𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝔼𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕎𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕊𝕠𝕠𝕟 𝔹𝕖 𝔸𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕤

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟼

"No. I won't allow it." Their mother snapped, glancing at them with her sharp green eyes. It didn't take much to make Sapling feel ashamed of themself, especially when it was their parents who were getting onto them for something. But despite the fact that they were scolding Sapling, they still couldn't squash down the excitement they were feeling, no matter how much their embarrassment and disappointment attempted to bury all of their other emotions.

"But... why not?" They piped, shrinking below the two stern pairs of eyes that seemed to burn right through them. "I'll be okay! It's not like I'm going out there alone. Peony will make sure nothing happens!" They tried to reassure, though both their mother and their father looked unconvinced.

"Peony is barely older than you are, and we barely know her. How can we be sure she isn't tricking you into something for the benefit of herself or the Overworld? And if she isn't, how do we know she's actually capable of keeping you safe if something were to happen to you?" Their mother demanded.

Sapling pondered that for a moment. Their hands fidgeted from behind them, still clutching their redstone repeater. They hoped that their parents wouldn't be able to make out the soft clicking of the object as they slid the connected redstone torch up and down, then back up again. As much as they wanted to convince their parents to let them go to the Overworld, they had to admit that those were some valid points. Sapling always assumed Peony was trustworthy. After all, she admitted that even she was still living in hiding out there.

As thoughts continued to cloud their mind, their father spoke up, brushing the long brown hair that shrouded his forehead, nearly reaching down to his eyes, like a curtain of vines hanging from a tree. "We just don't want you to go out there without an adult to supervise you. We've already lost your sister. We can't lose you too."

A chill of anxious fear slithered down their back like tiny endermites skittering across their spine. They hadn't heard their parents mention her in a long, long time. It's been at least a year, if not even more... They felt themselves shiver even just thinking about it. Just the very reminder of what happened to her all that time ago.

But even what happened to her was still a mystery. The only information Sapling and their parents had to go off of was that she snuck out of the End Cities and never came back. And even then, the only creature that claimed to see it happen was Sapling's grandfather Mushroom.

"That won't happen. If reintroducing humans to the Overworld doesn't work out after all, we'll return to the End as soon as possible. And if we stay, I'll be sure to visit every now and then." They promised, meeting their parents' still-skeptical gazes. After a long, silent pause, Sapling spoke up again, trying their best to further convince them. "You always told me it's our family legacy to step up and lead the humans when no other creature will. What if going to the Overworld is what steers me to that opportunity?"

They both let out cooperative sighs, almost in unison before their mother spoke up. "Alright. I suppose you can go for a little while. But if anything happens, and I mean anything Sapling, you are to return to the End Cities. Do I make myself clear?"

They nodded appreciatively, barely able to contain the newfound anticipation that sent shivers across their freckled skin. They were really going to the Overworld! After spending their entire life in an entirely different realm, they would finally get the chance to see the lush dimension that humans were supposed to be living in all along.

Once they finished packing everything they thought they would need for their journey, they said their final farewells to their parents and headed toward the main island, where they were supposed to meet with Peony and the other humans who were chosen to accompany her.

Assembled by the glistening fountain at the island's center, they spotted the familiar figures of not only Peony, but Spruce and Lilypad, two of the selected End inhabitants. Sapling wasn't really the type of creature to engage or interact with anyone they weren't familiar with at all, so they didn't know the two humans personally.

They did know that both Spruce and Lilypad were about two years older than Sapling was, and just by catching the occasional glimpses of them around the island, they also knew Lilypad was exceptionally skilled in enchanting, and Spruce, unlike most of the humans in the End, had a considerable amount of experience in combat, especially when it came to fighting without a weapon available to him.

Neither of them spoke as Sapling approached the center of the island, besides Peony who greeted them almost immediately. "Hey. Sapling, right?" She asked, nodding toward them before she continued. "Hard to forget those freckles. Not to mention that fiery-looking mess of your hair." She was clutching a small journal in both of her hands, a quill also in her grip, tucked neatly behind the leather binding to avoid splattering ink everywhere.

Sapling felt a wave of heat rush along the tops of their cheeks and they touched their hair self-consciously, gently tugging at a few loose reddish strands that had fallen in front of their eyes momentarily. They watched as Peony jotted something down in her book before they took their place beside where Lilypad was standing.

The enchantress took one glance toward Sapling, looked them up and down with an expression that they could only assume was of disgust, before she took a few steps closer to Spruce who was at her other side. Lilypad probably would have bumped into him if she hadn't turned her eyes to look where she was going and caught herself.

It seemed to take forever as they continued to wait for the others to arrive and eventually, they found themself pulling out the repeater they had packed, letting their thoughts wander as they began fidgeting with it, allowing the satisfying clicking to help keep them entertained.

But finally, everyone else arrived one by one, greeted each time by Peony just as Sapling had been and followed by more scribbling as she confirmed each of their names and added more to her notes.

"Are you doing a background check on us all or something?" One of them asked, and as Sapling glanced over at her, recognition washing over them. Azalea was somewhat popular in the End Cities as she was overall a very friendly creature. Each time Sapling would see her, she was helping someone or carrying out any task that needed to be taken care of around the island. They rarely ever saw her taking time for herself, or spending even the smallest moment to just relax for once. It was no wonder she had been one of the chosen creatures to tag along and into the Overworld.

"Just writing down everyone's names so I can remember them. I'm absolutely terrible with names, so I apologize in advance." Peony answered without looking up from her notes as she continued writing something down.

Sapling tried to analyze everyone else. Other than Azalea, Spruce, and Lilypad, there were six others besides themself.

There was Moss, who had an intense fascination with plants and flowers of all types; also Bamboo, his cousin, who had a similar knack, but for crops and agriculture instead.

Poppy and Allium, competitive siblings, were incredibly intelligent, always at the top of their class when it came to education in the End. They often got into arguments or debates though, so Sapling usually made sure to steer clear of them when they were together.

There was also Dripleaf an accomplished alchemist who was skilled in brewing potions of all different types. Xe was intelligent too, always eager to try learning new skills, even he happened to be particularly amateurish.

Oak had been the last to arrive, and if Sapling were honest, they didn't know why he had been chosen exactly. He was usually lazy and complained a lot as far as they knew, though Sapling didn't know him that well by any means.

Out of everyone, they knew Dripleaf the best. Xe had been really close friends with Sapling's sister years ago, and the three of them would always hang out together during their off-time. However, ever since her disappearance, the two of them had grown apart, and now they didn't talk very often at all. But perhaps now would be a great opportunity too. Since they were both chosen to venture into the Overworld, that would be a great chance for Sapling to regain that relationship with Dripleaf.

To say that Sapling was excited was quite an understatement. They were absolutely thrilled. They had dreamed of going to the Overworld almost their entire life.

And finally, that dream was going to be coming true.