NovaOrAvon: Oh ok, I misunderstood at first. As a side note, this story was designed and written before the Village and Pillage update, so I'm still adhering to the old villagers at least for the time being.
That's about all I can say without spoiling whether you're right or wrong.
ClassEthan: Thank you! I'll do my best.
Chapter fourteen: Failure of the Rule
A figure strode through the quiet, peaceful-looking area that stretched out as far as the eye could see.
Despite the calmness, he could still sense the tension, hidden from everything but him. His peers were angered; they have been angered ever since Snyder got taken to the Overworld, but they could not do anything as of yet.
A big orange bird sternly looked at him from the near distance. A moa, he realized. Peaceful creatures. Usually. Not that they could harm him, even if they wanted to.
"Tristan."
He turned to the voice. He had sensed Karles' arrival before the man had spoken.
Tristan gave a nod of greeting. "Karles. What brings you here?"
Karles approached. "Snyder's ordeal," he said. "The Rule may work to our advantage."
"Yes—and to Snyder's. Ironic."
"Certainly."
They started walking side by side, passing the moa. It continued to glare at them but did nothing else.
"You are angered," Karles said. It was not a question.
"Yes," Tristan admitted. "I am. We all are."
"Yet you are aware that the Rule is in our favor."
"Only to some extent. The Rule lets us heal wounds. I would rather have the power to prevent those wounds from existing at all."
Karles grunted approvingly. "Your mind is still that of a protector."
"Of course. Raulyn may have turned out to be the enemy in the end, but he genuinely cares for Ironhand. You and I are no different from that."
"Wrong. Unlike us, Raulyn never turned his back on the Hunters as he should have. He has no regrets for the atrocities he commits." He paused. "But this is not about Raulyn." He gave Tristan a meaningful look.
Tristan glanced at him, saying nothing. Then, taking the older man's hint, he focused on something else.
He took a moment to extend his gaze, using his power to glimpse the Nether.
Jack's sense of defeat and apathy washed over him immediately.
Tristan sighed and quickly retreated. Herobrine did not actively keep anyone from taking a look at the Nether, but he would act if someone watched for too long.
He knew Karles had sensed him look. "That," Tristan said. "That is what I want to protect him from."
"As do I," Karles said. "But we cannot. We must bide our time. The fight is beginning; if Áhýdan wins, we must do what we can to limit his path of destruction."
"Then we can protect," Tristan muttered. "Only when entire worlds are at risk, we can protect."
"I, too, dislike this situation," Karles said. "But we can only do so much."
Tristan sighed but nodded. Nothing about this mattered anymore. As Karles had said, the fight was beginning. Fate would ultimately decide who the winner would be.
End of act 2
Alright, so that's the end of the second act. Give me some time before the third begins.
ALSO: There's an exam week incoming, so I'll have to devote most of my time to studying.