Two days before Riolin and his Red Dragon companion were celebrating their hard-won good fortune after their years of survival, in the outskirts of The End, another figure wandered, following a note he had been given by his superior. It read, "Go to the Depleted Mine. It is there where we can move forward. Record whatever you find there and report back to me tomorrow at the usual location." He harbored skepticism about this whole business, but his master seemed very invested in it, so he obeyed.

It took him about twenty minutes to find the location (it had been years since he was last there), but at last he arrived. He wished the note was more specific about what to do now, though, although he imagined his task was to scout it out f0or anything unusual. Recalling memories of all the passages he knew about, he set off into the mines. As you can imagine, most of his search was quite dull and lifeless, like the location. What exactly was supposed to be so interesting here? Surely his master didn't think that the group would meet here again? They hadn't done that in years, having moved on to far more comfortable quarters. Still, there were some good times here, especially before Riolin joined. Back then, the group may have still been unsuccessful, but at least all members of the Brotherhood were passionate about their goals! Now only he and his master were true to the ideologies they established; Proliso was wavering as well, and he didn't even bother with the subordinate members, who were never summoned for discussion.

Korenji (as I'm sure you knew this was him) took a moment for reflection. Why was Riolin supposedly so important to the grand scheme of things? The master insisted that he was to play an enormous role in his plans even after his expulsion. Then again, it was never his place to question him, so why do so now? He then ended his brief period of inactivity to continue his task. There was no sense in wasting time.

After about a quarter of an hour of unexciting scouting, Korenji wrote on the back of the note, "The Depleted Mine remains abandoned, with no signs of activity besides the bats that roost there. Still, I shall continue to report further findings, as the location was not yet fully explored." He wasn't impressed at all, but there was still much scouting left to do, so he could still be surprised. It was a big place, after all; who knew what remained hidden?

His search remained fruitless for another quarter of an hour, but it was around this time when he saw a figure leaving in the distance, emerging from a location he had not yet checked.

"Might this be what the master meant?" he thought, following the figure as stealthily as he could. Soon, he found himself back on the surface, still following the figure. He continued forward, into a somewhat forested area, where the figure began to hunt a creature known to scholars as a "cow". Such creatures were allegedly introduced by early Enders to the dimension, according to his master, but were not allowed within developed areas. No matter, though. He brought the note out again and wrote, "I spotted a figure, of whom I'm following. He emerged from the Depleted Mine and is now hunting. I'm continuing my observation." And indeed, he did. The figure was surprisingly interesting to watch, mostly because he had never seen hunting in action. Even when the Brotherhood was in hiding (which was rare, since only a few of them, including Riolin, were actually known by name), they always foraged or were supplied by lower members doing the hunting. But here he got a personal demonstration, which might prove useful if the Brotherhood's plans were to indeed continue.

The hunter used no tools, but instead relied on teleporting right next to his prey and using his natural Ender strength to subdue it before it could even react, let alone retaliate. With a quick jerk applied to the bovine's neck, the unpleasant crack of a spine was audible, and the beast was still. Smiling grimly, the figure began to drag the corpse backwards… towards his stalker.

The hunter's back was still turned, but Korenji suddenly realized that he hadn't chosen a good hiding spot. If he stayed, he would be spotted quickly as soon as the hunter passed him. If he ran, he would certainly break many twigs and produce a lot of noise that only a deaf Ender wouldn't hear. And if he teleported, the distinct noise would be just as bad. He decided on trying to distract him, so he fell back on one of the oldest tricks in the book: throw something out of sight. He scooped up a fallen branch and lobbed it far to the hunter's left. To his relief, the trick seemed to work, but this was only temporary, as the hunter immediately turned his body and tensed, but made no effort to pursue. Still, Korenji took what little time he had to sneak away to a better spot.

Eventually, the hunter managed to drag the cow back into the mine. While reporting a squatter in the artificial caverns was probably enough, Korenji wanted to be certain that he didn't miss anything important, so he followed once again. Due to the added weight of the corpse, the hunter was painfully slow, and he was getting impatient. Every so often, the hunter would pause to catch his breath, which was quite audible in the echoing environment. But that meant Korenji had to stay even quieter than he has on the surface. Thankfully, the mine led downwards rather than up. Korenji doubted that he would have the patience to watch him struggle against gravity, considering how slow he was already. But almost at that very minute, the hunter paused and looked directly back, as though he heard his pursuer. He did not see his shadow, but his pursuer instead saw him, and was able to recognize his face almost instantly.

"Riolin!" he thought. "What's he doing here?" What an interesting development, indeed! Riolin had not been heard of in years. Not since the day he was (to his joy) finally expelled due to his highly questionable loyalty to the cause. If his master was right about Riolin playing a large role in the events yet to come, he couldn't return until he saw what his former annoyance was up to. Naive fool, soon he would see that his half-hearted contribution to the cause would be a mistake. So as soon as Riolin continued his journey deeper in, he was right behind him, and all traces of boredom and impatience evaporated. He had a feeling something big was about to happen.

Is it even worth delaying the inevitable? I'm sure you know what happens next. Not long after Korenji pursued the still painfully slow Riolin further in, he eventually stopped at the mouth of a moderate chamber. Korenji peeked inside, and he was awestruck by what lay inside. There were five red, scaly, winged beasts inside, of whom Riolin merely bowed to and gestured toward the corpse, which was quickly torn apart by ravenous jaws. Korenji could barely contain his excitement, but he quickly retreated from the cavern entrance to a secluded corner, and immediately wrote, "Riolin was the figure! He brought a cow to feed four red, scaled, and winged creatures never seen in this world! They look quite formidable; it is unlikely Riolin managed to tame them by force. They did not speak to each other, so Korenji guessed that he managed to tame them. One was much larger than the others, so it was likely a parent. Where was the other, then? But no matter. This was definitely worth reporting to the master! He wasn't finished scouting, but there was no way anything in there would be as important as this.

Korenji swiftly withdrew from the Depleted Mine and teleported back home. Why did he have to report this tomorrow? Was whatever his master was doing important enough to delay this news? But hopefully they could use this information to their advantage. He just had to wait until morning.

The Next Day

Korenji woke up with less sleep under his belt than he would have liked, but he was too excited to try to catch some more. Immediately he prepared to go out; he cleaned himself and his trusty Brotherhood cloak, checked over his notes one last time, pausing to add minor details, and then teleported again. Oh, the joy of teleportation! The pride of the Ender race! What would they do without it? But within a flash, he arrived at the entrance to the Brotherhood's secret hideout. He composed himself to get rid of excitement and adopt a purely business mentality. He needed to be calm to explain his observations most efficiently.

Walking inside, he saw a few grunts playing a game of chance with playing cards. He narrowed his eyes as he walked past. Did no one in this group have commitment? They were the ones to blame for this organization's shortcomings! But it didn't take long to arrive at the door to his master's chambers, so he cleared his mind, took a deep breath, and knocked. Within a quarter of a minute, a voice asked, "Identification?"

"Korenji, your loyal servant. I have completed my task, and what I've seen is incredible. I feel uncomfortable sharing such information with the disloyal ranks of our movement, and I wish to share directly with you."

"And what about Proliso?"

"If you believe that he should listen, I do not question your judgement, my lord."

"I'd rather he not. I'm considering severing ties with him. He reminds me too much of Riolin: uncommitted and unremarkable. It's a shame to see his loyalty decay. He used to be so passionate. Perhaps my removal of Riolin upset him. Juvenile."

"On the subject of Riolin, my lord, my observations involve him."

There was a multi-second pause on the other end. "Indeed? This warrants immediate discussion, Korenji. You may enter." The unlocking of the door was audible, and it opened just wide enough to give him access. He entered, and the door shut swiftly behind him, locking automatically. "Now," his master began, "what have you seen?"

"I wrote down my observations, sir. I have them here." He passed on his notes, which were read quickly. The master's face remained impassive, and Korenji was worried that perhaps he should have searched the mines more.

"Very good job indeed, my friend." Korenji was surprised by the term. His master only used "friend" to those who have done him a great service. What did he have planned with this information? "You have brought me exactly what I need for the Brotherhood to have. The creatures you observed are not native to this world. They are ancient and intelligent beasts that originate from The Overworld, called Red Dragons. They are apex predators and highly useful allies to those brave enough to prove themselves worthy. Riolin must have travelled outside our dimension to find them. We must take advantage of this."

Korenji had many questions, but he simply asked, "How do you know all of this?"

"Ah, my friend, you are among those who have abandoned your heritage. We are not actually native to this world. We weren't even the race we are now. We were a race known as "humans" that split off and left our homeland (The Overworld) after supporting the losing side in a civil war. We fled from our Emperor at the time, lest we have been executed, and went into hiding. Eventually, we built great underground Strongholds for safety, and developed a means to create Portals to new dimensions. We stumbled upon this one, and colonized it, bringing plants and animals as well. Over countless generations we evolved to be like how we are now. This is why the Brotherhood exists, Korenji. Our blood holds defiance to royalty. We deserve better than monarchy."

Korenji was stunned. This was a lot to take in, and he had even more questions, but again, he asked a single one. "And what of the Red Dragons?"

"They were a once populous race, but they were often killed for bounties or just glory. Their numbers were still fairly good though when our ancestors abandoned the world. I have no idea how they are now, but that isn't the point. All that matters is that we simply must 'convince' them that our side is the right one."

"By gaining their trust? Or through coercion?"

The master smiled darkly. "Our god can take care of that. But now I must consult it alone. You have done a splendid job, Korenji, and have earned the day off. But now I'm afraid I must request your departure."

Korenji was disappointed, and wanted to learn more, but he complied. "As my lord wishes," he replied with a bow, and departed. He couldn't help but feel uneasy, though, as if something bad was about to happen. Upon arriving home again, he tried to process all that his master had told him. Information like this was something that Riolin would have appreciated more than him, but begrudgingly he could admit that he now saw why his associate enjoyed learning new things. He never would have known that his entire existence had been a product of another race. He spent the rest of the day at the library, researching the history of the Ender race, but he found little. Such information was suspiciously scant. If Enders like his master had knowledge of the past, why was it not written down? Unless his master was making it all up, but that was extremely unlikely. His master never lied, being blunt and honest. Korenji was no scholar, but he guessed that Enders wanted nothing to do with their human roots, trying to pretend as though they were always as they were. No matter, he was just fine as he was, anyways. The bookworms like Riolin could agonize over such details.

The Next Day

Korenji was awoken by knocking on his door. "Just a minute, please!" he answered. He hastily cleaned himself and answered the door. He was surprised to see that it was Proliso. "Brother Proliso? What brings you to my door?"

"Brother Korenji, our leader has instructed me to inform you that we are both summoned to his chambers tomorrow. Apparently, he has something major planned."

"And this required arousing me from my slumber?" he replied irritably. Korenji was not a morning person usually, so waking up early after sleeping less than optimally twice in a row had taken a toll on his mood.

"Leader's orders, not mine. You wouldn't question your leader, would you?" he replied smugly, knowing it would annoy his companion.

"Oh, shut up. I'm not in the mood for your antagonism right now. I barely got any sleep the last two days, and it's worn both my energy and patience down."

"Why's that?"

"I've almost certainly made whatever "big plan" the master has in store possible for him. What have YOU done lately?"

Proliso didn't even bother attempting to defend his actions lately. He was relatively idle, as his heart wasn't really in it anymore. But when it was, he served admirably, he thought, so he was rather insulted.

"Lately, little. But do not question my contributions! In the past I was the leader's favorite, not you. Remember that."

"And what happened to the group while you were the favorite? Nothing ever happened, and you were replaced for your incompetence."

"I kept the Brotherhood cohesive. We were truly what our name suggested, a brotherhood. Now it is but a shadow of its former unity. When I was in your position, we may have suffered countless setbacks, but we were never deterred. Now our group fragments more each day. You say the dimension is dying? Look at the group!"

"As much as I enjoy arguing after being awoken early, is there anything else you have to do?" Korenji was getting tired of the debate, but Proliso did have a point. The group was much looser than it had once been. Just look at the cold interaction with his associate just then! Considering that a big plan was going to be underway soon, that wasn't good.

"No, although I must express my displeasure about being left out. My years of service are being unappreciated."

"Take it up with the leader, then." Korenji was getting doubly tired now, both physically and conversationally. However, he didn't want to increase the rift between them with further antagonism, so he added, "Look, I'm sorry. We've been companions for years now. We've bad-mouthed each other for quite some time now, but we're not enemies. Let's make peace, okay? We're still on the same team. At the very least let's truce until the master's "big plan" plays out, alright, my brother?"

Proliso considered for a moment, and then nodded once. "Very well, Brother Korenji. Peace for now." He then walked away, but before he left, he turned around and added, "I know that the leader is considering giving me the axe. In the past, I would have been outraged, but now I feel almost relieved. We are but a shadow of our former selves, and we were never even that great back then, either. The Brotherhood is a joke that will never be known to history. Is your blind devotion worth it?" He walked a short distance and teleported before Korenji could retort. But in his departure, Proliso failed to see the cold smile on his soon-to-be former comrade's face, or to hear the words that came out of his mouth: "Oh, indeed, Proliso? Let's just see what you'll say when our master reveals his plan." He then waited patiently for the day to end.

Some may be wondering why two days elapsed with little to mention in Korenji's life. Sometimes life is simply uneventful. Not every moment of a day in the story of the recreation of a dimension is an exciting one, unless one considers Korenji's annual physical examination visit worthy of detailed exploration for historical preservation. For those interested, he had slight hypertension.

The Next Day

While the previous two days of the life of Korenji (and all other Enders) had little historical significance, it was this day that nothing was ever the same in the dimension of The End. Not even Korenji, who remains imprisoned for the duration of his existence for his involvement, had any idea that this day would be nearly as major as it was. He suspected that Riolin and his Red Dragons would be involved, but he never would have imagined what role they would play.

Korenji and Proliso were indeed summoned to their master's quarters (with neither of them looking at each other), when he emerged, a strange grayish shine in his eyes and an eerie smile on his face, like a combination of one who is at peace and one who has nothing to lose. He then began to speak.

"My Brothers, Korenji and Proliso, welcome to a most glorious day. I have consulted our god, and it shall ensure that the Brotherhood establishes new rule upon this stagnant realm!"

Proliso looked utterly unconvinced; the leader was fond of inspirational but ultimately unsuccessful claims such as this. He was also certain that he was about to be dismissed that meeting, so he didn't particularly care. He was probably thinking of how to best depart, such as listing his grievances and bashing the group for wasting years of his life with nothing to show for it. But his belief did not come to pass, for the leader continued, "Brother Proliso, I shall not pretend as though I was uncertain about wanting to expel you. Your years as my protégé were deemed insufficient to warrant your continued display of feeble loyalty, but our god revealed that you are to play a crucial role today, and he commanded me to retain you."

"Indeed, my leader?" responded a surprised Proliso. "What is my task?"

Instead of replying, the leader turned to Korenji. "Korenji, in order for Proliso to do what he must, we must inform him of your observations. Please explain what you saw three days ago."

"Very well, my lord." Korenji then spent the next several minutes explaining his observations of Riolin and his Red Dragons. Proliso could scarcely believe it; Riolin was alive, and back here? To be honest, he was afraid that his former comrade had been assassinated for displeasing the leader. But thankfully not. He missed him quite a bit. He was one of the few members that he felt any particular closeness to, and his dismissal was a turning point that soured his will to remain.

Not only was Riolin alive, but Korenji claimed that he had tamed unknown beasts of great power. Amazing! This was something he wanted to see for himself. However, he was concerned; Riolin was dismissed, but the leader seemed to be convinced that he (and his Red Dragons) were crucial. That implied coercion of some kind; he was very uneasy about this. He wanted to warn Riolin, but he also didn't want to ruin what was likely his final chance to stay in the leader's good graces.

But did he really? Proliso had long grown weary of the whole affair. It had done almost nothing since its creation years ago, and while he tried his best to be a productive member and force the queen of the throne, the appeal had vanished with the strings of failures the group had achieved. To be honest, he was regretting wasting years of his life for an ultimately fruitless endeavor. He could have settled down and lived comfortably for something, rather than live an illegal lifestyle for nothing. Perhaps he might even find a girl to hold in his arms and love until his last days. There was so much to life that he was missing!

A longing for normality established itself in Proliso's heart. That settled it, then. He would warn Riolin, and he was going to resign from this dead-end conglomeration of revolutionary misfits. Perhaps he would even be pardoned for his activities if he turned in the group, and if that meant having to associate with the queen that he despised, it would be worth it to get his life on track. But he wasn't a traitor, so he couldn't do it. Maybe Riolin would.

His thoughts were interrupted by the leader saying, "Proliso? Have you been paying attention?"

"...I have not."

Korenji scowled. "This is a perfect example of why your favor has decayed."

"Don't be too harsh on your Brother, Korenji. You yourself took time to process such information. Hypocrisy is not tolerated."

Proliso had to admit that he took some glee in watching Korenji get lectured. That was a rare treat, indeed! Riolin would like to see that, too. Being the brown-noser he was, Korenji immediately offered a needlessly formal and lengthy apology for displeasing his master.

"But going back to your role, Proliso, you are to gain Riolin's trust and pretend to welcome him back into the group, claiming that I have forgiven him. He trusted you most, and he is most likely to respond to you. We'll take care of the rest."

"May I ask what you two are to do?"

"You need not know. Be a good member and do as you're told," Korenji replied with a smug smirk. Proliso really had to restrain himself. He would not miss Korenji.

"When shall I start?"

"Now."

Now, eh? Well, right now he wanted to abandon ship and reconnect with Riolin. What a convenient opportunity! "Very well, I shall depart immediately." He left the room and teleported to the Depleted Mine.

"You do understand that he's immediately going to warn our "friend", right?" Korenji asked.

"Of course, Korenji. It's all a part of the plan."

"Our establishment is doomed, and a new order shall be set up."

"Indeed, it will." replied the leader, with a strange grayish glow in his eyes.