[Chapter XXVII]
[The End]
A/N - I apologize a head of this chapter for its length. I had no intention for it to be so long, but it happened.
Time was lost to him as he was unsure of just how long he had been sleeping, his body aching horribly upon consciousness returning to him.
Eyes fluttering open, he didn't feel any better as he sat up stiffly, looking down and to his left he saw Herobrine sleeping while curled up around him; his right arm that was draped over his side falling to land on his lap after he had sat up. Looking forwards, he sighed upon seeing the glow from the portal leading into The End filtering in through the window in the door.
'Time to end this adventure, I guess…' he thought almost bitterly to himself for some reason as his chest ached. Pushing his feelings aside, he took a deep breath in through his nose before gently nudging Herobrine with his elbow, "Hey. Brine…? Come on, wake up. It's time to go." he spoke nearly emotionlessly.
Letting out a quiet yet quick snore right before startling awake, Herobrine sat up, rubbing his eyes while yawning. "Is it time already?" he whined, having actually been enjoying his slumber.
Steve said nothing as his head began being bombarded by hundreds of thoughts at once, letting out a small huff while turning his back towards him, the motion and sound earning a raise of his brow as Herobrine silently watched Steve get out of bed, the man not bothering to cover himself while picking up his discarded clothing before cleaning himself and dressing.
Eyes looking down to the floor, Herobrine pushed himself out of bed and mimicked Steve, cleaning himself before dressing. All of which was done in silence between the two.
After making sure everything was right, Steve took a deep breath while approaching the door, taking his sword up in hand in the process after tossing his bag over his back. Leaning against the Iron door, he looked through the window, relief washing over him upon seeing no Mobs anywhere near them.
"Alright. Looks like we have a clear shot for the portal as long as nothing is around the corner. As soon as we open the door, we'll make a run for it. Jump in with no hesitation, no time for second thoughts. Got it?" he whispered just before hissing softly enough to himself that Herobrine had missed his sound of discomfort, his free hand moving up to carefully push his shirt down and away from his skin before tenderly touching at where the demon had rather violently marked him with his teeth on his neck.
Tching to himself upon feeling a warm wetness, Steve brought his hand down and in front of him, glaring with a frown as blood and dirt smudged his fingertips. 'Jackass… You didn't have to bite me so damn hard.'
Herobrine came up to stand next to him, his own gaze looking around outside. With a nod of his head, he agrees, hand to the door's lock but hesitates with unlocking it. He looks over and catches Steve studying his hand, just barely able to catch a glimpse of the blood on the man's fingertips before he lowered it away.
Giving the younger man a quick glance over, Herobrine sighed to himself; "Steve," he pauses, only continuing after seeing he has the other's full attention. Even though he was glaring at him; "Are you… are you sure you're well enough to go just yet? You're limping rather badly... because of me. And according to the legends, the Ender Dragon is very powerful and it wouldn't do us much good if it attacked you while you're like th—"
"Just unlock the damn door, Herobrine." Steve ordered impatiently, interrupting the demon.
Shocked at the tone of voice the human spoke to him in, and the fact that he used his 'full' name, Herobrine looked away before quickly removing the lock after whispering; "Right…"
The instant the door was opened, Steve ran out first, eyes narrowed as he ignored the sharp pain shooting up his body as result of Herobrine's unusual forceful fucking just hours ago while running up the steps and reaching the still activated portal.
Despite him being the one to quickly throw together the master plan of approach, he froze the moment he reached the top; eyes staring down into the black swirling entry into The End, his heart pounding in his chest and in his throat.
Without warning, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his waist-causing him to cry out as he found himself suddenly being pushed over the edge and towards the starry night sky. Herobrine's chin appeared over his shoulder as he held him close, his breath hot against his ear, "No hesitating, Steve."
The two of them suddenly fell forwards and through the portal, coldness enveloping Steve as he struggled to breathe. The density in the atmosphere was extremely thick, causing the human to have difficulty breathing until his body adjusted to the difference.
It was nothing like traveling back and forth between the Overworld and the Nether.
Eyes slowly cracking open after his feet had touched down on solid ground, he lifted his head and looked up, his eyes instantly widening upon what he saw.
Before them was what looked like a large floating island made of a strange colored sand, hundreds of Endermen roaming the plain freely. The sky and empty void far beneath the land they were on was dark like a night sky but looked nothing like the nights back in the Overworld. Taking one step forward, Steve was suddenly stopped by Herobrine, looking over to the demon and seeing him pointing down.
"Be careful, Steve. I don't think it's too safe down there." he warned.
Looking down, Steve blinked upon seeing them standing on a large floating platform made up of obsidian bricks. "Whoa…" he gasped, lifting his gaze to see that they were considerably far away from the main island that the Endermen were roaming.
"Hold onto me, Steve. I'll teleport us there." Herobrine instructed while wrapping his arms around the human's waist, not bothering to wait for a response before teleporting them both over to a safe spot on the island.
The ground was a strange combination as it held the softness of sand, but the hardness of stone. It was certainly not like anything Steve had ever seen or felt before. He continued to stare at his surroundings in awe, his breath escaping him as he tried taking in the sights and sounds.
He never thought he would actually make it to The End. But here he was; with Herobrine by his side. Giving the other a sideways glance, the look on the man's face sent a sudden eerie chill down his spine.
Herobrine was ignoring all the Endermen around them. Ignoring the edge of the world they were standing on. Ignoring the tall pillars made of obsidian with strange crystals perched on top. Nothing could take the man's pure white eyes off the large black dragon that roared proudly while flying overhead, appearing unthreatened by the two intruders as it hovered gracefully over one of the large glowing crystals, a strange bright light connecting the rock and beast for a few seconds until it shook it's massive head and gave a low growl, leaving it to go hover next to another one.
"She's beautiful."
"Brine?" Steve looked back from the dragon at Herobrine, his brow raised in confusion as the Nether ruler slowly drew his diamond sword and began walking out in the middle of the plain.
"Well, Steve? This is where you come in according to the legend. You come and liberate the Overworld of the threat that flows from The End. You have to slay the Ender Dragon! That's the only way to stop The End from seeping into the Overworld!" Herobrine called out over his shoulder, the grin on his face making Steve suddenly reconsider everything that has happened between the two of them up to this point.
All at once, Steve got an almost overpowering sense that he could not trust Herobrine. That bringing him here was a terrible mistake... almost feeling as if it were a fatal one.
Narrowing his eyes at no one in particular, Steve shook his head clear of such thoughts. How could he even think of such a thing? Herobrine has done so much for him. And with how… close they've become—
Enough was enough of his suddenly confused emotions. There were much more important things to deal with at the moment. So without any more hesitation, Steve quickly removed his supply bag from his back and dropped it, only grabbing the few items he felt would be needed.
The Ender Dragon flew overhead, eyeing the two carefully and gauging whether to attack them or let her obedient Endermen handle them. Her answer came to her in the burning pain the spread over her belly from Herobrine throwing a fireball up at her.
Throwing her head back, she released an angered roar, causing all Endermen within the realm to halt and turn towards her before all dark heads turned towards the two intruders.
The screeching of hundreds of Endermen all at once caused annoyance to Herobrine, but caused Steve to come to a stop and cover his ears. Seeing the creatures were immobilizing the human, Herobrine cursed while changing his tactic.
Instead of going for the Dragon, he quickly began taking out as many of the Endermen to at least allow Steve a fair fighting chance.
No longer numbed by the pain from the sound as it became more and more quiet, Steve glared up at the dragon. Gripping the handle of his diamond sword, he ran out towards the center of the pillars, taking note of a strange looking structure that almost resembled a fountain with no running water.
Bright purple eyes narrowed dangerously upon seeing the intruder growing nearer to the structure, the Ender Dragon snarling and baring her teeth while quickly diving to the side. Bright purple flames poured from her open mouth as she swooped down, trying to block Steve's path.
With a curse, Steve was able to dodge the flames, however took note that it seemed like the dragon wasn't really aiming for him. Taking advantage of her so close to the ground, he held up his sword and managed to catch her left wing while she began rising back up to the sky.
Roaring in pain, the dragon shook her head and glared under her wing down at the miner while rising up to one of the tall pillars and approached the glowing crystal perched in the center.
Steve narrowed his eyes while he observed, watching as the dragon suddenly began glowing upon the bright beam stretching out from the crystal and attaching to the beast. A loud gasp left Steve then as he watched in horror as the decent gash he had just caused to the creature's wing mended back together and appearing as if it had never been caused in the first place. "Brine! Those crystals! They heal the damage we cause to the damn beast!" he pointed out.
Herobrine cursed while lifting his gaze skyward at one of the high obsidian towers. "We need to destroy those first before fighting the dragon, Steve. Then and only then will we be able to actually take the creature down." the Nether ruler instructed.
Steve was already a step ahead of him as he ran back over to his bag and falling next to it, taking out a weapon Herobrine had never seen the young male use before.
Readying an arrow in the bow he held tightly, Steve took a deep breath before holding it and closing one eye. Lining up his shot with such haste and accuracy Herobrine couldn't help but feel a stab of arousal hit him painfully hard, Steve released the arrow and relaxed, watching with a small smile as it sailed through the dark sky, its whiteness a stark contrast up until it penetrated the brightly glowing crystal; the gem shattering loudly as shards rained down the tall tower to fall upon the sharp sand far below.
The dragon roared while rearing her massive head towards the destroyed crystal, deep purple eyes narrowed dangerously upon seeing the remains of the arrowhead that ruined one of her healing sources.
With a rumbling growl, the dragon slowly turned her head and focused her full attention on the intruder that had fired the cursed weapon that caused her precious gem's destruction. Her long snout curled into a snarl as she wiggled her large body for a few seconds, planning her attack precisely before launching herself into the sky and diving down towards the small human.
"Steve, watch out! She's on to you!" Herobrine warned while dodging an approaching Enderman.
"Shit." Steve hissed, jumping with a roll to the side to avoid the dragon's fire attack as she swooped down towards him. Her long claws were outstretched with the hope of hooking one into him, only to snarl louder upon missing the man and ascending higher into the dark sky in retreat. Steve shook his head before looking up at her from his place on his hands and knees, watching with slight awe as she gracefully soared through the air of her domain.
Carefully landing atop the tallest tower, the Ender Dragon rear her head towards Steve once again, seizing the man's attention upon their eyes locking.
Suddenly, Steve became nearly overwhelmed by so many different emotions that almost painfully slammed into him as he verbally argued against the rumbling feminine voice that suddenly raided his mind the instant the violet of human eyes met the deep amethyst of dragon eyes;
'Leave'
"Wait, what? Hold on… y-you can speak?"
'LEAVE'
"Why… why must we fight!?"
'You are invading'
"Do we have to? Can't there be another way!?"
'Get out'
"Must we follow legends and stories that only lead to repeated sorrow!?"
'Leave this place'
"I don't want to fight you!" He suddenly screamed, his tone full of pure desperation.
The dragon suddenly blinked; her gaze wide and locked onto the tiny human far beneath her massive body. The voice within Steve's mind fell silent as she suddenly took flight again but merely hovered over the pillar, the loud flapping sound of her wings beating in a steady rhythm to keep her airborne drowning out all sounds around Steve as he felt himself being pulled by her majestic beauty.
He watched her as she gracefully swooped down and landed atop the shortest tower that happened to be the one closest to Steve, her stance tall and prideful while at the same time giving the small human her fullest attention.
'You wish to not fight'
"I feel…"
Amethyst eyes narrowed into curious slits; 'You feel…'
"Drawn to you." The human whispered.
"Steve!" Herobrine's voice was a faraway echo in the miner's ears.
'Remember'
"I've forgotten…?"
'Remember'
Steve shook his head nearly violently; "Everything! But… how!?"
The Ender Dragon's loud and angered snarls and growls grew into soft purrs as she continued to keep Steve's attention trained purely on her throughout their communications.
"What in the hell is going on? This… this isn't in any of the legends…!" Herobrine felt panicked as he continued to watch the unexpected exchange between the miner and dragon.
"Why?"
'Why'
"Why am I so drawn to you? Why are you almost… familiar?"
'Valerrencian'
Steve gasped, eyes widening. "What…?"
'Crest'
Suddenly, the Ender Dragon let out a gut-wrenching screech as she fell to the sand, the plain shaking upon the impact of her massive body colliding.
Shaking his head as if to break free of the trance-like state he was just in, Steve looked over his shoulder with wide eyes to see Herobrine panting after having just delivered the devastating attack that brought the dragon down.
"Finish this, Steve! Before she tries to trick you again or whatever the hell she was just doing!" the demon growled loudly. "I've destroyed all the remaining crystals, but you have to be the one to slay her!"
The Ender dragon lifted her head, amethyst eyes cracked and searching for Steve. Releasing a low growl upon seeing the man, she glared; though made no motion to attack as he slowly approached her, his cracking sword held down. "What exactly have you done… to label you and these Endermen of yours so evil?" he asked the creature, knowing full well he would receive no response at this point.
However, the dragon's eyes widen slightly, her nostrils flaring while she took deep breaths through the pain. Her eyes remained locked onto Steve's again, watching him intently while dozens of Endermen circled around them. 'Lies'
Steve saw this and kept his guard up, but kept his sword's blade down. "Lies as in, you have caused harm? Or lies as in… the legends? As far as I know… you never leave the End. And your Endermen are only a threat if they're provoked."
"Steve! What're you doing!?" Herobrine called out to him. "Stay away from her! Kill her from a distance!"
Looking over his shoulder at the Nether ruler for only a moment, Steve turned his attention back to the dragon. He couldn't explain it… but a strengthening urge to approach and touch the dragon was beginning to creep into him the longer he stared into her purple eyes.
The dragon's eyes narrowed while her head lowered slightly upon feeling fatigue washing over her. But her response caused Steve to gasp; 'Legends'
Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, he slowly walked up to her, his left arm lifting and fingers flexing, "You don't seem evil…" he whispered. "I feel that there is so much more about you than anyone knows…"
The Ender Dragon seemed as if she held her breath as Steve's hand drew nearer, his palm mere centimeters away from gently touching her snout.
Too captivated by the creature's stare, Steve missed the Endermen that had begun closing in on him fleeing suddenly as something quickly approached.
Next thing the miner knew was intense pain burning his whole body and ears ringing after the explosion of fire pummeled into him, his whole being aching as it slid and rolled across the sharp sand before coming to a halt on his stomach, his sword lost somewhere else.
He had been launched at least a good nine to ten yards away from the dragon, his entire person hurting excruciatingly as it burned from both the fire that had struck him and cuts the sand beneath him had caused.
Groaning while shaking his head, Steve managed to slowly push himself up on his hands and knees, his heart pounding in his ears replacing the deafening ring as he lifted his gaze to see what exactly had hit him. What he saw had a nauseating sharp stab hit his chest as he struggled to get up on his feet; "B-Brine…? W-what are you d-doing?"
The man in question was slowly approaching the dying dragon, breathing deeply as his body began showing signs of exhaustion from fighting off so many Enderman, Steve's sword in his right hand while his left hand still had the remaining flickers of fire from the ball he had just shot… the one that had sent Steve flying away from the creature and injuring him. "Finally… I have waited so fucking long for this moment. You really have no idea." he breathed in a deep growl, his white eyes narrowed while lips peeled back in a snarling smirk that had his equally white teeth bared for all to see.
This.
This was the pure image of evil Steve had originally thought of Herobrine when he first was told the tale about him… until the man managed to convince him otherwise. Getting to his feet shakily, Steve began forcing his broken body forward. "B-Brine. What have you been waiting for? W-why did you—? W-what's going on here?"
And then all too suddenly, Herobrine was before Steve; using his teleportation abilities to the fullest. Startled, Steve tried to take a step back just as the other reached out, his left hand taking Steve by the throat tightly and lifting him off the ground.
"Gah—!?" His hands shot up to grab at Herobrine's wrist, the man's hand-still burning from the remains of the fireball-scorching his flesh. The pain was greatest over the still throbbing spot where the Nether ruler had bitten him, leaving burning imprints of his palm and fingers that were sure to scar and remain for the rest of Steve's existence.
"You were always so naïve and nice, Steve. You became too trusting. Losing your sense of paranoia and began trying to see the good in people, even if you knew none existed! You became blinded by your worthless kindness and desperation to beat back your own loneliness to see that I. Was. Using. You. From the beginning… and now at the end." he spoke, gradually adding more and more pressure to his hand and slowly cutting off the miner's airway while also silencing his pained sounds of being burned while at the same time being choked.
Struggling to remain conscious, Steve managed to weakly choke out; "W-What—?"
Herobrine scoffed with a 'roll of his eyes' motion, "Typical human… Let me break it down for you; I've wanted complete control over the entire Overworld after that bastard Notch banished me to the Nether. He had thought I would have been torn apart by the Mobs there. But I became their leader instead. Their master. Before, I was happy and content with escaping with my new followers and causing the trouble I was before… but as the days turned to weeks that turned to months that turned to years? My anger and hatred made me begin to desire something more. I want revenge against that backstabbing fool!
"And what better way than to take what he so dearly cherishes? I knew I alone wouldn't have the strength to pull it off. Even with the Mobs of the Nether at my command. So I got to thinking… The Ender Dragon. She of course is beyond the point of taming…" He nodded his head over his shoulder and motioning towards the large beast lying in a growing pool of dark blood before continuing, "But the legends spoke of her hoarding a single egg. If I take that egg, hatch it and raise that dracling my way then NOTHING could stop me! But there was one little problem…" he paused while slowly lowering his arm so Steve was no longer in the air. However, instead of stopping when his feet touched the sand, he pushed him down onto his knees, leaning over him. Dominating him.
Eyesight beginning to leave him as his consciousness was slowly slipping away; his chest ached at the words being spoken so cruelly to his face. Trying to hide his hurt and betrayal, he glared weakly up at the man he trusted and cared so much for. "A-and what was t-that?"
"I couldn't find it. Nothing I did, no one I killed would reveal to me the entrance to The End. So I once again turned back to the legends. And that's when I learned the truth… I needed the 'hero' who would find The End and liberate the Overworld of the Dragon that lurks within the depths of darkness. And since I blew my chances before I was able to kill enough of those freaks and locate their portal, I was stripped of my title and was no longer the chosen hero. So, I waited silently and patiently within the depths of hell, until the day finally came when the next hero would appear. I needed you, Steve…" he whispered.
Their faces were only centimeters apart as Herobrine grinned, voided eyes staring deeply into the half-lidded violet of the younger male, smirking while watching the life slowly fading from his eyes. "Once you were exposed as the next chosen one, I began putting my plan into motion. I was able to escape the Nether by tricking that useless and weak-minded child, Hugo, into activating the Nether Portal that you and those two old fools accidently discovered." He chuckled upon seeing Steve's reaction to finding out it had been Hugo who had released him from the Nether.
Thrusting Steve's sword into the hard sand deep enough so the weapon could stand on its own, Herobrine raised his now free hand up to almost tenderly caress the miner's cut up cheek from where he had slid across the sand from the blast; "I was willing to do anything to get what I desired. Fucking you was just the added bonus! Though I'll admit, the work I had to put into it for you to finally put out was a pain… but at least you made it well worth it in the end. I seriously think you've been the best lay I've ever had! Gonna miss it."
He then chuckled while licking his lips and bringing Steve's weakly struggling body closer against his, his right hand moving from the human's cheek downwards to cop-a-feel as the demon lowered himself into a squatting position so he could better reach where he wanted to touch. "Unless, of course, you agree to join me and stand by my side? Just think about it… We can rule over both the entire Overworld and the Nether together, Steve! Besides-I'd hate to lose this amazing body of yours… feels so perfect pinned down and writhing beneath mine as I fuck the breath out of it." he smirked seductively while roughly groping Steve's crotch and earning a strangled gasp, not really surprised when the next response he received from Steve was the glaring man spitting in his face.
"Well then… I take that as a no. Too bad." He gave a nonchalant roll of his right shoulder before wiping his cheek off on his sleeve as he stood back up. Keeping Steve down on his knees, he gave the man a disappointed smile and a few shakes of his head before suddenly delivering a harsh punch to Steve's left cheek that left the man dizzy, knowing he would leave a bruise.
'D-dammit! That's why he was so rough and demanding right before we came here... He wanted one last good fuck from me before he… before he—! Fucker… This was—t-this was his plan… all… all along. He never… once cared about me…' That was the last thin line to be cut for Steve's mind to suddenly shut down; his heart breaking completely and was no longer able to keep up the strong front.
His glare disappeared as eyelids lowered further, violet orbs barely visible beneath his lashes as his hands dropped from Herobrine's wrist to fall by his sides, not even flinching as his knuckles scrapped against the sharp sand beneath him.
Tears lined his eyes before falling with no resistance, smearing the blood and sand while stinging the cuts on his cheeks, his sight no longer seeing the man that had broken him so harshly standing before him but rather straight through him; his entire body shutting down and no longer responding to anything said or done to it. He no longer struggled. He simply gave in and accepted his fate.
Herobrine blinked, smirk fading completely as he observed the end results of his full plan. He was… surprised to see just how broken the man before him had become. It was almost unnerving… He had thought Steve would grow furious and put up a 'fight 'til the end' kind of resistance…
But none of that ever came after the little flare of retaliation he had just displayed.
Just as his lips parted to say something to the human, the loud pain-filled cry that came from the dragon pulled his attention away, looking over his shoulder to see the creature falling to the sand, her eyes closing forever as she took her last breath.
Suddenly, bursts of white light exploded from her body, the entire plain beginning to tremble as it fell apart.
Grin returning, Herobrine released Steve by roughly pushing him to the side before running towards where the dragon was once at, the large bedrock nest revealing the prize of his long journey.
Sitting atop it and nestled neatly in the middle of the pedestal was a large, round black egg that had pulsating purple veins. "At long last…"
Reaching out, he gently placed his hand over the dark bumpy shell, laughing as he could feel it humming beneath his palm. "AT LONG FUCKING LAST!" He began laughing louder while going to lift it. He grunted at its weight, "Shit you need to go on a diet. The hell your mother been feeding you?" His attention was taken away from the egg as the area began trembling more violently the more it continued to fall apart.
He wasn't sure why, but a sudden sharp stinging in his chest had him turning his body away from the egg and towards where he had left Steve, certain the man had gotten up and limped away to lick his wounds.
White eyes widened as he saw the miner had in fact NOT gotten up to find a way out of the realm, but rather was still lying where he had released him, eyes void of life staring blankly up at the darkening sky.
"Steve…" Herobrine whispered while turning back towards the egg his hand was still on. Looking back over to the motionless man, Herobrine nibbled his lower lip as he began to feel lightheaded from the sudden tightness that took hold of his throat that was making swallowing nearly impossible.
So strange… His chest was next to start hurting, aching badly the longer he stared at Steve.
He couldn't explain the feeling he was experiencing as it continued over taking his body, the hand that was resting against the shell trembling against the surface while his free hand moved to grip at the front of his shirt in the center of his chest, breaths coming in quick and painful gasps.
He just couldn't fucking explain it! He's been impaled, burned, shot at and crushed… but never has he felt this sort of pain before!
His body reacted before his brain could as he cried out, abandoning the egg while reaching out for the other as he made a dash for him just as the ground beneath Steve suddenly gave in, the man falling to the black abyss far below before Herobrine was able to reach him.
"STEVE—!"
To Be Continued…
A/N - BAM! MOTHER F'ING PLOT TWIST!
There is only one chapter left and this story will be over. But remember what I said in the previous chapter; another story will then begin! I want to thank everyone for the inspiring words in the many reviews this story has gotten as it helped encouraged me to continue on with it knowing people were enjoying it so much! And I hope it's continuing to be enjoyable and that the following story will also be as successful and highly anticipated and it will answer all unanswered questions this story has left floating around!
Also... I actually had this chapter nearly done... before I actually "beat" Minecraft. Like... been to The End. That's why the whole scene between Herobrine and the egg are nothing like in the actual game. And I was too lazy to change it...
*Again a huge special thanks to slingading for the fantastic cover art for this story! Thank you so much and much love to you!*
