Hero's Bane

Chapter 46: So Imprisonment You Choose

'Steve's thoughts' (' ')

-Herobrine's thoughts- (- -)

Edited 4/26/2022

…

Steve's head lightly swayed from side to side as he returned to consciousness, his lips let out a low groan as the feeling of disorientation welcomed him. He wanted to stay in the peaceful black void a little longer, but with the temperature rising he was getting hot; too hot. He could feel beads of sweat on his head but they didn't stay there for long, it was like he was being cooked in a furnace and the moisture just evaporated as quickly as it was formed. He reached one arm up and gently rubbed his aching and slightly moist forehead, it still hurt but at least it wasn't as bad as it was before.

His eyes fluttered open to a dark red ceiling, it was at least five blocks above him and made out of the Nether-ish brick. Now that he realized it; his back also hurt along with the back of his limbs, the surface he was lying on was nothing but hot, hard, and pointy lumps, it also reeked like sulfur and smoke. He moved his head to his right side and saw that he was laying on the Nether bricks, the other thing he noticed was a wall, a large barred window, and two corners. His eyes widened as he realized what had happened before he passed out and where he could possibly be. His breathing picked up from the memory and he swung his head to his left to find a large wall of red bars and a copy of him with pupil-less eyes standing on the other side of it. Steve deeply inhaled and held his breath as Herobrine moved closer to the prison cell, Steve was too afraid to even move.

"I thought you said you weren't afraid of me mortal?" Came that loud powerful voice in the miner's head followed by a low dark chuckle.

Steve instantly grasped the side of his cranium from a piercing ache and hissed.

The voice wasn't a natural tone, it was dark, deep, resonant, and intrepid sounding, yet silky, smooth, and majestic at the same time. But most of all; it was familiar. He could remember it from some of Herobrine's memories he'd seen, but it sounded a little off and more sinister than before. The voice echoed, it sounded as if the same person was speaking twice which would be the reason for the echo effect. That was different. But then that meant that the voice in his head was coming from-?

"The voice you hear is mine."

"Herobrine?" The miner cautiously asked while having a little doubt that the hero was in fact speaking to him somehow.

"What is it human?"

Steve's eyes widened and he immediately sat upright and crawled backwards a few feet. Now there was no doubt that it was Herobrine speaking and in his thoughts at that. Regardless of how unbelievable it may of seemed; he still chose to ask a certain question that was plaguing his mind. "Then why did you bring me here and throw me to the- …the soulsand?"! His heart raced as that terrible event played back in his mind, he could feel the chills all over again from the creeping souls. "My soul? You- …Weren't you trying t-" Steve became stiff as his eyes met the white ones adjacent from him. The hero's lips remained sealed as Herobrine spoke to him.

"I didn't take your soul if that is what you believe." Herobrine interrupted and folded his arms. "I know that is what you thought was happening back on the small island, but taking it was not my intention; at least not at the time. What happened with the souls was beyond my control, I didn't ever have this problem before. Ever. Only when I dropped you did the trapped spirits become unsettled and clung to you desperately, they latched onto me as well and tried to drag me down."

Steve blinked in confusion. "Then y-you weren't torturing me to death or letting them take my soul?"

"No. It was their reaction to a human body from their greediness, they desire what they've lost and so they will try to take what they can and escape with any means. This is why mortals belong in this place, they only care about themselves and if they could; they'd probably would have taken your body but there would be nothing they could do with it. You probably would have died if they succeeded in entering your body, if you didn't suffocate first. Humans bodies are weak and cannot endure such distress to their forms. Though it would be pointless for them for they cannot mesh with your body or any living form anymore, once a soul is removed it is permanently cut off from the physical realm except from that sand. When they took you they also tried to take me in thinking I was the same as you. Big mistake. I wasn't about to torture you, though I could if I wished to do so and I can at any time." He narrowed his eyes. "You may had been out for only a few hours but I can make it permanent, so don't try and press your luck with me."

The miner only nodded to the powerful being's words, it was clearly obvious that Herobrine was making himself out to be the one to govern his fate and that was definitely the case considering Steve no longer had the sword to fight with and his wounds weren't fully healed yet. Now that he knew his soul was still intact he breathed better and relaxed his posture if only a little, he carefully leaned forward and rubbed his aching temples. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I needed more power. Power to connect our minds so that I could finally get answers to questions out of you, a much easier method than waiting until your unconscious or asleep." Herobrine held his arms out as he gestured the walls around them. "This is my place of power, this massive Nether fortress you that you are now imprisoned within. I use the power of the Nether itself, then with a little extra from the human souls it in order to get the extra amount of strength it took to recreate my voice successfully. Unfortunately, you actually came close to dying and that would have been the case if my blood hadn't been at work and prevented that heavy hemorrhaging in your brain, so you got lucky."

"I almost died again?!" The miner forced himself to stand, his expression of shock. He then blinked and shook his head. "Well never mind that now. If you wanted to talk then why didn't you-"

"Impersonate as Lionel to talk again?" He finished. "Because I'll have to send you into an a coma or invade your dreams every time I wanted to talk. Don't ask about memories. Memories are more different. In memories, like the ones I somehow shared with you; don't require the durability of your weak mind like it would if I was to speak to you whenever I wish as myself. Besides, I'd prefer not to impersonate 'him'." Herobrine faced away from the miner. "It only brings back terrible memories that I don't want to relive. I've had enough of those recently, thanks to you of course."

Steve lowered his head. That was a more personal reason than the first and he had to respect that. The process did almost kill him though, so could he really say it was worth it? At least he could understand what the being had so say now and he could finally speak to him.

Herobrine looked back at the miner but the man remained quiet. "I tried to link with your mind back in the Overworld, but it was proving to be difficult. That is why I had to bring you here, it was the only way to stabilize my focus. I also brought you here as punishment."

"Punishment?" The miner repeated, now with a confused expression.

"For wasting your last chance to escape. You have relinquished your last opportunity and have tested my patience long enough, I was going to just kill you quickly but I have allowed you to live long enough so that I can get some answers to a few of my questions. Your punishment shall result in death in this realm, you shall never see the Overworld again mortal. How your death goes about is something I am still deciding on. But before I continue on that I must ask why you gave up my sword and even your last reserves of energy? It was a suicidal decision. I could have killed you right where you stood, but then after relinquishing power you give me that 'offering'? Why?" The miner duplicate demanded, moving up closer to the bars of the cell.

Steve kept his gaze on the nertherbrick wall three blocks next to him, his brows slanted downwards and he deeply frowned. He felt his heart sink, so he was going to die in this horrific place? He could almost envision himself lying on his back on the soul island; having a heavy boot pressing down onto his neck and forcing him head first into the shifting dark sands to be tormented unto death by the souls.

Herobrine tapped his foot in impatience, the human was wasting his time. "Answer me now mortal!" He spoke more loudly out of irritation, making the miner wince from the loud shout. "Or I will do just that." He glared.

The miner blinked out of his frightening thoughts but remained perfectly still, he certainly did not want Herobrine to even consider that way of execution and so swallowed his fear and began to respond. "It was for the reason I wanted and intended, the reason I asked before you rejected the idea."

"Friendship? That is a weak concept. It would be a worthless thing to die for."

"Maybe to you," Steve looked up at Herobrine with slightly narrowed eyes, he felt almost insulted. "But I think Lionel would've thought differently." He instantly covered his head with his arms as the being stomped his foot down in rage, making the nearby walls shake.

"You don't know him!"

The miner winced as the Herobrine's powerful voice rung loudly in his head, it gave the man a splitting headache in an instant. "You're r-right. … I don't know him like you, but he did die for you right? There has to be some level of friendship that he would actually sacrifice himself for your sake."

Herobrine gaped silently then clenched his fists as his teeth grinded. The miner was actually right, though Herobrine wasn't about to go and admit it. Lionel did die for him, for his brother, his friend. His sacrifice and friendship would never be worthless for it was the sentinel's greatest gift, it was his debt being paid. He defended the hero and stayed by his side until his last dying breath just as he promised he would. However; because of it, his life was wasted for the honor of the debt. The being didn't even know if he should have been angry or happy that his brother laid down his life defending him. He wanted Lionel to live even if the hero himself would still be tortured or cast into the Nether, the human was young and had a whole life ahead of him. On the other hand; Lionel proved that he was truly selfless and honorable to give up his one life to keep a promise that Herobrine never wanted the man to make in the first place.

He hated being proved wrong, that statement from the miner just made the being seem so forgetful, so ignorant. It made him mad. He turned around and began to trudge away from the prison cell and down into the dark hallway, he was getting heated for looking like he didn't know his one and only former friend.

…

Steve quickly looked at the being to see him with his head held low, he seemed very upset and irate as he tramped away. "Wait! I still have more questions!" The miner asked as he ran up to the prison bars.

…

-I don't have time for this nonsense! I should be focusing elsewhere.- The ancient hero stopped and tilted his head enough to see the miner now on his feet with his hands clasped around the thick red bars, Steve peered through the rods. "As do I mortal. However; there is something I must do first. Something I've been neglecting to do because of you." He fully turned around and walked back up to the cage and the human cautiously stepped backwards away from the door until his back hit the wall at the other end of his cell. "Before I go; I would suggest that you behave and remain quiet. Some of the mobs around here won't be so friendly if you get their attention and they might burn and kill you. Particularly Blazes."

Steve just knew he wasn't safe to begin with, but he now had more to worry about. "Bu-But you're the king of mobs. You can control them right?" He nervously asked in curiousness.

"Ha, don't make me laugh human. I would rather be a king of an empty empire than rule a bunch of brainless and dim-witted mobs. I hate all of those pathetic creatures, even the ones here in this desolate world of despair. They tried to kill me many times when I first arrived, the Overworld mobs did even before the days of my imprisonment, that is why I hate them. All of them." He snarled lowly. "They are almost as bad as humans but they are too dumb to even formulate a plot. They live off of instincts alone, they are nothing but stronger hostile animals. Nothing more. One kind might have some intelligence, but I could care just as much for them as I could for your kind. They are however; useful, but do not think once that I would lead a bunch of brainless creatures because I could. I have absolutely no desire to do so. That still doesn't mean that I won't use them when deeming it necessary or out of boredom, unlike humans; I can make use of them."

That was quite the surprise, he expected that all of the powerful mobs were controlled by the god-like man just as Warren had proclaimed back before the journey began. "All of the mobs in this land are stronger than the ones on the outside, I thought you gave them power and protected them?"

"Hmph, I don't protect them. I could care less if they were to die. I use to slay them a long time ago and I still do when they get in my way. I did give them power though. I did it to make humans suffer should they dare to enter the land and to aid me in punishing my victims, there is no other reason. You are lucky that I didn't give these fire beasts any power or otherwise they would be able to break through the cell bars with ease, they are still deadly without the added power. Remember that well. It would also be in your best interest to stay put behind bars and not try to escape, it is a hundred times more safer inside there than it is on the outside. Besides, you are my prisoner now if you haven't realized it yet. Your punishment will come in due time, I have yet to decide what to do with your life once I get all the answers I need, but I will be contemplating on it so don't try to do anything that may enrage me or I may just bring about your sealed fate a little sooner than planned. Are we clear?"

Steve didn't like it, now that he could understand Herobrine he found himself disliking the idea of having the being talk down to him as if he was a lowly creature. He didn't imagine the old hero doing that but then again, maybe that is always how Herobrine wanted to speak but couldn't verbally express it through the curse. It was now clear that his life was limited, he sort of felt like he deserved it. He did after all give up his final chance to escape for attempting to keep those promises, and though he knew death would be following him when he went back to the being; he felt his confidence fall from those harsh words of his now guaranteed timed demise. Steve had a slim hope that he could change the powerful man with his actions, but now it seemed as though he had only wasted more minutes of his fleeting life. There was no telling how many days or hours he had left, only that he wasn't getting out alive.

"I said: Are we clear?" Herobrine asked again with impatience and clenched fists.

Steve nodded but kept his gaze at the wall, appearing obedient. "I promise to remain here Herobrine, I won't even try to leave." He said blankly with a deep frown. "You have my word."

-So imprisonment you choose? That I doubt miner.- Herobrine lightened his glare and loosened his coiled hands. "Alright then. I hold you to that promise. Hmmmhhh… I find that quite amusing actually. I loathe promises and yet here I am actually expecting you to fulfill one. It would be one of they very few I ever see from a human if you manage to stay put. In fact," He pulled something out of his pocket and placed it on the floor before standing back up and kicking the small dark piece into the cell. "We'll see if you keep it because I am going to place the key you need to get out, right in your very cage. Sort of as an alluring item, because I know you mortals have such a hard time resisting a little temptation from your greediness. And to tempt you more-"

Steve suddenly squeezed his eyes shut and clutched the sides of his head as flashes of white blocked out his mind. The white dimmed out to the room he was in then the vision shifted to the prison door and it opened. He watched as if he was ghosting; flew out through the door and down into the hallway at an incredible speed.

"There is a gateway that I rarely use somewhere deep within this fortress, it will lead you to the great fortress in the Overworld and near that damned shrine."

The hero spoke as Steve weightlessly moved through the hallway and down into a room, the room went into another corridor and that was when things started to get crazy. The miner passed through lengthy hallways, one right after the other, but there was just so many that he could barely remember which direction he took so far. He was in a maze, lost.

'Why are you showing me this?' Steve thought to himself as he continued to pass through red corridors and down several flights of stairs and into more extensive passageways.

"You should know." The dark smooth voice replied.

He didn't expect that Herobrine could read his thoughts so clearly and now he was more terrified than ever. He wasn't even safe and alone in his own head.

"I can only read your mind when you are in deep thinking or concentration; such as focusing on the vision as you are now, otherwise anything you think up that I try to observe at would be blurry and muffled. I'm not surprised you are being this attentive though, you must really want to escape?" He said with self-confidence.

Steve couldn't admit it, he even imagined Herobrine with a big smug smirk on his face and then heard a chuckle. He was being shown this route back to the fortress and his only way to freedom. Now the hero was reading him like an open book, it was painfully obvious that he wanted to leave. It was very hot to the point that he couldn't stand it, the island of soulsand and soulsoil was very startling and he never wanted to see it again. To top it off, he was a prisoner awaiting execution from a stubborn immortal playing mind games and making himself appear very arrogant with his new power. There was only so many questions he could answer before the hero would dispose of him.

"Hmmm? Nothing? No comment? Of course I am right, you aren't even saying the words in your head but I can see them clearly as you think. This mind-reading may help me see the light in your answers later, it would be most useful; just as long as you think deeply enough on them. At first; I thought reading your mind would be near impossible. But after using some of the souls to link our minds together; they surprised me with what power I could get from them. I was able to do more than what I ever could alone. I can almost predict your every thought through taking a glimpse at what you see in your mind's eye and forming words to the things I distinguish. … Oh and you are right, there is only so many questions to answer. As for disposal? I haven't decided what to do yet, maybe I-"

Steve unfocused on the hallways and let his mind wonder on the outside world and Lionel, this made Herobrine's voice disappear; if only for a fleeting moment.

"So, you don't like it when I read your mind? I figured that much even before I began. It is rather a nuisance really. It's taking a large portion of power to do it and a heavy migraine is coming along with it as well. I can already feel the effects, it's not all that pleasant. Though I know it'll be worth it sooner or later."

After one more turn around a corner a large red door could be seen at the end of the corridor and Steve quickly sped right through the hallway and through the door then into a large room with nothing but a huge square-shaped frame in the center; made completely out of obsidian with those familiar purple clouds swirling in and around the gateway.

"This is the portal back to your world, I don't use it often but it is there and passable at any time. Freedom is only but a step through the frame."

'You're testing me?'

"Indeed. Thoughts and actions are two separate things… and to make things more difficult for me to understand; you seem to swing for both freedom and the holding of your promise. Figures, humans can't ever hold conviction when there's only 'one' good choice that's beneficial to them. It doesn't matter right now. I am going to be away for a little while and give you the time to decide. Just know that your choice could lead to dire consequences either way. … Oh, and don't forget the key, it is right there." Herobrine pointed at the floor on the inside of the cell.

"I'm not going to leave." Steve defended his choice aloud, refusing to look in the direction of the key to his freedom. His fate might have been sealed but he was going to prove to Herobrine that some people could be trusted. Actually; now that he was on the chopping block, he was going to do whatever it took to get the being to see that he was serious about his actions. There may even be a tiny chance that the hero might spare him if he could just understand.

"Why? Is it trust you are trying to get from me?" He awaited a reply but the miner only stared back in silence. It was difficult to depict if that was the man's true conviction, that particular subject was just an smeared image in motion, completely unreadable in the miner's mind. "I see." The ancient being folded his arms and exhaled. "Trust will not come easily, I shouldn't even waste the trial and error of it since I will eventually kill you. However; since you seem so determined to prove me wrong, then I'll let you have that chance. I am even going to put a little wager on this. If you do remain in your cell without using the key, then I may just look into 'trust' or a 'truce' to better put it, if I am in the mood."

Steve looked back in his direction with a surprised expression and the hero quickly peered within the human's psyche.

Herobrine could see the picture becoming clearer as the miner began to think on this so called 'trust'. He could see the human talking with him on the surface of the Overworld in front of Lionel's old house. Although there was no words to the vision he saw, just the miner speaking happily and the version of the hero himself seeming happy too. It was strange, seeing himself smile like that. He hadn't ever seemed that 'happy' except for the days before he was accused of killing Conner and being tortured relentlessly for weeks on end.

"Don't think of us as becoming friends mortal, that is in a category beyond your reach. I don't need any friends so don't look forward to that kind of thing. Trust is mutual, there is no bonds tied into it."

"Oh." Steve's confidence went flat as well as the thought of them conversing.

"And one more thing." The hero held out his hand and in it formed a glass bottle with a cork on the top and inside of it; a clear liquid. Water. "As the last tempting item, I am going to place this bottle of water over here." He said while moving away from the cage and placing it down three blocks from the prison door and the human eyed it carefully and silently gulped as the being placed it. "Yes, it is a bottle of water. You must already be thirsty in this harsh and hot environment. Unfortunately for you, if you really want to even start to earn my trust and earn a little more time living then you'll not unlock the cell and drink from the bottle. If you manage to resist the freedom and the water then I will consider you a little trustworthy. Just a little. And that I can guarantee. But I highly doubt you will remain still, I can see that glass of water in your mind mortal. You will eventually unlock the cell door to get the water, then you will be pushed by the desire to escape this fiery world and leave."

"I won't leave the cell! I promise!" Steve quickly blurted out with coiled fists, completely determined to do anything to get Herobrine to trust him, only then would he be able to try and befriend him despite the powerful man's negativity over the topic or at least convince him to leave humans alone.

-That resolve in his eyes? It holds strong determination… like Lionel's. But I won't be quick to judge you Steve, you have instincts that drive you to survive and those human traits I despise. Fight those pitiable human impulses and then you may just have some worth.-

"It would seem as though I have wasted enough time as it is. I must go now. I have something that needs to be done. Soon. We'll see if you can hold that promise. We'll see." The hero turned on his heels and walked down the dark corridor, disappearing within the darkness.

…

Steve stumbled backwards slowly until he bumped into the back of the wall, he let himself slide along the bricks until he was sitting flat on the floor. He rubbed his aching head again and stared at the Netherrack below him. 'I messed up big time. Why did I have to stay? Why didn't I just leave the valley?' He sighed heavily and took deep breaths to get enough oxygen back into his lungs, his functioning and healed up lungs. His chest still hurt a little and sitting at an angle only made the sore spot a little more tender. The miner pulled his shirt back to examine the wound and it still lightly glowed along the edges, the gash was becoming thinner and it was only two centimeters long but the intense glow was now but a dim light that barely lighted the skin around the injury. It would probably take a few more days if the healing would last that long.

If he himself had that long.

'Am I in over my head?' He asked himself.

A soft but loud cry immediately had Steve jumping back up onto his feet and moving away from the window where the creepy sound immerged from. Several feet away he could see a large white creature float by the barred window up and away from him, the creature was huge and had tentacles that it used to glide through the air. As it moved out of sight; the miner cautiously approached the window for the first time and looked out to see the tormenting world outside of the Nether fortress. The big white mob floated up and over a mass of Netherrack and gravel, giving the man full view of his surroundings.

Steve was near the bottom of the stronghold, he could tell since the first thing he saw was lava level that was only a good guess of about ten or so blocks below him. That and the heat practically smacked his face as he got close to the frame, drying his tired eyes. His gaze moved from the ocean of liquid fire to streams of the same fluid oozing from rock crevices in the cliffs and even from the high ceiling above. He could then make out moving figures on some of the high plateaus in the distance, they looked like people but they were carrying what seemed to be weapons of some sort and stumbled about in an inhuman-ish way and grunted. His eyes moved back down to the glowing ocean, lava had always fascinated him but just getting too close and seeing so much of it was just a scary thought now. He almost wondered if there were any creatures that lived in the molten rock, then spotted a few large and slow bulky armless creatures hobbling around on the surface of the lave out in the distance. Of course there were lava mobs.

He scanned the lava's surface below him again for any kind of movement until his eyes landed on a small patch of dark brown out on the right side of his view, it suddenly shifted; a few blocks of the soil broke off the mound and sunk into the fire. Steve's jaw dropped and he quickly moved away from the window with fright. His heart was nearly beating out of his chest as he hugged the barred wall on the opposite end of the cell. If he had to guess… that brown island was the one of souls, the one he was at not so long ago. Just looking at the flat island gave him bad vibes and cold chills, he could almost feel himself sinking again into that freezing dark pit with those tormented spirits dragging him down. That experience had traumatized him more than he ever knew.