Hero's Bane

Chapter 75: Harbored Hatred

Edited 6/27/2022

Steve felt himself shudder and shake, not only did he have to watch his beloved brother and father suffer and die with their souls severed, but he also just struck Herobrine with Hero's Bane; a sword that he named when he found out that would prevent Herobrine from healing. Because it was a part of the ancient demi-god; his body cannot detect the wound which will allow him to bleed out as if he wasn't cut at all, Herobrine's blood was his own bane. Watching the white-eyed monster fall to onto a knee made him feel just as sick as he did in the nightmare Herobrine gave him, the heavy smell and sight of the crimson following down the man's side and arm made him want to puke. He amazingly held what little stomach contents he had in.

The miner took a step back and shook his head in disbelief as his world come crashing down on him, there was just too much to swallow and he couldn't even get the concept of the nightmare being the truth into his mouth. He didn't want to believe that what Herobrine did in that realistic horrifying dream really happened, he couldn't simply bring himself to accept it but he had to. Denial kept his mind in a frenzy but a part of him knew that it was the truth, this made his heart feel heavy and over stressed.

The beating organ strained painfully as he come to accept what Herobrine had done, he trusted him even though he felt growing hate. Stray tears flowed down his face and he couldn't get them to stop, no matter how many times he wiped them away. Herobrine had kept a painful truth from him and then used it so cruelly… for what reason again? The miner couldn't even remember why. If he would have never said anything or showed it then there wouldn't have been any pain to feel; ignorance would have been blissful, even for the rest of his life if he didn't ever know.

His breath hitched as he spoke. "I begged you to stop… and you didn't." Steve's fist clenched tightly.

"I heard your pleas but I had no intention fulfilling any of them, I carried out every bit of my actions back then as I did in the forced memory of mine. You needed to know the truth, to need a debt repaid. In killing me you'll avenge them and all of the times I battered and beaten you for these past few weeks, even for the time I nearly claimed your life. You will also prevent me from killing you because you know that once I forget everything that has to do with you or any mortal; even Lionel, that I will not have a second thought while cutting you down. We don't need to go over this again Steve; I know that it hurt you to watch them die, now pick up the blade and finish it. I get the punishment that I deserve, I will not allow any other mortal to have this opportunity. Not even Ender; my debt to him has been paid somewhat, even though he demands more. Now it is your turn to get the debt repaid."

Steve squeezed his blue orbs shut tightly and swung his head back and forth from inner conflict. It was hard to believe that 'Herobrine'; a living terror and destroyer of men was allowing himself to fall to one, he was once a being of great pride. Where was that pride? Wasn't one of the reasons he collected souls was so that he wouldn't face Ender's wrath in the first place? The miner took a deep breath and dared to look in the being's direction, he felt a strong sadness when he saw those eyes. "I can't do that… I don't think I- no, I just can't."

"Why not? You know how they died, how much they suffered and how close I was to head to your house and kill you and the rest of your family. I still remember how much- how much joy I had taking them." The white-eyed man looked away from the miner and stared at the empty space in front of them, a strange elated feeling was surfacing. "How … how badly I craved to see them take their last breath." Herobrine said with a maniacal grin starting to form on his face, his eyes started to glow at the thought of them and the heavy smell of his own blood was making the memory of killing them more savory. "How they begged." He darkly chuckled.

Steve stared in horror with that face of bloodlust, Herobrine was reverting back to his old self again somehow. "Herobrine stop!"

"The boy was so eager for my sword, I still feel the energy pulsing in my arms that I got from taking his soul." The grin grew as the brightness in his eyes intensified. "The man begged and cried, oh how much fun he was to play with till his end? I took him too soon. … I should have taken more."

Steve shivered from the dark and malicious voice that sounded in his head. Herobrine did take pleasure in taking those lives of his family; grinning like a hungry wolf among the fleeing sheep, he eventually got them and devoured them and savored the hunt. His chest wrenched and he gnashed his teeth at his resurfacing anger. Steve huffed and backed away more with somber eyes glistening from his watery orbs. "I will not do it Herobrine, no matter if a part of me wants to. I know what you're trying to do so cut it out!"

Herobrine blinked and shook his head, he was still a mental wreck. Going back to memories that weren't even more than two or three decades old pulled him back to a sense of no control, he thought the miner's presence of late had cleared him of this state of being. Apparently not, the man used to provoke the white fog that clouded his vision in the first place; that changed when he gained full trust and even friendship though. It didn't help that blood was present while he thought back on the kills, just forcing his memory into the miner's head of their deaths brought a strange feeling he found rather pleasant; the miner's distress had made that feeling shrink thankfully. But now he was felt that horrible excitement from the deep thought with no mortal to interrupt him.

He wasn't happy that he killed them anymore, but the memory sure made it out to be like he did and still did to Steve. That could be used in his favor of getting the miner to take either choice, but he did not like the lie that it was. He honestly would have done anything to stop himself if he could just go back to that faithful night, maybe then Steve wouldn't have been here to take weeks of torment, pain, and anguish. But then nothing would have changed for himself, he'd be the same as he was when he first attacked the fortress; he wouldn't have found freedom of a mind that had so long been corrupted by revenge and hatred.

That miner freed him of this existence that Lionel would never approve of, he was freed enough to find his old-hero self that would greatly object the idea too. If nothing changed then he'd still be a nearly mindless slave, oh how he hated the idea of being a slave. The notion didn't seem so bad when he talked to the End beast, but now he hated it and the beast for being such a threat that he could not face on his own. Herobrine growled and brought his free hand up to clamp to the side of his head, even now he was a mind-wreck. The things he used to like to do; such as killing, he rather disliked. It used to be so easy and he still hated mortals, but the miner changed that. The things he once hated was becoming something he could tolerate or even accept in some cases; like the miner. He first hated having a hand of mercy and any tolerance and hesitance in his kills, but now he was more open to it. Lionel would approve, be proud even. He could almost see his figurative brother smile at the thought, and he'd give anything to see his brother smiling again.

"Are you-?" Steve started nervously after a long silence.

"I am stable again miner, it would be in your best interest to just kill me now or flee from here forever. Although, as I've said; you deserve your debt to be paid in full."

"What kind of debt is that? You should know me by now Herobrine. I can't!"

"But you will want to when I say what could have happened to their souls."

The miner gave an expression of shock, his mouth hung agape and he held his position. Herobrine could still see the anger and anticipation in the miner's shaking fists.

"Not only does Ender use souls to create such powerful mobs but he also uses them as energy, he told me this once. The small bits of energy coming from the spirits makes him feel rejuvenated, stronger. It is likely that he absorbs the souls, which could explain why he was strong enough to reach me from the Nether and destroy my hands with little to no effort. He simply 'uses them up , there is no telling that their soul exists beyond such stress and conversion into power." Herobrine dipped his head with solemn eyes gazing at the sword on the ground before him, it wasn't the blade the miner needed. The wound he had from the blade that struck him had done it's part. "I am afraid that there is a possibility that the mortals that you once cherished may no longer exist." He heard a slight and stiff gasp, it was dreadful news to the miner. "I cannot feel pain or sorrow for the lost souls that I once claimed …but guilt-" He paused before he realized what he was about to say, he couldn't tell Steve that he was feeling guilty for bringing him so much despair; he really didn't care about the souls at all. Herobrine only huffed and looked away from the direction of the miner with an expression of carelessness. "There is none and I feel none, nothing at all."

"Then they-"

"They are likely lost forever if used by the beast or destroyed in their current forms as ender pearls. Even using the ender-shell that holds them break and fade away when teleported. I guess that you have used them before?" He asked blankly, the man didn't respond. The look of pure shock and guilt was enough evidence that he used them. "Don't put the blame on only yourself; many mortals have used them before, you're not the only one. You also know that most mobs don't live for more than a few years, especially ones that are easily killed by rainwater. Even mobs created of power have their flaws, Endermen are no exception. … Then there's my sword of rage. I used some of the soul's power just to flaunt it, I heard the agonizing cries when I did and I kept using it anyways because I liked the sound. I used the blade to channel lighting, to destroy bocks of bedrock, even to make myself more powerful though the extra strength was not needed. I even used it to kill other mortals to change up my routine, using a few souls just to take several more."

"Is- Is that true?" Steve said stiffly with his eyes glued to the ground, he let out heated air in his exhales and shook with a terrible realization that part of his broken family ceased to exist. Even the possible fact that using an ender pearl and learning the truth of what he was doing by using them boiled him from the inside. It was hard to decide which he was more infuriated with. Herobrine, or the End lord. Herobrine was once so ruthless and cruel, it was worse now that he was more human and he wanted to go back to being that cold-blooded monster. The beast though? He ground his teeth.

"I believe that it is the truth mortal, if you don't slay me now or leave for good then I will have but no choice but to kill you and revert. I'd rather not regress and become Ender's damn slave, I'd also rather not kill you either. All of your friends at Stone Edge will not be safe once I do drop my memories and relapse. More humans will fall and I will use the energy that some give, more will become non-existent like your brother and father." Herobrine could sense the tension building from the miner; he was making him heated, just as planned. He hung his head low and closed his eyes, he removed his hand from the deep gash between his shoulder and neck and let it fall to his side to help him retain balance on his knee. There was just one thing left to do. "If you want to save anyone else from such a fate then take the sword now and end it this instant. Leave and they perish, but you'll live. I cannot say for how long though, I will likely lose myself completely and venture out far for more mortals. There is no where you can hide from me in this world."

The miner looked down at the diamond blade in front of him, he blinked in surprise as if turned to dust and reassembled into a copy of itself with a faint blue aura emitting from it. He strangely found himself drawn to the weapon, like a strong force was beckoning him to move closer and take it into his own hand. Steve gasped when he felt his feet move on his own towards the weapon with an arm stretching out for the blade, he tried to resist the urge to take it. "What- what's going on?"

"You've tasted the power it had once, you might not want it; yet you do at the same time. You seem to harbor enough anger, sorrow, and hatred to feel drawn, the need to wield it. Anger and the thirst of revenge will help to make a decision. You don't have to worry too much about the adverse effect, if I die then my blades should perish and the effect will fade fast. Take your built-up negativity and bring your wrath down onto me." Herobrine finished and closed his connection to the mortal. -I'd die this way before that beast finds the chance to trap me in his domain and subjects me to endless torment. I will not bow to him anymore and I wish not to relapse and let my memories fly forever. I dropped my pride to make Ender powerless again, in death; my debt to him ends. It may take centuries; but his reach in this world will narrow to virtually nothing but a thin line that only beings like myself can help pry back open. Good thing about that? I am the only being like this out there, he'll be forever left in that cold dark world. My liberator or not, a debt has to come to an end at some point. I am sorry it has to end like this Steve.- He silently watched the human take short steps towards the weapon.

"It doesn't have to be this way!" Steve shouted as he fought the desire for the blade, in his mind it was like a tug of war and one side was getting stronger than the other. One side wanted to take it and deliver justice for the suffering and destruction of souls of his sibling and father's, but the other side objects and has come to understand that getting revenge will not change anything that had happened. It was really hard to fight it because of the distress he was going through, right and wrong was getting harder to decipher in his brain with the sword bizarrely calling him through his strained emotions.

It pulled the negativity he had to the surface as he grew closer and a sudden irritable urge took him. Steve gritted his teeth and reached down, his hand wrapped tightly around the handle and he pulled the cursed blade up to see his reflection in the shining surface. His eyes narrowed as they did in the reflection, the sadness and anger he felt from the nightmare made him tighten his hold; waves of energy flowed up from the sword and made him feel stronger and more lively. His muscles tensed up and he felt a fire in the pit of his stomach that raged. He did not care for the screams coming from the inside of the blade, he soon couldn't find care for anything at all; his more reasonable side was nearly gone within a short time from the strong influential cursed weapon. The voices within the sword were mostly ones that made his anger grow; so many whispered the word of revenge and justice, the pained wails of so many innocents fueled his new intentions.

He immediately felt heat radiating throughout his body and his head ached badly, it felt like he was running a high fever. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he gulped fresh air with rapid and stiff breaths, he also felt so strong and rancor started to consume him with many negative thoughts running through his head. He lowered the blade to his side and glared darkly at Herobrine who wasn't even looking at him. His teeth gnashed painfully at the grounded form just being there, his watery eyes had dried up quick. This man took so much away from him, tormented him so much, and deliberately forced him to live an experience he never wanted to go through.

Steve growled loudly then shouted. "You just wouldn't listen to me would you?! You had to make me relive a nightmare from my childhood; a dark one I always tried to push away! What's worse? You make me see the FULL truth of it and what you actually did to them! How you killed them so mercilessly?!" He barked but Herobrine kept his head low. "You deserve to undergo what they did." He said coldly as he started a slow walk towards the injured form. "So you feel nothing? Not an ounce of guilt for them?! You monster! Demon! I will never forgive you for what you did, torturing me was one thing; but killing them and wiping them from existence?! I will make you suffer the same fate if I can. But you deserve far worse, so may suffered at your hands."

"You're right, now come." Herobrine's tones low and soft.

The unexpected reply threw Steve off for a brief moment and he stopped his pace, but then he continued forward when the rage continued to grow. "Admitting to my case will not change anything. … You betrayed me." He stopped when he was but only a block away from the kneeling being. "I can't believe you. I endured you, fought for you, came to understand you, stood up for you, defended you, and saved you… all of these selfless things I did for your trust and even friendship… you-" He paused as Herobrine lifted his head slightly with a passive look, the miner could almost see guilt or something of the sort on the guy's face. It was hard to see when he could only focus on cutting down the white-eyed man, his hands shook as held the urge; wanting to finish his piece and hear a reply. "Say something bastard!" The miner rose the blade up to Herobrine's neck and forced the being to look at him. "Just don't sit there and look at me, defend yourself!" He barked but Herobrine refused to move. "Why are you just sitting there?! You want to die?!"

Steve inhaled and exhaled deeply, he was burning up and he even started to feel drained even. Herobrine still hadn't moved, it was like he was accepting it, it made no sense in the spur of rage. "Y-you go and cast my selfless acts out and show me their deaths just for me to ki-… kill you?" The miner lightened up his tone on the last few words he spoke, it suddenly made sense why the man hadn't retaliated at all.

He wanted to die.

Steve took a deep breath and started to calm a bit, he let the sword fall to his side, his fingers were losing their grip though he still felt the need for the blade.

"What are you waiting for?" Herobrine had clutched his injured shoulder. "Do it."

The miner blinked and glanced down at the blade, it was no wonder why he felt so angry. Sorrow took over him when he looked back at the being. Herobrine wanted to die? That didn't make any sense at all. "Why would you want this?"

"You said it yourself mortal, I deserve mercy. Don't hesitate, I took them from you. Remember that and strike with the blade. Raise you rage and kill me before I kill others, before I kill you. The debt must be repaid."

As if he was to lose another? To lose someone who has become a friend; a brother figure even, someone who he trusted. The negativity of the weapon had shifted to nothing but despair and regret, he felt an overwhelming sadness but could shed no tears. "I've already lost them, I don't want to lose another." He said somberly, dropping the sharp weapon to the ground on his own free will. The sword effect only made him feel weak now.

Herobrine's eyes lightly widened and he lifted his head up to see Steve in sorrowfulness, he did not expect the human to lose his rage nor drop the sword so willingly. "What are you doing? Pick it back up!"

The miner only shook his head in defiance, he then started to back away. He watched as Herobrine rose up from his kneeling position and this movement prompted him to turn on his heels and run away.

"Come back!" He expected a reply and got nothing. "So this is how it has to be? Just don't come back then. … Goodbye Steve." He watched as the human soon disappeared behind the thick trunks of oak and birch while he was left in the silence of the woods for minutes alone, to think about dropping his memories and going back to his old ways before it was too late. He wasn't in a rush though, he had to giver the miner some time. He then decided that the woods was not the best place to relapse, it would be better if he was back at his home and far from the mortal as he could possibly be.

Herobrine instantly snapped his head to his right when he heard a low hiss, it was too distinctive and in a deeper pitch to be a creeper's. His eyes lightly widened from a one-eyed Endermen with a gray patch on one side of his face looking at him from underneath a large oak, he was many blocks away and in shadow but it knew that it was seen.

…

"Steven? Steven is there something wrong? What happened?" Nigel asked with great concern as the miner came running at him with tears rolling down his sorrow-filled face; his eyes were tightly shut and he seemed to be seething but not in an explosively livid way, it was something more along the lines of anger directed at himself it seemed. Steve's body posture was ridged and even his run was sloppy; exhaustion appeared to be the reason but the guy's expression of inner pain seemed to be the more appropriate cause. "Whoa!" The old man nearly spun off his heels after he attempted to grab the man's shoulder but only had lost the grasp as soon as he made it, Steve didn't even acknowledge him which was unusual and unfortunate, this likely meant that his encounter with Herobrine must have turned out bad. Nigel could only wonder how.

The miner didn't stop, he only wavered a bit when Nigel grabbed for him but he wasn't stopping. He didn't want to be a part of anything even close to this valley anymore; he didn't even want to talk to his friends, he only wanted to go home and cling to the lives that were most dearest to him and still living. "Mom, Stephanie." He whispered their names as he brushed the back of his hand over his waterlogged eyes and sniveled.

"Slow down there? Wait?! Where are you going?!"

The voice called behind him but he ignored it, it pained him to do so though; Nigel had became like a grandfather to him. It would be foolish to continue holding onto that feeling though or the friendships he made with people from the village. Herobrine wasn't going to change and there was nothing he could do to protect them should the being lose control of himself and thirst for bloodshed. He wouldn't even be able to protect himself. He could have killed Herobrine but that wasn't right, he couldn't do it. Herobrine was intentionally setting him up to have himself killed; Steve knew he wouldn't ever be able to carry out a act like that, no matter how much anger he had for the white-eyed man destroying those who were close to him. From robbing him of a father and making growing up difficult for a single parent; from robbing him of his brother to whom he had a strong attachment to as a child.

He just felt like running to his mother and sister; they were all he had left.

…

"You?" Herobrine said in his mind, knowing that he can't quite communicate with the familiar mob; or at least he didn't think he could. The black creature was a part of the End beast so it was possible for their minds to be connected in some way or another, or he was just wasting time with words that would never be spoken. He turned towards the tall black figure with empty hands, this particular mob he tried to kill a few times before has been seen more often of late. This Endermen was fixated not only on the young woman it seemed, it was this same black creature of Ender's that had followed the miner throughout the valley; even at times at a distance when the man wasn't aware.

Such an occasion would be when he first encountered Steve, he seemed protective after realizing that the mortal wasn't Him. Then he saw it when he was stalking the human through the snowy biome, from the top of a tall pine he had seen a glimpse of the black mob in the woods on the other side of the struggling miner. He also recalled this same scarred creature inside the great fortress in the throne room when he was dragging the miner away, though he didn't even pay any mind to the mob because he simply didn't care at the time. Then there was the time he almost killed Steve and then healed the human in the shed, the Endermen peered through the window and then fled after being spotted and approached. Or like when he freed the miner of the Nether and spotted the tall form in the distance of the deep woods with it's single glowing eye. Then he recalled seeing the mob again on the night of the attack; though it mainly seemed focused on saving the girl at the time. Seeing this particular mob had him narrowing his eyes and wondering in suspicions.

"I've tried to kill you and that girl many times now, but after that miner came here you've been quite watchful of him as well. Did the female human send you out to watch over him?… Or was it that damned god Notch?" He curled his fist at the name he mentioned with Endermen hissed again with it's coal black pointed teeth showing and it's dark claws digging into the bark of the oak tree it was starting to back behind, acting way out of the norm like most docile Endermen he encountered. "I know Ender doesn't know much about this miner, he didn't find out about the human until a short time ago. So-" Herobrine took a few slow but rocky steps in his amble towards the creature of the End Beast's, lightly swaying from side to side with his left hand slung over his right shoulder to hold the tender wound from stretching. "So why are you around him so much? He means nothing to you."

The ender-being continued to flash the pointy ends jutting out of it's maw and it's single eye glowed with ferocity, it's thick nails scraped deeply into the bark more before it backed away; but not without a throaty growl from behind now barred teeth.

The white-eyed man stopped and blinked with lightly widened eyes, something seemed familiar about the Endermen. It was like he could see right through it to see a ethereal form of a child inside. "That grit? That defensive but cowardly stance? That glint in your eye?… Can it be? No. But-… It must, that would make sense of this behavior you display towards me. Not just from my attempts to kill you and your human companion but why you are so protective of the miner now and cautious of me. Not only that, but you harbor revenge and great hate from that look; normal monsters cannot have nor show this trait. Only humans and more intelligent creatures can in this world." Herobrine then continued his steady amble to the Endermen. He knew that it was very unlikely of to what he was thinking but it seemed like the only reason that made any real sense of the monster's disposition. Most Endermen he came across acted like he was nothing but a ghost walking by, they only stayed out of his way and hissed and attacked back when he assaulted them for the Nether of it.

The single mauve eye narrowed sharply.

"I think I see now. It comes to a small relief for me, however; he'll never know. He won't know that it's you sadly, that you still exist. Perhaps it's for the best? … It's been you this whole time, I can hardly believe it myself." Herobrine stopped once he got within several yards of the edgy ender mob that looked as if it was ready to attack him, the powerful being wasn't phased by the growls and stance of attack by the mob. "You've lived a long time in that form; I am surprised but not too much. After all; I enriched the great land with my power and all mobs within grew stronger, even you once you were sent to this world."

The Endermen backed up a little more with a feral expression deepening.

"I know you want revenge, but it's not yours to take. It's Steve's and only his unless I fail to pay Ender's debt; though I know the miner will not take it now, he's too soft and I'm afraid that the same trait has befallen me from his influence. But no matter; there's nothing to worry about Stealth, or should I even call you by that pet name of yours? Because of who you are- or once were; I will not kill you again, I will leave your precious human friend alone provided that I can control myself that is. You may have to take off with her the next time I come around. I am not sure if you were listening in on my conversation with Steve or if you were even there for a long amount of time. What I do know is; I may not be this merciful soon. … And Steve? I will not bring great harm to him anymore so as long as he stays far away from the fortress and me, I cannot fully promise you that but I will try to avoid him… 'Anthony'."

The Endermen's eye widened and it took a step back in what looked like surprise, it's single mauve orb then narrowed thinly and it hissed before vanishing with specks of purple dust floating to the ground in it's place.

"And so it was you? And maybe you understood me after all? …Just what else are you capable of doing with these mobs of yours Ender?" Herobrine mused to himself.

The white-eyed man lowered his head and focused waves of energy around himself, he then flashed away from his place in the blink of an eye. Herobrine lifted his head once he appeared to his new location on the top of a mountain that cradled the valley, he was right where he wanted to be. White eyes now honed in on a massive fortress of stone in the far far distance; it was damaged but still standing as it has for many generations. Three huge fractured towers so boldly stand upright to touch the sky, one seemed like it was leaning a bit like it would fall at any time now. A wall of stone surrounding the great structure appeared more stable but broken and crumbled in various places.

Many small damaged and burnt down old wooden buildings surrounded the fortress all the way around it, a lot of the places were burnt to the ground or crumbled in ruin. However; a decent amount of structures still stood surprisingly. The settlements had blacksmiths, butcher shops, various shops, pubs, churches, libraries, stationed barracks, wells, schools, warehouses, refuges, and many houses of the dead and forgotten. The once great civilization that held the symbol of pride and power was sitting in ruin, it used to be a stunning and beautiful place and now it was in shambles and abandoned.

Herobrine could almost see it like it was so long ago; like a vision when he blinked his eyes, he could see it back in it's glory days when it was built in Notch's honor. There were no damage for damages were always fixed immediately, newly carved stone bricks replaced the old and broken. He could see into the past; see the tiny forms of humans roaming around the streets from high above; watching mortals visit shops and market places, some performing street shows for emeralds, some heading off to work or some leaving the late shift, others just attending to their usual mundane retinues. Every part of the perfect settlement was bustling with people, there were no mobs present like there was now. The perfect image of the colony soon faded from his sight to be replaced with it's current ruined state after seeing a form that looked like Lionel heading to the main gates of the fort.

The powerful being blinked and frowned deeply with a sneer. That was the old days, he hated humans now so he didn't want them even around what was his. The fortress was his now; he took it. He claimed it, he owned it, he governed it, he controlled it. He single-handedly ruled from 'his' throne even if he had no particular creature to rule, no mortal could take what was his.

Despite his anger of humans even once existing in the stronghold, it was still hard to believe that he left it in such disrepair for so long; it was like he lost any care for it as time passed. He didn't have much sanity or a right mindset at all until the miner came along and pulled him from his one-tracked mind of hunting mortals. Killing humans mercilessly and sitting upon the throne inside that the dark and cold fortress was all he cared about in the past, but then 'he' showed up and changed everything.

One simple mortal on the quest for a good mining place had encroached upon his territory, he so deliberately came on his own will with intentions changing from speaking with a simple old human the being often toyed with when he wasn't hunting. Herobrine was toying with the younger human at first; he then went in for the kill after realizing the new malicious intentions against him to be punished by Notch. But then something happened, that mortal just had to help free him from a pit of liquid fire; just as Lionel did once. Although things were done differently; both of the mortals risked their lives for him, an act worthy to be repaid.

The miner faced great fear and passed the opportunity to seal 'the demon' away to burn forever, he risked slipping and burning to death in the lava himself just to free a pained immortal that wanted nothing more than to kill him. This 'act' of bravery and selflessness just reminded him of Lionel's action, the more he remembered the silver sentinel; the more he remembered of his life at the fortress when he was a revered hero. From there; memories returned, memories of both the good and bad times he had at that fortress. The human Steve; then went on to prove he was trustworthy after refusing a chance to leave the valley with his life and soul intact, he suffered for what was supposed to be a temporary living time but that was changed when Herobrine couldn't bring himself to end the mortal. Even now he wouldn't be able to do it. Steve leaving for what should be for good; was for the best.

Herobrine closed his eyes and vanished from the mountaintop.

…

Steve wiped away the tears with the palms of his hands and he slowed his pace along the gravel road, there was no reason to cry anymore so he only sniveled in his walk and let his watery eyes rest. The aftereffect of the cursed blade left him feeling weak and drained of emotion. Anthony and his father were long gone and had been for many years now, but to know that they died in such a merciless manner and have their souls being used up like a fuel source pained him so greatly. There was no telling if the Endermen that were killed and pearl-'soul' smashed would mean that they still existed in any form, it strained his heart to think that his departed family members no longer existed since they were likely killed off so long ago.

Even mobs as strong as the Endermen would face death at some point within a year or so, that was the life expectancy of most monsters; particular Endermen since their pearls were desired amongst people for teleportation use. Water destroys them, not to mention defenders of villages equipped with weapons or mob hunters with great skill. It was hard to accept; but they were gone.

He ambled down the road at a slow and steady pace, he felt so empty and betrayed. He left everything and everybody behind without even a simple goodbye, even leaving his lucky blade that his father once wielded back at the village. He didn't want it anyways, it'd probably just become a painful reminder if he held onto it. He really wanted to say goodbye to his friends at the settlement and even apologize to Nigel for leaving him like he did; also for breaking his promises that he couldn't keep. But he didn't have the strength to go back, none of them would be around soon enough. It would have just been more painful to say goodbye than to just run away and never speak to any of them. It would also take energy to get there and leave, to continue to burn energy that he would need in his travels back to Oakridge which was so far away. He was already heavily inhaling large gulps of air and sweating profusely, his limbs felt heavy; his feet were very sore and his legs tingled from the soreness.

He soon made a turn on a gravel less path, he was sure that this was the road he took in getting to the cursed land that was supposedly an unexplored land filled with many ores. What a lie he was told.

"Hey there, what's wrong? You look so down."

A concerned male voice called from behind him and he spun around slowly with his head hanging low, he didn't remember passing up anybody up on the path or maybe he just wasn't paying much attention since his eyes were glued to the grassy trail at his feet. He didn't care until his eyes moved from the ground and landed on the tall man, his blue orbs then went wide and his then sharply narrowed. "You!" Steve mustered up some strength and stomped up to the carefree looking guy with a dark sneer on his face. The man wore a simple brown shirt that looked as though it was worn by someone in the days of the old kingdoms. His eyes were surprisingly dark and small and his head was bald, yet he had a bristly black beard. He looked exactly like that traveler he ran into while looking for a good mining place, this was the man who lied to him and sent him to a cursed land to be tormented for weeks at a time and face death more than enough than any mortal should ever experience. "It's all your fault!" Steve prodded a finger into the man's chest, he earned a deep frown from the guy.

"What ever do you mean?"