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

Chapter 24 - The Tales of Pearl & Martyn

The dense foliage of the forest enveloped Martyn and Pearl as they ventured further away from Grian's campsite.

"We need to move quickly, I don't want him following us."

"You speak like you aren't abandoning him in the dead of night." Martyn mocked.

"I'm saving him. You said so yourself." Pearl shot back.

"So I did." Martyn laughed. "Tell me-"

"I don't feel like talking, Martyn." Pearl bit. "We are not friends. We are merely aligned. For now." Pearl let the silence linger. Martyn didn't press further.

As they traveled on, the air changed to carry the scent of pine and damp earth, a surprising change from the fresher scent of their own campsite along the edge of the pine. The promise of a new beginning didn't fool Pearl. She held to optimism regarding her future. Right now she was fighting to hold back tears. Martyn or not alone, alone, alone echoed off her skull.

"Does here look good?" Martyn asked as the sun began to rise.

"For what?" Pearl huffed.

"Camp."

"Farther." Pearl didn't even bother stopping to look around. Martyn muttered something but didn't argue. It was well into the evening before Pearl finally agreed to stop. Long hilly plains. Perfect for some kind of dugout. As they set up their new camp, Pearl couldn't shake the feeling of detachment try as Martyn might to make some kind of conversation.

The shelter they constructed was a testament to their shared survival instincts, practical and efficient. Traps were meticulously placed to secure their safety, and responsibilities were divided without a word spoken. Pearl had made the unspoken agreement clear – they were allies in this venture, bound by necessity rather than any level of loyalty.

It didn't take long for the days to start melding into nights as they had when she and Grian had first set off. Familiar routines like fishing and farming became their daily anthem, and the excitement of the plains morphed into a backdrop for their mundane existence. Shockingly, Pearl's mental health didn't plummet immediately. Maybe it was the routine familiarity or the presence of someone else, but she was hanging on to the 'here' excellently.

Pearl sat by the fire, her eyes fixated on the dance of flames, Martyn's voice cut through the silence that had become their constant companion.

"You know, Pearl, this isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Surviving out here with you, it's... tolerable."

"Pfft, you say that like you weren't the one who orchestrated this" Pearl glared.

"You chose this."

"Exactly. I chose this, not you."

"Wow - touchy, touchy." Something angry flickered behind Martyn's eyes.

Pearl glanced at him, surprise flickering in her eyes. She had expected indifference to the comment. Pearl squinted, trying to read his sky-blue eyes, and then quickly looked away when Martyn caught her gaze,

"Yeah, tolerable," Martyn continued, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "I guess we make a decent team, don't we?"

"Hm." Pearl didn't acknowledge him. This seemed to annoy Martyn.

"Why'd you leave me in the Nether?" He asked abruptly. Pearl's head jerked up in surprise.

"I figured you might've left me. It was self-preservation." Pearl shrugged.

"I believed you dead." Martyn sounded angry.

"Uhhh... it's not that deep." Pearl frowned. Martyn was behaving very strangely.