The sun slowly crept over the horizon, casting long, golden rays across the blocky landscape. The sky above Azad and Ellie shifted from dark purple to a soft orange, pixelated clouds drifting lazily in the distance. The square-cut trees around them stood tall, their cuboid leaves shaking slightly in the morning breeze. As the first rays of light touched the dew-soaked grass, it shimmered like tiny diamonds scattered across the ground, creating an almost magical scene.
Ellie's eyes scanned the surrounding forest as the sounds of morning stirred—the faint chirping of distant birds and the rustling of leaves as a breeze swept through the dense woods. Despite the calm, there was tension in the air. The trees stood tall and proud, their thick trunks of stacked, block-like bark, casting long shadows across the ground.
"We need to get out of the villagers' reach," Ellie said, her voice sharp, breaking the quiet.
Azad, breathless from the constant running and stress from the night, fell to his knees. His muscles ached, and his mind felt sluggish. "I'm tired of all this chaos. Can we rest, please? Just for a moment?" His voice had a pleading tone, hoping for some respite.
Ellie didn't bother turning to look at him. "Then stay here and wait for your pappa's to come and charm you. I'm going!" she said coldly, walking toward the river.
Azad grumbled, dragging himself to his feet. "Okay, fine." He glanced at the wide river, its surface reflecting the pixelated sky above. The river's calmness seemed to mock him. "But how are we supposed to leave? There's a big river in front of us. What now, genius?"
Ellie smirked, turning to face him with her usual confidence. "Simple. We have pickaxes and some armor from the guards. What we need is wood. We'll make a boat and sail down the river to the sea. It's our only way out."
Azad frowned, glancing around at the trees. "Wood? And how are we supposed to chop them down without an axe?"
Ellie rolled her eyes. "We don't need an axe, princess. Punch the trees as you've seen before. Hurry up—we don't have time for whining." She nodded toward the nearest tree, her impatience clear.
Azad sighed heavily, dragging himself to one of the towering blocky trees. The tree's bark was rough, made of squares stacked one on another. Hesitating momentarily, he balled up his fist and swung it toward the tree. It felt ridiculous at first—punching a tree—but as soon as his fist made contact, a chunk of wood broke off with a satisfying "thunk." The floating block hovered mid-air before dropping onto the ground with a small pop.
Azad blinked in disbelief, picking up the perfectly square block of wood. He felt its weight in his hands, surprisingly light yet solid. Each punch dislodged more wood, and within moments, he had gathered several blocks of wood, enough to make something useful. He piled them into his arms and trudged back to Ellie, who was keeping watch.
Without missing a beat, Ellie dropped to her knees and began arranging the wooden blocks in a familiar pattern. Her hands moved quickly as she crafted a small, square table—the iconic crafting table. The rough texture of the wood smoothed as the table appeared with a soft glow, perfectly square and ready for use.
Satisfied, Ellie stood and wiped her hands, inspecting her work. "That should do it," she muttered. Her eyes glinted with pride as she gestured for Azad to step back. Azad, still mystified by the process, watched silently as Ellie crafted a boat using the wood they had gathered.
Ellie stopped suddenly, pointing up toward the tree branches. "We need string. Spiders usually spin their webs between the branches. Go find some."
Azad frowned, wiping sweat from his brow. "String? Why do we need a string?"
Ellie shot him a sharp look, clearly annoyed. "Just do it, Azad. We don't have time for a lecture right now."
Azad raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Geez, no need to bite my head off." Walking toward the trees, he mumbled, "Why do women always get angry for no reason?" He glanced back at Ellie, who was muttering something to herself, clearly frustrated.
As he began searching the nearby trees, Azad found a few strands of string caught between the branches, tangled in messy webs. It wasn't an easy task as he had to carefully tug at the webs to free the string without getting it stuck. He wiped the sticky residue on his pants and grumbled again, wondering what Ellie had in mind.
When he finally gathered enough string, he returned to Ellie, holding it out. "Here. Your precious string."
Ellie ignored his sarcasm and immediately grabbed the string, kneeling by the crafting table she had set up earlier. Without a word, she broke down some of the wood they had into planks and then shaped the planks into sticks. Azad watched, still confused about what she was doing, but he knew better than to ask. Her quick, confident movements hinted that she knew exactly what she was doing.
With a few swift motions, Ellie combined the sticks and string on the crafting table. Moments later, a fishing rod materialized in her hands.
"See? Fishing rod," she said with a grin, holding it up triumphantly.
Azad stared at the simple tool. "That's what all the fuss was about?"
Ellie huffed, standing up and slinging the rod over her shoulder. "Yes, genius. We're low on food and unless you want to eat dirt, we need fish. We can't survive on nothing, you know."
Azad scratched the back of his head, sheepishly grinning. "Ah. Makes sense now."
Ellie gave him an exasperated look before marching toward the riverbank. "Next time, just trust me when I tell you to do something."
Azad trailed behind her, smirking to himself. "I'll try, but no promises."
Ellie placed the small, simple wooden boat at the river's edge, the boat bobbing lightly in the calm water. "Get in," she said, hopping into the boat with ease.
Azad followed, hesitating slightly as the boat wobbled beneath his feet. With a swift push from Ellie, the boat was launched into the river, and the current swiftly carried them forward. The water splashed gently against the sides of the boat, the sound almost calming after the chaos they'd just escaped.
The riverbanks moved past them, lined with blocky trees, tall grass, and wildflowers. The sound of the wind whistled through the square leaves of the forest, and the distant cries of animals could be heard echoing from the far-off hills. They passed by some lily pads floating lazily in the water and saw a herd of pixelated cows grazing in the distance.
"We're heading to the sea," Ellie said, her eyes fixed ahead. Her tone was calm, but there was an undercurrent of tension. "Far from this cursed village."
Azad let out a long sigh, feeling the gentle swaying of the boat. The sunlight was warming the world around them, and for the first time in what felt like days, he allowed himself to relax. "Finally… some peace."
Ellie glanced at him with a teasing grin. "Don't get too comfortable. This is just the beginning."
The river flowed on, and as they sailed, the world around them seemed both vast and strangely simple, unfolding block by block like a new chapter in their story.