Chapter 6:
Small World
"This is our house." Levi said, gesturing to the large wooden house before them. He wasn't surprised to see the look of awe on Naomi's face as she gazed up at it. He had been like that the first time that he went outside five years ago. It was just like then, with the sun rising brightly behind it, casting its beautiful dawn rays across their home.
"Did you build it, Levi?" She questioned, her eyes focusing once again on him.
"Nope." He admitted. Now that there was an actual conversation going, he was having an easier time speaking. But he swore that his cheeks still had to be incredibly red. "Steve did all of it. I've done repair work over the past couple of years, but he's designed everything." Levi glanced down at his side, and noticed the lack of Voices. "He must have gone back to his pack."
"Who? Your dog?"
He gave a laugh. "My dog? First thing, Naomi." He said, holding up a finger in front of Naomi's face. "He's a wolf. An untameable, wild wolf." Levi held up another finger. "Second thing. He's not mine. He enjoys hunting with me sometimes, so he leaves the pack that he's a part of to come with me on my daily hunts."
She gave a nod. "Now that we're done with that, I need to go put this away in a chest," He gestured at his kill for the night before continuing with, "and introduce you to Steve and Elf Boy-" Levi managed to open the door before he got roughly pushed to the ground.
"Naomi!" When he got to his feet, Levi was surprised to see Elf Boy hugging Naomi like they were old friends. Naomi, on the other hand, looked more confused than she had when Levi had said that Elf Boy had gender issues.
"Um...I'm sorry, but I don't really know you..." Naomi said uncomfortably, pulling away from Elf Boy's tight embrace.
"I know my voice doesn't sound like it does when you and I used the microphones, but you're NaomiMinez, right?" There was still no sign of recognition from Naomi. "Oh come on, Naomi, you can't remember your online best friend?!"
Suddenly, it clicked in Naomi's head. "AriaFlight? Ari?"
"The one and only!"
The next several minutes consisted of Levi watching the reunited online-whatever that was-best friends continued to hug each and say how they couldn't believe that the other was there too. Levi, despite his earlier attraction to Naomi, wished that he hadn't listened to his canine companion and left Naomi out in the woods. He was confused, and had the sneaking suspicion that he would never again live the same life that he had prior to a certain Elf Boy's arrival.
"What's going on? It's barely dawn-" Steve appeared in the doorway, yawning before he could finish his sentence. His purple eyes widened when his gaze focused on Naomi. Without warning, Steve dragged Levi by the shoulder away from the two.
"Levi, who-no, what-is that girl?!" Steve frantically whispered.
In response, Herobrine's doppelgänger gave a small shrug. "She says that she's a neko-" At Steve's confused expression, he explained, "the word for cat in Japanese, whatever that is. She says that her name is Naomi, but at the same time that's not her real name. She's apparently online friends with Elf Boy over there, and the two just started chatting when they recognized each other."
When Levi looked into Steve's eyes, he saw something that wasn't usually portrayed in his eyes. Fear. Not like the fear Steve gained when fighting mobs, but the fear that had appeared in his eyes when he had first seen Levi's eyes. And there was dread in his eyes as well. "Steve?" He questioned cautiously. "What's wrong?"
"The prophecy." Steve whispered underneath his breath. "The prophecy is starting to come true. Oh Notch no. Don't let me be right..."
The chatter between the two girls ceased, and Elf Boy walked over to the two brothers, hands firmly placed on her lips. "A prophecy? About what?"
Steve's fingers started to tremble as he managed to get out, "Just-Just come inside." The three teenagers followed him into the house, each wondering what Steve would possibly tell them.
The four sat quietly around the table in the living room, and with reluctance, Steve began. "This happened long ago, not long after He was defeated."
"Herobrine?" Steve confirmed Naomi's guess with a nod.
Levi noticed out of the corner of his eye that Steve was nervously wringing his hands together. "There was a prophetess-Her name is lost from history. My parents told us about her when we were little."
"Us?" Levi questioned, leaning forward. "You said that you lived with only your parents, Steve."
"Did I say us?" He replied, giving a weak smile. "I meant to say me. But the thing is, this prophecy was hoped to never come true. Even now villagers and humans like the four of us hope that it will never come true."
"Why?" Elf Boy questioned, curiosity filling her blue eyes.
The almost fake smile faded from Steve's face. "It tells about the return of Him."
The minute he finished speaking, protests arose from Naomi and Elf Boy. "But he's dead!" Elf Boy yelled, standing up and banging her hands against the table. "You told us yourself!"
"Someone can't come back from the dead..." Naomi trailed off. Her blue eyes seemed to be filled with sorrow as she stared at the adult. "I know that."
"I don't need another one of those-those-those things in my life!" Elf Boy yelled even louder than before.
"And wouldn't he cause mass destruction...and come after the four of us?"
Levi, however, hadn't spoken a word since Steve had mentioned Herobrine's return. Heart pounding in his chest harder than ever before, he managed to get to his feet and head into the library with a slam of the door behind him.