Chapter 0: Prologue

The night sky was black and clouded. Rainwater flooded the roads, and lightning came crashing down. A person ran down this jagged road, periodically looking over his shoulder. He wore a red hoodie, black tanktop, and black cargo pants. Water splashed with every step from his boots.

"Just a little further..." He panted to himself. The boy had been running for almost three miles. He paused for a moment to breath. Beside him was the guard rail for the road. He leaned over it and gazed out. The mountainous landscape thrived with forest life. During any normal day, the view would cheer him up. Today, it only mocked him with its false hope. As thunder roared, the boy answered in kind. He let out a loud, powerful scream.

"My family is fucked up, my lovelife is fucked up, I'm fucked up—EVERYTHING IS FUCKED UP!" He looked over the rail again. It was a good three story fall from this road to the next. Not nearly enough to kill him. But the possibility that it could excited him. "This world's nothing but shit! I'm done; finished!" He let's out a sigh in defeat.

"I just want out..." Suddenly, he heard a car from the same direction he came from.

(Did they already find the letter?) Whether that was the case or not, he wasn't going to take chances. The boy jumped from the rail, landing into a roll on the next road. His body was more than strong enough to absorb the shock. He heard a honk from an SUV. Most likely, it was his friends; they must be on to him. He vaulted over the next rail, disappearing into the thick trees. He trekked through mud and water for what felt like minutes. Lights eventually came on.

"Shit!" He turned around. This place is big enough to go in circles if you're not careful. He found the landmark he was looking for. A series of rocks, leading to a rigid cliff. The boy leapt down from rock to rock and slid downhill. Peering over was the perfect spot to jump. A good hundred-foot drop to flat rock, surrounded by water. The untameable waves crash against the cliffside. He took a step forward.

"Da-ah! Stop right there!" A boy in a blue hoodie showed up. One of his friends... He took a deep breath before turning around and showing his face. He feigns a casual smile.

"Fancy meetin' you here. You come to see the view, too?"

"Don't pull this crap with me, I read the note!" He dropped that playful expression of his. The remaining lights were already catching up.

"I was hoping I had more time than this..."

"He's over here!" The one in blue called. Three others quickly arrived. A guy in a mudded brown hoodie, a girl in a pink one, and another boy in a green coat and goggles.

"—Manuel, don't do this!"

"—We can go back, pretend this never happened..." The ones in both brown and green tried to talk to him out. He took one look at the girl in pink.

"Oh, hey! You brought her, too. Fantastic..."

"Man—"

"—Just. Save it." He cuts her off. "You know, usually the woman just speaks up if they don't want to be together anymore."

"I..." She couldn't finish her sentence. The one in brown defended her.

"C'mon, man, what ever happened, she probably didn't mean it..."

"Oh, so it wasn't her fault I found her in the same bed as this guy when I came back earlier this Summer?" He pointed to the one in blue. They both stared at the ground. The one in pink was sobbing. He used this opportunity to take a step back.

"Uh-huh. Thought so... And if I was SUCH A BURDEN, then maybe I shouldn't have met any of you..."

"Manuel, we're sorry! Just let us help you!"

"Help me? Help me get back the life I once had! At least then, I had nothing to lose!" They all went quiet. He took another step. "You know what? Forget I ever said that part... It wasn't all that bad. You gave me a lot to be happy for. I just...didn't expect it all to fall apart..."

"Please, just let us help you...!" The blue one pleaded. Even he was in tears. This time, the boy in red had a more sincere expression.

"Funny. I remember you saying the same thing the day we became friends..." The others quickly tried to grab him, but it was too late. He fell back, embracing the cold air.

"—No!"

"—Shit!" He smiled. This had been planned for about a month now. If he somehow survived this fall, his unconscious body would be lost in the water. He would never wake again. As the rock grew closer, he embraced his death with open arms. Everything went black. It came swiftly. His life had finally come to an end...

?'s P.O.V.

Everything was black. All I could feel was the cold waters around me. How long have I been adrift? Days, hours? I can't remember... The gentle waters carried me to shore. Something landed on my stomach, forcing me to dart awake. I was on a beach. A cool breeze welcomes me.

"...Where am I?" I turn around to find the strangest thing: There were trees...made of blocks... I must have drank the seawater. When I try to get up, I notice the weight on my lap. There was a bag. I rummaged through and found a note. I read it aloud.

Dear Mg3z,

Thank you for your five years of service in making this a better experience for everyone worldwide. We always pay attention to your chat, and your feedback has been taken into consideration. We know a lot more than you think... As a result, we have been developing this new launcher. You will be the first one to experience a new open-world experience. Consider this a second chance at life. You may have some "slight" memory loss, but that should come back in due time. In the meanwhile, this bag contains a book explaining everything you will need to survive. We suggest you read it before nightfall comes. Take care, bud!

Sincerely, Mojang

P.S. Welcome to the Hereafter Project...

Slight memory loss? More like total memory loss. I don't remember a damn thing! I had to get a better perspective of where I am. It said something about "a new world?" I threw the bag over my shoulder and climbed an oak tree to get a better vantage point. I stood tall and found everything was made of blocks—the trees, the animals, even the land itself—they're all blocks! Blocks as far as the eye can see!

"What the hell...?!" I decided to do what the letter said. It was the only thing I had to go by, so I might as well follow it. I took out a handbook and read it.

"Step 1.) Punch a tree to gather wood logs..." ...Seriously? What, were they retarded when they wrote this? I climbed down and decide to give it a shot. I threw a punch at the base of the tree. It shook side to side. It didn't even hurt my hand. I try again. The tree swayed a little more. I kept going. With every punch the tree rocked more vigorously, until—

*Snap!* The entire tree toppled over. The wooden logs fell to the floor, now close to the size of my palm. I scooped them up. For some reason, the leaves were still suspended in the air. I chose to ignore this and keep reading.

"Step 2.) Make a crafting table. You do this by crushing a log in your hand. It will turn into 4 planks. Crush those together to create a crafting table." I did as instructed, closing my hand on a single log. It become 4 oak planks. Doing the same as before created a crafting table.

"Step 3.) Place the crafting table down. Use it to craft wood tools (Refer to pg. 5)." I placed the crafting table down. It expanded to proper size. I then skipped to the proper page. It listed a series of crafting recipes. Items are arranged in a 3x3 grid to create a new item. I made more oak planks. I placed 2 in a vertical pattern. They gave me four sticks. Using more planks, I crafted a wooden pickaxe, axe, and sword. I don't know why I would need the sword, but I liked the idea of having protection. They were all 8-bit and pixeled, like this is just some kind of game...

"Step 4.) Uh-oh, night time is approaching! ...Wait, what?" I look to the sky. The sun was already going down. It had to be sometime past seven. I read on.

"...Quickly, before the mobs arrive—build a house to protect yourself! Use what you learned to build: walls 2 blocks high, a roof, a bed, a furnace, torches, and a door. Good luck!" That's it for the tutorial. I'm not sure what a mob is, but I should heed the advice. Another look at the position of the sun told me I had at least thirty minutes. Better get started...

\Later...\

The sun was already disappearing over the blocky mountains. I looked over my work with a sense of pride. In the short time I was here, I managed to complete the instructions given to me. I was done for today. The 1st layer of walls were cobblestone that I found. The 2nd layer, as well as the roof, were oak planks. I also learned to make glass blocks for windows. I opened the door and shut it behind me. Earlier I gathered wool from killing Sheep. There was no mess at all. And with the amount I collected, I crafted a bed and some red carpet for the floor. A single torch lit the table of my tiny house. I would need to expand on this later; but for now, it has what I need. I lay on the bed and sigh exhaustion. The sun had finally set...

(What do I do now...?) I thought to myself. (I don't remember a thing. Who am I? Why am I here?) Then I remembered the letter again. It was addressed to a "Mg3z," but it was in the bag I had; so until I can disprove anything, my name will be MG. It also said this was a "second chance," but why would I need one?

(...Maybe I did something wrong...) My heart felt heavy with grief. Those words must have been the case. Finally, the note was given to me by someone named "Mojang." But WHO is Mojang? Since they were the ones that gave me the stuff, I can say they're someone I can trust. Maybe there's more to this? I decided to read the handbook again. I wanted to know what are mobs. After flipping through at least 30 pages, I found what I was looking for.

Mobs

There are three kinds: Passive, Hostile, and Neutral. Passive mobs include: Pig, Sheep, and other peaceful animals. But Hostile mobs, are the dangerous ones. Be sure to look out for: Zombies, Skeletons, Spiders, Creepers, and Endermen.

—Zombies & Skeletons are both undead. Skeletons wield a bow, while Zombies normally hold nothing. Zombies lack intelligence, but can break down a door to find their next meal, and pick up armor & tools. Skeletons are smart, and tend to be excellent marksmen. They are both weak to sunlight. Watch out for any kind of groaning, bashing, crackling of bones, or the rotten smell of a withered corpse.

—Spiders are bigger than whatever ones you're probably used to. At least 2x2 blocks in width. There are normal ones and the there are Caves Spiders—both climb flat surfaces. They are also peaceful in the daytime, yet dangerous during the night. Cave Spiders are a smaller and can squeeze through narrow spaces. They are also poisonous, so watch out! Listen for any hissing or crawling sounds.

—Creepers blow up, plain and simple. Their footsteps are hard to hear; you might not know if one is in the area. If you hear any hissing, it might already be too late. There is no known weaknesses, but they are afraid of Cats for some odd reason.

—Endermen are tall, slender, black figures. They are one of the toughest mobs and are capable of teleportation. Whatever you do, never look them in the eyes. They take this as a challenge. Water is their one weakness.

There were more mobs listed, but I stopped reading.

(Undead creatures, big Spiders—what hell kind of world is this...?) This doesn't sound right. Even if mobs were blocky, I don't think I want to run into any of these things. I set the handbook down and try to get some rest. For what felt like forever, I was tossing and turning in my bed. I grew paranoid. My stomach is growling as well... Maybe I should—

*Bang* I jump a little. My pupils shrink.

*Bang, bang* It happens again. I was ready to look out the window when I found something terrifying: I found 7 pale-green creatures roaming about outside. One stared back at me. It opened its mouth and moans. The others followed.

*Bang, bang, bang* They all pile up around the door.

"H-Oh, God, please, no...!" I huddled in the corner of my bed, then I quickly remembered.

"My sword!" I looked at the other crafting bench I made. I thought I left it there, but it must be resting on the one outside! The sound of banging kept disrupting my concentration. Both the pickaxe and sword were outside, as well as my bag. The window behind me was smashed by a Zombie. It grabs me by the neck and tries to pull me through. I start screaming for my life as I struggle. I need something to defend myself!

"The axe!" It was resting against the furnace. I used my leg to reach for it. The door was cracking. It's not going to hold! The Zombie managed to stick its head in. It bites down on my shoulder, but I was wearing a thick hoodie. It hurt, but I wasn't going to be infected. I cried out as I stretched my leg enough to pull the axe to me. The Zombie tried to bite my neck, but I headbutted it. It gave up, but not before yanking my hoodie off. The door gave way. The Zombies came piling in.

I let out a battle cry and swung my axe. I decapitated it, but the body fell on me. I pushed it back and knocked a Zombie to the ground. I punched one, and cut the arm off another. Everything was happening so fast, I-I don't have time to think about it! Before I knew it, a Zombie grabbed the handle of my axe. The others were surrounding me, so I let him have it. I pushed one aside, and escaped through the door. I didn't have the time to get the bag. I just climbed up a nearby tree. The other Zombies follow behind, but they couldn't climb. They kept groaning and rocking the base of the tree. Then the one with my axe came. It can chop this tree down if it wanted! I can die right here! I started sobbing into my lap.

"Please...! Someone get me outta here...! I don't want to die!" I pleaded for my life, even when I knew no one could hear me. Suddenly, the groaning grew quiet. I think they were giving up... When I peaked over, the Zombies were going somewhere. I felt something land behind me. I jumped again, this time growing quiet. It was my bag. But how did it get up here? I looked inside. There was another note.

Dear Mg3z,

You may not remember who I am, but I could never forget you. Four long years ago, you destroyed my physical body. But now, I have grown stronger as a spirit. I have ordered my mobs to let you go for now, but I will not spare your life again. This is not an act of kindness, but an official writ of challenge. As you are now, killing you won't be satisfying. You've grown soft... Only when you are strong enough, will I face you in battle, force you to watch me take away everything you love, and then kill you... Heed my warning, Mg3z: The last thing you will ever see will be my cold, lifeless eyes. The life you took for me...

Signed, HB

Oh, and one more thing: Happy 18th birthday...

"HB..." My entire body shuddered at those initials. "I don't know remember killing him! I don't remember any of this! Why is all this happening to me?!" The tears just kept coming.

"I have no memory, I don't know where I am, I nearly died, someone has a death threat against me, I'm cold, and hungry, and tired, and-and...!" A drop of blood landed on my lap. My nose is bleeding. I'm so hungry it hurts... That was when I noticed a weak flicker of light coming from behind me. There was a ceramic plate with a single slice of cake. The bread itself was pink, and the frosting white. There was a single strawberry, and candles that read 18.

(Happy 18th birthday...) My eyes were still watery, but now wet from joy. I remember now...today, I am eighteen years old... I now had the faintest of smiles.

"...If this is your idea of gift, then...thank you..." I noticed another light coming from behind me. The sun was rising again. I managed to survive my first day in this world... I stood tall, now with new confidence.

"HB, I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!" I shouted into the sky, hoping that wherever he is, he can still hear me. When I am strong enough, when I have all my memories, I will finish this person, just like I should have a long time ago! I climb back down. "Today's a new day..."

Hey guys, another new tale has begun, with our crybaby protagonist ready to put the bottle down! There are a lot of Minecraft fanfics out there, so right now, allow me to tell you why my story will be different.

Through the eyes of this world's residents, I wish to show you another view on life. What happens when fantasy and reality meet. When they clash, life can appear cruel and unforgiving... But, when they blend together, you realize its true beauty... Think of it like a social experiment. Weird block physics, variances in mobs, new items, weapons, & armor—these are concepts I will be adding as I go.

That's all I have for now. See you all next time! ^_^