Chapter 30

The Crossroads

"Oh Notch they just keep coming!"

"They're coming from the forest!"

"Hold the fire line!"

Reggie stuck his head into the blacksmith shop, "Ivor I need more of that Greek Fire of yours!"

Ivor growled, "We're running out if ingredients, there is no more Greek Fire!"

"Then what have you got."

Ivor ran his hands over the dozens of bottles, "Poison,"

"That will work just fine," Reginald said, catching a bottle as Ivor threw one to him. "I'll be back,"

"Be careful!"

Reggie stabs an armored zombie, that shot out from the shadows, "Woah! I can't keep any promises!"

Bach comes by, smashing a fairly large spider spawn with his war hammer. The creature crumples under the weight of the weapon, blood and other fluids splattering the ground. "We'll give them what's coming!" The blacksmith roared as he and Reginald departed for the main battle.

"Heaven help us," At the window, Bach's wife Mariah looked worriedly to the mountain, "I pray to Notch they are alright," Ivor had told her about Jesse and the others. "Expecting a child of my own I can only imagine..."

"I've seen them do some incredible things," Ivor encouraged, though he too was worried. "And if your Immortals are as powerful as the books say-"

"The Dark One is not like any enemy ever faced Ivor," Mariah said softly, she placed a shaking hand on her pregnant stomach, "He is the nightmare we fear in our sleep, the darkness we flee from, the secret that we must never speak off. If Steve and Alex fail, if they fall in that mountain, they fall for good."

"What do you mean-"

Someone screamed in the night, a high pitched wail. Two females rush past the door. Ivor knows one of them; she was hastily introduced earlier as Eliza. The other was young girl about Jesse's age, long blonde hair. Her flower crown was in disarray as she wielded a weapon.

"They've gotten past the forest gate!" Eliza gasps.

"How many are there?!"

"Hundreds, Mariah, in all my years," the scholar shakes her head, "I've never seen this before."

"Any sign of Steve and Alex,"

"No, I saw Alex go by earlier towards Incendia but-"

There was a loud deafening boom, and hundreds of people screamed and ducked in terror. Ivor got up, joining Mariah at the window.

Mt. Incendia burned and shook in the night, two blue green streaks of light flew from the mouth of the smoking mountain, illuminating the dark blackness. They flashed and warped around a darker red hue, then they shot rapidly down back into the fiery heart of the volcano.

There was another loud boom, the ground shook, and the spawns shrieked in the night.

"Oh dear Notch, protect them." Mariah whispered. She clutched her stomach and began to cry, "Protect your creations please!"

Ivor look up there as well, and found he too prayed to Notch.

Kids.

Notch let them be okay.

Jesse lay curled up in the bed, his friends long since vanished from his dream. The moment he had opened his eyes again, they had already gone.

The dream had ended.

So he lay there, face buried in the blankets for what feels like an eternity. But maybe it has only been a few seconds, he's really not sure. He lays there, numbly staring at the wall and taking in the subtle sounds drifting in from beyond the treehouse walls.

There are so many voices, so many whispers.

Jesse remembers more now. There was fire and pain, then the darkness pulled him away. He concludes that's why he's here, stuck in this place. In a delusion, in a memory.

"You have wonderful friends."

Jesse weakly lifts his head, his teary vision making it difficult to see at first. Everything is blurry but a few blinks and the room clears back up.

There is a older gentleman seated at the table. He's calmly picking up the cards that Olivia and Axel had abandoned. He's bald, but sports dark black facial hair in a long healthy beard. His dark eyes sparkle with youthful delight, but they are also wise and soft. He smiles at Jesse, giving off an almost grandfather like feeling. "They're very close to you."

Jesse's not as surprised to see someone here as he was before. He doesn't really feel like addressing it though. So Jesse simply nods at his latest illusion.

"How are you feeling?"

Jesse shrugs, honestly he feel emotionally overwhelmed, his mind is ready to snap. Like a frayed bowstring, I'll break if this keeps up, He thinks bitterly.

"Perfectly understandable considering the situation," the old man hums.

The youth raises an eyebrow, startled. He didn't recall speaking that out loud. But maybe he did...did he?

"No you didn't."

Interested, Jesse sits up, and rubs his nose, wipes away a stray tear and then finally speaks, "You can read them -my thoughts- because you're not real. You know everything I know."

"If you insist."

Jesse frowns, eyeing the older male again, he doesn't look like anyone Jesse's ever met before. His voice feels familiar but he still can't place it, "I don't think we've met," Jesse says slowly.

"Not personally no," the elder replies, "But I've known you for a very long time." He gestures to the seat across the table, "Join me?"

"I don't really feel like playing cards."

"Are you sure?" We have a lot to talk about, it will be a good way to help each other relax."

"Who are you?" Jesse asks.

"A friend."

Jesse frowns.

The other smiles like he knew what Jesse's reaction would be. He pats the table.

It's just a dream. He's just a dream. This should be fine, right?

Jesse though he feels a wave of distrust towards the stranger, there is an air about him that puts Jesse at ease. So Jesse reluctantly gets up and crosses the room, keeping his blankets around his shoulders.

The old man smiles brighter as Jesse slides into the bench on the opposite side of the table. He quickly deals out the cards, "Wonderful! Ever play Uno?"

"Never heard of it."

"You eliminate your cards into the center pile by using the same face or color. f you can't you have to draw from the deck till you are able to discard. Once you're down to one card, you have to call Uno before your opponent or you'll have to draw two more cards. Be the first person to empty your hand completely to win the game."

Jesse slowly grabs his pile.

"I'll begin," the male says as he goes first, "You don't trust me."

"Not really,"

"May I ask why?"

"Well," Jesse pauses to draw a few cards, then, "You're...Well - I'm having trust issues right now, and - Ugh, it's hard to explain. You are a product of my insanity and there really is no reason for me to be talking to you."

The other seemed unhindered by the insanity statement. He simply kept playing, "You feel hurt about Steve pushing you away like he did."

"How did-" Jesse is taken aback for a moment, then he nods. "He pushed me away and he wouldn't tell me why. Turns out Steve and Alex weren't even who they said they claimed to be."

"What did they claim exactly."

"They-" Jesse frowns, "Well really nothing, but they could have mentioned their immortality."

"Should they have been obligated to tell you?" he asked.

"Yes! I mean, no, I guess not..." Jess sniffed, "We really didn't know each other than long." in all his rage and hurt, Jesse had never really thought about it before. "I guess I didn't have the right to know. It's just...I really trusted them, I don't know why but-" Jesse set down his cards.

"You felt safe with them Jesse, I understand."

"Safer than I've been in a long time," Jesse admitted, "Steve helped me, unwind again. I could tell him anything it felt like. Maybe...maybe that's why it hurt so badly. I told them everything, and they ...didn't."

It was so strange, talking to this unknown person. He was literally spilling everything that had piled up inside of him in the last three days. But it almost felt like he was talking to Steve. It just felt safe to do so, figment of his imagination aside.

"Did it every occur to you, now especially that you know firsthand," the elder said, "That it might have been too dangerous for you to know."

Jesse hesitated, he hadn't actually. There had been a lot going-wait...

The male continued, "Steve and Alex are powerful - Uno- and they've made many enemies Jesse."

"It sounds like you know a lot about them."

"We've known each other a long time. Longer than you or anyone you've ever known has been around."

"Then how do you know me?"

"I've know you since you were born," the other smiled, "And I have watched you grow and learn all the way up to this point."

Maybe...this was more than a dream.

Jesse leaned back,picking his cards back up, "You like to be vague don't you?"

"Just like you like to ask questions,"

"Can you answer one without sounding so mysterious?"

"Excluding that one, yes, I will do my best."

"Fine -Uno-" Jesse looked around, "Where am I and why were Olivia and Axel here?"

The other whistled, "Went straight for the big one, alright then." he drew a few cards, "To answer the later part, Olivia and Alex were here because I brought them here. You needed to see them. You needed something to strengthen your spirit against what is to come. It wasn't very difficult for me. Both of them were asleep, to them this will be a dream they won't recall when they awake."

"But the things they said-"

"I merely informed them that you were in need of comfort. What they said was stictly them," then he smiled, "They know you well."

Jesse hesitated, "Thank you...then?"

"It was my pleasure- blast this hand-" the elder huffed at his cards and rearranged them in his hands, "As for where you are, that is a bit more difficult to explain. But to put it as simply as possible- You are at a crossroads, a choice if you will. One pathway least to one place, one path leads to another. But it is only up to you were we go."

Jesse wanted to clutch his head and groan, "That doesn't make any sense at all."

"We are in your mind Jesse, and yet we are not. You are in place than very few have ever been or ever will be."

"That's not very simple."

"Well, treat it like a road then. You will either go left," the old man tilted his head towards the left, "Or you go right." he jabbed his head towards the window, "And you can't turn back."

Jesse looked out the window, to the sunny forest and flowers below. This wasn't the same woods his treehouse was usually in. There were so many different trees, and beyond the line was a long rolling prairie, full of wildflowers. And there were people, hundreds, thousands, no, perhaps millions. There were more people then Jesse had ever seen in his life. They went on forever, following the county to the horizon and beyond to blue oceans and white shores and more green country.

A paradise.

"This still doesn't tell me-" he drops his cards, staring at the small figure romping around in the grass outside. "I-is...that?"

"Yes,"

"Rueben!" Jesse stood, "I'll be right back!"

"Jesse wait!" The old man gently grabbed his hand. The motion freezing Jesse in place, "You must decide first, and carefully!"

"Just let me see him please, I'll be back in a -"

"If you go," the other whispered, "You can't come back in."

Jesse frowned, turning away, "What do you mean? I'll just-" Jesse paused mid gesture to the door on the treehouse floor.

On the other side of the room, a large oak door that hadn't been there before was inserted in the far wall. The wood was dark, almost black. It looked cold and uninviting. It didn't make sense, why would there be a door in the wall, when there was one already going down.

"When did that get there?"

"That is the choice."

Jesse slowly slid back down into the bench once more, blankets pooling around his lap. The old man released his gently grip on his wrist. Jesse looked at the other, "I don't understand."

"Just think on it my child. What do you already know?"

"W-we're in my mind, but we're also not, according to you," Jesse bit his lip, "You said there was a choice. There are two doors now, and so that's what I have to pick. One goes outside, the other - I don't know where that goes. You said I can't go back?"

Jesse looked outside; Rueben was happily rolling in the tall grass, snorting in delight. He sighs, looking at his lost pal with affection, "The last time I saw Rueben...was after the Witherstorm's defeat. Then he-" Jesse stopped.

Oh.

The old man sighed, "Do you understand? Do you remember everything that happened to you now?"

Jesse suddenly does, he remembers the volcano, and Aiden, and that pain- his sword.

His hand slinks up, underneath his shirt, and tenderly rests on his abdomen. Herobrine's foul words began infecting his memory. "You're not a figment of my imagination. This isn't a dream," he cringes, "I'm...dying."

"We are in your mind, but you are having an out of body experience," The elder nodded, "Whatever you decide next - no wrong answer mind you - will change everything."

Jesse looks away, trying not to cry, "What does it matter if I go back? I'm probably drowning n my own blood right now."

"Let me show you something."

The old man gestures back to the window. And Jesse watches was the frame fill with fog, slowly creating an image. There is the hot glow of lava, sparks and smog lighting to the sky. He can see the moon- he is looking up.

"Jesse come on! Please!"

Startled Jesse sees Lukas come into picture, leaning over him.

He's a complete mess, sweat and grim on his face. Blood smears on the side of his skull. Lukas is crying. "Jesse wake up!" he begs. He looks off to another direction, "Aiden!"

The picture moves. Aiden is binding bloody rags with equally bloody hands, "Just keep going!" Aiden is crying too.

Then Jesse saw Petra. Petra was emotionally broken barely able to perform CPR through her sobs.

The old man snaps his fingers, and the image vanishes. "You are gone already to them. But should you go that way, they will bring you back. But ultimately it is up to you in the long run."

"How am I not dead though, we've been talking forever."

"Time is different here Jesse. Forever here can be a second there."

Jesse leans back, shaking. He feels more tears threatening to come, "I-I don't know what to do."

"I want to help you Jesse, but I cannot interfere."

"W-who are you?" Jesse sniffs, "Really?"

The old man wave his hands and the cards vanish. He gets up and crosses the table, placing calloused hands on Jesse's shoulders. "Some part of you already knows the answer to that Jesse. Just like you now know who Steve and Alex truly are."

"I- I-" His last barrier gives away and Jesse breaks down. He leans forward, unable to keep himself up anymore. The elder holding him gently as he cries, he hums soothingly, singing a few words of a song.

"It will be okay Jesse..."

It wasn't fair! Why did it have to be this way? Why did it have to be so hard?! Die or keeping fighting the impossible fight? Who would want that choice?! He never asked for any of this! He just wanted to get home, to be with his friends again, not- not this! Why him?!

"Shhh, it will be alright," The other soothes as if he hears. "There is no wrong answer here. I need you to remember that."

Jesse chokes on his own sobs, unable to produce an answer.

"I have to leave you now."

"Just tell me what to do! Please?"

He kisses the top of Jesse's head, "It's not up to me. Whatever you choose, we will see each other soon."

"Wait-" Jesse opens his eyes and finds much to his dismay that the old man is gone. There is only a tune coming from beyond the window.

He scrambles to the opening, spotting the elder walking down the forest path. He looks back only once, smiles and waves. Then whistling a soothing tune, he vanishes, the song continuing long after he fades.

Reluctantly pulling himself away from the window, Jesse moves to the middle of the room. He stops right between the treehouse door and the black one.

Below its warm and soft, everything outside is soothing and peaceful. But the other door it how, and yet cold at the same time. It hurts to be simply near it. Jesse's bodily ache becomes more unbearable the closer he gets to it.

He collapses on the floor, between his two options.

He couldn't do this.

Rueben's oinks draw his attention and he leans over, looking below. The pig squeals up at him, thrilled to see him. Then he is momentarily distracted by a butterfly. Rueben gives chase, crashing into a stump. The pig bounces off like a ball and lands on his back.

Jesse lets out a choked laugh, "Hey buddy."

Rueben wiggles, scratching his back on the blissful grass.

"I miss you so much,"

There was an oink that returned the sentiments.

"Have you been having fun here?"

Happy squeals.

"Y-yeah it does look fun," Jesse let's out another emotion clogged laugh, tears running down his cheeks.

Rueben rights himself, looking up the ladder in concern.

He wants so badly to hold him, and he knows he can. Just climb down the ladder and-

Jesse looks at the other exit. The door is cracked open. It's dark on the other side. He can hear echoes of distant voices. They are desperate and broken, and screaming his name.

His friends are still trying to bring him back; they're still trying to hold on. They haven't given up on him yet.

Rueben squeaks below, a worried but loving sound. Jesse sighs heavily, not wanting to make the choice, but knowing full well he has to.

Jesse takes one last glance at the darkened exit, tears pouring down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry."

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