Steve was busy mining not far from the entrance to a cave, as usual, when he thought he heard a dull thump. A sword appearing in his hand, he stepped in that direction to check it out.
His dark, blue eyes held on small rocky outcrop just below a ledge, where lit by faint rays breaking through the small cave-opening above, lay a human-shaped form. He could see a hand lying limp against the rocks. It was a small hand. Small rocks, bits of grass, and other debris still rained from above, where roots of trees hung down.
Catching a gasp, Steve immediately ran in that direction, his heart catching at the sight of a young child that lay sprawled against the rocks. Steve's breath let out in relief when he noticed a steady breathing and felt the child's heart beating under the palm of his hand, reached to check the child for life signs. The little guy was alive, only unconscious. It was not surprising, considering that he must have fallen at least twenty feet - Steve eyeballed the distance to the small cave opening.
He looked again at the child. It was a boy of maybe six or seven years old, with short, dark hair sticking up in unruly bangs all around his slightly pale face. His clothes - a default teal t-shirt and dark-blue trousers, similar to what Steve wore himself. Steve's eyes held on the child in a pause - something about him seemed awfully familiar. And... how did he come to be out here all alone, in the wild?
Not daring to tarry longer, in case the child was injured, Steve gently picked him up and carried him from the cave to the make-shift camp he had set up in the woods nearby - a small, roughly hewn cabin with a pen for animals.
Placing the unconscious child on the fur-covered wooden boards that served him for a bed, Steve just began to look over the child's small body for injuries and breaks, when the boy stirred. His long, dark eye-lashes blinked open.
Steve froze.
The child's eyes glowed white.
Steve unwillingly took a step back.
"Hero?" He asked with disbelief. The boy's eyes wearily closed without an answer. For a little while, Steve didn't move. Then, he hurried to his chest, hectically looking for something.
"Where is it?" He muttered. Frustrated, he sat back on his knees and cast the sleeping boy a guilty look.
"I think I left it behind... "
Steve sighed and returned to the boy's side. Gently lifting his hand, he waited and to confirm his suspicion, a silvery band of material materialized around the child's wrist, covered with intricate, faintly glowing symbols. Steve's eyes drew to his own wrist, where a similar band resided. Checking the child's bracelet again, he frowned at the darkened crystals embedded into the cloth-like material. Then, reaching his own wrist to the child's, he watched as those crystals began to light up while several of his own grew dim.
Faint flashes of light streamed from the band, sinking into the child's smooth, pale skin. A large bruise on the side of the boy's right arm immediately started to fade until it completely vanished.
A few minutes later, the boy's dark eye-lashes fluttered again and his eyes opened, this time fully. This time, Steve gently helped him to sit up. The boy curiously looked at him and then concentrated on studying the cabin, where he found himself.
"Oh, Hero, I..." Steve roughly ran his hands through his short hair, trying to figure out what to do. The child's reactions explained everything he needed to know.
"You don't remember me, do you?" Steve uneasily chuckled. "I am... your little brother... Although now, I guess, I'm the older brother? At least, until you get your memory back?... Listen, I am sorry. I forgot that thing you gave me back in... another place... So I cannot call any of your... people... for help. Gah! What am I supposed to do? It is like days away from any inhabited place! Why on earth did you respawn here?"
Steve complained. The child returned a slightly confused gaze to him.
"And you don't even understand words, do you?" Steve said gently, at which, losing interest, the boy turned away and began studying the cabin again. Steve sighed.
"I guess I will have to cut my trip short." Steve muttered to himself.
He really didn't want to go back and deal with people just yet. His shoulders slightly slumped. "It's alright. It's all good. I was meaning to go back, anyway. I do need more supplies...Gah! Where did I leave it? I know that I threw it in a chest, but... Agdalen? Or... Maine?... I hope it's not in Cavalen. They might recognize you there... Maybe I could try catching one of your mobs? Except I have no idea how to tell them apart and which ones of them are yours and which aren't. Or, maybe?"
Steve closed his eyes and tried to concentrate really hard, trying to visualize the other immortal's broad, bearded, amicable face. But nothing happened. Steve sighed.
"I wish I knew where your hidden hide-outs were. Just one of them. I would have just taken you there. As it is, I will probably have to get closer to one of the beacons. Then, Notch might notice me calling... Why are you so little, anyway? And why don't you remember anything?"
Steve tried to remember hard of what Notch mentioned to him about respawn process and how it normally affected other immortals. But, he could only remember Notch saying something that it worked slightly differently for Hero, because he was not like them. He was similar to them, but different. Which was why most other immortals didn't accept him. And some outright called him an evil creature of power that should be destroyed or at best kept locked up.
Regardless. He had to find Notch. Notch would know what to do. Steve glanced at the boy and caught him curiously watching him, his head slightly tilted. It was such a familiar gesture. Steve managed an uneasy, but reassuring smile.
"I am sure glad that I found you, though." Steve told him, his eyes once again checking Hero's form. He was so small this time around. He didn't believe that he had ever seen him this young. The thought that he might have passed him by and went on his way, unaware that his brother was here, made a pang go through his heart. In this state, his brother would have been completely defenseless and sure to run into some deadly trap and respawn again as he wandered about the place. With no clue on who or where he was, his brother would have likely respawned again somewhere where someone would have found him, but how long would it have taken? How long was he already here, before Steve found him?
Steve ran his eyes over the child's form, but found no signs of malnutrition to his relief. The little boy looked comfortable. His clothing still looked new as well, his usual teal t-shirt and jeans slightly stained, but not torn or worn out. Still, he looked so young.
"Hmmm. This could actually be fun, though... I mean... I am now your OLDER brother... " Steve suddenly humphed. slight mischief twinkling in his blue eyes. He anticipated rubbing this incident in for years to come once his older brother regained his status. CAREFULLY rubbing it in. Because he wouldn't dare to laugh at his intimidating older brother. Steve's chuckle died before it began, especially noting the slight frown that creased the child's brows. Whatever else, even in this state, Hero managed to hold on to his pride, sensing if someone laughed at his expense.
"Look at you, Hero. You are so cute when you are little. You really are, big brother, please don't be angry with me." Steve smiled apologetically, meaning his words not to the child sitting before him, but to his brother when he would wake up and likely remember this moment.
"Sorry, I cannot get you home right away. It'll probably take a better part of the week just to cross the wilderness to the nearest villages." Steve sighed next, but the little boy already seemed to have lost interest, curiously turning to look at other things in Steve's little cabin.
...
Despite his heartfelt promise, Steve didn't set on his way back to civilization until two days later, first getting everything in order. Settling the boy on make-shift cart, which Steve attached to a newly tamed horse, Steve cast his small cabin a regretful look and began the journey back.
At first hesitantly, then enthusiastically, Steve taught his now little brother the basic things of self-care and dealing with the outside world, rewarded by the idle curiosity in the boy's eyes replaced with genuine interest.
Although he knew that his brother didn't need to eat and drink, and Hero never showed any normal human needs around him, Steve once noticed the boy look curiously at the food Steve was eating and offered it to him.
The boy took a ginger bite, following his example. A brief moment later, his entire attention focused on the food he held and he consumed it very quickly, as if realizing he was hungry. Steve frowned, feeling a bit guilty that he had not offered the boy anything sooner. A moment later, a slight tug on his sleeve startled him and he turned to find a pair of glowing eyes look at him hopefully from below.
"More?" Steve chuckled and gave the child another portion. He also gave him some sweets, which the child not just consumed, but continued to pester him persistently afterward, following him like a begging puppy. Steve had to show the child his bag and let Hero peer inside, and then watched with sympathy as the child's hopeful gaze changed to disappointment.
"I know what." Steve said and distracted the disappointed boy with a very simple human game he saw children play in local villages. Soon, a bright smile appeared on the child's face, causing another pang to go through Steve's heart. He had NEVER seen his brother smile before. Ever. He had even thought that Hero didn't have the capacity to feel same things like normal people. But the child's carefree, innocent laugh soon rang out, like little rays of sunshine scattering through the forest, completely changing Steve's opinion of that. It also made him feel a little sad.
He suddenly wished that his brother wouldn't grow up. Or, that he would, but normally, like human children. He wished he could keep him. Only, he probably couldn't be that selfish, could he? Sooner or later, his brother would remember everything. Steve doubted he would be pleased.
Sighing a little, Steve resumed on his journey. At the end of the sixth day, he reached his other home, a cabin on outskirts of Roaben. He searched for the item the adult Hero gave him several years ago. With relief, he retrieved it from one of the dusty chests, glad that he guessed right and didn't have to travel to his other places of habitation. Then, he held the medallion like object in his hand and frowned, straining to remember the instructions.
Several minutes later, a soft wurp sounded outside and Steve hurried out. He saw an enderman standing in front of the wary-looking child, both of them staring at each other. Steve's heart fell a little. When the enderman didn't attack, Steve relaxed. The enderman made a questioning sort of noise, sounding uncertain.
"Yes, yes. It's him. Just go and get someone... Preferably Notch." Steve told it. The mob made another uncertain noise, reaching his clawed hand toward the child. The child sharply in-took breath and frowned.
Suddenly, the mob made a frightened screech and cowered before the child on the ground, going to a knee, its arms defensively raised before its face, turning away as if unable to meet the child's harsh glare.
Worriedly, Steve approached and touched Hero's arm. The child snapped his head and glared at Steve, instead. It was as if a tremendous weight suddenly descended on Steve's mind, muddling his thoughts.
"Hero... Stop. You are scaring... him. Cannot you see?..." Steve struggled to say, fighting the shakiness taking over his body. The boy blinked, confused, then glanced back at the mob. "Let him go." Steve repeated strictly. The pressure dissipated. The boy turned to Steve with a question on his face, even as the mob hastily vanished.
"It's all right, Hero. You just have to be careful... With that power you have." Steve said, trying to keep his voice gentle, even as chills ran up and down his spine, as he suddenly realized what just happened.
His older brother had tremendous power, including power to command the mobs. But, he never abused it. Occasionally, when he was angry, his powers would get out of hand. Steve remembered him scowling angrily, his fists clenched, as the air around him darkened and became brittle dry, static electricity crawling up Steve's arms making his hair stand on edge. He snapped out of it quickly, though, calming down, the area going back to normal. But Steve remembered the same oppressive feel as he did just now. Which meant that this little boy held all or some of Hero's power. With no memories to keep his powers in check. Although he seemed a good-natured child, Steve suddenly realized just how dangerous Hero was like this. He could send Steve into a respawn purely by accident.
No, he really couldn't keep him, could he?
He also couldn't bring him anywhere close to normal people, since they couldn't respawn. There were enough horror stories about Hero destroying things in a fit of madness or bad temper, without Steve adding more darkness to his legends.
A tug on his sleeve returned Steve's attention to the child, to find him standing next to him, looking up with concern and slight guilt.
"No, no, no. Don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong." Steve hurried to reassure him. Wearily, he sat down on the edge of the cart. The boy carefully studied Steve's face and then sighed, trusting him. And climbed up next to him, settling down comfortably against Steve's side. He snuggled under Steve's arm.
With another pang in his heart, Steve gently tucked the edge of a spare cloak around the child, drawing him closer.
His older brother would have never showed such trust. Steve could clearly visualize Hero's expressionless face, looking down at him. A glance at the child, now sleeping next to him, made the longing in Steve's heart stronger. The wish to just leave Hero the way he was, innocent. But it wouldn't be safe. Not with the kinds of dangers his brother dealt with on an everyday basis. Even if Steve tried to hide him away from the world, those problems would quickly find him, Steve guessed.
"He is the Protector of our Realms." Notch once told him proudly. Steve looked again at the little boy. His glowing eyes closed, he appeared to have fallen asleep, deeply, his face peaceful. Steve smiled a little, gently petting the child's disobedient trusses of hair sticking up like ruffled feathers.
"I am going to miss this." Steve said regretfully.
Another soft wurp distracted Steve. It was not the mob that returned, though. Notch stood in same place where the enderman had been a few minutes before. That was quick. Looking around, Notch saw Steve and immediately strode toward him. He waved some sort of device in sleeping Hero's direction. Immediately, the frown smoothed from his face and he relaxed.
"Good, good. He seems to be all right... Although, a full respawn?" Notch frowned again, but thoughtfully rather than worried. His brown eyes fell on Steve.
"I've been looking for him for days. Where did you find him?"
"In a cave not far from my cabin. Several days of travel north of here. By Ikot range." Steve responded in a hushed tone, not willing to wake the child under his arm.
"That's strange..." Notch's tone lowered also, unconsciously imitating him. "Unless maybe his preset malfunctioned?" Notch frowned. "I suspected that something was amiss when I saw his form dissipate like that... It wasn't normal."
"Huh?" Steve managed. Notch glanced at him and uncomfortably shrugged.
"I was there when he... um... died? It was... an accident really. Not a big deal." Notch shrugged slightly. "But, then he didn't come back. And this is why. Full respawn... He won't be pleased." Notch moved his shoulders a bit uncomfortably, his guilty expression definitely increasing.
"Well, it's fine! Not like it has not happened before!" Notch's tone cheered up. "I'll get him back to his normal self in no time!" Notch reached his hands toward the sleeping child to grab him, but Steve warded him off with one hand. The way Notch spoke about Hero dying seemed so careless. Was that a thing with the immortals? Steve wondered to himself uneasily. Although technically he was considered an immortal as well, he has not died yet once in the past thirty six years he's been alive and he planned for it to stay that way.
"An accident?" Steve prodded. Notch actually blushed, embarrassed. It was difficult to see in the camp light for sure.
"Oh!... Yes. It was... my mistake. Just some technical... stuff... Things didn't go exactly to plan. And Hero being Hero, well... He interfered to... He protected our dragons. They weren't exactly sentient, but he raised them from the moment they hatched you see? So he jumped in. Right in the blast of the... It's not important, though. Don't worry, it didn't hurt much. And his dragons are fine. Now, if I can just get his memories back..."
Notch reached for the child again and Steve once again warded him off with a defensive gesture.
"Could you... Do it tomorrow? Could we just let him sleep?" Steve asked.
"Oh? I suppose... Yes, it could wait. Do you want to come with us this time?" Notch asked hopefully. Steve reluctantly nodded.
"That's great. He'll be really happy to see you when he wakes up." Notch said and began weaving a complex teleportation spell around them, shielding the entire area around their camp with a shimmering curtain that shut away the sight of the world. Glimpses of light wavered across the ground, like rays shining through water.
"Really?" Steve doubted, unable to imagine his frowning brother happy about anything.
"Of course. He was just talking about you earlier, before we went on that unfortunate trip... Hmmm, maybe that's why he respawned next to you. He was probably thinking of you just before he died. And since his respawn preset glitched, the System assumed that his preferred place was close to you."
Steve cast the sleeping child a thoughtful look, his heart once again painfully clasping in his chest. Hero HAD come to visit him on occasion, but always left not long after. Probably because he sensed just how uneasy Steve felt around him. Steve couldn't help it. Seeing his brother there always stirred very unpleasant memories.
And one memory still occasionally made him wake from nightmares, sweating and heavily breathing. It was the memory he had first met his brother.
A human figure, his blank eyes fiercely blazing, an angry scowl on his face, his clothing tattered and splattered with blood, staggering into the room where little Steve cowered, hiding behind the edge of the couch. It was the only room he knew, where his handlers kept him. But, they always treated him kindly, so he felt comfortable there. He felt safe. And seeing this person, this scary monster step through the crumpled door with his sword gleaming sharp and coated with blood, left little Steve terrified.
Especially when the scary figure strode toward him gripping that sword. Steve remembered hiding his face in his hands and holding his breath, as a pair of bloody bare feet stopped before him. And then everything went dark as he passed out.
He awakened again in the desert, with the same scary stranger, in a small camp he made. Steve remembered Hero reaching out some food to him, which he cooked over the fire. And little Steve hiding his face in his hands again, wishing for the scary stranger to go away and to wake up in his familiar, safe room. And then blacking out once more.
Hero tried to be kind to him, Steve realized now. But he was too scared of him then. When he woke up and saw another person, he immediately ran to him for safety. Hiding behind that person's back, he peeked out at the scary stranger from time to time while his new protector and the white-eyed man exchanged a strange, one-way conversation. Steve also remembered a stifled sigh and a sad look briefly overshadowing the stranger's gaze at him, and then Hero left. And mostly stayed away afterward.
Later, his new caretaker explained to him that the people who cared for Steve were bad people. That they planned to hurt him, just like the others they made from the blood, which they had taken from his powerful brother by force, keeping him prisoner just as they kept Steve prisoner. He told him that Steve was the last one left, on whom they have not yet carried out the procedure, which they hoped would imitate Hero's powers. All those they experimented on before Steve had already died, in terrible pain, which had driven them mad. When Hero finally broke free, he could only kill them. He had to, unable to risk letting creatures like that to escape the facility and end up in the larger world. They would have utterly destroyed it. But he hated doing it, killing mere children, who would have killed him if they knew how to use their powers better.
That's why he had been so angry when he broke through into little Steve's room. He was going to kill Steve, too, until he saw that Steve was not yet affected. Not knowing what else to do with the child, Hero put him to sleep and then took him along as he fled that accursed place, making sure to destroy every trace of it behind him.
Hearing this story did little to calm Steve. Knowing that his big brother intended to kill him just as he had killed his other little brothers in cold blood... Steve could not help feeling afraid whenever he was in his big brother's intimidating presence. And so Hero stayed away from him.
Steve cast the child under his arm a slightly guilty look.
"I am just really glad that you found him." Notch continued on without a care. "A full respawn without a preset is not very accurate at all. If you had passed him by, he would have gotten lost... Maybe not for years, like last time. But definitely for a few months. Alone, without a clue to who he is. He might have gone through a whole series of respawns before we finally found him. And what if someone else got to him first?"
Notch's carefree tone lost all humor on the last words.
"He was already unconscious when I found him." Steve said, regretting that he didn't find the child sooner. "I think he fell. Down into one of the mine-shafts."
"Hmmm. Do you know if he can teleport yet? Have you seen him do it?" Notch suddenly asked, his hands paused in midair. Steve shook his head.
"Good." Notch concluded. A moment later, their entire camp site relocated into the large grassy lawn before Notch's mansion.
Steve picked up the little boy before Notch could do it and waited for Notch to lead the way inside. Notch walked ahead, lights coming on at their approach and turning off behind them. He led the way to a room and opened the door.
"Here." Notch nodded Steve inside. Steve carried the child through, saw a bed covered with meticulously spread dark blanket, and lowered the child into it. Glowing eyes sleepily opened a bit, before closing again as the child turned on his side and went right back to sleep, curled up. Steve gently tucked the fur cloak around him before drawing back and with unwilling curiosity taking a look around the room.
"This is Hero's room. He normally stays here when he comes to visit."
Steve noted a table stacked with books. And tools, shimmering with arcane symbols. Dimly, Steve recalled Notch saying something about his brother always enjoying tinkering with such things.
Another thing that caught Steve's attention was a picture frame. He walked closer to it, just as the picture within it changed. Only to change again in a few seconds. The last picture featured a family with a smiling man, a woman, and two boys, all wearing strange clothing in an unfamiliar to Steve style. The older boy looked a little similar to Notch. The younger... Steve's eyes intently studied his features, the little grin that left dimples on the child's cheeks. The unruly brown curls. The boy looked a little younger than the child sleeping in the bed behind Steve. But the only difference between them was the child's eyes - an ordinary brown rather than an eerily glowing white.
"That's us. That's our family when we were younger." Notch said. "That's me and Hero, when we were still... human? We lived in a very different world." Notch's voice carried a faintly melancholy note.
Steve nodded and, noticing Notch waiting for him, reluctantly stifled his childish impulse to snoop around and followed Notch out of the room. Leaving the door partly open, he trailed Notch to a cozy kitchen filled with implements he had never seen before. Immediately, Notch proceeded to make a drink that he and Hero favored but Steve disliked due to its bitter taste.
Placing a cup of tea on the table before Steve, Notch dropped several clumps of sugar into his steaming drink and thoughtfully stirred it.
"...Does he have to do it?" Steve dared to ask before he thought better of it. Notch frowned at him slightly, expecting an explanation. Steve dropped his gaze hesitantly. Despite Notch always being friendly, he felt somewhat intimidated to be in his presence. He couldn't help it, knowing just how much power these higher immortals wielded. He had personally seen Notch casually create and then destroy an entire small world. All Steve could do was respawn if he got hurt and that's it. He had none of their powers. Compared to Notch and Hero, he always felt like he belonged more among humans than these beings.
Steve sighed.
"... Does he have to remember everything? Couldn't he just stay a child like this? And grow up normally?... Or... At least stay a child for just a little bit longer?"
"Hmmm." Notch responded.
"I mean... I've never seen him smile before. Or be happy. I've heard him laugh. I... have never heard him laugh... "
"Ah, I see. You wish for him to remain innocent. And you are not scared of him now, while he is like this." Notch's gaze cleared with understanding. Steve nodded.
"Well... I mean I suppose we could wait a little." Notch shrugged after a moment. Then, a grin stole into his face. The mischief Steve noted building there made him a little uncomfortable.
"He's going to grumble about it later, of course. But these worlds won't fall without him around for a few days... Or even weeks. I think we could stretch it that far... Oh, this is going to be fun!"
Steve smiled uneasily at the chuckle Notch made. Pranking Hero didn't seem safe to Steve one bit. But Notch chuckled again and slapped his hands decisively against his sides.
"Yes! Cannot wait to see his face when he realizes that he's been GROUNDED. Because... he is going to get into SO MUCH trouble." Notch openly laughed, while Steve suddenly began to have doubts whether his suggestion was a good idea.
"You're going to stay around, right? I am probably going to need your help, Steve. I won't be able to watch him all the time. So you'll have to babysit. That's my only condition. Will you do it?" Notch looked at Steve expectantly. After a moment, Steve reluctantly nodded.
"Well, just be ready, though. He's going to be a handful. Don't be deceived by his sweet little looks." Notch grinned again. "When he was little, he was a real prankster. Even without the powers he has now... But, yes! This is going to be fun. And maybe he will even laugh at it himself when he wakes up. Thank you, Steve. It's a wonderful suggestion!"
Notch grinned, his brown eyes expressing genuine, heartfelt warmth.
"And most of all... Thank you for finding him."
Steve blushed a little, warmth spreading in his heart.
"You are welcome... Brother..."