Disclaimer: I do not own Minecraft, yada yada. You get the point. This AU series is created and owned by the great me.

Big mood? -Sep 2017 Kait

Big mood. -March 2019 Kait
☆

After bidding goodbye to Jason as he set out to the training facility, Sky went straight to his room. He was exhausted. He had not taken a single wink the previous night since he was still traumatized by Ashley's death. He threw his shades onto the nightstand and hung his cape on a peg on the wall. He yawned and face planted the bed. He brought his blanket up to his shoulder and closed his eyes, pleading for sleep to overcome his body.

-

"Jesus fuck..."

The commandant groggily sat up and widened his eyes when he found himself in a forest. He stood and found his shades on the grass. He picked them up and wore it, looking around. His head rang as he stood up, and his hand went up to cup the painful area. He realized that it was swelling and tender, deducing that he was hit on the head and knocked out before getting dragged here.

He looked around, trying to direct himself back to the base. He felt his pockets. No weapons. Even his dagger in his pocket was stolen. He was unarmed, alone and in potential danger. Who kidnapped him? Was it the creature who killed Audrey? How did they get past the guards and soldiers in the base? He then heard footsteps and yelled, "Who's out there? Show yourself, fool!"

"I'll show myself whenever I damn please."

The voice was stern, and brought back Sky's memories of getting shouted at by his warrant officer when he was just a private. It sounded commanding, guarded and confident. Sky prepared himself for the worst.

He heard another voice, gentler this time, "Calm down, I'm here to help, right?"

Sky could pinpoint the voices now, and turned to the area, squinting. He could see shadows behind the trees. Two people. He could take them, he just needed to plan well. Hopefully they didn't have guns. The shadows kept whispering to each other, one harsh, the other calm. Sky then see one of the shadows swerve to stare right at him, and he found himself staring back at glowing, white eyes.

Sky saw a flash of blue from the area where the figure was and he heard an enderman teleporting noise behind him. Sky spun around, his eyes widening and jaw dropping when he recognized that face. He's seen it in newspapers, on wanted posters, on portraits and books.

Herobrine.

The white-eyed man cocked his head and grinned. Sky screamed in surprise and horror and fell to the ground backwards, he stuttered, "Y-you're alive?! The murders were years ago!"

Herobrine's smile turned into a frown as he replied coolly, "You make me sound so old."

Sky was almost going to punch the man in the face out of defense but a voice interrupted, "Seriously? That's what you focus on?"

Sky gasped when the other figure came to view, choosing to walk. That regal posture and kind face.

King Markus.

Standing right next to his long-wanted brother.

The king looked more regal up close. His neat dark brown hair was started to gray, but no one cared since there was his royal crown resting on top of it. He had grown a beard, which was neatly trimmed. He wore simple clothes though, and was not donning his royal thick red robes over his shoulders. In fact, he dressed like a civilian, save for the crown on his head and rings on his fingers.

The king placed a hand on Herobrine's shoulder, and Sky immediately feared for the king's safety. When Herobrine lifted a hand, Sky winced until the hand just swept King Markus' hand away. It almost seemed like Herobrine was uncomfortable.

King Markus sighed and turned to Sky. He said, "You're not lost. When you wake up, you'll be back at your cozy base. We, or he-" he jerked his head to Herobrine, "-just has something to tell you."

Herobrine stared straight at Sky, almost as if he was challenging him. He hardly blinked, and his eyes had a fierce glow, which forced Sky to look away for a few moments.

The white-eyed man said, "If I spoke to you in your room, you will shoot me, or attempt to, and it will cause another shootout."

Another?

Sky nodded slowly but asked, "What's so important for the king of Minecraftia and... You to come to visit me?"

Herobrine's eyes narrowed at him, and Sky felt a sense of inferiority as the man spoke with an underlying tone of threat, "I've discovered something, and you're involved."

Sky crawled back, afraid from Herobrine lashing out at him. The abnormally short man was fucking terrifying, from the way he spoke to the way he stood. King Markus nudged his brother a little and whispered something to him, making Herobrine scowl.

King Markus turned to Sky and helped him get up. He said, "What Hero intends to say... Is that... You... You are special. You have his powers."

Hero?

Herobrine interrupted, "And it sucks, having the 'murderous' Hero-uh, Herobrine's powers. Everyone hates you."

King Markus shot a glare at his brother before continuing, "You, commandant Dahlberg, have some sort of connection to Herobrine. So, his powers have also passed down to you."

Sky's eyes widened, "What? Passed down to me? B-But why?! How?! I'm not related to him at all!"

Herobrine growled, and it fucking scared Sky because it sounded just like a wolf's growl. Throaty and deep, it made Sky shiver. The white-eyed man seemed to have had enough, as he sauntered forward and snapped, "Take off your shades and see for yourself."

Sky shakily took off his shades. Herobrine smirked and moved his hand in a circular motion. Immediately, a giant mirror-like portal circle appeared. Sky looked at his reflection, gasping.

Holy shit.

His eyes were pure gold, not a hint of irises anywhere. He looked at Herobrine as the mirror-thing disappeared.

He asked, dumbfounded, "But... How? Before I slept, my eyes were fine!"

Herobrine explained calmly, "Your eyes glow according on how much power you have and how much power you are using. Your eyes have been becoming dimmer and paler for the past few months. You've never noticed because you never look at them, hiding behind those shades. Today, they finally fully formed, as do your powers. I can practically feel it."

Sky's fingers touched along his cheeks, somehow scared to touch his eyes, "H-How could I possibly hide this!?"

Herobrine huffed, before saying smoothly, "Look at me and learn."

Sky looked at those white eyes. Herobrine blinked once and his eyes became white with light blue irises. Sky gasped.

Herobrine said, "You can't change their color. You can only revert them back to their original self. The eyes you see now were my eyes before I had my powers."

Sky looked closer. They were truly something. They were very bright and prominent, standing out from his face. Unique, just like his.

Herobrine scowled at the awkward prolonged eye contact and snapped Sky out of it by speaking, "I'll be using telepathy on you, and observing you. I'll teach you everything I know. I'll lead you through tough decisions."

Sky narrowed his now golden glowing eyes, suspicious, "Why would you help me? You're a..."

He trailed off, but Herobrine heard it nonetheless. He sighed before saying, "My powers have brought me nothing but more pain. I want to make sure it doesn't do the same to you."

King Markus added, "Look, you've surely been taught about the massacre years ago, right? The one my brother was supposedly responsible for? He didn't intend to do it. His powers were so suppressed that he just... Burst one day. He doesn't want a repeat. He just wants to help."

Herobrine was just nodding along to his brother, until an all too familiar voice spoke in his head.

Lies, no one knows. It will stay that way, right, little hero?

He froze. He had not heard him speak in such a long time. He thought he was inactive. Herobrine stiffened before straightening his hair out of nervousness and cut in, "Anyways, the real question is..."

He stopped to stretch out his left hand, a tiny flame hovering above. "Will you use these power as an advantage to help humanity or..."

He stretched out his right hand, surprisingly covered in blood. No one noticed how guilt was clear in Herobrine's eyes. "Will you use it to become insane and kill like I did before?"

Sky stared at the two brothers, who both kept a straight face. Herobrine fished his hands away before Sky could even move and smiled, "I look forward to teaching you what I know, Commandant Dahlberg."

Herobrine did an army salute. Sky was surprised to find this salute only given by superiors to their inferiors. Herobrine grinned, his eyes back to white.

King Markus stepped back, just as Herobrine stepped forward and starting waving his hand. Blue mist rose from his fingers. Magic.

Sky exclaimed,"Wait! I have to ask you something!

-

Sky gasped, opening his eyes, his vision blurry. He sat up, and immediately touched his head. Surprisingly, the swelling, pain and tenderness was gone. It was like nothing happened at all.

So what did happen?

Sky got off of his bed. He checked the clock. He yelled in disbelief, "I slept for fifteen minutes? That talk took forever!"

He groaned and grabbed his shades and put it on. He strolled to the mirror in the corner of the room and stared at his reflection.

"No fucking way..."

His eyes were once again, golden. He could tell by the glow from behind his shades. It was alarmingly bright. He talked to himself, "How the hell did Herobrine did that eye changing shit again?"

"Easy."

He was interrupted by a familiar voice. In the mirror, he could see Herobrine behind him. Sky spun around, exclaiming, "Don't talk so loud! The soldiers might hear you!"

Herobrine smirked, folded his arms and replied, "They won't."

"What do you mean?"

Herobrine rolled up his dark blue sleeve and showed his arm. On his arm were two intricate symbols painted on with... Something. Maybe a mash of wild berries? It did smell nice.

Sky raised a brow, "I don't... Understand?"

Herobrine sounded disappointed, "Aren't you friends with a sorcerer? They are charms. Invisibility and silent charms. I tweaked them a bit so that only you can hear or see me."

Huh. So that was how charms work. He never really listened to Seto's overenthusiastic explanations. He asked, "Will I be able to do that?"

Herobrine replied, "Yes, but that's for another day. You wanted to learn how to change back, right?"

Oh, yeah. "Right."

Herobrine switched to his calm mentor persona and instructed smoothly, "Focus on what your eyes looked like before, no doubt of any kind in your mind. Absolutely none. Focus entirely on envisioning your eyes down to the smallest detail."

Sky nodded and tried to do exactly that. It was difficult at first, since he never really liked his eyes and tended to avoid looking at them. He focused on what other people would comment on his eyes, and painting the picture based on that. He blinked and looked up at his mentor. Herobrine studied him and directed him to look at the mirror. Sky did so and saw his normal eyes.

He sighed and said, "Thank the Aether..."

Herobrine was busy looking around the room out of curiosity as Sky adjusted his uniform. The man walked to Sky's cape and reached out, rubbing the fabric between his fingers.

The Royal Military's capes are much more thicker since it gets really cold.

Come to think of it, he's never worn a cape since he was in the military. He's only been using cloaks or robes to disguise himself in town. Still feeling the fabric, he absently said, "We have to start speaking in telepathy now. I'm pretty sure your soldiers will not like the fact that you start talking to yourself when no one is really there."

Sky turned and faced Herobrine. He asked, "Telepathy? As in... Reading my mind and shit?"

Herobrine sighed, letting go of the fabric. This was going to be difficult.