Jesse was bored.
21 years old and already feeling like he'd accomplished most of what he could in life. Defeated great evil, went on adventures, found innumerable treasure, achieved fame, etcetera.
Maybe he wasn't looking hard enough for something more? He should feel satisfied, but he felt restless.
Being the hero was extremely eventful, so when the story ends... What now?
Stretching (with a satisfying sound of popping muscles) he stood up from where had been sat at the end of his bed, dropping the book on minerals he had half-heartedly been reading. Glancing out the window at the mid-day sun, he debated whether it was worth going outside.
But he'd already whiled away the day half-through. Glass half empty, so far, but he should look at it more half-full. Right?
He grunted at his racing thoughts and stepped out of his room into the long corridors of his home. The place was... Spacious, but decidedly un-cozy. It was practically sterilised with how clean it was. He'd tried to assert his visual personality on it, but the white walls and white floor and shining windows refused to be tamed.
Picking up his sword from where it lay downtrodden on the sofa, lounging like he desperately wished to be but despite this knew he needed more, he stepped outside.
The glare of the sun was instantaneous, nearly blinding him, and as he blinked rapidly the shape was burnt into his vision. Shaking his head, squinting a little, he stepped into ingraved stone, slightly unsteady.
'So tired...'
"Hey, Jesse!"
He blinked and turned to see Romeo standing across the street, navy hoodie pulled up over his head despite the sweltering heat, arms full of dirt he was carrying, almost in a cradling stance to stop himself from spilling any. "You alright?"
"Ah.. Yeah. Just tired" Jesse sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked over. "Err... Having fun?"
"Yeah" Romeo deadpanned. "Making building foundations is thrilling"
The hero chuckled nervously before idly watching as the redhead dumped the dirt next to a shallow slope, clearly the base of where wood would then be put to create scaffolding. Romeo packed it together to make it more firm before wiping sweat from his forehead. "Flipping Notch, not even half-day anymore and still this hot" the redhead chuckled. "I feel ready to pass out"
"Take the hoodie off then" Jesse snorted, before glancing about. "Hm. I want to find something to occupy myself with - i'd be lying if i said my brain wasn't starting to atrophy from all of this nothing"
"You fought me only 2 weeks ago, was that not enough excitement for you?" Romeo grinned, grabbing a shovel nearby to gather more dirt. "Seizure enducing flashes and ear-destroying noises not enough?"
"The witherstorm was worse" Jesse shrugged with a falsified air of indifference. Romeo scoffed, arching an eyebrow at him. "Sorry that my borderline homicidal hissy fit wasn't entertaining, then. And if you're really so bored why not get out of town for a bit? You're gonna go mad if you just waste away in that house"
Jesse groaned. "I already am, trust me. I know i sound like a total priveleged ass, but... With all the things that have happened, normalicy feels abnormal now."
"Talking to the king of all pomp, i assure you that you aren't being a 'priveleged ass', as you so eloquently put it" Romeo grinned, patting down more dirt onto the mound. "C'mon, get outta the walls. Forage a bit, mine, wander. Should help"
Jesse saluted sarcastically. "Aye-aye"
As he walked off he couldn't stop the small smile that curled his lips. He was glad he felt a little more comfortable talking to the ex-admin; the first week of him here had been slightly unsettling for Jesse and hard to adjust to.
He waved to some of the residents as he walked, the ever needed satiated wanderlust burning off his exhaustion on some level, his movements slowly becoming less sluggish.
For some reason, he felt like he was being watched as he stepped out of the gates.
Grip tightening on his sword he looked around warily, but saw nothing in the treeline. Eyes narrowing, he kept walking, now acutely aware of another prescence. He couldn't see or hear anyone, but he could feel it.
He spent a little longer walking, never relaxing his stance, knuckles whitening on the hilt of his sword.
"YO, JESSE!"
He yelped in shock at the sudden introduction of Lukas's voice, the blonde appearing from the treeline several meters away, a happy smile on his face.
He frowned a little. Lukas wasn't the prescence he had felt, he just knew it. But that feeling was gone.
Oh well. He pushed the paranoia away and waved at the man rapidly approaching. "Hello, Lukas. What are you doing out here?"
Lukas smirked. "Just got bored so i decided to go for a little trek. How about you?"
"Same" Jesse chuckled sheepishly, linking their arms easily. "I missed you, man."
Lukas snorted, noogying him. "What? We just had an adventure, man! Got attachment issues?"
Jesse rolled his eyes, expression becoming dry. "Am i gonna get this from everyone? I can't help being lonely or bored!"
Lukas smiled. "Guess not. For what it's worth, good to see you too, man"
And for a while they just walked and talked. Catching up.
Until the sun began to descend in the sky. And the creeping sensation occured again, the hairs on the back of Jesse's neck straightening as if he had just recieved a minor static shock.
Scowling as he noticed zombies spawning, he and Lukas began to sprint back to town, him occasionally fighting off a mob that got a little too close.
"Exciting enough for you?" Lukas panted with a slight chuckle. Jesse reisted the urge to flip him off.
As he caught his reflection in his blade, a strange thought crossed him.
'Run yourself through'
"W-what?!" he snapped in confusion, stumbling a little. Lukas shot him an odd look. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm-" Jesse hissed, before his knees buckled a little.
'Meet me. Run yourself through'
'You're bored, right? I can fix that'
'I know the empty feeling you experience. Want help?'
"-se? JESSE!"
Jesse was snapped back into reality to find himself on his knees with Lukas kneeling in front of him, pale as a sheet as mobs moved in less than a meter away. Jesse's hands tightly gripped his sword, now pointed at his stomach, pressing against the material of his shirt.
Eyes widening in bewildered fear but knowing not to linger on things in moments of danger, he leapt up, his friend along with, and they continued their way back, Lukas shooting him several concerned askance looks.
They passed the gate just as the moon began to approach the top of the sky, and Lukas slammed the wood shut before turning to frown at his slightly disoriented friend. "Dude, what the hell? You spaced out and you looked like you were about to gore yourself!"
Jesse shuddered at the description. "I... Don't know. I lost awareness for a moment. I think I'm just tired. Sorry, I'll go to sleep" he began to walk back to his house, movements delayed and tired.
"Wait! But-?!" Lukas reached after him but when Jesse made no indication of stopping his departure, his arm dropped back to his side.
Somewhere in the space between relaties, a man chuckled.
.
.
Romeo looked up from where he leant against the wall in an alley. The moon shone down.
'It's been a while'
He scowled.
"Get the hell out of my head before i kill the both of us."
Silence for a moment. Then...
'You should listen to me. You're nothing without me'
"I don't give a damn, frankly." he responded, tone flat and disinterested.
No reply.
Shaking his head with irritation and fear thrumming through him, he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sting of cold as he fell asleep.
.
.
Xara frowned. She could feel it.
'It's been years since we last encountered one another'
Well. That confirmed it. She scowled.
"I don't understand why you even bother. I'm not going to be your backup pawn."
No response.
"Don't try this with Romeo, or Jesse, or frankly fucking anyone" she continued. "Because you know i will not hesitate to grind a sword through your stupid fucking eye sockets"
The silence dragged out.
"Glad you can hear me at least. Now piss off"
.
.
Jesse awoke the next morning equally tired and restless. Sighing and pushing himself out the door, he paused with confusion at Romeo and Xara on the path. Calmly... Talking to each other. And not killing each other.
...uh.
"Uh... Hey, guys?" he called hesitantly, raising a hand to wave. Almost immediately they jolted, serious expressions wiping off to ones of surprise as they turned to him. Xara's expression morphed to one of irritation while Romeo just looked sheepish. Jesse frowned. "Is something wrong?"
Romeo gave Xara an odd look, one that seemed to annoy her, before walking up to Jesse and staring... Rather hard at him. He leaned in until their noses nearly touched and Jesse leaned back, cheeks turning crimson. "Woah, the hell? Personal space!"
Romeo snorted, expression lightening. "Nothing there" he called dryly back go Xara. "Why would it even be Jesse?"
Xara scowled. "Ooh, hero of the world multiple times, directly involved with us, looks like him? Gee, i wonder why i would suspect Jesse"
Romeo glared. "Did i fit any of that criteria?"
"I doubt he'll make Jesse an admin, that wasn't my point!" she snapped. His expression grew more taut.
"Oh, but you suspect him so easily?"
"Like you're one to talk!"
"GUYS!" Jesse snapped, glaring. The passers-by turned to stare. His green eyes burned. "Can you please just explain what the hell is going on?!"
"I..." Xara sighed. "Let's go inside first. C'mon"
She walked past him briskly, snapping his door lock like it was made of paper (he made several incomprehesive noises at that) and walked straight into his house.
Romeo snorted at Jesse's look of incredulity, clapping him on the shoulder, before following Xara. After sputtering for a bit Jesse went in after, sending a passing miserable look to his broken lock.
She slammed the door and folded her arms before exhaling slowly. "Jesse, have you heard any voices?"
The brunette's eyes widened. "W- what?!"
"Voices. Like you're thinking but it's not actually you" Romeo elaborated. Jesse bit his lip.
"Yeah. Do you have it? What is it?" he admitted. Xara's eyes widened before narrowing. Romeo seemed to tense, also frowning.
"Have you moved without meaning to?" Xara's voice became more urgent. Jesse began to feel unsettled. "Back in the woods yesterday, i kept hearing a voice telling me to run myself through with my sword. I felt like i was dissociating or something, and when i snapped out of it i was pointing my sword at myself" he finally said. Xara growled, looking slightly scared now. It was an odd expression on her. "Fuck."
He clutched at his arm, shuffling a little. He felt like a teenager again, completely lost on everything. "Are you going to explain?! Clearly it's important if you two can talk to each other without one of you lashing out and needing the hospital afterward, but you aren't actually being clear!"
Romeo at least had the grace to look a little guilty after this outburst, sighing. "I... Sorry. To summarise, there's a malevolent entity in your head right now. Not residing there or anything, but having access. And you're going to have to be careful to not give it leeway to control you anymore" he paused. "Sorry, that was too much at once."
Jesse's brow furrowed. "That just raises even more questions. What entity? And how am i meant to stop it? And... How do you know about it?"
Xara paused for a moment before looking pointedly at Romeo. "You tell him"
Romeo scowled immediately, looking affronted. "What the hell? I know what you're getting at; I'm not going to show him it!"
"Why not?" she smirked nastily. "You did it."
Something dark appeared in his expression. Jesse quickly stepped between them to quell a potential fight. "Woah. You two, calm down."
Romeo looked ready to explode but took in some steadying breaths. Xara rolled her eyes but calmed herself a little too, closing her eyes.
"Jesse"
He looked to her.
"Have you ever heard the legend of Herobrine?"