“The village librarian? … No way, that can’t be…” Alex whispered as she lowered her head and tried containing her breaths.

The warm waves clashing with her legs and the rough sand that managed to creep into her boots only added to the feeling of unease she felt near the villager.

“A ghost? You can’t be real…” She whispered and dug her hands into her hair. After another glance at the perplexed villager, she stepped further back into the ocean.

Steve reached for her trembling arms and held them between his palms, stopping her from descending further. His sudden grasp snapped Alex out of her bewilderment if only for a moment. The both of them looked into each other’s eyes.

“Breathe, Alex,” Steve said softly, his monotone voice soothing Alex’s anxiety. She nodded and closed her eyes.

Focusing on the clashing waves and Steve’s warm hands softly holding her managed to get her heart rate to slow down. After one final breath, she opened her eyes to Steve’s calm yet concerned blue eyes staring back at her. He tried his best to block her line of sight to the villager, but all his troubles were for nothing.

Andra, full of curiosity, wanted to see Alex in her panic state. She wasn’t sure what caused her to be like that but wanted to know. She peeked over Steve’s shoulder and watched as he attempted to calm her down.

“Is everything alright?” Andra asked as soon as Steve released Alex’s hand.

Steve turned back to the villager and smiled with a nod. He suddenly felt Alex's hand grab his and squeeze tight.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Andra continued as she took a few steps closer to the two. The closer she got, the tighter the squeeze on Steve’s hand got.

“Can you give us a moment?” Steve asked, surprising Andra to a halt.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you, I just–”

“Please.” Steve interrupted.

Andra didn’t know how she was supposed to talk to them. She assumed her appearance frightened Alex, connecting the way they looked to the others in the village. She wanted nothing more than to interact with them, so she couldn’t let them get away. Her only option was to persuade.

“I can assure you; I mean no harm.” She said as she took another step. “As I’ve said, it’s almost nightfall and–!”

Steve reached into his inventory and pulled out his diamond sword. Holding it out in front of him with the shining blade facing her, Steve narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t take another step.” His cold voice sent a shiver down her spine. Alex watched from behind Steve as he pointed a sword at someone who closely resembled her dad. Seeing the trembling villager triggered a hazy memory from the past.

“Who are you?” Alex asked with a shake in her tone. Steve glanced at her from over his shoulder. Andra’s eyes shot up with hope.

“I… I’ll repeat my introduction.” Andra removed the book-hat off of her head and rested it between her arms. After taking a breath, she continued. “My name is Andra. I am the librarian for the village just beyond this forest. I, along with the other villagers, wish to assist you with whatever you may need.”

“Why?” Alex replied. “You don’t know us!”

“Must we know you to show kindness?” Andra smiled solemnly with her shy mouth mostly covered by her nose.

Steve lowered his sword and turned to Alex. Much like him, she didn’t know what to do. There was a part of her that hoped he’d take the charge, but his silence left her no choice.

“Then we have to go,” Alex replied. Continuing to hold his hand, she walked onto shore and shyly approached Andra.

“Wonderful!” Andra shouted and put her hat back on. “If you’d follow me, we’ll be there shortly.”

Andra started walking into the forest with some speed in her step. She could see the moon rising over the horizon and didn’t want to waste any more time.

The two builders, though cautious, followed her trail through the wide and open oak forest. Steve held onto his sword with the suspicion that something was awry, while Alex made sure not to release his hand.

Along the way, Alex spotted a building towering over the forest north of their trail. Its glowing dark oak roof that protruded upward was held together by several pillars along its round edges. She wasn’t sure what it was but she tightened her grip on Steve’s hand upon seeing it.

The moment they could see light in the distance, Andra turned back to them while continuing her pace.

“We’re almost there!” She shouted. “Everyone will be in their homes, so you two can stay in the empty home near mine. Hopefully, you’re carrying some beds with you?”

“Are there no beds in the village?” Steve asked.

“Our Shepard recently passed, so our sheep haven’t been taken care of,” Andra answered. Her nonchalant manner when talking about death seemed strange to him.

“I’m sorry to hear that. What happened to them?” Steve asked. Andra lowered her head and lost her smile as she looked at the ground with a frown.

“That’s a story for another day,” Andra replied solemnly, her voice almost whispering with the night wind.

They finally reached the village after passing through a wooden gate. They were greeted by a series of paths that led to a variety of different house shapes and sizes. All with a similar tone and style, with wooden roofs made of planks and stairs, walls made of planks and the occasional glass window, a base made of cobblestone, and pillars of logs that held them all together.

The paths were covered in torches and wooden lamp posts to keep the village free of monsters during the night. Like Andra had said, the place was devoid of life apart from the occasional white chicken walking around.

Andra led the two to a building with a cobblestone roof and double doors. It was near an empty animal enclosure that reeked of manure. Luckily for them, the building didn’t take in any of the smell.

Upon entering the building, they were greeted by an empty space with hardly any light and could barely hold them in. They couldn’t even raise their hand without punching the ceiling.

Unhappy with their accommodations, Alex turned to the villager who held a pure smile. She couldn’t bring it upon herself to complain.

“In the morning I’ll bring you two some food and introduce you to the other villagers before they begin work!” Andra said as she headed for the doors. “They’re all really good people that can’t wait to meet you! Good night for now.”

With a wave, Andra shut the door on the two and made her way to her home.

Steve and Alex were unsure of what to do. After placing their beds with a lot of space between each other, they took a seat and patiently waited for someone to ask the first question.

Tired of the silence, Steve laid on the bed and faced the wall. Closing his eyes to force himself asleep, he listened to the quiet burning ash from the torch above him. Alex played with her fingers as she watched him, her heart aching at the familiarity of the wooden walls.

The thought of the village librarian wouldn’t leave her mind. Having said goodbye to her father only a few nights ago, she wasn’t prepared for this.

The silence allowed her mind to wander and imagine all of the nasty glares she would get in the morning. The villagers where she grew up were never fond of her, so why should she believe these ones aren’t the same? She clasped her hands together and sighed.

Before she could lay on the bed, Steve suddenly spoke her name and caught her attention.

“You’ll be alright.” He continued.

Without a response, Alex put on her blanket and shut her eyes.

The morning came quickly, and with it was a knock on their door.

Alex slowly opened her eyes to Steve swiping his fingers in the air, and the bright sunlight beaming into their bedroom. As soon as he noticed Alex removing her blanket, he stopped and smiled at her.

The smell of manure entered their temporary home from the window behind Steve, and the cries of the sheep got louder. There was a larger quantity of them here than Alex’s home, but their bleating reminded her of her time on the island.

“Are you gonna get that?” Alex asked in a drowsy tone. She rubbed her eyes and sat up on her bed.

“She’s been at it for the past few minutes,” Steve replied and returned to scrolling.

“And you didn’t bother opening it?”

“I didn’t know if you’d be comfortable with that.” His response suddenly stopped her in her step. Although he had his inventory open, Steve turned to the Alex and continued with his deep soft voice. “After how you were last night…”

“Forget about that, will you?” Alex whispered and continued her way to the door. She put her hands on the handle and turned to Steve. “I’m fine, okay?”

Her heart raced as she began to twist the knob, anxious of the woman standing on the other side. Steve closed his inventory and watched her trembling from his bed.

Alex shut her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the reek of manure coming from beside their temporary home.

Garnering all of her courage, Alex twisted the knob and pulled the door forward, letting the sunlight blind her as soon as she stepped out.

As her vision slowly came back to her, she could hear the grunts of villagers all around her. Five, no, twelve villagers crowded around the house and celebrated her arrival. The moment Alex could see again, she stood petrified at the sight.

It wasn’t just the librarian that looked familiar. Every villager from their clothes to their size was identical to the ones she remembered. Similar to the bodies she saw that day. Surrounded by what she thought were ghosts, cheering at her with smiles and wide eyes.

Steve walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, standing beside her with his head tilted.

“Good morning, you two!” Andra shouted and approached them. “I hope you slept well.” Before either of them could respond, Andra pulled out a handful of baked potatoes and handed them over.

While Steve wondered where the librarian pulled the potatoes from, Alex hesitated to accept the gift.

“We’re sorry we couldn’t prepare any decorations for today,” Andra continued. “But feel free to have a look around! Anyone wearing an assortment of clothing is capable of helping you out, and I convinced them to offer a single trade free of charge!”

“What’s the usual currency?” Steve asked.

“Emeralds…” Alex answered, tossing her potato in her inventory. “Is that right?”

“Yes!” Andra shouted. “You’ll have to earn their trust to get a hold of their better trades, but for now, they offer good equipment.”

Steve turned to Alex to see if she understood what Andra was going on about, but she was too lost in thought to know what was going on. Everything the villager was telling him didn’t make much sense.

Before he could ask any questions, a bell suddenly went off in the distance that grabbed everyone’s attention, even Alex’s.

“That’s our call,” Andra said. “Everyone has to get to work now, so make yourself at home!” With a wave, the entire crowd of Villagers parted and walked away.

As soon as the crowd dissipated, Steve turned to Alex and pulled out a pair of sheers.

Without saying another word, he walked to the sheep pen while tossing the shears in the air. He started humming a little tune similar to Alex. She followed him into the pen and watched as he peacefully cut the overgrown wool off of the clueless sheep.

Alex used this time to think about what had been going on. Her sudden freezes in front of the villagers and inability to do anything around them felt strange to her, but she understood why. Andra’s uncanny resemblance to her father both in personality and appearance wasn’t something Alex could brush off.

But she had a feeling she couldn’t continue to act this way.

Looking back at Steve’s soft smile, she remembered the promise she made to him.

“Hey, Steve,” Alex called as she pulled herself off of the fence gate. Steve suddenly stopped in motion and turned to her.

“Yeah?”

“Do you mind if I go talk to Andra for a bit?” Steve threw his sheers in his inventory.

“Not at all. Do you want me to tag along? Just in case you freeze up again.”

Alex turned to the villagers walking around the village, carefree and with smiles across their faces. She couldn’t help but relate them to the villagers she knew. Her stomach twisted every time she laid eyes on them.

“No,” She answered. “I think I’ll be fine on my own.”

Steve worryingly watched her walk away with her head down.

Alex approached Andra’s front door with furrowed brows. Her heart raced as she looked at the familiar home with the familiar sign. An oak-brown door between two logged pillars was all that separated her from the villager. An angsty feeling arose within her that filled her with nerves.

She walked up to the door and knocked.

Several seconds passed of deep breaths and fiddling her thumbs. When Andra came to the door, she opened it with glee.

“Hey! You came!” Andra shouted and separated her arms.

Alex tried to smile through her nerves but her shaking breath made it difficult.

“Please, come in!” Andra continued. “Excuse the mess, if you will.” With a nod, Alex followed behind.

Andra’s home wasn’t the same as Alex’s. Other than the two-floor structure and material of the building, it was entirely different from what she expected. There were piles of books scattered about the floor that barely left room for them to walk around, burned-out torches on the walls, and a light scent of lavender in the air. Walking around, Alex got a vibe of Andra’s scattered personality.

“I know I said to make yourselves at home, but I wasn’t expecting you to come here so soon!” Andra chuckled as she made her way to the stairs.

“Am I bothering you?” Alex asked stopping beside the staircase.

“No, no! Absolutely not! I was actually just about to head on out! If you could wait there for me, that would be great!” Andra disappeared behind a wall. “My room is quite the hazard! I’d rather not have you hurt yourself–!” Alex suddenly heard a thud followed by a groan. She couldn’t help but chuckle at Andra’s clumsiness.

“Is everything okay?!”

“I am fine–! Oh! I never did get your name!” Andra peeked her head over the corner of the wall and looked down at Alex with a smile. “How rude of me not to ask sooner! Things were just so chaotic I didn’t find the time.” As she rushed down the stairs, Alex glanced at the wall.

Andra noticed Alex’s uncomfortable frown furrowed her brows.

“Anyway,” Andra quickly changed the conversation. “Is there a reason you came here so soon?”

“On the way here, I saw something that I haven’t seen before.” Andra walked by Alex and went toward her books. “I was wondering if you knew anything about it?”

“Something you haven’t seen before, huh? That’s strange for your kind. What did it look like?”

“It was a tall building that had a dark roof around it. I couldn’t see the rest in the dark.”

“No offense, but that isn’t a lot of information to go off of.” Andra began to search through her piles of books for something in particular. Alex watched as she dug through them on her knees.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.”

“There are a few tall buildings with dark roofs around here, but I have a feeling I know which one you’re talking about.” Andra pulled herself out of a pile of books with one that had a red ribbon around it. “Are you much of a reader?”

“My dad tried getting me into it, but I never liked it.”

Andra began shaking her head and clicking her tongue.

“Books are the gateway to–”

“–another time. I know, I know.” Andra smiled at Alex. “My dad always said the same thing.”

“That’s because it’s true!” She handed Alex the book without releasing it. “This book will tell you everything you need to know. Normally I’d charge an emerald for it but think of it as a welcoming gift.” Finally releasing it, Andra stepped back and nodded.

“Is it in the ancient language?”

“Originally, yeah, but I’m an expert at translating it. If you have any trouble reading it, don’t be afraid to ask.” Alex put the book into her inventory and walked along with Andra to the front door. She shuffled around the floor trying her best not to step on any of the books. “If what you saw is what I think it is, I advise you not to approach it alone! At dusk or dawn, it is very dangerous.” Andra opened the door for Alex. “I wish I could tell you about it myself, but I am very busy at the moment. The Shepard’s passing set us back a lot on our tasks and catching up has been–!”

“You don’t have to explain it to me, Andra,” Alex said as she stepped outside. “I understand what it’s like.”

“Oh, right. Your father was a librarian.” Andra smiled and Alex nodded.

“I’ll see you later today, then.”

“Please stop by at noon. I’ll be able to answer your questions on my break. Bye!” As soon as Alex waved back, Andra shut the door and ran across her room. Alex heard the shuffling from behind the door and laughed.

On her way back, Alex came across a group of tiny villagers running around the village. Their massive heads bobbed around on their tiny bodies and their tiny feet scampered one foot after the other. Where they were going, Alex had no idea, but she smiled at the memories she had of running alongside them. Back at a time when nothing mattered. Memories she couldn’t let go of.

She also walked by several other villagers doing their jobs, standing around waiting for someone to trade with. They all offered discounted prices, but nothing they had interested her. Alex wanted to go home and read the book before she met up with Andra.

Once the old Shepard’s home came into view, Alex caught sight of Steve struggling to reach the door while holding a pile of wool in his hands. She ran to give him a hand.

“Oh, back already?” Steve asked once he saw her hand peek past the wool blocking his vision. “How’d it go? You didn’t run from her, did you?”

Alex opened the door and let him walk ahead of her.

“No, she was too busy to answer my question. She gave me a book instead.”

“Is it in the language we can’t read?”

“I haven’t checked yet, but she said we should know it.” Alex sat on her bed and pulled the book out of her inventory. After inspecting the leather cover, she looked back at Steve.

“That’s good.” Steve kicked the chest open and shoved all of the wool in.

“She gave me a warning about it too, so I’m thinking maybe it has something to do with my village.

“What was the warning?” Steve turned to her, sweat rolling down his forehead.

“If it’s what she thinks it is, I should stay far away from it.”

“Whatever it is, I think we can handle it.” Steve sat beside Alex on her bed and looked at the book on her lap. With an opening of his palm, Alex handed it to him.

“Librarians usually know what they are talking about, so I’m going to take her advice.” Steve opened the book as Alex spoke. “We aren’t as well prepared as we are now.”

“You think so?” Steve closed the book and handed it back to Alex. “Okay, then what’s the plan? Should we go back underground to find more diamonds?”

Alex shook her head. “Not today. I’m going to read this for now and talk with Andra about it later.” Shrugging off her response, Steve pulled himself back and stared at the ceiling. “Do you have any plans?”

“I mean, I finished shearing the sheep and kind of have nothing else to do.”

“I’m sure there’s something for you to do while you wait.”

“Could I just… stay here while you read?”

The two looked at each other for a moment before Steve pulled himself away with a light blush around his cheeks.

Alex unknowingly sighed as she stood up. With the book in hand, she walked up to the crafting bench and rested her palms over it. Steve watched from the bed as his heart thumped through his chest. Something about what he said had his anxiety run through the roof, almost like he was afraid. But it wasn’t the same feeling as when he first saw the Enderman or spiders in the cave. It was almost… pleasant.

Using the crafting bench as an excuse to walk away, Alex’s face suddenly turned a bright red as she pressed her lips under the beams of light.

“If that’s what you want to do… then I can’t stop you,” Alex replied, her voice a little higher than before. Out of joy, Steve straightened his back and smiled.

“But,” she continued. “I also don’t want you doing nothing while I’m with Andra. Have you tried trading with the villagers?”

“No…”

“Good! Then get to that.” Steve slowly dropped his smile. “It’ll be a better use of your time. Maybe you could get some good stuff from them.”

“Fine.” With his head facing the floor, Steve slowly walked out of the house. Alex watched him from the corners of her eyes, and as soon as he left the room, she let out a sigh of relief.

Turning back around and somberly smiling at the ground, Alex felt a strange pleasure.

She looked at the book and was instantly reminded of what she had to do.

Alex spent the next few hours reading up on the book that Andra gave her. To her surprise, it was written in a language she could understand, and captivating from the first sentence. The book detailed several stories of adventurers who encountered Villager-like beings with pale gray skin and sharp bushy eyebrows. Creatures that were never seen without weapons and always traveled in packs.

Several of the tales detailed sightings of tall outposts in the middle of nowhere that were surrounded by these creatures that the author had called Illagers.

Alex thought back to a time when she remembered hearing something similar. Her father would fear the annual appearance of a certain group of individuals that she had never seen. Whoever they were or whatever they were capable of doing, Alex got the feeling that this could’ve been connected.

The way the author described the Illagers strongly resembled the banner that Steve carried on him at all times.

As soon as the noon bell rang, Alex darted out of the room with the book in her hand and ran for Andra’s home.

All of the villagers were leaving their workplaces and heading to the center well to communicate and share their wealth. She even ran past Steve as he held a handful of emeralds next to a weaponsmith. He tried to catch her attention, but she paid him no mind.

Alex caught Andra as she was leaving her home, surprising her with her overwhelming curiosity and drive. Andra raised her unibrow as Alex pulled the book out of her inventory.

“Andra!” Alex shouted, opening the book and turning to a page with an illustration. “This is them!”

Alex turned the book around and hovered the book in front of the librarian. Confused about what was going on, Andra furrowed her brows and raised her glasses. Steve walked up to them as Alex was shouting.

“The people that attacked my home! This has to be them!”