Broken (Rewrite) - An MCSM Fan Fiction

Her heart felt heavy. The moment Jesse dreaded the most had finally arrived. Petra was leaving, and no one knew when they would see her again.

She could barely look Petra in the eye, for fear that her mask would fail her. She couldn’t let her best friend see how much this tore her apart, not when she knew how much adventuring meant to the redhead.

“Jesse? Are you okay?”

She tried to keep her body from trembling as she finally settled her gaze on Petra’s eyes. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you.”

“It’s okay.”

“I-”

“Jesse,” Petra said firmly, “I understand. Radar needs you. Beacontown needs you.”

The raven-haired girl grabbed for the redhead’s hand. “Please, take care of yourself.”

“I will,” Petra promised.

The two embraced. Minutes seemed to pass, as neither one was ready to let go yet. But the pain was inevitable, and Petra needed to do what made her happy.

Jesse kept a brave face as the warrior pulled away. After passing the gates, Petra turned around, giving them all one final wave. No one looked away until she disappeared from view.

Jack, Nurm, Radar, and Lukas joined Jesse as she headed back to the Order Hall. She didn’t even hear what they were saying, still trying her best to keep up her facade.

“What about you, Jesse?” Lukas’s voice ripped her from her thoughts.

“What?” She turned to see his bright smile and ocean-blue eyes.

“How long do you think it will take to rebuild?” Lukas repeated.

Jesse bit her lip. “Well, we’ve made a lot of progress, but this kind of thing takes weeks, months even. The rebuilding in the Witherstorm Aftermath took a year, but that was a lot more destruction.”

“True. We’re lucky the damage wasn’t worse, but it’s still a lot to fix.” Lukas nodded.

“And look at Champion City. Stella’s going to need all the help she can get to have the place up and running again.” Jesse gazed back towards the city, shuddering at the sight of the once magnificent architecture lying in shambles behind them.

“At least after this, we’ll never have to deal with another admin again.” Radar chimed in.

“Yeah...” She could only hope. They all could only hope.

The four guys went in the direction of the living room, another conversation sparking between them. Jesse ended up running once they left. Her legs carried her to the opposite hallway. She threw open her bedroom door, barely making it to her bed before she collapsed.

Her eyes watered; tears began rolling down her cheeks. She couldn’t hold herself together anymore, and the sounds of sobs escaped her lips. She raised a hand, hoping to wipe them away. Instead, she choked, her cries only increasing. It wasn’t long before pain formed in both her throat and her forehead.

“Hey, Jesse-” A voice began. She looked up to find Lukas staring at her from the doorway in shock. She tried to smile, but failed miserably.

Lukas’s face filled with concern. He sat next to her on the bed. “Jess?”

She didn’t last a second. Jesse cried out, falling into the blonde’s open arms as her emotions flowed free. “I knew I had to let her go, but-”

Lukas gently held her. “It’s okay.”

Miles from Beacontown, a man stood before a palace. A wide, sinister smile spread across his face as the long, dark-oak doors beyond swung inward.

His cloak billowed behind him as he set out for the vast and ornate library on the structure’s second floor. His boots stomped upon the marble tiles, echoing throughout the room, some books shaking and clattering to the floor in the process. He ignored the high walls filled with volumes upon volumes, approaching the glowing, gold podium resting on a platform in the middle.

Glancing towards his side, he opened the leather satchel hanging from his shoulder. His hands grasped a thick, red book. He held it in his hands for a moment, taking in the texture and the curly, silver “A” that spanned across the cover.

Full of content, the man placed the book on the shining podium, watching the object embrace its glow. Magical sparks emitted from the book as it went on autopilot. The book’s pages kept flipping until the man’s finger touched the surface of a specific spot.

A loud, menacing cackle erupted from his mouth. After a few moments, his eyes closed before snapping open immediately. A sickening smile remained.

“It’s time.”