[Reginald's POV]

On the other side, I find Aria already standing at the edge of the newly formed bridge that closed the gap between the portal and the fortress. After his defeat, we all agreed to help Andrew rebuild his home once we were all rejuvenated.

Yes, we do respawn, but the soreness remains for a while.

This was one thing he asked to be added now that he had no reason to keep others away. It was four blocks wide and four sets of stairs lead to the main platform. It allows crossing beneath on the Striders. It was made from red nether brick and a few fences to line the edges. Glowstone decorations were inputted here and there. It was a beautifully constructed bridge, and it was only thanks to Andrew. He was our builder as well as the leader of our group.

I refocus on Aria, who was now at the middle of the bridge, gazing over the edge at the Striders below. A family was going under, and I spot one stop to look at Aria. The woman waves and the creature makes a happy jitter before circling twice. When they look at each other again, I hear the mother call to it, and Aria shoes him on. "Go on!" It makes a gleeful noise, then dashes under the bridge to its family. I smile, then widen my smile when Aria's eyes fall on mine. I can sense her question, but what she wasn't seeing was the large ghast floating into view behind her.

I feel slight anxiety rise in my heart, and I can't figure out why. Something was wrong, and I could tell this feeling wasn't only my own. Aria swiftly turns on her heel and easily spots the ghast coming towards her. Relief seems to flood from her, but it is quickly smothered as the ghast opens its eyes. They only ever did that when-

"Aria, move!"

The fireball is released as I finish speaking, and it is close enough that I won't have time to get between Aria and the blast. There was nothing I could do. I just got her back, and now I might lose her again.

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

[Aria POV]

Time seems to slow. I was still trying to piece together what was happening.

I could feel the rage from the ghast when it was near enough. I couldn't understand why, or what was happening. Reginald said I would be fine! This bridge made me believe that even more! Why was it attacking?

I need to teleport.

I can't focus. My mind is reeling with fear and I feel my body go rigid as a nightmare suddenly floods my vision. The fireball changes to the enderdragon's and I can see his silhouette behind it. His glowing eyes flood my vision, and I feel fear sink in.

Then the rage hits.

I can feel it creeping back into my being just like before. However, this time I have control. I glare at the vision, growling. This isn't real. I won that battle. It's in the past. I need to focus, or I will die for good this time. I close my eyes and thrust my hand out. I hope, pray, that I still have enough within me to summon it. I don't have anything else in my inventory, and I knew I couldn't risk punching it back with my bare hands. I needed my sw-

*crack*

Silence hits me like a brick for a moment after the sound of glass cracking echoes in my head. I feel something within me stir. This feeling was... different. This wasn't my ender-half waking up. This was foreign. I couldn't understand, what's going on? Sudden energy flows through me and to my outstretched fingertips. I can feel the power rushing through my veins painfully, and yet it didn't truly hurt. I couldn't shake this feeling of dread, but it all suddenly vanishes as the familiar hum of my sword reverberates in my soul. I can almost see it still impaled in the endstone, shaking and wiggling, trying to free itself.

The heat was growing closer.

I'm running out of time.

I will it to come, and I lose sight of it just as it dislodges. However, I smile and open my eyes. I start to close my fist just as the smooth leather hits my palm. My arm is already in motion as the fireball gets within batting distance. The blade slams against the fireball and I feel it push me back a few blocks. My feet skid against the brick, but I hold and push out with a shout. The fireball slings back towards the ghast and crashes straight into its face. The creature roars in pain and falls backwards into the lava just right of the bridge, causing a wave of lava to rise...

And come crashing straight towards me.

With wide eyes, I turn to move, but cold arms wrap around me and I close my eyes when purple fills my vision. We both crash against the netherrack, and I gasp when he lets me go. I could feel something burning on my leg, and I look down. With a shout, I shake my leg and try in vain to get a small slash of the boiling liquid off. I could feel it searing through, and Reginald is quick to brush it away with his arm. He lets out a pained noise but turns to me in worry. "Aria! I am so sorry. I do not know what is going on." I hear the anger in his tone, but behind it was masked concern and anxiety. I could feel it coming from him.

And I remember what his eyes looked like when I first opened them after he saved me.

Fearful.

I shake my head, pushing it aside for now. "It's okay, I'm alive. But I don't think it's that easy." I can tell something else is coming, and I turn to see just that. On the other side of the bridge was an army of wither skeletons and blazes. Piglin brutes were at the front, snorting and wielding enchanted golden axes. With Reginald's help, I stand, but my leg screams in pain. A hiss slips from my lips, and Reginald looks at me with concern. "I need to get you out of here. Something is not right." I nod, but sudden chills make me turn my head.

Sure enough, there was a ghast rising from the lava behind us on our right with a severe burn mark on its face. A player. It screeches and launches a fireball directly at the portal. It explodes upon impact, and the force knocks both myself and Reginald forward. With a grunt, I push myself up quickly and growl at the advancing forces. We now had only one way to go as where the portal was located was on a peninsula of lava. Reginald was a bit further ahead of me, and I could see a brute was nearing him. Its eyes were not alive, and it was reacting out of orders. It was not a player. As it reaches the downed enderman, it lifts its axe high and I could tell Reginald was still regaining his senses and couldn't tell what was happening.

Thankfully, I have a high pain tolerance still, and my sword intercepts the axe just below the base of the golden head. The brute looks up in confusion at me, and I give it a fake smile before slamming my forehead into its face. It squeals and stumbles back. I see others behind it start moving forward, so I drop down and help Reginald to his feet quickly. "Come on, old man. Get up." He slightly growls at me but stands with a hand on his head. "I don't understand... why is he sending all of them?" I growl and tap his side to get him to focus on the oncoming army. "Think later, guard now." I see him nod, and we stand side by side. I raise my sword, sucking in a breath. In all honesty, I didn't mind a fight. I can let off some steam from the nightmares. However, I'd rather not risk burning more of my body.

And I really don't want to fight in the nether.

As the crowd grows closer, I stiffen my legs and prepare to fight. I see Reginald narrow his gaze as he pinpoints his location for teleporting. We were just waiting for the right moment to strike an-

"Aria?"

I hear his voice above us, and I lift my head to see a large ghast floating down with a large platform on it- his head. The army stops advancing as the ghast nears the ground. My eyes are locked on a crowned wither skeleton in glistening netherrite armour that was atop the ghast. His blazing orange eye sockets were locked with my own eyes, and I huff. Relaxing my stance, I point my sword to the ground and lean against the hilt. "If that's how you welcome people back to the nether, I have a few pointers on how to make it a little less life-threatening, Andrew." I slightly growl at the last part, but when his eye sockets narrow, I feel my spine get a chill.

Before I can ask, he is on the ground before us. He makes his way to me, and I straighten up with my sword in hand. Saying I was being wary was now an understatement. I was on full alert as he nears, but his eye sockets seem to gaze over me, around me, as if he's really making sure I was who I said I was. When he is only a block from me, I step back. This move makes him stop his advance, and I slightly raise my sword. "Are you going to tell me what's going on, or do I still need to fear for my life right now?" I say, trying to sound calm. The skeleton looks me over once more, but when he finally gazes at my sword, his stance seems to relax. His eye sockets lock with my gaze, and I can almost feel his suspicion flowing from him. He raises his arm, and the army slowly begins to back off and disperse towards the fortress. I tear my gaze from Andrew to spot the ghast with a burn mark on its face watching me carefully.

I slide my sword back into its scabbard and rub the back of my neck. "Uh... sorry about that. Call it even?" I motion to my leg, which was still slightly charred and holding what I could only assume to be third-degree burns... if not fourth or fifth, maybe even tenth. The ghast seems to ignore me for a moment, but then its lip slightly curls up. It dips forward a bit, then carefully floats away. I smile and turn to face Andrew once more. His boney arms were crossed in front of him, and I could feel many mixed emotions pouring from my left. Reginald was staying silent, but I could tell his gaze was on Andrew. Soon, it was just us and I realized the wither king was waiting for just this moment before saying anything.

And yet the silence remains.

All three of us stand there in the quiet for a moment, but I finally can't take it any longer. "So you want to explain why you tried to ki-"

"Why are you here?"

I slightly freeze, not expecting the question. I look at the skeleton quizzically, then to Reginald. His gaze won't leave Andrew, so I return to looking at said player. "Well, I'll be honest, I didn't think I could even be here. But..." I shrug my shoulders, not really knowing how else to say this. "The world saved on all our computers. It didn't leave or vanish. It's showing itself as a multiplayer world. I thought it was a glitch, but it has been there after a month."

I see his stance shift in surprise, so I quickly explain what Reginald and I had figured out. He lowers his arms and looks away. I turn back to Reginald, grabbing the enderman's arm. He flicks his eyes to me for a moment, then returns to watching Andrew carefully. 'You're worried he might attack?' I ask, and I feel his arm slip upward in my grasp until his hand is in mine.

'After what I just witnessed, I am not going to risk your life on account of my beliefs.'

I feel a small smile on my face, but I turn to Andrew again. "So, let me start off my question again. Why did you try to kill us?" The skeleton looks back at us, then to Reginald. When his eye sockets meet mine, I feel my suspicions get confirmed in my head. He hesitates, then sighs. "We were not trying to kill both of you... Only you apparently, Aria."

I'm not surprised at this, but Reginald nearly blows a gasket. "After everything she has done for us and what she has gone through, you dare to-" I quickly grab his arm and pull him back a bit. He looks at me in shock, and I hold up a hand. Fear was starting to sink in at this news, but I was trying to mask it with concern.

I was apparently failing.

Reginald's eyes widen, and he steps back. I step forward and ask the only question that matters.

"Why?"

The wither king looks at me, but he can't hold my gaze for long. It falls to the netherrack below, then shifts towards the bridge. I can see the gears in his mind turning, but I didn't want some sugar-coated lie. I want the truth. "Andrew, what did you feel when we came through?"

His skull snaps back to me so quickly, I swear I hear it crack. Reginald looks at me as well, a question in his eyes. I ignore it for now and keep my focus on the skeleton before me. He locks eye to eye socket with me, then huffs. He looks to the enderman once more, then to me before finally spilling.

"When you entered the Nether... It felt like him."

I step back, sensing that foreign power within me stir at the mention. As if on cue, Andrew turns back to me with a burning gaze. My own eyes must show my fears. "You know what I mean, don't you?"

I feel my body shake, but I slowly nod my head. "I... I think I do... But..." I look them both in the eyes, laying my hands on my chest. "How?" Reginald looks between us, and Andrew shakes his head. "Not here. Somewhere more secure. Follow me." I shake my head, confused. "Secure? What do you mean? He's not actually here, right?" The fear dies down when the skeleton shakes his head. He begins walking towards the bridge, and I follow. Reginald stays by my side, and I can tell he's reluctant to trust Andrew right now. Andrew speaks again, making my blood run cold.

"Herobrine is no longer here, physically, but with the possibility of this world being... 'open' to others as a server, we don't know what other 'bugs' or 'glitches' could slip in."