Author's Note: Hey, it's Isau! Quick question—if Peru wins the World Cup, what would you guys do? Total seriousness here.
No but really, leave a comment! I want to read what you think; it gets depressing when nobody even checks out the chapter x,d.
Anyway, moving on:
We reached the center, and Peridot's voice echoed as we pushed through a dark zone. Well, dark only around the edges, because right in the center sat something that took your breath away: roughly a million gems fused together, forming a perfect circle. The energy pouring off it was overwhelming, like the whole ship was trembling under its power.
"Oh my God," Garnet blurted out, completely unable to help herself. Without a second thought, she split apart into Ruby and Sapphire, as if the sheer scale of the monstrosity was too much for her. The sight was too overwhelming even for her.
Lapis couldn't handle it and passed out on the spot. Amethyst reacted fast and caught her, but it was obvious she was on the verge of collapsing too. Pearl held me tight, gritting her teeth and trying to keep her composure in front of something that clearly went beyond any past training or experience.
Peridot, on the other hand, seemed a bit more prepared. She wasn't as tied to Earth's rules as the rest of us, though she couldn't deny it: a cold shiver of fear ran straight down her spine at the sight of all those gems packed together and the energy radiating off them. "Okay," she muttered, trying to sound confident as she walked up to the fusion.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a massive flash burst from the gems.
"HOLY SHIT!" Peridot screamed as the gigantic light engulfed us all, blinding and heavy in the air. You could feel every single pulse of that energy making the ship vibrate, and even though we were the ones feeling it, every gem's heart seemed to race at the exact same time.
And then, as fast as it had appeared, the light snapped back into the Cluster, leaving a heavy silence in its wake. All of us were breathing heavily, our hearts pounding a mile a minute—or in my case, my gem throbbing like it was trying to burst out of my chest.
"Wait," Pearl said, gesturing to stop me while I stared with wide eyes from behind the blindfold. What I saw couldn't be described any other way: it looked like hundreds, maybe thousands of damn souls floating inside those gems. Tormented souls, dragged straight out of heaven and hell, bound together in a dark pact like they were locked into a contract with the devil himself. And the craziest part was that compared to this, anything else I'd ever seen before felt... mild.
My breathing picked up. The sensation of those souls, of that concentrated power, and of my gem vibrating so violently kept reminding me how small I was next to something so ancient and powerful. Pearl squeezed me tight, making sure I didn't lose my balance, and even though fear was gripping all of us, there was this strange sense of clarity: we knew we were witnessing something very few gems had ever seen in their entire existence.
"Mind if I try something?" I said with a faint laugh, the only thing showing on my face as I tried to stay cool against all the energy swirling around us.
"Huh?" Peridot said, completely thrown off, blinking as she tried to process what she'd just heard.
"Is your defective human body messing with your head?" she added without thinking, as if speaking with zero filter could somehow save her from the situation.
Every eye in the room instantly locked onto her.
"Eek!" Peridot squeaked, scrambling backward to hide behind her chair like she'd accidentally cast a death curse on herself.
"My body is fine," I said, though I couldn't deny I felt something off. "Or at least part of it is... my gem is telling me something. Don't you guys feel anything?"
"No..." Sapphire replied in a quiet, steady voice, standing up with her usual elegance and holding her hands neatly in front of her. Right next to her, Ruby was still passed out cold, completely unable to handle the tension of the moment.
"I see souls," I said, my voice firmer this time as I tried to make them understand how big of a deal this was. "Do you even know what souls are?"
Dead silence fell over the ship, heavy and suffocating. Everyone froze, as if the slightest movement would break a fragile balance between life and something far more ancient and dangerous.
I slowly shook my head, trying to pull myself together. "Just... just let me try, okay?" My voice cracked a little, but I couldn't let fear take the wheel.
"Alright," Sapphire said at last, speaking for everyone. Her firm, calm tone relieved the thick tension just a bit. "Do what you need to do."
I let out a sigh, trying to center myself while my gem vibrated harder than ever. I could feel potential futures unfolding right in front of me—paths where everything went horribly wrong, worlds where the planet tore us apart without mercy. Yet one path stood out from the rest: the one we were living right now, the one keeping us together and still intact.
"...That really doesn't help," I said, throwing a jab straight at Sapphire, though I couldn't hide the slight tremor in my voice. "Damn it, could you be a little clearer or what?"
She just looked at me with her usual calm, not looking offended in the slightest, and gave a faint nod—as if to say she understood the pressure and that there wasn't much she could do to ease it.
Pearl held me a bit tighter to make sure I didn't lose my footing while the blanket kept covering my eyes. My pink form expanded slightly, pulsing with the energy around us, and I felt every single soul inside those gems respond to my presence. They weren't just lights; they were awareness, memories, and pain packed together, and they were about to acknowledge me somehow.
My breathing grew faster, and I felt the tension of the room wrap around me. But somehow, having Pearl by my side and knowing Sapphire and Garnet were watching closely gave me a thread of control. I had to focus; something way bigger than just us depended on what I did next.
I watched in horror as I was suddenly swallowed up. There was no warning, no transition: total emptiness wrapped around me, and my physical body dropped like a sack of potatoes while my pink form expanded, fully transforming into what you could call "Buff Steven"—my strongest, most complete form.
"Whoa," Amethyst said from the ship, watching the intensity of my transformation with a mix of awe and amusement in her voice.
"Lots of muscle," Sapphire added with an elegant little chuckle, looking over my new look with her usual composure. The Ruby beside her remained stiff as a board, totally overwhelmed by everything happening.
Pearl did the most Pearl thing possible: she rested her head on my lap and stroked my hair, trying to give me comfort and a sense of connection while I plummeted into the unknown.
"What's with the blanket?" Peridot asked, unable to ignore the little teddy-bear blanket covering my eyes.
"It helps him focus better," Pearl answered without skipping a beat, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Right..." Peridot said, confused, as everything around her faded out of my view.
Inside my mind, the void was absolute. No floor, no walls, no light to guide me. Just my pink form, expanding and vibrating with an energy that belonged to me and to someone much older, much deeper. And then the screaming started.
At first they were soft, broken whispers drifting in the dark: "Help...!", "Diamond... are you a Diamond?", "Help us!", "My Diamond... we don't like being like this!", "Bitch...!", voices tangling together, overlapping, hitting me from every direction all at once.
My gem pounded inside me. Every scream, every plea, every trace of fear and despair from those souls made my pink form shake. I didn't just feel like I was falling; I felt like I was stepping inside every fragment of pain, every trapped memory in those fused gems. The feeling was intoxicating and terrifying all at once: I could feel every tear shed, every silent scream that had been stuck hanging between life and death.
"Help...! Please, someone...!" a sharp shriek pierced through, ripped straight out of the core of despair. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from; the void itself was packed with voices demanding my attention. I felt my heart—or my gem—beating so hard it felt like it was going to shatter into a thousand pieces.
"Diamond... are you a Diamond? Help us!" another voice echoed, this time with a desperate plea, like they knew only I could do something. Every word carried centuries of fear and obedience, a mix of hope and terror cutting right through me.
"We don't like being like this... help...!" another voice squeaked, almost begging. My pink form lit up with every scream, reacting without me even trying. My gem vibrated in a way that made me feel every shard of pain attached to those voices, and with every beat, I felt like a piece of me was reaching out to them, wanting to ease the suffering trapped inside them for centuries.
"Bitch...!" another voice barked, sudden and packed with bottled-up rage, cutting through the other wails. It was a cry that felt human and monstrous all at once, heavy with resentment, fear, and hopelessness. The void filled with these voices, all shouting, all wanting something from me that I couldn't put into words.
I closed my eyes, even though they were covered by the blanket, and let my pink form soak in every vibration, every scream, every spark of life trapped in that space. Every soul seemed to connect with me, as if my senses were the only thing capable of giving them shape or recognizing them.
"Help! My Diamond! Please... don't leave us like this!" another voice begged, this one so clear it made me shiver. I could feel the desperation mixed with hope; these souls weren't just lost, they were waiting for me to step in, to answer, to do something no one else could.
My gem pounded faster by the second. The voices started blending into a chaotic choir—some pleading, some screaming, some even mocking or throwing insults—but all existing at the same time in a terrifying, fascinating mess. The rush of power and responsibility mixed with the deepest fear I'd ever felt.
"Help! Please, someone...!", "Diamond... don't leave us!", "Bitch...!" The screaming never stopped, and I felt completely consumed by it. Every word was a heartbeat, every plea a tug, and my pink form reacted without me needing to think: it vibrated, glowed, and expanded, trying to encompass and hold it all.
I was falling into the void, but I wasn't alone. Every screaming soul recognized me, and somehow, I was starting to recognize them back. Their fears, their grudges, their pleas—it all melted into a stream of energy that felt almost tangible. The feeling of falling slowly faded, replaced by a steady float, held up by the energy surrounding me that somehow answered to my own gem.
I could feel their emotions, mixed up in a chaotic mess only a gem could truly understand: fear, regret, rage, despair, but also hope. Hope that someone would finally listen to them, see them, and recognize them. And despite the terror, I knew I had to do it. I had to take it all in and respond somehow.
It was an abyss of voices, screams, and pleas—a whirlwind of trapped souls intertwining with every pulse of my gem. And as I floated in that endless void, my pink form glowed bright and powerful, ready to face the chaos and bring even a tiny bit of order or relief to that place.
In an instant, I landed somewhere else. I was floating in pure darkness, surrounded by dancing lights that shone like fragments of memories caught between eternity and oblivion. Every flash seemed to hold a story, a sigh, a wail that cut straight through me, making me feel more alive yet smaller than ever.
A gem shard drifted in front of me, floating with a presence I couldn't ignore.
"Bitch..." the shard said, its voice coming from everywhere at once.
I froze, staring right at it. My mind tried to process it while pink tears streamed down my face, glowing under the light of the infinite void. I wiped them away with an almost silent murmur, but I didn't stop looking at every gem around me, every fragment trapped in that space.
"My Diamond!" a unified voice boomed, so clear it made me shudder, filling the void with its power and despair.
"Hi!" I answered quickly, trying to project confidence even though my heart was beating a mile a minute.
"Don't... talk. Let me talk," I said, raising my voice mentally over the murmurs swirling around me. I waited a few seconds to see if any gem had doubts, but no one spoke back. Just an expectant, heavy silence.
"Thank God," I muttered, letting out a small sigh as my eyes scanned the area. Every gem was right there, trapped like pieces of history and pain, and I could feel all of it. Their emotions, fears, and frustration surged into my gem—a wave almost too heavy to handle.
"I know what this is," I began, my voice steady but loaded with emotion. "I know what they did to you, I know how badly they hurt you... but I need your help. I have to be as direct as possible because I don't know how long you've been suffering like this. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, my Diamond," a single unified voice answered, clear as day, sounding like it came from the entire space at once.
"Alright," I said, trying to stay calm. "I have an idea, and I hope you'll help me carry it out. The plan is for each of you to give it your all to seal yourselves in a bubble. It's either that... or suffer for eternity. What do you think?"
A moment of silence followed, so thick I could feel it in my gem. Then, slowly, the answer came: "Yes, my Diamond," they whispered. The murmurs began to swell in my mind like tidal waves—floods of wails and pleas I couldn't block out. They were the same wails that made me shiver, the same ones I honestly didn't know how Steven Prime had ever endured.
My pink form expanded slightly, pulsing with every trapped sigh and groan, while the lights from the gems seemed to react to my presence. I could feel every fragment getting ready, the energy inside every soul searching for stability—a way to hold in its own pain and fear.
"Come on... you can do it," I whispered firmly, trying to instill confidence. "It's not easy, I know... but if you do this, you won't be trapped forever. You have to focus on your own energy, your inner light... on what makes you you."
There was a moment of hesitation, a slight collective tremble, but then I felt them start to obey. One by one, the gems began forming barriers of light around themselves—bubbles that glowed faintly at first before growing stronger and clearer, like shields holding back centuries of pain and suffering.
My gem beat so hard I could feel it resonating with their every move, like each bubble was its own heartbeat, each light a pulse synced with mine. The feeling was intense and terrifying, but also incredibly empowering. I could feel the pain easing up, the desperation starting to settle down, and for the first time in centuries, these souls could catch their breath.
"That's it... that's perfect," I whispered under my breath, watching the Cluster's energy respond to my command. Every bubble, every contained light seemed to tell me they trusted me, that they'd chosen to hand themselves over to my guidance.
The void didn't feel so dark anymore. The chaotic mess turned into an unstable but manageable balance—a place where the light of every gem coexisted with mine, humming together and forming a pattern I could feel with every beat of my heart... or rather, my gem.
Then I felt the whole place shift. The void wasn't just darkness anymore; it turned bright and dark at the same time, as if both could exist without fighting each other. The lights that used to tremble were now floating calmly, and the whispers stopped being desperate screams, turning into something different—something I'd never heard inside there before.
"Thank you, my Diamond," echoed from every corner, not as a shout, but as a collective sigh.
"Forgive us, my Diamond," other voices said, heavy with guilt, obedience, and centuries of forced mistakes.
"Let's support each other," some whispered gently, bringing a lump to my throat.
"Our Diamond supports us," they repeated over and over like a chant, like they'd finally found something solid to hold onto.
Every word felt different from the earlier wails. They didn't hurt the same way. They were still heavy, sure, but there was relief—there was rest. My pink form vibrated less violently, and for the first time since falling into that place, I could breathe without feeling like I was drowning in someone else's emotions.
I watched in fascination as the gem shard right in front of me—the same one that had called me a bitch without hesitating—gradually stabilized its light until a bubble started forming around it. It wasn't rough; it was careful, almost timid, like it was afraid of breaking again.
When the bubble fully sealed, I felt something strange inside me. Not happiness, exactly, but a small sense of calm—a tiny quiet corner in the middle of the chaos. A part of me felt... more at ease. I guess that was the right word for it.
Maybe this is what truly helping someone felt like.
Maybe this is what it felt like to carry something that wasn't just pain.
But I didn't have time to think about it any further.
Out of nowhere, I felt a violent yank, like someone had yanked me backward without warning. The void warped, the lights stretched out, and my pink form started breaking apart as everything spun around me.
"Crap," I blurted out, unable to stop myself as I was ripped out of that place with zero gentleness, dragged straight back onto the ship.
And just like that, the silence broke again.
I took a deep breath, feeling Pearl holding me tight, as if she was terrified I'd disappear again. The ship's cold metal vibrated under my hands.
"Give me a second," I muttered, pressing both palms against the cabin floor, trying to focus and process everything still ringing in my head.
"What are you doing?" Amethyst asked, frowning at me, not sure whether to laugh or worry.
"What did you do?" Garnet said, back together as a fusion after Ruby woke up. Her voice was loaded with something that wasn't fear, but pure amazement.
Garnet stood frozen, staring ahead in complete awe. Her Future Vision was firing nonstop as she watched small bubbles pop up around the Cluster. One. Two. Eight. A hundred. A thousand. Every single one counted, every possibility confirmed, and for the first time, even she had her mouth slightly open.
The others watched in silence too, unable to look away. The Cluster, that impossible monstrosity, was being bubbled bit by bit, as if it were finally finding order in the middle of chaos.
And then, with a massive flash of light that illuminated the entire cabin, a giant bubble formed around the entire Cluster.
...
...
A heavy silence washed over the ship.
Peridot's hand was still trembling over the drill, right on the button to destroy the thing if something went wrong. Nobody said a word. Nobody moved.
Every eye turned to me.
I still had the blanket over my eyes, but my head was hanging down toward the floor, as if exhaustion had slammed into me all at once.
"Are you okay?" Pearl asked gently, starting to rub my shoulders to help me relax.
I stayed silent. Slowly, I felt the presences fade from my mind. The tormented souls were leaving, one by one, as if they'd finally finished whatever they were doing in there. Thousands of years of suffering... and now, finally, rest.
I slowly shook my head. My breathing evened out. My eyes went back to normal, though my pink form stayed present, humming with a strange sense of calm.
"It's nothing," I finally said, pushing myself up carefully. "I just felt like I was broken... it was something, I don't know."
I stumbled a bit, and Pearl was right there to catch me.
Lapis, who was wide awake and staring in utter disbelief, looked at me, then at the bubbled Cluster, and said the first thing that popped into her head.
"Whoa, Steven... you're crazy."
"Heh," I replied with a tired chuckle, spitting on my hand and wiping it on my forehead just in case, as if that was going to help anything.
"Was it a success?" Peridot asked, finally pulling her hand off the self-destruct button, her fingers still shaking.
"A complete success," Pearl answered with a soft smile, looking at me as I leaned back into one of the ship's seats.
Six hours later, the ship finally landed on solid ground. The landscape around the barn looked almost normal, except for the massive crater next to it that looked like it had been scooped out of the planet with a cosmic spoon. Still, nobody paid much attention to it; after all, they'd been through way worse that day.
"Solid ground!" Amethyst cheered, throwing herself down to kiss the dirt like she'd just returned from an intergalactic war.
Lapis watched her with a furrowed brow, clearly confused, while using her water power to cover the huge crater nearby as best as she could. "Why are you kissing the dirt?" she asked, not quite getting the habit.
Amethyst slowly sat up, wiping the dust off her face with a careless grin. "Garnet said there was a real chance we were gonna die," she replied, as if that explained everything.
Silence fell instantly.
Lapis stared at her with wide eyes, processing the news, but Amethyst wasn't done yet.
"Or that the ship would blow up," she added casually, "because Steven was going through something weird."
That was the breaking point.
Lapis's body visibly tensed up. A small shudder ran through her as she turned her head to look at Steven. He was floating above the barn, holding himself in the air with obvious effort, focusing with his arms slightly spread out as if trying to keep an invisible balance. His pink form was still visible, though less intense, like a flame refusing to go out.
"Is he going to be okay?" Lapis asked quietly, a mix of worry and guilt in her voice.
Before anyone else could answer, Garnet appeared beside her almost silently, placing a firm, reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He's going to be fine," she said with total confidence—the kind that leaves no room for doubt.
Lapis kept her eyes fixed on Steven. "He looks... exhausted. Not like before."
"He is," Garnet admitted. "What he did was no small thing. It wasn't something just anyone could endure."
Amethyst crossed her arms, looking more serious than usual. "Having thousands of gems screaming inside your head isn't exactly a walk in the park."
Garnet nodded slowly. "But he's not alone."
Over by the barn, Pearl was watching Steven's every move with complete focus, ready to step in at the first sign of trouble. Her hands were tense, but her stance was firm, like her sheer presence served as an anchor.
"Pearl is with him," Garnet continued. "She's always been like that. Always watching out, always taking care of him even when he pretends he doesn't need it."
Lapis lowered her head slightly, letting out a heavy sigh. "I've never seen anyone carry so much... and stay standing."
"Not many can," Garnet replied. "Steven does it because he believes he has to. And because, deep down, he still believes he can save everyone."
A gentle breeze swept through the area, rustling the grass around the barn as Steven lowered himself a bit more, still focused, still holding on.
"So... we just have to trust him," Lapis murmured.
"Exactly," Garnet said with a subtle smile. "Trust him. And be ready in case he needs help."
After several hours of near-total silence, only Steven and Pearl stayed awake. The barn was wrapped in a strange quiet—the kind that isn't uncomfortable, but doesn't really let you rest either. Pearl moved first, floating up to the roof of the barn where Steven hovered a short distance off the ground, motionless, staring up at the sky like he was searching for answers among the stars.
"Steven."
At the sound of his name, he slowly opened his eyes. The pink glow was still there, reflecting shards of the Diamonds that were now part of who he was. Seeing her, his expression softened.
"Pearl," he said calmly, floating over until they were face to face.
She hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, as if afraid to break something fragile.
"Are you... are you okay?"
Steven looked at her closely. He was taller now, his presence felt different—heavier, yet more vulnerable. His shoulders slumped just a bit.
"Not really, to be completely honest."
Pearl held his gaze, and that was when she saw it clearly. Pink tears were streaming down Steven's face, and he wasn't making any effort to hide them. There was no shame in them, just sheer exhaustion.
Steven turned his eyes back to the sky, as if the words came easier without looking right at her.
"You know... I've never felt this much pain before. I used to be able to handle it—my gem helped, it cushioned a lot of things. But now... now that I have this power, I feel every single emotion like I'm completely exposed to it."
He looked down at his hands, which were trembling slightly.
"With this power, everything is way more intense. The sadness, the guilt, even affection. It feels like I cry over anything, and even though I can stop myself... I can't stop feeling it. It doesn't go away. I can only control it a little."
He turned his face back to Pearl and saw her watching him not with surprise, but with deep understanding.
"You knew, didn't you?"
Pearl nodded slowly.
"Yes. Many times."
She took a breath before continuing, as if every memory weighed years.
"Your mother used to do the exact same thing. She'd lock herself away in her room or somewhere no one could see her. She'd cry for the fallen gems, for the ones she couldn't save, for decisions that haunted her centuries later. I saw her... and I always tried to help her."
She lowered her eyes slightly.
"But she was stubborn. She thought carrying everything was her responsibility."
Without saying another word, Pearl pulled Steven into a firm, protective hug. It took Steven only a second to hug her back.
"I just don't want you following in her footsteps."
A soft light began to wrap around them. It wasn't sudden or harsh; it was warm and comforting. Their silhouettes blended together effortlessly, as if this moment had been waiting for them all along.
Rainbow Quartz appeared, suspended in the air, feeling all the shared pain in a single heartbeat. It wasn't pure sadness, but deep mutual understanding. Every memory, every piece of guilt, and every fear blended together, but so did the comfort. There weren't two separate wills anymore—just one serene presence accepting what it felt without running away from it.
The pink shade remained for a few seconds before softening—not because the pain had completely vanished, but because it wasn't alone anymore. Now there was someone to share it with.
Rainbow Quartz closed her eyes and, without any rush, began to rise.
"We don't have to carry everything alone."
She flew through the skies with slow, peaceful movements, letting the wind brush against her figure as her emotions gradually settled. There was no rush, no fear. Just rest.
And as the infinite sky stretched out ahead, the weight that had been pressing down for so long finally began to loosen its grip.
End of Chapter 61.