A/N: Another redone chapter! Life's been hectic but I'll try to redo one chapter every two weeks from now on until everything is polished up! (2/2/2020)

All was silent between two figures as the realm around them continued to endlessly burn. One of the figures was waiting patiently for the other to speak and the other was desperately trying to think as far back as he could remember but failed to go back far enough. Aodh, for the moment, thought that the strange person and/or mob in front of him actually knew its name and was just having trouble saying it out loud. It was painfully obvious that the person could barely speak since just seconds before the stranger had to fight just to speak three simple words. So Aodh patiently waited for an answer.

The other person drummed his fingers along his skull and gave a grimace as he tried to think of the answer, but it was pointless and he huffed in defeat. He shrugged his shoulders at Aodh with furrowed brows. He really couldn't remember it at all but he knew he had one it was just at the tip of his tongue and -

He caught himself, angry, why in the Nether did it matter?! He dropped the subject and returned his attention back to Aodh who had disbelief in his eyes. In response to the staring, a deep growl rose from the back of his throat trying and succeeding in making Aodh snapped back to reality. He HATED it when ANYONE stared at him those Sorry SONS OF-!

"Heh… sorry lad that was a bit rude of me I just find it strange that you don't have a name fer yourself." Aodh apologized to him even if it was a crude one. It worked anyway as the last train of thought died down. Now a new one popped inside the nameless man's head; how could he tell him he did have one but didn't remember? He thought for a bit until he believed the words he chose from his limited vocabulary were enough to get the point across.

"Have name… Forgot." He bluntly put out with his still rough voice. Aodh nodded his head and in doing so aggravated his harsh burns that had been blasted into his back. He winced at the now increasing throb of pain from the wounds he gained fighting off the Ghasts. Another whine tried to escape but his thoughts on the broken words of this stranger helped distract him. The man before him must've been here a long time to have forgotten his own name. But he couldn't just call him 'lad' all the time so what temporary name could he call his new 'friend' of sorts?

"Well if yer forgot your old name why don't cha make a new one?"The mob/man hybrid in front of Aodh tilted his head, probably not quite getting the concept or maybe thinking the idea over in his mind. When the being in front of him suddenly went down earlier Aodh didn't know what to think.

"New… name?" The being probed Aodh with a half-hearted growl, dubious yet interested. Just the way the lad before him was glaring, but also not quite glaring, was rather unnerving to Aodh but he didn't let it show. Something was wrong with this person, that Aodh knew, but that wasn't going to stop him from lending a helping hand.

But there was still that nagging feeling.

'There seems to be a lot of mystery behind this acquaintance' Aodh thought before deciding to answer the mob and/or man.

"Yep, just give yourself a brand new name. Could be anything ya want to be named." Again, the mob-thing tilted his head to the side and seemed to become distant mentally as those bright red eyes of his dimmed. Aodh wondered what such a lad could be thinking about on such a simple subject. Then again, the lad in front of him did just drop down and scream bloody murder and suddenly went dead quiet after like five minutes. Aodh mentally filed the thought under 'ask him later'

The lad in front of Aodh just shrugged his shoulders again as the glow of his eyes came back, but still look like it was a far-away stare.

'this is going to be a long day… or is it night?' Aodh mentally sighed before trying to come up with a name he could give the lad since said lad had no clue how to name himself. Aodh thought back to the word mystery, it was something he could work off of… obliviously he wasn't actually going to name him mystery, that's a more of a pet type name.

'Shadow… no…shady… nope… dark… Nope… Malise? So MUCH NOPE.' Aodh couldn't seem to think of name until it one came like a light bulb after a few more seconds.

'Shroud… yep, Shroud sounds like a good name for now…' The name seemed to fit his now bored-looking, maybe ally, maybe new friend. He had a hood that covered his face and his face itself was so dark that all he could make out were Shroud's eyes and occasionally his mouth when he spoke. That and Shroud's history seemed to be lost to even him.

"Hey, how does the name 'Shroud' sound to you? I certainly think it fits ya" Shroud seemed to perk up at that and nodded almost immediately once he heard it much to Aodh's surprise. He had at least expected him to take his time thinking it over.

"Okay… Shroud it is then!" Aodh enthusiastically replied. He made to make an exaggerated thumbs up with a great swing of his arm but ended up barely biting back a scream as his terrible burns made themselves known again.

"Sorry to ask this but how 'bout you lead me to somewhere safe? I need to treat these burns of mine…"

'Shroud', as the strange minecraftian had named him, was not thinking too deeply about getting the new name but rather if he could trust Aodh. He was TOO friendly for his liking and he kept struggling with the fact that somehow, seemingly without Aodh's knowledge, he had gotten rid of Voice almost entirely. But though Shroud could no longer hear Voice talk, or loudly shout in his mind, he could hear him hiss threateningly deep down. He didn't get rid of Voice entirely but he certainly did suppress him.

But the hows and whys were lost on 'Shroud'. Still, there had to be a connection as Voice had only gone silent after meeting Aodh.

And then there was the other voice.

A new voice had seemingly popped into his head out of nowhere. Who they were and where they had come from was a mystery that he couldn't solve just yet. All he knew was that it was the voice that had said 'Save him' and nothing else. Other voice had also seemed to make a noise deep in Shroud's core, but it was a hum instead of a hiss.

Shroud debated with the two completely contrary opinions of the voices throughout Aodh's thinking session about a name; Shroud had tuned him out up until Aodh had actually named him. He hastily nodded wanting to get out as soon as possible for he had started to hear more Ghasts coming, most likely wondering what had happened to the two Aodh killed.

He was scanning for places to take cover but the area they were in was flat as it gets and as open as a lava ocean.

His searching eyes and ears eventually made their way back to Aodh after checking the area for Ghasts only to realize that Aodh looked like he was about to cry out. Aodh was clutching his side in what seemed to be agony, something that made Shroud feel a pang of disgust at how weak this person was.

"Sorry to ask this but how 'bout you lead me to somewhere safe? I need to treat these burns of mine…" Aodh said with a hint of pain seeping through his voice.

Shroud stared for a bit before searching again for any area to hide in, a slightly larger dent in a wall compared to where they were in right now would do, just any place where the Ghasts couldn't follow them. Thinking to himself, Shroud came to a compromise that he would help Aodh get out of the way but then leave him to fend for himself. Maybe that'll please both the voices.

"Hey, Shroud could you help me along? Seems I took a bigger beating then I thought." Shroud's mind reeled at the thought of letting a complete stranger touch him let alone have them lean on him for support. He made his stance on this clear by hissing loudly with glaring narrowed eyes towards Aodh who jumped slightly in surprise.

'Well, he shouldn't be too trusting of a stranger now should he?!' Shroud thought angrily to which he felt Voice nod his non-existent head in approval and for the new other voice to face-palmed at his thought. He lowered his hiss into a low growl as Aodh gathered himself up after the sudden anger directed at him.

"Sorry Shroud, didn't know it would displease you the help someone in pain, but if me and you are going to move out quicker maybe helping out wouldn't be so bad?" Shroud huffed at Aodh since it was a good point.

But still… he was regretting helping this man out already.