[A few hours later]

"So, he just gave you access to his code?" Alexa asks, and I nod slowly. She shakes her head, and next to her Joseph gives me a quizzical look. "It seems fishy to me. Why would he risk that?" I can only shrug, then look at Mobius. He was currently attempting to access the game files to the world we were in while also double-checking what I said. He blinks rapidly, as if coming from a trance, then looks at me.

"It's the truth. I just found it."

He extends his hand, and the code appears within his grip. However, it suddenly flickers and fizzles, then vanishes completely. Mobius' eyes widen, and he gives a slight shake of his head. His gaze turns to meet mine. I tilt my head. "What happened?" Mobius shakes his head again, and I swear I see his organic eye flash pure white for a millisecond.

"I... can't access his code. It started to corrupt my own as if only he can get into it." He then points towards me, and I understand. Extending my hand, I try to imagine his coding in my hand-

It fizzles into view then holds steady.

Mobius finishes his thought.

"Or those he allows access to."

With wide eyes, I gaze at the cube of moving numbers in my grasp. I can see Alexa eyeing it in awe and fear, and Joseph was holding the holster on his hip. I quickly put my hand behind my back, feeling the code disappear.

My head was killing me.

I lean forward on my knees and let out a long sigh. My fingers rub my temples and I close my eyes. Without Reginald, it was getting hard to control my ender-half again. I didn't realize how much he was helping me, whether he was meaning to or not. Even with Herobrine pulling back his power a bit, it was still increasingly difficult to maintain this much power.

A hand is suddenly on my shoulder and I flinch, not from being scared by the touch, but-

My headache is going away.

I look up and spot Alexa gazing at me with wide eyes. Her grip was getting tighter as my headache was going away. Her face was filled with surprise, but then one eye starts to glow before her face contorts into one of pain.

No!

I quickly jerk away with a shout. The moment her hand is off my shoulder, the pain returns and I crumble to the ground. I see her fall not too much further away, but Joseph was there to catch her. She looks dazed, but I end up having to close my eyes. The pain hit me like a brick wall, and I feel something grab my shoulders. A voice was speaking to me, but it didn't hold a British accent. I crack open my eyes.

Herobrine's see-through silhouette was kneeling before me.

I slightly sweep my eyes around, and I note that we are not in my mindscape. I was on the ground in the base room in the nether. I lift my gaze back to Herobrine, and his gaze slightly widens. He speaks again, and I can hear it clearly now.

"Aria, you need to breathe. Slowly."

I hadn't realized it, but I was indeed breathing heavily. I suck in a deep breath, forcing myself to let it out slowly. My heart rate begins to slow, but the shock at seeing him in the real - okay, the game world - was starting to make it hard to keep it low.

I close my eyes again, hissing as the pain returns.

Why can I see you?!

I don't know. You've never been able to in the past.

You've been around like that this whole time?

Not the whole time, no. Just a few days before, while you were still bedridden.

What about Alexa? What the heck was that?!

I... don't know.

I slightly growl when I feel hands on my arm, but they were small and cold to the touch. The pain suddenly subsides and a gasp slips from my lips. I move with the slight tug, rolling onto my back to meet those blue eyes in a sea of black. My vision slowly gets clearer, but I can still see the ghost image of Herobrine in my peripheral vision. However, Reginald's cold hands slightly cup my face, pulling my focus back to him.

"Aria, breathe. Calm down and steady your heart rate." I shakily obey and slowly feel his power mix with my own. It doesn't take long for my heart rate to steady and I slightly lift a hand to his. He gives me a smile, and I return it before pushing myself up into a sitting position. He stays kneeled next to me, and I huff.

"What took you so long?" I ask, a hint of smugness in my voice. The enderman warbles slightly to himself before answering. "Respawning takes a full Minecraft day, sometimes longer depending on the... severeness of the injury." He turns to look at Joseph, and I follow his gaze. Said human was watching us with a hand on a pistol, his eyes narrow. Alexa was still slightly in a daze, and I could see Mobius standing between Joseph, Reginald and I. He looked frantic as if he had just stopped something really bad from happening.

My heart skips.

My gaze narrows.

I stand up, ignoring the protests from the enderman behind me.

I glare at Joseph, making sure I was between Reginald and him. Mobius can sense the tension in the air because he quickly tries to cool down the situation. "Aria, calm down. He didn't know, and he was just making sure we were safe. Their first encounter wasn't exactly... pleasant, remember?" Despite the truth to his words, and the warbling behind me that confirmed it, I couldn't shake the rage in my heart.

I was angry.

I try to reason with myself a bit, but that wasn't helping. I could see Herobrine standing off to the side still, watching this whole thing. His expression was unreadable, neutral almost. My eyes stay on Joseph, however. His gaze was locked with mine, and we both hold slight glares towards the other.

"Aria, he literally asked for it. Entity had control over him, and he was about to kill Alexa." Joseph finally speaks, moving his hand from his weapon. He slightly lifts both hands up as a sign of peace, and it takes all within me not to lunge forward in animalistic instinct at the slightest show of weakness. I slowly take in a deep breath, then let it out with a sigh. It was getting difficult to reign in my emotions, and that was dangerous.

It's what he wants...

Once more, I breathe in and let it out slowly. I feel the rage start to subside and feel my headache lower to almost nothing. Finally, once I feel like I'm back to normal, I shake my head.

"I... I'm sorry. What happened happened, and there's nothing we can do to change it. Right now, we need to focus on how to defeat Entity then..." My gaze turns slightly to the outline of Herobrine. His gaze was away from me, but I knew he was listening still. I finish my sentence. "Figure out what to do from there."

I see Mobius' eyes widen. "You're not thinking of letting him off the hook, are you?" His question shocks me, and I look at him with a similar expression. I avert my gaze, then shake my head. "No. Maybe, I don't know yet. Everything is so messed up, I don't know what is real and what isn't. There is no way of checking if what he said is true since that seemed to be within the very first world ever created."

I feel myself getting drained once more, and I slump down into the couch. I feel Reginald's cold hand on my shoulder, and he gives a gentle squeeze. My head was swimming with more questions than answers. Herobrine was now looking over at me with a gaze that was failing to hide the concern. I look away quickly and hold my head in my hands.

What am I supposed to do now?

I put the block up in my mind, and I don't even open my eyes to see what Herobrine's reaction is. I don't care any longer. I just needed to focus on one thing at a time. We needed to defeat Entity first-

"Wait."

I don't realize I had said it out loud until Alexa suddenly speaks up. "What is it, Aria?" Slowly, I lift my head. My eyes wander over each person, even Herobrine, then stop on the blue fire that was illuminating the room. I feel the terror sink in at the possibility of what I just thought. I can feel my eyes widen, and Alexa moves into a kneeling position in front of me. "Aria, what's wrong?"

I force myself to look into her eyes and shakily speak.

"If we defeat Entity, what if he still erases this world?"

The silence that sinks into the room is deafening. Her gaze resembles my own, and I can feel the cold set in despite us being in the hottest place in Minecraft. I turn my gaze to Mobius, and his eyes meet mine. I don't have to say a single word apparently. He gives me a single nod before suddenly summoning a keyboard before him.

"I'll start attempting to break into his code, see if I can locate and isolate the source of the 'world erasing' part." I can only give him a small nod before spotting Herobrine softly shaking his head. My head snaps towards him, and he immediately stops moving. However, I drill into him.

What is it?

He pretends to ignore me, but I growl. This makes him turn to me, and I feel everyone in the room watching me in confusion. "Aria? What are you doing?" Reginald asks quizzically, and I keep my gaze on Herobrine.

"Herobrine thinks it's a bad idea."

I don't have to say much else, as it seems everyone gets why I'm growling at what might look like a wall to them. Herobrine watches me with a cold gaze, and I quickly interject a little snippet.

If what you are withholding is something that could keep one of us from harm, then I suggest you speak quickly before I lose my temper again.

He doesn't move. Not a single flinch. I keep my gaze steady, and he finally sighs with a shake of his head.

You'll never break into his coding. He's a virus. Constantly changing to match whatever he is in. If you try to break in...

My eyes widen, and I turn to Mobius. He was still typing away-

Then he suddenly freezes up.

His eye flashes, and I shout. "Mobius, don't!" I rush towards him, but just when I'm within reach to grab him, he turns on me and his cybernetic fist collides with my face. I feel the air rush past me before my back slams against the door, shattering it like it was glass. I come to a painful halt when I hit the netherbrick wall, slumping against the ground. When air finally makes it to my lungs, I lift my head to see Mobius fighting the others. His cybernetic eye was crimson red, shining in the dull firelight.

Entity took over...

I curse silently for not realizing it sooner.

I give a slight shake of my head, trying to regain focus. Not only was my head now housing a migraine, but I could also see straight through the fading image of Herobrine kneeling before me to the fight that was ensuing. Entity, within Mobius, was battling it out against all within the room. Joseph was struggling to keep up with Mobius' cybernetics, and Alexa was trying to hit him without killing him. Reginald was suddenly in front of me, his eyes full of worry, confusion, and shock.

"Aria! Can you stand?"

I can only give a nod, but I see Herobrine no longer watching me. His back was to the two of us, and his glare could be felt all around. He doesn't even have to turn to me to show the rage he was feeling.

Go in there.

My eyes widen, knowing full well what he was wanting me to do.

No, absolutely not! I-

Do you want him to kill the others then?

I fall silent, then slowly rise to my feet with Reginald's help. The enderman looks to me, his face contorting. "You are speaking with him. I can feel it. What is he saying?" I look back to the room, not giving him an answer. Instead, I do the only thing I can think of at the moment. I slowly walk into the room, then rush forward and full force body slam the avali just as he's about to pin Joseph to the ground with a sword to the chest.

The moment my hands touch him, I feel the shock of power leave me. A gasp escapes my lips as we crash against the ground, and I roll to the side just in time to avoid a slice from the energy sword on his wrist.

I pop up onto my feet, and Mobius struggles to stand. I can see his cybernetic eye burning in a red rage, but his other eye was now bright white. He lets out a low growl, holding his head and stumbling back a bit. "How?! How did you get in?! I am in control!" I can already tell that is not Mobius' voice, but he was also not talking to me. Herobrine had successfully made it in, and I didn't know how I should feel.

My legs, apparently, decide I should feel exhausted.

I feel them start to give out, and this catches Entity-Mobi's attention. He snarls, and starts to dive at me-

But a nether fence post suddenly swings into view and slams directly into his face.

Mobius' body flies across the room and slams against the wall. He slumps down to the ground, his eye going out. I see Alexa huffing above me, her eyes going from Mobius to me. She looks scared, but I only shake my head. "He's... alive. I can... tell..." I feel myself growing excessively tired. I hadn't realized how much Herobrine's power was keeping me going after that last fight, and I wasn't back at full power yet.

My arms suddenly give out, and I lay against the cool netherbrick. I hear voices above me, and despite the utter exhaustion I was feeling, I was still awake. When my eyes open, Alexa and Reginald are kneeling above me, Joseph is behind them with a sword out, ready to defend if Mobius stands up again to attack. I only huff, then meet the cool gaze of the enderman.

"He's... not in you? I don't feel his presence anymore." I slightly nod, then lean slightly to gaze through everyone at Mobius' unconscious form. "Yeah... for now. I hadn't realized how much his power was holding me up... after my first fight..." I try to relax, but a shiver runs down my spine.

Something's wrong.

I turn to look at Mobius again, and I see the faintest red glow in his cybernetic eye. My heart drops when white tries to fight it, then vanishes under the red glow. I could feel the struggle from here, and it wasn't good.

His eye suddenly dims, and it seems quiet. Unease is in my heart, and I slowly sit up. I could feel something... off. It wasn't bad? Reginald gives me an odd look as well, but I can only shake my head. I turn to Alexa, and she watches me carefully. "What is it?"

I give her the most honest answer I have.

"I don't know."