The Village

Plains Biome, OverWorld

Dawn

It's been quite some time since the strange encounter with that Witch, Nora. By now, everyone had arrived at a small village. It was resting near a freshwater river. On the horizon, the sun was still rising. It was somewhat dark right now because the sun hasn't fully risen into the sky yet. It wouldn't be long before it did though.

Steve, Alex, and Annabeth were all happy to see the village. Was it safe? It seemed abandoned. Was anyone home? Everyone was curious to find out if this was a safe place. No one wanted to travel anymore. They've been doing that all night. Eating, resting, and calming down after last night were things that were on everyone's minds right now.

Suddenly, a door to a small hut had opened. A small child came running outside, followed by their parents thereafter. The Village was alive after all. As the minutes passed, more Villagers began exiting their huts; ready to begin their day.

The farmers went to begin tending to their crops and livestock, the cartographers went to their map-making hut to continue improving their already vast inventory of maps, and the librarians went to the Library to begin reading and writing new stories. This Village woke up very quickly.

The cows moo'd, the chickens clucked, and the sheep baaad. In the stables, grey and white sheep were seen as well as their baby sheep too.

The farmers were growing many crops. Some would go to feeding the animals, while the remaining goods would go to feeding the Village. Corn, potatoes, carrots, beetroot, and wheat could be seen growing on the farmers' small fields.

As everyone entered the Village, Luna was told to stay put. Sam and Victoria had thought that would be a good idea. Didn't want to scare the playful children now did they? An older Villager suddenly noticed the strangers. She was dressed differently than all of the others. She had a wooden cane to help her walk.

"Hello there," the elder Villager said, "what brings you folks to our Village?"

Steve, Alex, and Annabeth all stopped walking. Sam and Victoria were standing in front of them. They approached the Elder Villager with bright, warm smiles. The last thing anyone wanted was for the Village to think they were hostile. But that event was rare to occur. Villagers all over the OverWorld were known to be friendly and very welcoming.

"Hello. My name is Victoria. This is my friend Samson. But people just call him Sam," Victoria said as she walked up to the Elder Villager, "my friends and I are seeking refuge. Our Kingdom was attacked early last night, leaving us nowhere to go. Can you help us?"

The Elder Villager squinted her eyes. She was a little skeptical as to why there were so many blockheads present. How big was this Kingdom they came from? Who attacked them? Was their Kingdom entirely destroyed? She had so many questions.

She studied everyone for a good minute or two before answering Victoria's question. It's like she had a feeling or a strange tingling in her stomach about these mysterious strangers. By the looks of it though, they didn't seem very hostile. Noticing that some of them were weak, tired and hungry, made her assume that they meant no harm.

"Absolutely," she said, "my name is Eve. It's very nice to meet you Victoria….and you too Samson."

Sam scoffed and then smiled.

"Please," he said, "just call me Sam."

"Your people look hungry," Eve mentioned as she looked over her right shoulder and back at the other blockheads. "They should eat and rest. How far away is your Kingdom from here?"

As they continued to walk down the gravel pathway, their feet crunched. That was normal for walking on gravel. Small huts made of oak planks, aged mossy cobblestone, and oaktree trunks lined the pathway on both sides of it.

In the center of the Village was a tall fountain. Mounted on the cobblestone surrounding the fountain was a shiny golden bell. There was a sign right below it mounted to the cobblestone. It read: The Pillager Warning Bell. Only ring in an emergency!

Sam noticed the small sign. He had read what it said. After he finished reading it, he wondered who these so-called Pillagers were. Why were their names almost identical to Villagers? His curiosity suddenly peaked. Why did they need a bell to warn of Pillagers? Sam scratched his head.

Steve, Alex, and Annabeth all followed right behind Sam and Victoria. They were quiet. As they walked past the fountain, Steve also noticed the sign and golden bell. As he read the text, he realized what the bell's purpose was. He nudged Alex. She looked at him.

"Look," Steve said, "Pillagers are everywhere apparently."

"Huh," Alex responded, "guess our island wasn't the only place to house them. You're right. They are everywhere."

"At least they're prepared," Annabeth said, "and they know about the Pillagers."

Franklin remained behind to help the others. After how he acted last night, he felt terrible about not stopping to rest. To make up for it, he wanted to help the weak blockheads get food, water and rest. It's the least he could've done.

As Steve, Alex, Annabeth, Victoria and Sam all followed Eve, she began pointing out things around the Village. The livestock stables, the enchanting hut, the cartographer's hut, and much more.

"Who are your friends? What are their names?" Eve questioned as she stopped walking and turned around to face Sam and Victoria.

Victoria and Sam stepped aside so that Eve could see them. As she laid eyes on them, she instantly recognized who these blockheads were. They weren't just any ordinary blockheads. These three were special and Eve knew it.

"Wait a second," Eve said as she squinted her eyes. She then pointed her cane at them. "I know who you three are."

"You do?" Sam questioned. How did Eve know who they were when she hadn't met them before today? Did she know something no one else did? Eve glanced over at Victoria and Sam. She shook her head and faintly smiled. She pointed her cane at them.

"They're the saviors," Eve said, "the chosen ones. They're the ones who will free us all from Nora's evil wrath!"

Sam and Victoria were stunned. Who exactly were Steve, Alex, and Annabeth anyways? How did Eve know them? Was there some sort of prophecy at play? If so, how? It couldn't be real. Steve, Alex and Annabeth were just normal beings, not heroes. Quite the opposite honestly.

"We're supposed to save the OverWorld?" Annabeth questioned as she scratched her head, "and how are we supposed to do that? We're definitely not the hero-type. Are you sure you haven't mistaken us for someone else?"

Eve nodded her head. "I'm very certain," she said as she turned around. Her back was facing them again. "Follow me."

Steve and Alex both glared into each other's eyes. Where was Eve taking them? Couldn't be that far after all. This village wasn't very big after all. It was very small.

As they came upon a tall cobblestone building, Eve stopped walking. She turned around to face everyone. From outside, looking through the windows, Steve could see bookshelves.

Interesting, he thought mentally, must be a Library.

Why was Eve bringing them to the Library anyways? Did she have proof of her claim about Steve, Alex, Annabeth's prophecy?

"Come inside with me," Eve said as she walked up a single flight of stairs. She opened the oakwood door and then proceeded on to walk into the Library. Everyone else followed right behind her.

Once they all made it inside, they were all immediately greeted by the friendly and welcoming Librarians. To everyone's left, Eve was standing in front of a bookshelf. She was staring at it. Eve was trying very hard to locate an important book. Where was it?

"Darn it," Eve said, "where is it? Where's the book?"

"Feel free to browse around," one Librarian said, "maybe you all dive into a story or two? What types of stories? Spooky? Adventurous? Action? Which one?"

Steve wasn't entirely interested in reading books. There were other things on his mind. As he walked over to Eve, she grabbed a blue-covered book off of the shelf. Without waiting a second longer she decided to open it.

Eve was quickly flipping through the pages of the book, scanning the words on the page. She was desperately trying to find the part where it explains the prophecy.

"Aha!" Eve said, "I found it."

"What does it say?" Steve asked as he quickly glanced down at the book, trying to see what was written on the pages within the book. The book read:

In the time of crisis, three blockheads shall stand up to the task at hand. They're our only hope at keeping the OverWorld safe. They may not see that they're the chosen ones, but in time they'll find out just how dangerous this mysterious World is.

When they do realize that, it'll only be a matter of time before they go down in history as heroes. Steve, Alex, and Annabeth are their names. Train them. Teach them. Educate them. Do whatever it takes to prepare them for the dangers yet to come. They're the OverWorld's only hope.

Steve was starstruck as to realizing he, Alex, and Annabeth were the chosen ones. How could someone know their names? By the looks of it, this book was written many, many years ago. The book's cover was worn and faded.

"Do you know what this means Steve?" Eve asked as she closed the book. She then set it back onto the shelf where it was originally. After that, she glanced back over at Steve. By the looks on her face, she was somehow excited. But for what?

"What?" Steve responded.

"It means you guys are going to be the ones who'll free us from Nora's wrath," Eve said, "after she's been defeated, our lives can and will finally go back to normal. No more paying her, no more rules. But most of all, freedom."