Hero's Bane

Chapter 45: Yet You Return

Edited 4/25/2022

Steve had spent about an hour cleaning himself up a little and packing whatever he could use to get out of the land safely. He baked the last of his wheat and made one loaf of bread, he stored it away in his bag that he got from Warren and drank the last of his healing potion instead. He kept the remains of his special potion though, saving it for a crucial time if in such an event rendered him with more injuries. He rummaged through his backpack and gathered only a few of his essential items; choosing to leave his more heavier chest pack since he wasn't feeling so strong. The lighter he packed the better it would be on his exhausted body and healing wounds. He also stored away the things he didn't need in the chest, he wasn't about to just throw away perfectly useable items.

He took the navy colored cloak that had the royal insignia on it and wrapped it around his form, it was going to be a long walk to the mountains and a large portion of that trail was in a cold climate.

As Steve opened the door the pig grunted and gave him a curious look.

"Pork Chop, I have to go. Come on." He motioned his hand outwards but the swine only stood there with an unreadable expression, not fully understanding what the human was doing.

The miner sighed and took one last glance around the inside of the small home. Though he wasn't very safe here in this house, in this land; he still felt rather attached to it. A part of him was going to miss the place. It felt sort of like home, just in a hostile neighborhood. A part of him wanted to fix it up and expand on it some, make it a little bigger, clean it up, add some more furnishings, his own room, and just stay for a while like a little private getaway. Steve smiled. "That would have been nice." He says to himself.

The fireplace would be fine, the Nether block wasn't going out anytime soon so he wasn't going to waste the time to douse it considering he was out of water and would need to fetch more down the hillside. He had left all of the furniture in it's place, he didn't need to waste energy moving them back. For all he knew; he wouldn't ever see it again, or Herobrine would just burn it down to somewhat erase the memory of him being in pain and being saved by the miner and saving the miner in return.

The pig suddenly trotted past Steve, out of the shack and wandered around outside; using it's hoof to dig up some grass buried underneath the snow.

Not surprised, Steve moved through the doorway and took one last look at the portrait on the wall. Lionel continued to smile on that canvas, Steve felt a little guilt for giving in. He couldn't do another fight right now so he couldn't convince Herobrine that way, but he just couldn't leave his promises to the dead sentinel and the ex-hero. He needed a miracle, again. "Notch? Please, I need another chance. By some way, somehow, just let me get through to him. Help me to help him understand, please?" He asked, slouching in his posture when he got no response. "I'm sorry Lionel, I tried." He finished more solemnly with his head craned downward before closing the door and walking away a few yards.

He stopped by Pork Chop just munching on some grass and took one last look at the old house, he could see the fixes he did with the structure and he wished he had more time to replace the damaged wood and windows. There was no doubt he was going to miss the place, but it was to be behind him now. The miner turned away and treaded through the open snow hill and down into the pine woods.

…

…

It had been over an hour now and it was snowing like crazy as he moved through the snow plains. He had a feeling that Pork Chop wasn't going to follow him all the way like he wished the swine would. It was his only company. He couldn't even feel those eyes on him like the first time he did passing through, so Herobrine wasn't stalking him. The pig did however; follow him for a couple miles but the animal had been smart and didn't go walking through the heavy snowfall.

Steve's hood flew from his head and he quickly pulled the cover back down as the wind picked up. He was fighting the small blizzard using the enchanted sword as his source of energy, it did little however to guide him to the trail in which he remembered. He could barely see through the white out to find the landmarks that would guide him out safely, he practically had to guess where he was going.

The wind suddenly shifted back and forth and the drawstrings on the cloak became loose, the fine fabric was ripped away by a gale of wind and it flew off of his back and into the powdering white. Steve immediately coiled his arms around his chest and squinted to see where the royal robe had gone, he had no such luck. Without the hood; snow flew into his eyes and made it difficult to keep them open, he was probably going to freeze to death before he even gets halfway out of the taiga. He raised his empty hand up and shielded his eyes as he searched for the few trees he was supposed to be passing. He didn't see any trees but he did see a tall black figure standing out in the distance, he wasn't sure what it was until it suddenly flashed from that spot to another that wasn't so far away.

It was an Endermen.

Steve quickly moved the blade upright. He wasn't prepared or in the condition to fight but there wasn't much choice now, he had seen one of it's eyes. The black mob flashed from spot to spot until it got close. Steve spun on his heels until he saw the creature standing feet away, but after nothing happened he daringly looked up at it after noticing that it wasn't moving or attacking.

"Vlurrph."

He squinted as he looked up at it's face, it had one eye and didn't attack as he gazed into it. It could only be one Endermen in specific. "Stea-" That was when the mob reached it's long arm over and grabbed his shoulder.

In an instant the two ported from place to place, quickly flashing across the frozen climate. Steve could feel that strange energy with each spot they stopped at, it wasn't harmful but it did make him nearly sick to his stomach. He wanted to ask what the crazy creature was doing and where they were going but the mob didn't give him the time. In just a few minutes of teleporting they were now out of the snow and down into a more warmer and dryer climate, the towering mob quickly shook the sticking flakes off of his rough textured skin to prevent burns should the snow melt on him. The Endermen then started to burble as it stood before the human, as if it was trying to speak. The miner couldn't help but crack a smile, it was sort of adorable trying to talk.

"I don't understand you buddy." He gestured. "I do appreciate the help though." Steve clearly couldn't understand what the mob was saying but he knew that he was grateful that the tall creature was nearby and got him out of those freezing plains. Steve quickly searched his new place but didn't recognize it, he quickly paced around the woods they were in with the ender being following out of curiosity. Steve stepped out of the woodlands to see an open lake and that strange shaped mountain, that was his ticket out of the valley.

"There it is, thanks Stealth!" He turned on his heels and faced the Endermen with an expression of gratitude. "You saved me… what? Like half a day's hike? I can probably get to that mountain in only a couple hours. Thank you." He nodded, though the mob only tilted it's head in confusion. "I can take it from here." He said with a reassuring grin but Stealth abruptly teleported away with a hiss.

"Stealth?" The miner spun around to see why the ender-friend left and that was when a large droplet of water landed on the top of his head. He moved a hand up and brushed away at the drop; causing it to spread on his head and giving him a slight chill. Steve looked up directly to see grey clouds hovering above, it was sprinkling now so that meant that heavier rain was on it's way. "Well that explains that. So much for keeping me company."

He walked up to the lake just barely hidden by several oak and birch trees, a few of those trees were recognizable and so was the large body of water. All he had to do was walk around the lake and through a small patch of woods to make it to the open plains at the other end, there it would be an easy walk to the mountain.

He walked passed a few trees while glancing around at the beautiful scenery; it was wonderful, there wasn't any man -made structures around the water to ruin the it's pure nature. The water itself was pristine, clear, and the more he looked at the more better he felt. As he walked along the bank he could see fish swimming around freely, and the reflection of birds flying overhead. Everything seemed so peaceful and tranquil until eyes landed on a man's reflection just a few yards out. That rippling form was wearing a cyan shirt and blue pants, Steve even thought he saw two dots of white in the moving water.

Steve swallowed a gulp of fear and moved his gaze up from the reflection to the man standing right above it. There was Herobrine, only a few yards away; partially hidden by a birch tree.

The miner quietly re-sheathed the sword and took a few steps back until he moved behind a thick oak, he cautiously peered around to see that Herobrine was still standing there. The being only stood in that one spot and stared at his mirror image as tiny droplets of rainwater rippled his form.

'Why is he just standing there?' He thought quietly to himself before moving over to another tree to see the being better. He placed his foot down carefully then the other. … A snapping sound came from under his left foot and Steve almost regretted for not leaving the valley as he should have been doing.

Herobrine swiftly shot his head in Steve's direction and the being's natural expression fell into a more feral one. It was clear that Herobrine wasn't happy.

"Oh, hey… Herobrine." Steve paused. "I- I was just leaving… you know? When you showed me where I was supposed to go?" He nervously laughed, he did have to go passed a lake. He remembered that. This response made the hero turn on his heels and head into the small forest by the lake.

…

"Wait, my last chance?" He whispered as looked down at the sword in the sheath. Herobrine was almost out of his line of sight. "Herobrine! Wait, come back!" He heard his voice echo through the trees but he couldn't see his double anymore.

He missed his chance. Steve mentally slapped himself for that and turned away from the water to see Herobrine only feet away with his arms crossed and a deep scowl on his face. This made the miner lighlt jump in surprise, Steve took a deep breath and calmed himself. Maybe he still had that opportunity?

"Sorry to- to disturb you from whatever it is that you were doing." He started slowly. "I- just have something I need to do first before I leave, okay?"

…

Herobrine wasn't interested in the least; not when he couldn't talk back, not that he had much to say to begin with. He began to walk away until the metallic sound of a sword being withdrawn had him turning back to find his other enchanted weapon in the miner's hand. He couldn't believe he forgot.

…

The weapon was the only way that he could win over Herobrine's trust, or that is what the miner at least hoped. It was a very powerful weapon, but it didn't belong to him. Steve really wanted to keep it, but then he just decided he didn't need it. He'd rather have friendly terms with the powerful man than a target on his back for taking it out of the land, that would practically be theft. If that wasn't enough then he would have to come up with something else. He just couldn't leave without changing the godlike man in some way or another.

He was nervous and sweat begin to bead across his forehead. "Here, I want to return this." Steve bravely moved forward and held out the enchanted diamond blade in arms, he proceeded to get closer to the ancient hero and Herobrine deeply growled and narrowed his eyes as he neared. Steve stopped then kneeled down and laid the sword at his feet while keeping a close eye on the powerful being, once he stood back up he took a few steps backwards promptly. "You have seem to have forgotten about it, though I am pretty sure you could have taken it at any given time that I had it. So-… uh thank you for allowing me to use it, it's saved my life plenty of times; though it almost killed me too but it was definitely helpful for the most part."

…

Herobrine watched as the miner took a few steps back after placing the enchanted weapon upon the ground. He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't believe that the miner was relinquishing such a powerful weapon that would make so many weak-minded mortals envious and jump for the blade at the first opportunity. That sword practically kept the human alive nearly the entire time and gave him strength beyond that of his own. Now he was giving up such power? This action actually made the hero gape at the human for a second in surprise.

His expression fell back into a frown as he moved forward, as he reached the sword he stamped his foot down on it and made the weapon disintegrate into fine diamond dust that dispersed into the air and faded out. Now he had his other blade back, his power was now balanced once more. The mortal was barely even a threat now, just a weak pest that he could easily crush without effort if he wanted to when he wanted to.

A shifting sound came from his front and he instantly snapped his head up to see Steve digging through his bag. Herobrine held out his palm and conjured his blade of wrath as the miner started to pull out the new item, the hero growled in defense and Steve quickly froze; like he was waiting for the being to do something. After a few seconds of silence and no movement the miner finished pulling out the brown object and Herobrine raised a brow at the new item held before him. It wasn't a weapon, it wasn't of any use to cause any harm, it wasn't even intimidating in the least. This was a joke wasn't it?

"Look Herobrine." Steve moved his blue eyes down to the item in his hand. "I know you don't trust me and I guess we are enemies; well in your prospective anyways, but I want to change that." He raised his head up to the ancient hero then daringly stepped forward.

Herobrine found himself oddly taking a step back as the miner now bravely moved towards him. He shouldn't be intimidated, he shouldn't be backing away from prey. The being now held his enchanted blade outwards with a daunting stance while casting a cold glare at Steve, though to his surprise it didn't stop the nearing human.

"Please take this Herobrine?" The miner gulped loudly and slowed his footsteps as he got closer. Herobrine could tell that the human was nervous and anxious with his increased heart rate drumming in his ears, the beads of sweat forming on his forehead and just the visual impression of the miner's shaky steps. He was frightened for getting too close and he had a good reason to be, but why he was doing was just utterly confusing. The miner finally made it within two feet of the being and the hero let out a low snarl, still confused with the man's intentions and what he was planning do with that toasted brown item in his right hand.

The loaf of bread was suddenly held out and just within reach of the being, Herobrine didn't even know what it was for and what the man was doing but it was presented in a such a manner with the miner's head tilted downwards as if he was taking a bow. Was it an offering?

…

This was the hard part. Steve was obviously shaking from fear of possible retaliation from the being from such a pathetic attempt for good relations and trust for no further harm to come, though the reasons were pathetic themselves in the hero's eyes. He quietly stood there but the superhuman seemed confused and baffled, uncertain of the gift. Steve had hardly ever seen this reaction from Herobrine, only on him when he was Lionel and that was just once; so to see the being just gaping at his action wasn't bad but it didn't mean that he was quite safe yet. This silence surrounding him was becoming very unnerving and Herobrine hasn't even moved or changed his reaction, he only stood there and stared so he was probably thinking and as Steve's last chance he had to say the right things or completely screw it up. Waiting for a positive response wasn't going to happen, he needed to persuade the ancient man or just give up and go while he still could.

No. he couldn't go home, not without convincing Him to change.

"Th-this is- is the last of my food rations. …" He quietly stuttered before taking a long pause. 'Don't screw this up. Don't screw this up.' He mentally chanted to himself, hoping to not decrease his chances of leaving the place alive in the process. He needed to say the right things in the right way or it was over. Steve took another gulp of air and relaxed his tense posture, he was afraid of Herobrine but how could he be friends with one he fears? It wasn't right, so he swallowed his fright and cleared his tone of voice. "I know you probably don't need it or want it, I can do without it though. I still have a long day ahead of me but I want you to take it." He quickly re-lowered his head and moved the loaf a little closer. "Please, accept this loaf of bread as a token of- of- friendship."

He just couldn't look at Herobrine's face as the first thing on his mind came out his mouth, he sounded like a child and that probably wouldn't take Herobrine's favor so he kept his gaze on the ground almost expecting to get struck with a fist or cut down by the sword. "It's not much, but it's really all I have other than my stone sword and other useless junk that I know that wouldn't have any value to you either. I also know that you don't want to associate with humans again nor be friends with them anymore either. … But I am asking you on Lionel's behalf to change that." The man took a deep breath and looked back up and carefully studied his powerful duplicate's face, it barely changed but he could still tell that the old hero was mildly surprised. "If friendship is too weak of a thing to you then- then just take it out of an accord. I never knew Lionel, the real one. But from those dreams and visions that weren't of him or- errr- you visiting me; I've got a general idea of his personality and something tells me that he wouldn't want you to continue living like this." He nudged the loaf a little closer and surprisingly the being snatched it out of his hands, however; it was taken in a fashion that wasn't a friendly one.

Herobrine grabbed the bread and held it for a long second before throwing it onto the ground a few feet away. The being growled and took a step forward while the human got back up onto his feet and took one step back.

Steve shouldn't have been surprised from Herobrine's reaction, but he was. A part of him wanted to reconcile with the hero by using that simple item, it was a generous thing to do considering it was the last of his rations that he gave up. He had hopes of changing the powerful man from the kind act but in reality; it wasn't ever going to happen and he should have expected that from Herobrine since returning the sword did nothing but make the being gape. He took several steps back until he got a good distance between him and Herobrine, he had failed and he was done. It was over. He said nothing as he cautiously turned on his heels and quickly sprinted away, he didn't take the chance to look back as he now sped up his pace and ran through the oak trees almost afraid that Herobrine was going to chase after him.

He pushed himself through the woods and down into a clearing of trees before moving across the open field and into another patch of forest. He simply failed He even thought he as running the wrong way … 'No.' He suddenly skidded to a stop and took a few breaths to calm his aching lungs and tender chest. "I have to see this through. Come on!" Steve coiled a fist and punched a nearby tree in frustration. He told himself that he couldn't go home for he had promises and he was going to have to do everything he could to fulfill them. He was terribly afraid to go back and to face Herobrine again, but after remembering all of his promises and the old hero's past; he couldn't run away. Not again.

It seemed that Herobrine was unchangeable, or mostly anyways. The being had spared him and even healed him, before that happened; it was very likely that Herobrine would have never done it for anyone else. The miner was the only one who could shift the immortal's behavior, and now here he was; running away and giving up this one and only chance to end the torment for all. As tempting as it was to run home and see his friends and family; he turned around and faced the woods that he just came out of, now he was going back and it would be unlikely that he was going to ever leave unscathed. Let alone alive unless he could do the impossible.

…

Herobrine couldn't remove his eyes from the loaf he had threw to the ground with resentment. He was warring against himself now, conflicted from the miner's action. It was now plain as day that the human wanted a friendship as appose to their rivalry or the being's destruction. Steve had asked for it before and now he asked again with an offering, the last of his provisions that would give him energy to keep going. He sacrificed the last of his food for the intent to be friends? The human hadn't been eating enough out here and it's been a few weeks, the man was visibly loosing weight and loosing a bit of color from his skin from the lack of iron in meat.

While he ran away from the area; it was obvious that the man had moved slower and with a slight limp from the absence of the sword; which he also surrendered. He was growing weaker and now he threw his last reserve of energy away and weapon for something as pathetic as friendship? He even took care of his enemy after bringing him down, was that also an attempt to secure an alliance? Herobrine shook his head from his own thoughts, all of this was maddening. It would have been smarter for the human to just kill him when he had the opportunity, but then again… he didn't.

The ancient being reached down and plucked the loaf from the ground and gazed upon it, the bread was slightly crushed-in from his strong grasp moments ago and it had landed in grass so it wasn't dirty, it was still editable and the aroma was nice.

It was… a bold move for the miner.

The mortal had clamed down considerably while handing the food item and that was quite surprising to Herobrine, it was surprising enough to lay down his arms and return the sword; but even more that he showed little to no fear as he offered his gift. He has yet to see any mortal conquer their fear of him to such a degree; albeit it was only for a short time but there was no fear in that small moment. The elder had looked it, but some sense of terror was always behind those brown eyes, if any did then perhaps the miner had… if just for a short time. Lionel was one who never feared him, even when the being lost control; he was a real friend and real brother at heart that he wished he still had.

He held the bread out and it glowed brightly before breaking into tiny particles and disappearing in the air. Herobrine couldn't stand to look at it anymore, it only raised conflict in his head; he could ponder on it later since he had other things now crossing his mind.

The being deeply frowned as he remembered the miner's piece regarding Lionel. It was true; Lionel would have never wanted him to be this alone and bitter god of a man, but the hero had his reasons. He just couldn't forgive humankind for their treachery, especially not Notch after siding with the mortals and sealing the being away. He suddenly contemplated the idea of 'trying' this 'friendship' once more, if only for Lionel's unspoken interest and for that reason alone. But he cast the thought aside in a minute's notice; he was stronger than that now. He needed no one, he could never trust anyone anymore. But then again… that miner virtually risked his life over and over for what he calls friendship. … Or… he just wants to fake it for the sake of his friends.

Herobrine scowled from that thought. Perhaps the human wanted this 'friendship' only to keep peace between the hero and the humans. That would mean that the mortal wasn't doing it for the hero but for himself and that angered the being. The human would be favoring one side over the other and that wasn't a 'friendship'. That would be a traitorous act on his end!

He let his diamond blade also fade into the air, the weapon was only fueling his rage and he didn't really need it now. He wanted more answers from the man but now he let the little weak human slip from his grasp, it was better that way. Or so he thought. It plagued his mind as he only stood there and stared at the empty place the miner stood only moments ago. The humans words still played through his mind in repeat. It was almost if he could hear the human.

"Herobrine! … Herobrine!"

The ancient being of power quickly lifted his head from the calling of his name, that mortal's voice was unmistakable and now there stood the human that he so 'graciously' saved and let go. The stupid human came back, again, he was surprised. Herobrine only darkened his expression as the miner walked closer, the human stopped and took rapid breaths after running back. That man had no business returning and yet here he is, he was a glutton for punishment. A tester of fate. Daring.

The human lightly kneeled as he placed a hand upon the tree he stood next to and another on his aching chest, he was obviously tired and in pain.

"I can't go back Herobrine!" Steve squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head back in forth disagreement as he walked away from the tree. "I am sorry, I just can't. Not unless you stop tormenting and taking lives of innocent people! Please, you have t-"

In an instant Herobrine flashed away from his spot and appeared before the miner with both hands coiled around the miner's neck, he slammed the human into a tree and kept a firm grasp around Steve's throat, he quickly tightened it once the man started to squirm. So the mortal was intent to protect his real friends this entire time? So much for friendship. Herobrine wasn't going to be tricked.

"I must keep my promise!" He writhed in his hold and wrapped his hands around the constricting force. "I- have made many promises an-d I mu-st see them thr-" He suddenly wheezed aloud.

Promises? It didn't matter, he was choosing one over the other and it wasn't in the old hero's favor.

"I'm- I'm … not afraid of-of you Hero-br-ine. Not anymore. Stop this-." The human choked, he gazed down at the being with sympathetic eyes and released his hold. "Please trust me? I want to be your frie-nd."

The hero scoffed, he didn't really want to be his friend, he only wanted what was best for the other mortals. The being wanted to squeeze tighter but he could literally feel the human's neck bend inward from the pressure now and he wasn't done with the mortal yet. He wasn't going to let the human escape a slow and painful death, this would be the punishment for returning from his final chance to leave and persisting with his useless efforts and lies. Steve had tested the being's patience for long enough.

The human gasped for air. "I wi-sh I could understand you-." Steve moved a hand up and latched onto one of Herobrine's wrists softly, he tried to pry away the constricting force once more but without any success. I am n-ot afraid." He softly repeated. "I won't run anymore… just- give me- a chance? I- have a promise t-to you too."

Herobrine's glare faded and his hold loosened a little. The human had indeed lost all of his fear., even in the clutches of a death grip. Herobrine couldn't see any trace of it in the miner's eyes, the man wasn't scared in the least. This couldn't be! Herobrine made his eyes glow with blinding ferocity along with his dark sneer to match, but the human again seemed un-phased and retained that sympathetic blue gaze.

…

He was staring at the most powerful being in the land, possibly the entire world of Minecraftia and he had absolute no fear whatsoever. How he did it was beyond him. Maybe it was looking back at Herobrine's past as he ran back towards the being, or the promises to everyone, or maybe it was the fact that he had been in this familiar deadly grip too many times now. He wasn't sure what it was but he had come to peace with the possible outcomes or the 'one' probable outcome. Death. He had admit to himself that he couldn't leave and break his promises, no matter how much he wanted to run and live to see another day; to see the remains of his family again and his friends. He'd rather go down trying to fulfill those words of honor than survive and let this failure haunt him for the rest of his life. Like his dad and Lionel said-. "To the very …end."

'So this is what Nigel meant? Losing all fear of Herobrine? I didn't even think it was possible, at least not for myself. Might not do me any good now.' He thought to himself as the hero's expression changed to a less violent one.

…

He didn't understand how or why the man seemed so calm and quite as he held him a few inches off of the ground with a strong death grip. What was the human doing? Was this a game? A ploy? Did he have a death wish? Was he accepting his fate? Since when did this man become fearless? Why did he quote-?"Now was the time Herobrine wished he could get into that miner's head and figure out the man's logic, this 'promise' to him was also an interesting prospect that he couldn't ignore. Was it about setting him free? He had to figure it all out first, then he could crush the miner and get back to his harvest.

If only reading minds was possible? Now that he thought about it; he often invaded the man's dreams and nightmares and communicated via illusions of his past friend since speaking as himself was impossible, his ability to talk was removed in every other way. He also sent the miner visions though many of them were unintentional. However; directly reading one's mind was something he never did before, and it didn't seem all that possible. But maybe instead of reading the man's thoughts he could just insert his own like the trail he forced into the human's memory and communicate that way? It seemed to be more logical and not as farfetched as it would for plain mind reading.

Herobrine brought the miner back down to eye level and closed his eyes, he needed to focus deeply since he was going to imprint himself in the human's psyche. He calmly took deep breaths and exhaled loudly. He could feel a migraine coming on as he put together the precise power to link his mind with the other. He couldn't believe he never thought of this before, if he could pull it off then he would be able to converse without forcing the miner into a coma-induced state or something of the sort. It was irritating enough to have to wait for the miner to sleep or knock the man out every time he wanted to say something.

He opened his eyes and Steve immediately looked away and brought a hand to block out the intensifying light, he squirmed even more as the hero removed one hand from the miner's neck and pulled the man's arm away. Herobrine growled as Steve refused to look into his eyes so he brought his forehead into the miner's with abrupt force.

"Gaaaaahhhh!" The human hissed aloud from the pain and attempted to grab his head but his arm was ensnared by a strong unmoving hold. He pried his eyes to an intensifying white after being roughly shaken, he was then bizarrely allured by the light and stared deeply as a strange influence lulled him into surrender.

…

'What's happening?' The brightness burned his eyes but he couldn't look away nor blink, not willingly. It was if his brain had come to a halt, Steve couldn't control his thoughts or see any color. The miner seemed lost in some plane of existence on the border of his mind, he didn't even remember how he got into this colorless and formless world. All he could comprehended was the never-ending blankness that surround him, there was nothing to be seen until everything flashed red then to back to white over and over. Each colorful pulse hurt his head so badly and in between these flares of red were snippets of memories and shapes with color coming to life, there were also thoughts and visuals of his memories and what seemed like pieces… of someone else's; all of it just jumbled up and flashed over and over again.

The growing brain ache would sharpen then dull out only to intensify in the next wave, all of the visuals spun to the miner's displeasure. He didn't know what was happening to him but it wasn't good.

…

Steve screamed aloud and brought both of his hands to clasp over the sides of his head, Herobrine did nothing to stop the human him from doing so.

Herobrine sharpened his focus and concentrated deeply on recreating his forgotten voice, this made the miner kick and shout more with his eyes completely unfocused and dull. Steve weakly winged the tip of his boot into then hero's knee, it did nothing to disrupt the ancient man. Herobrine couldn't stop now, he was more than ever determined to speak through the miner's mind now that he could hear his own voice in his own head. He had to recreate his long forgotten pitch and create a connection of his mind with the miner. The hero deeply frowned and massed pieces from the memories of his old voice and tried to implant them into the human's mind but it was becoming difficult, the human wasn't getting the mental copy properly… and it seemed to be the being's fault.

He wasn't distracted from anything, however; it just seemed that he couldn't finish the task. There was a disturbance that he just couldn't get past, it was like he needed more power, more concentrated power. The migraine was now becoming intolerable so Herobrine retracted his mind's grasp and clasped one hand onto his own head. He was so close yet unable to finish the link. Herobrine grunted from his failure and let the miner slip from his hand and fall to the ground. The human didn't move, his eyes were still open wide but they were fixed in a single position and he didn't even blink. He only stared blankly and breathed loudly.

Did he kill him? Herobrine could still hear the human's heart thudding loudly but the man was completely unresponsive to the towering above him. Herobrine tapped the man's shoulder with the tip of his boot but all the miner did was let his head roll to the side like he was brain-dead.

The powerful man wasn't about to quit yet, the miner wasn't dead yet. He just needed to try it elsewhere. His place of power might just work. If it didn't; then he at least had a strong soul to claim but he was actually hoping for success with the human's mind intact, he had questions that needed answers. Only after getting the answers would he dispose of Steve.

…

…

…

Steve's eyes remained half closed as he returned to consciousness, his head hurt so bad. He even thought his head might explode from this powerful headache that stirred relentlessly. He could feel himself lightly bouncing up and down, as if he was being carried. Blurry shapes and colors slowly came into his view and he could feel a stifling heat encircle his body. Upon seeing the ground before him he quickly spun his head and found himself loosely hanging over Herobrine's shoulder with an arm wrapped partially around his torso; keeping him from falling. Steve widened his eyes and could see purplish clouds forming at the old hero's feet, this made the miner panic.

In one swift motion, the miner suddenly lurched forward and slipped out of Herobrine's grasp. He flopped onto the ground and moved a hand forward along with the tip of his toe to get onto his feet but he suddenly felt his leg jerked back from under him and his face smacked onto the ground. He coughed as sulfuric gases filled his mouth as he gasped from the fall. He was then hauled away by his ankle, being roughly dragged across the grass and into more opaque swirling clouds of violet. He glanced up to see Herobrine and the being tilted his head enough to see the miner still alive, he refaced the darkening clouds hovering around them.

"Let go!" Steve quickly clawed his fingertips into the dirt and kicked away, the intense heat was now biting his neck and arms indicating that he was just moments away of going to that dreaded pit of despair and pain. "Let me go! I- will- not- go- back- THERE!" Steve thrashed about but the being ignored his efforts and proceeded into the depths of dark violet that started to fade into a deep red, with the miner in tow.

The soft grasses beneath his fingers quickly shifted into a crusty and hard bumpy surface, he could dig his nails in better but not without the price of multiple cuts from the sharp craggy rock. The green color faded into red and the swirling blinding clouds of purple dispersed into the growing heat, revealing a world of fire and red rock. His breath quickly seized up from the lack of fresh air and he wheezed as more outwardly noxious gases filled his lungs. His chest now burned and grew heavy with each intake of thinned out oxygen from the new atmosphere, his body was not used to this kind of pressure and it was most unbearable. In those dreams of the hero's; it wasn't as half as bad, but in real life it was torture and he had only been there for a few seconds. His eyes watered from the heat but his tears instantly dried just as they were formed, it was just too hot; more hotter than any desert he had ever been to.

His palms were becoming numb from being forcefully dragged over the sharp rocks so he coiled his hands into fists, his stomach however; continued to grind against pointy edges and scrape his flesh from underneath his shirt.

From his line of sight; all natural shades of colors were gone as well as his own way back to the overworld, only three colors dominated this place; orange, and multiple shades of reds and grays. Steve glanced around in all directions as he was dragged along, the first thing to catch his eyes was the glowing lava he saw as he was hauled across a ledge on a cliff, Herobrine seemed to care less that he was threading on a steep cliffside with some gravel crumbling a few feet away from the shifted balance of weight. The next thing he saw was the other cliffs nearby of Netherrack, specks of gold and white, and gravel, just huge mounds from the ceiling of red rock down into the endless ocean of liquid fire.

His coiled fists suddenly unraveled and he let them graze over a new smoother yet hotter surface. It wasn't Netherrack, or at least he didn't think it was. This surface was a deeper red and in brick form but it still had that smoke mixed with sulfur-like smell. He looked to his sides to see large stone block rails on each side of him, he turned his head back to see just exactly where Herobrine was taking him and he gawked in silence as his eyes met the dark red towering fortress at the end of the red brick road. This long and wide constructed structure was massive in size like the one of the valley back in his world, but this one appeared to look almost like an empire for an evil king. The edges of the castle were perfectly carved in gothic style and the walls went up high along the outside with a watchtower at every main corner. The fortress had two tall pillars sticking out of the center of it that went straight up to the ceiling of the Netherworld, just barely touching the top. This place was just like the one he saw, that first time he was forced to look into the Nether after being chased by the purple mist at the beginning of his journey. He was in so much shock. Was that place was ruled by Herobrine? That concept had startled him to no end.

'Why am I here?' Steve just couldn't find an explanation on his reason for being in the Nether now, only that it wasn't good for him. His train of thought was suddenly torn from him as he felt his body being flung up and over the netherbrick rails and out towards an ocean of lava. He screamed as he flew down twenty to thirty blocks and luckily a brown colored island came into view, however; it wasn't going to be a pleasant landing. No. He surely wouldn't survive a fall at this height.

Just as he prepared to impact the brown island he saw Herobrine appear below him, frightened he shut his eyes and threw his arms in front of his face.

The being caught the man by the ankle right before he crashed the ground, Steve was literally two inches from the solid-like surface.

Low moans and strange sounds filled the miner's ears and he daringly opened his eyes to see dark colored soil and sand just inches away swirling with faces filled with sorrow. "Whaaa!" He flung his arms upwards and away from the sand, too afraid to touch it. Suddenly, he dropped onto the surprisingly chilled surface and he quickly stood then backed away slowly while briskly wiping away some of the particles that stuck to his clothes, all the while keeping his eyes glued to the souls swimming around his boots with dreadful expressions. He didn't want to step on them but everywhere he put his feet he could see the faces warp from his heavy steps that sunk in a little each time, all of this was eating away at his morality.

He thought he was hurting them because every step backwards had a soul scream or wail in agony and grief. He even thought he heard a voice asking for help and it made him sicker than the intense heat that burned his body. Even being a block above the lava ocean's level; he was too terrified to even worry about that nor Herobrine whom he had also forgotten about.

Steve then found himself falling backwards onto his back after his heel sunk into the soulsand and lost balance. The coldest of chills crawled all over his body despite the heated air. Not only did the cries get louder and more distinguishable; but he felt his entire body began sinking into the freezing cold sandpit and he couldn't move like he was paralyzed by some force. The souls whispered into his ears as they dragged his body in, each and every whirling face grabbed at his limbs and pulled him in deeper. They all begged to be free, so many forms grabbed onto him and clung tightly making him sink in faster with the additions of more surrounding him. He was going to be buried alive.

"Please save me. … Can I use your body? … Please? I must get out of here." A whirling face with an elderly man's voice whispered softly, crawling up onto the side of his cheek and that was when Steve screamed.

The miner's scream was muffled almost instantly as his body dipped below the surface.

…

Herobrine snorted in rage as his ankles disappeared below the sand. This had never happened to him before, the souls had never acted this way and it was annoying him greatly for this weird behavior. He kicked his right leg and tore it from the souls grasps. They have never tried to even touch him before, but now it was like the entire small island was trying to pull him in. He wanted to use the power of souls for a little extra power but now it was backfiring, as soon as he dropped the human the souls just changed and immediately became clingy and desperate. The human's presence must have stirred them somehow.

He was starting to wonder if it was worth his time to speak to the human, he was thinking that maybe he shouldn't. He shouldn't even care.

Herobrine continued to kick away and pull his feet to the surface but with each step away from the last spot he only got pulled down in the new spot. He growled at the pathetic souls and raised a fist out, he was about to beat the spirits off of him.

"Ahhhhhhh-mmmmmmmnn!"

Herobrine swiftly removed his attention away from his own feet and he saw the miner a few feet away now lying down on his back and sinking beneath the surface of souls, screaming until he disappeared completely from under the shifting sands. The ancient hero looked back down at his feet then lifted one leg out with force then he stamped down onto the surface with such power that it caused the souls to swim away from him.

…

He couldn't breathe, Steve held his eyes and mouth tightly shut while ignoring the awful voices that plead over and over. He was freezing to death in this new place and he was running out of oxygen fast, what was even worse was what some of the souls were doing. Several of the forms gathered near his lips and tried to burrow into his closed mouth, seeming desperate to try and what the miner guessed; take residence in his body to escape the dark icy sand prison. This was one way that Steve never wanted to die, he never even knew this method of torture existed until now. 'What did I ever do to deserve this?'

The souls grew a little more quieter when he felt a heavy stomp above him. A solid hand then grabbed him by the neck, he felt himself being lifted out of the thick sand and back to the surface. Steve coughed for air as soon as his body was freed, he could also move his limbs again and so he wiped away at the sand remains from his face and opened his eyes to see himself in Herobrine's grasp once more.

"Herobrine, if you are going to torture me to death than please don't do it this way. Please? Just kill me already!" He shouted while now warming up quickly from the lava ocean close by.

The being didn't shift his expression, instead he only closed his eyes after a deep breath.

A bright light from below the hero's feet made the miner look down to see what was happening. Loud cries from the trapped spirits filled his and Herobrine's ears in seconds and Steve's eyes widened as souls swam away from the central flooring below as the glow spread. Hundreds of disembodied cries in unison sounded so awful and filled with terror as they were caught in the growing light. Steve brought his hands over his ears as many shrieked, he didn't understand what was going on but whatever it was is hurting the souls. A white mist mysteriously arose from the sand and floated in the air around them.

Then it occurred to him. Herobrine was going to take his soul and bury it in the sea of brown sand, to suffer the freezing pit forever with the other tortured spirits. Herobrine was going to steal his soul, like he attempted before with the enchanted sword but this time it was in the soulsand just as Nigel mentioned once. It existed and now Steve was going to be a part of it. Dying, he would have excepted, but not anything like this. Not having his very soul ripped from him and trapped down there forever.

Steve grasped Herobrine's wrist as tight as he could and then he began to kick and thrash about in the hold with all of his remaining strength. He didn't want his essence to be trapped in that place, it was torture enough with his physical body and just thinking about being in there again was enough to almost make him want to cry. He swung his arms and legs around, kicking and punching away as best as he could but after only a minute he was growing exhausted fast. The heat was also getting to him and the last of his energy was running out. He clasped onto the hero's wrist once more and he stopped his efforts to escape. He took deep rapid breaths and panted.

"Please don't ta- take my- soul Herobrine."

The ancient man didn't reply, he only opened his eyes to see the miner's pleading face before closing them.

He was ignored. Steve could now feel a wave of energy at his feet and his soul was going to be plunged into the sands. "Please?! Don't do this!" He screamed and tried once more to kick out of his captor's grasp. " HEROBRINE!"

Herobrine's eyes snapped wide open with a bright blinding white light and it instantly blinded the miner.

Just as before, the white eyes rendered him motionless and his arms fell to his sides. He was back in the blankness; and this time flashes of black filled his blank world instead of red.

…

…

…

"ERRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAA!" The miner's motionless body suddenly came to life and he tightly clenched the sides of his head as a strange power flooded his mind. Like before; so many memories and forms flashed in his head. So many, too may. He could hear voices of people, people he knew and many he didn't. Then everything in one instant went quiet and blank.

Steve's head rolled to the side after he felt a powerful pulse in his brain, he winced as a few more came. He felt like his head could explode at any second, he had a migraine that was worse than any headache he ever had times ten. He slowly pried his weary eyes to see a blurry form he recognized as only Herobrine still standing in front of him while continuing to hold him by the neck.

"You're alive?"

Steve instantly winced as a deep, silky, loud, and powerful voice filled his aching head. The tone echoed loudly as if the whatever spoke had spoke directly into his mind. It couldn't have been Herobrine, the being's lips didn't move.

So who was speaking?

"Hmmmmm… that is a surprise. You almost died on me. It would have been a real shame."

Steve groaned as the voice loudly echoed again, it was so strong. A god must be talking to him. Was it Notch? The miner let his eyelids close as he grew more fatigued. His head hurt so badly and his body was completely worn out to the bone, he just needed a good night's sleep.

"Go ahead and rest… you'll need it. … Steve."

And after that was said, the miner passed out.