Chapter 42: What He Wanted
A few minutes after Almun had stopped reminiscing about the pendant he'd gotten and Steve had finally recollected his thoughts, the blacksmith went to get a small piece of paper, a half-emptied bottle of ink, and a quill from a chest nearby, coming back to the miner as quickly as he could. Making sure that the windows of the shop were closed along with the doors, Almun quickly secured the area and settled himself back at the table. With the quill in his hands, he quickly opened the ink bottle and dipped the tip of the quill inside, giving it a quick shake before pulling it back out again.
"Okay now, Steve. I'm going to have you listen up closely, all right? I won't be writing all of this down, y'know. Just in case you drop it and lose it, or whatever." Almun started firmly.
Steve nodded, giving the other a serious expression.
"Got it. I'm listening."
"Good. Now…."
Almun began sketching on the paper.
"Centuries ago, some strange force came to be that allowed for interdimensional travel. Portals and stuff were created to harness that force properly. If you know about the End portal, then I'm sure you've heard about the Netheren ones, yeah? Seen one, maybe?"
Steve nodded his head.
"Yup. Does that 'force' or whatever have to do with the swirly purple stuff in them?"
Almun looked at him with a rather surprised expression.
"You've seen one actually activated?"
Steve shrugged, thinking to himself momentarily before answering.
"I've seen a couple...been dragged through one, too."
Almun stared at him in pure silence for a few seconds, disbelief in his eyes.
"...You've been to the Nether."
Steve nodded his head again.
"Only for a few minutes, though. I didn't go on a tour, or whatever."
Almun continued to stare at him, narrowing his gaze the longer he focused.
"...You're lucky that you can cheat death."
Almun slowly switched his focus back down to the paper.
"Going back to the main topic, a lot of the energy that is used to activate those portals lies naturally within the bodies of those shadowy creatures. When they die, they leave behind a solid concentration of that magic in the form of a 'pearl.' The main 'ingredient,' so to speak, that you need in order to activate the End portal is that pearl. Not just one of them, though."
Steve nodded his head, raising a curious brow at the other.
"How many would you say, specifically?"
Almun gave him a small shrug.
"I'd say that the End portals haven't seen much usage over the years, so there could very well be some leftover ones still inserted in quite a number of them. I'd make a few to be sure."
The blacksmith quickly finished his drawing of an ender pearl upon the paper, pointing to it once he was finished.
"These things are stupid fragile. Even though they're so powerful, they shatter like glass if you drop 'em. Speaking of which, if you throw one, you get to move around like those monsters, supposedly. Only once, though."
"Wait, really?"
Almun nodded.
"People used to use them for combat and whatever, when it was easier to get them, I think. More of a hassle now."
Just as soon as he finished speaking, Almun moved to continue drawing, this time sketching something that was long and thin upon the pages.
"Now, the pearls aren't just the only thing you need. Putting them into the portal frame as-is won't do a thing except make you look stupid; you need to activate their more attuned state."
"...Attuned?"
"When a pearl is attuned, they'll react to the presence of a portal naturally, ultimately activating it once put into place. Magic nonsense, Steve."
Finishing his next sketch, Almun then pointed down to it.
"The thing that you need to attune those pearls is equally-as-difficult to retrieve. There's a beast located in the Nether that surrounds itself with fire and floating, flaming rods."
Almun locked gazes with Steve firmly.
"...You need to secure one of those floating, flaming rods, then grind it down into powder. Put the pearl deep within the powder, and 'cook' it for like, five minutes. Once it finishes, you'll get your free ticket to Super Hell, apparently. The pearl will only react to that substance properly; it creates the perfect temperature, so anything else just ends up damaging it."
Almun placed his quill down and handed the paper to Steve, presenting him with the images of a pearl and a rod, as well as some rather vague notes. Steve raised a brow as he thought over the other's instructions, handing the paper right back.
"Uh...how am I gonna get those rods again, if they're on fire?"
Almun shrugged at him, placing the picture back down.
"That's for you and your brother to figure out, honestly. Just make sure that you don't get burnt so seriously you can't defend yourself, alright?"
Nodding, Steve looked down and examined the sketch in front of him once again, letting out a quiet "thank you" as Almun flipped it around for him to see easier before pushing it toward him. Taking it back into his hands, a smile slowly formed on his face.
"Al…I…again, thank you so much-"
"-You're very welcome. Now, let it dry before folding it up, alright?" Almun pointed at the paper.
Steve raised a brow at him.
"Fold it up?"
"Since you're a champion of high interest, what with being a mythical man's champion and all, you have to keep that info safe and hidden, remember? Don't let people see it. Don't let people know you have it, alright?"
Steve nodded, leaning back in his seat.
"Got it. I'll keep it safe, I promise."
"And Steve?"
"Yeah?"
Almun narrowed his gaze at him in a serious manner.
"Don't let anybody know I told you all this. I know that you know better, but…be extra careful, please. I'm not in the mood for relocating my entire life again, you hear?"
"Al, you can trust me on this, alright?"
The blacksmith looked at him rather intensely for a moment or two before letting out a quiet sigh, lowering his head.
"...Right, sorry."
Moving away from the table, Almun took a brief look around the room before glancing back toward Steve.
"...You still look pretty tired."
"...Well, yeah." Steve shrugged. "I didn't take any naps while you were talking, Al."
"I meant emotionally tired. You look stressed, still." The blacksmith went to lean over his chair at the table.
Steve placed the paper back down on the table before he folded his hands in front of him, staring at the wood beneath them with weakened eyes.
Almun was right; he was still a bit stressed out. He knew that he'd have to confront Herobrine sooner or later, but now he had the added hurdle of approaching him as a brother. How was he going to shift his attitude, and how quickly was he going to do it? Should he go slow and allow Herobrine to get used to him? Essentially, should he act as if they were starting right back at square one? Were they starting at square one? He needed someone with experience at this because frankly, he was completely at a loss.
Maybe Almun could help him out even further.
"...Al, what's it like having a brother?" He asked quietly.
Almun looked down at him with somewhat surprised eyes.
"...You're asking me that?"
Steve looked up at him with an exasperated expression.
"Humour me. I just found out I even had one, so…what do you make of it?"
Almun thought to himself firmly as he stared at the ground blankly for a second or two, crossing his arms in front of his chest before letting out a quiet sigh.
"...Basically, I guess it's like…well, having a best friend that's tied to you by blood. Well, if you two are friendly enough with each other, that is." Almun paused, glancing back over to Steve curiously. "...How did Herobrine treat you before you both knew what you were?"
Steve shrugged.
"He was pretty mean at times. Neutral, most. He's only started to be nicer and all pretty recently. Though…" The miner fell quiet, thinking back on his memories. "...He protected me, and he always went to heal me when I got hurt, even if the injuries weren't that bad. They were mostly bad, though."
Almun let out a small hum, nodding at his words slowly.
"...The foundation is there, Steve." He shrugged passively. "Whether you two end up being close or not depends on how much you're willing to reach out. Me and Mal, personally, were always at each other's throats for most of our childhood, right up until I said I was planning on leaving our home, and that's when he started being less annoying."
Steve hummed as well.
"...Herobrine's hard to approach, though. Either I'm walking on eggshells, or going headfirst into things and hoping for the best. I think I'm the annoying one, here."
"Then you'll just have to be less annoying, simple as that." Almun shrugged at him with a smirk, earning an exhale from Steve.
"I'm trying, Al. I'm trying." Steve whined, causing Almun to let out a small chuckle in response.
"Try harder. It took me a while to accept that Malgun wasn't exactly the most annoying kid in the world and Minecraftia's least favorite, you know. Some people need solid evidence to be properly convinced of anything."
"Do you think that I'm annoying, Al?" Steve looked up at him with fake hurt.
Amusingly enough, his expression seemed to draw legitimate worry from the blacksmith.
"Steve, no." He held up a hand. "I'm just saying, older brothers sometimes need a minute to warm up to their younger ones, alright?"
"Hey, who said I was the younger one?" Steve asked with a raised brow. "What if I'm just the annoying older twin?"
Almun looked him and up down in silence for a brief moment before shaking his head and letting out a sigh.
"...I'm doubting that."
Steve let out an offended "Hey…" as Almun shrugged.
"Just saying it like I see it, and I'm only seeing half the picture, mind you."
Steve let out a small, frustrated hum at his words, beginning to stand up from his spot at the table.
"...I'm going."
"Where? Out of teasing range?" Almun said with a chuckle.
Steve rolled his eyes slightly.
"Nah. I'm gonna go actually talk to Brine. As much as I'd love to avoid him for as long as I can, we might run into some trouble if I do. So…yeah."
"...You gonna take the info with you?"
Realizing that he was about to leave without the item he initially was looking for, Steve let out a quiet "Oh shoot" before moving to grab the piece of paper that was still on the table, blowing a bit of air on it and touching the ink upon it to see if it was still damp. Finding it only being a little bit sticky, he aired it out for a moment, flapping it in the air with both hands. After testing the ink again, he then folded the paper up into a small square, placing it within his front pant pocket carefully before turning to leave once more.
Watching the miner begin to walk toward the front door, Almun nodded slowly, raising up a hand to wave goodbye.
"...When you leave again, you'll come back to say goodbye, right?"
Steve nodded firmly, giving the other a kind smile and a responding wave.
"Always."
"...Promise you won't get too hurt?"
Steve looked away sheepishly, letting out a small, nervous chuckle.
"Uh…depending on who I run into, I'll try my best, okay?"
Almun glared at him.
"Steve." He said with a rather serious tone.
"I'll be careful! Promise!" Steve held his hands up in defense, moving soon after toward the front door and opening it quickly.
"Fine. Good to hear." Almun waved again. "Bye."
"See you later, Al!"
With that, Steve left the blacksmith's shop and home, beginning his trek back into the outside forest while re-visiting his once-diminished levels of anxiety.
Now all he had to do was deal with Herobrine. In order to start with that entire mess, he had to find him first.
Steve eventually managed to track Herobrine down by following the feeling of his presence, using his growing nausea as a quick guide toward the other. Though he knew that he had wandered through the forest alone, Steve found himself glancing around to see if any other living things were still hanging out nearby. Herobrine was standing in a small break amongst the trees, surrounded by a seemingly-burnt patch of grass that was still trying to die out.
Apart from their quiet breathing, there was only silence surrounding them. There was nothing else to be heard apart from the gentle rustling of leaves.
As Steve went to quietly approach the other, his foot found itself falling upon some dead brush, leading to Herobrine immediately snapping his head around to stare directly at him, his sword being unsheathed rapidly after. Seeing that it was only him standing awkwardly there, Herobrine briefly allowed his arm to fall before pointing the sword out to him once again in a more threatening manner.
"...I thought I told you to leave." Herobrine said, the faintest of wavers in his voice as he finished.
Steve shrugged at him, stepping closer after shaking some leaves off of his pant leg.
"I did. I came back, though."
As he drew nearer, Herobrine's stance didn't falter. Instead, he jutted out the sword a bit in an effort to intimidate him.
"Why." Herobrine's question came out more like a statement.
Steve dug around in his pocket for a moment, pulling out the piece of paper that he'd folded up earlier. Upon opening it, he turned it around for Herobrine to see, giving him a smile as the demigod's expression turned into one of confusion.
"I found our informant, Brine. Wasn't who I'd thought it be, but…well, with stuff like that, I just have to roll with it, I guess."
Herobrine stared at him solidly for a minute or so, seemingly processing the information he'd been given as Steve waited for him to react. After examining the paper from a distance, his arm lowered slowly.
"You...you still went out to address the mission?"
…That was not what he was expecting the other to open with.
Steve shrugged at Herobrine's quiet tone, trying to figure out for himself why that'd been Herobrine's main concern, of all things.
"...Well, yeah, obviously. World's not gonna avoid total collapse on its own, right?"
Herobrine's gaze slowly fell to the side in what seemed to be disappointment as he was answered, causing Steve to grow a bit worried for him in response.
"...Of course it wouldn't affect you."
The demigod's words were muttered quietly, but they reached Steve's ears well enough to draw a feeling of slight offense from him.
"Uhh…I think that everybody and everything dying would affect me a little bit-"
"-I'm not talking about that."
Confused, Steve thought over the other's words briefly before looking back up at him with a slightly raised brow.
"...If you're talking about the whole 'truth' thing, you'd be wrong about that. I just had a heart-to-heart with my friend, the guy who gave us this info, because he saw me freaking out about all this."
Herobrine's gaze slowly turned back to him.
"...Then how are you still forming coherent thoughts? How are you not losing your mind?"
As Steve opened his mouth, Herobrine quickly raised his sword back up, pointing at him threateningly as he stared at him with emotional eyes.
There were tears there. As Steve examined the other's face, it became more clear that the other had still been crying even after he'd left.
"How come I have to have the worst of it?!" He asked in a sharp, angry manner.
Though Herobrine took a step forward, causing Steve to flinch and step back, he didn't move any further than that, seemingly stopping himself from outright leaping at the miner. Shaky, tearful eyes continued to look at him as the sword slowly lowered once again, remaining loosely by the other's side.
"...Why are you so composed?" Herobrine asked, his voice faltering as he spoke.
Steve tried to take a step forward.
"Well, I…I got my frustrations out. I was a mess earlier, but…well, I'm still a mess, but I'm trying my best to push through it so we don't get sidetracked. You hate it when we get sidetracked, don't you?"
Herobrine didn't seem to acknowledge his explanation.
"Why did you still follow my commands?" Herobrine said in a slightly more hushed, yet strained voice.
Worried that the other was going to have a potential negative outburst, Steve remained where he was, (hopefully) right out of attack distance.
"...I didn't want us to get held back again. We…you've already worked so hard and been through so much, so…I thought that this should be one less thing for you to worry about, y'know?"
His words immediately caused surprise to light up within the other's eyes, stunning him into momentary silence.
Though Steve wanted to stay right where he was in order to not provoke the other into sudden violence, his legs eventually pushed forward on their own, the rest of him not being entirely aware of whether or not it was due to his own input.
"...We all have different ways of dealing with stuff like this, Hero. You can be emotional in front of me all you want, really."
His words were spoken as kindly as he could possibly muster, becoming almost sickeningly sweet to the other's ears. It was clear that Herobrine didn't even know how to emote beyond this point, finding the miner's offer appealing, but his pride even more beckoning. If Steve had to guess, Herobrine was debating on whether or not to actually break down in front of him again, considering the idea that he'd possibly hold it over his head later on if he actually did so. An unfounded fear, sure, but it was still present.
"...No one's here. I won't tell anybody that you cried. Remember, it's perfectly okay to cry when things like this happen!"
Herobrine continued to stare at him, eyes wavering.
Steve's shoulders slumped, a kind, but sad smile appearing on his face soon after.
"...Just cry. It's okay. It's gonna be okay, Hero."
Though there was resistance, Herobrine turned away from the miner with a small tch, but just as Steve was about to let out a small sigh of frustration, he heard the faintest of sniffles escape from the man. He took this opportunity to draw closer to the other, stopping just a few feet away from him in order to allow him some personal space.
Silence filled the area around them for only a couple of minutes or so, right up until Steve decided to break it with a small hum.
"...What are you feeling? Talk to me, if you're comfortable enough."
Slowly but surely, Herobrine glanced back toward him, his eyes somewhat narrowed in false anger.
"That's not really important now, is it? We should…we should be prioritizing our mission right now." Herobrine struggled to speak, but once he was finished, he began to turn away from the miner again, attempting to walk off.
"No. We're prioritizing you, Brine." Steve said firmly. "There's no reason to ignore what you're feeling and how it's affecting you."
Herobrine stopped in his tracks, which prompted Steve to attempt to get closer once again.
The tense silence returned as Steve waited for the other to respond to his words, making him feel slightly anxious about how Herobrine would react. Before he could even fully reach out to offer the other some physical comfort, he found himself pausing his movements as he watched Herobrine's shoulders visibly relax.
"...I'll hurt you if you touch me." He warned weakly.
Steve retracted his hand almost immediately.
"...Then I'll just talk to you from here."
Allowing his hand to drop back down to his side, Steve took an extra step backward to give the other extra personal space once again.
"...Tell me how you feel." Steve prompted quietly.
Herobrine didn't turn to face him.
"...How would you feel, finding out that you lived a life of pure hell for the sake of entertaining someone else? Knowing that your family was purposefully kept from you?"
"...Awful. Mad." Steve answered quietly, hearing the pain in the other's voice rather clearly.
"...Exactly."
Herobrine's head turned as his focus fell to the ground.
"...You're…you're awful."
Surprised at the sudden insult, feeling a bit stung by it, Steve raised a brow at the other, fighting his urge to immediately bite back at the other.
"...How am I awful?"
The other turned halfway around, keeping his gaze firmly on the ground.
"...You're the worst person I could've ever met."
Opening his mouth to respond with a snarky comment, Steve found himself hesitating as he began to examine Herobrine's words; particularly the manner in which he spoke with.
Herobrine's voice had slightly wavered. Though there was the intent to offend, there wasn't any heat to follow it up with. He was just trying to provoke him; though for what purpose, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was not going to indulge the other's unspoken wishes.
"...How so?" He asked gently.
It took a few silent seconds for Herobrine to respond to him.
"...Don't speak to me that way."
"...Why?"
Herobrine glanced toward him, eyes narrowed in visible frustration.
"...I hate the tone of your voice."
Somehow, Steve still wasn't convinced that the other was being genuine.
"...What do you hate about it?"
Herobrine opened his mouth to speak, though, no words came out as he met with the miner's gaze, staring into his eyes for a second or so before turning away, confliction arising in his own. Not wanting to press the other, Steve simply waited for him to speak and explain himself. Eventually, Herobrine broke the silence that had momentarily formed.
"...You speak so…kindly to me. There's no ill intent in your tone." Herobrine admitted quietly, briefly sending another glare in Steve's direction. "...I hate it."
"...You hate that I don't talk to you the same way you talk to me?"
Though his question was spoken quietly, Herobrine flinched at his words, almost as if he'd shouted them out. Steve watched as Herobrine fell back into silence, moving to roll his wrist around in his hands absentmindedly before turning back toward the miner with a somewhat harsh look in his eyes.
"Tell me something cruel." He commanded.
"...What?" Steve asked in confusion, slightly tilting his head to the side.
"You heard me, tell me something hurtful. Something cruel." Herobrine stepped forward. "I want you to cut me with your words."
Steve slightly grew an expression of worry upon his face.
Now Herobrine was trying to get even with him, that much he knew.
"...No, I don't want to do that." Steve responded firmly, watching with even more concern as Herobrine appeared to squeeze his wrist a bit harder in repressed emotion.
"Yes, you do. I know you do. Everyone does. Everyone has. Why stick out?"
"...Because I don't want to hurt you, Brine. I want to be your friend." Steve admitted gently, moving to step closer once again.
Herobrine remained where he was.
"...Be cruel, please." His voice was on the edge of suggesting oncoming tears and genuine frustration. "...I don't…I really don't appreciate your kind tone right now."
There was something rather heartbreaking about Herobrine's desperate insistence, making Steve's stomach drop as he began to get a sense of what the other was trying to accomplish.
Steve shook his head, looking into the other's eyes only to find a sense of insincerity there.
"...You want me to be mean to you, right now?"
Herobrine immediately nodded his head.
"Yes."
With a small sigh, Steve walked even closer to the other, who briefly looked at him in confusion as he drew nearer.
Without warning, Steve slowly wrapped his arms around Herobrine, pulling him into a deep hug. Herobrine's body tensed up upon contact, though, he immediately relaxed in the other's hold, surprising himself.
"...What are you-"
"-I never intended to keep my promise about not touching you for this entire conversation. There. That's mean, isn't it?" Steve interrupted with a small smile, pulling back to see Herobrine's reaction.
He found tears in the corners of his eyes and shock in the rest of his expression.
As Herobrine looked at him in silence, Steve found himself glancing off to the side, his smile falling for a bit.
"...I don't wanna be mean to you. Not now, at least." He said quietly. "...You're not thinking correctly, and neither am I. The least we should do for each other right now is to get our heads together and comfort one another, don't you agree? You just found out that your life was a lie, and I did too. There's no dealing with that alone."
Herobrine looked down with a bit of frustration.
"...You didn't live in hell for your entire life."
"That doesn't mean I can't understand what you're feeling!" Steve exclaimed in rebuttal. "That doesn't mean that I didn't get upset about the truth, either! You at least knew someone in your birth family. Uh, our birth family, I mean. All I knew was that I was dropped off somewhere by somebody."
Herobrine glanced back up at him, expression suddenly full of pity.
"...That's…that's right." He said quietly. "...I had Mojang. You were left more in the dark, weren't you?"
Steve nodded.
"...But…" Steve looked down sadly. "...You got hurt badly up wherever you lived, didn't you?"
Herobrine averted his gaze once again.
"...I don't have to-"
"-Explain anything in detail to me, I know, but…it was bad, wasn't it?"
Herobrine remained silent for a minute or to, debating on whether or not to actually answer the miner before nodding his head solemnly.
"...Not just there. Down here too, though I've since earned that treatment, respectfully."
Letting out a hum of understanding, Steve stepped away, noticing how the other glanced at his departing arms with a look of disappointment on his face.
"...I-" Herobrine started.
"-Let me guess, you're sorry?" Steve finished with a chuckle, though Herobrine didn't join him.
The other's face became a bit serious.
"Yes. I…I apologize for…being rude, threatening you, and…for pushing you away and not making things any easier for the both of us."
Herobrine's expression fell into shame soon after.
"...I know it may seem strange for me to try and attempt to hurt you, but…I wanted to make you repulsed by the concept of being my sibling."
Steve shrugged at him.
"Well, for a solid moment or two, you got what you wished for."
Herobrine appeared to be somewhat surprised by his statement.
"...What changed your mind?"
"...Almun, my buddy. Malgun is his brother, you know."
Herobrine's eyebrows slightly raised.
"...He said that?"
"Yup. While we were talking, he uh…mentioned it. I kinda told him I knew Malgun before thinking twice about it."
"You told him he was still around?"
Steve chuckled nervously.
"I…uh, it came out. Regardless of that, though, even though Malgun is what he is, and he's done who-knows-what because of you…Almun still loves him as his brother. That got me thinking a bit, y'know?"
Steve poked the other in the shoulder, giving him a kind smile.
"I can give you a chance or two, Brine. Never knew you as my brother, but I can learn, right?"
Herobrine's gaze turned downward, eyes suddenly becoming filled with what appeared to be sadness, much to Steve's concern. The other folded his arms across his chest, refusing to meet his gaze.
"Steven."
"Yes?"
"...Steve."
"Yeah?"
Herobrine soon forced himself to look back up, but once his eyes met with Steve's own, he hesitated to continue speaking.
"...I'm sure that you know how poor my own image is, especially in comparison to one such as yours."
Steve shrugged.
"...More or less, sure."
Herobrine paused, glancing off to the side again before looking back up abruptly and locking gazes with Steve firmly. Soon, his hands were gently placed upon the miner's shoulders.
"...I don't want that image tainting yours in any capacity whatsoever, beyond our partnership, of course."
"...What do you mean by that?" Steve asked quietly.
Herobrine's firm gaze weakened momentarily.
"...Just say the word, and none of what happened tonight will leave us. I promise. If you do not wish to be my brother, then that's fine."
Steve found himself slightly stunned by the other's offer.
Of all the things Herobrine could've offered him, he didn't think that he'd offer to sever their blood relationship, though that wasn't something he could actually offer. Did he give the option out of guilt?
A somewhat disbelieving chuckle escaped Steve's lips.
"I...Herobrine, if you didn't want to be related to a human, I'm sorry, but you could've just said so-"
"-First of all, again, you're not human-"
"-Still, Brine-"
"-And second of all, that's not what I want!" Herobrine corrected, finally breaking eye contact with the miner as he looked off to the side somewhat sadly. "...You haven't really gotten much of a chance to see it, but Steven, I...I'm a horrible sibling. A horrible person to be related to."
Herobrine's grip upon his shoulders had weakened significantly, his hands almost falling from where they were placed.
"...If you don't want others to know about us, about me being your brother, then that's fine. I won't mind. I won't say a word. We can go on as if we're simply acquaintances and nothing more, at the least-"
The other was paused by Steve raising up a hand with a small smile on his face, kind eyes looking directly at Herobrine.
"...Who said that I'd want that?" He asked with a chuckle.
Herobrine's expression filled up with confusion.
"...Huh?"
Steve shrugged, looking down for a moment.
"...To be honest, I...it's rough, but I don't mind the idea of being related to you. We can't change that, so...why bother trying?"
"Steve, nobody has to know. If we just go on with our business as usual-"
"-Brine." Steve interrupted.
As Herobrine opened his mouth to protest the interruption, Steve pointed at him directly, silencing him.
"We are brothers. That's certain. That's final. Got it?"
"...Are you sure?" Herobrine asked quietly.
Steve gestured to himself, then pointed over to him in an exaggerated fashion.
"I mean, as sure as I'll ever be, really!" He said with a small laugh, though Herobrine's eyes only narrowed at him in response.
"...This might be something that you'll firmly regret in the future."
"Well, we won't know that for sure until the future comes, right?"
Looking down in deep thought momentarily, Herobrine let out a small sigh.
"...I suppose."
Moving away from the other slightly, Steve left the other in silence for a few seconds before slowly raising his hands up and pressing his fingertips together in a slightly nervous fashion, debating on whether or not to pester the other mere moments after comforting him.
Newly-formed brotherly instincts took over his decision-making process. He had to make the other smile.
"Now...uh. Question." He started.
Breaking from his quiet focus, Herobrine briefly glanced over to him.
"...What?"
Steve thought to himself carefully for a moment, looking down to the side before looking back over to him.
"...Twins are born at the same time, yes?"
Herobrine looked at him, unamused.
"...That's one of the dumbest questions I've ever heard in my life."
Realizing how his words might've sounded, Steve's face flushed in embarrassment.
"I'm not done with my question!" He exclaimed in defense. "I was saying, even if twins were born at the same time, one had to show up before the other, right? Making them the eldest, technically?"
Herobrine continued to stare at him.
"...Steve. Are you alright?"
Steve held up a finger.
"Even if we weren't...well, born in the traditional sense, you think that one of us was...well, formed quicker than the other?"
The longer that Herobrine stared at him, the more nervous he became, right up until the other's eyes finally narrowed in suspicion.
"...Are you trying to get some leverage over me by insinuating that you're the older sibling? The older twin?"
Steve held his hands back in an innocent manner.
"N-no. I mean, wouldn't that be crazy, though?"
Herobrine narrowed his eyes in a harsher glare.
"I can almost guarantee you that you are not the oldest."
"How? The only person who would actually know that is-"
"-You look me in the eyes and tell me that you're older." Herobrine commanded firmly. "Even if you were, you wouldn't have any authority over me."
Suddenly, Steve found himself unable to look at the other all that confidently.
"It's just…y'know, a thought! Maybe I'm just thinking too much-"
"Don't back down." Herobrine firmly spoke in Aethren, earning momentary confusion from Steve. "Don't lose your confidence now."
"I...forget it Brine! Forget I said anything!" Steve threw his hands up, turning to walk away from the other.
"Where are you running off to?" Herobrine called out to him curiously, his previous frustration subsiding.
"Home! Don't we need to talk to the others about what we need to do next?" Steve pulled out and held up the sketch again. "We have what we need, don't we?"
Herobrine's eyes slightly widened in realization at his words.
"...We…we do, don't we?" He paused, glancing to the side for a moment before returning his attention to Steve. "...We need to move on with our plans, I suppose."
Steve gestured for the other to follow him with a kind smile on his face.
"Gotta figure out what those are first, right?"
Herobrine nodded his head, beginning to walk forward slowly.
"...Yes, I...yeah."
Before the demigod got too far ahead, however, he paused, quickly turning away to briefly disappear into the forest. Confused, Steve watched him leave, almost jumping in to rush after him when the other soon reappeared, this time carrying a familiar bag in his hand. Recognizing it as his backpack, Steve quickly went toward him in order to grab it from his outstretched hand, relieved that the man had remembered it not being in his possession before they were already back out on their journey.
Steve gave the other an appreciative smile.
"Thanks, Brine! I forgot that I even left this here!" He said as he grabbed the bag from Herobrine's hand, looking down at it as he began to examine its current state. It was a little roughed up, but that was to be expected, wasn't it?
Herobrine looked at him with a neutral expression.
"...You need to stop having your older brothers pick up after you, Steven." Herobrine said in a serious manner.
As Steve slowly looked up from his bag, his smile fell. As he looked at Herobrine, he noticed a small smirk forming on his face, along with teasing eyes.
…
Maybe he was going to regret being so enthusiastic about being the other's sibling.
Awwww heck, now Steve knows how to activate the End portal! Endgame isn't here yet, but we're on a solid track toward it!
This chapter was slightly shorter bc reasons, but I feel as though I need to take some time to think about pacing? Idk, I've been feeling this way for a hot minute, but sometimes while writing, I feel like I'm moving the narrative a bit too fast, but whenever I do my brief little read-throughs, the pace is fine? Idk, maybe its bc of my brain being fried up from homework or whatever, but still lol. I'm finally starting to read irl books again (stopped bc I was writing my own stuff and bc I hadn't gotten into many new books bc I like having physical copies and going to bookstores to feel the pages and the pandemic nuked that concept for me lmao), and compared to this fic, everything I find is so well-condensed and more coherent T_T
Fun facts!:
1.) In case you're wondering, truly, 'Aethren' here is actually Swedish, lol. I had debated early on whether or not I'd actually use the language or simply imply that it was being used, but ultimately, I simply decided on having different languages being represented by bold and italics due to the fact that I have no idea how to actually speak any Swedish. T_T Didn't wanna exactly use Google translate either because it's failed me heavily in the past with the languages that I am actually learning rn XD Might reconsider it though, if I determine that it's enough.
2.) Quick little side-fact, but Almun's never seen a ravager before meeting Squash. When he used to live among the other Illagers, he was in a group that didn't really perform too many raids, especially more intense ones that required serious horsepower.
3.) The way that Herobrine shows genuine affection for others is through slight, gentle teasing, lol. Shows he's comfortable enough around the person he's messing with.
Alright, that's it for this week! See y'all in the next chapter!
