[Aria's POV... sorta]

No pain hits me, so I know I am still asleep somewhat. However, I feel 'awake' in a way. Opening my eyes, I find myself in an empty void, floating in the air. Suddenly, I begin moving, and my feet gently land on nothing. I stand, gazing around. A bright light beckons me, and I follow it instinctively. I knew it wasn't something to be afraid of, I wasn't injured enough to die, so I simply walk into it. I squint my eyes, trying to keep them open, but end up shutting them tight as the light becomes overwhelming.

Then, it seems to fade a bit.

Blinking rapidly, I open my eyes and find myself staring at an exact replica of the spawn point except a relatively small house was where our old hut was. It was well made, almost like it belonged in a server, with two small gardens beneath the windows that were on either side of the walkway to the entrance. It was two stories and held a small balcony just above the doorway. I find myself drawn to it, and before I know it I am standing in front of the oak door. It opens on its own, and I cautiously look inside.

It was furnished like a normal house would be. The 'living room' was on my right, kitchen in the back, storage on the left where the stairs led up. I ignore everything else and begin heading to the stairs. The second floor was a large room. It held a double bed and chests, but my eyes stop at the double doors that lead to the balcony. Just outside the doors, leaning against the fence railings was a more prominent and solid-looking Herobrine. I couldn't recall seeing him there before, but I find myself moving to lean against the fence next to him.

"I assume you have some questions?"

I give him a small nod, but stay silent for a moment longer. He doesn't seem to mind it and keeps his eyes forward. I could tell he was in deep thought, but so was I. I didn't know where to begin, so I just decide to start with the most recent discovery.

"How many?"

He stays silent, casting his eyes down for a brief second.

"23... maybe more."

I feel my heart skip at the number. 'That's more than I had expected...' He lets out a grunt, and I huff, forgetting he could hear my thoughts. I turn towards him a bit, studying his movements carefully. This next question would elicit a response that would either change the way I see him... or confirm my suspicions.

"Did you know he could?"

"At first? No. When I first encountered him, I expected him to be on my side. However, our battle was nearly the end of me, and I barely escaped to the coding files on the deep web before he... Well, you know."

"So, even if he doesn't kill you and you manage to escape, he still erases the world? Just to make sure you can't return to it?"

"Pretty much."

"How many in that world?"

He finally turns to face me, and I can see him trying to figure out why I want to know. No, I can hear him thinking it. 'You know why...' His gaze widens... then changes to something I didn't expect.

Anger.

"Five were lost."

He turns away, but the fury flowing from him was unimaginable. I knew it wasn't for the people-

"You're wrong."

I feel my body stiffen. When he turns back towards me, I see the sorrow in his eyes once more. I keep my defenses up. I wasn't going to let him trick me into suddenly caring about him, but I will hear him out. He seems to notice this and begins speaking again.

"I drag you all here with a goal in mind. I know that if you die, but your body is placed in the End Portal, you will return home. I know that even if you become a full mob, now you can never truly 'die' since you are recognized as part of the game, and will respawn indefinitely." He stops for a moment, gazing over me carefully. I could feel him putting up a block to his mind, but I don't push it. I was willing to listen. Prying could come later.

"My point is, even if you are to end up trapped here, you still have a chance to live. Entity 303 does not have that same belief. He only has his singular goal in mind."

I narrow my gaze as he turns away to lean against the railing once more. He was trying to make himself seem like such a saint after everything he put us through! He was hiding something, I am certain of it, but I can't really focus on that with the rage that was starting to build.

"So you think you're better than him just because even if you kill us, maim us, brutally tear us apart, or make us watch as everyone we care about, know, love, die at your hands... You keep a clear conscience by knowing we will still 'live' in some way?" I could feel tears threatening to spill, but I hold them back out of habit. He barely turns to me, but his widened gaze says it all. I could feel the water running down my cheek.

I suppress a growl when he turns to face me fully, standing up straight to be eye-to-eye with me. He starts to reach forward, but I swiftly grab his hand. "Don't. Don't pretend that your short stay in my mind has done anything. You've caused enough damage to my life already, and you can't make up for it with that sad excuse of a sob story." I watch him carefully, seeing nothing show in his expression, so I continue.

"You made me believe you took everything from me. I woke up back home thinking I had failed them. As the leader, do you know what that has done to me?" His unreadable expression suddenly begins to shift into a single obvious emotion: shock.

The world we are in starts shifting, and I feel my mind suddenly become overwhelmingly dominant. Suddenly, the ground we were standing on was endstone. A dragon's roar echoes around, and Herobrine suddenly begins to shift. When his eyes widen even more, I can barely hold back the shaking in my voice while watching him become me...

And I him.

"D-Do you understand... that I cannot sleep a-anymore... without th-this showing up?"

As I finish, I take the hand I am holding him in and throw it up. Without a second thought, I am above him, slamming my foot into his gut. He crashes back to the ground, colliding with a tower. When he busts out of the other side, I see the dragon swoop behind and blast him back into the air with her fireball. His cry of pain is silenced when I appear before him again, slamming my fist into his face. He careens towards the endstone, slamming into it with enough force to shake the whole island.

Coming down, I place one foot on his chest, pinning him as he barely opens one eye to gaze at me.

Fear filled his gaze, and I barely can stutter out a sentence through the tears that were freely falling now.

"Do you understand yet why I can't just believe your words?"

A pickaxe materializes in my hand, and I feel mock power flowing from it. It glows, glimmers, and sparks. I raise it up high, feeling small triumph start to flow in me at the sheer terror in Herobrine's eyes. He struggles to push my foot away, but I am already coming down with the tool.

And I drive it deep into the stone by his head.

We suddenly begin to change to our own skins, and I huff. My tears fall, splattering on his teal shirt, and I see him watching me carefully with confusion. We were back to our normal selves now, and his glowing eyes were blinding. I straighten myself, still sucking in air. Slowly, I turn and walk away as the End slowly disappears, and we find ourselves back in the empty void.

"Maybe now... You'll start to understand."

I could feel my body waking, and I refuse to turn back even after I hear him softly say my name. Remorse was in his voice, but I ignore it. He will have to do a lot more to convince me to help him, let alone save him.

All I cared about was destroying Entity, removing Herobrine from my mind, and getting my friends home safely once again.

All my friends.

~~~~~~~~

[A/N:] Since I was gone for so long, I figured I'd do a double update today, for the three of you who read this. 

That doesn't include you, Mobi. You've already read this before it was here.

Anyways, please let me know what you think! If you're actually reading this, tell me who your favorite character is, and who your least favorite is. Who would you kill? Who you crushin' on? 

Better not be reggie

Or we will fight.

Anyways, as always

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