Herobrine rode slowly through the palace. His disguise was on, and he had his fake IDs in his pocket should a patrol stop him and asking him what he was doing out so late. People have started recognizing his horse, but he found that at night, people couldn't care less. Plus, Kaizer was an all-black horse, it wasn't like he could catch anyone's eye.

As his sightings became more and more frequent over the years, characteristics people have put on his wanted posters have grown. He'd read stuff ranging from "Often rides bareback on a male black friesian." to "Disguises often have a chip in his right earlobe." He was quite impressed with how people could capture minor similarities in his disguises.

However, he learnt to cover them up as more and more were uncovered. He bought an expensive saddle just for when he rides Kaizer in public eye, and his disguises now include an illusion of a piercing hiding the chip in his ear. He even went as far as to learn difficult charms to give Kaizer the illusion of different colors or breeds. The horse would become extremely distressed, so he tried to keep those illusions to a minimum.

It had been a while since he'd gone to the palace. His hood was down, his fake face out for the whole world to see, silver chain hanging from his right ear, glinting under every source of light. The palace was always bustling in the afternoons, but it always dropped to a peaceful hush once the moon rose. A few houses had their torches and lamps lit, the only source of light as Kaizer trotted down the street.

The occasional bark from a house dog and the hiss of a stray cat accompanied Kaizer's hooves thumping heavily on the ground. He passed by two military patrols, but they didn't even spare him a glance, probably dismissing him as some young man who was out to meet a secret lover or something.

As soon as he saw the castle in view, he guided Kaizer along the walls separating the castle and the houses. He obviously couldn't barge in from the front. He knew where Markus' room was located, and which spot in the wall was the closest to it. He finally found the old, rusted and abandoned gate at the wall, and jumped down from Kaizer. Looking around, Herobrine shoved his hood up before grabbing a hold of the gate.

He grimaced at the feeling of rust against his fingers before he pushed. The heavy gate gave way, creaking softly as it forced its way past the overgrowth. Herobrine immediately grabbed a hold of Kaizer's reins, leading the stallion outside of the walls. Once they were both out, he shoved the gate back into place.

He was now out of the palace, and in the forest it was surrounded by. The trees were not densely packed, so he just swatted at Kaizer's rear. The horse grumbled at him before running off. Herobrine made sure he disappeared from his sight before moving on. Kaizer never went far.

He stayed close to the wall, finding security in the man-made structure rather than the deep forest. He had memorized the path, and stopped once he found a familiar tree. He looked up at the wall, and listened carefully, letting his hearing reach as far as he could. Once he was sure that the nearest patrol was far away, he checked his clothes. He had etched silencing charms into every one of them, not wanting the flap of his cloak or the slide of his thighs against fabric to give himself away.

Once he made sure he was set, Herobrine took a few steps back, before running and leaping at the wall. His hand and boots caught the same bricks he always used, and he hauled himself to the top. His fingers got used to the scratches as he reached the top, and swung himself over the high stone barrier protecting the guards from any projectiles.

When he reached the wall walkways, he dropped to the crouch, pressing himself against one side as he crept along. He eventually stopped, looked over, before jumping down into castle ground. He landed on a particularly soft patch of sand, before he quietly scrambled for the nearest building, a shed for the gardeners.

The shed wasn't a small one.

He made his way around it, jumping from structure to structure before he finally reached the castle itself. Once in, he let himself relax. He shut his eyes as he pressed his back to wall, raising his covered nose, having covered his face with his bandana.

Reaching out with his magic, he tried to feel for the wards around the castle. The wards were placed by magic folk hired by the Royal Military, but they were weak against him. He poked and prodded at the wards before tearing them down and setting his own, strong and powerful ones. Satisfied, he opened his eyes and let himself teleport to the hallway Markus' room was at.

He had come right at the moment the guards were changing shift to guard Markus' chambers. If he had come five minutes earlier or later, he would have teleported in front of a pair of armed men or women. He knocked in a particular pattern he and Markus knew, before slipping in.

He turned around to softly shut the door, since the new guards must have been approaching from around the corner. He let himself rest against the door, listening carefully to the dull taps of military boots as the guards took their position next to the doors.

Once they had stopped moving, Herobrine muttered a silencing spell, casting it over the room before turning around.

His legs went rigid, and he was frozen on the spot.

The bed was empty. So was the desk behind it. However, papers and books were strewn about, and blood trails and splatters were all over the desk, chair and the floor behind the bed. He saw a lone, pale hand from behind the bed, and Herobrine couldn't bring himself to move and check whether the hand belonged to-

No. It can't possibly be him. Perhaps this was an assassination attempt, maybe the guards moved the king to a separate room while they take care of this body?

Swallowing what felt like his heart in his throat, he took one step forward.

Then another. And another.

He stopped again once he saw the peek of dark brown graying hair behind the bed post. From where he stood, the head was turned away from him. Herobrine had never felt more terrified in his entire life, but the stubborn side of him refused to back away until he knew who it was.

He didn't want to know, but he had to. He just wanted to know whether Markus was safe.

So he took the bravest steps no one ever could take, rounding the bed and carefully avoiding the dried blood. His worst horror was confirmed the moment he spotted the everyday crown Markus wore, bloodstained and alone on the floor nearby. No one was able to touch the crown and handle it. No one could hold it but him.

Still, the part of Herobrine that was so desperately fragile and lonely thought... It could be a body double who was unlucky. He had had some of those before, back when he was still general. Yes, that might be it.

He continued, stepping around the head. He took note of the sight of the mangled neck, the killing wound. It wasn't a clean cut, in fact, it looked like an animal attack. Perhaps a wolf. A large chunk of the man's neck was torn out of place, and Herobrine could see a bit of bone and major arteries still leaking blood.

He should have smelled the blood the moment he came in. Now, the stench was worse. It filled his nose, his entire head, and he knew he wouldn't be able to rid himself of the smell for days. The blood also smelled fresh, a bit warm. The kill was recent.

The man's graying hair was long, obscuring his face from where Herobrine stood. Biting his tongue, the Swede knelt before using his quaking fingers to part the hairs dangling in front of the man's face.

Once he saw the pale, ashen face, Herobrine's free hand shot up to his mouth. He immediately bit down on his palm, effectively stopping his scream.

Oh no. It can't... It can't-

Abandoning all caution, he cupped Markus' cheek, his other hand going behind his shoulders. He pulled his brother to his chest, cradling him gently. He didn't care about how Markus' head hung to the side gorily, he didn't care if blood stained his bandana and cloak or if it stuck to the skin of his collarbone.

All that mattered was that his baby brother, his little brother, his last blood-kin was dead in his arms and he wasn't there with him.

Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no.

His eyes started to ache and eventually he broke, tears falling as he squeezed Markus to his chest. He turned his head, nose deep in his brother's hair, tears dropping down onto those soft locks. He didn't bother holding in his cries, letting himself moan and whimper as he squeezed his eyes tight and desperately tried to wake himself up from the nightmare he was living in.

His tears not stopping, he started to think and think and think.

He wasn't fast enough. Markus was killed probably moments ago, perhaps an hour or two ago. If he had just pushed Kaizer, if he had not taken his own sweet time to stroll across the palace, he would've been there to save Markus.

This was all his fault.

Herobrine opened his eyes once again, his vision shaky and blurred with tears. His heart was pounding deep in his chest, and his hands never ceased its shivering. They clutched ever so tight around Markus' sleepwear, terribly afraid to let go. However, realizing his grip must be crushing, he relaxed his hands as best as he could, letting Markus lean against his arms instead of his chest.

His heart fell with the way Markus' head rolled back. He held his breath, instead looking at the gaping wound on his neck. It was bright red, and still bleeding. Markus' whole shoulder was covered in blood, and his entire sleeve was cut off by what could be sharp teeth. His sleeping shirt hung loose on his injured shoulder, barely holding on by threads.

He had seen these kinds of wounds before, particularly on prey like deer or wild cattle.

He was right. This was a doing of a wolf.

But how? How could a wolf ever get into the castle? Minecraftian wolves were enormous, evident in Rive. Even a wolf pup would be noticeable in the dark.

Herobrine looked around, still holding onto Markus' cold, cold body. The blood on the floor was streaked, as if Markus had dragged himself across the floor. There were splatters as well. The desk was also nudged a side, so there was definitely a struggle.

Herobrine swallowed around nothing. That meant Markus had suffered. He had suffered leading up to his death. Distantly in his mind, the Swede prayed to the Aether to receive him safely and give him an even better life in the clouds.

Pressing his forehead to his brother's he muttered one last farewell before setting him down carefully. He brushed the stray hairs over his face, cupping his brother's cheek before getting up.

The moment he turned away from his brother, his mournful mood soured even more, rage so intense he's never felt before building up his spine. For once in the past few decades, he allowed himself go off on his emotions. He could feel his fury burning the back of his head, the heat traveling through his veins, eventually encompassing his whole body.

He was told before, a long time ago, that when he was angry, truly angry, no one could ever tell.

He was told that, his face was the most unreadable when he was furious. That it was a blank slate, and no one could figure it out. Herobrine wondered what he must look like now. He wondered if after all these years, those statements would still prove to be true.

He did one scan of the room, taking note of things that were out of place. He had to be quick, a soldier or a maid may walk in to check on the king. Herobrine walked towards the desk, staring at his brother's blood stained on the dark, polished wood. He went closer, lightly brushing a finger against it, and taking note of how dry it was.

He looked towards the balcony. The doors were open all the way. Markus never did that. He always made it open just about an inch or two to welcome Herobrine in case he came via the balcony or to let a bit of wind in. He never opened it all the way, even on the hottest days.

Herobrine ran his fingers over the side of the sliding door, and found the tiniest of dents on the wooden frame. He felt around it, identifying it to be in the shape of a hand clutching the door. Someone must have shoved it aside forcefully... No. That would make a sound.

There was a possibility that the murderer squeezed the door. They must be really pissed with Markus for him to be... Mauled like that. Herobrine scowled, stepping out onto the balcony to breathe in the air. It was relatively windy, so any scent that might have settled was long gone.

He went back inside, staring at the scene once again. Luckily he opened the door even wider, or else he wouldn't catch that glint of light under Markus' desk. He went over, bending down and moving Markus' chair aside. Under the moon's light, laid a small dagger, coated in turquoise blood.

He snarled, picking it up and inspecting it under the moonlight. The turquoise blood looked more like a murky green, old and solidified. He looked at the dagger's handle, polished hardwood. He traced his thumb over Markus' initials carved into the handle. He used to have one like this. In fact, he and Markus went out to get the set together.

At first, Markus protested against owning a dagger, but Herobrine forced him to for his own safety. Silently, Herobrine thanked his paranoid younger self for helping him figure out who in the hell did this to his brother.

That fucking bastard.

He pocketed the dagger, before going over to Markus. He adjusted him so that his body was in a comfortable position, before leaning down and pressing his forehead against his brother's cold one. He let himself stay in that position, hand over Markus' still chest.

He then quietly stood, looking solemnly at his brother. With a snap of his fingers, the wards on Markus' room fell, and the ones set down by magic folk went back up. Sensing an intruder in the room, the wards ' spells sent an alert to its setter, who was probably a magic folk Royal Military soldier or royal servant.

Once he heard the shuffling of the guards outside, probably alarmed by the wards collapsing, Herobrine teleported with a blue flash right when the door swung open and Markus' body was discovered by the public for the first time.

Herobrine held onto his cloak, dodging the shifts that rushed to tend to Markus as he rushed back to the castle walls. He narrowly avoided a wall guarding shift, but was able to drop down into the dark forest when they looked over the walls to investigate the noises.

Once he was well away from the walls, Herobrine whistled, high and long, and soon the silence was broken with thunderous hooves. When he could see Kaizer's large black figure in the darkness, he ran towards him, gripped the base of his neck and swung himself on top. He then kicked at Kaizer's belly to speed him up into a gallop.

He couldn't take the shortcut through the palace, all guarding shifts would be notified of the emergency and would be looking out for anyone suspicious. A cloaked man galloping from the castle in the middle of the night was definitely suspicious. He would have to take the long way, around the palace. He won't be able to hug the wall either, since guards would be on the lookout.

Herobrine rubbed at Kaizer's neck, encouraging him silently. The weight of the dagger in his trouser pockets felt like an anvil.

He needed to get to Sky.

-

Herobrine reached the Center's borders the following night. He let Kaizer in one of the open stables and used his disguise to get himself clothes and supplies for the trip. He didn't bother renting a room, and stayed at the stable until the sun rose. He made himself useful, cleaning out the other horse stalls, talking to some horses left there, changing their water, brushing them down and giving them food. He did that for a good seven hours before Kaizer was ready to head out again.

He went easy on Kaizer as they passed the Center, avoiding eye contact with anyone at all as he went towards the Southern border. He passed by without difficulty, and it was back to long journeys with little rest. Most of the food Herobrine bought was for Kaizer rather than himself.

It took them 3 long days to get to another village near the Southern Military base. Herobrine wanted to stop by to replenish his supplies and let Kaizer rest at the stables before heading out for the 2-hour journey to the Southern Military base. He rubbed at Kaizer's nose in the stable before leaving in his disguise.

He bargained at the market for apples and carrots, preparing a reward for Kaizer's hard work and effort. He also got himself new boots and a change of clothes. Realizing he hasn't eaten in two days, he allowed himself a small meal in one of the eateries.

He was finished with all his errands and was making his way back to the stable. He was geared up and ready, his cloak wrapped around his shoulders and bandana at his neck. He passed by the newspaper boy, and found a large crowd gathered around him. Usually people ignored the boy, but now they rushed to get an issue.

Herobrine's curiosity peaked, and he walked towards the crowd. He walked to a young couple sharing an issue of Diamond Daily, and politely ducked his head, "Hello, sorry to disturb you. I was just wondering what all the fuss was about?"

The woman looked up first, blushing at the sight of him. She was pale and well-dressed, probably a sheltered daughter of a rich businessman, Herobrine noted. He nodded once at her, before meeting eyes with her partner. Her partner towered over him, but then again everyone did. However, he was skinny as a twig, and Herobrine was sure he would break if Herobrine touched him at all.

Despite his figure, the young man scowled at him and snapped, "Go get your own issue."

His arm wrapped around the woman's waist tightly. Herobrine looked down at his thin fingers.

Ah. Overprotective.

He was about to leave it be and try and peek at someone's issue, when the woman lightly slapped the shoulder of her partner, scolding him, "Don't be so rude, dear! It's not like we're giving him the whole thing."

Before the man could protest, she turned to Herobrine. She frowned and softly said, "King Persson passed away. I heard it from my father today and I snuck- Went to buy an issue during my errands to see if it was true. It's such a shame."

Herobrine mimicked her sorrow and was about to close up the conversation, but the man butted in, "Good for him. That good for nothing king hardly did a thing went that brother of his went hysterical!"

"Dear!" his partner whispered harshly.

He was attracting attention, and he definitely captured Herobrine's. The Swede cocked his head, patience wearing thin, "Oh?"

The young man huffed, "He's too attached. A softie for a king is disastrous. He had it coming. Let's hope that adopted little kid brother of his is more strong-headed than he is."

Herobrine could hear his patience snapping, and his fists clenched. He welcomed threats against him, but such nonsense directed at Markus and Jeb?

He wasn't alone as well. Markus was a well-respected king, and the people around them gasped in horror at the young man's words. His partner had even wrenched herself out of his grip, apologizing to people on her behalf. When she turned to Herobrine however...

She screamed, backing away. The young man was startled, pushing himself in front of her as he checked out what made her frightened. His eyes widened once he mad eye contact with who it was though.

"You're... You're..."

Herobrine snapped out of his fury, and looked up at the young man. He felt the nakedness of his skin, how the tingling of magic disappeared. Fuck, his disguise must have dropped in his anger.

Not letting this opportunity go, however, he smirked deviously at the man, prompting, "You were saying?"

The man stared at him in horror before he caught sight of something behind Herobrine. He waved his hands immediately, shouting, "Guards! It's Herobrine!"

People around them screamed and started to get away, the corner of the street becoming chaotic at a single sentence. Herobrine glanced behind to see a group of Sky's soldiers, none of which he recognized, running towards them with their military rifles aimed.

He broke into an immediate sprint towards the stables, dodging the first bullet that landed where he stood. He pushed past people rushing to get away, and maintained his speed. Shots were still firing, but he could see the stables in the distance. Putting his fingers in his mouth, he let out the loudest whistle. He let his hands drop, watching the stables get nearer and nearer, and grinned when the doors burst open as a stallion broke out and galloped towards him.

Herobrine sped up, holding his arm out and letting it hook onto Kaizer's neck as Kaizer ran at him. He threw his other arm over Kaizer's back and pulled himself up as Kaizer made a sharp turn, going towards the direction Herobrine was running towards.

There was no time to celebrate this victory as Herobrine looked back again. The guards were able to retrieve their own horses, and from the looks of it, another patrol who was nearby joined in on the chase. Herobrine frowned before focusing forward, pushing Kaizer to sharp turns and curves, narrowly avoiding civilians.

He led him to the gates which, thank fucking god, were about to close after a carriage made its way in. The soldiers behind him were gaining ground, and Herobrine softly muttered praises for his horse, telling Kaizer that they were almost there. He swerved Kaizer to the right, and released a breath he didn't know he held in when they successfully squeezed through the tight passage between the carriage and the gate.

The galloping sounds of the patrol behind them stopped, blocked by both the carriage and now-closed gate. Herobrine let Kaizer slow down once he was a small distance away, catching his breath. He let Kaizer take the lead while trying to calm down and let the adrenaline fade away.

Kaizer eventually stopped, hoof scratching against the ground as he tossed his head grumpily. Herobrine laughed, tapping his horse's head before reaching into his satchel and offering a carrot.

"Thanks a lot, budd-"

A gunshot rang in the air and Herobrine saw dust fly as the bullet landed on the sand right next to them. Kaizer freaked out, rearing up while Herobrine hastily balanced himself so he wouldn't fall off. When Kaizer was back on all four feet, his rider looked behind them, eyes widening when another group of soldiers were riding towards them, guns raised.

Fuck, they must have taken the back gate.

Quickly apologizing to his distressed horse, he broke Kaizer into a gallop once again. Bullets flew past, and Herobrine was glad these soldiers were horrible at shooting. They were Southern Military soldiers, under Sky. He couldn't lead them into their base unless he wants to be ambushed. He has to lose them in the forest near the base, then after a few days, he'll sneak into Sky's room to-

Instant pain bloomed over Herobrine's torso, and the Swede was shaken out of his thoughts. Kaizer whinnied loudly, concerned. Herobrine let his hands clutching to Kaizer's neck relax before pressed his hand just above his right hip. Once his fingers touched the cloth, it stung and he seethed through his teeth.

His sensitive ears picked up the soldiers' cry behind him.

"Shit, I think I got a shot in!"
"Nice, now let's finish it."

Herobrine ducked his head to look down at his hand. His fingers were coated with fresh and hot blood. His gray button-up was quickly growing red, and it stuck painfully to the wound. He cursed under his breath, slowly letting go of Kaizer fully to add pressure onto his wound.

He was so distracted, and they fucking shot him.

Don't get him wrong, he's been shot before. He's survived, he's gone through surgery, at one point he had to endure a surgery awake with no painkillers. He had to stitch his own wounds, and he's almost died countless of times. However, he's never been shot in a vital place. He was shot in his thigh, his upper shoulder, and calves. He's never been shot at his abdomen, and now he was bleeding out from his waist.

It was so bad that he could feel the blood seeping through his fingers and leaving trails as Kaizer galloped. It even stained the poor horse's fur. He looked down once again, peeling back his sticky clothes to check the exit wound.

It wasn't an exit wound.

He's seen exit wounds made from the standard military rifles the soldiers are shooting at him now. They weren't as small as his, which meant that the bullet was still in him. Not too deep, maybe, but still in him. Herobrine blinked slowly, the passing scenery and Kaizer's head growing blurry. The sounds of gunshots and Kaizer's hooves against the ground were no longer painfully loud.

It softened to the point where the gunshots felt like heartbeats, and Herobrine couldn't hear himself breathe anymore. His hands were shivering over the fiery-hot and burning wound, and he swayed as Kaizer bounced along.

"Kaizer, buddy..."

The horse's two -wait, why were there four?- ears flicked backward, listening.

Herobrine could barely hear himself whisper, "Bring me home."

Then he slumped forward, hands falling to Kaizer's neck and leaving his wound open. The soldiers following them cheered victoriously at the man's collapse, speeding up so they can collect the body to claim their prize and honor. Kaizer had other plans however, grunting angrily and forcing himself to gallop faster than he's ever gone before.

The soldiers' horses were growing exhausted, and one started lightly bucking, protesting against its rider's wishes to speed up. Distracted, the others slowed down. Kaizer refused to stop, gaining even more speed, muscles rippling under his coat so he could bring his owner to the safest place he knew.

-

Sky needed a break, and he gave himself one.

He'd been rotting in his room ever since he checked on Jason, who finally woke up. He, Jason and Ty had a serious talk, and Sky learnt more about their pasts. He's always been curious, as he had taken a look at their files a couple of times before. Their backgrounds were sparse, holding little to no information.

In their family background, they were both labelled as orphans.

When they came in as recruits, Sky was already a high-ranking soldier, one of the youngest actually. He helped out with recruitment, and had seen them around. Both Jason and Ty were given numerous comments of having a lot of potential, and they really grew to live up to it.

However, they both had faults as well.

Jason constantly got feedback for his anxiousness or hesitance. He was great at planning, but poor at execution. He'd also always second guess himself, and a lot of batchmates have found him sitting in the shower close to hypothermia whenever they had a mentally tough training.

Sky thought he'd drop out, but the man persevered and landed himself lieutenant.

Ty was told to have difficulty getting on with people. He performed marvelously at solo missions and things like shooting or one-on-one combat. However, every team-building exercise ended up in a fistfight between him and the rest. His name was plastered on casualty lists, and Sky always saw him walking around with some sort of bruise or cut.

It wasn't that he was rude or anything. He was actually very quiet and he kept to himself. The fights would start whenever Ty would start going off to do his own thing, not sticking to the group's plan. Under tense pressure, the rest would grow irritated and things escalated quickly.

However, Ty didn't give in and excelled, and Sky was still pleased with his decision to promote him to his captain.

To learn that the two were subjects of human superiority complexes and intense curiosity was... Unnerving.

The two barely remembered anything from their childhood. They don't remember their parents' names. They aren't even sure if their names are their real ones. Their earliest memories are usually their early teen years spent in the facility, which they both shared. For Ty's case, he vaguely remembered him as a child in an orphanage being taken away into the facility. Sky was disheartened at the fact that this facility dared to kidnap children for their sick experiments.

They had lived in the same horrid facility, but were never able to see each other. They were both the first successful attempts at making enderdragon and wither hybrids.

It was absurd. Scientists have discovered a temple deep underground devoted to the goddess Lady Endia, one of the three goddess sisters in Minecraftia who was well known and worshipped. What wasn't known however was an unactivated portal of some kind. According to scriptures on the temple walls, the portal would take you to Lady Endia's sacred land of void and darkness. Islands of stone float, with towers of obsidian and colonies of endermen.

Scientists speculate that endermen originated from the realm. The scriptures also included guardians of the island, the enderdragons. They were carved into the stone to be huge, large and defensive creatures, wings spread in glory and mouth open to emit a harsh purple flame that burnt anyone who dared tarnish Lady Endia's land.

The scientists dubbed the land The End, as the scriptures also show humans stepping through the portal to... Well, meet their end.

Then, way before that, scientists discovered yet another temple in the hot sand plains of Minecraftia. In there, were traps to protect the temple's offerings to another goddess, Lady Netheria. Instead of finding a dormant portal, however, the people found instructions on ancient tombs of sandstone. The instructions were supposedly of making a portal or way to get into Lady Netheria's home realm.

The tombs were fiercely protected, as no one shall know how to get to Lady Netheria's land. Similar to Lady Endia's temple, illustrations of Lady Netheria's land was carved onto the temple, even covering the outside of it. Weird-looking jellyfish creatures flew around pools of lava. They cried fat tears of anguish, said to be made from sufferers' tears and wailed as they spat balls of fire at intruders.

There were slime-like creatures, just made out of boiling hot magma. There were horrifying man-pig hybrids, wielding swords. They were said to be fallen warriors who lost their way to the Aether, falling instead into Lady Netheria's punishing hands and turned into pigs. Nothing but their warrior spirit remain as they protect her land.

Floating yellow rods and heads of smoke protected Lady Netheria's fortress. They were said to be fallen angels of the Aether, who sinned against Lady Aetheria and thus were handed to her oldest sister. Their wings and holy bones were stripped, melted down into blazing rods and their souls turned to ash, as they floated around and breathed fire at anyone who dared close.

Then there were humans who followed the instructions and walked onto Lady Netheria's land. They were killed instantly, and their bodies melted on the hot ground, leaving black burnt skeletons behind. Lady Netheria used these skeletons to be her minions, and they guarded her fortress together with the blazes. She named them her wither skeletons.

Then, there was the fiercest creature of them all. Lady Netheria's guardian, her last resort.

The wither.

It was said to made of the first three unlucky souls who created the portal and followed through her instructions. They quickly met their fate, blasted into bits by a ghast's cry. Their bones, blackened and cinders, combined to form a huge abomination. Their ribcages formed to make one large one, and their three skulls joined together, linking three to share one mind.

Their spines joined together, thickening to support all ribs and heads. Their other bones were said to be consumed, and their souls darkened to fill in their empty body with empty shadows.

The illustrations were so detailed and terrifying, and Sky understood why Jason was so afraid of himself.

The three had no idea how the facility got their hands on DNA from these two holy creatures. Ty and Jason were the first successful experiments after hundreds died from complications before them. Ty remembered being told that the enderdragon experiment before him had to be killed because she went berserk and killed other experiments and scientists.

Jason, upon his escape, found records of the first wither experiment. The scientists decided to fucking use a young boy, no older than 10. The bones that formed around his tiny body choked him to death.

It was a tough talk, but Sky thanked them.

He also learnt of Herobrine's involvement with Ty. Apparently, Herobrine had been captured, as the facility has been chasing after his DNA for quite some time. They had succeeded in catching him by using a tranquilizer used typically for elephants, and had him for a few weeks. In those few weeks, he had killed every scientist that went to him.

They never got to get a sample because he finally broke out, and set fire to the hidden facility. While doing so, he released all experiments, including Ty and Jason. Jason had wandered off on his own, while Ty remained with Herobrine, who reluctantly took him under his wing.

Sky already knew most of Ty's story. However, he was surprised to know that Herobrine was able to travel to The End with Ty and they spoke to the fucking enderdragon. The enderdragon had rejected Ty, which started a small dispute between her and Herobrine, which Ty refused to touch on. They returned to Minecraftia, and Herobrine took upon the job of teaching Ty how to be human after years of being forced to submit.

When he deemed Ty ready, he helped Ty create a fake profile for himself. They had tried to search for Ty's family, but to no avail. When everything was set, Herobrine generously paid for a small house just for Ty. Sky was surprised to know that. Herobrine had previously declared his distaste of stealing money and valuables, so he definitely didn't steal it. Ty did emphasize how Herobrine apparently had a bit of funds even after he became convicted. Though Ty spends most of his time at the base, he did mention having a home somewhere nearby.

Then, Ty needed to find a job, and decided to enlist. The rest is history.

For Jason, things were not as nice. He escaped from the facility and was on his own, no knowledge about the outside world. All he had was himself. When he was trying to find food in a forest, he got caught using his hybrid powers by a group of traveling priests. Instead of killing him however, they kidnapped him and brought him to a strange church of some sort.

Sky was horrified and Jason was anxious when he was telling his story. Apparently he got snatched up by Lady Netheria extremists. They were a group of deranged people who devoted themselves wholly to the goddess. Jason described his environment to be dirty and dusty. He was shackled to a wall in a dingy basement of some sort, barely any light apart from a lone torch.

There were articles of the discovered Nether temples all over the walls, with chaotic scribbles over them. The worshippers thought Jason was a gift from Lady Netheria for their unconditional devotion, which Jason described to be more like an obsession. They fed Jason, gave him water, even let him bathe. They looked at him with such disgusting adoration, and at the time the poor man was so confused and out of it.

They would always surround him at night, on their knees, chanting some odd language. Jason thought nothing of it until one day they slaughtered a pregnant sheep in front of him and cut out its unborn lamb. Reminded of his times in the facility, Jason panicked and went hysterical, his inner wither going ballistic.

Jason described it to be like someone forcibly taking over his mind, as he was pushed back helplessly. He described it with so much pain that Sky had to keep himself from scowling throughout the talk.

When the wither side of Jason took over, he left the church burning. The flames were hot enough to turn the preacher's bones to ash. Sky could obviously tell that while Ty had grown to welcome his enderdragon side, Jason detested it and wanted nothing to do it.

All his wither side had brought him was pain and devastation, and Sky now understood Jason's hysterical reaction to the reveal.

Needless to say, Sky needed some time alone to think and process everything that had just happened.

Things got worse when Sky received news that King Persson passed away. He was summoned to be at the King's funeral as a representative of the Southern Military. He, the commandant from the Eastern Military and the Royal Military general will be part of the funeral party to carry King Persson's casket out of the castle and into the carriage to be carried to the royal burial ground. He was to leave within two weeks.

So, Sky went down to visit Boy and took him out for a quick ride along the forest line. It was entirely silent, and Boy was pleased to stretch his legs. Sky lead him to the river to get a quick drink and they started heading back in a steady canter.

He reached the base, and led Boy around the walls to go towards the entrance. Just as he was about to turn the final corner, Sky heard a terrified whinny.

Boy pricked up, ears pointing backward to catch the noise. Sky looked back, and was surprised to see a familiar black stallion galloping at full speed towards them. He was then able to connect the horse's appearance to it's owner.

"Herobrine?"

There was no answer as Herobrine's horse slowed to get closer to him. Sky then noticed a slumped figure resting against Kaizer's neck. One of their arms dangled off the side, and when the horse got closer, Sky could see dried blood on those fingers. Kaizer was still distressed, tossing his nose and tail swishing. When he came to a stop, he dug at the ground with a hoof impatiently.

Sky cursed under his breath when he saw Herobrine's still form over the horse. He head was turned away, but he wasn't responding to calls of his name. Sky reached out to pat at Kaizer's neck before telling him, "Follow me, I'll get him help."

The stallion huffed, and Sky took that as affirmation before getting Boy to a gallop. He kept looking back, making sure the Swede was still on Kaizer's back. His feet, although still, were still in his stirrups, so that eased Sky a little. He still had no idea what happened, and just thought of the worst. He couldn't waste time checking over him and finding out what happened, he needed to get him to Seto first.

They reached the gate, and the guards stationed on the small towers by the gate hesitated at the sight of an unconscious man draped over a horse. Noting their uncertainty, Sky barked angrily at them to open the gate, and they did so.

"Sir! Wait!"

Boy stopped abruptly, as did Kaizer. Sky looked back, thinking, What now?

He saw a small squad of soldiers, in full uniform and on horseback. They were carrying their rifles, and they looked panicked as well. He followed their gazes to Herobrine's body then looked at their rifles. His heightened sight also caught tendrils of smoke rising from one of the rifle barrels the soldiers' were carrying.

"Sir! Stay back, he's-"

"All of you, to my office, now!"

They stared at him with wide eyes, puzzled, but Sky grimaced and didn't relent. Connecting the dots was easy, but he had to control the spread of news within his base.

"Don't talk to anyone until I'm finished with you. You won't leave until I'm there."

They were closer now, their horses huffing each breath, obviously tired. He turned to the side, before spotting a group of soldiers off-duty laughing to themselves while walking towards the base.

He called over to them, "All of you, get these horses to the stables and make sure they're groomed and fed!"

They snapped to attention, throwing up a quick salute before chorusing a loud and resounding 'Yes, sir!' They jogged forward, and Sky dismounted Boy. He saw the soldiers dismount as well, handing over the reins to the soldiers coming over. Sky tended to Herobrine, reaching under his arms to gently pry him off of Kaizer, who stared down one frightened soldier who was to collect him.

Herobrine's horse was a large, magnificent friesian, so Sky expected to have difficulty getting the Swede off of the tall horse. He was surprised to find how light the man was. He barely weighed nothing in Sky's arms, even if he was all hard muscle and anger underneath his skin. Herobrine's head rolled onto his chest, and once he was upright and leaning against him, Sky evaluated the damage.

Herobrine had his usual black cloak, leather explorer's satchel and dark blue bandana on, but he was wearing a light gray button up together with work pants and riding boots. The whole bottom part of his torso was stained with blood, and underneath all the dark red and brown, Sky could make out the wound on his lower torso, just above his right hip.

He pulled one of Herobrine's worryingly cold arms over his head, and supported his waist, mindful of the wound. He ducked to take a quick look at Herobrine's face, and winced at the sight of him. His eyes were shut, and blood had leaked out of his mouth, staining his chin and neck. He was covered in sweat, but he was cold as ice.

When Sky pressed him closer to himself, he could feel the shaky rise and fall of Herobrine's chest. He was still breathing, albeit slowly. The commandant looked around, the soldiers were still occupied with the handing over of horses. They were struggling to lead Kaizer to the stables, but then again he was rightfully pissed off, so Sky said nothing.

He needed to cover up Herobrine's identity to the best that he can. Looking down at the Swede, he realized his hands were occupied. If he let go of Herobrine's arm or waist, the man would topple and he definitely didn't want that. Taking a deep breath, Sky focused long and hard on Herobrine's fallen cloak hood.

He let himself release a tiny smile when the hood lifted itself successfully and draped over Herobrine's head, covering his recognizable face. He then ignored the horseless soldiers, who just stared after him before walking slowly to Sky's office, avoiding anyone who asked them how their guarding shift went.

They were so certain that they would walk into the base with Herobrine's body as heroes, and that Commandant Dahlberg would be proud of them for finally catching a murderer who was on the run for decades. However, they couldn't rid the look of their commandant's eyes when he basically growled at them.

The sight of their commandant gently carrying a renowned murderer was ingrained into their minds.

Meanwhile, Sky used his telepathy to shove open the doors to the base. Soldiers who were around looked up at the commotion and were shocked to find their leader carrying an obviously wounded man. Before Sky had left, he spotted Seto eating with Brice in the dining hall. He didn't leave for long, so thankfully Seto was still there.

"Foster! Get over here!"

The sorcerer raised his head at the call of his surname and rose from his seat. Brice's eyes followed him warily, but as he wasn't a medical officer, he stayed put. As Seto ran over to Sky, he yelled for any medical officer off-duty to prepare the medical bay. Several soldiers stood up to execute his orders. Sky was thankful to have a capable Head Medic, the man always knew to do his job first and ask questions later, which Sky greatly appreciated, especially for this occasion.

Seto reached Herobrine's other side, automatically taking the Swede's other arm to sling it over his shoulder. He overlapped Sky's arm to take ahold of Herobrine's waist, and was about to urge them to move until Sky spoke.

"Hold on tight. I'll teleport us."

Seto's eyes went wide until he felt an uncomfortable feeling pull at his core, as if he was about to vomit.

When he came to, he wobbled, still tightly holding onto the casualty. His vision spun for a few seconds before it finally settled, and the sorcerer was shocked to find them in the medical bay. Once he head cleared, he ushered the casualty towards the nearest bed. The two soldiers worked together to settle the casualty down carefully, and when they were adjusting his legs, Seto could already see the white sheets turning red with blood.

The off-duty medical officers came rushing in, and they started prepping themselves, throwing on gloves and such. Seto looked at Sky over the casualty's body and started asking him questions.

"What happened?"

"Shot by a military rifle."

Seto's eyes widened, "He was shot by one of our own?"

The sorcerer then looked at the casualty's face, and his breath hitched. The cloak's hood had fell off his head once they set him onto the bed, so his face was exposed. Messy golden brown hair stuck to his face with sweat, and he was now panting heavily, but Seto recognized him nonetheless.

He sharply turned to Sky, mouth open to interrogate him. The commandant narrowed his eyes before he could even do so, shaking his head. When Seto made eye contact with those golden eyes glowing fiercely, he looked back at Herobrine, then down to his bloody torso.

He sighed heavily, before muttering, "Fine. Get out. We'll make sure he'll be okay."

Sky's fierce glare dropped to a sincere one, and he nodded once, "Thank you."

He lingered for a bit, stepping aside and watching the soldiers. Seto took his focus off of his commandant and onto his casualty. They started by taking off and setting aside his cloak, bandana and satchel. If any of them recognized the person they were saving, they didn't say anything. The medical officers obeyed Seto's orders, moving fast.

They cut open Herobrine's shirt to get access to his wound. Sky was the only one in the room who was shocked at the state of his body. He didn't know what to expect, honestly. Just not thick scarring over defined muscles. It really was a sight to behold. He even recognized some old bullet wound scars.

Yet, the medical personnel didn't falter. They've seen it all before. They worked on stopping the bleeding, Seto going off the side to fetch a few potions. Sky lingered his gaze on Herobrine's shaking form before taking his leave. He needed to have a long, long talk with a few of his men.

-

Over the next few days, the soldiers were basically walking on eggshells around their commandant. His eyes never lost its fiery glow, and the man grew to live with his eyes, showing them off with every opportunity available. However, the more his mood soured, the more brighter they glowed. To have such a fierce glare on you was frightening, so soldiers tried their best to not anger him or even better, they made sure to avoid him.

A lot of soldiers saw Sky carrying Herobrine, but they all assumed that their commandant just saved a severely injured traveller of some sorts, so they moved on from that pretty quickly. The only people who knew the truth were Sky, Ty, Jason, Seto, the soldiers who shot the Swede and likely those who tended to Herobrine with Seto.

Sky approached them all and got them to swear secrecy for now. The soldiers who shot Herobrine got a lengthy lecture and explanation. It honestly wasn't their fault. They were doing their jobs, as Herobrine has a huge price on his head and even a bit of information about his whereabouts costs plenty. Sky vaguely explained his connection to the Swede, and got them to swear secrecy as well.

Herobrine was moved to the last bed furthest from the door and was always partially covered by a separation curtain. This was to avoid anyone coming in from recognizing him. Those who knew about him checked in on him occasionally, and Sky also had to have a lengthy talk with Seto. He found that he couldn't lie to the sorcerer, so he spilled everything.

Seto was completely unreadable the whole talk, and just nodded when they finished. They left it that, and Sky hoped Seto doesn't trust him any less.

The day before he left to the North was an off-day for him to prepare for the two-day trip. He wasn't able to sleep the previous night, so he prepared all that he needed already. He even checked his ceremonial uniform at least five times before deeming it presentable. He was left with a day of nothing to do, so he decided to visit his mentor.

It was odd, calling Herobrine his mentor. Sky didn't want to fight it anymore though. It was the truth. Herobrine mentored him with his powers. After the Swede got shot, Sky had a lot of time to reflect on himself, constantly surrounded by his own thoughts. During that period, he thought of Herobrine and how he felt about him.

The accident had really brought out the empath deep within Sky. To see a man who was deemed 'critically dangerous' struggle with his life after being shot? It did things to him.

So for the rest of the day, Sky planned on sitting on the chair next to Herobrine's bed, watching him breathe. The Swede looked better, color returning to his skin. He had been asleep ever since the operation, and Seto had been giving him reports that sounded great.

He deserved the rest, Sky thought absently.

For once, Herobrine looked peaceful. And Sky wasn't afraid of the relief it gave him. Eventually watching the steady rise and fall of a chest got boring, so Sky stood and walked to the window, looking down to see soldiers walk around with their friends, chatting away. There were one or two pairs of soldiers sparring in the distance, and Sky focused on his hearing.

He let it reach out, eyes focused on the sparring soldiers until eventually he could hear the kicking of sand, the hard thuds when fist met skin and the panting of the soldiers. He then shut his eyes, focusing on the sound alone. Experimenting, he tried to reach out further, and smiled softly when he could eventually hear the sizzle of a pan in the kitchen or the pattering of hooves against the ground in the stables.

Sky focused solely on expanding his hearing range, which was ironic since he couldn't hear the rustling of bedsheets behind him.

"Markus?"

The hoarse voice alerted Sky and he turned to find Herobrine's dazed eyes looking at him. He was still lying back, but he squinted at Sky. He was obviously still out of it, so Sky moved forward to help him sit up. When he moved closer, Herobrine's half-lidded eyes widened just a bit, before he mustered the smallest of grins at Sky.

"So this is my punishment."

Sky stopped at the foot of Herobrine's bed, cocking his head. He spoke softly, not wanting to overwhelm the injured man, "Herobrine, what are you talking about? You're at-"

Herobrine scowled at the mention of his own name, recoiling a little in disgust. He muttered harshly, "Fuck, they thought of everything that makes me tick. I'm sorry, brother."

Sky went shock still once he realized what was going on, especially considering that he's experienced this before.

Sky had been on several missions where he came back worse for wear or even unconscious. When he had his arm broken at the previous attack, he had woken up when a medical officer came to redress his wounds, and in his haze, thought that the medical officer was his mother. He referred to her by his mother's name, and the medical officer just kept quiet in his efforts to talk to her.

He was notified about the incident when he woke up properly. Usually people who have experienced some sort of severe head injury may also experience hallucinations, which was what he feared. However, the medical staff just said it was normal for casualties to be 'out of it' and delusional, especially when they've barely recovered.

Apparently Sky stayed silent for too long, and Herobrine turned his head to the side, away from the commandant.

He grimaced, muttering, "You don't even want to talk to me."

Sky wished he could say something, but he was scared that if he said something off, it would cause further stress and panic to the Swede. He stood where he was, watching Herobrine closely.

The man spoke again after a while, "Tell me then, was... Was mother sick of me? Is that why she isn't here?"

Sky had no idea what he was talking about, but he didn't want to agree to such a heavy statement.

Keeping his voice soft, he simply said, "No."

Herobrine chuckled bitterly, then wheezed when it pulled at his healing wound painfully. A hand came up from under the blanket to rest over his hip, and he was silent once more. Thinking Herobrine had gone to sleep or was finished talking, Sky took a step forward so he could quickly administer the sleeping potion Seto brewed on the nightstand. The sorcerer said to administer it whenever he woke up, because he wasn't quite ready to be out and about, and he assumed the first thing Herobrine would do is attempt to escape.

The moment Sky's fingers clasped the vial of potion, Herobrine spoke again, even more softer and hoarse than before.

"I'm sorry, Markus."

He paused, the only sound his harsh breathing. Sky listened attentively, keeping silent.

"I'm sorry I couldn't reach you in time. I never had the chance to say goodbye or see you go. You spent your last moments alone, and I'm at fault for that."

His voice grew bitter, hot anger evident in his tone, "If I wasn't such an idiot, I could be there with you. If I hadn't done what I did, I'll be able to see you grow into the man you are now everyday. I would be there for Jeb."

Then, for the first time since Sky had met him, Herobrine's voice choked up with tears, filled with vulnerability, "I left my family when they needed me the most. I'm becoming our father, Markus, and I'm so fucking sorry."

Sky looked over to Herobrine's shaking form, except now he was shivering with each sob. The commandant's fingers remained around the vial, but he didn't notice how tightly he squeezed it.

Herobrine whispered one final thing.

"Förlåt mig." [1]

Then his head relaxed, going still. He sniffed once before he succumbed to sleep. Sky hadn't moved. He then let go of the vial, instead going to look for the potion that help induce peaceful dreams for people in slumber. He found the correct vial and went over to Herobrine's bedside, carefully moving his head so he was facing the ceiling.

He gently administered a few drops of the potion before setting it aside. He pulled the blankets up to cover Herobrine's exposed torso, shielding him from the cold. After a moment of hesitance, he even reached out to wipe the tears off the Swede's face. He stared at his mentor's sleeping form for a few more minutes before turning and leaving.

Then he attended the King's funeral.

He was dressed in the Southern Military's special ceremonial uniform. He carried his sword in a well-made and expensive sheath on his belt. His boots were made for the clicking sound rather than combat, and his long hair was styled neatly under his beret. He let his golden eyes dull to their boring amber, and carried the King's casket on his shoulder, marching slowly along to the slow and sorrowful song.

Opposite him was the general, who dressed neatly for once. Behind him was the Eastern Military commandant, a strong-headed blonde woman called Alex. Opposite her was one of the leaders of the royal guard, and they all carried the weight of their ruler carefully into the carriage built for such an occasion. The Minecraftian flag was draped over the casket, and its side were lined with flowers. Sky's hands were protected with white ceremonial gloves, but the thorns still dug into his knuckles.

Something inside Sky burnt with anger, and that part of him imagined a better world where Herobrine never did the things he did. Where he remained Royal Military general, never retiring. Even in his 50s, with his graying hair, he'd still maintain a fit body, his health never once dwindling as he serves by his brother's throne. They were both loved by the people.

In that world, Sky would be carrying the casket alongside Herobrine, except he was clad in Royal Military uniform, his chest decorated with badges he earned with blood, sweat and tears. He was a dedicated general, far better than the lazy old man they have now. The Royal Military's reputation had dropped immensely after Herobrine was gone.

He had briefly met King Markus' soon-to-be successor, Prince Bergensten. He was much older than Sky had last seen him years ago when he went to the North to receive his rank as commandant of the Southern Military. His face was trained to remain blank as he watched his adoptive brother be brought into the carriage.

He needed to be present at his coronation as well. King Markus declared him next in line for the throne years ago, even before Sky had enlisted. Everyone knew King Markus never married or had children, and if... If Herobrine wasn't on the run, he might have made a few heirs. A lot of people thought it was unfortunate, and some didn't even support King Markus' decision. Prince Bergensten was adopted into the family, he wasn't of royal blood.

However, it was inevitable, and Prince Bergensten would become King after three days of customary mourning.

Sky mounted the horse provided by the Royal Military, trained for this occasion. The King's body was secure in the carriage, and the soldiers would escort the carriage to the Royal Burial Ground. They rode slowly, cantering past the crowds of people who had their heads ducked, hands clutching flowers.

The Royal Burial Ground was located outside the palace, but wasn't too much of a ride. Sky rode with his back straight and face forward, even when the rocky road made his lower back ache. The guards located at the burial ground kept their hands up in a salute as King Markus' casket was removed from the carriage and placed back on Sky's shoulders.

No one was around to watch but King Bergensten and his guards, so they didn't march. They took their time walking, past graves with names of soldiers who fell in the name of Minecraftia. Sky distantly wondered where the Southern Military soldiers were buried.

Where was Ashley's grave? Or his father's?

Would he want to be buried among heroes or people who lived in his childhood village?

He didn't know, and he doesn't want to make that decision anytime soon.

Sky looked ahead, and saw Prince Bergensten and his Royal Guards waiting where King Persson would be buried. Right in the back of the Royal Burial Ground, was a long stretch of marble tombs. A statue of Lady Aetheria in all her glory stood in the middle, placed there so the fallen can be guided carefully into her land.

The marble tombs were meant for royalty only, however only 2 were filled. Everyone knew who they were. They were two important figures of the rebellion who died for the cause. One was the leader of the rebellion, whose name was taught to children in history, a young man named Kaleb McCarthy. His story was taught to everyone. He was a young man whose family sailed to Minecraftia from Britain to start a new life.

Tragedy struck and the ship capsized, with a pre-teen Kaleb its sole survivor. Orphaned and with no money, Kaleb started his own band of misfits, stealing money and giving it to the less fortunate. As he grew older and started to understand the perils of the country he now loved, his group changed its goal.

His group became the rebellion, and it grew and grew until it eventually was bigger than the Russian forces stationed in Minecraftia. Some famous names from the rebellion were both Persson brothers, especially Herobrine, who worked close with Kaleb and led many raids at the ripe age of 16.

Kaleb had fallen in their last mission, to take out the Russian general. The whole group died, except Herobrine, who had singlehandedly killed the soldiers who killed his friends. It was rumored for Kaleb to become Royal Military general had he lived, but alas, McCarthy was first to be buried.

Then there was Darryl Lance Kirkland. His story was vague, since when he was alive, he didn't share much about his past to anyone. He worked with Kaleb, and was the mastermind behind many of the successful missions. While Herobrine was under Kaleb, King Persson was under Darryl. He was the brains of the rebellion, basically. A lot of ex-rebellion veterans proclaimed that he was supposed to be king, but following Kaleb's death, he refused to take on the role.

Then he was found murdered in his home in the North.

A lot of people speculate that it was Herobrine's doing, but not much of the public knew the truth. Sky didn't either, he just wrote it off as a tragedy.

So, the tomb next to Kirkland's was left open for King Persson. Sky saw dozens of bouquets and candles lit over McCarthy's and Kirkland's tombs, the latter signifying their presence at their friend's funeral.

In the world Sky built in his head, when he was watching the casket be lowered into the tomb, he imagined Herobrine, in his full uniform once again, standing by Prince Bergensten's side. Brothers watching one of their own finally be set free to the Aether.

Reality was harsh, however, and Herobrine was far, far away, likely in a deep slumber, wounded and delusional.

If Sky's salute to the King's casket became shaky, no one commented on it.

-

Sky and the Eastern Military commandant were given rooms in the castle, as a gift from Prince Bergensten for their service to the country. They would spend three days mourning for the late King there, together with the whole nation, before attending the coronation. Throughout the mourning period, however, Sky couldn't stop thinking about the perfect little world he made.

The coronation was a joyous celebration, and it was to be a public event. Sky met Prince Bergensten once again, for the second time, right before the ceremony started. The Prince was dressed in heavy ceremonial robes, but for once his head is clear of any crown, ready to bear King Persson's.

The prince had graciously went forward to Sky and the Eastern Military commandant to strike up some small talk. They were all waiting for the Royal Military general, who was running late. It was stupid, really, and Sky swore he saw Prince Bergensten scowl when he was notified of the general's tardiness. Sky hoped that one of the first things Prince Bergensten will do as king is to get rid of the sleazy general.

After all, the general is supposed to be the one to bestow the crown to Prince Bergensten. Sky had no fucking idea who the hell thought it was a good idea and judging by the uneasiness on the prince's face, he definitely doesn't approve of it either.

The general still had the nerve to not apologize to Prince Bergensten for holding up the royal goddamn coronation, instead just mumbling for everyone to 'hurry up'.

Sky noticed the Eastern Military commandant holding back from punching the general right in the face.

Once everyone was ready, the soldiers took place around Prince Bergensten, and they made their way to the throne room. Civilians who lined up early that morning were granted access to the throne room. They were held in specific areas by guards who were heavily armed, and the doors were wide open for anyone gathered outside to witness the spectacle.

The soldiers marched and escorted Prince Bergensten to the empty throne. Once they reached, the prince made no move to sit, and the other soldiers moved to their respective places.

Sky and his Eastern counterpart were stationed next to the throne, and they stood at attention with their gloved hands holding up their polished swords. Sky was mostly focused on not letting his eye glamor drop, but he found himself observing the prince in front of him.

Prince Bergensten had turned to face the people, his back against the empty and cushioned throne. He had moved to the bottom of the platform the throne was on, putting distance between him and the throne. The Royal Military general stood in front of him, back facing the quietened people. A Royal Guard moved forward slowly, balancing the heavy crown on a velvet cushion in his hands. He stopped next to the general, who coughed awkwardly and took it carefully in his chubby fingers.

How disgusting...

Sky's eyes widened at the sudden feminine voice that filled his head. He immediately recognized it and spared a glance towards the Eastern Military commandant, Alex. However, she remained as stoic as ever, eyes trained forward. She was much too disciplined to ever speak such vulgar words, especially on an important event such as this.

Was this what Herobrine meant when he said that Sky's thoughts were so loud he could hear them?

So that comment... It was Alex thinking?

Sky bit back a smirk, approving her strong dislike of the general. He felt the exact same way. He focused his attention back on the ceremony, not even listening to what the general was saying, the crown in his hands. After his probably-boring speech, Prince Bergensten knelt before him, heavy robes slinking out onto the polished floor. He ducked his head and shut his eyes, presenting his empty head of neat styled, ginger hair.

Everything was silent as the crowd waited with a bated breath. Time seemed to slow as the crown was lowered ever so slowly onto its new owner's head.

It fit perfectly, falling into ginger locks. People still remained quiet, as the climax wasn't over yet. Thankfully, the general stepped aside, away from view, and gave the stage to the now King Bergensten.

The new king stood back up, his head straight so as to not let the crown move. His robes billowed around his form as he finally set eyes on his people. Smiling kindly, he spread his hands in a welcoming gesture and spoke.

"My people, I stand before you not as a prince, but a king. Now, I must confess that not a single moment in my whole life has prepared me for this moment. Not even the training King Persson gave me have fully prepared me to take on his crown. And that is what it is, by the way, his crown. I stand merely as successor, and I imagine that no matter whose head this is on, the crown rightfully belongs to King Markus Alexej Persson."

He spoke confidently yet warmly.

"I know it is tough, bearing the loss of a beloved king. King Persson was a great man, and an even greater ruler. He had compassion that rivaled thousands, and he was always sincere to the people. There is never a passing day where I wish I can be as great as he was."

His head ducked, chin pressing against his neck as he spoke a bit more lowly than before.

"It pains me. Everyday. He was a wonderful mentor, and I admit I do feel lost without him. But I know for a fact that he wouldn't want me to be like this."

He raised his head, addressing the people once again. The people, who were listening with wide eyes. Some were already tearing up.

"He wouldn't want us to spend the rest of our lives crying over what we lost. He'd want us to live on and smile because what has happened, happened. That is how I will begin my journey as king, just as he taught me. I... I didn't expect to be alone on this journey, but I promise you, I will serve this country till the very end, and I will never stop until you, the people, live happy lives in this land we call ours."

He ended off with a sincere smile before bowing his body slightly. People erupted into cheers. The throne room was filled with joy and excitement, and Sky could even see that Alex had brightened up at the king's speech. Sky couldn't help but be stuck at one particular line, however...

'I didn't expect to be alone on this journey...'

Something within Sky automatically assumed that he was referring to the other Persson brother. Sky's fantasy world came into play again. He envisioned an older looking Herobrine by King Bergensten, supporting him through this new and unexplored territory as brothers do. A usually stern, stoic and fierce general finally smiling with pride and brotherly love.

Sky's fingers clenched around the sword's handle tightly. This celebration was meant for King Bergensten, yet here he was, thinking of the murderer-no! Thinking of his mentor who was gravely injured back South.

It frustrated him. The fact that he had become soft, that he had become-

Worried.

He was worried.

-

The celebrations were over and Sky was due back in the South. He didn't get any urgent letters from Ty which meant things were well back home. Sky had wished his best wishes and undying loyalty to the now King Bergensten before setting off on his horse. He rode slowly, his belongings a bit of a weight on Boy's back. When he reached the Center, he ended up getting himself a train ticket to the South.

He helped staff load Boy into the carriage cars meant for horses, and gave him a carrot before leaving to his seat. He would get off the train once it reached a village about four hours away on horseback from the base. He figured Boy would want to stretch his legs for a bit after being cooped up in a cramped stall on a moving train.

It took a whole day on the train for it to reach his destination, and once he was there, Sky was back on his horse, taking his time to explore the village. He met a few of his own soldiers stationed there who welcomed him back. Sky chatted with them for a bit before asking for directions. He rarely went to this village.

"A florist, sir?" one of his soldiers asked.

He nodded, and the group looked at each other before turning back to him. The same soldier asked again, "There is one here, but if you don't mind me asking, sir... Why the florist?"

Sky smiled at them easily, appreciating their politeness. He was in civilian clothes, there really wasn't a need for professionalism at the moment so he entertained them, "Don't think too much about it. Just needed to get a gift for a friend."

At that response, the soldiers smirked and chuckled, one of them daring to be brave and teasing, "A friend, eh? Who is the lucky lady, sir?"

Sky played along, a smirk on his face, "How'd you guess? I do have a lady waiting for me. Back at base, actually."

The soldiers dropped their smirks and looked astonished. They believed him, and in their heads, Sky could hear whispers of their thoughts. This telepathy thing was quite useful and fun. All they thought about were female soldiers, their minds racing to find who he was talking about.

They obviously wanted to know who, so Sky answered with a chuckle, "That lady friend of mine is your Captain Ellis."

Their astonished looks disappeared, melting into ones of amusement once they realized their commandant was jesting. They laughed amongst themselves, Sky joining in before whispering, "Please don't tell him I said that."

They laughed even harder at that, and after a while, they realized they had to return to their duties. Before they left, a soldier pointing out the directions to the florist, before swearing they won't tell their captain and leaving. As Sky watched them continue on their patrol, he realized that the soldiers never bothered to ask who the flowers were really for. If they did, he'd respond with 'an old friend who was hospitalized'. It wasn't far from the truth, at least.

He found the florist easily. It was tucked in the corner of the neighborhood, squeezed between two houses. Sky waved to a few of the kids playing by the street before hitching his horse. The kids came forward towards Boy, who sniffed at their hair curiously. Sky watched them pet his horse before entering the florist.

The moment he entered, thousands of smells burst at his face. He even smelled scents he's never experienced before. Herobrine mentioned having heightened senses, and Sky assumed the smells would be overbearing. However, it was quite the opposite, Sky finding that he could still enjoy the airy scent of flowers.

The shop was small but covered bottom to top in plants of various kinds. Sky even spotted a corner dedicated for brewing plants. Seto grew some of his own back at the base. He walked forward, dodging the sharp leaves of some tall plants and weaving his head around the ones hanging from the ceiling. His boots thudded heavily on the surprisingly clean floor, announcing his presence.

Suddenly, an old man sprouted from behind a tall plant Sky was next to. On instinct, Sky dropped to a defensive stance but let himself relax when he saw the very harmless old man squint at him in confusion.

"Ya alright, kid?"

Sky just nodded, standing to his full height once again. He was surprised to find that the older man was taller than him. The old man beamed at him, laugh lines prominent next to his eyes.

He extended a hand covered in a dirty glove, introducing himself, "My name's Terence, but the people 'round here call me Terry."

Not wanting to be rude, Sky took the offered hand and gave him a firm shake. He nodded to Terry, "Pleasure. I'm Adam, but people call me Sky."

Terry raised a gray eyebrow, one side of his mouth curving in a curious grin as his hand fell to his side, "Sky? I'd like to hear that story."

Sky chuckled, half-heartedly raising his hands and shaking them. He shook his head, "Too long of a story there, sir."

It wasn't a long story.

Early into his commandant career, Sky caught Seto in a bad mood when the sorcerer was relaxing in his room on an off-day. He abruptly woke up the brunet who was deep in slumber, and in return he was launched through the window by a defensive spell Seto threw out of instinct. He quite literally soared through the sky, breaking his right ankle and left arm. He learnt to accept the nickname within two weeks of the incident, walking around in a leg brace and cast.

Yes, it wasn't a long story but Sky did not want to relive it, certainly not to a random stranger either.

The old man shrugged, heading deeper into the store. He tended to a cactus he was in the middle of switching pots of. Calling over his shoulder, he asked, "What can I do for you then, Sky?"

Sky had a bit of difficulty moving towards him, stepping over creeping plants on the floor as he explained nervously, "A, uh, good friend of mine, actually... A mentor of sorts, got severely injured and is in a... Gloomy state. I wanted to bring him some flowers that could reflect my, um..."

For a few seconds, Sky searched for the word he was looking for.

"Admiration?" He settled with.

The man stilled for a few moments, gloved fingers deep in the pot he was working on. He snapped up, rushing to a part of the shop. Sky hesitantly followed him towards the back of the shop, and cocked his head when Terry passed through a door behind the counter. Sky debated on following him but his own question was answered when Terry opened the door again to peek out at him.

"Ya comin' or not, kid?"

Nodding furiously, Sky followed. He didn't think the man could even hurt a fly, so it was safe to follow him. When he stepped through the door, he was greeted with a lovely little backyard full of flowers. The florist was surrounded by houses, but that didn't stop him. Terry even built a platform for even more flowers to grow. The sunlight fed the plants, making some bloom beautifully.

Sky enjoyed the smells indoors, but here? Out here, the lovely flower scents mixed with the earthy dirt musk and fresh air? It was amazing. Terry really outdid himself. Wanting to compliment the man, he turned but found the old man already missing. Sky frantically searched for any sign of the frustratingly tall man over the equally tall flowers, until he spotted him climbing the ladder to reach the flowers basking in the sunlight on the platform.

Sky did his best to follow, lagging behind as he climbed the ladder while the old man waited for him up on the platform. Once he reached the top, he was greeted with the sight of the loveliest of flowers, all in full bloom. They all seemed to be of the same species, but their multiple colors were vibrant and eye-catching.

"Gladiolus. Resembles honor, remembrance, respect, strength, bravery and faithfulness. A flower for heroes. Its name comes from the latin word, 'sword'. People give these flowers to those they think left a great impression on their life and are also used as a sign of communication, given to portray support, especially in tough times. It's widely believed this flower is given to people who have to deal with a lot of circumstances in their lives, especially soldiers. However, it also helps to acknowledge a change in life."

Certain words or phrases Sky heard literally screamed 'Herobrine', so the commandant nodded eagerly, "It's perfect, Terry."

Terry rubbed his hands together in delight, before turning to the gorgeous flowers and looking over their various colors. He gestured to a few of the blue ones.

"How 'bout these? Blue's a symbol of relaxation, the removal of negative thoughts and the deliverance of peace and harmony into our lives. You mentioned that friend a' yours bein' in a tight spot?"

Sky nodded again, staring at the deep blue flowers and just thinking of that time Herobrine taught him how to conceal his golden eyes. He demonstrated himself and his bright white eyes changed to a blue just as deep and royal as the one on those petals. Even better, he mentioned that those eyes were his originals, his eyes long before his powers changed them to its famous glowing ones.

He then turned to a few white ones. He gestured towards them, "What about these?"

Terry was in the middle of taking some of the blue gladiolus, and he threw a quick glance at the white ones before replying, "Those are bridal flowers, well, usually. Represents innocence, elegance and pure love. Really sweet for such a simple color."

Sky hesitated for a bit at the 'pure love' and 'innocence'. The person the flowers were meant for were far from those. He honestly just pointed them out to add a bit of variety and because the color reminded him of Herobrine's current eyes. He then thought, Fuck it, the man was suffering, he won't care about what flowers meant.

"Throw those in as well."

Terry chuckled, carefully gathering the freshly picked blue gladiolus flowers in one hand before heading for the flowers, murmuring to himself, "What a mentor he must be..."

Sky definitely heard it, but didn't comment. Terry dismissed him back into the shop, saying something about how arranging the flowers was an 'intimate' task. The commandant had no complaints, instead taking his time looking at the variety of plants in the shop. He lingered at the potion ingredient plants for a while, trying to remember what Seto was complaining about lacking. He eventually gave up trying to recall and that was when the flowers were ready.

Terry came back to the counter, cradling a blue and white bouquet in thin white paper and lace. They chatted about the village people for a while as Sky paid, and soon the commandant was out the door, a bouquet in his hand waving goodbye and well wishes to Terry. The children who were playing with Boy were gone, and the horse was scratching at the ground impatiently.

Sky soothed him with a neck pat as he tried to figure out how to carry the flowers without damaging them. He eventually settled for leaving them in an open saddle bag, before mounting Boy and leaving the village.

-

Sky was greeted warmly by his soldiers manning the gates to the base. He took his time strolling in and settling Boy at the stables. He spent more time with the Andalusian, removing his heavy baggage and brushing dirt from his coat. He hung a full bag of hay as a reward and thank you, and earned a rare goodbye from the horse. Sure, he discovered that he could understand what animal were saying but that didn't mean they spoke much to begin with.

Sky slung all his belongings over his shoulder, taking his time to go to his room. The bouquet meant for Herobrine was in his hand, and that earned him a few teasing looks he dismissed with a smirk and an eye-roll. He'd put his things in his room, change then visit Herobrine to give him the flowers. After that, maybe he could talk to Seto about the Swede's recovery and Ty about how things went when he was gone.

All his belongings already sorted out in his room, Sky was lacing up his boots when he heard a piercing scream of a soldier. It wasn't loud enough to be right outside or down the hall, but his hypersensitive ears picked it up. Pausing at his boots, Sky tentatively raised his head and closed his eyes, trying to listen again.

He heard grunts, the clicking of rifles, boots thudding against the floor and a nasty snarl.

There was an intruder in the base.

-

[1] Swedish: Forgive me.