Past events. Woo.

You don't get any updates in the present just yet :)

Chapter image is of Roxanne

Soft laughter rose from a young duo, a boy, with rusty hair and minty colored eyes, dressed in a white vest and greyed-red undershirt, and a girl, with short brunette hair and blue eyes, dressed in a plaid shirt tied at her chest, short white undershirt, and thick-rimmed glasses, who were walking on the side of a gravel road. Their hands were clasped together, swinging as they walked. The girl had her head resting on her partner's shoulder, simply listening to the sounds of nature. It was perfect out here. The village was a beautiful place, surrounded by nature, and far from the rule of the Empire. They were free, and they lived peacefully. She could not ask for more in her life.

He led her up to the front door of a spruce wood house, taking his hand away from her's. He picked it back up into his hand, and briefly pressed his lips to them. " Till we meet again, m'lady, " he joked. She laughed. " How romantic, Hagan. "

" I do try, Roxanne. " She pouted. " It's Roxy, Hogie. Roxy. Not Roxanne. That's to formal. " Hogan chuckled. " Okay, Roxy. " He leaned in and kissed her cheek. She smiled. " Three months left, " she murmured. He gave a slight nod. " Seems so far away still... " He agreed.

Someone cleared their throat behind them. The couple turned to see another young woman, older than the duo, with sandy hair, wearing a white and blue dress with a crown of flowers around her head. Like Roxy, she had blue eyes, though her's were darker. The blonde crossed her arms. " Are you two finished yet? " Roxy huffed. " You're just jealous, Sage, that I'm going to be married before you will. " Sage snorted. " Jealous? Of you? I'd rather face off against Notch than fall in love with Hogan. " The red-head feigned shock. " Sage! How could you say such hurtful things? " He raised a hand to his forehead, acting like he was about to faint. " Oh, I can't even fathom how much that hurts... " he leaned on Roxanne's shoulders. " Tell her to stop being so mean, Roxy... "

The brunette was laughing, hand clasped over her mouth. Sage rolled her eyes. " Get going, Hagen. You aren't my brother-in-law yet. " He shook his head, and kissed Roxy's cheek again. " See ya, love. " She smiled and hugged him. " Bye! " She watched him walk off down the road, towards his own home.

Behind Roxy, Sage sighed. " I don't know how you ever fell for a man like him, Roxanne... " She turned to face her older sister. " You would never understand, Sage. You've never been in love before like I have. " She retorted. Sage huffed, and stepped back inside. Roxy laughed, and followed her.

She pushed past Sage, heading into her room. She closed the door, and walked over to her bed, falling onto her back. She raised her hand up towards the ceiling. Sun filtering in through the open window caught on the band of silver around her finger. She sighed quietly, a small smile forming on her face. " Three months, love...then we can be together. " She murmured. She lay there for a while, then sat back up, glancing out the window. The sun was starting to set, casting an orange glow across the town. Roxy pulled down her window, and closed her curtains. She was glad she had eaten while out with Hogan, so she didn't have to leave her room again tonight. She just wanted to stay in for the night.

She went back to her bed, reaching over to her bedside table and pulling out a small box. Roxy opened up the small lid, and out poured a stack of cards. She slid four cards; aces, out of the deck, making sure to avoid the edges, and sat them aside. They weren't real cards; they were very thin metal, and designed to resemble the real aces tucked away. But they werefar from being cards. They were weapons; throwing stars in rectangle form. She always kept the four of them together, and knew exactly where she kept them in the deck, so if she ever needed them, she would always have them on her.

Roxy set to work shuffling the deck, when someone knocked on her door,the. Opened it. She looked up. Sage stood in the doorway, already dressed in her pajamas. " Mind if I join you in some card games? " She asked. The brunette nodded, and patted a spot in front of her. She walked over and sat down, legs hanging off the bed. " What game do you want to play? " Roxanne asked. Her older sister thought for a moment. " ... Still have your chips? " Roxy snorted. " Wanting to put yourself even farther in debt to me, are you? " She teased. Sage crossed her arms. " I'm in food debt. That's not that bad. Besides, I've been practicing with Viola. I have a feeling I'll finally start putting you in the ground as well. " The younger shrugged. " If you say so. " She leaned over to her bedside table and pulled out a small bag with wooden poker chips in it. " Let's play. "

Both girls had eventually passed out after playing for a few hours, lying on top of the chips and cards. Roxy's head was resting on her sisters' back, who's own head was off the bed. The lights were still on.

In the quiet of the night, a loud explosion rocked the town. The ebony sky gleamed orange as flames rose, grey smoke with it. Both sisters jerked awake, Sage almost falling off the bed in her shock.

Roxy sat up, eyes wide. Her heart was pounding. " What was that...? " She whispered. Her sister, equally as scared, grabbed her hand. " Come on. We need to get Mom and Dad. This could be bad. " Sage pulled her out of the room, almost running into their parents, who stood outside. Their mother immediately pulled them into a hug. " Oh, girls, everything is going to be okay... " She murmured. " Get outside. " Their father ordered. " Wherever this fire is, it could spread to our home quick, and I don't want any of you getting hurt. " Their mother nodded, and pulled away from her daughters, pulling them outside. Their father followed.

He stepped away, watching the smoke and bright orange flames rising in the sky. " Wouldn't surprise me if one of Jackson's boys started it...probably Daniel, trying to show off to his newest girlfriend... " He muttered. Their mother rolled her eyes. " It could have been an accident, Lane. Don't assume things. " He sighed. " I'm going to go check it out, you three get some where s- " " Dad! Look out! " Roxanne screamed, as a ball of fire was sent towards the family. Sage tackled her sister to the ground as the fireball struck, and the ground below them exploded, sending the family off in different directions. Smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe around them.

Sage moaned, pushing herself off of her sister. Her arms hurt. She looked around, searching for her parents through the grey, ashy clouds. The blonde could not find them. She raised her head towards the sky, trying to find the source of where the explosives were coming from. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Above their small town, highlighted by the orange gleam of the fires, was a man. His skin was a greyed-tan color, speckled with small, pale marks and covered in old burn scars. She winced at those. She remembered how Abalaine, a member of their town, had gotten scars similar to that in a mining accident; fell halfway into lava, burned the whole side of her. Long, wild black hair stuck out on his head, falling over his eyes. His clothes were torn and burned, looking to desperately be in need of being replaced.

Then there were his eyes. One was blue. It was a pretty color, more on the teal side than a light indigo shade, similar to her sister's. They had a faint yellow tint to it, from the flames reaching up to his height. The other eyes, however, was a whole different story. They were pure white, lacking an iris and a pupil. It gleamed brightly, more than any normal eye should.

Realization struck Sage. She remembered that eye, from stories she'd been told as a child. Of the youngest god, and the third creator of their realm, and how he'd attempted to kill his siblings, and take their realms for himself. He had failed, and was sealed away for eternity by his eldest sibling and brother, Notch, the god of life. She knew they were more than just stories, that he truly existed, but...he should still be locked away in the nether. He could not be out. Her heart beat faster. None of them stood a chance against a god...!

Focus, Sage. Save your sister.

She pulled herself over to the brunette, who did not appear to be conscious. She shook her shoulders. Roxy moaned quietly, not getting up. " Come on, Roxs...we have to go. " Sage hissed. The younger girl did not respond. Panic began to set in, knowing her sister could have gotten badly hurt. The blonde knelt down, hauling her left arm around her shoulders. She got back to her feet, and started quickly pulling her away from the steadily moving fire, and towards the wide spruce forest close by, praying the man would not follow them.

At the edge of the woods, she looked back towards her city. It was engulfed in flames. Buildings were on the grounds, some were collapsing in on themselves, and the ones who weren't were slowly following them. She could not ignore the cries rising from the city she had loved, the people, as young as infants, who would never get their chance at life. Who had had it torn away from them in only one night.

Her parents were among them. She just knew it. Her parents, the man who was supposed to be her brother-in-law, Viola, May, Dean, everyone she'd loved and cared about. She and Roxanne should have been among them. They should be dead. She was not going to let the chance they had been giving go to waste.

She stepped into the woods, pulling her sister along with her. Their hardship was only just beginning.

" Sage...Sage, please... " A broken plea rose from a young girl. She collapsed onto the ground next to a blonde, who was laying curled on the ground. The older woman weakly raised her head to look at the brunette next to her. She gave her a tiny smile. " It's...it's going to be alright, Roxy. " She whispered.

Roxy shook her head. " No, it's not! " She cried. " Don't say it will be, because it won't! You need to get up. Please. I can't do this without you. " She reached over and shook Sage. " Please... "

Her sister stared at her a few moments longer, then broke down into a violent coughing fit. She had gotten sick over the past few months, and it had only gotten worse and worse. Roxanne had planned to stop at the next village they came across, to get medicine for her. Even without money, she would have found a way. But she had been too late. With Sage getting so bad, they had not moved as fast as they needed.

Her sister was dying because she had not gotten her the help she needed in time.

She reached out and gently rubbed her sister's back. The attack faded, and, after a few minutes, Sage raised her head to look up at her. " Stay...w-with me...? " she rasped. Roxanne shakily nodded, and took one of her pale, thin hands in her own scarred, torn ones. She gently squeezed it, tears streaming down her face. " I'll stay with you till...till you leave t-to meet Notch. I promise. "

Sage smiled again, then coughed again. She started gagging. Roxy started rubbing her back once more, a sob rising in her throat. The blonde took a deep breathe, her lungs burning. " Roxy... "

The brunette stared at her sister, blinking to clear away some of the blurriness. " Y-yes? " she whispered, clutching onto her hand even tighter than before. Her sister looked at her a few moments, before speaking. " Roxy...I l-love you. D-do...don't ever for-forget that. " Roxanne wailed quietly, raising one of her hands to her mouth to muffle the noise.

" Sage, I...I love you too. I always will, even when you're gone. " Sage's green gaze never left her sister's own soft turquoise ones. Even as they began clouding over, and her eyelids began to slide shut. Even as the light in the green orbs disappeared, and she went limp. Roxy stayed at her side, sobbing weakly. Her sister, the only person she had left of her family, was dead. She was completely and utterly alone.

She shakily pushed herself to her feet. She would not bury her sister. Not in the ground. She would not have wanted that. She reached down, grabbing her under her arms, and started stumbling back. She knew there was a river behind them. That was where Roxy needed to be.

She looked over her shoulder, and barely stopped herself from falling into the waters, which were very deep. She sniffled again, and laid her sister down. She slowly knelt next to her again. She smoothed down her torn, muddy skirt, and dusted off the top of her dress. A few grey spots appeared on the white cloth, from the tears continuously dripping down her cheeks. She gently brushed through her tangled blonde hair, getting her fingers caught in the dirty strands. She straightened her flower crown, which was missing quite a few of its flowers. It was all she could do to make her sister look pretty for the last time.

She lifted her under her shoulders again, pulling her closer to the quickly-moving waters. After a lot of manure ring and adjustments, the younger girl managed to lower her sister into the water. She watched through blurry, tear filled eyes as her sister sank in the deep blue-green waters, quickly losing sight of her best friend, her only companion. The only constant she had had left.

Roxy stayed by the waters edge, sobbing into her hands. She knew she'd follow her sister soon. Someone in her condition would never make it far. She had been lucky to survive this long. She knew it should be her sentenced to a watery grave. Sage would have had a chance at making it out alive. At having a chance at a future, if there was ever a way to stop the god. Roxanne would never get anywhere.

She stayed there for hours, only snapping out of her stupor when she felt a cold sting on her nose. She looked up, and felt more icy droplets on her face. It was raining. And, by the looks of the rapidly blackening sky, it was going to get worse.

Her time for mourning was over. She had to get to shelter, or she would be in a grave too before the day was done with.

The brunette shakily rose to her feet, grabbing the walking stick Sage had carved for her over the course of the first months of their second year traveling. She caught her balance, then began limping off, dragging behind her a twisted, burn-scarred, and mangled foot.

She would not fail the person who'd done so much so that she would have q chance at survival out here. Even if her chances were bleak. She had to try.

For Sage.

So...there's that. Sorry if it's not what you expected from when I came back from my break. I wanted to make more, but...I felt this was a good place to end it

How often to haunted OCs have some sort of psychical Injury that actually will slow them down, or make problems? Basically never. So there, Roxy will be one of the first. It wasn't originally there, but...it is now.

I got really drained, and had to take a break. Also, I got into other fandoms. I love Overwatch, started drawing my own OC more, and started watching Avatar: The last Airbender, so yeah. In love with that show, it's the best. Lloyd is quickly being replaced as small child tho. He is becoming not so small child now...

Sorry for the wait ^^; I promise I'll get back to he plot next chapter. The mercenaries make another appearance there! :D

We will return to our scheduled programming next chapter

Keep on mining, my mineshafters!

-CaptainBat