The telltale light of the rising sun was the only indication of life in the small village as it rested snugly among the tall, green grass stalks of a plains biome, which extended far beyond the horizon. Everyone was safe in their homes, and no one made a noise or dared to light a torch in fear of the lingering monsters that stayed out of the suns burning glare, and who wouldn't hesitate to make a final dash towards the village in order to satisfy their instincts destructive commands.
It was during such a time, when the deathlike silence was on the verge of being interrupted by the casual bustle of morning activity, that someone else broke the silence first. A young voice echoed out across the clearing, but it did not come from the village itself, rather, it came from a considerably sized log cabin situated at the end of a dirt path that led away from the village for several minutes' worth of walking.
The house itself, which practically shouted 'family', it was nothing particularly special. Some aspects of beauty had been sacrificed for the sake of security, such as the sturdy, but not-so-graceful cobblestone wall that surrounded the home in a wide rectangle, or the doors that, instead of being the comfortable rough texture of oak wood, were made from iron, chilled after the moon's cycle through the sky.
The echoes of a voice could easily be traced to an open window on the second story, which was, in fact, the only open window in the house. Two figures could be seen shuffling back and forth across the window occasion, laughing and shoving at each other playfully as they got ready for the day. They seemed so alike in size and build, that it was difficult to distinguish one from the other. And after the two shadows left the house through the sturdy front door, the similarities became even more clear.
The two young adults were obviously twins by the look of them, with both sharing a mop of brown hair, thin yet athletic build, and a less noticeable southpaw, though if you observed their daily activities closely enough, it became clear quickly. They looked to be around eighteen, bridging the gap between adulthood and adolescence, though on their faces lingered a trace of childlike mischief that simply refused to go away as they stealthily crouched underneath the windows to avoid being seen.
"I'm serious, it's worth it. You won't believe it, I just found it by accident."
"I know you say it's awesome and all that, but if I'm honest, I would've preferred to see you trip and roll down the hill you described that made you find it in the first place."
"Shut up," One of the boys, Steve, nudged the other in the side, almost causing him to fall into sight of the window they were currently sneaking past. "You would've slipped too, if you were in my place. And broken a bone. Then who'd be laughing?"
"Not you, that's for sure. You know Mom and Dad would make you keep an eye on me while they're in town." Steve's twin grinned at him in victory, knowing full well that there was no way to counter his statement. Steve sighed quietly, but dropped the subject when he saw they'd reached the far side of the house, with the protective wall being the only thing separating their house from the ocean of grass that surrounded their island of civilization. It seemed short enough to vault over, but it was built with the knowledge that the monsters either wouldn't have the brain power to know to climb over, or would still have trouble climbing it if they did manage to have that amount of independent thought.
The two boys slipped past the wall, unnoticed by the few inhabitants still inside the house, and observed the expanse of land before them. The quickly rising sun reflected serenely on the dew-ridden plains, and coated the sky with various shades of pink, yellow, and blue. Thin, feeble trees littered the area in sparse clumps that dotted the terrain with their skeletal figures. Steve pointed wordlessly towards a particularly close group of trees. The brother nodded in acknowledgement and they started off at a sprint towards their destination.
Both brothers were panting heavily by the time they reached the trees that had been but an insignificant disturbance on the smooth, glowing horizon from their house. On closer observation, it became clear that there was a disruption in the earths surface. Blades of grass that would've stood tall under normal circumstances were bent to the point of breaking in a sideways motion that looked suspiciously like a cover for something that was meant to stay hidden. The two twins shared a glance, one proud of his discovery, the other slightly anxious, but curious as to what lay hidden under the thick grass cover.
Steve, confidently stepping forward, kicked aside the cover in an overdramatic fashion and motioned his arms gracefully over the discovery, like someone pulling back a curtain to reveal a rare artifact from a stronghold or a chest of treasure from a jungle temple.
"Ta-da!" He grinned at his twin's raised eyebrow and lowered his arms when he realized that that was the extent of his brother's reaction.
The discovery, in all truth, wasn't anything special. It was a narrow cave entrance, thick with moss and insects that scrambled to find cover from the rising sun after their previous shelter of grass had mysteriously vanished. There were spall traces of granite and diorite on the walls before the tunnel faded into darkness in the depths of the underground. Heavy morning dew had dripped from the grass cover and onto the ground, leaving a small puddle of thick mud directly in front of the entrance. Both brothers moved forward to peer into the shadow.
"Don't tell me you actually went in there by yourself."
Steve laughed. "What do you think?"
"I think you went in. You always were dumb like that, risking your life for the sake of curiosity."
"Excuse me? Who was the one who got stuck on the roof because they saw a cocoon on the chimney?" Steve grinned, remembering his seven-year-old brother denying that no, he had not gone through a nervous breakdown when the window got stuck shut, and he had definitely not been crying, his watering eyes were just an allergic reaction. The aforementioned brother who was now eying him haughtily, yet again unable to conjure up an excuse for his idiotic behavior as a child. Instead, he motioned impatiently towards the entrance of the tunnel that made anyone who looked at it get the feeling of claustrophobia without actually going into them, although it would be far worse if said person did enter.
Steve was unable to wipe the simpering expression off his face, but decided to appease his twin for the time being, for he definitely did not enjoy the feeling of having a broken nose.
Steve's brother was a firm believer that first impressions aren't always what they seem. Although in this case, he had proven to be utterly incorrect, much to his brother's delight. So far, the crushing hug the walls engulfed their bodies in had not lightened, not even after they'd ventured so far into the looming darkness that their shoulders, elbows, and knees had received a surplus of scratched, raw skin from the constant rubbing against the narrow walls and the bright morning sunlight that had blinded the eastern sky not ten minutes ago was reduced to a wavering dot in the far distance. And that was if they squinted and turned in such a way that only left them grumbling about more scratches on their raw skin.
"Can you see the sunlight back there?" Steve questioned.
"If only," his irritated twin replied. "Anything's better than looking ahead. I don't exactly have an ocean view back here."
"You like what you see?"
"What I see is gonna be red and raw after we get home."
"You know just as well my ass isn't the only one that'll be in trouble."
"You were the one who dragged me out here at five in the morning. I was actually kind of excited up until the oh-so-dramatic reveal you did, which, if I'm completely honest, gave me a considerable amount of secondhand embarrassment."
"Then my training has payed off." If smiles could be heard, then Steve's would be currently tap dancing and blowing an air horn while simultaneously screaming and slamming its face onto a pair of cymbals. If smiles even had faces to slam against cymbals, but this was all theoretical.
"...You're such an idiot."
That was the extent of their verbal exchange for some time; or at least up until the brothers could finally feel the walls showing some form of mercy and releasing their claustrophobic hold enough that the two could crawl side by side easily enough, much to the relief of their bleeding, red skin.
"I'm gonna shove you into a creeper if my arm falls off on the way back."
And Steve didn't doubt it. The tone was menacing enough to convince him of the very thin ice he was treading upon when it came to his brother's temper.
It was at that moment the cave chose to suddenly drop off into a shallow and almost perfectly round room. Steve barely had time to snap out of the tired stupor he'd acquired over the thirty minute journey before the steadily declining slope of the tunnel that he'd been relying on to push himself forward suddenly disappeared beneath his hands, causing him to release a startled gasp. Only one thought managed to shove its way into his head before he was sent rolling not so gracefully down the slope of the wide chamber and crumpling into a pile of sweaty, grimy, and bleeding teenaged boy.
"I should've remembered that part." He voiced that thought promptly before a similarly treated and twice as grumpy twin rolled down the slope and into his side, shamelessly exercising his vast vocabulary of profanities.
"Notchdamn it, Steve, you're gonna get us both killed one day, you and your damned stupidity." He grumbled as they both staggered to their feet tiredly.
Steve promptly ignored the statement that refused to be taken any way other than as an insult. He wordlessly produced a small, unlit torch from his pocket and struck it repeatedly against a patch of nearby redstone. There was a spectacular shower of sparks from the ore and a considerably less impressive shower of swears from Steve, who suddenly found his fingers burning after contacting the flame that hungrily engulfed the tip of the torch.
Although in pain from his slightly singed fingers, Steve could still appreciate the fact that at least they weren't suffocating in the darkness anymore. His brother noticed too, for he attracted to the light in such a way that could only be compared to a mosquito, wincing as his sweaty, dirt-polished hands made contact with his stone massaged shoulders, which were turning an unhealthy shade of red.
"You'd better have some food in your pocket. I barely had time to wake up, let alone eat anything before you dragged me down here."
Steve smiled sheepishly. "Afraid not," his voice was somehow cheerful. "My pockets aren't that big."
His optimism was not appreciated.
"Whatever," came the huffy reply. "Just show me whatever the hell you brought me down here for so I can get home and clean up. Watching you get punished wouldn't be unwelcome on my to do list, either."
While both boys shared nearly every trait in appearance, they were quite different when it came down to personality. But even though their ways of thinking often clashed together, they both agreed that they'd go insane if they were both the same in their actions as well as looks.
Steve was the calm one of the two, with a godly amount of patience and compassion for others, no matter their level of intelligence. He had an extraordinary ability to socialize, become friends with, and read people's emotions, almost to the point where it was creepy. He seemed to have a lifelong streak of good luck, and for several reasons. He always found a considerable amount of loot every time he went mining, reeled in random treasures of exceptional value when he went fishing, and even went so far as to make a perfectly balanced potion of weakness on the first try. Which he definitely did not use later on to pull a prank on his brother. One that involved a cauldron, sponges, and a shit ton of cobweb. No, most definitely not.
That would be absurd.
Because if he did, it ended up with him sporting a fractured wrist because his brother tackled him in a rage induced fight for revenge. But that wasn't what happened because he absolutely did not pull that prank. His brother might say he did, but it was a lie. Of course it was.
Steves brother had a short temper, especially for those who made stupid decisions on a regular basis, and Steve suspected that was why they ended up tussling more frequently than either of them would've liked. He did not possess the unnatural social skills that Steve did; and in actuality, his ability to carry on a conversation with someone who wasn't directly related barely passed as mediocre. He also didn't have any biased luck, good or bad. Life for him just happened to be normal in that regard. He was, however, stronger and stealthier than Steve to a certain extent. He could win wrestling matches easier and didn't have such a hard time spending hours in the sun chopping firewood, but that didn't say he completed said chores without complaint. Oh, he complained. More than steve, he grumbled, grouched, and groaned. He wined and occasionally stomped his feet when something began to irritate him too much. It became very clear how different the two brothers were; all one had to do was ask them both to do the dishes and watch how they reacted.
Or make them crawl for half an hour through a tunnel less than three feet in diameter without light source. The differences were even more clear then.
Steve, somewhat cheerfully (or as cheerful as one could get in their situation), led his brother to a second tunnel on the far side of the chamber, large enough for them to walk side by side in. Ancient wooden support beams that looked more to be held up by the ceiling than holding up the ceiling were built into the walls every three or four blocks, though that did little to reassure the brothers of the structure's stability. The air was cold and damp, smelling of smoke that steadily poured from the torch, while also carrying traces metal and water.
They trudged down the passage, Steve looking more relieved with every step at the thought of reaching their destination at long last. And when the tunnel finally came to an abrupt end in a second, smaller chamber, he breathed out a long sigh.
The room they'd entered was close in size to the first, though still noticeably smaller, and while the first had been mostly bare of any ores, this one was decorated with a superb display of shining minerals. Royal blue lapis lazuli, burning crimson redstone, glistening iron, even the crystalline gleam of diamond could be seen here and there. The chamber was, for the most part, round, but the floor seemed to drop down suddenly halfway across the room, marking the entrance to a ravine. Steve led the way to the very edge of the jagged crevice, leaning over the edge slightly so as to shed light into the lingering blackness. Surprisingly, there were no noises echoing from the ravine, which was rather suspicious. If a ravine lay as silent and dark as this one, there would have to be at least a zombie or an enderman wandering about, causing a ruckus. But there was silence.
"Here it is," Steve announced tiredly. "Finally. That took way too long."
"...You're kidding."
"No, I'm really not."
"But there's nothing down there! It's pointless! You dragged me down here at the crack of dawn, saying you found something super exciting, and I believed you up until now."
"No, but-"
"It's just an empty ravine!"
"There's more, there's more! Just ... listen."
Everything was silent. Except for one sound, one so eerie and haunting that it sent unwelcome chills rattling down the spines of the two onlookers. It was barely audible, whispering in their heads and sending goose bumps up their arms and on the back of their necks, as if someone was standing right behind them, breathing cold air on their skin.
Steve leaned down further, accidentally kicking a pebble down into the crevice. The sharp sound of it hitting the wall startled the brothers. They jumped back, and Steve dropped the torch into the pit. The twins watched in horror as their precious light source fell, spinning, to the bottom of the ravine. They could see it flickering weakly beneath them, before a white mist engulfed in and the flame went out.
Surprisingly, the harsh words that would've been exchanged in any other circumstance remained unsaid. Partially because they were both still in a state of shock, and partially because the fog that had gathered at the bottom of the ravine was not acting in a way that anyone would consider to be natural. Instead of remaining spread evenly over the ground below them, it gathered up in one thick patch and, as they watched, began pulsing and swirling in a way that could only be described as hypnotic. The two brothers, caught almost in a trance, took one step closer to the edge. Everything remained silent, but the whispering in their heads became more urgent. It seemed to be going through their memories, picking at their minds bit by bit. It examined every part of their thoughts.
And then it was gone. Steve blinked away his stupor, his twin doing the same, though they couldn't seem to move away from the ledge.
"What the..." He muttered, a mixture of confusion and panic visible on his face.
It was utterly dark without the torch, but somehow they were both able to see the dancing mist at the bottom of the ravine. If fog could be described as an emotion, it would've seemed...thoughtful. Everything seemed to stop; time seemed to be treading through a river of molasses as the mist swirled pensively below them.
It seemed like they stood there for hourd, and it very well could've been longer. They'd started shouting at each other, struggling to move away from the ledge. They were both terrified, stranded in the darkness and silence. The fog seemed to be listening to their bickering, which made them even more determined to get free.
Then, it decided.
If time was moving through molasses before, now it was waist deep in quicksand. Steve and his brother could do nothing but watch as the fog suddenly reared up from the depths of the cavern until it was at their height. The voices returned, only this time they were shouting in his brother's head and the mist was closing in and then there was screaming only it was from his brother and he was burning, burning, burning from the inside out and he was gasping in the fog and it was forcing itself down his throat and the voices were screeching now and his ears were bleeding bleeding bleeding and everything hurt and he couldn't see and he could hear Steve screaming his name and then...
Then it was gone.
The mist was gone and the force keeping their legs in place was gone. Steve tried to run towards the hunched over figure next to him, but the moment he stepped forward, his brother collapsed. He grabbed the hem of his shirt in his hands, but before he could grasp his shoulder, the unconscious boy slipped from his grasp and fell over the edge of the cliff.
Steve didn't even have time to think before the silent form disappeared over the edge, leaving him speechless and in a state of shock.
Okay, there we go! First chapter! I apologize if there were any annoying punctuation or spelling errors. I got an app that changes the layout of the keyboard on my tablet and while it fixes a couple glitches it had before, I'm still getting used to the way everything is arranged.
So anyways, this is also my first time uploading any type of writing to fanfiction, so feedback is greatly appreciated. And for those of you who migrated over from wattpad because of my stupid glitchy account, thank you so much for sticking with me, you're all awesome. ʘ‿ʘ