Starfall: A Minecraftian Tale

Prologue

If you had the chance to leave everything you knew behind...

...Would you take it?

The sun rose above the mountains on the horizon, casting orange morning light on the small valley village. There was very little activity in the town at this early hour, as not many were awake at around now aside from farmers watering their crops. However, there was a young teen wearing a fox-like hoodie, standing in their kitchen, watching the sun rise through a window above the counters. He drank some fresh milk from a bottle while enjoying the peace of the morning.

"Alex!" A sharp voice snapped from the living room.

And that peace was gone.

Alex silently took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder at Suka, his mother. She stood in the doorway from the kitchen to the living room and looked like she was in her early 40s with long brown hair with a faint tinge of grey to it and her sky blue eyes were sharp and judgmental. "Get your ass in gear and get out of here" she said firmly. Alex obediently nodded and went over to grab his bag. He looked out the window, guessing with the fact the sun just rose there was a high chance of zombies and skeletons still about. Or worse, creepers. He slung the bag over his shoulder and once it was settled he made a quick jog up to his room to grab his trusty iron sword. It was worn from use but still sturdy enough. He slid it between his back and his bag as a make-shift sheath and came back down to head for the door.

"Hold on. What is on your back?" Alex's mother asked, disgust clear in her tone.

Alex winced and turned to face his mother, awaiting her lecture.

"Do you really need to take that... thing with you?" She asked.

"Well...I just thought, with the sun just rising it's likely that there's still mobs out there, better safe than sorry, right?" He asked, hoping his mom would just let him go.

"I'm pretty sure they don't allow weapons in the museum." She said flatly.

"Then I'll leave it with Patches, I just need it while on the way to the meeting point." Alex explained.

"Can't you just outrun them?" His mother asked scathingly.

"Zombies yeah but skeletons have bows and spiders and creepers are rather fast, I mean...dad couldn't outrun them..." He said the last part softly, he didn't remember much about his father, just that he had been killed by mobs when he was young.

His mother scowled and said "Your father let himself die." she said plainly, as if that wasn't a shocking revelation to her child.

"Wh-what...?" Alex breathed. He'd never had heard that before. He stared at his mother, wondering why she would ever say such a thing. "What?" he asked, a little bit louder.

"You heard me. I don't know why I never told you sooner. It was foolish of me to let you believe in a delusion that your father actually loved you. He was so ashamed of you that he couldn't stand to live with you." his mother said cruelly.

The shock faded into anger. Alex glared at Suka with his own look of disgust. "What? Because my eyes are weird?" He demanded and brushed the hair out of his face to show his mismatched eyes. "Is that what's so wrong with me? Because of something I can't help!?" He bared his teeth in something akin to a snarl. "Why didn't you just dump me in the woods as soon as you saw how wrong I was!?"

Suka looked appalled. "And have my reputation stain'd with the fact I left my baby to die? That'd be the end of me."

Alex's eyes widened then narrowed "It's all about your stupid reputation, isn't it!?" he said coldly then drew himself up to his full height, which was almost eye level with his mother, and said "I'll just leave then. Let you have your pathetic reputation." he turned and grabbed the door handle.