Hero's Bane

Chapter 44: You Are Free

Edited 4/25/2022

The ancient being sighed in aggravation as he opened the door to the small house and slammed it shut behind him, he had spent a lot of time running off the mobs to make the area a little safer and not waste his transcendent blood given to the miner. He also had to slay some zombies and skeletons that refused to heed his warnings and that only augmented his bad mood, he didn't have to do this but he did and for that human anyways.

Was it worth it? No, not to him. Sure the miner helped him out and prevented his possible death, yet it was that same man that put the hero's life in peril to begin with. The immortal stared at the sentinel's portrait on the other side of the room as he stood at the doorway, those two humans did look so much alike that it was almost startling. If the miner grew out his facial hair, aged several more years, and gained a little more muscle mass then the two would look exactly the same. Stranger yet, he himself mirrored them both for some odd reason. The only differences was his healthy and vibrant condition, his powers, immortality, and of course his white glowing eyes. There was no possible explanation for having identical looks with these mortals, but at least those two seemed to share some common ancestry. But as for himself, he was a mystery that he didn't even know.

The old hero let out a small sigh as his gaze moved back to the miner, he truly did miss the sentinel; the human was fortunate to basically be a copy of someone so important to him. He shouldn't of even saved Steve, but at least now he had finally paid a debt in full for once; it was to a human of all living things. Lionel's greatest request for him had been completed after so many long years, he could almost see the man smiling at his accomplishment.

Herobrine moved over to the body lying on the floor. The human's chest made a light rise and fall, indicating he was still alive. After a closer look he could see the wound had sealed a little and continued to glow, it would take a little while before it completely closed but at least it wasn't bleeding anymore. The other wounds including that on his shoulder and palms had also shined with a soft white light. Herobrine glanced up towards the bed to see the end table, blood coated the surface of the table and the bowl of water was also dyed red along with some gauzes. The bed had some stains too where the human had moved the hero onto, sacrificing his place of rest for his enemy.

He stepped over to the table to find a nearly empty bottle with a deep purple solution in it, he curiously plucked the near empty glass container and examined the remains of the potion. It was made from various ingredients from the smell, but it had to have been used on him and maybe it was this concoction that saved his life. He looked back down at his stomach and saw the cut was nearly sealed up, the tenderness was there but it wouldn't be long before the wound would fade and appear as if it had never existed. He placed the bottle down and walked over to a wooden chair closest to the unmoving form, he soon noticed his sword that miner had been using was there at his feet. The same blade that managed to deal some very real damage to him, it was truly a bane while in the mortal's hands and he'll never underestimate it's powers when used against him again; should that ever happen.

He took a seat and rubbed his temples with one hand while his other laid limply over the armrest, he was frustrated from too many things and it was giving him a migraine. His thoughts went directly to the miner as he looked down upon the man.

...

"Herobrine."

...

That voice echoed as he stared. That pained tone and that expression now etched into his memory like that of Lionel's.

..

"I wanted to st-stop him from creating the pain, the torture. Not just for innocent people, but for Him too. …I wanted to help-"

...

Herobrine snorted at the idea. The man wanted to get rid of him from the start and then he goes and changes his mind?

...

"Because, it's not his fa-fault. … I don't blame him for… killing others, not after the memories I've s-een."

...

Of course it wasn't his fault, he didn't mean to kill the child. Herobrine coiled his fist around the armrest and crushed the wood in a little. Also, those memories weren't meant to be shared; those traumatizing events were very personal. It was his powerful influence that he couldn't control when he thought too deeply, particularly memories.

The human's reasons for wanting to help were confusing enough, The miner really shouldn't have any; after all he was going to kill the mortal regaurdless. He had asked the man a few times as to why he did what he did; save the being, but the reason still didn't properly click in his mind. It wasn't really much of a reason as it was of a will. So what was it? What was that reason? That purpose?

...

"No, an understanding. To show him that not all hum- I mean- people are bad. I wanted to build a trust. A frie-"

...

An Understanding? All humans are bad. They are weak and selfish and are incapable of understanding the hero himself, the intricacies of his nature, his powers, and his motives. They are unworthy of trusting. All humans he ever knew was against him, all except Lionel. And maybe the twins in the sentinel guards, but they didn't really count since they wouldn't defend him; though they did try to defend Lionel at least. And what was that last thing he mentioned? A friend? Friendship? Was that what the mortal was wanting? No, it had to be something else. It just couldn't be could it? The hero removed his hand from his head and lightly gaped at Steve.

That was a ridiculous prospect, not only did he want to kill the human; on multiple occasions, but he also wanted the man to suffer for causing so much pain, bringing back terrible memories, scarring his pride, and ignoring his few chances to leave unscathed. Why would he want to befriend someone like Him? Someone who could take away everything he held dear just for the Nether of it? Someone who could easily crush him into the dirt when he infuriated him? Someone with a hate so strong that he believed all humans had to die?

Herobrine's expression fell into a deep frown. It made absolutely no sense. Maybe the 'understanding' part made a little sense, but 'that'? They were enemies of each other, not allies nor 'friends'. You can't be a friend and foe at the same time, it's absurd.

...

"We didn't have to… be enemies. I never wanted to be. Herobrine was just too closed off from mis-mistrust?"

...

Maybe Steve didn't want to be enemies, but then again, no one would want to be a foe of Herobrine's. That would be foolish and very unwise, humans could never outmatch him, only one such as that damned god could since he held much more power in his hands. But this man sounded so sincere and he even matched the being in combat for a short time and mastered the power of a inhuman blade, the weapon alone could have killed the man with it's negative effect but he somehow overcame it. The super being shook his head back and forth in denial, the absurdity of what transpired over the past day. All those times the miner had almost killed himself wielding the hero's enchanted diamond blade, how could he possibly master it? Was he planning to force him into yielding with that blade?

Steve sounded genuine and sincere with his words and there was no doubts in his deep lapis colored eyes, he was determined to win in battle and then after getting attacked and fatally injured; he was still trying to reach out to him.

No, it wouldn't matter if the human was wanting to be a friend out of fear like Brutus, or just out of the honesty of it. Herobrine gave the warnings and they went ignored. The human still wanted to call forth Notch and the hero wouldn't allow it. Besides, he didn't need a pathetic friend. He had friends before and they turned on him, the only real one died. He wasn't going to allow for any kind of betrayal to happen ever again to him.

Mistrust? That was at least one true statement. Herobrine never wanted to trust anyone ever again, it was such a cruel tool to abuse. He didn't to rely on anyone either, especially humans. They were so quick to ditch and betray each other, choosing valuable ores over their worthless bonds. He had seen this kind of greediness many times, it's always the same. One miner would be striking diamond and collecting it only to have the ores taken away from their lifeless corpse after being a victim of an accident or even their backstabbing so called 'friends'.

Their 'friends' didn't care much for the corpse as they had for the real prize taken away from the lifeless body. Other humans robbed from each other and even corpses as they came across them in abandoned mines or around late at night and breaking into the houses of their own kind to steal for gain. They never care about the the dead or even attempt to bury them, they only wanted what the victims had in their inventory. Sometimes their 'friend's' lives would be at stake, but they would abandon them so that they themselves would live. They were greedy and traitorous, started wars and village raids for petty reasons like land possession and different ideals. They were all the same, maybe not all started fights for the same reasons and maybe some humans did protect those they loved. In the end however; such an intelligent species was always out for itself. All humans are the same, all except for this one that he had so much trouble understanding.

The miner's response to the big question still wasn't clear though. He only said what he wanted, not why he spared his killer. So that question still remains unanswered and that was quite frustrating. If it wasn't for that one question, Lionel's mirroring death, and the miner's desperation and fight to live like in the memory; then he would have let the man die and be done with those tedious and time-wasted encounters. He wouldn't be running around and waiting for the miner to slip up.

Why did the mortal beg him to save him after finally realizing that the hero was Lionel anyways? Was Steve that desperate? The immortal had seen and heard many things from his frantic dying prey, but never once did any of his victims reached out and begged to be saved by their destroyer. That was different coming from the miner. Even when Herobrine chose to just leave the man hanging there, Steve tried to free himself and even asked for help. He wasn't a quitter. Lionel never was either, just like him; Steve fought to live until death's claws ensnared him and squeezed out nearly every drop of life. If the two were related or not; they were definitely alike in so many ways. The way they looked, fought, acted, and talked. There was many ways. It didn't matter though, he couldn't trust the miner and that was the biggest thing that sets Steve apart from Lionel.

He should be killing the man on the floor but now his desire to do so just seemed to disappear, fade out completely even as he stared at the miner's blank expression. Herobrine stood up from the chair and walked over to Steve, he leaned down then scooped the human up into his arms before laying the miner down onto the bed and pulled the heavy blanket over the unconscious form. That much he deserved. This man was too hard to understand, too difficult to read. His intentions were confusing, his mind fixed on helping him was completely perplexing. Steve wasn't worth the waste of time anymore, he had to go. Killing him now would negate the debt and undo what he did to complete it, he had to at least let the human go and get out of his hair. He would only allow escape this one and final time, afterwards, he could kill him without a second thought and be on his way should the man return.

Herobrine turned away from the miner and walked through the door and into the night, he took one glance inside before closing sealing the place shut and walking through the snow under the fading stars.

…

…

"Hmmrrn." The miner's head tilted from one side to the other. "Noooh." His eyes suddenly tightened and he turned his blank expression into one of fear. "No, don't!"

He clinched the ends on the mattress and suddenly jerked his head to the right, a tear slipped down the side of his face.

"LIONEL!" Steve shot up from the mattress with a loud shout and instantly recoiled from the numbing pain in his chest cavity, he strongly winced before forcing himself to fall back onto the pillow. The pain lingered as he laid there with a heavy heart, Herobrine's last memory still fresh in his mind.

The crackling sounds of the Netherrack filled his ears and he lifted his head a little to the noise to find the Nether block a few feet from the foot of the bed; burning as it has for days. He then turned his head and looked out the window to his side and could see daylight, the sun wasn't visible from his standpoint so it must be mid-day by now. He blinked a few times and steadied his breathing with his aching lungs. He then blinked. "Wait? I'm alive?" Steve immediately noticed how easy it was to breathe now and he took a deep breath and filled his still sore lungs; which he shouldn't be able to use one of them but they both felt oddly fine.

He tilted his head down towards his chest and peered through a thin hole in his shirt, the bright light caught his attention and he quickly pulled his shirt back to see the stab wound, or what was left of it. His eyes widened and he daringly moved a hand close to the cut; almost fearing that he was seeing things, but after seeing the white light reflect on his hand he immediately knew he wasn't dreaming. He could see a small glow around the closing gash, as he stared he could see tiny segments of skin forming around the edges; almost like how Herobrine had healed from his burns. Steve blinked in disbelief and suddenly looked up and around the room as he pulled his shirt back down. His eyes darted to every corner but there was no Herobrine in sight.

He tried to sit up again and he softly yelped from the tenderness in his upper torso, he attempted again and this time with more success. He carefully placed a hand close to the wound, it was sore to the touch but it was healing and he was alive and in his bed. "Huh?" He grabbed the bed sheet and pulled it off of lap and moved his aching legs to the edge, he scooted across the mattress until his feet touched the floor. He immediately noticed that the cut on his palms were gone, there was no sign of them; just dull aches in the middle of his hands. He glanced to his right shoulder and saw the a faint light beaming through the lightly wrapped gauze. He quickly and carefully unraveled the bandage in curiosity to find the wound nearly gone, only a tiny thin cut remained and the light shined brightly as the wound narrowed. "But how?" He quietly muttered before remembering Herobrine towering over him with his hand held out, he cut his own palm and let a droplet of blood flow down and drop into the deep wound on his chest.

Steve lightly shivered from the thought, the pain he definitely recalled and it was very unpleasant; it was the worst pain he had ever felt before in his entire life; it had to have been that drop of blood that did all of the healings. He couldn't think up any other explanation. Herobrine healed completely with his transcendent blood, so it would not only heal him but others too? And just one drop did this much? Then it clicked in his mind. That was why Herobrine wanted to get to Connor so bad, he could have saved him with a single drop.

And Lionel? Steve couldn't help but feel a pang in his chest after thinking of that name and the tragedy that unfolded. He saw it, he himself was floating above the ground a few feet away from Lionel and Herobrine, just feet away from the two to see the sad aftermath play out. He saw the guardsmen lying on the ground while bleeding profusely and dying. He saw him struggle to free himself and in his effort to remove the sword he accidentally cut deeper through his chest and … it killed him. The sentinel reached out for his best friend but couldn't reach him, Herobrine couldn't say or do anything. Brutus must have killed him, he threatened Lionel in one vision before; so this is the result and why Lionel's grave was just down the mountain before hitting the open stretch to the fortress.

'That is why Herobrine doesn't trust anyone anymore, why his hate for humans is so strong.' He thought to himself. The old hero could have saved him too if he wasn't paralyzed, Lionel's wound was just so bad and Herobrine couldn't do anything but sit there and watch. He really wanted to save him, it was clear enough in his expression. Even Steve wanted to save him though he was debilitated by pain and dying himself, so he wouldn't of really been able to do anything at all even if he removed the sword from his own chest. So he couldn't of saved Lionel if he wanted to, it was just a memory and even if he was able to do something it still wouldn't change the present.

"But then why did Herobrine save me?" He said quietly with a pained tone. Steve really couldn't imagine why, especially after trying to kill him with that last violent attack; though Herobrine seemed to be out of his sane state. That was shocking. It was startling enough that Herobrine portrayed himself as Lionel in his visions. For Notch's sake, he even hugged him once after thinking that the 'sentinel' was his great grandfather. No wonder 'Lionel' pushed him away and was so sure that Herobrine would win the battle. And all of those visions with him? Why did he do that? Why did he give all of those warnings? Why did he save him from the abomination Herobrines? Why did he throw the miner into the deep safe black after each nightmare that could have killed him? Why was he Lionel?

It didn't make sense. He was trying to be killed by Herobrine only to have the same being protect him and trying to get him to leave, all at the same time. It could explain the hero's hesitance and the miner's imprisonment back at the fortress, though that was short-lived. But now? Being saved right after that deadly attack? And the warnings? Why did Herobrine give them to him or spare him at all? Steve thought on it but just like the hero; he had so many questions too. The hard part would be trying to get answers, though that was probably impossible since his next encounter could be his last. Herobrine was just so perplexing and seemingly unstable.

Steve quietly chuckled to himself in hysterics as he stared at the red stained wooden floor. "So, my remaining friend that I thought was Lionel, is actually Herobrine?" He shook his head from disbelief and his small smile faded. "If only that were true."

The miner moved forward and took one step and almost slipped from a crimson splotch on the floor that wasn't completely dried yet. He caught himself on a chair and slowly pulled himself up, he felt so weak and tired. He blinked in a little shock after finding one of the end of the armrest crushed in, he didn't do that. It had to of been 'Him'. Steve carefully pulled himself up and stretched his numb limbs, he was still sore and quite exhausted but at least he could stand and walk. He hobbled over to one of the front windows and peered outside, there wasn't anything out there that he could see; nothing but the snow and spruce trees so he moved away from the window and across the doorway.

He moved away from the door and that was when he heard a loud clonk sound. He instantly froze in his place, frightened. It was Herobrine, he just had a feeling that the being was knocking against the door and that made the miner's heart race and he felt his knees grow weak. He slowly approached the door knowing that if it was Herobrine then it would be pointless to fight, hide, or runaway. He gulped as he turned the knob on the door and he shut his eyes as he pulled it open.

A heavy brush across his legs made him reel over and he opened his eyes to find a mass of pink rubbing against his knees. "Pork Chop?" He curiously asked with widened eyes. The swine snorted a few times then sat down on the spot as the miner ran his hand across the top of it's head. Steve immediately recognized the scars on it's back and down it's sides, he saw the cracked hoof too. But that missing piece of it's ear was the last bit of proof he needed to identify the pig, it was indeed his old friend.

"It's been a while, where have you-?" He stopped petting the pig and took a few cautious steps back, the pig only gazed up at him with it's head tilted lightly in curiosity. The pink animal forced itself out of it's seated position then proceeded to follow the miner into the house, following it's friend though the man stumbled back in fear.

Steve nearly tripped as he backed into the end table and caused the bowl of bloody water to fall to the ground and coat the wooden floorboards. "Stay back." He cautiously warned going for his sword, but the diamond blade wasn't in his scabbard so he withdrew his lucky stone blade and held it firmly until he bumped into the wall. This was the pig that Herobrine controlled, the one that followed him and had white eyes. But it's eyes weren't white, at least not at that moment. The pig acted as if it had before becoming a puppet to the ancient being, carefree and probably hungry.

The pig didn't stop nor feel threatened as it reached the man and nudged the miner in the knee to be petted again. So it was normal again?

Steve finally dropped his raised weapon and sheathed the blade with a heavy sigh. Whether Herobrine was using the poor animal or not; it was still his only non-hostile company he had now that Nigel was gone and it wasn't under control… yet. He reached down and petted the creature and the swine moved it's head with the miner's trailing fingers, loving the attention.

"Well, I guess as long as your eyes aren't white then you'll be okay."

The pig made a low grunt and then trotted away from the miner to the chest at the corner of the room, it nudged it's nose against the wooden box and raised a hoof to scratch at if, appearing to want something that was inside it.

Steve slowly made his way over and lightly pressed the pig away to open the chest, a small stack of wheat was in one of the corners. He smiled then pulled out one bundle before holding out for the pig to eat, Pork Chop pulled the bundle out of the man's hand and ate it down quickly.

Steve pulled out the rest of the stack and laid it on top of the wooden container. "Sorry if I don't have any carrots, you'd probably want those more than wheat." Now that he thought about it; he was kind of hungry too. Steve turned around walked over to the furnace; dodging the wooden bowl and being careful not to slip on the wet mess on the floor in the process. There was still a few chunks of coal left from what he could see so he could still cook something. He paced back over to the chest and couldn't find anymore food items left inside. "Bread it is then." He said to himself and the pig only stared blankly from his words. Another glance around had the man sighed in discomfiture. "But first, I'm going to have to clean up this mess." He rolled his eyes and reached down to pluck up the bowl and a empty potion bottle. He grimaced when his eyes met the spot on the floor where he had been suspended above just hours ago, it was completely covered in dried blood, it probably stained the wood. And worse? It was a big puddle. How he survived is still a crazy notion. He then looked down at himself and he wasn't all happy about his dark crimson colored attire, the floor wasn't the only thing that needed to be cleaned.

The pig finally plopped down next to the chest and laid on it's side, appearing to get comfortable before dozing off.

…

Herobrine tramped through the snow with his eyes blazing. He had returned to the Nether after sparing the insignificant mortal to find that everything was as it should be, except for the soulsand islands. The dark brown clusters have dwindled down to virtually nothing but a flat platforms that was on the verge of disappearing into the lava, barely surfacing the hot liquid. It was bad, very bad. The souls were being used up too quickly and he hadn't been keeping up with his fill as he should be. He needed more souls and all of his time spent on what should have been harvesting souls; he wasted on dealing with that blasted miner. He needed to get rid of that human now, too much time had been depleted and he couldn't risk wasting anymore.

He trudged up the hill towards the small house and swiftly made his way over to the door, he peered through the window to see the human on his knees; scrubbing the floor with a red-stained rag. The miner was still there and that infuriated the being to no end. He should have ran for his life by now, especially after the horrifying ordeal he underwent just recently. The hero twisted the knob and slammed the door wide open with a kick, a deep scowl ran across his face.

Steve instantly jolted in his place and dropped the rag then he slowly turned his head towards the form standing at the doorway to find Him standing there. "Herobri-"

Steve didn't even get to finish the name for he was already being suspended by a hand clasped around his throat. Herobrine growled then brought the man to eye level, he glared into the blue orbs before his eyes shined so bright that the miner looked away. He shook the human then forced the man's eyes to look into his and the human screamed.

…

As soon as Steve looked into the white he felt a powerful shockwave in his head that instantly gave him a headache. A strange sensation ran through the ends of his mind and he couldn't help but yell out from the pain that pulsated throughout his brain. 'What are you doing?!' He thought loudly in his mind. Seconds later the white faded and was replaced with a vision of the shack he was in. Suddenly the visualization shifted away from the small hovel and then in a rapid speed the mental image sped through pine trees and across the snowy hills away from the fortress and open plains before going across the frozen taiga. As if he was ghosting across the land at high speeds; he moved down the frozen hill and through the snow plains from which he recognized. He went back down into a warmer climate zone through an oak forest and past a lake, then by the carved out dirt fort he first made. However, instead of going back through the forest and into the hole in which he first came through; he went directly east of the dirt mound and across a large stretch of land and foothills towards a mountain. The mountain was awkwardly shaped and it had a dug out staircase that led into a cave midway, the vision proceeded to enter the cave and went into a small river that ran through the cavern and out into an open gap on the other side. He went down a large waterfall and down into a deep pond at the bottom of the mountain before stopping as the vision hit land.

It was the way out of the valley.

Steve blinked and felt himself plop against the floor and he squeezed the sides of his head from the excruciating ache, he felt like his head was going to explode. He was forced to take in every detail, every landmark, he could even count the number of trees at each specified location. No normal human could ever retain such a mental map, yet here he was forced to and it was burned into his memory. Steve daringly moved his pained gaze from the floor and looked up to see Herobrine with his arms crossed and a cold glare to match.

"That's… that's the way out of here? But why? Are you freeing me?" He asked but the being seemed disinterested and turned on his heels before moving out of the house. "Wait!" He winced again and squeezed his watering eyes shut as another pulse flowed. His head hurt so badly, he was almost afraid that he might have been hemorrhaging from the brain. "Hero-" He stopped as he noticed that the being was gone. Herobrine seemed to be very angry and Steve didn't know why, he had a feeling that maybe it was just the hate but he couldn't be sure.

He got up off of his knees and staggered as he stood. He could still see it, he could see the path, the entire route all laid out like it was imprinted on his memory with every single feature from the land shape to the very detail of all of the bark on all of the trees. It was very strange but he just could not forget the trail and the trees he flew by in the vision, and his head hurt more as he remembered it. He rubbed his pounding forehead then looked down to see the enchanted blade a few feet away on the opposite end of the chair, mostly hidden under the wooden seat on the other end. He reached down and took a hold of it. Herobrine had showed him the way out of the valley and Steve wasn't sure if it was a trap, a test, or just the given freedom but he knew he had to go regardless. But first-. Steve took a long look at the sword and held it tight in his palm. Why didn't the being take it back then? He must have forgot.

Steve heard a shifting sound from behind and he turned his head to see the pig moving away from the corner, being very cautious and looking in every direction as it moved about. "It's okay Pork Chop, he's gone but I won't be staying long myself."

Steve's gaze left the pig and he sheathed the sword after feeling the growing strength surge into his limbs, he still had a few things to pack before leaving and he wasn't too excited about departing the place. He failed, his quest to stop Herobrine had hit an end. He couldn't get the being to see his intentions, he was actually very lucky to alive and even luckier to be able to return to the village and then his home to his mother and sister. In fact, he seemed happy almost; getting to see his friends and family after so long. At the same time however; it weighed heavy on him and that slight moment of happiness escaped him. Herobrine. Nothing would change about him. He couldn't stop the super being and everything he did was for nothing, even throwing his life on the line to show the old hero that some humans were helpful and considerate went without change. Well, not entirely. At least Herobrine spared and saved him from certain death.

"I need just one more opportunity." He whispered before looking back out the door. "Just one more."