Epilogue

Raulyn had slowly woken up. Upon regaining consciousness, he could still barely move, but he knew that he was lying on a bed in Dominic's infirmary. Some of the beds next to him held other people—people he recognized. He suspected they had fallen victim to the storm's lightning. Remembering what happened to William, he knew they were not the only ones.

Despite his weakened mind, he took a moment to recollect his memories. He felt that his armor was still gone. The storm from before was also absent, but it was still dark. Through the window, he saw stars hanging in the sky. It could not have been a dream, could it?

He had obeyed Jack's orders.

Raulyn frowned. He had. When Jack appeared with that mysterious glow around him, Raulyn had followed his commands without question. The crystal…the well…the ice…

Something had been wrong. Something was missing, now—or, rather, something that should not have been there in the first place had since been removed. It was as though Jack had sent a parasite to infiltrate Raulyn's mind—and something had taken it out as he slept, giving Raulyn his free will back.

Eventually he was able to rise—right when Dominic appeared from another room. The physician's eyes grew wide when he saw Raulyn stand, awake and well. "S-sir!" Dominic said. "Captain, you are awake!"

"Dominic," Raulyn grunted. "What is happening? Snyder… Is he here?"

Dominic shook his head. "Snyder is dead, Captain. Or, we believe he is dead, and the teleporter supports that belief. Sir, there are—"

"Teleporter?" Raulyn said, remembering the tall mob in black.

The physician nodded. "She is at the edge of town. The Hunters have tried to kill her, but to no avail."

Raulyn's eyes widened. "Where is it? I have to talk to it. Now."

"Wait."

"What?"

Dominic held out a piece of paper. "This was found near the well."

He took it. "What is this?"

"I do not know. It was addressed to you."

Andr sat on the ground, looking at the town before her. She was clutching Jack's black jacket. His clothing from Earth. It was damaged, but mostly intact.

She sniffed. She would go back to the other mobs eventually. Right now, she needed time for herself. Jack had died. His body had turned to dust upon destroying the crystal, which had been blown away by a soft wind. Only his clothes had survived.

When everything had passed, she'd stayed with what was left of him. When the Hunters tried to kill her, she'd simply teleported. They tried again a few times after that, but with her danger sense and teleportation, they were little more than an annoyance to her. Eventually, they'd decided to leave her alone.

She looked up when she realized she was being approached again. Raulyn—who'd donned his gambeson, but had left most of his other armor pieces behind—was walking towards her at a quick pace, sword at his side. His eyes were wide.

Andr sighed and prepared to teleport again, but Raulyn didn't attack. He stopped not too far away from her, and he still hadn't drawn his weapon.

He was looking at Jack's jacket.

"He…" Raulyn finally spoke. "He is dead…is he not?"

Andr didn't respond.

His eyes grew narrow. Colder. "Why do you grieve for him? He is human. You and yours are our enemy."

She shook her head. "Jack," she whispered, "wasn't my enemy."

"Are you certain?" Raulyn said. "The power he possessed—he used it to control me. I suspect he did the same to you."

"He didn't need to," Andr whispered. "Even though he left, I trusted him. Even though I had no idea what was going on with the storm and the light…I…" She took a ragged breath.

"He is alive," Raulyn said.

She looked up at him. The Hunter carefully approached and handed her a piece of paper. "This note," he said, "was given to me by our physician. The Hunters found it and had it delivered to me. So far, I am the only one who knows what it says."

She took the letter and unfolded it.

The name that stood at the bottom made her purple eyes widen.

Herobrine.

"I know how to get there," Raulyn said begrudgingly. "If I am to accompany you—which I must still decide about—the Hunters will fall out of favor with the other locations. Even if we only really seek to further our own goals, rather than yours." He huffed. "Our own motives will not matter; mobs are mobs. As far as the other locations are concerned, going with your kind is the same as going rogue."

Jack woke up.

A bright sky greeted him. He squinted and raised his hand against the sun. He felt grass under him, and a gentle breeze passed. He slowly sat up.

Before him was a field of light green grass. It grew on oddly colored dirt. The mountain that stood nearby was so tall and thin that it was almost shaped like some giant spire.

It looked…peaceful.

Jack breathed out. Was this…the afterlife? He remembered finishing the Trial of the Elements and talking to Hera about what was next. What happened after that…he wasn't completely sure. Merging—so much power, so much knowledge, now gone—and fighting Áhýdan. The Nether didn't survive the ensuing onslaught. He remembered using Herobrine's mental manipulation on Raulyn.

Then, Andr's embrace.

The final crystal.

He stood up and looked at the mountain before him. He breathed out. "I'm…" he whispered. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Quite the contrary, actually."

Jack spun around to meet the voice's owner. The figure who stood there… That couldn't be! Yet, Jack felt as if he already knew it—he vaguely remembered sensing the man's gaze on him during the Trial by Combat in Ironhand.

The figure walked up to him, his bow and crossbow hanging on his back, his dagger at his belt. He wore a black gambeson under a brigandine—pieces of armor that were more protective than they looked, Jack had heard. But something told him the Hunter he was looking at didn't need them.

Tristan stopped a few meters in front of Jack and cracked a light smile. "In fact," Tristan said, "the circumstances that Herobrine forced you into are, in a way, what allowed you to survive."

Captain Raulyn,

You are not aware of the details surrounding the events of this night. Few are. This message will answer some of your questions.

I confess to abducting Harrison Jack Snyder to the Overworld, leaving him with no way to return to his home world. I confess to invading his mind, forcing him to go to the Nether to help me combat a threat I could not oppose on my own. And I confess to using the same mental influence on you, Captain.

My reasons for committing these misdeeds are my own. I have regrets, yes, but I would do it again.

It does not matter. Not now. I will tell you that Jack Snyder is, in fact, alive; the circumstances I forced him into allowed for other spirits to take his consciousness and restore his body. Snyder is in the Aether—a world few know how to access.

As you know, you are one of these few.

If you wish to find him, return to the place where you laid eyes upon the Aether's entrance. But be warned—the Aether is a treacherous place, and you may need help in order to limit casualties.

Help from the mobs you so despise.

As you read this, you will scoff. You see no reason to find Snyder or to join forces with his group. But you will take one thing into consideration. You will initially not believe me as you read this, but you have my word that it is true.

In the Aether, you will find others—your late friends, Tristan and Karles, as well as the Rogue. Your target. Your opponent.

Consider this. You could remain inactive. You could inform the mobs and let them go in your stead. Or you could accompany them to the Aether to confront your friends and enemies directly.

The choice is yours.

Sincerely,

Herobrine.

To be continued in Gone Rogue 3: Tyranny of the Sky