//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Return to the Nether 
// Story: Eye of the Storm 
// by Doodle Note 
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The Nether was just as menacing as Sunset remembered. The ground was red and almost resembled gravel and there were sparks of ember scattered all over the place. Lava oozed from the cracks of the walls and the ceiling, filling a pool of hot and glowing lava below the ground she was standing on. The environment was a deadly high temperature, so high it could even melt someone's skin as if it were wax.

Though she reminisced all of the memories she made with the Order of the Stone, the one in the Nether was what she could describe as literally hellish. Sunset remembered every single detail of the memory of her first experience in the Nether. She remembered being in a trail of minecarts that moved around like a roller coaster. She remembered her and Jesse being chased by ghasts and almost being burnt by the fireballs they spat from their mouths. She wanted to even forget how hot it was and how loud Coloratura screamed and clung on to Petra for protection. If there was another word for her experience in the Nether, it would be a nightmare. After all, she hated going here, even if it was against her own will.

"Why did Griff want me to go here?" Sunset mumbled to herself, cringing at her current environment. "This place is so...intimidating! I hate this place..."

Hearing a faint explosion from afar, the ember-haired girl turned her head to where it came from. Though she was curious, she decided it was best to avoid it.

"What's the point?" She wore a stoic expression. "I'm already here. Might as well start exploring..."

Soon enough, Sunset began to wander around the Nether, going through the tremendous heat and walking through dark corridors of Nether Bricks. As she walked through the realm that had a desert-like feeling, she trembled at every detail of the memory she had with the Nether. The crunching sound of the Netherrack sickened her and the faint sound of explosions from far away brought back a series of images she wanted to forget. Yet, she couldn't for each one of them was stuck in her mind like buried treasure.

After a long walk, she stopped at a wall of Netherrack and began to look around. "It's a dead end." She said until her teal eyes took a glimpse of a singular mine cart that stood on a railroad trail.

Sunset scanned the mine cart carefully before she shrugged and walked up to it, deciding that traveling through it would be faster. Once she got closer, she placed her hands on the silver cart's rim. Then, she began to push it until it was fast enough for her to hop into it and ride it. With the wind blowing through her red and yellow locks, Sunset sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, sinking into the mine cart. She was prepared for the worst to happen.





Sunset had forgotten how long she has been riding the mine cart through the Nether. She couldn't remember if she sat there for minutes or even hours. Nonetheless, she sat in the cart in silence, scanning the fiery environment around her. Once again, she grimaced at her surroundings and wrapped her arms around her knees. Then, her eyes looked down at the bottom of the cart. As she stared at the floor, her eyes became droopy and Sunset was now on the verge of falling asleep.

Soon enough, she was having another flashback dream about her time with the Order. In this one, she and Jesse were lying down on the grass after another dangerous mission filled with a series of risky tasks. Their faces were covered with spots of ash and cinder and their armor had plenty of scratches and dent marks. Sunset's hair was singed at the tips after getting almost burned by the flames from a burning building. Fortunately, the other members of the Order of the Stone saved them in time before the structure could collapse on them. Afterward, they decided to give the two some space.

At the time, both were gazing up at the stars, their faces showing exhaustion and their eyes droopy. Everything was silent until Jesse began to chuckle.

"Hey," Sunset slowly turned her head to the brunette at her right. "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking about your reaction when those goons set that building on fire to kill us," Jesse said as he laughed. Then, he began to mimic the fire-haired girl's voice. "Sweet Celestia, they set the building on fire! We're all gonna die!"

"Oh, shut up..." She retorted, turning her head away. "I was scared for all of us."

"I knew that." Jesse shrugged. "You know, when I made you guys leave that burning building without me, I was sure that I was a goner. But then, you came back to rescue me and you didn't stop until both of us came out alive."

"That orphanage was still on the verge of collapsing, though. Maybe, if I wasn't so reckless, none of us would get hurt by the rubble. But if it weren't for the others for helping us out of there, we never would have made it alive."

"Hey," He said, pushing himself into a sitting position to look down at Sunset. "What makes you think you're reckless?"

"I just am," Sunset replied. "Neither of us would be in this state if I didn't do anything stupid in there."

"Hey, don't say that about yourself, Sunset," Jesse wore a sympathetic expression. "You're not being fair to yourself. Not only that, but you don't give yourself enough credit. We love you, Sunset. You saved your home from eternal darkness from the Alliance and now you're a member of the Order of the Stone. You should be proud of yourself."

She could only blink in response before she turned her head back to the sky. "Sorry, Jesse. I just can't stop thinking about what just happened. Also, I don't want anyone else to get hurt. Not even you or the others."

Sitting up, he grinned at the fire-haired girl and said, "I don't blame you, Sunset. You're just trying to protect us, I know. That's what I like about you."

"That I only want what's best for the people around me?" Sunset asked as she sat up as well. She earned a nod from him and all she could do was grin back and say, "Thank you, Jesse. I'm so glad I met you."

Suddenly, the flashback was interrupted when the minecart came to a hasty halt. As a result, Sunset gasped awake and rubbed her eyes before she looked around at her surroundings. She wanted to make sure that there were no monsters around before she can step out of the minecart. After finding none, she sighed with relief and stood up so she can get out of the cart. Then, she continued walking down the blood-red path, searching for an exit portal out of the Nether. She didn't stop searching for it until she finally stood before an obsidian portal that shined with a purple light that came from the rift. Letting out another sigh of relief, she approached it and as soon as she got closer, she immediately walked in, hoping to never walk into the Nether again. After all, she hated being there with all her heart.