Dark: Hey guys, we're back with chapter one!

It started out as a small noise, like the sound of leaves in the breeze or clothing rustling as you move. But then it became more noticeable, more distinguished. What had once been a drop of water into the pond of awareness became a waterfall, crashing into unwary ears and tumbling through minds unprepared for such onslaught-

The boy woke with a start, his breathing erratic and out of control. He slid out of bed, the blanket falling to the floor. He ignored it, his mind still wide awake in unknown fright, and yet still too far into sleep to register what was around him.

It was that strange feeling of still being in a dream, an unknown terror driving your body forward. He stumbled forward blindly, seeking only to run from whatever this curious horror was that kept its suffocating grip upon him. Purple eyes still unseeing, the boy tripped over the staff that had been leaning against the wall and was sent sprawling across the carpeted ground.

That was all it took to end the spell.

He looked around him, remembering where he was. The red bed sheet was in a crumpled pile on the floor beside his bed. There was a painting on the wall depicting a sunset, or maybe it was a sunrise, the colours peaceful and serene. The familiarity of it all calmed him, and his heartbeat slowed down to an even pace.

The boy picked himself up off the ground, still gripping the staff. He looked at it, running a hand along its cool, metallic surface. The thrum of energy coursing through the wires underneath the hard shell was comforting, and he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"That must have been one crazy dream." He smiled in mild amusement and set the staff back in its place against the wall before picking the rumpled sheets off the floor. After a moment's hesitation, he remade the bed, smoothing the sheets until there was no trace of their earlier abuse.

Once that was done, the boy walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face, trying to wash the sleepiness away. The water slowly dripped down his face and splattered against the cold tile as he studied his reflection, seeing the dark circles under his dulled purple eyes. His hair was a mess, but that could easily be remedied. What was of more pressing concern was the lack of sleep showing on his face. He smiled at the mirror, trying to look cheerful and alert. But the sharp fangs showed, and gave him the appearance of some deranged monster. He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, and tried again. There. That looks normal.

He grabbed the wooden comb and ran it through his black locks, quickly taming the unruly mess. Once that was taken care of, he walked over to the chest by his bed and opened it, digging through the cloth there for something to wear.

He stepped onto the street with a smile on his face and his staff holstered on his back. The sun shone down brightly, reflecting off the diorite roads. The boy looked around him, noticing the general absence of life.

He began walking down the street as he hummed cheerfully, enjoying the quiet that came in the early hours of the morning. After a habitual check for danger, he stuck his hands in the pockets of his hoodie and headed towards the nearest practice range.

The walk was uneventful, the streets lit by only the rising sun. The peacefulness of it all was uncommon, but that seemed to make it even more beautiful. There was no one to tell you what to do, where to go, who to fight, what to get...there was no voices other than his own, but he didn't dare break the silence. So that was how he traveled through the empty streets, surrounded by the blissful quiet.

When he arrived, the practice range wasn't as empty as the residential area had been. Two boys were relaxing there, breaking the silence with occasional words or the flipping of a page. The one with bright blue hair looked up from rifle he'd been polishing, a grin breaking across his face. "Jason!"

Jason raised an eyebrow at his friend, noting that they seemed to have been waiting for him. "Hey Aaron. What's up?"

The boy jumped up from his sitting position, the rifle laying forgotten on the ground. He walked up to Jason and flung an arm over his shoulder dramatically. "What is up, you ask? Why the sky above us is what lies in the air! But the real question is, what lies ahead on this long and arduous journey of life?"

He sighed, pushing Aaron away. "No, seriously. I know you guys have something planned."

Aaron smirked, stepping away to face him as he crossed his arms. "You're astute as ever, you know that? Anyways, we'll give you a rundown of the details, but you're coming with us whether you like it or not."

Jason raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyways. "Alright. Go on."

The blue haired boy turned to look at the only one who hasn't been introduced. "Connor?"

He looked up from his book with a piercing blue-eyed glare, but once the message had gotten across, his gaze softened. With deliberate slowness, he placed a bookmark on the page and shut the story with a loud snap. Connor rose to his feet and walked toward them. "Your anti-social behavior has been worrying us, and that it's about time you met a girl or two. You're coming with us to the Captive Creeper tonight." He spoke with a tone that wasn't to be opposed, his every movement deliberate and timed to make his point. "Be there at sundown."

Jason blinked, unsure of whether he should argue or not. He didn't have any interest in 'getting hooked up', but they had a point about his lack of social interaction. The extent of his communication lately had been them and the Tech General. "Okay..."

Aaron grinned. "Brilliant! Now then, we'll see you there!" He turned and picked up his rifle, twirling it several times before holstering it. "C'mon Connor. We can go now."

Connor opened up his book and began walking away, keeping his eyes glued to the page. After a moment, Aaron followed him. Before they exited the practice range, he turned and waved to Jason. "I'd love to stay and watch you practice, but we're up for guard duty soon. See yah!"

The boy watched them leave with a slight smile, amused by their antics. Once they were out of sight, he turned back to the facility before him and pulled out his staff. The targets scattered throughout the field used as the practice range were iron golems, since their thick metal was harder to destroy than other targets. The fences prevented them from leaving or attacking someone who didn't want to be attacked, but other than that, they were free to move about.

Staff in hand, Jason leaped over the fence. The golems ignored him for the moment, but that would change the moment he began the attack.

The staff vibrated in his hands as power flowed from the power crystal. With a touch of his mind, he toggled the staff onto fireball mode and aimed at the nearest golem. Another mental push, and energy shot out of the staff in the form on an explosion, blasting the golem with flames. Another shot turned the mechanical creature to slag.

The golems nearest to him began to approach, their long arms swinging ominously. Jason spun around to face them, switching the staff to lightning mode before bringing it downward. The moment the base touched the ground, lightning struck in front of him, sending the golems flying backwards. He sent off three fireballs in rapid succession to finish them off before turning to face a new pair that was coming up on his side. He waved the staff and sent gravel blocks crashing into them, knocking the golems over through sheer force.

By now, he had garnered the rest of the golems' attention, and they swarmed towards him. He paused in his attack to glance around, taking mental note of the number he had destroyed and the amount still functional and active. He had only used a quarter of his energy so far, and obliterated at least five of the creatures in a matter of minutes. Wizards would no doubt be harder than these golems, but this had been enough destruction. The golems were only replenished at night, and there would be others coming here to train throughout the day.

One of the golems had gotten close while Jason had been lost in his thoughts, and now it smashed a solid iron fist into the distracted programmer. Except, he wasn't there when the golem would have made contact.

Jason smiled as he watched the creature look about in confusion, wondering where its target had gone. After a few minutes of searching, the golems exited attack mode and began wandering aimlessly again. He stood and stretched, feeling the wind in his hair. Then he turned and flipped off the tree, landing on the ground with the grace of a gymnast.

He sighed, glancing up at the sun. There was still plenty of daylight, and his own job was to serve as defense against a wizard attack. The council had decided to avoid putting him on guard duty because of it, trying to keep him as their 'secret weapon'. As these thoughts ran through Jason's head, he turned his feet toward the walls of the city.

By the time he reached the heavily-defended edge, there were people everywhere. A young girl ran by him as he approached the guard stationed by the gates, and he smiled slightly. Then the guard noticed him and gave a stiff salute. "What do you need?"

Jason saluted back, seeing the recognition in the man's eyes. "I'd like to go outside the walls. Just for a hundred ticks or so."

The guard nodded and whistled. After a moment, the iron blocks parted. Jason silently thanked the guard and walked through, stepping out into a forest as the gates closed behind him.

He'd been wandering about for at least 50 ticks when a flash of light caught his attention. Jason narrowed his eyes, and approached the source stealthily. He reached the top of a small hill and looked downwards, spotting the source of the flash.

A girl was standing in the middle of a clearing, her black hair cascading down her shoulders. A wooden staff was held in her hands, a pair of vines twining along its length. Her arms were bare except for a piece of cloth wrapped around one bicep, but before he could see any details about it, she turned sideways to face a creeper. There was a violet glow, and then she sent magical shards into the mob's body, killing it.

She was a wizard.

Dark: Thanks to RebelWingsProduction97 for favouriting, following, and submitting two OCs. I've gone over it and edited them to fit into the story, so they might be slightly different from what you expected.

Wolf: Thanks to MetaCrisisDR for submitting another pair of OCs, and also bringing up a very good point. PEOPLE WHO POSTED AN OC ON THE ORIGINAL STORY WILL NEED TO RESUBMIT! Yes, we can access them, but we don't technically have permission to use them, and Dark does not want to have ANY issues.

Dark: Indeed. Thank you AwesomeCoolGuy5 for following, and final thanks to MaskedGamer for following and submitting an OC! Weapons that aren't a normal part of Minecraft will be included, so Neil can have his spear. And MetaCrisisDR, thank you for giving me the rest of the info needed for your characters.

Wolf: And I think that's all for now!

Jason: *coughs*

Dark: Right. Thank you. Jason does not belong to me, he belongs to WizardOfEnder007. Neither does Katie. And Minecraft belong to Mojang, Notch belongs to himself.

Wolf: Done yet?

Dark: Yes. Have a good Chinese New Year, and we'll see you next chapter!