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acraftedmistake · 4 years ago

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A Person Who Has Never Played MCSM Writes A Story About MCSM Chp. 13

CHP 13 YEEEE New month new CHAPTER, thanks to everyone who has been very patient with me! <3

If you wanna read it in the Archive of our Own format, click Here!

Enjoy!

‘This is a nightmare.’ Aiden kept telling himself as he pushed past the people in the streets.

This is only a nightmare. He wasn’t rushing back home, he never spoke with Jesse, he’s not holding Olivia’s hat, Olivia’s not even here, she’s gone and he’s in bed. He’s going to wake up in a cold sweat, with the Sun in his eyes, gasping as he forgets whatever it was he was dreaming about. Just like every other nightmare he’s had.

Aiden glanced at the green aviator hat in his hand, holding onto it as if his life depended on it. He could feel bruises forming where Jesse had struck him; they’ll heal.

Aiden looked up, saw the spruce roof of his house, and sped up. He kept his eyes on the roof, not paying attention to anybody who happened to be in his way. He didn’t even pay attention to his friend, Cassie Rose, calling his name through the crowd and running towards him.

“Aiden--AIDEN.” Rose screeched to a halt and stuck her hands out in front of her, afraid she and Aiden were going to crash into each other. She ran all around town trying to hunt him down, and now that she’s finally found him, he was too consumed by his own worries to notice her.

Aiden finally tore his eyes away from the house and faced Rose, slowing down but refusing to stop.

“I messed up. I messed up.” He said shakily, rushing past the redhead. Rose followed him, practically having to jog to remain by his side. Usually she’d crack a joke about how this wasn’t fair, her legs were shorter, he should carry her, but with the way Aiden was behaving, his quickened breath and darting eyes, she knew now wasn’t the time.

“What did you do?” Rose asked. Aiden’s eyes locked with hers for a mere second, but that’s all the time she needed to see the fear.

“You’re gonna hate me.” Cassie Rose heard him say in a horrified whisper. He didn’t answer the question. Maybe he didn’t have to. She was feeling more nervous with each passing second, and she didn’t even know what he did yet.

Aiden could make out Gill and Stella’s heads poking out of the front door and felt his throat tighten. His body tensed when thinking of his friends’ potential reactions to his news. They need to know. He needs to tell them. They’ll hate him but they need to know.

The instant Aiden stepped foot into the house, Stella erupted with frantic questions. “Aiden, what happened?! What was all of THAT about? Oh, and you’re face--!”

Gill started going off, “One second you were goin’ to your room, th’next you were rushin’ outta this house without sayin’ a word.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It--” Aiden started pacing. He couldn’t stay still. He didn’t want to see his friends’ faces. He wanted to calm down. He wanted to think straight. He was still praying that he’d wake up.

Suddenly he heard footsteps racing down the staircase.

“Is everything alright?” A familiar voice asked, “We heard crashing.”

Aiden shot his head up and saw Jess and Olivia getting closer to him, Jess’ worried eyes locked onto him.

Aiden stepped back and pointed at them, “DON’T--”

His sudden shouting towards the two caught everyone off guard.

“Don’t come near me. Don’t look at me. Don’t--Don’t--!” He turned away and shoved his face into his hands. Out of all the times they had to be awake, out of all the times they decided to appear, why now? Why? He can’t look at them. He can’t. He hated glancing at them. Even if it was for a second, he hated it. He hated the memories that would flash by and fill his mind, he hated the hopeful feeling he’d get in that one second, foolishly believing they were actually okay, he hated these reminders of his past friends.

Aiden swallowed and stared at the floor, “Jesse--our Jesse--broke in.”

All talking had stopped.

“He knows Olivia’s here.”

Stella gasped, Gill’s eyes widened, Jess’ mouth hung open. No one said anything. Jess felt Olivia’s hand grab his and squeezed it.

“How did you--” Maya started but was cut off by Cassie.

“You told him?!” Cassie stepped closer to Aiden, clenching her fists.

Aiden stuck his hands out, “No--! Not directly!”

He stared at the green hat and squeezed it again, “He took Olivia’s hat, I told him she needed it back. I never said her name directly but--”

“But Jesse’s not stupid.” Maya finished. Aiden breathed in and nodded.

“Aiden, how could you?” Jess asked, slipping out of Olivia’s grasp as he stormed over to the man.

“Jess, don’t--” Before Aiden could start, Jess snapped at him.

“Don’t what? Don’t get involved in the mess you just got us in? Don’t get upset you put my friend in danger?! Don’t worry about this other Jesse--who sounds like such a wonderful person--and could be searching for Olivia as we speak?!” Jess’ mind kept switching between anger and fear. The image of Radar being carried back, beaten and sobbing, made his hands sweaty. He thought back to everyones reactions when they first met him, and how they treated him before they found out he wasn’t the other Jesse. He thought about Cavern City, and--and--What would Jesse do to Olivia? What would Jesse do to him?

“I didn’t have any other choice!” Aiden shot back.

“Yes you did!” Both Cassie Rose and Jess exclaimed, surprising each other.

Cassie continued, “Why didn’t you punch him? Or throw him, or--or knock him out, or SOMETHING? ANYTHING.”

“Because I didn’t want to make things worse.” Aiden answered through gritted teeth.

Cassie sputtered, “Aiden, I hate to be that person, but punching him would’ve made the situation SIGNIFICANTLY better than what YOU just pulled.”

“I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing with Cassie, but she’s right.” Jesse joined the red head’s side, “What about when we first saw each other? You thought I was your Jesse, got upset, and grabbed me. Why didn’t you--”

“That was different.” Aiden raised his voice.

“You aren’t our Jesse.” Aiden’s hands were beginning to shake as he stepped closer to Jess, who was now backing away.

Jess opened his mouth, but Maya got between the two before things could get worse. “What’s done is done.” Maya folded her arms. “Aiden messed up. We gotta work on fixing it now.”

“Maya’s right.” Stella started pulling on a strand of her hair while tapping her foot against the wooden floor. “With these two stuck here, The Awakening possibly planning something, and now Jesse knowing about Olivia, we have no time to argue.”

Olivia turned to Aiden, “Where’s Jesse now?”

Aiden shook his head, “I don’t know. He ran the opposite away.”

“That gives us some time to figure out what to do before he comes back.” Maya said. Then the room became quiet again.The only sounds filling the void was Stella’s foot tapping and wooden boards creaking from Aiden’s pacing.

Jess watched everyone think to themselves. No one was communicating or even standing close to each other, and while he wanted to speak up to get people talking, and get the feeling of progress actually being made, he didn’t know what to say. He returned to the stairs where Olivia stood and sat on one of the steps. He rested his head on his hands and sighed.

“You alright?” Jess asked quietly.

“No.” Olivia mumbled, slowly sitting down. ‘I shouldn’t be scared.’ She thought. She really shouldn’t. She survived a Witherstorm, the Admin, and other horrific situations, but in those cases, she knew what to be scared of, she knew what she was working with. What did she know about this universe? That there’s a creepy cult and an unstable version of her friend? She still didn’t know what The Awakening was capable of, nor the other Jesse. What’ll she do when he finds her? She hasn’t met the other Jesse yet--not that she wants to. Would she be able to tell the difference between her’s and the other? What’ll he do when he finds her?

Olivia glanced back at Jess and saw he was brainstorming now. She would love to hear some of his optimism right now. A light hearted joke, a comment poking fun at the situation, or just him telling her it’ll be okay. She needed it.

But she never got it.

“I guess we won’t be able to go out anymore, huh?” Jess muttered.

“No, you won’t.” Aiden approached the two, his arms crossed. “Jesse’s probably gonna start looking for Olivia here. We might need to hide you two somewhere else.”

“Not that I disagree with you, but where could we possibly hide them? Radar’s house?” Stella questioned.

Cassie groaned, “And what’ll Radar do when Jesse breaks in? Flip out again? Cry?”

“Cass--” Maya was about to start but kept her focus on the situation, “I don’t think Radar’s place is the best option either. If someone attacks, he’ll be unprepared. And I don’t think he’d be on board with Jess staying at his place after what’s happened.”

“We can’t do Hadrian and Mevia’s either.” Aiden said.

“Why not?” Gill asked, “They got some pretty good weapons! They could protect ‘em.”

“I know, but I don’t think they’d trust Jess either--” Aiden stopped. A lightbulb went off, “Unless we split these two up!”

“Not happening.” Jess shot the idea down coldly, “First you all treated me like I was some maniac, then you rat out my friend, and NOW you want us to split up?”

“This could be our safest option--” Stella spoke but was cut off by Jess.

“No, here is our safest option. You guys have plenty of weapons, Olivia and I can fight back, there’s plenty of hiding spots,” With each point he listed off, he kept getting closer to Aiden until they were face to face, “and I’ve been through much worse than one crazy person. We’re staying here.” Jess ended, snatching Olivia’s hat from Aiden’s hand.

“Fine.” Aiden said stiffly.

“Glad we… We got that settled.” Stella laughed nervously.

“If they’re staying here we should probably lock… Well… Everything.” Maya pointed out.

Stella jumped, “Right! We don’t know how long these two will be staying here!” She rushed towards the nearest windows and locked them before throwing the curtains over them. “Can’t risk Jesse--or anyone--seeing them!”

Gill sat on a barstool and stroked his beard. He watched Stella go from window to window, repeating the locking and covering process frantically. He watched Jess and Olivia talk quietly to one another, then his eyes drifted over to the table in the living room where the items for the flint and steel and book laid, then something clicked.

“Maybe we don’t gotta worry bout Jesse for long.” Gill said, a small smile forming.

“Hm?” Maya turned her head towards him as she flipped a light switch on. With no street lights or moonlight coming through the windows anymore, their house was beginning to darken.

“Well, I was thinkin’ that if we made th’flint ‘n steel, we’d be able to send those guys home. There’d be no Olivia or Jess for our Jesse to get, then we’d only have to worry bout The Awakenin’!”

Everyone stared at Gill. Stella stopped what she was doing to think about the plan.

“Two birds, one stone.” Maya shrugged, “We could do it.”

“Yeah, that could work!” Jess agreed, feeling a little more hopeful. Olivia nodded.

“Yes, but didn’t Petra tell us she’d take at least a week to find the rest of the materials?” Stella asked, her nails tapping against the glass of the window she had stopped on. Could they keep Jess and Olivia hidden for a week? Could they even stop their Jesse from breaking in after a few days? Locking doors and windows can only do so much.

“I can run over to Petra’s and see if she’s still home.” Cassie Rose spoke up, “I could tell her we need to speed things up and maybe look around her cave. She probably has some of the stuff we need in one of her chests.”

“But what if she ain’t home?” Gill tilted his head.

“And what if she doesn’t have the items.” Maya added.

“Then I’ll mine for the things myself!” Cassie said, already marching to the front door, “I’ll go to the Nether alone if I have to! I’ve done it before!” Cassie said.

Cassie could hear Stella gasp and knew she was about to start lecturing.

“I’ve broken the law a bunch of times. I’ll be fine.” She said.

Stella closed her mouth and clasped her hands together, “I know, I know, but please be safe.”

“I will.” Cassie opened the door, but before she could leave, Stella asked for a favor.

“Since The Awakening is involved in this… Mess, do you think you could ask Radar to come over?”

‘Why me?’ Was the response Cassie wanted to give, but when she looked back at Stella and the rest of her friends, she knew she couldn’t complain.

She gripped the door’s handle, “Yeah, sure.”

And with that being said, she left.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stupid Aiden and his stupid slip ups in front of stupid JESSE. Out of all the nights to do something stupid he does it tonight. Cassie could only imagine what’ll happen in these next few days. Maybe Jesse--or heck, any other Awakening freak--might snatch Olivia and think she’s some weird zombie who’s been resurrected by their amazing ‘Hero’. Or maybe they’ll dig up her body from her memorial and do freaky cult things to it. What if they kill the other Olivia? Then they’ll have TWO dead Olivias.

This wasn’t the first time Aiden’s done something stupid because of Jesse, and it probably won’t be the last.

She wasn’t mad--Actually, that was a lie.

She was very mad. Not just at Aiden, but at everything.

It feels like everything has gotten worse since Jess and Olivia stepped foot into their universe. She and the others had enough problems to deal with before, but now having to deal with two look-alikes of their old friends, the dumb Awakening schemeing something, and now Aiden’s dumb stunt, their stress has been amped up by a thousand.

Maya’s right, though. There’s nothing she can do now to change what’s been done. She needs to focus on getting to Petra. Maybe Petra already found the materials despite it being a couple of hours since they last saw her. Then they could figure out how to make the flint and steel, and then they can send Jess and Olivia home, then they wouldn’t have to worry about their creepy Jesse. Easy!

‘And what if she doesn’t have the items.’ Maya’s voice echoed in her head.

‘Then I’ll get ‘em myself!’ She snapped back at the imaginary Maya. Though she knew if she did that, with or without telling her friends, she’d get an earful from Stella.

Cassie Rose could perfectly imagine what Stella would tell her after she would return from the Nether: “I cannot believe you! Going off on your own to the NETHER of all places, don’t you remember what happened last time? We were barely able to convince the guards to let you go!”

Cassie understood Stella was only looking out for her; she always assumes the worst case scenario will happen, but hopefully she understands stopping The Awakening is far more important than the law. They can’t sit through a bunch of paperwork in some stupid office to get a stupid license so they can hit a few rocks with a pickaxe or explore the Nether when there are caves and a portal close by AND easily accessible. They can’t waste any time.

As she continued moving forward, one yellow house caught her attention. It was the smallest out of all the surrounding buildings, only being a single story, but it was like a beacon under the night sky. The front light was on, but Cassie wondered if it was even necessary, as every light inside was on and were practically illuminating the entire street. The only few things that interrupted the beams of light were the leaves and stems of the many potted plants on the balcony. As she neared the house, her running soon slowed into a walk, and then she came to a full stop.

‘Speaking of wasting time…’ Cassie thought again, staring at the light, dusty yellow home in front of her. It was almost a struggle to stare directly at the house without being blinded. Of course the most obnoxious, unavoidable house belonged to Radar.

‘Radar can wait.’ She told herself, getting ready to move along. ‘Petra has the important stuff.’

‘You told Stella you’d ask him.’ She nagged herself, stopping again.

Yes, she did, but Stella should’ve known better than to ask her. She knew how much she couldn’t stand that little man. Why couldn’t she have sent Gill instead? Gill loves Radar! Stella could’ve sent anyone else BUT her, even Jess would’ve been a better choice.

She stared at the horrible house for another moment.

Maybe she could skip over Radar and claim she forgot.

Yeah, she was soooo caught up on getting to Petra’s, Radar just slipped her mind.

‘Don’t do that.’ Cassie told herself. ‘Stella trusts you.’ And they did need him, whether or not she’d liked to admit it.

The redhead let out a long sigh as she began trudging over to the front door, which shared the same color as the porch and roof. As she grew nearer, she was able to make out more of the plants’ individual leaves, the flowers began looking less like blobs and more like the variety of spherical, funnel, and bell shapes that they were, she could even decipher the different colors of the flowers despite the overpowering yellow light. A long, thin green leaf brushed past her hand, making Cassie flinch and swat at it.

She breathed in, inhaling the overwhelming floral scent which invaded the porch, and gave the walnut-colored door three, hard knocks. She was tempted to break it, but restrained herself.

Her shoulders immediately drooped when she listened to distant footsteps on the other side grow closer. Cassie was imagining the possible responses Radar would have in store for her and found herself getting tired of his voice already, despite him not saying a word to her yet.

The locks started to click and the knob began to turn. She shoved her fists into her hoodie’s pocket.

‘Just get it over with.’ Cassie told herself, ‘For your friends.’

Radar’s head peaked out from behind the door. The caution in his eyes blinked away when he saw it was only her.

“Oh, Ros--Cassie Rose. Good evening. What brings you here so early?” He asked, stepping a foot out of his house, noticeably tense.

Cassie held back her second sigh, “Hey, we’re kinda having some issues right now and Stella was wondering if you could come over and help.” She muttered.

“I don’t know if I could…” Radar’s words trailed off and he thought to himself for a moment, “I… I won’t be able to come over at this mo--”

“Bummer.” Cassie didn’t give Radar the chance to finish. She heard all that she needed to. She turned around and hopped off the porch, giving Radar a stiff wave, “I’ll be sure to let them know, see you.” She said flatly before taking off.

‘There, you did it.’ She told herself as she picked up the pace.

Cassie didn’t know what Stella was expecting. You can’t expect anything good to come from an Awakening member, former or not.

Stupid cult boy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The forest felt different when running through it alone. When she was walking here with her friends earlier, they managed to make this dark, noisy place feel familiar and gave it a sense of security. The same sense of security she felt when they started exploring stranger territories while on their way to collect weapons to destroy The Awakening’s lava beast. The memories of them huddling together as they navigated through the strange, colorful caves whose interior defied logic, or fighting Awakening members who were unfortunate enough to run into them in other chaotic forests far away from town were still fresh in her mind. No matter how bizarre or overwhelming the environments were, they were together, and they made those alien places feel a lot less foreign.

‘Jeez, that was almost five years ago.’ Cassie remembered. It felt like last week.

This was still the same forest with the same thick trees, the same blaring bugs, and the same cracked path, but being alone brought a different sort of familiarity to it. She was reminded of the times before she had met Aiden and the others, when it was just her and Petra. She thought back to the times she’d be rushing to the cave, running through here with the guards on her tail, shouting at her to return the goods she had stolen from the Night Market. She’d take sharp turns every few seconds to throw them off, listening to the men’s voices get quieter and quieter, causing her to smile widely and laugh to herself. The bizarre mixture of fear and enthusiasm--the possibility of getting caught or getting away--it was that combination which motivated her to run even faster.

However, the one thing that remained consistent during her years of going here was how stupidly scary it could be. There wasn’t anything to be scared about, but Cassie’s brain would trick her into thinking the tangled branches were one of those huge, venomous spiders who were about to lunge at her face, or the sound of a branch cracking was actually a monster ready to pounce on her. It was stupid, she knew spiders--though they have attacked her here before--were uncommon, and any other monster was MILES away from Obsidian Town, but that didn’t stop her from doing a double take at any strangely shaped silhouette her eyes would catch.

When she reached the entrance of the cave, she remembered one benefit about coming here alone: Walking along the cave’s path was much easier. On one hand, it didn’t matter if she came here with friends or by herself, she’d still be sandwiched between two cold, wet, stone walls. On the other hand, she wouldn’t be sandwiched between two people while navigating through the tight squeeze.

As Cassie walked deeper into the cave, straying further and further from the light, she realized she forgot to knock. This used to be her home though--technically still is--so does she really have to knock? You wouldn’t knock on your own bedroom door, right? But Petra always wanted people to knock, or at the very least, shout out their name in the cave. One time Aiden forgot to knock during a visit, and he accidentally slammed the door in Petra’s face. She wasn’t too mad about getting hit, but she did go off about the knocking. ‘What if I was dealing with a client?!’ Petra snapped, ‘Or working on something personal? You don’t see me barging into your house unannounced!’. This led to Stella pointing out Petra’s constant law breaking was much worse than forgetting to make their presence known, which led to Petra simply responding: ‘Yeah, but I still have manners.’

Cassie knocked against one of the cave’s walls as she continued walking, “Hey! It’s Rose!” She announced, just in case Petra didn’t hear the knocking.

Cassie kept walking and waited for a response. She waited.

And waited.

She was almost at the door and Petra hadn't responded yet. Petra never takes this long to respond. Cassie sped up, if there was even a chance something bad had happened to Petra, she wasn’t going to take her time. She didn’t want to be too late.

‘Maybe she left already.’ Cassie told herself, not wanting to jump to any wild conclusions yet. She knew if Petra got into any trouble, she could handle herself, and the last thing she needed was another person to worry about. When Cassie got to the door, she kicked it open; the wood collided with the stone wall and made a loud BANG. There'd be no way Petra missed that.

Cassie didn’t see her friend, but what she did see straight ahead of her was an activated Nether portal, confirming her suspicions. Petra was gone. She was a little sad she missed out on saying goodbye to her, but at least she knew she was safe.

‘Better start looking.’ Cassie started for the chests by the stone base where the portals stood. The closer she got to the portal, the louder it’s groans and crackles became, making it nearly impossible to hear herself think. She opened the chest, barely able to hear the wood creak, and knelt down--her legs freezing the moment they touched the cold ground, despite her wearing long pants. She threw her hand in and peered inside to see whatever random items were thrown into the chest.

“Cobblestone, a bunch of sticks, clay, iron, a bell--” She listed aloud, trying to speak over the portal’s racket. Surely ONE of the items she was looking for was in one of the millions of chests scattered around here--

“Thief.” Cassie heard a deep, muffled voice from behind say. She whipped her head around and froze when she saw the Crying Wither looming over. They stared down at her through the eye holes of their wither skull; the white paint coating it had peeled off over time, leaving strips of the skull’s original, charocal-black color visible once again. The strips were thickest under the eyes.

Cassie clutched her chest and breathed in, “Thanks for the second heart attack today.”

“Second?” The Crying Wither tilted their head. They offered their sooty, gloved hand.

Cassie accepted it.

“Yeah, you can thank Aiden for the first one.” Cassie said as she was pulled to her feet. The Crying Wither reeked of smoke, and speckles of the Nether portal were still hanging onto their black, buttoned-up vest and dark gray, long sleeved shirt, which had a few tears in them.

“Oh boy.” Petra took off the skull, “What’d he do this time?”

Cassie ranted about the situation, about how Aiden revealed Olivia--not directly, but that didn’t matter--and now everyone was freaking out. While Petra was listening, she had to remind herself there were now two Jesses. This must’ve happened after they both visited her.

Cassie kept going off for another few minutes, getting everything out of her system, then returning her focus on Petra. “...That’s why I’m back though. That li’l creep is probably gonna be taking Olivia and we need to get her and the other Jess home.”

“Right, I get that.” Petra nodded, “And I get that this is serious, but I’m doing this alone, I’d be lucky if I found any of your supplies in a week.” She said, walking to the edge of the stone base and stepping off.

Cassie watched her friend approach a double chest by the cave’s door. “I know.” She shoved both of her hands into her pocket.

“But…” Petra placed her wither skull on the floor and opened the large chest. She pulled out a neatly folded stack of clothes. Cassie’s eyes lit up when she recognized they were the same dark blue pants and long sleeved shirt she used to wear, topped with her old brown belt and gloves as well.

“The process would definitely be faster if I had an extra set of hands.” Petra smiled as she walked over to Cassie again, “Whaddaya say, White Pumpkin? Just like old times?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“... That’s so weird to think about.” Olivia mumbled, sitting on the guest bed, and hugging her knees with her hat next to her. Lukas is gone. That’s a statement she never wanted to hear. He was a couple of years younger than her when he went missing, too.

“Yeah. It is.” Jess was leaning against the only window in the room, looking away from his friend. One of his hands was gripping the lift of the window, tempted to throw it open and get some fresh air, but he knew it had to stay locked.

Olivia didn’t know what to say. What more could be said after hearing about her close friend’s disappearance? That everything is going to work out? That they’ll find him? That there’s a chance he’s still alive? Neither of them wanted to admit it, but they both knew he was most likely dead. With no knowledge of how he died, Olivia could only hope his passing was painless.

Olivia kept thinking back to the story and what had happened. Her alternate self was involved in the search party, yet Olivia felt a strange sense of grief for not being able to recall memories that weren’t her’s, and she failed a Lukas who wasn’t theirs. Olivia could tell Jess felt a similar way when retelling the story; he’d become so invested his voice would crack and tears would well up in his eyes during certain parts, as if he had experienced it firsthand. He’d pause at some moments to remember what he was told, or to find a way to reword the situation--maybe in an attempt to shine a more hopeful light onto it, to make the blow softer for her or for himself.

“Man, our universe is kinda nice compared to this, huh?” Jess sat next to his friend, laughing a little. He wasn’t sure why he was laughing. This wasn’t funny.

Olivia watched him play with his red suspenders as he continued talking, “Back home, you and Lukas are alive. I’m almost certain Ivor might be dead as well--or heck, the entire Order. We don’t have some crazy cult or a crazy me running around, trying to find you now--”

“Mad at Aiden?” Olivia asked, though she already knew the answer..

“You aren’t?”

“I’m…” Olivia let her mouth hang for a moment, “I don’t really know how to feel right now. So much has been happening, I don’t think I can be mad at one specific person with what’s been going on.”

“I’m not blaming Aiden for this entire mess!” Jess jumped off the bed suddenly and began pacing around the room, “I know these people are supposed to be ‘the good guys’ of this universe, and I want to try to make things better, but being surrounded by these people and the way they’ve treated me--! I was just starting to warm up to them, and maybe we could’ve moved past those bad first impressions but--but--” Jess pulled on a lock of his hair tightly and stared at the ceiling as his pacing became faster, “Aiden slipped up cause of a hat! A stupid…!” He threw his head into his hands, fingers tangling in his hair.

It was quiet for a minute, only the sound of Jess’ heavy breathing filled the room. When he heard Olivia quietly call his name, he peeked at her through his fingers. Worry filled her eyes, but she wasn’t worried about Aiden, about the alternate Jesse, she wasn’t worried about a single thing in this universe right now. She was worried about him.

Jess’ hands slipped off his face and wrapped themselves around his body. “I’m… I’m sorry.” Jess finally said, taking a step closer to his friend.

Olivia scooched to the side, making more room on the bed for him.

“Aiden didn’t mean to.” Olivia mumbled as Jess sat back beside her. “And I know this isn’t the greatest environment to be,” She placed her hand on his shoulder, “but they do want to help us, and they’re trying their best, even if they’re clearly struggling from time to time.”

That got a light chuckle out of Jess. Olivia felt herself grinning as well.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jess rested his head on his knees. His smile started to fade, “Things are getting worse. I don’t wanna drag you down by being stressed constantly. I want to keep your spirits up, you know?”

“I do know.” Olivia inched closer to Jess, “Do you know how many times I’ve been afraid of being a burden with my constant worrying?”

Jess blinked and lifted his head up, “What? But--You know you’d never be a burden to me or any of our friends!”

“Mhm, it’s because I have you around to remind me that you care, and I can say the same thing to you right now.”

The two pulled each other into what was meant to be a quick hug, but they found themselves holding onto each other for longer than expected. In this moment, the cold world around them grew warmer. In this moment, their worries went away. In this moment, they had each other.

Then there was a knock at the door.

Not their door, the front door on the first floor.

Jess went back to the window and peered down.

“It’s Radar!” A little grin appeared on his face. It was reassuring to see Radar better, especially after the last time they saw him.

“I think I’m gonna head downstairs.” Jess said, watching the front door open and Aiden welcoming their friend in. “They needed him for something and I’m kinda curious about what that something is.”

Before Jess could leave the room, Olivia stopped him. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? What if you accidentally frighten him?”

Jess thought for a moment. Radar knew he wasn’t the same Jesse who attacked him the night before, but the awareness meant nothing when he looked exactly like the other Jesse. “I could… Sit on the steps? He wouldn’t have to worry about looking at me.” Jess suggested.

Olivia nodded in approval and the two headed off. As they neared the staircase, they could make out Radar and Aiden’s voices. Aiden’s voice was much louder compared to Radar’s; they could hear more of Aiden’s explanation of the current situation, while barely being able to understand Radar’s responses. When they reached the bottom, they sat down and made themselves comfortable on the last few steps. Aiden glanced in their direction and gave them a quick wave--he looked stressed--before bringing his full attention back to Radar, while Maya, Stella, and Gill listened.

“Oh, dear…” Radar was fidgeting with his clipboard and pen, “And you’re positive those were Awakening members?” He found himself struggling to maintain eye contact with Aiden, and kept glancing at the papers on his board rather than his friend.

“They didn’t say anything about The Awakening, and I didn’t see them,” Aiden confessed, “but I don’t know any other group of people who wander around underground.”

“We heard voices--well, Aiden heard ‘em, but he wouldn’t lie about this sorta stuff.” Gill added.

“Worst case, Aiden just went crazy for a second and didn’t hear anything.” Maya said the comment in her usual tone, but her bit of humor seemed to do the job at making Radar relax a little.

“But at the very slim chance they were members,” Stella spoke up, not too enthusiastic over this possibility, “do you happen to remember The Awakening ever mentioning portals? I do recall them attempting to summon--or search--for The Hero.”

“Oh yes, that was one of the portals’ purposes.” Radar placed his pen in his pocket to stop himself from clicking it constantly, “However, another important purpose associated with them is their connections to the afterlife.”

All eyes were on him, urging him to go on. He gripped his board tighter and swallowed.

“The… The portals…” Radar started, doing his best to keep his voice steady, “It was believed that those who were loyal to The Hero would have their souls taken to the universe which he was banished to…” Radar continued to avoid any sort of eye contact with his friends, and focused on sharing the information they wanted to hear. As he kept talking, his nervous rambling soon gained confidence, the same confidence he used to feel when he recited what he learned during the gatherings in front of the Visions, in front of Brenner, enthusiastically talking about this wonderful knowledge he had been gifted. It felt like a switch had been flipped in his mind, and that familiar enthusiasm was rushing throughout him as he talked about how the souls kept in this distant universe were protected by The Hero and treated wonderfully as their reward for remaining faithful. How those who turned against The Hero, or doubted his power, would be sent to an eternal abyss. The Awakening had always tried to create the portal which led to this universe of bliss, Radar remembered the elder members sharing stories about how close they were to making it! How they were disappointed in themselves for failing, but content knowing their loved ones were safe, even after death. Those thoughts, those visuals, oh they were all so comforting. Radar, despite knowing how horrible The Awakening’s mindset is, still found comfort in this idea during the nights he’d be wide awake and sobbing. It was like an embraceful hug, arms holding you carefully, paired with a gentle voice who promised you everything was going to be okay. You’ll be safe. Who wouldn’t want such a tale to be true? To know that when those you cared about left, there was a way to bring them back, even if it was nearly impossible.

“... Perhaps--if The Awakening truly is planning on creating a portal--they want to revive their Sense after his demise!” Radar finished boldly, proud of this conclusion he reached and believing everyone was on the same train of thought as him. When he looked back at his friends, he was disheartened to see the lost expressions on everyone.

“The--their Sense.” Radar said again, thinking this was the detail they were stumped on. “The man with black hair? Beard? He was one of the leaders and ran towards us with his sword--”

“No, no, we remember him.” Stella gave him a small smile and clasped her hands together. “It’s just…” She mumbled to herself, trying to figure out the nicest way to word her next phrase without crushing Radar’s spirits.

“Radar, I love ya buddy, but that didn’ make any sense.” Gill said. Maya nodded.

“Yeah, I got a little caught up on everything else you were saying.” Aiden admitted.

“It… It makes sense… To me.” Radar’s voice fumbled into a whisper.

To me. Those words repeated in his head. Of course everything he said made sense to him, but how could people who’ve never stepped foot into a gathering possibly comprehend what Radar was going off about?

“I didn’t really understand it either, but you really got into it.” Another voice spoke up. Radar turned to his left and yelped when he saw Jess sitting there with Olivia.

“Please warn me whenever you’re in the room.” Radar pressed his clipboard against his chest, catching his breath. A twinge of guilt shot through Jess.

“From what I could make out,” Olivia said, “The Awakening might be creating a portal to the afterlife because one of their leaders died?”

“Yes!” Radar exclaimed excitedly. He spun around to face Olivia’s direction, covering his left eye with his clipboard to keep Jess out of his sight. “That’s essentially it!”

After the others finally understood what Radar was talking about, they discussed what should be done next. Everyone still agreed sending Jess and Olivia home was the most important priority, and arguably the easiest task to complete compared to stopping an entire cult. Maya reminded them there was still a chance The Awakening might not be planning this, or involved with anything portal related at all. Nothing was certain yet.

“Thanks for coming over again, ‘preciate it.” Aiden said to Radar, “We’ll be sure to update Rose when she comes back.”

“I’m still surprised she actually went to you.” Maya raised her brows.

“Yes, so am I.” Stella said, “But I’m glad she did! Hopefully she’ll come home soon, even if she returns empty-handed. I just want her in one piece.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Petra shot out of the Nether portal and landed on the stone ground with a loud thud, her sword slipping out of her grasp and landing on the ground with a clatter. She threw her sack of items on the floor and yanked off her wither skull, coughing widely, trying to get the smoke out of her lungs. She had barely escaped a huge fireball that had been shot out from one of those horrifying Ghasts, but had luckily spotted it in time and was close enough to her portal to dive through it. Her only concern now was whether the obsidian portal on the other side had sustained any damage. It shouldn’t have. Hopefully.

Usually Rose would have been on the lookout for any monsters while Petra would gather up the goods they had found that day. The two of them used to get their hands on great items like blazerods, glowstone, quartz, sometimes they’d stumble upon ruined portals and find an entire block of gold! And even though the two of them knew how dangerous the Nether could be, they’d often treat the place as if it were their own personal playground. They’d climb those bizarrely tall crimson trees, hiding in their thick, soft leaves that would get tangled in their hairs, or sometimes nudging and poking the deformed pig-like inhabitants with their swords until one of the creatures would inevitably get angry and they’d have to run away, laughing as they told each other they’d never do that again, knowing full well they’ll do again.

There were also a few Nether Fortresses within walking distance of the portal--some much farther than others--they enjoyed exploring together. With each visit, the three fortresses would be filled with a new assortment of hellish monsters who dropped amazing loot, or they’d find a chest they’ve missed before and find an assortment of items. Their favorite fortress, however, was the one north of the portal. It was the farthest one away, and also the smallest of the three; having only one room with three separate doorways, one being the entrance, the left leading to a platform outside, and the final leading to what remained of a large bridge. About a quarter of the bridge was left, and whether the giant columns which used to hold the rest had collapsed, or monsters tore it apart was unknown, but it didn’t matter. Petra and Rose would sit together at the edge of the bridge, looking over the ocean of lava--Petra could only look down for so long before getting shaky--and in the distance, they could see more land. Land that they’ve yet to explore. They could make out unfamiliar vegetations, crooked structures, large arches and floating land. They still had so much adventuring to do, they hadn’t even finished thoroughly searching the side of the Nether they were currently on yet!

Her and Rose made a pact, promising they’d work to explore the entire Nether together. They’ll leave no stone unturned; they’ll claw their way up every mountain, fight any monsters that stood in their path, and venture through the darkest caves together. That promise was made years ago, and though Rose doesn’t have the time to join Petra like she used to, Petra was still keeping her word. She wasn’t going to explore anymore of the Nether unless Rose was right beside her.

Ever since Rose moved in with Aiden and her other friends a few months ago, rummaging in the Nether has been a whole new level of difficulty. She didn’t mind the extra challenge, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t lonely.

Petra glanced at the sack on the ground and picked it up, it was light. Kind of disappointing when comparing it to her bags in the past. She loosened the rope around it and peeked inside; chunks of soul sand, mushrooms, and a whole bunch of glowstone. It wasn’t much, but it was still something. She placed the bag on top of the chest nearby the portal and let out a long, loud sigh.

“Rough day?” A voice asked, causing Petra to jolt. She immediately grabbed the sword on the ground and spun around, ready to fight the intruder.

“Wait, wait! I’m sorry--!” Jesse yelped, shielding himself with his arms. Petra lowered her sword and let out another sigh, this one out of relief.

“You’re okay,” Petra leaned the sword against the portal, “but why were you hiding behind my portal? You weren’t planning on attacking me, were you?” She raised a brow. It was Jesse’s turn to jump.

“No, no, no, no! I was looking for you, and I couldn’t find you anywhere, so I started walking around, but then I heard the portal making a weird sound and--”

“I was just being mean, I know you wouldn’t hurt me.” Petra chuckled. Jesse relaxed a little. She tilted her head at him, “Come on up.”

Jesse’s face brightened and he stepped onto the platform. As he approached Petra, the purple light and strange sounds coming from the portal grabbed his attention. His walking slowed as he turned his head to get a good look at this amazing structure. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s been this close to a Nether Portal, he doesn’t even know if he has been this close before. It almost didn’t look real.

And he kinda…

Kinda sorta…

Wanted to stick his hand in it. He really wanted to.

Petra must’ve known what he was about to ask, because before he could even pop the question, she said, “You can touch it if you wanna.”

His eyes sparkled and he gave a quick, excited thanks before shoving his hand into the portal’s glistening entrance.

To his surprise, the purple vortex was cold. He had always imagined the gateway that connected their world to the world of lava would’ve been excruciatingly hot. He didn’t mind being wrong, though, it was strangely pleasant. He’d move his fingers individually, able to feel them stir through the substance with no struggle at all. It was almost like… A small stream, one he’d find near the town’s borders, where he’d dip his feet in and watch the water continue to flow and swirl, undisturbed by his presence.

Jesse was almost tempted to shove his head in there, curious if it’d feel just as pleasant on his face, but then he’d risk throwing himself face first into the Nether. And he wasn’t ready for that. Maybe another day.

“So, why were you looking for me again?” Petra asked. Jesse pulled his arm out of the portal.

“I… I just needed to get--” He cleared his throat, “I just wanted to check on you, you know?”

“Not really.” Petra folded her arms, “I appreciate the thought, but you know I can take care of myself.”

“No!” Jesse blurted, “I mean, I do know that, but that’s not what I meant.”

Petra looked at him. He swallowed, “You’re not… Mad at us, are you?”

Petra blinked, “No?” She cocked her head, “Why would I be?”

Jesse crossed his legs and looked away, “I feel like we took Cassie from you.” He held his hands behind his back, “We busted in here one day, said ‘Hey! We’re gonna save the world!’, grabbed her, and next thing we know it, she’s living with us instead of you. And--”

“Woah, woah, woah.” Petra interrupted, “Jesse, first of all, you didn’t ‘take’ Rose from me, she wanted to tag along with you guys, just like how she chose to move in with you. You’re acting like she died or something, but she didn’t, right?” Her brows went up.

“Right. She’s still in one piece.” Jesse forced out a chuckle.

“Exactly. And guess what? Even if she’s off doing her own thing now, she still visits me. She’s allowed to do whatever she likes and I’m not gonna stop her. Besides, what sort of person would I be if I didn’t let my friends grow?” Her words were exactly what Jesse needed to hear. The frown on his face disappeared and he fixed his posture, much more energetic than he was seconds ago.

Petra found herself grinning at Jesse’s reaction, his happiness was rather contagious. She wrapped her arm around him, “And the best part about her visits is her tellin’ me what you and the others have been up to! Like fightin’ off cult members, or almost setting your house on fire--”

“Hey, that was Stella’s fault!” He laughed.

“Oh right, Miss Professional Baker.” The two of them laughed some more.

Petra kept going, “My favorite story from her so far is when you guys chucked one of those cult creeps into lava!” Jesse’s laughing stopped and he went a little pale, Petra kept talking, “Hero, every time I think about it it makes me pumped! Next time you plan on doing that, you gotta invite me.” She smirked.

Jesse’s throat tightened, “That was an accident.”

“Don’t be ashamed of knocking one of those sickos off this planet.” Petra gave him a light punch. “If I was there, you know I’d never shut up about it. Like ‘Hey! You’re talkin’ to the girl who killed a cult leader! You better watch it’!” She stuck her finger out and gritted her teeth, acting out the fake conversation.

When she saw Jesse still wearing an uncomfortable expression, she changed the subject. “How’s everyone doing in Obsidian Town?”

“Oh, good.” Jesse perked up, “Stella, Radar, and Olivia have been helping with the town’s repairs after that little lava monster incident.”

“Yeah, hardly even noticed it.” Petra rolled her eyes playfully.

“Right.” He chuckled a little, “Cassie, Gill, Aiden, Lukas, and I are gonna be heading off to another city to pick up some materials when the sun sets.”

“Sunset? Today?” Petra asked. Jesse nodded.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t stop worrying about you.” He admitted.

“Awh, I’m touched. BUT,” Petra started guiding Jesse to her cave’s door, “there’s no need. Like I said, I appreciate you checkin’ in, but it’s not necessary.”

“I know.” Jesse’s voice dwindled. They reached the door and stood there for a moment. Petra stared at him, he looked crushed.

“Buuuuuuut if you wanna…” Petra spoke up, “You can come over once a week? Every two weeks? Just pop in, say hi, catch up. You know.” She shrugged.

Jesse was back to smiling, “I’d love that! I can think of a specific day where we can hang out so I won’t scare you again!”

“I didn’t get scared!” Petra shot back, face turning slightly red. She opened the door and shoved Jesse out. “Now get OUTTA here, you got a city to go to!”

“Right, right!” Jesse hurriedly made his way to the exit. “I’ll see you next week!” He shouted, his voice bouncing off the cave walls.

“You better knock next time!” Petra hollered back with a big grin on her face.

#mcsm #minecraft story mode #mcsm petra #mcsm radar #mcsm cassie rose #mcsm aiden #mcsm stella #mcsm gill #mcsm maya #mcsm jesse #mcsm olivia #APWHNPMCSMWASAMCSM #AU fic #thank u again for being so PATIENT WAAAH #hope u enjoy!!!!!#fic

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