[Alexa POV]

[Meanwhile...]

Just as Aria disappears through the cracks into the code, I can finally see Herobrine's floating ghost form for a moment. His expression shocked me.

He was scared.

But I couldn't think about that right now. I needed to focus. I turn to leave the group and lock eyes with Joseph. He gives me a grim nod, and I return it before heading off towards Peter's Mansion. Aria had mentioned a while back that during one of her first fights with Entity, she 'entered' Peter's mansion, and he said he would help when needed.

Well, this insane plan requires some... brute force.

I couldn't stand this plan of theirs. Leaving Aria alone with Herobrine to fight Entity with no back-up? Sure, we can't go into the code, but there has to be another way. I growl as I come back to the same conclusion that everyone else had as well.

It's the only plan that has a chance to work.

As I run past a tree, I can't help but slam an axe into it in anger. I don't stop running, but I can't stand this plan. Aria could get hurt, or taken over, or worse.

And we are supposed to trust Herobrine to keep her safe? To send her out once he's back to his own avatar? The lunatic that murdered all of us?

Somehow, they have started to trust him, and I can't understand why. They have all told me why, and their reasons, but I can't. Not yet. I haven't had any experience to show me that he's changed. If this all works out properly...

If.

I only shake my head and continue making my way through the woods, past the village. Mobius and Reginald were heading there, gathering forces with Justin the Iron Golem. Joseph was heading towards a place Herobrine had pointed out in the End where he has bottles of dragon's breath and other supplies stashed away. We are all to meet there after, ready for the final battle. It seems to take forever as I make my way to the mansion. Finally, I slow to a stop in front of the doors of the mansion.

I don't even knock. I simply slam the doors open and make my presence known. "PETER!" I yell, gaining the attention of every pillager around me. Some of them get defensive, pulling out weapons and getting ready to attack. It's at that moment I realize I'm not my original skin, so I quickly speak. "It's Alexa! We need your help, all of your help!" A few pillagers relax, but some keep their weapons up until I finally hear footsteps making their way down the stairs in front of me.

The gray head Evoker rounds the bottom of the stairs and quickly moves towards me. "Looks like you finally changed that skin to something more efficient." I shake my head. "Sorry, no time for small talk. Here's what's going on." I lay on him the entire plan as he gestures for the others to move closer. "Right now, Aria and Herobrine are trying to separate in the code, putting him back to full strength." Immediately, he stiffens, and I wave my hands. "I know, I know. Not the best plan ever, but it's the only one that has the potential to end this all." He slightly relaxes, but I can see his anger was still there. I lay out the rest of the plan, and he nods.

"Of course, Aria would think of such an insane, and yet probable plan." He rubs his chin and nods. "I had already said I would help where I can, and this I definitely can." I finally notice a scar running along his hand and partially on his head. He nods, acknowledging my stare. "Payback for what he did to me, I guess." I smirk and nod.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[Joseph POV]

[Meanwhile...]

'Why did I volunteer to go down into the creepy, dark, barely lit tunnels on my own?'

'Oh yeah, because I have a gun, and the other players that are now mobs haven't met me yet.'

I shake my head and refocus down the sights. Everyone had said the tunnels should be clear, and I simply needed to follow the path they left, but Mobius had to mention that Entity might have manipulated it. He gave me clear instructions on how to get there, but it still wasn't helping that the normal Minecraft sounds were still there and starting to get to me a bit.

An eerie echo rolls from my left, and I shift to face it. When I find nothing, I suck in a deep breath and continue towards the right side of the ruins. A frown makes its way onto my face as I notice the path deviates from where Mobius told me to go. 'Glad he told me now, or this would have ended badly.' I can only shake my head as I quickly make my way to the open area holding the activated portal. It was still activated, and I climb the stairs to it.

Reginald had warned that since Entity has the ability to manipulate certain aspects of the game, just like Herobrine, I need to make sure I am able to teleport quickly if the portal drops me somewhere else.

I put the gun away for now and pull out two items. I hold an ender pearl in one hand, and a fishing rod in another. I take a deep breath and jump into the portal, eyes closed.

I feel the teleporting sensation hit, and when it stops I open my eyes...

To find myself standing on an intricate platform leading to the main island.

'Don't get comfy. Don't get cocky.' I slowly begin to move forward when I hear hissing beneath me. I only pause for a moment until it finally registers that there are only two things that make that noise in Minecraft.

And both explode.

I break out into a full sprint down the stairs, but the TNT explodes. I'm thrown forward, but not enough to land safely on the island. I slam into the side instead and begin plummeting down into the void below. With all the strength I have, I hurl the pearl up into the air and pray it hits.

I get my answer as I slam against the endstone, and roll a few blocks. I can only gasp a few times before sitting up painfully. "That... was not what I was expecting." I carefully get to my feet and begin looking around the island. I needed to find the bedrock portal that leads us to the rest of the end islands. Off in the distance, I finally spot the beacon glowing and I rush towards it. The enderman around me simply let me pass. As I near it, I pray to God that my aim is good. I don't have time to build anything to it. As the pearl leaves my hand, I know it's a good throw. I jump up just as the teleport starts, and I land on my feet.

Standing, I gaze around and find the blooming chorus fruit. Some were the normal color, but a specific set of them had a tinted hue. They lead in a straight line, and I swiftly follow them. 'I hope this works out.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[Meanwhile...]

[Mobius POV]

"And that's the plan." Standing in the middle of the village, I tell Justin and Claire, the potion shop owner from the first time we came here. Justin has the same reaction Alexa had, but he nods nonetheless. "It's not exactly... perfect. But possible." I nod as well, and so does Reginald. Claire puts her hands on her hips and nods. "Well! Sounds like you'll need some potions for this. I have a few backups, but I'll get some more started right away." She rushes down the street and disappears into her shop.

Justin nods. "I'll see what I can gather supply-wise. If I remember correctly, we can summon more iron golems in The End. Then hopefully, they will see Entity as the main threat and attack him only." I nod my head, and Reginald does the same. "It will be a good distraction if needed." I look around and nod as the sun begins to set. "Alright. We don't have much time." I pull up a screen that shows a distorted picture of the code files. By doing so, I can see Aria and a very transparent Herobrine slowly making their way up towards the 'assets' folder. "Once they enter the folder, I'll lose sight of them. That's when the clock starts ticking."

"Then what are we waiting for?" We all swiftly disperse and begin gathering supplies. I check my power levels and realize they are getting lower than what I would like. "I need to charge for a bit. I'll be at the Inn in Claire's shop." I turn to Reginald and he nods. "I'll make sure Joseph is doing okay with the other endermen, then I'll be back." I only nod before he vanishes and I take off down the street.

Once I make it inside, I'm greeted with the soft sounds of many brewing stands sounding off. I hear Claire running back and forth, so I sit in the far corner. There was nothing else I could do at the moment, so I simply bring out a portable charger I created and let it attach to my arm. I feel the energy input already beginning to rise, so I try to check in on Aria and Herobrine. As the video returns as simple snow, I close it down with a sigh.

I hate waiting like this...

There was truly nothing else to do at this moment. Aria will get Herobrine reconnected to his code, get out of the code and appear here. After that, we will all gather together and head to the end to-

*BRRRT BRRRT BRRRT*

I snap my eyes wide open to a red screen flashing before me. I shake my head and swiftly swipe the alert away to reveal the code files. It was still staticy, but I could make out a figure standing just outside the 'assets' folder.

'Entity!'

I feel the fear sink in as I realize he's holding some sort of chain that is stretching into the file. He yanks once, and nothing seems to happen, but it's obvious he was frustrated. I hope the worst hasn't happened, but when Reginald appears with pain on his face, I already know.

"Aria... she's hurt."

I fight the urge to say a very sarcastic reply. Instead, I return to the screen only to see Entity now facing away from the file with a grin on his face. The screen then flashes white, and I lose the signal. The screen vanishes, and I jump up from my seat. Just as I'm about to say something, cracking echoes from behind me, and I turn to see Aria's body barrel through and crash on the ground. I can see Herobrine standing full form and he begins closing the cracks as Entity starts running.

But my attention was no longer on them.

Aria wasn't moving.

I rush over to her side and slip my arm under her head. I carefully flip her over until she's facing me. A gasp slips from my lips at the massive hole in her chest. I get flashbacks to the nether battle all those days ago, but this felt different. Reginald is behind me, and I could feel his helplessness. It was almost as tangible as my own. I quickly scan her to see how bad the wound is, and my blood goes cold at the results.

"Come on, Aria! Stay awake!" I shout, holding her gently. Reginald moves from behind me to the other side of Aria, whose wound was not healing like normal in the game. She was starting to lose too much blood, and her health bar was slowly depleting. "Reginald, get a regen potion!" I finally shout, and the enderman doesn't move at first. "REGINALD!" Finally, he blinks and shakes his head. He then nods and vanishes in a flash of purple.

I turn back to Aria and try to think of somethin-

Nano-tech!

I lift my left arm and feel my cybernetics open up. I try to think of something that would help cover the wound for now and maybe absorb her purplish blood and keep it from bleeding. Something like a liquid bandage if you will. I raise it over her chest and a mist-like substance begins to fall over her. It looks like it's not going to work at first. After a moment, it begins to turn purple and it appears to stop the bleeding.

Reginald suddenly reappears with a potion in hand. "She's also open on her back. It seems like that's where she was hit." I can only nod, as I had seen that earlier, but I couldn't risk moving her right now. "Try to make her drink it. I don't want to risk flipping her over right now and make it worse." He only nods, and carefully uncorks the bottle. I try to lift her head, and he parts her lips. I watch carefully as the pink liquid slowly disappears and I quickly scan her again.

Her health bar stopped at half a heart.

"It's working. Make sure she drinks it all." Reginald doesn't nod, but I know he heard me. He slowly continues to tilt the bottle and allow the regen potion to go down into her mouth. His expression is grim, and I can only imagine that mine was matching his as well.

"How do we tell the others?"

I simply shake my head.

"There's no point. If Herobrine doesn't defeat Entity now..."

Reginald only nods his head solemnly. Without Aria, the plan could still work, but only if Herobrine survives his battle and if the others make it to the end in time. I see her eye flash purple beneath her eyelid. Her fingers twitch as well, then she goes still once more.

I hope you know what you're doing, Herobrine.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[Herobrine's POV]

I haven't felt this much anger since the last time I saw Notch. Aria just sacrificed everything again just so I could have my own body once more and make this fight even.

But I was going to do more than that.

Entity quickly stands after receiving my fist to his face. His scythe is still in hand, but the sword that was floating beside him is gone. I growl and drop down quickly as the blade flies over my head. Just as it passes, I force myself into a backflip to avoid Entity's scythe as he hurls it at me. Once I land on my feet, I charge at him. Instead of summoning my pickaxe, I test something out and open my hand.

I feel the thrum go through my arm, and I can still feel her presence. As the leather meets my palm, I can only smirk as Entity stares in shock. I raise my sword up and flip around. Not only do I block his returning scythe from trying to decapitate me, but as I turn to face him again, I lock blades with his. The glow from my sword stands out against his, and I can see him starting to struggle beneath it.

"Underestimated her, didn't you?" I say, trying my best to not laugh at his rage-filled expression. With a grunt, he throws me back, but I land easily and charge back at him. I needed to keep him off balance and buy some time until I get the signal. As I move in, I end up sliding beneath the scythe before slicing up as I stand. Entity jumps back in the nick of time, and I stand to the side as his scythe narrowly grazes the hair on my forehead. I hold my sword out towards him with a small smile.

"Come now, don't tell me you're tired?" His growl is low, and I can tell he's not very happy that I've returned. He holds his scythe, and the blade next to him points at me. I can only smirk as I open up my free hand. The feeling of lighting crackling in my palm was beyond exciting. There were certain powers I had lost while connected with Aria. To have them back felt like the best feeling in the world.

Finally, I summon my pickaxe, which arrives in a bolt of lightning. I can only smirk as I slightly squat down into a fighting stance. "Ready for round two?" I mock, and he only snarls at me. "Only if you're ready to stay and fight, and not run away like a coward." I can't describe the anger that sentence created within me, but I charge at him again, wielding both weapons. He copies my movements, and I lock pickaxe to scythe, sword to sword. We glare at each other for a moment, and I give my reply. "I'm not going anywhere." When Entity's eyes widen, I finally realize I haven't fought him since the first time I met him.

I've always run away, left the world for him to erase.

Not this time.

I can't explain it fully, mostly because I'm not used to this, but I won't leave Aria and her friends behind. It may not be enough to get them to forgive me, but I know it's a start.

A start that I plan on seeing through till the end.

"That girl has grown on you, hasn't she?"

I give no reply but push him away instead. He regains his balance easily, and I keep my defenses up. I know his game. He plays weak, only to knock you down in the end. "Oh ho ho! Hit a soft spot, did I?" I stay silent. He's only trying to rile me up, make me lose control. That's what cost me the fight the first time. I need to keep on top of this. He starts to say something again, and I swiftly teleport in front of him and slice down with my sword. The impact sends him flying across the codescape, and he slams against a random folder. When he finally regains himself, I'm already before him again.

"You talk too much."

Then I go on the attack. Swing after swing, hit after hit. When he tries to dodge, I simply parry the dodge and force him to be wide open. I keep the attacks going, however, I could tell it was becoming too easy. After one final hit, I kick him away and back off as well. Something wasn't right, and I couldn't let myself get carried away. Carefully, I start to regain my breath and watch Entity carefully stand while heavily leaning against his scythe. He was littered with wounds that were already beginning to close up and heal as if nothing happened.

'I knew it.'

He stands up straighter with that sinister smirk on his face. "Ah, so you noticed. Shame, I was hoping you'd be a bit wearier after you figured it out." His scythe suddenly begins glowing brighter, and I growl. He was powering up the whole time I was attacking, and I didn't notice. Before I can react, he is in front of me. His first hit strikes me in the chest, and I fly backward. I flip over just in time to block his second attack, then his third and fourth. He was faster than I anticipated, but I knew I wouldn't win this battle. I just needed to buy time.

His next attack slices across my back, and I barely block his attempt to pierce my side. I needed to keep my own power intact and under wraps right now.

But, I also couldn't die, or everything will fail.

I really hope they're getting everything ready...

And I hope Aria's okay.