A Final Stand

Chapter 3: The Search

<Jesse's POV>

We split into four teams of two. Lukas and I, Harper and Ivor, Petra and William, and Ruby and Sammy. We say our goodbyes, and set off in different directions.

We are lucky enough to find a couple horses early on, a black and a brown. Lukas reveals a pair of saddles he had picked up in the portals, and we cover ground much faster.

We're heading toward the city we kept our treasures from our adventures. I know one group was going to the city in front of the Temple, and I'm not sure where the others went. What I do know is that we're going to meet up with Ruby and Sammy somewhere near the city.

When the sky starts darkening, we build a small dirt hut and take shelter inside. It's just big enough for the two of us and the fire, and the horses are outside. Out of the blue, I notice that this is the first time me and Lukas have been truly alone together since I fell off the pillars at Soren's place. But then, we were with Reuben then, so that doesn't really count.

Reuben... if he hadn't followed me into the Witherstorm, I probably would have failed to break the Command Block. But he jumped into the minecart with me, and died because of it. Because of me.

I need to stop blaming myself for when people I know are dying. First Magnus, then Reuben, then all those people with the weird names... and then I had thought Petra died when I took out the Redstone Heart from PAMA's core...

I seriously want to hit something.

Lukas puts a hand on my shoulder. "You're thinking about Reuben again, aren't you?" He asks, quietly.

It's like he can read my mind or something.

"Yeah," I answer. "And Magnus, Sparklez, Lizzie... People keep dying near me. It's like knowing me is super bad luck or something."

I close my eyes and take a slow breath. "Maybe it'd be better for everyone if I left. Went and lived alone in the jungle where no one can find me. Maybe then no one else will die because of me."

I open my eyes to see Lukas shaking his head. "No, Jesse. It's not because of you. Everyone dies eventually. You just happen to be there when they do."

"You're Mr. Cheerful," I mutter under my breath.

"Just saying," he says, smiling slightly and scratching the side of his head.

A thought strikes me. "Speaking of which, what were you going to say last night? When I told you to stop talking?"

He freezes up, just for a moment. "Nothing important," he says quickly.

I doubt that, but I'll let it pass. "If you say so. We should get some sleep if we're going to make it back in time." A yawn escapes me, and I close my eyes again. Sleep overtakes me quickly.

~Lukas's POV~

I watch her as she falls asleep. She looks so peaceful and calm, not as if she'd just been considering leaving us and living alone in the jungle for the rest of her life. If she did, she would have to hide her home quite well, because I would search every last block of the biome until I found her, no matter what.

I take off my gauntlet and look at the droplet on my hand. Once again, I wonder what my powers are, and how to activate them. But now, a new, troubling thought enters my head.

Nothing comes without a cost. So what is the cost of these abilities?

After exploring the possibilities for a while, I push that train of thought away and drift into sleep.

Instantly, a dream hits me. I'm floating in the air, swinging my iron sword at the bright white eyes of a giant coiling beast. It opens its mouth, revealing long fangs, and hisses at me. I realize that the monster looks like it's just a scaly head and long tail, and its form seems to be made of several different layers.