Hello there! I have finally brought myself to rewrite "Facing The Monster I Am" after a year. A lot happened in my life, a lot of it changed and so I lost my passion in writing for some time, but now I'm halfway back to it. Solving some remaining issues so don't expect regular updates please. But I got good news for those who liked the previous and crappy version of this story, a lot of it changed and its purpose as well. Some things will be removed and some added, depending if they're not too much for this kind of story.

Note: English is not my mother language, so please ignore any grammatical errors or possible wrong sentence structure. I tried my best to get it done as good as possible. Enjoy.

Naturally Different: Chapter One

Over The Edge

"I need to find him, I need to find Vos", said Jack as he walked away from the hole in the icy wall which was their way of escape. He couldn't just leave his best friend here, not when he'd just found him after all those years he's been missing him.

Jesse and Petra turned to Jack, not sure what to say. Jesse understood him, but at the same time they had to escape before the admin finds out that they were trying to escape. Time was running out. "Hate to say that but I guess we're splitting up then", said Jesse with a guilty expression. Petra just nodded, staying silent but felt bad for Jack as well.

Jack didn't answer as his eyes quickly shone with hostility, however it disappeared as quickly as it came. He couldn't blame them but he had still hoped for them to cope. And Petra wasn't sure if the hostility she saw was truly there for a second while Jesse looked away in guilt.

Out of nowhere, a familiar voice spoke up. Jack snapped to the direction of the voice was coming from as if he had been struck by lightning. "Well… this is a little... disappointing."

The three of them flinched, not knowing how to react. "Vos? How did you get up here?", Jack wondered aloud while Jesse and Petra thought it would've been more appropriate to ask what's with the sudden low tone.

"Oh I tried. I really, really tried." Vos ignored Jack, his back still facing the three. Confusion hit Jack even harder, not sure what Vos was talking about while Jesse narrowed his eyes. Something felt off and he didn't like it.

Jack tilted his head in confusion. "What do you want to say? What have you been trying?"

Not answering him again, he directed his focus on Jesse. "Oh Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. I just don't understand you, letting your friends go? Letting one half go back on their own when who knows what could happen to them and let the other one behind as well because you're simply running out of time?"

Jack threw a glance to Jesse before looking back to Vos. He stayed silent, giving Jesse the opportunity and space to answer. "I don't think you have to understand me. I don't let anyone go alone unless I have a reason to, which I have."

"Care to tell that reason of yours then?" Jack asked in a moody tone, making it difficult for Jesse to decide if that question was asked with hostility or friendly curiosity. He guessed the first.

"I trust Radar and Lukas to get home on their own, they're strong enough for that. And Vos is clearly dead, there is no way he survived without drowning down there. I'm sorry but that's how it is. And you know the admin isn't stupid either, he can teleport us to any location he wants, so who knows where he will teleport us to. I don't want to risk too many lives, you know."

"He hasn't found us yet though," Jack argued but Petra started to get the point, her expression slowly changing as realization hit her. Well, that was some next gen shit.

"Jack, I told you there is no way Vos is still alive, even your disagreement won't change it. And don't you think this Vos is acting a bit off? Do you think the real Vos would talk to you this rude, not to mention, ignore you as well?"

Jack didn't reply and went silent, thinking about what Jesse just told him. It all made sense, but part of him just didn't want to believe that Vos was dead once and for all. Can life be this unfair? Isn't he allowed to keep his friends with him? Is he supposed to stay a lone wolf?

Jesse felt little regret for the harshness he used and looked away, shaming himself.

"Ah clever one, I see." Vos said with a half evil smile. He liked that Jesse a lot, seemed to be the smartest out of the trio. Maybe today was going to be his lucky day if Jesse chooses to cope, although he highly doubts that. "Guess there is no need to hide my identity anymore then." He slowly walked towards them, step by step, as he started flickering a bright white faster and faster until he started to float and change his entire appearance in a blink of an eye. He now had red hair, a red beard, armor covered in a redstone glowing skeleton-pattern, his skin was grey, his iris yellow and his sclera red.

"I just can't… why?" Jack asked in utter disbelief. "Did Vos… did Vos die in that cage as well? Were you disguised as him this entire time?"

The Admin glanced to Jack now, sighing. Jack had his hands holding his head and was kneeling on the ground, hunched over a bit. His smile was replaced by annoyance and frustration. "Yes, of course I was! Do you really believe that a stack of pork chop would have held an old man alive for decades?"

Jack shook his head, not wanting to believe it. It's not like he ever will anyway. He was so happy that Vos survived, and now it's being thrown at his face that the whole time, it was the Admin disguised as Vos. The truth that Vos had to share the same fate as Sammy hurt a lot. It was cruel, life was cruel.

Meanwhile Jesse flinched at the mention of pork chop, his face saddening and his eyes looking at a corner. The Admin noticed it whose face split into a sinister grin. Oh, how could he forget?

"Oh Jesse… you poor little boy, learn to hide your emotions in front of your enemies." The Admin said mockingly, smirking at Jesse as he noticed his hostility building up. "I'm sad that my giant colossus pummeled your memorial, I would have loved to cook and eat the tasty meat of your beloved pig."

Something snapped inside Jesse as he charged at the Admin, his enchanted diamond sword, which started glowing red with particles, raised. His iris now had the color red while his sclera was completely black. "Don't you dare to talk about Reuben like that!"

The Admin barely dodged the quick slice, making Jesse halt abruptly at the edge of the platform. Jesse turned his head to glare at the Admin shortly before he sliced vertically again, missing. Not pausing, he sliced again, this time horizontally, injuring the Admin along his chest with a half deep cut.

The Admin stumbled back and held his new injury, anger glowing in his eyes. "Fine, be defiant, piece of shit." He took the gauntlet off of Jesse's hand by using teleportation, putting it on his own hand. "Have it your way."

Petra started running for Jesse, ignoring Jack's warning, as she felt the danger he was in. This wasn't going to end well.

The Admin didn't acknowledge her, charging at Jesse with the gauntlet and missing the hit. Jesse however landed his slice barely, having added a tiny cut injury on the Admin's throat. But before he could even realize it, the Admin hit him straight in the back, sending him crashing into the ground.

Jesse gurgled up blood up and didn't attempt to stand up again, blinded by the pain. He turned his head to the left, barely seeing Petra as she ran towards the Admin with a furious battle cry and her golden sword raised. He weakly raised an arm as he wanted to warn her, but only a low groan came out as his arm made contact with the ground again. Jesse growled and knitted his brows together in an aggressive face expression.

Unfortunate for Petra, the Admin dodged her attack and sent her flying back to Jack with a punch straight in her face. Jack quickly assisted her, helping her sit up and recover from the brutal hit. "Everything's so blurry…" she said with closed eyes, one hand holding her forehead.

Now with one problem less to worry about, the Admin turned back to Jesse, only to see him charging for a silent attack and dodging it in the last second, swiftly hitting a punch at his face as well, sending him over the edge of the platform.

Jack saw it in the corner of his eye, and realization hit him too late. He forgot Jesse. "JESSE!"

Jesse's eyes widened in shock as he was sent over the edge, forgetting the pain temporarily. He couldn't die yet, not here, not now. His friends needed him, who knew where the Admin would send them to. And his town needed him as well, he just couldn't leave so many innocent citizens with an undeserved fate behind.

'Don't shit yourself yet, you won't die.'

Scales suddenly began to grow out of his skin at the back of his hands, his arms and even reinforced scales on his back to protect himself from the incoming impact. Something did it, because he was sure he didn't do that on his own.

However there wasn't a lot of time to wonder as his back suddenly slammed into the ground with immense force, a strangled gasp escaping his throat. He started choking for a few seconds before he was able to breathe again. Everything started to get cold for an unknown reason and it was difficult to keep a hold onto reality. His vision blurred and his hearing started muffling. No, he thought.

The last thing he saw before everything went black was the Admin's face mixed with surprise and furious victory.

I lost.

TBC