Chapter 11: Envy

Warning Tags: A disturbing scene, some blood, and mentions of rape.

Oceanus gazes at the recruit as the half-robotic man growls menacingly at him, taking enraged breaths every few seconds. His green/light-green eyes shrink in fright as his eyes reflect the raised robotic fist aimed right for him. Alix screams in anger as he brings his fist down, only to realize that he had struck the wall while Oceanus was nowhere seen.

When he turns, he is struck in the face by the doctor. Alix hits against the wall and slumps down on his back. Oceanus pants slightly as he stays on his feet, watching cautiously as Alix slowly gets to his feet. The miner glares at the door, his red eyepiece glows brightly. "You turned me into a monster!", Alix growled out, lunging at the doctor. But Oceanus easily dodges out of the way and watches the man slide across the quartz floor.

"I wasn't trying to turn you into a monster! I was trying to help you!", Oceanus exclaimed back. "Liar!", Alix yelled at him, getting to his feet and throws a punch, but Oceanus ducks down and his fist goes through the wall. Despite the intense situation taking place, Oceanus keeps calm and states back to the man, who is currently trying to get his fist out of the wall "I'm not lying! If I was lying, I would have just left you to die!"

Alix suddenly loses his enraged expression. The bionic part of him sparks once, and Alix regains his calm composure. Gently, the miner pulls his robotic hand out of the wall and glances over at Oceanus. The scientist approaches him and reaches up to the bionic part of him, pulling out the defective chip from his head. "I was only trying to save your life after your face and body got ravaged by Enderlox", Oceanus said, a hint of irritation and anger in his voice. "The least that you can at least show me is a bit of respect instead of losing control of yourself and beating anything you see that has a heartbeat. Lately, no one has been showing me any sort of appreciation, not since Deadlox became the monster that he is now. The only person who showed any appreciation is Via, no one else. Somehow, I manage to find myself with a boatload of patients who only seek me to help them. Sometimes I wish they can help themselves".

Oceanus mutters the last part as he turns away, his white lab coat flutters through the cold air in the recovery room and the doctor begins walking away. Alix is left in wonder as to what had just happened, how will this new form of him change, and most of all...why was Oceanus acting so aggressive towards not only him, but the people that he cares for when they are sick or injured?

Meanwhile, outside of the Butter Craft Airship, about a thousand miles away from where the Sky Army is, a desolate place that once thrived with life now lies in despair. It's best known as the Badlands, trees that once bloomed with leaves just stood in the middle of the barren landscape, their bark burnt and multiple branches forming what appeared to be hand-like appendages.

Very few patches of grass manage to grow in the poor soil that makes up the Badlands, and most of it is dead or dying. Heavy storm clouds cover the entire lifeless land, droplets of rain fall from the dark-gray or black clouds. However, the droplets are very unusual, unlike any type of rain that falls onto the land. The drops of rain were colored purple, very much similar like the Taint in its color. All of the landscape seems empty...until a foot steps upon the desolated land. It's Enderlox, looking much stronger and tougher than before.

The dragon hybrid glances towards the sky and watches the rain pour down, a few droplets hit against his face and run down, leaving behind trails of purple on the hybrids's skin. The trails disappear into his skin afterwards, making him growl in determination as he feels power sinking in through his skin. He stands with an upright posture, extending his dragon wings out and watches the droplets of purple rain hit against the gray part of the wings.

He turns his attention outward as a figure floats in from the sky and lands on his feet in front of the hybrid. Enderlox stares blankly as the figure rises up and stares back at him with shining, yet dimming empty eyes. Herobrine.

The former Nether god raises his hands behind his back and casually starts to walk towards the hybrid, closing in the distance between him and his creation. He turns his direction and starts walking around the hybrid, looking up and down at his noticeable features. Then, Herobrine begins to say "You've come a far way, Ender Dragon. We have been both trapped in prisons of stone and death, but now, we're free. And I owe you my gratitude for getting rid of that new Nether god, Noah, and saving me from my own death. But we're far from done".

"What are your orders, Master? Your wish is my command and I am willing to complete any order that you wish to be done", Enderlox stated back, his voice sounding a lot like normal Deadlox's voice, but with a much deeper pitched voice with a slight ripple to it. Herobrine gives him an evil smirk as he replies "I have plenty of wishes that are to be fulfilled, but only if you feel you're up the the task". Enderlox gives out a amused scoff before saying "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Herobrine replies "Very well. But first, let me tell you this. Your being carries the Taint, a biological and extremely dangerous toxin that penetrates and corrupts the body of any type of Minecrafter who comes into contact with it, whether it be a human or a hybrid. The Taint is also very unique in the way that it corrupts a person. The toxin will corrupt anyone based on the way that they act at certain moments of their lives. Then, their entire appearance changes to fit their true personas, and they will represent either a Sin, Emotion, or Negative Feeling. Sins are the rarest, Emotions are the uncommon, and Negative Feelings are the most common. You represent the sin Wrath, in which you want the world to feel the pain of your uncontrollable rage. You are strong right now, but once enough Taint can be absorbed into your being, you can reach your secondary form and then...your true and final form. Do you understand everything?"

"Yes, Master", Enderlox said with a slight hiss. Herobrine gives out a short chuckle before ordering "Good. Now, your first task is to spread the Taint. Taint can spread through any type of biome and corrupt any type of land, from grass to snow. However, during the progress of spreading the Taint, you'll lose most of the Taint already inside you, so you'll have to take frequent breaks to let the Taint regenerate again, then you can continue. Now, start the spread here...in this god-forsaken and dead land".

"Got it", Enderlox remarked. The dragon hybrid extends his wings out and takes off into the sky. He flaps his wings every second and ascends more into the air. Once he is at a good altitude, he begins to fly west. His eyes glow brightly in purple, and his wings begin to emit purple particles of Taint. They rain down from the sky and begin to pepper across the ground. They start off very small, but in a matter of seconds, they begin to grow quickly and spread across the dead land. Herobrine watches in amusement as the purple toxin spreads out like a liquid spilled over a tabletop.

Enderlox glances down at the land beneath him and sees his work take place. He grins evilly as he looks ahead and continues to spread the Taint. The eyeless man, meanwhile, gazes at the land as a few weird-looking objects begin to sprout from the tainted land and glow rapidly from the Taint-infected ground. Trees begin to grow out as well, their trunk as purple as the ground itself and their leaves shading from light-purple to dark purple.

Back in the air, Enderlox grunts softly when he feels a jolt of pain erupt in his left wing. "I better head back down. I can already feel the Taint drained out from my body", Enderlox thought to himself. He starts to glide downward, back to where Herobrine stood. The dragon hybrid flaps his wings a few times before landing his his feet, in front of his master. Herobrine takes a last look around for a second, then says "Excellent job, my loyal pet. The Taint is spreading faster than it did before. But we're far from done yet. Come, my pet. The spread of the Taint has only just began".

"Yes, my master. But before we go...how are we going to deal with that Sky Army?", Enderlox asked in curiosity. Herobrine smiles as he turns away and after a few moments pass, he says "We'll deal with them later. But very soon, we'll have our own army to command and they will serve as an important aspect to the end of the world".

Herobrine activates his powers and lifts up his hand, a purple aura forms over his palm. The dark light grows bigger, surrounding him and Enderlox in its grasp. Seconds later, they disappear in a blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, back at the Butter Craft Airship, the night had came quickly than usual. At the upper deck of the ship, Amity stands near the railing and looks up at the night sky, seeing the Blood Moon still decorating the land in its blood-red light. "What is going on with the moon? Could this be a sign of disaster coming?", Amity asked herself, in wonder of why the moon is still colored red than its normal and peaceful white color. "It's weird, isn't it", a voice erupted behind her.

Amity looks over her shoulder and sees her childhood friend, Connor. In the 10 years that have passed, Connor had grown up to be just like his brother, Mitch. He has a red jacket, partially zipped and revealed some of a black T-shirt underneath. He possesses straight, brown-shaded hair along with the same eye color as his brother. He also has the same shoes as his brother, dark-blue jeans, and a sliver dog tag hidden his jacket.

He approaches the teen girl and stands right beside her, glancing up at the glowing satellite in the dark sky. "A lot of strange things have been happening ever since that Blood Moon came", Connor commented, placing his hands on the rail. Amity sighs as she states back "Agreed. I don't know what we're gonna do. Ty is gone, the entire TC crew are just...in conflict with each other, and everyone on the ship is acting paranoid. What are we supposed to do? We're just teenagers, and I couldn't possibly defend myself from any type of threat that comes here".

Connor sighs deeply as he explains to her "Look, Amity...you may not have the best when it comes to PvP and weapon-handling, but if there's one thing that you are great at, it's your wits. Your intelligence in plan-making is the best that I've heard seen from a person. You don't need a weapon to defend yourself from anyone. Besides, you've always been a pacifist when it comes to fighting, right?"

Amity glances out at the land, realizing why she had always had a dislike to conflict between her or anyone. She was a pacifist, and she had only realized it from Connor. She says back "Well...yeah. But if I can't defend myself because of how I feel about fighting, I might as well dig my own grave".

Connor scoffs before saying "Come on, don't say that. Listen...if anything comes our way and threatens us...I'll protect you with all my might and bravery". Amity looks over at him with a glowing emerald-sapphire eye, her golden-shaded eye hidden away with her bangs, and questions "You promise?" Connor crosses his hand over his heart as he says "Cross my heart and hope to fight". Amity smiles at the teen's willingness to protect her from anything that could be dangerous to both her and him.

"Thanks, Connor. I know you and I didn't really get along as kids, but now...I feel safe whenever I'm near you", Amity admitted, glancing into the Canadian's hazel-brown eyes. Connor gives her a warm smile as he nods, assuring his promise towards her. The two teens look ahead at the land instead of the moon, hearing the gentle sounds of crickets chirping and loons letting out wailing calls. Connor glances down and sees one of Amity's hands grasping the metal railing tightly, probably in fear.

He lifts up his hand and gently rests it on top of her hand. Amity looks over in surprise when she feels his hand on hers. She gazes up at him with a faint blush appearing over her cheeks. Connor grins as he turns his attention back to the land, Amity does the same. However, unknown to the young teens, at the very top of the ship, is a man who is spying at them with no interest at all.

A man who loathes the peace along others while he has to deal with problems on his own. And finally, a man who is at his breaking point and nearly about to snap...Seto...

The sorcerer glares at the Minecrafters, the red moonlight shines against his face and reveals heavy, purplish sick-looking bags attached underneath his blood-shot eyes. His pupils are shrunken, almost to the point where you can't see them due to the red veins crossed over his red corneas. His hood to his cloak is off of his head, showing his messy and uncared brown hair, his crown half-crooked on his head.

After a few ominous minutes pass, Seto slowly opens his mouth. Dripping slops of a purple substance is inside his mouth. They are rooted from his tongue to the very roof of his mouth. A few drips of the substance manages to escape through the corners of his mouth and falls to the surface of the ship, burning through the butter-made surface and leaves a purplish section in its place. During all this, Seto lets out a ragged and demented breath, almost as if he was trying to inhale some air and something was blocking his throat.

"Look at them...flourishing in their so-called freedom. You envy that, don't you, sorcerer?", the same voice that Seto heard before asked him. Seto responds in a weak voice "Yes, of course I do. I long to feel the freedom that others have while I don't have".

"Then, let the Taint take control, Seto. Quit fighting it. Besides, once Taint is inside you...it will never...ever...come out", the voice hissed, echoing as Seto feels the voice depart from his conscience. Then, doing what the voice told him to do, Seto quits fighting the Taint, lessens his muscles that he had been clenching for so long, and feels the toxin enter and flow through his veins. Then, his transformation begins.

His clothing starts to dim into darker colors, his crown starts to bleed out red color and dye it complete red, his blood-shot eyes only get more dark-red while bright red veins coursed across his eyes. His once brown eyes darken into a sinister purple. His cloak is colored in red and purple, three red marks on his hood, and a devil symbol stitched on his cloak. His transformation is done, and Seto glares down at the teens with hatred and murder in his dark-purple eyes.

"Yes...very good job, Seto. You feel more powerful than you did before, right?", the voice asked the now corrupted sorcerer. Seto replies back in a sinister tone "I do...I never thought that I would feel so much powerful than I did now". Seto hears the voice in his mind chuckle evilly for a bit, then states to him "Perfect. But keep your normal appearance for now. The impending doom for the Sky Army is approaching with each passing hour".

"Good. I like to see millions of recruits screaming in agony when the ship is brought down with them in it", Seto whispered to the voice, then glancing down at the teen as they watch the land peacefully, unaware of his appearance only a short distance away from them. "Including her..", Seto hissed. The voice replies to him "We'll deal with that girl later. I have a feeling that she will interfere with our plans to cover the world in Taint".

"Gotcha", Seto answered back, crossing his arms over his chest and feels a gust of cold air blow through his uncovered hair, throwing his chestnut-brown hair in all directions while his crown stands stationary on top of his head. The voice tells him "In the meantime, you'll no longer be known as Setosorcerer. You'll fool the others by acting like your normal self, but when they are all Tainted, you'll be known...as Nero".

"Nero? Hm...I like it. I think I'll fit that name just fine", Nero hissed in delight. "And...just what exactly do I represent?"

"You represent the sin Envy. You long to have anything that you desire. You can have so much more than just being a dull sorcerer on a falling team", the voice answered to him. "But most importantly...you can get back at that young man, Mitch".

"Mitch?", Nero questioned.

"Yes. Think about it. That boast-talking warrior never stops talking about how he is the best and how he should be the PvP king. However, he can't hold that title without any legs to stand on when you're through with him", the voice told him with a rather angered tone. Nero, too, gets enraged when he is reminded of what Mitch has put him through ever since Deadlox became Enderlox.

"So...what will do you when he see Mitch?", the voice asked him, but it already knew what Nero was going to say.

"I will destroy him. I'll murder his girlfriend, maybe we have a bit of "fun" with her before I gut her open, then I'll ruin his reputation and his life of ever becoming a PvP warrior", Nero growled, smirking at the evil thoughts that ran through his mind. The voice said to him "Good, good. But hold that off until the time for reckoning comes".

"It better come soon. It won't be long until I can punish those who have what I want", Nero stated, looking up and gazes at the Blood Moon, still high in the sky and still letting out a powerful amount of red light across the land.

Meanwhile, back down at the upper deck, Connor and Amity continue to look at the peaceful environment, despite the red light covering the trees from the Blood Moon, when Connor feels something is wrong. He glances over his shoulder and at the top of the ship, but he sees nothing. Nero had vanished a split second before Connor could even take sight of him.

Amity looks over and sees that Connor had turned his head. "Connor, are you okay?", Amity asked in worry. The teen looks back over at her quickly and answers back "Uh? Oh...uh...yeah, I'm alright. I just...could have sworn that I felt that we were being watched".

"Yeah, but the situation that we're in...I feel like the entire army is being watched", Amity nervously said, glancing around at the ship for a moment before turning her gaze back at Connor. Connor nods and says "Yeah, I agree with you on that. Come on, let's head back inside before something bad out here happens".

Connor leads Amity back inside the ship, opening one of the double doors for her and slips inside after the young teen is inside. However, teleporting in front of the doors is Nero, who stares in silence as the teens disappear to the hallways. "And I think I know just how to start off to ruin Mitch's life...with this little brother", Nero hissed, flashing an evil smile and reveals purple-stained sharp teeth.

(This section below will cover everything that took place in this chapter. New thing starting from this chapter)

-Trivial Hints-

-Seto's breathing part was based off of Bonnie's creepy breathing when he comes into your office (from Five Night's At Freddy, which is a horror game, so if you aren't comfortable around horror games, I pray to God that you don't go look up that game).

-Envy is a sin where you are longing for something that a person has in which you don't, which may lead you to do anything in your power to get it, including threatening the person.