Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay, Jesse?” 

Olivia’s concerned voice snapped Jesse out of whatever trance she’d been under since she first realized that they would be building in the booth right next to the Ocelots. The universe had to be messing with her. 

“Yeah,” she responded, voice strained. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Olivia gave her the look, and Jesse swallowed down her nerves even though her heart was racing a mile a minute and she constantly had to resist the urge to throw up the loaf of bread she stressed ate this morning. Reuben gave her an affectionate, yet concerned, bump on her calves with his snout. 

“Look, I’m just asking in case a certain someone messes with you,” she reasoned gently, sifting through a chest for the last of their materials. 

“Seriously, Olivia?” Jesse protested, placing her hands on her hips as she deliberately turned to make sure her back was facing their rivals. She could feel his eyes burn into her, and she suppressed a shiver. “This is about him, isn’t it?” 

“I don’t mean anything by it, but you were the one saying we’ll win this time, and I believe you. We both do.” 

Olivia finally stood so she could be face-to-face with her best friend as she placed a delicate, reassuring hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “I care about you, Jesse. But we need to do something about this. I mean, Aiden? He hates us.” 

Jesse shrunk under her friend’s gaze because, in a way, she’s right. For whatever reason, Aiden clearly hated their guts. Maybe they did something in the past to offend him that she couldn’t remember, but he’s hated their friend group ever since and her even more specifically. 

On the other hand, Jesse already knew this. It’s just that, when she actually had to face him and his stupid ruffled brown hair and bright olive green eyes, her knees went weak and she got unusually red in the face. She got by most days by not looking directly at his face when he’s talking to her, but it’s much harder to avoid him when she’s forced to stand in front of him. 

“Really, Jesse,” Olivia continued with a sigh. “You couldn’t like Gill instead? Or even Lukas? At least Lukas doesn’t hate on us for fun.” 

“You mean someone who doesn’t have jerk as a default personality trait?” 

Olivia sputtered. “Well, I didn’t mean it like that. But yes, preferably someone nicer?” 

“Trust me, I want to. It’s not that easy for me. Besides, not everyone can find their special someone in their friend like you, Olivia.” 

“Jesse,” she hissed, shooting warning signs with her eyes at Axel, who was still counting the fireworks a few feet away, “not so loud.” 

“He still doesn’t know?” Jesse asked incredulously. “You never told him?” 

“Not yet.” Her friend’s face burned. “I was going to tell him at EnderCon. If we win.” 

“When we win,” Jesse corrected smartly, a teasing smile growing on her face. “We’re gonna win, so you and Axel can finally stop giving each other googly eyes from across the room in the treehouse when you think I’m not looking.” 

“We do not,” Olivia retorted hotly. 

“Oh, you guys so do. Wanna bet on it?” 

“No, I don’t actually.” 

“Riiiight. Well, let me know if you change your mind. I could always use someone to polish my armor collection in the future.” 

“Jesse, you don’t have an armor collection.” 

“Touché.” 

The two girls shared a laugh that gradually faded into a comfortable silence. 

At that moment, Jesse forgot about what was making her so nervous. It’s just a building competition. They’ve done it plenty of times before. After taking nine steady losses in the past, they’re gonna win this time. Losing wasn’t an option. 

When all was said and done, Jesse could finally rid their friend group of the obvious romantic tension between her friends, and hopefully, just maybe, gain the Ocelots’ respect, and by extension, Aiden’s. 

Jesse spread her arms out wide with a huge grin. “Alright, bring it in. We’re gonna blow the competition out of the water. We have Reuben with us, and he’s only the greatest good luck charm ever.” 

“You are so cheesy, you know that?” Olivia snorted but gladly reciprocated the gesture with an equally large smile on her face. 

“You love it. Who knows, maybe the pig and the girl might actually win this thing.” 

Reuben oinked enthusiastically, jumping in circles around them. The little wings of his costume flapped with the movement, and Olivia laughed once again. The ridiculousness of the situation was clearly helping with their nerves. 

“I can’t believe you guys are having a group hug without me.” Axel, having noticed the small huddle forming, joined them by grabbing them both and lifting them up. “I want in.” 

“Axel, you’re squishing me!” Jesse squealed in-between peals of laughter as Olivia sucked in a shaky breath at the contact. 

When the group finally separated, giving Olivia a well-needed second to regain her bearings and Jesse some time to catch her breath, the announcer finally declared that the building competition was about to start. They gathered for one final hands-in cheer for good luck, unaware that tonight, their lives were going to change forever.

Chapter Text

Aiden set fire to Reuben. 

She couldn’t believe it. She refused to believe it. 

Things were finally going right for them for the first time in years. Their build was going well. The gang had found their rhythm and was placing blocks left and right like there was no tomorrow. The zombie decor they chose to provide a fresh and fun aspect to their fireworks dispenser was a hit and instantly became a crowd favorite. Then, Aiden had to go and screw it up with his big ego and his even bigger temper. 

Olivia was right. 

This was all his fault. In her search for Reuben, who became a victim to the lava spilling out of another team’s build in order to sabotage their hard work, Jesse would’ve been fresh monster meat if Petra wasn’t there to save her sorry hide. 

Enough was enough. 

Jesse needed to get over him. She was too good to be wasted on someone like him. 

Luckily, she didn’t get too much time to mull over her new realization because her and Petra’s little excursion proved to be disastrous. 

The man who promised Petra a diamond had scammed them, leaving them with nothing but a shoddy piece of lapis. Determined to help her new friend out, Jesse offered to look for him, which led her up to her current predicament. 

The crowd was huge. It was to be expected, of course, since EnderCon was one of the most popular conventions, but how was anyone supposed to find anyone in a horde like this? 

While wading through the throngs of convention goers, she spotted Lukas lounging by one of the empty booths. Remembering Petra’s words from before, Jesse steeled her jittery nerves and walked up to him with her hand half-raised as a form of greeting. 

“Hey, uh, Lukas! Hi.” Her voice cracked when she was in the middle of saying his name, and she instantly cringed, dropping her hand back down to her side. Still, Jesse tried again with something simple and less easy to mess up. “‘Sup?” 

“‘Sup?” Lukas raised a brow at her sudden appearance, straightening out his posture to properly face her. He casually stuffed his hands in his pockets, leaning back against the booth as he eyed her down. 

Jesse fidgeted in place. “Er, nothing much. ‘Sup with you?” 

“Nothing,” Lukas responded, equally perturbed, “‘sup with YOU?” 

“Oh, I already said nothing much…” 

The two continued to stare at each other awkwardly, each one equally unsure of where to take the conversation. 

Now that they had a moment of quiet, Jesse took a second to look at Lukas, really look at him. She always knew of him, being the leader of the Ocelots and all, but she spent so much of her time focused on Aiden that everybody else became blurred apparitions in the background to her. 

This might have been the first time she’s actually seen him for him. He wasn’t bad looking—slicked back blond hair, dark blue eyes, and the signature leather jacket sporting an embossed ocelot face on the back. 

Lukas met her eyes, and she quickly averted her gaze towards the floor, obviously embarrassed to have been caught staring. Before the silence got too overwhelming, he mercifully put them out of their misery. 

“Hey, uh, congrats on the win.” Lukas said with a smile as he bashfully placed his hand against the back of his neck. “I mean, I still think our beacon was aMAZing but… you guys did a pretty good job, too.” 

That sounded like an extremely backhanded compliment if she’s ever heard one, but she assumed he was trying to be cordial, so she’ll try as well. 

Plus, if Petra was cool with him, then Lukas couldn’t possibly be that bad. At least he wasn’t bad enough to set her pig on fire. And attempt to burn their build down. And insult her and her friends on multiple occasions. 

“I mean,” he continued, “I thought the whole monster theme was pretty cool, but—fireworks, too? It was… sorta cool.” 

“I thought your beacon idea was pretty cool, too. I mean, rainbow beacon? Come on, everyone loves rainbows! Plus, I always dreamed of building one as a kid.” 

“That’s… nice of you to say,” he began hesitantly, but then his demeanor changed as he adopted an unpleasant, almost frosty tone. “But you don’t have to do that. You guys won, fair and square.” 

“I know, I know, I was just trying to be a good sport.” Jesse winced. “Sorry if I offended you somehow. I didn’t mean it.” 

Another uncomfortable silence blanketed the area as they continued to stare each other down. Well, that was a disastrous conversation if she ever did have one. It’s time for her to ask what she came here for and then leave Lukas, and the rest of the Ocelots, well alone for preferably the rest of her life. 

“Hey, so I don’t wanna take up too much of your time. I know you got loads more important things to do and all, but… if I could just—” 

“You can just tell me, Jesse. I’m not going to bite.” 

She took a deep breath. 

“You didn’t happen to see a creepy guy with long hair and a beard roaming around, did you?” Jesse asked carefully. 

“I don’t think so… why?” 

Judging by the confusion in his expression, she could tell he wasn’t lying. 

“He kinda scammed Petra out of a diamond earlier,” she explained. 

Lukas’s eyes widened in surprise. “Whoa—everyone knows, you don’t mess with Petra. Not if you know what’s good for you.” 

“Yeah. We’ve been trying to find him ever since, but you know, the convention is huge and there’s tons of people around. We could really use some extra eyes.” 

“Hey, I get it. I’ll keep an eye out, okay?” 

“Thanks—I appreciate it.” 

Before she turned around to leave and continue her search, Lukas grabbed her by the wrist. She flinched at the contact, and he quickly dropped her arm like he’s been burned. 

“So, uh,” he ventured, “we’re cool?” 

“Yeah,” her voice cracked again. “We’re cool. Super cool, even. The coolest.” 

“Coolness.” 

“Cool beans.” 

“Coolness,” he said again. 

Jesse cracked a small but genuine smile. “See you around, Lukas.” 

“Yeah. See ya.” Lukas matched her expression with a grin of his own. 

As Jesse walked away, the only thing she could focus on was how sweaty her palms were. 

Was this friendship? Were her and Lukas considered friends now? No matter how much she mulled over the question in her head, she couldn’t find the answer to that one.

Chapter Text

This day officially sucked. Jesse felt as though she had been put through the wringer. There were too many people and bodies and things happening all around her that her head was beginning to throb. 

She hadn’t found Ivor at all, and worse yet, she hadn’t managed to find Reuben. She had told the little guy to run to safety when the monsters came, but she was now beginning to regret her decision. What if he had been hurt or lost? Or something much worse? The anxiety was eating her alive. 

She didn’t know how long she had been wandering, but when she finally managed to find Axel, he was busy staring at a chicken contraption. 

“Thought you could just wiggle right out of that trap, didn’t you?” he said with a loud laugh as another chicken dropped down from the booth’s ceiling. “Well— Wiggle as much as you want—you’re not goin’ anywhere.” 

“Axel, hey, there you are.” She tapped him on the shoulder to snap him out of it. “I was looking for you. Where’s Olivia?” 

“She’s, uh, well—she went off somewhere. Said she’ll be back soon, though.” 

Jesse raised a slightly accusatory brow, placing her hands on her hips with a small frown. “You don’t know where your own girlfriend went?” 

“Hey, don’t get mad at me.” Axel stated, crossing his arms over his chest with a glare. “Olivia always goes and does her own thing, you know how she is.” 

“Yeah, I know. I was just pulling your leg. I’ll go look for her later. But say, any chance you’ve seen a creepy-looking beard-y guy anywhere?” 

“No, but Petra told me what happened—I’m keeping an eye out for him.” 

“I don’t know about that one, man,” she teased. “Looks to me that you’ve been seeing a lot more chickens than people when I showed up.” 

“Okay, so I got a little distracted,” he admitted. “It’s just that this machine presses all my buttons—unnecessarily complicated, and mean to birds for no reason. It’s just, when something like this calls, you gotta answer.” 

In Axel-language, that meant that he wouldn’t be able to help her out until later, which was annoying but nonnegotiable. She’ll leave him to it then, since she still has Olivia to find. 

“Right. I guess I’ll see you later, then?” 

“You get it. Thanks, Jesse. Now I’ll get back to watching one more chicken get owned.” 

Just as she turned to leave, she spotted a very familiar olive-colored frock from the corner of her eye. That had to be him—Ivor, the man that they were trying to find. Who else would be going around wearing that at the convention? 

Wading through yet another crowd was an absolute nightmare, but as long as she kept the goal within her sight, it wasn’t all terrible. She tried to think of positive thoughts, not thoughts of being trapped underneath tons of people when she inevitably trips and falls on her face. 

She almost managed to catch up to him when a very familiar face popped into view. Brown hair, green eyes—Jesse blinked, flustered, and took a few steps back to gain some distance. 

It was Aiden. The last person she wanted to see all night. 

She thought his defeat at the hands of her and her friends would mean that he would be too busy licking his wounds somewhere else for the evening. It seemed that she was wrong, and Aiden was insistent on intruding on her personal space bubble. 

“Well, if it isn’t Team Trashbag!” he mocked, placing his hands on his hips as he took a step closer. “How’s your stupid pig? I hear intense heat causes brain damage.” 

“Please, can we not do this right now, Aiden?” she pleaded, trying to look over his shoulder at the figure walking further and further away. “We can talk about this later.” 

“So she finally speaks! Here I was thinking you were mute because every time I tried to talk to you, you would stand and stare like an idiot. What? Nothing to say again? Cat got your tongue?” 

“Well… I… That’s—” 

“I? I? I what? Speak clearly, loser. Or are you actually stupid, too?” 

Admittedly, that stung. She didn’t know what she saw in him besides his face, especially when everything that came out of his mouth was nothing but hurtful. 

Her feelings were muddled. Jesse didn’t know whether she should be angry at him for all he’s done or upset because her goal of getting closer to him was all for naught, but just for now, she had more important things to worry about. 

“Please, not now?” she tried again. “I’m kinda busy.” 

“Busy doing what?” he snarked. 

He was just itching to test her patience now. 

“Believe it or not,” she folded her arms over her chest. “I’m busy doing lots of things, Aiden.” 

“Busy trying to get a life? Busy trying to find some friends?” 

“I don’t know! I’m just busy, okay?!” Jesse exploded, throwing her hands up in a combination of both frustration and stress. She wanted to hit him so badly, but knowing that wouldn’t serve her any good other than blowing off some steam, she controlled herself. 

Aiden’s eyes widened at the motion as he took a few steps back. Something flickered in his gaze that Jesse couldn’t place a name to. The surprise doesn’t last long though, because immediately after, his expression darkened considerably, morphing into a scowl. 

“I was just joking. It was a joke. What, like you’ve never heard of one before? Geez.” 

“Sorry,” she mumbled, “but I really don’t have time for you right now.” 

She pushed past him, grateful that he didn’t try to fight her, before he could get the chance to say something in retaliation. Before Jesse could turn back around and say something else she knew she’ll regret, she quickly pressed onward, continuing her search for Ivor.

Chapter Text

Turns out Ivor wasn’t Ivor, but an agitated older woman wearing a similar outfit. She had berated Jesse for grabbing her before storming off, leaving her in the middle of a whispering crowd of people and feeling more stressed than ever. 

“Jesse, hey, you doing okay? I heard yelling.” 

Olivia’s concerned voice shook Jesse out of it as she took her friend by the arm and guided her away to where there were significantly less people. 

“Yeah, peachy! Everything is going just GREAT,” she drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Seeing the worry in Olivia’s expression, Jesse sighed, slumping her shoulders. In a quieter voice, she confessed, “I ran into Aiden a little earlier. He was… less than nice, to say the least.” 

“Oh, Jesse,” Olivia said, giving her friend a hug. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Don’t be. I know it’s stupid, but I think I’m finally getting over it.” 

“Well, that’s a good thing!” 

Jesse knew her friend was trying to channel some positivity into the conversation, but she really wasn’t feeling it, so her smile felt more like a grimace. 

“A good start,” Olivia corrected after a pause. “Anyways, what happened to you guys? I saw Petra storm by earlier mumbling something under her breath. She looked pissed.” 

“Remember that thing Petra and I had to do before the con? Long story short, the guy was a scammer. Now, Petra’s missing a diamond, and I’m helping her look for the guy. You in?” 

“Oh, I’m in, alright. What exactly am I looking out for?” 

“Tall, kinda shifty-looking guy with long hair and a beard.” 

“Sounds suspicious already,” Olivia snorted. “How did both you and Petra not think this was a bad idea?” 

“Well… I tried to tell her, but you know how Petra is.” 

“Fair enough.” 

“Also, this may be a shot in the dark, but any chance you’ve seen Reuben around? I lost him in the forest earlier when we were chased by monsters.” 

“Sorry, Jesse, I haven’t seen him either. I’ll keep an eye out for him though. He’s bound to turn up sometime.” 

“Yeah.” Her voice felt lodged in her throat. “Thanks, Olivia. I’ll, uh—I’ll see you later.” 

“See you later, Jesse. And be careful.” 

Jesse turned away and continued scanning the crowd. Most of them have begun to thin out, with people heading towards the Hall where Gabriel would be giving his keynote speech. 

Meanwhile, she still hadn’t found their guy, and time was running out. What if he had left the con entirely and was long gone? He could have given her the slip when she was too busy trying to push past people to notice. That would suck, but it’s a very real possibility. 

A shrill squeal pierced the air, and she froze in her place, rigid. Every single one of her nerves were pulled taut in apprehension. That had to be Reuben. She could recognize the sound of her pig anywhere, but she couldn’t see him. He could be in danger and she had no idea where he was. 

“Reuben?!” she exclaimed, whipping her head around frantically as she made her way towards the sound, shoving through people as panic crept up her throat. “Reuben, where are you, buddy?” 

She followed the cries to a butcher stall, and her heart thudded in her chest with a thunderous pound. That couldn’t be it. Surely, Reuben was somewhere safe. He needed to be. He promised her he would be. 

“Getcha pork chops here! Fresh off the bone!” 

Sure enough, the butcher brought out her pig and tossed him on the counter. Reuben trembled like the leaf as his pleading eyes sought out hers, and he began struggling under the butcher’s unyielding grasp. 

“Nothing sticks to your ribs quite like a juicy pork chop!” 

“Reuben! Hey! Excuse me!” 

Jesse dashed up to the front of the line, earning cries of outrage all around her, and she protectively stretched an arm out in front of Reuben and the butcher’s axe. The butcher glared at her. 

“What’s the big idea? I’m trying to run a business here,” the man all but growled at her. 

Jesse flinched, but remained firm and held her ground despite her trembling hands. “Sorry, but that’s my pig. His name is Reuben.” 

“Oh really? Well, I found him out in the woods, so I think that makes him MY pig. Though, I gotta admit, not the fattest pig I’ve ever seen… But he should cook up real nice anyway.” 

“Please, sir? He’s family.” She was begging now. Desperation laced every word as she stared at the man’s axe covered in blood—pigs blood. No doubt from his earlier sales. 

The man wasn’t fazed, but his glare lessened as he shrugged indifferently. “And to me, he’s inventory.” 

“What’s going on here?” 

A new voice joined the conversation, having snuck their way over to Jesse’s side during the commotion. She hadn’t even noticed their presence until now, too fixated on the fact that Reuben might be turned into a meal. 

She turned her neck to the side as her eyes widened at the sight of someone she clearly wasn’t expecting. 

“Lukas?” she sputtered. 

“Hey, Jesse. Wasn’t planning on seeing you again so soon, but— Whoa, you’re not looking too good. You… okay?” 

She shook her head. Jesse knew she probably looked like a mess—blotchy, bloodshot eyes, ruffled clothes, stringy black hair—but nothing mattered to her more than Reuben. If she lost him, she didn’t know what she would be capable of. 

When she finally found her voice again, she asked him quietly, “What are you doing here?” 

“Well, I heard your voice, so I figured I’d come check it out. I see I wasn’t too late.” 

If she were to haphazard a guess, she would say Lukas almost looked embarrassed. He had no reason to be, but it was endearing in its own way. One of her sworn rivals was acting shy because he was worried about her wellbeing. That’s something she never thought she would ever experience. 

“Yeah,” she sniffled, wiping at her eyes fiercely. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. Can you help me, please? Reuben, he—” 

“Oh, right.” Lukas said stiffly. “Of course.” 

Turning towards the butcher, he asked, “Sir, that’s my friend’s pig. Is there anything we can do to take him off your hands?” 

“Well,” the butcher remarked after some thought, “I might be amenable to some kind of trade…” He glanced over the two of them standing before adding, “Not that you two look like you got much of value.” 

“Alright, Jesse. We should see what we have. I’ll go first.” Lukas rummaged through the pockets of his jeans and jacket and procured a few pieces of cobblestone, a couple torches, and a slimeball. “Your turn.” 

She also checked and doublechecked the pockets of her light blue overalls, even turning them inside out, but the contents were the same as before—a couple pieces of string that she picked up from the spider Petra killed and a set of flint and steel. 

Nothing much of value, just like the butcher said. The reality of the situation crashed down on her again, making her feel confined and suffocated. Was this it then? Was she going to lose Reuben for good? 

Lukas was saying something else to the butcher, but she couldn’t hear a word over the roaring blood in her ears. Jesse didn’t even hear her name being called until he shook her lightly on the shoulder. She blinked in a daze before registering that Lukas had been trying to regain her attention this whole time. 

“Sorry,” she whispered in apology, feeling bad about everything. “I just— Sorry.” 

“Hey, it’s cool,” he reassured. “Don’t worry about it, Jesse. Anyways, I talked it over with the guy. He said you can have your pig back, but he wants your stone sword.” 

“My… sword?” 

“Yeah. That’s what he said.” 

Jesse released a shaky breath. 

She never went anywhere without a sword; it was her only means of protection and her only notable skill. Without it, she was nothing. It was such a constant in her life that she never even considered parting with it, but to save Reuben’s life—she’d do just about anything. 

“Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll give him my sword.” 

Reluctantly, she relinquished her sword to the butcher, who took it with an all-too-wide grin on his face as he shoved Reuben off the counter. 

“Nice doin’ business with you.” 

Relief flooded her all at once as she dropped to her knees to scoop Reuben up in her arms before leaving that horrible stall behind. All the tension left her body, leaving her exhausted and worn. 

“Reuben, I’m so sorry. I’m never letting you out of my sight again, buddy. From now on, anything we do, we’ll do it together.” 

The pig nuzzled into her cheek with his snout. Reuben oinked his agreement before wiggling around, eager to be set back down on the floor so Jesse complied and gently placed him back on the ground where he trotted around in a happy circle. 

Lukas remained standing a short distance away, looking out of place as he shuffled his weight between his feet. 

She carefully made her way over to him, clearing her throat. “Hey, uh, Lukas?” 

“Oh, hey, Jesse,” he stammered. “Uh… ‘sup?” 

“Thanks. For everything,” she said gratefully. “This— This means a lot to me. More than you could know. I, uh, I just wanted to say that I owe you one.” 

“No problem, I’m glad to help.” 

A silence stretched between them as the two acknowledged each other, not as rivals, but as friends. Lukas looked like he wanted to say something to her, but Axel and Olivia’s shouts of her name changed his mind. 

Jesse smiled and, with a small wave, she added, “Thanks again for the help. I’ll see you around? For the second time, I guess.” 

“Yeah,” he said, nodding quickly. “I’ll catch ya later.”

Chapter Text

Having met up with her friends, she was quickly caught up to speed with the latest update. 

Petra had found Olivia shortly after Jesse left to find Reuben, and subsequently after, the two of them had found and pulled Axel away from his chicken-watching. Apparently, Ivor showed up and managed to sneak into the convention, and after having talked with the usher, without tickets, they were stuck. He wouldn’t let them in, so they needed to find another way around. 

“The usher’s afraid of chickens,” Olivia commented as Jesse peered over her shoulder to witness the man cowering as he tried to shoo a stray chicken away. “But unless we can think of something, he’s not letting us go.” 

“So, you’re saying we need a distraction.” Jesse stated, taking a glance around. 

“A lot of chickens running around might be a distraction.” Petra pointed to the chicken machine nearby, where the glass-paned window by the chicken’s woolen head was displaying a ton of chickens trapped inside. 

“We can break that guy’s machine to create the mother of all distractions.” 

“But you have to break that pane of glass,” Olivia pointed out with a frown. “How’re you gonna reach it?” 

“Let’s look around, there has to be something we can do,” Petra said before the group split up. 

Jesse took Reuben, Olivia took Axel, and Petra went off on her own. 

She wandered the stalls a bit, contemplating what to do. Theoretically, she could just build a set of cobblestone stairs, but the guy running the stand might think she’s up to no good—which she was—and have her promptly escorted out. 

In times like these, she’s grateful that she has Reuben. 

“Hey, buddy,” she said, crouching down to his level, “I could really use your guidance.” 

Reuben gave her an affectionate rub against her knee, gazing up at her with clear eyes. She patted the pig on the head. 

“What do you think we should do?” 

He snorted thoughtfully, before he took the pants of her overalls in his mouth and carefully tugged her in the direction of, what appeared to be, a stall handing out slime blocks. 

“Of course!” she exclaimed. “Reuben, you’re a genius! I knew I could count on you, little buddy.” 

Reuben gave a squeal of agreement before she ran over to meet up with Axel and Olivia. 

“Hey guys, I have a crazy idea, but it might just work.” 

“Well, don’t keep it all to yourself, Jesse,” Axel said with a wide grin. “Let’s hear it.” 

“It’s not too dangerous, right?” Olivia added with a worried expression. 

“No, we’re going to be fine. So, I’m thinking we can get a slime block. Then, with a good running start, I should be able to reach that pane.” 

“Sounds awesome! I’m down.” 

It was officially two against one, so Olivia sighed. “As long as you’re okay with it.” 

“Great!” Jesse beamed. “You guys go get Petra, I’ll grab the slime.” 

“On it.” 

As usual, the universe decided to mess with her again because when things started going too smoothly, something was bound to be up. As Jesse approached the stall, her stomach sank at the realization that the person running it was the woman before whom she had mistaken for Ivor. 

Judging by the grimace on her face, she wasn’t too pleased to see Jesse either. 

“Oh, we meet again… haha…” Jesse began awkwardly. Her cheeks flushed a bright red as she scratched the back of her neck, trying to avoid the woman’s eyes. “One slime block, please.” 

“We don’t give out slime blocks here. Just slimeballs,” the stall owner stated curtly. “But we’ve only got a limited supply today, and we’re only giving out two per customer. You COULD craft your own slime block if you had nine slimeballs…” 

“I’ll just take the two slimeballs, please. And thanks.” 

The woman handed over the slimeballs, which Jesse immediately pocketed and tried not to think too hard about how difficult it’ll be to wash her clothes later. 

“Hey, uh,” she stammered nervously, “I’m really sorry about earlier. I had you mistaken for someone else.” 

The woman’s expression softened. “Apology accepted.” 

“Any chance I can also pick up six more slimeballs for my friends? They’re, uh, not here now, as you can see.” 

She sternly shook her head. “No can do, sorry. It’s part of the policy.” 

“That’s understandable. Sorry for taking up your time, I’ll just go—” 

“A round of slimeballs for everyone, please,” Axel cut in smoothly. Walking towards her on either side of him was Olivia and Petra. 

Jesse brightened upon seeing her friends, and they all got their slimeballs before heading back towards the chicken machine. 

Along the way, Jesse realized they were one short. They only had eight slimeballs, and they needed nine. They couldn’t go back to the stall because everyone had already received their two. Much like the usher, they needed to either find another way or think of an alternative plan. 

“Okay,” Petra began. “We need to find another way to get more slime, and quick. Jesse, you look like you have an idea.” 

“I do. But I don’t think my friends are going to like it.” 

“What is it?” Axel pressed. “You can tell us, you know. I thought friends don’t keep secrets from each other.” 

“It’s… complicated. I need you to promise me you won’t freak out, no matter what happens.” 

“You make it sound like something terrible is going to happen,” Olivia interjected. “It’s not that bad, right?” 

“Look, I need you guys to stay here. I’ll go get someone, alright?” 

Before her friends could protest, Petra gave her a firm, decisive nod. 

“Go, Jesse. Be back as soon as you can.” 

Jesse matched her nod with one of her own before diving into the crowd for, hopefully, the last time this evening. 

As she looked around the mass of people, she kept her eye out for two things—blond hair and an ocelot jacket. 

She eventually found the guy she’s looking for lounging against another empty stall, which conveniently had a crafting table. Flipping idly in his hand was the slimeball she remembered him having from when they both emptied their pockets. 

“Fancy running into you again, Lukas,” she greeted. 

“Jesse,” he addressed with a slight tilt of his head. “This is what? The third time now?” 

“Yeeeah, crazy how we keep seeing each other, haha… ha…” she trailed off. “Um, actually, I was wondering if I could ask you for another favor.” 

He raised a brow and shrugged, finally catching the slimeball with one hand. “Anything’s possible.” 

“You remember that guy Petra wanted to catch?”

“Yeah? What about him?” 

“Well, let’s say, to catch him, we need slimeballs.”

Lukas looked at her, her companions somewhere behind her, and handed her the slimeball, which she gratefully took. 

“Whatever you guys are doing, count me in.” 

“Thanks. I swear there’s a really good explanation for this, but I’ll have to tell you la—” 

“Jesse!” 

She heard Olivia’s voice calling from behind her, and she swiveled around to see their entire group walking up to her. She thought she specifically told them to wait. 

“Petra said you took too long, and Axel wanted to know who you were talking to, so we went to find you. Who’s this?” 

Jesse physically cringed when she saw the smile get wiped off Olivia’s face. She knew her friend well, and she clearly wasn’t happy to see an Ocelots member. 

“Never knew you were getting Lukas. Nice job, Jesse.” Petra said with a smile. Then, seeing the slimeball in her hand making for a total of nine, she added, “I told you he was useful.” 

“Your friends?” Lukas probed. 

“Uh, yeah. Lukas, this is Olivia and Axel. And you already know Petra.” 

“Oh, Jesse, I knew already… That was a rhetorical question.” 

“Sorry. I just wanted to have redo introductions, since things have been pretty tense between us the past few years. Anyways, Olivia and Axel, this is Lukas, the leader of the Ocelots and—” 

“Our rival.” Axel scowled. “Seriously, Jesse? This guy?” 

Lukas glared back at him, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m right here, you know.” 

“Our friend, Axel. I was going to say Lukas is our friend.” 

“Not that I don’t trust your judgment, Jesse, but these are the Ocelots we’re talking about.” Olivia reasoned. “They’ve always given us a hard time—Lukas is no exception.” 

Jesse frowned. She hated when Olivia was right. 

Just because Lukas hadn’t directly bullied them didn’t make him innocent. He never once stood up for them when his friends were poking fun at them or insulting them at the building competitions. 

However, she didn’t think that made him equally as bad as the others, especially Aiden. Lukas had helped her. She had no doubt that Aiden never would’ve done the same. 

“Guys, I know we had our differences in the past, but Lukas helped me rescue Reuben when I needed someone the most. I think we can count on him.” 

“Aw, man— This guy isn’t actually cool, is he?” Axel groaned. 

“Remains to be seen,” Olivia quipped. 

“Well, I’m with you, Jesse. I know how much the little guy means to you. I can play nice, but if we start to have a problem,” he slammed both of his fists together to drive the point home, “I’ll set him straight.” 

“Thanks, Axel. That’s all I want.” 

“I’m with you, too, Jesse. I just hope you know what you’re doing.” 

“I know. Thanks, Olivia.” 

“Alright, not to ruin your dramatic bonding moment and all, but we really need to pick things up.” Petra interrupted, shooting them all a dirty look. “Need I remind you that there’s a guy out there who still has my skull?” 

“Oh, sorry, Petra. I’m on it.” Jesse pushed back her imaginary sleeves and headed for the crafting table, all nine slimeballs in hand. “It’s craftin’ time.”

Chapter Text

A broken chicken machine, toppled usher, and a quick getaway later, the gang found themselves down in the Hall’s basement, where Ivor was nowhere to be seen. 

The basement itself was dingy and damp, with a faint mildew smell that clung to the air. It tickled her nose and was rather unpleasant. Each of the dusty and rotting shelves were filled with books about brewing potions and enchantments—not that she’d find any use for them. 

If there was one good thing that came out of this trip, it was the new golden sword she had gotten from Petra. 

Her friends couldn’t find anything, and it was only until Axel had swiped a potion to exchange for the glowing one he stole, did she finally notice a hidden lever. A creepy villainous lair wasn’t complete without one, so she flipped it, revealing a hidden wall hidden in the form of the bookshelf Olivia was looking at earlier. 

The group gathered around the soul sand and weird block structure in the center of the room. It was weird, all weird, and it sent a horrible, uneasy feeling down in the pit of her stomach. 

Jesse had a feeling they were walking into something way bigger than they were prepared to handle. It was dangerous; they needed to get out of here now. 

She threw open the lid to the chest, expecting to see the skull, but the outcome was far stranger than she was prepared for. 

“Good news, and weird news, guys. I found the skull, but you might wanna take a look at this.” 

“What the hell?” Petra exclaimed. “Why’d I risk my neck for that skull if he’s got two of them already? He was in such a hurry to get it, too…” 

“I have a bad feeling about this. I think we should leave.” 

“Jesse’s right.” Olivia agreed. “Whatever this guy’s up to, I don’t want to be here when he gets back.” 

“I think I know what’s going on here,” Lukas admitted with some hesitation. The look on his face spelled nothing but bad news. “Soul sand, plus three wither skulls… that’s the recipe for a Wither.” 

Petra was aghast. “But… a Wither… that’s—” 

“One of the worst monsters there is,” he finished for her. 

“We need to get your skull and leave, Petra. Now.” Jesse stated with urgency. 

“I’m not disagreeing with you. Let’s grab the skull, and get out of here—while we still can.” 

Just then, the worst came to pass. The door to the basement swung open with a heavy creak, and a pair of footsteps tapped down the stairs. There was only one person it could be—Ivor. 

“Uh, guys?” Lukas panicked. 

“Scatter!” Petra commanded in a harsh whisper, and the group split up. 

Jesse dove between a shelf and a chest, curling up into a ball as her heartbeat thundered loudly in her chest again. She knew this was going to be a terrible idea. She should’ve gone back to the treehouse to spend the rest of her evening, but now she was hiding from a potential psycho in his terrible basement lair. 

Ivor’s monologuing voice rang out all around them as he made his way to the front where the contraption laid. They almost escaped detection, but a toppled bottle gave them away. 

Ivor wasn’t too happy to see them again, so when negotiations inevitably failed and he summoned an iron golem to escort them out of the premises, Jesse scooped up a shaking Reuben into her arms and dashed like mad out of the basement. 

Once they were safely blended in among the crowd of people waiting for Gabriel’s keynote, they could finally catch their breath. However, the moment of relief didn’t last long as Olivia looked around them, concern beginning to etch permanent marks on her face. 

“Um… guys? Where’s Lukas?” 

Jesse’s heart sank to her stomach. “I could’ve sworn he was right behind me the whole time.” 

“Well, if he’s not here,” Axel frowned, “then the only place he could be is—” 

The group turned towards the slightly ajar door with matching grim expressions. 

Jesse said what they were all thinking. 

“He’s still down there.” 

Petra brought forth the first important point. “Ivor’s got an iron golem and all the ingredients he needs to build a Wither down there. If he were to unleash it in this crowd of people… We have to act fast.” 

“It just so happens that the greatest warrior of all time is in the building,” Olivia remarked, glancing at the stage. “We can ask Gabriel for help.” 

“What exactly are you guys suggesting?” Jesse snapped, horrified. 

There’s no way her friends were suggesting that they leave him down there by himself. What if something happened to him? What if they couldn’t get to Gabriel on time? 

“I know how you feel, but this is the smartest way to help Lukas.”

“He’s tough,” Petra added. “I just hope he’s tough enough to hold out a little bit longer.” 

The group glanced between each other as they came to a conclusion on what to do next. It seemed that none of them saw a problem with leaving Lukas down there by himself, not even Petra. It was eating her up inside. Reuben looked up at her with a worried oink, and Jesse knew that this was the right thing to do. 

“I’m going after Lukas by myself,” she announced. Her voice trembled with every word, but she stilled her shaky hands and willed herself to be strong. She had a sword again. Things were going to be different. 

“By yourself? Are you sure Jesse?” 

“Yeah, I need to help him. I owe him one.” 

“You can owe people in ways that don’t involve risking your life,” Olivia argued. “But I’m guessing you already made up your mind, so be careful.” 

She gave Jesse a brief hug before parting ways, and Jesse, for the second time this evening, drew her sword. 

“The rest of you, go get Gabriel.” 

“We’re on it, Jesse.” Olivia. 

“We’ll figure out a way to warn Gabriel and then we’ll meet you back here.” Petra. 

“Let’s crash this party.” Axel, who seemed remarkably unfazed compared to everybody else in the group. 

“Thanks, guys. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

They split once more, with Jesse and Reuben falling back towards the basement and the other three making their way through the crowd towards the front. 

Jesse stood in front of the basement door once more and placed her hand on the knob. Taking a deep breath, she swung open the door and took a step inside. As the door eased closed behind her, the words of Gabriel’s speech echoed all around her as she began her descent into darkness. 

“With the right training and guidance, anyone… and I mean anyone can become a hero. You just have to believe it.” 

The door sealed shut with a click.

Chapter Text

Jesse wasn’t feeling particularly heroic. Scared would be a more accurate descriptor, and terrified was another. 

She clenched her jaw down hard to prevent her teeth from chattering, and her sweaty palms gripped the handle of her gold sword as she descended the last of the steps. Reuben sniffed the air cautiously before taking a few brave steps forward. 

The usual groan of metal was absent, lulling her in with a false sense of security that perhaps the iron golem had despawned. Jesse was once again proven wrong when she saw its bright red eyes flash ominously throughout the dark, illuminated only by the occasional, dimly-lit torches, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin in fright as she ducked behind the nearest shelf to hide. 

“Okay, new plan,” she whispered towards Reuben. “I’m going to need you to scout out a path for me. Do you think you can do that for me, buddy?” 

Reuben nodded up at her resolutely. 

Jesse smiled. “Thanks. I’ll be right behind you every step of the way, don’t worry.” 

With Reuben leading the way, Jesse felt her confidence rise. Remaining undetected was her main goal, and she followed the pig up until she reached her old hiding space from earlier. She hopped over the shelf, quickly pulling Reuben down with her as she accessed the situation. 

Jesse hadn’t seen Lukas at all, which meant he was either very good at hiding or he was constantly moving around to remain undetected and they somehow didn’t cross paths. The latter was highly unlikely, since she didn’t hear any other footsteps other than hers and the dull thuds of the golem. 

Running out of options, Jesse resorted to whisper-yelling to the best of her ability. It wasn’t the most effective of methods, but so far, it was her only option. 

Cupping her hands over her mouth to amplify the sound, she called out in a hushed tone, “Lukas? Can you hear me? Say something if you’re still here.”

“Jesse? Is that you whispering super loudly?” A voice opposite of where she was met her ears, and she peered over the shelf to see Lukas peeking out from one of the chests. 

“Lukas!” she smiled, waving at him. “Over here!” 

“I see you, Jesse.” Then, his eyes widened before he closed the chest cover with a final warning. “Look out!” 

She turned just in time to catch the shadow of the iron golem brushing past her, and she immediately put her head down and held her breath, waiting for it to pass. The iron golem’s heavy footsteps faded as it took off in the opposite direction, allowing Jesse and Lukas to continue their conversation. 

“I’m glad you’re okay, Lukas.” 

“I wouldn’t say I’m okay, but I’m glad I’m not worse,” he admitted. “Well, I also can’t say this is the BEST spot I’ve ever been in. Any bright ideas?” 

“I’m thinking of attacking it while you make a run for it.” 

“With what?” he asked in disbelief, staring at her like she had just told him she had three separate heads. 

She showed him her sword, which glimmered faintly in the lighting. 

Lukas frowned, shaking his head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but… don’t do that. Just… just don’t.” 

She put her sword away with a frown. “Well, do you have any better ideas?” 

“Hold on, I’ll… I’ll think of something. Just don’t do anything while I’m thinking.” 

“You better hurry then, Lukas, because I think it’s coming back.” 

Another shadow passed overhead, and Jesse instinctively ducked. The iron golem did another brief sweep of the area before moving back towards a different section. Lukas’s head popped out of the chest again. 

“I’m starting to get sick of doing that,” he grumbled. 

Despite the dire situation, that garnered a breathy laugh out of her. 

“Tell me about it. My back’s killing me.” 

He grinned before his expression turned serious once again. “Okay, Jesse, you see that bottle on the shelf?” 

“Yeah,” she said, glancing up at what he was referring to. “What about it?” 

“I need you to take it.” 

“Oh, come on. Seriously, Lukas? We’re stealing from Ivor now?” 

“What? No! Look, I need you to take it, so you can throw it.” 

“Oh. That makes a lot more sense.” 

Jesse wasted no time in nabbing it from the right side of the shelf before the golem could see, pulling a face when she noticed the murky grey and blue liquid swirling around inside. 

“Okay, I got it. But ew, what even is this?” 

“No idea,” Lukas whispered back, “but I think it’ll make for a fairly decent distraction. Just throw it over when he’s not looking at us.” 

“Okay, I got it. I’ll let you know when it happens.” 

She waited until the golem was heading back across the room, away from them. Taking her best aim, she threw the bottle. 

Jesse watched as it soared through the air, and for a brief, triumphant moment, she believed that she had successfully managed to hit the shelf. To her horror, the trajectory of the bottle was not at all what she had predicted. It ended up nailing the golem on the back of its head, causing it to swivel around and stare directly at her. If iron golems could glare, she thought this one might. 

“Uh, Lukas?” She said in her normal tone of voice. “Distraction is thrown, but we should probably run!” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” 

Lukas leapt out from the chest and sprinted towards the door. She covered for him, but it wasn’t that helpful, since the iron golem had already set its sights on her the moment she threw the bottle and was steadily gaining on her. 

Jesse scowled, drawing her sword. She was getting absolutely sick and tired of this day, so when the iron golem swung at her with its arm, she parried it. The metal screeched abrasively against each other, ringing loudly in her ears and echoing in the small space. 

The iron golem let out a roar, swinging its other arm in retaliation and forcing her back towards the stone brick wall. Despite her consistent sword practice, she was still fresh when it came to actual combat experience. This was a battle she couldn’t win. 

Reuben came to her aid by squealing in defiance from across the room, distracting the golem enough for her to give it the slip as she darted towards the stairs. She smiled at her little companion when she saw him scamper in front of her, leading her to the door. 

“Nice one, Reuben!” 

To her surprise, Lukas was waiting for her. 

“Okay Jesse, come on! Let’s go!” 

She followed after him in a run, taken aback. 

“Lukas? You stayed?” 

“I wouldn’t abandon you here, not after you came back for me.” There was a certain edge to his tone that almost sounded offended, but it relented as he added, gratefully, “Thanks for that, by the way. To tell you the truth, I didn’t think anyone was going to.” 

The confession left her uncomfortable. 

Maybe it was because it’s the first time he’s ever been open to her about his feelings, but it felt raw and hurt. Something like a fresh wound, like when Jesse first got cut holding a real iron sword back when she still believed she was better suited for swordsmanship more than building. 

They were rivals; they weren’t supposed to be having shared revelations like this. It didn’t suit them. 

The two of them made it safely to the top of the stairs, and Lukas reached over to hold the door open for her. The gesture further intensified her mixed feelings. 

“Um, I didn’t come because we were close. It’s just—I think it wasn’t right to leave you there. You could’ve gotten hurt.” Jesse revealed, albeit awkwardly. She fidgeted with her hands, wringing out one with the other. 

“I know, Jesse. Thanks anyway.”

“No man left behind. That’s my motto.” 

“It’s a good one. And I guess I owe you one.” 

“Oh, it’s fine. We’re even now. Well… unless you count the slimeball, then it’s one-to-two.” 

Lukas blinked at her, reasonably perplexed, before the realization set in. “Right, the pig… What’s your deal with him, anyways? I mean, no offense, but you’re oddly attached to him.” 

She sucked in the air sharply between her teeth. The question was bound to come up in future conversation, but she hadn’t been expecting him to ask about it now, of all times. 

“Reuben is… important to me. He’s family,” she settled with. “I could maybe tell you more in the future if we hang out, but let’s focus on saving the day first.” 

That was Jesse-code for she was no longer having this conversation and any further attempts to communicate said topic would be dropped without explanation. Lukas shrugged, but didn’t make an effort to ask despite the glaringly obvious curiosity present in his gaze. 

“You’re right. Let’s save it for another time. Where are the others?” 

Now that was a question she could answer, so she filled him in on their plans right as Axel’s voice carried over from the stage area. Jesse shared a look with Lukas before both of them shrugged and headed over to join up with the rest of the group. 

They had a bad guy to apprehend and a Wither to stop. Everything else could come after in due time.

Chapter Text

There’s no way Jesse’s gang could have ever predicted what was going to happen next. Not even the greatest warrior in the world could’ve seen it coming. 

Chaos. 

Pandemonium. 

An absolutely apocalyptic nightmare unfolded before their very eyes as the Wither that Ivor unleashed and couldn’t control began to consume everything in its path. People, animals, blocks—as long as they were in view, they were all at this monster’s mercy. 

It wasn’t a normal Wither, either. It was mutating, becoming something stronger and way more terrifying. The more it consumed, the more it grew. 

The potion Ivor had crafted as a failsafe had been all for nothing, since Axel nabbed it when they were in the lair. Jesse didn’t even know he had it until it was too late. When she took it from Axel to throw at it, it shattered harmlessly against the creature’s protected central control block. 

“It’s not working!” Jesse exclaimed, panic creeping up in her voice as she felt her throat begin to close. “Why isn’t it working?!” 

“It’s protecting itself! Without the command block exposed… the potion is useless!” Ivor stated angrily, turning to direct his ire towards her friends. Then, solemnly, he uttered a chilling, “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” 

With that, he disappeared into the crowd. 

“Ivor!” Gabriel called to him. “You coward, come back here!” 

Jesse grabbed Reuben in her arms, securing him in her grasp. He was trembling like a leaf and making sad whimpering noises that broke her heart. She felt awful again. 

Somehow, in some way, she managed to screw things up, and now everybody else was paying the price for it. 

Ivor was right. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Maybe if Jesse simply minded her own business, he would’ve been able to give everyone the scare he thought they deserved before this whole thing could be over with before it got out of hand. 

Gabriel turned to her, and Jesse froze. 

“Ivor was right about one thing—I can’t defeat that thing. Not on my own.” 

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. He couldn’t possibly be suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. 

“Everyone’s running away… except for you. Will you help me? I must get to the temple, but what needs to happen next—I can’t do alone.” 

“Help? How?” She hated how strangled her voice sounded, but she couldn’t help it. Nothing in her life could prepare her for an outcome like this. 

“Follow me!” 

Gabriel took off in a sprint, and because Jesse wasn’t one to question anything the greatest warrior in the world was telling her, she took one final look at her friends, the monster above them, and ran. 

Her lungs burned with exhaustion as she continued making her way towards the exit, towards the open forest outside the con. 

She made the mistake of looking back once, and was horrified at the monster that had broken through the glass dome of the convention’s Hall. It was unlike anything she had ever seen or read about—huge, with multiple tentacles, glowing indigo eyes, and mouths full of teeth. 

Reuben gave a few alarmed oinks at close calls when the Wither shot flaming skulls and tracking beams in their direction, and Jesse narrowly missed getting beamed up when the Wither’s pull broke apart the bridge she had taken. 

Screams resounded all around her from the other convention goers who didn’t know what was going on. People desperately pushed and shoved each other in order to get away. Somehow, she had split up from her friends. She didn’t know where any of them were. She didn’t even know if they were okay. 

However, among the crowd and between one of the stalls, she spotted someone. The familiar slicked back blond hair of Lukas greeted her, only now it was significantly more tousled because of stress and trying to squeeze through hordes of people, among other factors. 

“Lukas!” she exclaimed, relieved. 

He waited for an empty gap before running straight towards her. “Holy crap! Oh man, if I was still in that basement, I— Thanks for coming back for me, Jesse. I mean it. I wouldn’t be here without you.” 

Jesse couldn’t trust her voice, so she opted for a brief nod instead. 

Her friends all reconvened under an empty stall, but their meager attempt at shelter didn’t hold for long. A stray beam hit them, taking Petra, Jesse, and Reuben up with it. 

Still, Jesse made sure to keep one arm securely around Reuben, while her other free hand grasped tightly onto Petra. She hooked one of her legs around the fencepost, but it wasn’t enough. She thought they were goners when it snapped, but Gabriel grabbed onto her and tugged them back down. They tumbled to the floor ungracefully in a mass of tangled limbs, but they were alive. That’s all that mattered. 

Gabriel then mentioned something about a fortress, so they all set off towards the prospect of safety. They reached it in record time, and Jesse never felt so thankful to have both feet on the ground and a roof over her head. 

“The inner chamber is built entirely out of obsidian. We should be untouchable in there.” Gabriel explained, flipping a lever revealing the inner room. 

After having dodged tracking beams, flaming wither skulls, and massive tentacles, Jesse believed that this would be the end of it, that they would be safe. She was quickly proven wrong, like many other times this evening, when a tentacle forced its way inside and began thrashing around, no doubt looking for them. 

“Hurry!” Gabriel urged, drawing out another diamond sword to fight. He was protecting them. “If you can get through the portal, you’ll be safe!” 

Axel ran through first, but when he came out the other side still in the chamber, he turned back around with a nervous laugh. “Uh, something’s not right here.” 

“It’s not lit!” Olivia exclaimed, glancing at Jesse. “We need something to light it.” 

“I got it! I got it, guys.” She crouched down and, despite how sweaty and shaky her hands were, she pulled out the flint and steel and struck it. Once. Twice. “Come on… please, please work…” 

The third time’s the charm, and the portal flickered weakly to life. The purple swirling pattern made her stomach churn, but between the Nether and the monster, she would gladly take the closest equivalent to hell any day. 

“Everyone! Get in!” Petra demanded, and for a brief pause when nobody moved a muscle, she scowled. “NOW!” 

Olivia didn’t need to be told twice. Sparing a glance between Jesse and the monster, she ran through the portal onto the other side. Axel gave her a similar look before he took Reuben, who squealed in protest, and dove straight in. Only Petra, Lukas, Jesse, and Gabriel remained on the side of the overworld. 

Jesse glanced over at Lukas, who looked petrified. She didn’t get to say anything to him because the next moment struck her with pure adrenaline. 

Gabriel’s alarmed shout echoed as he was grabbed by one of the tentacles, and Jesse, as she had done so many other times tonight, drew her own sword to fight. Petra shouted her name before chasing after her, but nothing could stop her—not even when more tentacles pierced through the ceiling to swipe at her. 

Jesse brutally hacked the first one down before dodge-rolling under another. Petra stayed behind to battle the one that she left alone, covering for her exposed back. 

She successfully made it to the warrior, slicing through the tentacle that was holding him hostage and tugging him free with a grimace. 

“Thank you,” he said gratefully with a smile, but it quickly dimmed as he took in the surrounding mayhem with a melancholic gaze. 

A few people from the convention who had managed to make it to the temple ran around, lost and unsure of where to go. The Wither mercilessly picked them off one by one and they disappeared into its main body, never to be seen again. 

Jesse swallowed thickly. This was cruel. All these people, and none of them could make it. 

“There are so many of them… I-I can’t save them all.” Turning to Jesse, he pleaded. “I can’t stop this by myself. We need to find the others.” 

“Others?” she prompted, both confused and concerned as to where this conversation was leading. 

“Soren’s been missing for years. But the others—you must seek them out. Take this amulet.” Gabriel pulled out a compass-shaped object, with a soft blue light gently pulsing from it, and handed it to her. “You must guard it with your life. You can do this. You must.” 

“How— How am I supposed to find Magnus and Ellegaard?” 

“The amulet will guide you. Take it through the portal, and then—” 

Another crack resounded in the cramped space, and Jesse realized that the monster had already taken the entire roof. Petra’s shout rang out, and Jesse immediately ran to join her friend, slashing furiously at the monster who destroyed her home. 

Lukas suddenly screamed. It seemed that he was brought somewhat back to reality, and he ran over to Petra and Jesse, who kept their swords brandished in case more tentacles decided to ambush them. 

“You two, go through the portal and meet up with the others. I’ll stay here and do whatever I can.” When Jesse didn’t move, Petra turned to her and ordered, “Go on, Jesse. Go! Get through that portal, now!” 

She never felt much like a hero, and she knew she wasn’t the most courageous of them all, but being told to run away and abandon her friends in their time of need—well, admittedly, it hurt more than it should. 

“I’m not leaving without you,” Jesse insisted, stubbornly shaking her head. “It’s together or not at all.” 

Petra’s expression softened, but she still didn’t let up. “I don’t want to fight you over this. The gang needs you, Jesse—go through the portal.” 

After everything they went through today, Jesse would call Petra one of her friends, and it pained her that they still had this distance between them. Petra wasn’t one to rely on others, but to say that the gang only needed Jesse was simply untrue. 

She was as much a part of their gang as anyone else, and Jesse wasn’t going to let her think otherwise. 

“But I need you!” she blurted. “And I’m not gonna just gonna sit around and let one of my friends go off and die on me.” 

“Hey, I’m not going to die,” Petra assured sternly, mouth in a thin line. “If anything happens, I’ll meet you guys at the temple.” 

“Okay,” Jesse nodded. She tried her best not to cry—to look tough, because that’s what heroes do. “Okay, I’ll go.” She grabbed Lukas by the arm, trying to ignore how he shook under her grasp, and walked towards the portal before turning around stating, “But if I don’t see you, I’m coming back.” 

“That’s a promise, Jesse.” 

Even if she wanted to say something else, she couldn’t. 

At that moment, another beam appeared and picked Gabriel up. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t free himself as he floated upwards towards the monster. Jesse left Lukas behind by the portal and rushed over to help the warrior alongside Petra, only for her to get picked up in another beam. Her blood ran cold. 

She couldn’t help both of them. 

“Lukas!” She attempted to call for him over her shoulder, but when she turned around, he was paralyzed by fear. He was also too far away. He couldn’t help her. 

It was all up to her. 

Jesse looked at Gabriel, then she looked at Petra. It was a choice she never wanted to make. She couldn’t believe she was picking who to save and who to die, but all she hoped for was understanding. 

Meeting Gabriel’s gaze, she looked away shamefully before grabbing Petra, sending both girls sprawling on the floor of the chamber. Jesse tried to avoid her eyes in fear of judgment and offered a hand to Petra, who took it. 

“Thanks Jesse.” Petra croaked. “But Gabriel’s still up there.” 

“Jesse! Go!”

That was the last she heard from him before he closed his eyes, resigned to his fate. 

Petra reached up to try and grab him, but he was already too far out of reach. She growled in frustration, hacking at another tentacle that tried to take her. 

Jesse didn’t have time to draw her sword again as another tentacle swept in from above. She narrowly managed to dodge it the first time, but it swiftly redirected itself, lashing straight into her stomach. 

She felt the wind knocked out of her, and the last thing she saw before being launched backwards was Petra’s concerned face looking back at her. Jesse felt Lukas’s body cushion the impact before they both crashed through the portal.

Chapter Text

With a loud and involuntary yelp, Jesse flew out of the portal, landing on something soft in comparison to the usually harsh netherrack. The oppressive heat swamped her senses, leaving her dulled and sluggish. 

“Ugh, my head…” She reached up with a free hand to rub her temples. 

It seemed that all her limbs were intact. That was a good thing. 

No sign of any of her friends, though. 

A groan resounded from below her, and Jesse nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized who it was. Lukas was pinned under her, and he had just regained his bearings, blinking up at her, stupefied. 

It was an awkward situation to be stuck in, but at least now she knew the reason why the ground wasn’t searing hot. 

“Lukas?! Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. Here, let me get off.” 

Jesse tried to wiggle herself free but couldn’t. She realized that Lukas had his arms locked firmly around her waist and raised a questioning brow. 

“Uh, Lukas? You need to let go first so I can get off of you.” 

“Yeah, of course.” Lukas turned red, and hastily let her go. He coughed, clearly flustered. “Sorry, Jesse. I, uh, figured I would try to catch you when the Wither got you, and yeah… That happened. Sorry.” 

She met his eyes evenly, hoping that her face didn’t look as warm as it felt. “I’m glad you caught me. It would’ve hurt a lot more otherwise.” 

The two of them stood and exchanged embarrassed smiles, eager to finally put the situation behind them. Over his shoulder, Jesse saw Olivia and Axel walk towards them. 

“There you guys are! We’ve been waiting for you,” Olivia said with a wave. “If you hadn’t shown up when you did, Jesse, I think Reuben was going to jump back into the portal for you.” 

“Aw, buddy,” she cooed, reaching down to hug her pig. “I wouldn’t leave you behind.” 

Reuben oinked as if to say she better not before giving her a stern glare down his snout. 

“Where’s Petra?” Axel eventually asked what they were all dreading to hear the answer to. 

Jesse pressed her lips together, debating on whether or not to say something when Lukas piped up first. 

“We did everything we could.” 

“What are you saying?” 

Axel narrowed his eyes, and Jesse had a feeling things were only going to go downhill from here. 

“Jesse? What is he talking about?” Olivia fretted. Her brows furrowed as she placed her hands on her hips. “Because it doesn’t sound good.” 

She sweated under the pressure, and between her friend’s awaiting glances and Lukas’s inability to speak, she cracked. Jesse glanced over at Lukas apologetically before she hung her head down and squeezed her fists together. 

“I— We tried our best. But then it attacked us again, and he froze. I was knocked into the portal.” 

“What does that even mean?” Olivia demanded. 

“What…? No,” Lukas glared at Jesse, causing her to shrink behind Axel, who served as a protective barrier between them. “You cannot…” 

Olivia confirmed all their worst fears. “So Petra is still up there?” 

“You cannot put that on me,” he stressed. “I just… I got scared. Just for a second.” 

“You got scared?” Axel snapped, walking towards him threateningly. 

Lukas matched the taller man’s stare defiantly while slowly backing up. “It wasn’t my fault.” 

“You got scared, and it’s not your fault?” 

“Axel,” Jesse warned in a stern tone, disapproval written all over her face as she solemnly shook her head. 

Axel eased off with the interrogation, but it seemed Lukas wasn’t done just yet. 

“What’s your problem, man? I mean, seriously.” 

“What’s my problem? What’s my problem?” 

Olivia sighed. “Here we go again…” 

“First of all, you and your friends are all a bunch of jerks. And second, you always freeze when it’s important,” Axel accused, shoving his hand against Lukas’s shoulder and causing the blond to stumble backwards. “Like when you froze at the building competition when Aiden set Reuben on fire.” 

“That also wasn’t my fault. I had nothing to do with that,” Lukas retorted heatedly. 

“It’s never your fault, man. You could’ve at least helped save our build. Or ran after Jesse to look for Reuben. It’s the least you could do.” 

“It was a COMPETITION. I was competing. I didn’t have time!” 

“You always don’t have time when it matters. That’s why Petra is still out there.” 

“Axel,” Jesse warned again. Crossing her arms over her chest, she shook her head. “That’s too far.” 

“Seriously, Jesse? You’re taking this guy’s side over mine?” 

“I’m not taking anyone’s side,” she frowned. “We shouldn’t be fighting like this when there are bigger problems out there.” 

“Yeah, knock it off, Axel.” 

“You too, Olivia?” Axel asked incredulously. “Is everybody taking this guy’s side now?” 

“There are no sides, okay?” Jesse insisted. “Please? Can we drop this already? And instead, we should try and figure out our next move.” 

“Fine,” he spat, walking towards the portal. “I say we gotta go back.” 

Olivia blocked him with her arms outstretched, shaking her head. “No! We just have to wait. Think about what you’re walking into,” she reasoned. 

He looked like he wanted to argue with her, but seeing Olivia’s pleading face, he reluctantly backed off. Even Axel knew when to call it quits, especially if it was his girlfriend asking. 

“I can go back for her. I still have my sword, and I’m relatively okay.” Jesse volunteered. Reuben walked up to her and bumped her ankles, but she shook her head. “Sorry, little buddy. It’s going to be just me this time.” 

Reuben snorted, stamping his hooves. 

“It’s too dangerous. I can’t keep an eye on you and grab Petra.” 

“Please, Jesse. Petra just needs more time. You don’t have to do this.” 

“Olivia’s right,” Lukas cut in, flinching slightly when Axel directed a glare at him. “It’s too risky. You barely made it out once.” 

“Petra would’ve done the same if it was any one of us out there.”

At Jesse’s words, the group fell to silence. Nobody could say anything in protest because it was true. Petra’s presence was clearly missed by the group. 

Just then, the portal made a warping sound as the group anxiously crowded around in fervent anticipation, but the one who popped out from the other side was not anybody they were hoping to see again. 

“Ivor?” Jesse cried in disbelief as he fell through the portal and landed on his face. She reached out to try and help him up, but Axel held her back. 

The man stood up with a scowl, dusting off his clothes. “You again.” 

The rest of the group wasn’t able to express their varied emotions because a tentacle shot through the portal, whipping about. They all dove out of the way, but Jesse was the only one who was swiftly back on her feet with her sword drawn. Her muscles screamed in protest with each movement, but she stood determined to protect everyone. 

However, the creature wasn’t that interested in attacking anyone. Instead, it wrapped its tentacle around the portal and exerted a crushing force until it crumbled, taking both their last hope of seeing Petra and the tentacle along with it. 

Jesse fell to her knees in despair, pummeling the ground with her fists. “No, no, no…!” 

“Jesse, stop that.” Olivia grabbed her by hand and pulled her back onto her feet. 

Her eyes filled with tears as she threw her arms around her friend and sobbed into her shoulder. Axel and Lukas stood off to the side, warily examining their final, unwanted visitor. 

“You ruined everything!” Ivor’s accusatory voice echoed around them. He rounded towards Axel, jabbing a finger in his direction with a sneer. “Don’t pretend you don’t know, thief. You took my most valuable potion… And what should’ve been my moment of triumph!” 

“And how is that remotely our fault?” Olivia argued, fuming. 

Jesse stepped back as her friend advanced onto the Ivor, arms thrown up and waving while every other word dripped from her mouth with sarcasm and rage. 

“This plan of yours was ridiculous from the very beginning! Trying to prove a point to ONE person by unleashing a monster to torment HUNDREDS of others was always going to be a terrible idea! Way to go, genius!” 

To this day, she had never seen her friend so angry—and justifiably so. Axel stared at his girlfriend, who had come to his defense, with his mouth agape. To say he was impressed would be an understatement. 

Even Ivor seemed genuinely at a loss for words, until he doubled down by saying, “Maybe… but if you hadn’t stolen from me, I would have destroyed it. And all those people would have been saved. There’s nothing left up there! Nothing but that Wither Storm.” 

“Wait, why are we even wasting time talking to this jerk?” Axel interjected. “We have to go and get Petra!” 

“The girl! I saw her.” 

“What?” Lukas looked at him with wide eyes. 

“While I was running toward the portal, I passed her,” Ivor explained. “She was running in the opposite direction. Such bravery. Of course,” he tapped his chin thoughtfully, “there’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity. And your friend has clearly crossed it!” 

“Petra’s going to make it. She has to.” Miraculously, Jesse found her voice, so she went in the front to face Ivor properly. 

It’s about time they had an open dialogue. 

“You’re concerned about your friend. It’s admirable,” he mocked. “You’re all going to be dead very soon.” 

“What is this dude even talking about?” Axel scoffed. 

“You don’t even realize you’re in danger—right now.” 

“Aren’t you also in danger?” she pointed out with a frown. 

Ivor ignored her in favor of gesturing down one of the many dark tunnels. 

“Through that tunnel is a network of minecarts built by the Order of the Stone. It’s your only way out.” 

It was a surprisingly considerate remark from someone she considered one of their worst enemies. There had to be a catch, but nothing in Ivor’s expression betrayed any of his other emotions besides his seemingly default annoyance. 

“Should we really be trusting this guy? I say we go that way,” Axel said, pointing to another dark tunnel. 

“Time’s wasting,” Lukas reminded everyone. “We should go soon.” 

Ivor shrugged. “Suit yourself.” 

“What about you, Ivor?” 

“What about me?” 

“How will you get out of here? Are you going to come with us?”

Ivor laughed, but when he realized she wasn’t joking, his expression fell. “Oh, you weren’t joking. Goodness, no. I’ll use my imagination.”

The sudden cry of a ghast startled everyone, and Jesse whipped her head around to try and locate the source of the noise. 

“What was that?” Axel asked. 

“I would wish you good luck, but luck won’t carry you through the Nether. You have my sympathies.” 

With that, Ivor procured a potion from his inventory and drank it. He disappeared before the empty glass bottle even hit the ground. 

“I’m starting to really hate that guy,” Olivia quipped upon seeing the ghast glide menacingly towards their group. 

“Let’s get out of here!” Axel shouted. 

Jesse agreed.

“Everyone, RUN!” 

And so, much like any other time, Jesse and her friends found themselves running like hell with the ghast hot on their heels. She didn’t like Ivor as much as the next guy, but she hoped that whatever minecart system that awaited them was real and not a myth. Otherwise, they were screwed.

Chapter Text

The minecart system was real, verified by the stained glass pattern that displayed the Order’s signature colors, but it took Jesse on one of the worst roller coaster rides she’d ever been on—and she’d been on plenty, including the ones where they sent you upside down and spun you in all directions. 

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Jesse admitted, queasy, as she all but crawled out of the minecart and collapsed. 

Her head hurt, her legs were two slime blocks attached to her body, and her insides felt liquified. A pained groan escaped her lips as she laid down on the floor to rest. Reuben plodded next to her and nudged her head with his snout only to elicit another groan. 

Olivia, Axel, and Lukas all tumbled out of their carts in a similar state, but Olivia gave her a look of pity coupled with mildly amused fondness before helping to pull her back on her feet. 

Having followed Ivor’s advice, they had officially made it to the end of the tracks. It was anticlimactic, to say the least, but with nothing else in sight besides a nether brick path lit up by glowstone, their group continued to trek onwards towards the unknown. 

“Is… Is everyone okay?” Jesse asked hesitantly, surveying the rest of the group as they walked with furrowed brows. 

Both Axel and Olivia turned to look back at her as they walked, each of them sporting matching frowns as they shook their heads to her question. Even Reuben somehow managed to look disappointed with his little piggy features. Tough crowd tonight. 

Turning, she checked on Lukas, who glared at her and didn’t say a word. She stared back at him wordlessly, mouth flapping open and close as she tried to come up with something to say in retaliation. 

What did she even do to piss him off? There’s no way he was still mad about earlier, right? She had told her friends the truth—nothing but the truth. What else was she supposed to say? 

In the end, she chose to not say anything and continued walking. 

“Are you sure you should be asking that?” Axel responded. “You look like you had it worse than the rest of us.” 

“To be honest, not really, no.” Jesse slumped her shoulders, trying to think of what else to add. She eventually tried again with: “Fine, I have a slightly better question. Do you think it’s like, possible to throw up multiple times inside your body?” 

“Uh-huh.” Olivia humored her question. “I would know because I just did, about five times.” 

“Great. Thanks. That’s good to know.” 

The silence resumed until they made it to, what appeared to be, a central platform where all the other tracks met up. At its center, laid the portal. Its mysterious purple glow sent an uncomfortable churn down her gut when she remembered the last time she was forced to tumble through one. 

“All these tracks converge at this point,” Olivia pointed out with wide eyes. “You could probably get anywhere in the world from here.” 

Lukas walked up to the portal in wonder. “This must be what Gabriel was talking about.”

“That’s our way out,” Axel declared. 

“It must lead back to the surface.” Olivia looked slightly apprehensive as she glanced at the swirling patterns rippling across the surface. 

Jesse couldn’t blame her. With all that they’ve experienced thus far, the Nether seemed pretty tame compared to what was happening in the overworld—if you weren’t counting all the lava, and fire, and hostile monsters, and hostile monsters that could set you on fire. 

“The surface is also where that creature is,” Lukas reminded. 

“Before we go— Let’s, uh, let’s take a short break here, guys.” Jesse suggested awkwardly. 

“Sounds good to me,” Olivia said. “We could use a breather after all that excitement.” 

“I’m cool with that.” Axel shrugged. 

Everyone turned to look at their fifth and newest member with expectant gazes. Regardless of what he said, the majority wasn’t in his favor. Though he didn’t look too happy with her decision, he wasn’t trying to rock the boat, so Lukas uncrossed his arms and sighed. 

“Fine,” he relented, “but we shouldn’t take too long.” 

Olivia walked off to examine the minecart system with Axel following along behind her. Meanwhile, Lukas stalked off in the opposite direction, closer to the portal, and took a seat by one of the pillars. Jesse stood somewhere in the middle of the two groups with Reuben practically glued to her side. 

If she had to deal with any more tension between them, she was going to suffer from heartburn. 

Jesse wasn’t used to the leadership role. That responsibility was always shared among her friend group. It was how they always operated. Sharing the burden made it feel less of a monumental task. It was fair, and it was what Jesse was comfortable with. 

Lukas was a factor she wasn’t familiar with, and it worried her for multiple reasons. 

One such reason was that she didn’t know where she and Lukas stood. He helped her out, and in exchange, she did whatever she could for him, but they weren’t exactly friends. Though she had lied to Axel earlier at EnderCon, the only label she could put on their relationship was not rivals. 

Another was that Lukas didn’t know her friends like she did. The scars that the Ocelots left on her and her friends ran deep, even if none of them were physical. Having him along was always going to be a painful reminder of their shared history. Axel was enough proof of that. 

Finally, Lukas was a natural-born leader. He had charisma that got people to trust him, to like him. Lukas shone in ways she couldn’t. He even gained the respect of Aiden, which was something she worked towards her entire life. 

But now, she couldn’t help but get the feeling that her friends were relying on her. They didn’t want Lukas, they wanted her, and it was stressing her out. 

If she was to be a leader, she supposed that she needed to start with figuring out why Lukas was upset with her. So, despite her reluctance, she dragged her feet over to him and took a seat in front of him so he couldn’t look away. 

“Look, I’m sorry,” she admitted quietly, grabbing her arm in a nervous habit. “I’m not too sure what I did, but if I hurt you in some way, I’m sorry.” 

“What you said earlier, Jesse, wasn’t cool.” Lukas retorted icily. 

“Said? What did I…” she trailed off, eyes narrowing. So that’s what this was all about. She was right on the dot earlier. Crossing her arms, Jesse tried to reply as evenly as she could. “Lukas, to be frank, I know I could have phrased it better, but at the moment, I just answered a question. You did freeze. That wasn’t my fault.” 

“It wasn’t my fault either!” Lukas snapped loudly, standing up abruptly as his chest heaved with anger. 

It drew the attention of both her friends, who gazed at her with concern. Axel looked like he wanted to come over and fight Lukas himself, but Jesse mouthed at him not to intervene. This was her problem to solve. 

She gently shook her head. “I never said it was.” 

“But you— I—” 

Jesse wasn’t going to fight him on this one. It was a mistake on her part, sure, but he’s the only one who was blowing it out of proportion. Seeing her nonreaction must have triggered something in him, because Lukas gradually calmed down and took a seat. 

“Now that we can go back to having a civilized conversation,” she said, making sure to keep her tone lighthearted and sincere, “I am sorry. I know it’s not your fault. Believe me, I was scared, too.” 

He pressed his hands over his eyes in equal parts frustration and hopelessness before whispering, “You don’t understand, Jesse. I was terrified. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. Petra is still out there, and it may be my fault.” 

Lukas looked genuinely torn. She had a feeling he was being hard on himself, but not to this extent. 

In this way, he felt more human to her and less like the idealized version of him that she created in her head and held onto all these years. This was the real Lukas shining through the cracks. She just had to work a little more to uncover all the pieces. 

“Coming from someone who is Axel’s friend, he says a lot of crap all the time, but you shouldn’t let it get to you. We may have been rivals in the past, but to me? You’re not too bad. There’s a lot of good in you, Lukas. I’ve seen it.” 

He cracked into a slight smile. “Thanks, Jesse. I appreciate it.” 

She was finally getting through to him. That’s a relief. 

“Besides, there wasn’t much you could do, even if you wanted to,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Only Petra and I had weapons. And I wouldn’t want you to risk your life to save ours.” A small, teasing smile grew on her lips. “That’s like, counterintuitive.” 

“You’re right…” Lukas began grinning, finally catching on to her words. “I didn’t have any weapons.” 

“Or armor,” she helpfully added. 

“Or any equipment, really. My pockets were empty. Nada. Zilch.” 

“See? So saying it’s all your fault is a little unfair.” 

“More than a little—it’s completely unfair, actually. I mean, I don’t even know why I blamed myself. There was literally nothing I could do.” 

Jesse beamed brightly when she noticed Lukas coming out of his slump. His chuckles were a welcome change of pace compared to all the doom and gloom from before, and it was nice to see him in higher spirits rather than unusually tense and snippy. 

Lukas didn’t even seem to notice he was laughing until he caught himself, staring widely at Jesse like he had accidentally let her in on some big embarrassing secret. She didn’t think much of it though as she leaned forward to rest a hand supportively on his shoulder. 

“I must reiterate my question from earlier now that we’re cool again. So…” She tried pulling her more serious face, but the giddiness she was feeling quickly gave her away as she grinned, asking finally, “Are you okay, Lukas?” 

He abruptly stood up again, causing a startled noise to slip out of her mouth as her arm fell back down into her lap. Lukas looked absolutely mortified as he reached down to pull her up with surprisingly shaky hands. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” he said stiffly, deliberately not meeting her eyes. “But I think we should grab the others and get going now.” 

“Oh.” She blinked. “You’re right, it has been awhile.” 

She hadn’t even been keeping track of time. She’s glad Lukas reminded her when he had, or she might’ve ended up keeping her friends in the Nether forever. 

“Let’s get going then! We sorta got a temple to find and the world to save.” 

Jesse dusted off her clothes before heading towards the portal. Her friends, seeing her make her way over, followed suit. They reconvened in the center, each an equal but safe distance away from the portal. Nobody made an attempt to walk any closer than the others. However, Jesse, knowing it had already been a long day and wanting to spare her friends from the inevitable vote on who got to walk through the portal first, took a deep breath and bravely stepped in. 

“I’ll see you guys on the other side.”

Chapter Text

Jesse wasn’t too sure what she should’ve been expecting, but stepping knee-high into cold water wasn’t one of them. She found herself in a shallow pond with a small waterfall feeding into it nearby. It seemed like, for now, the coast was clear. 

“Okay…” she muttered under her breath. “Not what I was expecting.” 

Ignoring the unpleasantries that came with having to deal with sopping wet socks in her brown boots later, she waded through the water, drawing her sword only to kill a single zombie, before realizing that it was eerily quiet because she couldn’t see the Wither Storm anywhere. 

How far were they from EnderCon? From a village? There wasn’t anything obvious she could spot for miles on end. Only the whispers of the incoming wind greeted her. 

She knew she should be more unsettled, but something about being given a breather made her feel more like her usual self. 

Axel emerged from the portal next, looking wearily around as he surveyed the area. Reuben was tucked safely in his arms before he set the pig down into the water. He raised a curious brow at her drawn sword. 

“Zombie,” she explained simply, putting it away. 

“Oh. Is it dead?” 

She gave him a kind of funny look, which he frowned at. 

“You know what I mean, Jesse. I mean, is it dead-dead?” 

“As dead as it can be,” she grinned. 

“Oh, well that’s good then.” 

Olivia emerged next, with a tense expression on her face that only let up when she also noticed the quiet. Lukas was the last one out, looking uncharacteristically nervous once more. Jesse offered him a small, comforting smile, which he matched with a shaky one of his own, before leading the group up the nearby cobblestone stairs. 

“Where are we?” Olivia asked in order to break the silence, which was beginning to grate on her already frayed nerves. 

Jesse shrugged. “In the dark; in the middle of nowhere.” 

“Now don’t start getting smart with me, missy.” 

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.” 

Olivia gave her a sharp nudge in the side, and while her eyes held slight annoyance, she couldn’t help the smile from growing on her face. 

“Maybe we should bed down for the night,” Lukas suggested, taking a tense glance at all the monsters roaming around them in the shadows. “It’s dangerous to be out when it gets this dark.” 

“I thought we were headed for a temple,” Axel contested. 

“We’re looking for a giant building. It should be pretty obvious.” Olivia added to try and diffuse the situation. 

Jesse hoped that Axel and Lukas could learn to get along in the future, but she was grateful to her friend who was trying to make their situation a little more bearable for the time being. 

“Well, Ivor said—” 

Axel cut Lukas off sarcastically, rolling his eyes for good measure. “Ohhh. ‘Ivor said.’ Well, then maybe this is the temple.” 

“Axel, come on.” Olivia frowned. “You’re not helping.” 

“Lukas is right,” Jesse chimed in before things could spiral downhill. Given the fragile state of their group, another argument was the last thing she wanted. “We should rest for the night. It’s safer and better for us to resume our search in the morning.” 

“Thank you, Jesse!” Lukas blurted. “Finally, someone with some sense.” 

She pinched him on the side to prove how much she didn’t appreciate that snide remark. He scowled, but piped down and looked instantly apologetic. 

“Axel is right, too. We can’t exactly trust Ivor. He was right about the minecarts, I’ll give him that, but we need to be cautious from here. Who knows what he’s getting us into.” 

“You’re both right,” Olivia concluded with a firm nod. Seeking out Jesse, she implored, “We should hurry. I say we build a treehouse.” 

“What? But that’ll take forever! We’ll be exposed while we do it.” Axel complained. “We just need a quick and dirty hut.” 

“Look, whatever it is? We gotta do it fast.” 

Neither Olivia nor Axel appreciated Lukas’s input, so they each glanced at him before shaking their heads. 

“What?” Lukas shrugged helplessly before turning to Jesse. 

She merely sighed and shook her head, weighing their options. 

In the background, she could still make out Olivia and Axel’s quarrel, but she let them hash it out. It was better for them, and she was starting to get tired of always being the middleman when it came to this group. 

“In a hut, we won’t know what’s coming until it’s knocking on our door.” 

“A treehouse is going to be spider town. I hate spiders.” 

“Well, I’d rather meet a spider than open the door to a zombie or creeper.” 

“That’s what you think, until it actually happens.” 

“Alright, you guys, break it up already.” After some thinking, Jesse had made up her mind. “We’ll go with a treehouse.” 

“But, Jesse—” 

“I get what you’re saying, Axel. But I think the most important thing is we need to be able to see if the Wither Storm is coming. In a hut, we wouldn’t be able to do that. Plus, I think the height advantage may make finding the temple easier come the morning.” 

“Aw, man. I hate when you actually have a good point.” 

Jesse snorted. “Come on, man, admit it—you love that I always have good points.” 

“Fine,” Axel groaned. “But you gotta say I have good points, too. Sometimes.” 

“Sure, bud. We’ll say that.” 

“Thanks for having my back on this one, Jesse.” Olivia commented, smiling at her. “It’s functional. It’ll keep us out of danger,” she affirmed. 

“It’s not a bad idea,” Lukas agreed. 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Jesse clapped her hands together. “Let’s get started then.” 

The treehouse was built in record time. It had a small fire pit, and Lukas had placed the last of his torches to light up the place in the event that the fire was extinguished. 

Jesse admired their quick handiwork with her hands planted firmly on her hips. Not too shabby for a rushed, four man and one pig job. The open roof left a lot to be desired, but it did give her a clear view of the horizon, which was what she was hoping for. 

“If I wake up with a spider on my face, I’m going to expect you to deal with it,” Axel jokingly grumbled, slinging an arm over Olivia’s shoulders and pulling her close to him. 

“Lower your expectations, Axel.” Olivia replied dryly, but Jesse saw the way her friend reciprocated his touch by wrapping her arms around him too. 

“Well, maybe if we built into the tree a little bit more, it could’ve—” Lukas seemingly stopped himself mid-sentence before shaking his head. “You know what? Nevermind. It’s— This is fine. It’s good!” 

“Nice work, team.” Jesse grinned. 

When their group had situated around their little netherrack bonfire, Jesse finally allowed her sore, aching muscles to relax. She leaned back into one of the wooden supports with Reuben contentedly laying down on his belly right next to her. She gave her pig a few gentle pats on the back before he snuggled down further. 

Across from her sat Olivia, and to her left—and admittedly the furthest one from everybody else—was Lukas, while to her right, was Axel, still standing up. The tallest man was seemingly digging around his inventory all the while a wide smile was beginning to stretch across his face. 

“Axel?” Jesse called out curiously. “What is it?” 

“Oh, man!” he exclaimed. “I’m going to tell you something, you have to promise not to freak out.” 

He paused to rack in suspense, and she eagerly leaned forward in growing anticipation. “What is it, Axel? Please spit it out. You’re killing me, man.” 

“I…” he dramatically revealed, taking a few more seconds before finally announcing, “have cookies.” 

At that one statement alone, the whole group’s stomachs collectively growled in hunger. 

Jesse couldn’t remember the last time she ate (that was a lie actually, it would be the whole loaf of bread she had before the building competition). Apparently there was cake at EnderCon, but she never got to partake in it because of everything that was going on at the time. Hearing that Axel had cookies now gave her the same feeling she felt back when her friends announced that they had finally won something—pure, unadulterated joy. 

“One for me,” Axel said, pocketing one. Then, walking over to his girlfriend first, “One for Olivia.” 

Olivia smiled sweetly. “Thanks, dear.” 

“One for Jesse.” 

“Oh, man. Thanks, Axel. You’re the best!” she cheered, enthusiastically receiving her cookie. The crumbs generously coated her fingers, and she knew that this may be the best cookie she’ll ever eat in her life—and hopefully, if things go well, not her last. 

“And finally, saving the best for last… One for Reuben.” He dropped the final cookie by her pig’s little hooves, and Reuben got up to do a happy trot and tail waggle at the treat. 

Turning to Lukas, Jesse couldn’t help but notice Axel’s tone shift into something a little more malicious. “Sorry, Lukas, I only had four.” 

“Oh, no, it’s— It’s alright,” the blond stammered unconvincingly. “I’m not that hungry, anyway. I’ll just… grab something in the morning.” He chuckled hollowly. “Or something.” 

Jesse’s expression immediately softened. She supposed Lukas tended to have that effect on her now that she actually knew him. There was too much going on for them all to hold onto their old, petty grudges. It was time to put things to rest, to strive to be better to each other—once and for all. 

She stood up, ignoring the pointed stare Axel was directing at her back, and offered her cookie to Lukas. It was her olive branch, her token of friendship and forgiveness. 

“Here, Lukas,” she said gingerly. “I want you to have this.” 

“Oh, no, no, I—” his voice cracked, “I can’t do that.” 

“I still owe you one, remember? For the slimeball? Please, just take it.” 

When he made no move to accept, she reached over and placed the cookie into his hand herself. His palm was warm, and it sent a weird, ticklish feeling up her fingers. 

The look he gave her was indescribable, but she instinctively knew, deep down, that their relationship had officially changed. 

“Thanks, Jesse.” 

She took a seat next to him, nudging him playfully on the side. “What can I say? The counter’s been reset. We’re finally even.” 

“Until the next time you need something,” he joked back, shoulders much less tense than before. 

“See? You’re starting to get it already.” 

As always, moments like these didn’t last long, and Jesse looked up to meet Axel’s disapproving gaze. 

“That was for you, Jesse. Not him.” 

“Yeah, well…” she began snidely. “I suddenly remembered I had an, uh, wheat allergy. It’s fatal, I fear.” 

“I watched you inhale an entire loaf of bread this morning. What are you talking about?” 

“It’s selective allergies. And… right now, I’m selecting this as my moment to be allergic.” 

Axel sighed. They could go in circles around this topic forever with the way she was, so he decided to cut his losses here. 

“You make absolutely no sense sometimes, Jesse.” 

She stuck her tongue out cheekily. “Well, you just have to deal with it, don’tcha?” 

As her friends ate, she tried not to look at them, too afraid that she might start salivating right then and there. However, Reuben decided to make a sacrifice for her and brought his cookie over, placing it on her lap. 

“You’re the best pig ever,” Jesse proclaimed, earning a cheerful oink from her smaller companion. “I’ll treat you to lots of carrots and apples when we get back home,” she promised. 

Now that her hunger was satiated, Jesse was prepared to keep watch over her friends all night. 

Her adrenaline levels were too high to sleep soundly, and she knew that any attempts to go to sleep would end badly for all of them, especially herself. She still remembered the first time Olivia mentioned to her that she sleepwalked. 

It was the night before their first building competition, and Jesse had accidentally fallen asleep in their treehouse because she had stayed in order to count all their inventory for the next day. As a result, Olivia nearly had a heart attack when she dropped by early the next morning and found Jesse leaning halfway out one of the windows. 

The doctors she had seen told her that it was triggered by her unusually high levels of stress, and that she should make an effort to avoid sleeping in high or dangerous places from now on, just in case. 

Tonight was once again one of those nights, but Jesse found that she didn’t really mind. It kept her mind preoccupied from all the bad thoughts creeping in. 

Olivia eventually cut through the silence again with one of her favorite questions, an icebreaker. 

“If you had to… which would you rather fight? A hundred chicken-sized zombies, or ten zombie-sized chickens?” 

It was the same one she had asked Jesse this morning, when she was too preoccupied with getting in her hundred daily slashes on her armor stand. Jesse hadn’t been able to give her an answer that time, but perhaps Lukas could now. 

“Choose wisely!” Jesse said in a sing-song voice. 

A startled and disbelieving laugh slipped out of Lukas before he turned contemplative. “That’s a good one. Let me think.” 

“How can you guys joke at a time like this?” Axel asked sternly. “Petra is still out there, and she’s all by herself. There’s nothing funny about that.” 

“I know how you feel, Axel. But believe me when I say Petra would prefer this over us being down,” Jesse explained delicately. “If we’re discouraged, then… we’re already losing half of the battle.” 

“If I were her, I’d… I dunno. It feels wrong.” Axel frowned and turned away, walking over to peer at the edge into the vast distance between them and EnderCon presumably. 

“Fine, then. We should get some rest,” Lukas suggested, standing up and dusting himself off. “We gotta start looking for the temple as early as we can. Now, my guess is, if we start at the portal and kind of split up—” 

It seemed that was the wrong thing to say because Axel rounded on him with the fury of the sun. 

“Whoa, what do you think you’re doing?” 

“Did I do something to you?” Lukas inquired, starting to frown and placing his hands on his hips. “I’d really like to know. Because you keep getting on my case for what seems like no reason.” 

When Jesse caught her friend’s gaze beseechingly for some backup, Olivia only could stare at her, gobsmacked by the tonal whiplash. 

Once again, it was up to Jesse to save the group. Not that she minded, but it was rapidly growing old—like how the same joke told over and over again would turn stale. This was the probably fourth time the two boys’ egos have clashed today alone. 

Time to settle things. 

“Lukas is just trying to help, Axel. I appreciate it.” 

“See?” 

“I’m sorry, Jesse. That’s because you’re too soft. I’m not gonna sit here and listen to this guy telling us what’s what.” 

“I’m just trying to be ready for tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, well, we’re not your lackeys. You can’t make us do stuff because that’s what you’re used to. You’re the only one wearing that stupid jacket. Don’t tell us what to do.” 

The silence that fell afterward was enough to hear a piece of sand drop. This was not how her de-escalation plan was supposed to go. 

It seemed Lukas wasn’t expecting that kind of low blow either, and his fists turned white-knuckled as his face flushed with anger. 

“Take. That. Back.” Lukas seethed, each word punctuated with a single step forward. 

“Can’t.” Axel fired back. “Wouldn’t.” 

“You know what? I get to wear this jacket because I know how to build. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to break things.” 

“Your threats don’t scare me, now that we know how you really are.” 

“Jesse, your friend is way out of line.” Lukas whipped around to look at her. Uncertainty clouded his gaze, but the way his fists trembled was unmistakable. He was pleading with her, eyes searching hers for even a shred of understanding. “I wasn’t going to bring it up. But I can only take so much.” 

She was only going to tell Axel to cut it out, but her body had other plans. Jesse stood up, and before she knew it, her feet took her right where she was needed the most—standing as a barrier between Axel and Lukas. 

“Axel, I was really hoping I didn’t have to keep getting on your case about this,” she grimaced, “but I really need you to stop this. All of this. I know the Ocelots have hurt us in the past, and Lukas could’ve done us better on multiple occasions, but you need to just, I dunno…” Jesse sighed, quietly adding, “Let it go, man.” 

“Don’t be like that, Jesse.” 

“I’m serious, dude.” She insisted, clearly not having it as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Look, I get it. The pain from the past will always come back, but we need to process it in ways that don’t involve lashing out at others. It’s not productive or healthy.” 

A moment of silence, and she was almost convinced that Axel finally got it. She was immediately proven wrong when Axel towered over her and Lukas both in an attempt to get at the blond, one last time. 

“Haven’t you done enough damage for one day? Petra might be dead because of you.” 

“Hey!” Jesse snapped. “What did I just say?” 

“You’re taking this too far, Axel,” Olivia added meekly, standing up to grab one of his arms and tug him back down. 

“I don’t have to take this.” Lukas shook his head. Placing a head on Jesse’s shoulder, he carefully pushed her aside. “Listen… why don’t I just leave and let you guys hash this out?” 

“You can’t leave!” Olivia protested, directing a sharp glare at her boyfriend. “It’s dangerous out there.” 

“I can take care of myself,” Lukas said tersely. “It’s what Axel wants, right?” 

“Let him leave if he wants to leave,” was all Axel had to add as he stood by Olivia, arms folded. 

Jesse was truly at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know if she even could say anything without it blowing up in her face like a badly timed piece of TNT. 

For the first time this evening, she realized that it truly didn’t matter what she said. It was all going to go wrong. 

In her absence of a response, Olivia fixed her with a disapproving stare. 

“This is so dumb, Jesse. You’re just gonna let him leave?” 

“I’ll be fine,” Lukas reassured. 

To Jesse, he gave her an expression that said she did all she could before he hung his head down and began making his way to the ladder. Axel watched him go without another word, but Jesse was never known to be a quitter. And if there was one thing she would never quit on, it was her friends—Lukas included. 

She ran over to block his path, arms spread out wide to appear intimidating and prevent Lukas from trying to walk around her. 

“Jesse? What are you doing?” 

“Sorry, but I don’t think you’re going anywhere, Lukas.” Before Axel could butt in, Jesse growled in a low, warning tone, “That’s final.” 

At her demand, Axel finally shut up. Having nothing to say and losing the argument, he sulked to the side. 

The atmosphere was tense as everybody took their seats again. Jesse made sure to sit directly in front of the exit, so she could stop anybody from going near it. She had no qualms with getting into a physical altercation with her friends if it meant that she could prevent them from doing something stupid. 

The heavy silence lingered, until Lukas’s voice quietly broke through with his answer to Olivia’s question before all this drama happened. 

“Zombie-sized chickens. That’s what I would fight.” 

“Why’s that?” Olivia asked promptly, afraid that Axel was going to say something before her and ruin their moment. 

“Because I’m starving,” Lukas admitted honestly. His answer was punctuated by the low pitch of his stomach growling. Jesse was certain that her choice to give him her cookie was the right one, but now she wondered if she should’ve given him Reuben’s, too. 

A loud crackle in the sky was their sign that things were always going to get worse for them. After that, the rain fell suddenly, extinguishing their fire and torches and leaving them blanketed in darkness. 

“Of course,” Olivia commented sarcastically, shuffling back to take shelter underneath one of the few branches that covered their temporary shelter. Axel chose not to comment, taking a seat beside her and wrapping her in his arms to keep her warm. 

“Rain is better than monsters?” Lukas offered, trying to channel some of their earlier lost optimism, before he also made his way towards one of the smaller sections covered by branches. 

Jesse stayed rooted to her spot, shaking her head to discourage Reuben from joining her when the pig realized that she wasn’t planning on taking shelter with him from the rain. 

The heavy droplets steadily drenched her from head to toe, washing away some of the sweat and grime off her skin, and the longer strands of her black hair clung to her neck and forehead. It felt nice, peaceful almost. 

Olivia gave her a look of objection towards her extreme solution, but Jesse held her ground. This was what she decided, and she wasn’t going to let her change her mind. 

Things were finally calming down for their group, and by calming down, Jesse watched as the couple began getting lost in their own, hushed conversation—judging by Axel’s sour face, Olivia was undoubtedly scolding him for his behavior. Meanwhile, Lukas slid off his jacket and was steadily approaching her. 

“Don’t even think about it,” she warned, hand finding the hilt of her sword. 

He wordlessly shook his head and got closer, to which Jesse scrambled to her feet, fully drawing out her gold sword. “I’m serious, Lukas. Don’t try me.” 

She never physically fought a friend before. Back when they still talked, Aiden didn’t count because she always bothered him to spar and he was always more than willing to make her eat dirt. 

The reality was—Jesse talked a big game, but her hands trembled all the same. 

His jacket found her shoulders, and it didn’t take a genius for her to realize that he was lending her his Ocelots jacket. She gaped as Lukas made sure it was as securely around her frame as he could make it. 

“Jesse, you should get out of the rain.” He didn’t meet her eyes. “You’re going to catch a cold at this rate.” 

“But—” 

“I’m not going anywhere, okay?” 

“Yeah,” she said, echoing an even quieter, “okay.” 

She followed him as he took his spot, taking a tentative seat beside him and clutching his jacket tighter around her. It smelled faintly of gunpowder and something floral she couldn’t name, but it was clean and warm and only then did she notice that Lukas only had his striped t-shirt on. 

“Lukas, do you want your jacket back? You’re gonna be cold.” 

He adamantly shook his head. “No, no… Jesse, you keep it. Just for tonight. You look like you need it more than me anyways.” 

Jesse opened her mouth to say something in protest, but right then, an ill-timed sneeze caught her off guard. She blinked, too stunned by the fact her body would betray her like that to notice that Lukas had suppressed a smile. 

“See? Just take it. It’d make me feel better.” 

“Okay,” she sniffled, shrinking further into the material. She couldn’t help it, it was comfortable; she was beginning to understand why he wore it everywhere. “I’ll owe you one then.” 

“Sure, we can start keeping tally again.” 

Eventually, it grew later in the evening, and alongside the pitter-patter of the rain, she could hear both Axel’s and Reuben’s snores as her friends turned in for the night. Olivia was sleeping soundly with her head resting against Axel’s arm. It was just her and Lukas left awake as she stared off into the distance, afraid that, at any given moment, she would see the Wither Storm emerging from the darkness. 

Jesse swallowed down her fear and reminded herself that she wasn’t just doing this for herself. She was doing this for Petra, who was out there somewhere looking for them, and for Gabriel, who was counting on her. Most of all, she was doing this for the world, whose fate rested in the hands of one girl. 

She was so distracted she almost didn’t hear Lukas whispering from beside her. Almost. 

“Hey, Jesse?” 

Jesse, for once grateful for the distraction, turned to look up at him. “Yeah, what’s up?” 

“Thanks for keeping me around,” he breathed out, softly bumping his knee to hers. “You’re a good friend.” 

“No problem, Lukas,” she smiled. “I’m happy to have you.”

Chapter Text

A couple more hours steadily passed by, but Lukas found it incredibly hard to fall asleep. Not only was the rain too loud, it was also far too cold, and there were way too many noises that set him on edge. And no, he wasn’t afraid, because he’s not five years old. 

He had lied when he told Jesse to keep his jacket, not wanting to see her without it more than he was not willing to part with it. She just looked so miserable, curled in on herself and shivering, all drenched from head to toe because she was worried he was going to try and run off again. 

To be honest, he hadn’t been expecting that. Lukas never really spoke to Jesse until today, and it wasn’t because she had genuinely wanted to. Petra needed help, and because Jesse was a good friend, she had chosen to speak to Lukas, chosen to overlook their admittedly not good history, for the sake of someone else. 

It was strange. They were rivals—at least everyone he knew seemed to agree on this sentiment, to some degree—but he didn’t really know anything about her. 

The only thing he knew about Jesse was that she was nice, but that wasn’t really something he had to learn. That was an intrinsic part of who she was, just like if he were to say Jesse had a pig named Reuben, or Jesse had green eyes and black hair, or Jesse was a member of the Order of the Pig—a name that he had found ridiculous at the time, but was slowly growing on him, just as she was. 

There were sides to her that he only knew about today, only because she had given him a chance. 

Turns out the girl and her pig were more complicated than they seemed. Jesse was frighteningly adept at handling the sword, so much so that Lukas would agree that she could go toe-to-toe with Petra and come out evenly matched. She was also generally anxious around others to the point where she became self-deprecating, but she cracked jokes a lot and was a shining beacon of confidence with the people she was comfortable with. 

This was the first time he knew what her smile looked like and how her laugh sounded. Friend was a fairly new label to their budding relationship, but Lukas hoped that it was there to stay. 

Speaking of her, he wondered if she was still awake. It was late, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to check. It would be nice to have some company, so his thoughts weren’t the only thing keeping him entertained. 

“Jesse?” he whispered, not exactly expecting a response. “Are you still awake?” 

He received a soft grunt before Jesse slowly looked at him expectantly with her bright eyes. He didn’t miss the slight furrow of her brows or the soft tug on the corners of her lips. 

“Lukas? Did you need something? Why aren’t you sleeping?” 

“I, uh, couldn’t sleep.” 

Was he staring? He was totally staring. 

That’s embarrassing. 

“What’s embarrassing?” 

He totally said that out loud, didn’t he? 

“Nothing,” he stammered, hurriedly changing the subject to avoid further mortification. “Why are you still up?” 

“I’m keeping watch,” she answered plainly, as if it were the most simple thing in the world and not something Lukas would find totally out of character for her. 

“Why?” The question came out ruder than he anticipated, so he repeated himself, softer and less judgmental. Petra would be the first and only person he had in mind when thinking of someone he expected to keep guard throughout the night, not Jesse. 

“Same reason as you, can’t sleep. So, I’m keeping myself busy.” Jesse shrugged, and he tried not to pay attention to how the jacket bunched around her shoulders because it was slightly too big on her. 

“I gotta say, you’re asking an awful lotta questions, mister,” she grumbled lightheartedly. “You’re lucky I’m in such a charitable mood.” 

“The luckiest.” He smiled before it slowly dimmed as he admitted, “I just… wanted to get to know you more, I guess.” 

“Why would you ever want to do that?” She blinked slowly, tilting her head to the side, as if she couldn’t fathom him asking. 

“Because I know nothing about you? And everyone insists that we’re rivals? I-I don’t know.” 

“That’s true.” Jesse uncrossed her legs to stretch them out, in the process making a face when she noticed her boots getting wet again. “Since we have nothing better to do, what do you want to know? I’ll answer whatever I can, and the things I can’t, well… I’ll let you know if it comes down to it.” 

Well, that was easier than he had thought. Who knew that in order to get to know someone better, you just had to ask and communicate instead of miraculously hoping things would happen? 

He decided to ask one of the many questions that had been bothering him all evening. 

“Your swordsmanship— How are you so good? You’re way more intense than I gave you credit for.” 

Jesse chuckled. It was a nice sound. 

“Training every single day since you were a kid can do that for you,” she said with a shrug. “Oh, that and maybe being a five-time sword fighting tournament champion.” 

“What?” His voice came out abruptly and strangled, and his gaze immediately darted towards Jesse’s friends—afraid that he might have woken them up—but to his relief, they continued sleeping. Lowering his voice, he whisper-yelled, “You competed? And won, five times?” 

“Surprised? Most people tend to have that reaction.” 

“Surprised doesn’t even begin to cut it. You’re— That’s amazing,” he gasped in awe. “Why on earth did you take up building instead of adventuring? You have a talent, Jesse, not many people can say that.” 

She winced, and he knew immediately he had broached a subject that she wasn’t comfortable with divulging. 

“Is this another one of those topics that we can only talk about later down the line?” he asked carefully. 

“Sort of. I think this one falls more into the category of things I actually never want to talk about regardless of friendship status, but,” she nudged him gently on the side, “who knows? Maybe I’ll change my mind.” 

“Okay, I won’t force it, Jesse. I know I might not be as close as Olivia, or Axel, or Reuben, but I’d like to think we’re friends now. I guess… what I’m really trying to say is, I’m here if you need it.” 

“After everything we’ve been through together in the craziest twenty-four hours of my life?” she all but scoffed. “Oh, most definitely. Don’t even worry about it, Lukas. And, um… thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” 

They drifted into a sort of comfortable silence, merely enjoying the other’s presence, until their conversation eventually picked up where it left off. Lukas tried to stick to the easier topics of discussion—like favorites, hobbies, fears, dreams, and a little bit of everything else. 

He learned that Jesse’s favorite food was the simple potato, and her favorite animal was, of course, the pig. She liked collecting things, like ores, and hoped to have her own armor collection in the future. 

In exchange, Lukas told her that he always wanted an ocelot for a critter companion, but the action of taming one himself would be presumptuous. He also told her that, up until recently, he was terrified of heights. She laughed at him for that one, but he found he didn’t mind at all. 

He found out a few more important things, too, that he had to piece together based on the limited information she was giving him. Things like how she was the youngest of the group at twenty-two, which made her one year younger than her friends, and Lukas two years her senior—it explained their dynamic a lot better and why Olivia and Axel were fiercely overprotective of her. 

She also had some sort of complicated past with Aiden that he hadn’t known about at all until she danced around the topic. He gave her space, though. Maybe she’ll tell him in the future, or maybe he’d ask Aiden, but now was neither the time nor place for that. 

However, all good things must come to an end, and for Lukas, it happened when his inability to keep his eyes open caused them to gradually flutter shut against his will. 

He mumbled something to her that he couldn’t seem to remember before he felt her place her hand over his eyes. The last thing he remembered was Jesse’s voice whispering a soothing, “Goodnight, Lukas. Sleep well.” 

Then, everything went dark. 

When he came to again, the rain had long since stopped, and Lukas found himself laying down on his back. His eyes greeted the clear blue sky above. The sudden intrusion of light stung, but he squinted as he steadily shifted into an upright position. 

The fabric of his jacket slipped off of him and fell into his lap, and he lifted it up, momentarily confused. When did he get this back? And where was Jesse? 

“Jesse?” he rasped. When he heard no response, he hesitantly called out to the others. “Olivia? Axel? Reuben?” 

Silence greeted him. 

Even Reuben was gone, and Lukas knew that the pig couldn’t have left the treehouse without one of the others. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. They had left him behind—completely abandoned him. 

So much for Jesse’s talk about friendship and sticking together last night. 

He quickly threw on his jacket and combed back the strands of his blond hair that stuck up in unruly angles before scaling down the ladder. When he finally caught up to them, he didn’t really know what he was going to do, but he did know he was going to give them all a piece of his mind. 

“I can’t believe you guys ditched me and still couldn’t find the temple!” Lukas called out sardonically, throwing his arms up in the air to prove his point. Sure, it was petty, but it was warranted. They left him. “What? Got nothing better to say for yourselves?” 

His anger that burst forth lava-hot was soon to fizzle out when both Olivia and Axel didn’t make any remark to contest him. In fact, he knew instinctively that something was wrong, when Olivia’s wide, panicked eyes met his. Lukas noticed that she was near tears by the time she ran to meet with him. 

“Lukas, please tell me you’ve seen Jesse,” she pleaded. “Axel and I have been up all morning looking for her.” 

“Jesse’s… missing?” The weight of his question crashed down on him when Olivia slowly nodded. 

Now he felt like a jerk. Of course Jesse wouldn’t abandon him. Jesse was nice. Jesse would’ve stayed. There must be a reason then, one that he couldn’t figure out—not on his own, anyway. 

“Yeah.” Surprisingly, it was Axel who responded to his question. He rested a supportive hand on Olivia’s shoulder, carrying a rightfully worried Reuben in his other arm. “Not even the little guy could sniff her out.” 

“Jesse… she— she sleepwalks, sometimes,” Olivia explained, eventually drying her eyes. “At first, I was worried she might have fallen out and hurt herself again, but she was nowhere around. So she’s probably found herself lost somewhere.” 

“I’m sorry— Again?” Lukas asked, totally flabbergasted. Then, he shook his head rapidly, correcting himself. “Wait, that’s not important. We need to find her. I’ll help you look. What places haven’t you covered yet?” 

Olivia and Axel carefully detailed the areas they had already checked. Lukas listened carefully before suggesting his own sections that they should look at. Axel didn’t argue with him and instead nodded resolutely. 

“I hope you can find her, Lukas,” was all the taller man had to offer before taking Olivia by the arm and leading her in the opposite direction to begin their search anew. 

Lukas watched them go before running off to explore the wooded section he had picked out for himself. The shaded area provided him a pleasant respite from the hot morning sun, but he could hardly feel it as an uneasy chill crawled down his spine. 

He hoped that they could find her and that nothing horrible happened to her. He didn’t know Jesse sleepwalked. If he had known, he would have made extra sure to stay awake so that he could look after her. Lukas had thought it was strange that she was insistent on standing guard and staying awake, but now he knew the true reason behind it. 

“Jesse!” he shouted, only to be met with echoes of his own voice bouncing back between the trees. “Are you there?” 

Lukas tried again, cupping his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice. “Say something if you can hear me!” 

More silence, but also was that a groan? 

He followed the sound through the trees, hoping to see Jesse, only to come face-to-face with a zombie that hadn’t burned in the daylight. Lukas yelped, stumbling backwards only to trip and fall on his back as the zombie slowly advanced towards him. 

He was so screwed. 

He had no weapons, only sticks, and he highly doubted that they would serve him any good. Lukas shakily braced himself for a possible fistfight. Maybe he could possibly throw some dirt at it as a distraction, if it came down to it. 

“Watch your head!” 

A familiar voice called from up ahead, and Lukas had seconds to scramble back before none other than Jesse dropped down from the treetops like some kind of ninja. The fight was over before it even began. She cleanly pierced through the zombie with her gold sword, causing it to poof out of existence. 

Jesse patted down her clothes and brushed a few stray oak leaves out of her hair, which he absentmindedly noticed was the same color as her eyes, before offering Lukas a hand to help him up and a toothy grin. 

“Good morning, Lukas!” she chirped brightly. “Glad I got to you on time, but what are you doing here? Where are the others?” 

“Jesse?” He cried in a strangled voice. He couldn’t believe this was real, that she was actually here and not some figment of his imagination. “I could be asking you the same question. Olivia— We all thought you had sleepwalked and gotten lost, or hurt, or worse.” 

“Oh, um, sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you guys.” Jesse looked awkwardly down at her feet, her face burning with shame and full of apology. However, the expression goes away as suddenly as it appeared because she immediately brightened up. “Actually, Lukas… you wouldn’t believe what I just scored!” 

She procured several apples from her inventory with mounting enthusiasm. 

“Look, apples! Enough for everyone. You mentioned you were starving last night, right? Here, two for you.” She winked at him and placed a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell Axel though. He doesn’t like it when I play favorites.” 

Lukas took the apples, still stupefied by the complicated emotions swirling around his chest. 

First, he was upset because he had thought she was in trouble and slightly angry that she had run off without telling anyone. Now it was triumphed by an overwhelming fuzzy sensation as he stared down at the apples in his hands. 

Jesse did a quick recount to make sure she had enough food for everyone before she gestured at him to follow her. 

“What are you waiting for, Lukas? Let’s head back already! Follow me, I know the way.” 

“Oh, right. Yeah,” he coughed. Was it weird that his throat felt tighter than usual, but not in a way that suggested he was sick? “Lead the way, Jesse.” 

Lukas bit into the fruit, hoping to rid himself of the unusual feeling, and thought it was sweet—like her. He didn’t ponder much on it though, and carefully walked behind her to join the rest of their group.

Chapter Text

Jesse was thoroughly scolded, and she supposed she deserved it. It was stupid, and dumb, and reckless of her to run off without telling anyone, but in her defense, they were all sleeping soundly. She just wanted to secure the perimeters, and suddenly, she found apples and got a bit distracted. It wasn’t really her fault. 

The most important thing was that she made it back, and her friends wrapped her in a tight embrace with Reuben nuzzling into her calves. Jesse felt choked up with emotion. 

“Aw, I love you, guys. Where would I be without you?” 

“Still lost, probably,” Olivia commented dryly, cracking a small smile. 

“First of all, I wasn’t lost. And secondly, oh whatever… who the heck cares anyways? I’m just glad to have you.” She shared a look with Lukas, who was standing off to the side as they had their group hug. “All of you, that is.” 

“We’re glad to have you, too, Jesse.” Axel grinned, patting her on the back. “But no more running off, not without telling someone.” 

“Got it, dad,” she drawled. 

“Believe it or not, but I’m actually being serious here for once.” 

“I know, I know. Thanks Axel.” 

Their moment wrapped it up when Lukas pointed towards something he had noticed in the distance. Jesse grinned. That had to be their temple, and sure enough, after climbing up some vines, it was. 

The Order of the Stone’s temple before her in all its former glory. Though the walls had long crumbled and the building looked completely abandoned, it still managed to look majestic. 

They dropped down from the small ledge to get a closer look, and Jesse pulled out the amulet that matched the stained glass pattern. There was no room for doubt now—that was their temple. 

“It’s the Temple of the Order of the Stone,” Lukas said in amazement. 

“Lukas, are you sure?” Olivia asked, squinting into the darkness as if one of the members would just jump out at them at any given moment. 

“He’s right,” Jesse confirmed, showing all her friends the amulet. “Look. The pattern checks out.” 

“Holy crap,” Axel added. 

“Do you think they’re in there?” 

Jesse shrugged. 

“Only one way to find out. Let’s go inside.” 

They walked down narrow and dusty hallways. Jesse coughed a few times when stray wafts of dust tickled her throat, but was otherwise okay. Reuben stayed huddled close to her, while Axel and Olivia flanked her sides. Lukas chose to remain in the back for whatever reason. 

As they ventured further into the darkness lit by the stray torch, Jesse couldn’t help but notice that the walls were lined with dispensers. Surely, not a good sign. 

“Isn’t it weird how dispensers are carved to look like spooky little faces?” Axel asked as they walked. Reuben snorted in acknowledgement. “What do you dispense, little guy?” 

“IIIIII get the feeling that we don’t really wanna find out,” Olivia said pointedly. 

A hiss of a spider sent all her friends on high alert, and Jesse immediately drew her gold sword. 

“Get behind me,” she ordered, steadily creeping towards the sound. 

Her friends followed closely behind, each of them deathly silent and tense. They were making good progress, Jesse couldn’t see the spider anywhere near them, but the heavy clinking sound of machinery startled Reuben into a squealing run. And naturally, because Jesse wasn’t one to leave her pig behind, she ran after him. 

They triggered a pressure plate, which further intensified the clicking and clunking, and then Jesse had a really bad feeling when a fenced gate slammed shut behind them, effectively locking them in. 

“Woah, what was that?!” Lukas exclaimed, jumping back from the noise. 

“That’s probably not a good thing,” Axel quipped snarkily, prompting the blond to glare at him shortly before the dispensers began coming to life. “Aw, come on, dispenser faces! I thought we were friends!” 

“No time to lose!” Jesse cried out in alarm. “RUN!” 

The dispensers began shooting arrows at their group as they ran towards the middle section that was considered the safe zone. None of her friends got injured, but Jesse wasn’t fortunate enough to share that fate since an arrow nicked her on the arm. At least it wasn’t poisoned, and it didn’t ruin her favorite shirt. 

Olivia pulled her to the side, away from the boys. An alarmed and stern expression took over her face as she wiped the blood away from Jesse’s wound with the edge of her red tunic. It was a shallow wound and had closed up already. The blood only made it look worse than it actually was. 

“The dispensers got you?” 

“It’s okay, Liv, really. I’m just thankful it’s not my main sword arm.” 

“It shouldn’t be any of your arms,” she pointed out, sighing. 

“‘Tis but a mere scratch. Besides,” Jesse rolled her eyes playfully, “it’s not like I’m dying.” 

Olivia wasn’t amused by her callous attitude. 

“Yeah, I know, Jesse. It was just your arm this time. But next time, it might be your leg or even your head. I just want you to be careful, okay? Can you promise me that?” 

“You and Axel always worry too much,” Jesse protested, but quietly shrank back down. Her shoulders sagged. “I get it. I promise you, I’ll be more careful from now on.” 

“Good, now let’s go see what the guys are arguing about.” 

Thankfully, it wasn’t an actual argument, but a mild disagreement of their next steps. Axel suggested just running straight through because it worked for them before. Meanwhile, Lukas suggested a slightly smarter alternative that Jesse was more keen to follow. 

“We activated the dispensers with that pressure plate. If we can figure out a way to trigger it again, I bet that’ll shut ‘em off.” 

“I second that.” Jesse piped up. “No offense, Axel, but I’m not looking to become a skewer for monsters to snack on later. Alright, everyone you know the drill. Empty your pockets. Let’s see what we’re working with.” 

“I have a few sticks left over from building the shelter last night,” Lukas said, taking them out of his inventory. 

“I’ve got some flint. And… a piece of string.” Olivia added. 

Finally, Axel joined in. “All I have are some chicken feathers I picked up after that chicken machine exploded.” 

“Let’s see…” Jesse mumbled, “I’ve got some flint and steel. Not too helpful right now. My gold sword. Oh, and some string back when… uh, back when Petra saved me from a spider before EnderCon.” 

At the mention of Petra, the entire group took a collective moment of silence for their missing friend before Jesse cleared her throat to snap them out of it and carried all their materials to the crafting table. 

There had to be something they could craft with four sticks, a couple feathers, a single piece of flint, and three pieces of string. 

Jesse settled on making a bow and a single arrow. After removing the bow from the crafting table’s surface and giving the string an experimental tug to confirm that it was secure, she handed it over to Lukas with a smile, who looked at her in surprise. 

“Take the shot?” 

“Oh, no, Jesse.” He vehemently denied, shaking his head and pushing the bow back to her. “I don’t think I should.” 

“Please,” she snorted, “no need to be humble now. We both know that you’re a way better shot than me. Plus, I’ve seen you before.” 

“You… have?” 

“Yeah, back when EnderCon hosted other events besides just the building competition. I was walking and happened to see you participating in the archery event. I wanted to join once, but changed my mind. I spent most of my time watching the sword fighters to learn more techniques.” 

“Well, what’s he waiting for then?” Axel interrupted. His hands were placed on his sides, but it was nonconfrontational, only curious. “Take the shot, Lukas. Let’s get outta here.” 

“Fine,” Lukas reluctantly agreed, taking the bow and arrow from her. “I’ll do it.” 

“Attaboy!” Jesse praised, giving him a solid smack on the center of the back in good nature. She must’ve underestimated her own strength, since it caused Lukas to stumble forward ungracefully and almost trip. 

“Thanks for the encouragement, Jesse,” he said thinly and she chuckled sheepishly. 

“Whoops, my bad?” 

Lukas took a steady breath, straightening his posture and squaring his shoulders. He drew the arrow back, and everyone held their breaths as they watched it whistle through the air, landing directly on the pressure plate. The dispensers all clicked off at once, and Jesse let out a loud cheer in triumph in comparison to everyone else’s sighs of relief. 

“The Order of the Pig’s luck is changing,” Axel announced with a wide smile. 

Lukas shakily stashed the bow away, still jittery from nerves, and Jesse slung an arm around his shoulders, pulling him forward with her as the group resumed their walk.

“Hey, what’d I tell you?” she beamed. “Nice shot, dude. I knew you had it in you.” 

“Yeah, I— Thanks for believing in me, Jesse.” 

They found themselves in a library-like room that Axel remarked looked a lot like Ivor’s creepy basement. Meanwhile, Lukas was quick to point out that this was an enchantment room. Their group split up, and Jesse took Reuben and headed for the most interesting point of the room—the enchantment table in the center, where a single book laid open for all to see. 

Picking up the book, she was pleasantly surprised to begin reading a familiar tale—one she’s heard all the time as a kid. 

“The battle was fierce, but the Order of the Stone emerged triumphant, saving the land and ensuring that peace and prosperity would reign forever,” she read aloud. 

“Well, not exactly forever…” Lukas trailed off, moving to stand beside her as she leaned over and shared the book with him. 

It was the legend of the Order of the Stone, written by the Order themselves, but with each passing line that she read, more questions filled her mind than answers. 

She continued reading, “These… five members… five friends. Together, would give so much to gain their rightful place, as five heroes. They would author their own end. They would slay a dragon.” 

This wasn’t the story she was familiar with. It was wrong, all terribly wrong. 

Jesse slammed the cover of the book shut and handed it off to Lukas, unwilling to continue reading lest the truth of all she’d known would shatter before her very eyes. 

“Oh my goodness, Ivor was a member of the Order of the Stone?!” Olivia gasped. “The stories never mentioned him.” 

“This is so crazy,” Lukas agreed. 

“I can’t believe Ivor was a member of the Order of the Stone…” Jesse mumbled, placing her hands over her face. 

She was furious, but also lost and confused. This wasn’t supposed to be how things were. The Order were her heroes, she looked up to them—she aspired to be like them. 

Her voice steadily raised, crashing all around them. “It’s no wonder he was so angry, so bitter, as Gabriel put it. They lied to us. They lied to the whole world! And Ivor was their friend, but they erased him from their history, like—like he meant nothing to them.” 

“Maybe he was different back then,” Olivia suggested gently, placing a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “Maybe there was a reason for all this. You can’t sympathize with a madman, Jesse. Remember what he did to us, to everyone.” 

“Yeah, or maybe they kicked him out,” joked Axel in an attempt to lift her spirits. “Couldn’t deal with all his doom and gloom, so BAM! He vanished.”

She cracked a small smile despite herself. 

“Okay, thanks guys. Sorry for freaking out for a second.” Jesse took a steady breath and shook away her nerves. “You’re right, the Order might have lied, but we came here to find them to help Petra and save the world. We need to finish the job.” 

Her friends were quick to back her up, and together, they ascended the stairs to hopefully find their needed members. 

The room upstairs was as empty as the rest of the building. The crumbling walls that they had seen from the outside originated from this section of the temple. Gold and polished andesite pillars held up the foundations, and they seemed to be the only parts that withstood the test of time. 

Jesse pulled out the amulet, fully expecting it to react and show them where Magnus and Ellegaard were, but the amulet remained silent and colorless. Her spirits fell once more, but she started to look around the room for any potential clues. Her friends, catching on to what she was doing, began to help out. 

It took some figuring out, but she managed to toggle all the levers so that the lights to the sides of the giant map turned on—lights that she couldn’t help but observe looked like the colors that represented each of the members. 

Finally, she placed the amulet on the platform, watching as the light pierced through it and illuminated two points on the map, one with a green laser and the other one with red. This must be what Gabriel was talking about when he first handed her the amulet. That meant that the green represented Magnus, who was somewhere titled Boom Town in the west, while Ellegaard was on an island called Redstonia to the east. 

They were on two totally opposite sides of the map. They couldn’t get to both of them in time, not unless they split up. Jesse frowned, not enjoying this sudden turn of events, but she powered on. She had to, for Petra. 

“Let’s get going. The Order’s portal network in the Nether should take us to where we need to go.” 

“I’m not going with you guys,” Lukas decided. “I have to stay here. If I know Petra, she’s probably doing everything she can to find this place. She’s still out there. She has to be.” 

Jesse was tired of starting arguments, so she merely dipped her head in acceptance towards his wishes. 

“Just… stay safe, okay?” 

“You take care of yourself, too. If there’s even a small chance she’s alive… I have to stay. Go. Get help,” he urged her. “I’m going to focus on making this place safe before nightfall.” 

She nodded, turning to her other friends. 

“Axel, Olivia,” she addressed. “If Lukas is staying, that means we can only go for Magnus or Ellegaard. There’s too much distance to cover both of them in one day.” 

“Actually, Jesse…” Lukas piped up. “This temple is pretty big. If we’re gonna have a chance at fortifying it, I’m gonna need some help. If, uh, one of you guys could hang back with me?” 

“Oh, of course, Lukas. I’ll hang back with you, then.” 

It was a no-brainer to Jesse. Axel didn’t get along with him, so Olivia could take him and go find Ellegaard. Judging by her friend’s excited and antsy expression, she knew it was the right call to make. 

Unfortunately, neither Olivia nor Axel seemed to think that way. 

“What?” Axel exclaimed. “No way, Jesse. You’re coming with me to look for Magnus. Olivia’s got Lukas covered with her redstone stuff, probably.” 

“You really think that’s how it’s going to go?” Olivia raised a brow at him, folding her arms. “Jesse, I thought you were coming with me to look for Ellegaard. We need her. She’s the world’s greatest engineer. She’ll figure out a way to stop that thing.” 

“We’re trying to DESTROY it,” he insisted. “And when it comes to ‘destruction,’ Magnus is the master. You’re a smart person, Jesse. And obviously the SMART thing is to go get Magnus.” 

“I, heh, think Axel means ‘Ellegaard’ there, Jesse.”

“Uh, no, I don’t think I did. Pretty sure Axel meant ‘Magnus.’”

“Jesse. The point is, you should be going to Ellegaard’s. It’s the clear choice to make.” 

“You’ve gotta come with me. Don’t leave me alone with that guy.” It was clear that Axel was referring to Lukas, who frowned at the unnecessary jab. 

“You’re my best friend,” Olivia pleaded. 

“It’s you and me. Like always.” 

“Think about it, Jesse.” 

“This is more of a gut call.” 

“We need to make sure we get this right. We’re not going to get a second shot at this.” 

“Whatever decision you make, I’ll be cool with it.” 

“Really?” 

“As long as it’s me.” 

“Come on, Jesse. This is an easy call.” 

Well, wasn’t she just a popular one today? This was the second most pressure she’s ever felt, and it was causing her to sweat buckets as she glanced in between Axel and Olivia, sparing a few glances at Lukas and mouthing help. The blond shrugged helplessly, so it was again up to Jesse to see things through. 

“Olivia, you and I are going to Ellegaard’s.” 

“Awesome,” she grinned. 

“And Axel—” 

“Yeah, yeah,” he groaned, but it’s a fraction more humorous than mad. “I’ll stay behind with Lukas while you guys go off and have tons of fun without me.” 

“That’s all I could ask for.” 

Olivia went off somewhere to pack for her journey, taking Axel with her, while Jesse remained behind with Lukas and sorted through her inventory for the essentials. She still had her flint and steel to relight the portal, if needed, and her sword. Those were pretty much all she needed. 

“All packed?” Lukas’s voice called over her shoulder. 

Jesse nearly jumped out of her skin before she swiveled to face him, trying to act cool like that didn’t just happen. 

“I’m about as prepared as I’ll ever be, I guess,” she shrugged. “It’s still crazy to think about everything that just happened to us. Like, am I dreaming? Is this real?” 

“Yeah, I sorta get what you mean.” 

“Also, I think it’s pretty incredible that we can stand here right now and have a proper conversation. Little ol’ me? Talking to an Ocelot? Pinch me now, haha!” 

“I think you give us too much credit, Jesse.” Lukas admitted uncomfortably. “We’re not extraordinary. We’re just people, who happened to like building. You could’ve talked to me anytime.” 

“Yeah, but it’s about the principle. We were rivals then, but now, we’re friends. Those are two different levels of conversation.” 

Lukas made a brief noise of acknowledgement before glancing at Axel and Olivia from across the room. The two seemed to be embroiled in a heated discussion, whispering and frowning at each other. He gestured his head towards the duo. 

“Are they…?” 

“Together, finally? Yeah,” Jesse answered. “Olivia asked him out at EnderCon when we won. But, well… I guess you can sorta figure out what happened next.” 

“Oh, wow. Congrats to them, but that—that really sucks.” 

“Yeah…” 

“Anyways,” he said, bringing their conversation back on track, “Axel still doesn’t seem too happy about being left behind here with me.” 

“Axel isn’t happy with you, period. But I definitely don’t think he would’ve trusted you alone with Olivia.” 

“Not exactly the motivational speech I wanted to hear, but thanks.” 

Jesse’s eyes softened as she took in her new rival-turned-friend, reaching out to nudge him on the shoulder. It seemed everyone had their insecurities, and this was one of his. 

“He’ll get over it soon, Lukas. He has to.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

“Maybe,” she suggested optimistically, “being stuck in close quarters with your rival for a day will turn you into the bestest of friends.” 

“Too soon for that, Jesse,” he commented dryly. 

“Hey, never say never! It could happen.” Her tone dropped into something more serious as she asked, “But really… Are you gonna be okay when I’m gone? I could convince Axel to go instead, you know? I’m not too shabby with building myself, though he is a little bit better.” 

“No, it’s fine. I have a feeling Olivia wanted you to go with her.” Lukas smiled. “I appreciate it, though. You’re always looking out for me, it’s nice.” 

“Anytime.” 

He paused, shuffling awkwardly before peering over her shoulder at her friends. “And, um, speaking of Olivia, I think she’s ready to go.” 

“Oh, right. Well then, see you around Lukas?” Jesse held out her hand for a fist bump. 

He lightly tapped his knuckles against hers. “I’ll catch you later, Jesse.” 

“Ugh, finally!” Olivia complained teasingly when Jesse finally made it to her side of the room, “I was trying to get your attention for about five minutes.” 

Jesse snorted, “Puh-leeze. You definitely didn’t wait that long. That talk lasted two minutes, tops.” 

“Sure, if you say so.” 

Olivia’s expression turned serious, so Jesse gave her friend some time to say what was on her mind. 

“I gotta admit,” she confessed eventually. “I wasn’t expecting you to come with me.” 

Jesse raised a brow. “What do you mean?” 

“I was just talking to Axel about it, but I figured explosions were more your thing over complicated redstone machinery. I do remember almost putting you to sleep when trying to explain how the daylight sensors worked.” 

“Okay, you may be right there. But of course, I’ll take a girls trip over explosions any day. No offense to Axel. Or Magnus.” 

“Well, I’m glad you’re coming with me, Jesse.” Olivia chuckled. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.” 

The two girls shared a hug before Lukas’s panicked voice caused them all to direct their focus towards the horizon, where the Wither Storm was pictured looming in the distance. 

“Uh, guys? Not to cause panic or anything, but please hurry.” 

Jesse nodded resolutely, and waving one final goodbye to her friends, she pulled Olivia along by the hand and left posthaste towards the portal outside the temple. The next stop on their journey was none other than the city of miracles and mechanical wonders, home to Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer—Redstonia.

Chapter Text

Admittedly the minecart ride through the Nether could’ve gone smoother, but Jesse fought off another ghast like it was just another day for her. At this rate, it might as well be if the Witherstorm (she figured it might be better to call it this now over Wither Storm, since it was one entity and less of an actual meteorological storm) was going to continue on its rampage. 

Both Jesse and Olivia shared matching looks of apprehension before they hopped into the portal back to the overworld. Hopefully, Ellegaard would be open to helping them. The world depended on it, after all. 

Redstonia was every bit as wacky and weird—and wonderful, her friend would interject—as Jesse had imagined. 

An entire city, run entirely through the power of redstone—that was something Jesse never could have built for the life of her. It was incredible, in an extremely overwhelming and intimidating way. 

She didn’t really get what all these machines did, nor did she really care to find out, but Olivia was over the moon when they finally appeared through the portal, and her happiness was Jesse’s happiness. 

Jesse focused on pulling out the amulet, which flickered to life with a soft red pulse akin to a heartbeat, and following its glow. 

As they walked, she listened to Olivia as she prattled on about each of the machines they stumbled across. Contrary to Olivia’s initial expectations, there was one explosion that Jesse got to witness, and it was plenty cool to keep her satisfied for the rest of their trip. 

“See? I don’t have to go with Axel to see cool stuff blow up,” Jesse grinned winningly. “I can see that whenever I want!” 

Her comment seemed to have alleviated some of the tension from Olivia’s shoulders, because her friend loosened up considerably afterwards, adding in her own joke. 

“Well, normally with redstone, you sort of hope things don’t blow up. But seeing the problem explode before your eyes is pretty satisfying,” she chortled. “Sometimes.” 

Right then, they stumbled their way into a central plaza area, right beneath where Ellegaard was giving a big speech. Jesse wasn’t really paying attention, but she caught the words command block and protege and figured those were some pretty important, separate ideas. 

Then, the lockdown was initiated and the real panic set in. 

They tried speaking with a man named Calvin, a dark-skinned man with a really impressive mustache, and someone who she could only assume was an assistant of sorts. However, their efforts proved to be futile, since he couldn’t really help them besides trying to send the amulet as a message to what he believed to be Ellegaard’s private office. 

“Better just take this repeater and disable the stair controls,” Calvin said pointedly, staring directly at them like he was trying to tell them something. “We don’t want any troublemakers disturbing Ellegaard.” 

With that, he left them as Jesse tried really hard not to laugh until her sides hurt. Once he was completely gone, they went off on their own to try and find the materials for a repeater, as the man implied they should do. 

“Now that’s what I mean by being subtle, Jesse.” Olivia grinned once Calvin was out of earshot. “You can stand to take a page or two from his books.” 

“When was I ever— Hey! That was one time. And Petra totally thought I was playing it cool.” 

“Sure, if you say so. But I’m pretty sure I saw her shake her head in disapproval at your terrible acting skills.” 

“Whatever,” Jesse huffed. “My acting skills are great, and I can’t wait to prove you wrong in the future. Watch and learn from the true master of subtlety. That’s me. I’m the master of subtlety.” 

“You know, you’re not actually proving your point. Quite the opposite, really.” 

“Yeah, but that isn’t the point I was trying to get at. See? Don’t you feel less tense now? A smile suits you better than a grimace, Liv.” 

“Oh, I hadn’t even noticed…” she admitted tentatively. “Thanks, Jesse. I know I could always count on you to have my back.” 

“Hey, as long as you always have mine, amirite? Come on, let’s go see what these Redstonian locals have to say.” 

After chatting around with the people nearby, who were equal parts friendly and weird or some combination of the two, Jesse and Olivia finally secured the materials to craft a repeater and made their way into the Dome of Concentration, Ellegaard’s personal laboratory. 

Olivia’s nerves returned tenfold as she practically trembled in anticipation towards meeting her idol. Jesse had always been a Gabriel fan, but she hadn’t seen Olivia this excited about anything in a very, long time. It was rather endearing. 

Jesse was just glad to wrap this up so they could head back to the temple as soon as possible. She’s had enough lever-pulling and button-mashing for one day. 

Meeting with Ellegaard was interesting for Jesse, but embarrassing for Olivia. She thought she finally understood the meaning behind the phrase, never meet your heroes. 

Ellegaard was weird, like all the other Redstonians they’ve met, but in a way that was both extremely neurotic and clever—all traits Jesse was expecting someone titled the world’s greatest engineer to have. Though she didn’t exactly appreciate Ellegaard’s belittlement of Olivia, they had bigger things to worry about than preferential treatment. 

“Now, about you three.” Ellegard said, finally addressing them after her six-thousand-something failed command block trial. “Your friend here…”

“Her name is Olivia,” Jesse cut in promptly, crossing her arms under her chest and frowning. 

Ellegaard noticed but didn’t seem to care, merely narrowing her eyes before continuing, “Right… Does she fall over frequently? Is this going to be a regular occurrence?” 

“I… No. I’m sorry. I was just so excited to—” 

Jesse elbowed Olivia sharply, shaking her head and mouthing not to apologize. 

Ellegaard, once again, proved to be lost in her own monologue. 

“And with me always pacing around, lost in my own brilliant thoughts. I could’ve tripped over you and conked my brain! Brilliant thoughts… GONE.” 

“Look, Ellegaard, I don’t want to be rude or anything, but I’ll get straight to the point. We’re not here to be your assistants.” 

“Phew! Kinda glad, actually. Especially with Madame Faints-a-Lot over there. So, why are you here?” 

“There’s a Witherstorm out there destroying the world,” Jesse explained carefully. 

“A Witherwhat? What are you talking about? Who… who sent you?” 

“Gabriel sent me, and it’s one of Ivor’s creations. He used a command block—yes, like the very one you’re trying to recreate—to summon it. I’m afraid he’s done something terrible, and now we’re all paying the price.” 

A spark of realization flickered across her face, and Jesse knew that they were so close to reaching their goal. Only a little bit more to finally convince her. 

“Ohhhhh. Oh oh oh oh oh.” Ellegaard picked up the amulet and handed it back to them. “You’re the ones that brought this. It came up, no note or anything, and I was terribly curious about where it had come from… Haven’t seen one of these in a long time. Looong time.” 

“Please, the world needs the Order of the Stone. We need you, Ellegaard. If you could come with us—” 

“Yes, this is serious indeed.” Ellegaard muttered with manic enthusiasm. 

“So…” she asked hopefully, “does that mean you’ll help us?” 

“Of course. It’s all the more reason I need to finish my command block! I could use it to fight this Witherstorm… monster… thing… or whatever!” She faced them, searching their faces for comprehension as she explained, “Necessity is the originator of invention. And that monster is my necessity for inventing, of which I am the originator. Don’t you understand?” 

“Not that I’m not following you, cuz I’m really not, but we don’t have time for this.” 

Did all geniuses have an unbearably large ego and overly inflated sense of self? Jesse knew that the Order’s achievements over time warranted such, but it was really getting on her nerves. Olivia rested a comforting hand on her arm, as if telling her to calm down, and it took everything in Jesse not to snap. 

“Of course we have time. This is THE Ellegaard you’re talking to. Who is me, if you’re confused. And I, Ellegaard, will make a command block TO-DAY! Your ‘Witherstorm’ problem was created by a command block, yes? That means a command block can be the perfect way of beating it!” 

“I don’t know. It sorta makes sense to me, Jesse.” Olivia whispered to her, to which Jesse’s already intense frown evolved into a full-on scowl. 

It must be hard for Olivia, to meet her idol and be treated like this, but Jesse wasn’t going to sit here and take this nonsense. In her heart, she knew Olivia would find the idea ridiculous too, she was only going along with it because Ellegaard had suggested it. If it had been anyone else, she would’ve berated them and called them stupid. 

So, Jesse was going to do that job for her. 

“No, it does not. Fighting fire with fire is, shockingly, not going to solve our problem,” Jesse laid on with heavy sarcasm. “We don’t need two command blocks floating around. One in the wrong hands is why we’re in this mess to begin with!” 

It was no use, Ellegaard wasn’t listening to anything she was saying. It was like talking to a wall—a waste of her time. 

“Non-Goggle Gal—” 

“It’s Jesse,” she ground out. 

“Oh right, well, Whatever-Your-Name-Is, will you help me make one?” 

“THAT’S IT.” Jesse snarled. “I’ve had enough. Olivia, we’re leaving.” 

“But Jesse—” 

“No buts, I don’t want to hear it. Maybe, if we leave now, we’ll still have time to go find Magnus, who might actually be helpful.” 

Jesse grabbed Olivia by the hand and began to lead her friend away from the laboratory. Reuben padded along uncertainly, but because he’s a pig, she would never know his true thoughts, which was a shame. 

She could really use a second-opinion to ensure she wasn’t going insane—someone who can think objectively at a time like this, someone like Lukas. Jesse really wished she stayed behind to help him, and she briefly wondered how he was doing before she physically shook those thoughts out of her head. Not the time, she reminded herself. 

“You’re making a biiiiig mistake walking away! I promise you, you do not want to miss out on witnessing the birth of a new era of invention!” Ellegaard’s voice called out to her in the background as she took more and more steps further away. 

She didn’t know exactly where the exit was, but there wasn’t any harm in trying to leave the same way she came. 

“You can tell me that when you’ve reached trial eight-thousand-something then.” Jesse rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, “So much for ‘the greatest engineer in the world.’ She’s just another crazy person.” 

Olivia wrenched her hand free from Jesse’s, and Jesse stopped in her tracks, turning towards her friend with betrayal written all over her features. 

“Liv, why?” 

“Jesse, I—” 

Olivia didn’t get to finish that sentence because the Witherstorm had arrived. Piercing through the stained glass roof, it whipped its tentacles wildly around, trying to latch onto any people it could find, as its beams began to tear off huge chunks of blocks from the building. 

For the first time since she arrived at the lab, Ellegaard finally had nothing to say. The woman gaped at the monster as it tore through her base, reducing some pieces to rubble while consuming the rest. As much as Ellegaard had officially dropped down to being one of her least favorites in the Order—sitting at the bottom just above Ivor—Jesse didn’t want to see her die. 

Dodging through tentacles and battering others away with her sword, she grabbed onto the hero’s arm and tugged her towards the exit, where Olivia and Reuben were already waiting with anxious expressions. Together, all four of them fled in the direction of the Nether portal. 

The screams outside were a familiar sound, but she could never get used to them. Redstonia, despite Jesse thinking it was definitely one of the weirdest towns she’s ever been in, was being reduced to nothing but bedrock. It’s as Ivor said—wherever it goes, there was nothing but the Witherstorm. 

With shaky legs, Jesse leapt into the portal without looking back.

Chapter Text

The three people and one pig sat in their minecarts in tense silence as it rattled along the tracks back in the direction of the temple’s portal. Jesse kept Reuben securely in her lap in the rearmost cart and held onto her sword in the rare case that a ghast were to ambush them again. Ellegaard had taken up the middle cart, since Olivia had chosen to sit in the front. 

Ellegaard’s voice broke through the quiet first. Her voice seemed to have lost much of the bravado she carried before, and Jesse couldn’t tell if she preferred this version of her or if this was a sign for more worrying things to come. 

“That…” The engineer shivered, closing her eyes and shaking her head to rid herself of the memories of her people’s cries of terror. She drew her arms in on herself as she whispered, incredulously, “That was your Witherstorm?” 

“Ivor’s,” Jesse corrected sharply. 

At Olivia’s frown and disapproving stare, she softened her tone, weary from being so angry and on guard. All this rage didn’t suit her. If she lost her temper at every little thing, she would be no better than Aiden, and she knew all too well where that road led him. 

Adrenaline was one hell of a drug, but it was a temporary fix, and it only served to test her patience. The painful stress headaches that returned in flashes did little to help the situation, and Jesse couldn’t remember the last time she slept in the past two days—or was it three, she wasn’t keeping track. 

“It’s Ivor’s creation,” Jesse repeated, finding comfort in scratching Reuben behind the ears as he whimpered softly in her lap. “It’s the reason we need your help.” 

“Help? Against that? I’m sorry, Non-Goggle Gal— er, actually, I didn’t catch your name the first time…” 

“It’s Jesse.” 

“Right. Sorry, I’ll do better to remember that one. Anyways, Jesse, what do you possibly think we can do against a monster like that?” 

“I-I don’t know,” she admitted honestly, helplessly. 

Jesse wanted to tell Ellegaard that this shouldn’t be a responsibility that she had to bear—she wasn’t the hero, Ellegaard was—but she said none of this. 

Instead, she said, “I’m hoping, by the time we get back, Gabriel will have made it to the temple somehow. He can tell us what to do.” 

Nobody chose to comment on the unspoken second truth underlying her words—the possibility where Gabriel didn’t make it back, and it was up to a ragtag group from a small town and one redstone genius to save the world. Nobody wanted to even think about it because even considering that possibility meant that they were resigned to their fate. 

Jesse especially didn’t want to think about it, because if she did, it would have meant that it was all her fault. She chose to save Petra over Gabriel. She left him to die.

Olivia finally found her voice, saying, “Miss Ellegaard, ma’am, you’re the world’s greatest engineer. There’s not a problem you can’t solve.” 

“Not now, Goggle Girl, the adults are talking right now,” Ellegaard chided. 

“It’s Olivia,” Jesse stressed, “not Goggle Girl, or Madame Faints-a-Lot, or whatever other demeaning nicknames you come up with. And for the record, Ellegaard, I know you’re probably not doing this on purpose, but being this rude is, quite frankly, grinding my gears, as you Redstonians would put it.” 

“Right,” Ellegaard clipped, raising a brow towards Jesse. “Olivia—I guess I’ll also have to remember that. And that stupidly adorable pig of yours is…?” 

“Reuben. His name is Reuben, and he is stupidly adorable. Thanks for noticing.” 

Reuben grinned, giving a sharp oink at the praise. His attitude was infectious and began slowly spreading to the rest of the group. 

The engineer hummed thoughtfully. “Jesse, Olivia, and Reuben—my, that’s a lot of names for one day. I might mix them up, so I ask for your understanding. Someone of my intellect needs to save brain space for other, more important things after all, but I’ll try my best.” 

“As long as it’s not intentional, I don’t mind being called Non-Goggle Gal every once in a while.” Jesse’s lips quirked into a lopsided smile. “And Ellegaard, I’m sorry. For snapping at you, and a few other things,” she clarified. “It’s—it’s been a long day.” 

“With that Witherstorm around? No kidding. I just hope you know what you’re doing.” She turned towards Olivia, appraising her. “So, your name is Olivia, hm?” 

“Oh, yes,” Olivia flushed, wild eyes looking over towards Jesse as if to say she couldn’t believe the engineer was speaking directly to her. “It’s an honor and a privilege to meet you in person, Miss Ellegaard. Ma’am. I’m so glad you can help us. I have a few ideas I would love to run by you when we get back.” 

Ellegaard made a noise of acknowledgement before spinning back around to continue her conversation with Jesse. Olivia didn’t seem to notice, since she was too busy sitting in a daze, starstruck. 

“So, Jesse… this Olivia girl, is she your friend? I’m trying to piece things together here, so I know what I’m working with.” 

“Yeah, she’s been my friend for as long as I can remember. I know she didn’t leave the greatest first impression, but she really admires you. Olivia’s the brains of our group.” 

“If she’s the brains, then you’re all doomed,” the engineer muttered under her breath. 

“Hey, don’t sell her short.” Jesse frowned. “She knows more about redstone than the rest of us. I’m more of the sword fight-y type.” 

“Like Gabriel,” Ellegaard remarked dryly. 

“Yeah, like Gabriel.” 

“Hm. Well, I’m sure with enough proper guidance, we can turn you into a somewhat decent engineer.” Ellegaard said, retreating back into her own world as she pondered aloud. “I mean, I can’t have one of my assistants be labeled an amateur, it’ll make me look bad. I certainly can’t have that! I have a reputation to uphold.” 

Jesse left her to her own monologue, grateful to have received a break. She swore she closed her eyes for only a moment—just enough to rest her stinging eyes—but she was jolted back to reality when she felt Ellegaard’s hand on her shoulder as the woman shook her roughly. 

“Anyways, Jesse, you mentioned an us? Are there others I need to be concerned about?” 

“Oh, uh, I wouldn’t say you need to be concerned.” Jesse began explaining, “There’s Axel, he’s Olivia’s boyfriend. And then, there’s Lukas. That’s… that’s it, really. We used to have another friend, her name is Petra, but the—the Witherstorm got her, and we don’t know where she is.” 

“I’m… sorry to hear that.” She looked genuinely sympathetic. “So, about your little group… Can you tell me more about them?” 

It’s hard to discern whether or not the hero actually respected Jesse or not, but as long as Ellegaard was willing to listen to her, she wasn’t willing to unpack that topic and shelved it for another day. For the rest of the remarkably mob-free ride back, she got to catch Ellegaard up to speed with everything they’ve been through, so when the portal finally came into view again, they were ready. 

The temple looked completely different compared to when Jesse had left it behind only a day ago. Simple redstone machines, that only Olivia could explain to her later (and maybe Ellegaard, if she cared enough to), and barricades made of a hodgepodge of various blocks surrounded the once decrepit walls. 

“Well. That’s certainly impressive. Wow.” Ellegaard commented as they climbed over the vine-covered ledge. Jesse wondered if there was ever going to be a single thing that came out of her mouth that didn’t sound sarcastic, but she kept that thought to herself. 

There’s a hiss of a creeper that Jesse somehow managed to miss when admiring her friend’s handiwork that might have cost them their lives. However, that’s an outcome that belonged to another timeline, one where Lukas hadn’t stayed, because, in rapid succession, five arrows pierced through the creeper’s side, turning it into a pile of gunpowder by her feet. 

“Who goes there?!” A familiar voice boomed from above their heads. Jesse craned her neck towards the noise. 

Lukas popped out from the top of his makeshift tower on the balcony with the bow she had given him earlier in hand. Upon seeing her face, he immediately broke out into a smile. “Jesse? Is that really you?” 

“Yep, it is I, Jesse, back in the flesh!” Jesse spread out her arms in a grand gesture before taking a silly bow for the theatrics. “Why, didja miss me?” 

Though she had meant for her question to come across as a joke, she’s floored by how genuinely happy Lukas sounded when he answered back with a wave, “Of course! I’m so glad you’re back! Here, wait just a sec. I’ll let you guys in.” 

Ellegaard’s fleeting interest shifted from Jesse to observing the hasty redstone set-up, and she walked closer, taking mental notes and mumbling ways it could be improved upon. Jesse watched as she went. She’d never understand how the redstone engineer operated. 

Olivia seemed like her usual self, more or less, now that the pressure of speaking to Ellegaard was no longer in the forefront of her mind. She walked up to Jesse with confusion painted all over her face. Jesse recognized that look of hers, it was the same one Olivia gave her when she had pieced together that Jesse liked Aiden—one that demanded answers, and she wasn’t going to leave her alone until she got them. 

“Jesse?” she intoned, placing her hands on her hips with an expectant gaze. “Care to share what that was all about?” 

Jesse feigned innocence, blinking up at her friend with wide, innocent eyes. It was worth a shot. “Whatever do you mean?” 

“I mean, you and Lukas,” she clarified, undeterred. “Are you guys actually close now? When’d that happen?” 

“You jealous?” 

“No,” Olivia denied, a touch too sharply and a second too fast. 

Jesse’s grin widened. 

“Oh, you are totally jealous!” she teased, poking Olivia on the side as she desperately tried to smack away her offending hands. 

“I just don’t want you to get hurt.” The word again was unsaid, but just as loud. Olivia finally grabbed Jesse’s hand, stilling them in their movement. She reminded her, gently, “When we return to our normal lives, after this is all over, Lukas is going to go back to being an Ocelot. He’s not one of us.” 

“See, that’s the thing, Liv. We are still so worried about labels like the Ocelots, but who cares? The fact is that Lukas is with us now, and I think that makes him as much of a friend as anyone.” 

“I know, I know. I can’t help but worry, though.” 

“It’s warranted, but Lukas isn’t anything like Aiden. Just spend some time with him and keep an open-minded opinion, you’ll see I’m right.” 

“I sure hope so.” 

“And hey, don’t worry! At the end of the day, both you and Axel are still my best friends.” 

Olivia didn’t get the chance to add anything else because the iron door of the temple swung open and Lukas ran out. He stumbled over to them, hunching over to catch his breath. Had he been running the whole way? 

When he finally regained his energy, he threw his arms around her in a bone-crushing hug, causing the air to leave her lungs as a startled sound tumbled from her lips. She softened the impact by wrapping her arms around him to steady themselves, lest they topple over from the momentum. 

“Jesse, you made it!”

Lukas’s taller frame made hugging him back a little bit awkward, but Jesse settled on patting him on the back as she confirmed, “It’s good to be back, man.” 

“And,” he exclaimed happily, finally pulling himself away and resting his hands on her shoulders, “I see you’ve brought Ellegaard. That’s fantastic!” 

Ellegaard, having noticed the new member to their ever-expanding group, headed over as she peered curiously at Lukas. 

“Ah, you must be Axel. I have to say, your redstone work is not half bad.” 

“Oh, thanks?” Lukas said uncertainly, sharing a look with Jesse. “It’s an honor to meet you, Ellegaard, but I’m not Axel.” 

“Then, you must be Lukas. Hm, it seems I was mistaken.” 

“I see…” he trailed off awkwardly before redirecting his focus towards Jesse. “Anyways, you should come inside. You are never going to believe who showed up while you were gone!” 

He practically guided her inside, and despite her insistence that she can walk herself and Olivia’s weird look from over her shoulder, Lukas kept his hands firmly planted on her shoulders as they walked in. There, leaning against the wall, a familiar sight of ginger hair and turquoise striped bandana greeted them. 

“Petra!” Jesse gasped in excitement, freeing herself from Lukas only to launch herself at the redhead. Fresh tears sprung in the corners of her eyes as she squeezed her friend tightly. “I’m so glad to see you, but don’t ever do that again. You scared me half to death.” 

“Hey Jesse,” Petra wheezed weakly in her arms, gently patting her on the sides awkwardly. “Wow, I feel so loved. It’s good to see you again.” 

“I’m so glad you’re okay, Petra.” Olivia joined in on the group hug, wrapping her arms around both Petra and Jesse. 

“What is this, some kind of intervention?” Petra joked. “Come on, guys, you’re suffocating me. Personal space, okay? I swear I’m not gonna disappear, not with that thing still out there.” 

When the two girls gave Petra her space, Reuben wanted in on the friendly bonding session. He squealed, mirroring Jesse’s delight, as he pranced around in circles around Petra’s feet until she eventually caved and gave the pig a couple of pats on the head. 

“You are such a spoiled little ham,” Petra huffed fondly. 

Reuben oinked in agreement, bumping her knees with his snout. 

Then, the pleasantries faded away once everybody made it inside and Lukas shut the door behind them. In the dark entryway, Petra relayed her side of the story—one that Jesse had been anxiously waiting all this time to hear. 

“Thanks for saving me back there,” Petra said, fixing Jesse with a nod and gaze full of gratitude. “When you pulled me from the Witherstorm’s clutches, I ran and ran and ran for the temple. If you hadn’t saved me… Well, I owe you everything, Jesse.” 

There were so many things that Jesse wanted to ask—like if there was anything left of their home, or if there were any survivors, or if Gabriel had made it—but she didn’t want to overwhelm her. Petra’s been through a lot, more than Jesse could ever know. Unlike her and her friends, Petra faced off against that thing on her own. Jesse couldn’t even begin to comprehend how scared and uncertain she must’ve felt the whole time. 

“You don’t owe me anything,” was what Jesse chose to settle with, and before Petra could protest and say something dumb like paying her back, Jesse ended the conversation with a resolute shake of her head. “It’s nonnegotiable. You paid me back already by making it here safely.” 

“I know, I know, but… It’s all still a blur, you know?” Petra explained as their group began to walk down the corridors. “The Witherstorm left almost nothing behind. Everything… everyone… was just gone.” Her voice cracked as she admitted, “It even got Gabriel.” 

Ellegaard’s jaw dropped, and the engineer was at a loss for words. This was, by far, the worst news the group had received that evening. Jesse gave her a sympathetic frown. She couldn’t imagine being told that she lost a friend in that way. It was horrible. 

“I wouldn’t believe that anything could defeat Gabriel if I hadn’t seen it for myself…” Ellegaard confessed in a small voice. “This is terrible.” 

The group resumed their silence as they walked. Each one was unsure of what to add that would raise their group’s spirits, so they chose to say nothing. 

Jesse lagged behind everybody else, blinking hard to rid herself of the black shapes that began to blur the corners of her vision. Her body also felt abnormally sluggish—was that a normal thing? Had she finally reached her limit? 

Due to her inattention, she stumbled into Lukas, who caught her but not without all the added worry plastered over his face. 

“Jesse? You okay?” 

“Could be better,” she admitted, groaning quietly. “I don’t think I’ve slept much. It’s really messing with my head.” 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” 

She shook her head. “Just… just don’t say anything. I don’t want anybody to worry. I’ll take care of myself, okay? So act like this didn’t happen.” 

He frowned. “You’re as stubborn as Petra. Here, take my arm. I’ll support you.” 

“No, really, it’s fine.” 

“I could carry you, instead?” 

Jesse rolled her eyes playfully, elbowing him slightly. 

“Be realistic,” she snorted, “you definitely cannot carry me.” 

Lukas grinned. “Would you like to test that theory? Because I’m more than willing—” 

“No need.” Jesse grabbed his arm to shut him up. 

The idea of Lukas trying to carry her would be a ridiculous and hilarious sight to see, but Olivia would never let her live it down. 

As they walked, she halfheartedly grumbled an unhappy, “This is so embarrassing.” 

“You’re so dramatic,” he chuckled. “Well, think about it this way— It’s certainly not as embarrassing as tripping and falling in front of a member of the Order.” 

“One more unneeded word outta you and you’re gonna get socked.” 

“Yeowch—violent, too.” 

When they finally reached the stairs to the upper floor where the Order’s map was, Jesse dropped his arm with a huff, much preferring the fence railing of the stairs—unlike him, they were less chatty. 

“Aw, come on,” he pleaded. “Jesse, I was just kidding.” 

“Yeah… you’re not forgiven, bud.” 

When Jesse finally emerged from the stairway, she was greeted with a scenic view of the sun setting over the horizon, disappearing behind the mountains somewhere far off in the distance. She couldn’t remember the last time she admired the sunset. It certainly hasn’t been anytime recently, that’s for sure. 

It seemed that their Witherstorm was gone for now, which should’ve been a good thing, but Jesse couldn’t muster up the positivity. She knew if it wasn’t coming after them, it was off destroying something else. When she remembered how it destroyed Redstonia—another town, another home, she couldn’t save—it made her bitter. 

Even if one problem was gone, another one cropped up out of thin air to take its place. Despite her best efforts to not make it so, it seemed that their group was a beacon for trouble. So when Jesse heard Ellegaard’s indignant exclamations from somewhere nearby, she released a heavy, full-body sigh before going to check it out.

Chapter Text

“Would someone care to explain what he is doing here?” 

Ellegaard’s normally serious and mature disposition vanished upon seeing someone Jesse was legitimately not expecting. 

Across from the stairs, on the side by the crumbling wall, stood THE Magnus the Rogue and Axel—shockingly, believe it or not—engaged in conversation, laughing and joking in loud, boisterous tones. Jesse almost felt jealous. She could’ve met Magnus and had a grand time, instead she was stuck with someone who was a borderline narcissist and complained about everything. 

The two of them didn’t seem to notice the rest of the group’s arrival at first, but Ellegaard’s raised voice managed to catch Magnus’s attention, and he turned and scowled in reciprocation. 

“Call this a hunch…” Petra stated, pointing out the obvious and glancing between the engineer and the rogue. “But do you two not like each other?” 

Ellegaard turned and glared at Lukas, who laughed sheepishly at the sudden unwanted attention, before it fizzled down into awkward glances between the floor and Jesse. With her hard stare and crossed arms, she demanded an explanation. 

“Right, I forgot to mention—Axel went on a little… adventure of his own, while you were gone.” 

“He left you to fortify everything by yourself?” Jesse asked—a touch angrily, might she add—at the same time as Ellegaard chimed in with, “An adventure to get him?” 

“Well, no. Axel helped a bit at the start, but then left saying that I could take care of the rest on my own,” Lukas said, addressing Jesse’s question first. Then, he answered Ellegaard, “Uh, I guess so? What’s wrong with Magnus?” 

Ellegaard pointedly chose to ignore him and rounded on Jesse instead, eyes blazing with silent fury. “Did you know about this? Why didn’t you tell me?” Then, in a more accusatory tone, she sneered, “You did this on purpose!” 

Great. Why didn’t everybody play the blame Jesse game? Of course, she had no freaking clue that Axel would go off on his own. 

She wasn’t going to complain, though. Having both heroes meant that their chances of defeating the Witherstorm have increased tremendously, and she wasn’t one to scrutinize a gift chest’s contents. 

“I fail to see how this is a problem,” Jesse scowled, staring back at the engineer with equal ferocity and challenge. She was done with being pushed around. 

“I will not work with him. Not after…” Ellegaard adamantly shook her head, softening only slightly as her gaze turned downcast. “Well. Let’s not talk about it.” 

It seemed that she wasn’t willing to elaborate further. 

Jesse didn’t know what the problem was between the Order members, but she did know that she needed their cooperation in order to work together as a team—like she had originally planned. 

“Look,” she told the engineer, lessening the confrontational edge in her voice. “How about I go over there and try to figure out what’s happening, alright? I’ll be right back.” 

Ellegaard nodded. “Much appreciated.” 

Olivia gave her an encouraging tilt of her head before Jesse braced herself and walked on over. She really hoped they could rest soon. Her body felt incredibly battered and sore. 

Magnus was the first to notice her arrival. The smile he had wiped cleanly off his face as he settled for something more neutral. There was a glimmer in his eye as he scanned her up and down. 

“Who are you, small fry? And why did you bring the Queen of Nerds with you?” 

She pointedly chose to ignore the fact that Magnus was not any taller than her. In fact, she believed she had an inch of height advantage over him, considering she was eye level with his eyebrows. Jesse raised a brow towards Axel, who shrugged slightly in return. 

“That’s Jesse, my best friend. Trust me. Jesse’s totally cool,” Axel excitedly explained. 

“I’ll, ha-ha, be the judge of that, huh?” The rogue responded coolly. 

Then, Axel turned to her and said, with equal enthusiasm, “Look, Jesse! I brought Magnus! Isn’t that cool?” 

“Totally,” she grinned. “It’s as Axel said, I’m Jesse. Big fan. I’m glad you could make it.” 

“Your attempt at buttering me up is not appreciated or needed,” Magnus said, despite the wide smile on his face. “But I am pretty cool, which makes me wonder if there’s something wrong with you, cuz you chose to get her instead.” 

Jesse shrugged. “Between you and me, Magnus, I like you wayyy more already. Ellegaard’s trip was more for Olivia.” 

“And this ‘Olivia’ person, she a friend of yours?” 

“Yeah, that’s her right over there. See, the one in the lime green beanie with the goggles?” Jesse pointed at Olivia, who waved briefly before resuming her talk with Ellegaard. “She’s our best friend.” 

“AND my girlfriend,” Axel slipped in with a big grin as he waved back. 

“Hey, man, not to judge or anything, but you could do better.” Magnus remarked pointedly, to which Axel’s smile faltered. “Bah! We’re getting off topic again. You and the know-it-all—what’s the deal?” 

“Ellegaard’s been recruited to help fight the Witherstorm. What about you guys? How’d this,” she gestured between Magnus and Axel, “come to be?” 

“Well, I got tired of waiting around.” Axel volunteered his side of the story, to which Jesse dryly replied, “Yeah. I figured, since Lukas told me you ditched him.” 

“Hey, I didn’t want to sit around twiddling thumbs with that guy, so I figured I could go grab Magnus while we waited for you guys. Anyways, it was kind of a crazy adventure, but it all worked out in the end. And now, I’m the King of Boom Town!” 

“Oh, wow!” Jesse exclaimed, impressed even though she had no idea what that meant. “That’s really cool! I wish I could’ve been there.” 

And it was true. 

Compared to trying to puzzle out redstone machines and solving the beef between a cow-launching obsessed crazy person and a sugarcane farmer, Jesse would’ve rather been blowing stuff up. 

“Well, it wasn’t easy… I had to beat him in a crazy tournament and—” 

“Long story,” Magnus interjected with a shake of his head. “You had to be there. Short version? Epic battle of explosions and mayhem… Death-defying action shenanigans and pyrotechnics… Badabing badaBOOM! Your friend here is kind of the Supreme Ruler of my kingdom now.” 

“Now, I really wish I could’ve been there to see it.” Jesse grinned. “Do you think you guys can reenact it when I visit Boom Town?” 

“The Death Bowl isn’t something to be taken lightly, but I like you, short stuff. Sure, why the heck not?” 

“Any progress?” Ellegaard’s voice suddenly interrupted from behind her, and Jesse craned her neck to see the engineer and Olivia walking up to meet them. 

Ellegaard mocked, staring the rogue down, “Well this is unexpected.” 

Magnus squinted, glaring. “I’m not entirely sure what you mean, but I’m definitely sure that I don’t like it.” 

“Yeah! Show him some respect!” Axel retorted. 

“Oh. You’re sticking up for Magnus. That’s very… sweet.” 

“Yeah, he’s sticking up for me. It’s because I’m really awesome and super cool,” Magnus spat. “Unlike you, I actually do things instead of just talking about them.” 

“Hey!” Olivia interfered as she glowered at him. “That’s Ellegaard you’re talking to. Show her some respect!” 

“Wow.” Magnus blinked, taken aback by Olivia’s temper. “You finally found yourself a live one. Your little devotees are usually a little more on the bookish side.” 

“Leave her out of this, Magnus. This is between the two of us.” 

“Only if you leave my man Axel alone first.” 

“Would you all cut it out?!” Jesse burst out, throwing her hands up despite the motion making her dizzy. She couldn’t tell if her headache was in the process of coming back, but the whole room spun as she saw red. “HOLY CRAP, you’re all acting like crazy people, and I had enough of that in Redstonia!” 

Ellegaard had the decency to at least look ashamed, while Magnus turned so that his back was facing them, fuming silently. 

“Uh, hello? Can we focus on the bigger picture here? We have a very hungry Witherstorm in the process of turning the whole world into its dinner. It’s not the time for these petty squabbles. Whatever mess you guys have, sort it out later.” 

Jesse took a deep breath, bringing her arms back down as she massaged her temples. 

“I mean, aren’t you guys embarrassed? You’re fighting like children with this thing still out there. It got Gabriel. We need all the help we can get right now.” 

Magnus swiveled around, eyes wide, as he muttered, “What? No one told me that.” 

“She has a point.” Ellegaard admitted, walking away back towards the map. “It was terrifying. It came out of nowhere and just destroyed… everything. There was nothing we could do.” 

“Little too scary for you, Ellie?” Magnus taunted, following after her. “Couldn’t just think it away?” 

“You weren’t there, Magnus. I’m telling you— This thing was like nothing I’ve ever seen.” 

“Would you two STOP fighting?!” Jesse slammed her fist against the side of the quartz pillar. She took a ragged, heavy breath as Lukas ran to her side to support her. “Seriously, stop it. I’m getting so sick and tired of this.” 

“WHOA,” Magnus frowned. 

“Yikes,” Ellegaard grimaced. 

“Jesse’s right,” Petra said before things could escalate. “We need to find some way to stop that thing.” 

“Well, I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to poke around this old dump yet, but it’s pre-tty much stripped bare.” 

“This place isn’t nearly the stronghold it used to be. Most of our supplies are gone.” 

“Judging by what Ellie’s said, it would take a mountain of TNT to kill this thing!” 

“I hate to say it, but you have a point.” 

“Are they… finally getting along?” Lukas whispered in amazement. 

“Who knows?” Jesse whispered back. 

“Against such an unthinkable enemy, even all the TNT in the world might not be enough.” Ellegaard pointed out before tapping her chin thoughtfully. “If only Soren were here… He might have something we could use.” 

“Oh Ellie.” Magnus rolled his eyes. “Not this again. You know I hate when you brag about you and Soren’s little brainy club.” 

“I’m not bragging! I think I’ve got a legitimate idea here!” 

For once, Ellegaard looked genuinely indignant, and this was the first lead Jesse had gotten this whole day. She wasn’t going to let it go to waste. 

“What did Soren have?” Jesse asked carefully. 

“Soren had a kind of ‘Super TNT,’” Ellegaard explained, “stronger and more explosive than anything else in the entire world. The ‘Formidi-Bomb.’” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ve heard alllll about the ‘F-Bomb’ before,” Magnus drawled. 

“‘F-Bomb?’” Axel echoed. 

“Yeah. Soren claimed dropping the F-Bomb could destroy anything. But I’ve never seen it.” 

“Okay, perfect. This is a good start.” Jesse had finally calmed down and resumed standing without the need for Lukas’s help. The blond still hovered just in case though. She asked the group, “Where can we find this Formidi-Bomb?” 

“Well, there’s a little problem there… We don’t know where Soren is.” 

“How do you all not know where your own friend is?” The question slipped out from Jesse, unbidden, but at Ellegaard’s glare, she rapidly shook her head to diffuse the situation. “Nevermind, that was a bad question. Sorry.” 

“You found us. Do you know where he is? Our map could still locate him, unless he’s in the Nether or the End. I still think it’s worth a shot.” 

Jesse wanted to tell them that Soren didn’t appear at all when she checked earlier, but witnessing everyone’s expectant and hopeful gazes changed her mind. 

“I’ll see what I can do,” she sighed. 

“Yeah, you go do that,” Magnus commented encouragingly. 

Jesse sighed again, and the group split up. Petra rested by the steps under the map with Reuben, Axel and Magnus resumed their earlier chat, Ellegaard studied the map intently as if she could somehow spawn Soren into existence, and Olivia stood off to the side looking somewhat bummed. 

Lukas chose to stick around next to her, asking, “So what’s the plan, Jesse?” 

“Well, the goal is to find Soren. The plan is to use the amulet to somehow figure out where the heck he is. I’m gonna talk to Olivia first though.” She took out the amulet and placed it on the pillar before pointing to the levers in the back. “You think you can take over for me?” 

“Are you sure? I know you’ve been making all the calls lately.” 

“Yeah, Lukas. I trust you can figure it out. I’ll come meet you when I’m done.” 

“Thanks Jesse. I, uh, won’t let you down.” 

“I know you won’t.” 

He jogged around towards the table with the levers while Jesse walked over to her crestfallen friend and patted her on the back. 

“Hey, you,” she comforted with a small smile, “how’s it going? Ingot for your thoughts?” 

“Hey… I-I’m alright. I can’t shake the feeling that I embarrassed myself back in Redstonia in front of Ellegaard. I think she judges me a little bit, like she thinks I’m somehow less adequate or qualified now.” 

“You’re not inadequate, Liv,” Jesse denied sharply. “You are the smartest and most capable person I know. Who cares about what Ellegaard thinks?” 

“Easy for you to say,” Olivia sighed. “It seems like she really likes you, Jesse. Meanwhile, I’m just—just there, I guess. It stings, but I’ll get over it. Probably.” 

She patted her friend on the arm softly. “It’ll be okay.” 

Olivia simply nodded in response, going quiet afterwards. Jesse left her alone and headed back over to Lukas, who was finishing up with the levers. His brows furrowed in deep concentration as he muttered some combinations under his breath. 

She almost felt bad for distracting him, but she cleared her throat and gave him a small wave. He brightened upon seeing her, stepping aside to give her some room to stand next to him. 

“Jesse, you’re here! Hold on, I think… I just about…” The final lever clicked into place and all the lights lit up. Lukas triumphantly shouted, “Got it!”

A beam of light pierced through the center of the amulet, marking the map with the familiar red and green she’s seen before. Green for Magnus. Red for Ellegaard. 

Then, the unthinkable happened. 

Another light flickered to life. This time, it was white, and it pointed somewhere up north—somewhere Jesse had never been before. It was Soren’s color. Soren was back on the map. 

“There he is,” Ellegaard said, placing her hands on her hips. “Soren had his fortress deep inside the mountains. After the Order… broke up, that’s where he went to keep doing his experiments.” 

“Look, he invited me there a couple times, but it always seemed a little…” Magnus trailed off uncomfortably. 

“Weird, right? It always seemed a little weird.” 

He grinned. “Glad we can agree on that, at any rate.” 

“So what’s with the hold up?” Jesse inquired, moving to stand between the two heroes as she also checked out the map. “Is there a reason we can’t go?” 

It looked a bit far to cover on foot. She knew it would be a tiring journey without mounts, but she didn’t want to waste time trying to find wild horses to tame. 

Ellegaard was just about to answer her when a fourth light appeared somewhere to the northeast of where they were. It was a deep, lapis blue and originated from the amulet’s center. It looked nothing like the light blue that represented Gabriel. Plus, with what Petra had confirmed earlier, the warrior was long gone. 

That meant only one thing. 

“Is that…?” 

“Oh my goodness, that’s Ivor!” Jesse confirmed, panic rising in her voice. The room swam in her vision, but she continued, “And he’s headed for Soren’s. We need to move.” 

“Righteous. We’ll get some rest and head out first thing in the morning. Avoiding all the ‘nighttime’ and ‘monsters’ and everything.” Magnus announced matter-of-factly. 

“If you had seen that monster, you wouldn’t be saying that,” Ellegaard protested. “We need to leave now. I think it’s following us, Magnus. And I don’t want to risk it catching up.” 

“I think Ellegaard is right.” Jesse said, ignoring the heavy feeling her legs were giving her. “If we don’t want to see that Witherstorm, we should…” Her speech slurred, and was it just her or was everything turning upside down? “Uh… we should—” 

Jesse never got to finish that thought. 

Her knees buckled, and she slumped forward until someone caught her before she hit the ground. Another called her name, but she wasn’t too sure who. 

Jesse blinked rapidly a few more times, perplexed at the blurry shapes that were approaching her, before everything went dark. No more arguments, no more headaches, just silence. 

Chapter Text

Lukas found himself thinking about Jesse a lot these past few days—thinking about their conversations, thinking about what she could be doing, thinking (and worrying excessively) about whether she or not was safe. His thoughts were so consumed by her that he started to notice the littlest details that used to be so insignificant to him before. 

Things like Jesse had a small dimple on one cheek whenever she smiled too broadly, or that she was extremely physically affectionate, or there was one stubborn section of her hair that curled behind her ear that she kept pinned with her signature yellow hair clip because she could never straighten it out. 

Or perhaps these were all things he had already known but never wanted to notice because of a stupid group rivalry that began without his knowledge. 

Still, he couldn’t not notice her. She was all he saw at the building competitions every year, even when he wasn’t hers and her gaze always found its way to another with olive eyes and brown hair. 

The thing was, Jesse had always been cute, and he always wanted to talk to her, always wanted to get to know her, always wanted to be her friend. 

They competed, she lost, he congratulated her for trying because he couldn’t find a reason to talk to her otherwise, and they would do it all over again for years. Nine, to be specific. 

By the tenth, everything changed and she would finally see him—not Aiden, not Lukas the leader of the Ocelots—just him, just Lukas, and it was such a shame that it had to happen at the end of the world. 

He studied her from the other side of the room and noticed that the eye bags underneath her eyes were darker than the day before. They were almost dark purple and looked like bruises. There were a few other signs, too, like the lines that appeared by the corners of her eyes when she blinked too hard trying to chase something away and the way her feet dragged against the ground as they walked. 

That’s why, when Jesse started swaying like she was going to topple over, Lukas was the first to run to her aid. Even if he ran as fast as he could, he knew he couldn’t make it. 

“Jes—” 

His alarmed cry of her name was cut short by Olivia, Petra, and Axel—who, all combined, drowned out the sound of his voice with their own. 

“JESSE?!” 

Magnus managed to catch her before she fell, with one hand clutching by the back of her overalls, but not without exerting a heavy grunt and gritting out between clenched teeth, “Axel, come get your friend. She’s a heavy one.” 

“Oh crap. Crap. Damn it, Jesse.” More curses streamed from Axel’s mouth, but it was all completely devoid of anger. There was nothing but concern as he took her from Magnus’s grasp. “Thanks, Magnus. I got her.” 

Axel picked up Jesse in his arms like he’s had practice with this. Despite the tremors that threatened to wrack his body, Lukas had to remind himself that she was going to be okay. She was only asleep. Jesse would wake up. 

This was nothing like the time eight years ago where the sight of her limp body wheezing and crying like she was dying sent his mind into a frenzy. That time was forever ago. He remembered it like it was yesterday. 

“It’s just exhaustion,” Olivia reassured, pressing a palm over Jesse’s forehead as her shoulders sagged in relief. 

“But Olivia,” Axel frowned back, “she did it again. We told her already. This can’t keep happening.” 

“I know, Axel. I know. We just have to look after her as we always have.” 

Lukas’s eyes searched Olivia for answers, ones that she wasn’t going to provide based on the solemn shake of her head, before she redirected her attention towards Jesse, who was merely asleep and breathing softly. Her chest rose and fell, and with each of her breaths the tension in Lukas’s body gradually ceased. 

“I can take her,” Lukas offered, shrinking only when Axel looked at him sharply. He couldn’t help it—the nerves strained his voice. And Lukas knew Axel may not be the smartest of the bunch, but he could be near perceptive if he needed to be. 

“I got her,” Axel repeated himself evenly. 

He knew what they were doing, but he didn’t like it. It reminded him once more, as he looked at their friend group surrounding her protectively, that he was an outsider looking in. 

For some reason, Axel’s words from yesterday bounced around his head like an unwelcome visitor. 

Haven’t you done enough damage for one day?

No, he didn’t think he had. All Lukas ever did was damage control. But maybe, just maybe, that was what Axel was trying to get at through his brusque words and hostile attitude. 

He never did anything until things were already shattered to pieces. That’s why the thought of apologizing to them never once crossed his mind until he needed them because the world was falling apart and they were the only real thing he had. 

Lukas could hover around their circle forever, but he’d never be one of them—not as long as he wore his jacket. 

“Again?” He heard Ellegaard mumble incredulously somewhere nearby. “Are both my new assistants prone to fainting?” 

“Well, that’s that. Looks like we’re bunkering down for the night, Ellie. What a shame, huh?” Magnus said, grinning widely. “Things can’t go your way all the time.” 

Ellegaard rolled her eyes. “If this unforeseen situation hadn’t occurred, we would’ve been leaving by now, Magnus. You’re only gloating because you think you’ve won, but when the Witherstorm comes nipping at our heels tomorrow morning, I’ll get to say ‘I told you so.’” 

“Sure, whatever you say. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m going to see if our old rooms are still, you know, sleepable. Haven’t been here in ages.” 

The two heroes left, bickering all the while, and headed in the direction Lukas could only assume were the former living quarters. If they were lucky, hopefully they could find enough beds to bring back for everyone. That was assuming that they didn’t spend all their time fighting with each other. 

He made his way over to where Petra was overseeing the whole exchange with an awkward expression on her face. She was clutching one of her arms pretty intently, but the sharp look she gave him prevented him from asking. 

They stood side by side, since neither one chose to break the silence. It felt weird that even Petra sat out of whatever it was that was going on. She wasn’t as close to Jesse as the rest of the gang, but she certainly was closer to them than Lukas was. They wouldn’t have minded her there, but for some reason, she stayed out of it and let them have their space. 

Eventually, Petra asked in a soft tone, “Worried about Jesse?” 

“What?” The question caught him off guard. He hadn’t been expecting Petra to ask. Was he being that obvious? “Of course I am. Aren’t we all?” 

His voice cracked. He didn’t mean for it to. 

“Yeah, that might be true. But not everyone is staring intently at her the way you are.”

Lukas flushed. He really shouldn’t be this embarrassed. It’s not a big deal to be worried for a friend, but with the way Petra was staring him down, hard, made it feel like he had just been caught outside with his pants down or something equally mortifying, like the one time he happened to leave the house with a massive case of bedhead. 

Lukas could pretend all he wanted that he had his life together, but he was always thinking, always overthinking, about his image, how he’s perceived, whether people like the version of him they see. Maybe it’s because he’s seen the way people were treated on the other side of the coin, people like Jesse, which was why he never stood up for her. Not really. He told Aiden off multiple times for slacking, but never for all the cruel words he would hurl her way. 

“That’s only because I’m worried,” he protested weakly. 

Lukas didn’t even believe himself. He had no expectation that Petra would either. 

“Whatever works for you.” 

Petra had always been as sharp as the weapons she carried. There was no way he could ever lie to her with her intuition. 

Didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. 

“I’m being serious, Petra.” 

Petra heaved a full-body sigh, patting him on the back. “Look, I’m only telling you this because you’re cool with me, but I heard a while back from Axel that Jesse’s had it pretty rough. Axel and Olivia are only the way they are because she’s like a little sister to them.” 

“That’s… not exactly what I was worried about.” 

“Sure you weren’t,” Petra quipped sarcastically. “That totally explains your face earlier when Axel denied your little request.” 

“My face—” He blinked in alarm, an unfamiliar unease settling in his bones. “Petra, what did I look like?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she snickered, not answering him. 

It seemed that she wouldn’t answer him for the rest of the evening, no matter how much he bothered her about it. 

The sun eventually set, and both Magnus and Ellegaard returned. The former triumphantly carried beds in his inventory, while the latter gathered other resources like food and water. 

The most surprising thing above all else was the fact they were both getting along. Their quarreling was less severe and more lighthearted, like they were friends again, like they were actually, you know, the Order and not two people who couldn’t stand being in the other’s presence. 

He wanted to tell Jesse the good news, to share the joy with her at realizing that her efforts were paying off, but he could only look at her unresponsive body as she slept soundly in one of the available beds. 

Olivia and Axel sat by her bedside and diligently kept watch, holding the other accountable by nudging them when they started to notice the other doze off. Petra, against all his expectations, had called it an early night and went to bed first with Reuben curled up near her head. Magnus and Ellegaard also eventually went to bed, making sure to sleep on opposite sides of the room. 

“Guys?” Lukas ventured in a whisper. 

They both regard him neutrally, matching expressions of fatigue on their faces. Neither Axel nor Olivia told him to leave, so he guessed that was a good sign. He continued, almost nervously, “I could keep watch. You guys have had a long day.” 

Axel scowled, opening his mouth to protest, but Olivia cut him off with a small, grateful smile. It’s a touch too wide in places and all teeth and didn’t exactly reach her eyes, but she’s trying. 

“That would be great, Lukas. Thanks.” 

Axel pulled a face like she had just suggested that he should eat rotten flesh, but he relented. The two of them got up and, after Olivia bid him a brief goodnight, they tucked into their own respective beds for the night. 

It’s a start—a step in the right direction. It was reassuring to know that Olivia was open to giving him a chance. He didn’t know about Axel yet, but he figured that he could come around to that topic eventually. Not hated was a good status, and while it wasn’t friends, that would come in due time. 

Soon, everyone was asleep except for Lukas. It crossed his mind that he could sleep too. The fortifications he had installed were plenty to keep the mobs out and the people in, but he promised her friends that he would watch over her and he wasn’t going to break that fragile trust. 

Waiting was long and boring without her company, but he didn’t have to wait long. An hour had passed when Jesse sat up in bed. Her eyes were wide and glassy, covered by thin foggy film. 

“Aiden?” she whispered. 

“No, I— Jesse,” he faltered. What the hell was he even supposed to say in this situation? 

“Aiden,” Jesse said again, more desperately than he had ever known her to be. She stood up so she was properly facing him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay? Please talk to me.” 

It occurred to him that she was dreaming. Sleepwalking, as Olivia had put it. She was looking directly at him but not really seeing him. 

He also got the feeling that this wasn’t a side of her he was supposed to see. It was too much for what they currently shared—too vulnerable, too personal. 

“Jesse, this isn’t real. You need to wake up.” Lukas reached out to grab her by the arms, and she immediately turned stiff under his grasp, going slack and emotionless. 

She blinked, eyes still heavily unfocused, but when he thought he was finally getting through to her, she wrenched herself free and began walking. He didn’t know what Olivia or Axel would do in this scenario, so he followed after her, making sure not to wake the others. He didn’t want to interfere unless she was absolutely going to hurt herself, but Jesse was surprisingly nimble for someone who was not fully conscious. 

They found themselves downstairs in the enchantment room, and Jesse stopped in front of the room. She hunched over the enchantment table, fisting the red fabric with a white-knuckled grip. 

Her voice was cold, and her tone was acerbic in the silence. 

“You’re a dirty liar, Aiden. You—” 

Like before, Jesse didn’t get to finish that thought because her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she slumped forward. 

Lukas managed to catch her, but not without using all his strength. He wouldn’t say he was strong, but he wasn’t weak either. He was reasonably fit—building required him to be—but in comparison to Jesse, who felt more like muscle than anything else, he supposed she had been right about him trying to lift her. 

He brought her back upstairs, set her down on the bed, and resumed his nightly duty of keeping watch.

Lukas busied himself rereading the legend of the Order book again. The sentences blurred together and overlapped, but he found himself rereading them over again before they finally stuck. 

He had just gotten to the part where the Order made it to the ocean monument thanks to Ivor’s water breathing potions when the soft rustle of fabric caught his attention followed by a sharp voice. 

“Lukas? Is that you?” Jesse squinted at him through the dark, her green gaze narrow and piercing. 

The book in his hands snapped shut with a thud as he practically stumbled over to be by her side, kneeling on the floor. “Hey, Jesse. How are you feeling?” 

“Like absolute shit, but I think I’ll survive,” she mumbled with a sigh, pressing her palms against her eyes and giving them a harsh rub. With her eyes covered, she missed the wide-eyed stare Lukas gave her. “What happened when I was out?” 

He coughed, still taken aback, as he explained, “Magnus and Ellegaard found some spare beds and equipment. Then, everybody else went to bed. I’ve been keeping watch, since I got the most rest out of all of us.” 

There’s an awkward pause as Jesse removed her hands and stared at him as if she could see through him. 

“Did I… do anything weird?” she prompted, raising a brow. “Or say something? In my sleep, I mean.” 

“No,” Lukas lied as easily as he breathed. “You sleepwalked to the enchantment room, but that was it.” 

He decided he wouldn’t tell her about Aiden. Judging by the tautness of her expression, he knew this was the right call. 

“Oh. Okay, that’s good then.” Jesse tucked herself into a ball, wrapping her arms around her knees as she pulled them up to her chest. “Liv caught me muttering a few times once and it totally freaked her out. When I dream, the lines blur sometimes… I didn’t wanna scare you off or anything.” 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He knew she didn’t, gauging by her expression, but on the off chance that she was willing, he wanted to know. Lukas wanted to cross the unspoken line she drew between them. Because as much as Jesse laughed and teased and chatted with him, he wasn’t over it yet. 

She shook her head. “It’s not you, Lukas, but I’d rather not, okay? It’s… it’s hard to talk about.” 

“Alright. We could talk about something else? Only if you want to,” he added quickly upon seeing her pursed lips and furrowed brows. 

“Yeah, I guess we can do that. Just talk,” she rolled the word in her mouth like the concept was foreign to her. “What did you have in mind?” 

“I’m not sure. Anything, really. You can ask me questions, too.” 

Jesse rolled her lips together as she considered what to ask. For a few, unchanging minutes, Lukas focused on the sound of his heartbeat and willed it to stop beating so fast. 

“What do you want to do when all this is over?” 

A laugh of disbelief escaped him, but when he glanced at Jesse all quiet and expectant, he realized that she was serious. She really wanted to know. Of all the things to ask, she settled on this. Maybe he was just really uninteresting to her, since this was not anything he would’ve come up with. 

“I haven’t given it much thought,” he admitted. “First, I want to check if all my stuff is still intact. Maybe take it easy as I try to unpack all this craziness. I think I’ve had my fill of adventure.”

“That’s reasonable,” she snorted. Her fingers dug into her biceps, leaving reddish marks. “It’s been real crazy, that’s for sure. And don’t forget—exhausting, all this running around.” 

“What would you do?” 

Jesse blinked, not expecting the question to be thrown back at her. She loosened her shoulders, freeing her legs as they dangled off the bed. Her hands fell back into her lap, but they’re restless, drumming against her thighs. 

“I dunno. Sleep a lot. Play fetch with Reuben. Spend time with friends. The usual.” Jesse lolled her head to the side, contemplative. “I guess, my life gets kind of stagnant. The only time anything new ever happens is during the building competitions.” 

The answer came as more of a shock to him than anything. 

“You actually look forward to them?” he questioned, skepticism bleeding into his words. 

It’s hard to picture Jesse excited about building. It’s even harder to picture Jesse getting excited about seeing him, really. Not that she had actually said that, but her looking forward to the building competitions had to mean she didn’t hate the idea of seeing him every year, right? 

She shrugged. “Sure. I mean, every year is something new. New builds, new teams. Though there are teams that stay a few times, they’re not like us. Not dedicated, not obsessed. They stay three years max. Some other things stay the same, too. You Ocelots—” Somehow, the way the name fell from her mouth in a lazy drone made his skin crawl, “—pick on my friends again. We build, we lose. End of story.” 

“You didn’t lose this year,” he pointed out, and a sardonic grin stretched across her face. 

“Yeah, we might’ve won but then everything else happened, so I can’t really call it a victory worth celebrating.” 

“That… might be true,” he began carefully. “But—” 

Her voice came out clipped. “Don’t.” She frowned. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but it’s true. If we hadn’t won, I wouldn’t have shown up for EnderCon. Petra would’ve done her deal on her own. Ivor would still have his fancy potion and a means of stopping that thing.” 

Jesse’s sense of responsibility was admirable. It mirrored his own in more ways than he was comfortable with admitting right now. 

Even if he wanted to say something, she didn’t give him that chance. Her next question came sharp and fast, as if she was eager to move on. 

“My turn to ask again.” She’s now clutching the pillow to her chest as she leaned back into the wall. “Do you have any siblings?” 

“I— Yeah, I do actually. How can you tell?” 

“You strike me as a guy who has sisters, weirdly enough. How many, then?” 

“Three. Two sisters, one brother,” Lukas clarified. It felt weird, bonding like this—asking mundane questions, getting mundane answers, and dancing around all the things that shouldn’t be talked about. “An older sister, and the two younger ones are twins.” 

“Cute,” she grinned, but didn’t offer anything else. 

He hesitated before asking, “What about you? Any siblings?” 

Asking about family to Jesse felt taboo. There were too many pieces not adding up. He felt like he was given a crafting recipe, told to make something, but didn’t have all the materials. Then, Petra had to go and say something cryptic, coupled with her friends’ already unusual behavior. 

Lukas was surprised she even answered him. 

“Unless you count Reuben, then no. I’m an only child. There’s no sharing stuff for me.” 

“Somehow, I kinda expected that.” 

“Gee, I wonder what gave it away?” It’s not exactly an invitation to answer, but she playfully rolled her eyes all the same. 

It went silent again as she observed him. He couldn’t puzzle out what she was thinking. 

“You can sit on the bed, you know,” she said eventually. “The floor must be killer on your knees.” 

“I thought you said there’s no sharing stuff for you?” He joked weakly in order to mask the red that was beginning to dust his cheeks, swallowing down the traitorous lump in his throat. It annoyed him when he was fortifying the place, but now he was glad that it was so dark and poorly lit. 

“Yeah, but I’ll make an exception just this once.” 

She scooted over to make space as he took a seat. His knees thanked him for that. 

“I’m honored.” 

“Good, you should be.” 

That cocky confidence, so unfounded and sudden, garnered a laugh from him. She chuckled too, nudging him on the side lightly. They settled down soon enough, and it’s honestly a miracle nobody had woken up yet from all their banter. 

He’s relieved though that he could talk to her without her friends’ judgmental gazes drilling into his back. It felt real, like they were the only two people in the world. 

“Back to my turn,” she announced with the ghost of a smile on her lips. 

He raised a brow. “We’re still doing this whole questions thing?” 

“Well duh, I don’t see why not. I like picking at your brain. We don’t get to do this often.” 

“Because of your friends?” The accusation slipped out. 

She winced. “It sounds bad when you put it that way, but Axel and Olivia have their reasons. It’s hard to try to change their minds about certain people.” 

“And that includes me.” 

Jesse had the decency to appear apologetic, but it did little to lessen the tension brought on by her next question. 

“You don’t have to answer me, but are you happy with the Ocelots?” 

Lukas immediately turned rigid, eyes darting to meet hers. She didn’t back down. 

“I like spending time with you, Lukas,” she admitted. “You’ve been pretty cool, and I want to hang out more when this is all over. But the other Ocelots…” 

“You’re asking me to abandon my friends.” His tone sounded defensive because he was. These were his friends she was talking about. He wasn’t going to leave them because she wanted him to. 

“I’m not. I’m just saying we can only hang out when they’re not around.” 

“That’s basically the same thing, Jesse. The Ocelots—no, Maya, Gill, and Aiden, they’re not bad people. You don’t know my friends like I do.” 

“I might not, but I find it hard to care. You know their treatment of me, of my friends, and you’re just okay with that?” Her gaze turned sharp, like broken green stained glass, cutting and dangerous. 

“You know it’s not that simple. Besides, your friends aren’t exactly innocent either.” 

How could he possibly get her to understand? To see his perspective? Both of their friend groups had their differences in the past, but they’re never something he couldn’t envision himself patching up and smoothing over in the future. 

The last jab had been made in an attempt to reason with her, but it only seemed to piss her off more. She was standing now, fists balled tightly against her sides as she glowered at him. 

“Oh, get over yourself. Where was all this righteousness when your friends were talking crap about us? You tell yourself you’re all that, that you’re actually doing something when you call your friends out for slacking, all to avoid the truth. So here it is, Lukas. You like the feeling of being responsible but you hate actually being held accountable for anything.” 

There were words that swirled around in his head fast enough to make him dizzy—conflict avoidant, damage control, fixing things only after they’ve broken. 

Lukas would’ve considered himself a levelheaded and reasonable person, but there were a few times that tested that theory. The treehouse was one of them, the other was now. 

“Don’t act like you’re better than me,” he forced out. “I don’t remember this being an open invitation to force your assumptions of my character onto me. And I don’t think it’s us you have a problem with, just Aiden.” 

There’s stunned silence before whatever emotions she had written on her face were wiped off like a clean slate. She stared at him and it made him restless being pinned under the heavy weight of her gaze. He almost opened his mouth to say he’s sorry to diffuse the situation, but she beat him to it. 

“Sorry.” It didn’t sound remotely genuine, but he left it at that with a single nod. 

All the fight left her body as she slowly sank back down into the bed and pressed her hands against her face. 

“Sorry,” she repeated. It’s slightly more believable this time, but there’s a force behind it that compelled him to leave it alone. “Can you go? I’m tired, Lukas. We can talk again some other time.” 

“Is there even going to be another time?” he asked. 

He didn’t know why he said anything. Perhaps he was afraid she would say no, that she would cut him out for good like all her friends who decided he was the enemy before they even gave him a chance. 

As always, his fears were unfounded. Because Jesse wasn’t like that. Because Jesse was good. 

She gave him a barely noticeable wobbly smile. “Maybe.” 

It ate him up inside.

Chapter Text

Jesse dreaded what the morning would bring. 

She replayed their conversation in her head as she laid staring wide-eyed at the ceiling and tried to imagine the thousands of other ways it could’ve gone if she didn’t go and say something so profoundly stupid. Her dream—more like nightmare—had set her nerves on edge, but it didn’t warrant her taking it out on Lukas. She felt awful as she remembered him, knuckles bone white and mouth set in a grim line. 

Her first mistake had been to let her temper run again. Her second had been to let her history with Aiden affect others. She had to consciously remind herself that they weren’t the same person. In fact, Lukas might be the only person she knew who didn’t know anything about her. The thought itself was freeing in ways words couldn’t explain. 

Speaking of Lukas, he was sitting propped against one of the walls and resumed his reading from before. He deliberately kept his back turned against her, so she couldn’t get a read on his expression. She wondered what he was thinking at that moment and if he was also agonizing over their talk as much as she was. 

She couldn’t exactly explain that her past, which she hadn’t shared with anyone who didn’t already know, was still clinging onto her like a curse of binding. Though she supposed couldn’t wasn’t exactly the right term either; it was more like she wouldn’t. 

She needed to make things right, but that was for future Jesse to worry about. Current Jesse just needed to survive until tomorrow. 

Jesse pulled the pillow over her head and prayed for everything to all be another nightmare she’d wake up from in a few hours. However, her prayers weren’t answered, and soon, a second wave of fatigue washed over her. 

Thankfully, this time there were no more dreams, or nightmares, or glimpses of the past—just blissful darkness. 

When she woke again, she was greeted by the early morning sunrise. The reds and oranges bled into the sky, and there were no obvious signs of the Witherstorm. She probably looked as tired as she felt, all bleary-eyed with tired limbs. She dragged herself out of bed and shuffled over to join the others. 

Not too long after “good morning” left her lips did Axel and Olivia spend no time getting right to the point of lecturing her. Between their spiels, she spared a glance at Petra, who was looking a little worse for wear compared to yesterday, and found her gaze lingering on Lukas, who was still choosing not to look at her. It sucked, but there wasn’t going to be anyone to bail her out. 

“…se? Jesse, are you even listening to us?” Olivia asked, placing her hands on her hips. 

Her stern voice brought Jesse back to reality, and she blinked, hard, startling back into focus. She narrowly managed to tear her eyes away from Lukas before her friend could pick up on where her gaze had strayed. 

“Huh?” Jesse mumbled, intelligently. 

“Nevermind.” Olivia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers. She opted not to continue her previous train of thought. 

“I’m sorry, Liv. I didn’t mean it. I had that dream again, and it’s messing me up. Bad.” 

The grimace that followed must’ve looked as real as it felt, since her friend’s face quickly turned sympathetic with a soft frown and pinched brows. At times like these, it was best to be honest. It’s been a rough night for her—for all of them. Her head still wasn’t all there yet. 

The last thing she wanted was her friends to carry this worry with them on the journey to Soren’s. They all needed to be mentally present, there was no telling what would happen to them otherwise. 

“You know what happened back then wasn’t your fault.” 

Jesse winced, avoiding her eyes and glancing down towards her boots when she answered. “Yeah. I know. It’s just…” she faltered, struggling to decide the right word to say. 

“Horrible?” Olivia offered. “Terrible? Messed up?” 

“I was actually going to say bleak, but those work, too.” 

“It was a tragedy for all of us, Jesse. You can’t blame yourself. There was no way you could’ve known. I mean, you were only fourteen. Heck, we were all young. And then, Aiden, he…” 

“Man, I really wish I punched that jerk back then,” Axel commented offhandedly, and under normal circumstances, she might’ve laughed. 

These were decidedly not normal circumstances. 

“I know! I know!” Jesse snapped instead, raising her voice and taking a shaky breath that left her lungs rattled. 

An unwanted memory of her second building competition resurfaced. It was the last time she spoke to Aiden—actually spoke, without snide comments or rude insults—and it had also been the day she lost everything. 

Olivia and Axel took a step back at her outburst, exchanging concerned looks between each other. Her anger didn’t last, replaced soon by the flood of remorse coiling low in her gut. 

“Sorry. It’s just— I already know that more than anyone,” she admitted in a quieter tone. “You don’t have to remind me.” 

“Look, regardless of what happens, we’re getting through this together.” Olivia stated firmly, as if there were no other options, reaching out to hold Jesse by the shoulders as she peered at her with dark, serious eyes. “But we need you here with us though, Jesse. You understand, right?” 

She swallowed down the lump in her throat and bobbed her head, managing a small smile. “Yeah. There are no better friends I’d rather combat the end of the world with than you guys.” 

“And when this is all over, you’ll tell Aiden that you saved his ass and the rest of the world, right?” Axel probed. 

“Sure,” Jesse snorted, “whatever you say Axel.” 

“Just… take it easy,” Olivia reminded. “We want you to be careful.” 

“Yeah, and don’t let Lukas get to your head too much. It’s what the Ocelots do. They play all sorts of mind tricks. Definitely how they won those building competitions.” 

She shot Axel a halfhearted glare, which he deflected by raising his palms in defense. 

“And you need to get along with Lukas more,” she retorted. “Besides, the problem lies with me, and I’m working on it, okay? Don’t worry about it. I just need more sleep and less stress.” 

“More like less everything we’re dealing with,” Olivia quipped. 

“Yes, one less Witherstorm would be good for everyone,” Jesse huffed. 

“We’ll always worry about you,” he said, patting her on the back with a grin. “It’s what friends are for. No promises on the whole Lukas thing, though.” 

Jesse playfully rolled her eyes in response, hitting him on the shoulder. 

She would like to see her friends to get along. Besides, Lukas wasn’t like the other Ocelots. Axel had to come around eventually. Even Olivia was starting to warm up to him. 

“We’ll meet you downstairs by the front.” Olivia said, leading Axel away by the arm. “Be sure to get everything you need, Jesse.” 

“But don’t take too long,” he joked. 

Jesse rolled her eyes lightheartedly, waving them off. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there.” 

Reuben trotted up to her, refreshed after having gotten a good night’s rest, and she gave her small companion a few pats on the head for extra luck. She rummaged through a couple chests picking up a few arrows and some stone in case she needed to tower her way out of a sticky situation, but there wasn’t much else. It was like Magnus and Ellegaard said, the temple was more barebones than it used to be. 

When she finally stood up, closing the lid of the chest with a resounding click, her eyes met Lukas’s from across the room. He looked like he wanted to say something to her, but at the last moment, closed his mouth and turned away, reconsidering. 

There was something lodged deep down in her gut—her guilty conscience, perhaps—but Magnus’s loud voice calling for them from downstairs didn’t give her the second she needed to recollect her thoughts. She’s sure she’d be able to speak with Lukas later, but for the time being, they needed to find Soren and his fabled Formidi-Bomb. 

When this was all over, she’d tell him everything—her shameful past, her reservations, and her relationship with Aiden. Everything would come to light. There would be no more running, no more hiding. Her only wish was that it wouldn’t ruin the friendship she had worked so hard to build.

Lukas was having an understandably rough morning. 

He had spent the better part of the night reading until the early hours. However, if you were to quiz him on what exactly he read, he wouldn’t be able to tell you anything, since all the words blurred into an unintelligible mass. Everything felt sensitive, and he was miserable. This was the main reason he didn’t make it a habit of pulling all-nighters. 

A glance in Jesse’s direction proved that she was in a similar state of being, only her eye circles were slightly less prominent than before. She dragged herself up to meet with Axel and Olivia some blocks away with Reuben padding along after her. 

They exchanged greetings—probably, Lukas didn’t actually know and was only guessing because he couldn’t hear them—before things got tense. Olivia looked pretty upset and, judging by how tightly Jesse’s jaw was clenched, he could only assume the conversation couldn’t be about anything good. Surprisingly, Axel was remarkably calm about the whole situation given everything Lukas knew about his personality. 

He didn’t get much time to think on it when a voice cut through the thoughts swirling in his head. 

“What’s up with you and Jesse?” Petra asked, making herself known as she took a comfortable seat on the floor. She crossed her legs as she lounged back using the bed as a backrest. Her gaze was open and curious. 

“Petra? You heard all that?” Lukas sputtered, nearly choking on his own tongue trying not to trip over the words. 

“If you guys were trying to be subtle about your whole lovers’ quarrel, you failed. I was trying to sleep through it, but I was up by the time Jesse called you a coward.” 

“L-Lover? What? No, you have it all wrong,” he strongly denied, feeling his voice raise. “Also she never called me that.” 

“Could’ve fooled me.” Petra shrugged. “It’s the same damn thing. She just used more words. So?” 

Lukas blinked, confused as to where this was going. 

“So… what?” 

“What do you mean what? When are you gonna make up with her?” 

It felt like all the wind was knocked out of him. He knew that apologizing would be the right thing to do, but being told that from someone else irritated him to no end. He felt like he was floating, so in over his head and out of his depth, surrounded by people who, for the most part, didn’t like him. 

The feeling from before came back tenfold, gnawing at the pit of his stomach. Anger, acrid and bitter, closed around his throat. 

“I don’t have to do anything. Plus, why is the onus on me? The argument is just as much Jesse’s fault as it is mine.” 

“Woah, man,” she warned in a low tone, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Don’t take it out on me. I’m just offering suggestions here.” 

He folded his arms, glaring. “Have you maybe considered that I don’t need suggestions? I can take care of things fine enough on my own.” 

“Right. Like how you and Jesse took care of things last night.” Petra rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying, Lukas, if you guys don’t sort things out soon, everything is gonna fall to shit. You need to keep it together.” 

With those final words of wisdom, she pulled herself up and hobbled downstairs. 

Lukas carded his hands through his hair in frustration, grasping at the blond strands as if it would help him preserve his sanity. First it was Jesse, and now Petra was pissed off at him. It seemed he had a real knack for these sorts of things. 

He heard his name being called and spun around with a scathing, “What do you want?” before he even registered Olivia’s raised brow and Axel’s growing scowl. 

“Just checking in. Wanted to see how you were holding up,” she responded, shrugging slightly. This might have been the first time he’s seen her without her beanie and goggles, since they were bunched up in her hand. 

“Oh.” 

The fire died down, replaced with guilt. This might also be the first time any of Jesse’s friends voluntarily spoke to him and here he was giving them an attitude like they kicked his cat or something. 

“Well, uh, thanks.” Lukas nervously ran his fingers through his hair to stop his hands from shaking. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you guys.” 

“Hey, we get it. Tensions are running high and everything added onto that isn’t exactly helping.” Olivia said tiredly, allowing her shoulders to slump as she looked down at her shoes. It seemed that even she wasn’t sure of where to take their conversation. “Well, we told Jesse already, but everybody’s downstairs. We’re waiting on you guys, so come down whenever you’re ready. Now, Axel…” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he grumbled. 

Axel looked equally as uncomfortable with the attention on him as Lukas felt. He might have been unnerved if it weren’t for the look Axel gave him that suggested he’d rather be plucked out of the sky by the Witherstorm than go through with whatever this was. 

“Thanks for, uh, well, taking care of Jesse.” Axel said, clapping a heavy hand on Lukas’s shoulder. His words were rough but oddly sincere. “And yeah, you’re not too bad, I guess,” he finished in a grumble. 

“Real smooth, Axel.” Olivia teased, elbowing his side as he flushed. 

“Oh, shut up.” 

The two walked off hand in hand after a mutually awkward exchange of goodbyes, and Lukas had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. 

He wasn’t, and he couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not yet. 

Them approaching him first had to mean things were changing. These were good changes—changes that they both needed. 

Lukas has spent the better half of their adventure together feeling like he was walking on eggshells. It seemed that everybody knew something, some big secret, that he didn’t. If getting closer to them meant he would soon uncover what everybody was hiding, then so be it. He was getting tired of being kept in the dark. 

Somehow, he found his gaze wandering in search of Jesse. She was rummaging through one of the chests, taking out some stone and pocketing some arrows. He considered walking up to her, to put their talk behind him, but his bravado failed him the moment her gaze met his. 

With eyes as wide as saucers, Lukas found himself floundering for the right words to say. What should he even say? He thought an apology would be a good place to start, but he didn’t know where to go from there. Was there a right way of bringing things up? How could he possibly not make things worse for them already? 

The more he looked at her, the more he felt self-conscious. She peered back, confusion weaving into her features the longer she continued to hold his gaze. When the words failed him, he turned away with his pulse thudding loudly in his ears. 

He couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t. 

There were things about himself that he wasn’t willing to confront just yet, and with everything going on, he didn’t think he could face her if he burdened her with his problems. It wasn’t fair to her if Lukas added himself to the many things she was worried about.

By the time he gathered himself enough to look back, Jesse was already gone. 

In her place, Reuben sat there waiting for him. The pig stared at him with wide, watery eyes expectantly as if to say, “What are you doing? Go after her!” 

“If only it was that easy, Reuben.” Lukas sighed, shaking his head in disappointment—whether it was towards himself or the situation was for him to decide later. 

Reuben oinked his disagreement, stamping his hooves in a gesture Lukas assumed was annoyance. 

He bent down to pat the pig on the back, a fond smile playing on his face. “You’re lucky you’re a pig. Jesse probably thinks you’re cute no matter what you do.” 

The words hadn’t been given much thought before they tumbled from his mouth. However, once the implication behind his careless remark finally sank in, he was suddenly grateful that Jesse had left. His face heated up, fingers finding refuge in his hair, as Reuben grinned up at him. 

Was the pig also raising a brow? He must be losing his mind. 

Lukas still didn’t understand why he was trying to talk some sense to a pig, but he retorted, flustered, “That wasn’t— You don’t— I didn’t mean it like that.” 

Reuben snorted, shaking his head and still grinning, and Lukas was positive it sounded an awful lot like, “Sure you didn’t.”

Jesse headed downstairs where she met up with everybody in the small area by the entrance. She had to double- and then triple-check that the amulet was stowed safely away in her inventory. It glowed red and green the closer she approached Magnus and Ellegaard before it faded, having found its intended targets. Axel noticed her first and waved her over. 

“Jesse! You grabbed everything you need yet?” 

“Yeah,” she answered, walking towards her friends while patting down her overall pockets. “I think I got everything. Can’t be too sure, though—you can’t exactly prepare for these sorts of things.” 

“As long as you got the essentials you should be good,” Olivia cut in before taking a quick glance over Jesse’s shoulder. “Where’s Lukas? He didn’t come down with you?” 

Jesse also spared a glance at the empty corridor before picking at the red sleeves of her shirt with a frown. “Oh, uh, Reuben’s waiting for him. He’ll be down in a minute. We’re not exactly on great terms at the moment…” 

“Why? What happened?” 

“You guys want the long story or the short version?” 

Olivia answered, “The long story, of course.” 

Meanwhile, Axel cut in with, “Short version, obviously.” 

She should’ve expected her friends would never see eye to eye when it came to anything Ocelots related. 

Before either of them could argue their case, Jesse said, “Well, the short and long story is that Lukas and I got into an argument—” She shook her head ruefully. “No, wait, you can’t even call it that. It was more like a disagreement. Last night.” 

“And that’s why you’re not talking?” 

“Uh, yeah. Pretty much.” 

“Jesse, that is pretty much the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” Olivia remarked, placing her hands on her hips. Her stare was unimpressed, and Jesse felt herself wilting. 

“I know,” she agonized. “But there’s not really a good time to talk right now. Like, hello? Remember saving the world?” 

“There’s never going to be a good time,” Olivia chided with a click of her tongue, “but the longer you put this off, the less you’re going to want to talk about it.” 

Jesse heaved a weary sigh, allowing for the tiredness to seep into her bones, as her shoulders slumped forward. It’s an admission, a resolution, all at the same time. Much like how Axel hated when she had a good point, she also found herself in a similar situation whenever Olivia provided the voice of reason. 

“You have a point, Liv. Okay, I’ll talk to him once we get to Soren’s. I’ll find the time. Somehow.” 

“Yeah,” Axel grinned in encouragement, slapping her on the back with enough force to make her cough. “You always find a way, Jesse. Things’ll work out if you don’t think too much about it.” 

“Wow… thanks Axel.” He said it so earnestly that the words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them. She couldn’t have slipped in sarcasm even if she wanted to. 

Axel’s grin widened further while Olivia facepalmed in mock exasperation. The unseriousness of it all nearly caused Jesse to break out into a smile of her own. 

It was pretty incredible to think that, after all these years, she had the blessing of calling these two dorks her friends. They’ve been around for so many highs and lows of her life that she was certain she might’ve pushed them away without realizing it. But they were stubborn, just like her, and stuck around regardless of what life threw at them. They had her back no matter what. They’ve gone through so much that Jesse could hardly picture a life without them. 

It was all so overwhelming. Olivia was right—they were only a bunch of small towners. The fate of the world should never have had to rest in their hands. They barely had their own lives sorted out. 

Jesse spent most of her days practicing her sword fighting skills and her evenings reading to Reuben in their tiny treehouse where the sunset painted brilliant colors on the ceiling whenever the day was over. Meanwhile, Olivia tinkered with her redstone builds, while Axel was out there somewhere, returning only to regale them with stories of things he’d seen. 

Now, they were going to save the world. And even if they didn’t want to, they might be the only ones left who could. Jesse tried to envision how the Order felt all those years ago when they made their way to the End to fight the ender dragon. 

Did they also have the same fears and apprehensions as she did? Or did they march head-on towards a near-certain doom because they believed they would emerge victorious? 

It was hard to imagine anything because all she saw was Ellegaard’s terrified gaze and ashen complexion the moment the Witherstorm tore through Redstonia each time she closed her eyes. She could still imagine all the screams of terror back at EnderCon, all those people running with death on their heels. She could still vividly picture and count those brief, paralyzing seconds when the Witherstorm first locked its eyes on her. 

What exactly made a hero? 

She didn’t feel any more heroic than when she dove into the basement to rescue Lukas from the iron golem. 

She did it because she felt obligated to do so. A strong sense of duty drove her to make these choices because she knew if she didn’t, no one else could. The moment Gabriel placed the amulet in her hands, she had been given a job to finish, regardless of her personal feelings on the matter. 

Did that make her a hero? 

Jesse couldn’t be sure of anything anymore. 

What she did know was that there was an Order member that they needed to find. Soren the Architect—if there was going to be someone who would be able to give them a solution to their Witherstorm problem and know how to destroy a command block, it had to be him. 

Or at least, that’s what Jesse told herself as she led everyone out of the temple and towards the fortress. During troubled times, the world needed heroes, and while Jesse wasn’t exactly a hero, she knew how to find them, and she was okay with that.

Chapter Text

Sunlight filtered through the treetops, leaving dappled patterns on the grassy grounds as their group trekked through forests and plains on their way to Soren’s. The scene might have been idyllic if it wasn’t for the creeping sense of dread that breathed down her neck with every single step. 

Jesse fidgeted as she walked, throwing quick glances over her shoulder just to confirm that they haven’t been followed by the entity that was pursuing their every waking moment. She half-expected to see its gaping maw or glowing eyes or thrashing tentacles over the horizon, but when she looked behind her and saw nothing but the open expanse of blue sky, she couldn’t help but feel inexplicably nervous. Her companions, mostly Reuben, but occasionally Olivia or Petra, would level her with varying degrees of concern, but Jesse pretended she couldn’t see them in favor of trekking onwards. 

It was only a matter of time before the Witherstorm caught up. The only thing that mattered was making it to Soren’s before that creature made it to them. They were so close to the end now that she wouldn’t be remotely surprised if it spawned out of nowhere to dash what little hopes she had. 

Her friends looked more or less worse for wear as she did. Despite leaving the temple bright and early and in relatively high spirits, there was a heavy silence that descended upon them. 

Olivia’s expression couldn’t be described as anything but grim, a hard line drawn across her face with her lips as her dark eyes darted to any and all shadows that might hold the slightest hint of danger. Her arms folded in on herself as if she could disappear from it all if she appeared small enough. 

She’s always been somewhat of a pessimist—being looked down upon and told you’d never amount to anything almost all your life would do that—but it’s what kept her the most grounded to reality. She’s always the most honest, to others and especially to herself. There’s no doubt that her brain was calculating all the possibilities of things that could happen if they found Soren, or didn’t, or anything else in between, if only to soften the devastating blow of disappointment later if things didn’t go to plan. Because, if Jesse’s being honest, things going according to plan these days were rare to come by.  

Axel wasn’t faring much better either. He kept one arm protectively around Olivia’s shoulders, while the other was restless by his side, hand clenched into a fist as if he was prepared to pummel the Witherstorm if it came down to it. His brow was furrowed, all jagged and serious, and he’s unusually quiet. Too quiet. Even he couldn’t muster the energy to crack a joke in order to ease the tension. 

Reuben stuck closer to Jesse’s side than normal too, nearly tripping her up at times whenever he walked too close to her legs for comfort. Jesse couldn’t find it in herself to complain, not when Reuben looked at her with a face full of terror, and it took Jesse back to those harrowing minutes she was confronting the butcher. If Lukas hadn’t been around, she didn’t even want to think about the way things might have gone. 

Petra was quiet for the most part, but there were heavy shadows that clung under her eyes and a grimace of pain on her face. Jesse instinctively knew that there was something wrong based on the way Petra’s eyes kept darting around towards the others as she held her braced arm close to her chest like she was wary other people would perceive it as a form of weakness. Jesse made a mental note to ask about it later after they reached the safety of Soren’s fortress. 

She didn’t even want to get started on Lukas. Other than the awkward and brief exchange of glances the pair gave to each other occasionally, they haven’t gotten in a word to each other otherwise. Jesse wasn’t sure how she would bring up their fight last night, and she honestly didn’t think she wanted to, but for the sake of the group’s peace, she knew she would have to eventually. 

Magnus and Ellegaard maintained the most sense of normalcy within the group. Other than the engineer’s paranoia causing creases on her forehead, she was relatively calm. Meanwhile, Magnus strutted on without a care in the world. He seemed smug that they left in the daytime, like he originally suggested, and was unphased by the restlessness that plagued the rest of the group. 

Jesse still couldn’t believe she was walking beside the Order of the Stone. Or what was left of it, anyways. It was crazy. What they were doing was crazy. 

She had to constantly remind herself that what they were doing was real. That the Witherstorm was real. It was easy to try and pretend this was some absurd nightmare because acknowledging it to be the cruel reality would mean having to come to terms with the fact that Gabriel was gone. If he couldn’t do it, what made him think she could? 

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Perhaps if she was faster or a better fighter or someone other than herself, Gabriel would still be here with them. If it had been Jesse in the beam instead of Petra, she was sure that the both of them could’ve been saved. Because Petra was better than her—stronger, faster, braver. Jesse couldn’t even dream to accomplish half the things the redhead had done on her own. 

She didn’t even realize she had been clenching her hands into fists, nails digging fresh red crescents into her palms, until Reuben nudged her on the side with his snout. His eyes seemed to peer right through her paper-thin facade, and she couldn’t help but feel ashamed. 

“I’m gonna be fine,” she whispered though she wasn’t sure how much she believed herself when the words finally left her. 

Reuben whimpered in protest. 

“I hear you, buddy. But I’m fine.” While her voice was already fairly quiet, her next admission was somehow even softer as she added, “I have to be.” 

He snorted, shaking his head with a frown before bumping her in the shins to express his disapproval. Reuben trotted off to stick next to Petra, who initially tried shooing him away before realizing that he wasn’t going anywhere. 

It took some time getting used to Petra as part of the group. They hadn’t exactly hung out much before, though Jesse would see her participating in the sword tourneys back when they were younger. She had always been more of the lone wolf type, preferring to keep to herself and well out of the way of everybody else. 

It was nice having her around for a change. Having more people helped their odds, but Jesse was still worried about Petra’s arm. Whatever got to Petra looked pretty serious, but she had some small hope that it appeared worse than it actually was. 

Halfway to Soren’s, Magnus tapped her on the shoulder. 

“Yo! Jesse, right?” He grinned at her. 

“Uh, yeah…?” She blinked slowly, visibly confused. 

“Nah, I don’t really like the sound of that. I think I’ll stick to ‘short stuff,’ it’s got a better ring to it.” 

Jesse couldn’t help but stare at the rogue in equal parts confusion and trepidation. She wasn’t quite sure what he wanted from her. 

“Ooo… kay then? What can I do for you, Magnus?” 

“Nah, nothing much. We haven’t really gotten the chance to chat yet with everything going on and all. I hear you saved your friend back there from this Witherstorm thing. Now, obviously, this is no big deal to me,” he snorted, “cuz I’m Magnus, duh. But you’re pretty tough, huh? A regular iron golem? Leaving the creepers quaking in their boots?” 

“I do whatever I can to keep my friends safe. That’s all there is to it.” Jesse spared a glance at the rest of her companions. 

If things hadn’t gotten so complicated, the worst thing they had to deal with was coming up with what to build for the next EnderCon building competition. She felt that it was only right that she would protect everyone because she had gotten them into this mess. 

“Humility. Nice. I can dig it,” he nodded his head in approval, grinning all the while. 

There was a brief lull in their conversation as Magnus reached over to give her a hearty pat on the back. She could still never get used to it—conversing with the Order members. She still felt way in over her head. 

The way he scrutinized her reminded her a lot of Ellegaard. Maybe it was the way he squinted or the impression that he was looking for something when he saw her. She wondered if he saw the same girl from a small, nameless town or if he also saw some greater potential in her, like Gabriel had before he was gone. Like she was an actual hero. Like she was actually someone for a change. 

“Kiiiinda wish you had my back before… but whatever,” Magnus said after a moment had passed. “You still seem alright. Ish. We ended up leaving in the morning anyways, and you should’ve seen the look on Ellie’s face. Man, it was a riot!” 

“I really wished you guys didn’t argue about that. The Witherstorm, it’s… it’s pretty bad, Magnus.” Jesse’s gaze dropped to the floor as memories of Redstonia and Gabriel flashed through her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed the images to go away. “Ellegaard wasn’t just exaggerating.” 

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re just agreeing with whatever Ellie said because she told you to say that. You’ve seen it firsthand, right? Her need to be right all the stinkin’ time.” He rolled his eyes for emphasis as Ellegaard shot him a dirty look. 

If looks could kill, he’d be six blocks under, but he didn’t appear to care much as Magnus shrugged and added, “I mean, when you’ve known her as much as I have, it kinda gets old.” 

“You’re one to talk, Magnus,” Ellegaard retorted heatedly, walking up beside them to join their conversation. “Your reckless approach to things with little to no disregard for anyone else around you is incredibly boorish and right up your alley. I’m not lying when I say that Witherstorm is like nothing we’ve ever faced.” 

“And I’m telling you that’s not the case,” he argued. “We’ve faced the ender dragon, for fuck’s sake, Ellie. Nothing can be worse than that.” 

“You know that’s not true.” Ellegaard’s face was stony and ashen as she spoke. “If what Jesse has said is true, this is Ivor’s way of getting back at us.” 

“Aw man, not that loon,” Magnus groaned. “I told you guys it was a bad idea to let him go.” 

“It was Soren’s decision, but I hadn’t expected him to be so angry about it after all these years. I just don’t get it.” 

“You said you knew Ivor,” Jesse piped up, “and we found a book at your temple describing the five members of the Order. What happened to you guys? Why was Ivor excluded from the stories?” 

“It’s far more complicated than that, Jesse.” Ellegaard said, choosing to address her directly. “To this day, I could never fully understand that man’s intentions. He was always butting heads with Soren over, well, everything.” 

“Him and Soren were like two peas in a pod,” Magnus commented. “That is to say, weird. They were both weird.” 

“Ivor was our alchemist. He had a real knack for brewing potions and the like. He’s also a bit… ahem, eccentric, but he was brilliant. Him and Soren couldn’t see eye to eye, and they both held conflicting ideals on how the Order should be run.” 

“So that’s what led to his falling out,” Jesse theorized, glancing between the two Order members for confirmation. 

Ellegaard pursed her thin lips together in a grimace, while Magnus’s smile fell. 

“Something like that, Jesse. Like I had said before, it’s complicated.” She sighed, but she didn’t bother elaborating further. 

The rogue turned a bit uneasy with the shift in the conversation. It seemed that he wasn’t going to weigh in with his opinion anymore either. 

Whatever Ivor had said or done before he left had clearly shaken them, but as much as she wanted to know, Jesse dropped the subject. They’ll have to tell her eventually. She had a right to know. After all, it was because of Ivor that they were on this journey so far away from everything she recognized as home. 

“Anyways, tiny, I was meaning to ask ya something.” Magnus nudged her on the side as he jabbed a thumb at Axel, who was walking behind them. “What’s the deal with your buddy Axel? Can’t tell if he’s awesome… or a bit of a dork. He’s just a little, ah, doofy? Y’know?” 

“Axel is one of my closest friends,” she answered honestly. “He’s always there at my lowest and is tough and dependable. You can always count on him to have your back.” 

“Interesting. Veryyy interesting. Then why didn’t you listen to his plan to come get me?” 

Jesse frowned. What was up with the Order and their problems with each other? Seriously, it was exhausting. 

“Well, the Witherstorm was caused by a command block, so I figured if anyone knew about that, it would be Ellegaard. I figured the situation called for brains, and there’s no one brainier than her.” 

“Yeah… I’ve definitely experienced that firsthand,” he chuckled. “I’ll try not to let that hurt my feelings too much.” 

“You shouldn’t,” Ellegaard sniffed. “It’s obvious Jesse’s been making all the calls here, so her decision was the correct one.” 

“Oh whatever, Ellie. Always have to get the last word, huh? Can’t let it go for a change, huh? I wasn’t even talking to you anyways.” 

“Doesn’t it get tiring nitpicking everything I say, Magnus? Why can’t you just let it go?” 

Magnus rolled his eyes and exclaimed, “Fine! Maybe I will be the better person for a change!”

“Bigger person,” she corrected. 

He groaned and threw up his hands in exasperation before hanging back with the others, leaving Ellegaard and Jesse at the front of their little group. The engineer gave her a smile that was more akin to a wince before the expression dropped entirely. 

“Sorry you had to witness all that. I forget how Magnus is sometimes. He drives me a little crazy. Isn’t that the case with your friends, too?” 

Jesse shook her head. “Not really. My friends are like family. Sure, we might have our disagreements from time to time, but we always make it work because we care about each other.” 

“Family, huh… The Order was once like that, a long time ago. Fact is I haven’t seen any of the other members in years,” she chuckled lightly in a self-deprecating way. “You could imagine my surprise when you showed up and mentioned that Gabriel was looking for me.” 

Jesse understood why none of them kept in touch. They could hardly stand to be in the same room without going at each other’s throats. If Magnus’s and Ellegaard’s relationship was any indication of what to expect from the other Order members, she worried that meeting with Soren was going to be just as difficult. 

Ellegaard continued speaking, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it was the right call for you to come find us. The Witherstorm is a nasty piece of work. I can hardly believe that it came from the command block, of all things. What was Ivor thinking?” 

“A command block is what started this whole thing…” Jesse mumbled to herself, before her eyes widened in realization. 

How could she have forgotten? The command block was the source of all their problems—the Witherstorm happened to be a result of its misuse. There was only one person who seemed to understand the extraordinary power and danger it held, and she was standing right next to her. 

“Ellegaard, how exactly do you know about the command block? I’ve never heard of a block with that much power before, not even from the legends.” 

The engineer looked ashamed? Surprised? Apologetic? Jesse wasn’t too sure. She felt like she was so close to gaining an answer, so close to gaining a shred of the truth. A myriad of emotions flickered across Ellegaard’s face, but before she could say anything, shadows fell over them. 

It shouldn’t be this dark. It was still daytime, last she checked. However, a quick turn around behind her confirmed her worst fears. The Witherstorm had caught up to them, eclipsing the sun in its entirety as monsters spawned from the dark. The ground rumbled beneath them as the Witherstorm tore up chunks of land and monsters spawned from the dark by the dozen. 

Magnus ran up to her and grabbed her by the arms, eyes wide and shaking her in a panic. “Holy shit, is that your Witherstorm?! That thing’s fucking massive!” 

“This is why I said we should’ve left by nightfall,” Ellegaard scowled. She rested a hand on Jesse’s shoulder, looking to her for guidance. “What’s the plan here, Jesse?” 

Her friends had begun to form an anxious circle as the Witherstorm slowly approached them and the monsters began to cage them in. Jesse shook her free from Magnus’s hold and addressed the crowd. 

“There’s only one way through, so we do what we always do,” Jesse declared, drawing her sword. “We fight.” 

“I like the sound of that,” Petra agreed, drawing her iron sword while glaring at the mobs. 

Meanwhile, Lukas drew his bow, and Olivia followed suit soon after. Axel simply flexed with a smile that betrayed his nervousness before the friends all exchanged nods before splitting up. 

Facing her first opponents, Jesse clutched her gold sword tightly. “Alright, sword, don’t let me down.” 

Dispatching the three zombies proved to be an easy task for her. With a few well-executed strikes, she was able to grant them a swift and permanent death. As the last zombie poofed away, leaving nothing behind, Jesse took a quick look around her to see if her friends needed any help. 

Petra was battling a couple of spiders that were no match for her. She shivered as she suppressed the memories of nearly becoming spider food before EnderCon. 

Axel finished popping the head of another zombie before punching another like it was light work. Olivia was in the midst of an evenly matched bow fight with another skeleton. 

Magnus and Ellegaard were surprisingly working together with their backs to each other as they covered for the other’s blind spots. The both of them wielded stone swords, probably crafted from whatever materials were left over from the temple. 

So far, so good, but when she turned to make sure Lukas was doing alright, she saw a creeper sneaking up on him. He wouldn’t notice in time. She had to do something. 

With startlingly pinpoint accuracy, Jesse threw her sword, skewering the creeper in its side and giving her the few seconds she needed to sprint towards him. Reuben followed after her, hot on her heels. 

She wasted no time in tackling Lukas to the ground before positioning herself between him and the impending explosion. She prayed that her and Reuben would be lucky enough to pull this off. 

Lukas turned to look up at her with his impossibly blue eyes as he openly gaped at her. 

“Jesse, what—” 

“Get down,” she ordered. 

The creeper steadily approached them, flashing white as its intent to detonate. Reuben charged in with a headbutt, squealing in defiance all the while to divert its attention. He succeeded, and the creeper turned towards her pig with an annoyed hiss. 

“Nice one, Reuben!” she called as the pig grinned and ran away to distract the creeper. 

Acting fast, Jesse sprang into action. She snatched Lukas’s bow from him and notched an arrow. She fired three consecutive strikes to the creeper’s side until it completely disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving her sword laying in the dirt. Her chest heaved with exhaustion as the last of her adrenaline wore off. She couldn’t believe that worked. A delirious but triumphant laugh tumbled from her lips as she stood up. 

“You saved me,” Lukas pointed out, still on the ground and still gazing at where the creeper used to be. There was a wonder in his tone that bewildered her. Was he not expecting her to? She wasn’t going to leave him to fend for himself. That wasn’t her style. 

“Of course I would,” she replied, reaching out a hand to pull him back on his feet. “We have to stick together.” 

He took her hand, but not before asking quietly, “Even after I said all those terrible things to you?” 

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” 

“But—” 

She cut him off with a crooked smile. “Seriously, it’s fine. I was going to tell you that this morning, but there wasn’t really a right time. We’re cool, Lukas.” 

Lukas looked like he had more he wanted to say, but Magnus’s indignant voice could be heard to the right of her as he glared at them. 

“What are we still stalling for, short stuff?!” 

“We can talk more about this later,” she promised Lukas before calling out to the rest of her friends. “Alright guys, we’re getting outta here!” 

“I thought you’d never say that,” Olivia admitted with a relieved huff as she ran on ahead. Petra and Axel were soon to follow. 

Magnus led the front while Reuben, Lukas, and Ellegaard hung back with her. Reuben ran over to Jesse with her sword retrieved carefully in his mouth and dropped it by her feet. 

“Thanks, buddy,” she cooed, giving the pig a couple of quick scritches behind the ear as a reward. 

He oinked in acknowledgement as she picked up the blade and sheathed it, breaking out into a run behind the rest of her friends. 

“Soren’s fortress should be right up ahead,” Ellegaard said between breaths as they ran in the direction of the mountains. 

A few minutes and a steep climb later, the gold and cyan concrete doors of Soren’s fortress loomed before them. Just beyond those double doors would be one of the greatest builders of their time. Jesse would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous. 

With the Witherstorm so close to them, they needed to find Soren before it did. There was a heavy weight of finality settling into her bones as she stepped inside to the fortress’ impressive quartz interior. The group followed along after her with varying degrees of awe. The only people who remained unaffected were Magnus and Ellegaard, but the engineer looked generally uneasy to be here. 

The silence felt disconcerting, and the air was almost sterile. The entire place was entirely opulent in its design. She supposed it made sense that Soren would build such a place. It truly was beautiful, but it felt so bare and devoid of warmth. It was certainly not a place she would want to call home. 

It dawned on her that soon their journey would come to an end, and while Jesse wasn’t too sure on what exactly that entailed, she really hoped that saving the world wouldn’t come with any more bumps along the road. After all, the fortress was only a place. How hard could it be to find one guy? 

The answer would only be something that Jesse realized in the future, but it would put a strain on her friendships and test how far she’s willing to go to devote herself to this hero act.

Chapter Text

“Soren really lived out here?” Lukas wondered aloud, taking in the sights around them. “It’s so far from… anyone.” 

“Enchanting, isn’t it?” Ellegaard quipped. 

Petra stopped suddenly, coughing as discreetly as she could. Jesse wasn’t going to lie, she looked ill. Her normally peachy complexion had turned a sickly pale color. It wasn’t the only thing she noticed, Petra had also begun clutching her arm like it was physically hurting her. A sprain, perhaps, or maybe she had broken something. That would explain the brace. 

Jesse fell behind to talk to her. 

“Petra… you doing okay?” she whispered, careful not to draw too much attention from the others. 

Petra shook her head sternly, grimacing. “Let’s focus on finding Soren first.” 

She abruptly dropped the arm she was holding, like she hadn’t realized she had been holding it in the first place, and walked briskly forward, brushing past Jesse. She watched her go with her mouth set in a thin line. Petra wasn’t going to tell her anything. Not now, at least. 

Jesse wasn’t the only one to notice this strange behavior because even Reuben snorted with worry. 

“I’ll try talking to her again later. It’s gonna be hard though. Petra’s not exactly the talking type.” 

He oinked in agreement, snorting and shaking his head. If he could talk, She had no doubt that he would make some snarky remark about Petra’s stubbornness. 

A small walk up a set of stairs opened up to a cavernous chamber. A chasm stretched out before them, bridged only by multiple clay and gravel pillars. Another ornate gilded concrete door was on the other side, identical to the one they had entered the fortress. 

A single glance downward into the darkness told Jesse all she needed to know—she did not want to find herself falling down into the pit. Though she couldn’t see the bottom, there were some unsettling noises and she didn’t want to encounter the monsters they belonged to. 

“Oh… that is deep. That is very, very deep.” 

“Yeah, I’m not reeeally feeling those columns,” Lukas commented, confirming her thoughts and taking a stand beside her with a frown. 

“Aw come on! It’s fine! Look!” Magnus took initiative first and leapt over to the nearest column. Other than it crumbling a bit on the sides, it held up pretty well. 

Axel grinning, jumping next with an exuberant, “Woohoo!” 

Olivia and Jesse shared a look before her friend shrugged and hopped along after them. Ellegaard and Petra were soon to follow, leaving Lukas, Jesse, and Reuben by the ledge. 

“Oh man,” Lukas mumbled as he slowly backed up with wobbly legs. “I’m going to hate this.” 

Jesse peered at him in concern. He had mentioned he used to be afraid of heights. 

“You sure you’re going to be alright?” she asked him carefully, reaching out to gently touch him on the arm in reassurance. 

He brushed her off with a curt nod. “Yeah, Jesse. It’s fine. I’m fine. I just… need a minute.” 

“Okay, if you say so. I can wait here with you then.” 

He shook his head. Stubborn, like Petra. “No, no. Actually, I’m good. I’ll, uh, go now.” 

Lukas took a running start before leaping across the gap. He landed on one of the pillars right before his feet skidded over the loose gravel, sending the larger chunks into the depths below. He teetered dangerously close to the ledge as he waved his arms frantically, desperate to regain his balance. 

“Lukas!” 

Jesse jumped after him, grabbing him by one of the arms and pulling him away from the ledge. They fell backwards towards the pillar’s center, breathing heavily. 

“That was awful,” he shuddered, taking a shaky breath. Then, he coughed, scowling slightly before correcting himself. “I mean, I had it, of course. But thanks.” 

He dusted himself off before heading off to join with the others who had already left to the adjoining room. Jesse could only stare helplessly at his retreating figure. 

Was he seriously giving her the cold shoulder? Maybe he wasn’t as over their conversation as she was. She needed to find the time to ask him what was bothering him later. For now, she had to make it to the other side without falling. 

Reuben hopped over to join her despite his trembling legs. He nudged her with his snout, gazing up at her expectantly for their next move. 

“Just… try not to fall, okay?” 

He grunted, stamping his hooves with a disgruntled expression on his face. 

“Not the best plan, I know, but we do have to make it to the other side somehow. I can carry you, like when you were a piglet?” she offered. 

Reuben squealed indignantly before making a show of hopping to the next pillar. He turned back around and hopped triumphantly a couple times as if to say, “Look! I did it!” 

“Nice moves, buddy! Keep that up and we’ll be on the other side in no time.” 

Jesse resumed jumping across from column to column. She almost managed to reach the other side, but Reuben’s cry of alarm caught her attention. Jesse whipped her head towards the sound. He dangled from a ledge, flailing his hind legs as he scrambled to find purchase on the crumbling ledge. 

“Hang on! I’m coming to get you!” 

She reached him in record time, grabbing him just as the ledge gave way and the gravel tumbled down into the abyss. Reuben squealed again as she pulled him up. Her heart hammered in her throat as she struggled to catch her breath. 

“That was way too close,” she panted. 

Reuben oinked in agreement, still shaking from the nerves. 

Jesse glanced over the edge, determined to find out the cause behind what happened. The columns had been stable. There should have been enough foundation to make it to the other side without falling. 

Though it was hard to see through the dark—she wasn’t blessed with night vision, unfortunately—there were a few patches that were illuminated by the sea lanterns embedded in the floor. What she saw was beyond her expectations. There were endermen. Dozens of them, all pulling blocks from the pillars and teleporting away to who knows where. 

She instinctively covered her eyes, which prompted Reuben to do the same. 

“Endermen,” she muttered. “Alright, Reub, new plan. I’m going to carry you the rest of the way. I can’t have you falling by accident.” 

Reuben nodded, eager to make it out of this chamber as fast as possible, so Jesse scooped him up in her arms and finished crossing the rest of the pillars. Upon passing through to the other side, the doors automatically slid shut behind her. She set Reuben down on the floor as she took in the new room in its entirety. 

It was as open and cavernous as the previous had been, with a massive hole letting in natural light. Vines and other lush overgrowth covered the walls and hung down from the ceiling, and a small colony of bats fluttered overhead. The entire place held up well enough, but even it couldn’t withstand the test of time. There were a few places that she could spot that were worn and crumbled, while the entire place was flooded. 

Across the water, the Order’s symbol decorated the wall, and each of the sides had two statues representing the current members of the Order. On the left was Ellegaard and Gabriel, represented by the redstone and diamond blocks, while on the right was Magnus and Soren, as depicted by the emerald and iron blocks. 

Despite the rest of her group being on the other side, Magnus and Ellegaard were nowhere to be found. That was worrying. She needed to head over and find out what happened. 

“Looks like we’re swimming,” she said. 

Reuben grinned, jumping into the water first with a small splash. Jesse followed along, and together they swam over to the other side. 

When they made it, Olivia walked up to her with a solemn expression as Jesse wrung out her hair and shirt to the best of her abilities. 

“What happened to the Order members?” Jesse asked, placing her hands on her hips. They couldn’t afford to be losing people now, not when it was critical that they stuck together. 

“They fought again,” her friend sighed. “Ellegaard went off in that direction,” she pointed down the left tunnel. “While Magnus went down the other one. They each claimed that they were going to find the TNT first.” 

“We just need to make do with what we got, Liv. Let’s see if we can figure this out.” 

“I just don’t get it, Jesse. Don’t they ever get tired of constantly yelling at each other? It’s giving me a headache.” 

“Well, I say we should go after Magnus this time,” Axel suggested, and the rest of the friends form a crowd around them. 

“But Ellegaard’s more likely to know where the bomb is. She’s closer to Soren,” Olivia pointed out. 

“We could split up? Half goes after Magnus, while the other half goes after Ellegaard,” Lukas offered before their group could start a second fight. 

He looked slightly miffed when Axel and Olivia looked to her for guidance, but before she could answer them, a tap on her shoulder stole her attention. She glanced at the person who was responsible and was mildly surprised to see Petra. The redhead looked slightly uncomfortable with all the attention as all eyes turned to look at her. 

“Hey… Jesse? Can I actually talk to you for a minute?” Petra whispered. “Alone,” she added sternly, making sure to emphasize the word when everybody else made no move to give them privacy. 

“Okay,” Jesse’s voice cracked, and she tried hard not to flush with embarrassment. Clearing her throat, she said, “Petra, Reuben, and I will go after Ellegaard. Axel, Olivia, and Lukas, you guys got Magnus. Sound good?” 

The group mumbled various words of agreement, and although Olivia looked slightly crestfallen she wouldn’t be going after Ellegaard, she accepted the decision without much fuss. 

“We should meet back here in this central area,” Lukas advised. “We should be looking for the bomb together. Who knows how dangerous this place could be.” 

“Lukas is right. We’ll meet back here. If you can’t find anything or see something out of the ordinary, leave as soon as you can and get the others.” 

“Alright,” Olivia agreed. “Stay safe, Jesse and Petra. We’ll meet you soon.” 

“Hopefully with Magnus,” Axel grinned. At least someone was enjoying themselves in this place. 

“Take care everyone,” Jesse said before the group split up and headed their opposite ways. 

Petra and her walked down the dark corridors in relative silence. As much as she wanted to know what she wanted to tell her away from the others, Jesse waited. She didn’t want to pressure the other woman into sharing something she wasn’t ready for. 

After another few agonizing minutes of silence, Petra eventually spoke up. 

“I feel bad about ditching everyone else, but I wanted to talk to you about this alone. It’s… a little tough to talk about with the others. Olivia’s way too pragmatic, and Axel is known to be explode-y sometimes. And Lukas, well— Look, you’re the only one who I think could understand.” Petra glanced at her, and Jesse mirrored her gaze with one riddled with anxiety. 

“You can tell me anything, Petra. We’re friends,” Jesse admitted quietly. 

Petra smiled softly. “Thanks for that. I really appreciate it.”

Another silence descended, and their walk continued. The two of them rounded yet another corner before Petra stopped in her tracks. 

Jesse paused and glanced at her worryingly over her shoulder. 

“Everything still okay?” 

Petra shook her head gravely. “You may have gotten me away from that Witherstorm, but I’m worried I didn’t get away soon enough.” 

“What do you mean by that?” 

The heavy restless feeling she had experienced before returned with a vengeance, and she was right to be horrified as Petra took off her brace to reveal dark, blotchy purple marks covering the length of her forearm. At first glance, Jesse might’ve been convinced that they were merely bruises from an intense training session, but she knew that wasn’t the case. 

This was worse. Far, far worse. 

This used to be something she thought she could only read about, but now, it was real. Petra was infected with wither, and judging by its severity, it wasn’t going away. It looked like it was only going to get worse. 

“Wither sickness?” Jesse gasped. “When exactly did this happen? I already knew you were feeling under the weather at the temple, but this? This is serious.” 

“It showed up not too long after you saved me at Gabriel’s stronghold, back when…” Petra stopped herself from finishing the sentence, but Jesse already knew what she was going to say. 

Back when the Witherstorm took Gabriel. 

“Shit,” Jesse cursed. “Petra, what are we going to do? We have to do something, tell someone. We can get help.” 

“No, this isn’t a ‘we’ situation. You’re not going to tell anyone. This is our little secret. I don’t want the rest of the group to think I’m slowing you guys down.” 

“Admitting that you need help isn’t a form of weakness. You’re sick. There’s got to be someone who knows how to solve this. If we could just—” 

“I can still fight. As long as I can still raise my sword, I’m going to—” A hiss sounded somewhere behind Jesse, but before she could turn around, Petra stopped mid-sentence and shouted, “Jesse, watch out! Creeper!” before tackling her out of the way of the explosion. 

But it wasn’t enough, and the ground soon gave way from underneath her as chunks of the floor broke off below them. Jesse yelped as she barely managed to catch onto the ledge, scraping her elbows roughly against the stone in the process. The open wounds stung as they made contact with the cool air, but she tried to hold on as long as she could, kicking and scrambling to find some kind of foothold to pull herself up. 

“Grab my hand!” Petra dove down on her knees to reach out a hand. “I’ll pull you up.” 

Jesse frowned. “Are you sure? I mean, your arm—” 

“Yes,” she stressed, rolling her eyes. “Come on now.” 

Jesse reached out and grabbed her hand. For a second, it seemed that Petra had got it. She had to use both hands, but she managed to lift Jesse halfway out of the pit before her strength gave out. Jesse plummeted straight down into the darkness with a shriek before she landed on the bottom and had the wind knocked out of her. 

Thankfully, the fall wasn’t too high, and she found herself in a dark tunnel. The amulet bounced as it hit the floor, rolling some ways before clattering on its side and emitting a faint blue glow. It was Ivor’s color. He must be somewhere nearby. 

“Jesse! I just couldn’t… I’m sorry!” Petra called down towards her. Her face was racked with guilt. 

“It’s fine,” Jesse called back, cupping her hands over her mouth to amplify her voice. “It’s dark and a bit drafty, but I’ll see where this tunnel leads.” 

“Stay safe. I’ll find a way down to you,” she promised as Reuben oinked encouragingly beside her. 

“No worries. You and Reuben look out for each other, and I’ll meet up with you guys on the other side.” 

Petra left with a sad smile and Reuben followed along after her, leaving Jesse behind in the dark. Now that the amulet lit up a small radius with its light, she figured that she wasn’t exactly in a tunnel but another level of the fortress. It was one that hadn’t been used in a long time, as indicated by the gaping holes in the floor. 

This place was massive. All the more reason why they needed to hurry up and find Soren. 

Jesse picked up the amulet and held it out in front of her, watching as the navy blue light painted the walls. 

With a sigh, she muttered, “Alright, let’s see how far this goes.” 

Her pace was brisk, and the tunnel opened up to a room full of glowstone and lined with bookshelves. It was the biggest library she had ever seen. She pocketed the amulet, seeing as she no longer had much use for it, and noticed that there was some light spilling from the crack between one of the bookshelves. As she approached it carefully, she picked up on a familiar voice. 

In the smaller room connected to the main library, Ivor stood muttering to himself as he browsed through one of the shelves. It didn’t seem like he was aware of her presence yet. 

“He must have something useful here! He has to! Why else would he have so many books? Was he just… collecting them? He can’t have read all of these…” 

“Ivor, we need to talk.” Jesse walked up to him and crossed her arms. Her wounded elbows had mostly scabbed over at this point, but the sticky feeling of blood covering the side of her arms was something she was keen to get rid of. 

“Gah!” The man whipped around and stumbled back, bumping into the shelf and knocking off some of the books. Upon recognizing her for who she was, he scowled. “You,” he sneered. “Trying to interfere with my plans again, I see. Haven’t you learned your lesson enough the first time?” 

She merely shook her head, uncrossing her arms to appear friendlier. “I’m not your enemy, Ivor.” 

“Sure, why didn’t you tell me that when your friend stole my failsafe,” he accused. “I don’t know what you’re playing at here, but it’s not going to work on me. I applaud you for making it this far, however. Your tenacity is commendable, but misguided.” 

“You have to listen to me. We’re here for the same reason you are—to stop the Witherstorm. My friends brought the Order so we can find Soren’s Formidi-Bomb and put an end to things.” 

“The Order?” Ivor asked incredulously, chuckling slightly in disbelief. “Ha-ha, believe me—that plan will blow up in their faces in more ways than one. They cannot help you. But me? I choose not to.” 

“But you can join us. We should be working together to stop this thing. It’s too much for one person to tackle alone.” 

Jesse didn’t know why she was trying to reason with him, but Ivor looking for another solution all the way here in Soren’s fortress had to mean something. 

For a long and awkward minute, he stared at her with narrowed eyes like he was trying to discern her true intentions. She fidgeted under the weight of his glare and tried to decide if she should say more. What else could she say to convince him to join them? 

“You’re injured,” he observed. 

“Uh, yeah.” She winced, trying to cover up her wounds. “This fortress doesn’t exactly have the most stable foundations, considering how old it is.” 

“Here, take this.” 

He threw something at her, which she nearly fumbled before she eventually caught it. It was a small glass bottle filled with a bright red liquid. It was watery in viscosity and entirely clear. She’d never seen something like it before. Ellegaard had mentioned Ivor was an alchemist, but even as a complete novice, she had recognized that this was a high quality product. 

Jesse simply stared at it, asking, “What is this?” 

“It’s an apple—what do you think, you idiot. It’s a splash potion of healing. Or perhaps, it’s harming,” he remarked sarcastically with a mocking grin. “Why don’t you try it and find out?” 

His expression dimmed when she actually uncorked the bottle. She poured a bit experimentally on one of her smaller wounds, and much to her relief and delight, the wound healed itself without even a trace of a scar. She used the rest of the potion and soon her elbows were fully healed. It was like she had never fallen in the first place, save for the streaks of dried and crusted blood. 

“Thank you,” she said, smiling gratefully. 

He didn’t bother to comment and chose to roll his eyes instead as he stepped forward. 

“If you’re done with all your senseless yammering, you may leave. Immediately.” 

When she didn’t take a single step, his expression soured. 

“I don’t have time for this. Out of my way!” 

“Wait, but I—” 

He pushed past her despite her protests, but another voice stopped him in his tracks. 

“Oh, you’re not going anywhere.” It was Petra, and she had drawn her iron sword. She advanced on Ivor, who backed away from her slowly. 

“Petra! You escaped?” 

“Bet you’re not too happy to see me. Huh, Ivor?” 

“That’s impossible! I saw you… The Witherstorm clearly had you!” He bumped into a sword rack, taking one of the gold swords with a wicked smile. “Whatever. Two can play that game!” 

The two exchanged blows and despite Ivor’s wiry frame, they were evenly matched. It seemed that Petra’s wither sickness was worse than she had let on. 

“Foolish girl!” Ivor chided. “I—” 

“Shut up!” Petra snarled. “I don’t care what you have to say. I’m going to strike you down, here and now.” 

“Petra, wait!” Jesse shouted. “Just let him leave. We don’t need to resort to violence.” 

“Sorry, Jesse. I didn’t escape one monster just to let another get away. You’re either with me or not.” 

Another heavy strike. Ivor staggered back from the force. 

Jesse reluctantly drew her own sword. She still didn’t like this outcome, but she needed to disarm Ivor before they could have another talk. 

With a well-timed hit from her, Ivor was sent sprawling on the floor with a groan. He glared at her as he stood, raising his sword to strike. 

“I’m the only one who can stop the Witherstorm. Not you! Not the Order!” 

She parried the blow, but the force behind it left her skull rattling. Luckily, she wasn’t alone, and Petra attacked from the side to get him off her. The two girls faced Ivor with their backs against the exit. 

With the briefest exchange of glances between them, Jesse grimaced and braced herself for the ongoing fight.

Lukas, Axel, and Olivia walked down the corridor Magnus had taken, but the rogue was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he had completely disappeared. 

None of them were willing to make conversation, so the three of them merely continued their walk into the darkness. The air was thick with tension, and every step that echoed seemed to suffocate him in its silence. 

He still wasn’t used to feeling like an unwelcome visitor each time he tried to insert himself into the group and fit in. Jesse had been kind, welcoming him with open arms, but every second he spent with Axel and Olivia made him feel like a thorn in their side. 

Jesse’s words hit too close to home. Was he selfish? He didn’t like to think so. Maybe the Ocelots were cruel and Aiden was vindictive, but they were his only friends. Without them, he had nothing. 

Lukas had always been a prodigal son. As the second oldest, he had duties he needed to uphold in his parents’ mining company. His older sister, Clara, had been the one to inherit the family business, but that was until she got married. Their parents didn’t approve of her wife—she was too rambunctious, too adventurous, too free-spirited. She wasn’t suited for the family trade. When Clara had moved out and cut contact with everyone, the responsibility fell on Lukas. 

At the time, he thought it was a great honor to take after his father, but that had been before he discovered his passion for building. Knowing his parents would never approve, he ran away from everything. 

It was hard being a kid so far away from home, but he made it work—built himself a small place to fend off the elements, and the rest was history. He met Aiden soon after, and then Maya and Gill. They expanded Lukas’s tiny world, and his home eventually became their home. 

It wasn’t until he had met Jesse and her friends did he realize the bubble he had been trapped in. 

Perhaps he had always known somewhere deep down that the Ocelots weren’t entirely good people. They often poked fun at others and cracked jokes that made Lukas uncomfortable, but he didn’t dare speak out about it. They were still his friends. Maybe they’ll learn to grow out of it with time. He was convinced that people could change. He knew he certainly had. 

But that was until they didn’t. Aiden, Maya, and Gill never changed. Aiden pushed people around because he knew they would bend to his will, Maya never stopped believing she was superior to others, Gill was a pushover that went along with whatever Aiden said, and Lukas was only the leader in name. A figurehead, a puppet king. 

Jesse’s team had a cohesiveness that his didn’t. They got along. They smiled, joked, and laughed, but never at the expense of others. They rarely fought, but when they did, they were quick to make up and join in on tearful hugs. That wasn’t to say they were passive or didn’t know how to fight back. When one of their own was being threatened, they banded together in the face of a common enemy. They were a unit. They were family. They had everything that the Ocelots lacked. 

Lukas would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous. He was so consumed by his own envy that it transformed into bitterness and self-loathing. He shouldn’t have snapped at her earlier, but he needed to show her that he can handle his own, that he was just as every bit deserving to be on the team as anyone else. 

He needed to make things right. He wanted to prove himself to her. He didn’t think he could face her properly otherwise. 

Everyone relied on Jesse—even Petra, who Lukas knew, prided on her independence. Because Jesse was good. Because Jesse stuck to her morals no matter what, even if she was scared. Because Jesse was a true leader. 

It came so naturally to her that he aspired to be like her. He needed to become someone that she could rely on, so that Jesse could have him, much like how everyone had Jesse. 

But that meant setting the record straight with her friends first, and the best place to start would be with an apology. 

“Hey, uh, Axel?” 

The taller man didn’t respond and kept on walking. It was only after Olivia elbowed him sharply on the side did he reply with a grunt. 

Lukas continued, “I’m sorry, for a lot of things. The way the Ocelots treated you guys, it—it wasn’t right. I know I can’t apologize for all the things Aiden has done, but I wanted to say I’m sorry for not standing up for you guys.” 

Axel grunted again. 

“Well, I, for one, appreciate the apology, Lukas.” Olivia shot him a slightly sympathetic smile. “It’s comforting to know that you’re willing to take accountability. I’m actually ashamed of myself too for giving you a hard time. It was unwarranted and petty.” 

“No, no, I get it. We hurt you guys in ways I can’t even begin to make up for. The only thing I can do now is promise to do better.” 

“Hurt is an understatement,” Axel snorted. “Have you ever apologized to Jesse? She’s the one you Ocelots have hurt the most, but she’s willing to give you guys a chance. It’s undeserved, in my opinion.” 

As much as Lukas wanted to protest, he couldn’t. Axel was right. He never properly apologized to her. He only assumed that they were friends because she never seemed to bring it up after the fact. It was another thing he liked about her. No matter how much her past weighed her down, she never stopped trying to look forward towards the future. 

“I will apologize to her eventually,” Lukas admitted. “I owe her that and so much more.” 

“Good, you should.” 

“Axel,” Olivia admonished, “can’t you see Lukas is trying? Why can’t you?” 

“I know that, Liv. I am trying, but I also can’t exactly pretend that nothing happened between us. That’s not how I am.” 

“But you should seek to be more understanding. We’re all in the same boat, whether you like it or not. Jesse would want us all to get along.” 

“Jesse sees the good in everyone, though,” Axel grumbled. “It’s why she still thinks she can talk things through with Aiden.” 

“Aiden?” Lukas echoed in confusion. “What does he have to do with anything?”

Olivia looked at him funny. “You really don’t know anything, do you?” 

“I was hoping you guys could tell me.” 

“Sorry, but it’s not my place to say.” She shook her head apologetically. “If Jesse wanted to let you know, she’d tell you.” 

Axel snorted without humor. “Only thing you need to know is that Aiden’s a dickhead, but he’s worse towards Jesse. They go way back.” 

“That’s… not possible,” Lukas denied, unable to completely accept the truth. “I would’ve known.” 

Aiden never told him anything. The first time he met Jesse was during her first building competition, nine years ago, so he assumed it was the same case for Aiden. It would explain a few things, like her sleepwalking episode and the unnecessary level of animosity Aiden would always show their group in particular. 

“Mmm nope, don’t think so. Aiden wouldn’t’ve told you. He’s just that kind of person.” 

“It’s as Axel said. I don’t want to talk badly about your friends when they’re not here, but if you gave it some thought, you’d see that we’re right.” 

Lukas’s shoulders sagged in defeat. He couldn’t even say anything to defend his friends because everything Axel and Olivia said was true. 

Axel groaned. “You know I still can’t imagine you’re willingly friends with those guys. They’re jerks, and you’re… well, you’re kinda not.” 

“Believe me, I’m also starting to wonder…” he muttered under his breath. 

His whole life, Lukas had always chosen the easier way out. Instead of confronting his parents about his real dreams, he ran away. Instead of sticking up for others, he let Aiden have his way. Instead of fighting to keep his place, he offered to leave the group. 

As cowardly as he was, Lukas despised conflict. He hated making people angry. He wanted to be liked, wanted to be the leader people always expected him to be. Maybe then, and only then, would he be able to stand on the same level as Jesse and give a name to these feelings of his. 

“Regardless, we’re glad you’re here with us.” Olivia smiled gently. “You’ve been a great help. I’m sure Jesse thinks so, too.” 

“You really think so?” As much as he tried, he couldn’t help the red that crept along his neck and tickled his face. 

“Yeah, of course. When we get back—” The clash of something metal followed by muffled shouts interrupted Olivia’s train of thought and she immediately went still. “Do you guys hear that?” she whispered, squinting through the darkness. 

Lukas frowned, trying his best to listen in. “It sounds a bit like… fighting?” 

“Jesse and Petra!” Axel shouted. “They’re in trouble. Come on, we gotta move.” 

The three of them sprinted down the rest of the corridor, and it eventually led them to a huge library with multiple floors and a large domed ceiling. There wasn’t time to marvel at the architecture, because Ivor’s voice could be heard from inside the smaller room. 

“There’s no… time for this.” 

Jesse followed after. “Ivor, please. We need to—” 

“Save your breath, Jesse.” It was Petra’s voice this time. “He’s not going to listen to you.” 

“This could have all been avoided!” 

Axel scowled at the familiar voice, while Olivia pulled out her bow. The two crept closer towards the commotion. 

The thought of Jesse being in trouble urged Lukas to move faster, and he overtook Axel and Olivia, being the first one to make it up the steps. Whatever was going on, he couldn’t let Jesse face it alone. 

It seemed that his fears were unfounded, since Jesse and Petra had easily cornered Ivor in the middle of the room. However, his relief was short-lived the moment he spotted the blood on her arms. 

“Jesse, you’re hurt! What happened?” 

She looked at him, like she had just registered he was there, before she averted her gaze. Was she avoiding him? 

“I had a bit of a fall earlier. But I’m fine now,” Jesse explained. 

At the same time, Axel burst into the room, shouting, “Jesse! Petra! You guys are okay!” 

“There are more of you?!” Ivor exclaimed, outraged. He glared at all of them as they surrounded him, blocking the exit. “Will this parade of useless babblers never cease?!” 

“What happened here, Jesse?” Olivia asked. 

She sighed, putting away her sword. “Petra didn’t want to let him go, so we teamed up to stop him.” 

“End of the line, Ivor.” Petra gloated. 

“Not quite. A query… Have you ever seen the effects of a splash potion of slowness?” 

“What—” 

And then time slowed down.

Chapter Text

They all watched as Ivor walked right out of the room. He turned back to give them one final message before the bookshelf closed shut, effectively sealing them in. 

Jesse was the first to stop in her run—if she could even call it that. The potion of slowness was really messing with her perception of time. She punched the shelf in frustration. 

Everything felt and sounded distorted and fuzzy. She could vaguely hear Axel grunt from behind her before Lukas’s voice cut in. 

“Watch—” The potion’s effects finally wore off. “—it! Getoutoftheway!” 

Axel cried out in alarm, flailing his arms as he landed face-first on the ground. The entire group exchanged matching looks, making a silent agreement not to speak about what they just witnessed. She decided that she hated slow motion and never wanted to experience that again. 

“Is, uh…” Jesse began after finding her voice. “Is everyone okay?” 

“Ugh.” Axel moaned in pain from his position on the floor. “I felt all of that.” 

“That was one hell of a landing, Axel.” Olivia commented. 

“He mostly used his face,” Lukas quipped, raising a brow. 

Jesse bent down to pull Axel up by the arm. “Here, let’s get you back on your feet, big guy.” 

“Thanks Jesse,” he grinned appreciatively. 

“What now?” Olivia asked, walking up to stand beside her. 

“I don’t think our goal of finding Soren has changed, but we might need to find a way out of here first.” 

“I still can’t figure out how Ivor made the door close. There are no levers or buttons anywhere. The redstone circuits must be underground.” 

A quick glance over her shoulder at Petra had her concerned. The older girl’s face looked pale, and her eye circles were darker than ever. Jesse left the three of them behind to puzzle over the door mechanism in order to talk to her. 

Petra was holding onto her withered arm with a pained expression on her face. When she noticed Jesse approaching, her expression dropped into a more guarded one. She pulled Jesse to the side so that her arm was out of the view of the others. 

“Are you… okay?” Jesse asked. 

“Why are you asking me that?” Petra squinted at her, furrowing her brows. “Everything’s fine! All of it,” she insisted. “Are you, o—” she was interrupted by a fit of coughs. 

She attempted to speak again, much to Jesse’s growing concern. “Wait… are you…” Another harsh series of coughs. “Are you—” 

“Take it easy, Petra. A secret is only a secret if no one else catches on.” 

“Good point.” 

“You know, I’m still not comfortable with not telling anyone, but it’s your call. I trust you.” 

Petra sighed, uncovering her arm for Jesse to see. “Look at this. I’m not trying to freak you out, but… I’m a little bit freaked out right now. It’s starting to feel stiff, and my vision’s all jittery.” 

“And you don’t think this warrants telling someone?” Jesse raised a brow skeptically. 

“Ha-ha,” Petra laughed dryly. “But seriously, this is between us and us only. Look, I’ll—I’ll tell them. Eventually.” 

“If I think it’s getting worse, to the point where you’re unable to safely journey with us, I am going to say something. Whether you like it or not.” 

“It’s just gonna cause panic, and we can’t afford that right now. If it does become more of a thing, I promise I’ll tell everyone. But… let me handle it.” 

“If you say so… I’m not the only one worried about you. You’re surrounded by friends. It’s worth trying to rely on them a little more.” 

Petra made a noncommittal noise, and the conversation ended there. As much as Jesse despised not telling everyone else, she promised that she would respect Petra’s choice. 

In a way, she understood Petra’s need for secrecy—from one swordswoman to another, having your body fail on you for reasons beyond your control was one of the worst things that could happen. And for Petra, who relied solely on her own physical capabilities, it was her greatest hindrance. 

“Hey guys!” Axel’s voice called to them from back over at the bookshelves. He waved to them to come check it out, and Jesse and Petra headed over to see what’s up. “I have an idea!” 

“Okay?” Lukas prompted, gazing at the man expectantly. 

Axel cupped his hands over his mouth, and in a loud voice, he bellowed, “MAGNUS! HELP!” 

A few moments of awkward silence trickled by before he turned to face them with a sheepish grin on his face. No one was amused, and Jesse placed her hands on her hips with a frown. 

“And that was supposed to accomplish what exactly?” 

“Well, alright…” he deflated, “but I have another idea.” 

Olivia pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers as she heaved a heavy sigh. “Is it yelling for Ellegaard?” 

“Well, uh. Not… anymore.” Axel rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before looking away. It seemed that he was all out of ideas based on the way he busied himself by scuffing the sole of his sandal against the floor. 

“Look, they’re not coming back. We have no idea where they are.” Lukas shook his head solemnly, turning to walk a few paces away from the group. 

An idea popped into Jesse’s head, and she smiled. “That’s where you’re wrong. They couldn’t get away from us if they tried. Not as long as we have…” She pulled out something from one of her pockets. “This!” 

In her hand, raised for all to see, was her trusty flint and steel. 

“Flint and steel?” Olivia blurted out incredulously, propping a hand on her hip. “How is that supposed to help? We can’t just burn down Soren’s library.” 

Jesse’s face immediately flushed with embarrassment. 

“It’s not… That’s not…” she floundered in a flustered mess, feeling her face heating up by the second. “That’s not what I meant to pull out. What I meant to take out was… this!” 

She stashed away her flint and steel in a different pocket this time. With another tug, Jesse yanked free the amulet. 

The green and red lights flickered faintly before dimming completely. She frowned, tapping it against the palm of her hand a couple times. The lights didn’t return. 

“Looks like it might be broken,” Petra observed. 

“No, no, no…” she muttered. 

Jesse couldn’t believe it. No lights meant that Magnus and Ellegaard were either too far away to track or they were in the Nether. There was no mistaking it—they left them behind. 

The Order of the Stone had abandoned them. 

“Here, let me see it.” Lukas walked over and took the amulet from her hands, waving it in the air to see if it would respond better. 

Jesse watched as he did so, partly in disbelief and partly in annoyance. Her earlier plan of talking things over slipped from her mind. Ever since they arrived at the fortress, his treatment of her had been a confusing mix of emotions. He was curt with her for one moment and kind in the next. Now, he was just going off on a whim and deciding to do his own thing. 

She tried so hard to keep up with the high expectations demanded by the others, to the point where it was hard to bear, but she did it all because she felt that she could finally be someone worth something. 

If Lukas took over her role, she’d go back to being nobody. All she could do was swing her sword recklessly. She wasn’t smart like Olivia or nearly as strong as Axel. She was just a hot-headed girl with a pig, and realizing that was all she’d be was sent a pit of shame down in her gut. 

“You could’ve asked me, you know.” Jesse said in a quiet voice, folding her arms over her chest with a frown. 

Lukas blinked at her. “Pardon?” 

“If you had asked for the amulet, I would have given it to you. You didn’t need to take it from me.” 

“Jesse, I admit I was a bit rash, but I wanted to see if there were other ways to get this thing to work. We still need to find Soren, you know.” 

She felt a muscle in her jaw twitch. “And would it really have killed you to just ask?” 

“Maybe we should let this go,” Olivia suggested, cutting in and standing between the two of them in an effort to diffuse the situation. “We’re supposed to be working together, remember?” 

Jesse ignored her, her gaze locked onto the blond. “What more do you want from me, Lukas?” 

“Do we… have a problem?” Lukas questioned, his voice hesitant but edged with underlying tension. “Because I have an inkling that it’s not the asking thing that’s bothering you.” 

She stepped in front of him, standing toe to toe, and grabbed a fistful of his shirt with both hands. Though her anger was brief, it was unmistakable. “Do you not trust me? Am I doing something wrong? Tell me!” Her voice then dropped to a whisper as she released him. “I just— I don’t get it. Am I… not good enough for you?” 

“Hey, hey, Jesse, back off him for a minute,” Petra said, glaring as she dragged her back by the arms. 

Jesse allowed herself to be pulled away a few paces without resisting. She could feel Lukas’s gaze burning into her scalp, but she couldn’t bring herself to meet it, too humiliated to do so. 

She felt small and unneeded. When Lukas had taken the amulet from her, it felt like a punch to the gut—a bitter reminder that there was always someone else who could do what she had done, but better. Jesse wasn’t like them. She couldn’t be the hero they wanted. They didn’t need her. 

Lukas stepped forward, reaching over to hand the amulet back. “Jesse, I’m s—” he began, voice tinged with regret. 

The amulet suddenly flashed, causing him to drop it in surprise. It clattered on the floor emitting a bright white light. 

“The amulet!” Axel exclaimed, eyes wide and hands in the air. “It’s glowing again!” When no one responded, too busy staring in surprise at the convenient timing, he added, “Am I the only one seeing this? Why isn’t anyone else freaking out right now?!” 

“No, you’re not the only one, Axel. I’ll be taking that,” Olivia stated as she plucked the amulet off the floor and held it up for all to see. “Looks like Soren’s still here after all.” 

“Find him, Olivia.” Petra said, signaling her with a nod. “Maybe he can help us.” 

“On it.” 

Jesse hurried over to her friend. “Liv, I got it. Let me just—”

Olivia firmly shook her head, cutting her off. “No, Jesse. I don’t think so. You need to cool off.”

“But I—”

“It’s for your own good,” Olivia insisted, her voice gentle yet resolute. Jesse wasn’t winning this argument. “I can handle this, okay? You can take it easy.” 

Swallowing down her pride, Jesse relented, albeit hesitantly. “Okay. And… I’m sorry.” 

Jesse climbed onto one of the lower bookshelves lining the room's right side, positioned near a dusty armor stand. She watched Olivia, Axel, and Petra as they moved methodically across the chamber, each one searching for the spot where the amulet glowed most intensely. 

Across from her, on the room's far side, Lukas leaned against a polished quartz shelf, arms crossed in contemplation. Reuben stood nearby, keeping quiet company with him. The pig shot her an accusatory glare from across the room, and Jesse retreated in on herself, shoulders hunched and gaze lowered. 

This wasn’t what she wanted. 

This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. 

Jesse thrived on being the dependable one. It was her identity, her sole purpose, but it was also her greatest flaw, a turmoil that she grappled with for years. No matter how much time had passed, leadership has been an unpleasant torch of responsibility passed onto her. As much as she despised being given this mantle, she had an obligation to see it through. 

But now, the doubts crept in. The need to make herself worthwhile gnawed at her. What good was she if she couldn’t find Soren, couldn't be the hero they needed? 

Every glance from her friends, every plan without her input, felt like a silent judgment. She could sense their concern, their uncertainty. Her fingers dug into her arms. Did they doubt her capabilities now? Did they see her as a liability, a ticking time bomb? 

Deep down, Jesse should know that this wasn’t the case. Her friends would never think like that. These were her own perceptions clouding her judgment. Her fear of being sidelined made her sick with worry. She fought so hard to earn her place, to be seen, to prove herself worthy—to lose it all because of her temper would be unbearable. 

At the end of the day, it would be her fault and hers alone. Their quest hung on a fragile balance and it dictated the fate of the entire world, she couldn’t afford to falter now. She was convinced that they needed her. They had to. What good would she be if she wasn’t? 

Her desperation to become someone indispensable was eating at her, threatening to undermine everything she had worked for. 

When Olivia called her over, she forced her unease to retreat to the deepest corners of her mind. She was a hypocrite. Despite telling Petra that she could rely on their friends, Jesse was the one who followed her own advice the least. 

She told herself that there would be time to unpack this all later, that the priority would be finding Soren and his Formidi-Bomb, but seeing Lukas again made her feel a pang of uncertainty. Even if she wanted to say something, there was no time, so she made the reluctant choice to leave things be. 

Talking could wait. For now, she needed to keep herself focused and couldn’t afford anymore distractions. She quelled the last of her nerves before heading over. She had to go back to being leader Jesse, and leader Jesse wouldn’t let her emotions get the better of her. 

Leader Jesse was going to get the job done, and as for every other Jesse that came after? Well, she could wait. If they managed to do the impossible feat of saving the world, all they’ll have was time.

Chapter Text

hi! it's me, the author! 

i normally don't like making these sorts of notes in my fics (it's very wattpad-y and i've long since moved from that platform). but i wanted to keep you guys updated with what's happening. 

to all of those who wished me a good vacation: thank you! it was a lovely break. unfortunately, i had to get my wisdom teeth removed immediately after so i've been mostly in pain and taking it easy lol. that isn't to say i've abandoned this fic! 

chapter 22 (the REAL 22, not this note) is currently in the works as i decide what direction i want to go and how i want to develop the jesse and lukas relationship in a way that feels organic. the chapter should be posted sometime next week, and i'm sorry it's been taking awhile! i promise i love writing this story as much as you guys like reading it, so i definitely want to continue as soon as possible. 

this note will be deleted when the chapter comes out, but for now, sit tight! 

and if you happened to make any fanart and are comfortable with me linking it in the comments, feel free to send it over. i try to check the tumblr tag as often as i can, but i might miss a thing or two. as always, thank you for reading!