IMPORTANT MESSAGES:

ONE:I've divided this story—and now also its predecessor—into acts. I'll try to release chapters regularly, except when an act ends; there will be an undetermined amount of time between acts. (Also, as much as I hate to admit it, school always comes first.)

TWO:Building on the first message, this prologue is kind of meant to be a teaser. It'll take a while (probably a LONG while) before I publish the first actual chapter.

Gone Rogue episode II: Second Shadow

Prologue

The Nether, approx. 2150-2200 years ago

Hera walked down the dimly lit bedrock hallway. She felt a sting in her gut as a tall man appeared in the darkness ahead, his back turned to her, his arms hanging at his sides.

The man stood completely still, his gaze aimed at the large black gate in front of him. His back was straight, but his composure wasn't what Hera was used to seeing. She realized that her father might want to be left alone—to think over what had been happening the past few centuries…and, of course, how it ended. But she didn't want him to suffer on his own.

She sighed, then went to stand next to him. The man barely acknowledged her.

"… We did what we had to," Hera finally said.

Her father sighed. "I know that," he said in his usual inhuman voice. "But that is not enough to banish my sorrow."

"Same here," Hera admitted.

"It was my fault. I brought rise to his malevolence."

"Not on purpose."

"That is not relevant. The consequences have been catastrophic."

"You had a reason for your role in his turn."

"A reason that turned out to be nonexistent."

"Dad…" Hera trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"The Overworld fears me because they know so little about me," her father went on. "All they know for certain is my name. I feared Áhýdan, even though I knew him as if he were my brother."

"Those two situations can't really be compared," Hera said. "You want to protect the worlds because you feel responsible for them. And you couldn't risk having Áhýdan cause them harm. Humans, on the other hand, are scared of us because they don't fully understand what we are."

"Perhaps they are right to be afraid."

"Perhaps." She glanced at him. "But they don't know that we have good intentions—just like how you didn't know that Áhýdan had good intentions when you first tried to imprison him."

"This is not the same. As arrogant as this may sound, the chances for a human to harm or imprison me are quite small. If the Rule did not stand in my way, I could take the Overworld if I so wished."

"Do I need to remind you what happened to the last guy who underestimated humanity?"

Her father chuckled to that. "No, Hera, you do not."

That made Hera feel a bit more relaxed, and she inaudibly sighed in relief. A silence fell.

Her father looked at her. His white glowing eyes looked a little less troubled than they did a minute ago. "You may be more fit than me to wield the power I hold."

Hera snorted. "Are you kidding? I'd go insane with that power."

"I believe that it would affect you less than it has affected me."

She looked back at him, frowning. "What does that even mean? I don't see how your power 'affected' you…"

"You will." The man looked at the door again, his sorrowful gaze returning. "In time."

"Dad…?" Hera uncertainly asked. "What're you talking about?"

Herobrine didn't respond.

If only she knew at that time what I was planning.