Five Years Six Months Three Weeks Ago
The Virus stopped trying to break free and just stood there sadly, looking at Notch from behind the powerful walls where Notch lured him to trap him.
"Brother… Forgive me. I could not help you."
His expression seemed so genuine, showing fear and also guilt. Notch could see the words, even though he couldn't hear them as security blocks now kept the Virus from interacting with surrounding world.
And then he screamed, falling to his knees and covering his face with shaking hands as the forces within the containment walls began to tear his form apart. Notch had to turn away, unable to witness the agony that that virtual being experienced. He felt strong sympathy for him, then, but could do nothing to help him.
This memory bothered him, still.
Years had now passed since that day, but questions remained. If that Virus tried to destroy him, why did he say those words in the end? Was it really just him resorting to a psychological trick and manipulation? That seemed likely, considering how smart the Virus was and his own lack of memories at the time. Still, Notch couldn't help considering other alternatives of what that situation could have meant.
What if the real Herobrine really did believe that he was trying to save Notch from control of the humans? And that's why he attempted to take over the entire System?
In either case, he had gone too far and endangered innocents, both in their own world and the world of the humans. Notch couldn't tolerate that. And if he had to make the choice, he would have destroyed him yet again.
A bright beam of light fell directly into Notch's eyes and he irritably waved his hand, so a cloud appeared and blocked it high above.
"What is that?" New Herobrine's hesitant voice distracted Notch from his thoughts. Notch could not help a small smile.
"What?" He asked. White eyes shifted to Notch and the being pointed to the blue sky wrapping over their heads and extending far beyond their viewpoint on a cliff, at the edge of which they stood. Behind them extended a softly rolling grassy hill. For a moment, Notch didn't understand.
"You saw what I did?" He asked next. At the uncertainty in the program's look, he brought up his hand and formed a simple equation of code, which should have remained invisible to the human eye until actualized into the Game matrix. White eyes turned to the changing shape that hovered above Notch's palm, shifting from a cube to a sphere, to an irregular polygon with shimmering, white edges.
"You can see Code." Notch concluded, keeping the rising mix of emotions from his tone so his voice remained utterly calm.
"Here. Hold it." He suddenly cast the form to Herobrine, who instinctively held up his hands and… managed to catch the thing, by instinct or luck grasping the threads that kept it stable. For a moment, he stared at the simplistic shape with curiosity, which soon turned to confusion. Then he looked up and found Notch studying him with a strangely cold, evaluating squint.
White eyes opened wide as uncertainty returned and Herobrine looked at Notch with a slightly frightened question.
"I'm just testing your abilities. You have not done anything wrong." Notch calmly reassured and saw Herobrine's tensed body relax a little. White eyes returned to the piece of code suspended in between his carefully held hands.
"Try to change its shape." Notch directed. Obediently, the being complied, or tried to, as its dark brows lowered into a frown of concentration. An expression of anger appeared next, as the code defied his will.
"You cannot simply force it to be what you want. It's not connected to the System, which can interpret your wishes. There are no rules governing this piece, yet, beyond those I already gave it. A simple algorithm. You can change it by changing its settings, here. And there." Notch patiently pointed to the variables that currently randomly shifted, affecting the resulting form of the prism. White eyes focused on the briefly lit up areas and …
Notch detected a part of Herobrine's own code reaching to the area directly and setting the numbers to a set point. The form in his hands ceased twitching and froze, taking the shape of a perfect cube. For a moment, Herobrine considered it, pleased with his achievement, then turned to Notch with another unspoken question.
"It's just an exercise. You can let it go."
Herobrine hesitated a moment, then let go of the unseen object, which instantly scattered to tiny trailing pieces, which then absorbed into the surrounding air and vanished.
Notch submerged into thought, interrupted only when the being next to him impatiently sighed and sat down on the grass, white gaze returning to the sky beyond. Fluffy clouds continued to float along, taking on fantastical shapes. Dismissing his shoes, Herobrine stretched out his toes and leaned back on his elbows into the grass, apparently deciding that Notch had left him again, working elsewhere in his mind despite his physical avatar still present next to him.
Notch didn't interrupt him, unobtrusively continuing to observe the strange program, while he considered what he should do in view of the just discovered fact.
Herobrine could both perceive and manipulate code.
Not just through in-game means through a set of commands as advanced players and Admin did, but directly, as Notch could. It was amazing and… dangerous. He could only guess at the reaction of the humans when he reported this. And he would have to. Everything he learned about this program, he had to deliver in a report at the end of each day. So, by tonight, they would know of Herobrine's ability.
Herobrine yawned sleepily, appearing content, then leaned slightly forward as he squinted at something beyond. Suddenly, he shyly smiled and pointed his hand.
"Ship." He quietly said and glanced at Notch for approval. Notch responded with a small nod, his expression softening. In the distance, indeed one of the clouds had taken on the shape of an ephemeral white ship, with sails filling with gentle pink and golden colors of dawn.
Satisfied, Herobrine returned his attention to the game Notch showed him, searching for more familiar objects in the cloudy, passing shapes. He seemed well content. And this was the dangerous glitch that Notch's associates wanted to find the excuse to destroy?
Some of new Herobrine's abilities may be questionable and even dangerous, but Notch was certain that he could find a way to control them or at least significantly limit their expression. In all other regards Herobrine was proving not much different from an ordinary human. He had human needs and human emotions. At this very moment, he reminded Notch of a curious child, absorbing everything he saw without question or judgement. If he learned kindness and positive social interactions, there was a very good chance that Notch could find a place for him within his own vast world.
Only how could he convince the humans of this? Especially when they seemed intent on believing otherwise just to justify their wish to avoid the hassle of dealing with such a complex sentient? Notch took a deep breath to still his displeasure at the humans who were currently in charge. Taking his gaze off his charge, he looked out toward the great distance, where myriads line of code moved together as one in perfect harmony to create the simple effect of floating clouds.
He might not be able to keep Herobrine much longer, but he will try what he could to help him. Even though not his creation and thus not his responsibility to protect, Herobrine was truly sentient. Notch was certain of this now, despite the inconclusive findings that the tests of the Admin had showed early on. As such, Herobrine deserved a chance to live, same as anyone else. Whether or not the humans chose to believe this no longer mattered. Still, he needed to prove this to them somehow. Show that this Herobrine was different than the Virus, despite his similarity to him in code.
Notch frowned, coming to a decision.
"Herobrine, come with me. I want to show you something." He spoke. Immediately, the being jumped to his feet, his boots equipped on his feet in the blink of an eye. Seeing he got his attention, Notch teleported them both away.
They appeared on the edge of a thick wood, overlooking a field before a small village. Human looking beings wandered from place to place, their heads strangely bald. Their garments consisted of gowns. Self-absorbed, most of the villagers tilled in the field, but a few smaller members of them ran about. From a distance, they noticed Notch.
"Notch!" Immediately abandoning their affairs, the strange beings ran toward their benefactor. Notch patiently waited, feeling how Herobrine behind him tensed. He even stepped closer to Notch, as if seeking to hide behind his broad back.
"Notch!"
"Are you here for long?"
"Did you bring us presents?"
Notch smiled, tossing forward gifts, which hung bobbing above the ground, their icons turning this way and that. With glee, the villagers jumped to collect them.
"Golden apples!"
"Cake!"
Delighted laughter and approving words evoked a smile on Notch's face. The villagers began to gather around him again. Of course, they noticed Herobrine standing in his shadow, and curiously eyed the nervous, white-eyed man.
"Who is that?"
"That's my friend, Herobrine. He is here to visit for a day or so. Please be kind to him and show him how everything works. He is very new." Notch said calmly.
"Is he a player?" Someone asked, studying tensed Herobrine with innocent interest.
"No. He is more like you and me."
"Really?"
"Like you?"
"Can he do tricks?"
"Can he make things appear from thin air?"
"Can he appear and disappear?"
None of them said anything about Herobrine's white eyes, not finding that an unusual detail at all. Notch felt grateful for their simple ways and genuine good will.
"Are you hungry? My mother made dinner!" One of the little villagers declared, jumping to grab Herobrine by his hand. By now, the white-eyed being sported a very confused look and cast Notch a pleading glance. He did not know how to react to these creatures. That they were not entirely human, he could already see.
"These are Villagers. And that's the name of their race, not their profession. They are… the original inhabitants of the game. Sentient, but simpler than human. I have decided to introduce you to them. You need to learn how to react appropriately to different social interactions. This is a good way to start. Unlike the humans, they won't attack and otherwise are very peaceful and friendly. Go and spend some time with them. Watch what they do, too. You can obtain several simple but very useful skills here. Planting, tilling the ground, harvesting, preparing food, and building. Try your hand at that."
Herobrine held still, slight wonder along with worry starting to show through his expressionless look. He ignored the child tugging his hand, but didn't scowl at him, either. Notch considered it a good sigh.
"What if I accidentally… hurt them?" Herobrine verified with caution.
"Don't worry. I don't think you will. What do you feel toward them now? Are you angry?"
Herobrine frowned, checking his own state. White eyes lifted to Notch with puzzlement.
"I am not."
"Good. Then I'll leave you here. I must leave for a bit to do work, but I won't be far. If anything happens, call me."
After another uncertain pause, the being nodded.
"Take care of him for me and help him. All right? I will be back soon and bring you more gifts." Notch promised to the delighted yells.
Giving Herobrine another nod, he vanished, feigning a teleport. From spectral mode, he carefully observed the being, making sure to keep his distance in case Herobrine could detect his presence. He did not, however.
For a long moment, Herobrine stood and looked with longing at the spot on the ground where Notch had stood, then allowed the excited child to pull him toward the village. There was hesitation in his movements and posture, but no hostility to Notch's relief.
Setting the entire world to send a constant feed so he could keep an eye on it, he truly did teleport away. Appearing in the central part of the city, he strolled toward the main building of the Admin, responding to friendly greetings of passing players with a careless small nod, not enough to show familiarity but to indicate acknowledgement.
He could not help a thought slipping in that he very much wished that no serious problems would be brought to his attention today, so he could fully concentrate on watching over his hapless charge. Something about that program he found truly… endearing? He didn't understand why he felt so concerned.
"Notch? Good to see you. You are just the man we needed. We got a serious problem in the West cluster of servers and need you to take a look."
Notch stifled a sigh. Looks like Herobrine was going to guest with the villagers a bit longer than he planned.
No alarm calls followed to distract Notch from his work, though he did occasionally turn his attention to the feed from the village. He smiled at the sight of villagers dragging Herobrine from place to place. On occasion, the white eyed man even appeared to ask them questions, though most of the time he kept his face expressionless. A couple of times he even crouched next to the little villager that originally grasped his hand – Bobby, Notch recalled the name. The small fellow appeared to have taken upon himself the responsibility of a guide, remaining next to Herobrine even when the other villagers began to return to their daily affairs.
In the hours that passed, Notch saw Herobrine fish, help plant seeds, enjoy feeding the chickens, and even leading horses to the stream, where he tarried with an elder villager who was fishing, appearing to carry out a full-on conversation. Or, rather, the elder did, endlessly talking and nodding, with Herobrine only occasionally mumbling something in return. Overall, the visit went better than Notch had hoped.
Finally finished with his work, he glanced at the images and smiled. Teleporting directly into the village, where torches already brightly lit trails between houses in the dark, he walked into one large, low-roofed building and found his charge cornered at the table with villagers at his side, staring with slight apprehension at the plate topped to the brim with food, which had been slid before him to replace an empty one. He had already dutifully ate three and was not sure if he would manage to defeat this one.
At the sight of Notch, Herobrine's white eyes widened with sincere relief. Exchanging a few friendly words with the villagers and dispensing the promised gifts, making sure to thank them for taking care of their guest, Notch grasped Herobrine's hand and teleported them both home.
There, Herobrine breathed out with relief. This entire time he was worried of accidentally harming or offending one of those weak, friendly creatures.
"Well, what do you think?" Notch prompted, but Herobrine only blinked at him in confusion.
"Did you like it? Or would you rather stay here while I'm gone?" Notch clarified.
"I… I liked it." Herobrine spoke with some haste.
"Not everything though." Notch guessed at the slight grimace that crossed Herobrine's features.
"Not all." Herobrine mirrored the words as he sometimes did when not sure what to say. Notch had been trying to get him to express more of what he felt and thought, so he sounded more as the real being he was than an empty bot repeating frequently heard phrases. But it was better to hear any words than nothing at all, since at first Herobrine appeared to be entirely mute.
"What didn't you like?" Notch patiently prompted. Herobrine frowned, one hand nervously reaching to fidget with the edge of his teal shirt.
"They…"
"Were they a bit pushy, maybe?" Notch grinned lightly and Herobrine nodded with relief.
"Well, next time just tell them thanks but no, and that you would like to do something else."
"I can do that?"
"Of course. You have as much right to do what you like as they do. So long as it doesn't hurt anyone."
Herobrine nodded and lapsed in thought. Notch gestured him to follow, leading him to a small room outfitted to look like a normal room, while within it was set up with heavy monitoring functions. Herobrine accepted staying within it much easier than his visits to the main lab.
Already settled for sleep, the blanket Notch gave him clutched in his hands, the white-eyed being gave Notch the same hopeful look, which meant that he wanted to ask but didn't dare.
Notch allowed his own expression to express mild encouragement to serve as cue rather than reassure Herobrine out loud – as part of social training, he needed to learn to recognize emotionally expressed cues, too.
"Can I go there again?"
Notch smiled gently at the hopeful tone of voice. "Yes. We'll do so for next several days. Then, we'll go to several other areas as well, so you can meet other people that live in our world. It belongs not just to players, but also to many people who are similar to you and me. They are not players but look very much like them, since they are basically human."
A frown settling on the being's face was his immediate response.
"I… don't want to meet humans." Herobrine said, taking Notch's permission to be honest.
"You don't have to, of course. Not yet. But I do need to see how you will feel in their presence. My virtual humans are a big part of this world and you will have to learn to live alongside them, and learn how they function. Who knows, perhaps in time you may even come to consider some of them friends."
Notch spoke with certainty but only received only a silent, doubtful look from the being in response. Still, Herobrine stiffly nodded.
"All right. Good night, Herobrine. I will be nearby, if you have more bad dreams." Notch promised. At that, the white eyed being nodded again, this time grateful. Notch stepped outside, leaving him alone. He left the door of the room slightly ajar, so the hallway light cast inside a wide warm beam. This gesture seemed to help with helping his charge sleep more soundly and avoided interrupting his own sleep cycle.
As promised, Notch entered his own room next door, which had been a near exact replica of Herobrine's, except for his preference for brighter, sunnier colors. His own room also had a large window with shutters open, so the bright orange curtains faintly stirred as cool breeze playfully stole from the outside.
Heavily settling on his own bed, Notch yawned. Settling his form to sleep, he shifted his mind away from his local perception to the System. Blending with the vast flows of information, which left his feelings behind in his dormant human body, he began checking the System for errors, quickly zooming in to the tiniest details. And, where he could, he gently interfered to correct minor things that the humans would never notice.
Somewhere in the world, an ill little villager suddenly breathed a little easier, his fever lifting. His mother, slumped next to him, looked up to the air with exhausted eyes.
"Thank you, Notch." She whispered. Gently sending her a wave of comfort that set her mind at ease, the appointed guardian of this virtual world continued to make his rounds, responding to the numerous calls to his name. He was neither all powerful nor omniscient, but he did what he could. It was his job and he did it well – the First and Trusted Servant of the creators.
A wilting forest perked up, clouds above it darkening until thunder sounded and rain began to pour down into thirsty land.
A breach in server code, left by a careless hacker who came and left, tearing into the fabric of the world, painfully closed.
Trees and animals appeared in the empty, charred wasteland where player mods had ignited weapons that burnt the place up to the last blade of grass. Time rolled back, undoing the massive damages and several villages reappeared, where virtual humans once again went about their business.
A person, a place, an animal, another damaged server. Notch methodically continued his work, watching the time pass. And in the corner of his view, he saw a screen where Herobrine's vitals displayed.
The recording began to display uneven spikes and fastening heartbeat, increasing respiration as Herobrine's form tossed and turned, arms clenching. Bits of code began to coalesce into sparks of flame. When first powerful lines attempted to fling out beyond, crashing against the adminium plated walls of the room, Notch paused his work and returned.
Quietly stepping to Herobrine's room, he leaned over and laid his hand on the sleeping man's shoulder. Herobrine violently startled, attempting to teleport away, and groaned as his manacles jarred him back. Notch firmly grasped the other's shoulders in a hug and held him, feeling the other's form settle after a moment. Slightly trembling hands grasped on to him, the other's breath slowly coming to norm.
"I'm… I'm s-sorry." The other's voice came stuttering and stifled, terror still running through his body in waves. Notch willed forth gentle comfort to envelop the other into a secure blanket of sort. Quickly, Herobrine began to calm.
A moment later, his white eyes closed again as the being succumbed to induced drowsiness. The other's body relaxed. Gently letting him down, Notch looked at him with regret.
How many times would he have to repeat this process before the traumatic memories Herobrine received at the hands of the workers attempting to purge his code from their system had finally dimmed? He wished he could have simply blocked them, as he had on occasion done for the simpler virtual sentients living in his world. Only, he could not delve past Herobrine's in-built defense. Or, rather, he could, and the Admin wanted him to do so, but that might have destroyed Herobrine as a person. He would have also lost the strange, innate trust that he currently felt toward Notch despite Notch being responsible for his capture.
His intervention worked. Notch stepped back and instead of returning to his room, settled down in a chair. A similar blanket as the one Herobrine clutched to him, materialized, which Notch drew around his own human form. Herobrine's unconscious lashing out had attempted to change this place again to that of his original mod, so the air grew very chilly. Notch's breath almost left vapors. Glancing at the blanket the sleeping man held, Notch unwillingly smiled again. His own blanket sported kittens and puppies while Herobrine's held imprints of little fuzzy brown bears.
What a pair the two of them were. A powerful raid boss who could kill without mercy and summon dozens of vicious monsters at his command. And a virtual immortal, who was nearly a god within this artificial world, yet willingly followed commands of weak, fragile beings that lived beyond. Despite this, they both craved same comfort that ordinary humans did, too.
Herobrine did not know any better just how much his current image did not fit the role that he was meant to play. And Notch simply did not care. These blankets were gift from the little human children in a special program, who saw Notch only as a funny bearded man not quite unlike their Santa Claus – a figure from a very ancient legend. They sent similar letters to him, too. Many of the younger ones even asked him to fix some truly serious problems in their own world and lives, which sadly he could do nothing about.
And some most recent letters from these children began to ask about Herobrine, simply curious unlike most of the older players, whose arguments Notch read in the online forums and which definitely did not lean in Herobrine's favor – the actions of his predecessor returning to light did not dispose any of the humans for that.
The children, though…
Notch thoughtfully considered the idea.
Perhaps he should not begin with older humans, but with them. Meeting the youngest of the players may prove beneficial to Herobrine, since he reacted so well to the villagers. Not all the humans playing this game already had a set impression of Herobrine as an evil figure. Those young players didn't. Meeting them might amend Herobrine's current impression of the humans that he already had so far, a strange hatred that seemed to go deep, beyond mere programming of a raid boss or even the recent events he experienced.
First, he will give Herobrine a little more time to adjust to relations with the Villagers. This way, if the humans did decide to transfer him into an isolated and heavily guarded server as Notch heard them discuss, he would not be completely alone. Notch would ask for this village to be transferred there, also. It wouldn't matter to the little guys where they would live, so long as their needs were provided and they did so together. They barely even left their village to begin with. While not the smartest of beings, these original sentients were hardy and very good natured. Perhaps in time, observing Herobrine's peaceful interactions with them, the humans in charge of the online affairs would reconsider their decision regarding new Herobrine's place in their world.
He, for one, would be glad to have Herobrine in his company.
Notch couldn't help a small grin, recalling again some of the moments he witnessed today. The startled look on Herobrine's face and his shy reaction as that little villager child pulled him from one activity to the next had been hilarious and very heart touching.
Notch still smiled, allowing his eyes to close again, and returned his attention to his work. His tasks did not end even when his human body must rest.