A whole new world…
A loud crash interrupted Herobrine before he could say anything more to Roxana and before he knew what was happening, the ground beneath them suddenly broke away and transformed into a steep incline!
Herobrine managed to grab hold of the remains of a pillar just in time before he discovered the huge chasm full of green and sometimes slippery figures that seemed to have opened up from one of the cracks.
Herobrine wanted to take a closer look but he was distracted by a scream.
He was shocked to discover Roxana, who had fallen to the ground due to the incline and was now sliding towards the abyss.
Herobrine had the presence of mind to reach out and grab her by the arm before she could slide any further and fall into the abyss.
"D-don't worry...I...got you!" he said through clenched teeth as he used all his remaining strength to hold on to her.
Unfortunately, there wasn't much of that left either and Herobrine felt his heart skip a beat as he realized he wouldn't be able to hold her for much longer...
No! Herobrine thought grimly as he gripped her hand tighter and searched more desperately for a way to somehow get her out of harm's way I won't let you go! I can't! I'm already about to lose Nuka.…
Nuka!
Alarmed at the thought, he hastily looked around for the boy and the blood froze in his veins when he also spotted him on the lowered ground towards the abyss, which fortunately was not as steep as the one he and Roxana were on.
For a moment, Herobrine was relieved and his relief quickly turned to hope when he realized that Nuka actually seemed to be moving.
But his hope quickly turned to confusion and then even worry as he saw Nuka weakly raise his staff. Its crystal hit the ground, causing him to slide a good distance towards the abyss before he stopped.
Luckily he didn't slip any further, Herobrine thought reassuringly, but his worry quickly returned when he saw Nuka raise the staff again and hit the bow a little harder, causing him to slip again, almost sending him over the edge of the precipice.
What is he doing?! Herobrine thought alarmed as he watched in horror how Nuka was still trying to strike the staff to the ground again despite the danger he was in.
"Nuka, stop it!" he shouted a second later in panic and tried to get up to run to him, but was interrupted by a fit of coughing.
At the same time, he realized that he was still holding Roxana and therefore couldn't get to Nuka anyway.
Herobrine looked down at her uncertainly and for a brief moment he actually considered letting go, but as soon as he looked into her worried, shimmering green eyes, he knew he couldn't do that.
She was simply too important to him for that.
Especially as he was probably far too weak to even be able to cover the distance to Nuka before he collapsed and fainted.
But I have to save him somehow! He thought desperately as he turned his gaze back to Nuka and froze when he saw him raise his staff to hit it on the ground again!
Something that would definitely send him over the edge.
"NO!" he screamed and desperately reached out for Nuka, but it was too late!
The staff slammed to the ground and the last thing Herobrine saw of Nuka was him sliding over the edge before an explosion of white light took his sight and soon his senses...
(A short while later)
Herobrine didn't know how much time had passed. At some point he regained consciousness and immediately sensed that something was different.
He could breathe again.
He didn't know how much he had fought for every breath until now, but it was definitely a relief.
His strength and energy had also returned and when he opened his eyes he realized that his vision had cleared and he could see everything again, even though it was dark.
The only thing that was still there was the pain in his body, but even that was no longer as strong as before and was already getting weaker with every additional moment he was awake.
But how is that possible? He asked himself as he sat up and looked around the still ruined throne room, which was now illuminated by nothing but a few single fires and the silver light of the moon.
Herobrine's eyes widened in wonder when he saw this.
It felt so good to have his vision back.
He had not seen dim and soft light...since...since he had lost his power.
This thought struck Herobrine like a bolt of lightning and he immediately scrambled carefully to one of the puddles left over from the fight with Null and his heart leapt when he saw two bright white eyes in his face!
Herobrine couldn't help but let out a short laugh of relief when he saw them.
He had never imagined he would be so happy to see the eyes he had received when he had first gotten his powers and had hated for such a long period of his life afterwards.
Euphoric about his discovery he immediately moved his fingers experimentally and joy flared up as he saw little blue and white sparks and flashes appear out of nowhere.
Herobrine smiled and he couldn't help but suppress a few tears of relief when he saw them dance around his fingers
He couldn't believe it.
He had them back!
He finally had his strength back...
Still full of joy and excitement he immediately turned to Nuka to tell him the great news and immediately froze as he remembered what had happened to him!
Alarmed, Herobrine immediately jumped and ran towards the abyss, which now lay dark and cold and devoid of any green numbers.
He also ran past the still unconscious Roxana, who was lying dangerously close to the precipice but Herobrine had no time to look after her!
Without hesitation, he jumped in and teleported as fast as he could between the various ledges and cave entrances that the abyss had torn open, deeper and deeper, desperately searching for Nuka until he arrived at Bedrock!
But he didn't find Nuka there either...
All he found there were a few scraps of cloth from his clothes and the staff. It was broken in the middle, turning it into two pieces…
Herobrine stood there and stared at the pieces in shock.
But... But that can't be! Herobrine thought desperately as he turned and looked around wildly in all directions for the boy...for his friend He can't just be gone...Even...Even if he's dead...He has to be somewhere...! He has to be...
,,Nuka! Nuka where are you?!" he finally shouted loud.
No answer.
The only answer that came was his own voice, which echoed on the dark walls of the caves around him…
Herobrine wasn't ready to give up yet.
He shouted again, a few more times but even these shouts were followed by nothing but silence, which only made Herobrine more confused and panicked.
Where was his friend?!
Maybe...maybe he's unconscious in a cave somewhere and that's why he's not answering me Herobrine tried to calm himself down, before he closed his eyes and stretched out his senses, hoping to hear a faint heartbeat or breathing somewhere in the abyss around him but all he could hear were the ones of the people above.
Nothing else...
Furious about this and his own helplessness, Herobrine screamed out and send a lightning bolt against the nearest wall, which turned out to be a bad decision, as it only caused more debris and rocks to pour down on him, nearly falling on him, so he didn't try again, although his fingers itched to do it.
Breathing heavily and still full of rage, despair and panic, Herobrine backed a little bit away, which caused his foot to bump against something. It turned out to be one of the halves of the staff.
Herobrine swallowed hard when he saw it and he couldn't help but fall to his knees, feeling tears well up in his eyes as he looked at the few things that Nuka, his friend, the one he had trusted the most...the one whose company he felt he never deserved...had left behind.
He still didn't know what had happened to him and why his body was no longer here, but even tho Herobrine still refused to believe that the boy was dead, he couldn't help but see that everything pointed to Nuka not having survived the whole thing with the staff.
But why wasn't his body here?
After all he would have been too weak for anything else like teleportation and even if he had somehow dragged himself away, there would have been traces, signs, something that showed him where he had gone!
And above all, he would have drawn attention to himself if he had heard his shouts long ago…
The only option that was left was if Nuka was somehow still able to teleport but why would he do that?
After all he would have known that Herobrine was here...that he would come for him...right?
No, Nuka would have never left without him, he knew it...which only left one other possibility…
Herobrine swallowed hard and he could feel his sense of hopelessness wash over him as he thought about it.
He didn't know what killed Nuka or what caused his body not to be here but regardless of what it was it made him feel a great shame, for not preventing Nuka the pain and everything else he had to go through...
"I'm so sorry..." he whispered softly as he carefully picked up the pieces of cloth and pressed them tightly against his chest, and once again he felt the same heavy guilt that he had felt the first time he left Nuka in Skylor.
Only now there was nothing he could do to undo it...
"I'm sorry I didn't keep my promise..." he finished softly, his voice breaking on the words, knowing that Nuka couldn't hear them anymore.
The thought of it made him want to scream, but he stopped himself just in time to hear other voices suddenly come from above.
Alarmed, Herobrine sat up again and retreated into the protective darkness of one of the caves, while staring suspiciously upwards.
Now that he had his powers back, he had to assume that his brothers had also got theirs back and were now looking to imprison him or bring him to justice in some other way.
No matter what it was, the truce they had had so far was over and it was time for him to leave.
Still, it hurt a little, especially now that he could wish Roxana farewell. He had to thank her… for all the things she had done for him and...tell her how he felt about her...
Argh! Enough of this! Herobrine angrily reprimanded himself It's probably better this way! At least now I won't embarrass myself...
With this thought, he turned around and looked one last time at the spot where nothing but the broken staff lay.
It was hard for him to leave this spot, knowing that this might be the place Nuka had spent his last seconds, but he also knew that it wouldn't help if he stayed.
The only thing he could do was to take what he had left of Nuka and find a nice place for them to rest.
Tears welled up in his eyes at this thought again, but Herobrine angrily brushed them aside.
He didn't have time for that now!
He had to get away from here first!
He could grieve later…
With that thought, he sighed deeply and took a deep breath to calm himself at least a little bit before taking another last look at the spot, closing his eyes and teleporting away…