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"Giving up does not show the truth."

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Player of Games/

Chapter 3/

Storytim3/

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"You have to listen to me!" Nohl rushed towards the player, who walked faster now. He grabbed the man by the arm and turn him around to face him, and continued. "You asked because you're worried, and now you opted to 'go home'?!"

"Yes! I'm not insane!" 'Brennan' exclaimed. "I have a healthy, sane mind, and my healthy, sane mind said 'this boy is nuts!'"

"I am NOT nuts! I am completely sane over this course of two hellish years, and lord helped me that I am still sane!" Nohl hissed at him, his eyes glowing slightly, seething with a hint of anger, disappointment, and exasperation. "So stop being such a baby and follow me! You have no future here, but out there, you can be a hero!"

"I don't want to be a hero if that means losing my head!" The Steve sharply objected. "You might be able to hunt wolves down and eat wolf meat and 'stay sane after two hellish years', but I can't! I am a miner, a farmer, and a trader. I did so much since I was young to get where I am and have myself an amazing life with nothing to worry about, until you showed up! Like hell I would give something up for someone with Endermen eyes like you!"

"I have no clue what an 'Enderman' is, but despite having these eyes, I am still a damn human! I don't even know what they did to me, but this. This world, and everything in it are lies, LIES I tell you! They let you live in such a blissful world and suck you dry until one day you mature, but weak enough for them to prey on you and use you as their food supply! They are fattening you up!" Nohl grabbed him by the sides of his arms and starts shaking him, his face contorted in anxiety. "You have to trust me on this, Brennan! This is not fictional book; this is real! You're going to end up nowhere and dead if you stay here, and you won't be able to defend yourself! Then what?! You're just going to accept your fate?!"

"You're lying!" Steve struggled from the tenacious grip before shoving the other away from him. "What proof do you have?!"

Nohl breathed out a ragged breath. For a moment, nothing is heard but the rustling of leaves and water rushing down the stream.

"Nothing. They took everything from me. My journal, my locket, my- Aidan's family photo with you in it and your mother and your father. They took it all. They probably burned it."

Steve blinked. Aidan.

Aidan sounds familiar.

"You stop there. A family photo with me and this Aidan person?"

Nohl nodded.

"You had a family. You were so young when he lost you. He told me a lot about himself, and you." He sighed. "I... wonder where he is."

"Who is Aidan?"

"Long story short, your older brother. Aidan Ferlands, my best bud. I would show you his picture if only I had my locket, but again, it was gone. But he definitely look younger than you in it." A pause. "...Come to think of it, maybe I wasn't here for two years."

Curiosity seemed to itch its way up, crawling to his mind. 'Brennan' starts to lax a bit, his balled fist slowly relaxed to open palms on his sides.

He sighed.

"...Talk."

"...talk...?"

"Yes, talk. Explain to me more. Aidan, my 'family', the war, what happened?"

Nohl sighed.

"I'll tell you what I know. I can't tell several details... because 'they' are watching, and every information is priceless for them. They can use information as a weapon against us. But I can fill you in on some basics, especially what they already know anyway. I'll tell you the rest once we are outside and far enough."

Brennan gulped. The thought of being constantly watched started to send chills down his spine. He looked around, momentarily, but quickly focused back on Nohl once the younger one snapped his fingers for attention.

"So, let's give you a brief history lesson. Three years before...

...the fight and discrimination, the races live in harmony. Our world is home to three races with their own intelligence, language, and history.

Our race is called the Enstes, those with skin strong against water, those that harness technology and knowledge. Our race revolve around the need to know more, and an insatiable quench to keep building and flourish and be stronger. We learn how to make fire, then society, then electricity, and machines. We destroy, but we build again. We are weak, but together we are strong, and with tools, we survive. They call us the Builders of the Three Kingdoms.

One of the other is called the Xhkretal, those whose skin cannot survive in the light of the day, those who come out in the night. They are strong, fast, and silent, but they roam in peace, gathering what they need in the dark before they return to where they belonged. They guard the forests and woods, the watchers of the night. They do not posses our knowledge yet understand the need for our tools, for they survive well by their own incredible strength and stealth and are content with where they are, hidden. Despite being ominous, they are quiet creatures, enjoying the moonlight and quiet chatters between each other. They are the Nightwalkers of the Three Kingdoms.

The last one is called the Jetrenekth, those whose skin burn against water, and those with eyes as green as the forests under sunlight. They are priests, monks, living under rocky caves whose feet touches the shadows. They do not speak much, but their eyes speak a thousand words. Their skin dark as the night skies, and black hoods loomed over them. They are a peaceful society, governed by magic and prayers. They are nature lovers, living under the Dhylkass trees. They can read the sun and moon and they have knowledge of things we do not know about, things that cannot be explained with our tools nor our own knowledge. They are the Clairvoyants of the Three Kingdoms.

The kingdoms live in peace. The kings and the leader of the Nightcrawlers meet up monthly to discuss about their own matters and end them when they went back. We trade, we farm, we flourish, we grow, and we are hand in hand to continue to the future. The three of us, we're unstoppable.

But it all changed when we found the Godly Crystals in 5219.

In an accident, a mine exploded near a village of Jetrenekth. Several died during the accident, and their sacred tree was blown apart to its roots. But from then our race uncovered something we had never seen before. Godly crystals, growing around the roots of the tree, and many were there.

Our king, who had been curious for some time, brought the matter up to the King of the Jetrenekth, wanting to know more of these crystals. The Jetrenekth king, though solemn, gave him permit. The place was excavated, and the village was moved, and we dug up many of green-colored, glowing crystals.

We found out that these crystals are stronger than that of metals. Copper, iron, even steel could not compete with their strength. We could only cut through them with extremely heated tungsten rods. Our king decided to investigate in secret, digging up villages that has been abandoned for more crystals, greedy for the knowledge. We then found out that several trees made up several different kinds of crystals. And with them we made technology far more superior than those we ever had. For those two years, we managed to speed things up in matters of our knowledge and technology and tools.

Our king was consumed by the need to know more. It was as if he wanted to find more than five of them. He asked the King of Jetrenekth to move in with us and we will make them an amazing housing and society with the most advanced technology there is. The king of Jetrenekth was surprised and was very offended once he knew what our king had done. He considered the abandoned villages as sacred lands with people's memories in them, and for those to come back to pray to their ancestors. A disagreement was met, and for the first time, our conflict does not end in one meeting, and they left with anger and resentment in their hearts.

Our king thought it was wise to hire the Nightwalkers for their ability to sneak and steal for the price of our technology. Their leader seemed uncertain, but she lent him several of her best troops. And so our king does things in the dark under all of our noses. He became greedy.

Our people were also consumed by this sickness of pride. We trod on each other, and the rich survive. We changed, everything went so wrong. Discrimination happens, and the peace wavered.

Until the year 5223.

We had barricaded ourselves so much we only focus on ourselves. Our society is a mess, we live on our own despite the need to stick as a society. Our ego, our selfishness, and our pride govern over us. We think lowly of our brothers, the Nightcrawlers and the Jetrenekth. Our king kept doing all these without the knowledge of the Jetrenekth king.

And we repeat our mistakes.

Something went wrong when we were stealing more crystals. An explosion created a forest fire, which burns a lot of the Jetrenekth. Stuck between the sea and the forest, so many burned to death. The Jetrenekth king soon found out, between the bodies of his people, there are our kind, and the Nightcrawlers, perished int he fire as well.

Another conflict happened. He was sure the two races had banded against his people and society for the crystals under their sacred tree. He would not move, despite what our king asked, and was furious. Our king, whose too prideful, do not want to apologize nor stop. The leader of the Nightcrawlers are stuck in between, agitated by the fight.

The kingdom crumbled, and our King issued a war.

In 5224, the war began, and we march with our weapons or tungsten and cannons and force fields powered with crystals and swords and shields and javelin. We waited for them. Our King waited for them to surrender and give us their land.

Until we realize we were fighting something dark and ominous.

We were wiped clean. Their magic is too powerful for us, they cast spells that nothing can stop, penetrating through our metallic weapons. Our king was slain. Roars of ghastly, demonic beings shook through the land. The Jetrenekth no longer have green eyes. They were purple, their movements were erratic and their magic was that of the deepest, darkest from hell.

We don't know what had happened.

In the midst of war, we noticed something. They cannot penetrate through the crystal powered force fields.

What was left of the army was safe in it.

But not their families.

They did not stop. They went to villages and attacked and destroy without remorse. Very few survived from the event, and those in further lands have escaped and hid in places they never noticed.

And in a span of a week, there were very few of us. When the Rain comes, they were gone.

Those that remained gathered and realized that they had pillaged everything.

They took our technology, they took our hard work.

We were left under the rain by ourselves.

What was left of us started to go to the Capital. They managed to breach in, but the Rain drove them away. We gathered everything we can find, and raided the castle to get what we have left. When the soldiers open the vault of the king to get steel and materials for weapons, we found them. Crystals, crystals everywhere in beautiful colors, untouched.

And with any of working transports we can find, we carried away every single one of them.

It's not like our King needed them anymore.

"We appointed several leaders over what remained from the Enstes, and long story short, they found a way to weaponize the crystals." Nohl gestured to his arm-blade. "They are shields against dark magic and is very durable. We don't really have a lot of them, so most are made for weapons, and we return to older technology. It wasn't so bad."

"I have a question, though." Brennan, who sat on the ground for pretty much the entire talk, frowned in confusion. "...What... are technology?"

"They are machines powered by some sort of power source, mostly electricity. They help us with everyday lives."

"...Like.. redstone?'

"...I have no idea what you are talking about."

There was some rustling nearby, and a familiar noise of something teleporting.

Nohl's eyes quickly darted to a direction before he went on all fours and forcefully pushed Brennan's head down, earning a hiss from the older male.

"What on earth are you doing?!"

"Stop being so noisy! Get your head under the bushes!"

Brennan quickly turned onto his stomach and looked through the direction of what Nohl was staring at. There are three endermen on the other side of the stream, chirping. They were standing on the tallest rock there is on that side, and looking around, their particles glistening in the darkness. One chirped before teleporting away several blocks down the stream, careful to not get water splashed at them.

Brennan scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Really, kid? You told me to get down because of some endermen?"

"They are scouts," Nohl glared back. "They probably are acting dumb and pretend they don't know I'm here. But they don't have cameras everywhere. Too suspicious. Which is why they have them."

"Cameras? You sure talk a lot of bogus," Brennan muttered softly. Truthfully, he doesn't understand most of what Nohl was explaining in the beginning. He just wanted to know about his own family, but well, guess he got a history lesson from a semi-insane kid. "What in the Nether are cameras again?"

"Shh," Nohl warned. "Look, their actual guardians are so much scarier than those things. They're probably using that form to not scare you so much. You know. More 'docile-looking'?"

"Docile. They are anything but docile once you look into their eyes." Brennan huffed.

"True enough. They hate it when you stare at their soul."

"What?" Brennan turned at him sharply.

"We got to get rid of them. But it's going to be problem if they see me."

Brennan didn't say anything, and Nohl raised a brow at him, as if expecting something. When the other still doesn't seem to make any movements, Nohl cleared his throat.

"...Well?"

"...What do you want me to do?" Brennan turned at him, gazing accusingly at him. "I don't have armor on, I can't take all three of them!"

Nohl pinched the bridge of his nose. He took some seconds to recollect himself, before finally exhaling through his nose.

"...Really?"

Brennan nodded.

"Besides, you have that crystal weapon. What are you so scared about?"

"Did you just heard what I said?! We'll be in trouble if they spot me!"

"Then don't get spotted!"

This man, Nohl thought, his eye twitches slightly. Is a total wimp.

"Fine, stay here and watch, god, why do I have to babysit such a..." The rest was displeased mumbles.

Nohl pulled an ender pearl out of his inventory. Truthfully, this is such a waste of resources, but well, if it's his fate to teach a wimp a thing or two, then so be it.

He chucked it over the bushes onto a tree and was instantly teleported there above them. The scouts didn't seem to notice, and he dropped to the ground behind the tree.

He had one shot.

Nohl crouched before he moved to the other side of the tree to think. They are almost on the same line, and are beside a stream.

One shot was all he needed.

Brennan just stared as the kid seemed to vanish from his spot and the endermen's legs were cut clean off, and their bodies falling onto the stream with a screech. His eyes quickly looked around to spot the kid behind a tree several blocks from where he was, watching as the endermen were swept away. They tried to teleport but mostly falling back down to the stream, screeching.

Once they seem to disappear down the stream, Nohl ran back, jumping from one rock to another to each the other end of the stream.

"Well now they're gonna send more this way, and I just lost a pearl I needed. So your wish is granted, you got to go home."

Brennan stood up quickly.

"All we need to do is go up and follow this stream." He informed. "Then we'll get there and I will finally eat something nice."

Nohl rolled his eyes.

"When we get there, all we need to gather is food, extra clothes, your diamond tools and armor, and three buckets of water. Our journey isn't going to be easy."

Brennan nodded slowly.

Nohl wiped his blade and folded it back to his arm blade and walked up, following the stream to where Brennan's supposed house was. When he heard no footsteps he turned around, to see Brennan still standing there.

"What? Are you going to stay here?"

Brennan just blinked.

"Why me?" He asked. "Why don't you pick someone who probably have more adventure spirit than me...? I know I am someone my brother lost, then why not save me when everything is over?"

Nohl's brows furrowed a bit.

"Then how long are you going to be so pathetic?" He finally voiced his thoughts out, his tone stern.

"Huh?"

Nohl crossed his arms.

"The reason I know about this world is because I have been in different cubes trying to find you. I see everyone finally had a huge home, good supply of food, enchanted weapons, and armor that makes them not fear anything. Until they are succumbed to something called apathy."

He continued before Brennan can retort.

"When you have literally everything you need and you have nothing to worry about, you become arrogant. This sort of life is bland and stale. It started hard at first when you have nothing. Now you have everything, you forgot how does it feel surviving and trying to stay alive, scavenging food and hunting and defending yourself. You opted to stay home and make yourself a cup of hot milk and laze about. You feel bored, but you are too comfortable you are reluctant to exchange that boredom with something exciting.

"And now a change is going to happen in your life. You don't want to take it because, what, you said you don't want to die, do you? I have seen some of these 'players' die so easily, falling off a cliff or accidentally burning themselves in lava. I know. Lame, isn't it? You want to die just because you did a small mistake instead of dying satisfied with yourself? Seriously, what have you achieved here? Nobody is around to appreciate it. Nobody's around for you to share its joy with others. You are alone here. But there are a lot of chances for you out there."

"I will still die," Brennan objected quietly. "I don't want to die."

"Neither do I." Nohl's tone softened. It's true then. Despite Brennan being here for a long time, his mindset is still of a little boy.

He doesn't blame him for that. It's not his fault.

"Look, I am not dragging you out there to die. I will teach you how to survive, and I will protect you. I may not know you, but have a promise to keep, and when I am not around, you can take care of yourself. So just believe in me, and trust me, you'd realize through change, you will be a better person. I've seen people who does change for the better. It's all up to you."

Nohl turned around.

"So don't lie to yourself. What is it you truly want? Would you rather be here alone, in a bland world, or would you rather follow me out of this fake paradise?"

The steve didn't say a word as he followed him, lost in his own thoughts, and the journey back home was silent.

And uh... an informative chapter?

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