Isa took the news pretty well, actually. Upon seeing the baby in Ramus' arms, Isa immediately scooped her up in her arms and cooed over her. After that, she asked her husband where he even got a baby. Ramus explained everything to her, about the Order's most recent trip to find a nether reactor, how the reactor's core transformed into a baby in front of their very eyes, and the numerous hijinks she got herself into once they arrived back at the temple. Isa, who thought she had already heard everything from Ramus' stories, had to sit down for a while, rubbing her head as if she had a migraine. "You're telling the truth, aren't you?," she asked. "This isn't some practical joke?" "No, it's not," said Ramus, nodding his head. "Trust me, I couldn't make something like this up if I tried." Isa looked down at the sleeping baby being cradled in her arms, absentmindedly stroking her little blond tuft of hair.
Ramus noticed the troubled expression on his wife's face. "Isa, is something wrong?," he asked worriedly. Isa sighed heavily. "Nothing. It's just...was it really wise to adopt her without even consulting me first?," she asked. "What are you talking about?," asked Ramus. "I thought you wanted a child. You've always talked about wanting to have kids with me." "Yes, I know," said Isa. "But I don't think I'm ready. This is happening so fast. I never expected you to bring home a baby today. What if I turn out not to be a good mother?"
Ramus sat down next to Isa and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Isa, you don't have to worry about that," he assured her. "I know you're going to be a great mother. I started having doubts of my own back at the temple, so I know how you feel. Being a parent for the first time...having that realization finally sink in...it's terrifying. I won't sugarcoat it. Whether we like it or not, we'll always be worrying about Lucy as she grows up. As a baby, we'll worry that she may crawl out of her crib and injure herself. As a teenager, we'll worry that she might have her heart broken by a boy. As an adult, we'll worry that she won't be able to take care of herself. Yes, parenthood is not going to be easy, but…" He reached over and his fingers intertwined with Isa's. "...we'll never know if we don't try, right?"
Isa smiled and kissed Ramus on the cheek. "No, we won't," she said, then stared down at Lucy, who was sucking her little thumb in her sleep. "Ramus...have you told your friends that you're visiting me right now?" Ramus winced apologetically. "Sorry dear, but...I haven't quite told them yet. I'll break the news to them in about a month, I promise." "That's exactly what you said last month," Isa sighed. "And the month before that. And the month before that. Ramus, why are you so keen on hiding our marriage from them? We've been together for three years, and the Order of the Stone still doesn't even know my name." Ramus awkwardly rubbed the back of his head uneasily. "Isa, if you don't mind...I'd rather not talk about it."
Isa opened her mouth to say something back, but decided not to push it, certain that Ramus would tell her once he was ready. "Alright then," she conceded. "Still, you should tell them sooner or later. The worst case scenario would be them finding out on their own and realizing that you've been lying to them." "Yes, I'll tell them soon," Ramus promised. If Isa had looked closer, she would have noticed him hiding one of his hands behind his back and crossing his fingers. "So you named her Lucy, huh?," said Isa, stroking the sleeping baby's hair. "That's a beautiful name." "It sure is, my dear," said Ramus, smiling at Lucy. "It sure is."
The years since then were perhaps the happiest for the Order of the Stone. As Lucy grew up into an adorable toddler, she became the glue that held them all together, the ray of sunshine that melted away their sorrows. Every member of the Order loved and adored her. Soren in particular found himself growing more fond of her with each passing day. He also saw so much untapped potential in her. Where most people saw a naive child who couldn't even tie her shoelaces, Soren saw a sharp and nimble mind hidden under the exterior. To make that unseen potential blossom, Soren brought Lucy numerous books to read and tried teaching her everything he knew about architecture. To his delight, Lucy turned out to be a very fast learner, eagerly absorbing the information like a sponge. Soren had no doubt in his mind that, with enough time and practice, she would become a fine member of the Order.
Gabriel had always considered himself to be a pretty humble person, but he had to admit, it was nice to have someone in the family who looked up to his numerous adventures and exploits. Lucy had grown enamored of the warrior upon hearing the stories about him, which actually boosted Gabriel's ego a little and made him start bragging to the others how he was Lucy's "coolest" uncle. Other than Ramus shaking his head and murmuring, "Gabriel bragging about something? I didn't think it was possible," nobody really took his boasts seriously. Still, Gabriel made sure not to let his pride get the best of him. That turned out to be just another quality of his that Lucy greatly admired, which made the others understandably jealous.
Since Ellegaard had taken the most shine to Lucy upon seeing her for the first time, it was no surprise that the two of them had developed a practically unbreakable relationship. Admittedly, it may have been because they were the only two females that lived in the temple, but other than that, Ellegaard discovered that Lucy was just as smart and intelligent as Soren claimed she was. The redstone engineer would often create simple redstone circuits and let Lucy solve them on her own. More times than not, she needed Ellegaard's help to get the darn thing working, which Ellegaard was glad to provide. Besides playing with redstone, the two of them spent time painting each other's nails, telling stories, and having slumber parties together. Magnus always teased Ellegaard for engaging in slumber parties despite being a grown woman, and that often ended with the griefer receiving a face full of pillows.
And speaking of Magnus, the rogue was a little slower in accepting Lucy as part of the family. He had never really liked children to begin with. They were loud, obnoxious, filthy, and were always asking him to blow something up. Sure, Magnus loved explosions a lot more than the next guy, but good god, there has to be a limit! Lucy, however, turned out to be much more different than the other children that he had become accustomed to. Okay, she was also loud, obnoxious, filthy, and was always asking him to blow something up, but the kid could also be quiet, patient, and observant. Magnus was very surprised to learn that those particular qualities were what endeared Lucy to him, a noisy, cynical, and explosive individual.
Just like Soren and Ellegaard, Ivor also became aware of just how sharp and intelligent Lucy could be. He immediately began teaching her various ways on how to make different potions, as well as how much experience and lapis someone needed to get just the right enchantments on a weapon. Everyone else was taken aback by how quickly Ivor had grown fond of his new niece, but in reality, it wasn't that surprising. Most people, including his brother, believed that Ivor's sour and grumpy attitude was just part of his character, but it was really something more. Growing up, Ivor had experienced firsthand just how twisted and selfish people could be, which was why he preferred to avoid them altogether. Lucy was not like them. She was in that sort of age when she was still naive and innocent, but also intelligent and cunning. In short, she had the heart of a child and the brain of an adult, which made Ivor love her more and more as time passed. His heart of stone and ice was finally melting.
As time went on, Ramus learned more and more about becoming a father. Initially, he tried spoiling Lucy with various gifts, but Ivor warned him that would likely make Lucy grow up into an entitled brat. So instead, he tried reading books on properly taking care of a child, as well as gathering useful advice from his friends. He also took care of Lucy's basic needs such as changing her diaper and feeding her. When Lucy grew out of her diapers and was in the process of being potty trained, Ramus made sure to keep her entertained by telling her stories, taking her for walks, and occasionally bringing her over to Isa's house. By the time Lucy was about three years old, Ramus was finally confident in being a good father.
As for Isa, she did what any loving mother would do - shower her daughter with as much love and attention as she could. She made sure to refrain from spoiling her and attending to her every need. Instead, Isa took advantage of the times when Ramus brought Lucy to her house and taught strong moral lessons, how to distinguish right from wrong, and of course, to always be the kind, caring person she is now and to never change who she was.
For Lucy, every day with the Order of the Stone was an adventure. There was never a single dull day inside the temple. On the day before Lucy's fourth birthday, most of the Order went out to buy Lucy some birthday presents, leaving Magnus to babysit her while they were away (you think they'd learn by now). Magnus was sitting on a couch in the living room while Lucy was sitting on the floor, playing with some dolls that resembled Magnus and Ellegaard. "Uncle Magnus, look!," Lucy chirped, showing him the dolls. "The guy with the black mask is you, and the girl in red armor is Aunt Ellegaard! These two are in love with each other." Magnus snorted, knowing exactly what she was insinuating. "Let me tell you something, kid," he said. "Your aunt Ellie's a nerd. And I don't date nerds. It's as simple as that."
Lucy pouted and put down her dolls. "I think you're being mean to her," she said, crossing her arms. "Aunt Ellegaard's cool!" "Sure she is," Magnus scoffed. "Anyway, what do you want for your birthday, kiddo? I could go to the kitchen and cook up something you'd like." "Ooh! Ooh!," cried Lucy, jumping up and down excitedly, her eyes sparkling. "For my birthday, I want a big, giant, HUMONGOUS cake! With extra frosting! And ten times more sugar!" Magnus chuckled. "One teeth rotting treat, comin' right up," he said, walking towards the kitchen. Unfortunately, he ended up stubbing his toe on the corner of the couch. He let out a yell of pain and hopped around on one foot. "Son of a slime-chewing, zombie-shitting, pufferfish-raping prostitute!," he swore. Lucy tilted her head. "Uncle Magnus, what's a prostitute?"
Magnus immediately stopped in his tracks, staring off into space. If one were to listen very carefully, they could almost hear a low whine emanating from his throat. "Uncle Magnus?," asked Lucy, tilting her head curiously. "You're making weird noises with your mouth."
"Uh...it's nothing, kiddo," said Magnus, beginning to sweat. "What...what did you just ask me?" "What's a prostitute?," Lucy repeated. Magnus screamed internally. Seriously, sometimes he swore he could never catch a break. "A prostitute...heh, heh," he chuckled nervously. Come on, me! You've gotten yourself out of plenty of scrapes in the past, and you'll find a way out of this one! Think, think, think! "A prostitute...yeah, that's a good question," he murmured, his eyes frantically searching the room for anything that could help him. They landed on a thin box lying on top of a nearby dresser. A picture of a short man with a top hat and a white moustache was shown on the cover, with the word "MINECRAFT-OPOLY" printed right above it. "A prostitute is...someone who's very good at...board games." "Board games?," asked Lucy. "Uh...psh! Yeah!," said Magnus, trying to act as confident as possible. "That's exactly what a prostitute is. Someone who's good at playing board games, heh." Lucy's face scrunched up in thought. "Is Uncle Soren a prostitute?," she asked curiously. "...whuh?," Magnus croaked.
"Uncle Soren's pretty good at playing board games," said Lucy. "He always beats daddy and makes him cry in a corner all day. Does that mean he's a prostitute?" Magnus was torn at that moment. One part of him was mortified by what was coming from Lucy's mouth, while another part of him was trying so hard not to burst out laughing. "Uh...y-yeah, totally," he said. "If Soren's as good at board games as you say he is...then I guess that means...he's a prostitute." I am so going to hell after this. "...okay!," said Lucy, who continued playing with her dolls. Magnus felt like he was going to collapse then and there. Oh thank god!, he thought, relieved beyond measure. Whoo, it's finally over! Someone up there loves me. Feeling pretty proud of himself at the moment, he decided to go into the kitchen and make himself an ice cream sundae.
Unfortunately for Magnus, it was far from over. On Lucy's fourth birthday, everyone began piling presents that they brought from town yesterday onto the table. Lucy was sitting at the front of the table, barely able to contain herself. One by one, she eagerly opened the presents brought before her. Soren gave her a brand new book on the subject of endermen, including their behavior and anatomy. When questioned why he brought her such a strange gift, Soren just shrugged and said, "You never know." Gabriel gave her a small, wooden sword. It was not only light enough for a four year old to lift and use, but also blunt enough that it wouldn't be able to cut Lucy if she were to wield it wrong. "Perfect for training," he said.
Magnus, who had unfortunately forgotten about Lucy's birthday, had to improvise. He gave her one of his spare helmets, which honestly looked far more like an upside down fishbowl. "It took me a LOT of time and effort to find one in such good condition," he said, lying through his teeth. "So make sure to take care of it, alright?" "Of course, Uncle Magnus!," Lucy cried happily, taking the helmet and placing it on her head. It was too large and bulky for her, not to mention that the inside of it kept fogging up, so she had to take it off soon.
Ellegaard, after muttering about Magnus' "laziness" just loud enough for everyone at the table to hear, gave Lucy a book on redstone. It covered almost everything about it, including tutorials on making various circuits and powering up machines. "I hope you study hard," she teased. She also gave Lucy a brand new board game, Minecraft-opoly. "Don't we already have that here?," asked Magnus, remembering the one he saw when trying to come up with an answer for Lucy's...question. "Yeah, we do," said Ellegaard, shrugging. "But the old one's been worn down and most of the pieces are missing. So what do you think, Lucy? Would you like to play it after opening the rest of your presents?" "Uh huh!," said Lucy, nodding excitedly.
Ivor's present was more unique than the rest. His was a glass bottle filled with some strange liquid that changes colors every so often, like a rainbow. "It's a potion that I've been working on in secret for some time," he explained. "Once you drink it, it will taste exactly like your favorite food, AND it will fill you up! Go on, take a sip." Instead of taking a sip, Lucy grabbed the potion and began chugging the whole thing down. Once the bottle was drained entirely, Lucy let out a loud belch. Ramus was about to berate her for her poor table manners, but decided to drop it since it was her birthday. "Mmm!," said Lucy, licking her lips. "It tastes like pumpkin pie! And I feel so full right now!" "Does that mean you WON'T be eating the delicious cake that we prepared for you?," Gabriel teased. "N-no!," cried Lucy, her eyes wide with horror. "I-I'm not full at all! I can still eat!" The whole table let out peals of laughter.
Finally, it was Ramus' turn. His present was a pair of sparkly pink hair bands. "Hold still, dear," he said, reaching over to put the hair bands in her hair. Once he was done, Lucy now had two adorable little pigtails on her head. "She looks so adorable!," Ellegaard squeed. "Well, Lucy?," asked Ramus, holding up a handheld mirror. "What do you think?" As Lucy looked at her reflection, she suddenly saw someone else's face staring back at her. He was wearing a white hoodie, had a black face, and glowing red eyes. The image went by so fast that Lucy wasn't sure if what she just saw was real or not. "Lucy?," said Ramus, waiting for an answer. Lucy looked up at her father and beamed. "It's pretty. I love it!," she said.
After all the presents had been opened, Lucy decided to play her new board game with Ellegaard as the rest of the Order watched with interest and amusement. Both players started off with an equal amount of "money," but as the game went on, Ellegaard began accumulating more and more of it while Lucy had less and less. After a while, the redstone engineer and expert board game player began to grow cocky. "Oh my, looks like you owe me another twenty dollars," she said after landing her piece on a lucky square. "That was a fun round. Why don't we go again? I'm always ready to become rich all over again."
Suddenly, Lucy's face grew red with anger and she attempted to jump up and climb onto the table, which was adorable. Then, once she managed to get her feet over, she stomped across the tabletop towards Ellegaard, which was also adorable, and stopped in front of her, leaning into her face. "It's not fair!," she cried out in frustration. "I'm new to this game, but you're a prostitute!" The silence afterwards was so heavy that you could hear a pin drop.
After what felt like forever, Gabriel finally spoke. "Lucy...w-where on earth did you learn that word?" Lucy smiled and pointed straight at Magnus, whose face had grown pale white. "Uncle Magnus taught me that word!," she said. After another moment of silence, everyone besides Lucy slowly turned their heads towards Magnus with glares on their faces, eerily resembling a certain scene from a certain movie about a certain possessed girl.
"Uhh...it was an accident?," Magnus gulped. "GET HIM!," Soren roared, literally frothing at the mouth. Everyone simultaneously leaped over the table towards Magnus, who totally didn't scream like a little sissy, and began taking turns to strangle him with their bare hands.
As said before, there was never a single dull day inside the temple.
Unfortunately, not everything was sunshine and rainbows. No matter how much Lucy insisted on it, Ramus was adamant on not telling anybody else about her mother, Isa. She just couldn't understand why keeping her secret was such a big deal. There was one close call when Lucy nearly said Isa's name out loud in front of both Soren and Ramus. After that, Ramus took her aside personally and made her promise not to tell anyone else about her mother. Lucy kept true to her promise, but that didn't mean she had to like it. More than anything, she wanted Isa to come over to the temple and live with the Order of the Stone. That way, Ramus didn't have to keep taking her all the way to Isa's house under the guise of a hiking trip. Alas, it just wasn't possible when Ramus didn't want his wife and his friends to even see each other. Lucy asked her father numerous times about it, but Ramus would either change the topic or ignore her entirely. She tried asking Isa, but her mother claimed not to know anything.
Not only that, Magnus and Ellegaard were always at each other's throats. There was not a single day where the two of them had ever been civil to each other. Lucy tried everything she could to get them to make up, often with the immense power of her puppy eyes. It would work at first. Magnus and Ellegaard would make an attempt to heal their relationship, but there would always be some spark or flame that would blow their efforts into smithereens and cause them to argue again. When Lucy asked her Uncle Ivy why the two of them detested each other so much, he just sighed and got this faraway look in his eyes. "None of us have any clue," Ivor said. "Before we had you, the two of them actually got along very well. You could've even called them best friends and still have a straight face. But...something happened between them and they were never the same again. We don't know what it was, except for Magnus and Ellegaard, and those two won't tell us a thing." He sighed and shook his head morosely. "It's like we're all growing further apart day by day. Sometimes, I wonder how it's possible that we're still together." Then, he went back to making potions without saying another word.
As for Ivor himself, his friendship with Soren wasn't all that great either. The two of them would often bicker over practically anything. Both of them were incredibly frustrated with each other and neither of them would admit to their own flaws. Even Lucy, a child who's not even five years old, was able to see that. Soren was frustrated with Ivor for being so rude and grouchy towards his fellow members of the Order, and Ivor was frustrated with Soren for being so cowardly and arrogant. The only three people who actually got along with everyone else were Lucy, Ramus, and Gabriel. Lucy herself was naturally kind and loving towards everyone, so it was not surprising. Ramus, despite his need to keep his wife a secret, still got along fairly well with the others. Gabriel did too, though that was mainly because the warrior was actually an introvert who preferred to keep out of his friends' personal business. With so many lies and so much disrespect going around, it was inevitable that something big was going to happen. Something that would change the Order of the Stone forever, and not for the better…
One day, Lucy was skipping along one of the temple's hallways when she realized that everything was eerily quiet. Usually, the inside was filled with the sounds of Soren reading out loud, Magnus blowing things up, Ellegaard experimenting with redstone, Ivor cackling over his potions, Gabriel fighting some dummies, and Ramus cooking something in the kitchen. Instead, there was absolute silence, which made Lucy more than a little uneasy. She searched around for a while and eventually came across the entire group in the library, surrounding a single book on a pedestal. They were totally geared up and whispering amongst each other.
Curious, Lucy hid behind a bookcase and listened in on what they were saying. "Now let's go over this one more time," said Soren, pointing at the book. "The ender dragon is going to be drawing strength from the four ender crystals, so we have to destroy them as quickly as possible. Ellegaard, you will hit the first one with a perfectly placed arrow. I will destroy the second one by launching myself on the shockwave of Magnus' TNT! Then, I will use only my strength and my wiles to steer the foul beast towards the third crystal. After that, I will fly the ender dragon directly towards the final crystal! Finally, Gabriel will deliver his famous final blow and finish it off for good." He closed the book shut. "So! Any questions?"
Magnus raised his hand. "Uh, yeah, I have two questions. First, you're gonna use your 'strength and wiles' to beat the dragon? Really? And second, how come Ramus and Ivor don't get to do anything?" "Ramus isn't going with us, remember?," Ellegaard groaned. "He has to stay behind and take care of Lucy." "Exactly," said Soren, nodding. "And as for Ivor...well, I honestly have no idea how you'd fit into the plan. I assume you'd just have to offer us potions whenever we needed any." Ivor scowled, not saying a word in return.
"What are you guys doing?," asked Lucy, finally making herself known. The Order jumped a foot in the air, startled by the sudden intrusion. "L-Lucy!," said Ramus, calming down. "Goodness, you gave us quite a scare! You see, your uncles and aunt are going to slay the ender dragon. I'm staying behind to look after you while they're gone." "Oh cool!," cried Lucy, her eyes wide with childish amazement. "You're gonna fight a dragon? I wanna come with you! I wanna see a dragon!" "Absolutely not!," Soren snapped, causing Lucy to wince in fear. Ivor elbowed him harshly. "You're scaring her!," he hissed angrily. Soren cleared his throat awkwardly and replied in a much gentler tone, "Lucy, we're going to an alternate dimension called the End. It is far too dangerous for someone as young as you. You need to stay here with your father, where it's safe." "But I wanna come with you!," Lucy pouted. "When am I ever gonna see a real life dragon?" "Hopefully never," said Gabriel. "The ender dragon is not a mob to be trifled with. It's the only creature in the world that's more dangerous than a wither!"
"Lucy," said Ramus, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You should listen to them. And you'll have me for company! Who needs a stupid dragon when the two of us could have some fun?" He leaned in and whispered in her ear so that only she could hear. "And with the Order gone for a while, I'll take you to see your mother. Alright?" Lucy still pouted with her arms crossed, but nodded grudgingly. "I'm glad you agree now, Lucy," said Soren. "Order of the Stone, to the end portal!" The Order ran out of the library heading to Soren's fortress, leaving only Ramus and Lucy in the room. Lucy was still visibly distraught over not seeing a dragon. "Don't be like that, dear," said Ramus, smiling softly. To Lucy at the moment, it looked more condescending. "Hey, how about we take your new board game out?"
Lucy was about to retort when a plan suddenly popped into her head. "Okay, daddy!," she chirped, putting on her best "good girl" impression. "Alright then," said Ramus, ruffling her hair. "I'll get the board game. You just wait here." After Ramus left the library, Lucy waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore, then bolted. She ran out of the library, then out of the temple. Soren had mentioned going to an end portal, and Lucy knew that the nearest one was in his fortress. He had taken her there plenty of times, so she knew the way.
After a LOT of running, Lucy finally arrived at Soren's fortress. She knew that the end portal was just underneath Soren's massive mob grinder. Upon finding it, she looked down into the dark abyss within its frame and began to have second thoughts. But the dragon, she thought. The dragon! With her mind made up, Lucy jumped into the end portal.
Back in the temple, Ramus finally found the board game and headed back inside the library. To his shock and fear, Lucy was nowhere to be found. "Lucy? Lucy?!" He searched through the entire temple, but there was no trace of her. Unless…
"Lucy, you didn't…" Ramus ran out of the temple and headed towards Soren's fortress as fast as he could. She was going to get a severe spanking once he brought her back.
In the End, things were not going according to plan at all for the Order of the Stone. They thought they had everything handled once they jumped into the End, but the sight of the dragon flying over them and the sound of its roar reverberating through their bones made them paralyzed with fear. As the ender dragon continuously flew around and breathed fire at them from its gaping jaws, the Order could do nothing else but run and hide. Soren hid behind an obsidian pillar, hiding from the dragon while also making sure not to look any endermen in the eye. "What am I doing?," he berated himself. "You're a hero! Get out there!"
Unfortunately, things were about to get far worse. There was suddenly a loud, popping noise, which instantly grabbed the attention of the entire Order of the Stone, who were still in hiding. They immediately recognized it as a teleportation sound, and that knowledge filled them with a deep sense of dread. Who in their right mind would come to a place like this?
"Wow, what a weird place," said Lucy, staring around at the End with awe. Soren could feel his heart practically stop. "LUCY?!," Ellegaard screamed. "What are you doing here?!" "Hi Aunt Ellegaard!," hollered Lucy, smiling and waving. She was completely unaware of the danger she was in. "I wanna see the dragon! Why are you guys hiding behind those tall obsidian thingies?" "Damn it, kid, get out!," yelled Magnus, not caring that he just swore in front of her. "You gotta hide somewhere before that thing sees you!" "Before what sees me?," asked Lucy, still smiling obliviously. "You mean the dragon?" Ivor glanced up and saw the ender dragon flying directly towards her. "Lucy! Behind you!," he yelled. Lucy turned around just in time to see the dragon breathing a stream of fire at her. She was instantly paralyzed with fear.
Right at that moment, Ramus teleported into the End and pushed Lucy out of the way. The ender dragon's fire breath ended up burning a huge trench into the spot where the two of them had just been. Growling, the dragon flew back into the air in preparation for its next attack. Ramus was in a crouched position, holding Lucy tightly to his chest. His face was red and sweat was pouring down his face from running all the way to Soren's fortress. "Don't you ever pull another stunt like that again," he whispered into her ear harshly. "EVER."
The dragon flew back down, flying straight towards Ramus and Lucy. "That's it!," Gabriel snarled, taking out his sword. "I will NOT stand idly while they're in danger!" He ran towards the two of them with a loud battle cry. Soren finally found his voice. "Gabriel, no!," he cried, reaching out in a futile effort to stop him. Gabriel arrived just in time for the dragon to chomp onto his midsection with its powerful jaws, then fly back up. The dragon shook Gabriel like a rag doll, then tossed his motionless body into one of the obsidian pillars. A loud crack filled the air. "Uncle Gabriel!," cried Lucy, tears streaming down her face. "Don't just stand there, you idiots!," Ivor snapped at the rest of the Order. "We have to help them!" The Order, excluding Soren, finally got back to their senses and ran towards Lucy and Ramus.
The dragon was flying back towards them, letting out a loud roar. The Order and Lucy squeezed their eyes shut, waiting for the dragon to reach them and tear them to pieces. Suddenly, a bright burst of light erupted from the dragon, causing everyone to go temporarily blind as well as scare off the surrounding endermen. When their vision slowly returned, they realized that the ender dragon was now gone. It was almost as if it had never existed in the first place. Everyone stared at the spot where the dragon had just been, then slowly turned their heads to stare at Soren, who was holding a strange block that they had never seen before in their lives. It was orange and had numerous blinking buttons on it.
For a long time, there was only silence. Soren stared down at the ground in shame, the block still in his hands. "...Soren?," asked Ellegaard, staring at him, then the block in his hands, then at the spot where the dragon had vanished. "What...what happened?" She pointed at the block. "And what is that you're holding?" "It's...a long story," said Soren. Suddenly, a loud groan emanated from Gabriel's mouth. "Uncle Gabriel!," cried Lucy, remembering what had happened to him. Everyone ran towards the fallen warrior and helped him up. "Holy crap, you're alive!," said Magnus. "But how?" "My armor protected me," Gabriel explained, wincing in pain. "Without it, I would have been dead." He looked around. "Where did the dragon go?"
"Yes, I would like to know as well," said Ivor, giving Soren a suspicious glare. "I will explain everything," Soren promised. "But first, we should get out of the End." The group went back through the end portal and away from Soren's fortress. As they walked, Ramus' grip on Lucy's hand tightened in anger. The little girl whimpered, knowing that her father was furious. The glances of disappointment that everyone sent her way definitely did not help.
Once they got to the temple, Soren turned to face the rest of the Order, who were still silently waiting for an explanation. "...I suppose it's only right that I explain everything," he sighed. "You can go on without me," said Ramus, squeezing Lucy's hand. "I need to have a little talk with a certain troublemaker in the library." Lucy looked down at her feet in shame.
Soren and the rest nodded in understanding. Ramus began fast walking to the library while dragging his daughter along roughly. Whenever she slowed down in the slightest, Ramus yanked her forward. Suddenly, Ramus tripped on some uneven ground and banged his knee. "DAMN IT!," he roared in anger. Lucy whimpered again, feeling the tears return. Ramus rarely ever cursed, if it all, which meant he was absolutely furious with her.
Finally, they arrived at the library. Ramus slammed the door behind them, causing Lucy to jump and scream. Then, he took out a small chair and forced Lucy into it. After that, he loomed over her for a while, not saying a word. Lucy looked down, too terrified to look her father in the eye. "Look at me, Lucy," Ramus said sternly. There was no response. Ramus slapped his hand against the side of her chair. "I said look at me!," he yelled angrily. Slowly and shakily, Lucy looked up at her father, who had his arms crossed and had a disapproving glare on his face. At that moment, he was far more terrifying than the ender dragon.
"Lucy," he said quietly, still seething with anger. "I want to know exactly what you were thinking when you decided to disobey me and follow us to the End." Lucy nervously played with her fingers. "Well?," asked Ramus, tapping his foot impatiently. "...I wanted to see the dragon," Lucy whispered. Ramus took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You lied to me...and went to one of the most dangerous places in the world...because you wanted...to see...a dragon," he slowly repeated. Lucy slowly nodded. Ramus sighed and pointed his finger at her in an angry manner. "What you did was probably the most foolish thing you've ever done," he said bluntly. "We warned you not to go there, but no...you wanted to see a dragon."
"...I-I've never seen a dragon before," Lucy stuttered. "I just wanted to-" "To what?," Ramus snapped. "Throw your life away? Put yourself in danger? Do you have any idea how we felt seeing you appear in the End? Do you know how I felt?!" The volume of his voice raised to a yell. "The End is not some playground for you to mess around in! Grown men have entered that place and never returned! I was scared senseless when I came back to the library and saw you were missing! What were you thinking when you decided to go there?! No, don't tell me, because it's obvious that you weren't! Do you know what I was thinking while running to Soren's fortress?! I was thinking what would happen if the ender dragon swallowed you whole! I was thinking what to tell Isa on the day I have to come to her house and break the bad news that her daughter got eaten! Life is not a game, Lucy! You can't just do whatever you want!"
Ramus calmed down somewhat and rubbed his face tiredly. "It was a mistake for me to let you do whatever you want," he said. "I've been too easy on you. From now on, you are not allowed to step foot out of the temple. You can only go outside when we're taking our weekly trips to your mother's house, but that is it." Lucy finally felt an emotion other than fear: anger. She honestly didn't understand why her father was being so unfair. She just wanted to see a dragon! "That's not fair!," she retorted. "You can't just keep me here!"
"I can and I will," Ramus said firmly. "Tonight, I'm going to your mother's house without you. You will stay here and think about what you did, while I tell her everything that happened today. I'm sure she'll come up with a suitable punishment for you." Lucy finally couldn't take it anymore. Where were all these punishments and accusations coming from? She angrily stood on top of the chair to be eye level with her father and leaned in towards him.
"It's not fair!," she cried. "I just wanted to see a dragon!" Suddenly, a loud smack filled the room. Lucy's head was forcefully turned to the side, a stinging sensation on her cheek. She slowly turned to face her father, who had his hand outstretched. Tears began welling up in her eyes as Ramus' angry expression turned into horror. "Lucy...I didn't mean to…"
Instead of listening to what he had to say, Lucy jumped off the chair and ran past Ramus and out of the library. She could hear her father hollering, "Lucy, wait! I'm sorry!" from behind her, but she didn't care. Ramus had just slapped her. He never slapped her before.
Lucy wasn't sure where she wanted to go, but her instincts took her back to the room where the Order was last seen. She was sure that they would do something about this. But as she got closer to the room, she heard angry yelling coming from it. She stopped just outside the room and peeked around the corner. Soren and Ivor were having a screaming match while everyone else stood back uncomfortably. "You've been lying to us this whole time!," yelled Ivor, giving Soren a harsh shove. "Was anything you told us even the truth?!" "Ivor, that's enough," said Ellegaard, glaring at him. "Let's avoid resorting to violence."
"No, it's true," Soren sighed. "I've been using the command block to enhance our natural abilities. We're not real heroes. We've...never been." "You mean we're...frauds?," asked Gabriel, sounding outraged. "...yes, I'm afraid we are," said Soren sadly. "I knew it!," Ivor growled. "I knew something was going on! It seemed fishy to me how we simultaneously seemed to gain our amazing abilities all of a sudden, and now it makes sense! You've been using the command block on us and lying to our faces, making us think we're actually heroes!"
"But we ARE heroes!," Soren argued. "We went on those adventures, didn't we?" "We wouldn't have been able to survive those adventures if it wasn't for that STUPID block!," yelled Ivor. Ellegaard groaned stressfully and turned to Magnus. "Why are you just standing there? Say something!," she pleaded. "Hey, leave me out of this!," said the rogue, backing away. "This whole thing's a little beyond me!" "Well, I'm siding with Ivor!," growled Gabriel, stepping forward. "Soren, you are a liar, a manipulator, and a cheater! If you truly regret everything you've done, you will take that command block and destroy it!" "I can't do that!," Soren cried. "The command block is too important! Without it...we're nothing." "Is that how you think of us?," asked Ellegaard, sounding hurt. "You think we need a weird block to be heroes?"
Soren winced. "Ellegaard, you know that's not what I meant…" "Enough of this!," Ivor snarled. "Soren, I swear that if you don't do the right thing and get rid of that block, I will leave the Order of the Stone and never come back!" Everyone in the room, including Lucy, gasped. They were not expecting that. "You can't leave!," Soren protested. "You're a valuable member of our team!" "Oh really?," Ivor scoffed. "I remember back in the library that you thought I was only good for handing out potions!" Soren winced again. "I didn't mean that either…"
"Okay, I think that's enough drama for today," Magnus spoke up, walking towards the two of them. "How about we go to sleep and continue this the next day, huh?" "Stay out of this, Magnus," Ivor groaned. Magnus' eyes narrowed. "Ohoho! So you guys have always been telling me to take charge and think of the team, but when I finally do that for once, it's 'stay out of this, Magnus?' Who the hell do you think you are?" "Don't blame Ivor too harshly, Magnus," said Soren, glaring at the potionologist. "He's just afraid to admit that he's overreacting." That was definitely the wrong thing to say. Ivor finally lost his temper and tackled Soren to the floor, then started landing brutal punches on his face. Everyone else didn't bother to help. Instead, they looked away with uncomfortable expressions on their faces. Already, Soren's nose was broken and blood was streaming out of it. The sight of blood did not stop Ivor in the least.
What did stop the crazed man, however, was Lucy running into the room in tears. "Stop it!," she cried, attempting to pummel Ivor with her tiny fists. "Leave him alone!" Ivor looked down at her in shock, then looked at Soren, who was convulsing on the ground. "L-Lucy…," he trailed off. "How dare you hurt him!," Lucy continued. "You two shouldn't be fighting!" Then, she turned her anger on everyone else in the room. "And how dare the rest of you just stand there and not do anything! You guys should've been helping!" Gabriel, Magnus, and Ellegaard looked down at their feet in shame. Lucy took a deep breath. "I hate you all!," she screamed before running out of the room, sobbing her eyes out. She ran past Ramus, who had been searching for her. "Lucy?!," he said. "What happened? Why are you crying?" Lucy ignored him and ran all the way to her room, locking herself in. Ramus ran into the room where he saw Lucy run from, and saw Soren lying on the floor while the rest just stood there in shocked silence.
"What happened here?," Ramus demanded. "And what happened to Soren?" Everyone in the room, Ivor especially, only looked away in guilt and shame.
After he was explained everything that happened, Ramus was understandably furious with them. He was also furious with himself for letting Lucy run off like that and witness the fight between Soren and Ivor. While Ellegaard was left to tend to Soren's injuries, Ramus, Ivor, Gabriel, and Magnus went to Lucy's bedroom door and knocked. "Lucy, it's me," said Ramus. On the other side of the door, a faint whimper could be heard. "I'm sorry for being so harsh with you in the library. I was just worried about you. I'm also sorry that you had to see that fight earlier." A beatdown was more like it. "Please come out. We'll have a little talk, alright?" There was no answer. Ramus was about to knock again when Gabriel stopped him. "Maybe we should give her some space," he suggested. "Lucy had a very rough day."
Ramus sighed and reluctantly agreed. "Lucy, we'll leave you alone for a while," he said. "If you need anything...just come and find us, alright?" There was still no answer. With a heavy sigh, Ramus walked back to the other room with Gabriel, Magnus, and Ivor. Ellegaard was putting a bandage on Soren's nose to stop the bleeding. "He'll be fine," she said upon seeing them return. "Ivor didn't punch him too hard." Upon seeing Soren in such a pitiful state, Ivor growled under his breath and stormed out of the room. "Brother, where are you going?," asked Ramus. Ivor did not respond. "Well, today sure is a mess," Magnus muttered.
Back in Lucy's bedroom, the girl was curled up in her bed and crying into her pillow. She was so busy crying that she didn't notice a figure wearing a white hoodie appearing next to her bed. "Hello...are you alright?," the figure asked timidly. Lucy looked up from her pillow and blinked at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Are you the tooth fairy?," she asked, tilting her head cutely. The figure looked down at his own body for a moment, then looked back up at Lucy. "I don't look like one," he said. "Do you WANT me to be the tooth fairy?" Lucy giggled and surprised the figure by reaching over and hugging him tightly. "You don't have to be one," she said. "But you can be my best friend. I'm Lucy." The figure went still for a moment, taken aback by what just happened before returning the hug. "My name is Enti- uh...Mister Hoodie." "Nice to meet you, Mister Hoodie," Lucy chirped, her sadness forgotten.