ClassEthan: Thank you! I will.
AcumenDarious (first review): Sounds about right. Cassandra's attitude does partly originate from her bad history with humans, but it also comes from (an arguably unreasonable) resentment towards Jack for keeping such an important part of his past a secret for so long—an action that (as you already alluded to) Cass thinks only proves her point about how untrustworthy humans are.
Additionally, she knows very little about his world and its customs, and that subconsciously makes her apprehensive. For all she knows, Earthlings like Jack are more fickle, cunning or treacherous than they may seem—traits that Overworld humans frequently associate with mobs. In a way, it's ironic (yet understandable) that she has in part adopted a mindset similar to the one her main enemies share.
In the end, there are two main reasons why she acts the way she does, and both reasons depend on one another. If one of them were absent, maybe the other wouldn't hold as much weight. Another irony: The one human who has a different view on everything, is also the human she's harshest with.
AcumenDarious (second review): You…might be right. I'm not sure, actually; I think there are more sources that claim her name is Ari. I'm not exactly sure what source I used, but I don't know for certain if it was Changing Destiny specifically.
I won't deny that I'm lazy though; I took my sweet time with these last chapters.
Hello. Welcome to my annual return to this story on this site—and on any story on any site.
Okay, so this blasted thing took way too long to finish, but now I can finally get to publishing it. This act is way overdue—partly because of school, writer's block, DOOM Eternal, etc., but also because I rewrote/overhauled every single chapter in it. Several times.
But enough about my personal problems. A lot of things have been happening in the world these past months. I hope you guys are staying safe.
Act 3: The prison
Chapter fifteen: Imprisonment
Jack looked to the massive doorway in front of him. It was sealed up by a wall of black rock. Behind Jack was a long hallway of gray stone, faintly lit by glowstone chunks that were embedded in the ceiling. The other end of the hallway was obscured by a thick black fog that the glowstone couldn't dispel.
This was the deepest part of the Nether. According to Herobrine, it was sometimes considered a completely separate world from the Nether, but it was "more a peninsula than a completely separate island". This was the entrance to Áhýdan's prison. And the only way to access it was through magic—a means of transport Herobrine himself had arranged.
Hera went to stand next to Jack. She glanced at him. "You nervous?" she asked.
Jack glanced at her, not replying.
"Yeah," Hera said, "me too." She paused. "I didn't agree to this. If I could've stopped Dad when he took you, I would've."
Jack's hand gravitated to his pocket, which held his emergency healing potion. He'd left his backpack in the Nether; it'd just slow him down, and there wasn't anything useful in it anyway.
"I'll need to know what to do," he finally said. "What's the plan? I just have to find and destroy those crystals, right?"
"Yes," Herobrine affirmed. "I will keep an eye on you; whenever you reach one, I will send a mob through it."
"Alright, then," Jack said. "Remind me again—what if Áhýdan's already integrated himself into those…those world borders by now?"
"It's technically possible that some parts of him have already made their way to the Overworld," Hera said. She sounded like an enthusiastic scientist explaining her research, or a gamer talking about the lore of some game. "But that's not very likely. For now, all we can do is destroy the crystals. Do that, and his remnants will become so weak that even the slightest wisp of hostile magic can kill him."
"But it is still possible he escaped. At least partly." From what he understood, creatures like Herobrine were essentially pure magic, and they could be 'divided' into different pieces. It was what allowed Áhýdan to bind to five different crystals. Jack wasn't sure how to imagine that.
"We must assume he has not," Herobrine said. "And even if he has, defeating him here will, at the very least, weaken him greatly."
"And what if I or one of the mobs die before the last crystal is destroyed?"
"Destroying the other crystals will weaken Áhýdan," Hera said. "We'll be able to make sure the mobs are safe, but should you…go…before the last one is taken care of, Dad and I might be able to destroy it anyway."
"You might." Jack turned back to the large door. "Don't suppose you can tell me what to expect in there?"
"Áhýdan's tricks and traps are almost completely invisible to us," Herobrine said. "You will have to see for yourself, I fear. I can tell you that the remaining control Hera and I have over this prison prevents Áhýdan's Trials from becoming too extreme. Theoretically, you should be able to pass them—especially with a mob at your side. Should he go too far, we will force him to either limit himself or to give you something that may help."
"I can theoretically make it." Jack scowled. "With your 'encouragement', right? I can feel your influence on me, still." It was true. Ever since he found out about that, he could feel just how powerless he was. General thoughts and movements were still within his control, but there were limits now. He could walk, but he couldn't just walk away from what he was about to face.
Herobrine looked away. He then walked over to the door and put his hand on it, creating a ripple of white light that spread over it.
Jack sighed and looked down at the ground. Hera gently grabbed him by the shoulder. He looked at her, not feeling very comfortable despite the apparent friendliness of the gesture.
"You'll be fine," Hera said. "I'll keep an eye out for you." She paused, looking down. "This is all happening because of my father, and there's nothing I can do about it. He's…not the man I thought he was. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."
Jack said nothing. He couldn't deny that he felt anger towards her as well. Part of him knew that that anger wasn't justified; Hera had played no part in Herobrine's schemes so far. At least not intentionally.
"I'm not walking away from this, am I?" Jack said. "Even with the mobs' help, I'm not going to survive."
Hera sighed, not responding. That was enough of an answer to clarify her thoughts on the matter.
"I have opened the door," Herobrine said.
Jack looked at the door in question to see that it was gone. Beyond it, a large cave-ish room of gray, black and red stone was visible. Colors of the Nether.
Herobrine walked through the doorway. Hera went after him, followed by a very reluctant Jack. For the sake of it, he tried to turn around and walk through the hallway behind him, but some part of him—be it physical or mental—couldn't comprehend the idea, and he kept following Hera without breaking stride.
Once he stepped through the doorway and entered the other room, he felt a slight change in the atmosphere. An anxiety that had somehow been absent earlier set in. He felt like an idiot: He, a human, in a place that was powerful enough to imprison something beyond his understanding. What had possessed him to agree to this?
I didn't agree, he remembered, his anger flaring again. He glanced at Herobrine. That scumbag made me do this because he can't do it on his own. It still baffled him—even with all of that power, Herobrine and Hera together couldn't both fight and kill Áhýdan. Jack had to help. Out of everything he'd seen and heard from these spirits, that confused him more than anything.
"Why, hello there."
Jack froze. That wasn't Herobrine's voice. This one was different. Less deep, but slightly raspier with a malicious tone. It came from everywhere. Herobrine calmly looked around the room, not saying a word. Hera was doing the same.
Something appeared in the corner of Jack's eye. He turned his head to see a fourth figure standing there, looking at him with frighteningly familiar red eyes—the same eyes Jack had seen in his recurring nightmare and hallucinations.
Blood-red, luminous eyes.
Almost all of Áhýdan's 'body' was covered by a torn white robe with a hood. The parts that weren't covered—his feet, hands, face, and a part of his upper chest—were unnaturally dark, as if they were tears in existence itself. He was tall, almost as tall as Herobrine, though he lacked the obvious muscle.
"Well, then," Áhýdan said after a moment of silence. He didn't have a visible mouth to speak with. "Here we are again. Brothers reunited." He looked at Hera. "And my niece, of course."
He then turned to Jack.
"You don't really belong here, though," Áhýdan said. "You're kind of disturbing a family moment, so if you would please leave…"
Herobrine stepped forward. "There is nothing familial about this," he whispered.
Áhýdan shrugged. Though he looked more like a ghost than Herobrine, Áhýdan's mannerisms were oddly…human.
"No world should have to be harmed for a crime I committed, Áhýdan," Herobrine softly said.
Áhýdan turned to Jack again. "Why're you helping my brother, human? You realize that he's the reason why you were…taken."
A silence fell as Jack struggled to think of how to reply. Eventually he said, "Yeah. You're right."
"Then why help him?"
Jack shrugged. "Ask him."
Áhýdan paused. "You're not doing it for him, are you?" Áhýdan said. "No. You're doing it for the Overworld. But you see, here's my problem: The only reason why you care about the Overworld is because Herobrine took you here. By force. Right now, you're basically just his pawn."
"More of a slave," Jack dryly said, "but I guess pawn can work, too."
Just…how? How can I stay so calm in front of this guy? He glanced at Herobrine. He has something to do with it. His mental influence… It does more than just make me a puppet.
"A slave…?" Realization dawned on Áhýdan's eyes. Despite not having a visible mouth, he seemed to smirk. "Really, now… Didn't expect that. Herobrine, you were always so nice to humanity, even those outside the Overworld. What changed?"
Herobrine didn't reply.
"Look," Áhýdan said to Jack, suddenly sounding oddly amiable, "if I were given the chance to merge with the crystals fully, I'll have the power to take you back to your own world. Let you live the life you should have lived. How does that sound?"
That struck Jack. An offer.
Áhýdan just made him an offer. An offer to return him to Earth.
Better yet, he had freedom in this decision. He felt it. Herobrine's influence couldn't stop him from saying yes to this. Whether that was because of Áhýdan's power or an opening in Herobrine's power, it was real.
Jack hesitated, looking away. He knew he was never supposed to be taken to the Overworld. Herobrine might've had a reason to abduct him, but that didn't justify what he did. Jack was entitled to return to his own world, regardless of the consequences.
Wasn't he…?
"Jack…" Hera said.
"Shut up," Jack snarled.
"You cannot—" Herobrine tried.
"Shut up."
He took a deep breath.
Then he turned back to Áhýdan and flipped him off.
Áhýdan's eyes widened, apparently recognizing the gesture—much to Jack's amusement. "What! You—" He stopped, then visibly forced himself to calm down. It was an odd sight, seeing him struggle with something like that. Again, it almost made him look human.
With a light smirk, Jack let his hand fall back to his side. Though he wasn't going to admit it, a small part of him felt glad that he wasn't able to break free from Herobrine's control.
The mobs in the Overworld hadn't just been good friends; they'd saved his life. They'd given him a roof to sleep under and food to eat, even though they didn't trust him at the time. In return, Jack had given his all to try to protect Yaebi from Raulyn—and Jack lost anyway.
Now was the time to really return the many favors the mobs had given him. Now was the time to succeed.
"Well," Áhýdan said, sounding agitated. "That's it, then, I guess. Stupid humans always want to go down fighting…"
"Guess you're more like us than you thought," Jack unthinkingly said.
Áhýdan's 'expression' turned to anger again. He raised a hand, pointing at Jack. "That's it! You little—!"
Herobrine suddenly dashed forward at lightning speed, grabbing Áhýdan by his torn collar.
Then they turned into a comet of smoke and light, crashing into the wall ahead. A tremor went through the room. Jack nearly fell over.
Hera also turned into a comet and joined the ensuing fight. It didn't last long. In another burst of speed, the bundles of light and smoke shot through the ceiling, breaking it and revealing a vertical tunnel beyond. They rounded a corner at the top and vanished out of sight.
A moment passed.
Jack took a breath. So that was the kind of power Herobrine had. Not for the first time, Jack couldn't help but wonder for a moment what that would be like.
I might find out, he thought. Mystia had said that—according to some myths—creatures like Herobrine were able to merge with humans, letting them use their power.
She also mentioned that the human usually dies in the process.
Jack shook himself. The crystals. They needed to be destroyed, and all he could expect from Áhýdan's Trials was complete and utter randomness. Dangerous randomness. Looking around the room, he soon found an entrance to a hallway—one that, like the rest of the room, looked like it belonged in a cave.
He glanced to where he'd come from; the enormous doorway was sealed up again. There's no turning back now. Then again, there hasn't been for a while. He looked back to the hallway, realizing that he was purposefully stalling. It reminded him of when he prepared to do homework during his days in high school, but this was far, far more terrifying.
Finally he moved, slowly passing through the hallway.
It ended quickly. After rounding a corner, he entered a small room with few notable things. There was a double door—which, upon trying, turned out to be locked—with three red gems in it, one of which was divided between the two doors. The sound of dripping liquid originated from the other side of the room, where a rock steadily bled water. A rusty bucket stood next to where the drops hit the ground.
Another thing he noticed was a small glass showcase on a flat rock. A showcase with a luminous purple crystal in it.
Well. Wasn't that way too easy. The crystal inside looked exactly like the ones he'd seen in his dream. This had to be what he was looking for.
Jack picked up a rock from the ground. He then grabbed the showcase—it was small and light enough that he could easily carry it with one hand—and tapped on it with the rock he'd grabbed. The glass remained intact. Jack raised the stone and smashed it against the showcase, trying cover his face with his arms as much as he could. The showcase still wasn't affected.
After trying a few more times—and almost crushing his fingers in the process—he gave up. He should've known it wouldn't be that easy. Of course Áhýdan wouldn't just let him do that.
Trial of the Body. This isn't about lifting weights, his is about smashing unbreakable glass. If every Trial's name is this cryptic and inaccurate, they won't help much.
But Herobrine and Hera still had some control over the prison, right? They must've added something to the environment that'd let Jack destroy the crystal.
Was that how it worked?
He picked up the showcase and examined it.
A hissing sound erupted from right behind him. He spun around. The sound came from the hallway he'd come from. Had Áhýdan followed him here?
He saw moving shadows. Then three monstrous figures emerged.
A moving skeleton, wielding a bow and a quiver of arrows. A giant spider as high as his knee. A tall, thin humanoid with purple glowing eyes.
Jack cursed and turned to the locked door next to him. He tried to kick it open, but the ornamented pieces of stone wouldn't budge. He turned back to the monsters.
The skeleton lethargically moved its hands to the quiver on its hip. Jack momentarily kept his eyes on it.
More hissing. Jack looked and was just about fast enough to raise his leg, kicking the giant spider as it leapt for him. The creature was lightweight and flew backwards with a squeak.
Jack turned to the skeleton to see that it had an arrow aimed at him.
He felt the showcase in his hand vibrate.
Then swirls of purple and white light erupted from the crystal within, filling the room.
The skeleton momentarily froze, looking at the light. Then it turned back to Jack and fired the arrow straight at his chest.
Some light-swirls coalesced before Jack in the shape of a sword. The arrow impacted the blade's flat and bounced downwards where it hit the ground at Jack's feet. Jack looked at the sword in shock. More light coalesced, and the sword gained a gold color. The hand that was holding it followed shortly after, as did the wielder.
The lights finally died down.
Iris stood next to him. She gave him a glance. "What kind of nightmare did Áhýdan pluck these things from?"
Jack blinked, snapping out of it. "I might have an idea."
The skeleton fired another arrow. It was poorly aimed and hit the door behind them. Iris glanced at it. "Any idea what those gems are supposed to mean?" she asked almost casually.
"Can we do this first, please?!"
"Right." She moved forward, catching another arrow headed for her shoulder in mid-air. She attacked.
Jack saw the spider approach again.
"Jack," Iris hollered.
Jack looked—just in time to catch the golden sword she'd tossed his way. He turned back to the spider and clumsily swung. The blade hit it mid-leap, cutting deep into its flesh. It was dead instantly.
Jack let out a choked grunt. The spider's teeth had just about reached his lower leg. He grabbed the creature's head, and—clenching his jaw—slowly removed the teeth. The wounds were little more than cuts, but they hurt nonetheless.
He turned to Iris, right when she broke the skeleton's neck. The skeleton went limp and fell out of her grip. She then turned around to face the tall creature.
"Don't look at it!" Jack quickly said.
He was too late.
The enderman turned to return Iris' gaze, its maw open. It was even taller than Jack—better yet, it was taller than Andr.
A long choked growl sounded through the room.
Iris was frozen in a stance. "What is that thing?" she whispered.
"Hold its gaze," Jack said. "Don't look away. Don't even blink. If you do, we're dead." He hesitantly looked around the room. There had to be something that could help. The door behind him caught his eye. He looked, then suddenly frowned. "Iris. Those gems on the door… Two of them turned white."
"What?" Iris paused, not moving. "We killed two monsters."
Jack glanced at the enderman, avoiding its eyes. "So we have to kill this thing in order to open the door?"
"'Trial of the Body'," Iris said. "A test of strength and speed."
"And skill," Jack sighed. "Alright. I'm going to try something, but it might just make things worse."
"What's your plan?"
"You keep looking at it so it doesn't move. I'll stab it in the back."
"Got it."
Keeping his gaze down, Jack carefully walked over to the enderman. It was completely frozen, paying him no mind. Good.
Jack clenched Iris' sword, one hand around the hilt, another on the blade for more precision. Then he made a stabbing motion to the creature's back.
A flash of purple light. The blade hit air.
Realizing what had happened, Jack whirled around in search of the creature. He found its purple eyes floating in the darkness ahead. A purple flash, and something powerful shoved him to the ground.
He looked up. The enderman glared back, its maw still open. It raised a foot.
Jack rolled away before it could stomp his chest. Iris sped past him, taking her sword from his grasp. She swung at the creature, but it teleported away again.
For a moment it was nowhere to be seen.
Taking advantage of the moment of calmness, Jack stood up.
"How did it get away from that?" Iris urgently asked, looking around.
"It's like Andr," Jack said. "It can sense danger before it arrives."
"Great. How do we fight that?"
"Not sure. Water might help." He turned to the small stream of water on the other side of the room. "There. Collect it in the bucket."
They both sped towards it. A purple flash and Jack felt a force impact his side. He fell again.
Before he could move, he saw Iris stop and throw her sword like a spear. Sensing the danger, the enderman vanished again, causing the sword to hit the wall behind it.
"Get the water," Jack grunted. He dived towards the sword, right when another purple flash lit up the room.
He heard growling right behind him.
Jack grasped the sword, got to his knees and sliced it through the air with all the strength he could muster. A tug on it indicated that he'd hit something. The enderman's growl turned into a screech.
Jack quickly rose to his feet. The enderman was backing away.
At Jack's feet lay a thin, bony arm.
He incredulously looked up at the creature. He'd cut off its forearm! How? He knew for a fact that Andr's danger sense was powerful enough to let her avoid that.
So this thing isn't exactly like her, Jack thought as another purple flash heralded the enderman's departure. It's got a danger sense, but a weaker one. Or it can't react to it reflexively.
"It can't react to attacks that are too sudden!" he cried, thinking quickly. "We need to play defensive. Let it get close before you attack it."
"Get close?" Iris said. "That's crazy."
"If we attack first, it can just teleport away. We need to trick it into hurting itself."
"Trick it? I've got an idea. Get over here."
Jack did so. He saw that Iris had already placed the bucket under the water stream. It filled up slowly.
"Give me that sword," Iris said. "I know a few tricks with it."
Jack handed her the weapon. Iris extended her sword arm with the weapon pointed towards the enderman, who'd returned and strode towards her. As it walked faster and faster, it raised its hand to slap the weapon away.
Right before its hand hit the blade, Iris made a quick motion with it, causing the enderman's attack to whiff. Before the beast could recover from its failed attack, Iris shoved the sword into its stomach.
It screamed and teleported. "Nice one," Jack said, glancing at the bucket. "We might not even need this."
The enderman appeared next to him. Using its remaining arm, it grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall. A burst of pain went through him as he fell on the floor. He gasped for air.
The enderman was standing over him.
Relying on instinct, Jack jumped forward, grabbed the enderman's lower legs in a sort of strangle hold, got to his feet and yanked. The unexpectedly lightweight creature let out another roar as it fell.
A purple flash, and Jack suddenly found himself in the room where he'd met Áhýdan, still holding onto the enderman's legs. It had taken him with it. A dull thud sounded as they both hit the ground.
Not thinking, Jack got to his feet again and collapsed with his knee falling onto the enderman's upper arm, holding it on the ground. What remained of its other arm futilely tried to retaliate.
He grabbed the enderman's head and punched it in the face as hard as he could, silencing its roar. He then hit its stomach, where Iris had stabbed it. He punched again, and again, and again, and—
It teleported again, this time not taking Jack with him. Jack froze, then felt a foot kick him in the side. Pain flared through his ribs as he rolled onto his back.
The enderman lifted its foot to stomp onto his chest. Jack stretched out his arms. As the enderman's foot came down, he swiftly grabbed it and redirected it away from him, rolling away at the same time. It was a crude move, but he got lucky enough this time that it worked.
The enderman grabbed his throat and hoisted him onto his feet. Jack couldn't breathe. He grasped the enderman's wrist, struck its ulna, then its elbow. Its grip weakened.
They suddenly teleported to the room with the crystal again. Jack freed himself from the enderman's weakened grasp.
"Jack!" Iris said. She was standing with her back against the wall.
The enderman turned to her, then sped towards her.
Dazed, Jack looked to the creature. "No…!" he grunted.
But then he noticed the bucket in Iris' hands.
Once again, the enderman raised its arm to strike her. Iris stood frozen as it approached.
Only at the last moment did she duck out of the way, causing the enderman's fist to hit the wall. At the same time, she swung with the bucket and threw its contents onto the creature's chest.
Direct hit.
The enderman screamed and teleported away. Multiple purple flashes illuminated the room like a discolored lightning storm. Jack saw glimpses of the creature itself. Its chest was melting.
The enderman teleported less and less frequently, and its screams and grunts were weakening. Drops of water and a dark liquid—which Jack guessed were parts of the enderman itself—reflected the crystal's weak purple light.
Finally the enderman stopped teleporting. It stood there in the middle of the room, silently staring at nothing. The little skin and muscle it had had on its chest was almost completely gone, and its gaze had grown dull and lifeless.
The light from its luminous eyes faded, and what was left of the enderman fell over.
Jack let out a sigh. It was eventually followed by a grunt as his adrenaline subsided, allowing the pain from his wounds to return. The spider's shallow bite marks on his leg hurt more than he expected them to. His side, ribs and back were complaining as well. At least he wasn't bleeding.
"That," Iris said. "That wasn't too hard."
"Easy for you to say," Jack grunted, panting.
"I'm serious," Iris said. "I expected the Trials to be more chaotic than this."
Jack shook his head, but something made him agree with her. As hurt as he was, it could've easily been worse, even with Iris' help. Áhýdan might've held back with this one. Maybe he couldn't make it harder than this thanks to Herobrine's remaining control over the prison—or maybe this was just the beginning and the next Trials were going to be much more challenging.
The crystal wasn't destroyed yet.
Jack stumbled over to the showcase—he'd dropped it when Iris appeared—and picked it up. The crystal within shone almost tauntingly, as if it knew it was protected.
"Unbreakable?" Iris asked.
He nodded, grunting. "Can't even damage the box."
"Maybe whatever's behind that door can help."
Right. Jack looked to the double door to see that all three gems had since turned white. He glanced at her, then approached the door, still holding the glass box. She followed him.
Without talking, they each put a hand on one of the doors. They looked at one another and nodded.
Then they pushed the doors open.
An intense heat washed over them. Jack shielded his eyes from the bright sea of blue lava that lay below the narrow fenceless bridge before him.
He backed up a bit. How'd that door been able to keep all that heat at bay? "Think that's good enough to destroy the crystal?" he asked.
"The lava? Maybe, but if it isn't and you throw the crystal in there, getting it back might not be easy."
"Aren't you immune to lava?" Jack asked.
"I don't know if this is normal lava," Iris responded, looking at the ethereal blue glow. "I've seen blue lava before, but I'm not sure if this is the same thing. This is Áhýdan we're talking about."
"And you're not immune to his tricks," Jack sighed. "Well, that bridge leads to another door. Maybe we should try that before we do anything else."
"Is that safe?" Iris asked, eyeing the bridge.
Jack hesitated. He examined the room they were in, then turned to the room ahead. He kept his distance from the heat, so his view of the room was limited…but there was something that caught his eye.
"That door," he said, looking at the door on the other side of the narrow bridge. "I don't think it's open."
"I see it too," Iris said.
The door had another red gem in it. A single one.
"One gem," Iris said. "It might mean that we have to kill one thing in particular." She looked at the crystal in Jack's hand.
Jack hesitated, then sighed. "I'm just going to do it. If it doesn't break, I can't do anything else. Herobrine will have to clean up the mess." He looked to her.
She nodded. "Do it."
Jack gave a nod of his own, then approached the doorway—ignoring the heat—and threw the showcase. It helplessly fell into the lava pool below, landing with a dull splash.
At first, the upper half of the showcase floated above the lava level. Then the glass cracked. It shattered. Blue lava went inside, smothering the crystal's glow.
Then the crystal exploded in swirls of purple light.
A powerful tremor caught Jack off-guard, and he took a step backwards to keep himself standing. He saw the crystal's remaining shards sink into the lava, their glow extinguished. The gem on the door had turned white.
Silence. Only the boiling lava made sound.
"Is that it?" Jack panted.
Iris suddenly lit up. A bright light illuminated the room.
"Iris…!" Jack grunted.
She looked at her hands, more fascinated than scared. Specks of light erupted from her and flew in the direction of the room's first entrance, like luminescent smoke blown away by wind.
Jack suddenly realized what was happening. The first crystal had been destroyed. Iris' job was done, and Herobrine was removing her from the prison.
She looked at Jack. "Time for me to go," she said. "You can do this, Jack. Good luck."
Then she vanished. The remaining light died down quickly.
Jack took a moment. His body was still aching, but the pain in his leg had diminished a little. He looked to the bridge.
Iris was gone. He didn't have anyone to back him up anymore. He was alone again.
For now.
You might've noticed that Áhýdan looks like Entity303. Yes, Entity303 is a bleed-through. No, Jack doesn't know about him. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING ABOUT THE CONTROVERSIES REGARDING THIS GUY.