Minecraft Story Mode: Darkness Rising

Chapter 6

The Equinox turned out to be a silver dome shaped building. There was a stairwell in the center or the room. As soon as they were inside the door sealed behind them.

"Can we still get out?" Lukas asked.

"The door will reopen at the change of ether," Kulas promised. "Where are you from? Is it the same realm as the empty-eyed one? And how did you get here?"

"Yes, I am," Lukas answered. "Someone from my world made a big mistake and opened the doorway between our worlds. As thanks for being set free, Herobrine, the one you call empty-eyed, captured someone I care about very much. When I tried to save her Herobrine teleported. I lost my grip on Jesse's arm as we traveled. That's the last thing I remember."

"I'm Ejess, and this is Kulas," Ejess introduced. "We're soul wraiths. Our kind are diluted forms of ether."

"I'm Lukas," Lukas replied.

"Feel free to explore," Ejess offered. "There's nowhere to go until the change of ether anyway."

Lukas hesitated a moment before he nodded. He descended the stairs.

The bottom floor of the building was a square room. The walls were completely covered by a painted mural. Lukas walked closer to the mural, moving until we was beside the part that looked most familiar.

It was a dark, smoky landscape. The sky was a reddish-brown color, and skeletal white trees dotted the withered black landscape. Gray smoke in the shape of humans was in the sky and on the ground.

Lukas walked to the right, following the mural. The dark landscape bloomed. The ground turned pale green and blades of grass sprouted. The trees turned a swirl of white and silver. The sky turned baby blue and the smog cleared away. The smoky figures were gone, replaced by soul wraiths which were on the ground. Unlike Ejess and Kulas, these soul wraiths wore various articles of colorful clothing.

Farther along the mural changed again.  The sky was bright blue. The ground was vivid green and covered in grass and small crystal flowers. The trees had grown. Their trunks were a beautiful shade of silver and their leaves were shades of blue. The soul wraiths were there too, playing with strange animals and creatures.

Farther on the mural took a turn for the worse. Black smoke raced across the land, swallowing anything in its path. Silver drained from the trees and into puddles on the ground. The blue leaves were ripped away by the smoke. The sky was stained reddish brown. The animals ran. The flowers were crushed and the ground turned black. Wherever the smoke reached the soul wraiths they turned into gray smoke themselves.

And then Lukas found himself back where he started, staring at the barren landscape of the first mural.

"It's a cycle," he realized. "This must be their world. It changes from alive to dead and back again."

Lukas began climbing back up the stairs, but he slowed when he heard Ejess and Kulas speaking in lowered voices.

"He's your other," Ejess said.

"I know," Kulas replied. "But what is he doing here?"

"Looking for his friend," Ejess explained.

"Who is your Other," Kulas said.

"We don't know that," Ejess told him.

"I've seen the way he keeps looking at you. Your other is the one he's looking
for, I'm sure of it."

"We need to help him," Ejess said.

"Wouldn't it be easier if we just send him back?" Kulas asked.

"Are you scared he'll die?" she asked him.

"No. Yes. I don't know, we've never actually had a Other die here. Who knows what'll happen to me, or you if your Other dies?"

"So we help him," Ejess said.

"We help him," Kulas agreed.

As he spoke, a dull rumbling began to shake the building. Lukas walked the rest of the way up the stairs, joining Kulas and Ejess. A door had slid open at the far end of the room, revealing a changed landscape beyond. The sky was a baby blue and the ground had sprouts of pale green grass. Trees dotted the area, trunks swirled white and silver.

"That's our cue," Ejess announced, exiting the building with Lukas and Kulas close behind.

"So we're going to his castle?" Kulas asked.

"I'm a servant there," Ejess said. "It shouldn't be too hard to get you guys in. Then you can find your friend and take her safely home through the return portal."

"Where is it?" Lukas asked.

"His castle," Ejess replied. "It should be in the throne room."

Ejess led the way forward, towards Herobrine's castle. Kulas and Lukas followed close behind. Before long Lukas noticed a cloud of darkness in the sky, circling ominously. Beneath the cloud, perched in an area where the earth was barren and nothing would grow, was a monstrous castle made of nether bricks.

"Herorbine's castle," Lukas breathed.

"Your friend would be inside," Kulas told him, staring up at the towers.

"What kinds of guards can we expect?" Lukas asked.

"Traps, skeletons, and Herobrine himself," Ejess answered. "The other Soul Wraiths shouldn't be on shift until tonight."

"What time is it now?"

"Morning."

"Your friend is probably in the dungeon," Kulas said, staring up at the castle.

"There's no way I'm leaving her there any longer than necessary," Lukas announced, marching forward. Ejess grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Just watch out," she warned. "Herobrine can steal any human form, become any person. Be sure it's your real friend before getting your hopes too high. It's very possible that Herobrine has already stolen your form . . . and your friend along with it."

---

Jesse huddled against the nether brick wall, head between her knees. Redstone torches glinted from the walls and iron bars blocked the way out.

The door clanked open and someone stumbled into the room. Jesse lifted her head, heart pounding.

Lukas stood in the cell as the door slammed shut behind him. He looked bewildered and tired.

"Lukas?" Jesse asked, standing.

"Jesse!" Lukas exclaimed, breaking out into a grin. "You're here too! Wherever here is."

"I think it's Herobrine's Castle," Jesse answered. "I only woke up a few minutes ago. I think Herobrine teleported us here, to the dimension he was banished to."

"By Steve, Alex, and Notch," Lukas said. Jesse nodded.

"We should sit down," Lukas said. "We have a lot to talk about."