Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Welcome to a new story!

This story is originally based on an event that happened on my Minecraft blog back when I was first on Tumblr! Basically, I won a contest to get a character from my friend Artha, and I was given a Kivuuli, a.k.a Azariah! Kivuuli are an Ender-like species owned by my friend CryptidArtha on Tumblr and Toyhouse. :D

This story is based on the event that revolved around Brine finding Azariah's egg! You can find Brine, Azariah, and all my other OCs on my Toyhouse, StellarStarCelios!

It takes place about six years after, "The Broken Flame!"

Enjoy this first chapter! I'll post the next one this Saturday! :D

The sounds of soft footsteps cushioned by tall grass followed a young Demi-God as he made his way through the birch forest east of his home. Brine was taking a small stroll through the forest as he usually did during the day, mostly to look around and keep his mind calm. It helped him a lot to take these walks, it did a lot to keep him at peace.

As he walked by a nearby cave, something caught his attention, and Brine's posture changed. He stood up straight and turned his head towards the opening in the stone. There was a very strange energy coming from inside of it, one he had felt before, but couldn't quite place a finger on. Brine turned to fully face the cave, and he let a small chirp escape his lips out of instinct. It was a chirp similar to that of an Enderman.

The Nether Prince walked into the cave, peeking around a corner in the stone. It was dark in the further parts of the cavern, with water dripping from the ceiling and diorite and granite resting on the walls. He squinted in confusion, before a small purple particle coming from the ground made him look down.

There on the ground was a nest, a messily made one at that. It had been made from nearby sticks and grass, and inside it was an egg. It was gray with white and black stripes, and purple particles seemed to be emitting from it like an Ender.

Brine knelt and asked himself, "An egg?" He looked around for a moment. This was very strange. The egg seemed to be like one of an Ender, but this was weird to him. He knew Endermen didn't really lay their eggs in the Overworld, and for this to be here indicated that maybe this wasn't an Ender egg.

What was more concerning was the fact that Brine didn't see or feel any sign of the mother. There were no traces of other energy here, one that could have come from a parent. Perhaps the egg had been abandoned? But that didn't make sense to the Demi-God, since Enders didn't just leave their eggs. That had to mean this was something else.

Brine carefully placed a hand on the egg, feeling energy coming from it. It indicated that whatever was in the shell was most certainly alive. "The baby is still alive, but I don't see any sign of the mother," he thought. "Maybe they left it here if this isn't an Ender egg. Maybe… I should check on it whenever I come out here. I don't want to take it in case the parent comes back. But I also don't want it to just get destroyed." He carefully petted the shell, feeling the life coming from it. "I suppose… if the parents don't come back… I'll just… have to take care of it."

Over the course of about two weeks, Brine would come and see if the parents had come back for the egg. Every time he'd walk out to the birch forest, he would find his way back to the cave and check on the egg. But the parents never came back. The egg was still very healthy and the energy from it was very strong, but there was still no indication the parents had come back or were coming back.

It was on the fourteenth day of checking on the egg that Brine finally decided he needed to do something. He had asked Celina to sew up an old quiver he had and had thrown it on, before heading out to the birch forest. The cave came into view and Brine looked down to see the nest still there. The egg was still in good shape, and Brine silently thanked the Gods for that. He looked around one last time, making sure that there was nothing that would hurt the unborn being in its shell. He then scooped it up into his arms.

Brine seemed to feel a sudden connection with this egg, a small feeling in his heart… like he was meant to do this. He felt like… maybe he was meant to take this egg and take care of it.

A sudden feeling of hesitation rose in him. Brine had children, long ago. Millennia ago, he was married and he and his wife had twins of their own. He loved them so much, more than anything in the world. But after losing his family, he never thought he'd have a child to take care of again.

Brine knew how mentally broken he was. He was like a teapot that had been thrown to the ground and shattered when he lost everything. With his bipolar, trauma, and the fact that he had a temper to match his natural fire powers, he wasn't exactly the most emotionally stable person.

And the idea of having a child again? It almost terrified him.

He didn't want to lose another one. Not again.

Sighing and shaking his head, Brine put his arms back to carefully place the egg into his pouch. He had to get back to the castle. Maybe talking with Celina would help him. She always knew how to help him feel better.

Celina listened to the soft breathing of her twins, Luna in her left arm, Helios in her right. She smiled as she looked at her children.

Celina and Cenlar had become a mother and father only a few months ago, and Celina was overjoyed. These were her first children, and the fact that it was twins came as quite the surprise to her since multiples didn't run in her or Cenlar's family. But she loved her children nonetheless. She was so happy to be a mother, and she would always love little Luna and Helios.

The front doors creaked open and she heard a voice call, "Celina?"

The queen turned on her heels to face the door and saw Brine closing it behind him, looking awfully concerned. The queen tilted her head. "Brine, are you back from your walk already?"

Brine clasped his hands in front of his chest. He was very unsure about what he had done, but there was really no taking it back now. "I… I found something, and I need to show you."

Celina furrowed her brows. "What do you need to…" Her face turned to surprise as Brine reached into the quiver on his back and pulled out an egg. It was bigger than a chicken's egg, looking like the size of an Enderman egg. It had purple particles drifting from it, and the shell itself was colored gray, black, and white. The queen gaped in surprise. "Brine… is that an egg?"

Brine nodded. "Yes. I found it."

"Where did you find it?"

"Remember that cave that we sometimes pass if we go into the clearing? Next to that big group of rose bushes?"

"...Yeah."

"I sensed something coming from the cave about two weeks ago, when I was out walking. I followed the energy, and I found this egg. I checked on it, and there was no sign of its parents. It was just… left in there by itself. I didn't want it to get destroyed..."

Celina pursed her lips together. "So, you brought it home to take care of whatever is in it?"

Brine stayed quiet, simply closing his eyes and he held the egg close to his chest.

"Brine," Celina responded in a quiet voice. "Do you… think you're stable enough for another child?"

Brine turned his head away with furrowed brows over half-closed eyes. "I… I don't know." He turned his head to look back at the queen. "Celina… I-I didn't want it to get destroyed. I found it just sitting in the nest, and the mother never came back. I… I would have felt so guilty if I had let something happen to it. I… I felt like I had to take it, I felt like I needed to take care of it. But.. I don't know if… I…"

"Brine, it's okay, sweetie," Celina told him in a calm voice. She felt a shift in her arms and realized she was still holding her babies. "Hey, can you summon a bed for Luna and Helios, please?"

Brine snapped his fingers, and a small bed appeared by the queen's side. She carefully laid her children down on it, tucking them in as they slept. Celina smiled down at them, before frowning as she turned to Brine. She carefully took one of his hands in hers. "Brine… I'm gonna tell you something, dear," she started. "I know you don't think you're very emotionally stable, I know. But you know what? I think you are. And even if you don't think so, you have us. You have all your friends, including me, to help you out. I know you're afraid to take in another child because of what happened to you, but I think you'll do great, sweetheart. Remember, you have all of us to be here for you, and we'll do anything we can to help you raise this kiddo." She smiled softly at him. "We're behind you 100 percent, buddy!"

Brine blinked his white eyes a few times, before smiling at her. He'd be damned if she didn't always know what to say to him to make him feel better. Brine squeezed Celina's hand and spoke to her. "Thank you, Celina. That… that makes me feel better, more than you realize."

Celina nodded. "I'm glad." Her eyes moved down to the egg. "So… what kind of egg is it?"

Brine's face turned more passive and he moved to sit on the floor, the queen following. "I'm not entirely sure, to tell you the truth. It had little purple particles like an Ender's egg, but I don't think that's what it is. Enders do lay eggs, but they never abandon them like how this one was left."

The human frowned. "Well, it looks familiar."

Brine nodded. "I think it might be an egg of a Kivuuli."

The queen sat up straight. Kivuuli were an Ender like species that came from another world. She had a few friends that were Kivuuli, many of them had come to her server from portals and she knew much about their species. "Coming to think of it," she pondered aloud. "It has stripes and colors that remind me of Darsha, the leader of that one Kivuuli tribe we're friends with."

"That's what I thought of too," Brine told her. "I really didn't think about it at first, but the more I remembered the Kivuuli, the more I realized what it looked like." He frowned softly. "I really didn't want it to get destroyed, and… I was hesitant to take it. But… part of me felt like I needed to take it. Like… I was meant to."

Celina nodded in response to him. "Don't worry, Brine. We're all behind you, no matter what! We'll help you take care of this egg, and we'll help you with everything you need for it!"

Brine chuckled. "Thank you, Celina. You truly are someone kind that this cruel world doesn't deserve."

The next several weeks were filled with Brine sharing his discovery with his friends and telling them about his experience finding the egg. Steve was surprised at first, but reassured his brother that he and his family would be there. Steve had become a father about a year ago, and he knew what that nervousness was also knew how strong his brother was, how much he had been through and how he could get through pretty much everything. And Steve's wife, Stephanie, was just as supportive. Their son, Anthony, seemed fascinated with the egg, petting it and making small babbling noises towards it.

Steve's best friends, Sam and Alex, were just as supportive, especially with Sam and his wife having a five year old daughter who they loved so dearly. Alex was single with no children, but she knew how good of a person Brine had become. Sam and Alex were more than happy to help him.

And the next few weeks were also filled with Brine showing the egg around, like how a pregnant mother would go on adventures with their unborn child to show them the world. Brine would go into the town square of Creatoria and hold onto his egg as he bought things from merchants and spoke to the citizens and knights of the kingdom. They all seemed very excited for him and a few even offered him advice to take care of his unhatched child.

Brine seemed very happy and kept the egg in his quiver at all times, watching it like a mother bird. He seemed so excited, so happy, and he felt like he could do anything. He was so excited and couldn't wait for the egg to hatch.