"How did she get in there?" The Assassin slammed another chair against the wall. Haddock, her personal secretary, stood quietly and shakily in the doorway. Though he was part demon, The Assassin terrified him - especially in a fit of rage. He hadn't known her long, but he knew that she was way worse than his old boss, Herobrine.

"That little ginger ruined my entire plan!" There went the last chair in the room. The next to suffer was the lab table holding her personal potions.

"I needed to get Notch out of the picture and I almost did! Then she shows up and teleports him out of the illusion. I didn't even know she had powers!" Down went the first bottle - instant ice.

"M-Miss? I hate to be a b-bother, but she is a g-god." Haddock stammered. His claws tightly gripped the unnecessary clipboard that he carried around everywhere.

The Assassin scoffed and grabbed another potion from the table. She aimed it at Haddock and he dodged it just in time. He glanced back frightfully to see a gaping hole of ash in the wall. Fireless fire.

"Being a god doesn't mean she has powers. Look at Steve, he doesn't have powers. And Herobrine didn't have any until a witch transformed him. The only one of the four with true powers is Notch."

"The only reason you have powers is because you stole them." Haddock mumbled irritably under his breath. Apparently The Assassin's inhanced senses caught this, and her eyes slowly traced over to Haddock. Almost instantly he had realized his mistake, but it was already too late.

All of her feverish behavior melted off into a calm exterior and a menacing scowl. Haddock attempted to apologize and when that didn't work he hid himself behind the clipboard.

The Assassin snatched it from his hands and threw it on the floor. Her eyes stayed on his own and, before he knew it, he wasn't touching the ground anymore. Her hand was wrapped perfectly around his neck so that he could receive only the smallest amount of air without her snapping his neck.

Her grasp grew ever tighter around his neck as he struggled to free himself. With one last frightful sneer, The Assassin released her death grip on the poor demon. Haddock fell to the ground gasping for breath, but he was thankful that he could still breathe.

"I know when Herobrine was around you were allowed to say and do whatever your heart desired." She peered down with eyes of absolute terror. "Now that I'm in charge, you'll do and say whatever my heart desires."

He nodded frantically, and a small smile appeared on her face. "Good. I need someone who can take orders properly. You will do that, won't you?" Again, he nodded.

"Wonderful." She said with the clap of her hands. "Now...what were we talking about again?"

"A-Alex interfering in your plan to kill Notch."

The Assassin shook her head. "No, I've grown tired of that. Besides, my next phase is already in action. Could you give me the daily report of Casey? That always seems to brighten my day."

Haddock trembled in his place but obeyed her orders. "She hasn't been fed in...two days. Today was electroshock torture, and she hasn't woken from it since. But she hasn't given in yet, which is different from our other prisoners."

She chuckled humorlessly under her mask. "Oh Casey. Such a stubborn girl. Maybe..." The Assassin trailed off in deep thought. A wicked glint appeared in her eye and she scrambled to find a scrap of paper and a writing utensil.

Once she found those items, The Assassin began to scribble across it. She made a chart of god knows what and continued to scribble across it. After a brief pause in her artwork, The Assassin stepped back and muttered under her breath. "Perfect." She growled (happily?) and rushed out of the room.

After he was certain that the devil in skintight clothes was gone, Haddock cautiously traveled across the room to see the piece of paper. On it was all of the names, or nicknames like "Those Three Gay Knights", of the people closely involved in the situation. Most of them had been crossed off except for two names.

She had made a hit list with only two people located on it. One was obviously Notch, but the other name was quite surprising to Haddock. What was the point of taking this person out first? He couldn't question her tactics though because that would result in him being severely punished. After witnessing some of the brutal beatings of Casey, he decided not to get on The Assassin's bad side.

He stared at the paper for the longest time, examining the names. There would be no possible way to stop The Assassin from killing every single one of these people. Haddock had been certain that Notch was a goner until she exited the sorcery chamber in a fit of rage.

The clipboard was tucked tightly in his arms as he scurried his way out of the room. There was no clue as to where The Assassin went. But when she is filled with anger, she needs someone to take it out on. And that's how he knew where she went.

Haddock raced down the hallways, his wings flapping behind him and taking up almost all the room. The portal room was across the castle, and he wasn't allowed into the Overworld. His only chance to make sure Casey wasn't killed was to make it to the monitor room. At least then he could keep an eye on The Assassin and if things got out of hand, well, he'd figure it out. But he just had to make sure Casey was kept alive.

Pitiful excuse of a demon.

~~~

Days. That's all she really knew. She didn't know exactly how many days, since the darkness in the room never changed and she was constantly in and out of consciousness. The only way for her to keep track was by the different types of torture. The Assassin only did one type a day, so Casey could estimate that she's been here for maybe four or five days. Not like it mattered though, she knew that she would die here eventually.

Somewhere, a door slammed. Heels echoed off the floor. I wonder who it is, Casey thought sarcastically to herself. She shouldn't have been there. Casey had already gotten her daily beating, which was worse than usual, and the day should've been over with.

"Finally, you're up." The Assassin piped cheerfully though it sounded quite forced.

"No thanks to you." Casey sneered weakly. The lack of food and increase of injury on her body has already begun to dwindle her strength. Even her hateful comments were losing their edge.

"Ha ha, you're so..." The Assassin's voice dropped into a growl, "...hilarious."

Casey smirked. "I know. Thought about becoming a comedian. Maybe even a magician. Or bo-"

And just like that, another bruise was added to the collection. She laid on the cold ground, her arms pulled back by the chains, blood dripping from her mouth. The pain wasn't new, but it always took longer for her to recover from some of the blows.

"How about you do everyone a favor and shut your mouth, bitch." The Assassin gave a sharp kick to Casey's ribs.

The blood really started pouring now. She began coughing, which left huge splatters of blood on the ground. "Why...should...I?"

"Because your mouth is what's ultimately going to kill you. But don't worry, you'll be right up there with Agent Smith."

Casey froze. Her breath stopped. "W-what?"

The Assassin smiled wickedly, but Casey wasn't able to see her face under the mask. Her eyes trailed up to meet the soulless white ones. For the first time since she had been there, Casey let The Assassin see the fear in her eyes.

"Oh, I guess you never found out. That poison dart that my servants shot at him was an extra strong one. Somehow it mixed with his Ender DNA and the effects were...negative."

Casey's dark purple, bloodshot eyes widened. "You..."

"Killed him?" She interrupted. "I didn't kill him. But I guess it doesn't matter anyways. The only person who knows I was involved in it was you and you're pretty much dead anyways." The Assassin chuckled as if she had been told a humorous joke, not that she murdered Casey's closest...well she didn't really know what he was. But she knew that she cared for Dare.

"No...you're lying." Casey mumbled under her breath. Her vision began to fade, partly because of the blood loss and partly because of the new information.

"Now why would I lie about him? It was actually pretty neat to see what an enderman looks like after...you know, it's dead."

That was it. That's what broke Casey. She lunged forward, ramming her shoulder into The Assassin's stomach. She reeled back in shock before doubling over in pain. Casey fell back to her resting place on the ground, all of her energy drained.

The Assassin quickly recovered from the attack. "God, you're such a pain."

Casey would've retorted with some sarcastic, hatefully delivered comment, but the pounding in her head distracted her from everything else around her.

Dare is dead.

The Assassin shook her head in disgust at the broken girl. "If Darrell were here, he'd be incredibly disappointed in you. And Notch..." She let out a sharp laugh. "Well Notch probably would've been glad that you're gone. He never really liked you. But again, it doesn't matter anymore."

The Assassin turned on her heel and marched out of the cell. She couldn't help but let her lips tug into a small smirk as she glanced back at her prisoner. Then she slammed the door, leaving Casey alone with her tampered thoughts.

Dare is dead.

Notch is dead.

All of her newly made friends will soon be gone.

She failed as an agent. She failed the mission. Everything she was starting to love, will soon be gone.

The cycle is starting all over again.

~~~

The door was locked tight, not like she would escape anyways. But it never hurt to have back up. Two of the darkly shrouded guards stood at the door - not to keep her from escaping, but to keep someone from coming in.

The Assassin practically skipped down the hall towards the portal. Seeing Casey's pain from her friend's "passing on" really lightened her mood. It didn't even matter if they were truly dead. Casey wouldn't ever know the truth, and die emotionally broken.

"What am I saying," The Assassin started with a laugh, "she'll be physically broken too!"

Not all is what you think.

The Assassin's laughter died away suddenly. Her eyes grew wide with alarm. That voice...it wasn't her own.

"Who are you and how did you enter my mind?" The Assassin asked frantically.

Fire will destroy everything in its path, but with nothing left to burn, it begins to lose its power.

The voice vanished away entirely. The Assassin's breath quickened as she realized that someone had accessed her mind.

"No, that's impossible. Herobrine doesn't have the powers or strength to do that and Notch has never been able to access anyone's mind." The Assassin pondered worriedly. This kind of thing shouldn't be possible. Her powers prevent it from ever happening, she made sure of that.

"Maybe it's just my imagination." The Assassin said, searching for a possible solution to her dilemma. After all, psychopaths are known to become, if not already, insane.

She decided on that to keep herself from over analyzing the situation. It didn't matter what had happened just then, because whoever did it couldn't stop her power. No one would be able to.

The sudden incident slightly soured her mood, and she thought about going back to torture Casey again, but decided not to.

Gotta save the real torture for the right time.

The Assassin prowled down the hallway. The portal lay in front of her, but she hesitated before stepping through. Her head always spun when she entered the nether. Leaving was fine, but stepping back into hell always messed with her mind.

She braced herself for the effect and stepped through. The swirling vortex ensconced her figure, leaving little room for her to breathe. The pressure increased on her head, and her thoughts scattered. An action that took less than a minute was almost an eternity in her mind. She hadn't realized that she had been screaming until the portal threw her from its lingering claws.

This portal was located in the sorcery room, otherwise known as her own personal sanctuary. Absolutely no one was allowed in, and the reason was exactly this. This was The Assassin's weakest moment, when her all powerful mind was at its worst.

After a few minutes on the ground, The Assassin regained herself. Her mind was still a bit hazy, but it always was after enduring the portal. She limped over to her chair and collapsed as soon as she made it. She pulled off her shoes and slowly took off her skintight outfit. The outfit dropped to the ground with a clang, all of her knives slipping out of their places.

Her energy was drained, as it usually was, but she was able to pull the large box she kept hidden from under the chair. There was nothing out of the ordinary, just a few black t-shirts, a pair of skinny jeans, a pair of sweatpants, a pair of shorts, and a few other accessories. She slipped on the t-shirt and the sweatpants. The mask slipped off her face as she reached for a blanket.

The Assassin curled up in a ball and pulled the cover to her chin. Before her vision completely faded into a dreamless sleep, her eye caught sight of her arms, and most noticeably her wrists.

Her ugly, scar covered wrists.

***

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Dare nodded. "Yeah. Just...is it all right if I sit outside for awhile? I'll be right next to the door if you're worried."

"Sure, take as much time as you need."

Steve smiled before stepping into the house. His leg made it hard to go up the steps, but he was able to make it. Dare settled in next to the wall and stared off into the distance. It was best to leave him be though and let him sort his thoughts.

Steve shut the door behind him and was welcomed to a seemingly empty house. The only living thing in the household that he could immediately see was the cat. His jaw clenched up and his eyes narrowed at him.

Herobrine glanced over and noticed Steve scowling at him. He cocked his head to the side in confusion, but Steve didn't care if he understood or not. He marched over and grabbed Herobrine roughly by the scruff of his neck. He howled and hissed but Steve had much more important matters to deal with.

The first door he reached was the spare bedroom, and Steve threw Herobrine in there before shutting the door and locking it. The cat quickly transformed back into Herobrine and he suddenly backed away.

"What the actually nether was that for?!" He whisper-screamed while rubbing the back of his neck. Steve just stared at him, imagining the entire story Dare had told him. Imagining the helpless child squirm under his grasp.

Herobrine immediately noticed that Steve wasn't just angry about something, he was furious. "Steve? This isn't another incident like the castle is it?" He asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

"No you idiot! I'm not being possessed or some nonsense like that." Steve snapped.

"Then...what's wrong?" Herobrine questioned, relaxing his nerves a bit.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask Darrell Smith?"

His face fell and he almost instantly went pale. "W-why would I ask him?" Herobrine stammered. Steve couldn't help but notice his hand rub his left leg defensively.

"I don't know. Why did you kill his daughter?" Steve glowered at him. Herobrine's eyes went wide with panic.

"Steve, you don't understand. I-I didn't kill her-"

"Stop making excuses! Stop telling me you had a reason for doing what you do!" Steve shouted, shoving Herobrine against the desk. He winced in pain but quickly moved out of the way.

"Listen to me. I didn't kill her. I didn't even hurt her." Herobrine pleaded.

"Bullshit."

Herobrine's eyes were locked in with Steve's and for once he wondered whose were more terrifying. "Steve, I couldn't kill her. Trust me, I hate Darrell with a passion, but I couldn't kill his kid. She didn't deserve to pay for his mistakes."

Steve's eyes softened for a second before hardening up again. "Then why did you take her from the only person who cared about her?"

Herobrine sighed as his gaze trailed up to the ceiling. "Because I wanted him to know the worst pain, which was losing his daughter. But I was going to return her after things had settled in the End. I was only going to do it so that she would grow up with her rightful guardian. Like I said, she didn't deserve to pay."

Steve's eyes narrowed. "Then why wasn't she returned?"

Herobrine fell back on the bed. "Because the shock of it all caused a reaction in her brain where all of her memories were erased. It wasn't supposed to happen. I decided that it would be better for him to think his daughter was dead than to return someone who wasn't her."

The air was thick with tension. Steve was glaring at Herobrine, trying to piece it all together, and Herobrine was laying on the bed hoping he wouldn't be killed by his brother.

"So...Jennifer is alive."

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

Herobrine sat up and shook his head sadly. "I don't know and even if I did I still wouldn't tell you."

Steve's scowl returned. "Why not?"

"After she lost her memories, I sent her to a family in a small village. She grew up with a new identity, new hobbies... new parents. She has a good life, a simple life. I'm not letting you take that away from her."

They both stared at each other. That's all. Finally, Steve spoke up.

"What about the locket?"

Herobrine peered up at him. "What locket?"

"The one you left at the village that was covered in blood."

"Oh, that was Jennifer's. She had to make a new life, so I had to get rid of all remnants of her past. I also had to convince Dare that she was dead." Herobrine explained.

Steve couldn't help but stare at him. Was that his definition of being a hero? "You are insane."

"I saved her life." Herobrine retorted, and stood up so fast that Steve almost didn't render it.

"Saved her life? You basically killed her! What did Dare even do to deserve this?" Steve demanded to know. There had to be a deeper root to this.

Herobrine glared back at Steve, catching him off guard. "I did what I had to. Sometimes things don't go as planned but you have to make the best of it."

"Dare thinks his daughter is dead! You traumatized Alex! You are the reason why Notch is physically and mentally sick!" Steve screamed at him, tears of anger gathering in his eyes.

Herobrine's eyes dropped to the ground.

Steve didn't stop. "You are the reason why Drew wanted to commit suicide. You are the reason why The Assassin is going to kill us all-"

"Mom's the reason why I was ever born. How about you blame her?" Herobrine retorted.

Steve's glare turned into a look of disappointment. "I would if she were still alive."

"Then I don't know what to tell you. All of your judgement is based on the actions I took in the past. Before I decided to become a better person. You wanted me to change, and I'm trying. But now you say there's no possible way for me to change. I don't know what you want."

"I want Brine back." Steve whispered.

Herobrine smirked sadly. "Me too. But Brine's gone, so all you've got is me. I know it's not good enough but I'm trying."

"Why did you take the potion in the first place?"

Herobrine shut his eyes, and Steve could see his twin brother. Not a demon, not a monster, but his brother.

"I wanted to be the hero. Like you and Notch. But now I'm the villain."

Steve pondered for awhile, thinking over his words. Finally he sighed. "I can't let go of some of things you've done in the past. But...if you can show me and the others that you can be a hero, a real hero, then I'll forgive you."

Herobrine's eyes snapped open. "How do I do that?"

"Help us defeat The Assassin. Then, tell everyone the truth and the secrets you've been hiding from them."

A small smile spread across his face. "Deal."

•••

Guys, I'm so sorry about how slow I've been updating. The book will be coming to an end soon and I'm trying to end this the way I want it to end (don't worry, we still have like five to seven more chapters left). Also, summer school and personal problems have kept me pretty busy.

You've literally been writing this chapter for the past three hours while you are in summer school.

Well it doesn't help that you've been gone for the most of it. I've had to write this by myself.

They don't get signal in the hotel I'm staying at in Cancun.

Idiot...anyways I hope you like this chapter. Gave some sight on The Assassin even though all of you pretty much hate her.

That is true.

Shut up. More is to come, and prepare your feels (you know how I like to mess with them). So have a great day and I'll see you next chapter.

-Crazy