"Everyone, get in! Now!"

At Petra's order, Olivia was the first to run through the swirling purple portal. Axel followed her shortly, picking up Reuben and disappearing into the portal with the little pig. A squeal escaped the pink pig as he disappeared to the Nether. Petra was about to jump through with Jesse and me when a sound made us turn around instantly.

"AAAHHHH!"

Gabriel fell to the floor with a thump, the Witherstorm wrapping one of its nasty tentacles around his legs. "Gabriel!" Jesse exclaimed. Before I could stop her from doing anything drastic, the ebony-haired girl had begun to run as fast as she could to Gabriel. A tentacle dropped through the roof, landing on the ground in front of Jesse, making me call out her name in warning. She easily jumped over it and grabbed Gabriel's hands as the Witherstorm began to drag him away. The young woman fought with every bit of her strength, the muscles in her arms straining against the Witherstorm's tentacle.

Jesse managed to drag the warrior away from the tentacle, which instead turned to a turquoise-haired man and dragged away the easier prey. I could only watch as Jesse and Gabriel conversed for a few moments, finding myself frozen in place. The warrior stood from the floor and handed Jesse a circular object, the turquoise piece of it glowing brightly. The young woman took the object and it seemed to dim its glow as it got further from Gabriel. A crash sounded from above the two, another tentacle dropping through the roof and landing in between them. Gabriel and Jesse took out their swords and began to defend themselves against the tentacles alongside Petra.

Even despite everything happening around me, I couldn't move a muscle. All I could do was stare in horror as everything unfolded before my eyes.

I vaguely remember a scream escaping my lips as a tentacle began to turn toward me. Petra slashed it down away from me and it retreated through the hole in the roof. "You two go through the portal and meet up with the others. I'll stay here and do whatever I can," Petra ordered before she took a few running steps away from Jesse and me. At seeing we hadn't moved, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at us. Before Jesse stepped forward, she slipped the object Gabriel had given her into my pocket. "Go on, Jesse, go!" she ordered. "No, I'm not leaving without you!" Jesse protested. Petra's sapphire blue eyes softened at her friend's determination. "Don't worry Jesse, if anything happens, I'll meet you guys at the temple," she replied.

The three of us turned our gazes to the purple tractor beam of the Witherstorm, our eyes widening upon seeing Gabriel floating up in it. Petra and Jesse both ran toward him but didn't reach him. "No!" the cry escaped my lips. Another tractor beam had appeared, this one starting to levitate Jesse up. Petra turned to save her friend, but Jesse shook her head, her black hair floating around her head. "Save Gabriel!" she ordered. Petra didn't listen and she grabbed Jesse's foot, bringing her down to the ground and the tractor beam disappearing.

"Hurry! Go!" Gabriel shouted. Jesse and Petra both ran to Gabriel, trying once again to free him, when a tentacle dropped once again from the roof. It swung to hit Jesse but missed its target. Petra had pushed Jesse to the ground and taken the hit herself, flying back and smacking straight into me as we fell through the Nether portal and landed on hard Netherrack. Olivia, Axel, and Reuben were all there, watching us with wide gazes as the two of us stood up and dusted ourselves off. "Where's Jesse?" Olivia asked worriedly, tugging on one of her pigtails. I turned my gaze back to the swirling portal and tried to take a step toward it. There was no way I was leaving Jesse behind.

Petra grabbed my shoulder and twisted me around, forcing me to look into her sapphire blue eyes. "Petra, I have to save her!" I exclaimed. "And risk losing you while you're at it? Not happening! Jesse's tough, she'll make it," Petra replied. I almost shrugged myself out of her grip and ran through the portal had Axel's voice not stopped me. "Look!" Our group of five turned to the portal, seeing it swirl more and more as a light-skinned hand reached through. A sigh of relief escaped me upon realizing Petra was right, Jesse was going to make it.

At least, she should have made it.

Her hand disappeared in a single second, instead a tentacle of the Witherstorm reaching through. We all fell to the ground as someone else jumped through right before the tentacle tried to hit us before wrapping around the portal, squeezing the obsidian, and then disappearing as the portal was destroyed. I turned my gaze to the remains of the portal, eyes wide as cold realization washed over me.

"N-No..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was at the temple. Alone. Petra and Olivia had gone to Redstonia to find Ellegaard, after finishing fortifying the old fortress, Axel had left for Boom Town to find Magnus. Reuben had gone with the girls, which was probably best. I was just sitting in my little watch tower, bow and arrows in hand, my mind full of thoughts. Being alone really gave one a lot of time to think.

My fingertip gently brushed against the point of one arrow, testing the sharpness of it. A small drop of blood seeped from my finger, a deep red against my tan skin. A teardrop softly fell down my face as I imagined all the things that could be happening to Jesse. She could be lying out there, injured, unable to move. What'll happen when night falls again? What if she's stuck in that monster? I can't even imagine how terrified she must be.

The crunching of fallen leaves brought me out of my troubling thoughts.

Instantly I was standing up, looking over the watchtower down at the ground below to see who was there. However, there was no one. Not a single animal or mob. "What...?" I mumbled. I carefully drew back my bow with an arrow, my gaze scanning the area for any sign of a living creature. As my eyes looked over to the area to my left, I was tackled to the ground. My bow fell from my hands, clattering to the floor of the watchtower as my back roughly landed on the floor. The breath was knocked out of me as the attacker pinned me to the ground. My eyes had shut, but they shot open as I heard a familiar voice.

"Lukas?"

A pair of emerald green eyes gazed at me.

"Jess?"

The obsidian-haired girl stood up and held her hand out for me to take. She helped me up to my feet, a wave of apologies coming from her lips. I wrapped my arms around her, bringing Jesse into a tight hug as tears welled in my eyes. "It's fine, Jess. Just don't do something like that again," I said. Jesse returned my hug, her body shaking as she let out a heavy sigh. "I-I was so scared, L-Lukas... I thought I'd n-never find yo-you guys..." she sobbed. "It's okay, Jess. I'm right here, there's no need to be scared..." I whispered.

I don't know how long we stayed there, just hugging each other tightly. Jesse cried and cried, her tears falling on my leather jacket. I ran my fingers through her hair with one hand as the other hugged her waist, keeping her pressed against me. I tried to calm her down by whispering soothing things to her. All I know is that eventually, I calmed her down, her cries reduced to small hiccups. "I'm so happy to see you, Lukas..." Jesse whispered.

"So am I, Jess."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jess, you okay?"

The ebony-haired girl turned to face me as I asked the question. She averted her gaze as she nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm fine..." her voice trailed off as she turned away and began to walk. The wool underneath her feet made soft sounds, leaving a temporary imprint of her footsteps as she walked away from me. I gazed after her, my heart torn at her distance to me. Reuben and Petra were the only ones she didn't act distant to, even Axel and Olivia couldn't seem to get a straight answer from her. They just assumed she was probably thinking about the Witherstorm and everyone trapped in it, but that was exactly what the rest of us were thinking about, and we weren't acting like her.

Something was wrong.

I mean, the secrecy, the coughing, the new arm guard, it simply wasn't just because her thoughts were taken up. Something was really wrong with Jesse, and I was going to find out what. I tore my gaze from Jesse and walked up to Petra, crossing my arms as I came to a stop. "What's up, Lukas?" she asked wearily. "More like what's up with Jesse. Something isn't right, Petra. And you know it," I replied, trying to keep my voice firm. Petra's sapphire blue eyes widened as she struggled to form an answer. "Well, it can't have been easy facing that Witherstorm alone while trying to find the temple. I mean-" "Petra."

The redhead sighed as her body lost its tenseness. "Alright, there is something up with Jesse. But I can't tell you, she doesn't want you guys to know," she carefully whispered. I felt fear rush through me at her words. "What is it, Petra?" I pressed with my heart racing. Petra looked like she was about to protest telling me but, instead, a defeated sigh escaped her lips.

"Have you heard of Withersickness, Lukas?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at the name of the sickness. "I've heard of Wither," I replied. Petra hesitated a moment before she continued. "Withersickness is somewhat like Wither, just much more severe. Wither goes away. Withersickness doesn't for all I know. Jesse was affected when she was running from the Witherstorm after the portal was destroyed. It started as a small spot, barely noticeable, now it's spread almost all over her arm." The arm guard... "Withersickness saps away the strength of who it affects, making them sicker and weaker as time goes on. The coughing was her immune system trying to rid itself of the sickness, her skin paling is another symptom." Oh no...

"It'll keep draining away her energy until she can't fight it anymore, then that's when the sickness kills its victim."

My heart stopped for a moment, my eyes gazing at Petra with horror rushing through my veins. Jesse could die from this Withersickness? "N-No... Jesse can't die. She has to live," I stated. "Lukas, I know she's strong but the Withersickness gets stronger the more she weakens. Jesse's not going to live if this plan doesn't work," Petra replied softly. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as reality hit me harder than a wall of bricks.

I turned away from Petra, forcing the tears away. No. Jesse had to live. She had to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jesse sat against the wall, her skin paler than snow. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow and ragged. She wasn't going to last much longer if we didn't stop the Witherstorms. I knelt next to her, causing Jesse to open her eyes slightly to look at me. They had lost their bright shine, now the once emerald green eyes were instead a murky swamp green. My heart tore at seeing her so sick, so in pain, so defeated.

I gently pressed my hand to her forehead. A wave of heat rose off her skin despite being pale as a ghost. She closed her eyes once again, leaning close to me. I wrapped my arms around Jesse, pulling her closer. "It'll all be alright, Jess... Just hang in there..." I whispered, tears beginning to fall down my cheeks. Jesse's mouth parted as she tried to speak, but no words escaped her lips. "Don't waste your strength. Just rest now..." I whispered.

By now, I was unable to control the tears that endlessly fell down my cheeks like a waterfall. I pressed my forehead against hers, the strands of our hair softly touching. Even despite the heat rising from her body, I refused to part with her, my eyes closing as sobs racked my body. A soft hand reached up and wiped away some tears from my cheek. My hand reached up and held Jesse's there on my cheek, I didn't want to ever lose her.

I couldn't lose her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I couldn't tear my gaze from Jesse. This shouldn't have happened. If only we had been quicker.

Sadly, nothing can turn back time. We can't get a second chance to prevent this.

Ivor placed a hand on my shoulder, his deep blue gaze watching me with sadness. "I'm sorry, Lukas, but I had to do it. It was the only way to make sure she lived long enough for you to stop the Witherstorms," he said. I turned my weary gaze to Ivor, able to see my reflection in his eyes. Dark bags were under my eyes, my blue eyes had lost their shine, a faint bit of blond stubble growing on my chin. I looked so much older than what I was. "You did what you had to, Ivor. Thank you," I whispered. The black-haired man nodded before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

I turned my gaze back to Jesse. Her skin was still pale, but a bit of its color had returned. Her lips were parted slightly with a faint purple tinge, something that would fade with time. Bags matching mine were under her closed eyes, her black hair a tangled mess across the pillow. For the first time in days, we were wearing clean, fresh clothing, a plain orange shirt and dark gray jeans on me and a light gray nightdress on Jesse. My eyes trailed from her face down to her left arm, the very arm the Withersickness originated from.

Except it wasn't there.

Ivor had been in charge of Jesse while we went to go fight the Witherstorm. He had to make sure she was in stable condition the whole battle and beyond it, to make sure she survived. During the battle, her condition took a deadly turn, and she had almost died. Ivor did what he had to to make sure Jesse lived.

And that meant amputating the source of her Withersickness.

From the shoulder down, there was no longer her arm. It had been shocking for the rest of us to discover, but we all understood Ivor did what he had to do. Jesse still hadn't woken up, even despite her Withersickness dissipating. I sat in a chair next to her bed, holding her only hand as I waited for her to wake. Only I was allowed to be in the room, besides Ivor, to make sure she wasn't too overwhelmed when she woke up. It was bound to be a shock to discover her arm missing, so she didn't need the added excitement or stress by having too many people in one room at once. However, even despite the lengths gone to make sure she lived, Jesse still might not open her eyes.

And that terrified me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"L-Lukas...?"

I heard a voice whisper my name, so softly I almost didn't hear it. It was like I was in a deep, dark lake. I couldn't see a thing, any sounds I heard were almost impossible to hear.

"Lukas..."

The voice called my name again, a bit louder this time. I slowly came up from the lake, raising my head up and forcing my eyes open. My head slowly moved around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Lukas." At hearing my name for a third time, I turned my gaze to the form that lay on the bed beside me. A pair of emerald green eyes gazed back into my blue eyes and instantly any tiredness I felt vanished.

"Jess!"

I wrapped my arms around the young woman, tears falling down my cheeks as I pressed my forehead against hers. A soft laugh escaped her lips, which were now almost back to their normal pale pink. A small tear fell down her cheek, as her arm wrapped around me. Her smile faded as she relinquished her hold on me, her green eyes looking down at where her arm used to be. My smile fell as she looked at the stub of her shoulder, the only thing remaining of her arm. "Ivor had to do it, Jess. It was the only way to make sure you survived," I softly said.

Jesse looked back up at me, tears pricking her gorgeous emerald eyes. Her smile slowly returned to her face. "I'm just glad you're okay," she whispered. I cupped her cheek with my hand and pressed my forehead back to hers. A small smile crossed my face. "So am I, Jess," I mumbled. Her emerald eyes fluttered closed as she leaned forward, pressing her lips to mine. I softly kissed her back, a tear falling down my cheek once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Here, try and take my hand."

Jesse stuck out her tongue as she concentrated. Soren and Ellegaard had decided to put their minds together and invented Jesse a prosthetic arm. It was a fake arm for her to use, but thanks to Soren's designing and Ellegaard's redstone, it looked and functioned exactly like a normal arm. When on Jesse, it latched onto her shoulder and connected to the nerves there, enabling her to control the arm just like her old one. It took a bit more concentration due to being a robotic invention, however, which was why we were practicing together.

So far, Jesse was able to have some control over it, like individually using each finger and bending it at the elbow slightly, but more complex actions she still hasn't mastered. I was as patient as could be with her, encouraging her the whole time. Jesse's patience was tested, to which I found she didn't have the most of, so there were times when she got pretty angry, but I had learned how to calm her down.

Seemed now she was running out of that patience.

"I'm never gonna get the hang of this, Lukas. I'll just be stuck with only one working arm for the rest of my life!" she exclaimed. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I stepped forward, kneeling in front of her sitting form. "With an attitude like that, you'll never learn how to use that arm. I know you can-" "Lukas, please, stop. Nothing you say can help me learn to control this Notch-forsaken arm!" The fingers of her prosthetic curled into a fist. "I wish I could've been stronger. Then I might still have my actual arm," she muttered angrily. Her fist started to shake.

"All this work for nothing!"

Her fist raised and slammed back down onto the bench.

We both jumped at the loud, unexpected noise that sounded. Jesse slowly looked at her prosthetic arm, eyes wide as she carefully brought it up and fiddled with her fingers, bending it at the wrist and elbow to varying degrees. She turned her gaze to meet mine, her emerald eyes full of happiness and excitement. "I did it, Lukas!" she exclaimed. "I knew you could, but the challenge was to take my hand," I replied. A smirk crossed Jesse's lips before she tugged me forward by my hand with her prosthetic, her lips pressing against mine for a moment.

"How was that?"

"Y-You've pa-passed the c-ch-challenge."