Chapter 36: A Pain So Deep


Every time he thought about returning back to his village, a small, barely-noticeable knot formed briefly within his stomach.

Steve couldn't exactly place when this started to happen to him, but the more he thought about stepping foot within Highland, the more anxious he got about it. Why? All he was doing was going home, and his fellow villagers already recognized him as being a champion, so what was the deal?

Given what had happened in Lunarus, was that the basis for his current unease?

It was borderline impossible for Merry Glade to have heard the news so soon, but in Highland's case, it was entirely possible that they might've caught wind of his newfound status already. At the very least, they should've received news about the fact that the festival was even happening, so perhaps more people were inspired to be appointed and they ended up going, despite their previous attitudes about the subject. In any case, he was terrified to discover which of the two situations was about to come to light. If his village found out about his partnership with Herobrine, what would they do? What would they think? Should he be considering other areas to live in already?

With a sigh of inner frustration, Steve stared intensely at the entrance to the cave, dreading deeply the moment that they would have to exit out of it.

Moving out in the open and doing "magical" stuff (teleporting around, having Herobrine using his powers, having Herobrine around in general, etc) always drew the potential risk of having someone see them, whether that person be a champion or a god. Champions were purely coincidental, but gods could actively track them. If they stepped outside of the cave, would they be met with a champion or a god? If they stayed inside of the cave, would anybody come to them? Were they in trouble and they didn't know it yet, or were they safe?

His frustration and growing fear must've surely been sensed, because all of a sudden, Herobrine, from across the cave, stood up, walked over to where he was, and sat down in front of him.

With barely glowing, silver eyes, Herobrine stared at him intently.

"...You'll certainly become ill if you keep getting stressed like this, Steven." Herobrine said, his voice a bit softer than what the miner was used to hearing.

Steve let out a small laugh, one that was a bit shaky.

"And? Sounds like another break to me."

Though his tone was a joking one, Herobrine did not find any amusement in his words whatsoever.

"...Though it's against my better judgment, I can allow us to take a longer resting period again, if you really need one."

Finding the other's sudden generosity quite perplexing (and a bit disturbing), Steve shook his head, holding his hands up.

"N-no! Brine, I was joking."

Herobrine gave him a quick nod in response.

"I'm aware. I'm just trying to do what I can so that your heart doesn't give out on you. I can protect you from others, sure, but it's going to be more difficult to protect you from yourself."

Remembering how acute the other's senses were, Steve let out another little laugh, moving to relax more against the wall beside his ravager.

"How many times have you tuned into my mini panic attacks?"

Herobrine gave him a small shrug.

"...Whenever it was quiet enough to hear them properly."

Steve nodded in response, looking as the other's expression became one of genuine concern.

"...What are you so anxious about? Are you thinking about your village?" Herobrine asked carefully, his voice even softer as he spoke.

Surprised that the other was even bothering to try and get into his head like this, Steve found himself only able to give a small shrug.

"...I just don't want us to run into any trouble. Champions or divines, I don't want a repeat of Julian, you know?"

"You don't want to be directly chased after by a bloodthirsty demigod?" Herobrine asked with a smirk.

Steve shook his head with a chuckle.

"I don't really want to lose the only demigod I've gotten used to traveling with. You know how terrifying it is to watch someone bleed out? Especially watching someone bleed out who you thought was immortal?"

His words were met with an expression of momentary shock before a quiet tch left Herobrine's mouth.

The demigod's gaze shifted over to the side.

"...Every time you express your concern for me, I can't believe you're actually serious about it."

Steve shrugged.

"I'll keep telling you until you believe it then."

Herobrine glanced back up at him, raising a brow.

"What if I'm only able to realize that after you slay the dragon? After our partnership has ended, and I've stepped out of your life? You won't be able to reach me at that point."

Steve smirked at him.

"Who says that I wouldn't be able to reach you? You don't know how good my tracking abilities are."

Herobrine narrowed his gaze at him in unamusement.

"Well, I say that you won't be able to reach me, making it final. Trust me when I say that it'd be better for you to not be associated with me at all."

Steve let out a small scoff.

"Did we forget about Lunarus already?" He asked, gesturing around with his hands in a slightly exaggerated manner.

"No, we didn't. I can make it worse, though, if you really want to remain associates." Herobrine stated, earning a look of interest from Steve.

Steve gave him a playful shrug.

"Fine by me. If it means that we'll stay connected, I'm all for it."

The miner wasn't exactly sure if he'd ever get used to seeing the demigod's eyes reflect his hidden thoughts, completely separate from the rest of his face, but as a flash of genuine surprise appeared in the other's eyes while his face remained neutral, Steve let out a small laugh.

"I'm not joking. You want to make me some sort of criminal or boogeyman, I'm down."

"...You'd be kicked out of your village." Herobrine said quietly, still in disbelief.

"...Yeah, but…" Steve trailed off, briefly reconsidering his words before he decided to commit to his little show bit fully. "They'll probably do that anyway once they find out about our arrangement. I've already signed my will, y'know?"

This time, the brief flash of emotion that had appeared in the demigod's gaze reflected upon the rest of his face.

Regret. Pure, sudden regret.

He knew that the other already apologized for his involvement within his life, so before Herobrine could do so again, Steve held up his hands for a moment, trying to ease the other's concerns.

"Okay, now I'm joking. They know me, I'm literally one of only, what, three people who are heavily contributing to the local economy, they couldn't get rid of me if they tried."

Though he was beginning to doubt the legitimacy of that statement, Steve let the information leave his mouth as he tried to convince himself that he was in a safe spot.

Herobrine let out a small scoff at his words, rolling his eyes as his regret suddenly faded away.

"Trust me when I say that humans will do foolish things if it means getting ahead in some way. They'll use anyone as a means to an end, whether it be as a pawn, or a target. Once you've fulfilled your purpose, you're thrown to the wayside like nothing."

Steve's hands dropped slowly into his lap as he looked at the other with a small glare.

"You don't even know them, they wouldn't even think of doing me that dirty."

"Are you sure? I've met plenty of humans who'd tell you otherwise. Humans who thought the same way you do, only to have their trust betrayed entirely. Do you really think that you'd be immune to that? Are you really that special?"

Though Herobrine's words were biting and managed to cut into him in a way that sowed some doubt, Steve tried to shrug off his implications.

"I'm just saying, it'd really be a shock if they raised me for all these years, only to just...abandon me like that because I managed to get into some trouble."

Something sparked in the other's gaze that, for some reason Steve couldn't explain, briefly made his heart sink. Was it sadness? Pity? Something along those lines?

Sympathy?

Before he could even ask if the other was okay, Herobrine spoke up.

"Never think that somebody wouldn't drop you even if you've spent years of your life dedicated to them. That is my advice to you."

Abruptly, Herobrine stood up and left the miner again, seemingly in quite a bit of a sour mood as he departed. Confused and somewhat worried for the man, Steve watched him leave, too afraid to reach out and potentially provoke him further.

Riding the waves of Herobrine's emotions was beginning to feel like a bad decision on Steve's part. He wasn't quite on the path to full regret, but he was beginning to consider what his journey could've been like had he not fought so hard to build a connection with the other. Letting out a deep sigh of exhaustion mixed with frustration, Steve cast his gaze up to the cave ceiling, finding himself actually wishing that a god or champion would come along so that they'd have something to distract him from his emotions. That wish was immediately thrown to the side, however, as a brief feeling of heat came to him, stirring him from his thoughts as his attention was thrown elsewhere.

Near the entrance of the cave, Herobrine had formed a ball of fire, briefly flinging it to the ground before forming another one in his hands, much to the general confusion of the others. Turning back and noticing their confused expressions, Herobrine let out a tch.

"...Someone has been using their powers around here, and it's getting annoying. They're taunting us, so I'm responding." Herobrine nodded his head toward the cave entrance to emphasize his point.

Suddenly nervous, Steve sat up a bit more, looking at the other with worried eyes.

"We shouldn't be doing that, don't you think?!"

Herobrine shrugged.

"Their pulse is weak. Even in my current state, if they asked for trouble, they'd certainly get it."

"Still…" Steve muttered, looking around cautiously as if the mystery divine would pop up out of nowhere.

As the ravager beside him suddenly got a bit restless in response to his own concern, Steve began to stand up, checking Squash over as he attempted to get ready before any encounter with someone who wasn't a part of their group could happen. Herobrine watched him silently for a moment, before looking down at his own hand with a serious expression on his face.

"...Then again, their pulse could be weak because they're far away."

His words sparked no confidence as Steve looked back at him with a somewhat dumbfounded expression on his face.

"...Please tell me that you did not just say what I think you just said." Steve pleaded with a small whine, hastening his preparation of Squash's saddle a bit.

Herobrine shrugged.

"I won't, then."

With a groan, Steve finished his preparations, though he did not immediately hop on the creature's saddle, instead moving closer to Herobrine in order to confront him.

"I thought you were sorry that you got us in so much trouble." Steve said, looking at the other with a disappointed expression as he folded his hands in front of him.

Herobrine appeared to be visibly upset by his accusatory tone.

"I am sorry. More than you know."

"Then why, tell me, did you decide that telling those guys where we are was a good idea?"

Herobrine shrugged.

"...I wasn't thinking properly."

Looking down for a moment before looking back up at the other, Herobrine continued.

"...I'm used to teasing these fools in a stronger state. It's a reflex, at this point. I need to educate myself better on self-control, so I apologize for that."

How many times was Herobrine going to apologize for his actions, now? Steve appreciated that the other was being more direct, but the current pattern of concerning mishaps followed by blunt apologies wasn't exactly an ideal thing to deal with, given that there could very well be dire consequences that follow.

With a sigh of frustration, Steve locked eyes with the other, his mouth just barely opening to speak when he suddenly froze upon reading the other's gaze.

Very faintly, he saw that as he had been asking questions about the demigod's motives and actions, Herobrine too was, quite obviously, confused with himself as well. His hazy gaze was clouded with what appeared to be genuine disbelief and bewilderment, much to Steve's curiosity. He'd only remembered seeing the other like this back when he was acting out on top of the stage in front of both gods and mortals alike, and even then, Herobrine's gaze wavered with worry for what could come from his actions.

Just how much in control was he at the moment? Like with what happened with Julian's meddling in the miner's dreams, was someone potentially purposefully causing him to slip up? Or was this all him and his own actions?

He was just about to put all of his focus upon the demigod's expression when the man closed his eyes and turned away from him, preventing any sort of examination.

"Stop looking at me like that, Steven." He commanded, quietly.

Steve let out a small hum.

"Why? Can't face the guy that's also gonna face the consequences of your actions?"

Herobrine shook his head, immediately turning back to face the miner with a somewhat angered expression on his face.

"I can face anybody. It's just that…" Herobrine paused for a moment. "...Your eyes are more intense than you realize, Steven."

Steve raised a brow at him.

"...What's that supposed to mean?"

Herobrine sighed in frustration.

"I mean that they're densely packed with...I'm not sure, emotions? Thoughts? It's a lot."

Steve shrugged, giving him a brief smile as he went to grab Squash's reins again, beginning to lead her forward.

"I guess that's also something we have in common, Brine." He said, earning a brief raise of the brow from the demigod before realization and shock flashed across his face.

"Don't tell me that you've been-"

"-Brine, did the divine being that you sensed move any closer to us?" Steve interrupted the other.

Herobrine struggled a bit to answer him, debating on which issue he should answer first, but ultimately, he let out another sigh of frustration as he glared at Steve.

"...Unfortunately, the answer to that question is yes."

Steve's playful expression turned to one of sudden fear as he began to walk faster toward the exit.

"Are we leaving now, then?"

Herobrine nodded his head, looking towards the others who still remained within the cave with a commanding glare.

"That would be best, yes. You three, our little break is over!" He announced to the mob generals, who all came forward rather quickly in response to his tone.

"Does the pulse seem familiar to you?" Constiere asked once he got close enough to the demigod.

Herobrine shrugged.

"All of them are familiar to me. However, I can't tell who it is exactly because either they're still too far away from us, or, hopefully, they just came from the Aether."

Steve opened his mouth to question the other a bit, but Herobrine quickly shushed him.

"Remember when we left the Nether? Well, the portal magic clings to people for a while after, masking their signature for a bit. Think of it like...accidentally walking through cobwebs. Yes, it sticks to you for a while, but eventually, you're able to get rid of it." Herobrine explained to him, walking alongside the miner for a moment before outpacing him.

Steve let out a quiet "Oh" in response.

"So...we won't know for how long?"

"Not that long, I believe, but let's get as far away from this place while we're still not sure. If it's someone we can handle, it'll be no issue, but if that's not the case, we should be leaving." Herobrine answered, moving to lead the group out of the cave deeper into the forest.

"Should we teleport, then? Just in case?" Andvari asked politely, though he was met with a shake of the head from Herobrine.

"We need some time to transport everyone, and, if that wretched divine is here for what I think they're here for, they'll drop in for a rude interruption. The second that we teleport, or rather, I teleport, whoever is left here or around here will be placed in jeopardy."

"Hey, if that's the problem, how about you just...I dunno, leave me and Malgun here, transport bright-eyes and Squash first, and while you're gone, me and the General will hide somewhere else in the forest? Separated?" Constiere asked, pointing back to the mob in question with his thumb.

Herobrine let out a small hum as he thought to himself about the issue.

"...We could do that, but-"

Herobrine froze, eyes widening a bit as he left the others in silence.

"...They teleported closer. I don't think we'd have time for you two to split and run away far enough without them teleporting even closer."

Constiere let out a groan.

"Why do they have to make everything harder for us?"

Malgun came closer, tightening his hold upon his leather cloak.

"Because they hate having this world saved, I guess." He muttered.

"I could teleport them first, sir." Andvari began, pointing at Constiere and Malgun. "If we move quickly, I don't believe that they'll be able to catch up to us. They'll only be able to sense you when you teleport, so just save that for when I come back."

Herobrine shot a concerned look upward to the enderman before narrowing his eyes back in determination, giving a quick nod.

"Take them to the oakwood forest near Steven's village. Leave them in the farthest area away from it so we're not accidentally seen."

With a nod in response, Andvari walked over to the other two mob generals and teleported away, leaving Herobrine, Steve, and Squash alone with each other. Standing in silence for a moment, Herobrine kept his gaze downward in focus as Steve looked around them nervously, attempting to strain his ears to hear any potential danger that was coming their way.

Herobrine cast a quick look in his direction.

"Steven, calm yourself. They're only walking here. Not running, not sprinting, walking."

Steve looked back at him, somewhat dumbfounded by his words.

"You said that they teleported, that doesn't matter!"

"They'll teleport again once they properly figure out where I currently am. I'm masking myself as best I can, but when they get close enough, it might be a bit difficult to get away."

The miner looked at him with even more fear and worry in his eyes, but Herobrine simply held up a hand in order to silence him before speaking.

"...What was my promise to you? What did I announce in front of a crowd of pure idiots?"

"...If I died, you'd die?"

Herobrine fully turned toward him.

"Yes. In addition to that, I'd like to say something only to you, now that we don't have an audience."

Steve looked at him with deep intrigue. Herobrine took a deep breath.

"Whatever damage gets inflicted upon you, I will inflict upon them tenfold. Any risk to your life will be dealt with, one way or another."

This was more comforting than anything the demigod had said before. Granted, it wasn't all too different, but it was something to really work with.

Steve gave him a smile in response to his words.

"...Lookit you, getting the hang of human emotions and comforts. Maybe they aren't a disease?"

Herobrine narrowed his gaze at him, letting out a scoff.

"They are. Because they caused me to make stupid decisions, like deciding to tell you about how I'm planning to protect you."

Steve let out a small laugh.

"C'mon! I was joking, Brine! I...I really do appreciate what you're doing, you know. I expected less, but...now I feel safer, yeah."

Herobrine's expression softened a bit, though his glare didn't fade.

"...I'm glad you feel safer."

As Steve opened his mouth to respond to the other, Andvari returned abruptly, making him jump a bit.

Though Andvari staggered a bit upon his arrival, he quickly straightened himself out.

"We got a little bit held up! I miscalculated, and we ended up underneath the dark oakwood forest, not the other." The enderman explained with a small chuckle.

Herobrine nodded his head, eyes filled with worry.

"Please, after this, do not teleport! Your navigation abilities are getting troubled as well, that's not okay!" Herobrine said to him, obviously concerned for his wellbeing.

Andvari gave him a small nod.

"Understood, and agreed. Let's leave before we're caught."

With a single hand gesture, Herobrine directed Steve to hop on top of Squash. Steve immediately complied, and once he was settled, the other two went to grab a hold of the beast and teleported away.

When they "landed," it genuinely took Steve a couple of minutes to realize that they were even in another forest. The area surrounding him was pitch-black dark, but as his body caught up to him, his vision slowly cleared to reveal the dense leaves above them and the vast amount of large trees around them. Then, severe nausea came and suddenly, he was finding it rather hard to keep upright on the saddle. He didn't dare try to dismount for fear of falling off completely without Herobrine ready to catch him, mostly because as he turned to look for the man, he found him hunched over, trying to catch his breath.

"I-It causes blindness, too?!" Steve asked shakily, though Herobrine didn't respond immediately.

"...T-that...ugh, n-no teleporting...for either of us…" Herobrine struggled to force out, attempting to stand back straight again before returning to his first position.

"Risky...teleporting with two tired people is rather risky…" Andvari mumbled, managing to recover a bit quicker than the other two beside him.

"...W-what?" Steve asked, worried.

Herobrine shook his head as he finally managed to correct his posture and regain his composure.

"For the sake of your sanity...I recommend not thinking about it further." He said, moving to briefly glance around the dark forest as he held a finger to his lips for Steve to see.

Wordlessly, Steve nodded to his silent command, watching as the demigod walked a bit in a small circle as his white gaze searched through the darkness. Moments later, a sigh escaped his lips as he stopped, looking back toward the others with a neutral expression.

"I don't feel or hear anyone around us yet. It's taking a bit for my senses to get back to normal after that...experience."

Andvari looked around as well, confusion settling upon his expression.

"...Where are the others? I placed them right here, didn't I?"

Herobrine raised a brow at him.

"...Are your navigation abilities in a worse state than what I thought?"

Andvari shook his head.

"I...no. I remember coming exactly here, and I told them to remain in this space until we all came. They should be here."

Herobrine took another glance around the area, letting out a small hum as he did so.

"...If they're not here, then there's a chance that maybe someone came around, so they hid."

Worried, Steve glanced down at the demigod, now attempting to safely dismount Squash.

"Is...would they go and hide for just anybody?" He asked cautiously.

"...With humans, they would kill if they got the opportunity. They wouldn't hide unless they were outnumbered, or…"

Herobrine's eyes slightly widened in concern.

"...We have company."

"Now?"

"Right now?"

Andvari and Steve both asked the demigod, who slightly nodded his head.

"Yes, but why? The portal in this area is destroyed, why would they…?"

"Shouldn't we get going?!" Steve whispered harshly, being met with another quick nod.

"You two separate from me. If I'm the only target of interest...wait, no."

Herobrine silently debated with himself for a few seconds, only to let out a sigh of frustration soon afterward.

"Me and Steven are both prime targets, but if they get us in one place, there's no guarantee of safety. However, if he goes with you Andi…" Herobrine looked up to the enderman. "...Then it'll take longer for them to lay any hands on him. I only feel one divine in the area, and frankly, I know exactly who it is. I don't want you caught up with him, so you need to get as far away from me as possible. He'll likely make a beeline for me, and go after you two last."

While Andvari nodded in response to his command, Steve simply looked at the other with deep confusion on his face.

"Who's-"

"-Hopefully, hopefully, you won't be meeting him. I truly pray that you don't find him, and he doesn't find you. Now leave!" Herobrine explained, pointing towards the darkened area behind them as he began to place space in between them.

Before Steve could even interrogate the other further, Andvari placed a claw on his shoulder, slightly pulling on it as he tried to get him to leave.

"We don't want to remain in the spot where his magic was concentrated on for long." Andvari said in a kind voice, leading Steve to nod somewhat absentmindedly in response.

"...Y-yeah." Was all he could force out before turning to guide Squash along with him.


He didn't remember ever taking the time to spend a few minutes within a roofed forest before his partnership with the others, but as his eyes looked over the massive trees that surrounded them, he had a slight idea on why that had been the case.

It was a bit too closed up for his liking. Sure, he was a miner and he was used to closed-up spaces, but not like this. There were more places for mobs to hide, more obstacles to look out for, and, of course, an easier way to tell if it was day or not. The sunlight actually could vaguely be seen behind the overhead leaves, though it was clear that the sunlight was fading. He didn't want to know what a night in this forest looked like, and he didn't want to hear what it sounded like, either. Caves were normally more...cozy compared to this. Even without the ability to tell whether or not it was day or night, caves gave him a safer feeling than what he was experiencing right now.

Andvari led him carefully through the forest, attention heavily focused on the various sounds around them that could even barely be caused by any animated being. No mobs cried out, much to Steve's general intrigue. However, he soon realized that was the case due to a small, barely-present feeling of dread that had settled in his stomach without him initially realizing it. Though he was thankful for the added silence, it only made every other sound that came to them ten times more frightening.

As the miner looked at his surroundings carefully, his gaze soon shifted over to the ground beneath him, leading his focus to settle on the slightly damp forest grass that seemingly swallowed his boots a bit with every step. The longer he stared, the more he realized that the ground was getting rather hazy, much to his confusion. It wasn't long until he realized that this haze was a dense fog forming near his feet, slowly creeping into the area, yet not at an alarming enough pace to send warning signals into his brain. If they had teleported near his village, then he guessed that it wasn't all too surprising to see this kind of fog in the winter.

A small growl came to his attention, making him flinch abruptly before he soon realized that it had come from right beside him. At first, he suspected that it had originated from Squash, but as he realized that it had been at too high of a pitch to come from the ravager, his focus soon shifted and landed upon Andvari, who was currently, in fact, the source of the noise. He also realized that the other had stopped completely in his tracks.

He hadn't really seen the other in such a...well, animalistic way before. Like a dog or a cat awaiting a potential threat, the other stood slightly hunched in a way that suggested a future lunge, with his claws slightly extended in an intimidating manner.

"Uh...Andvari?..." Steve asked quietly, not sure how to approach the other.

Andvari briefly looked back at him, flinching in the process at his soft voice. Almost immediately, his stance relaxed, and he looked back at the miner with a smile.

"Yes?"

Struggling to get his thoughts together for a moment, Steve continued.

"...Are you okay?"

The enderman stared at him for a moment in confusion before his eyes widened slightly in realization.

"Ah, it's...the fog. Water vapor. Not fun."

Steve nodded in response.

"No...n-nothing else?"

"I thought I heard something, but it...might've been nothing. Not sure. Herobrine is better with these things, you know." The enderman explained with a soft chuckle, moving forward once again.

Steve let out a hum as he continued to walk as well, slightly going over the other's words for a moment.

"...That's right. Endermen hate water, don't they?"

Andvari nodded.

"It's like acid to us. I'm not sure why that's the case, but my theory is that, wherever we're from, water is scarce. Or simply nonexistent."

"Really? What gives you that idea?" Steve asked curiously, his fears put to the side for the time being.

"Our allergic reactions to it. Must not be something we're ever exposed to, so we simply...don't have the capacity to draw an immunity to it." Andvari explained, extending his arms a bit as he examined his own body.

Steve nodded again.

"I...I can kinda understand how that may be the case. If the End is really like that, then...oh boy…"

He'd been so occupied with everything going on in the Overworld that he didn't even have time to really consider what could lie within the End, especially if the Nether was to be included in that consideration.

The Nether was breathtaking in every sense of the word, but...given the little number of materials and flora that he's already seen from it, it must've been quite dangerous beyond the point that Herobrine had dragged him off to. What creatures, if any, could even live in that place if the oceans were made of lava, and the plants made of flesh-eating poison? If the lanterns formed there could devour your soul?

What did that possibly imply for the End?

If a dragon lived there, if the endermen came from there, and if there was, if Andvari's words were to be considered, no water, then what did that place look like? If there were extra steps created to seal its portal, then what kind of true horror was that portal holding back?

Suddenly, Steve became rather curious about Andvari's words again.

"...How do you guys not know where you're from? Don't you come from the End?"

Shock flashed across Andvari's expression as he realized what he'd said.

"...Endermen do come from the End, yes. Sorry, I misspoke."

Steve was still confused.

"Then...how are you not sure if there's water in the End or not?"

Andvari shrugged.

"I...I guess it's been a while since I last visited."

There was something not adding up about the enderman's words, but Steve didn't exactly have the mental energy to form a proper investigation. Especially since he knew well that he didn't have all the information or evidence present. Simply nodding as he laid his burning questions to rest (for a mere nap, that is), Steve allowed the strange silence of the forest to come between their words once again, this time finding even more fog rolling in.

There was something strange about walking the land that firmly belonged to the hands of the mobs, and more technically, the control of Herobrine. It was freeing, in a way, to not be bound by the light of the sun and the protection of a sword, instead being given access to the beauty of the shadows by the claws of the monsters he once firmly feared and the guiding light of two, glowing white eyes. Though he was still unsettled and untrusting, he was glad that he didn't have to completely be worried about his general well-being when it came to traveling alongside the others, even if the strongest among them wasn't currently present. However, with that freedom came fear. With the absence of the mobs came a sense of danger as he waited for something to jump out at them.

Andvari stopped in his tracks once again, going back into a defensive position as another low growl escaped his mouth.

"...Stay here." He commanded, moving more toward the treeline as he left the miner in a confused, worried state of mind. He quickly disappeared afterward.

Not particularly wanting to find out what the other had found in the darkness, Steve nodded and decided to wait, hoping that the mystery wouldn't be solved anywhere in his presence.

The silence of the forest gave way to pure anxiety, but the longer he was separated from Andvari, the more he was convinced that something had happened to the enderman. Seconds passed into minutes, and soon enough, Steve was firmly in the belief that now, he was alone, and unfortunately, they'd been discovered. As he debated his next set of moves, which were in conflict with what the enderman had instructed him to do, a sudden noise of reality itself warping came to his ears, leading him to jump in response. Though he initially sighed in relief, that relief soon melted into worry as he realized that the teleporting sound had come from behind him, a few feet away.

There were only three possible options for who could've found him.

1.) It was Herobrine. He managed to lose the divine being and decided to meet up with him again. He didn't know how he'd even be able to pinpoint the miner's location, but nevertheless, it was him.

2.) Andvari. He took care of the threat and had returned via teleportation. It was strange that he chose to teleport behind him, but oh well. He was having navigation problems, wasn't he?

3.) It was the mystery divine, and Steve was utterly screwed now that neither of the previous options were near him.

With bated breath, Steve waited for his suspicions to be confirmed, with his fingers crossed in the hopes that he was only being messed with, and nothing else. Given that the individual had teleported, running wasn't exactly an option for him. He was now able to hear the faintest of footsteps approach him.

And lo, the back of his head felt sudden, immense pain before going completely numb.

Being knocked in the head wasn't exactly an ideal situation to deal with, but at this point, as he was beginning to make close acquaintances with the ground beneath him, he didn't really have a say in the matter.


He was glad to wake up to the feeling of grass beneath his body as opposed to, say, a basement floor.

He was less glad to wake up to the realization that he'd been completely separated from the others, and he had no idea where the hell he even was.

Opening his eyes, Steve quickly sprung up onto his feet, regretting the action almost immediately as a wave of sickness overcame him, his head pounding hard at the sudden movement. After regaining himself somewhat, he allowed himself to take in his surroundings, attempting to calm himself down further.

He realized that he was in an oakwood forest, though, he only was able to tell because of the fact that he'd been placed near an oakwood tree. He was only barely able to see his own hand in front of his face thanks to the fog that had formed around him, the sky above being significantly covered as well. The fog was dense, the air was frigid, and Steve was beginning to panic.

Where were the others? Where was Squash? He hadn't expected them to get separated so easily, but that was just how things had to go for him, wasn't it? The moment he didn't fight back against his village's insistence on being appointed was the moment that he'd essentially sold away his rights to a peaceful life without much struggle, so here he was. Almost guaranteed, a god had to have been the one who'd stepped into their lives, which automatically made Steve tense up a bit as he realized that, more likely than what he would've hoped for, the stranger would come for him sooner than later.

Drawing his sword in order to better prepare himself for a potential future encounter with an immortal being who wanted to draw blood, Steve held out his weapon in front of him. As he stared at its iron surface, he let out a small sigh of frustration.

Where had the other blade he'd been given gone? Though Almun's blade was still fit for a battle, it would've been nice to have had a potential backup option, or hell, even just another weapon to potentially dual-wield with. He knew well that he'd have to practice dual-wielding quite a bit before he could ever hope to utilize the ability in a fight, but that didn't mean that he wasn't willing to try it. Hell, if Herobrine could do it apparently, why couldn't he?

He knew the answer to that question, but he didn't necessarily want to fully admit it.

He didn't remember what he'd done with the blade, but given the fact that it apparently held his "ticket" to the End, he felt embarrassed about the fact that he hadn't kept a better track of it. Maybe Herobrine took it from him without him noticing it? The other could move pretty smoothly at times, who's to say that he couldn't have done something like take a sword directly out of his hands without him realizing it?

Shaking his head, Steve returned his attention to the foggy world around him, panicked eyes glancing around frantically. He'd distracted himself from the situation at hand, and who knew how much actual danger he was in.

Seeing as nothing was coming directly his way, he, against his better judgment and screaming conscience, stepped forward, beginning to navigate his way through the hazy forest.

It was a well-known fact embedded into his very DNA that the best you could possibly do if you ever found yourself lost was to remain in place, and yet, his body was now being willed to move forward, following nothing in particular at first. It was when he got further into the forest when a sudden, dull buzz came to his senses, making him stop in his tracks as he briefly glanced around to see if he could find where it came from. Just as quickly as it had come to him, it disappeared, leaving him with silence once again. He slowly came to the realization that he'd felt this brief buzz before, but as the situation had been earlier, he didn't know where'd it come from, or why he was even able to feel it.

Could it have been something intended to guide him? Should he run towards it, in any case?

With a confused hum, Steve began to walk once again, attempting to place himself in the direction that he thought the buzz had come from. With every hesitant step, the fog only grew denser, almost preventing him from even seeing his own two feet in front of his body as his grip upon his sword only got tighter in fear. It almost seemed like the forest and the fog around him was alive, just waiting for him to make the wrong move so that it could consume him. As the minutes of desperate travel and utter confusion and fear went on, the fog, surprisingly, got lighter as the trees around him got sparser, leading to his gaze faltering as he began to examine his surroundings in a more frantic manner. If he had less cover, then so did any potential enemies, right? Walking in a more slow, cautious fashion, he kept his breath as quiet as he could until suddenly, in the very distance, a dark figure began to come into view.

He froze.

The being stood tall, its head glancing around itself as it simply stood in the fog, seemingly searching for something as he had been himself. The creature had yet to notice him as well, but to Steve's relief and concern, it at least seemed to be humanoid in figure. Whether he should be thankful or fearful of that fact, Steve wasn't sure, but whatever the case was he remained right where he stood, not daring to make a sound so that he wouldn't alarm the creature before him.

His silence was not helpful in any way. The being soon turned to face him, locking the miner in place out of fear as his presence finally became known. In all honesty, Steve began to mentally slap himself in the face as he soon regretted not forcing his body to hide behind a tree.

More quickly than what he was comfortable with, the distant figure soon began to briskly walk towards him, leading to his sword automatically moving in front of his body as he prepared a defensive stance. This did not deter the creature, however, leading to him silently bracing himself for the potential battle of his current lifetime. As the stranger came into view, he began to notice more details about them, their figure pushing through the fog as it mysteriously disappeared from around them. From where he stood, the individual was wearing a long, white coat that trailed down to their knees, which was rather intriguing as they were now beginning to appear quite tall in stature. Messy, black hair soon came into view, but as the stranger drew closer, it appeared that some strands of their hair were dyed white, as opposed to being naturally colored that way.

As the stranger finally reached him, calming blue eyes locked onto violet ones as they stood quite a distance away from the miner, evidently concerned about the sword that was tilting in their direction in a threatening manner. Adjusting the collar of the faded black, turtleneck shirt that was underneath their lab coat, the stranger cleared their voice before speaking.

"...I cannot even begin to explain what the hell is happening right now."

The voice seemed glaringly familiar, but Steve couldn't fully recognize the owner, leading to confusion appearing on his face fully as his stance weakened.

"...N-neither can I." He said in response, watching with a focused gaze as the other let out a deep sigh.

"...I'm glad I found you quickly though, Steve. I was beginning to think that everybody just...well, I thought things came to a bizarrely abrupt, tragic end."

Shock soon found its way onto the miner's face as soon as his name came out of the other's mouth.

"...How the hell do you know my name?" He asked quietly, earning a look of concern from the stranger.

The man before him opened his mouth to speak, but closed it as he took a brief look down at his hands. After a few moments of silence, he broke his wild train of thought with another deep sigh, looking back up at the miner with a suddenly serious gaze.

"I don't even want to deal with this right now. We have to move and end this stupidity as quickly as we can."

Before he could even ask the other to clarify what he even meant, the man walked briskly forward, grabbed his wrist, and began to drag him off into the forest, much to Steve's utter bewilderment. His grip on his sword immediately loosened as he released the hand that was being grabbed by the man from its handle, leaving the blade to awkwardly drag across the forest floor as he tried to prevent himself from stumbling. Quickly before he could accidentally drop the sword entirely, he sheathed it, finding himself rather confused with his own actions as he remembered that, to his knowledge, a complete stranger was dragging him elsewhere.

Despite the situation, he didn't really feel all that uneasy about the other anymore, bizarrely. Though the grip on his wrist was strong, it was at the same time quite gentle, leaving him with the opportunity to pull himself away if he wanted to. As the stranger before him glanced around the area in a somewhat focused, somewhat panicked manner, Steve focused all of his attention on the other's face, trying to at least remember if he'd seen the other somewhere before.

Nothing was ringing a bell. Perhaps he'd met this man in his youth, and he'd remembered his name from way back then?

As the two found the fog deepening around them once again, they suddenly drew to an abrupt halt as the sound of hurried footsteps came in their direction, leading to the stranger letting Steve go abruptly as both he and the miner went into sudden attack stances, with Steve drawing his sword as they waited for whatever was running to find them.

To their shared surprise, however, the running figure, in fact, was coming from behind them, which was made apparent by the stranger at Steve's side suddenly being crashed into, tumbling onto the ground as a yelp left both his and the new stranger's mouths.

Turning to point his sword at the new arrival, Steve examined the other intensely, eyes immediately noting the fact that this person was significantly shorter than the figure he'd just met. Short orange hair was messily strewn upon their head, and what seemed to be a proper, blue uniform was clothing their smaller body. After a groan left their mouth, wide, brown eyes suddenly directed themselves upward to the miner, causing him to flinch as the individual threw themselves at his body, which in turn caused him to drop his sword as their arms wrapped around his torso tightly.

"I'm so fucking glad to actually see you two right now!" The stranger said, his frantic, familiar voice muffled by Steve's body.

Confused, Steve stood awkwardly in place, briefly watching the first stranger he met gather himself before looking back down at the other right beneath him.

"I'm genuinely sorry, but...who are you?!" Steve exclaimed, his eyes widened in confusion and shock as the other met him with an equal expression.

"Who am I?!" The stranger stood up fully, backing away from the miner in disbelief. "You know who I am! Bright-eyes, I'm not that different-looking! Don't actually tell me that you're this stupid!"

The nickname broke through his own fog of confusion, leading to utter shock flooding his body as he examined the figure before him even closer.

"...C...Constiere?" He asked quietly, earning a smile from the other in response.

"Oh thank goodness, you haven't gotten that much brain damage yet!" Constiere said in a joking fashion, moving to dust himself off as he looked back at the other figure who was with them, his gaze narrowing slightly.

"Y'know, I've never seen you like this. In-person, I mean." The boy paused. "...I don't like it. Makes me feel...icky, man."

The other glared at the boy in return.

"...How the hell do you think I feel? Whatever and whoever caused this needs to get their ass kicked, don't you agree?"

Watching Constiere nod his head in agreement, Steve only felt more alone in his lack of understanding about the strange situation he found himself in at the moment.

"What...can either of you two explain what's going on? Why are we in a magical, foggy forest? Why do you look like that? What's happening?" Steve asked, his voice only growing more panicked as he finished.

Constiere let out a frustrated groan.

"My best guess has to be divine shenanigans, alright? Some loser found us, and is now totally messing with us by making us look...normal, maybe? I…" The boy explained, looking down at himself as he examined his own clothes. "...The last time I wore these clothes was right before I died. This is my army uniform. I don't know who'd even know what it looked like on me, let alone who'd even know what I looked like beforehand."

As Steve met the other's gaze, he nodded a bit, soon after looking over his appearance once again.

"...This...this is what you looked like before you died?"

Constiere hesitantly nodded at his words.

"...I can't tell for sure, but...as far as I know, yeah. I have brown eyes, right?"

Steve nodded, which led to the boy letting out a chuckle in response.

"...Then yeah. This is me. Kinda strange I didn't get my hat, though. The uniform is incomplete, so...definitely, whoever did this was definitely aware of what I looked like when I died."

As the boy gave him a slightly saddened smile, sudden curiosity overwhelmed Steve as he began to look at their surroundings once again.

"...Is there a god of Illusions, so to speak?"

Both the stranger and Constiere shrugged.

"If Lord Herobrine is the god of Imitation, then maybe. I dunno." Constiere answered.

"If there is, that could explain the fog and the...appearances." The stranger finished, looking down at Constiere as his words hesitantly came out.

Steve nodded, turning his attention forward as the fog began to thin out slightly once again, their silence allowing him to hear another pair of footsteps in the distance.

"Then we should probably find him, Andvari, and General Malgun. Or, whoever's left after this, I think. Someone's over there." He said, walking forward as he briefly pointed at the distant individual.

As the taller stranger began to slowly follow after him, Constiere quickly outpaced the two, cupping his hands around his mouth as he began to yell out.

"Lord Herobrine! General Malgun! Which one of you two are we seeing?!" The boy yelled out, immediately leading to the distant footsteps pausing as both of the two men beside him went to cover his mouth with strong shushes escaping them.

"Constiere, what the hell is wrong with you?! That could've been the god themselves!" The stranger scolded, leading to Constiere rolling his eyes as he pushed the two off of him.

"Then we'd be able to kick their ass and get out of this mess. Win-win situation." He said, moving to cup his hands around his mouth once again.

As Constiere continued to scream out for the distant figure to reveal themselves, the footsteps soon continued, turning into a sprint as a voice suddenly came with them as well.

"Constiere?! Is that you?!" Another familiar voice rang out from the distance, leading to a smile forming on the boy's lips.

"Yes, sir!" He called back out, smiling at the other two proudly.

"...Is that Malgun?" Steve asked quietly, earning a quick nod from the boy.

"Probably in the added flesh, if what's going on is to be considered." Constiere quipped, moving to shout for the other once again as Steve suddenly became quite curious about the general's appearance.

He hadn't even considered what the other may have looked like in his youth, let alone his time spent as a living, breathing human being. All he could tell was that the other had white hair, silver eyes, and fair skin, at the very least. He knew nothing about his age, but he suspected that the other was a bit older, given his voice and aged flesh.

As the footsteps drew nearer, the three found themselves relieved as they realized that, yet again, another soul had been saved from the depths of the mysterious fog. As the man who seemed to be Malgun approached them from the trees, Steve found himself rather shocked as he got a better look at the old appearance of the deceased man he'd been traveling with.

General Malgun wasn't old, to be quite frank. Sure, he was older, as the miner had expected, but his age seemed to be closer to that of his friend Almun's more than anything. Seeing the other clothed fully with both actual clothes and flesh was shocking enough, but the other's slightly fading black hair, dusted faintly with white strands, almost paralyzed him at the fact that the other had looked so familiar, in a way. His silver eyes, plural now, were a more vibrant silver, and his face was covered in only barely-shaved stubble.

Stepping forward, Malgun let out a sigh of relief as he relaxed at their sudden presence. Constiere let out a mock sound of disgust as the other walked toward them, however, earning an abrupt glare from the man.

"I wanna know who the hell is making us look so ugly! This is too much, even for me." Constiere said with a laugh, briefly glancing between the others around him before settling his eyes upon Steve. "Well, everybody except for bright-eyes. You're like the same, pretty boy."

Steve blinked.

"...Nothing's different about me?"

The group before him shook their heads.

"...Nothing except your eyes. They're normal. Just a regular, old purple." Malgun stated, earning a brief look of realization to flash across Steve's gaze.

"Then a portal's-"

"-Not here. Bright-eyes, take a look at the situation, alright?" Constiere interrupted the miner. "If there was something near here, that would've been made obvious before the stupid fog. We're all being changed to look some sort of way, for some sort of reason. All we need to do now is find Lord Herobrine and deal with the guy who's doing all of this."

Earning nods from the others, Constiere looked off into the distance as Steve looked at him. Soon after, the two briefly shared a connected gaze before their shared thoughts became known.

"...I kinda wanna see what the master got stuck with looking like."

"I want to see what this dude made Brine look like."

Their simultaneous remarks earned a couple of looks of amusement from the others present.

"Assuming he actually was able to be transformed into something else, yes." Malgun added with a shrug, beginning to walk off as the others began to walk along with him.

"...I'd hate to learn that anybody else was stuck with this fate." The stranger who was with them muttered, earning a look of intrigue from Steve.

"...Who are you, by the way?" He asked quietly, looking upward to the man with a curious gaze.

Suddenly, the group stopped in their tracks as all focus landed on Steve, who began to feel his face flush intensely with the added attention.

With a sigh of disappointment, Constiere buried his face into his hands slowly.

"...You're actually fucking stupid."

Offended by the other's words, Steve was about to speak, as were the others, when Constiere looked up to cast a couple of glares in their direction, which was paired with a slightly mischievous grin.

"Don't say anything! Let him use his brain for a minute, he'll figure it out eventually!" The boy said with a laugh, earning looks of exasperation from the other two as Steve could only form more confusion on his face.

"...Eventually?" Malgun asked, earning a "Hey!" from Steve as a sigh came from his side, originating from the supposed "stranger."

"I'd much rather not deal with this right now. I'd also like to not delay anything, but-"

Their words were interrupted by a sudden, nearly deafening scream of what appeared to be sheer torment sounded throughout the forest, causing the group to collectively flinch in response as the horrid sound was followed by a wave of nauseating dread. Though the feeling that overcame them made it obvious who the suffocating effect had originated from, that did nothing to ease their worries as something new had wormed its way into the silent command.

Come here. Leave me alone. Save me. Stand back. Go away. Don't go.

Conflicting instructions attacked their brains in strong waves as the echoes of the distant scream finally began to disappear after a longer time than what they deemed natural, drawing them to the collective conclusion that, whatever was going on, Herobrine was not having a pleasant time at all, though, no one really was at the moment.

Before he could even realize what his own two feet were doing, Steve began to sprint forward, focusing both his conscious and subconscious attention on where that scream had come from, slowly becoming aware of the fact that the same, weird buzz that he felt before had slightly accompanied it. Though he heard the others shout at him with confusion at first, he soon heard their added footsteps shortly afterward, and suddenly, the fog around them was beginning to form more densely, making it appear as if it didn't want them to find what they were looking for.

He didn't even know where he was, but he kept moving forward, trying to focus on where the source of the strange feeling had come from, even though he knew he had no chance in hell of sensing things as well as Herobrine did. All he could hope was that he'd be able to tell if the sensation was stronger in one place in comparison to another.

A few more shouts from behind him encouraged him to slow down, which he did, allowing the others to catch up to him.

Constiere was the first to catch up to him, immediately punching him in the shoulder once he finally did.

"Steve, I hate to say this, but your enthusiasm is not exactly helpful right now. We need to stick together, and you need to let the folks with actual hunting experience do the hunting."

Steve glared at him.

"I have hunting experience!"

"But do you have listening experience? We're more used to locating master when he calls for us, so...let us lead."

Constiere paused for a moment, glancing around them at the foggy forest while the others caught up to them. He let out a sigh soon after.

"...I'm worried for him too. The fact that this...whatever it really is, allowed us to find each other but not find him is kinda alarming." The boy stated, looking at the others for confirmation.

"Y-Yeah. Herobrine's the target, and that does not bode well for us." Malgun added on, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Not liking the implications of the...former skeleton's words, Steve looked back out into the forest ahead.

"Then why are we stopping? I...I think he's calling out from over here, but-"

"-It's more to our left, I think." Constiere said, pointing his arm outward as he spoke. "Once you get used to hearing the call, it's easier to tell which direction it's coming from."

Steve nodded, beginning to walk in the direction that Constiere had pointed out. As the others went as well, his walk soon turned into a sprint as another wave of silent commands came upon them, leading to more anxiety filling his body as worry for the demigod overtook his thoughts as well. Whatever the case was, he was desperately hoping that they wouldn't find the other critically injured, and/or dead.

Eventually, they found him.

Deeper within the forest, in a small clearing that only appeared to have been created not too long ago (as evidenced by the singed and broken trees that surrounded it), stood a scene that the group was not exactly ready nor expecting to find. A figure clothed in what appeared to be royal, white garments was hunched over the ground, seemingly collapsed. His head was buried within his arms as heavy sobs left his mouth in an undignified fashion, the frame of his body shaking harshly. The ground around him was heavily singed, but just a few feet in front of him was the individual who was supposedly responsible for all of this, staring at the demigod with what appeared to be a knowing, satisfied grin upon his face. This stranger was also dressed in white, though the cloak that draped his shoulders was a dark grey as opposed to Herobrine's own short, white cloak. Short black hair was neatly combed back, and vibrant green eyes looked down at the demigod before him with malice.

Steve was confused about who the stranger was for only a split second, right up until another wave of dread hit him even stronger than before, seeming to originate from Herobrine specifically.

He'd never seen Herobrine cry. Steve had never seen the other in such a state before. Granted, he never would've even gotten the chance otherwise, but it didn't even register in his brain that the demigod could even appear like this at all. It looked like if he even dared to lay a finger upon the man, he'd fall away into dust, breaking what little structure he had left. Herobrine wasn't meant to look this...broken at all. The sight of the other suffering, despite Steve not knowing what had led to his current state, caused the miner to feel a small tightening within his chest.

As the demigod soon became aware of the fact that his unraveling suddenly had a broader audience, he slowly lifted his head from the ground, leading Steve to realize that the other's hair was not as long as he remembered it being. Once Herobrine turned around to glance at them, Steve felt his stomach drop in such a way that he wasn't able to fully process the rush of emotions that came flooding toward him.

How it was possible for the other to look more like him, he wasn't certain, but the other's hair was cut in a way that fully matched his, essentially removing the barrier that prevented them from looking completely identical. The hair had caught his attention first, sure, but as his violet gaze locked with the other's fully silver one, he suddenly felt as if his heart had shattered into a million pieces, much to his general shock.

Pain. Grief. Regret. A swirl of emotions that were far too embedded into the other's very core nearly threatened to overwhelm his own senses as a silent cry for help made itself known through the other's gaze. The cry was for something that reached beyond their current situation, and though the demigod didn't have the strength to vocalize it, Steve knew. He knew.

Unable to face the others for too long at the moment, Herobrine turned back to face the other god before them, his expression turning dark, though still rather weak.

"Y-you're sick." He growled out, earning a small laugh from the unknown divine being.

"Yes, you are." The man said with a small laugh. "A god who inflicts the wrath of his inner turmoil upon others, securing them with the fate he'd met so long ago? So harsh. So vile. No wonder we all want you dead."

The blunt cruelty of the other's answer stirred a deeply-settled type of anger that Steve wasn't aware he could even form for the other, but nevertheless, he found that his hand was already firmly wrapped around the handle of his blade.

He expected Herobrine to retort back with something that mocked the other, bringing him down to not only his level, but the Overworld's as well. However, nothing left the demigod's lips for a solid few moments. All that escaped him was a shuddering breath, as well as a few, scattered tears.

Suddenly, after the silence had become rather deafening between them, Herobrine broke it with a soft, shaky voice.

"...I-I know."

The demigod's eyes filled more with tears, his vision only getting blurrier as his hands gripped the grass beneath him tightly, turning the burnt blades of grass into pure ash.

"...I tried to fix it for you. I tried to not cause any trouble."

Something about the other's current state disturbed the miner in a way that Herobrine's more intense persona wasn't even able to accomplish.

This person was smaller. Weaker. He was scared, he was remorseful, and, whatever crime he committed against the amused god before him, he was, in his mind, surely guilty.

This was a mortal human cowering in front of an immortal god. This was not a discussion between two humans, or two divine beings, this was a powerless individual being confronted by an infinitely powerful one.

The man cowering on the ground in front of them was simply not the Herobrine he knew at all.

"Oh, but you did, you see?" The stranger said, moving a bit closer to the other as he leaned to speak to him. "You've always been a nuisance. You've always been vile. You say that you tried, but we all know that you didn't."

Harsh words led to distressed ones in response.

"I tried to fix everything! How could I have known that I'd wake up?!" Herobrine spoke through a wave of unending tears, the area around him growing hotter as the god in front of him dared to move closer.

"You knew. You knew after many, many incidents that it wouldn't be easy." The god in front of him said in response, briefly looking up to the audience that had formed in front of them before casting a wicked grin back down at the other. "And you knew how much trouble you were capable of causing. You knew that, and yet...you roped others into your troubles. Was it willful ignorance? Was it a genuine belief that you'd be able to fight off your wicked nature for long? Tell me, I'm curious."

Slowly, but surely, Herobrine looked back over to the others, his gaze growing even more distressed and regretful than it already had been as he carefully examined their expressions. As more tears came flowing down his face, he slowly began to move away from the others in a way that made it seemed like he was afraid of them, much to their general confusion.

"...Did you fix them?" Herobrine asked quietly, his words being directed toward the god that had been antagonizing him.

The stranger nodded.

"Yes, completely. I've fixed them. They've been restored to a state before your wicked hands ever corrupted their mortal bodies. They no longer have to live in fear of you, should you actually decide to do the right thing, for once in your life."

Steve couldn't handle it anymore.

"That's not true, and you know it. You haven't fixed anything." He said, his voice strong as he took a step towards the two, casting a glare over to the strange divine.

He was met with a smirk.

"What? Why do you say that?"

In all truth, Steve wasn't sure if the other was lying. All he knew was that his chest bubbled with immense anger the more harshly the other spoke to Herobrine. Given that the fog that had entrapped them was fading in and out of existence at will, however, he was willing to bet that the man had some control over it, and that he was willing to lie about more things than just what their surroundings were truly like.

Before he could answer the other, a small chuckle left the divine's lips.

"You've been given your humanity back, yes? Once succumbed to the claws of death, you've been risen to embrace your mortality. You're welcome."

Though it took a moment for him to realize what the other was speaking about, his gaze narrowed in sheer contempt for the cruel being.

"I'm not dead. I've never been dead."

His words surprisingly managed to bring an emotion that wasn't amusement onto the other's face, which was genuine surprise, but he couldn't care less (he was actually rather proud of himself). Before the man could say anything further, Steve resumed his walk forward, this time moving closer to the demigod as he desperately wished to do something, anything, to try and make the other feel better.

He was stopped dead in his tracks as the demigod in question suddenly backed further away from him, raising a palm in order to summon a ball of fire in a threatening manner.

No words were spoken in between the two for a solid minute, leaving Steve to stare in utter confusion at Herobrine as he tried to rationalize why he'd do such a thing.

With a shaky, quiet voice, Herobrine spoke to them as a desperate look of pleading overcame him.

"...I don't want to hurt you."

Steve shook his head.

"Brine, we aren't training right now. I...I think you're confused. Put the fire away."

Brine's expression remained the same.

"I don't want to hurt you any more than I already have."

...Anymore than I already have?

Steve shook his head again, a small, nervous smile appearing on his face.

"C'mon Brine. Whatever this guy said, it's nothing. We're here to kick his ass and move on, al-"

"-Please go away!" Herobrine shouted, a sudden, intense wave of dread overcoming the others as he spoke in a hysterical fashion.

Flinching, but not moving at the abrupt display of power, Steve's smile faded away as he looked down at the other with deep pity. Herobrine extinguished the flame after a few moments of tense silence, slowly moving back into his previous, hunched-over position as he now appeared to be bowing to the others.

"...I hurt you. I ruined your life." Herobrine spoke through added tears, grabbing the grass beneath him as he turned his attention toward the others. "...I ruined all of your lives."

Sure, Herobrine was the person that led to him becoming a champion, but for the sake of the conversation and the other's current wellbeing, Steve decided to keep that thought to himself. He couldn't say for certain that the other had been involved in each of the others' individual demises, though.

"...Brine, that's...that's not-"

"-Please just...go live your lives. I'm sorry I ever got involved. You...All of you would've lived such fulfilling lives had I stayed away. I ruined your lives."

"Brine. You're just saying that cause he-"

Steve looked away from the other to gesture towards the divine in question, but the man was gone. Their current, strange appearances, however, were not.

Were they truly permanent?

Getting a bit more nervous and wondering how he was going to deal with the situation, Steve tried to calm himself down before continuing.

"You're only saying that because...he's making you believe it. This is a god that we're dealing with, right?"

Herobrine looked at him with pained eyes, not answering his question. Steve continued in the absence of his response.

"...This isn't you. Whatever he said was supposed to be you, it's not. Look at yourself."

With more hesitance than he ever saw the demigod muster before, Herobrine looked intensely at the well-decorated, ornately-designed clothes he was currently wearing, his expression not fading.

Curiously, Steve approached him cautiously, kneeling down to his level as he too examined the strange set of clothes.

"He made me, Constiere, and Malgun look like what we looked like before...well, we changed. Why are you wearing this? When did you wear this? Does it have anything to do with the situation? Like, is it a clue?"

It took a minute or so for Herobrine to answer him, but when he spoke, his voice was utterly broken, almost soft enough to have been missed entirely had the miner not been where he was.

"...I wore this the day I died."

The moment that the words left the demigod's mouth, Steve found that he couldn't handle Herobrine's expression any longer.

Before Herobrine could even register what exactly had left his mouth, Steve's arms were already tightly wrapped around his frame, bringing him into a strong hug that made him realize just how much of his repressed thoughts had finally escaped the confines of his brain. It was only seconds after that he was pulled even closer to the miner, sending several waves of sudden thoughts and emotions into his brain that threatened to completely send him off into a spiral.

His mind went numb. His body went stiff. His tears suddenly stopped.

He was utterly stunned at the action, initially wildly uncomfortable with the forceful breach of personal space that he should've certainly reprimanded. However, as the force of his frantically beating heart began to nearly break through his ribcage, the sudden flood of shock and fear turned into genuine bewilderment as the first of several, barely-audible sniffles came to his ears, which took him longer than he'd like to admit to realize that they weren't coming from himself.

Steve was crying. This mortal, who knew nothing of his plight, nothing of the story that had brought him into his embarrassing physical and mental state, was crying.

He listened intently to the sounds of gentle sobs escaping the miner's lips, coming slowly to the realization that yes, they were, in fact, genuine. Steve was crying tears of pure sympathy for him, and he couldn't even begin to understand why. All he knew was that, all of a sudden, the tight, almost alarming hold around his body became a warm, comforting one, and the frantic, almost medically alarming pounding in his chest began to slow considerably as his breathing did also, which he hadn't even realized had gotten so out of order.

Whatever the hell that cruel divine did to him would have to be dealt with later. Right now, he had to find out why it felt so nice to be held by this shortsighted fool who wasn't even considering the possibility that he could've seriously, seriously hurt him had his body not come to the realization soon enough that this was an act of compassion.

Steve didn't even realize he'd started crying until he felt the demigod's body relax in his embrace, the other's head burying itself into his shoulder as Herobrine allowed himself to be pulled forward by the miner. He was rather thankful that the other hadn't said or done anything about his spontaneous reaction to the man's words, but the longer they remained in silence, the more he began to worry about the possibility that he'd done something irreparable to their budding friendship. He didn't even know what had overcome him, but all he knew was that it was the other's words that made him act this way.

According to Herobrine, his outfit was the one he wore the day he died. The day Herobrine had died. Were the other's words only metaphorical, or was he serious? Was he just hugging another living corpse, or was he hugging a divine being who realized he was divine a bit later than what could be considered ideal? Was Herobrine a vengeful ghost with a physical body? A man given power after death?

Whether Herobrine was dead or alive, it didn't really matter at the moment. Steve was still mostly focused on embracing the other in what he hoped was a comforting hold. Though, regardless of what he was feeling and what the other had truly meant by his broken words, this was a serious violation of the demigod's personal space. At any moment, he could be violently pushed off the other and shoved into the ground as punishment, and honestly speaking, he believed that he'd deserve it.

With slight hesitancy and massive remorse, he began releasing his hold slowly so as to not scare the other. Steve began to pull away from the demigod, giving him his personal space back as respectfully as he could.

He was not expecting for the other to pull him right back, this time burying his face into his chest abruptly as tears began to soak through the fabric. It was at that moment exactly that Steve realized that, unfortunately, his armour had gone missing, presumably hidden away by the illusion that they were all caught in.

"I hate this." Came Herobrine's weakened, muffled voice, though it did nothing to stir Steve out of his shock at the other's actions.

Steve failed to think of a response to the other, his brain going numb as he tried to explain to himself the kind of situation he was in.

Herobrine continued, holding the miner a bit tighter as it became apparent that his sorrow was slowly morphing into something akin to anger.

"I wanted to do something right for a change. I wanted to get this all over with, release you all, and never be mentioned again."

After what seemed like ages, Steve broke from his bewilderment, looking down at the other with a curious gaze.

"...What do you mean?"

Finally hearing Steve's voice, Herobrine let out a deep sigh, growing rather shocked at himself as he realized that he was actually thankful for the fact that the miner's voice was genuinely as compassionate and soft as his actions had been.

"...I don't particularly find it amazing that slowly, but surely, the circumstances that made me into the demon that I am today are being revealed without my consent. I'm being spoken about without approval, and other people who have no idea about what hell I've lived through are trying to tell my story for me. I'm simply sick of it."

Herobrine looked up at him, his eyes filled with exhaustion that surprised Steve a bit.

"...His name is Anion, and he is the god of Illusions. He's not able to do what he normally does because the magical balance here is so disturbed, but he often gives people visions. Whether they're real or not depends on both his mood and whether he wishes to consult with Caraway. Visions are his weakest creations, though. He creates illusions to make people experience something that resonates with or resembles whatever inspires their strongest emotions. When he gets a reaction, he gets into people's heads, and breaks them, inspiring some sort of change, positive or negative."

Realizing that they were talking about the hidden god, Steve slowly nodded, looking back at the others as he tried to piece together what the demigod was trying to make him understand. He then turned his attention back into the other's gaze, trying to read it further as if he could possibly gain some sort of knowledge from the other's eyes.

He understood.

"...Everybody here looks the way they did before you entered their lives, correct?"

With a solemn nod, Herobrine confirmed his suspicions.

"...I ruined their lives, Steve. I ruined yours."

It didn't even occur to Steve that Herobrine would even worry excessively about the repercussions of his actions, but the fact that he regretted things this much? Enough to beg someone else to fix what he apparently destroyed? Enough to fuel this bizarre illusional change? He was usually confident in his actions, so Steve didn't even come across the idea that Herobrine would even think twice about his methods, but, after looking into the other's eyes both back in Lunarus and now, he was beginning to get a better understanding of how the man was navigating things.

He hadn't been acting based solely on confidence and strong strategic planning. Herobrine was acting based on what he believed would cause the least amount of damage upon others, solely taking the blame and pain upon himself, or at the very least, most of it. That had been made clear by his previous words in past situations, but it was the sight of the other's tears that had solidified the information within Steve's mind.

Burying his head back in the miner's chest, Herobrine didn't even mind when Steve went to hug him again, attempting to comfort him as a wave of deep negativity overcame the demigod.

They sat like that for a couple of minutes, with Steve gently embracing the other as Herobrine allowed the miner to witness him in the most embarrassing state possible. Though Herobrine desperately wanted to escape the feeling of his skin warming up the more flustered he became at himself and his own actions, his body never moved, remaining in Steve's hold willingly.

Eventually, a pair of footsteps approached them, breaking the silence softly as Steve briefly glanced up to see who had come forward, finding Constiere slowly lowering himself to crouch in front of the two.

"...Sir?" Constiere asked quietly, his gentle tone briefly stirring Herobrine from his moment of mental anguish. "...You saved me, remember? I was already dead before I knew it, and...well, you brought me back."

Herobrine slowly lifted himself away from Steve, sitting back up in order to face Constiere properly.

"...You're fixed, now." He stated, earning a look of exasperation from the boy that genuinely surprised him.

"I wish I were dead, now. You call this fixed?" Constiere gestured to himself. "I look like the poster boy for an all-boys educational propaganda unit. Plus, that dude was lying, I still can't see out of this eye!"

As the boy pointed at his usually-bandaged-up right eye, Herobrine's eyes filled with realization.

"...He didn't even...what?"

Malgun stepped forward as well, gathering their attention.

"My missing eye isn't actually here, either." He spoke up, leading to Herobrine expression growing into one that was even more angry than anything.

"Not to mention, this fog? I feel like I'm a piece of pork in a pan. It feels like acid's all around me." The "stranger" spoke up as well, leading to a growing sense of realization to begin forming in Steve's mind as Herobrine abruptly stood up, flames dancing on the ends of his fingertips.

Suddenly, he briskly walked away from the others, aggressively approaching the surrounding treeline as the fog began to give way to his presence.

"You...you're the actual fucking worst!" He shouted out into the forest, his anger only rising as he heard a distant laugh coming back to him.

Before the man could storm off entirely, Steve rose up from his place as well, rushing off to approach the demigod.

"We can't let him separate us again, otherwise, we'll be here all week."

Herobrine visibly calmed himself a bit at the sound of the miner's voice, much to Steve's surprise. With a sigh, Herobrine turned to face him.

"...I know. I just want to kick the shit out of him before he even begins to think that he's gotten away with this. We're not his only victims, Steven."

Steve nodded.

"Yeah, he's probably done this to countless people if he's the god for it, right?"

Herobrine shook his head, much to the miner's confusion.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Looking off into the forest again, Herobrine scowled at the surrounding fog, raising a hand up as he began to swirl the fog around in the air with his finger.

"He was tormenting me so that I'd break down enough for him to get in my head and fulfill the requirements for his illusion. He told me quite a bit before you all managed to find us."

"...Like what?" Steve asked cautiously.

Herobrine briefly stopped his actions, looking off to the side with a solemn expression.

"...He's too weak-minded to actually raise a hand to end a life, ironically enough. He was trying to say anything he possibly could to...get..."

As Herobrine trailed off, his words struggling, Steve dared to finish his unspoken thoughts for him.

"...Get you to do whatever he needed to do himself?" He finished softly, earning a small nod from Herobrine in response.

"That is the nicest way to put it, for such a vile thing. He spoke to me about things he knew that I'd respond to, poorly. He spoke quite at length about how he'd gone into the Nether, disturbing the ecosystem there, so that he could have, quote on quote, 'souvenirs' to bring to the mortals as gifts."

As the miner took in the other's words, his eyes widened in realization.

"He's the man that brought the lanterns to that one village?"

"He's one of the heathens who figured out that they could artificially create champions who could travel relatively safely into other dimensions by using Nether stars, and he brought those Nethren items into that village." Herobrine spat out, glaring at the treeline once again.

Suddenly, Steve began to share the other's anger once again.

"...How are we gonna deal with him? I don't see Squash, so he's probably got her somewhere!"

Herobrine let out a small hum.

"...Beating the crap out of him is a given, but I'd much rather break his illusion first, otherwise I won't be able to focus."

Curiously, Steve looked up at the other as he resumed swirling around the fog clouds.

"Can't you copy his powers?" He asked.

Herobrine let out a sigh.

"Not in this state. His ability is one of the most draining to imitate, given that it affects more than just individual people. It affects the surrounding area, and I can only barely get the whole 'illusionary fog' thing down." He paused, lowering his hand as the surrounding fog was briefly pushed away from them, only to quickly return. "The traditional method of breaking the illusion is to make a certain change about yourself, stupidly enough. To commit to a change, really."

Steve raised a slow brow.

"...Are you serious?"

The other nodded, leading to a sigh escaping the miner's lips in response.

"Then what kind of change do we commit to?"

"Not we. Me. Your current state is due to the illusion he formed from my anguish. It's my change that he's interested in, whether that commitment is more towards bettering myself or simply changing the state of my existence from breathing to not breathing. I'm assuming that he'd prefer the latter option, to be quite frank with you." Herobrine corrected.

As the miner nodded at his words, briefly frowning at the mention of the other's possible death, Herobrine looked back toward the trees, focusing his attention on them as best he could before his thoughts slowly shifted in another direction.

In all honesty, he already knew what kind of commitment to change he was going to make, though he was hesitating to vocalize his thoughts to the others, especially Steve. The more he stared into the miner's eyes, the more conflicted he felt, and at this point, he simply wished to just get over himself. Regardless of how uncomfortable he'd be, he wanted to find Anion sooner rather than later and give him a piece of his mind for exposing his more fragile way of thinking to the others. There was no use in hesitating.

Slowly but surely, the illusion began to die.

As the fog faded away, the group returned to their original appearances, much to their collective relief. Steve took a brief glance around the area, finding that he could now see farther into the distance, making him feel bizarrely better about his surroundings and his current level of safety. He looked at the others, and was relieved that they were back to normal as well, though his gaze immediately became focused on a particular person.

"Andvari?" Steve asked in a confused manner, earning a small flinch from the enderman in question as he looked down at him, somewhat sheepishly.

"...Did you finally figure it out?" He asked with a chuckle, stunning Steve into utter silence.

Though he was looking at the enderman where he stood, his brain filled with confusion as it tried to process the fact that someone else was just there. Previous words came to his mind, and as Steve placed two and two together, he found himself only growing extremely curious of the individual who was staring at him with a softer, expectant look, waiting for his reaction.

Andvari was human. He had been human.

He didn't even have all that much time to process the revelation as Herobrine grabbed his arm, beginning to drag him off into the forest as he led the group toward wherever Anion had disappeared to. The time that was spent being dragged around didn't even fully register within Steve's brain, as he was too occupied with sorting out his thoughts, having been too emotionally overwhelmed in just a few short minutes. He was worried about approaching Anion, yes, but he was more worried about Herobrine, and even more than his concern for the demigod, he was utterly baffled by the fact that, at one point in his life, Andvari had been human.

Herobrine had shouted something out to the others as they left, but he couldn't focus on his words at all.

Questions flooded the forefront of his mind, but before he could ask any of them, Herobrine broke through his scattered thoughts.

"Anion's trying to form another illusion. Whatever you do, do not let yourself get out of hand."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Steve asked, a bit more upset-sounding than what he originally intended to be.

Herobrine gave him a brief glare.

"I mean that you should avoid the hysterics and calm your mind. Your heart's beating too fast, and if the strongest emotion you have right now is fear, we could be in danger."

"I thought Anion's illusions were only that; fake stuff?"

Herobrine shrugged.

"He can get a bit physical at times. Like I said, he'd never end a life with his own two hands, but he's more than willing to manipulate both others and the world around him to do it."

Worried at the information, Steve, nevertheless, attempted to do as Herobrine said, taking deep breaths as he was dragged off behind the other.

A sudden thought came to him as he fully recognized how tight the other's hold was on him.

"...Wait, why are you bringing me? I thought he was kinda dangerous?"

Herobrine froze, almost causing the miner to bump into him as he too became aware of the fact that he'd grabbed him.

How could he even explain the situation?

After a few moments of silence passed by as he tried to collect his thoughts, Herobrine let out a deep sigh. Embarrassed, Herobrine turned to face Steve.

"...You're the only thing keeping me grounded, right now. Your shining moment of stupidity brought me enough comfort to break me out of that cursed state, and I may need your assistance again."

As a gentle smile slowly grew on the miner's face in response, Herobrine let out a small scoff.

"Calm yourself. I also didn't want you to get lost and fall behind."

"...Don't make excuses, I understand what you were trying to say, Brine."

"Are you sure you're not misconstruing anything that would require me to correct you?"

Steve shook his head.

"No. I know what you were trying to say. Nothing beyond that."

"...Are you sure?"

"Brine! The longer we stand here, the further Anion gets away from us!" Steve exclaimed with a laugh, earning a huff of defeat from the demigod before he began to run off again, dragging the miner with a firm grip upon his wrist.

Weaving in between trees, the two navigated themselves through the forest as Herobrine searched for the malicious divine, focusing his gaze on every possible hiding space as they sped by.

As fog soon settled into the area once again, the two finally stumbled upon its source: Anion. The god was currently orchestrating the fog in front of him with a grin on his face, only briefly opening his eyes to stare at the two who'd found him before closing his eyes again, appearing as if he was mocking them.

"Ah, you're back! What took so long?" Anion teased, earning a genuine growl from Herobrine as he spoke.

"What took you so long to face me?" Herobrine asked in response, his words being forced out of his teeth somewhat.

Steve separated himself from the other's grasp, stepping forward as a serious expression formed on his face.

"Where's Squash?" He asked.

Anion paused his motions, allowing the fog to drop to the ground slowly as he, in an exaggerated fashion, brought a finger to his chin.

"Squash? You mean that horrid beast I found right beside you? Is that what you're speaking of?"

"Yeah. Her. Where is she?" Steve asked, stepping a bit closer to the god in front of him.

Herobrine looked at him with worry briefly before stepping forward as well, matching the other's stance of intimidation.

"If you did anything to that creature, I'll make sure you come back to the Aether as an untethered soul." The demigod threatened.

Anion laughed at them.

"Both of you are adorable, do you know that?"

Placing his hands behind his back, Anion began to slowly approach them. Though both Herobrine and Steve wanted to back away, neither did, both choosing to stand their ground.

"...She's somewhere in this forest. Maybe. I put her near the edge for the villagers to find. No harm done, see?"

Herobrine narrowed his gaze at the other.

"...I don't believe that."

Anion laughed again, this time leaning a bit forward toward the demigod.

"Of course you don't. Not surprising."

Stopping only a few feet away from the two, Anion moved his hands forward, summoning a bit of fog in his hands before forming something out of it, which, to both Herobrine and Steve's dismay, appeared to be an axe.

As the axe became real, so did their current perceived level of danger that they were in.

It was a well-decorated axe, that much they could say. Its handle was a bright red with emeralds embedded into one side, and its blade was a bright white. Even while standing where they currently were, a small, pulsing energy seemed to emanate from it, making Steve rather alarmed and Herobrine rather unamused.

This battle axe, which stood at roughly a good three-quarters of their height, was certainly blessed and well-taken care of.

"...I thought you said that he'd never take a life?!" Steve whispered harshly to Herobrine, who simply stared at the weapon and its wielder with a blank gaze.

"...Steven, I told you to calm yourself." Herobrine said, making the miner rather upset and confused.

"But Brine, that's-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Herobrine drew a blade, rushing forward to engage the other in combat as Steve simply watched him in fear for his safety. As the miner drew his own blade, Steve was left in shock as, instead of retaliating, Anion went to put more space in between him and the angered demigod, not daring to even swing the weapon in his hands.

The axe was blessed, wasn't it? Why wasn't he taking the opportunity to at least somewhat injure the other?

Herobrine attacked the other god with swift, uneven swings, attempting to land several hits in quick succession as Anion tried to dodge his every move, the axe being firmly gripped within his hands. Though he was successful at first, the first of several violent stabs came when, to Anion's general surprise, another blade made its way into his side.

Apparently, Herobrine had managed to nab the diamond blade from the miner.

The blade drew a reaction from the god as he briefly stopped dodging the other in order to look at the embedded sword, only to immediately appear to regret his actions as Herobrine kept attacking him, swinging with his first sword before pulling out the second and attacking with that one again as well.

As Steve watched the demigod swiftly attack with both blades, not allowing a single second for his opponent to catch his breath, he felt a growing sense of awe creep upon him. Duel-wielding truly was an art form of some kind. Even though Herobrine's movements were fluid and almost a bit slow in appearance, his landed blows were intense and hard-hitting, drawing quite a lot of blood from the god in front of him. Even if they couldn't kill him, they surely stung, didn't they?

The longer Herobrine attacked the other for, the more unsteady his composure became. Soon enough, those controlled swings became more uneven and more frequent, and the steady anger that had been placed behind them shifted into a genuine rage as Anion refused to stop moving away.

Eventually, Herobrine fully lost himself.

Swift attacks became immensely hard-hitting blows, and every plunge of the two blades went deeper than the last, attempting to destroy anything in either of their paths. Steady footing became lighter as Herobrine added some well-placed kicks into the mix, eventually knocking Anion's feet from underneath him. Once the god had his back against the ground, Herobrine resorted to using only one sword, the diamond one, as he swung violently at the other on the ground, seeming to not even care about how accurate each attack was.

Steve didn't even know how to react to the sight. Blood splattered over the demigod the harder he swung, but the god beneath him didn't seem to get any more affected by his actions. In fact, he seemed to be reveling in how the demigod was acting, looking up at Herobrine with nothing but a smug grin as he kept going.

He was taunting Herobrine even further.

The miner found himself desperately wondering what he could possibly do about the situation. Herobrine was too out of it to simply stop on his own, and he couldn't pull the demigod away in fear of getting hurt, but…

No. Herobrine was still being tormented. Getting hurt wasn't the primary issue here.

Stepping forward and sheathing his own blade. Steve attempted to figure out a way to somehow pull Herobrine off of the god beneath him, hopefully with as least amount of bloodshed as possible.

"Brine! He's messing with you, I think you have to just stop!" Steve called out, earning a frustrated sigh from the demigod.

"I know! I just..." Herobrine responded with an angry tone, though his attacks didn't slow down in the slightest.

"...You're not even permanently hurting him, what's the point?" Steve asked softly, stepping even closer.

Staring into Anion's eyes for a moment, Herobrine paused, reading the other's firm grin before plunging his sword into the god's chest, earning a quick laugh from him.

"He's right, you know. This is just a remarkable display of childish behavior, rat." Anion said, a bit of blood beginning to spill from his mouth a few seconds later as he coughed. Herobrine had been plunging the sword deeper into his body as he had been speaking.

"...The moment I get the proper weapon, I'll continue where I left off."

Herobrine violently ripped the blade from Anion's chest, stepping away slowly as the other sat up, checking himself over as he realized just how much damage the demigod had caused. His once pure white attire was now solidly stained with deep red blood, leaving only a few empty gaps of white present. His hair was messy and his hands were shaking, free of the axe that had mysteriously vanished, but the shit-eating grin on his face was still there as he looked up to Herobrine.

"And? You call that a threat?"

"...Tell Maxwell that I haven't forgotten about him. It's only a matter of time."

Anion stood up, locking gazes with Herobrine for a solid moment before letting out a small laugh, shaking his head as he turned away.

"Pathetic. Truly, truly pathetic."

With that, Anion teleported elsewhere, leaving the demigod and the human alone together in the forest, staring at the location that the god had just been in.

After a few moments of silence, Herobrine let out a shaky sigh.

"...Let's find the others. We're probably not that far away from your village." He said in a somewhat diminished voice, sheathing the diamond blade as he began to walk away, outpacing the miner rather quickly.

Before Herobrine could get too far away however, Steve reached out and placed a hand upon his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

Herobrine flinched at his touch. Badly.

"Herobrine, I...are you alright? Are you hurt?" Steve asked him gently, lifting his hand up as Herobrine turned around to face him directly.

There was a strange coldness to the other's eyes.

"No. Let's move."

Deeply worried, as Herobrine went to leave again, this time around, Steve carefully grabbed the edge of the other's cape, pulling on it a bit in order to stop him once again. As the demigod turned toward him a bit more abruptly in what seemed to be anger, Steve stood his ground.

"Brine, I...I just want to make sure you're okay."

Steve spoke softly, though Herobrine's expression only grew more angered.

"Does there seem to be an issue?"

Herobrine's suddenly cold tone made Steve freeze, shocking him as he tried to process the sudden harshness in its entirety.

Did the illusion mess with his head? Had he finally realized fully what had just occurred to them? Did he regret letting the miner see that part of himself? Was their developing friendship already over?

Was a hug really all it took to set him back to zero progress?

Steve debated answering the question bluntly before shaking his head with a sigh.

"...I'm worried about earlier. I've never seen you like that before."

Herobrine briefly turned to glare at him.

"And you won't ever again. Anion was purposefully manipulating my emotions to be as exaggerated as possible. I feel nothing. End of story."

Doubting the story, Steve began to question the other's narrative.

"...You were still upset when the fog cleared, and when he-"

"-Mortal. Do not try to rationalize what the gods can truly inflict upon a person, let alone one of their own. It can be completely irrational."

Hearing "mortal" instead of "Steven" hurt him in a way that he didn't want to examine quite yet, but nevertheless, Steve tried to press the other further.

"Brine. I'm not gonna argue with you about this. I don't want you to storm off again." Steve took a small breath, settling his nerves before continuing. "...I won't bother you about it. In fact, if you want to tell somebody anything, I'm willing to lend an ear if you need it."

Herobrine opened his mouth to speak, but failed to find the words that he wanted. Eventually, he let out a small scoff and a shake of the head.

"...Forget it. Let's keep going."

As the demigod turned away from him, Steve felt his heart sink as he thought about everything that had just happened, turning his momentary confusion into sadness as he pieced together bits and pieces of information.

There was more going on than what Herobrine was willing to admit. Instead of roping the group in closer to deal with his inner turmoil, he was resorting to simply setting himself aside in an effort to focus on the greater good. In his own perspective, he was completely disposable in the grand scheme of things.

That was not something he wanted to hear.

What about the damage he sustained? The emotional pain that was inflicted upon him? Was it just something that he'd have to live with?

With a look of determination hidden from the other, Steve made a silent promise.

Since Herobrine was going to protect him, he was left with no other option than to protect the demigod himself. While Herobrine would fight off physical enemies, he would have to fight off the emotional and mental ones.

That much he owed him.


Okay, so I was planning on posting this chapter yesterday, but then Deltarune Chapter 2 was released and I got distracted. XD At least I can't be spoiled now! This chapter is also long as heck, so it took a hot minute to edit T_T

I've been wanting to start including Herobrine's "voice" for so long in this fic, lol. I know Steve's the main POV that I'm writing in (technically), but I adore Herobrine's POV as well! Switcheroo was super fun because of that, and I've always intended to kind of have a switch-off between Steve and Herobrine for this fic, it was only a matter of when I should introduce that lol, not exactly an if.

I've also been wanting to pile on the angst, so :P

Aight, fun facts time!:

1.) Anion is the god of Illusions and, unfortunately, related to Herobrine. He's Maxwell's brother, making him poor Brine's uncle. They, obviously, do not have a decent relationship.

2.) Herobrine tends to be prone to anger, but that's not the emotion that Anion focused on in order to create his illusion. Above all else, Herobrine's strongest emotion is his regret, lol

3.) Full chapter name was supposed to be "A Pain So Deep, It Lasts Eternal" lmao

That's it for now, leave a review if you have any thoughts!