LOCATION: SMALL PLAYER SETTLEMENT IN OUTLANDS
TIME: TWO YEARS AGO
Sam Rodens looked out of his window. He had a lot of things to do today. He heard the other teenagers nearby.
''Hey Ratboy! Eat any garbage today?" they called to him. He didn't mind, today was going to be a good day. He ran out of his house in the way any other fourteen-year-old boy would, and ran to the house opposite his. He knocked on the door, and a girl answered it. She had long pink hair with a hairband, and eyes that matched, and a big smile on her face. She was wearing a pink jacket with a lavender shirt, a black miniskirt, black stockings and purple shoes. Sam smiled at her.
''Good morning, Nova.''
''Morning, 'Rat'.'' He liked being called Rat by her; after all she was his best friend in the world. They had been since they were very young, and they almost never did anything apart. Nova was the kindest, prettiest girl in Sam's universe. Sam and Nova went off to the fight school to watch some of their other friends practice. Their friends and families, in fact everyone in the town was an outcast from the rest of the human world, mostly for being too weak. Humans were the descendants of players, and, as they believed, the heirs to Minecraftia. They would not accept weak people to live alongside them, only the strong mattered. Some of the townsfolk trained to get stronger, hoping to be accepted, or, at least, to be able to survive. Sam and Nova watched as two people with wooden swords stepped forward, and another human announced them.
''Here we have a great practice match! Isabella Gomez versus Arvin Felix!''
Sam and Nova watched, as their friends got ready to fight. Isabella flashed her bright red hair at Arvin to try and unnerve him, but he just showed off his muscles to get to her. Isabella rolled her eyes and rushed Arvin. She swung her sword out, hitting him in the chest. Arvin responded by pushing her over and thrusting his sword at her. Isabella dodged the attack and jumped behind Arvin, and threw him to the ground. Arvin gave the withdraw signal, and stood up.
''How's it feel to get beaten by a girl?'' Isabella asked him.
''No fair, you pushed me over.''
''All's fair in love and war, buster.'' Isabella said as she walked off.
Man, she really knows how to deal a couple of hearts.'' Sam said to Arvin after the match.
''Well, at least I won't have to go back to the rest of the humans, I really don't know why we even want to be like them. We're smarter and better equipped to survive. After all, strength is only half the fight. At least that's what Sera told me.''
''We'll catch you and the others later tonight, okay?'' said Nova.
''Right, I'll be there.'' Arvin said as he walked off with a slight limp.
For the next few hours, Sam and Nova walked around the city, talking about everything. They eventually settled into the conversation on mobs.
''They're so much more like us than we ever thought. They weren't always like this, but… it just seems more natural this way.'' said Nova.
''I know what you mean. You have creepers, which used to just walk up to players and explode, now they try their best to prevent war. Zombies, natural carnivorous predators, spending their time in fields. Spiders, natures perfect hunters, now extinct because they didn't have the strength to resist. It's just strange to think. What happened? What occurred in them to suddenly change? They had everything going right, and then they just…'' Sam trailed off.
''Changed.'' Nova finished. That last word felt so solemn, like a brick block thrown at you if you said it. It really made a point.
Later that evening, all of Sam and Nova's friends met up. Arvin was there, so was Isabella. Sera was there too, she was shy and liked to keep to herself mostly, but there was no denying that her mind was unlike anything else. Fayruz was the eldest, a friend and mentor to all, he had been through a lot and would share his mind with anyone.
''I've called you all here to tell you something very important. Something big is going to happen. I can feel it. A lot of people are going to die, and I hope more than anything you won't be part of them…''
At that moment, we heard a huge explosion. We all ran to where we had heard it to see what it was. The walls outside our settlement were being attacked, and even though they were made mainly of obsidian, there were cracks and shards of broken blocks flying through the air. Eventually, the walls finally gave in and fell down. What came through them shocked us all.
Mobs. From the past. Featured in every ancient carving, every painting, every statue made by their player ancestors. Real, dangerous mobs attacking every entity they saw. Zombies, skeletons, endermen, spiders, and of course, creepers. The whole town was on fire now, and dozens of people had died in the first minutes of the attack. But why? Why did they target this small, weak town?
''It's okay guys, I was prepared for this.'' said Fayruz, handing us weapons. Sera took an iron sword, Isabella a diamond axe, Arvin got a bow, which he didn't complain about. Sam got a diamond sword, but he immediately gave it to Nova.
''Nobody should be without a weapon.'' said Fayruz.
''We don't have much supplies left. No more diamonds, and I don't have enough iron for anything but a shovel. Gold will draw too much attention, and wood isn't good enough. I can make you a stone sword though, and if we can get to the enchanting room, we might have enough firepower to make it out of here alive.''
When the group of friends made it to the enchanting room, they locked themselves in and started to get to enchanting.
''We should use books, after all we only have one weapon each.'' said Sera. Everyone agreed, and took books off the shelves. They each put their books on the enchanting table, and watched as strange symbols enveloped the books. There was a purple light, and after it was gone, the books were glowing and shimmering. On the spines of the books was the respective enchants on them, lucky for them they were all weapon enchants.
''Knockback III.'' said Sera.
''Smite IV.'' said Nova.
''Yes! Fire Aspect II!'' exclaimed Isabella.
''Power IV, Punch II and Infinity I.'' said Arvin with a smug grin all over his face as he looked over to Isabella, who ignored him.
''What the nether is Vorpal II?'' said Sam.
''That's not so good to fight with. Here, take my Sharpness IV book.'' said Fayruz. He really was a kind man. They then put their books on an anvil, and placed their weapons inside the books. There was another flurry of symbols, and their weapons were glowing like the books had.
After leaving the room, they fought their way out of the town, but the attacks seemed to be concentrated on them. On the outskirts of the town was a hill. The hill had a pathway on the side of it, which they could escape on. But as they reached it, a dark shape appeared. It flew around for a while, watching them. Then it struck.
It shot some kind of sonic boom into the hillside, causing a landslide. Blocks rolled down around them.
And then, a sudden tragedy occurred.
The landslide came down and blocked the path between Nova and the others. She looked back, and saw the monsters coming closer. She knew there was nothing she could do. She broke a small hole and called out to Sam.
''Sam, I'm not going to make it. Please, go on without me.''
Sam was shocked. ''No! If you die, I die too.''
''Please, Sam! I'm not worth it!''
''I can't. I just…''
''You have to. Do it for everyone. Get the others to safety. Let them keep their lives. Either way, I'm still going to die. Don't let everyone else as well.''
''Nova…'' Sam was in tears.
''Bye.''
That was her final word, as Sam finally worked up the courage to tear himself away from the mound of stone, dirt and wood that separated them. He looked back just in time to see a huge explosion destroy the barricade. When the smoke cleared, there was nothing there. Sam's heart completely shattered. His first friend. The only person in the world that truly understood him.
And she gave her life for all of them.
Sam stood up. He looked up and swore he would find that dark shape and make whoever or whatever it was, and make them pay.
For everything.
Nova's PoV
I woke up in a dark empty fog. When it cleared, I saw I was sitting on end stone, with tall, menacing obsidian towers. The End? What was I doing here? Then I saw the dark shape from before circle one of the towers, and then came down to me. I saw that it was a girl, who was about four years older than me biologically, with dark clothes and purple hair and eyes.
''Oh good, you're awake.'' she said to me.
''Who are you? Why am I here? What…what's this?'' I asked her as I noticed strange flaming chalk patterns on the ground around me.
''Well, my name is Valerie, and you're here because we need you more than anyone else. It's to do with your DNA or something, I don't really understand. But Father does. He wants you because this thing inside you makes you able to be… experimented on.''
''But I don't want to be experimented on! I might die! Everyone else already thinks I'm dead! I just… don't want to for real.''
''I don't think you have a choice.' came a voice from the sky. There was a flashing light, and someone appeared.
''Daddy's home.'' said Valerie as the figure came into focus. It was a man, in his twenties or thirties was it? He was wearing a sky blue shirt and blue jeans, and his hair was dark. But the most unsettling thing about him was his eyes, glowing bright white.
''I am Herobrine, Lord of Darkness, and you, Nova, are my first human test subject. Your unique mob hybrid DNA, from you being half ender, is more level than other DNA. It can be built upon, mutated and changed in other ways. For many centuries I have tried to infuse wither essence into living matter, but to no avail. But you…''
''No!'' I shouted back. ''I don't want to be mutated or changed or anything! There are other hybrids out there, so why don't you take one of them?''
''You would be wise not to anger me, or I will destroy everything you love, understand?''
I couldn't speak after that, I was too scared. Herobrine started chanting something that seemed unpronounceable to me, and I closed my eyes and waited for death.
But it never came. I did, however feel as if my memories were fading away. Replaced by new ones.
Deep, infernal, angry memories. Ones of hate and darkness Memories that made me feel permanently negative. Herobrine laughed evilly.
''The most powerful wither ever to exist, born again in flesh and blood.''
''Looks like I'm getting a new sister after all.'' said Valerie.