After the wedding ceremony was finished, the sun was already setting, but nobody was thinking about settling down for the night. Instead, they lit fireworks and shot them up into the air, creating colorful explosions that could be seen and heard from miles. Numerous lamps and rainbow beacons lit up the entire city, creating a festive atmosphere. There were parties going on, as well as small festivals and dinner parties. It was honestly a little strange knowing that there were strangers out there who were celebrating our marriage, even though they most likely never even met us. Anyway, the biggest party took place in the center of Beacontown, where the marriage ceremony took place earlier. Numerous people, including our friends and families, were seated at tables, chatting and laughing with each other as cake was served out. Axel ate the most cake that night, which was a surprise to absolutely no one, and all in all, it was a great and happy celebration that was not going to be forgotten anytime soon.
At some point during the celebration, while everyone was congratulating me and Jesse on finally getting married, Ivor came to us and invited us over to their old temple, which had been renovated and refurnished a long time ago. "The entire Order of the Stone is going to be there," he said. "Me, Soren, Gabriel, Magnus, and of course, your father. Think of it as some sort of post-marriage bachelor party, if such a thing even exists. And you can bring anyone you want." "That's great, Uncle Ivy!," I exclaimed happily. Even after all these years, I still called him by that nickname, no matter how childish it sounded. "We'd love to come over!" "Yeah, me too," Jesse agreed. "I don't think I've seen the Order in a very long time." "Ah, then it's settled!," said Ivor, grinning. "We'll see you there! In the meantime, Ninja Ivor, out!" He took a step back, then vanished into the crowd after one of the guests momentarily blocked our view of him.
We both chuckled at Ivor's antics, which never failed to amuse us. "Man, so much has changed in the past few months," said Jesse. "It's incredible." "Yeah," I agreed, then turned to Jesse with a smile on my face. "So what do you think's going to happen next?," I asked him curiously. "How are we going to live our lives?" Jesse shrugged. "Only time will tell," he said. "But one thing's for sure…" He pecked me on the cheek. "I meant every word of what I said on that pedestal. I'll always be with you, no matter what life throws at us." We exchanged another kiss, ignoring the hoots and whistles that came from the surrounding crowd. "So are we going to accept Ivor's invitation?," asked Jesse. I smirked. "Is that even a question?," I said.
"Hey guys!," someone hollered, walking towards us with a bright smile while waving. It was Petra, followed by Olivia, Axel, Isaac, Harper, and Isa. We smiled back. "Hey yourselves!," said Jesse, waving them over. We quickly exchanged a big ol' group hug. "Man, I gotta tell you, that was the most awesome wedding I've ever taken part in," said Petra. She wrinkled her nose. "Well, it's also the ONLY wedding I've taken part in." "You said it!," said Axel, his mouth still covered in white frosting from the cake. "Hold on, big guy," chuckled Olivia, taking out a napkin and using it to wipe the frosting from his face. "You got a little something right there." "Oliviaaa!," Axel whined, but did nothing else to stop her. The rest of us couldn't help but chuckle at Axel's expense. Whether they were aware of it or not, Axel and Olivia were becoming more and more like a real couple. They hadn't gone on any dates yet, which allowed the betting pool to grow larger with each passing day. And yes, there was a betting pool going on about when the two of them were going to go on their first date together. But hey, Beacontown had to somehow pass the time with activities OTHER than building and crafting all day, after all.
Isa went over and hugged me tightly while sniffling loudly. "Oh, Alex," she cried. "My little baby girl is growing up so fast." "Mooom," I whined, unintentionally mirroring Axel. Nevertheless, I returned the hug happily. Finally, Isa let go of me and turned to Jesse. "I guess that now makes you my son-in-law, Jesse," she said. "Yep!," said Jesse, holding out his hand. "And don't worry about your daughter, ma'am. She's in safe hands, trust me." Isa smiled and shook his hand. "I'll hold you to that promise, young man," she said. "Just know that if you ever do something to hurt my precious daughter, I will break every single bone in your entire body." We stared at her in shock, especially taken aback by how cheerful she sounded. "Uh...o-okay?," Jesse stammered. "Great!," Isa exclaimed. "Then that means there are no hard feelings between us."
"Mom, seriously?," I groaned. "Did you really have to threaten my husband, and on our wedding day too?" Isa giggled, clearly not regretting what she just said. "I'm just taking extra precautions, sweetie," she said. "Anyway, enjoy the party, you two." She walked off, leaving me, Jesse, Axel, Olivia, Harper, and Isaac to stare after her. "...no offense, Alex," said Harper, "but your mother is the most terrifying woman who ever lived." I chuckled nervously. "Yeah, that's Isa for you," I said. "Anyway, how are you and Ivor doing? How was your honeymoon?" "Ooh, I want to know too!," said Petra, grinning widely. "C'mon, details, details!" Harper blushed. "It was nothing to write home about," she said. "We just went to a restaurant together, watched some movies, traveled to different dimensions through the Portal Network...you know, the usual." "Wow, you guys are the luckiest," said Axel, impressed by the last part of her story.
"And it's great to see that you're here too, Isaac," I said, turning to the former hitman. "So how's living with Nancy? Are the two of you getting along?" "Yes, quite well actually," said Isaac, who had given up on wearing his armor everywhere he went. Due to letting himself go about ten years ago, when me and my friends finally saw him without his armor in the Games, he was slightly obese, had body hair all over his back, chest, and armpits, and he was generally out of shape. But after the excruciating training he went through after the Portal Hallway fiasco to become my bodyguard, he now sported a six pack and was taller than before. He also shaved most of his body hair, started wearing deodorant, and still kept up with his usual training regime. Overall, he had transformed from a rather unattractive man to somewhat of a looker.
"We got along very well," Isaac continued. "At first, we weren't quite sure what to make of each other, but we are starting to become fast friends. And I am making good progress with Jack as well." "That's great to hear," said Jesse. "But seriously, you got to stop talking like that." Isaac raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?," he asked. "It's just...the way you talk all the time," Jesse tried to explain. "You're always so formal. I don't think I've ever heard you use contractions before." "Jesse's got a point," said Petra. "You always use these formal phrases like 'I am' or 'it is' or something like that." "That is how I always talk," said Isaac. "I see no need to change that." "I'll be honest, the way you talk is pretty noticeable," Harper said. "And that's coming from someone who spent god-knows-how-long without any human contact." "Don't worry, Isaac," Olivia assured him. "I'm sure Nancy would help you if you ask her."
"Hey, speaking of talking weirdly," Axel spoke up, "what was up with Lukas? Like, why did he pick such a weird Bible passage to read from?" We looked at each other in uncertainty. "I...have no idea," I said. "Me and Jesse weren't the only ones who were confused by that, right?" "Nope," said Petra, shaking her head. "Nearly everyone thought it was weird. Nobody wanted to interrupt the wedding, though." "I kind of wish I could ask Lukas right now," said Jesse, looking around. "If he were here right now." "You mean he's not?," asked Isaac. "No," I answered. "We haven't seen him for a while. I wonder what was up with him…" I thought back to how strange Lukas was acting, not only because of the passage he read, but his mannerisms in general. He didn't act like himself back then. He almost seemed like a different person.
But if that was the case...why did his behavior remind me of someone else?
"You gotta admit though, his acting was top notch," said Axel. "Yeah," Olivia agreed. "He was really getting into this pastor thing. It was kind of mesmerizing, to be honest." "Yeah," I said absentmindedly, nodding along. Then, I remembered something. "Oh! By the way," I said, "Ivor just invited me and Jesse to hang out with the old Order of the Stone in their temple. He said we could bring along anyone we wanted." "Yeah!," said Jesse. "So how about it, guys? Do any of you want to join us?" "I'm down," said Petra, smiling. "I've actually been getting combat tips from Gabriel. It'd be nice to catch up with him." "I have nothing else to do, so why not?," said Isaac, who wasn't exactly a fan of huge celebrations like this one. "And I'd like to catch up with Ivor," said Harper, a naughty smile growing on her face. "He can be pretty frisky in bed, if you know what I mean." Axel burst out laughing while the rest of us grew huge blushes. "Thanks for telling me that you plan on banging my uncle," I groaned. "Really needed that image in my head." That only made Axel laugh harder. "Oh, man!," he said. "I think I just busted a kidney…"
"Me and Axel wouldn't mind going with you," said Olivia. "Axel's just been dying to see Magnus again." "No, I'm not!," Axel denied, his face growing red. "Great!," Jesse exclaimed. "It's settled, then. Though I kind of wish Lukas could come with us." "How about this?," I suggested. "You guys stay here for the time being and look for Lukas, then ask him if he wants to come. I'll go to the Order's temple and tell them that you'll all be there soon." "But how are you going to get all the way there without some sort of transportation system?," asked Isaac, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, don't worry about how far it is," I said. "The Order made nether portals that lead straight to their temple. They're also brand new. The old ones got destroyed by the Wither Storm," I explained. Isaac nodded in understanding. "And I don't need to go through those portals anyway," I continued. "Remember?" To prove my point, I instantly summoned a slice of the wedding cake in my hand and gobbled it up. "Oh, right," said Petra, chuckling. "You're an Admin now. Geez, I can't believe I almost forgot." "Yep!," I chirped. "That means I can teleport anywhere in the world. It's pretty sick. I think I'm getting the hang of my powers now."
"Yeah, why don't you keep bragging to those of us who DON'T have cool powers like you?," Jesse asked jokingly. I stuck out my tongue in response. "Anyway, I'll go ahead and tell them you'll all be there soon. You guys just go find Lukas and ask him if he wants to join us." "We'll see you there!," said Jesse. We exchanged a quick kiss before I teleported away, causing numerous people nearby to gasp in awe and point at the spot where I just stood.
"Oooh, somebody's in looove!," Axel teased. Jesse rolled his eyes goodnaturedly. "If you used that on me when we were kids, that would've worked," he said. "Anyway, let's all go find Lukas. Where do you think he'd be right now?" "Well, we didn't see him at the celebration," said Petra, "so he's probably back home, reading a book or something. That guy sure does love his reading material." "I do not think finding him will be necessary," said Isaac. Harper gave him a questioning look. "Why do you say that?," she asked. "Because he is coming to us right now," Isaac answered, pointing into the crowd. Sure enough, the group could make out a familiar blond man pushing his way through the crowd. "Hey, Lukas!," yelled Axel. "We're over here!" Due to his large stature and bright green clothes, Lukas was able to spot him easily. He ran over to them, completely out of breath. "There you guys are!," he panted tiredly. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" At that point, Jesse got a good look at Lukas and realized that something was wrong. Sweat was pouring down his face, his hair was frazzled, and his knuckles were bruised and red, as if he had been hitting something with his bare fists for a while.
"Lukas, what happened?," asked Olivia, looking at him in concern. "Yeah, you look like a total mess," said Axel. "Did something happen to you after the wedding?" "After the wedding?," asked Lukas, staring at Axel. "You mean it's already over?" Jesse's forehead scrunched up in confusion. "Yeah…," he said slowly. "Lukas, you should know that. You were the 'pastor' who pronounced me and Alex as husband and wife, remember?" "B-but I wasn't!," Lukas cried, shaking his head frantically. "I was stuck in my room all day! I couldn't get out! I...I…" "Calm down, blondie," said Harper, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Just slow down and tell us what happened. Start from the beginning." Lukas gulped and nodded. "I...I wasn't there during the wedding ceremony," he explained. "Somebody locked me in my room this morning and I was trapped in there for most of the day. I only managed to escape a few minutes ago by smashing my door apart with my bare hands. That's why my knuckles are so red right now…"
"WHAT?!," they all cried out, staring at Lukas in shock. "What's going on?," asked Isa, who heard the commotion and came over to investigate. "Why is everyone- oh god! Lukas, what happened to your hands?!" "Lukas, how were you NOT at the wedding ceremony?," Petra demanded. "We all SAW you! EVERYONE saw you!" "But...but I swear, I was trapped in my room the entire time!," said Lukas. "Somebody locked me in there! I-I don't know WHO they were, WHY they did it, or HOW they even knew where I lived, but...you guys just have to believe me!" While most of them had their doubts, Jesse knew Lukas more than anyone else, possibly even Petra. And he knew that Lukas would never lie about something this big.
But if he was telling the truth...who was the imposter that replaced him at the wedding?!
While all of that was happening, I teleported in front of the Order's temple, which no longer looked like the ancient, crumbling ruin that it once was. The vines had been removed, the cracks in the stone walls had been sealed up, and the outside generally looked much cleaner than before. There were bright lights shining from the top of the temple, showing that there were definitely people in there. I smiled in anticipation, eager to see the people who raised me during the earlier parts of my childhood, and went inside the temple. As I walked past the dispensers that shot arrows at us when we first came here, which were thankfully deactivated, and through the massive library, where we discovered that Ivor was a member of the Order of the Stone, I couldn't help but notice how quiet it was upstairs. Shouldn't Soren, Ramus, Ivor, Magnus, and Gabriel be celebrating right about now? What were they even doing up there?
As I walked up the stairs that led to the top of the temple, I was suddenly overwhelmed by a foul stench that made me want to puke right on the spot. Not only was the smell incredibly strong, but it was also familiar. It was thick and coppery. It was...blood. My heart was pounding in my chest as I literally FLEW up the stairs, chanting in my head, Please don't let it be what I think it is, please don't let it be what I think it is, please don't let it be what I think it is!
But there was no such luck. It was exactly what I thought it was. Actually, scratch that. It was far, far worse than I ever could've imagined. For a moment, all I did was stand there as the gruesome sight in front of me slowly sunk into my brain. Then, I began to scream and collapsed onto the floor, tears running down my face. I laid there on the floor, screaming and crying until my throat was sore and all that came out were dry hiccups. Eventually, my friends also arrived at the temple and saw what I saw. Their reactions were not much better. Jesse literally went as pale as a ghost, making strange noises with his throat as if he was trying to cry but didn't know how. Petra flew into a rage and began punching the stone walls until her knuckles were just as injured as Lukas'. Lukas just shook his head repeatedly, whispering, "Dear god" over and over again. Isa screamed just as loud as I did, if not louder, and fled down the stairs before the image could be ingrained into her memory. Axel was wailing and crouched down next to me, while Olivia was hugging him and trying not to lose her sanity in the process. Isaac was as still as a statue, his hands clenched into fists and his teeth gritting together in fury. Harper was shaking violently and hyperventilating, looking like she was about to fall apart at any second.
Now it made sense why there was no noise when I first came here. It also explained the stench of blood that permeated the area like a toxic cloud of death. The top of the temple, where me and my friends used the map to track down Magnus, Ellegaard, and Soren, as well as the room where the Order was supposed to waiting for us, has turned into a gruesome crime scene straight from a horror movie, only this was taking place in real life. Soren, Magnus, Gabriel, and Ivor were all lying on the ground, killed and mutilated in grotesque ways. Soren had a chunk of his throat ripped out and blood was bubbling out from his mouth and throat. Magnus' head had been reduced to nothing but a shattered skull and pieces of brain matter. Gabriel had multiple stab wounds in his chest and his entrails were leaking out of his chest. Ivor was completely bisected in half, his face contorted into an expression of pure horror and grief.
These four people, who took care of me as a child, who I came to love as my own family, had been murdered. No, not just murdered. They were SLAUGHTERED. Whoever came to kill them in the dead of night had no remorse, no empathy, and no conscience. Because to top off the entire scene, someone had written a long message on the wall. The message was written in blood from the mutilated corpses that littered the floor. "THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT FOR ME. ALEX, I WILL TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING THAT YOU HOLD DEAR, AND I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT. NOTHING BUT THE THOUGHT OF DEATH TO RELIEVE YOU FROM THE PAIN THAT WILL BE IN YOUR FUTURE. MARK MY WORDS."
It wasn't long before Isa returned with an entire police squad, as well as some of the guards who used to live in Sky City. Isa refused to step foot inside the temple, something that I completely understood. After seeing the gruesome sight before them and nearly losing their lunches, the police squad and the guards got to work in analyzing the crime scene while trying to piece together what had happened. Me and my friends gladly joined Isa outside of the temple while letting them do their work. Reginald, who was among the guards, stared at the crime scene in horror and disgust. "Who would do something like this?," he murmured.
"Somebody with a very twisted and messed up mind," said a voice. Reginald, the other guards, and the cops turned towards the source of the voice, a stern looking man dressed in a brown trenchcoat and fedora. He had a square jaw, an athletic looking figure, and gray eyes that promised untold pain to anyone who tries to mess with him. "Who are you and what are you doing here?," Reginald demanded, glaring at the newcomer suspiciously. "You can't just barge into a crime scene like this!" "You can if you're authorized by the town council to do so," the man retorted, casually flipping out a golden badge. "I'm Detective Reynolds, one of the best in the business. The council heard about what happened here and sent me to deal with it." Reginald narrowed his eyes. "How did they know about it so quickly?," he asked. "They have their ways," said Reynolds, putting the badge back into his pocket. He strode past Reginald and closely observed the crime scene. His upper lip curled up in disgust at what he saw, but he managed to keep his cool much better than everyone else did. It was clear that he had seen many things in his career as a detective, things that would even make Isaac shiver in fear.
"So who discovered this crime scene in the first place?," Reynolds asked. "Alex and her friends," answered Reginald. "They're outside with Isa right now, if you want to question them. They didn't want to stay here anymore, and I can't really blame them." Reynolds nodded, then looked at the message that was written on the wall. "There is no god except for me," he read out loud. "Alex, I will take away everything that you hold dear, and I will not stop until you have nothing left. Nothing but the thought of death to relieve you from the pain that will be in your future. Mark my words." He slightly grimaced. "Pretty grim message," he said. "It seems like we're dealing with a psychotic killer who has a serious god complex." "We thought that too," said Reginald. "But the problem is, we have no idea who murdered them, where they are right now, or if they will strike again. We have no idea where to start." Reynolds hummed in contemplation and began to examine the bodies. "Strange," he muttered. "What is it?," asked Reginald, walking up next to Reynolds while trying not to puke from the smell of blood.
"It's these wounds," said Reynolds, pointing at Gabriel and Ivor's corpses. "Those two got deep cuts and stab wounds all over their bodies, most likely from a sword." Reginald raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's so strange about that?," he asked. "This just tells us that the culprit used a sword as their murder weapon." "Yeah, but take a closer look at them and you'll know what I'm talking about," said Reynolds. "In fact, everyone come over here and see for yourselves!" The other guards and cops, curious about what was going on, cautiously walked towards the two corpses of Ivor and Gabriel, trying their best not to puke. "Now look closely at those stab wounds," Reynolds ordered. "Don't they look a little unusual to any of you?" At first, it seemed like nobody could tell what the detective was getting at, not even Reginald. Suddenly, one of the cops managed to spot it out. "They're too clean!," he declared, his eyes wide with realization. Reynolds snapped his fingers approvingly. "Exactly," he said. Reginald, however, was still beyond confused. "What are either of you talking about?," he asked.
"These wounds are too clean," Reynolds repeated. "They're too neat and straight. Think about it, Reggie. When you're cutting into a human body with a sword, you'd expect a little bit of tearing in the skin and organs, right?" Reginald grimaced as a mental image of the Order being cut up by a madman with a sword appeared in his mind. "Yes…," he said slowly. "But I still don't see what your point is, detective. Clean cuts in the bodies just shows that the murder weapon was a very sharp sword, right? Possibly a diamond sword." "Well, I'd usually agree with you right there," said Reynolds, "if it wasn't for the fact that those stab wounds were NOT made by a diamond sword, or any kind of sword for that matter." He took out a pair of rubber gloves, put them on, bent down next to the bodies, and began feeling the edges of the stab wounds. "I've seen my fair share of homicides in the past," he explained. "Unsurprisingly, the most common weapon used to kill someone is a sword. I've examined so many wounds caused by swords that I can tell what material the sword was made from, how skilled the user was, what kinds of enchantments were on it, you name it. I know it all. And I can tell you right now…" He pointed directly at the stab wounds in Gabriel's stomach. "...you wouldn't be able to produce these kinds of cuts with the best diamond sword in the world enchanted with Sharpness X."
Reginald's eyes widened in shock, along with all the other cops and guards who were listening in. "Wait...so you're saying that the murder weapon WASN'T a sword?," he asked incredulously. But Reynolds shook his head. "You're missing the point," he said. "Those wounds WERE made by a sword, of that I have no doubt. It's the sheer impossibility of the situation that I'm so bewildered by. These wounds are WAY too clean to be produced by even the sharpest sword in existence, and yet judging by the shape and size of those wounds, it was clearly SOME type of sword that the killer used. Are you starting to see my point now?"
Reginald slowly nodded in understanding. "Yes, I think I do," he said, seeing the contradictory paradox in Reynold's sentence. "And that's not all," Reynolds continued. "On my way over here, I brought a photo that someone took during the wedding ceremony. Only cost a gold nugget. It was a photo of that Lukas boy delivering his little sermon during the wedding." He smirked. "But...when I finally came here, just before walking in here, I had a little talk with Lukas, and HE told me a very different story. He said that someone locked him in his own room, and he had been trapped there for nearly the entire day. Meanwhile, another person, someone who looked EXACTLY like Lukas, went up to the podium, delivered that weird Bible passage that kept everyone on their toes, then left without a single trace? Sounds mighty suspicious, don't you think?" Reginald frowned. "What exactly are you getting at?," he asked.
Reynolds sighed. "I'm saying that this wasn't the work of a crazy person," he explained. "Someone meticulously planned this in advance. The killer somehow knew exactly where Lukas lived, locked him in his own home, and took his place. He also knew where the location of the temple was, as well as the knowledge that the Order was going to be hosting a party this very night. The killer used the wedding as a distraction, traveled all the way to the temple in an absurdly short amount of time, was somehow able to kill off some of the greatest heroes and fighters who ever lived, then left without leaving a single clue behind. Unintentionally, that is." He walked up to the bloody message written on the wall and observed it carefully. "My theory," he began, "is this. Not only does this killer have a god complex and is not afraid to get his hands dirty, but he also has a serious, deep-seated hatred towards Alex, if that message on the wall is any indication. In fact, I believe that he didn't have any real reason to murder the Order of the Stone, other than to strike at Alex in the cruelest way possible: harming her family."
"And not only that," Reynolds continued, "but whoever the killer was also had the forethought to use the wedding as a big distraction, use Lukas' face and identity to weave through the crowd undetected, take down and slaughter an entire group known for their bravery and fighting prowess, and if that message is anything to go by, he won't stop there. So here's what we have so far. We got an unknown killer who thinks he's god and holds a serious grudge against Alex, enough to harm and kill those who are closest to her. He is also very intelligent, being able to plan this entire murder out and execute it with no issues. He's an extremely violent individual when you take into consideration the severity of the wounds sustained by the victims, and to top it all off, he's a master of disguise and possibly has a weapon that can cut through things that no sword could ever do - or at least, no sword that we know of. Put all those clues together, and what do we have?" Everyone else, including Reginald, glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders with uncertainty. Reynold's eyes narrowed. "We have a very lethal, very cunning, and very dangerous son of a bitch on our hands," he said icily.
For a moment, there was only stunned silence that followed. "And right now, we have no idea who he is, where he ran off to, or what he plans on doing next," Reynolds continued. "But believe it or not, it gets worse." "Uh, excuse me, detective?," one of the cops spoke up. "No offense, but how can things possibly get any worse than they are now?" "Think about it," said Reynolds, tapping the side of his head. "He knew where Lukas lived, knew about the wedding long enough to integrate it into his plans, and even knew the location of this temple. Nobody can possibly know these sorts of things unless they're local...very local." Reginald narrowed his eyes worriedly. "What do you mean?," he asked, though deep down, he knew exactly what Reynolds was getting at. He just didn't want to admit it. "...I mean that the killer lives in Beacontown," said the detective. After that, everyone began yelling and arguing over each other.
"A killer?! In Beacontown?!" "How did things get to this?!" "We have to evacuate the city immediately!" "We can't do that! We'll be causing a widespread panic!" "Could you imagine how the public would react when we tell them that some of the greatest heroes in history have been murdered by a nameless killer?!" "Nobody would be able to trust each other!"
While Reynolds pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an irritated sigh, Reginald hollered, "Everyone, be quiet!" Everyone instantly quieted down. "Thank you," Reynolds sighed. "Ladies and gentlemen, I won't sugarcoat this. We have a murderer on our hands, and an incredibly dangerous one to boot. And he's got a hate boner for Alex about a mile long. One of you was right. We have to inform the public about this immediately and have Beacontown evacuated before the killer chooses his next victim. I don't care if it ends up ruining the post wedding celebration, and I couldn't care less on what the town council would think. We need to get everyone to safety, preferably in the neighboring towns and cities, and have them hide out there until we catch our culprit. Now come on, you maggots, get to it!" All the guards and cops saluted before running down the stairs, leaving Reynolds and Reginald in the room with the mutilated corpses. "Come on, let's get out of this place," said Reginald. "The stench of blood is making me sick." "Before we go," said Reynolds, "there's something else I've noticed that's a bit unusual." "What is it?," Reginald sighed impatiently, wanting to leave as soon as possible.
"There were supposed to be five people attending the party in this temple, am I right?," asked Reynolds. Reginald nodded. "But I only counted four bodies," Reynolds continued. "So where's the fifth one?" "There is no fifth body," said Reginald. "I assume you're wondering where Ramus is. Well, when me and my men first arrived at the crime scene, we noticed that Ramus' body wasn't here, so we assumed that he just decided not to come to the party. But then, one of my men found this." He handed Reynolds a small bottle that had a severed finger inside of it. "Since none of the corpses here have any missing fingers, it's safe to assume that this belongs to Ramus," he explained. "That means he was here when the killer attacked them, but managed to escape with only a missing finger. As you can see, the others...weren't so lucky."
Reynolds nodded silently, observing the finger in the bottle. "You don't mind if I take this with me so I can observe it some more, do you?," he asked. "Not at all," said Reginald, shaking his head. "The more help we get, the better." Reynolds stored the bottle in his trench coat pocket. "But if Ramus escaped, then where is he now?," he asked. Reginald shrugged. "Beats me," he said. "He hasn't tried making any contact with us since he escaped. Nobody knows where he is right now, or if he's even alive. I just hope the reason is that he's busy recovering right now." "...yes, maybe," Reynolds murmured, looking deep in thought. "Well, thanks for the new info, Reggie, AND for the finger. You've given me a lot to think about." As the two of them quickly went down the stairs and out of the temple, Reynolds silently wondered how this new piece of information could fit into this strange jigsaw puzzle of murder and grudges.
Once they got outside the temple, Reynolds continued on his way towards Beacontown with the guards and the police force, while Reginald stayed behind to comfort the rest of us, who were still either grieving or in shock from what just happened. Isa was sitting on the grass and had her face in her hands, sobbing loudly while her shoulders shook. "Please don't cry like that, Founder," said Reginald, rubbing Isa's back comfortingly. Even after all these years, he never called my mom any name other than "Founder," because that's what he always saw her as. He was loyal, almost to a fault. "I know you've just had a traumatic experience," Reginald continued in a soothing voice. "But there's always light on the other side of the world. You'll see."
"My husband," Isa croaked out. She suddenly grabbed the front of Reginald's shirt and pulled him towards her roughly, her face wet with tears. "I...I didn't get a good look. W-was my husband among the victims? Please, answer me!" Reginald gently removed himself from Isa's grip. "Ramus isn't dead," he assured her. "From what me and my men know, he escaped before the murderer could kill him too. He hasn't come back yet, but I'm sure he'll do so in time. Just give it time." Isa slowly calmed down, though she was still trembling like a leaf.
However, Isa wasn't the only one who desperately needed comforting. Seeing my own family, the people who pretty much raised me as a child, brutally murdered in the most cruel and gruesome ways possible, absolutely ruined me. Everyone else - with the exception of Harper, who was still mourning over the death of Ivor - eventually snapped out of their grief and did everything they could to comfort me like Reginald was doing to Isa, but the damage had already been done. A part of me wanted to grab my friends by their shoulders, shake them violently, and scream into their faces. How could they get over the Order's deaths so quickly? Why weren't they as traumatized as I was? But I refrained from doing so because the other, more logical part of me knew that it wasn't their fault. As callous as it sounds, they weren't as close to Soren, Ivor, Gabriel, and Magnus as I was. The only ones who truly understood my grief were Harper, who had been dating Ivor for a while, and Axel, who saw Magnus as his greatest hero.
And of course, there was a deeper, darker part of me who wanted nothing more than to find the person responsible and make them pay for what they did ten times over. I wanted them to suffer the slowest and most painful death imaginable. No, I wanted to catch him, kill him, then bring him to life only to kill him again, ensuring that he will never know a moment's peace for the rest of his miserable life. No, there had to be something worse than that…
Suddenly, a familiar image appeared in my head. It was that of the faceless woman, the one who made my life miserable by plaguing my mind with doubts and fears, the one who tried to smash Lucy into a pulp and nearly beat me with those horrible visions, the one who was implanted into me by Romeo when I was only an infant. I could just imagine her right now, patiently waiting inside of my head, weakened but not dead as previously thought. Waiting in that crumbling mansion in the deepest recesses of my mind, eating from her bowl of disgusting endermites, waiting for the perfect opportunity to take advantage of my vulnerability. I shook my head vigorously to clear that image away. That evil witch won't take advantage of me ever again, I thought. Not if I have anything to say about it. I tried to stop the flow of tears from my eyes and tried to pull myself together, which was far more difficult than I anticipated.
"Come on, guys," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Let's get out of here. I can't stand staying here any longer." Everyone else silently nodded, and we began trekking all the way back to Beacontown. We were so lost in our grief that it never occurred to us that I could just teleport us back to the city. Instead, we spent the rest of the night walking together under the cold and eerie moonlight, the silence occasionally broken by a quiet sniffle from Harper.
Detective Reynolds arrived at Beacontown before we did and was about to make his announcement to the public. Right now, everyone was laughing, cheering, and enjoying the festivities. They had no idea that the old Order of the Stone, one of the greatest heroes who ever lived, had been murdered. Reynolds sighed heavily. This was probably his least favorite thing to do as a detective, but he knew that there was no other choice. They had to know the truth, whether they liked it or not. He slowly walked up onto the podium where me and Jesse were married and cleared his throat loudly. Of course, everyone else was too busy enjoying themselves to notice he was even there. Reynolds sighed and took out a single firecracker, then shot it into the air. The entire crowd instantly stopped what they were doing and stared at the man who dared to ruin their fun. Some of them were glaring at him, but Reynolds really couldn't care less. He had a job to do. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, "I'm Detective Reynolds, and I was sent by the town council to investigate a crime that was recently committed."
The crowd began whispering to themselves nervously. If the town council decided to intervene in something, then it had to be very serious. "I'm gonna sugarcoat this," Reynolds continued, "so I'll just be blunt. The previous Order of the Stone - Soren, Gabriel, Ivor, and Magnus - were brutally murdered not too long ago." The entire crowd gasped in horror, with some of them even outright fainting. But Reynolds wasn't done yet. "That's not all," he said. "The killer is still out there, and he is very intelligent. He's been planning the murder for some time and used the wedding as one big distraction. That blond guy you saw giving a sermon during the wedding ceremony? That wasn't the real Lukas. That...was an imposter."
Everyone listening to the announcement gasped again, and Reynolds couldn't blame them. It's not like the people of Beacontown were stupid enough to mistake one of their own for someone else. They were just so sure that the man they saw reading from the Bible was the real Lukas. Reynolds discreetly frowned. Anyone who could fool an entire crowd of thousands of people with a simple disguise was someone who should never be underestimated.
"And I'm afraid it gets worse," said Reynolds. And now for the big kicker. He took a deep breath and let it out. "We have reason to believe that the killer is hiding in Beacontown."
Right after those words left his mouth, the entire crowd erupted into chaos. People began screaming in fear and running around, while others eyed each other with suspicion. This was not what Reynolds wanted at all. "Quiet, all of you!," he yelled. By some miracle, all of them stopped and stared at him intently. "Running around like a bunch of headless chickens isn't gonna solve anything!" "Headless chickens? Where?!," a man cried, looking around in fear. It was the man who took a job as an usher back in Endercon. Reynolds huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose impatiently. He didn't have time to deal with nitwits.
"Now listen," he said. "What I'm about to say is very important, so listen carefully! You all need to get the hell out of this city as soon as possible. We don't know where the killer is, but chances are, he's standing among you and listening to this announcement right now! Evacuate to any other town or city, as long as it's far, far away from Beacontown. And whatever you do, don't tell ANYONE where you're going! This is the most important part, so don't you dare ignore it. Do not trust anyone, no matter how kind or friendly they may appear. The last thing we want is a way for the killer to track any of you down." Fortunately, the people of Beacontown took Reynold's advice to heart and immediately began heading back home to pack their belongings. They also glared at each other suspiciously and stayed away from each other like the bubonic plague, which was totally fine with Reynolds. Instilling fear and paranoia into the citizens was a very small price to pay if it meant someone's life was going to be saved.
"That...could've gone a lot worse, detective," one of the cops said nervously. "Or a lot better," Reynolds grumbled, taking out a cigar and putting it into his mouth. He then took out a lighter and was about to light the cigar when Stella suddenly screamed, grabbing the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Stella was looking up at the night sky in horror. "The moon!," she cried. "What's happening to the moon?!" A bunch of other people also looked up and began screaming and pointing at something. Reynolds felt like crying at that moment. What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?, he thought in exasperation. I just wanted a fucking drag! Is that so much to ask for?! He looked up at what they were so scared of. His mouth hung open. His cigar fell to the floor and broke in half, completely forgotten. At first, the moon looked normal. There was nothing strange about it. But upon looking more closely, Reynolds now knew exactly what Stella was so afraid of. A small, black shadow could be seen just on the edge of the moon. And it appeared to be growing very, VERY slowly. It could have easily been mistaken as the full moon turning into a new moon, but the shadow was all...wrong. Reynolds couldn't explain it, and he doubted that even the smartest scientists could do the same. It felt too unnatural, too eerie, too...evil. First a serial killer, and now this? What the hell was going on?
Meanwhile, me, Jesse, Petra, Olivia, Axel, Lukas, Isa, Isaac, Harper, and Reginald finally arrived at Beacontown and saw the commotion that was happening. "Hey, what's going on?," asked Jesse. "Why's everyone acting this way?" "It's the moon, brah!," cried Nell, running past them. We all looked up at the moon and were startled to see a dark, twisted shadow slowly spreading across it. It wasn't like the normal transition from a full moon to a new moon. It looked more like the shadow was actually CORRUPTING the moon, slowly pulling it into its dark and inescapable embrace. "W-what's going on?," cried Olivia, shaking in fear.
As I stared up at the moon, my mind was suddenly plagued with dozens of visions and memories, memories that weren't mine. They poured into my head in unrelenting waves, showing no signs of stopping. I screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground as the visions flew at me one by one. "Alex!," cried Jesse. "What's happening?! Are you okay?!" "There's blood leaking from her eyes and ears!," Isaac said in alarm. "Alex, say something!," cried Isa.
First, there was Lukas, or rather, the man impersonating as him, dressed in a priest's robe while holding the Bible in his hands. However, the words in the Bible itself made no sense to the human eye. They seemed more like scribbles that changed and twisted every few seconds. The Lukas imposter opened his mouth and spoke, "At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights and afterwards was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.'" The Bible burst into flames.
Then, there was a second vision, much more terrifying than the last.
At first, Patrick couldn't see anything. Everything on the other side of the portal was pitch black. This is it?, he thought in disappointment and was about to pull his head back out when he noticed something in the darkness...something that would change his life forever.
He was wrong the first time. There WAS something on the other side of that portal. He just didn't notice it earlier because it was too strange, too alien, too...too much to comprehend. Mere words couldn't describe what Patrick saw, except maybe "horrifying" and "evil." It had the shape of a man, yet it looked nothing like one. Its skin was as pitch black as its surroundings, yet he was able to see it as clear as day. Its eyes were white enough to be blinding, yet they showed nothing but darkness. And hatred. And...hunger.
It couldn't have been more than a second since Patrick looked into the portal, yet it felt more like years. He saw the being...the creature...the THING holding the body of a small child in its hand. He saw it shove the dead child into its mouth and devour it greedily. He saw it finish its meal, then GLARE directly at him, before letting out an inhuman screech that turned his blood into ice...and rushing towards him at a terrifying speed, its fangs and claws bared.
Finally, Patrick couldn't take it anymore and screamed. He wanted to run away, to get as far away as possible from the eldritch abomination, yet he found he could not. Whether it was the creature's influence or his own fear, the archeologist couldn't move a muscle.
The thing got closer to him...closer...closer...CLOSER…
Then, the second vision was cut off and a third one replaced it. It continued off from the first vision, with Lukas reading from the Bible, which was still on fire. His hair was more frazzled and his smile was now wide and disturbing. "He said in reply, 'It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.' Then the devil took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the temple and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
The fourth vision was a memory of my own, one that I hope I'd never relive again.
"He...ro...brine." That was what Patrick "said" to us. My heart stopped and my blood froze, because there was NO WAY that was a coincidence. First, I heard that name in the chilling song that those strange people were singing in my dream, and now this? And that's not even taking into account the fact that Patrick appeared in that same dream - I was absolutely sure it was him now - only to reappear a few hours later in real life.
"He...ro...brine." There it was again. That name. Patrick started lumbering towards me, and only me, a large pool of his own blood trailing behind him. "He...ro...brine." I was hit with the stench of rotting flesh and copper, but I still couldn't move. I was petrified with fear. "He...ro...brine!" He was so close now that I could see his bones glistening with blood, his shredded entrails hanging from his ribs, his liver with a bite mark on it.
"HE! RO! BRINE!," Patrick screamed, about to lunge at me.
The fifth vision quickly replaced the fourth, continuing off from the first and third visions with the Lukas impersonator. This time, his smile was wider than ever and his teeth were as sharp as needles. His eyes were now pitch black with red pupils, like the eyes of an unholy demon, and the Bible in his hands was now a pile of dust. When he spoke, his voice was low and demonic. "Jesus answered him, 'Again it is written, you shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.' Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence and he said to him, 'All these I shall give to you if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.' At this, Jesus said to him, 'Get away Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.' Then the devil left him, and behold angels came and ministered to him. Amen."
Then, there was the vision, which showed exactly what I saw in my nightmare.
His eyes glared right into my own. They were pure white with no pupils, and they were filled with so much hatred and loathing. At that moment, I knew exactly who, or rather what, he was. The Great Beast. His fangs had reverted back to normal teeth, but his mouth and the entire front of his body was still covered in the child's blood. He had dark brown hair, light brown skin, and wore a blue shirt and purple pants, which was somehow unaffected by the flames licking at his clothes. He grinned at me, his teeth stained with blood, and pointed directly at me. "You're...next…," he spoke ominously. Then, the crowd of robed figures ran towards me and began tearing me limb from limb, while Patrick's insane laughter rang in my ears.
The seventh vision was the worst one by far. The Lukas impersonator was back. This time, he was smiling so much that his mouth had literally split open at the ears. Blood was leaking from his eyes. His voice was now unrecognizable, sounding nothing like Lukas. "THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT FOR ME," he boomed, glaring directly at me. "ALEX, I WILL TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING THAT YOU HOLD DEAR, AND I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT. NOTHING BUT THE THOUGHT OF DEATH TO RELIEVE YOU FROM THE PAIN THAT WILL BE IN YOUR FUTURE. MARK MY WORDS." Then, without any warning, the Lukas lookalike lunged towards me, his mouth wide open, revealing dozens of rows of sharp teeth, far too many for any human to possess. Deep in his gullet, I could make out the bones of small children that had been consumed by the Great Beast. And I was his next meal.
Finally, there was the eighth and final vision, which was not only the most confusing out of all of them, but also by far the longest. I found myself back in that damned temple on top of the Mountain of Mojang, looking inside the room from an outsider's perspective. I was also lacking a physical body, similar to how I was when I had that other vision of Romeo killing Fred and taking away Xara's powers. I could see Notch calmly meditating while sitting amongst the numerous statues that he had accumulated in the past dozen years. I instantly felt a deep sense of revulsion upon seeing that old man again. On the outside, it looked like he was too deep in concentration to notice anything going on around him. But in reality, Notch was straining his ears, listening for any footsteps or voices that might occur. The old man wasn't usually this alert, but today was different. Today, he was about to get a visit from an old friend.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before he heard footsteps heading into the temple from behind him, followed by an irritated grunt. "Hello, Notch," said a gravelly voice. It was deep, terrifying, and filled with enough venom to kill a man. However, Notch was not afraid in the slightest. Instead, he opened his eyes and turned around to greet his visitor. "Herobrine, my old friend," he said with a warm smile. "It's been far too long since we last saw each other. Please, make yourself at home." At first glance, Herobrine looked like an average man. He had fairly dark skin and wore a light blue shirt, purple pants, and gray shoes. It was his eyes that were a dead giveaway as to who, or what, he truly was. His eyes were pure white, as white as the moon in the sky, and filled with unimaginable hatred, loathing, and evil.
Herobrine looked around at the statues filling the temple, raising an eyebrow. "It seems that you started a little collection while I was away," he said. Notch shrugged. "It's a fine way to pass the time," he said. "Tell me, what brings you here from your travels across the cosmos?" Herobrine walked towards one of the statues, tipped it over, and used it as a chair without asking for Notch's permission. He didn't have to, anyway. Neither of them had anything to fear from each other. "I heard that you brought another Admin into this world. Is that true or not?" Notch nodded. "Yes, it's true." Herobrine growled at how nonchalant his friend was acting. "Don't you see what a terrible mistake you just made?!," he roared. "It was bad enough that there were three Admins running around, and you just added a fourth! Out of all the beings in existence, they are probably the only ones in the multiverse that could rival our power!"
"Yes, I know that," said Notch, nodding patiently. Despite the two of them seeming like complete opposites, their pride and callousness knew no bounds. "But THEY don't, and I intend to keep it that way. Besides, Xara, Fred, and Romeo are all dead now. There is only ONE Admin left, and TWO of us. Relax, old friend. We have nothing to worry about." Herobrine nodded, albeit hesitantly. The last thing they needed was for the truth to come out - that they are only slightly more powerful than Admins, that they are not as omnipotent or all powerful as they portray themselves as. "So who is it, then?," asked Herobrine. "The new Admin?"
Notch scooped up some dust from the ground and blew it into the air. The dust formed into the solid shape of a girl with silver hair and blue skin. "Her name is Alex," said Notch, gesturing to the dusty illusion. "I've been watching her for a very, very long time. She is quite the interesting character, my friend." Herobrine glared at this woman - no, this CHILD - with disdain. "She doesn't look that impressive," he growled, disrupting the illusion with a disgusted wave of his hand. "You turned HER into an Admin? That pathetic little whelp?"
"She already was an Admin," Notch corrected him. "I merely helped her unlock her powers." He looked at Herobrine curiously. "On her way here, she came across a man who was quite...strange. He survived fatal wounds that even made ME feel queasy, and he was yelling your name for some reason." "My name?," said Herobrine, raising an eyebrow. "Who was that man?" "A fellow named Patrick," Notch answered. "Oh," grumbled Herobrine, his eyebrow lowering as quickly as it came up. "So you know him?," asked Notch.
"Yes, unfortunately," sighed Herobrine. "He used to be a famous archeologist, you know." "Really? An archeologist?," Notch questioned. He tried to picture that raving lunatic as one, but failed to do so. "That's hard to imagine." Herobrine snorted in amusement. "Anyway, people knew him as Professor Patrick Peterson," the white eyed man continued. "He was famous for exploring and uncovering lost civilizations and artifacts that were thought to be myths. But it was his curiosity that ultimately led to his undoing. He heard rumors of a lost city that was said to have possessed technology far more advanced than any other. A city called the Abyss." "Ah, yes, I know about the Abyss," said Notch, nodding. "It was an ancient city that you once ruled over for a brief period of time, right?" "Yes, exactly," said Herobrine, also nodding. "The very same one. Anyway, the professor had no trouble getting there, but when he did, he discovered something that immediately caught his attention: an ancient portal frame."
"What's so special about a simple portal frame?," asked Notch. "That portal was active when the professor first saw it," Herobrine answered. "He thought that it was already like that for thousands of years, not knowing that someone else had already activated it. That man let his foolishness get the best of him. To satisfy his curiosity, he poked his head through the portal to see what was on the other side." "And what did he see?," asked Notch curiously.
"He saw ME," said Herobrine, looking Notch in the eye. "In my true form."
Notch nodded in understanding. "That makes sense," he said. "Our true forms are far beyond the comprehension of mortals. Let me guess, seeing your true form is what drove him insane?" Herobrine nodded. "That's about it," he said. Then, he gave Notch a suspicious glare. "Now I have a question for YOU, Notch," he continued. "What was it about that girl that caught your interest?" "She entertains me, simple as that," Notch answered, shrugging his shoulders. "She's actually a lot like her birth father in many ways. Both are naturally kind people, and both have idealistic views, though Alex's is a bit more jaded. But she also has that sort of… spark inside of her. A flame of determination that can never be quenched."
Herobrine stared at Notch, then snorted again. "You've been reading too much poetry, old friend," he said, smirking. On the inside, he was not fooled at all. Notch may have liked being entertained, but that old man always had his own reasons beyond that. This was no different. "But I'll admit, that DOES sound interesting," he continued. "She really must have an iron will if you of all people are complimenting her. But I'll bet that I can be the first one to break her. I'm always looking for a challenge." Notch smirked back. "I doubt it, old friend," said the old man. "She's stronger than you think. You won't be able to break her that easily."
"Oh, yeah?," said Herobrine, glaring at Notch challengingly. "Well, I bet I can. You just watch, old man." I'm only a few eons older than you, Notch thought scornfully. "Very well," he said, smiling. "Knock yourself out." Herobrine nodded and stood up, walking out of the temple. The white-eyed man couldn't help but smile in anticipation for what he was about to enact on the newest Admin. As Notch watched Herobrine climb back down that mountain, he couldn't help but pity Alex now. Well, almost. He was still going to sit back and enjoy the show.
If there's one thing that Herobrine hates above all else, it's losing a bet.
And right before the vision ended, I could've sworn that Notch suddenly turned his head to look directly at me, slightly cocked his head, and gave me a sly wink.
"Alex! ALEX!," Jesse yelled, finally snapping me out of my trance. I blinked and looked around. People were still running around in panic. Detective Reynolds was still at the podium, trying to take back control of the crowd. The moon was still being consumed by the strange shadow. And my friends and family were still looking at me in worry and fear.
"Whuh...what just happened?," I groaned, my head throbbing in pain. "You tell us!," said Petra. "You just looked up at the moon and started having a seizure or something! Look, there's even blood coming out of your eyes, ears, and nose!" At that moment, I noticed how wet my face felt, but I had a feeling it wasn't because of tears. I touched the liquid on my face with two fingers and held them up to my face, seeing that they were now covered in blood. "Man, this is serious!," said Axel. "We need to get you to a hospital!" "No, wait," I said. "Hold on." I squeezed my eyes shut in concentration and focused on my self-healing powers. Immediately, the painful headache was gone and the blood was removed from my face entirely. "...oh, right" Lukas said, sighing in relief. "You're an Admin now. I wonder why we keep forgetting that…"
"Everyone, calm down!," Reynolds hollered, trying to be heard over the panicked cries and screams from the crowd. "Damn it, calm down! This is no time to panic!" Unfortunately, the crowd was no longer so willing to listen to him anymore, and Reynolds had no more fireworks to shoot up into the sky. The detective saw us in the crowd, standing completely still, and weaved his way towards us through the moving crowd. "Alright, I know you have something to do with this!," he growled, straightening his ruffled trench coat. "Hey, what's your deal?," Petra snapped angrily. "Do you really think we're responsible for something like THIS?" She gestured up to the slowly darkening moon. "I may not have been here very long," said Reynolds, "but I know that whenever something totally crazy happens, you people are always at the center of it! Don't think I haven't been studying up on you guys before I came here! You were there when the Wither Storm ate up half of the world, you were there when the Admin tried to entomb us in bedrock, and now you're all here while some living shadow is spreading over the moon! And I am a man who does NOT believe in coincidence! So you must know SOMETHING about what's going on, ANYTHING!" "Well, we don't," I said. "Trust me, we're just as clueless as you are."
"Everyone, look!," Reginald gasped, pointing up at the sky. "Oh, what now?," Reynolds groaned, looking up at the night sky. "Yes, the moon is being consumed by a giant shadow. We can all see that, Reggie!" "Wait, I don't think that's what he means!," said Harper. "Not only is there something wrong with the moon, but the stars are gone too!" Sure enough, not a single speck of light other than the moon could be seen in the sky. It was completely devoid of stars. "My, what a fantastic spectacle," said an old man who was next to us, looking up at the sky with them. "He removed the stars too? He's really putting on a show." Reynolds sighed and turned to the man who just spoke. "At least YOU'RE not panicking like everybody else," he said.
However, me and Isaac immediately recognized the unusually calm man. How could we not? He was single handedly responsible for the deaths of countless people, after all. It was incredibly jarring to see him in such a normal urban environment like Beacontown rather than on top of a mystical, moving mountain. "YOU," Isaac growled, his hand twitching and reaching for a sword that wasn't there. The old man turned and smiled at us. "Yes, me," he said casually, as if greeting a friend. "I'm flattered that you recognize me so quickly. Then again, it's only been a few months since we saw each other, right?" "Wait, who is this guy?," asked Jesse. "How does Isaac know him?" "Okay, I can already tell you're all dealing with some personal issues now, so I'm just gonna leave before I'm roped into this," said Reynolds. "Stay right here. I'll be back with some questions of my own." He left the group and shoved his way through the panicking crowd, probably trying to get backup. The old man smiled and nodded. "Why don't you introduce us, Alex?," he asked. "I was the one who helped you become an Admin, after all." Lukas' eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute," he said. "Is this the Old Man of the Sky that you told us about, Alex?" "Yes," I said curtly, keeping a close and watchful eye on the old man. "That's him. He goes by Notch for short. He was the one who helped me unlock my powers."
"T-that's great!," cried Olivia, turning to Notch. "You're even more powerful than an Admin! You could help us deal with this evil shadow thingy...if that's what you're here to do...right?" Notch chuckled and shook his head. "Not quite, little girl," he said, causing Axel to bristle. Just the way he said it was enough to put the large man on edge. Axel discreetly placed a protective arm over Olivia's shoulders. "I'm just here to enjoy the show, nothing more, nothing less," Notch continued. "Yes, that is something you would definitely enjoy," Isaac growled under his breath. Notch's eyes narrowed just the slightest bit, but he thankfully decided not to lash out at him. "Wait...are you the one causing this?," I demanded, pointing up at the sky.
Jesse suddenly pulled my arm down and looked me in the eye. "Alex, you have to tell me what's going on," he said. "Why is that guy riling you and Isaac up so much? Didn't he help you get your Admin powers?" "...you weren't there, Jesse," I whispered in a haunting tone. "You didn't see what me and Isaac saw." Just the thought of those statues, which were once human beings, all in different poses, but each one with that horrified expression on their face, was enough to make me shiver. "Notch is not who he appears to be," warned Isaac. "He is an evil and twisted individual who sees us mortals as nothing but ants." Jesse, Petra, Axel, Olivia, Lukas, Harper, Isa, and Reginald couldn't help but stare at me and Isaac skeptically, then stare at Notch. To them, the Old Man of the Sky didn't seem that bad. "Uh...are you sure?," asked Axel, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll be honest, that's kind of hard to believe."
"You may think of me however you want," Notch replied casually, acting as if he couldn't care less - probably because he REALLY couldn't care less. "And to answer your question, Alex, I am NOT responsible for what's going on. I'm just here to enjoy the show, that's all. But I'm sure you have some idea of who's behind this, Alex. After all, one of your visions should've told you everything." That's when everything suddenly clicked into place for me. I DID know who was behind this. It all made so much sense now that I had no idea how I never figured it out sooner. The nightmare that I had before the wedding, the bloody message scrawled on the wall next to corpses of my beloved family members, and of course, the vision that I just had of Notch making a deal with the Great Beast. Or as he's better known by… "Herobrine," I whispered.
Everyone else heard me and turned to stare at me in confusion. I had to remind myself that they weren't with us when we were heading to the Mountain of Mojang. They had already escaped to the Overworld through the portal, meaning that the only people who so much as HEARD Herobrine's name before, apart from myself, were Isaac, Stella, Ramus, and Soren. And speaking of Isaac, he was also staring at me in confusion like the others, but his eyes were also filled with a hint of suspicion and anger. I didn't really blame him. After all, what did an urban legend from Soren's home village have anything to do with Notch OR the moon being covered up by a dark and evil shadow? He now knew that I was hiding something and must have felt betrayed for me not telling them sooner. I winced and mouthed to him, "I'll tell you all later." Isaac narrowed his eyes in disappointment, but hesitantly nodded.
Suddenly, an immensely loud BOOM echoed across the sky, shaking the earth to its very foundations and causing everyone to scream in fear and collapse from the sudden quake. Even me and my friends had a very hard time keeping our balance. The only person who seemed completely unaffected by the trembling was, no big surprise, Notch. He just stood there like an unmoving statue, staring up at the night sky with a slightly impressed expression on his face. "You're really pulling out the big guns, aren't you, old friend?," he murmured, excitement seeping into his voice. "You really don't like losing bets." Detective Reynolds, who had also fallen to his knees from the ground shaking, managed to stand back up and tried to take back control of the panicking crowd by shouting, "Everyone, stay calm! It's just an earthquake! There's nothing to worry about!" Unfortunately, he no longer believed his own words anymore.
After the earthquake ended, a malicious laugh echoed over the entire city. Everyone who heard it whimpered and got down on their knees, either desperately covering their ears to block out the demonic laughter or holding onto their loved ones. The hairs on my neck stood up. I was terrified by what I just heard. I recognized that voice. It was none other...than Herobrine.