Chapter 11- Mysterious Man

We walked for a while. Liam and Emfia constantly talked in a hush whisper to each other.

Jess and I had skinned the pig and roasted it when we stopped to take a break. As we munched on the food, Jess told us we were almost at TCOH.

Emfia grabbed Liam's gloved hand and squeezed. "I'm terrified. What if we die? I'm too young!" She cried into Liam's shoulder. Jess glowered at her, and I gently touched the blonde's shoulder.

I turned to Emfia. "You'll be with me. With Jess and Liam. We won't let anything happen to you. Right guys?" I looked at the others. "Yeah, yeah. Of course. We'll protect you." Liam answered, patting Emfia's head. Jess turned her head away and stood up.

"Let's go. No more breaks from now on." I put out the fire while the others grabbed the rest of our supplies. We walked on until I spotted an obsidian structure a little ways ahead of us. "Is that the temple?" I asked, pointing to it. Jess cracked a tiny smile and nodded. We kept walking until the 4 of us were standing in front of its entrance.

It was massive. At least 100 blocks high, it was built from obsidian and diamond. Intricate details were carved into the stone and tons of gems twinkled in the light. I had to admit, it was very impressive. I was proud to call it mine…er…Herobrine's.

Jess walked around it and waved us over. She pointed at cobblestone house ahead of us. "That's the cult building. We have to enter there and get initiated. Then once they go into the temple to pray, we'll hide out there and summon Herobrine later tonight, if all goes to plan. Everyone ready?"

Emfia sniffled, her lower lip quivering. She looked as though she was going to cry, but she took a deep breath and nodded. I took out my sword.

I looked at it sadly. The last time I used my sword to fight was when Luna found me. She was the only person I had met who knew who I was and it was almost a relief that someone understood who I was. But she left because I told her she couldn't protect herself, when, I was the one who put her in danger.

As I wondered where Luna was, Jess and Liam had gotten into an argument.

"Whoa, wait a second. Why are you fighting?" I said, pushing Jess back from Liam.

Jess' eyes were the color of storm clouds. "He doesn't want to come with us into the cult." "Why?" "He wants to 'wait' out here. I call bull. He'll ditch us or turn our true intentions into the cult leader." Emfia tugged on Liam's arm. He looked at her while she searched his eyes. "Liam would never betray us." She answered for him.

He coughed and glanced at Jess. "No, I wouldn't. I think I'll just get in your way." Jess glared at him. "Liam, you stay outside the temple. If you want to, try and get inside without killing yourself." I paused for a second. Since when did I want people to not try and get themselves killed? I was the one who killed!

"Steve? You ok?" Jess snapped her fingers in front of my face. I shook my head. What was I thinking about? "Oh, sorry. Jess, Emfia and I will go to the cult and get accepted. We will go into the temple and one of us will hopefully be able to let you in or you find us. Sound good?" Everyone nodded. "Great, let's go!" I started walking towards the cult house, Jess and Emfia trailing behind me.

Liam gave us thumbs up and entered the temple. Emfia turned around to watch her friend go, and I noticed that her eyes were wet with unshed tears. Jess took charge and led us to the door.

She took a deep breath and knocked once. She paused then knocked three times, and then six more times. The door opened and the 3 of us stepped inside a dimly lit hallway.

The floor and walls were made of spruce wood, illuminated only by a few redstone torches. There was a red carpet down the middle of the floor, leading to 2 people in pitch black robes. Hoods covered their faces, shadowing their faces so I couldn't make out any distinct features. The one to the left cleared their throat and spoke in a raspy voice.

"Go down the hall and turn right. Enter those doors and you shall find our leader."

Jess' hand wavered over her sword. Emfia didn't notice how tense Jess was or ignored her and gave a bright smile to the cloaked people. "Thanks!" She chirped, and skipped past them, turning right into the corridor,

Jess and I looked at each other. I shrugged. "It's probably just her way of coping with her terror." I whispered harshly as we carefully walked around them.

Emfia was already waiting for us in front of a set of iron doors. She looked up in awe at the carvings of Herobrine etched into the wood paneling on the sides. She pointed at one with a wavering finger. "Look," she almost whispered, pointing at a carving of Herobrine standing over a little girl. "It's your sister." The auburn croaked, looking at Jess. Jess walked over to the carving, gently running her fingers over the intricate details. She traced every line of her sister's figure, and I saw tears run down her cheeks.

The blonde turned to us, her eyes red and puffy. "I will get him. I will murder him for everything he has done to me." She whipped out her dagger, and slammed it into the wall; right on Herobrine's snarling face. Emfia jumped and I stepped back. Why was Herobrine so mean? Why couldn't he just disappear? I shook my head. Wait…I am Herobrine…no…I was Herobrine! Why couldn't I remember who I was? Notch's words echoed in my head. If you really don't want more of your memories taken, then prove to me that you can be good. Not by the force of the curse, but of you own free will.

Brother, please! I pleaded raising my eyes to the ceiling almost as if I was looking at the heavens. Don't let me forget who I was; don't let me forget who I am! PLEASE!

There was no thunderclap, no flash or a bang to announce that he took my curse away. Emfia and Jess both looked at me with worry. "Are you okay, Steve? You've been zoning out a lot lately." Emfia questioned, her green eyes searching my pale blue ones. "I'm just…stressed. Let's go inside." I muttered, pushing open one of the doors.

The three of us stepped inside and we all gasped. The ceilings were as high as they could be. Wooden beams crossed the ceiling. A dull red carpet covered the floor while quartz pillars lined the room. At the far end of it all sat a throne made of obsidian mixed with gold, at the top a crown of fire. On the throne sat a man with a flaming sword leaning against the side.

He seemed to be around 18, with blonde hair and red eyes the color of blood. He was wearing a black cape with lapis sown into it, black shirt and pants underneath. The only thing off about him was his grey shoes, which were worn and dirty, unlike the rest of his attire. He lay lazily across the throne, his legs thrown over the side. Although he looked causal, there was an air of importance and prestige emitting from him.

He turned to look at us. "Welcome!" He boomed and as if on cue torches started to light along the walls. "Look," Jess mumbled, diverting her eyes to his hand, which was on fire.

"I assume you are here for initiation. I'm so glad! Come, come, join me!" He waved us over with a big grin. His hand no longer was on fire but Jess was looking at him like he was the ender dragon. Mystified and terrified at the same time.

We walked over to him, and I noticed that there were guards stationed around the room, dressed in dark robes like the ones we met in the hallway. They melted into the shadows and I don't think Jess or Emfia noticed. They both seemed to be in a trance, walking zombie-like to the throne. I stopped in the middle of the room. The girls walked on ahead of me and stopped in front of the man. "Master, we serve you." They chanted in unison.

He smiled pleasantly. "You've both passed." Jess and Emfia shook their heads, as if they just woke up from a nightmare. He looked at me and clicked his tongue. "You, however, did not follow my orders. Very interesting." He jumped down of the throne, grabbing the crown of fire and placing it on his head. He strolled over to me with his hands clasped behind his back.

I moved my hand over to my sword hilt, ready to strike when he looked me in the eye and said: "Steve." I blinked, wondering how he knew my name. He chuckled and it echoed throughout the big room. He snapped his fingers and two cloaked figures walked over, positioning themselves on either side of him.

"Take this man to my room. I have some private things to talk about with this one."

Author's Note:

Oh snap! Who is this guy? Thank you so much for reading! This chapter was super fun to write and I can't wait to see where the next one goes! Don't forget to leave a review and a favorite! I love to see your comments!

Hugs and Hearts,

-IHateCliffhangerz