Consciousness seeped into Steve as the sun's rays hit his eyelids, prompting the man to wake up. He inhaled deeply and yawned, blinking away the bleariness in his eyes before sitting up properly in his bed. His indigo eyes lazily wandered over to the window next to his bed, taking in the familiar view of the outside of his home at this time of morning: blue fading into reds and oranges as the sun rose into the sky, peaking over the tops of tall trees. Steve smiled and sighed softly at the sight, covering his mouth as he yawned yet again.
Time to start the day.
A rather large ball of black fluff excitedly greeted Steve upon his first steps out of his bedroom, chasing away the remainder of his drowsiness. He grinned, affectionately smoothing his hands through the dog's soft fur.
"Mornin', Grape. Didja sleep well?"
She only barked in reply, running circles around him before pawing at the front door. Steve laughed softly, quickly retrieving a fresh shirt, a pair of jeans, some socks, and shoes from his room. He placed the items down on the table next to the door before entering the kitchen, grabbing an apple from a bowl set on another table.
"We'll go as soon as I check up on Markus."
He stepped into his backyard, where a large, fenced-off area containing a shack about half the size of his home, a trough full of water next to it, and a large pile of hay next to that resided in one corner. Steve froze up for a moment, fearing the worst when he didn't immediately see Markus, but the brown and white horse trotted out of his shelter only a few moments later, making his way over to his owner with little concern. Steve breathed a sigh of relief and began to stroll over to the horse, meeting him halfway and feeding him the apple.
"Good to see you didn't have any plans on running away again, Markus," Steve said playfully as he pet the mare. Markus seemed to nod in response, continuing to chew on the red treat. Everything was in working order, as far as Steve could tell. He would need some grass seeds to patch up a dying bit of grass that was closer to his home, but otherwise, everything else was fine. He headed into his house and towards the front door, where Grape eagerly waited. His smile faltered and a tightness squeezed at his chest as he set his hand on the doorknob. His eyes darted to the window in his living room, slightly above a filled bookshelf. There was nothing.
Maybe he wouldn't come today, and nothing would happen. Steve grabbed the iron sword propped up behind the door, just in case. There were other things to worry about in this forest, anyway. With newfound confidence, Steve pushed his door open and sprinted out of the house, leaving Grape behind for but a few moments before she caught up to him. The two ran through the woods, following a path that Steve had ran on many times before. He slowed down to a jog as he neared his destination and caught his breath as he observed the forest around him. Despite the cover being provided by the leaves high above, heat still snuck its way into the dimmed forest, sticking to his skin. That wasn't what he payed attention to, though. Now, he slowed down to a walk and narrowed his eyes.
This forest was always changing. He, honest to Notch, couldn't place what about it changed—there were many things that were constant about it, after all. The calming stillness that settled upon it during the day. The lively morning bird-songs. The rather ferocious mobs that would wander around at night, even during the day, sometimes, due to there being just enough shade. Even the very path that he was walking on! But he knew that something was changing about it, too gradual for him to notice, maybe.
He blinked out of his trance when cool water splashed onto his feet. Grape had unflinchingly hopped into the stream, doggy-paddling through it with intense concentration. When had they arrived at the stream? He rubbed his eyes with his free hand and shook his head before putting his clothes, shoes, and sword down. He might be unable to solve the forest puzzle, but at least he could beat the heat.
Steve was about a few yards away from his home when he stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth falling slightly agape. Had he set a fire outside of his home before leaving? Or was it one of the mobs that had done it? He nearly turned tail to run back to the stream but he caught sight of something else. Something more concerning than the fire that had the potential to overtake both his house and the surrounding brush. Yet, the sight didn't cause him fear.
There, standing practically in the flames, stood a man wearing a cyan shirt and blue jeans. He pointed to Steve before gesturing behind him with a thumb.
Leave.
Steve's grip tightened on the handle of his blade as he pressed his lips together in a thin line, restraining himself from screaming. He closed his eyes. Took a deep, shaky breath in. Exhaled it. And he flipped off the man that had been making his life just that much harder for the past couple of weeks.
This would be the last time that he dealt with this issue…civilly.
Steve had plenty of time to calm down after the morning's events as he exited the forest. Just east of the forest and about an hour's journey away on horseback was Verdesa, a small-ish village that Steve frequented. He had previously planned to go and trade some minerals he had found for some food before returning home but, at the moment, the thought of returning home so quickly only served to bring his spirits down again. He needed a distraction.
Two guards stood just outside of the village, one leaning on a torchlit pole to the left of the path leading in as the other practically bounced around them. Steve hopped off of Markus and attached a lead to him, gently guiding the horse the rest of the way. He couldn't help but snort as he grew closer to the two, finally being able to hear their conversation.
"...and that I'd find like 15 cats just right there, ready to be taken care of. I mean I don't think I can handle 15 cats which really, really sucks, but isn't that amazing," the one bouncing, who he could now recognize as Vahn, stopped and stared off in wonder. Jason, leaning on the pole, did not seem to find the other's words very amazing at all.
"Dude, I think Gavin's screwing with you. 100%."
"Jason," Vahn replied in disbelief, snapping his head back towards Jason before continuing. "Are you telling me that after this long, you still doubt him?"
"Well, I mean, I'll be honest. It's hard to tell," Jason responded nonchalantly. "Could be coincidence, could be...just a dude with incredible foresight."
"Yeah, okay, but what he says will happen always does happen."
"Almost always. He's been off sometimes. I won't doubt his accuracy but, usually he's more vague than...whatever the hell he gave you. Come on, seriously? 15 cats. In some abandoned building."
"There's no way he's lying," Vahn replied with sincerity. "He looked me dead in the eyes and told me that it would happen, but only if I take immediate and direct action."
Jason nodded to himself a couple times, as if coming to an understanding.
"Mhm, yeah, that's code for, uuuuuh, 'Please leave me alone.' The dude looked like shit the last time we saw him, I doubt he'd wanna deal with some fanatic like you—"
"Well, y'know what? "
"Hi Jason, Vahn," Steve interrupted before an actual fight could occur, attempting to hide the fact that he'd heard the conversation. He failed, because Vahn sent him a glare and returned to the other side of the road. He decided it was better not to press on about it, and instead turned to Jason, who sighed and flashed Steve a small and knowing smile.
"Hello, Steve. Leavin' him here?"
"Yep. Thanks, as always," Steve returned the smile, offering the guard the end of the lead. He gave Markus a few reassuring pats, as well as an apple as a snack before he headed into the village. Though it was still a bit early in the morning, the town was already bustling with people running their daily errands, or simply conversing with one another. People greeted him as they passed by, which he returned kindly. It really was such a simple gesture, but he couldn't help the small smile on his face. Despite living quite a ways away from the village and not visiting as often as he probably ought to, the local residents never failed to make him feel welcome.
Steve passed by Michael and Anna's before making a right, heading down the road towards the more residential area. His eyes lingered on the library as he passed by, recalling the conversation between the two guards, and he nearly stopped to enter the building but—he'd come back after meeting with Alex.
There was a short cobblestone walkway and stairs leading to the front door of Alex's decent sized home, a flourishing garden on either side of the path. He noticed, with amusement, a small, black and white spotted rabbit nibbling on something growing out of the ground, paying no mind to him as he walked to the door and knocked. Almost immediately, the door swung open, revealing Alex on the other side, a huge smile on her face. It was as if she was expecting him to come.
"Steve! Where were you the other day, come in!"
Steve inwardly cringed as he entered the home, recalling the promise he'd made her a few days before that he would stop by and help her with...something. No, Steve was not a bad friend who'd forgotten what it was he was supposed to do and when. Alex just hadn't specified at the time what exactly "something" was, and due to a certain someone and far too much time spent trying to find Markus, he'd decided that it was just best not to come at all. He knew that, though she'd be disappointed by his absence, she would understand why things ended up as they did.
Steve prepared himself a glass of water before he flopped down onto the couch in Alex's living room, across from Alex who had already settled herself down again. She leaned forward so that her elbows rested on her knees, and her chin rested on her hands, her green eyes intently trained on him.
"So?"
It wasn't accusatory in any way, yet Steve still shifted his eyes away, opting to take a sip of water instead of speaking immediately. But he remembered Markus' disappearance, the fire in front of his home, the absolute audacity of the guy to just tell him to "leave," and suddenly he didn't mind the idea of Alex's threats of violence.
"Well. The other day…"
"I seriously don't get you, Steve. I would've at least given him a couple warning shots. To the leg."
"It's getting harder and harder for me to tell whether you're joking or not," Steve remarked dryly, knowing already that she wasn't joking. At least, not anymore. She sighed shortly, sending him a deadpan look.
"I'm serious, Steve. This is—who knows what's next? You said he'd already attacked you personally, now this?"
"He didn't really—"
"If you have to add 'really'," she made quotation marks with her fingers to emphasize her point, "then he really did attack you."
Steve took another sip.
"Look. He wants you to just leave, right?" Alex paused, averting her eyes and licking her lips. "You could just," she began, her tone softening from before. "Just for now you could stay in Verdesa—"
"Nope."
"I don't—why?"
"Well, first of all, as much as I love this place, I do enjoy the forest more," he started.
"Ah yes, your reclusive behaviors, how could I forget," Alex 'mumbled' loud enough for him to hear, a smirk on her face.
"Ha ha, I'm an introvert, sue me. Second, let's say he doesn't want me to leave and is just...some douche who wants to terrorize me for whatever reason, and I move here. Now everyone has to deal with him." He would probably benefit from the help of the town guard and knew that whatever was happening probably wasn't his fault; he understood that. Yet bringing the problem to Verdesa instead of finding a solution himself was, to him, somehow irresponsible. Alex blinked in confusion, partially echoing his thoughts.
"Um, perfect? Wouldn't that be better? He'd probably be scared off instead, right? Especially since I'm here," Alex added, and Steve couldn't help but smile briefly. He continued anyway.
"And, finally, why should I leave just because this dude wants me to?" Steve earnestly searched his palms lying in his lap, trying to recall if he had any bad encounters with anyone preceding the week before the stranger started the harassment. "As far as I know, I haven't done anything to warrant any of this…"
"I'm just worried, okay? I said it'd only be for now," Alex repeated. Steve shook his head, silently reasserting his previous answer, and so she sat back and crossed her arms.
"Alright. Fine. You're really just gonna let him do this."
"No. Not anymore," he replied nonchalantly, taking another sip of water. Alex raised an eyebrow and leaned in once more. "I was thinking about maybe giving him a couple of warning shots. To the leg."
Alex clapped and laughed for a good couple of seconds before suddenly sobering up.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
"...You want me to help? I can come help."
"Notch, Alex, I don't want to kill him!"
"Aaaaaaw," Alex whined exaggeratedly and pouted. Steve laughed and sighed.
"I'll just…" He trailed off, furrowing his eyebrows. What would he do? He shook his head and sighed once more. "Anyway. Did you do the thing that you wanted to do? What did you do, anyway?" He hoped that Alex would accept the shift in topic. She did.
"Oh, yeah. Just wanted to test out a new type of spell Beatrice taught me. Spoiler alert: It works."
"You were going to test it on me?" Steve raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, nooo, Steve! I'd just have you sit back, relax, and watch the magic show." A wink. Steve nodded before standing up, stretching his arms above his head. He took the glass he'd been drinking out of and downed the rest of its contents, returning it to the kitchen.
"Now I know why you didn't tell me what we'd be doing. Well, I'm off to the library," he said, opening the front door. "Gavin apparently isn't doing so well." He turned back and saluted to Alex, who returned the gesture.
"Good luck."
The library was his favorite place in Verdesa. How could it not be? It was quiet, for one, besides the music that constantly played throughout the establishment, just relaxing enough to get him into a focused, reading mood, yet interesting enough that he wouldn't fall asleep if he listened for too long. There were reading chairs, couches, and desks with chairs perched around in various nooks and crannies of the library, suiting the needs of both casual readers and those who may be doing research. Leave it to Gavin to create the perfect atmosphere.
Speaking of Gavin, he was nowhere to be seen. With a shrug, Steve sat in one of the many reading chairs and began flipping through the journal he'd started to read a couple days ago. He'd lost his page—not that it particularly mattered, seeing as he'd read through it a few times by now. He gave up searching after a bit, instead turning to a random page. He let out a quiet triumphant sound as he scanned over the page. It was the entry he'd been looking for. He skipped down to the second part of it.
20:21 PM
I've discovered more about the seals by spending some time by a nearby primary source of action, Blancarrine, in the tundras of Cassareth. Of course, I had to hang quite a ways back, but a kind Aetherian by the name of Tullus was happy to explain to me what it was they planned to do.
As discussed before, these locations, such as Blancarrine, which have a high degree of mob mutation and unfamiliar species spawning up, are concentrated with magic that is deadly to the Aetherians and, obviously, humans. The seals are a way to counteract the effect, by, as the name states, sealing away the source of the energy. The seals would simply keep the energy at bay, stopping it from spreading around and causing any mutation or damage to nearby areas.
Tullus explained that in order to seal the magic away, one would first need to whittle away at the population of mutated mobs surrounding these source areas. Doing so would create a weakness in the source, as well as provide enough magic for the next step, which would be the actual sealing of the magic. With the source weakened, there would be little resistance from it as the Aetherians cast a, shall I say, divine spell upon it (that's code for 'I'm not sure exactly what type of magic this is').
Careful execution as well as routine and continued maintenance of the seals should ensure that such a devastating event never occurs again.
They have yet to test the seals, but Tullus expresses confidence in the plan. I had stated before that I would be able to predict the success of the seals but, as I am not a magic user nor an Aetherian, I can't say with confidence how well the plan would work myself. I can, however, base my predictions upon what has happened thus far.
The Aetherians have done well at slaying the mutant creatures and protecting the lives of humans, but at the cost of their own lives. Many, many of them. I have no doubt that they would be able to execute at least the first part of the plan, even if they were right by a source. I am more worried about how they will go about casting the seal itself—it will take more than just one Aetherian to successfully cast it, but the probability of enough of them making it to the second part of the plan seems...scarily low. But! We've made it this far already. I want to think that they will succeed.
Starting tomorrow, Aetherians all over Cassareth will begin the execution of this plan. We here at Wright Labs will continue our efforts to help them, or at least, document the events.
In the meantime, a steaming cup of tea and a long night's sleep seems to be calling my name.
Steve made note of what page he was on before setting the journal down. He already knew the ending to this 'story' but he couldn't help rereading it over and over again. It was just so fascinating. Not for the first time ever, he wondered what it would've been like to be there during the crisis. About what kind of mobs had been terrorizing the Overworld. About the Aetherians…
"You've been awfully interested in the First Crisis lately, Steven."
It was as if his very skeleton had jumped out of his skin; he was startled so badly. Gavin all but cackled a bit too loudly for the library, though it was only the two of them at the moment, as Steve's wide eyes landed upon the bespeckled man.
"You can't keep doing this, Gavin," Steve said, placing a hand over his still racing heart. "Notch, I swear, you're like a ghost."
"Mm, I just might be," Gavin sung, cryptic as usual as he took up the now fallen journal and paged through it. Steve opened his mouth to ask how the man was doing, but Gavin shot him a quick glance and started speaking before him. "I don't blame you. I think what I find more curious than the crisis itself is the fact that it isn't something...well-known. You would think that what could very well have been the end of the world would be a more popular subject, no? Especially considering that the seals are all, supposedly, temporary, if I am remembering correctly. And yet..."
Gavin continued to speak as Steve continued to stare wide-eyed at him, no longer out of fear, but in awe. He hadn't really thought about it that way. He was pretty sure he'd only heard about the crisis from Gavin himself, otherwise it wasn't very common knowledge—nothing about the mobs, the seals, the Aetherians...well, no. He didn't attend the temple very often, but he certainly heard about "The Children of Notch" and their selfless deeds often enough.
"...suppose it's easy to not think about something that simply is not happening and has been taken care of. Anyways, why don't you take these home with you? Steve? Steven." Gavin snapped his fingers in front of Steve's face, breaking him out of his contemplative trance.
"Ah. Sorry, I-um. What were you asking?"
"Wow. Alright. I see how it is," Gavin said, sharply turning around to put the journal away. Steve reached out and gently grabbed the back of his green sweater vest, sighing softly. Gavin didn't take very kindly to being ignored.
"No, I'm sorry, I was just thinking about what you said. Really, what were you asking?" Gavin stopped and turned to Steve once more.
"Why don't you take these," he repeated, placing the journal in Steve's still outstretched hand with a bit of force to punctuate his words, "home?"
Steve furrowed his eyebrows—Gavin allowed for pretty much any other book within the library to be borrowed temporarily by customers, all except for the journals. They were very precious, and old, and full of very good information, after all. Sure, they were good friends, but that didn't explain why Gavin was, rather calmly, he had to note, just offering to let him have them all of a sudden.
"I-I couldn't—"
"You could, but you won't, that's alright," Gavin said, taking the book out of Steve's hand and turning to walk away once more. The look of confusion still didn't leave Steve's face, and he stood to firmly grab Gavin's arm before he could leave again. He was met with a bit of resistance.
"Gavin…" Steve started slowly. "You're acting strange."
"I am?" Gavin continued to try to pull away.
"Seriously, you– Jason said that you weren't well the last time he saw you, is that why—"
"I have a bad feeling, Steven," Gavin stated simply, the previously sing-song tone of his voice turning into something empty and cold. The music flowing about the library seemed to echo this sentiment, dying out slowly into nothing. Chills crawled up Steve's spine. He slowly let go of Gavin, who drew himself a few steps away from Steve. "Had, more like. You plan to do something tonight?" It was less a question than a declaration of fact, a different question hidden beneath it. Steve opened his mouth to answer but found he was unsure. He closed it, and then tried again.
"Y-Yes?"
Gavin slowly turned to Steve again and stared at the floor, allowing the silence of the library to fill the space between them. It was then that Steve noticed that the whites of Gavin's eyes were a bit red, that his eyes had sunken in a bit and that he was developing nasty eyebags, that he was just so incredibly pale. It was a wonder how the man hadn't just dropped into one of the couches and passed out for days. Steve almost recommended him to sleep out loud, anything to break away from the terrible feeling hanging over them, but he was unable to speak. After what felt like an eternity, Gavin drew a deep breath in and exhaled it slowly, his icy blue gaze finally meeting Steve's over the lenses of his glasses.
"Try not to do anything regrettable, Steven."
And with that, the man trudged to someplace unseen by Steve, who bolted out of the library as soon as he was sure that the librarian was gone.
Phew. And so it begins, my friends.
