Note: Hey everyone! Just wanted to ask, is the story going well? I have drafts ready, but I noticed the previous chapter struggled to even hit 40 views. Does something feel off? Do you not like my writing style? Do you think I should cancel the story? Please let me know in the comments, I really love reading your feedback!
Let's continue.
"Mnn?" I muttered as I opened my eyes, noticing the ship descending through a corridor surrounded by glowing, incandescent lava.
"Huh? That fast!" I said, rubbing my eyes and feeling the heat radiating even through the metallic walls of the ship.
"What's wrong?" Amethyst asked, settling in beside me, a hint of nervousness showing on her face.
"Nothing," I replied as I felt my gem pulse intermittently—a familiar signal that reminded me of Rose and everything I still had to figure out.
"Damn it," I muttered, more to myself than to her, my body tensing slightly.
"You good, dude?" Amethyst asked gently, leaning in a bit closer.
"I'm fine," I said, holding up my hands to reassure her. "Just... Rose stuff, you know. She didn't leave an instruction manual for this gem."
Amethyst nodded slowly, though there was still a trace of uncertainty in her eyes.
As the lava glowed like a liquid ocean beneath us, shadows began moving among the crystals embedded in the surrounding rock.
"Uh... you see that?" Amethyst asked, pointing a finger toward figures moving with unusual grace through the heat.
I took a closer look and noticed something strange: they were Gems, but different. Some looked fused, though clearly not by choice. They moved in sync, as if the intense heat of the lava had forced them to temporarily meld together. Their movements were slow and cautious, and while they looked curious, they showed no aggression.
"Are they forcibly fused?" I muttered, frowning as I analyzed their forms.
"Yeah... and they look... unstable," Amethyst replied, her brow furrowed as she watched them. "If they panic, there's no telling what they'll do."
As we spoke, one of the fusions tilted dangerously close to the ship, as if wanting to inspect it further. My heart rate spiked.
"Wait!" I yelled, pointing at it.
Lapis, who was controlling part of the systems from a nearby console, reacted instantly. With a swift movement of her arm, she hit a button on the remote control in her hand. A small mechanical cannon emitted a energy beam that knocked the fused Gem back, keeping it from making contact with the hull.
"Whoa! Close one..." Amethyst muttered, clearly impressed and a little rattled.
"Relax, they're far off and they don't want a fight. They're just... exploring," I said, trying to calm them both down. My gem pulsed wildly, responding to the perceived danger, even as I tried to stay composed.
Lapis let out a sigh, her eyes glued to the display as she managed the remote mechanisms keeping the Gem fusions away from the ship. "These fusions are... complicated. I've never seen anything like this. If we don't keep them in check, they could hurt themselves—or us. But for now... they're calm."
Amethyst crossed her arms, though her curiosity was clearly getting the better of her. "Hey, Steven... does that mean... they could be dangerous later?"
"Not necessarily," I replied, watching the fusions move with a strange balance between the lava and the crystals. "They were forced into fusion; they don't actually want to attack us. We just need to keep them at a distance while we pass through."
Another fusion leaned in too close, but before it could touch the ship's outer casing, Lapis activated the remote again. The gentle beam separated them smoothly, guiding them back to a safer position.
"Lapis, you're amazing," I said with a smile, despite my pink form feeling tense. "Thanks to you, we haven't hit any real trouble."
"Just doing my job," Lapis replied, a spark of pride in her eyes as she adjusted a few settings on the remote control. "Though yeah, almost let one slip by."
The fusions seemed to understand, in their own way, that the ship was a boundary they shouldn't cross. The lava glowed around them, illuminating their forms as they stayed aligned among the crystals. The sense of tension eased slightly, though not completely—one wrong move could still trigger a disaster.
"This... is weird," I muttered, watching one of the fusions move with an almost ethereal grace, the light of the lava casting greenish and bluish reflections across its form. "I've never seen anything like this... and I don't want anyone getting hurt."
Amethyst nodded, keeping her guard up. "Yeah... definitely weird. But at least they're not attacking... yet."
"Exactly," I said, taking a deep breath to ground myself. "We just need to stay sharp and stick together. Lapis, handle the distance. I'll keep an eye on them. And you guys... just be ready in case things turn sideways."
Lapis nodded, her hands working rapidly across the interface, tweaking every parameter while the fusions continued on their path through the lava and crystals.
This is horrifying, I thought as Pearl covered her mouth, unable to watch. Garnet, meanwhile, seemed completely detached from her surroundings, and honestly, this had to be the worst thing she had ever seen in her entire life as a Gem.
"It's awful," I said under my breath as we pushed deeper into another layer of the Earth's crust. There were only thirty minutes left before reaching our destination. Even though I was descending without feeling any physical strain, my gem's presence made itself known with a strange tingling sensation—as if the environment itself were reacting to me.
I tried not to care, but I couldn't ignore how bizarre it was. In the original series, this was supposed to trigger depression, haunting visions, something that broke your mind. But here, nothing like that happened... until out of nowhere, total darkness consumed the entire space.
"Fuck," I swore as I felt a brutal, crushing pull, as if something were dragging me downward—just like that time I was pulled toward White Diamond.
I felt gravity shift around me, as if the floor had dissolved into a void and was swallowing me whole. My gem vibrated violently, a steady, hammering pulse screaming at me that something was wrong, that I shouldn't be here. I tried to move, to fight it, but it was useless; every effort only dragged me deeper into the unknown.
The air turned freezing, almost solid, and the echo of my own thoughts rattled inside my head as if someone else were listening to them. The darkness wasn't just an absence of light—it was a tangible presence, a heavy mass pressing down on my senses, making me feel tiny and exposed. Pearl was shouting in the distance, her voice distorted as if traveling from another dimension, while Garnet remained dead silent, as if waiting for something I couldn't see.
Suddenly, a strange sensation ran down my spine. It wasn't fear, not quite—it was something deeper, something that resonated with the very essence of my gem. For a brief second, the entire world went dead silent, and I caught the faint whisper of a murmur, as if the Earth itself were speaking. My mind tried to cling to memories, to the show, to anything familiar, but even those thoughts felt distant, as if I were floating outside my own body.
And then, I fell.
There was no end, no floor, no ceiling—only the sensation of being dragged toward the core of something colossal and ancient, something that seemed to know me better than I knew myself. Every vibration of my gem multiplied, and for a moment I thought it was going to shatter, that everything I was would dissolve into the dark. But even in that abyss, there was something else... a thread of curiosity, an impulse telling me that maybe this was only the beginning.
Out of nowhere, I snapped back into my body. I gasped for air as my pink form manifested clearly around me.
"What's happening?" Pearl asked, handing control of her console over to Garnet.
I looked her straight in the eyes. For a split second, only Pearl caught the strange glint in them—my pupils flashed into diamonds for a brief moment, making her eyes widen in shock. I shook my head quickly, and my eyes returned to normal.
"My gem..." I said, touching it as I sat down on the floor, feeling it vibrate.
"Every time we get closer, I feel something," I added, staring at my hands, unable to drop my pink form no matter how hard I tried.
"Strange..." I muttered, inspecting my hand before pushing myself up.
"Are you alright, Steven?" Pearl asked, her tone shifting to deep concern.
"Just... gem stuff," I replied, giving her a pointed look so she'd understand.
Pearl's gaze sharpened; she had no choice but to follow along, being the only one who knew enough about this for now.
"I'll stay with Steven, just in case!" Pearl called out so everyone knew her decision.
"Fine by me," Peridot said, adjusting her visor as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. Amethyst was posted in another section with Lapis, ready in case they ran into any hostiles, while Garnet simply gave us a calm, confident thumbs-up.
As we moved through a wider section of the ship, Pearl and I searched for a spot out of earshot. The quiet, metallic environment amplified the tension, every step echoing dull against the floor, mirroring the heavy rhythm of my thoughts.
"Are you truly alright, Steven?" Pearl asked, her voice heavy with anxiety, barely above a shaky whisper.
I looked at her, seeing both fear and confusion written across her face. Before I could answer, I felt that familiar tug again—like something was violently yanking me downward, deep and out of control.
"Hold on tight, Pearl... I'm going under again," I warned, bracing my focus as I tried not to let panic take over.
"Huh...?" Pearl stammered, her eyes wide with shock. A chill ran down her spine as my eyes turned into glowing diamonds, shining intensely as I collapsed right in front of her, completely motionless and vulnerable. Her breathing hitched, and for a second, time seemed to freeze.
"Uh...", she repeated, her voice trembling as she stared at my body, unable to process what she was seeing. Her hands gripped the edge of her console, unable to intervene, her fingers opening and closing in an unconscious display of fear and helplessness.
"Steven...", she whispered weakly, a knot of anxiety tightening in her throat. She couldn't tear her eyes away, as if blinking for even a second meant losing me forever.
I took a deep breath and snapped back to reality, feeling my consciousness flood back into my physical body. I looked directly at Pearl, noticing her expression soften just a bit as she tried to pull herself together, though her distress was still plain to see. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling unevenly.
"Fuck," I groaned, leaning against the wall as I tried to stabilize my breathing and calm the constant buzzing in my gem. I ran a hand through my hair, tugging slightly from the sheer stress. "Those things... they're alive."
Pearl approached cautiously, her eyes wide with alarm. She leaned in, gently rubbing my shoulders to ease the tension wracking my body. "Alive...?" she asked in disbelief, unable to wrap her head around what she had just witnessed.
I nodded, unable to tear my eyes off the floor. "Yeah... and they feel everything. Every movement we make, every thought... it's like they're reading us." My voice sounded deeper than usual, laced with tension and a subtle fear I didn't even realize I had.
Pearl furrowed her brow, taking slow breaths as she tried to organize her thoughts. "How... how do you know that?" she asked, her voice trembling in a near-whisper, her hands remaining on my shoulders as if trying to transfer calm through her touch.
"I feel it in my gem," I answered, touching it carefully. "It's unlike anything we've ever faced. It's not just power... it's consciousness. I feel like... like they're watching me, like they know what I'm thinking before I even think it."
Her eyes widened. "That's... that's too much, Steven." She stepped back slightly, without losing sight of me. "We need to stay calm. If you slip into that state again... you might not come back so easily."
"I know," I said, taking another deep breath, trying to settle myself down while my pink form seemed eager to fade, yet couldn't. "It's just... every time we get closer, I feel like... something wants to burst out, or get in... I don't know. It's like the place is breathing along with me."
Pearl nodded slowly, pressing her lips together. "Then... we have to stay sharp. I'll... I'll stay right by your side. Nobody else knows how to handle this, and nobody else should get involved." Her voice grew firm as she stood before me, resolute.
"Thanks, Pearl," I said, forcing a faint smile, though my eyes still reflected the strain. "It means a lot that you're here."
She leaned in slightly, making sure I caught the gravity of her words. "No matter what happens, Steven, I won't leave you alone. And if you have to go under again... I'll be right here, watching over you, ready to help."
I took a deep breath and nodded. I looked down at my hands, still feeling the vibration in my gem, then back at Pearl. The ship remained quiet around us, but that stillness no longer felt peaceful—it was the calm before the storm. Amethyst and Lapis were keeping watch in other sectors, Peridot was monitoring her interface with intense focus, and Garnet, as usual, gave a thumbs-up from afar, confident that we could handle whatever came our way.
I knew what lay ahead was dangerous, but as long as Pearl was beside me, I felt that maybe—just maybe—I could control what my gem was feeling and make it back without losing myself to the dark.
"I'll be right here... do you have a blindfold?" I asked, looking at Pearl and trying to keep my voice steady, though it shook slightly.
"Always," she answered instantly, pulling a long cloth from her gem and handing it to me with care.
"Is this the one you used to clean me up with when I was little?" I asked, letting out a soft chuckle that brought back distant memories.
Pearl blushed slightly, her reaction bringing a wider smile to my face.
"You remember that? Humans aren't supposed to remember things from when they were that young," she said, caught off guard.
"Of course I remember," I replied, my pink aura flaring brighter, mirroring the emotional intensity running through me.
"I remember good things... and bad things," I added, my eyes flashing into diamonds for a brief moment. I quickly shook my head; thanks to my training, I had control over this form—and thank goodness for that, because if I hadn't trained, I'm certain we wouldn't have made it this far.
I looked at Pearl, who seemed a bit embarrassed by my memories. Wanting to put her at ease, I shook my head and placed the cloth over my eyes.
"What are you doing?" Pearl asked, confused, her tone full of worry and curiosity.
"I don't want them seeing my eyes," I said, acting as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Guide me... just tell them I need to focus, that my gem is telling me something... something about Rose... make something up," I added with a touch of confidence and humor to keep her from worrying too much.
Pearl nodded, understanding me without needing further explanation. She leaned in closer and whispered, "Alright... I'm right here with you. Whatever your gem tells you, we'll face it together."
I took a deep breath, feeling the cloth cover my eyes as Pearl's warmth beside me brought a sense of calm. My pink form vibrated softly, as if my emotions and focus were merging, preparing me for whatever my gem was trying to communicate.
"Okay... let me do this," I said finally, trying to sound confident. Pearl smiled at me, and for a moment, amidst all the chaos and darkness of the ship, it felt like home.
Pearl quickly guided me toward the center of the ship. Every step echoed against the metal structure, and when I checked the time, I realized we only had five minutes left until arrival. The pressure felt overwhelming, every passing second ramping up the tension for everyone on board.
"Are you alright?" Peridot asked, watching me from the floor with my eyes covered, clearly concerned about my balance and overall state.
"Fine and dandy," I replied with a bit of attitude, even though I almost tripped flat on my face several times. I fought off the urge to collapse; I wanted to get as close to the Cluster as possible to try and talk to those Gems, to feel what my gem was trying to tell me.
Peridot flashed me a quick glance, still glued to her display, muttering something under her breath as she went back to work. Her expression was business as usual: sharp, rigid, but with a underlying edge of anxiety she couldn't hide.
Lapis looked at her with a mix of disbelief and amusement, raising an eyebrow as if to say, "Seriously... you actually bought that BS?" Amethyst's face mirrored the sentiment: arms crossed, eyes narrowed, wearing her signature blend of disdain and amusement whenever someone was laying it on thick.
Garnet, on the other hand, simply took off her visor, staring intently at me, though it was obvious she couldn't see much with the cloth covering my face. Her silence spoke volumes; even without words, her presence was enough to keep us all alert and centered.
Noticing the atmosphere, Pearl stepped up behind me, resting gently against my back as she closed her eyes. Her physical contact brought a wave of calm and stability, as if her weight and trust served as an anchor amidst the tension filling the ship. Her hands rested lightly on my shoulders—firm yet gentle—guiding me without a word.
Pearl... thank you, I said, if only in my mind. Her presence was all I needed to hold my focus and allow my gem to begin speaking, sending signals without the pressure from the rest of the team throwing me off balance.
The air around us remained heavy. The hum of the ship's systems, the faint creaking of metal beneath our feet, and the ticking clock blurred together with the anticipation of what lay ahead. Every glance, every gesture from my team reminded me that we were in this together. That even if my gem dragged me toward the unknown, I wasn't facing it alone.
"Let me handle this...", I whispered, trying to concentrate as Pearl gently adjusted the blindfold over my eyes. Her steady, quiet breathing helped me center myself. I knew whatever came next would be intense, that I would feel things I couldn't fully control, but having her by my side made it all feel just a little more manageable.
End of Chapter 60.