WARNING: There's a bit of pain in this chappie, just a slight warning. That's all, carry on reading. :)

Games

Ch 25: Hello, Son

PIGGLEBIGGLEBOOMZAPBANGTSSSS!

I glance around the room I'm in. There are black walls, a black ceiling, and a black, tiled floor. There are two blood red chairs in the middle of the room, and I cautiously sit down in one. Who would come to visit me? I don't really know anyone outside of Team Crafted, you know, since everyone's pretty much terrified of me. Maybe Dawn came-

"Hello, Son."

I jump out of my chair and spin to face Him.

"Oh. H-Hi, Dad."

"How are you?"

"I have no friends, I'm in love with someone who hates me, and the GameMaster despises me with a deep and burning passion."

"Oh."

"Is it okay if I blame it all on you?"

"Go ahead. I won't be offended."

For a moment, I consider falling into His arms and letting Him actually comfort me like a father should. But I know He won't actually do that. He'll just push me away and scold me for being vulnerable. He'll tell me I'm not fit to rule the Nether. He'll tell me I should train more, so maybe then I'd be ready.

"Uh... So. Why exactly are you here?" I ask, settling back down in my chair and watching as He walks over to His.

"Will invited me."

"Will? Who's Will?"

"You know, William."

"..."

"The guy that you and your friends – ex-friends? – call the GameMaster."

"Wha- The GameMaster's first name is Will!? Wait, you're on a first name basis with the GameMaster!?"

"Yeah. We aren't really too fond of each other at the moment, though. I only came for you."

"You came for me."

"Yes."

"I don't believe that," I say, leaning forward on my seat and narrowing my eyes at Him. "What do you really want?"

"I did come here for you, Skybrine."

"Okay, first of all: My name is Sky now. Not Skybrine. And second: We both know that what you just said was a lie."

"Only a partial lie, though," my father replies. "I came here for you, but not... for you. I'm your mini-challenge."

"Yeah, I get that. But it's not a real challenge, I'm just talking with a family member. Right?" I ask. A scary smile creeps onto His face. "Right?" I ask slowly.

"Not quite," Herobrine says, shrugging his shoulders as he gets up off his chair and walks towards me at the speed of a freaking turtle. Like, seriously, man, could you go any slower? "You see, Skybrine, I've been searching for you ever since you and your friends killed me three years ago. Since I'm nearly immortal, I get ten respawns before my permanent death.

"And you took my ninth, Skybrine. Ever since then, I've sent out ghasts, blazes, zombies, mobs of all shapes and kinds to hunt you down- and they all came back with no idea as to where you were." He flicks my sunglasses. "With these on, your eyes are covered up, and you look like a normal human, not that there are many of those left," He chuckles. "And I couldn't find you. I couldn't repay you for what you did to me."

I gulp as He reaches forward and takes one of my curly brown strands of hair between His fingers. He twirls it a bit, staring at it intently. "But now William has provided me with this wonderful opportunity."

"D-Dad?" I squeak, pressing back as far as I can into my chair.

"You hurt me. Now I get to hurt you," Herobrine snarls, tugging fiercely on my hair.

I yelp at the slight pain. "B-But I don't have my p-powers right now! I'm not immortal l-like you are!"

"You think I care?" my father sneers, pulling off my sunglasses and staring straight into my eyes. "Oh, what horrendously colored eyes you have. I always figured they'd be some stupid color."

"W-What color are they?" I ask, despite the situation. What? I want to know!

"Gold."

I growl at Him, then quickly clap my hand over my mouth. It is not a good idea to growl at my father, not when He is standing over you at a time when you are powerless and weaponless – basically helpless.

"Did you just growl at me, son?" Herobrine hisses, leaning even closer to me.

I swallow hard, and then His eyes are flaring with a glow brighter than anything I've ever seen, and I'm flying out of the chair and into the wall. I groan as I slide down the wall, and my murderous father stalks closer to me. "That was a mistake, Skybrine," He says in a scarily quiet voice. "You've made so, so many mistakes." I gulp as He puts His hand against my neck and pins me to the wall like that. "But maybe you can make up for them."

"H-How?" I choke out, staring straight into His bright eyes.

"By coming back to the Nether with me," He smirks. "I can get you out of this twisted game show and away from your not-friends, I can spare your life, but you have to come home with me and continue your training as prince of the Nether."

"Neve-" I begin, but I cut myself off. Would it really be so bad? He could get me out of this horrible game show – I wouldn't have to worry about man-eating squids ever again. And it's not like my friends would miss me in the slightest – they're already convinced that I'm just like my father, so why shouldn't I go with Him? "Wh-What exactly would the training be like?" I ask hesitantly.

He grins after realizing that I'm actually considering going with Him. "It'd be just like it was before you left," He replies, loosening His grip on my neck. "You'd be trained to use your powers properly, trained in the fine art of murder, trained to-"

"Murder?" I whisper. Of course, I knew that was part of the training. It was when I left, so why would it be any different now? "Could we maybe cut that bit out?"

"No," my father answers immediately. "You need to know these things if you ever want to take my place."

"But I don't want to take your place, that's the thing!" I say, growing frustrated with life in general.

"Then the training will be pointless," Herobrine shrugs, glaring at me. "Actually, if you can't take my place when you come of age, then not only is your training pointless, but so is your life."

I cry out as He slaps my cheek forcefully. He frowns at me in disgust, because I guess a small little yelp was a bit less than he was hoping for. Or possibly more. Maybe he's disgusted at me for not being strong enough. I'm disgusted at myself for not being strong enough.

Lightning strikes at three different places in the room, and my father's eyes flare. "You know what? I'll make a deal with you. We'll cut out the murder part of your training-" I grin, because that I can deal with, but then He continues. "But you have to kill your not-friends to make up for it. They're not your friends anymore, anyways, so why would you even care if they died?"

I shake my head as quickly as I can. "N-No. I'm not going to murder my friends."

"But they aren't your friends," my sad excuse for a father sneers. "You may still be theirs, but they are not yours. They don't care about you. They believe you are worthless, annoying, expendable. They will have no trouble killing you in one of the upcoming Challenges."

"No! No, no, no! They don't think that about me, and they wouldn't hurt me! They d-don't think I'm worthless, they just think I'm evil and insane and a murderer." I pause. "And doing what you've suggested would only confirm that, they would hate me even more than they already do! I will not hurt them!"

"See? They hate you, you said so yourself. Even if it isn't for the reasons I listed – and trust me, it is, they just don't show it – they hate you. You have no valid reason to avoid killing them," Herobrine says, taking on a caring tone as he adds, "You have to do what's best for you, son."

"This isn't best for me though!" I argue. "I care about them!"

My father growls and then a shock wave of pain flies through my body. There it is, the power that I always try to avoid using and the power that He uses every chance He gets. He can run pain through my body by simply touching me; if I had my powers, I could do it to Him, too. I wouldn't, though. I'm too nice for that, which He hates. I'm sure He would rather I hurt Him than spare Him (if I could ever manage to get the upper hand, that is), because it would mean that I was beginning to actually act like Him.

I scream and my body goes limp as the pain paralyzes me momentarily. "S-Stop! P-Please stop! F-Father!"

"For you, son, I will lower the requirements," He hisses. "You won't have to kill them; you'll only have to injure them badly. I want them dying on the floor; but you do not have to finish the job. You don't have to kill them."

"I-I w-won't... I c-can't h-hurt them," I sob, falling to my knees as He releases His hand from my neck.

"You are useless!" my father bellows, causing lightning to strike not two blocks away on either side of me. I flinch back in fear as tears soak my face. "How hard would it be to plant a knife in their chests!? It would take you no time at all, Skybrine!"

"I-I can't, I-I'm s-sorry!"

"You worthless failure!" Herobrine roars. "What is the point of breaking the laws of the universe to let the god of the Nether have a son if that son turns out to be a completely, hopelessly pathetic failure!?"

"I-I'm sorry!"

"I will make you kill them," He whispers threateningly, pinning me to the wall again, this time by my arms. "I will hurt you until you no longer have a choice."

:D