The Witherstorm was entirely his fault. He could admit that to himself, if not anyone else. It was the fault of his damaged pride and trust with people he once considered his closest friends. The product of his years spent alone in the farthest reaches of the world, stewing in his self-pity and anger.
Yes, the entire fate of the world was possibly doomed because of his own insecurities. That fact alone made him swear that he would see this to its conclusion. No matter what he had to do, he would make sure nobody else might be lost because of his mistake.
The bright purple tractor beams passed inches in front of them as he clung to the redhead's waist, trying to keep himself from falling off the horse that seemed too energetic for being ridden non stop the last week. He supposed that it just wanted to get rid of its passengers to be able to run away from danger.
They came to an abrupt stop at the edge of a cliff.
"Wow." Lukas breathed, taking in the enormous sight of the Witherstorm, alive and well. Ivor felt his stomach twist when he realized that there weren't nearly enough Endermen attacking his monster.
"Shouldn't the Enderman had dismantled those things by now? Or am I just... confused?" Petra exclaimed, jumping off her horse and shuffling forward to get a better look.
"It's not just you. Something's wrong." Ivor added, coming up beside her. The rest of the group dismounted and gathered around, trying to think of a plan.
"Jesse, over here!" A familiar voice called. From atop a small hill, Axel waved them down with a huge grin on his face and jumped down to meet them.
The one in question smiled in relief. "Axel!" They approached their friend, Lucas and Olivia on either side of them.
"Nice freaking armor, by the way," the big griefer nodded his head towards Jesse, sounding impressed. Jesse puffed their chest out proudly, then their face shifted into a serious expression.
"Do you still have the amulet?" they asked, trying not to display their fear of something happening to it. Ivor and Soren glanced at each other at the mention of their group's creation.
Axel responded by pulling it out of his pocket and holding it in the air. Red, blue, and white gems glowed brightly with the Order's presence, with Gabriel's holding a faint luminance still. The potioner sighed in relief. At least they hadn't lost another friend.
"Safe and sound. That's not the problem,"
"Then what is?" Olivia ventured, searching her friend's face.
"The Endermen... They're not angry enough!" Axel pointed at the Witherstorm, confirming what Ivor noticed when he first got there. He felt his heart sink. Was there any way of beating this thing?
Unconsciously, he took a step closer to Soren. Despite their differences and arguments that were consistent throughout their trip, he still felt somehow better in the architect's presence. Something felt right.
Perhaps he was getting sentimental after being alone for so long.
The redhead next to him shoved his elbow into Ivor's ribs, alerting him to the young people's conversation. Then he took a huge step away, like the potion master's very presence disgusted him.
Not like Ivor blamed him.
"Alright guys. Let's go kick some command block butt."
Jesse lead his friends closer to the storm and into a valley of bedrock, but the old Order members kept their distance from them, and each other. They both felt subpar, unworthy of sharing in the team they formed.
Once they hit the entrance to the temple, blocks started flying and they sprinted through the decimated halls, trying to reach the source. This time, Soren led the charge, knowing the place better than anyone else.
The group turned into a hall and were hit with open air and a full view of the black and purple storm brewing in the sky. They followed the bright quartz path until it ran out, then gazed up in fearful awe.
"Does anyone see the command block!?" Jesse screamed over the rising wind. Everyone shook their heads.
"I don't think it's exposed!" Ivor retorted back.
"We need to get more Endermen focused on the WItherstorm!" Olivia shouted. The potion master could see the same look in her eyes that he noticed in Ellegaard's: flicking back and forth, taking in every option and considering the pros and cons. No doubt, her mind was racing a million miles an hour right now.
"How do you make Endermen focus? I can't even make myself focus," Axel told them in his natural loud voice. Ivor turned his head to try and hear the boy better, but instead his gaze locked on his old friend.
Soren was shaking, and not from any kind of cold. His normally bright eyes were clouded with fear and he took a hesitant step back.
"We... We shouldn't be here! None of this is going according to plan!" He took a few more steps back as a tractor beam passed in front of him. Ivor could see the confused looks on everyone's faces, but he knew exactly what was going to happen next.
It was in Soren's nature, after all.
"Soren? What are you doing?" he cried, trying to bring some sense into his fear-stricken comrade. Instead, the redheaded architect continued making his way backwards, with a guilty smile written across his face.
"I... I, uh, you know, I've really enjoyed meeting you all, but..." The last shred of confidence it took to stand straight and start his sentence fled, and Soren spun around and bolted back the way they came. Behind him, he faintly heard Olivia shout Soren's name.
"Soren, you coward! I can't believe you!" Jesse shouted after him, frustrated.
"I can." Ivor stated, his heart breaking in two as he spoke the two words.
Despite knowing how Soren was, it still hurt to see him run.
"Jesse, you can handle things out here, right?" Ivor asked, though the answer didn't matter.
"What?" They cried, staring at him like he'd just grown a second head. The potioner steeled his nerves. It went against every instinct he had to run, but he didn't give himself the option of staying.
"I can't let him get himself killed!" He took off running, then shouted back over his shoulder, "Just get to the command block and destroy it! Soren!" He turned forward and pushed himself to run faster. If he didn't put everything he had into following Soren, he would lose the architect and his mind would force him to turn back and fight.
This task was more dangerous than anything the Order ever faced in their time, and they didn't have a command block to win their battle for them. But Ivor's duty was to his friends, and knowing Soren he would risk anything in order to get away.
"Soren!" Ivor shouted over the rushing wind as he burst out the destroyed temple entrance, and caught a glimpse of a head of unruly red hair disappear behind a hill. How did he get so far so quickly?
The man didn't have time to consider it. Hopping up and over rumble, he searched his pockets for a potion of swiftness, something he knew he still had. He's grabbed a couple extra from his lab and now he drank it in one gulp. Immediately he felt the world slow down around him, and he ran like nothing else mattered.
If he was honest... nothing else did.
Soren was the first person to approach him about being part of something called "The Order of the Stone." He was the first to look past his then shyness and awkward behavior and care about him. He was the one Ivor came to when he had concerns during their early days.
Ivor entrusted his heart with Soren. And that's why it hurt him so much to see him betray them.
The world slowed to a normal pace, and the potion expert immediately recognized where he was.
The old temple, the one Soren designed and they all built together. Leave it to the architect to come back here.
The doorway was surrounded with miscellaneous blocks, and there was no evidence of Soren getting in. Ivor glanced around and saw his friend for a moment before he jumped down a cliff.
"Soren!" he cried out, downing a potion of leaping and following him up. When he reached the edge, his stomach twisted. At this point he was surprised he could still function with his organs in so much pain.
"Soren, stop!" Ivor shouted, using the few seconds of potion effects left to leap in front of the frozen architect, holding his arms out to block him from his goal.
"I-Ivor... what are you doing here? Why aren't you with the others?!" Soren stuttered, eyes flitting all around. No doubt trying to formulate a plan. Ivor wouldn't let him get that far.
"I should be asking you the same thing. Why did you run away? Soren, you left a bunch of kids in charge of saving the world!" The redhead's eyes flashed darkly.
"I left them? No, I think you left them all alone, Ivor! Just like you left us!" The man had a crazed look in his eyes, similar to a cornered animal. He glanced to Ivor's left.
"What choice did I have? It's not like we were still buddy-buddy after what you did! You lied to all of us, Soren!"
"Then it would be better for me to disappear. From the history books... from the world. Those kids are much better at saving the world than we ever were." The redhead gazed sadly into Ivor's eyes, and the potion master faltered. There was so much suffering there... So much pain.
Maybe Soren's betrayal hurt more than just Ivor.
"Soren..." Ivor took a step forward, holding his hand out to his friend. The redhead stared at it, then slowly, painfully slowly, he raised his own and reached.
Maybe they could start over. Maybe they didn't have to be known as their titles anymore. They could forget about the Order of the Stone legend and just go back to being a group of friends searching for adventure.
They could forget about Soren the Architect. They could start over as Soren and Ivor, and maybe they could finally take their relationship further than just friends...
Soren's arm shot forward and grabbed Ivor's hand, and immediately he dropped low and heaved the potion master over his shoulder and into the wall behind him. Ivor blinked away the pain and scrambled to his feet, running as well as he could through the water that lead to the Nether portal in front of them.
"I'm sorry, Ivor." With that, the redhead darted through the glowing purple swirls of the portal and completely disappeared.
"Soren!" he cried desperately, reaching the portal and hurling himself through within seconds. He landed heavily on his face on the other side, but again he ignored the pain and looked all around.
But the area looked completely unfamiliar. Instead of the hub that this portal was supposed to lead to, he was in a sheltered nook overlooking a spacious lava lake that stretched as far as he could see.
"Soren! Where are you!?" He shouted, his voice straining. A rouge pigman on an island in the lake looked up at him curiously, then went back to his business.
Ivor jumped to his feet and whirled to look at the portal. It sat a few blocks away from the wall, with no trace that anyone had ever entered through it.
It suddenly came to him. Soren had destroyed the real portal. The Nether had spat him out somewhere random, possibly thousands of blocks away.
Ivor sank to his knees. There was no way he could catch up to Soren now. He didn't know where the redhead was, and even if he went back to the Overworld and reentered somehow at the hub, he would be long gone.
Hot, salty tears started to sting his cheeks as the truth sank in. His friend had left him. The person he trusted most, despite his past actions. The only one he ever wanted to see again.
His soulmate.
Ivor slammed the ground with his hand, his face twisted trying to keep his tears at bay. A few drops escaped and they hissed into the air as they evaporated on the hot ground.
"Soren... Soren... SOREN!" He cried out at nobody, grasping at every emotion he could dredge up from inside his shrivelled heart. Finally, he allowed himself to break.
Ivor sat back against the portal, wrapped his arms around himself, and cried until he couldn't cry anymore.