So uh, last chapter huh. That's pretty exciting.

Grail had a whole schedule planned for Sparklez's last day. She wanted to make sure that he would have at least one good day to remember as he fought his way through the Aether. After a breakfast of melon, one of CaptainSparklez's favorite Minecraftian fruits, Sparklez and Ant went to the Parkour Arena that Ant had started a few years previously. Due to the nature of the course, it had changed since the last time the two friends had been there. There had obviously been some visitors who had been bored with the old look and decided to add in a few jumps and edit others, much to Ant's delight. He was very excited when he saw it had been built with a fork in the course which met up again at the end. There was nothing better to a parkourist than a new course to attempt and beat.

The two friends spent hours preforming the sprints and leaps required of parkour courses. Both parkourists relished the thrilling sensation that came to them as they succeeded in reaching the next block.

"You ready to go back?" Ant said, panting after finishing the course a third time.

"Yes, that was great fun," Sparklez said, grinning for the first time in a long while. He was breathing heavily and sweat ran down his face. "Let's return to our friends for lunch."

They had a lunch of steak and baked potatoes back at the town, with some of BajanCanadian's famous chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

After lunch, Grail had the idea to swim in the lake that was nearby, as they had once before long ago. Sky joined them, and he made a point to apologize for his past rudeness to Sparklez, who accepted the apology. No point in staying mad anymore. After a few different water games, including Marco Polo, Sparklez decided that he wanted some time to be alone and his friends went home.

As a demigod, Sparklez had always felt closer to nature than most Minecraftians. He walked a few minutes into the trees near the lake and found a small clearing. It was empty of humans, but there were the pleasant sounds of nature to enjoy. Sparklez sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and concentrated on expanding his senses to become more in tune with his environment. He was not human after all, and while they weren't used often, he had the senses of a god at his command.

His hearing was the first thing to be improved. By listening to the small rustlings of forest creatures, Sparklez could pinpoint their locations in the ground, sky, or undergrowth. To his enhanced ears, the nearby lake was a thunderous rush of water. Sparklez could even hear the soft calls of a blackbird from far away. He stopped focusing on hearing when the conversations of people in town began to travel in his ears. He didn't want to listen to humans. Not today. The next sense which came most naturally to him was aura sight. It was less a matter of concentrating to reach it than of dropping the barriers against it that he usually held in place. Slowly, the world came to focus behind his closed lids. The ground was all but invisible, but the living animals and plants were all covered in their own unique auras. The bright green aura of an Overworld animal crept up in front of him, and from the shape Sparklez could tell it was a squirrel. It chittered at him, chiding the man for entering it's territory, then scurried away.

Sparklez smiled and moved on to the next sense. His hands, which were resting on his legs, became more sensitive. Sparklez could feel each individual thread of fabric on his pants. He inhaled deeply, and suddenly the fresh green smell of the forest became stronger. The mulch of wet soil was an intense but not entirely unpleasant odor. It was earthy and pure, unlike anything that could be found in the Nether.

Sparklez moved on to the final sense. He opened his mouth and concentrated, relaxing his body. There was a burst of flavor on his tongue; he could taste the whole forest. Trees, birds, insects, rodents, ferns, mushrooms, water, they were all there in minute amounts in the air. It was his most powerful sense. With it he knew everything that was happening around him.

CaptainSparklez opened his eyes and stood up, now more god than not.

"Ant, Sparklez is at the door," Grail called up to her boyfriend. "Sorry for the wait, he was doing something upstairs. Wouldn't tell me what." She smiled warmly at the Nether Prince. Footsteps behind her revealed AntVenom.

"Hey," he said weakly. "I guess you want us to go now, right?"

"That would be optimal."

"Well, then I guess it's goodbye for now," Ant turned to Grail. "I love you, GrailMore." He kissed her tenderly.

"It feels like you're saying goodbye forever," Grail murmured into his ear. "I love you too, Ant." It was then that Ant realized that he was't fooling his girlfriend; She understood the gravity of the situation as much as him or Sparklez, despite not being told. She smiled at him, blue eyes bright, and it was like Ant's whole world shone. He knew then that everything was going to end well.

"Sparklez," the demigod turned to Grail. "It has been truly wonderful having you as a friend, I wish you the best of luck in the Aether." Grail took a step forward and hugged Sparklez tightly, then kissed him softly on the cheek.

"I believe in you. If anyone can get through this, it's you."

Sparklez blinked in surprise at her actions and words.

"Thank you," he said. "Of all the people I have met in the Overworld, you have been the kindest to me. I truly appreciate it. I can't even begin to say how much it has meant to me." Grail just grinned in response, her cheerful smile belying the fear and sadness she felt inside. "Ant," Sparklez turned to the other man, "let's go make things right."

"Save the world once again," Ant said with a small smile. He stepped out of his house and blew a kiss to GrailMore before following CaptainSparklez who had already started walking.

The two Heroes of Minecraftia went to the location they had decided on earlier: the Nether portal. It was lit and emitting strange sounds.

"They're loud," Sparklez commented. "The Nether sounds, it's like they're angry or something." He looked worried.

"Should we do something about it?" Ant asked nervously.

"No, they'll probably calm down after…"

"After you die?"

"Yes." Sparklez sighed. "Please, just do it Ant. I can't take it anymore."

"I've never been good at goodbyes."

"Nor have I."

"But if this really is it then I just want you to know that I love you," Ant hugged Sparklez. "Thank you for everything, you mean so much to me, Sparklez." He paused and realization struck his face. "I can't just kill you." AntVenom started crying, his breath was coming out in gasps and ugly tears began to mar his handsome face. "I can't do this!"

"You can and you have to!" Sparklez sounded so desperate, he had lost all his composure. "Ant, you have to! I need to die!"

Ant put his hand on his diamond sword and drew comfort from it's familiar feel. He unsheathed the blue blade, it's brilliance blinding in the afternoon sun. Ant steeled his heart to prepare himself for the horrible deed which he had to commit. But he would do it, because Sparklez wanted him to.

CaptainSparklez stared at his first friend, his oldest friend, his best friend, and he knew his wish would be fulfilled.

Ant raised his sword and Sparklez visibly panicked. His eyes went wide and he screamed,

"WAIT!"

Ant's sword descended towards Sparklez's heart and the Nether Prince leaped back with inhuman speed, easily escaping the deadly blow.

"AntVenom, I've just realized we can't do this." Sparklez said, speaking so quickly his words ran together. "It's a life for a life. I can't come back when I die. This won't work." Tears started falling down his face.

Ant froze as he stared at the fallen demigod.

"Ant, I was wrong about being able to come back. I won't be able to."

Sparklez stood up and was immediately enveloped in a white light. Ant cowered away from the blinding radiance emitting from his friend. Ant stared up at Sparklez's silhouette, which grew taller before his eyes.

Ant knew he had to act now or it would all be over. He thrust his sword at Sparklez, aiming for a killing blow. While Ant had been half expecting Sparklez to jump back or try to avoid the blow, nothing could have prepared him for what the Nether Prince actually did. The fallen demigod raised his hands and swatted Ant's sword away, his bare hands uninjured from hitting the flat end of the blade.

Ant swallowed nervously and swung again, more cautiously this time. It made no difference to the being in front of him. The demigod slid to the side in a smooth motion, avoiding the blow, and the glow of light around him grew to an unbearable level. Ant took a step backwards, blinded. His whole world shining white and he fell to the ground as a fist smashed into his face.

He lay there for a moment, dazed. All at once, the brilliant light faded. Ant blinked away the afterimages still seared on his lids, and the world went back to normal.

"Sparklez?" he asked nervously, looking up at the fallen demigod in front of him. A diamond sword was pointed at his chest; It's owner wearing a messily buttoned dress shirt and dress pants. His hair was a rich brown and near his feet were a suit jacket and a pair of broken red shades. The most striking feature about this figure were his eyes, a pure unblemished white, without iris or pupil. They were horrible and beautiful at the same time, glowing brightly enough to harshly shadow the figure's facial features. The fallen demigod—no, the cruel god—blinked slowly and laughed, a cold and evil sound. Ant shivered at the noise.

The cruel god parted his thin lips and spoke. "Hello, AntVenom." His voice was rich and reverberant, but Ant knew it was completely devoid of any emotion. It was hollow and while a lesser person might have soothed by it, Ant knew better. He knew the perfect sounding voice was nothing more than a means to an end.

"It is truly a pleasure to see you again, after our last encounter. You had done quite a number on me and I believe it is time to return the fa—"

"Where is Sparklez?" Ant interrupted, his voice sounding much braver than he felt.

Herobrine blinked in surprise, a human expression that looked out of place on such an otherworldly being. His face showed signs of anger and Ant thought that it was possible no human had ever interrupted Herobrine before.

"CaptainSparklez is long gone," Herorbine said. His face once again masking any emotion he might have felt. Not that he had ever cared for his son in the first place.

"How long?" Ant felt his stomach plummet with fear, true fear. Not for himself this time but for his best friend. "Have you been him the whole time? Was any of it real?" Ant was begging the cruel god for answers.

Herobrine simply grinned in response, his white teeth pristine and unnerving.

"No," Ant whispered. Sparklez was dead and it was his fault because he had't been able to save him. No, that was wrong. It was Herobrine's fault. Herobrine was the reason Sparklez was dead and he would pay dearly for it.

Ant rolled backwards, away from the sword pointed at him, and he jumped to his feet, assuming a defensive stance with his fists raised. Herobrine hadn't made any move to stop him, but had merely watched with the barest hint of a smirk on his face.

Ant swung his left fist forward in a feint, his true move being an solid uppercut to Herobrine's chin. It was like fighting with air, and his fist was dodged with contemptuous ease.

"So uncivilized," Herobrine tutted. "There's no need to fight me. Why don't you just give in?" His voice was sickeningly sweet, and Ant felt himself start to agree with the cruel god.

No! He couldn't just give in like that. Ant shook his head to clear away the stray thoughts planted in it by the Nether King. Not being one to ignore an opponent's weakness, Herobrine's diamond sword was whirling towards Ant's head and the Minecraftian barely managed to duck in time to avoid the deadly swing.

He took a hurried step backwards and evaded the cruel god's next stroke as well.

"You're a terrible swordsman," Ant said, and as soon as the taunt escaped his mouth he could see it was true. Herobrine's eyes flared brighter in what could only be anger, he knew it too. Herobrine had about as much skill as a child when it came to swordsmanship. But his incredible reflexes made up for any lack of ability and Ant knew it was only a matter of time before he landed a fatal strike. He had to keep taunting the cruel god, make Herobine mess up somehow. But Ant never had the chance. The sharp sword that had once been his was suddenly at his neck. Ant couldn't move without having his throat cut.

"Game over," Herobrine said calmly. How had he moved so fast? He hadn't been that fast last time…

Ant gasped as he felt an presence try to enter his head. He quickly brought up mental defenses, practicing with what Sparklez had ingrained that in him. Focusing on GrailMore's smiling face had always been on of his best defenses, so Ant thought of Grail. Of her blue eyes and sweet smile. Of her golden hair and soft dress. Of her tender kisses and caring words. With this he could last at least a few minutes.

His defenses were cut through like a hot knife through butter as Herobrine won the mental battle almost before it had even started. CaptainSparklez had nowhere near the mental strength of his father. Ant had never stood a chance. Herobrine's mind was far more alien than his son's, both horrible and amazing at the same time. Calling it a mind was almost not enough because it was so much more than the mind of any human, than Sparklez. Ant could only touch a tiny bit of the cruel god's mind, of his essence, and he feared that he would go mad if he tried to probe into it. It was an immensely complicated and intricate will, but at the same time Ant could see the intent was shockingly simple: Herobrine's one true motive was to torture and kill anything that was not completely under his control. He had to find a way to beat the cruel god. It was hard to discern what exactly Herobrine was thinking because his mind was so massive and his thoughts were not words but more motives, actions. Such a singularly powerful being had no need for speech and communication the way a Minecraftian did.

Enjoying yourself? The words boomed in Ant's head, rattling his brain with their power. Ant could no longer respond, his mind had been trapped, engulfed by the vast mental power of Herobrine, too much longer and it would cease to exist, leaving behind a mindless shell.

And then, all at once, it was gone. Ant was in control of his body again. He sank to his knees and looked up to see that Herobrine was still there, still standing in front of the fallen human. But Ant was not afraid anymore, the paralyzing fear that Herobrine's mere presence inflicted on him was gone. Ant was ready to fight. Ant was ready to win.

Without warning, Herobrine stabbed Ant, his blade a blur as it cut directly through AntVenom's heart and went out the other side. Ant let out a startled choke and fell to the ground, bleeding out his lifeblood. 'You must destroy him or he will destroy you!' Notch's words echoed in the human's head. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It wasn't—

"Goodbye mortal, and will you rue the day you attempted to kill the Nether King."

But AntVenom couldn't hear Herobrine's words, his brown eyes had glazed over and the blood which had once pumped so strongly through his veins had ceased. With barely a whisper or fight, the Hero of Minecraftia had died.

Herobrine savored the scene, gazed at the opponent who had bested him for so long and was finally dead. The Nether King turned to leave and as he did so, he froze and let out a strangled cry, unbefitting of a god.

"H-how? I—" Herobrine tried to speak, but the words stuck in his throat. His white eyes dimmed slightly, and a hint of blue could be seen beneath them. Herobrine's eyes grew wide with an emotion he had felt only once before: fear.

Suddenly, his body erupted into a dark light, which quickly faded into nothingness. The body of CaptainSparklez was gone, but so was the spirit of Herobrine. Herobrine, the cruel god, the Nether King, was finally dead, but it was at the terrible cost of the Heroes of Minecraftia.

I'm posting an epilogue probably within the month. This is my formal apology to all my readers.