Response to reviews:

lucysnuffle: I'm glad you're really enjoying it! / Yeah, I tried to make it so that Aiden's actions weren't driven primarily of jealousy, but of fear. / Each character has been affected in different ways, and I can't wait to share the rest of it with you guys! / I really hope it did!

idontwritetoomuch: Could you please not swear in the review section if you can? It's nothing against you; you're one of the best reviewers on this story, but honestly cussing makes me a little uncomfortable. But that is right / Nope! Her death is meant to be a new development / Which man? XD But yeah, Jesse is having flashbacks. And the Founder is terrified / I am having a wonderful night (well, its night rn XD), and 'cause I'm in sports, the drinking water part has been taken care of XD

Northern: So. . . what do you think of this story so far, Lukas?

Lukas: . . . Jesse is an idiot.

Northern: Mm, yeah. Pretty sure that's the general consensus from Petra too.

Lukas: Petra's gonna kill Jesse, isn't she?

Northern: No. I'll be the one.

Lukas: . . .

Lukas: WAIT WHA-

I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO BRING YOU THIS NEXT UPDATE

Even if it is pretty short. . .


The wind whistled in his ears as he felt the force of gravity on his entire body, pulling him towards the ground. The Founder was a little more than a gold speck against the white-and-dark-green background of snow-covered ground and trees.

He then realized three things at once:

He doesn't have a plan.

Petra and Lukas were left with an insane Aiden.

He was an idiot.

Well, okay, the last one stemmed from the first two, but it still stands.

Jess shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind and stiffened, forcing his flailing arms to his sides, turning from a parachute to an arrow. With his newfound aerodynamic position, he shot towards the Founder, determination hardening his heart.

He was not about to let another person die because of him.

As he came up to her, her wide, panicked eyes locked onto his. The utter fear in them reminded him of -

Her eyes met his, wide with panic. She opened her mouth and yelled, "Jery - !" before the blade sliced through her stomach, cutting her vital organs and leaving blood (so, so much red) spurting out of her wound.

No.

No!

NO!

His hand grasped hers, and he twisted so that he faced the top of the mountain. Perhaps out of habit, he thrust his arm up towards the ever-shrinking top of the mountain. He pushed aside the mind-numbing panic threatening to overtake him and focused, imagining a chain that shot out from his hand and connected with the platform they had been on. A connection that would pull them back up.

There was a tug in his gut, pulling him towards the platform. It was a feeble tug; not enough to send them back up. If anything, this development didn't send him into a panic; it hardened his determination.

He willed all the remaining energy within him and pictured it taking the form of an ender pearl, which he forcefully threw towards the top.

The familiar tug that was teleporting yanked violently in his gut. The next thing he knew, he was on his hands and knees, staring at the crudely-shaped stone floor of the basement. His muscles screamed out in protest as he tried to lift himself and he collapsed onto one knee. His arms felt weak and shaky, even when he wasn't exerting himself.

He peered at the Founder through his lashes to see her supporting herself with her hands, her limbs trembling so much she was practically vibrating. Her expression reminded him of his sister's right before she had been run through -

Jesse abruptly felt like throwing up.

The Founder slowly and shakily got to her feet, dusting herself off. She glanced up at Jesse, and something like awe flashed in her eyes. Jesse didn't like that; he just wanted to be normal. He didn't want people to regard him as something inhuman or someone worthy of awe; was that too much to ask?

Well, Jesse mused, he supposed it would be, considering how he was a Warlord and a murderer.

"You really are part Enderman," Isa breathed.

Jesse couldn't even answer; his tongue felt too heavy, as if it had been submerged in syrup. He tried to rise again, only to suddenly find that his legs no longer worked. He stumbled back to the ground, his muscles going lax against his will.

Isa was beside him in an instant, frowning worriedly at him. "Are you okay?"

He blinked at her, his brain too slow to process the question. "I - hm." He glanced down at his legs. "It appears that I can't get up by myself," he answered slowly, tasting each word before he released them into the air. They had a bitter tint that he didn't enjoy.

He heard Isa sigh before he felt her arm snake around his back while his left arm was draped over a set of shoulders. When the Founder stood, Jesse forced himself to stand alongside her. He would've collapsed a third time had she not been supporting his weight.

"Let's head up," Isa suggested, a note of worry entering her voice.

A shudder abruptly ran through the island. Jesse could feel the tremor in his boots, and he swore he heard a distant boom, coming from above the basement.

Jesse jerked his head up, alarm pulsing through him as he heard another boom, loud enough for him to confirm that he didn't imagine it, and felt another tremor run through the top of the mountain. He turned his head to look outside the blown-up hole; there were boulders bouncing off the side of the mountain as they tumbled down.

Isa sucked in a breath sharply, her eyes flashing with worry and alarm. "What's happening?" she whispered, almost timidly. Fearfully. A shiver went through Jesse's spine. If the Founder, the leader of the city, was worried. . .

He suddenly recalled what Aiden had said earlier. "The Bureau will solve this. They always do." Dread formed a heavy pit in his stomach as he flashed back to what felt like a lifetime ago: a night of screams and planes whirling above, a night meant to be full of festive fun, ruined by the hissing TNT.

No.

Oh no.

"It's the Bureau of Quarantine," Jesse hissed. His legs suddenly started working again (whether through sheer adrenaline or short recovery), and he was able to pull free from Isa's supporting grip. "Aiden must've called them."

Isa sent him a confused look. "Aren't they good, then? If they're called the Bureau of Quarantine, then they must be good enough to prevent the disease from spreading."

Jesse was already shaking his head, alarm crawling up his throat. "No, you don't understand," he insisted. "They were the ones who masterminded the Bombing of EnderCon."

A sharp gasp, and Isa's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with horror. Jesse turned as another rumble shook the basement and watched as more boulders tumbled down the mountainside. "If they're here. . ." A million scenarios raced through his head at what they were doing right now, but he refused to think of them. He turned back to the Founder. "We've got to find out why they're here."

The Founder nodded once, her eyes hardening with determination. Together, the two of them dashed up the stone-brick stairs, the rumbles of the explosions still shaking the palace.


It was with great luck - or not, depending on how Jesse looked at it - that he found his friends despite the chaos.

Great because they looked relatively unharmed.

Not great because then Petra promptly smacked him on the head.

"What was that?" she demanded.

Jesse, still reeling from the surprisingly-harsh blow, shot her a confused look while rubbing the area she smacked. "What was what?"

"The fact that you jumped off a cliff!"

Oh. Yes, he understood he was an idiot, but hey, he saved the Founder. Besides, it's not like he had nothing to save himself with; he was half-Ender and could therefore teleport himself. He couldn't see what the big deal was.

He'd save the Founder, even if it meant his own death.

Lukas groaned, burying his face into his hands. Surprise pulsed in Jesse's chest; the half-Ender had never seen Lukas this distressed. "Oh Notch, Jesse," he moaned. "Wh-why would you even think that it was a good idea?"

Jesse half-shrugged. A fiery explosion suddenly burst to life in front of them, and Jesse, acting out of instinct, grabbed the redhead and the blond and flung them to the side just as fiery debris collided with where they had been standing.

Nausea prompted bile to rise in Jesse's throat. If he had been a split second too late. . .

But there was no time to think about it: Jesse could see Bureau members swarming the city, swords brandished. He had a feeling that they didn't bring those swords to fend off Withereds - mostly because there were no Withereds up here. "Can we talk about this later?" he grunted.

Petra scrambled to her feet again, barely looking fazed. Her eyes flashed dangerously when they landed on Jesse, but when another explosion went off, the mercenary snapped her jaw shut with an audible click, glared at Jesse appraisingly, and turned, running off.

Jesse now realized that Lukas was frozen, staring at the spot where he had been in horror. "Lukas?" Jesse knelt in front of the blond, whose eyes were wide and fearful. Jesse noted with a rising sense of worry at the ashen color of Lukas' cheeks.

Lukas' eyes locked onto Jesse's. In the depths of those blue orbs, Jesse saw the scared, almost haunted, look in them. He recognized that look all too much. It was the look of a traumatized Warlord, a wounded soldier whose life was almost taken. He watched as Lukas' life seemed to flash within those haunted, wide eyes. Jesse distantly wondered if those were the same eyes that had smirked at him every year at the EnderCon competition.

Were they the same?

Because those eyes would've never had that look in them that Lukas had right now.

"Lukas. Hey." Jesse gripped the blond's shoulder. Lukas started slightly, his eyes sharpening. "Lukas. Look at me."

Little by little, bit by bit, Lukas' eyes managed to focus on Jesse. "J-Jesse?"

"Yeah. I'm here, Lukas."

"That explosion. . ." Lukas breathed, his head turning almost instinctively towards the remains of flaming debris. "It almost - almost killed me. Killed us."

This was worrisome. Now that the shock was wearing off, Lukas looked as though he would succumb to panic within seconds. "It - it almost. . . killed me." His eyes flashed with hysteria, and his voice seemed to rise without realizing it. "It almost killed me!"

"Lukas!" Jesse positioned himself in front of the blond, forcing the latter to look away from where the debris had almost hit. "Look at me."

Lukas' frightened blue eyes locked with Jesse's. In their depths, Jesse could see the fear snuffing out any thought of security, any sense of safety that this city had previously offered.

"It almost hit me," Lukas practically whimpered. "I-it almost -"

"But it didn't," Jesse countered firmly. He had to snap Lukas out of it, or the shock won't help Lukas dodge the next flaming explosion. Lukas' eyes were beginning to glaze over again; he was succumbing to the shock. "Lukas, look at me!"

Lukas seemed to snap out of it, at least for a moment. His eyes sharpened, and for a moment he looked confused as he stared at Jesse. "Focus," the latter stressed towards the blond, "or we won't make it out of here alive!"

That seemed to snap Lukas out of it, this time a little bit more permanent. His eyes hardened with determination.

Jesse got back to his feet as another explosion went off, sounding like it was behind him. He instinctively ducked, but when he glanced back towards that house, it was far away enough for worry to be unwarranted. A quick glance around revealed that he was in the circular Town Center; houses surrounded space that served as the commons for the people.

From this area, he could see the gate being blown wide open, could see the mass of people streaming in. Even from here, he noticed the glint of metal against the flames rising from all around the city.

Dread twisted his stomach. This was definitely the Bureau of Quarantine, come to lay waste to the city in the mountains.

But why? That was a question that Jesse puzzled over, something that he has yet to figure out. They obviously weren't here to eliminate the Wither Sickness; they would've known if there were, considering how they were called the "Bureau of Quarantine" and all that.

Almost born out of his musings, Aiden's words came back, crystal clear: "The Bureau will solve this. They always do. They can take out a freak like you."

Jesse still flinched at the words, "freak like you", but there was no time to worry about it. Why had that particular memory come back in so much detail? Yes, it helped him figure out that the Bureau was coming, but was it still significant?

His train of thought was interrupted when Petra charged towards him, her face set with determination. Trailing behind her was the innkeeper with whom Jesse had acquainted himself; Milo's eyes darted around nervously, and he was hunched over, making him seem smaller than he actually was.

"Jesse!" Petra skidded to a stop before him, panting heavily. "The Bureau - !"

"I know."

"Oh dear." Petra's and Jesse's heads snapped towards the innkeeper, who very much looked like he wanted to faint. Wringing his hands, Milo let out a nervous chuckle, his eyes continuing to dart around. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "This is an, ah, unfortunate turn of events."

"What gave it away?" Petra deadpanned. "The explosions or the people running in, waving swords?"

Milo glanced at her, his face betraying his unease. "Ah. . ."

"What are we going to do?" Jesse glanced over his shoulder to see Lukas striding up to them, his face set. The Warlord swore he saw a flash of gratitude pass through Lukas' eyes when they landed on him, but it passed too quickly for Jesse to be sure. "We need shelter," Lukas continued, waving his hand towards the chaos, "but with the explosions, it's getting harder to find any kind of cover."

At Lukas' words, Milo perked up. "I know a place where you can stay!" he declared excitedly. "And. . ." He lowered his voice. "It's not the type of place where most people would know, at first glance. And it's underground, which can protect us from the explosions!"

Jesse glanced over as another explosion rang through the air and saw the civilians scattering, their faces fixed with fear. He turned quickly back to Milo. "Is it big enough to fit all the citizens?"

Now Milo frowned, the excited light disappearing from his eyes. "Well, yes, but -"

"Get everyone to safety," Jesse interrupted, looking towards Lukas and Petra, who nodded. He turned back to Milo. "If I'm correct, then that amount of space will be needed now more than ever."

Though Milo looked unhappy, he nodded his understanding. They all broke their group huddle and ran, weaving through the crowd and finding civilians to direct to safety.

As Jesse ran through the crowds, a flash of iron caught his eye. Frowning, he turned just as he saw a foot disappear through a wooden house.

He sized up the building. It was a simple one-story house, with a wooden door as the only thing that seemed to be the way in or out.

Trap, his brain immediately supplied. Jesse turned, about to walk away.

Perhaps.

But what if it was the leader of the Bureau?

Jesse halted mid-step, turning again to survey the building again.

There was a good - almost guaranteed - chance that this was truly a trap, that this was Aiden or another Bureau member trying to lure him in to attack him.

But if it was the leader of the Bureau. . .

Jesse reasoned that they couldn't harm him, even if it was a trap. He was a Warlord; his enhanced health helped protect him from even the most fatal wounds from ordinary swords.

Ordinary, the voice reminded. What if they have enchanted weapons?

Subconsciously, Jesse's fist tightened on the hilt of the sword his father had given him.

There wasn't a high chance of them having one; sure, maybe Mevia, but Jesse's warrior skills could oust her exponentially. He had a high chance of surviving an encounter, even if they had enchanted weapons or were trying to ambush him.

If there's a chance that I can make this all stop, Jesse reminded himself, then I have to try.

The voice fell silent.

With conviction in his heart, a thirst for justice, and confidence in his skills and enhancements, Jesse ran inside the wooden house.


A/N Well. Jesse is getting himself into another mess.

Again.

Hope you enjoyed! Life's being icky rn, but I'm glad I was even able to get this chapter out at all!

From here, for Jesse at least, it's all gonna snowball downhill.

Stay tuned! Reviews and constructive criticism appreciated and needed, as always!

Cya!