Chapter 25: A Disastrous Choice
(Storm glances ahead at the forest, having heard someone call out Sky's name. The equine turns back to Sky, who is still grieving over Butter's death, and neighs softly. Sky lifts up his head, tears streaming from both sides of his face).
-Sky: I know, Storm. I heard them. They need the essence.
(Sky pulls out the Poison Essence and throws it towards the forest. It rolls across the ground before falling over on one side, a pair of feet right ahead of it. GoldSolace. He bends down and grabs the essence. Everyone ceases to a stop and look at Sky. The Minecrafter looks down at his deceased pet. Dawn trudges over to her husband and kneels besides him).
-Dawn: Sky...what happened?
-Sky: Butter...Butter's dead, Dawn. I led those bugs over the ravine, and I accidentally fell off the cliff. Butter went in after me, and Storm was able to get me out, but...Butter fell over the waterfall. It was an accident. It should have been me to take the plunge. Now, all I have left is Storm. You and me had Butter ever since he was a puppy.
(Sky lets out weak sobs, not having any more energy to cry out loud. Dawn embraces him in an endearing hug. Jerome walks over and kneels down besides the canine).
-Jerome: I'm sorry, Sky. I knew Butter meant a lot to you. I remember the first day you and Dawn introduced me to him. He bit my finger, and then piss on my tree. Now, all those good memories seem to have become nothing...
-Sky: Guys...I...I can't do this.
-Ssundee: Wait, what do you mean?
-Sky: I can't continue this journey, this adventure, this...murderous travel! We've have nearly gotten killed by anything that's either armed with weapons or has a special ability or whatnot.
-TrueMU: Sky, you can't give up now. We still need to collect the essences. We just have the Wind, Electric, Fire, and Darkness essences we need to get. We already have the Life, Water, Ice, and Poison essences.
-Sky: But look at what that's cost us. We got the Life Essence, but that costed Butter Golem and we almost lost Bodil for good. At the Water Essence, we nearly got murdered by that mutant squid. At the Ice Essence, that Ice Bull almost killed all of us. And now that we have the Poison Essence, Dawn nearly got hurt and now, Butter is dead. What I'm trying to say is that if we keep this journey up, every single one of you is gonna die, and I don't want that to happen.
-Kermit: So what? You're just gonna give up? Just...abandon the world and let Herobrine take it all for himself? Is that what you want?
-Sky: No, Kermit. You all can go on the journey...without me.
-Deadlox: What? But dude...you're like...the bravest one out of all of us. We couldn't possibly make it out there, in the wild without your guidance and leadership. We need you, dude.
-Sky: Deadlox, I just...I just can't. And besides, I'm going blind here. You expect a blind hero to save your asses when needed!?
(Sky sighs as he ascends back to his feet. He pulls out his sword and uses it to feel around in his environment).
-Sky: GoldSolace, Chim, can you two take care of my friends for me and maybe...continue the journey to save the world?
(The duo look at each other nervously. But soon, they turn back to Sky and nod. The Minecrafter makes a faint smile before turning away. He navigates himself to Storm and jumps onto the equine. Dawn runs up to him).
-Dawn: Sky, you know, you don't have to do this.
-Sky: Dawn...I'm done. I'm not a hero anymore. Being blind and not able to save everyone around you proves that...you're not built to be a hero and...you probably never will be a hero. All I can say is...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I snapped at you and the others. I'm not mad at you for being pregnant anymore. In fact, I'm really happy that we're having a child. But you said that once this journey is over, so is our marriage. So...our marriage ends here.
-Dawn: (voice breaking) But...S-Sky...I can't go on without you!
-Sky: You can. You have the others to seek help when you need it. For me, I was once a great hero of a city, but now...I'm just a nobody. I'll...I'll be on my way. So long, old friends.
(Sky gives the reins a quick whip and Storm turns and gallops away from the Minecrafters. Dawn tries running after him, but Seto grabs her arm and holds her in place).
-Seto: Dawn, let him go! He made his choice. I think we can all get along just fine without him. His time of being a hero was slowly ending for him and now, he has left us.
(Dawn lets out a sob as she wipes away never-ending tears from her eyes).
-Dawn: (sobbingly) Oh, Sky...
(Half an hour later, within a desolate field, Storm trots along a gravel path, Sky looking downward at his mane. The Minecrafter removes his sunglasses and looks around. His vision is completely black, no more sight is left after the chaos with the waterfall and the violent river. Despite being completely blind, Sky's other senses, such as his hearing and sense of danger is heighten. Storm continues to trot along the path, the weather above seems to only get worse. Then, the storm clouds above begin to twirl. Storm gazes up at the welkin and neighs alarmingly).
-Sky: What is it, Storm? Is there something wrong?
(Storm neighs out again. The stallion looks up and sees two dark figures descending from the rain clouds. The gray horse backs away as the figure get close and closer to the ground. They gently touch the ground with their feet, then look up. Two pairs of soulless, white eyes spied at the horse. Then, red lines begins to appear all over the figures, lighting up and revealing the figures, Herobrine and Noah. They glare at the being as they are revealed to be wearing dark armor with blood-red, glowing outline designs everywhere on the armor. Sky becomes apprehensive).
-Sky: Who's there!? Show yourself?
-Herobrine: We're right in front of you, blind freak.
-Sky: Herobrine!? What do you think you're doing here?
-Noah: We heard that you left your friends because you no longer possess the ability to see anymore, which to us, gains us an fair advantage. Your blindness has left you helpless and with your departure from the others, you have made the biggest mistake of your life.
-Sky: (angrily) And what's that?
-Herobrine: Never go off on your own, especially when we are around and you have a disability!
(Herobrine forms a fireball in his hand and fires. The flaming ball of fire implodes the ground, greatly startling Storm. He neighs and rears up, throwing Sky off of his back. The stallion gallops away out of fright, leaving Sky with the devil gods. Sky gets back on his feet and pulls out his butter sword).
-Sky: I don't need sight when my other senses are heighten.
(The Minecrafter charges for the gods. Herobrine and Noah teleport out of sight. Sky hears the teleportation sound and skids to a stop. He looks around carefully, alert for the faintest of noises. Then, Herobrine appears behind him and yanks the sword out of Sky's grasp. Sky turns to punch the god, but the King of the Nether fights back with a punch to Sky's stomach. The Butter God stumbles away, clutching his aching stomach from the hit. Then, Noah appears behind him and delivers a kick to his back. Sky grunts painfully through his teeth, then quickly turns to punch Noah. But at the last second, Noah teleports away. Sky nearly loses his balance when he doesn't hit anything but the air. Herobrine teleports right in front of him and grabs the Minecrafter by the throat. He lifts him in the air as he starts to makes his grasp tighter on Sky's throat. Sky start to choke and coughs out for air, but he can't get any oxygen in).
-Herobrine: You say that your senses have been heightened and yet, you still lose to us. And you really need to work on your sword-wielding skills. Such sloppy swordsmanship...you should be ashamed of yourself.
(Sky can only glare at the Nether King as he feels his windpipe being crushed by the god's forcefully grip).
-Sky: (breathlessly) You will...n-never...take our world, Herobrine. My friends...they're still gonna go after the essences...they'll...they'll never give up!
-Herobrine: I don't intend on watching them give up. I'll just wait until the perfect moment when they gather all of the biome essences, that is if they don't get killed by the bosses mobs protecting the remaining essences. When I strike, I'll take all of the essences for myself, and become the most powerful god to exist. The essences shall power me, and no one, not even Regina, will be able to stop me!
-Sky: You made a mistake there, you devil god! You reveal all of your secret to me! Just wait until my friends find out!
-Herobrine: Oh, they won't, Sky...because you won't be alive to tell them.
(Herobrine teleports away with Sky).
(Moments later, Herobrine reappears at a cliff, right below it is the ocean with sharp, jagged rocks. Sky could hear the sounds of waves crashing against the rocky side).
-Sky: You're throwing me into the ocean!?
-Herobrine: Indeed. But just to make sure you don't make it out alive...Noah...you know what you need to do.
(Noah summons into his hands a large, steel hammer with dagger-like spikes. Herobrine freezes Sky in place with his magic, the Minecrafter's head facing towards the ocean. Noah pads up to him and raises the hammer. He looks over at his father).
-Noah: Father...
-Herobrine: Don't talk. Just do it.
(Noah looks at the hammer, but he doesn't swing it. He starts to lean the hammer back slowly, right behind his body. Herobrine starts to be agitated).
-Herobrine: What are you waiting for!? Hit him!
(Noah grunts as he swings the hammer. The weapon slams into the back of Sky's head, a faint crack is heard from Sky's skull. The Minecrafter is knocked unconscious and falls over the cliff. The gods watch as Sky is pounded by the sharp edges of rocks as he plummets to the ocean. When he hits the ocean's surface, he doesn't resurface again. Herobrine looks intently to make sure that the Minecrafter is done for. Meanwhile, his son looks in pure guilt from what he was just forced to do).
-Herobrine: Within the next minutes, he will drown. The world will finally be brung to its downfall. Come, Noah, we still have a lot to do.
(Herobrine turns and walks away from the cliff. Noah remains stationary at the cliff, his mouth hung open in horror. But then, he closes his mouth as he utters some faint words).
-Noah: (muttering) I'm...I'm so sorry...Sky...
(The poor Minecrafter slowly turns and joins his father near the portal back to his hellish home).
(A full day had passed. Every one of Sky's friends knew that they couldn't turn away from the world now. So they continued their journey without Sky, unaware of what has become of the Minecrafter. About 20 miles away from where the group were heading to another biome, in the vast open ocean, floating on a piece of driftwood...is Sky. The man is covered in bloody cuts, his amulet missing. His skull had been broke open on the back of his head. Slowly, the blind Butter God comes to, but he opens his eyes and all he can see is blackness. However, there was only one question on his battered mind, one that will change his life forever...for the worst of him and only meant disaster for the world).
-Sky: Who...who am I?