Epilogue: Minecraft

I see the adventurers you mean.

Alexandra and Steven?

Yes. Take care. They have reached a higher level now…

Before my sight could adjust, I had to rely on my other senses. I could feel my body resting against a soft, yet stable surface. I could hear the wind rolling in the grass, and playing with the leaves. I could smell the faint scent of flowers carried by the ocean breeze.

Once I opened my eyes, I saw that I was lying on grass, beneath the shade of a tree. The sun was casting its brilliant light all around it.

I stretched my neck, and realized that this was the exact spot I was on when this adventure first started. Looking more closely, I noticed that I was wearing my original clothes; a light blue t-shirt, and blue jeans.

I was weirded out by that. I didn't have any of my armor equipped. It had been stored away in my inventory somehow. If it weren't for the black scar on my right hand, I probably would have started to believe that everything had been just a short dream.

All of this was odd, but a strange bliss was preventing me from dwelling on the little things. In any case, my scar wasn't the only difference compared to my first 'awakening', so to speak. My health bar was different, too, albeit in a more subtle way. The glaring eyes the hearts had were gone. I didn't know what that meant - if it even meant anything, nor did I have the time or the will to think about it.

Shuffling coming from the right caused me to turn my head in curiosity.

That was when my eyes met hers. I smiled when I saw her, as did she. I slowly raised my hands to grasp hers, as she wordlessly did the same. Everything I could possibly want at that moment was next to me. Without a care in the world, we dozed off, under the tree.

…

…

Survival had definitely changed my outlook on certain aspects of life. Back in the Sky dimension, after the war against the Wither was over, I didn't have to worry about whether I'd live to see another day or not.

I also didn't have to concern myself with things like resource management. At the time, any material I needed was available at the tips of my fingers, without any work required. Building with the aid of these abilities made the process undoubtedly easier. All that was required was some imagination.

Perhaps, I'm getting a little ahead of myself…

I was sitting on the platform of a railway station. It was built relatively close to the pond where Rana had taught me how to fish. That…felt like a lifetime ago. I never heard anything from her again, but I sincerely hoped she was living a good life, wherever she was. She deserved it…

Back on topic…

A long time had passed since the defeat of the Ender dragon. I had lost track of how many moon cycles it had been, but it must have been around eight, give or take. Some things had changed, while others hadn't.

For starters, the prophecy wasn't real, or at least, not fully. We hadn't become nigh omnipotent like we once were, nor did the End ever revert to its former state. Something that did turn out to be true, though, was that the balance between dimensions had been restored once we destroyed the dragon egg.

We accomplished that by casting it into the deposit of lava back at the woodland mansion, and we watched with glee how it burned up, and was reduced to nothingness. Not a single threat that hailed from the Nether or the End bothered us again, something I was immensely grateful for. That had been the reason we traveled to the End in the first place.

The tumbling sound of a minecart rolling in snapped me out of my thoughts. A chest was inside it, which contained a book with a quill. I gingerly opened it, and read the most recent reply to our conversation.

For context, once we were free to keep living our lives peacefully, I made a proposal to Alex, suggesting we finish that abandoned mineshaft system we had started working on, all that time ago.

She accepted the idea with eagerness that rivaled my own, and we got to work with as much drive as we had before. Now, the original plan we had was centered around a grand, subterranean railway complex that would connect multiple biomes together.

In the end, mainly because of the resource management aspect I alluded to earlier, we had to scale down our ambitions. Somewhere along the way, we also reached the conclusion that we didn't want it to be fully underground.

Just like that, we ended up with a railway that connected three stations, two of which were above ground. The first one, which was the only underground one, was on the original construction site of the complex, in that circular cave we had carved out. That's where Alex was sitting currently.

The second one was where I was sitting, while the third one was near our house. We had to burrow through the mountain in order to link the latter two stations, which took up most of our time, along with gathering all the resources that were needed.

And now that the project was finished, the results did not disappoint. Each station was designed to match the cozy aesthetic of our house. Wood, cobblestone, glass, stone bricks and clay bricks were our blocks of choice, with smooth stone slabs to serve as overhangs. The wood chosen was different for each station so that they would stand out from each other. The one where Alex was at had birch wood; the one I was at had spruce wood, while the one near our house had oak wood. We were both so proud of this…

Back to the present, the book served as a method of communication across long distances. We'd write down our thoughts on the book, store it within the minecart's chest, and send it back and forth between us. Here's what we had written to each other.

(To clarify beforehand, an Ender chest is a magical chest made of obsidian and eyes of Ender, that can be linked with other Ender chests. When that happens, the exact same contents are accessible from every linked chest, no matter the distance between them.)

A: Ha ha, this isn't really necessary when we have Ender chests, you know?

S: I know, but isn't it more fun this way? The suspense between every reply is unparalleled!

A: You get excited by very strange things sometimes. Oh, well. I can't say that isn't one of the things I love about you.

S: I don't know if I should feel flattered or offended… It's not easy to tell with written speech.

With her most recent reply being:

A: That's true. Anyhow…This was worth it. Don't you agree?

To which I responded with:

S: Absolutely. Don't you want to come over?

I sent the minecart back. And so, that was that. There was nothing left for us to do, other than to bask in our freedom. The freedom to do as we willed. To build. To explore. To mine. To craft…

And yet, even with that freedom, my mind couldn't find peace. Fears and uncertainties were weighing down on me.

…

I could hear the minecart coming back, and once I turned my head to the left, I saw that Alex was riding on it, and I took note of how her hair was flowing in the wind. The vehicle slowly grinded to a halt in front of me, and the passenger sat next to me.

"You came at the right time."

"For what?"

"The sunset."

Because the station's platform was facing south, we had to turn our heads to the right in order to see the sun dive behind the mountain. It would have made sense for us to build the station facing west, but ultimately, a southern orientation provided the best overall view. Parts of the run-down village that was once called 'Cornelia' were within sight, too.

…

Such is the nature of builds; nothing lasts forever…

"Steve, you're spacing out again."

"...Sorry."

"...Are you okay?" she asked me, concerned.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, these last couple days you've been a little…low."

This scenario felt awfully familiar… Perhaps there was no point in dancing around the subject.

"Alex…I'm scared."

"Why? What are you scared of?"

"The last time we were in this situation, the Endermen started invading. The time before that, we lost the Sky dimension. What if something like that repeats? I don't want to risk losing everything again!"

"..."

"..."

That was what had been sapping my mood, not letting me rest and enjoy things as they were. Alex appeared troubled, as well. She did respond eventually, at least.

"I…won't lie to you…but I don't think that's a matter of 'if'. It's a matter of 'when'."

I looked at her, wide-eyed. Her words were sharp and cut deep.

"Listen. Even if no similar event occurs again, we both have to accept the possibility that this," she gestured around, "is not going to last forever."

"..."

I clenched my fists. A part of me was in denial, not wanting to believe what I was being told.

"We don't know what tomorrow will bring us, Steve. Every day could be our last."

I tried to work out the words I wanted to say, but they came out weak.

"Then…what's the point? What was the point…of anything?"

What was the point of overcoming all those obstacles? What was the point of living, if a time would come where I would never see the things and places I held dear again? What was the point of living, if a time would come where I would never see those I loved again? What was the point…?

The Wither had won, then…

"Don't think that way," I heard her say. "Do you regret the journey you've had so far?"

"No. That's the problem… I love my life, and…everything in it. I don't want it to end…"

I looked at my scarred hand. It had begun to fade, but I wasn't going to be rid of it for a while. Some days, I'd wrap it in a makeshift bandage, not because it hurt, but because I couldn't bear to look at it. Suddenly (,or at least that's what it seemed like to me), she clasped it with both of hers, and held it close to her warm lips.

"I believe that exact possibility is what adds meaning to our lives. It's because of the fact that we could die any day, and lose it all…that we should cherish and appreciate every shred of love and joy we have, and…those who are with us…for as long as that lasts…"

"...!"

"Every moment counts. That's what makes them special."

"Alex…"

She seemed to be getting a little emotional. So was I, to be honest.

"Steve… I want you here, with me. Let's treasure every moment we spend together, okay? At this point…it might be the only thing we can do before…we don't have each other anymore..."

"..."

"..."

"When…did you become this wise?"

She giggled, as she wiped her eyes.

"I…had a lot of time to ponder."

"..."

I gently brushed her ears, before leaning in and doing what my heart told me to do. She kissed me back tenderly. We stared into each other's eyes once it was over. The love that was radiating from her beautiful face was almost tangible. I wondered if she could sense my love just as much… I felt the need to speak, but she beat me to it.

"I love you, Steve. More than anything."

"I…I love you, too, Alex. You mean…the world to me."

"..."

"..."

"Thank you," she added, "for everything…"

I nodded. "Likewise."

As our attention slowly returned to our surroundings, we realized it was almost nighttime. Sunbeam was probably getting worried about us.

"Let's go home, alright?"

"Yes, let's go. Home..."

As the stars were growing brighter and brighter amid the sky, the two of us took the ride back home. It was true that I didn't know what the future had in store for us. Similarly, I couldn't know whether said future was going to be dark or bright, long or short. I was certain, however, that no matter what came our way, we'd face it the same way we always had.

Together.

For that reason…I wasn't afraid anymore.

THE END