Hello hi I wanna die
This chapter is brought to you by Mitis, chocolate cake, my sister's cat Newt, and a shit ton of stress
I still have no motivation so I'm just forcing myself to accomplish things until I feel more enthusiastic about this whole mess
Question- should I start doing little recaps of what previously happened to the Order member each section is about??
Like
This chapter starts off being about Lukas
Next time, should I add a little thing about 'oh yeah this is what happened to him last time so you don't have to go digging through this mess of a book' ?
Ugh this makes no sense
I know it's all very confusing at this point but I SWEAR it'll start leveling out soon nngh
and DO I EVEN NEED TO TELL YOU that I hardly edited
Also yes I'm completely stalling
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"Stop staring at me." Lukas ordered in a monotone.
"I'm not staring at you." Aiden looked away. It was the day after Lukas had woken up, and they were preparing to go meet Ava, a friend of the Blazerods who'd figured out a recipe to make a Potion of Memory. Lukas had taken off the bandages covering the wound on his neck, and the vinelike bruise was hard to ignore.
"I can feel you looking at me, Aiden. Yes, I've got a weird injury. You know what it looks like." The blonde boy snapped.
"Sorry, I know, I'm just...I know."
"If you knew, you would knock it off."
"GUYS! Are you coming, or what?" Maya hollered up from downstairs. Aiden rolled his eyes, walking the rest of the way down the narrow stairway. "We're right here. Would you chill?"
They joined the other two Blazerods waiting by the door. Maya crossed her arms, looking supremely grouchy. "Where's Lyn?"
"For the last time, stop CALLING ME THAT." Marilan's voice snapped from upstairs.
"It's just a nickname!" Maya objected.
Marilan came stomping down the stairs, fiddling with the buttons on her grey shirt. The stomping seemed unintentional, more cause of her boots than her temper. "It's inaccurate. My name isn't spelled with a Y."
"Okay, Marilina." Maya shot back. The other girl cut her a warning glare. "Don't go there."
"She's in one of those moods." Gill informed calmly, laying a hand on Maya's shoulder.
"A snap-at-everyone-she-sees mood or a i-am-preparing-to-burn-down-the-world mood?" Aiden quipped.
"Keep that up and it'll definitely be the second one." Maya growled.
Lukas smiled as Aiden added another sass-loaded retort to the conversation. It was good to see that some things would never change. The two of them had been on a non-stop rampage of antagonizing each other, ever since Maya had first joined the Ocelots.
"Hey, cut it out, both of you. Don't we have somewhere to be?" Gill pointed out, ever the voice of reason. He looked at Lukas. "Didn't this used to be your job? Making sure Aidya didn't kill each other? Why am I the one stuck with it?"
Marilan patted his arm sympathetically as she pushed the door open and went out. "Because I don't have the patience and Lukas has been too busy getting himself ripped up by monsters."
"Hey!" Lukas objected as the rest of them followed her. "I'll have you know hero life isn't entirely horrible."
"Which is why we only seem to see you when something's gone wrong." Aiden pointed out.
Lukas found this hard to argue with. "You guys came to Beacontown a few months ago."
"Yeah, but that was more to see the changes to the town than for you. No offense. But speaking of that, now you get to see our town." Gill said with a dramatic wave of his arm.
A small cobblestone path led away from the house towards a large group of other buildings. The Blazerods seemed to live on the edge of the village, though it was only a couple minutes before they had reached the center of the town.
Lukas had trouble deciding where to look first. The place was a quaintly fascinating mix of building styles, simple beginner's houses next to more complicated builds. None of the buildings looked show-offy; they served their purpose and that was that. The whole town had a comfortably humble feel, and Lukas loved it instantly.
"I'm so glad you guys managed to make this place work for you. You really lucked out on location, huh?" He asked, nodding towards the thick forest visible in the gaps between houses.
"Yeah. It hasn't fully lived up to the 'city' part of its name yet, but it doesn't need to. People are a lot happier than they ever were in Sky City." Aiden said.
"Gill! Marilan!" A female voice called from behind them, and the group turned to see a tall woman coming towards them. She had long black hair in a high ponytail, and wore a loose yellow top and black pants. It was only after Lukas noticed the little white chicken trailing behind her that he realized she was none other than Isa.
"There you all are, I've been meaning to ask you- oh! Lukas! You're alright!" Isa interrupted herself.
Lukas grinned. "Yeah, mostly. Good to see you again."
"Indeed it is, although I do wish it could've been under better circumstances. Your friends told me what happened. They've all been a big help in creating what you see today, though it's really thanks to you and your Order that we had this opportunity." She said.
Not quite sure how to respond, Lukas simply replied, "It's really good to see how this place has turned out. I'm glad you guys got this chance."
Isa nodded, smiling proudly. "Yes, I daresay we've come quite a long ways since we first set foot on this land."
"You said you were looking for us?" Gill cut in. Isa turned to him. "Right, yes. It's nothing major, I just had a few potion questions."
"I can stop by later and help you out, if you want." Marilan offered. The black-haired woman nodded again. "That would be wonderful, thanks."
"You know, if you have potion questions, you could just go to Ava. We were just on our way over there." Aiden suggested, which prompted an eyeroll from Isa. "That girl. She may know her potions, but goodness knows she's hard to speak to."
"I know what you mean." Maya grumbled, not relinquishing her hold on her grouchy mood. Isa gave her a slightly wary look, then said, "Well, if you've got somewhere to be, don't let me keep you."
"She seems...startlingly different." Lukas commented as they continued down the stone road. Aiden bobbed his head in agreement. "I know, right? She's gotten way more relaxed about...well, everything. Like I said, everyone's happier here."
"Marilan and I may have partially been the cause of that, which is why we're a bit closer with her." Gill explained. "We helped teach her and Milo a lot about surviving down here, especially before Aiden and Maya were deemed trustworthy. After she felt more confident living on land, it was easier for her to let go of her stricter leader qualities."
"The twins helped a lot too, since they showed up shortly after Marilan did." Aiden contributed. Lukas nodded thoughtfully.
"Speaking of the twins, here we are." Maya said, gesturing to a house made of primarily birch and oak planks, with a large yard partially encircled by a birch fence. Leaning against said fence was a tall blonde boy who jumped up from his casual position as soon as he noticed them.
"Hey hey! The Blazerods, in the flesh! And our esteemed Order member, good to see you in one piece." The unfamiliar boy greeted them cheerfully. He had very curly blonde hair and bright grey-blue eyes, and his smile looked like a permanent fixture.
"Lukas, this is Bren. He and I have been friends forever. He's obnoxious, but you get used to him." Marilan introduced.
"Guilty as charged." He extended his hand to Lukas, who shook it after a moment's hesitation. Judging by his facial features, the other boy was a year or so younger than him, though he was several inches taller.
"Where's Ava?" Maya asked. Bren sighed, brushing a blonde curl away from his eye. "Oh, you know her. She's just...being Ava."
"What kind of 'being Ava'?" Marilan pressed. He shook his head. "You'll see. Come on, she's in the workshop."
Motioning for them to follow, Bren led the way around the back of the house towards a much smaller building. It appeared to be hardly more than a shack, and couldn't possibly be labeled a workshop. But on the inside, a wide stairway opened up into a substantial underground room, filled with chests, crafting tables, cauldrons, and shelves upon shelves of potions.
"Whoa..." Lukas couldn't help but murmur.
"Cool, right?" Bren said, before calling, "Hey, Ava! They're here!"
"Sh!" a girl's voice snapped briskly. It took a few moments of glancing around the dim room before Lukas finally noticed a blonde girl crouching in front of one of the brewing stands, pouring something into the bottle secured in it.
"Aahh. That kind of 'being Ava'." Aiden muttered. Lukas glanced over at him questioningly, and he elaborated.
"Ava's amazing with potions, kind of like that Ivor guy you know. She gets kinda weird when she's super focused, though. If she's left completely alone, she'll stay down here for days, doing nothing but figuring out potion theory."
"Come back next week, not done yet." The girl muttered, reaching up to absent-mindedly adjust her glasses.
Maya walked over to her, leaning down so as to look at her face.
"Ay-vaah..." she singsonged, waving a hand in front of her eyes. Ava reached up and snatched Maya's wrist, then pushed her away without a word.
"Just give her a minute." Bren recommended.
There was a quiet hiss, and a few bubbles trailed up from the potion bottle. The blonde girl suddenly jumped up, her copper glasses falling from her face as she hollered, "AHA! TAKE THAT, ALCHEMY!"
Lukas startled slightly as the girl leaned down again and swept the potion from the brewing stand. Turning around to face the Blazerods for the first time, she proclaimed, "Feast your eyes, everyone, on the very first Invincibility Potion!"
Gill snorted. "Invisibility Potions have been around for basically forever, Ava."
The blonde girl wagged a finger at him. "Ah-ah, don't twist my words. Invince-ibility. Being stronger, faster, and completely invulnerable, for a limited amount of time, of course, I still haven't figured out how to make potion effects permanent. But anyway! I've been researching possible formulas for months, and now, IT HAS BEEN DONE!"
Aiden leaned forward, examining the bright red potion. "Really. How'd you pull that off? I thought there was an issue with conflicting ingredients, or something."
"There was!" Ava exclaimed proudly, reaching down and scooping her glasses off the floor and stowing them in her inventory. "For some reason, Strength potions and Regeneration potions don't work well together. If you've already drunk one when you take the other, the effects of the first will lessen, if not entirely dissipate. This happens with several kinds of potions, but those were the two I needed to make this, as well as a Potion of Speed, but that one wasn't a problem. I'm still not entirely sure why that happens, but I managed to work around it. And thus! A new dawn for potion brewers everywhere!"
"Congratulations." Marilan grinned, holding up her hand for a high-five. Ava quickly tapped Marilan's palm with her own before seeming to remember something.
"Oh, right. You guys want to know about the potion of Memory. And you must be our amnesiac." She said, making eye contact with Lukas.
"I'm technically not an amnesiac, but yes." He replied, taking a good look at her for the first time. Had he not previously known that she and Bren were twins, Lukas never would've guessed they were even related. Compared to her brother, Ava had much darker eyes, lighter and straighter hair, and was significantly shorter. Her stance also seemed more rigid, like she was prepared to run at any moment.
She looked up at him with a thoughtful sort of scowl, eyes shifting between his face and the wound on his neck. "Well, if we're speaking technically, parts of your memory are missing, so technically yes, you're an amnesiac. Partial, sure, but nonetheless. My Notch, that does look terrible. You were right, Maya, it looks like some sorta thorn. How phenomenally weird."
"Memory potion?" Aiden prompted. Ava nodded. "Right, right, yes. I'm like ninety-seven percent sure it'll work, but it's not done brewing yet. It's gonna be probably another hour...I'm not sure what about it is making it take so long, it's a pretty complicated recipe." She mused.
"Hmm." Maya replied with a suspicious side-eyeing of Ava and a dubious grunt. The blonde girl leveled a surprisingly ferocious glare at her. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm almost certain it'll work. This is another brew that I've been studying for months, and I haven't found a single possible flaw in this recipe. It'll work, it's just not ready yet."
"Well, perfect timing, then." Bren commented. "Because as it turns out, I found an incredibly epic place that you all need to check out, and I'm assuming that once we find out what the hell happened to poor Lukas, you lot will be off on another crazy life-risking quest. So let's take advantage of the present, yeah?"
"Basically, you discovered something moderately cool and you're trying to drag us on a little adventure so you'll feel less lonely if we have to leave?" Aiden deadpanned. Bren grinned shamelessly at him. "If you must put it that way."
"Sure, I'm game." Lukas agreed. "I haven't really had a chance to see any of the area around Terracity."
Ava looked hesitant, glancing back at a brewing stand occupied by a shimmery teal potion. Marilan noticed her expression and crossed her arms, assuming a kind but stern tone. "Ava, it's not gonna go any faster with you hovering over it. You said it's gonna be about an hour before it's done, it'll be ready when we get back. You oughtta get outside."
"Yeah, I know, but..." Ava started.
"But nothing! Come on, let's go, time's a-wasting!" Bren announced. His sister replied with a complicated expression, somewhere between anxiety and stubbornness.
"I don't know. I don't really feel up for an adventure, and with all of my projects going on..."
Maya promptly grabbed the sleeve of her grey sweatshirt and began towing her outside. Ava gave a few squeaks of protest, but soon gave up. They'd all learned that when Maya was set on doing something, she wasn't to be stopped.
"Sorry Ava. Being a hermit isn't an option today. Bren's right, once we find out what attacked the Order, we're probably gonna be leaving again." Gill said, and Ava sighed heavily.
"So where are we headed?" Maya asked, seeming somewhat more cheerful than she had before. Bren pointed in the general direction of the forest, saying, "It's in a cave, unfortunately, and it's a bit of a walk, but it's so cool. You just wait."
Marilan gave him a wary look. "You know I don't like caves."
"Trust me, this'll be worth it." He assured her.
"What exactly is this thing?" Gill asked as they started towards the woods, though his tone was more good-natured than suspicious. Bren made a face at him. "That would ruin the surprise. And it's not as much a thing as a place."
"Hmm." Marilan huffed noncommittally, propping her hands on her hips. Bren looped his arm through one of hers. "Oh come on. Lighten up."
The two of them and Aiden took the lead, and Lukas found himself slightly in front of Ava, the petite girl still looking slightly resentful of being tugged away from her work. He paused briefly to let her catch up with him.
"You ought to visit Beacontown. I know someone who'd really like to hear about your potion experiments." He suggested, making an attempt at conversation. Back in the dimness of her workshop, Ava had been expressively energetic and loose, but in the cheerful sunlight of the forest, she seemed much more reserved.
She glanced up at him, tipping her head sidewise. "Yeah?"
"Mm-hm. His name's Ivor, and he's practically a genius. He's a bit...eccentric, though."
A slightly embarrassed smile dashed across Ava's face. "That seems to be a pretty common trait among inventors." The smile suddenly dropped, replaced by a curiously dubious expression. "Wait. Hold on. You don't mean Ivor as in, only decent member of the disgraced Order, elusive potion wizard, Ivor?"
"Well, I'd hardly call him a wizard, but yep, that's him." Lukas said. Ava stared. "Are you kidding me? I'd give anything to be able to meet him! He's one of the main reasons I became interested in potion theory!"
Just like that, her enthusiasm had returned. Lukas couldn't resist a small smile. "Last time I saw him, he was trying to figure out possible recipes for a Teleportation Potion. He'd definitely be interested in how you made the potion of Memory."
Ava nodded enthusiastically. "That would be amazing. I should've guessed you would know him, with your legendary hero status and all. I'm not sure how much you know about the alchemist community, but he's held in very high regard in most circles."
Lukas snickered. "I never would've guessed that. When we first met him, he just seemed like a creepy old swindler. This was long before we became the New Order, though, and before we knew who he really was."
"Really?" Ava asked, night-sky eyes bright with interest.
"Oh yeah. We first met him the same night he first created the Witherstorm, though I don't think 'met' is quite the right word. He cheated my best friend out of a diamond, and we spent hours tracking him through EnderCon." Lukas recounted that first little slice of their life-altering adventure to Ava, from tricking their way into the keynote, to discovering the Wither skulls, to getting chased out by the iron golem.
"That's incredible. You know, the legends of the great New Order of the Stone are pretty widely known, but it's the neat little details like those that end up lost. Kinda sad, honestly." The blonde girl mused. Lukas shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. But my friends and I will always remember them, which is what really counts."
Ava nodded. "Funny how abruptly adventures can spring up. I mean, sometimes you intend to set out for something chaotic and you know what you're getting yourself into, but other times you're already long on the road before you realize what's happened."
"Couldn't've said it better myself." Lukas said honestly. "Change is weird like that- it can never seem to decide if it wants to happen slowly or all at once."
Ava didn't look at him as she quietly said, "That's where Bren and I disagree a lot of the time. He likes to go with the flow and figure things out as they happen, but I'd rather know what to expect. That's why he's always the one discovering cool new places and finding things out about the world, and I end up hermited in my little workshop. Well, you saw. I almost ended up doing it today."
Nodding sympathetically, Lukas admitted, "I used to be like that too. Just ask Aiden, he was always the one trying to drag me on adventures, get me out of my shell."
"Guys! Come on!" Aiden shouted. A little way ahead of the two of them, he, Bren, and Marilan had paused and were waiting for everyone else to catch up. Behind them, the grassy ground of the forest began quickly sloping upwards, forming a tall tree-covered knoll. At the base of the hill was a cave, stone and coal ore visible in the yawning shadows.
"Are we here? Where is here?" Lukas asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep. It's not far in." Bren informed him.
Aiden was still looking back in the direction they'd come. "You know, for someone with such long legs, Gill walks incredibly slow." he grumbled.
Lukas glanced back at the other two Blazerods. They were walking side by side, Gill saying something quietly to Maya, the former taking long, slow strides, and the latter scuffing along with her head down and her hands in the pockets of her jeans. Maya glanced up and leveled a halfhearted glare in their direction when she noticed the others watching them.
Bren had retrieved a torch from his inventory and was already starting off into the cave, apparently trusting that the Blazerods would follow him.
"Some things never change. Maya's always grouchy, Ava's always a hermit, and Gill's always slow." Aiden proclaimed as he went after Bren. Lukas fell into step with him, stepping around a stone block so as to stay next to him. "Then what am I?"
Aiden gave him a scrutinizing side-eyed glance. "Hm. You're...always finding some way to accidentally get into trouble."
"And I guess that means you're always finding ways to intentionally get into trouble." Marilan commented from behind them. Aiden barked a laugh that echoed through the cave.
"Ain't that the truth." Lukas intoned cheerfully, earning another appraising look from his friend.
"Noticed you were chatting with Ava on the way here. She's weird, huh? Good weird, I mean." Aiden said softly.
"Yeah. It's cool...I know I already said this, but I'm really glad you guys settled in so well here. I was more worried than I thought I was, that things just wouldn't work out for you. Like, I was kind of worried about it, but I didn't realize how worried. And now that I think about it, 'worried' isn't quite the right word? I don't know what I'm saying." Lukas muttered, shaking his head.
He glanced over to see that Aiden was grinning wryly at him. "Would you believe me if I said that's how I felt about you becoming a hero?"
Lukas wasn't sure how to reply to that. A few days ago, no, he wouldn't've believed that. But now...?
Change is weird like that- it can never seem to decide if it wants to happen slowly or all at once.
Bren had been telling the truth. They were hardly walking for more than a minute before the tall boy stopped, placing his torch on the cave wall. "Come on. Careful, though, there's an edge."
The simple tunnel of the cave system suddenly expanded tenfold, opening into a deep underground crevice. Water poured from a natural spring somewhere behind the opposite wall, creating a massive waterfall that fizzed and steamed when it touched the lava and magma blocks far below.
"Whoa..." Lukas breathed.
"It looks like it goes all the way down to bedrock! I've never seen an underground crevice this big." Maya said.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, Aiden yelled, "Echooo!"
The shout reverberated off the crevice sides, being slightly lost by the rushing of the waterfall. He dropped his hands and grinned.
"Look, I think we can get down to the bottom." Marilan noticed, pointing to a ledge that sloped downwards, leading to the rocky floor.
"See, I told you it was worth braving your cave-phobia." Bren told her, earning a begrudgingly agreeable sigh. Behind them, Aiden and Maya were still hollering echoes into the dark.
The bottom of the crevice was even deeper than it looked, dotted with lava pools and water flows that forced them to stay cautious of where they were stepping. Several kinds of ores were visible in the walls, flashes of gold and emerald winking at them where the torchlight fell. The light from the lava below casted a strange, eerie orange glow, making Lukas slightly apprehensive for no real reason.
"This would be a great place to mine obsidian." Gill noted, studying the places where water and magma collided. Ava was craning her head back to look at the high-up top of the crevice, the pitch-black ceiling of the cave wreathed in shadow.
"I can't believe how huge this is! Makes me feel like a speck of dust, to be honest."
Lukas didn't say anything to that, watching the waterfall crash onto the rocks and magma blocks below. This was exactly the sort of thing he and the rest of the Ocelots had done before everything went to hell; find some neat little place and spent who knows how long exploring it, finding out everything there was to see.
It was strange how much he missed that life. He had it good now. He loved the rest of the Order, thrived in the life they were leading. He liked being a hero. He liked being known. He liked changing the world.
But some part of him still ached for the long-bygone days.
He wasn't even quite sure how his old life had been so different. It was the same in theme, but who he'd been before seemed...insignificant now, in a way he couldn't explain.
And he couldn't decide which of those lives he preferred.
The group spent awhile down in the depths of the crevice, exploring, talking, teasing each other. Their voices and laughs echoed through the crevice, making the cavern seem more full than it actually was.
Bren and Marilan took turns shooting arrows at a huge column of gravel suspended high above the ground, apparently resistant to gravity, until the whole thing came down with a shockingly loud rumbling crash. Maya's grouchy mood temporarily returned when she discovered a small vein of diamonds, but didn't have the right pickaxe for the job.
Eventually, Ava started getting antsy again, claiming she'd had enough of the dark and that the Potion of Memory should be ready. Lukas hadn't minded the low light, but he'd agreed with her anyway.
The trek back seemed shorter than it had been on the way there, though it hadn't been very long to begin with.
They went more as a group than in little scattered pairs, and Gill, Marilan, and Bren were all taking turns roasting each other, and at some point Aiden's arm had ended up slung over Lukas's shoulders, and he couldn't help but think that this was the most content he'd been in a while.
He and Aiden walked in unison- right, left, right, left -without meaning to, a kind of camaraderie they'd missed for years. Aiden was leaning into him slightly, tilting his head just enough that his long hair tickled Lukas's neck.
A few steps ahead of them, Maya burst into cackles at something Bren had said, and Lukas couldn't resist a smile of his own even though he hadn't heard what had caused that reaction.
Aiden made a soft noise, almost a sigh, but not quite. Then he said something that completely overturned Lukas's view of their friendship. "Did you know, that when we were younger- thirteen, fourteen, I dunno -I used to have a crush on you?"
Lukas did a double take, unintentionally pulling away from him. "Wh-what? Wait, really? Me?"
"Mm-hm. I don't anymore, obviously, but...yeah. You."
"Huh." For the third time that day, Lukas was at a loss for words. He'd never had the slightest clue that Aiden had ever liked him, and he'd previously thought of himself as a fairly observant person.
Aiden's smile had turned slightly sheepish. "Sorry if I just freaked you out. For some reason this all just reminded me of when we were younger, and I guess I didn't really...sorry."
He didn't look sorry.
Lukas shook his head. "I'm not freaked out, just...huh. I didn't...it never even crossed my mind. I never thought of you as anything more than a friend, so it didn't really register that maybe you didn't...huh."
The green-eyed boy's awkward smile had widened into a mischievous grin, though something in his expression made it clear he wasn't just playing a joke.
"Does Marilan know you're...that you don't...is she just...?" Lukas stammered, still trying to wrap his head around the idea of the fourteen-year-old version of his friend having a crush on him.
Aiden nodded. "Yeah, she knows. She doesn't care, and she's not such a perfect straight line either. Our relationship is pretty...loose, y'know? She knows I love her, and she's also full aware that I can be a huge flirt sometimes, not to mention just an awful person. She's got her quirks too. Nobody's perfect, and we're a good match because we know that firsthand." The carefree smile had slipped from his expression as he spoke, and he lowered his head, tucking his hands into his pockets.
"You never would've met her if it weren't for the Witherstorm." Lukas remembered, suddenly feeling significantly more somber.
"Yeah. That thing fucked us all up pretty good. Tossed our lives upside down, watched us scramble to put things right. It didn't care what we were losing...or gaining, in your case."
Lukas looked over, studying his friend's profile as he stared solemnly into nothing. Aiden glanced down at him with a slightly sad smile. Neither of them said anything for a few moments, before Lukas commented, "You know...sometimes I wish things could go back to the way they were. Back to us being friends without all this guilt and just...emotions. When there weren't crazy monsters showing up and we still believed in heroes. But honestly, I used to live like that, and I can't remember what it was like. Is that insane?"
Aiden turned his head away from him, his voice chillingly serious as he whispered a reply.
"No. I feel like that every day."
The somber feeling quickly gave way to guilt. He hadn't meant to make things sad.
"Hey. Just because things changed, doesn't mean they can't change again. Right?" Lukas nudged Aiden with his shoulder, then gently put his arm around the taller boy's waist. Aiden replied with a small smile, but it didn't even begin to resemble the lighthearted grin he'd worn earlier. He rested his hand on Lukas's shoulder again, no further words needing to be said as they walked together back to town.
They'd arrived back in Ava's workshop before long, and the petite girl immediately dashed over to the brewing stand containing what was hopefully the Potion of Memory.
Marilan cast an amused look at Aiden and Lukas's entwined arms. "You two had a nice little bonding moment, huh?"
Lukas blushed slightly and disentangled himself, but Aiden just grinned. "You could call it that, sure."
"YES! I do believe...IT IS DONE." Ava announced, holding up a bottle filled with a shimmery bright teal liquid.
"Aaaaaand now we're back to this kind of 'being Ava'." Gill commented.
"Oh, shut up." Ava commanded dismissively. She rotated the bottle in her hand, making the potion inside slosh against the sides. "I'm almost certain that this is it. After months of studying recipes, switching ingredients, and coping with failure, I think this is finally the winning mix. Now all we gotta do is test it."
She looked over her glasses at Lukas as she said this, but he paused. "And what are the chances that it could kill me?"
"Memories almost always hurt." Aiden contributed. Ava rolled her eyes at him, and said, "Basically zero. None of the components are really harmful. Don't get cold feet. You want to know how the hell this all happened, right? Here's your only option."
She uncorked the potion and handed it to him. Lukas accepted it, muttering, "Basically zero, wonderful." as he did so, though that was more for the sake of bothering Ava than any real concern.
Ignoring the apprehensive eyes of his friends, Lukas tipped the bottle back and swallowed a small mouthful of the potion. It was rather fizzy, and essentially tasteless. Ava watched him intensely as he uncertainly handed the bottle back to her.
"Is it not supposed to be instantaneous, or...?" Letting out a deep gasp, Lukas stumbled backwards as the images began flooding his mind in droves. The whole horrible battle between the Order and the unknown monsters unfolded behind his eyes, and all he could do was stare wide-eyed into nothing as the memories came back.
"Lukas! Are you alright?!"
"Is it working? IS IT WORKING!!"
"What happened?"
"Ava, I swear to Notch, if you poisoned him..."
"Are you okay? Lukas."
Closing his eyes, Lukas began to breathe normally again. "I'm fine. It worked."
"What happened?" Maya asked, over Ava's shrieks of "It worked? IT WORKED!! HELLO, HISTORY BOOKS! IT WORKED!!"
Lukas shook his head distractedly, not quite being able to find his balence. "Something bad. Really bad. Dear Notch." Aiden reached over and gently grabbed his wrist, trying to help steady him. "You are okay, right? And what kind of bad?"
"Like...literal-imprisoned-demons-being-released kind of bad." Lukas muttered, pressing his hand to his forehead. "Ugh. My head hurts now, but at least I know what happened. Good job, Ava."
The blonde girl had dissolved into triumphant laughter. She shouted "It WORKED!" one more time before beginning to collect herself. "Ah, now I know why some people are so obsessed with 'being the hero'. It really does feel amazing to do the impossible."
Bren rolled his eyes. "Alright, enough with the ego stroking. Yes, you're making history, but forgive me if I'm more concerned with the whole demons thing. Could you repeat that one more time?"
"Demons. Fiends. Monsters, though that doesn't seem strong enough. I don't know what to call them, I don't know what they were. They rose out of the ground, they attacked us, we were outnumbered...I don't know what happened to my friends."
"You...don't?" Marilan asked cautiously. He shook his head desperately. "No. I got knocked unconscious before I saw what happened, where they went...I don't even know if they're alive."
Gill and Maya exchanged a worried look. "But...I thought that would give us answers. If we don't know where they are...what are we supposed to do now?" Maya said.
All Lukas could do was shake his head again. "I don't know."
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Ffffffff sorry for the shitty ending but it was 2AM when I finally finished this
I love Ava so much help me
This was the first time I've really gotten to write her just...being herself, and I frikkin adore it
And no this chapter isn't over there's still more chaos to be done aHAHA KILL ME
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Axel had determined that all the girls in the Woodland Mansion were absolutely insane.
A good kind of insane, sure, but insane nonetheless.
The last couple hours had been spent with Kat and Kenzie as the two younger girls took him on a chaotic tour through the Woodland Mansion. The place was even larger than he'd originally thought, the long halls and high doors looking like they'd been built for giants.
The youngest residents of the mansion seemed highly amused by his marveling, and spent a lot of the time telling elaborated stories about their little escapades. They were both very animated, clearly trying to impress him.
They sort of reminded him of his own younger sisters, whom he hadn't seen in almost a year.
"Technically speaking, Lisa is supposed to be 'in charge' of us all," Kat was saying. "but we don't exactly take her seriously."
"I can tell." Axel remarked.
"I mean, what's the fun in living out here if we still gotta deal with an authority figure?" Kenzie asked, and Axel shrugged. "Well, it gives you something to rebel against."
Kat flashed him a mischievous grin. "True."
As they turned a corner into a new stretch of hall, Kenzie raised her arm and pointed to the far wall. "Bet you can't beat me to the end of the hall." She said to Kat.
The blonde girl turned her hat around, saying, "Oh, you're on."
"Count us off?" Kenzie asked Axel. He laughed, thinking again how much they were like his little sisters. "Sure. On your mark, get set...go!"
Both girls tore off running down the burgundy-carpeted hall, laughing and shoving each other as they raced. Kenzie skidded to a stop just before running into the wall, with Kat just a second behind.
"I knew it! Never bet against Kenzie!" the black-haired girl crowed. Kat swatted at her, but they were both giggling.
Serena's dark cyan head poked out of a nearby room. "What on earth, you guys? Oh, don't tell me you were racing again."
"I WON AGAIN!" Kenzie announced by way of reply. Serena sighed again and leaned back out of the hall.
Kat fixed her hat, darting over to the room the older girl had disappeared into. "Oohhh, so that's where everyone went. Hey, guys."
The rest of the Saffridge crew had been noticeably absent while Kat and Kenzie had been leading him around the mansion, and now Axel saw why. The rest of the girls were all inside the large library; Serena running her hands along one of the shelves as though looking for something, Lisa perched on a bench against the far wall, flipping through a thick book, and Iris doing the same from her sprawled position on the floor.
Ivory appeared from behind one of the other tall bookshelves. "Hi. We're looking through our monster books, trying to find anything that matches what you told us." She informed them.
"Any luck?" Axel asked, not feeling particularly optimistic.
Lisa slammed her book shut. "Nope. We don't have a lot of books on monsters to begin with, and most of what we do have is just basic info on basic monsters."
"I found something on mythical creatures and legendary beasts, but even in that there wasn't anything that even remotely resembled the ice-beast you told us about." Iris contributed. She was laying on her stomach on the oak-wood floor, propped up on her elbows.
Axel sat on one of the other benches, near Lisa. "Well, don't stress about it. I get the feeling this isn't something easy to research."
"No, really?" Kat snarked.
"So if you don't know what they are, what are you gonna do now?" Ivory asked. Axel replied with a small shrug. "I should probably return to Beacontown. Until I figure out where the rest of the Order is, there's not really anything I can do about the monsters. I think my friends will probably go back to Beacontown, and once we're all back together, we can start trying to narrow down what exactly happened and how to deal with it."
"And then it's out on another adventure, huh?" Kenzie asked, somewhat wistfully.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Iris rolled onto her back, folding her hands on top of her stomach. "You guys are so lucky, being out there and doing things. Nothing ever happens here."
"Y'know, that's how life in Beacontown used to be before the Witherstorm changed everything. Jesse, Olivia, and I used to go on some little adventures, but there was only so much we could do." Axel said.
Serena sighed, turning away from the bookshelf. "There's not much to see around here, other than the mansion. Well, that and the...um."
Axel didn't miss the sharp look that passed between Lisa and her. "The what?" he asked slowly.
"There's a ghost town right near ours." said Kat, wiggling her fingers and grinning. She had plopped down onto the floor next to Iris.
"It is not a ghost town. Honestly." Lisa corrected with an exaggerated eyeroll.
"Yes it is! I know it's haunted!" Kenzie objected, and Kat nodded enthusiastically.
"Wait, wait, what? A ghost town isn't the same as a haunted town. Ghost town means it's empty. Which is it?" Axel asked. Lisa huffed.
"Okay, then I guess it is a ghost town. A long time ago-"
"Hey! You don't get to tell it, you do it all wrong." Kat objected. Lisa leveled a glare at her. "I tell it like it is. Factually."
"Yeah, but that's booooooring. Iris should explain it." Ivory said, glancing over at the blue-haired girl. Iris sat up, looking slightly startled. "Me?"
"Yes you, your version is more interesting than Lisa's." Kat said. The oldest girl crossed her arms and rolled her eyes again, but didn't argue anymore.
"Okay." Iris agreed. She cleared her throat, adopting a hushed, spooky tone. She moved her hands around as she spoke, as though painting a picture in the air.
"A long time ago- I'm not quite sure how long -our town did not exist. Where it stands now was nothing more than forest and monsters. The village of Saffridge was deeper in the forest, surrounding the edge of a little clearing. It was a nice life for those who lived there, much like the current Saffridge. Resilient, independent people, living their lives peacefully in the forest. Until one day...it all changed."
Her voice returned to normal, and she pointed at Axel. "You're supposed to ask me what happened."
"Okay. What happened?" He obliged, feeling quite amused.
"Yes...what happened?" Iris repeated, turning her storytelling voice back on. "The entire village was abandoned overnight. Every last person picked up their things and fled, never to return to their peaceful homes. They constructed a whole new town, and forbade themselves and each other to speak of the old Saffridge again."
She pointed at Axel again, and he said. "Uh...why?"
Iris leaned forward, splaying her fingers like claws, and exclaimed, "No one knows! The leaving happened barely two generations before us, and yet the rumours have all been forgotten, the tales all untold! 'Oldtown is to be forgotten', they say. 'You must leave the past in the past!' 'Tis safer not to venture there', they've told us, but no one dares say why!"
She briefly paused for breath, then continued, "Oldtown is buried under dust and ruin now, but it still stands, and the mystery lies unsolved. But I've heard, that all who dare to venture there after sundown...will be turned to coal." Iris sat up straight again, looking pleased with herself. Kenzie and Ivory gave her a round of applause.
"Wow. That's quite the story. Is the coal thing true?" Axel had to ask. The question was directed towards Lisa, but she hesitated. Ivory filled in for her instead.
"We don't know. It's a popular threat that parents like to use to keep their little kids away from the town, but there's not really a way to test it without possibly dying."
"The rumour started because a few decade or so ago, a boy decided to go to Oldtown and stay there all night. He never came back, and when his family went looking for him, the only thing they found was a huge chunk of coal, about the size of a human head." Iris added.
"Whoa. Freaky. Have any of you been there?"
Ivory and Kenzie exchanged a look. "Yeah, once...but during the day. It doesn't matter if the coal thing is true or not, Oldtown is fucking creepy after dark." Kenzie said.
"A lot of the buildings are broken down, and there tends to be a lot of mobs, and everything's covered with vines...yeah, it's pretty weird." Ivory added.
Kat suddenly jumped to her feet, startling several of the other girls. "We should go there! We haven't had a real adventure in ages, and I bet Axel would love to see it! Some of us have never been there at all, which I think is stupid since it's so close."
"Whoa, whoa. No way. It's almost dark, and we can't just-" Serena started to say, but Kenzie interrupted. "Ooooh, that would be neat. What do you think, Axel?"
"Uh..." In truth, it sounded awesome. Going to a possibly haunted mystery town at night? Hell yes. But if it was actually dangerous, he didn't want to be responsible for any of the girls getting hurt.
"Guys, no way am I letting you do this. Did you not just hear Iris's story?" Lisa pointed out. Kat turned to face her with an overly excited look in her blue-grey eyes. "It's not night yet. Hell, it's barely evening. We could go poke around, and then come bolting back if anything terrifying shows up."
"It doesn't matter if it's actually haunted or not! Mobs are gonna be coming out in just over a half-hour, and if you-"
"So we should go now, before it's too dark!" Ivory interrupted.
Lisa pressed a hand to her forehead. "Have you somehow not grown up listening to the same legends as us?"
"Oh, no, we have. We're just choosing to interpret them differently than you." Kat said primly. Lisa stood up. "Whether or not the coal rumour is real, Oldtown is dangerous!"
Kat leaned closer to her, lowering her voice menacingly. "Oh yeah? Prove it."
The oldest girl stammered for a few moments, then shut her mouth, fuming silently. Kat smiled. "No? Hm. Appears we have grown up on the same stories."
"Uh, okay, hold up." Axel said. "This does sound pretty interesting, but is this really something you want to do? I'm not arguing, I'm just thinking cautiously."
Ivory tossed her head, making her blue-tipped ponytail swish. "It's just an urban legend. I'd almost be happier if it was real, that would sure add some excitement to this place."
"Come on, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Kat exclaimed. Serena crossed her arms. "I'm not going. I'm not gonna bother trying to stop you, because you're a bossy little bulldozer," she said to Kat, "but I don't wanna be part of this."
"It's not safe." Lisa repeated.
"Still not hearing any proof. Iris, you in?" Kenzie asked. Iris stood up, brushing a lock of her midnight-blue hair out of her face. "Sure. It might not be safe, but isn't that the whole point of an adventure?"
Lisa tossed her arms into the air, turning away from the other girls. "It's finally happened, we've all lost our minds. I should've known it was right on the horizon."
"Oh, chill out. We'll be back before you know it, and if not, you're allowed to tell our inventory piles how miserably wrong we were, and how fantastically irresponsible we were to not listen to you, and yada yada yada." Kat said, turning away and heading back out into the hall. Kenzie and Ivory followed her.
"You coming?" Iris asked. Axel nodded, still feeling surprisingly amused about the whole thing. "Of course. Let's go find a ghost town."
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Ffffffffffffffff
By the way, I've given myself an official deadline for this story, and I'm going to start being more diligent about updating.
So, expect another chapter on Tuesday.
Hopefully.
In other news, the full word document for this story has reached over 50,000 words, and in a few chapters it'll be longer than the entirety of Shattered Souls
Jfc why am I like this
Word count: 7,542 (hhnnnn why so loooooong this was such a boring chapter HHNNN)