Herobrine stood before the doorway to a room that was strictly forbidden for anyone but himself to enter, not even the most loyal in his entire fortress were permitted entry. What resided inside of it always got him fired up in an uncomfortable fit of rage, or on occasion; mentally tore him to pieces. He originally had no plans to come to this room today, but here he was after doing the unthinkable; to finally tell that damnable bastard what they probably wanted to hear for so long and silence the voice once and for all.

With a not-so-gentle push, Hero went through the crimson fungal wood and blackstone door and entered the large and open chamber, the floors and walls of the chamber were cracked in various places. Nether bricks and rubble lay scattered about the enclosure, and there were holes and splits throughout the walls of the place, though the room was nearly empty and mostly in ruin; it was still holding up after so many years of abuse. All of the damages resulted from his fierce and uncontained paroxysms, the chamber was an outlet of sorts.

There were only two things concealed within this chamber and were the only things that were fully intact; an old damaged, large, and dusty wooden chest in the back corner of the room and a large statue that resided in the center of the dilapidated place. The chest was not the primary focus or his reason to enter the place, that would be because of the stone figure before him. It was a statue of a man of great honor and significance, an effigy of perfection with a pose of authority and magnificence. It depicted a rather bulky form, a bald man in plain clothes, standing tall with one hand on his hip, and the other up high in the air with a large hammer in hand pointed to the ceiling. The guy had a scraggly beard and a cape and stood upon a carved pedestal with simple letters of a name carved into it. Though the expression of the statue wasn't smiling, it could almost be felt through the visual grandeur of the model and how it stood, the details of the sculpture were limited but enough to display the image of the one being portrayed.

Herobrine trudged towards the tall grey statue with his hands in his pockets, his expression was grim; eyes narrowed and teeth clenched. He stopped within several feet of the statue and glared daggers at it, his insurmountable rage could barely be contained as he stood so quietly and still before the stone carving; the only thing made of the material in the Nether realm. His flaring white eyes shined so brightly that whisps of pale light drifted up around his brow and down along his cheeks, he snorted in annoyance and mentally fought to stay his shaking hands and keep them in his pockets. He really shouldn't have come, but he had to do this, to quiet that aggravating voice and satisfy himself from an inner itch to shove his deed into the face of that man.

"Well Notch, you kept asking, you kept hoping, you've always wanted this." Herobrine started softly despite his anger. "Aren't you happy now?"

A memory of old flashed before him.

...

Just outside of a cave entrance at the bottom of a large tree-covered hill; the Minecraftian creator was down on a knee, bandages in hand. Before him was a mortal man; blond, tall, rugged, mid to late forties in age, this human was sitting on a fallen log with his arm held out as it was being wrapped up in gauze to cover a large open wound. Notch had tended to him and had been very careful and gentle as he patched the guy up and slowed the blood flow. Herobrine however; had been hiding in the shadows of the trees nearby with a deep frown etched on his face, watching quietly as the creator wasted his time with some fool who had deserved his injuries and pain for treading where he had no business being.

"There you go, that should do it." Notch said as he finished helping the man with a smile. "Just be cautious when using that arm for a while, and keep pressure on it for a few days. I would also advise you to stay home, or at the very least; stay out of the caves until you can swing a sword again."

The blonde male nodded with a smile of appreciation and took Notch's hand as it was held out to him; now being helped up to stand. "Thank you so much, stranger, had you not come along when you did the Zombie horde would have ripped me to shreds. That hammer you swung around looks like it has some incredible enchantments, the strength you have is so unreal."

Notch placed his hands on his hips and sighed, a soft frown forming on his lips. "I appreciate the compliments, but let's be serious here for a minute. You were quite fortunate to be close enough to the surface for me to hear your cries, that and the fact that I had been nearby at the time. You are one lucky guy. Next time remember to bring a backup weapon before cave diving, you never know when you'll need one. Well, that and being cautious while exploring; it can't get pretty dangerous underground, especially when you're alone." He admonished.

"Yeah no kidding."

The white-eyed man quietly huffed as he folded his arms and leaned against a tree with his dwindling patience, he was sickened by such foolishness. The mortal wasn't even mining, not hunting specific mobs for materials, nor was he doing any particular job for his benefit; just simply 'exploring' and without a set of armor at that. Such feeble and half-witted creatures shouldn't be going to dangerous places in the first place, this mortal deserved to perish for his little 'explorative fun'. Hero thought bitterly with a growing scowl. Notch was wasting time, giving attention where it wasn't needed; cutting into 'their' time to play the hero. He and his brother were supposed to be heading towards a large crater to test their strengths in battle as they often do; not getting sidetracked by inane nitwits wanting to press their luck for senseless reasons.

"Say, stranger. What's your name? I want to tell my two daughters of my noble rescuer, they love it when I tell them about my adventures and experiences; I think my hero deserves some recognition."

The bald man rubbed the back of his neck and sweated a bit as his grin returned. "Eh, I'm no one of importance, just call me a friend and leave it at that."

"Why lie to a mortal you'll likely never see again?" Hero asked quietly under his breath, knowing that the human couldn't hear him but Notch could.

"You don't strike me as a shy person, but I respect your humbleness." The blond man said with a light bow of the head and extended his hand for a handshake; which he received. "Thank you so much for saving my life and tending to my injury; I don't know what my girls would have done had I not come back home."

"They'd mourn obviously." Herobrine turned away and zoned out as the two said their parting words and went their separate ways, Notch walked around the tree and frowned as he noticed Herobrine's sour expression. "What?" Hero scowled. "Don't give me that look." He said with narrowed eyes and a slight tilt of the head.

The creator heavily sighed and massaged his brows as he looked away. "Herobrine."

"That man deserved his demise and you know it, no one with any common sense makes such a fatal error. No armor, no backup weapons, and he went alone; death is what he should have gotten for being so bold to 'explore'. But you just had to intervene; you always do this every time we're out and about doing our own thing. Tch, can't go anywhere without humans putting themselves in harm's way, let alone do what we set out to do just to have you exchange a few words with them and get distracted by more along the way to our destination. It would be more simple to just teleport to where we want to go, but you always want to take the long route. Why? It's becuase of 'them'." He lowly growled.

"Herobrine, he has two daughters; they need him alive."

"Unacceptable!" The white-eyed man barked back with an angered look as he pulled himself away from the tree and shook his head before speaking, glaring at the bald man. "If he has young ones to look after then why is he out risking his life so willingly for leisure? He's gambling his own life, therefore you shouldn't have stopped for him. His fate was in his own hands, he took the risks and knew them! Besides, there's a balance for both life and death; you said it yourself before." He gestured. "You can't save them all, some will die so that others may live. That they determine their own fates and shape the outcome of their future and the future of those who come after them."

He placed a hand on his chest. "There should be no interference from either of us, if he died then his offspring would learn the hard way of what happens when you go anywhere dangerous unprepared; that simple knowledge and grief could protect their future and stop them from making the same mistakes."

Herobrine reeled back some with a hint of surprise, realizing what he just said. "Err, I'm not advocating for these pitiable creatures' lives, but even you should know this." He snorted. "Or perhaps you should have just made them more intelligent."

"He was close enough to the surface."

"Like it matters?!" Herobrine retorted. "You waste our time wrapping up a wound he deserved! Why not let him tend to it himself at the very least? Why not let him suffer the consequences?"

Notch put his hand over his forehead for a long moment, clearly looking frustrated. "Hero, can you for just this once; have a little compassion?" He gestured, his frown deepening and brows furrowing. "I'm well aware that he had made a huge mistake, that he should have died. But I stopped to help because I cared, I know there's a balance; even the mobs have to hunt to survive. But I was near in a time of need, he called for help and I wanted to."

"You killed the Zombies." Hero retorted lowly.

"Yeah." The Minecraftian creator nodded, his tone confident and stern as his brows knitted together a little. "I did."

"You favored him more, but of course you did." Hero scoffed, turning away. "Humans weren't even your first creations and yet you care more for them than the mobs, you always had."

"Mobs don't grow up or live such careful lives since they spawn from dungeons and darkness; most are more akin to animals in their mindsets anyway, unless they get enough experience to advance themselves. But humans, I care about because..." He sighed. "I- I guess it's because they're like you and me, they're people."

Such words made Herobrine snap and turn back to face him, he gave Notch a steely glare, his posture tensing up. "No they are not like us, they're not immortal nor do they have any true power or abilities! Otherwise, they would never perish and would stand as equals to us; not get hunted down and devoured by mobs. And 'people'? Ha! Just because they look like us doesn't mean they are like us, they are nothing like you and me, they are just as low as the mobs themselves; if not lower since most mobs can kill them with ease. Your pity for these miserable creations is a waste, you should have made them better if you wanted me to like them."

Notch's eyes narrowed and he took a daunting step closer to Herobrine with a more rigid and opposing posture. "What, and have them constantly fight each other over power and control?! Or allow them to rise in numbers to try and overthrow us?! There's a reason they aren't like you or me in that regard, or else we'd have no world to govern because they would destroy it if given enough time! They are beings of thoughts and emotions like us, more complex and intellectual than mobs; how can I not pity them in their time of need? Especially when they are not so different from us structurally?" His expression softened as did his tone of voice. "Look I know you're mad that I wanted to take a few minutes to help out a guy who desperately needed it, but can you at least pretend to care even a little? Just have some sympathy and understanding; goodwill.

For once in your existence?

How many times must I ask this of you brother?" He asked, his expression now pleading as Herobrine crossed his arms and continued to glare at him. "I know that you don't like them, that they don't like you; though considering all the kills you've made, they are justified in hating and fearing you. But you can change that, right here, right now."

"Like I would ever want to."

Another heavy sigh escaped Notch. "Look, if you could help one human, even just for one little instance; then you'd do me proud. I know you've always had your aversion for them, killing them is kind of your thing too as a mod; but don't you think it's time for a change?"

"No."

"We've been in this world for so long Herobrine, I summoned you into my world before it truly began and ended our short-lived rivalry with brotherhood. You were right there by my side as I altered code and made humans from a simple NPC modification, we celebrated that achievement together for days with battle and drink. Remember?" Herobrine's gaze moved to the ground and his sneer fell. "We made so much in our time together, built many amazing things, had many great battles, explored so much, and have done so much to shape this world into what it is today. I even gave you the Nether realm to have as your own and do with it as you wanted, we built your prized castle there too."

Herobrine sighed quietly. "Where are you getting at?" He asked.

"It's been hundreds of years brother, you've played your role as a destroyer and villain for long enough. I know it's in your code to kill, but don't you desire something else yet? Something more? That device I gave you broke your initial coding the day you received it, you can be whatever you want now. You don't have to be the enemy if you don't want to, you're free from a forced role."

"Notch..."

"Haven't you gotten bored of that old antagonistic role yet? You and me, we settled things amicably between us so long ago, but regarding the people-"

"The point, Notch." White eyes dart back up to the man, his voice tones were filled with impatience, and fingers tapped against his arms to reinforce that sentiment.

With a sigh and shake of his head, Notch rested his hands on his hips and gave a solemn look. "There's something big and wonderful that I want to give to you, but I'm not sure if I can just yet; you are so rooted in your old ways despite the ability to choose your own path."

"Why wouldn't I be? I am a being of destruction and death, after all, it's simply innate despite the ability to overwrite it. Besides, I help maintain the balance, remember? I like it this way because it brings me the most joy." He then paused and looked away briefly as the tones of his voice softened. "Aside from spending time with you, brother."

Notch held his arms out towards Hero as he spoke. "Even so, your blood has powerful healing properties; it's perfect for helping those who are injured and or dying. Imagine the amount of friends you could make by helping them, you'd have your own kind of people, a following. Remember that one time you managed to save a dying sheep from its fatal wounds made by a wolf? So much for an enemy of the world to have this kind of ability huh?"

"Yes, an ability to heal 'only' myself." He corrected matter-of-factly as his gaze met Notch. "I only saved the dying creature because I was curious if my regenerative blood could be applied to others, nothing more."

Notch's smile weakened. "Look, if you could do something so simple for me as to aid a human, then the gift I'm planning on giving you would truly mean something; even if just through the smallest sliver of care."

"I don't plan to help that which I hate, hunt, and kill."

"I know, but I have hope for you yet; because you care enough for me." He said softly as he placed a hand over his chest, his smile returning although weak. "I believe that with enough time, humans will one day mean something more to you than just target practice or something to kill as a pastime. If you can help one human out as I do on the occasion; then I believe that you would see in them what I see, feel what I feel."

"Don't be ridiculous, I do not care for these frail beings and will not ever; though they were designed by your hand, I have no interest in them being more than the dirt I walk upon and game to hunt."

"I know they are not your equal and they don't take to you either, but if you still decide to try one day, then that'd really mean a lot to me. Please, brother?"

...

"I helped a human this night, it only took a few hundred more years but it's happened at last." Hero said, pausing as he thought back to the woman he took from the spiders and the injury on her foot that he treated. "I'm still going to kill her in due time, but I finally took the chance to try to do as you've asked of me so long ago. What you've been silently begging me to do all these years, subconsciously pissing me off every single time I came here or heard you whisper to me."

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

An annoyed smirk now crept across his face. "Yet you thought that I'd eventually do it on my own accord? Ha! As if I'd suddenly grow a heart for these weak pests beneath my heel, I did it not out of care; there was an opportunity to help a mortal and I took it. Not just to prove to you that I could and get you to finally shut up over the matter, but because she will provide an excellent role in my plan of revenge against a very pesky mortal and- well I think you know."

Herobrine suddenly grinned and his eyes widened in sick elation, he then started chuckling maniacally to himself as he stared at the stone face of Notch. "You see, I've finally decided to truly receive this great gift of yours, my brother. It took some time to think, ... to plan, but I have at long last decided to take the reigns and begin a great change. First starting with the removal of any of your likeness in the world that I came across or could find, that includes the Aether temples as well; you are undeserving of remembrance since you ditched all that you made. So I plan to fully wipe anything that calls to the memory of you, from every corner of every dimension. You should have seen the Valkyries, they were not so pleased to lose their precious statues, books, and art of you. Many of them perished defending your 'honor', or what remains of it. What pleasant memories, watching them fall from the sky with broken wings, dying on my blade for the sake of a deserter."

His smile wavered a little. "Oh but the humans are so persistent and are far too many in number now, every time I try to destroy you from the written documents they made; they just write even more. I'll eventually take care of that though, wait and see.

I've been seizing all of the thrones of the mob leaders to amass a great and deadly infantry to aid in wiping them out, something you once told me to never do because of balance offset." He finished with a sinister tone before chuckling darkly to himself. "You see where I am going with this do you not? Hmm hmmm hmmnn. And now, the beginning of the end of your beloved 'people'; bah, as if they deserve to be called that anymore."

Herobrine then shrugged with a cocky grin on his face and with brows furrowed. "But hey, I did do what you wanted me to, didn't I? I helped a defenseless human lady in need, after all these long years..."

He went silent for a long minute and turned his back to the statue.

"So, what do you think now? Well? ... ... WELL?!" He then spun back around with a deranged look on his face. "Proud of me now brother?!" Herobrine's voice raised as did his rage as he splayed his arms out at the stone figure. "I suppose you have no reason to smile then now do you?! Nothing ever gets by you! After all, I did such a heroic act not for you nor out of the 'goodness' of my heart! Not for the woman's own sake! No! But for revenge! Just to tarnish the good act with an even greater abominable one." He then chuckled loudly. "Don't you like my warped reason to finally do what you've always wanted me to all this time?!" He laughed some more as he received no response, his echoing laughter reverberated throughout the chamber.

"Like I'd ever waste my time helping a mortal because I felt like it; like I wanted to make you proud and see what you saw and feel what you felt when you aided them many years ago.

Oh, but soon I'll see something and feel something alright, but it won't be what you think it is. I'll make sure that same delicate woman I helped is screaming at the top of her lungs for you by the time I'm through with her! Maybe she'll scream so loud that you'd hear it from an entire world away, wouldn't you like that?! I am going to delight in this revenge, not just for her brother the miner to suffer great anguish, well-deserved pain, despair, and death for his meddling in my affairs; but for you as well Notch!" He laughed for a long moment before he quieted, inhaling and exhaling loudly as he tried to catch his breath, a sadistic grin on his face.

"That's right," He started more quietly. "This is all for you, the extinction and suffering of your pathetic people that 'you' abandoned. The woman will make an adequate sacrifice in your honor, that I'll savor."

Herobrine's eyes then narrowed thinly, his expression soon shifted from manic joy to sharp anger, and whisps from his glowing eyes flared outward from his face. "You made a huge mistake leaving me here with them, you never should have left. Their fates were sealed the day you deserted them, the day you deserted 'me'." He swayed his head slightly, he could almost see the statue now looking down at him in shock. "You never should have left me behind brother. You abandoned me... after everything... everything we've been through..." He stated darkly, heatedly huffing as the white of his glowing eyes increased in brightness; his diamond blade quickly began to form in his hand.

"Unforgivable." His fingers coil tightly around the handle of his manifesting blade. "You did this to the humans and now they'll all pay. ... You wronged me, their blood and suffering are on you." He said with a hint of pain in his voice tones.

The chamber remained silent and still, but the tension continued to build until Hero could stand it no longer.

Eyes widened.

"YOU NEVER SHOULD HAVE LEFT ME!" He shouted more loudly with a beastly roar.

Then in his fit of rage, Herobrine threw his sword straight at the statue with all his might, it swiftly flew through the air like a rapidly spinning pinwheel from the forceful throw and smashed through the stone with ease; then proceeded to fly into the wall behind it where the blade partially sank into Nether bricks and slipped a bit but not falling from its place. A large portion of the left arm and shoulder, a piece of Notch's head, and part of the cape of the statue broke off from the sword-turned-projectile and smashed onto the ground with heavy crumbly thuds; leaving much of the remaining statue a cracked mess just barely holding itself together.

Herobrine remained in place, he panted loudly as his heart painfully throbbed in his chest, and beads of sweat rolled down from his brow and seeped into his facial hair. His seething rage slowly began to die down and his glare softened a bit; his expression dropped as he steadied his breaths and cleared his mind. The glowing flare of his eyes dimmed out and his posture finally relaxed, his chest hurt and felt like it was twisted into many tight knots and set ablaze. The pain was almost unbearable; like hundreds of knives sinking into his flesh all at once, his throat tightened up and his breath was unnaturally hot.

After a couple of minutes of huffing and suffering his inner bitter agony, his gaze finally moves from the body of the sculpture; down to the large pieces that now lay scattered across the floor at the base, seeing the damages done steadily melts away his fury.

With a low exasperated breath, Herobrine hesitanly ambled over to the statue and fell onto his knees with a soft thud; gentle glowing eyes now staring at the broken pieces before him. He proceeded to quietly gather all of the large broken chunks into his arms and press them to his chest with caution, being extra careful to not damage them any further; then scooped as much of the chipped stone fragments as he could into one of his hands. He then rises back onto his feet and begins piecing the broken fragments of sculpted stone back onto the statue of Notch; using his power to resolidify and mend the cracked and broken parts back together until the figure was whole again.

...

Kankaal waited outside of the chamber against the wall patiently for nearly two hours after hearing the outburst quiet down, his head dipped a bit from the long spell of silence; quite aware and accustomed to his master's occasional hysterical fits and long recuperation times. He wished his lord would just move on from the statute for it has done nothing but impede him from his own greatness, yet he knows Herobrine doesn't want to let go of it; no matter how much it infuriates him.

The general lifted his head as the heavy fungal wood door finally swung open, his master stepped outside and quietly closed the door behind him. White eyes soon fix on the Skeleton archer.

"Kankaal." He said quietly with a hint of iritance.

The general pulled himself away from the wall and made a short quick courtly bow with an arm behind his back. "My lord, I know I've asked this about a hundred times now; but would you please just get rid of that damn statue already? It has done enough to anger you and for far too long, every time you walk in there you stay couped up in there for many long hours. It has created so many grievances for centuries now, I do believe it is time to put that old man to rest for good as you shall rise in his place once and for all soon."

Herobrine looked away, eyes narrowing and glowing softly. "It is not so simple."

"Out of sight, out of mind. Can it be that difficult to do?"

The immortal quietly growled. "Why are you here?" Before Kankaal could even get a word in the white-eyed being heavily sighed and interrupted. "Never mind. Why should I even ask when I can already guess." He said, shaking his head, now feeling even more frustrated.

"As you may have already assumed, bone mob factions 127 and 39 are at it again master." The Skeleton lowered his head a bit in shame and put his hands behind his back in a formal manner. "Apologies for interrupting your moment of 'peace', but I have to be the one to inform you of their unacceptable behavior; it's just a shame that it's my fellow skeletal and withered brethren that are the cause of your vexation."

"How? They're not even supposed to be anywhere near each other; their factions were arranged to be at a far distance specifically for that reason alone." Herobrine replied with a hint of hostility in his voice tones. He let out a low growl of irritation and ran a hand through his hair as he stared up at the ceiling for a short moment then turned his gaze back to his general. "Such incompetence is truly infuriating; even Illagers get along well with other mobs and they normally didn't until I took over them."

"The Nether Skeletons and the Wither Skeletons have always had a great conflict, even before my induction and your complete takeover. These two groups in particular have struggled to get along from the start of your grand rule. This should be of no surprise lord Herobrine. Of course, I was always an Overworld mob and was around longer than this rivalry began, for them however; it's always been about competition and turf wars. Ever since the Skeletons lost the right to inhabit Nether fortresses, they've always been at odds with Withers and were just barely getting along enough to form a battalion a few weeks ago.

But since you've slowed down the progression of your conquest; even if for two days now due to your um... latest object of fascination; the bone armies of the Nether have gotten a little too impatient and cantankerous. 127 and 39 more specifically since they contain quite a few upper-tier and powerfully leveled mobs. I don't blame them since both factions are forced to stay in close quarters with each other for long periods of time, they only had just one more day together before meeting with the Overworld forces where they'd then split, but then they were told that they'd be idle for a week... That did not go by with them very well, such rivalry is unacceptable within your army. Though I know that you can soon change that, no one brings mobs back into line like you do master."

Herobrine then stepped forward towards his general and got into his face with a sneer, his glare fierce. "I shouldn't have to, you're the general currently in charge of all skeletal factions, you're supposed to be the one keeping them in line!" Herobrine then turned away and walked a few steps, enraged.

Kankaal fretted a bit but kept his composure and bowed his head. "Forgive me my liege, I am still not accustomed to being in charge of so many units; I was in charge of a few thousand just a few years back but never tens of thousands since the conquering began. It is very difficult to run this many, both Overworld and Nether skeleton factions with the small number of competent commanders under my control, especially with a limited amount of mobs that are developed enough to fully understand orders. You've amassed an army of a great size that even I can't completely handle everything that happens, especially whilst they are still split into two dimensions apart. There's a lot of going back and forth, many soldiers to command. I am trying, truly."

"Then do better!" Hero snarled.

"Why yes sire!" The Skeleton quickly bowed.

Herobrine then lightened his scowl and began walking away, his steps echoing through the grand hall.

"Master?"

"I'll handle this little problem, but next time if you can't do it then I'll find a better general who can. Afterward, I'm taking a break and WILL NOT be disturbed. Is this understood?" He asked, stopping in place for a brief moment to receive an answer.

"Yes, master." Kankaal bowed once more.

...

"Thanks for having me over sis, your breakfast is as good as always," Steve said as he took another forkful of scrambled eggs and shoved it into his mouth, smiling as he chewed. The bulky brunet man with nicely trimmed facial hair and cool-colored casual clothes reclined in his seat, looking comfortable and satisfied. "Never under or oversalted."

"Yeah, ... anytime," Stephanie said quietly, not really eating but just poking about her food absentmindedly with a half-lidded stare while resting the undamaged side of her face against the palm of her hand as her elbow held her up on the tabletop. She looked miserable in her leaning posture; tired too.

Steph's dour expression and tone of voice had Steve's smile fading and brows knitting as he visibly expressed his concern, she looked and sounded upset; his heart broke for his younger sibling. "Hey, is everything okay?" He asked as he lowered his fork and sat up straight in his chair at the dining room table. "I mean, getting accidentally bashed in the face by a speeding mail Allay is one thing, but also feeling sick on top of that? I wish I could help with the pain, or at the very least cheer you up. Have you talked to Nigel? He might have a few potions that can remedy your pain and cold, I'm sure he has something that can help."

Stephanie carefully tugged the red scarf up a little around her neck, making sure not to accidentally expose any strangulation marks. "I'll ask him later, right now I just..." She exhaled softly. "I'm just going to take it easy for today and try to enjoy myself, thought I'd read a few novels, or maybe take a quick walk around the village; I need something to distract myself I guess since I'm feeling too tired to do anything productive." She pulled herself up from her slumped position and silently excused herself from the table. "I'm just not that hungry right now. Thanks for stopping by Steve, it's always nice to have you around to talk to."

"Of course, what are big brothers for huh?" Steve forced a smile on his face, which seemed to put his sister in a slightly better mood.

"Eating my food," Stephanie replied with a small smile. "You have a safe day in the mines okay." She said, now pushing her chair under the tabletop before walking over to him and giving him a partial hug from behind.

"I will. As for you, get better soon." He said, using an arm to return half of the embrace. "I don't need you to be worrying me now, you already scared me half to death when I first walked in; that's a big bruise you've got going there. Be more careful."

She rolled her eyes.

"I'll probably see you sometime tomorrow morning," Steve said as he now stood up out of his seat and stretched his arms.

"Brother?" Stephanie spoke up, the miner turned around to face her.

"Yeah?"

Stephanie lightly bit her lip and glanced away for a short moment before taking a deep breath; realizing that her time with him was short. "So I was thinking that maybe sometime within the next few days or so we have a nice dinner, not so much of a family thing since I'd like to invite our closest friends, but does that sound good to you?" She asked as she gestured.

"Sure! What's the occasion?"

"Nothing really, I-" She glanced away briefly with a light frown but quickly returned her smile and gaze. "I thought it's been a while since we've last all come together and thought that it'd be nice to have a meet-up again; like we used to do a lot a few years ago. Y'know? Before everyone got busy with life and all."

The man beamed back and nodded. "Well you can count me in, just get a time and place together; preferably around evening time so that I'm not cutting into my work schedule, the ores aren't going to mine themselves."

"That'd be fine." She replied with a nod of her own as she grabbed their plates and moved them to the countertop in the kitchen. "I would also like to ask if maybe while you're out and if you happen to see our friends, you could invite them for me? Two days from now around dinnertime right here sounds like a good time and place. You agree?"

"Sounds good to me." He said, getting up out of his seat and stretching his arms back behind his head.

"Alright, have a good day at work, and be careful," Stephanie says as she sees her brother now heading for the doorway.

"I will. Bye."

As the door closes, Stephanie's smile falls and her eyes linger in place, staring dismally at the doorway for a long minute before returning to the table and cleaning up their breakfast dishes. Afterward, Steph grabs a novel from one of her bookshelves and then a blanket from the couch before lying down and burying her attention in her book.

She reads for a few hours, fully immersed in an amazing fantasy world and completely distracted from the aches and pains, but as she concludes the book and closes the cover. She's quickly reminded of her limited time and can't help but silently mope; not even sure what she should do anymore. She keeps thinking that maybe she should alert the town protectors, but she doubts they'll believe her without enough evidence. Yet even if they did, what can they do? They're completely outmatched and outnumbered, not even a few traps around the place could stop the mob masses or Herobrine himself.

Telling Steve about Herobrine's plan terrified her; she knew he wouldn't take the threat lightly and could barge out to find and confront him for battle. She feared for his life even now under Herobrine's 'deal'. Still, sitting around and doing nothing made her feel much worse; she felt useless and pathetic.

...

"...Basic instinctual survival is the epitome of motivation, I'd like to think that someone like you would go beyond that simple logic."

...

It took some time to understand what Herobrine meant about the wounded sheep, but Stephanie thought she knew what he was saying now. Even with limited time, live life while you can because it's all you can do. Beyond that she figured; do what you can or want while you have the time. It wasn't something that gave her any hope or any motivation to take action for her village's sake, but it did make her think a bit differently about the white-eyed man.

As cruel and as callous as he was, she couldn't help but wonder why he'd tell her such a thing. Surely an evil being of his caliber would want her to break down and take pleasure in her mental anguish psychologically; not treat her with a bit of respect and have such honor to do so.

He's just not that kind of guy.

Or at least that is what she thought after meeting him.

Perhaps he was just in a bad mood then?

Was there much more to him than she thought? Steph had planned to take a nap after reading her book but now she felt somewhat compelled to head outside and leave the village in hopes of finding the vile legend and she wasn't sure why. It really seems like a bad idea and she has suffered enough pain from him already, it's not like they were friends or had common interests; he was her tormentor and executioner after all. But there was something about the way that he saved her, protected her, tended to her injured foot, and now how he spoke before departure last night; there was a familiar pain in his voice.

Why was he so convoluted? She wanted to know.

Herobrine was her enemy.

'What am I thinking?' She thought to herself as she ran her hands over her face, the last thing she needed to do was run into him again; let alone be knocked around or battered like a ragdoll.

It was also unlikely for her to find him out and about during the day anyway since he was infamous for being very active during the night. Yet even if she didn't find him, she figured that she might as well enjoy a walk through the woods, maybe clear her mind while out too.

The Stonewall sibling laid her book on the couch and pulled the blanket off of her, she then went into her room for her spare boots and put them on; but not without first cleaning and dressing the spider bite and wrapping it up. To her surprise it was healing rather quickly, she's been bitten by the large arachnids a few times before, and typically such bites take weeks to heal; but these bite marks had already fully scabbed over. The pain was also much duller after she woke up, which was also unusual. Even the bruise on the side of her face wasn't as bad as she thought it would have been given how hard Herobrine had struck her. The Allay collision was somewhat believable; at the expense of the embarrassment of appearing to be inattentive. Steve bought it so that was all that mattered.

The woman headed back into the living room to grab her scabbard and secure it around her waist, taking a weapon just in case she needed it. It was a bit disappointing that her first sword had been left behind again and was no longer in her possession anymore, but all she needed was only one anyway. After making sure the scarf around her neck was nice and secure, she then patted her cat on the head and walked out the door.