Soulbreak - A MCYT 3rd/Last/Double Life FanFiction

Chapter 12 - Tick Tock

A/N: It's been a while... I hope you enjoy this update! I love you guys' comments, theories + feedback and I'll try to respond to them! I'm also open to new story ideas rn... check my main page :)

[PoV - Pearl/3rd]

The overworld was cold.

That was the first thought Pearl could process. The now frigid-feeling lower layers of the world were a sharp contrast to the objectively hot nether. She had never realized how horrible the heat was to an open wound until the wave of relief hit her charred flesh. Everything seemed more peaceful in the little cave inlet. Perhaps it was because Pearl's breathing finally evened, deepened, and consequently her pulse returned to a speed where coherent thoughts were possible.

Now that logic was on the table, Pearl weighed her options. It would be good to kit out, stock up, and be prepared for anything. Pearl revelled in the image of her competitors' gawking faces and weariness when she appeared to them in full diamond armor - courtesy of the good mining opportunity she was now presented with.

Alternatively... I could try to team up with Shubble. At the thought of alliances, Pearl was reminded of Scott's existence for the first time in an embarrassingly long span. Right... Scott... an underlying sense of guilt now flavored the memory of his face... You have nothing to be ashamed of, you were trying to find recourses that could help him. You were doing him a favor, really. And it's not like you owe him anything, here in Life all ties are cut. He's lucky you still care about him at all.

Pearl winced at the word care. It was a poor choice of wording, that even her subconscious shied away from. After weighing her options carefully, Pearl chose to equip herself as necessary before, she told herself, finding Scott - after all he was not a priority anymore. In fact, he was just a mere stumbling block, perhaps useful depending on how productively he'd used the past days.

Everyone here is a tool or a weapon to be used. And if they can't be used... they shouldn't remain usable at all. Pearl thought grimly, deciding on whether or not an ax or a sword was more prudent to end their usefulness and concluding that an ax was far more intimidating and therefore her weapon of choice.

Brandishing a stone pickaxe, Pearl set to work on chiseling through the walls of the cave. Deep as she was, it didn't take long to come across various patches of diamonds, redstone, lapis, and even the occasional iron or gold. Soon a pattern emerged; Pearl camped out in a little bed whenever she grew weary, cooked herself 2 or 3 meals a day whenever she grew hungry, and mined through layers and layers of deep slate in all the time in between. Minutes stretched into hours, hours stretched into days, and Pearl merely sunk deeper and deeper into the matrix of tunnels she had created all around herself.

It was the barrier that woke Pearl up from her robot-like constant tedium. She wasn't sure how long she had been underground. Time was a fickle thing so deep under the earth's crust. It seemed so frivolous to worry about the tick-tock passing of the sun that governed so many lives whilst you were so far away from any impact the sun incurred.

Pearl's jaw dropped as she surveyed the shimmering veil. Little waves passed over its surface, glitching the sheer fabric together and mesmerizing her. The urge to slide her finger down its glimmering surface was quashed by the inherent danger it posed to anyone who dared to cross it. Losing my first life - OUR first life I suppose, whoever I'm stuck with - this way would be moronic. I've definitely gone farther than I thought, I should start digging to the surface. I have more than enough diamonds, thirty-six'll cover tools and armor.

Pearl began the ascent to the surface right then. She was beginning to lose confidence in the existence of daylight when she finally broke through the surface. Pearl had to shield her face from the sun, as blinding as it was after over a week without a glimpse of it. Looks like I have a couple of hours before the sun sets. We all agreed that if anything happened in the arena we would meet in the Hypixel mountains... I'm sure I'm looking for the highest ground in the overworld.

Pearl quickly scaled the nearest birch tree. Immediately a range of stony mountains resembling their agreed-upon meeting spot blinked at her. Can I get there before sundown... unsure whether or not she had a choice either way, Pearl started off in the direction she assumed her friends to be in.

As she walked, her stomach twisted in apprehension. Was she wrong? Would Grian and Scott be on the complete other side of the map? Would they be upset she'd taken so long? Would they be impressed? Had they worried about her... had they even thought of her at all? Maybe they had forgotten she even existed... maybe Pearl was completely out of sight out of mind. And if she could even find them, would they believe she had been to the Nether? Or would they react the same way Pearl had...? Should she even tell them about the Nether, or would they be upset at her?

Why they would be upset Pearl hadn't a clue, but she was prepared for the worst. The thought of Scott's warm smile spurred Pearl to increase her current pace. And Grian's cackle... Pearl wondered how fast her stamina would deplete if she broke into a run.

As the terrain grew rougher, Pearl became surer and surer that this was where, if not Scott, Grian would have surely gone. The surroundings were uncannily reminiscent of the hypixel mountains. Even the peaks were snowcapped like the former's. It was only then that it occurred to Pearl that she might be too late. That Scott and Grian would've come to these mountains immediately, waited for Pearl, and eventually given up and were now long gone.

Despite Pearl's earlier resolve, a wave of anguish rolled over her at the thought. Pearl remembered when she'd first met Scott and Grian.

It had been a chilly day, not unlike this one. The wind howled against the large windows of the long hallway, occasionally bringing a gust of snow from the mountains. Pearl had just finished signing all the paperwork needed for her induction to the arena, and she had been instructed to take the stairs up to the suspended hall and take a left at the crossroads. She had been assigned room A12 in the womens' tower.

However, just as she reached the bend, two younger-looking boys - their faces hadn't yet lost the shadow of the roundness of youth. One had wavy aqua hair, the other equally wavy, shaggy caramel-and-cocoa locks.

The mouse-haired boy had shoved the blue one without realizing someone was around the corner, and Scott had gone crashing into Pearl, her ratty suitcase thrown aside, with Grian right on his tail. Pearl was quick to retaliate, pushing Scott and Grian off her. The two had looked frightened for a moment, probably worried about what Pearl's reaction would be.

To their surprise, her laughter filled the silence. They never asked each other's names, nor did they start with the casual 'Where are you from?' or 'What's your favorite color?'. They just... were. No paperwork needed for Pearl's induction into the now-trio. Grian had merely slipped his arm in hers and pulled her along with them, no explanation given.

Pearl smiled, lost in the memory for a second. And in that second she knew they were more important to her than anything else in Minecraftia. Nothing else mattered as long as she was with her brother... and her... best friend?

As if on cue, Pearl heard a voice in the distance. She broke into a run, wincing as her legs seared but not caring. She could see a figure in the distance, silhouetted against the mountainside. A very familiar figure. Her arms flew open automatically as she flew towards the unsuspecting statue, intending to catch them by surprise. But the figure turned and recognized her first,

"PEARL!" Grian cried. "WATCH OUT!"