Chapter 35: Oxygène

Warning: This chapter contains graphic violence.

The last time I had ever gone this far east, was when I was tasked with retrieving Cornelia's protectors from the clutches of the evil illager tribe. It's strange to think how simple things seemed to me back then, with my limited knowledge.

Task aside, there was another aspect of this expedition in particular, that set it apart from last time; we were traveling on foot. Without a horse, the distance we had to cover practically doubled, or perhaps tripled.

As a result, dusk forced us to set up a rudimentary shelter for the night. The cobblestone structure we ended up building was a little cramped, but it would suffice. As the shelter was nearing its completion, I evaluated the events of the day.

We had found no traces of any kind that could indicate that Rana had been through here, though that was probably expected, given how little we actually walked. The message she had left for me was also something that I spent a lot of time thinking about.

If we were to reunite, what would be the best approach? I couldn't reciprocate her feelings anymore, but I also didn't want to hurt her. Not after everything we had endured together, and every word and joy we shared...

...

Maybe there was no best approach. What would be the point of sugarcoating the truth?

...

My gaze slowly trailed across the claustrophobic chamber, and settled on Alex, who was sitting next to me. I was a bit startled once I realized she had been looking at me. After our departure from Cornelia, an uncomfortable silence had taken a hold of us.

Every time I had looked at her, I would see a different emotion painting her face. There were even times where she would stare off into space, which was especially strange, considering she was usually rather vigilant. Just what was running through her mind?

An internal debate had raged on within me every time I saw her. A part of me had believed that Alex would share her thoughts with me when she'd feel the need to, yet another part of me felt inclined to ask her. Perhaps she needed some encouragement.

In the end, I had kept my mouth sealed. But now, however, since we were forced to remain confined in a small area, it felt like a more suitable moment to say something.

"Is something wrong?"

"...Why do you ask?"

"You seemed a little...off today. Is everything alright?"

She averted her gaze, and crossed her arms. Drawing a sigh, she provided what was probably the most suspicious answer she could.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I asked, not convinced in the slightest.

"Yes."

"...I don't believe you."

"I said, I'm-" she started in a harsh tone, but cut herself short. She slowly raised a hand to her mouth, and then looked at me, seemingly ashamed.

"I'm sorry. I won't yell at you like that again. It's something I used to do back in the mansion. Old habits die hard, as they say...but you deserve better."

"...It's alright. I just..."

She placed her hand on top of mine, and gave me an uneasy smile.

"I know. Thank you. I appreciate it. I have...a lot on my mind, but I don't feel ready to tell you yet."

"I understand..."

"Don't take this the wrong way; this isn't your fault. I just need some time alone for now. I'm sorry."

"...It's okay."

She let go of my hand, and walked over to the wall across from me, before starting to build a cobblestone wall between us, practically separating the shelter into two rooms.

"Good night," she said, before she placed down the last block.

"Good night," I said back, though I didn't know if she heard me.

Just like that, I was left alone. Well, about as alone as one can be in this situation. It was okay, though. It was okay. Everything was. I lied down on the grassy floor, and let sleep overtake me.

Before I could open my eyes, I heard the grass around me sway gently. I forced myself to get up, but my body felt stiff - which, with a lack of a proper bed, should have been something I expected.

However, once I finally managed to stand and take a look around, it dawned on me that I wasn't in the shelter anymore. In fact, I couldn't recognize my surroundings at all. It felt familiar in a way, but I had my doubts this was a place I had visited. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it outright didn't exist.

'Am I dreaming? Why does this feel so real?'

A bright gray fog, thick enough to obstruct anything more than a chunk away, had swallowed me. Looking directly upwards, I could see a full moon, its light strong enough to just about pierce the fog. Even though it was apparently night, the lighting more closely matched that of early morning.

I was in the middle of a forest that was primarily populated by oaks, though there were some birch trees as well. There weren't any other kinds of vegetation; no flowers, ferns, or anything of the sort. It didn't feel right. Nothing about this environment did.

I was nervously darting my eyes from tree to tree. There weren't any noises as far as I could hear, meaning there probably weren't any threats around... Actually, there could have been creepers, but... I discarded that thought for now.

...

"Alex?"

"…"

No answer. Figured it was worth a shot, though. As I kept looking around, I saw that one tree had a truly unnatural oddity to it. It lacked any leaves. I walked up to the oak, and felt its bark... It didn't feel rough. In fact, it didn't feel like anything at all. It was like I was touching air.

'What is this place? How did I get here?'

Looking past the bare tree, I saw a birch that was also missing its canopy. As it would turn out, among the sea of dense foliage, was an entire line of dead trees. Uneasy, yet also curious, I decided to walk along the line.

Occasionally, I'd look up at the moon. It didn't seem like it was changing spots. Even that somehow managed to put me on edge.

After what felt like an eternity, I was led outside the forest, and to the foot of a mountain. There was a cave entrance in front of me, but it too, wasn't natural. It was a perfectly carved out 2x2 opening. Someone must have burrowed through the mountain for some reason.

Trying to ignore the lump that had formed in my throat, I peered through the mouth of the cave, and found that it led to a wide, dug out chamber. It reminded me of the one I had carved out with Alex when we were in the process of building that mineshaft.

The chamber's floor consisted of stone and dirt. A single torch that was hanging on the wall provided just enough light for me to notice that, but did an otherwise poor job at illuminating the cave.

I stepped inside, and every footstep I took was met with reverberation. The torch aside, there didn't appear to be any signs of suspicious activity here, so I wondered what the point of even getting here was.

That was, until I heard footsteps coming from behind me. They were slow, and stopped quickly enough. I hadn't seen whom they belonged to, but I felt like I was being stared at. I hated that feeling.

I brandished my sword, and turned around lightning-fast, ready to strike whoever it was. That's when I saw...myself. I...or perhaps, he was standing across me. We looked identical. Down to the sword and the stance. If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed I was standing in front of a very reflective surface.

At least, that would've been the case, if it weren't for a rather striking difference. Two details separated the two of us; the other man's eyes were glowing white, and he had a goatee, like I used to have.

Hatred of the most raw and savage degree flared up within me. I didn't know the reason behind it. I didn't even know I was capable of feeling that way. All I knew was that the feeling was definitely mutual. I knew full well, that behind that stoic visage of his, he was having the same thoughts.

What was about to happen was inevitable. It was the 'when' that was up in the air. As we both stared each other down, as if on instinct, our blades clashed with a resounding screech. Our arms recoiled from the force. His eyes were only slightly narrowed, while mine were wide open.

We crossed swords time and time again, but with how faithfully he mirrored my movements, neither of us could break through. And yet, despite the fact that we were apparently on an even playing field, it seemed like I was getting worn down faster. I felt like I was being mocked.

I racked my brain, intensely trying to find a way to get on top. For better or for worse, an idea did come to mind. We both circled each other, and because he was reacting to my movements thus far, I got us into the position I wanted.

With a slash, I hacked down the torch, and the cave sunk into darkness. I hid my enchanted sword in an attempt to blend in with the shadows, and my opponent did the same. Unfortunately for him, his eyes gave away his position.

I snuck up to him, and slashed blindly. A roar of pain filled the chamber, signifying my successful attack. I didn't get the time to relish that, before a punch knocked the wind out of me, sending me flying into the opposite wall.

Coughing, I set down the torch again, and saw that the man was clutching his side, while giving me a death glare. Our movements had finally desynchronised, and the battle began properly.

Just as I was about to get up, he rushed at me, giving me almost no time to block the incoming slash. I just about managed, but could feel the tip of his sword cutting my cheek.

I tried to fight fire with fire. I aimed a punch at his face, which he caught instantly. Gritting his teeth, he lifted me up, and threw me across the room again. As I struggled to get up, he set down a block of TNT, which he proceeded to light using flint and steel.

He tossed the explosive toward me, and even though I quickly scrambled to get away, I was still caught in the blast. My skin burned, and a grunt escaped my throat. If things were going to continue like this, I was a goner. Through my deafening heartbeats, I could hear his footsteps growing closer.

At this point, the most I could manage was to kneel. He stopped in front of me, panting. He was still clutching his side, and the scowl he was giving me was fueled by hatred that matched mine.

His blade was pressed against the side of my neck, drawing blood. He raised it. He lowered it at the blink of an eye. He missed. I had managed to mine away the dirt block I was kneeling on by knocking on it with my fist, which caused me to land on the block that was below it.

For the first time in our match, the man seemed caught off guard. I seized the opportunity in a similar manner to a starved person coming across a warm meal. Brandishing my sword, and before he could react, I skewered him straight through the torso, near the sternum, and he let out a, guttural, choked gasp, that accompanied a crunch.

He let his sword slip from his grasp, as he squirmed. His blood trickled down my blade, coating it red. As he coughed, he spat some of it on my face. It felt warm and disgusting, as it cascaded down my skin. I rose from the gap I was in, and pointed my sword downwards.

The man slid off the sword, and landed on the ground with a splat, as a crimson pool was filling up around him. I was panting heavily, and was looking at him like a maniac. As the life was slowly fading away from his eyes, so did the white glow. What was left behind were...my eyes. Glassy. But still mine.

My breathing and my heartbeat grew erratic. I had done something terrible. I didn't know what exactly it was, but I could feel it. The cave's walls faded to black, as did the floor and the ceiling.

I felt like I was losing my mind. I was standing in a black void, with only my sword to keep me company. That was the case at first. I couldn't tell if I wished that to remain the case or not.

A pair of glowing white eyes shone through the darkness, identical to the ones my doppelganger had. Two more pairs joined the first one. That's when I realized who was behind that double of mine. It was too late to do anything.

On my left and right, wither skeletons crawled out of the depths of the Nether, and grabbed my forearms, their stinging venom seeping inside and slowly decomposing my skin. I struggled mightily to break free, but I couldn't slip away from their iron grip.

The Wither itself made its harrowing appearance with a beam of light.

"Good morning," its right skull greeted. "We recommend that you stop resisting, Steven. It won't help either of us."

"You...You! You said we wouldn't meet again!"

The left skull cackled maniacally.

"You've never been the sharpest tool in the shed, have you, Stevie? Do not fret. We will dispose of you as easily as we did with your dear Alex!"

A hit powerful enough to match my doppelganger's punches hit me on my right temple, which caused my head to throb. It was the Wither's ranged attack. It had practically been burned into my mind. Another one hit me from the left, causing a choked cry to slip past me. A duller one hit me in the back. I would've fallen forward if the wither skeletons hadn't been holding me.

I could still hear the Wither's left skull trying to comfort me.

This was it. I had failed.

"At last, the world will be freed from its pestilence!" the middle skull heralded. "Farewell, old friend."

My eyes were shot and my ears were ringing. The futility of every battle and every trial I, along with everyone else, had overcome was heavy on my shoulders. In the end, none of it mattered.

'Maybe...I'll reunite with you, Alex.'

With the velocity of a speeding minecart, the Wither dashed toward me.

A pair of hands were tugging at my arm. Still shaking and breathing sharply, I tried to make my vision adjust to my surroundings, but it remained blurry for quite a while. After looking around manically, my gaze settled on Alex's worried face. She was leaning over me.

Desperately, I clung onto her, and buried my face in her chest. My fingers latched onto the wooly feel of her shirt. She didn't say anything right away, but as my breathing settled down, I felt her run a hand through my sweaty hair. I couldn't tell how much time passed until the steady rhythm of her heartbeat lulled me to sleep, once again.

"You're safe."

...

...

We resumed our trek the morning that followed. Demolishing our shelter didn't take long at all, which meant all the more daylight for us. I felt moderately better once we started walking. Before we could even cover a chunk's distance, however, she spoke.

"Steve…What happened? I've never seen you this terrified before. Ever. What did you see?"

"I…"

"..."

"I saw the Wither."

She gave me an inquisitive look.

"I was the last one left. You and everyone else were gone. In the end, I didn't last, either."

"..."

"I know there's no use in worrying; they said they had no reason to meddle with our affairs anymore. The Wither doesn't lie. But still...I felt so...powerless."

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately chose not to. Instead, she took my hand and gave it a squeeze. We wouldn't exchange a word for a long while.

I returned to the present once we made it to the old illager outpost. The watchtower loomed just as ominously as the last time I saw it.

"Do you think there are any illagers over there?"

"Hm…There shouldn't be any, but if a trooper or two decided to go rogue, I wouldn't know."

We explored the rundown base, including the camps and the training grounds. They were all deserted, much like how Cornelia was, meaning there were no signs of illagers, or Rana. So, even though this was an interesting stopping point, it wasn't fruitful in the end.

I had never gone beyond the dark oak forest that surrounded the illager outpost, so I was entering uncharted territory for the first time on this journey. This biome hardly felt different to the one in which the mansion was built. The woody scent was just as prevalent, sealed within the roofed, humid treeline.

Weaving through the logs got tricky at times, but we've both had worse. Strangely enough, we managed to attract some spiders near the deeper parts of the forest. One fell from somewhere above us, and landed in front of me.

Even though I was startled, I managed to dispatch the hairy, wriggly arthropod before it could cause much trouble. Curious, I turned my head upwards, and saw the underbellies of at least three spiders that were hanging beneath the foliage.

Personally, I felt it was a good idea to just leave them behind, as they didn't seem willing to leave the comfort of their nest. Alex, however, had a different idea.

"I've got this."

With no further elaboration, she confidently produced her bow, which she had been keeping in her inventory, and took aim. From a fleeting glance, I noticed that it casted a glow similar to my sword, meaning it had some sort of enchantment applied to it.

Pulling back the bowstring, an arrow materialized between her fingers. She let go, and the arrow soared right into its target. With a couple of similarly graceful movements, the remaining spiders, which were scuttling about in alarm, were disposed of with great accuracy.

I knew they were just spiders, but…wow. That was the first time I had ever seen Alex's archery skills in practice, and even though she had brought up that it was her combat area of expertise, I was left in nothing short of awe.

"Wow, that was really impressive. You were awesome!"

She brightened at my words.

"I'm flattered, but if you think that's impressive, you should wait 'till you see me aim at faster targets."

"I'll look forward to that," I commented as we continued onwards.

"So, are you feeling better than you were this morning?"

"Yes."

"That's a relief. I'm sorry I couldn't do much to help..."

I shook my head.

"You did enough."

...

There had seemed to be no end to this forest, which is why I was surprised once we reached a wide, expansive field. There were certain qualities to it that set it apart from the countless other fields that this world housed.

I was mostly entranced by a pond that was situated near the edge of the forest, that was unlike any other. It was a small lava pond! It was surrounded by stone, and provided a warm, orange light. I had never seen lava aboveground - at least, as far as the Overworld is concerned, so I found it interesting.

Meanwhile, Alex was more focused on admiring the abundance of flowers that were present. Poppies and dandelions were prevalent, just like in any other field, but there were also cornflowers, rose bushes, and alliums. Special mention goes to her favorite tulips, which came in all sorts of colors.

All these aromas blended together in the wind, and made for an overwhelming, yet also serene atmosphere, which lifted my mood. Alex was certainly enjoying herself, too, which made me especially happy. I kept looking around, eager to see what other potential treasures were awaiting us.

It would seem I got more than I bargained for. Right at the grassland's border, was a cubic structure made of acacia planks, which were orange in color. Two carved pumpkins took up either side of a birch door, above which was a torch. On one side of the building was a donkey that was leashed on a fence post. Lastly, beneath an overhang, stood a golem that wasn't made out of iron, but rather, out of snow.

"Alex, look."

She glanced over to where I was pointing.

"Oh… Do you think Rana might be inside?"

"It's possible. We haven't traveled for three days, but if I calculated correctly, I think she might be making her way back to Cornelia."

"Lead the way, then."

As we made our way over to the relatively modest structure, I began feeling a bit anxious. If Rana really was inside, what would she say? Actually, what would I say? It felt as if all these question marks were slowing me down to a crawl.

After what felt like an excruciating amount of time, I found myself standing in front of her door. The snow golem, which was standing next to me, was staring vigilantly. It was a truly odd creature, I noted. It was roughly two blocks tall, and resembled a snowman in shape. A carved pumpkin was hiding its face, but it felt as though it was scrutinizing me.

'I need to stop wasting time.'

I hesitantly rapped on the door a couple times.

"R-Rana, are you in there? …It's me, Steve…"

I soon heard shuffling coming from inside. I stepped back, as the door slowly opened. And there she was.

I took a good look at her for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, and saw some of the subtle changes she had endured while on her journey. I didn't know what had happened to her frog hat and her raincoat, but she wasn't wearing either of them at the moment.

That allowed me to see that her hair had grown longer, her pigtails now reaching past her shoulders. Even with all that, however, her face still retained traces of her joyful demeanor. We looked at each other in shock and disbelief.

She slowly raised her arms, before wrapping them around me in a blink of an eye. I returned the gesture, but not without a feeling of foreboding weighing down my neck. She let out a quiet squeal of joy.

"Steve! Oh, Steve, I missed you so much, you have no idea!"

I smiled at her.

"Yeah… I missed you, too, Rana."

She was looking at me with a look of sheer glee. Was it…a mistake coming here?

"I can't believe my eyes! I'm so happy to see you! How did you find me?"

"I… I found the note you left me."

She seemed to have staggered at first, but she soon looked down at her bare feet and rubbed her arm.

"Well? …What do you have to sa-" she froze. "W-who are you?" she asked Alex, whom she had just noticed.

"I… My name is Alex. We have…technically already met, but that's a long story…"

Rana looked at me in bewilderment.

"Do you know her?"

"Rana… There are some things I believe you must know. May we come in?"

"O-okay…"

She let us enter her abode, as the sun was starting to set.