Hero's Bane

Chapter 63: Losing Sight

Edited: 5/10/2022

"But just how strong does it make you? Trying your hardest to fight with your weak body can only get you so far, with your limitations you wouldn't even stand the slightest chance of facing Herobrine. Let alone me. No human can."

…

"You're a monster."

"Am I? Notch is the real monster here. He's abandoned everything he once 'cherished'. Left everyone of his creations to die and rot, including you. Some of us aren't lucky enough to escape the desolate realms and have to live in it alone forever."

…

"Let this be your final lesson human. You cannot fight me, you cannot fight your own born weakness. You will never have the power nor be strong enough, and you will eventually perish forever like the rest of your pathetic kind."

…

"Look around you, he's not here. He's not protecting you and nor does he acknowledge your existence."

…

"Where's your god at then hmmm?"

…

"Where is he then? How come he has yet to save you?"

…

"Where is he?" … … …"Where is he?" … … … "Where is he?" … … …"Where-?"

…

Steve's head rolled from side to side softly, he could hear that question repeat in his aching head as he started to awaken from the dark of his fading dream. "Whe-Where is he?" He muttered quietly, brows knitting and fingers twitching.

Herobrine opened his eyes and slightly tilted his head up from the murmur that came from the miner that was splayed out on the ground before him, he wasn't sure who the miner was subconsciously looking for; it was interesting enough to get his attention after resting against the tree for an hour's time in silence.

Steve let his head fall to his right and he brought a sore hand up to shield his eyes from a bright light above that seemed to irritate him. He took in a big breath and slowly let his inflated lungs release the surprisingly cool and clean air. His skin was cool too, he wasn't burning up at all but rather warm and comfortable instead of burning hot like he was before. A draft of air brushed over his exposed skin and it was pleasant, it felt so surreal. He never thought he'd feel cool air or breezes ever again, he had almost forgotten the feel of the wind.

With his growing consciousness, Steve slowly opened his heavy eyelids and blinked to get the dust and dirt out, his eyes felt so dry. He could soon see blurs of greens, browns, and white mesh into solid forms as he blinked, very familiar shapes appeared within his line of vision and began to reveal their details. After rubbing his eyes with his hands he noticed that what he was looking at was multiple trees in his sights, many oak trees and a few birch in the mix to be exact. He couldn't tell if he was dreaming since he was supposed to be dead.

Steve tilted his head up, immediately he groaned and closed his eyes shut as a bright light struck his sensitive orbs; he had been in a dark world for too long and hadn't fully adjusted to the light. He moved his forearm up above his head and blocked out most of the brightness, he then opened his eyes and blinked in surprise. Something had flew over his head off to his right and it was fast but also recognizable, it flew across that beautiful blue canvas with wings. It was a bird.

'The sky?' Steve slightly moved his hovering arm and winced a bit from the warm bright glow that shined in the middle of the endless blue. 'The sun?' He almost couldn't believe it. The sun and sky with the cool fresh air was almost too good to be true, he was in the Overworld. Either he was dreaming or he was dead. The miner raised his arm up fully and reached for the sky, it was well beyond reach but he seemed so intent on grabbing onto it. He longed for this freedom. … Was this real?

"Why do you reach for the sky?"

That echoing deep and silky voice had the miner instantly turning his head to his left and blink in shock. Steve then quickly rolled onto his side and tried to crawl away after seeing a human form with beaming eyes; hidden in the shadows of the trees and leaning against a large oak.

Herobrine sighed as he pulled himself up from the tree that was just several blocks away from the mortal, he then flashed from his spot over in front of the miner to cut him off from moving any further. "Why are you running away from me?" Herobrine asked though he knew from the miner's mind that he wasn't entirely conscious and aware of his situation after the lack of sleep and apparently a rough landing, the man was still drowsy in an unfocused state. "Wake up!"

The human blinked again and shook his head before sitting up and focusing after looking up to see his duplicate with white eyes. "Herobrine?" Steve asked in confusion. "I- I'm not … dead?" He looked down at the palms of his scraped hands, tons of tiny red-tinted marks from Nertherbrick dust filled the small cuts and made them completely visible. His hands were there and so were his arms and legs, his shirt had plenty of cuts and tears with burn marks too; but he was there alive and in the Overworld. "The Overworld!" The miner abruptly shouted and moved his eyes from left to right to see the leaves on trees and the tall grasses around him swaying in motion to the gentle winds.

"Yes, this is the Overworld. Right where you belong. And no, you are not dead and nor are you dreaming. You were dreaming but you are awake now."

"But the lava! I know my back hit it, it was extremely hot and I think my shirt caught on... fire? See?" Steve turned his head back to see if there was any burn marks on the fabric of his back but there were none. "I- I guess there isn't any. But that can't be right. I should be dead."

The White-Eyed man huffed in annoyance. "You are alive."

"But you threw me into the lava!" The miner said with wide eyes.

"I had to, Ender wouldn't think you were dead otherwise. I had been commanded to kill you, but I had no plans to follow those orders. Yet I still had to play the part, pretending that I had taken your soul and finished you off before discarding you." The powerful man looked away. "I used much of my power in my weakened state to send you back to this world, you were very fortunate hat I had managed to. I barely got enough power formed up in time to get you to safety, because of this; you were randomly teleported out of there without my control for your true destination. Unfortunately, finding your location and coming here myself from the Nether took a lot more power and so with my body still healing; it may take some time before I am able to do that again." The white-eyed man folded his singed arms carefully.

Steve stayed silent; he was truly thankful and very relieved. However; Herobrine looked really upset with him, his narrowed eyes and tense posture was a dead giveaway. Before Steve could even begin to speak, the dark spots all down the immortal's arms had captured his attention. The man's limbs were mostly there and darkened in color, but there were a few large patches that were still charcoal black with glowing white forming along the edges. "You're still healing?" He said in surprise, he's seen the guy heal many times and he always healed quickly. This time the miner wasn't so sure about that, it wasn't the Bane blade that caused this damage but it appeared to heal just as slow.

"I will be fine, it might be another couple of hours or so before these burn marks are completely gone. I don't know what power that beast used but it's very dangerous, therefore I will not argue nor go against him."

"What did he do to you exactly?" Steve asked, almost stunned to see the marks up close.

"I am not sure. Fire is what it felt like and I even saw some violet flames on my flesh at one point; but something tells me it's more than just fire, something very... destructive." Herobrine said with gritted teeth, his weakened burnt fingers carefully coiled into fists. "My arms were nearly turned to ash after being singed from the inside out, but there was some other power at work; something much stronger and more painful than licking flames."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The being looked carefully at a patch of black on his right forearm and moved his left hand to touch the spot, he immediately hissed and winced as the blackened skin crumpled like ash. The dark flesh collapsed inward from the touch into the large pore of his damaged and healing arm; leaving a small hollow spot that had the blinding white filling up the gap. Herobrine moved his arm out in a quick and rough fashion, then jerked it inwards towards his chest to get the black dust out of the cavity and tiny ashes flew out of the wound and from various places on his flesh. "See. This isn't natural. It looks like ash that fire would create, but it's not entirely. My damaged flesh, if you look closely you'll see that it also disintegrates and becomes as fine dust."

"Disintegration? But I saw ashes. If it's not all ash, then what is this dust? It is charred skin right?" Steve asked as he watched the small dark particles drift away in the wind.

White eyes return to his arms, the hero held his limbs out before him and stared. "It's not only burned flesh that I am concerned about, it's what made it turn into that dust that has my attention. I don't know what Ender did, but before my arms burned; those pulses made even the core of my bones weak and brittle; as if a destructive wave of energy tore through them before the fire consumed. I could just feel it. From there the burning sanitation took over, but burning feeling or not; it was like something ate away at me from the inside out and making muscles and flesh painfully corrode away in it's wake. I don't know what power Ender holds, but it's clearly too dangerous and deadly for anyone to handle, apparently even for me."

"So that is why you..."

The duplicate narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms again. "Why I kept you from getting too close to the Eye. Ender could have easily stung you with his power and maybe even used that strange destructive force to kill you. I would hesitate in his place; seeing as you are my friend, but he will not. He wouldn't even hesitate to try and kill me out of disobedience if he was free from his prison. So I obey his commands."

Steve remained silent for a moment as he pondered. "It's because you fear him isn't it?"

The old hero ground his teeth and angrily tapped his foot. "You think it's fear but it is not!" He barked in the miner's head and made the man grimace. "It wouldn't have been out of fear, but of out of loyalty to him; for I do owe him dearly for freeing me. If you weren't my friend then I would have directly obeyed him when he told me to kill you."

"Then why didn't you kill me? He was punishing you severely because of me." The miner said as he placed a hand upon his chest, facial features slackened from a hint of guilt. "I came to the tower when you warned me not to, I was deserving of death."

"Yes, he ordered me to take your soul and slay you, but I am not his slave and nor am I his tool. Yes, you disobeyed me, however; it is my choice whether I wanted to do so. After making the deal for my freedom I was given the command to go to the Overworld and take the lives of mortals there, not in the Nether. I shouldn't have to abide by him, only that in our pact that we made many years ago."

"Then why did you obey to him?"

Herobrine lowered his head and swayed it back and forth with a more softer expression. Why couldn't the human understand? "I didn't. You are still alive are you not?"

Steve's gaze moved away from his double and lightly nodded as he stared at the grass by his feet. "You're right, I am alive. But it really felt that way when I was falling. … Like when I was about to plunge into the lava, it's a terrorizing thought of dying in that way. I really believed you were doing as he said, I was terrified and felt betrayed even."

Herobrine groaned quietly, he ran a hand through his hair and left his palm to rest on his forehead. "I chose not to kill you a while ago when you gained my trust. I had no intentions of doing so after receiving the demand, I just had to appear to have the intent and act upon it. I summoned my blade and used part of the tower to get you out of the Ender's sight, even dragging you to the edge I wasn't going to take your life. I might owe Ender many souls but I am going about on my own rules and the conformity we had centuries ago, not by his sudden wishes or reprieve of punishment. Granted, I will accept the punishment for my failures but I will not pay double. What he did to me was enough."

"Then why didn't you answer me when you dragged me away?!" Steve demanded. "I really thought you were going to do it."

"Because Ender can hear the things I tell you and what you tell me if the Eye is close enough, through my mind connection with him and you, it's an open line to anything I say or hear from either of you. He's the reason I even have this ability to be in your head to begin with. I wasn't going to tell you anything and risk getting more punishment and damage to my fortress, so I kept my mind closed despite the faint pleas I heard. My place of power is already in terrible ruin, but that is simply replaceable. Some things are not."

Steve's tense expression fell, he felt relived and sort of happy that Herobrine did everything he could to trick the End beast into thinking he was killing him when he wasn't. Herobrine was not openly admitting that Steve himself was an irreplaceable friend, but the meaning was still there.

"That was a reckless move you pulled off there."

The miner blinked in confusion as the being held a hand out to him. The miner reluctantly took the being's hand and was jerked out of his sitting position and onto his feet. "What? Trying to go after the Eye?"

"Smashing it wouldn't have ended well."

"How so?" The miner replied with an arched brow.

"It would have caused a power discharge and that could have possibly caused the tower to fall in on itself. I crushed one before in a fit of anger and I paid the price of doing so, the experience wasn't a pleasant one. So don't ever try to smash one. The pearls are different though, they hurt you but won't kill you as long as you are in good health."

"Alright then, I could have made a huge mistake. Sorry about that." The miner nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it, I doubt you'll ever see it again anyways." The being said bitterly before turning around and facing a direction away from the miner, looking through the woodlands with his superior eyesight. "It must be this way."

"Huh?" Steve tilted his head a bit. "What's what way?"

"We are further out than I would have liked to have been teleported to, I would have sent you straight to a place of rest in the stronghold but that didn't happen like I planned. I was fortunate enough to at least get you out of the Nether alive. So come, I have somewhere for you to go." He said now facing the confused mortal.

"Resting place? Somewhere to go? What are you talking about?" Steve asked while stretched his aching limbs.

"Just follow me." Herobrine turned on his heels then trekked through the dense woodlands.

The miner stretched his sore legs before making a small jog until he was next to the white-eyed man. He was surprised he had the energy after feeling so drained from being in the Nether for so long. It was likely the more nicer and tolerable temperature of the Overworld, it was close to noon judging the sun's position so the morning cool breezes stayed in the air and seemed to give him respite and made him feel refreshed. He was still pretty tired though so he was looking forward to getting to a place to actually rest, he just didn't know where he was blindly walking to and it made him a little nervous. "Where are we going?"

Herobrine glanced at the miner's curious face for a moment then he moved his eyes back to the trees they walked under. "It's not we, it's you and you alone. I've already scanned the area and I know where we are, we are close to a village. … 'That' village." The being said with disgust.

The miner raised a brow. "What village are you talking about? You don't seem all that happy about it."

"I am not happy with any kind of civilization of humans, you should already know that by now." He looked over to Steve who lightly slapped the side of his head from the obvious, the reason of Herobrine's deep seeded hatred for people of the ancient valley. "Especially this one, this one more than any other I despise. It's the large village that his halfway hidden in the shadows of the mountain and the steep cliffs that hang high above it. That place used to have a name, but I removed it."

"Wait, is this place the one… that I think it is?" He said hesitantly.

Herobrine closed his eyes for a short second as he peered into the miner's mind to see that cursed worn and damaged town without any form of light, he could even see the damages he made last time; a few burnt down structures, frightened people, and crop fields in disarray from the miner's memory. "Yes." He said opening his eyes and narrowing them in rage. "It's hard to see the mountains that surround the valley in the more denser part of these woods, but yes, that is the place you will be heading to."

"Why there? I don't understand?"

"Because you are going to stay there for a couple hours to rest, then you are going to leave it for your old home far away from here and you are not ever going to come back."

"What!? Why?!" Steve shouted from the other's unreasonable command.

"You heard me." Herobrine narrowed his eyes but kept his focus on the path ahead of them and not the gawking miner to his right. "You have until nightfall to rest up and leave the place, a traveling merchant with a horse and wagon stops by the main road and drops off supplies and transports village goods to and from that place every day. You are to get on his wagon and leave this evening when he does, or if you are feeling strong and would like to walk all night and fight mobs then you can go on foot. The bottom line is, you are to be gone by the setting sun and never return."

The miner was taken aback from the being's words, telling him to just go and leave him to be Ender's tool when they could possibly find away to stop the beast or resist it. "Wait." He stopped but the old hero kept on walking so he ran to catch back up. "Come on Brine reason with me? Why?" He asked carefully.

Herobrine tilted his head back when he heard Lionel's nickname for him but he dismissed Steve, the man wasn't going to like what he had planned and he knew the mortal would try to do something about it. He remained silent.

"Damn it." Steve cursed under his breath and picked up his stride until he was side by side with the old hero. "And if I don't leave?" Steve swallowed in nervousness.

"Then you will feel my wrath, just as every last mortal in that town."

"What!?" Steve stopped again but this time with wide eyes from shock. "You're going t- to- to kill those people?" The being stopped up ahead and nodded. "But I thought you said that they were going to all suffer forever? Why do suddenly want to kill them?"

The White-Eyed man turned around, revealing a deep and serious expression on his face. It wasn't a good one. The man slowly walked towards him and stopped once he was five blocks away from the human. "I wouldn't want nothing more than to make each individual suffer for the rest of their worthless lives and the lives of their offspring. But now I am ending their torment."

"Like that?!" Steve shouted.

His healthier looking double glared darkly at him. "I am not doing it to put them out of their misery, but to collect their souls."

Steve blinked in surprise but couldn't find anything to say, only the image of his friends from that village swam around his head. Warren, Luna, and Mark.

"I was given more time by the End beast and now he's wanting more souls than usual and I don't have the time to get picky."

…

"Herobrine." The lime green Eye glowed as it's words rung throughout the tower, the pure black and thinned pupil followed the White-Eyed being as he paced around the stool that the round object sat upon. "I will have no more failure from you, do you hear me?"

"Yes. I will not fail you again. Rest assured. My weakness is no more." The being gazed back in his pace around the angled room.

"Good. I expect that you know what I want after two failures? Triple the amount of souls you would normally bring me and not that last pitiful amount I collected, I need souls not only for my servants but for my weary wings and deteriorating joints. Sometimes my great power is too much for my own body and I need a little relief, so bring me enough to satisfy me and my creations. Do this and I will forget about your slip up and pretend it never happened."

"I will bring you plenty."

"Then go now, you will be given more time but don't waste it. However;-" The End beast hissed. "If you fail me again then there will be no warning, no sign, no nothing to display my rage. You will know if you've failed me when you find all of my strongest servants starting to coming after you. Listen and listen closely Herobrine." The beast said lowly with a bitter tone.

"I'm listening." Herobrine stopped his pace around the Eye of Ender and moved up close to the green sphere, appearing to be frustrated.

"You WILL pay my debt in full, even if I have to get all of my dark abominations to capture you and bring you to my realm. And I WILL get my payment, even if I have to hold you down and chew off every limb on your body. I will even let your limbs regenerate and chew them off again and again if the mood provides, I may just do this over and over if it's not enough to satisfy me. I WILL be paid no matter how long it takes or whatever it takes." Ender hissed again. "Fail me again and your bones will be sticking out of my maw. Are we clear?"

Herobrine tensed up and sneered but he nodded.

"Don't disappoint me now. I'd hate to lose a good asset, I would also hate to have to find another way to get souls or get back at Notch. Remember my words and remember them well."

The hero nodded for the last time and backed away as the black pupil shrank and disappeared into the lime color before it dulled down to a dark cyan. He stood there quietly and stared at the inactive Eye, partially ignoring a distant crashing sound; undoubtedly part of his of his fortress; but he had more important matters that needed attention.

…

Steve held his breath before letting it out in one large huff, slouching forward a little and allowing his arms to hang loosely as he walked. "You mean to tell me … that if you don't get enough then Ender will rip you apart?" He asked with serious and fearful eyes gazing intently at Herobrine.

"And devour my limbs as payment. Yes. I have many souls to collect to make up for my previous losses and I don't want you around, you will only hinder and possibly stop my work. I don't have the time to search far lands, I will take as many as I can from the areas surrounding the valley and possibly all of the fools who dare to summon me. I don't have time for games and I don't have time to enjoy the hunts. Every mortal I see tonight will die, if you stay in the village then I might just cut you down. Friend or not. You and the merchant are to leave, no one else will get this privilege."

"What about my friends?!" The miner said as he sat upright and paced closer to Herobrine.

"They stay." The power man stated threateningly with a deep frown.

Steve lightly shook and balled his fists. He was mad at Herobrine for taking claim over the innocent people of the village and the claim over his few friends lives there, yet he was completely furious with Ender for threatening Herobrine and pushing him into killing when Steve tried so hard to get the malevolent being to stop. He was pretty much powerless and Herobrine was going to take so many lives just to keep himself out of hot water, their situation was bad and it was for so many innocent people as well.

"You will not stop me."

Steve let his angered expression fall along with his tense posture and coiled fists, the being was right. He couldn't stop Herobrine and he definitely couldn't stop Ender. After witnessing that attack on the powerful man's arms; he just couldn't fathom how they would be able to fight the beast without becoming dust. "Is there any other way?" He started carefully.

"No. It has to be human souls. Ender is not open for compromise, particularly not from you assuming that you are dead. I don't mind at all to take those who are descendants of the ancient humans of the great fortress, other mortals shouldn't pose a problem either, but them? Claiming them after generations would still be fairly easy with my hate for them. That is why you are to leave before tonight and get as far away from here as physically possible, with those annoying memories holding me back I will have to kill a good number of humans in one go to get the predator feeling to take a hold of me again. Like the days before you showed up and cleared me of my 'messed' up; One track mind. I'll continue to be the monster that I was always meant to be. What I was made to be."

The miner took a step back and shook his head in his disagreement. "You can't do this Herobrine! You don't have to go back to that life, your not a-"

"I don't miss all of my memories, but I should forget them over time as I continue my hunts, even the ones that I was quite fond of when it came to my brother. I thank you for bringing the good ones back for a short while, though there were few. And I thank you for making feel free of my isolation in the fortress and the Nether. However; for my own interests I must go back to the old time as if you had never showed up, so for your own sake you must go and I must forget."

"This is ridiculous Herobrine! This isn't fair!" The miner growled.

"Whether it is or not I don't have a choice. I will not risk more suffering, I've had enough to fill your life time of suffering five times over. I am not going back to it again." He strongly defended.

"But if you go back to your old ways then you will continue to suffer in a different way, I don't know how exactly. Maybe the loneliness or something like that, but it'll be the same."

"Then so shall it be."

Steve shook his head in frustration and growled. "We have to fight him!"

"You know that we cannot stop that damned beast, so stop suggesting it!" The powerful being shouted and made the miner cry out from the strong resounding voice bellowing loudly in his head. "We cannot reach him, and I believe that I will be overpowered if I did fight him! Besides, you'll just die, you already know that human. With these wounds I have, it clearly obvious that I don't even stand a chance." He said roughly, swallowing his pride and lightly shaking. "You definitely won't be able to take on the beast, you have nothing nor no one protecting you. You'd burn in seconds."

"So this is just how it's going to be then?" The miner's expression dropped and he gestured with an arm. "You're going to revert to your old ways and continue to do what that monster wants? You're going to go and kill more innocent people? And my friends?" Steve said more softly, not wanting to imagine what would become of them or how they will go out.

… Herobrine stopped in his place and looked back at Steve.

There was no answer, just a firm white gaze and a deep frown.

Steve sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. If there was any time that he needed Notch then that time was now, but it was clear that the god no longer had interest in his people nor his world. Because if he did then he wouldn't have permitted for so much tragedy to happen, he would have stopped Herobrine a long time ago to prevent so much death. He would have stopped Ender's powerful Endermen from ever being made and free any of the captured souls.

"There is nothing you can do. Your deserting god will not help you either." The being said bitterly. "It's best to go back to the time before you arrived. Not only in my interest but for yours as well. That is why you must leave." He watched as Steve ambled over to a tree and placing his hand on the wood, he leaned his head against it. The miner was obviously distressed as he lightly rammed his forehead into the bark, looking utterly defeated and drained of hope unlike all of the times before Ender told him that he was abandoned. He looked pathetic, more than usual. Where was that determination the miner had before? Herobrine quietly sighed to himself. "Tell your three friends to leave with you, that is all that I will permit to leave from the village."

The miner ceased in ramming his forehead into the wood and turned towards the demi-god. He was surprised by Herobrine's willingness to let some go but something else crossed the man's mind as he thought about the three individuals. "What if they refuse?"

"Then they die." He said simply.

"And if I refuse, will you kill me too?" Steve moved away from the tree and stared directly into the glowing white of Herobrine's eyes. "You wouldn't kill me would you?"

"Not if I lose myself, which will eventually happen when I begin my hunts again. If that happens then I will not hesitate to slay you as I had almost accomplished back at Lionel's old home. It only takes a few human deaths by my hands to trigger bloodlust and the white fogging of my vision. If I forget everything after my first kills then I just might just claim your life with the rest, without even a second thought. I don't know for sure, before you showed up I had self control when hunting my prey and now everything fades white from the smell of blood alone. So I doubt you'll escape unscathed if you stay."

Steve dipped his head from the grim warning. There wasn't anything he could do now, he could at least try and convince his friends to leave with him but that was about it. He couldn't bare the idea of convincing Herobrine to go against Ender and fight off the Endermen, he was powerful but even beings of his kind had weaknesses and limitations apparently. It would be hard to convince Warren, Luna, and Mark to leave their homes and he could already hear their arguments in his head. He could hear them defending their reason to stay at the village, staying because they don't want to drag their curse to people who lived far away in peace; where the legend of Herobrine was nothing but a myth. A folklore, an old tale to keep kids in bed at night, an excuse to draw attention from believers.

He had also realized that most of his promises couldn't be kept and that notion ate him from the inside out, being such a failure. His father wouldn't be too proud. But at least he managed to calm the violent being and brought forth a peace of mind, at least that promise was somewhat kept for now. Steve supposed he did something right, with or without Notch watching over him; he survived and freed the old hero of his rage for but a little while. The least he could do now was make sure that his friends were out of harms way, he had to get them and himself out.

"If you are done thinking then it's time to get moving. You'll need plenty of rest to recover enough for travel, you barely look like you can walk now."

"I'm good." The miner waved with a deflated tone and a sad smile. "But you're right, time is wasting."

"Indeed." Herobrine spun on his heels and began to walk again.

Steve quietly moved forward and picked up his pace to keep up.

Herobrine saw the miner lightly limping through the corner of his eye, he hadn't noticed sooner with many thoughts running through his mind so he slowed his own pace to make it easier for Steve. "We'll be there soon."

"It's not going to be easy to convince them, but I will try. Thanks for at least letting them go."

"Think of it as a parting gift and nothing more. Deciding to let three go was a tough choice but I know you value these worthless beings."

Steve slightly narrowed his eyes from the insult but bowed his head in appreciation, he was lucky to keep his new friends. He started to wonder if Nigel was there or not and if he was would he also be allowed to leave. "Hey Herobrine?"

"What is it?"

"How long have I been in the Nether?" He asked curiously.

Herobrine though piqued in his own curiosity for the miner's reason; only shrugged. "A few days I suppose? I don't keep track of time but I do know that it's been at least three… maybe even four full days? Why do you ask?"

"Well Nigel said that he'd be staying there after I went off to fight you. A full week to be exact."

"For what reason?" Herobrine asked as he removed a tree limb that hung down before his path under the oaks.

"He said that he'd wait for me to fulfill my promises and that if I didn't make it to the village in a week's time then he'd assume that I fell in battle and would part for his home and mine to deliver the news to my mother."

"If you add the time in the Nether and the time that I've fell in our fight then I would say that he's probably left already, it's easy to lose track of time in the Netherworld and I was out for nearly two days after I was defeated."

"Oh. Well I'll have to make a trip to Tekk City sometime then? Mom and Stephanie would be overjoyed to have me return, at least that is something to look forward to after Nigel delivers the bad news right?" Steve smiled faintly, just imaging the looks on their faces when he steps through the door of his old home made him feel like he was already walking through the door. He could almost feel the two squeezing him to death in a strong hug, looking all sick and worried but happy no less.

"If the elder one is still there then he can leave as well, I don't have an issue with that old mortal for he is not a descendant of the ones who persecuted me."

"That reminds me." Steve tapped his chin for a second as he thought about the old foreign man. "How come you never killed him? He said that he was one of the only ones to walk in and out of the valley alive and return only to leave and go back. And how come you didn't kill him back at the fortress? "

"He is an interesting mortal. I still even remember my first encounter with him." Herobrine lightly chuckled to himself. "He was such a coward but he did things that I had never seen other mortals do. When I frightened him for the first time he charged at me with a stick, declaring me as some delusion and myth. But after battering him around a few times he came to his senses. He realized that I was real and charged again but instead of swinging that pathetic walking cane he immediately pulled out a bottle filled with a grey substance and he poured it on himself, he vanished before he even reached me.

I started to toy with him when I found that he had returned, he continued to allude me with his potions and would later return to the library in the fortress like most researchers did. The only difference was that I let him live to mess around with him for the next time he came back. He could turn invisible by those strange potions, but with my superior hearing I always knew where he was. For such a soft foot he sure stumbles quite a lot." Herobrine smiled deviously.

"That's just cruel." Steve replied with narrowed eyes.

"It was fun to me miner, getting into my victims heads and hunting them is what I consider enjoyment. After all, if you were in my place and hated humans then you'd likely share the same feeling. Besides, in doing the End beast's work for centuries; I should get to enjoy what I do."

"Still, that's messed up." Steve said flatly and this made the being frown to his surprise.

"Anyway, I later started to observe the old man for a while." Herobrine started again. "I watched as he searched the fortress's archives for information about me, and more importantly about my past. What truly set him apart from other researchers and adventurers was his knowledge. He could easily translate the old language and he found out the truth about me and my past, looking more from my point of view than the ones against me. Unlike the very few others that could decipher the old words, he sought and searched long and hard for the very few scriptures that had my opinions and my tales of being a hero then those many of my 'traitorous acts." The being deeply emphasized the last words with repulsion. "I was surprised he never found the book I wrote."

"One you wrote?" The human raised a brow.

"I wrote one for Lionel, my brother." He said more sadly. "I've had plenty of time to do things as years passed in the fortress, writing the truth on his behalf was one of those things."

"So that green hardback was made from you? The one with the insignia?" Steve gaped in amazement. It was no wonder why the book looked so perfect and why every word and letter was written to a precise measure when he found it.

"You mean this one?" Herobrine held out his hand and something formed out of the particles in the air, all of the colored fragments all came together in perfect alignment to form the binding of a forest green book that was filled with crisp pages. Even the golden insignia of the royal family and sentinel-ship was there. He turned on his heels and handed it to Steve who reluctantly took the book in awe. "I know you've seen this book before. You were the one to actually find it and you gave it to the old man, but I took it back out of anger. I wanted to destroy this thing back when you were imprisoned at the fortress but I ultimately chose not to when I began to remember Lionel through you."

"Yes. This is the one." Steve quickly flipped the cover back and flew through pages to see the ancient words all flawlessly sitting on invisible lines, clearly showing true calligraphy that he saw once before.

"Do whatever you wish with it, I no longer have use of it." He turned around and began to walk again. "I abandoned this book along with my memories back then and I will abandon it for the final time. I don't need the past to hold me down anymore. I know Lionel would not approve of my actions, recent and the ones I have already done long ago; but I cannot afford to stay in his favor by being at peace of mind anymore."

Steve lifted his gaze from the foreign words he could not read and he swiftly closed the book to catch back up to the powerful being, knowing exactly what he heard despite appearing to be busy by looking through the book. He knew it took a lot for Herobrine to say those words by the cracking tone in his voice. What the man had just said had baffled him though. So he liked being at peace… meaning that he wasn't running around and claiming the lives of his victims, he was content just talking to the miner.

"Also, you dropped this back in the tower." Herobrine held up his hand again and grey dark brown particles from out of nowhere formed in the palm of his hand in the shape of a sword.

Herobrine held it out as he continued to walk and Steve reached over before taking the severely damaged weapon into his hand, he glanced over the crack that was running through from the base of the blade all the way to the center and towards the sword's tip. It didn't look like it was going to last much longer but at least he had his lucky weapon back. "Thanks." Steve lightly smiled as he returned to old antique back to it's sheath at his side. He immediately looked away from the sheathed weapon when he bumped into Herobrine's arm. The being held it out as if signaling for him to step no further.

The White-Eyed man turned around and crossed his arms. "This is as far as I go, just down this tree covered slope is the road that leads to the village. The distance to it is but a short walk."

"You said it had a name once?"

The powerful man nodded. "It did… until I erased it forever and cut down the ones who kept placing the village name up on a post just beside the village road that leads in and out of this place."

"Why did you do that?"

White eyes cast a small glare to the miner and Steve looked like he immediately regretted in asking. Herobrine sighed after the miner looked away in apprehension. "It was once called Stone Edge, the name deriving from the stone cliffs that hung partially over it. I know that the cliffs don't actually hang over most of it like it once did and that would be of my doing." He noticed that Steve was now reading his expression as he talked, seeming interested but upset too but he chose to continue out of his fuming anger. Just thinking about that wretched place made his blood boil. "One night a resident male decided that they needed torchlight after losing a pathetic engagement ring for their significant other, I made it clear to never bring light into the town again and they didn't heed my warning."

Steve was starting to feel bad, he knew that Herobrine hated humans but he could already guess what the powerful man did and it made him sick to his stomach. It didn't help that the people of Stone Edge where descendants of the ancient people that tortured him. "Why did you take away their light?"

Herobrine's expression sunk in and he was scowling. "Because I wanted them to suffer in the dark. They deified me though, they purposely kept placing light when I doused every flame. They knew that I wouldn't kill them all, but they continued to light torches. So-"

"They probably did it because of the cliff then?" Steve daringly interrupted. "Mobs live in darkness and they were afraid."

"That was the point." Herobrine sharply narrowed his glowing orbs, this made the miner stiffen up in fear from his darkening voice creeping around his mind. "They had it good when I was burning in the Nether; so I took away any light of hope and doused it for them and their future generations!" Herobrine snapped and made Steve continue to take steps backwards as the being slowly stepped towards him, the heavy footfalls made the ground tremble and that deadly glare nearly pierced the innocent man.

"I ensured that whosoever lit one would die, this way with mortals dropping dead they would learn their lesson and they eventually did. Some however; foolishly chose to rise against me and I cut down every last one as a reminder of my wrath!" Herobrine heatedly snorted and he made a forceful stomp in front of the cowering miner, this made the man bounce a few inches off of the ground before falling back onto his back from a strong quake. The ground rippled underneath the grasses and left a low rumble to shake the miner up some more.

Steve blinked in shock from Herobrine's sudden mood swing from calm and collected to insanely mad and vengeful. He held onto the book tightly and scooted away with the approaching bright beaming-eyed man. "Herobrine, calm down."

"From my rage I destroyed their sources of weapons, unleashed many mobs upon their town, ravaged some of their wheat fields with fire, and demolished parts of the village to get my point across. These humans were fortunate to live after my tides of revenge to the fortress, they got to live even after persecuting my best friend and condemning me at the public stonings!

Do you know what they did to him and his wife after my final trial? They forced them to move out of the fortress and Lionel was labeled as a traitor and a thief for refusing to surrender his armor. I didn't see what they did to him for I was incarcerated, but from the guards in the dungeons; I heard that he was unable to get a job within the entire settlement and was refused access to many places. His wife Nori was also banned from most shops and refused aid by association. I heard she was pregnant and struggling to stay healthy almost a month after his death from trying to free me! I heard this just two mere days before the priests of Notch showed up and tossed me into the damn Netherworld, only two days to find out what was going on the outside of the dungeon walls before the portal and ritual was fully prepared." His tone softened but retained that level of hate that struck fear into the miner.

"They threw stones from just the sight of him after defending my case, for trying to prove my innocence. He paid the ultimate price for freeing me and it was all for naught. He left behind a wife and an unborn child. ... I saw her when I was finally freed by Ender after a few years of imprisonment. I saw her from the rooftop of a shop in the marketplace with a little boy holding her hand and tagging along in reluctance and fear. Before I swung my blade of vengeance I watched and heard many passerby's cursing the woman and the child, some even chucked rotting fruit at them and curse Lionel's name. They also spat at their feet and called them traitors of the Sovereign and the fortress. So I went to Lionel's old home that night and demanded for Nori and her child top leave through a terrible nightmare, when she woke up I made my presence known and she fled with her child immediately.

I made sure that her and her small family fled far away with the assurance that they would never come back. She hastily gathered her relatives and left for good, after that I unleashed my revenge. I made sure to make each and every human paid that night! I didn't kill them all… no… not in one night… but I made sure that they lost something of value; whether it be another human or possessions of theirs. Then I struck the next night and the next, chasing after the ones that tried to escape. Once I had my fill, I let a good number of mortals live but not without punishment. The few that survived after my last tide of wrath were haunted for the rest of their lives, I guaranteed that all of them would suffer! Even now their great great grandchildren suffer at my hand!"

He stomped again and made the miner rock from the force and then he crawled onto his hands and knees to keep balance, he also kept his head tilted towards the being with blues eyes on him at all times hoping that the enraged wrathful half-god would settle down soon. What he was saying was just shocking, there was some things he never knew yet about Lionel and his own descendants until now.

"I let them traitors and their offspring live and this treachery is how they paid my mercy!? By standing up against me?! … To have that gall." He stomped again and the miner shortly glanced through the woods to his right after hearing multiple branches snap and a large crashing sound no too far away. "You wanted to know they have no light?" Herobrine stopped in his raged steps and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand as a white fog partially blinded his vision, he was losing sight.

"You don't have to tell me anything else Herobrine." Steve said carefully as he moved back onto feet. He noticed that Herobrine was shaking his head and moving his gaze around as if he was struggling to see ahead of him. "Just calm down."

"You want to know why that cliff is mostly missing? Or what happened to that human?"

The deep and dark dual tones echoed within the miner's mind, it sent chills running all up and down his spine. "You don't have to tell me." The man then tensed up as the glow in Herobrine's eyes intensified so he looked away, Herobrine was struggling to maintain control over himself and he didn't know what it would take to set him off.

"That mortal lit a torch. He disobeyed my law! MY law!"

The miner could almost picture himself under the cliff side looking for a ring only to hear a loud crack and-.

"So I stomped off the large section from above and watched as it crushed him and a few houses that was under that segment of hanging stone. I watched as people screamed and fled for their lives as chunks broke off the main slab of crashing rock and tumbled into nearby houses and across the small streets; taking out anything in their path. The humans all ran and hid in terror just like they should, every face was filled with dread and horror like they deserved. They deserve everything that happens to them and I am more than happy to deliver the punishment. I will be even happier to finally put an end to those miserable and pathetic humans."

Steve noticed a huge change in Herobrine's tone and shuddered from the low chuckle that followed the guy's last words. He didn't sound so mad anymore but very happy and almost …bloodthirsty. He was too afraid to look at the being's expression but he peered from the corner of his eye and turned his head to see all of it, the miner gaped as he saw that grin filled with malice and wickedness on the other man's face. He couldn't let Herobrine lose himself for he was going mad, he had to stop him before he reigns terror now and get swept up in it.

His lips curved deviously as he continued to think on how to dispose the mortals at the village when night would fall, if he could wait long enough. "So many ways to deliver the ultimate punishment and not enough bodies to do it all." He lightly shook his head and rubbed his eyes as his vision blurred a little more, he continued to smile though. He could already smell the blood that was lightly masked by a hint of smoke from smoldering wood. The image he put together in his head was just savory. Houses burned and crumbled, cowards ran for their lives, screams and cries filled the air, so many eyes wide and filled with fear. "Each and every one will die at my own two hands tonight, they will struggle in my grasp and choke on their own b-"

"Herobrine!" Steve didn't know what possessed him to run at the dangerous man in his condition, but he did anyway and without an object in hand to defend himself. He was tired of hearing it, tired of listening to what the old hero had done or what he had planned. Herobrine shouldn't be this way, he should have control. He shouldn't have ever had a problem like this. Why would Notch let it go so far?

Herobrine was surprised when something slammed into him and made him smack against a tree, he couldn't clearly see what had hit him and had him pinned to the wood so he forcefully pushed the weak body off of him and spun around quickly; driving his leg into the center of the foggy form as he made a full rotation. This caused a loud wail to sound through the air and it abruptly stopped as the body smacked into a tree of it's own and fell flat to the ground.