Steve woke up to Alex talking to her father’s grave early in the morning. The sun was barely rising, yet she was there, chatting with a smile like nothing changed. Beverly had still been in her stall, sleeping even, and the other farm animals were awake and rustling. It was like they had multiplied overnight by how much louder they seemed to have gotten. Mr. Blup was up and as cheerful as ever, swimming about in the slightly wider pool. It seemed Alex had expanded his home and even left him a bucket of fish.

“Good morning!” Alex shouted his way. Steve smiled back with a wave. She continued, “Did you sleep well? We have a big day ahead of us.” Alex stood up. The red bags under her were more prominent than the night before, but she kept a smile regardless.

“Yeah… did you get any rest?” Steve asked out of concern, his brows narrowed and losing his smile.

“I couldn’t close my eyes.” She chuckled. “I’m fine though, don’t worry.”

“Right…” Steve replied.

“I’m serious.” She patted his shoulder as she walked past him. “The river connects to an ocean north from here. Beverly and I found it the other day.”

“Do you know where it leads?”

“Not a clue,” Alex answered once she reached the stable. “but I have a good feeling it’ll take us where we need to be.” She greeted Beverly with a pat on her mane.

“And where does that feeling come from?”

“Intuition?”

“We can’t risk our lives on intuition, Alex.” Steve said as he crossed his arms. “Last time didn’t end too well.”

“We’ll be fine! I’ll craft us a boat to make it faster. Besides, there are no monsters in the water, anyway.”

“It’s not the monsters I’m worried about.”

“Please,” Alex opened her inventory and reached for her diamond helmet. “it’s always the monsters you should be worried about.” Sliding it over her head, she took a big breath with her eyes closed. Steve struggled to watch her fatigued body struggle to move an inch, even feeling sorry for her.

“If you’re really worried,” She continued, her eyes still shut. “Maybe you should take the lead for once.”

“What if we get lost? We can’t exactly put torches on the water.” Alex narrowly opened her eyes.

“That’ll be your problem to solve, Steve. Let’s pack and get going, okay?” Steve rolled his eyes and followed her into the house.

They spent the next few hours preparing for the trip. Alex was in charge of getting the food and supplies, while Steve ensured they had enough wood, torches, tools, and general items to help them along the way. He wasn’t too sure what he needed, but he made a map along with the weapons that would prove more than useful.

Alex on the other hand was rather sluggish while getting ready and oftentimes found herself napping on a wall or in the middle of the field. Steve would find her while walking around but didn’t want to disturb her sleep. Regardless, she would wake up several minutes later and continue her preparations.

With their inventories full, they got together and decided it was time to go. Wishing goodbye to Beverly one last time, they left the small island and went towards the sun.

-

Alex looked up at the clear blue sky with a smile while the two of them traversed the oak forest. It was a beautiful sunny day, and all of the animals were living their lives without a care in the world. The trees were small and compact, their brown bark contrasting their surroundings, and the rays of light made them shine. There were pigs, chickens, and cows, even several brown rabbits and horses happily strolling around. Alex hadn’t seen a forest full of animals in so long, she couldn’t help but laugh and explain everything to Steve.

At first confused, Steve would laugh at the stories Alex had about the different animals. She may have been tired, but she felt at peace when she heard Steve’s deep laugh in response to her jokes. Something about his voice calmed her nerves and made her lose control of her eyelids. Their heavy weight began to press down and it didn’t take long for her to start sleepwalking with a smile on her face.

The moment Alex collapsed onto Steve’s back, he lifted her up and carried her on his back.

He continued to move forward until the saltine smell of an ocean came to his senses. Following the scent to the nearby ocean, Steve seemed to attract the attention of several of the animals. A stray chicken followed them until they reached the end of the forest, then ran back as soon as the shadows from the trees became far and few in between.

Stepping out of the forest, Steve was greeted by a vast and open ocean surrounded by sand. The waves from the ocean caressed the sands and then pulled back, repeatedly as if they were calling Steve’s name. Steve walked closer and felt uneasy with the grainy texture of the sand. Almost like it was pulling him down, he pulled his feet back and grinned. With Alex on his back, he approached the ocean water and looked down into his reflection.

He could see himself for the first time and finally noticed what Alex had meant when she first met him. His caramel brown hair was glowing in the sun’s rays, and his skin was the same. He looked at himself beside Alex and was awed at the resemblance.

They were the same.

Gently resting her on the sand, Steve sat beside the ocean and felt as the clear water caressed his legs and fingers.

“Woah.” Looking over at the horizon, there seemed to have been an infinite amount of this water passed the sand he stood on. What was on the other side, he couldn’t even begin to envision.

He grabbed a handful of sand, deformed it into a ball, and chucked it into the water as far as he could. Hearing the distant plop made Steve chuckle, and being able to see it, even if for a slight moment, as it dropped into the never-ending ravine to never be seen again made him even more excited.

What he had witnessed in the caves and around Alex’s home was just the beginning, and the glimmer of hope that he would learn where he came from grew bigger.

Steve placed a crafting bench and made a small raft using five planks of wood. Placing it in the water, he was surprised that it came pre-equipped with wooden shovels. He lifted Alex and rested her on the back end of the raft before jumping on the front end and grabbing hold of the shovels.

He didn’t know the first thing about rowing a boat, and after accidentally rowing it back onto the sand he figured it out. Paddling the boat forward and pushing the water back was a rejuvenating experience. Listening to the water as it swayed with his shovels and the soft cries of animals in the distance was unlike anything he had ever felt.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this, Alex?” He asked her softly with a serene smile. Forward and back, pushing and pulling, he thought he could never get tired of this.

He found himself humming the three melodic tunes Alex would when at peace. The further into the ocean they went, the more separated they were from the rest of the world. There was nothing but water as far as the eye could see, and Steve didn’t feel at all uneasy.

Even as the sun began to set and the moon rose in front of him, the fear of being attacked no longer lingered.

Alex’s peaceful resting body was behind him, taking deep breaths with her eyes closed. Looking at her like that, Steve found it hard to believe that she was looking for revenge.

Steve decided to stop rowing in the middle of the ocean and reached for a cut of cooked mutton in his inventory. Taking a moment to refuel, he looked up at the luminescent moon staring back at him and the countless stars that surrounded it.

The last time he had seen the moon, only danger followed, however, this time things were different. In the middle of the ocean, he felt at peace with no knowledge as to what was happening beneath.

Casting a shadow over an underwater city in ruins, several zombie-like creatures swim out of their homes and look up at the boat above. Every crevice of their body is glowing blue, and their blue skin, if that’s what it is, is soulless and rotten. A group of them begin swimming up to the surface groaning as they do.

While Steve’s distracted, the Drowned reach into his raft and tilt it toward the ocean. Caught off guard, Steve grabs hold of the edges of the raft and turns to the other side.

In the dark, he catches sight of four heads peering over the ocean, their glowing eyes shining and reflecting over the water and several underneath, as well as several arms reaching into his raft, nearly grabbing hold of Alex’s unconscious body.

“WHAT ARE THOSE?!” He shouts pulling himself back in terror.

Before one of the Drowned could touch Alex, Steve pulls out his diamond sword and cuts right through its arm and watches as it winces and pulls back. The raft pulls back and shakes in the water forcing Steve back on his seat.

Steve pulls out a torch and lights up the area, revealing the crowd of drowned surrounding them and the many more on their way.

“Stay back! All of you!” He shouts, moving the torch closer to them and scaring them back.

He began to notice their features in the light. They looked a lot like the zombies he fought down in the caves, but their blue luminescent tint blended in with the water and the night sky. Their muffled groans filled the sky and the musty stench of dead fish accompanied them.

“There’s too many!” Steve shouted to himself. He grabbed hold of the paddles and tried sailing away, but half a Drowned dozen arms were holding onto the boat and keeping it in place.

He had no other option but to take them out or die.

Clenching his teeth, Steve grabbed his diamond sword and equipped his iron armor, one piece at a time. He turned to Alex’s resting body and arms holding the ship in place. The surrounding Drowned came closer, gasping for air as they emerged from the ocean. A hoard of lifeless water zombies swam their way to him as he took the time to count.

“Ten… no, twelve.” He whispered and turned around. “Another three... fifteen monsters.” Tightening his grip on his sword, Steve stood up. He turned back to Alex and smiled. “Wait for me, okay?”

With his heart racing, he leaped into the ocean with the three Drowned waiting for him, reaching into the air as he landed.

“UARGH!” Spearing his blade into the Drowned’s skull, Steve landed on its shoulders and pushed it further into the water. He pulled his sword back and jumped for the next drowned watching him.

Steve dived into the water and swam toward the Drowned by paddling his feet and shuffling. One heavy swoop separated the Drowned’s head from its body and filled the ocean around them with a dark blue. Even with the friction against him, Steve managed to deal a heavy blow.

The strike took a lot out of him and he could feel his lungs losing air. He looked to the surface that wasn’t too far and attempted to swim up when suddenly­–

Groan

His leg had been caught by the third drowned and it wasn’t going to let go. In a panic, Steve kicked at it with his free foot, but to no avail. He thrusted the blade of his sword at the Drowned and penetrated through its neck, forcing it to lose strength and set Steve free.

Low on oxygen, Steve looked around and noticed the other Drowned heading his way. This didn’t look good. He quickly swam back to the surface and gasped for air as soon as he could. The waves from the now-dark ocean waters were pushing against him and pulling Alex away.

He tried to swim back but felt a sudden jab against his stomach. All the air he had regained was lost in an instant. A light blue weapon taller than him with three white prongs dented into his armor and began to fall back into the water. Short of breath, Steve took a moment to regain his strength.

“What was that?!”

Rising from beneath the water, he could see the eyes of the Drowned holding a trident being surrounded by the others. It was dressed in different apparel and had more cracks in its skin. It was charging another strike, pulling its arm back like a javelin throw. Upon hurling it forward, it zoomed passed the crowd of Drowned and toward Steve.

“It’s fast!” He shouted before shifting his body to the side. To his surprise, the trident soared into the air and didn’t return. Turning back to the Drowned, he knew he couldn’t stand a chance. Luckily for him though, they had all abandoned the ship and focused their attention on him.

If he could outswim them, which he knew he could, they could make their escape. However, the distance to the boat wasn’t a close one, and the trident-throwing Drowned wasn’t going to let him get away that easily.

Steve was too far from land to make use of any of his building materials. He tried swimming, but the speed at which the Drowned threw the tridents increased. He would have to outmaneuver the monster to make any distance. His torches would burn out, arrows wouldn’t get very far, and using his sword took a lot of energy underwater.

There was no other option.

Thrusting his body forward, Steve swam as fast as he could through the ocean. Tridents were thrown at him, either barely missing or spiking him through his armor. He could feel the pressure of each prong begin to cut into the iron plates like three consecutive punches to the gut, but he pushed on.

The Drowned quickly figured out what he was doing and separated from defending the trident javelin. They rushed toward Steve with no regard for anything around them. Several of the Drowned got hit by the launching tridents, while one managed to grab a trident mid-travel and launched at Steve. The Drowned raised from beneath the ocean and into the sky, passing by Steve and nearly grabbing him.

Barely escaping by the skin of his teeth, Steve reached the boat and jumped in, drenching the seats with his soaking clothes. He looked back at the Drowned swimming at him and grabbed the paddles.

“Hang on, Alex!” With a single pull, he turned the boat around and nearly dropped Alex in the ocean. If it weren’t for the boat’s walls, she would’ve been ten feet under.

His mind raced as a trident nearly punctured their boat and soared into the night sky. Steve began to peddle faster than he ever did before and sailed away from the Drowned. The trident javelin did not give up, however. Raising from beneath the water for the first time, it aimed one last trident, pulling it back further than ever, and launching it forward with the strength of a cannon.

The trident soared over the ocean water, separating the waves beneath it and cutting through the sky until it eventually reached the boat and cut through its wooden frame. Not only did it get through the boat, but it also pierced Steve’s armor and impaled him from the back.

Gritting his teeth, Steve knew he couldn’t stop. He wasn’t anywhere near full of hunger to heal and didn’t have any time to stop to eat. The mutton he had eaten before the battle had already been digested. Steve had to keep going or the Drowned would catch up. With the trident in his back, Steve continued to row until the rise of the sun.

-

Now in a safe location in the middle of the ocean, Steve stopped rowing and sat back with the trident still in his back. He tried leveling his panting to no avail. He could feel his energy slowly depleting and the effects of staying up overnight kicking in. His eyelids grew heavy, and his head would dip every so often.

Just before he closed his eyes, Alex woke up with a stretch and a yawn. Steve smiled through his pain and let into his body’s lethargy. As soon as he shut down, Alex got a glimpse of his torn state and pulled her head back.

“Steve!” She shouted rushing to him. She held his body up and caught a glimpse of the trident sticking out of his back. Her jaw dropped as her muscles grew weak. “Don’t die on me, Steve!” She could feel his body getting colder by the second. “No, please!”

She reached for the trident and pulled it out with no second thoughts. Steve lunged forward into her shoulder with a grunt.