Testing For Hope

Chapter 1 - Nether Beginnings

Breathing. I have to remember to breathe. How am I supposed to breathe right now?I keep running because what else are you suspected to do when you are getting chased by a piglin brute. I look forward just in time to stop myself from falling into the hot lava lake below. I look around hoping to find a way to escape but find none. I ready my stance and my muscles pack it in for the big impact as I begin to close my eyes in fear.

BANG!

What was that?

Gradually I opened my eyes to see a piglin... human... thing? It looks as if it was the thing that hurt my vicious foe. It looks up and I see that it is a hybrid of pigs of the hottest dimension in the world. It starts to walk towards me, with a bloodthirsty pair of eyes as I back up against a wall I had run to in fear of the moment. It stops a foot away from me and looks me up and down as I try not to run away. It grunts and just walks away. That was weird.

I decided to keep looking for the way back home. I ended up not finding the fortress that I was here to look for. This is a really big shame because I heard a rumour from the nearby towns that there was an end portal in the area. That's what they were in the area for after all. Nearby I found one of my torches and continued on the trail back to my way.

Seeing the Nether Portal, I ran toward the castle-like walls surrounding it to help people be safe when collecting their potion supplies. Not as if anyone else is in this world. Humanity hasn't developed that far yet. Based on the power difference, I severely doubted they ever would. I just thought it would look nice, that's all.

Stepping into the big walled-off area, the first thing I noticed was that my nether wart was ready to be harvested. The sand it was planted on top of was staring right back at me with the usual shrieking terror as I pulled to nether wart out by the roots, placing the shortest bud back in its place to help my resources stay steady.

Then I looked to my left and saw the map I made for the nether. Compasses don't work here so I had to guess the direction they would go in, but having it there helps regardless. The only clue of where I was was the large lava pool in the centre of the map, daring me to jump in every time I walk by it. I added the new territory that I was exploring today to the collection, admiring my work seconds later. All in a few years of work.

The Nether was not an easy place to reach. I had to scour for months to even outline the portal. But before I could even do that I had to read every tome that I had just to learn about the area I heard others talk about in brief moments to themselves when they thought no one was looking. For a person, with terrible luck, I sure do seem to find myself in a new area, but still stuck. As always.

I decided it was time to head back home when I heard my gut start to rumble. Time works differently here in the nether, but that doesn't mean I still don't get hungry. I gain a bigger appetite when I'm in the nether. It goes away as soon as I go through the portal though.

Behind me, the nether portal emits a soft hue of purple, close to the colour of my eyes. I turn around and walk up the steps to the massive transport between dimensions and take a deep breath. Now or later, I think to myself bracing for the sucking force of the Portal as I stride into it. I feel my body getting torn to shreds, and getting placed back together for aeons and almost feel as if it was broken and that I'd be lost to the emptiness one of these days if I continue this trek to the Nether world.

But alas, the only course out is forward. I take a step out.