Herobrine's POV
I trudge through the water logged gravel of the woodland village, sighing wearily. The wind carries an icy chill that creeps through my bones and wears me down. I'm exhausted. It feels like I've been travelling for years, rather than months, and knowing that Blaze has already been taken is severely weighing down upon my conscious. The battle hasn't even begun yet and we've lost one of our comrades. I sigh and knock on the mayor's door, the door swinging open slowly. He eyes me sceptically before I open my mouth and recite the words that I've been stating for weeks. This village is one of the furthest East and I've crossed many thousands of chunks in order to reach it, using horses, teleportation and sometimes even flight. The mayor assures me that he is going to spread the word and I leave the village in a trance, my mind on other things as my body moves on autopilot. I miss Emily, I'm worried for Blaze, I am concerned about Deadlox and his plans for us, and I'm even missing Steve and his quiet, studious gaze that installed a sense of security in me no matter what the situation at hand. But right now, none of them are with me; I am on my own. And with my magic at an all time low from extreme fatigue and exhaustion, I feel vulnerable.
***
Night has now fallen. I lie half awake on my back, staring up at the mighty boughs of a great fir tree towering over me. It's not the best place to make a bed, but its my home for the evening. Owls hoot in the distance and horses whinny faintly in the nearby forest. I exhale softly and allow the magic to culminate in my veins, making my fingers tingle and spark. My eyes glow brighter and the light begins to paint a picture of my thoughts; a smiling face, two beautiful eyes, and a caring gaze. I feel my heart race a little as I look up at Emily, reaching out to touch her. The sparks of magic part on contact with my fingertips, rippling in the breeze. Warmth resonates from them, washing over my tired, aching body, slowly easing my itching eyes into closing. I hear her soft laughter, her tender voice. My eyes shut, and I sigh in contentment...perhaps tonight I'll manage to sleep...

"AAAAAAARGH! GET THE FREAK AWAY FROM ME!" I shoot upright, cricking my neck in the process. I exhale with pain and grab the back of it, rigid as high pitched screams continue to echo throughout the darkness. "What the-?" I stumble clumsily to my feet, Emily's visage dissipating into the frigid night air beside me as I do so. I don't recognise the voice. I start to make my way towards it, feeling blind now in the darkness, rather than soothed as before. My heart pounds and beats an erratic tattoo as the screams suddenly dissolve from panic into pain. Without realising, my legs have taken me into a run towards them. Then, I hear the vexed screaming roar of an enderman. It deafens me and fills the air with crackling fury and heated rage. A popping sound rushes past my ears and my vision explodes into a mass of bright purple sparks as I skid to a halt. The screaming escalates and I can now make out a writhing form in the light. I narrow my eyes, trying to see but only receiving more purple spots of light on my eyelids as the sound suffocates me in its volume. A man is on the ground, screaming in pain and fear as two endermen tower over him, teleporting around his form and hitting him in different places with each rapid movement, claws extended, jagged teeth bared. They are drawing blood. This isn't right.

Even if the minecraftian was stupid enough to look them in the eyes, they would never have retaliated this violently, not in normal circumstances anyways. I growl, then let it build up into a snarl and roar; claws slash out of my fingers as I throw myself onto the nearest one's back. "I, HEROBRINE, COMMAND YOU TO STOP ATTACKING THIS-" My whole body is thumped against the rock hard ground, pain enveloping my brain and rendering me unable to think as white stars explode in my vision. A great black mass is pinning me down. Sharp teeth bite at my shoulder. Claws sink into my veins. It's attacking me. Me, Herobrine, master of all monsters in Minecraftia, therefore master of the endermen no less. Purple eyes meet mine and I see them embroiled in fury, glowing with intense hatred, such as that my blood runs cold in my veins. Apparently not now, it seems.

Then, the creature throws back its howling head, screaming in agony. It's spidery black body convulses violently several times before it stiffens and rolls off me, coming to rest upon the ground beside me. I look up, dazed and shocked, to see the man whom was being attacked standing over me. Dark, purple blood drips from his iron sword, which now glows in the moonlight in an ethereal fashion. I brace myself for the pain as I struggle to sit up, but I still gasp, every inch of my muscles aches profusely, the deep lacerations on my skin stinging. The man leans heavily upon his sword, before holding out a bloodstained hand. I take it and he heaves me slowly to my feet. Both standing now, we pause and look down silently at the moonlit endermen carcasses lying on the dewy ground at our feet. I bite my lip, shifting slightly, the shock starting to fade into a deep gloom. "Um...thanks, for, killing it for me." "No problem man, I was gonna be goner if you hadn't of turned up. Thanks to your distraction, I had time to grab my sword." The man has a slightly peculiar accent to his voice, I can't quite place my finger on where he's from, but he sounds friendly nonetheless. I straighten up with difficulty, facing him. Instinctively, I expect a double take, a scream of shock, or at least a paling complexion when he meets my glowing white eyes. I don't receive it though, or any reaction apart from a slight nod and a soft sigh. "Herobrine, huh? I thought so. Word was out that you were seen in the area. To be honest I'm pretty surprised I'm not dead yet, meeting you out here in the dead of night." I blink, frowning slightly. "I'm not like what they say...not anymore anyways." He grins crookedly, his upper lip swollen and bleeding. "Well isn't that a relief?" I chuckle softly, then turn my attention back to my dead brethren on the floor. What had caused them to act so out of character tonight? I have a darkening suspicion as to why...

Fireballs glared upwards in her outstretched palms as she angled herself toward the dragon and threw one at its head. It swung round, snarling maliciously. "Now!" I gazed into its purple eyes, powering every ounce of magic I possessed to overthrow its resistance. Then, to my utter horror, it's eyes flickered black, it's jaws contorting into a twisted, evil grin. "Your time is running out Herobrine..."

I shudder at the memory of our battle in the End. The Darkness is behind this for sure. After it attacked me in that village...it's leaching out of the underworld, taking over and slowly poisoning our land, possessing and controlling its creatures. I need to take back that control, over what is mine...but how? "I'm Crainer, by the way. Well, Ben Crainer, but people call me Crainer." I jerk my attention back to the bloody young man standing before me, his blonde hair shining in the moonlight, the ends straggly and congealed with his own blood. "I'm Herobrine, as you already know." He grins again. "Yeah, how could I not? Anyone who's anyone knows who you are." I frown. "How can you be so cheerful after nearly dying just then?" His grin fades. "Y'know, I'm not too sure...I guess I'm just used to it by now." I take a step forward as he wobbles slightly. "Used to what?" "Being attacked. Mobs flood this area every night now. I do my best to guard my village but... They seem to be overpowering us. It's, unnerving, to say the least. D'you know why they're acting this way?" I set my face in a grim expression.

"Yes, I think I do. But, right now, I think you need rest and medical attention." His skin is paling rapidly, but not from fear of me, and his eyes are becoming glazed and unfocused. I recognise these symptoms from SSundee's inflictions in the End; blood loss, and at a fast rate no less. "R-really? Nah man...I'm, I'm fine...really, I am-" I dart forward as he staggers and falls, his legs buckling and falling out from beneath him. He collapses into my arms and his sword drops to the floor as his hand goes limp. I sigh heavily, my limbs shaking as I struggle to hold us both up. Right now he may just be a dead weight, but he seems to be a pretty decent sword-fighter, after slaying two enraged endermen in just one go... I could be holding a possible new ally in my arms.
***
Sky's POV
I traipse along beneath Jason as his engines hum contentedly, one hand resting upon Jeffrey's coarse, hairy back as he plods beside me, and the other holding my map out before me. I can't help but notice that SSundee and Derp's dots have been moving very slowly during the past while, it worries me. They're usually the fastest out of all of us. Maybe they're just running low on supplies. They may be being harassed by wolves or something like that. I still worry though, no matter how much I try to reassure myself of sensible reasons for their pace. Jason swoops up above me, his blue suit glimmering in the sun like aquamarine armour, before arcing down towards me. His feet land first with a dull thud on the soft grass, then his engines power off and his helmet hisses as he removes it. I wait for him to stow it beneath his arm, but to my surprise it actually appears to be shrinking. I watch in amazement as it shrinks to no bigger than my pendant, allowing him to slip it into his suit pocket. He turns round and laughs at my wide-eyed expression. "Pretty nifty, eh? Seto did it for me a few years back. I was having storage issues."

My heart skips a beat. "Seto...as in, Se-Seto the Sorcerer? From, SkyArmy? Wow, I...I haven't heard that name in a long, long while..." Jason chuckles a little, then sighs. "Yeah...me neither to be honest..." I frown, feeling rather glum now. "Man...I should'a stayed in touch with him after Team Crafted. He was a good guy. No idea where he is now though." Jason shrugs. "Me neither." Jeffrey seems to sense my change in mood as his bristly snout rubs against my hand; he oinks softly, as in giving a word of comfort. I smile down at him and scratch behind his ear. "Hey Jeffrey, who's a good boy? Hm? Who's a good boy?" "I am!" I give Jason a dry expression. "I wasn't talking to you." Jason giggles, then turns to look at something on the hazy horizon. "Hey Sky! I think that may be your next village, dude!" I look up from Jeffrey's little eyes to squint into the distance. "Hey...maybe you're right."

A couple of hours of walking later and I plant my red boot upon the gravel of the village footpath. But it isn't the happy, bustling village I was expecting. More like a strange ghost town. The gravel is an odd shade of purple beneath me, and the trees around us are humming and giving off a weird stench, a bit like manure but sweeter. The air is still and humid around us, thick warmth smothering my hair and making my clothes feel uncomfortably tight upon my body as I take a tentative few steps forward. Jason pads behind me, then turns round, frowning. "Jeffrey! Here boy! C'mon now!" I watch as his pig squeals and bucks at the border between green and purple grass, refusing to cross any further. I don't blame him; the sickly smell is starting to make me feel ill. Something is seriously wrong here. No animals are coming anywhere near us. Even the birds overhead are skirting away. Jason sighs in irritation. "Dumb pig." I raise my eyebrows. "I reckon he's got more sense than us Jason, let's see if any people even still live here." Jason mutters something under his breath that sounds like 'I doubt it', but follows me all the same.

The clouds pass slowly overhead, the sun drifting into late afternoon. Jason peers in at the purple tinted windows as I search for the mayor's house. I pass the blacksmith, humming to myself, but then I stop in my tracks. I saw movement. I swear I just did. My heart pounds, cold sweat breaks out on my skin and my hands shake. Calm down, it was just a villager, you're in a village for Notch's sake, you're- The ground splits apart and a blur of purple shoots up with the force of a rocket. I scream, falling backwards, as clumps of mud and grass are fired everywhere, great lumps of flint and rubble showering down upon me. Another explosion behind me and I hear Jason cry out too. Dirt falls into my eyes behind my shades and I curse, yelping in pain before rolling onto my hands and knees, cowering down upon the floor. A cacophony of rumbling, cracking and screeching noises surround me, deafening me, for what seems like hours. The ground shakes beneath me, then finally, it all ceases. When my ears stop ringing quite so badly, I dare to look up, my eyes weeping the grit out of them as I do so. I freeze. Jason is a few blocks away from me, rigid in shock, and staring with wide eyes at something right in front of me. I slowly trail my eyes upward; they widen as I do so.

Okay...so that's not a villager. A huge tentacle-like form sways high up above me, a strange tuft bristling on top of it as it does so. I see a shadow on the ground and sense another one behind me. Taint. Of course, how stupid of me not to have realised before now. This biome has been tainted. It must be due to the darkness. I curse. The entire world is being turned upside down because of the darkness. Villages are losing their homes. Animals are dying. Minecraftians now live in fear. It's just not fair. Jason helps me to my feet, pulling me back away from the taint tentacles. "Those things look nasty. I think we should get out of here." I narrow my eyes, then unsheathe my butter sword and slice cleanly through the nearest one. It screeches, then cleaves in half, dark purple sludge oozing out of its thick flesh. Jason retches; the stench is abhorrent. I watch the thing's blood steadily pump out, then nod and take an empty water potion out of my pocket, gathering some into it. "If anyone can find out what we're up against with this Taint, Notch or Hero can. At least now they'll have something to work with." Jason nods, holding his sleeve tightly to his nose. "Yeah, sure, but can we go now? This place is scaring the crap out of me...and there sure as Nether ain't any villages here." I stare at the creepy tentacles, then nod swiftly. "Yeah, sure thing."

We make our way hurriedly out of there, determined to put as much distance between us and that horrible stuff as possible. I can't help but worry though. The Darkness has started to taint our world, to make it sick. I need to get back to Hero as soon as possible, we all do, in order to stand a chance of stopping all this before it's too late.

[A/N: Woooo, an update! Haha! Oh man my hand hurts now though. I hope you guys enjoyed, if so, leave a favourite or a comment if you'd like, it makes me really happy to see it when people are still enjoying my stories after so long :-) <3]