Smack. Tip. Snap. Smack. Tip. Snap. These were the sounds that echoed through the house, their source being Alex, who was carelessly throwing her sword into the floor, getting it stuck, and pulling it out again. She threw it, smack, and then used a little muscle strength to pull it out again, tip. Snap. She didn't know how long she'd been doing this, only that she'd been doing it for a while.
Lucas walked through, bypassing her on his way to the front door, when he stopped for a moment. He watched her throw it, smack, and then pull it out, tip. Snap.
"Honestly, it's as though you don't have any concern for the floors at all." He shook his head. Alex gazed up at him with a bored expression.
"I don't," she said, and threw again, smack. Lucas rolled his eyes.
"Well, I'm off to a meeting. I'll see you around."
"A meeting?" Alex sat up. "Since when did we do anything so official?"
"You didn't hear?" Lucas lingered by the door. "Steve set it up. We're going to talk about the thing. Steve's replica, remember? You should come." He exited then, leaving Alex to her thoughts. She briefly wondered why she wasn't told about this, but ended up blaming it on her lack of energy to socialize with other human beings. She pulled out her sword, tip, snap, and followed after Lucas.
By the time she made it outside, the others were already in a discussion. Oddly enough, they decided to have such a meeting in the back of the farmlands. Why they were in such a place was a mystery, but Alex decided to wait to answer that particular question.
"...so it's probably best to figure out what we know now. Ah, Lucas, there you are." Steve looked up from the group, of whom Cadence, Ace, Mona, Josh, and with a stone sinking far in her chest, Luke, were present. It didn't quite make sense. If Steve was the one who organized this, why was he here? "Alex?" Steve spoke up. Alex's eyes flicked away from Luke and rested on Steve's icy ones.
"Hi," she said coldly. "what's going on?"
"Just a little meeting," Steve said a little too quickly.
"You're welcome to join," Luke suggested. "The more the merrier, right?" Alex glared at him, but joined the group anyway. Steve cleared his throat.
"O-Okay, with that out of the way, I've asked all of you to come by because there is a very real threat out there. Herobrine possesses power like I've nev-"
"Wait, wait, backtrack." Ace interrupted. "It has a name?"
"He has a name," Steve clarified. "I just thought that it would be better to have a name that we can all refer to him as."
"What brought up 'Herobrine'? It sounds like the guy's a hero or something." Josh asked. Steve shrugged.
"It just seemed to fit, you know? A-Anyway! Herobrine, as most of you know, is God-like in power and being. For Luke's group, since most of you don't know, Herobrine basically looks exactly like me but with big, glowy eyes. Got it?" They nodded. He continued, "If you ever see anything that even looks similar to him, get out of there. It's safe to say that he won't hesitate to kill you." Steve stopped abruptly, gulping. There was a period of silence in which no one spoke up. As if they knew what to say to something like that.
"Do we have any way to defend ourselves?" Alex asked once she got sick of the silence.
"We have our swords and armour, as well as any other weapon." Steve stared at the ground.
"Running is an option, isn't it?" Cadence suggested.
"I ran for hours, maybe a couple days, and it probably didn't matter to him. He can catch up to us easily, I just know it." Cadence sighed bitterly.
"But we can try, can't we?" she insisted. No answer met her plea. After a silence more painful than the last, Alex spoke up again.
"I understand how Herobrine is a threat, but he doesn't exactly have a reason to come after us."
"He didn't have a reason to try and kill me, either. If - if you had seen him, you'd know. He just...destroys." Steve said bleakly.
"So...why do they have to be a part of this, then?" Alex nudged her head at Luke.
"Unless you want to go it alone, we all have to pitch in this together. I don't like it anymore than you do, Ami." Luke crossed his arms. Alex twitched when he said her name.
"He's right," Lucas said. Alex jumped; it was the first time he'd spoken up.
"Steve!" Alex exclaimed, looking to him in desperation. He gave her a pitiful look.
"We need to survive, don't we? The more of us that stick together, the better all our odds are. Besides, they're people too, Alex." She felt like her head was about to explode. Working with the same guy who actively tried to kill her? It didn't seem very ethical.
"But don't you remember-"
"Of course I remember-"
"Then why did you-"
"How could I not?!"
"Fine!" Alex slammed her fist into the dirt beside her. "I'll make you a deal. Luke and I fight. Whoever gets the other into such a position that they can't fight anymore wins. If I win, Luke leaves."
"And if you lose?" Luke smirked. He appeared to be very intrigued by this offer.
"Then..." Alex exhaled. She wasn't quite sure what she would do in that situation.
"How about you just let him stick with us? Forget the fight, Alex. It's not worth it." Ace tried to console her. Alex shook her head, determined.
"I'd be up for it, if it'll settle the tension." Luke took a step forward.
"Are you an idiot?" Mona nudged him with her elbow. "She's just being all uppity about it, don't fuel her on."
"Come now," Luke chuckled. "Sometimes you just have to settle old fights. Let's go to the fields, there's more space there." The fact that he was so willing to fight struck a string within Alex. Something wasn't right.
Alex's long hair flew in the breeze, untied and loose. It looked like a cloud of fire encircling her head. With her old, trusty diamond sword held in her hand, and a daring gleam in her eye, Alex had the look of a warrior.
On the other side of the field stood Luke, his ivory hair stagnant, still. In his hand he held a rather new looking sword. It's gleam was that of a very fine sword indeed, and it seemed to make Alex's sword look like a cheap toy. A playful smile danced on Luke's lips. She hated it how he thought this was all a game.
"Alex, are you sure about this? It's really unnecessary." Cadence passed by her. Her and the others were on their way to the side, where they could watch the match. Alex said nothing. She stared at Cadence with an icy eye. Cadence sighed and rolled her eyes, carrying on. Steve came in the middle. Somehow he had been the one elected to referee the match, and he didn't seem to be too pleased with the job.
"You two ready?" He looked from Alex to Luke. Without a word being spoken, Steve nodded. He stepped back a safe distance and raised his stub. With a commanding 'GO' and his stub firmly swung down, the fight ensued. It wasn't quite what Alex expected. She thought there would be some - a lot of screaming, some sword clinks, and then she'd have Luke pinned down. She would be able to send him off a cliff with a happy heart. But this was far different from what she imagined. All was quiet. All was still. The two of them circled each other like wolves, neither willing to strike the first move.
Luke was playing it defensively, Alex was resisting the urge to go all out. After a few minutes of this, she began to grow tiresome.
"Are you going to hit me?" she asked, annoyed.
"Are you?" Luke cocked his head. Alex clicked her tongue, her rage, and impatience, skyrocketing. She took a breath, and with it a great swing at Luke. He saw this and reacted quickly, parrying the blow and launching his sword straight for Alex's stomach. She barely had any time to react, jumping and stumbling backwards. She regained her footing, taking a quick glance to Luke, only to see that he was still smiling. Instead of spurring her on, this only made Alex feel uneasy. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.
He struck again, this time with more force. Alex's sword defended it with an ear-piercing clang that could have reverberated across the mountains. Without hesitation, Luke raised his sword again, stabbing and swinging and slashing. Alex could hardly keep up with it all, her heart beating fast, the sweat dripping down her neck. All her senses were on alert. She only saw a blue blur whip by when Luke turned on the offense, and her legs were starting to cramp up from the restless movement.
She knew she had to do something, otherwise she would lose. Alex held herself steady, parried another strike, and countered. This took Luke by surprise, as he had to jump back to avoid her blade. She swung again, as fast as she could, trying to catch him in one of her swings. It wasn't a great plan, which was evident by the glint in Luke's eye. It was only there for a split second, in which Alex swung a little too far, losing her balance and tipping over, that Luke struck. His sword clashed against hers, harder than ever before, knocking the blade out of her hands and sending it rocketing through the air. There was a horrifying crack followed by a snap as Alex's sword broke in half.
She gasped, eyes wide as she stared at her broken blade. She didn't even try to move, and soon found Luke's sword at her throat.
"I win," he said with a smile. Alex was to aghast to respond, her mind still reeling like a hamster wheel, trying to process what just happened. At last, panting, she fired up.
"That wasn't part of the deal!" she exploded, pushing away Luke's sword and getting to her feet. "You cheated! Destroying my sword was against the rules!"
"Oh? That's funny, I don't recall there ever being a rule against that." His words struck her harder than any slash he could have made.
"Y-Y-You-"
"Me," he said coldly. "The point is that I won, and a winner claims his prize. Therefore you can't just exclude me out of the group. I'm here to stay, as they say." Luke sheathed his glowing blade and began walking back to the rest of the group, leaving Alex to an eerie silence. She knew that the possibility of losing was real, but...574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4X3hen07cc
She crawled over to where the pieces of her blade lay. She picked up the pieces and gingerly rubbed her stub across it.
"Alex? Are you okay?" Steve was beside her.
"My sword..." she croaked.
"Oh," Steve crouched to the ground, putting an arm around her. "You can always make a new one, right? I'm sure there's enough diamond..."
"This one was special." Alex saw her own reflection in the blade. Though the image was jagged and chipped, the grief upon her face was evident. There were more lines on her face than ever before, and her eyes had a hollow-like quality to them. The last time she'd properly looked at her reflection she had looked nothing like this. Then again, that was in many days past.
"Special how?" Steve spoke gently.
"It was I-Izzy's," she said, the name unfamiliar upon her tongue."I j-just happened to pick it up once she died. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing, you know?"
"Pass me the hilt," Steve said. She did. As he looked closer to the blade, an unforgettable name was still somehow legible. "Aiden," he read aloud. He then placed the sword on the ground, where it disappeared into dust, it's time finally up. Alex held the blade firmly, her fist clenching when the material evaporated from existence.
"Oh, Alex." Steve held her tightly as she shook. She didn't cry. He didn't expect her to. She felt her soul being crushed all over again.
"Steve? Is she okay?" The voice of Cadence came behind them. Her, Ace, and Lucas had come out from the sidelines, all expressing concern.
"Just give her a bit, alright? You three have no idea what that sword meant to her." Steve gave them a patient smile. Cadence nodded, taking a few steps back. Ace accompanied her. Lucas could only stare in wonder at Alex.
"I heard you say a name before. Was there a name inscribed on the blade?"
"Yeah," Steve said. "Alex, can I tell them? It'd be a miracle if they haven't figured everything out by now, but don't you think it would be good for me to clear some things up?" She nodded within his comforting arms. Steve cleared his throat. "Y'all might want to sit down for this," he said. "Cadence, if you'd be kind enough, could you grab Josh and Mona for me? They deserve to know." She nodded, exchanging a glance with Ace and dashing for the other side of the field.574Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6u2QejC97
Luke, Mona, and Josh were conversing. It seemed that Josh was chiding him for something.
"You shouldn't have broken her sword, man." He shook his head. "That just wasn't cool."
"The sword itself was already at a breaking point. Better that I break it instead of a Creeper."
"Josh is right," Mona assisted. "The fight itself wasn't necessary, and now you've broken one of the better fighters on our team. Look at her! She's lost more than her pride." She gestured to Alex.
"Um...hi," Cadence introduced herself sheepishly. "Steve wants you two to come by. He wants to share something with all of us." Mona and Josh exchanged glances. They then both looked to Luke, and then back at Cadence.
"I will join you," Mona said, her Latin accent shining through.
"Same here," Josh agreed, ready to go.
"Cool," Cadence lead them over. As they began to walk, Luke began following them as well. Cadence stopped, trotting over to him and scratching her neck. "Yeah, uh, I don't think it's a good idea if you come along right now. Alex might snap or something. We'll see you later, right?" Luke regarded her with a cold stare.
"Fine by me," he said, and he was off. Cadence sighed in relief, jogging back to Steve with Josh and Mona readily behind her.
"Thanks," Steve said. "Now, I only know a bit of the story, but I'll tell you what I know of what happened to us. All of us. Not just Alex and me, but...others, too. Once I get my part out, Alex, you'll have to fill in the blanks. Nobody else can. Can you do that?" She nodded. Steve patted her gently.
"Now, Some of these names might sound a bit familiar to some of you. There was a big group of us, me, Alex, Michael, Charlotte, Izzy, Aiden, and Luke. And, well, we didn't start off too big..." Steve went on to tell a tale that Alex remembered the last detail to.
When he came to the end of his knowledge, Alex knew that it was time to talk. And though she still hurt, the pain had an eternity before it would ever leave, she knew that the only thing she could really do was reach out. So she talked. For a long while, the memories were pleasant, and horrific as she described all the adventures she had been on. She could even remember Jack in a better light. Jack. His name still sent tingles through her. Alex didn't even notice the time passing by as she talked, the words flowing out seamlessly, as though she had to make no effort at all.
After the tale of the Ender Dragon was fully revealed (all detail included), it was silent for a minute, perhaps to reflect on it all. Steve pat her on the back, and Cadence hugged her. They all made their way back to the wooden house, chatter of old, happy memories and jokes filling the air with a relief and joy that could never be replaced.
A relaxing end to a tense chapter, huh? It seems Alex is finally getting better, even if it takes baby steps. Stay tuned for the next, guys.
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