Chapter 54: To The Beginning


"I come from a place very far south of this region of the Overworld. Based on the former Lux Kingdom's calendar and my own timekeeping, I was born in the year 165 ALK. I lost everything at the age of 15, when the Endermen struck and destroyed my home. Everyone I had ever known, my family and friends, were dead in a single night, and I could do nothing to save them. Somehow, I alone survived, but my life was so shattered that I was left with a single goal: revenge."


"I am Salsh'namisherad. You are correct in the word your kind calls me- I am an Enderman."

Matthew stepped back to inspect his handiwork on their new acquaintance. He was thoroughly unfamiliar with Endermen and their anatomy- it was his first time even seeing one- but he'd done his best to bandage up the severed arm, and the stump was now covered by a cloth wrap. Tending to such a grievous injury hadn't been a clean process- it had left a few small splotches of green blood on both Matthew's blue robe and Alice's brown overcoat- but they weren't about to leave the Enderman alone in such a state. Alice was already going a step further, and offered him an entire cooked chicken from their food supply.

"Salz-nahms-herr-add," Matthew repeated, attempting to sound out each syllable. The grumbling croak of the Enderman's voice was difficult enough to understand, let alone the long name he'd just said. "Did I say that right?"

"Correct. In your tongue, I might be called He Who Dances in the Forgotten Night." He paused to eat, his wide jaw and sharp teeth tearing most of the chicken apart in one unsettlingly large bite. "Your hospitality is appreciated, Walkers of the Bright Sky and Blue Pain."

Matthew glanced at Alice, who was visibly straining to process whatever he'd just said. Eventually she nodded, only replying, "I guess something's lost in the translation."

The Enderman bowed his head again. "Forgive me. I am well versed in the language of… of the O-ver-world, yet there are some things I cannot speak as comfortably as in my own tongue."

"Can all Endermen speak Overworldish?" Alice asked. She appeared to have partially gotten over the shock of meeting him and was sitting cross-legged on the other side of their campfire. A growing look of amazement was on her face, and Matthew knew she'd taken interest in whatever their sudden guest could teach them.

"No. We Walkers of the Infinite Void have rarely come to this place in many… ah, what is the word? Years. In many years." He absentmindedly brushed his claws along the bandages, smoothing them out. "I have only come due to desperate circumstances."

Matthew was still listening carefully, in the event that someone else attacked them. "Why were you being chased by that other Enderman?"

Salsh'namisherad sighed and leaned away from the fire. "He is called He Who Seeks the Furthest Light. In our language, he is Geres'anmislar."

"This is all a mouthful," Matthew couldn't help but think, though he wouldn't dare say anything which might offend him.

Yet the Enderman seemed to notice him struggling to keep up regardless. He quietly laughed, saying, "This must be difficult for you as well. You may refer to me as Salsh if you so choose, and to him as Geres."

"That must mangle what your names actually mean," Alice replied, idly twirling a lock of her dark blonde hair, "but it would be easier for us. Sorry, you can continue."

Salsh made a low gurgling sound as if clearing his throat and spoke again. "My attacker comes from a tribe called the Acolytes of the Violet Gaze. Our kind once invaded this world, many years ago, and the desire for conquest has not left some of us even with the death of the Oppressor."

"You mean… the Ender Dragon?" Matthew asked. History may have been Alice's specialty, but even he was interested now.

Salsh appeared surprised at the question, perhaps not having expected to be asked for clarification. Still, he continued on. "The great beast which once ruled our people… she was struck down, yet there are Endermen who would rebuild her former empire for themselves. My tribe, the Keepers of the Hallowed Grounds, has stood in opposition to their plan for longer than I have drawn breath; it will only lead to more needless deaths, and our race is already not as populous as it once was."

Matthew looked at Alice again to see her hands twitching, like she was fighting the urge to pull out her journal and start taking notes. For someone like her, news of a civil war in the End must have been tantalizing. Just how long had such a conflict been going on, completely unnoticed by the Overworld?

"We've heard stories about the invasion," Alice remarked. "Supposedly it was stopped by just two people… though I don't know if I'd believe that."

At this, Salsh let out a soft hiss and his jaw clenched. "It is true. The leader of my tribe was present to see the Oppressor be slain… he has told us of the pair who cut down our kind on their way to the Land of Infinite Void. Ever since I came to this place, I have sought information about them."

Alice sat straight up. "Do you know anything? Please, what can you tell us?"

Matthew put a hand on her shoulder. "Take it easy, you don't want to overwhelm him while he's recovering."

Salsh reached into his satchel, withdrawing a very old, tattered sheet of paper which he presented to them. "As thanks for your assistance, you may have this. I found it during my time here, and it may be of interest to you."

Alice took it from him and began to read. "'All patrols are to be on the lookout for… escaped construct from Nightshade Manor… maximum threat level. Note: subject must be taken alive, or else…'" Her eyes widened. "'Or else it will return from death and escape custody.' Salsh, where did you find this?"

"I learned your language by studying your kind from afar, and by investigating old records left behind by the Walkers of the Voluntary Exile- as you call them, the Illagers." His jaw appeared to pull back in his equivalent of a smile. "It would seem our interests are not so different after all. This document, and others like it, I gathered from long-abandoned raid outposts and other Illager territories."

"I've heard of Lux," Matthew remarked, "it's a territory way further north of here. Is that where you're going?"

But Salsh shook his head as he got to his feet. "No, my goal is elsewhere. I believe I have found a place of particular significance to the Illagers, but it has become overrun by undead creatures. Geres'anmislar found me and took my arm before I could attempt to enter the fortress."

Matthew shuddered. "A woodland mansion… you really want to go there?"

Salsh looked at his bandaged stump. "I fear there is no alternative, yet I cannot say whether I am a match even for mere mindless husks." He went quiet, then looked back at them after a moment of thought. "Though… if you were to assist me…"

He and Alice looked at one another. Against a fortress of Illagers they wouldn't have stood a chance, but if they only had to contend with zombies…

"This could be a good chance to learn more about whatever experiments they were conducting," Alice said. "Think about how little we know!"

Matthew noticed Salsh hadn't specified what he wanted out of the investigation, but he could tell Alice had already made up her mind. Truthfully, he found the idea tempting as well.

"Okay then," he declared. "We'll check it out with you. How do we get there?"


"Full of bitterness and rage, I swore to myself that I would hunt down and eradicate the Endermen, every last one of them. It was an impossible task- they could appear and disappear at will, and few could have ever dreamed of surviving a battle against more than one- but I had nothing left. I would wipe them out and avenge my village, or die trying."


When the world spun back into view, Alice nearly collapsed in dizziness. She bent over and took deep breaths, trying to keep her breakfast down and feeling like she'd just taken a block of obsidian to the head.

"Forgive me," croaked Salsh, "I did not expect such an effect on you."

"J-just gimme a minute to… to settle down, I'll be okay," Alice groaned.

It was the morning after she and Matthew had met their new companion. They'd agreed to spend the night resting- and keeping an eye out for any more Endermen- before they would set off for the woodland mansion Salsh had been chased out of. Alice wasn't thrilled by the prospect of fighting waves of zombies, but getting to learn about the End's history was too tempting for her to refuse. Salsh's document, which

However, in her eagerness, she'd asked him to teleport the three of them all the way to the mansion. They wound up at the edge of a dark forest as expected, but the process wrought havoc on Alice and Matthew's senses. She couldn't even describe what the actual teleportation felt like; the aftermath superseded all memory of it.

Eventually, though, she recomposed herself and looked at the endless line of trees with a nervous grin. "All right, are we ready?"

"Just one thing first. What is it you're looking for here?" Matthew asked.

"It would be easier to explain that once the building is secure," replied Salsh, as he stooped to grab a block of dirt from the ground. "I will seal the entryway to prevent further infestation, while you will enter through the upper windows. Once I am finished, I will join you to begin sweeping the halls." He then vanished before either of them could even agree to the plan.

Alice frowned and drew her sword. "Uh… all right, I guess. Through the windows it is."

They towered their way to the treetops and stared at the mansion ahead of them. It wasn't the largest building Alice had seen, but standing in its shadow- even above the forest canopy- made her gulp. Salsh had implied there weren't any Illagers left within, and she hoped he was right.

"How do we want to do this?" Matthew had his crossbow held in trembling hands. "I-I mean, if there's as many zombies in there as he made it sound like…"

"I have a better idea than going through the window," Alice said. "Let's go higher."

Building further up, they reached the mansion's rooftop. She pulled an axe from her inventory and began to chop apart blocks in a few spots around the roof, allowing sunlight to shine into the hallways below. It didn't take long for her to hear- and smell- zombies beginning to smolder in the light. The growls below them stopped before long.

They dropped in through one of the holes, landing on a tattered and moldy carpet so saturated with dust its original color was indiscernible. The rancid stench was only made worse by the charred zombies around them, some of which hadn't quite been finished off and needed to be put down.

"Well, that wasn't so hard," Alice said as she wiped her blade on the carpet. "Let's run a quick sweep of this floor then go down to find Salsh."

"Who's there?!"

The pair jumped and turned to face the speaker. Alice stifled a gasp; a lone Illager emerged from an adjoining room, dressed in tattered evoker robes. His face contorted in fury at the sight of the dead zombies.

"You… how dare you…"

"Hands up!" Matthew snapped, aiming his crossbow. "O-or else!"

He complied with a sneer. Alice only realized the danger they faced once a trio of cackling blue spirits materialized between the evoker's raised palms. As they flew out to attack, he darted back through the door and slammed it behind him.

"We can't let him get away!" Alice cried, cutting down the first vex when it swooped at her. She slashed at the second to approach, but it flitted out of her reach with a giggle.

Matthew took his shot and sniped the vex out of the air. The last one dove for him before he could reload, only to be caught in Salsh's long claws when he abruptly appeared between them. A quick squeeze was all it took for him to destroy the spirit.

"There were fewer enemies than I expected on the lower floor," he remarked. "In fact, many of them appeared to be making their way up here."

Alice gestured to the smoldering zombies around them. "Well, we've gotten most of them. There's an Illager here too, he just went into that room over there."

"That is good, I have several questions for him. Come."

They gathered around the door. Salsh kicked it open and warped in once the two of them had entered. Inside, they found the evoker surrounded by kneeling zombies and chanting in an unfamiliar language. One by one, the zombies began to collapse as blue vapor streamed from their bodies into a cloudy mass on the ceiling.

"Don't think you've stopped me!" he shouted. "I still have enough soul energy to make a construct!"

Alice recognized the term from the document they'd been given. Salsh, to her surprise, stepped forward with his hand raised. "Peace, sir, we only seek knowledge.

The evoker smirked. "There's only one thing you'd be here for, Enderman, and it's not just information. Allow me to demonstrate!"

He spread his hands out, and the gas swirled into a large glass tank behind him which held a totem of undying. It condensed, settling into the rough shape of a human body around the totem. Details formed next: dark hair, blue clothing and eyes, and a moderate skin tone.

"Brace yourselves," Salsh hissed, "we will need to be quick."

The construct burst free of the tank, scattering glass shards across the floor, and leaped onto its creator as he tried to issue a command. Alice watched in horror as it bludgeoned the Illager with its bare hands, and she took a step back when it looked up at them.

"Monsters…"

It lunged. Matthew panicked and fired an arrow into its thigh, making the construct stumble as pale blue gas sprayed from the wound. Salsh was quick to follow up by warping to its side and lifting it off the floor with his single arm. It clawed at him with furious growls.

"Alice! Strike!"

Though scared, she rushed forward and stabbed the construct in the back. It thrashed and struggled, enough that she backed away from it out of fright. Salsh roared and slammed it into the floor, at which point it went completely limp as more of the gas spewed from its wounds. Within moments, its body faded away and left behind nothing more than a broken totem of undying. Alice glanced warily at the Illager, but he was already dead.

"What… was that?" Matthew asked, shuddering.

Salsh looked at the broken tank, then at the totem, and finally at the hollow bodies of the zombies around them. Then he turned to face him and Alice. "I believe… that was one of your Legendary Heroes."


"I was a scared child, with no support and with even less hope, so it should come as little surprise that I nearly DID die many times. But everything changed for me with one fateful encounter."