Chapter Text
One day, through the noise of his thoughts, Alver started hearing the universe.
It started with a chime.
The first sound resembles that of the chime the amethyst makes.
He remembers how amethysts chimes upon contact, its melodious tune ringing in his ears.
Usually, worlds are often updated and refreshed for players like Alver to explore.
The keyholders of the worlds, commonly known as Admins, hold these responsibilities over their shoulders. Their server admin was always quick on their feet, refreshing the unexplored terrains and caves, and regenerating unused chunks, allowing them to have rooms for adventures.
Alver then decided to explore the new cave systems with his sworn brother, Cale who had been rather interested with the new creatures the world would generate.
With a torch in hand and a netherite pickaxe on the other, Alver first encountered a geode. It was in fact, an amethyst geode.
It generated naturally, embedded amongst the deepslate just right in front of him.
He immediately opened his communicator and sent a message to the chat.
<AlverCrossman> Dongsaeng, I found an amethyst geode.
He walked cautiously towards the geode, wary of the hostile creatures that may spawn due to the low level of light. He placed the torch towards the nearest deepslate wall and swung his pickaxe repeatedly.
The first wall of the geode broke.
It was smooth basalt then a new type of mineral called calcite. Hues of glimmering purple sprayed right through his eyes.
It looked magical.
Alver stepped forward, lowering the pickaxe in his hand and was about to touch it when his communicator beeps continuously.
<Cale> holdon i found a diamond vein
<ch0811> You guys went mining without me?
<Cale> xyz?
<ch0811> CALE-NIM?! STUDENT-NIM?!
Cale has made the advancement [The Cutest Predator].
He checked his current coordinates and sent it to Cale through a whisper.
<Cale> oh you’re below me
Cale replied to the chat instead of replying to his whisper which made him chuckle.
Just as he was about to sit he heard multiple sounds of explosion above that made his lips twitch slightly. Faint sounds of footsteps and water flowing entered his ears.
He looked up and found a hole right in front of him. A smile was subconsciously pulled into his face upon meeting the redheaded player.
“Come down,” Alver beckons before pointing to the calcite wall. “It’s right here.”
Red locks swept past his eyes and then the familiar black commander uniform of his sworn brother.
“You’re going to command the mobs to mine here?” He quips, receiving an annoyed look.
Cale rolled his eyes before seemingly opening his inventory and brought out golden carrots.
“It’s bothersome to change.” The younger says flatly, offering him a golden carrot.
Alver accepted the food and muttered his thanks before hiding it inside his inventory.
His hunger bar is still full and he still has spare cooked steak but he appreciates Cale’s generosity.
He knows that Cale is lying. It wasn’t bothersome to change but he had just finished a meeting as a commander but he invited him to mine.
Cale had no time to change at all.
He then led the player to make a two by two entrance towards the geode and was soon met by the shiny purple wall. Alver used his hands to graze the wall with his pickaxe and it made a soft but short melodic noise.
He turned back to Cale and met his amused reddish brown eyes.
“It sounds pretty.”
“It is.”
The two of them swung their pickaxe towards the wall and soft chimes echoed until they finally managed to open a path.
It led inside the geode where clusters of crystals sprung up all over the place. It was a little dark but it couldn’t hide the appeal of the shining crystals.
Alver picked up a piece of the mined wall and saw his inventory identified it as an amethyst block whereas Cale mounted a torch beside the wall and hopped down the geode. A slightly loud but similar chime accompanied his landing.
Hues of purple refracted towards Cale, bathing him in purple amidst the glimmering crystals.
It was him who shines the prettiest in the geode.
“...pretty.” He blurted out.
“Yeah.”
Cale agreed, looking around the geode.
Alver felt the tips of his ears turning red. He subconsciously wanted to hide his ears but decided not to and followed the player down instead.
Soft melodic hums of the crystals flung upon contact with his feet.
“Do we need a silk touch pick to mine these?”
“I’ve heard you can if you want them like this,” Cale smiles, his eyes directed at the crystals. “If you use a normal pick you get a shard.”
The older kept his silence, quietly watching the younger admire the crystals. He saw how Cale’s reddish brown eyes reflected a purple tint.
It was enchanting.
He averted his gaze and flicked his pickaxe towards the cluster of crystals.
A soft ding filled his ears, followed by a slightly similar thung as the cluster of crystals turned into three shards.
It was soft to the ear, serene and melodic.
It was a familiar ring to his ears.
Alver picks up the shards, remembering the dream he had the day before and placed it inside his inventory. His inventory identified it as amethyst shards which isn’t exactly surprising since he picked up the amethyst block upon picking up remnants of the wall he and Cale mined.
Sounds of amethyst chimes continuously rang inside the geode. He turned to look at Cale who was cautiously mining the clusters with his diamond pickaxe that shimmers every now and then in purple.
Perhaps he noticed his stare, Cale turned to look at Alver and opened his mouth; “They said we can make telescopes and tinted glasses with amethyst shards.”
“Really? That’s great news. It’ll be easier to spot you if I use it later.”
“Aren’t I already easy to spot?”
Alver laughed.
“But with the telescope it’ll be easier to see your face even from afar.”
“I’m making a shelter made up of tinted glass when we encounter Darkness.”
Cale snorts, picking up the shards at his feet and a whole cluster that he managed to mine with his silk touch pick.
Soft chimes keep echoing inside the geode.
It was to the point where Cale’s laughter sounds like amethyst chimes to Alver’s ears. It was to the point where a move of Cale resounds with the slightly long chime of the amethyst floor as though it was natural.
“Hyung, don’t mine these ones.”
Cale pointed to an amethyst block with a huge X.
“These are where the crystals bud. We can’t mine these, they’ll become shards.”
It wasn’t that Alver didn’t know but rather he finds himself enjoying listening to Cale talk more.
His voice was as pleasing to the ear as amethyst chimes.
“It would be nice to dance above these blocks.”
Cale comments. His lips upturned and eyes slightly turned crescent.
Alver quietly nodded, glancing at the untouched amethyst blocks and was about to mined them when he heard Cale’s footsteps that were accompanied by soft chimes.
“Ah hyung, I got spare axolotls.”
He saw a small pink marine creature peeking its head out on the water bucket on Cale’s hand curiously looking around. The creature met his eyes and cutely tilted its head, showing its small tongue.
It was as cute as Cale is.
“This guy,” Cale says and brings out another water bucket with a similar creature but it’s yellow. “And this guy are partners.”
Alver blinked.
“The yellow one is mine, you keep this pink guy. They’re guys too.”
“How did you know?”
“I just know.”
Cale shrugged, handing the bucket to him. The pink axolotl watches him gleefully.
“Take care of him.”
Alver snickers. “That’s natural.”
I’m going to treat him as if he was you.