group, trying to figure out how to divvy it up between you all.

"How far is it?" You ask.

"I can barely hear it." That's all she says. You try to push back the visions of the thrashing tendrils. Of watching Gabriel struggle in its grasp and Petra's form rushing away. Had you driven her away? You should have listened to her.

Reuben presses himself against your leg and Olivia hands him a small piece. You look over and notice only half of the cake has been divided into pieces. She hands you one and then hands Lukas and Axel one before taking one for herself.

"Doesn't he have fish?" Axel stares at Lukas.

"I thought we were over this." Lukas hisses.

"I'm sorry for not forgetting how you let your friends run rampant for years." Axel snaps back.

"Guys." Olivia shouts.

"We can sort this out when we don't have to deal with a Wither monster." You step to her side. "Okay? We're stuck together. We already have enough to worry about."

Lukas is silent for a moment before looking away. "I didn't want them to do that, you know."

"But you still let them." Axel glares at him. "You let them walk on us for years. Do you know how it feels hearing them get worse and worse?"

"I..." Lukas stammers, his eyes wide, like something's clicking in the back of his mind. "It wasn't that bad!"

"So you're not sorry?!"

"I just..." Lukas looks around, as if the hut itself would have answers. "It's—I'm sure they didn't mean it like that." He looks like a cornered animal.

"What makes you think it's okay?" Axel yells. "What makes you think that it was ever okay?"

"I mean—they—" Lukas presses himself against the wall. You remember every awful thing you've ever heard from Aiden's lips. You remember your fists against him. You think of him laying there, blood pooling under his skin.

"For crying out loud, Aiden set Reuben on fire!" Axel snaps.

"And that was wrong..." Lukas' voice is shaking. "He just... He didn't mean it!"

"Didn't mean it?" Axel's eyes glimmer like they're reflecting flames. Olivia huddles in a corner, clutching her head. It seems she's lost all will to fight this. You swallow hard as Axel grabs Lukas by the arm. "Then I don't mean this!" He pushes him to the door.

"What...?" Lukas looks to Axel with wide, pleading eyes.

"I can do whatever the hell I want to you as long as I don't mean it, huh?"

"That's not what I—"

"Just get out!" Axel shouts.

"Please, stop this! I don't..." You suddenly shout. "Olivia's..." Your mouth goes dry as you look at her shuddering form.

"I'm not dealing with this! I'm not going to stand here and take his little shtick! Oh he's so sad, huh?! Let's forgive him for everything!" Axel slams one fist into the wall. "If I'm going to die out here I don't want to die next to him!"

"I... I don't like him either but I don't want him to die!" You admit. "He's not going to survive out there!" You shout, shoving yourself in front of Lukas. Axel blinks before shoving himself back into a corner.

"Just forget it! It doesn't matter if we're all going to die anyway."

Lukas stares at the door for an agonizingly long minute. "You really mean that, don't you? All of you?"

"What...?" You stammer.

"Nobody likes me here." His voice is quiet, as if he's lost the motivation to even cry. He looks at you. "You don't seem... You don't make jokes about each other, do you?"

"Jokes? Why does that matter?" You ask him as he presses closer to the door.

"He always lashes out but that's just how he is, right?" He mutters, face pressed against the door like it'll walk away. "I mean, he... He kept pushing me to be better and I got better, so it's fine!" A strange laugh escapes him as he looks at you.

"We beat you." Axel glares at Lukas before he stares at the ground. Reuben sits at the fire and you scoop up the items still sitting there. When you turn back around, Lukas places the piece of cake back in your hand.

"I don't want to eat right now." He looks back outside.

"You need to." You say.

"Why do you care? You don't even like me."

"Doesn't sound like your friends do either."

"They do—" Lukas swirls his head back around and he heaves. "They... Does it matter?" His voice is quiet, strangled. He looks to you, eyes searching for something. "Can someone be nice to you one moment and terrible the next?"

You can't answer.

"Does it... It doesn't matter if someone likes you, does it?" He slumps at the door. "They can keep you alive if they don't and hurt you if they do."

You sit next to him, staring at the ground in front of you. "I'm sorry."

"Shouldn't I be the one apologizing?" Lukas slumps his head onto his knees. "Axel's right. I let them say awful things about you. I'm sorry."

"But why?" Axel interjects, a little bit of fire in his voice. But he doesn't seem quite enraged anymore. "Why did you let them do that?"

"I... I've been trying to get them to stop. But it's..." Lukas looks away from you, almost too embarrassed to meet your gaze. "It's scary."

"Oh. You're just a coward." Axel rolls his eyes. "I can't believe this. We're stuck with a coward."

"You'd be scared too if they told you to get over it all the time!" Lukas rebuts. He blinks strangely, like he's just realized that. "You... Don't say that to each other, do you?"

"I mean, Olivia is also a bit nervous," You admit, "but we try to make sure she's okay. She can't help it."

Reuben is nudging her now. Axel looks over at her for a moment before looking away, almost sickened at the sight of her. He sighs. "I'm sorry," His words to her are quiet.

"I just wish you picked a better time to work this out." She mutters, still crumpled.

"We need to figure out how to deal with this. We can't be at each other's throats all the time." You stand up. "I don't expect everyone to get along, but arguing isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Yeah. I've had enough arguing for a lifetime." Lukas scoots away from the door. "But I guess I'm glad to be stuck here instead of... Well. With them if they're still around."

You wonder if you should admit what happened with Aiden earlier. No, that doesn't seem right. Lukas can't hear that now.

"It doesn't feel right to say that." Lukas sighs. "I mean... Maya and Gill helped us."

"Maybe it's just Aiden?" Axel suggests. "He does seem very... No. There's no polite way to put that."

Olivia rolls her eyes.

"How about we just eat and focus on finding the temple in the morning?" You're not sure how much rest you'll get tonight, but it'd be better than staying up the whole night. You nibble on the cake. It seems Lukas isn't the only person who lacks an appetite.

It takes a bit for things to calm down. Everyone else seems to sleep before you, even Lukas. At a point it's just you and Reuben, who vaults on top of you and curls up into a little ball. Despite the weight, it's enough to get you to get some shut eye.

You dream of nothing for a while. The one part you dream is a shrill noise, some abomination. You try to find the scream, desperately grasping at it like it'll disappear. There are tendrils, several from every direction. You witness even the mobs run from them. A million rows of snapping teeth grow from places where jaws do not belong.

When you snap awake, you see the remnants of the night through the door. You lay still, breaths ragged, and realize it doesn't matter how quiet you breathe.

The noise has followed you into the waking world. Your eyes snap to it and you can barely catch Lukas pressing into Olivia's side as she screams, shuddering in the throes of a nightmare. He's saying something you can't hear.

He starts to shake her. She flails, clawing at him, before you see her eyes snap open. She's muttering something, about wings, and truth, and crystals. Of whispering machines, of Soren, but you can't make it out.

"It's okay," Lukas pulls her into a hug and she shudders in his arms. Axel snaps awake and blinks away what remains of his sleep before he crawls over, looking down at her.

"What happened?" He asks desperately. "Is she okay?"

"Just a nightmare..." Olivia heaves in Lukas' arms. You can't move. Your blood feels like ice. You shut your eyes and hear them disconnect from each other, Lukas staying at her side. Reuben's hooves press into your back, a strange sort of self soothing.

You know they're asleep when you hear them breathe quieter. You catch Lukas watching over Olivia like a spider in the corner of your eye. That's when you notice how small he seems. He may stand a foot above you, but he seems to have shrunk from all of it. You take him in now, noticing the way he rolls up his blue pants when they meet his brown shoes, the way he anxiously fiddles with the rings on his fingers and the shiny metal of two earrings near the top of each of his ears.

There's commotion outside. Familiar voices. You strain to hear them. Lukas pulls away from Olivia slowly, his eyes flickering between the walls. It's like he's heard the wails of a ghost. You feel your stomach turn, nausea rising within your body violently. He looks like someone you've seen before. Someone you've been before.

He opens the door and rushes outside. Your legs suddenly work and you rise like every limb is on fire. You press past the open door, keeping yourself sheltered in the entrance. Sweat drips down your forehead as you recognize Aiden's battered form.

You didn't realize you'd made his nose bleed. You didn't know you could punch someone so hard they'd bruise so big. Aiden wheezes as Gill holds him up, eyes large like a pleading puppy, while Maya glares at his side.

"They told me everything." He spits and Lukas pulls back.

"Aiden, listen—" Lukas pleads. "There was a Wither, can't you see that?"

"I don't want to hear another one of your excuses! You're soft!" He yells so loud you fear the zombies will advance on them.

"We've been running all night!" Maya yells.

"There was a shelter..." Lukas stammers.

"You mean the shelter that Wither tore apart?!" Aiden snaps, teeth clicking together like a hungry wolf's.

"Just come inside, I'm sure I can explain to them—"

Aiden grabs him by the collar. "Oh? Explain? You want to explain something to me, Lukas?" His voice is a hiss, teeth bared in a manic smile. "You keep trying to reign me in. For what? Jokes? Huh? Well I'll tell you a good one. What do we call someone who pals around with people who beat innocent people senselessly?!"

"What are you talking about!?" Lukas squirms meekly in Aiden's grasp and his eyes are desperately looking for purchase. "Let me go—" His voice is a squeal.

"You're pathetic!" Aiden throws him at the ground before slamming a hand into his chest.

"I don't... You're hurting me! Why are you hurting me?!" Lukas screams.

"Don't act like you don't know what Jesse did."

"We didn't know either!" Maya snaps suddenly, pulling Aiden off. He glares at her and huffs. Lukas' eyes trail the bruises.

"You're smart, aren't you? Can't you put two and two together? Or are you stupid?!" Aiden snaps.

Lukas runs his eyes down the trail of not even a day old dried blood at Aiden's nose. He looks back to the shelter and you realize with horror your head is poking out beyond it. You pull inside the shelter, gasping heavily. You're surprised nobody wakes.

"Just go away. I don't want to see you again." Aiden hisses so loud you can hear it.

"Please, we have a shelter! Going out there is suicide!" Lukas pleads.

"I'd rather die than have to look at you again!" Aiden snaps. "You don't even deserve that jacket!"

Your gasps run ragged. You charge through the door, sword in hand, howling like a madman. Aiden lets go of Lukas' sleeve and holds his hands up. Lukas tumbles to the ground like someone's inventory.

"Get off him." You snap. "Your problem's with me!"

"You're going to defend this coward?" Aiden glares at you. "You think because you have a fancy sword and everything that you get to steal him? No, no, that's not right. Stealing implies he's wanted." Aiden laughs.

"He could never take a joke." Maya admits.

Gill looks at Lukas before nodding solemnly. "Yeah. He... He always curtailed us!"

"There are three of us." Maya leans in with a snicker.

Reuben runs out, squealing like mad. It seems like Reuben's picked up the commotion, and the rest of the Ocelots scatter in all directions.

"You'll die out there!" Lukas pleads.

"I'd rather die than sit next to you!" Aiden shouts before he charges after his friends. Lukas huffs, clinging to the ground like a liferaft. You hold out one hand and he swats it away.

"What did you do!?" He howls.

"Lukas, please, you're going to attract the zombies!" You plead with him. He glares at you, teeth clenched together, before he sighs and rises to his feet. "I didn't want to hurt him." You admit.

"But you did." Lukas snaps.

"Well, you try hearing every awful thing he says for years! You'd snap too!"

"I didn't!" He yells. "What's wrong with you?!"

"That's because he liked you! You didn't get called losers constantly, he didn't set your pig on fire, of course you didn't snap!" You wave your sword around before glancing at it, sighing, and shuffling it back into your inventory. Lukas steps back inside the shelter and you follow.

"Did you enjoy it?" His voice is a low, quiet thing.

"...No." You admit. "I didn't... I didn't want to. It just happened." You sit down.

Lukas is silent for a moment.

"You look like you wanted to kill Ivor too."

"I wasn't—" He stammers. "...Thinking straight."

"Neither was I."

Lukas looks like he's just swallowed something awful. "What the hell triggered it, then?"

"He..." You sigh. "I could take the losers thing. Hell I was too busy looking for the Wither to care about tearing into him about Reuben." Admitting that feels awful. "But then he said that we cheated. That Axel and Olivia lied about it just to pity me. I knew that wasn't true. I knew it. But he did that in front of everyone. Just because he couldn't lose. And it just... Piled up."

You inhale deeply. "One minute he was speaking. The next he was on the ground. I don't remember how many times I hit him."

"I think I was going to kill Ivor." Lukas' words are quiet, barely audible. "It was like I was a different person. I don't want to... Be in that state of mind again."

"Me neither." You concur.

"I'm scared." He admits. You already knew that.

"I think we all are." Your eyes cross Olivia and Axel, curled together like the world's gone cold. You wonder how they slept through all that.

"I know why he's upset." Lukas looks away. "But I don't know if I can deal with it."

Words die in your throat. Comforting him feels like a betrayal. You know why he didn't do anything. It doesn't make it any less real. All you can do is sit there, wishing for sleep or something else to take you.

The sun rises. Neither of you speak again.

The shuffle outside is awkward. Nobody really wants to speak. You're mainly gesturing at each other. It seems everyone's too exhausted to do anything. Olivia finally breaks the silence, humming strangely like the machine.

"Here." She stares into the distance. "It shouldn't be far."

At this point, nobody has enough energy to panic about that. It's just how it is. You follow her lead in silence. She knows. Somehow. Somehow that block knows things about the Order. Did Ivor tell it that?

The temple is in shambles, half of its original size. Its pillars of stone and quartz are stained and some seem about ready to fall. It's like something had torn it apart. You'd never comprehended this building decaying. Was this what Ivor was talking about? You look to the stained glass on top and realize how close it is to the amulet in your inventory.

"But how do we find them?" You ask and Olivia heads inside wordlessly.

"Is it bad that doesn't freak me out anymore?" Axel asks. You shrug as you follow her.

Lukas trails behind, looking around occasionally. He clears his throat awkwardly. "I think I read in a book once that it lights up near the other members?"

Reuben raises an eyebrow as Olivia holds out one arm, peering across the hallway. Axel snorts.

"Why do dispensers have faces?"

"Dispensers?" You repeat. Lukas looks around.

"It's either arrows or potions." He glances from side to side. "But why do they need security here?"

Olivia shuffles to one of the dispensers and mutters something. She pulls out a decent stack of arrows before pointing to a pressure plate. Reuben shudders at the sight of it.

"Step over it." She orders. "All of them are loaded."

"How do you know this? Why... Why does the block know that?" You ask and Olivia shrugs, stepping over the pressure plate. Axel scoops up Reuben steps over it.

"Should we really take their arrows?" Lukas speaks up as he follows.

"I needed the verification." Olivia hands them to Lukas. "We need anything we can get."

Lukas shrugs at that before looking back at you. "Did the amulet glow near Gabriel?"

"If I remember right, yes." You hold it back out. None of the lights glow. You gulp. "They're not here."

"There's a mechanism." Olivia quells your fears. "We need to keep moving."

Axel looks to Lukas. "I... Thanks for what you did last night with her. I should have woken up first."

"I can't blame you for sleeping like a rock." That's all Lukas says as he passes Axel. You exit the hallway and Reuben squirms out of Axel's grasp, clopping around what you presume to be their library. The potions and layout feel oddly familiar... You catch the glimmer of an enchantment table.

"This looks like Ivor's place?" Axel completes your train of thought. Lukas sifts through the books as Olivia steps to the enchantment table, looking at the book. You pick it up, flip through it, and hear her echo the words in the book.

"The battle was fierce, but in the end, the Order freed the End from its wretched dragon. Peace and prosperity would reign forevermore across all the worlds. The five of them had cemented their legacy as heroes. They would unify the powers of building, destruction, engineering, combat and alchemy to slay a dragon."

"Alchemy." You parrot that last part. "Ivor..."

"Was a member of the Order." Olivia completes your thought. The gleam in her eye is back. Lukas looks to her, almost dropping one of the books he was reading through.

"That's how they knew each other." Your words are an echo.

"The truth, he wanted us to know the truth?!" Axel looks at the book in your hands, taking it out of them gently. "But what is the truth? Why is he out of the story?"

"What else are they lying about?" You ask. "That couldn't have been the truth he was talking about!"

"It wasn't." Olivia's words are distant.

"Then what is it?" You look to her. She shakes her head. "How... How do you not know?"

"I don't remember." She looks to a stone staircase. "That might be where the machine is." She hurries up the stairs without another word.

"This is starting to freak me out, why does the Command Block know the Order?" Lukas asks. He flips frantically through his book. "It's not mentioned anywhere!"

"What if the Order knew the block first?" You suggest.

"But why would they know it?" Lukas retorts.

"Maybe to lock it away?" Axel suggests. "It sounds like something they'd secure. Maybe Ivor freed it and they kicked him out for that?"

"But that doesn't explain the Wither?" Lukas puts his hands to the side of his head.

"We can ask the Order when we find them." You suggest.

"But they could lie to us. They have lied to us." Axel states.

"It's worth a shot." You scramble up the stairs. The second floor of the temple is terrible open and covered in cobwebs. There's a map of the entire world before you and a mechanism in front of it. Olivia gestures you to it. It looks almost like a small tower with a few fence posts on top.

"It goes here." She points between the fence posts and you notice the redstone wires attached to it. She nearly bounces in excitement. "It was Ellegaard's idea! Can you believe it?" You place the amulet between the charged posts and she gets to moving the levers attached to it.

"Hey—wha—" You start before two beams fire out of the amulet. Red and green.

"I think they're color coded." Lukas puts his hands through one of the beams and it shines through his hand. "What in the...?"

"So red for Ellegaard and green for Magnus?" You come close to the map.

"I'd assume so." Lukas points to a page in his book. "It doesn't say a lot about it, just that it's enchanted. Lapis is Ivor, diamond is Gabriel, quartz is Soren, redstone is Ellegaard and emerald is Magnus."

"So they're made out of those materials?" Axel steps over to examine the amulet closer. "It just looks like stained glass."

"Maybe it's symbolism?" You suggest.

"Or the names of the dye they used." Lukas shrugs.

"So we take two teams. One to Redstonia, the other to Boomtown." You suggest. Lukas sighs.

"Listen, I was thinking of... Staying back. Keeping an eye out for the monster and all. Helping fortify this place when you get back. You know? Plus, I think Petra would want to see someone she recognizes. I don't want her to assume we've all died."

"So Jesse and I will go to Boomtown then." Axel beams.

"What? We need Ellegaard. She'd know how to build something to destroy that monster." Olivia retorts.

"Really? Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, Magnus' whole thing is explosions and you're sick with something." Axel raises his brow.

"I'm proof of its existence!" She snaps back. "I can keep track of it."

"Shouldn't that mean you stay here, then?" Axel suggests.

Lukas' eyes flutter between them. It seems even he's not sure what to say. Where should you go? Who should you take?

To be fair, Magnus is the explosions guy. He feeds on destruction as a griefer, after all. If someone is going to bring that thing down, it will be someone who's planning on going out in a blaze of glory.

...Hopefully you're not courting his death with that thought.

"You're coming with me Axel. You ready to roll out?" You hold out one hand in a fist bump and Axel takes up the opportunity.

"But Ellegaard would—" Olivia stammers as Lukas steps to her side. You sigh.

"I think it's for the best if you don't go out there." You say. "I don't want to know what will happen if you end up back out there with that monster!"

Olivia looks like she's about to retort but then she stops, eyes gleaming strangely. She looks to the gap in the walls.

Everyone's gaze follows hers and there it is. Large, like a living tornado. Tendrils whipping slowly through the air like a howling torrent. It reminds you of tales you heard from travelers at Endercon, talking of coastal towns and hurricanes. Every instinct in you screams to—

"Run." Olivia's words are hollow, eyes locked onto you. You look to Lukas, expecting some hand me down Nether knowledge. His gaze just shudders. Axel's hands press into your shoulders. He's cowering behind you like you're a wall.

"Just go!" Lukas pushes you and you can take the hint. The two of you break off, rushing towards the portal like it's the one saving grace in the world. When you pass that threshold, you feel your stomach twist.

"We should have taken..." Your words shudder out of you as you flop onto the netherrack. Your insides twist as Axel looks around. You feel Reuben tap at your side and press against your face.

"She..." Axel's words are shaky. "If she thought... I know her. She would come with us if it was that bad. Maybe she can..."

"Control the monster?" You sputter. "She said she tried."

"Maybe she'll succeed." Axel looks like he's about to sit down for a moment but he resists the urge. Instead, he scoops you up by one arm.

"It's not like we can ask the people here for help topside." Your words tumble out awkwardly as hoofsteps surround you again. The Piglins examine you again, but this time their brows are furrowed in concern.

"There has to be a way to Boomtown through here." Axel murmurs at your side.

"We can point you in the direction, but you must make the journey yourselves." One speaks and the rest diverge. "Return to the tracks. There is a map."

"You can't come with us?" Axel asks. You remember their diatribe about your world killing them just as fast.

"Your very world is poison to us. We will be dead a few minutes past the border."

"That's awful." You cringe. You imagined it was bad but not that bad.

"Our world can shelter you, even if not ideal. Your world will kill us." The Piglin concurs with a nod. "There is not much else for us to do for you."

"Let's just go, Jesse." Axel presses your back gently to get you to move. You start back on the trail, stepping down the stairs. "Thank you, anyway." Axel says as he looks back.

At the bottom of the stairs, you notice the map. One diverging path to Redstonia and the other to Boomtown, with each having a lever at their side. Axel pulls down the Boomtown lever and you hear the distant echo of tracks moving.

"Do you think Magnus will hear us out?" You ask Axel as the carts funnel back in. He hums anxiously.

"He has to, he's a member of the Order!"

"But they lied to us."

Axel hesitates as one cart nearly hits his leg. "...What else are we going to do?"

You don't know. You just step into the cart. As they fire off, your stomach twists again. What if this is wrong? Should you have pulled Lukas and Olivia with you? What if you come back and they're all gone?

You think about how Gabriel didn't appear. You think about Ivor and his erased legacy. About the way his eyes flickered with horror at Olivia's words. What has he done?

No.

What have you done?

Chapter Text

The carts rattle down the track. It would be silent if not for the bubbling of lava below and the occasional woos from Axel. At least he's enjoying himself, it seems. You're envious of that. Your stomach feels like it's about to void what little it has. You wish you'd had enough time to beg Lukas for more of his rations.

Axel stops excitedly shuffling about and looks back at you. "They'd want me to be excited about Magnus, right?"

Your mouth goes dry. You cough. "I... I don't think there's rules for how you should feel during this."

"Now I just feel awful." Axel slumps in his cart. "I mean... Olivia could stop it, right? Just for a minute?"

"I didn't think you cared that much about Lukas." You raise an eyebrow.

"I mean... I don't like him but I don't want him dead! Nobody deserves what that thing is going to do."

"Last night made me think otherwise." You hate saying that and Axel looks at you like you've grown another head. He shakes his head.

"Okay. That was awful. I'll give you that." He looks at you strangely. "But you did nearly knock Aiden's teeth out."

Right. He didn't see what happened last night. He didn't see Aiden's bloodied nose. He didn't see the bruises. The blood pooled so tight under skin it would spill if a small blade grazed it. Your teeth grit involuntarily.

"After this, I don't want to see Lukas again." Axel adds. "He can do whatever he wants. I don't want any part of it."

You're not sure what to say. Lukas seemed hurt, maybe stuck in something. It's like your entire world has splintered like cracks across a glass pane window. Petra was a drifter but you never hurt her like that. Olivia was anxious but not a wreck.

And Axel?

You'd never seen him come that close to throwing someone to the zombies. He could hurt someone by being too much. He was like a living shockwave sometimes, but he never meant it.

He said he didn't.

You knew he did.

Sure, you knew how to fight. You could use a sword half decently but it'd only been against zombies. Spiders. Skeletons. Monsters. Something that idly snapped jaws at your neck. When you'd heard people had killed sheep for beds in the early days, your insides inverted at the very thought.

But here you were. Fists feeling the echoes of Aiden's flesh even a day later. You could not forget how Lukas looked at you or the feeling of the cold Wither skulls in your hands.

How could you even do that? You'd heard Olivia's horrendous howls of that wretched block's power.

"Do you think Magnus will be cool?" Axel turns back to you. That's when you realized how little you knew of the Order. You'd heard their echoes, their prowess, how strong and smart and awesome they were.

But who were they? Magnus could be a wildcard or maybe an animal lover. His stomach may turn like yours at the thought of blood and meat and violence. Did he laugh at bad jokes? Watch the sunset and cry like a baby sheep the first time he saw it like Axel did? Did he have a favorite animal? Would he run at the first sign of danger?

If he was anything like Axel, then this would be easy. Griefers were considered the worst of society, you knew that, but Axel was nothing like that. You could hear the echoes of 'griefers honor,' the first rule was always destruction for fun. Fun meant no one got hurt.

"They lied to us." You recall.

"I mean, they're probably... More complex than that? Lukas let his buddies hurt us for years and he acts all 'nice.'" Axel waves one hand like a creaky trapdoor. He looks away, eyes running across the edge of his minecart. "Maybe Ivor deserved it, maybe he did something awful, I mean... He set this whole thing in motion. Maybe he made Olivia blind to it."

Reuben huddles onto your lap. You don't have anything to rebuke that. The carts continue on their path, chutting loudly. The distant wails of ghasts make you wonder if the Piglins have been sweeping this area to keep them away.

As the carts click before the portal out, you remember a few of Olivia's history rambles. It always made Axel squirm like a pinned parrot when she mentioned early griefers flying close to the sun and causing chaos across every town they found. Griefing laws were a necessity practically everywhere.

You don't know what caused the Wither laws. When it came to griefing laws, Olivia had only told you of TNT chucked at people's walls, items stolen, probably a few deaths, to be honest. You knew Axel wasn't like that, he just liked having fun. But what about the Wither laws? Were there wars? Griefers gone mad?

The portal's chatter is strange as you step to it. Axel stands there, eyes on it like it's a limb of the Wither beast. You can hear him gulp strangely.

"Excitement getting to you?" You try to crack a joke, a dry laugh rattling out of you. Axel shrugs, mouth furrowed into a tense sort of half frown.

"I just wish this was under better circumstances." He admits. You clear your throat. Might as well ask before you head straight through.

"How does this work, exactly? I mean, how does a society run when everyone's running around griefing? How do they sleep?"

"You're seriously asking me about Boomtown's politics right now?" Axel looks at you like you've grown an extra head. His gaze flickers between the walls like they'll have an answer.

"I mean, we're going in there. Shouldn't we know if they'll take 'we need to find Magnus to save the world' as a genuine concern?" You continue. "Plus, I am curious. If I'm gonna possibly die I want to know that first."

"I... I don't know anything about Boomtown." Axel admits.

"I thought you were Magnus' biggest fan!" You're about to elbow him playfully before you stop. The portal's echoes continue and you feel the purple light dance on your skin. For a moment you had forgotten.

"Why does the portal look like the Wither?" Axel suddenly speaks up, the purple in his eyes making you think back to Olivia. You brush one hand against the obsidian and realize it echoes the tendril's texture. A gag ripples through your chest. Axel suddenly scoops you close to his chest. "You good?"

"...The portal. Skies above, the portal and the Wither feel the same!" You shudder in his grip and he looks at it.

"It had eyes that were just as purple." Axel's words are just as hollow. "Why?" He slams his fist against the obsidian and recoils, hissing in pain.

"We're not getting anywhere asking these questions." You gulp down your worries. "Who's going in first?"

Axel looks between his hands, occasionally shaking the injured hand as he seems to count his fingers. "I'm the explosions guy, I should go first. But what if I mess it up? That's possibly my first time meeting Magnus down the drain."

You yank him through the portal before he can keep doing this. He yelps as you do and you lose your grip. In a panic, he bumps into you, throwing you both off balance and you tumble onto the ground below. A glimpse of the ground crosses the corner of your eye.

Why is there such a fall? Are griefers courting brain damage like their life depends on it? Regardless, you do your best to land on your feet.

Instead, you land akin to a cat, one fist slamming into the ground awkwardly. You yowl in pain and you know that everyone has heard your embarrassing noise. Axel thumps onto the ground next to you, somehow landing more elegantly.

"How—?"

"Center of gravity, or whatever!" He flares his hand dramatically under his head. You roll your eyes and he pulls you up. Another yowl escapes you. "What are you, an ocelot?"

Explosions in the distance interrupt your train of thought. You look up, taking note of the buildings. They seem functional, like large houses, apartment buildings, but made of easy to get materials like cobbled stones (Was that cobbled deepslate?! Next to cobblestone?!) and planks. On another glance, you notice the holes in the buildings and how they seem to be so incredibly close. There's so much sand here too, and some cacti occasionally. Is this a desert biome?

Axel beams, looking over the sprawling town. You hear the distant whizz of a firework and someone screaming bloody murder. "Imagine how it feels to jump from building to building..." Axel's words drift out in pure excitement. You grab him by the wrist.

"Remember. We're here to find Magnus. The world is in danger." Your words are a desperate hiss. Axel nods solemnly.

"It's... Kind of easy to forget. They don't know, do they?" Axel sits down next to a wall of one of the nearby building. You hear someone laugh and skitter. You catch a glimpse of their pursuer holding up lit TNT like it's not about to blow their hands off. The wind brushes one of the posters next to Axel gently and you hear the explosion go off.

You wonder if your treehouse still stands. You wonder about your own posters. You grab one of them, trying to not pull your eyes towards the explosion. It depicts Magnus in a heroic pose with a torrent of explosions behind him.

"Well, if they didn't make it, at least they died doing what they love." Axel shrugs. You feel sick at that thought. "I mean, am I supposed to tell them to stop? They were having fun." It seems he's noticed your paling skin.

"I don't get it." You say. "Why would anyone want to get that close to dying?"

"You know when you're scared, you don't really choose it? They get to. It's their choice to run amok, living every day like it's their last. I mean, how's this any different from what Petra does? She runs into the jaws of doom as well!"

"To trade." You correct him. Axel shakes his head.

"She's got enough chances to settle down. But she doesn't. What's the difference here? If not for this, she might have gotten killed by a zombie someday. It happens. Doesn't make it good, but it's just how it goes for us. Might as well have fun before you end up dead."

He's right, you realize. It's not like you'll die a pleasant way. Death doesn't come to the safe. You could live a century or more in a soft wooly paradise with enough food and entertainment. But inevitably, you'll fall off a build, get too close to a zombie, overestimate your strength, drown, starve, something.

One of your fingers press against each unfurling finger of your other hand. You think of every year lived. You think of Petra pulling you from the jaws of doom. The cold Wither skulls. The Command Block. What the Order must have heard when the dragon charged at them, roaring like a maniac. Your blood rushing through your ears.

Easy deaths, gentle deaths, none of that is a privilege of anyone.

You reach the last finger on your hand. You switch and find yourself falling short of the second. You're not even seven yet. This isn't how you want to die. Not here. Not in the jaws of that monster.

"Didn't you say we need to get going?" Axel pulls you out of the haze. You hear more of the echoes and catch peering eyes behind masks, makeup, regular flesh. They always pass by with barely a glare. You're not worth anything.

You pull out the amulet. Hands shuddering, you can barely keep a grip on it. You hold it up, watching its green glow grow brighter as you move it. You don't catch the peering, curious eyes moving in. The sounds of shoving and shuffling and miniature dying arguments don't greet your ears over the explosions.

"Woah. It really does light up near Magnus, doesn't it?" Axel examines the amulet. The arguments crawl over the explosions and the fireworks. You feel your skin prickle.

In the distance sits a large obsidian spire, like a jagged, sharp and thin mountain. It splits down at a point, like it's shattered and part of the structure rests away from the whole. Like the blocks were blown away from the main bits, despite that being impossible. Seems Magnus has a flare for the dramatic.

"He must be in that spire." You say a bit too loud and Axel leans in. There's the sound of scampering feet, seems someone's coming to meet you. The darkish beige stranger steps over and the most unique part of her are her eyes and hair. One eye is a deep brown and the other is a regular brown which pop against the black mask across them. Her hair's a deep blue, resting in pigtails and spiky bangs that don't meet her eyes.

You eye her up. Besides the mask, she's dressed pretty casually in a pink shirt and cocoa colored pants. She trudges through the sand, hunching down a little and occasionally pressing her gaze to the floor. You force your eyes to meet hers and she repays your look, keeping her head below yours.

"You said you know where Magnus is? Every griefer wants to find Magnus." She steps in close and you catch her flicking her gaze behind her for a moment. You feel your body bristle. The last time you trusted a stranger...

"Uh huh. Yeah, sure, we're totally a bunch of fresh spawns who trust every charismatic stranger." You drawl and her head flicks up. You glance to the portal, debating your choice, noticing the town's name floating and written in wool. How is that of all things untouched?

Reuben presses against your leg, crouching defensively. The stranger's teeth clack into a snarl and she holds her head up fully.

"There's two of us!" You jab back, returning the gesture. Axel looks awkward and scrunches his neck under his head. The stranger blinks strangely at the two of you, as if your reactions are alien.

"What's going on?"

"Oho? Fresh meat?"

"Fresh meat! Fresh meat!"

There's a chorus from behind her. The stranger's gaze snaps to them, her head clamping down on her neck. It looks like she's searching for a weapon. Strangers pour from every angle and building, blotting out certain parts of the sky.

"Fresh meat is boring. You guys really wanna mess with that?"

"Look at 'em cower!"

"Nohr, get outta there. They're mine!"

"Scavs! All of you!" She snaps, whirling her head around to face each of them. Her voice is a low snarl as they jump down, pressing at every angle. "I found them first, they're mine!"

Bodies press behind you. Eager faces, some bare, others caked in paints and dyes. Axel's demeanor suddenly shifts, like he's awakened suddenly. He bares his neck, lips pulling forth into a toothy grin.

"You think we're scared?" You hear him laugh. Your insides feel hollow. The griefers coil around you, suffocating at every angle. The blue haired stranger bristles, snapping things at the pressing wave.

"Disengage." One hisses, charging forth before leaping back as she tries to slap them. "Go on. This is our quarry."

"You forget who you're messing with!" Her voice raises above them as a few of them press forward. You look for a break in the crowd, holding up the amulet to the last position it registered Magnus at. Seems he hasn't moved.

The click of metal hits your ears. Sparks fly past your face and the amulet nearly tumbles out of your grip.

"You're messing with Nohr the Netherborn!" The griefers dive away as the sparks dance in her eyes. Axel's bravado falls away for a moment. The scattering griefers struggle for better positions, some flickering through their inventory as they pass you.

Like a lightning strike, she's on you, hands locking onto the amulet like it's a lifeline. Instinctively, you reach for her, and she uses that to yank it out of your grasp, pulling away like she's on fire.

Axel's still, observing every position change. You can see the pistons in his head fire off. As some of the griefers rush after Nohr, he lunges, tripping them up.

"Sorry, this is ours!" He fires back as he presses away more of them. You watch him tank a hit from a flint and steel and he snags the flint part, hitting its holder in the face with a flame. A yowl escapes them as Reuben weaves between them, tripping up enough griefers to create a path forward.

"Oh mighty Magnus, we come today with an offering you'll actually appreciate!" Nohr hams it up as she holds up the glowing amulet, one hand on her chest. A fishing rod snags it and she screeches like an angry ghast. "Nooo! I curse you! I curse you forever!" She charges after the offending griefer and you watch the other griefers disperse to optimal places to scope.

Axel charges after them and you follow. They pull up a large staircase and you catch her snickering with the dark brown stranger. That's when you notice the similar mask and the gray striped shirt. The pattern's like the stripes on Nohr's sleeves. You quiet down and the stranger exchanges a glance at you.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" He laughs, brushing back his ghast white mohawk.

"But do you know how to run, ya noobs?!" Nohr cheers as she takes off, nearly somersaulting away at one point. Axel follows close behind you with Reuben scooped in his arm as you leap after them. How are they so fast?

"Where are they going?" Axel asks.

"They're not following Magnus' trail." You say as you continue after them.

"They might be trying to corner us." Axel interjects as he lurches ahead. You watch every part of him tense like a ready piston and he heads off, persistent as a firework. The two thieves diverge and your eyes ping between them. Which of them took it?

"We've got to split up." You examine them. "I'll get the one who took the amulet!"

"But who did that?" Axel interjects.

"Last I checked, it was the guy with the fishing rod." You say out loud and Axel immediately snaps away from you, locking onto Nohr like a firework. As he charges away, you realize you're incredibly out of your depth.

Really, Axel was the griefer guy. If anyone was to be sent after the thief, it should have been him. Petra's words echo in your head for a moment. The spirit of a warrior and all that. But how far does that go in griefer turf?

If you weren't focusing all of your brain power onto locking onto the griefer, you'd be wondering if Petra was out there still. As you run for him, to grab him, to take what's yours, you think of her running as well. Looking for people who survived.

But here you are. Vaulting from building to building. Pursuing so hard you can feel your lungs burn but you don't stop. It's the one thing you have to find Magnus. There's no guarantee he'll hang out in the spire. There's nothing saying he hasn't left in some grand explosion.

Nohr said everyone here wanted to find him. There was no way he was going to just stay.

The thief seems confident at first, but as you leap closer and closer, continuing even as the leaps become farther and farther, you watch fear take hold in his eyes. Was it within a warrior's arsenal to chase someone to the end of the Overworld?

It's horrific to realize Axel is right. There's something about this that makes you feel terribly alive. As you chase him down, the man throws things at you. He starts with snowballs originally and scrambles desperately to chicken eggs in the end. But you dodge, you keep going, even when your breaths ache terribly.

"Alright, maybe you're not as much of a noob as we thought." You hear him breathe out as he ducks through a narrow structure. An angered hiss crawls through your teeth and you slow. It takes so much to not heave and sputter at the first chance to catch your breath.

Instead, you do your best to quiet, even if it feels like holding fire down in your throat. Your eyes peer for him, holding your position long enough to perhaps trick him into a false sense of security. When he reemerges from a window ten blocks away from your position, the way he looks from side to side reminds you of a rabbit.

You pounce on him, nearly throwing the two of you off the building. Fear echoes in his eyes and when you meet his gaze, you feel like a monster.

"Give it back!" You roar.

"Hold on!" You can hear Nohr's voice echo from somewhere before her yelp is cut off. The man under you squirms desperately for something. For a projectile, maybe? It'd be suicide for him to pull out a block of TNT here.

As you hold him down you feel his hands press against your chest. That's when it hits you. You're stronger than him.

It makes you wonder how much prowess you've gained over the years. You were never a fighter by choice. Are you running on pure adrenaline? Have you been subtly improving? Why of all times to find this out, why now? Why when someone's looking at you like you're about to kill them?

"Dusty—dammit, let go!" You hear an explosion echo out. You're not sure of its direction.

"Axel!" You shout. His voice doesn't pierce the world. The man under you takes your loosened grip as an opportunity to slam his entire weight onto you.

You slide.

You feel part of your body hit open air. The man's eyes widen in a sort of horror even before you reach for him in a desperate attempt to find purchase. Your fingers dig into him, he kicks and squirms, and the two of you feel the open air.

It takes you a millisecond to catch the drop. Dread grabs your heart. On instinct you reach out your hands, barely managing to catch the wall. You feel your skin burn as it scrapes against the harsh brick.

A scream echoes out behind you. Then a wail.

You forgot you weren't the only one falling.

When you stumble to the ground, shuddering like a cold wolf pup, you catch Axel running up behind Nohr. She's scooped the man up and pulled him in close. You barely catch the ragged, slow movements of his chest. Your eyes are too busy running down the blood pooling from his head.

Voices echo across Boomtown. Horror and anguish. You didn't expect this. They'd lived their lives on the edge. You look to Axel, noticing only the ends of his hair are singed.

You heave. "The potions! Axel!"

He holds them haphazardly in his arms. Nohr looks at the two of you like you can't be serious. She huddles close to the man as you look desperately through the potions. You try to remember if you caught a glimpse of what Petra put on your shoulder.

"It has to be pink." You peer through hurried memories of medical huts at Endercon. Every so often, someone tumbled off a build, got too cocky near lava, something. Most of the time they were lucky.

Axel holds out a dark pink potion and you take it, pouring it on the man's wounds. Nohr watches you, gaze too exhausted to be read. As you do, there's the scurrying of feet. You realize then that the other griefers have fallen silent.

"What happened?" There are two of them donned in red eye masks. Nohr clutches the man as his breathing suddenly rushes back into a normal tempo. He gasps like he's just been drowning.

"Alright, we'll take him—" The one closest to Nohr speaks and the man holds out one desperate hand.

"I'm fine!"

"You were dying on the ground just a moment ago." Nohr hisses. The two strangers look at the man and you notice how fast his blood is drying.

"You've got one iris bigger than the other, Dustin!" One of them reach for him and he swats them back.

"Y'gotta remember a griefer's at their best when they're not dead! Just let us look you over."

"We're close now." Dustin hisses and you remember. You didn't get the amulet from him.

"Are you seeing double?" Nohr cringes.

"Who cares! It doesn't matter if there are fifty Magnuses, I'm gonna win against 'em all!"

"Well, you kinda owe us the amulet for what we just did." Axel interrupts their weird little charade.

"I did beat you." You say. Nohr shakes her head.

"We had you right where we wanted you! Besides, Dusty threw you off the building. You just got lucky enough to grab him." Nohr crosses her arms as Dustin sits up. He glares at her.

"Dusty is a stupid nickname." He snaps. "'TNT Dustin' is better."

"Ugh. You're definitely concussed. That doesn't even rhyme! Why not Demolition Dustin, huh?"

"...What is going on right now?" You ask as the two presumed medics finally shove their way past you. "Hey! Don't take him until I get that amulet!"

"I'm not getting taken anyway! Go away! Get!" Dustin seems to be swatting them away meekly. The two medics exchange glances before shrugging and leaving. "That's right, you better run!"

"Isn't a concussion kinda bad?" You grimace as Dustin steps to his feet. He slugs you playfully before smirking so hard his mustache looks like it'll fly off.

"Oh, I've had much worse! And won!" He smirks with glee as Nohr rolls her eyes. It's easy to forget she'd had him in her arms earlier. "Butttt, I wouldn't mind some more of those potions of yours."

"You already have our amulet!" Axel snaps. You nod along to that. The two of you steel yourselves for a fight. Nohr just rolls her eyes.

"Okay, something's wrong here." She looks the two of you over. "No griefers here carry potions, fresh blood or not. Unless they're to damage someone."

"...Why?" Axel tilts his head. You feel your shoulders unclench. Nohr shrugs.

"Supposed to differentiate the guys who fix us up versus another opponent. You get your fix if you mess up too bad."

"Assuming you live!" Dustin adds with a thumbs up.

"Man, your eyes are freaky." Axel comments. "But kinda cool."

"It's not gonna stick." Dustin sighs and shakes his head.

"Which is a good thing, ugh!" Nohr holds up two fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Dustin groans. "I've got a headache."

"I'm telling you!" Nohr snaps and Dustin suddenly keels over and hurls. You and Axel stumble away, eyes wide. It seems Axel is reconsidering the whole griefer life now. Nohr just sighs.

"One day you're gonna end up empty headed."

"...Empty headed?" You parrot, a terrible feeling in your stomach.

"A lot of stupid griefers end up with nothing in their skulls. They just sit and starve." Nohr points to the side of her head. Axel pales and you hold back nausea. You didn't consider that there were ways to die before your body did.

"That's awful." Axel groans.

"That's why I need this idiot to go with the doctors!"

"Just gimme one of your potions, it'll fix me up!"

Nohr looks back at you. "Right. Why do you have those?"

"Just lemme have one!"

"You need to SLEEP!" Nohr snaps at him. "I am not going to fish up your inventory one day because you refused to sleep off a concussion!"

"Whatever. Hogs." Dustin crosses his arms. That's when you realize you didn't see Reuben with Axel. You look to him.

"Where's Reuben!?"

"Judging us all." He points to the top of his head and Reuben pops his head over the top of his hair. Nohr scampers back in shock, like she's seen it all now.

"I thought the pig was just a distraction! Why the hell did you bring that here?!" Her words are enough to get an annoyed grumble out of Reuben. "Is he your pet? Why would you bring your pet here?!"

"He's very insistent on coming along. Aren't you buddy?" You reach over Axel's head to scritch Reuben on the chin.

"Just as he was super insistent to crawl down my jacket." Axel snaps and you hear Reuben squeal in delight. "Bastard pig."

"Alright, that confirms it. You're weird." Nohr paces a circle around you.

"I could've told you that." Dustin nods and Nohr bops him on the shoulder. "But really, am I super concussed or are they actually odd?"

"You don't seem like griefers! Not even fresh Boomtowners. What is your deal? Why do you have this tracker if you're not?" Nohr paces around you. "I thought it was a gimmick or you built something. Dustin! Gimme it."

"But—"

"I said gimme!" Nohr lunges and he hands her the amulet. She examines it, holding it in the air. "Is this yours? Or did someone give it... to you..." You watch her eyes widen as she traces the artifact with them. Dustin peers over.

"Oh, I have to be seeing things."

"This is the Order's logo. Their—" She looks to you. "Okay. Why are you looking for Magnus? You clearly don't want to be King here, do you?"

"What are you talking about? King?" Axel looks at you and tilts his head again.

"Okay. Why are you here then? You're looking for him for some weird reason." Nohr returns to pacing, as if she'll find an opening. Reuben hops down and squeals defensively. Nohr just looks him over like he's a weird creature.

"That's a weird cat you have." Dustin says and Nohr's palm meets her face. She returns to eying you up and Reuben follows her, ree-ing every once in a while.

"Well, we're clearly not trying to hurt each other anymore." Axel comments.

"I'm willing to agree on a truce if you explain." Nohr steps in front of the two of you. Reuben circles her feet. She stares at him solemnly for a few moments before breaking into a small bit of laughter. It's enough for him to snag the amulet out of her hands and bring it to you. Somehow, you feel she let you do that. "Alright, call off the attack pig. I just want to know."

"If she was awful she'd be blowing up Endercon." Axel states and you sigh. Can't blame a griefer acting like a griefer in their playground. You run your finger across the diamond blue part of the amulet and Nohr flinches.

"You know the story of the Order, right?" You ask and Nohr rolls her eyes before nodding.

"Of course. Everyone here knows Magnus is the King of all griefers. Him and Ellegaard worked together on contraptions that would knock out the End Crystals. Everyone here knows that part."

"Don't tell anyone, but I think Magnus knows a little redstone." Dustin snickers like he's learned a dirty little secret.

"There's a monster ravaging the entire Overworld. We have no idea how long it's going to take to get here but we need to get Magnus. He's going to help us destroy it."

"A monster?" Nohr parrots and you suddenly see the red part of the amulet flash. You look closely at it. It doesn't do that again. "What kind of monster needs the mighty Magnus to slay it?"

"A Wither with the power of a Command Block. You've gotta believe me, Gabriel gave me this." You flick the diamond colored part and it suddenly glows softly for a few seconds. It's sustained longer than the red glow and seems to, instead of shattering like the red glow, seems to crackle erratically like lightning.

"Gabriel's alive!?" Axel grabs the amulet out of your hands. "Gabriel! Where are you!? We're here!" Nohr tackles him and he stops talking. He looks at her strangely.

"He's muttering incoherently again!" Nohr shouts to the sea of curious, crawling griefers. They turn away. She eyes up the amulet. "Alright. If you're telling the truth, I want in on it."

"Magnus is more likely to believe his own people, too." Dustin adds. How is he so coherent for someone with a concussion? You flick the red part of the amulet and don't catch the signal again.

"Let's be honest, he's probably going to assume you're a scumbag who snatched it under Gabriel's nose." Nohr comments.

"Really? I thought he'd have more faith in Gabriel."

"Kinda hard to when you're holding part of his inventory!" Nohr fires back. "Now c'mon, I wanna get involved. You want to slay a big monster, yeah? The more the merrier!" You can see a dangerous gleam in her eye. Would she really be willing to give up the title of King for the ability to slay a massive, never before seen monster?

"Can we trust this?" You lean close to Axel. "I mean, it's two of us against her and her wounded buddy if it goes bad, yeah?"

"Have you looked at yourself?" Axel grimaces and you're suddenly aware of the burns on your skin. A hiss crawls out of your throat as you run your hands across your torn up sleeves. You hear Axel murmur something about enough wool to repair your sleeves.

"C'mon, let's get going!" Nohr leaps around you. "I wanna tell Magnus we've got a monster to slay already!"

Is this really true? Sure, you'd had a diplomatic conversation and all, but Nohr's a wildcard. Ultimately, she wants to win, doesn't she? And is she in it for the right reasons?

"Okay, let us lead the way." You brush Nohr back in the midst of one of her vaults towards you. You watch her stop, a sort of manic grin crawling across her face. She leaps around you, breaking into an excited dance. Dustin joins her for a moment before she pushes him away.

"You're in no condition to slay a monster!" She snaps, stilling in front of him. You watch Dustin cross his arms and pout, not unlike a few months old fresh spawn.

"I am not missing this opportunity! Besides, I've got the three of you to back me up!" His arm suddenly locks around your shoulder and his tone is song-like in your ears. Dustin's eyes run down your arms and he grimaces. "Besides, you've barely got any sleeves or skin left on your arms."

That makes you look. What he thinks is missing skin are bright red friction burns. The reminder makes pain flash across them. It makes you wonder how hard the Wither's tendril hit you. You don't want to think of how bad the bruise is there.

"He does have a point." Nohr looks you over. "You do look awful."

"We can't just sit here! That monster could be here any minute!" Axel rebukes that idea immediately. You press one hand to your stomach and wince when it brings pain. Nohr rushes over and pulls up your shirt before recoiling.

"How long have you had that?!" You watch her skin pale in real time. Your eyes catch the purple bruise, large like that monster, and you feel lightheaded for a moment too long. It sticks. She lets go of your shirt and even Axel is cringing. Nohr looks to him. "Your friend's been walking around bleeding internally like that!?"

"Well, we haven't had—" Axel stammers, clearly searching for something. "Red's healing, right? I have a few of those."

Your eyes trail to Dustin. It seems he's trying to calculate how far he can run with a concussion. Almost as if he's regretting not heading back with the red masked folk.

Axel shows Nohr a few of the potions and she nods at him. "How do you guys not know what a healing potion looks like?" She asks as Axel hands you one and gives Dustin the other in his hand.

"Score!" He cheers.

"That's only so you don't get eaten by that monstrosity." Axel rolls his eyes as you down the potion. It's like a snap and suddenly everything's terrible clear. You wonder if you'd hit your head when the Wither slammed into you.

Dustin's eyes finally look normal. "Finally! I can see one person at a time!" He promptly slugs Nohr as a test of his depth perception. It looks for a moment like she wants to toss him into the next biome.

"You're gonna have to be sneaky with that thing." Nohr disengages, walking to your side. "Every griefer in Boomtown is gonna be on you the moment you pull it out."

"We could try and follow where Magnus was last." You think back to the spire. It could be a gamble, sure, but losing the amulet was another gamble.

"But you do have us on your side!" Dustin rushes to Nohr's flank. She rolls her eyes before nodding at him.

"Right, the more targets there are, the easier it is to confuse them." Nohr taps her chin and Reuben rushes to your side, grinning from ear to ear. "I like your enthusiasm, little guy, but isn't it a bit dangerous for you?" Nohr kneels down to Reuben's level. He just shakes his head.

"He is pretty fast." You agree.

"Reuben's got the spirit of a dragon." Axel scoops him up. Reuben tries to flare the wings of a costume long gone. Axel just snickers before letting Reuben leap out of his arms.

"Alright," Nohr leans in, smirking like a madman, "you pull that out, give us his locale, and you lead. Worse comes to worst, we play catch with the amulet. Throw 'em off."

"You could bait 'em! Pretend to toss it to me!" Axel suggests.

"I do still have my fishing rod!" Dustin joins in Nohr's smirk. She sighs before tussling his mohawk. He squeals like a dying animal. "Quit touching the merchandise!"

"I wouldn't even trade a block of gravel for your hair," Nohr snorts and you use that time to pull out the amulet.

"He's still in the spire." You say, flicking it back into your inventory. The sky darkens, and for a moment, you think the beast is upon you. As your eyes press against the sky, you see them all. Griefers from every angle, eyes peering down.

You're a target again.

"Scatter!" Nohr orders and you feel her press against one of your arms. You flash the amulet out of your inventory and she mock grabs it before winking and leaving you in the dust. You look to Axel, and he takes the cue, scattering away as well. You charge up one of the buildings and feel the shadows of several hands.

You take a mental note of the spire and the crowd chasing you. Knowing they don't intend to kill you is a relief, but you don't want to find out what they'll pull if you're caught.

A fire charge blasts by your face. One of your knees buckle and you slide, nearly falling off a building. As you struggle onto solid ground, you catch sight of them. Some of them are fighting for who will get you first, sure, but there's so many of them. They're like a swarm, a tidal wave, or perhaps something worse.

You remember Nohr and Dustin were at your throats just a few agonizing moments ago. For a moment, you debate recalling your trust, but you remember the wink and the amulet sitting in your inventory.

Skies above, you have the amulet. Your eyes peer for an out. There's no building close by. Your eyes press back to the crowd. Some of them have given up the fight, while you notice some are using the ensuing chaos as a slime block to charge at you.

One of them trips over something. Your eyes widen as you recognize the small pink shape charging through them. Howling wails trail through the crowd and you take the initiative, charging through the gaps.

Hands reach for you. You press under them, rushing like a rabbit through a small burrow. Every impulse is to run. You must be fast, not only to escape them, but to find Magnus.

Do you run to the spire? Do you throw them off? The questions nearly stop you in your tracks. You try the latter option. There must be something here to break the crowd.

Your sword is doing nothing against griefers. Even if you act mad, they'd probably just kill you out of pure fear. Can't blame them for that. Unfortunately, that's all you have on you. If only Axel had handed you a firework. Dammit. You should have spent more time talking.

But alas, they were on you then. They would have heard any plan made. You weave through buildings, scamper into the open every so often, act like you're lost and like you don't have the amulet. Some of the griefers defect, peering for the rest of your makeshift alliance, while others don't seem to take the bait quite yet.

"He doesn't know what he's doing! Anyone with even a sliver of self respect wouldn't bring a pet in here!" Voices echo around you.

"I think the pig's lost." There's a snort, echoing against the sky.

You weave again, barely escaping a torrent of grasping hands. You hope Magnus is a homebody. Maybe he's reading a book, unaware of the chaos. Nobody would expect him to be stationary, right? He's probably laughing his ass off at the thought of people charging all over each other in a desperate attempt to find him.

It makes you wonder what Petra's doing. If she's found the temple. If she's rushing between monstrous tendrils and terrible jaws. Just across the world is an abomination. You wonder how chaotic Boomtown will become when it arrives.

Follow. Olivia's words echo. You try to discern her shouting, the language, the shrieking. You remember.

Amulet.

Your blood feels like a thousand prickling ice crystals. It's like your heart is trying to crawl out of your chest. The fear throws you into overdrive. You hear the echoes of bodies hitting each other.

The griefers aren't the only thing that wants the amulet. If you're putting it together right, that Wither has to have changed direction. How much time do you have? Have you brought death to their doorstep?

You rush through the echoes of explosions, sliding on the ground like it's slippery, fresh ice. Yowls follow you, people chatter about your suicidal nature. That inspires you to duck in the rubble of what appears to have been a small shelter.

The crowd rushes past you, a blur. You hear them debate your fate. Others diverge to continue the search, while others stand vigil for a few moments. Someone runs over, echoing something about your inventory. Those standing vigil eventually leave you behind and you take a look around.

Nobody's around. In the distance, someone sings a tune of your untimely fate. You don't fight that assumption. Instead, you peer for the spire, locking onto it.

Your journey over is slower, consisting of you rushing at the sounds of explosions and ducking into places many could not fit into. A few griefers nearly spot you before an explosion fires off and they rush to it. In your periphery, you catch fireworks blasting halfway across the town. Like phantoms to the restless, they follow, screaming in utter excitement.

It makes you wonder for a moment if the Wither's siege would excite them. Nohr's eyes lit up at the thought of fighting it. But nobody could slay that thing, at least not now.

Were you going to bring Magnus to his death? You couldn't consider that now. You have to make it to him. The Order has to know something. Especially if that Command Block was something they hid. Perhaps they purged it from history, damned its memory. Their tale echoed across history, they couldn't risk the echoes of such a terrible machine.

When you arrive at the spire, you see Nohr pulling arrows out of one of the dispensers. Wait, dispensers? Dammit, not again! You peer across the stone bridge and see them lining each side. Nohr's grinning like a madman as you pulls out an army's worth of them.

"You want 'em?" The grin on her face makes you realize why she hangs around Dustin. Deep down, she's just as excitable. Maybe Dustin's younger, hasn't gotten responsibility fully down. Or maybe he'd rather be dead than down. It's hard to tell the difference.

"Sure?" You shrug your shoulders and catch Dustin baiting one of the dispensers with one hand in your periphery. He grabs one of the arrows midair and giggles like he's just heard the funniest joke. Nohr rolls her eyes, hops on top of the dispensers and unloads the ones next to Dustin with incredible speed. The next thing you know, you have to catch a ton of inactive arrows.

"Do you guys keep gauze around here?" You hear Axel echo and you catch him at the door. Reuben is busy perched right at the door, occasionally glancing at the arrow lodged in Axel's leg. Nohr mutters something before rushing over to him.

"Dontcha have some healing potions?" Nohr asks as she seems to begrudgingly pulling out a roll of gauze.

"It's stupid to waste it on an arrow to the leg." Axel retorts and Reuben nods. You hop on top of the dispensers and witness Dustin bait out another. This one nearly goes through his hand. You pull him back and glare at him. He just looks at you like a guilty cat sitting on a chest with your most valuable stuff.

You hear Axel yelp. "Yeah. Arrows to any limb suck." You say, agreeing with his complaint.

"This should be enough?" You catch Nohr wincing. She glares at you when she realizes what you said. Axel glances at the bandaging before looking back at Reuben. He stands.

"Cool pig, by the way." Dustin comments, finally seeming to stop trying to bait the arrows out. Reuben beams, standing triumphantly. You take a look around before pulling out the amulet. The green glows at its strongest. Axel goes to open the iron door but it doesn't budge.

"'Course. It's probably booby trapped." Nohr crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. "Why couldn't this be easy?"

"Me and you both." You reply and bang on the door. "Magnus! Uh... Dammit, what do I say?" You look back to them.

"Basket full of kittens! Great creeper repellent!" Axel shouts at the door. Nohr smacks him on the shoulder before approaching the door.

"Mighty Magnus, your subjects have a grand monster for you to slay! Do not squander this opportunity!" She puts on the most pompous voice and strolls a full circle. The doors still don't budge. You hear Nohr growl and slam her fists into it several times. "C'mon! You really wouldn't come to slay a big monster?!"

Dustin clears his throat, steps to the door like he's a well dressed trader, and speaks calmly and slowly. "We've got a fair amount of arrows out here. Would you like some, my good fellow?" Still nothing. "Maybe there's a password? Hmph. Magnusisthegreatest!" He says that last part incredibly fast. The doors don't budge.

You press close to the door, fingers digging into the harsh stone. Doing your best impression of a snarling thing, you roar, "We've got you surrounded! If you let us in, we'll spare you an ass kicking!"

Somehow, that opens the doors.

"Really? He'd rather have his ass kicked than worshiped?" Nohr tilts her head and looks at you like you'd have an answer. You just shrug at her.

"C'mon, I really had to think up something cool!" Dustin whines.

"Hey, he wouldn't come out for my kitten basket." Axel shrugs and steps through the doorway. You and Reuben follow him idly and you hear Nohr and Dustin gasp.

"You idiot!" She snaps, nearly tackling you. Dustin rushes to her side as her fingers dig into your shoulder. "I told you to look for—"

The ground goes out beneath you. It's hard to tell where their screams end and yours begin. As you hit the ground, you realize you'd pulled the amulet out out of habit. Well if you put it back—

Someone hits your back and it flies out of your hands. Nohr squeaks out a 'sorry' as you hear the rest of your ragtag crew fall down behind you. From the ground, you notice you've landed on a makeshift bridge consisting of obsidian and sand. You push Nohr back gently as you catch the bubbling lava all around you.

The bridge turns to the right, leading to a large platform. You hear footsteps from above you and struggle to your feet, looking back at the people behind you. Reuben seems to be trying to help Nohr get to her feet. Dustin seems to be too busy trying to figure out if he's even alive and Axel looks like he's seen a ghost. You catch the glint of the amulet on that platform and thank the skies above that it didn't fall into the lava.

Wait, why is it glowing so bright-

There's an echo of a smug laugh and you watch brown boots with a deep washed out lime green vamp and heel step close to the amulet. You catch the outline of levers and watch the strangers hand hover over one. "Are you aware you're surrounded by hundreds of hidden death traps?"

You stand up. Maybe if mention the monster. Maybe if you explain—

"One step closer," Magnus seems terribly excited and you hear the lever click, "and boom!" He roars as the sand surges up. You catch the TNT beneath it, only separated from the lava by a piston as you fall back. Axel barely catches you and stands you back up. Your eyes linger on the lava.

Magnus scoops up the amulet with one brown gloved hand. It seems to interrupt his excitement as he runs his black, masked eyes along it. You catch Nohr shiver in the corner of your eye. Magnus' eyes harden and you watch the excitement you just caught in Axel's eyes die. Magnus' shoulders tense under the deep green of his cloth armor. It reminds you for a moment of a puffy jacket.

Nohr suddenly bows. "Magnus, we have a quest for you." You catch her looking up at him. "I promise, it may sound a little crazy, but these outsiders have the amulet! Or well, they did."

"Where did you get this?" Magnus' words are a low hiss as his light brown brows furrow. "Not only are you stupid enough to wander right into a trap, you're presenting this? Do you have any shame?"

Axel looks to you, panic crossing his eyes. "What is he going on about?"

"Listen, I can explain. Gabriel—" You desperately try to get a word in.

"Did you steal it from him? Or did you fish it out of his inventory? Huh?" You watch his hands dance over one of the levers. "The least you can do is answer me before I send you back to where you crawled out of."

"If you would stop interrupting me, I could explain!" You snap and you watch Magnus' hand retract slightly from the lever. Dustin squeaks behind you. If you looked at him closer, you could probably see his life flash in his eyes. "There's a monster out there. Gabriel couldn't fight it, he gave me the amulet. Told me to find the Order. That's what we're here for."

"Told you we had a quest." Nohr nods and crosses her arms. You see Magnus' eyes harden but his hand doesn't inch closer to the lever. He looks to the amulet in his hand. Suddenly, his hand slams down one lever and the TNT rockets out of your way. You debate rushing to him, but considering how disadvantaged you are, it seems like a stupid risk.

"You could help us slay the big monster!" Dustin interjects. "I mean, think about it. Every griefer would kill to fight that thing!" You realize then that Dustin is right. A whole army's worth of people on your side, no, a whole town, would serve as an advantage. If you could find a way through its flesh...

The lever clicks and another barrier raises. Magnus looks like he's examining you for an opening. "I'm not stupid. What are you really here for? Did you best Gabriel in a fight and he promised you the amulet? Hm? Kind of stupid to do that just to find me."

"Are you kidding me?" Axel snaps. Nohr and Dustin exchange a strange glance.

You grit your teeth, face growing redder by the minute. You watch Magnus' gaze harden again, hand hovering over the lever. "Ivor was a member of the Order!"

Magnus' hand shoots away from the lever. You watch fear cross his face. "How do you know that?"

"They would unify the powers of building, destruction, engineering, combat and alchemy to slay a dragon." You echo the book. "You used your combined strength to free the End." You press close to the barrier and catch Magnus veering back. It seems like he's reaching for something.

"And if I'm right," You heave, "that monster's on its way to Boomtown now."

You hear Axel, Nohr and Dustin all yelp. Magnus looks at you like you've grown another head. Axel looks to you before pulling you back and shaking you like it'll throw your inventory.

"What gave you that idea?"

"Follow. Amulet." You echo Olivia's words. Axel recoils, eyes wide in horror and you watch Nohr and Dustin shiver. Magnus looks to the amulet in his hand. You watch as the impulse to throw it crosses his eyes. He flicks one lever and the TNT flies away.

"It's a Wither with the power of a Command Block. It has Gabriel." You reach for the amulet and Magnus keeps it steady. You flick the blue part and watch the light crackle into existence awkwardly, throbbing like a sculk shrieker's light.

"He's alive? I thought you..." Magnus doesn't meet your gaze.

"We don't know." You say. "Maybe it recognizes the monster's signal."

"We think it ate him." Axel admits. "I mean... That's what it—I saw it. Olivia said—" You watch Axel bury his head in his hands. Nohr presses close to his shoulder for a moment before Reuben shoves her away and rubs against Axel's leg. She steps to your side and looks to Magnus.

"All of the griefers here would kill to take on that monster. If we tell them, we can unite our power. It won't stand a chance." Nohr suggests.

"Oh, sure, I'll just walk out there and expect them to not swarm me and take my crown. Of course." Magnus rolls his eyes and gestures above his pale, hairless head like he's got a crown for someone to literally yank. "If you want them to follow that idea, someone's gonna have to knock me off my mantle."

"You can't be serious, they're griefers, not idiots!" You interject.

"Yeah, I can tell you I'd rather be fighting the big monster." Dustin smirks. "We'll tell them about it, they'll hear us out."

"Doesn't matter how smart you are, bloodlust gives you a one track mind." Magnus snorts. "Someone here's gonna have to knock me down."

"That'll probably be you. An underdog with a relic? Perfect story." Nohr pats you on the shoulder. "But we don't have time for a whole Death Bowl! We just need to get their attention and explain this. They'd listen to you."

"I mean, I'd like to stay, but if that monster's on its way..." Axel grimaces and looks to you. You sigh.

"Well, go on then, Amulet Holder, what do you think?" Magnus hands the amulet back to you. He presses close to you and whispers. "You know who made the monster, don'tcha?"

"Uhhh..." You stammer, trying to think of how you're going to figure this out.

As much as you'd rather be diplomatic, you highly doubt a bunch of griefers are going to hear you out. Magnus has a good point. They'd probably tear through you before you even got a word out to speak just to get to him.

"Well, I have to admit, we're going to have to challenge Magnus." You look behind yourself awkwardly. Nohr scowls, throwing her head into her hands. You watch a grin cross Magnus' face.

"It should be fast, I mean, we'll all team up, right?" Axel interjects. Magnus laughs, a strange sort of raspy noise.

"You really think you can have multiple Kings? That'd be madness!" Magnus seems to bow in laughter for a moment before coming to your side. "Besides, we've got the perfect story right here. An underdog who's climbed the ranks. The past catching up to me! Writes itself, don't it?"

"I suppose." You look between your crew. A shrug passes through them.

"Makes sense, I suppose. But I'm definitely taking your crown once that monster's dead." Nohr pats you on the back.

"Or we could take the credit for the monster..." Dustin shoves his head in front of her. It looks like Nohr's about to shove him away but she breaks into a laugh.

You cough loudly. "I say I throw some TNT your way. You fall at the shockwave in some dramatic fashion, I gloat, we use that as a ramp to talk to them. That should work in this... 'Death Bowl' or whatever you said?" You wave your arms around. Magnus' smirk falls.

"Seriously? If I'm going out, I want it to look awesome!"

"Can you put your ego aside for a minute? There's a monster out there." You snap back at him.

"Yeah, think of the awesome comeback!" Dustin smirks. "Gotta fall to rise and all?" You can hear Nohr quietly grumbling about the monster being her quarry.

"Shouldn't you be giving him a rundown of the rules, at least?" Nohr looks back at Magnus before walking back to where you had come. She seems to be peering for an exit. Magnus snorts.

"He's gotta come off a newbie. I tell him anything and he's not going to come off fresh."

"Fair, I guess." Nohr shrugs. "Can we get going now?" She's basically the master at taking the words out of your mouth at this point. As the rest of them head to the front, she drags you aside before shoving a few items into your hand. You don't comprehend them, you just inventory them.

The trip out of Magnus' lair is so quick it makes you feel like an idiot for not finding the exit earlier. You notice the griefers peering at you, about to pounce before Magnus flashes a smirk at them, and they scamper off like their blood's on fire. A pit grows in your stomach as you hear distant commotion growing. There's a chanting, a loud sort of sound that pierces your ears to the point where you swear you could see their words.

At the center of Boomtown sits a sort of lazy circle, almost torn apart at points. You can see several griefers perched on platforms, some even fighting over their spots. There's no point in the sky where there isn't some kind of platform sitting over it.

The only figure you don't see on the ground is a person dressed in a suit with a white eye mask that reminds you of the glasses Olivia told you about that made you see images in three dimensions. You wonder how one lens being red and the other being blue could do that.

You watch the man step forward as a few griefers build a tower that loom over you. "We griefers are gathered today for a special occasion! It's not often we get fresh blood in the Death Bowl!" As he speaks, you notice Dustin and Nohr chase a group of rowdy griefers off a perch. They wink at you when they settle, Nohr hanging her legs off the ledge lazily. Dustin lays on his side, almost bored by the announcers words.

"In this corner sits our reigning champion, our King," A chorus of cheers echo across every inch of the air. Magnus pumps his fists in the air, the interlocked pattern of lime green and brown at the edge of his sleeves shimmering in the dying light. You honestly expected the four gold buttons on his armor to be what would take up the sunlight. When the cheers die, you hear Dustin ask if anyone else has noticed how cold the air has gotten. Now that you think of it, he might have a point.

Suddenly, he's pointing at you and you watch Magnus take up a new position. "and in this corner sits our foolhardy challenger!" You hear a mixture of reactions, some cheers, others booing and jeering, some laughter, and the return of the song in honor of your existence, this time tweaked to be the beginning of a ballad. "He called you the Amulet Holder, didn't he? I take it you two have history."

"I need an army." You shout to the crowd. "Under my rule, you will slay a monster none have ever seen!" You catch Axel excitedly examining Magnus as he shuffles through his inventory. You roll your eyes and he squeaks. What does a guy with an inventory need a pouch on his belt for?

"I'm gonna betray him, totally." Axel mouths at you and that earns him another eye roll.

"These opponents will build their own griefing towers, which they will then use to grief each other! The only rule is—" The announcer points to the crowd, to which they roar in unison.

"That there are no rules!"

With that, the announcer nods. "Chests are over there." His voice is quieter as he speaks to you. "That applies to you too, Magnus."

"I've got my own materials!" Magnus begins to place blocks. You turn your focus to the chests, watching Reuben run a full circle around one. In one chest is stone, the next wood, and the one Reuben seems enamored with is full of pink wool.

"You haven't led me wrong so far, have you buddy?" You pet him on the head before taking up the wool. With a quick glance to your inventory, you notice you have enough black wool for silly little dot eyes. Perfect.

Your tower takes the form of a wooly, large pig, with two pinprick eyes made of black wool. Once you take your place, you notice Magnus' structure is like a fancy potion chalice. You'd only heard it in passing, a rumor from Olivia that Petra had seen one. You never got the point of it.

With one last look at your inventory, you notice what Nohr's given you. A few blocks of TNT, a flint and steel with decent durability, and a few fireworks. One of the fireworks has a small note tied to it. "In case of Magnus Madness?" You murmur that bit aloud as you look over at Magnus.

TNT rockets past your face, narrowly missing the wooden platform on top of your pig tower. You hiss before watching it do a sloppy sort of pirouette to the bottom. That had to have been calculated. Either that or Magnus really needed a pair of glasses.

"Losing your touch?" You scrape the steel against the tip of the TNT's fuse. It hisses like a creeper about to blow. It takes all of your willpower to not drop it entirely. You launch it at Magnus and he snorts as it misses by a wide margin, nearly hitting a few spectators.

"At least I had one in the first place!" He roars as TNT rockets through the air, taking out the pig's legs. You hear Reuben squeal in absolute rage somewhere in the audience. Cheers press at every angle and Magnus looks to the crowd, soaking it in. "Look at this noob, can take an amulet but he can't take a shot, can he?"

You grit your teeth so hard you might as well be cracking them into tiny pieces. With record speed you light the fuse and throw it at his back. Magnus barely looks over in time to dodge the outer parts of the shockwave. It takes half of his platform out. You watch fear dance in his eyes before his brow furrows and he punches the platform.

The crowd 'ooohs' as you prime another block of TNT. Magnus' eyes lock onto you as you aim right for his face. Something makes you forget that you don't intend to gore him. It has to look real, and he's survived this long, hasn't he?

Before your TNT can reach him, he places slime blocks in front of its path, rocketing it back and taking half of your platform with it. Magnus shouts something incomprehensible, something you can hardly hear over the blood rushing through your ears. Somewhere, you hear Nohr yelp and press away.

Axel rushes to the side of your tower. "He's losing it." He looks to Magnus with horror as the crowd cheers for him to go in for the kill. And with that look in his eyes? He doesn't even need to listen. He'd already made that choice.

"Cannon! Cannon! Cannon!" The chant starts quiet but fills the air.

"Oh, you people flatter me!" Magnus swoons before you watch him get to work.

"If I were you, I'd build for my life!" Axel shouts and you follow, making the thickest makeshift shield you can out of leftover cobble. When you press your head over the side, you can barely make out the shape of a terrible skull with lava pouring out one end. Your stomach twists.

TNT rockets through your cobble wall like a hot sword through a slime. Through one of the new holes, you catch the mechanism. Lava ignites the TNT rushing at you. If you weren't in danger, you'd be thinking of how oddly brilliant it is.

You're running out of platform. Your eyes peer to the fireworks. You pull out the one with the note and look to Axel.

"I've got a question."

"Could you pick a better time?!" Axel shouts and you hear Magnus suddenly stop operating his machine. There's squealing and a line of curses so foul and unknown to you. You'd laugh if not for the chaos surrounding you.

"Dammit, I'm telling you—no pets allowed!" Magnus yells as Reuben charges at his legs repeatedly. He grabs Reuben and looks about ready to chuck him. Axel looks back at you.

"TNT goes off whenever something flaming hits it, right? And fireworks are hot, right?" You ask Axel.

"Oho, yeah! Yeah!" Axel cheers excitedly. "Chuck one of those babies in there and you've got an explosion for the ages." You watch Axel suddenly rush to a chest and throw something at you.

"A crossbow?!" You shout. Reuben continues to squeal and you catch him slamming his hooves into Magnus' mouth. A collective laugh echoes out from the audience, filling the darkening sky.

Wait, it couldn't have been that long. That wasn't right.

"You need a straight shot!" Axel retorts and you put the firework in the crossbow, pulling it all the way back.

"I've always wondered how aerodynamic a pig is!" Magnus shouts and throws one arm back. Reuben squeals. "What? Don't all pigs wanna fly?!" And with that, he tosses Reuben like he's a fire charge. Axel can barely catch up with him, catching him mid air so awkwardly it nearly takes him to the ground.

"Flying pig jokes are totally played out." You leap off one of the remaining blocks on your platform. TNT rushes past you and you let loose the firework. It screams, piercing the sky and then the wall of TNT. Shockwaves dance across you and you hear Magnus' voice over them.

"Oh crap." With that, a thousand shockwaves echo past, one nearly throwing you to the ground. You ride it, air whooshing past your face as you sink your fingers into one of the few remaining wool blocks. With one look back, you watch Magnus grab at the air before plummeting to the ground like a hefty weight.

You let yourself drop gently, landing much more lightly than Magnus ever did. The crowd's silence ends when Magnus struggles to his feet. A series of strange gasps escape him as he looks at you. You look to the sky, expecting to see the griefers looking down at you, but you see the blue replaced by a terrible, deep purple.

The announcer looks to the sky and you watch him pale. Somewhere, Dustin screams. You already know why.

Nohr leaps to your side as Axel presses close to you, still holding Reuben. You watch Reuben bury himself into Axel's shoulder. Dustin rushes over, grabbing Nohr and pulling her back, yelling something you can hardly understand besides 'shelter.'

"I'm not going to run." You hear her announce. Magnus looks to the monster's snapping jaws and you swear you hear the sweat pouring down his face.

"Holyyy crap." For once, you can agree with him on something. He looks at you and then the monster's slashing tendrils.

The beams crawl across the ground, taking any who cross their path. You hear screams echo around you. Axel grabs Magnus with his free hand but he squirms out, roaring back at the thing. You watch Nohr leap away from Dustin, brandishing TNT. She leaps across the remnants of the platforms above and throws it at the abomination.

It doesn't even flinch. One of its eyes lazily slide to her and you watch her shudder under its gaze. She's gone a few moments after.

"Nohr!" Dustin screams and tries to run for her. You grab his shoulder and pull him back. He slams a fist into your wrist but you hold him until he crumples on the ground.

"Stop eating my people! My town!" Magnus roars at the monster. It doesn't even set its gaze on him, devouring the buildings slowly. You watch people flutter away. Dustin gazes back at you before he runs away.

"Magnus, we need to go." Axel grabs Magnus by the arm and hisses in his ear. Magnus looks about ready to throw him off before you see the fight leave his eyes. His voice suddenly quiets, like a scared fresh spawn hiding in a hole.

"It's eating my people." His voice is like that of a tiny, scared thing. In the distance, you hear Dustin scream. You don't want to think of why.

Instead, you manage to drag him into the portal. Reuben doesn't ever crawl out of Axel's arms. He just buries his head in deeper, even in the Nether. You'd expect the Piglins to comment on Magnus, but they seem to recognize the look in his eyes. You step through the portal in silence.

Your stomach feels like it's full of rocks as you step to the temple. Nohr. Dustin. You knew they lived life on the edge, but they didn't deserve to die like that. They didn't deserve their town to be torn asunder. You couldn't imagine what Magnus was thinking.

Your mind goes to the crossbow in your inventory. Maybe you could give that to someone here. Did Lukas have a weapon? Olivia could probably build some kind of contraption.

That pondering is enough for a creeper to almost get the jump on you. Arrows pierce through its side and it falls, dissolving and dropping some gunpowder. Axel pockets it and you look to the temple.

"Took you long enough." You hear Lukas laugh, perched in between some redstone blocks and quartz. That's when you notice the growing, natural darkness crawling across the sky. Maybe you have been gone that long. You just hope you still have a buffer.

"I see you've been busy." You try to force a gentle tone. Lukas tilts his head, furrowing his brow in a sort of saddened expression. You hold up the crossbow. "Did you maybe want an upgrade?"

"No, no, I've been getting the hang of this!" Lukas holds up his bow excitedly. He lays his head down on a redstone block, straining his eyes. "I see you've brought Magnus. Did he give you a hard time?"

Magnus looks away from Lukas. Lukas takes his head off the block and you watch him step to the door and open it.

"Well, I've got good news, at least." Lukas points to the hallway and you see Petra. It takes her a moment to look at you. Reuben leaps out of Axel's arms and runs circles around her legs. She relents after a little while and pets him on the head.

"Petra I..." You stammer at the sight of her. She slowly rises back to her feet. "I should have trusted you."

You watch her gaze soften. She sighs. "He tricked all of us. I... I don't know what I'd think if he used one of you like that against me." You stammer something, that she shouldn't forgive you, but she just shakes her head at you. "I had a lot of time to think. If you were that awful, you wouldn't have gone back for me." She puts a hand on your shoulder and you sigh.

Axel tackles her into a hug. "Never do that again!" You watch a few tears dribble down his face. You know not all of them are because of her. You remember that all of this is your fault. Your insides feel like someone's thrown a thousand swords through them.

"Alright big guy. I'll let the whole world burn next time." She presses Axel away playfully and he looks about ready to bawl. "I know what you meant." She laughs.

"Is there anything left of our home?" You ask her as she finally pulls away. The grimace crawling across her face is enough of an answer. You avoid her gaze for a moment before speaking again. "Olivia... I... How has she been doing?"

Petra seems to trying to find words. "She's... I don't know. She seems fine but..." She looks at you. "I saw something that I don't think she wanted me to." Petra turns back into the hall and starts to walk. Magnus looks to you as you walk, finally finding his voice again.

"What does it mean if Gabriel's still... alive? You said it ate him."

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he—" You start. Petra's gaze snaps her gaze to you and the whites of her eyes don't look right.

"I saw it take him. He's not out there." Her words are firm. You don't press any further. You watch Magnus pale, sweat dripping down his forehead for a moment. It takes you a few moments to enter the main part of the temple.

Magnus looks around. It takes him a few moments to say something. "You know, the last time I was here, I think I told Gabriel a joke. I didn't... I didn't think that'd be the last thing I ever said to him." For a moment, he's not untouchable. It's like he's an old friend.

You remember the last things said to Petra before she returned. To Lukas and Olivia when you thought the monster had devoured them. To Nohr and Dustin. The last thing she'd said. All she wanted to do was hurry along.

You should have tried diplomacy. You could have. If you'd told her to stop, maybe she would have. Maybe you and Dustin could have convinced her.

Magnus looks back at you. "Level with me, it was Ivor, wasn't it? He set this whole thing in motion, didn't he?"

You gulp back the urge to confess everything. You just look at him awkwardly and stammer. "Yeah. Yeah..." That's enough to get Magnus scowling.

"My day can't get any worse." He hisses, closes his eyes and turns around. You watch him jolt back in real time. "Oh, you're kidding me. You're actually fucking with me!"

You look in front of him. You recognize Olivia first before you put together the stranger in the copper colored armor. It's a good thing Ellegaard isn't one for helmets or masks anymore. You catch her dark, wavy brown hair, somehow swept away from her pale fawn colored face and black eyes. Between those eyes rest an awfully long, almost rectangular nose. It reminds you of how Magnus' nose is stubby and weirdly juts out at the bottom. The metal sleeves under her coppery shoulder guards are a deep, almost wine red, meeting coppery gauntlets with a red stripe right under where they stop. You ponder the intricate design on the black segment of the armor on her torso, thinking on how it almost looks like a golden piston with a gem of redstone meeting her neck.

Lukas pipes up suddenly. You nearly jolt at the sound of his voice. Like an ocelot, he's pretty damn sneaky. "I should've mentioned, Olivia kind of went searching for Ellegaard."

"What's your problem with her? I saw the levers in your fortress. That's redstone!" Axel tilts his head and shrugs one shoulder. You watch Magnus scowl.

"I always thought the Order had a 'bond that transcended every dimension.'" Petra speaks those quotes in a sort of exaggerated bravado, like a storyteller way too into it to the point of hamming it.

"Someone's forgotten that redstone sets off TNT." Magnus hisses. Axel, Petra and Lukas all look at you. "It's a metaphor!"

Olivia's gaze locks onto you. You shrug. "I'll go see what's up." You say as you walk off. Magnus rolls his eyes, pulling himself into a sort of full body scowl. As you approach, Olivia's eyes follow you. You can't help but remember the way the beast's eyes pressed across Nohr's form before it snatched her.

"Easy now," Ellegaard speaks like she's soothing a wild animal, "we don't want another incident, do we?"

"Alright, don't talk to her like that." You step in front of Ellegaard.

"Listen, I know how to talk to people. I don't need you to tell me what to say." Ellegaard sounds like she's offended at the very idea of you talking to her. You feel your teeth press into a strange grimace as she seems to gently tap one deep red boot.

Olivia's fingers press into your arm. They feel harder and cooler than normal. When you look to her, she seems normal. "Just... We need her." She stammers. You relent, pressing back.

"Why did you bring him here?" Ellegaard looks at Magnus. You can't help but notice how desperately he's trying to not even glance at Ellegaard.

"Did Olivia not mention the large monster tearing apart the world? Or did you just talk over her when she did?" You scowl. "We need to reunite the Order."

"Well, of course she did. It was a bit hard to pick out through all of the begging to be my assistant, but I do have a keen set of ears." Ellegaard nods sort of gently at you. "But bringing Magnus here? Well, let's be honest. People like him would rather go out fighting the damn thing than actually kill it."

"That's not true." Olivia utters. "Axel would never do that."

"You didn't have to pull Magnus from the jaws of the dragon." Ellegaard retorts. Olivia glares a hole straight through her.

"Neither did you."

Ellegaard laughs nervously, shoving you away. "Has your buddy always been like this?"

You eye Ellegaard up like she's hiding something in her inventory. Magnus suddenly steps in front of you and you catch his teeth bared in a forced sort of grin.

"I see you've finally decided to do something worthwhile with your life." Magnus somehow manages through the cage of his teeth. You watch Ellegaard sort of huff, smirking in a way that looks like she wants to tear his face off.

"Wow! Your voice is easier to listen to like that! Maybe you should learn to keep speaking like that." Ellegaard claps her hands together. You feel something bubble beneath your skin. The waning light of the day crawls across the fortress.

"Would you two shut it!?" Your voice echoes against the sky. You bet even Petra has jolted at the sound. "I swear, if I have to deal with you arguing any longer I'm going to find that monster and jump down its throat!"

The fire leaves Magnus at the moment. He turns away. "I'll admit... It's humbling seeing that kind of power. There's nothing quite like how destructive it is."

"And here I was thinking you liked destruction." Ellegaard snorts at him.

"You didn't see what it did. You didn't hear their screams." Magnus' voice is hushed. You watch Ellegaard stop, almost reach out a hand, before pulling it back. She seems to look at the ground at the very thought.

"Do you have some ultimate weapon around here?" You ask, pressing close to them. Ellegaard and Magnus shake their heads.

"Even if we had something like that, it wouldn't be here anymore." Ellegaard says.

"Yeah, it'd take all the world's TNT to kill the damn thing." Magnus shakes his head.

"I hate to agree with him, but he's right. The only thing I could imagine to kill something that large and impenetrable would be an explosion." Ellegaard seems to pace for a moment. "If only we had Soren... He'd figure something out."

"Soren? Oh you can't be serious. Him?" Magnus fires back. You see Olivia nod out of the corner of your eye. You raise an eyebrow at that.

"Like it or not Magnus, he had something powerful. Like all of the world's TNT combined into one block. I'd even say it could destroy a Command Block." Ellegaard gestures madly, like she's drawing schematics in the air. "He called it the Formidi-bomb."

"Uh huh. You mean the conceptual TNT you and Soren cooked up in your little nerd club?" Magnus loosely gestures one arm.

"The nerd club you attended." Ellegaard fires back. Magnus sputters for a moment and you hear Axel and Olivia share a laugh.

"Listen, I'd go to a book club if it was about TNT. Alright? That doesn't make me part of your little nerd club!"

"Sure." Ellegaard snorts. "But if anyone has perfected it, it has to be Soren."

"He found the Command Block, after all." Olivia adds. Ellegaard turns to her, eyes wide. She presses Olivia back.

"But first we have to find Soren." Ellegaard sputters, a strange wavy smile on her face.

"Last I checked, he was at his fortress. Although, the invites he would send me... Kinda... Tapered off recently." Magnus shrugs.

"He means a few years ago." Ellegaard hisses. "But surely, if he's out there, the amulet should still be able to locate him." With that cue, you slot the amulet into place.

"Ivor did go over the mechanism with you, right? He asked you so many questions about which part recognized which sig—" Olivia starts. Ellegaard's gaze snaps over and Olivia presses the levers in order.

"How about we don't talk about Ivor. Okay?" Ellegaard claps her hands together as the lights return. You watch the blue section spark a few times.

"There's your light, my light..." Magnus mutters as he occasionally glances to the sputtering cyan light. A white beam flickers onto the map.

"There he is. You were right, he's... He's always been at his fortress." Ellegaard looks like she's seen a ghost. She looks to Magnus. "He contacted you?"

"I never had the courage to read the letters." You hear him admit. "It didn't feel right."

"He invited me once." Ellegaard sighs.

"Let me guess, you were too busy?" Magnus snaps. You watch a blue beam suddenly fire out. You back away and Olivia's eyes peer at the crackling cyan part of the amulet.

"Ivor..." You growl. "What the hell does he want there?"

"The same as us, likely." Olivia comments dryly. You shake your head.

"He tricked us. I don't think he wants the best for us." Lukas interrupts. Petra nods at him. You notice then how often she's been clutching her arm.

"I say we rest for the night and head to Soren's fortress in the morning." Ellegaard suggests. "We don't deal with monsters or exhaustion. Everyone wins."

"What? And let that thing catch up to us?" Magnus snaps. You watch Olivia nod at him.

"It is following the amulet." You comment. Magnus nods as Ellegaard jolts back. There's a wave of shock across Petra and Lukas' faces. Olivia steps close to Ellegaard.

"We might not have enough time to rest." As Olivia speaks, you catch a flash of her teeth, too white, too something. Her gaze keeps flicking to Petra, almost hungrily. It makes you feel wrong in so many ways.

"Going out in the darkness is suicide." Axel steps into the conversation. "Come on Jesse, we can rest. Olivia can tell us when the monster is coming for us. She wouldn't just sleep through it."

Petra looks to you awkwardly. "I haven't had a single minute of sleep in... I don't remember." You watch her shake her head awkwardly. Lukas presses to her side.

"I could keep watch. Let whoever's tired sleep and all." He offers. Even though you've seen him sleepless. Even though he's carrying the weight of something.

"If anyone's staying up, it's me." You say, as if you're not in the same boat.

"What? Jesse, you gotta be kidding. He owes us that!" Axel snaps. "If anyone's going sleepless, it should be him." You watch Lukas shrink.

You feel your mouth dry. Sleeplessness kills. Phantoms kill. The world will be dark soon enough and you will have to fight through the way to the fortress. But if you sleep, you risk that monster getting the jump. You can outrun a thousand zombies, but what about one abomination?

You push past the images and visions of death and destruction, of terrible tendrils. You know exhaustion. You can feel it ebbing across every part of your form. If you keep on like this, you will burn out. But there's Olivia's words echoing in your head.

Would it be cruel to ask her to stand vigil? She may have more sleep than you, but it was interrupted by nightmares. Visions. It makes you wonder what she knows, what that Command Block knows.

If only you could put the amulet somewhere. But if you do, who's to say you won't lose it? It's your only tracker for Soren. For the rest of the Order if they sever.

Neither did you. Her words echo again. What did that mean?

"We need to sleep." Your voice is shaky, weak. Ellegaard nods at you, seeming a lot less like the pompous inventor she'd seemed like moments ago.

You hear Olivia let out a sort of noise, something that doesn't sound fully human. She's sputtering, stammering. You catch her recoiling, muttering some kind of chant. It makes your insides twist. But you can't just unsay that.

"Jesse." Magnus is now the man of a town destroyed, a frightened little fresh spawn seeing death before him, something new and terrified. You remember those eyes. If you close enough, you can see your own. "We can't sleep. You know that thing is on its way."

"Are you crazy? We're going to have to fight through mobs and be tired." Axel interjects. "We need to sleep."

You look to Olivia. You can't recognize the look in her eyes. A ragged breath crawls from your throat. "Do either of you have beds here?" Your gaze flicks between the two Order members. Magnus seems to shudder and Ellegaard looks at him like he's been replaced. You watch him stiffen in mock bravado.

Ellegaard diverges and her hand's on your shoulder. Her words come out quieter, almost gentler. "Come on, I'll show you." You follow her back down into the bowels of the temple. Her gaze flicks to the dispensers for a moment before she leads you into a room filled with chests. She pulls out a few beds, white like common sheep wool.

You honestly expected the Order to have color coded beds. The question tumbles out of you. "Shouldn't these be dyed?"

Ellegaard's brow furrows. "They're leftovers from Magnus' original plan to fight the dragon." Those words sound tense, like they fought to crawl out of her throat. You eye up the amount of beds as she hands them to you. It's enough.

"Why did you speak to Olivia like that?" You stiffen.

"...Shouldn't we go to bed?" Ellegaard's voice sounds like it's drifting out of her. Your feet grip the floor harder. You can't sleep without answers.

"It wasn't right." You fire back. Ellegaard looks back at you, her eyes heavy.

"She was going to mess everything up and—" Ellegaard looks away for a moment. "She kind of freaks me out."

"Olivia's not... She's your biggest fan. She'd rather die than mess up." You snap back. "What is your problem? She's already got enough to deal with. And now she's being judged by someone she looks up to? Are you kidding me?"

"I've been..." Ellegaard's voice quiets. You see her eyes darken and she sighs. "She knows what she's doing, it's just... I get scared. It's hard to just give up part of my projects, even to someone who's competent."

Your mouth gapes open. It's humbling to think of her here, airing this out. You watch her debate a break into a pace. It's hard to look at her, you can't put together the legend and the person. The Engineer and Ellegaard.

"I know you probably just want to sleep. That's why you picked my idea, isn't it?" She's quieter now. She's not speaking circles around you. Not brilliant, not demanding, just scared. If she's been here for skies know how long, then what's to say you'll figure anything out? If a loss of control is a nightmare to her still, what's to say you'll be fearing decades later?

If you even make it that far, of course.

"She didn't deserve to be treated like that." You can't help the hiss that crawls out of your throat. Ellegaard doesn't look at you, even as you turn to walk out. "I get it. But you hurt her."

You hear the pittering of her footsteps. She's terribly silent for a few moments, even as you approach the stairs. You can hear her mouth gape open, as if about to spill a terrible secret, before her teeth click together and stop it from escaping.

"I was wondering how you all managed to make it this far. You... You've got one hell of a head on your shoulders. No wonder they look to you for answers." Ellegaard's words make you stop walking. Every nerve in your body feels like it's on fire. You think of Dustin and Nohr. Of Olivia and the Command Block. What you did to Aiden.

Your mouth is dry. She speaks again. "Sometimes I wonder if that's what pulled the Order apart."

"What if it was something else?" The words escape you so quickly. You can't force them back in. Ellegaard looks at you, eyes like she's seen her imminent death, and she bolts up the stairs.

Olivia knows something. Something she shouldn't. But what is it? Could you ask her?

This is ridiculous. You need to sleep. Think about this in the daylight, when you're bored out of your mind and heading to Soren's.

You step up the stairs and Ellegaard motions for you to hand some of the beds to her. You set them up, pressing them into the creases of the temple. It's enough to keep you all together. That way if someone sees something, you'll be able to run. To wake up together and flee.

Olivia's eyes pass one of the beds slowly and you watch her tense, shuddering. That's when you catch the color of her eyes, no longer black, but a deep, almost twilight purple. You could hardly catch it with how dark it was. Has she always had eyes that color? Did you never see it?

You watch her dig her fingers into her arms. She keeps muttering and looking at you. As the sky grows darker, you then notice the way her eyes seem to match the waking twilight. A primal fear crawls into your heart.

It's enough to make you step to Petra's side. You notice her debating the beds. Lukas stands a few blocks away, his gaze on Petra like she's about to vanish. Axel seems to be heading to one quickly, before stopping at the sight of Olivia. Magnus has himself wrapped under the covers. You can't tell if it's an attempt to hide himself totally or just the shudders you catch under the covers.

Petra's hand presses your shoulder. You look at her. "I hate having to admit it, but I think I needed this."

You feel your mouth dry again. Your gaze catches on her and Olivia and you feel nausea rise. "I don't think I can sleep off what I'm feeling." You admit.

"We're going to fix this." Petra says gently. "That's what we have to do."

"We wouldn't have had to if I didn't help him." You whisper that. You don't want Ellegaard or Magnus to hear. "I don't... Why did I trust him?"

"He said something about the truth." Petra considers out loud. "I wonder if it's something that drove him mad."

"That's the thing though, he seemed lucid to me." You admit. Petra shakes her head.

"Have you ever seen someone angry enough to kill?" She asks and you nod weakly. "I think that's what's wrong with him. He's being driven by something."

You think of Ivor running, Olivia's words, screaming, the wings, the way Ellegaard bolted, all of it. "I think they're hiding something from us. They did it before. They hid Ivor. But it has to be more than that." You look at Petra, eyes darting like a wild, trapped animal. "What else are they hiding from us?" It takes everything to not grab her in your madness.

Her eyes flicker from side to side. You watch her breathe and catch the soft sound of her wheezing. She never did that before. "I don't know." She finally answers. You can't forget the wheezing.

"It's eating you." Olivia's voice is strangled, a sort of gasp. You catch Lukas walking to her side, looking like he's about to pull her into a desperate hold to soothe her. You catch Olivia's gaze and how locked onto Petra it is. Lukas' gaze begins to reflect Olivia's own, stopping to see what she's seeing.

"What?" Petra's voice is so quiet it's nearly overpowered by the wheeze. Olivia's gaze stays. You can't even see her breathe.

"I feel it. It's eating you." Olivia tilts her head. "The worst part? I know you're hungry. All of you. You have to be, after everything. But I'm not. It's eating you. I can taste it."

Lukas' gaze shakily crawls across Petra. You look at her too and you watch her desperately shove her arms across her abdomen. Lukas' voice is quiet, shuddering. "Petra, she's not right, is she?"

Petra looks at you. "Can we just sleep now, please?"

"It's going to come for us in the morning. Can you feel it? It's calling you. It wants to feed forever."

"Olivia, please stop..." Lukas cries out, putting a hand on her arm. You catch Axel snapping up, like a creeper out of thick grass.

"Let her go!" He roars.

"I'm not—" Lukas releases his grip. "She's freaking me out. And—" He looks at Olivia again. "You're scared too, aren't you?" He pulls close to her and you watch her shove her head under his neck.

Olivia's words are trembling. You catch her hands twitching like eager claws. "If it's quiet, I can hear its insides. They're all breathing in there. I don't want to look for him. He's in there. It's going to want her in there. It wants more of them. The ill. It wants them. But it doesn't want me. It's doing things to me."

Axel tries to press forward. Olivia just stays under Lukas' head. "Please, I'm not..." He begs Axel, eyes large. You feel your whole body stiffen for a moment. You think of them. Of those gone. You watch Axel's gaze harden.

"He doesn't mean it." Axel's words are bitter. "He doesn't care."

You see Olivia snap up. "If he didn't, he wouldn't have woken up."

"He let us be tormented for years and now he cares?" Axel yells. You catch Magnus' eyes widening and flicking to Ellegaard like she's going to save him. She just steps away and crawls into bed. You watch her toss and turn.

"I don't want to hear this right now!" Olivia shouts. "I'm already dealing with enough, okay? I have to feel this all the time and nobody's listening to me! I can't even get Ellegaard to hear me out. I had to beg her to come here. Even with proof!"

You catch Ellegaard stiffening under the sheets. Axel recoils for a moment. "Why are you suddenly his friend?" His gaze is hard, like cold iron.

"He was scared. He couldn't have seen everything that happened to us." Olivia fires back. You watch Lukas loosen up and pull away from her. "You weren't there at the temple. You didn't see how much he wanted to help. He's sorry."

"So I'm supposed to just let him walk all over us?" Axel snaps.

"I didn't know it was that bad, okay? I told you! Now I do and—listen. I'm not asking to be friends. I just want a moment of peace. Okay? Just one moment to breathe." Lukas sounds like he's on the verge of something. "I tried to make them stop. I couldn't even get them to stop making jokes about me. And they liked me!" You can hear the quietness in his voice breaking. Petra pushes you back, mouth coiling into a grimace.

"Uh huh. One little apology and doing the bare minimum and suddenly you're the good guy. Sure, let me just—" Axel begins, rolling his eyes.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Lukas nearly lunges at him. Axel flinches, the fire in his eyes dying then. "I've already got enough friends who suck and you're just adding to it. Just do me a favor, find that thing and throw yourself down its throat! At least then I could sleep for more than five fucking minutes!" It looks like Lukas is about to start sobbing. You watch him breathe raggedly as Axel looks at him, like he didn't expect that.

"You didn't mean that, right?" Olivia asks as Lukas crawls away from her. He presses into one corner and slumps down.

"What's it matter if I do or not? I still said it." He glares at Axel. "I hate you. But it doesn't matter, right? I can do whatever I want as long as I don't mean it."

If you listen closely, you could hear the pistons in Axel's head go off. You wonder if Ellegaard and Magnus are relieved their arguments aren't this bad. He glares at Lukas, as if he's heard the most offensive thing in his life. You're not sure if anything can top this.

"I hope your friends died out there, you know. I hope they were screaming for you and you didn't hear them." Axel's voice oozes with venom. Lukas recoils, heaving like mad.

"Axel!" Olivia snaps.

"What? So you're taking his side? He just told me to kill myself!"

"He wouldn't have said that if you wouldn't keep pushing him!" Olivia snaps.

"Everyone shut up!" Petra snaps suddenly, rising to her feet. "You're all acting like you've gone mad!"

"I hate all of you!" Axel snaps. "Jesse, you can't tell me they're actually taking his side." Axel's eyes are large, like a pleading puppy. You feel your mouth go dry.

"This isn't getting us anywhere. Can we please just go to bed?" You feel your voice shudder.

"Okay, I get it. I'm the problem, I guess. I should have walked into that monster's jaws. Nobody likes me. I get it now." Lukas' words start out angry but you hear the fire leave him. He just looks at the ground. "I can't have anything. I'm not even liked by my friends! And the people I gave them up for hate me. So what's the point?!"

"Lukas..." Petra reaches out one hand and he swats her back.

"Maybe I directed it at the wrong person. Maybe I should find that monster and let it devour me." Lukas laughs dryly, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. "It's not like I have anything to live for!" You watch him turn about to leave. Petra grabs him and he shoves her hand away.

"You're being an idiot! I care about you." Petra begs him.

"And why do you? Axel's right, I just told him to kill himself! I don't even deserve to be alive!" Lukas shouts. He continues on and you step in front of him. His gaze meets yours and refuses to let go. You force your eyes away. You're not his enemy.

"You're not going out there. I don't care if I have to sit on you. I'm not letting you go out there." You snap. Olivia steps to your side. You watch Lukas' gaze peel away from you.

"If I hear anymore arguing, I'm gonna kick the ass of whoever started it. That goes for all of you!" Petra shouts. Somewhere, you hear Magnus snicker.

"Just go to bed, Lukas, you're not thinking right." You pat Lukas on the shoulder.

"I don't think anyone is." Olivia admits.

That's enough to finally get everyone to shut up. It seems Petra's threats can scare anyone into doing anything, even sleep. You must be more exhausted than you ever thought, because it's the first time you sleep fully though the night.

Cold fingers wake you up at the crack of dawn. You catch Olivia's eyes peering down at you. She doesn't look like someone who hasn't had a lick of sleep. The whites of her eyes don't look right. When she catches you waking, she pulls away, doing the same to the others.

"Olivia—" You call for her as the rest of your group awaken. Reuben rushes past your legs and bolts down the stairs. That's when you feel it. Impending doom rushing at every part of your form, like a downpour pushing on all sides. You don't look back. You just yell.

"RUN!"

There's a mad scramble from all of you to get down the stairs. Through the temple's bowels, from whence you came. There's noise above you, a rumbling you can't tell from thunder. As you press closer to the surface, you hear it fully. It's a symphony of horrendous growling, so deep it threatens to tear apart your ears.

You catch Petra muttering something, her teeth chattering as she does. Lukas for a moment pauses, like he's about to stop running. You stop for a moment and you swear you can recognize one of the beast's wails. It sounds like someone screaming.

You remember the first time you ran from it. You remember the mad scramble from Boomtown. The screams that followed you... Were all of them human?

You were lucky enough to be too exhausted to dream of them.

When you grab Lukas by the hand, he fights you for a moment, fingers pushing against your own. You grip harder, like he'll disappear the moment you let go. Is it torment to force him to live? Maybe. But you're not going to have his blood on your hands. You didn't let him die before. You won't let him now.

"Just follow our lead! We know the way!" You hear Ellegaard shout over the monster's roars. For the first time, Magnus isn't at her throat, keeping up at her side. You're glad to have rest in your bones.

If you weren't awake before, you are now as you hear something whizz by your skull. You can barely comprehend the shot out skull before a tendril hungrily swipes for you. For a moment, you swear you catch the pearly white of sharp teeth across it. There's another tendril, smoother and shinier than the toothy one, and you nearly let go of Lukas in the chaos.

Olivia was right. Damn it all, she was right. Just another reason to hold onto Lukas. You don't want to know what him being devoured would do to her.

You can't tell if the thing has torn open the ground by its very presence or if you've missed one of its beams. You try not to glimpse it, but you swear you saw one of its jaws just miss a hair on your head. It seems the beast only falls back when it realizes it's too close to the ground. A frustrated sort of snarl escapes it.

Is it spite? Is that why it was going to bite down on you? You don't know. You catch the flicker of a beam. You can barely vault away from it before it takes the ground from you. You hope the sparser growing forest is just the border of the biome and not the damned thing devouring every last thread of the world.

You're not sure how you manage to keep ahead of it. When you get within range of Soren's massive fortress, you swear it turns one of its heads like an animal would turn its nose in disgust. It's like the beast has snubbed your very nature, declared you unclean.

"Not again, not again." That's when you hear Petra's murmuring. She must have been saying that the whole time. One of the heads occasionally look your way before the beast turns its gaze to the surrounding mountains. You keep your eyes on it for a good moment, waiting. Just in case it's baiting you out. It keeps its gaze away. In the light, you catch gleaming teeth in places teeth do not belong.

You take a moment to catch your breath, occasionally glancing to the quartz and gold gate behind you. It looks like Soren just set up shop in the side of mountain. When you approach the gate, it slides open.

"Why did it stop...?" Your voice is quiet. You look to Olivia and she seems to be wincing in a sort of anguish. Like she's been here before and it carries horrendous memories. She steps to the gate, one hand reached out shakily like its very touch will burn her.

"This is where I lived." Her voice isn't her own, like she's quoting someone. "I was kept. Left to rot."

"Olivia?" Lukas' voice shudders. Olivia shakes her head.

"That's what I heard. That's what I can understand."

"It... Speaks?" You shake.

"No. But it feels so strongly, it may as well be speaking." She passes through the gate. You expect her to shudder and fall as she does, but she passes through it with no problem.

As you follow, you hear Petra wheeze at your side. She sounds like she's perpetually clearing her throat in an attempt not to cough. When you try to press to her side, she pulls away and ends up breaking into a coughing fit. Any attempt from anyone else to speak just has her clenching her teeth in between the heaving of her whole body.

You catch Lukas eying her up before he looks across the entire fortress. He looks sickened at the very sight of its insides. It's full of stairs and blue and white terracotta. You catch a few symbols scrabbled into some of the walls, while others have tick marks. Your eyes peer back at Lukas. Tears dribble down his eyes silently.

"Something wrong?" You ask him, as if last night never happened. As if you didn't hear him scream at Axel. He looks at you, eyes like a reanimated corpse.

"I don't want to live like this. Alone in a prison of my own making." He presses to your side, voice a tiny whisper. "They never came for him. Was he really that awful?"

"Maybe the Order isn't what we thought it was." You suggest. He shakes his head.

"They came to help us. They're still here, despite everything. He had to have done something. Like me." As he speaks, you desperately search for something to say. Comfort, something. Nothing passes your lips. Lukas looks away.

"What does all of it mean?" Ellegaard eyes up the scrabblings on the wall. She puts a hand to one of them, as if it'll answer her. "I don't recognize any of these symbols." You look at the symbol she's touching, noticing it resembles something like a flower with four petals, at least until you look at it closer. It's like someone stripped the amulet to its silhouette and distorted it. You catch the outline of faded white paint around its outside and in the center.

"Could it be the Formidi-bomb?" You ask. You catch Olivia shaking her head.

"It's something else. He didn't mention much about it, just that it had a lot of power." Olivia steps to your side and runs a hand along it. "Dammit. We're not getting anywhere."

"Well, I can definitely say I don't regret turning down those letters!" Magnus' voice breaks through your thoughts. Everyone rushes to him. You nearly follow the crowd before Lukas grabs you by the shoulder.

"If something happens to me, could you... Be there for Petra? You're already doing a better job at it than me." His eyes carry the weight of the world. Your gaze shudders and you shake your head.

"You're better for her than I am. You... I didn't listen to her. Now we're here. Because I refused to listen to her." You look away. "You were right, Lukas. I messed up."

Lukas sighs. "I don't hate you. I don't think Petra does either."

"So why can't you say that to yourself?" You ask.

"You didn't tell Axel to jump down a monster's throat last night." He's making this incredibly hard. You just look away. Lukas sighs. "It doesn't matter. I've... I've taken too much of your time." He steps ahead and you follow him. You catch Reuben occasionally brushing at his legs. Lukas just steps over him.

"I thought you liked parkour!" Axel shouts at Magnus. Magnus rolls his eyes.

"Sometimes a guy wants a break! If you invite me to hang out, I expect your place to be nice." Magnus gestures wildly. You step onto the platform and catch sight of the platforms leading to another gate. "I mean, look at this! It's like he's saying 'fuck anyone who wants to visit me!' That's not exactly a fun thing to get after receiving an invite."

"I guess?" Axel shrugs.

"Or maybe he thought you liked it." Ellegaard interrupts, glaring at Magnus. "He probably built this around the time you ended up with those invites."

"He could have warned me! You really think I'm in the mood for this with a hungry monster on my tail?"

"I thought you liked living on the edge." Ellegaard rolls her eyes.

"When it's my damn choice! Ugh, y'know what?" You catch Magnus leaping across the columns like a damn frog. "I'd rather—woah!" He nearly falls off one of the platforms, cussing up a storm as he leaps back.

"What? Losing your touch?" Ellegaard snickers.

"No! This dipshit built part of his platforms out of gravel! What kind of builder is he?!" Magnus leaps over the remaining platforms like his feet are on fire.

Axel leaps after him. "I don't see the problem! This is fun!" He charges after Magnus, cheering like the world's not ending right outside the fortress. You sigh as people leap past you. Lukas nearly vaults ahead of you. You grab him.

"Don't."

"What? Don't go ahead? That's stupid. Then I'm stuck with that monster." Lukas laughs, as if you can't see the barely dried tears on his face.

"I don't want you to make some stupid decision today." You let him go. "Alright? Stay alive."

"Or what?" Lukas awkwardly snickers. You do your best Petra impression.

"Or I'll kick your ass!" You shout. Reuben rolls his eyes and you watch Lukas sit, blank expression on his face. He breaks into a sort of crackly laugh.

"Alright. Alright." Lukas sighs. You hear Olivia shout out across the platforms. You just barely catch sight of her leaping away from collapsing gravel.

Reuben shudders at the thought. Or maybe something else is here. You pick him up, gently petting him on the head. Lukas looks at Reuben before tensing.

"He did notice the Wither before I did." You admit. "Something has to be messing with the platforms."

"Well, creepers would be making a lot of noise. They also don't explode unless a target's within range."

"Or they're ignited with a flint and steel." You shrug, leaping to the first platform. Lukas follows you. He flinches, nearly pushing into you.

"Uh. Turns out it was what I was suspecting." For someone who wanted to die a few moments ago, his survival instincts are definitely still there. It's like he wants to cling onto you for dear life. "Endermen!" He shouts, pointing below.

You catch the glimpse of one of their dark heads and force your eyes back up. It's horrendous to admit, but you just squeaked. "They're... Calm if you don't bother them, right?" You peer at Lukas.

"I think so. I just know you're not supposed to make eye contact with them." He presses against you more and you catch him squealing as well. "I don't like their hands! Why do they have hands? Euguhuuhhuhu!!"

"But why are they here? Don't they usually only come to the Overworld in small groups?"

"Maybe there's a Stronghold nearby can we PLEASE GET GOING?" Lukas pushes you for a moment before pulling back and looking at the ground. You sigh and leap ahead. It takes you a few moments to catch up to the second gate, long enough for it to have closed again.

When it opens again, you groan. There is so much water! There's a staircase on each side leading to somewhere with a tree, and a decent swim straight ahead is lined with statues on both sides. Reuben leaps out of your grasp, swimming ahead.

As you plunge into the cold water, you catch a large replica of the Order's amulet sitting in between the set of statues. Above the ground ahead is a gap in the ceiling where sunlight pours through. You wonder what would be there if you climbed through it.

"It's so big." You hear Lukas say. He runs his eyes along every detail. "I wonder if that's why they never came for him. Did he... Focus more on this than he did them?"

"Why is it so hard to traverse?" You ask as you swim ahead, accidentally splashing Lukas' face with water. He splashes some back at you and you mock falling under the water and drowning. When you pop back up, you catch him rolling his eyes. "You wouldn't save me? Jerk."

"You smiled like an idiot the whole time." He rushes past you, splashing you with a torrent of water. You squeal and slam a whole bucket's worth at him.

"I'm telling you, it's not here. All there are a bunch of statues and murderous architecture! What a fraud!" Magnus' shout breaks through the air before Lukas can splash you back. You blink. Right. Apocalypse. You return to swimming ahead.

"If an artist painted the inside of your mind, they'd end up with the most extraordinary desertscape paintings." Ellegaard snorts. You can hear Magnus' blood boiling, even before you approach solid ground.

"I've had it!" He turns and walks away into one of the chambers. Ellegaard huffs.

"You've always been such a hardheaded idiot!" She shouts down at him.

"I can't hear youuuu! I'm too busy being a cactus or something!"

"That's not what I meant and you know that!" Ellegaard yells before turning in a huff and heading the other way. Awkward silence falls as you step over with Lukas.

"Do you think we should follow them?" Axel pipes up.

"Nooo, I think we should stay around and wait for them to come back while a monster eats the whole world. Definitely." Olivia rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. Petra looks to you every so often, like she has something she wants to say.

In all of that nonsense, you'd all had forgotten to eat. Dammit. Maybe you could part with that when you follow... Someone?

"We could split up?" Lukas suggests, pressing to Petra's side as if she can protect him. "Who do you want to follow?" He asks you, as if the conclusion has been made.

Of course. Right. You have to go with someone. Olivia will probably want to follow Ellegaard. You think. Or maybe not, considering everything you've seen...

You suppose it's best to follow Magnus. He's the explosions guy, as usual, and could probably sniff out the damn stuff by now. As you approach the hall and its statues, you notice a statue of... Ivor? At Magnus' side. Were they close or was it merely convenience? It feels odd seeing a visage of Ivor there. You look back. Gabriel is at Ellegaard's side.

Did Soren want to blank out his own memory? Did it feel too egotistical? Was it really just to appeal to his friends?

As you push to the hall, you feel Petra place a hand on your shoulder. You swear you can feel her skin squirm like a thousand creatures are crawling under it.

That's when you feel it. An instinctive push, an instinct to scramble away. There's something there. It's not like Olivia where you feel like something's watching you other than her when you lock eyes. No. It's like there's a chorus behind Petra's skin, listening to you, crawling down your neck.

You catch Olivia looking at you. She presses the others away. Lukas steps around her and you catch Petra glancing over at him.

"I want to talk to him alone." She says and you hear Reuben awkwardly shuffle at your feet.

"I'll just... Go up ahead. See if Magnus is okay, you know." Lukas stammers and gestures awkwardly before darting past the two of you. You didn't know he could bolt that fast. Petra watches him for a moment before pushing you forward.

You catch Axel glaring, even as Olivia turns to leave. His gaze stays for a good moment before he follows behind her. As you step into the hall, you swear you hear commotion behind you. You don't turn to look.

Petra steps ahead of you, trotting along in silence for a few moments before glancing back at you. "I feel bad about ditching the others, but I really want to talk about this alone. I... I admit it's a little tough to talk about."

It's eating you it's eating you it's eating you it's eating you it's eating you it's eating youit'seatingyouit'sEATINGYOU.

You inhale sharply, trying to push away Olivia's words. You try to remember Ivor's face as you assisted him. You can't remember him. All you can think of is his gaze, dark like the monster, teeth glimmering. You can't comprehend him past it. You can only see him and it as the same thing. Even though you saw him run.

He ran. Why did he run? His monster. His abomination. You had no control. Just a pawn. But he did. Why did he run? If he intended this—

"I did this, didn't I?" Your words are ragged. Tendrils scrape the back of your mind. Olivia's gaze, hungry, unworldly. The occasional stab of hunger somewhere deep inside you that was only broken by horrendous nausea. You can't remember if it's from horror or from starvation.

You can hear Petra take in a hefty, wheezing breath. "That monster did." For once, you can't tell who or what she's talking about. You can't help but imagine Ivor's face in that thing. Is he even still alive?

"...Is Olivia—?"

"I hope she's wrong." You watch Petra pull up her sleeve with a shivering hand. You catch the shimmering purple center on her arm, surrounded by tendrils of graying skin. If not for the fact your stomach was empty, you'd have voided its contents on the floor.

You step back and Petra covers it. "When I saw it, I tried drinking milk. That's how I've always gotten rid of Wither but it's just stayed." She looks at you and you catch the fear in her eyes. You back away and feel the stone bricks dig into the skin of your hands.

"What if she's right?" You shudder and a small silence falls. Ahead, you hear Magnus shouting something and Lukas doing his best to calm him down. Eventually, you hear Lukas more than you do Magnus. Strange.

"That would explain... Everything." Petra looks away. "You can't tell the others. Just... We can pretend Olivia is paranoid. That that thing's making her see things."

You gulp. "That's not right! She—she's already tired of not being taken seriously. And she is right."

Petra's gaze hardens. She looks at you before breaking into a chorus of heaving coughs. "She wasn't... Right—" She coughs again. "She wasn't right before!"

You blink for a few moments, thinking back to everything. To Ivor bandaging a wound he had given to Lukas. What was he doing? How he had ran but told you where to go. Was Petra right? Was Olivia?

"Maybe she was. I don't know anymore. But you're going to make it worse for her if you say that!" Your words crawl to a shout. You hear Lukas' concerned words in the distance and you freeze.

"You two okay over here?" Lukas rushes over and you catch Reuben rubbing his head against Petra's leg. Reuben huffs under Petra's shadow gently. Petra looks at Lukas strangely before sighing.

"I'm fine. I just have something stuck in my throat."

"What? Didja choke on gravel?" Magnus snickers beside Lukas. Lukas glares at Magnus. "I did that once." Magnus shrugs.

"That's because you have no self respect." Lukas snorts and rolls his eyes. Magnus stews, his breath hissing like hot steam.

"Sure. You could say that." Petra cringes and shakes her head.

"I'm telling you, gravel is good for nothing other than flint and making your throat all itchy." Magnus nods with his eyes closed and crosses his arms. "You done with your touchy feely talk now?"

"Ew." Lukas sticks his tongue out.

"What? I didn't mean they were an item!" Magnus retorts. "I'd have to be stupid to think, they've got the chemistry of... Uh. Hm. Well, what I'm saying is they'd be more fun to watch breaking up, y'know?"

"What is wrong with you?" Lukas chides.

"The world's ending, let me be a little judgy, mkay?"

"No offense, but could you two resolve whatever's going on? I've had enough griefers for one day." Lukas points a thumb to Magnus and he rolls his eyes.

"Feh! I've had enough of you too!" Magnus wanders off. "Don't follow me, Mr. Kitty Cat!"

Lukas waits for a moment before sighing and starting to trail after Magnus. "I'm assuming you two need some more time."

"...Yeah." You say, a thousand unsaid angry words still resting on your tongue. Once Lukas is out of earshot you look back at Petra. "Just stick with that, okay? If you get worse, just say you overexerted yourself or something. Don't you dare say that about Olivia." You glare at Petra dangerously.

"She's going to reveal it if they believe her." Petra shakes her head meekly. You stiffen.

"Just—just don't. Okay? We'll fix this. We're about to fix this. Then you won't be sick." It's all you can manage. The fire in you dies at the moment. "Why didn't you tell Lukas this? Why me? I'm..." You try not to pick at your own wounds again.

"He'll worry himself to death. I can't do that to him now."

"But you can hurt Olivia? She's already—" Oh. Seems there's still a spark there.

"I don't know what else to do!" Petra's retort is desperate, exhausted. She breaks into a wheezing fit. You feel your eyelids droop and you sigh.

"I'm sorry, I just... I'm so tired of seeing everyone fighting. And Olivia's... I don't know what's even happening to her. I just want this to be over." You can't meet her gaze. You feel her hand on your shoulder.

"I just hope you're right." Petra stands at your side, keeping her gaze ahead. Suddenly she snorts and you catch Lukas flaring his back at something in the darkness.

"Damn you! Don't—"

"Cats scare them!"

"I can handle a creeper, you know!"

"A what—" You begin before you catch a panicked creeper rushing over at you. "Oh hit me in the skull with a piston." You hiss and find the noise doesn't stop. Panicked, you vault back, right as the terrible thing takes a big chunk of the floor with it. The shockwave makes you slip and you barely manage to grab the side of one of the blocks lining the side of the pit.

Wait... Pit? You look down, wish you hadn't, and then press your gaze back up.

"Grab my hand!" Petra shouts and you reach for it. She grips your hand and you feel how much her grip has weakened. You pull desperately and you nearly take her with you. When you release your grip a little, she loses hold of you, and you tumble out of her grasp.

You do your best to land on your feet. On impulse, you cover your head with one arm and land on your side. A huff escapes you, but it doesn't hurt as much as you expect. You hear Reuben squeal and trample around the outer rim of the hole. With one glance, you realize your panic had exaggerated the fall.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" You slowly rise to your feet. You hear two sets of feet rush to the hole.

"I told you!" Magnus' voice echoes above you as you finally catch Petra peering down. She looks utterly befuddled. "Are your hands slippery or something?"

"I couldn't hold him!" Petra snaps back and Lukas shoves himself in front of her. You catch his eyes turning icy.

"Lay off her or I swear."

"What? You'll get miserable again? Is that really so scarrryyy?" Magnus rolls his eyes. "Your buddy's down there!"

You pull out the amulet and watch the white light flicker to life, stronger than before. It's easy to miss the other light that's started to glow alongside it with how harsh it is. "Soren's down here somewhere!"

Magnus snorts and pulls away. "We're not here for him. He's got something valuable around here, I'm sure."

"Coward." Lukas shouts after him. Magnus glares back at him before huffing and continuing his shuffle away. "Is every griefer like this? I've never met people are so hardheaded and obnoxious before!"

"Ellegaard isn't much better." You hear Petra retort. Reuben paces around anxiously and you hold out your arms. He leaps into them, squealing like mad, before resting his snout under your head.

"Keep an eye on Petra for me, okay, Lukas?" You call up. Lukas looks to you like you've grown another head, then to Petra, and then you.

"Are you crazy? She's probably the most competent person here." At that, you watch her look away.

"Come on, take some wisdom from the guy in the hole!" You shout up. Lukas keeps looking at you like you've gone crazy. "Do it or I'm going to snatch your jacket, dunk it in Soren's little pool and then slap it on you."

"I'm already sopping wet." Lukas rolls his eyes. "But sure, you weirdo." He snorts a little before stepping away. It takes Petra a moment to follow him. Reuben hops out of your arms.

You look back at the amulet and Reuben sniffs it curiously. It makes you wonder if enchanted items register differently to animals. Or maybe he's never seen it so close before. Who knows. You glance around at the small hall, noticing how some of the floor seems to have chunks taken out of it. Reuben sniffs some of those segments before leaping back to your side with a squeal.

"Right. Endermen." You mutter. Hopefully they don't like this hallway too much today. You look behind you and notice the same thing. This must be a passageway to somewhere. You hold the amulet in the other direction and watch its glow die slightly.

Alright. Soren's forward. Not backwards. You follow the amulet's steady glow, wishing that Soren had put some damned torches down here. That creeper must have wandered up somehow. Probably from here. What kind of idiot builds a base with dark parts?

Maybe he had some obsession with endermen. Maybe he was feeding the damn things. Seriously, where did they all come from? As you press on, you notice a large, square opening in the hall. You press your head through its boundary.

Instead of answers, you find more questions. In front of you is a grand library, dotted with glowstone lamps and lanterns hanging from the ceiling off long chains. But as you look closer, you notice the library is like a small city and a grand ballroom had a baby. You catch a chandelier, not a large one of wood and glowstone, but a small, almost crafted seeming one of metal and glass. You raise an eyebrow at the sight.

Under the chandelier sits the insignia of the Order of The Stone, the amulet in your hand, except made of the materials you had read about a day prior. Soren must have been clinging to it like a lifeline. But who was this built for? Did he build it for the rest of the Order to visit and bask under the light? Or was it just a hollow remnant of his past?

You press close to one of the bookshelves and pull at a red book. On its cover sits that white silhouette, except it's filled out this time and in the center of a red block that appears to glow when you move the book. It makes you feel strange.

"The Redstone Heart?" You parrot its title and look inside the book. It's full of blueprints and redstone technobabble. You pocket it for the moment. It's a library, you're just borrowing it. When you find Soren, you'll hand it back to him and tell him you just grabbed it for a friend. Olivia would probably like it.

You run your eyes along the other titles. You don't find anything mentioning the Order's histories. Instead you find several volumes on endermen, a few on spawners, one with its title scratched out, and something about the science of portals. As you reach for it, a few sheets of paper suddenly tumble out of the bookshelf.

Impulsively, you pick them up and catch the words on them. They're love letters, written in the loopiest, most mournful of scripts. You notice how frayed and crumpled they are, like they've been shoved away.

"To Ivor...? What in the..." Suddenly, you feel like you know too much. You shove the letters back into their bookshelf. You try not to think about the letters unsent. About how much he hated Ivor. About how much he missed him. About being too scared to speak or write beyond here.

Now you just feel like you've walked in on something you shouldn't. You shake your head and in your periphery you notice a gap in one of the bookshelves. There's stairs leading up to it, like a doorway. As you try to focus on it, you feel Reuben sniffing your hand.

"Boy—quiddit!" You can't help the laugh crawling out of you. Seems Reuben loves the smell of ink, apparently. You hear shuffling from beyond that doorway. It's like someone's scrambling to not be caught. You step slowly to it, hearing someone mutter almost incoherently.

You glance back at the amulet. A new color is glowing. Blue. Deep, ocean blue. You crouch down, slowly creeping over. You press to the doorway, straining your eyes.

"Come on Soren, don't fail me now..." Ivor's voice greets your ears. He sounds strangely exhausted. "You always brought back the strangest things. You and your stories. Tell me one of them had some kind of merit, please." You catch a glimmer of him through the gap. He looks like he's been struck by lightning, hair pulled in every direction. It's like he's been tossing and turning in bed perpetually.

You stiffen, your blood like ice. It feels like such a contrast to every thought ever. What is he doing? What does he want? Who is he? It's hard to rectify the cold, hardened vengeance, like a sword forged of hate and the shakiness now crawling across his voice.

Reuben presses against your leg. "You told me. You promised me you had a failsafe. I can't make it all the way there!" Ivor's voice raises to a shout and you hear him kick something. Reuben squeals on impulse. "Who's there?" Ivor's voice flickers out of him, like he's being hunted. You pull past the doorway.

"It's just me." You hold up your hands. Ivor examines you like you're some new kind of specimen. You catch him pacing a whole circle around you.

"You should still be in the Nether." His teeth grit as he steps in front of you. "What are you doing here? Are you desperate to die?"

"We're trying to fix this." You plead at him. "I know... I know you were in the Order. I'm trying to figure this out. You could help us." You can't believe what you're saying. Are you really trying to appeal to his humanity?

Ivor huffs and shakes his head. "Help you? Are you mad? Look at yourself and tell me, honestly, that you're not marching straight into your death."

You heave as he presses past you and kneels over a chest. "I saw Soren's letters!" Those words are enough to get Ivor to stop. He looks at you, eyes wide like you've told the most horrendous of secrets. You watch his brow furrow in a sort of anguished rage.

"Do you have no respect at all?" You find him in your face. His eyes are like that of an enraged animal.

"I didn't mean to find them!" You shudder under his gaze. Ivor laughs, a sort of dry noise.

"Oh, sure, you didn't mean to. You just meant to snoop around for other reasons." Ivor snaps back at you, waving one arm exaggeratedly. "You and your little reunion party are going to crash and burn."

"Then why don't you help us?"

"You'll just waste valuable time!" Ivor snaps. "I'm already wasting enough time here talking to you."

"I'm not the reason we're here!" You cry out. "The only reason I worked with you is because you tricked Olivia. You used her!"

Ivor looks befuddled for a moment, gaze flickering across you, before he narrows his eyes. "I used her? Have you forgotten she'd be dead if your living tornado of a friend had kept a hold of her? Soren told me the stories. I never wanted to believe them." He paces a circle around you. "You ruined everything. If not for you, we wouldn't be here. That monster would have been dead."

"And if you hadn't made it, none of us would be here!" You fire back at him. Ivor glares at you.

"You don't understand! You never will!" Ivor roars at you.

"You wanted this, didn't you? You made Olivia think you were safe! The perfect plan, get some poor fools to do your dirty work!" You snap and circle him. Ivor shakes his head and you press closer. "That's why you left the lapis. You knew Petra had associates. Friends. People who'd care enough to follow her. And one of them would be curious enough to touch your machine. Or maybe you just installed a pull in it. Something to get someone to touch it. Make them your servant. Lure us into a false sense of security!"

Ivor stares at you, mouth agape. "You've gone utterly mad. I almost pity you!" There's a sort of dry laugh from him at that, something that has him nearly wiping away tears. "Only a madman would think himself so important to slay that thing." You watch him snap back into a sort of tensed up position.

"Someone needs to stop you." You pull out your sword.

Another laugh escapes Ivor. "Stop me? STOP ME? You kill me and you destroy the only avenue to kill that monstrosity." He shakes his head and pulls out a sword of his own, gleaming and gold. "You look up to the Order, don't you? You respect and fear them like you would the Gods above. But that's only from what you know. You know nothing of me."

"I'll kill you if I have to." You hiss.

"You couldn't even if you did." Ivor laughs, like he's heard the funniest joke in his life. "I'll try to be gentle." With that, he lunges at breakneck speed, the blade nearly grazing your neck. You try to slash as he pulls away, the force of how fast he's running nearly throwing you to the floor.

He loops around you and you stiffen. You watch him aim another near miss, this time to your arm, before pulling away. Your blood boils.

He's treating you like you're some fresh spawn that doesn't know how to fight—like the very fight is a game. A rumbling growl escapes your throat. When he rushes at you again, you pull out of his way.

Ivor glances at you like you're a brand new mob. You rush at him, nearly slashing at the side of his head, so close you take a few hairs off his head. In the corner of your eye, you watch his gaze crawl across you as you nearly hit the wall. As if you're on fire, you launch back, this time slashing across his face, just barely drawing blood. You watch him fall back, nearly losing hold on his sword.

You catch a hint of something in his eyes, like betrayal. Suddenly, he's on you, slamming his entire weight into your side and throwing you onto the ground. He pushes his sword just barely before your throat. You flail, trying to get purchase in him with your sword and he presses his closer.

"Can you see it? This is why you need to stay out of my way." He stays there for a few moments, watching you flail. He pulls the sword back and you take the opportunity to slash at his chest. With little effort, he dodges back. "I'll give you one thing, you are incredibly tenacious."

You rush a circle around him and catch him as he tries to turn to meet you. This time, you slash from his left eyebrow to the right and bottom of his nose. A horrendous wail escapes him as he crashes to the ground, blood pouring down his face.

"I gave you every chance to explain." You press the sword to his neck in turn. "You've lied to me." Ivor eyes you up before a sad, tired laugh crawls out of him. He shakes his head.

"You don't have it in you to kill me."

"Maybe I do." You press the sword closer, trying to ignore how your hands shake. You try to ignore the way Ivor's eyes turn, as you can see him try to scramble in his mind. You watch fear overtake them, if only for a moment.

You'd forgotten he had a sword of his own. It takes you a moment to register the pain across your abdomen. You put one hand to your stomach, a strangled noise pressing out of your lungs. The blood is thick and warm. And it is pouring like a storm.

You slide off him, catching the sight of your own blood on his robe. You catch him glancing around, like the walls themselves are going to grab at him. There's the desire to stand, to keep up the fight, but you feel blood roaring out of you like water through a breaking dam.

Reuben bites at Ivor's leg as he stands. Ivor picks him up and tosses him into a chest. You try to parse though the haze of your fading vision. You want to stand but it's so cold. Everything feels like ice.

You press one hand against the ground meekly. Ivor steps to you, his shadow on you like the storm itself. You can't make out his eyes, it's like a terrible shadow has engulfed him.

It's so cold. You want to sleep. Just a few more minutes. Just close your eyes. It's not time yet. Just sleep. You can sleep.

Sleep.

Somewhere, Petra screams her throat ragged.

Chapter Text

Drip drip.

You blink past sleepiness. You're home. It takes you a moment to realize the ground beneath your stomach is your bed. You must have fallen asleep on your stomach.

That's weird. You've never been a stomach sleeper, not even close.

You pull out of bed. Nobody else is here.

Drip. Drip.

It's awfully cold today. That's not right. You don't live in a cold biome. You think back to the nightmare, to the monster, Olivia's eyes, Petra's weakening grip. You'd just started adventuring with the Order. Was Ivor a figment of your imagination? Maybe he was a fractured memory, someone you've seen before.

Drip.

You slide down the ladder and feel the grass against your shoes. Where is everyone? What day is it? The forest feels… Foggy. It's like looking through a hazy window.

Drip.

Drip.

What's that noise? You strain your ears to follow it.

It grows to a rushing current as you follow it. No longer a steady drip but now a downpour. You can't believe your eyes. The waterfall? It wasn't this close before. That's not right.

Perhaps you'd spent so long away that you had forgotten how within reach it was. The last time you were here was barely a year ago. Or maybe you just wanted it to just be barely a year. You didn't want Reuben to grow up just yet.

"Are you here, boy?" You call for him. Maybe he wanted the nostalgia. You hear nothing but the echo of your voice and the rushing water down the mountain. You call out again.

The noise that greets your ears isn't right.

It's something, like a roaring scream. Like the fuzzy static of an improper circuit making contact with a note block, torturing its musical tone into something like agony. But as it grows louder, you realize it's not a machine. It's living.

She's there, in front of you, form marred with deep darkness. Her arms twitch and you can't tell if she has two or four. Every attempt to pull her and her apart fails. It's hard to figure out where Olivia ends and Petra begins.

It's like she's being devoured all over again. You feel your knees buckle under her sight. She approaches you, eyes deep and purple and bright and gleaming and terrible and familiar and alive.

Your mouth dries. Your insides burn something terrible, fire crawling up from the depths of your throat. All of her limbs press against you, cold fingers and warm talons and a thousand writhing tendrils all eager for your flesh.

You expect her to tear you apart. You beg her for mercy in hushed tones, like you're praying to something grand and horrendous. Every limb of hers snuffs out the sunlight.

"I tried to stop you." The voice that crawls out of her throat isn't her own. Her teeth are inches from your face, whispering ramblings in Ivor's voice.

A chorus of screams tear out of her. It sounds like two people fighting for control. Then three. Four. Five.

"You've done enough, Ivor. Get away from him."

"I should have killed you! I should—I should kill you now!"

"Why!? You... You promised." Is it the monster or is it her?

"I'm with—Kill him."

It's heavy. Everything fades. Her hands release you. The darkness swallows everything except her gleaming, horrendous eyes.

"It seems he's not the only one here who refuses to wake up."

That's all that remains. The words of the man you hoped you dreamed of. The man whose blood stained your sword. The man who had just slaughtered you.

Your insides burn. It's like a skilled tailor is taking a needle to your flesh, pulling you together like a torn apart stuffed animal. Warmth seeps into the remainder of your limbs. It grows hotter and hotter, to the point you feel like you're choking on flames. If you could, you'd be heaving and coughing.

A thousand hands press across your form. If you strain your ears, you can hear a prayer over your battered, flaming form. Tears would stream down from your eyes if you could feel them. Where is your body? You only know the fire licking your soul.

Cold, hard fingers on your head, like they'll wake you up. Visions flicker through your mind. You hear the punchline of a joke and laughter from someone unfamiliar, at least until you catch his dark eyes and ginger hair. Then the monster's tendrils, crawling across its heart, caressing it like someone would a wounded animal.

You taste iron. You smell it. Sinew crunches through your teeth and crawls through your throat. Every part of you lurches to gag but the hands stay, the palms now pressing to your head like it'll revive you. Then, something whispers in the back of your mind to devour, but only for a moment. Your thoughts are like waves crashing into each other.

A pounding ripples through your head. Whooshing, warm blood floods your ears. You catch a glimpse of an End Crystal in a place it does not belong. Ivor curls over you and you realize you're small. He whispers secrets you can't hear in a language you can't make out. His hands press against your cuboid form and you feel something inside yourself, not like anger, not like rage, but something new entirely.

You watch him recoil, scream, and flail. A stranger, no—Soren breaks through the room and pulls him away, holding him like he's in the throes of death. When Ivor calms, you catch Soren brushing hair out of Ivor's face, eyes oozing like mad. You can barely see Ivor as Soren engulfs him fully, like he's about to lose Ivor all over again.

There's a desire to cling. You want him back. You don't feel him anymore. He's gone. You want him back.

Come back. Let me embrace you. Be one with me. Feed me. Keep me alive.

What did you do to me?

Tendrils touch you. You feel them. You reach out one thread of your mind and press it against someone ill and hunched. You feel them stir, rise, and look to you. You drift through the sky, tasting the cold vapor of clouds.

Come now. Come. You're ill. You can rest. This is no place for you. Come.

You hold out one tendril hand. You press away the teeth lining it and you watch them hesitate. Your mind pushes against theirs.

Please. Do you feel it? We cannot be apart. We will be one.

They climb your hand. They crawl up and up and up and up and up. You watch the clouds embrace them as they come to you.

Your jaw unhinges. All of them. They crawl down your throat. You feel every movement. You press against them, every thread of your body embracing them. They push against you at first before sinking into your flesh.

Doesn't it feel nice to be one?

Your eyes shoot open.

The hands fall away as you scream.

You scream and scream until you run your throat ragged. You don't notice Axel stitching your shirt together haphazardly. You don't catch OIivia pressing against a wall, eyes darting like she's realized something horrendous. Lukas is pale, clammy. You don't realize he's cried enough to enter a dry sob.

Petra looks at you. You still taste her flesh. Your teeth remember her skin. There's an impulse to gag. Your teeth clatter together, almost hungrily. Nausea is shoved away by a horrendous, almost all consuming hunger.

There's a noise, an attempt to cry out, from you. Your throat won't allow it. You can hardly comprehend where you are or what you're doing until you feel warm, iron tasting fluid pouring down your face. You try to pull away. Instead, your teeth sink deeper. The scream you expect doesn't greet your ears.

Olivia just looks at you as your teeth push into her shoulder. You feel your mind reawaken and you pull away, spitting out blood that doesn't belong to you. That's when you remember you screamed your throat raw. You cough and heave.

"I'm sorry." You hear her croak. A thousand aching cries escape you and you crumple, hands on your head. Lukas steps to your side and you feel his jacket drape over you.

"Here, I can show you how to zip it up." He offers. "It'll offer you some cover." You take a moment to glance at your shirt. You just know that seam, while it holds now, will likely tear at the first sign of struggle. You put your arms through the sleeves and Lukas zips it up.

"What happened?" You shiver, trying to ignore the blood on your tongue. That's when you catch the closed bookshelf. You remember the dream. The shuddering forms. The tendrils touching a you that wasn't you. "I was..." You debate touching your stomach. You don't.

Petra can barely look at you. "I... I saw what Ivor did. He tried to kill you. I tried to sneak up on him but he looked right at me. And I couldn't... I felt something horrible. It was like he could see right through me."

"I didn't know you could freeze like that." You admit. Petra grits her teeth and shakes her head. You hear a soft wheeze escape her.

"That was the first time I'd ever seen someone do that. Especially to someone I care about." If you weren't trying to keep yourself from falling onto the ground from all of this, you'd have put your head on her shoulder.

"How am I alive...?" You look at Axel and watch him grimace. So it wasn't him, then. Petra sighs again.

"I saw him tend to your wounds like you were someone he cared about. It was... Weird." Petra looks like she's still running through it in her head. "He wasn't the only person to hear me scream."

"We were following! I just... Got distracted." Axel nervously pipes up, a sort of clenched smile taking up half his face. "You've managed well so far. I didn't... Think that could happen to you." You watch him pull close and hold up his arms.

"Hug me and I swear on my life—" You snap. Axel recoils. "Sorry. I just... Nobody touch me. Please." You press your hands against your head, mumbling and groaning.

"That's how we got stuck here. He waited for us to funnel in and trapped us like chickens." Olivia interjects. You raise an eyebrow. "We couldn't just leave you!"

"I couldn't catch him." Petra shakes her head. "It was like he had turned into an ocelot."

"Maybe he used a swiftness potion..." You murmur before looking up at the bookshelf. "We could probably punch through that."

"Good luck getting on Soren's good side when you're tearing up his fortress." Axel shrugs. You press to the bookshelf, trying to look through it. Well, if you have to... But who knows what kind of historical records are here?

"How did he even get this closed?" You ask as you press into it.

"There has to be some sort of mechanism around here... If I can find it..." Olivia murmurs behind you and you hear her shuffle.

"I thought you could remember things Soren did?" Axel asks.

"No, I only remember what it does. It seems he didn't want to talk to it about his fortress!" Olivia searches through the chests endlessly. You hear her stop and Reuben's familiar squeal fills the room. He rushes to your legs and ducks under them.

"I'm okay, I'm—" You say as he leaps straight towards your face, nearly socking you in the jaw. He nuzzles under your head. You sigh. "I know. I didn't... I'm not going to leave you, buddy." You rub one hand along his back.

There's knocking on the other side of the bookshelf. You jolt and Reuben nearly vaults away. You pull up to it, trying to gather as much courage as possible. For a moment, you feel high and mighty, like that monster.

You shake your head. "Who's out there?!" You bark. There's a moment of silence at the other end. You hear someone's voice waver, like they're trying to find words. Every muscle in your body tenses, primes itself.

You're dangerous. You're powerful. God in a box. You're—

STOP THAT!

"Is our favorite ragtag group in here? Soren wasn't really someone to keep his doors closed, you know?" It's Ellegaard. She seems like she's been searching for a while. "I tried to follow you, but you were all too fast! And before I knew it, I was too busy trying to remember where I was! I couldn't stop thinking about Soren building it all!"

"We're stuck in here." You reply. It takes a moment for Ellegaard to snort.

"Well yeah, captain obvious." You bet she's rolling her eyes. "We wouldn't be talking through a bookshelf if you weren't." You fight back a rumbly grumble. Olivia steps to your side and knocks on the bookshelf as a sign she's there.

"There has to be something out there that activates the pistons in here. Can you find it for us?"

"You can't find it in there?" You expect Ellegaard to scoff, but she sounds genuinely confused. "That sounds like one hell of a safety hazard! I mean, if Soren had gotten stuck, we wouldn't have ever known!"

"Can you?" Olivia asks again.

"If I can't, then I've failed as an engineer!" Ellegaard snorts. A silence falls onto you for a moment. "Is Magnus in there with you?"

"If he was, do you think he'd be quiet?" You fire back.

"Fair point. I suppose." You can imagine Ellegaard's shrugging on the other end. "Knowing Soren and how much of a sucker he was for the overcomplicated, it's probably hidden in one of these bookshelves. I shouldn't be long!"

Olivia steps away from the bookshelf first. You keep your hands on it for a moment, listening to Ellegaard sprint away. After a few moments of hearing her distant, frustrated mutterings, you pull away from the bookshelves and take notice of the strange circle your group has formed in the center of the room.

Lukas looks so small without his jacket. It's strange. You imagine he probably feels naked. Axel just occasionally glares at him and you catch Olivia pressing her eyes onto him. Petra seems to be the farthest person from the little get together.

"How long can we give her?" You ask. "I think we should take the time to eat something before we keep going." You try to push away what you did. You sit next to Olivia and notice her shoulder is smooth except for the dry blood. "Do you still have the cake?" You look at Axel.

"You all have food." He huffs and crosses his arms.

"I just have the potatoes!" You snap. "I have to feed Reuben too!"

"I could give him my beetroot?" Olivia offers. She looks at Axel. "Come on. It should give us—"

"Why should I listen to you?" He snaps. You catch Olivia shuddering, at first what you think is fear, before you realize it's rage. "It's like you've become someone entirely different!"

"Really? I saw you nearly throw Lukas to the zombies. Axel, I know you. That isn't you!" Olivia snaps. "Or maybe it always was! You're willing to let us all starve over some stupid nonsense!"

"Stupid nonsense!?" Axel snaps back. "Did that thing give you amnesia too!?"

"He's sorry!"

"I don't care!"

Lukas presses away, shoulder touching yours. He pipes up, quiet and meek. "I'll just eat my fish. You can give the cake to—"

"You're not the leader here! You don't get to boss us around!" Axel snaps.

"It's just a suggestion! Do you love destruction so much that you'd tear everyone apart just to get back at me?!"

"He's trying to compromise, Axel." Petra sounds like she'd be shouting that if she wasn't scared of breaking into another fit.

"I'm getting real tired of people treating him like he's some kind of innocent little puppy or something!" Axel hisses. "You know, I used to think you were cool, Petra."

"You're starting to piss me off, Axel!" Petra snaps.

"Good! Maybe that'll be the kick in the pants you need to realize I'm right!" He looks at all of you. "Do any of you even care about what I have to say?" His gaze flicks around, like he's surrounded by strangers. "You just took his jacket without a second thought!"

"He messed up. Okay? I'm not expecting everyone to like him!" You retort.

"But you seem to like him more than you do me!"

"Because he's not yelling at me all the damn time!" You snap back.

"So you do care about him." Axel's eyes darken, terribly exhausted. He pulls back, slumping against the wall. "All of you would rather hang out with him, despite everything he's done."

"I should have stopped them. I wish I did. Or left them. Or something. Okay?" Lukas' voice is shuddering. "I didn't... I shouldn't have said all of that. That wasn't right."

"Yeah." You agree. "It wasn't. Okay? Can we just... Come to a truce?"

"Go to hell." Axel hisses and shakes his head. Lukas just sighs. "I'm surrounded by a bunch of spineless idiots. We're doomed." There's a sort of tired bitterness in Axel's words.

Lukas sighs, shakes his head, and just tiredly munches on his fish. You grimace a little at the thought of eating a living thing. At least that's out of your mind now. You hear Olivia growl at Axel. Seems he's decided to just eat the rest of the cake.

"Do you have something, Petra?" You pipe up as you pick up one of your baked potatoes. She just shakes her head.

"If I had a bowl, I could make some beetroot stew..." Olivia mutters before searching through some of the surrounding chests. It takes her a moment to return with a bowl of something red. Petra raises an eyebrow.

"Aren't you...?"

"I'm not. I told you." Olivia shakes her hand as she hands Petra the stew. "I should have brought more wood, I could have crafted a spoon or something..." Olivia mutters before you laugh at the sight of Petra lapping the stew up hungrily.

"Do you like potatoes, boy?" You break off a piece of baked potato in front of Reuben. He sniffs at it, tilts his head, and then snaps it up in one bite. He chews on it like it's a strange new object.

Right. The crossbow. You pull it out and walk over to Olivia. "Do you need a weapon? It wouldn't hurt to have one right now." You offer. She eyes it up before looking at her fingers for a moment.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt..." She mutters and takes it out of your hands. For a few moments she rotates it around in her hands, as if she can sniff out every component in it.

As she does, you pull out the amulet, watching the blue glow grow weaker and weaker. You wave the amulet around curiously, and watch the white part glow brighter. Your eyes widen. "Soren's somewhere around here." You press it close to the floor and it brightens. "He's under us."

Axel snorts before he catches sight of the amulet. "At least you still know how to work that thing."

"It's not really an achievement." You shrug. Axel tilts his head. "What? I thought you wanted a reason to insult me." You watch the thoughts whirr through his head. He seems suddenly tired. If not for all that had happened, you'd be able to relate to his loss of fire.

"Do you still have your pickaxe?" Lukas asks Petra. She nods.

"I can handle the mining." You offer.

"Are you kidding? You almost died." She scoffs. You wanted to spare her strength, but you can't argue with that. You wonder if your stomach will scar, assuming it hasn't already. You don't know what potion Ivor used. Regeneration? Healing? Did it matter?

Petra gets to mining. You watch her and look to Lukas, about to ask him for a ladder, at least until she accidentally digs the floor in and falls on her stomach. A shout tears from your throat.

"Petra!"

"I'm fine. I should've—I forgot the rule. You know. Don't mine under your feet." She looks up at you, an awkward smile on her face. She rises to her feet and is about to say something before a swarm of bats nearly knock her back down.

"Careful! That's usually a sign monsters are around." Olivia shouts down at her. You fight back a snort as Petra nearly chokes on a bat and hear Axel giggle at your side. He stops and looks away.

"Do you have any ladders, Lukas?" You turn to Lukas. He nods and hands you a few. You start to place them, slowly making your way down, before hopping to Petra's side. "One at a time!" You take a look around and mutter, "This looks a lot like the last hallway..."

"Seems he has a thing for them, doesn't he?" Petra pats you on the shoulder. You swear her fingers feel thinner. You hold out your arms, letting Reuben leap down. This time, he lands a lot gentler.

You watch them all file down one by one. Olivia is second to last, taking a few moments to get her bearings. You can't blame her for fearing heights. As she hops off the last part, you look up and notice Axel just shaking his head.

"C'mon, Axel. Do you really want to stay there?" You ask him. "That monster-"

"Doesn't even want to be in here. I'm staying." He crosses his arms with a huff.

"Coward!" Lukas shouts at him. Axel narrows his eyes before launching down the ladder. You step in front of him to stop what's about to happen.

"I nearly died, can you save your pissiness for another time?" You snap. Axel rolls his eyes and presses closer. "You're being an idiot!"

"Why are you always taking his side?!"

"I'm taking nobody's side! I just want some fucking quiet!" You shout. "If you're coming with us, get moving! I don't want to have some mob open me back up."

That's enough to get Axel to turn his stewing inward. He clenches his teeth and fists but makes no further moves. You just shake your head and head to the front. Lukas steps to your flank, desperate to pace you.

"If I'd known..." Lukas tries to keep his voice quiet, but it escapes him regardless. "I would have stopped them."

"We can't go back and fix things. We're just stuck moving forward." You keep up with him, even as your gaze lopes against the ground. You flicker it back to the amulet, straining your eyes in case the glow changes. You wonder if, you survive, if your friendships will. This feels like the death of everything you've ever known, down to the smallest level.

You're not yourself anymore. Would you recognize yourself in a mirror? Can you recognize your mind? You can't just go back to the Jesse who didn't feel the monster's jaws unhinge. Olivia can't make her fingers warmer, her eyes normal.

The thought of Petra dying enters your mind. She's ill. She's growing weaker. The taste of her flesh still sits on your tongue, now provoking nausea. You're scared to meet her eyes, to see what new shade her skin will take.

Olivia's hands brought horrendous visions to your mind. Will those stay? Will she shake someone's hands and bring them to madness? Will killing this monster kill her?

You remember the desire to keep them, to absorb, to become. The tendrils. You wonder if the beast felt how alone you are now. You wonder how much of Olivia is in the monster, if it screams in her voice in the night.

Reuben presses his head against your leg. It stops. You still have him. No matter what you do, no matter what you become, he'll still be here.

Did you have it in you to kill Ivor? Did Lukas? He looked like a cornered animal. What if it falls on you to be the monster's slayer? You made a mistake in the heat of anger. You could have taken his life.

You monster.

There's a clearing up ahead. You step slowly to the entrance, expecting another chamber, another library. Instead, you're greeted by a grand drop and a thousand other entrances made of terracotta. You feel your head tilt involuntarily. What the hell is this?

You hold out one arm to stop them all from tumbling into the chamber. Lukas lets out a startled cry and you catch Olivia examining every fragment of the room. She backs away as Axel squints.

"Turn back, turn back!" Olivia shouts. Lukas looks at her like she's grown another head.

"I just saw water down there, it should be fine!" He points towards the edge. Olivia shakes her head frantically.

"You don't get it! This is a grinder!" She shouts, eyes frantic. A waterfall pours from the ceiling, carrying a horde of skeletons with it. They seem too focused on struggling against the current to notice you. Instead of hitting the water, a horde of pistons tipped with stone blocks turn them into arrows and bones.

"Oh hell no." Lukas utters, shaking his head. "I'm with her. Turn around!"

"But there's probably a loot room down there!" Axel snickers. If you didn't know better, you'd think he'd be salivating at the sight. "Looks like today's turning around."

"If you want to be reduced to inventory, be my guest! I'm not hanging you in an item frame!" You hiss at Axel. "Maybe if we mine through the side—"

Hissing breaks through the air. You catch Lukas gesturing some arrows towards Olivia. She shakes her head as you catch a torrent of water pushing a pack of creepers your way.

"This is a bullshit way to die." Axel groans.

"I could... Oh. Right." Lukas pats at his back. Sighing, he draws one of his arrows as the water draws back from its release. Something must be stopping it before it fully flows. "Go to the side! I'll cover your front!" He orders.

"I've got a sword!" You pull out your sword and hop to his flank. In your periphery, you catch Olivia loading one arrow in the crossbow. She must have looted more than you'd seen. Lukas shakes your head at you.

"Hand to hand combat with a creeper is suicide! We just got you back!" He fires at one of the creepers and it hisses in pain. They start to close in. "Olivia—?"

"I've never loaded one of these before!"

"Shit." Lukas squeals right as Petra rushes past the both of you before you can protest. "Petra! That applies to you too!"

"You need bait!" She dives between two creepers. "My legs still work!" She slashes one of them in the legs. Lukas fires one shot into its head and it falls. Axel eagerly scoops up the gunpowder and one of the creepers nearly explodes in his face. He barely escapes its radius as it blasts its compatriots away and takes out part of the wall.

Petra yowls as she falls on her side. The remainder of the creepers trot over with malice glee. You leap to her side and slash at one of them. They turn their focus to you and you weave between them. They follow you deeper into the chamber.

"Jesse!" Lukas shouts. You hear an arrow whizz past your ear. You doubt Lukas' aim for a moment until you hear the familiar crumpling of a dying mob. A cheer nearly tears through your throat when you hear the rush of something above you.

Oh. Right. Water.

You glance to the amulet in your hand. You'd almost forgotten that in the chaos. If that water hits—you need to run. You try to turn and run, but the flow slams into you, shuttering the amulet out of your grasp. It follows the current out of the hole and—

Dammit-

You scramble as it takes you. First for purchase, and when it takes you away from land, you manage to vault out of it with all of your might to the closest platform. You tuck and roll, sparing yourself aching friction burns, and try to look for a vantage point.

Something rattles behind you. A skeleton. You turn to face it before something pirouettes in the air and shoots an arrow straight through its skull. You don't catch who did it until you find them scooping up the skeleton's loot.

"Olivia?" You sputter. "How did you do that?"

"How about I tell you when we're not in mortal peril?" She gestures to the creepers that came with the water. Right. The water has friends.

"Petra! Lukas!" You shout and hold out your arms. Reuben leaps past you and runs, squealing like mad. "Axel?" Lukas leaps through the hole and a swarm of creepers follow him. He tumbles awkwardly through the air, eating a mouthful of ground. Somehow, Petra lands right next to him, sticking the landing a lot better.

"Olivia? Can you use your freaky powers to find the amulet?" Lukas asks with an awkward shrug on the ground. He's lucky to still have all his teeth, you think as he rises to his feet. You watch Olivia's gaze suddenly flick and she locks on. She points one finger that doesn't look right a few platforms away.

You catch Axel leaping the complete and utter opposite direction. Is he trying to split up or does he not know where the amulet is? Maybe he's scouting? You really doubt he gives a damn about anything right now. He leaps down to one of the platforms under the amulet. Reuben seems to be watching him and takes the first opportunity to hop after him. You don't question it.

"Go after the amulet! I'll hold them off up here!" Petra shoves you forward. Olivia steps to her side and nods at her.

"I'm staying here too, to even the scales. Take Lukas."

"Alright." You nod and gesture for Lukas to follow you to the amulet. As you charge for it, you catch Axel and Reuben carefully trying to navigate down. You're so close, you'll get it back.

Why do you keep losing this damn thing?

Water rushes past you somewhere. You don't think of it, you steer your mind to your goal. As you get closer, you hear a startled shout and Reuben's squealing. You stop, nearly sliding off the platform. You're so close, you just need to leap one more time. You look over, noticing Axel and Reuben swarmed by mobs. Does he have a weapon? You can't remember. Why can't you remember?!

You look to the amulet. You can hear the distant rumblings above you of more water, threatening to take the amulet with it. You can't have it get destroyed. But you can't just leave them to die.

If you send Lukas after Axel, that's a terrible idea. But he is closer to them. You're fast enough for either plan. Wouldn't it be better for you to show up? But you're closer to the amulet.

"You get the amulet, I'm going after them!" You shout at Lukas. You're not sure if he's fully comprehended what you say when you leap down to Axel and Reuben's level.

It seems Axel's been having some luck with his fists alone, managing to throw some of the mobs off into the grinder below. Reuben's panicked, but not stupid. Or maybe he's just lucky enough to not charge right off. Regardless, you slash through a zombie and catch Axel's gaze on you, like he's never seen you in his life. To him, it's almost like you're a brand new mob.

That moment of defection is enough to get a skeleton to nearly fire right at his head. His attempt to dodge nearly throws him off the edge and you slash at the skeleton haphazardly. For a moment, you hear Axel protest, that you've already almost died, before that train of thought of his seems to die.

"There has to be a way down there, somehow!" You shout. "If we fall, we're toast!" You nudge your head to the side, to the rumbling waters above.

You catch Axel shoving a skeleton off the ledge. Reuben hastily headbutts an igniting creeper into one of the many mob chambers. "I checked, there really isn't!" His voice echoes against every wall.

"Incoming!" Olivia distantly yells before she launches a creeper your way with her bare hands. You're not sure where the hell she suddenly got the strength and courage to do that. Hopefully just adrenaline...

You scream like you're on fire for a moment before you get your bearings. Right, the flint and steel! You light the creeper before shoving it off the ledge, right into the grinder's path.

"For once in my life, I'm actually hoping for a creeper to explode..." You mutter, hands clasped together anxiously. Axel seems to be silently crushing mobs behind you. Right. Imminent danger. You charge to his side and slash through another zombie. Strange how fear can fade into absolute annoyance so fast.

A distant blast rockets off. You hope it's the creeper. "Are you sure you didn't see a path?" You ask him again. He glares at you.

"If I saw one, would I be stuck fighting a bunch of monsters?" He rolls his eyes.

"Well I don't... Who knows if that creeper's actually exploded a hole in that thing! Maybe we could... Mine through one of the walls?" You look around desperately. Reuben shoves another creeper off the ledge.

"Do you have any leftover TNT?" Axel asks suddenly. You check your inventory desperately and shake your head at him. "You deal with the creepers, then. I'll look!" He charges past you and Reuben flings a creeper at you. You grab it by its neck, light it, and throw it as hard as you possible can off the ledge.

You hear the blast and the grinder's slam. It doesn't sound as strong as before. "How's it look?"

"Like the Wither took a whole chunk out of it!" Axel shouts back at you. You step over and look down, watching the grinder slam together again, a massive hole in its mechanism now. You catch him looking at you, a dopey sort of anxious grin on his face.

You push him off the edge.

It takes you a moment to work up the courage to look, long enough for you to hear the splash of a whole person hitting the water. "Alright, it's safe!" You shout. "Everyone, jump!"

"We don't know if that's even a way out! He might be drowning down there!" Lukas fires back.

"We don't have much choice!" You hear Petra echo from somewhere before you catch her leaping down. You suck down some air in a heavy gulp and follow her down.

The air rushes past your ears. It's so loud that for a moment, you think it's the blood rushing through your skull. Everything seems to slow and you gaze presses to the grinder's ceiling. Thousands upon thousands of chutes for mobs take up the 'sky.' You wonder, for a moment, if you'll see the sun again. How long have you been below the earth?

This was a gamble. One you're not even sure if you'll win. Did you aim for the right place? What if there was a big enough gap in the grinder, but not in the water? Did you just send Axel to drown?

You try to close your eyes. The wind won't let you. You drop like a weight and hear the pistons in the mechanism fire.

There is a large enough gap to spare you. You can hardly comprehend this before you plunge into cold, deep water. Every part of you wishes you had taken in a breath before you had passed the grinder threshold. You reach for the surface and notice it's pulling away, even as you desperately fight to swim towards it.

Something pulls you deep into the water, into a dark chamber. A shout escapes you and water pushes through your nose. You hold back a sputtering cough and your lungs burn. Whether it's for air or relief is not something you can fully think about right now.

The water deposits you into a large chamber. Your head finally escapes the water and you suck in the deepest breath you ever have before you hit the ground and slide against cold glass. You try to breathe again but a thousand burning, aching coughs escape you. It hurts to breathe for a few minutes.

You take a look around you. It's hard not to, laying on the floor like this. Above you are minecarts, filled with chests, rushing by like they're being chased by something. Glass tubes filled with water push items around you, below you and above you. The room is filled wall to wall with chests.

There's the rush of water above. You struggle away on your back, barely missing the waterfall that comes down heavier than a thousand hammers. You catch Petra flailing out of the water, hitting the ground fitfully. She flails at the air like it's her enemy for a few moments before managing to catch her breath. Olivia launches out of the water and lands at your side elegantly.

"...What is up with you?" You ask her, eyes wide. That's when you notice the whites of her eyes are practically a pale lilac now, her deep purple irises now having brightened into a clearer, dark purple. You catch Petra's graying, thinning form behind you and fight back a gag.

"Sometimes I wonder... If what I have is coming from her." Olivia holds out her hands and you notice how they fade from a dark grayish purple to the tone of her skin. Were her fingers sharper? You push that thought back. It reminds you of the hellish vision you had of the two being one.

"Are you... You?" You ask her. Olivia jolts back. "I... Didn't phrase that right. I mean, are you having any pull to do anything? Is it making you do—think anything?" You watch her flicker her gaze between you, the ceiling, and then Petra.

"Besides how annoying it is seeing out of several eyes? Not really. I think I'm... Thinking a lot clearer than I ever have. That... Honestly scares me more." Olivia shakes her head. "I feel... Amazing. That terrifies me."

"Do you think it knows what it's doing? I... I felt what it was feeling. I could see. I felt its jaws unhinge and swallow people." Your insides twist at the memory.

"They climbed in." Olivia concurs. "I felt it too. It was like it was my own throat."

"Can we maybe stop talking about this? Please?" Petra asks.

"She's right. It's not like we can ask the monster to stop." You say and stop to look around. "Where's Axel?" You watch Petra and Olivia look around as well. You hear the shuffling of someone in a chest. A sigh escapes you as you approach.

"What?" Axel asks you as you approach, looking over slowly. "You said we needed food, didn't you?"

You want to tell him it's wrong to steal, to chastise him for thinking of it first, that you expected him to be stealing valuables instead. You take a look and realize it, in fact, is food. You sigh. "I don't know if we need to steal from Soren, Axel."

Axel is silent for a moment. "Jesse, you were right. We're not going to have enough food in the long run. Even if we kill that monster..." You hear him trail off, mouth falling into a straight line.

You remember the parts of the world stolen—the darkness crawling across the sky, Boomtown. Your home, destroyed, Endercon pillaged. Who knows what remains to eat? What farms still exist? Starvation will follow the Wither's wake. Even after its death, it will still have a hold on the world, if it even remains as anything other than fragments.

"I didn't think about that." You admit, looking away.

"It just came to me." Axel shakes his head as he looks away from you. "I saw everything in here, and I wanted it. Then I thought about what you always said. 'Axel, you don't need that. You can get that yourself.' But I realized I probably can't, anymore."

Whooshing hits your ears. You look back to where the water rushed before and see Lukas spill out of the waterfall. Reuben tumbles onto his back and he squeaks out an awkward breath.

"Do you think the world's salvageable?" Axel asks with tired eyes on you. "I mean, it's going to be bad. It's going to be really, really bad."

You don't have an answer. There's no point in giving up now. You have to be close now. But what if destroying that monster kills Olivia? What if Axel's right and you end up starving somewhere? Petra might die from what the Wither has done.

She might be dying now. You've almost died. You tasted death. You tasted what the Wither does. You went to sleep hungry once from utter exhaustion. You know what that monster thought. You saw the Order in fragments, Ivor like a frightened animal, the ghost signals of Gabriel through the amulet.

"I'm not... I'm glad you saved me. I just... I don't know if it was a good idea, after what happened earlier and... You know. The world." Axel's eyes trail the flowing items. "You still saved me. You still went for me. Even after everything."

"You're still my friend."

"I haven't been acting like it."

You blink and sigh. "I mean, it wasn't... Right. But I get it. I don't know how I feel about Lukas, but I get it. Even if the world wasn't ending, you'd... You still have a reason to be upset."

"How the hell are you being rational about this?" Axel looks more confused than anything.

"Someone has to be." You shove back the times you weren't.

"You know, if we make it through this, I think we'll be okay if you stay around. You'll figure it out, somehow." Axel returns to the chest.

"It wouldn't hurt to have some help."

"I'll try." Axel responds. You debate protesting him sifting through the chest, but you step away. He has a point. You'll starve out in the new world if he doesn't keep going through it. You look ahead and notice Lukas playing tug-of-war with Reuben using the amulet. A small chuckle escapes you.

"Would you take this seriously, please?" You struggle between a few laughs.

"It's surprisingly resilient!" Lukas pulls it out of Reuben's mouth and he snorts.

"Surprisingly?" You tilt your head.

"Well, yeah. I expected it to be a bit more fragile. I rarely see you hold it out and all." Lukas holds it out and watches the glow dance. Slowly, he turns and presses the amulet towards the direction of the chamber's opening. The glow grows across his eyes, almost swallowing them. "He's here. He's close!"

You press your head over his shoulder and Lukas steps closer to the chamber. In your periphery, you watch Olivia's eyes lock onto the amulet like a beacon. Is that just a harmless habit? You hope.

The light suddenly crackles out. "What?! He was just—" Lukas stammers and smacks it. You grab him by the arm, teeth clenched awkwardly, before letting him go.

"Sorry. I just... We can't lose that." You stammer. "But maybe he's still around there? He couldn't have disappeared that fast?"

"I think it works like a compass." Olivia steps in. "If he's in the Nether or End, it won't track him, like a compass does."

"I've got food!" Axel shouts suddenly. "And some more potions!"

Petra curls her arms around herself at that last word. Noises echo above you, like growling and flailing limbs. You feel your heart drop into your stomach.

"Run!" You shout and bolt for the chamber's exit. This time, you look behind you and nearly get tackled by Axel as he charges past you. Lukas follows him and you catch Petra struggling to rush over. Olivia stops and practically drags her through the chamber's exit.

When you pass the threshold, you nearly jolt. Two iron golems stand parallel, looking you over curiously. One breaks from its formation and brings its massive head close to you before pulling away and locking its gaze behind you.

"Golems... Here? Usually people only have them when they're guarding something important, or if they're living with villagers." Lukas pipes up. "What is he—"

You hear a torrent of growling mobs behind you and the golem that was in your face steps around you and steadily paces to the wave of approaching bodies. The other golem seems to nod at it before walking behind it, much slower and low to the ground.

"They look almost identical." Lukas comments. "But they act so different..."

"I've never seen a golem try to sneak up on something before." Petra admits. You hear a zombie shriek in a voice eerily like a person's as one of the golems swings it around like a bat. The other golem throws several spiders excitedly at the wall. Shaking your head, you press further into the chamber and hear something, like otherworldly growling mixed with sounds almost like the ocean.

You catch the portal first before you notice the stone staircase leading to it. Twelve eyes of ender surround the deep, swirling void. You approach it slowly, catching how it looks almost like a night sky with an aurora swimming across it, but incredibly distorted. Yet it also reminds you of the reflection of redstone lamps in a puddle, undulating waves carrying lights from distant towns, and something else you can't quite place.

"He's in the End." You look back to the crowd following you. You step down the stairs and gulp.

"That's... That's enderman territory." Lukas heaves.

"And we didn't bring carved pumpkins." Petra groans.

"Eyes on the ground." Olivia says. You nod at her and look back to the portal.

"But why would he build his base on top of the End?" You utter aloud. "Why over where the dragon was? Why over the realm with one of the most unpredictable and intelligent of all monsters?"

"Jesse, if you keep standing there, I'm gonna push you." Axel huffs. You can take a very, very obvious hint. You press one foot into the portal and feel coldness crawl up your leg. With a deep breath, you leap past the threshold and feel the entirety of the End's coldness submerge you.

It's like becoming one with the night. It's like plunging back into the cold water and feeling your lungs burn. Every part of you feels a sort of dread, like you're out in the open. For a moment, you think you're blind.

Your eyes adjust to the darkness before you can process the possibility of it inducing blindness. You catch the swirling obsidian spires, large, imposing, still intact. You wonder if it's possible for this place to rot. The island around you is large and pale, stretching in every possible direction. Past the horizon you catch more sprawling islands with more spires, some thick, some thin, some like a thousand spikes reaching towards the deep, purple sky.

The inhabitants chatter around you. You catch some endermen in a group, seeming to communicate. Are they animals? Or are they people, like villagers? Like the pillagers that occasionally raided towns around you, or like the illagers you'd heard stories about? Or were they just animals with hands that moved blocks and jabbered?

You can almost understand Soren, you think as you press your eyes to the ground and catch their hands and feet moving. The endermen provide so many questions. One could spend an entire lifetime trying to answer them.

Some of the endermen gang around a smaller one and seem to chase it around. It shrieks and tries to unhinge its jaw in a sort of threat display. Instead, the other endermen slash at it until it teleports away to another island.

That doesn't prove if they're animals or people. You knew violence among your own kind, even if it was less frequent. You can't help but look to the small enderman and watch how it seems to cover its eyes and cry. It makes you feel sick, like you've seen something you shouldn't have.

Breathing hits your ears, loud and strong, like someone taking in a big breath. You see Petra run a full circle around you, smiling, before she looks at something and that smile falls. You follow her gaze.

Olivia is on the ground, gasping desperately. You catch her eyes, irises panicked slits as she tries to keep them on the endstone below her. You watch her contort and you rush over to her and pull her close to yourself. You feel her head on your chest, her fingers digging sharply into your head, her legs touching yours, all of it.

You realize then, there are no visions this time. Her breaths run ragged before crawling into stability. You don't catch Axel and Lukas entering until Olivia finally lets herself look over at them. You follow her gaze as well.

"It's so... quiet." She mutters. "I could feel it try to... I don't know. It was... I don't think it was me that was panicking." Her eyes meet your own, returning to normal it seems. The purple stays. The cold touch stays. You look at Petra. She's still pale, but maybe the feeling of teeth in her flesh is gone.

"How are we going to find Soren if we can't look up?" Lukas suddenly pipes up.

"We could try and follow the ground, maybe there's a path?" You suggest. Lukas pulls the amulet back out. Its glow flickers on and off. He shakes his head and passes it to you.

"I guess we have to see if he's built a shelter here..." Lukas sighs, keeping his gaze on the ground. Reuben squeaks at your side. You didn't notice him appearing.

"Do you smell any other people, boy?" You ask him. Reuben keeps his gaze to the ground as he takes a few careful sniffs. You watch him focus for a few moments before stopping still, brushing his nose against the ground, before he starts moving forward.

"Follow my feet." You order and feel someone's hands press against your shoulders. They're warm, so they're definitely not Olivia's. You decide not to think about it too much and follow after Reuben as he trots forward.

He stops in front of a grand quartz staircase, first leading to the End's bedrock exit portal with a trio of redstone lamps at either side, before pulling forward into a platform. A staircase, taller than you'd ever imagined, wraps around a segment of open air. You step up the stairs and gaze into the void of the exit portal for a moment, before shaking away the idea and keeping your gaze forward.

The climb up the stairs is an agonizing one. Every time you think you're getting close, you find more stairs before you. But you press on because you have to. You want to say you're surprised Olivia is keeping up a lot better than you are, but you can't. It seems that strength stays without the Wither's influence.

Wheezing echoes behind you. You hope it's Axel with leftover fatigue from the fight from earlier and not the most likely—it's Petra. Dammit. You saw her run a full circle. You look behind you, noticing everyone's out of range.

"I thought you were better." You turn to her as she has her hands on her knees. She heaves.

"My chest hurts." You hear her admit in a small voice. It takes a lot to not recoil at the sound. "I just... I need to breathe."

"But you don't feel it eating you anymore?"

"No, no, I don't. But I don't—" Petra takes in a big inhale "—think you go back to normal after something uses you as a chew toy..." You watch her breathe raggedly for a few moments before she returns to the most normal breaths you've heard from her in a good moment. She inhales a deep breath and you catch no wheezing from her. Her eyes seem lighter, like she's carrying less exhaustion on her frame.

"You good to go now?"

"Just let me... This is the first time in days it hasn't felt awful to breathe." Petra waves one hand at you before returning to it. "I just wanted to savor that before... I couldn't." Before you can say anything, she steps in front of you.

The staircase terminates in a ladder leading towards a trapdoor. Groans follow you as you look at it. There are prayers that no more stairs will appear. It's hard to believe in a loving deity or several with that many stairs.

Taking in a deep breath, and trying to ignore the groans and pleas for no more stairs, you step up the ladder. Your hands loop around the trapdoor and you push it open. Light floods into your eyes and you swear you've gone blind twice in the same day. It takes a moment for you to press through the trapdoor and for your eyes to finally decide they recognize the light as something to absorb, not to throw away.

When you pull onto the ground and rise to your feet, you notice how familiar and soft it is. An impulse in the back of your head begs for you to return to the ground, to just lay down for a moment. You shake it away. If you lay down, you know you will sleep. There is no time for sleep.

"What do you see?" Lukas' voice cuts through your sudden drowsiness. Your eyes peer around, noting the sparse, fluffy trees, the distant built mountains, the tiny, fluffy mushroom replicas, the only break in texture being a wooden bridge over a small, flowing river. You blink. It is flowing. Blue, fluffy material surrounds every side, only broken by a few cloud-like patterns. You catch a few distant watchtowers full of water.

"Am I seeing things...?" You utter a little too loud.

"I hope not!" Lukas shouts behind you before nearly launching through the open trapdoor. You hear him yowl and cover his eyes. It takes him a few moments to open them, blinking back pain. He slumps on the ground and rubs against it. "What in the world?"

The rest of your group funnels through. Petra rushes down the fluffy green mountain you're standing on and nearly trips over her own legs. You can hardly catch a glimpse of her as she seems to leap over something before she hunches over, heaving and coughing like mad.

You try to rush over to her but the very action of running again makes your stomach hurt. You wheeze, a strange noise, and Lukas pushes you back, taking you to the ground. Olivia rushes to Petra's side and you catch blood dribbling out of Petra's mouth out of the corner of your eye.

"By the sky." Your words shutter out of you. You try to squirm and it hurts again, like you've pulled open your insides. Lukas looks about ready to cut his jacket open, practically tearing the zipper off as he tries to look at your wound. You look down at it. It's still closed, an ugly sort of scab, like your skin hastily stitched together. Lukas shoves your shirt down and fights back a gag.

"If you keep going like this you're going to spill your guts!" He snaps suddenly before his eyes catch Petra. You want to protest, to say it's just hurting because it's recent and you probably pulled the skin running, but you notice Petra too. If you didn't know better, you'd swear she'd be drooling blood.

"It's not stopping!" Olivia shouts. "What did you do!?"

Petra just looks at Olivia, paler now than you've ever seen her, before she falls on her side, blood pouring from her mouth like a horrendous fountain. Axel screams like mad, rushing like you've never seen him before. You catch him pouring a torrent of red potions on her.

It takes her a moment to inhale a strange breath. She's a little less pale. You stumble to your feet and approach the rest of your group, even as Lukas tries to grab at you.

"Lukas, let him..." Petra sucks in a wheezy breath. "It's just his body remembering it's been torn apart. It happens with wounds that bad."

"What the fuck was that!" Lukas shouts, running up at your side. His eyes gleam like a madman's. "Jesse, you need to tell me what's going on. That couldn't have been normal. She didn't... She didn't do anything to have that happen!"

"I just... Overestimated myself." Petra shakes her head.

"Over... Are you insane? I've seen you do more than that and you haven't spilled half of your body's worth of blood from it!" Lukas snaps. You watch him break into a stressed pace, cussing like mad under his breath.

"I hate to say it, but Lukas is right. What is going on?" Axel asks. Olivia looks at Petra, as if she's waiting for a cue. Petra just waves her down.

"I just had a bad reaction to something, I'm fine." She forces a smile as she looks at you. You try to ignore the huge puddle of blood you're standing in.

"You're not fine! I just used an inventory's worth of healing potions on you! And you still look awful!" Axel protests.

You want to interject. To let the truth be known. Olivia looks at you. You think of the feeling of being the teeth in someone's bones. You wonder if it's literal. Olivia shakes her head, like she's suddenly hit by something.

"Listen, I'm okay. Alright? Worry about the guy you thought was going to be disemboweled." Petra's mouth falls into a tight grimace.

"I'm fine, it just... I think it just pulled it when I ran." You sputter.

"Jesse, you have to be seeing this. She's not fine!" Lukas' suddenly turns his head to you. You think of spilling it all. Petra nearly... She must have been dying then. You look over at her, noticing her eyes have grown glassy.

"It's eating you." Axel looks like he's going to be sick. He pulls away, nearly knocking you and Lukas over. His hands cover his mouth. "Olivia. You..."

Olivia's gaze presses against your own. It's like looking into the eyes of a ravenous animal. You remember, she must not have eaten in days. Their connection must have severed through the portal. You catch sharp teeth lining where dull teeth belong when she opens her mouth.

"You're EATING HER!" Axel screams. Olivia looks at him like a kicked dog and steps away. "Oh my, oh my—gods above. You've been eating her."

"It's been eating her." Olivia snaps. "I would never do that!"

"But you said... It's been feeding you. You've been eating her. IT'S FEEDING HER TO YOU!" Axel shudders. Olivia's eyes flicker back and forth and you catch her gagging dryly. Lukas presses closer to you and you catch the horror in his eyes.

"Petra..." He can barely get a word out.

"Just—" Axel stammers suddenly and holds out a cookie. "Here! Just—to get the taste out of your mouth." You watch Olivia devour that thing so fast it makes your insides twist in instinctual horror. You shake the thought back. Reuben brushes against your leg and you have to make sure he doesn't shove you back by accident.

"It's not just her. It's... More than her."

"How many?" Your voice tears out of your throat like a chattering thing.

"Hundreds. At least." Olivia's words are distant.

"I hate I'm asking this, but I can't help but be curious. What does it... Taste like?" Petra asks, a sort of nervous laugh escaping her.

Olivia grimaces. "It's... Like beef but sweeter."

"That's fucked." Petra laughs. "I taste like a cow!"

"I'd say you were losing it if we weren't all in the same boat." Lukas shrugs. You gulp down a breath, every part shuddering as you pipe up.

"How about we um... All get on the same page about something." You look to Petra and watch her avert her gaze. "I... She told me."

"What!" Lukas and Axel shout simultaneously.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lukas leans in close. "We—"

"She didn't want to worry you!" You snap back. You catch Petra hunching in what you hope to be shame. Lukas looks to her.

"But it's not... eating you now?"

"If it still is, I can't feel it right now."

"Just take this slowly, alright?" Axel hushes her down. "I don't know if I have enough potions to fix you if that happens again."

Olivia looks away for a moment. "I mean, I also knew. I told you."

"...Well, I didn't want to believe it." Axel admits. "What else do you know?"

Olivia seems to concentrate for a moment. "The Command Block knows things about the Order, they've each had some time to interact with it. Ivor and Soren seemed to have the most time with it and... Well. Ellegaard lied about Magnus. She didn't have to pry him from its jaws. I can't... Remember how I know that. I just do."

"So something's wrong with the Order?" You shudder.

"As if the big fluffy Wonderland wasn't a sign of that already?!" Lukas gestures wildly. "I mean, think about it, Ivor plunged the world into chaos, Magnus and Ellegaard are trying to kill each other with their words, and Soren's decided he wants to build a fluffy world in the End. If they ever had their shit together, that time is over!"

"We need to see if that Formidi-bomb is around here somewhere." You remind them. "If we find Soren, we can get him to tell us where it is."

"Magnus said it was conceptual, though, remember? He probably scribbled it on a piece of paper and went," Lukas suddenly breaks into a sort of exaggerated idiot voice, "'Woah! I've made the bestest TNT ever! Pat me on the back now, Ellegaard!' And now we're fucked!"

"Fucked or not, we're kind of stuck here. Might as well try." Axel shrugs.

Lukas looks like he's silently stewing. His eyes go wide and he throws his hands up. "I guess!"

"Well, where is he?! He should have heard us by now!" You shout. That's when a new voice echoes across the fluffy world, one you recognize from the Command Block's memory.

"Welcome, my friends! There are precisely..." You hear static as something behind one of the walls processes some kind of dataset. "One! People in the residence. There is still capacity for plenty more!" Why would Soren use his own voice for this?

"One people?" Axel snorts as you press close to the walls, trying to find the source of the noise.

"Uh, hello?" You fire off, hoping the voice will hear you. Something in the walls churns. That's when you catch the structure by one of the walls, something that looks like a noteblock, but different. You tilt your head at it before it speaks again.

"How many people intend to enter?" That confirms your suspicions at least. You watch Olivia eye it up, almost as if she's trying to dissect it with her eyes. You count among your little group.

"Okay, there's me, Petra, Lukas, Olivia, and Axel. And Reuben, if it'll count that?" You mutter to yourself. "Six people!" You shout at it.

The walls churn again. "Repeat that? I didn't get it."

"SIX. PEOPLE." You shout. The churning noise begins again, almost beeping for a few moments.

"Access granted. Seven people recognized."

"I take it he's not good at redstone." Olivia scowls as a part of the wall opens up. As you step inside, you're reminded of a fancy restaurant, almost. Sprawling, long red chairs meant to sit several people, tables with candles, leaf blocks arranged in a sort of artistic fashion, and a few fountains dot the dark oak and quartz interior of this chamber.

You catch more of the chandeliers, these being simpler, made of fence posts and glowstone. Your group fans out, looking through the chamber for any sign of Soren. How was he so fast? When you press into what seems to be the main part of the hall, a place with two dividing halls dotted with long tables on either ends and a fountain in the center, you take notice of a distant song.

Reuben keeps at your legs, sniffing the air occasionally. You gently nudge him with your hand. "No need, I think the sound's enough." You say as you approach the music. It seems you weren't the only one with the idea, as Olivia stands outside the door where the music seems to be coming from. You watch her curiously for a moment.

"He sang to it, sometimes." You hear her admit as you step to her side. "Thinking about it... Hearing this... It makes me feel something I can't quite place."

"Do you know what it wants?"

"It's angry and hungry, mostly. I don't think it wants anything, not in a way that we do. And even if it did, it's in too deep to get out of this."

"Like us." You nod solemnly. Olivia presses open the door and you sneak through it. Before you is a square room with bookshelves at every corner, a few chests suspended above you, a grand purple standing glass window, paintings on every wall and—

A jukebox. Playing a song that you swear the Command Block had heard before. You strain your ears to listen in on the lyrics, catching only a few of the words.

"My redstone baby doll?" You echo. "Marshmellow world? What kind of prose is this?"

"Why is he playing a love song?" Olivia asks.

"I thought you'd know about it, somehow. Is it about the Order?"

"I'm not sure." Olivia shrugs. Soren's voice interrupts his singing, to speak about how he's titled the composition 'Symphony in E' to celebrate a new discovery, that endermen can apparently follow orders to build.

"That confirms at least one reason he's out here." You murmur, before taking a glance to the window, noticing two armor stands. One has a short suit resembling an enderman and the other to its right is taller and has no such suit.

As if to confirm your suspicions, Soren then decides to talk about hiding among them to observe them. To think he's been hiding away all this time while the world's been burning and he's never even known. And if you weren't here, he likely never would.

"Do you have any leftover building material?" Olivia asks you, eyes on you. You snort.

"Why is it me that has to go out there? You practically look like an enderman now." You watch her expression fall. A sigh escapes you. "I didn't... Mean it like that."

"They'd probably be scared of me at best and kill me at worst." She looks at the crowd of endermen through the stained glass. You watch her look at her hands and shudder at the thought. "Now I won't stop thinking about it. Thanks."

"Sorry." You grimace. "For that, I'll go out there with them. Okay? And if I die, you get to feel vindicated."

"If you die, I'm just going to feel sick."

"Well, um. I'll try not to die then." You pull the suit off its stand and grimace. "Seems he was committed to smelling like them too." Olivia snorts at that and you put on the suit. You rummage through your inventory and find there's enough to build a tower.

Reuben steps to the door outside. You gently scoop him up and put him down by Olivia's feet. "You have to stay here, with her. I'll try not to be long, boy." You pet him on the head and he squeals sadly.

"What are you planning on doing out there?"

"Mmmh, I'm thinking of building a big tower. That should get his attention and not have the endermen lose their cool." You suggest. Olivia looks back outside.

"Just be real careful." She says.

"I will." You try to push back the image of that poor harassed enderman. You step through the door, take a deep breath, and try to stay silent.

Every part of your mind goes to what you've heard of enderman behavior, of how to survive one of them attacking you, of common threat displays. It feels like your memory's been stolen. You remember to avoid eye contact. That probably goes for other members of their species.

The endermen are chattering quietly. You catch a small, far off group perched, surrounding a smaller member of the species like guards would their ward. Other endermen are clustered around one holding a grass block, taking turns observing it. You catch one lunge in and try to grab it, prompting the one with the block to slash at the offender with one taloned hand.

You take that moment to sneak in between the main haunting, noticing how some of their gazes pass over you. One seems to chatter in a way that you can only assume means to back off. You don't stay to test that theory. Instead, you press to where the endermen seem to not tread, opting to scope that out as your building area.

You place one block, look around, and notice the endermen are still quietly chattering. Gently, you place another, stop to listen, and then continue. It seems endermen are not bothered by one of their own making a structure of some kind. You keep at it, building a decently tall and thick tower.

That's when you realize, as you place the last block, that they've gone completely silent. You catch them staring at you and your structure. None press forward, instead looking at you from a distance. You even catch a few teleporting away, especially that group with the smaller one.

One approaches, shoulders tense. You catch it bobbing its head. You're not sure if you're supposed to reciprocate and feel your head snap over your neck like a shield. The enderman tilts its head and presses closer, locking its gaze onto your eyes. You don't tear away.

Looking away is submission. But keeping your gaze locked on is just inviting a fight, right? You keep your head over your neck and harden your gaze. The enderman doesn't leave. It just keeps staring.

"Back off!" You yell, almost on impulse and swipe at it. The enderman shrieks and unhinge its jaw. More shrieks travel across the entire enderman colony. That's when you realize you've doomed yourself.

"Pst," Someone whispers in your ear, "could you fall over for me?"

"Wha-?" You yammer back and feel someone hit you in the eye. The shock is enough to make your legs weak. The whispering voice scoops you up and rushes like a madman, endermen shrieking behind you and them as you do.

"Now, we have to be real, real quiet. Okay?" You look over at the stranger, unable to fully register them through their enderman mask. "I'm taking that as agreement!" Long, stilted limbs trail in your periphery.

"Why are you carrying me?" You whisper shout. "Don't they leave the unconscious?"

"Sometimes, but other times they make short work of them, haha! You know how endermen are, hungry little things. Fun fact, their flesh kinda tastes like chorus fruit. Probably because they eat it all the time. The, ah, chorus fruit, I mean. Cannibalism amongst endermen is purely opportunistic."

"Soren?" You ask as he pulls through the door. You notice he doesn't turn to close it.

"Ah, no... I was hoping it wouldn't bruise." You hear Soren whine as he shakes his head. You hit the ground like a full bundle. You look for Olivia and find she's disappeared. She must have gone to find the others, in case Soren was out there.

"Soren?" You echo again as Reuben trots to your side and sniffs you. "I told you to stay with Olivia." You say through gritted teeth. Soren pulls off the suit almost haphazardly, tossing it onto the stand it belongs. You blink, was he really wearing a set of sandy cloth armor under that?

"Must I be, honestly? There are sometimes I wish I was something else. I could be something like a grand legend, a donkey, a—a super computer, something!" Soren laughs a little at that. You raise an eyebrow. "Sure. I'm the Soren that got you to safety. Or perhaps that was the enderman Soren... I am very fond of enderman Soren." He puts a gray, metallic, gloved hand under his ginger colored beard, smiling as if he's reminicising on something rather fond.

"The world's in danger!" You shout suddenly. Soren seems to roll his eyes at that.

"What else is new? It finds a new way to be in danger or be dangerous every day. Hell, I would have assumed the End was the exception but look at you, you've thrown all my favorite endermen into a frenzy!" He throws his hands up as he looks to the stained glass and the still agitated endermen outside it.

"There's a massive Wither monster, it's eating the whole world! We need the Formidi-bomb." You're practically about to grab him for a moment. You hold back the urge to.

"You know, it's really rude to break into a guy's house, steal his enderman suit and then ask him for his stuff, right?" Soren deadpans, brushing at the black metallic sleeves of his armor. "Even if this was some nice little get together, giving you anything would just... Turn you away. It always does." Soren walks over to a small poppy and looks at it.

"How is a bomb going to... I'm only here because the world is being destroyed! I don't... I'm not going to make your life a living hell or something?" You think for a moment about Ivor and the Command Block. "I have no reason to do anything to you. I won't."

"Hah! Everyone says that. But they do it anyway. They're nothing like endermen, who stay in their own lines as long as you respect them. If they're desperate for something, they'll do anything for it. Even if it's something you'd never think they could ever do." Soren looks back at you for a brief moment, frown curling away from his orange mustache.

You hold out the amulet. "I have the amulet. Gabriel gave me it. He's..." You don't finish that sentence.

"You do...?" Soren turns and looks at the crackling light. His light. You see something in his black eyes you can't place as the light dies again.

"The Order misses you. They asked for you. And after all this, after everything I've seen, I can see you missed them too."

Soren looks away for a moment, almost bitterly swallowing that last part. "How can I be sure of that? Were they even talking about me? Or did they just miss who I was?" There's ire and panic in those eyes. For a moment, you can see Ivor's own eyes in his gaze.

"Magnus was... Always too scared to read your letters. But I knew he regretted that he didn't. Ellegaard said you always knew a way out. So I'm counting on that. I believe her." You hold out the amulet. Soren looks at it and then you. He puts his hand on it.

"You believe her, but do you believe in me?"

"If I didn't, would I be all the way down here?"

"Of course, of course." Soren nods. "You're the best thing down here in years, besides the endermen. Although... Not really a high bar, that bit. Oh well." He lets go of the amulet and looks to the endermen, raising his arms to them. "But before we go—"

Lukas bursts through the door. "Olivia told me—SOREN!?" He shouts. Before Soren can say anything, the rest of your gang pulls through. Soren jolts at the sight of Olivia, nearly reaching for something on the pockets of his thick cloth armor.

"I thought you liked endermen and things that looked like them." She says and you swear you can hear one of them growling behind you. Soren steps over to her.

"What... Is this the work of a Command Block?" He reaches out one hand towards her eye and she grabs him by the arm. If not for his armor, you imagine her small claws would have drawn blood.

"Let's talk about this here. I don't want to head back to the Overworld for a little bit." Olivia's words are firm.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing with you on that." Petra says.

"Would you let go of my arm, pretty please?" Soren yipes at Olivia. When she takes a little too long, you hear him snap. "Come on! Aren't you still human under there?"

Olivia lets go of his arm and glares at him. "We wouldn't be here if not for you." Those words sound like something the Command Block would agree with. "You owe us." She stands over him, head pressing closer like an enderman looking for an opening. You watch Soren shudder under her, his hair falling in wispy shapes away from his balding forehead as he nearly clatters to the floor in pure fear.

"Uh, Olivia. Can we... Save the righteous anger for when we have the Formidi-bomb?" Lukas pipes up.

"You should be glad your buddy here was my first impression! Sheesh, you're a monster even without that Block's wretched influence!" Soren shakes his head as Olivia presses back. "But I suppose I can't deny clear evidence. You do reek of Command Block influence in all honesty."

"You better have some way to reverse that!" Axel snaps. Soren laughs, a sort of dry noise. You feel something towering over you.

"I'm afraid that's not how it works, my friend. Whatever a Command Block does is only reversible by a Command Block. When this is all done, she'll be stuck like that forever." You watch Soren pull away and tap his chin. "Assuming whatever this is doesn't kill her in the process."

Olivia looks at you in a panic for a moment. "Okay, okay, just... I'll stay here when you kill it."

"Oh, what, you're... Connected to it?" Soren's eyes widen. "I... Why would you do that to yourself?!" He snaps.

You feel clawed hands on your shoulder. "I hate to interrupt whatever this is, but I really don't think staying here is going to be an option." You try to keep your eyes away from the enderman that's definitely towering over you. Soren looks over for a moment before averting his eyes.

"Well! Now look what you've done! I'm telling you, breaking and entering has several risks and this is one of them!"

"Get moving!" You shout. So much for this enderman disguise, you suppose, as you rush through the halls outside Soren's enderman observatory. Endermen teleport in and out, seeming on edge, but not overtly hostile just yet.

As you press back into the wooly chamber, you barely make it to the bridge before you hear one of the endermen scream. Several teleport over and, in a panic, you watch your menagerie of companions break for the other side. With no other option, you look up and realize they're pressing in on all sides.

"How do you get them to stop?!" You shout back at Soren. You watch him shrug as the endermen press in closer.

"If an enderman wants something dead, well, an enderman always gets what it wants."

That's not comforting, especially as they close in. You grit your teeth and slash one in the leg, providing you enough of an opening to rush into the water.

"Come on, everyone! They won't go after us in here!" You shout over the rushing water. Everyone follows your idea, except Soren, who hesitates for a moment. "The water's fine!"

Olivia sighs, rolls her eyes, and shouts over. "Get your ass in here before I drag you in here!"

That seems to scare Soren enough into jumping in. Petra laughs. "I didn't think you could do that." She slugs Olivia on the shoulder.

"I learn from the best."

"Or maybe you've been chewing on my brain too much." Petra snickers and Olivia just stares before breaking into a laugh. You can barely get out a laugh of your own before Soren suddenly grabs you by the arm and drags you through the water. You wonder, as you feel his warm fingers press against the suit, why someone would let armored gloves be fingerless.

"I think you should know that I've built a rudimentary fire suppression system here. It should have enough water to flood the whole area! Which is funny, because I honestly only built it to make sure my wooly little place doesn't catch on fire." You hear him chuckle out that last part.

"Can we reach the controls from here?"

"You can swim well, right?" Soren points underwater. "The lever's right under the fences."

"Are you crazy?! Why would you put a lever underwater!?"

"Would you rather I put it on top with all those endermen? Besides, it's stupid to put valuable mechanisms where fire can get at it. Now go!" Suddenly, Soren shoves you under the water. So much for asking if you're a strong swimmer and all...

You rush through the water, wishing again you had gotten a big gulp of air, and manage to almost swim right into the lever. You flick it on and dive up to the surface, taking in a huge breath. You wonder how Soren managed to create a circuit underwater. Did he just lie to you?

The water rises. Okay. Not a lie, not a lie not a–

"Fire suppression system now online!" The mimic of Soren's voice crackles across the entire room.

You're submerged incredibly quickly. You hear Soren yell to swim to the trapdoor. You dive for it, hoping that every moment in the water so far has paid off. It's hard to think of anything other than how you're desperately fighting to make it through the water. You count the people swimming ahead and—

Where's Petra?

You look behind you. She's lagging, desperately. The water has reached the ceiling. You charge for her, wrap one arm around her, and pull her down. You will be the faster swimmer. You will be the one to bring her home.

It seems that door left open has given the water an avenue to tumble over every part of the End. You push Petra to the surface, take in a huge breath, and then dive through the portal with her in your arms. The other side is a scramble, having to go from open water to climbing out of a portal. You push Petra out first and struggle to the staircase.

A hundred heaving breaths escape you. Somewhere, behind you, you hear Olivia shrieking like mad before she quiets into a sort of gasping breath. You look to her and she stops, hiding her eyes. Petra grimaces at you and your lips fall into a grimace.

You catch the golems fighting a horde of monsters and hear Soren sigh. "Did you really have to go through my grinder? You've got my boys working overtime!" He shakes his head like it owes him some iron and pats some water off his brown pants. You catch one of the golems launching a skeleton lazily. "You're lucky they're good at their jobs." He crosses his arms.

"Just tell us where the Formidi-bomb is so we can get out of here!" You shout and Reuben watches the golems eagerly. You catch him nodding occasionally their way. Soren sputters strangely.

"Small issue, I haven't made it yet!"

"That's a small issue!?" You shout. One of the golems starts to juggle several cave spiders.

"In my defense, it's incredibly unstable! The moment you craft it, it's set to explode!"

You're too stunned to even start to speak. Soren just kind of stares at you. One of the golems approaches Soren with a large inventory clutched in its hands.

"Good work! Now if you'd just follow me..." He gestures for it to follow him. You shrug and follow him and his two pals. "Now, would you do me a favor and explain why my grinder's spitting out mobs?"

"It tried to kill us?" Olivia deadpans.

"We had to blow a hole in it!" Axel shouts.

"You know... If you just consulted my map—" Soren begins.

"There isn't a map up there!" You shout.

"Oh. I must have forgotten to put it there. My bad. I guess." Soren looks around a tad awkwardly. "Hm, how about this. I fetch the Super TNT and you can take anything you want from here? Food, weapons, heck even a set of armor. Wait. I don't think I have that. Disregard that last bit." Soren looks to the golems. "Boys!" You watch them stack on top of each other and he leaps on top of them to get to some high up chests.

As you pull open a chest, he shouts down, "Oh! And someone get at least eight gunpowder! We need it for the Formidi-bomb!" You shrug, grabbing anything edible you can find, and search endlessly through the chests. You find enough gunpowder and then some. You take it all just in case.

You catch Olivia grabbing a fishing rod from a chest, Axel taking a whole inventory's worth of potions and then some, and Lukas grabbing some as well. Axel hands a few of the healing potions to Petra and returns to grabbing them. You catch her drinking them. You return to scrounging for food, enough to survive the Wither's downfall.

Reuben worms his way between Petra's legs. After you grab some food, you step over to her. "Are you hungry?"

"I'm good for now. I don't really have an appetite after all those potions they forced down my throat."

"Oh. Lukas joined in on the 'heal Petra' party?" You snicker.

"Yeah. Sucky party, in all honesty. But at least I feel a bit better for the moment." She rolls up her sleeve. You notice some of the skin has started to darken, almost into a sort of midnight black. She recoils at the sight and pushes her sleeve back down. "Nope. I'm not even going to think about that right now."

"Are you still hungry?" You ask Olivia. She just shakes her head. "Does anyone need to eat before we head back out there?"

"I already helped myself." Axel shrugs. He looks to Lukas silently before looking away.

"I um, also did that. Just to give myself more energy to keep looking." Lukas admits, averting his gaze.

"No, it's fine. Really. We need some food, especially if we're fighting that monster." You point somewhere. As you do, you catch Soren flicking a lever and minecarts shuttering within few. Powered rails begin to flicker on. "Is everything okay with you, Olivia?" You ask.

Olivia struggles to meet your eyes. She shakes her head for a moment. "I'm still here. Even with that monster in my head, I'm still here, but I just... I'm scared. Even if I stay here, what about what I'm going to be on the other side?" She looks to her hands and then at you. "If this kills me, just... I don't want you to stop to protect me. The entire world matters more than me."

"It won't be the same without you." You shake your head a little.

"I think we can all agree with that." Lukas concurs.

"Yeah." Axel nods.

"I guess I'm not the only person who might end up dead today. Not a very fun club to be in." Petra forces a sort of strained smile.

"Yeah, it's not. I don't know which is worse. Living like this or dying." Olivia sighs. "I just hope Soren's lost it."

"Maybe you'll be fine. We just need to keep our hopes up." You pat her on the shoulder. "But for the record, you'll always be Olivia to me. I don't think you've changed for the worse."

"Yeah." Lukas' words are soft, like they're about to disappear.

"I thought we all wanted to save the world!" Soren shouts, almost anxiously, pointing to the other end of the chamber. A rail system full of minecarts greets your eyes. How did you miss—right… You were running from mobs and a whole Wither beast. "To the minecarts, everyone! Come on, please! Oh how I've waited years to say that!" With that, you clamor into the minecarts haphazardly. It's crazy to think your journey has begun with the minecarts and will now end with them.

You think a lot as you're taken to the surface. How much of the world remains? What will it be like when this is all over? What is the Order hiding? Is there such thing as normalcy in a world like this? Will you survive it? What about Olivia?

You don't want her to die. But you can't throw the world away for her. She wouldn't want that. She doesn't want that. Even if... You couldn't force her to live like this. Who knows what would happen, even if that monster could stop? Would it even want to?

The rails take you to the surface. For a moment, you don't spot the abomination. You merely see what you presume is a dark, deep storm cloud. The carts slow and you catch its distant form, tendrils writhing in the open air. Even at that distance, it still looks massive. It must have gotten larger.

Your ears catch commotion as the carts stop. When you leave, you catch horses stirring in a pen in your periphery. As you try to focus on the distant argument, you catch them vaulting over the pen. They don't... usually do that.

"I know it's a lot to ask you but please, you need to hear me out. I know how to stop that monster. I can get you to safety but we need to hurry!" The voice has you narrowing your eyes. Is that... Ivor?

"Fat chance! You're the reason we're fighting that abomination!"

"Magnus is right. We'd be fools to even think of going with you." You catch Ellegaard putting her face close to Ivor's, eyes gleaming with utter malice. You've never seen her like that.

"I say we kill him." Magnus steps to her side and you see Ivor pull away.

"I'm trying to help you, you fools!" He shouts but you don't even see him try to grab his sword. You hear your group shuffle behind you, and you stop them from approaching. Soren gasps somewhere behind you.

"Come on, Ellie. You have to agree with me on this one." Magnus grits his teeth and pulls out TNT. You watch Ivor look like he's about to break into a run. You catch Ellegaard shoving him against a wall, pinning him as she draws out a sword.

"You wouldn't." Ivor's eyes are pleading, desperate. You watch Ellegaard's hands grip the sword. You watch Magnus eye the TNT's fuse. You see Ivor's hand grip a sword that's not there.

Ellegaard and Magnus exchange a glance. Ellegaard throws Ivor at the ground and kicks him in the stomach. "Just go." She hisses, malice in her every part of her voice. "Never show your face again." Ivor scrambles like a madman, running into the woods.

You watch Soren reach out a hand before he pulls it away. He shakes his head and his brow furrows into a scowl. "Is he why we're here?"

"Yes." You hiss. Soren falls silent for a moment. Magnus takes notice of you and rushes to you, pulling you on the arm.

"Hey, Amulet Holder! A little help?" You catch Soren trying to hide behind Axel for a moment as Magnus speaks.

"We have... Soren and the TNT." You say.

"Soren?" Ellegaard approaches, the anger in her eyes leaving.

"It's you. It's really you." Magnus lets go of your arm and approaches Soren as well.

"Hello, old friends." Soren finally allows himself to approach. You hear that abomination roar somewhere off in the distance. Soren takes the opportunity to stand in front of everyone. "Remember, we only get one shot at this. Once the Formidi-bomb is crafted, it will go off within a matter of seconds. That means whoever is doing the crafting will be in grave danger!"

An awkward silence falls. Soren looks as if he's searching his inventory for a moment and trying to hide at the same time. He looks down. "I was uh, hoping we could maybe draw straws?"

You look at Magnus and Ellegaard. Magnus avoids your eyes. "Don't look at me. Hah..." He keeps looking away. Really? Even the explosions guy who lives on the edge doesn't want to do it?

"I think I might have tweaked an ankle earlier..." Ellegaard rubs the back of her head before wincing in mock pain. Your mouth gapes open, unable to process what you're hearing.

"Nobody's going to volunteer...?" You utter aloud, looking to the Order members around you. You think of your friends. Of the people who had spent hours at each other's throats. You think of Olivia and the shuddering visions, Petra and her weakening form, Axel and Lukas who had no time for peace.

You inhale a big breath like it's your last and close your eyes. You turn to Soren. "I'm going to set off the Formidi-bomb."

Soren nods. "I was hoping you'd say that." He hands you the Super TNT. You try to ignore how it flickers like the Command Block. "The rest of us will build distractions in the monster's path. That should buy you some time."

You hear Petra's wheezing rise to a howl. "You should be—" she coughs, "ashamed of yourselves!" You watch Magnus and Ellegaard look at the ground.

"Jesse... Take my armor. It will help protect you." Ellegaard steps to you, hand on her chestplate. You watch Olivia jolt back for a moment and shake her head.

"No, take mine! It's gotten me out of a lotta jams!" Magnus offers right after, making Axel jolt as well. Olivia and Axel exchange glances and shake their heads at each other.

You think of the suit you currently have. Will it really save you? Will a set of armor do so as well? Who do you choose? Who truly has a better armor set? What do they do without their armor, especially with a monster that large and powerful?

If Ellegaard's one hell of an engineer, surely she must have engineered her armor to withstand anything, right? You'd remembered how she had knowledge to span into new eras of invention. Surely, if anyone knew how to engineer the best set of armor, it would be Ellegaard. Sure, Magnus could likely withstand an explosion or two, but his armor likely didn't have as many safeguards as her.

You step to her and she seems to recognize the gleam in your eye. Surely, she must be fine. She is a member of the Order. She survived the dragon. If she is not flight footed and smart, then who is she?

As you stand in front of her and hear her start to speak, you remember the secret. The way Olivia spoke of something hidden, like a flying beast between every part. There was something wrong. Were you dooming someone to save yourself? What a selfish monster you were.

"Jesse, you deserve this—" Her monologue is barely audible over the rush of your thoughts.

You remember the Command Block's familiarity with Soren, suddenly, like a flicker of memory in the back of your mind. The monster you helped unleash, the monster that had a vendetta as harsh as its warden. Ivor was its keeper later in its existence, now you can tell that from the thought spider webbing behind your brain. No, Soren had kept it, just like Olivia had said. He was its warden for years.

You hear a warbling roar behind you. Something thrashes behind you and Ellegaard's monologue grows into a shriek, "we're all gonna die!" A yelp tears out of your throat. Before you can comprehend it, she's practically chucking her armor at you. You didn't even know it was possible to shed armor that fast.

Olivia charges in front of you, voice rising to a roar as the beast descends upon you. "What do you want? Why are you doing this?!" You catch her waving her arms as you peel off the enderman suit and put the armor on. You're glad Ellegaard's wearing a copper brown suit and a white shirt under there, at least she's still got some protection against that thing.

You catch the monster stopping. It drifts tendrils idly in the air, not unlike bee antennae. You catch its gaze on her, something utterly new and incomprehensible. Fear drifts through you, even as you put on the armor.

There's the clicking of several jaws, somewhere within it. You catch teeth lining its frame, mouths in places that do not belong, but none of them open. Instead, you recognize the clattering jaws within, as several teeth, dull like yours. It makes your mouth feel like an alien thing inside you.

Olivia's gaze looks like someone gazing into madness. You can't stop thinking about the clicking teeth inside it. The people in its insides, all clattering their jaws in mock words. You feel your own insides twist. The thing stays and you feel someone pull you.

The hand releases and you don't know why until you're hit with the full force of a thousand visions. Suddenly you're in Endercon again, screaming names you don't even remember, looking for people, you don't know. Your chest aches and burns. You run. You scream for them. For help. You don't remember who you call for.

You're home one minute. The next you feel your teeth sinking into several people, the taste of flesh at every part. A hunger in every part of your form that isn't a hunger. A need. A desire. You must be everything and everywhere and everyone.

The thing's jaws unhinge. You feel them like your own. A thousand pressing things are at your mind, pilfering memories like a hungry thing. You taste someone's spawnhood, remember lakes and bees and lush caves. Somewhere, you hear Gabriel whisper a secret in someone's ear. Soren begs you not to tell… Something. Ellegaard studies every part of your form.

You choke on viscera. A thousand screams echo across every part of your body and you feel it. You don't hear it, you feel it, but you're not deaf. You hear without hearing. Flesh entangles with flesh, pressing gently against a body like warm sheets. You embrace thousands and feel them feeding into you.

Somewhere, Magnus screams an unfamiliar name and grasps at open air, begging the monster to spare them. It denies him in Nohr's voice.

You feel several human teeth clack together. Jaws at every angle, animal and human and yours and someone else's and the beast's own. Somewhere, around the teeth, sits a chamber where teeth is willed away. Somewhere, the beast caresses its heart, its mind, with tendrils like hands. If you strain your mind, perhaps you'd find fingers.

The tendrils lift from your mind. You feel your very consciousness spiderweb out, mind filled with purple. Like a wave, you catch her standing in front of you, eyes bright with something. Olivia looks almist like a guardian of something grand and important.

Somewhere, the monster roars. Here, Olivia's hand presses against yours. It's warm. You recognize her. The origin point, before you were gone, before your damnation. She brushes back a curl of your hair, and you feel like you're back home, just for a moment. For a moment, you're in the treehouse, home.

You catch Axel's mind drifting in yours, a hurricane of a million regrets and anguish. You recognize the fear of dying; Not here. Not like this. It's like gazing into a wretched mirror.

Plans of a grand craft drift in the back of your mind. You feel the tendrils of the monster's mind crawl into them, crushing Ellegaard's many attempts at making another of its kind. Your vision swims with blueprints and whispered plans and paces into breakthroughs.

Someone holds Petra back in the back of your subconscious, barely able to scream over their roaring thoughts. Telling her not to climb, not to rush to it. It's Lukas, pleading and begging, that he can feel them all squirming in his insides. He wants her on his outsides.

You feel her impulse to crawl into its jaws. The monster's jaws all unhinge at the thought. You feel your own jaw loosen as well.

There's a roar across every consciousness pressing against yours. You think you're the only one who hears it.

"STOP!" Olivia's voice echoes against the sky. You feel a thousand tendrils worm through your skull in abject rage, tearing into every fiber of your being like an angered thing. Screams of horror and pain crawl at every angle. You're eclipsed by something angry and the tendrils are gone, unable to press any further.

"Have you forgotten?" Olivia's voice echoes across you all like a voice angry enough to cross mountains. "You're trapped with me."

Something unites you, like a flash of light slamming into the corner of every room. You blink and realize your mind has quieted. Something, no, Olivia's words echo across every conscious like a speaker in an auditorium.

"You get one shot at this, don't waste it. I can stop it from knowing what we're about to do, but only for a moment. Think it now."

Soren's mind is a frantic thing, his own internal monologue not unlike the monster's shriek. Visions of the TNT surrounded by a circle of gunpowder fill every corner of your head, heralded by only one sentence. "It's potent enough to not need any further interference, you could probably craft it by just putting it like that in your inventory." You catch him thinking of how some things crafted have a strong enough pull to not need the last ritualistic step, the last rite that wills items together on a table.

"Won't we need to distract that monster?" Lukas' thoughts cut through your own, trailed by a thousand prose-like descriptions of the monster's every part. You catch a part of him agonizing over what color its eyes are.

"We have enough materials to build in its path." You suggest, feeling your own thoughts being pulled somewhere else as you do. "This feels weird."

"And the big monster's whole intervention didn't?" You swear Axel's rolling his eyes, even in his mind. That feels strange.

"Focus." Olivia's irritation presses against you like an ocean's breeze. "I could make it think the rest of you are trying to build a weapon against it. If I introduce just enough paranoia—"

You're hit by waves of panic, thrashing tendrils against your insides, and then your mind is alone. Everyone pulls from you, sorting into separate groups. In your periphery you catch one of the beast's heads turned one way and the other the opposite. You take that moment to find somewhere out of its sight to place down your crafting table.

It's a good thing you're not some plucky fresh spawn. If you had forgotten it... You push back the thought as you search your mind back to Soren's thought. It's hard to forget a foreign image planted. You struggle to push away the feeling of the clattering teeth.

Olivia's standing in front of it, watching the beast desperately turn its heads between the two main parties. You catch her smiling too wide in your periphery, teeth at parts of her gums just as sharp as the monster's own. "Do you feel it? Does it scare you?"

You're about to place the last piece of gunpowder when you hear her shriek. It takes every part of your mind and body to not run for her. Instead, you catch her muttering, in words not her own, of how it was foolish of her to think that her mind wasn't just as ripe.

One head turns your way. Your hands sweat under the gauntlets of Ellegaard's armor. You try to pull the items away, and you manage. For a moment, you swear the beast's jaws have turned to a savage grin.

It pulls with its dreaded beam your crafting table and yourself, savoring the moment with malice glee. You catch every eye lining its form making eye contact with your own. You know what those jaws could do.

Almost as if knows your thoughts, you hear someone scream out in the distance. You wonder, for a moment, if it's keeping you in place just so you can look. You feel your eyes wander as your ears take in the fact the screaming hasn't stopped.

Your eyes devour every detail against your will. Your mind drinks the fear hungrily, like it's a lifeline. You try to tear your eyes away, try to scream, try to do something, but you can't. All you can feel is the beast's beam pulling your eyelids open and fear threatening to devour every part of your mind.

One of the wretched tendrils lined with several jaws holds two of them. You can barely tell who's who for a moment, like your mind is throwing away the very sight your eyes are devouring. You catch the green of Magnus' armor struggling against the monster's many fangs. You catch him desperately grasping for something.

The monster loosens its grip on him, throwing him at the ground. He skids against the grass back first, screaming something incoherent and shrill. You catch Soren rushing to him and watch his face turn as he charges to it.

You already see what he's running to. The thing holds Ellegaard, testing a thousand blade-like teeth against her suit. You think of the fact she's wearing two layers, as if clothes will somehow save her from the abomination's grip more than armor ever would.

You can't hear what Soren's screaming, you only catch him reaching out one hand, pressing closer and begging as the thing turns Ellegaard like a quill between fingers. Your insides twist as you think of an ocelot toying with a chicken. If you focus, you can make out pleas for it to stop, that it hurts.

Soren is barely within arm's reach when the thing finally stops turning Ellegaard in its tentacle maw. You hear her shriek something, a beg, a prayer, something for someone above to hear, and then there's a horrendous snap and you catch the spray of red.

You hear Soren scream, still reaching for her, even as blood pours from her throat and torso. Somehow, she clings to life desperately, even as you catch teeth crawling up her form. The thing pulls its jaws apart slightly just to snap back again, cracking something lower in her body. You hear her screams raise and quiet as it repeats this again and again.

Could it keep anything alive in contact with it? Or did she cling to life just as desperately as the rest of you? You try to avoid her eyes, but you catch her gaze desperately turning to the sky. That's when you question if a loving being could exist and simultaneously beg for an afterlife just so you'd have somewhere to run to when this was over.

Soren is still screaming, reaching his hand closer. You catch Ellegaard reach out one weakly, covered in blood and quivering. It pulls back just enough of its horrendous maw to snap up Soren's own arm. You hear him shriek, a noise you'll never forget. Even if you were to go deaf, you would hear it in your bones and head and body and—

The monster pulls with the front of its jaw and Soren is struggling against it, trying to press it back with his free hand. You hear him scream in rage and agonized sadness at first and you catch Ellegaard's body finally give in as the thing snaps its jaws around her again. She crumples into nothingness and Soren's scream rises above the clouds.

The beast forces you, its wretched audience, to hear him scream at her wake, to hear Soren struggle against it as it worms the rest of its jaw around his arm. He pulls back against it, as if it would free him, and you catch blood pooling through the armor. Magnus stands up, legs shaking like they're new, and he doesn't have enough time to run for Soren.

The thing pulls back with full force, tearing his arm off messily. You watch Soren fall to the ground, keeling over in agony. Every part of your body burns as you turn your gaze to the abomination. Its jaws, all of them, turned in grins. It knows now your crime. It may not want for anything, but it could certainly despise you. It could make an example of you.

You rush to the crafting table, putting the ingredients together at a blurring speed. You watch the abomination's face fall, somehow, and you hold out your mutual destruction, purple and glowing just like the abomination's own form.

"We both die today." You throw the Formidi-bomb at it. You feel your eyes flicker closed and you imagine the other side. You think of fields and brilliant things. You wish you'd told someone to care for Reuben. You wish you had a moment to say goodbye.

A fishing rod's hook presses into one of the crevices of your armor. You can barely react before it pulls you back just soon enough to spare you part of the shockwave, but not enough to avoid half of the force throwing you back.

Your vision shatters midair, like stained glass tearing. When it returns, you're on the ground, blinking your eyes open. One of your ears ring horrendously and it sounds like everything's gone quiet. You feel something fall, hear screaming from a direction you cannot discern. Half of your face aches awfully.

You shouldn't be alive. Why are you alive? You think of the fishing rod hooking into you. You think of Ellegaard's millions of assumed enchantments. You feel the ringing worm into your skull and try to press back tears at the thought of it staying.

Where is everyone? You wonder, not out of selfishness but fear. Because you know them. They would be surrounding you, pressing at every angle. You struggle to your feet, and your good ear locates the screaming.

It's Axel.

No, Olivia.

No, it's both of them, simultaneously. You barely catch Axel struggling to keep her off him, blood pouring down into one of his eyes. You hear Olivia screaming in a thousand concurrent agonies. Every part of you screams to run, even though your legs don't feel ready for it yet.

Olivia's eyes glow like a horrendous End Crystal. You can't see her irises. Axel is begging her, even as she sinks talons through his jacket and into his flesh. You focus so much on him you don't catch Lukas charging like a creeper locked onto its target. You see him pull her away, skin and cloth tearing away from Axel's arm.

Lukas struggles with her for a moment, screaming something for her to recognize. You barely catch the words. You can't understand him. No. You can't—you—

Lukas presses her to the ground and she's clawing at open air. Axel leaps to his side and you swear you see fear in his eyes for the both of them. Axel holds down her arms right as you catch her turning her claws inwards.

Olivia screams for a few moments more before she stills. You catch her eyes returning to normal and her breath comes in ragged, agonized. Axel and Lukas embrace her, and you catch her taking a moment to wrap her arms around them. She struggles to not accidentally tear into them with her talons.

You stumble over and someone says something to you. You don't catch what they say. Someone taps you on the shoulder and you turn. It's Petra, still pale, still weakening. You know it in her eyes. She speaks.

"Huh?" You say, unable to understand her. She speaks again. "Please, repeat that, I can't—" Petra pushes you and you realize suddenly why you can barely understand anyone.

Several people funnel out of that monstrosity, some still healthy and colorful, others differing shades of purple. Around you, they echo out fragments of conversations and screams for help and something else you can't place. Your insides twist with something and you rush towards the center of the beast.

Your feet trudge through purple blood, too thick and too cold and too squirmy to be right. You don't catch Reuben following you until you suddenly hear his hoofsteps on one side. He rubs against your leg and you pick him up. You press your head into his side and just sob.

It takes so much to not crumple then and there at the apex of all of it. You manage to return to trudging through the blood and the severed tendrils and the teeth knocked out of several jaws and the eyes and the flesh sloughing and—

You're reminded of Ellegaard swimming in its jaws. Of her last words being a cry for help. You fight back bile rising in your throat and press on through torn bones, some white and some black and some gray and others glowing some grand color that shouldn't exist.

At the end, right around where the biome's border would be, the monster has fallen so hard it has formed a crater around itself. You catch mismatched several colored ribs wrapped around something haphazardly, untouched somehow. You catch the heads, drooped and slack jawed.

Your eyes press to the center of the ribs and Reuben squeals. You see the Command Block, untouched and between the almost basket-like ribs. Every part of your insides twist.

Then, words coil in the back of your mind. Come to me. The ribs press against the Block as its lights crawl back into focus and the jaws straighten and tighten. You feel the flesh start to grab at you but you fight it back. Teeth press at your insides, tasting your flesh greedily.

"No... You can't..." You remember the last time you'd seen Petra before you'd pulled her from its grasp. The beam, the wretched beam that had taken her and weakened her and—

You know the taste of flesh. Does your own share it?

The flesh of the monster presses against your legs and you struggle away. Reuben squeals somewhere past your good ear, running for someone, something. You fight, press back, step away, but you feel it in the back of your mind.

Do we both die today, Jesse? It croons in your ear hungrily in Olivia's voice. We could both live today. And for a moment, you think it's making a good point. You feel warm, invited, celebrated. Don't you deserve to rest, Jesse?

A hand on your shoulder. Then on your own. Thick, armored gauntlets pressing against your own armor. Someone pulls you back, away from the abomination's writhing flesh. You turn to the stranger and you catch his eyes against yours, pink and deep and otherworldly but familiar.

Gabriel's words are hollow, distant, but somehow there's something there. "You... Safe. You must be safe..." He lunges at you with a speed and strength that feels wrong and pulls you from the abomination's flesh. You catch a glimpse of it pulling itself together as Gabriel runs through the blood. Reuben follows and you beg for Gabriel to slow. He doesn't, he just keeps on.

"Gabriel, stop!" You yell at him as you pass the threshold of the abomination's flesh. Gabriel keeps running, pulling you into the forest. You can't worm out of his grip. "Gabriel, please, Reuben's back there—"

"Is Gabriel with you?" Gabriel looks to you suddenly. "Is he hurting you?" He examines you.

"You're... You don't remember your name?"

"I remember you." He looks at you strangely. "You... I want you to be safe. That is all I know."

"That monster—I need to—" You pull out the amulet and remember everything. Soren. Ellegaard. Magnus. Your friends, the abomination following you. You look to it again and back to Gabriel. "Do you remember if this can break?"

"This...?" Gabriel examines the amulet. "It is very important. Why would you break it?"

"I need to fool a monster. I..." You think of the forever shattered Order. Gabriel doesn't know. Will he ever? Your insides twist and you take one hand to each side of the amulet and try to break it down the middle. You shake your head and hold it out. "I need you to save me again. Help me break this in half."

"Why?" Gabriel's gaze is blank as it locks on yours.

"There's a monster that wants this. If it still follows the shattered amulet, then I could put one half somewhere and the other somewhere else. It'd be torn in two trying to find it." You hold the amulet closer. Gabriel looks to you and you nod at him. His hand locks on the other side and he pulls it harder than you'd ever expected.

It shatters across the lapis part. You pull away your half and hold out your free hand. "I need the other part."

"I could protect you." Gabriel's hand wraps around the amulet.

"You can't stay by me with it. I need to find my friends." You hold your hand out and Gabriel looks somewhere in the distance.

"Are those not your friends?" He asks. You follow his gaze.

At every corner press several of the people from the Wither, each some shade of purple. You look to Gabriel and notice somewhere you can still catch a hint of his brown skin under the purple hue it has taken. The people in front of you, however?

Well. They don't seem to be people, anymore.

Chapter Text

Voices echo out around you. It's like you're surrounded by a horde of howling wolves. You look to every side, every angle, to find a break in the crowd. Bodies press together, not unlike a wave coming to shore. It's like looking into the eyes of imminent death. Your eyes flicker to Gabriel momentarily before you return to them.

You catch some of their eyes, some terrified, like they're looking for respite, others angry, and some... Well. You recognize that hungry gleam. You return your gaze to the fearful surrounding you and hook one hand around Gabriel's free hand.

You try to remember their humanity, try to remember your own, even as you push through the crowd of the terrified and starving. Several hands reach for you, and you catch Gabriel pulling out his sword. You scream something and it flickers back into his inventory. Hands grasp at you, some powerful and others slick with terror and sweat. You press back against them, ducking and weaving. You manage through the waves of them on sheer desperation, rushing through the other side desperately.

The moment you take to look confirms the worst. The bolder of them have started to follow. Some stalk around the trees, scoping for you, while others are bolting and screaming after you. You force your eyes ahead, not only to view your surroundings, but to avoid the wretched thought of them catching up to you.

In your periphery, you catch Gabriel's sword again. "Don't!" Your words are forceful, loud. "Just run! You can't—! They're still people!"

"They are trying to hurt you!" He hesitates for a moment, and you catch the way his eyes looked at you the last time you saw him healthy. His last words as himself were… Telling you to run.

"Just go!" You yell and you watch him remember for a moment. He turns and runs at your side, and you feel your jaw unclench slightly. You didn't even know it had locked up in the first place. It starts to hurt to breathe as you run. You remember Petra's blood pouring from her mouth like water from a bucket. You shake your head in an attempt to press the thought back.

Your desperate struggle to run just lodges you deeper into the forest. It leads you through a dark forest and you wind through the thick trees. Somewhere behind you echoes out one of the Wither's servants screaming in utter rage. You wonder how much separates their minds from the Wither, if anything does at all.

You duck behind a tree and take a moment to look for purple. Gabriel steps to your side, movements mechanical, like he's running on the bare essentials to keep his mind alive. You try to avoid thinking about why he's like that. You catch no more purple in the woods. That's when you remember dark forests are practically mob dens.

It hurts to breathe, even as you're still. You try to ignore the slight wheeze that catches in the back of your throat and the ebbing teeth inside your body. If you focus harder, it's almost like someone's slurping you down with a straw. You remember how Olivia described the taste, what you tasted, the sweetness and the iron.

Gabriel eyes you up, as if his mind's hit a wall. Right, his directive. All he remembers is to help you, for some reason. You look him over, catching the glossiness of his eyes. He's not quite there but he doesn't hold a gaze as violent as the Wither's people. You wonder if any of them will survive. Will Olivia? Will Gabriel? Petra? You?

"We need to keep moving." You heave, feeling nausea wrap around your insides violently. "I need to find..." You hack at open air like it's violently suffocating you. Gabriel grabs you by the shoulder and starts to walk, almost dragging you as he does. You don't try to protest.

You catch him slashing away a mob every so often, but half of the time the monsters that see him turn away, as if instinct tells them not to engage. You try to see it as blessing but it just makes you feel sick to think about. For once in your life, you're safe in the darkness, but only because the monster's somewhere inside him. Are you courting death by being next to him?

The forest stops at a point, like a gate, and fades back into the familiar sight of plains and the occasional sparse forest. You still need to tell your friends to run. That the monster is still around. That you don't want to die. You're scared. Someone take care of Reuben if he's out there. If he's even out there. Or with them.

Your ear is still ringing, a sort of noise that's settled into a low wail. Your eyes trail around, desperate for something, shelter, someone, anything. Instead, you catch the setting sun. For once, you don't worry about monsters. Has it been three days? It's madness to think the world has come apart in mere days.

Gabriel still continues on, like a minecart on a straight rail. He pulls you forward in a straight line, in a direction that he seems to know. You tap him on the shoulder and he stirs, pulling into a sort of mechanical stop. It's like he's been reduced to a machine.

"I have a friend, could you find her? You might need to... Think of her really hard?" Gabriel's head slowly turns to you as he keeps his grip on you, trying to pull you fully straight. You catch a glimpse of his eyes, like you can see his thoughts processing through a thousand filters.

"What does she look like?"

You describe Olivia down to every last detail, even the ones you don't want to think of. Gabriel seems to eye you up strangely as you grimace. "Can you... Think at her or something? Do you feel connected to that monster at all?" You stammer.

"There is something... Like walls. Here." You catch Gabriel pointing to his head. He closes his eyes and seems to concentrate. When he opens them again, they're alive, like the first time you saw him. He looks at you like an old friend. "You're... Alive. I..." He holds you out, smiling widely and naturally. For a moment, you forget everything.

"Do you... Know where she is? Did she tell you?" You try to force back the barrage of questions in your mind. Gabriel recoils for a moment, blinking like he's thinking of something hard.

"That is strange." He says and points his head in a certain direction. "Did something happen to the amulet? She is asking me—" He looks down at the other half of the amulet in his hands and then back at you like you've committed an atrocity. The flash of indignation drops into a sort of shock.

"I'm sorry, this must be a lot for you." You admit. "I... I promise I'll explain once we're back with the others." Gabriel's gaze flicks back somewhere and you catch the light leaving his eyes. He grabs you by the shoulder and starts moving again. You don't try to call back his humanity. Olivia must have tried her best.

Gabriel keeps moving, even as the sun sets and shrouds you in darkness. You wonder if Olivia's mind is like a beacon, something she could use to overpower enough of that thing's influence to give him something to follow. You hope the monster is distant. You don't look to the sky, fearing the sight of a thousand twinkling, almost star-like eyes.

The two of you arrive at a sort of haphazard shelter, something like a wooly tent. It sits in a hefty crater, one that the beast had devoured through. You catch several bodies fluttering about, taking in people that have paled. Others seem to be talking to a few of the less purple people from the beast, hearing them describe how the flesh still calls for them to do something, something they can't seem to figure out.

You don't comprehend him until you catch Magnus sweeping the amulet out of Gabriel's clutches. He locks eyes with Gabriel for a moment, eyes filled with grief like a sky fills with storm clouds, before shaking his head solemnly and charging across the horizon with the amulet's other half. It seems he got the memo, the idea, somehow. Could Olivia read your thoughts? Or did she come with it on her own as well?

"Who was that?" Gabriel asks you, eyes pink and piercing. Your mouth goes dry.

"An old friend." You answer.

"He's only doing this because he doesn't want to face the fact she's gone!" Soren yells distantly. "And would you stop touching me, I'm fine!"

"You're not fine! You're still bleeding!" An unfamiliar voice echoes across.

"Let Magnus have this. He volunteered to take first shift on the amulet." Axel chides Soren from somewhere. "Believe me, I don't want him to go out there and die either."

"Oh, how convenient! You get to avoid the possibility of death, just let us do it."

"Didn't you kill the Enderdragon?" Olivia snaps and you follow her voice, worming out of Gabriel's grip. He follows behind you, like a golem fresh after its maker. You catch a glimpse of them in a tent, some sort of medic awkwardly trying to keep a grip on where Soren's arm used to be. Blood pools around the bandage, even as they wrap more around it. Another medic hands him a golden apple. You didn't think those still existed. You catch a third medic looking over Petra's arm and shaking their head sadly before handing her another potion, probably to keep what little strength she has.

"Does this look like the Enderdragon to you?!" Soren snaps and he's pressed back by the medic, who's busy glaring a hole into his head. You notice how casual their clothes are, almost haphazardly thrown together. A shirt, pants, and a quick little sash around them with scrabbling depicting healing potions.

"You're making it worse." The medic snaps. "You're already devouring half of our golden apple stores."

"Then just let me die, I guess!" Soren hisses. You catch the medic who handed Soren the golden apple rushing to your side, fingers pressing your lower eyelids. Their teeth pull into a grimace.

"You should be glad you're still in the early stages." They say, as if Petra hadn't declined in mere hours. Hands squirm at your armor and you press them away. The medic holds up their hands and backs off. "I'm just trying to assess you."

"I already know I'm a dead man walking." You shake your head. "I don't really want a reminder."

"Welcome to the club." Petra laughs, a sort of dry sputtering noise. You catch how bony her limbs are. The medic steps away from you and looks to her arm. You catch how dark it has grown. The medic shakes their head again and grimaces.

"If we remove this... It could buy you more time." The medic takes in a hefty gulp of air, like it'll fight back nausea. "But I don't know how many pain relievers we have on hand... I can only hope this malady dampens the pain as much as it dampens our regenerative factor."

Petra shudders, running her hand along her arm. "I can't... Feel anything in it. Would that help?"

"I don't know." The medic shakes their head. You watch them look back at the medic at Soren's side. It seems he's calmed long enough for them to get the rest of the bandages on his wound. "We need more healing potions. Her wound's not going to clot even with a thousand bandages. And check for something to numb her, please."

"What are you going to do it with...?" Lukas stammers. You watch the medic produce a sword. "Don't you have tools for this!?"

"We would if the monster hadn't set the world into chaos. Unfortunately, this is the best we have." You catch the medic in a sort of slow nod as the one at Soren's side disappears through the tent's exit. Axel whispers something in Olivia's ear and she nods at him. You catch a torrent of horrendous, graying scratches on top of and around his eye. Luckily, none of them seemed to hit his eye entirely.

Axel steps to your side and holds out one hand, like he's desperately grasping for the amulet. Lukas does the same and Axel looks at him in utter bewilderment. The two of them shake their heads at each other, breaking into a whispered argument your bad ear won't let you dare hear.

"You can take shifts." You say, narrowing your eyes. You close them and point blindly before any of them can argue. Your fingers land on Axel. He sighs softly.

"If only going around Magnus wouldn't mess this whole thing up." You hear him say as he takes the amulet out of your hands. Lukas hesitates for a moment.

"I hope he's alright out there. Stay safe."

"Just make sure Petra's okay." Axel looks to Lukas as he steps out of the tent. You watch him leave and Petra squirms a little in one of the few beds they've set up. You notice then how it resembles a table, almost, made of wood and covered in a wool blanket. It looks like it had to be put together hastily. Lukas tries to come closer to Petra, but she just pulls away.

"I'm going to be fine." She shakes her head at him. You catch her shivering a little. Soren glares at Olivia, his eyes holding something horrendous.

"Did you do this? Did that monster tell you to do this to us? Is that what it is?!" He snaps, eyes filled with an almost delirious fury, but it doesn't seem to be blood loss driving him.

"What?" Olivia backs away, glaring at him.

"I saw what you did to your own friends. You're a monster!"

"Back off." Lukas snaps, stepping in front of Petra and Olivia. You hear Petra try to retort as well and she breaks into a horrendous cough.

"Are we going to forget that this was your plan?! We thought it would work! I still can't hear out of one of my ears!" You shout. Soren shakes his head and Lukas looks at you with wide eyes.

"You... Can't?" He steps to your good ear and whispers, asking if you heard that. You nod and he looks at your face, putting his palm to it when he sees the horrendous burn across it. You catch him stepping to your bad ear and you don't notice when he whispers. He looks at you and shakes his head solemnly.

"Well. I'm losing my arm, Jesse's lost his ear and half his face..." Petra laughs so hard she breaks into a hefty bunch of wheezing coughs.

"Don't overwork yourself." You say to her gently.

"Kind of hard not to when even breathing is a chore. But I'll try."

Soren's eyes pan to Gabriel. You catch one of the medics finally approaching you, hands held out as if asking for permission. You nod meekly and with quick, gentle hands they pull out a healing potion and pour it on your wound.

"Your eye seems fine." They examine the potion's handiwork as you feel its warmth stitch your face into a horrendous scar. "It's... Not going to look pleasant, I'm sorry. Potions do that sometimes, they stitch things together so fast it... Pulls in a way. But in your condition, that wound would likely not heal." They hold out one hand to press to your face, and you let them. You catch them pressing along your mouth and you realize part of it barely covers a segment of your gums, let alone your teeth.

"You're lucky to still have all your teeth and that your jaw's not broken." They continue.

"He's lucky to be alive." Soren snaps, looking like he would cross his arms if he still had two. "I'm just glad when that abomination dies, it'll take out its little henchman."

"Stop." You snap at Soren. He scoffs.

"What? I'm telling you, she's bad news. There's a reason she looks like that."

"You didn't kill the dragon, you useless bastard." Olivia snaps suddenly. You watch Soren recoil. "None of you did."

"Liar! She's a liar and an abomination!" Soren yells. "I wish you had left me to die out there! I... You killed Ellegaard!" He swings his free arm at Olivia and she grabs it. You catch Soren's eyes turn in panic. His breaths crawl out ragged.

"Do you think I didn't feel it tear her apart? If I could stop it, I would have. I tried to stop it. It just made me feel it more." Olivia's eyes tear into his own. "I tried to bring back Gabriel, for crying out loud! I tried! I couldn't keep him together!" She points at Gabriel, who stays standing still as a statue.

"These are your friends?" Gabriel asks.

"Most of them." You stare at Soren like he's something new and terrible. "Olivia did get him back for a few moments. He was... I wanted him to stay."

"I think the only reason I could get it to stop as long as I did was because I was close to it earlier. It... Something about us resonates between each other. That must be why it's not killing me." Olivia turns her eyes to the ground.

"You're the reason we're stuck here. If we killed you, that monster—" Soren hisses.

Olivia's grip tightens on Soren's arm. "You couldn't even if you tried, you fool."

"Don't you see it? This is the monster. Your friend is dead!" Soren shouts. "This is a puppeted corpse! How did it get your body to stay?" You watch him grasp for a sword.

"Stop it!" You slap Soren before you recoil. The medic steps between the two of you and Olivia finally lets go. Soren looks at you, eyes wide and he tries to press the hand that's missing to his face. You watch him go limp.

"I had so much time. Why did I only try to reach for her when she was gone?" Soren's words are wraithlike. Two medics pull through the tent. One holds an assortment of potions and the other holds a mace.

"You didn't find anything smaller that could break bones?" The medic at Petra's side asks. The one holding the mace shakes their head. "Do you have pain relief, at least?"

"I have a minor potion of numbness. Nothing else." The potion holder holds out one, a sort of cloudy gray potion. You catch Petra recoiling deeper into the tent. Lukas holds her good hand, rubbing circles around her knuckles.

"Close your eyes." Lukas whispers to Petra as you catch the two of them approach. Olivia presses into your side and you squeeze your eyes shut, turning your bad ear to them. You don't want to hear her bones crack. You don't want to hear her scream.

Somehow, it echoes across the ringing in your horrendous ear and right into your good ear. You hear wailing from two parties and feel the vibration of a mace hitting a table and bone. Olivia's talons worm onto your armor and swear you can feel the weight of them on your skin. There's a struggle and you feel the vibrations in the floor on one side.

Then, it's quiet. You turn your ear and catch a torrent of pouring potions and murmuring plans and prayers and comforting words. You feel Olivia pull away as everything stills. You keep your eyes shut, even as you feel the two offending parties step out. It takes Lukas tapping you on the shoulder to finally get you to open your eyes.

Petra's slumped on one side, breathing raggedly, but still breathing. You catch her eyes forced shut, refusing to take a look at herself. You can't blame her. You fear your own reflection.

Lukas laughs strangely, a sort of almost sob. "I'm trying to figure out when it'll be my turn. I mean... Olivia's whole... Petra's got her arm gone and you—" He looks at your face and shakes his head, hand pressing to his forehead. "Maybe I'll just end up dead in a ditch, knowing how this ends."

"Don't talk like that." Petra mutters.

"I'm just recognizing a pattern." Lukas murmurs. You look to Soren and notice he's laying listlessly, rubbing his remaining hand against the blanket.

"Why does it still feel like it's there?" Petra looks to the empty space. "I still feel it!"

That's when you catch the medic wiping blood off their sword, they look to Petra with a sigh. "It happens, sometimes. The body still thinks it's whole."

"Great." Petra mutters, slapping her head against the cloth. "It feels like someone's stabbing me in an arm that isn't even there."

"Awful, but normal." The medic concurs, returning to their task. You catch them stepping out after they're done and they return with something following at their leg. "My apologies that I left him out there for so long, but it is poor form to have an animal running about when we have to do such delicate work." You notice Reuben trailing behind him, sniffing around anxiously. He bolts to you when you spot him.

You scoop him up, hugging him close. He buries his snout in your shoulder before he pulls away and leaps out of your arms. He hops up next to Petra and curls under where her left arm should be. She tries to embrace him with it before she remembers. He nibbles at the empty sleeve, trying to find where her arm has gone.

Lukas presses a hand down Reuben's back and he pulls into Lukas' hand. You catch Lukas holding out a finger and Reuben hesitates before nibbling gently on it. Lukas mock squeals that Reuben is trying to bite his finger off.

Petra lets out a soft laugh and Reuben hops over to you, nipping at your ankles. You watch him nip and nip, leaping for your arms. You mock terror at him and he continues for a few minutes, before stopping and sniffing at your armor. He seems to remember Ellegaard from smell alone and you watch him flop onto the ground.

"I know, buddy." You scratch behind his ear, and he leans gently into the gauntlet on your hand. You fight back the urge to tense at the memory of Ellegaard still in the armor. "We're probably going to need to move on soon if we want to make sure everyone's safe."

"We have some time." Olivia comments. "It is working."

"I'm not going with you people." Soren snaps, shooting back out of bed. "You've ruined my entire life!"

"Petra should probably stay here until we move, anyway." You say. You don't try to fight Soren on this. You watch his anger fall into something, almost exhaustion, before he puts his head back on the bed and shuts his eyes fitfully. "But we need to find somewhere far, somewhere where we can think about what to do next, if anything's possible. All of these people will be in danger if we stay."

Axel comes in suddenly. You expected him to stay out there a little longer. Lukas steps to him, hand out, and Axel shakes his head. He sighs. "I want to talk to you, just in case I don't get to again."

"About...?" You catch Lukas pressing away slightly nervously.

"You didn't have to what you did back there. I... I could have handled it. You could have gotten your face torn off."

"And you couldn't have?" Lukas lets out a strange sort of nervous laugh.

"Well, if I did, she probably would have torn off your face too. Then we both would have had torn up faces." Axel raises his brow and Lukas does the same.

"...Did. Did you want me to let her?"

"No, it's just... You're stuck here and you still did that. You didn't have to. Why?"

"I wanted to help." Lukas admits, putting his hands together. "Not just because of everything but because... It's not right to leave you with her, even if you were awful. Which... I don't think you are. I just... I get it. I understand why you're mad at me. I'm upset at myself too."

"I thought you wouldn't." Axel admits, putting his head down. "When I was holding Olivia back, I thought it was just going to be me and her. And I didn't... I was scared I was going to hurt her." You watch Olivia recoil a little. "I couldn't... I couldn't hurt her. Even to save myself. And you found a way to stop her without anyone getting hurt too badly."

Lukas shakes his head. "I wasn't really thinking."

"Well, I'm glad that's what happens when you don't think." Axel looks at Lukas and pats him on the shoulder. "Maybe it's the end of the world talking, but I don't think you're that bad."

"I used to be."

"I think you just didn't have a spine. All I'm hoping is that this is helping you grow one."

"I... It doesn't excuse what I did."

"Yeah. But I don't think it excuses what I did either." Axel sighs and pulls away. "I'm sorry about that."

"And I'm sorry for letting this go on as long as it did. You didn't deserve any of it. All of you." Lukas looks at you all. "I shouldn't have told you to kill yourself."

"Well, to be fair, I'd probably have said the same thing to you." Axel laughs and you hear Lukas join in at the end, a sort of dry chuckle following. "So, are we cool?"

"Yeah." Lukas laughs, slugging Axel gently.

"Cool beans."

"Coolio." Lukas snickers and Axel tussles his hair.

"I'm going to go back out there. Sorry for um, bringing it a little closer for a moment. I just... I needed to get that off my chest in case." Axel stammers and you put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't... I really hate to interrupt, but I was thinking of scoping around to see if there's somewhere we can plan once everyone's on their feet." You try to ignore the growing illness in your blood. "So we don't end up attracting that monster here."

"I did see a few abandoned buildings out there. I think there's a church out there? And what remains of a little village. There might be some seeds leftover for the future there."

"Churches usually have food too?" Lukas suggests. "I dunno, I remember Aiden snuck into one and stole a whole cake once."

"Seriously, why did you hang out with him?" Axel asks.

"As if you wouldn't do that." Lukas snickers.

"From a church? Seriously? You wound me, Lukas." Axel clutches his heart dramatically.

"Yeah, Lukas, that's my job!" Olivia taps Lukas super gently on the shoulder.

"Just tell me where we're meeting in a few hours. I'll see you guys." Axel heads out of the tent. You look between Lukas and Olivia and then back to Gabriel.

"I say we split up. I'll take Gabriel with me and you two could go together."

"I... Think I should stay with Petra." Lukas stammers.

"There's plenty of people watching over me, Lukas. I don't need any more eyes." Petra retorts softly. "Go on. I'll see you on the other side."

"Just stay alive."

"Considering everyone's treating me like an injured bunny? I'll live. I'll hate it, but I'll live." Petra waves her arm at him.

"If you live through this, I'm definitely making you a replacement." Olivia offers.

"Who needs one? I can still hold my sword." Petra laughs dryly.

"I owe you." Olivia sighs. "We wouldn't be here if I didn't touch that Block and make us think this was a good idea."

"...It's not your fault." Petra says. Gabriel steps to your side, eyes blank. Petra grimaces, "I hate that he does that. It makes me feel like I'm watching someone puppet him around."

"How do you think I feel?" Soren scowls into his blanket. "Just take him away already."

You ponder. A church usually has some kind of brewer, there is a saying that alchemy is the closest craft to the beyond, but so could an abandoned village. Who knows which place you could reasonably trek to, even with Gabriel ever at your side.

Consider it perhaps curiosity or an old folly, but your mind's driven to the church. It makes you wonder how much worship had happened in sheer desperation to keep the monster back. If only it had gone somewhere. You can't help but feel some bitterness at whoever's up there as you ponder it.

"I'll take him to the church and see if I can find anything." You murmur before looking to Olivia. "You saw where it was through its eyes, right?"

"And the eyes of a few others. Here," Olivia steps to Gabriel and pats him on the shoulder. He blinks, eyes shimmering strangely and starts to walk out of the tent. You fight back a shudder. "Believe me, I... If I could bring his mind back for long enough, I'd do it. It's torture to just... Have him only be conscious to take you there."

"It still feels awful." You want to say more, but Gabriel's about to head through the tent.

"We'll meet up with you when we're done!" Olivia fires after you as you step after Gabriel. It seems his 'keep Jesse safe' directive has been overwritten for the moment. He steps at an even pace, strange and mechanical, even as you hear noises echo around you. Reuben trots at your side and you don't fight him on this.

Even as you follow, you catch glimpses of people ducking into tents. Some people limp on legs that seem broken, others gather around crumpled forms, and some seem to shudder and scream as a wave of people desperately try to soothe them. People bob between you, glimpsing to the sky, while others seem to be searching their inventories for enough materials in case they need to move. You catch what you assume is a skeleton on the ground, wrapped in a blanket, until you catch the skin draped on their bones. Nausea coils inside you and you hear someone somewhere behind you retch.

You climb on top of stairs out of the crater. It seems there was enough time for the medics here to build safe passage. Gabriel doesn't look behind himself, he just takes a sharp turn towards the distant mountains. You follow closely, occasionally glancing to the sky. All you can hope is that Axel and Magnus are safe.

The mobs disengage even as you pass them. You travel to the mountains long enough for the moon to start to dip below its apex.

There's a dip between the mountains, something carved by human hands. No, that beast would have torn them haphazardly, this is a divide between them, likely for travelers. Also, that thing would not have left torches there either.

You wonder, for a moment, if people rode horses through here often. You'd heard of prototypes for a moving, wooden structure that horses would pull. You look to Reuben and laugh at the idea of him pulling a small one. He tilts his head at that. If only he could read your mind.

It feels less and less like there are things tearing at your insides as you move. That confirms that, you suppose. Even Reuben notices, speeding up a little as if to challenge you to a race. You remember Petra's brush with fate and shake your head slowly at him. He hangs his head down as he trots along the stone brick path.

Past the mountain is what remains of a civilization. It seems the beast had fired skulls at it from far away, leaving craters in the center of buildings. You catch the glint of stained glass in the dying moonlight at the town's edge. A few hundred feet beyond it are the remnants of a wall and a few untouched houses. Gabriel continues, even through the silent ruins.

That's when you realize you're standing in the remains of a stony beach. Beyond the wall are the setting moon and a torrent of waves, calm unlike the rest of the world. You feel salty air brush against you, even at this distance. A few days ago, you would have spoken of the ocean as the scariest force beyond the night monsters. Now, it doesn't even come close.

It seems what remains of society beyond the church are a few scattered torches, some floating in the air like they remember their anchors. The thought of people sleeping in their homes, unaware of the monster's wrath makes you feel ill. You can only hope they managed to evacuate.

That's when you consider you haven't seen any inventories lying around. Even as you press to the church, you find none of them. You wonder, for a moment, if the village and the church Axel had mentioned were one and the same, until you look past the horizon and catch a winding bridge over the ocean to what appears to be villager architecture. You catch some kind of scrabbling on one of the distant, stone buildings. You can't make it out, but it seems scratchy, panicked.

Gabriel loosens up once he's within range of the church. He steps back to your side and you look up at the grand building. It reminds you of the Order temple in sheer scale, stained glass pillars reaching to the sky around the main building. It's wide at the bottom, with two large spires pointing to the sky from a triangular roof. You catch staircases winding around them and depictions of unfamiliar figures, more like abstract shapes than people. Under the watch of some of the stained glass seem to be wheat seedlings. Strange. Was it abandoned so soon?

Considering the symbols, it is likely not one of those 'Admin' churches, then. They usually stuck to depictions of a humanoid figure with some kind of red motif. There were rumors some of them worshiped a version that was either blue or purple. You could never figure out which.

You push through large wooden doors, seemingly big enough for an iron golem to step in. You presume they were sculpted in some sense. The sight inside makes you recoil, nearly prompting you to turn around and leave the moment you push through the door.

The pews aren't empty. Most of them are, but you catch scattered, purple forms. Some healthy people sit at some of their sides, hands folded and eyes to the sky as they sit stiller than statues. Some of the Withered's eyes turn to you, while the others remain seated.

Luckily, their gazes return to the figure in the center of the whole structure, so covered in the reflected light of stained glass that you don't catch a look of them beyond a silhouette. You wonder if you've wandered into a cleric villager's domain and they've just scooped up a bunch of your kind.

The figure jolts from their podium, stepping down the stairs to the stained glass surrounded stage. You catch their form now, human like you. They're a healthy dark brown, with thick deep black braids that trail behind their head. You stay still as they approach, blue and yellow robes flowing as they do. You can't even catch a hint of their feet, it's like they're floating low to the ground.

"Can I do something for you, strangers? A prayer to the Gods above us, food, potions?" Their honey colored eyes soften at the sight of you. As they tilt their head, you catch the gold rings in their hair. Were they given as a gift for worship? Or was it a sign of worship?

"I... Honestly didn't expect for people to be here." You look over the stranger. "You're the leader of this whole place?"

"Not the highest of my faith, but I suppose I am now." They nod slowly at you, eyes closing. "I must admit, I have... Many questions of my Gods. It is a surprise even to me that this place is as packed as it is."

You look to the people, both Withered and not. Some of the Withered are muttering that they've rebuked their gods in the name of the one that swallowed them. You recoil for a moment. Some of them seem trapped in a prayer. You don't want to think about why.

"I... This is more of a shelter than it is a place of worship at this point." You catch the stranger hanging their head. You sigh.

"I know what it's like to lose my entire town." Your words make them look to you with eyes downturned. A soft sigh crawls from their throat.

"I doubt there is a single person in the world who does not share the feeling." You want to argue that, but you can't find any motive or evidence to. They take notice of Reuben at your side and lean down to him, holding out a curled finger for him to sniff. He presses against the back of their hand.

You consider the truth, hard like a rock in the back of your throat. "I... We were here for some supplies or shelter. But I don't think we can stay here since... You're already here." You rub the back of your neck awkwardly and Reuben presses against your leg as if he knows what that means.

"This place is open to anyone. There is still space." The holy person raises an eyebrow at that. You shake your head.

"We're trying to figure out how to keep that monster at bay at least. Someone's going to be leading it around. We can't just have it come over here." You watch them recoil, hands to their mouth. For a moment, it sounds like they'll pray, but they just turn their eyes to the stained glass and curse. You step to Gabriel. "Could you watch the skies for me?" He looks to you before stepping out again, becoming more stationary than a statue.

"My apologies, but I believe I cannot lend you anything. There is only so much the coherent among us can do." That's when you catch the darkness under their eyes, a mark of clear exhaustion.

"Couldn't you sleep?" You turn to the people still in the pews, watching some of them step out into the world again, but not before embracing some of the others among them like it's the last time. You catch the holy person gagging at open air.

"I am full of hatred." The words are sharp and awful and something they would rather keep in their throat. "For myself. For the Gods. For the monster. Sleeping would only harden what remains of my heart." They shake their head before gently reaching out their hands to take up your arm. You hesitate before allowing them. "Could I get your name? If there are any kind Gods up there, they are certainly... Finicky. Or blind. I cannot tell."

"Jesse." You say your name like it's a foreign thing. They nod and hold a hand into the echoes of sunlight through stained glass.

"I, Echo, call upon Our Regenerative Watchers," you hear them speak a few names in the enchanting tongue, "to give Jesse a chance against this malady. May you protect us all from the terrible rot that has befallen us and our world."

They retract their hands from the sky and from you. Distantly, you hear someone yowl before running back in. They seem shaken from something and shudder under Echo's gaze.

"There's someone out there, screaming something." Their words are chattering. You gesture for the person to follow you before you step to Gabriel and point at the person.

"Could you accompany them out there? They're looking for someone. Just come back if you see something like a black storm on the horizon." You say. Gabriel blinks a few times before he steps to the person's side. You catch them muttering in utter shock before they step into the yonder. Gabriel looks back at you before turning back to follow his new ward.

"Was that really a good idea?" Echo asks you as you return.

"He scares off the mobs. It's better than nothing if they get stuck somewhere dark."

"He doesn't seem fully there." Echo sighs. "But I do prefer his state of mind to... Some of the others."

"If he was still conscious in there, I think he would want to protect them." You look to the people in the pews. Some seem to have drifted into sleep. The Withered still stay in their spots. You try to fight away the sickness threatening to take what little food you have inside you.

Echo inhales sharply. "I do have some bread I could spare. Will that monster avoid us? Tending to the wheat gives me something to do besides stew."

"I'll tell them to keep it out of your way."

"Them?"

"I have some people leading it in two places at once. We're hoping to confuse it." You hope the Withered can't feed those words to the great beast. Echo suddenly beckons you somewhere, to a door beside the stage. You follow slowly, doubting danger, but confusion strikes your mind like a pickaxe to stone. They pull the door open and start to head down a staircase marked with torches at the right side of its walls.

"How do you plan to kill it?" Echo asks suddenly. "I can only ask for so much. I have seen its eyes on the horizon and see them in the people in my pews. It makes me wonder if it has just as many ears."

You hesitate as you plunge deeper into the building. Your fingers twiddle together. "I'm not sure how. I tried to. I... I thought I was going to."

"Then this may be all for naught. The end may already be here." You catch Echo sighing and stopping on the staircase. "All I ask is that you do not discuss this down here."

"Why?"

"They will not understand." Is all Echo says before they turn and head deeper and deeper. You follow them, lagging behind at points. You try to ignore the wheeze, although a lot weaker than it was before, following your breaths.

You catch Echo ducking into a chest and retrieving a few pieces of bread as you step off the final stair. A few people are huddled around, eyes bright and staring at a large table with a few candles on it. You catch one of the figures watching it as a few others seem to have a board with a few model blocks out at a corner.

It's a game you remember from your own spawnhood, when you came in to town for the first time. It's common among many fresh spawns because it gives them the ability to build without needing the materials. You catch one of them building a straight tower while another with dark brown hair, tan skin and olive green eyes builds a brilliant blue tower. Another with blue hair and pale skin is ignoring the idea entirely, making a small cat. You catch the tan fresh spawn yelling incoherently at them before they smack the other away.

Right. The whole point of this was to judge the best build by category. An easy way to introduce fresh spawns new to a settlement to critical thinking and building as well. That's when you catch a similar figure to Echo, in religious regalia, a green and white tunic and forest green pants. They step in for a moment and scold the olive eyed fresh spawn.

"How old are they? Have they picked their names yet?" You eye up the fresh spawn watching the candle as the figure in the tunic gently pulls them away, muttering something about their eyes.

"Some have. Most of them have nicknames, though. Even a few have decided they want a gender." Echo comments. "I do not get why so many people want them."

"It just... Clicks." You say, remembering your own. Reuben approaches the fresh spawn who built the blue tower and you catch them squealing.

"Stargazer, no, no, we don't kick pigs!" The figure in the tunic stops the fresh spawn before they can swing their leg at Reuben. "Sorry, she's... Kind of feisty."

"Stargazer?" You ask.

"She likes looking at stars. I think it's pretty, but I doubt she's going to keep it." The person in the tunic shakes their head. "Usually I'd announce a winner by now, but I really don't want to deal with another of her tantrums in the middle of the apocalypse." They whisper all of that in your good ear. You just shrug.

"Why no more?" Stargazer whines behind you somewhere. You catch Echo sighing before pulling into a sickly sweet voice.

"Darling, the sky's... Not feeling up to it." Echo's hands clap together gently. "How about you play with Jesse's pig? I hear uh, she, he, uh—?"

"He," You correct.

"Oh. He's got a nice little pig. And some stories, probably."

"Pigs are gross!" Stargazer whines.

"Come on, Starry. He's nice." Echo sighs in an exasperated manner. "How about you put away your little blocks and we can have some bread?" Echo hands you a piece of bread and Stargazer whines.

"We had bread yesterday!" Echo groans as they hear her fire out again. They hand her the bread regardless and you hear her start to scream her head off.

You break it in half and hand the half to Reuben. He hesitates and shakes his head. "Come on, boy, I'm not going to just let you starve." You break off a tinier piece and that's all he lets himself eat. You sigh.

"Is my kitty nice, Holy Guardian?" The blue haired spawn speaks up. "I wouldn't mind having one like it someday."

"Hopefully you will have one someday." Echo tussles the fresh spawn's hair gently.

"I know it's storming pretty badly out, but it should be over soon, right? I wanna see the sun." The spawn's eyes go big and pleading. They seem a bit older than Stargazer.

"Dani, sometimes the ocean sends storms to us. We can only pray that She takes it back." Echo's words are soft.

"Did we make Her mad, somehow?"

"No, no. A harsh rain always brings greater crops. You must understand that, Dani."

"Then why did Her rains turn my friend into inventory?" Dani's voice cracks a little as they ask.

You choke down your bread, trying to ignore how you feel. All of these people, young to the world and fresh, they have no idea what waits beyond. Can you kill that monster? You feel Reuben coil around one of your legs as you watch the fresh spawn fascinated with candles try to turn their gaze back. Skies above, they're not old to know light hurts their eyes yet.

"Jesse, would you tell them some stories, please?" Echo returns to passing out the bread. The idea of food seems to be enough to bring the fresh spawn who loves candles out of the trance and they eagerly hold out their hands for bread.

You cough and clear your throat, which feels like someone's pulling at it with sharp fingers. "Where I'm from, we have a yearly building competition."

"Really?" Stargazer's eyes light up.

"Yeah. I won it once." You try to avoid the horrendous details. Was that really just a few days ago? What you wouldn't give to go back home. "I built the Enderdragon."

"What's the Enderdragon?" Dani asks. You raise an eyebrow.

"Have you heard of the Order of the Stone?" You catch the movement of several shaking heads. That's weird. Maybe they're too young. "They decided to free the End from the dragon one day. You see, the Enderdragon was really mean to the endermen, and told them to do really bad things. So the Order of the Stone decided they were going to free them from the beast. They worked together and stopped it."

That's when you wonder why they'd go there in the first place. How did the dragon become a rumor? How did people know about it in the first place? Someone had to have survived it to come back home and tell everyone about its existence. Was the dragon... Harmless? Were you revering a bunch of horrible people?

Right. Ellegaard. It's wrong to speculate on the dead. You think, at least. You feel like you don't know anything anymore.

"But why did the dragon do that?" Stargazer asks suddenly.

You struggle to find a motivation. "The dragon wanted power. It saw us, happy and successful, and decided it wanted to take us over with its henchmen."

"So. Is the dragon actually a dragon or... Was it someone?" Dani asks.

You stop. What if the dragon was never real at all? What if it was all just endermen and spires there? Could everything be a lie?

"I hear if you're really awful, you'll turn into an Enderdragon. So don't be awful or you're going to wake up tomorrow with scales!" You hold out your hands with fingers curled like claws. They scream and Reuben slaps your leg with one hoof. You snort at him and he rolls his eyes.

"Alright, I think that's enough of your stories." Echo interrupts. "Everyone, eat your bread. You'll need the energy for building."

You try to ignore the suffocating silence. You idly brush the back of your hand against Reuben's back, feeling him lay on his stomach. It's enough to ignore the frantic shouting from above you. Wait. Shouting?

You rush up the stairs without a single word, hearing Echo having to calm down the fresh spawns around them, saying something about how you just had to leave. You hope they don't follow and wish for a moment Reuben wasn't so insistent on staying at your side. Regardless, you press through the basement's door, catching the panting figure at the front doors of the church.

"There's a monster out there!" They manage between gasps. "I heard it, it screams like a person!"

"Olivia." You mutter and rush past them. They must have thought she was a monster. They must have seen the claws and heard her yell for you. Why did you stay so long? Were you so desperate for rest?

You rush past the remnants of the wall and towards the foggy beach. You look to the village and scream for Olivia until you feel your throat run ragged. A burst of agonizing coughs escape you and Reuben nudges your leg. You crouch next to him and pet him on the head, trying to take in some of the cool air from the ocean.

There's a rush of footsteps behind you. You turn to the stranger, expecting Olivia, but you just see Gabriel. He stands in front of you, looking you over strangely.

"Olivia!" You call past him again before breaking into a hefty amount of coughs. "Help me, please." You beg him.

"Olivia?" He echoes strangely. You glare at him and he shouts, "OLIVIA!"

A noise comes from the rockier, craggier parts of the beach. Something's calling out, screaming in the distance. You can't catch what's being said, but it definitely doesn't look like Olivia. Gabriel calls out again and whatever it is answers.

"Stop it!" You whisper-shout at Gabriel but he calls out again. "Stop!" You bop him on the shoulder and he looks to you.

"Why?" His eyes are strange, pleading. You swear for a moment you recognize them. You pull away, averting your gaze. He quiets and stills back into a stiff standing position. You hear the strange thing beyond the horizon call out again, louder this time.

"We need to go back." You try to pull him back. Gabriel looks to you, his eyes suddenly full of recognition.

"I hear him." His voice is suddenly his own. "I need to lead him back!"

"Who?!" You shout.

"I..." Gabriel stiffens again. You hear the call again, louder and closer. You feel yourself tense and Reuben pulls at your leg. You look to the horizon and watch someone shuffle from the crags.

Whoever they are, they're heaving rapidly like they've been screaming the whole day. You watch their unfocused bright pink eyes struggle across you and Gabriel as they still for a moment. Reuben presses closer to your leg and that's enough to get the messy haired stranger to return to approaching. You assume from the shade of purple their skin is that they were a dark shade of tan before the Wither had consumed them. You catch a glimpse of the dark shirt and the dragon on it and realize where they were from.

Endercon. You assume the purple hoodie wrapped around their waist was also from the con as well. It clicks in your head then. The memories of screaming for people you didn't know. The beam wrapping around a body that wasn't yours. Distantly, you remember the laughs he exchanged with friends, the ideas he had for his own little stand, the chaos that drove him mad, and the fact his glasses were new and giving him a headache that day.

"Heeehhh...ee..." He wheezes in the distance, too tired to scream. His eyes lock onto yours and that's when you realize they're naked. Who knew how much he could see without a pair of glasses. You raise your hands in the air and you hear his voice raise to a shriek. "HEEEHH... HHHH..." He rushes at you suddenly and you can barely react when he throws you to the ground.

For a skinny little thing, he's terribly strong. Probably from that abomination... You debate pulling your sword out but you instead press him away. You hear him squeal and scream, more of those wheezy 'heehhhh' noises coming from him as he does. Reuben squeals at your side and you watch Gabriel run his eyes along the two of you, as if trying to calculate something. You debate telling him to draw his sword.

"Heeeeeee... Heeeee..." You watch his chest run ragged as he desperately grasps at your armor. You manage to free one hand, pull free one of your gauntlets and grab him by the wrist. That's enough to make him go slightly limp. You watch his eyes flicker across your form before he gently puts his other hand on your own.

"What do you want?" You fight back the overwhelming screaming in the back of your mind to thrash and pull out your sword. The stranger keeps pressing his hand against your own before letting you go and shuffling back on his hands and knees. He looks up at you and lets out a quieter noise.

"Heeeeee.... Mhhh..." He tries again. That's when your mind clicks. Words. He's trying to form words. "Heeehhh...hlhllll... Meeee..."

"Stop it, stop it." You put your uncovered hand on his head, feeling how matted his hair is. His breath runs ragged again for a moment before pulling into a few soft breaths. Your mind finally clicks, remembering his last moments alive. You lock your gaze onto his. "You want... Help?"

You catch him standing then. He stills in front of you for a moment before stepping back to you and grabbing at your exposed flesh. He doesn't pull or tear at you, he simply puts his hands on your head and exposed hand. His hand on your own hand moves to your hair and he twiddles a harshening curl between two fingers. Then he pulls away again, tilting his head for a few moments, before returning to his screams.

You step away from him and catch footsteps behind you, echoing in your good ear. You stiffen and Reuben crouches by one of your legs, tensing like he's about to strike. The stranger lunges again, clinging onto your back like a lifeline. You don't fight him off. He doesn't mean any harm, you think.

Olivia pulls out of the fog, eyes glowing like two torches. You watch her gaze flicker from you to the stranger as Lukas follows behind. She steps to you and the stranger peels off your back, hands up. He shrieks a few times before she touches him on the head. You watch him stiffen for a moment before his body calms and you watch lucidity cross his eyes. You put the gauntlet back on your hand as he comes to.

Olivia withdraws from him as he stands up, looking between all of you. You hear Olivia start to speak. "Listen, there's shelter past that bridge. They can take care of you, they have others who are—"

Suddenly, he lunges at her, voice like a thousand angry things. You hear the first coherent words out of him in a while. "You! You did this to me! You're why—" Olivia pushes him off with a strength you've never seen before. She puts a hand to his head and you watch him quiet down. The gleam of life is still in his eyes. "You're not...?"

"Forgive me." She begs him and you watch him stiffen again. He stands up straight before he walks off into the distance. Lukas steps over to you.

"Was there anything there?"

"All I got was some bread. They didn't have enough to give us much else." You look to the ground.

"Same here." Lukas shakes his head. "They just gave us enough for a meal."

"And they nearly caved my face in." Olivia adds.

"Yeah. She had to do... That to one of their Wither affected people to get them to leave her alone." Lukas shudders.

"I hate it." Olivia shakes her head. "I can't keep them here." You watch her bury her head in her hands and Lukas pats her on the back.

"All I want to do is go home." You say and they all nod at you. Even Reuben probably would. Gabriel remains standing still, like a statue. You gesture for him to follow and he does.

The trip home is uneventful for a moment. You're halfway through the mountain path when Olivia suddenly wails and presses the sides of her head like they're splitting apart. Lukas tries to grab her but you pull him away, remembering the last time you'd made contact with her. Reuben coils around your foot, squealing softly.

"It knows." Olivia wails and looks at you. "There's enough of it to—" You watch her shudder and curl up on the ground. She shakes back and forth, pulling at her flesh to the point it leaves tears in what remains of her soft skin. Your eyes turn to the sky and your jaw drops.

Somewhere, in the distance, the abomination tears messily down the middle, splitting into a half with two heads and a half with only one. You watch heads sprout from several parts of every of the two's form. Your insides twist as the newly formed one heads in the opposite direction of its original body.

"Axel." Lukas mutters behind you. "No, no, no-"

"We need to get back. We need to get back right now." You wheeze and remember... You remember that abomination's very power. Just being close to it now...

"And you need some healing potions..." Lukas' words are like an echo. He crouches next to Olivia. "Can you stand?" Reuben steps over and Lukas presses him away gently. Olivia takes a moment to press her hands against the ground and rises to her feet slowly.

You all start to walk again. "I can't stop thinking about what I did to her." Olivia's words are distant, strained. "I... She's... Fuck. I ate her."

"That monster did. Not you." You shake your head as you continue on. "It's not your fault."

"She... She was supposed to teach me so much. I... How did we get here?" You catch Olivia looking at her hands. "I don't even know if I'm a... A person anymore."

"You're still Olivia to all of us." Lukas pats her on the shoulder.

"I don't care what it does to you, you'll never be a monster to me." You say gently.

"I think Axel would agree with that." Lukas adds and Olivia snorts.

"Yeah. I just... I don't know. I'm being stupid."

"I don't think it's stupid to be scared." You say. "I'm... I don't know. I'm scared too, I think, but I just... I can't feel it as much. I need to keep moving. If I live through this, I think it'll hit me all at once." You admit.

It sounds like they want to fight that idea. That you're not staring down a loaded arrow to the skull. Instead, you all just keep moving in a silent march towards doom. There's no way out of this now.

When you arrive back at the tents, the sun is dipping below the horizon again. You catch people struggling to fall asleep and you all press to the tent with Petra and Soren. All you can do is hope Petra's recovered a little and that Soren has quieted.

"Do you know where Axel is? We should tell him—" You begin before Olivia clasps a hand over your mouth suddenly. Lukas stiffens, straining his ears, and you press your good ear around. You catch a conversation.

"Come on, come on. You're going to die here." It's... Aiden? He sounds genuinely stressed out.

"Yeah, yeah! We need to get moving. Don't you want to join them? It feels great." Maya's voice cuts in. You hear someone protest quietly.

"I... That's death." Petra's voice is quiet, like she's considering something.

"Would we be here if we were dead? Haha?" Gill snickers around her. You catch Lukas stiffening before launching into a run. You try to follow him but Olivia grabs you. She forces you to follow him at a slower speed.

You catch Lukas tearing through the tent, grabbing Aiden by the shoulders and practically throwing him. There's a purple gleam in his eye as he lunges back at Lukas. You see Maya loosely holding Petra by the hand and notice the purple tint on Maya's skin. You look over and Gill and Aiden share the same hue.

Aiden punches Lukas in the face, yelling something that sounds incoherent. "I'm doing her a favor!"

"Get out!" Lukas shouts and you try to interfere. He locks eyes with you and mouths for you to get help. Olivia steps over and Maya lunges at Lukas, pinning him to the ground. Gill stiffens, looking between the two of him like he's waiting for a cue. You catch Olivia debating her talons for a moment. You try to move closer to help Lukas and he motions for you to leave between the torrent of bodies.

Someone lunges through the tent, faster than a damn whip. You only catch a green blur before Aiden is pulled off Lukas at an unholy speed. Lukas takes that opportunity to push Maya away, struggling against her. Olivia yanks Maya by the collar of her shirt and that's enough to get her to bolt. Aiden claws at his assailant and rushes out of the tent. Gill takes another glance around before running.

"I..." You hear Axel huff anxiously. "We need to get moving again. I just saw that thing split in two."

"That's what we came back here to warn you about." Olivia steps to his side. "Neither place is abandoned, either. We can't go there." She shakes her head.

"Did you see anything out there we could use to... kill... it." Your words trail off as you catch Axel's face. The iris of the eye that Olivia nearly tore out has taken on a purple hue, and the sclera is a murky gray. You catch Axel grimacing into a strange grin.

"Well, I'm lucky to not... Be dying, I guess? I feel fine, besides being unable to see anything besides murky blobs there." He points at it like it's not on his face. You grimace. "What? It's better than what you and Petra are dealing with."

Lukas pulls Petra up and tries to pull her into a hug. She just shoves him away weakly and you catch him frowning. You look around for Soren and notice he's left his bed. You look back to Axel.

"I did see something taking a few chunks out of it. If I'm not seeing things, I think... It might have been a few endermen?" Axel shrugs. Gabriel steps over to Axel and holds out a hand. Axel just shakes his head. "No, I'm not going to do that to you. I don't even... That feels awful."

"You are Jesse's friends. I want to protect you." His words sound oddly sincere, despite the fact there's nothing behind them. Axel just grimaces and shakes his head.

"Petra, can you manage alone here? We need to get going."

"I don't know. I... They almost got me to come with them willingly." Petra shivers. "I... It was so warm and inviting and..."

"It almost got me too when I was by the Command Block." You admit. "I considered it too."

"That's what it wants. It's easier to devour something willing." Olivia shakes her head like she's trying to force back a horrendous memory. "The Command Block can keep them alive and they just... Keep getting eaten forever."

"Well, I can remember that for next time, I guess." Petra shoves her head against the bed. You nod at her, feeling nausea flare in your insides.

"It's so well fed. I hate it!" Olivia shouts, slamming her fingers into the sides of her head. Axel grabs one of her arms and pulls it away.

"Hey, isn't it my turn?" Lukas suggests.

"We need to find somewhere to go, first! And I can't do that without Magnus!" He looks to Olivia. "I... Please tell me he's alive."

"I don't know, I can't... See him anymore?" Olivia presses a hand to her head like she's nursing a headache away. Lukas pats her on the shoulder.

"Don't overwork yourself." He says before looking at Axel. "That goes for you too."

"Hey, I can still run around! I'm fine!"

"You're blind in one eye!" Lukas retorts.

"Plenty of half blind people get around fine." Axel snorts.

"Yeah, but you just went half blind! Don't you think it's a terrible idea to go out there when you're still adjusting to it?!" Lukas snaps.

"Man, I'm starting to miss when we hated each other. I can't really argue with that." Axel shakes his head. "But I want to do this. Sorry."

"You're so stubborn." Lukas hisses. "Just... I'm healthy! I'm fine!"

"And that's why you can't do it!" Axel shouts. "You can go farther than the rest of us."

"You're... You still have something to live for." Lukas' words are a gasp. Axel nods.

"But I have something I'm willing to die for too. All of you. I'm not letting go of the amulet." Axel shakes his head. You hear something, like an argument. You turn your good ear to it, straining it. Was that Magnus?

"Stay here." You order. Reuben nods at you and stays by Gabriel's legs. Not exactly the intended target, but oh well.

"I'm coming with." Olivia says.

"Why?"

"I have a feeling I know who it is." Her voice is like a low rattling hiss. You step out of the tent and hear voices beyond the crater. There are three figures right at the treeline. One's holding a torch. Is that... Ivor?

"The only way you're leaving here is as inventory!" You hear Magnus roar and grab Ivor by the top of his robe. Ivor presses Magnus back gently, glaring at him.

"I tried to save you. I told you—"

"You're why she's dead! You're why we're all dead!" Magnus sounds like he's on the verge of several angry tears. You hear his voice crack as he screams out again. "I've lost everything, you piece of shit! My people, my town, any chance at fixing things, all of it! Fuck you!"

"Just let him leave, Magnus. He's not worth it." Soren hisses softly. "Go, Ivor. Just go."

"I have a way to stop that monster, if you would just listen to me!"

"Open your mouth again and I'll shove my fist so far down there it'll come out your ears!" Magnus snaps, still holding on Ivor's robe. You step over, Olivia in tow. Soren's gaze snaps over and he howls like mad.

"You brought that thing back over here! Dear god!" His eyes turn in horror and you catch Ivor's gaze falling on Olivia. Ivor pulls Magnus' arm off him and rushes to Olivia's side, looking her over in horror.

"I..." He stammers, unable to form a full word, let alone a complete sentence. "What have I done?" Ivor hangs his head before her. You step between Ivor and the two men who hunger for his throat desperately.

"She's not a monster." You snap at Soren. He just laughs.

"You must be going blind, then!"

"Quit it!" Magnus snaps. "You're starting to piss me off too, you know!"

"Shut up! You didn't just lose your arm to that monstrosity! You don't have to see it walking around, pretending it's like the rest of us!"

"Are you kidding me?" Magnus' mouth curves into an angry smile. You watch Soren jolt back. "You really want to say that to me, now?"

"Enough!" You shout. Ivor looks over at you and sighs.

"You should have stopped me." He shakes his head solemnly. "Why did I let you help me?"

Magnus and Soren stop glaring at each other and turn to you slowly. It seems they've forgotten their momentary spat to focus their anger on a new target. Ivor steps back and you glare at him.

"You... Helped him? You let him do this!? You took Ellie's armor and you just... YOU? I trusted you! Fuck you!" Magnus lunges at you, grabbing you by the chestplate. You just let yourself fall limp in his hands. Magnus watches his reflection dance in your eyes before he lets go and slams his fist into the ground. "Damn you! Damn all of you!"

"I promise, it wasn't meant to be like this!" Ivor looks to you. "I never wanted for any of this. I just wanted the truth—"

"You and your truth, huh? Now look at us!" Soren snaps. "Why does it matter to you so much you'd tear the world apart for it?"

"Stop it!" You scream. "Fuck's sake, if I'm going to die, I don't want to be stuck in the middle of this before I do!"

"As I was trying to tell you before, Magnus, I have a way to stop it. But it is... Incredibly far away." Ivor glares at Soren and Magnus.

Soren laughs dryly. "Sure. Even if you have some super weapon, its skin is practically impenetrable."

"Axel said he saw endermen tearing into it." Olivia says before you watch her suddenly concentrate. She jolts up and looks at Soren. "He's right. I can feel it."

Soren stills, eyes wide. "They're going to get killed!"

"To be fair, most of them keep dodging it. It's kind of pissing it off." Olivia admits. Magnus laughs a little before his mouth falls back into a frown. You look at Ivor.

"What can stop it?"

"The power of another Command Block. I thought of a fail safe early on; an enchantment book with its power." Ivor answers.

"And it's far away? For what reason!?" You snap.

"It would be a terrible fail safe if anyone could just pick it up and run with it. Like the last one." Ivor narrows his eyes and you look away. "Yeah. Don't think I didn't see that."

"I can't believe you helped him!" Soren snaps.

"That was my fault, I thought... I thought because of the Command Block it wouldn't go this way." Olivia shakes her head.

"That's what you'd like us to think, huh, you abomination? I bet it's got some copy of Ellegaard somewhere."

"STOP THAT." Magnus slaps Soren on the back and he grits his teeth in a snarl.

"We need to get moving. Pronto." You say sternly.

"I'm staying. I'd rather take my chances with the fucking monstrosity than either of these two right now." Magnus flickers his gaze. "There's two of them. I could distract one of them."

"I should stay too and keep tabs on it." Olivia says.

"What? You can't do that!" You shake your head. "If you stay near it..."

"I'm dead either way!"

"We should take Petra too. Who knows if more of those... People want to take her. Or how awful that monster will make her feel." You shiver.

"But she needs help." Olivia says. "I'm going to stay here, with her."

You can't let that happen, right? You should take them. Petra is just going to get sicker in that monster's range and Olivia is well... That's not something you can exactly comprehend entirely.

It hurts to say. It really does. To leave them both behind and in the hands of something grander. You wonder if you'll make it back, if Olivia will be there to greet you when you do. Are you making the right call?

"Okay. I... I can see I'm not going to convince you to come. Just... Make sure to stay away from it. And… stick with Petra, please?" You take one of her hands in your own, feeling the coldness of her sharpening fingers press through the armor. Olivia locks eyes with you, the glow of her eyes soft, and she nods.

"I'll make sure nobody hurts her." Olivia sounds like she wants to say more. You think for a moment. How are you going to get to Ivor's weapon? Can you even trust him? It's not like you have any other real avenues to pursue, exactly.

"We need more endermen to take apart its skin first." You pipe up. Olivia tenses, as if she is feeling every part of her being torn apart. She looks at you, grimacing slightly.

"There's not enough to even break through it fully." Olivia looks like she's trying to think past a barrier in her mind. She blinks, eyes looking as if they've locked onto an idea. "The fortress! The endermen are likely gathered around there!"

"You need to let Axel know about that." You say and Olivia nods at you. You watch her disappear, leaving you with what remains of the Order's conscious members.

"You're really leaving that thing with your friend?" Soren's words are a low, awful hiss. You glare at him hard enough to tear a hole through him. That's when Magnus decides he'd rather be courting a death by the abomination and walks off. You only hope he remembers the way to the fortress.

It takes a lot for you to look at Ivor. To see the awful scar on his face and you think of the one on your stomach. You speak as if he was an old friend. "Is there any where to get there fast? A way through the Nether, maybe? A railway?"

Ivor shakes his head. "No. My... Laboratory would be easily compromised that way." Those words make your insides twist bitterly. You think of the shuffling, skinny fellow and how he kept screaming for help. You imagine him standing in front of the village Olivia sent him to, stopping short and shrieking before them all. You swallow the guilt threatening your heart and the urge to scream at Ivor for everything.

Soren partakes in the bitterness you do not allow yourself. "Look at how much good that has done us. You're awfully good at tearing things apart, aren't you?"

"I learned it from you." Ivor's words are almost sad, like he's remembering a time sweeter. You think of the love notes you weren't supposed to read. Soren just scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"There were some horses at my fortress. Unfortunately, someone's abomination scared them all away!" Soren raises one arm in the air and you think of how he'd be shaking two enraged fists at the sky if not for the monster. You think of the last time Ivor and Ellegaard saw each other. She was angry. Did she die still angry? Was that what kept her alive? If there is an afterlife, is she there, bitter and scared and alone?

It hurts to think about. You want to call Olivia back. To tell her you're sorry and you want to see her. To tell her you're scared. Scared you'll come back and scared you didn't think of saying goodbye. You want to close your eyes and wake up in the treehouse. You want to hear her laugh and lecture you on redstone and soak up the glory of your Endercon win and tell Axel to stop being so much and—

Tears drip down your face. Everything hurts. You think of Petra, cold and alone, her only solace fingers turning into sharp claws. To see someone connected to the abomination no matter where she looks. Maybe she's died just as bitter as Ellegaard. Maybe you'll die sad.

"Soren, I know it is a lot of me to ask," Ivor puts his hand on Soren's shoulder, the one not maimed, "let me see if I can find something to take us there. All I am asking you for is to show him some kindness."

You catch Soren's eyes, bitter and glaring. Ivor's gaze flickers and Soren sighs.

"I know you're in there somewhere. This isn't you." Ivor's words are the softest you've heard him.

"You're not the man I knew either."

Ivor looks away. "Then all I can hope is that I can be the man who will fix this." You watch him walk back to the tent through the haze of tears. You crumple, thinking of everything. It hurts to breathe and you can't remember if it's from the beast's teeth or your throat heaving or a horrendous combination of the two.

"I just want to go home." The words tear out of you without your consent. Your legs shake and you sit. "I don't want this. I don't want any of this."

Soren hesitates before his hand finds its way on your shoulder. You feel his fingers resist the urge to run along your armor in an attempt to find something left of Ellegaard.

"Why did you help him?" Those words are bitter and choked and scared and confused. You shake your head.

"I thought it would be fine. I just... I just wanted to know." Your words ache. It's like a tidal wave of confessions. "If I'd... If I knew, do you really think I'd do it?" You look to Soren and catch him staring, blank and unknowing. "Am I... Really that kind of person?"

Soren is silent again. You feel his fingers tense on your shoulder. You wonder if the words bounce in his skull. If he thinks of you terribly. Nothing comes forth from his lips. It's just you and the world and your wretched thoughts.

You stand back up and step back to the crater and the tents within it. If Soren follows you, he does so terribly quietly. You catch Ivor speaking to a few of the medics, haggling for the horses they barely manage to keep calm behind them. With a deep breath, you walk back to the tent, and catch Lukas begging Olivia. Even with it coming through silently in your bad ear, you know what he's asking her for.

"Someone has to stay with her." Olivia says and you hear it then. Defeat. Acceptance. Total exhaustion and annihilation of fear. In the fear's place stands a stare, like she's seen the world bare and found it wretched. Lukas' eyes are desperate, like he's bargaining with death to keep his life going.

"I can stay." Lukas' body is shivering. You look to Petra and notice her, breathing ragged and terrible. "Please, let me stay. I... I can do it. Please. Just let me stay."

"Lukas," Olivia's hand is gentle on his shoulder, in spite of the way they seem to be morphing into talons, "there's no guarantee I'll even make it out there." Reuben rushes to your side then and shudders under your shadow. You think of what he must have seen.

"You made it through the End." He pleads.

"I wasn't... I wasn't as entwined with it as I am now." Olivia shakes her head. Lukas shudders and he pulls away. Sobs wrack him and you watch him pull at his hair. Olivia grabs him by the wrist to stop him from tearing out chunks of his scalp.

You see his hair, wondering when the curls had grown matted. It's like looking into a mirror, except Lukas has his face unharmed. He just looks… disheveled. You step to him and wrap his jacket around him like a blanket. He doesn't fight you, he just slumps his head against your chest with a heavy sob.

"I keep wanting to go back." You hear him mutter in your good ear. It seems he's desperate for a reflection, an audience, something. "To wake up or find a way to crawl back in time and make it stop. I..."

"We're going to fix this." You run a hand through his hair, ignoring the way the curls have knotted. You wonder if he could brush through it after without crying from pain. His hair doesn't resemble the pompadour it was arranged in anymore. Instead, he looks like his hair is falling down, like water oozing down a fall. It makes you think of the figure on the beach, ragged and thin. You wonder if that poor bastard was always that thin.

"She's going to die." Lukas is barely audible through his sobs. You want to say something comforting.

"I know." You gasp out a sob and you nearly fall onto him. It takes so much to stay still. Olivia just watches, her eyes turning to Petra. "Please... Forgive me." You beg them. Olivia turns to you for a moment before she returns to watching Petra's every breath desperately.

Lukas inhales sharply, choking down sobs, and he presses you out of the tent. You stand outside, catching the monster in the distance, its writhing form closing in on the fortress. As it grows across the sky, it reminds you of a horrendous storm front. Of watching them leave you behind and whispered hopes that they would stay gone.

"I... There's no other way than forward, is there?" Lukas asks. You nod. "I can't believe we're going to follow him." You watch him press the back of his hand against a reddened eye. A strange, almost strangled laugh escapes him.

"I know. It begins with him and it ends with him. Who would have known?" You bark out a laugh before coughing. Lukas hands you a potion and you drink it, trying to ignore how it tastes awfully metallic and sweet at the same time.

"You know, I could have just handed you poison." Lukas laughs as if his face isn't still stained with salty tears.

"With how terrible I feel, being poisoned would be an improvement." You laugh a little, feeling your body restore itself, even if slightly. It's like something is inside you, putting parts back in you you didn't even know were there.

Ivor rushes over to you, eyes tense and impatient. "I have made, let's say, arrangements. Get everyone you need and meet me outside the crater."

You raise an eyebrow as he charges out of sight again. Reuben seems to do the same at your flank and you laugh before you remember Gabriel. He was so still in the tent you hardly even noticed him. Lukas looks over at you, seeming to think of the same thing.

"Is it even a... Good idea to bring Gabriel along? He doesn't seem to be thinking anything."

You remember the moments of clarity you'd managed to get from him. Was that all Olivia's doing? Or did some part of him exist only for a few scattered words? You think of what Olivia had said, of how she reacted when she was out of its radius, of what happened with the man when she touched him. You feel your lips furrow into a sharp line.

"If we get him out of that monster's radius, he might remember. There might be a chance that... People who lose their minds to that thing can come back." You tap your chin. "Also, he seems to scare mobs away. Which reminds me, do you still have that campfire?"

"Yeah, I do. Why?"

"We'll probably need to set up camp and rest a few times. Who knows how long the journey will be?"

"It's a good thing I grabbed some food, huh?" Lukas laughs. You nod. "We should probably... Set up some names for these things. Wither people, Wither monster... That's a lot of wordiness for the history books."

"Hmm," You can't help but engage in a little bit of optimism before you fetch Gabriel and reenter the fray, "I was thinking about when I was younger earlier. That thing does look an awful lot like a terrible storm." You tap the bottom of your head.

"Ah, a Witherstorm. Hopefully it'll never be in the weather forecast again." Lukas laughs sadly. "There's... Well. There's a chance we might make it out to tell people that. We've got to think of a cool backstory for that name."

"Eh. It's good enough." You shrug. Reuben stops in front of the tent anxiously and you look back at Lukas. "I, um, I... I hate talking about this, but if something happens and Olivia isn't... If I'm gone, could you...?" You look at Reuben. "I mean, Axel could, but... I don't know if he'll be here when we get back." You rub your hands anxiously.

"Don't speak like that." Lukas pats you on the shoulder. "I think you'll make it."

You shake your head. "It's... It's real. Olivia's accepted it." You quiet at that last part. "I saw Petra in there. If she wasn't still breathing and still there I'd thought she was moments away from becoming inventory. That's my future, Lukas."

"Not if we get moving." Lukas' words are firm. "Just get Gabriel, please." You hear his teeth click together as they clench. You press through the tent and try to force your eyes away from Olivia. A thousand words threaten your throat as you step past her and Petra and look to Gabriel.

"Come with me." You try to be firm but your voice shakes. Gabriel steps to you and Reuben seems to shudder under his footsteps. Reuben hesitates, even as you step back out of the tent, only following when he starts to lose sight of you. You catch his hoofsteps coming unevenly to your ears, like he's fighting the urge to run at every step.

When you step out of the crater, pushing away the sobs and wails and shuffling of bodies behind you, you almost jolt back at the sight before you. You squint, trying to see if you've gone fully delirious. You hear Lukas gasp at your side and that confirms delirium has not taken you.

Ivor and Soren seem to be arguing about who will command the two horses at the front of the long, rectangular structure attached to them. The horses stand guard, attached by a lead to a small platform that is slightly raised above where the entrance would begin if it was at its front. The sides have long windows, like a house. At the back sits an entrance with a wide, open, door, unlike one you would see at a house, sort of uneven in the middle, and you catch around eight seats within it. You think of everyone you're missing.

You pick up Reuben and climb inside. Gabriel nearly rushes past Lukas as you let Reuben settle into your lap. You hear Ivor and Soren continue arguing, even as Gabriel stares blankly at your side. You pat the seat and hope he understands. He just stares again. You sigh gently and tell him to sit. He seems to catch that.

"You have one arm!"

"I've always been better than you at steering a horse! Remember what I did with the dragon?"

"Oh? You really want to bring that up now?" After Ivor speaks, Soren seems to grumble in the silence. "Besides, I am the only one who knows how to get there. If you're so insistent, just sit beside me!"

"Do they ever stop arguing?" Lukas asks.

"Honestly, it seems like we've traded one pair of obnoxious people for another." You say before you wince at the thought of Ellegaard. You look down at your feet, trying to feel less like a stranger in her armor. Gabriel mirrors your gesture, as if he'll understand that.

You hear them settle down and the horses start to move. It's strange being inside something pulled by animals. You'd heard rumors of the technology, sure, but you'd never seen it before. You think of Olivia, of how she'd want to talk about it, but it just makes your insides twist.

The horses seem to be able to walk for around three days at a time. The first few days you try to ignore the feeling like your insides are being devoured. It mainly consists of you rationing food between yourself, Lukas, and Reuben. For a few moments each of those days, you feel the carriage stop and assume the two up front have taken time to eat.

You only consume one healing potion between the first three days. Lukas practically has to force it down your throat, commenting on how your skin's not the right shade, how you're so terribly pale.

Besides that, you try to stay awake, watching the biomes drift by as you do. You wonder what new technologies will have people looking through windows and watching the horizon. Olivia reenters your mind and your insides twist.

At the third day's sunset, the horses stop. Ivor and Soren funnel in awkwardly. You catch them both trying to keep watch out of the windows but eventually they crumple, falling on each other and into sleep.

When Gabriel offers to keep watch, you don't question why he did it unprompted. Instead, your exhaustion claims you. Lukas coils at your side and Reuben nestles in between you both. As you drift, you think things that don't make full sense.

You don't dream, not exactly. Two eyes peer at your mind, observing your memories. When you step to the observer, you feel like you know them. There's an echoing thought in your mind when you awaken next, a warning that Gabriel coming back to consciousness is as much a curse as it is a blessing.

That's when you remember he offered it first. Your eyes peer at him, his gaze on the outside world. Those eyes seem more awake, if not for the fact they are desperately trained to the outside. It's almost... Unnerving.

There's not time to think beyond the carriage moving again. You spend a day in silence, because you know your discussions will be of death and mayhem. Sometimes you catch Gabriel, his eyes flickering between sights, like he's finally there in some fashion. Other times, he looks to you.

On the fourth day of the journey, as you scratch Reuben behind the ears, you ask something stupid. "What do you want to do when we're done with this?" You look to Lukas, as if you didn't practically beg him to take Reuben after you die. Hesitation crosses his gaze and he puts a hand on Reuben's head.

"Well, I was hoping everyone would still be around." He speaks shakily, as if trying to broach it without you reminding him of the swords hanging over your heads. You let him live in that delusion for a moment longer. "I mean, I could catch some fish. It might give me some time to clear my head. And once we can think about something other than surviving, I'd like to just... I dunno, settle in with a good book. Maybe finally make that bee garden." Lukas slumps, head on his hands as he does. "How about you?"

"Well, I could probably farm. I had one somewhere around the treehouse, mostly for wheat and potatoes, honestly."

"I always thought you got your food from town."

You shrug. "It helped with Olivia's anxiety. She didn't have to talk to people and deal with all of it. I mean, it was a lot worse years ago. At a point, only Axel and I could talk to her without her having a heart attack." It feels strange admitting that.

"I probably didn't help with that." Lukas rubs his arm. "I... If I were her, I'd be doing what Axel did. Why did she forgive me?"

"She probably related to you, I mean... There was a time all of her words were stuck in her head. I remember being both glad she'd worked up the confidence to ramble to me and hating it because she would never stop talking." Your lips quiver. "Now all I want to do is wake up in the treehouse. For Axel to set the chests on fire or something and for Olivia to give me an hour's worth of redstone explanations that go over my head."

Lukas hesitates for a moment. "Is it bad I kind of... Want my old friends back? I mean, the more I think about it, they weren't... Very good friends. Maybe not even good people. I don't know." Lukas shakes his head and you know exactly what he's thinking of. "But... They didn't deserve that. I don't know what the, ah, Witherstorm's done to them, but it's... It's awful." Lukas looks to Gabriel before he forces his eyes away.

"I think they're still in there." You think of Gabriel's momentary lucidity. The scrawny man on the beach that had nearly tackled Olivia in rage. It makes you wonder if that's why Gabriel seems more... Present. How will you explain this all to him?

"I'm scared." Lukas' fingers dig into Reuben's head and he oinks firmly. Lukas releases him and Reuben crawls into his lap. You catch Lukas holding back tears for a moment. "I know it's just been a few days but I'm so scared. What if we can't do it? Or what if we can and it's all for nothing? How am I supposed to... Care for him if you're gone?"

"Honestly, he'll probably be caring for you more than you would him." You nod at Lukas and he just wipes at his eyes.

"I'm being stupid, I'm sorry. I just... I can't. I can't stop it."

"You're not being stupid." You put a hand on Lukas' shoulder. "I'm scared too."

"But you're holding it together and I'm not." His protests are barely audible through a sob.

"That's because you didn't see me bawl like a fresh spawn a few days ago." You snort.

Gabriel laughs. You nearly laugh with him for a moment before you tense and look at him. His gaze falls on you and you find his eyes hazy again. Lukas looks at you with an eyebrow raised before shrugging and shaking his head. You catch Reuben looking at Gabriel and tilting his head, like he's found something is wrong.

On the sixth day, when you pass a rainforest into a cold, snowy taiga, Gabriel falls asleep sitting in his chair. That's when you realized he's never really needed any rest. That the chewing on your insides is becoming akin to background noise, weaker and weaker. If only the same could be said for the ringing in your bad ear. Every time it leaves, it seems to come back when you least expect it.

You try to ignore the way Gabriel mutters in his sleep, as if he's having a nightmare. It's strange to see someone sleep in the day. He must have been terribly exhausted out of that monster's radius. Even as the day dies and night takes hold, Gabriel still sleeps. You watch Soren and Ivor funnel in, too busy trying to comprehend the sight to argue again.

"Someone needs to keep watch." Ivor seems to be trying and failing to keep his eyes off Gabriel. You watch Soren shake his head and Ivor hisses at him. "I've been steering both of the horses!"

"Then just make Gabriel help you when he wakes back up! He's terribly easy to convince now. It's like dealing with a machine!"

Somehow, Gabriel sleeps through this. You watch Ivor's lips turn in disgust. "Are you serious, Soren? I am not going to use him!"

"How ironic! Mr 'I will Use the Command Block for my Grand Plan!' has decided he has the moral high ground! Gabriel's not in there. That's just a husk that thinks it's Gabriel!"

"He's in there." You fire back. "I know it."

"Don't you start. Do I have to remind you that you're also why we're here?" Soren snarls.

"Enough! It is my fault. Not his or his friends'. Do not take it out on him." Ivor steps in front of you, as if you hadn't slashed him across the face.

"I could help with the horses tomorrow?" Lukas volunteers, pushing his shoulders forward awkwardly.

"Well, I wouldn't mind keeping watch tonight. Maybe I could see if there are any fireflies out there too?" You shrug. You'd heard rumors that deep in the forest, when it grew as dark as the End's void, you would be able to see spiraling fireflies. Soren scoffs, as if to snuff your spawnhood innocence, but he doesn't comment further.

"Just keep your eyes on the mobs, too." Ivor says as he pushes past you. As he curls into a seat, you catch him stopping and looking over at you. "All of that and I never caught your name. Funny."

Oh. That. You raise an eyebrow at Ivor. There's a sad laugh from him at that.

"Considering it very well may be the end of the world, I would at least like to know who I might be spending it with." Ivor looks to you and for a moment, you see him fully. You swear you can catch subtle streaks of white in his dark brown hair. He didn't have those before. He looks haggard, like he's been in several fights. You remember how the last talk with Ellegaard went.

"I'm Jesse," Reuben nudges your hand aggressively, "be patient, boy. This is Reuben."

"You seriously didn't get our names?" Lukas laughs sort of tiredly.

"That's Lukas." You say, sparing Lukas the effort of stopping his chorus of laughs. Ivor weakly nods before he shuts his eyes.

"Next time you face an opponent, remember that a cornered mob is at their most dangerous." You want to ask him more, but he seems to drift off after that wisdom. Was that... His attempt to make it right? To justify it to himself? You don't know. It seems you were going to die with several questions in your mind. You notice then the blanket draped over his body and catch Soren with a similar one. They must have thought of the cold biomes.

Lukas seems to be forcing his eyes open behind you. You gently slug him. "You need your energy for tomorrow. I'll sleep in the daytime." You say and Lukas seems to debate a protest before he sighs and shuts his eyes. Reuben jumps to the window and you pick him up and set him down. "You too, buddy." Reuben steps to Lukas' side and curls under his arm. He looks at you sadly.

You step to the window and look outside. No mobs seem to be crossing your vision, at least not yet. You strain your eyes, trying to see if there are any flickering things out in the snow. That's when you consider how this may be the end. It's so terribly cold out and who knows how long the horses can stand it. If you had to leave the carriage now, you would freeze in minutes. You look to the horses through the window and notice them sleeping standing up, covered in enough blankets to keep a few people warm.

Figures drift through the trees, pale blue gray skeletal things with the remains of dark gray blue fur coats. You recoil at the sight of them, trying to wrack your mind for what they are. Sure, you'd heard of the fact biomes invited different mobs to spawn, but seeing and hearing of something were two vastly different variables.

Were those... Strays? That's what they were called, right? Why didn't you think of this? You had been out so long and well, Gabriel always—

One of the strays seems to stop, gazing around. You still, thinking of the vision. The two bright, gleaming eyes staring back at you, looking through your memories desperately for an answer. The warning. But maybe, if you're still, it won't see you.

Instead, you catch more of the strays. They seem to crowd around, peering towards where you are in the carriage. You try to stay tense and still. One starts to move forward, taking a look back at its crew. You watch it step a few paces in front of the carriage and tilt its head, before it pulls back the bow.

The noise of the arrow hitting the wooden exterior makes you flinch. Bones rattle eagerly in the air and you hear them approach all at once. You rush to the exit, wrapping your fingers around the door's handle in a desperate attempt to keep them out.

It seems they've heard your scramble. They encroach outside of the door. All you can do is hope that the horses won't be shot at or awaken to the sounds and panic. You feel their hands grab at the other side of the door and you curse your ebbing strength. The urge to scream for help dies in your throat.

Teeth clack in surprise. The stray at the door is thrown off by something. You hear arrows rush through the air, hitting something that sounds hard like stone. More clacking of teeth, like they've been forced into tense grimaces. You rush to the window and peer outside.

Something moves too fast for you to full make out. You catch dark purplish gray and wonder if it's an enderman before you remember that snow would probably count as water to them. Some of the strays stay and fight, drawing back their arrows, while a majority of them seem to bolt back into the trees.

Whatever it is rushes through them, knocking the brave and foolhardy to the ground and reducing them to inventory. You catch the bluish purple glow of the markings and the claws and the purple eyes and skies above the bracelet-

Olivia pockets the arrows before her gaze turns to the carriage. One of her hands pulls out an arrow lodged in her skin and it doesn't even bleed. You press away from the door, body shrinking into the crevice of the wall next to it.

She's your friend. She just killed several skeletons without a second thought. There's a sort of feeling, an urge to run away. You almost don't recognize her.

Stop thinking like that, stop thinking like that. You're being an idiot, like Soren. He's not right. You're paranoid. You're scared the monster's taken her over. You know Olivia. You know the rules of your world. Anyone would do that to a bunch of strays, especially those endangering their friends.

Your hand worms around the door handle. You pull it open and poke your head outside. Olivia looks to you, her gaze on the ground in what appears to be exhaustion. You hear her breathe heavily, like she has been running for days.

"I hate to crash your party," she steps inside and you notice she isn't even shivering, "but I could feel myself losing Gabriel. It's a good thing I came along, those strays would have at least thrown your horses off track."

"You've been stalking us?" You whisper, tilting your head and you gesture at the sleeping crew around you. Olivia shuts the door behind her gently and you try not to soak in every detail of her the monster has distorted.

"I was following Gabriel's trail for a day or two. I had to tell the people there about what happened with Petra, how they almost took her. I... I had to show them why they were trying to take people. Now they're taking shifts guarding her." Olivia shakes her head and you catch a marking on her face. You raise an eyebrow, trying to memorize it before she moves her head again.

"You... Were the thing in my mind warning me? I thought I was having a nightmare."

"I really didn't mean to pry, it just... The monster knows whatever you know. Whatever I know. I thought I'd at least try and warn you through that channel." Olivia shakes her head before crawling to one of the available seats and coiling in on herself. You look her over and try to fight back the urge to yelp in shock.

Her arms are that tough, dark purplish gray material. You catch subtle, almost tendril like bluish purple markings crawling on it. Some even remind you of scribbly hands. Even in the darkness, with irises wide, you catch the slight sharp edges, like a diamond marking on a banner. Her fingers have sharpened fully into talons, likely what made short work of the strays, and at their tips sit the same bluish purple. Two purplish gray tentacle-esque markings crawl up her face, past her right eyebrow, with their left side being marked by another of the bluish purple lines.

"Are you okay?" You try to shift your focus onto the normal skin of her face. Olivia shakes her head.

"I'm starving."

"I thought you said—"

"I'm out of its radius, remember?" She deadpans, glaring at you. "At least I don't... Taste it anymore."

You blink, nearly jolting back. "You... You're alive! You're away from it and alive!" Olivia waves one hand up and down, telling you to tamper it down. You apologize softly. "But you're alive." You whisper and she nods.

"It's just weak. I'm still stuck with it."

"But there's a chance." You say and Olivia glares at you.

"Listen, usually your optimism is nice and all, but I'm starving and probably going to die anyway." She seems to grind her teeth together in frustration. You try to ignore how every tooth in her mouth seems to be thick and sharp. You imagine she could snap a bone straight through with them.

You look through your inventory and pull out a loaf of bread. For a moment, you swear you catch her unhinging her jaw at the sight of it, a second row of sharp teeth glimmering in the torchlight. Then, her jaws snap onto the bread, and it's basically gone.

"Well. If you survive, that's one hell of a party trick?" You shrug and Olivia steps out of the chair before looking at you strangely. You practically toss more bread at her, almost expecting her to devour it midair. Instead, she catches the loaves, trying to eat them quietly and politely.

"Just sleep, I'll... Probably intimidate every mob out there?" Olivia seems to shrug at that. You think of what you promised before Olivia practically shoves you in the chair. When you stare at her, she seems to do her best impression of a pleading little puppy, eyes big and watery. It's strange. "Come on, go to sleeeeepppp..."

"Can't you literally make me?" You squint.

"I dunno, let me see?" Olivia bops you on the head and your consciousness flickers out. "Oops?" Is the last thing you hear before your mind succumbs to sleep.

When you awake next, it's to screaming. You can barely make out something about a 'healing potion' and limited supply. Your eyes shoot open and you catch Olivia cradling one arm oozing a horrendous reddish purple liquid. It takes you a moment to register that it's blood. Soren and Ivor are screaming at each other, exchanging insults fast and viciously.

Ivor suddenly shoves Soren away, with the latter nearly slamming his head into the wall. That finally wakes Gabriel and his gaze fires around, like a terrified prey animal. Ivor uncorks a deep, grayish maroon potion and pours it on Olivia's wound. You watch it stitch close as Soren returns to screaming. Lukas cowers under his chair and Reuben presses against his stomach.

"Don't you see it, Ivor? She's not human! She's a monster!" Soren seems about ready to lunge. Ivor stands in front of her, teeth gritted in a snarl. "We know how the world works, Ivor. We're the Order of The Stone. We've faced several mobs!"

You hear Olivia whine something, probably about being hungry considering you can barely make out Ivor saying that the potion should provide at least some sort of buffer. Soren fumes behind Ivor, smoke practically rolling out of his ears. He turns to you and you watch Olivia, between gulps of a harming potion, stand to her feet and lunge with the same speed you saw her take down strays.

Soren screams when he hits the ground, talons at his neck. You watch him squirm, unable to break Olivia's grip. Gabriel rises, his words slurred at first, but soon forming into a yelp. "Hey, no! No, stop!" Gabriel swats at the air near Olivia and she rolls, taking Soren with her as she does. Soren yelps as his face brushes the ground.

Lukas yelps from somewhere as Soren desperately struggles for his sword. You catch a gold sword materializing in his hand and Olivia grabs it with her free hand. Cracks spiderweb across the metal as she clenches it between her sharpened fingers. It shatters into several gold splinters as Soren heaves under her grip.

"Ivor… Can't you see it?" Soren's gaze is desperate.

"All I'm seeing is someone who's had enough of being called a monster." Ivor steps to the two of them. "Let me deal with him."

"He's going to keep hurting me." Olivia's grip remains firm on Soren's neck, his pleading gaze still locked on Ivor.

"You don't need to let him make you into a monster." Ivor's words are soft. Olivia releases Soren, slowly rising to her feet. You watch Soren gasp at the open air as Ivor's shadow falls on top of him. "A monster would have slaughtered you much earlier. I would expect you to know better, Soren." Ivor hisses as he turns his back to Soren. You just watch Soren shudder on the floor. Lukas steps out from his hiding place, still holding Reuben. Olivia holds out one hand and it takes Reuben a moment to press his head against her palm.

"You are... The voice?" Gabriel suddenly speaks up, looking to Olivia. "You brought... My clarity?" It seems like he's able to think, but not without much effort. Olivia averts her gaze.

"I tried to keep you, but it was too strong. I'm sorry." She shakes her head. Gabriel stands up, like he's using a new set of legs and he puts his hand on her shoulder.

"There are many things I do not remember. But I do remember the kindness you showed me." Gabriel says softly and you watch Olivia shudder under his grip.

"It's... I'm sorry." You hear her hold back tears, keeping her eyes away as she does. Reuben presses his head against her chest in a desperate attempt to soothe her and you watch Olivia turn and shove her head under Gabriel's head, sobbing. "I didn't mean for any of this. I couldn't... I couldn't even stop it!"

You watch Ivor swallow his words bitterly, head slowly echoing her in a nod. Gabriel slowly raises one hand and pats Olivia on the head, a sort of chutting sigh escaping him as he does. Ivor turns to Soren and gets him to give up his blanket. You watch Ivor wrap the blanket around Lukas shoulders and lead him outside.

Reuben steps back to your side and you sit back down. He takes up shop back on your lap and you watch Olivia and Gabriel separate. Soren curls in the corner chair, refusing to even look at you. You feel the world move again and catch Olivia looking out the window.

"Convenient." She comments, almost exhaustedly. You nod at her and point to the moving outside. A tired laugh escapes her. "It's hard to get a good look at all of it. But it's... Fascinating."

"I thought of you when I saw it." You admit. Gabriel looks to the two of you, taking in your conversation. Olivia sighs gently.

"Do you think we'll see more things like it, someday?"

"Maybe you can show me." You laugh. Olivia doesn't return the sound.

The next two days are strange. You try to ration out your food so you'll have enough for the trip back but also try to figure out how to make sure Olivia doesn't suffer. You remember how long that thing had been feeding her. To bring her back to full health would take all of your food stores.

Soren doesn't contribute anything. You just catch him staring bitterly. Sometimes, in the silence, you hear Ivor talking to Lukas, as if he's a new friend, someone he wants to strike up a dialogue with. You hear Lukas' words come out stilted and awkward, like he'd rather be somewhere else. But they don't argue, they simply have conversations that fall flat.

On the sunset of the second day, Olivia yowls like a madman, something about a hut, and charges out of the exit. You hear the horses whinny as they're stopped and Ivor asking what has gotten into her. You barely bark out an answer as you try to run after her. In your periphery, you catch Lukas and Ivor exchanging a weird glare and shrug.

You run into what you realize is a swamp and manage for a few hundred feet before your chest feels like someone's crushing it. You struggle in a few gasping breaths and Reuben sits at your feet, waiting for you to inhale. You wonder if blood will pour out of your mouth. If your stomach scar will open back up and spill and—

Footsteps echo out behind you and you feel someone grab you by the shoulder and practically force a potion down your throat. Instinctively, you sputter and cough, and you catch Ivor pulling back, giving you enough time to take in a breath before he holds the bottle to your mouth again. This time, he lets you take the initiative and you try not to gag on the taste.

"I doubt your friend will end up hurt, especially considering how incredible her stamina must be to end up here in the first place." You catch Ivor running a finger through his beard before he looks you over. "Between the two of you, I think you're more likely to get yourself killed."

"Olivia's my friend... I can't..." You gasp and Ivor pats you on the shoulder. He pulls you along gently, looking around.

"We cannot stay out here long." His words are firm but despite it, you can tell even he does not want to leave her. Your mouth falls in a strange grimace. In the distance, you catch a witch's hut and the witch within it, looking at something like it's the strangest thing they've ever seen. Before you can even raise an eyebrow, something bolts past you.

It's Olivia, howling like mad for everyone to start moving, holding up a cake like it's on fire. You raise an eyebrow, Ivor raises an eyebrow, and then you're being dragged back after her. You try to genuinely comprehend what the ever-living fuck you just saw. You look back and watch the witch put their hands up and retreat into their hut. Not their spawner, not their spiders.

When Ivor brings you back, you catch Olivia practically devouring that cake. You don't say anything. Instead, you just look over at Ivor as he rushes over to tell Lukas of the absolutely ridiculous scene. Lukas looks at Ivor like he's gone mad. Soon, you feel the carriage move again and decide that you've had enough consciousness for one day.

You're awoken by a sort of gentle shaking. When you blink open your eyes, you lock gazes with Gabriel, seeing how soft his eyes are, despite the sludgy pink color that remains in them. You rise and take a look outside. There are chunks of stone in the air, trees that seem partially made of deepslate, others stone and cobble, and a few distant houses built on top of long stone platforms that seem to have been dropped from high up haphazardly.

"People live here?!" Soren shouts. You're glad Gabriel woke you up before he began with that. "How can anyone live here?"

"Says the guy who lives in the End." Olivia snorts and you watch Soren huff so hard you can practically see his breath. You hear the horses start to stomp and the carriage comes to a stop. Ivor hisses out a curse and you hear Lukas drawing in a gasp. Reuben leaps off the seat beside you and vaults through the exit excitedly.

When you follow him, you feel a gasp steal the air out of your lungs. Your eyes wind up the structure, like a square wall of dirt and stone and mismatched grass blocks. Waterfalls pour down and several holes litter it like something took several chunks out of it. You look to one of the corners and notice a few settlements nestled in it. You catch the distant glimmer of eyes. People are staring at you, some laughing at your awed expression, while others seem to be idly chattering.

"It's... Amazing." Lukas steps to your side, eyes soaking it all in hungrily. You nod at him and Olivia rushes around, trying to get a good look at it. Ivor practically chases after her and grabs her by one arm. You can barely hear him say something about how they need to hurry.

Olivia takes one look back at it. "I can get why someone would want to live here, I mean, think about it. It's a natural marvel. If only I had more time..." Olivia sighs and shakes her head. You watch Ivor's expression turn, his eyes darkening and he looks away from her.

Reuben ducks under your legs, eyes peering at the sky. You hear a few of the people above comment on your strange little party. Gabriel looks to Ivor, one eyebrow raised, and you watch Reuben gain enough courage to head towards the hole in the wall surrounded by glowstone lamps. You follow Reuben as Gabriel speaks.

"Am I misremembering something? I feel I should have... Been here before?"

"I only told you a few tales of it." Ivor shakes his head. "Don't overexert yourself."

"He wouldn't have to if you'd just—" Soren starts and Ivor glares at him.

"Do you think I'm unaware?" Ivor's words are choked and bitter. "This display is getting us nowhere."

Soren just grumbles as you all walk through the gateway. At a certain point, the dirt hole opens into a grand, sprawling maze of stone bricks. You watch Ivor stop and try to calculate something in his head. He shakes his head, as if trying to free an idea, and then grumbles to himself. You catch a few vines crawling down the outer wall.

"Is something wrong, Ivor?" Soren chides, mouth curling into a snarl.

"This crisis has not been kind to my memory, it seems." Ivor shakes his head. "We will need to figure out a way through."

"You have to be kidding me!" Lukas shouts and you hear his voice echo against the flat stony ceiling.

"I'm sure it will come to me." Ivor taps his chin and starts to head into the maze. "It would not hurt to have some eyes above me, however!"

You watch Soren grumble before he follows after Ivor. You raise an eyebrow at that. Gabriel looks to you and clears his throat awkwardly.

"I must ask, am I... Allowed to follow them? It feels right to but something seems to be holding me back." Gabriel seems like he's trying to think past something. You debate telling him of the compulsion that united you. Instead you just nod at him and he rushes after the two of them.

"That leaves us to... Either follow them or go up there." You point up the vines. You look between Lukas and Olivia. Lukas sighs.

"No offense, but if I have to listen to any more of their arguments, I'm going to find a ledge in here and throw myself off it." Lukas rubs the back of his neck and you shrug. Olivia returns the gesture and starts to climb up the vines. You scoop up Reuben, follow Olivia and Lukas watches your back for a moment before he follows as well.

The maze is sprawling and large. Being up here makes you think of the monster covering the world. You feel so... Small. Olivia stands at your side, analyzing, as if she's remembering something. Lukas watches her strangely. Reuben shifts in your arms and looks to Olivia, as if he can tell she's peering through something.

You watch Olivia blink, as if recalling a memory like an old friend, and she starts to press along a certain path. You follow her wordlessly, feeling Reuben shuffle strangely in your arms. Occasionally, you catch a sight of Ivor, Soren and Gabriel down below and hear them speaking. You can't make out what they're discussing. You only hope they aren't arguing.

It takes a few moments, long enough for you to pass by flowing one block wide lines of lava and water and wonder how they got there. Long enough for you to wonder how Olivia knows this place. Long enough for Lukas to run his eyes along you and for you to catch the graying of your own skin.

And then, there's a staircase, down back to the platform. To green grass and a strange machine that Olivia seems to take notice of immediately. You watch her charge over to it before she stops and she nearly doubles over. You hear her murmuring and muttering in front of it. Lukas rushes to her side and pulls her back up straight.

"Are you okay?" It takes everything in him not to shout. Olivia nods meekly.

"I think... I'm just sore from not sleeping for a few days. I've been... Just going on and on. It has to catch up to me, eventually." Olivia manages between a few strange gasps.

"And the, well, you know." You gesture at her and she lets out a sort of strangled laugh. Your mind goes to Petra and you expect Olivia to cough and wheeze. Instead, she only breaks into a few dry sobs, enough for Lukas to curl his arms around her and for Reuben to break free from your grasp and lay on her foot. You trudge over and put a hand on her shoulder, feeling her jerk with every sob.

"It's not fair." Olivia's words are a strange, almost sobbing laugh. "Why? Why did it have to turn out like this? There's so much I still want to do." She shoves her head into her hands, sobbing loudly. You grip her tighter, as if that'll make her stay, and your mind is hit with a vivid memory.

"Do you think it... Hurts?" You hear Petra's voice, a low sort of croak.

"What?" You hear Olivia ask and you already know that she knows. Petra rasps in a breath, a sort of scratchy noise that seems to hurt just to hear. Your stomach turns at the thought.

"Dying. Do you think when we go it hurts? Or do we just... wake up somewhere that's not here?"

Olivia's mind peers for images of kinder afterlives. Of nothingness and horrendous fates. You feel nausea in a stomach not your own. Petra just laughs.

"I never thought it'd be this way, you know? I always thought it'd be a zombie. Hubris. Not this. I thought I'd go down kicking and screaming. Now I can't do either." Petra laughs again before you hear her voice fade into raspy breathing. Tears dribble down a face not your own.

Olivia pulls away and the images leave your mind. You watch Lukas blink back the vision and wipe tears off his face. He shudders and Olivia recoils, shoving her head in her hands. "I'm sorry." Her voice is shuddering.

"I'm scared too." You admit. Olivia holds out her hands, as if trying to embrace you, before she pulls them away.

"Even if I live through this... What am I? Soren's—goddammit, he's right. I am a monster." Olivia looks over the claws and you can catch her tongue pressing the side of her cheek, running over teeth too many and too sharp.

"We'll figure it out." You offer your hand to her. She debates taking it but pulls away.

"I appreciate it, it's just... My touch. I don't think I can stop you from seeing everything I do." Olivia shakes her head before she returns her gaze to the strange device in front of you. You catch the slime blocks, pistons, and boats arranged in a strange shape. Olivia looks it over and grumbles in frustration.

"Can I help?" Lukas offers and Olivia shoos him away, shaking her head.

"I... I should be able to figure this out!" She shouts loudly and you catch a sort of trill under her voice, like a thousand voices echoing alongside hers. Olivia scrapes her fingers against the harsh skin on the right side of her face and you reach for her shoulder. "Maybe Ellegaard was right. Maybe I don't have it in me."

"Olivia, you're... You did so much for us. You stopped that monster from knowing what we were going to do. Ellegaard wasn't infallible, she wasn't a god. She doesn't know you!" You shout and your throat threatens you with a coughing fit. You wheeze and Lukas pats you on the back as if it'll make your breaths run less ragged. "The only reason you're here is because you were curious. But look at you, you've turned it into something you can reclaim. You've saved us several times. You brought us through the maze."

"That's only because the Command Block knew it." Olivia retorts.

"But you could interpret it." Lukas adds. "I don't think any of us could think it through."

"I just... Wish nobody had to. I know so much and for what? It's going to kill me." Olivia shakes her head. "I mean, it shouldn't work that way! Do you see—" You watch Olivia's eyes run along the machine once more before she charges to the other side and places a sticky piston and a redstone block. You raise an eyebrow.

"So, did the Command Block—" Lukas asks as a sort of half joke.

"It doesn't know anything about redstone! But I do!" Olivia gestures to the machine wildly. "All we need to do is activate one of the pistons with a flint and steel and it should start moving."

"Small issue, we're still... Waiting for people?" You shrug. Olivia grimaces widely and you realize you're growing accustomed to the sight of sharp teeth. You scoop up Reuben and tickle his snout, whispering in a squeaky voice about how he's about to ride a flying machine. Reuben just rolls his eyes exhaustedly.

You hear Soren and Ivor arguing growing closer and closer. Gabriel suddenly snaps and shouts something and the two of them go silent. Well, there goes your avenue to track them. Suddenly, Gabriel rounds the bend and he jolts at the sight of the machine.

"Soren, look! I remember this!" He pulls Soren out from behind one of the maze's walls and you watch Soren squirm in Gabriel's grip. "You had so much fun on the last one!"

"Oh hell no." Soren is muttering desperately. You watch Ivor pull behind him and snicker.

"Do I have to throw you on it or can you walk?" Ivor's words escape a bared grin. Soren glares as if he wants Ivor to drop dead on the spot.

"Go to hell." Soren hisses and you watch him struggle onto the machine.

"I'll see you there!" Ivor croons and follows Soren with a smirk. Lukas scoops up Reuben and he and Gabriel pull onto the machine. You take the flint and steel to one of the pistons and the machine erupts into life. It takes a ton of your strength to leap on top and pull yourself into one of the boats.

As you travel across the abyss towards an observatory in the distance, you catch Soren whining. Gabriel seems to be tapping the bottom of his head, thinking intently about something. He looks to Soren.

"Didn't you build one of these?"

"Ellegaard did, now could you stop reminding me?"

"Why? I thought you liked her machines."

"I... Just shut up about her, Gabriel!" Soren is practically squirming in his boat. For a moment you wish he would just tumble into the abyss below. Gabriel seems to obey that order. Ivor rolls his eyes at that.

The observatory you arrive at seems to be made of quartz, bedrock, and wood. You glare at Ivor and he seems to smirk strangely, almost proudly. Olivia rolls her eyes. You can agree with her and the Command Block on that.

When you push through the doors, you're greeted by an expansive library. You watch Ivor push past you, saying something about how he needs to make sure everything's in order. You raise an eyebrow and try to say something but he's already gone.

Soren grumbles something about how he might as well look through the books and you catch Gabriel looking him over as he pulls one open. Soren lets him look inside. Lukas shrugs at you and you watch Olivia head through the library.

She arrives at a fireplace that seems blocked off by lava. Almost on impulse, she flicks a lever at its side that stops it from flowing. She steps through the staircase and you catch Reuben whining about the lack of heat. You murmur about him getting himself roasted and he squeals at you.

As you and Lukas follow Olivia deep into the chamber, you catch sight of a few artifacts on pedestals. A sea lantern, the Enderdragon egg, a few prismarine shards, and a ghast tear. Olivia's eyes glimmer and she approaches each, speaking as if narrating.

"They fought ghasts for hours. Half of the tears ended up in the lava, while the other half Ivor debated using for potions." Olivia approaches the ghast tear before looking to the prismarine and sea lantern, "With Ivor's water breathing potions, they made quick work of the guardians within."

"What about the Enderdragon?" You speak up. Olivia looks at you and back at the egg, as if thinking something over. She holds out her hands.

"Wait." Lukas stops and looks at her. "Why do you know this?"

"I was always there." She shakes her head. "Sorry. It. It was always there. Sometimes... It feels hard to pull us apart."

"What?" You gasp and look at Lukas. He raises an eyebrow in turn and steps closer to Olivia. She nods.

"The Command Block, it allowed them great strength. The ability to cut through guardians, to take hits that would kill them. It restored them when they were weak and hurt. Gabriel had wither once and he didn't even feel it. Because of... Not me."

"Did they... Know?" Lukas asks. Olivia shakes her head.

"Not at first. I need... To show you." She holds out her hands. You exchange a glance with Lukas and you both hold out your hands. Olivia takes them gently, fingers wrapping around your palms.

You're back in the End. Endermen shuffle around you, trotting in groups both large and small. You hear Magnus and Ellegaard laugh, in sync like they're attached at the hip. Ivor wears a sort of armor, similar to his robe, something like a tunic made of a metal you've never seen before. You take note of the lapis blue shoulder pads and realize why his color was blue. The top of his green helmet is sharp, almost like a Nether Star.

Ivor decides to duck behind one of the pillars, trying to get a good look at the thing flying above them. That's when you see the Enderdragon, larger than life and flying so fast you can hardly track it. You catch a glimpse of dark purplish gray and witness Gabriel eying it up not unlike an ocelot at its prey. It's massive, almost like a part of the sky has shattered. Its wings alone could cover the sun.

The dragon lands on one of the pillars, looking over the strange group in its domain. You watch as it looks them over and realize then the hands pressing against your form. Soren is holding you within his inventory, debating something you can't fathom yet. The dragon looks to the group and then the egg standing on the middle pillar of the exit portal that stands inactive.

You catch Ivor searching for something. He seems to find something, something that makes him look back to the dragon and stiffen. Soren steps to the exit portal's pillar and he reaches his hand for the dragon's egg. Ivor yells something but it falls on deaf ears. The dragon keeps its gaze on Soren, huffing out purple smoke.

It fires a shot of purple acid by his hand and Soren jolts back. You presume it was a warning shot. Still, the dragon doesn't move, keeping its gaze on the egg. A growl crawls from its throat and Ivor yells something again. You watch Ellegaard and Magnus debate something, hearing something about 'TNT' and 'cannon.' Soren shouts back that they need evidence of the dragon's demise.

Gabriel seems to still be scoping, but you catch hesitation crossing his brow. The dragon's claws tighten around the pillar and it leaps, landing on top of the exit portal. Soren leaps back and Ivor pulls him behind the pillar, shouting at him to stop. Soren laughs, something about cold feet and cowardice, and turns his gaze back to the dragon.

Gabriel steps to it, sword out, and you watch the dragon snarl. It fires another shot, barely missing Gabriel's ear, and he leaps at it, barely missing one of its horns. It roars and takes him to the ground. Their eyes lock and you hear Ivor scream for Gabriel to cover his head and neck and avert his eyes. Instead, Gabriel keeps his eyes on it, watching his reflection dance in its own eyes. For a moment, you think he'll recognize that he and the dragon are breathing the same ragged breaths.

He slashes it in the face, taking part of its horn and gouging out one of its eyes. The beast hisses in pain and Gabriel takes that opportunity to run. He looks behind him just in time to watch the End Crystals' power fire at the dragon, mending its wounds and bringing its horn back to its proper state.

You hear something echo out. Ellegaard's riding a shockwave from TNT on a piston, an arrow pulled back in a bow ready to strike. She hits one of the Crystals dead on and the dragon leaps into the air, wings propelling it back into flight. It grabs her in its jaws and takes her to the ground, teeth tearing at her armor.

Ivor shrieks as it tries to break through. He rushes forward and throws a potion at the dragon. It releases its jaws from Ellegaard and charges at Ivor, clutching him in his jaws and thrashing him around wildly. Gabriel slashes desperately at its ankles and watches as its wounds still mend. Ellegaard struggles to her hands and knees and Magnus rushes to her, trying to help her, but she just screams for Ivor.

Soren charges then, frantically typing something that echoes in your mind into the Block's console. It hurts but simultaneously doesn't, feels like humming in every part of your body and soul.

/kill @e[type=Enderdragon]

The dragon's form shatters into tatters and glowing purple light. Ivor tumbles out of where its jaws used to be and everyone turns to Soren. You watch Ivor grasp at where the beast used to be, screaming that Soren didn't have to do that. That he knew what it was doing, why it was doing that. Screaming for Soren to bring it back.

The vision fades. You pull back and gasp several times. "The dragon... It was—?"

"Protecting its egg." Olivia's words are almost bitter, like Ivor's own.

"Why did you show us that?" Lukas' hands are shaking. He looks to the dragon egg and he puts his hands to it, recoiling at it. You do the same and feel how cold it is to the touch. Nausea licks your insides and Reuben brushes against your hand in a desperate attempt at comfort.

"I couldn't take it to my grave. I'm sorry." Olivia shakes her head. You watch her step through the door and when you follow her to the other side, you find a massive replica of the Enderdragon hanging from the top of the wall. On pedestals stand nine End Crystals and a book bearing the Command Block's insignia stands in front of it.

You watch Ivor pull out of the shadows, the glow of the Crystals dancing on his form. There's a soft, gentle sigh from him as he picks up the book and hands it to you. Lukas hovers his hand over it and you shake your head at him.

"I'm going to kill it. Maybe the fact it's eating me will make it think I'm a part of it already." You hold the brilliant, glowing book in your hands, feeling the power of it dance against your form. It makes you feel sick.

"By that logic, I should—" Olivia interrupts.

"No! I don't want to know what it'd do to you." You rebut. Ivor nods at her.

"A Command Block is incredibly volatile. If I were you, I would stay here until that abomination is taken care of." Ivor says and Olivia shakes her head.

"No. I want to be there to watch it die. Especially if it ends up taking me with it." Olivia looks to Ivor suddenly with a raised eyebrow. "Were you... Eavesdropping?"

"Unintentionally." Ivor answers with a nod. You watch his gaze turn to the dragon above. "They were all so willing to accept it. All of that just to go from nobodies to frauds." Ivor shakes his head. "I wanted the world to know what we were. What we chose to become. Instead, I only made things worse."

"Show me how to use this." You say to Ivor and he nods. He leads you into a room full of many, different colored armors and a few sparse chests. He hands you a few diamonds and points to the armors.

"The Command Block may have given us a lot, but it didn't teach me how to enchant. These... Were originally for the Order. I believe they should fit you." You look to the menagerie of armors. "And you will need a proper weapon as well, but any tool could work, I suppose."

You peer at the armors, thinking of the one currently wrapped around your body. Ellegaard's own, her last memory. Do you keep it on you or do you pick new armor? Do you try to preserve her somewhere or keep what's left of her to protect you?

You think about what remains of Ellegaard, how her armor is one of the few things left of her. For a moment, you think of keeping her along with you, letting her protect you one more time, and then you think of the Storm. Of how its teeth pressed against Magnus' armor. Ultimately, inventory would be all that remains of her. It seems selfish to keep her along just to save you.

"I'll take some new armor, thank you." You wonder who will get Ellegaard's armor. If you should give it to Magnus or Olivia if she survives. Does Magnus even... deserve it? Well. He didn't do what Soren did, not exactly, but he... Went along with it? It's hard for you to parse through the harsh reality. "I don't... Want what's left of her being destroyed by that monster."

Ivor looks like the very thought makes his insides ache. He nods. "Very well." You inventory Ellegaard's armor, making sure to put her memorial away as gently as possible. As you look to Ivor one more time, your eyes run along the scab that's transforming into a scar. You watch his gaze flicker to the stitching at the bottom of your shirt.

There's the shuffle of feet behind the two of you as you run your eyes along the armors. Lukas' words cut through the silence. "You set that monster loose just to prove the Order were frauds?" His words are terribly bitter. "You used us for that? Why didn't you just tell someone!?"

Ivor snaps his gaze to Lukas. "Tell me, would you believe me if I had told you? Would anyone? It would have just been my word against theirs! I was erased from their records when I wouldn't fall in line with the lie. Nobody would have heard me out."

You watch Lukas desperately try to find a rebuttal and realize that there is truth in that. If someone had told you this, you wouldn't have believed them. Especially with the End as it was now. Lukas gasps at the air and looks to Ivor again. "But why a Wither, then? Why?"

"It had to be powerful like the dragon. It had to prove that Gabriel wasn't what he said he was. That would have been enough to point to it. The Command Block was supposed to keep it in control." Ivor shakes his head at that last part. "We all know how that went."

Lukas looks Ivor over, like he's trying to find something. "Then why didn't you just tell us? Why did you try to kill Jesse? Why did you trap us?"

There's hesitation from Ivor for a moment, a strange glance from side to side. You continue to look at the armors, watching their colors dance in the echoing light from the Crystals a room over. "The Wither was supposed to make it clear. Instead, it just... Well. We all know how that wnt. I never intended to hurt your friend, he tried to kill me first."

You grimace. "I wasn't thinking straight."

"That was obvious." Ivor rolls his eyes. "You were supposed to stay out of my way. I was supposed to stop it. It was my monster."

"Even if this worked, you'd be seen as a madman!" Lukas shouts suddenly. "You'd be rotting in prison and the world would be still reeling about the truth. Why did you want to throw your life away for it?"

Ivor seems to hesitate for a moment. Your eyes fall on a set of armor, purple and a deep dark, almost black, gray. You gaze over the spikes lining the shoulders and are glad Ivor had enough foresight to point them away from the neck. Regardless, it catches your eye anyway, reminding you of the dragon's palette. Wordlessly, you find yourself praying to the dragon for a moment, as if asking it for both forgiveness and salvation against the abomination you're about to fight.

"There was no other thought than the truth." Ivor's words are a sort of chattering hollowness, as if he's running his mind back to every worst moment. "When you're in that state of mind, you never think about yourself. You only see what compels you forward. Only when it falls apart can you snap out of it."

"Or get what you want." Lukas' words share the same sort of wraith-like quality.

Ivor nods before his gaze falls to floor. "I wanted none of this."

"That makes... I'd say, all of us." You finish putting on the last of the armor. "I suppose if it's any solace, if I end up dying, I won't have to deal with pulling this whole mess apart." You shake your head and Ivor grimaces. For a moment, it seems he'd agree with that sentiment. But you suppose he's doomed to live through this.

Ivor's hand falls on Lukas' shoulder. "I am sure I can find some armor for you in here somewhere. It is the least of what I owe you." Lukas looks away and Ivor's gaze turns to you. "Have you ever enchanted an item before?" You catch him putting down an anvil and you find your head shaking on reflex.

"I never... Had anything to enchant." You admit. "I know it involves the anvil, somehow?"

Ivor gestures you closer and he holds out a hand. You allow him to take yours and he presses your hand to the block. The information hits your head, a slot for the item, and a slot for something else. You squint and Ivor clears his throat. "The enchanting book would be in the secondary slot. The last one produces the finished product."

You hum strangely, realizing in your haze you hadn't thought of a proper weapon. You knew swords were the most versatile of weapons, but axes also hit harder. As you step over and place down your crafting table, you think of pickaxes. Petra packed quite a punch with one and they were meant for destroying tough blocks.

With that thought, you settle for the best of both worlds; the axe. Something that packs quite a punch and also is built for destroying blocks. It's strange to think, as you craft it, that your first diamond tool will be the deadliest in the world. You return to the anvil, place the axe in the first inventory slot, and then the book in the second.

"Do you have enough Experience?" Ivor suddenly asks, peering over you. You do your best to make the anvil's inventory tangible to him and he reaches out one hand, yellow and green energy surging through the weapon and the anvil. The two items merge in a flash of light and you cover your eyes out of reflex.

You catch the axe, shimmering with energies you've never felt or seen before. As you watch its blade turn fully yellow, barring a few blue spikes jutting off it, you think back to Olivia and how just touching the damned thing made her life a living hell. Ivor catches you hesitating and puts his hand on the blade. He shakes his head and you allow yourself to grab the hilt.

The axe doesn't bind with your body or mind. You feel the energy lick your hand but it doesn't press into your body. It's almost like another mind is pressing against yours, eager and hungry for the blood of something. When your mind goes to the Witherstorm, the weapon's mind cheers, crying for its blood.

"Uh, Ivor? The axe is trying to talk to me." You're glad whatever it is isn't pressing any further in your mind. Ivor raises an eyebrow and he hovers his hand over the axe's blade. He nearly jolts back when its consciousness touches his.

"These damn things." He mutters, shaking his head.

OUR ENEMY!! OUR ENEMY!!! WE SHALL DESTROY OUR ENEMY!! The axe's words echo in your mind excitedly. You think at it to tamper down and feel its chant grow a little quieter. The axe laughs in the back of your head, excited to fulfill its destiny. You're just glad it seems to like your presence.

"Even the book is alive?" Lukas' eyes go wide. You watch him hold a hand over the axe and it eagerly presses its energies against his hand. Lukas keeps his hand above the blade, seeming to try and figure out how he's supposed to feel about this.

"At least it seems excited?" You shrug your shoulders. Reuben paws at your leg and you bring the axe down. He sniffs at it and squeals when it presses against him, at least until you find him relaxing and pressing his head closer to the blade, like he's being petted. "Why does it have hands?"

"Not hands, not exactly. Something much more complicated." Ivor nods his head. You really don't have time to figure this out.

"It shouldn't be able to... Connect, right?" You do not want to become part of an axe or somehow mutate into some kind of axe monster. You feel it soaking in your memories and react in something like disgust. Ivor shakes his head.

"Its capability is to destroy the Command Block. I suppose the consciousness is merely... Residue of its power? Do you feel tethered to it?" Ivor's hands are suddenly on the axe. You release your grip and he pulls it away. There doesn't feel like there's anything holding you to it, so you shake your head. Ivor hands it back to you.

Lukas shrugs. "I'll go look for some armor, I suppose. See if there's anything in here." You nod at him and head out of the room, hoping to offer Olivia the same opportunity. As you head through the door, you inventory the axe.

Olivia's hunched over by the End Crystals. You occasionally catch her wincing from her body aching. You try not to think of why. You step over to her and kneel down, hearing the axe cry out that she's the enemy. You press the idea to it that she's the Witherstorm's victim and you find the axe growing silent.

"There's some armor in there if you want to look for it." You gently reach one hand to her shoulder and she presses it away, doing her best to not gore you through the gauntlet of your new armor. Her gaze turns to the ground and her brows furrow.

"I can't even fit in armor. I mean... Look at me." She holds out her talons and you think of how they would struggle to fit into a gauntlet in an armor set. "I mean... What if something else happens if I end up trapped? Have you even noticed—?" Olivia stops talking and stands up. That's when you notice she's gotten a few inches taller than when you left her with Petra.

You grimace and Olivia returns the expression. "I'm sorry." You rub at your arm and avert your gaze. You couldn't imagine what it would be like to go through that. Body breaking, skin rearranging, eyes changing color, sharp teeth pushing through gums and taking away the teeth you recognized.

You catch Ivor in your periphery, sighing gently and pulling behind the door. With that, you stay by the End Crystals a little longer, hearing Lukas pull out from behind you. It seems if not for the dire circumstances, he'd be showing off his layered armor. Instead, you catch him clearing his throat, a metallic gray gloved hand under his mouth as he does.

"I got some for the guys back home. Petra and Axel, you know. I mean, Petra's not... Going to be able to wear it yet but..." He trails off, gesturing for a moment before his hand falls on the back of his neck. You nod at him and step away from the End Crystals.

The door to the chamber ahead suddenly opens and Gabriel and Soren enter. You hear Gabriel ask several questions about how they survived those ghasts, about remembering a wither skeleton hitting him and how he didn't get wither from it. Soren just hisses something at him before he looks to you. You pay him with a glare.

"I see we're ready to leave. Where's Ivor?" Soren's lips pull into an anxious grin. You feel the axe soak up your anger hungrily. You step close to Soren and he pulls back.

"I know, Soren." Your words ache with venom and you feel Olivia tower over your shoulder. Soren forces himself to look at her before he averts his gaze almost instinctively. He shakes his head.

"Ivor is a liar! He's always been a dirty, greedy thing." Soren shakes his head, the venom in his voice almost hollow. You shake your head and Soren jolts back. Olivia steps to your side.

"We know." Her words echo against the wall. "Did you forget your Block is what cursed me?"

"You're mad! You've always been mad!" Soren shouts. You catch Ivor poking his head out from the door to his armory. He shakes his head, mouth falling into a frown.

"Soren, stop it. What is she saying?" Gabriel tries to get a word in but Soren just steps in front of him.

"/KILL!" Olivia shouts and Soren falls to his knees in fear, covering his face meekly with his arm. It takes him an agonizingly long moment to uncover his eyes and look up at Olivia. She cranes her neck to look down at him. "You know what that means."

"We were nobodies, please. I just wanted history to remember me for something else! To remember us!" Soren seems to be trying to force his remaining arm into a prayer. Olivia grabs him by the wrist and forces him to look her in the eye.

"You slaughtered a dragon because of your greed." Olivia hisses. "And you didn't even do it fairly. You hid this from your friends until you couldn't! You're a coward!"

"It was an evil abomination! You had to have seen it!" Soren pleads, trying to wriggle free. Footsteps circle your group and you catch Ivor, his eyes gleaming dangerously in the End Crystal light.

"As I told you before, there's a reason we don't approach polar bears with cubs." Ivor's words are a hiss and he gestures for Olivia to release him. Soren nearly faceplants when Olivia lets him go. "I tried to tell you not to. You didn't listen to me."

"We couldn't escape without killing it!" Soren fires back.

"I found a way. That's how it became a legend in the first place." Ivor circles Soren like a hungry wolf. "And look at where we are now, Soren. You taught that thing cowardice and conquest."

"You're the one who turned it into a monster's heart."

"Only because you taught me how!" Ivor snaps.

"I killed it to save you!" Soren yells, tears crawling out of his eyes as he lunges for Ivor's chest, pulling at his robe. Ivor pushes him off.

"You wouldn't have to save me if you had listened to me in the first place." Ivor shakes his head and turns away. "None of this matters now. We cannot restore the dragon anymore than we can restore the world."

"We can save what's left." You interrupt. "We need to go."

"I'm sure we can all agree with that." Lukas pipes up softly. You watch Soren start to grumble something and Lukas glares at him. "Whoever starts an argument next is getting a book to the face."

Ivor starts to head out of the chamber and you follow him. As you do, you hear Soren pipe up, voice soft and quiet.

"I'm sorry. For all of this."

"It doesn't change what's happening." Ivor just shakes his head and continues to walk. You all follow him. Across the gorge, back through the maze, and eventually into the carriage.

As the horses start to move again, you watch Gabriel turn his head to the windows and then back to Soren, who seems to be glaring a hole into the ground. You nudge Olivia on the shoulder and she raises an eyebrow. You hand her the book from Soren's fortress and she whispers a question about how if it's technically stealing, before deciding she doesn't care. You watch her tear into it hungrily, flipping through the pages fast yet not ripping them.

"We killed the dragon?" Gabriel pipes up.

"I did." Soren shakes his head. "Doesn't matter if it was 'unfair.' It's still dead."

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter anymore." Soren just buries his head into the chair. "Nothing does."

As the horses continue along, you feel the teeth return to your insides. You hear the horses clack their teeth anxiously, as if they can recognize the beast's radius. That's when you realize, with horror, it's grown. The radius, the monster, everything.

Olivia's complaints of soreness and hunger die down. The first time you stop, you catch a few of the Withered, some of them wandering in confusion, while others seem semi-lucid. Gabriel panics at the sight of them, clutching the sides of his head and wailing incoherently. Soren does nothing.

When Lukas returns to your side, he devours his part of the rations hungrily, before stopping himself from eating further. He practically forces some of the food down your throat. It appears being devoured makes you not want to eat. Sometimes, he forces a potion down your throat, before making a face at his dwindling inventory. Ivor doesn't seem to say anything, he just watches Soren, before sleeping at his side. Soren doesn't fight him or shoo him away.

Reuben presses against your legs more and more as you grow closer to the monster. It's like he can feel you leaving. You feel the axe's anger leak into the back of your mind, almost as if it's also angry at itself. In a strange attempt to appease it, you pull it out of your inventory and let Reuben run around with it. He seems to like playing fetch with it. When you pull it out of Reuben's mouth, the damn thing seems to radiate joy.

On the second break, when Gabriel seems quieter and Soren doesn't try to shove Ivor away, you watch the sun dip beyond the horizon and catch several silhouettes. You try to ignore the mix of instinctual horror and the quiet urge to join them. Instead, you force yourself into your seat, hearing Olivia shuffle to your side and watch the windows.

You close your eyes, fearing nightmares or the sound of arguments. Instead, you're awoken by gentle calls beyond the carriage, beckoning you to the forest. There's a momentary urge to rise to your feet, to follow the voices outside and into their arms. To follow the new voice in the back of your mind begging you to climb and join.

Reuben nibbles on your leg, teeth rasping your armor meekly, and that's when you realize you weren't just debating it. Your legs seemed to have wanted it. You shake your head, pressing back the urge, and beg the axe for something. In your periphery, you catch Olivia in a deep focus, almost like a trance. Somewhere, Gabriel breaks into hushed murmurings, begs and prayers and chants.

You kneel down to pet Reuben on the head, trying to ignore the beckoning voices outside. Are they getting louder? Or is your mind just allowing them? Your good ear strains. Yes, they're getting louder.

There's a noise and you feel the carriage start to move. One of the horses startles awake and nearly takes the carriage to its side in a panic. In your periphery, you catch hands wrapping around its neck, body, and legs, keeping in place. The rest of the figures return, rattling the sides of the carriage and wailing, some coherently calling your name, others not.

Olivia tenses. Ivor awakens, screaming like a madman, and you watch him push against Soren. Soren doesn't fight him, just wraps his remaining arm around Ivor as he shudders against his body. Lukas jolts awake and nearly tackles you. You realize then your legs have tried to bring you to them.

Gabriel's muttering something, occasionally stopping and staring. You catch him speaking again, hearing only, "Is that the only way? Will it...? Oh. I understand now." He rises to his feet and Lukas looks at him. With a strength you never knew, Gabriel grabs Lukas by the shoulder and pulls him off. When Lukas struggles back, Gabriel shoves him and Olivia catches him.

You shudder then. Gabriel's eyes don't look right, almost terribly hungry, yet somehow reassuring. A part of you tells you to give in while another screams for you to fight, shoving visions of the abomination and Ellegaard and Magnus howling at the sky for it to stop. Gabriel's hand wraps around your shoulder and he pulls you to your feet. You catch him pulling you to them.

Olivia forces herself in front of the entrance, arms outstretched. You feel her mind, a terrible, almost angry thing, and are reminded of her last attempt at salvation. The axe's thoughts lick the back of your mind like a flame, understanding now what she is. Gabriel tenses, and you hear him speak words not his own.

"This is a kindness."

"You know it's not. Both of you." Olivia's eyes lock onto Gabriel and you hear an otherworldly noise crawl from his throat.

"We could be together." The Storm speaks through him and through the people outside. You watch Ivor curl closer to Soren, begging for forgiveness, for salvation, for anything. Lukas looks at Gabriel like he suddenly cannot comprehend the man.

"That's not fair to anyone. Look at me." Olivia holds out her hands and then gestures to her eyes. "Don't you feel their suffering? Mine?"

"When we are one, there will be no more suffering. There will be us." Gabriel's hand falls off your shoulder and cups under Olivia's chin. "There could be no more death. No more agonies. Harmony forever."

"You—" Olivia stammers and Gabriel presses a finger to her lips.

"There will be no me. No us. No you." He shakes his head. "You crave my death, don't you? We will make something grand, a beautiful world. It will be in the image of something greater." Gabriel's eyes turn to you. "There is salvation out there. You know it. Have you not heard the whispers?"

"You've killed hundreds!" Olivia shouts.

"I tried to save them." Gabriel's eyes turn in a sort of mourning, something beyond comprehension. "Your friend dies and dies. You let her die and for what? You deny her the greatest opportunity."

"You're killing us." Olivia hisses.

"I am a savior." Gabriel raises his hands to the sky. "I understand now. They will devour me and become a greater thing. Together as one."

"You're a monster." Olivia's words are choked back.

"I have given you great strength despite your attempts to defy me." Gabriel scoops up Olivia's hand and tussles it in his own. "You're the most beautiful thing I have made. You are perfect. There will be no hunger, no suffering."

"There will be death." Olivia suddenly shoves him back and you watch her eyes glimmer fiercely. The hands no longer press to the sides of the carriage. You hear the footsteps retreat and your mind returns to full strength. Gabriel looks at Olivia in utter horror.

"You bring damnation to us all!" Gabriel shrieks at her.

"No." Olivia presses her hands to Gabriel's head and you watch him quiet and still. You hear the horse, now free of the people binding it, clatter its teeth together. Lukas hops out of the carriage and you watch him run his hands along its neck. It calms and he steps back inside. It's almost impressive how he managed that so fast.

"We need to get moving again." Lukas says. You watch Ivor's shuddering form calm and stiffen and he heads back outside without another word.

It seems even the horses have that memo. They seem to rush forth like mad, through the trees, through the grassland, down mountains at near breakneck speed. You wonder how they can manage it tirelessly now before you remember the adrenaline.

Soren looks at Gabriel, now lying limp and quiet. His eyes seem to have glazed over, almost. Was that the Storm speaking? Or was it delusions of grandeur filtered through the storm's influence? It hurt to think about.

As you approach the Storm itself, Olivia tells you about the book. She talks about schematics and theories that go over your head and sometimes you catch Soren listening in, as if remembering something fond, before he looks away and returns to silence.

Reuben sits on your lap, barely eating nowadays. You end up having to force him to take halves of bread and baked potatoes. Sometimes you hear Lukas shouting stories your way as he steers the horses and rarely you hear Ivor laugh like he's an old friend, before the two of them fall into scattered silence.

Sometimes, you hear Ivor pleading and begging too loud to be under his breath, for forgiveness and mercy. That he never meant to build a hungry god. You imagine Lukas just staring, unable to form a word or a thought. You try to ignore the loud hungry thing in your mind, the axe hungering for the blood of the Witherstorm with each new thought and plea. You try to not think of going back and seeing Petra as inventory. You try not to imagine Olivia falling over at the Storm's destruction.

You're back at the medics soon enough, watching the Storm in the distance. The siren call of it still crawls in your mind, even as Olivia seems to try to concentrate on it and pull it out. Even as the axe presses against those thoughts angrily like a vine around stone. You hear the horses stop and buck, letting out a roaring neigh at the sky. That seems to be your cue to leave.

"I think the horses know." Lukas says as opens the exit of the carriage. Soren pushes Gabriel and he doesn't seem to move. Soren struggles to pull the armored man, wrapping one of Gabriel's arms around his shoulder. You, Olivia and Ivor follow the two of them out. You turn your head to the sky, watching one of the Storm's bodies drift after something in the distance, blotting out the sun, and you turn back to the tent, forcing your legs to trudge towards Petra.

Olivia grabs you and pulls you away. She shakes her head as you try to protest.

"Let me see her, Liv, please-" You beg her. She looks away for a moment and you fear the worst.

"We need to go. She's not going to get better if we stay."

"I hate to agree." Lukas admits, nodding. "But we need to go."

Ivor twiddles with his inventory before sighing. "I will stay here, with her." You watch him grab Gabriel by the shoulder and try to gently pull him. It takes Soren a moment to release him, lips turning in a snarl for a moment. "I will do what I can to keep her here. And stop him from getting hurt." Ivor puts his free hand on Soren's good shoulder. "Help them, please. I know I am in no position to ask it of you, but please, help them."

Soren hesitates before nodding. Your eyes turn to the sky and you feel Olivia press the idea of following the pull to you. It seems there's no other option. Reuben trots at your feet and you pull away from the idea for long enough to kneel down and pet him on the head.

"No. You're staying here." You say firmly and Reuben shakes his head. "Please, boy. You'll be safe." You pet him behind the ears and you feel him shake his head again. You look to Lukas, pleading desperate eyes on him. Lukas just shrugs.

"I think you're not going to convince him. You know how teenagers are." Lukas snickers that last part out and Reuben trots around his legs.

And then, your mind is suddenly struck by the monster's own in full. For a moment, a part of you fights, but it's not enough. The pull devours you wholly and you find yourself moving. Reuben rushes back to your legs and you don't even notice him for a moment.

Someone calls your name. Your mind collapses under the pull, even as the axe struggles against its sworn enemy to keep you together. Tendrils dance in the sunlight, soaking it up hungrily, and you watch one of the Storms circle around the fortress almost lazily. You nearly run into Axel as he shouts for Magnus. When you continue, Axel grabs you, pulling you away from the Storm's hungry beam, and says something you don't parse.

You need to join. Even as Magnus pulls at your other side, even as Olivia points to the beast's side with the dreaded Block, even as Lukas joins Axel in trying to pull you away, you still turn your head to it. Endermen pepper its form, taking chunks out of it in utter rage. You hear Reuben squeal from somewhere.

The Storm kneels, suddenly, its large form crawling across the fortress. You stare into all of its eyes, watching its gaze crawl over you. Olivia screams for you to stop. For it to stop. You watch it stare, lowering itself on large tentacles like someone crouching on their knuckles. Its jaw clenches gently, one tendril reaching out for your hand.

You want to join. You want this. You've always wanted this. It's what you've always—

You want—

You've always—

You think of home.

Olivia's laughter. Watching her become someone that could speak freely about what she loved. Petra dragging you off to show you a 'secret' just for a frog to launch at your face and drag a scream out of your throat. You still remember how hard Petra laughed, almost tearing her lungs to bits. Axel making Reuben some rudimentary plush toy that he tore to bits like it didn't matter. You remember him sobbing like a fresh spawn over it.

Lukas didn't have to stay. He could have run, but he didn't. Even with all of his fear, even with all his reasons, he stayed. He cared for Olivia, for you. He regretted it all. You think of the future laughs you could share.

You remember Reuben, small at the waterfall. Hearing him sniff the water curiously. How you had to lure him away with a carrot. Getting him to trust your touch and not jolt away like most pigs would. Watching him grow up way too fast. Seeing him chase Axel and Olivia around and watching them chase him around in turn.

You raise the axe to the beast's tentacle and slash wildly. It cuts through it and the thing shrieks like it's never before. You hear the axe laugh maniacally in your mind, hungering for more. The Witherstorm starts pull itself off Soren's fortress, teeth baring, desperately clawing at the back of your mind.

In your periphery, as you raise the axe again, you catch Soren bolting to the door now freed from the thing's tendrils. You hear Olivia shriek at him before her eyes turn to one of the thing's free tentacles. Lukas is ushering Axel away, telling him he can't just go out there without armor, while you search for a vantage point.

The thing screams again and you catch Olivia holding onto one of the grounded tentacles for dear life. Its head bows and you catch a chunk torn in its side. You leap for it, trying to ignore the flesh that still struggles against Olivia's control. You hear Olivia shriek and then a firework hitting the thing's teeth. Somewhere, Lukas shouts for the two of them to get down.

You don't realize you're being followed until you struggle against the flesh and onto your feet. You feel the axe's hunger for the flesh of the beast. For a moment, it echoes against yourself, and you feel every laugh shudder through its form. The two of you are united in your motive.

Reuben nudges your leg and you look to him in shock. You feel the flesh grab at your armor and it takes everything for you to pull your feet away. You would kneel down and pet him if not for the horrendous things trying to pull you inside. Instead, you just gape your mouth open as he averts his gaze.

"Stay close, boy." You demand him, you beg him. As if there's safety in the monster's insides. In the back of your mind you still hear it beckoning you, telling you to ignore its false prophet. Anger from the axe washes over your body and you nearly lose yourself in its bloodlust for a moment.

You step through crunchy purple flesh. With each step, memories threaten you, but your own anger pushes them away. The axe laughs in the back of your mind, soaking in your own anger in turn and complimenting the strength of your ego. Whispering surrounds you at every angle, indeterminate and indistinct. You think of the trilling under Olivia's voice, like a thousand echoes.

Something—no.

It's a hand.

It grabs your leg, the fingers wrapping desperately around your ankle for purchase. Panic floods in the back of your head, panic not your own. You hear the voices wailing around you and your eyes turn to the sky and surrounding fleshy walls as you worm your way free of the hand's grip.

Several monsters, people and animals all sit in its flesh, some nearly fully submerged, others not. Some reach desperately for the outer air while others slump, twitching occasionally. You hear a distorted squeal, not unlike Reuben's own, and you refuse to look, feeling Reuben shudder at your heel.

You think of how cavernous it is. How absolutely massive every wall is, pulling to the sky. You think of its exterior flesh. How many people are in here? It called this salvation. This sounds like hell.

With every step, you feel your own anger grow. Your mind flickers to Olivia huddling near the End Crystals. Her screams when she touched the Command Block, the way she nearly tore into Axel. You think of Petra, without an arm and listless. Of Magnus screaming at the sky, of Ellegaard in its jaws, hell even of Soren and the punishment for his momentary courage.

You think of the teeth in your flesh. Of how greedy this monster is. Like its tormentor, like its forefathers. You feel the anger, the urge to kill grow within you. You want this dead. You're not a violent person. But you must rip and tear. For the world. You must. It will be done. You will kill. You will slaughter. You will annihilate.

Reuben almost seems to shudder under your shadow. You feel the anger melt. You remember yourself. Killing is no small feat, even if there is no other option. Whatever this is, monster or misunderstood, vile or kind, there is no avenue to stop it. There is no kinder option.

The axe seems disappointed.

You continue through grasping hands and crisp flesh. Through attempts to pull you to flesh or to pull oneself out. You continue on and on, even as the teeth set upon your insides more and beg for you to come and rest. You continue, in spite.

You catch a few holes lining the interior where tendrils desperately try to cover. Reuben steps through carefully, taking in every detail like it'll save his life. You consider your demise again and feel the axe press that thought away. It demands that you live, if for nothing else than to see your friends on the other side.

Then, that's when you come to it. Face to face with the Command Block. Tendrils oscillate around it in a gently circle, some coated in teeth, others in several eyes, and some in a combination. You watch one of the eyed tendrils break away as others gaze to a massive hole in the beast's form beside its heart. You hear it laugh, almost anxiously, in the back of your mind.

I want to talk. The words in your mind echo in Olivia's voice. Not that trilly undertone, her. From the treehouse. We could be something. Isn't that what you want?

You raise the axe. "You killed Ellegaard. You're destroying us." You speak, as if it'll listen. You hear it hum in your mind, singing a tune from Olivia's spawnhood.

She set out to make me suffer. You were a pawn in her game. Do you not remember her crimes? We could be together, forever. All of us holding hands for eternity. Becoming one, becoming greater. Wouldn't you want that? No more suffering, no more death, just us. A kind, gentle world. It's like Olivia's pacing around you, speaking about a grand contraption.

"Do you really believe you're giving us that?" You ask and feel it hesitate. Your eyes narrow. "Liar."

We could live forever. The voice pleads in a hollow tone.

"No. You could." You approach the Command Block.

I could become the world. We could live in paradise, all of us! I would give it all to you, I promise! Olivia's voice falls apart, becoming a chorus of nightmarish yells. You slash at a tentacle, feeling the axe warble excitedly in your mind. I WILL FEED. I WILL KEEP YOU. The voices are shrill, but you continue to slash through the tentacles.

The axe slams into the Command Block. It wails in Olivia's voice and you slash at it again just for that. Reuben squeals and presses himself against one of the 'walls,' watching the hole in the floor as if it'll grow. You catch an enderman darting in and the thing grabs you with one free tentacle and throws you at the wall. It slashes at the enderman and it teleports off as you feel the beast roll.

You try your best to land gently. Reuben rushes to your side. "No, stay away! I'll deal with it!" You yell right as jaws come to face you, terrible and many. Several of them form into heads, pushing together bright gleaming purple eyes. Your insides squirm in horror as the beast rolls again, desperately trying to push your to the jaws while it forms eyes able to fully form tractor beams. You grab at one of the walls and Reuben pushes you, trying to keep you away.

The beast's tractors flicker on. You look to the Command Block, suspended by something powerful, still between rotating tendrils that grow around it eagerly. You look back to the tractor beam and the axe squeals in your mind.

"I'm telling you, stay put, boy." Your words are sharp and stern. You step to the beam and the beast growls down your very insides.

This could have been easy for both of us. You hear it in every part of your body as the tractor locks on. The axe laughs like it's heard the funniest joke of its life, already feeling your plan through its very form.

"You only want it to be easy for you!" You shout as you slam the axe into the Storm's eye. The head roars and a thousand angry thoughts claw at your mind. You leap off the head and into the tentacles. You feel one of the toothy ones chomp at your armor, trying to pull free your helmet. You pull the axe back, ready to land the final blow.

FOOL! It roars in your mind as another toothy tendril snags your axe, launching it into its flesh. You catch the flesh trying to absorb the axe but it seems to fight back, melting the surrounding flesh. Reuben looks to it before he scoops it up in his jaws and vaults over the beast's inner head. You hear it laugh in the back of your mind.

"I think you've forgotten who you're dealing with." You say. For a moment, you feel exhausted. But you refuse to acknowledge it.

Quoting her, really? The beast laughs again. Reuben hesitates as he climbs onto the thing's flesh. Another head tries to snap at him and he leaps on top of it. You hold out your hands. I should have killed her when I had her first.

"And I should have never helped make you." You catch Reuben and pull the axe free of his jaws. You pet him on the head with the hand holding the axe, hearing it croon over him gently as you do. You try to hold onto him with your other arm.

One of the jawed tendrils wrap around him, teeth sinking into his body. You hear him squeal and slash desperately at the tendril grabbing at him. It releases him, sending him falling through its massive hole, and retracts before you can cut it off fully and a shrill shriek tears from your throat.

You turn to it and slash wildly, every part of your body on fire with anger. The tentacles struggle against you but you slash them to bits. You slam the axe in again and again, feeling the Block's energy surge into it as you do. You feel it wailing, and you can't tell what's wailing at you.

The Block collapses into dust and the tentacles fall limp. You fall fast and the axe wails in your mind for water. You feel it weakening, debating letting free its life, and think of how little energy you have. You realize then your vision is ebbing, desperate and exhausted. You feel blood dribble from your lips and think. Your stomach aches something awful, vision darkening at every edge.

Just let them live. All of them. Please. You beg. Stay alive.

You feel something, like a thousand sparks hitting your body, surging. You open your lips in a gasp, feeling the blood dry. Your vision flickers back to life and something begs you to close your mouth and hold your breath.

Water wraps around you. You catch the axe in your hand, yellow fading to a deep, almost lapis blue. You feel its mind against yours, pleading that everyone living includes it too, and you fight for the surface. When your head bobs over the water, you hear Olivia shrieking like mad.

"Why am I alive? It—oh god it's still alive—AXEL—PLEASE—!" Her voice is a shriek. You catch blood drifting past you in the water. Your insides twist.

"Olivia, it's okay. It's okay. It's over now." You catch Axel in your periphery, rubbing circles in Olivia's back. Her eyes turn to sky, watching the thing fall apart. Lukas comes close and Axel gestures for him before pulling Lukas and Olivia into a hug. Axel looks at you and he catches the look in your eye as you strain your ear.

"Reuben!" You shout, swimming through the water. Your ear catches squealing, desperate and aching, and you follow it like a distant beacon. Your friends rush after you on the shoreline and you struggle out of the water, crumpling over Reuben.

He's laying on his side, covered in bruises and deep tooth marks. You pull out the axe and plead with it, begging for something else, for it to have enough energy just to save him. It begs for forgiveness, crying in your very form that there's nothing left. That it was all for you.

You shout for someone. Anyone. Anyone with a healing potion. Something. You even cry out for Ivor.

If only you weren't dying—if you'd let someone else do it—if you'd watched Reuben better. Maybe if you had been more convincing. Something.

You gently put your hand under Reuben's head, watching his eyes struggle to meet your own. Tears dribble down your face as he wraps one leg around your arm and you press your head against his own.

"I'm sorry." You sob desperately, heaving like mad. "I know you can't stay, boy. You can go now." Your hands gently wrap around him, picking him up just to hold him one more time. You wish you weren't clothed in armor, just so you could pretend you were at home, holding him.

His head pulls onto your shoulder. You feel him breathe softly, one last aching time, and then he's gone, crumpling into nothingness on your body. You hold what remains of him, thinking of Ellegaard, of all those dead as inventory in the world. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

You sob to the sky. You're pulled into a hug at every direction, keeping you together. For a moment, you're not alone. For a moment, you're home.

The first thing you do is head back to the medics. You don't think of how gentle your breaths come now, or how miraculously you've bounced back. Magnus follows you, his eyes on you like a ghost. He says nothing. You don't blame him.

Olivia practically runs for Petra, at least until she doubles over and you remember she hasn't eaten. You hand her part of your rations and watch her devour it, trying to ignore the fear in her voice when she mentions her body still hurts. As you watch her go ahead, you look behind you and watch people emerge from the Storm's wreckage. You turn back and follow Olivia in.

Petra still lives. You hear her breathe gentler, but still ragged. Body still pale and aching. But you hope she'll recover. Ivor holds Gabriel still, looking him over as you catch life in his eyes. Gabriel looks at you and you realize he doesn't recognize you. You try to hide the fear that brings you.

"Where's Soren?" Ivor asks. Gabriel looks to him, as if he recognizes the name, and then to you. Your shoulders run slack.

"I don't know." You admit. Ivor's teeth clench into an angry snarl before he breaks down crying.

"All I asked is for one thing. One thing. And he couldn't even do it." Ivor sobs and Gabriel watches him. You look to Petra and notice her eyes stay closed, as if she's in a deep sleep. Something echoes behind you and you look to find Magnus. You step to him and Axel hides his face for a moment.

"Do you want... Her back?" You hold out Ellegaard's armor. Magnus shakes his head and looks at Olivia.

"You were a lot nicer to her than I was." Magnus says to her. "Take her armor."

"I can't wear it." Olivia shakes her head before hanging it. "I..." She looks at her hands.

"Then just... Take her helmet." You watch Magnus produce it out of his inventory. "I don't know why she stopped wearing it. But... You should have it." Olivia hesitates for a moment before taking it. "You keep her. She's... Well. She'd hate being stuck at Boomtown with me." Magnus looks at you and nods. You nod back at him.

You settle into a strange routine after. Lukas offers to help you scout for somewhere to build shelter and you find somewhere eventually, a seemingly untouched forest next to the ocean that has a mountain behind it. "It's... Kind of beautiful, don't you think?" He asks you and that's when you realize it's home.

He offers to set up the first buildings and you return to your friends at the tent.

Every day, there's a new argument against giving Petra care. Some say she's not conscious, to which you find her twitching every so often. Sometimes her eyes will flutter open, just for a moment, before she returns to her deep sleep. When they deny her, you demand it tenfold. Some argue she's dying. You argue back that's why she needs it. Once, you'd caught her in a seizing fit, and many tried to argue it was time to let her go. You don't tell them about the potions you smuggle to save her.

There's a time you deviate, to look for what used to be home. For Endercon's remnants and ruins. All you find is destruction and no sign of your treehouse. You despise the sight, but it brings you some sort of closure.

Olivia seems fine for the first few weeks. You don't notice how much food she's smuggling until you have to break up a fight outside of the beginnings of your town. That's when you realize you might be in over your head.

Then suddenly, you're at the heart of town. People funneling into houses and some coming to drop off resources. You spend so much of your day telling people how to ration their food to not starve, farming, scoping out materials for more houses, and checking back on Petra.

Axel eventually tells you he'll watch her and he passes you the amulet's halves. You take his word, because you know it by heart now, and you go back home. You return to tending the fields, expecting Reuben to crawl at your legs, to oink and squeal and beg for a carrot. Then you look back down and remember he's gone.

Olivia withdraws. Even if you forgot what house she took up for the moment, the screams from it would remind you. Sometimes you catch Ivor in the odd hours of the night, muttering about how he owes her, smuggling things. You pretend not to notice him. When he visits, she seems to stop screaming for a few hours.

Axel darts in and out from her temporary home. You always find him shaken and pale afterwards, telling you she doesn't take well to visitors. Sometimes, in the twilight, you catch him and Magnus talking about their lives, and then Magnus will disappear again for a week. Sometimes Axel walks in, with cotton balls and a thousand reassurances and a line of measuring tape.

When Petra's well enough to not rely on healing potions, she returns, still shaky on her feet. Lukas finally lets himself stop working and he embraces her, a thousand happy tears pouring out of his face. You try to show the same display, but you think too much of funerals and your eyes are too exhausted to cry.

Visitors funnel in and out. Echo from the church, bringing with them ingredients for potions and some extra rations from their fields, a few medics checking up the people in town, some even deciding to stay, people from Redstonia, asking for a good time to set up a memorial, and eventually, two old friends.

Nohr looks a little ragged, still a little purple from the Witherstorm, but she seems alive in the eyes. Dustin grins but he looks like he's faced horrendous things. You wonder if the same glimmer is in your eye.

"You know, a little parrot told me the mighty Magnus himself picked you as his ambassador." Dustin teases her and you laugh. Nohr goes a sort of pinkish purple.

"Well, it's not like being his protege! Or his secondary King or whatever. He's got his eyes on someone else." Nohr looks away, grimacing a little. You snicker.

"Oh? You have competition?" You elbow Nohr, already knowing who Magnus is considering. Nohr looks for a moment like she's going to kill you and you can forget the tragedy.

And then they're gone and you worry about the Storm on the horizon. Then you remind yourself. And then you remember every wretched thing.

There's no time to plan funerals. You break up fights over resources. Someone yelling that the usher from Endercon shouldn't eat because he's already 'eaten enough' and someone yelling that you're feeding a horrendous monster that scratches the walls at night. It becomes a haze eventually. It's hard to remember every little dispute you solve.

When Petra’s better, you make a few journeys to the Nether with her. The irony of somewhere so unlivable to you being a place you can get food is not lost on you. Unfortunately, the Piglins don’t provide much else. You try to figure out how you’ll confess the truth. But for now, you’re much too busy surviving.

And then there's a day there are less disputes. Someone's taken up the fields with reckless abandon, leaving you to realize you're not sure what to do anymore. You have nowhere else to go. Everyone seems to be moving around or stuck somewhere and you're trapped in a horrendous middle ground.

You knock on Olivia's door and find her just quietly sobbing. Fear grips you, horrified to hear what paled Axel. To think of the times you swear Ivor had talked about breaking bones. About seeing something not right.

"Hey," Your words waver. The door pulls open and something scurries out of view and under a blanket. You step inside, only catching hints of Olivia. You can see her face, eyes wide like a terrified animal, and fingers stretched into long claws, with the hint that they're attached to arms much too long. You catch spines lining those arms haphazardly and she pulls even more under the blanket.

You sit in silence for a moment, trying to find the words to reassure her. But you haven't really spoken beyond words to break up fights. Beyond ration mandates and suggestions for people. Beyond please and thank yous and silent prayers to the sky.

Eventually, you catch her pulling her neck out of the blanket. You ask her one question as she looks at you with eyes carrying an awful lot of exhaustion. "Are you... Okay?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore." She admits. That's when you catch the walls marred with a thousand claw marks. You think of the times you'd heard something thrash in the night. "But I can't... I don't want to see myself."

"You're not a monster." You say. Olivia sobs, pulling in more under the blanket. You listen to her cry for a good while, just taking in each breath as you do.

"It doesn't stop the fact I... I don't recognize myself."

"That makes two of us." You admit. "I... I haven't been thinking. I've just been shuffling around like a machine." You hear Olivia laugh at that before she breaks down back into dry sobs.

Axel comes shortly and he asks you for privacy, holding some measuring tape. You watch Olivia squirm back under the blanket and he recoils a little in an attempt to give her some space to catch her breath. You leave, trying to ignore your mind's images of horrendous fates for her.

Petra and Lukas seem to be sharing a laugh. You notice the color coming back into her skin. She gestures for you to approach and you catch Gabriel sitting near them, watching them in a way that seems like he's more present. You wonder if he'll ever come back to full mental capacity. Petra takes the moment you think to nearly tackle you, ruffling your hair and provoking a laugh out of you.

You can forget, for a moment. It's easier when Axel finally gets Olivia to leave a few days later. She keeps hunching, probably to cope with all of the added height, but it's better than not seeing her. She's definitely gotten... Spikier. You notice the quills on her back and the fact Axel had to figure out a way to make a longer copy of her clothes. It reminds you of the time you joked she looked like an enderman. Now she's practically as tall as one.

"Hey." Petra interrupts your thought. "I'm supposed to be the tall one, remember?"

Olivia hesitates for a moment before she barks out a laugh so hard her jaw unhinges. She jolts back and notices Petra doesn't even flinch. You watch Olivia's jaw unclench and she lets herself share a small chuckle.

It takes her some time to learn how to hold something without dropping it between her long fingers. When she does, you realize you're finally ready. That your town is in enough of a place to finally gather and reveal the truth. Axel leaves that evening to fetch Magnus, and in the setting sun you get your people to gather. You catch Ivor slinking along the border, debating if he should even be in the crowd.

"There's a lot we haven't had time to talk about," You admit, "we haven't had time to honor our dead. We haven't had time to do anything besides survive. But now we do, and we have to face it. I'm tired of running from it. I'm tired of pretending I don't know where this started.

"But first, I want to honor Ellegaard. She gave up her armor for me and it cost her... Her life. There was a lot I think she still wanted to do. A lot of people she wanted to talk to. All I can think about is one of the last times I saw her. She... She was so angry. And I didn't know what to do. I didn't comfort her. I didn't know how.

"I'm alive, partially because of her. But... I'm part of the reason she's dead. Ivor didn't create the Witherstorm alone. I... I helped him." You hear gasps in the crowd, echoes of betrayal. You shake your head solemnly. "Olivia—After Olivia touched the Command Block, she... It tricked her. It made her think it wouldn't hurt anyone. And I was promised the truth. Ivor told me there was a reason for it, so I believed him. My curiosity got us into this mess."

There's whispers in the crowd. For a moment, you shut your eyes. "Truth can drive anyone to madness. That's why we ended up here. Because the Order lied about killing the Enderdragon. They—Soren used a Command Block to kill it. They went along with it. And that—the dragon wasn't even trying to kill them at first. It... Everything was nothing."

Chatter erupts. You watch several conversations spark. "I don't expect forgiveness for what I've done. I... It cost me everything. It nearly cost me my friends. It—it took Reuben from me. If not for him, I wouldn't have been able to slay the monster. And if not for the weapon, I don't think I would be here either." You think of it in your inventory and wonder if it is simply resting or if it's finally died.

You catch Magnus in the crowd nudging Ivor and he steps to you. Gabriel follows him slowly, looking to the people and you catch him whispering to Ivor that some of them are familiar. Ivor gestures for you to give him something and you hand him the amulet's halves. He takes a moment and you watch the two halves reunite under the swirl of enchanting table language.

"Jesse and his friends are not the reason the Witherstorm was set loose." Ivor hands the reformed amulet to you. "Blame should not rest with people who have questions, nor people who have been manipulated by that Command Block. I was the one who came up with the idea. I was the person who put the Command Block in the center of the Wither. And in trying to stop it, I hurt the people who mattered the most in stopping it." Ivor looks back at you. "I would say, if anyone is worthy of the title of the Order of the Stone, it is them. Not us."

Chattering conversations still echo across your ears. You watch Ivor gesture for them to quiet down. "When disaster struck, it was them that tried to stop the monster first. Olivia used the connection the Block had formed against it, Jesse was willing to throw himself between it and the Formidibomb..." Ivor trails off a little.

"Axel volunteered to distract it. And he didn't do it to... To stop from thinking about her." Magnus raises his hand. "He had a lot to live for and he still did it." You watch Axel look at you. "Even after he just went half blind!"

"Lukas volunteered to do it too. I didn't let him." Axel admits.

"You did also save my and Olivia's ass back there." Lukas says. "Firing a firework down its throat? Kinda brilliant."

"To be honest, it was probably mostly my life being saved back there." Olivia laughs. You watch some people grow uneasy at the sight of her teeth while others adjust. "Lukas and Petra also helped. Lukas restored the Order temple, he—he stopped me from hurting Axel by accident... He helped us get to the Far Lands. And Petra," Olivia looks at Petra before seeming to grimace out of guilt, "she kept on going, even when she was sure it would kill her. She went to save people, even when it was bleak."

"You thought it would kill you too." Petra says.

"I wasn't being eaten from the inside out." Olivia fires back with a snort.

"Fair, I guess." Petra shrugs.

"So if anyone should be blamed, let it be me." Ivor says to the crowd. A sort of awkward silence falls. Olivia taps you on the shoulder.

"When the monster died, I found this." Olivia admits, handing you a purple Nether Star. "And I heard you were considering a beacon?" You smile and toss it to Lukas, watching him put it together into a beacon. When he places it down behind you, you watch its beam dance with a strange, almost otherworldly purple light. You wonder if it could power more beacons for a moment.

Things become a sort of haze after that. Some people question what should be done with Ivor. Should he be in jail? Is he a monster? A madman? He strikes you more as a fool. You think of the nights he snuck things to Olivia. About how much you had to ration pain medication.

A lot of politics take up your next few weeks. Magnus and some of Redstonia's representatives end up discussing arrangements for a proper memorial for Ellegaard. You debate a tribute to her somewhere in your own town. You don't even have a name yet. You catch some of Redstonia's people talking with Olivia, looking at her more like a leader and less like a monster. Despite her height, you catch her shrinking under them in fear.

Lukas helps you set up a memorial for Reuben as you still ponder Ivor's fate. Occasionally you hear people discuss how they'd give Ivor the guillotine for what he's done. You don't necessarily like him, but does he really deserve that? You catch Ivor wandering, seeming to not connect with anyone. You think of all the potions that could have saved people and it clicks then.

As Lukas crafts some more beacons, you suggest a name, almost laughing it out. Lukas, in his typical agreeable charm, says it's not a bad name. Eventually you learn to call it Beacontown. Some people funnel in with excited fresh spawns. You find the perfect candidate for your plan among them, a young one who seems to be terribly good at identifying potions without a guide.

You bring your choice to Ivor, telling him it's the perfect solution. He repays his debt and you get more alchemists. Surprisingly, he agrees to it rather quickly. You find them in strange, almost awkward conversations, but eventually they seem to click.

Olivia disappears more often, eventually adjusting to her new form, as you can see by how she seems to laugh and smile more often. Somehow, she figures out how to smile only with the front of her face. One day, you catch her and Petra talking, and it seems Olivia still keeps her promises.

"A whole prosthetic? I honestly thought you just felt guilty." Petra laughs.

"Hey, at least if it doesn't fit, you can hit people over the head with it?" Olivia suggests with a snicker and you watch Petra laugh so hard you expect her to have a coughing fit. "I um, can help you with it? I don't think you'll be able to feel anything with it."

"Eh, I've got a third ghost arm that still feels things." Petra looks like she's trying to gesture said arm.

"Just don't wear this too long."

"Seriously? It comes with a warning label?" Petra chuckles. "I might as well try and learn how to use the ghost one."

"I mean, I heard you have to learn how to tolerate it?" Olivia shrugs. "Maybe I can figure out how to make it feel things. You have to give me time, I'm still not sure how to use these." She points to her claws before helping Petra put it on.

"Ooh, maybe I shouldn't trust you, Madam Shearhands." Petra laughs before she looks at it. "Uh. I can't move it?"

"Oh. Right. You have to... Figure out how to use it." Olivia looks stupefied for a moment.

"Wow. The irony hurts me." Petra laughs and you watch Olivia paw at her with her fingers. "I've got two arms I can't even use!" You watch Petra put her good hand to her head dramatically. "Does this technically make me part robot?"

You laugh at that. Petra glares at you like she's going to kill you.

"What? It's a good question." Lukas interjects. "Does that technically make her a robot? Or a cyborg?"

"Guysssssss." Olivia groans, throwing her head back so hard it pulls part of her jaw. You don't hear anyone yowl at her teeth. The sight honestly makes you laugh.

Eventually, you can stand your reflection. Eventually you get used to the large scar on half of your face. That's when you start to settle. Sometimes you forget Reuben isn't in the other room. Sometimes you remember he's not and your whole mind aches.

As if it's decided now's a good time, the weapon finally speaks up, seeming stunned to silence by its own failure. You blame yourself more than you ever blamed it. The only thing you have to say is that you hope you never have to use it. It relates to the fact you're still figuring out your life. For a moment, you think of the fact you're talking to a tool, and then you remember how ridiculous your life already was.

It names itself 'Clarity,' for whatever reason. You don't question it. That's just how it goes. You honestly prefer it to the previous Command Block nonsense.

A party of villagers come to town one day. You can't understand their language quite yet, but the familiar scrawny man with them seems quite fluent. You watch him excitedly come to you, asking for Olivia, saying that he's thankful that she sent him to the village. When you tell him she's off in Redstonia, you hear him swear something in villagerese. Then, he's gone, deep in a conversation with the villagers he came over with. You doubt you'll see him again, but why is he so familiar? Maybe it's the glasses. Or the hoodie tied around his waist?

Some days you catch Aiden and his buddies sneaking around town. You catch a glimmer in his eyes, like he's afraid and angry. You don't chase him down. He always leaves eventually.

Petra seems restless. She always moves houses, and eventually you find she just ends up visiting. It seems she's settled back into a cave nearby, saying something about how she needs some kind of familiarity. Olivia visits her often, on the edge of town, her fingers now almost surgically precise.

Your town grows. Axel and Olivia try to visit, and sometimes they manage to. Other times you hardly see them. Lukas heads out of town often and sometimes you follow him, filling in craters and bringing over your own resources to towns that need them. You find your town needs less rations now, fields and farms able to support your population now. But you catch famines in towns and people wandering around, exhausted by the constant fight for survival.

Some days you hear Ivor whispering rumors of portals. His apprentice always seems to groan when he does. You wonder, for a moment, if they have merit, and then you return to greeting people. Some of your citizens leave, others come and stay. Echo comes back sometimes, and you end up giving them some resources instead. Eventually, they only come to visit, and you catch them looking to the sky in confusion.

The world is in shambles still. You wonder how many people will make it through. But then you meet with your friends again and you share laughs like you haven't suffered. Sometimes you talk to Clarity, finding the axe a good listener. It almost fills the void Reuben left. Almost.

You just wish more people could have lived to see it. But for those who have lived to see it, you will do what it takes to make it a world worth living in.

Chapter Text

The last time you trusted Ivor, it went terribly.

As you slice through a zombie, searching for a temple he swears he's spotted, that he swears on his life is the one, you consider that maybe he's lead you wrong again. The night may be young, but it's old enough to bring zombies, skeletons, and enough spiders forth to outnumber a massive wolf pack. You fight back a shudder at the thought as you catch the vibrations of feet behind you.

There's a squeal in your good ear and you swirl around, watching Olivia slam a zombie into the ground. You catch her grimacing so hard you swear her teeth will pierce through her lips. Some part of you is thankful Ivor finally got enough materials to make her a proper set of armor while a small voice in your mind asks why she'd even need it with how quilly she is.

Petra is hard to miss, slashing so fast she's practically a blur of blue and gold armor. Like you and Olivia, she's a part of the majority that went for thick, metal armor. It's crazy to think you'd seen her, a haze of months ago, dying and suffering. Weak and pale, eyes unfocused. Now she hits mobs like a speeding minecart off the rails. And hey, her taste in swords hasn't changed, considering she kept that gold one from nearly a year ago. You're surprised Ivor never said anything about it.

Olivia breaks from you, crossbow firing arrows into a horde of mobs. You catch Axel slamming away what she can't hit while she's reloading, although she's definitely developed quite the trigger finger. You circle them, picking up on the stragglers left unhit by Axel's fists. The Witherstorm may have been unkind to you, but you can still run faster than a panicked rabbit. Time has given you the ability to tolerate the dull ache of pulled scars.

Clarity shrieks in your mind, desperate to fulfill its purpose as you catch a zombie on Axel's blind spot. You slam the axe down into its chest, nearly causing Axel to jolt as the zombie crumples. Mixed feelings press against your mind, of excitement and disgust. You shake your head, pondering if you're really the right person to wield an axe, let alone one that speaks.

There's a part where the thick jungle trees break away. You blink as you catch distant lights, too artificial to be a natural lava flow. Your bad ear rings and you realize a mob must have met the business end of one of your companions' weapons. You turn, fire off a "Get moving! I think it's up here!" and rush to the distant lights.

Ivor was right. Who would have known? You blink at the sprawling temple, catching how its rounded middle nearly touches the moon, while its sides fan out so wide it seems to reach to the treeline. It's a massive stone structure with at least two stories. Several staircases sprawl up into the main structure and a few pillars hold up a decaying overhang.

Barely any of it seems to have decayed, so perhaps Ivor was wrong about those 'Old Builders'. Regardless, it must have something in there, right?

Your group ducks through the entryway. The amount of mobs you've just encountered makes you wish that there was some kind of door. You find yourself pressing to Olivia's side, hoping that she still scares off mobs. In your periphery, you watch her quills stand on end. You think it's fear before she rushes to one of the walls, hands desperately clinging to them like she can stretch her mind into them. That's when you catch the pistons barely holding lava back.

"D'you think it's a trap?" Axel asks and your mind immediately goes to Magnus' massive spire. A strange, almost nostalgic laugh erupts out of you, making your ear ache. "What? It's a genuine question?" Axel shrugs and you choke on your own spit.

"No, no, it just... Reminded me of something. Magnus, y'know?" You shrug back at him and he lets out a drawn out 'ohhh.' Olivia seems to be set on examining the pistons while Petra runs her eyes along the lava channel. You follow her gaze and realize then the lava would only flow to the bottom.

"I don't think it's rigged, I think this is a mechanism to open it." Olivia flicks the lever at the side and you watch Petra tense up slightly. The lava flows down the moment the pistons release, taking rest in the channel on the floor. You watch the glow dance on the deep gray portion of Olivia's armor. The gold, intricate lined center definitely feels like it was made for this kind of lighting.

"So they're definitely hiding something in here." Petra comments as Olivia looks over to the two other channels in the room. She flicks one of the other levers and you watch the pistons shut, letting out an unpleasant noise. Olivia shakes her head, returns to the first lever, and flicks it back on again. You watch her turn the possibilities in her head. You can only imagine she's thinking of a thousand possible passwords.

"I hate to admit it, but Ivor's probably at least half right. Whoever put this here was definitely hiding something important." You add and Axel beams. "Don't get too into it, we're just here to see if it can help us."

"We're not allowed to enjoy ourselves?" Axel whines.

Your palm finds its way to your face. "I meant more... Don't start thinking of this as a treasure hunt."

"The last few times have basically been those, though." Petra comments as Olivia rushes between the levers, flicking them at breakneck speed. Another horrendous tone enters the air and you hear her scowl so hard her jaw nearly hits the floor.

"Okay, they've clearly password protected this." Olivia crosses her arms, looking over the levers. "And it doesn't seem to be as simple as one two three. So it has to be a specific sequence and something else..."

"Maybe you need to backtrack? It seems the first one worked. Maybe whichever one stays is the right one, then you go back, and then flick the last one?" You suggest and Olivia breaks into a pace.

"Or maybe it just needs three people." Axel shrugs. "You know, one person pulls one at the same time?"

"That could easily overload it." Olivia breaks out of her pace, looking over the levers.

"Orrrr we could mine through there." Petra suggests, pointing to the dip in the temple's floor. You raise an eyebrow and Olivia paces around Petra, teeth gritting in what you assume at first is frustration, at least until she speaks again.

"That could activate a trap! A lot of temples like these have methods against people accessing them."

"I don't see any dispensers." Axel looks around and Olivia scowls, voice breaking into a sort of echoing trill.

"Good trap makers hide their work. Clearly whoever did this was a redstone engineer and they tend to be very good at hiding things." Axel seems like he's about to protest but Olivia just crosses her arms. "It comes with the territory, if the redstone's exposed, then someone could easily break the circuit. It just sort of... Translates, you know?"

"If you don't figure this out I'm mining through the floor." Petra scowls.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" Olivia fires back. "I'm telling you, it's probably got some kind of dangerous trap if you don't do it right. A lot of people use TNT for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, I'm not particularly fond of dying just because you couldn't wait." You interject and Petra rolls her eyes.

"I think you're giving whoever made this too much credit." Petra comments as Olivia returns to fiddling with the levers. You watch the light of the lava dance on Petra's armor before it dies back again and Olivia hisses somewhere. "Heck, even in a desert temple you can easily sidestep the TNT. I've done it several times."

"And you never saved any of it for me?" Axel's eyes go wide and pleading. You hear Olivia rattle with another one of the levers. Petra rolls her eyes.

"That was years ago, Axel. Between all of these 'leads' I haven't had time." Petra crosses her arms.

"Well, I honestly think there's a portal in here somewhere. It seems very... Portal-y, y'know?" Axel waves his shoulders and you hear Olivia scowl for a different reason.

"And you plan to do what once we find one?" Petra asks and Axel kind of shrugs.

"Ivor said that last bit was..." You cough and do your best impression of Ivor in one of his excited tangents, "'NOT TO BE DISCUSSED IN SUCH POLITE COMPANY!' So whatever it is, it's either really stupid or really secret."

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to talk to people from other worlds, I guess. They could probably help us with... You know." Axel's words remind you of why you'd even entertained Ivor in the first place. Why you'd sent letters like mad calling them from their towns, to temples that seemed to lead nowhere. Craters still littered the world, people still came to you pleading for food and seeds, and you knew if someone razed your fields overnight you'd be starving for at least a month. You fight back the grimace threatening your face.

"Honestly, I think it's going to lead us either to another section of the Nether or it's going to be the Aether. Why would a portal lead out of our world? We already know what portals do!" Petra shouts and you hear Olivia hiss out in frustration again. "I'm telling you, just let me mine through it!"

"I'm close!" Olivia snaps back.

"Whatever. How about we bet? I bet that if there is a portal, it's leading us to the Aether." Petra holds out one fist. Axel accepts that with a smile, bumping her fist.

"I bet it's gonna be to some really cool other world. With lots of people like us." He withdraws his fist and looks to you. "What do you bet, Jesse?"

"Honestly? I'm betting it'll just be standard loot and then we go home." You shrug. That's how it's been going.

"I'm with Jesse." Olivia adds. "If the Aether was real, it'd have been found already. I honestly think this whole 'Old Builder' business is just Ivor trying to get us off his case."

"Seriously? After everything that just happened you really think there's no whimsy in the world? No crazy magic or anything?" Axel asks.

"I wouldn't consider what happened to me magic." Olivia hisses, pulling one of the levers harshly. You watch all of the lava flow through and Olivia nearly jolts. "Seriously? It works when I'm not thinking?" She eyes up the opening dip in the floor and you watch the pooling lava dance in a flow between a set of wooden stairs.

"Whoever built this forgot how flammable wood is." You shake your head. Either that, or the mechanism has faltered. "Anyone have any ladders?"

"Lukas did, but he insisted on staying back for some reason." Axel comments. "I really wish he'd give up the whole 'I need to fix things' thing he has going on. We barely get to see him."

"Beacontown needed someone to watch it. He just volunteered." You shrug as you step to the first stair.

"C'mon Jesse, your people aren't stupid." Axel snorts. "They can survive one temple trip."

You sigh. "I didn't want to fight Lukas on it. Besides, having an extra set of eyes over there is good."

"Still wish he was here."

"Wow, younger you would hate what you're saying right now." You snort and Axel rolls his eyes.

"Starting to regret that Aether bet?" Olivia asks Petra as you descend.

"Maybe it needs a really deep portal or something. Y'know, to cancel out and all." Petra shrugs.

"You really can't lose, can you?" Olivia snorts.

"Hey!" Petra pats Olivia on the shoulder and you realize which arm she's using. You already know Olivia's eyes are threatening to peer into her skull.

"Sure." Olivia says and you peer into the darkening chamber. You catch some faded paint on the walls, depicting five figures you can't make out. Their faces seem to have been scratched out. You raise an eyebrow.

"Five... There's five people. Like us—like the Order!" You shout suddenly. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Five people?" Olivia suddenly rushes to your side and examines the paint on the walls. You look over and catch a few strange items depicted, something you can't precisely fathom. You take one step down as Olivia frantically tries to make out the figures, and you catch recent, thick words carved into one of the walls.

'IVOR. DON'T COME HERE. I PROMISE YOU, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU WANT.' You jolt back at the words, nearly knocking Olivia over. You're thankful for your armor, as you just narrowly avoided spikes sinking into your back. Olivia almost falls back as well at the sight and everyone funnels around you, trying to get a good look at the words.

"It looks like we weren't the only people with the same idea." Your words crawl out of you. "...But. Who left this here?"

"It can't be Soren, he's probably enderman food by now." Olivia hisses. "But none of the other Order would leave this. I don't... I don't think they'd care enough to."

"It's definitely recent, too. Looks like someone took a pickaxe to it." Petra reaches her hand to the wall. "Does... Do you think Ivor knew an Old Builder, maybe?"

"Or Tripwire's pranking him again." Axel comments. You raise an eyebrow. "What? You told me she always hated those rumors. If I was some stupid fresh spawn who was easily annoyed, I think I'd do that too."

"She'd have to figure out a way down here, Axel." Olivia rolls her eyes.

"She could have dug down!" Axel fires back. "You really think a fresh spawn doesn't know how to dig? That's the first thing on their mind!"

"All I'm hearing is that we could have dug down and we didn't." Petra snaps. "Seriously, if some little fresh spawn could—"

"I think it's more likely Ivor knows an Old Builder. But why would he hide that?" You interrupt.

"Maybe he doesn't know he knows an Old Builder." Olivia adds. "If they are real, then they've done a real good job hiding."

"Or again, nobody would believe him if he said he knew one. That's probably it." Axel shrugs.

"I can't believe you people are making me want to talk to Ivor." Petra hisses as you step down to the bottom level. You catch the sight of stacked chests and are about to approach when you remember. Petra looks at you, as if she knows what you're thinking, and you watch her look around.

"I don't see anything. Olivia? You can feel redstone, right?" Petra asks.

"No, I'm just good at seeing it. The only thing I can detect is the amulet."

"I can't believe you can still do that." Axel comments.

"You know I know you pickpocketed it off Jesse earlier." Olivia looks Axel dead in the face.

"He let me!" Axel sputters and you sigh. There's not enough torchlight in here. With how much they're arguing? Some hungry zombie somewhere is gonna pick up on your existence. You step ahead, deciding to risk it, and find nothing. No hiss of distant TNT, no golem heading to you, nor a whoosh of dispensers.

"Are we gonna argue or are we gonna loot?" You interrupt and catch Axel and Olivia smacking each other's hands against each other in a sort of mock fight. Combine that with Axel's strange cloth armor (that conveniently reminds you of his casual clothes at the worst of times) it's almost like you're not in a temple, far from home. Then you remember. A sigh crawls out of you and you watch them both turn red. Or well, purplish in Olivia's case.

"C'mon we barely get any time to be stupid!" Axel whines.

"Be stupid when we get back to town, then." You suggest.

"Yeah, then Jesse can join in and beat you at being stupid." Petra nudges Axel and he seems about ready to tackle her.

"Nobody beats me at being stupid!"

"You know, I was going to argue with that, but considering you walked into that..." Olivia comments and you watch Axel shift back to red again. You roll your eyes and peel open one of the chests. That seems to be enough to get the others to follow you on that.

"Hm..." Petra murmurs on your good side. "Lots of redstone in here. Some glass and—what is this?" She taps you on the shoulder and you glare at her.

"You know that's my good ear, right?"

"What, you don't get in 'the zone' now?" Petra scoffs and you roll your eyes. She holds out this strange little structure, a small box with a metal clasp. You idly take it from her and open up the clasp, noticing how it's almost like a small chest, barring the crank in the middle. You tilt your head and turn the crank, and find when you let it go it plays some sort of scratchy tune.

Olivia overhears this and rushes over. You watch her purple eyes light up, almost literally, and the glow of her sharp teeth licks the metal of the crank. "I've heard of these! It's some kind of music box." You hand her it, catching the texture of painted red wood, and you watch her turn it in her claws. "It seems a bit different from the ones Ellegaard had made..." She examines it further before frowning so hard it takes her entire mouth with it. Then, it's back in your hands.

"Anything else interesting in that chest?" You ask. Petra shrugs and returns to rooting through it. She hands you another device, this one seemingly primarily glass. You eye it up and notice it resembles a clock, but instead of depictions of the sun and moon, it seems to have two pointed parts that move when you tilt it. Numbers litter its edges and you raise an eyebrow.

"That's... Weird. A lot more precise than ours." Petra looks down. "Unless Redstonia has clocks like these?"

"No, no, we still track the sun." Olivia kneels down and eyes the clock. "Wow. I think—yes! I think the numbers correspond to the sun's position! Amazing!"

"But how do they translate it?" You ask and Olivia shrugs.

"If only I could figure out who made these. It's so fascinating!" Olivia takes the clock out of your hands and Petra retrieves the final device from the chest, a metal thing with a few protruding knobs. When you examine it closer, you find letters on the knobs. You raise an eyebrow, catching the slot and the ribbons at its sides.

"Olivia?" You interject and she tilts her head at the new device.

"Nope, I'm stumped on that one. Sorry."

"It seems it needs something in there." You examine it closer and Petra shuffles through her inventory, producing some paper. You feed it into the slot and tap on one of the knobs, the 'z' one in specific, and watch it place a solitary 'z' on the paper. You jolt back. "Look at this!" You tap a whole sentence on it and it enters the paper, albeit all tapped together.

"Woah. It's like—like a quill in a box or something." Axel comments.

"I'll ask some of the people of Redstonia about this. Just to see if we have something like this yet." Olivia picks it up and turns it in her hands. "An actual... Writing machine. Amazing."

"And that's just one chest!" Axel shouts excitedly before digging through another. You watch him raise an eyebrow and pull out a pumpkin of an odd shade. You examine it, noticing it's... White? You raise an eyebrow in turn and dig more into the chest. He pulls out something, a letter of some kind, before he stuffs it back in the chest and pulls back.

"Axel?"

"I do not want to talk about it." He shudders. You step to his side and pick up the letter and grimace. The first word, presumably a name, is destroyed by water damage, almost like someone had wept onto the paper.

"'I know it's a lot to ask of you. I know you've been looking for me, and I'm sorry I can't stop. I need to keep looking for this too. There's someone here, someone I've given what I can. I didn't have much, just my favorite of the—'"

The word seemed to ooze off the paper, "'If, well, if I'm dead you're probably not reading this. But if you find this anywhere but the temple, then she was right. If she's not, there's a portal below. If she doesn't listen to you, then find someone she will listen to. I can't stay. I need to find—'" Another name, scrabbled, with a small 'regards' next to another name lost to time. You look to Axel and raise an eyebrow.

"I just—I got this awful feeling in my chest. Sense of impending doom, or something." He shakes his head. "I don't think the letter writer put it here. I think—I think someone found it."

"So you're saying..." You eye the letter back up.

"Whoever wrote that is inventory." Axel shakes his head. "It... It's just how I feel. I don't know."

"So, all of this technology is for... Someone to take somewhere?" Olivia interjects.

"Maybe." You shake your head. "Or maybe it's from somewhere else. I don't know."

"Do you think the writer was an Old Builder? Maybe—maybe the letter writer is who left the warning." Petra suggests. You shrug and return to rooting through your chest. You find a book full of pictures, but they don't look like paintings, more like someone took a sepia snapshot of someone's life. You pull out something, cold and humming, and hear Clarity suddenly pipe up again.

That isn't right. Clarity's words echo in your mind as you pull out a blue, humming flint and steel. Everyone jolts back at the sight of it. You grimace and pull out the axe, bringing it to one half of the flint. This is incredibly powerful. Why would someone leave this behind?

"I think I know who left this here." You set Clarity down on the ground. "Is there anything else that's enchanted over here?" There's hesitation from the weapon.

No. The words echo in your head. Just that flint and steel. Be careful with it. It may not be a Command Block, but it is, as I stated, powerful.

"Your axe is still talking to you?" Axel pipes up. You nod.

"Clarity here says it's ridiculously powerful." You say.

"It has a name?!" Axel shouts. You shrink down, realizing that, oh shit, you never mentioned that.

"It named itself. That's just—honestly, it's probably the most normal thing about the whole Command Block weapon thing." You shrug. Everyone kind of stares at you. "I promise, I'm not crazy! I just—can you speak out loud, please?"

You do realize you can hand me to people, correct? Clarity seems like it'd be rolling its eyes if it had a pair. You wonder how it processes stimuli. You tap Olivia on the shoulder with the back of the blade and the voice warbling in your mind is a little quieter. Hello!

"Why did you pick me? I'm the least likely person to doubt the whole 'magic talking axe' thing." Olivia tilts her head. "Check this out." Olivia yoinks Clarity from you and taps Axel on the head with its handle.

"Okay, okay, you're not crazy! Holy shit it has hands—" Axel squeals and pulls away. Petra snickers and grabs it by the handle before jolting. The way she does nearly knocks her spiky helmet right off.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Petra asks. "I thought you were just keeping it for durability reasons."

"According to what I'm hearing, a certain someone got enchanted with Mending." Olivia twirls Clarity in her hand idly. You grit your teeth anxiously. "Hey, your buddy here asked me to do this!" You feel warm. Is that just anxiety?

"Can I ask how the whole Mending thing feels?" Axel interrupts. You watch Olivia's eyes flicker across Clarity's form and she looks back to Axel, translating.

"Ticklish. Same with enchanting. Here," Olivia turns to you and throws the inactive version of Clarity at you, "could you ask it how the inventory feels?"

"Like being in a weird little void." You parrot its words back to your companions. Petra looks over the axe again.

"And it's not... Asking you to kill people?"

"If it was, do you think I'd keep it?" You shrug, trying to ignore Clarity's offended cries in the back of your mind.

"Hey, it's a magic axe. Who knows what kind of pull those have?" Petra puts her gauntleted hands up. "But honestly? So far, I prefer it to the last Command Block related thing we had to deal with. Don't make me eat those words." Petra glares at Clarity.

"Still really weird, though." Axel shrugs.

"You're literally standing next to me." Olivia scoffs. Axel rolls his eyes.

"Well, weapons aren't supposed to talk!"

Bold of them to assume I don't already know that. Somehow, Clarity can sass in the back of your mind. Before you can tell it to knock off the attitude, it speaks again. Is it just me, or is it warm in here, by the way?

That's when you catch the flames licking up the staircase. You recoil, almost yelping at the sight. Olivia scowls and you catch Petra hissing something about how you should have mined straight through in the first place.

"Again, what kind of idiot puts wood next to lava?!" Petra shouts as the flames consume your only way up. You watch her debate pulling out her sword, as if a blaze is about to corner her. You look to the walls and Petra turns to you, almost yelping.

"I've got a pick, hold on!" You take it to the wall right as Olivia rushes by you almost madly. Axel shouts for her to stop but you catch her right under the lava flow before smoke covers that side of your vision. You strike the wall several times, eventually making it to dirt, and disregard every instinct telling you to take it slowly. You manage to carve a path to the surface, heaving desperately for fresh air.

"She's still—!" Axel yelps before Olivia dives past him and to you. Petra follows, wheezing in a way that makes your blood run cold. You manage to trudge your way out, taking in a hefty breath of fresh air as the smoke pours out of the temple's bottom. Axel glares at Olivia, absolutely flabbergasted it seems. "Why did you do that?!"

"I think you forgot that I'm part Wither now!" Olivia points a claw to the right, deep gray side of her face. "I wanted to see if there was something I could do to buy you some time. Smoke kills faster than fire, after all."

Axel blinks, taking that in, before he yelps. "There's still more loot in there! It's gonna burn!" And with that Olivia sighs, steps back into the temple, and emerges with a few of the chests in tow. You watch Petra take in another deep breath, wheezing as she heaves out some smoke, and Axel hesitates before looking through one of the chests.

"How did you even... Find that out?" You ask Olivia as you keep an eye on Petra. She waves one hand at you, as if to tell you not to worry about her.

"Y'know when I said... Your body remembers it's been torn apart? My lungs are currently doing that. Ugh." She wheezes again before shaking her head. "I'm fine, it's just—it does that even when I choke on something. Every time."

"Probably because part of you thinks it's gonna be your last breath." You level with her. Petra nods miserably and you swallow the memories of being devoured.

"Well, uh," Olivia finally pipes up with an answer to your question, "lava is really good for pain relief."

"Were you going to—" You begin and Olivia immediately shakes her head.

"No, I just... got really impatient. Actually kind of a funny story, Ivor was going to douse me in fire resistance and I kind of... Forgot. He freaked out when he found me face down in the lava." Olivia laughs right after that last part. Petra looks at you with one eyebrow raised.

You should probably hand her that flint then. Clarity says and you practically chuck the flint and steel at Olivia.

"Wuh—" She begins as it whacks her in the face. "Oh. You say you're fireproof and now everyone wants you to do the fire stuff." Olivia rolls her eyes and strikes the two together. A few sparks fly but they're hard to see in the haze of blue light that engulfs your vision.

"Oh that's so cool! Can I—" Axel begins and Olivia holds the flint just out of reach. You hear him whine and jump for it. "Petraaaaa, she's using her powers for evil!"

"Why am I the one you're asking for?" Petra stands up, glaring at Axel. You watch his eyes go pleading. Somewhere, in your periphery, you catch something in the trees. It moves so fast you swear it was an ocelot, but it doesn't seem right.

"Because you're taller!" Axel pleads again.

"Can't help you, big guy, Olivia's stolen my title as the 'Tallest Order Member Ever.'"

"Aw, man!" Axel whines and struggles for the flint again. You watch Olivia smirk and suppress a chuckle. "Come on Olivia! It's my whole shtick!"

"And my whole thing is being a monsterrrrrr." Olivia teases him back, placing one hand on his head as he whines again. You roll your eyes. "I feed on your suffering! Suffer!!!"

"You people make me wish the Witherstorm ate me." Petra rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.

"Hm, there's nothing stopping Olivia from finishing the job now, you know?" You slug Petra playfully and she rolls her eyes. "Alright, Olivia, let him have it. You're practically torturing him now."

"Yeah! This is torture!" Axel whines, provoking an eye roll from Olivia. She hands him the flint and steel.

"Go. Burn a thing." Olivia can barely finish that sentence before Axel is desperately searching for his first target. He finds a tree stump and hits the flint and steel right over it, provoking an absolutely massive blue flame to shoot towards the sky. Axel laughs like a maniac.

I told you it was powerful. Clarity deadpans. But I doubt its power ends there.

"So... It's just a griefer toy?" Petra comments, staring at the smouldering stump. You look over to the temple, watching the smoke start to clear.

"Well, our resident magic weapon says it has more to it than that." You twirl Clarity idly. Olivia eyes up the smoking temple and huffs.

"It's a good thing they made that place out of stone, I suppose. The rest of it should be intact."

"Yeah, but it's clearly on its way out." Petra comments as you catch more movement in the trees. You tense and Clarity braces for the sensation of slick blood. You watch three figures press from the treeline and Olivia's quills immediately stand on end. Axel and Petra take a moment to turn as you keep your eyes on the strangers.

They're human, you can catch that. You squint, trying to make out who they are. Almost on instinct you catch Olivia's teeth baring in an uncomfortable grimace. In the dancing light of the dying blue flame, you notice the shine of haphazard armor on the strangers.

"Fancy seeing you here." Aiden's voice cuts through the night as he steps in front of his companions. He's the most armored of the trio, both shoulders covered in spiky pads, thick iron gauntlets on both hands, and his torso is covered in a zig zag of connecting brown, fabric straps. That must be what's connecting his shoulder pads. "And I was thinking you were a bunch of goody two shoes. Did you really come all this way just to set the woods on fire? You know people depend on you, for some reason."

"Who let you people out of your cave?" Olivia sticks out her forked tongue. You catch a few sharp points adorning its top.

Maya chortles at Aiden's side. You note she only has one gauntlet and one shoulder pad. Unlike Gill, however, she has some sort of metal arm guard. "Really? The freak of nature wants to talk about living in a cave?" You watch Olivia jolt back, claws curling into her palms. You think of how you'll have to drive them off. Maybe if you aim for their armor…

"When I'm done with you, you're gonna wish you were living in a cave." Axel snaps from behind Olivia as you watch her regain her bearings. He cracks his knuckles as Maya snorts.

"Aiden, call off your clowder already." You snap. Petra nods in your periphery.

"Clowder? Ugh, you and that stupid name. Lukas was the reason for that and guess what? We don't need him just like we don't need you." Aiden hisses.

"Tough talk for someone who practically walked into the Witherstorm's mouth." Olivia retorts and crosses her arms. You watch Aiden sputter desperately. "Are you really going to do that again?" You watch Olivia unhinge her jaw, showing every wretched row of sharp teeth.

"I saw her bite through a sword once." Petra concurs. "That puny little armor set you have isn't going to do anything against those teeth."

"Are you siccing your pet on me right now? You people disgust me!" Aiden pulls out his diamond sword and slashes it at the air before him. You watch the enchantments trail off it. "I had to get by on table scraps and you people rub it in my face!"

"You could have come to town, Aiden. I wouldn't have stopped you." You shake your head, eyes turning down in disappointment. "What did you want me to do? Hunt you down and drag you to town? Nobody wants that."

"You never cared." Aiden hisses. You raise an eyebrow.

"Honestly, I cared more than I should have. Just leave." You snap. You watch the rest of his gang pull out diamond swords of their own. How could they afford enchantments but not armor? Olivia tenses before you watch her load an arrow into her crossbow.

"The New Order is just like their predecessors." Aiden hisses, almost under his breath. "But we're better than you!"

"Because we're the Blaze Rods!" Maya shouts in agreement.

"Blaze rods!" Gill suddenly breaks in. Aiden glares at him and you watch Gill grip his sword a little tighter. Clarity hisses in your mind as you pull it out, aiming it towards Aiden.

"I'm telling you, back off. Go home." You keep your eyes on Aiden. His gaze flickers between your group, fingers tightening on his sword's handle.

"You know, I used to think Olivia was the only monster in your little group. But I get it now." Aiden backs away, taking a moment to put his sword away. Olivia's grip on her crossbow loosens. "It's bad when the monster seems to be the reasonable one. Come on, let's go." Aiden turns and slinks behind the treeline. You catch his eyes locking onto yours, gleaming with something horrendous, before he disappears fully. You take note of the patch of two interlocking blaze rods on the back of each of their jackets. If you strain your eyes, you can see the damage the original ocelot patch left.

Olivia takes a moment to speak up. "Something... Something seems wrong with him. More than usual, I mean." Her teeth grit and she shakes her head. You watch her hold back something in her eyes and you gently pat her on the shoulder.

"He wasn't right about you. You're not a monster." You say gently and Olivia looks away.

"I... I know. It's just—" She shakes her head. "Forget it. Let's just figure out what this stupid thing does."

"Hey!" Petra shouts and pats Olivia on the shoulder as well. Olivia brushes her hand away swiftly. "Aiden's just an ass. He doesn't even know what he's talking about."

"Look. At. Me." Olivia snaps suddenly and you watch Petra fight the urge to flinch. Olivia recoils, her eyes on her hands, and she wraps her arms around herself. "I know... I know. It—I know it doesn't make me a monster but—I... I don't know. I thought I was over this and he just—"

"He's an ass. That's what people like that do." Petra shakes her head. "Come on, you're probably tired too."

"Yeah, all the bad thoughts hit you when you're tired!" Axel adds. You look to the horizon and sigh.

"I swear, by the time we get back it'll be day."

"Just take a nap." Axel tussles your hair. Great, that'll lead to a shit ton of knots.

"I suck at taking naps!" You whine at him. Olivia can't help a snort.

When you head back, you remember how long it had taken you on foot the first time, long enough for the sun to set. Now, the night ages with each step, eventually cresting in sunrise as you head back to town. You know you're on your way when a polished stone road greets you. The red wall outside opens and you head inside, a few people cheering and gawking at you. Others seem to stay silent, while some speak about your accomplishments, and your armor. Olivia looks to the crowd occasionally, as if she expects them to suddenly turn on her.

Your town has grown a bit, but most of the houses are uniform. Most, of course. Some people have made it a personal challenge to make the strangest houses. As long as they stay up to code and don't intrude on anyone's property, you're fine with it. Variety is the spice of life and all that.

"So, where do you think Ivor is this time?" Petra suddenly interrupts you before you can gather tracks for a minecart of thought. You look to her, raising an eyebrow. She shrugs. "I keep finding him in the weirdest places."

"Where there's Tripwire—" Axel begins before a shriek cuts through the air. You blink, hearing someone yelp and hop away from something. You look to the direction of the sound and catch a large, almost round, skull-like house made of stone bricks with lava pouring out of its 'mouth' and vines hanging off it. You raise an eyebrow at that. It's peppered with lapis blocks too.

"That at least needs a barrier around the lava..." You comment, wondering how Lukas missed that. He must have hit the hay a lot earlier.

"Aughhh! It's gonna burn us!" Someone shouts in the crowd.

"What kind of idiot would build this?!"

"It's a fire hazard!"

"And your face is an ugly hazard, so I guess we're even!" Ivor's voice suddenly cuts over the rising disorder of the crowd. You look to Petra and she shakes her head with an exhausted sigh. You approach the house, hearing Ivor exchange a few angry words with the crowd. "Risk is the spice of life, after all! Besides, haven't I done enough? It's my house! I am entitled to some lava!"

"Okay, okay, what's going on over here?" You step over to the crowd and Ivor stares down at you, watching your face. Someone escapes the crowd to practically shake you.

"You can't let him have that here! We're going to die!"

You gently push the person back. "Listen, I'll handle this." You look up to Ivor and shout. "Hey, I don't think this can stay here. Can we move it?"

"What! And then more lava will spill everywhere! Besides, it's perfect where it is!" Ivor shouts down to you.

"I know everyone wants a home of their own, but yours wants to kill people!" Petra steps to your side and shouts up to him.

"Dude, you made a killer house!" Axel beams. Olivia rolls her eyes.

"Yep. Killer. That's definitely one way to describe it."

"Stop speculating on the nature of my house!" Ivor shouts. You watch him eye up the ground before leaping between the vines and then to your side. "Come on, Jesse, it's my house! These people are clearly jealous that I have vision! They don't get it!"

Most diplomats do not need to deal with lava houses, you think, and then stifle a laugh at the idea of yourself as one. Well, you are technically one at this point, you suppose. Strange to think of how your life has changed. You shake your head and bring yourself back to the task at hand, trying to ignore how Ivor is practically doing his best impression of a kicked puppy. It is his house.

"You can keep it, but at least close the flow off somehow." You try to keep your words firm but not harsh. Ivor rolls his eyes at that last part but you watch a manic smile cross his face barely a second later.

"Long live my lava house!" He shouts and the crowd breaks into boos. "Long live lava!" You can't tell if he's rubbing it in or if he's in some sort of lava induced trance.

"You people are missing the whole point! Why even cover the lava at all? Just step over it, you dinguses!" Someone shouts within the crowd and you hear a small argument break out. Olivia rolls her eyes.

"Here we go." You hear her mutter as Axel seems to excitedly wiggle behind you. Petra joins Olivia in her scowling.

"See! She gets it!" Ivor boasts as you catch Tripwire snaking out of the crowd. Ivor's smile falls. "What did I tell you—"

"Yeah, yeah, don't give me another uniform lecture." Tripwire waves one hand at him. If you hadn't assigned her to Ivor half a year ago, you'd have assumed she was just a random from the crowd, especially with how casually she is dressed. Really, what kind of alchemist wears a blue tank top? Or baggy green pants? At least she keeps her dark hair short.

Ivor looks like he's about to glare a hole straight through you. "You know why robes are traditional—" He looks back to Tripwire and she rolls her gray eyes. You expect her to have rolled her eyes so hard that her wide lensed glasses would fall off.

"Only shitty alchemists have to deal with their stuff splashing on them." She boasts. "If you really think I'm that terrible at it, then you should probably wonder why." Tripwire looks over Ivor like he owes her a diamond. You watch him debate a retort before Tripwire sighs again. "I've got it in my inventory, you nitwit." She slugs Ivor gently.

You watch Ivor form an idea and he smirks suddenly, patting Tripwire on one of her brown shoulders. "How about you come back with some glass, then?"

Tripwire scoffs. "We've got enough bottles."

"It's special." Ivor answers and Tripwire scowls.

"Fine!" She puts her hands up and you watch her disappear into the horizon. Axel can barely hold back a snort and Olivia elbows him.

"What?" Axel laughs out.

"Don't encourage him! It's his house, he has to fix it!"

Ivor rolls his eyes. "You know, I can only handle so much of her."

"Wow, you don't know how ironic that string of words is." Petra seems to try and mutter under her breath. Ivor glares at her. "Don't start or I'm gonna have Olivia drink your lava." Ivor's eyes practically boggle out of his skull.

"I am not gonna do that!" Olivia looks at Petra like she's tasted something awful.

"Ugh, it doesn't hurt to teach her some responsibility! I wasn't going to just trust some fresh spawn with my lava!" Ivor crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. "I'm guessing this expedition failed like the last one."

"Not quite." Olivia perks up, handing Ivor the clock. He raises an eyebrow at it, examining it. "There's nothing in the world like it, not to my knowledge. Of course, you'd need to give me some more time to—"

"What about the 'griefer toy?'" Axel whispers a little too loud. Ivor tilts his head, eyes suddenly widening in intrigue.

"You mean the thing Clarity said was super dangerous?" You whisper a little better. Ivor's eyes somehow widen more. You watch him look like he's about to explode. Quicker than a struck whip he rushes to your side, hand on your shoulder, grinning ear to ear.

"So great to see you again! Let's do lunch, I just got some golden carrots and—" His face practically presses to your good ear, "There's no telling who's listening! Meet me in the treasure room. Ten minutes. And bring that special thing you found!" And then, faster than usual, he's off your side. You watch Tripwire return, sand in hand, looking to where Ivor was, before scowling and stepping over the lava.

"Did you tell him about a new flower or something?" She raises one deep brown eyebrow at that. You shake your head. She looks to the sand in her hands and then to the lava flow and hisses. "When I see him again I'm chucking this sand down his throat!"

"Here," You scoop the sand out of her hands, "I'll get him to do it before he leaves." Tripwire grins from ear to ear. "But could you get us some more pitcher plants?"

"Anything to not have to deal with him again today."

"...You literally have a farm." Olivia retorts and Tripwire squeaks.

"HE SUCKS! HE SUCKS SO BADDD I AM GONNA... TALK TO PLANTS NOW." Tripwire bolts back into town and you suppress a snort.

"Great. Now we're gonna have two Ivors." Petra shakes her head.

"She just said she didn't like him?" Axel looks at you strangely.

"Axel, are you familiar with the phenomena known as lying?" Olivia slugs Axel and he looks like a rabbit about to be hit with a piston. He looks at you before you catch him scrolling through his inventory.

"Oh. Right. I have the shiny thing. Do I show it to him or do you do?"

I hate that stupid thing. It gives me the jeebies. Clarity echoes in your mind. You shrug at Axel.

"I guess that means you keep it, big guy." Petra pats him on the shoulder.

"I didn't know Clarity could get the heebie jeebies." You admit the reason and Olivia snorts. Axel raises his eyebrows at that.

"Does that mean we're screwed?"

"Only if it starts telling you to burn stuff." Olivia laughs so hard you think her jaw will fall off. "Although, maybe it has some dangerous enchantment... Can I—"

"Hey, last time you tried to enchant something it grew legs and walked away!" Petra retorts, pressing close to Axel. Olivia hangs her head and you try to push away the fact those words were literal. "I hate to give him this, but Ivor's got a good eye for this stuff."

"I guess it's a good thing I was never good at enchanting, then..." Olivia rubs the back of her neck.

Petra shakes her head. "I don't like thinking about that."

"How do you think I feel?" Olivia retorts. Petra grimaces.

"I didn't mean it like that."

You look around, noticing Lukas is nowhere in the crowd. A strange feeling hits your insides, like dread, before Axel shutters past you. You swallow the anxiety and trot after him, everyone in tow. As you head into what you call the 'Order Hall,' which was a name meant to stick only for a few days, but now you're too used to it to change it, you think of the mishmash of treasures taken from the temples. It's a decently sized diorite and quartz structure, with many long windows and a round, arched segment in the center. If you were scared of water, it'd be an awful place to walk into, considering the moat around it.

Olivia darts around your periphery, debating the treasures in her inventory. You watch her hands hover over one of the pedestals, one holding an ender pearl, and she recoils at her reflection in it. Axel nudges her as your feet run along the carpet, a jolt of electricity nearly knocking you off balance. Right. Metal on carpet does that.

"I think we can figure out where to put it all later." Axel says as Petra eyes up what you have already.

"That's the thing, though, do I... Do we keep them? They're supposed to go somewhere." Olivia shakes her head. "Wait. What if there's a portal there? And... What if we do it? We bring it through the portal and figure out who it's supposed to go to!"

"You'd have to find that portal first." Lukas' voice suddenly draws you from your thoughts. He's dressed in a thick, armored jacket, and a decently layered orange shirt. His excuse was that it helped him stay mobile or whatever. The only iron on him is his boots, fingerless gauntlets and shoulder pads. Olivia waves him over and Petra's eyes tear away from the collection.

"I'm here to relieve you from duty." You pat Lukas on the head and he snorts. "Although, from what I'm seeing, it looks like you already did that."

"Can't I be a little sentimental?" Lukas laughs. "There's a lot of cool stuff in here. Can't exactly... Blame me for looking at it."

"Oh, you should see what Olivia has." Petra rushes to your side. Olivia snickers.

"Hey, you found it first!"

"Sure, but you know more about it." Petra pats Olivia on the shoulder.

"Well, I know most of it. There's a cl—oh. Ivor has it." Olivia shakes her head. "But I did get this—" She hands Lukas the music box before fishing for the writing device. You watch Lukas turn the red box in his hands, looking it over like it's going to bite him. "And this!" Olivia shows him the writing device excitedly.

Lukas looks it over, turning some idea in his head. He hands the music box back to Olivia before picking up the device. "I went to Soren's fortress recently and I think... I think there was a book on this?" You watch him hold it carefully, as if it'll break if his grip dare loosens. "I think they called it a typewriter."

"It... It does write." Olivia looks over the device again. She picks it up. "But if it existed here, I feel Ellegaard would have had it in her archives. She contributed so much to our current technology! She—she'd have at least something like this!" Olivia shakes her head.

"So you're saying Soren knows... Something he shouldn't have?" Petra raises an eyebrow. In your periphery, you catch a shadow in an odd place, like someone's listening. When you blink, it disappears.

"Maybe he knows something about the portals!" Axel chimes in. "Oh, that'd be so cool! We need to go find him."

Olivia grits her teeth. "I'm not going back into the End just for him."

"I'm with Olivia. It's not worth going into the End just to look for Soren. He might not even be there anymore." You interject.

"It's not like the amulet even tracks him now." Lukas shakes his head. "Honestly, I don't even know if he's still... Alive."

Something rustles in the Order Hall. You watch Lukas jolt and step back. You catch what he's shielding with his body and your brows furrow. Why would he be shielding what's left of Reuben? What—who—

"I..." You can tell by his gaze he can read your mind. "Aiden came by earlier. He... He really freaked me out, asking all of these questions about you guys. There was this look in his eyes, it was scary."

"Well, I'm glad you're protecting Reuben, I suppose." You say, as if he's not currently hanging in a frame. You hang your head. "I... You know, I used to wonder if Maya and Gill were better than him. But..." You look at Olivia and watch her tense.

"She knows why it happened and she still said it." For a moment, Olivia looks small. For a moment, she's human, scared, barely taller than you. You look to Reuben, expecting him to nuzzle into your hand, and then you see him and your hands shake.

"It's because she sucks too." Petra hisses.

"I don't know if that's... Exactly true." Lukas looks at Petra. "I mean, you know how Aiden is. He's... He's loud. They'd act a lot different around me."

You remember for a moment, and it's like you're back in the basement. Olivia and Maya shared a laugh once. Or at least Maya tried to. It makes your insides twist.

"I didn't want to sour the mood or anything, it's just... Scaring me." Lukas shakes his head and you watch Axel come to his side.

"You won't have to worry about him with us around." Axel says and you watch Lukas loosen a little.

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have left you to deal with him alone." You say. "Maybe next time I'll stay back—"

"It's not your fault." Lukas croaks. "I just... I miss it. When he wasn't awful. But maybe that never existed. Maybe I'm missing something that didn't even happen."

"Why?" Axel asks, and you expect some harshness there, but find genuine confusion. Lukas sighs.

"I don't even know. I have better things, better people. I don't know why I want that back. It isn't worth it." Lukas shakes his head. Olivia looks at him.

"Yeah, I mean... We're not losers anymore but sometimes I wish we were, you know? Even if it meant I never... Got anywhere."

"I just wish he was here." You look at Reuben and you frown so hard it hurts. "Maybe it would have been easier."

"Well, he wouldn't want us to be miserable just because he's gone. Especially not you." Lukas pats you on the shoulder and you catch Axel nodding along with that. "I think he'd be proud."

"I used to never want him to grow up. Now it's all I want." You shake your head. "I don't think it matters. He's not here." Lukas just sighs at your side.

"Well, we should at least show him the cool thing, right?" Axel pipes up and Olivia suddenly snaps up like she's remembered something. She tears open a book and you recognize its red cover. She points to a diagram and you tilt your head in confusion.

"Someone made this too! I looked through all of Ellegaard's archives and there was nothing like it, not even close! Axel might be right. Soren—"

"What if he left the message?" Petra pipes up. "Think about it, we haven't seen him in a while. He was already elusive. He knows Ivor. Has some kind of weird knowledge..." She paces and Olivia flips through the book.

"The only mention of him in here is, well, the fact he's the author. But he seems to be writing from the perspective of an observer. What if he knew the temple maker and—and the temple maker made all of those... Machines." Olivia's eyes go wide. "The temple maker had to have made this. And if that's right—"

"The letter was for him." You interject.

"Letter?" Lukas raises an eyebrow. "Man, you guys really went down a rabbit hole, huh?" You hand him the letter from the temple and you watch Lukas examine it.

"It was pretty water damaged, but maybe you could make it out?" You tap your chin as Lukas examines it. His eyes widen.

"I can't make out any of the names, but there's something about a 'Source.'"

"A source?" A voice suddenly echoes throughout the hall. You watch Ivor dart out from the shadows, grabbing the letter from Lukas' hands excitedly. He looks it over before pursing his lips and handing it back. "Yes, yes. It looks long enough to match exactly what I've been looking for!"

"And that is?" Lukas tilts his head.

"The Eversource!" Ivor shouts excitedly. "The perfect thing to restore our world back to what it was before! An endless source of resources, anything you can name, it can make!"

"Are you sure that's even a good idea? According to this letter, whoever has it is barely getting by." Olivia interjects.

"There's also the possibility that whoever left the letter might have fixed the problem. Maybe they put it there as a reminder?" Petra suggests. "Or... Whoever they helped wanted to give us the technology as thanks?"

"But it doesn't explain the message." You put your fingers under your chin.

"Oh yes, I may have... Overheard a little bit of your conversation." Ivor smirks.

"You know, you can come over and talk with us, right?" Petra deadpans.

"Forgive me for being invested!" Ivor shouts, glaring at her. "But Soren left me a message? In the temple?"

"We don't know if it was Soren. All we know is someone carved a message into the temple's basement walls." You correct. "It mentioned you by name, told you not to go looking in there." You watch Ivor try to examine you, as if there's some secret hidden on your face.

"Did you know any Old Builders? Is that why you kept mentioning them?" Olivia asks and Ivor shakes his head.

"There were five people... Were the Order Old Builders?" Axel asks.

"What? I wish. But that makes no sense. Why would we go after the Enderdragon if we were already portal makers!" Ivor retorts.

Axel shrugs. "It sounded better in my head."

"Is there any way I could... See this message?" Ivor asks. Everyone grimaces, except for Lukas.

"Considering the basement is full of lava by now? Probably not." Petra shakes her head.

"I have fire resistance potions!" Ivor beams.

"There's also no way up or down!" Petra snaps.

"Believe me, I can swim in lava very well." Ivor boasts and Olivia rolls her eyes.

"I'll make sure he doesn't accidentally drown himself." Her voice is a sort of tired trill. Ivor smiles from ear to ear before he suddenly stops.

"But you found something else too, didn't you?" He's back to beaming brighter than the damn sun. You watch Axel anxiously retrieve the flint and steel from his inventory and Ivor eyes it up.

"Yes! It's exactly like in all of the tomes! This enchantment... It has the Old Builders' signature!" Ivor puts his hands over it and you watch him nearly jolt back. "That is... Incredibly powerful."

"But how does it work? Do you use it to draw a portal?" Lukas looks at it and you catch Petra pondering that image.

"What happens if you used it on a Nether portal?" Olivia interjects.

WHY DOES EVERYONE WANT TO EXPERIMENT WITH IT? Clarity shouts so loud that you swear everyone could hear it. You watch everyone look at you and realize, oh shit, they did.

"If I remember right, there is another component. Someone tried to replicate their strategy and none of the portals worked." Ivor continues to examine the flint. "I must admit... This is an enchantment I can hardly comprehend. Do you know how hard it is to find an enchantment I can't figure out? I spent all my time not studying alchemy on these things! Makes me feel like some stupid fresh spawn, honestly."

"I keep forgetting you didn't just spawn in like that." Petra comments. Ivor looks to Olivia.

"Perhaps, if Soren told the Command Block some of these secrets..."

Olivia shakes her head. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to try and crack into its enchantments. Remember the last time?" Ivor nods at that and you catch him sighing.

"Yes... An improper enchantment can have... Dire consequences." Ivor looks like he's swallowing an awful memory. "But this one? This is perfect! Amazing!"

"Well, I look forward to figuring this out... But I should probably put someone else in charge of Redstonia for the meantime." Olivia taps her claws together.

"I might have... Already taken care of that?" Ivor pipes up. "Just think of it as a..." He averts his gaze awkwardly. "Think of it as an attempt to make it up to you. For... Well, I think you can figure it out."

"That was fast. Does Magnus also know?" Olivia asks.

"I mean, he can handle it. He's done it before. Plus, I bet Nohr would love some time under his wing." Axel seems to be trying to justify it to himself. "We wouldn't be gone too long, right?"

"Yes, yes, short little adventure. Magnus would barely even notice you're gone! And you know how fast time goes for him." Ivor laughs for a moment before his face falls for just a second. Then he seems to press his lips into a line, as if to force away the memory threatening him. "This does remind me, I did finish the last part of your armor." He steps to Olivia and holds out a set of golden gauntlets. "It should give you enough plausible deniability among strangers. We can pretend you really like cats!"

Olivia puts a hand to her face and sighs. "It... You know that's not the only part." Axel takes a moment to wrap a gray scarf around her head and she nearly claws him out of reflex. "Oh." She utters.

"And you still have Ellegaard's helmet, right?" Axel's question reminds you of the whole dilemma Olivia had over altering it. Just so she could fit her pigtails through the slits, so they wouldn't press against her face. That was if she ever worked up the courage to wear it.

"That'd probably help with the eyes." Olivia nods. "Just... I need a moment to think about it. Maybe it's not a good idea if I—"

"We want you with us. It's alright." Petra says gently.

"I suppose I can't argue with that." Olivia's words are quiet and soft. "I just... I don't want to scare people."

"If anyone's gonna scare people, it'll be me. On purpose." Petra retorts and Olivia laughs.

"Excellent!" Ivor claps his hands together. "I'll pack my adventuring things!" And with that, he practically darts out of the treasure room. You remember the sand in your inventory as you do and you wrack your mind for the closest furnace. Petra growls.

"Wait a damn minute. He's coming?"

"I guess I'm holding down the fort again." Lukas shrugs.

"Oh no you don't! You owe me for that Nether Star. I need a buffer between me and Ivor."

"You already have us." You snort.

"Well—" Petra sputters. "None of you are as good as he is at getting me not to punch stuff."

"That's true." Olivia comments.

"Yeah, I'm more on the pro-punching side." Axel snickers. Olivia rolls her eyes.

"I'll catch up with you guys. I did promise to handle the lava, remember?" You say.

"You know Ivor's gonna throw a fit about that." Petra smirks at you before she turns to leave. You sigh, roll your eyes, and search for the nearest furnace. It's awkwardly tucked away right outside of the treasure room, but you manage to smelt the sand in it in hardly a few minutes.

You step out of the Order Hall, taking a look around at your small town. It seems the frustration at Ivor has worn off enough, with people staying away from his house. You catch Tripwire, a few pitcher plants in hand. You step to the lava flow and place down the glass, encasing it.

"Feh, Jesse, what's the point of an apprentice if you can't make them do all the boring stuff?" Ivor huffs as you admire your handiwork. You just shrug, catching that he's somehow brought out his old armor again. With how much time had passed, you didn't expect it still be in good condition, even after the dragon's teeth had tried to pierce it.

"Can I take the sniffer out again?" Tripwire asks, inventorying the pitcher plants. Ivor raises an eyebrow.

"You already have enough pitcher plants. I think we can get by." Ivor answers.

"Ugh! You never let me do anything fun." Tripwire whines, but you can tell it's not fully serious. "Come on, I need some more torchflowers for my research! And they can find some interesting plants, who knows what else is out there that we can brew!"

"You need a backbone before you can experiment." Ivor answers. "I won't be long. We can take the sniffer out when I get back. Okay?"

That's when Tripwire notices your group all together. She readjusts her glasses. "Are you going on an adventure? Come on, let me come, I promise I'll be nice! Really! I won't make any jokes about your beard this time!"

Ivor rolls his eyes. "The best thing you can do is stay here, alright?" He puts his hand on her shoulder, oddly gentle. "And wear your robe next time!" He turns to walk off.

"Okay. I hope you choke on a frog you old bastard!" Tripwire shouts after him.

"She's awful." Ivor shakes his head. "Incredibly terrible."

"Is that how you guys show affection?" Petra snorts as Olivia tries to get her helmet on. You watch her panic for a moment before she finally clicks it over her head.

"Why did you insist on that for a helmet? You know you don't have to copy Magnus exactly." Lukas asks as Axel slides what you think at first is a glass block on his head. Weird helmet, to be honest.

"It looks cool." He smirks.

"You look like a walking fishbowl." Lukas retorts. "Did you guys pack enough food for the journey?"

"I almost forgot!" You shout. It takes you a moment to run back to your stores and scrape together enough food for a day. When you return, you notice everyone except Olivia's done the same. You raise an eyebrow at her.

"Just in case?" She shrugs, shoving food into a few bundles. "I eat more than all of you combined. You do not want me to starve."

"What, so we just gotta eat you if we starve, then?" Lukas jokes and Olivia raises an eyebrow.

"Considering I probably count as rotten flesh now? That sounds like a terrible idea."

"Are we already considering cannibalism? Seriously?" Petra interjects.

"I vote to be consumed last!" Ivor jabs. Petra rolls her eyes.

Your journey back is quiet for the most part. Occasionally Ivor awes at something and it's like he's someone new. You wonder what's shifted in him. Is it a matter of comfort? It's like he's taken off a mask. You catch Olivia in your periphery, occasionally looking behind herself, as if you're being followed. Or maybe she simply doesn't want to be stared at.

You force away the reminder of endermen at that.

"This is so exciting!" Ivor shouts before breaking into a laugh. For a moment, you forget who he was. The creator of the Witherstorm, an Order member, the man who left a scar on your stomach. You ignore the scar on his face as best as you can. "Adventure!" He shouts and it's easy to forget again.

Petra looks to Olivia, asking something about if you're being followed. You catch Olivia shaking her head. "Why are we even bringing Ivor with us? I guess I'm glad he's enjoying himself and all, but... He doesn't even come close to the bottom of the barrel of traveling companions I'd pick." Petra whispers in your good ear.

"Well, the temple did mention him. He should at least know about that. If it mentioned me, I'd want to know." You say.

"Sure, but... Are we forgetting he's the reason we ended up in this whole mess in the first place? He had his reasons, sure, but look at us." Petra's cold metal arm touches your shoulder and you nearly jump out of your armor. Wait. She's wearing armor. But you know, just from vibes alone. "It's hard not to be bitter when you were on death's door."

Somehow, Ivor doesn't hear you two. "These trees are enormous! I love it so much!" He excitedly waves his arms around as you pass through the foliage.

"It's more... Complicated than that. If not for the Command Block..." Olivia pipes up.

"He should have known." Petra's words are bitter. You're not sure what to say.

"I should have too. If I didn't—" Olivia starts.

"You didn't make it!" It takes everything in Petra not to shout that. Olivia's quills stand on end.

"If it went right, we wouldn't have been here. It would have been quick." Olivia's words are almost hissed out.

You're not sure how to feel. It makes you feel all sorts of strange feelings. This is the same man who'd nearly killed you. Yet, you can't help but feel that was partially your own fault. But who could blame you for assuming Ivor was a madman?

"You didn't see what I saw. His eyes..." Olivia shakes her head. "He's not a man who wants the world to burn."

"But he still set it on fire." Petra's words are sharp. You catch Lukas and Axel exchanging glances, probably sitting on the fence like you.

"I just wish he would pick something other than lava of all things to be obsessed with." You say quietly. "I really don't want to have to clean up another one of his messes."

"Hey, I think the lava thing is cool." Axel interrupts. You roll your eyes. You watch the temple emerge from the trees and Ivor hops over to it, excitedly soaking in every detail.

"Remarkable. Look at this architecture… so old! So exquisite! Oh, this is just how I dreamed it would be! Except for less cake… my dreams usually involve cake." You hear him yammer on. Olivia snorts at that last part.

"Nice to see you smiling, Ivor." You smile in turn. Ivor turns as far from you as he can.

"I'm not smiling!" He says, as if you hadn't seen him giddier than a fresh spawn.

Lukas seems to be soaking in every detail. You catch Axel laughing for a moment. "You lucked out, it was so hard to see with all the zombies!" That's enough to get Lukas to snort.

"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't be there."

"I should have tried harder to get you to come along." Petra says.

"Really? You don't have puppy eyes." You retort with a snicker. Petra elbows you for that.

"Then why didn't you use them, dork?" With that, you're elbowed again.

"I hope you don't act like this around the people through that portal." Olivia tries her best to deadpan, but you can tell she's a little amused.

"Bold of you to assume we'll even encounter people on the other side." Lukas interjects. "Maybe there's nothing. Or it's all just animals."

"Wanna bet on it?" Petra nudges Lukas. He shakes his head.

"I'm just saying we don't know. It wouldn't hurt to be careful." He looks like he's debating pulling down his gray goggles.

"The portal might not even be in there. Maybe there's a map I missed..." Olivia's words seem to trail off as you approach the temple. Your head swims with a thousand possibilities. You think of hundreds of different portal shapes, of flint and steels, of realms stretching on and on. Could it work like a Nether portal, perhaps?

"Now," Ivor starts as you pass into the temple's entrance, "I assume this is the lava flow, yes?" You catch him pointing to the still open hole in the floor. Olivia looks at it and nods and Ivor practically hops in place. Before you know it, he's downed an orange potion and is practically surfing the flow down.

"Ivor!" Olivia curses, chasing after him down the flow.

"Good luck you poor bastard!" Petra shouts after her. You roll your eyes. "What? She's gotta deal with him now."

You sigh and pace around the hole in the floor. "Did anyone catch anything in the darkness down there? Maybe when the stairs caught fire?"

"Nope." Axel says and Petra nods. You pace again, looking around the temple for something you could have missed. Sometimes, when you turn, you catch Ivor murmuring something about 'familiar handwriting.' Does carving really count as handwriting?

Lukas tenses suddenly and you catch him occasionally staring out of the temple's entrance, like he's seen a ghost. When you look to him, he just shakes his head, muttering a curse under his breath. Perhaps his eyes are playing tricks on him? You return to looking around.

You take long enough for Olivia to return, practically dragging Ivor by the sleeve up the lava flow. He seems a little deflated, eyes flickering from side to side like he's trying to find something. Then, his gaze turns to you, and you watch that tenseness dissolve suddenly.

"Well, whoever it was, I likely do not know! It didn't seem like Soren's handwriting. Not... Exactly."

"It did seem a little rushed." Olivia offers and Ivor shakes his head.

"No. I would know Soren's handwriting! I..." Ivor's quiet for a moment. You watch him lock up just for a moment before he peers around the temple. "Regardless! Whoever left this is clearly wrong! This is exactly what I wanted to see today!"

"Maybe..." Olivia mutters, fiddling with one of the levers. You don't hear anything beyond the walls. She shakes her head.

"The temple does look like it has another layer..." Lukas interrupts. "Maybe there's a way up?"

"But we didn't see one last night." Axel retorts.

"It could very well be full of traps!" Ivor shouts right as Petra produces a pickaxe. She scowls and inventories it.

"Considering their penchant for lava..." Olivia murmurs and rolls her eyes. She holds one hand out in front of Petra. "I volunteer to—oh. There's a hole up there." Olivia retracts her hand and you follow her gaze. She's right, hanging vines and everything.

"Who wants to bet that's where the portal is?" You propose.

"Or more treasure." Axel excitedly pipes up. "It doesn't look like the fire touched it."

"I'm betting on treasure! Lukas?" Petra elbows him again. You watch him suppress a loud 'gah' before huffing.

"I'm betting portal. Just to spite you." He slugs her back.

"Awww. I don't think I've ever seen you spiteful." Petra crosses her arms with a smirk. "Unfortunately, knowing how these go, I'm gonna win."

"I'm gonna get you." Lukas jabs one finger at Petra and she snorts, pushing him back gently.

"Oh noooo." She calls back and you decide you've had enough. You leap onto the vines and start climbing. Olivia grabs you by the leg and you look at her.

"At least let me check for lava first!"

"I've learned from last time." You say gently. "Besides, who would put lava next to vines?"

"The same people who brought you 'Lava and Stairs; A Flaming Passion.'" Olivia retorts. You roll your eyes and continue climbing the vines. "Your funeral!" She calls after you as you step through the hole.

You blink stupidly for a moment as you don't catch a single sign of a trap. Sure, you catch a pressure plate, but it doesn't give you that gut feeling. You step up carefully, making sure to take note of its position, and nearly jolt when you catch the next structure.

There's something that evokes the shape of a Nether portal, but it's not right. It seems to be stuck within the wall, but it's not made of stone bricks. Its shape is strange, thin near the top and thickening towards the bottom before thinning again. There's a part, made of stone bricks between the iron segment of it, that seems tall enough to fit an average sized person. You look to its gold outline, trying to figure out where you've seen the shape before. The closest thing you can think of is an egg, but why would a portal look like an egg?

"Hello? Jesse? You alright up there? I'm gonna assuming the fact you're not screaming is a good thing?" Olivia's voice breaks through your train of thought. You take a moment to take in a breath.

"There's something up here! Come and take a look. But, uh, be careful. There's a pressure plate." You say and you hear Olivia practically dart up the vines. Her gaze immediately turns to the pressure plate, and then to the strange structure in the wall. You hear her humming, as if her mind is shoving the ideas together.

"Stand back." She orders before tapping her foot on the pressure plate. "I'm going to venture a guess that it's connected to—" The structure on the wall juts out, the telltale noise of sticky pistons echoing through the air. Olivia eyes it up excitedly.

"That's the portal!" You shout. On closer inspection, you catch carvings lining it in an unfamiliar script. It doesn't look like enchanting language. Olivia reaches out a hand for the carvings before you catch her recoiling.

"A portal? A real, actual portal?!" Axel is suddenly scrambling to meet you. "Oh my god. What! Look at it!" He practically examines every edge as Petra and Lukas follow behind you.

"Hmph." Petra hisses.

"You owe me a diamond." Lukas smirks.

"We don't even know if it works!" Petra retorts as Ivor rushes up excitedly, practically darting circles around the portal. You watch him examine every part, even its insides, and then he stops to study the script on it.

"The bet wasn't about it workinggggg." Lukas teases and Petra scowls, head in her hands. She practically chucks a diamond at Lukas' face. "Ow. Jerk."

"I didn't say I'd be nice if you won." Petra smirks at him. Lukas practically pounces on her, nearly knocking her to the ground. You roll your eyes as the two of them exchange incredibly gentle blows.

"These carvings..." Ivor mutters. "I've never seen anything like them."

"So... They're not enchantments?" Olivia pipes up. Lukas and Petra stop their mock murdering of each other to pull away and examine the portal in turn. Olivia reaches out one hand before retracting it.

"You can touch them as long as you don't try to... Interface with them." Ivor says gently and Olivia touches one. She shakes her head.

"It's nonsense." You catch her putting her hand to her forehead for a moment. "Kind of gives me a headache."

"No, no, it can't be... It has to be something we haven't encountered before." Ivor seems to be lost in thought, much more than before. "This is amazing! Are you as excited as I am?"

"I don't think that's possible." Petra finally stands up, crossing her arms.

"What?" Ivor's like a kicked puppy suddenly.

"That's Petra's way of saying you seem super excited. I don't think anyone can compete with that." Lukas laughs a little.

"Whatever, blond guy..." Ivor mutters.

"I could probably compete with it. This is the coolest day of my life. Okay, maybe not meeting Magnus cool but—" Axel pipes up and Ivor practically growls at him. "But where does it go?"

"Last I checked, you were the guy with the flint and steel." Olivia nudges Axel. You watch him debate the portal for a moment.

"Very interesting," A horrendous voice drags you from your little get together, "I'm giving you five seconds to get out of the way, big guy." Aiden's sword is pointed at your group. You recognize the gleaming as a horde of powerful enchantments. Now you see it. Now, you tense, Clarity hissing in the back of your mind.

I am getting tired of this FREAK! Clarity's words are agreeable.

"And last I checked, most of you are half and half right? We've got deafo, blindo, a one armed bastard and... Freakazoid!" Aiden twiddles his sword between his fingers as you catch the rest of the Blaze Rods pooling in. "Oh? And they're palling around with the Worldender himself! It's like a terrible joke. A bunch of outcasts walk into a bar..."

"Makes me almost feel sorry for Lukas..." Maya chortles. "But he did make his own bed."

You don't catch Gill until he practically throws himself at your bad side. He takes you off guard and to the ground. For a moment, you flail, like you're fresh, before Clarity screams and you throw it forward into Gill's shoulder. He wails for a moment as you pull the axe out of his shoulder, watching it ooze blood. Why did Aiden barely armor him?

Petra throws Gill off you and you catch him scrambling against her metal arm. As you struggle to your feet, you catch a harming potion launching past your face, and Olivia sits in your periphery, trying to press against the wall. Gill tries to hook his fingers onto Petra's arm and she nearly slits his throat from ear to ear. He rolls under her and shrieks like mad, eyes peering to Aiden, who just nods at him as Maya slinks between your group. She side steps a harming potion.

"Coward." Maya eyes up Olivia. You catch anger in Olivia's eyes for a brief moment before she shrieks and buries her head in her hands. "What? You're scared you're gonna lose control? Gonna bite my head off? You couldn't even if you wanted to."

By the skies she's dying! Maya's words echo in your mind before your terrible ear rings like mad. You don't realize what's happening until you catch Gill shrieking at your side, only able to catch some of it through what your good ear can make out over the ringing.

Axel lunges at Aiden and you watch Aiden ready his sword. Your vision blurs from pain and you kick Gill in the side. That's enough to get him to shut up for a moment, but your head aches something awful. In your periphery, as you struggle to stay upright, you catch a thousand excited sparks. Aiden shrieks like he's being murdered and you catch some of the sparks hitting him in the face.

Maya lunges over at Axel's blind spot and grabs the flint and steel from his hands. You watch Ivor break from his potion throwing for a moment, trying to scoop it out of Maya's hands, but she throws him off. Lukas looks at Petra as she lunges, throwing Maya to the ground. The flint and steel clatters to the ground and you watch Ivor try to reach for it.

You fall to the ground, vision a haze and head aching. Ivor breaks away and Lukas lunges for the flint before Aiden shoves him back. Aiden scoops it up, glaring at Lukas.

"Aiden. You can't—you don't know why we're doing this." Lukas grabs Aiden by the arm, eyes pleading. You can barely see anything through the haze of your vision. Maya struggles against Petra and you catch Axel trying to get to her side. Gill leaps onto him, tackling him to the ground. You catch Lukas' pleading eyes turning to Olivia, who seems to be trying to disappear.

"You never understood me!" Aiden yowls suddenly and you catch the flint and steel in his hands. Lukas doesn't have time to react before the flames erupt in his face.

That's what makes Olivia suddenly turn. She lunges, faster than a speeding arrow, and Aiden's on the ground. You expect him to be nothing but inventory, but you instead catch the claws of her gauntlets sinking through his jacket, drawing blood. Their eyes interlock and you watch her breathe heavily before her gaze turns to Lukas, crumpled on the ground and clutching his face.

She breaks away from Aiden, rushing to Lukas' side. Aiden takes that moment to rush like a madman, the flint and steel lighting up again and swallowing the portal's entrance with a brilliant cyan vortex. You watch Maya whack Petra in the eye and rush through the portal, Gill disengaging barely a moment later.

Ivor's eyes flicker from you to Lukas. He puts something in your hand before he's at Lukas' side, making demands to see his face. Lukas just screams and keeps his hands on it. Ivor murmurs a curse and you watch him retrieve a red potion from his stash. He gently pushes Lukas' face up and pours it there. Lukas' screams quiet.

"Can you see?" Ivor asks. Lukas nods, falling to the ground and curling into himself. You can barely make out what he's saying, a thousand apologies. Ivor looks to you and you take in a few breaths. "Is it your ear? I got you—"

You gulp in a breath. "Just give me a moment. I don't need it." You push the pain relief potion away. The throbbing in your head takes a moment to calm. "Lukas probably needs it more."

"It doesn't hurt anymore..." Lukas murmurs. He raises his head and you catch Axel wincing at the sight. "Is it... Bad?"

"All I have to say is welcome to the club, buddy." Axel slaps him on the shoulder. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

"Yeah? Is it supposed to after you put a potion on it? It felt itchy, honestly." Lukas shakes his head and you catch a few sharp, almost spark-like scabs across his cheeks and near his hairline. He's lucky to still have his eyes, one of the wounds nearly covers one of them.

"Doesn't look as bad as mine." You offer with a shrug. "That eye's probably gonna be a little droopy looking when it's done healing."

"Oh. That's why your eye does that now?" Lukas laughs. Oh. You'd forgotten that. You were honestly thinking about the 'burn scar' lecture Olivia had given Axel when he was younger. Are you really that committed to griefing? You might get your face burned off! You can still hear her say that like it was yesterday.

You look to the portal, still glowing. Your stomach drops. Who knew what was beyond that shimmering vortex? What would they do with the Eversource if they found it, if it was even real? What if there were people there? All of the questions make your insides hurt.

"Are you alright?" Olivia suddenly steps to Petra's side. You catch her examining her handiwork anxiously. Well, as if she could see it under the armor. Petra pushes her back.

"Why didn't you help us?"

"I also didn't help—" Lukas pipes up but Petra shakes her head.

"I know why you didn't! But you—"

"I would have killed them!" Olivia shouts. "Didn't you see what I almost did to Aiden? I was just trying to hold him down! And—I still drew blood!"

You hear Ivor murmuring about his inventory. You look to the portal and then to the temple's exterior.

"We need to go after them!" Ivor shouts. "Who knows what they will do with the Eversource!"

"Maybe you should have killed them!" Petra shouts and you watch Lukas shutter back. "I..." Petra seems to have finally comprehended what she's said.

"We need to go back and get some help. Who knows what they're—" You start. Sure you may be the Witherslayer and all that, but who knew what could be on the other end?

But that rail of thought is interrupted. You watch Olivia look at Petra like she's alien. Her jaw drops in shock before she darts through the portal.

"Olivia!" You shout. Your gaze flickers to Petra, who just stares, teeth clenching in a nervous grimace. Your breaths run ragged and you look to the portal. "Why would you say that to her!?"

"I wasn't—Aiden was trying to kill us! Who knows what he's doing out there!"

"We need to get moving!" Ivor shouts. He looks to the portal and you watch his brows furrow. "I'm following her. You can do what you wish." And with those words, he steps through the portal. You look at Petra for a moment before sighing. Being emotional will get you nowhere.

Axel steps to the portal. "I'm following her too. If you're gonna stay, at least try to come back and find us later."

"We're coming." You grab Axel by the arm. "All of us." You glare at Petra. You watch her step to your side and you all step through the portal.

You feel open air. You panic and flail, colliding with someone, who yelps like they're being murdered. When you realize your feet are on solid ground, you grab the poor bastard out of impulse and catch Ivor's panicked gaze on you.

"Sorry!" You shout, pulling him back to solid ground, before you notice the sheer emptiness below. "You know, you're surprisingly heavy." Your stomach drops and you look around, noticing you're on a small island. Olivia shudders on the farthest edge.

Ivor dusts off his robe. "I am the proportionate weight for my height, thank you very much!" His gaze falls. "She's not thinking of jumping, at least I'd hope not." You shake your head at that, stepping over to Olivia. With how much she's curled into herself, she's almost small again.

"I didn't mean it like that." You hear Petra land and murmur. "I just—I wasn't thinking!" You hear Lukas let out a sort of strangled noise, like he's trying to figure out what to say. You catch Axel's footsteps on your bad side, at least until he switches to the other out of courtesy.

"I know you didn't. But... You know why she took it that way." Lukas leans into Petra's shoulder.

Petra's silent for a moment. "Yeah."

"Olivia..." You start and Olivia presses her helmeted gaze away from you.

"I don't want to hear it!" She shouts, quills flaring and you step back. "See! Don't you get it? I get angry and people get scared!"

"I just... Didn't expect you to shout. You're not really the shouting type." You say.

"I don't believe that." Even through Ellegaard's helmet, you can tell Olivia's glaring at you. "Was Aiden right? Am I just a pet to you people? A—a monster? Or is it just Petra?"

"I..." Petra looks away. "That's not what I meant!"

"That's how it felt!" Olivia shouts.

"I said it because that's what I was going to do!" Petra shouts back. Olivia stops. "You're not the monster in this situation. I would have been." Petra shakes her head. "Sure. I'm a hero, I guess. Ignore the fact I sat around dying for half of it and the fact my first instinct was to kill Aiden!"

"He was attacking us. I don't think it's evil to kill someone out of self defense." Axel shrugs.

"I just... You didn't help us! We could have stopped him and you did nothing!" Petra shouts. "You have a crossbow!"

Olivia shudders, teeth gritting. "I'm scared! I don't—I hate it. What if I did hurt him and I liked it, huh? What if I turned on you?"

"If you were going to, you wouldn't have run through that portal." Petra snaps. "None of us would be alive right now if you were like that!"

"Or maybe I already am a monster. You don't know that." Olivia's voice is quiet. "Maybe the fact I still have morals is the only reason I didn't tear into him like an animal."

"That's bullshit." Petra shakes her head.

"Really? Huh? I've had awful thoughts my entire life and this has just made it worse! Sometimes I look at someone and there's this little thing in my head telling me I want to eat them. That I want to kill and maul and it's disgusting! I hate it." Olivia shouts. "I mean... I always... Had them. It just got worse..."

"But you never wanted to... Do those things, right? Something awful in your head just said you wanted to?" Axel raises a brow.

"Yeah but—look at me! Clearly it has to be true!" Olivia shouts, gesturing at her claws. "I... It didn't... It's not even that different from how I usually think."

Lukas lets out a strangled laugh. "Wait, that's what it is? I had thoughts like that once to throw myself off a bridge. I didn't want to, but something told me to. That's what it is? Your mind just does that?"

"All the time!" Olivia shouts.

"Oh. That just happened to me for a few minutes." Lukas shakes his head. "But that was happening your entire life?"

"Yeah." Olivia admits. "I guess I always was a monster."

"That sounds awful. I don't think you're a monster for it." Axel pipes up. "I mean, if you were, well, Petra's right. We wouldn't be having this conversation."

Olivia looks away. "I just... I can't stop worrying about it. Even if I wouldn't... Just... I could kill someone so easily. I don't want to." She closes her eyes and grimaces. "I'd rather be in Petra's boat."

"Yeah. I think I'd happily take you up on that. Honestly, if not for the whole 'Witherstorm' thing, being in your situation sounds like a cool power." Petra snorts.

"See! I'm telling you, it happened to the wrong person! I could have had a cool robot arm!" Olivia gestures her arms around dramatically. "Are you hearing this, whoever's up there? You made a really stupid decision!"

Petra laughs. "Well, I'm glad to see you in better spirits."

"Yeah." Olivia sighs. "I just... I should probably load up my crossbow for next time."

"Aim for the ankles. That won't kill 'em." Petra suggests. "But it's not evil to have to defend yourself. Even if it feels that way."

"You're right. I was being stupid. Like always." Olivia shakes her head.

"No, I was the stupid one. I shouldn't have said that, knowing what's been going on." Petra sighs.

"I hate to interrupt this, but... Where's Aiden and his buddies?" You pipe up. Olivia is halfway through loading her crossbow when she yelps at the sight of something. You step to her side, expecting something horrendous, and let out a gasp.

There's a distant, massive island. The buildings, all like grand palaces, are made of iron and gold. You catch distant purple banners and arches of gold that connect to a massive palace. They seem almost akin to the portal in shape. It makes you raise an eyebrow. Which came first? The architecture or the portal?

Everyone steps around you, examining the distant city. If not for the daunting fact you were on the edge of an island, you'd try to step to it.

"This has to be another world, right?" Lukas pipes up.

"I'm liking you better by the minute, Louie." Ivor smirks.

"Seems more like the Aether to me." Petra interjects. "I mean, think about it. Islands, endless Void, it's the Aether!"

"Isn't the Aether bluer than this?" Olivia jabs back and Petra sputters. "It also had a lot more islands."

"And it was inhabited by... Flying people, right?" Axel taps his chin. "I'm not seeing anyone flying."

"Speaking of flying, did you pack a flying machine?" You look to Olivia. She shakes her head.

"I should have considered we might not be on solid ground." She admits. "But I didn't think we'd well..." She looks away, trying to hide her face. You sigh gently and look to the island.

"There should be enough blocks to build over..." You tap your chin. "How about we strip the island down, then? Simple bridge and all that."

Everyone agrees. However, when you strip it down to just a bare platform, you honestly wish you'd asked everyone to empty their inventories on the floor. Olivia almost pokes your eye out squirming, Axel seems to be caught between cussing in frustration and yelping at the edge, Lukas is somehow simultaneously on you and between you, Petra is scowling somewhere, and Ivor yells somewhere behind you.

"Stop pushing!"

"I'm not pushing! Lukas is pushing!" Petra retorts. You wouldn't call his attempt to climb onto everyone's armor pushing, not exactly.

"I'm just trying keep away from the edge!" Lukas fires back.

"It's all edge!" Petra fires back.

"Just build the bridge already!" Axel whimpers. You take a glance, just to see if you're on the side with the city, and you start to build towards it. You do your best to not be enamored by the grand golden buildings before you. You place block after block, eventually reaching the city's outer path.

"Alright, one at a time. I don't wanna get this far just to get kicked off the island in a panic." You order as you step off the bridge. You watch your group fan out behind you. Petra exchanges one glance behind her and groans.

"Seriously, Ivor?" You turn to what she's looking at and catch a dull skull shape with lava pouring out of its eyes. Ivor smiles awkwardly, almost turning red for a moment.

"Sorry! Can't help myself."

"You're building!" An unfamiliar voice breaks through your conversation. The stranger's dark eyes land on Olivia first before looking to you. You didn't even realize you were still holding a dirt block. "I—you can't!" They stammer and you look them over, noticing the clean white tunic they're wearing. Maybe it's a matter of formality?

"Is there something wrong with that?" You raise an eyebrow. The tan stranger awkwardly shuffles closer to the gate.

"You... You don't know?" They look you over like you're speaking in a different language. "Unauthorized building is against the law." They sound as if they're on the verge of breaking into a chorus of anxious murmurs.

"Wait, that's a law?" Petra looks to you in confusion. You shrug.

"Well, we didn't mean to step on anyone's toes. We were kind of stuck—" You start. The stranger shakes their head.

"First those other outsiders... Now this? Something's wrong..." They back to the gate, eyes wide.

"Wait, other outsiders? Where did they go?" Lukas steps forward.

"I—they went to the inn! That's all I know!" That's all you get from them before they dart into the gate.

"Wait!" You plead. They don't seem to hear you. You shake your head and look back to your group. "This can't be where the Old Builders are, right?" You think of the nervous demeanor of the stranger. Who knew what kind of havoc Aiden and his buddies were bringing to them?

"Did I scare them off?" Olivia pipes up, fiddling with her scarf. You shake your head.

"I don't think it was you." You say.

"It was probably Ivor's crazy lava skull." Petra rolls her eyes. Ivor sputters angrily at her. "It doesn't exactly make a great first impression!" Ivor just glares, but you can tell he's out of ideas on how to respond.

"We need to figure this out. They might still be at the inn." Lukas pipes up.

"Orrrr they've left there by now." Axel suggests. "If I was hellbent on causing chaos, I wouldn't stick by an inn of all things. I'd be somewhere else by now."

"They could be laying low for the moment." Olivia adds.

"We should fan out and search for them, then." Petra suggests. "What about you, Jesse? What do you think?"

"We need to warn the leader." You say quietly. Sure, you may not understand their rules, but what else is there to do? But right as you say it, you realize you're in over your head. Where is the leader? What do they even look like? "Maybe we should ask what they look like first." You say before someone can make it obvious.

"Hm," Olivia ponders out loud, "whatever the most important looking structure is, that must be where they are."

"So we break in?" Axel suggests and your palm meets your face. Olivia grimaces and Petra can barely hold back a laugh. Ivor, however, seems slightly on board with it. You slug him gently and he glares at you.

"We could ask them. Like normal people." Olivia rolls her eyes.

"I mean... Do we really trust the 'no building' rule guy to want visitors?" Petra shrugs. "We might honestly have to consider a break in."

"How about we go in through the gate first?" Lukas suggests, his voice marred with a slight scowl. "We're overthinking this."

"We should plan ahead while we're out here." You offer and Lukas sighs in defeat. "We don't know anything yet. And it's not like we can discuss a potential break in while we're in there."

"Let me check if I have some invisibility potions." Ivor seems practically giddy at the idea of using them for a break in. You can hear Olivia sigh exasperatedly.

"I think we're dealing with someone like Ellegaard. Loves rules, very secretive at the worst times. All we need to do is figure out how to be diplomatic about this. Maybe appeal to their sense of logic?" Olivia taps under her chin.

"Drat, I've only got one." Ivor hisses, shaking his head.

"Would someone really listen to a person who broke into their house?" Lukas pipes up. "I'd assume whoever did that would be trying to kill me, not warn me."

"Aww. But I wanted to pull off a heist." Axel whines. "Think about how cryptically we could warn them."

"Take this seriously!" Lukas snaps.

"I am taking it seriously. It would have worked on me, honestly." Axel shrugs. Olivia shakes her head.

"A heist is not going to work here! We need to get going, maybe ask someone for an avenue in." Olivia paces before stepping to the gate. "We need to be logical about this and matter of fact. Worst case scenario, we have to appeal to their fear. If the Eversource is here, then we could say Aiden's trying to steal it. They'd listen to us then."

"Small issue, how do we explain that we know about the Eversource?" Lukas pipes up. "That's like if someone suddenly knew about Jesse's weapon and we never saw them before. That's suspicious."

"We could say they built." You suggest with a shrug. "Maybe that they're thieves?" Everyone looks at you. You can't make out what they're thinking. "I'm still crafting it. Give me a moment."

"Let's see what's going on first." Olivia steps through the gate. You follow her on impulse and nearly jolt at the grand sight before you. Somewhere, Ivor chatters behind you, excitedly going on and on about how 'this must be the owners of the Eversource!' and how excited he is to see it in person.

There are tens of structures that share the portal's symbol. Several structures look like towers for a grand castle, while many others are arches and staircases leading to places above the main city. As you look around at the menagerie of grand buildings, you notice there's only one tree, sitting alone in a dip in the island. You catch some of the citizens glancing your way occasionally, whispering. Did you just hear your name?

You catch some of their gazes flickering away. Some stand in lines in front of... A crafting table? You catch a guard at the side of it, eyes on you for a moment before returning to the line. It's strange to think of a guard dressed only in greenish brown formal wear. Was it a show of force or something else?

"Knew it." Olivia whispers at your good ear side. "Although, Redstonia wasn't this heavily guarded..."

"Why are they guarding a crafting table?" Petra steps to your side, occasionally trading glances with the guard. You watch them stiffen for a moment before returning to looking over the line. It's enough to get you to raise an eyebrow. "Are you absolutely sure this is the same place with the 'Eversource?'" Her gaze flickers to where Ivor should be. He seems to have disappeared.

"HELLLOO… IT… IS… NICE… TO… MEET… YOOOUUU!" Ivor seems to be speaking to one of the citizens at the crafting table's little hut. They seem to be staring at him like he's speaking a whole other language. You don't blame them.

"And there goes any chance of us coming off friendly and normal..." Axel murmurs at your side. He takes a look at the grand city and then back at you. "Is it weird I'm kind of... Unnerved? It's all quiet and weirdly clean."

"What do you mean by that?" You raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's honestly more impressive than scary." Petra takes a look around the city, doing her best to whisper it. "What could be so unnerving about a clean city?"

"Maybe it's the guards? They look like they could cave my skull in." Lukas chimes in with a whisper. "I mean, look at that guy. They mean business." Lukas does his best to gesture at the guard in front of the crafting table. They glare at you and you tense involuntarily. Lukas wasn't lying, not even close.

There's talk over rations, something you can barely catch. A whine, familiar, like the times you had to tell your own citizens to ration their food. You grimace. Is this really the home of the Eversource?

"It just feels, off, you know?" Axel pipes up again and you nod before you fully comprehend what you're doing.

"But it's almost... Familiar." You admit. The overhanging threat of famine had left your town a few months ago. "If they have the Eversource, why would they need to ration things out?" You whisper that as best as you can.

"How about we think about this more when we find the leader?" Olivia raises a clawed finger and you catch a few of the citizens murmuring. You shrug and decide to diverge from your group then. The rest of them chatter for a moment before splitting off.

You sigh and decide to check in on Ivor firstly. He's definitely... A lot. Honestly, why is Olivia worried about coming off 'monstrous' when Ivor's right here? Well, he's not exactly a monster per se, but... Again, he's a lot. And skies forbid he drops a mention of the Witherstorm...

"Isn't it exquisite?!" Ivor's at your side almost immediately, like a firework. You sputter strangely, unable to form a coherent thought for a god forsaken moment. "You really should take notes for that town of yours." He puts his hand under his chin.

"Are you sure this is the place?" You lean in to whisper, looking around. You catch a few of the citizens looking your way, some almost excited at the sight of you, some suspicious, and others seeming to look away. "I mean, I overheard them talking about rationing... Reminds me a lot of home."

Ivor's face seems to fall before he shakes his head at the very idea. "It has to be!" That only really provokes a shrug from you. You look around, thinking of the letter again. Was this the place? Was the person mentioned in the letter perhaps... The leader?

"Do you think the letter was referring to here, maybe?" You suggest. "I mean, Olivia did think whoever had the Eversource was struggling... What if it's not enough? Maybe it has a limiting factor..." You tap your chin, thinking hard.

Considering my existence? I would be surprised if the Eversource did not have a cooldown. Clarity pipes up in your mind. You look to Ivor and it seems he's thinking for a moment.

"Are you saying we can't have the Eversource?" He looks like he's about to shake you, hands grabbing your shoulders firmly. "Jesse, we need this!" You can't tell if that's genuine or just another extension of his desperate search for a rare artifact. Ivor's eyes are like a pleading thing.

"I get it's cool, but use your damn head!" You snap suddenly, pushing Ivor off you. Your fingers tense into your palms awkwardly and Ivor seems to tense in turn. An apology dies in your throat and you watch the flame in Ivor's eyes die.

"Alright..." He steps back. You watch him withdraw into himself, hands clenching on top of each other. Something about it makes it feel like someone's shoved a knife in your insides.

"I get you're excited but—" You start but Ivor just looks at the floor. "Ivor, we're not here to have fun! This isn't a game!" You're not even sure why you whisper-shout that. Why are you even here besides to stop Aiden at this point? Clearly these people need the Eversource more!

"I didn't see anything." Ivor says before you can ask. You grimace.

"I didn't mean to get harsh with you." Some part of you feels like you shouldn't even be apologizing. "I just honestly want to go home." Ivor doesn't meet your eyes. You sigh and pull away, pressing your hands against the top of your head.

Something seems up with him. You hear Clarity again, but it doesn't sound judgemental, more worried. What could be eating him?

Me, obviously. You try your best not to say that out loud. You do not need a bunch of people thinking you're a mad stranger. Speaking of the citizens, they seem to be speaking more about you now. A few seem to be gesturing for you, while others seem to duck away at the sight of you.

"Pst," A hand grazes your shoulder and you nearly jolt in response, "y'with the new guys?" The stranger gestures for you to lean in close.

"New guys?" You press the question forward cautiously, taking in how generically the people here are dressed. It seems they're terribly fond of tunics here. The stranger's eyes examine your face almost anxiously and you tell a half truth. "I know them."

You're pulled into an alley, a few other citizens murmuring around you. They comment on your armor, how you seem to be dressed, hell even the way you style your hair. That's enough to make you readjust your helmet out of reflex. Some theorize you're from the ground, while others state that you must be sent from another world. Did someone murmur about you being from the sky? You don't pipe up quite yet.

"They listened to us," You hear one of them pipe up, "not like Milo... He seems to be set on goofing around. Nothing ever happens with him."

"They could work together." Another citizen suggests. "What took you so long to come here?"

"We had to check some things first." You spin the lie further. It makes your insides feel awful, but you doubt you'll get anywhere if you break through the truth. "Can we talk to your leader?"

There's a few murmurings, some cursing, while others seem a little more cowed at the mention. One pipes up. "The Founder? She's usually in her palace working on new rules for us. Although, last I checked the rest of your group were heading her way."

"But you could help us." Someone does their best to hold back an excited shout. "That must be why you're here, to inspire us to look for more!"

"Yes, yes! There's so much we could have. They—they said she was keeping the Eversource from us! And it makes sense too! If it was... If it was as infinite as they claimed, then she's doing something awful!"

You fight back a grimace at the thought of Aiden using his knowledge of the Eversource to trick them. He must have been stalking you longer than you had ever thought. How? How could you let that happen!?

Maybe you were dealing with a tyrant. Your mind swirls to the letter. There's so much you don't know. You just nod at them and step away. Some of the citizens curl deeper into the alley while a few break into idle chatter. Someone says something you don't hear until they grab you by the shoulder.

"Your uh, spiky friend? I... Some of them were speculating you were divine. I presume they're... Closer to the sky as they say?" It takes you a moment to realize what they're saying. Did they just imply Olivia was a demigod? You fight back the urge to raise an eyebrow at that.

"She's not a god or anything, no." You shake your head. "Don't get an idea like that in your head."

"Hm," The citizen steps back, "when will you need us? We're ready to help you when you need it." Those words send a chill through your entire body. What the hell did Aiden do while you were preoccupied? How desperate are these people?! You don't know if you want an answer to that yet.

"I uh, I don't need anything." You wave them away gently. What have you gotten yourself into? The townsperson steps away from you and you take a moment to look around before you walk out of the alley. No guards, good to know. Although, is it really against the law to walk into an alley? You'd hope not, but you're in unfamiliar territory here.

As you walk back to the city's center, you catch a sign. "No building, no crafting, no brewing, no forging, unless with EXPRESS PERMISSION from The Founder. All complaints must be registered in person." It says in sharp text, like the person writing it was speaking deadly words. Perhaps you've wandered into the territory of a tyrant after all.

My favorite of the... You think about the letter again. The Eversources? No, there could only be one. The flint and steels? A type of technology from the chest, perhaps? Something else entirely? You try to shove the thoughts back without seeming more suspicious than you already were.

You look back up to the grandest structure and shrug. That's probably where the Founder is. It's a massive, round palace of gold and iron, with a grand cobblestone staircase. As you approach the staircase, one of the guards holds out their hand.

"The Founder is not accepting visitors right now." They let you step away and you watch the epaulettes on their shoulders droop as they unclench. You feel your teeth clench together. A strange breath crawls through your teeth.

"There are people trying to steal the Eversource." You start and catch the guard's eyes running along you. They seem to eye up every detail of you. You step back.

"I don't think I've ever seen you before." Those words prompt you to look for a break in their greenish brown formal dress jacket. You don't want to have to fight someone today, especially not someone you barely know. "And I definitely haven't seen something like that before." You catch them pointing in Olivia's direction. She seems to be examining the architecture for something.

"She's not going to hurt you." You sputter.

"Now why would you have to say that?" The guard raises an eyebrow and you catch the guard flanking their side taking notice of you now. "I didn't even imply that." You recoil as they come closer, examining every inch of you. "I do expect an answer."

Their uniform reminds you of an ancient proverb. Fear the shirtless warrior, they say. Of course, this is not a shirtless warrior, but you have good reason to fear someone who fights only in a uniform. You try to figure out a good explanation for Olivia's condition. The truth isn't something you can just hand out, especially not now.

"We've had a few run ins with people." You shake your head. "She's a bit... Intimidating. Being tall and all. You won't believe what ideas people get in their heads."

"Hmmm..." The guard leans in closer. You catch the guard at their side scowling before they gently tap them on the shoulder.

"She is pretty tall and intimidating. However, she does seem respectful of our laws." They speak. You watch the guard closing in on you sigh and draw back.

"Don't make me regret this." They stiffen, arms finding their way behind their back.

"I need to see the Founder." You press again. They shake their head and you sigh. Seems that avenue isn't even remotely pursuable. And with Aiden and his pals spinning lies like spiders do webs? You don't want to think about it too long. Although, that civilian did mention an inn.

Maybe there's some information there? Or at least a place to hide for the moment if items hit the mob grinder. You debate calling for your friends, but that may honestly catch unnecessary attention. With that, you sigh and look for the inn. You catch a sign reading 'Milo's Inn.' That must be it.

The figure right outside the inn seems almost like an outsider. You almost laugh at the sight of their cyan suspenders. Reminds you awfully of yourself, except for the fact one has fallen down. You catch them exchanging words with another citizen. Was that a stick in their hand?

You catch the death of their conversation and watch the innkeeper's pale face turn reddish with anxiety. The other citizen is waved off. Were those sticks in their hands? They're rationing sticks of all things too?!

As you approach, you catch the stranger pressing against the wall awkwardly. You press your gaze to the floor for a moment and lower your head, before turning your eyes to the stranger's blonde mustache. From what you catch of their blue eyes, they still seem uncomfortable.

"I'm not sure what the custom is wherever you're from, but here it is considered rather impolite to stare." His words are underlined with a sort of tension. You note how casual his collared gray shirt is. He even has a small sort of goatee.

You clear your throat, trying to figure out how you're going to say this. "I'm looking for some people who came here. Last I heard they were with the Founder, right?"

The stranger's teeth click into a grimace. "I beg your pardon?"

You inhale sharply, "Let me level with you, this place is in danger. There's a group of people who are trying to steal the Eversource right now." You point to the palace. "I know these people. Help me."

The stranger seems to continue eying you up. "I want to believe that, but I don't know you. And your pointy friend gives me the creeps." You catch him fighting back a shudder. "But I'm not sure what else would explain a bunch of new arrivals to Sky City, especially such a colorful cast of characters like you..." He trails off.

You debate Clarity in your inventory for a moment. The two of you come up with the same idea at the same time, that it would be a terrible idea to hand him such an artifact just to prove your point. Instead you produce Clarity, gently holding out the weapon.

"I wouldn't recommend touching it," You start as the stranger eyes it up, teeth clenching even further, "but I'm going to guess you haven't seen a diamond axe before."

"Why can't I touch it?" The stranger tenses further. You're not sure how to shorten the story.

"You look pretty freaked out already and it's a really long story." You pull Clarity away. Surprisingly, Clarity doesn't seem offended. "It also involves my, ah, 'pointy friend' as people keep calling her." You hope Olivia's not behind you as you say that.

"That's what people are calling me?" Speak of the goddamn Witherstorm. Luckily she seems more confused than offended. "I didn't think it was that obvious." That last part seems to be very obvious sarcasm. The stranger seems more confused than anything now, but at least now some of the tension's left.

"I'm gonna use the power of inferencing and say that's Milo, right? I mean, he's standing next to his name." Axel pops over your shoulder. You watch the stranger squirm as the rest of your group funnels in. You catch Ivor trudging awkwardly behind you and you frown.

"Oh this is too many people..." The stranger murmurs.

"Am I right or not? This is Milo right? Or is he in there somewhere?" Axel squints. Somewhere, you can hear Olivia scowling.

"Why are you speculating on my name of all things? Yes, you can read the sign, right?!" Milo seems to be gesturing incoherently.

"Alright, so you saw them go into the palace right?" Lukas pipes up and Milo reflexively nods.

"That means we're fucked, Lukas." Petra groans. "Who knows what Aiden's telling them..."

You watch a strange look cross Milo's face. He looks like he's calculating several things in his head. "Well then. Funny how people you meet..." He trails off, passing a glance behind him. "I think he put an idea in the heads of some people here. Something's been feeling off."

"Ivor," You watch Ivor avoid your eyes as you pipe up, "do you have any ideas? You're pretty good at worming out of things like this."

"Huh?" Ivor seems halfway between dazed and defeated.

"I mean, remember last time? You're good at getting out of jams." You'd slug him if it didn't feel so terribly wrong. "I'm sorry about earlier." You shake your head. "I didn't mean it like that."

Ivor blinks a few times. "Nope."

"You seriously don't know how to get us out of this?" Petra retorts.

"The last time I had months to prepare!" Ivor fires back a little too loud. You watch Milo fight back a snort.

"Wow, you people are incredibly weird! Is everyone from... Wherever you're from like this?"

"Nah, they're usually a lot lamer." Axel smirks. "But I think we're screwed here, honestly."

"Hm," Milo begins, "I do ha—"

"Attention! Attention, everyone! Just a moment of your time, please! Emergency meeting! Attendance is mandatory!" An unfamiliar voice drags you from your conversation. You catch Milo scowling and shaking his head.

"These meetings..." Milo hisses.

"I'm guessing that's us being royally screwed over." Olivia pipes up and you grimace. You can feel dread crawl through your entire form as you follow Milo to the City's center. A few conversations spark and die quickly.

"The Founder? We haven't seen her in days..."

"It must be those outsiders..."

"They're starting to creep me out!"

"I swear, one of them has purple eyes!"

"Where did they get armor? I want armor!"

"Do you think they fell from the sky?"

"They're from the ground!"

"No, there's only Void down there!"

"Says you!"

"Maybe they're like the yellow lady... She seemed nice."

"She's a myth!"

"No she's not, I met her!"

You look to Ivor, who seems to be doing his best to make himself invisible without a potion. "So many people... It's awfully unnerving."

"You'll be fine." Petra awkwardly pats Ivor on the shoulder. He writhes away at the touch. Your eyes trail to the palace's entrance, watching the gilded doors swing open. Even before she speaks, you know the stranger before you is the Founder.

"People of Sky City!" You watch her put her hands together, her golden robe's sleeves threatening to overtake them as she does. You catch the rounded, almost feather-like edges of them before you take notice at the familiar figure at her side.

"Aiden..." Lukas' words are like a whisper in the wind. You catch Axel letting Lukas curl close to him. Petra tenses, stepping in front of the two of them. In your periphery, you catch Olivia's gaze flickering across the two figures before the palace, as if she's looking for a weak point.

"I'm sorry to pull you from your duties, but something urgent has come to my attention. A crime has been committed." Her words are stern, yet strangely soft, not unlike the almost feathery shape of the ruffle behind her neck. It seems almost like an extension of her robe. It makes her look awfully like a regal bird.

"A crime?"

"What kind?"

"Must be a new kind..."

"Please, remain calm. Earlier today, outsiders built a bridge into our fair City from a distant island. Now, whether these outsiders know it or not, this is a violation of Sky City’s most sacred law. No unauthorized building." You watch her point a birch colored hand past the gate. A thousand murmurings crackle across the sky. You take note of her green eyes, not piercing per se, but full of something you can't place.

Milo's suddenly whispering in your ear. "Wait, was that you? You're the bridge builders?" His blue eyes seem to light up with something new.

"We were kind of stuck on an island?" You grimace at him. Milo seems strangely disappointed at that.

"I think we're screwed." Olivia murmurs at your side.

Aiden seems to motion for the Founder and you catch her listening to something he says. Her eyes suddenly snap to the crowd, for a moment full of something sharp. "Jesse! Wherever you are, step forward now. I have already been informed of your identity. I appreciate that you may be ignorant of our laws, but I will warn you, Sky City is small. And I promise that if you try to hide… I will find you." That last part is tense, like talons about to pluck you from the ground.

You watch a few of the guards funneling out and eying up the crowd. More murmuring breaks out. Some whispers close to you wondering about how bad a bridge really could be. Ivor looks to you for a moment before you catch a look crossing his face.

"I do have an idea..." Before you can ask, he suddenly shouts and hops around like he's on fire. "Here I am! I built the bridge!" He waves his arms around.

"Oooh! A prison break!" Axel excitedly whispers. "We fight our way through!" Axel practically slams his fists together.

"Are you nuts?" Olivia hisses. "We have no idea what they do to people in jail here!"

"I do have another way out of this!" Milo pipes up. "But you're going to have to trust me. I can help you get in there."

"That sounds like a good bet!" Petra rockets to his side. You watch one of the guards grab Ivor by the arm. "You guys coming with?"

"I am!" Olivia almost shouts, charging to Petra's side.

"Have fun! I will!" Axel shouts back.

"Hey, hey hey! Unhand me, I'm not resisting! This is completely unnecessary!" Ivor shouts. You watch Axel practically dance at the thought of being arrested. That's enough to get an eyebrow raise out of you.

"What? Prison breaks are always cool!"

"Jesse?" Lukas pipes up awkwardly.

Shit.

What do you do?

If you think about it, there is a faster way into the castle.

Well, it's not exactly a pleasant idea now that you consider it, but at the same time, is there really time to think? You almost launch forward at the horde of guards and you watch some of them position their hands oddly, as if readying a weapon in their inventory. But the way they hold their hands isn't right...

"Hey, don't treat him like that! We didn't do anything wrong!" You shout and watch some of the guards put down their hands. Some of them ready their fingers to wrap around your shoulder and arms. It takes a lot to shove down the urge to resist and flail.

"We'll figure out a way to help you." Petra clenches her teeth as she steps closer to Milo. Olivia follows her gesture with a nod and the three of them duck into an alley.

"Ha! Knew you'd see it my way. Thank you, Jesse." Ivor pipes up before returning to squirming. "Hey, hands off that! Don't you understand how valuable this set of armor is?!"

The Founder's eyes sweep the crowd. You catch Axel in your periphery suddenly appearing awkward and cowed, shooting a glance to the alley.

"Right. I'm not good at cooperating, am I?" He pipes up. Lukas grimaces at him right as one of the guards scoops up his arm.

"Just don't squirm too much." Lukas manages through clenched teeth. You watch Axel clench his fingers into his palms so hard you'd swear they'd draw blood. However, it seems to be enough to let a few of the guards take up his arms.

"The builders..." Someone in the crowd murmurs as you're dragged forward. The Founder's eyes never leave you, taking hold of your gaze almost hypnotically. You look for something in there, humanity, maybe anger, something? You only catch her calculating something.

"Can you believe it?" Another citizen fires out as you're marched to the palace.

"Did you see where the pointy one went?"

"What's with the display?"

"I thought they were working together!"

"Something's wrong."

"Maybe the pointy creature is like that face wearing thing."

"No, that can't be!" You hear a citizen's voice break into shuddery gasps. "It's just a myth!"

"No, no, it stole someone's face! I saw it! I was there!"

There's something that steals faces? You wonder as you finally ascend the staircase, guards in tow. You're surprised Axel hasn't whacked someone's face clean off out of instinct. You wouldn't exactly blame him for it.

"I do appreciate the cooperation." One of the guards speaks at your side and you recognize his voice. Was he the one to announce the meeting? It definitely seems like it. "Strange... Normally someone who'd do this would be trying to escape by now." That last part seems like you weren't meant to hear it.

The Founder's eyes lock onto you again and you catch Axel and Lukas tensing in your periphery. It's like she's looking through your very soul for something. It makes your insides twist. Some part of you expects to hear her voice in the back of your mind. No, no, she's not the Witherstorm, be fucking rational—

"I'll admit, you're not at all what I expected." The Founder looks you over before one of her green eyes flickers behind her to Aiden.

"Of course they're not," Aiden suddenly chimes in. You catch a few small bandages covering where Olivia had clawed him. "their little pet is still out there."

"How dare you say that about her!" Axel snaps and you catch one of the guard's tightening their grip on his arms. "No, you can't just stand here and let him say that! Don't you have any decency?! He's calling another human being a pet!"

"Really? I don't remember her ever being human." Aiden seems to mock fear for a moment. "You know, they did sic her on me earlier. And I heard once Jesse thinks his axe is talking to him! It tells him to kill people!" Aiden shudders dramatically. You can hear Clarity sputter incoherently in your mind.

"Is that true?" The Founder looks to you.

"Aiden is a liar!" You snap. "He's going to steal the Eversource!"

The Founder's eyes narrow. "And who told you about the Eversource?" Chatter breaks across the crowd, a thousand rumors erupting into the air like excited birds. "You aren't from here."

You watch Aiden's mouth stretch into a massive grin. Axel finally decides he's had enough of being held and whacks one of the guards in the jaw.

"We wouldn't be here if you didn't set Olivia off!" Axel struggles to get out before he's swarmed by several guards. You catch one of them bringing a weapon with a handle too long to the side of his head. The blade doesn't look right, too short, too curved. It seems the guard is debating putting it to his neck.

"Set Olivia off?" The Founder parrots.

"That's their pet." Aiden clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "You see? She's out of control. Nearly mauled me." He points to where Olivia's claws had sank through his jacket.

"And you nearly burned Lukas' face off!" Axel shouts. Aiden shakes his head again, letting out a hefty 'tss.' You catch the civilians staring at your group.

"Forgive me, Founder." Aiden puts his hand to his chest, miming as if his very heart is wounded. "But in the haze to escape, I had to do something terribly rash."

The Founder nods at him before returning her gaze to you. "Tell me, Jesse, have you harmed anyone recently?"

"I..." You stammer. "I had to fight someone off. It wasn't pleasant." Your teeth click into an uncomfortable grimace.

"Gill can still barely move his shoulder." Aiden sighs, shaking his head. "Sometimes I wonder if he'll ever recover."

"That was just today!" Axel shouts. You catch Lukas waving for Axel to shut it. The Founder's eyes narrow.

"Just today?"

"He tackled me! I didn't know if he was going to kill me!" You fire back. "Besides, I aimed there on purpose! I didn't want to kill him!"

The Founder looks you over before turning back to Aiden. "Is this true?"

"Gill wouldn't hurt a bee!" Aiden shakes his head. "I mean, look at him!" With those words, Aiden points behind him dramatically, to Gill who seems to be hunching over and whimpering. He resembles more of a sad dog than a person.

"You don't seem wounded." The Founder's words are sharp. "If it was really that bad of a fight, you should at least have something to show for it."

"We came prepared." You knock on your armor.

"We were only exploring a temple! The portal was just a happy accident! We swear!" Ivor pipes up. The Founder seems about ready to speak again. You debate mentioning the technology before remembering Olivia is the only one with it on hand.

"You seem honest, you did come forward after all..." The Founder keeps her gaze on you and you watch it harden. "But something isn't adding up. Why do you only show honesty occasionally?"

"We are being honest." You plead. "I don't know what Aiden's told you, but it's not true!" You catch the guard holding you eying you over, as if looking for a breach in your story. The Founder's eyes flicker across you and you still can't read her.

"Very interesting..." She turns to the palace then and motions to the guards. You glance to Axel, watching his teeth clack into a tense grimace. Somehow, he doesn't slam his fist into the guard's face. Instead, your little group is brought to the palace. For a moment, you swear you hear Gill and Maya snickering. The guard holding you seems to mutter something, almost trying to find the source of the noise.

Through the palace is a beautiful throne room. A long, gold and purple carpet leads to a quartz and gold throne, seemingly almost meticulously sculpted. You don't have enough time to inspect its every detail, or the seemingly endless sky in the gap in the wall behind it, however, as you hear the Founder speak up again and motion for Aiden and his group to follow her.

"Would you get the lever for me, Reginald?" With her words, the guard whose voice you recognize releases your arm and another guard grabs you tensely by the shoulders. Reginald flicks a lever and you watch a part of the iron wall open, allowing minecarts to flow in. The Founder steps to them and you catch the chests within them.

"There, see? That minecart she summoned. It must lead to the Eversource!" Ivor whispers at your side. You clench your teeth, expecting the guards to retaliate, but they just keep their hands on you.

"Could you pick a better time?!" Axel proactically whisper shouts.

"You know it's bad when Axel's the voice of reason." Lukas nods tensely.

"As if you would get it, blond guy." Ivor rolls his eyes with a hiss. You watch the Founder glance at the chests again, hands on them idly, before she turns to Aiden's crew. You look for something, an opening, some sort of obvious lie, but they seem to stand like average, unassuming people. It makes your insides twist strangely, like they've been planning something for years.

"As a show of gratitude for your service to Sky City, we offer you these gifts." The Founder can barely get that last part out before the Blaze Rods are upon the minecarts. You catch a strange gleam in the Founder's eye, as if she's seeing what you do just for a moment. "Such food was... Hard to come by much earlier in our history."

"Carrots? Really? All of this just for—" Maya begins before Aiden shoves his hand in front of her face. You watch him pull the best, unassuming grin he can.

"We are honored, wonderful Founder." Aiden seems to half bow at that. "Not many would show us the care you have." His green eyes flicker to you for a moment before looking to Founder, wide and pleading.

"Eugh..." Lukas mutters. "Look at how cozy he's getting with her."

"No wonder you never said anything." Axel murmurs. "He's got a honey tongue."

"I don't think we can break the spell he's got her under..." You shake your head as you whisper. "I mean, he's got evidence against us. Dammit."

"But it was self defense!" Axel's voice threatens to break the whisper.

"She doesn't know that." Lukas fires back and Axel tenses. You wonder how much the guards are hearing. You turn your eyes to them desperately, hoping your eyes can pull off their usual, innocent gleam. It seems that won't work today.

"Of course." The Founder's voice seems a little tense. "Now, go on, I have criminals to deal with." Aiden nods and steps away. You catch Maya glancing back occasionally, her nose wrinkling in disgust. You can't make out what Gill's thinking, probably that he's just going along with it. Aiden lags behind his group, coiling close to you.

"See you in the Void, heh. Or maybe, well, I won't, will I? A shame, I think it'd be very interesting to see you fall." He practically whispers this in your ear so quietly you're surprised you hear it. None of the guards seem to notice.

"Shame you won't go splat!" Maya snickers at your side suddenly. Seems she came back to eavesdrop on Aiden's little monologue.

"And believe me, we'll find your pointy little pet. Maybe you'll know what it's like when we throw her off the edge." Aiden's words are venomous.

"We'll know when she stops screaming." Maya adds. "Or, well, knowing how much she squeals, I wouldn't be surprised if she squealed even after she died!"

You can feel your hands shake. Every part of you tenses like a piston ready to fire. One of the guards grips you harder. Aiden just smirks and you're back in Endercon and you want to knock that smile off his fucKING FACE-

"It's not like you can do anything about it this time. You wanna hit me? Wanna hurt me, buddy? I'll stand real still this time." Aiden grabs at the collar of your armor.

"Aww, I don't think he can this time." Maya taunts. "Poor widdle freshie..."

"God I wish that thing fucking killed you." Axel hisses. Lukas looks at Maya and Aiden like he doesn't recognize them. You catch Lukas' eyes turning to Gill.

"You know, you could have stayed, Lukas." Gill pipes up suddenly. "It didn't have to be this way."

"You don't see the irony in what you're saying?" Lukas shouts. "We know you're going to do something awful! I—I don't recognize you!"

"Good." Aiden hisses, stepping to Gill's side. "You don't get to decide who or what we are anymore. I bet it tears you up, huh? Makes you feel all awful knowing you can't make us into shallow versions of ourselves."

"Didn't you scream when Olivia touched the Command Block?" Lukas speaks up suddenly. You watch Maya jolt back and Aiden tenses. "What? I was there! You can't just pretend you weren't scared. I know you, Maya!"

The Founder's eyes narrow. "I told you to go on."

"You're getting valuable information." Aiden snaps. "Listen to these people."

"Are we going to forget that Jesse helped set that Wither loose?" Maya looks at you. Your words catch in your throat. "Not only that, but now he's palling around with its creator!" She points at Ivor and you watch him clench his fingers into his palms.

"A Wither?" The Founder asks. "Explain."

"Don't blame them!" Ivor shouts suddenly. "She's lying, I built it by myself!"

"Liar!" Aiden shouts. "Do you remember how the Wither skulls felt in your hands, Jesse? I bet they were as cold as your soul!"

"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you!" Axel snaps and one of the guards tackles him to the ground. "You don't know what we had to see!"

"You were there." You pipe up, eyes glaring. "You saw the Wither skulls. You saw Olivia touch it. You screamed so loud Ivor heard, Maya." Your teeth clench. "And who did you warn? Nobody."

"I wasn't there." Aiden's words are wispy. "I was bleeding on the ground, Jesse. You left me to die to your monster!"

"It was my monster!" Ivor pleads, the guards' hands grasping harder at his arms. Aiden shakes his head, teeth gritting into a smile.

"You know, he's got an axe in his inventory. I think you'd like to see it." Aiden looks to the Founder. One of the guards tightens their grip on you.

"Don't do this, Aiden." You shudder under their grasp and you're hit with waves of panic that's not your own. Someone's hand grips your wrist and you lash Clarity at them, almost hitting them in the face. You can't tell if it was your impulses or its.

"He's going to kill us all!" Aiden shrieks. "Don't you see it?! His first thought was violence!"

"You were going to hurt—" You start and feel one of the guards grab Clarity out of your hands. Panic hits you like a thousand waves and then leaves once the axe is out of your hands. You hear the guard shriek and throw Clarity, almost hitting the Founder as they do.

The Founder's hands shake a little as she kneels down and scoops up Clarity. Her eyes turn to you and then to Aiden. You watch something cross her eyes, panic not her own.

"Listen," Aiden pipes up, "you'd really believe some magic axe over us?"

You watch the Founder's eyes turn to Clarity again, mouth coiling into a tense grimace. She looks at you and then back at Clarity. "Reginald... Take this away. Right now."

Reginald's hands shake as he reaches for Clarity. You watch him tense, tan skin paling for a moment, as he grabs Clarity, before sprinting further into the palace. The Founder's eyes turn to you and then to Aiden and his group.

"I told you to go." Her words are suddenly harsh. You watch Aiden shudder.

"Alright we might have taken the flint and steel but—"

"That is an order." With the Founder's words, the guards turn their focus to the Blaze Rods. That's enough to have them shuffle out of the palace. "Now, would you care to explain?"

"I didn't mean to lash out." You shudder as your gaze turns to Axel, laying defeatedly on the ground with a horde of guards keeping him there. You can't even remember if the fear was wholly your own. Some part of you can't blame Clarity for doing what it did if so, while another shudders at the very idea. "I know a... Talking axe is scary, but don't hurt Clarity." You look to Axel again, doubting you can say anything to get them to let him go.

The Founder's eyes are tense, almost like she's peering for something. You watch her gaze sharpen, not unlike a hungry wolf peering for a weakness in a sheep's herd. Her hand snaps up and that's enough to get the guards to release their grip and pull away. You catch them even pulling away from Axel, who lays on the ground still stunned.

"If I hadn't already suspected, this has definitely confirmed that you are not from here." The Founder steps to your group.

You take a moment to find your words. "We were stuck on an island. There—"

"Is a portal. I know. We've had... An outsider before. She was much more knowledgeable of our world than you were. And... May have been what saved us." The Founder seems to almost stammer that last part. "But... She wasn't smart enough to realize there were things worse than the Void down there."

"Why are you telling us this?" Ivor shudders suddenly.

"We might have heard about her." Lukas pipes up. "There was a letter."

"Why are we acting like she's our friend all of a sudden? She just—" Axel snaps.

"Shsh—" Lukas waves his hand at Axel before he can even move. "Tell us about the outsider. Maybe we—"

"The only thing I know is that whatever took her visage is still out there. We didn't kill it fast enough." The Founder shakes her head. "If you are honest people, you must understand why our laws are the way they are. If you are as smart as she was, you must have seen what we have gone through."

"A famine?" You offer. "I can see it from a mile away now. There's... Only so much I could do to stop my own town's, let alone the ones still happening." The Witherstorm still had its tendrils in the earth in some way, even after its demise.

You hear a sort of hefty inhale from the Founder, as if her mind needs more air to think. "And that is what I do not understand." She looks you dead in the eyes. "I was told stories of your atrocities, yet you came here to me. Not only that but your first impulse was to apologize when you had committed violence. That is... Not talking about the visions I have just experienced."

"Sorry. Couldn't warn you about that." You rub the back of your neck anxiously. "But Clarity's harmless. A little strange, sure, but... Harmless."

The Founder seems to think for a moment. "Aiden mentioned a Wither. I have noticed that there must be some truth there."

"That was my fault." Ivor's voice rattles out of him. "Don't—"

"That's not an answer." The Founder's words are tense.

"It—well, it's an incredibly complicated story. Let's just say it was something that went way beyond what it was intended for. It wasn't supposed to hurt anyone." You step in front of Ivor.

"But it did." Axel slowly sits up, looking around at the guards. They don't step to him, they simply just watch. "That's important, I think."

"What matters is it's dead." Lukas pipes up. "That weapon you just held is what killed the damn thing."

The Founder looks your group over, but she doesn't seem to be looking for an in this time. She seems more like she's on your level now.

"It's not a very... It's not a story I'm fond of." You shake your head. "Our worlds seem to share an issue, being in turmoil and all that."

The Founder is silent for a moment. "Come with me. Just you." She points to you specifically. You tense for a moment, letting out a huff, and look back to your group.

"Just don't do anything to them."

"My guards have no reason to if they stay as they are." The Founder's words are firm, but strangely enough, not harsh. You step to her side and she takes you through the gap in the wall and onto the grass outside. "We seem to share more than our desperation. I... You do lead a civilization as well, don't you?"

"I'm... Not exactly the best at it." You admit. It's hard not to remember the days you nearly fell apart. All of those people relying on you. When was the last time you got to rest? For a moment, you're back in town, listening to Olivia's wailing piercing the sky, and hearing the unrest of your civilians growing as she shrieked into the night.

The Founder stares at you for a moment, taking in those words. "You mentioned being stranded. This is just as alien to you as it was to her, wasn't it?"

"Her..." You turn that word in your mouth. "Who was she?"

The Founder shakes her head. "The dead don't like being spoken about. We've all had to learn that the hard way."

"What... Happened to her?"

The Founder's eyes trail to the edge of the island. "She said she had a way back... Jumped right off the island. I spent hours waiting for her, expecting good news but..." The Founder inhales sharply. "Something is down there. It took her appearance, promised me safety. It even knew... What I had told her."

You shudder at that. "I don't doubt that could happen." It reminds you eerily of the Witherstorm speaking in Olivia's voice. "Something... Did something similar to me. I was lucky enough to still have the person it was mimicking."

The Founder laughs, a sort of strange, almost dry noise. "If only we could be somewhere without the Void... But we live with it. Maybe one day we will see a time when the laws are a hazy memory. Maybe we could even laugh about this." The Founder shakes her head.

"We could help you. If we figure out how to make a portal—"

"That's what she promised too." The Founder laughs again, a sort of strained, sad sound. "No, you'll only get yourself killed. It... It has to be this way. I... It has to be me that risks my life. It's my burden. She gave it to me..." The Founder seems to murmur that last part before clearing her throat. "This is my responsibility. My people. My... burden." She shakes her head.

"Just let me—" You try to say.

"I've heard enough." The Founder's words are firm. She steps back to the throne room and it takes you a moment to follow her. You catch a glimpse of your dazed group.

"We may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I think we can talk about this now." Axel pipes up.

"Yes, let's discuss this properly!" Ivor begins. "If you would—"

"I've made my decision." The Founder looks to you for a moment, a gleam of something, almost like sorrow, in her eye. "While you may very well not intend harm, our laws must be respected. Until I have determined the full truth of this matter, you and your companions are to be detained."

"What?!" Lukas shouts. "We can talk this out, Aiden is going to—"

"And take their inventories too. While I would hope you are honorable enough to not use them, the law is the law for a reason." The Founder's words are stern. "Cooperate and it should only last a day."

"I wanted to help you." You plead as one of the guards takes up your arms. The Founder shakes her head.

"You can help me now by going quietly." Is the last thing the Founder says before the guards are on you, pulling you away from her gaze. The next moments are a haze, guards barking at you to give up your inventories, before leading you into a small cell. It's at least large enough for you to not bump into each other with every movement.

"I regret this. I regret this so hard." Axel groans as you catch the guard from earlier, Reginald, looking through your inventory. You can recognize him off his thick brows, dark green eyes, and black, curling mustache. Lukas snorts and Axel slugs him. "Aren't you also in the same boat?"

"Sorry. I'm just laughing at the fact you wanted to do this!" Lukas can't keep the laughter in. Axel rolls his eyes.

"I should have followed Olivia. She's probably doing something much cooler."

"Yeah." Lukas admits with a shrug. "Not much we can do about it now."

"This makes no sense! The Eversource is supposed to make endless materials! Something isn't adding up!" Ivor breaks through your conversation. You shake your head.

"She didn't seem to be lying to me. It has to have a limit or something."

"Why didn't you ask her?!" Ivor shouts. Reginald stops his sorting for a moment to glare at you in confusion, thick black eyebrows raising as he does.

"I was busy trying to plead our case." You half-lie. Ivor scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"And look where that got us." Ivor crosses his arms and pouts.

"Aww, are you mad because you didn't get your treasure?" Axel seems genuine at first before snorting at the end of it. "It's kinda cute."

"I AM NOT CUTE!" Ivor shouts in utter indignation.

"He's cute when he's argumentative." Lukas adds. Ivor sputters angrily for a moment before huffing and turning away. "Well, there goes our only entertaining avenue. Anyone wanna tell ghost stories or something? I have a good one but I can't remember how it ends."

"How'd it start?" Axel asks.

"Mmh... A guy's running through the woods. Night's come too fast and they need to stay somewhere or else the zombies and skeletons will be on them. Eventually, they find a house, and the door's wide open. They run in, shut the door, catch their breath, all of that. Anyway, they look around in the house and they scream and I can't remember why..." Lukas puts his hand under his chin.

"Maybe that was the point? You don't know why they screamed and it makes you scared?" You suggest.

"That doesn't make me scared, it just makes me bored." Axel huffs. "At least describe something shuffling around on too many feet or something!"

"I told you I forgot the ending." Lukas rolls his eyes. "Hm, Petra told me a few mining tunes once..."

"Dare you to sing one." Axel slugs Lukas. Lukas sighs before taking in a deep breath. He sputters incoherently for a moment before looking at Axel like a rabbit that's just had its burrow invaded. "Hey, it'll at least be better than how I do it... Wait, did Aiden make fun of you for that too? I swear, I'm gonna throw him so hard he—"

"Axel, don't." Lukas puts his hand on Axel's arm. You catch Reginald observing your group, too preoccupied to notice the block in his hand has fallen onto the floor in its inactive form. Axel sighs.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised is what I'm saying. But who cares if you do it badly? It's not like we have anything else to do. Also, I don't really... Care if you suck at it?" Axel shrugs. "I mean, don't tell Olivia but her handwriting is so mechanical it hurts my eyes."

Lukas laughs. "Well, they're also better sung in a group, if I remember right... It'll sound weird with just me singing it. But if you insist..." He does his best to clear his throat. You catch Reginald peering at you all, almost leaning in to get a better vantage point. You expect him to brush his short black hair under his hat to avoid it somehow curling into his eyes. Why does it have a little yellow egg symbol on it? "Come nightfall, we retreat to our deepest dark. Take what the caves have given us and give them the light of our brilliant sun. Come, embark, and we'll see you again come sunrise." Lukas sings it gently but you can tell he would probably belt out the lyrics if he was fonder of it.

"Did it have anything more to that?" Axel leans in. Lukas shrugs.

"I think it was about... Going deeper, finding things?" Lukas hums, thinking of something. "I've got another one, I think I remember it."

"About?" Axel raises his brow.

"From the Farlands to the sea they'll never find me, I voyage never ending. With the world as my canvas, I take my feet as a brush, and have no need for mending. Come with me, I'll show you things few have ever seen. Beyond the sculk and beyond the sea, there is something I may have never come to glean." Lukas belts out the lyrics and under all of that you can barely hear the shaky anxiety that threatens to overtake it.

"May the world sleep under my feet so I can see it all, may it spare me the terror of a beast with a terrible thing on its back. To it in turn I will tell it a thousand stories, and maybe it will tell my own when I am gone."

"Sounds like someone's story." Axel comments when Lukas is done.

"If only it gave us a way out." Ivor hisses bitterly.

"Come on, you've gotta have a story or two in there." Axel nudges Ivor gently and Ivor rolls his eyes. You catch Reginald's gaze flickering back to the items in the chest. He twiddles with his mustache for a moment to look busy.

"All of them are sad and none of them help us out of here!" Ivor protests.

"I don't think we're getting out any time soon. Unless you've got some secret scheme you haven't told us about." Axel says with a shrug. "Maybe Olivia's gonna break us out?"

"Shh!" Lukas hushes Axel. It seems Reginald is busy inspecting a segment of your inventory.

"What kind of dirt is this? It doesn't seem right. Is it like that axe? It doesn't seem to be talking." Reginald holds out what you can clearly tell is sand.

"You haven't seen... Sand? It's everywhere in Boomtown! You can barely escape it. Makes a good distraction if you kick some of the top off into someone's eye." Axel points to his good eye and mimes covering it in pain.

"It did look like there was nothing but dirt and grass here." You admit.

"Are you kidding me?! You're explaining sand to the guy who's locked us up! I refuse to engage in this nonsense!" Ivor snaps, crosses his arms with a huff, and turns away.

"Be careful where you place it, that stuff is nasty when it falls on you." Axel adds.

"It... It can fall when it's placed?" Reginald shudders and places the block a few blocks above one of the chests. It falls right on top of it. "Nothing here does that!"

"Well, only it and gravel does that back home. I hate it, honestly. Only thing sand is good for is TNT." Axel crosses his arms.

"TNT?" Reginald asks.

"You don't even have that?!" Axel gapes his mouth open. "Wow, this really is a terrible place!" Reginald rolls his eyes at that.

"To be fair, they don't really have any... Opportunity to destroy anything recreationally." Lukas suggests and Axel shrugs.

"Still, it sounds awful. I mean, you're stuck on an island and you can't even have a little bit of fun with it?" Axel steps to the bars of the cell. "You don't even have sand! I mean... Sand does suck, as I said, but, it's crazy to think you don't have it!"

"From what I'm hearing, I'm not missing much." Reginald picks the sand block back up and turns it in his hand.

"Listen, I know it's pretty typical of prisoners to say this," You step to the bars and put your hands on them, "but you need to let us out. Who knows what Aiden and his buddies are planning!"

"And who knows what you could be planing as well. I'm with the Founder on this one." Reginald shakes his head.

"Why not also take Aiden and his friends in custody too, then? I heard that he was saying things to people, convincing them to turn against the Founder!" Your words are enough to make Reginald jolt back for a moment.

"What?" Ivor suddenly pipes up. "Why didn't you tell us this?"

"It was when we got separated. We had... Bigger issues!" You sputter. Your eyes meet Reginald. "The axe, hand me its blade. You take the handle, I can show you what they've said." You hold your hand through the gap in the bars. Reginald looks at you like you've gone mad.

"Are you crazy?" Reginald's voice is shuddery.

"I can't hurt you with the blade in my hand." You offer. Reginald looks over your group for a moment.

"I... Isn't it alive? Was it there too?"

"Oh." You pull your hand back as you realize. "Just... Hold it. Or keep it in your inventory. And... Well, brace yourself. It's definitely a doozy the first time." With that Reginald awkwardly retrieves Clarity, his shoulders tensing in anticipation. You watch him nearly drop it for a moment. There are a few strange, tense moments as he seems to stare at it without a single word.

"I think you just shattered his whole view of reality." Axel whispers in your good ear. "You good, Reggie?"

"Ah..." Reginald slowly sets Clarity on the ground and looks at your group. "I think I saw more than you meant for me to."

You tense. "I... Yeah, it's.. It's a lot, isn't it?"

"You have a town... And it's—there's no Void, there's just—endless ground. And there was a monster once? It... It swallowed the whole damn sky!" Reginald shudders. "And Aiden—"

"Yeah." Lukas grits his teeth and shakes his head. "He stalked us. He took the same way we did here. I suppose it's a good thing Olivia ran through that portal, who knows what he'd do without us here?" Lukas rubs the back of his neck.

"Who knows what he's doing now." You say. Reginald's eyes trail the still healing wound on Lukas' face.

"I thought I was just... Paranoid." Reginald scoops Clarity back up. He looks over the cell for a few moments. "Let's say, hypothetically, I'm incredibly stressed. I turn around to get you prisoners bread and—well, do you see where I'm going with this?" Reginald puts Clarity in your hands.

These people are in danger. Clarity's voice echoes strangely. Reginald nearly jolts. Right. Forgot about that.

"And you leave the door unlocked." You finish the thought, fully pulling Clarity away from Reginald's fingers. "Pretty understandable mistake, if you ask me."

"Or I could punch the bars really hard and you panic and run away and try to find someone?" Axel shrugs. You raise an eyebrow. "What? Less likely for him to get the blame that way."

"The Founder would understand... And if she doesn't, well, I'd be willing to sacrifice my freedom for my City." Reginald shakes his head before flicking a lever. You watch the iron bars rise. "Stop Aiden. Hurry."

"What about the Eversource? He might be trying to steal it right now!" Lukas pipes up. "You need to show us where it is."

"I need to figure out what's going on with my people." Reginald looks down the hall. "I'll handle the outside, you figure out what's going on in here. Protect the Eversource."

"We'll do our best." You nod.

"Yeah! If Aiden's there I'm so kicking his ass!" Axel sounds like he's about to crack his knuckles clean in half.

"I, uh, appreciate the enthusiasm? I suppose?" Reginald shrugs. "Just... Get your things and get going." With that, he takes his leave, rushing down the hallway. You step to the chests and sort through them. Axel takes up the chest next to you with reckless abandon and nearly hits Lukas with a sand block.

"You don't... Still want the Eversource after all this, right Ivor?" Lukas asks as Axel passes his inventory to him. Ivor huffs and crosses his arms.

"Well—" Ivor sputters.

"The people need it?" Lukas reminds him. "Are we seriously going to take that from them?"

"Can I at least see it?!" Ivor seems to not even be sure of what he's saying. Lukas shrugs.

"As long as it doesn't go in your inventory, sure." Those words have Ivor in a whole huffing fit. "Come on, Ivor."

"At least let me mourn!"

"Aren't we supposed to be getting out of here? This prison break is sucking more by the minute." Axel interrupts.

You know it's bad when he's the voice of reason. Clarity deadpans in the back of your head. You roll your eyes.

Once you have your inventories together, you sneak through the halls. You do your best to duck away from the guards while also trying to remember where the throne room was last. Supposedly those minecarts led to the Eversource, but how were you going to be sure of that? If only there was a map...

Well, at least it wasn't like last time with the mob grinder. Although, that's not a very high bar. It's enough to make you wonder where Olivia and Petra are. Some part of you panics for a moment before you shove it down, reminding yourself where you are.

You enter the throne room through a set of brilliant, gold rimmed iron doors. Someone here must have definitely been one for consistency and style. It's strange, wouldn't they be against that? Or perhaps the iron was easier to come by than wood?

"Keep your voice down, we don't know if we're alone in here." Ivor shuts the door as you, Lukas, and Axel sneak in. You are about to step forward before Axel stops you, motioning his foot weirdly. Your feet seem to have been squealing against the floor. You try to pitter patter across the floor a lot quieter.

"I'm not seeing anyone." Lukas peers around. You watch Axel perk up, like he's heard something you haven't. If you focus, you feel the distant vibrations of a few sets of feet. Some of the footfalls feel familiar...

Lukas turns to you and you catch someone flight-footed and fast rushing up behind him. You yelp out a quick "Lukas—!" right as they smack him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. You catch the visage of someone unfamiliar standing over him and you tense, expecting the Blaze Rods.

"No, no!" Someone shouts and rushes to their side. You catch Milo pulling away the stranger and they nearly whack him in the face. "He's not with the Founder!"

"That's what Aiden—"

"I don't care what Aiden said!" Milo hisses as the stranger squirms in his grip. Another set of hands grab their other shoulder as they begin to fight Milo off, a set of fingers too long to be fully human. You watch the stranger stop and go limp as Olivia's fingers grip them.

"You know, when Axel said something about a prison break, I didn't expect him to actually do it that fast." Olivia lets go of the stranger and they retreat behind Milo. You catch a few peering eyes behind Olivia and Milo. Petra slinks out of the crowd and she looks to you.

"We were going to rescue you." She admits.

"How'd you get out?" Olivia asks.

"It's a long story." You kneel down to help Lukas to his feet. "But it's honestly not as interesting as you imagine."

I doubt the Founder is lying. Clarity breaks through your mind.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have some extra allies to help us." Milo's group funnels around him. "I'll give Aiden one thing, his little frenzy here has finally given us a chance to take the Eversource for ourselves."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" You ask.

"You don't know what the Founder's been doing." Olivia shakes her head before pointing at Milo. "She locked him in prison just for one of his blocks falling off the edge. For an accident!"

Your mouth coils into a grimace. "She... Did give us the same penalty for the bridge."

"See! That's ridiculous!" Petra does her best not to shout. "Any decent leader would tell their people that this is an exception! How can you obey a law you don't know about?!"

You don't really have any way to protest against that. There is a good point there. You did try to plead your case and it still went nowhere. You just sigh.

"With our combined forces, we can fix this. We can stop Aiden and we can help our people!" Milo offers his hand to you. "I was told you were a leader. Help me."

You look back to your group.

"Well, we could still turn this around. A rebellion does sound pretty cool." Axel comments. Ivor huffs. "And you can hand out the Eversource."

"That's not what I want." Ivor glares at Axel.

"Whatever. I'm in." Axel says and Milo grins from ear to ear.

Something's not clicking. I feel we're missing something. Clarity speaks up. You try to think of something to reassure it, but find nothing. Reginald seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. I don't think he's a pawn in a tyrant's game.

Well, we're about to figure it out, I suppose. You offer to Clarity. "I'll help you." You say to Milo. "How about you, Lukas?"

"I don't really see any other option." Lukas shrugs. "Let me see if I can find where the minecarts were again..." He murmurs and walks off.

"Ivor?" You ask.

"I'm only coming for the Eversource." He hisses.

"Wowwww. Never thought I'd see him so whiny." Petra laughs a little. Olivia steps to Lukas' side and you watch Lukas push his hands against the door.

"It needs something to power it... Or maybe..." Olivia starts to look around the palace. "Milo, keep an eye out for us."

"I've got several." Milo boasts. "Cover our backs, Build Club!" He orders and you watch his group take positions to keep lookout.

"Well, I suppose that means we should fan out." You whisper at the group. Ivor slumps by the door. "Or... We could do that?" You sigh. Axel follows Olivia around like a parrot trying to find a good perch. If you were a secret lever or button... Where would you be?

You shrug and head behind the throne, looking around. Without the Founder, you can get a good look at this place. It seems Ivor has noticed that as well, stepping to a good position behind you. You catch a small, encased strip of lava and water with cobblestone in the middle.

"Wow, a cobblestone generator? I haven't seen one of these in person. Just in the books." You mutter and reach for the cobblestone. Ivor examines it.

"Amazing, isn't it? To think that lava and water placed perfectly can make such a resource infinitely!" Ivor comments excitedly and you wave for him to tone it down. You can't have some of the guards getting curious now. Ivor rolls his eyes and you turn your eyes to the sprawling Void.

"It just... Goes on forever." You stare at the clouds, trying to ignore the drop that threatens to make your stomach follow its initiative. Ivor steps to your side, looking at it as well. You catch his eyes wandering beyond it and into his thoughts.

"It reminds me of the End." He admits. "To think there is a world that is warmer that has the same emptiness all around it... Fascinating. What a privilege it is to live without the Void at every side." He shakes his head.

"We don't need the Eversource as much as they do." You force your eyes to take in the Void below. Ivor opens his mouth in protest. "We have the ground, we still have resources. They're... limited but we're recovering." Ivor shuts his mouth.

You stare at the Void longer, hearing Ivor breathe strangely, like he's remembering something. His eyes turn to the Void every so often, as if expecting something to fly free from it. You wonder if he's thinking of the dragon. Maybe that face stealing thing could fly.

"Did my own people think about me this way?" You ask. Did they whisper of a rebellion over the resources you allocated for months? "I mean, I could stop rationing, but..." You look to the Void again.

"The Eversource is supposed to be infinite." Ivor hisses. "Something is wrong with the Founder."

She didn't feel wrong to me. Clarity suggests. You just shrug.

"Well, I'm not seeing any secret way in around here." You sigh. "Let's see if Olivia's found anything." You step back into the throne room, catching Olivia reaching for something. When she pushes on the wall the right way, a lever slides out of it.

"Seems they've come prepared for thieves." Olivia looks at you and to the lever. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah, go on." You gesture at her and she pulls the lever.

"Are people like her normal where you're from?" Milo asks as the iron doors open and a horde of minecarts shutter through.

"Engineers?" You ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Pointy?"

"Not really. It's actually a long story—" You hope that's enough to get Milo to stop asking.

"A very unpleasant story." Olivia glares at you in such a way you swear you catch her irises turning to slits through the goggles on her helmet. "I don't know your customs, but it's very rude to ask people stuff like that back where I'm from."

"I apologize..." Milo rubs the back of his neck. "We'll take the minecarts, the rest of my allies will follow you on foot. We don't want to make too much noise."

"Ugh, why do you get to do it?" One of Milo's group perks up.

"I promised to help them. Besides, the less people who are down there, the less who risk being caught. Watch our backs." Milo hops into one of the minecarts. You shrug and order your group to follow along.

The ride down the island is awkward. You've never be one for minecarts, but this makes you almost wish you were on the Nether rail. At least the Nether rail didn't threaten to throw you in the Void at certain points. It makes you feel like the people who will follow on foot are the lucky ones.

You stop at a segment of fence and catch an opening to the Void before you catch the sprawling chests in the small chamber. It's nothing fancy, just a small stone alcove with grass blocks lining the floor. You hesitantly pull yourself out of the minecart and to the chests. The sheer amount of them is enough to get you to raise an eyebrow. You catch the signs and Olivia steps over behind you, squinting at them.

"They've put mobs in chests?" Olivia asks.

"That's literally impossible." Petra deadpans, crossing her arms.

"With the Eversource, nothing is impossible!" Ivor says excitedly. "Oh, this is so amazing! Who knows what could be in there!"

"I'd say start with the sheep one. Just in case Olivia's right." Lukas suggests. "I do not want to deal with a creeper right now."

"Can't believe I'm agreeing with you on that, but yeah. Start with the sheep one." Axel gently pushes you to the chest.

"...What is a sheep?" Milo asks as you open the sheep chest. You raise an eyebrow as you pull out an egg that feels almost... Oddly fluffy? The egg seems to almost have a sheep's face on it.

"Oh this is so weird." You try your best not to drop the egg and hold it up to your group. "What is this? It's like... A sheep egg?"

"Sheep don't lay eggs, though!" Axel protests. Olivia examines it before shrugging.

"Throw it and see what happens." She says.

"How would a sheep even fit in there?" Petra narrows her eyes in a squint. You shrug before chucking the 'sheep egg' at the wall. You watch the egg shatter and disappear and a white, fluffy sheep falls to the ground, fully grown. It shakes its body and sits down, nibbling at grass that's not there.

"Is.. is that a monster? That is not so bad. It is fluffy." Milo approaches the sheep slowly.

"Not a monster, but I'd still be careful." You step in front of Milo. "Who knows what's going on in its mind." You do not want to see someone get taken into the Void by a panicked sheep today. Lukas shuffles through the chests and pulls out a few of the eggs.

"They seem to have the face of the mobs they spawn on them, look!" He holds out two, one with ears and sandy fur, and one that's a yellowy orange with a dark red almost fire-esque pattern on the bottom.

"So she can spawn whatever she wants?" Petra continues to stare at the eggs as Lukas steps to put the eggs back.

"That's where they get the resources? They... Kill the mobs and take their drops?" Olivia offers.

"Sounds exhausting." Your mind goes back to the grinder. But with limited resources...

"We could do it together, then! Maybe set up farms with these... Sheeps? What do they do?" Milo points to the sheep.

"They eat grass?" Axel shrugs.

"Well, they provide wool and meat." Lukas shrugs. "Well, if I wasn't conserving my iron right now, I could shear it. They regrow the wool and we usually make clothing and beds out of it."

"We could have... More food." Milo narrows his eyes. "We've been rationing our food and we could have a sheep farm any day now?"

"The Eversource has to be around here somewhere! We're close to it, now! Stay on your toes!" Ivor seems to be so excited you expect him to jump out of his skin. You look through the chamber and catch the shuffling of small feet on your good side. You duck and try to follow the noise.

A small, white thing rushes out from behind an inlet of grass blocks. You look at it as it examines you, catching a white chicken dressed very regally, with a golden crown and red brooch. You raise an eyebrow.

"Of course." Ivor steps to your side. "The eggs, it all makes sense now! Amazing!"

"Wow." Milo approaches the Eversource and kneels down to its level. You watch the Eversource sit down and start to preen its feathers.

"It's... A chicken?" You ask.

"That can't be it." Petra shakes her head. "We don't even have any evidence that it's—"

An egg materializes right next to the chicken.

"Do you ever wonder how they do that? Do they summon it with their mind or something?" Axel asks as you pick up the egg gently, examining it. It seems to have ears and fluff, but doesn't resemble the egg Lukas had before quite exactly. It looks almost like a tuxedo cat.

"Don't throw it, we don't know what it is." Olivia reaches out her hand. "I don't know why I'm surprised, considering everything back home..."

"I mean, do chickens have an inventory or something? Or do the eggs just materialize on a timer? I have a lot of questions." Axel continues.

"Does anyone here look like a biologist?" Petra puts her arms out exasperatedly. You notice how unbothered the Eversource seems, still preening its pristine white feathers.

"It seems very well cared for." You reach your hand out gently to the Eversource and it leans into your hand. "See? It's very socialized."

"She cares more for a chicken than us!" Milo hisses. "Just... Take it. It's the people's now."

You gently position your hands under the Eversource. It doesn't seem to fight you as you scoop it up. Clarity wonders how much time the Founder spends with it if it's so tolerant of human contact. You pull the chicken to your chest and it starts to nuzzle its head against you.

A yelp cuts through the air. You tense, barely catching the blur of Olivia being thrown somewhere behind you. Petra lunges for whatever's done it and you barely catch a glimpse of her before she's a blur in the air. Axel doesn't even get to react before he's thrown as well. Lukas seems to search for the source before he's thrown. Milo and Ivor dive to your side in a panic and they're blurs in the corner of your eye soon enough.

The Founder steps through the clearing dust, in a fighting stance. One of her arms juts out, as if daring you to step forward. Guards spill out from behind her and you watch Aiden step to her side, chortling at the sight.

"What did I tell you? Can't you see it?" Aiden shakes his head. Olivia grabs him and tackles him to the ground and one of the guards approaches her. Every quill on her back stands erect and they back off, looking for a vantage point.

"You don't understand." Olivia starts. "We can talk this—"

"Absolutely not!" Milo stands back up, dusting himself off. "You may have your fancy guards and your... You're working with him?" Milo catches Aiden struggling under Olivia's grip.

"Let him go." The Founder's words are sharp.

"Don't." Reginald steps out from behind the Founder. "I told you, he's bad news!"

"He's at least not trying to steal the Eversource!" The Founder cries out.

"The Eversource belongs to the people of Sky City!" Milo shouts and you hear several rushing footsteps. Several of Milo's group tackle the guards, their long weapons clattering to the ground. Some of the guards hold their own against the rebels, while others fall onto the ground. A few of the rebels take up the weapons.

"Stop this, Milo!" Reginald shouts. "We can all come to an agreement."

"We may share an enemy, but I think you've forgotten you're also our enemy." Milo's eyes narrow. Olivia keeps a grip on Aiden and his pleading eyes turn to Lukas.

"Where are your buddies, Aiden?" Lukas hisses. "Did they finally wise up and leave you behind?"

One of the rebels points the blade of the weapon towards Milo. "It took you this long to actually lead us."

"What?" Milo's words are quiet. He presses against your side and the Eversource leaps out of your hands and dives back for its little enclave. It shivers in a corner, wings flairing.

"You know, Aiden told us a lot about how you liked to dawdle. And look at you, palling around with tyrants from another world." The rebel's grip on the blade tightens. "That half monster hasn't even taken off her mask."

You catch some of the other rebels looking around. Some of them step to the one under Aiden's pull while the others shake their head.

"She's from above!" One of them pleads.

"Something from above wouldn't hide its face." The rebel turns to Olivia, holding the blade to her. "We've dealt with a monster that took human form before. At least it still showed us its face."

"You..." The Founder looks to Aiden. "Is it true? You've told my people to turn against me?"

"I would never, Founder!" Aiden pleads. Olivia glares at him.

"You told us we could finally be free! You did more for us than Milo ever did!" A rebel cries out.

"He's mad!" Milo shouts. "He's a tyrant!"

"You don't get to tell us that, anymore." The rebel hisses, pressing the blade close to Milo's shoulder. "Get out of our way, traitor."

"We helped you!" Petra shouts. The rebel just laughs.

"You're leading us into the maw of a monster!" The rebel turns to the Founder. "Go on. You know what a monster looks like, don't you? Take off that thing's scarf."

"What?" The Founder shakes her head. One of the rebels starts to cut the fencing blocking off the hole in the wall. The Founder's gaze turns to Olivia. "I don't have to believe you..."

"Let us agree on one thing." The rebel laughs, a sort of strained noise. "Aiden said that monster had rows and rows of teeth. That it could bite straight through metal."

"Don't listen to Aiden!" You shout. You catch Reginald tensing and stepping back. The Founder looks to him.

"What did it show you?!" The Founder pleads. Aiden squirms under Olivia's grip and pulls the scarf straight off her face. She shrieks and releases him, hands pressing against her face. You watch some of the Founder's guards rush past the rebels and one of them pulls Olivia's hands from her face. She tries to slash at them and barely misses.

"IT'S REAL!" The guard shrieks, pulling away. You watch Olivia's mouth gape open, too many rows of glowing teeth greeting your eyes. The Founder shrieks, pressing against her guards.

"Get it off the island!" She screams. You watch some of the rebels step away from the guards while a few stand stiller than statues, eyes frozen in horror. "I WANT THAT THING GONE NOW!"

You step in front of Olivia, holding Clarity in front of you. "She's not a monster!"

"It almost gouged out my eye!" A guard shrieks. "We know monsters!"

"She's not a monster!" Reginald pleads. "Founder, listen—"

"This has to happen!" The Founder screams. Somewhere, you hear Aiden laugh. You tense up more, fingers gripping onto Clarity so hard your knuckles turn white under your armor.

"Don't!" Petra shouts, slamming one of the guards into the wall. The Founder grabs her and shoves her away. You watch Axel debate diving in but the Founder's eyes meet his and he pulls back. Olivia presses against the wall.

"Stop this!" Milo shouts and you can't tell who he's pleading to anymore. "I..." He looks to Olivia. "No, you're... You're not like that monster! I saw you!"

"That's the thing that mauled me." Aiden hisses. "Look at it! See how it plots!" All you can see is Olivia doing her best to cling to the wall for dear life.

"She's our friend!" You shout. More of the guards surround you. "Don't you fucking touch her!"

Lukas grabs Aiden by the shoulders and slams him against the wall. You hear Aiden do his best impression of a terrified rabbit. "Tell her to stop before I throw you off this island myself!"

"You don't get to boss me around anymore." Aiden hisses.

"I'll kill you." Lukas hisses. Aiden laughs and you watch Aiden hit the wall again, this time shrieking in genuine pain. That's enough to get the Founder to turn her head. One of the rebels jumps at Lukas, tackling him to the ground.

"No, no!" Milo yells, trying to move forward. The blade of the long handled weapon digs into his shoulder. He roars like a wounded animal and grabs the weapon, throwing the rebel off enough for him to duck under it and rush to Lukas' side. One of the guards tackles him to the ground.

"She's not a monster!" Ivor pleads. "I'm why she looks like that!" Ivor shouts, trying to fight through the guards. They seem to form a sort of tight knit barrier.

"Stand down, Jesse." The Founder orders. Your grip on Clarity tightens.

"Listen to Reginald." You hiss. The Founder's eyes turn to him.

"Clearly, your axe has driven him mad." Her words make Reginald step back. He shakes his head.

"No, no, I—I know the truth! I saw what Jesse saw, she was human—" Reginald pleads and the Founder shakes her head.

"That's what they want you to think." The Founder's words are almost tired sounding. She turns her eyes back to you. "Step away from it."

"Stop calling her an it!" Petra shouts. You hear more guards swarm the chamber, pressing in from every side. Your eyes trail over them, realizing with horror that you can't protect anyone from this, let alone Olivia. You turn to her, eyes pleading for something.

"What have you done?!" A rebel shouts. "They're on us now! Aiden!"

Aiden looks up at them, somehow not even dazed from what's happened. "You really think I worked for you? I'm with the Founder!"

"What!?"

"I told you!" Milo shouts. "He's led you to your doom!"

A thousand arms grab you. You try to slash at them but they just force you to the ground. The rebels bolt then, some of the guards catching them, while the rest manage to escape. You're pulled away from Olivia, your eyes pleading and locked onto her.

A strange gasp escapes her and she looks like she's heaving out smoke. One of the guards hits her in the jaw and she stops.

"Founder, please—!" Reginald shouts. "You wouldn't—you wouldn't do this!"

"I'm sorry they've led you wrong." The Founder shakes her head. Aiden stares at the guards as they drag Olivia by the arms. She tries to fight them, but there's enough of them to hold her still.

"I HOPE YOU FUCKING BURN!" Axel screams at the Founder and she just stares at him.

"This is for the best." Her eyes turn back to the endless Void. Olivia claws desperately, even as the guards throw her off the edge. You watch the Void swallow her like a hungry beast and you scream like you've never screamed before.

The Founder just killed her. She just killed Olivia. You rush forward and the Founder grabs you by the arm and throws you to the ground. The glint in her eye is not unlike someone scolding a fresh spawn. You can't get a single word out, only shrieks and sobs.

"Go to hell!" Petra shouts. "YOU JUST KILLED HER!"

"If Reginald is right, your friend's been dead. It was just wearing her face." The Founder shakes her head. "I hope for your sake you're just misguided."

"Go find a hole to die in." Petra snaps. "Fuck you!"

"She never hurt you. She—she wasn't a monster!" You scream at the Founder. "But you are!"

Aiden laughs somewhere from behind you. You glare at him.

"No wonder you trusted Aiden. You... You're the same as him!" You shout at the Founder and she just stands there. Some of the guards funnel away. Reginald just stares, his jaw slack and his body shivering. You watch the Eversource slowly creep out of its little enclave and Aiden scoops it up.

"Hm, I don't know which way that should insult me, Jesse." Aiden pets the Eversource on the back of its head and steps to a chest. "I have to say, while I've enjoyed the show, I don't think I'm quite satisfied yet." You catch an egg in his hand, one with a creeper's face.

"What are you on about?" Lukas hisses. "Haven't you had enough? You won, you got your little 'show' or whatever you wanted! You've secured your place in the lowest pit of hell!"

"Lukas, you know, I already feel badddd enough." Aiden shakes his head. The Founder catches the egg in his hand. "But I'm just getting started."

"You... What?" The Founder begins right as Aiden launches the egg at her. You watch a creeper pop into existence. The Founder readies a sword right as the thing explodes, sending her almost entirely through the gap. She barely manages to grab a hold of the island.

"You—" Lukas hisses and hits Aiden in the face. You watch some of the captured rebels fight against the guards, while the others stand still, watching in shock. Aiden and Lukas grab each other, trying to push each other to the ground. As the rest of your group tries to intervene, a few of the rebels manage to worm out of the guards' grip and manages to keep them busy.

You look to the Founder and wonder if the Void swallowing her whole would be what she deserves. Your friend is fighting a battle and you don't know if you can just let him do it alone. But she'll die, won't she? But isn't that what she deserves for what she's done?

Your blood boils at the sight of her.

She can figure out her own way back on the island if she wants to live that bad. After what she's done? You don't care. You can't. It makes you feel monstrous for a moment, but you can't. You won't.

You rush to Lukas' side, mind still burning and reeling from what had happened. Olivia's last moments of terror, the cruelty Aiden and the Founder had shown, all of it floods your mind. Lukas pulls away from Aiden just a moment to reposition himself and you take the opportunity, slamming your fist into Aiden's jaw. That's enough to knock him out of Lukas' loosening grip and to the floor.

Aiden spits blood out of his mouth. You watch Lukas step back, eyes turning in horror as Aiden hacks up one of his teeth. You recoil in turn, the momentary desire for his damnation replaced by the horror of drawn blood.

You catch the sounds of commotion. Guards, rebels, all fighting. Somewhere in the haze you catch your allies trying to stay untrampled. Aiden stares at you for a moment, reeling in pain, before a smile crosses his lips.

"You really think you've won?" He laughs. "All you do is dig yourself deeper."

"I—" You start and look behind you, just barely catching the Founder losing her grip. You expect to feel vindicated but you just feel nothing. Your teeth grit together and you turn to Aiden.

"It's not going to bring Olivia back." Aiden laughs, a sort of strange noise. He rises to his feet, still cackling like a madman.

"You killed her!" Lukas roars and Aiden steps out of his way before he can even lunge. "Why don't you get it!? You killed her! You—"

"She was a monster." Aiden hisses.

"I think you just saw your reflection in her helmet." Lukas snaps. The outcry continues to surround you. Aiden just huffs.

"You let the Founder fall." Aiden turns to you then.

"How dare you—" You begin, scrounging for a defense. Aiden just turns his head and smirks. You stare back at him, feeling every part of your body go cold. Aiden just laughs dryly again.

"What are you going to do? Kill me? Is that your big plan? You want to walk out of here with my blood on your hands, big guy?" Aiden grabs you by the wrist. Lukas lunges then, knocking Aiden to the ground and you feel yourself slip. Your hands pry for solid ground and you can barely pull yourself back to the island.

Aiden squirms under Lukas' grip. You try to fight back the memories of the last time you'd been on the edge. At least that time there was still solid ground. You pull your legs over the threshold, heaving as you do and resisting every urge to turn your head to the Void.

Aiden slams his fist into Lukas' neck, which is enough to get Lukas to flinch just the right amount for him to worm free. You try to rise to your feet right as Aiden throws Lukas against the wall. Aiden seems to shrug off what he's done, stepping to you.

"You really think this makes you the hero?" You rasp at him. "You've torn a City apart... You've killed two people!"

"You let her—" Aiden begins. Your teeth click into a snarl.

"She wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place if not for you!" You shout and lunge for Aiden. He slams his foot into your stomach in just the right way to make your insides feel like they're about to spill out. You try your best not to squeal, to get your bearings, to not fall, to not feel like you're back in the worst of the Witherstorm's reign.

In the haze, you can't catch a glimpse of Aiden. You turn your eyes to Lukas, expecting him to try to go at Aiden for a round two, just to catch the whoosh of air being swept towards you as something rushes to your bad side. Then, hands clutching onto your armor, taking you with them in the moment it takes you to comprehend.

You comprehend the wind whooshing past your head before you realize the ground is no longer under your feet. Your eyes look to the land, to find something to grasp, something to call for. The last thing you catch is Lukas staring in horror before he scrambles away and into the sea of bodies.

The worst part?

You don't blame him.

As the wind spills past your body, you wonder what the Founder thought on the way down. Did she think about what she had done to Olivia? Did she regret it? Did she die thinking it was the right call? Or maybe she is still alive, falling forever. Was that your fate as well? Who knows until it's upon you?

You turn your eyes to the ground, or at least where it should be. You catch a few clouds drifting past, almost lazily. The City was that high, high enough to be just above a part of the clouds. How surreal to think of it, to be so high that you like beyond the clouds' beginning. In an attempt to get an idea of your distance from the City, you catch a few clouds way up high, some like a dark, terrible thing.

Could the City survive a storm? Had they before? Were they spared storms up until now? Was it... Always doomed? Of course you would think that, of course you would rather it always be doomed than to bring its downfall with you. Your teeth click back into a grimace.

You really expected your life to flash past your eyes. Like in the stories and all that. All you can think of now is how you'd been pulled from the brink of death before. How ironic to survive something seemingly worse and to be done in like this. But that's how it goes, doesn't it? One day it would be a zombie, or you'd fall off a build, or get too cocky and—

You look back to the ground. More clouds pass you. You wonder how long it'll take you to reach... Whatever kills you in the Void. Or maybe it will be starvation. It makes you almost hope for the ground to take you. At least that's instant death. At least you'll—

I think we're going to be here a while. Clarity suddenly pipes up. The fear dissipates and you start to wonder when death will take you. It's almost like you're waiting for someone to do something for you more than your own death.

Those words make you think. Your continued existence combines with the concept and you find yourself shouting, "Olivia! Hey? Are we stuck here forever? We might as well talk before we starve, right?" You turn your eyes down as you do. Nothing greets your ears beyond the wind.

Even if we fall forever, you will never make it to her. She fell way before you. Clarity speaks and you realize, fuck, it's right. Goddamn physics. So much for spending an eternity with friends. Who knows what will happen to your friends up there too. Will Lukas survive Aiden's onslaught? He's likely the first target! What about Reginald and Milo? The rest of your friends... Could they hold their own? You couldn't even catch a glimpse of—

Your eyes catch green. Blue. A trailing flow of lava. Your heart jumps into your throat, mind reeling. Death no longer on your mind once you comprehend what the blue is. Water! Holy shit it's water! You're not going to die, as long as you aim yourself right!

Great. Water again. You hear Clarity hiss in your mind and you can't tell if it's a joke or not. You can't exactly blame it, having to swim to dry land in armor sounds awful. Especially if some of it gets inside. That'll be so fun. Sarcasm? Clarity asks and you try to roll your eyes into the back of your skull.

You do your best to aim your feet towards the water and brace yourself. Last time, you'd managed to swim through the water, but that was high on adrenaline and whatever Clarity managed to dump into your system. If anyone would know, it would be Olivia... Did she survive? She had to have been smart enough to aim for the water, right?

Although, knowing her luck, maybe her Wither anatomy kicked in and she's learned to fly. You fight back a snort and return to desperately aiming for the water. If only you could have a power like that, if only—

Water rushes past every part of you. You choke and sputter for a moment. If Petra were here she'd be laughing one moment and then dragging you out the next. Instead, you shove your head above the water, taking in a hefty breath. Hopefully you'll have enough time to clear out the water from your armor.

How will you even get back up? You have to. Skies above, what could Aiden be doing up there? To your friends, to the townspeople?! Your teeth grit. How many of the fallen had survived? Were you about to find Olivia as inventory? The... Founder? Maybe she didn't deserve it. Maybe she did. You didn't know how to pull it apart.

You pull yourself to the land, hiss and wish for a sponge, and peel off your armor. It takes you a moment to pour it all out back into the lake. You're not going to make a good fighter waterlogged. If only you could do the same for your clothes. Unfortunately, sponges were not in your packing plans. Idiot.

Once your armor is dry and back on, you take a look around. Every breath feels strange, borrowed. Where are they if they survived? Did the Founder not know how to swim and ended up drowning? You strain your good ear, turning your head around. Your eyes don't catch anyone through the edge of the woods. An entire, untouched thick forest may be a good sight back home, but when you're looking for people? Absolutely horrendous.

You step to the edge of the woods, ears still straining. Over the ringing of your terrible ear you catch a noise that takes you a good moment to recognize. Sobbing. Distorted, almost like wailing, sounding akin to a few voices overlapping, but it's still sobbing. It confirms both good news and terrible news.

You follow the noise, stopping every so often to point your good ear to it. It takes you a few agonizing minutes to arrive at its source. Your hands press against trees and it takes a lot of effort to not think you've somehow ended up back home. But wouldn't it be funny if you were? If the City sat above your own? But no, the Witherstorm would at least have been seen... But maybe...

"Olivia?" You shove back the stupid thoughts long enough to call for her. The noise stops, a few startled heaves greeting your ears as it does. You hear armored footfalls a few feet away and then catch Olivia's eyes gleaming in the shadows of the trees. She seems to loosen up when she sees you.

"Is it just you?" She asks. "How did you... Why?"

"Long story short? Aiden is a bastard. Threw me off the island because I guess one person isn't enough." You shrug. That's when you catch Olivia shivering and that her eyes aren't the only part of her that's wet. You can't exactly blame her for running for the hills the moment she climbed out of the water.

"Are you alright?" She asks and you feel your lips curl strangely into a sort of wince. Shouldn't you be asking her that? You didn't just get thrown off the island by a shit ton of guards.

"Are you hurt?" You ask, one hand outstretched to gently grab her arm. Olivia shakes her head.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'm just cold." You shrug. "You should probably dump the water out of your armor. If... You haven't already?"

Olivia wheezes suddenly and you catch smoke trailing from her mouth. You nearly jolt back, expecting her to double over like Petra does, but she just raises an eyebrow at you. You step back over to her, thanking your lucky stars that the wind seems to be pushing the smoke away from you.

"Sorry, old habit considering... Well. Petra." Your hands do half the talking. "Does it hurt? Are you okay?"

You expect Olivia to suddenly sneeze. Instead she seems to click her teeth in a strange way and a few sparks hit the ground. You jolt when you watch purple flames come to life from them. You look to Olivia, who seems to be watching the fire idly, before she takes your idea and dumps out the water in her armor. She coils around the flame.

"Uh. Could you do that the whole time?" You take off your own armor and huddle around the fire, hoping for some dryness.

"I'm not sure?" Olivia shrugs. "Great, some new weird thing is wrong with me..." She crosses her arms. You look through the canopy and back to her.

"I know Withers can shoot skulls. Is... That it? I think they're on fire and all that?" You shrug back at her. Olivia pays you with another shrug before sighing and somehow finding a way to make herself look small.

"Why? Why is there always some new thing that makes it obvious? Augh, if you're right then what does that feel like? It got easier to breathe smoke the longer I did it! I—Why?! Why did I touch that fucking Command Block!?" Olivia swipes one hand at the air and stares at you, almost as if she expects you to recoil. Instead, you press closer. She sighs. "I know. I get it, I get it already. 'You're not a monster, Olivia.' 'We care about you, Olivia.' I get it! But it doesn't solve it. It doesn't mean I recognize the thing in the mirror or that I'm not just as scared or—" Olivia buries her head in her hands.

"It... Takes time." You pat her on the shoulder. "I'm not even close to being in the same spot, but... I still expect Reuben to come squealing for me. Or for us to start preparing for Endercon again. Sometimes I get scared when I wake up because I think the Witherstorm's gonna eat me." You shake your head at that. You hope those words are at least halfway comforting.

Olivia's silent for a moment. "You know what's starting to scare me? That. Getting used to it. The word human not... Fitting me anymore. The way I think, feeling different from everyone in the damn world, and it clicks. Could—if someone gave me a way back, would it be too late for me to take it? I don't know. I'm scared. But I recognize my reflection bit by bit. I don't... Flinch at the sight anymore. Sometimes I'm glad my teeth glow and the mobs are scared of me. I didn't think... I could become someone else too."

You sigh. "I don't think there's anything to be done. But... I think that's how it is. We become able to deal with it. It doesn't matter what Aiden says or what those people did, I'm glad you're still here. I was... Everyone was scared you died. We thought you were dead! Even after all of it, we're still alive. I just... I do hope one day you can figure out some way to live with it. Or maybe a way out. But I don't... Know how to help you." Admitting that last part feels awful.

"I know you'd do whatever it takes." Olivia puts her hand on your wrist. "All of you." Her eyes meet your own. It feels strange to recognize them. You wonder if she feels the same.

You're silent even when her hand pulls away. Your eyes turn to the sky and you squint. "How are we going to get back up there?" You turn to Olivia, expecting her to have some secret flying power now, but she just shrugs.

"We'll probably have to build our way up there. Believe me, if I could fly, it would have kicked in on the way down." Olivia stares at you as if she can read your mind. You grimace strangely and then snort.

"Man, if only..." You sigh. "I'm not sure if the Founder made it down here. And what I should... Do with her after what she did." One of your hands grip your arm so hard it almost hurts. You catch Olivia pouring smoke out of her lips again in your periphery.

"She can go—I don't know. Screw her." Olivia hisses. You can't blame her, but watching the Founder fall made you feel hollow. You don't even know why. With no clear answer, you just sigh and put your armor back on, glad that you're at least not as cold and wet as you were before. You watch Olivia reach her hand to the flame before snuffing it with said hand.

"Well, we need to figure out how we're going to get enough materials to stop—" You begin before catching the sound of someone rushing towards you. Olivia stiffens, pressing close to the darkness beyond the trees.

"There you are." The Founder's voice is ragged, chest heaving. Her eyes carry something, something you think is madness at first until you catch how her green eyeshadow has run down her face. She looks like her world's been turned upside down in too many ways to count. "You—she's... I..." The Founder looks at Olivia, even as she's practically now gleaming details in the darkness, but not in a way you recognize.

"Would you like to explain?" Olivia steps out of the darkness. Despite the fact she still lacks her armor you can feel the danger wafting off her like petals in the wind. The Founder steps back but Olivia doesn't follow. "You could have—you tried to kill me!"

"She..." The Founder seems to look beyond Olivia. "She was... She tried to tell me. I thought... Oh. Oh no." And then, the Founder seems to see Olivia. Not as a monster, not as a burden, but face to face, eye to eye. You watch the Founder recoil like one would when they've realized they've burned a bridge.

"I should—I should—!" Olivia's voice rises to a roar and she looks about ready to pounce. You watch her fingers curl sharply into her palms before she puts her hands to her head, grumbling and shaking her head as she does. The Founder seems to loosen up for a moment. "You know what? I'm done!" Olivia shouts and before you can even comprehend it she's practically lunging at the Founder faster than a damn firework.

You feel simultaneously like you should and shouldn't protest as Olivia practically takes the Founder to the ground. You hear the Founder shriek as Olivia slaps her in the face a few times before she pulls back and huffs.

"My turn to beat the crap out of someone, I guess." Olivia crosses her arms and grits her teeth. The Founder takes a few moments to rise to her feet. You watch her eyes flicker to Olivia for a moment too long, and when Olivia doesn't turn her way, she looks to the trees.

"All of this time... She tried to tell me. And look at what I've done."

"If that's an apology you can swallow it." Olivia glares at the Founder. "Fuck you."

"There has to be something I can do!" The Founder cries out, almost to the sky. "I thought... I... I just wanted to protect my people." Her head turns to the ground. "I told them not to look, I warned her too... I... She..."

"What about me?" Olivia hisses. "What about protecting me?!"

"I..." The Founder begins. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"You make me almost wish the fall killed us all." Olivia shakes her head. "This sucks. All of it! I'm just mad, I didn't even get anything from giving her half of what she deserved!" Olivia seems to claw at the sky for a moment before shaking her head. "This is getting us nowhere! We need to get back up there and I don't know... I don't even know how we're going to stop Aiden. Do we kill him? I just... I could have..." Olivia looks to the Founder and she locks her teeth into a snarl. You watch the Founder shrink to the ground.

"Wait." You turn to the Founder. "Did this... Lady tell you anything about what she'd do when she found land?" Olivia looks at you for a moment before her expression relaxes. You can't blame her for forgetting the important information in the heat of the moment. The Founder's eyes take too long to meet your own.

"A temple, she... She even offered to show me when she came back. But her hands weren't—she gave me her hand and it was wrong but—"

"Just tell us where it is!" Olivia snaps and you watch her looking to you as if you need to approve her anger. The Founder's gaze flickers away.

"I... I don't know. I didn't... Listen to her that long." The Founder's words tumble out of her and you hear Olivia shriek in utter rage. She seems to pace around violently, flailing her claws at the open air. You watch the Founder tremble at the display.

"Well, I'd hope whoever made that FUCKING TEMPLE WOULD LEAVE SOME MATERIALS OR SOMETHING? A FLYING MACHINE? I DON'T KNOW?!" Olivia shouts and continues to stomp around. "AUGH! Or maybe SOME KIND OF STRESS BALL. OR MAYBE I'M LOOKING AT ONE!" Olivia's gaze turns back to the Founder.

"Remind me to not let you take an anger management class taught by Petra ever again." You feel like you should laugh that out but you just mutter it.

"Hm, I must be fulfilling her niche then. She's usually the shout-y one." Olivia's gaze falls back on the Founder. "BUT SHE ALSO DIDN'T GET THROWN OFF A FUCKING ISLAND NOW DID SHE?"

"Is there... Anything I can—" The Founder stammers as Olivia practically huffs smoke out of her nose. "Please don't hurt me again." That's enough to get Olivia to stop, recoil and slam her head against a tree trunk.

"Now I just hate myself and everything. Fun!" Olivia scowls and huffs. "Did she at least describe it? Give you some idea?"

"Something about... Grass? Plentiful grass. Please stop yelling..." The Founder shudders under Olivia's gaze.

"Alright, maybe tone it back a little. She is our only lead right now. And as much as we all loving yelling at our problems, I really doubt she can think with you yelling at her." Saying that feels awful, but you don't want to be here for hours. Olivia just sighs.

"You're lucky I hate being mad." She glares at the Founder again. "We're not going to find it in this forest if that's right." Olivia sighs before putting her armor back on. The Founder looks about ready to bound off.

"Oh no you don't," Your words are enough to make the Founder stop, "Olivia's practically a mob repellent. If you go ahead you will get swarmed." The Founder looks at you like you've sprouted another head.

"I don't have enough space in my head for any of this." The Founder shakes her head, eyes wide like she's watching something maddening. You step ahead of her and she tenses for a moment before following you out of the woods. You walk along the lake in silence for a few moments.

"Was this person you knew like me?" Olivia pipes up, her voice now curious. "Why did you think she was going to kill you?"

"She—she was this flying monster when she came back. Something that had... A face like a person." The Founder flinches at Olivia's words. When Olivia just keeps walking, the Founder relaxes a little. "What else would offer us salvation and freedom? I saw her jump off the edge... But... If I could become something that could fly, wouldn't I do the same?"

"A... You're talking about some kind of shapeshifter?" Olivia raises her eyebrow. "She was human one moment and the next something else entirely?"

"Yes. Like nothing I've ever seen before." The Founder's words tumble out of her. "Why do you ask? I thought you could—"

"I wish." Olivia shakes her head. "If I could be fully human again, even for a moment I'd—" She stops, looking as if she's come to a block in her head. A soft sigh escapes her.

"I wonder what she thinks of me. I didn't... I didn't know. I'm sorry." The Founder looks away. "I know what I've done is awful. I didn't... Know better. I feel like I've never known anything."

Olivia says nothing. You catch something in the distance, large and made of stone bricks. You watch the Founder jolt back and Olivia turns to the structure, jaw dropping.

"It's exactly like the one in our world." Olivia rushes ahead. You watch the Founder stare for a few moments and you sigh.

"Whatever's in there is for you. Don't think of it as a favor from me to you, it's more... For your people and the person who left it there." You look to the Founder and she takes a moment to start walking again. You follow Olivia at a slow pace, noticing that the temple before you seems unpilfered and without traps.

You catch a stairway in the middle of the temple. The Founder hesitates to follow you and Olivia as you step down it. In the lower parts of the temple are enough lanterns to keep the place bright and a ton of chests. You look to the Founder and shrug, you're just looking for some building material. You find a few decent stacks of cobblestone and take that.

"Any flying machines?" You ask Olivia. Having to build your entire way up sounds like a great way to hurt your arms. Olivia shakes her head. "I'm gonna need a new set of arms after this." You sigh.

"What is all of this?" The Founder looks through a chest. You watch Olivia peer over her shoulder before snagging a letter. Olivia looks it over before inventorying it.

"I don't even know." Olivia shrugs. Either she's too tired to look through it or she's not in the mood to speculate. You can't blame her. Before the Founder can even theorize, you feel something hit the ground outside the temple. Olivia jolts up and practically leaps up the stairs.

"Don't tell me... We've spent too much time down here!" The Founder yelps. You bolt up the stairs after Olivia. In your periphery, beyond the chests, you swear you catch something in the deepest part of the temple. Was that a blue glow? Like the—

"Get out here!" Olivia's panicked shout drags you out of your thoughts. You rush outside and catch a horde of zombies falling from the sky. They don't burn and you wonder why until the cold rain hits your face.

"Please, let me help you. For my people and for all of the harm I've caused!" The Founder turns to Olivia. "I do not ask for forgiveness, only for the opportunity to make things right."

"Do it for your people." Olivia hisses. "The best thing you can do for me is get out of my life."

"We will need back up with all of those monsters..." You shake your head and divvy up the cobblestone. "Everyone, tower up! Hopefully this'll be enough to get us up there..." You mutter that last part.

The towering up is annoying, but you arrive back at your little dirt bridge. There's no reason to turn down an easy way in so you hop onto it and take a look back to the City. You hear the Founder gasp before you can comprehend the absolute mess unraveling before you. You catch a thousand shambling forms, the flowing limbs of ghasts, and was that a blaze?!

"You should be glad I'm more pissed at Aiden now." Olivia's voice is a dangerous thing. You can't imagine how it's sounding in the Founder's ear. You shove that thought back and rush to the City, catching a horde of guards desperately fighting against a swarm of zombies.

You rush for the zombies, taking out half of the middle row. In your periphery you catch Olivia practically clawing half of them to pieces. You can't blame her for that, you'd probably do the same in her situation. Some of the guards jolt back at the sight of Olivia, while others watch in awe. The Founder rushes past you and you catch the glint of two iron swords.

"You—We saw you fall! All of you!" One of the guards sputters as Olivia chucks one of the zombies off the island. You catch one shivering, one bowing in your presence, and the others staring in confusion. "How did you survive?!"

"There's land down there." You answer. One of the guards clenches their weapon tightly at the sight of Olivia.

"Stand down." The Founder's words are sharp. "She's not your enemy."

"What's going on here?!" Olivia steps close to the guards. You catch one of them clearing their throat while a few of the others push away.

"There's monsters everywhere! They seem to be coming from the palace itself!" The guard yelps.

"Dammit. Aiden couldn't quit when he was ahead, could he..." You hiss.

"We tried to stop him!" One of the guards pipes up. "Even some of the rebels came to us. He said he was—that he'd taken the Founder's place. When we tried to stop him, he started..."

"Throwing eggs everywhere? Of course." Olivia shakes her head. You watch the Founder's eyes turn in horror. Her teeth clench and she looks to you.

"I need to help my people."

Olivia stares at the guards. "You deal with her. I'm not going to wish her luck." Olivia looks to you. "I'm taking it we've got to kick Aiden's ass at least."

"Man, you really did chew on Petra's brain..." You mutter.

"Har har." Olivia steps in front of you. You rush past, doing your best to duck from incoming ghast fireballs and not get trampled in the process by several panicking people. You need to get to the palace and—

"Jesse! You’re alive! Thank the stars!" Milo's voice breaks through your panic. You watch him and a few of his rebels crawl out from the inn, some of them holding the long weapons from earlier. "Some of my friends here say these arrows could be used for something. Have any... Err?"

"String and sticks?" Olivia offers, handing them to Milo. "Do you know what a bow is?"

"A... Bow?" Milo looks through her. Olivia sighs before taking up the materials. Milo shoves a crafting table her way and you watch her put together a bow. She hands it to Milo and he eyes it up. "And how do we use it?"

You hear the familiar screech of a ghast. Olivia leaps in front of you, crossbow loaded, and fires right at one of its eyes. It shrieks and flails back. "Like this but you draw the string back!" Olivia shouts, turning her head to them. You hear the ghast shriek and blast a fireball towards you. You think a small apology and whack the fireball back at the ghast at full force, killing it. Clarity is too busy basking in how cool that was to cuss you out for it.

"Wow..." Milo gasps. "Is that how you survived the fall?"

"No, there's land down there!" Olivia shouts. Milo's eyes widen and he looks to the two of you like you've spouted madness.

"You have to be kidding!" He grabs Olivia by the hand and she sighs gently. You watch Milo recoil suddenly, a strange shout escaping him as he does. "How did you—?"

"Ah I just wanted to... Prove it... I didn't think it'd... Work..." Olivia looks at her hands. You raise an eyebrow. Milo turns to his rebels.

"There's land, we're—we..." He looks to the ghasts in the sky. "We need to survive this."

"If we get to the throne room, you will!" You shout. "Are you guys good back here?"

"I think so?" Milo shrugs. Olivia steps to his side.

"I'll help them! They need someone who knows how to operate a bow, at least! Tell the others I'm alright, please!" Olivia shouts at you and you nod.

"And if it's possible, could you get Petra too? We could use one of her... Ah, what's it called?" Milo asks.

"It's a sword. Which, uh, reminds me, we don't exactly know what those long weapons you have are..." Olivia looks at them.

"You don't have glaives?!" Milo asks. "They are pretty useful, I mean they're good at fending off the monsters!"

"Yeah, they can't even touch us like this!" One of the rebels snickers.

"Stay safe, all of you!" You shout and begin to rush to the palace.

"You too!" Milo and Olivia both echo. You rush through the crowded streets, through the shrieking of both people and monsters alike. At the palace's entrance you catch Gill and Maya chucking spawn eggs like no tomorrow. What? Where was Aiden? On a power trip inside the palace?

"Not so fast!" Maya shouts and you catch Petra approaching, sword out. Maya chucks an egg right at her face and Petra is nearly taken to the ground by a spider. She manages to kill it with one quick slash. Maya chucks more of the eggs and you watch Axel rush forward and try and pick some of them up. Instead a few of them crawl up him and he flails like a madman, provoking a laugh from Maya.

Petra pulls a few of them off and slams her sword straight through. That's when her eyes fall on you and the shock nearly lets one of the spiders jump right onto her. Axel gets his bearings and punches it so hard it ricochets off the palace and its inventory falls to the ground. Then, he spots you as well.

"You're alive?!" They echo and rush towards you. They stop and you watch a fireball whoosh past their heads. You turn to the sky and catch the approaching ghast. Before you can dodge, it launches a fireball right at you. Something collides with your side and you're taken to the ground. You catch the fireball just barely missing you in your periphery.

"Can you stand?" Ivor asks. You nod and he rushes over to an alley and behind a wall. You follow him. "Aiden is—"

"Probably in the palace. I can see he's left his henchmen to do the dirty work." You practically spit out that last part and Ivor nods.

"I've got an idea, but you can only take one." You watch Ivor shuffle through a few of his potions. "I don't want to end up stranded and have you complain about the lack of potions!"

"I wasn't going to??" You shrug. "What are my options?"

"Well, we have leaping, invisibility, and swiftness." Ivor shuffles through the potions again. "Pick your poison, I suppose, without the poison, of course!"

You think about it for a moment. Conserving potions for an emergency is good until you're staring one right in the face. Despite the chaos around you, you still don't feel right. It takes you a moment to think of what you could use. What would truly be the best course of action to stop what's happened?

Of course. You can't hit a target you can't catch.

"Give me the swiftness potion," You whisper and hold out your hand. Ivor nods at you and hands you a bright teal potion.

"Brace yourself." Ivor says as you drink it. You raise an eyebrow. Really, it only tastes a bit sugary? What could be so strange about a potion that makes you fast—

Your insides feel like someone's lit them on fire, but not in a painful awful way, more as if you've become a flame itself. It's almost like a thousand volts to every muscle, every part of you primed in new ways. You jolt one arm in surprise and it's practically a blur. Ivor stares at you like he's seen it all before.

You're not sure how you're even going to make it through the palace. It's like you've forgotten how to walk. Even tensing your body is fast, like a jolt of lightning. You look to the crowd, watching them exchange blows with monsters, and you feel like they've always moved so slow. But they're moving at the same speed as they always had.

Simultaneously you feel like you've hit the apex of something and like your life has been a lie. Deep down, you've always been this fast, been this brimming at the seams of yourself. You take a quick step forward, covering more ground than you would ever think possible. Another, another another another—

You bolt. You can feel the very air around you brush by you, almost like you're a living storm funneling wind. When you rush through the palace halls, you swear you can catch Gill and Maya's faces turning at the feeling of the air brushing against them too. But you are a storm now, and those never stop.

One of them yowls something behind you, a warning to someone. You don't stop until you catch Aiden. Your impulses seem just as fast as your body and you duck behind a wall. Your eyes peer at Aiden as he seems to tensely guard the Founder's throne. Despite how Reginald stands in the center of the room, it seems almost like he's pinned against a wall.

"You've lost." Aiden hisses, his eyes like that of a madman. You watch Reginald tense, one hand out as if to ready a weapon from his inventory. "So get out of my face, Reggie!"

"You're delusional!" Reginald roars, a sound that seems to echo across the sky. You hear thunder rumble somewhere in the distance. "We will never bow to you. We'd rather die than worship someone who killed our Founder!"

"THEN DIE, THEN!" Aiden's voice is a roar. He looks practically about to lunge. You barely comprehend your own body until you've taken him to the ground at breakneck speed. Aiden's eyes turn to you and you hear his breath pour out of him like smoke from a flame.

"You're alive!" Reginald cries out. "Is the Founder with you? Your friend?"

"I saw you die!" Aiden shouts, hands grasping at your armor. You leap out of his way and he tries to lunge. You run circles around him. Reginald tries to rush past you and grab Aiden. You catch Aiden's gaze leaving you and then something green flutters past your periphery.

"What are you—" Reginald barely jumps away before the creeper spawns. "You—!" Reginald tries to lunge for Aiden but the creeper explodes, knocking him down to the ground. You rush for Reginald, trying to see how wounded he is, but something ducks under you and takes you off guard.

"That's enough!" Maya snaps. "I don't know why you can't just—" You slash Clarity at her face madly and she falls, clutching one side of her face. You hear Gill yelp somewhere at your side. Clarity echoes a thousand cries and you realize some of them are your own. Maya doesn't seem to move, staying on the ground. You don't know if she'll be inventory soon.

"Gill, you coward!" Aiden shouts as Gill backs away to the wall. "Get over here and help me!"

"I..." Gill stammers, looking at Aiden and then to you. Your blood feels like a thousand bolts of lightning. You hear thunder crash beyond the City and when the lightning streaks the sky you swear you can feel it in your bones. "He's going to kill us!"

"You could have stayed down there in your happy little world. You could have left!" Aiden hisses at you. "But you can't ever let us have anything!" Aiden stares at Gill, as if motioning for something. You rush forward and knock Aiden to the ground and his teeth click like he's trying to bite you. You catch something orangey in your periphery and you shove him towards it.

"Stop it! I don't want this anymore!" Gill shouts. "All of you, please this was supposed to—"

Fire rushes past your body. You hear the hissing breaths of a blaze and you leap away from its flames. Your eyes lock onto the blaze and then to Aiden. "You're just like it." Your voice rattles out of you at an incredible speed. Aiden turns to you and the blaze's glimmering eyes follow his gaze. "A blaze cares for nobody but itself. That's what you are, aren't you?"

The blaze alights again and you rush out of its way when it fires once more. You rush to Reginald's side, expecting him to crumple to dust any moment now. He's covered head to toe in burns, the clothing around his wounds tattered. Gill's eyes occasionally turn to you. Your blood feels like it's starting to turn back to blood and not a torrential storm.

"You'll run out of charge eventually." Aiden hisses as the blaze readies itself again. "Even the mobs know I'm better than you." The blaze's gaze starts to turn and you watch Aiden jolt away. You desperately look over Reginald, wishing that you'd kept some healing potions on hand.

"He needs help." Your words tumble out of you as you turn to Gill. "I can..." You look at Maya and watch her rise to her hands and knees. "Help me." You look back at Gill.

Aiden can barely keep the blaze off him. You watch him stab his sword through it and it dies, hissing like mad as it does. His eyes hold something, like his world has decayed. Gill looks at you, fingers clenching onto the wall.

"Don't! He's made his choice!" Aiden snaps. "Gill, listen to me!"

"Reginald's going to die! Do you want that?!" You shout at Gill, feeling your blood finally calm. Gill heaves madly and he looks at you. "What do you want? Both of you!" You look at Maya too.

"Don't." Aiden hisses but you catch something new in his eyes. He looks like he's pleading.

"What do you want!?" You yell again. "Tell me, honestly, is this what you want? To rule a world on fire, to be the ones who set it on fire? Is this what you've wanted all along? Or is just what he wants?"

"You tried to—" Maya hisses before you look back at her.

"You're just lucky you fit in his world for the moment. But what if you don't? What if you don't want to someday? Who says he gets to make the choices for you?" You pull Reginald to your chest. Aiden's gaze flickers between Maya and Gill. "A blaze is only loyal to itself."

Maya swallows hard. You watch Gill grip the wall harder. Aiden's teeth lock into a snarl.

"Jesse asks a good question," It takes a moment to recognize the voice greeting your ears, "what do you want to do?"

"Lukas?" You heave and he steps to you. You watch Maya and Gill's eyes turn, like they've seen a ghost. "Help me... Reginald's going to die." Lukas does his best to pick up the injured man, but he's clearly not able to hold him up on his own.

"YOU!" Aiden snaps. "You don't get to—"

"Shut up, Aiden." Lukas hisses. Aiden steps back to the throne. "Do you know how long I've wanted to say that?"

"This is my world! You're ruining it!" Aiden snaps. "I'll kill you!"

"Your... World?" Gill stammers.

"Yeah, your world?!" Maya snaps. She looks to you and then to Aiden. You watch her step to Lukas' side and he pulls away from her. "You can't carry him alone, can you?"

"Don't you fucking dare, Maya." Aiden hisses. "Lukas was always the one holding you back! Holding us back!"

"Just—shut up!" Gill pipes up suddenly. Aiden tries to say something but Gill yells again, "SHUT IT!"

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Lukas asks, but he doesn't sound terribly enthused. "Cover our back, Gill." He orders and it takes Gill a moment to step behind them. Aiden's teeth grit.

"You don't just get to walk out of here!" Aiden snaps and you watch him throw down at least five of those blaze spawn eggs. "You don't get to take everything from me!"

You brace Clarity again and when it realizes blazes don't work like ghasts you feel its anxieties creep in the back of your mind. Maya and Gill stare at Aiden like he's someone they've never seen before. Lukas tries to pull Reginald through the palace and that's what awakens the blazes fully.

Something rushes past you, something glowing and fast. You catch arrows raining down on one of the blazes, prompting the others to scatter. Golden talons take down another of the blazes while one hand releases an arrow from a crossbow.

"You..." Maya stammers as Olivia returns both hands to the crossbow and takes down the rest of the blazes. Aiden takes that opportunity to bolt outside of the palace. Olivia turns to Maya slowly. "You saved us."

"I'm not doing it for you." Olivia's gaze turns to Reginald and Lukas.

"I thought you were still with Milo." You step to Olivia and then look past the palace. "Don't tell me he's fighting alone—"

"Petra dragged Axel along for the ride. Plus, she practically voluntold me to go after you. Mostly because she'd be cracking Aiden's skull like an egg right now." Olivia fiddles with her crossbow. "Do you still need backup?"

You look beyond the palace. "Go out there and help them. I'll handle this."

"We could..." Gill stammers.

"You're taking Reginald with me." Lukas shuts that down firmly. "You can help the rest of them when he's not on death's door."

"We could have been friends, couldn't we?" Maya looks at Olivia. "We could have—"

"I'm not the one who ruined it." Olivia hisses. "Now get moving!"

"Yes. Save your feelings for when Reginald isn't dying!" Lukas snapping is a strange noise. You don't exactly blame him for it. "Stay alive for us, please, Jesse."

"I'll try not to kill him." You shrug. Lukas takes Maya, Gill, and Reginald through the palace entrance. Olivia looks back to you before heading to scoop up the blaze rods.

"You have five minutes before I get Petra." She says like it's a matter of fact. You watch the orange glow of the rods dance in her eyes. "I hope for both of your sake you'll be fast. I don't want to come back and see you as inventory."

"I need to deal with him alone." You say. "I don't want him to hurt anyone else."

"You're acting like you're not 'anyone else' too." Olivia shakes her head. "Just, if it comes to it, I don't think you'll be awful if you have to kill him. I know you. You're not a murderer."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Your teeth clench. What are you going to do with a man who wants to set the world on fire? Ivor wasn't even like that and you still wonder if you made the right call keeping him around. Is there no other choice? The last thing you'd had to fight... It had to be killed. You don't know if it counted as mercy or as self defense. You still wonder about its mind.

What do you... Do with Aiden when the dust clears? What can he become? Worse? Better? Some part of you wants him dead. Another hates the feeling of blood. Your fingers clench into your palms. It almost hurts. You shake your head.

"Just... Keep them safe." You put your hand on Olivia's shoulder. Olivia nods.

"Again, remember, five minutes! And Petra will definitely kill him." Olivia says that as if it's something casual. Before you can say anything, she's gone. You hear thunder rumble across the horizon. Lightning flashes behind you. Somewhere in the mess of the noise you hear screaming.

You step through the gaps in the palace and catch the dirt bridge. Lightning crackles across the sky again and the light dances on Aiden's outline. He's a hunched silhouette, his eyes gleaming like an ocelot about to strike.

"It really eats you up inside, doesn't it?" Aiden's words are a hiss as your foot taps the first block of his little platform. "Watching someone else take your spotlight, the spotlight you've taken from everyone else. It hurts to see yourself in me, doesn't it? To see what you take and take and take!"

"You're mad." You hiss.

"You just can't stand to see someone else in the spotlight, can you? You just can't let anyone else win! It just drives you crazy to see someone else succeed, doesn't it?" Aiden's voice is like a laugh and a growl through gritted teeth combined. "You're all alone, now. No monster pet at your side, none of your little friends to help you. Just us and all of your wrongdoings..." Aiden seems to trail off, murmuring to himself. In your periphery you catch lightning striking the iron of the buildings. Good thing, you suppose, considering you're coated in metal.

"You really think this is winning?" You hold Clarity in front of you and step fully onto the bridge. "Look at yourself, Aiden." You can tell not all of the wetness on him is the rain. He looks like he's so frenzied that he's sweating out half his weight.

"You don't get to tell me anything. Not anymore." Aiden hisses.

"It's not like you ever listened, anyway." You sigh. Aiden's eyes flicker between you and the sprawling emptiness below. He looks to you before a mad, toothy smirk crosses his lips. He twirls his enchanted sword in one hand.

"I killed you once, you know." Aiden laughs, a strange, dry noise. You feel the water crawl across you and Clarity hisses in your mind. Some part of you accepts death. Another accepts the idea of killing. Another pleads for mercy. "I can do it again!" Aiden rushes forward then, sword interlocking with Clarity.

He's strong, terribly so. You push him back, feeling his sword strain against Clarity's form. For a moment, you wonder if it's painful to interlock. The squealing in the back of your mind answers your question. That's enough to get you to force Aiden back and he nearly tumbles off his bridge.

Aiden regains his bearings, clutching his sword tighter. You jump on top of him before he can rise back to his feet and his sword nearly grazes your neck. You peel back just enough to dodge and force the helmeted side of your head down to block the next attempt on your neck. He just narrowly avoids the spikes on top.

Aiden kicks you off him. You almost slide off the bridge. You rise to your feet right as Aiden rushes again, slashing at your shoulder. His sword collides with your armor, sending a horrendous sound through your bad ear, making it ring like a thousand bells. It takes everything in you not to crumple and scream. Every part of you feels like it aches and you slam Clarity into Aiden's shoulder.

That's enough to get Aiden to aim for your face this time. His sword makes contact with your scarless cheek and you yowl like a wounded animal. You don't know how deep it is, all you know is out of impulse Clarity meets his sword with a force you've never known you could use against another person.

There's a familiar crack. A sword swinging off into the endless sky. You catch Aiden's eyes on you, fear and pain together as one. You throw him to the ground and catch one of his arms hanging limply. That's when you remember why that crack was familiar. You'd heard this before when Ellegaard was devoured.

Aiden squeals, a sort of pained and terrified noise, and you pull back. Your grip on Clarity tightens and you catch Aiden trying to move his arm before he looks back at you. "Wait—wait, please—mercy. I'll—I..." He looks about ready to cry as you take a step forward. "I surrender, okay? Hang on, hang on, I surrender! You... You want your flint and steel back? Here—here—just take it!"

The blue flint and steel is practically chucked at the ground. You're surprised it doesn't fall off the bridge. Aiden shivers, putting the one hand he can above his head in a desperate attempt to seem suddenly vulnerable. Your eyes stay on him as you scoop up the flint and steel, expecting him to toss another egg or reveal a secret weapon in his inventory.

"Just, please. Don't hurt me." Aiden bows his head.

"You sicken me." You hiss. "But I won't."

You turn your good ear for a moment and catch footsteps rushing toward you at quick speed. Had it really been five minutes already? You watch Petra come through the palace's exit before she stops. She looks at you and then to Aiden, her eyes narrowing sharply. Someone steps out from behind her.

"You need to go back." Petra hisses and you catch Reginald covered in bandages. Under some of them you catch hastily dried blood and some of the burns.

"It's my duty. I'm good enough to stand." Reginald tensely puts his hands behind his back. You watch the Eversource trot out behind him before nuzzling against his leg. "Jesse, we need to get out of here. What are you going to do with him?"

"You—you can't just leave me here! Look at this place!" Aiden pleads behind you. You feel your insides twist as your gaze falls over Reginald. Reginald looks to the Eversource before scooping it up and holding it close to his chest. "Take me with you!" Aiden pleads.

"After everything you've done?! I'm not sure you deserve that kind of mercy." Reginald shakes his head. He looks back to you.

"No, no, no, come on. You can't just leave me behind. If you leave me here, I'll die! I thought you were the 'good guys?'" Aiden stammers, eyes wide and pleading. Petra just shakes her head and hisses out a muffled curse. You stare at Aiden.

He did this to himself, didn't he? Brought this upon all of them. Maybe he'll die if he's left behind. Would that be what he deserves? You don't know. Maybe you should...

You can't help but feel he's probably right. Leaving anyone here is likely going to kill them. But after everything, he has the audacity to plead for mercy? To act like what he's done isn't the reason he's afraid? If not for the fact you'd broken his arm and sent his sword over the edge, you'd fear him trying to throw you off.

Regardless, you stiffen and let out the words that feel simultaneously wrong and like your standard of morality. "On your feet. You're coming with us."

Aiden flinches for a moment before he forces his gaze on you. "I—wh... Tha—thank you. Thank you, Jesse." The words from his lips are fragile, like the fire's all gone. It feels like you're looking at someone different.

"More than you deserve, frankly." Reginald hisses as he scoops up the Eversource. You catch the chicken tensing at the sight of Aiden, even as he seems to crouch behind you. Petra lets out a 'tss' sound and shakes her head.

"Well, I wouldn't be disappointed yet. I bet Olivia's going to crack his skull like an egg." Petra lets out a sort of laugh.

"I don't think you know Olivia." You raise an eyebrow. In your periphery you catch Aiden shivering. "Although, she did seem uncharacteristically angry..."

"Did you forget she was chewing on my brain?" Petra stares at Aiden. "I'd start praying if I were you."

"She's... Joking, right?" Aiden stammers, a sort of shaky, anxious smile crossing his face.

"Maybe about the getting her brain eaten part." You comment. You doubt Olivia would kill Aiden, but would you blame her for it? He tried to kill her. That reminds you... "Give me her scarf."

"What? I don't know what you're—" Aiden begins and you turn to glare at him. He hands it to you meekly, wincing as you take it into your own hands. It makes you feel monstrous. Dammit, no wonder he got the Founder in his grasp so easily.

"Do you want back up?" Petra asks as you step forward. You catch her reaching for Aiden's injured arm.

"I'm already—" Aiden squeals as she grabs him by the shoulder.

"Now do you know how it feels?" Petra hisses. Aiden just stares at her like a trapped rabbit. "Did you really think I'd forget?"

"Just flank him." You say tiredly and Petra lets go of Aiden's shoulder. You watch Reginald stay at your side, amazed by the fact he's still standing, let alone walking around. Sure, there must have been at least one healing potion still working on him, but he still looks awful.

The sight outside the palace is not a pleasant one. For a moment you forget you're in the sky, in another world entirely. Holes litter the palace walls and the City's buildings. Parts of the ground have opened into chasms and one large chasm has transformed the island's water into a fast moving fall. You didn't think you'd ever see water pour down so violently.

Petra rushes past you and you catch rebels and guards alike circling Maya and Gill. Lukas seems to be one of the few things stopping them from encroaching in on them fully and you catch Axel and Olivia fighting off hoards of mobs. You don't catch Ivor for a moment until your eyes find him at Lukas' side, holding a sword towards Maya and Gill like they're about to strike. They just stare at him like two frightened animals.

"You!" Olivia's voice is like an arrow through the air. You don't catch her until she's practically upon you and Aiden, nearly knocking him to the ground. She scoops him by the collar of his shirt and you hear Maya shout and catch Gill covering his eyes. "Would you care to explain?!"

Aiden squeals, gauntleted hands struggling against Olivia's arms. You watch Reginald peer over curiously. Some of the rebels and guards break into a chant for Olivia to throw Aiden to the ground. Others tell her to break his neck. You look at Olivia and then to Ivor and Lukas. It seems like Lukas isn't telling Ivor to back down. Olivia grips Aiden's collar tighter, clawed gauntlets starting to pierce through the fabric.

Olivia closes her eyes and practically throws Aiden at your side. She huffs, shakes her head, and walks to Lukas. You stare at Aiden, debating for a moment if you should help him up. You sigh and drag him to his feet.

"Damn." Reginald sounds disappointed. Something cuts through a flying ghast, something with two swords. You don't make out the blur until it lands before you. The Founder, of course. Good thing she was on your side now, you suppose.

"You retrieved the Eversource!" She beams as she catches sight of Reginald. He nods.

"Yes, madam." Reginald gently repositions the Eversource. It seems stressed but makes no attempt to flee. Its fluffed up feathers remind you of so long ago. Being just as scared. It almost hurts to remember.

In the swirling mass of rebels you catch a familiar face. That seems to stop their stalking motions towards Maya and Gill, instead they form a strange half circle around the group. Milo breaks from his group and rushes to you. "I knew you could do it!" He shouts.

"What do we do?" The Founder looks to you. "We can't stay here, my people are in more danger by the minute!"

Your eyes turn to the waterfall. It's not a pleasant sight, but in comparison to the monsters at every angle it's a cakewalk. You take in a gulp and rush to the waterfall's side. "We're going to have to go down."

"Are you crazy?! There's nothing down there but the Void!" A citizen shouts.

"That's suicide!"

"We need to do something!"

"We can save the City, right? We can't just give up on our home now!"

"There's land down there!" You shout. "I..." You stare down the waterfall. While it won't kill you, it doesn't look like a pleasant ride. It makes your stomach twist awfully. "I'll go down first, follow my lead!" You shout and leap into the water. The first thing you notice is how terribly cold it is. It's hard to get your bearings against the temperature when the water rushes past you so fast it nearly knocks you over.

"I've seen the land too!" The Founder's voice cuts through the silence. You catch Olivia rolling her eyes before leaping right past you. "If you can trust me, you can trust Jesse. I will prove it." There's another splash. You look at Olivia and she shrugs.

"Wait for me!" You hear Reginald shout.

"So much for enjoying being dry." Olivia hisses right as the fall takes you down. At least this time you fall faster. You and your old friend the lake become very reacquainted.

You know, your inventory is very good at keeping dry. Clarity comments when you climb out of the water. You equip it and dunk it straight into the water. Jerk.

"I miss when you were literally just a diamond axe." You hiss.

That was only about what, a few minutes? Also you are going to sound crazy if you keep speaking like this.

"Screw you."

Wow.

"Would it be weird if I said I actually felt warmer?" Olivia crawls out of the water beside you. "I think my blood runs colder than water. That's... I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that."

"Do you have any control of that fire trick yet? We're about to get swamped with people who are currently freezing." You look to Olivia as she stands up. She stares at you strangely and then you remember. "Oh, I have the flint and steel. I can't believe I forgot about that."

"...You literally didn't tell me that." Olivia continues to stare at you. She stares at the sky. "What do you think will happen to all those mobs?"

"They'll starve, maybe? I don't know." You shake your head. "We should probably tell them how to fight them off if any of them make their way down." You hear something crawl out of the water and you nearly jolt. Olivia laughs.

"It's just me. I'm not dead yet." Petra deadpans. You watch Axel crawl out and shake water out of his hair. Petra hisses and tackles him, drawing a strange 'ough' sound from his throat. You look up and watch some of the storm clouds drift away. More people emerge from the water and you watch Lukas and Ivor crawl out as well.

"Could you two stop trying to kill each other?" Ivor asks the question like he's genuinely disappointed. "It seems there's something in the air itself making people mad..." He murmurs. Lukas laughs and Ivor's head snaps to him. Lukas tries to stop but instead lets out a sort of a strange wheezy squeak laugh.

"You're getting me wet!" Axel squeals and pushes Petra off. "Or well, wetter, I guess?" He shrugs. Lukas steps to Axel's side before shaking himself off and walking away. Axel just stares at him with his jaw slack.

"I didn't—I didn't actually expect this to be real." Reginald pipes up from somewhere around you. "There's so much ground and it just keeps going!"

"Yes, yes, it's... Exactly what I was shown." Milo eyes up every detail. You catch a hint of familiarity in his eyes. "Weird. Someone saw this first and I saw... What they saw."

"Are you okay?" Reginald squints.

"Considering I'm not in your state? Yeah?"

"Oh. Right." Reginald seems to remember and you watch him fall on his side. Milo jolts back and you watch Ivor rush over. Ivor seems to breathe a strange sigh of relief. It reminds you of the drying blood on your own face. You lucked out with the wound not being too deep.

"I have some bandages." Lukas pipes up. "Water probably doesn't feel good on his wounds."

"They're no good if they're wet." Ivor comments. The Eversource worms its way out of Reginald's limp grip. "Lukas, do you know how to put them on?"

"Yeah, I've learned a bit." Lukas admits and you watch the two of them peel off the cold bandages. You do your best to start a small fire, grazing a grass blade with one end of the flint and steel. The flame threatens to burst into the sky for a moment before calming into a standard fire.

"Here, he's not going to feel good if he stays cold." You say and catch the Founder in your periphery as you move Reginald to the fire. She looks your group over before slowly stepping towards you. Olivia practically curls herself over Reginald's body.

"I just wanted to say thank you." The Founder keeps her distance. "I understand we... Did not have the best introduction."

"That's an understatement." Olivia hisses. Lukas looks over Reginald's wounds for a moment before touching his clothes. He sighs and waits a few more moments.

"You still helped us." The Founder looks at Olivia and you watch Petra stiffen. "Why?"

"You and your people aren't the same." Olivia comments.

"I'd hope you have enough guards to put him on leave." Ivor gestures to Reginald.

"Is he okay?" The Founder looks him over.

"His body's just had enough for one day. Let him rest." Lukas comments before bandaging up Reginald. "I'd keep those on him for a bit so he doesn't reopen his wounds. And don't let him fight anything!"

The Founder turns her eyes to the sky. You follow her gaze, searching for the sun. She kneels down and scoops up the Eversource and it calms in her hold. "Well, hopefully we won't have to anymore."

"Freeze, criminals!" You hear a guard shout in the distance. Lukas snorts and the Founder rushes over to the source of the noise.

"Guess we know what's become of the 'Blaze Rods' then." Axel comments. Lukas sighs before staring at Ivor.

"Hehe. You actually called me by my name."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Louie." Ivor rolls his eyes.

"Whatever, Eyeballs." Lukas snorts. "I'm just glad they're not my problem anymore."

"I'm surprised they actually listened to you." You admit. "I honestly thought they wouldn't."

"Yeah. I'll admit, it surprised me too." Lukas curls closer to the fire. "But I don't think it matters now. That part of my life is over."

"Good riddance." Axel nods.

Lukas hesitates for a moment. "Yeah. I guess that's right."

"This again? I thought you'd gotten over it with everything that just happened." Axel raises part of his brow. Lukas shrugs.

"Well, it's hard to explain. You know how some things are bad for you, and you know it, but it feels good in the moment? It's... Alluring? That's it. Sometimes I want it back, even though I don't... Actually want it." Lukas shrugs. "As far as I'm concerned, they can find a nice big hole in the ground, put them in it, surround it with lava—"

"Woah, buddy." Petra's eyes widen.

"Yeah, let me deal with them." Olivia smiles wider than you ever would have thought her able to. Petra's jaw slacks open. "What? I've got pointy teeth." Ivor seems to smile at the thought before Petra elbows him.

"How did we get here?" Axel looks around. "Seriously, what are you guys going on about? You can't be serious right now."

"What if I let you throw a firework at Aiden?" Olivia offers.

"How many fireworks are we talking?" Axel continues.

"Please, guys." You interrupt.

"Aww, but I was enjoying being the mean one!" Olivia whines.

"No, I get to be the mean one." Lukas fires back.

"Nooo!" Olivia whines and tackles him. "I want to be mean!"

"I was Petra's friend first so that makes me the next in line for being mean!" Lukas bops Olivia in the neck several times. She pretends to be actually hurt by this.

"Well I'm her favorite!"

"You're just saying that because you ate her!"

"What the fuck are you people on about?" Petra worms her way between the two of them. "Seriously, knock it off."

"Awwwww..." Olivia whines. You watch Olivia's eyes go big and round and Petra scoffs.

"You don't have puppy eyes like Jesse. C'mon, Olivia."

"Jesseeeee!" Olivia is suddenly on your shoulder. "Teach me your puppy dog ways!"

"Please get off me." You try to drown a laugh in your throat. Olivia curls closer and you break into a wheezing laugh.

"TEACH MEEEEE!!!" Olivia is practically shaking you.

"Ahem." A guard pipes up with the Blaze Rods in tow. "Did you want anything done with them?" Olivia recoils and nearly flops into the water by accident. In her panic to not fall into the water, she belly flops onto the fire, extinguishing it. You stare at her and then at the guard's quarry.

"I don't see anything else to be done." You shake your head at the guard.

"Hi... Jesse." Aiden stammers strangely. "Very, uh, sorry about the whole mess. Seriously. Very very sorry." He forces a strange smile.

"Uh huh. You're sorry." Olivia hisses. "It was all one bigggg mistake. You just couldn't stop yourself from making everyone think I was a monster, huh? You definitely didn't think about it. You're such an innocent little thing." Olivia brings her head down to his level.

Aiden recoils. You tap Olivia on the shoulder and hand her her scarf. "Getting this from him was like pulling teeth." You admit. Olivia keeps her eyes on Aiden.

"Take your sorry and shove it back down your throat." Olivia hisses. "I hope it haunts you for the rest of your days."

"I..." Aiden stammers. "Okay." He looks to you.

"Be better." You stare at him. "All of you." You look to the rest of the Blaze Rods.

"I just... I wanted what you had." Aiden stares at you and your friends. "The... Everything."

Olivia laughs. "Oh you want this? You can do me a favor and grab the first Command Block you see. Come back to me when your skin's on backwards."

"You... You can't just say that to me..." Aiden looks to you. You just shake your head.

"I'm not going to stop her from being mad."

"She's insulting me!"

"Grow a thicker skin, Aiden." Lukas hisses. "They're just jokes, after all." Lukas forces a smile.

You watch Aiden gape his mouth open before recoiling. He shakes his head and the guard leads him and his friends away.

"I don't know if we handled that right." Axel admits. "I mean, what if he just gets angrier?"

"Then he's stuck here. There are plenty of people who would stop him." Lukas shakes his head. "It's not our problem anymore."

"I don't think the people here are stupid enough to let Aiden run free." Petra admits. "But maybe we should check in on them sometime. Make sure everything's okay, of course."

"Yeah." You think of the temple. "I mean, we could probably show them the—"

"Can I get your attention? Hello, people!" A guard pipes up. You watch one of the guards step to you and gently pick up Reginald. You follow the sound and catch the Founder and her guards standing in front of Sky City's entire populace.

"Now that the worst is behind us, we need to organize and start planning our new community. I say we can start by the fore—" The Founder begins.

"What?!" Milo pushes through the crowd. "We're free now! You want us to just run back into that little prison of yours like... Cooped up animals? What are we to you?!"

"I hate her but she's probably right." Olivia admits. "There's only a few hours until nightfall."

"They could sleep in holes until they figure it out, though?" Axel suggests.

"Who's going to watch for the sun?" Olivia asks.

"What about the clock?" Axel looks at her.

"There might be another one in that temple we found earlier." Olivia looks behind her. "We should probably show them it."

"There's another temple?" Ivor pipes up.

"What's with all the whispering!?" A citizen yelps.

"We need to be free to build what we please!" Milo finally states his thesis. The Founder rolls her eyes.

"That is terribly naive!"

"Sure, undermine me as usual." Milo rolls his eyes right back at her.

"Alright, settle down now." You interrupt. "Fighting isn't going to fix this."

"It will if I win!" Milo smirks.

"Of course..." The Founder rolls her eyes. "What you don't seem to understand is that it's going to be night soon! If we're not prepared, we'll be preyed on by monsters!"

"It's like trading one beast for another!" Shouts a citizen.

"That's how it starts! And then you'll be insisting on more laws for our 'safety' like before!" Milo snaps back. "Let me guess, we'll need to wait in lines around crafting tables, even when we're surrounded by trees!"

"There won't be any need for that! The people can build! But we need rules, a system! It's not bad to have rules!" The Founder continues.

"You mean the same rules that got me chucked off an island?" Olivia curses under her breath. You roll your eyes.

"I really doubt they're going to be able to resolve this on their own." Lukas admits. You sigh.

Do you really trust the Founder? Does she even deserve control of her civilization after all of this? Has she learned? Is Milo ready to step up? Or are they both right, in a way?

Another day of you being the diplomat, you suppose. Having to work this out was not what you expected of your day, but you can work with this. You've worked with worse before. For a moment, that nervous disposition takes hold, the fearful little person you were a haze of time ago.

You remind yourself to forget your biases. To think objectively of what you're about to do. It's hard to forget what happened to Olivia. You hope it haunts the Founder. Selfishlessly? For her to learn? You don't know entirely. But people who you believe are awful can make a good point...

"You know, it's possible to do both? You can't run around with no plan for the night but you can't regulate everything. You need structure and freedom." You gesture between Milo and the Founder. "Tonight, you should be focusing on building your town, finding somewhere safe. Then you can think about all of the crazy things you want to do and how to keep them in check."

"That... Is fair, I suppose. I do have a lot to learn still about... all of this." The look in Milo's eye reminds you of the betrayal you'd seen at his own rebels just an hour or so prior. There is a lot of... forgiving for people to do, you suppose.

"There is—this is a lot for me to take in as well." The Founder admits. "But so far, you have shown me better things. I have no reason to mistrust you. I suppose this era of our City is over..."

"Good riddance." Olivia murmurs from behind you and you catch Axel nodding. Milo barely fights back a snort.

"I have to admit, I'm not looking forward to the amount of disagreements we're about to have. And I'm not just talking about her." Milo looks at the Founder and then to the civilians. "To think everyone could lose their minds that fast!"

The Founder is silent for a moment. "We would not be here if I would have put my trust in the right people." You catch her eyes turning to the distant temple. Olivia seems to agonize over something for a few moments before sighing.

"You're... Isa, right?" Olivia asks and the Founder nearly jolts back. "It's a letter from your friend back in the temple. She'd... Want you to have it." Olivia seems tense saying that last part. The Founder takes the letter.

The Founder is silent for a moment as she reads it. She seems to break into a strange pace. Milo raises an eyebrow and the Founder sighs. "I know now that she wasn't... A monster."

"What? You're telling me that the last... One..." Milo's eyes widen before he looks to Olivia. "We could have been here earlier."

"Yes." The Founder, or well, Isa as you can gather from what you've heard, looks to Olivia. "She expected me to figure it out. I... I don't know how to tell her I didn't."

"I don't know why she would even think to forgive you." Olivia practically hisses. Axel looks to Olivia and you catch him whispering a question. She nods at him. "But... I suppose she'd want you to make the most of this. All of you."

"You've got a chance to make a whole new civilization. Don't waste it, alright?" You plead.

"I don't intend to, not after all of this." Isa shakes her head. You watch the Eversource worm back over to her legs. "What? I just—you really can't leave me alone, can you?" She laughs, petting the chicken on the head before it darts a full circle around her and Milo.

"You have my solemn oath, all of you. Maybe you could even come around to visit sometime." Milo puts his hand to his chest for a moment. "But, ah, hopefully once we have this place all together." Milo seems to walk back towards the citizens while Isa chases after the Eversource. It seems to be excitedly rushing to the trees.

Something catches your eyes in the distant forest. You swear you see eyes, bright and gleaming and yellow and red. You blink and they're gone. What was that?

"I'm gonna miss him, honestly." Petra's words drag you from your vision and Olivia nods.

"Let's just hope the portal doesn't spit us back on the island when we visit again." Olivia shakes her head. "Or at least that the monsters are gone..."

"We really should get a clean up crew for that." You suggest.

"You said something about another temple?" Ivor nearly tackles you in his excitement.

"I think I even saw a portal in there?" You shrug. "But I don't know, everything was going so fast."

"According to the letter, there is supposed to be a lit portal in there." Olivia breaks into a pondering pace.

"What are we waiting for? You had me thinking we were going to be stuck punching trees here!" Ivor is practically darting excitedly from person to person, with Lukas nearly getting tackled in the chaos. You step in front of your group and start to walk to the temple.

"Did this lady leave her name this time? Or did it get damaged again?" Axel looks to Olivia. She seems to take a moment to think before looking to Ivor.

"Do you know someone named Harper? Mentioned in any historical records or anything?" Olivia even looks to Axel for a moment. Axel shakes his head.

"Every source I consulted stated their names were lost to history!" Ivor enunciates those words dramatically. "But to think we have a name! Although... What does it mean if the Founder thought she was a monster?"

"Maybe she had a pair of elytra?" Lukas suggests.

"Yeah, I saw someone perform such a crazy show with one. Honestly, they looked like a dragon or something." Petra adds.

"I wouldn't blame a society that doesn't even know what the End even is to think that..." Olivia admits. "Or maybe she has wings. I mean, think about it. Someone comes up and they look the exact same, except they have wings. Wouldn't that scare you half to death?"

"What's to say it'd stop there? I mean, Isa did say she was a shapeshifter of some kind. What if the Old Builders had Command Blocks? Someone could... Be like you but on their own terms." You suggest.

"Why would anyone want to be like me?" Despite her helmet, you can tell Olivia just raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, if I could grow a pair of wings whenever I wanted it, I'd pick that!" Axel excitedly shouts. "Could you imagine?"

"You'd be a nightmare." Olivia shakes her head. Axel frowns dramatically.

"I'd go for a set of retractable claws, honestly. Someone pisses me off and BAM! They get the claws." Petra breaks into a chortle. Lukas rolls his eyes.

"I wouldn't doubt the Old Builders' capabilities..." Ivor admits. "To think that they could be something more than human... It makes me feel terribly small minded."

"Well, there has to be more worlds out there. Who's to say everyone out there is human?" Olivia pipes up. "I mean, I exist for crying out loud. "There could be a world where Enderdragons are people."

"Does that mean the End has one human they end up killing?" Axel asks with a snort. "The Order of the Endstone! They kill a big human with a... I dunno. What would they use?"

"Would they even need a Command Block?" Lukas laughs.

"That does make me wonder, what if there's... Another version of us out there?" Petra asks and looks to you.

"Well, I didn't exactly see any of us in the crowd here." You shrug. "I hope not. What if they're happier?"

Your little conversation is ended by the Eversource rushing in front of you. You nearly jump away in an attempt to not accidentally step on it. Isa chases after the Eversource, scooping it up.

"You really need to figure out if you want to stay or go!" Isa laughs before looking to you. "Sorry about her. It seems she's taking her newfound freedom a little too far. Or well, not too far I suppose, she could have stayed gone..."

"So you tried to set her free?" You laugh. "You know once an animal likes you, you can't get them to leave." Isa laughs for a moment before your eyes lock and her teeth click into a strange, grimacing smile. "Did you figure out a name for her yet?"

"I... Kind of always had one." The Eversource nuzzles into Isa's hand. "Meet my best friend, Benedict."

"Are you seriously naming your chicken after a dish?" Ivor rolls his eyes.

"You... Have a food named Benedict? You people are weird." Isa glares at Ivor before turning to the distant temple. "I... Suppose I'll let you go on first. I have a feeling Benedict still wants to run around a little." She looks around for a moment. "Oh, I nearly forgot. I thought, since she has no need for it anymore, you could take this as a token of my appreciation. You definitely deserve it more than I do." Isa holds out Benedict's crown. You eye it up for a moment before taking it. Not really worth fighting her on it.

Olivia steps by Isa before sighing. "The only thing we need from it is the portal, here..." Olivia hands her a clock. "I'm not sure what good a typewriter or a music box will do you, but I think I saw some in there as well." Isa takes it before walking off with Benedict in her hands. The chicken then leaps out of her arms and into the nearby brush.

"Not again!" Isa shouts.

"Well, there goes the Eversource. Off to cluck and peck at seeds for the rest of its valuable life." Ivor shakes his head, letting out a soft hiss. The sight has you laughing for a moment, remembering the last time Reuben had run into the brush. What a fright he'd given you. When you get home you'd tell him all about—

Oh.

"Jesse?" Petra's voice cuts through your thoughts.

"Jesse? Are you alright?" Lukas asks.

"Ah, no, it's alright..." Axel begins.

"Sorry, I just..." You didn't expect yourself to tense up so much. "It just reminded me of him, y'know..." You admit, rubbing the back of your neck.

"Oh." Ivor murmurs. "Right."

"I think he'd like that chicken." Axel laughs.

"He'd be happy to see you here." Olivia puts her hand on your shoulder. You nod at her.

"Yeah, I think he'd be happy to see you keeping on. That's what he'd want." Petra adds. "Although, I do see him getting a little jealous that you get to have all the fun."

You laugh back at her. "Well, at least he didn't just get kicked off an island."

"Who knows. He was a weird pig." Lukas nudges you on the shoulder. You snort.

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe he'd like it." You slug Lukas back. "I just wish we weren't speculating about it." You sigh.

It's not your fault. You hear Clarity pipe up. You offer the same thought back. There's silence on the other end.

"I think we should head home." You pipe up and begin to walk again. Soon enough, the temple is within your range.

"Feh. I just can’t wait to put this whole world behind us…" Ivor murmurs from behind you. Petra lets out a strange sort of strangled laugh.

"Awww, is someone being grumpy?" She teases.

"No! A little. I was just hoping for a real treasure, is all. Livestock's no proper treasure. Although, I wonder what would happen if you put that tiny crown on a different chicken…" Ivor ponders as you all head through the temple's entrance. "Funny, it looks a lot... Different in here."

"Yeah, no lava or anything. Almost unsettling." Petra admits. You eye up the staircase.

"I can confirm it's not trapped. According to that letter it was supposed to be more easily accessible than the last one." Olivia adds. You start to descend the staircase.

"So the other one was meant for an Old Builder. We solved an Old Builder's puzzle!" Ivor excitedly leaps down the stairs. "Oh, I wish I could have seen it!"

You finally reach the bottom of the stairs and there it sits. The portal, bright and gleaming and glowing as brilliantly blue as the first one lit. You wonder if it's the flint and steel color that determines the portal's glow.

"Just wait until everyone hears where we've been! They'll never—" You start as you step through the portal. The rest of your sentence tumbles out of your lips strangely as your eyes adjust to the strange sight before you. "believe it..."

A hallway seems to stretch on endlessly, far beyond the horizon. Portals surround you on your left and right sides, like stars take up the sky. It's like there's hundreds—no, thousands. Your stomach drops.

"I don't think we're getting home anytime soon." Is all you can say.

Chapter Text

The first thing you notice about the world beyond the portal is that it feels... Different. Swamps aren't usually this cold. For a moment, you think it's chills from seeing at least half a town's worth of tombstones, but you find the cold air stays. Swamps are humid, not cold. You catch some of the grass browning, some of the trees shedding leaves into the cold wind.

"Something doesn't feel right." Olivia pipes up and you nod at her before you can fully comprehend it.

"Ahem." Ivor points to the sky. You take notice of the two moons hanging above you, one smaller than the other. They're both full. In the light you realize the cemetery you're within is massive. How many people have died here?

"Well, that's definitely... New." You don't know which world will mess with your head more, this one or the one before. Seeing a reflection of your own world that's not quite right? It makes your insides twist strangely. Especially with the fact the grass is dying around you. That's not right. Not right at all.

"Do you think something's killing the trees around here? It's... Weird." Axel nearly gets hit in the face with an orange leaf. "They're even the wrong color! What is going on in here?"

"That's what's getting you? Not the two moons?" Petra raises an eyebrow before looking to Lukas with a smirk. "You owe me two iron, Lukas. C'mon, pay up." Petra smacks her fingers against her palm.

"Sorry for having hope, I guess." Lukas murmurs as he hands Petra the iron. She breaks into a chuckle.

"Told you it was a dumb bet." Ivor shakes his head.

"Who asked you?" Lukas hisses. Olivia stares at the moons for a moment before scooping up one of the leaves drifting across the wind. You watch her turn it in her hand and Axel examines it.

"I mean, trees do this back home too. But these trees look... Different. Ours shed leaves all the time. But look—" Olivia points to a tree and you follow her gaze. It seems to have sticks attached to the leaves. You watch one of the leaves fall, noticing how it's a deep maroon.

"Do you think they're sick or something?" You ask. "Maybe there's a Wither nearby, I mean they can make Wither Roses appear where their victims fall. Maybe... Plants get Wither too here?" You shrug. Olivia shakes her head.

"They don't look Withered." She kneels down to some of the grass. You watch it break off brittly in her hands when she applies some force with her fingers. Shuffling echoes around you and you hear Olivia click her teeth. That's enough to make the shuffling bodies avoid you for a moment.

"Is anyone else... Really cold?" Axel asks, shivering a little.

"Yeah, the last swamp was terribly humid. This is... Cold? Why would a swamp be cold?" Petra looks around.

"I'm not seeing strays like last time." You look around as well, catching a glimpse of green, shambling things. You tense. "Well, whatever it is, I don't like it. Let's get out of here."

"Oh, but who knows what sort of treasures this world could hold? Besides, unless the next portal is disguised as a tombstone, I'm not seeing it anywhere near here." Ivor pipes up.

"I'm voting we find shelter." Olivia looks around. "Unless you guys want to huddle around a fire and hope the mobs don't get over their fear of me." That's enough to get you to step past the graveyard's threshold. Something catches your eye. You squint. It's like you just saw a patch of darkness itself move. You blink, and it's gone, leaving a small quartz structure with something on top of it.

"What the hell was that?" Petra squints at your side.

"So I'm not seeing things this time." You murmur and Petra stares at you strangely. You slowly approach the structure and reach your hand to it, finding a pale blue envelope sealed with red wax. That gets another raised eyebrow from you.

"Are you seriously going to take something from the weird shadow monster?" Axel asks as you pick up the envelope. You pull it open and remove a letter from it. No, not a letter per se, something fancier, with loopy text and vine-like borders. It's strangely intricate.

"Well, it's definitely weird. Who starts an invitation with 'Read immediately! Your life depends on it!'?" You begin and hear the shuffling surround you. "Me and my big mouth."

"That... Was quicker than normal." Olivia looks around frantically and you catch the wall of zombies surrounding you. "If you guys could distract them, I might be able to put something together to get them off us!"

"Uh, well, I guess the reading could wait?" You shrug and inventory the invitation, pulling out Clarity.

What is with all of these zombies? Aren't swamps more of a home to slimes, especially with two full moons? You suppose since you're doing all the work, Clarity can ask a question or two.

I'm surprised you know that. You admit as you slash into a zombie. The scent of rotten blood makes you nearly gag. You catch hundreds—is THAT A THOUSAND OF THEM?

"Olivia, could you hurry? We're kinda swamped here!" Axel shouts, throwing a zombie so far it bounces off the ground. You watch its inventory follow the same directive. "Haha... Swamped."

You hear sword slashes all around you. "No offense, but you should really get moving!" Lukas shouts at Olivia.

"Gimme a moment!" Olivia yells back and you're surrounded by walls of dispensers faster than you can think. "Watch your step!" Before you can comprehend it, there's redstone on the ground. She wasn't lying. You hear a lever flick and a thousand yowling zombies falling back.

"I uh..." You look at Olivia.

"Get reading! There's only enough arrows for a minute at most!" Olivia does her best not to shout that. You recoil and pull the invitation back out.

"Greetings, traveler," You begin, stopping to listen to the whooshing of the arrows, "I humbly invite you to my mansion for an evening of food and festivity with your fellow adventurers. Come to my home on the hill, just follow the path. Please watch out for zombies. Sincerely, The Host."

"That definitely doesn't sound suspicious at all." Petra shakes her head. You hear the dispensers empty right then and there.

"Ah fuck." Axel murmurs.

"We could probably stay in here, right? I mean, we might have to deal with a few spiders but—" Lukas begins and you watch one of the zombies practically vault over the walls. Lukas yelps and Axel throws it over the wall.

"Looks like we don't have a choice." You grimace. "Everyone run!" You vault over the dispenser walls and rush between the zombies.

"Are we really about to trust some weird... Shadow person?" Axel asks.

"Eh? They did just give us a way out." Petra shrugs. "Although, I'm not exactly fond of someone who's not willing to at least show us the path!"

"Yeah, I think the 'shadowy' part is the least untrustworthy thing about them. Maybe..." Olivia murmurs something before shaking her head. A zombie nearly whacks her in the face as she does and she slaps it off balance. Petra chases after it and jabs her sword straight through its chest.

"I must say, this is the highest concentration of zombies I’ve ever seen in one place." Ivor seems to ponder that for a moment as Petra rushes back to your side.

"Could be the moons. They do affect mob behavior a little." Olivia offers.

"And you know this how?" Ivor stares at Olivia for an uncomfortably long moment.

"Reading about it?" Olivia stares back at him, cocking her head to the side.

"You think this 'Host' is going to be legit, Jesse? I just ask, well, because this place hasn’t exactly been friendly so far." Lukas pipes up. You shrug, teeth locking together tensely.

"I mean, I don't see many other options. Unless you all want to curl up in a really cold hole." Sure, Olivia could light a fire, but do you want to suffocate in a hole? Or risk leaving a patch for mobs to funnel in? You'll take your chances, you suppose. You hope you don't regret that.

Through the fog in the distance, you catch a large, terribly imposing mansion. It stands tall, almost like a mountain. You wonder how many logs it took to make its walls.

"I’m going to go out on a limb and say… that’s the place we’re looking for!" Ivor interrupts that rail of thought. You roll your eyes.

"Thank you, captain obvious." Axel rolls his eyes as well.

"Race you guys there!" Petra rushes ahead.

"Oooh... yeah. I don’t race so much anymore. Bad, heh, bad knees." Ivor mocks massaging his knees. Petra stops for a moment to scoff. You glare at the two of them and then at the horde of zombies encroaching.

"You pick up that excuse at the same place you got that haircut? Because they’re both awful." Petra snorts before rushing ahead.

"Hey, get back here! I'm gonna beat you!" Axel huffs, rushing after Petra.

"I'm clearly the fastest." You boast, rushing beside Axel and practically skipping in front of him. He stares at you like you've grown another head.

"You people..." Olivia murmurs from behind you somewhere. You watch Petra diverge from you, practically leaping up one of the hills. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear she was a rabbit or something. You catch her slashing through zombies like a hot knife through butter. It reminds you of just a day or two ago. Strange.

Lukas pulls away eventually, chasing after Petra and following her lead. You watch him fire arrows at some of the zombies. Axel takes a moment to look between the two groups before rushing after them. "Hey, wait for meeee!" He calls. You lose track of him for a moment until a firework launches past your face and into a swarm of zombies right behind your group. You decide to not watch the light show. Clearly, you need to focus on your destination.

You duck and weave through zombies. You debate fighting some of them but decide not to waste your energy. You have a destination, somewhere to rest. All you can hope is that you're not running into the jaws of some great beast. Perhaps the Host is like Olivia? Maybe even a little socially awkward... Can't blame them for that. You approach a clearing with a—

"There's a river!" Olivia shouts suddenly. "Zombies hate water!"

"So do skeletons!" Ivor rebuts. "Are you sure you can still swim?"

"Withers are different! You should know that! Also, I swam in the lava? Did you forget that?!"

"Lava is different!" Ivor snaps. You watch Olivia shake her head, take in a hefty gulp, and rush into the river. You hesitate for a moment, at least until you catch the zombies closing in. That's enough to make you stop waiting for her to resurface and finally leap in.

"Oh, this is cold, cold cold—" Your teeth chatter. You did not account for potential hypothermia. Something brushes past your leg, something colder than ice, and you nearly leap right out. Olivia bobs her head above the water, sputtering and blowing steam out of her nose.

"Swimming is hard with long limbs..." She murmurs and you notice her teeth don't chatter. "Why are you staring—oh." She catches your chattering teeth.

"I'm surprised you can!" Ivor manages through his own chattering teeth. "I hope the Host's mansion is warm. This is dreadful!"

"If I had a diamond for every time we had to fall into water..." You murmur, shaking your head. You watch some zombies debate the river, while others rush away. A golden sword slashes one and it falls past you, sinking into the depths below.

"Dammit!" Petra curses from above you. "If I were you, I'd hurry."

"I am not dealing with a drowned today!" You practically shriek, pushing against Olivia. You jolt back when her quills nearly pierce your armor. Olivia paddles ahead and you do your best to follow, ignoring the siren call of allowing your muscles to fully tense.

Ivor shouts from behind you. You catch deep teal hands on his shoulders and you rush behind him, trying to slam the damned thing back under the water. It doesn't let go of him, dragging him under the water for a moment. You dive under, swiping Clarity at it madly, but the coldness has made each slash a struggle.

A dark shape rushes towards it, dragging it off Ivor. You grab him by the scruff of his armor and pull him to the surface. Ivor gasps, heaving madly at the air. Olivia emerges a long moment later, huffing out more steam.

"I hate water." She shakes her head. "It feels like someone's set my nose on fire." She sneezes, sending a few weak purple sparks out. "Whyyyyy..."

You feel the water rush by you in a strange, almost familiar way. As if on cue, Ivor begins, "You hear that too, right? Almost sounds like a…" You turn your head, watching the water drop. "WATERFALL!" You try to swim against the current but your cold limbs can't manage. Olivia's gaze flickers between you and the land.

In your periphery, you catch a few stone blocks jutting right out of the water. You could survive a tumble into water, but not one onto stone, especially if you hit your head. Part of you flinches in preparation for the pain. As you fall down, you swear you see vines. You reach out, somehow managing to grab one.

It seems Ivor has taken the same initiative. You watch Olivia manage to climb one of the rocks lining the outside of the fall. She watches the two of you climb to land. The mansion stands still in the distance like a monolith, as if it's been watching your journey with incredible interest. The array of large windows reminds you of a thousand peering eyes.

You rush forward with Ivor and Olivia following closely behind. You catch Petra's distant gaze, worried just for a second, before turning back into a devious gleam. She rushes ahead, right across a bridge connecting two of the hills. In her excitement she ends up knocking some of the zombies to your level.

"Show off!" You shout to the sky, dodging between the zombies. An arrow whizzes by your skull and Petra snorts.

"Hey, you're the one going slow!"

"Not as slow as you!" You fire back, rushing ahead. Olivia snags an arrow straight out of the air before leaping at the skeleton. Lukas yelps and that's when you catch him following right behind Petra.

"You nearly knocked me down!" He yowls as Olivia rushes by him.

"Sorry!" She nearly leaps past you. "Those dispensers took almost all of my arrows!" You slash through a zombie blocking your way and duck under a few of them. It appears, however, there's still a hill blocking your path. You debate searching your inventory until you feel someone yank you from the back and launch you over the hill. As you fly, you watch Olivia blink in shock. You didn't know she could do that either.

"THANKS???" You yelp and struggle into a landing. Ivor slides across the grass a moment later and you hear Olivia huff as she claws her way up. "You could have warned me—" You begin and watch Petra huff and puff as she comes into view.

"We would've lost?" Olivia shrugs as she manages to her feet. "I'll give having claws this, they're very good at scaling rock."

"Ughhh... I still wish we were swapped on that." Petra groans and shakes her head. You begin to dance excitedly, rubbing the win in her face. Axel steps out from behind her before trying to mimic your dance. Petra slugs him. "Sure, you won that one... I'll getcha next time."

"You can dance later." Lukas passes Axel. Axel pouts.

"Aww..." Axel does his best impression of puppy eyes. That makes you realize you've never seen your own puppy eyes in the mirror.

"Let’s maybe… get inside the mansion before we pat ourselves on the back too much, shall we?" Ivor interrupts after clearing his throat. You sigh, remembering the tide of zombies behind you. You take in the mansion, it's much larger up close, with a fountain and a well maintained sidewalk that surrounds it. The mansion is intricate, with several upper chambers that connect to a squared off roof. You catch the interlocking blocks of oak wood and stone of various cuts.

You step towards the mansion, noticing that ultimately, the true winner of the race are the zombies. You and your group duck behind the fountain, hoping the rushing water will hide your breathing. "Looks like the front entrance is a no go..." Petra murmurs.

"Do you think we could fight through it?" Axel whispers.

"Are you mad? We'll just invite them inside." Lukas whispers back, a little too loud. One of the zombies' heads snaps towards you. You recoil.

"Get moving, we'll find another way in!" You rush around the side of the mansion. A few zombies give chase and you catch Olivia in your periphery taking down her scarf. That's enough to get some of the zombies to stop for a moment. Strange... You didn't think they had an instinctual—

Something stares at you through one of the large windows, something like swirling darkness. You catch the white face, almost like... A pumpkin? It stares at you for a bit too long, yellow irises piercing your soul. They turn, and seem to vanish into shadows, and then those shadows wisp away like smoke.

"What the hell...?" You mutter, almost tripping on your own feet.

"What'd you see? What's going on?!" Petra launches to your side, head turning like mad, as if something's on you. She looks you over and raises an eyebrow.

"I think I saw a plant creature? White pumpkin for a head?" You're not entirely sure what you saw. It's hard to even remember it, honestly. Are you hallucinating, like with the red eyes you'd seen hours prior? You don't really know. The coldness is probably getting to you, messing with your head.

"White pumpkin? No such thing as white pumpkins!" Ivor shouts from behind you.

"And there's no such thing as sky islands or Witherstorms!" Olivia shouts back. You catch one of the lower windows and nearly jolt back in surprise.

"There! We can get in through the window. Olivia, can you throw us?" You look at Olivia, who drags down her scarf just to let her jaw go slack in surprise.

"Are you crazy? Do you want to crash through a window? I swear—" Olivia starts and a firework hits the window. That appears to be enough to shatter it. Olivia turns slowly to stare at Axel, who does his best to hide his hands behind his back. "Okay. Got my answer." She glares at him.

Petra sighs. "I've got some planks." You swear you hear a shout from inside the mansion. Actually, quite a few shouts.

"Alright, build a bridge! Go, go, go!" Axel shouts. "I'll uh. Knock out the bottom of it?"

"Right. Zombies." Petra shakes her head and starts building the bridge. Your group rushes on top and you catch Axel breaking the bottom blocks so none of the zombies can climb up. You rush through the smashed part of the window, nearly tripping inside. You notice the glass has broken unevenly, into a thousand shards on the floor.

When you focus on something other than them, you catch two people staring at you, one tense like a piston about to fire and the other seemingly caught mid gasp. The tense figure, a pale person with a brown beard and mullet seems like a terrible person to pick a fight with. The other, a tan person with a black beard and short hair, seems like they'd rather rush away. The only thing that seems to unite them is they're both wearing sunglasses, but even the colors differ on that.

"Ah, um..." You stammer, looking back to the window. Olivia haphazardly smashes the top of the window, grumbling as she passes through. Ivor awkwardly steps over the shattered glass, teeth locked in a grimace. Lukas somehow makes a cat look like an inelegant creature as he steps inside. Petra and Axel take a moment to stare before leaping at your sides dramatically. You're surprised neither of them got cut, even with their armor.

"Alright," The tense figure steps forward and you can see the muscles in his bare arms clench. If you didn't have armor and a weapon, you'd be running back to the zombies. "You're gonna explain what you're doin' here right now." Even through his black sunglasses you can see the harshness of his gaze.

"TorqueDawg, is it really a good idea—" The man with the red sunglasses pipes up. TorqueDawg hushes him.

"Y'think we didn't see the firework? You damn near scared everyone in here half to death! First the zombies, now you? What's your deal, huh?" TorqueDawg is almost in your face. You tense.

"We were just trying to get out of the sea of zombies, lay off!" You snap. TorqueDawg seems to curl back, his thick brows furrowing in a sort of contemplation. You feel like you're being examined by a polar bear. His eyes fall on Olivia.

"Don't." She hisses. TorqueDawg scoffs.

"Don't what? Stare? You're all the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Who needs to prance around in armor like that? You guys look like you're from the dark ages." TorqueDawg looks to the man in the red sunglasses. "I think we're dealing with LARPers, Sparklez."

"Did... You just say Sparklez... With a z?" Petra raises an eyebrow.

"LARPers?" Lukas parrots.

"Yeah, shit cosplays too." TorqueDawg knocks on your armor. You stare at him, crinkling your nose. "What kinda prank is this? It's terrible, that's what it is."

"We have... Oh. You're party crashers, aren't you?" Sparklez seems to speak up. The naming scheme must work differently here? You take in Sparklez' clothes, he's in a black jacket and white shirt. You've never seen someone wear black pants with a white stripe on the side before. It's strange seeing someone like that hang out with someone wearing a blue green tank top. But maybe TorqueDawg's fancy gold bracelets makes up for it.

"Huh? Are we even speaking the same language right now?" Axel looks to Olivia and she just shrugs.

"Seriously, knock it off. What are you people supposed to be, some kinda loser patrol?" TorqueDawg taps you on the shoulder before recoiling. "What kinda—why'd you put real spikes on your damn cosplay?! Are you mad?"

"Are... Are you gonna explain what you're talking about?" You stare at TorqueDawg. He glares back at you before his mouth falls into a strange expression and he stares at Sparklez.

"Dear god. They're serious."

"Really, you can knock it off now. Maybe they're entertainers?" Sparklez suggests. "They don't seem to be doing... Anything else, really?"

"This is giving me a headache." Petra pushes her palms to the sides of her head.

"Maybe they got hit in the head." TorqueDawg murmurs. Sparklez glares at him.

"Be polite!" Sparklez chides. "Ah, well, I suppose you've already met TorqueDawg. I'm CaptainSparklez! Though, maybe you know that already. 'CaptainSparklez?' I've got, like, nine million fans?" CaptainSparklez cocks his head. You all stare at him harder.

"A captain!" Ivor excitedly shouts and wraps an arm around CaptainSparklez' black jacket. "Tell me, what kind of treasures have you found, Captain?"

"Uh...?" CaptainSparklez backs away. "Not... Like that? You really don't know, do you?"

You take a look around at the room and notice Olivia's doing the same. She seems really focused on the ceiling for some reason. It seems like a kitchen, but not like one of yours. There's something like a furnace, but it's not right. It seems too square, with a door and four circular markings on its top. You walk to and stare at it.

"Weird furnace..." You murmur.

"You mean the fucking stove?" TorqueDawg glares at you and then at the 'stove.'

"What's it do?" You assume it's like a furnace, but you're not sure. Olivia glances at it for a moment before staring at the ceiling, muttering something.

"Oh you gotta be kiddin' me. What are you, five? I can't believe this... Explain' stoves to randos..." TorqueDawg shakes his head.

"I just turned seven recently, actually." You admit. TorqueDawg stares at you before his eyes widen.

"That's a seven year old!? What—HOW BIG ARE YOU GONNA BE WHEN YOU'RE TWENTY?" TorqueDawg stares at you like you've grown another head. He pulls his sunglasses up. "What? You've gotta be shittin' me." He points at you with his palms a few times, looking back to CaptainSparklez who just raises an eyebrow.

"You're... Small when you're my age?" You stare at him. "I stopped being considered a fresh spawn when I was one." You tilt your head.

"What are you fucking talking about? Fresh spawn? Where are your parents?!" TorqueDawg examines you. "Who invited SEVEN YEAR OLDS? WHY DOES A SEVEN YEAR OLD HAVE A BEARD?" He points at Ivor.

"I am much much older than seven." Ivor boasts.

"How... Old?" TorqueDawg stares at him, looking almost out of breath. Ivor looks at his fingers.

"I uh, hm... I honestly don't remember. Am I a hundred yet?"

"...What." TorqueDawg stares at him.

"What do you mean by parents? Do you mean like villagers or the people who take care of the fresh spawns? Ivor's got one back home, although she's more like a teenage villager would be. Y'know? Ivor, is she one yet?" Axel asks, turning to Ivor.

"Hm, I never asked her, honestly. And she never told me." Ivor admits.

"You don't know how old your fresh spawn is!?" Axel stares at him.

"Oh my god." TorqueDawg mocks like he's about to faint. "Sparklez, can you believe this?"

"Well, if what you stole actually works—" Sparklez begins.

"For the last time, I didn't steal it! I don't have it!" TorqueDawg snaps at Sparklez. "There are more rare items than that damned 'flint and steel' or whatever!"

You jolt back at the sound but keep yourself from spilling. "You guys also have the Old Builder rumor?" You raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, you mean that old conspiracy? Who believes that whacked out nonsense, 'cept for the same idiots who think putting cherry blossom flowers in your water will make you immortal?" TorqueDawg glares at you. "Are you people tripping on spore blossoms? I knew a guy who did them in high school, never acted right after."

"TorqueDawg!" CaptainSparklez treats him like he's a fresh spawn who's devoured all of the rations. TorqueDawg glares back at him.

"What? It'd explain a lotta stuff. I knew a guy who took too much of his allergy meds and thought he was being attacked by a thousand spiders!"

"Maybe you should get better friends." CaptainSparklez shakes his head.

"Honestly, if they're tripping, we should give 'em some snacks and let 'em sleep it off." TorqueDawg's voice is suddenly quiet.

"Does this look like 'tripping' to you?" Olivia pulls down her scarf. TorqueDawg recoils. "We're from another world!"

"There goes the neighborhood..." Lukas mutters anxiously.

"Ah. What." TorqueDawg looks back at CaptainSparklez.

"...Sounds like something Dan would know about." CaptainSparklez approaches Olivia and she recoils, bringing herself closer to the broken glass. "He's always getting himself into some crazy stuff. He probably has a cure for every disease at this point."

"Disease?" You raise an eyebrow.

"Well, I definitely know they're not on drugs, that's for sure. And I don't think a LARPer would be this dedicated." TorqueDawg looks at Olivia again. "Your face hurtin' you?"

"No?" Olivia tilts her head. "Thanks for asking—?"

"'Cause it's killin' me. Haha, still got it." TorqueDawg smirks.

"Wow." Olivia sighs and looks back at the ceiling. A strange silence falls in the room. TorqueDawg leans against the stove.

"Well," CaptainSparklez cuts through the silence, "you've got our names, how about we get yours?"

"I'm Jesse," You begin, "that's Petra, Ivor, Lukas, Axel, Olivia and—oh. Yeah just us." You debate showing Clarity but that seems like a new way to spark those 'drug rumors' from before. You'd heard of people who'd consume spore blossoms to 'see the future' or 'commune with the gods' but this sounded different.

"Hmm..." TorqueDawg seems to ponder that. "I expected something flashier. Like, I dunno, Sharkteeth or something." He points at Olivia.

"What-teeth?" She stares back at him. You watch her debate pulling her scarf back up before she pushes the goggles of Ellegaard's helmet up. "My appearance doesn't bother you?"

"Nah, Dan turned himself into a vampire for a week once." TorqueDawg lazily waves one hand.

"That was scary. He almost bit me!" CaptainSparklez shudders.

"Oh, quiddit. He didn't even come close." TorqueDawg rolls his eyes. "But you don't seem to be demanding blood or anything. Do you burn in the sun? I might have some sunscreen or somethin'..."

"No, I don't. But... Thanks for asking?" Olivia tilts her head. "Not even the glowing eyes? The... Teeth?" Her mouth hangs open. TorqueDawg rushes over to her.

"Do you shed them? You have gotta let me keep some of those!"

"You've already got a shark tooth necklace. And you stole it from Stacy!"

"Nah, I think I took it from Lizzie. She's a bit of an oddities enjoyer. I think. Hm... Was it Stacy or was it Lizzie. I don't remember now."

"Uh, I shed some last month? So you're... Late, I guess?" Olivia shrugs. "Still don't know how often that's gonna happen. Ugh..."

"You weren't born like that? Man, we really should get Dan in here." CaptainSparklez mutters.

"Assuming he doesn't come in and lecture us about how fireworks work or something..." TorqueDawg rolls his eyes.

"Are the two moons and zombies normal?" You ask.

"Two moons yes, zombies no. I've never seen them like this. Although, maybe Dan's messed with them somehow. I remember he made a super zombie once, nearly killed himself..." CaptainSparklez seems to lose himself in thought for a moment. "I'm surprised they let that episode air!"

"We should really start a tally for things we don't recognize." Lukas mutters from behind you. You turn to Olivia again and notice she's looking around the room again. You raise an eyebrow.

Is the room really... Off?

Olivia is terribly perceptive. There's no reason to suddenly mistrust her judgment or her eyes. You turn to her, letting your gaze fall away from the two strangers, and Olivia's teeth clench into a grimace. She steps in front of you, gaze turning back to the ceiling. You turn to the strangers again, watching them tense as Olivia continues to stare.

"Is something wrong?" CaptainSparklez steps forward and Olivia waves one hand rapidly at him. "I guess that answers that, then." The words are followed by an anxious laugh. TorqueDawg shakes his head at the idea.

"You really think someone would invite us just to—" He steps forward and Olivia rushes towards him. You hear something in the ceiling move and your eyes catch a part of it pulling away. Before you can comprehend it, you hear the familiar sound of arrows piercing the air.

You try to rush forward but Petra grabs you and pulls you back. In your periphery you catch Axel heaving like a madman. You force your eyes forward but it's hard to see what's going on through the haze of the arrows.

"What's going on!?" CaptainSparklez shouts.

"Help me, dammit! There's gotta be somethin' in here to stop—" TorqueDawg yells at his side. You watch the arrows calm, leaving Olivia hunched on the ground. A few of them stick into her armor haphazardly while others litter the floor. She's still for a moment in that position and you swear nobody in your group breathes.

You watch her gauntleted claws pull one of them out of her back. You catch a trickle of purplish blood, but not enough to be a big wound. She rises to her feet, inspecting the arrow in her hand for a moment, before stepping back and turning to the ceiling.

"There isn't a pressure plate here." She murmurs and you hear Ivor gasp and rush to her side. That's when you catch the green tip of the arrow. Olivia looks to him, as if she's not resembling a human pincushion at the moment.

"That's—you're poisoned!" Ivor sputters, staring at her. His teeth lock into a grimace before he laughs. "Of course. Withers are immune to poison!"

"She's s'posed to be a Wither?" TorqueDawg stares at Olivia for a moment before pulling his sunglasses down. "I think you need your eyes checked."

"Can you focus on the fact that she's currently full of arrows instead? Please?" CaptainSparklez shudders, hands grasping at his hair. You watch Olivia turn to remove another one of the arrows. "Stop that! You're going to bleed out!"

"My skin's too thick for them to pierce too far..." Olivia mutters before wincing as she pulls out another. "Besides, Ivor has a harming potion or two."

"Um... Shouldn't you be... A little more worried?" Axel stares at Olivia, looking like he's trying to figure something out. Olivia looks to him and pulls out another air.

"I've got another thing to be worried about. Look," She points to the ceiling and you catch strange, almost vine-like things lining the walls. Each of them is a different, vibrant color. One's red, another's yellow, and you even catch one that's a deep blue. "someone here wanted to kill us. It's got enough power to pierce straight through my armor."

"Ah, yes, that reminds me!" Ivor starts to walk towards Olivia and she rapidly shakes her hand.

"Absolutely not! I need to figure out what even activates this in the first place." She pulls out another arrow and stares at it. "...Whoever set this wanted the target to stay dead. Even if armored..." You watch her gesture the arrow around the floor. It takes a few moments for the mechanism to activate again, seemingly only doing it when half of the arrow hits its range.

"Wait, I think I see it!" Lukas points to the ceiling and you look up, catching part of the ceiling has opened up to reveal a dispenser. "But there's no pressure plate... And what's with the vines?"

"...Those are wires?" CaptainSparklez stares at Lukas strangely. Really? Redstone wires were usually obvious, not technicolor!

"Okay, so the 'wires' have redstone in them, right?" Olivia looks to CaptainSparklez for a moment before returning to watch the arrows. You watch Ivor sneak up behind her and pour a few drops of a harming potion on her back. Her gaze snaps back to him.

"I'm fine. They were more like little cuts, honestly. The poison would have been what killed me." Olivia rolls her eyes.

"Well, forgive me for wanting to make sure you're well before I patch up your armor!" Ivor scoffs before putting his hands to Olivia's armor. You hear him speak in a tongue you haven't heard before and watch the holes in Olivia's armor close. She stares at him wide eyes and he recoils.

"Um... Thanks. But don't do that again, you could have gotten a bunch of arrows in you!" Olivia stammers before turning back to the dying arrow flow. "Okay, would it recognize a finger?" She points one finger underneath the dispenser and recoils immediately. A hail of arrows follows shortly after.

"Er..." Lukas stammers and looks to you. "So it just, fires arrows? Using those wire things?"

"And some kind of sensor. I can't figure out what... But maybe it's something like an observer block. There's something up there that detects a target. And it's not based on weight, either." Olivia ponders as the arrows continue to fire.

"Can you at least stop triggering it? You're gonna hurt yourself!" CaptainSparklez shouts.

"Well, seeing as I can't just reach up there and get to the dispenser, it seems we're going to have to have it run out of arrows the old fashioned way." Olivia huffs.

"Or we could step around it." You suggest.

"That's the thing, though. What if someone else comes in here and they don't know about it? Plus, I could really use some extra arrows." Olivia starts to pull a few of the arrows from the floor, recoiling when the dispenser reawakens.

"Yeah... There are quite a few of us." CaptainSparklez seems to hum that out anxiously. "But... Why would someone want to kill us?"

An old memory sparks in your mind. You'd read in the history books of people who'd slaughtered for Experience and inventories before. Jealousy could drive someone to madness, even the most blood soaked kind. You absentmindedly chuck a spare block of inactive cobblestone to the dispenser's range and part of the floor opens to swallow it whole.

"Our inventories." You shudder. "That's what they want."

"Alright, I vote that we go back out there and just fight the zombies. Or we can dig a nice big hole—" Axel begins and Petra glares at him.

"That's suicide!"

"And staying in a place where people want my inventory isn't!?" Axel shouts, looking around. "I say we get everyone together, run outside and just... Deal with the zombies. We can last until morning!"

"Who's to say the murderer wouldn't also be among us?" Olivia baits out the arrows again and recoils when they set off. "Alright, we need to mark this with some kind of warning. This is... Lasting much longer than a dispenser should be."

"That's a good point." Petra looks to Olivia and you catch slight anxiety in her eyes. "Alright, we stick together and we figure this out."

"Is there a chance this could be just... A home security system of some kind? Maybe it activated when you broke the window?" CaptainSparklez nervously pipes up.

"Why would it take the inventory, then? To hide the evidence?" Petra rebuts that quickly.

"Forgive me for not wanting to be stuck with a murderer, I guess..." CaptainSparklez murmurs.

"Anyone have anything to block it off?" You ask as Olivia removes some of the outer arrows and pockets them. Ivor gestures for her to hand him one of them. She shrugs and lets him have at it. Petra is about to hand you some spare wood when her mouth opens in a strange way and she tilts her head. You turn to catch what she's looking at and find Ivor sniffing the arrow.

"...You've gotta be kidding me." Petra stares at him. "Are you seeing this, Lukas?"

"I really wish I wasn't." Lukas mutters.

"Honestly, he can sniff all the arrows he wants. I don't care about that!" Axel shudders and shuffles to Petra's side. "We're gonna get murdered!"

"Alright, cool it big guy. Panic's gonna make you stupider than normal." Petra pats Axel on the shoulder.

"You think I'm stupid?" Axel whines dramatically.

"I was just teasing. Doesn't laughter make the sense of impending doom leave a little?" Petra shrugs.

"Now I just feel like I'm gonna do something stupid and die!" Axel shivers a little.

"I didn't think you could get nervous." Petra tilts her head. "Honestly, I can't figure out what's weirder..." Petra shakes her head as she looks back at Ivor.

You step to Olivia's side and carefully place some spare cobblestone around the mechanism. Olivia waves her hand over one of the cobblestone blocks and when it doesn't fire you build up to the ceiling, entombing the dispenser.

"Now we should probably put a sign there. So nobody gets curious."

"Wouldn't a sign make people more curious?" CaptainSparklez suggests. "Although, a big obelisk in the kitchen would probably already do that..."

"I mean, we do have the word of seven people to go off of." Lukas shrugs. Ivor stops sniffing the arrow and recoils, his eyes practically bugging out of their sockets.

"This is incredibly potent." Ivor stares at the arrow like it'll grow legs and try to embed itself into someone.

"So, in essence, whoever set this trap wanted to cover their bases? If the arrows didn't do it, then the poison would finish the job?" Petra approaches Ivor, cautiously eying the arrow.

"Without a doubt, yes." Ivor comments. You watch Olivia bring one of the arrows back from her inventory, stare at it, and then lick it. Ivor nearly jumps out of his skin and you watch TorqueDawg cringe.

"Uh, hm..." Olivia begins, staring at the arrow. "Honestly, I wanted to see if I could pick up on anything. All I know is that poison is apparently very tasty." She sticks the arrow in her mouth.

"...What the fuck?" TorqueDawg stares at Olivia before looking to CaptainSparklez. "Am I hallucinating or something?"

"Well, as long as those arrows aren't hurting anyone, I'm fine with... This. I suppose." CaptainSparklez shrugs. He approaches Olivia and taps her on the shoulder. She jolts back, nearly impaling him, before recoiling and pressing back to the barrier around the dispenser. "Olivia, right? Could you help me warn the others about this? You seem to have a better understanding of this stuff than me."

"I... Was honestly going to stay back and continue looking around?" Olivia stares at the arrow and you notice the tip seems a lot less greener. "Well, I guess this arrow is icky in a different way. Um..." Olivia's gaze flickers from side to side before she shrugs and tosses the whole arrow into her mouth, crunching down on it.

"Er?" CaptainSparklez tilts his head, smiling stupidly.

"I got hungry?" Olivia shrugs.

"How did you even... I'm not going to ask, actually. Never mind." CaptainSparklez puts his hands up and walks backwards. "But I could really use an extra hand, especially if there are traps around here we don't know about."

Your nerves finally let you remember something. You look to Axel, his teeth locked in a tight grimace, and you step forward. Somehow, your head's clearer than it was while running from the zombies. "Actually, could I steal you for a moment? You can have her once we're done talking." You stare at the two of them.

"I'd... Prefer to let everyone know about the traps as soon as possible." CaptainSparklez' looks back at Olivia, wincing a little. "I mean, who knows what else is in here?"

Right. He's right. You can shove back that revelation for later. "Oh. Right. Sorry. Go on, then."

"We should all come." Axel steps to your side, glaring at CaptainSparklez and TorqueDawg. Olivia looks to Axel and then to the two men. She shrugs and Axel steps to her side. "I'm not trusting either of them, not yet at least." Axel whispers.

"I suppose that's right?" You shrug as you whisper back to him. Axel nods and looks to Petra, who seems just as tense.

"You nearly got yourself killed!" Axel hisses at Olivia. She rolls her eyes.

"Did you forget—"

"I didn't!" Axel hisses. "But Withers aren't invincible! I just saw you get turned into a pin cushion! You can't just pretend you're immortal or something!"

"I barely felt it!" Olivia snaps back. "I'm fine."

"Alright, guys, settle down. We'll all go. We should probably set up a buddy system anyway, just in case the killer's around." You offer. "What do you guys think?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Lukas nods. "How about we all stick together and—"

"Hey? I heard a lot of shouting earlier! Did you guys deal with whatever tried to break in?" A new voice cuts through from behind the door. Before anyone can talk, the door swings open. The voice belongs to a pale, pink haired stranger in a blue blazer. "Oh. It seems... Everything's alright, then?" She squints and stares at all of you for a moment too long.

"Oh, yes, I was going to get everyone together to tell—" CaptainSparklez begins but the stranger continues to look over your group.

"Hang on a minute! It's you. I recognize you!" She suddenly pipes up.

"Wait, huh?" Olivia stares at the stranger and then you. Olivia shrugs when you stare back at her.

"Excuse me?" Lukas looks at your group and then the stranger.

"That's... Literally impossible? We've never met?" You tilt your head.

"I'll show you. Follow me." The stranger continues.

"Wait," CaptainSparklez steps to her side, "would you mind staying by Olivia?" You watch the stranger raise an eyebrow right as CaptainSparklez points to Olivia. "I'll explain why once everyone's together."

"Wouldn't hurt to tell her here." TorqueDawg pipes up. "Considering our pointy Wither buddy here nearly got herself turned into a kabob." With that, he points one thumb towards Olivia.

"I... That's one way to describe it, I suppose." CaptainSparklez rubs the back of his neck. "Come on, everyone, let's stay close together."

You're about to leave in a line when Axel suddenly stacks himself against your shoulders. "Hey, is now a good time to bring up—" He begins and you have a strange feeling.

"Is it about the white pumpkin from the chest?" You whisper back. Axel stares at you for a moment, taking a moment to find words. He thinks so hard even his bad eye focuses for a moment.

"Yeah. You think that person you saw earlier might be related to it? I feel like I'm missing something important." Axel rubs one hand against his helmet, as if he was going to run it through his hair. You watch him register that, blink, and then shake his head like he's trying to clear his mind.

"I don't know," You admit, looking around the room for a moment, "maybe it's a coincidence. I mean, they didn't react too harshly to Olivia so maybe... Maybe that weird person is normal here?" You begin to follow after the line.

"I dunno, they seem all... Human?" Axel shrugs. "Maybe they're just... Rare? I don't know, all of these different worlds are making my head hurt."

"Mmh," You remember your lack of sleep then, "I really wish we weren't dealing with a potential murderer. I'd like to sleep, honestly."

"How the hell did I forget about that..." Axel murmurs.

You pass through the door, catching the death of a conversation. "This can't be real—how would someone even make these so fast?!" You can recognize Olivia's exasperated words, despite how echo-y her voice has gotten from the shout. Axel stops short for a moment and you follow his gaze, a gasp dying in your throat.

It's you. Not a portrait, not a headshot, you. In your armor, painted almost grandly. It's terribly accurate, as if someone's been over your shoulder, memorizing each part of you. As you move your head, you expect the painting to somehow come to life or to be revealed as a three dimensional structure. Somehow, neither happens.

"I know, right, isn't it freaky? First it was just the people here and poof—you guys too!" A new voice cuts through your thoughts. You look over, catching a red haired, porcelain skinned stranger. She's very distinct, dressed in a dark gray hoodie and dark shorts. And are those blue and white striped socks?

"But how could they paint them so fast?" Olivia asks and you step closer. The red haired stranger looks to you for a moment as you do and that's when you catch the wall is lined with portraits. You nearly walk into a calcite table in shock. Oh. This is a sort of living room, sparse with a nice carpet and a few calcite tables placed in strategic points.

"Now that you say that, I have to agree. These are, well, pretty flattering." Petra cuts in and you step to Olivia's portrait.

"They even got the glowing patterns right..." You step away from it. "What the hell?"

"Yeah, I ah... I don't know what's going on here, but I really don't like it." Lukas rubs the back of his neck. "And combined with what just happened? Really not liking it."

"Ivor," Olivia pipes up, "could this maybe be an enchantment?" You turn to Ivor and catch him admiring his own portrait. "Ivor!"

"Give me a moment! It's not often I find such an exquisite depiction of myself." Ivor ponders the painting for a moment before reaching his hand out. You watch him hold it there for a brief second before recoiling. "Wait. Who's to say it isn't a lure of some kind? How dare they..."

"I really doubt that's what the paintings are for..." Olivia steps to Ivor's side and shakes her head. "But, I suppose that is a fair point. What if they are boobytrapped? If they are enchanted, they could easily have something else tied to them..."

"Who would even enchant a painting? Honestly, it's probably some weird obsessed fan." The red haired stranger comments, circling around the paintings. "Which means we're probably gonna get locked in their basement!" She seems to shout and shudder at that last part.

"More like murdered, but sure..." Olivia comments and you watch the red haired stranger nervously fiddle with her blue beanie. With that, you look around, noticing that CaptainSparklez has disappeared. You suppose he's already—

Something brushes against your leg. You nearly jump out of your armor until you realize it's just a calico cat, one that's mostly orange with a black leg. All of its paws are white, just like its left ear and belly. The red haired stranger stops gripping her beanie long enough to scoop up the cat and stroke the back of its neck.

"Stay close, Winslow..." She seems to mutter, resting her head on the cat's neck. The cat idly paws at her black framed glasses. Its green eyes every so often fall on you.

"Hey," The pink haired stranger steps to your side suddenly and you nearly jolt again. Petra approaches and the stranger puts her hands up. "I just wanted to ask what happened in the kitchen. But, not in here." You watch her look back to the red haired stranger.

"I'll come with." Petra steps in between you. "Don't even start."

"That's fine. The more the merrier, I suppose." The pink haired stranger nods. She leads you to a far off table. You catch Axel and Olivia looking over the paintings in your periphery. It seems Ivor has elected to observe the paintings from afar and Lukas is pacing around them, as if he's seen something off.

"What were you going to ask?" Petra's words are sharp. You wave one hand at her to tamper it down and her teeth lock into a sharp snarl. You're not even sure if you can blame her.

"I have an idea of what I think happened, but I want to hear it from you." The pink haired stranger's gaze seems to be just as observant as your own.

"There was a dispenser in the ceiling, it shot out a bunch of poisonous arrows." You see no harm in telling the truth. You look around. "Why'd you wanna discuss this over here?"

"Well," The stranger's shoulders tense in a way like she's about to brace her words with a 'no offense,' "Cassie," she points to the woman with the red hair, "has a habit of... Overreacting. Let's just leave it at that."

Petra seems to run her gaze along the stranger before flicking her eyes over to Cassie for a brief moment. "And how do you know this?"

"Everyone here knows each other, at least in passing. Sure, some better than others, but working in a similar industry means you kind of have to know them." The pink haired stranger looks back to Cassie before shrugging and leaning in close. "Honestly, I think she's probably going to die first."

"Um...?" You stammer.

"Alright. That's definitely not suspicious at all." Petra comments. The pink haired stranger shrugs.

"She's been on edge the whole night. Once, TorqueDawg stole something from her and she nearly jumped off a cliff trying to chase after him. When she freaks out, she has a habit of making incredibly stupid decisions." The stranger shrugs, as if it's a casual thing to talk about. Petra's gaze hardens. "I heard the arrows were poisoned? Were they tipped or were they those dart-like ones?"

"The... Huh?" You tilt your head.

"How do you know about something like that?" Petra leans in closer.

That seems to knock the stranger off balance. You catch anxiety in her eyes for a moment. "I know a bit about potions. It doesn't hurt to know about something like that, especially if you're about to head into a fight."

"Sure..." Petra comments.

"By the way, is your friend okay? She looks awful." The pink haired stranger's eyes fall on Olivia. You try to figure out if the sympathy in her eyes are genuine.

"Hey." Petra leans over the table and the stranger stares at her. "Take that back."

"It was a genuine question? She looks ill."

"Well, she's not!" Petra shouts back.

The pink haired stranger stares at you. "You know, it's really suspicious that all of this has stared after you arrived." She leans over the table as well. "I heard the arrows. TorqueDawg said something about her being part Wither, right? I know what it looks like when someone holds a crossbow. I see her sneaking around, acting like she owns the place!"

"Olivia isn't a murderer!" You lean over the table and shout back. "Are you nuts?"

"I'm just noticing a pattern." The pink haired stranger sits back down.

"Were you... Just standing out there, listening to us?" Petra's words are a wraithlike, tense thing. She pads closer over the table.

"Why does it matter? Do you have something to hide?"

"No, it's just suspicious as shit!" Petra fires back sharply. The pink haired stranger stares back at you.

"And the firework to the window wasn't?"

"We were going to be overrun by mobs!" You snap back. "Besides, it was Axel's idea. Nobody told him to do that."

The pink haired stranger looks back at Olivia and then to you. "She's sniffing around this place more than one of Stacy's wolves! If I was the murderer, that would sound like the perfect way to throw people off my tail."

"And if I was the murderer," Petra leans in with a hiss, "I'd throw stupid bullshit around like this."

"You wish." The pink haired stranger spits that out and shakes her head. "But it's real convenient that this started after you came here. That's all I'm going to say." The stranger takes that moment to stand up and walk away. You slump back in your seat and catch Petra continuing to glare at the stranger.

"Well, that went... Terribly." You twiddle your fingers together.

Petra's teeth continue to lock into a tight snarl for a moment before she lets out a breath and sits down fully. "We've barely been here five minutes and we're already on shitty terms with someone."

"Do you really think she's the murderer?" You ask.

"More than I would Olivia. She does... Feel kinda off." Petra shakes her head and stands back up. "Come on."

You follow Petra and look to the rest of your scattered group. "Figure out anything about the paintings?"

Olivia huffs and shakes her head. You debate pulling out Clarity for a moment but decide against it. That's weird, too, it hasn't spoken in a while. Perhaps it's just as deep in thought as the rest of you. Maybe you should have touched the pink haired stranger with it? You never caught her name... You wonder if that's for a good reason.

Ivor seems to be concentrating on something. You watch him turn his head to one of the paintings with his eyes closed and then when he opens then he seems to shake his head. "I believe something's up with them, but I can't seem to figure out what..."

"Well, I don't want to find out by watching you die today." Olivia's words are sharp. "What was with the pink haired lady?"

"I think we burned that bridge." You grimace.

"Petraaa..." Olivia glares.

"Hey, if you heard what'd she said about you—" Petra begins.

"Alright," Lukas stops in front of your group, "I don't see anything up with the paintings? Olivia could you—"

"I really don't want to find out what potentially enchanted paintings could do to me." Olivia grimaces with her whole mouth.

"Can we stop messing around with the murder traps? Please?" Axel's gaze snaps between all of you. You shrug. "I just—this sucks. Okay? I just wanna go home."

"We all do." Lukas sighs. "If we could find somewhere safe... I'd really like to shut my eyes for a minute."

"In here?!" Axel stares at Lukas like he's grown another head. "You'd be better off sleeping in the damn Death Bowl!"

"I'm just tired..." Lukas shakes his head. "I mean... I can barely remember how long it's been since we were in Sky City."

"We could sleep in shifts?" You suggest and look around, noticing Cassie has disappeared. She must have followed after CaptainSparklez. So did that pink haired lady. Huh.

"Do you think they're waiting for us?" Axel shudders a little. "I mean, what if there isn't just one murderer? They could all want to kill us for crying out loud!"

"I don't know... CaptainSparklez didn't give me those vibes." You admit, rubbing the back of your neck.

"What if that's what he wants you to think!?" Axel nearly jolts back into one of the paintings. You watch him recoil away from it. His good eye passes over and he looks back to you. "At least I'm not seeing eyeholes or something! At least... They're not watching us."

"We need to keep our heads on straight." You say that and immediately feel like you've just stated the obvious. "We can't jump to conclusions but we can't blindly trust anyone. We should stick together."

"I can be intimidating, if you need that." Olivia shrugs as she suggests that.

"Let me handle that." Petra smirks. "Seriously, don't force yourself into it, I'm better at it anyway."

Olivia snorts. "Sureeee."

There's an agonizing silence for a moment. You watch CaptainSparklez emerge from a door on the other head, head bowed slightly. Suddenly, you're peering at him like he's a new person. You really don't know any of these people. Who's to say Axel isn't right?

"Come on. You... Know the most about what's happened." CaptainSparklez' gaze flashes back to the room behind him. You catch Axel stiffening somewhere at your side.

"Do you think he told them?" Petra asks at your side.

"How many people are even in there?" Lukas whispers and Olivia steps in front of you. You watch her look back before disappearing beyond the door. You freeze for a moment and when you move again it feels mechanical, like you're marching into the jaws of a large beast.

Inside is a dining room. There's a fireplace to your left and the room is long with a table with a long white sheet in the center. Plates are passed out at each fancy seat.

You realize with horror that you recognize everyone here. You'd seen them in the paintings, every detail rendered brilliantly. It reminds you of the snapshot book... Speaking of, one the people in that book looks oddly familiar now. Maybe you're just sleep deprived.

Olivia seems to beam for a moment and you follow her gaze. For a moment, you think you're looking at a large orange and white cat, at least until the figure readjusts their hoodie and the cat's face falls away to reveal a light beige person with fluffy brown hair. Olivia seems disappointed at the sight.

You don't realize CaptainSparklez is on the far end of the large dining table until he speaks. "Here, let me introduce you all properly. You guys already met Cassie Rose and LDShadowLady." With that last part, he points to the pink haired woman.

"But my friends call me Lizzie." She adds.

"Oh. That's a bit less of a mouthful than your other name—" Olivia begins.

"Did I say you were my friend?" Lizzie narrows her cornflower blue eyes.

"Alright, everyone, settle down." CaptainSparklez waves one hand up and down frantically. That earns him an eye roll from Lizzie. "This is StacyPlays," He gestures towards a beige stranger in a white and blue striped shirt with long brown hair, "StampyCat," he points to the man in the orange cat hoodie, earning another disappointed glance from Olivia and finally, "and that's Dan 'The Diamond Minecart.'" to which he points in the direction of a beige, brown haired person in a gray jacket and blue lensed goggles.

"And these are the Loser Patrol." TorqueDawg points at your group. "And their cool Wither buddy." TorqueDawg gestures excitedly at Olivia.

"What." Lizzie stares at him.

"Hey, she saved my life. That earns her a place in TorqueDawg's 'cool people' book." TorqueDawg crosses his arms. "So I'd say knock her off the suspect list."

"Suspect... For what?" Dan pipes up, parts of his hair prickling into a strange white color. You watch panic cross CaptainSparklez' deep blue eyes.

"Well, Olivia," CaptainSparklez limply gestures towards Olivia, "ended up activating a trap in the kitchen. According to what she said, it had enough power in it to kill a human being."

"And how did she know that?" Lizzie narrows her eyes.

"Yeah!" Cassie pipes up, green eyes darting frantically around. "What makes you say that?"

Olivia sighs and removes one of her gauntlets. "Here, touch my hand." She walks around idly, holding out her hand. You finally let yourself sit down, noticing a few cups strewn about, filled with some sort of liquid. It's a deep purple. You raise an eyebrow.

Olivia continues walking around for a few moments, with nobody taking the offer, except for Dan. You watch his hair prickle into segments of purple and white and he recoils after a moment. "That feels almost like obsidian, hold on—" Dan touches her hand again, his hair fading into a soft, pale yellow. "No, no, it's something entirely different. But from what I can tell it is decently thick."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you," Olivia gently pulls her hand away, "it still pierced my skin. It went straight through my armor and it drew blood. If anyone else would have been under it, they would have been dead before they could even register what was happening."

There's an awkward silence. TorqueDawg's face contorts into a forced grin. "Ah. It was... That close, wasn't it? I really just looked death in the face."

"It would have at least been quick." Olivia pulls out one of the tipped arrows. "But whoever did this also had a safeguard. Potent poison."

Lizzie stares at the arrow for a moment before holding out one hand. Olivia pulls the arrow away. "I know about alchemy, let me look at it." Lizzie's words aren't harsh but they do hold some tension.

"Ivor already told me everything I need to know." Olivia inventories the arrow. "And no offense? I don't trust anyone in here."

"Someone... Someone in here wants to kill us?" StampyCat pipes up, voice shuddering a little. "What could they want to kill us for?"

"Same as anyone else," StacyPlays pipes up suddenly with a huff, "inventory. Happens to famous people all the time. It seems it's our turn."

"What?!" Cassie shudders and pulls Winslow close. He curls around her neck.

"Alright, alright, settle down everyone." CaptainSparklez stands up, waving his arms up and down gently, as if he's soothing a group of wild animals. StacyPlays looks over your group for a moment and then turns to CaptainSparklez.

"And this only happened after these people arrived?"

"Well, yes, but—" CaptainSparklez begins.

"That's suspicious." StacyPlays crosses her arms.

"Hey, you didn't almost get turned into a pin cushion!" TorqueDawg fires back. "I don't think they're gonna kill us."

"But it conveniently hit the one person who's immune to poison?" Lizzie pipes up.

"I really do not like where this discussion is going." Dan interrupts.

"I don't like this, I really don't like this..." StampyCat seems to be murmuring.

"Why's that, Dan? You a big pussycat too?" TorqueDawg snorts.

"No, this is sounding incredibly, well... You sound like you're just accusing her because she's part Wither!" Dan fires back.

"Well, it's incredibly suspicious!" Lizzie fires back. "One of her friends just tried to intimidate me!"

"Sounds an awful lot like pack mentality." StacyPlays crosses her arms. "Wolves do something similar. Why bring the whole pack when you can do the same with only a few?"

"Guys. Stop." CaptainSparklez pipes up. "This isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to set up some kind of system. Besides, why would Olivia help us disarm one of her own traps if she was the killer?"

"Good point." StacyPlays nods.

"What? It's obvious! To throw us off!" Lizzie retorts.

"We need to stay calm about this." CaptainSparklez continues. "I say we all travel in groups of three."

"What do we do if we get stuck with her?" Lizzie points to Olivia. Olivia glares at her. "What? You probably need about four people to take you down."

"We'll just stick together then." You gesture at your group. "Maybe I could even—" You debate pulling out Clarity for a moment when Olivia picks up one of the glasses and inspects it.

"Do you... Guys want me to test if this is poisoned?" Olivia asks and that gets a host of confused glares. "I can taste poison, it's this sort of... Distinct sweet flavor."

"I don't see why not." Dan offers with a shrug. "It'd be nice to be able to drink something."

"I do have to admit I'm rather thirsty but..." StampyCat shudders again. "I'm sorry, I'm just... I really don't feel right about it."

Olivia shrugs. "Alright." She chugs the whole thing down. "Not poisoned. This tastes awful."

"Well, that's good to know. If only there was some food you could taste too..." Axel murmurs at Olivia's side. She hands him some bread. "Is that really all you brought?"

"I did bring a cake but..." She whispers to him. "I don't want to deal with a bunch of people fighting over it right now."

"You guys think it tastes good? I mean, having a drink could make things a little less awkward." Lukas shrugs.

"Assuming there isn't alcohol in it, of course." Ivor suggests. Lukas stares at him. "What? Do you want to be drunk in a situation like this?"

"Well, then the murderer would also be drunk." Lukas shrugs. You watch some of the others partake. Lizzie seems to sniff her drink, StampyCat seems still off put, and StacyPlays takes one sip of it before shaking her head and putting it down.

"Aren't you guys thirsty or whatever? I am." TorqueDawg raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip.

"What?" You stare at him.

"You guys don't get thirsty?" TorqueDawg crinkles his nose. "Lucky bastards."

"Well, anyone wanna... Drink something, I guess?" Axel shrugs. Ivor examines one of the cups as well. You shrug and look at him. They don't seem to be poisoned. Lukas picks one up and has a few sips.

"Ehhh." He shrugs. "It's sort of sweet, like a fruit, but I can't seem to figure out what kind."

"It's grape." CaptainSparklez comments. Lukas raises an eyebrow. "You don't have grapes? Wow, you're missing out!"

"Technically, it's not actually grape flavor—" Dan begins.

"Don't. Even. Start." TorqueDawg hisses. "Do you guys at least drink for fun?"

"Sometimes if it tastes good?" You shrug. You're kind of curious what the grape tastes like. Axel stares at Olivia.

"You're sure it's not poisoned?" He asks her.

"I would have tasted it. Believe me, poison is a strong flavor." Olivia shrugs. Petra looks over Ivor as he seems to start sniffing one of the full cups. "Really, it's fine. If it's poisoned, everyone in here is screwed."

"Do you want any?" Axel asks, picking one up. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to distract ourselves for a bit. You know, pretend it's a cool dinner party."

You think about it for a moment. Is it really a good idea to have a drink here? But Olivia has to be right, she would have tasted poison. And nothing else can really mess you up. Besides, you've never had grape before. Why not try some?

Maybe you'll just have a few sips. If it tastes awful, then you'll spit it out. And maybe Petra has some milk if it's still poisoned. You'd hope. Did you ever ask what was in everyone's inventory? When was the last time you slept? These are terrible questions to ask now.

You nervously pick up the cup, take a deep breath, and drink about half of it. It's sweet at first and then you register something bitter. In shock, you swallow it and grimace. That really wasn't worth possibly dying for! You feel like a massive idiot.

"Was it... Also bitter for you?" You turn to Olivia, coughing a little. She nods and when you recoil her eyes widen.

"I knew it smelled off!" Lizzie snaps.

"Come on, it's probably just a knock off brand." TorqueDawg snorts. You watch Ivor sniff the cup in front of him again and grimace.

"I'm with pinkie over there," He begins, earning a glare from Lizzie, "this has something in it."

"What?!" Axel stares at Olivia. "You didn't say it was bitter!"

"How was I supposed to know if it's supposed to be—" Olivia begins.

"Well, some grapes can be bitter." Dan pipes up. "Maybe they used some actual grapes for this."

"Oh." Axel settles down a little. "Poison doesn't usually smell bitter, does it?" With that, Axel turns to Ivor, who's still inspecting the cup like it owes him something.

"Poison is..." Ivor seems to be searching his mind for something. "Well, it's a very strong smell of wrongness. This... Doesn't smell like a traditional poison."

Lizzie seems to step over to Ivor at that, "Potion of poison isn't the only type of poison. If it tastes bitter, it's probably something to make us sleepy." You watch her eyes trail over the crowd of people. StampyCat seems to shrink in his chair.

"I didn't drink it, did I? I... I couldn't have, right?! It didn't get in my—"

"Calm down, Stampy, you didn't—" StacyPlays begins.

"How am I supposed to know?!" StampyCat tucks his knees to his chest. "I can't tell if my stomach's all queasy from the drinks or from all of this!"

"You're going to worry yourself sick." TorqueDawg snorts and rolls his eyes. "It's probably alcoholic. That's bitter sometimes too."

"Oh..." Lukas murmurs, teeth clenching into a tense smile. "I'm screwed."

"A few sips of alcohol isn't going to get you drunk." Petra rolls her eyes. "But I'm not risking even a stomachache in here."

You catch sight of a cake in the center of the dining table. You look to Olivia who shakes her head before you can even ask your question. Seems that must have always been there. You turn to Ivor. "Would you mind sniffing the cake?"

"What am I to you, a dog?" Ivor stares at you. You shrug and he frowns. "Fine!" Ivor huffs and crosses his arms. He leans over the cake and sniffs it. "It smells fine."

Olivia sighs and throws her head back. "Does anyone have a knife?"

"I'm not trusting you again!" Cassie snaps, shivering. "I already feel off!"

"Ugh, lightweights." TorqueDawg rolls his eyes. "If I'm gonna die, I'm not doin' it sober."

You watch Lizzie inspect the cake. She sniffs it and shrugs. "They'd have to add something after it was baked. If I remember right, plenty of poisons are destroyed after cooking. It'd be better to add it after, and that would smell pretty strongly."

"See? I told ya. It's just some shitty alcohol and cake. Nothing to worry about." TorqueDawg smugly smiles. You watch StampyCat shiver a little in his seat before eying up the cake.

"Maybe just a little bit..." He murmurs.

"How do you know about the poisons, though?" Petra leans in close.

"I mean... I also knew that. But, ah, for writing reasons." Lukas laughs nervously. Petra stares at him for a moment and returns her gaze to Lizzie.

"Poisons are fascinating. Plus, it just saved our lives." Lizzie shrugs. "If I was the murderer, I'd be telling you to drink the fruit punch."

"She has you there." You nudge Petra gently. "I just hope I don't get too drunk..."

"Off half a glass? You'll be fine." Petra rolls her eyes.

"Hm," Ivor steps closer to Lizzie, "I must admit some curiosity in this subject as well. You have two types of poison?"

"You wish. There are actual so many kinds of poison. Plenty of common flowers are poisonous. Wolfsbane, moonflower, foxglove, hemlock... That's barely scratching the surface." Lizzie seems to think for a moment. "Are mushrooms poisonous where you're from? I like to collect them. One of Stacy's wolves almost ate one of my destroying angels. It's a good thing I was there."

"The only poisonous flower we have back home is lily of the valley." Ivor admits. "Most of our flowers can be brewed for something beneficial. If you take a pitcher plant and make it into a potion—"

"Oh, I know that one! The liquid inside is a good pain reliever if brewed properly!" Lizzie excitedly leans over to Ivor. "And the leaves make your limbs go numb. I think if you brew a strong enough potion it'll knock you out. Also, you need to be careful with which pitcher plants you brew, only the blue ones have that effect. The ones that eat bugs and mice will make you see things for weeks."

"We only have the blue ones." Ivor stares at Lizzie. "Your... Your pitcher plants can eat bees?"

"Well, only the really big ones eat things as large as bees. Most bugs here are firefly sized. You... Do have fireflies, right?" Lizzie stares at Ivor.

"Oh, yeah, I heard of them." You pipe up. "I haven't seen them, though. But they're like little flying specks."

"There's a whole world of things that small." StacyPlays pipes up. "Didn't you have a jar full of fireflies once?"

"Uh, no. Those were wasps, Stacy." Lizzie glares.

"Fascinating. They have a bunch of tiny animals here." Ivor looks at you. "TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE TINY ANIMALS!"

"Er," StacyPlays stares at him, eyes wide, "Lizzie and I took care of a grub once. They turn into beetles, but not usually ones like the fireflies. It turned into this big, spiky beetle."

"I still have it pinned in my house." Lizzie nods.

"What?" You tilt your head. "Why would you stick pins in a live animal?"

"They're like fish, they drop their bodies after they die. I just decided to keep it."

"Considering your track record, I honestly expected you to eat it." StacyPlays crosses her arms.

"I would never eat a beetle!" Lizzie snaps.

"You ate an entire ant colony when you were five."

"YOU WERE ALSO EATING THE ANTS!"

"Um," You stare at Ivor for a moment. He seems to also look just as confused and concerned as you.

"Well. It seems people do not watch their fre—children well here." Ivor mutters.

"Could we maybe have some cake?" StampyCat pipes up.

"Yes. Before our resident bug eaters get any ideas." Ivor nods. That earns him harsh glares from Lizzie and StacyPlays. You hear CaptainSparklez sighing and motioning for the cake.

"It's a good thing I stopped at the kitchen, it seems." He begins as Ivor passes him the cake. With that, CaptainSparklez produces a large knife and eyes up the amount of people here. He presses the knife into the cake and you notice how well it slices through the thick breading of it. You wonder how it'd pass through flesh. Did you see him grab a knife on the way out of the kitchen? How much attention—

There's the shuffling of anxious feet under the table. StampyCat somehow seems even more on edge, flinching at the sound. Your own feet scrape the ground and you don't recognize it for a moment. Something enters your mind, a sort of hazy thing. You don't recognize the voice for a moment.

Are you feeling alright? Clarity asks. There's something about all of this that feels off.

"I'm still wondering why we're here," CaptainSparklez begins.

Took you long enough to speak up, I was honestly kinda worried. Have you figured out who could be the murderer? You respond.

"I mean, I'd heard a rumor," CaptainSparklez' eyes fall back on the cake, "that there was a temple,"

More feet scrape the ground. You feel hungry eyes on you. Dan seems to shuffle in his seat. Clarity speaks again. Any of them, really. That's what is confusing me.

"Y'know, on the way here I almost hit a deer." Dan admits anxiously, shuffling. "I thought I was going to die."

"The deer probably thought the same thing." StacyPlays' eyes flicker to Dan and then to the cake. "If you saw a car coming towards you, wouldn't you also be scared for your life?"

"I almost hit my head on the dashboard when I stopped. It wouldn't even move." Dan shivers as he takes another sip from the cup. "And I'm starting to wonder about that. What if we're just like that deer?"

"I don't get it." StacyPlays looks at him. CaptainSparklez seems to stare at all of you again before returning to cutting another slice.

"Would we even know if the murderer was right in front of us? We could be a bunch of sitting ducks for all we know." With that last bit, Dan drinks the last of the liquid. "I feel like I'm missing something important." He continues to shuffle in his seat.

"Maybe it's got something to do with that temple," CaptainSparklez pipes back up, "as I was saying, it can supposedly bring people to other worlds, what if something came with us and it's—"

There's a click somewhere in the room. You don't comprehend what it means until CaptainSparklez falls out of his chair. A yelp dies in your throat as sand falls from the ceiling, covering him quickly. You stand up and the room darkens instantly, like fog rolling in.

Even in the darkness you can see the glow of Olivia's eyes and teeth. But only for a moment, you watch her fall when the darkness fully takes hold of the room. Ivor yelps and rushes past you. You debate rushing for CaptainSparklez and look between him and Olivia.

"What's going on!?" Dan's voice sounds off from somewhere around you.

"Olivia! Oh my god nononono..." Axel shouts from somewhere around you. You turn to Olivia for a moment, catching the dim glow of her slack eyes, murmur an apology, and rush to where CaptainSparklez was. You shuffle through your inventory desperately before—

Hands slam through the last of the sand. You watch CaptainSparklez struggle out, a shovel in one of his hands. You can barely see him through the haze of darkness. He hunches on the ground, rasping.

"Guys, he needs—" You begin.

"Panicpanicpanicpanicpanic—" StampyCat's voice rises above yours.

"Stampy! Pull yourself together!" Dan shouts from somewhere. "What's—"

CaptainSparklez rasps from somewhere. The darkness seems to have swallowed up everything. You can only catch the whites of everyone's eyes. "It hurts," CaptainSparklez heaves, hands on your legs. You desperately pat at the darkness, trying to find his back or his arm or something—something to grab and—

Something gleams, blue and brilliant in the dark. Clarity shrieks and you pull it out as well, holding it towards the shape in the darkness. The grip on your ankles tightens. For an injured man, CaptainSparklez still has some fight in him. Somewhere, someone heaves out their stomach's contents. You don't know who it is.

"Don't come any closer." Your voice shakes at the thing in the darkness. You catch the white of its head and your eyes widen. The jaws of the pumpkin seems to unhinge as it lunges at you, a diamond axe in its hand. The darkness parts just enough to catch the fast streaks of its yellow irises and the axe and—

You rush at it, trying to strike at it. The grip on your ankles try to keep you, but someone that injured can only stay for so long. Hands grab at your shoulders and throw you off. You thrash Clarity desperately, knocking your assailant to the ground. You huff madly and approach their crumpled form.

There's a chorus of gasps around you. You stare at the crumpled thing, wheezing like mad, like every breath hurts. Had you really hit the murderer?

"I just wanted to get out of here." A distorted voice travels on the wind. "Don't hurt me."

"Who do you think I am?" You breathe out those words desperately. "Who—what do you want?" You desperately search for a glimmer of Olivia's eyes, her teeth, something— "You're killing us!"

"Don't, Jesse, please—" The voice is echoing around you now. The crumpled figure's hands are on your ankles, desperately crawling for purchase. You see a thousand blades suddenly, a thousand things hungering for your blood and—

Panic crawls in your mind. Something new is worming in your head, an outside presence. You feel Clarity fight it. Can you trust—

Sharp fingers plunge into your armor. It feels like there's an axe in your shoulder. The crumpled figure drags you to the ground and you catch a weapon aiming for your neck. Your arm acts on its own, Clarity meeting the flesh of their back, tasting the layer of a jacket and—

Wait.

Wait.

The darkness clears. A thousand eyes are on you. Clarity screams in your mind madly. You recognize the texture brushing your mind, the jacket the JACKET SKIES ABOVE THE JACKET—

CaptainSparklez stares at you, blood oozing down his back. You can barely see Clarity's blade with how lodged it is in his back. You want to run away. Your hands tighten on the handle, desperate for something.

"Jesse?!" Lukas shouts, looking around. "Just, keep the blade in! It's what's keeping him from—goddammit, Ivor get him a—"

"She's—" Ivor begins, holding Olivia. She's breathing heavily.

"Just hand me one potion, please!" Lukas begs Ivor, but it doesn't seem he can hear him. "Jesse, what's—"

You stare at CaptainSparklez and look back to Olivia. That's when you realize she's who was retching out on the floor earlier. Your own stomach threatens to do the same. CaptainSparklez already looks on death's door without the axe in his back.

"I didn't..." You stammer. "I thought—" You look to the horde of people around you.

"Ivor, please— Just one—" Lukas begs. Axel kneels down at Olivia's side.

"She's going to die if I don't figure this out!" Ivor shouts at Lukas.

"CAPTAINSPARKLEZ IS DYING!" Lukas snaps. "I just—he needs help right now!"

"And Olivia doesn't!?" Axel snaps.

"We're going to have two dead people if you don't—" Lukas roars, almost tackling Ivor as he does. "Just one potion! Healing potions don't—"

"Jesse..." Petra stares at you like she's not able to fully see you. It takes everything to not back away then. You stare at CaptainSparklez, watching his breathing slow.

"Why...?" He begs. "I didn't... do anything..."

"Lizzie—" Dan looks to her. "You have to—"

"He's going to—" Lizzie's eyes narrow at you. "I knew it!" She rushes at you and throws you off CaptainSparklez. Clarity tumbles out of your hands and CaptainSparklez cries out at your side. Lizzie looks about ready to wail on your right before you both hear CaptainSparklez rattle out one last breath.

"No, no!" Lukas shrieks as CaptainSparklez crumples into dust and inventory then and there. He looks at Olivia and then Ivor. "I just needed one potion! I could have saved him!"

"She needs—" Ivor begins.

"You let him die!" Lukas shouts.

"And Jesse killed him." Ivor hisses, shaking his head. "What does it matter now?"

"You'd rather let Olivia die?" Axel's eyes are hollow and he stares at Lukas. Olivia is still breathing like every breath hurts. "You... I... I thought..." Axel looks about on the verge of tears.

"I can't see. I can't—" Olivia squeals quietly. You try to push Lizzie off but her hands move to your exposed throat. You stare at her, eyes desperate, but her eyes reflect nothingness back at you. "What's happening? I can't—"

"Shh," Ivor gently takes up one of her hands.

"We could have helped both of them." Lukas looks on the verge of tears. "I... That's..." Axel stares at Lukas. "If I had a healing potion, we could have bought him some time. We could have divided and—and..."

Axel is silent for a moment. "Right." He looks to the ground before taking one of Olivia's hands in his own. "I'm here, you're... You're okay."

"Petra." You rasp, staring at her. Her eyes stay on you, wide, like she's not fully comprehending what she's seeing. It's like she's not even there. "Help me."

"How are you feeling?" Lukas kneels over Olivia.

"Like everything's spinning... But it could be worse." She murmurs and blinks her eyes a few times. "I think I'm getting my vision back?" She sits up and looks around.

"You killed..." Cassie's suddenly stepping over to you and Lizzie. "You killed Sparklez!"

Olivia shakes her head and blinks again. Petra finally steps over. "Jesse. Tell me what happened. What did you see?" Her words are strange, almost hollow sounding.

"I—the murderer—they made me think I'd knocked them down and that—that Sparklez—" You can't even finish that thought. You swallow hard, feeling like you're about to throw up. Lizzie's eyes are sharp and cold.

"That's what you want us to think!" Lizzie snaps.

"That was a powerful enchantment!" Ivor roars. "If someone can make a room dark, then they can easily pull off such an illusion."

"You'd... Jesse's not the kind of person to kill someone." Petra's voice finally regains its typical quality.

"And Jesse wouldn't be able to build this place." Olivia adds.

"But you could." Cassie's eyes snap to Olivia. "You all could be in on this!" She looks across your group.

"I tried to—to save... To..." Lukas stares at CaptainSparklez' inventory.

"Why would I cast an enchantment that could kill my accomplice, then?" Ivor hisses, pacing.

"So you admit it." Cassie steps to him. "It's within your capability to do such a thing." Lizzie's grip on your throat tightens.

"Let him go!" Petra pulls Lizzie off you by the scruff of her blazer. Lizzie's teeth grit and she glares at Petra.

"He just killed Sparklez!"

"He was tricked into it!" Petra snaps.

"Yeah, Jesse would never kill anyone. He wouldn't even slaughter an animal if he was starving." Axel adds. "I believe him."

"Of course the co-conspirators do." Cassie hisses.

"I'm not—this is—" StampyCat yelps. "I can't do this!" He rushes to the other side of the dining room and curls up into a ball.

"I didn't... I... Skies above he's—I... I killed him." That's when it hits you, when the murmuring crawls out of your throat. There's so much blood coating Clarity as it rests away from you. You watch Petra look to it before picking it up.

"He's telling the truth!" Petra snaps. You can barely hear her over the blood whooshing through your ears. Sparklez is dead, his blood is on your hands. He begged you for help and you slaughtered him. You killed him he's dead you killed him he's dead YOU KILLED HIM—

"Jesse!" Lukas shouts, shaking you. "Do you need a minute? Come on let me—"

"And then what? Let him kill all of us!?" Cassie's voice breaks into a panicked wail. "He'll kill you and come for the rest of us!"

"You... Sparklez..." Dan stares at you and then at your group. "You're what came back with the temple, you—you constructed this whole mansion!"

"What?!" Lukas pipes up.

"So what's it for? Feeding souls to your Wither beast?!" Cassie shrieks. "We're all sacrifices! She's going to devour us, body and mind and soul and—" Her hands claw at her long red hair.

"No, no..." TorqueDawg's voice is wraithlike. "You... Why would... I..." He looks to Olivia as she finally stands shakily. "Why did you save me? Why!? So I'd see this? What do you want from me!?"

Your insides twist. You heave and gasp and expect to vomit. Nothing comes up. Petra grabs your shoulder and you realize then you're about to fall.

"Goddammit..." TorqueDawg murmurs. "Why?! Why did you do it?! What fucking idiots—why?" He huffs and slams his fist into the dining table before letting his head fall onto it.

"He was clearly under some kind of illusion." Ivor's voice still rattles out of him a little. "He wasn't seeing what we're seeing!"

"What matters isn’t what he saw, it’s what he DID!" StacyPlays snaps, pacing around your group. The way she does it reminds you of a wolf looking for a weak point in a herd. "All of you... Get out of here."

"You're nuts!" Lukas snaps. "We'll die out there!"

"Really?" StacyPlays hisses, her voice deadly. She stalks forward. Petra lunges at her and taps Clarity on her shoulder. That provokes a yowling sort of noise from her before she tenses and stares at you. She slaps Petra in the face and Clarity nearly tumbles out of her hand.

"That's what actually happened!" Petra snaps.

"What? So I'm supposed to believe some magic axe—" StacyPlays begins. Olivia sighs.

"How about a secondary perspective?" She offers out one hand.

"Absolutely not." StacyPlays crosses her arms, fighting back a shudder. "I am not letting you people play with my mind!"

"Hm," Dan stares at Olivia, "there are some mobs that can create a sort of... Telepathic distortion."

"What?!" Olivia jolts back. StacyPlays paces around her. "I can only show people things when they touch me!"

"Sure you can." StacyPlays backs Olivia against a wall. "You just pretended to be sick while you put us all under some kind of spell!"

"But... Wouldn't that also mean Jesse was under the same spell?" Lukas tilts his head. "By your own logic—"

"Or maybe it was to hide his wrongdoing!" Cassie shouts.

You shudder under the weight of all of it. "Listen, just—if anyone's guilty it's me so just... Just let it be me who gets it." You bow your head. You can't stop thinking about what Sparklez said last.

"He's not—" Olivia shudders under StacyPlays' gaze. "Don't—don't hurt him!" You wonder if the look in her eye is the same as the one you'd had just hours prior.

"How are we even supposed to prove this? We didn't... He's..." Axel looks at you.

"We're probably going to have to compromise on this somehow." Lukas shrugs. "Listen, how about this, you guys watch us and—"

"And then what? You can cast illusions apparently!" StampyCat pipes up. "What if you make us kill each other?!"

"Wouldn't that mean Ivor is the killer then?" Axel stares at StampyCat, brow half raised.

"But the killer would want us to believe Jesse did it! Why would he defend him?" StampyCat continues, shuddering.

"Unless he wanted us to believe he was on our side..." StacyPlays looks at Petra and then back to Olivia. "Show me."

"You can't be serious." Dan stares at StacyPlays.

"Well, if I start losing it we have our answer." StacyPlays grabs Olivia by the hand. Olivia nearly jolts back before wrapping her fingers around StacyPlays' hand. StacyPlays lets go a moment later. "She was blinder than the rest of us."

"She also did throw up." Axel comments.

"Don't remind me." Olivia groans.

"You nearly got it on my shoes!" Ivor snaps.

"Yes, um. That was very vivid." StacyPlays grimaces.

"Sorry." Olivia rubs her arm. StacyPlays' eyes turn to you and then to Ivor.

"I say we lock... Ivor and... Jesse, right? We lock them up somewhere." StacyPlays looks between you and Ivor.

"If it gets you to trust the rest of us... Fine." You agree, still shuddering. CaptainSparklez' blood still stains your mind. It's hard to think of how you'd even begin to get it out of your psyche, if it's even possible.

"I am not—" Ivor protests.

"Just c'mon... Be nice and they'll let you go." Axel pleads quietly.

"Augh! If I had a piece of iron for every time I was locked up..." Ivor murmurs and he lets StacyPlays scoop up one of his arms. StacyPlays looks at you and you sigh.

"I'm not even armed anymore." You don't even try to plead your case to get Clarity back. StacyPlays glares at you and pushes you forward. "Petra, uh, prepare to get your ears yakked off by an axe, I guess?" You shrug, imagining Clarity cussing you out for that.

"Where are you even going to put them?" Petra asks, staring at StacyPlays.

"You can't just lock them up together! What if they escape?!" StampyCat yelps. StacyPlays sighs.

"Fine, I'll lock Jesse in the closet, probably put a bookcase or something in front of it..." StacyPlays begins, looking you over as if you have another weapon, "And Ivor can go in the library."

"Shouldn't someone be guarding him?" TorqueDawg steps to StacyPlays. "I'll take first watch on him."

"And what if you're working together somehow?" Lizzie stares at him.

"Well then I've got the shit end of the stick, huh? Nearly got turned into a goddamn pointy pile of inventory." TorqueDawg hisses. "Guess you're volunteering then, huh?"

"Fine." Lizzie huffs. "But only because you'd let him out somehow."

"You got any enchanting experience?" TorqueDawg crosses his arms.

"What are you, a cop?" Lizzie snorts.

"Forgive me for wanting some guarantee I won't be a sitting duck." TorqueDawg rolls his eyes. "I'm gonna guess you're gonna lock the door and cover it in obsidian or something?" TorqueDawg turns his eyes to you.

"That reminds me," StacyPlays turns to you, "both of you, empty your inventories." You chuck an inactive diamond pickaxe at her. StacyPlays raises an eyebrow.

"That's what you want, right?" You ask. StacyPlays eyes you up again. "I don't have any other pickaxes on me."

"Here, here," Ivor passes Olivia his harming potions, earning him a glare from StacyPlays as well. "That's all I have that could hurt you."

"Give me all of your potions." StacyPlays hisses. Ivor huffs and drops a few of them on the floor. She raises an eyebrow at the small assortment before scooping them up. "Alright. TorqueDawg, Lizzie, back me up, alright?"

TorqueDawg scoops up one of your arms with a glare. You let him pull you along. Your insides twist as they lead you back into the living room and you catch CaptainSparklez' portrait, now with a large red 'x' over it. You don't mention it, you just turn your head to the floor.

StacyPlays leads Ivor away and you catch a closet with two iron doors. Lizzie opens it and you thank your lucky stars that it has at least a torch in there. It's cramped, sure, but at least it won't spawn mobs. You scoot inside, blood running ice cold.

"Any big bookcases 'round here?" TorqueDawg's voice is strangely quiet. You watch Lizzie look around and she shuts the door before shaking her head at him. "Mmm, I've got some chains. Help me wrap them around, okay?"

You slump down as you hear them chain up the door. What are you going to do in here? You feel strangely heavy, like it's suddenly hard to move. The light spilling in through the closet's windows is starting to hurt your eyes, same with the torchlight. It feels like everything's getting more vibrant all of a sudden.

"Do you think it's about the flint and steel?" Lizzie breaks through the sound of chains. "I mean, you probably—"

"I don't fucking have it." TorqueDawg snaps. "I can spill my goddamn inventory right now if you'd want!"

"Don't bite my head off." Lizzie hisses. "But I can't stop thinking about what Sparklez said. Was it about the flint and steel or did we actually bring our deaths here?"

"Why would something go through all that effort of looking human just to bring someone like Olivia, then?" TorqueDawg's voice softens and you can hear genuine confusion.

"You know, they never told us their names." Lizzie turns to TorqueDawg. Was her hair always so bright? Why is everything so damn colorful? Why does the torchlight hurt? Your mouth starts to feel like a desert. Is this what they meant when they said they needed to drink?

"Good point..." TorqueDawg murmurs. "Is it just me or did it get... Really bright in here?" Did... Was he also dealing with that? What did that mean? Was there really something in the drinks?

"Maybe your eyes haven't adjusted yet?" Lizzie shrugs.

"No, it just got suddenly bright." TorqueDawg shudders. You catch him looking behind him for a moment. Lizzie tilts her head. "I thought I saw somethin'..."

"We should get going." Lizzie inspects the door one more time before staring at TorqueDawg. "Is this just an excuse to get out of—"

"No I really—there's... I... Um?"

"There's nobody there." Lizzie stares into the distance. "C'mon." You watch her grab him by the arm and pull him.

"Alright, alright, sheesh—" He grumbles as she pulls him along. "Maybe I need to sleep..." That makes you wonder if maybe all of this is a nightmare. Maybe a lack of sleep is making you hallucinate too...

You huff and curl up into yourself. There's not enough room to take off your armor, but who knows, you might be tired enough to sleep in it at this point. You close your eyes, exhaustion taking you.

There's nothing when you dream. It's like you close your eyes and then open them up in a new time entirely. Something raps on the door outside and you catch the shuffling of feet. You blink your eyes, vision a strange hazy thing now.

"Jesse," There's a rasping voice outside the door. It's a quiet, almost windy sort of voice. You look to the door's window. "Hello." You see it then, the figure in the pumpkin mask, no longer surrounded by shadow. Are they wearing a dark suit? Seems oddly bright somehow too...

"You—you're..." Your words come out scratchily. Your mouth feels drier somehow. "You killed..."

"I am you." The figure puts their hands on the door, voice echoing throughout your entire body. "We killed Sparklez."

"N...No..." You stammer, trying to think back to it. You didn't enjoy it. Skies above no no no... You hated it. You hate... His blood—it's still—

"You've forgotten, haven't you?" The voice is harsher now. You think back to Aiden and how his arm broke and—no no you didn't even want to—he said not to hurt him and you didn't try to and— "Olivia was so... Meticulous, wasn't she?"

"Stop it." Your lips quiver. Why would you drink the fruit punch if this was true? "I—you... You're not... I'm not—"

"How do you think she would feel if she knew you'd forgotten?" The hands are at the window, worming at every edge. You peer through your mind. Olivia was... Well... If you'd undermined her work—oh. Her work. That... That... Why does that sound right? She—

And these 'wires' have redstone in them, right?

Wires... Of course... The perfect shielding...

Good trap makers hide their work.

Yes... She knew it... Of course... You see it, hear her now. She never stopped talking. Her words in the back of your mind, two sets of claws on your shoulder, speaking about traps and traps and traps and winding winding—

A thousand poisoned arrows. Potent, potent, potent. A hungry axe seeking blood. Sparklez had died by two hands. Not just your own, not just your own—

And Ivor would make the arrows and they would be—

—Petra would spark the mistrust-

Lukas was easy to trust and—

Axel... No one would think to suspect him...

What kind of people were you? You remember it now. Taste the blood. What kind of murderer regrets it? Oh, you weak little link, forgive yourself for what you will do. The wrath of temple like Lizzie had said. You know what you are and you despise it.

Olivia's hands on your neck, sharp teeth inches from your face. "Are you really thinking of quitting now? After everything we've done? We are the scourge of history." Claws threatening to pierce your neck—

"I can't... I'm... I was always too weak for it." You bow your head. "Forgive me, I... I killed him... And I didn't even want it."

"You needed me to kill him." The figure behind the door hisses. "Pathetic. You disgust me!"

"You disgust us!" Your allies cry out around you. Their hands are on you, grabbing every vital part. You're on the ground, too heavy to get up even before they grab you.

"I always have to cover for you." Lukas hisses somewhere around you. "You're so weak hearted. It took me so long to learn to love it. Maybe this is what you need."

"It took Olivia weeks." Axel snaps. "And you're going to throw it all away?"

"Coward!" Petra shrieks.

"Just like Soren." Ivor circles you. The walls are so far. So close. No, no, so undulating so—

"Coward! Coward!" A thousand voices wail around you.

"Look at yourself. Groveling." The figure's hand scrapes the door and your ears ring. "Pathetic! You come all this way and—"

"I am pathetic..." Your fingers curl against the floor as you double over. "I can't... I can't be this."

"You must be." The figure beyond the door growls.

"No... I..." You beg. You plea. Claws at your neck, digging in and and and—

Blood, cold and dripping down every part of you and—

All of their eyes. Sparklez dying. Dead dead dead and you didn't enjoy it you wretched thing. Killing for nothing and nothing and no joy. Killing for nonsense and nonsense and cowardice. Too scared to let it out. Too scared.

"Just kill me." You whisper. "Take me to hell."

"Cowards don't deserve it." The chains are slashed down and the door is pulled open. A hand under your chin, cold and otherworldly, no axe to be seen. "But you're already in hell, aren't you?"

"Please." You beg.

"Accept it. Relish in it. I already have." The grip on your chin is tighter. Your friends surround you. You see what you can't be.

Axel bathing in blood. Olivia devouring people like a living tornado. Lukas taking someone by surprise. Petra slaughtering people as if they're livestock. Ivor pouring harming potions onto faces just to watch them distort.

And here you are, pleading to yourself, refusing to accept the mantle on your head. The host, the killer, the bringer of death. Unfitting of your leadership.

"Unworthy." The figure snaps jaws in front of you. The word is echoed all around you by your friends. Your hands meet your head, rubbing every goddamn part of it. The figure steps back, closing the door and slinking into the shadows.

You...

You were always like this. All of them... Like this. Not the first blood, not the last. Despising your wretched nature now, really? The idea of embracing it feels like it should bring nausea. Instead, it brings dread and horror and hellish nightmares and—

Tears. A thousand of them pouring out of your eyes and onto the floor. Mouth so dry and awful and—head aching and—you're awful and awful and it hurts to exist. Hands on your neck, on your back, pressing into your armor. Body so heavy. Useless, falling for your own traps...

Foolish to think yourself able to be redeemed. Is that what you want? To wash yourself clean? Yes... Maybe. You were never a smart person. You could be foolhearted just once. Let the blood wash off. Let yourself die something less wretched.

Betray them. Betray the slaughterers! A lamb in wolf's clothing for only a few moments longer. Bring forth the end of the slaughter. Redeem yourself.

Deathbringer no longer... Lead them to their doom. Devour their sins, devour them all—bring forth the end of death and slaughtering and—

There's an inhuman shriek, a sort of wail like a thousand overlapping voices. You've heard that roar before, your own abomination brought to life. You turn to the door. Slaughterer of slaughterers... It had to have been Olivia wailing like that. Who thought she had given in to her worst... Right. The slaughter...

Help her? Really? Will you help her, slaughterer of slaughterers?

No no no no no no no...

It doesn't make sense. It doesn't feel right. Everything feels like a thousand volts to your insides, like panic in every part of your form. Almost literally, almost like you're being electrocuted from the inside out and and it hurts and it's—

Another wail. You remember. Smell the iron on your armor, waiting for it to dry. Hands on the door, trying to understand what you've seen. The slaughter pounding in the back of your head, this is your nature, but it's not, some part of you thinks—

Not your nature—

—your nature—

it's—

nonsense. Nonsense nonsense nonsense. What are you doing? What are you thinking? Blood on the floor, on your armor, trailing down from the walls now. Shadowy, cold hands on your shoulders, a voice like your own but not quite in your ear telling you—

you are the killer—

you—

what...

What are you?

It doesn't make sense it can't make sense it doesn't—it's not right it's—

Claws talons on you and they're there and they're whispering hellish nightmares and—

THE WALLS ARE BLEEDING. DID YOU FORGET? But the blood doesn't flow, doesn't pool, it distorts. No reflections of light, nothing just cold and dark and maroon and—

The door is far. Then it's close. Your hands are touching it, then not, then it's under your grip. The distorted wail echoes out again. Your insides twist. You're reminded of something, of a beast with a similar voice that isn't her.

What do you... Even know?

The door opens easily with a simple push. Or maybe it's a harsh push. Every movement feels too fast and then too slow and then—you don't think about it. You don't even know what you'd see in the mirror. Don't trust your memories don't—

You howl like a madman, like a wolf a wounded animal—

—the cry upstairs—like yours—

you're running. Howling. Shrieking. Some sort of animal or maybe just a scared fool. In the corner of your eye you see them behind you, watching you, judging you for daring to ask what you are. Sage? Sinner? Slaughterer? You don't remember—

—one moment she's talking to you about how she built these traps—

—a daylight sensor on the roof. No, aren't you back home? A slice of your home here, back in the treehouse to talk to—

Flesh ramming into armor. Someone on the ground, the smell of blood greeting your nose. You stare, shadowy figures eying you in your periphery and you turn and—gone gone gone they never stay.

Black eyes staring at you, irises swallowing the sclera almost entirely. Blood dripping down from the nose to the beard and you remember his name. TorqueDawg, was it? A future victim to the slaughter as whispered by the shadows surrounding you.

"Y-y'can't be.... Out here..." His eyes seem to stare right through you.

The drinks—you—

"I... He's..." You watch his gaze turn to his side. "Is that really what you want from me?" He talks to someone who isn't even there.

"I don't know what I am." Your words tumble out of you. TorqueDawg's gaze turns from the not-there person at his side and to you. "Please... I don't understand..."

"Do you hear him?" TorqueDawg looks as if he's holding the weight of someone leaning over his shoulders. As if he has arms wrapped around his chest lazily. "You should listen to him." Hands on your neck, gripping the exposed skin like a lifeline. TorqueDawg's teeth bared in a horrendous snarl like he's—

There's a wailing in the back of your mind. All of them yelling for you to fight, goddamn you! A shout from behind your assailant, enough for him to loosen his grip and for you to tumble to the floor. All of your friends staring at you in disappointment. All of them shrieking in your head to take the blood and the blood and skies above please no—

"You're supposed to be—" Lizzie shouts at TorqueDawg and you can barely hear her when she manages to pull him back. Her words are like they're coming from the ocean itself. You watch her gaze flicker to you occasionally, almost as if she's waiting for you to strike, until you realize she's noticed you're not getting up.

"He can't rest, gods..." TorqueDawg murmurs, curling onto her shoulder. You watch Lizzie squirm under his grip, teeth locking together, but she doesn't make an attempt to push him off. "He keeps begging me to make it right."

"He—?" Lizzie finally pushes TorqueDawg back and you can tell she's taken in his eyes. Her eyes fall on you. "...What murderer would do that to themself?"

"What..." TorqueDawg murmurs and looks back to you. "Let me—"

"You're both out of it!" Lizzie shouts. "He's not real!"

"Sparklez can't—"

"He's dead! He's not—" Lizzie looks back at you.

"They're... Not here...?" Your words crawl out of you. "I... I see them... Olivia's right here... She's..." You feel her talons on your back. Hear her whispers, hungry and terrible. You can't you won't it's not your nature— "HELP ME!" You scream at Lizzie and she barely manages to step out of your way as you lunge up.

"You'd have to be insane to do this to yourself and kill us all." Lizzie seems like she's trying to comprehend this. You stare at her.

"They keep telling... They... It's..." You huff. "Can't you see them?"

"I knew there was something in the fruit punch..." Lizzie hisses. "Of course it'd be something worse than poison."

"Sparklez..." TorqueDawg murmurs and clutches his head. "I can't... He still needs—"

"Stop it!" Lizzie shakes TorqueDawg like mad. "Both of you, snap out of it!" You watch her lips fall into a grimace and even you can tell she's realized what she just said.

"He killed—" TorqueDawg snaps. "He's here! Stop lying to me, can't you see him!?" He gestures madly around his left side.

"What are we even doing...? What have we..." Lizzie looks between the two of you. "How long does it take to kick in? Is that how Sparklez died?" It seems she didn't mean for that last part to be heard.

"I..." TorqueDawg's eyes are wider now, somehow. What little remains of your coherency did not expect him to even be able to do that. "But he's right here... He's right here..." He steps away, murmuring and touching his shoulders. You think about the hands on your own body, multiple and too many and—

"They're not... Here?" You stare at Lizzie, feeling the touch grow stronger. A thousand volts through your blood and—

"Dan had some too..." Lizzie's eyes widen and she looks back to you. You don't realize your hands are on your own shoulders until she pulls one of them away. "They're not real!"

"I can feel their hands!" You shriek, feeling them touch you even more. "How can you say they're not real? They're right here!"

"Wait," Lizzie stares at you, "you're really convinced, huh?" She seems to be turning something in her head.

Trying to kill us. Murmurs the council in your head. She is the killer. Slaughterer. Her her her killer her KILL HER. You claw at your own helmet, feeling it contort under your grasp.

"I see it!" TorqueDawg snaps. "You want to know if it's working, huh? He's telling me—"

"No!" Lizzie snaps at him. You watch TorqueDawg stare at her, practically frothing at the mouth as he does. His eyes gleam with something deadly and terrible. The wail breaks out again, a shriek like agony.

Fool. You wait. You WAIT AND WASTE TIME. Scream the shadowy apparitions of your friends. Claws dig into your shoulder. You feel them pull out veins, feel blood drip down your armor. You grab at yourself and wail. You feel your insides being pulled and torn and—

It stops. You watch TorqueDawg corner Lizzie. She seems like she's trying to size him up. He's sweating like mad and—

Skies above, he has fangs and teeth and goddamn he's a monster and he's devouring her. You recoil, feeling your insides twist in a new way. The undulating thing, of teeth and claws and thrashing limbs and—

It recoils, blood and saliva dribbling out of its mouth as it falls to the ground and breaks into a thousand heaving shudders. Lizzie shrieks and the wail pierces the air again. You watch the beast shudder on the ground, trying to remember that it was—

Right. Human. Human human human... The same damned man who's shuddering on the ground like mad. No, no, you recognize this. Petra had one of these in the time after the Witherstorm and oh skies above—

Lizzie shivers and puts one bloody arm on TorqueDawg's back before turning him from his back to his side. You watch her gaze flicker across him, grimacing every so often. "No..." She murmurs, staring at TorqueDawg as he shudders. "He had... I told you!" You watch her bury the urge to shake TorqueDawg.

"Is... This real?" You stare at her, watching the blood pooling from her arm. You step forward.

"Don't touch him!" Lizzie snaps and you recoil. "Yes, he's... This... I hope it's not what I think it is."

"What is it?" You watch TorqueDawg continue to twitch. The voices around you continue, telling you she is about to slaughter you, but she has an easy victim here. Two if you count yourself. You feel an angry claw burrow into your stomach and try not to retch when it plays with your organs.

"Are you familiar with moonflower?" She asks you as TorqueDawg calms. You find your head shaking even through the agony of the talons. "...We need to find somewhere to put you two. He can't be the killer like this and neither can you."

"Sparklez..." TorqueDawg murmurs meekly before shutting his eyes. You watch his chest rise and fall.

"Why would someone use—" Lizzie begins and you hear the wail again. From how her face contorts you realize it's real. That's enough to get you to break away, even as you feel new claws grabbing at every part of your flesh.

You rush down the halls, straining your good ear over the shrieking voices in your mind, just to find the wail. For Olivia. The real her, right? Even though the one right behind you, even though the one with her claws in your insides is the one telling you she's—she's... Real. No. You need to at least—at least look.

Was Lizzie right? That you couldn't be the murderer? But Sparklez—but the visions—the mansion—Olivia—you even saw Ivor—the voices! But she said—but... What do you even believe? What should you even believe?! What do you do? Do you help her still?

They keep telling you you're wrong but... You may as well check, right? Even as the walls undulate, even as it feels like you're traveling through hell itself, you need to find her. You need to try, just to see if Lizzie is right. What's the harm in—

You hadn't realized you'd traveled up a staircase. Was it really that fast? It feels strange... Even as you hear the shriek, the inhuman shouting. The... Other voice that you recognize... The figure... Outside the door?

Was it real? It had to have been or else how would you be free? How would you be here?! Could it be the facets of your mind have come forth into reality? Like the talons on your back, could someone be in two places at once? It must be... It has to be. What else could be real?

Maybe you're not...

Gripping claws. The words of thousands telling you of your atrocities. Lizzie's little... Narrative? You suppose? Was she actually the killer? Had you left someone to die? You need to—

The shouts, the shrill shrieks. You continue your approach, watching the halls stretch and stretch and—is that the door to a bedroom? You press your hands against the door as if it'll reveal some knowledge. A shaky voice cuts through the air.

"Don't make me kill you." It's Olivia. Why was she wailing if she's so sure of that? If she's so willing to—

—no, not willing. Not the sprawling trapmaker, not the claws in your insides not—

Her voice, hissing in your ears, as if betraying herself. But you know from the voice in the room ahead she must be shaking. It makes no sense, this facet of her hanging over you, no no no nothing makes sense nothing nothing nothing!

You peek through the door. The figure—the killer—your liberator holds that diamond axe so firmly—your own?—practically backing Olivia against the wall. You blink, for a moment swearing Olivia has bitten the figure, and then the vision is gone, like it never happened.

"You know how to end this." Rattles out the stranger's voice. Your hands tighten their grip on the door, despite the thousand hands threatening to pull you away from it. "But you won't, will you? You're so selfish." The figure lunges and Olivia just barely jolts out of their way. You watch the pumpkin-headed figure's eyes narrow.

"I don't even know what you want!" Olivia snaps, suddenly lunging at the figure and knocking them to the ground. You watch darkness float off them like vapor and Olivia recoils. "Why are you doing this?" She shouts into the approaching darkness and you watch it dissipate.

"You have something I desire." Hisses the figure from every angle. Olivia's eyes snap around violently. "You stole it from me!" They lunge then and Olivia heaves out some smoke right in their face. That's enough to get them to recoil and Olivia's teeth click together strangely. You don't see flames pouring from her lips, however. What is...?

"I'm giving you one last chance." Olivia's teeth grit and she shudders. "Stop." Those words have the figure tilting their head, not unlike an animal turning its gaze around for something. You expect a thousand snarls to come from the figure. Instead you just feel a thousand tightening grips.

Watch. Demands your council. You stay.

The figure steps forward and Olivia, unlike anything you'd ever heard from her before, roars like that wretched abomination. Like the goddamned Witherstorm. You watch the figure tense for a moment and when you blink, you're back. Back to tendrils flowing like water and flames tainted and—

In spite of the danger the figure lunges forth at the great beast, axe readied. You watch the Witherstorm's jaws open and from its massive throat it fires a Wither skull. It just barely whizzes by the figure's head but that's enough to make them stop for a moment and stare in disbelief.

You'd... You killed the... How is it—

And then your vision lights up again. Bright, gleaming, something purple flaring right as another skull is shot. You catch the blue glint of it and that's enough to make the figure leap away this time. You step back, hearing your thousand league of voices scream in new ways. No, wait, that sounded like it was behind you—

The Witherstorm heaves like a tired animal. That's enough for the figure to lunge forward again, digging their axe into the beast's neck. It falls onto its side, wailing and hissing and—bleeding a little too red—

Olivia—

Skies above no no no NO NO NO.

Olivia heaves and chokes, reddish purple blood oozing out of her neck. Some of it even barely pools out of her lips. You watch the figure stand over her, eyes widening almost in anticipation.

"What a shame... I expected more from one of Hadrian's pets." The figure kneels down next to Olivia, watching her blood ooze out of her. You hear Olivia rasp strangely, almost like a sort of hissing thing.

"Olivia? OLIVIA?" You hear Petra shout from somewhere below you.

"There's a Wither, heavens above—" StampyCat's voice?

"Stay here!" Lukas snaps. "Just—"

"Lukas, stay with them!" Petra shouts back at him from somewhere. "I'm going to see what's going on."

"I saw the Wither..." You hear Axel murmur a little too loud. Olivia's brow furrows, blood slowing. You watch the figure tilt their head and rise back to their feet. Olivia coughs again and slowly stands to her feet shakily.

"You... I saw you—" The figure's words are almost like a gasp. You watch the blood around Olivia's neck fade into an almost brilliant yellow and blue gleam.

"We stop when I say we do." Olivia hisses. The figure tightens their grip on their axe. "I gave you a chance to run."

"Why you little—"

"You have five seconds. Run or fight, I don't care." Olivia wipes the blood from her neck. You watch the figure's gaze flicker between the walls before hardening onto Olivia. "Dumbass."

"I'll make you eat those words!" The figure snaps at Olivia and you watch her just barely manage to step out of the way. Her movements are slower, somehow. It seems the figure has taken that into account as they leap to Olivia's side.

"Have you learned nothing?" Olivia steps back and heaves a bunch of smoke in the figure's face. You watch the room darken, not from a spell but from horrendous billowing smoke. There's a thousand horrendous wheezes from the figure and Olivia lunges from somewhere in the darkness, knocking the figure to the ground and clawing at their side.

"Olivia!" You hear Petra shout from behind you then. That's enough to make her look up. Enough for the figure to aim their axe again and—

Slam it down into Olivia's right eye.

Olivia screams like a wailing banshee, flailing right out of the figure's grip. Skies above her eye is gone—there's nothing but blood and—

You step forward but Petra grabs you. She looks like she's about to say something until her eyes meet yours. Petra recoils at the sight of your eyes and you force your gaze ahead. You watch the figure stand back up, axe held above Olivia as if they're savoring their final strike.

Petra looks like she's about to lunge but something's stopping her. Wait, her lungs—she'd be sputtering and coughing before she could even—

The axe doesn't swing down. You watch Olivia become a blur of teeth and gleaming eyes and hear the figure shriek like you never have before. There's a crunch and the wretched tearing of flesh. Olivia tears a chunk out of their arm and you catch the glint of pale skin illuminated by the glow of her eyes.

The figure wheezes like mad, clutching at their arm. You watch Olivia fall over as the blood rises from the chunk she's torn from the figure. It hits her eye, or at least where it should be, and the rest disperses into her like mist. You watch the figure struggle to breathe through pain and smoke. It takes them a moment to bolt away.

"She needs..." You heave through your dry mouth and hear footsteps behind you.

"Did you two see Dan and—" StacyPlays stops when she sees you. "You're not supposed to be out here." Her gaze hardens, sharp and deadly. You catch how wide her irises are in spite of her deadly words.

"We just saw the murderer!" Petra stops in front of StacyPlays. "Olivia just—" Petra's fire dies then and you watch her turn to the bedroom. She pokes her head through the door and heaves like mad, pulling back barely a second later. "She needs... Help." Petra can hardly get a word out.

StacyPlays seems to stare at you for a moment before turning her gaze to the smoke filled room. You expect her to split off into wolves and run into the room. Instead her gaze slowly falls onto Petra. Strange how normal she's acting. Perhaps she's the—

"That amount of smoke will kill anyone." StacyPlays' words are harsh, but there's something softer under them. "You're just going to kill yourself if you go in there."

There's whispering in your head, saying you're a survivor. You take a step forward. Maybe this is redemption. There are hands on your shoulders, almost pushing you towards—

Something pulls you back. You stare at your captor, catching StacyPlays' sharp long hair covering her eyes for a moment. You nearly flail until you see her eyes, almost as if she's contemplating something. Her green eyes meet your own.

"You..." She looks at Petra.

"Your eyes are both the same..." Petra completes the thought, stiffening. You hear dragging claws a room over. StacyPlays stares at you, hissing and shaking her head as she does. When she lets you go, you collapse under your own weight.

"What kind of idiot would drink their own poison?" StacyPlays stares at you and then looks at Petra. "No... I'm being stupid—you're the... You killed Sparklez—you—!"

The sound of tapping claws on the floor echo through your good ear. You hear something heave through gritted teeth behind you accompanied by the dragging of weight. You turn your head and see her. The sight makes your insides twist.

Somehow, Olivia has both eyes. You don't get it. You recoil, murmuring incoherently as she drags herself forward. You watch her jaws finally unclench enough for a small patch of pale skin to fall out. StacyPlays stares at it, eyes somehow growing larger.

Petra shouts something, something you can't comprehend and kneels at Olivia's side.

"You... I saw you lose your eye..." You murmur, burying your head into the ground. Was that your mind playing tricks on you? But Olivia's nodding now, albeit weakly. You watch StacyPlays kneel and pick the wet patch of skin up, recoiling as she does. You remember the blood and how it—

With that thought, you free one hand from your gauntlets and struggle to your feet. Petra stares at you, eyes widening when you bite right into it, drawing a fair bit of blood. You let it drip onto Olivia then, watching it dissipate on her.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" StacyPlays shouts until she catches what's happening. You watch her turn something in her head.

"Stop it." Olivia pushes you back and for a moment, your mind clears. You heave and gasp. All of it, nightmares, hellish visions! You've been under the influence of something terrible! None of it was real, oh skies above thank goodness! You watch Olivia heave as she tries to hold onto you, but her grip weakens and she falls limp.

The visions return. The momentary clarity is agonizing. You shudder and shiver and pull at yourself. Petra stares at your bleeding hand.

"We've got to get you back to Lukas, he probably still has some bandages..." Petra mutters as she picks up your hand. She stares at StacyPlays before gently holding Clarity in her hands. "Let me give this to him." Petra's words are tense, almost shuddery.

StacyPlays stares at you, Petra, and then the skin in her hands. "You're helping me carry Olivia first."

"Watch the spikes." Petra warns. You kneel down as well and Petra pushes you back. "Don't. You're already bleeding everywhere and we don't know if she can make it worse."

"So it's... Real..." You mutter.

"Yeah. It's real." Petra scoops up Olivia and groans. StacyPlays steps to Petra's side and helps hold up Olivia. You hear her heave the same complaint.

"What are you feeding her?" StacyPlays heaves as you do your best to staunch the bleeding of your hand.

"I think she eats everything but meat now..." Petra admits as you slowly follow them.

"Really? Her teeth tell me otherwise."

"Last I checked she told me that she can bite through anything. She... Hasn't really been fond of meat since she's ended up this way. I don't know how she's going to react to this whole 'blood taking' thing." Petra shakes her head. StacyPlays continues on and you hear Petra's teeth click in a tense grimace. "This isn't where everyone—"

"I need to check something first." StacyPlays' words are firm.

"Ivor's skin isn't the right color." Petra says it as if it's the most obvious thing ever. "He's more... Gray."

"Lizzie's better at it, but she taught me a little about how to sniff out enchantments." StacyPlays answers matter-of-factly. "I just need to make sure it couldn't have been someone under a spell."

Once you're at the library, StacyPlays gestures for Petra to lean Olivia against the wall. The door to the library opens and you see Ivor just sitting there, face in a book. He seems to be scrutinizing something.

"See? He's too busy." Petra comments as StacyPlays sticks her head in. She seems to turn her head around enough for Ivor to take notice and look up at her.

"Did something—" He begins before he notices Olivia. That's enough to get him to put down the book and start approaching.

"She's not hurt." StacyPlays comments, turning back to Olivia for a moment. She turns to you. "Did you see what did this to her?"

"I... I can barely trust what I'm seeing right now." You admit. StacyPlays stares at you and you gulp. "I... She was fighting the murderer. And then she got her throat slit and—"

"What?! You said she wasn't hurt!" Ivor snaps at StacyPlays.

"Does her throat look slit to you?!" StacyPlays snaps back before her gaze turns and she catches something. You see it as well, a wound fading into a terrible scar. That's enough for StacyPlays to look back at Ivor and grimace. She looks to you. "Go on."

"Well, before that happened, she um... Well, I saw... Never mind, not important. What matters is I think she shot some Wither skulls at the guy? But she was on the ground bleeding. I thought she was gonna die and then..." You gulp down a heavy breath. "She got back up and she was... There was this sort of trailing yellow and blue glow coming off of her."

"What about the eye scar?" Petra gestures at Olivia wildly.

"That actually... I saw her get her eye gouged out...?" You heave and feel like you should be nauseated. A chorus of mocking laughs enters your mind when you can't even manage slight nausea. This reality blurring nonsense was starting to piss you off. "I think all the smoke she was breathing drove the killer off. But before that, she bit them on the arm and their blood... Went in her eye?"

"She can regrow her eyes?!" Petra stares at Olivia. "I guess that... Makes some sense with what happened to her." Petra shrugs.

"Withers do also have a shield that kicks in when they're wounded enough." Ivor steps out of the library and crouches next to Olivia. He looks her over and shakes his head when he finds no more wounds. "I suppose that mechanism counted her getting her throat slit."

"Olivia..." Petra heaves. You watch her hands trail over Olivia's helmet and realize why you can see her hair through some of it. That damned axe had pierced through a section of it.

Ivor recoils when he notices it. You realize it wasn't just about Olivia then and your stomach twists.

"We need to get back there. Who knows if that guy's decided to come back for round two?" Petra's words are tense.

"At least there will be an easy tell." StacyPlays goes to scoop up Olivia again. You catch Ivor shaking his head.

"If we're dealing with a strong enough enchanter, they may have already patched up their wounds. Watch," Ivor holds out his hand and you notice Ellegaard's helmet stitching itself back together.

"Don't waste all of your Experience on that!" Petra snaps.

"I'd rather Olivia not wake up and find... Her hurt." Ivor admits bitterly. "It also helps prove my point! An enchanter that powerful will have mended their clothing and disguise."

"Is everyone together?" You ask, feeling the walls starting to close in on you. StacyPlays glares at Petra and she hands you Clarity.

"Are you actually letting me do this?" Petra stares back at StacyPlays.

"On one condition," StacyPlays grabs Clarity as you feel the visions shudder back, "show me how you got out."

You shiver and even feel Clarity do the same. StacyPlays stares at you, then at Clarity, and then turns to look over your allies. She lets go and pulls away.

Whatever's in your blood is annoying me. Clarity hisses and you agree wordlessly. How have you not gone mad?

"Okay, so..." StacyPlays looks over your little group. "You were unarmed, and your skin doesn't match," she points at you, "you're unable to tolerate smoke," Petra, "and you were in the library." and finally, Ivor.

"And I'm assuming it wasn't you either." Petra nods at StacyPlays. "That leaves..."

"The rest of us and your two friends." StacyPlays completes that thought.

"What? Axel's been out of his mind since he drank that stupid—" Petra retorts. Ivor stares at Petra.

"And you didn't give him milk?"

"It didn't help!" Petra snaps back. "I don't even know why!"

"That means it's some kind of specific poison..." StacyPlays murmurs. You stare back at your hand and Ivor finally notices it. He rushes over and then hisses out a curse.

"You've been letting him bleed out?!"

"If you're gonna let me bleed, can I at least do it over Olivia?" Your mouth turns into a tense grin. "Is everyone all together at least?"

"Lizzie and TorqueDawg were supposed to be guarding Ivor..." StacyPlays stares at you and you remember where they were.

"Right... I saw TorqueDawg bite Lizzie on the arm and then he had a fit. They were kind of preoccupied." You shake your head as they lead you back into the living room. "What about everyone else?"

"Dan started seeing things." StacyPlays' teeth lock into a grimace. "He started wailing about these... I don't know... Deer? Said something about how they were going to kill him for what he nearly did today. Cassie told him he was being an idiot and that set him off. He ran away and she started chasing him. That somehow freaked Stampy out enough to get him to run after them too?"

"Doesn't he usually run away, though?" Petra raises an eyebrow.

"Maybe he was just scared Dan would do something stupid." StacyPlays shrugs her shoulders. When you reenter, you find no more x-s on paintings, just the one on Sparklez'. For a moment, you hear his voice wailing, pleading a thousand questions, and then Clarity reminds you of the substance in your blood.

"Was this here earlier?" Ivor asks as he notices Sparklez' painting. You nod at him.

"I saw it when they were taking me out of here."

Ivor ponders the painting for an agonizingly long moment. "These very well could be tied to our... Lives." He shakes his head.

"So they're... Magically painted?" StacyPlays tilts her head.

"Or it could be that they're actual paintings with an enchantment." Ivor adds as Petra and StacyPlays set Olivia down. You watch Axel snap up from somewhere.

"Behind you." His voice rattles out of him. You shake your head.

"You're hallucinating. Both of us are." You say, trying to ignore the phantom reflection of him breathing down your shoulders.

"I heard Wither skulls." Lukas adds before he catches Olivia's slumped form. You hear him sigh and you notice his eyes have the same quality as yours. Hell, him and Axel both have your eyes. Lukas catches your bleeding hand and he pulls out a roll of gauze from his belt.

"Are you seeing things too?" You ask as he wraps up your hand.

"Everything's just a little bright." Lukas murmurs. "Axel's been thinking he's talking to Magnus for the past ten minutes."

"Well, I have to tell him when we'll be back! What else am I supposed to do?"

"He's in Boomtown, Axel."

"He's right—" Axel gestures wildly at his side. You grimace, expecting him to go on a tirade of blood and horror. "Maybe he just panicked when he heard the Wither..."

"Hm," StacyPlays pipes up at Lukas' words, "I'm in the same boat."

"Great... It's worse than alcohol!" Lukas groans. "At least we're not seeing things."

"You're not even going to ask why Olivia's mouth is bloody?" Ivor glares at Lukas.

"I can put two and two together." He sighs and StacyPlays eyes him up.

"Oh, that's not suspicious at all." She growls.

"Lukas would never hurt Olivia!" You snap.

"Yeah, yeah, he wouldn't..." Axel murmurs.

"I get his 'skin tone matches' or whatever but Lukas? He's not the murdering type." Petra scoffs. "You have to be nuts to think he's going to try and kill Olivia!"

"And how are we supposed to know, considering a good enchanter could easily—" StacyPlays begins before Ivor lets out a 'tch' sort of noise.

"I take it you couldn't enchant a sword even if your life depended on it, right?" Ivor approaches Lukas. He shrugs.

"Well, I haven't exactly practiced?"

Ivor seems to think about something for a moment. "Here, say," He whispers something in Lukas' ear, "That should be too weak to hurt you if it backfires."

You watch Lukas furrow his brow and snap his fingers, echoing something strangely. A few pale, white letters flutter from his hands and fizzle into meek shadows. They last a few seconds before fizzing into nothingness like smoke.

"An apprentice would have at least been able to weave those." Ivor comments dryly. "They often start with 'fake darkness.' Shadows can't kill you like other early practice spells." Ivor fights back a shudder.

You're surrounded by people dying around you, lungs filling with water and fires bursting from their throats. Clarity reminds you of the hallucinations. Right. They're not real, not real. But what if they were, once?

"Well, that's not exactly a nice thing to hear..." Lukas shivers a little.

"It's an important thing to know." Ivor's words are sharp.

"I suppose that does knock him off the suspect list." StacyPlays crosses her arms before looking over at Axel. You notice he seems to being murmuring incoherently. "Yeah, he's definitely too out of it to be the killer."

"He's also not the right size." You comment. "He's too tall and wide to be the killer."

"And fat." Ivor snorts. You stare at him. "What? It's the most obvious piece of evidence!"

"You know people can hide stuff like that with clothing, right?" You raise an eyebrow. "But the person I saw in the window was a bit shorter than him. Which also disqualifies Petra."

"So that leaves Dan, Stampy and Cassie." Petra crosses her arms and looks over your group. "Okay, pass Clarity to Axel now. I don't think he's having a good time."

"Nobody is!" Ivor huffs and kneels back down to Olivia's side. He looks back to StacyPlays. "Why didn't you give me one of my healing potions?"

"Seemed like a waste on such a small cut. Although, it'll probably get infected." StacyPlays looks back to you. You tilt your head at her.

"What? Like a stone block? Silverfish are too big."

"You don't get infections? You've never gotten sick?" StacyPlays looks at you like you've grown another head. You shake your head. "Well, I guess that makes caring for the wound easier then."

"Here," You step to Axel and gently pat Clarity on his shoulder. He stares at you like you've just killed someone and veers back.

"But I just—I literally have been seeing him!"

"Yeah, it's... Awful." Your teeth lock into a grimace. "If someone says something isn't there, it's not real."

"Augh..." Axel shuts his eyes and shivers. "I thought I was being tormented by Withers..."

You don't want to tell him what you saw. You pull Clarity back and sigh. "Just... Lukas, do you feel well enough to watch him?"

"Yeah, I just feel a little... Weird? But I'm fine!" Lukas forces a nervous smile across his face.

"Hey, no, no, I don't need to be spawnsat!" Axel protests.

"You're disoriented. That makes you easy pickings." StacyPlays crosses her arms before looking down at Olivia. She scoops Olivia up and groans as she drags her over. "Here, your buddy's probably down for the night."

"Olivia... She's actually... She's actually out cold?" Axel touches her as if he expects her to crumple any moment.

"Yeah. That's a long story. Let's talk about it when you're not seeing things." Petra rubs the back of her neck. She turns to you. "You should also stay here, Jesse, I don't know if you're well enough to keep going."

"I've got a hallucination detector." You wave Clarity around.

Quit that. Clarity growls and you stop.

"We were going to try and get everyone together." StacyPlays steps to your side. "I don't think you should come with us."

"I... I need to keep moving. I don't want to be stuck with my thoughts." You grit your teeth and shake your head.

"I'll watch them. You go look for clues." Ivor pats Lukas on the back. He raises an eyebrow. "Well, they're obviously not going to trust me roaming yet." Those words sound a little bitter.

"In the dining room?" Lukas asks.

"No, right out in the zombie swarm. Of course I meant the dining room!" Ivor scowls.

"Don't bite my head off." Lukas rolls his eyes. "Just watch my back, alright?"

"I've got eyes for days." Axel stares at Lukas. "I can see everythinggggg..."

"Well, I appreciate that, I guess?" Lukas shrugs before turning to head into the dining room. Axel pulls Olivia closer, staring at her like he's not sure if she's even real. You turn back to StacyPlays and Petra, remembering then what StacyPlays had said.

"Wait, can... Can you infect each other if you bite people?" You turn to StacyPlays and she tenses.

"Oh no..." You watch her eyes soften and body tense. "If we make it until morning... We need to get her to a hospital."

"Is that where your medics are?" You ask as you start walking.

"Do they take care of the si—the wounded?" She asks and you nod. "Yeah, I'd say that's right then. Except they take care of the sick people too. They'd be able to help her."

You think for a moment and grimace. "I didn't want to kill Sparklez." You look at her, hoping that your messed up eyes can still show genuine sorrow. StacyPlays stares at you for a moment, crinkling her nose as she does. She doesn't say anything, she only looks away.

You plod ahead, arriving at where you had seen Lizzie and TorqueDawg tussle. You catch blood and saliva on the floor and hope that it's not real. When Clarity is silent, you feel your stomach drop. You hear voices, chattering, and those aren't real. Feel something on your neck, not real, but the blood is.

You hear commotion up ahead. Clarity doesn't need to speak, you can see StacyPlays stop looking at the blood. You rush to it this time, refusing to dawdle. Letting Olivia fend for herself for so long was a mistake. You won't repeat it.

Someone's screaming bloody murder. You strain your good ear. You swear you recognize... Is that StampyCat? Why is he wailing like that? As you step ahead, you catch something glinting in the torchlight. Something like a mace, no, a medical hammer? No, just a regular hammer—

TorqueDawg is pushing someone back. You catch the crumpling, wailing thing on the ground, wrapped in an orange cat hoodie. Well, that explains StampyCat's wailing. But who—Is that Dan?

You hear him murmuring and pleading, something about how he just wants the 'damn things' to leave him alone. TorqueDawg looks like he's deep in some kind of fervor, murmuring about how he'll stop the slaughter. You watch his gaze fall on the hammer and you turn your gaze to StampyCat crumpled on the floor. Blood is oozing from somewhere, you can't place where.

Lizzie and Cassie must have run off. What do you do? Chase after the two of them? Do you break up this fight?

You hiss under your breath. They'll kill each other at this rate. All you can do is hope Lizzie and Cassie will be alright. You rush forward, doing your best to not succumb to the horrendous visions surrounding you. No, no, they're not real, but this is and you need to—

"Dan!" You shout, pushing TorqueDawg back gently. You hold up your hands and watch Dan's hair pulse between purple and white. His eyes flicker between you and the man behind you. "It's alright, nobody's—"

"I let them out." His voice is a low wail, hand gripping the hammer tighter. "I—I should have known! It was right in front of me!"

"Put... Put it down, okay?" You feel something touch your ankle. Clarity murmurs that it's real. You feel an urge to recoil from the touch in sheer panic. It takes everything in you to stay still. "Nobody's going to hurt you." You show you're unarmed. It feels like a lie, there's still a murderer about...

"I..." Dan stares at you like you're mad. His gaze flickers to the ground. "I never noticed the antlers..." You watch something take hold in his wide eyes, like a grand, sprawling madness. He steps close to you. You back away, just barely missing the hand that was wrapped around your ankle a moment ago.

"Dan. Don't." StacyPlays steps to your side. You watch Dan's eyes flicker between the two of you. In the corner of your eye you watch Petra bracing to grab her sword. You hold out one hand to stop her and that's enough for—

Something hits your armor. You jolt back and something grazes your jaw. You catch the blur of StacyPlays rushing past before you can fully recoil. Your hand finds its way to the bottom of your jaw and your eyes finally refocus. StacyPlays seems to be able to hold Dan down for the moment.

As you regain your bearings and kneel to help her, Dan swings the hammer again, hitting StacyPlays in the side of the face. She yowls, veering off him, and that's enough for him to rush to his feet, swiping the hammer through the air madly before you can even think to approach. You expect him to froth at the mouth like—

"TorqueDawg?" Your gaze drifts behind you, thinking of the hands on your ankle and dammit, you're right. His eyes, you barely catch him looking to you before he breaks into another fit. StacyPlays is still reeling and hissing in pain at your side. Your legs shake and you catch StampyCat's shivering gaze on you, blood pouring down his head.

"Dan, listen to me." StacyPlays doubles over and wheezes through the pain. You pull Clarity out and that's enough to send him lunging at you. Whatever's in his blood has him strong enough to knock you to the ground, raving mad. If only you were like Olivia, if only—

You whack him in the face with the side of Clarity's blade, hoping not to draw blood. A sort of wailing, choking noise echoes out behind you and you hear StampyCat start to shriek like mad. There's plodding behind you—it can't be... Real? It's real? No, no, that doesn't make sense—

Something is hitting the ground, like a thrashing, pinned animal. You watch Dan's eyes flicker to the source, still reeling from your hit. His hands press against his face, a sort of drawn out gasp crawling from his throat. Your feet finally move and you turn.

Your hazy, distorted vision takes a few moments to pull apart the two figures. StampyCat is on top of TorqueDawg, and you remember for a moment that he was a suspect. You debate pulling out Clarity until you catch the drying blood running down his face and the terror in his eyes. He seems to be shaking TorqueDawg, shouting something that you can't comprehend for a moment.

Wait. Lizzie did something to—

StampyCat veers back and it takes you a moment to comprehend that he was thrashed off. You catch Petra in your periphery, eyes peering for an opening before turning to you. She... She's probably expecting to jump in when this escalates. Her eyes turn back to TorqueDawg and you realize that he's the source of that wretched, sputtering sort of choke.

"Lizzie did something to... I don't remember!" You stammer as you watch StampyCat press himself into the wall and shudder violently. His head rests in his hands. You look to Dan, watching him press against the other side of the hall, clutching the hammer like it's a lifeline. "Stacy—" You look to her, expecting something from her, but she just watches TorqueDawg shudder.

"Don't touch him!" Petra shouts as you watch StacyPlays suddenly step to his side. You watch her try to remember something before hissing a curse under her breath. Right, she'd gone through something like this before. Did she remember what they'd done for her? You're not sure, was she even conscious enough to?

"He's gonna crack his skull open!" StacyPlays snaps at Petra. You hear StampyCat break into a chorus of 'no no no no's. StacyPlays kneels over TorqueDawg, trying to hold him down. You watch Petra's teeth clench together tightly. "See? He can't—"

TorqueDawg thrashes again, hitting StacyPlays in the stomach with his wrist. You watch her flinch off him and he thrashes like someone attacked, wheezing and gasping as he does. She looks back at him, gaze flickering over him like she's looking for an opening, and she tries to approach him slowly this time.

"Is he breathing?" Petra shouts suddenly. "I remember that, I don't think he's—"

"What are we supposed to do then? He won't stay still!" StacyPlays snaps at Petra. You hear a heavy wheeze from behind you and you force your eyes onto Dan. He's still armed and crazed. You don't want to let him get the jump on you, especially after he nearly whacked one of your teeth out.

"I..." Petra sounds like she's deflated. You can't blame her for not remembering. It was so long ago and she wasn't even fully cognizant, right? Or maybe she was. How can you remember? How can you know? She never told you! Why did she never tell you? Why did you never ask!?

The wheezing stops. You feel your blood go cold before StampyCat screams bloody murder. StacyPlays' face falls and Dan's gaze shudders wildly. You turn slowly, fearing the worst as StampyCat's screams rise to a horrendous, awful wail.

Inventory. You don't need to imagine why. You feel your insides twist and step back. StacyPlays shoves you out of the way and before you can protest you catch a blur of iron rushing where your head was a moment ago.

Right. Dan's still out of his mind. StacyPlays lets you go and steps in front of StampyCat. You hear StampyCat's cries die down into a shuddering, heaving fit. Some part of you expects to turn and watch him break into a fit as well, despite the fact he didn't even have a sip.

"Dan..." You stare at him, feeling like you're looking into the eyes of a panicked, pinned animal. He heaves, eyes flickering from you and to the inventory on the ground. You curse yourself for calling TorqueDawg that.

"One of them is dead..." He seems to be murmuring to himself. "I didn't even... Have to do it..." His gaze returns to TorqueDawg's inventory and then it rises to your face.

"Nobody here is going to hurt you." You hold up your hands again. "I know it's hard to believe, but you're hallucinating. It's not real." It takes a lot to think that yourself over the false shouts in the back of your mind.

"I..." He stares right through your soul before his teeth click into a snarl. "I don't believe you." You barely leap out of the way before he lunges again, swiping like mad. You look him over, trying to figure a way to knock the weapon out of his hands. He can't be the murderer if he's this off his rocker, right? Or maybe it's all an elaborate ruse.

You circle around him and grab him from the back, trying to hold him by the underside of his arms. Dan thrashes like mad and StacyPlays grabs one of his wrists before he turns the hammer towards you. He kicks her a few times but she manages, with a quick pull, to free it from his hand.

Dan shrieks like mad, thrashing in your grip. StacyPlays veers back when he slams one free fist into your face, causing you to drop him like a stack of hot coal. He's about to run down the hall when Petra tackles him to the ground, holding him there for a moment. He thrashes and shrieks incoherently for a few agonizing minutes before going limp and heaving. Petra picks him up and StacyPlays rushes over to push his legs together. You suppose that's to stop him from remembering he can kick.

"Do you have any rope or anything?" StacyPlays turns to you. You grimace.

"Maybe we should just... Put him... In the closet...?" You stammer, unsure of how to even go about doing this.

"I've got some..." Petra sighs. "Lukas lent me a few leads a while ago, that should count, right?"

"Better than nothing." StacyPlays murmurs back as the two of them set Dan down. He thrashes for a moment as Petra tries to find some rope. StampyCat seems to break out of his shuddering and murmuring to suddenly shout out a protest.

"You can't just tie him up! That's awful!"

"He's going to hurt himself!" Petra snaps back.

"Stampy, he tried to hit you in the head with a hammer. He's not thinking straight." StacyPlays nearly gets whacked in the face by Dan the moment she stops talking. "Did you forget where you inventoried your rope or something?!" StacyPlays snaps.

"Give me a moment!" Petra hisses before pulling out a decently long rope. "Here, push his arms in." She looks to you. "You know you can help too, right?"

"Oh." You remember Clarity and approach Dan, who murmurs a thousand things you can't even begin to comprehend. You tap Clarity onto his shoulder, hoping it'll at least calm him a little. A thousand panicked thoughts pierce your mind, making you nearly recoil.

Something like a sheep enters your mind, but its legs and neck are too long. Legs too thin, hooves not right, a terribly short brown coat. You catch horns sprawling off between two ears that aren't right for a sheep, like those trees limbs from the swamp.

And then, one of them stands on its hind legs, teeth too sharp to be right. Some part of you knows deer don't have teeth like that. No, no, they're not right. One of them has hands. One of them you've seen before, made in a lab. You'd experimented with—

You catch a few glimpses of a life when someone was smaller and a plea out to family and friends, to forgive him for the deer he had unleashed. You remember a strange machine, like a minecart but not right, hearing it hum and then hearing its tires screech and catching the sight of a—

Small again, watching your hair change colors for the first time. Hair isn't supposed to do that. You'll never be able to tell a proper lie, not even to save your life. You wear a tell on your head. Apparently it was your grandfather's—

The thoughts shatter like glass. Clarity recoils from your mind and the two of you feel like you've dissected someone's entire existence. You reel from it, a strange guilt flooding through you that doesn't feel like your own. Clarity must have been weakened from keeping you from going mad as well.

Petra pushes your hand away from Dan's shoulder. Your eyes trace the rope and you watch him shiver under it. You murmur an apology for too many things to name. You doubt Dan can even hear it.

For a moment, you consider retracing your steps back to the living room, and then you remember why you came here. Lizzie and Cassie were still missing. Did you really just leave someone with a potential murder suspect? Are you mad!?

"We still need to find the rest of them..." It takes you a long moment to find your words. You turn to StampyCat, his green gaze barely meeting your own. "Did you see Lizzie and Cassie?"

"Jesse." StacyPlays' words cut sharply through the air before StampyCat could even think to answer. "Why are you asking him that now?!"

"We need to get everyone together." Your words are shaky. StacyPlays' gaze flickers over you and she stares at you and Petra.

"You're taking the two of them back." Her words are firm. It's easy to forget that she's under the same spell as you. "I'll find them."

"What? But there's safety in—" You begin and StacyPlays glares at you.

"I didn't... See her..." StampyCat pipes up. "Everything happened so fast, I—"

That's what makes StacyPlays suddenly change her tune. She looks at you. "I'll take them both back and let everyone know what happened." With that, she kneels next to StampyCat, and he hesitates for a moment before taking up her hand.

"Can he even carry—" You begin.

"I can handle Dan alone." StacyPlays snaps. "Don't make me regret leaving you alone."

"And what if Stampy here is the murderer?" Petra steps forward. "You should have some back up, at least."

"He wouldn't—" StacyPlays snaps.

"We don't know anything, anymore!" Petra fires back and that makes StacyPlays tense. "At least with Lizzie—"

"Don't follow me." StacyPlays' words are sharp and cold. "I can handle myself!" And with that, she, Dan, and StampyCat are gone. You look to Petra and she shrugs.

"Jerk." Petra murmurs.

"Do you think she's upset about StampyCat?" You suggest.

"She seemed fine with us accusing him before." Petra answers and you step ahead.

"Then it has to be about Sparklez, right? I wouldn't want to be around me either, I guess." You feel yourself shrink at the thought of it. If only you could close your eyes and be somewhere else. You hear Petra scoff at your side, as if you've told her a lie.

"That wasn't your fault." She says it as if you should have already known. You shake your head. "I know you! 'I'm more of a builderrrr,'" She draws out an impression of your voice, "you wouldn't kill someone. I know that. And... I'm sorry for freezing earlier. I didn't... I didn't know what I was even seeing."

"Guess that makes two of us." Your teeth clench as you feel a cold, false touch on your shoulder. Sometimes, you can ignore the undulating walls. Now, it seems more obvious. "But I still killed him. I was going to kill someone even if—"

"Quit it." Petra puts her hand on the side of your face. "Augh. I wish you weren't such a massive softie! You're not evil for killing someone in self defense! Or well... If you would have."

"That doesn't undo what happened!" You shout back. "Sparklez is still dead! TorqueDawg just died and I didn't even do anything!"

"We don't even know how he died." Petra says and you clench up. She's right, sure, but... You still feel like you could have done something. "I mean, maybe it was what he drank. I swear I saw him drink two cups of that shit."

"...What." You stare at Petra.

"Yeah. He did that. I don't know why someone would want to possibly get drunk here but... That's probably what got him." Petra's words make some relief cross your form, but for a terrible, selfish reason. At least you won't break into fits. At least nobody else probably will. But he's dead. TorqueDawg just died and—

Petra gently puts her hand on your face. "Stop that." You brush her hand off.

"You're being an idiot." Petra steps ahead of you. "Okay? I don't want to deal with anyone else hurting themself tonight."

"Well, I could've—" You protest.

"And I could have stopped Olivia from—" Petra shouts before the fire leaves her voice. You watch her gaze drop to the floor. "I could have—"

"You would have been choking on your own lungs!" You fire back. "Both of us would have, I think. It... I think that would have killed us."

"So... You can forgive me but not yourself?" Petra huffs and rolls her eyes. "Classic."

"Stop thattt!" You whine a little. Petra snorts and you sigh at how you've forgotten the severity of the situation. TorqueDawg is dead! You watched... Or well, you were there. You didn't even see him die. Skies above, StampyCat had to have seen it. Was it right to ask him to—

"Hey." Petra interrupts again. Overthinking, of course. "I thought only Olivia was the one who spent all her time thinking."

"Sorry." You shake your head and keep on through the hallway. It makes you realize how large this place is. You didn't even comprehend the entire bedroom. Someone could easily get lost in here, maybe even end up dead somewhere.

How maddening it is to think that a few hours prior you were in the sky. Your mind shudders at the thought of Olivia and how, in a way, the Witherstorm had saved her. She would be dead if not for her anatomy. What if the killer was already in the living room and—

Who... Who even knew if you were right? You think back to those white pumpkins in the chest, to the letter, to the description of a 'monster'. A well made temple, a thousand well made traps. What if there was something else stolen? What if this was an Old Builder's territory?

"I have to wonder," You think of undulating wings, of a human face on a monstrous body, of something that would make the Witherstorm look kind, "what if nobody here is the killer? What if it's Harper, from the letter?"

"Why would it be her?" Petra tilts her head, looking as if she'd be laughing it off if you were anyone else. "Supposedly she was someone who helped Sky City, right?"

"I dunno, it just... Came to me." You shrug. "I mean, everyone seems some form of messed up and I can't think of a motive, not exactly... Plus, wouldn't the Old Builders have a ton of magic?"

"Something up?" Cassie's words suddenly drag you from your thoughts. You notice her eyes are oddly normal. Didn't she have some of the drinks? You look to Petra, who just shrugs back at you. Maybe she was too nervous to fully drink it. Could you even trust your memory without the substance? Sleep was a far off idea.

"We were just coming to get you." You answer.

"Where's Lizzie?" Petra's words are sharp. Cassie looks behind her and you watch Lizzie shuffle out of the shadows, clutching her arm.

"I got her some ointment." Cassie forces a soft smile, nodding at you.

"Ah, oint... What?" You tilt your head. "Like a honey poultice?" Honey supposedly could soothe wounds, but you always thought that they just put it there to keep the bandages on. Cassie looks you over, like you've said something suspicious, before her gaze flickers back to Lizzie.

"I told you to get some peroxide." Lizzie glares at Cassie.

"I checked the whole place! There's nothing!" Cassie protests. "Have you seen Dan?"

"Your eyes are normal." You stare at her.

"Yeah, I've got a higher tolerance for... Whatever's going on here. You know, redheads do need a lot more anesthesia to stay under." Cassie laughs that last part out before her gaze hardens. "You know, you already got to kill Sparklez. Isn't that enough for you? Or do you want to kill me next?"

"Cassie!" Lizzie snaps.

"What? He killed Sparklez! I don't even know how he's out of that damn closet! Who let you out?!" Cassie jabs a finger onto your chest. You recoil a little.

"Cassie, stop. He's clearly too out of it to be the murderer! That's like saying TorqueDawg is the murderer! He could barely finish a sentence, let alone kill someone!" Lizzie snaps.

"That... Uh. Also isn't possible for another reason." You rub the back of your neck. "He's dead."

"What?" Cassie stares at you. "How?! Did you—"

"No! He... I don't know, he had another fit." You say.

"Did you at least get his inventory? For his family? That's all they have left of him!" Cassie looks at you. "He might be awful but nobody deserves to have their inventory just... Left behind like that."

"You're only saying that because Sparklez' inventory disappeared." Lizzie stares at Cassie. You shudder, imagining what would have happened if Magnus had never taken Ellegaard's remains. TorqueDawg might have been harsh but, he seemed to have something to redeem him. And even if not, he's dead now. Isn't it... Crazy to think that could happen?

"Well, everyone else should be in the living room. There's more we need to discuss." You start to turn around.

"How are we supposed to know that you're not leading us to our deaths!?" Cassie pipes up. "You know, I heard Dan screaming about how you were going to kill him!"

"Stacy didn't say that." Petra stares at Cassie.

"Stacy didn't just chase him halfway around the damn mansion!"

"Then how'd he end up with TorqueDawg and Stampy?" Petra presses.

"I don't know, he... He's very fast and I get really easily disoriented! I was seeing things!" Cassie shouts.

Petra's silent for a moment. She glares at Cassie. "Show me your arm."

"...Why?" Cassie tilts her head.

"That wasn't a question." Petra steps closer. "Show me your arm." Cassie pulls up the sleeve of her hoodie. The flesh seems undisturbed. Petra shakes her head.

"What was that even about?" Cassie stares at Petra. "Are you trying to see if your poison is working?"

"You want the truth?" Petra's words are like a thousand knives. You turn to watch the two of them, every muscle in your body tensing like a trapped piston. "Someone I care about just got hurt. Do you know what it's like to have to deal with two of your friends losing their minds just to find out if not for some random anatomical bullshit another one of them would be dead?!"

"Well, I'm sorry." Cassie hisses. "You clearly are the most important person in this whole damn situation." Even a deaf person could hear the sarcasm.

"At least we don't have to deal with TorqueDawg anymore." Lizzie shrugs. "Come on." She steps ahead. You stare at her.

"How could you say that?"

"You've only known him for what, an hour? Believe me, if you knew him properly you'd be agreeing with me." Lizzie keeps walking.

"Have you considered your friend might have just gone mad and bitten someone?" Cassie's eyes pierce through the two of you as she steps behind Lizzie. "Everything I've seen with teeth like that has gone mad."

You look at Petra before she can snap back and shake your head. That's enough to get her to scowl under her breath. No point in agitating things further, especially if you may have to interrogate people. You follow in silence for a little bit before snorting out a small, almost dying laugh.

"Alright, place your bets, will Olivia be awake when we get back there?" The moment it leaves you, you fear Petra's reaction. You look over at her and watch her ease up a tiny bit. She takes a moment to think, it seems.

"Well, I think we both want her to wake up. I'm betting she will be, she always came off as a light sleeper to me." Petra smiles at that last part. You laugh, almost maniacally.

"Oh, you don't know her! She could sleep through the Witherstorm, I swear." You smirk at her. Petra scowls and crosses her arms with a 'hmph.'

"Well, I know her better than you now." Petra huffs and you stare at her in confusion for a moment before glaring.

"Her eating you would make that work inversely. Also, she didn't even eat you! The Witherstorm did, you big dummy!" You slap her on the shoulder and she rolls her eyes.

"Whatever. I'm gonna win anyway." Petra slugs you. You stare at her. "She obviously likes me more than you."

"Y'know if you say that in front of Axel he'll kill you deader than dead, right?" You slug Petra back and she rolls her eyes.

"I can take him." Those words, even as a joke, seem to hold some amount of truth. You do wonder who would win that fight. Petra would probably bet on herself, literally. Maybe when you get back home you'll find out.

It feels like a shorter trip back to the living room. Maybe it's because you're not searching for people this time. Maybe it's because you've stepped away from watching someone die. Or perhaps it's your addled mind making time meaningless.

You press through the door and are nearly hit in the face. You barely comprehend it until the fist stops in front of your head and you stare into the eyes of your would-be attacker. Axel recoils, shaking his head. You force a smile.

"Well, at least we know you're good at keeping your promises." You nod at Axel.

"Stop stealing my lines." Petra slugs you and looks to Axel. "Feeling a little less... Out of it at all?"

Axel shrugs. "Um, I guess it helps that people are telling me when I'm seeing things? A few minutes ago I thought I was being eaten by silverfish. I can still kinda feel it."

"That sucks." You refuse to mention the claws that licked your insides. For a moment, you brace for them again. "Could I talk with the two of you in the dining room later?" You whisper to Axel and Petra.

"Is it seriously about the 'Harper' thing?" Petra shakes her head.

"What if the murderer just knows her? We could mention her name and see if anyone freaks out." Axel shrugs. "By the way, you're covered in spiders. Like, really tiny ones. I'm really hoping for your sake they're not real."

"They're not." Petra interrupts the beginning of your thought to look for them. Axel shudders.

"Could you imagine being actually covered in tiny spiders? Eugh. I'm so glad the spiders back home are all big." Axel shakes like he's trying to flick a bunch of spiders off himself. "Now they're on me!"

"Still not real, buddy." Petra grimaces.

"Tell that to the spiders!" Axel swats at himself madly. Petra sighs and shakes her head.

"I really hope that wears off soon. I don't know how much I can take."

"Hey, at least you didn't drink it!" You force a grimacing smile across your lips. You still feel like a massive idiot for that. A sigh escapes you and you look for Olivia, finding Ivor sitting next to her as she lies on the floor. Part of you hope she's just tired and awake. You walk over and Petra follows you. "Is everyone holding up alright over here?" You look them over.

"Hey..." Olivia murmurs, eyes halfway closed. "How'd I get in here...? Where's the tree... Oh. Oh..." She shuts her eyes harshly, fingers clenching into the floor. Petra kneels down and gently bumps her head against the underside of Olivia's own.

"Knew you'd be awake." Petra says gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Like absolute garbage." Olivia murmurs, curling into Petra's head a little. "Is it day already?"

"You're not that heavy of a sleeper." You snort.

"Dammit..." Olivia murmurs and lets her head fall on the floor. "I still... I'm not even going to try and think about it right now."

"Just... Rest, alright?" You look to Ivor and he nods.

"Figure anything out?" Ivor asks you. You shake your head and look back to StampyCat, noticing he still looks a little off. At least the blood on his head has dried. StacyPlays stands guard over StampyCat, glaring at you every so often. Dan seems to have given up the fight, laying limply against the wall.

You inhale sharply. "TorqueDawg is dead. We think the poison got him."

"GOOD!" Rasps Dan suddenly. "THE BEASTS DIE!"

"Dan, please," StampyCat pleads, "nobody here's a—"

"IT'LL BE OVER SOON. I CAN SEE IT!" Dan wails, a sort of horrendous, shrill shriek. Axel recoils and looks over at you. It reminds you awfully of your own delusion from earlier. "I WONDERED WHY NOBODY WAS LISTENING, BUT I GET IT NOW! YOU'RE ALL... YOU'RE ALL MONSTERS! I MUST HAVE... It had to have been me! I didn't just... I didn't just GRAZE IT! I KILLED THE FIRST BEAST!"

"So you admit it!" Cassie snaps eagerly, eyes gleaming with something fierce. "You set Sparklez' up!"

"I..." Dan seems to be thinking of something. "Wait... I don't... I don't know." He tries to move one of his hands to his head.

"Don't." You grab Cassie by the shoulder and she glares back at you. "Dan's too out of it to even properly kill anyone!"

"That leaves Cassie and Stampy then." Petra steps forward.

"What? Stampy would never!" StacyPlays snaps.

"Dan could just be faking! Look at how he's hamming it up!" Cassie retorts.

"Nobody could fake the eyes." Lizzie interjects. "Look at his eyes! He can't constrict them, watch." Lizzie holds a torch to Dan's face and he shrieks like mad.

"Stop it, stop it!" StampyCat shouts, tugging at his hoodie. "You're torturing him!"

"Whatever this is won't let him constrict his irises!" Lizzie moves the torch away and holds it in front of your face as well. You shriek before you even comprehend the pain echoing in your skull. Lizzie shakes her head. "See?"

"And who's to say you didn't do it?" Cassie snaps at Lizzie. "It's awfully suspicious!"

"Olivia and the murderer were fighting while TorqueDawg and Lizzie were together!" You snap. "It couldn't have been either of them. And StacyPlays was behind us when this was happening!"

"And StampyCat was... With us when Olivia was fighting." Axel pipes up and Petra nods.

"That leaves Dan and Cassie, then. Unless we're dealing with accomplices." You nod as well and Ivor steps to StampyCat. He examines StampyCat before shaking his head.

"Well, I can confirm StampyCat is either terrible at enchantments or a very good liar." Ivor brushes back StampyCat's hoodie a little. "This seems to have only recently clotted."

"I... Uh, enchantments are rather scary. No thank you." StampyCat admits, shivering a little. "Dan didn't seem... Right. I don't know, I don't... Recognize him."

"But Cassie was looking for something to help me fix myself up." Lizzie admits. "And if she was the killer, she had two easy targets."

"So it's... Harper, then?" Axel pipes up. You hear the room go silent.

"Who?" StacyPlays stares at you.

"You know, it could have been possible for Stacy to loop back around!" Cassie suggests.

"Who's Harper?! What!?" StacyPlays snaps, gaze flickering between you. Ivor tenses up a little. "...What are you hiding?!"

"What if nobody here is the murderer!? What if it's... Someone who's lurking in the shadows?" Axel turns around rapidly, as if waiting for something.

"Or maybe your monster of a friend is hiding something! You know, she can distort minds like clay, can't she? Immune to poison, offered to taste test it and all that? What if she just wanted us to see some specter?" Cassie snaps, stepping in front of Axel.

"You know, Lukas is taking a very long time in there." Lizzie interrupts.

"He would never... Hurt me..." Olivia murmurs quietly.

"Can't enchanters cast illusions as well? What if you could teach one of them to walk? To kill?!" Cassie snaps.

"Who's Harper?!" StacyPlays roars. Axel tenses and pulls out one of the white pumpkins.

"Listen, she built this crazy temple and we think she might have—" He begins.

"You!" Cassie raves like mad. "Lizzie! The torch!"

Axel recoils as Lizzie holds up a torch and she shakes her head. "No, he's gotta be like the rest of them."

"He's less of a lightweight than the rest of us! Can't you see he's not losing his mind like Dan?!" Cassie snaps. "And he's got one of those damn pumpkins!"

Lukas steps through the living room doors. That's when you catch TorqueDawg's portrait bearing the same 'x.' "I heard a lot of shouting, is something up?"

"ALL THE BEASTS WILL DIE BEFORE MORNING!" Dan shrieks and Lukas stares at him before looking to you.

"Uh?"

"TorqueDawg's dead." You grimace. "Also, everyone seems to have lost their shit."

"Well, that's... That seems par for the course tonight, I suppose." Lukas tenses up as he walks inside. "I found some buttons around the dining table, I've marked them. Could I get everyone to—"

"YOU! I SAW YOU... YOU..." Dan howls not unlike a Wither. "YOU. YOU WERE WHAT LED ME HERE! YOU NEARLY STOPPED ME ON THE WAY HERE!"

"Ah, um, Jesse?" Lukas looks at you, mouth wavering awkwardly. You shrug tensely. "Could I get everyone, please?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Cassie snaps. "I'm not trusting any of you! You came here and—Sparklez was right! You've brought our deaths here!"

"Axel was suggesting it might have been Harper?" You shrug tensely again. Cassie looks to Olivia and then to Ivor before rushing at the two of them. You watch Ivor tense up before he tosses a lingering harming potion in front of Olivia.

"You said you gave me all your potions!" StacyPlays snaps.

"Well, it's a good thing I lied!" Ivor fires back, making sure to stay behind Olivia. "Don't come any closer!"

"Everyone stop!" StampyCat wails like mad. "Just stop it! I can't do this! I... I don't even know why this is happening to us!" He shakes and grabs at the side of his head. You watch StacyPlays curl close to him for a moment before shaking her head and stepping in front of Cassie.

"Axel might be right. What if none of us are the killer? What if there's someone here who we don't know about?" She holds out her arms.

"But why then?" You ask. "Why do any of this?"

"I, well, I found a lot of mechanisms for inventory collection in the dining room." Lukas admits. "I really wish I brought Olivia along, it could have been trapped for all I knew!"

"...Stole..." Olivia murmurs suddenly. You look to her.

"Wait." You speak up. "The killer mentioned something about something being 'stolen.' What if Harper is trying to get something back?"

"Orrrr Harper isn't real at all and someone here is responsible. You're all chasing some crackpot theory!" Lizzie interrupts. "Really, 'someone we haven't seen before.' That's just convenient."

"I don't see what could make us turn any worse than what's happened tonight." StacyPlays admits and Cassie takes a long moment to nod.

"Yeah. We've... We've known each other for years! We work in the same industry! This is at least reputation suicide!" Cassie admits, pacing a little. "How could I be so stupid?"

"Well, you are prone to—" Lizzie begins before StacyPlays whaps one hand over her mouth.

"But Sparklez mentioned TorqueDawg stealing something too. What if it was something from the temple?" You ask. "There's so much that could be in a temple. So many priceless artifacts!"

"Yeah..." StampyCat admits quietly. "There's... There could be so much to be mad about..."

"Maybe we're dealing with a very angry ghost?" Axel suggests. Lukas stares at him. "What? Different world, different rules. Plus ghosts are real, I saw one once!"

"That was just your reflection in the mirror." Petra retorts.

"Ever been punched by a guy high on fruit punch? Because you're gonna be that in a minute." Axel huffs.

"I need to think about this..." You admit, breaking into a pace. Are you really going to believe in some secret assailant?

Well, it wouldn't hurt to investigate the mansion further, you suppose. On the off chance it's someone here, wouldn't it show in their lair? You suppose it's the best course of action then, you'll get the answers, cut out the middleman, all of that.

"There's got to be a way... Around here? Maybe a secret hideout or something?" You take a look around the room and catch a few extra portraits. Were they to throw people off? Make the large portraits seem more normal? They did a shit job of that, they're nonsensical stuff like rabbits dancing and that figure with a white pumpkin for a face doing various casual things. But it did make you think of something. "Ivor, can you come look at these?"

You turn to him and he looms over Olivia while he stares at you. He slowly shakes his head. You swear, he looks like every part of him is standing on—

Your vision fades, darkness closing in again. Some part of you remembers where Dan is and you rush in front of him. You catch the glimpse of something blue and you slash at it, hearing the clang of metal on metal and the confirmation from Clarity. You hear a shout and you slam Clarity into open air—

Ivor roars at someone unseen and you catch the darkness wavering as he does. He's the one thing standing between someone and Olivia. It's hard to call what you're seeing a person, they're more like a curtain of deep darkness. It's almost like the darkness in the room is reaching out and barely clinging to the concept of a person.

You rush at it, swiping madly, and you hear it hiss and snap its teeth. Your vision fractures, seeing a thousand fangs bared in snarls and—something hits your shoulder and—

The darkness seems to start to tear. You hear a shout from somewhere, a voice you can't recognize. You step back, catching the flickers of lapis blue lettering in the air. You squint, catching something about 'healing.' Was it perhaps something to—

And then, the room is the brightest it's been in a while. Ivor still looms over Olivia and you catch everyone braced for something unseen. You stay terribly tense for a long moment. When you're sure the brightness will stay, you let yourself loosen up. You glance back at Dan.

He's fine, if anything he looks more confused than anything. He blinks back something, not tears, not exactly, more like he's trying to blink a thought into his head. You let yourself walk over to Ivor finally, catching Lizzie rushing to Dan in your periphery.

"I caught something, healing, I think?" You admit and Ivor looks up at you. He nods at first before looking back at Olivia.

"I never took you for someone interested in enchanting..." Ivor admits.

"Did you see anything else? Notice anything? I think whoever this is might have gotten tired." You think about how the shadows seemed to break. You didn't know that was even possible. Ivor leans down onto Olivia a little more before recoiling and letting out a pained noise.

"Thanks for the donation..." She murmurs, a sort of strained laugh escaping her.

"Agh," Ivor murmurs and you watch some letters in the same lapis blue from earlier flutter through the air. Same word, too. You stare harder at him. "Oh. Of course we share the same damn enchantment color."

You feel peering eyes on you. You shrug. "Well, am I right? Or is something else—"

"That wasn't exhaustion. Their Experience was running out." Ivor corrects you. That does seem right, they were fighting like someone unimpeded. "I already know you want to lock me up again! I couldn't have done it!" He shouts at the crowd of staring people.

"He was locked up when Olivia was fighting the murderer." Lizzie concurs. "Also, his color is a bit... Lighter."

"Didn't you say there was a way to detect when someone's burning out?" StacyPlays pipes up. "Their spells sort of... Fizzle, right?"

"Yeah. That healing enchantment would have also fizzled out as well." Lizzie adds with a nod.

"I'm glad to know I'm not surrounded by total idiots, I suppose." Ivor comments, looking away.

"That's why you wouldn't move, right? You noticed the enchantment?" You ask and Ivor nods. "Well, could I get you now?"

"Watch her for me, Lukas." Ivor says oddly gently and Lukas stands over Olivia. He steps to your side and you catch how the painting is awfully small. Ivor holds his hands in front of it before shaking his head. "Nothing."

"Could still be boobytrapped." Cassie comments and you shrug and pull it off the wall. You catch a small crawlspace, just barely large enough to fit someone if they were to crawl in. You stare at it for an agonizingly long moment before shrugging and pushing yourself inside. The spikes on the shoulders of your armor and the top of your helmet just narrowly avoid scraping the ceiling.

"Are you mad?!" StampyCat shouts. "You don't even know what's in there!"

"If I shut up, assume I've died!" You fire back at him. It's not like you had any other leads, really. You push yourself through more, being grateful for your small stature for once. The path breaks into a larger clearing and you inhale just enough to let out a shout. "It gets bigger in here!"

"What?" It takes Petra a moment to arrive and call out to you. You can barely see her from this distance. You step a little closer and put your head through the start of the clearing.

"I guess this really is a secret passageway!" You yell. Petra seems to try and fit her head through and scowls when she hits her forehead on the outside. You watch Lukas step from behind her and push his head straight in.

"Well. Guess that means you're volunteering." Petra comments with a slight chuckle. Lukas sighs and wriggles his way through. When he's almost all the way through you grab him by the shoulder and pull him into the larger part.

"I really hope there's another way out of here." He groans, pulling at his shoulder.

"There probably is. C'mon." You start to turn around. You hear an inactive stick whizz by your head. Before you can even ask, several more follow it. You turn to Petra, raising one eyebrow.

"I was whittling again, alright? Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have some sticks." You can tell Petra's crossing her arms in a huff at that. You pick up the sticks. "Die and I'll kill you!"

"You'll have to fight me for the privilege to do that!" Axel fires at Petra.

"Really? You really wanna try and fight me while you have the disadvantage?" Petra scoffs. You already know she's rolling her eyes with a stupid smirk.

"Just don't do anything rash!" You shout.

"I was just teasing!" Petra shouts. You roll your eyes and somehow Petra senses it, because she sputters out something incomprehensible. Seems you're connected on that aspect. You turn to Lukas and shrug.

"I think you're torturing her." He teases, pushing you back. You roll your eyes again. "Do you think everyone will be alright?"

"Well, with Petra there, I'd be more worried about the killer's safety at this point." You turn to head into the pathway. "I... I saw them try to go for Dan and then they went for Olivia. You know how low it is to do that? To go after someone who's tied up and then when that doesn't work—"

"Yeah." Lukas cuts in. "I guess the Witherstorm was good for something. Olivia wouldn't be here if not for it."

"I really doubt she's gonna see it that way." You shake your head. You imagine the only thing keeping Olivia from a full blown panic is the fact she can barely keep her eyes open. If not for the madness that had taken you earlier, you'd probably be thinking about Sparklez and how he was—

"Hey," Lukas puts his hand on your shoulder, "none of this was your fault."

"I know," Those words are choked, feeling like a lie, "but Sparklez is still dead. And TorqueDawg... What if I could have done something? What if who I saw actually was the murderer and I killed them? I mean, I guess... I guess it wouldn't have been this awful." You shake your head.

"Well, I suppose anyone would feel awful if they killed someone. Even Petra, I think. Don't tell her I said that." Lukas rubs the back of his neck.

"Yeah but... Sparklez." You shake your head and peer into the hall. A few torches lay parallel on the wall. It seems just bright enough to fend off mobs. You continue to walk ahead.

"I don't think anyone's expecting you to be over it." Lukas steps to your side and pats you on the shoulder. "That was what, an hour ago? You're not going to just brush that off. Nobody is."

"Maybe the killer has." You say and Lukas goes silent for a moment.

"I suppose they would." Lukas' voice is quiet. "I just... Can't imagine thinking like that. What would drive someone to do this? It can't just be over something stolen."

"You wanna know something?" You think of something in the chest from the temple back home. It feels like a foggy eternity ago. "There's something... Familiar about these people. I can't place it, I feel like I've seen someone here before. Even before the portraits."

"Hm," Lukas seems to be searching his mind for something, "I don't know about that."

"Well, I am also high off my ass." You admit and get whatever the axe's equivalent of an eye roll from Clarity. "It's not exactly going to help us out of this situation." You shrug and continue to walk. Lukas grabs you by the shoulder and a yelp dies in your throat. He points over your shoulder.

"There's a hole." He stares intently at it. You barely even noticed it in the undulating darkness. Oh, and some of that darkness was turning into a swarm of spiders. Damn hallucinations. You look around it, trying to press away the occasional things crossing your vision, and find that the hall has ended.

"Here," You set down a crafting table, "guess it's ladder time." You put the sticks in the proper shape and will them together. Right. You need to do this several times. Why didn't you just pack ladders? Regardless of how much of a fool you were before, you end up with a decent stack of ladders. With that, you pick up the crafting table and start to head down.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to go first?" Lukas asks as you slowly head into the dark pit. "I mean, you're kind of... Seeing things. No offense."

"I have the ladders!" You call back.

"You could have passed them to me?" Lukas shrugs as you head down. Eventually, you come to land, only using about half of your stack. It's another dark hall, one that's much colder than the hall before. You're not sure why.

"I survived!" You shout at Lukas and hear him rush down the ladder. You stare at him as he hops off the ladder.

"Do you hear that?" He looks around and you raise an eyebrow. You haven't really heard anything. Has he started to hallucinate too? "It sounds like a bunch of people are banging on metal." You turn your head and you finally pick up on the sound.

"Now I do." You admit, crouching down. "I can't tell which is worse, captives or associates." You catch the smell of rotting flesh. Why are you smelling rotting flesh down here?

"With what's gone on so far? I'm thinking captives." Lukas whispers tensely before shivering a little. You continue down the halls, catching the glint of iron. You approach it and take notice of the iron bars leading into dark chambers. What is going on down—

Something green and snarling rushes at the iron bars and bangs on them. You yowl like a cornered animal and then realize what you're seeing. It's a zombie.

"Well, that's... Better than people being down here." You stare at the zombie and notice it's not alone. There's practically an entire horde in the chamber. You walk ahead, catching more chambers. If you squint, you can catch the faint glimmer of an exit behind the zombies. Some of them seem to go for it, while the others seem to think they can break through the bars.

"Guess that explains the big wave of them..." Lukas mutters and then he puts his hand on your shoulder. Before you can ask he points into the chamber and you catch the outline of a spawner in the torchlight. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that a skilled enchanter would get their hands on a spawner." Lukas lets go of your shoulder.

"So they used this to box everyone in." You look at the zombies, watching how they look terribly desperate to get their hands on you. You grimace and pull away. "But... Were they invited first and then the zombies were released after? Or did everyone else get stuck like us?"

"Does it matter? Either way they couldn't escape." Lukas shrugs. You sigh.

"I guess that's a fair point." You watch a zombie try to stick its hand through the bars. Does it really matter how they ended up here? What matters now is ending this. You have to stop the slaughter. You just hope, if there is something after death, that Sparklez can forgive you. Or at least be brought peace by whatever comes next.

You continue to walk through the hall, passing more and more zombie cages. Whoever did this definitely wanted to have their bases covered. Seems like a simple plan, close in people once night falls and then you have until daybreak to kill them. It honestly makes you feel like a trapped animal, like someone's herding you into a pen as if you're livestock.

Past the cages is an open, bright room. For a moment, you think you're back in the mob grinder in Soren's fortress, and then you realize why. It's a mechanism to take up loot, with winding halls above and below. You catch a glass tube with a few items in it and then you recoil when you recognize who's inventory it is.

"It's just like the mob grinder. By the skies." Lukas shudders behind you and you nod meekly.

"So it... Whoever's doing this just views us as inventory. I..." You shake your head. Fear and pity is not going to save you from this. You look around at the spanning halls and the pool in the middle, watching what's left of the inventories be scooped up by it. You don't know how TorqueDawg's inventory got here. You don't want to think about it.

"But which way is the right way?" Lukas asks. You follow the glass tube and notice the inventory is being taken up. You look around the halls, noticing one leads above.

"I'm gonna follow the inventory." You say and take the stairs up. Lukas hesitates before following you. You look back to him and raise an eyebrow.

"Maybe this stuff's making me paranoid, but I think we're being followed." Lukas looks behind himself a few times. You stop in front of him and strain your ears. Right. Those suck, don't they? Lukas tenses. "Okay. We're definitely being followed."

"Show yourself!" Your voice rises to a snarl as you pull out Clarity. You watch a shadow cross the wall before veering back for a moment, almost as if you're being approached cautiously. Lukas steps behind you, readying an arrow.

"It's just me..." StampyCat's voice reaches you before he pulls out from behind the corner.

"What are you doing down here?!" You stare at him in disbelief. This shivering little guy couldn't be the murderer! Or maybe that's what he wants you to think!

"Well, I have something really important to tell you! I think... I think I'm the reason all of this happened!" StampyCat shivers, hands pulling at the sides of his hoodie. You tense. He pulls out something and you watch a green glow envelop him. Another flint and steel, just like yours.

"What..." You stare at it. "Is that what we're being killed for?!"

"I just stole it from Dan as a joke, I swear! Just a little harmless prank, maybe I'd put it somewhere ridiculous, point it out, he'd laugh, and we'd all go home! But somehow we're here and I really don't... I can't keep it in anymore!" StampyCat shivers as if he's expecting you to yell at him. You just sigh.

"I don't think this is your fault." You shake your head and look over the flint and steel. "There has to be some bigger reason for this."

"Well, this can open a portal. Maybe..." Lukas mutters and begins to pace. "Honestly, there's a lot of ways that can go."

"I don't think the motive really matters anymore." You stare at the flint and steel and think of your own. If you were to die, would this have stopped? It's hard to tell, maybe it never would have.

"I wanted to come clean about it, I promise, but then Sparklez... I can't stop thinking about what he said!" StampyCat backs away. "What if I just... What if I just gave it to the killer? Maybe I should just do it, maybe it'll—"

"We're going to stop this." You interrupt him. "And then you can give it back to Dan and explain this. Once he's... Got his mind back in order." You grimace at how you've phrased that. You'd nearly gone mad yourself. Would Dan even be okay after this?

"But... Does it even belong to him at this point? What if this is because we stole it just by going to the temple?" StampyCat looks at you and it makes you wonder about your own temple. Was it stealing to take that flint and steel? But it was meant for someone who clearly was never going to come there!

"I don't know how to answer that." You admit, shaking your head. "Just, stay close. I don't know what could be down here." You step ahead, hearing strangely enough... Meowing? You raise an eyebrow and look to Lukas.

"Who would put cats down here of all places? I guess it's a good thing Petra didn't fit through that crawlspace... Cats kinda creep her out." Lukas snorts a little at that last bit.

"Hm, maybe she's secretly part creeper." You comment.

"Now wouldn't that be something." Lukas laughs a little as you walk ahead. You catch that the hall ahead looks... Different. There are these small things, almost like torches, but shaped more like a lantern, hanging above some soil. You approach, tilting your head at the lights, which ends up giving you a terrible ache in your skull. You recoil and hiss.

You blink back the pain for a few moments. There had to have been something in the soil, right? Light was good for plants, after all. Now that your eyes have readjusted, you run your eyes over a plant you've never seen before.

It's some sort of flower, but it doesn't resemble anything from home. The closest thing you can think of is lily of the valley, but the only aspect it matches with is the white color. The flower's base is long, spreading into this almost rounded star shape. It doesn't look quite right to be a star, it has too many points, but you can't think of any other shape to compare it to.

"That's a weird plant." Lukas looks it over. You nod at him, trying to avoid the bright lights above as you come to examine it as well. "It just looks like a regular flower. Why would they grow this?" You shrug back at Lukas and peer closer at the flower. Some strange, spiky, round things seem to be growing off it.

"I don't think we're going to get any answers from it." You shake your head and turn your gaze to the rest of the hall. "Stampy? You're from this world, right? Do you know anything about it?"

"I'm not good with plants." He admits. You sigh. Worth a shot, you suppose. You think of Lizzie, about the plants she listed, and you pick up one of the plants, inventorying it a few moments after. "Is that really a good idea? It could be poisonous!" StampyCat pipes up.

"Well, I want an answer. Plus, I am wearing armor. If any poison can pierce through it, then I've got bigger problems." You shrug and turn back to the hallway. You walk ahead and catch two iron doors before you. It seems this is the right place. At least you'd hope so.

You flick the lever beside the doors and they open. You step through gently, feeling every part of your skin prickle in anxiety. Nothing jumps out at you, in fact it's an almost... Normal looking room. It looks almost terribly lived in, besides the chests with names, not for items, but for people. Other than that, it seems strangely... Cozy. No bed, not exactly, but you wouldn't be surprised to find one tucked in a corner there. It's almost like a living room, with a blue carpeted floor and a few tables.

"Wait," StampyCat interrupts you before you can start to investigate more, "I just wanted to say sorry. For letting you get locked in a closet and all of that."

"You don't need to apologize for that." You look to StampyCat and shake your head. "I mean, I'd... I'd want to lock up someone who did that in a closet too. How were you supposed to know that I was telling the truth?"

"I suppose that's fair." StampyCat fiddles with one of the ears on his hoodie. You step fully into the room, noticing the ridiculous amount of bookshelves, the strange, metal device with a glass center, and the... The horde of calico cats. They're all perched on fluffy fabric towers.

"That's a lot of cats." Lukas lets out a tense breath as a few of the cats diverge from their perches while the rest seem to laze around. You step to the walls, having a glimpse of the papers attached to the wall. They seem marked sloppily with crayons. You raise an eyebrow as you take one of them off the wall.

It seems to depict two stick figures, one in a yellow robe with dark hair and another, shorter figure with red hair. You notice the figure in the yellow robe is holding a strange, gray square with a green face. You rotate the picture, expecting a signature on the back, but find nothing. You put it back on the wall.

"I uh, hm." This is what makes you finally remember where you'd seen someone before. "I think Cassie was the small person in that... Picture book thing."

"What?" Lukas pipes up, stepping to your side. You point to the picture and he tilts his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh. You never saw it. But... I think she was smaller once, right? She looks an awful lot like the person in the pictures, and so does this weird stick figure. I think it's depicting another person in the picture."

"So Harper and Cassie knew each other?" Lukas asks. You shrug.

"Maybe." You're not entirely sure quite yet. StampyCat looks at the two of you.

"I have no idea what you two are talking about." He rubs the back of his hoodie.

"It's a long story. But maybe we've seen the killer before?" You shrug again. It's not entirely impossible that the killer is Harper, but nor is it impossible for there to be associates among you. What if StampyCat was trying to corner you? No, that didn't seem right. He'd have done so already.

You approach the strange metal object. It has a few knobs and buttons on its side. StampyCat approaches it and you look to him for a moment. "Wow, it's... That's a pretty old television. I'd say it's at least twenty years old?" He comments.

"A... Huh?" You look at him weirdly.

"It, uh, wow, I really don't know how to explain this. Let me see if there's something—" StampyCat presses something above the slot on the object's bottom, prompting it to eject a strange, rectangular object. "Huh. There's a tape in here." He presses it back in.

"What's it do?" You ask as the television's glass segment flickers to life.

"It—it shows you stuff, basically." StampyCat stammers out as the machine awakens. A few of the cats come to investigate, with some pawing at Lukas' legs. He gently pushes one cat back as an image of a plains biome of some sort comes onto the glass. The foliage is much thicker than it is back home.

"The world is incredibly vast. As you may have seen on previous episodes, some plants have survival mechanisms that are hazardous to our health. Today, we will be discussing plants with properties that, while technically poisonous, qualify more as an exercise in disorientation than death." A disembodied voice speaks as it pans over plants that you don't even begin to recognize. There are so many.

"We begin, not with a species, but a genus. This plant has many names, devil's trumpet, thorn-apple, mad apple, devil's weed, hell's bells, and even occasionally moonflower." The voice continues and you think about what Lizzie had said. How did she know? "For simplicity, we will refer to it by its genus, datura." With that, you see it. The plants that have been growing down here. The plant in your goddamn inventory.

"That's... That's the plant." You shudder, pulling away. You pace around the room, hearing the voice continue on.

"If the seeds or leaves are consumed, the consumer will be subjected to hallucinations, delirium, and incredible light sensitivity. In higher doses, death can occur, and occasionally the symptoms last for days. It is incredibly potent, presumed to induce symptoms even in smaller doses." It feels almost like a mockery, that voice. You nearly throw your fist into the screen when—

"Now, datura is a very fascinating plant," The familiar voice makes you stop and you even hear Lukas gasp from behind you, "they're related to nightshades, like tomatoes are. Really, we know these things more for their poisonous nature than what they do. Did you know their blooms open when night falls? They make a good indicator of when mobs will spawn!"

"Soren..." You murmur, but he doesn't look right. He's dressed too fancily, like he's a public speaker. Some wording on the screen calls him a 'biologist.' You never would have... How could he be here? How could he be talking about this!?

"Now, it's safe to touch them," The scenery is suddenly different, now in a field where one of the plants is growing, and Soren scoops up one of them, "but if you consume one of these spiky seed pods, it'll really mess you up."

You hit the slot and the machine spits out the tape. You look at it, almost wanting to throw it across the room. Instead, you let it drop out of your hands. You break into a pace and StampyCat starts to stammer.

"That's a really old documentary! I think it's at least twenty years old? We never really saw Soren again after that. I think he narrated something about endermites once." StampyCat pipes up. "Honestly, he's still a missing person!"

"That's because he went to our world!" You snap at StampyCat and he recoils. You bury your head in your hands and let out a groan. "I'm sorry... I... He knew all of this stuff and he decided to use a Command Block instead of... I don't know! Making the world a better place?"

"Soren's... Soren's still alive? You met him?" StampyCat rushes to your side. "People can finally stop searching for him! There are so many people who are still worried, they can—"

"We don't even know where he is!" You pull back.

"Believe me, you don't want to meet Soren. He's... Well, he's not the worst person I suppose, but... He's not going to meet your expectations." Lukas adds. "And Jesse's right, he's probably in the End on some far off island. We're never going to find him."

"But that means... He ran away to some other world. He could do that!" StampyCat shouts. One of the cats yowls and rushes away, leaping onto a chest. You grimace and shake your head.

"We need... Skies above, I haven't been focusing. This isn't getting us anywhere!" You step to the chest the cat is on and it hisses at you. You pick it up and hold it in one arm, rocking it to hopefully distract it. Well, it falling asleep in your arms counts, right? Regardless, you shuffle through the chest, finding a few more tapes. You pull them out and try to set down the cat. It scrambles back into your arm and falls back asleep. Lukas snorts and scoops up the cat before turning to the bookshelves.

"Hm... I'm finding a lot on poisons, portals, and common enchantments..." Lukas comments, shifting the cat from arm to arm. It starts to purr and flick its tail. "Well. I guess I own this cat now."

"Are you really going to steal a cat from a murderer? That's just... That's just asking for something bad to happen!" StampyCat pipes up.

"I'm just kidding. I hope." Lukas rocks the cat again. "C'mon, my arms are getting tired..." He mutters as you step back to the television. You put one of the tapes in and this one seems to be a small room. You can't make out what's being said, but it appears some shadowed figure is trying to get a small metal box to do... Something. After a few moments the tape stops.

The next tape seems to be that figure again, but they're a lot clearer. You catch the brown hood, dark gray goggles with orange lenses, black dreads and the yellow robe. They point whatever is capturing their face away and turn to a small figure, one with red hair and oversized glasses.

"Look at this," The figure on the other end speaks excitedly, holding out a small figurine of a kitten, "I heard you liked cats." You memorize the dark gloves that stop before the figure's brown fingers.

"No, I like you..." Murmurs the small figure, looking away. The figure on the other end snorts.

"Aw. That's nice and all, but this little guy needs a home. How about I put 'em on your dresser?"

"It'll get lonely." The small figure grabs the cat figurine and cradles it in their hands. You catch the glint of green eyes and your insides twist. "Why would I leave it alone? I'm taking it with me."

"It'll break, Cass." The figure pleads, and you can tell they're kneeling down now by how the perspective of the moving picture changes. "But you can visit it all the time."

"But it's not fair!"

"Hm..." The figure's quiet for a moment. "How about I figure out some way to keep it safe?"

There's a silence. "Like—?"

"Yeah. Like them. Come on, we'll find a good place for it in the meantime."

The tape cuts off then. You step away, deciding not to watch anymore of it. You look to Lukas and notice he's managed to get the cat to wrap around his neck. He's flipping through a book. You walk over and he points out the pages to you.

"Am I the only one who feels... Weird doing this?" StampyCat pipes up. "I mean, I get why, but it's someone's life we're looking through."

"Yeah. It's a little weird." You admit. "But it's not like we have much choice." You look at the pages, noticing a scrawled picture with the same figures. The gray square with a face is back, this time looking sad, as a new, purple figure stands in the corner.

"I don't know if Harper would have this." Lukas closes the book before pulling something out of the bookshelf. "It's something cursing... Everyone in her life. Harper and some other person? I don't know, PAMA doesn't seem like a name, more like a place. Why would Harper keep this if it was her?"

"Cassie... She..." StampyCat recoils. "But we've been friends! We've let her stay over, we've even collaborated on episodes! I taught her some redstone, although she seemed to get the whole idea pretty fast!" StampyCat breaks into a pace. "She... She tried to drug all of us! Why would she do that? To make us easier to kill? Dan nearly killed me!"

"Or maybe to force you to confess." You pipe up. "Maybe some part of her hoped the delirium would force someone to give it up. Or that we'd all... Go mad enough to kill each other."

"What makes you say that?" StampyCat recoils, shuddering. You inhale sharply.

"She came to me in the worst of it and... She tried to get me to think I was the murderer. If I'd confessed..." You grimace.

"They'd have thrown you to the googlies." StampyCat mirrors your expression. "Oh, this is so awful!"

"I know." Lukas' words are a low hiss and he shakes his head. "She tried to kill Olivia! She would have... She almost succeeded. I don't think I've even begun to process that." Lukas looks away.

"We need to get back up there and let everyone know." You say. With that, you retrace your steps, except when you return to the inventory room, you take another one of the hallways. It leads through another painting, that when removed gives you a quick path into the library. You rush through, nearly running into Lizzie in the process.

"What in the—" She begins and you recoil.

"Sorry!" You shout and look behind you to make sure everyone's following. "What are you doing out of the living room? It's dangerous in here!"

"I just needed some space." Lizzie protests. "Seeing Dan like that is... I don't even know if he recognized me." Her face falls in a strange way. StampyCat rushes by you and before Lizzie can comment he runs past her.

"We need to get into the living room. Is everyone still there?" You look at Lizzie.

"I'm pretty sure. Everyone's been clinging to each other, basically. Did you find something?"

"I found everything I needed." You nod at Lizzie. "Come on, let's go." You step ahead and Lukas takes up position at your flank. You head into the living room and catch the first lights of dawn pouring through the window. The sunlight is still very weak, not enough to drive back the zombies quite yet.

"You've been gone a while." StacyPlays comments as you arrive with Lizzie. "Good to see you in one piece."

"I'm gonna hope that includes me." You comment idly.

"Sure." StacyPlays rolls her eyes. "Did you find anything? Spit it out already!"

"Cassie," You stare at her and do your best to pretend you haven't seen her small and vulnerable, "are you going to come clean or do I have to say it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She looks at you. "I thought we agreed there was someone else picking us off."

"You know, it's awfully suspicious that you drank the same fruit punch as everyone else but you don't have a single symptom." You pace around the room. "After all, it is incredibly potent, presumed to have at least some effect even in a tiny dose."

"Are you mad that I'm not high? What are you on about?" Cassie tilts her head, glaring at you. "Are you people seriously going to listen to this?!"

"Hm," You look at Lizzie and pull out the datura in your inventory, "moonflower, right? Also known as datura. I found a bunch of it growing right under us."

"I... That explains everything." Lizzie looks over the plant in your hand. "I didn't want it to be moonflower..." She admits quietly.

"That doesn't prove anything!" Cassie shouts.

"What about the fact I found tapes down there?" You fire back. "I saw you when you were smaller! As a—fre—a child!"

"Do you understand how creepy you sound? Where would you even get something like that!?" Cassie snaps back. "You can't be serious, are you going to believe him over me?"

"I wish I could believe you." StampyCat steps to your side, looking almost as if he's about to hide behind you. "But I saw it. I saw you!"

"There were so many cats like Winslow down there. All of them practically looked like they could have come from the same litter!" You add.

"Stampy is also a cat person!" Cassie fires back. "Anyone could collect calicos!"

Lukas shudders, holding up a piece of crumpled paper. Cassie recoils at the sight of it and that's enough to get a few gasps out of the people around you.

"I mean, the light should be hurting her eyes at least, right?" Axel pipes up. "Lukas, your eyes hurt when you look at bright things and you barely had any of it!"

"Yes, and of course the murderer would portion it so that only their drink is unaffected. That way they seem inebriated. But what kind of murderer would let themself actually become inebriated?" You press. "Terribly convenient, isn't it, Cassie? Although, I suppose all of us killing each other in some drug addled haze would have also worked! Especially since you sought me out and told me I was the killer!"

"Are you going to trust this? He's nuts!" Cassie snaps. "I'm not! I'm not high like he is!"

"So you admit it!" Axel shouts.

"What?" StacyPlays steps in front of StampyCat. "You... You tricked all of us! And for what?"

Cassie is silent for a moment.

"Why?!" StacyPlays snaps, looking about ready to lunge. "You've turned us all against each other!"

"Olivia nearly died!" Axel shouts.

"How dare you!" Petra snaps.

"I don't even know if Dan will... You might have taken away his mind!" Lizzie shouts, gesturing wildly. "What did we ever do to you?"

Cassie stares at all of you. "Honestly? You want the truth? Nothing. But you had what I wanted. What was stolen from me. Home."

Olivia breaks into a dry laugh. You turn to her and watch her rise to her hands and knees, tears prickling the corners of her eyes. "Oh? You've lost everything, have you? But you could have had everything too. It was right in front of you."

"You think you understand? You'll never understand! I've been trapped in this stupid world with its stupid two moons for years! Do you know what it's like to have exactly what you need, right under your nose, with no way out? To know you're trapped like a rat?!" You honestly expect Cassie to froth at the mouth. Olivia laughs harder.

"I nearly killed you the last time." Olivia stares directly at Cassie. "And that was while I was half dead. Do you want to know why? Why I could? Think about it."

"You're a monster!" Cassie roars. Olivia's laugh quiets, almost in a sort of half sob.

"I didn't want to kill you. Why do you think I hesitated? Why do you think you're still alive?!" Olivia tries to rise to her feet but she falls forward and huffs. "You're still alive. You could have... You..." She collapses. "I lost everything too. Do you even care about what you made me do?" Olivia shuts her eyes.

"We need to do something with you." You step to Cassie and she pulls out her axe.

"I vote we build an obsidian prison, and surround it with lava!" StampyCat shouts.

"Throw her to the zombies!" StacyPlays concurs.

"No no no no no. I won't let you do that. I can't. No. This is YOUR fault! You did this to me!" Cassie's gaze flickers between all of you. She looks like she's about to sink her axe into all of you. If someone's panic could kill, you'd be dead several times over. "I'll fight all of you! Each and every one of you! I'll—!"

She steps onto a patch of sand and sand falls from the ceiling. You jolt back and StampyCat rushes to the pile. "Another trap! We need to dig her out!" He shouts as he starts to dig.

"After everyone, she's hurt? She can dig herself out." StacyPlays huffs and turns away. You watch Lizzie hesitate before huffing and rushing over to the pile. "I hope that's just delirium from infection!" StacyPlays comments sharply.

"She's done something awful but nobody deserves this!" Lizzie admits as she rushes to dig. You huff, realizing that's right. She's awful, but something else should have been done with her. If only you'd brought a shovel, you think as you dig at the sand with your hands.

As you break through a block, a few items rise. You recoil. Inventory. Dammit! Had you hesitated too long? You're not sure how to feel. You step away and shake your head, huffing as you do. Sure, you don't need to think of what to do with her now, but is the convenience worth her dying? Olivia's laughter haunts your addled mind.

"She's gone... I can't believe it." StampyCat utters at your side. Ivor finally lets himself leave Olivia's side and he stares at the pile of inventory.

"What a way to go." He shakes his head.

"I suppose once it all fell apart, she forgot where her own traps were." Petra comments.

"That's awful." Lukas shakes his head.

"Yeah. Sand's not... A pleasant way to die." Axel admits. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this."

You're just silent. You stare at the inventory, thinking about how Olivia would have been that. About TorqueDawg and Sparklez' inventories resting deep in her lair. You shake your head and turn away.

"If only she just asked us for help… we could've avoided this whole thing." StampyCat says and it makes you realize he has a point. What would drive someone to this? Why not just ask for help? Did someone shatter her trust so irrevocably?

You step to the window and watch the sun rise. The zombies die all around you. You let out a sigh. "I suppose that's it for us."

StacyPlays glares at you before scooping up your arm. You nearly jolt out of her grip. "Are you nuts? You're still high on... Whatever that plant is! You're going to hospital!"

"Stacy, just let him—" StampyCat begins.

"Absolutely not! You're going there too!" StacyPlays shuts that down immediately. StampyCat seems to start to try and protest but StacyPlays stares at him. "You got hit in the head with a hammer, Stampy!"

"Yeah, I guess that's true." He recoils a little.

"To be honest, I don't think the hospital can do much for Dan and everyone else." Lizzie cuts in.

"Who knows if he's injured himself! He's just been babbling incoherently all night!" StacyPlays fires back. "Is your arm good enough to help me carry Dan? I've got to figure out how to fit everyone in my truck..."

"Your what?" You tilt your head.

"I'll explain it later!" StacyPlays fires back. StampyCat stares at her.

"Well, I have more room in my—"

"You got hit in the head with a hammer!" StacyPlays fires back.

"And you're high on moonflower." Lizzie adds. "Is it really a good idea for you to drive?"

"Help me carry her," Petra tries to pick up Olivia and you rush to her side, scooping up Olivia's other side. She's incredibly heavy now, dammit. You do your best to not get impaled.

"I can see things a lot more clearly now, at least I think I can..." StacyPlays murmurs. "We'll just put half of them in the truck bed."

"That's dangerous!" StampyCat protests as Axel also helps you scoop up Olivia. You breathe a small sigh of relief as some of her weight leaves you.

"I can drive slow!" StacyPlays fires back. "I really doubt they're going to bring an ambulance out here." StacyPlays scoops up Dan and gestures for StampyCat to help her. He hesitates before pulling him to his feet.

You all walk outside. Ivor stares at you and whispers in your good ear, "Are we really going to trust this?"

"Well, I don't even know what a—" You begin as StacyPlays leads you behind the mansion. You catch a few strange, large things, with four wheels like minecarts, but they're not built right. Firstly, their tops are closed off and seem to rise above their front and bottoms. StacyPlays leads you to a silver one with a long, open thing behind its snout and minecart-esque middle.

"Hm..." She examines the object for a moment before turning to Lizzie. "You'll ride shotgun because you're the only sober one here, I'll put Stampy, Jesse and Dan in the back, it's probably a good idea to have him in the middle... And everyone else will have to fit in the bed." StacyPlays gestures to the flat part of the 'truck.'

"You sleep in this?" Petra asks.

"It'd be a really stupid idea to." StacyPlays shakes her head. "You guys should cluster together so you don't fly out." She steps to the bed of the truck and pulls the last part of it down. You barely catch the handle before it's placed down.

"So we just... Climb in here?" Ivor stares at StacyPlays.

"Is there something to hold us down?" Axel looks around as Petra starts to drag Olivia over into the bed.

"If I had a truck cap, there would be. Just hold onto each other, it shouldn't be too far." StacyPlays suggests before stepping to the main part of the truck.

"Are you sure you don't have anything?" Lukas pipes up.

"I didn't exactly prep for this situation, alright?" StacyPlays grimaces.

"Shouldn't Lukas be riding in the truck, then? He's a lot more sober than I am." You suggest.

"You have a magic weapon. That should stop Dan from getting any ideas." StacyPlays says right as StampyCat opens one of the doors and tries to gently put Dan inside. Dan seems to be trying his best to bite StampyCat. You tense as StacyPlays pushes you on the shoulder and opens another one of the doors.

"So I just...?" You look back at her.

"Yeah, just sit in the middle. And buckle your seatbelt!"

"My huh?"

StacyPlays stares at you in disbelief before huffing and pulling away. "I can't do this right now. Stampy, can you just buckle him in for me?" You pull into the chamber and StampyCat flanks your left side. He looks you over for a moment before gesturing to something gray, almost like a rope but much too thin.

"Wait." You pull at it. "Is this it? How do you...? What's it for?"

"It makes sure you don't fly everywhere?" StampyCat shrugs. "Oh, that's a terrible way to explain it. Well if we hit something, you'd fly forward if you weren't wearing it. And... Probably die."

"Very horribly!" StacyPlays adds. You scoot into the seat reflexively, finding it's a little awkward and uncomfortable.

"Quit it." Lizzie complains. "You're just gonna set him off and I don't want to deal with anyone else losing it again."

"What? It's just the truth! He should know about that."

"Ah," You look to StampyCat and try to pull the seatbelt over you, "is this right? Where does it go?"

"There should be something to click it into place. It's usually red and gray." StampyCat looks over your shoulder and you spot something that seems to be big enough to hold the metal end of the seatbelt. You press it in and it lets out a click. "There we go. Now we don't have to deal with... Well. More people possibly getting hurt."

"I just hope everyone in the back will be okay..." You shudder a little as StampyCat clicks his own belt into place.

"We can agree on that." He admits. You hear something roar and nearly jump out of your seatbelt. "That's just the truck!"

"It sounds like a dragon!" You shout as it starts to move. StampyCat barely suppresses a snort and Dan seems to start murmuring incoherently at your side. You hear grass crunch under the wheels and then something new underneath the car.

"I told you it wasn't far!" StacyPlays shouts before she turns to Lizzie for a moment. Lizzie snaps something you can't make out, about keeping her eyes somewhere, and StacyPlays looks away. "Do you have service on your phone yet?"

"You don't need service to pull up a map!" Lizzie fires back. "It's uh, I think ten minutes until we get to the nearest hospital."

"And that's at the normal pace." StacyPlays murmurs. You turn your eyes to the windows and realize what this reminds you of. A carriage! You keep that thought to yourself as you catch a few sparse buildings surrounded by trees. The swampland is turning into forests. Across the horizon you catch a bunch of buildings, several of them adorned with many different lights. It hurts to see so much light, but you notice the lights dying in them. Perhaps the dawn is enough for people to turn them off?

You hear strange things outside the truck. There's this noise, like a strange squeal, another noise like a horn of some sort, and occasionally the noise of something clicking. If you strain your ears, you can even hear someone else's voice in the truck. You don't ask about it, you don't intend to burden them with more questions.

"Are you alright, Dan?" StampyCat looks over at Dan and your eyes follow StampyCat's gaze. Dan still shivers under his binds, his eyes filled with a fervor that makes your blood run cold. You look away and StampyCat does as well, his gaze turning to his feet.

The world continues to move. You catch similar vessels outside the window. Is the world really full of these things? Trucks and... Whatever else are on the roads. They move so terribly fast, it's almost impossible to comprehend their true speed.

"How do you get it to move?" You ask. There doesn't seem to be any rail around. It's not like there's a horse pulling it either.

"You hit a pedal and it moves. That's the simple version." StacyPlays responds, not looking at you. You suppose that's because she has to steer. StampyCat looks at you for a moment and seems to be about ready to start saying something. "Stampy, don't. I'm not going to deal with this right now."

"Awww..." StampyCat whines quietly. You look to him and shrug.

"So, you um, have episodes or whatever you called them? Do they show up on the television too?" You ask him. May as well make some small talk while you're stuck here. StampyCat nods.

"Stacy does some wilderness survival stuff, I think she has a whole guide on wolves and their behavior. Dan and I had a few collabs, mostly about redstone, honestly. Sometimes I helped him tweak a few things, he's more of a biologist I suppose. Or really, you know the stereotype of a scie—oh. Right. You're not from here." StampyCat shakes his head. "He's pretty good at anything science-y except redstone, I guess."

That makes you think for a moment. "You know, Dan, I heard Stampy had an idea for how to make the deer go away," You begin, looking at Dan gently. He doesn't meet your eyes.

StampyCat seems like he's about to ask what you're getting at before he suddenly gasps and nods at the two of you. "Yeah, I was working on a gate for them. Maybe you could get Stacy to lure them in?"

"But you're—! You—!" Dan sputters, staring at StampyCat. He heaves. "How?"

"I had some spare time to think about it. They can't jump." StampyCat says that last bit oddly firmly.

"They can't?" Dan sounds like he hasn't been fully comprehending things. "No, they... They can!"

"Then we'll just make sure they can't jump over it. Okay?" StampyCat offers. Dan stares at him for a moment, gaze shuddering, before he looks away. "They can't get in here. You're safe."

"I still see them..." Dan shivers a little.

"It's okay." You reassure him. "Nobody's gonna let you get hurt."

"Nobody?"

"Nobody." StampyCat concurs. Dan continues to shiver a little and you do your best to inch closer to him, as if to shield him from something unseen. He breathes a little easier.

You feel the truck stop. StacyPlays steps out and gestures for you to wait for a moment. You hear sounds from behind you, most of them fractured conversations. Lizzie steps outside for the moment and then pops her head back in.

"You guys can come out now." And with that, you gently grab Dan by the shoulder. He stares at you like you're betraying him and you loosen your grip a little.

"Maybe we should untie him?" StampyCat suggests and you shake your head.

"Um," You think of how StacyPlays would get on you for it, and consider that Dan may still be a flight risk, "and let him be vulnerable to the deer? That's a bad idea, Stampy."

StampyCat stares at you for a moment before comprehending what you've said. "Alright."

"Come on," You gently scoop up one of Dan's arms and wait for him to let you take him with you, "we've got to get going now." You pull Dan outside as softly as you possibly can. All you can hope is that you're not somehow agitating him. Is this really the right way to deal with someone who's lost touch with reality? You hope so.

"Well, I guess you're not helping us with Olivia then..." Axel murmurs as he watches you walk out with Dan. StampyCat grabs Dan and he nearly elbows him in shock. You wave one hand down gently, hoping it's enough to get Dan to calm. He just stares at you.

The building ahead is terribly rectangular. It's a sterile gray, with the only colors being the lights behind the windows and the red lettering on an overhang that reads 'EMERGENCY' in bold letters. Back home, medics would usually be in smaller buildings. To be fair, most of what would get you sent to a medic would kill you dead before you could see one.

"I just hope there aren't too many people here..." StacyPlays murmurs. "I don't want to spend all day here." She steps ahead. You and your group follows and you immediately recoil when you enter the building. It's so bright it makes your head feel like someone's thrusting a knife into it. You mutter incoherently as your hands press against your skull.

"Cover your eyes!" Lukas wails as Axel shouts from somewhere. You feel hands on your armor, but they're not familiar, and apparently according to Clarity are not a hallucination.

"What's going on with you people?" You hear someone speak on your good side before circling around your group. You hear something heavy hit the ground and assume Olivia got dropped in the scuffle.

"Dim the lights!" You shout. "It hurts!"

"What?" Someone pulls your hands off your face and it burns so bad. They catch a glimpse of your eyes and recoil, allowing your hands to return to your face. You hiss, close your eyes and force the flower in your inventory forward. You feel it being pulled out of your hands and your closed eyes finally can see something other than red. You open them, finding the lights are at a much more tolerable level.

StacyPlays seems to be burying her head into StampyCat's hoodie while Dan has somehow tucked himself under one of the chairs. Axel seems to be laying on the floor next to Olivia while Lukas looks on the verge of tearing his hair out. Lukas lets out a sigh and nearly falls to the ground. Petra grabs him by the scruff of his cloth armor before he can.

"What is this?" You catch the stranger, someone in a blue shirt with pockets on the lower half, turning the flower in their hands. Lizzie steps to their side.

"It's moonflower."

"Datura." You add when the stranger looks at Lizzie weirdly. Their eyes widen.

"That explains the irises. Are you just here for drug exposure?"

"Stampy got hit in the head with a hammer!" StacyPlays points at StampyCat, who looks like he's trying to hide his face. The stranger forces back his hair and hoodie.

"That's possibly a concussion." They comment. "Are there any other injuries I need to know about?"

"I got bit on the arm." Lizzie admits.

"Stacy, you also got hit with a hammer." Petra adds.

"My mouth just hurts a little. It's fine." StacyPlays crosses her arms and the stranger finally takes notice of Olivia. They look her over and tilt their head.

"What's up with her?"

"She might have some internal injuries. We don't know." You admit. They stare at you. They must have been asking about her appearance.

"I'm fine..." Olivia murmurs. "Anything I've got the Wither will patch up real nice."

"Was she also exposed to the datura?" The stranger asks.

"Sure, but it doesn't seem to affect her." You answer.

"Well," The stranger seems to produce a clipboard from their inventory, "it seems to be your lucky day. Or perhaps your luck's turned around. Regardless, we can fit you in in a few minutes." With that, they walk off behind a door. You look to your group.

"Do we file a police report?" Lizzie asks. "I know Cassie's dead and all, but... Sparklez is too. How are we going to do that? He's dead and so is his killer! Doesn't that sound a little suspicious?"

"We have a lot of people to back us up." StacyPlays admits, looking to you. "Plus, they'll find the same things Jesse did there when they investigate it."

"But this kind of controversy could kill us." Lizzie's words are tense. "Don't you understand that? What are we going to do if this takes our reputation with it?"

"It's going to be fine." StacyPlays' words are tense for a moment before she sighs and puts a hand on Lizzie's shoulder.

The stranger in the blue shirt returns with a few others in the same uniform in tow. "We could process you all together if you'd like." You look to everyone before nodding.

"I'm fine, honestly." Ivor pipes up.

"Are you sure you didn't get hit by anything?" You ask him and he nods.

"I think we can fit a few chairs in the ICU, most of you just need to come down from the high." The stranger turns and you follow. You watch Petra struggle to pick up Olivia before someone comes to her side.

"Anyone got a wheelchair or something?" Another stranger in the uniform asks.

"You're not gonna be able to push her." Axel comments.

"Hm." The stranger is quiet for a moment. "Maybe we could put her on a stretcher or something."

"Or I could do this." Axel scoops Olivia up by her side and she squirms a little. "Now you wanna move?"

"I feel dizzy." She admits quietly and almost falls back onto him. Axel lets her go and she barely stops herself from faceplanting. "This sucks. Just... Leave me here." She lets her face fall onto the floor.

"Get me her heart rate." Someone commands and you watch someone put something on one of her fingers. They recoil and stare back at the person who'd commanded them.

"Look at this." They gesture to something on the device and their coworker leans in. "That's not a heartbeat. I don't even know what it is, it's like... I don't know, like a wave."

"It's almost like watching a strobe light..." They murmur in awe. "Get me something to put her on."

"I don't want to." Olivia murmurs, staring at them. "Leave me alone."

"We don't know if that's normal for you!" The superior shouts.

"I really don't care." Olivia hisses, pushing her face into the ground more.

"Just let her rest." You say. "She's not going to die."

The strangers are silent. "Alright. Anyone who needs help should follow us then." The superior backs away.

"I'll stay with her," Ivor offers, "if anything changes I'll yell." You nod at him and follow the strangers past the door. You enter a room with a few beds and some chairs and take a seat. One of the stranger approaches Dan carefully before taking off his restraints.

"Did anyone hurt you?" They ask him as he squirms under their grip. Dan looks at them, something strange in his eyes, before he sighs and shakes his head. "Sit down then, we'll monitor you."

"You seem lucid," Someone starts to talk to you as another staff member rolls up Lizzie's sleeve. You hear something about 'antibiotics' and the person examining Lizzie seems to walk off for a moment. "how much did you have?"

"Half a glass." You admit, tapping your fingers together.

"Does anyone else have an injury?" The staffer at your side pulls away and calls out. You watch some examine the side of StacyPlays' head before shaking their head and saying she lucked out. It reminds you of the medical tent from half a year ago. Or was it longer? You don't even remember the answer to that. The staffer leaves you and starts to examine StampyCat.

You let your eyes close. Exhaustion falls on you like a thick blanket. You'd never considered how tired you could have been. Between fighting to stay sane and alive you haven't had time for much else. Did anyone else give into sleep? You don't think about that until you open your eyes again.

In your dreams you talk to someone like an old friend. They're this messy haze of wings and scrabblings. You call this person Harper, but they don't look like the theories. They tell you secrets of the world that you don't remember when you wake. You catch a thousand elytra twitching alongside phantom and bee wings. Sometimes you catch a fluttering feather.

Your eyes blink open. The sun is in your eyes but it doesn't really ache. It feels a little too bright, but it's barely past dawn, of course it will hurt a little to look at it. You blink sleep back and look to Petra, who seems to have made some sort of makeshift bed of some weird paper blankets. You tap her on the shoulder and she looks at you.

"Oh." She rises, prompting the paper to crinkle. "I was wondering what was taking you so long."

"I haven't been out that long, it's still dawn." You protest.

"You've been asleep an entire day." Petra stares at you. You catch Lukas wrapped up in more of the same material. He doesn't seem to be stirring. Axel looks like he's also fallen asleep in his chair. You wonder about Olivia—

"I've got more hot cocoa." Her voice cuts through your thoughts as she arrives. She seems to be able to finally stand this time and her legs don't even shake. "Ivor's practically camping the—oh. Hi. I guess my sleepiness is contagious."

"What happened while I was out?" You ask her as she hands a cup full of something the same color as chocolate milk to Petra. It seems to let off wafts of steam. You raise an eyebrow.

"Well, the rest of the mansion people have been talking to these weird people in uniforms. It seems the mansion's going to be investigated tomorrow. They've just barely been able to hold them off long enough for us to get back." Olivia looks tense at that last part. "We're going to have to get going soon if we want to get to that portal."

"Do we even know where it is?" You ask.

"Cassie said it was right under her nose. It has to be around that mansion." Petra nods as she takes a sip of the liquid. She recoils and hisses in pain. "Liv!" She snaps.

"I don't control how hot it is!" Olivia complains. "We should probably say our goodbyes soon. And uh, be careful with Dan, he doesn't recognize... Any of us. He thought I came out of a lab or something? Really weird."

"The drug can do that?" You shudder, thinking of Axel.

"Axel's fine." Olivia seems to read your mind even without touching you. "If anything he's jealous of Dan. I can't blame him."

"Are you alright?" You ask her. Olivia tenses a little.

"I don't think it matters. We need to get going." Her grip on the cup tightens and she downs its contents. "Do you want some?"

"Maybe on the way out." You nod at her. Is this really how you're going to part ways? You can't stay too long, right? Maybe you'll see them again. You really slept for a day...? Maybe they could come and visit you, or at least back you up at the mansion.

Should you ask for them to come with you? Something feels weird about going back. But can you really burden them with that?

You steel yourself. The worst they can say is no, right? If it were you, you'd be sending them off through the portal. "I think we should take them along." You say and Olivia tilts her head.

"I mean... I know it's morbid to say but Cassie's dead. She can't hurt us anymore." Olivia's fingers clench and the soft cup in her hand crumples. You watch her fight the urge to let her quills stand on end.

"Maybe it's just closure." You offer. "I just... I don't know. I want some backup." Maybe some part of you is still stuck in the Witherstorm's clutches, looking for someone else to save you. Is it cruel to ask someone to be that person? Is it cruel to want it and not tell them? Or maybe you just want them to send you off properly.

When you get some free time, you have a lot of people to visit. Maybe you just don't want to return to that maze of portals. You catch Axel in your periphery rousing before going to shake Lukas. Lukas murmurs some complaint before curling up even more in his paper sheets.

"Lukassss." Axel whines.

"Five more minutes." Lukas murmurs.

"I don't want to be stuck here!" Axel continues to shake Lukas. Lukas lets out this strange noise, almost like an unearthly wail and someone squeezing a squeaky toy. That seems to be enough to get him to leave his little paper nest. Lukas blinks some sleep away.

"Are we ever going to get home at this point?" Lukas stands up and you catch he's managed to take off his armor while you were sleeping. He puts it back on and he seems to just stare at the walls. "I mean, how many portals are there?"

"We're not going to get stuck, alright?" Petra's words are a bit of a sharp snap. "We're going to get home or I'm going to find whoever built these stupid portals and punch them."

"Guess you're gonna punch them then." Olivia says and Petra growls. "What? No matter what happens you already want to."

Petra seems like she's about to retort before her eyes widen. "Right. We're gonna have to walk all of that way!"

"Unless we can get a ride?" You shrug.

"That sucked." Petra hisses, shaking her head. "But I guess walking all of that way would also suck."

"Yeah, I really doubt we could make that journey in a day." Lukas adds.

"That would make Soren's staircase obsession look merciful." Axel nods solemnly and Lukas snorts before breaking into a really loud fit of laughter. "You good?"

"I just... I don't know. It all kind of feels surreal now." Lukas continues to laugh. "We keep finding ourselves in some crazy shit, huh? A Witherstorm, a city in the sky, and now some murderer in a pumpkin mask? What's next? We have to fight a bunch of pistons?"

"Um," Axel stares at Lukas' face, "did they give you anything for your face?"

"They said it looked pretty good for someone who got burned." Lukas shrugs.

"Of course." Axel rolls his eyes. "Lucky bastard."

"It'll run out eventually. Give it time." Lukas says that as if it's not incredibly ominous. Axel tenses. "What? I'm just being funny."

"That's just sad." Axel frowns.

"Well, knowing my luck, I'll probably be fine. I'd be more worried about keeping me around, maybe I'm stealing your luck or something." Lukas shrugs.

"Maybe you're just good at staying out of danger." Axel's gaze falls on Olivia. You watch her recoil, pinning herself against the wall.

"What was I supposed to do?" Olivia protests with a slight whine. "She cornered me!"

"It wasn't about that!" Axel shouts and you watch Lukas pull away slightly. Axel looks to him for a moment before sighing. "If you weren't... The way you are you would have been dead at that stupid arrow trap. Why did you do that?"

"Because I know my limits—"

"No you don't!" Axel protests, the edges of his eyes growing wet. "How was anyone here supposed to know you were immune to poison? And you almost died! Nobody knew you could just... Survive that!"

Olivia's silent. You feel you should say something but nothing comes to mind. You just look at the ground, feeling like a stupid fresh spawn who doesn't know what to say when you feel too strongly. Axel huffs.

"Why do you have a death wish?" Axel's voice is quiet. "I know what happened was awful—"

"I don't!" Olivia snaps, voice an echoing roar. You didn't expect her to have the ability to do that. Axel doesn't retreat, he just stares like a man exhausted. "I... If I'm the strongest person, or at least the least likely to die, then I should... I should deal with it. Okay? I'm stuck as some half Wither—Command Block—I don't know—abomination? I might as well just... Take the brunt of it. Because I can."

Axel tenses, staring at Olivia. You watch the pistons in his head fire, and he looks at Olivia like she's a mirror. After an agonizing moment he sighs and hangs his head, cursing under his breath. "We're in this together, okay? I... You had me so worried, okay? Don't ever do that to me again!" He looks like he's about to scoop Olivia into a hug but she pulls away.

"I can handle myself, alright?" Olivia snaps. Axel recoils, wrists not fully falling at rest. "I don't need you to protect me! If anything, I should be—"

"Hey, Axel's right. It's not supposed to fall on anyone." Petra interjects. Olivia looks to the ground. "Nobody here wants you to get hurt."

"Well I—" Olivia can't even look at Petra. "What else am I supposed to do? I couldn't even... Kill her. But what else am I supposed to do? I'm not built to... I can't even hug someone without having to... Well. It'd take a lot of effort is what I'm saying." Olivia shakes her head and grits her teeth.

"You could just be here?" Lukas offers.

"Oh wow! All of my problems are solved now, thanks." Olivia' snaps with enough sarcasm to make a sword out of and rolls her eyes. "Let me just forget about the teeth and claws and spines and who knows what else. I'm definitely made to just sit here and look pretty. Uh huh!" Olivia gestures wildly with each word. You'd have to be stupid to stand within range of her claws then.

"You don't have to do anything, okay? That's what I'm trying to say. That's what Axel's trying to say! I think you're forgetting you're just as human as the rest of us." Lukas approaches Olivia, holding out one hand. She recoils, looking away. "None of us are scared of you. If anything, everyone's more scared for you."

"I just didn't want to be a burden." Olivia's words are quiet. "There has to be... Something I can do with it. I just... I don't... I don't want to see it—myself—in the mirror and think of the monster first. Just—I have to. I'm strong enough to handle it, I should handle it! It's... What else am I supposed to do? Just let people get hurt again?"

"Olivia..." Petra's eyes widen. "What happened with Aiden wasn't your fault."

"I could have at least stopped him. I could have held him down or—"

"I could have too. Don't forget that." Petra offers and Olivia sighs.

"Maybe. I don't know."

"Well, do you blame me for it?"

"No?"

"Then stop blaming yourself, okay? It wasn't your fault." Petra pats Olivia on the shoulder. "And don't burn yourself out. I uh, get you're kind of part Nether critter now but you can still... Do that. Lukas is better with the metaphors, I think." Petra stares at Lukas.

"Nah, I don't think I can make that any better." Lukas smirks deviously and Petra baps him on the head. Olivia snorts and Lukas pushes Petra back. Petra rolls her eyes. "Come on, you're a real poet."

"Please bite him. Please." Petra begs Olivia.

"Hey, you told me to be lazy, so no." Olivia leans back in a chair and closes her eyes.

"That's NOT WHAT I MEANT!!!" Petra shrieks, shaking Olivia. Or well, trying to, Olivia barely budges. Olivia does crack a small toothy smile.

"You should learn how to speak, then." Olivia honks Petra's nose. Petra lets out a loud drawn out scowl as she throws back her head.

"Can you guys take anything seriously?" Axel tilts his head.

"Are you seriously the guy saying this right now?" Lukas laughs. Axel glares at him.

"You've got five seconds. Start running."

"What if I wanna jump?"

"They're never gonna find your inventory, Lukas." Axel slugs Lukas gently. "Are you really gonna waste your five seconds like this?"

"You can't hit me, I'm too lucky for it to hurt." Lukas' words are sing-song. Olivia sighs and rolls her eyes. "Is it really a good idea to punch someone in a hospital? Someone would be treating my wounds the moment I got them."

"Maybe I should try and damage your psyche, then." Axel seems to ponder something for a long moment. "I'm inviting Aiden to your spawnday party."

Lukas stares at Axel, eyes narrowing. "Start running."

"Haha, funny. Do I get a—"

"Run." Lukas' words are sharp. Axel books it right out of the room and Lukas watches him for a long moment. He turns to you, teeth still clenched, before breaking into a giggling fit. You watch Axel poke his head in.

"That's low, man." Axel takes a moment to walk back in.

"Hey, I actually scared you! I didn't think I could do that!" Lukas can barely hold back his laughter enough to speak. You step to Olivia.

"Are you... Alright? I mean, it seems like it but—" You start and Olivia sighs.

"I don't know. I... bit her. It made me feel like..." Olivia shakes her head. "The rational part of me knows it's just... I know I'd do that even if I was still normal, but it feels awful." Olivia looks away.

"Well, I don't think you're a monster for it. You were just trying to survive." You sit next to her. "Is that why you were a bit of a jerk?" You look at Axel and laugh.

"What?" Axel practically turns redder than a beet.

"Yeah, you were waxing all poetic about it earlier." Olivia giggles. Axel stares and sputters. "Hey, don't swallow your tongue now."

"Wait, is that what all of that was about?" Lukas looks at Axel and laughs, but it's a sort of warm noise. "Hey, I'd be a jerk to me too back then. Especially if... Yeah. You had to deal with all of that."

"You know you don't have to keep apologizing to me about it." Axel rolls his eyes, slugging Lukas gently.

"Come on, let yourself be a little soft." Lukas nudges Axel and Axel refuses to look at him. "Ugh. I'm surprised you and Petra didn't become friends a lot earlier." Lukas rolls his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Petra narrows her eyes.

"Somehow Olivia, the person with the literal armor skin, is somehow softer than both of you combined." Lukas points at them.

"Don't force 'em, Lukas." You pat Lukas on the back and he stares at you like you're about to whack him over the head. "Anyway, I think we've had enough being sappy for one day."

"...Is Ivor seriously still at that hot cocoa machine?" Petra looks at Olivia.

"In his defense, it dispenses more than just that." Olivia shrugs and stands up. "Hmm... Do you think I could cough up a Wither skull gently enough so it doesn't explode?"

"...Why would I need that?" Petra stares at Olivia.

"Oh, I dunno, maybe for whoever you wanna be romantic with. If you swing that way, of course." Olivia elbows Petra. Petra stares at her like she's grown another head.

"Wouldn't it make more sense for you to offer it as a proposal?" The moment those words leave Petra's lips Olivia seems to turn more purple than a Nether portal's insides.

"So much for doing you a favor, I guess!" Olivia walks out of the room like she's been hit in the legs. You stare at her and then at Petra.

"Did she just try to flirt with me or did she want to be my wingman?" Petra looks at everyone in the room. You just shrug. "Seriously? You don't know?"

"You could try asking her?" You offer.

"I'm pretty sure she'd drop dead of fright." Petra rolls her eyes. "Ugh. I can't believe the only person I know to go for relationship advice is Ivor."

"WELL, HE WOULDN'T BE GOOD AT THAT." You sputter nervously, looking around. "I mean... Remember the last time?"

"...Are you seriously telling me the Witherstorm is a product of divorce?" Petra squints before recoiling and covering her eyes. "Fucking hell, it is."

"Hey, at least Ivor and Soren didn't have to ask who got the Witherstorm in the divorce." You shrug. "If you and Olivia get married and then divorced, who gets all the Wither skulls?" You elbow Petra.

"I will literally kill you right now." Petra hisses.

"My dying wish is that you answer my question." You smirk.

"SHE CAN HAVE ALL THE WITHER SKULLS SHE WANTS IN THE DIVORCE?" Petra sputters. "Why are you ASKING ME THIS?" Petra holds her arms out and clenches her fingers to her palms. She walks off, gesturing wildly, and you hear Olivia ask a question before getting something about 'WHY IS IT ALWAYS WITHERS AND DIVORCES?'

"What is wrong with you?" Axel stares at you. You just shrug. "I'm gonna say a lot of things are wrong with you."

"Hey, you stuck with me. That says more about you than it does me." You shrug again, smirking stupidly.

"I don't even know how to argue with that." Axel shakes his head.

"I don't think anyone does, Axel." Lukas rolls his eyes. You step into the next room and catch Petra huffing as if she's just had some big stupid argument. You snort and she glares at you. You say nothing and keep walking. It's not worth finding out what her joke limit is.

Hey, who would get me in a divorce? Clarity asks. You raise an eyebrow. I suppose it's bold of me to assume you'd ever enter into a relationship so wretched it ends that way.

"Daniel," An unfamiliar voice comes from down the hall, "please tell us what you remember."

"I'm telling you, I don't remember anything! Where's Sparklez? I can understand TorqueDawg not caring enough to be here but—"

"They're dead, Dan." Lizzie's voice is soft. You feel strange letting yourself listen to this. Is it really appropriate to eavesdrop? But you should also know when they're ready to go, right? Maybe you should step ba—

"Hey." StacyPlays' voice rouses you from your crisis. You hear Dan's breath come out shuddery.

"You keep saying that! Stop saying that, they're not! We were supposed to—"

"Dan. Please." Lizzie's voice holds some panic. You expect your voice to share the same quality when you can finally speak to StacyPlays. You expect her to cross her arms. Instead, her eyes just sweep over you, like she's looking for something.

"You should be heading home." You expect a sharp edge to those words, but they just sound matter of fact. You grimace in preparation of denial. Dan continues to shout about mistruths. You hear the stranger interviewing him scoot away.

"I... I wanted to ask if you guys could help us get back there." You rub the back of your neck. StacyPlays looks you over again and your fingers clench into your palms. "I know it's a lot to ask of you. We just... I don't think we can make the journey on foot before they close down the mansion."

StacyPlays looks at you before her hard gaze breaks and she sighs. "Sparklez wouldn't want me to leave you here. Come on." She gestures for you to follow her. You enter the next room and expect Dan's eyes to contain multitudes of madness. Instead, he just looks a bit shivery, like someone unable to fully comprehend a horrible truth.

"Please, don't," He begins when he sees you before looking you over, "who are you?"

"A str—" You look to Lizzie and notice her clenched teeth, "I'm nobody important."

"Could I talk to the rest of you alone?" You notice the stranger then, someone in a blue shirt and a strange, almost metallic vest, looking over the group.

"Just, give me a minute." StampyCat protests.

"Mister Jos—"

"I need to talk to him." StampyCat looks at Dan for a moment. "It's real important, okay."

"Give him a break, officer. Okay?" StacyPlays speaks up. You watch the stranger look at her strangely before sighing and leaving the room. StacyPlays and Lizzie follow behind them.

"Dan, I know a lot of things are confusing right now," StampyCat inches closer to Dan, "but I need to come clean about something."

"Please don't tell me it involves the murders." Dan's voice is tense. StampyCat gasps and recoils.

"What? No!" StampyCat's jaw hangs open for a few moments. He takes a moment to pull out the green flint and steel. "It was just meant to be a prank, a harmless prank, and I am so sorry, so very very sorry." He hands the flint and steel back to Dan.

"I never would have suspected you." Dan seems more confused than anything. "Stampy, please tell me all of this is just some elaborate prank! It's not funny anymore."

"Dan, I wouldn't—I wouldn't lie to you about that." StampyCat protests right as Ivor heads through the door, seemingly scowling. He stands in the corner, listening in, and you debate telling him to back off. "Why would I ever joke about this?"

"Well, you—you... You stole the flint and steel. How am I supposed to know anything, anymore? I don't remember what you do, apparently! I just... I woke up here a day ago!" Dan fires back.

"Dan, please, I know it's a lot but—"

"Just, I can't look at you right now, Joseph." Dan shakes his head and leaves the room. You glare at Ivor, noticing now how invested he seems.

"Very dramatic." Ivor comments and StampyCat nearly leaps out of his hoodie. "You don't look like a Joseph."

"Just—augh!" StampyCat snaps before running out of the room as well. You glare at Ivor.

"What?" Ivor looks at you. "They have a very interesting machine out there. Apparently they don't like when you try to open them! And there are some very rude people out there, they practically shoved me in here!"

You watch the rest of your group funnel out. You hold up your hands and they stop right in front of you. A few of them exchange confused glances. You can only really offer a shrug in return.

"You guys can come out now." StacyPlays pokes her head through the door. "Just... Don't say you saw anything. They'll keep you here too long." She tries her best to whisper that. You follow her advice and step outside the door. You're back where you started, the first room with lights too bright. They seem to have returned to their original brightness but they're not so awful this time.

You catch their peering eyes on you. Lizzie and StampyCat look you over with some sorrow in their eyes while Dan can't stand the idea of looking at you. You sigh gently.

"I'm not great at goodbyes," Lizzie admits as she looks to you, "so I'm just going to ask you to stay safe out there."

"We'll try." You nod.

"Pst, Ivor, does the hot cocoa machine still work?" Lukas asks Ivor. Ivor tilts his head. "Jesse hasn't had any?"

"Could I—" Ivor begins and you watch one of the people in the uniform vests glare at him. "Rude!" You catch a strange object on one of the stranger's belts, something short and square with some sort of handle that juts out of its bottom.

"Hey, I know you're not from here but staring at that guy's gun is a bad idea." StacyPlays whispers tensely in your ear. You don't know what a 'gun' is but you avert your eyes from it regardless.

"What does it even do?" You whisper back.

"You have crossbows, right?" She asks and you nod. "Think that but much more powerful. Just act like you didn't see it." You nod tensely at her.

"I'm not good at goodbyes either but I think I can agree with that. Um, if you get some time, you're always welcome to visit. I'll bring the cake!" StampyCat forces a shaky smile.

"I wouldn't mind some cake right now." You admit and your entire group agrees. StacyPlays sighs and StampyCat whispers something in her ear. She seems to protest for a moment before sighing dramatically and throwing her head back.

"There's a restaurant on the way back home..." StacyPlays sighs. "The rest of you guys are allowed to come too, you know!"

"They need to get going." StampyCat's words are a little tense, but oddly polite.

"Just eat quickly." StacyPlays says firmly before counting your group. "Stampy! I can't fit all of them in my—"

"Well, I guess I can fit the rest of them in my car, but it's really small and—" StampyCat stammers.

"You're coming with me. Don't try and weasel out of it." StacyPlays huffs.

That's how you end up in the back of an orange 'car' that looks more like a small squished bee with a stupid grin. For someone who's incredibly jumpy, StampyCat somehow seems calm driving. Lukas gets the seat up front, which you assume is 'shotgun' and wait, how did that get that name? Shotgun sounds like a weapon! Regardless, you're stuck next to Ivor.

He doesn't seem in the mood for conversation. You can't blame him, you're not really in the mood for it either. You just kind of stare at each other for a few minutes before turning your focus to the windows.

"I was gonna ask you this back in the hospital," You find yourself speaking regardless, "but is there any way I could learn how to... Maybe do what Cassie was doing?"

"What—?" Ivor suddenly looks over at you.

"I mean, I got a bunch of Experience from the Witherstorm. I've been able to enchant a few weapons. Is it possible for someone to sort of... Jump using an enchantment?" You offer. "Kinda like an ender pearl?" You shrug.

"Jesse, you know if you mess that up it could kill you." Ivor's words are tense.

"Then you can teach me when we're not in a car." You shrug again. Ivor sighs and scribbles something on a piece of paper. You squint, realizing it's an enchantment that when 'thrown' would put someone right where it lands.

"If you mess that up you could end up suffocating in the floor." Ivor tenses a little before shaking his head. You return to silence, running over a few possible incantations. You know the enchanting tongue well enough. Couldn't you manage?

That car ride is how you end up somehow devouring something called a 'salad' at record breaking speed. It's this weird thing, made of leaves and a sauce and some little red slices. You hear StacyPlays occasionally comment on how you need to slow down, but she did tell you to hurry.

You kind of reflect on that on the trip away from it. It's a nice little restaurant sure, and you wouldn't mind having another salad again, but you really should be going home. Maybe the next portal in the hallway you head into will be the way home. You hope so, at least.

Eventually, you arrive back at the swamp. You're right before the mansion and then you're driven around to its back. You step out of the car and look around, catching the familiar glint of gold. The portal. It's right behind the mansion.

"Are you guys good to go on alone?" StacyPlays asks as the rest of your group funnels out. You nod. The hard part is over. "Oh, before I forget," She hands your diamond pickaxe and gives Ivor the rest of his potions, "don't make me regret giving you that back." Now you can go home. You watch her drive off once everyone is gone.

"What a strange, strange bunch of individuals." Ivor comments as StacyPlays disappears across the horizon.

"Strange worlds produce strange people." You offer with a shrug.

"It seems like a nice place, though. I wonder why Cassie went mad here?" Axel asks and you're not sure how to answer.

"I agree but... It's not home, you know? We have people we need to get back to." Lukas offers.

"There's so much fascinating technology here. I wish I had more time to study it." Olivia admits.

"Yeah, it would be nice to understand it all." You agree.

"Although, the fact that Cassie was trapped her does make me wonder if she was an Old Builder..." Ivor considers aloud as your feet brush against sand. You don't remember this being here last night. Maybe you missed it in your addled state.

"Or she crossed them somehow." Olivia offers. "Did the legends ever mention if they were moral?"

"Hm, no, surprisingly not. Legends like that would have at least mentioned something." Ivor admits.

"Harper was mentioned in Cassie's lair, and as far as we know, she was an Old Builder." Lukas adds.

"What? Why didn't you mention this?!" Ivor shouts.

"Because we had to expose a serial killer?" Lukas stares at Ivor in disbelief.

"I suppose that is true..." Ivor backs down a little.

"Of course our only living lead to the Old Builders was some kind of pumpkin wearing serial killer. Typical!" Petra comments dramatically, throwing her hands up. You approach the portal.

"Well here we are. Would you care to do the honors Jesse?" Ivor says as you approach it. You pull out the flint and steel and strike it. The portal doesn't activate.

"I don't think that's supposed to do that." Axel comments and you try again. You watch Olivia look over the portal.

"Guys? It doesn't have the runes!" Panic crosses her voice.

"What?!" You shout and notice the gold blocks are unblemished. You step back a little, hearing the pittering of little feet from behind the portal. Claws scrape at the gold.

"I thought the runes were just for—" Axel begins and he stops when he looks up at the portal. You follow his gaze, catching a familiar feline form.

"Winslow?" You begin as the cat meows. The ground collapses beneath you. You lose your grip on the flint and steel, allowing it to fly out of your hands. A strange yelp escapes you, something that doesn't sound quite human.

Winslow licks his paws as you plunge into the darkness. It's like you don't matter at all. You expect pain and for the darkness to last, or to perhaps find out if there's an afterlife.

You get pain. But the darkness lifts soon enough. Your hands press against the ground and you slowly rise. When you look up, you realize how much of a drop you've survived. How you even survived it is beyond you.

"How are we alive?" You heave, expecting more pain to hit your form. It doesn't come. This doesn't feel like standard adrenaline. The chamber is wide, barring the small platform you're stuck on, with crisscrossing upper platforms and obsidian making up ever wall. You note iron doors at either end of the platform.

"Endermites like live prey." Cassie's voice echoes in the chamber. When you look to her, she resembles the killer wholeheartedly, same suit, besides the pumpkin for a head. You realize how thin the strip of dirt you're on is and force your eyes to face the pit below. There's thousands of the small, skittering things. One endermite isn't a threat, but that many could strip the skin off your bones in mere seconds.

Olivia tenses and rises, looking up at Cassie. "I think you might have miscalculated something."

"Miscalculated?" Cassie laughs, letting her legs hang over the ledge above you. "Hold on, hold on," She takes a moment to let her fit of laughter die, "you're kidding. I've miscalculated? I'm not the one sitting in a pit of endermites."

"And I'm not the one who's getting on my bad side." Olivia's eyes narrow. "You're out of Experience."

"Oh, you wish," Cassie taunts, "it really is a shame you're palling around with these doomed bastards."

Olivia laughs. "Way to oversimplify it."

"Hm..." Cassie looks down at you. "You give me the flint and steel and you won't have to find out how sharp endermite teeth are. And let me tell you, they're awfully sharp. How do you think I learned to mend my wounds?"

"And we're supposed to just trust that?" Olivia scoffs, crossing her arms.

"Or I could just fish it out of your inventory. Really, the fact I've let you monologue for so long is a courtesy." Cassie lazily swings her legs over the ledge. "I can't tell if I admire your audacity or not. Maybe you're just stupid."

You remember then where the flint and steel is. "I kind of... Dropped the flint and steel..." You avert your gaze as you whisper.

"What? How did you manage that?" Axel shouts. "Come on, we're dealing with someone who's lost it, here! Just find it, give it to her, wait for her to go and we can go through the portal!" Axel is practically shaking you now.

"I don't take her as someone to keep her promises." Petra whispers sharply and Axel lets you go.

"What's it gonna be? The flint & steel, or your lives? Just give me the flint and steel, and I'll let you go free." Cassie stands up now, body tenser than a piston ready to fire. You watch Olivia's eyes trace the upper levels of the chamber.

"Don't tell me you're gonna jump..." You stare at her. She tenses more. "You're gonna jump, aren't you?"

"If I fail, at least I can deal with the endermites." Olivia offers.

"Hey, I'm sure we can make a deal, huh? How about we share?" You give one last poke at diplomacy. Cassie scowls.

"Share? Share? What, you wanna walk through some portal happily holding hands and stab me in the back later?" Cassie snaps. "No, I think I'll let the endermites deal with you and fish it out of your inventory later." She slides a white pumpkin over her head. "It'll be the best fishing trip ever."

Olivia stays tense. You hear a few gasps among you. You think of the enchantment, of the incantation. Of a few guide books and Ivor's occasional ramblings telling you that what matters is 'intent' not the exact phrasing.

"Winslow, my pet! Activate the trap!" Cassie commands and you notice Winslow by a lever on the higher platform. He continues to lick his paws, prompting Cassie to slap her hand against her face. "Want something done right you hafta… Prepare for your death!"

The dirt bridge underneath you starts to collapse. You look to Petra and chuck your pickaxe at her. "Get moving!" You bark, taking notice of the iron doors on each end of the bridge. Olivia leaps off the bridge and presses against one part of the obsidian wall. You suppose one block is enough to fit her.

Every part of you tenses. You think of how you could rush ahead with the rest of them. How you could have held the pickaxe and mined the door at breakneck speed. You hear Axel debate using a block of TNT on the door before Petra yells how stupid that is. She'd be yelling at you if she knew what you were planning.

You hold out one hand, thinking hard about this. You survived the Formidi-bomb. You survived the Witherstorm. Will a simple enchantment really kill you? Ivor shouts your name. You shut your eyes for a moment, focusing, and whisper in a tongue not quite familiar.

To say you lurched forward would be a lie. That's not exactly what happens to you. You expect to blink and be somewhere new, but instead it feels like someone threw you, but not quite. It's like you passed through the in between space of reality. And then, your feet are on the ground, and you hear someone sputtering, like they didn't expect you to be able to do that. To be fair, neither did you.

"Shoddy work." Cassie comments in that raspy tone. Your mind flutters back to the closet and you feel your hands tighten on Clarity once it's free from your inventory. You expect Cassie to lunge, but instead she seems to vanish. You don't catch the reason why.

"What are you—" You sputter, swirling around. Cassie is suddenly barreling down from the sky.

"Give me the key, Jesse!" She roars and she just barely misses you. You slash at her face, driving her off the ledge, and you watch her throw something and vanish before she can fully plummet. Wait, you recognize that! How many ender pearls does she have?! Maybe if your Experience pool can outlast her...

Right. That blunder took a small chunk out of it. You can feel the absence of your Experience. It's like feeling lighter, but not quite. Not even enchanting weapons took this much. You peer for Cassie and when you can't find her, you risk a glance down.

"Is everyone alright?" You notice the doors are gone. Olivia seems to be missing. Wait... Olivia? Where did she go?! She was on a ledge! Did she just follow or—

"There are some tunnels in here!" Petra pokes her head out.

"Just, get to safety first. I can handle myself. Is Olivia also in there?"

"No." Axel pokes his head out tensely. "You know, Olivia's kinda scary when she's mad now. I'd be more scared for Cassie at this point, I think."

"So she jumped?" You gasp.

"Yeah! Right over the endermites! It was awesome!" Axel beams and Petra slugs him gently.

"C'mon, we've got some tunnels to go through. Stay safe! Both of you!" Petra shouts.

"And don't do that again! You could have—" Ivor also adds before Petra pushes him back.

"He's fine." Petra hisses.

"He could have died!" Ivor protests as he's taken into the darkness. You look behind you, expect Cassie right at your side, but find nobody. Was she trying to drive you out?

"Do you have a death wish?" Cassie hisses as she appears right on one of the ledges above you. You watch Olivia drop down and glare at her. Cassie lunges and Olivia pulls out of her way before tackling her. Olivia watches Cassie squirm before she frees one hand and tossing another pearl.

"You'll run out eventually!" Olivia snaps. You realize you didn't catch where the pearl was going to land. Cassie leaps at you, swinging her axe like mad, and you slam Clarity into it in turn. "That's low, even for you!" Olivia snaps, tackling Cassie and nearly throwing both of them off the ledge.

"You really think I don't know your weakness?" Cassie offers up one hand. Olivia grabs Cassie by the wrists, claws digging in deep enough to draw blood.

"Withers explode when they die." Olivia pins down Cassie's other wrist. "Do you want to take that gamble?" Even through the mask you can tell Cassie is gritting her teeth. She loosens one of her wrists just enough to slam her axe into Olivia's side, breaching her armor. Olivia wails inhumanly before slashing at Cassie's mask with her claws. It's deep enough to draw blood, a lot of blood.

Cassie hisses and you catch a few flickering enchantment letters in the air. You watch the bleeding slow and rush to Olivia's side. Not again. Please, not again! You could, you can fix this, right? You know how to heal, right?

"Maybe she's right." Cassie grabs you and throws you back before you can even start. "If she survives, she'll just be boring again." You feel every part of you grow hot. You slam Clarity into Cassie's side in turn, nearly throwing her back. She throws another ender pearl and you don't pursue, instead rushing to Olivia's side. You do your best not to rush the incantation.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." You murmur, doing your best to concentrate. You put your hands to her wounds, feeling her cold blood on your hands. Where Cassie had hit... Dammit, do you know how to mend organs?

"Jesse?" Ivor pops his head over the edge before noticing you over Olivia. He hisses under his breath before waving you away and pouring a harming potion on Olivia's wound. She doesn't stir. You look at Ivor.

"Do you have any healing potions?" You ask.

"Yes, why—Jesse no!" Ivor shouts as you peel off enough armor from your arm. Clarity protests as you cut into your arm enough to release a torrent of blood. Olivia suddenly heaves in like mad, roaring to life, and you feel exhaustion start to take you. Ivor shoves a healing potion down your throat.

"That was stupid..." You can't tell if Olivia's talking about herself or you. "I can heal! It would have activated my—"

"Get going. Both of you." You watch your arm mend and you pull your armor over it. "Do you have any arrows still?"

"Just the poison ones." Olivia admits. "I thought I could handle it."

"I think her weapon is highly enchanted." Ivor's words are tense. "Don't get hit. I don't know how much more I can do to heal you!"

"To be fair, I don't really use my claws to fight. Although, I think I messed up her face a little." Olivia sits up and shakes her head. "Stay safe." She slides down the ledge and into the darkness. Ivor follows her.

"You must have really messed Cassie up..." You murmur. Cassie hasn't taken the opportunity to hurt you yet.

"You're not a fast learner, are you?" Cassie's voice rouses you from that thought. Speak of the Witherstorm... Cassie lunges at you, swiping her axe right at your throat. You barely manage to roll out of the way. You know that wound would kill you. Could you really mend a slit throat? You aren't like Olivia!

Come on, come on. You need to be fast. You need to find the flint and steel and then everyone can drive Cassie back. Skies above, you might need to kill her. What are you going to do?!

"I grow tired of this game, Jesse." Cassie hisses as she tries to tackle you to the ground. You try to slash at her but you just barely miss. In your periphery you cach a familiar blue glow on one of the ledges. You suppose that's better than it ending up in the endermites' clutches. Cassie veers back. "The key! You didn't have it either?! Well now… It's mine!" She launches an ender pearl near it.

"No. We are going home!" You shout, taking all of your concentration to follow her with your own enchantment. You practically fall on top of her, tackling her before she can run to the flint and steel. Cassie squirms under your grip.

"No! You can't do this! I've waited too long!" Cassie hisses as you hold down her arms. You can't risk her getting any of them free! Not now, not ever! You'll—

Winslow approaches the flint and steel. Oh no. He nudges it with one paw and you watch his irises dilate in excitement. You'd laugh if you weren't holding down a murderer.

"No! No no Winslow. Don't touch that. No, no, no! No Winslow! Bad kitty! Stop it! Winslow! Good boy! Sweet kitty! Bring that to Master! Please bring it to Master! Don't do that!" Cassie protests under you and it's almost funny. You don't let your amusement distract you, keeping a firm grip on her.

"Hey, pspspspspsps... Here, Winslow." You try. Winslow looks you right in the eye and you swear he smiles like a human would. He swats the flint and steel right off the edge. It lands on one of the lower ledges. Cassie frees one arm and launches an ender pearl before you can stop her.

Cassie scoops up the flint and steel, beaming so hard you can see it through her mask. "Ahhh there you are! After all this time, I'm free. Winslow! Where are you? We have to go!" Winslow jumps down, trying to swat at the flint and steel again. Cassie seems smart enough to inventory it this time. "I swear if you do that again..." Cassie murmurs as she considers one ender pearl. She shrugs and tosses it right up.

Cassie pops back into reality right onto a platform that appears to lead outside. There's a chamber beyond it, one that she opens with a flick of a lever. Your eyes follow her trail. Every part of your mind locks onto the space right behind her. "I think you should give that back, Cassie." You growl as you teleport right behind her. It feels like you've used up half of your damn Experience.

Cassie laughs. You lunge at her and she flicks the flint and steel. You just barely dodge the flames, veering back long enough for her to light something right in front of you. You catch the red blocks—netherrack?!

"Well, it seems it's your turn to be stuck." Cassie laughs. "Well Winslow, that's the last of the obstacles. We're finally going home!" She turns away from you. You turn to the sky, catching Lukas and Petra perched above. Lukas holds out a water bucket and you nod at him.

Cassie seems to be trying to get Winslow to move, murmuring something to him as he lazily lays down in front of a golden portal. You suppose that must be the real one. What kind of person doesn't just pick up their cat?

"Hey, Cassie," You stare at her, thinking of the easiest way to get her to turn your way, "I want a rematch."

"Are you serious?" Cassie hisses, stepping out. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I'm bored with it."

Petra leaps down, slashing as Cassie's mask. The flint and steel tumbles out of her hands and Lukas takes that opportunity to set down the water. Cassie slashes at Petra but something tackles her to the ground. Seems Olivia's back in the game.

"What?!" Cassie snaps, trying to slash at Olivia. You rush forward and grab the flint and steel before it can tumble over the edge. Cassie pulls her axe right back out and barely manages to slash it before—

"Finder's keepers!" Axel shouts as he scoops it out of Cassie's hands. She rushes after him and you lunge forward, scraping the flint and steel together. The shock of the flames licking her mask throws her over the edge and you hear her cough and sputter.

"I hope you understand I'm almost out of healing potions!" Ivor shouts as he climbs over the ledge. Lukas drops down from his position and you look over the ledge. "Oh. You seem to be all in one piece. That's good." Ivor comments.

Cassie heaves and wheezes, pulling off her flaming mask. You see the wound Olivia inflicted, barely healed. It seems to have almost torn her glasses in half and you can even see where she hastily mended them with her enchantments. She looks up at you, the fire in her eyes finally dying. Winslow comes to your side and sits down, looking down at Cassie for a few moments.

"Well Jesse. I bet you're reeeeal proud of yourself! Look at me! Stuck again! Out of ender pearls!" Cassie shouts.

"You act like I wanted any of this." You shake your head. "I just want to go home."

"And I don't?!" Cassie snaps.

"I didn't kill people for it!" You fire back. "There are people who are inventory now. What about them? Sparklez, TorqueDawg, they won't get to go home because of what you've done." Part of you feels the urge to blame yourself in turn.

"You..." Cassie hisses. "You're right. Of course you're right." Her words are bitter.

"Do we just leave her here and let those... Uh, police deal with her?" Lukas asks. "I mean, they might not even look down here."

"A sand pit that randomly opens up is pretty suspicious. Besides, she dug her own hole. She's not our problem." Petra comments. Axel hands the axe to Ivor.

"Ah, smite. That explains a lot." Ivor turns the axe in his hands. "I suppose that enchantment counts you now." He looks to Olivia.

"Ugh." Olivia groans. "I just hope whoever has to deal with her doesn't get hurt." Olivia shakes her head. You think about it for a moment. Is it really safe to... Leave her here? She's not your problem anymore, you suppose. It's cruel to leave someone far from home but... She did this to herself, right?

Are you actually going to... Are you serious? Maybe it's just to spare the others finding her, maybe it's naivety, maybe you're way too sympathetic. You don't know. Perhaps you'll just take her home and deal with her. Maybe you're too used to taking on people's problems.

"Does anyone have any rope?" You ask. Petra stares at you, wide eyed.

"What are you planning right now?" Her voice has that 'please don't be stupid right now' tone.

"Well, I'm not taking her up without something to stop her from... Trying to kill me." You rub the back of your neck. Everyone stares at you. "We'll just find her home and take her there and... Whoever's in charge will give her whatever consequences fit her." Cassie stares at you, like she's frightened by the very idea.

"I'm not going with you people!" She snaps.

"See? Even she agrees!" Petra fires back.

"Well, do you want to stay down there? Some people... You find them in a hole and they ask for a shovel..." You shake your head. Cassie stares up at you. "Isn't that what you wanted? To go home? That's what you killed people for!"

"Hmf," Olivia looks down and shakes her head, "I guess I could do it."

"HEY. NO." Cassie shouts.

"Consider it payback." Olivia starts to leap down the platforms. Petra glares at her. "What? I'm not taking my chances leaving her here. Knowing people like her, she'll be coming right after us in a few years."

"So you want her to take her revenge now?!" Petra shouts as Olivia continues to make her way down the platforms.

"Hey, it's what, six against one? Besides, I'll find something to keep her from kicking us." Olivia looks up at the two of you before returning to her descent. You can't believe Olivia of all people is agreeing. Is it pity, mercy, or maybe just a way to torment her tormentor? You don't want to answer that yet, honestly.

"I guess I can check my inventory for some cobwebs?" Lukas shrugs and seems to look through his inventory. You hear shouting from below you and the sounds of a struggle.

"Here," Axel hands Lukas some rope, "you hold her arms and I'll—"

Olivia arrives then, holding out Cassie with one hand as she seems to kick and scream. Cassie stares at you point blank before throwing her head back and shrieking like a banshee. You look to Petra and she just scowls.

"Listen, it's just awful to leave someone in a hole... Especially far from home." You grimace as you say that, trying to ignore the shrieking. Your bad ear seems to decide it's had enough and you're nearly brought to the ground by its ringing.

"She's got a hell of a set of lungs on her." Axel comments and you wonder if Cassie has even breathed. Right as you do, she stops for a moment, inhaling loudly, before returning to wailing. "Um. Does this count as kidnapping?" Axel looks between all of you.

"PUT ME DOWN I HATE YOU PUT ME—" Cassie snaps, squirming in Olivia's grip. Olivia just rolls her eyes before stepping to the edge. "HEY HEY HEY HEY STOP THAT STOP—" Olivia sighs and pulls back.

"You should be glad I only like my revenge petty." Olivia looks at Winslow then. "I'm stealing your cat." Cassie sputters some incoherent protest and Olivia sighs before placing her on the floor. Lukas pins down Cassie's arms and she nearly kicks him in the face. Olivia scowls before pinning down Cassie's legs.

"Seriously. This feels like spawnnapping." Axel comments as he ties up Cassie. "Are you sure this is the right thing?"

"Well, I don't see any other way to get her home." You shrug before sighing and approaching Cassie. "How about this? You cooperate and we don't have to keep you more tied up than... Uh. A string? Whatever. We find your home and take you there and—"

"Go to hell!" Cassie shouts and pulls herself up a little. Olivia just barely keeps her from kicking the shit out of the air.

"Why did you decide to do this?" Petra shoves her head into her palm, shaking her head as she does. "I get you're softer than a damn wool block but—"

"Hey. Would you feel good leaving her behind?" You ask. Petra scoffs.

"It's a lot less fucked up than bringing a murderer with us!" Petra shouts as Cassie seems to try and bite anything that comes close. Winslow just stares at her like he too is tired of this. You sigh, scoop him up and put him on Cassie's lap.

"See? We can be diplomatic." You offer, holding your hands up and splaying your fingers. Cassie just glares at you. "Well. That's definitely an improvement from screaming..." You mutter. Winslow hops off Cassie's lap and trots ahead.

"I suppose we won't be bored with her around." Ivor murmurs before glaring at you. "But I do not look forward to sharing this adventure with her!"

"Ugh, just tell us what portal—" You turn to Cassie.

"Why? So you can throw me in the one next to it?" Cassie hisses before forcing her gaze away from you. "You're not getting anything out of me!"

"I... What?" You stare at Cassie. "You know what, I've really had enough of this for one day..." You shake your head and Olivia scoops up Cassie. You step ahead and pick up Winslow, expecting him to mirror his owner. Instead he lets you turn him around and lets his front paws go limp.

"Just light the damn portal so we can get out of here." Ivor hisses, shaking his head at Cassie. "As if being lost wasn't awful enough..."

"Well, if she would just tell us where she's from, we could take her home and just... I don't know, check that off our list." You keep gesturing at Cassie as you speak. She just rolls her eyes at you. "Seriously?! It's like getting blood from a stone block with you!"

You step ahead to the portal and inspect it. You hum as you examine each individual rune. It seems correct. Olivia looks at Cassie. "Is this one also boobytrapped?" Olivia's question isn't answered for a few agonizing moments, at least until Cassie tiredly shakes her head. "How's it look up there?"

"Seems normal." You answer with a nod. "Only one way to find out, though." You light the flint and steel, watching the portal roar to life. You turn to your group.

"Who's going first?" Lukas asks.

"I say we send our little—" Petra begins, expecting Cassie to squirm, but you just find her glaring at Petra. "Of course you'd make it boring…"

"Dare you to go first." Axel elbows Petra.

"C'mon guys, we're a team! We all go together." You offer. Cassie rolls her eyes. "Well, everyone ready?"

"Sure." Olivia holds up Cassie.

"Hey, I've been ready since that stupid swamp. Let's get going!" Axel steps forward.

"I can't help but agree there." Lukas nods.

"You guys are seriously dragging this out, I swear—" Petra begins.

"Adventure!" Ivor adds.

"Case and point." Petra crosses her arms.

"Just my luck I get trapped with a bunch of dorks." Cassie hisses. Petra glares at her.

"Hey, tormenting Cassie's my job." Olivia narrows her eyes at Petra. That's enough to make Petra back off.

"Alright, how about on the count of three? One..." You brace yourself. "Two... Three!" You rush into the portal with everyone following behind. All you can do is hope that home is somewhere on the other side.

Oh, and that you don't end up getting murdered. That would be nice. It's not like Cassie could hurt you without a weapon, right?

Chapter Text

Time slips through your hands like sand.

How can you tell how long you've been journeying? Every world has a different gimmick, a different time period. You go through a portal, sun's up. Go through another. Sun's down! And that's not counting the times you sleep in the portal hall.

Sometimes... You swear you're being watched. And not just by Cassie and her weird little cat. Something else has to be watching you. Maybe you weren't hallucinating that time with the red eyes. Once, you opened your eyes, and you swear someone was standing right over you. You blinked and then they were gone.

Speaking of Cassie... She doesn't seem to speak. Originally, she would glare at you, sometimes murmur a thousand cursing things at you, but eventually her gaze would lose its fire. The most energetic you'd seen her is when she managed to yell at one of those 'police' that she was being kidnapped and well, that ended up being your first real encounter with them. Those guys could chase you to the ends of the Overworld.

The second time they chased you is when you'd run out of rations. If you hadn't brought Cassie along, you would probably have had those last longer, but hindsight is twenty-twenty as they say. Turns out they don't care if you steal food out of desperation. You never thought you would have to.

A whole portal later and it's easy to forget that in the haze of discovery. It turns out in some worlds, people can be part mob? Olivia seems to be a hit with the half-endermen folk, which is... Terribly awkward. At least she's not scared of these people, you'd think she would be, considering their other half. But you suppose what makes endermen scary is the fact they're not people.

That brings you to now, a world full of people like you and also, weirdly enough, animal people. They're strange, but seemingly harmless. You don't really have much 'awe at the new strange things you see' left in your tank. Regardless, they're nice enough, and seem to understand what happened with Cassie.

Which, of course, is how you end up in a weird little crowded hotel room, trying your best to sleep. Instead, you find your eyes pressing against the ceiling. You wonder if Cassie will wriggle free and try to kill you in your sleep. The way you counteracted that in the past... Weeks? Well, you counteracted that by sleeping in shifts. But how much more of that can you all do? If only sleeping in your armor wouldn't mess you up, then you could be prepared.

"Do you think we should have killed her?" Petra whispers next to you a little too loud. Your head snaps away from the pillow and you look at her like she's gone mad. "I mean, I don't think she's going to just... Calm down."

"She seems calm enough to me." You say tiredly. "Besides, once we find her home—"

"And how do you suppose we do that? She won't tell us anything." Petra's whisper rises a little. You hear something squirm in the room and you force your eyes to swallow the moon.

"Well... I just... I can kind of get why she went mad now." You shake your head. "Not in the murder way, of course, but I honestly feel like I'm going to tear my skin off some days."

"Okay, how can you say that and not get it?! She's mad! She's not going to just... I don't know, become a good, rational person just because you're nice." Petra hisses a little, shaking her head. "And don't bring up Ivor. He's different. He didn't..." You pull yourself off the bed a little, eyes widening. Petra crosses her arms.

"Did I hear that right?"

"Ugh, Ivor's not some serial killer. The bar's in hell, okay? And Cassie is playing limbo." Petra gestures one hand flatly. You hear something shuffling in the room and Petra tenses. "Hey! HEY HEY HEY!" She lunges and you catch a glimpse of Cassie. She seems to have found a way out of the rope.

"Forgive me for wanting a little breathing room!" Cassie snaps.

"Hey, if you didn't have it, we wouldn't be having this conversation!" Petra grabs Cassie's wrist tightly. Cassie just stares at her.

"And what do I get from killing you right now?" Cassie asks, gaze sharper than a thousand knives.

"Oh, wow, I totally trust that." Petra rolls her eyes. Cassie looks at you.