Parallels- an MCSM AU [COMPLETED]

THIRTY-THREE- Musing Through Memories

ffffff me? using Digital Daggers lyrics as chapter titles?

...more likely than you might think

anyways, dun dun dun here's another wtf-is-going-on-with-the-new-timeline chapter, which is honestly just a transcription of episode 3 lol lol lol

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Jasper doesn't fully know what to expect from the End, so he's somewhere between surprised and indifferent when his feet hit the pale-yellow end stone.

He straightens up and looks around, eyes widening as he takes in the strange obsidian shapes springing up from the ground. It's dark, the kind of dark that presses down on your eyes like a tangible thing, but his vision is gradually adjusting.

"Whoa..." he murmurs softly.

There's a strange noise, and Lukas appears nearby, holding the amulet. He mimics Jasper's motion, staring curiously around. "Oh. Great. It just keeps getting better." he grumbles.

Olivia and Reuben appear next, then Essa. The tall woman doesn't seem nearly as shaken up as the others, simply brushing herself off as she glances calmly around. She's impossibly composed, which helps Jasper keep his cool in tense situations as well.

He's noticed that she hasn't been as talkative as when they first met, preferring to observe and follow rather than say too much of her own. This is helpful, actually, since the others seem to be good enough at starting fights on their own.

Petra has just materialized as well when Olivia asks, "Where's Axel? He was right behind me."

As if her saying this has magically summoned him, Axel suddenly appears in midair, landing on Lukas with a "Whoo!". The amulet flies out of Lukas's hand, rolling over the end stone.
Jasper goes over to pick it up as Axel says, "Ha! See, I told you I'd pay you back."

"Get off." Lukas snaps, pushing the larger boy away. He glances away, and suddenly gasps. "Oh...oh, jeez."

He continues whimpering, covering his eyes. Jasper pauses, unsure of what's going on. "...Stop crying."

"What? No, I'm not crying, just look!" Lukas returns quickly.

Essa glances over her shoulder at where Lukas is indicating, then looks away just as fast. "Actually, don't."

Jasper looks the same way, to see a tall, unstoppably eerie Enderman strolling past like it owns the place. Which he supposes it does.

"Hide!" he murmurs. The others quickly shield their eyes as well, hoping against hope it won't decide to come after them. Are Endermen more hostile on their home turf? With a chill, Jasper realizes he doesn't know.

"We should move." Essa whispers. She leads the way towards one of the tall black structures, hiding in the shadows.

Lukas peers out from around it. "So, what do we call that? A herd of Endermen? A flock?"

"A 'haunting' of Endermen, I think." Jasper puts in haughtily.

"We might wanna hold off on the grammar lessons until later." Olivia snarks. Jasper sighs inwardly.

Essa looks around again, then asks, "Which way are we headed, Jasper?"

He retrieves the amulet from his inventory, and the white bit glows brightly for a second before flickering and going dim. Frowning, Jasper shakes it a few times, with no result.

"Stuff like that doesn't work in the Nether- probably not the End, either." Petra contributes. Jasper glances over at her as she says this, and almost immediately wishes he didn't. She looks so bad, her skin and eyes discoloured beyond belief. The Withersickness is hitting her hard, and it makes him feel ill to know she may not be able to hold on for much longer.