She's only been in a Nether portal a few times, and each of those times has felt equally as uncomfortable. The portal's strange purple essence slides over her skin and through her body, making her shudder, and to top it all off the sudden teleportation to a literal hell throws her senses for a loop.

She ends up stumbling out of the portal, planting her hands and knees on the rough netherrack as she breaths, the hot air sticky in her throat.

She can see Herobrine standing beside her, out of the corner of her eye, and takes one last deep breath before pushing herself to a standing position, glaring weakly at his ability to cope in this hellish wasteland.

A quick glance around reveals only more netherrack and lava—no fortress or other building in sight.

"Do we have to teleport again?" She asks dreadfully. Herobrine gives her a rare sympathetic smile.

"We can if you're feeling up to it, or we can take a minecart." He points to something behind her, and when she turns she's relieved to see a rail station set up with tracks disappearing into the distance. "I set it up every time Steve dies and builds a new house, always connecting back to my place. You'd think he'd become used to teleporting even if he does lose his memories." Herobrine shakes his head, shrugging. "Whatever you choose is fine with me."

It takes less than five seconds to think about it. "Let's take the rail."

The station is small, and incredibly simple. One push of a button will activate the powered rail and propel a minecart forward. There's a cobblestone platform and a few fences supporting a cobblestone slab over crop.

Herobrine sets two minecarts on the track and they climb in, Alex in the front one, Herobrine behind her. He presses the button then proceeds to recline in his cart as they gain traction along the track, putting his hands behind his head and letting his legs hang out over the side of the cart. Alex remains well within it's borders, finding no desire to stick her extremities into the Nether's unknown. Normally she'd be freaked out enough just being here, considering the giant crying mobs that shoot fireballs at everyone, but she knows that Herobrine will keep them away, at least for now. She still doesn't know why they're here but it can't be good.

The ride goes smoothly—for once, geez, about time they catch a break—and dare she say enjoyable too. No ghasts in sight, only docile pigmen and the incredibly bazaar and logic defying landscape of the Nether, something she so rarely gets to take in, especially as safe as she is. If the place hadn't been so damn hot, she might consider coming here more often.

After several minutes the minecarts are stopped at another larger station, this one square with multiple branching tracks leading all directions. These must be the tracks to Steve's old houses.

She hops out and watches as Herobrine disconnects the carts from the track and hauls them off and to the side. Seeing him so effortlessly and carelessly manhandle such heavy objects serves as another reminder that though he looks like her—human—he's ten times as strong. She somehow always manages to forget that he only looks humans, and that's where they're similarities end.

"This way," Herobrine instructs, bringing her out of her thoughts. She follows him to a solid wall of netherrack that doesn't look any different from the hundred other walls of netherrack, watching as he runs his hand across it, tapping periodically. "It's been so long since I've used this tunnel I've forgotten where it is."

"Doesn't Steve use it? I thought that's what the carts were for?"

"Usually Steve already has his memory back when I bring him here. If not, I only do so once he's grown comfortable teleporting so we don't waste time."

Alex is quiet for a few moments, letting Herobrine punch holes in the wall in search of the tunnel.

"You really care about him, don't you?"

He stops, fists clenched tightly, before all the air seems to leave him as he relaxes, turning to look at her.

"Of course I do. He's like a brother to me." He then punches the wall again, revealing the tunnel. "Ah, here we go." He pulls away the rest of the wall and gestures for her to follow. "Come on, it's not long."

Alex thinks about Herobrine's answer while she walks, comparing the Herobrine she knows now to the one she'd thought she'd known before this whole disaster. She had thought Herobrine to be indifferent and cold, selfish and uncaring of others, but he's only proven her wrong in all the right ways. He's dedicated, and loyal, and despite living in the Nether and being charged with the mobs of the dark, he just wants the best for the Overworld and those in it.

"Was it always like that? You and Steve?"

He glances at her briefly over his shoulder. "Kinda. How much do you know about our creation?"

Alex bites her lip, feeling a little guilty, even though it's not her fault that she doesn't know much about her—and Herobrine's and Steve's—past.

"Not much," she says lamely.

"Steve was made first by Notch, back when there were only animals inhabiting the world. He had just created the world and wanted to start populating it. The animals were a nice touch but they couldn't talk to him, they couldn't tell him what was good and what was bad. So when he made Steve, he made him special, the same specialty he bestowed to you; you both technically live forever. But anyway, Steve was exactly what Notch needed to start refining his world. Steve interacted with the world in just the right way. He mined and crafted and farmed. And when Notch added mobs he fought. Of course, back then things were simpler, but the fact that he—and you to an extent—respawn with intuition when it comes to crafting, despite how Notch sometimes adds or takes away certain items, only proves how special you two are."

Wow. Alex had no idea that Steve was the older one. She'd have bet money that Herobrine existed before Steve did, if only because of his powers. He's so much like an Aether God, but there is that strange similarity he and Steve share in looks.

"What about you? You're making it sound like Steve was around for a long time before you came into the picture."

"That's because it's true. Steve is very old, mentally. Older than me by a long shot. The circumstances of my creation are...mysterious."

"Mysterious?"

"As in no one knows where I came from."

"Wait, so, what, you just showed up one day?" She finds that hard to believe. Actually she finds a lot about Herobrine hard to believe.

Herobrine shrugs. "Pretty much."

"But—okay then why do you look like Steve?"

"From what we've gathered I was created by another Aether God while Steve was the only human. His look was the basis for my own, with a few minor differences of course."

"But why?"

He shrugs again. "I wish I knew. One day I was awake and alone in the world, and it was Notch who discovered me. He said that he'd felt a strange presence in his world and went to investigate, and was surprised to see me considering he knows where Steve is at all times and Steve definitely wasn't standing right before him, despite what my appearance said. Whoever had created me, and for whatever purpose, had left me to fend for myself for reasons unknown to us, but I've never let it bother me. I don't have many memories of that time."

"It doesn't bother you?" She says, and then quietly to herself, "I think it'd bother me."

"It...sometimes," he admits, turning his head to smile at her briefly. "Sometimes I find myself wondering why, you know? But then Steve calls for help because he got stuck in a spider's web or Notch asks me to do something for him, and I forget all that. What matters now is that I have my purpose in life."

"Huh." It's interesting hearing about Steve and Herobrine's past. She hadn't a majority of what he'd told her, and what she did already know he'd expanded a bit upon. She still feels bad about not having known most of this information already, if not for Herobrine's sake then for Steve's, and she wishes that Steve was here as well.

After a few more minutes of silently walking the long pathway, Alex starts feeling a little squished, considering the path is just big enough to fit her and Herobrine's height while her arms periodically scrape against the netherrack.

"Are we almost there?"

"Close. Just another minute or two."

She tries not to count down as they apparently approach Heorbrine's house. She's excited to see what it looks like, considering who Herobrine is. Aside from the fact that Herobrine's good at fighting, she doesn't really know if he's good at anything else(other than being a prick at times). Can he build? Is he good at enchanting or fishing or brewing? Based on who he is she'd guess that he's probably good at all those things, but he could surprise her. He certainly has before.

"Alright, here we are."

Herobrine steps to the side, the tunnel suddenly opening up into a large cavern. A large and imposing fortress occupies most of the space, but it doesn't look traditional. There aren't walkways ending with a few scattered blocks, instead it looks more like a castle made from netherbrick. Whatever it's technically supposed to be, Alex thinks it looks amazing.

"Wow, this is your house?" Alex asks in awe, hardly able to comprehend just how big it is. "I've never seen such a large build before!"

"Yes, I'm fairly proud of it. I came up with the idea and had Steve help me. That's why the Nether has never truly felt like any kind of hell to me; I've got good memories here."

Alex's smile fades a bit, as a deep-routed pang of sadness hits her heart. Why had she ever ignored these two? Why had she pushed them away and striven for a life of solitude? The idea seems dumb now.

"Come on, I'll show you around a bit before we begin your training." Herobrine leads her to a large bridge suspended over a lava river. She peers over the edge, awestruck by so much lava. She'd known that lava is like water in the nether, but it never stuck her just how much lava the Nether contains. It flows from the ceiling, from floating islands and large outcroppings, spilling into the seemingly endless lava oceans below. Even if the place is way too hot and scares the ever living out of her, she must admit that it has a certain charm about it.

As they approach the double door entrance, Alex starts to notice something off. Not in a bad way, but in a confusing one. If the Nether is always so hot, then why is she feeling a cold wind?

The source becomes apparent once they cross the threshold. Blessed cold wraps around her, a chill she'd never thought she'd miss creeping up her spine and spreading through her limbs.

"How is this possible?" Alex breathes, holding her hand up. She can clearly feel a comfortable atmosphere despite being in the heart of the Nether, but there's no enchantment on her skin and she's no idea how else it could be happening. She closes her eyes and breathes the wet air, and it's like a balm to her dry throat.

"Humans are...not weak, but simply cannot handle strong temperatures. Considering the hottest the Overworld gets is a desert, your bodies do not have to work to remain in a comfortable balance. If you spend too long in the Nether without fire resistance potions, and without proper equipment, you will die, either of exhaustion or dehydration. It became apparent very quickly to Steve and I that he wouldn't be able to spend extended periods of time in the Nether, which didn't work for our plans. So, once we finished working on this castle, we asked Notch to enchant the entire build with fire resistance, which keeps the heat out."

"I didn't know he could do that," she says, leaning a little closer to the wall to look for that tell-tale purple shimmering.

"He can do whatever he wants, he made everything. But anyway, yeah, the castle should offer you respite from the intense heat, because that's where you'll be fighting."

Herobrine starts walking a different direction, turning down a long hallway until the two of them reach a courtyard. Zombie pigmen wander aimlessly about the yard.

"Wait, fighting? Fighting what?" She asks, silently bemoaning the return of the heat. It's like the very air is trying to burn her, despite the coolness of the hall. The courtyard is in the open, apparently just as hot as the rest of the Nether.

Herobrine sweeps his arm out, gesturing to the pigmen. He grins.

"Zombie pigmen."

"...You're kidding."

"I'm as serious as a heart attack."

"Oh ha ha," Alex jeers, crossing her arms. "Let me reiterate: you're crazy if you think I'm fighting zombie pigmen."

"What, scared?" Herobrine grins, walking forward to throw his arms around two of the pigmen's shoulders and pulling them close. They don't acknowledge him at all. "They're harmless."

"Yeah, except for the fact that one swing from their sword equals death for me if I get hit," Alex states exasperatedly, because they both know full well the strength of the pigmen, and at this point he's just messing with her.

"Then don't get hit, duh. Look, fighting a horde of zombie pigmen is the closest you can come to fighting a haunting of endermen. Both are strong, both will try to surround you and outnumber you, and both are single-minded. There are a few exceptions to those rules of course, but for the most part they're the same."

"Yeah, except an enderman won't kill me in one hit. And of course you'd say this is easy, what could a normal mob do to you?"

"Hey, I've been killed by normal mobs plenty of times before," he says, almost looking offended. Maybe he's offended on their behalf, considering his role in watching over them. "Besides, you won't die in one hit, stop being so dramatic."

"I don't buy it." She tries not to laugh as she imagines Herobrine slain by a zombie. It's too surreal to even begin to fathom.

"I may have incredible abilities, but my body is human. A skeleton's arrow is hard to bounce back from when it lands in your heart, wouldn't you agree?"

Alex stares at him for a few moments in quiet scrutiny, because he's right. The idea still seems impossible, but if he's really as human as he says, then maybe it is easy for him to get injured from small incidents. Still, for some reason she can only imagine him falling when facing the dragon, or a Wither. Those mobs are on a different level, and are worthy opponents. Now she sees why he wants to fight using the star.

"Anyway, this isn't about me. It's about you. I already know how to fight pigmen, and now it's your turn."

"Just like that?" Alex says incredulously, and scowls at Herobrine's satisfied grin. "And stop that. You're taking way too much enjoyment from my suffering."

"Sorry, really I am, but you remind me of Steve. You two are so similar, he also didn't like the idea of fighting pigmen. But he did it."

Alex grinds her teeth together in agitation before throwing her hands up in defeat. "Alright fine," she bites out. "Comparing me to Steve—hardly fair. I'll show you," she mutters under her breath, forgetting that Herobrine can hear her perfectly well. Louder, she says, "If I die I'm going to smack you when I see you again."

Herobrine gives her another cheeky grin before stepping back and out of the way, and Alex frowns as she walks up to the few pigmen lingering around them. They don't do much; some look at their swords, some look at her, some wander aimlessly, and some are huddled in small groups.

She takes a brief moment to observe the normally peaceful mob. The last time she'd been here, she'd been in too much of a hurry to give more than a glance to the many pigmen. But now, as she stands directly in front of them, she can see them clearly.

They're as tall as her and Herobrine, with mostly pink bodies. Or, it used to be all pink, if the 'man' part is to be believed. The zombie part of them is green and sickly, with bits of flesh torn off or hanging in an unsightly manner. She grimaces as a smell that could only be described as 'death' hits her nose, and raises her sword, eager to be done with this.

As she's bringing it down, half thinking she's definitely going to die today, Herobrine's call of "Wait!" makes her falter.

She swings around to face him. "What!? What now?"

"I didn't think you'd just jump right in like that, geez. Do you want to die?"

"No! No I don't! And how else should I attack, hm? Please impart your infinite wisdom upon me." She scowls, tapping her foot and crossing her arms.

"Okay, you're starting to get a little too sassy."

She scoffs. "You think?"

He narrows his eyes. "Don't make me teleport you back to the portal, 'cause I will."

Alex bites her tongue and seethes quietly to herself. The thought of teleporting at this precise moment is supremely unpleasant, what with the heated air burning her throat and the threat of dying by pigmen making her stomach churn. Damn this man! Damn him to the Void, since apparently the Nether is too tame for him.

"Fine. I'm calm," she grinds out, and Herobrine raises a brow.

"Yeah it really sounds like it. Maybe all the heat is getting to you faster than I thought."

All of the sudden Alex feels the irritation and anger roll off her, leaving behind a bone-aching exhaustion. She slumps and drops her sword, realizing her hands are shaking again. "Maybe."

Herobrine teleports her sword into his hand and gestures to the hall. One step onto the sleek nether brick path and that divine chill wraps its arms around her. She'd really like to lay down and sleep right about now. She wonders what time it is.

"What time is it?" She asks, not expecting Herobrine to answer so suddenly.

"The sun will set in about two hours," he says factually, turning her sword over in his hands. He's still standing right outside the nether and stone brick hall, looking quite comfortable in the intense heat.

"Doesn't the heat bother you?" She asks, sitting down to let her legs rest. She feels like she's been walking for years, that trip from the rail station must have taken more out of her than she'd realized.

He shrugs, leaning her sword on a nether brick fence post before crossing his arms. "Nope, the Nether is actually the place I feel most comfortable, temperature wise."

She shakes her head, smiling faintly. "I knew there was a reason I didn't like you. Anyone at home in a place like this is crazy."

He laughs. "Maybe."

][][][

He knows that only a few days have passed, but it feels as if it's been an eternity since he's seen the beautiful blue sky of the Overworld. Notch rubs a hand down his face and stares forlornly at the unresponsive body in front of him. He wishes he could undue whatever curse the dragon's trapped poor Steve in, but nothing he tries seems to work. Is the dragon truly this powerful, to be able to do something even he can't reverse?

Well, he probably could reverse the spell, if he kills Steve right now and resets his body, but the idea leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Besides, when Herobrine arrives with the other two Nether star fragments, Notch is sure he'll be able to heal Steve and return him to normal. Then they can all help Herobrine destroy the dragon and its egg once and for all.

But right now, he has to watch one of his most important people suffer. He'd feel better if Steve would only move, but the miner is as still as stone, and that's what unsettles him. It's unnatural for Steve to be this still.

Sighing, he leans back against the iron bars and stares up at the bouncing nether crystal. The ruins are an indistinguishable language, yet somehow still familiar. He wonders, not for the first time, where it came from. Did the End form naturally after he made the Overworld, or did someone create it? And if so, then who, how, and why? Ugh, so many questions and no one to go to for answers.

He looks up, feeling eyes on him, and notices the dragon looking this way. He stares at it, waiting for something to happen, when it lowers its head again. Confused greatly, Notch looks down in time to see Steve squinting blearily up at the top of the iron cage.

It almost doesn't register, but he scrambles to his knees to kneel next to the miner.

"Steve! Are you alright?"

His outburst draws the attention of Jeb and DB, who sit up as well and look their way.

"My head...hurts," Steve says, his voice scratchy. He struggles to sit up, arms shaking, and Notch wants to help him but he's also cautious of touching him. He's waiting for the dragon to laugh at them, to take control of Steve again and proclaim them gullible fools, but Steve sits up fully and glances around, and the dragon remains where it is.

They stare at each other, Notch trying to keep his expression neutral as Steve's eyes widen in recognition. "You're Notch right? From my dream..."

"I am," he finally says, smiling. "It's nice to meet you in person."

Steve casts a nervous gaze around again, his arms shaking slightly from where they support his weight. Then, he looks towards the dragon, and shudders. His expression is haunted when he turns back. "Are we in the End?" He asks.

Notch sighs. "I'm afraid so."

"How did I get here?" Steve brings a hand to his head, and Notch wishes they were meeting under different circumstances, mostly because he's still not sure what the dragon's playing at by releasing Steve from its control.

"The dragon brought you here," he replies, ever patient. He finds he has infinite patience when it comes to Steve, and by extension Alex. Herobrine is a little different, as is their relationship, compared to what he shares with Steve and Alex. Still, as long as they rely on him, he will not let them down. "It poisoned you with enderman's blood and tried to force you to bring it your star piece. Fortunately, Herobrine apparently had it in his possession." That's still something that strikes him as odd. Herobrine knows how dangerous the star is to him, how easily it can consume his thoughts with promises of power. The fact that Herobrine had it bothers Notch a little, but as long as it's safe he can't complain.

Steve stares down at his hands. "I kinda remember that...I think. It's all a little blurry, but there was that enderman, who attacked me in my house. Herobrine was there...I don't remember much else after that."

Glancing over at the dragon, Notch shakes his head. How disgusting a creature, treating its creations like toys, easily disposable and unimportant. It's no wonder enderman follow Herobrine's commands more often than they do the dragon's. This time round, however, it seems to have cowed them.

And speaking of Herobrine... "Herobrine will be here soon to fight the dragon, and I feel as if you'll want your memories back before that happens. Am I right to presume such a thing?" Steve rarely declines the offer to restore his memories, and Notch is hoping today isn't another of those times.

"I...yeah, I think I would like that."

Another inward sigh of relief. Today's going well so far. Here's hoping it only gets better, ultimately with the dragon and its egg's destruction.

"The process won't take long, but I suggest laying down for it," Notch advises, and as Steve complies Notch moves to kneel next to him.

"This won't hurt," Notch assures, as he rests a hand on the center of Steve's chest. "But it won't feel pleasant."

Steve takes a deep breath and lets it out quickly. "Noted. Go for it, I'm ready."

He's not.

The rush that follows is unlike anything he's ever felt before. Like a movie, a hundred lifetimes long, flying past his eyes and dumping all its information as it passes. Walking around without a purpose, taming a wolf for the first time, meeting and befriending Herobrine, and later Alex, finding out about the dragon and fighting alongside Herobrine, who is more like his brother every passing day. Dying, over and over, only to recover his lost memories, a blessing in disguise as he lives a few normal lives, dying only in the throngs of adventure on his terms. Emotions built up over lifespans, hatred, fear, love, excitement, it all crashes into him at once and he gasps, the intensity of it all threatening to overwhelm him. But then it slows, it fades until he can breathe, and he opens his eyes, not realizing he's closed them, and stares up into his God's face.

He lets out a breath. "What a rush," he says, laughing breathlessly as he sits up. His face holds a new wisdom to it, and his eyes gaze the dark biome with familiarity.

"Are you alright?"

Steve looks at Notch, then past him at Jeb and behind him at Dinnerbone. "I'm fine now, I think. What about you guys? Have you been here the whole time?"

"Sadly, yes, and it's so boring," DB laments, and for once Jeb agrees with him.

"We can't leave without Herobrine."

"Ah—Is he okay? Do you know where he is?" Steve asks.

"As far as I know, he's with Alex."

"Oh no, they're trying to work together without me?" Steve smiles a little at the thought of Herobrine and Alex willingly working together. Perhaps the fact that the four of them are trapped here has forced Herobrine's hand. No way in hell he'd go to Alex for help without Steve there as a buffer. "I wonder how that's going."

"I haven't felt one of them die yet, so about as well as can be expected, I suppose. Beyond that I haven't the faintest idea as to their plans."

"Hm," Steve hums, sitting across from Notch. "You mentioned enderman blood earlier...did you try to remove it?"

"Of course, but nothing I tried worked. I'm certain that resetting you would be the cure, but that would invariably cause more harm than good."

"Yeah I see you're point." Steve sighs and totally doesn't pout. "This sucks."

"Welcome to the club man," DB comments.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Steve asks, and Notch shakes his head.

"Other than wait for Herobrine? No."

Steve falls onto his back and stares into the void. "Great."

"Have faith. He knows what he's doing."

][][][

"I thought you said you had this under control!" Alex yells, running desperately from a group of pigmen chasing after her. Their raised gold swords barely miss her as she sprints away from them.

Herobrine holds his stomach, a residual grin on his face as his laughter fades. He takes a deep breath and stands up from the steps leading down into the courtyard. "I'm pretty sure I never said that."

"Fix this anyway!" Alex demands, skidding to a stop before him. She grips his shoulders and swings them around, switching their positions. She hides behind him as the pigmen continue to rush forward.

When it appears as though they won't stop their advance she wants to look away, afraid Herobrine will let them skewer him, but as their swords inch closer they suddenly stop. Alex feels like she might have a heart attack as they lower their swords and turn away, losing interest.

Herobrine turns his head to smirk at her. "Relax, don't be such a baby."

She takes a step back and puts her hands on her hips. "I am not a baby," she growls.

"Like I'd let them hurt you, although if you really wanted to learn to fight them you wouldn't run. Steve certainly took a few hits before he finally got the hang of it."

"Well good for him, but I'm not Steve, in case you'd forgotten. I don't go on these crazy adventures to get my rocks off, fighting pigmen and endermen and dragons. Plus, you know my skill lies in the bow."

He snorts, folding his arms. "You definitely don't need to remind me that you're not Steve, we wouldn't be here if you were. And while a bow is effective against the dragon, it's virtually useless against endermen. Now—" He grabs her arms and switches their positions again, pushing her out into the courtyard, back towards the pigmen. "Go on, and this time don't chicken out."

She fumes quietly and glares back at him, but goes to where her sword is laying on the netherrack. She'd hit a pigmen and it'd smacked her sword right out of her hand, which is what prompted her to run. She thinks Herobrine must be insane to expect her to learn to fight with a sword so quickly and with the situation so dire(yeah, no pressure or anything), but she also understands that both Steve and Notch are fairly important him. So she'll try.

Plus, she's had years to master a sword but never bothered, so this must be punishment.

That, and Herobrine's a sadist.

][][][

It trembles, not in fear but in anticipation.

What fools, to not realize the scope of its power. Every word, fed to it through its puppet, their connection unbroken despite the relinquished control. Their hubris will be their downfall, and the human will finally serve a purpose, a chance for redemption.

A test, perhaps? To determine just how this human effects them so. Yes, that shall do, and then when the time comes, the human will do its bidding, like its endermen.

Inwardly it smiles as screams of pain pierce the silence.

][][][

Managing to deflect one of the pigman's blows, Alex slides her diamond sword across the gold blade of her foe and twists, yanking the weapon clear of the mob's grasp. Confused, the pigman attempts to charge her, and it's an easy kill when she jabs at the mob's chest.

Winded, she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, her hands aching from clutching the sword so tightly.

"I can't say I'm not impressed," Herobrine says, coming to stand beside her. The discarded swords of a few pigmen rest on the netherrack floor, their owners long since reduced to dust. Alex hands Herobrine her sword and flexes her hands, trying to make the pain fade. She hadn't realized how hard she'd been holding it.

"I'm just glad I'm alive," she breathes, walking to the netherbrick stairs and sitting heavily down onto them. It's not the most comfortable spot, especially since her last fire resistance potion wore off several minutes ago and every breath feels as though it's trying to choke her on its way in, but nevertheless she slouches on the steps enough to be practically laying on them. Honestly, she just wants to lie down and sleep for a year.

"I'm glad you're alive as well, I'd hate to have to go out searching for you again. Though, without Notch here you'd be useless to me, so good job on not dying."

Alex groans and shuts her eyes. "Just like you to throw me a backhanded compliment, jerk. We'll see if I ever help you again."

Herobrine laughs. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, you did good."

They lapse into a silence that Alex welcomes, considering her exhausting workout, but she forces herself to sit up and sighs. A sudden discomfort hits her in the chest, making her wince. "What now? More pigmen or do we switch to endermen?" Absentmindedly she rubs her chest.

She looks at all the swords, actually pretty proud of herself for being able to defeat one of the stronger mobs. "Herobrine?"

She turns to look at him, furrowing her brow. "Hello? Anyone there?"

He's staring down, she thinks—it's hard to tell with his eyes—unblinking and completely still. She waves a hand in front of his face but he doesn't react, and that's when she notices he's shaking slightly.

"What the hell?" She whispers to herself. Hesitantly, she puts her hand on his shoulder.

She gasps when he reacts, pulling away quickly from her touch and snapping his head up to stare at her. His expression is pained and haunted.

"We need to go," he says finally, standing up abruptly and handing her sword over. He hurries into his home and she scrambles to follow, her muscles burning and screaming for her to stop but she pushes onwards, nervous about his sudden change in demeanor.

"Why? What's happening?" She asks, panicked as she follows him into a large room filled entirely with chests. She watches him dig around randomly before he walks over to her, lapis in hand.

"Sorry," he at least says, as he teleports them into a new room. Oddly, she doesn't feel as bad as before, maybe from the adrenaline pumping through her veins. It gives her the chance to take in the room they'd appeared in. It's grand, for sure, with diamond blocks in the floor and walls, purely for decoration. The center piece is an enchanting table, with several already enchanted suits of diamond and iron armor mounted along the walls on stands. Her eyes are wide and her mouth hangs open in awe at the size of the room, not to mention all the valuable blocks used solely fordecoration. She walks slowly to where Herobrine's already trying to enchant a diamond sword and bow.

She stops a few blocks behind him, fascinated by how quickly he flips through the enchanting book. It takes her ages to read just one page translating for the enchantment she wants, and that doesn't include actually applying the enchantment. Though, it makes sense that he'd be fluent in whatever language it's written in.

"It seems the dragon is fed up with waiting," he says, and Alex raises her brows in surprise. His tone is hostile, words clipped and angry. "And it's letting me know in the worst way possible."

He stops on a page in the book and lays the sword on top of it. Then, he drops the lapis onto it. A bright flash, and then he picks up the sword and hands it to her. "Here, your very own sharpness IV sword. You're welcome. And while I enchant you a new bow, go put on a suit of diamond armor. All the suits on the bottom have the highest protection and unbreaking possible."

"What about fighting endermen?"

"We don't have time anymore."

Although she knows he's not mad at her, his angry words encourage her to keep her mouth shut and just obey, so she walks over to the nearest suit of diamond armor and dons it. She's worn diamond armor before, but not a set with high protection and unbreaking, and not for very long. Mostly because armor gets in the way a lot more than it helps, but for this situation there's a high chance of death, especially without armor. So despite her displeasure about having to wear armor, she does so anyway.

As she returns to the enchanting table, she takes a deep breath. Now that she thinks about it, that ache in her chest, that started just as Herobrine's strange behavior started, is probably caused by the same source. Something must be happening to Steve, then, right? She hasn't the faintest idea what could be happening in the End to the miner, but it can't be good.

"Here." She blinks, looking up at Herobrine and the bow he's holding out to her. She takes it, marveling at the purple shine of enchantment, and takes the single arrow Herobrine hands her. "It has infinity, so don't lose this," he says seriously, and then adds, "You've used an infinity bow before?"

"A couple times, yeah," she answers, leaving out that it's been quite awhile since she's tried one out but, honestly how hard can it be to relearn? She's a bow expert after all.

"I'm sorry but we have to teleport again, first to the portal and then once in the Overworld, to the stronghold. I have eyes of ender and potions..." He winces, holding his hand out. "Ready? We must hurry."

"Not...really..." She says, but grabs Herobrine's hand. "Let's go."

He nods and they teleport. Either she's too high strung about their mission or she's getting used to it, but she feels fine at the portal. Traveling through it is a different story, but once the dizziness clears Herobrine teleports them to the stronghold.

They appear in the portal room, its current state inactive with not an eye in sight. Herobrine silently drops one eye into each of the slots. The portal activates in a spark of end particles and void space.

She stares into the Void nervously.

"We'll do fine," Herobrine tries to assure her, patting her arm. "Just focus on helping Steve and Notch."

"Right." She nods, swallowing.

"Good luck," he says, and jumps in.

She takes a deep breath, forces down the urge to vomit, and follows after him.