So, only very recently did I learn that the Aether mod has lore behind it. I added some elements of that lore to this story, but there are still differences between the mod and this.

In other words, some things might sound familiar, but don't expect this story to (fully) adhere to the mod's lore.

Chapter two: Hostile paradise

I confess to abducting Harrison Jack Snyder to the Overworld, leaving him with no way to return to his home world. I confess to invading his mind, forcing him to go to the Nether to help me combat a threat I could not oppose on my own. And I confess to using the same mental influence on you, Captain.

Three weeks ago

Jack didn't go back to his room for the remainder of the night. He doubted he'd be able to sleep. The strange dream and his conversation with Yaebi had left him thinking.

He only realized how long he had been sitting at the lakeside when the first rays of sun emerged from beyond the Realm's wall.

Yaebi jumped to his feet. "It's morning," he said. "I have to go. Bye, Jack!"

"See ya, kid," Jack said.

Yaebi took off. Jack watched him go. Maybe he was going to check on Yaebi in a little bit to make sure the boy had made it inside in time. The Realm's wall provided some extra protection against the sunlight, but not a lot.

Jack stayed seated for a while longer. Finally he got up and stretched. Maybe he should take a stroll. It'd been some time since he walked for relaxation. He had done some traveling before reaching the Realm, but that had been a tense journey at times.

Someone entered the ring of trees.

"Jackaboy Snyder," Ari greeted, her purple hair gently moving in the wind. "I've heard it said you wanted to challenge me to a fight."

Jack sighed. The stroll would have to wait. "You're upbeat this morning."

"Of course," Ari said. "I've got a new sparring partner. Andr told me you wanted to practice fighting."

That was true. He wanted to be able to reliably fight mob hunters. Seemed a good idea to start practicing early.

"Alright," Jack said, deciding not to complain. "Armed or unarmed?"

"What do you think? Unarmed, of course! There's no fun in using weapons."

"I don't think the Hunters will agree with that."

"Probably not, but it's always good to know some hand-to-hand techniques anyway."

"I think—"

She kicked his side. He grunted.

With a chuckle, she backed away. Her kick had been fast, but hadn't hurt much; she was evidently holding back.

Jack glared at her.

"Come on then, Jackaboy!" Ari challenged with a grin. "Are you just going to let that happen?"

Jack stepped forward. Remembering his martial arts training from Earth, he threw a punch. It was a fast attack, but Ari still managed to dodge it.

He lunged and grabbed her shoulder, trying to initiate a grapple.

She swiftly retaliated by snaking both her arms around his, pressing his elbow down while pressing his hand up. She walked forward, placing her foot behind his.

With the way she held his arm, Jack was forced to step back—only to trip over her foot. He fell on his back, his arm still locked in Ari's grip. He recognized that technique; it was an exact copy of a move he'd learned in his world, and she had executed it perfectly.

He looked up at her. Thankfully she let him go, and he got to his feet.

"This is just an excuse to beat me up, isn't it?" he said.

"What? Why would you think that!"

"That's not funny!" Jack snapped.

She tilted her head, her apparent glee fading. "What's wrong?"

Jack stopped. She seemed genuinely confused. Had he misread her?

Ari paused. "Wait… Is this about what you told us a couple days back? About your world?"

"… I thought it was. I've never seen you this cheerful before. Feels kinda passive-aggressive to me."

She looked at him. "Oh, Jack." She chuckled. "Oh, Jackaboy. You gotta assume the worst, don't ya?"

"… So this isn't about that?"

"No! Andr said you wanted to practice fighting, and I figured I'd help. That's it."

"Then why are you all…happy? And why fight this early in the morning?"

"What can I say? I'm just glad we're at a place the Hunters can't get to. We barely managed to get through that maze in the wall, and we had a map. Besides, a good sparring match in the morning always wakes me up."

"You don't think the Hunters can get their hands on a map?"

"I don't know, but that's why we have to practice fighting now. All of us. And I'm more than happy to beat up the guy who helped us get here."

He paused. "Mystia is the one who actually got us here…"

"Yeah, but she's got all those scary poisons in her pocket. I don't want to deal with that."

"Okay, that I understand."

"That's the Jackaboy we know."

He looked at her unamused. "Stop calling me that. I think I like my first name better."

"But Jackaboy is your first name."

"Jack isn't my first name."

"No?" She raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Then what is?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Oh, a mystery. Looks like I'll have to beat it out of you."

"Bring it on," he casually replied, raising his hands.

Present day

"We're not all going to the Aether," Athena said. She and the others had entered a cave not too far from Ironhand. "It's too dangerous for some of us." She glanced to Honetsu and her younger sisters. "Also, if we bring more than five, Raulyn might go back on his decision to work with us."

"Yeah, we got that," Blazette said, sounding uninterested. Athena found that the blonde Nether mob had as much attitude as Cassandra, if not more. "So, who goes where?"

"Whoever won't go to the Aether will go to the Caverns of Kninth," Athena said. "The others from the Realm are there as well—or, they should be."

"They 'should be,'" Blazette repeated. "You don't sound very convinced."

Athena ignored her. "I suggest Honetsu, Ajthne and Etney go to the Caverns. They can meet Gelli and her sisters there. Andr, we already discussed your role in our group with the Hunters. Mystia, your help and knowledge would be useful, but the Hunters have some potions of their own; if you don't want to come, we might be able to work without you."

"Not a chance," Mystia said. "I'm coming with. I've always wanted to travel to other worlds anyway."

"Same here," Cass cut in. "I didn't come all this way to go back empty-handed."

Athena didn't respond. She looked at Ari, who seemed doubtful. Cass turned to her as well.

"I don't know," Ari said. "I'm not sure how useful I would be. I mean, Jack's a friend and we've come this far…but now it turns out he's in a place we don't even know anything about. And I realize we didn't know much about the Nether either, but we at least had some shadow of an idea of what to expect there and where the portal was. As far as most of the Overworld is concerned, the Aether doesn't exist or can't be reached."

"So you're just going to leave him to die?" Cass reprimanded.

"No. I just think we should first check if the two of us are even a good choice for this. There's a maximum of five mobs, remember? Better not waste it."

"Coward."

"I'm not saying this because I'm a coward," Ari snapped. "I'm saying this because there're mobs in this group that are leagues more useful." She paused, then added, "Though I'm not sure if that means much."

"What do you mean by that?" Athena asked.

Ari didn't answer immediately. "It's been bothering me," she finally said. "Even if we all make it to the Aether before the Hunters turn against us—which will definitely happen—we might not be able to help Jack. He could be anywhere in the Aether. If he stays long enough to learn how everything there works, he might be able to escape it by himself."

"Yeah," Blazette scoffed. "Because he's really good at solving supernatural problems alone. Anyone here remember the Trials?"

"You think we'll unintentionally get in his way?" Athena calmly said to Ari.

"I don't know." Ari looked conflicted. "I guess it depends on how we go about it. I'm not saying we shouldn't go; at the very least, it'd be nice to welcome him if he does get through the portal by himself. But we can't get our hopes up—or our guards down." She sighed. "And that brings me to another point: Herobrine's letter. We don't know if what it says is true, and we don't know for sure who wrote it. Raulyn himself could've written it to trick us into helping him for all we know. Maybe he made this whole Aether story up, too."

"This is turning into some kind of conspiracy theory, now?" Cassandra gestured to Andr. "Would be pretty stupid of him to get that close to a mob he can't even kill, don't you think? Also, remember when we thought Jack was a spy, and Yaebi reminded us that humans don't think it's really possible to infiltrate mob groups without the spy dying or turning? He was right—that's how mob hunters think; they don't believe for a second that we care about Jack. They wouldn't bother trying to trick us."

"First of all, we don't know if Raulyn can't kill Andr," Ari argued. "He's a Hunter; killing mobs is what he does. And even if he can't kill her, he can probably kill the rest of us. Besides, if we really didn't care about Jack, we would've just gone to the Caverns of Kninth, and the Hunters know it. We should at least consider that Raulyn is starting to suspect that we do want to see Jack alive, and so he's using that against us. Giving us false hope that Jack survived somehow."

"She's got a point," Mystia muttered. "The Hunters aren't that stupid; if they suspect we want Jack for whatever reason, they'll pretend to give us Jack—just so they can kill us later on."

"Again, I'm not saying we shouldn't go," Ari quickly said. "Just don't assume that the Hunters really need us, because they might very well not."

"True," Athena said. "All we need to do is keep an eye on them."

"I can do that," Cassandra insisted. "You know I can."

"Let's go back to the beginning," Athena said. "Consider who's willing to take the risk and who can contribute most to our journey. Andr's powers speak for themselves. Mystia knows more about treating injuries and the Aether than anyone else here, and she's got an instinctive sense for what kind of potion is most useful in any given situation." She looked at the others expectantly.

"… You're coming too, right?" Mystia said. "We could use a leader."

"If the Hunters are willing to travel by night and sleep by day, I'm willing to go."

"I think you should," Minerva said. She turned to Iris. "Iris, you probably want to see Yaebi again; I won't think any less of you if you don't come. And like I said before, those who go to the Caverns will probably need some bodyguards." She looked to Blazette and Charlotte.

Blazette's eyes widened. "Oh, no. I don't care for humans, but you'll need my help in the Aether. None of you can fly."

"And?" Cassandra said.

"And," Mystia said, "if the Aether really consists of floating islands like my sources suggest, having a flyer with us can be very handy. Even if we already have a teleporter."

Andr nodded. "She's right. If I can't see any solid land to teleport to, Blazette might be able to find some, and she can fly me there."

"That adds her to the list," Athena noted. "What about Charlotte? The more flyers, the better."

"Not me," Charlotte quickly said, sounding nervous. "I-I'm no fighter."

Athena glanced to Minerva, who nodded in affirmation. Athena didn't question it. Having destructive powers was one thing; having a mind for battle was something else entirely. If Charlotte wasn't prepared to fight, she shouldn't come.

"Alright, let's assume the Hunters are willing to travel by night," Athena said. "That means me, Blazette, Andr and Mystia. We could bring one more."

No one spoke up, but she could see the looks in their eyes. Cassandra was all but glaring at her, as if trying to threaten her. Ari looked more conflicted.

"It's up to you, leader," Mystia said.

Athena nodded, and her gaze went to Minerva. It had been a while since they worked together, but Athena was confident they would still make an effective team.

"Minerva?" she said.

Minerva nodded, smirking. "Thought you'd never ask."

Athena nodded and glanced to Ari and Cassandra. The latter still glared at her, then strode out of the cave.

"Cass…" Ari sighed, following.

A brief silence fell as she stepped outside.

"What's the kid's problem?" Blazette finally asked.

"Jack was secretive about his origins on Earth, at first," Athena quietly said. "When we finally convinced him to talk about it, Cassandra…didn't take it lightly."

"What do you mean?" asked Minerva.

"She didn't trust him because he's from a world we know next to nothing about. And because he kept it quiet for so long. She…didn't treat him very well after that."

"Sounds more like she was taking out her anger issues on him," Blazette said.

"Maybe she was. But when Jack left for the Nether, none of us knew what he was walking into. For all we knew, he was headed to certain death. Or he'd been a spy for Ironhand all along. Cassandra didn't believe that though; I guess when Jack left, she blamed herself for sending him to his death. She's been obsessed with helping him ever since."

Blazette scoffed. "Redemption?"

"Don't act like you're so different, Blazette," Minerva sharply said. "You seemed pretty determined to help Jack in the Trials, and you're determined to help him now."

"That's different. You don't see many good humans like Jack. I just want to make sure he survived."

"So it had nothing to do with that incident during your little war with Azer?"

"No, it had nothing to do with that!" Blazette snapped.

Minerva didn't respond.

Athena decided it was best not to ask. "Andr," she finally said. "We'll need your help with transport on our journey. The Hunters are probably going to use horses; we'll need you to keep up with them."

Andr nodded. "I know."

Further conversations sparked as they considered how to keep the Hunters away safely, where to get food and water, and other things they were mostly used to dealing with. Athena kept her gaze on Andr a while longer.

She was just about to look away when Andr took off her hat—the black one with two rectangular purple eyes on it. Much like Athena and Minerva, she'd found that hat from a human town. Silly as it was, they'd held onto it as a reminder that not everything in life had to be serious.

Staying in the background despite being the tallest in the room, Andr walked over to Honetsu—one of Gelli's nether relatives—drawing her attention.

"Hey," Athena heard Andr say. "Could you do me a favor, please?"

"Sure," Honetsu said. "What is it?"

"You're going to the Caverns, right?" Andr held out her hat. "I've got a friend there. Her name is Cupa. Could you give this to her? In case I…don't make it."

Honetsu showed a small smile and gently took the hat. "Sure thing."

Andr gave a nod of gratitude.

"Maybe you should do that too," Minerva said, following Athena's gaze. "This trip isn't going to be tame. I don't want to lose my beautiful hat in some foreign world—or to the Hunters, for that matter."

"Because the Hunters have every reason to steal it…" Athena quipped softly, taking off her hat. She would have it delivered to Yaebi to let him know she was fine.

Minerva did the same.

Jack took a couple of oranges from the small tree before him, glancing at his companion who stood a few meters away. Tristan wasn't facing him, instead watching over the plains of the large floating island they stood on. A few moas roamed around in the far distance, like man-sized birds.

Jack glanced around. No Zephyrs, thankfully.

He started walking, a pile of fruit in his arms. He didn't alert Tristan. He didn't need to.

He muttered a curse under his breath when his shaking hands nearly dropped an orange. His initial fit of madness following his resurrection still wasn't fully gone, despite Tristan's newfound powers pushing it away somewhat. Besides that and a few tips to stay alive, that had been the extent of their interactions.

The former Hunter materialized next to him, walking at the same pace.

After a silent walk, they arrived at a cave. Chunks of yellowish shards illuminated the inside. Unlike glowstone, the more crystalline Ambrosium actually emitted some warmth as well—something Jack was thankful for.

"So," Jack said as he passed through the narrow opening and dropped off the oranges inside. "About…this whole thing…"

Tristan—who materialized in the cave—looked at him questioningly. The Hunter-turned-spirit was still wearing his usual armor and weapons, but something about him looked a bit more…composed. Regal, almost. There wasn't a single tear or stain on his armor, not a single hint of hardship on his face.

"I've been here…what, a day and a half, now?" said Jack, leaving the cave again. Tristan teleported next to him. "Think it's about time I make a plan to get back."

Tristan gave a small smile. "If I told you where the portal was," he said, "would you make a plan to get there, or would you simply start walking in its general direction until you reach it?"

"What's the difference?"

"Moving from island to island is not easy…" There was no water between said islands; it was just air. Walking off the edge would be very risky, to say the least.

"I just need directions…" Jack insisted, glancing around for Zephyrs.

"It is not that simple."

"Why's that?"

"The Rule."

Jack frowned. "I thought the Rule didn't apply as much in your own territory?"

"We do not consider the Aether our direct territory," Tristan said. "We do not rule it; we defend it from creatures like Áhýdan."

"Then how'd you save my life?"

"Also Rule-related," Tristan said. "You were taken from Earth, forced into a conflict with Áhýdan, and, finally, you merged. All of that was done by Herobrine, and collectively it gave the Overseers more than enough clearance to save you."

"What, because Herobrine broke the Rule?" He paused. "I didn't know merging was against it."

"It is not, but merging is a unique situation. It…contributed…to your rescue."

"So…if you or Raulyn had killed me before…"

Tristan shook his head. "No. The Overseers would not have been able to save you. Herobrine had brought you to the Overworld against your will, but it was your own choice to oppose the Hunters. We cannot save you from that."

"And if I'd died in Áhýdan's Trials?"

"We may have been able to save you then, depending on whether Herobrine gained the upper hand in the fight. Invading that prison to get you out alive would have been difficult, considering how powerful Áhýdan had become. And if he had won, we would have had to devote all of our power to limiting his ensuing path of destruction. That would leave little room to save you."

Jack hesitated. "Why didn't Drake become one of you?"

Tristan remained silent for a moment, his expression softening. "Even now," he said, "I do not know everything. Some humans become spirits upon death. Or perhaps we were always spirits, waiting to be freed from physical form. Drake did not have that luck. And Áhýdan's connection to the Overworld was strong enough to let him offer someone—such as Drake—a place in his Trial."

"And Drake accepted."

"Áhýdan could be persuasive when he wanted to be. And he had been watching you since the beginning. Via you, his eyes fell on the Hunters, and he found someone who died hating you. The perfect recruit for his battle."

"So that was the real Drake in the Trial of Determination."

Tristan nodded. "Because I killed him."

Jack hesitated. Should he pursue this point? He suspected Tristan defected because of what happened in the Silver Cave, which then led to Tristan's and Drake's deaths. Maybe he should clear the air…

No. That didn't have much of a point; he wasn't planning to stay in the Aether for long. Besides, Tristan did have a past as a Hunter; Jack doubted they'd agree on anything, and talking about the Silver Cave incident would only make things worse.

"Anyway…" Jack said. "The portal?"

"Right." Tristan paused, then added, "It is getting dark."

Jack looked to the sun and cursed quietly. He'd completely lost track of time, and he didn't want to be out when night fell. He'd almost made that mistake once. If it weren't for Tristan's help, he probably would've died that night.

He returned to the cave, bringing a new batch of oranges with him. Once inside, he pushed the large stone in front of the entrance—the closest thing he had to a door. He wasn't about to let a cockatrice sneak into his hideout.

He turned to Tristan, who looked at him with his usual stoic gaze. The former Hunter hadn't even bothered to walk his way to the cave, using his teleportation power instead. The show-off had a tendency to do that even when it wasn't necessary.

"So," Jack said, grabbing an orange and peeling it. "Where were we?"

Tristan didn't answer immediately. "I cannot point you to the portal," he said, "but I know who can."

Jack stuffed a piece of fruit in his mouth. "Humans?"

"No," Tristan said, suddenly looking grim. "We leave tomorrow. The sooner we finish our business with them, the better."

Jack frowned. "Hey, wait a minute…"

Tristan vanished.

Jack glared at the empty air. What was that all about? Tristan just gave him a cliffhanger to hold onto for the entire night.

Leaning against the wall, Jack finished his orange and threw the peel towards where Tristan had stood. The Hunter owed him an explanation—Jack was going to remind him of that first thing in the morning.

He sighed, calming down. For now he just needed to rest.

He slowly sat down on his makeshift bed of dirt and grass, back against the wall. He knew next to nothing about the Aether. He did know it resulted in a bleed-through—a phenomenon where an aspect of a separate world somehow manifested on Earth as an idea. In this case, that idea became a mod for a videogame.

Videogames… It felt so long ago since the Overworld and mobs and whatnot were just that. Just…fake. Code. But those annoying zombies originated from Yaebi, who had been forced to grow up too quickly because of human dogmas. Those wither skeletons that occupied every square inch of every Nether fortress were Minerva, who'd gained his respect in a single day despite the bad first impressions they had both made. The once unsettling purple eyes were now a source of comfort, a sign that Andr was near.

He realized he'd clenched his jaw and was holding his head in his hands. He was just so sick of everything. Earth was his world. Overworld, Nether, Aether—they were all just prisons. Prisons where he'd made friends, but prisons nonetheless.

But he was going to be free eventually. He would return to Earth, even if it meant leaving those friends behind.

Kai stepped up onto the hilltop, bringing his horse along with him. He looked around the area. The sun was descending, bathing the landscape into a beautiful shade of orange.

Soon, his eyes landed on something nearby.

Two of the mobs he had met earlier—the Spider siblings, if he remembered correctly—were sitting and talking on the grassy ground. They had already spotted him but did not seem to care. So long as he kept his distance and did not hold a bow, they would be at ease.

Every time he saw mobs exhibit emotion like this, he was reminded of Sarah. And every time he was reminded of Sarah, he hated himself a little more.

He felt at his belt, where a sideways K was attached with metal wire. It was not for his name, but it gave comfort nonetheless.

"Sometimes I wonder why I am still doing this," he told his horse. Valiant looked back at him.

The Blaze stepped out of a cave near the two Spiders. She glanced at them, then ascended into the air. Kai felt uncertain for a moment, but the Blaze did not approach him, instead ascending further with increasing speed. He suspected she was assigned to watch the area.

"I wonder where Sarah is now," Kai quietly told Valiant. "If she is still alive…"

He waited for a while longer. Eventually the mobs went back inside.

Four other Hunters approached him shortly after. Raulyn was among them. Kai gave a half-hearted salute. Soon after, the mobs left their cave and split off into two groups. One proceeded to leave; the other group—led by the Stray, who could only come outside once the sun was low enough—approached the Hunters. Seemed like they were planning on moving at night and sleeping during the day. Kai wondered if Raulyn would agree with that.

The Stray was followed by four others. Mystia the witch was among them.

The mobs and sympathizer soon reached the hilltop. They mirrored the Hunters, with the Stray standing at the front. The two groups faced each other down for a moment.

"So," the Stray finally said. "Shall we?"

Kai glanced at the group he was with. He, Raulyn, Galen, Ilyoin and Rayallv were all that were present. The resulting group would have as many mobs as humans. That was not comforting, but for as long as the mobs needed Raulyn alive, the Hunters would be fine.

Raulyn nodded. "Yes. It is time to go."