Ch.30 Iron Will

Hatos cackled standing loosely in the crater looking towards me. "Such a cute girl you are when you're serious!"

I slid a foot to the edge of the Netherrack. I remained quiet, staring at him, waiting for the right time to start this. I knew his cloak didn't have any more bottles, it was too light now since it was flapping behind him. But I didn't let that thought get a hold of me.

"What's taking you, Sell? Aren't you eager to end this?"

"No. You are though." I slid into a defensive stance for safe measure. "You're the one with all that power."

His skeletal face grinned. "You almost felt it too if your father hadn't blocked me. But now look at this. You get too!"

"I'm quite excited," I replied sarcastically. "So, how many other Lord's do you have working for you?"

His hollow sockets grew a small flame that danced about. He giggled. "I have many! What? You think you'll find them all?"

I shook my head. "I think I'll just stick to figuring out what you want with all these Minecraftian's that are innocent. Why ruin Minecraft life? Why take over the world when it's better with life that's different on it? Why make it into a mindless place with no emotion?"

"You're such a boring talker," he growled as his eyes lit up slightly before dying down. "Don't you know anything about me, Sell? I've lived my life as a failed father to my actual daughter but I can't fail as a father to you or the Skeletal race. I mean, I can be how I want to you all!"

"You're a failed father to us also!" I grasped my scythe slightly. "We never wanted a father who wanted to take our lives over in the end. We never wanted our family and friends to be mindless and stupid! Where did you get that kind of idea? Are you still living in the past, haunted by your daughter and your ex-wife?"

He ground his teeth at this and hunched over slightly. "You…! How dare you bring up something you know nothing about!"

"Wrong!" I barked, my scythe flared up at my anger as did my eyes. "I know everything there is to know about your past! Have you forgotten Ananon's bond with me now? I'm the one that's taken her role, remember? I know everything!"

Hatos roared at me swinging his scythe. "Shut up! You remember naught! It's all lies that she's told you!"

I stared across the lava lake at him. He was living a lie, not wanting to remember the truth, not wanting to face the fact that he had betrayed his lover and daughter. Not wanting to admit or believe he killed them. He does know that he's been taken over by greed and selfishness. His mind is corrupt with evil from his possession.

"It's time to get you help, Hatos. I'm the only one that can do that."

He burst into laughter at this. "Hah! Are you hearing yourself? I need help? Why? Where? How are you to help me?"

I spun my scythe, the flames dancing about in front of me. My eyes flaring up with a raging fire. "Like this." My scythe flung itself across the lava pool in a blink of an eye, striking Hatos's scythe.

Sparks and flames flew from the impact. I leapt flying towards him, my hand outstretched as he pushed my scythe away which returned to my hand. I spun around gathering speed before extending my scythe towards him. We locked face to face, our scythes sparking as steel etched against steel, fire flaring between us. Our skulls brought back before they slammed together, a thunderous crack echoed about the cavern from the impact.

We unlocked flying away, skulls cracked from where we head butted. I sliced the air in front of me as I brought up my scythe defensively. Hatos sneered, surging towards me.

"Sell, let's get dirty! Let's make this a battle we will never forget! You'll be reminding me everytime you serve me!"

I blocked his attack with the flat of my blade, pushing the slicing blade this way and that. "Only with hatred of course! I'll be contemplating my revenge on you every passing second!" Our scythes locked as our flaming sockets glared at one another with raging fire.

We were nowhere near even with one another but that would be settled out once the potions wore off. I wasn't sure when that would be though. I was playing the dangerous game of roulette in a way. One slip in any place while fighting and I would be seeing the lost wanders while my body would be toyed with.

Hel leaned against a wall resting. He was in his Minecraftian form, beaten and bruised all over. He sighed pulling out a cigarette that he had kept in his back pocket for quite some time. He wasn't a real smoker but at times it helped him relax when he was in pain or sore. He brought out the cigarette and lit it with the help of a Netherrack block that was on fire. He sighed smoke that snaked up to the roof before disappearing.

"Ah…Relief." His eyes looked to the ceiling before turning back down to the destroyed, hole pitted, flaming area that once was the gate guards but now were no more.

Neither was the gate that stood here. It was long gone. He pushed away from the wall with a slight limp before heading off down the trail, smoke wisping behind him and disappearing. "What a pathetic ride. The bastards…"

He smirked tossing the locks that had fallen into his face. His mind recalled the fight with the two brothers. He had them over powered in everything. Footsteps, multiple ones at that, were approaching him and fast. He stopped listening.

The footsteps were running flat out. They were all in a hurry. One's breath was troubled, very much uneven. The others panted like they had been running for a while. The footsteps were now upon him.

Rayr and the others came around the corner in a hurry. Rayr yelped sliding to a stop making everyone come to a halt. "Hel!"

Hel saw Lones in poor condition and looked to Rayr. "What happened?"

Rayr was reluctant to tell him but explained the whole situation to him. Hel listened intently at the whole story. His cigarette untouched through it all and slowly burned down. He let it drop to the ground in front of them, smoldering. He stared at Rayr intently thinking over all he had been told.

"You let her go after him even then?"

Rayr shrugged looking down at Lones. "I had no choice. She was pissed at us if we stayed. She took off through an upper tunnel after them."

"We wanted to go and fight but she sent us to the surface!" Toc said stepping around them to look at Hel. "Hel, you got to go back for her!"

"Go to the surface. I'll get her," Hel said stepping past them. "I promise we'll return!"

Rayr nodded after him before running off towards the portal. "We'll be waiting at the town!"

Toc and Des sprinted after watching Hel sprint around the corner down the corridor of the castle and out of sight. "We need to pray."

"Pray we shall," murmured Rayr as they leapt through the portal to return.

Hel sprinted through the castle smelling the scents and heading the way they had come and gone. Tracking was something that he was quite good at. There was high ringing that was on and off in the air. He slowed to a stop listening. 'That's…' He stood there listening to the ringing air. He closed his eyes and saw a great battle within his mind at each ring. Sell and Hatos locked in a fiery battle for life and death. His eyes snapped open as his legs pushed him forward to fly through the castle. 'Sell!'

Sparks flew as the two scythes locked. Hatos stared at her with a grin. "Child, you do know that I'm going easy on you. I have yet to seriously show you what I can do."

I grinned back. "Then show me!"

The show started right as I spoke the words. I found myself flung back into the Netherrack wall. I flinched at the pain that coursed through me. Opening an eye I saw him flying towards me incredibly fast. I blocked the swipe with my scythe but was trapped by my own weapon as it was shoved against my throat.

I gasped as I felt myself choking. He sneered evilly with a low chuckle. "Why are you hurting yourself, my dear? Stop that."

I kicked out at him to try and get him off as my other hand tried to push his scythe away. They were pushing against my throat harder each second. My eyes bulged for air. I was going to die once again. "Hel…!"

A roaring aggressive growl was heard as a great beast flew past me to tackle Hatos onto a nearby ledge fifty blocks up over the lava lakes. I fell to the Netherrack ledge below gasping and coughing, my head lightheaded from the lack of air. My vision blurred as I looked up to see a black werewolf clashing with Hatos. It was Hel. "Hel, what the hell are you doing here?"

I pushed myself upright and grabbing up my scythe that had lost its flames. I coughed as I got my footing back. Hel roared out as Hatos flung him up against the Netherrack, burying him further in where he couldn't be seen. I surged forward swinging my scythe across Hatos's back, slicing two ribs. He screamed whirling on me and knocking me across the cavern with his scythe.

A long fracture went down the right side of my skull from the strike. I suddenly became best friends with the Netherrack, my eye sockets filled with it. I gasped from the pain in my chest. I felt my ribs and saw that I was now missing ribs myself. The pain that hit me made me weak.

My memory flashed back to when I first went up against Skelar in the ring that he had trapped us in by the redstone current. The way the sword pierced my heart with no emotion except hate. Before Skelar's heart was changed from cold to warm. The pain wracked through my skeletal body making me cry out as I grasped the Netherrack wall. I shook my skull to rid it of the bits that had filled the sockets and looked down to see that I was hanging over the lava lake.

'Damn it! How did I let myself get into this situation?' I thought to myself when a yelp split the air making me look over my shoulder.

Hatos had Hel's head in his grasp and was trying to crush it. "Hel! Hel, no!"

Hel yelped and roared out trying to break his arm but was knocked away by the pole of the scythe. I distinctively heard a crack and Hel cry out from it in pain. I watched in horror as my friend, my partner, my teacher was being brutally beaten up. I pushed off from the wall to fly at them. I brought my scythe down aiming for Hatos's arm that held Hel's head but was blocked by his scythe. I ground my teeth out of anger and pain. "Bastard! Let him go!"

I pushed back against the scythe, slipping from its lock and fractured the arm with a mid-blow to the upper arm. I felt my lower rib give way at a kick that I felt strike my spine that sent me flying away once again. I collided into my same place I had been before and scrabbled to grasp the wall. I couldn't let him kill Hel! I flew back towards him, attacking, blocking his attacks with my scythe as he blocked mine.

Hel had passed out unconsciously from the pressure and hung there limply. My memory flashed back to when the Minecraftian's were being attacked by the monsters every night, in towns and cities there were less guarded, how they were killed and taken back to the Nether as energy. How they now roamed about as wandering spirits. I remembered when Hatos first went evil, his possession, him killing Ananon's mother and later on Ananon herself. 'Bastard!'

I battered away at his scythe, out of anger and rage for everything Hatos had done to Ananon, to the Minecraftian's, to spirits, to Minecraft its self! Memories of Lord's before me giving their lives to protect others so that they could live on, how the werewolves were being used by Hatos just to make a living, how the ogre's were being used just out of sheer stupidity and labor, how innocent woman was kidnapped just because of her anger and hatred towards different people. Minecraft wasn't a beautiful place of happiness anymore. It was being turned inside out!

"Sell, what's happened to you, hmm? Are you too scared about my power? Are you lost at what to do?" Hatos sneered laughing. "You can't even stop me! Look at you! Weakling!"

I felt him grab me by the neck, the slice that severed my lower body from my upper and the whistling wind around me as I was flung through the tunnel that I had placed my father in. I crashed overhead and fell to the pitted floor heavily. My sockets stared at the ceiling for the longest time as I tried to grasp that I couldn't feel anything below. My spirit was leaving me, I felt my bones choking and starting to freeze. The pain that began to run up my spine to my skull made my vision fade into black.

The last thing I saw was my father's body, lying there motionless. I sensed nothing coming from him, no heartbeat, no pulse, no aura, no breath, no life. It all went black and I was stuck in the darkness with one thought. 'I failed them. I failed them all. I've failed the Minecraftian's, the Skeletal heirs, the Skeletal race and most of all my beloved ones. We've lost!'

My mind had me floating in darkness that was so silent. I lie there suspended in the darkness, my mind blank. Time from the past seemed to fly by me in black and white. Lady Ananon's voice, Queen Lyrena, Serdra, the villagers, Skelar, my father, mother, Toc and Des, the towns people, the Lord's, Hym, the spirits that wander about being tricked by Hatos, and Hel. It all flew past me as if my mind were remembering it all for the last time.

'Sell…' a voice in a whisper called out.

My head fell back at the call.

'Sell, what are you doing?' the voice whispered as if it were scolding me.

"I don't am I doing?" I asked looking about lazily.

The voice that whispered seemed like it was suddenly combined into many people in one.

'You've been fighting for your life ever since you met Hel. I'm terribly sorry for bringing you into this.'

'This is important for your future, dear child of the devil. You must not allow this future to happen, whatever the case may be.'

The memory of Lady Ananon and Queen Lyrena stood before me showing me how Hatos had become the Lord of the Darkness. Something about it made my insides churn. Why? What was it that made me feel this way?

'Sell, please know that all of this evil was because I failed to stop it. I'm so sorry.'

Lady Ananon turned to me with a pained expression, eyes filled with sadness. As if she couldn't live with herself for dieing like she did.

'You did your job well, Sell. You led the lost lambs of Notch to the Aether in one try. You made great strides to become a great Lady of the Skeletal race.'

Queen Lyrena appeared smiling at me, radianting a motherly aura, so warm and comforting.

'Your title is what all Minecraftian's have prayed for. You are The Prophecy.'

Lady Ananon appeared ficing me with a serious look.

"The Devil's Prophecy," I corrected.

'Yes. You are The Devil's Prophecy. Fear of the Nether and the justice of Minecraftian's. A different type of Skeletal heir altogether. You support life and death.'

She began to fade away into the darkness leaving me alone. It began to slowly return to me. I had had these conversations before with people.

'You are the savior for those that need help from the darkness that creeps across the land every night. The soul, a paradise for those that need salvation. Your hands, ever flexing protectively around the innocents that live. You are the Devil's Prophecy, the Savior to all, both living and the dead. Both cry out for you night and day! Sell!'

I turned to see Lady Ananon standing there looking upset. I floated there staring in silence unable to reply. My chest burned with something I knew not of.

'Sell, I gave you my heart to go on and stop Hatos! How could you let him beat you like this? What are you doing?'

I felt a hand rest on my cheek bone. I turned to see the small wandering spirit Hym who looked sad and upset. Torn by something I knew not of.

'Sell…! Look what he's done to you! Who will save us now? You said you wouldn't give up!'

"Hym…" I whispered in a hiss. "Hym…Ananon…"

'Sell…' the voice said softly but in a gentleman's tone.

I looked and saw Hel kneeling over me with a lost look in his eyes. "Hel…"

'Don't give up just because we're gone. Others need you! Listen to them! Listen, Sell! Don't you hear them?'

'Sell,' spoke a voice that held wisdom and age.

I turned behind me to see my father. We stared at one another, my hand reached out for his. "Dad…!"

His hand reached out and touched mine. 'Listen to the voices. They call out for help everyday. All because of one man. You hear them? Their pleading voices, begging children, souls that have given up hope. Don't let them down. Don't let us down. Sell, get up!'

'Get up, Sell!' barked Hel.

'Get up, Savior!' pleaded Hym.

'Get up, Devil's Prophecy!' ordered Ananon.

'Get up, Lady Sell!' ordered Queen Lyrena.

The pressure in my chest grew so great that it felt like it would make me explode. I cried out reaching through the darkness to grab whatever was holding me down. To push this weight from me, to let me back up and move freely. I wanted to be free again!

"Let me up!" I roared out bursting into flames.

Hatos stepped on Sell's chest cackling. He stared down at her severed body with glee. "She's dead! I've finally killed her! Savior Sell, Devil's Prophecy, Lady Sell is dead!"

He leaned over the body, putting all his weight on it snickering. "You were such a stupid bitch! Trying to fix everything I ever did! Trying to save all those Minecraftian's! You failed! Hah!"

He leaned back transforming back into his Minecraftian state, still standing on her body. He grasped his scythe and etched a small cross in her skull. The same symbol like the Lord's symbol.

"It's only fitting to place this symbol on your skull, that way the dead and gone can assault you when you get there. Heh! I hope they scream at you for your failure! It's all you deserve after you tried to kill me but it was all in vain!"

He burst into chaotic laughter that echoed throughout the Nether, filling the caverns, the castle, the throne room, and the cavern that they were in. The pigmen listened as did all the other creatures within the Nether. There was a spark that was unnoticed by Hatos's chaotic laughing, his celebration of the defeat of the Lady that was said that would kill him. Another spark flicked from her scythe. The Nether went quiet with anticipation, an unsettling feeling that soon began to creep across Hatos.

His laughter began to die as he felt the feeling beginning to affect him. He tried to push it aside but it got stronger. He let his laughter die as his eyes glared at the dead Skeletal Lady before him. "Why can't I enjoy your death?"

Her scythe burst into flames that raced across her body and engulfed her. Hatos yelped falling back and backward crawled until he hit the wall. He stared at her body in shock as her fingers twitched for a moment before they clenched. Her body burst into higher flames, glowing brighter and brighter. He held up an arm to shield from the heat and scrambled away from the fire. "What the fuck?"

Her body began to regenerate her lower limbs. Soon she was on her feet in a crouch before him. He gazed at her in shock, his eyes bulging. "No…! This can't be! You can't be alive! How?"

I crouched there in the bright flames, my energy, my spirit, my soul restored. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? I protect the weak, restore hope in the ones that cower, allow those to hunt at night and not be fearful, I let those play in the night and not be harmed by evil. Have you not been told of me from the very beginning? Have you not understood anything that you were told?

"I sit upon a throne; Lord's at hand to cover the world that cries out for help. Lift your eyes and look to me, the savior that answers to those who call for justice. Look at me, the Devil's Prophecy that brings death and justice to those that do evil by the hand of night. I comfort the people that are living, my own people that walk the night and day light. I comfort the people that are dead, my own people that have died and wander endlessly, confused and lost for all eternity." I slowly rose to my feet as Hatos stared at me in shock that locked him in place. My eyes lit with a bright burning fire that couldn't be extinguished. "All who rage against me will surely be put to rest. They will be as nothing and perish. Those who rage war against me will be as nothing at all. You have seen many things but have paid no attention. It's time that you turned to me to be saved, to take you where you belong, because I am the Savior that answers to all in need.

"There is no other but me. All who rage against me will come and be put to shame."

I raised my scythe, the brightly burning tool of death that I've used time and time again. Hatos clambered to his feet and sprinted back towards his throne screaming. "Serdra! Serdra! Come to me! We must run! Serdra!"

"Why do you run, Hatos?" I hissed as I appeared behind him swinging my scythe down upon him.

A tall black creature appeared before my scythe, taking the strike for its master, screaming in pain and disappearing, dead. Hatos scrambled down the tunnel to the small walkway that had been destroyed and spun around in front of his throne in fear. Serdra appeared from behind the throne being followed by the six women that were shut away in a room. She grasped him tightly worried.

"To me my Enderman!" Hatos cried out holding up a green orb that had a black slit pupil within.

Dark tall figures began to appear about the cavern around him. They hissed and made odd digitized sounds. Hatos chuckled up to me, his other trick up his sleeve. "I'll be going now, Sell. This battle isn't over!"

I reappeared before him, my scythe behind me. It begun to swing forward for him. "It will end here as all have told you!"

Serdra screamed at the oncoming scythe blade, it reflecting in her eyes as it drew closer. The dark beings that had been called Endermen appeared grabbing them and disappeared just as my scythe was to slice through them. The Endermen all began to disappear one by one and soon the cavern was empty and not a sound could be heard. All that was heard were the pigmen squealing and dieing in the hot bubbling lava that sizzled from every death. I turned back and flew to the tunnel, scooping up my father, placing him over my shoulder gently and then grabbing Hel from the ledge where Hatos had dropped him.

I flew out of the cavern and sprinted through the castle, tracking down Hel's scent to return to the portal. This had been a very bad outcome from the start but now it was much worse. Now Hatos was in the Minecraftian world. The living world. He had the power to take over and take the innocents as he pleased.

I leapt through the portal and was returned to the El-Anash course. Placing my father and Hel against the wall I worked on closing the portal for now and destroyed an obsidian block. I took up my father and picked up Hel once more. I flew up the spiraling staircase that took us back to the entrance of the El-Anash course. As I came to the front hall I saw where father, Lones, and Lord Doyle had fought. He had put up a strong fight against father and Lones but failed in the end. As I flew through the gaping hole that used to be the entrance I was met by the Lord's of our meeting place. They were just arriving to help defeat Hatos. I touched down, grasping my father and Hel over my shoulders.

"Lady Sell!" They cried out in utter shock.

"Lord Rien!"

The Lord's took Lord Rien gently while others took Hel. My fire dwindled to nothing but wisps and soon It was out. I shifted back to my Minecraftian form and stood there, bloody, beaten up, and slashed all over. The Lord's stared at me with pain at the sight of me. I panted as the after effects washed over me.

"Hatos is in the living. He's going to take over. I wasn't able to stop him."

With that I fell forward into the sand, no energy left, weak from blood loss, and unconscious. I, father, and Hel would be taken care of by our friends. I prayed within my dreams that nothing would happen while I was out. When I would awake again I didn't know and could only hope it was soon.

Merry Christmas guys!I stayed up just to post this for you all!My gift to you all for being great readers and returning again and again!This concludes book one of my three book fanfiction!I will change the title in a bit and give you all time to read if you haven't January book two's first chapter will come out and it will be taking place in Minecraft for 1.9!Happy New Year's to all and to all a good night! ~3