Chapter 12

Heart And Soul

A witch cackled somewhere outside.

Aiden looked over his shoulder, relieved that the magical maniac hadn't followed him into the small entrance.

Fighting a potion throwing witch in tight unstable quarters wasn't ideal.

Aiden carefully ducked a broken beam, using his hand as gentle support to ensure it didn't decide to drop on his head at that very moment. The burnt wood left ash on his fingers. He brushed it off on his jeans, disgusted with himself.

If there was a way to build a time machine and warn his younger self that destroying Sky City would kick him in the ass later on, he'd do it. But then again his ass of a younger self wouldn't listen probably. So Sky City was stuck as it was, a husk of its former glory and Aiden struggling to get inside.

Aiden moved into Isa's ex- library. He kept an eye out for spawns in the dark from and slowly made his way to the first desecrated bookshelf...

Aiden had been at his regular lunch with Isa when he brought up the update on Jesse and the gang, "So Lukas says the First is a really big deal in that world and he-"

Isa set down her cup of tea, "Wait did you sat the 'First' as in the Immortal? Notch's first human?" she asked.

Aiden looked at her funny, "You too huh? Yeah why?" he frowned, "Do you seriously think the Immortal is real?"

"Well...I have - had, books." Isa said slowly. "A Journal actually. It was a collection of notes and entries. Someone left them on my doorstep one night. I don't know who. But I could feel like they were important. I know that sounds like complete balderdash, but I could just feel it. They were full of lore and tales of Notch. Some of them were even about the First and the other Immortal."

"Other? Do you mean the Healer?"

"No...a different one." she sighed and waved her hand, "I never finished reading it. But I kept them in a hidden chamber within my main library. It was my private collection so to speak, something the rest of the town didn't know about. I unfortunately was never able to finish as I said before."

"What happened to them?"

"I lost them when Sky City fell. I didn't want to burden you - of don't be sorry Aiden please- I didn't want to burden your friends with finding such trival things such as books when we need food and shelter."

Aiden sighed, "I'm the reason Sky City burned to begin with Isa. You should have told me."

"They're just books Aiden..." she soothed.

Aiden thought for a moment, pondering over a tugging sensation in his gut, "Yes, but you did say they felt important." he looked at her, "Where is the secret room located?"

"One, two, three, four..." Aiden mumbled, running his hands along the former libraries shelve. The fires had done quite a number on the place. The wood was burnt and bent and most of the books had been reduced to ash.

"Eight."

Aiden stopped and gently pulled the select charred knob that one served as a decoration for the once lavish bookshelf. But it was more than a knob as he had just learned from Isa, it was the door entrance to the hidden library.

There was a click, then a soft pop.

Aiden pulled again.

The sudden movement of air currents sent dust and soot drifting everywhere. He covered his mouth with his spare hand, careful not to inhale. Last thing he needed was a coughing attack to alert all the spawns he was in the building.

The bookshelf slid away from the wall, it scuffed painfully loud against the wood floor. The ground once polished and smooth was now rough and uneven, the shelf barely able to move across it. Aiden assumed it probably once moved like clockwork, and probably looked seamless. He had seen some of Isa construction designs, and honestly did believe that she built Sky City up to be effective as can be.

With a effort and a heavy grunt, Aiden managed to get the secret door open just enough. He squeezed through the small opening, having to suck in his gut just to fit.

"Come on, come on!"

The witch laughed again, Aiden swore she was closer.

"Come one!"

Then with a deep breath followed by a massive exhales, Aiden pushed. He squeezed past the wood, feeling his body compressed for the briefest of seconds, before he stumbled into the hidden library.

He was in.

He quickly closed the door behind him, careful not to let it lock. He didn't need spawns walking in here while he rummaged.

Aiden lit a torch. The secret room held up significantly better than the rest of the floating island. The fires had been stooped short on the iron support beams leaving only the edges of the walls burned. It was a lovely room, with two comfy chairs, and plush carpet. There were only three bookshelves. But they were large and packed to the brim with volumes of books, with varying degrees of size and thickness. There had to at least be a hundred, at minimum...

Isa's private collection.

She obviously kept them well maintained and organized. Everything was alphabetized and she even marked title less ones with her own labels for future study.

Aiden walked over, nearly snagging his foot on the old carpet. Grumbling at his clumsiness, he reached the books and leaned in. Not too close though. No point in the books surviving only to be burnt by his own torch.

Aesop's Fables.

Brimstone and Fire.

Dracula.

Grimm's Fairy Tales

King Solomon's Mines.

War of the Worlds.

It just keeps going , Aiden thought.

He pulled War of the Worlds off the shelf, pausing briefly to blow the dust off the front. He was disgusted at the sight of the gruesome art on the cover. Humans were struggling in vain against monstrous creatures in horrid devices that Aiden didn't recognize.

Was this someone's history?

He quickly put the book back and resumed his search. He pulled off a book with Isa's labeling on it, "Maybe this is-" he flipped open the book and froze. Aiden was a fast reader and the contents on the page were quickly absorbed, "Oh gross! Why the hell does she have this?!" he slammed the cover shut and looked at Isa's label.

Fifty Shades of Grey. It was followed by the side note - (What is this deplorable literature? Burn as soon as wood is plentiful. I'd throw it off, but winter is coming and we need something for warmth. This will have to do.)

Aiden threw the book over shoulder, knowing Isa wouldn't mind.

He kept on looking, more careful to read the labels this time around.

No journal...

Aiden stepped back, confused. Had Isa misplaced it somehow?"

Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted it. A golden glint, on the spine of a leather bound book, it rested alone on one of the dusty love seats on the opposite side of the chamber.

Could it be?

He hurried across the room and picked it up. It was old, at least parts of it anyway the pages ranged from faded yellow to a cleaner white. But the whole thing was surprisingly well put together and for the most part in excellent condition. There was faded print on the spine, it could have been a name at one point. Aiden turned to look at the cover, it simply stated: The Creation. Isa's notes on the inside of the hard cover left little information on what it was about.

Is this actual documentation or some story teller's fantasy? Will analyze.

Aiden flipped open the book, it was thick and heavy. Lots of writing contained on the inside...

Aiden was immediately drawn in by the flowing script. He sat down on the love seat and mounted the torch on the table. His mind briefly pulled away from the tension of the spawns.

In the beginning, there was only Notch...

Lukas drew back his bow, and fired.

It hit the target, and missed the center by about a foot.

"Shoot."

"Oh don't be that way. You're not a bad shot,"

Lukas jumped, turning sharply to see Alex casually leaning against the back porch railing. She had her own bow and a quiver full of arrows around her hip, "You've got the right posture and everything," she said.

Lukas blushed, "Um, thanks. Uh...I'm sorry, was I not suppose to use these?" he pointed at the targets. "I just thought I'd practice.

Alex looked at them, "Wouldn't be much use for them if we didn't."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Alex stepped off the porch, "Of course, it's not just the archer, the weapon is important too, and "she stuck out her hand," May I?"

Lukas passed it to her, "Sure,"

The female inspected it, running her fingers along the grain, "Did you make this?"

"No, I took it from a Skeleton Archer."

"Not the best make then,"

"Haha, no not really." he laughed.

"You've taken good care of it though." she inspected. "I can see that you put a lot of time an effort into repair."

"Thanks."

Alex handed it back, "I always believe that the things you make yourself and for others have a special touch to them. The more heart and soul you put into your work, the finer it will be."

"Did you make yours?"

"I did," she gave it to him.

Lukas ran his fingers along the fine grained wood. Alex had made it beautifully, from the curve of the weapon, all the way down to the intricate carvings in the handle. "It's amazing," he smiled, "What wood is this?"

"Madagascar Rosewood," Alex explained, "The tree can only be found on one island here in this world. I'm sure it's abundant somewhere else. But I can only find it on the island here. It's the finest wood I've found so far for bows. Just enough bend, and plenty of power."

"And the string?"

Sinew and rawhide."

"Impressive," Lukas handed it back, "Did you craft it or..."

"Hand carved," Alex said proudly. "This one is fairly new; I haven't broken it in yet."

"I must have taken you forever to make it,"

"About two month's yes." she paused, and then handed it back out, "Would you like to try it?"

Lukas's eyes went wide, "Are you sure? I couldn't-"

"Yeah, give it a shot! You're about the same height as me, it should fit you perfectly."

He slowly took it, "Thanks,"

Alex dropped the quiver next to him, the flat bottom keeping the bag upright, "Don't forget to breath," she smiled.

Lukas reached down and pulled out an arrow- "Are these diamond arrowheads?!"

"Yes."

"Where did you get these?!"

"I made them," the adult female simply stated. "They can be reused as many times as a diamond sword, and as long as you don't lose the target you killed them with, you can retrieve them."

"That's amazing Alex! And they're enchanted." Lukas looked at her, "What enchantment did you put on them?"

"Oh..." she looked off, "They hurt evil things..." she returned her gaze to him, "Give it a shot."

"You have a lot of time on your hands to make these," he laughed.

"Eh," she grinned and shrugged, "More than most I guess."

Lukas notched an arrow and drew the string back, immediately feeling the power in the resistance. He released, the arrow shooting across the hundred foot clearing in seconds, so fast it didn't even whistle. It embedded itself into the target; it went deep enough to go half way up the shaft.

He whistled but frowned as he noticed how far away from the bull's-eye he was. "It's strong. But I still can't aim apparently."

"Am I making you tense?" Alex asked instead of acknowledging his statement.

"Huh?"

"You need to relax, am I am making you tense up?"

"N-no," he stammered out, "I'm fine it's just..."

Alex tilted her head.

Lukas blushed, "Okay so maybe I'm trying to show off. You and Steve are a little...eh," he looked away, "Intimidating. I mean when I first met your husband he killed a fifteen foot plus high spider and then just acted like he squashed a little gnat-"

Alex burst into a fit of laughter, "I'm glad you got a better first impression than I did!"

Lukas looked at her confused.

The ginger smiled. She scooped down and grabbed Lukas's bow, "We'll keep practicing and I'll tell you about about." she grabbed an arrow and drew back, "When I first met my husband...I shot him in the ass."

"What?!"

"Yep, mistook him for a zombie. His own damn fault for wearing blue and green..."

One shot turned into two, two to ten, ten to dozens and so on. And Lukas found himself at ease listening to Alex's tales, recalling her adventures and the things she did before she met Steve.

They kept shooting arrows, and soon Lukas was telling his own stories. Alex was a good shot, hitting the bulls eye or close to it almost everytime. But he never really was bothered by it. He was too busy having fun. They kept it up for an hour, maybe two, pausing only to retrieve their arrows and go again.

"...And then..." Lukas laughed, "After telling me nothing interesting happened. A giant fifty foot python appears outside his kitchen window!"

Alex laughed, "I wish I could have seen his face!"

"It was priceless!" he grinned releasing his arrow.

"Bulls-eye," Alex said.

Lukas actually took notice of the target then, the last dozen or so shots had all hit center.

"See? Relaxed. Someone once taught me the best way to relax is to think about good and pleasant things, things that sooth you. Always think positive, even in battle or hard times."

Lukas smiled, "Thanks Alex," he said, "I... I had a really good time today. It was," he looked at the bow, "It was nice to be happy for a change."

The female smiled, "I'm glad, I had a lot of fun too. Now" she pointed to the woods, "Could you shoot the zombie on the other side of the wall for me please? That's where my raspberries are and I rather not have him trample them."

"Sure," confidant Lukas finds his target and fires.

Someone yelps.

Lukas nearly drops the bow, as Steve hops the stone wall holding the arrow, "Alex!" he hollers.

"What were you doing back there?" Alex hollers back.

"Getting raspberries for dinner! Like you asked!" he steamed.

On the other side of the wall, Jesse starts laughing.

"I'm so, so, so, so sorry!"Lukas panics, "Oh Notch! I didn't know it was you! I-I'm sorry!"

Steve points the arrow at him, "That was you?"

Alex burst into a fit of giggles. "We thought you were a zombie hun. Quit wearing green a blue please."

Steve let's out an exasperated huff, and then look Lukas up and down, "Good shot," he says. Before he stabs the arrow into the target and returns back over the wall.

"I could have killed him!" Lukas squeaked.

"He's just being dramatic," Alex said, crossing the clearing to grab the arrows. "Relax. Let's go wash up for dinner and laugh about it later okay?"

"...Kay," Lukas extends the bow as she refills the quiver. "Here, you go."

Alex looks up at the wooden bow, "Keep it," she says.

"What?!"

Alex picks up the skeleton bow, "You broke it in,"

"I couldn't-" Lukas protests.

Alex held up her hand, "You got a long road ahead of you Lukas. I want to know you are armed with something that will keep you safe." She points at the arrow hole riddled targets, "I know you can use it, and I know it won't break. And that gives me comfort. Please, keep it."

Lukas looks at the bow then back at Alex, "Thank you."

She pats him on the shoulder, "You're welcome..." then turns and goes towards the house.

Lukas lingers, looking at the carefully made bow and arrows. He can feel the truth in Alex's words. Her heart and soul vibrates through every fiber of her work of art and she gave it to him. Lukas, feeling a overwhelming sense of emotion, pulls his gifts close, and follows her into the house.

"Can you get the last basket?" Steve calls.

"How many raspberries do we need?" Jesse laughs as he jumps off the porch.

"A lot," Steve says, "This is the last batch before winter sets in an Alex likes to can. You don't mind do you?"

Jesse walks backwards away from the house, "You just don't want to get shot at again do you?"

Steve grins and disappears into the house.

Smiling Jesse turns and dashes around the wall, scooping up the last basket of sweet smelling fruit. He takes a moment to look around, admiring the sunset, and the amazing 'First' world around him. He takes a deep breath.

I wish Olivia and Axel could see this, he thinks. Maybe will stop by here with Ivor when he gets better? I'm sure he'd love it here.

"Jesse! Hey!"

He turns, just in time to see Petra jogging up, a basket in hand, "Hey Petra, did you get all the stuff Steve sent you to get already?"

"Yeah, everyone in town is really helpful," Petra lifted the lid, "They all want to make sure were comfortable while we search. The baker lady gave me a pie," she laughed.

"That's awesome!"

"I have good news," she beamed.

"What?"

"Do you remember Brine?" Petra says.

Jesse paused, "The old man who helped you and Lukas and accidentally sent you into a spider's nest?"

"Yep, well water under the bridge!" Petra says happily, "Cause I ran into him outside of town and guess what?"

"What?" Jesse asks.

Petra is smiling, "He might have a way to get us home,"

"Seriously! How!"

"He says he found a book on the Immortal's Gate."

Next Time On MCSM Immortal's Child:

"Jesse watch out!"

The Enderman flew out of the bushes like a screeching nightmare, and Jesse was on the ground before he knew what had truly hit him. The breath was easily snatched from his lungs.

"Jesse!" Petra and Lukas cried.

The Enderman glared down at him with smoldering purple eyes, his fists raising up for only a moment before rapidly swinging down

"Nooo!"

Author's Section

And here we go again, a nice quiet chapter, good for relationship building haha. But what comes next I wonder?

At: Wandering Anon.

I got your review on Plague's and Pals and honestly you made me ball (happy tears of course) . I'm glad I gave you a reason to come back and I am deeply touched thatI have given you something to look forward to.

At: sedatetoucan

Thanks for the review and name input! I know exactly where to stick the character, I need name and you have made it perfect! Thank you so much!

If anyone else would like to suggest a name for a random villager, go on ahead!

As always, Thanks so much for all the support for you guys! I am having so much fun. My inner goal is to have this story completed before season 2 comes out. Which might not happen cause I still have a lot of story left, haha. But let's try anyway. It'll mean more updates for you guys!

See you all soon!