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Prologue

"Don't grab my friends you weirdos!" I quickly push the red eyed guy off of Lukas, feeling rage beginning to boil my blood.

As if I'm the spark to a fire, the whole room explodes into fighting. I start to charge at the man, itching to take out my sword but held back by my promise. Ivor cries out, and for a moment I look at him. He has already been pinned.

I turn my head back, and the guy's fist slams right between my eyes. Time crawls around me, people moving as if they're in water. Slowly I feel my feet being lifted from the ground, my body wafting in the air.

My rage increases, and I need to protect my friends from this P.A.M.A. thing. But it has been so long since I've slept, to the point where my survival instincts aren't even kicking in. Despite that there is fighting going all around me and I'm not even on the ground yet, my body feels weighted and my heartbeat slow.

The Adamantine Impervium begins to press into my back, I must be hitting the ground. Dull sensations pulse, the places where I'll get some new bruises to add to the collection. That wave of exhaustion starts to drown all impulses: my injuries, my rage, my will to fight, and even the cries of my friends.

~~~~~~~~

There's something coiled around me, trapping me. I open my eyes and look down. It's pitch black, but I can make out the throbbing tentacle of the Wither Storm. I'm stuck, completely helpless in its grasp.

I look up, not sure what's happening or where I even am. It turns out that I'm hanging above all four of us while recover from the huge amounts of bats that were in the last world. Well, Petra is just standing there shaking from frustration.

I remember this, the moment I realized that Petra is breaking down. I thought it would be Lukas before her, and I hoped that we would be home before it started to happen to anyone.

But I couldn't do it. I know it's my fault that we're not back home yet. I just couldn't bring myself to comfort her when all of her pain is all my fault. I'm such a terrible selfish friend.

The scene blurs for a second before coming back into focus. Now I have to relive Petra tearing into me, experiencing the same torture a second time. I start to fight against the tentacle, crazed to get out and do something instead of just watch this all over again.

"I'm tired of all this useless portal-hopping trying to find our way home! What's behind this portal? Who knows? Let's just plunge right into it anyway!"

I don't want to look, I know what's happening. I'm staying strong, trying to calm Petra down, even though on the inside I know she's absolutely right.

"I know you mean well Jesse, but we aren't exactly any closer to home, are we?"

The tentacle never loosens, and I begin to helplessly cry. I'm stuck, I'm helpless, and I'm weak. I can't get my friends home, I can't even keep my group hopeful. Why did I ever think I could be a leader? Because good luck came my way? Now I'm a failure when my luck turns South.

"We barely avoid dying every portal we go into, it won't be long now until one of us gets hurt!"

I scream, but not at my captor. I'm screaming in agony as Petra's words shred my soul apart stronger than any sword. My best friend doesn't think I can keep my friends safe, she doesn't think I'm strong enough despite everything we've lived through together.

Yet I whole-heartedly agree with her.

"There must be SOMEONE out there who can get us home." Petra begins to walk off, leaving me behind to do things herself.

Someone else, someone better than me to lead us home. I'm not good enough, I was never good enough.

"All of this portal hopping? It's USELESS!" Petra points at a redstone portal. "In this portal, we might find someone smart enough who knows how to get us home."