Hero's Bane

by BlackDragon41

Steve discovers the land of his dreams, now he's plagued by a mirroring figure with the cursed name Herobrine, a white-eyed man with unimaginable power and a deep hatred for humanity. After coming face to face with this force of evil, he will uncover the dark history of Herobrine and strive to earn the madman's trust. All while also trying to survive and escape his wrath. CH92 up!

85. Suffering Isolation

Hero's Bane

Chapter 85: Suffering Isolation

A/N: Okay, I apologize if this is super late(distractions list goes on and on and so does the excuses) but this chapter is super long to make up for that. It may seem a little confusing and if you did get confused(on any part) then just pm me and I will clear things up a bit where necessary. I would also like to thank all of my readers and followers that still read this and thanks to all of the new ones, this story is over 500,000+ words so it's quite a feat to read and get this far. I personally salute all of you that have read all the way up to this chapter, it takes days to complete it in one setting. So go ahead and read this update and hope you enjoy.

…

"So Herobrine, what do you think of this world?" Notch asked with a wide grin as he gestured the oak and birch woods they walked through, he had his arms out as if he was implying the entire world beyond the trees and vast lands of green. "It's much bigger than this forest, so many biomes and terrain. So much life and yet so much more to add, oh it only gets better from here on out."

Herobrine although walking at the god's side; had his eyes on the ground the until he heard such elation erupt from the slightly taller form, he appeared to be polar opposite of Notch with his posture more tense; as if he was a disaster waiting to happen in such a peaceful place. White eyes glanced to the side to see the man embracing the air so proudly of his work, Herobrine immediately shifted his attention away when Notch's arms feel back to his side and he looked over at him.

"So what do you think? Or what do like the most?" Notch ebbed closer and lightly elbowed the other in the side to get his attention. "Come on."

The White-Eyed one lightly rubbed where he had been prodded and raised a brow at the creator, his gaze did not stay on Notch though; he only kept his eyes on the ground as they moved. He was so uncomfortable looking.

Steve kept a good distance behind the two walking but observed Herobrine's posture closely, the White-Eyed man looked stiff compared to Notch. He noticed how unwelcome the man seemed here, so misplaced. Like a piece of puzzle that did not fit the picture or even belong to the same image.

Herobrine remained silent for a long minute; he did not look thrilled to answer but he did appear mildly interested when Notch retained his smile and encouraged with another bump from his elbow. "This world is nice, quiet and peaceful I suppose. It's rather empty though, I have roamed around great distances and found but one mortal. The life around here though is flourishing well and there is some places that are miraculous to see, but these things I do not like as much as a clear sky when night falls. The night is better, calmer despite the monsters and cool air to the skin is quiet relieving. I like the stars but the moon I like most. It can be bright and observing as it steadily crosses the sky, or darkened out with passing days as if going into a state of rest."

"Ah, there we go. The night huh? It's nice, mostly." Notch's smile wavered a little. "We have yet to add more beings like the first, but we will soon! Maybe they'll treat you better? We'll have to wait and see though, there's still things to add before more humans will be made. Now the mobs are essential to population control, without it there would be problems with starvation and living space in the future. It sounds a little cruel when you think about it but life and death must be balanced for the future and generations to grow and allow life to be sustained without depletion out of resources so quickly. The hostile mobs also to keep people strong and help them determine where they'll be in society, whether they are the good enough to be out in the field to defend their own by going out to protect their villages and gather resources or stay within the safer part of the community and do more safer things such as farming and running the progress of a particular town. I have it planned to be balanced, it's almost perfect too. Now choosing the moon is a great choice; bright when it needs to be, giving sight to those who are lost and stumbling around in the dark. It's also nice to look at too, not so bright to burn the eyes but enough to light pathways in the cover of night."

"To me it is as lonely as I, so many stars shine in the skies but not one close enough to accompany this pale orb, it is avoided by all but the sun that is near but still so distant. We are alike in a sense."

Notch came to a stop when Herobrine finished and the distressed being stopped a few steps ahead.

Those words were pretty deep and only confirmed Herobrine's greatest trouble. Out of every problem that he suffers from; even his built-in nature; it was isolation that effected him most.

"Hero-"

"This world sounds incredible." Herobrine began again with a surprisingly more buoyant tone. "I can only wonder what will be added to make it better or how humans will come together and thrive once more are created. They will have each other to rely on and each other to protect, such alliances will make them strong and I have no doubt that they'll be what you've imagined them to be. The mining mortal was great all on his own, I've seen him working hard and creating, building, and learning all by himself before he became aware of my presence; take a mortal like him and add a few more similar to him and these creations of yours could become something great. But even alone he has accomplished much, he's a survivor and can find such joy alone. I wish I could be more like him personally." Herobrine turned his head to the side with a faint smile. "There may be so much potential to these mortals, I can only desire to someday join them and see how they come together. I've not been around for too long and I am solitary, I do not know of the kind of accomplishments that are achievable through cooperation." The man's smile fell flat and he looked away with a solemn appearance. "If only it were possible to join them."

"What do you mean?" The creator's smile was gone and concerned was his expression.

"I am dangerous Notch, I have done nothing but bring calamities to this world out of rage and a strange desire that I cannot explain. Ripping through the terrain and setting forests ablaze for no reason but to settle my anger or get a satisfying feeling of joy. The humans would not take well to my presence nor the power I wield. I am but a problematic pest. I would hinder your creations, may even end up destroying them."

"That can't be entirely true." Notch took a step forward and grabbed Herobrine by the shoulder and spun him around to face him. "Is it?"

"You do not know me as much as you think… friend. You only know what little I have done and what I can do, I am not like your kind entirely; but a creation that was most likely meant for ill intent. I have done little to sculpt this world out of the shape it now holds but could change it over time. I wish to not trouble your mortals… but some part of me yearns for it." Herobrine growled and grasped his head before backing away, he suddenly seemed repulsed.

"He what?" Steve said aloud with a mildly surprised look, but his words did not disrupt the two before him.

"Herobrine?" Notch reached a hand forward but the White-Eyed one only took another step back with a low snarl.

"I didn't want to tell you this but I mustn't hide the truth, you have but only been so kind." Herobrine let his hands fall to his sides and clenched his fists before letting his anger recede. The man only sighed and shook his head with disbelief. "I wanted to kill your first creation Notch, I stayed my hands but I had an urge to spill his blood so badly when he refused to acknowledge me."

Notch furrowed his brows and blinked in shock. "What?"

"I struck him once when he only cowered in the corner and then slammed into the wall of his home, never since my arrival here in this world have I felt such elation, such gladness from my action; I wasn't angry anymore after that but filled with joy."

"Huh? Joy?" The miner repeated softly.

The black-bearded man was at shock but tried his best to hide it. "But why?"

I first thought that he was 'messed up' when he told me this, only after learning more about him did I find that this 'wicked form of elation' was just a part of him. Ill intentions or not, it was considered 'normal' to him.

Herobrine started again hesitantly. "I was very tempted to do it again and again but held back as good as I could, he deserved it… and yet he didn't." Herobrine sighed with confliction on his features. "This confuses me, he was in pain from my attack but I enjoyed it and wanted to cause him more and more of it. He caused my distress but did in unintentionally, I only acted out in the only way I knew how and he suffered."

Steve blinked, this Herobrine was starting to sound a little like the old one that he first met in the ravine; one that enjoyed his suffering.

"Did you harbor the vile intent Herobrine?"

"Somewhat." He said looking away to the side with thought for a second before facing the creator who looked more distressed than he did now. "It felt so wrong to have hurt him for a fear I created that he cannot withstand, but it also felt right and justifiable."

Notch swayed his head back and forth in disagreement. "It's not justifiable, the mortal had done no wrong to you."

"I know!" Herobrine barked, he then cooled quickly with the creator looking at him with such concern. "Your creation was not in the wrong, I know the difference between right and wrong Notch; but it still doesn't make sense to feel so right in harming him and slipping control from actually staying my hand. I should have not enjoyed his pain, seeing your reaction proves my defectiveness; but I did enjoy it and I did want to do it again. Even now- I still want to -" The man only snorted aloud and shook his head out of confusion. "Then this only shows what I am or what I only can be. I had to have been made for harm, this is not normal; you show no such tendency and neither did the miner. It would be best to remove me from here if you can do that, send me to a place where I cannot do no harm; or better yet, do away with my being more permanently so there would be no reason to have to ever worry."

Notch's eyes widened and he gaped. "What?! Do that? Herobrine, I can't do that!"

"And why not?"

"Well for starters it just wouldn't be fair. You are who you are, being a creation of such power and intelligence means that this saying is not taken lightly. But, it also means that there's some things that cannot helped. Defective or just wired wrong. It is not your fault."

"I know that." Herobrine replied with his gaze trailing down to the grass at his heels.

"But that doesn't mean that I want to give up on you, you're still new to this world and there is probably a lot that I don't know about yourself yet. And as a creation- even not of mine- you can belong here too, you can live here for you have no other home."

This made Herobrine look back at the creator with a surprised expression. "But why? I will be nothing but a bane to your world and it's inhabitants. I have caused enough pain to your first being and damaged lands for little reasons; with or without control. I enjoyed the suffering of the human, I could do it again and be content again. Are you not concerned of what I could do? Are you not fully aware that I am incapable of maintaining a sense of peace when there's none to be found in this tormenting desolation and silence? I am a being that is torn, corrupted, and modified for destruction, yet you want to help me …as a friend despite just meeting for the first time?"

Steve felt torn himself from such words and only stewed in silence as the powerful beings talked.

Notch frowned and moved his gaze to the sky to collect his thoughts. "Such disasters are … troubling, especially for the future of newer creations and old alike." He then moved his eyes to Herobrine who only had a deepening frown. "Knowing that you can find contentment in the torment of my creation is not a welcoming thought, but it would still be unfair to remove you when you are only just trying to fit into this world. You may or may not ever actually fit but you deserve the chance to try. Try to Herobrine, that is what I'll ask of you. You know the difference between right and wrong, I believe that you can maintain control of yourself and avoid any way to bring harm and disaster and feel more guilt than pleasure when you do. You have to strive for the correct feeling though. I know that you are not a creation of mine but that doesn't mean that I don't want you here, variance is what this world might actually need. Then again it might not… but how could one tell without first giving it a shot?"

"You would still want me here and not know much of anything about me? Even with the risks of my faulty nature?" Herobrine asked curiously.

"Everyone deserves a chance Herobrine, you might have troubles here and there but we'll never know what you could become if I cut ties here and send you away. Stay a while and thrive here. You might even be able to be an asset to this world and it's future inhabitants, you may one day fit in and find your place. You're here but not on your own accord, you deserve an opportunity like any other creation."

Herobrine thought about what the creator said for a long second before forcing a faint broken- but somewhat confident smile. "I see. Thank you for this opportunity Notch. I will certainly try; even with my problematic tendencies, I will do whatever I can to overcome and work with them but to a more positive end. There will be no promises, I am already a flawed and dangerous entity."

"Flawed to an extent- maybe." Notch started again with a small smile forming on his face. "But I am going to do whatever I can to help you. I will look into your creation and see if there is any way to resolve this abnormal issue of yours."

"As a request, I would also like for you to find my creator. I must know my purpose, perhaps I was made incorrectly or made this way by accident? I am not 'normal' like you but I sense a similar but stronger power from you. I am unsure if this form was unintentional but long for the reason, almost to a desperate point now. Still, I would like to know what I was meant for, I deserve that much for being here. If you could do this for me then that is all I would like from you, so will you?" Herobrine asked with a flat tone of voice, he walked a few steps closer to Notch with a pleading expression. "Please?"

Notch nodded and his smile grew. "I will try. It does seem likely that you could have been made for a great cause but fell short of it. There are many in my world with power that can create creatures and seldom do few make things without my knowledge or approval, but they do not have the power to fully create a being like us and pull it off right; they lack the power and authority to. However; I will try and find your creator and see just why you were made and why you were put here."

Herobrine made a small nod and smiled. "Thank you, for the time being I will try to settle into these lands and avoid the human for now; for their own good."

"It would be for the best for now. So thank you Herobrine."

"I think I am beginning to understand this concept of 'friendship'. It is hard to understand it alone but I am not quite alone anymore am I?"

"No, even from a distance you aren't anymore. And that's just what I wanted to hear from you Herobrine, I just know that you'll do fine by yourself for now. I can sense it. Even if you fail I will not be far, I will help you when you need it most; just call out my name and I'll be there. I will hopefully bring your purpose to light too, it may take time but I will find it."

Herobrine's smile grew a little more. "Even close the sun is still a world apart from the moon, but the graceful light constantly reaching out is vastly appreciated and accepted with gladness. If I need you then I will call upon your name Notch. At least you are not that far, I thank you for that."

"It's nice to see you finally smile genuinely." The bald man found himself beaming. "I'll help whenever I can, maybe even give you the assistance you'll need to live in this world with my creations peacefully and find a way to settle any problems you have. Time will only tell of course."

Herobrine nodded again.

"Alright then, I have to go for now, but I'll try and keep in touch. One day I'll even show you my home world, I'm looking forward to that actually; you'll love what it has to offer. It's also a nice place to reside if this world doesn't work out for you… just saying. Good luck my friend, I'll return soon."

"Farewell." Herobrine finished and watched as Notch suddenly lifted off of the ground and hovered in place for a long second before shooting up into the sky and soon vanishing completely into the blue. Herobrine looked up until the god was gone, when Notch was no longer present his smile faded and fell into a frown. He turned away and vanished with wisps of dark particles falling to the ground in his place.

"Wow. Herobrine had it bad didn't he?" Steve muttered aloud now that presence of fear was gone, his own smile was gone too; things might have started off rough and ended well on the first encounter but he knew that this 'friendliness' between the two powerful beings wasn't going to last. He knew that it had to do something with Herobrine's purpose, Notch already confirmed that. But there was just so much wrong with Herobrine, there was probably more things wrong with him that he didn't even know yet. "Was he always like this? So quiet and awkward?"

He was for a good while, especially since I was the only company that would not flee him. You must remember that in being a creation that was not of mine made him feel unnecessary to exist in my world, it was even more distressing that he was causing trouble and believed to be based as a menace to life itself but not know if it was truth or not. … Sadly he is in reality. I've tried to keep the truth away from him and managed to for many years, he eventually came out of his shell and actually smiled every now and again but he's always been rather unhappy for the majority of his time. This is believed not just because of his personality and experiences, but his fixed disposition.

"But how can that be?"

In his constructed nature; I found that he gets pleasure and even simple joy out of the pain and death from others, he gets satisfaction through one's suffering as unfortunate as that may be. To achieve such fulfillment; he must kill and destroy to get the good sense that we do when we help others or receive a gift from a friend, even by love. Real enjoyment.

"But I've seen him happy before, genuinely content; like when he became good friends with Lionel." Steve retorted defensively. "He's helped people for years without being a murderer! Herobrine showed me this, he demonstrated his care of the people for years before they turned on him."

"That is true but it's only part of his complete design."

The miner turned around when he heard a voice behind him and he saw Notch facing away with one hand resting on his temple, he looked distressed.

"After our first encounter I found out everything there was to know about him, even before I brought him to my home; I was aware of how dangerous he was and was tasked with keeping him in check or dispose of him if I wanted by his own creator."

Steve blinked then narrowed his eyes. "Wait. His creator gave you those options?"

Notch nodded with a deep frown, he messaged his temples before sighing and looking over at the miner who was all but happy. "Yes, I found his creator; having some power like those on my team only they were not of my associates. Herobrine unfortunately was not made for a benefit to my world and it's inhabitants but a menace as he first believed but wanted so much to be untrue."

The miner only shook his head and sneered, his hands balled up into tight fists. "So Herobrine was meant for malice then? His reason to exist was for harm then? But how? Why? He seems so human sometimes and can be nice when he wants, he's not a monster. And why abandon him or have him destroyed? I don't understand this."

"That sums it up a little Steve, but there's more to it that will be revealed soon. Not in any circumstances was any creation supposed to mirror our kind other than humans, none to have power that can even match ours or have any kind of power at all actually. It is forbidden to even make a god-like creature in our world but one was made and somehow pulled off successfully to an extent; this is how Herobrine came to be, he was an illegal and violent creation sent without authorization to this world. Created for more than just a force of terror, but a purpose that sickens even me; it disgusts Herobrine much more though but he doesn't currently remember."

Steve gaped from this realization and lost his irate posture as Notch looked at him with a serious but distraught expression.

"He does have human qualities and sentiments, thankfully he learned some of these from me and yo- the first creation." He quickly corrected with a hint of nervousness but continued. "He was made like a human but only with … additions; not the friendly kind. Power, aggression, adaptability, cleverness, mischievousness, skillfulness, manipulation, and many more things above human nature and capability. This is why I believe he tends to become very dangerous and bloodthirsty when angered to a certain degree or when resentful to my people; he has a longing for contentment as does all creations. There's just more than one way to get it for him and since he holds such a fearful influence and is feared and avoided by mankind, he has a tendency to make use of his power and second channel to get enjoyment. Of course, even such joy only lasts for so long. He feels the pain of loneliness too as do humans, that is why he's tried to integrate in with my intelligent creations plenty of times now; only to fail every time by his mere presence alone. His desire to destroy- it's just part of him, doing what we do to find joy and contentment. It's like there's a trigger inside that gives him satisfaction through destruction and promotes him to cause more of it, to relish in the pain of others to get that sense of delight. Wired to be a coldhearted villain, a griefer, murderer, terror bringer, and a destructive force. It's hardwired in him and is virtually impossible to fix, like instincts to survive; it's the thing that keeps him going even though he's immortal."

"But what about-"

"It's the way he was made Steve. Herobrine does contain the natural elements of a human mind and can feel joy as you would and everyone alike through normal means, he just has another 'channel' only it's of a wretched kind sewn into the fabric of his mentality and is considered normal to him; to feel joy in both the things we do and the addition of misfortune of others brought upon by himself. The kind of wickedness that most find immoral and cruel; he finds pleasure, it's just too bad he's damaged now. Now he can lose control and switch over to the vile mindset instead of the human one, his inclinations to do so have increased greatly since."

"That can't be true, Herobrine even told me himself that he doesn't have the same contentment in killing people anymore; he's changed!" Steve curled his fingers into a fist again and made a steadfast stance.

Notch raked his fingers lightly over his beard in thought and rested his fingertips on his chin. "Hmmm… I find that hard to believe personally. Something hardwired cannot be fixed, trust me; I've tried." He let his hand fall to his side and he stared at the miner with a contemplative look. "However; he is… adaptable, perhaps through you- he's lost most of the desire to kill out of revulsion that you have for it? This sort of happened when he found Lionel, he became close friends with him and mirrored the mortal out of their own interests; he actually stopped attacking humans for the most part and even found the control to keep himself from doing so. He found rage where he normally find thrill, instead of killing he'd punish and torment. That is why I left this world, when things seemed to be running better than I ever imagined I decided to move onward; unfortunately I didn't take into the account of human nature and the little darkness that hides in every being. Humans are far from perfect creations, far less than the first one ever made."

"I suppose that it would make sense that he would change-" Steve inquired. "But what about-"

"When I left… I left behind humans a resource of power, the shrine, well, water; whichever the people prefer to call it. I stored some of my power inside of it and allowed for those who can bend energy to aid the people so long as they are pure of heart and have the right intentions. Particularly this magic was only given to the shamans of the fortress, they were a noble group that helped the ill and the needy."

"So it wasn't you to punish him directly then? You were gone? You left us… left him?" Steve's eyes remained wide before they narrowed sharply and he snorted in disagreement when Notch nodded to his question, the miner raised a fist partially up to show his anger. "Why?! Why did you have to leave us, this world?! Because of 'you' leaving you left our world at the mercy of Herobrine and the end beast, humans couldn't fight them! And Herobrine… what he went through… it's unfair!"

Notch exhaled softly and closed his eyes for a long second to consider the words, he opened his dark eyes to see the mortal still enraged but also confused and troubled. "I know that and I understand your anger. It was my mistake to go but I am back and I intend to fix everything here now so that no more of my people shall suffer, I just happen to leave right in time for things to fall apart; right before Herobrine to become a victim of my power and fall into the hands of the wrong people. Even the nobles were fooled into such an horrendous transgression."

"They were not noble, they made Herobrine powerless! They even took away his ability to speak and sent him to the Nether because you know-? Torture and paralysis wasn't enough for a crime he didn't commit!" The miner growled lowly. "Why did you have to leave power to them! They are as bad as Brutus!"

"The shamans only do the requests of the Sovereign as directed before Herobrine's arrival, the Sovereign that was alive before I left had a righteous heart and I met with him in his dreams several times to gauge and judge him worthy of commanding the shamans. He had right intentions and was more than worthy to help any afflicted people that he was appointed to lead. The shamans themselves were clean in motives as well. It took one deceptive heart to turn many against one and take the power to govern; I did not take this probability into account and left the mortals to do whatever they wished to Herobrine with some of MY power.

This is one of the greatest regrets I have. For so long I had left Herobrine to suffer in the Nether without acknowledgement that he was framed and badly punished, only to return with a vengeful rage and nearly destroy all of my blessed peoples that I once governed and guided in this world. I came back to find the fortress in shambles and abandoned all except for Herobrine who was clearly not the same, he was darkened and so was his heart; he was silent and has been that way since with his voice permanently sealed. The hearts of my people became corrupt and spread out far across the world; except a small settlement that harbored the remains that only live to suffer. Herobrine has killed many since and robbed them of their souls for a fell purpose. He has a hate so strong that was from the result of one mortal wanting power, leaving was the worst mistake that I had done. I did not cast those spells upon him nor toss him into the depths of the Nether-" The creator's tone deepened with regret and he sighed heavily. "It might as well be me to have caused it though."

Steve lost his scowl and frowned deeply with understanding, his fist fell to his side. All it took was one human being to cause a great society to fall and break, one small assassination and an act of deception to innocent people to cause them to nearly be wiped permanently off of the face of the world. One to turn a nearly contented powerful being into one of rage and a puppet of a monstrous creature, one to make so many humans suffer and die; then fuel a power greater to cause all of the mess that was happening now. One person, one motive, one accusation, one plan… one fall to the heated depths of an unforgiving world. All by a single person, so much death, destruction, hate. The miner closed his eyes and seethed quietly to himself, one block removed from the mountainside caused a rockslide of epic proportions. And though Herobrine was the creator of most of the destruction; it was not his fault; he was just a- an instrument. An unfortunate victim to cause more damage from one kind that he despised for the unjust punishment done to him.

"It's not the people's fault, it was mine."

Steve sighed and opened his eyes and looked towards Notch. "It wasn't your fault, you were not aware."

"Even so, I gave mortals such power and left them with it when really; I shouldn't have ever left in the first place and give them any controlling authority. I only came back to check up on this world to see how it has been prospering with my time away, I found a mess and was told by the my associates that Herobrine just disappeared shortly after my leave and then came back suddenly a few years later and went rampant on my people and then people around the world. They do not govern the people of the world nor intervene in anyway, my friends only add and fix things but without interference to any intelligent life. They would have been powerless to stop Herobrine anyways, so my leave caused this mess, I caused it. I should have been around to fix it but I wasn't."

"I'm sorry to hear that Notch, everybody makes mistakes; even powerful beings do too I suppose."

"Yeah, but I'm here to fix this mess now and you're the one I am counting on to help. The only way to really stop the mess now is to stop the dragon and put Herobrine at peace again, now that he has aligned himself with you; I believe that he'll continue to follow your moral code and stay his destructive hand with better control. I also believe that understanding of a particular kind will also help him achieve this peaceful state."

"But what about his dark need? Won't he have to-"

"There are methods to fulfill it that do not harm people, fighting alongside of the sentinels kept it tame; I am sure that he'll find an outlet of such aggression on mobs instead. He might even enjoy fighting them like he used to if he is freed."

The miner's brows furrowed. "He likes to fight mobs? I always thought that he used them to attack innocents and make them more formidable to kill people off?"

"Indeed, he's used them but fears them not. He really doesn't care about them though and likes to get his anger out by exterminating them on the occasion. That's what kept him in check while at the great fortress for many years. Why even in the Aether he had plenty of even mightier beasts to fight and that kept him in contentment for a good long while. He even fought the End dragon here once and won- it was-…" Notch's voice fell quiet for along second with his gaze moving from the miner to the emptiness behind the mortal. . … "It was- just a stem- a branch of problems that came from fighting and besting the black beast. … … … Now things have changed… again this world and it's inhabitants suffer because of me. The dragon turned on me because of-."

"Wait! What are you- Herobrine fought the End Lord before!?" Steve nearly jumped back in shock and gaped widely at the simple looking man. "Did I hear that correctly?!"

"Yes, as I've said; Ender wasn't always a dreadful creature. He was once a challenge Herobrine wanted so badly, a challenge I made for him because he asked it of me. … But this story will have to wait for now, the sun will be rising soon and you must get sufficient rest. I will reveal more answers and more of Herobrine's past the next time you sleep."

"But wait! I have so many questions! Why end it here?! … Huh?" Steve watched in astonishment as the forest around him started to glow and fade to white, all of the trees and even the ground at his feet was lightening in color before disappearing completely; leaving him to stand on nothing. He spun on his heels only to feel himself fall forward a bit but only float in a vast world of white like he did when he woke up to the world.

I'm sorry, we'll speak again but not for a little while. For now rest up and remember to keep this meeting between us and everything that you've learned here out of mind within His presence, anything that he sees, even my very image could awaken deep memories that can have disastrous results.

"How can I do that Notch?! Notch?" Steve asked and spun around in the air as if he was floating again, Notch was nowhere to be seen; only just the empty whiteness.

I have faith in you, I know that you will not let me down. Farewell for now, Steve. The voice echoed softly and faded out at the last words.

"Wait!" Steve reached forward and the white around him faded to a blinding bright white, he shielded his eyes with his arm until the light dimmed down and fade into a deep black. The atmosphere became thick and heavy and Steve found himself getting tired fast, it's that black void he's been in before; or so he guessed. "Notch, wait." He muttered with his body going limp and his eyelids daring to fall in his sudden drowsiness, he looked around wearily but saw nothing but black. "Herobrine needs- he needs to know this… tru-th. He-blames you for his torment... His imprisonment in the -The Ne-... but it's- not your- faul-t. It wasn't … you."

His eyes finally closed and he fell into a deep sleep.

…

Steve's eyes opened slowly, the color of a deep but shining red was all he could see upon his partially growing vision. He swung his head lightly to the left when he took a good breath of air, pain immediately shot through the spot between his collar and right shoulder from the wound and something as simple as breathing made the tenderness swell up. His eyes narrowed tightly shut from the growing pain. Not only was his largest wound was hurting but so was his right shoulder and the injury to his side, even healing wouldn't stop the horrible aches; although at least he was healing nonetheless. He remembered that he had plenty of wounds before blacking out but that was not his concern at the time seeing as he had his focus on his eventual encounter with Ender and then Notch's sudden intervention in his mind.

A sudden gasp escaped his lips and his eyes went wide, Steve shot upwards from the dream he just had but immediately regretted with a sharp stinging and burning sensation flowing throughout his torso. The miner fell back onto the pillow and laid still for a few minutes for the tenderness to settle and groaned lowly until the pain lightly receded enough to tolerate. All he could do was stare at the ceiling while lost in thought; the revelations soon came back to light and filled him with discontent, so many unanswered questions plagued him as did the truths of Herobrine.

Steve took a good breath and he carefully sat up; trying to lessen the stinging sensation on his back where Herobrine had cut him, his mind was immediately on the White-Eyed man and his… purpose. Steve squeezed his eyes shut and used his left arm to rub his aching temples, what he was told by Notch weighed on him heavily. Herobrine was a creation meant for nothing but destruction and fear, yet it was this same being that was so… human and once longed for the presence of others. So isolated and silent, not knowing what he was created to do but dreaded the possibility. Notch was right though, he hadn't even seen the full past of the man's but was told that Herobrine finding out his reason to be drove him mad and tore him apart from the strong connections he had; how unfair it was for him. It would certainty drive the Herobrine he knew now mad too, he could sense it. The old hero has always been so unsure of himself, believing that he is broken and possibly made a monster to top it off. The truth would ruin him, it would change him and possibly drive him to be what he was meant to be. Steve could only imagine what the man would do if he knew now, it was even more distressing to know that Herobrine will fully remember everything one day. Steve could only wonder what that day would be like… if he was there to witness it that is.

To live for nothing more but to cause terror and destruction in the eyes of mankind… what a lonely, and empty reason to be.

Even freeing the old hero from his debt would do little to stop what he was and the innate nature in his design. It may or may not be dealt with properly from here on out, Herobrine could snap again like he has a few times already. How long before the constructed nature of malice would escape again?

Herobrine at least deserved to know the truth though, Notch wasn't his enemy; he never was to begin with. Getting his mobility stripped away and taking his ability to speak was a punishment placed unjustly by mankind, so was being thrown into the Nether to burn; not Notch's. It was too bad he couldn't share this truth, at least not yet; perhaps someday he will know somehow.

The miner blinked as he was immediately pulled from his thoughts when the thick blanket that clung to him finally pealed away, he noticed his right arm was bound to him; in a sling of white woolen bandages and strapped around his limb securely to keep his wound from opening. Actually, he noticed that most of upper torso was wrapped up. His shoulder that took the arrow was wrapped, his lower side was wrapped, and so was a good portion of his back where he was cut and struck with another arrow. He was practically clothed in woolen gauzes, he still had some skin exposed but the room wasn't all that cold, just a little nip in the air. His back was pretty warm though, he felt the rays of sunlight beaming from behind and heating the wool; it was rather pleasant. "Well, you were right about one thing for sure Notch. He tended to my wounds." He said quietly to himself with a hint of laughter, the smile was quick to fall from a subtle movement. He was sore all over, but at least he was alive and on the road to recovery. He only hoped that he had the time to heal up and get in enough training to face the End beast-drag- dragon… whatever Notch called it. "A dragon huh?"

Steve pulled the blanket off and carefully scooted from the soft mattress and placed his bare feet on the ground, he immediately retracted from the cold stone and looked over to his side to see his boots on the floor right next to the nightstand. With a pained grunt; he carefully leaned over and took his shoes from the floor and cautiously slipped them on, all while trying not to bend too much and make the tenderness grow. A grunt escaped him as did a hiss, he moved a little to much in his efforts but now his feet were covered thankfully. A familiar color caught his eye as he fully leaned back up, he turned his head to find his cyan shirt sitting on the edge of the bed; it was trashed. The miner reached his left arm out and wrapped his fingers around it before pulling it into his lap to study the thing. It certainly was ruined, useless. It was stained heavily and torn, ripped, burned, cut, it was barely in one piece. Thankfully he was fairing better than the shirt.

He removed the cloth from his hand and placed it back at his side, it would be pointless to put it on right now, with his arm in a sling and considering the wounds he dared not to stretch- he wasn't worried about dressing up. He had to hope that it wouldn't be so cold once he left the room; being cooped up in the place wasn't going to help him get better nor feed his now growling stomach.

The miner sighed and rolled his eyes from the now annoying sounds that came from him, he needed to eat something, he was starting to feel a little thirsty too now that he thought about it. He wondered if he could ask Herobrine for something; although he really didn't want to be a bother after being a big enough one having the guy tend to him and pack him to the room in the first place. But then again… it was the demi-god himself to put him in this condition, along with his own for antagonizing Herobrine by returning to the fortress shrine and talking to Notch. Steve lightly shrugged to himself, both faults. Oh well. He needed food in order to have energy to heal and train anyways.

With a small push, Steve slipped off the side of the bed and winced as he put weight on his aching legs, his injuries stretched just a little to his distress at the same time. He moved stiffly at first but slowly eased into a small slouch to put less pressure on his pained spots. It was then when he noticed the room as his eyes traveled from the floor to the walls, he blinked and carefully leaned back up to see the big room he was in. He was amazed by the sheer size, so much that he lightly gaped. The sunlight had nearly the whole room lit up to a soft grey-blue hue, just amazing. He looked towards the end of the bed and saw the large wooden door at the main back, his eyes were quick to leave it however when he spotted even four huge pillars holding the stone ceiling up high. He glanced up to see dark iron chandeliers hanging high above, at least twenty blocks up. And along the walls by the door were dark blue tapestries; on each side of the exit, adorning the golden-sun-like-design as the insignia that was on his cloak he previously owned.

Sapphire blue eyes scanned the room, it was fit enough for a king… the past Sovereign's in this case. Bookshelves lined most of the walls, a small table with chairs was off to the right side of the bed; down a small terrace of steps that kept the bed up high. But what astounded him the most was the large arch-shaped window behind the bed, he looked out it and leaned on the silk sheet and pillows to see not only the rising sun on the yellow-orange horizon but he saw far down into the fortress streets, part of the courtyard, the huge stone brick wall surrounding the fort, and the many streets and buildings beyond it. But beyond that was open plains that went on and on until it stopped at the tree line with mountains just slightly visible in the far distance. "Whoa." He said quietly to himself. It was no wonder they went up a couple of large- but annoying- staircases to get to this room, just seeing through the glass was worth the climb. This made the miner wonder if any of the rooms on this level could have such huge and open windows to see a view like this. The fortress itself needed light, even if the view wasn't so high up; anything was better than the perpetual darkness that haunted the halls. He was not looking forward to the cold and coal-like obscurity awaiting him beyond the doorway, he hoped that he wouldn't encounter mobs or he'd have to fight them off. …but with what?

Steve's eyes widened and he looked around, there was no weapon to be seen. "My lucky-" He froze and looked down at his leg side to find his scabbard; only- it wasn't there. "Lost it again?" He automatically assumed that the creeper explosion last night might have either singed or knocked the straps loose as he jumped away, now there was no telling if he even had the stone sword anymore seeing as it could have been destroyed in the explosion. The blade that belonged to his long gone father, it could be gone too. He sighed and looked back out the window once more; the scenery put him a little at ease but not entirely. That blade was very valuable to him, but there was no need to hang onto it when he thought about it; stone would not stop the force in the End but a little luck wouldn't hurt anybody.

Letting his eyes finally remove from the scenic view of manmade structures and the natural scenery beyond; he moved away from the bed and slowly descended the few stone brick slabs to reach the more open floor below. Thankfully it didn't seem to hurt too much walking, it was leaving the room entirely that had a little spike of panic fill him as he ambled towards the door. It was utterly unnerving to leave the place and face the man who had been through so much, Steve had yet to see all that there was to see of Herobrine's beginning and yet he felt as though he might not be able to look at him the same again. Of course he has to try to keep the truth out of mind to prevent Herobrine from seeing it, he did not want to spark the oldest of memories and have the powerful being go berserk now; not when he needed his friend most. It was going to be a tough encounter when he finds Herobrine, he needed to stay focused getting better and on his goals.

Once the miner reached the door, he took a deep breath and silently prayed to Notch that there wouldn't be any mobs about to attack him. There was no telling what he'd find behind the closed door, however; there was only one way to find out. With his eyes knitted tightly together; he pushed the door open slowly and bravely stepped through the entryway. His face and the exposed parts of his torso and arms were immediately greeted with a surprising wave of warmth, this made the miner open his eyes only to blink while gaping lightly.

Light. The warm glow of flickering flames flooded the stone brick walls around him, chandeliers above provided most of the light as the torches along the walls added more to paint the small corridor with a sepia shade. What was more surprising was how warm the place was, the temperature was much more nicer than it was when it was dark. Steve moved forward carefully and kept his pace slow as he walked through the hall, there was no need to rush leaving the warm hall and have to go down into the darker part of the fortress; that is unless Herobrine had lit it up too.

Steve passed rooms as he moseyed on by, this particular hall seemed a bit familiar; he almost wondered if one of these rooms was where he was held imprisoned. He remembered being dragged up some stairs when Herobrine had him, so it was possible that he had been up here before. Shaking off the notion since it mattered little; he finally entered the stair way and stopped before the first step to see a few torches along the walls on the way down, surely Herobrine didn't waste his time lighting the 'entire' fortress?

The miner proceeded down the staircases slowly and winced every few steps or so, it wasn't too long before he made it down to the main bottom and spotted the doorway that lead into the throne room; he was stunned to see light flooding the floor below. He ambled through the entrance way only to immediately stop and gaze up from the multiple lights above, a giant chandelier hung right above the throne and had many torches raining light down to the floor and chair. It was truly a sight to behold. Steve continued forward never taking his eyes off of the massive dark iron and the multiple flames, that was until more hanging lights caught his eyes. He looked towards the massive wooden entrance doors to the fortress and saw smaller chandeliers hanging down nearly midway, these lights had the walls and pillars lit as well; highlighting large paintings of various landscapes and more dark blue royal tapestries close by. It was a spectacle to take in, like he was in an actual castle and not a fortress of the darkness and despair. He could almost imagine how it used to be with people filling the place and walking around whilst tending to their business, all of this light made it feel much more welcoming and so hospitable. It was truly a much nicer place and no mobs in sight, they wouldn't come back here with all of this radiance; it was perfect.

The miner pulled his gaze away from the high ceilings and walls as he passed by the throne steps. He gazed at the intricate stone chair and walked up the stone bricks until he was touching the arm of the seat. He's never seen it lit up before, so he never noticed how damaged it was. It had a few cracks in it, especially on the armrests; he could only guess that Herobrine put them there when he ever got frustrated or angry. It was still nice but damaged for sure, he kind of wanted to sit down the longer he looked at it. He dared not to take a seat in it though, it was Herobrine's and he didn't want to upset him. The miner moved down the few steps while holding his side; he apparently pulled the lower wound in his turn and got an unpleasant feeling in doing so. Steve stood before the chair once more and gazed up at it, now kind of wondering where Herobrine was exactly and why he lit up the place. He also wondered if every room was lit after looking down the east and west wing to see torches hanging high on the chandeliers, in addition he saw torches along the walls and hiding behind the massive multiple pillars that kept the heavy weight of the stone brick ceiling arches held up.

What still puzzled him more though was getting something to eat, surely there had to be a place to eat around here. A dining hall perhaps? The thought left him quickly though and he groaned to himself in disappointment, his eyes fell shut and he sighed quietly to himself. There probably wasn't anything to eat in the fortress considering that it has been empty a lot longer than he's even been alive. So much for that. He was going to have to call out for the old hero and be bothersome while also trying to keep his thoughts clear of the past memories he received. Steve was starting to think that maybe he should hold on a little while longer, the last thing he wanted to do was face Herobrine right now. Notch had asked him to keep his mind away from anything pertaining to the memory or him; the creator believed in him so he had to be on guard so that the old hero wasn't exposed to even a glimpse of what could bring those distant and buried memories back to the surface. It was certainly going to be tough. The miner almost wondered why Notch would trust him with such a request when it's been eating away at his mind since he woke up, the beauty of the fortress can only keep him distracted for so long.

There was no way that he could ever see Herobrine the same now.

Steve knew that he was bound to fail Notch for sure unless Herobrine wasn't prying on him, that was very unlikely though. Herobrine seemed to always know when something was bothering him, he would read him like an open book so that he didn't have to waste his breath or deal with the stress of saying what was troubling him. There would be no privacy. "Sorry if I fail you." The miner said with frustration, he ran a hand from the top of his head and down his face; people put too much faith in him. He was more of a failure than a reliable guy who gets the job done, his connection to the immortal was going to ruin everything.

The miner stood there for a long second to brood over his hunger and wavering self-esteem until something in the air instantly had him looking around whilst blinking in uncertainty. A faint scent of what smelled cooked meat filled his nostrils, he knew the aroma of cooked beef when he whiffed it; there was no doubt in his mind that his nose was hallucinating. He wasn't 'that' hungry. The miner turned towards the east wing and headed down the corridor with a careful and steady pace; following the delicious smell hanging in the atmosphere, it was getting stronger as he moved and he could even smell a new aroma the further he walked; it was baked goods. "Bread." He said quietly to himself with his lips starting to moisten, this fresh aroma prompted him to move a little more faster despite the irritating pain; his mouth was watering and his stomach rolling over the mixture of pleasant smells. Steve almost couldn't believe it, Herobrine must have prepared him something; it was the only explanation for clearly evident presence of food.

Steve immediately slowed when he saw a redstone torch just a little further down the hall, it glowed dimly while casting a light shade of red on the floor beneath it. This confused the miner; the last he remembered of redstone torches in this land was when they lead him to the area he first fought Herobrine at; a good distance from the fortress. This made him wonder if that single torch was leading him to the food he smelled. Mentally shrugging off the concern with the hunger driving him; he ambled all the way to the torch and turned towards the wall to his left when he saw another faint reddish glow in the corner of his eye. Another redstone torch was found; only this one was beside a huge open wooden door, the warm glow of torchlight had filled the interior from what he could tell. By what he could see from the outside he was surprised, it was an open room and an extravagant one at that.

With his mouth slightly agape, he moved towards the room and passed through the doorway to see an open chamber with three very long tables, tables that stretched from one side of the interior to the other. Tables that were loaded with silver plates, bowls, forks, knives, spoons, and goblets all in their respective places as if set forever like a work of prefect art; there was surprisingly no dust from what he could see. Fine dark blue tablecloths lined with gold detailed designs covered the wood and draped a little off the edges. His eyes moved around the room to find three chandeliers hanging over the tables, the biggest one was suspend over the center tabletop while the smaller ones lit the sides. The tables were absolutely amazing, each one had a dozen chairs on each side; only the middle table had a fairly large chair at the main end. Steve believed that the larger and more decorative seat was once for the Sovereign. The overall view was nice, this was certainly a dinning hall for the people of the fortress and possibly all of the sentinels too.

Steve walked further into the chamber whilst looking around for the source of the delicious smell, it didn't take long to find it. As he walked in between the center table and the left one; he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of his eye. He turned to his right and he instantly smiled from what he found. He didn't see it at first with the back of the first chair blocking his view from the doorway, but now that he was further in he could see a plate set for him on the very end of the table and furthest from the tallest chair on the opposite end; merely a block away from him was his seat apparently.

A silver plate with two fully cooked and juicy looking stakes with a loaf of toasted bread next to it awaited him, thankfully Herobrine remembered that he was human and needed to eat to live and restore his strength. Steve moved over to the table with cautious haste and pulled the seat out before sitting down and scooting himself back up to the wood, his eating utensils were right next to the plate as well as a goblet full of clean water. The food looked very delicious and pleasant to the eyes, it even seemed pretty warm with the slight evidence of wafts of steam still rising from the meat. This could only mean that Herobrine had made this recently, he wondered where the power being was now. He could not see him nor sense that feeling of being watched; it was clear that Herobrine wasn't in the room.

It was sort of a relief for the time being.

Steve picked up his fork and his knife and cut a decent sized piece off of his first stake, he stared at the thing for a few seconds before shoving the chunk into his mouth and chewing. He silently hummed in delight and made quick work of the meat, it was warm and it was tender; the succulent beef made by the finest it seemed. He wondered if Herobrine made it himself or had it materialize from thin air; likely having the meat stolen from a top quality restaurant many miles away. It didn't matter though, it was given to him and it was delicious and very satisfying. He was finally getting to enjoy a real nice meal; perhaps the first that he's had in nearly two months. Being a miner far from home had it's disadvantages and so did being trapped for weeks in a vast land inhabited by the population of one; occasionally two if you count the brave old explorer making trips for historical studies. The miner ate in the absolute silence of the room, he occasionally looked away from his meal to take in the sights; the place was stunning. Actually, so far it seemed like the entire fortress was very appealing with the addition of lights; far better than a cold and dark place that harbored mobs for so many years. He had yet to see all that is to be seen and each room or hall was making it look so much better, it was no wonder why Herobrine didn't want to part from the place. It was fit for king.

It didn't take long for the miner to finish up his food, he ate through the stakes as if he was starving and took several large bites out of the loaf of bread. His goblet was empty, his plate was littered with crumbs soaking in juice. He was full but remained sitting at the table while absentmindedly scraping his fork across the plate in circular motions; a good meal like the one he just had reminded him of home, it made him wonder just how well his mother and his sister were doing without him. His mother was probably worried sick, she was already doing poor in health when he left; fretting over his time away could be making her more worrisome and more susceptible to become ill by the growing stress. Stephanie was likely working real hard to help keep up with the bills on her own for the family house, missing out the good young adult years with working dual shifts instead of looking for her own home and someone to share it with. These thoughts killed his current feeling of satisfaction, the nice meal now sat sour in his stomach. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of what he was leaving behind and in the downward state that they were in, but sacrifices had to be made for the better; still he couldn't help but feel misery about how he was currently leaving things.

The only way to fix everything; including his family, was to come out victorious. The odds seemed so low with he himself facing a monster alone but there was still a little ray of hope if Herobrine could provide it, and should they both fail then the devastation would likely end for good by Notch. But the outcome of dying alone or along with Herobrine wasn't one he was wanting; Steve wanted to return home and bring comfort to those that remained of their broken family and bring peace to a man so deep in the shadow of hate by his tormentors and the kind that brought it. Even the weight of the world could be on his shoulders for all he knew, if Ender had gotten too strong; stronger than Notch then the fate of all would be sealed; humanity would be in peril should the beast break the barriers of his domain and extend his reach somehow. Like he did with the reptilian orb of an eye that nearly singed Herobrine's hands to ashes and shook the very foundations of the Nether fortress by a roar, even the deepest groundwork suffered damage.

The miner dropped his fork and it clacked to the plate, he shuddered despite the warmth of the room that he sat in; he did not like the thought of something that destructive reaching into his world. Herobrine was already a force to try and keep tame while he was steadily losing control, but power like the dragon's would ruin more than just a handful of people like Herobrine would do to a large village in a single night. A hand like Ender's could possibly go more destructive and rip the land to shreds like the beast did with the Nether fortress, power like that would cause so much ruin and claim many more lives in one fell swoop.

Steve pounded his free fist against the tabletop and sneered while lightly shaking in anger and fear, he ignored the jangling sound of the dishes and even the pain welling up in the injured shoulder from the strike; he was annoyed by his calling and being virtually powerless to fight the monster. It was like his own reason to go to the End was to just go there and fail, he didn't want to settle for it. There was already so much at risk, leaving behind friends and family, dying, having Herobrine become the mindless killer again, and for what? Nothing? If Herobrine doesn't help then he would die in vain, but he could not coward out now; Notch put his faith in him and he may be the only reason to get Herobrine to fight the beast. His life basically hangs in the balance by Herobrine's choice… or by failure. Everyone he's ever met could end up dying and become more fuel for Ender, more lives becoming nonexistent.

Steve immediately pushed himself and his chair away from the table but remained seated. There was no way he could let that happen, he would not allow his to happen to anymore innocents. But then again… he was only human, constricted by his own limitations. The miner let out a heavy sigh and lowered his head in defeat, all he could do was give it his best shot and hoped Herobrine would join in the fight; otherwise his reason for going would be a suicidal run. It was so hard to hold onto hope; knowing that he was the one to give it but also the one to lose it for everybody. It was almost a burden but he knew what he had to do, what he had set out to do by returning to the fortress.

The miner immediately jumped up out of his chair by a sudden loud crash that came from down the hall, the ground lightly trembled beneath his feet and had his heart racing. 'What was that?' He thought to himself with panic now settling in, a crash like that could be made by something with tremendous force; in this case: Herobrine. It couldn't be good.

"Errrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrr!"

The abrupt loud roar had the miner spin on his heels quickly despite the pain and took a step back with his eyes focused on the doorway, wide and full of shock. It sounded like Herobrine and he sounded furious, perhaps in pain? Steve shook his head and brushed off the fear starting to collect in his mind, he did not fear the guy anymore; the fear in the memory wasn't here and so there was no reason to cower. Although-

More smaller crashes of what sounded like chunks of stone smacking into the ground filled his ears and lightly echoed down the corridors. This prompted the miner to coil his free hand and make a slow and careful stride through the doorway, his mind was in a frenzy from such sounds and he feared the worst. Steve moved to the center of the hall once he exited the dinning chamber and looked down at the main east end when clouds of dust and smoke came through the small room that he once entered in the fortress with Nigel, he saw what looked like flames burning on the interior. Herobrine was in that room, he could be in trouble.

With the thought of an attack Steve limped quickly down the lengthy corridor as fast as he could; wincing many times from the painful stretching of his healing wounds. He toughed out the pain though and kept his focus on reaching the main end. He had no weapon to use should the being be in peril but he wasn't concerned with that, he'd use his own fist if it came to it. He hoped to Notch that Ender didn't somehow reach him, he had absolutely no idea how long the White-Eyed man to collect enough souls to satisfy the beast, it could be attacking him now with the endermen and he dreaded the thought. A few powerful endermen he knew Herobrine could take on, but many? He didn't even want to ponder on it.

Steve choked on a little of the smoke and dust as he ran blindly through the light and dark grey clouds and into the room with his free arm shielding his face, he felt a wave of heat and stopped midway to search the interior. Fire flecked in the corner of his vision and he squinted through the now fading clouds to find fire eating away at that painting; his blue orbs widened despite the burning sensation of the smoke. It was definitely that painting; the one of Herobrine chained at the alter while surrounded by a huge angry crowd. The being himself had a few sharp weapons lodged in his body with thick trails of red paint running down his torso, that same painful picture he saw in Herobrine's memory only in graphic detail; it was also where he was placed in the being's place and took a taste of the pain himself. It was a horrible experience, even for a dream-memory kind of thing.

His eyes immediately dart to his far right when he heard a low guttural growl. Steve blinked at the sight of the stone brick wall that once had a large enough crack he could fit through, Herobrine stood before a now larger gapping hole while breathing heavily with his back turned to the miner; he sounded frustrated. Those coiled fists shook. The whole side of that wall was gone; Steve could see a good portion of the outside with it being knocked over, or more like beat over. Well that would explain the crashing sounds at least, but why the man seemed so furious was not quite clear yet… though Steve had a pretty good idea as to why now. The miner made a quick glance back towards the painting to see the corners still burning but the fire not spreading like it naturally would; it was clearly obvious that Herobrine was at least 'attempting' to destroy it but ultimately couldn't. "Herobrine?" The mortal called cautiously.

"Every time I've tried to burn it… I can't. Why can I not?"

Herobrine's voice entered the miner's head and sounded so stressed and heated, like in an internal struggle to do something so simple but fail so easily. There was a sort of pain in those words he noticed, a kind of tone by the guy that he's only ever heard but a few rare instances when topics such as losing his friend were about; he nearly sounded the same now. This made the injured man sigh softly while keeping his gaze on the cruel work of art. How hard could it be to destroy it? His eyes traced over the people until his gaze rested on the silver sentinel. All it had ever been was a painful reminder of the past so why not let it go? Why cling to it? It didn't take too long of gazing at the thing to find out, not when his focus kept shifting from the tortured being to the silver armored man with green fabric wrapped around his neck trying to block the armed citizens. At least he saw the immortal as he always did, his mind did not linger on the oldest version of him for he was concerned with the present being; one's soul so horridly shaped, so warped, disfigured and twisted to one of vengeance with vile intent to mankind. He saw the same struggling being that he did just last night and the same he saw in the Nether when he had freed him of the scorching prison. It was hard to tell which version of him was feeling more pain.

Herobrine lifted his head but kept his back to the mortal, he was surprised that the miner would walk into such a mess and in his current condition at that. If he had arrived any sooner then he could have suffered a strike or even be killed; a momentary loss of control fueled him as he stared at the one thing he went to destroy, instead he summoned a wave of fire that only caught the edges of the frame to burn and struck the nearest wall in his fury. But even after settling he still couldn't let the fire eat away at the dreading history painted on a thin canvas, he could not find the power to do so, every time he saw it he hesitated but he knew it had to go. He tilted his head to the side a little to see the miner turn away from the large canvas and look at him, he didn't move from his spot; he only stood still.

"It's because of Lionel isn't it?" Steve finished carefully, it was the only reason why he could see it remain in one piece and not burn. It was the time and place where Lionel put himself at risk and lost favor from the people by defending a monster; only Herobrine wasn't a monster. It was only one of two pictures that existed of the guy; the other was his damaged portrait at the small house far from the fortress in the snow biome. This was more different from the portrait though, this was Lionel's loyalty to his friend and brother being showed; to others it was a traitorous act.

Herobrine exhaled loudly and let his head fall a bit, he was starting to wonder if the human could read 'his' mind now. "You are- correct, this painting is a haunting reminder of the past… yet containing such loyalty and nobility. I see in it dread… but also a true brother of mine. Many of times have I tried to get him to abandon me for his own good; of curse I was silenced but I know good and well that he understood what I wanted. However; he would not leave my side, as promised in his younger years when I saved his life. He had the high rank of a Royal Sentinel that he's worked years for, the trust and closeness to the people of the fortress, favor of the Sovereign, a pregnant wife that loved him, and an unborn child to one day father. … He dropped all of it, no- risked it all for 'my' sake; all because of a promise and our close ties. He lost all of it, his life being the most important because of me." The old hero ground his teeth.

"I'm sorry Herobrine," Steve started while looking back at the picture when Herobrine fully turned around. "Such loyalty is …"

"Pointless." Herobrine cut the man off while walking up close to the barely burning canvas with brightened eyes. "Damaging, devastating, too selfless and wasteful. Wretched even. He did not have to die but he ultimately did, I would have rather had him turn against me and live out his life as he deserved; not perish because he wanted to free me. Over a preposterous promise!" Herobrine growled again and coiled his fingers tightly, this action made the flames rise on the picture but they did not burn further then the corners; only burning away a little of the crowd but definitely nowhere near the center where he was so portrayed as a traitor and punished unjustly with his brother defending him. "I admire such allegiance and trust but it was all for naught, he left everything he cherished; his own family and home. His legacy." Herobrine let his tightened fists uncoil slowly and he swayed his head from side to side gently. "He got nothing out of it, I could give him nothing in return for such devotion. It's this wretched thing here that I have failed to destroy since I took this place, even as a single-minded slave to Ender I saw it and still could not bring myself to burn it; it's the only thing I cannot let go. Even now when I must… I still struggle."

"I can see why." Steve started and walked up to stand by the powerful man's side, observing the painting and the sentinel centered on it. "He was that loyal, that much of a brother that he wouldn't leave you. … Although-… He may have made a better choice."

"What?!" Herobrine immediately looked at the miner with a confused glare, angry from such words but confused by them. Steve however; did not look back at him. Herobrine growled deeply and grabbed the man by the throat in an instant and lifted him a few inches off of the ground with his hand threatening to cut off the mortal's oxygen, his hand shook with the miner in it but the mortal did not show fear; only remorse and understanding. "How dare you say such words! Lionel made the WRONG choice, he made the foolish one! … Just like you." His eyes narrowed thinly. "Walking right to his DEATH when he had plenty of opportunities to walk away with his life fully intact! Now you follow the same path, foolish!"

"I'm here." Steve simply replied while gazing down sympathetically at the White-Eyed man. Herobrine only blinked in confusion by this with his eyes losing the cold and sharp glare. "I am where I am today because he died hundreds of years ago then. I am right here because 'I' am his legacy. I am here not by chance but I believe Notch lead me here for a reason, to complete the promise of my distant grandfather made many years ago and stop Ender."

Herobrine instantly dropped the miner and took a step backwards, he watched the man grunt when he hit the floor and hiss in pain by his stretching wounds. Steve slowly pushed himself back up to stand, grunting in pain but moving no less. "No." He started off more softly. "You cannot free me, it is the attempt of freeing me; that 'promise' that stole my brother away. I cannot have this same occurrence happen again. I would rather be suffering Isolation and the power of the beast than deal with another loss."

The miner blinked from those words, to be called a brother like Lionel was; it was a nice feeling but one bittersweet. Herobrine probably didn't even mean it, he wasn't Lionel. "That's too bad Herobrine," Steve wobbled a bit as he stood but regained his footing rather quickly before shooting a serious look at the powerful man. "I've already made up my mind remember? When I am done resting up here I am then going to find a way to the beast's imprisonment and I am going to put a stop to this, a stop to the monster's use of you and claiming lives and even the existence of the innocent. I am going to fulfill my promise, Lionel's promise and free you or die trying. I may be human but I will not be a coward, I'd rather go down in the family name then run for the rest of my life. No one else will take this burden so I will."

The hero's narrowed eyes widened a bit but kept the sharp angle to show his negative view on the matter. "What?! But what if you should perish? You have no legacy of your own, the Stonewall bloodline will end; Lionel's line will end. You would want that?"

"I have a sister, Stephanie can still continue it. She's strong and pretty great with kids already."

Herobrine growled and coiled his fists once again, not even the possible continuation of the bloodline could relieve him of losing another friend. "What about dying then? Would you want to die and fade into the nothingness while fueling the beast that you were trying to stop? I can see this outcome, a painful and permanent end. Would you want to burn from the inside out with even your bones turning to dust?"

"I'll do what I have to, I will not abandon you to this endless isolation and nor will I abandon my own kind to suffer such a fate. Especially not my friends and family."

"Can I not convince you or even get you to reconsider this?"

"No." Steve replied with a downcast look. "Why should I? Leaving here to return home and let you go rampant would not benefit me nor my family and friends back at home. It'll certainly not for humanity. You can't make up my mind for me, I will not let you become a monster again if I can prevent it." The miner took a deep breath and faced the burning canvas. "You've suffered long enough. It's time to end this cycle once and for all."

"Then why not kill me? I am the only real method of the beast's reach in this world, endermen can only do so little in comparison. Without me he has nothing."

Steve swayed his head back and forth. "You already know I can't, plus there's more of a reason not to now. I won't do it so do not ask me for I won't."

Herobrine snorted and looked away from the resolute miner and turned around before walking back towards the wall he punched out. There was no convincing the mortal, he was going to end up like the sentinel and it annoyed him to no end but the choice was the man's own. The miner had everything to lose and his life was apparently on the bottom of the list of what was important to him; he was too brave and selfless. Only so few in the world has this ideal of dying for a worthy cause. Foolish … but admirable, inspiring. Herobrine held his hand up before the large opening that lead to the outside and the stone brick chunks on the ground dissolved into dust before coming back together along the jagged ends of the hole; connecting bit by bit to reform the broken wall. There was nothing he could say to make the miner change his mind so why continue to try?

"I take it that you have finished your meal?"

Steve blinked from the change of subject and nodded even though the other man had his back to him. "Yeah, thank you." He said with a faint smile. "It was great- while it lasted."

"Good." He replied casually and turned around as the wall continued to fix itself. "I would suggest resting up a little. Training will begin shortly, most likely at noon."

"Huh? Already?" The miner furrowed a brow, he wasn't too excited to get moving when he still felt so sore all over. "I don't think I'm even healed enough to?"

"Worry not, It will not be taxing. We'll work on your senses, how well you can detect your enemies coming and know what side they approach before they even reach you."

"My enemies? I thought I was going after just one-" He asked with confusion, the dragon was his target.

"Endermen are worthy foes, I guarantee you'll face many before you encounter the beast. I believe that I shall as well in this very fortress when you leave; but at least I will be better prepared. You however; I cannot be sure. You'll need to have your wits about you if you are to face any from these lands; ones enriched in power, they are more of a force to be reckoned with."

"Oh, I didn't really think of that." The miner rubbed the back of his neck while tightening his fist in the arm sling, he almost forgot those mobs; especially the ones that contained souls. He was bound to face them if he were to go for the beast who empowered them, but why would Herobrine have to face them? He shouldn't be-… That was unless… The miner dropped his arm to his side and gaped. "Wait! What do you mean you'll face them too?! How much time do we have before-"

"I told you it was not a concern of yours!" Herobrine interrupted by stomping a foot lightly to the floor and made the ground subtly tremble by force, he made the human rock on his heels a little. "You will not be fully recovered in time nor ready to fight by the time the beast wants it's fill, the fault for that is mine, therefore; you shall not concern yourself for my wellbeing on such a matter. I am forfeiting my debt for the time being… but only because I owe it to you for the damage done to you. Ender can wait and I am ready to take the penalty for making him have to when the time comes, you deserve this much from me. What happens beyond your leave however- is what I have been doing for centuries."

"Herobrine." Steve said the name worriedly and looked away with a sigh when all he got was that cold glare, he then glanced back up to see the White-Eyed man walking by the painting with the flames dying out as he fully passed it.

"Two hours, rest up before then and then meet me in the mid west wing; there's an empty room to begin practice." Herobrine said without even looking at the miner as he headed for the exit of the room, he immediately stopped midway and glanced back with a dark expression. "Know that this is likely the only time in training that I'll ever go easy on you, from the point beyond today- until I decide that you are ready; you will fight as if your life depends on it. Because if you cannot stand up to me on even grounds then you will not survive very long before the beast, … you will die."

…

A/N: Sorry for the long wait again guys, I've been busy as usual. No surprise there, plus I had a minor writer's block the week before which didn't help.

If you were expecting a training montage, well sorry to disappoint. Steve just can't heal all super fast and be the capable fighter in 30 seconds or less, although it would make things much easier.

***Personal thanks to Cereology, she's a new friend of mine and working real hard on something special! It's a surprise though, … …Ah what the Nether! Surprise or not! Okay, she's currently working on an animation, a commercial kind of thing for this story! She's really good at her work and you should totally go and check out her work on You Tube (Like her awesome animation Herobrine vs. Entity303)and Deviant art! :D Her name for her YouTube is Jolly Rancher and Deviant art is starlover4ever, you should totally go and support her!

Thank you Dragstream for all of the reviews! Sorry if I hadn't been replying… have so much to do and little time to do it. I'll pm you sometime this upcoming week! ^^

Thanks for reading this! Congratulations for just now reading 15,000+ words! Enough for 2 chapters. ;)