wha. why didnt i post this chapter its been written for months
review replies:
ara celene: I'm not sure what you mean? invisibility potions DO hide your name, at least on Java edition. the particles are totally visible tho :)
Herobrine sat on the floor of Stephan's cabin, quiet as he held his brother upright beside him. Stephan was fast asleep, head pillowed on his shoulder, and the tear tracks on his face were mostly dried. Herobrine's arms were starting to ache from the strain of keeping him from slumping over, so he shifted, wrapping his arm around his torso securely. Stephan never stirred, and Herobrine hoped he would not for the rest of the night.
Something had happened today.
Stephan had been visibly shaken when Herobrine had met with him upon finishing his work with Notch, but had only brushed off any queries regarding the source. Finally, he admitted to having read something that triggered some painful memories, but refused to elaborate further - likely out of fear of doing the same thing to him. Tonight, however, he had no such qualms, pouring out his nightmare to him through tears and hiccups. Herobrine was only too glad to comfort him through it until he fell asleep again.
His explanation seemed… insufficient. It could just be his insistence in hiding it from him, but there seemed to be more to it. Had he been attacked, in any way…? He bore no signs of injury. Was there something else in his castle that could have brought about this reaction?
Was it something he did?
It seemed unlikely, given that the change occurred while he was with Notch, but he couldn't rule it out as a possibility - similarly, a memory of his own torment of his brother could have been the one affecting him. That would be another explanation as to why he refused to tell… though his nightmare was of their time in the lab.
Herobrine rested his chin atop Stephan's head, deep in thought. Stephan held no fear for him… right? Not anymore. He had gone to him for comfort for his nightmare… but, then again, he had no one else.
Herobrine looked down at his brother's face, peaceful in sleep, and let out a small, huffed sigh. Stephan knew how much he regretted his past actions, he knew…
It took half the night, but, eventually, he fell asleep.
It had taken every ounce of his courage, but he had returned.
Steve let the last of his shudders run through him before bracing himself, squaring his shoulders as he approached the garden where he had been seen. The signs were gone- he had broken them as soon as he read them. If they hadn't reported him already, he couldn't let those players inadvertently let the admin know that he was still around.
He treaded carefully, knowing that going too quickly would create particles that could reveal his presence. As far as he knew, there were no players around, but he couldn't be too careful. Slowly, he made his way to the center of the garden, where the signs had been, and placed one of his own.
"hi"
He hesitated, wondering if he should add anything more, but ultimately decided against it. He didn't want to give himself away if anyone else came across it, and they should know what it meant.
Retreating to a nearby tree- but not the one he had been caught in - Steve scaled the leaves and hid himself again. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he had to come back. For one, if he didn't, he worried those players would tell the admin, and secondly he didn't want to leave them hanging. Despite his reaction, it really seemed as if they were just trying to be friendly.
Just over twenty minutes after he had placed down the sign, the players returned, bouncing over a hill and skipping over to their unfinished project. Upon seeing the sign, however, they stopped short, and Steve held his breath as a new fear gripped him. What if they hadn't seen him at all, and it was a trick to get him to prove his existence? What if one of them was another admin- or, even the first one in disguise?
As he watched, though, they dug up his sign, placed two more down, and skipped away again, retreating over the hill. Steve gazed after them in some degree of amazement. Were they just… finished here? Or did they leave because they realized he wouldn't come out while they were present?
Steve crept closer again, wondering how they were speaking with each other. He saw no messages in the chat, nor had he the last time, until another player grew near. Perhaps they were using the private chat function, as Herobrine had once done with him so that Caden couldn't eavesdrop on their conversation. It would be nearly impossible to work in such harmony without some method of communication.
Coming within range of the signs, Steve hesitantly scanned them.
"oh hey! we
weren't sure you
were gonna come
back"
"we won't tell Phil
do you wanna
come hang out
with us?"
Phil - that was the admin, wasn't it? Against his will, Steve could feel a smile creeping over his face. They wanted to be friends?
Immediately, reality came crashing back down, and Steve backed away from the signs hastily. This had to be a trap. Players hated Herobrine because he wasn't one of them, and Steve was certain they would have similar feelings about him. Unless they didn't know, but they would learn eventually.
The miner looked at the tree, then back to the signs, torn. But- but what if Herobrine was wrong? Maybe not all players were out to get them. Maybe these two were genuine.
What would he do if he was wrong? If they did attack him, kill him, or worse, take him prisoner? Herobrine would be crushed if anything happened to him, and he would be doubly crushed that Steve had been going behind his back.
It just wasn't worth the risk. Steve dug up the signs, then placed one back down, replacing it with his own message.
"I can't I'm
sorry. I like to
watch you build
though"
With that, he slunk back to the tree, climbing it and drinking a fresh potion before they came back.
Herobrine made his way through his castle, heading for the library. He and Notch had finished their work early, and he was anxious to see Stephan, anxious to see that he was feeling better than he was yesterday. If not, he may have to take a closer look at the books he was reading.
He wove through the bookshelves of his library in silence, heading for the alcove near the back where he knew Stephan liked to sit. His time with Notch had been cut short, unfortunately, by a call from the hacker. Notch had previously explained that he was trying his best to be available to Caden whenever he needed his help, as that was something he had failed to do with his AI creations. Though he couldn't fault Notch for trying to improve himself, Herobrine felt bitter at the thought of the hacker taking his time with his creator away from him. He always did struggle with jealousy.
He came into the view of the alcove, and it was empty.
"Herobrine?" A soft voice spoke before he had a chance to be confused, and he turned to find Stephan stepping out from an aisle with an armful of books. The miner gave him a questioning smile. "You walked right past me."
"I'm sorry." Herobrine returned the smile. "I was lost in thought."
"What are you doing here so early? Are you finished?" Stephan stepped around him, setting the books down in his place.
"Yes. Notch was called away." Herobrine's gaze lingered on the stack for a moment. "You may take those back home with you, if you like."
"Oh, no, I couldn't risk losing them." Stephan shook his head firmly. "Let's go." Abandoning his stack, he joined Herobrine at his side, and the elder teleported them both home.
"Will you feed the chickens?" Stephan asked as he headed for the door. "I'm going to see to the cows."
"Of course." Herobrine followed him out, performing the chore easily as honed by hours of participation. Stephan seemed much better today- he walked with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. The joy in his body language eased his brother's mind, and he continued about his day without a second thought on the younger's afternoon activities.
Dinner was another story.
"Herobrine." Stephan spoke, not long after they started eating. A questioning glance was all the response he needed, and he continued. "It was your idea for Notch to find some worlds for me to explore." Herobrine nodded, lifting one brow. "I just wanted to thank you." Oddly, Stephan didn't meet his eyes, choosing to smile at his plate instead. "That was thoughtful of you."
"Of course." Herobrine's eyes searched his face. "…but?"
"…but…" The miner's jaw worked a bit before he spoke. "It's… so lonely there." Herobrine nodded soberly.
"You mentioned that."
"I don't think I want to go back again." Stephan confessed. "Not alone, anyway." Herobrine nodded. He had guessed something of the sort when Stephan asked to return to the library instead.
"I could accompany you."
"Y-yes, but… not while you're with Notch."
"That's true." Herobrine paused. "Are you lonely?" Stephan lifted his head, meeting his eyes with his own, sad ones, then dropped his face into his hands.
"I miss Joe."
"Joe?" Stephan nodded miserably.
"I know, I know I can go see him whenever I want… he's not too far away, and if you're with me I can see him in an instant." A shuddering sigh escaped him. "But… he doesn't remember everything." Herobrine nodded silently. When Notch restored an old version of the server, the world around them was set back several years - including Joe, who had been deleted with it when Caden had decided to be rid of their server. "I'm tired… of trying to remember what he already knows." Stephan muttered quietly. "I just… want to meet new people." He peeked up at his brother, resignation in his eyes. "But that's not possible, is it."
Herobrine met his gaze, thinking. It really wasn't, there was just no one they could trust. Perhaps other Mojang developers…? Though, they had their doubts about him, he could not trust them to treat his brother well. The hacker was a possibility as well, but he wasn't 'new', per se, and Herobrine could only imagine that his jealousy would get much worse if Stephan was spending time with Caden as well.
"It's not." He answered at last. "I'm sorry." Stephan only nodded, seeming, if nothing else, at peace with his answer. "What about other villagers?" Herobrine suggested. "Could you not make friends in those?" Stephan quirked his jaw a bit.
"Possibly… but… I've found many villagers to be wary of me." He huffed a small sigh. "Though I don't really know why." Herobrine's stomach dropped.
"That may be my fault."
"Yours?" Stephan glanced up, meeting his eyes, then scoffing slightly. "You jerk."
"I'm sorry." Herobrine lifted his hands in surrender. "It's been years, though, I doubt they will hold the same level of hostility towards me- and, by extension, you - as they once did." Stephan nodded, looking slightly comforted.
"Maybe I'll give it another shot, then."
"I would advise it." Herobrine reached across the table, laying two fingers on Stephan's arm. "I truly am sorry."
"For the villagers?"
"That we cannot leave this server."
"Oh." Stephan gave him a small smile. "That's hardly something you can help. If we want to stay safe, anyway."
"I am sorry nonetheless."
"Then you're forgiven." Stephan gave him a gentle nudge with his foot, sitting upright again and poking at his dinner once more. "What is this, by the way?"
"Salmon." That answer earned him a confused blink.
"It doesn't taste like salmon."
"I cooked it in chicken broth."
"Why?"
"Does it taste good?"
"Yes." The answer did nothing to alleviate the confusion in his brother's face.
"Precisely."
