End

02:01:01

2 hours, 1 minute, and 1 second after the sun is put out...

"MOVE, MOVE MOVE!"

Steve quickly got on a horse with nothing on the saddle except some food and flint and steel just in case. There are some cobblestones as well, if they need to make a shelter, and some wood as fuel. A horde of villagers are following behind him, some lifting their children and securing them on top of mules and horses. By now, they had everything they could afford to bring along with them.

"Remember, just bring what you must!" Steve yelled, before yanking the leash of the horse. "Leave your jewels and emeralds behind! We have no more use of such things!"

"What is the meaning of this, Miner?!"

Steve turned to face the village chief, who had just arrived at the scene. He looked right and left to the packed mules and uneasy villagers. Some of the rest are looking of from the windows.

"Oh thank Notch, you're here!" Steve said. "You have to move out as well and bring the rest of the villagers here! We're going to flee!"

The chief snorted.

"Ha! Flee? Flee from what?"

"The End is coming! If we don't go quickly-"

"Bah! Nonsense with the End humbug you are talking about!" The bald, old man said, looking at the group of villagers. "And you all! How foolish! Are you going to leave just because of a stupid prediction?! This is just the normal work of Herobrine!"

"I assure you none of this has anything to do with herobrine!" Steve said, almost pleading.

"What makes you so sure, Miner?"

"He's not answering my calls!"

"And so does Notch Almighty!" The chief barked, and Steve paused, looked taken aback. There were murmurs from the villagers as they watched the argument unfold in front of them. The chief slowly turned at them, eying them one by one with his aging eyes.

"All of you! Don't you realize how stupid and shallow the miner's thoughts are?" He asked them, and they went silent. He walked to one of the mules and pats on the supplies of one of his fellow villagers. "Don't you realize that he will lead you all asunder? Even if there is an end, we don't know where to go in the darkness! The mobs will be around and we all will be mauled to death!"

"No, that's-" Steve paused when some of the villagers began to mutter in worry. His argument is losing.

"And don't all of you realize that we can plunder your homes when you are gone?" The chief grinned. "That's right. If indeed this is all but naught and you all return, maybe we had traded with the other villagers for your jewels, your gold, and of course, your emerald as well."

More voices began to whisper and chat about, before one of the villagers slowly unload their mule, then followed by another, and another.

"W-Wait! Don't-" Steve tried to beg them to escape immediately, but with the villagers slowly descending from their mounts and giving him that look that he is a madman, he gave up his hope on them. There is no more arguing with these people. "...Fine then. If anyone wants to come with me, just do it. Or yeah, just stay back. I really need to go."

"You really don't care about us now, aren't you, Miner?" The Chief smiled smugly in victory as Steve pulled his horse and slowly faces the east. "I knew you are lying all along; to lead them to the nothingness! Very preposterous."

"No. I didn't say that because I don't care." Steve looked back at him sharply. "Even if I try to convince them further, I won't survive. Suit yourself, old man."

"How rude-"

"No. Just being blatant." Steve looked back at the remaining villagers. There are two young teens and one man remaining, seemingly ready and unnerved by the rest slowly leaving the area. One of the teens are a boy using thick specs, the other is a girl. Both of them are bald, of course because of the customs of villages. The other is an aged man, around his mid sixties. The chief looked unimpressed by the remaining people, crossing his arms as Steve turned at them.

"...Are you coming along with me?"

"Yes." The girl looked at him. "Yes, we are. We're going."

"Insufferable people." The chief muttered. "You will be sorry."

"Oh no." The boy looks at him, with an equally determined look. "No we won't."

Steve nodded.

"Then we shouldn't make haste. Let's go."

He whipped the leash and rode off to the darkness, followed by the villagers. He could feel the Chief looking at them from their backs.

"You all will be sorry!"

He has no more heart to argue with him.

Herobrine opened his eyes as he stiffened a cough. His body ached, and he felt like he was lying on the ground-

But, were they not running before?

He quickly shot up, ignoring the dizzy spell as he lifted his head from the ground, grunting as he shook his head to keep the world from spinning. His people- The rest-

Where?

Master! Don't move!

Herobrine stopped as he could hear one of the endermen speaking to him, and he exhaled slowly before leaning back down again. They're still here. He closed his eyes to stop the nausea and tried to listen. He heard some creepers in the background and some zombie pigmen. There are some bone clacking together, either a wither or a normal skeleton... And the endermen are around him, warbling.

Master, how are you feeling?

Herobrine didn't answer. He swallowed before he tries to concentrate and remember what happened some minutes ago before he blacked out.

There were some voices...

"MOVE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" He heard himself roar as the endermen picked pace. There was a loud rumbling behind him and the mobs are panicking. He heard a loud moan of a zombie pigmen as they raced first before him, and the endermen grabbed one quickly.

YOU! GET MASTER FIRST! The enderman screeched.

The pigman grunted and nodded vigorously, before he was suddenly in its arms and it raced past the other mobs. The mobs are trying to help each other in escaping. Some endermen are carrying the skeletons and creepers in their slender, long arms. There are some withers who actually dropped their swords and run away, followed by skeletons, which usually can keep calm and composed. They flee like ants from a flood, oblivious to his orders to keep their head and just run forward. This is a terror bigger than the Demon of Minecraft himself, darker than the darkness itself.

This is true terror.

This is the darkness.

This is the harbinger of nothingness.

There was screaming, and when he looked back, he saw the cloud of darkness is getting smaller and smaller, as if they had outpaced it. But that also means that the slower mobs...

"...Are... Are there any casualties..?" Herobrine asked softly. He usually doesn't care about all these things, since mobs usually respawn in the castle. But now, they have nothing.

The enderman seeemd to shift uncomfortably. Herobrine cracked his eyes open to look at them, seemingly fidgeting.

Yes. One finally chirped softly. Yes there are.

"...How many?"

Almost half of us, mainly the zombies and creepers. There are some withers and pigmen caught in it too... and... Some of our brothers. After some hours of running, we finally got far enough from it. We're... resting in a forest for a stop now.

By then, Herobrine has slowly rose and lean on the tree and look at the surviving mobs scattered in the woods. They looked very demoralized and frightened. He spotted two zombies, but that's it. He saw no more. There are some creepers too, huddling in small groups. The pigmen are now trying to grow restless and some knocked a tree down and tried to use their swords to create a spark of fire, which will, of course, fail. The wither skeletons and their bow-weilding counterparts are in disarray, some losing arms or limbs.

It was a disaster. Herobrine slowly swallowed.

"...We have to continue soon. But you all need your rest. Three minutes. We have no time to spare." He looked away. As much as he knows that they are exhausted, they can never stop. It's still back there, catching up, although it's moving slowly from far away. The endermen nodded and quickly informed the mobs. None even complained at the short time of rest, as if they better flee than rest.

For once, he wondered how the other inhabitants of this world fared other than them.

"It's hard to see without the sun." One of the teen said, and the other rolled her eyes.

"You don't say?"

The two youngsters bicker as oldest villager just stayed back and watch as Steve stopped for a while, looking into the distance. They are on a hill, and Steve has dismounted and is trying to read a map in the darkness. Somehow, there is just enough light to see their surroundings without the aid of torches or any other light source. Just like night time, except no stars, no moon. Just darkness and empty sky. The villager looks at Steve, before dismounting as well to join his side.

"Where are you going to lead us?"

Steve looked back at the villager. He seemed like those tired people, who is bored almost all the time. The grouchy type of old men, although this one doesn't talk much, and doesn't look as frail despite the wrinkles on his face. Steve opened the map and showed it to him.

"I'm wondering if we can go to somewhere... tall and far away. Just leave as far as possible."

"That's quite a bland plan, isn't it?"

"Well... Do you have any plans about this too?"

The old man nodded.

"There is a shrine on top of the tallest mountain in this area. We are in the corner of the map, no? And this is the world map. If you see this area in the middle, there is a taiga biome with the tallest mountain on it. Have you ever heard about it?"

"Over... in the East then, right?" Steve muttered. "I heard about it a lot but... I should according to the legends, it is where-"

"The Herobrine spawned. I am aware of that."

"Wait, wait. Are we actually going there?! What for?"

The old man shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"You don't read a lot of legends now, do you, boy? Surely, these are called 'legends', but Herobrine is indeed very real. You have faced him by your own hands now, didn't you?"

Steve nodded, but still with a confused expression. The man continued on.

"There was the fear itself,

manifested on the Top

The place taller like no other,

The place a king should be born.

Herewhich the fear talked to the Almighty,

He reasoned questions of wonder alike

'What is the purpose of mine existence?'

He saidforth to the Almighty."

"...Isn't that a uh... A part from 'The Legend of the Hero?'"

"Yes, exactly. But my point lies on the part when 'He' talks with Notch himself on the mountain."

"...I'm sorry. I'm not sure I follow."

The villager gently takes the other edge of the paper to point at the middle of the map.

"The mountain in the story exists there, like whwhat I told you. Based on the other legends, this is the place where the pilgrims in these legends go. It is a sacred ground where, according to tales and folklore, the only place we as mortals can actually come to talk to Notch himself and comes to terms with him. If we can get there and try to talk to him, maybe we will have his mercy."

"But the Herobrine...?"

"Indeed, these are just legends. I am not sure if we can even set our foot at the edge of the biome. Pilgrims have gone there years ago when I was younger and healthier but... none ever returned. Either it is truly a holy ground and they have ascended to the Aether or Herobrine has put their lives to an end."

Steve sighed and slowly folded the map.

"So right now this is our best bet, huh?"

"I cannot propose anything more."

"...Huh." Steve nodded thoughtfully. "...Anyway, I should have introduced myself. My name is Ste-"

"Gramps!"

Steve and the old villager quickly turned as the girl rushed towards them. She pointed at the horizon, lined with dark clouds and something resembling a black sandstorm, out in the distance.

"What's that?"

Steve squinted closer to look as the old man quickly went on his horse yet again.

"We have to move!" He yelled, and Steve turned sharply at him.

"What?!"

"There is no time to explain, Mr. Miner! We have to move!"

The low rumble that comes from the distance, from the direction of the dark clouds, is enough as a cue.

The four galloped off the hill and went to the East.

Running to the last sanctuary.

I'M SORRY

COLLEGE IS STRESSFUL

AND AFTER A LONG WRITER'S BLOCK I FINALLY UPDATED (again)

And screw stupid sounding poems. I am bad at them.

Is it me or somehow I feel like I'm inspired by 'Walking Dead' to make this fic?

Answers:

1. BlackDragon41: I just updated two stories in a week. MIRACLE! I'm gonna update Player of Games soon, too! And that seems to be an interesting fic. Mind telling me the title? 83

2. WH1T3R4V3N: Thank you!

3. A. N. Onymous: Thank you. And in a sense, it is supernova, but this is Minecraft, not real world 8D

Thank you for reading!