We set off immediately. Storm clouds were gathered in the skies, which made me uneasy, for some reason. Hailbert remained silent throughout the entire trip, probably brooding about the upcoming fight against the Enderdragon.

Defeating such a massive and powerful creature would not be easy, almost an impossible feat for two people.

I glanced down, where my dog was following me faithfully. I tried to get him to stay back at home, but he was insistent.

I understood my dog's actions. Many times I stepped out of the house, and during some of those times, I nearly never returned.

"Is this the place?" Hailbert asked, pointing to a pillar of stone sticking out from the ground.

"Looks like what the explorers described," I said. "Moss and cracked stone bricks. It should be the way."

"There's also a large hole," he observed. "Must be where the Enderdragon came out from."

I took out a torch. "Let's go."

~~~~

Heading into the stronghold was a new experience for both of us. Hidden within the cracks of stone bricks were small monsters known as silverfish. We carefully stepped on the stone bricks, not wanting to disturb their slumber.

The stronghold had more rooms than I thought. We encountered an old, dusty library with an enchantment table. There were many books I had never seen, which caught my interest, but we left them behind. Finding the end portal was more important.

"That's another room explored," Hailbert said, frowning. "I wish those travellers told us exactly where the end portal is."

"We haven't looked into that area yet," I spoke, pointing to a dimly lit hallway.

"Maybe we would be lucky this time," he said, his voice tense.

I nodded, my face grim. If this was the correct path, we would be fighting the Enderdragon in matter of moments, which could also be our doom.

As we walked, I began to feel uneasy and slightly nauseous. I paused to catch my breath as the air around me seemed to get thicker.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale," Hailbert observed. "We can stop for a while if you want."

"It's fine," I said quickly. "Let's continue - we are almost there."

When we arrived at the end of the hallway, the end portal was waiting for us. The room was lit by small pools of lava - which made me more uncomfortable - and a block with something spinning inside was in front of the end portal.

"Must be a spawner," Hailbert said. "Looks like someone has already placed torches on it, so we don't have to fight whatever mob comes out from there."

I acknowledged his words with a slight nod and stared at the spawner. If the torches come off... more monsters would spawn...

I took out a pickaxe and shattered the spawner without another thought. The dark block that made up the spawner crumbled and the strange spinning thing disappeared.

Hailbert looked surprised for a moment, though he did not voice out his thoughts. Instead, he stared down at the end portal. "Whenever you are ready."

I bent down, instructing my dog to sit down. "Listen to me... I know you want to come with me, but you have to stay here. Even if I don't make it out alive, I want you to live on for me."

He let out a sad whine, but I had already stood up and walked up to Hailbert's side. I did not turn back as I leaped into the portal.

At first, my feet touched nothing but air, giving me the sensation of falling, until I landed onto an obsidian platform. Hailbert appeared right after me, looking rather dazed.

Meanwhile, I found a passage leading up. My instincts told me that it was not natural, which meant that others came before us. People who perished in the End.

As soon as I reached the end of the passage, I heard a roar that could even petrify the greatest heros. The ground shook with terror as the black dragon landed onto the ground. As if on cue, the surrounding Enderman teleported away.

Those gleaming purple eyes glared into my soul, daring me to fight. "How peculiar..." the Enderdragon growled as Hailbert came to my side. "I wasn't expecting this... but no matter, you have made your choice."

"You shall die!" the Enderdragon proclaimed, sending a gust of purple flames towards us.

I quickly leaped out of the way and managed to stab it. In a flash, a strange beam was directed at the Enderdragon and its wound healed instantaneously.

"No mortal has ever defeated me in my realm!" it spat viciously, striking me with its tail.

My sword slipped out of my grip as I was flung onto a pillar of obsidian. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I caught a glimpse of Hailbert firing arrows at the Ender Crystals on top of the towers. I can't give up so soon...

With a groan, I got to my feet shakily, limping towards the direction of my sword. Almost there...

The Enderdragon roared, intercepting my path. As the ground trembled once more, I could barely resist falling.

The dragon's eyes met mine. I could almost hear its thoughts about me...

I was thrown towards an obsidian pillar again. The blunt impact of it was overwhelming as I let out a cry of pain.

"Frost!"

"Don't care about me!" my voice became a desperate yell. "Keep destroying the crystals!"

I gasped as the dragon stood over me, pinning me with its sharp claws. "A smart distraction... but it doesn't matter anymore," it snarled, purple flames forming in its jaws.

In one last desperate attempt, I tried to reach for my sword, which was several blocks away, willing it to come to me.

The Enderdragon chuckled, using its tail to send my sword towards the empty void.

No...

The flames felt closer to me now. It was too late for me to try anything to escape the dragon's firm grip, only to brace myself for the end. How fitting to have my demise in the End.

"Any last words?"