Response to Reviews!
idontwritetoomuch: Ahahaha yeah. . . 'bout that. . .
lucysnuffle: Yep! It's back! And I updated surprisingly early since I decided to go on a writing streak hehe
Northern: So, ah, I told Lukas about the fourth wall. . . *glances at blond*
Lukas: *Stares unseeingly into some oblivion*
Northern: . . . yeah. . .
Lukas: My whole life. . . is a lie.
Northern: *Awkwardly coughs* Storytime!
Jesse strolled around, admiring the city. He marveled at the tall, glittering government - for lack of better term - buildings, as well as the small town houses and stored that were built on the rough mountain terrain.
He came to a stop in front of a building. It was small in height, but it covered a large amount of surface area. Lifting his head, he read the sign aloud. " 'The Builder's Inn.' "
Recognition pulsed through him. He briefly flashed back to the blond innkeeper, the one who visited him when Jesse had been incarcerated in the city jail. So this is the inn Milo owns.
Granted, it didn't look majestic in the least, what with its wooden walls and lack of height. But, Jesse mused, it looked cozy, which was enough for him.
Jesse moved to stroll in, but just then Lukas fell out of the doorway onto the floor with a shout.
Jesse raised an eyebrow at the blond, who was laying dazed. "Uh. . . sorry," Lukas apologized sheepishly, glancing up to see Jesse staring down at him.
Jesse sighed. "What happened now?"
Petra came up behind Lukas, looking as though she was trying to stifle a laugh. "Lukas tripped over a chicken that someone brought into the inn."
Lukas, who was dusting himself off, paused to shoot a glare at the redhead. "It's not my fault," he grumbled. "There are chickens everywhere."
Jesse perked up, his interest piqued. "Everywhere?"
"Yeah." Lukas blew a breath through his mouth. "I'm seeing them on the streets, in the animal farms. . . Even in houses!" Lukas threw his hands up exasperatedly. "I just don't understand it."
Petra shrugged. "Must be a city thing." She turned to Jesse, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Okay, so. . . what did you tell the Founder that got her so accepting of us?"
Jesse cocked his head to the side, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
Petra scoffed. "C'mon, you can practically see how distrustful these citizens are of us."
"Because they're scared," Lukas supplied softly. "They don't know that we don't have Wither, and they don't want to be infected."
"Right." Petra turned, her eyes narrowed in a scrutinizing manner. "If the people are afraid, their leader must also be afraid.
"But for some reason, the Founder herself told the people to not be afraid of us.
"Which begs the question: what did you tell her to trust us so much?"
Man, she's good at picking this stuff up, Jesse noted, respect rising in him for the former mercenary. "I told her of my Ender heritage," he admitted, "as well as the whole story of how we're. . . here."
Petra frowned, her eyes glinting uneasily. "Everything?"
"Everything." A lump rose at the memory of having to recount. . . Reuben, but Jesse swallowed hard, dispelling the memory effectively.
As time went on, Jesse found himself becoming more capable of blocking out memories when the situation called for it. It was a skill taught by the Warlords, which effectively helped them focus in a battle. It was a skill that came in handy at the best of times.
It was also a skill that Jesse feared yet needed.
As much as the memories of all of his failures hurt, Jesse couldn't bear the thought of forgetting his sister and his best friend permanently. He's heard of tales in which Warlords block out their memories so effectively that they forget altogether of passed loved ones or fatal mistakes they had made in battle. This technicality, sure, made it so that they're more likely to make the same mistakes.
But forgetting loved ones. . .
Jesse had to remember, needed to remember. He couldn't imagine what life would be like if he just. . . brushed them off like a toy that a toddler had outgrown. But the pain. . . sometimes the pain was so intense that Jesse wished for permanent forgetfulness. He wanted to live freed, freed of the pain and the heartache and the sadness that all began when he had made wrong choice after wrong choice, the choices that killed both Jessi and Reuben.
Forgetting loved ones. . . it was sacrilegious.
But would it be worth it, in the end?
A hand shaking his shoulder pulled him out of his reverie, and he found himself staring into Petra's worried eyes. "Are you okay?" she was asking. Jesse blinked at her.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
It was Lukas who spoke up now. "You just had this expression on your face." He was peering at Jesse concernedly. "It looked as though -"
"- you had given up on something," Petra finished softly.
Jesse couldn't help but flinch a little at their shockingly-accurate descriptions. Am I really that transparent? He forced his face to smooth over, willed his mask to meld with his expressions, leaving nothing to be exposed. "I'm fine." The lie rolled off his tongue effortlessly, but Petra thrust a finger at him, the concern rapidly changing to anger.
"Don't. Say that."
Surprise pulsed in him, but Jesse masked it with a mere quirk of his eyebrow. "You said that when Reuben died," she snarled. Jesse flinched away again at the memory. "You said that when you blamed yourself for his death. You said that when we were climbing the mountain, and you acted as though a missing arm didn't matter!" Petra got into his face, jabbing her finger in his chest. "You are not fine, no matter how much you say it! So why are you pretending?"
Jesse met her eyes steadily, noting the flames whirling around in them. That's the Petra I know. "Maybe it's because I know it doesn't matter."
Petra pulled away, shock twisting her features. Before she could say anything, movement flashed at Jesse in the peripheral of his vision. He turned just as the tip of a dark cloak vanished into the domed, golden building where Isa ruled.
"What is it?" Lukas asked, seemingly confused by Jesse's abrupt behavior.
"Did you see that?" he asked, turning back to them.
Petra frowned, her focus rapidly changing. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."
"See what?" Lukas threw his hands into the air, a note of exasperation in his voice.
Jesse exchanged a glance with Petra, more keen on chasing the cloaked stranger (he hoped there was a person in there; if not, well. . .) than on answering Lukas. Together, he and the redhead ran towards the building, ignoring the cries of a certain blond who seemed to be staggering after them.
"Did you see where they went?" Petra came to a stop, panting.
Jesse frowned, flicking his eyes around. "No," he answered at length, sweeping his gaze around the room, taking it all in.
They were standing in a level that was below the floor accessible by door. Down here, the basement-like chamber was crudely mined out by rock, a stark contrast to the glamorous, gold structure that had dominated the city. Chests were littered everywhere on rows upon rows of shelves, with signs attached to them.
"This is an odd addition to the capitol building," Jesse remarked, glancing around.
Petra snorted. "Wouldn't know. Never seen one before."
The two locked gazes, and Jesse could see a fire of challenge in her eyes. He merely gazed steadily back.
The door creaked open behind them. Both the Ender and the mercenary turned to see Lukas stumble in. The blond bent over, panting. "Why. . . are you guys. . . so fast?"
Jesse raised an eyebrow, though it was more out of amusement than annoyance. "What, can't keep up?"
Lukas straightened, shooting Jesse a humored glare. "In your dreams."
Jesse grinned, suddenly feeling a shard of that playfulness that had left him a long time ago. It was freeing, if only fleeting. He laughed aloud, relishing the moment, though he knew it would end, inevitably.
Jesse suddenly realized that Petra was staring at him with a strange expression. It was a mix between astonishment, wistfulness, and contentment. "What is it?" Jesse asked her, deliberately softening his tone so that he didn't sound defensive.
"Nothing. It's just. . ." Petra idly twisted a corner of the bandana on her head. "I haven't heard you laugh like that before." Her lips twitched in a soft smile. "It's nice, seeing you like this."
Sorrow washed over Jesse at her words. Without even realizing it, he had grown up far faster than he had thought. Sure, he acted like a doofus when he was with Axel and Olivia, way back when he hopped worlds, but it was all an act; not just for them, but for himself. He yearned for the childhood that he had given up when he went with Herobrine, yearned for the peace and joy of carefreeness.
In the end, it's your fault. The voice was back, taunting and sinister as always. You were the one who chose to give it up for an adventure. There's no one else to blame but yourself.
Petra had turned her gaze on the chests, sparing Jesse from having her exploit his expressions. He sighed mentally before schooling his face back into a rigid mask. He picked his way around the chest-infested area, glancing around at the signs.
The first thing he noted that was odd where what was written on the signs: "Chicken", "Cow", even things like "Blaze", "Ghast", and "Guardian".
Jesse frowned, trying to mentally calculate what they meant. Each time he tried to branch off into another theory, eventually it didn't make sense. "Are you guys seeing what the signs have written on them?"
"Yeah." Lukas frowned at one such chest, labeled "Ocelot". "I don't get it. Why would they label chests with mob names?"
Petra had a pensive expression on her face as she looked at the chests. "Maybe. . . maybe it's referring to the contents inside the chest?"
Jesse frowned, juggling her guess. It was one of his theories he had developed, but following it still didn't make any sense. "It's not like people would stuff actual Ocelots or Ghasts into chests. . . right?" He glanced at the chests, unease welling in his chest. Most of the people here seemed good-hearted people, and he'd hate for his assumption to be proven wrong.
"Well. . ." Jesse aimed an uneasy look at the two. ". . . there's only one way to find out."
Lukas' eyes widened. "You can't be serious."
"And why not?" Petra crossed her arms, staring at the blond.
His head whipped around as he began spluttering. "The Founder trusts us now," he hissed harshly. "How do you think she's going to react if she finds us digging through her stuff?"
A chill spread through Jesse's body as he considered the consequences of their actions; would Isa kill them, or would she expel them from Sky City? If they were expelled from the one place they were safe from Herobrine, then. . . that wouldn't be good.
Then Jesse chided himself for not thinking of these consequences himself. In fact, he was the one who suggested that they should open the chests; what was he thinking?
He thought he had changed. He thought that he had become less impulsive, less brash, less reckless.
But this. . . this proved that he was the same as he had been, back when he decided to join Herobrine to conquer the world, back when he got Jessi. . . killed.
He was the same, disgusting person he had been.
He hated himself for that.
"Lukas is right," Jesse forced out, the words surprisingly bitter on his tongue. His admission caused Lukas and Petra to turn, the former out of surprise, the latter with narrowed eyes.
Jesse continued, "It's not worth the risk. We need Isa's good graces in order to stay up here, where Herobrine wouldn't try to find us." He absently rubbed his metal arm, a shudder going through him as he remembered the purple veins that were trying to take over him. "Because the disease is killed up here," he explained, "Herobrine's gonna have a hard time trying to kill us indirectly."
Lukas frowned, puzzled. "But couldn't he teleport up here and kill us himself?"
Jesse paused, biting his lip as he considered Lukas' words. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted. "But how we managed to avoid him for this long, I don't understand either." A dark revelation suddenly sprung up in Jesse's head, and he stiffened instinctively. "But if we stay here. . ."
"We might as well have signed this city's death warrant!" Lukas' eyes stretched wide in horror as he finished the sentence, the implications fully sinking in as soon as he uttered the words.
We should never have come here. Jesse whirled around. "We've gotta get outta here!" He snapped his head around, trying to locate the redhead. "Where did Petra go?"
Lukas, suddenly realizing that the mercenary was no longer with them, joined him in the urgent search for Petra. They started rushing through the labyrinth of chests.
Jesse was investigating the third shelf when he heard Petra's voice: "Uh. . . guys. . .?"
From the sound of her voice, he deduced that she was the next shelf over. He rushed over to the last set of shelves, about ready to grab Petra and bolt. Then he halted, disbelief sparking in his chest.
Petra was staring very, very hard at a chicken. . . with a crown on its head. Petra looked up at Jesse, her face ghostly pale.
Then she lifted her hand, and Jesse clearly saw the item in her hand: an egg that was white with pink spots. Slowly, she stood and reeled her hand back.
Jesse suddenly realized what she was going to do, but before he could react, she flung the egg at the nearby stone wall. The egg cracked open, revealing. . .
Jesse stared at the sheep, flabbergasted. Slowly, he turned to face the equally-shocked face of Petra, before landing his gaze on the chicken and then the sheep again. "What." He pointed at the eggshells before shifting his finger to the sheep, staring back at Petra. "What."
Petra shrugged, her astonished gaze fixed on the eggshells before shifting back up to the sheep. Back and forth her stare went.
"Hey, guys!" Lukas skidded around a corner. "Finally found - what is this?" He paused, taking in the scene.
"I should've known."
Jesse, Petra, and Lukas all whirled towards the direction of the Founder's voice. Her eyes were flashing dangerously, and her hands were curled into fists. Beside her, the captain - Reginald, Jesse recalled - had his iron sword drawn, his lips curled into a snarl. Behind them all, Aiden's face was peeking through the space between the guard and the Founder, his eyes flashing as Jesse met his gaze.
"I should've known." Isa's body trembled with barely-suppressed rage. "You aren't here to fight against the plague after all, are you? You're here to steal the Eversource!"
Jesse blinked at the foreign term before frowning uneasily, flicking his gaze over to his friends. From their bewildered expressions, the Ender deduced that they had no idea what the Founder was talking about. He turned his attention back to Isa's icy gaze. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked politely.
If anything, his tone seemed to aggravate her even more. Her eyes narrowed at him, cold rage flickering in them. "Don't pretend you don't know," she snapped. "It was that innkeeper Milo who set you up, yes?"
At this point, Jesse's confusion and temper was rising, but he quelled his rage, morphing his face into an impassive mask. "I'm sorry, but we have no idea what you're talking about," he replied emotionlessly. "An ever source? No idea what that is. And if you think we are lying -" He spread his arms out, leveling a challenging gaze at the Founder. "- then go ahead. Lock us up."
The Founder pinned him with a heated glare that Jesse managed to endure unflinchingly. After a moment where they both stared at each other, her eyes softened slightly, confusion swirling in them. She muttered, "But Aiden. . ."
Jesse's stomach flipped when he spotted the green-eyed boy, who was behind the Founder. He had a strange, almost wild glint in his eyes, as he held an egg that was green with dark spots.
Just then, Isa turned, pinning her gaze on the boy. "Aiden! Did you. . . lie to me, when you reported - ?"
"It was necessary," Aiden snarled, his glint reminding Jesse of a similar look. After a moment, the Warlord realized what it was: it was the glint of an animal that had been cornered. He thought back to the cloak that disappeared every time they nearly got to it.
And then it clicked.
"It was you." Jesse stepped forward, noting how Aiden flinched and shrunk back slightly. "You were the stranger in the cloak, right? That's how you lured us down here."
Isa shot him a puzzled look. "Stranger in a cloak?"
"It was clear that you wouldn't protect your people from this menace, who had brought this disease into the city," came Aiden's growling voice. He eyed the Founder, addressing her directly. "You should've turned them away when you had the chance."
"How dare you question the Founder!" Reginald stepped forward, his iron blade glinting menacingly in the torchlight. "She gave you asylum, and this is how you repay her kindness?"
"I didn't have Wither!" Aiden's voice began rising hysterically. "I didn't have to be contained! I didn't have to be interrogated! He, on the other hand -" At this point, the boy thrust his finger towards Jesse. "- did! And somehow you trust him more than me?"
Wow, Jesse thought as he studied the boy. It was clear that Aiden's finally lost it: his eyes were darting around rapidly, his breaths were coming out fast, and his posture was reminiscent to that of a frightened cat.
The Founder glared at Aiden. "You are being unreasonable now," she snapped. "And it is clear that you aren't going to see reason anytime soon. Reginald," she added sharply, turning to the captain of the guard, "detain him."
Uh oh. Jesse knew that this wouldn't end well; he's seen Warlords who've gone off the deep end, and detainment was never easy with them.
"No." Aiden backed away, shaking his head. "No no no! I have to - have to protect Sky City from those menaces!" He turned to Jesse, a crazed, wicked glint in his eye. "This is your fault! Whatever happens now," he added in a low tone, "will be on you!"
"What are you talking about?" Petra demanded, coming up next to Jesse.
"The Bureau," Aiden muttered, almost to himself. "The Bureau will solve this. They always do. They can take out a freak like you." He turned hateful, burning eyes at Jesse.
The former Warlord couldn't help but flinch at the word "freak." See? They think you're a menace, a plague on their city, the voice taunted in his head. That's all that you'll ever be: a burden that only brings disaster wherever you go.
"Don't," Petra warned lowly, "call him a freak."
Jesse frowned now, Aiden's insult melting into the background of his mind. What had Aiden said? The Bureau would solve this?
The Bureau. . .
"Aiden! Stop it!" the Founder barked.
Aiden turned his crazed eyes on Isa and smiled insanely. "You don't get to tell me what to do!" he cackled. Jesse noticed Lukas' pale face and realized how much this interaction was affecting the blond; seeing a friend being driven to the brink of insanity is never easy. "You aren't the boss of this city anymore, Founder!"
Three things happened all at once:
Aiden threw the egg.
The egg smashed against the wall, revealing a creeper.
The creeper blew up.
Jesse ducked, flinging his hands over his head automatically as debris flew towards them. Keeping his head down, he glanced over to Lukas, covered in dust but unharmed, staring at Aiden with horror in his gaze. "Aiden -" he began to plead.
The boy in question turned his startling-hateful gaze towards the blond. "Silence!" he snarled. "You. You betrayed us by staying with those losers!" He gestured towards Jesse, his eyes still trained on Lukas. "Didn't you care about us? Didn't you care that Maya -" Aiden choked, his eyes wavering slightly before hardening again. "- that Maya died?"
Horror pulsed in Jesse's chest as he registered this tidbit of news. He saw Lukas' hands fly to his mouth, saw the glittering tears in the blond's eyes. "N-no," he choked out.
Aiden's eyes softened slightly. "I shouldn't blame you."
A hand grabbed Jesse's hair, and Jesse's head was yanked up. Stifling a hiss of pain, his eyes met Aiden's burning eyes. "I should blame you," he snarled.
A hand clamped over Jesse's throat, surprising him into letting out a choked cry. Movement blurred his vision, and suddenly he felt himself flying at a high velocity.
Pain stabbed him on his shoulder, and he winced, hissing at the throbbing agony. Even with his blurred vision, he could see that the Founder was hanging onto a ledge on the opening made by the creeper, about to drop into oblivion.
. . .
Wait.
The Founder was about to drop into oblivion!
Jesse struggled to his feet, but before he could reach the Founder, Aiden got there first.
As if in slow motion, Jesse watched as Aiden stamped on her fingers, watched as the Founder - heart-stoppingly - let go of the ledge, unable to hang on any longer.
The cries and screams of others barely registered. Jesse's mind could only flash back and replay, over and over again, Jessi's body, falling - almost in slow motion - to the ground after Herobrine stabbed her.
No.
No!
"NO!"
Then, tearing any thought out of his mind, any logic and sense that had kept him safe until this point, Jesse ran to the ledge.
And jumped.
And ignored the screams of his friends as he plummeted towards the falling Founder.
A/N How's that for a cliffhanger (no pun intended XD)?
*Dodges tomatoes thrown* Agh! Ouch! No wait, hold - ah!
So, ah, reviews and constructive criticism appreciated?
Tell me what you thought of Aiden and his behavior, and what you perceived of it! I kinda want to know how others interpreted it.
