I quickly turned back around to avoid Jake's eyes. How could he ask that? I mean do you even remember how we got here, Steve? Do I remember?

"Think on that for as long as you want, I've already tried. Every day seems like a blur and it gets fuzzier the longer I try to think back."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said sharply. "Whatever it is you're trying to do, it won't work. Just stop fantasizing and take out that iron."

Instead of hearing an furnace door opening, I only Jake's footsteps return upstairs. I could tell that this had been on his mind and that he really wanted to hear my opinion on it, so I understood how bitter I must have sounded. The only reason I wouldn't answer him seriously was because I couldn't. I can remember the conversation we just had a moment ago, I can remember mining this morning, I can remember waking up, and I can remember what we did yesterday and the day before that. Beyond then makes my head begin to ache.

I called Jake's name and started after him up the stairs. He was on the second story underneath the roof about to get ready for bed. "It's not even dark yet."

"I've just had enough for today, you keep working downstairs," he said with his back turned to me.

"Look I don't know what's going on but-"

"It's fine, alright?" he replied looking back at me. "Do whatever you want, I'm getting some rest before tomorrow." With that, he ended the conversation by laying down facing away from me. I could feel his coldness from his back and walked away without another word.

I stayed up a bit longer before the Sun went down and finished up our job downstairs. Our loot from today's mining was smelted and put away, and I finished fixing our pickaxes along with making a couple of new ones with our new materials. I couldn't help but imagine what Jake was thinking of right now while I was cleaning up. He has never been like this before, so why now? Nothing out of the ordinary happened while we were mining. Lots of coal, good amount of iron, no diamonds yet in either of our sectioned off caves; it's been relatively the same for the longest time. There wasn't anything to get under his skin like this. Unless the repetitiveness got to him.

It was starting to get dark after I finished in the basement when I decided to bring the new and improved pickaxes to our mining chests down in the mine's makeshift outpost. I opened the door into the night and walked to the hut that housed a ladder into the depths of the World. I climbed and walked down the stony maze of caverns until I reached the point where we would split up. I went through my section and replaced the old tools then walked back to his. When I placed them in his chest, I noticed that there were a few more items in his chest than mine, and new ones too. There was some forgotten coal and stone, along with some bits of gold stony dust that seemed to glow; I didn't even know gold came in a powder. Below that was something I didn't think Jake would hide from me.

A diamond. Three of them! Why would he not want me to see this? We've been searching this mine forever and each day we tell each other that we both came up empty handed. What was he planning to do with them? Do whatever you want, I'm getting some rest before tomorrow. Tomorrow? Was he planning something tomorrow?

I found out when I saw his paper diagram.

Diamond gems... pickaxe... some dark rocks... and a gateway.