Minecraft Story Mode: Darkness Rising

Chapter 12

Lukas slipped from one hallway to the next, completely and utterly lost. Dark ash continued to mark his footprints, so at least he knew where he had been before. But he couldn't find the prison cells or Jesse.

"I followed the directions," Lukas mumbled to himself as he stopped at another balcony.  They seemed to be everywhere.  He could see more winding walkways below him like the world's most complicated hedge maze. "I followed her directions them exactly. Why can't I find Jesse?"

"Still trying?" A laugh rang through the air. "I'd have thought you'd give up by now. Then again, I suppose I do get my determination from you. I am your reflection after all."

Lukas spun around, sword held high. Kulas gazed back at him with a grin, an enchanted sword in his own hand.

"Kulas! What are you doing here? Where's Ejess?" His eyes fell on the enchanted sword. "What are you doing with Jesse's sword?"

"Ejess is doing what she's supposed to," Kulas replied. "Wasn't it nice for her to lend me this sword? Herobrine gave it to her as part of our reward."

"Reward?" Lukas felt a chill settle over him. "What reward?"

Kulas grinned even wider, but in the half-light of the nearby glowstone it looked more like a smirk. "The reward for dealing with you and Jesse."

"You're with Herobrine," Lukas realized. He began backing away slowly as Kulas advanced.

"Of course we are," Kulas said. "I guess I never really explained reflections, did I? We're the mirror opposites of our Other. Whatever you do, Lukas, I'm the opposite. You want to save Jesse, and I want to kill her. You want to stop Herobrine, I want to help him."

"So you're going to kill us? What about what happens if your Other dies? If I'm dead, won't you die?"

"That's only a myth. We've never had an Other here, so we'll never know what happens. Herobrine promised that Jesse doesn't have to die if his plan succeeds. Only you. I'm willing to kill you if it means Jesse, and Ejess, survives."

"But what about your conversation in the Equinox? I heard you guys when you didn't realize I was there!"

"We didn't realize, huh?" Kulas asked, a gleam in his eye.  "You should be honored to be in Herobrine's plan at all.  You have such a crucial role in destroying Jesse.  Even I don't understand it all, and I'm Herobrine's right hand servant.  You should feel so honored."

Lukas tried to charge forward and attack, but it was as if the darkness inside of him held him motionless.  With a single swing Kulas disarmed him.  Lukas backed away as far as he dared, fighting against the darkness which held him captive.  The railing of the balcony bit into his back.

"No matter how clever we are, you never could have won," Kulas said.  Herobrine planned it too well."

He smirked one final time and kicked Lukas over the edge.

"I guess I'm the clever one," Lukas growled as he grabbed Kulas' foot. The both tumbled off of the balcony and plummeted towards the maze of walkways below.

"HEROBRINE!" Kulas shouted. "TELEPORT ME AWAY! HEROBRINE!"

"He's not coming!" Lukas shouted over the whistling wind. "We're both dead, but at least Jesse might survive!"

"No! NO!"

And then they collided with the unyielding surface of a walkway far below.