Chapter 60: Hallowed Truths
Alice was surprised to see Dalloreis bustling with Piglins and Endermen upon their return, and even more so to notice none of the latter were from the Acolytes of the Violet Gaze.
"They're gone?" asked Dunera, cautiously optimistic. "They really left?"
They'd taken only a moment to lick their wounds- and hastily bandage Salsh's stomach in his case- before regrouping with the rest of the bastion's forces and continuing back. Geres' soldiers had dealt them many casualties, but they'd been worn down and forced to retreat, especially after learning of their leader's death. A few had been killed outright, and their pearls were taken. Alice wasn't sure how she felt about collecting such morbid trophies, but they needed to get to the End, so something had to give.
The group had braced themselves for another fight upon reaching the city, yet they found no such thing. Another group of Piglins, distinct from the ones from the bastion, were milling about and helping the Dwellers of the Ashen Fields clean up after their occupation. As they made their way up to the ramparts, one small Piglin whom Alice found very familiar ran out to greet them.
"Oh…! Hey, little buddy!" She looked across the fortress' bridges, at the many other Piglins present. "Are these your friends? There's a lot more of you than last time."
Dunera stepped forward to translate, signing back and forth with the child. "He says his clan wished to repay 'the Dark One' for your help in saving them from the skeletons. They came to Dalloreis in droves and helped push out the Acolytes!"
Salsh grinned. "Does he mean me? Perhaps they thought I was a Dweller of the Ashen Fields. Regardless, please thank him for his clan's help."
A few older Piglins were approaching, armed and growling. Alice wondered what her group might have done to offend them, but Jurum stepped out and spoke to them, after which they settled down. One of them scooped up the child and walked back into the fortress.
"Many Piglin clans are suspicious of those from the Overworld," Dunera said, translating from Jurum as they explained. "They believe you do not value the Nether and its ways. But the two of you have proven yourselves in their eyes."
"Glad to hear it," Matthew remarked, with a bit of a nervous laugh.
A trio of Endermen- the Dweller chieftess and two guards- warped out to the bridge with them. Dunera stepped forth to greet her leader, quietly speaking with her to report on their progress. Alice noticed the chieftess glancing at Salsh, who was off to the side and looking over the bridge at the lava flowing below. Killing the giant Enderman and Geres hadn't been fun for any of them, yet he was taking the day's events the hardest.
"I can't blame him," she thought, "I don't know if I'd have it in me to kill another human or a villager."
Thinking of her powerful new weapon, which had been so unsettlingly effective, made Alice remember it didn't belong to her. She turned to Jurum, who was sifting through a stack of golden ingots provided by a Dweller, and tapped their shoulder. When they looked at her, she pulled out the mace and held it toward them with a bow.
"I'm sorry I took this. You can have it back," she said, hoping they would at least catch her meaning even if they didn't speak her language.
To her surprise, Jurum pushed it back toward her with a grunt. They looked to Matthew next and handed him a bundle of arrows with glowing yellow tips. Before either of them could say anything more, Jurum pocketed the Dwellers' payment and whistled for their soldiers to assemble. The Piglins from the bastion began their march back home, waving goodbye as they left Dalloreis.
Alice cracked a smile. "You know, Matt… they don't seem so bad. Maybe we could visit again one day."
"Maybe. I think I'll have had enough of the Nether for a while after this, though."
"Excuse me, you three. The Cindered One wishes to speak with you." Dunera was beckoning for them to follow her. They did as told and walked along the bridge into Dalloreis, finally taking in the sights of the city.
Alice had been to a few Nether fortresses in the past, during excursions with her old friends. They'd swiftly been chased out by skeletons more than once, but the memories of the structures had stayed with her ever since. She was fascinated by the ruins, built by some ancient peoples whose history she might never truly know.
Dalloreis, currently occupied by a living group, was in much better shape. The buildings atop the red brick bridges were tall and expansive, allowing for the residents to move about easily despite their heights. Stepping through the doorway of a large, central tower and up the wide staircase made Alice feel small.
They followed Dunera and the chieftess into a room with a blackstone throne. The place might have once been very ornate, yet in the aftermath of Dalloreis' occupation it seemed barren and hollow. The chieftess took a seat with a sigh, then gestured for one of her attendants to bring them something. Alice was presented with yet another gift: a bundle of blaze rods and a collection of Ender pearls, more than enough for their purposes. Between the donations and the pearls taken from Geres' forces, they would be able to activate Salsh's portal.
"The Cindered One has declared her support for your cause," Dunera said. "For now, our people will leave Dalloreis and accompany you to the Land of Infinite Void."
"All of you?" Salsh replied.
"That's right. The Cindered One has agreed with your plan: we must all come together to stop the Terman'eslar." Dunera pointed to the pearls Alice was holding. "You will use those to build your gateway, and then we will enter it together."
"Guess the mansion's about to be pretty packed," Matthew chuckled.
Alice was glad to have the reinforcements, yet Salsh didn't seem very enthusiastic. He struggled to look up from the floor, slowly glancing between Dunera and the Cindered One. "I… thank you for your support, but I believe you all should know something."
As Dunera translated, Salsh turned to face Alice and Matthew as well. In his eyes, she swore she could see years of regret and anxiety.
"The Terman'eslar may well have a good reason to hate me and my tribe… as might you all. The invasion from so long ago… the oppression of our race, and the deaths incurred… the blame for it all lies with us. With the Keepers of the Hallowed Grounds."
"We found a portal frame inside the stronghold, and over the following year we searched for a means to activate it. During that time, however, I made another discovery: the Endermen, the beings I'd slaughtered en masse, were not invading our world of their own accord."
Two weeks prior, Salsh would have sooner died than reveal what he knew. His tribe were already targets of the Acolytes for what they'd done; sharing the reason for their hostility could have drawn further anger, perhaps even leading to more support of the invasion. At the very least, the Keepers of the Hallowed Grounds might have become the enemy of all Void Walkers.
But he had something- someone- which he hadn't at the time. The two explorers who'd rescued him, who'd patched him up and listened to his plight, who'd agreed to help him despite the needless risks they would bring upon themselves, who'd been so interested to share stories over a fire… he could not bring himself to hide the truth from them any longer. If they really wanted to go the distance with him, they at least deserved to know who they were fighting alongside.
"The Hallowed Grounds are said to be the region where our kind first appeared in the Land of Infinite Void," he explained. "Whether we originated there or we came from another world entirely, even the oldest of us cannot say for certain. But while we started there, we didn't stay there. The first Endermen spread across the void, gradually splitting off into tribes and finding different places to call home. Those who chose to stay became the Keepers of the Hallowed Grounds."
"Your ancestors," Alice said, looking enraptured.
Salsh nodded. "They were hardly isolated despite staying behind. That central region became a hub of trade and travel, and the many tribes of the Infinite Void would pass through it. Great prosperity came to our world, but the people of my tribe decided to seek means of reaching other worlds as well. Their experiments eventually brought our kind here." He gestured around him, then looked at Dunera. She was translating for the Cindered One, who had an expression he couldn't read.
Salsh looked back to Matthew and Alice, realizing the next part would be difficult for him to talk about. He recalled learning his tribe's history as a child with the rest of his brood, and even at such a young age he'd found their exploits morbid.
"Once the Nether had been opened to the Endermen, the Groundskeepers went about creating a new portal. Our efforts led to the first links between our world and yours… but even then, we weren't satisfied. We discovered a way to build one more portal, larger than any other, and opened a gateway to a fourth dimension."
He sighed. "Where that portal might have led, we will never know. All we know is that something came through to the End: the beast you know as the Ender Dragon. Before long, all of our progress was hers. She of the Abyssal Tyranny enslaved our entire species, forcing them to invade the worlds they'd peacefully visited. From there… well, you know your world's legends."
"The Heroes fought their way to the End and killed the Ender Dragon," said Matthew. "But they must have killed so many Endermen on their way, too…"
Salsh clenched a fist. "In all our centuries before and since, there has never been a greater loss of life. If the Violet Gaze invades and incurs another counter-attack, they could pave the way for our extinction. Even so… the fault is ours just as much. While the rest of my tribe is still at the Hallowed Grounds, trying to hold off the Violet Gaze's advance, I left by myself to find another solution. Whether by a weapon or by calling on other tribes… I wanted to atone for what we'd brought upon our kind."
Nobody said a word. He wouldn't have been surprised to hear the Overworlders give up on him then and there, to say nothing of the Ashen Dwellers.
"I wish to know something, Salsh'namisherad." The one to break the silence was the Dwellers' chieftess. He turned to face the Cindered One, surprised to hear her addressing him with such a tone- not merely calm, but soft. She slowly got up from her throne and stepped toward him. "Were you present for the creation of that portal?"
He frowned. It had to be a trick question; he was already well into adulthood, yet he was nowhere near that old.
As he hesitated to answer, the Cindered One did it for him. "You were not. You, your birthers, and their birthers could have no memory of such a time… but I do."
Dunera translated for the Overworlders, and Salsh heard Alice stifle a gasp.
"Oh yes, I was just entering adulthood when the final portal was created," she went on, "and I remember that time very well. It was the last time we, as a race, were so unified in our excitement. The portal's architects were eager to expand our reach and open new possibilities. If any Void Walkers harbored concerns over this project, none spoke up."
Her eyes were firm, and Salsh found he couldn't look away, yet he didn't feel as though he was under scrutiny or judgment.
"I was there when that portal was activated, and when the beast arrived. My memories of the time spent under her command are hazy… she had taken control of our minds and bodies by some unknown means, and we could only ever resist her influence for brief moments. We mindlessly carried out her bidding, never able to fight back. All we could do was hope someone else would come to our rescue."
The Cindered One rested a hand on his shoulder, and Salsh realized he could see nothing but kindness and patience on her face. "None of us could have predicted what would happen. The tyrant's rule was the bleakest point in our history, yes, and the resulting deaths were tragic. I cannot speak for all of our race, but personally, I have never held it against your tribe."
To his shock, she smiled. "And even if I had, I see no reason to blame you for an event which you were not alive for, let alone did not cause."
"She's right!" Matthew spoke up next, once Dunera had finished translating. "Salsh, whatever happened back then, you shouldn't think you're guilty! You didn't have anything to do with it!"
"Ever since we went into that mansion, you've been telling us you just want to make sure there isn't another war between our worlds," said Alice. "Now I see why it's so important for you: it's personal."
Even Dunera offered him a nod and a smile. She spoke in Endish, then translated for the Overworlders. "It seems you've gone to greater lengths to fight the Acolytes than most of our kind… it's impressive!"
Salsh looked around at them, unsure how to process such understanding from his new allies. Had he really been so needlessly hard on himself? Did they see no reason to distrust him for the errors of those who'd come before?
"Everyone… thank you." He allowed himself to grin at the Overworlders. "It appears I've been a fool, all this time, to think I had to atone. My mission to stop the Acolytes has not changed, though… will you still help me?"
"The Dwellers of the Ashen Fields will join your cause," the Cindered One repeated, once Dunera had asked her in Endish. "If you have a means of reaching the Land of Infinite Void, then we will follow you there. I believe it will be nice to see the homeland again, and even better to see it freed of our bloody history."
The day in the Nether had easily been the most eventful of Matthew's life, and the most dangerous as well. Yet as he and Alice made their way out of Dalloreis, back toward the portal they'd arrived through, he couldn't help but feel at least a little good about the experience. He still hated the fighting and killing, but he'd gotten to see places he never could have imagined, and grown closer to Alice and Salsh to boot. The latter even seemed almost happy as he followed them through the Nether tunnels, certainly less dour than he'd been since they met.
"I believe the Piglins will be watching over Dalloreis in the Dwellers' absence," Salsh remarked. "I will miss their help, but I don't think they can survive outside of the Nether."
"They've done enough for us already," Matthew replied.
Alice took his hand with a grin. "They were nice. Maybe I could learn to sign-speak to them like Dunera does one day… things to think about for our next visit, hmm?"
The Dwellers of the Ashen Fields were following behind them. The whole city had mobilized, bar none, to accompany them to the mansion. Not all of them would be able to fight, but leaving anyone behind in Dalloreis would have spelled disaster if the Acolytes returned.
They reached the portal, in that cave where they'd first battled the skeletons. Salsh stepped through first, then returned a moment later to announce the coast was clear. Matthew followed him inside, and was brought back to the mine entrance they'd built just below the mansion. As the Ashen Dwellers filed in one by one, he guided them up the stairs into their home base. Fortunately, nobody else had moved in during their time in the Nether, so the Endermen had plenty of room to move about and settle in for the night. Matthew and Alice went with Salsh to the old dungeon, where they got to work making more Eyes of Ender.
"My friends and I used to talk about doing this one day," said Alice while she rolled a pearl around in blaze powder. "Going to the End, I mean. Following the steps of the Heroes… heh, if only they could see me now."
"Where do you think they are now?" Matthew had always liked hearing her stories about them, even if he was slightly envious of how brave she'd been when she was younger.
Alice stopped what she was doing, looking a little unsure. "I hope they're all okay. We left home one at a time to follow our own paths, and I don't know where any of them are now. There was only one of us still there the day I left, but… well, I knew it would be hardest for him to move on. I hid a letter for him to find, thinking it'd be what he needed to get out and see the world."
"Do you think he found it?" asked Salsh.
"I hope so. I think there's something out there for him, if he can just take the first steps toward it."
Salsh let out a short, rough laugh. "These adventures of yours sound… fun. My childhood was very different, most of my time was spent learning architecture with the rest of my brood."
Matthew frowned at the image. "Your… brood?"
"We are born from batches of eggs, all donated from multiple Void Walkers. In my tribe at least, we are raised by the adults collectively. You might say I have eleven siblings, and just as many parents."
"I can't imagine what your family trees must look like," Alice giggled. "Still, no friends?"
"Not in your sense of the word," replied Salsh, just as he finished heating another pearl into an Eye of Ender.
Matthew was quiet, but he and Alice shared a knowing look. As he crushed a blaze powder, he said, "Well… you've got us now."
Salsh paused, looking at each of them for a moment. Then he smiled and got back to work. "Yes… I suppose I do. Thank you."
It didn't take long for them to have a full set of twelve Eyes of Ender, which Salsh stored in his bag. After restocking themselves on weapons and armor using their mined ores, as well as crafting tools for the Dwellers to use, the three settled in for the night, exhausted by the day's efforts.
The next morning, their journey would bring them to Salsh's homeworld, and closer to Acolyte territory than ever.