Hero's Bane

Chapter 47: It Doesn't Break You

Edited 4/26/2022

Herobrine stepped out of the dissipating mists, feeling the cool air of the night now brushing against his heated skin. He tilted his head towards his left and saw a small lit village out in the middle of some grasslands with the ocean only a short distance from it. He could also see two living and hulking masses of iron trudging along the outside while keeping attentive small black eyes on the lookout for any hostile mobs close by. Herobrine could tell by the sight of the vast body of water that he was pretty far from his land, which was nowhere near an ocean.

He could have just struck the village outside of the valley and collected all of the souls there, but he had that place 'reserved'. Those people living there were the descendants of the ones who accused him, tortured him, and the great grandchildren of the ones who sealed him. He wasn't going to put them out of their misery no, he was going to ensure that they suffer forever. Even their offspring. He hadn't kept tabs on them in a while now, not since the arrival of Steve.

-Maybe I should check on that village sometime and make sure they know their place?- He folded his arms at the thought of the dammed village, if any of those mortals were to do something that they shouldn't; even one such thing as lighting a single torch then he'd make sure they'd paid. Just as it would for those who intentionally defy him, the humans that did; they that had to die. A certain mortal had been defying him for quite a while now but he wasn't native to the people or the land, or so he thought. That man could be related to the sentinel but still, he was being punished at the moment and was already on the list to die.

The white-eyed man started to wonder if that particular human would try to escape or had done so already, the likelihood was very high. The Nether is too hot for humans, it drains them of their strength and renders them incapacitated from overheating and dehydration. He had seen humans in deserts and the conditions were nearly the same as the Nether's, except there was absolutely no water, no sunlight, and the temperature was almost high enough to boil blood. The deadly mobs and unstable landscapes were also something he considered.

He had turned some humans loose there before and occasional still does, he watches them as they either fell off of a cliff by accident or falling through holes by ghast bombs; into the liquid fire ocean while others were picked off by various mobs. Some of his most unfortunate victims were dragged there, he wanted to see how the humans felt being trapped in a world so cruel and unforgiving like how he was. It was unfortunate that they wouldn't survive so many years alone in the wretched place, let alone more than a day. They didn't last long. Brutus, he didn't last long. Herobrine felt his lips curl into a nasty grin from that thought of those ghasts bombarding the lead sentinel as he ran as fast as his little human legs could carry him. His revenge to the tormentor, the betrayer, the conspirator, and his brother's murderer. He paid dearly with fatal injuries and burns but the being made sure to kill the man himself before the wounds, mobs, and exhaustion did.

The miner was fortunate enough to be in a stronghold, otherwise the heat would get to him faster since the Nertherbrick absorbed a lot of it. Mobs would be the mortal's next issue, but the more deadly ones remained outside of the fortress except for a couple that managed to find a way a way in. If Steve somehow got out of his cell then he could reach the gateway and then the shrine, but that the hero really doubted. There was no way he'd make it that far, and even if he did there was eyes just on the outside of that portal, ready to alert him.

Steve wasn't going to be able to anyway, not in his condition; especially not without a weapon or water. If the mortal did get out then he would probably get lost within the maze of the corridors. Besides, the blazes would probably get him if he actually got close to the last chamber. Those mobs always seemed to horde around the last hallway for some reason. Perhaps it was because they were territorial? He let the thought of the miner escaping pass his mind, he had other things that he needed to worry about now.

The ancient hero turned to his right to see a large forest with a gravel road leading through it when he heard what sounded like hurried footsteps crunching against the small rocks from quite the distance away. He assumed that a human had stayed out too late and was rushing to get back to the village. -Perfect.- The man thought to himself as he began to sprint towards the woodlands to meet up with his unsuspecting victim. The village could wait a little, picking off this easy prey should set his mood considering he was still annoyed by the miner's defense on friendship and Lionel's preference to it.

Herobrine quickly flashed from the gravel road he was running on and reappeared upon a tree just above the trail. A shadowed figure huffed loudly as it quickly passed underneath the treetops that the hunter waited on. He could tell that this human was also a miner. The individual had a pickaxe hanging from his belt and a small sack filled with items in their right hand. Herobrine jumped off of the high branches and landed with a low but audible sound and that made the human come to a stop and turn around to see the cause of the noise.

"Who are you?" The short haired brunette squinted as he asked, seeming to have trouble making out the human-ish figure now approaching him. The moon was full and bright; even enough to go without a torch, but the heavy foliage around him was making it hard to see the man hidden in some of the tree's darker shadows.

Herobrine noticed that this miner was quite young, the man's short brown hair, striking deep blue eyes, and the vitality in his face made him out to be about four or five more years younger than Steve. The human wore black jeans, black boots, and a red short sleeve shirt that was covered in dust and charcoal stains, clearly indicating he was a miner with or without the stone pick he carried. So this would be his first prey in almost two weeks? He didn't care, he didn't have to be choosy over his victims. He certainly didn't have the time.

"I said who are you?!" The young man slowly began to back away and pull out his pickaxe; ready to defend himself. "Are yo-you a zombie?" He asked out of fear. "A bandit?" He asked with a more daunting stance after shaking off his fear from the thought of a lowly mugger. "All I have is flint and coal, nothing else so just go away!"

The being let his dim eyes glow and that immediately had the mortal quaking with wide-eyed terror, the man was trembling so much that he dropped his pick and sack and dashed towards the exit of the oak and birch woods.

-Hmmm? What do we have here?- Herobrine glanced down at the human's last spot to see a pickaxe made of stone and a leather sack that had lost some of it's contents of flint and chunks of coal. -This could be useful.- The powerful man reached down and scooped the pickaxe into his hand and studied the sharpness of the pick, he ran his hand across the pointed edge and grinned deviously. -Not bad for a stone tool. Yes, this would be perfect.-

The mortal passed tree after tree as quick as he could; hoping he was getting farther away from 'Him', but he could hear those dreadful heavy steps now following close behind and they were gaining on him. He was being chased and he was too afraid to look behind him as the mythical being of terror got closer and closer with each passing second. Cold chills ran down the man's back and he shivered, it was like the being was sapping all of the warmth right out of the air.

"Please, just leave me alone!?" He screamed and picked up his pace, not caring about the possibility of running into other mobs since the legendary Herobrine was now after him, those beasts could never compare to the level of fear that the white-eyed man instilled. The footsteps following meshed together with his and he couldn't tell if he got away or was just imagining the footsteps out of fright. The end of the tree line was now in sight and he could see the lighted village just across an open field, he was almost home and he smiled a little from the sight of those big iron golems that could protect him. His eyes widened while his small smile fell flat, he skidded to a stop on the gravel trail and swiftly changed his direction as the being walked out of the brush and in his way to the safe village with his pick in hand.

Herobrine felt himself grin widely, he definitely missed his hunts. He reeled his arm and the weapon back and he patiently watched as the human now went further down the road. He focused in on his target and then slung the axe forward as hard as he could, making the tool fly through the air at an incredible speed while spinning ferociously from the momentum by his powerful swing. The tool cut through the air and the sharp end of the pick hit it's target which drove the human face forward to the ground by the momentum. Herobrine heard a loud scream of pain come from the downed prey and he slowly walked towards the wounded man. Herobrine could smell the blood already and it heightened his senses, it made him feel alive and in control.

The human cried out and moved an arm back to try and pull out the sharp object now sticking in the center of his back, he cried out as he grabbed a hold of the tool and jerked it out of his spine. Ripping out the object had elicited an intense ache which made him cry out in agony and made his legs become completely numb. He threw the pick away after feeling the moistened handle and loudly groaned from the unbearable tenderness now overtaking him. The man moved his hand forward in an attempt to crawl away into the shrubs for protection, but something in the dark landed on the stretching appendage and caused him to shriek and jerk away his now cracking fingers.

The grin on his face turned into a more sadistic one, he kept the man's hand pinned and watching him squirm was pure pleasure so he grinded the heel of his boot in more. The smell of the human's blood was overwhelming his nostrils and the sounds of the human's cries only made the experience more enjoyable, crushing the bones in the young man's hand was like music to his ears. The edges of his vision was becoming pleasantly foggy. -Cry out louder human, beg for mercy you pathetic worm! Beg!-

But to Herobrine's surprise; the man did something he didn't expect. The mortal stopped his flailing and looked up at the being with his blue eyes and grabbed a hold of the hero's ankle. He pushed upwards with all of his might, but to no avail. That expression on the mortal's face was familiar, that certain look on his face was too. Herobrine's grin fell into a scowl.

-What are you doing mortal? Why aren't you begging damn it?!- He pressed in more and made the man shout out and the shrill cry refueled his merciless mood. -Suffer, suffer, suffer!- Herobrine now slammed the bottom of his foot on the human's broken hand repeatedly, loud cries continued to fill his ears and the glow in his eyes was intensifying with each satisfying stomp. His deadly smile started to fall flat once more as a haze of white started to cloud his vision, the strong smell of blood was also getting to him. He couldn't understand why he was loosing control, this never happens while he attacks his prey. Ever.

"Please, please stop!" The young miner wailed out loudly and tightened his grasp on the hero's ankle.

Herobrine stopped his heavy tramps and glared down at the mortal, the white fogging his eyes seemed to vanish as he stared at the human below that was now looking back up at him again. He saw Steve's hand clasping tightly to his leg and his face was filled with great pain.

"Please?" The human with the cyan shirt plead and pulled with all of his strength, looking, acting, and sounding exactly like Steve.

This couldn't be right, it wasn't even possible. Herobrine removed his foot and took a step back, pulling himself from the man's grasp. "How did you get here miner?" He asked using his mind, but the man at his heels didn't reply to his question. He couldn't read the human's thoughts or even see into his psyche, his mind wasn't connected to this mortal.

"Please, I don't want to die!" Steve begged with tears streaming down his face and his uninjured hand reaching outwards.

He didn't know what it was but something about the miner before him disturbed him, something made his upper torso twist on the inside and made him feel much discomfiture. Just seeing that mortal there killed his hunting mood. Steve shouldn't be here, it was impossible. Herobrine blinked and shook his head back and forth in disbelief. The older miner was now replaced with the younger one as he reopened his eyes, his pained groans now sounded different. So he was imagining things? -Why?-

"Don't kill me ple-" The miner was cut off as the being kicked him away. The human rolled up next to a tree and landed flat on his back after colliding with it. He moaned in pain and turned his head towards his attacker.

This feeling was strange. Herobrine curled his hand on his blade's handle as the sword began to materialize in the air, just approaching the human seemed so different then it used to. The satisfaction of getting his kill was suddenly gone, even the smell of blood was loosing it's powerful invigorating spur. 'That' miner had somehow killed the mood without actually being physically present and it annoyed him to no end. He raised his now completed blade and held it over the human with the sharp end pointed downwards, he still had a job to do whether he got to enjoy it or not.

"D-Don't, ple-please don't- I don't want to die." The human shook in horror and began to stutter on his low plea to the immortal.

Herobrine could almost see Steve lying there and so he turned his head away as he drove the blade down and into the man's lower torso as quick as he could, he couldn't even get the satisfaction out of his prey's terrified and pained face. Even the cry of death that followed the piercing was … somehow revolting. The blade glowed brightly now and a thin white mist now ghosted in the air as power surged through the being's wielding arm.

Herobrine finally moved his eyes back onto the miner as the scream became a soundless wail. The man's unbroken hand was slightly hovering off of the ground with his finger's coiling and uncoiling as he reached for the glowing sword that impaled him, but after an inaudible gasp and loud moan; the limb went limp and the back of the hand met the grass below it. The human was now dead.

He jerked his blade out and stared at the red now coating and dripping off of the end, he couldn't believe how pathetic he had become to find absolutely no pleasure in his kill and instead feel sick about it. This had never happened to him before, at least before that miner 'Steve' came along. That particular human was doing this to him, he was somehow corrupting him and distracting him from his retribution. That had to be it.

That miner had to go soon, Herobrine needed his answers and finish the man off as soon as possible. He could do it sooner if the human leaves his cell to drink the water or escape, otherwise he'd have to keep his wager and give the miner some time while 'trusting' him and letting him have more time to live. He wondered why he even made the wager in the first place. The ex-hero moved away from the corpse and started in the direction of the village, his urge to kill tonight was just gone. That he didn't like, but one soul would not be enough; e needed more, a lot more if he was to keep his end of the deal and pay his debt.

Herobrine exited the woods to see one of the iron golems had strayed too far from the village, the other seemed very vigilant and stayed close to the walls of the houses. The iron golems wouldn't be any trouble to dispose of but they were bothersome, the sounds of the creatures tramping about after their targets could awaken the people, this could cause them to flee their homes and make his gathering of souls more aggravating and troublesome to do and he was not in the mood to go all out and chase each and every one of them down like he normally would had loved to do. He began with quite steps towards the first golem now out in the middle of the open field. He could easily take this one down without having to worry about alarming the other since all iron golems had poor eyesight and hearing. All he had were these two bulky obstacles to get through and then he'd be getting into completing his task for the night. As he approached the giant, it spotted the inhuman-being and it grunted angrily while it's eyes went red with rage. The creature came charging at him with it's arms reeled back; ready to slam into the target.

Herobrine moved his sword down to his side and narrowed his eyes as the land began to rumble underneath his feet.

…

Steve breathed loudly after holding his breath for too long, the sight of the sand just paralyzed him and brought back that disturbing memory that was only made hours ago. He shook his head and released the bars that his back had rested on, the souls can't get him. Or so he thought and hoped. The sand didn't seem to move and shift much, but he figured he should be fine as long as that small island stayed in it's original place.

He moved his aching foot and fully stood but then his eyes glanced downwards from the feeling of standing on top of something small. He removed his foot and saw a dark reddish-color key, the same color as the bars and door that had him caged. Out of curiosity he reached down and plucked the key off of the floor, he scanned the warm item and then the prison door. The bars were thick enough to fit his arm through which he could then reach his arm around and unlock himself but that immediate thought had the miner dropping the small object and kicking into the closest corner of his cell.

'I will not be tempted.' He growled to himself and slid down the bars until he was flat on his rear end, his feet was starting to ache from the unleveled flooring of the lumpy Netherrack, even with his thick boots; his ankles were getting sore from the angles he stood on. Sitting was also most uncomfortable but that pain he could tolerate more. He took one huge deep breath of hot air and the wretched inhalation of smoke and sulfuric gases almost made him gag, it left his mouth completely dry and the taste on his tongue was utterly bitter and nasty. He wanted to spit out the particles that got into his mouth but he couldn't even salivate from his lack of fluids, this made his throat feel itchy and dry like he swallowed a whole block of sand. His stomach lurched painfully as he thought of the sand, just remembering those souls trying to dig into his mouth made him want to puke so badly.

He covered his mouth as his stomach now flipped inside of him. A few tiny grains of sand had actually made it passed his lips when he fought to keep the spirits from entering his body and he had swallowed them by accident when Herobrine pulled him out of the cold pit. His gag reflexes suddenly contracted and then stretched out as a warm fluid shot up his esophagus, he couldn't hold it anymore so he moved onto his hands and knees as he puked.

Steve inhaled more air as his throat now burned like fire, the agonizing heat coming from the window had only intensified the burning as he desperately gasped for cool relief. He could feel moisture in his mouth once more, but he swallowed as much of it as he could to get it back down and stop the burning. It didn't help either. He took deep breaths and shortened them as his stomach lurched again. He felt nauseated and the smells of the minerals in the Netherrack only made his head spin and his upper abdomen growl. He was going to hurl again. "No." He groaned aloud.

Steve forced himself to lean back up and held in the liquid he still had, he couldn't dehydrate himself more; the heat was already doing it for him and he had to at least live long enough until Herobrine returned. As long as he was still alive he had to try and change the superhuman, there were no guarantees for success but he couldn't just do nothing.

After seconds of short breaths he looked down and saw what came out of him. The fluid on the floor was completely clear and oozed down in-between the Netherrack bumps and holes slowly with some of it drying to the surface of the red rock, indicating that he had absolutely nothing in his stomach to digest but the acid itself; he essentially had nothing to throw up. This reminded the man how hungry and thirsty he was becoming. He had an empty stomach when he fought Herobrine and the only thing he did eat recently; which was actually a drink, was a potion of healing and that was it. He could have been eating on that last loaf of bread but he gave it away for practically nothing.

"So hungry and thirsty." He wheezed.

Now that he thought about it; he hadn't had a decent meal in a while now. He had no meat except for a couple of fish, that was like a week ago though. He did have some loafs of bread every day back at the cabin, but that was it. He looked down at his hands and finally realized how pale he was becoming, he also noticed that he was much skinnier than he last remembered. He used to have a healthy glow to his skin but now it was just pasty and dirty. "I must really look pathetic." He mused aloud to himself with a deep frown. The dried blood stains on his shirt also made him feel sick. But what really made him feel ill was the feeling of having nothing sitting in his stomach. He was starving but there was nothing to eat, he'd probably be dead in days if he lived long enough. His abdomen growled again when he started to think about food, especially a large stake or pork chop. He could feel a tiny bit of moisture coming from the sides of his mouth.

'Pork Chop.' Steve blinked and shook his head. He immediately thought of his friendly little swine and hit himself on the head after thinking about the pig and then big slices of cooked pieces of meat. He'd never hurt his friend, even if it was made from a delicious meat. Steve smacked himself on the side of his head again as he thought about the savory taste of the creature's meat.

The other thing that plagued him was his thirst, just the small release of fluids in his mouth made him feel so thirsty, his mouth was dry and his throat still burned and itched to his annoyance. He wanted water so badly and needed it more than food, he wanted the clear liquid to fill his empty bottomless pit of a stomach and to relieve his aching esophagus. That fresh cold water. Something in the back of his mind told him to look behind him and he turned his head. His eyes widened as he saw the capped bottle only feet away, he had been pushing the thought of the temptation away once Herobrine left but now the little glass container was beckoning him towards it. The glass was nearly full with small droplets of condensation collecting on the outside surface of the bottle. Most of the tiny droplets would dry up and disappear in just a few seconds, but every now and again a drop would get too heavy after merging with closer droplets and slide down the side of the container and evaporate as it touched the hot Nertherbrick below. It was just agonizingly taunting him, he could almost taste the water on the tip of his tongue.

Steve blinked then quickly shut his eyes and turned his head back around before slamming the back of his skull into the hard bars, the pain did little to get the drink off of his mind. "I won't give in." He said quietly to reassure himself.

…

…

…

Two hours.

It had been two hours that he had sat in that spot and counted the minutes for the being, but Herobrine has yet to return. Time passed by so slowly and now he never felt this thirsty before, not even the time he went and got himself stranded in one of Minecraftia's most hottest and deadliest deserts. He didn't have water back then when the sun was beating down on him in that barren region, he forced himself to continue on until hit an oasis on the outskirts. It was one of his toughest journeys. He could almost see himself crawling back to that pool of water and letting himself slip head first into the cool spring. He slammed his head against the bars again and shifted uncomfortably, he tilted his head to his left and saw the key in the corner where he had kicked it to. He then glanced back out to the tempting item.

…

"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 felt himself smile after remembering the hero's words, that meant that he just didn't have to use the key not that he couldn't drink! He couldn't resist any longer, he needed to drink now. So he moved onto his knees and spun around to fully face his craving.

He carefully reached an arm through the bars in front of him and inched closer to the glass but his hand was just a block from touching the container, so he pushed himself through the bars more, mostly his shoulder but he still didn't have enough inches to reach his goal. "Come on!" The natural drive of thirst made him stretch more for the fluid but no matter how much closer he got; he was still too far away. His shoulder started to cramp and his arm tingled from the lack of blood flow. He retracted his numbing limb and huffed at the item silently teasing him. He rubbed his aching arm and deeply sighed.

His eyes moved back to the key and he started to sweat, he was getting very thirsty as he breathed through his mouth. It wasn't the idea of escape that made him so drawn to the small item within reach, but the idea of getting to that water was. He could use the key and get the water, he would die if he didn't get enough fluid back into his bloodstream. So what would be the point in not getting out of the cell and lasting long enough to see the hero alive if he even gets back in time?

….

"Unfortunately for you, if you really want to even start to earn my trust and earn a little more time 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."

…

'Oh, that's right.' Steve mentally slapped himself. He hadn't been think rationally like he should of and dehydration would be one cause of that, but that didn't matter. He promised he wouldn't get out of his cell, he almost forgot that Herobrine said he couldn't drink from the bottle either. His trust would be guaranteed if he just stays put, that would be the start of changing Herobrine but at what risk was he taking? He'd die if he didn't get water soon. He had to hope that the immortal would at least give him something to drink… or maybe starving to death was the man's method of punishment? Steve really didn't want to think on it so he let that cruel notion fly out of his mind. Besides, he hadn't went against Herobrine's words yet.

…

"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."

…

"No I won't."

…

"We'll see if you can hold that promise. We'll see."

…

The miner could hear those upsetting words being replayed over in his head. He didn't let those words distract him, he was determined to prove the ancient man wrong.

He laid down onto the sharp textured floor and rested his head on one of his arms, it wasn't a comfortable position to lie in but he'd rather have a sore side than a sore neck. He stared out the window from the floor and was grateful that he could only see the Netherrack ceiling on the outside and a stream of lava flowing from it. Seeing the island of soulsand would just be unnerving, but the flowing lava that shifting in reds and oranges seemed to bring a little peace of mind.

Steve closed his eyes and tried to sleep but his stomach rumbled and brought him pain from it's emptiness, his throat was so dry that each breath made an irritating itch as the air flowed in and out of his lungs. "Errr…" The miner moved to lay on his back but the pain and irritation persisted. He ignored the prison door just feet away from his head and closed his eyes again. He wasn't going to let his hunger and thirst break him, no matter how much it hurt. It wasn't going to break him.

His neck started to hurt with nothing to lay it on so he sat up and looked for his bag that he had, it wasn't soft but it was better than nothing. However; it was nowhere in sight and now that he realized; so was his scabbard with his lucky stone sword. His stuff had been confiscated, taken away. He wondered why he didn't realize it before, probably all of the worries he had prior to being dragged into this uninhabitable world.

He shifted once more and moved closer to one of the smoother textured walls, he laid on his side and looked at the prison bars , the key was also there lying in front of him and he stared at it hard. That damned key just sat there only a foot away, he could also see the water container from his position. He tossed and turned in that one spot while now trying to ignore the key, he was so thirsty and felt like his insides were cooking inside of him. He just wanted to cool off. Steve pried his eyes after another failed attempt to sleep off the temptation, there was just too much going on inside of his body. The pain of his empty stomach was the worst, it was as if the lining of his stomach's walls were being eaten away by his own stomach acid. This pain made him feel debilitated and more weaker as he only stayed in that spot. The miner moved on to his belly but it didn't spot the internal ache, he couldn't stand his body eating away at himself he needed relief now.

He couldn't take the pain anymore.

Steve shot a hand forward and clasped a hand around the small object and pulled it closer to him, he carefully studied the item as he moved up onto his knees and then to his wobbling legs. He stumbled over to the door and touched it, it was very warm and also made of the Nertherbrick substance, All he had to do was put his hand through the closest bar to the door and insert the key, that was all he needed to do and then he'd be able to relieve the pain. He moved his hand and the key through the vertical rods and he stopped before making any other action.

"Wait, what am I doing?" He suddenly asked himself before withdrawing his hand and the key back into the cage. "This is exactly what Herobrine wants me to do. I can't give in, I made a promise!" The miner narrowed his eyes at the temptation, mad at how close it almost made him break his promise. "Damn this stupid thing!" Steve squeezed the small key in his palm and chucked it outside of his cell and the small piece bounced off of the floor a few times before coming to a stop deep within the dark red hallway. The tempting item was now well beyond his reach and he felt good, empowered that he didn't give in. But at the same time the pangs came back and so he moved away from the door and over to one of the corner at the other end of the prison chamber. He leaned against the wall and clutched his growling stomach and his head, a strong headache was coming on too to mess with him.

…

It hurt, but that was okay. Herobrine should return soon right?

…

It's been at least three and a half hours now. So why was he getting so tired after sleeping for several hours as the being had said?

…

Steve felt sick again, so he closed his eyes and to let them rest. Maybe he could sleep standing up? The pain wasn't as bad as it was sitting or lying down. He wedged himself into the corner and leaned into it, it was hotter than the bars but he couldn't stand being so close to those alluring items. It was harmful to him mentally. He couldn't have freedom or water so he refused to look at them.

…

He was almost asleep. 'Finally.'

…

"Whraaaahhhhhh!"

Steve instantly jumped back and smacked into the wall behind him with wide eyes from a startling wail that sound like in inhuman-being screamed at the top of his lungs from a great pain. He stood perfectly still until the same wail repeated but with more aggression and hurt, it sounded familiar… like when Herobrine was tortured back in a few of those dreams or the time he fell into the lava pit. The sound of his cries were identifiable instantly. Steve carefully tiptoed to the window and peered out, his eyes immediately darted to the dark island; he had a startling feeling that something bad was going on over there and he was right.

He gasped loudly, but was too enthralled to look away. Even his pains seemed to fade as he watched the dreadful scene before him.

There stood Herobrine in the middle of the flat island with his sword held high into the air with both hands clinging tightly to the handle. Light ripped like lighting from the blade and the beams danced around him as a hazy white mist had arose from the sands. The bolts shot into the soulsand and that was when the hero screamed again in agony. Steve had a hard time depicting the hero's expression with the mists now clouding his view but he could hear the cries and see the god-like man's arms shudder as the light beams burrowed down into the island. This went on for almost three minutes and then a brightness blinded him.

After a shockwave of bright light; the beams of white disappeared into the ground at the hero's feet and then loud recognizable cries filled the miner's ears. The sounds of so many humans cried out and Steve felt his heart racing and his breathing becoming more difficult. He covered his ears and closed his eyes for a moment, he was too afraid to look back out the window … but he did anyways. Herobrine was now visible with the fading fog and he angrily took his lifted sword and drove the blade down into the island with one powerful jab and that was when the screams instantaneously went silent. The darker dirt around the sand lightened in color and white forms could be seen shifting through it, more souls had been collected and added to the sand of misery. Most likely his own destination.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The miner screamed at the top of his lungs through the window with his hands tightly clinging to the window's bars. He then went silent, his eyes unfocused as he now backed away, completely ignoring the fact that Herobrine was now looking in his direction.

Steve slowly backed away from the window with his hands still over his ears, he was speechless. Herobrine went out to- It meant that- … Herobrine …was out killing people, innocent people and stealing their souls? Killing? Taking their-? He could almost feel the center of his chest being pulled at, like that one time that Herobrine was trying to suck his soul out back at the cabin after awaking with an uncontrolled rage. Steve had felt a part of him rip that day and now he could almost feel that pull again. He should have expected that the being would be out doing that kind of thing, but with confirmation it was petrifying. He wondered if he was next, if Herobrine was going to take his while killing him?

He stopped as he backed into the bars and he slid down onto his feet and rear end, he pulled his knees close to his chest and stared quietly at the slightly torn fabric on his right knee. He seemed to be zoned out.