Hello, this is Pastrinator64 with another chapter from VOiD! Hey, guys, it's been going pretty well, I guess. Life's been kinda boring, though. I haven't had nearly enough time to write, that's for certain. Several times I have flashbacks of my times during the summer when I'd spend endless amounts of time interacting with my fans and writing chapters galore... I miss those days.
Well, enough depressing thoughts; we still need to get on with the story! But first, how about some replies to YOUR reviews? By the way, I received a lot from the last chapter, it seems. In fact, this is the second most I've ever gotten on a single chapter before posting another. Ah, enough babble on my part, let's just get on with the replies! XD
Replies To Reviews...
Dirt BlockZ: I found myself tearing up while I wrote, I'll admit. *sniffle*
Volcanic the hedgehog: Man, I miss him already, and it's hardly even been a couple hundred words without him...
Pixelized and Co: Oh, well, on Earth everything is all rainbows and sunshine, but I'm not exactly sure what's happening to Bailey at the moment. Maybe I will look in on her point of view. Oh! I just had a brilliant idea for the next chapter! Thanks, man! ;D
BfheadGamer: She will, don't you worry. :3
Guest: Ok then.
Nwinds: Ah yes, and now for my chapterly (that is now a new word) evaluation... 1. Like, which words do you mean? Just accidently forgetting to include needed words, details, or what?
2. What do you suggest I try doing in order to tone it down?
3. Actually, it was. You see, Rexum was having a very difficult time making a decision, but when he found out that the Ultra Hero of the Divination of Dimensions contained the essence of the Balance Core inside of him, he needed to figure out the safest way to return it rather than have Mark be killed for it. Does that make sense? Plus, do you remember that strange dream Mark had a while ago during that one week of rest? It was the one where he dreamt he was trapped inside a tube of water just like recently, and a figure in a green cloak was trying to kill him by drowning him. Rexum was that guy because he always wore a green cloak, see? Am I still not being clear enough? If not, then let me know. :)
4. I know... I was tearing up a bit myself.
5. You mean, like, the fact that I enjoy creating dramatic deaths and sick plot twists? :3
6. Thank you so very much! I will say now that you are the greatest critic I get around here. You really are honest about what you think, and I like that. :D
7. Yeah, the only thing is that I don't exactly feel the same connection with her. We were originally best friends, and we still are, but it was mostly on her end of the spectrum with the dating aspect. Oh well, I'll find that special someone eventually. :/
8. (Answered in QAA)
9. (Answered in QAA)
10. Thanks again, dude!
expensivecorn9: Remember that if you want to ask a question to me directly then you just ask in review form; if you want to ask a character a question then you direct it towards them specifically in your review. Ok?
Whew! That was a lot... Man, I just can't wait to get on with the story!
Hello, this is Pastrinator64 with another fan-freaking-tastic chap from VOiD. Last time on VOiD we watched as Mark woke up to find himself trapped in a magic-enhanced glass tube. Rexum appeared inside the dark cave he was being held captive in and explained about the situation. Surprisingly, it turns out that when Mark was first transported into the Minecraft Dimension, the Balance Core transported all its energy inside of his soul, just leaving the body inside that glass bottle, staying to later be merged back with its owner. Rexum said that it was the safest thing to do if he were to take the power back into the body of the Balance Core and bring it himself into the Aether Palace; that way, the Glitch wouldn't be able to find it nearly as easily. Rexum was about to end Mark's time as a living person when a massive explosion from above alerted him, shattering the glass and ending both him and Mark aboveground. At that time, Jenx, Brizarg, and Eragariss came upon Mark and his friends for one final comeback after being beat so many times. Using a bit of the Glitch's power they were able to transform into a monster known as Jeragarizarg. A massive battle ensued, and during it Rexum flew up and gave up all his power into one blast in order to defeat the ghoul. Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough, and even the great wizard Rexum fell to death. Just before dying, though, he gave up what was left of his Light magic to Vanessa for her to use. Now we watch as Vanessa uses her and Rexum's combined power to defeat the epic monster with the lame name.
Now, let the story commence!
Chapter 28: Remembering Rexum
All of a sudden, Mark could hear an instrumental of Eleanor Rigby begin to play in the distance.
Mark could see the ultimate rage in Vanessa's eyes as she turned around slowly to face Jeragarizarg. He had never seen anything like it! Vanessa lifted Cantatis and transformed it back into the double-edged sword. The red energy around her was now mixed with gold, and pulsed through her body visibly. She gritted her teeth, tears in her eyes, and stared down Jeragarizarg furiously.
"You monster..." she muttered, the rage clear in her voice.
Jeragarizarg grinned and held out its hand, uncurling the fingers. Sitting on the glowing, crimson palm was Rexum's golden oak staff, which still glittered in the moonlight. It brought its fingers back down suddenly and a sickening crack could be heard. The next moment, Jeragarizarg threw the staff down at Vanessa's feet. It lay there, snapped in two, and the glitter completely died.
Vanessa stared at the devastated staff that lay at her feet, then moved her eyes back down to Rexum's lifeless body. The pulsing of the gold-red glow increased dangerously, and it was as though Vanessa was now emitting gusts of wind, because Mark could feel some kind of strange force dragging him away from his sister. She looked up soundlessly at Jeragarizarg, her fist clenched tightly around her massive sword.
All of a sudden, another black and white vision flashed past Mark's eyes, and he could see Vanessa flying up and skewering Jeragarizarg completely. As Jeragarizarg was falling defeated, one of the hands came up and slashed Vanessa, breaking her apart into white particles. Suddenly, his vision returned and he could see Vanessa just snap in an instant.
Finally, the rage broke through to the surface! Vanessa lashed her head out at the monster before them and she screamed with boiling fury. She launched herself forward with amazing power, rocketing right at Jeragarizarg without hesitation. The creature had a tenth of a second to react and that was it; Vanessa skewered it right through the giant, grotesque heart, shattering its protective barrier.
Light was blasted in all directions; the horrible screech of Jeragarizarg could be heard loud and clear, slicing through the night air like a deadly knife. Mark felt deafened; even with his hands cupped tightly over his ears he was in pain because of the immense scream. In one split second, the ghoul's entire body shriveled up, the heart burst out of the chest and fell to the ground in a blob, and light beams extended from its eyes and mouth. Jeragarizarg crumpled to the ground within ten seconds, its body just withering on the spot, and the pieces blew away into the wind.
Vanessa raced from out behind the massive, crumpling figure and jumped up onto its head, staring down in rage as Jenx's head, which still remained sitting lifeless inside one of the eyes.
"Who's crying now?!" she muttered furiously.
With those final words, Vanessa lifted her Cantatis sword and sliced the head to bits, sending them flying away into the wind. Mark could not believe how quickly the battle had come to an end, and he stared wordlessly at Vanessa, who stood over fifty blocks away, a small glowing dot in the distance. He watched the body shrivel up into a rind and blow away into the sky. In horror, Mark watched as a crumpling hand lifted up from behind Vanessa and rocketed towards her. With a great shout, Mark called out to Vanessa with all his might.
"VANESSA, LOOK OUT!"
Vanessa turned around, saw the hand coming, and quickly jumped out of the way. The result was her being hit by the knuckles instead, sending her flying into the air. Once Jeragarizarg had gone completely, Vanessa stifled her power in mid-flight; the glow was sucked back inside of her, her body smashed back into the ground, and Cantatis turned back into a book, setting itself in her arms. The next moment, Mark watched as his little sister went still from afar.
Upon instinct, Norman started sprinting through the swamp. Liz caught up to him after another minute, and even then he didn't stop. A suddenly sickening feeling had entered him moments before, and he didn't know what it meant, but for some reason he felt that Mark and Vanessa were somehow in trouble.
Only one thing stopped him. As he was running, he looked up into the sky to see something crisp, crusty and black drifting on the wind. He could make out crumpled hands, a sluggish body, a tail, and even a head with horns. Suddenly, three lumpy figures fell from the face.
Norman skidded to a halt and went underneath in order to catch the falling objects. He missed two of them, but caught the last one, which was covered in a black hood.
Liz suddenly screamed and he whirled around just in time to see her tossing up one of the lumpy objects. Norman looked back down at his and turned it over, and he immediately understood why she had reacted so badly. Two dead, red eyes could be seen beneath the dark hood; this was a disembodied head.
He threw it down at the ground immediately, making a disgusted face. He suddenly looked up at the drifting black corpse that flew away from him. It looked like the remains of some huge monster, and this only confirmed his suspicions. Norman looked back at Liz and they exchanged feverish glances. That one glance sent them both running through the swamp again.
Norman continued to sprint until he reached the border of an upcoming desert. The floating body had come from somewhere inside the desert, and when he looked out into the night sky he could see a very, very, VERY dull glow of red and gold sitting in the distance. Almost immediately following the sighting, the peculiar glow vanished, and Norman plunged into a deeper sickness.
And so, he kept running.
Notch watched as his friend dropped to the ground beside him inside their small cabin. He finally got his clothes back, and he was about to leave for the Aether Palace when the individual who'd just been blackmailing him fell to his knees inside their secret house.
"What is it?" he asked quickly, touching the man's shoulder.
The man was breathing heavily yet rapidly. He dropped his own staff, which clattered on the ground with a strange hiss.
"Rexum! My dear old friend Rexum! He has... He..."
Raspy tears erupted from the man and he sprawled onto the floor.
"He has gone! Rexum is dead! It can't be, it just CAN'T!"
Notch stood by his friend's side, feeling the same awful dread in his heart, and did his best to comfort the man. He knew that in no way could he comprehend the sadness that Rexum's closest acquaintances could be feeling, such as the man beside him.
This only led to his hatred for the Glitch spiraling rapidly.
Farixz lowered his head to the white ground below him. In an instant, Serisdo and Thorvon flew up to him in worry.
"Farixz, do you sense it as well?" inquired Thorvon with a tone of urgency.
The elder of the Spirits In Between lowered himself to the ground and lay there, its two wings resting on the floor to keep himself even the slightest upright.
"I sense it, yes; Rexum's energy has just vanished without warning. I fear the worst, my fellow Spirits..."
Serisdo hovered close to Farixz's side and put a wing over his fume-crafted shoulders.
"Farixz, you cannot possibly mean that the great wizard Rexum is, well, dead? It just cannot be true!" he declared incredulously.
"Yes, we have granted him some of our power, so what could have possibly led him to death?" added Thorvon.
Farixz paused for only a moment, but then looked up at his two colleagues with a piercingly white stare.
"The Glitch..."
Mark sat next to his sister, watching her intently and with anxiety. He wasn't sure how much of her energy had been used just minutes ago, but however large the amount was, it left her knocked out cold. Her chest was rising and falling slowly, so that was a huge relief.
He looked over at Kelsey, who had tears staining her eyes. She too was watching Vanessa with worry. It came upon Mark that her memories of little Amelia were being brought back by the sight, and this only made her even more depressed. Mark scooted closer to her and hugged her for comfort. She continued to stare down at Vanessa, muttering,
"She's not gonna die, right? Not like Rexum, right?"
Mark smiled sadly and nodded slowly.
"Not on my watch..."
Adrian approached quickly and whipped out another one of his homemade fried eggs. He held it out to Mark on his iron frying pan, and Mark took it, holding it up to Vanessa and forcing it into her mouth. He took her chin and moved it up and down to chew the poultry product, and after a few minutes she was able to swallow it. After consuming the food, Vanessa's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Mark feebly.
"Rexum..." was all she muttered.
Hot tears came into her eyes as she looked to her side at Rexum, who lay lifeless only six blocks away. She closed her eyes and her lip quivered; the tears streamed down her cheeks and landed on Cantatis. Mark felt horrible inside, and he bent down over his sister, hugging her right there on the ground. She lifted her head and bawled to the skies, so angry, so sad, and so terrible. Mark felt more angry than sad at all this, and it dawned on him just how terrible the Glitch was. It had killed so many people, mutated and corrupted so many things that once lived freely, and terrorized all the dimensions. He looked up into the dark sky and joined Vanessa in screaming out all his emotion towards the Glitch.
"GLITCH, YOU'RE GOING TO HELL, YOU MONSTER! LEAVE THIS PLACE ALONE AND GO TO THE DEPTHS OF HELL FROM WHERE YOU CAME FROM, YOU SICK, SICK SPAWN OF HELL!"
Mark couldn't help repeating his cries. All his built up anger was boiling over the rim, and he could not stop the flow. He yelled and he screamed and he cursed, barely stopping for breath. Nobody bothered him, either.
It was only after an entire half hour of horrible screams that he finally died down. He was completely out of breath and energy by this time, and, naturally, he needed to regenerate just like Vanessa. He too fell back down to the ground and lay beside his sister, falling asleep into a tormented slumber.
When Mark awoke the next morning his body was stiff and sore. He could feel a sick grumble in his stomach and a burning pain in his head. When he glanced to his side he could see Vanessa sleeping quite peacefully in the grass. Slowly, Mark sat up and looked around him at his friends, who were all asleep on the ground as well. Rexum's body still laid a mere six blocks away, lifeless and cold.
Upon a sudden urge, Mark stood up and walked up to Rexum's figure. He looked at the ground beside him, thinking for only a moment, and then began to dig with his bare fist. After a minute, he had dug a large hole in the dirt. The noise must have awoken the others, because he could hear the shuffling of feet behind him.
A few moments later, Adrian walked up next to him and looked down at the hole. Then he looked at Mark, they exchanged a long stare, and then both nodded. Mark knelt down at Rexum's side and slid his arms underneath the frail body, gently lifting it up. Rexum was dangerously underweight, it seemed, for Mark was able to carry his body down into the pit with ease. He set Rexum down in the dirt lightly and then climbed back out. By this time, both Kelsey and Astrid had arrived to the scene.
Nobody said a word; they just stared at the hole in which Rexum's cadaver lay.
And that was when Vanessa finally approached. She stopped at the edge of the gap and looked down painfully at the old wizard. All five of them watched in silence, all taking in the moment. After a few wordless minutes, Mark turned to look at Vanessa and said,
"Vanessa, would you like to bury him?"
Vanessa looked back up at him with red eyes and nodded. He handed her some dirt blocks, which she used to cover up the hole. It seemed to cost her excruciatingly for every block she placed, like she was struggling to accept it all. When Rexum had been buried fully, Astrid came forward and placed a sign for her, letting her write Rexum's name on the fresh patch of dirt.
"I'd like to say some words on Rexum's behalf..." murmured Vanessa, who gazed distantly at the sign.
She took one deep breath and began.
"Rexum was the greatest man I ever knew. He was intelligent, independent, and brave. He was the best tutor I ever had, I'll admit. He was the one who taught me how to use the powers I have, which led to so many other things, such as battles that were won and moments to be shared with the rest of you guys. Without Rexum, we would have all perished." she said quietly, and then turned to look up at Mark.
"Mark, I remember you talking about when you first met Rexum. He was once just a humble fortuneteller in a simple tent in the midst of a massive city. He saved you from a horrible death the night after you met him, right? After that, when the city was being bombed, he led you and Pikapika—Kelsey, really—to safety; without the protective barrier around you, the mutations around you would've gotten you instead. After that, Rexum stayed as your guardian. All those commands about getting supplies may have seemed tedious, but they were all for a purpose, because even that amount of supplies didn't turn out to be enough to sustain us for those weeks to come.
"And even later, when you came upon the Temple of Day and Night, Rexum was the person who saved you all from the Mastermind. When I was up in that tree with Lucas—well, technically he was just the Glitch, I think—I could hear him and the Mastermind duking it out with their magic. That's the whole reason you were ever able to obtain the Master Compass. Without that thing, we would have just wandered until we died! The night after we stopped traveling, that Grief Squad captured us and was about to kill us, but Rexum was able to stop them from doing it, leading to the battle that helped us completely defeat them. That's when Moby Dick got turned into Cantatis, and that was the start of my life as a witch. At first I thought that I'd turn evil because of being a witch, but as I got used to my powers it all turned out to be great.
"After we went off as a huge group and stopped for that one week, Rexum brought up the field around us to protect from the mutations again. Our mini mansion would've been completely destroyed without the protection. Plus, towards the end of week, you all went off into Whirlpool Alley like he said not to do, and yet he went after you because he cared. He even took me with him because he believed that after all my training I could take on that giant squid. And that's what we did! We took care of the giant squid ourselves, and after binding our powers we were able to save you guys from being eaten! It was the greatest moment in my life...
"The last night of the week was the party, of course. After the disaster with our house being burned, Rexum was the one who brought you, Lucas, and Raven back to life again. Even after our entire ordeal, and EVEN after our supplies were burned, we kept on moving towards the Void Transport, and Rexum still kept the field around us for protection. And remember that night when the Glitch found us again and rained those deadly bombs on us? Well, Rexum came in to help there too; he summoned those clouds of his and flew us all away to safety, didn't he?
"I think our worst times were in those frigid mountains. After being blasted by one of the bombs, Rexum could no longer function, so you know what he did rather than give up completely? He gave me the Eyestone to use! Even though I couldn't get it to work, he didn't bother stopping and giving up.
"Much later, after our huge fiasco with the airborne arachnids, we were all brought to Diamond University the 29th to heal. After spending a week there, the Glitch finally revealed itself from out of Lucas's body as well as Salutem from Gabe's. While the building was collapsing, Rexum took us all on his golden clouds and flew us off into this desert for our own safety. Without the speed of the escape, those waves of energy radiating from the Glitch would've disintegrated us all.
"And finally, let's remember last night's battle. Jenx, Brizarg, and Eragariss came upon us and underwent a hideous transformation, turning into the ghost known as Jeragarizarg. It fed off of Dark energy, and Rexum decided to sacrifice his own life to damage it enough for us in order for it to finally be defeated. He gave up his soul to me, and when we merged together I was able to defeat Jeragarizarg with our combined powers. Without our union, I would not have had enough Light energy to slaughter the beast; we would have fallen dead due to its power, and the Divination of Dimensions itself would break apart into chaos.
"This is why I believe that we must keep Rexum in both our minds and our hearts. In the meantime, I shall keep him in my soul..."
Oh my Poptart... That was so amazing! Who else thought that Vanessa was totally boss when she slaughtered Jeragarizarg?
Anyway, how about some more QAA for you guys to enjoy?
To the Glitch: Isn't Herobrine more powerful than Mark, so couldn't you have someone assassinate him or something?
The Glitch: Well, you have already seen me try and send out others to defeat those Cobweb fools, but EVERY time I do something like that they never die! None of my henchmen are powerful enough, or smart enough for that matter, to defeat the heroes. Oh, how it bugs me so... Besides, I need Herobrine's soul for my master plan! OH YES, MY MASTER PLAN! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
TO DA BITCH: FIGHT THE MUSIC MAN! *shoots all his sister's horrible music at the Glitch*
The Glitch: OHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT THIS! ANYTHING BUT THIS! NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...
To Jeragarizarg: You, what have you done? This won't be forgotten; when the heroes defeat you I'm going to kill you in the afterlife!
The Glitch: Mmmhmm... Challenge accepted, you foolish fool of foolery! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
To the Glitch: What do you do daily? Other than maniacally laugh, of course.
The Glitch: I plot, I send my other viruses into other dimensions for mutation, etc. Normal things, really. :}
To the Mutated Bed From Chapter 4: What will happen if I try sleeping on you? Oh wait, I'll translate it first... AGGGGHGTHJKLLL HGFGFSFFFERF UTTHFDSAQSWEV HGKUHGSDER NASDF HOFDDE?
The Mutated Bed From Chapter 4: RIJGABBNIJABFBEUWQNLGBAHFHBSKHGARGH! BLERHERGHERGHERGH! (I'd chew you up into tiny bits! Heheheheheh!)
To Notch: Herobrine and Queen Enderdragon aren't really dead. They've joined the Glitch. I don't really see how you could even trust either of them in the first place. You once thought that Queen Enderdragon was a vicious monster and what evidence do you have that she isn't still one. And as for Herobrine, he terrifies and kills innocent Minecraftians. How do you know that he just scared them? He's been hiding this for 420 years. You might ask why you don't sense them. Well, the Glitch has been messing with your sensing ability as well as your ability to summon armor. I hope you don't trust them for any longer.
Notch: Okay, I must get a couple things straight with you... First of all, I actually CAN sense them dying, thank you very much! *huffs* Secondly, they have not JOINED the Glitch, they have been CONSUMED by it! Also, your entire knowledge of Queen Enderdragon and Herobrine are based completely off of what Mojang started as ideas for the game! Here in the Minecraft Dimension we greatly respect Herobrine and Queen Enderdragon as rulers; it is only the idiots of this dimension that still go after them and think them to be horrific. Do you understand now? I sure do hope.
To everyone who died in The Glitch: Why didn't you have funny soul stuff come out of you when you died?
Everyone: *picks good ol' Jeff as their spokesperson* Well, this is what I heard from Notch when I went up to the Aether Palace. He said that at the time of the book The Glitch being written, *fourth wall shatters* that our author Pastrinator64 *the shards of the fourth wall shatter* had never considered what happened to our souls at all, so he didn't include it into the novel *the shards of the shards of the fourth wall shatter into billions of other shards*. There you have it. That's all I can tell you, though.
To the pig family, Bonbon, Felix, and Elmer: What happened to you guys? Did they just leave you at Diamond University? Also, Bonbon, Lucas is dead. Also to Bonbon: Who's your mum?
The pig family: *no joke, they were all (all of the pets) killed by just the energy release of the Glitch back at Diamond University and now they live up in the Aether* Oink! Oink! Oinkity oinky oink!
Bonbon: *these are her thoughts* I know that, but now I'm with my real Master Lucas up here in the Aether! We live so happy up here together! I'm so glad that I'm dead too; I can be with him forever! 3 3 And also, my mum is Brittle, and she's up here with me too! I am so, so happy! 3 3
Felix: *these are his thoughts* Ah, I too am up here in the Aether with Gabe. It is so nice to be with my true master once again.
Elmer: *these are his thoughts* Oh, how lonely I am up here alone in these beautiful, cloud-crafted skies. Oh, woe is me, woe is me, for my fair master Kelsey is not with me...
To Gabe: *briefly resurrects* We are the Knights of the Blocky Table; we're willing and we're able.
Gabe: Sir, are you mimicking me? How rude!
To the Glitch: So much for being a super powerful being if you can't even kill a mortal. BURN!
The Glitch: OH YEAH?! YOU TRY AND DEFEAT AN ANNOYING LITTLE MORTAL INFUSED WITH ANCIENT MAGIC!
To Mark: Get a hold of your overly hyped dreams and proclamation of your love. We know you love Kelsey.
Mark: Ok, just wait a moment. I had no way of telling if she was actually able to forgive me! I had to tell her everything, dude.
To all members of Mark's group: Do you feel any grief for the deaths of Gabe and Lucas? You heartless bastards.
Mark: I know, I know... It's just that, well, everything's been happening all at once! It's hard to focus on one thing because another will just come in and ruin it.
Vanessa: I have no sad feelings for Lucas whatsoever. :/ But for Gabe... Oh, he was so handsome! I miss him so much! ;-;
Kelsey: I'm glad Lucas is gone! I'm sorry, but he's the reason that Mark and I broke apart in the first place! Still, I do KINDA feel sorry for the real Lucas, y'know; he was possessed, so it must've been really horrible for him. I sure do wish Gabe was still here, though.
Adrian: Y'all are the bastards, y'hear?! Dang, all this yellin's makin' me hungry...
Astrid: Okay, well, I barely knew either them, so what am I supposed to say on this one? Whatever, I'm getting a sandwich. *goes to Subway with Adrian*
Well then, for next time, how will the trip into the Void Palace go for Mark and the others now that they are no longer under Rexum's protection? Will Mark be able to carry the powers of the Balance Core inside of him carefully without being consumed by the Glitch's horrible black hole of a mouth? Find out this and more NEXT chapter in VOiD! But for now, this is Pastrinator64, and I'll see you later with chapter numbah twenty-nine!
*throws sugar bomb, disappears in a cloud of fine white sugar*
Byyyyyeeeeee...
~Pastrinator64 [~]