[EXTENDED CHAPTER]

[Like, really, really extended chapter]

[grab some popcorn, you gonna be here a while]

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[Aria POV]

The power that was flowing through me outmatches any that I have ever wielded. Even when Herobrine and I first combined our strength to survive a fight against Entity, this made it seem like child's play.

'Do not underestimate him, young one. We do not know if he can take control of my code.'

I give the dragon a side-long look. She was right, to a point, but I could tell that at this moment I was stronger than Entity. However, if we let him regain his strength, it will be over for all of us.

'I won't. But I'm also not alone.'

Throwing my hand to the side, I feel the power flow as I create a portal. I see Entity eyeing it wearily, his fear dying down now until Andrew steps through the portal. The Wither floats in behind him, along with multiple ghasts and other nether mobs. This was a major risk for us to take, as Entity could take over Andrew and turn the mobs against us.

Unless...

My eyes flick to Mobius, and he only gives me a slight nod. A smile makes it's way to my face.

"Let's end this."

Without a second's hesitation, I dash towards Entity. The enderdragon launches into the sky behind me, and I keep my hand open to my side. I could feel it thrumming with power, but I knew it was still trapped in the code. I could only hope that my sword would find it's way to me.

As I near Entity, he slices down with his scythe, and I roll out of the way. When I stand, I slam my fist into his face before ducking beneath the deleting sword. I could feel it slightly graze my hood, and it was already beginning to delete it.

'Be careful...'

I try not to let the shock distract me, but I knew that voice. I didn't think he could still speak to me like that...

Then again, he did when we first came here all those days ago, and his consciousness wasn't stuck within my head then. I only grunt in reply as I dodge another attack. His pattern was different, most likely due to the new weapon he wielded. I have to stay focused and not let him catch me off guard with that sword.

His fist slams against the side of my head, and I roll across the ground.

"Ow."

As I start to stand, I see he is already before me with the sword raised. A missile crashes against him, sending him flying away. Before he can recover, bullets riddle his body, keeping him pinned for a moment. Alexa stands in front of me, offering her hand. "C'mon. I know you're not done yet." She has a smirk on her face, and I can only smile back. I take her hand but frown at the blood.

"It's not mine." Her eyes flick behind us, and I look towards the area. Herobrine was leaning against a pillar, his arm still reforming and his blood pooling beneath him. My heart hurt at the sight, but I had to focus on the fight now. I refused to lose anyone this time around.

As I look towards Entity again, I narrow my gaze. This fight wasn't going to be easy. Slowly, everyone gathers behind me. Alexa and Joseph are on my right, Mobius on my left. Peter and Andrew stand next to Mobius, their glares worse than my own. I could tell one was missing, but I can't focus on that. Reginald was still alive, but not for much longer. I need to end this fast.

The Wither hovers behind Andrew and the Enderdragon glides behind us and floats above my head. Entity struggles to stand, his rage pooling off, but no match for our own combined.

"You... You can't win!" He growls, standing tall with the help of his scythe. I could tell he was partly bluffing, but he was getting weaker. Herobrine had done his part, now it's time to do mine.

"Perhaps... But we won't give in to you." I charge forward swiftly, everyone else rushing in behind me as well. He was still weak enough to have no control over the mob players, but we need to keep it that way. As I near, I open my hand again and feel satisfaction as the end seems to shake. A rift suddenly appears off to the side, and my sword comes spinning out. It crashes hilt first into my hand, and I launch myself into the sky above Entity. I slice down, he dodges. He tries to attack, but a purple fireball grazes past my shoulder and slams into his chest. He recovers quickly, narrowly dodging two wither heads, but getting hammered with bullets. I hear Joseph start to reload, and suddenly Entity is before him. However, just as he starts to attack, a plasma blast rockets him into a nearby tower. In a rage, Entity charges, sword flying before him and scythe in his hand. I can only smirk as Andrew parries the sword with ease and Justin steps out of the way of the scythe. With a mighty swing, the iron golem slams his arm into the gut of the white-clad virus. He flies back again, sliding to a stop in a ditch carved in the endstone by his own body.

Slowly, he stands. His movements were shaky, and I could tell he wasn't at full power. He growls, charging at us once again. The Wither appears first, firing multiple smoking skulls at him. He slices a few in half, dodges a couple more, but one nails him in the shoulder. I see the wither effect kick in already, and Entity stumbles a bit. From behind, the Enderdragon attacks. Her fireball crashes against his back. He flies forward, where I slice upward with my sword. He soars into the sky, where Mobius meets him with his own weapons of war: rockets. They erupt against the white-robed menace, sending him straight down into the endstone. Dust erupts from the impact, and we all stay sharp.

A blade slices through the smoke, clearing it almost instantly. A beaten, rage-filled Entity 303 stands hunched over, a snarl on his face. "You can't win!"

"I beg to differ."

Alexa and Joseph step up, filling him with lead. They slowly walk forward as they fire, taking turns reloading as the other continues on the barrage. Mobius adds in a few plasmablasts as well, as well as the Wither launching skulls and the Enderdragon releasing fireballs. Gripping my sword with both hands, I will my power into the blade, and just as everyone starts to back off and make room, I spin around and release a massive wave of energy. All I see are the red eyes of Entity widen through the fog as it hits, and I know it met its mark.

It grows deathly quiet, and I feel hope rise in my chest. There is a chance we might win this battle after all. However, a small voice whispers in my head.

'Look closer.'

I narrow my eyes, feeling that slight rise of doubt. If Herobrine was warning me, then something was definitely off. As my gaze becomes more focused, I can see a small line appearing above Entity's head. It was a red bar, and beneath it was a yellow one. I could only assume the red was his health, which was still surprisingly high, but the yellow I couldn't figure out.

But it was nearly full.

It hits me like a brick wall, and I see his smirk through the smoke nearly a moment too late. "BEHIND ME, NOW!" I shout, rushing forward. Entity suddenly launches forward with insane speed, and I barely raise my sword in time to block his attack. His scythe locks with my sword, and I have to drop down to avoid his deletion blade. This gives me time to get a good look at him, and I can only watch in fear as his wounds heal right before my eyes. He pushes himself back, and I notice the yellow line suddenly glow. It was now completely full. His scythe then begins to burn brightly, and he grips the handle tightly with both hands.

Quickly, I grab my own blade with both hands and slam it against the ground. I feel the barrier begin to form just as Entity releases a large red wave. If that touches any of us, we will be down for the count.

And forever.

I can't risk using up all my power, but I put as much as I can into the barrier. I fear it won't be enough as it hits. The pain that radiates from the impact is shocking. Cracking echoes around as the light fades. It was already starting to break through. I keep the shield up, knowing he wasn't done. "You stopped one, but how much longer can you hold up, human?!" I raise my eyes only to spot Entity release another wave. This one was larger, and the impact nearly makes me lose my grip. My shield was failing, blood was trickling down my lip, and I could feel my energy depleting fast. I needed to think of a way out of this, but nothing was coming to mind in time. I could already hear another wave coming, and it crashes against the barrier.

I feel something snap within. I lose the breath in my lungs. My legs nearly give out, but I keep my grip on the sword.

I'm on my knees, my ears are ringing, but I know the shield is still up. The enderdragon roars, firing fireballs at Entity in hopes to distract him for a moment. Her worry was overwhelming, but not as much as my own. I hadn't expected him to recover so quickly or regain so much power. He was truly built to take down anything that was in the way of his main objective. I can hear the Wither in the distance attacking as well, but I knew it was all in vain. I was losing power now, and so was the Enderdragon. We were connected after all, and the shield was barely staying up as it is. Even though I knew this was the most likely outcome, I had hoped this plan would work.

Entity escapes the attacks and releases one final wave of red, and I can only lower my head with my eyes closed.

I failed everyone again.

"Not... yet."

I feel a hand rest on my shoulder, and sudden power flows through me. My eyes snap open as I feel the tear inside mend, and the shield pulses with new strength. The wave crashes against it, but nothing happens. Instead, the shield glows brighter than ever. The Enderdragon roars in response, landing behind us with her head high. I stand up, hands still holding the sword in the ground. I can see Entity floating just before us, his hand up in front of his eyes. The light fades, and he drops his hand.

The fear in his eyes is real this time.

"No... No, that's not possible! You can't do that!"

I can only smirk as I finally see the glowing white in my peripherals. I knew it was Herobrine, and I could tell he was still missing part of one arm, but his power was nearly full. His focus, apparently, wasn't on healing, but on regaining his power.

Smart.

And now he was sharing it with me. I barely turn my head, and he gives a small nod. I return it, then face Entity head-on. His gaze was a mix of anger and fear. He could tell the tables were turning, and not in his favor.

"No more games. We end this here, and we end it now."

I pull my sword from the stone, the barrier staying put. Stepping past it, I make my way towards Entity. I can hear Alexa start to follow, but she bumps into the shield.

"What?! No, Aria! Don't do this!" Her yells reach me, but I don't turn back. I know how to end this now, and it was one way that only I could do it. I have seen how my sword works, and Mobius has beaten him in his mind already. I know how this story will end, but I won't be alone this time. I can sense him sitting down, which is smart. Once I get this to work, he'll be transferred into my mind for a moment once again.

And it will be the battle of our lives.

First, I need to skewer a certain white-clad nemesis.

With a roar, he charges forward, but I keep my pace even. I hold my sword to the side, one-handed. The other hand is slightly open, but still by my hip. His scythe was up, and the sword was low. I'd need two weapons to block this perfectly. He's three blocks away when I feel the electricity spark in my open hand. The handle of a diamond pickaxe forms in my grasp just as I raise it to parry with the sword and lift my own blade to block the scythe. I push back immediately, wasting no time at all with looks. This was a timed fight on my part, and I needed to make this quick. Entity seems to agree, as he attacks again. Narrowly dodging the blade, I duck down and roll as his scythe plunges into the endstone. He was still quick, but at the moment I was faster.

He slices sideways with his sword, and I spring up. His scythe hits my gut, and I fly back against the obsidian tower. A grunt escapes me, and I barely force myself to drop when his chained blade impales the tower above me. As I hit the ground, I parry the scythe again and roll away as his sword flies down into the ground. He was relentless with his attacks, and I needed to time this perfectly. I may get hit in the process, but it will be worth the risk. At the moment, I can take a max of three hits, including the hits from his deletion blade. Any more than that risk this whole plan. Once again, not perfect, but the best-case option.

He advances again, and I notice his yellow bar was steadily filling once more. I have to finish this quickly. If that bar fills, it's game over for real this time. This is my second chance, my last chance to get us out of here for good. I step back, letting Entity's scythe impale the endstone. However, I have lost sight of the sword.

'Behind you.'

I sidestep, but it's not enough. The blade slices my side as it returns to its master. A gasp escapes me at the pain it causes, but I hold my ground. I hear Entity cackle, but I close my eyes for a moment. I needed to focus on the wound, pool my energy into it, and force it shut.

"You're only stalling the inevitable, you know? Sooner or later, that wound will destroy you." His voice trails off as I feel the slice close up. I can hear the sigh in my mind, but I shake him off. I have no choice. I have to tap into every available resource to win this battle. I can take two more hits...

But only two.

I open my eyes and smirk. "Were you saying something?" His look of disbelief is plastered on his face. When his eyes meet mine again, he growls. "Do you know what you've done?" I give him a single nod.

"What's necessary."

With that, I charge. I need to stay on the attack for a while now. I have his pattern for offense mapped, but now I need his defense. Parry, slice, kick, punch. Block, dodge, attack, defend. All of his battle patterns are eerily familiar.

Realization dawns on me, and I suddenly feel a new anger rise inside. With the exception of the scythe, his method of war is an exact replica of the way Herobrine taught me. Once again, I can feel Herobrine's anger spreading to my own. This was just another piece of evidence that Entity was only a replacement for Herobrine, sent to destroy his predecessor. I have to control this new rage. Stay focused. Watch his feet. This is how I got the upper hand on Herobrine before-

There.

He steps back, his foot going into a blind spot. I teleport behind and slip my foot under his leg. He loses his balance, and I-

'DUCK!'

I barely move in time, dropping to my knees in haste as the blade narrowly grazes my cheek. His foot collides with my face. I lose my grip on my sword as I fly through the air and crash against an obsidian tower. I can feel the cut on my face spreading, and I have to make it heal, but Entity was charging at me already-

*BOOM*

A purple blast slams into the ground in front of Entity, but he pushes through the smoke. The Enderdragon rains down her breath attack, but I see the yellow bar glow a bit as he releases a small wave of energy towards her. As she retreats, the Wither appears on the other side and attacks as well. The skulls barrel towards Entity, but he slices them away. One grazes his shoulder, but he attacks the Wither as well. He continues towards me once again, and I hold my face in pain.

I smirk.

I lift my hand out before me as if trying to stop his attack. His eyes are wide and wild, victory shining in them. He jumps up, scythe raised. His sword is by his side, both aimed at my heart. I summon Hero's pickaxe in my other hand as Entity nears, but it won't be enough.

I don't need it anyways.

Entity's eyes widen as a blade suddenly protrudes from his chest. Dark ooze drips from the tip of the sword. His expression changes into one of pain. The sword beside him falters, shaking in the air. His grip on the scythe loosens as well, and it slips in his hands.

"How... How did you..."

His voice stutters and both his weapons clatter to the ground. I slowly stand, lifting my hand higher. My blade rises as well, holding Entity in the air. He grunts, his hands moving to the blade. As he grabs it, his hands glow. His eyes widen more in shock and fear.

"No... NO! This isn't... It can't be possible!"

I feel the pickaxe hum in my hands. "It's simple, really. I need only to kill you, and you'll be trapped within the blade..." I let the barrier guarding my friends dissipate. Alexa is the first to rush over, the others quickly following behind. I look up to Entity as they all near, sorrow on my face. He reads it like a book. "But that's... not enough, is it? You know I'll escape..." His smile grows, and I sigh. "You're right. It's not enough... But I haven't finished with you yet anyway." His wide eyes are the last thing physically visible before I force him closer to my swinging pickaxe. His head flies from his shoulders, but it doesn't go far before fizzling out of existence. His body also vanishes as well, and my sword clatters to the ground.

Alexa slows as she nears. "So... That's it? We did it! We can go home!" Her voice is filled with hope, as is her expression until her gaze finally meets mine. Her smile drops, and she looks me over. Maybe she thinks I'm too injured to return home, but that's not it. This was one part of the plan I hadn't told the others. Only Herobrine knew about it, as it was something we discussed before.

"I'm sorry..." Is all I can say before I call my sword up. It floats for a minute until I send it flying towards Herobrine, who was still sitting where he was before. The sword impales him, and he suddenly vanishes as well with only a grunt. Before anyone can stop me, I recall my blade. The minute it touches my hand, I can feel the two warring enemies merge within my own mind. My consciousness slips from my physical body just as I feel it begin to fall from the overwhelming power that just crashed into my being.

I let it go, falling into my mindscape once more. My eyes close as I fall, and when I open them again, I am greeted with Herobrine crashing against the ground a few meters ahead of me. Entity was to my right, rushing Herobrine in rage.

"DO YOU THINK TRAPPING ME WITHIN SOME BLADE WITH STOP ME FROM MY MISSION?!"

As he starts to attack, I am swiftly between them with my blade held high. His scythe locks with my sword, and I smirk as his face contorts into that of shock. With a grunt, I push him back and slice at his gut. A wave of energy appears and crashes against him. He slams against the ground and flips to his feet with a shake of his head.

"Who said you were in the sword still?"

I can't help but smirk as he growls. Herobrine stands up behind me with a huff.

"What took you so long?" I only shake my head with a small chuckle. "Focus. We have work to do." Entity growls again, and he rushes forward with a shout. He attacks, slicing down and trying to take one of us out. We split up, and he obviously goes after Herobrine. With a growl, I charge at his back. However, he turns and swings his scythe, relieving me of a few pieces of hair.

And then I realize my advantage.

I'm not blocky.

With ease, I swing my leg and feel success as it meets two more. Entity falls flat on his back, and Herobrine quickly twirls into the scene and tries to slam his pickaxe into Entity's chest. The creature flips backward, narrowly dodging the attack. He also spins on his hand, trying to kick us back. Both of us take a step back and easily dodge it. Entity was losing his grip, not used to this new plane. That was the whole point of this plan, but it could also fail terribly. Herobrine and I have to stay focused. This is our home field advantage, for now. I move forward first, slicing with my sword. I have more flexibility in my regular form, using it to my advantage at every turn. Entity dodges and ducks each attack, but his feet start faltering as I grow faster. He suddenly slips, and I jump back as Herobrine dives in from above, pickaxe in hand.

Entity rolls out of the way at first, but Herobrine switches his feet last minute and slices upward. I smirk as he steps back. "I used that against you before." He gives me a sidelong glare, then smirks. I look back to Entity and take a deep breath. "Are you ready?"

Herobrine's gaze drops, but I nudge him quickly. "Don't back out on me now. I'm trusting you on this." His eyes lift to meet mine, and he smiles. "Alright." With that, we both refocus on Entity. He struggles to his feet, glaring at his legs in confusion. "Why... Why am I so weak?" I can only chuckle as Herobrine steps back behind me. I move forward, sheathing my sword on my back.

"Well, to make it simple, you fell into our trap."

His head snaps up so fast that I swear I hear it pop. His eyes glare daggers at us, but I am still wary. This may be my mind, but even Herobrine mentioned that Entity will still hold some power.

For now.

"What?"

"Oh, it was easy really. Herobrine filled me in on the battle you waged within Mobius' mind. Despite having some power, Mobius' creativity was stronger than you had imagined." I take a few more steps forward, taunting Entity with a smirk. He snarls, but I simply place my hands on my hips and shrug. "Guess that kid has something up in his head after all! Uh, don't tell him I said that, okay?" I scratch the back of my neck with a sheepish grin.

He charges.

The smirk returns, and I dodge his attacks. Although I couldn't see his health bar anymore, I could almost sense it. He was at half health, and nothing was healing him. My eyes flick to Herobrine. His eyes are closed, hands slightly out in front of him and glowing softly. 'Perfect.'

I continue dodging once more, keeping my hands behind my back and simply jumping back. I stay on my toes, quite literally, as Entity could shift his energy at any-

*ZING*

I feel my hair lose a few inches as I barely duck out of the way of his scythe. He had sped up suddenly, trying to catch me off guard. I fall forward and roll behind him then swiftly jump and spin. My foot connects with his head, sending him stumbling forward. He growls and turns to me with hatred radiating off him in waves. I only smile and clasp my hands behind my back.

"Sloppy footwork. You've got to work on your dance moves. You'll never get far like that." He keeps the snarl on his face until his eyes suddenly shift behind me.

'Crap, he noticed.'

Entity looks at his hands, and sparks fly before disappearing completely. He returns his gaze to Herobrine, and I rip my blade from my sheath. He wasn't supposed to figure it out this soon. His eyes meet my own, and he smiles. "A very good diversion, but not good enough." Before I can react, he is before Herobrine with his weapon high. I do the only thing I can think of and teleport between them, facing Herobrine. His blade rakes across my back and I struggle to stay on my feet. The pain was worse than I anticipated, especially in my 'human' form. Light penetrates my eyes, and I look up to see Herobrine slowly opening his eyes.

His gaze widens at the sight of blood dripping from my lip. I suck in a breath, trying to keep calm, but I stutter out only one word.

"D-Duck..."

My legs give out, and Herobrine quickly drops with me as well, catching me in his arms. Entity flies over us with a raging shout after missing his targets. I can only hiss in pain as I feel the numbness take over. I had to stay awake, which meant realizing that I was simply in my mind and not actually wounded.

"Actually, your wounds are real."

I feel Herobrine shift my body to get a better look at my wound. My eyes are still shut, but I could feel his concern rippling off him like waves. I needed to stay awake. If I pass out here, then we lose the advantage. However, Entity's voice echoing around was very distracting.

"I can inflict injuries here, and they will form in your physical body as well."

When Herobrine grunts, I realize he is probably telling the truth, but no matter. This is my mind, I will not allow him to win. I finally open my eyes as I am flipped over again. My gaze meets Herobrine. He looks at me and gives a small nod.

"Get me up then."

He smirks, and he helps me stand up. Entity glares at both of us. He tries to move, but his body shakes. His leg gives out and he falls to one knee. His whole body gives off a slight glow. I lean against Herobrine as I feel relief fill me. Entity stutters, barely holding himself up.

"N-No... No, this isn't possible. He-He said this wasn't possible. I... I can't be erased unless..." I see understanding hit him like a freight train. "You didn't..."

"Oh, but we did. Did you really think we were trying to delete your code?" I chuckle, ignoring the warmth on my lip. I still needed to stay awake for this.

The pain slowly begins to dissipate. Mobius must be healing me somehow, and I stand a little straighter.

"Oh no, our idea was much more... unorthodox." I suck in a breath from the pain, and Herobrine finishes the story.

"You see, we found out the sequence in your code that deletes this world upon my... departure. It simply relies on my code being, how would you call it?" He taps his chin as if thinking, then smirks as he tilts his head towards Entity. "Absent?"

The white figure holds a shocked expression, and his body slowly begins to pixelate. Pieces begin disappearing off him, tiny little square by tiny little square. He looks at his hands again, then at us in bewilderment.

"This won't stop me! When I'm gone, the world will be deleted! You save no one!"

This time, Herobrine laughs, silencing Entity. I can only give a soft chuckle as I carefully stand on my own. His gaze flicks to me, and I slowly remove my blade from my back. "I think we may have lied a bit. We found that part rather easily actually. With Mobius' help, we deleted it easily a few days ago."

Entity's jaw drops and fear pools from him. I try to keep myself cautious, but I sense no malice from him, no trickery. As more of him starts to vanish, he screams out. "How is he still here then?! His code is gone! Absent! He-"

"Is merged with me."

I feel our powers merge again as we speak in tune. I can see my other eye start glowing after I blink. Entity gasps, and I sigh. "When I healed myself from your sword's attacks, I allowed our codes to fully merge. I know what this means, and I'm willing to make that sacrifice if it means saving my family... And my friends." I slightly turn my head towards Herobrine, and I feel his shock flow through us. It was the truth. He has proven himself to me, including almost getting himself killed to save myself and my family.

"There is only one thing left to do." I lift my blade, and Entity scowls.

"Still have to finish me off, do you?"

I shake my head.

"Not me."

I turn towards Herobrine, who was walking closer to us. I hand him my sword, and he takes it. His eyes stay locked on Entity, hatred and anger, hurt and rage, pain, and sorrow. He grips the sword tightly, his knuckles turning white. Entity glares daggers at him as if daring him to cast the final blow. Herobrine lifts the sword, and I can feel the energy pooling into it. Entity's demeanor changes into that of a scared child. Herobrine narrows his gaze and yells as he brings the sword down.

And stabs it into the ground between him and Entity.

My eyes widen as I watch him from behind. To say I am surprised is an understatement. Herobrine straightens, leaving the sword in the ground.

"Your life is not mine to take, brother."

I barely withhold the gasp from slipping through my lips. The shock I feel is immense. He turns away and walks towards me. As he passes, he whispers, "We're done here."

I can only nod and turn to follow. Herobrine was right. Entity will soon fade, and we will be safe.

I feel a twinge in my chest, and I turn to see Entity only feet from us. He yells as he raises my sword high. His gaze is locked on my own, and his aim is at my chest. I don't have enough time to move, nor the clarity to teleport. I couldn't defend myself-

Herobrine grabs my shoulder, throwing me to the ground behind him. He thrusts his hand up, and lightning erupts from it. It crashes against what is left of Entity, who explodes into a bright flash of sparks. His shout echoes out until silence is all that fills the landscape. The light is blinding, and I cover my eyes until it fades.

As I lower my hand, the sight before me makes me gasp. Herobrine was still there, alive and well, but no longer his blocky self. Instead, he was tall, fit, and sporting short brown hair. His clothing was the same; cyan t-shirt and denim jeans, and his shoes were black tennis shoes. When he turns to look at me, his eyes are still holding the same glow.

"Woah."

He looks away, then at his feet, then back to me. "I would agree. This form is... interesting. A lot more movement for sure." He slightly twists and stretches, and I can only laugh. "Okay, okay. Enough stretching. We should probably tell the others?"

His eyes fall, and his sorrow mixes with my own. "They will blame me for this." I only shake my head as I stand. "No, they won't. Sure, they may be angry, upset, and hurt at first. But, in the end, they will understand." He locks eyes with me, and I feel slightly irritated that he was at least six foot tall, making him now four inches taller than myself.

He chuckles.

'You do know I can hear your thoughts again, right?'

'Bug off, too-tall.'

He smirks and I shake my head. I close my eyes. When I open them again, I'm laying on the endstone with big blue eyes boring into my soul. "Aria! Aria, are you awake? Can you hear me?" Alexa's voice fills my ears, and I groan.

"I'm awake, I'm awake. No one can sleep with you yelling."

I hear cheering erupt around me, and I can only sigh as I finally feel true relief wash over me. It was over. They could go home.

All of them.

As I stand, Alexa hugs me tightly, and I return it. However, she releases me with a slug to the shoulder. "Never, ever, do that again! And I mean it this time!" I can only give her a small smile, unable to hide the hurt that was starting to form in me.

Her own smile falters.

"What's wrong?"

The cheering around us dies down, and I turn my eyes away. I can hear everyone moving closer, and I feel a tug in my gut. Before I can speak, a warble hits my ears.

"Did you really think I would go down like that?"

My eyes light up as I lift my gaze to find one blue-eyed enderman leaning heavily against Justin the iron golem. He was still partially missing his gut, but he was alive.

"Well, it got really silent for a while. That's unusual, even for you."

His smile is genuine, but mine falters again.

"But... That's not the only thing on your mind. I can sense it."

I can't meet his eyes, and I feel a stirring within my chest. With another sigh, I move my right hand out a bit and feel the stirring move through my arm until the feeling leaves through my fingertips. I hear the gasps all around us as Herobrine's form appears. I can't watch it and instead turn my gaze to the left.

"Uh, Aria?"

I stiffen. His voice was different. When I turn to look, he is standing before us full body. He was still his blocky self, but you could physically touch him.

I blink.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that."

Mobius moves forward, still in his nano suit. "Wait, what do you mean?" I realize it's time to spill the beans. Someone else beats me to it.

"What she means is... our codes merged... permanently."

Oh, I can feel the heat already boiling from Alexa. "What?" Her voice cracks slightly, and I can see the hurt in her eyes when I finally find the courage to lift my gaze. "It was the only option to make sure he was gone for good."

"You're just saying that-"

"No, she's not."

Andrew suddenly walks into view, his Wither still floating behind him. His eye sockets were locked on Herobrine at first, but he shifts to Alexa.

"If you were to simply leave Entity in her sword, there is no telling if he would stay there. Although their code is similar, Entity is-was- stronger than Herobrine." He turns to me, and I give an ever so slight nod.

He doesn't return it. Instead, he looks away.

Alexa growls, locking eyes with Herobrine. She storms towards him and lands a solid blow to his jaw. He stumbles back, holding his lip tenderly. "This was YOUR idea, wasn't it?! You knew she would erase your code the moment this was over, and now she can't because you're locked together!"

"Actually, I wasn't going to."

Silence.

Alexa turns to me slowly, and I feel her surprise before her wide eyes meet mine. I shake my head. "How could I do that to him after he risked his own life for mine, for all of ours multiple times?" Alexa is silent, and the others are as well. I look around, forcing people to either meet my gaze or look away. Everyone present is here because of Herobrine. Each of them has been hurt by him, or even killed, more than once. 

And now they have all seen him do a complete 180 in his demeanor and lay his own life down to save those he condemned to this world. No one meets my gaze. Even Peter and Andrew look away. "Yes, what he has done is inexcusable. However, he was just willing to be deleted forever to try and right that wrong. If I was to erase him, I would be no better than he had first been." I growl, looking over to Herobrine slightly. I can tell I didn't offend him with my words, but he was staring at his feet.

"I know apologise will do nothing to make up for what I've done."

All eyes turn to Herobrine, and his gaze sweeps through the crowd. I can feel his mild fear fighting with the hope swelling in his chest. His eyes finally meet my own, and I give him a soft smile. He returns it and sighs.

"But... There is one thing I can do."

He lifts his right hand and moves it slowly from left to right in an arch. Soft light emits from it, and I feel his power wash over myself and all those around me. As it fades, I hear Mobius' nano suit begin moving first. The small avali gasps and forces his suit open as his body grows back to its original size. He gazes around in shock, looking at himself over again and again. "Wait, what?!"

Before he can say more, a grunt resounds from behind. I turn to see Andrew doubled over. He was slightly shrinking, but his original avatar skin was forming from his feet up. Before we know it, a wither skeleton accented in gold and wearing a crown is before us. Surprisingly, Peter doesn't change much, but his blocky nose shrinks until it's gone, and his head returns to its normal size.

Reginald groans a bit in pain as his body shrinks down and thickens from one block wide to four blocks wide. The pieces of him that were missing reform quickly with the extra blocks from before. Soon, he is a simple blue-eyed enderman skin with a hood similar to my own. Justin is the original iron golem skin, and his transition seems just as painful.

All around us mobs are becoming players once again. Their shock is resounding, and it takes a moment for reality to kick in for most of them. As it grows quiet, I can feel Herobrine's uncertainty at what their reaction will be. He's got a good reason for that. Some may attack him for holding back on this for so long, some may be grateful, and others may not know what to think.

Andrew approaches first. His eyes still hold the same orange glow. He looks at Herobrine carefully, who tries to hold his ground. His concern was growing, as Andrew was part of the first group in this world to be taken. I couldn't read him well, and even I was growing concerned. Herobrine keeps his gaze steady, refusing to look away.

Sure enough, Andrew lands a blow into Herobrine's gut, then head, then head again. The previous wither skeleton lays into him, but Herobrine does not fight back or defend himself.

As much as I wish he would.

I try to withhold my grunts of pain, but I can feel each blow. As he lands another punch to Herobrine's jaw, I feel my lip crack. Blood slowly seeps down it and I let out a grunt. I can see Reginald notice it first as Andrew lands another hit and I slightly hold my gut. It's not the worst pain in the world, as I have had worse. However, it is still unpleasant.

"Andrew..." Reginald says, slightly shocking himself at his own voice. However, Andrew doesn't hear him and continues attacking. Herobrine loses his footing and falls to the ground. As Andrew gives him a swift kick in the gut, I fall to my knees. That one definitely didn't tickle.

"ANDREW!" Reginald shouts, this time running over to my side as well. He holds me gently but doesn't move me. The skeleton picks Herobrine up by the collar and moves towards the edge of the island. Herobrine, beaten and bloodied, simply dangles from his grip. He holds his arm with his hands but doesn't fight back.

"ANDREW DON'T!"

Peter shouts this time, rushing over as well. The others seem to have caught on now, but I can't see them. I can only hear them. I was now gasping for air, too. His grip was tight, cutting off airflow. Finally, I hear Justin's voice ring out.

"You're killing Aria!"

I feel his grip loosen slightly, but not enough to drop Herobrine. I lift my head, spotting him lower his hold on the glowing-eyed Steve skin. Suddenly, he turns and throws him to the endstone behind him. When Andrew's eyes meet mine, the conflict in them is obvious. I can only give him a grateful nod, as I wasn't going to say anything, but I also didn't want to die.

Been there, done that.

More times than I care to count.

I feel our wounds healing slowly, and I stand with the help of those around me. Andrew walks over to where I was and looks me up and down. I know he won't hit me, however, I start to wonder for a while. I hold my gaze with him, feeling the blood still on my lip.

Suddenly, I am in a massive hug. I grunt in shock and slight pain. This shocks me, and I can only stand there for a moment.

Then, I feel his shoulders shake.

"You saved us. All of us."

He lets me go, and I see his eyes suddenly holding hope in them. I don't know how long they have been here, but it was obvious none of them ever expected to leave this world again. I can only nod my head, but I look to Herobrine. He was still laying on his side away from the group.

"It wasn't my idea."

Andrew's eyes widen, and he turns to Herobrine. I push by them and walk over to his side. He was struggling to push himself up, and I offer my hand. He visibly flinches at first, then recognizes my glove. He looks up, and I urge him to take it. He grabs it tightly, and I haul him up. He leans on me heavily, and I realize that although we share the wounds, he still gets the raw end of it. He'll be sore for quite some time. His arm is behind my head, resting across my shoulders.

"He knows saying sorry means nothing, even now. But, this was his idea. He could have kept it hidden again, allowing the few of us to return home. It takes a lot of energy to change everyone back to their avatars." I look at him from the corner of my eye. He returns the glance, and we both look back at the others. "You could have killed him if you dropped him, Andrew." I see Andrew's eyes widen as he looks between me and Herobrine. That's when Herobrine finds his voice again.

"I'm not asking for forgiveness... Just a second chance."

Everyone looks between the two of us. I feel Herobrine suck in a breath from the pain. He tries to stand up off me a bit, but I hold him. I could feel his pain still, and I knew he was just trying to look stronger than he was. I fear that no one will speak up, but Reginald takes one step forward.

"You saved my life by warning me about that weapon. Consider this returning the favor." I hear a few gasps, as if no one else knew about this interaction that happened. Herobrine smiles and gives Reginald a small nod. I hear the roar of the enderdragon shake the landscape around us. I notice Justin slightly jump a bit, but it wasn't because he was scared.

"Wait. How are we getting home if the enderdragon is still here?"

I smile slightly, hearing her chuckle in my mind.

'You did not tell them?'

'Nah. Figured a surprise was better.'

She flies over us and turns before hovering over the center of the island. Carefully, I turn Herobrine and myself to face her. In her claws is one of the end crystals. It floats between her paws, and she looks over all of us carefully. She sucks in air, then releases her purple breath over the crystal. It glows brightly, and she holds it away from her just a bit.

"She knows a way to open the portal without killing her." I turn my head slightly, looking over my shoulder at the others.

"She's not a fan of getting stabbed, either."

I don't hear any chuckles, but a few smirks are on a few people's faces. I turn to look back at the enderdragon as the crystal shines. It was now a few blocks away from her and she moves back from it. The light continues growing in brightness, then sinks down to the endstone. Suddenly, it explodes into sparks and pixels. It was almost like a firework. Once the light dies, a massive portal stands tall. It wasn't like the end portal or the nether portal. This one was five blocks high and three blocks wide. Decorating it is chiseled endstone, carved obsidian spires on the top, and chorus fruit was wrapping around it from the ground up.

Everyone is suddenly standing to either side of us. The hope that is in their eyes warms my heart. I feel Herobrine shift to see what I'm looking at. His hope mixes with my own. Everyone slowly walks towards the portal, and I hang back with Herobrine. They stop two blocks from it, and I see Andrew reach out. He hesitates for a moment, then his arm goes through the dark portal. He pulls it back out, looks at it, then turns to his friends. For the first time ever, I see his face crack into a smile.

"Let's go home, guys."

Most would expect cheers, but everyone is just silent. The joy is still there, but the relief and disbelief was keeping them silent. I see Andrew look to me, the smile still there. He nods, and I return it. When he looks at Herobrine, the smile falters.

However, he gives him a nod.

I let out a gasp and Herobrine grunts. Nonetheless, he nods back.

With that, Andrew turns and walks into the portal. It lets out the usual 'vwoop' noise. Once it grows quiet, Justin moves up next. He turns back as well, but he reaches out. Confusion hits me at first, then I see a familiar inn keeper appear. Her orange hair stands out in the dark tone. She turns towards us, and I smile. Claire lifts her hand and waves. I return it, and they vanish into the portal together. She must have made it here during the battle in my mind.

'Cute'

'Of course you think that's cute'

I slightly nudge him in the gut. He grunts, but slightly laughs. Soon, everyone begins going in. Players I have never seen walk through it. There's no rush of people going through. Everyone simply takes their time going through either one at a time, two by two, or even three jumping in together. Reginald turns to us before going through. I expect him to just wave, but instead, he teleports in front of us. He stumbles a bit when he appears, and I laugh.

"It's, uh, not the same when you're this short."

His eyes meet mine, and I smile. His face gains a blue glow, and I smirk. Quickly, I think of my discord nametag, and his eyes widen. His gaze snaps up to my own. A stutter escapes him, and I let Herobrine go to stand on his own. He moves to the side so I can give Reginald a massive hug. "Try not to forget that if you want to stay in contact with me." He finally hugs me back, then we step back.

"Uh, I-I won't forget it."

His eyes suddenly widen once he realizes what I said and I hush him.

"It's... complicated. I'll explain it later, alright?"

He silently nods, then turns away. I see him lean forward a bit, then he disappears in a flash of purple. He reappears by the portal and walks through it with one last glance back.

Then he's gone.

I can't hide the soft smile, but Herobrine's burning gaze is ruining the moment. I turn to him, and his eyes are wide.

"What... What did you mean?"

I only shake my head and gesture for him to walk with me towards the last ones that were at the portal.

My friends.

My family.

Alexa turns to us, her eyes joyful until she remembers. Her demeanor shifts, but I simply put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. Trust me on this one, alright?" Her eyes water up, and she wraps me in a massive hug.

"We... We're still able to-to come back right?"

I simply lay my head on hers and sigh. "Yes, it's safe now. You are free to come and go as you please from now on." She starts to calm down, and I see Joseph and Mobius walk up as well. When she lets me go, Joseph offers his hand. I only glare at it, and he laughs before locking me in a bear hug. I only chuckle and return it. He lets go, and Mobius stands there for a minute. I can see his face brightening up a bit, and he rubs the back of his neck. I sigh and move closer to give him a hug. He slightly gasps, then returns it. Once we part, he looks away.

"So, you're stuck here, huh?"

I can hear the hurt in his voice, and I try to keep my voice from breaking as well.

"To a point, yes."

All eyes lock on my form, and I shake my head with a sigh. I see Herobrine walk into view as well. I look at each person carefully, trying to figure out how to say this.

"It's hard to explain. All I know is if I leave, Herobrine will come with me." I see their eyes move to said person, a few not liking the idea. However, they all look back at me once they notice I wasn't done. Alexa motions with her hands for me to continue, and I do so. "However, we can't stay outside of the game for too long. It's... I don't know how to explain it, or why. All I know is due to my code being that of a player that is free to leave and return being mixed with his, which was originally made here in-game, it seems to have triggered a hidden code within his makeup."

Alexa and Joseph both hold a very confused expressions, but Mobius' eyes widen.

"He has the ability to leave the game."

I nod, and Herobrine moves closer. He grabs my shoulder, and I turn to him. "You mean, I had a locked code that could have let me leave?" I slightly shrug before nodding my head.

"It was something I found, but it was tangled until our codes mixed. For some reason, there was no way to unlock it yourself without mixing with someone else's code." Herobrine's eyes widen, and I remove his hand from my shoulder carefully. 'We can discuss it later.' He only nods in reply, eyes still wide and mind racing.

"So, you can come home?"

Mobius' question makes everyone look at me again. I smile and nod. Now the cheering rings out, and Alexa can't hold back the tears. I point towards the portal. "Now, if we are done with all this, I'd like to lower my chances of getting stabbed by walking through this portal please?" Alexa glares at me, Mobius sighs, and Joseph actually has to hold back a snicker. Herobrine actually laughs but lowers it to just a cough when everyone glares at him.

He looks away quickly and scratches the back of his neck.

'They'll warm up to you, you'll see.'

'Maybe when I'm cold.'

I can't help but roll my eyes. Everyone starts to walk into the portal one by one, but Alexa hangs back.

"You coming?"

I nod, but motion for her to continue. "I'll be right behind you, don't worry." I whisper. Her gaze flicks between Herobrine and myself. She slightly shakes her head and I just reply with a shrug. "Don't be too long."

I only roll my eyes and she disappears through the portal.

I turn to Herobrine, who was gazing around the end. The dragon was flying around, moving blocks back into their proper place and rebuilding the towers that were damaged. I couldn't tell what he was thinking at the moment, but I don't pry at his mind. He's earned his privacy.

But I do call to him.

"Hey."

He turns his head slightly but keeps his back to me. I shake my head with a sigh and call to him again.

"Hero."

He finally turns his head and I feel his shock at the sight of my hand extended towards him. His gaze switches from my hand to my eyes. He must have thought I would never let him leave, and that I was going to stay here in this world forever. His disbelief was immense, but I shake my head slightly.

"No tricks?"

"No tricks."

He walks over, still wary.

"Why?"

With a shrug, I simply state, "Why not?"

A genuine smile makes its way onto his face, and he reaches for my hand. I retract it a bit, and he stops.

"As long as you promise not to kill anyone."

The smile returns, and I find one forming on my face as well. When I offer my hand, he takes it, and I waste no time throwing the both of us into the portal and out of the world of Minecraft.