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

Chapter 27 - Towers and Grian

The tree branches ebbed and swayed in the cool night breeze as Pearl and Tilly, her now devoted companion, trekked onward. Pearl couldn't help but smile, a determined glint in her eyes. Pearl didn't know where they were going, but she was sure she'd know when she saw it. What would've been a lonesome night ordinarily was now fulfilled in the form of Pearl's new best friend. Tilly, sensing the turmoil within her owner, nuzzled against Pearl, offering a silent comfort that only she could provide.

Pearl's mind, what had just a few hours earlier been a tempest of fractured thoughts that craved an escape from the entanglements of the past was now clearer. She looked down at Tilly, her constant companion through joy and sorrow, and a decision solidified in her heart. The threads that once connected her to others had become chains, binding her to a world of pain. People, really all attachments, should be forgotten.

The moonlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting a silvery glow on the path ahead. As they walked deeper into the wilderness, Pearl's gaze was fixated on the towering trees, each one a sentinel standing guard over the secrets of the forest.

A vision crystallized in Pearl's mind—a tower, a bastion of solitude that would shield her from the echoes of all the betrayal. With Tilly at her side, she would forge a sanctuary, a haven from all human interaction. The very fabric of reality had betrayed her, and now, she sought refuge in the cold embrace of self-sufficiency.

Never again, never again. Pearl told herself over and over, manifesting. Never again would she trust someone so completely. To make that mistake once, she would live. To make it twice - fool.

The pine turned into dark oak, the trees became denser and denser, the foliage thicker and thicker, then at last - the trees gave way, and Pearl stepped into a small clearing in the densest part of the forest.

"It's perfect, isn't it?"

. . .

Days turned into weeks as Pearl and Tilly tirelessly worked on their fortress. Cobblestone block after cobblestone block. Long nights of mining, long days of careful structure. An archeological feat. Higher and higher, the cobblestone twisted higher and higher. Until, finally, a platform took shape. A fortress suspended above the branches, looking many miles out in all directions.

Of course, it wasn't just a house. Pearl took great pleasure in creating many safeguards to her solitude. The tower was guarded by traps designed to repel any intruders and concealed many buttons linked to redstone wires that would enable various mechanisms that would probably lead to intruders demise. Pearl's hands, calloused and determined, wove intricate snares and pitfalls that would ensure her isolation.

Pearl had never been more grateful for the long cold afternoons spent with Scott and Grian under the arena toying with the electric wire.

The once vibrant, extroverted woman, now a solitary architect of her own destiny, spoke to Tilly in hushed tones. "We'll be safe here, Tilly. No more pain, no more echoes. Just us against the world."

Tilly, sensing the gravity of her owner's words, wagged her tail and let out a soft whine, offering a silent companionship that transcended the need for words.

Pearl's fortress reached completion, a testament to her newfound determination to shut out the world. From the elevated vantage point, she could gaze down at the forest below. The distant echoes of humanity were nothing more than faint whispers.

At long last, Pearl and Tilly stood atop their fortress, a lone outpost in the sea of trees. The echoes of pain, once haunting, now seemed like distant memories, swallowed by the cold winds that rustled the leaves below.

"What do we do if anyone shows up?" Pearl stroked Tilly's head.

Tilly barked.

"That's my girl. C'mon, let's go to bed." Pearl picked up the little gray wolf and rolled into her snug little bed. "We're safe," Pearl murmured. "Safe, safe, safe..."

. . .

Grian ventured deeper into the heart of the woods. A sense of urgency gripped him, the worry for Pearl compelling him to navigate the labyrinth of trees and shadows. The once familiar terrain shifted, and Grian's unease heightened.

"Pearl!" Grian's voice resonated through the silent woods, but the only response was the rustle of leaves and the distant murmur of the night. His footsteps quickened, leaves crunching beneath his boots as he pressed on, the urgency in his heart intensifying with every passing moment.

Grian and Pearl had shared countless adventures, their laughter ringing through the forest like a melody. Now, a foreboding silence hung in the air, and Grian feared that without him she would return to where he had found her... what did she call it? Neither here nor there...? Grian shook his head.

He hadn't known what to do when she and Martyn had vanished. He kept cursing himself for not finding her that night, not explaining himself, not fixing things when he'd had the chance. He had known she was angrier than usual. And he should've known Martyn hadn't just come to be friends.

Grian had stayed put for a week, hoping against hope that Pearl would come to her senses and return. He should've known that, too. Once Pearl made a decision she stuck with it. She was even more stubborn than Grian.

After that, Grian began to search. Along the way, he'd seen only Mumbo. The mustache man was a red, and he'd had a feeble go at Grian with an iron sword before slinking back into the trees. He hadn't even managed a single cut. Grian had been too preoccupied to retaliate, but the reality of there being reds on the server... Grian shuddered.

But now Grian had finally found what he thought to be a trail. He didn't know if it was Pearl's or not, but it was the best lead he had. And if it wasn't Pearl, at least someone would be able to give him information.

The last trail he'd found had turned out to be a bust, leading off the edge of a cliff. This trail of snapped leaves and tarnished campsites led deeper and deeper into the heart of a dark oak forest. It seemed like somewhere Pearl would go...

"Ouch!" Grian cursed. It felt like he'd been shot just below his elbow. Grian was sure he'd gotten the worst luck with his soulmate of anyone. "Ow!" Grian stubbed his toe on a stone and cursed again. Something rustled. Grian looked up to scan the area, searching for any sign of his friend.

"Pearl, where are you?" Grian's voice wavered with a mixture of concern and desperation. He moved towards the remnants of a fire, long extinguished, and a chilling realization gripped him. Something was amiss, and he couldn't shake the feeling that time was slipping away.

As he pressed on, the shadows seemed to deepen, whispering secrets that eluded his understanding. The very air clung to the sense of foreboding that hung in the moonlit night. Grian's senses heightened, every rustle of leaves and distant creak of branches sending shivers down his spine. A knot tightened in his chest, the worry for his friend intensifying.

"Pearl!" Grian's voice echoed through the trees once more, a plea that lingered in the night air. "... Pawprints." Grian startled. And freshly dug earth... bones... Grian frowned. He looked up.

The moon's glow revealed a clearing ahead, and as Grian emerged, his eyes widened at the sight above.

A tower. A fully-fledged tower. Grian's jaw dropped.

Far above him, a torch flickered on.