Chapter one: The end before the beginning

Jesse. Sarcastic, sweet and strange Jesse. Don't get me started on them. Why do I refer to them with non binary pronouns, you ask, Hero? It's because there is multiples of them. I have never seen so many versions of one person in my life. They were of varying genders, colors of skin and clothes, their personalities only slightly different at times. And this was not counting the ones from stories that went astray.

I must let you know that every death I saw, I had to go through at least six times at the least. Every. Single. Time. I'll let you think about that, Hero.

The first time Jesse died was not during the Wither Storm actually, it was way before that, before they met their childhood friends Axel and Olivia, right before they met Reuben. I will tell the first time I saw them die for each death, I won't bother with the repeats unless I have something to add.

I was sent out into their world as I always was when a great hero was to pass away. I looked around wondering who I was to reap from this realm when I heard panicked breaths and snarls.

A young girl in dungarees ran straight through me. No one could see nor touch me as I was in my spirit form, it was like I wasn't even there. A pack of angry wolves ran through as well a second later.

I flew after her catching up with Jesse quite easily. I felt that she was the hero I was here for... but that wasn't right. How could she be a hero? She's just a kid.

Moving ahead of her to see if anything laid in wait for her, I stopped, floating over a pit with a lethal fall. Paling, I knew what would happen. I spotted her coming this way not looking where she was going and I grimaced. She's just a kid...

It wasn't too long before she ran off the edge with a yell. Her sounds of fear cut off with a loud crack as she hit the ground.

There was a long few seconds of silence.

She screamed.

Her pain filled shrieks startled me and filled me with sorrow as I flew down to her. I landed and looked her over, covering my mouth in horror at what I saw.

Her legs...Oh, God! Her legs. They were bent the wrong way and the bones were jutting out blood cascading into the grass.

I heard a squeal that wasn't her's and I turned to see a small piglet, that would later be known as Reuben, staring concerned at the injured girl before him.

Jesse's screams died down into loud sobs trying to bear the pain. She was still so young, she couldn't have been alive for more than ten years. She only just started her life and now she had to go through the harshness of death.

I was almost about to cry as I went closer to her, she must have passed out from the pain as she is silent and breathing slowly if not a little uneven. I place a paw on her head searching her future if she would make it out of this alive...

She wouldn't.

The broken bones would not kill her. She would spend the rest of her life screaming for help that is never coming, not even the mobs at night would find her, only to die there three days later of dehydration broken and lonely.

I closed my eyes and hung my head low solemn. She's not going to go though this... I won't let her.

So, I put her out of her misery.

Reuben squealed in surprise as she poofed into nothing, she wasn't carrying anything on her. I held her in spirit form as she slept, walking toward the Aether.

"Let's get you home, little one," I said to her as I walked into the light.

But...something strange happened when I did. The bright light was different somehow it was not what I had felt at all before. I lost sight, feeling, hearing, all my senses were lost for a mere moment. Then I was on solid ground Jesse missing from my arms.

I gazed around confused. What just happened? I heard heavy breaths and snarling. Jesse and the wolves ran by again.

Reset. Everything just reset, I realized.

Jesse fell off the cliff again only this time she caught herself on some branches from a tree that slowed her fall enough not to fatally wound her this time. She hit the ground with a grunt, after a few moments of being dazed she looked up at the cliff seeing the wolves at the top of the cliff glaring at the girl they failed to kill.

She heard a "Oink?" and turned to see baby Reuben staring at her curiously. "Oh, hello, little guy. Are you lost too?" She said.

She continued talking with the pig, but I simply ignored her too focused on trying to figure out what just happened. Why did everything reset? Why did it save her? Not that I'm complaining, but why her? Why not anyone else?

She was special, I thought. Too important to lose and whoever did this knew it.

And I wondered if it would happen again...but I didn't have to wonder for too many more years as I stayed and watched them with interest for what would happen in the future.

I thought I'd leave you a teaser.

"We'll never survive jumping down!"

"Ah-ha!"

No. Jesse, no.