Legacies || Hermitcraft

Chapter V - The Aftermath

Standing up, he found himself in an unfamiliar room, but one that had been described to him in books and stories. Walls of iron and stone surrounded Ezra, encasing him in a dimly lit dungeon. Bloodstained stairs led down into a winding maze of doors and hallways, and Ezra pushed himself to keep walking. At times he worried that he might get lost, ending up trapped in the hallways forever, but finally in the distance he caught a glimpse of sunlight for the very first time. 

It was unlike anything he'd seen before, as the End didn't have a star so close to its surface. Ezra was almost afraid to venture further into the light, scared of what it might do or if it would hurt him, but regardless he took a deep breath and stepped out of the cave in which the Stronghold was buried. For a moment he was blinded, the sheer brightness of the star leaving him lost and unable to see, but when the glaring light died down Ezra was left breathless.

The sun illuminated each corner of the perfect world before him, shining through the lush leaves of trees and onto the flowers and grass beneath him. It reflected off of crystal clear lakes, its radiance only occasionally disturbed by the light, fluffy clouds in the sky, and everything it touched felt warm and safe. He has no idea that stars could be this beautiful, the sight of it almost ironic given what had occurred only hours prior.

Xisuma would love it here, the thought of his brother unexpectedly leaving a tiny smile on Ezra's face instead of tears in his eyes. But the tears soon came, harder than they ever had before, leaving him both devastated and oddly comforted in such a bittersweet moment.

6 months after that day, Ezra was doing somewhat better, just not in regards to his wounds. The emotional pain had died down just a little, even becoming somewhat manageable when he wasn't directly thinking about Xisuma or his old home, but in its place came the agony of the burns and wounds he'd received back in the End.

At least the Overworld had no scarcity of resources. The only thing that had come close to the fear of his home being destroyed was the unfamiliarity of this strange new dimension. He'd eventually learned its quirks and secrets, like how rain was best avoided, but how fire could be used to keep him warm, fed and comforted. He often moved from one place to the other, feeling anxious if he remained in the same area for more than two weeks at a time, but rarely came across any signs of civilization. 

He'd also managed to keep his injuries decently cared for while in this dimension. Cold water, although it often triggered a bizarre visceral reaction that Ezra couldn't quite explain, eased the pain of his burns significantly. Similarly, the cloth made from things like cotton and wool in the Overworld did a far better job at dressing his wounds than the scraps of burnt cloth he'd found back at the End.

Even then, severity of his scars seemed to finally hit him. They scared him, particular the one over his left eye, a long jagged mark that ran from just above his brow to the corner of his mouth. Similarly, scars from the fire and explosions were scattered across the rest of his body, particularly along his arms. They were so jarring, so strange and horrifying that Ezra couldn't bare to look at them even months later. 

So he didn't, aside from when he had to force himself to make sure they were healing properly. Ezra wasn't one to look on the bright side much, especially not in times like these, but at least his new scars made the two older ones on his chest less glaringly obvious.

Was he okay? Far from it, but he was alive. And even if Ezra often wished that he wasn't, it was still something to be proud of. The pain, trauma and scars would serve as a permanent reminder of what had happened that day, and a reminder that the past couldn't be changed. But Ezra was alive, and for the first time since he'd been stargazing with Xisuma, that was enough for him to feel content. 

Xisuma watched the sky in awe, eyes wide as he gazed at the many illuminating stars and beautifully unique worlds that extended across the cosmos. Somehow, the night sky was even more breathtaking in the Overworld, yet quite bittersweet too.

He could only imagine how much Ezra would adore it here. Thinking of all the silly patterns he'd find among the stars, how every new flower and animal would excite him, and how he'd share all of it with Xisuma. Just the thought of his brother made him want to smile and cry at the same time, and maybe it was okay to do both.

So Xisuma let himself cry. Tears ran freely down his face, landing in the grass beneath his head as he kept crying, harder than he ever had before. And as he let the tears fall, it almost gave him a sense of comfort, as if he was finally releasing the neglected grief that had built up over the last six months. And for once, being alone felt good, like it was just Xisuma and his brother's memory, watching the stars as they had once done together.

"I miss you." Xisuma finally admitted. "I know you'd love everything about this place, and the people I've met here... I wish you were here so I could show it to you. But even if I can't have you with me now, I still want to take the time to love everything I see here, because everything reminds me of you. Because even if you used to hate me for saying it... I love you too."

Xisuma sat up, still feeling the tears roll down his cheeks. He brushed them away with a little laugh, before standing up and beginning to walk back to the beginnings of his new home. Before he went back inside, he took one last look at the stars, so painfully unaware that somewhere out there, his brother was watching the same night sky.

"⊣𝙹𝙹↸リ╎⊣⍑ℸ ̣ , ╎'ꖎꖎ ᓭᒷᒷ ||𝙹⚍ ᔑ⊣ᔑ╎リ ᓭ𝙹ᒲᒷ↸ᔑ||."

"Goodnight, I'll see you again someday."