Nine months ago...
Late summer sun shone overhead. Warm air comforted. Steve stretched, pleased to finally have a moment to relax. This chair was so comfortable. Steve shifted a bit, testing his own invention and leaned back even more against the feather stuffed backing, pleased. Feeling quite clever for the moment, he praised himself for a worthy idea. This pillow chair was no less comfortable than those fancy furniture pieces that he had seen sold in expensive stores in big towns.
Closing his eyes, Steve relaxed, his ears tuning to the cheerful songs of birds singing from a tree just beyond his porch.
"Steve!"
Steve winced but stubbornly refused to move.
"Steve, you're not going to believe it!" Another familiar, young voice exclaimed in excitement, drawing closer.
Steve, his eyes still closed, drew an unwilling sigh. When was this Fall Festival going to end? These group of kids were like barnacles, clinging to the bottom of a ship, ever since he stepped in and saved one from a mob attack. They were out of town in the wild on some silly dare. He didn't regret his actions, of course, not one bit. But...
"Can we see your sword, Steve?"
"Steve, have you fought real zombies?"
"Steve have you really been in the mansion?"
"Steve… Steve… Steve…"
"Steve, you won't believe what happened today!" Steve stifled a smile.
"What?" He lazily peeked open one eye and amicably glanced at the children that appeared next to his dwelling, panting for breath as if they had run all the way. Their disheveled hair and clothing spoke of the same. All of them looked at him with round, apprehensive eyes.
Another unbelievable tale was sure to follow.
"Herobrine! We saw him!" Oleg, the oldest, declared with disbelief flaring in his wide-open, brown eyes.
Steve blinked at that. "What? You went to the mansion?" He frowned and irritably sat up. "I thought I told you that it's too dangerous! There are mobs nearby. What if they attacked?" He scolded the incorrigible group.
One of the teens quickly shook his head.
"No, no! We didn't go there!" He threw the others a quick look, at which all six teens uneasily shifted. Wait, there were only four here. Steve's eyes searched behind them on the path leading to town, but did not see either Jeremy or Tomas, the two main instigators of dares and pranks.
"Well... We were... Going there, I mean." Oleg said defensively, but then raised his voice. "But that's not where we saw him!"
"Herobrine! He was outside his castle. In the woods." Timothy added breathlessly.
"And he looked just like you, Steve." Jimmy added, eating up Steve's face with his hazel eyes. All of them were looking at Steve with urgent, breathless expressions as if they expected him to do something.
"I know. Pretty weird, huh?" Steve grinned at them lightly.
"We're serious, Steve. He even wears the same clothes as you. We thought that it was you." The oldest boy frowned in suspicion.
Steve dismissively chuckled, leaning back and closing his eyes, determined to relax a bit more. All chores were done for once and he was a step ahead. He deserved a bit of time for himself, right?
"Steeeeve. We're not making this up! Herobrine is up to no good! Last time that happened, and he was out of his castle, all kinds of bad things happened!"
"There were zombies and monsters all over the place! Our town gates had to be locked for weeks until messengers reached help and heroes came! My pa told me about that!"
"Yeah! Mine, too!"
"I also heard about that." Another boy spoke up. Steve sat up again.
"Well, I did hear something about that." He agreed uncertainly. "But are you sure that…"
"It was Him!" Oleg exclaimed and the children eagerly shifted, quickly nodding. "His eyes were white! And he teleported!"
"I think it is the real Herobrine!" Oleg frowned, his face dark.
"He returned!" Timothy added.
"Real Herobrine?" Steve frowned as he thought back to all the legends he had heard about this already.
"Yeah! Don't you remember the legends?" Oleg reminded. "How after the Great War, when he saw that he was losing to Notch, Great Herobrine created the ghosts that looked just like him? And then he hid among them, so no one would know where his real body is. That way, even if one of the ghosts gets destroyed, he goes and takes over the next one. And then the next!"
"He is here!"
Steve looked at the children doubtfully. Yes, he heard that version of the legend. And they certainly seemed earnest, but they told so many tall tales before…
"Listen, all of this is just a really old legend. Why would real Herobrine come here of all places? And also… Would a real Herobrine leave you alive?" Steve pointed out. The boys exchanged looks.
"Steeeeve… Can you just please go to the mansion and look? To see if our ghost is still there? Because if he is not there, then its bad."
"Why me? Why not tell your own folk?" Steve protested. The boys gave him surly looks.
"Because no one will believe us. But if you say it, then they will send guards to check."
"Also, we are going to get in big trouble for leaving town alone." The youngest child admitted. Steve sighed, finally understanding their true reasons for coming to him. They just didn't want to get in trouble.
"Steve, pleeeease?"
Steve frowned, but several pairs of earnest, pleading eyes met his.
"Besides, you already went there before. And you are not scared of him. You told us!"
"Yeah…" Steve rubbed the back of his neck, regretting even more for telling them the whole story.
A flash of empty, echoing halls appeared in his memory, stretching into the darkness lit by dim red torches. And a figure stood in eerie silence by a menacing throne, its eyes glowing eerie in the dark.
A figure of legends.
It was not Herobrine, of course - not really. Even then, Steve knew about the ghosts that dwelled in mansions deep in the heart of the woods or hidden far in the mountains, asleep, until someone disturbed their slumber. He had completely forgotten of that when he sought refuge in the place.
That ghost was not Herobrine himself. But it was a reflection of the real mysterious being of whom so many tales were told, which Steve found fascinating.
Herobrine was known under various names and titles. Master of Monsters. Ruler of the Night. Destroyer, who waged a war against gods and men. Great Notch's brother and co-creator of the World, second in power only to Notch, himself. Notch made him to help him clear the worlds of evil that existed there, brought forth by the wars fought by the First Humans, so new Humans could return and live there once again. Only at some point, Herobrine turned against that purpose and became everyone's enemy.
All legends agreed that's what happened, but they varied in explaining how it happened. And Steve had heard many versions.
Thousands of years ago, First Humans, who lived in these worlds, discovered a great power – power that would allow them to become godlike. But only a few. This became a source of great strife as they fought with each other. When those few finally succeeded, it was at a great cost. Their world lay dead, a desolate place where only monsters remained. Hideous creations, made by malevolent will, roamed across sprawling ruins left of great cities where many souls once dwelled. Land itself lay ravaged into a form beyond all recognition, with some parts so scorched by heat, that no life remained there at all and only lava flowed. Others places, torn away from the world by unimaginable and terrible force, floated dead in the outer darkness.
The new gods that emerged from this disaster looked at it all and argued among themselves. Some wished to leave their world to its fate and go elsewhere. Others wanted to restore it and return the First Humans to dwell here once more. And then one of the gods proposed an idea, which seemed amenable to all.
They would leave. But they would make a being, whom they would leave behind to carry out the necessary repairs. That's how Notch, the Great Servant came to be.
Made in their own image and likeness, but bound to the Aether, where the last refuge of the gods and the First Humans yet remained intact, he received power over everything that still remained in their control and all the wisdom of the First Humans. He then immediately began his work, fully obedient to their will. The gods left and thousands of years passed. At some point, the powerful being saw that he needed help in carrying out his tasks in places in the Overworld, where the power given to him by the gods did not reach. He, himself, could not leave the Aether, his power bound to the great beacons that shone around the place. And that's how Herobrine appeared to be – made by Notch in his own image and likeness, but given a form of the First Humans, so he could go out into those parts of their world and bring it under Notch's control.
For a time, Notch's brother did as he was told. He went out into the worlds below and placed beacons there, expanding Notch's power across dark realms, which slowly began to return to life. Grass and trees bloomed and forests appeared where only rocks lay heated under the blazing sun. Cool wind once again blew across the lands and flowing waters, where animals and birds appeared, recreated by Notch from the ashes. Herobrine watched it all and did as he was told, destroying monsters that he came across to make the worlds safe.
Both Brothers were still faithfully doing this task when the long-absent gods returned.
They were pleased by their Great Servant's work. The only thing that did not please them was Herobrine's existence.
"You shouldn't have made him." They sternly told Notch. "You gave him too much power and did not bind him by any of the rules that bind you. He listens to you, but not to us. What if he decides to become a god himself and turns against us? His existence is a mistake, that we want you to correct. Destroy him!"
Notch's heart grew heavy, but he obeyed. He recalled his brother from his work on the Overworld. He called him right in the presence of the gods and his brother stood before them, first awed and then confused by their severe expressions. He did not seek to escape, since he didn't know that he was in any danger. He listened, while the gods mercilessly declared their judgement. He tried to protest, but the gods remained unmoved. Then his eyes, which were blue then and not white like they are now, turned to Notch with reproach.
"Brother, you would allow them to do this? I have done nothing wrong!" He appealed to his brother. Notch refused to look at him and didn't answer. His creators had ordered him to step aside and he was bound to obey their will.
The gods condemned Herobrine and then carried out their judgement. They struck him down to destroy him. Only they greatly underestimated Herobrine's power and will to live. The entire power of the gods that poured against him, tore into his form, but failed to destroy him as he resisted with all his strength. His body broke apart and then reformed again. His eyes burnt and he screamed in pain and rage at this undeserved betrayal. And then he broke free and vanished. The gods failed to destroy him, though they did injure and weaken him greatly. They also made Notch revoke Herobrine's access to power, hoping that without it, the now hostile to them being would perish even without their direct action.
But Herobrine managed to survive.
For a long time, nothing was heard about him as he remained hidden. The gods believed him gone. And they told grieved Notch their next command. Even though the world was not a completely safe place, yet, they ordered him to begin recreating the Humans. They also wanted him to make corrections. The new humans would still be based upon the form of the First Men, but immune to the pestilences that still existed in the world, since Notch and Herobrine never finished their work. They would also lack the ability, which could turn them into gods to challenge the gods own position and power.
Notch obeyed.
Humans appeared once again in worlds below and started spreading across the place. Villages grew into towns and towns became cities. They were nothing like the grand cities that existed in eons past or even as great a city as the one that still stood in the Aether, but they grew and improved. Hundreds of years passed in the blink of an eye, while the gods once again withdrew, allowing their Great Servant to do his work.
And then, when no one expected it, Herobrine reappeared.
Portals opened in many places at once and monsters began to pour through from realms, not yet tamed by human hand and where Notch still had no power, since he and Herobrine never finished their work. Cities and villages burned. And in the midst of it all was seen a figure, human in appearance, but its eyes white and blazing with power, while a hateful sneer twisted his face as he watched the destruction he had caused.
Herobrine, Notch's betrayed and fallen brother, had returned to take his vengeance.
That was the version of the legends that struck Steve's heart when he read it and still remained strongest in his memory, but there were many others.
In some, it was Herobrine himself, who rebelled against the will of the gods and his brother. He was not betrayed. He simply disliked it when the humans first appeared in the worlds that he and Notch had made. In that legend, he watched the humans, reborn from the ashes of the old world and saw their mistakes and blunders, and despised them. He questioned his brother why he would bring such faulty creatures into being. Their worlds were a far better, balanced place without them.
"It is our purpose and task to do what our creators once commanded," Notch admonished his brother, "not question". But Herobrine took an offense to that.
"No, it is YOUR purpose and task, brother, not mine." He declared to his brother. "I don't wish anything to do with them or your gods, since it were they, who destroyed these worlds in the first place." Then Herobrine took his own servants and left.
Even before, when he was supposed to follow Notch's will exactly and destroy all the monsters that he found, Herobrine had begun to disobey. Some of the smarter monsters surrendered to his power and he felt pity for them. He then asked Notch for permission to spare them and Notch granted it, provided that Herobrine took responsibility for them. Herobrine agreed and some of the monsters became his loyal servants, instead. Others, like the nearly sentient Endermen, he settled in dead places that floated above the world, where they would be harmless.
But now he left, in open defiance of his brother's will.
Seeking freedom, Herobrine went to a part of the realm that was still not under Notch's control. All rocks and fire, nearly uninhabitable. He then purposefully sealed it from the lands that his brother controlled, making it so Notch could not reach or see what went on. There, he made his home and named that realm – the Nether.
And here again the legends diverged. One claimed that this is when the gods returned, not before, and that's when they decided that Notch's brother should not be allowed to exist.
Since he left, some of his monsters had begun to attack the humans Notch made. Believing that it was Herobrine's malevolent will, the gods ordered Notch to destroy him. Notch, however, remained unwilling to destroy his brother without due cause. Herobrine did not command all the monsters, so he couldn't be held responsible for what some of them did. He simply wished to be left alone in the Nether. And since Notch had no access to it, there really wasn't anything that he could do.
Frustrated with their First Servant's reluctance, the gods turned to the humans. They chose some of them and granted them powers, making them Heroes. And they told them to go into the world and get rid of all the monsters and Herobrine.
In all versions, Herobrine turned against them and fought.
In some, he fought directly against the gods, with Notch standing aside and refusing to take part. In others, it was Notch who confronted him.
In all versions, Herobrine lost.
He couldn't be destroyed, since he was made in the image of Notch and therefore immortal. He was only stripped of his powers and then cast into the Nether, to be imprisoned for all time.
He was not stripped of his powers. The gods could not do it, since he proved too powerful even for them. But they managed to trap him and put him into an enchanted sleep. He yet remains in that place, long forgotten and lost to time, while his spirit roams, haunting the lands as it appears in many places at once. His nightmares continue to create and bring forth monsters.
No. He really was destroyed! The gods won and broke his soul, so it scattered in a million pieces across all worlds. Yet even now, his spirit fights and tries to come together again. And that's why ghosts appear. They are all bits of Herobrine's soul. When people do evil, his soul grows stronger, because it feeds on fear and suffering. And when strong enough, one of the ghosts wakes up. And because every ghost is a piece of Herobrine's soul, it then remembers its hatred against Notch and all humans and tries to cause all kinds of chaos.
This last legend was the most popular by far and that's what the people in town where Steve settled also believed.
There were also rumors.
People said that in the lands far to the North, one of the ghosts woke up. Others said that it was the real Herobrine, returned once more to the world to take his vengeance. He attacked the Aether itself, where the city of heroes stood. They defeated him, but he managed to escape. Since then, he has been going from world to world, gathering pieces of his soul and growing stronger...
Steve listened to these myths and didn't quite believe any of them. That didn't keep him from wondering. Somewhere in those ancient tales there must be the truth of what really happened in those years long past, lost in ancient history.
In either case, Steve never went to that strange mansion again.
He wished he had never mentioned about what he did in town, after he reached it, but he had been too shaken. Most town residents since then already concluded that he made the whole thing up. These children believed him. When Steve happened to have slain a zombie that chased after them through the woods, they decided that he was some sort of secret hero. Ever since, they continued to come and pester, begging to hear more of his "other adventures". Sometimes he even humored them. He probably should not have.
Steve huffed. In reality, he was no hero. He lived a very simple, ordinary life filled with hard work. He worked in the mines days through and took care of his small farm, building and improving his cabin. He was also very content with it all, despite occasional day-dreams about real adventures.
"Steve, please? Can you go and check? Please?" The oldest teen asked, insistent. Steve didn't bother to keep back a sigh.
"Fine. I'll go. But you are not coming. You go straight home and stay there. And if I don't come back soon, then go to the guards and tell them what happened. Is that clear?"
The children readily nodded, appearing relieved by his stern words.
That's how a little later, Steve found himself standing upon the rocky ground directly before the tall, ornate gates. It was all just like the last time he saw it. Sun gilded the top part of the turrets with bright color, but the bottom of the building seemed sunk in gloom, the stones there gray and drab.
He stood, carefully watching it for any sign of movement or life. There was none.
From the looks of the torches, burning to light the multiple windows, and the lack of disrepair that one might expect to see in a place that's been abandoned, he could not have guessed that this mansion was haunted.
The words of the children about the ghost whom they saw in the woods and mistaken for Steve, the legends he heard about the pieces of Herobrine's soul, the legendary being's defiant words – all these repeated in Steve's mind as he uncertainly looked up at the mysterious mansion.
Those young people definitely had an imagination, though, he encouraged himself. Just because they saw something, didn't mean that it really happened. This Steve already learned on multiple occasion. He also knew that they would not cease pestering him until he did this.
His lips briefly twitching into a wry smile, Steve shifted the grasp of his iron sword and then stepped forward to the entrance he glimpsed in the far end of the structure.
If he had known whose house he approached that night, chased relentlessly by the mobs, he would have never come in. He should have known that there was something strange about this place when the mobs, until then relentlessly chasing him, suddenly stopped short of the gloomy walls that rose around the mansion and only their glowing red eyes followed him.
He should have remembered the legends that he found so fascinating.
He didn't think at all. He went in, exploring the strangely empty building in search of inhabitants. Finding none, puzzled, but too exhausted to go on, he simply found refuge in one of the dusty rooms. There, with a silent apology to the unknown owner of the place, Steve had broken off a piece of furniture and propped it against the door to keep it blocked just in case. And he fell asleep.
In the morning, he resumed exploring, wandering the winding halls until he came upon the palace deep underground.
There, he saw Him.
To Steve's eyes, it seemed like a man of his own age stood in silence in the middle of a large stone hall. An imposing throne stood behind him. No breath rose his chest and his eyes eerily glowed white in the darkness.
That's where he remembered the legends and understood where he was.
The legendary ghost really did exist.
And it was then, standing frozen in his spot, that Steve noticed that it bore a remarkable semblance to himself, except for its odd eyes. He even took a double glance into the faint reflection that their figures cast upon the glistening metal shield in the corner.
Both of their figures reflected in blurry tones of cyan and blue in the bronze depths. The reflection was too blurry for Steve to check his suspicion.
The being did not appear alive. It just stood there like a statue and ignored Steve.
Shaken, Steve finally released the breath he was holding.
"I'm… S-sorry for disturbing your rest." He stammered with a timid smile. The being didn't react. Slowly, Steve made a step back. "I'll be… g-going now."
Steve backed away, not daring to take his eyes away from the eerie figure until he was out of the oppressing hall. Then, he fled, his pace increasing until he nearly ran. He escaped the mansion. He stumbled down into the ravine, crossing a brook. Only when he judged himself sufficiently away, already standing on the protruding edge on the other side, did he pause, his eyes squinting at the sight of the distant town. Uneasily, he glanced back at the mansion. It still stood, imposing but quiet, like a lonely guardian between the mountains. No one chased after him and even the mobs that chased him the night before were gone.
He then continued on to town, where he decided to settle rather than going on to his original destination. He explored around this area again, looking for best places to mine, and even occasionally came close to where he saw the mansion again, still standing there.
He didn't dare to enter in again.
And now… He stood, looking at it once more.
Casting the safety of the woods behind him a longing look, Steve switched his gaze to the gate and hesitantly walked through. He approached the familiar, massive, ornate, wooden door and paused before it. Sucking in a deep breath, Steve pushed it open. Like before, it yielded, slowly coming ajar. Beyond, long hallway stretched in dim twilight, red torches flickering on either side.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
No answer.
Steve stood a moment longer, gathering courage. Then, he made a timid step forward and entered.
...
Herobrine scowled, desperately countering the sword strikes piercing his vision. Step by step, he retreated before the scores of players spawning a few steps away as soon as he sent them into respawn. He killed them over and over, and still retreated. Their shouts rang in his ears.
How? How did they find his castle? He made sure to build it in the furthest reaches of the Nether, where he was certain that no player would ever set foot! There were no resources there or anything that they might want – only lava and monsters. No loot to attract their greed.
The castle itself should look abandoned and lifeless to their eyes, no different than any other such ruins – he made sure of that.
How did they find him?
He fought with rising desperation, knowing that he should flee, but stubbornly refusing to give up. Everything most valuable that he had ever found, he had stored here, in chests hidden in rooms behind false walls of stone. The thought that these players would get their filthy hands on his treasures was unbearable!
He was dispatching his opponents with ease. They displayed neither skill nor strategy in their attacks, simply running toward him with the same mindless look, their faces distorted in hatred. They seemed no different than bots that Herobrine spawned to delay their relentless onslaught. But, they kept coming and coming, without end.
Rage pouring like fire through his form, Herobrine snarled, preparing to launch himself against the oncoming mass once more...
And shot up in his own bed.
For a moment, he simply blinked his white eyes at his surroundings, before the familiar sight of his new stronghold got through his senses. It was just a dream, then.
Herobrine humphed, amusement and relief settling on his face as he relaxed. The bits of the ridiculous nightmare faded.
Still, something was off.
Herobrine frowned, carefully searching his senses.
Then, his white eyes flew open and a sharp gesture brought forth a screen where a lone, human figure cautiously made its way through the long halls of his new mansion. Herobrine's eyes fell to the crude sword the human held in his hand and a scowl twisted his face.
Players!... Here already?...
Herobrine's eyes tensely studied the lone figure that proceeded into the dimly lit depths.
Not a raid party, then. This Player was alone. He wore no fancy gear or weapons – just simple default garb, same as what Herobrine wore himself. The Player's face remained shrouded in the shadows.
Herobrine's eyes narrowed. This Player had to be an over-confident fool to dare come challenge him all alone! The desire to teach this Player a lesson became nearly irresistible, and he saw no reason to deny himself, since he planned to leave this place for good soon.
Herobrine's scowl slowly morphed into a cold sneer.
...
Steve, cautiously making his way along the hall that should lead him to the central palace, startled when the torch lights flared brighter along the wall. He froze, his blue eyes looking around him in confusion.
...
Watching the spooked player, whose bland face seemed like an open book with its every emotion open to view, Herobrine chuckled darkly, menace filling his tone.
"You want to play, player?... Let's play..."