𝕆𝕟𝕖 𝕎𝕖𝕖𝕜 𝕃𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕣

The song on the playlist for this chapter is "Cloudy Day" by Tones and I

Spotify link in this comment line.

[•]

The crowd cheered as the group stood in front of the inactive beacon, preparing to make a speech to celebrate the victory. The lives saved.

Gabriel turned to Petra. "These people...having my memory restored is both a blessing and a curse. All the lies we told...perhaps they deserve to know the truth about the Order..."

"Oh, wow, I'm glad we're on the same page, Gabriel," Petra nodded, taking off her helmet and setting it down on the fence. "They deserve the truth."

The man nodded, stepping forward and holding up his hand for silence. "We all owe Petra and her friends a great debt. But I owe you a debt as well. Which is why...there is something I want to tell you. About the Order."

A long pause. "The Order of the Stone...is not what you all believed. We were...frauds. We used the Command Block to falsify our legacy. We were no heroes," he turned to the group. "So it is time for the world to celebrate new heroes! Real heroes!"

Gabriel, Ellegaard, and Ivor stepped into the crowd, causing Jesse to nudge Petra's arm. "You need to make a speech."

"What?! I don't do speeches!"

"What, you want me to? I didn't kill the Witherstorm; you did."

Petra groaned and stepped forward while the crowd's cheering died down. "Hi. Some of you might know me from before. A lot of you don't. For those of you who did, you know I always preferred to work alone. But this...this I didn't do alone at all."

She looked over her shoulder. "Olivia...Axel...Lukas...Reuben..." Her gaze met green eyes. "Jesse."

He winked and she huffed a laugh before turning back to the crowd. "Together we got through some really tough stuff. If I had tried to do this alone...I wouldn't have made it. We traveled to some of the strangest places in the world, like The End, the Far Lands--it was insane."

She paused, looking up at the clear, blue sky. "In the end, we did what mattered most. We stopped the Witherstorm!"

Cheers shot up from the crowd and Ellegaard mounted the steps. "Petra...this Nether Star is all that remained when the Witherstorm was destroyed. Would you do the honors?"

She pointed to the inactive beacons and Petra nodded, climbing up and placing it on the middle beacon. The star began to spin and then beams of color shot up into the sky, causing everyone to gasp.

"My friends...I am now pleased to introduce to you..." Gabriel stepped up, lifting the amulet to Petra. She took it and he exclaimed, "The New Order of the Stone!"

The crowd cheered louder than ever as Petra rejoined her friends, lifting the amulet over her head.

[•]

Celebrations were occurring in the little town. While the other members of the New Order mingled with the people, Petra sat on a little cliff a ways off, overlooking the town. For the first time in a week, she had her armor off, enjoying how the breeze rustled her clothes and stirred her hair.

"Had a hunch I'd find you out here."

She jerked in surprise, nearly tumbling off the cliff as she reached for her sword. "Wh--what the hell, Jesse???"

He laughed, the sound carrying on the breeze as he leaned against a nearby tree. He had been wearing his armor last she saw him an hour before, but now he stood in his classic suspenders and white button down. "People are asking where you went, Petra the Witherstorm Slayer."

She set her sword down. "Are people actually calling me that?"

"Nah, just me. Although I'm sure they'd start if I mention it."

"Please don't."

He chuckled, straightening. "Hey, come with me. I want to show you something."

She raised an eyebrow, getting to her feet to follow him. They made their way into the woods and after a few minutes, she asked, "How far is this thing you want to show me? The woods around here are still kind of dangerous."

"Careful, Petra," Jesse's tone was teasing. "You don't want to get a reputation as a wimp."

She immediately remembered their conversation in the cave way back at EnderCon. She huffed a laugh. "This isn't my first time in the woods, Jesse."

He came to a stop. "Yeah, but have you ever seen such a perfect tree for building a treehouse?"

She peered up into the thick branches, moonlight filtering through the leaves. "You want to build a new treehouse?"

"Yeah. Even if we go adventuring like we're talking about...it'll be nice to have something to come back to," he turned to her. "Since, you know, our old one is probably gone," he sighed. "So much for becoming famous through my poster collection."

Petra couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh. "You are such a goofball."

"You love me for it."

"Heh...yeah, I do."

He grinned then nodded his head in the direction of town. "You ready to go back?"

She groaned. "Notch, no...do we have to?"

"As much as I would love to sit out here alone with you all night, we can't. If we're gone too long, people might think something happened to us."

She sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Alone. Haven't been alone all week. Someone is always there."

He raised an eyebrow. "If you want, I can leave. Go back and tell people you're lurking in the woods."

"Nah, that won't be necessary. Let's go."

She started walking, but Jesse grabbed her arm, pulling her back in front of him. She raised an eyebrow and he put his other hand on her cheek, brushing his thumb over the corner of her mouth. "You know, Petra...I know this has been a lot for everyone. But we have each other and no matter what anyone else calls you, you're Petra and that's all you need to be around us. Don't hide behind your walls anymore."

"I don't think I need a talk about emotional vulnerability, Jesse."

"Mm-hm, are you sure?"

She laughed a bit, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. He made a happy noise at the back of his throat, his other hand coming up to cup her face. She forced herself to pull back after a minute. "Come on. Let's go before Olivia has an anxiety attack."

He let out a breathy laugh, kissing her again before taking her hand and dragging her in the direction of the town. People excitedly greeting them on their arrival, and as Petra rejoined the rest of the New Order, she realized--

--she truly could do anything with them.

A/N: It's the end, but it isn't! I hope to see you all in book two, which will be out soon. Thank you for all your love and support!

The gang's adventures will continue in book two

𝕎𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℍ𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕨𝕒𝕪