[Aria's POV]

"What could he possibly want in your, I guess our, code?" My mind races, tossing idea after terrifying idea about what this could mean. One thing was for certain now. 

We have to defeat Notch, or else risk everything.

And I mean everything.

Notch wants to tear something from Herobrine's code. In doing so, it would completely destroy who he is. Not to mention, because of what we had to do to defeat Entity 303, it would also destroy my code.

In english, it would kill us both.

Permanently.

I can see Alexa's panic as she stutters out, "Can-Can we not just leave? He can't trace us home, right? We could just leave-"

"And what about when they need to return?" Reginald interrupts, gesturing towards Herobrine and myself. Said other half was leaning against the wall next to the bed I was sitting in. I could feel his mind racing, but he was still on the outside. His gaze was narrow, eyes looking at the ground in the center of our group. He was listening, that much I could tell.

Alexa shakes her head. "We could plan our next move then! Figure something out while they," Alexa moves to gesture towards us as well. "Are safe! The longer we stay here, the more their lives are at stake! I can't- I won't risk her life- I can't," Alexa struggles to continue, and Joseph is quick to pull her close. His comfort calms her, but even I can read his frustration like an open book.

"If we leave now, Notch could mess with the code here freely."

That gets my attention. Mobius stands from his spot on the crafting table. He moves towards the center and types on his mechanical arm. Suddenly, a screen appears, showing us the code for the world we are in. A part of it is highlighted, but...

"This is where the code keeping anyone from entering this world without us, right now, is supposed to be." He locks his gaze with my own and sorrow fills them. "He's already deleted it, meaning he can come and go as he pleases. If we leave, we risk entering back into this world in a trap he will have plenty of time to create."

My heart sinks. For once, I can't think of anything that could possibly beat the creator of Minecraft. We were at a massive disadvantage, and every day we stay still, that disadvantage grows. If we leave, we give Notch full homefield advantage. He could counter anything we do with a simple switch or deletion of code. 

'Deletion of code...'

I feel Herobrine echo my thought, and I nudge his mind. I turn to see him lift his gaze to meet my own. The light bulb goes off for both of us at the same time.

"Delete his code!" We say in unison.

Mobius is the first to speak up. "I've already tried to hack into his code. He's got firewalls protecting firewalls! Not to mention a VPN guarding his wireless network." He shakes his head. "I don't think we can even access his file, let alone his code."

"You don't have to."

Herobrine pushes himself from his spot and steps forward. "His code isn't like mine, yours, or Entity's. He doesn't keep it in a centralized location. It would be too easy to hack into and mess with that way, even with firewalls and protections up. Sooner or later, we would break through." He looks towards each of us, then opens his hand. I can feel a shift in his energy, his power running through his arm and to the tips of his fingers. A purple block begins to form, but on the sides are grey squares with multicolor blocks within. 

"A command block?"

Herobrine nods, quickly speaking. "I've been trying to figure out what Notch meant by 'something in my code'. If it was something I had before, why did he give it?" He lets the question hang for a moment, then continues. "I think it's something I took when... I left." I feel the memory resurfacing. He's holding a similar command block in his hand when he attacks Notch. It's what gave him his power in the first place.

"You think you took part of his powers?"

"Oh I know I did. It was intentional. I wanted to cripple him so I could escape. If I hadn't," He doesn't finish it, but I think we all understand. He lowers his hand, but the command block stays floating before him. "At the time, these were essential tools to harness and disperse the power Notch held as the creator of this world, and even add to his abilities. However, I split them into two different cubes. He holds the other half to this one. Without both, he can't completely create new things on his own or," His pause echoes in our minds. He can't bring himself to say it, but I can tell the others don't understand.

"Or destroy them without hesitation." Hero lifts his eyes to mine, the pain overwhelming. He gives the slightest nod. "It's the only reason he hasn't killed us already. He can't unless he attacks."

A stir in my gut makes me shiver. I look to Hero, expecting a similar reaction, but he doesn't move. It happens again, but this time it's moved toward my heart. It wasn't painful, but it held weight behind it. It felt familiar.

"Uh, guys?"

Everyone turns to me, and I lift my arms. I turn my palms towards each other. Sure enough, I feel the stirring move down my arms and to my fingertips. I can see Herobrine's eyes widen as a light appears between my open hands. Green blocks begin to appear and slowly build up. Grey sides holding multicolor blocks within form until another command block floats in my grasp. I look between Mobius and Herobrine's expressions. Both were stunned speechless. Reginald is the first to finally speak.

"Of course! This explains the power you possess. None of us, even with our mob abilities, could ever match yours, especially once you and Herobrine were joined!" I blink rapidly. How did I not think of that? Mobius finally shakes himself from his stupor. "But, wait. Command blocks are in the game-"

"Not like these. The ones you are free to use are copies, mimics of the originals. This," He points at his, then at mine. "Well, these, are the originals. They control the entire game. It's what gave me the ability to... to trap you guys here, and change you back from your mob forms." I nod, dropping my hands. The command block fizzles away, as does Herobrine's. Everything starts to make more sense and become clear. 

"We need to somehow get his command block. If I can combine it with my own-"

"He'll become a player, nothing else." Joseph pipes in, but Herobrine shrugs.

"Well, not exactly. He may still retain some of his abilities, but I could easily erase his coding." His gaze drops, and I feel a pang of pain in his heart. It doesn't take a genius to know this wasn't how he wanted this to end. He confided in me once that he hoped Notch would be willing to go back to the way things were. Despite everything, he missed those days and longed to go back to them.

"We need to get him through the end portal, first."

Joseph whips his head towards me so fast, I swear it pops. "What? Why?" I gesture to everyone in the room. "Despite him being a terrible person, he is still a real, live person. I don't feel like killing an actual human being anytime soon, thank you very much!" 

Joseph is quick to reply. "He won't hesitate to kill you. Why would you want to save him?"

The room grows deathly silent. Joseph suddenly looks like he wants to eat his words as all eyes turn towards Herobrine. Remorse is flooding through his entire being, and it is almost overwhelming. Tears are forming in my eyes just from our shared consciousness. His own eyes held the same mist. 

"I know I don't deserve any understanding, let alone forgiveness or trust, but please," Herobrine stops himself, trying desperately to hide his feelings. I can't think of anything to say or do at this moment, but he is quick to finish his sentence. "I don't want him to die, not like this." No one says anything in reply, but I can see Joseph calm down a bit. Finally, Mobius speaks up to continue strategizing. 

"Whatever the case, I think I've made a breakthrough on that 'deletion' enchantment Entity had." His gaze flicks over to Herobrine, then back to me. "And, it seems Notch might have it as well."

"What?!"

Herobrine just shrugs. "It doesn't surprise me. Who do you think created it?" I shake my head. Despite his words being true, I was hoping we would never have to face it again. Mobius has been researching it and trying to figure it out for the past three years. Hopefully this time he's finally figured it out.

"Alright, what did you find?"

Mobius smiles and stands in the middle of the group again. He pulls a sword from his inventory. It was iron with red particles sparkling off it. A soft glow emits from the blade as well, and when Mobius releases it, it floats next to him. My heart skips, and painful memories resurface. That sword wasn't just one he created and enchanted. I know that blade all too well. The sword on my back is buzzing, as if reacting to the proximity to this weapon.

"What did you do, Mobius?"

I try to keep my voice steady, but the avali raises his hands quickly. "Relax! He's not coming back, I promise. I was able to locate this in the folder his code was in. The code is still gone, but this remained. I've been studying it." He moves his arm, and the sword follows. I can't help but step back instinctively. Herobrine was right behind me in an instant. Even Reginald was moving away from it. None of us wanted to ever see this thing again, and doubts are already forming in my head despite Mobius' reassurance.

"I couldn't figure out what the code for this blade was, so I tried to find the source. As it turns out, the source is the blade itself. It can't be copied or duplicated. This weapon is called 'deletion' in the asset folder." I shake my head, confused. Even after trying to learn everything I could about codes, certain things still went over my head. 

"That doesn't explain why you'd bring that back." Herobrine speaks, a low growl evident. As much as I wanted to tell him to hush, I couldn't. I didn't want to encounter that weapon again, but here we are. 

Mobius smiles.

"Because, Herobrine, you can now wield it yourself."

That makes everyone in the room grow silent. The only noise that is made is the sound of Mobius' feet clanking against the stone floor as he moves towards Herobrine and myself. I step to the side, away from the blade, but Herobrine stays put. His eyes dart from the sword to Mobius, then back to the sword.

"You'd trust me with this?"

"I think three years is enough to develop some level of trust, don't you think?"

Mobius extends his hand, the sword slightly floats next to it. Herobrine, hesitant at first, slowly bumps his fist against the avalis. The sword swiftly floats next to Herobrine's arm instead, pointing now towards Mobius. I can see Joseph and Alexa slightly stiffen, but no one moves. Hero lowers his hand, and the sword follows. It flips around, then settles against Herobrine's back.

"I... Thank you."

Mobius only nods, then steps back. "Being unable to mimic the enchantment, I figured at least having someone who knows it firsthand would give us an upper hand since I'm pretty sure I saw Notch holding a similar weapon." I nod my head, my sword still reacting to being so close to a previous foe. I try to calm myself and stay focused. The blade stills. "Alright, we have a slight advantage now, but that doesn't help us when we need to access his code. I'd rather not risk going into the files again." I turn to Herobrine, who nods.

"That wouldn't work anyways. He most likely has some sort of backup that we need to find as well and erase. Otherwise, he could return just as powerful." Herobrine looks around, gazing at each of us. I could tell he was trying to form a plan in his mind, but each are ending badly. I shift my gaze towards Mobius, who was deep in thought.

Then he smiles.

"So, we need someone on the outside to hack into Notch's computer?" I can see the mischief in his eyes, but we need him here! Who else-

"Iris! Can her and her team track his IP address and figure out a way in?" Mobius only nods in reply to my question, and I feel hope rise. If we can stall for time here in Minecraft and keep Notch focused on us, then anyone outside the game could potentially figure out a way into his files. It would most likely be safer than doing it here since there is less of a chance of Notch trying to kill someone in the real world.

At least, that's the hope.

"Okay, then I think it's time we enact our plan." I gaze around the room. Joseph, Alexa, Reginald, and Mobius are the only ones here with Herobrine and myself, but that would be okay for now. "Not everyone is here, but that's fine. If they join, sweet. If not, we can make this work. Joseph's bullets worked to hurt him, so we now know that part worked, but he was still able to trace Herobrine's code through us, so that's failed." I move forward, looking around once more. A smile is on my face. We would win this. 

"Here's what we need to change."