Archive of Our Own ^beta

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"So, do you plan on entering your fate anytime soon?"

Steve looked at the glowing eye that floated above him; it didn't look anything like the Eye of Enders; it had taught him how to make. But it also refused to let him name it. He looked back down at the cow he was milking, clicking his tongue.

"Nope, I think I'll pretend it isn't happening for even longer now, acttualy,"

He could hear it letting out a sigh before warping away, leaving Steve to take care of his cattle. Blinking out exhaustion from his eyes, he knew he should sleep, but it had only been three days; what was the worst that could happen?

As it turns out, flying monsters trying to rip out his eyes was the worst that could happen. And, of course, Steve was nowhere near shelter, so he was franticly shoving all his belongings into a chest as the creatures slashed his back open.

He screamed as he fell off his bed, the glowing red heats swirling around him franticly. He heard Alex running over to find the Miner laying on the floor, eyes wide with panic, shirt drenched with sweat.

Several times, she opened and closed her mouth before settling on hoisting Steve up and tossing him back onto his bed. The mechanic stood franticly by the shorter of the two until he calmed down enough to explain what happened.

"... And uh- yeah, all my stuffs in a chest in the middle of a forest,"

Alex ran a hand through her hair, before looking back at Steve, shaking her head.

"I... go take a bath, I'll go find your stuff,"

"Y- yeah... yeah I'm gonna... yeah,"

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"Another day, another respawn."

Alex didn't even look up from her schematics for well- Steve didn't know, but she could only assume it was for her parents.

"Steve, read the room,"

"I did, and the room told me that Creepers suck, hey Eye."

The Eye of Ender turned slowly from its position of sitting on a flower pot, the flower that Steve could only assume had previously been in it now laid on the ground. Before slowly turning away to stare out the window again.

"I'm only here for when you stop being lazy,"

"Look, I'm still getting my ass kicked by Creepers, I don't wanna have to fight a giant dragon,"

Alex nodded before she rolled up the sheet of paper, tucking it safely into her backpack. She turned towards Steve, cocking her head to the side.

"I'm heading out to dad's, wanna come with?"

"I'll uh, wait at the Village,"

"Say hi to Reggy and Zain for me,"

"Will do,"

~~~

Alex didn't stay in town long before moving out towards the Outpost that sat not too far away in the distance. In the Village tavern, Steve found himself drinking some Honey Mead as he waited for the two he knew would arrive. And, just as Alex came back, covered in mud from what Steve could only assume was trying to ride a Ravenger, they did.

Reginold, an older Blacksmith, had a prosthetic foot, jagged scars scattered his arms, a scar was located just a few inches under his eye. He has his trademark bored expression plastered on his face; his eyes only light up a little bit when he noticed Steve and Alex.

Zain, a previously infected Villager who had taken up residence in Reginold's home. Steve wasn't sure what he did for a job, but Reginold's garden did look better every time he saw it. He had a pretty basic outfit, aside from a dark-colored hood that obscured most of his face.

"Well, isn't this a surprising sight, hey there y' two,"

Zain waved with a big grin stretched across his face.

Steve smiled at the two Villagers as they sat down; Zain pulled his hood up a bit, exposing a bit more of his face.

"So, how you two sprouts been? Also Alex, why are you covered in mud?"

Steve answered first; Alex's smile grew wider, which almost got him to stand up and sit next to Reginold.

"I made the first Eye of Ender, it came to life and is now trying to motivate me to face my destiny, which is, not helping,"

Zain laughed a little bit, sipping a bit out of some cider that the Bartender had given him. The three then looked at Alex as she leaned in, whispering very quietly.

"I was able to get on the Ravenger this time,"

Zain clapped a little bit, rocking back against his seat; Reginold pushed him back forward so the other didn't fall off the chair. Alex and Reginold continued to chat while Zain pulled Steve off outside of the Tavern, sitting down on the stairs and letting out a puff of breath. Steve sat down next to him and stared up at the stars.

"... Hows... your uh- fate, going?"

Steve looked over, feeling his fingers beginning to dig into his arm, eyes shut tight. Face twisting into a grimace.

"I really don't want to have to do this, but... Well, it's not like Alex you know? She has until someone summons The Wither to fuck around I have... until the world starts to cave in..."

Zain gave great hugs. Steve assumed it was from practice, Zain was very friendly.

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Alex made her way over to the Illager Outpost that stood just before the only river by the Village. A bag filled with honey bottles and netherwart held tight to her side. As much as she would love to say hi to Reginold and Zain, she had a much more important mission.

The Illagers didn't pay her much mind as she made her way for the Ravengers pen; it was larger than last time she had visited. She made her way to the Raid Captain, standing by the fence, hoisting a Pillager up to add more to the gate.

"Hey Thorn! Hey Chip!"

Thorn looked over, releasing Chip's legs, causing the Pillager to cling to the fences for dear life.

"Alex,"

"Hiii Alex! Boss can you grab my feet again,"

"No,"

Chip let out a sigh as he scrambled up and started laying our chain link to the top of the gate. Alex chuckled as she dumped out her bag at Thorn's feet, making him raise an eyebrow.

"... Huh, didn't think you had it in ya, good job kid,"

"As I said before, Steve is very easily bought with emeralds,"

Thorn chuckled as he gathered up the items, shoving them into his bag, looking up at Chip.

"Say, Alex?"

"Yes?"

"You wanna try to tame a Ravenger again?"

Alex's expression got excited; Thorn let out a chuckle, turning to Chip as the Pillager attempted not to fall off the fence.

"Get down here shorty, don't wanna get you killed,"

"Wow! Thanks sir! I feel so cared for!"

Chip fell off in his attempt to get down but got up and walked into the Outpost as if it didn't happen. Alex couldn't hold in her laughter; Thorn gave her a pat on the back as she tried to catch her breath.

"He can't hold his own in a fight, but I will say, his abiliy to withstand pain is impressive, he might do better than that Stevie boy you mention,"

Alex just laughed more before she was able to calm herself enough to follow Thorn to the entrance of the cage, all the Ravengers, seeming to feel Alex's intentions, made their way to the furthest edge, glaring intensely.

"Stay here, I'll get the least angry one,"

"Aye aye Captain!"

Thorn sighed as he walked over to the Ravengers, pulling out a handful of netherwart and holding it out. After a few moments, a younger Ravenger took a chance and walked closer to eat some of it out of his hand. He grabbed hold of the Ravengers lead, bringing it over to Alex.

The lesson went about as well as one could expect, ending with Alex getting flung into a mud pile and laying there for a few moments before she got up. Thron let out a loud sigh as Chip came back out with more fences.

"Alright kiddo, I think that's enough for one day, suns going down, you should probably head home,"

"Will do! See you later! Same to you Chip,"

Chip gave a wave before hurrying back onto the fence to continue adding more layers to it. Thorn followed Alex to the exit of the small patch of forest that guarded the Tower.

"Hey, Alex,"

"Yeah?"

"... See if you can get Steve to come next time, I wanna see if him or Chip is shorter,"

Alex chuckled, giving the Captain a slight nod and a thumbs up.

"Can do, see you later,"

And, covered in mud, she returned to the Village and met up with Steve at the Tavern. And conversing with Reginold when the Miner left for home.

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"Alex, I've made a decision,"

"You're gonna look for a Stronghold?"

"Haha. No."

The Eye turned to glare at him, knocking the flowerpot it lived in onto the ground and floating away. Steve shrugged before looking at Alex.

"I'm gonna scale Goat Mountain and scream at the top of my lungs, as a treat."

"... How are you not worried about those Goats, those things are mean,"

"I'll leave my stuff here then, my spawn point is set, there is no downside other than being knocked into a ravene that leads to a Stronghold,"

The Eye came back over with a new flowerpot to replace the broken one, looking over at Steve. Then, floating to him once the pot was back on the shelf it rested on.

"So if you end up in a Stronghold, you will face The End?"

"... Well, yeah, but I won't be happy about it,"

Steve vanished into his bedroom, popping back up with nothing on him but a few torches. He gave Alex and The Eye a nod before leaving the house and making his way off to the Goats.

A few moments after he was gone, The Eye looked over at Alex; she answered its question before it even asked.

"He's scared of the idea of loosing a purpose, that's why he doesn't want to do it,"

"... That's how it is, luckily Jean isn't getting out anytime soon, he has time,"

"Yeah- plus the chances of him accidently stumbling a pun a Stronghold are like, so small,"

"Oh you'd think so, wouldn't you?"

The two shared a chuckle as The Eye went back to sitting comfortably in its flowerpot, Alex cleaning up the broken clay shards before.

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"Hey! Eyeyeeee!"

Despite having no features aside from being a sentient Eye of Ender, Eye was very expressive, as was shown by its very annoyed glare in Alex's direction.

"Just because Steve isn't here, that doesn't mean you get to bother me-"

"Yes it does, shut up, I have questions,"

"If they're about me, you won't get answers,"

Alex still sat next to Eye, leaning forward against the chair next to the window. Eye was sitting on a pillow that it had grabbed from Steve's room, casting a side glance to Alex as she stared up at the Phantom infested skies.

"Why do you think they're out there? I know Steve took a nap earlier, and I slept yesterday,"

"... It might be my fault, I havn't exactly had the chance to sleep from where I am, and I can't sleep through this,"

"... Where are you?"

"That's about me, isn't it?"

"Look dude, there's only one dimension I know of where you can't sleep, so you're ethier in The Nether or like, somewhere else,"

Eye looked back at the sky as more Phantoms swirled in the air, stars sparkling in the reflection of the grass. Eye seemed like it would respond, but Steve ran into the room at that moment, soaked to the bone and smelling like ink.

"GUYS! THERE'S NEW SQUID!"

"Are there now?"

"THEY GLOW! ... Also goats are assholes. But squids!"

There was a long moment of silence before Steve went downstairs, waving goodnight to the two sitting in the kitchen. Eye waited until the sound of soft snoring came from the open trapdoor.

"... My body is currently in The End, but I was orginally trapped in The Nether. You can't sleep at ethier location, beds explode ethier way,"

"Yikes, that sucks,"

"I got used to it after the first hundred years,"

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.... uh

Some headcanons changed, gonna make a new book
that's all