Decibels chpt. 14: He is Happy (Face your mistakes)

Here's the real chapter 14. Thanks for being patient. I apologize for the very late update. Life got very busy. Like VERY busy.

If there are any strange typos anywhere (excluding dialogue read by Jesse) please politely tell me which paragraph it is in the reviews. I typed most of this on my phone and it does funny things with auto correct. (Like changing Jesse to Jesus, though it's only happened twice) (My friend says it's because Jesus is always the answer…)

Guest Replies:

TheAmberShadow: I think he never got to draw a stick in the first place…

LemonadeSmash: I hope that was an hour well- spent! I'm glad you like the story

:))

Guest(2): Ha, what made you think I have a social life? It's mostly just homework and personal stuff that slows down updates.

Guest(1): Too many compliments… *blushes*

WARNING: Profanity. I think this chapter might have the most cussing out of all the chapters. Also, it's very long.

Disclaimer: Yee.

-o.0.o-

No one's POV

A cold blanket of numbness settled over Ivor, Lukas, and Petra as Jesse disappeared over the edge, a strangled scream escaping and fading quickly as he fell. All action in the small storage cavern ground to a halt. All the adrenaline left their bodies. All eyes were on Aiden, who was panting slightly, looking over the edge with an oddly blank face. Why was his face blank? Did he not care that he just murdered someone?

The world seemed to be holding its breath. Even the wind seemed to have halted in anticipation of what Aiden would do next.

Maya and Gill stared at their leader, swords limp in their hands. Sure, maybe they wanted a world for themselves, a new start, but were they willing to kill for it?

They looked at Aiden, who still wore that blank expression on his face. He would.

This wasn't what they wanted.

The silence was broken when Petra let loose a howl, either in pain or in anger, and charged at Aiden's turned back, sword raised. Surely she didn't plan on killing him in cold blood?

Just before Petra would have knocked him over the edge, Aiden whirled around and pretty much slammed the hilt of his sword against her head. Had she been calm and collected, she would have dodged easily. But her grief blinded her, and she hit the floor like a sack of potatoes, unconscious.

"Petra!" Lukas cried out, but it was in vain. Aiden stared down at her limp body, and seemed to finally come out of his emotionless state. His eyes widened slightly, and he raised his head to look at the frozen occupants of the cave. He looked down at Petra again. He didn't seem to be doing anything.

Lukas took the little pocket of inactivity to lunge at Aiden, hoping to apprehend him before he hurt another friend. Suddenly, without warning, Aiden spun his sword around to point at Petra's neck. His eyes were wide again in a blend of realization and determination. Lukas immediately froze, afraid of accidentally harming Petra. Everyone was afraid to make another move. Even Maya and Gill. The Founder may not have initially been friends with the so called "Order of the Stone", but she knew now who were truly the liars, and who were truly their allies. And Notch be damned if one of her allies died.

So no one moved. Aiden had everyone under his control. It was always what he wanted.

"Nobody moves." Aiden commanded, his voice low and slightly shaky.

"Aiden, this isn't you." Lukas said, clearly worried for his former friend. "Just lower the sword and we can ta-"

"And no talking!" Aiden interrupted, bringing the sword closer to Petra's neck. His sword hand was shaking from how hard he was gripping it, and everyone was worried he would accidentally stab Petra anyways.

"And no funny stuff." Aiden finished. Everyone watched him speak, too stunned to move. "You're all gonna do what I say, and nothing else, you got that?" He waved his sword a little to emphasize how serious he was.

Everyone nodded. Maya and Gill found themselves nodding also. As soon as they realized that fact, they looked at each other, frowning.

"Maya. Take everyone down to the prison and help me get them tied up. Gill, you're carrying Petra." Aiden ordered. When they didn't move immediately, Aiden scowled and tightened his grip on his sword. "Hello?"

They scrambled to do as they were asked, though it was fairly obvious their hearts weren't really in it. Gill went to pick up Petra, who was still as limp as a broken bowstring, while Maya half- heartedly waved her sword in the direction of Lukas, Ivor, and Milo. Aiden pointed a sword at The Founder, then herded them back up the emergency staircase, through the throne room, and into the prison. The three piles of coiled rope and two white rags were still there, remnants of Aiden's cruelty.

Ivor, Lukas, Petra, Milo, and The Founder had their weapons taken away, and were tied up, ropes wrapping around their arms, chest, and torso tightly. Their legs were left free, but when Ivor tried to kick Gill, Aiden immediately had a sword pointed at him.

"I said no funny business." he growled. It may have been Ivor's imagination, but he thought he heard a slight tremble in the Blaze Rod's voice.

They were all thrown into one cell, except for the Founder, who remained standing next to Aiden, a gag tied around her mouth and a furious expression on her face. The cell door closed with a clang, the Founder still standing outside it.

"What are you going to do to her?" Ivor asked, eyes narrowed.

"None of your business." Aiden snapped. He paused for a second, seemingly lost in thought. "And shut up."

"I swear to Notch, Aiden, this isn't you." Lukas snapped. Aiden turned to look at the blonde. "I know you were jealous of Jesse and his popularity. I know you wanted to do something cool, something amazing, just to one- up him. But tying us up? This madness? Killing-" Lukas took a breath, tears forming in his eyes. " Killing Jesse? This isn't cool. This won't solve any of your problems, whatever they are, and this won't make you hap-"

"Yes it will." Aiden interrupted his former friend. He sounded slightly unsure.

"No it won't." Lukas countered. "There's no way-"

"Yes it WILL." Aiden repeated, slightly louder and more confidently. Lukas shut up, looking at his friend with disappointment. "You don't get to tell me what makes me happy. No one does."

Lukas looked away, dismayed.

He turned to Maya and Gill, who stood next to the locked cell door, unsure of their next step. "The door's locked and they're tied up. We don't need to guard them. Come on."

Aiden marched up the stairs, dragging a pissed off Founder behind him. Maya and Gill trailed behind them, regretting their life choices more and more every step. The group entered the throne room. Several guards stood around, looking a little disoriented from when Petra and Milo had knocked them out. Reginald, who was among them, spotted the Founder first.

"Your majesty! There was a break i-" he snapped his mouth shut as soon as he saw the ropes binding her and the gag muting her, as well as the enchanted diamond sword being pointed at her back.

"Gather up everyone on the island and tell them that there's a very special announcement they need to hear." Aiden ordered. He then addressed the stunned guards standing behind Reginald. "That goes for all of you."

They scrambled to do as he asked, fearing for their leader's life. Aiden stood at the top of the steps where The Founder- well, he should start calling her Isa since she wouldn't be Founder for much longer- stood hours ago. Isa herself was on her knees in front of Aiden, fuming as she glared at the sky. How dare he take my city, she thought. How dare he.

On either side of Aiden and Isa were Gill and Maya. They both kept sending each other looks of worry and regret. What had happened to their old friend Aiden? The person who made silly jokes with them? The person who treated them as friends, not servants?

Notch, they fucked up. They should have been better friends. They should have seen the way he was always moping around, always obsessing over Jesse and the Order. They should have done something sooner, but they just passed it off as simple jealousy. But when was anything simple with Aiden? When had anything been simple since that fateful argument?

The early morning was filled with the cries of surprise and fear as the citizens of Sky City were gathered in front of the palace. They pointed at Aiden, at their tied- up leader, and the glowing diamond sword pointed at her back. The guards stood around the crowd, looking to their leader in desperation. She was their Founder. The person who created their home all by herself. She could get out of this, right? She could save them…

"What's going on, mama?" a kid asked his mother, staring up at the Founder with wide eyes, not quite comprehending the gravity of the situation. "Why's the queen tied up like that?"

"It's like the story I read to you, honey." the mother replied, pulling her son closer to her. "The Queen is being held captive by the big bad King from a far away land."

"QUIET!" Aiden shouted before the kid could ask another question. The citizens were quickly hushed, though a few whispers of fear simmered beneath the blanket of silence.

"Good morning, citizens of Sky City." Aiden started, looking over the crowd with cold eyes. "As you can see, your precious Founder has been captured and is now under my control. And since she controls you, and I now control her, I now control all of you. And you would do well to listen to me. Understood?"

The crowd shifted as everyone nodded. Their hearts were heavy. What was going to happen to their Founder? What was going to happen to them?

"Good. Now, here are some simple rules for you to follow." Aiden announced. His face was oddly blank, but his eyes burned with something no one could place. "Curfew is at eight. There will be guards everywhere to make sure you follow that. Don't talk shit about me, because I have eyes and ears everywhere" he gestured to the ring of guards surrounding the crowd, "and the consequences will be severe. I'm going to be nice and let you craft whatever, but if anyone tried to break the palace or leave the island, for whatever reason, the consequences will be very severe. And if anyone tries to free the Founder," Aiden poked her lightly, and Isa growled, "your consequences will be VERY severe. That is all. Now go home and do whatever you were doing before."

The crowd seemed frozen, and more than a few people had tears in their eyes. Everyone was too afraid to move.

"Well?" Aiden snapped, raising an eyebrow at the frozen crowd. "Get a move on!"

The crowd scattered, the air filled with hushed whispers of fear. Aiden yanked Isa to her feet roughly, and turned to lead her back into the palace and to prison. He addressed Gill and Maya, who snapped to attention as soon as Aiden looked in their general direction.

"You guys guard the palace entrance or something." he ordered. "I'll be inside. Give a shout if anyone does something stupid."

Gill and Maya nodded, silently and obediently. Aiden walked into the throne room and down the stairs to the prison. Petra had woken up by now, and boy was she furious. Lukas, Ivor, and Milo had filled her in on everything that had happened while she was out.

"You're a real asshole, you know that?" Petra growled. There was a nasty bruise on her temple, but she didn't seem to notice or care. "Killing an innocent person and imprisoning several more. Whatever it is you're doing, I hope you don't succeed. I hope you burn in the deepest depths of the Nether-"

"I don't know if your friends have told you," Aiden said coldly, "but one of my rules is no talking. So shut the fuck up."

"You're a piece of shit." Petra spat.

Aiden ignored her and lead Isa down a cell, out of sight of the others. She didn't struggle as she was shoved into a cell, with a single torch and some scorched white cloth in the corner. Her gag still tightly in place, she did nothing but glare at Aiden, her eyes burning with rage. Her face was twisted in disgust.

He won't get away with this, she thought, I will find a way. I always find a way.

"Hope you're comfortable." Aiden said, emotionlessly. "I think you're gonna be down here a long time."

He left without another word, locking the door behind him with a metallic click. He strode past the cell with Lukas, Petra, Ivor, and Milo, ignoring the fiery looks being shot his way. Petra tried to spit at him, but missed. They didn't matter. Their opinions didn't matter. He was done with them for now.

He was back in the throne room, which was eerily empty. The early morning light shone through the windows and the back entrance, bathing the floor in soft golden light. The throne sat on its dais, empty. Aiden walked towards it, staring up at its high back, its golden lining, and the intricate carving on the armrests and feet. It was majestic, and belonged to someone with great power.

Well, it's mine now. Aiden thought, and he hopped onto the throne. He put his arms on the armrests and sat up straight, staring out at the doors that lead outside. This was it. This place was his now. This, this was what it felt like to own a place, to have people follow your every word, to have people do things for you without question.

"This will make me happy." he whispered to himself. He scratched absently at the rash on his jaw. "This is what I've wanted. I am happy."

He felt like he was lying to himself.

Jesse's POV

He screamed until his larynx felt like shredded meat strips. He cried until his eyes dried up from the wind. He flailed his limbs around in a panic until he realized it was pointless.

So he fell.

He fell, the wind pushing his hair back and making his eyes sting painfully. He fell, his armour like weights dragging him down. He fell, alone and scared. But what else could Jesse do in a situation like this? Not be scared and lonely? He was about to die. There was nothing else to feel but fear.

Oh Notch he was going to die alone. Well, unless someone fell after him. He hoped not. Dear Notch he hoped not. It was one thing to not want to die alone, but for someone to die with him? No thanks. The other person didn't deserve that.

The sky around him melted from a sunset pink and gold to a lighter blue, like a new day was beginning. Jesse fell through a layer of clouds, and the coolness washed over him like a death blanket. Right. He was going to die. There was nothing else to say about that. He was going to die. His book of life might as well be closed now.

So what next? Think about the meaning of life? Cry some more and pray for help he knew wouldn't come? Close his eyes and wait? He didn't know.

No. He'd had enough of this stupid uncertainty. He would not let some stupid fear of blindfolds and the unknown follow him to his grave.

In the end, Jesse voted to keep his eyes open, facing down (the wind was too strong for him to flip over). Even though it hurt to keep them open, he had to. Closing them meant darkness. Also, he wanted to be absolutely sure there was nothing below him; that he was actually going to die. A tiny smidge of certainty wasn't much to ask for.

A few seconds later, he knew it was a good choice to keep his eyes open. He fell through another layer of clouds, and something caught his eye.

Land. With a nice big lake of water.

HOLY SHIT.

He fell past two lava streams, which probably came from Ivor's random dirt skull. Now that there was something to look at besides endless blue, Jesse realized just how fast he was falling. The ground, he knew (from experience), was hard and unforgiving. The treetops were growing larger and larger the longer he stared at them. He had to get to the water.

He wiggled his way over, still falling. The water rushed up to meet him, and Jesse barely had time to get into a diving position before hitting the water. His feet flashed with pain briefly from the impact, but it was a whole lot better than belly flopping. He resurfaced with a gasp, swimming to shore without consciously thinking it. He scrambled up on shore (Shore! Land!), looking up. Endless sky, interrupted by the lava streams. He couldn't see Sky City from here.

Jesse spun around, scanning his surroundings. It was perfectly normal, with a few pretty flowers, grass waving in the early morning breeze. Trees surrounded the lake. He imagined the birds chirping, welcoming the new day. He imagined the cow to his left mooing contently, chewing on the grass. Everything was so blissfully normal, so incredibly mundane and natural, that if lava wasn't falling from the sky, he never would've known there was a whole city above his head.

Holy shit, it was like the beginning. Waking up, all alone in a fresh new world, with no one to help him or care. Only this time, he knew what he was missing. He knew what havings friends was like. Knowing all this made it hurt more. He was back to square one, only more lonely. Notch, he hated being lonely. He always felt a little lonely.

Maybe if he closed his eyes… counted to one- hundred like he had tried to do in the prison cell… maybe he would wake up back in the cell. Maybe this was some sick hallucination cooked up by his sensory- deprived brain. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Did he know nothing?

He got to sixty- two before he realized it wasn't a hallucination or a dream. Why would it be? This… aching loneliness, while it wasn't physical pain like a pinch or a slap, hurt too much to be in a dream.

Jesse looked up again. A normal, bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, split by a streak of lava. Ivor had poured that lava. Would he see Ivor again? Would he see Lukas and Petra again? Heck, would he see anyone ever again? What about Axel and Olivia? Without the portal, they would never get home. Petra, Lukas, and Ivor would never get home. There was a big chance that none of them were ever going home.

Unless…

He looked up again. Sky City was too far up to be seen, at least three hundred blocks straight up. Could he dig up that much dirt? Yes, he probably could. But could he build straight up for that long and not get tired or fall off? He didn't know. But he had to try. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain from trying.

He ran to the nearest hill of dirt, and began digging it up frantically. The dirt slowly began to build up under his nails, and it felt disgusting, but he didn't care. He had to get up there as soon as possible. Who knew what Aiden was doing up there?

He must've been at it for hours before his inventory was nearly full. The sun was beating down on his head, making him sticky and sweaty. His face was smeared with dirt, and his hair was probably full of it. But he had nearly enough dirt. A little part of his mind urged him to dig up more, in case there wasn't enough already in his inventory. A different part told him he already had enough. A little more wouldn't hurt, right?

He was so paranoid. But he couldn't help it, not after losing his hearing and having to rely on his other senses. The paranoia started with not being able to hear things coming, but then it bled out into other aspects of his life. Like this.

He punched through a block of dirt, hitting something hard. Jesse hissed in pain, shaking out his hand. What was that?

He tore away more dirt from the area, and his eyes got wider with every block. Everything that he had been thinking previously, everything he thought he'd lost, could be found again. He wouldn't have to start at square one again. He could go home. Everyone could.

He shook his head, scooped up the last of the dirt, and turned away from the portal. If anything, the discovery of the portal made it even more important to get back to Sky City to let his friends know.

And.. maybe Aiden should know too. Maybe. Did he deserve to know?

… Jesse put it to the back of his mind. He would think about it later.

He ran back to the lake, looking up. It was going to take a long time to get up there. He'd better hurry.

Long story short, it took him hours for him to be high enough to see Sky City, and an hour after that to actually get there. Building straight up wasn't done very often, and for long periods of time, for a very good reason. By the time he was level with the island, he was just about ready to drop and sleep for a couple of years. It didn't help that it was drizzling, making his hair stick to him like wet ribbons.

Jesse shook himself awake. He had to move. He had to find his friends, and figure out how to bring Aiden down and get the flint and steel back.

With what little dirt he had left, he built over the wall and lept down, landing quietly in the back of a little alley. He quickly pressed himself against the wall, hidden by the shadow of the house as a guard marched past, guiding a nervous- looking citizen into a house. He shut the door, saying something.

Then, Jesse noticed that the streets were eerily empty, a far cry from the hustle and bustle from earlier that day. The little amount of citizens that were out were being rushed into their homes by guards. As soon as all the citizens were in their homes with the doors shut, the guards began to patrol the area, walking up and the streets and checking the alleyways. Shit, he needed to move.

Taking a quick glance around to make sure he wouldn't be seen, Jesse wove between the houses, ducking in and out of the shadows to stay hidden and moving. He slowly made his way towards the palace. His friends were in there, right?

Someone grabbed his arm from behind, and Jesse nearly yelped as he whirled around. It was a guard, who looked to be scolding him for being out. See, this is why he sucked at being aware of his surroundings.

The guard noticed Jesse's armour, and his eyes widened, probably recognizing him from his earlier arrest. He opened his mouth to shout for other guards, probably to arrest him again. Nope.

Jesse reacted quickly and slapped a hand over the guy's mouth. Unfortunately for Jesse, he was a second too late, and the guard managed to let out a shout, which was probably loud. The alley was quickly filled with random guards, weapons raised. He was surrounded.

The day couldn't get any worse, could it?

Then again, getting arrested twice is the fastest way to get into the palace. And possibly gain Aiden's attention.

The guards restrained him quickly, grabbing his arms and holding them behind his back painfully. Another guard starting saying something, but with the dim lighting and the speed of the talking, he couldn't understand a thing. His face automatically morphed into one of confusion.

Another guard seemed to remember his deafness form earlier, and slapped the speaking guard, pointing at his ears with jabbing fingers. The other guard made an "o" face, then asked the guard holding Jesse's arms something. They began walking him out of the alley and down the street towards the palace.

It was a short walk, and soon enough, Jesse walking walking up the stairs to the palace. The guard leading the group stepped forward to address the guards standing at the top. Jesse's eyes widened when he saw who they were.

Gill and Maya. What were they doing out here? Shouldn't they be with Aiden, doing whatever? They were rarely separated. Something must've happened between them.

Due to the torches on the archway above them, he could read their lips. He'd gotten better at it, but as always, he had to fill in some spaces.

"This is-" the guard started, signaling to the guard holding him to shove Jesse forward. But before the guard could continue, Gill cut him off.

"Let go of -im." Gill ordered. "We can -andle him."

The guard holding his arms let go, and Jesse shook them out to relieve the numbness. The guards backed off, going back down the stairs and into the streets, keeping a wary eye on Jesse. He turned back to Maya and Gill, uneasy. He wasn't planning on confronting them. Kind of forgot about them, actually.

Instead of being knocked out with a sword hilt or immediately tied up, Maya and Gill immediately lowered their swords, grim expressions on their faces. Maya also had a hint of what seemed like relief in her eyes, though it flashed by too quickly for Jesse to be sure.

"How are -ou alive?" Maya exclaimed. She then slapped a hand over her mouth, glancing at the double doors that lead to the throne room. She turned back to Jesse. "Re-lly, how?"

From how Maya slapped her hand over her mouth just now, Jesse guessed that he should probably whisper. "There's land below us. The people of Sky City are wrong about the void. Luckily there was water right below the island. And…"

Should I tell them about the portal? Do they deserve it for what they've done lately? Or since they met?

Yes. Yes they do. Because everyone deserves to go home.

"I found the portal in this world."

Their eyes widened, and they glanced at each other, the door, each other again, and then Jesse. They probably weren't planning on going home anytime soon. Or ever, if Aiden was here to take over the island.

"What are yo- gon-a do about it?" Gill asked.

Jesse gestured to the door. "Well, I have to take down Aiden. Without the flint and steel, the portal is useless."

"Yo-'re not gonna -ill him, are you?" Maya asked, eyes wide. She swallowed, glancing at the double doors. "Cause… he'z stil- our fr-end."

Because he's still our friend.

The Blaze Rods were more than bullies, after all. They were also a friend group, a pack, just like Jesse and his own friends. It was kind of easy to forget that fact, after all they've done lately.

"No, I'm definitely not killing him." Jesse said. Gill and Maya looked relieved, and Jesse felt guilty. They must've really thought I would kill him. And maybe I would've.

Gill nodded. "Okay, then here's the plan." he said, speaking slower. It was still pretty slow, but Jesse could tell he didn't mean to be mocking him.

"What do you mean, a plan?" Jesse hissed (hopefully) quietly. "I thought you wanted this. You've never tried to stop Aiden before, why now?"

Gill and Maya stared at each other, seemingly coming to a decision. The kind of decision that flipped your life around.

"We've… thought about stuff," Maya started, wringing her hands together and not quite meeting Jesse's eyes. "We orig-nally wanted a new start. You know, since…"

"Since Aiden fucked up and insulted you for being deaf, which everyone heard." Gill finished. He looked slightly guilty. "And bec-use of his actions, and the fac- that everyone l-ved you for saving the world, he got bullied. All three of us did."

"It was horrible." Maya added, a far away look in her eyes. "We couldn't even go outside without being called out at."

Jesse didn't know what to say, so he continued to "listen".

"We shut ourselves in our house, and we took turns going out to get groceries." Maya continued. "For me and Gill, it wasn't so bad. Just the occas-onal cat call or nasty comment. But for Aiden…"

"They beat him up." Gill cut her off, glaring at something that wasn't there. "Tried to, anyways. Knocked his grocery bag out of his hands."

"I'm sorry that happened." Jesse apologized. "I didn't know how bad the Beacontown citizens were behaving towards you. I would have done something."

Maya shook her head. "It's over, anyways. We're here now."

"We tried to take over Aiden's turns for groceries." Gill explained. "He wouldn't let us. He was afraid the citizens would get physical with us too."

"He went out with a disguise from then on. Looked like a sour old man" Maya said.

"We used the Block." Gabriel continued. "We were fools, and we wunted to be fay-muss, and dat lead to lies. And we," he turned to the rest of the Order, who had somber expressions on their faces, "have de-side-ed to end these lies, and begin a-gen. Move on. Star. fresh."

The crowd was no longer looking so sad or angry. Well, except for the sour- looking guy. He was still scowling. At least his sword has been sheathed.

No wonder he didn't see Aiden much after they were appointed as the new Order of the Stone.

"He stuck a beard to his face with tree resin glue. He's fre-king al-ergic to tree resin glue." Gill added. Then he shook his head. "We're getting off track here. The point is, we had our reasons for doing what we did."

Maya nodded in agreement. "Right. We wanted to go somew-ere complet-ly new. Somew-ere we could live in peace without being reminded of all the shit we've done in the past, and what Aiden did to you."

"And I'm guessing you overheard Ivor talking about other worlds at some point?" Jesse asked, hoping he didn't sound too disappointed about it.

Gill nodded, looking slightly guilty about it. "Yeah, Maya did. She t-ld us, and we thought 'Oh, an entirely dif-rent world to restart our lives?' We had to take that chance."

"We were just going to come over here and settle down or something." Maya continued. She glanced back at the closed castle doors, where Aiden must be. "I tho-ght that's what we were going to do, anyw-ys. But I dunno, Aiden went crazy over some 'Ev-rsource' thing. We know what it is now, but we weren't planning to take it."

"Yeah, and suddenly he was asking for your arrest and shit." Gill said, now frowning. "And then he pushed you over the edge, and we knew there were zero chances of starting over here."

"We've gone too far." Maya stated bluntly. "We were Aiden's closest friends, and all we did was stand back, watch him go mad, and destroy any chances of starting over. We're no better than we were before. We're pr-baly worse."

"This needs to stop." Gill declared. "We've had a lot to think about, standing out here for hours. We've decided that we need to stop running away from our mistakes, because they'll always catch up. We've decided that we're gonna just deal with it."

"But at the same time, we don't want to outright betray Aiden." Maya said, swallowing nervously. "He has no one left but us."

"So, here's the plan." Gill said, repeating what he'd said in the beginning. He slowed down his speech to an almost painful crawl, but that meant he really wanted Jesse to get this. "You climbed back up to Sky City, and saw us. You know your friends are inside, so you marched up the steps angrily. We," he gestured to himself and Maya, who was sheathing her sword, "were so surprised to see you alive, that you easily knocked us out."

"What?" Jesse hissed, remembering to lower it to a whisper at the last second. "We don't have to go that far."

"Yeah we do." Maya said, probably sharply. "Any other way and Aiden wouldn't believe it. And we're both terrible liars."

Gill nodded. Notch, they really wanted to get knocked out by Jesse. Maybe if they didn't tell him their story, he would have punched them instantly. They would have deserved it. But with all this new information, he wasn't sure he wanted to anymore. They kind of… deserved it less than before, if that made any sense.

Funny how just a little more insight could change your perspective.

"Just do it." Maya said. "It's about time we get what's coming for us." She stepped forward, ready. Gill stood partially behind her, ready to catch her.

"You'll probably be concussed after this." Jesse warned, taking off his right glove. Armored gloves were a little overkill for this. "They tend to not feel good."

"I know that." Maya said, shrugging. "It's a small price to pay for a new start."

Before Jesse could lose his nerve, he made a fist and clocked her in the jaw. She collapsed against Gill, out cold. Jesse cringed instantly. There was already a bruise forming where he hit her.

"Shit, I hope that wasn't too hard." he cursed, shaking his fist out. He watched as Gill lay her down gently, arranging her limbs in a way that looked like she fell naturally. "Tell her I'm sorry when she wakes up."

"She'll be fine." Gill said, standing up. He turned to face Jesse. "I'm ready."

"I can't guarantee that I'll catch you." Jesse warned him, forming a fist.

Gill shrugged. "I don't really care about that. I just want this hell to be over."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry this happened at all." Jesse apologized.

Gill shrugged again. "I'm sorry I let it happen. Just knock me out already."

Jesse did, the same way he did with Maya. He was barely able to catch the taller male, and set him down as gently as possible. He then stepped back, putting his glove back on.

That… was unexpected. But Jesse was glad it happened. Gill and Maya deserved a new beginning, and if they believed that facing the punishment for attacking Sky City was the way to go, then Jesse wouldn't stop them. Maybe they would one day come back to Beacontown as new people.

As for Aiden…

Jesse faced the double doors, a hand on his sword. There was no telling what Aiden had done in the past couple of hours. He could have his friends hostage. He could have an arsenal of hostile mob eggs with him. So many things could go wrong, and Jesse didn't know what to do. Not knowing made Jesse frustrated.

He turned back to look at the unconscious forms of Gill and Maya. They deserved a new start. Why not Aiden as well?

He pushed open the doors and walked in.

The hallway looked and felt gloomier than the last time he'd been here. The torches along the walls flickered ominously. Maybe his steps were echoing. Maybe it was eerily silent. Or maybe Aiden was having a party and it was super loud.

He reached the second set of double doors, which he knew lead into the throne room. He took a peek inside.

Aiden was seated at the throne, his feet up on the seat and legs drawn towards his chest. He was examining a green egg with black spots, tracing his fingers over the surface. He looked oddly… peaceful. No one could have guessed the curled up figure on the throne tried to murder Jesse only hours ago. He didn't look as mean as he usual was.

But he had to be talked to. No matter how innocent he was at the moment, or the reasons he had for doing what he did, he was doing something wrong. Jesse couldn't let it continue.

He pushed open the doors, and Aiden flinched, obviously lost in thought. He looked up, eyes widening slowly. Jesses stayed where he was, back against the double doors, waiting calmly. He felt like he was approaching a wounded animal. Aiden was, in a sense. He had been hurt by the people of their world, and ran to find another one.

"Aiden." Jesse greeted him in what he hoped was a formal tone. "We need to talk."

Aiden exclaimed something, too fast for him to read. He stood up quickly, his face melting into an annoyed, sour one. Great.

"You know I'm deaf, Aiden." Jesse said bluntly. He was quickly losing hope of having a semi- civil conversation. "I guess I'll talk, and you listen."

"NO!" Aiden shouted, and that was all Jesse could read before he had to duck away from the egg Aiden was holding. It hit the doors behind him, and a creeper sprung up, immediately locking eyes with Jesse.

A quick swipe of his sword later, the creeper went up in a puff of smoke. Jesse turned around just in time to catch Aiden's diamond sword with own. Sparks flew as they pushed against each other, Aiden yelling stuff too fast to read.

"Aiden- Aiden, I can't read that fast-" Jesse yelped as he shoved his sword aside and slid to the side, so the door wasn't behind him any longer. "Can't you just listen?"

"Why -o y-u alw-ys -ave to ruin ev-ryth-ng I do?" Aiden shouted as he swung his sword again. Jesse barely managed to block it, since he was partially distracted with reading his lips.

"Speak slower!" Jesse shouted, shoving Aiden's sword back again. If Aiden didn't back down soon, he was going to have to disarm him, and he'd rather not. It might set him off even more than he already was.

Aiden babbled on, continuing to jab his sword at Jesse. Jesse was on the defensive, blocking his strikes. The longer their fight continued, the more aggressive he got. Dammit, why couldn't he just stop and listen? Why did he have to be so stubborn?

Aiden swung high, aiming for his face. Jesse ducked, then hooked the hilt of his sword with Aiden's, twisted it, and yanked it to the side. The sword went flying from his hand, sliding to a rest at the foot of the throne. Jesse pointed his sword at Aiden, panting.

"Stand down, Aiden. I just want to talk."

Aiden seemed to snarl, and without warning, lunged forward, ducking under the sword and tackling Jesse hard. With a cry of surprise, he hit the floor, sword flying out of his hand from the impact. A fist caught him in the mouth, and he felt his lip split.

"Notch, Aiden, it doesn't have to be like this!" Jesse yelped, bringing his arms forward to protect his face. "I just want to talk!"

Aiden ignored him, or he said something Jesse couldn't read. He tried to wrench his arms apart to get to Jesse's face, but Jesse held his position. Aiden was still yelling stuff, and he was yelling it loud, if the tiny vibrations he could feel weren't lying. The guards were going to hear them and rush in. Jesse didn't know if they were going to help Aiden, or arrest him. He could let either happen. Not yet, anyways. This was between him and Aiden.

After several failed attempts to get the heavier, bigger boy off of him, Jesse resorted to bringing a foot up and kicking Aiden in the crotch. He opened his mouth to howl in pain, and the punches were lifted. Jesse quickly got up and launched himself at his sword, only to be grabbed from behind, an arm snaking around his neck.

Now, in the year that he'd been deaf, one of the things he had to worry about was not being able to hear things coming, especially from behind. Jesse had learned quite a few things about being grabbed from behind (mostly from Petra), and now was as good as any day to use that training.

He dropped down, forcing Aiden to suddenly carry his weight. Jesse then stepped behind Aiden, grabbed both his legs, and pulled out. Aiden's arm left his neck pretty quickly as he slammed into the ground. He didn't give up there, though, and scrambled back up and swung out blindly with a fist. Jesse had to lean back to avoid it.

"Notch, Aiden, why are you trying to kill me?" Jesse asked as he dodged Aiden's increasingly wild punches. "I just wanted to talk to you! I don't know why you're doing the things you're doing (he sort of did, but Aiden didn't need to know it was from Gill and Maya) but it's wrong! What do you think is gonna happen from now on? Are you going to rule the city? Lead the people? No one's following you out of loyalty right now Aiden. It's all fear."

Aiden tried to sweep Jesse's feet out from under him, but Jesse hopped over his leg and shoved Aiden hard, making him hit the floor with a thud Jesse could feel. Once again, Jesse tried to run for his sword, only to be tackled by Aiden. They went rolling, Aiden trying to punch Jesse into unconsciousness, while Jesse just tried to restrain him. Both were yelling. Both landed a couple of punches on the other.

"Aiden, stop this! You're only gonna ruin your life more than you already have!" Jesse shouted over whatever Aiden was yelling, blocking a punch with his armoured forearm. Aiden scowled as he hit it. It probably hurt.

"This madness won't achieve anything, Aiden!" Jesse yelled, twisting away from another punch. "This won't make you happy-"

"SHUT UP!" Aiden shouted (maybe even screamed), raising a fist and swinging hard at Jesse's face. Jesse barely dodged it, grabbed Aiden's wrist, and twisted it to the side sharply. Aiden yelped, but Jesse didn't feel a bone snap, so that was good. He let go, and Aiden stumbled back, rubbing his wrist. When he tried to form a fist, he winced. Sprained, then.

"Don't force me to sprain the other wrist, Aiden." Jesse warned, bracing himself for another charge by the other boy anyways. Aiden made no move to attack him.

"Great. It didn't have to come to this, you know." Jesse said, backing off slowly. Aiden followed his footsteps with his eyes wearily. "We could have talked this out calmly, like just two people instead of two enemies."

Aiden didn't say anything. Jesse continued. He didn't plan this speech. No one planned any of this.

"Um… yeah. We could've just talked this out. If you really had a problem with me, you could've come to me in Beacontown. It didn't have to this. Hopping to other worlds, taking over a city of innocent people, killing-" Jesse swallowed, remembering the terror of falling. "-killing me. We could have ended this without hurting other people who don't deserve to get caught in our messes. And you know what? I think we can still make that work. There's always another way."

Aiden still said nothing.

"You know, the flint and steel isn't yours." Jesse said, taking another step back. His foot hit his sword, probably making a sound. Aiden watched him with a wary gaze.

"I mean, the Order and I did the research. We fought the mobs. We figured out the puzzle. We, as much as you don't like it, got the flint and steel fair and square."

Aiden scowled, but didn't do anything. He refused to meet Jesse's eyes.

"I found the portal to this world, you know." Jesse told him. Aiden's eyes widened slightly. "It's under the island, far below us. There's land down there. But I can't use the portal without the flint and steel. And I'm not leaving here without it and my friends. You have to understand that."

Aiden's eyes widened at the portal part, but otherwise didn't say anything.

"And the people here are going to want to give you, Gill, and Maya some form of punishment. I can make them promise not to do anything extreme like execute you, but I don't know beyond that."

Aiden flinched at the words "Gill", "Maya", and "execute". He cared about his friends. The rash on his jaw from the glue showed that. Aiden and Jesse had at least one thing in common.

"This all could go much better for you and Gill and Maya if you accept that you've done wrong." Jesse said. "Gill and Maya have. They're sorry they let you get this far. They said they should have stood up for you when you were being beat up for insulting me. They're sorry that they were bullies and accepted what's coming to them for helping you terrorize the people here. They want to pay for what they've done. Are you going to prevent them from that?"

Aiden looked down at his feet, pursing his lips. He was thinking.

"Don't act like you haven't noticed your friendship being strained lately." Jesse pointed out. "They're afraid for you. They know the scales are going to tip over, not in your favour. This is your chance to repair it. Heck, this is the chance for you to repair your life. Maybe one day you'll think of Beacontown as your home again. Notch knows Maya and Gill do."

Aiden looked unsure. He glanced at the double doors, where Maya and Gill lay. Not that he knew they were laying there.

"Just hand over the flint and steel, and order the guards to release the Founder and my friends. Then you'll have a chance to walk out those doors someday as a better man."

Silence (probably). Aiden was likely thinking over everything. Jesse waited patiently.

"Do you want to be a better person, Aiden? 'Cause I sure want you to. Gill and Maya want it too."

Aiden hesitated, then reached into his pocket and pulled out the flint and steel. The blue glow made Aiden's face sadder. He put it on the ground and kicked it over. Jesse quickly scooped it up. He then kicked Aiden's sword back to him. Not that it'd matter later, since he'd most likely have it confiscated when he eventually goes to prison. But at least it felt more like an exchange than a "give me that it's mine".

"Thank you, Aiden." Jesse thanked him, hoping his voice sounded sincere. The flint and steel felt warm in his hands. "You don't know how much it means to me that you're ready to chang- HOLY SHIT!"

Aiden's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed forward, out cold. Behind him stood a guard, his sword raised in the air and the hilt pointed out. He had snuck up behind Aiden and whacked him with it. Behind that guard were two other guards, each carrying Gill and Maya.

"What the hell, dude?!" Jesse squeaked, rushing over and checking on the back of Aiden's head. A bump was already forming, but as far as he could tell there was no permanent damage. "He was just surrendering!"

"He t-ok t-e Fo-der and held t-e w-ole i-land hos-age. He des-rved it." the guard spat, an angry expression on his face. Jesse had no idea what he just said, besides something about Aiden deserving it. The thick mustache did not help matters.

Jesse shook his head, giving up entirely. "Whatever. I'm deaf and didn't understand a single thing you've just said. But Aiden was surrendering and about to end this peacefully when you snuck up on us and whacked him. Violently, may I add. And now I don't know what he's gonna think when he wakes up!"

The guards glanced at each other. The one in the lead said something, pointing at his ears. He then pointed Jesse and Aiden, said some more stuff, pointed at Aiden, and then pointed in the direction of the prison.

"If you want to say anything to me, face me and say it slowly." Jesse interrupted them. The guard in front seemed to sigh, before he stared Jesse in the face and spoke painfully slowly.

"We want to put Aiden and his lackeys in a cell and retrieve the Founder." he said slowly. "She will decide their punishment, not you."

Jesse stared right back, speaking in what he hoped was a hard, no- nonsense tone. "Fair enough. But I'm going to release my friends and then I want to talk to the Founder. You owe me that much for being able to get Aiden to surrender at all. Oh, and no rough treatment."

The guards looked at each other, seemingly having a silent discussion. The lead guard then turned back to Jesse. "We agree to your terms."

"Good." Jesse nodded at them, then picked up Aiden. They made their way to the prison, Jesse in the lead. Aiden was heavy. Notch he was tired. It had been a really, really long two days. He couldn't wait to go home. He couldn't wait to see Axel and Olivia again.

Aiden's weight weighed him down, reminding him of the things to come. He still had to clean up the mess they've made here.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Jesse immediately spotted the cell containing all his friends and Milo. The sight of them tied up made his blood boil, but then he remembered all he said to Aiden earlier. He was going to be a better person. His friends being tied up was past- Aiden's action. Past- Aiden had already been defeated.

His friends were lying/ sitting in a daze when he walked in, but as soon as his boot hit the stone floor, they looked up, their eyes widened almost impressively fast once they realized it wasn't a guard. Lukas sat up very quickly. Petra scooted forward so her face was pressed against the bars. Ivor sat up straighter. Milo grinned.

"JESSE!" they all shouted. The sound probably echoed in the stone room.

Jesse almost said "I lived, bitch.", but decided that was a bit inappropriate at the moment. He settled for a "Hey."

They all began speaking at once, faces excited and tears forming in their eyes. Jesse wished he could hear them. He wished he could hear, period.

Then the guard behind him nudged him, reminding him that he was blocking the way. And that Aiden was still in his arms, and that he needed to put him in a cell, and that he needed to release the Founder, and have a talk with her. His smile faded, and so did his friends'. He still had a lot of work to do.

"I'll talk to you guys soon, I promise." he said. His friends looked disappointed, but Jesse ignored that. He had to finish this. He continued to walk down the hallway, the guards and his friends' eyes following. He'd explain everything later. Notch there was so much to explain.

They reached the end of the hall, stopping in front of the last cell. Inside, the Founder sat tall and proud, bound to the arms and gagged. Her dress was dusty and wrinkled, and her hair hung limply in her face. Her eyes widened for a split second, before they adopted that cold, regal look of a queen. Or Founder.

The guard with the mustache flipped the lever, opening the door. He helped the Founder out, and proceeded to untie her. That left the other two guards and Jesse to set the Blaze Rods on the floor of the cell. Jesse rearranged their libs in the most comfortable position he could find. They looked so peaceful, lying next to each other like this. Almost like three friends that fell asleep together on a couch. Not three friends torn apart by ambition and jealousy.

The other two guards began pulling out ropes, and Jesse quickly held out a hand to stop them. "I thought there was an agreement. No rough treatment. That includes tying them up when they're already unconscious. They're in a cell already. Ropes are unnecessary."

The guards looked between Jesse and the Founder, who was still being untied, but put away their ropes and backed out of the cell. Jesse followed them, and closed the door. As soon as he turned around, he was face to face with the Founder. Her green eyes bore into his.

"I hear you wanted to talk to me." she said slowly. "Regarding the Blaze Rods' fates."

"Yeah, I do." Jesse, turning sideways to shuffle past her. "But I'm freeing my friends first. I promised." He didn't wait for a reply, and walked back to his friends' cell. He flipped the lever, and kind of stood there awkwardly, unsure of who to untie first.

"No one c-res, Jesse." Petra said, grinning. Were those tears at the corners of her eyes? "Just un-ie us."

Jesse let out a laugh. It felt too short and slightly strangled. He began to untie Petra, the closest person. The ropes were rough and scratchy, and Jesse winced as he remembered the rope burns on his wrists. As soon she was free, she barely spared a moment to check her wrists before punching Jesse hard in the shoulder. It was so sudden that he blinked once before registering the pain.

"Ow!" Jesse half yelped, half laughed. "I don't need you punching me too!"

Petra paused, and she seemed to just realize his split lip and slightly bruised cheek. Her eyes scanned his body, seeing all the dirt and grime smeared everywhere. "Wha-"

"I'll explain later. I promise." Jesse interrupted. He turned to everyone else in the cell who watched the interaction with slightly less happy faces. "Help me untie everyone first."

They untied everyone, each hugging Jesse or showing some nonverbal form of "I'm so glad you're alive". Some happy tears were shed. But no one could miss the underlying feeling of unease. There were so many things left to do, so many questions he had to answer. Not to mention that he probably also had to talk to Aiden too.

As soon as everyone was untied, Petra sprung the first question. "Okay, w-at hap-en-d bet-een you and Aiden?"

Jesse shook his head, catching the Founder's eyes. "I'm sorry, I have to talk to the Founder about what to do next. I promise I'll tell you guys everything, alright? Go get something to eat, or.. something. Get your weapons back."

Lukas frowned. He was probably disappointed. He deserved to be. He, out of everyone else in the room, probably wanted to know about Aiden the most.

"Come on. This is important. I promise I'll answer all questions when I get everything else out of the way. A lot happened." Jesse said. Before his friends could utter a reply, he shuffled past them and into the hallway. The Founder gestured for him to follow her into the throne room, out of earshot. A guard stood by the door, watching them with one eye. As if he was going to attack anyone. The Founder looked like she could kick Jesse's ass anytime.

"What is -t that you want to say to me?" the Founder asked, painfully slowly. Jesse decided that he would just have to deal with it. She didn't know any better.

"I want to discuss Aiden, Gill and Maya's fates." Jesse declared. "Assuming you wish to punish them."

The Founder's eyes sharpened, like green glass bottles. "I will punish them for their actions against my people and I."

Jesse nodded respectfully (though he really wanted to crawl away from the hard look in her eyes). "What do you plan to sentence them to?"

The Founder stared at him, analyzing him. "At least two years in prison and two hundred hours of community work." she replied. Jesse silently sighed in relief. He was afraid that he was going to have to talk her out of giving them the death sentence.

"Great. I just ask that you and your guards don't treat them too roughly. They're genuinely sorry for what they've done. That's all." Jesse said.

The Founder nodded. "I understand. That can be arranged. Anything else?"

Jesse remembered how the people here completely believed there was absolutely nothing below them. "Uh, I think you might want to know that there's land below you."

The Founder's eyes widened. "Real-y? W-ats d-wm t-ere? H-w far d-wn?"

Jesse blinked twice. "Pardon?"

The Founder shook her head apologetically. "My apologies." she corrected herself slowly. "You say there is land below us?"

Jesse nodded. "Yeah. Grass and trees stretching for blocks and blocks. There's water too. And animals. And flowers. It's beautiful, you know..."

The Founder's eyes grew more and more amazed as Jesse described the land. She shook her head in disbelief. "But how did you survive such a fall?"

"I landed in the water. I was very lucky that there was water there at all." Jesse replied. "The only way to get down there is to jump, though you could probably build an elevator or something for future trips."

The Founder seemed to be thinking. After a while, she spoke.

"I may oneday take my people down there to live." she said, staring out the opening in the throne room wall. "This island is small."

"I think your people could use some freedom." Jesse said. He saw his friends waiting for him out of the corner of his eyes. "If you don't need to discuss anything else with me Founder, then I'll talk to my friends. They need answers."

The Founder waved her hand dismissively. "Call me Isa."

"Isa." Jesse echoed. "Did I say that right?"

She nodded. "Go talk to your friends now. I thank you for what you have dine for me and my people. I apologize for the way you have been treated earlier."

"No worries." Jesse replied. "I'm gonna go now. It was nice meeting you. I might come back for a visit sometime."

"I'll be sure to have that elevator ready by then." Isa smiled.

He smiled back, then shuffled over to Ivor, Lukas and Petra. Milo was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had a family to see.

"Hey." Jesse said.

"Drink this." Ivor said suddenly, shoving a healing potion into his hands without warning. Jesse nearly dropped it. He stared at the rosy pink liquid, not quite comprehending it.

"Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. At Ivor's (and Petra's and Lukas') deadpan expressions, he frowned. "Guys, I'm not that hurt. Thanks for being concerned, but I'm fine. We should save that for a real injury."

Jesse held out the potion, and Ivor reluctantly took it back, slipping it into his "adventuring bag". They stood together awkwardly, each drinking in the other's presence. So much had happened lately. They needed a chance to just be together, not doing anything.

Lukas was first to ask the question Jesse knew everyone wanted to ask. "How did you survive?"

"The people of Sky City were wrong about there being only void below them." Jesse began. "It turns out that we're just really really high up in the sky. There's land below us."

Petra's eyes widened. "Was t-ere a port-l?" she asked quickly, seemingly excited.

"Pardon?" he asked. Petra repeated her question. Was there a portal?

"Yeah. Yeah there was. It would explain why it definitely wasn't on the island." Jesse said. He took out the flint and steel. It felt warm in his hands. "Hopefully it can bring us home."

"But what of the Blaze Rods?" Ivor asked slowly. "Will they come with us?"

Lukas stared at him, waiting for an answer. Jesse shifted under his gaze.

"Well, um…" he trailed off. "They've committed some pretty serious crimes against the people here. The Found- I mean, Isa, wants them punished. Said punishment is at least two years in prison and two hundred hours of community service."

Lukas looked in the direction of the prison.

"After that sentence, I guess they can do whatever they want. We can come back and take them back to Beacontown. Or they can stay here. It depends on them." Jesse shrugged. "I can't tell if they want to come back, since…"

"Since what?" Lukas asked suddenly.

Jesse took a deep breath and told them the story that Gill and Maya told him. About the bullying. The fear of going outside. He told them about how Aiden nearly got beat up by Order fans. He told them everything. That eventually lead into how he fell into the water, dug up a hill, and found the portal. He glossed over building up for a day. He also glossed over getting arrested. It was his one- sided conversation with Aiden that he told with more detail. Lukas seemed to be lost in thought several times during the story. Petra and Ivor listened with rapt attention.

"And now we're here." Jesse finished. There was a moment of sile- Notch dammit. Silence. There was a moment of silence. He had to stop.

"Thanks for giving them a chance." Lukas finally said. Jesse placed a comforting hand on Lukas' shoulder. He was probably conflicted over his old friend. Blaming himself for their fates, probably. Jesse would've done the same in his position. Heck, he was partially blaming himself even now. For not reaching out to them. For not trying to fix their problems.

"Soooo." Petra said. "Do we jum- off t-e isl-nd and go h-me now?"

Jesse guessed that she asked about home or something like that. "We could." he shrugged again. He'd done a lot of shrugging today. "But I need to talk to the Blaze Rods."

"Why?" Petra asked. "T-ey're in ja-l. T-ere's no-hing else you can do."

"No, there isn't." Jesse agreed. "But I still have to explain to them what's going to happen. And how they're going to get home, since they're obviously not coming with."

"And I want -o talk with t-em as well." Lukas said, fiddling with his fingers. He looked nervous.

"Then it's settled. Lukas and I will have our talks with the Blaze Rods, and then we jump off the island and go home." Jesse announced. "Petra, Ivor, I guess you guys can relax. Unless you want to talk to someone too?"

Ivor shook his head, muttering something that looked like "Another time", "Eversource", and "Old Builder". Jesse decided to ignore him. Petra just shrugged, as if saying "Go ahead."

Lukas and Jesse made their way into the prison, heading straight for the Blaze Rods' cell. All three were awake now, sitting together in one corner as if huddling for warmth. As soon as they saw who was standing there, they stiffened, especially upon seeing Lukas.

Lukas seemed to wilt under their gazes. They weren't aggressive, but they weren't the way you'd stare at a former friend. It was like staring at a stranger that you thought you had seen before. they truly had grown apart the past year.

"Lukas, you go first." Jesse said. "I'll turn around."

Lukas nodded gratefully, looking nervous. Jesse gave him a pat on the shoulder before turn in around and facing the way they came. Lukas knelt on the ground and began to talk.

Jesse waited a while. He rehearsed what he was going to say over and over in his head. "Hey, you guys have been sentenced to two years of prison and two hundred hours of work!" No, that sounded terrible, probably worse if said aloud. There was no easy way to say this. There was no easy way to anything.

Eventually there was a tap on his shoulder. It was Lukas telling him it was Jesse's turn to talk. Lukas, without Jesse even asking, walked back up the stairs to the throne room.

Jesse knelt down to get on the Blaze Rods' level. Maya and Gill stared at him with grim eyes, as if they knew what he was going to say. Aiden was looking at him, but not quite meeting his eyes.

"Hey guys." Jesse started.

"Hey." Gill replied, accompanied by a weak wave. Maya smiled briefly.

"So The Founder has decided your sentences already." Jesse began. "It's two years in prison and two hundred hours of service."

The Blaze Rods seemed mildly surprised, Aiden especially. They were probably expecting worse.

"I made the Founder promise to treat you guys fairly." Jesse said. "You know, no blindfolding or tying you up roughly or anything like that."

Aiden looked away. Gill and Maya shared a look Jesse couldn't decipher.

"My friends and I aren't gonna stay here. We're going back to Beacontown. That means we're leaving you behind." Jesse continued. When Aiden jerked up, staring at Jesse with wide eyes, Jesse held out a hand. "I promise that after two years, I'll come back to see you guys. If by that time you guys wanna go back to Beacontown, you can come. If you wanna stay here, you can."

Gill and Maya nodded. Aiden hesitated a little, before nodding as well.

"Great." Jesse said. There was an awkward pause as no one said anything. Jesse's knees started to ache from kneeling for so long.

"For the record, I'm not mad at you guys." Jesse said. At their unsure looks, he corrected himself. "Okay, I'm not mad at you guys now. But before I really hated you guys. But since you guys are willing to change, to become a better person, I'm willing to start over. I'm sure the same will happen with Beacontown eventually."

Aiden, Gill, and Maya shared another look. Maya looked slightly hopeful at the prospect of returning to Beacontown.

Seeing as there was nothing else Jesse could possibly say to make the Blaze Rods' situation better, he stood up. "Well, my friends are waiting for me to… uh, jump off the island and go home, soo…"

"I'm sor-y." Aiden blurted out. It was so sudden Jesse would've missed it if Aiden hadn't straightened suddenly. "I'm sor-y."

"You don't need to tell me that." Jesse said. Realizing how rude that might've sounded, he corrected himself. "I mean, you surrendered peacefully and stuff. You wouldn't have if you weren't sorry."

Aiden nodded in agreement.

"Right, okay." Jesse looked at the three Blaze Rods one last time. "I'll see you guys later, yeah?"

All three waved goodbye. Jesse turned around and left. He hoped he'd see them again.

Petra, Lukas, and Ivor were waiting for him by the front stairs of the palace. Lukas looked like he'd been crying a little. Jesse didn't question him about it.

"Ready to jump a couple hundred blocks?" Jesse asked with forced cheerfulness.

Everyone nodded, though Ivor hesitated a little. They made their way through Sky City, being stopped several times by thankful citizens. They tried their best to make their way through them to the gates. Eventually, they arrived at Ivor's dirt skull. It felt like so long ago that he had built that. It felt like so long ago that they had stepped through that portal.

They stared down at the blank whiteness below them. Lukas paled considerably. Petra looked down with wide eyes. Ivor was looking straight up, as if praying that there was another way.

"So we're gonna jump." Jesse explained, though he probably didn't need to. "Remember that we have to aim for the water. Shouldn't be too hard. We've got a long way to fall."

"Notch, Jesse, how are y-o not s-aking?" Petra asked. Petra wasn't shaking either, but he didn't say that. Petra didn't like it when her bravery was questioned.

"I'm shaking internally." Jesse replied. He was not looking forward to falling again. He remembered the absolute terror of falling, and the feeling of his stomach crawling into his chest. And the weightlessness. It reminded him too much of that fateful fall from the Witherstorm.

After a few more moments of staring straight down (and Ivor staring straight up), Jesse shrugged. "Alright, it's time we go home." And after a slight pause, he added, "Yolo."

And then he jumped.

And he fell again. Only this time, he knew he wasn't going to die. That didn't really help with the crawling feeling in his stomach and the slight terror, but Jesse would just have to deal with it. He spared a glance above him, and saw that his friends looked just as well as he felt. At least he wasn't alone this time. At least he wouldn't find his best friend dead at the bottom. Hopefully.

Notch, Jesse was pessimistic. He should fall off high places less.

They landed in the water with a splash, and Jesse quickly resurfaced to make sure his friends were okay. They were. Their eyes widened as they drank in the view. Jesse smiled.

They swam to shore and dried off as best as they could under the bright sun. Off to the left was the lava stream from Ivor's skull, disappearing into the clouds. Next to that was a single- block tower of dirt, also shooting into the clouds. That was Jesse's. He was slightly proud of himself for building something so tall.

"You bu-lt that?" Ivor asked, pointing to the dirt tower. Jesse nodded. Ivor seemed to whistle.

"Anyways, portal is this way." Jesse said, waving in the direction of the hole in the ground. They clambered down said hole, coming to a stop next to the portal. Now that Jesse looked at it more closely, it sort of resembled an egg. Like the mob eggs. Cool.

Petra hugged the portal, kissing it. "Yesssss." she groaned, smashing her cheek into the gold blocks. "Home."

"Lemme light it." Jesse grinned, pulling out the flint and steel. It seemed to vibrate the closer he stepped towards the portal. Jesse itched to go home the more he stepped closer to the portal. He was sure the others were too. He couldn't wait to tell Axel and Olivia about all that had happened.

With a flick of his wrist, he struck the flint with the steel, a blue spark jumping out. The portal was instantly filled with swirling blue light, nearly blinding Jesse. He got up and stood with his friends, staring at the portal. The doorway to home.

"All at once?" Jesse asked no one in particular. Petra and Lukas nodded. Ivor jumped up and down in excitement.

"Three, two, ONE!"

They rushed through the portal with a flash of light. Jesse hit the ground running, stumbling an extra step forward. His foot hit smooth stone. Smooth stone. Not the mossy, rough stone of the temple. A chill ran down his spine. He did not want to look up.

Petra knelt down next to him and punched the floor in anger, her mouth open in a cry of frustration Jesse couldn't hear. Behind her. Lukas dragged a hand over his face, his nostrils flaring as he (probably) sighed. Ivor seemed to be the only one still excited. Strange, strange Ivor.

Jesse looked up.

Portals upon portals in an array of colours, all lined up on either side of a hallway so long that he couldn't see the other end. There had to be hundreds of portals. None of them were labeled. None of them showed any sign of where they lead. And maybe, just maybe, none of them lead home.

Jesse turned to the side and punched the wall.

-o.0.o-

Final word count: Too much.

Well, that wraps up episode five! That took me way too long... but as I said in the fake chapter 14, life got in the way. I'm sure a lot of you have been through it.

To Ariza Luca: The sour man was Aiden. So you were correct! I didn't expect anyone to get it, since you had no reason to think it was him. But I gave clues since then, so maybe you realized it :)

To Toni42: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know it was yesterday but I couldn't finish the chapter by then.I finished this chapter today for you :)

To everyone: Well, Christmas is tomorrow for me, and today for some of you, so Merry Christmas! If you don't celebrate Christmas, then Happy New Year! 2017 was a mess, but we made it through together. Here's to 2018!

*Airhorn honks*

:))