A/N: Hey, Ender here. I would like to thank Dedan for reviewing this week. On with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Minecraft or Shadow of Israphel

Shadow's POV

Sighing, I leaned on the rail of the balcony, looking over the edge of the Aether at the clouds that drifted far below the islands. Several months had gone by since the day it happened, and I still could not believe what Steve had done. I hadn't seen Herobrine since the day he left the Aether, but rumors of what he had done had managed to reach even the Aether, cut off as it was from the rest of the realms. Tales of the horrifying revenge he had brought upon the Crafter kind, his idea of revenge for their betrayal of Steve to Israphel. And supposedly, his self imposed revenge for his role in it.

Flare and Ender had seen the carnage as they managed to escape the Overworld, and it had been devastating. Great swaths of forests and towns burned to the ground, embers still glowing on the most recently burned patches. This wasteland was bordered by the ever-creeping desert Israphel had infected with his sand, more of the Crafter territory falling to it each day. Notch had destroyed the portals to the Overworld the day Ender brought the news, cutting his realm off from the Chaos laced one it linked to. This had effectively trapped all the lords in whatever realm they were in, causing much confusion and putting many lords at risk. A few lords here and there had managed to get to safety in the End or through linked teleports to the Aether, but there were still many unaccounted for.

I had not seen Notch since he closed the portals. Knowingly trapping Steve and Herobrine in a hostile realm had been too much for him, and he had locked himself away, hiding from the outside world and the truth. Notchie and Jeb had done what they could to maintain the Aether, but it was clear that Notch's compromised condition was causing problems for the realm. The weather now seemed to constantly switch between scorching heat and torrential downpours, the overlap of the two making it too dangerous to stay outside. Kaylo and Ender still had the burns from when they had been caught out in it, Flare having to drag the two of them out of the burning downpour.

*You should go to him.* said Illusion *Isolation will do nothing but make things worse.*

"He's the one who locked himself away." I said "I shouldn't be responsible for that."

*I was not speaking of him.* said Illusion. His words hurt, and I frowned down at the ground under the balcony, resolving to ignore any other things he said. I was not isolating myself, the others were just busy.

*It's more than that Shadow.* said Illusion *You haven't left this room in weeks and I have to force you to eat. That's not normal.*

"Has it been that long?" I murmured, turning my gaze back to the ever shifting clouds.

*That's it!* snapped Illusion. He forced me aside, taking control.

What are you doing? I asked nervously, trying to glimpse any fragment of his intent. He ignored me, blocking his thoughts carefully behind a mental wall. Panicking slightly, I tried to force him away, intending on regaining control of my body.

*Stop.* he sent *You will only hurt yourself doing that. You've let your powers grow weak, and straining them might cause you loose them.*

But why are they so weak? I asked.

Illusion sighed. *You really don't remember do you? Have you seen the state of yourself lately?* Stepping to the window, he stood so that our reflection was visible in it. The person reflected back at me was someone I barely recognized. Tired violet eyes looked out from an ashen face, a haunted look to them. My robes hung loosely around me, ill fitting from the weight I had lost. The feathers of my wings had begun to stick together and were gradually shifting to a dark sickly gray.

What happened? I whispered, terrified by what I saw in the reflection.

*It was after Herobrine left.* said Illusion *You were desperate. You could sense strange shift in both him and Steve, and it frightened you. Things were happening and you had no way of knowing what. So against my pleas, you created spell rings that you hoped would allow you to speak to them, for your sendings received no response. When you activated Steve's though, you were answered by a strange lord you did not recognize. He called himself Shatter, but before you could discover anything else, a dark force cut into your spell, breaking the link and forcing its way into your mind. It said 'Stay out of this Enderlord. I have chosen my victims for now, and you should feel lucky I have overlooked you. But if you or your kind continue to disrupt my plans, I shall wipe your kind from the realms forever.' The darkness withdrew, but the damage had been done. Darkness flowed within you, mixing with your magic and polluting it. It made you forget what had happened. The darkness knew that if left unattended and forgotten, the darkness would consume you, shifting your alliance or destroying you entirely.*

Then why didn't it? I asked, shaken by this revelation.

*Teloxen helped you.* said Illusion *He was able to combat the darkness with one of his potions, but at a price. He merged a fragment of his spirit with the potion to balance your magic, and hopefully keep it that way for once. Notchie's had to watch him since then, the ritual made him extremely vulnerable to darkness. Magic like that, it's not to be done lightly. Once you split your spirit, it can never be whole again.*

Why are you telling me this? I asked.

*I want you to understand what Teloxen had done on your behalf. He has given himself to your household, loosing his family, home and happiness in an attempt to compensate for what he did. Now he has given you a part of himself. What more will it take for you to accept him?*

I do accept him. I sent He's Tanya's son after all.

*But that's not what he wants.* said Illusion *He wants you to accept all of him, not just the parts you agree with. You have to accept that he's Zerens son too, and whatever Zeren did to him, there was a time that Teloxen loved him.*

But how can I? I cried, emotions I had not been aware of forcing themselves out. He holds within him the spirit of those I hate. He broke my family and tore our realms apart. How can I forgive that?

Illusion paused, then said quietly *You speak like you are the only one who knows pain. I watched my best friend destroy my home, then exile my people. Go to your brother, I am done with you.* He released his control on my body, leaving me standing there, gazing into the reflection I saw, trying to see the truth in it. The answer I saw scared me,

Illusion. I sent Where are you? Please come back. When I got no response, I glanced back to the reflection, triggering another wave of fear. Reaching behind me, I grabbed a flowerpot from the table and threw it through the window, destroying the frightening image of what I had become. Then I ran from the room, determined to find the one person who had a chance of understanding.

Tearing down the hallways I fervently hopped that his room was still in the same place. Reaching the doorway, I managed to stop, knocking on the door softly despite my fear.

"Who's there?" a sleepy voice murmured.

"Can I come in?" I asked, struggling to keep the desperation from my voice. The sound of footsteps drew closer, then the door in front of me was pulled open. A tired looking Notch stood on the other side, his blonde hair stringy and matted. His wings had faded to a pale cream color, and as I watched, dark streaks flickered across them, mixed with speckles of blue and red.

"What do you want?" he asked softly, the edges of his wings flicking nervously.

"Not to be alone." I admitted, my gaze slipping downwards to stare at the ground. He looked me over for a moment, before stepping aside.

"Come in." he said, gesturing into his room. Walking in, I took in the room. It was strangely pristine, almost looking unlived in. Even the bed, shoved into the back corner, was untouched, one part of the room I would have expected to be used. Looking back to Notch, I saw him lift the edge of the large painting and slip behind it. Pushing it aside, I saw Notch rummaging through a chest full of potions. Grabbing two, he turned, and when he saw me, he blushed.

"I feel safer when I can't be found." He explained. Looking around, I could tell that this was where he had been spending his time. A large pile of blankets and cushions were piled in one corner of the small room, presumably where he had been sleeping. Half full chests of various supplies filled most of the rest of the room. "So why are you here?" he asked, sitting on top of one of the chests. He twisted the top off one of his potions, looking at me quizzical. For someone who had hidden himself away, he was very calm.

"I was scared." I admitted unhappily.

"Of what?" he asked, drinking a sip of the potion.

"Of what I've become." I sighed, not meeting his gaze.

"Come here." he said, setting down his potion. I complied, sitting beside him nervously. To my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. "There's nothing wrong with you." he said.

"Why are you like this?" I asked, shying away from him "It's kind of creeping me out."

"What do you mean?" he asked, reaching over and grabbing his potion, then taking another sip of it.

"What is this stuff?" I asked, grabbing his other potion and examining it. There was no label on it of any kind, so I pried the top off, smelling the pale pink liquid inside. A sickly smell of glistering melon and sugar washed over me, making me gag.

"Why are you drinking this?" I asked, staring down at the strange potion.

"They told me to the first time." he said "I didn't think I'd like it, but it tasted nice. They bring it to me all the time now."

"Who is they?" I asked, worried now. Whatever this potion was, it wasn't something that was good for Notch.

*I see you decided to stop worrying about yourself now.* sent Illusion, still carefully guarded.

Little brothers come first. I sent firmly I can deal with my own problems later.

Notch looked confused for a moment before saying "The one with the broken feathers, he always came. The others were different sometimes."

I felt anger well up within me. How dare Teloxen mess with my brother. "You better run Teloxen." I hissed, feeling a dark power rush through me "When I find you, you will wish you never left your little family. No one messes with my family and lives." I stalked from the room, leaving Notch cheerily staring at the ceiling.

A/N: Sorry this isn't longer, I wanted to be sure I posted before falling asleep. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, consider leaving a review. Now questions for the characters.

From Dedan to Herobrine: You need (a little love).

Herobrine: Yeah...

Notchie: And a cookie!

Herobrine: Why are you here?

From Dedan to Shatter: Do you have a love intrest in Vakara?

Shatter: A bit, I don't really know her well other that what Steve thought of her. I might pursue one though, could be interesting.

From Dedan to me: so no one except Steve knew about Shatter?

Me: No, Steve was the only one who know about him.

If you have any questions for the characters, you can leave them in a review or PM them to me. I hope you have a great day and I shall see you all next chapter. Bye! :D