《Parallels- an MCSM AU》


 PROLOGUE- Seven Gravestones

    Graves. Seven of them, spaced out into two rows. Five of these resting places are covered by grass, with small flowers springing cheerily up, though the last two are but freshly-laid dirt.


    A shovel is stuck into the ground next to the last grave, and a woman stands beside it, glaring at the headstone like it has personally offended her. She is young, only in her early twenties, but the things she has been through have aged her mind decades beyond her physical form.


    She is resentful of the fact that she''s had to dig so many graves in such a short time.


    Seven years is not a long enough gap between the first death and the last. Though this woman is not prone to deeming something fair or unfair, the unjustness of the whole situation gnaws bitterly at her very core.


    But she is not weeping, nor showing any visible signs of the grief she feels. No tears mar her greyed skin, no sobs shake her thin form. She is a statue, staring down at the last grave as though she can see nothing else.


    She is not concerned with the passing of yet another friend. She is too busy contemplating vengeance.


    Her head turns, just the slightest bit. She gazes at a pair of graves near the most recent two, not freshly dug but not yet old. Below the dirt lie two people she cared for, two people who were gone far too soon.


    Two people who, before their respective deaths, helped her learn exactly what she needs to accomplish her dark wish.


    Payback. Revenge. A second chance. The ability to make things right. To put things back to how they should''ve been. Redemption, for myself and all of you.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I will do it. I will get there. I promise. I promise.


    She stands there for an indeterminant amount of time, staring hard-heartedly at the row of stones, her mind filled with dark, angry whispers.


    Something bumps against her leg, nudging her out of her trance. The woman looks down at the large pink pig standing beside her, and though she leans down to gently scratch him behind the ears, her grim expression doesn''t change.


    She turns then, to look behind her. A man is standing at the entrance to the graveyard, clearly waiting for her. She nods to him, and, after another long glance at the seven tombs, begins walking up the narrow path.


    The pig follows dutifully as she once again leaves the lines of graves behind. Though she may not visit her friends'' final resting places all that frequently, hardly ever does a day pass when she does not think of them. They are, after all, both the thing that keeps her going and the reason she needs to be convinced to continue on.


    Silently, she and the man walk together back to town. They have no need for words, as they have been through this routine many, many times. He knows that she will not wish to speak, not of her grief nor the things she is planning to do to assuage that unspoken pain. She will not answer, so he does not ask.


    The tall spires of their town come into view. Once, the woman was the leader there, before she succumbed to her darkness and rage. Once, that city was a glorious metropolis, attracting a great number of people to reside inside its walls. Once, things were different.


    Now, it is a divided place, dangerous for all those who are not a deadly force of their own. All the allure of the city it used to be has waned, and been replaced by the fear and hate better suited to a dystopia than a place with an illustrious past like Beacontown''s.


    As they slink back into the corrupt city, the woman''s mantra fills her head again.


    I will have my revenge. I will get you back, all of you. I''m almost there, I''ve nearly gotten it figured out. I promise. Everything will be as it should be, I promise.

 ONE- The Map to Nowhere

    I tucked the map into my inventory, staring out at the forest in front of me. The forest that, according to said map, should not exist.


    This didn''t make any sense.


    The map showed that right then, I should''ve been standing at the front gates of a humble little town. It didn''t look like much- only a handful of buildings were visible on the paper.


    But there was nothing there. Just trees and grass and a few animals walking around, with a river some ways to my right. Nothing even beginning to resemble a town.


    When I looked at that map for the first time, I''d instinctively known there was something wrong with it. I would rather not admit how much time I spent staring at that damn piece of parchment, trying to figure out what about it bothered me, before I finally figured it out. I''d never been to that specific area before, but I was pretty sure there was no settlement there. I compared it to one of Jack''s maps, and sure enough: no town.


    So then, why was it on that map? And where had the damn paper even come from?


    All I knew was, it had seemingly appeared on my desk about a week earlier. For several days it had rested at the back of my mind, with me not having enough time to actually investigate. But that day, I had managed to clear a gap in my schedule, just long enough to ride out there and see for myself if the mysterious map was wrong or right.


    And now that I knew it was false, I wasn''t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.


    I settled on puzzled.


    Where in the Overworld could it possibly have come from? Everything else on it was accurate, down to the colour of the wall around Beacontown.


    So what did this paper town mean?


    My horse, a beautiful black-and-white paint mare whom I call Inara, gently nudged my shoulder with her muzzle. I startled slightly, then reached up to stroke her nose, murmuring, "Well, this was kind of a waste of time, wasn''t it?"


    She whickered softly by way of reply, and I smiled slightly despite my internal confusion. I''ve always had a habit of talking to animals, and I love when they act like they''re talking back. "We should go back to Beacontown before Radar gets worried." I added softly.


    Instead of following my own advice, however, I continued to stare bemusedly out at the unassuming forest for several minutes more. Something about the whole little situation felt terribly off, though at the time I couldn''t pinpoint exactly what it was.


    Inara bumped my shoulder again, and I let out a mildly frustrated sigh. I just wanted to know what this was all about, and yet there were no answers anywhere in sight. There wouldn''t be a solution in Beacontown either, but at least there was other things to be done there, things that could hopefully take my mind off this aggravating mystery.


    I clambered back into the saddle and steered Inara in the direction of my hometown. She set off at a brisk trot, apparently more eager to get back than I was.


    Maybe it means nothing at all, I considered. Maybe it was sent as a prank or something.


    Maybe I''m just desperate for a problem to solve.


    Sometimes, I regret not going with Petra when she walked away from Beacontown three months prior. It would''ve been damn near perfect, the two of us out adventuring in the vast unknown. I would''ve been able to really be there for her, should she need the reassurance of a friend again. It would''ve been wonderful to consistently spend time with her again, the brave woman who used to be one of my best friends. I would''ve been free of all the little things that plagued me in my day-to-day life, all the stress and trouble that came from the whole ordeal with that blasted Admin.


    It would''ve been so, so many great things.


    But I couldn''t have left Beacontown. I simply could not have brought myself to be that selfish. The town needed me more than ever, with all the chaos that Romeo had left behind. I needed to regain peoples'' trust, go out of my way to prove that all the horrible things the Admin had done in my name wasn''t me at all.


    Abandoning the town so soon after the whole mess would not have accomplished that.


    So, I stayed. I remained the leader of Beacontown, and continued shouldering the burdens that came with the title.


    It''s not all that bad. There are people to help and paperwork to do and a vast assortment of things to think about and remember, but that''s manageable, for the most part. The citizens do still trust me- it didn''t take long to convince them that everything was the Admin''s doing.


    (Actually, I''m pretty sure most of them were quite relieved that I hadn''t suddenly morphed into a narcissistic power-hungry lunatic.)


    But it''s time-consuming. I got caught up in my work, and before I knew it, three days could pass without me getting so much as an hour of sleep. And it could become highly monotonous, to the point that I''ve sometimes felt like I''ve had to solve the same issue at least four times. Little things pile up, and problems can become catastrophes all too quickly.


    For that moment, though, I decided to let it go and focus on the ride home. For all its flaws and the troubles it caused me, I wouldn''t trade Beacontown for anything else in the world.


    Well. Almost anything else.


    As always, the return journey seemed quicker than the time it took me to get out there. It seemed like it had only been a few minutes before the tall gates of Beacontown come into view, though I knew that, logically, it had been much longer than that. A gentle pull on the reigns convinced Inara to halt, and I swiftly dismounted.


    The gates stood wide open, like they always did during the day. It may not be the most secure decision, but I wanted to make sure that it was obvious that everyone was welcome there. The entrance to the town used to be made of red clay and terracotta, but it had been recently changed to purple. After the whole ordeal with the Admin, I could hardly stand to look at the colour red.


    I got the usual friendly gestures and occasional stares from people as I strode through town with Inara in tow, heading towards the stables. The long spruce building that serves as the home for most of the horses in Beacontown was built by Olivia and I at least six years ago. For the most part, we were fine with walking wherever we wanted to go, but we wanted the stable to be near our home in case we would ever need a mount quickly. Nowadays, I preferred riding, since I always seemed to have a deadline at which I needed to be back. I get distracted far too easily when travelling on foot.


    After unsaddling and brushing my horse (and giving her a well-deserved carrot), I made my way towards the Order''s headquarters. Well, it used to be the Order''s, but at the time, I was the only one who lived there anymore.


    Just as I had expected, Radar was waiting to ambush me the moment I''d stepped through the doors.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Boss! I''m glad you''re back; there''s still a lot to be done. There was some disagreement over on the north side of town, someone wants to expand a building, but someone else thinks it''d be too close to their house? I don''t know, you''ll have to go check it out. Oh, and you have-"


    "Radar." I tried. When he gets going, practically nothing can shut him up, but that doesn''t mean I don''t try.


    "-meeting with Kellin later, about that problem in the aquatic district. And this woman asked me where she might find some...slightly nefarious potion ingredients, so I directed her towards Bad Luck Alley. She seemed kinda fishy, so you might want to investigate-"


    "Radar."


    "And Stacy can''t find one of her dogs, so she''s wondering if she can put up posters, I told her it was probably fine but that she should double-check with you, so you''ll have to talk to her later. And-"


    "Radar can I PLEASE sit down first!" I exclaimed. "I appreciate that you''re so efficient, but I need a chance to freaking breathe before you talk my ear off!"


    He winced. "Sorry, sorry, I know."


    "It''s not your fault." I said with a brief shake of my head as we headed towards my office. "It''s honestly great that you''re able to keep track of all this, but you gotta remember, I am never prepared to listen the very instant I get home."


    "I know." he said again. Over the past few months, Radar had gotten much more used to my disorganization and lack of ability to remember ''trivial'' things. He''s pretty good at keeping me on track, which means he''s also gotten more immune to the yelling that comes with my streak of impatience for dealing with things in the first five minutes of returning from a journey.


    "Did you find what you were looking for?" Radar asked.


    I flopped down behind my desk, pushing aside a few papers so I could rest my elbows on the slab of wood. "Yes. But at the same time, entirely not. Kind of."


    "So...no town?"


    "No town." I retrieved the map from my inventory again and set it on the desk in front of me. "I know I already asked this, but you''re sure you don''t know where it came from?" I asked, gesturing to the paper in front of me.


    He shook his head. "One-hundred-percent certain. I didn''t know it was there before you pointed it out, and I never saw anyone in here. I wish I knew, but...nope."


    I sighed. I already knew he was just as clueless as I, but like he''d just said, that didn''t stop me from wishing.


    "I just don''t get it. There''s nothing but forest there, so where the hell did this thing come from?"


    "Maybe it''s a really old map? Like, there used to be a town there, but it''s been destroyed?" Radar guessed.


    "Can''t be." I shook my head and tapped a point on the map. "Beacontown looks exactly the same as it does on all our recent charts, down to the colour of the walls. Plus, it was a completely immaculate forest. It didn''t look like there''d been anyone even passing through there in years."


    He scowled down at the paper, biting his lower lip. I heard him softly mutter something along the lines of ''makes no dang sense''.


    I leaned back in my chair. "What did I miss while I was gone?" I''d only been absent for a few hours, but a lot can happen in that short stretch of time.


    "Right!" Radar visibly perked up, forgetting the map.


    He repeated the list of tasks, this time taking care to explain things more clearly. It all had sounded like fairly typical Beacontown stuff and shouldn''t take me too long to take care of, since things had been running surprisingly smoothly in my crazy, wonderful, little town.


    "I think that''s it, but- oh, wait, I almost forgot! The mail came, and you got a letter from Petra." Radar reached into his inventory and handed me an envelope.


    I immediately sat up straighter. Petra had only sent me one letter since she left, and that one had been brief, positive, and was now nearly two months old. "Yeah? What does she have to say?" I asked eagerly.


    He grinned. "Well, it''s kind of just for you. Y''know how she is."


    I took the envelope from him and instantly realized what he meant. Large black words covered the front of it, followed by a small illustration of a sword: For Jess''s eyes only! Any snoops will be found and killed!


    I laughed, ripping the envelope open and pulling out the folded sheet of paper inside. The sight of Petra''s familiar haphazard handwriting was strangely comforting.


    The letter was as follows:


    Hello to my favorite nerdy mayor! (Yes yes, I know, you''re ''''''technically'''''' not the <u>Mayor</u>, don''t look at me like that. Same difference. And don''t even TRY to argue the nerd part!)


    I know it''s been a while since I wrote, so I just wanted you to know that yeah, I''m still alive. I''m sure you''ll be honored to know that you do still rank fairly high on my priority list- I actually went into a major town to send this letter!


    Things have been <u>GREAT</u> out here. I can''t believe I forgot how much I love <u>not</u> being around people. You would not even begin to imagine some of the things this world has in store for those who know where to look- it''s incredible.


    Turns out being alone is a lot different when it''s by choice. I know I kinda freaked out at you because I was so lonely back before the whole Admin mess, but I''m okay now. Being on my own doesn''t feel quite so...isolated when it''s something I <u>chose</u> to do.


    (there''s your Life Lesson with Petra for the week ha ha)


    I miss you, though. Still kinda wish you''d come along, but I know you probably have a ton of things to do in Beacontown. I hope you''re having fun with all your leader duties while I''m out here discovering Mooshroom islands :)


    Seriously, though. Take care of yourself and don''t work too hard. I would be VERY DISAPPOINTED if I had to come back to deal with you having a mental breakdown.


    (Also, you are required to burn this letter as soon as you finish reading. No one else is allowed to know I have feelings!)


    You don''t have to worry though- I''m not <u>totally</u> alone anymore. A few weeks ago I found this adorable little wolf pup, and she''s been keeping me company. You''re gonna think this is weird, but I''ve been calling her Sammy. Just...don''t tell Jack.


    Side note- if you ever happen to acquire a puppy, be careful where you put your boots, because they WILL get chewed.


    I hope everything''s alright in Beacontown. I know you can''t write back to tell me, but I''m saying it anyways. I''m pretty sure I''m psyching myself out, though, because what''s the worst that could happen? Another Admin? Another Witherstorm? (That would sure give Lukas something to write about!)


    Speaking of things happening, I found something you might be interested in. A few days ago, I happened to be fairly near the old Order''s temple, and I decided to visit it, for nostalgia''s sake or something. Honestly, I''m not totally sure what possessed me to stop by there, but there''s some things in that library-room that I think you should see. I''m not really sure how to explain them, so I''m just gonna trust that you''ll be able to piece it together on your own. All I can say is, it''s...weird. It''s all pretty weird. Hopefully you''ll be able to figure it all out.


    Anyway, I think that''s all I have to say. I''ll certainly have lots of stories to tell you once I come back, but that''s probably not gonna be for a while. No offense to you or Beacontown, but at the moment I''m pretty happy out here and am planning to make that last as long as possible.


    I already said I miss you, so I''m not gonna bother saying it again because I''m pretty sure that falls into the category of ''needlessly sappy''. Give Jack a hug for me, and make sure to try to punch Ivor if you happen to see him.


    -your best and most awesome warrior friend :)


    P.s. That''s Petra, in case you''ve forgotten me already. You better not have, though.


    I put down the paper. "Well, she seems happy."


    "Really?" Radar asked. I nodded. "Definitely. I''m glad everything''s working out for her."


    I frowned slightly as I skimmed through the contents of the letter again. "She apparently got a dog. And she says she found something in the old Order''s temple she wants me to check out."


    Radar raised his eyebrows, though I didn''t know which statement he was reacting to. "Yeah? What kind of something?"


    "Not sure. She didn''t specify. All she said was that it was..." I glanced down at the paper. "Uh, ''pretty weird'', and that she''s ''not sure how to explain them'' but that ''hopefully I''ll be able to figure it all out''."


    He let out a small huff. "Well, that sounds shady."


    I shrugged. "Yeah, but what can you expect from Petra and the old Order? Both of them are basically the definition of ''shady''."


    "Are you planning to go out there?" he asked, sounding a little apprehensive.


    I hesitated for a second. I certainly wanted to go check it out, but I didn''t know if I''d have the time, since it would take several hours to ride all the way to the temple and back. Not to mention that I''d already skipped town once today. "Well, I''d like to. Maybe...is there any way we could clear my schedule for tomorrow?" I asked hesitantly.


    Radar gave me a stern look, which was something he was surprisingly skilled at despite being so small and good-natured. "Jess..."


    "I know, I know. I''ve got things to do. Trust me, I know. But I want to know what Petra found. Hell, maybe it''s even connected to that whole crazy map somehow. I just...I trust Petra, and if she says there''s something there that I should know about, then I feel duty-bound to go investigate."


    Radar held his ground for a few moments more, then sighed. "Alright. I don''t think there''s too much going on tomorrow, so I''m pretty sure I can move some things around. But don''t...please don''t find some way to get yourself wrapped up in some crazy new adventure? I just would like a few more weeks of normality, if that''s possible."


    I grinned, and got up from my chair. "I''ll try my hardest, but no promises. Now, should we go see what that issue was in the aquatic district?"


    We left the headquarters, heading back out into Beacontown, and what we thought was most important. What we believed was the best course of action.


    What we thought took priority over the mystery that was beginning to show its face, right under our noses.

 TWO- the Wrong Kind of Nostalgia

    I dismounted Inara, pulling a lead from my inventory and quickly securing her bridle to the fence outside Lukas¡¯s house. My inventory was full of supplies, and I was more than ready for the journey.


    Now, I just needed my travelling partner.


    The night before, Lukas had stopped by Beacontown just like he usually did every few days. He¡¯d become quite the little hermit out there, holed up in his woodside cabin, but he still visited often enough.


    I had already explained the map and the false town to him, and he didn¡¯t seem surprised that my search had taken me nowhere. When I told him about Petra¡¯s letter (which I had not burned, contrary to her wishes) and what she¡¯d said about the Order¡¯s old temple, he¡¯d immediately volunteered to go with me.


    He¡¯d nonchalantly mentioned that he didn¡¯t have anything else going on and that he could do with an excuse to get out of his house, but his expression said it all: He was hoping for a new adventure.


    I made my way quickly up the small steps and knocked briskly on the door. Something rubbed against my leg, and I glanced down to see a young ocelot looking up at me, purring quietly.


    Typical Lukas. It was just like him to have managed to domesticate a wild cat.


    The door opened, but to my surprise, it wasn¡¯t Lukas who looked out. It took me a few seconds to recognize the tall, brown-haired man, and once I did, I couldn¡¯t hold back a small glare.


    Aiden. The same man who, seven years earlier, had wreaked havoc on Sky City, which included sending me falling to what he believed would be my death.


    He looked very different than when I had last seen him. His hair had gotten significantly longer, the messy brown waves gently brushing his shoulders, and his pale green eyes seemed¡­calmer, somehow. The largest different was that he wore a simple blue t-shirt and jeans- there was no pretentious leather jacket in sight.


    Honestly, I¡¯m not sure why I was surprised. I knew he was in Beacontown. I knew he and Lukas were together. Yet his appearance that morning still managed to catch me off-guard.


    Several months prior (four or five before the whole Admin adventure), Lukas had decided to pay a visit to the new Sky City civilization. I¡¯d turned down the opportunity to go with him, for really no other reason except that I¡¯d had something else going on at the time. While he was there, he¡¯d apparently been able to finally mend things with the Blazerods, and began exchanging letters with Aiden once he returned home.


    He¡¯d gone back there several times since, and at some point, his views towards Aiden had¡­changed, shall we say. I don¡¯t know what actually happened and I don¡¯t plan on asking, but ever since then, they¡¯d been far more romantic than platonic.


    Needless to say, everything about their relationship bothered me. For one, I wasn¡¯t too keen on having Aiden back in my life, especially not as a best friend¡¯s significant other. I didn¡¯t care if he¡¯d ¡®changed¡¯ or whatever; it did not alter the fact that I didn¡¯t really want him around.


    Second, I didn¡¯t know Lukas was interested in guys at all, until the day he¡¯d told me that he and Aiden were together. It wasn¡¯t that much of a problem, but I¡¯d felt slightly hurt that he¡¯d never said anything about it to me.


    Third, Aiden. Just¡­Aiden. Of all the men Lukas could¡¯ve chosen to go out with, it just had to be him?


    To put it simply, I didn¡¯t trust him, especially not with one of my best friends.


    All of this flashed through my head in a matter of about two seconds. Aiden gave me a genuine, if somewhat nervous, smile and leaned against the doorframe. ¡°Hey, Jess. Lukas¡¯ll be right out; he¡¯s just collecting supplies for the trip.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost done, I swear!¡± Lukas¡¯s voice came from inside the house.


    ¡°You¡¯d better be; I¡¯d like to get going.¡± I called in reply. I was doing my best to ignore Aiden, though he didn¡¯t seem to get the memo.


    ¡°Lukas told you I¡¯m in the process of moving to Beacontown, right? He said he would, but¡­¡± he glanced briefly over his shoulder. ¡°¡­you really never know with him.¡±


    I had, in fact, been told over two weeks ago. If I remembered correctly, my response had been little more than a noncommittal grunt, but I chose not to say that right then.


    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± I replied simply. Lukas appeared in my field of vision then, brushing gently past Aiden. He was wearing his casual armour; the dark-lensed goggles, sturdy boots, and the iron-accented black jacket over his ordinary clothes.


    ¡°Are you calling me a liar?¡± he asked insincerely. The brunette shook his head. ¡°Not at all. I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± He said affectionately.


    I sighed and crossed my arms. Lukas caught my gaze, and I nodded in the direction of the road, signifying that I was itching to leave.


    Lukas turned away from me, to address his boyfriend again. ¡°Alright, well, I¡¯ll be back soon. Ah, soon-ish. I guess it depends on what¡¯s there, but I should be back before dark.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be here.¡± Aiden said with a shrug, casting another slightly apprehensive look at me.


    My dark expression didn¡¯t change as I turned away and went to untie my horse. Lukas leaned up to tap a quick kiss against Aiden¡¯s lips, murmured something to him that I couldn¡¯t hear, then quickly followed me to where his own dark-brown steed was tethered near Inara.


    I swung myself up into the saddle, paying little attention to Lukas as he did the same. The whole encounter with Aiden had put me in a rather sour mood, and I hoped Lukas would catch on that I didn¡¯t much feel like talking.


    --


    At first, he left me alone. We rode in near silence for a while, heading in the direction of the temple. The weather was slightly strange that day- a multitude of clouds covered the sun, though it didn¡¯t seem like rain was on the horizon.


    We trekked across a plains biome for a little bit, then had to jump across a small creek. We could¡¯ve been travelling much faster if we chose to, but I didn¡¯t really see the need.


    Around forty-five minutes into the journey, Lukas sped up, now riding directly aside me. I had been slightly ahead, making it a little harder for him to force me into a conversation. He hadn¡¯t seemed to mind earlier, but he began eyeing me with a contemplative expression.


    ¡°You seem quieter than usual.¡± He commented placidly.


    I shrugged, looking straight ahead. ¡°Just don¡¯t have anything to say.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± he asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve normally got at least something to talk about.¡±


    He said this in a fairly cheerful way, and I shrugged again. I still didn¡¯t look at him, though I could practically feel his blue eyes assessing my expression.


    ¡°Wait a minute. Is this about Aiden?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± I returned defiantly.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re kinda making the same face you did when I told you he wanted to move to Beacontown.¡±


    I sighed slowly. I didn¡¯t really want to go into everything I was thinking, especially since he seemed to be in such a good mood. Plus, I didn¡¯t want to start causing problems when we had other things to focus on. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just not really sure how comfortable I am with your whole¡­whatever.¡±


    ¡°Relationship?¡± Lukas supplied.


    ¡°Yeah, that. It just seems kinda weird to me, and I¡­guess I need some time to get used to it.¡± I said carefully. This was a colossal understatement, but he didn¡¯t need to know that right then.


    Lukas looked at me for a moment, suspicion written all over his face. ¡°Okay, hold on. You¡¯re not freaked out by me being bi, are you?¡± he asked. I turned to give him a baffled glance.


    ¡°What? No!¡± I exclaimed with a small laugh. ¡°No, not at all. Hell, of all of us, you were the one most likely to turn out gay.¡±


    He laughed as well. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    I shrugged yet again. ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s hard to explain. But what I¡¯m trying to say is¡­I don¡¯t wanna talk about it right now. What I think about it all doesn¡¯t matter at the moment, and I¡¯d rather not discuss it. Is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure. We¡¯ve got something else to deal with.¡± he agreed amiably.


    After that, we settled into the usual mix of easy conversation and comfortable silence. This was the first trip we¡¯d taken together in a long time, and as it turned out, I did find things I wanted to discuss. Though we still saw each other every few days, we didn¡¯t have as much time to really talk, to feel like friends again.


    It was pleasant, for lack of a better word.


    The journey seemed to go much quicker once I¡¯d calmed down, the scenery changing swiftly from spruce forest to more plains (where we stopped for a lunch break) to the beginnings of a small mountain. Well, not really small, but as far as mountains go. Small-ish.


    Rather than needing to go over said mountain, we went around, entering a long valley. And there it stood- the temple of the Order of the Stone.


    I had been there only three months before, deposited from the portal in the Underneath. I commented this to Lukas, and he replied with the observation that we didn¡¯t seem to have a lot of good memories about the place.


    We were forced to leave our horses behind as we scaled the vines that led up to the entrance to the temple. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure why none of us have ever come out here and rebuilt the original stairs, but I guess we don¡¯t exactly go there often enough for it to be a necessity.


    The traps had all been long disabled, though, so there was no panicked dodging of flying arrows this time. Just eerily perfect silence, interrupted by the tapping of our boots against the stone floor.


    ¡°This is so bizarre. I haven¡¯t been here in five¡­six years?¡± Lukas whispered.


    I gave him a funny look. ¡°Why are you whispering?¡± I asked in a low murmur.


    ¡°Why are you whispering?¡± he shot back.


    ¡°Because you were whispering first?¡± I countered uncertainly. He let out a small laugh. ¡°Fair.¡±


    We stepped into the large library, and Lukas shuddered violently. ¡°Hhh. What do you call that feeling that¡¯s like nostalgia, but not in a good way?¡±


    ¡°All-consuming dread!¡± I contributed enthusiastically. My voice sounded far too loud in the empty silence of the temple, and I slowly covered my mouth.


    He shivered again.  ¡°I wonder if this place was any less creepy when it was still¡­y¡¯know, functional.¡±


    ¡°Who knows. Might not¡¯ve been. You gotta remember, it was built by Soren.¡± I replied. Lukas made a quiet dismissive noise.


    I glanced around at the rows of books, feeling suddenly intimidated and a little claustrophobic. I didn¡¯t see anything that immediately jumped out at me, and I wasn¡¯t sure where to start looking. Would it have killed Petra to have told me where the ¡®thing¡¯ was?


    Lukas seemed to sense my hesitancy. ¡°Why don¡¯t you check upstairs, in that open-air map room thing? I can glance through here; I¡¯ve got a pretty good idea of how Soren organizes things.¡± he offered.


    ¡°Sure, thanks. Call me down if you find anything even remotely suspicious.¡±


    I weaved through the rows of bookshelves, heading up to the second floor. It was nearly exactly how I¡¯d remembered it, the crumbling stone brick walls and the large map that dominated one wall. Far in the distance, I could see the gates of Beacontown, now even more conspicuous because of the large tower in the center of the town (thanks, Romeo).


    I didn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary, though. I spent a few minutes examining the row of levers that activated the tracking system, then the little podium that the amulet was supposed to sit on.


    Nothing.


    I then looked intently at the map. It didn¡¯t offer any immediate clues, but I wondered if there could be anything behind it. I wasn¡¯t sure if I really wanted to destroy it, though, despite the fact that it was rather old and outdated now. It was a key part of this temple, and it seemed¡­wrong to ruin it.


    Before I¡¯d made up my mind, I heard a shout from downstairs.


    ¡°Jess? Uh¡­I think I just found what Petra sent us here for. Jess!¡±


    I turned and hurried quickly down the quartz stairs, hoping that Lukas really had more success than I did.