[Mobius POV, 30 days later]

*Ding*

I shake myself awake. I was still sitting on the edge of the portal, my suit attached to a frame. However, I was now having to sit directly on top of the frame, as I was officially fully an avali. I was barely one block tall now, and my suit was the only thing keeping myself from overheating. 

*Ding! Ding!*

A screen pops up in front of the others I had fallen asleep working on. It takes a minute for my eyes to wake up and read what this was. Even then, I have to read it again.

And again.

I scramble to my feet and release an ear-piercing screech. I can hear their footsteps as I jump up and turn. I hope the glee and joy is showing on my face when Alexa and Joseph appear. I can only chirp rapidly, trying to get the point across, but Alexa shakes her head.

"Mobi, we can't understand you! Slow down!"

I would normally growl, but my joy was overwhelming. I only squeak a million times more, spinning and trying to tell them what was about to happen.

I hear the vwoop before he starts speaking. "He says he got the message." Alexa's eyes widen, and even Joseph freezes. They had learned enderman before, so of course Reginald could translate. I still don't understand how he can understand me, however, but I don't question it. Right now, I need to focus and calm down. I chirp and squeak once more, turning to Reginald and gesturing to the portal.

"Iris has replied. She got everything ready. With the time jump, she estimates we will have about..." I quickly chirp again. "Ten minutes before the portal will open, and we will get through to Notch's world."

Alexa and Joseph finally realize everything that's been said. Alexa jumps up, punching the air. "Finally!" Joseph picks her up and they both spin around. Reginald lets a smile rise to his features, but it drops quickly.

"Guys."

Everyone quiets down, and I look at him in confusion. We were finally able to move and do something! We were going to find Aria and Herobrine-

My stomach sinks.

"We need to... be prepared for the worst." His voice is sorrowful. How could I let that slip past? It's been a month since they disappeared into unknown territory, and as much as we hoped they would be okay, there's a chance we will be too late.

"Aria and Herobrine are fine. I just," Alexa stops herself. I can see the tears forming, but Joseph gives her another squeeze. His arm is around her, and he nods to us. "We have to have hope. Aria is stubborn enough on her own, and Herobrine won't drop easily without a fight." I can only nod in reply, but Reginald still lets out a worried warble. 

"Get any and all supplies we can hold," He looks towards me, determination in his eyes. "Let's go find our family." I nod and quickly dash back to the portal. I always kept what I need with me in case this happened, but the others need a few minutes to gather everything we have accumulated in the past weeks. I send a reply to Iris, knowing she'll get it sooner or later. We figured it would take the full twenty-four Minecraft days for her to see the message, let alone do anything with it. I was thankful she was quick and understood how dire the situation is.

Of course, she knows all about our little adventures here. She's even visited!

Now, I was waiting for the others to join. My nanotech removes itself from the frame just as I hear their footsteps echo from behind. I look up at each person near me. We warned everyone outside not to join us yet since the End was cut off. Anyone else that entered would be trapped as well. Anthony and Anastasia assured us they were at Aria's home and her pets were alright. Peter and Justin never replied, but both had been away from their computers for a while, so we didn't expect much-

*CLANK*

Each of us whip around, weapons drawn. I can hear his laughter along with another snicker joining the room. We find ourselves staring down an Iron Golem and an Evoker. The golem had a backpack on, and the Evoker was smiling. 

"Come now, did you expect us to wait around while you guys have all the fun?"

I can only shake my head. Reginald sighs, but warbles out, "Of course, you two were always so reckless."

"And where do you think they got that from?"

This time I can't help but chirp in excitement. Walking out from a hall that led to a Nether Portal is the Wither King himself. Full enchanted netherrite armor covers him, and his sword is at his waist. He looks up to us and nods.

"You guys are insane!" Alexa shouts, but a smile is on her face. We need all the help we can get. Joseph nods his thanks. Andrew responds in kind and speaks as all three near us. "We all sent Iris our codes. We're strapped in like you guys." I turn to the portal, feeling it's power suddenly spike. I give out a single chirp.

"Yes, I felt it too." He turns to the group, then to the portal. In an instant, it flashes open. The sound it makes is like a bass drop, and I feel the power reverberate from it. 

A tug.

But it's not from me, not exactly anyways.

I feel it again, but this time I can tell where it's from. I quickly pull out the diamond pickaxe from my inventory that has been sitting there since day one. It was now burning with power and light, and it was tugging me into the portal before us.

"That has to mean Hero's alive!"

I haven't felt this much hope rise in my chest in a long time. 

"Which means Aria must be as well."

Andrew pulls his sword from his sheath, and I ready my weapons. Everyone else gets prepared as well. None of us knew what awaits us on the other side, but it's better to be ready for a battle. With one last glance at our crew, I take the first step into the portal.

The teleport is... odd.

I can feel myself turning back into my original avatar. It was painful, thankfully, but that wasn't what had my attention. All around us are lines of code. Ones and zeros flash past at blinding speed, but that wasn't just it either. I could see countries and cities flash past. Pictures and images zoom by. I turn to see the others just behind me, each back to their original avatars.

The pickaxe lurches forward, almost out of my grasp. I hold tighter as light starts to penetrate my eyes. I move my legs in front of me, preparing to land. Grass blocks meet my feet, and I roll forward with the momentum. It only takes a moment to right myself, and I hear the others land behind me. My blasters are raised. I see the others with swords out and weapons ready.

But there wasn't anyone around.

In fact, the silence was eerie.

I gaze around. The air is cold. The village behind us is empty, abandoned even. I try to focus on the buildings to get a read on anything useful, but I only get error alerts. It seems as though not everything from our world transfered over. I hear Alexa grumble my suspicions.

"The oreberries didn't make it over. However, Herobrine's weapon designs did!" I turn to see her brandishing a long sword. It was a dark blue, almost like lapis. It sparkles with enchantments. I can only nod in reply, my mind wandering elsewhere.

Where was everyone?

Or, at least, everything?

"Keep your guards up. I don't like this."

Hearing my own voice for the first time in a week is shocking, but I couldn't linger on that long. Slowly, I start moving forward. There is a forest in front of us, away from the village. There's a dense fog around it, causing it to look haunted. The pickaxe was tugging in that direction. I hear the others move with me. We aren't ten feet from where we arrived when I hear the first sign of life.

Zombie groans.

Sure enough, through the fog that was now moving towards us, I can see their silhouettes as they lumber towards us. Clacks ring out as well, and I stop moving when the skeletons appear.

A back bumps into mine. When I turn to see who it was, I growl. Peter is back to back with me, but each of us are now trapped in a circle of mobs. 'They must have come from the village, but I didn't see anything!'

"I will admit, players, that was impressive."

His voice is level, but it booms in my ears. I snap my head up to see Notch floating a few feet from us, just above the swarm of angry mobs. The growl I release is instinctive, but it's cut off as I feel the pickaxe thumb in my hand. I keep my gaze on Notch, trying to not reveal what I held.

He smiles, but mild relief floods me when he speaks this time."You're brave to travel this far when you don't even know if they are alive."

'He doesn't know where they are, good.'

My gaze flicks to Reginald. His eyes are wide, but he's able to snap himself out of it enough to give me a small, barely perceptible nod. I slip the pickaxe into my inventory and pull out a sword that matches Alexa's. My gaze returns to Notch, who was still where he was before. His eyes look down on us. He's underestimating us, just like he underestimated them.

They are still alive.

"If we are talking about the same people, I know they're alive."

His smirk makes my stomach turn.

"What makes you say that?"

I can't help but smile. I could feel the pickaxe in my inventory shaking.

"They aren't so weak as to lose to you."

Notch only frowns, then lifts a hand. "We shall see if you can live up to that same standard."

Suddenly, the swarm charges toward us. Creepers, zombies, skeletons and Enderman alike all force themselves forward toward us. I hold my sword tight, ready to fight until the last mob falls.

Just as they close in, I can see the flash of a blade just before two figures appear. They dash in two circles around us, then stop on either side of me, swords out. One was holding their sword tight while the other has a red chain attached to their arm. The sword itself was floating just ahead of the person to the right, relieving a creeper of its head. Other mob heads are flying from the attack, and I see quite a few of them vanishing in puffs of red particles. The swarm quickly retreats a few blocks back after half their ranks drop, headless.

The two figures stand, their backs to us. However, the clothes aren't familiar to me. I feel doubt start to rise until the one in all black lifts a sword and points it straight at Notch. The blade was slim, and an eye of ender is on the hilt. When they speak, I feel my heart sing in relief.

"You will not lay a hand on them, Notch."

Said person scowls, then smiles. "If this was all it took to get you out of hiding, maybe I should have let it happen sooner." The woman who spoke before growls, but the other next to her grabs her shoulder. This person was wearing a deep green cloak and jeans. They step forward, an iron blade floating beside them. I can see the red enchanting glow easily.

"You know how this will end, Notch."

"Oh yes, I do. And I'll make sure of it this time." Before anyone can react, Notch is before the green-clad man. Said person parries Notch's sword with ease and a massive blue wave of energy slams against Notch's side. The man hits the ground and rolls, but I don't have time to see much else as the woman turns, her face barely containing disbelief as she rushes towards us.

"Aria-"

"Not now! Close your eyes!"

I obey without hesitation, and I can sense the teleport happening not a moment later. Frigid air crashes against my skin, but it is a welcome sensation after a month of sweltering. I open my eyes to find us at the entrance of a cave system at the top of a large mountain. Snow is blowing in, but I can see Aria standing by a wall. She pushes a stone block out of the way and presses a button hidden behind it. Stones on her left start shifting, pistons pulling them back to reveal a three-by-three passageway.

"Quickly! Everyone in."

I hear the others behind start moving forward. However, I hear feet stumble, and I turn to see Herobrine slowly moving after us. He was holding his side painfully but otherwise looked okay. Even then, I quickly grab his other arm and help him move. He grunts, but doesn't try to shake me off. Once we clear the opening, I hear Aria move the stone just before jumping through the closing entrance. The stones slide back into place, and darkness settles in. A soft light emits before us, and I continue to help Herobrine as we move towards it. As we leave the tunnel, I gasp.

Stairs lead down into an enormous cave that was well lit with glowberries, lanterns, and redstone lamps. There are five main sections that meet in the middle. One held a large, three story home. It was built from dark oak and spruce, and soul sand lanterns accent its front. Small gardens are before it, with little ponds filled with fish. To the right was a large farm. Each kind of plant is growing, and I see dispensers at the top level. As if on queue, water pours out from them and destroys all the mature plants. They flow with the water into hoppers that I can only guess lead to chests in the large house. After that are the farm animals. Then a spot dedicated to the nether, with nether warts growing and brewing stands lining the wall. The last spot is a simple lake. However, I could see it was deeper than it looked, and glow squids were swimming beneath the calm waters.

'None of this could be completed in just a month!'

My eyes land Aria. She was leaning against the railing by the stairs, her back towards us. Mixed emotions are flowing from her, and just as I move forward, Herobrine pulls me back. "What are you-" He holds up a hand, then removes himself from my arm. He gestures to the rest of us to wait, and I can hear Alexa grabbing Joseph's arm. Reginald and his group are behind us, but all of us share the same worry. Herobrine leans against the railing next to her, talking softly. I can't tell what he's saying, but I know Aria is responding. She barely moves her head. Herobrine reaches up and grabs her shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I she her shoulders shake, then she straightens herself and turns to face us.

She pulls her hood back, and I can't hold back the gasp that escapes. The scar she had before is still there, but there are two more with it. One straight down her good eye, the other going from cheek to chin just below it. Her eyes are sunken, tired. Her clothes are completely different, and I can barely see a hint of the hood she used to wear beneath the black cloak. Her arms are littered with new scars and gashes. Herobrine was mostly covered, but I could finally see his face fully. He, too, held numerous new scars.

Aria steps forward, almost unsure of herself.

"Please, tell me this is not a dream."

Her voice is weak, filled with disbelief. Alexa finally breaks through and rushes forward. Aria finally does the same and wraps Alexa in a hug. The tears are immediate, and I can't help but run forward as well. Joseph is right behind us. We all are now stuck in a massive group hug. Alexa moves back, gently grabbing Aria's face and examining it. Then, she hugs her again. "Oh my God, I thought we lost you. We couldn't get through! I'm sorry it took so long, nothing was working, I'm so-" She cuts herself off with sobs, and Aria only clings tighter, as if we would all disappear in an instant if she lets go.

Finally, we are able to step back and breathe. Aria looks us each over carefully. "How did you manage to open the portal?" I quickly try to summarize everything. "I was able to send a message to Iris, just like we planned, but Reginald figured out a way to send our codes across the internet just like Entity most likely did to follow Herobrine." I see said person slowly nod, and he moves towards us. I continue, "It took the expected amount of time for her to receive the message, and about a week before she was able to get through to Notch's computer server." 

Aria's eyes widen, and Herobrine grabs her shoulder.

"How... How long was it before you got the message?"

I take a deep breath, not ready for what might happen next. "It took us thirty days to open the portal, then we arrived here." Both of the people before us stiffen, and I can hear Reginald and the others move forward. Andrew speaks up first, voicing my thoughts.

"I'm guessing it wasn't just a month for you two."

Aria can't speak, and I can see the tears threatening to fall again. Herobrine sucks in a breath and lets it out before replying.

"We've been trapped here for over two and a half years."