Drake's Quest

Caine

Drake wasn't sure how long he'd been walking. He clutched Collin's journal tightly in his hands as he walked, afraid if his grip loosened it would disappear into thin air. The air was getting colder, and ahead of him, Drake could see fluffy white flakes floating from the sky. Ugh. Great. Cause of his Ender half, Drake hated water. And any form of it.

Darkness clouded Drake's vision, and his spine stiffened as the voices in his mind grew louder, the sound of screaming and fire and death. A chillingly familiar voice rose above the rest. "Drake! No!" The voice rose into a wail at the end, and Drake gasped, rushing foreword, reaching out as if to grab the voice. Just for a second, he could see his face. Grayson. He had an arrow in his hip and blood trickling down his forehead. His eyes were full of horror, his mouth forming Drake's name. No! Drake cried out, falling down as tears fell down his face. Grayson disappeared from view. Drake's throat contracted. No. Not him. Please not him. Drake tried to stand, but he's knees gave out beneath him. Grayson! Drake's mind screamed his name, his eyes blurry with tears.

Please. A chuckle erupted in Drake's ear. Drake's Ender ear swiveled, trying to pinpoint where the sound was, but he couldn't tell. It sounded like it was right next to his ear. "Poor hybrid." Drake tensed at the deep voice of his worst enemy. Herobrine appeared, holding Drake's head in his hands, his face inches from Drake's.

Drake couldn't move, yet a mixture of hatred and fear seemed to overwhelm him. Then, suddenly, Herobrine's eyes stopped glowing. Drake felt shock freeze his limbs. His breath caught in his throat. Herobrine's eyes weren't white. They were silver, like shiny coins. His iris was like quicksilver, and his pupil, instead of black, was light gray, like storm clouds. Drake found them both cool and distracting at the same time. When they moved, they caught the light, luminous, but not in a blinding way like before. More like... lava glowing in the dark, but silver instead of red.

His eyes burned onto Drake's, searching. His thumb brushed Drake's cheek lightly. A shiver ran down Drake's spine, making his scales stand up straight. What was he doing? Drake closed his eyes, breathing deeply. When he opened them again, Herobrine was still watching him, his head turned slightly to the left. The screams pressed in against Drake's ears, and he flinched, closing his eyes again. His ears pressed against his head. Herobrine pulled Drake closer, holding the hybrid's head against his chest.

The screams slowly faded into the back of Drake's mind, and he realized that his ear was pressed against Herobrine's chest. Drake heard nothing. No heartbeat, no breathing, no nothing. Another shiver ran down Drake's spine. Herobrine's skin was warm, warmer than it should have been. Like the fire he summons was a part of him, like it burned indefinitely under his skin.

Herobrine stroked Drake's head, letting out a small chuckle. "Well, I don't know about that." He muttered, sounding amused. "You seem way to cold to me, but maybe that's to be expected. Endermen don't give off any body heat, after all. Their... What's the word humans use? Ah, yes. Cold-blooded."

His voice was deep and conversational, as if they'd just happened upon each other by chance. As if they had no history at all. Drake found this more chilling than if he'd decided to gloat Drake, or threaten him. At least those would be expected. This... Drake wasn't really sure what to think. What was he playing at?

"After all," Herobrine continued, "That is one reason they go to Earth. They soak up the suns rays, like a desert lizard. I think you might be similar. All those hours you'd spend, perched on top that temple, just sitting in the sun. It didn't make sense to me, until I considered your Ender half."

Drake was quiet. He'd never really thought about it. Heck, he hadn't even known Endermen were cold blooded. He'd just liked the feeling of sitting in the sun, or being close to warmth in general. Even now, a part of Drake liked being this close to Herobrine, because of how warm he was.

Herobrine held Drake tighter, sitting down and pulling Drake into his lap. "It's almost like we were made for each other." He whispered, smiling slightly. "Why else would we be so... connected?"

Drake's ears went flat against his head. No. Drake felt repulsed, even just the thought of what Herobrine was saying made Drake curl his lip in disgust. He was a murder. A demon. Herobrine had spent Drake's whole life trying to kill him. Drake wasn't even sure where this was coming from. He tried to pull away, but Herobrine held him tighter.

"Drake, stop." Herobrine's voice was firm, but not unsympathetic. "Calm yourself." Drake hissed in response. This was all his fault! If it weren't for him, Armen would still be alive! Grayson would still have a family! Because of him, millions of people lost their homes and their lives! Herobrine's grip tightened, wrapping his arms around Drake. Drake struggled, but he couldn't break free. "Drake, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't even exist." Herobrine hissed in his ear. Drake froze, sinking into Herobrine's warmth. He was right. A sob rose in Drake's throat, and he closed his eyes, crying silently.

It was a horrible truth, but still the truth. Herobrine embraced Drake, rubbing his back gently. "That was harsh of me." He murmured, making Drake blink. Herobrine had killed thousands of people, and this is what he decides is harsh?

Drake clutched Collin's journal tightly, and Herobrine sighed. "No clue why your carrying that old thing around." He muttered, frowning. "But whatever." Clearly he didn't care about the journal, which made Drake unsure if that was a good or bad thing. Either way, he felt comforted by it. He hoped Herobrine wouldn't take it from him. Herobrine gently lifted Drake's head so that they were looking at each other. He brushed his hand across Drake's face, wiping away his tears. "Hey."
His voice was very gentle, and his eyes met Drake's with the same gentleness. "I don't care if you want to carry that thing around, Ok? I'm not gonna take it from you."

He paused, brushing Drake's hair out of his face. "Your finally mine." He murmured, making Drake whimper. "This was all I ever wanted. You, powerless, completely at my mercy." Drake cried, and Herobrine pulled Drake back into his arms. "And I can have mercy." The Demon murmured, stroking Drake softly. "I never realized.... that you didn't know. I always thought you knew who you were... and who I was."

Herobrine's voice was very soft now. "I always thought you had chosen to protect them, but I see it now. You never had any choice..... And I can see that I hadn't helped much." Drake closed his eyes, exhausted and upset. He let Herobrine hold him, because he could see he didn't have much choice in the matter.

"You won't be this way forever." Herobrine muttered after a few moments. "I only need a host for a little while longer. Once this is all over, and Earth is mine, humanity will be extinct and I'll let you go. You can wander around as much as you like, come and go wherever you please. I won't hurt you."

Dread built in Drake's chest as Herobrine talked, and tears threatened when he thought about everything he knew and loved, burned to the ground, with no people left. It was the perfect way to hurt him. To destroy everything he held dear and then let him wander the ashes of the world he'd loved so much. He didn't need to torture Drake. Destroying his home would be enough.

Herobrine's hands stroked Drake's back, and the demon murmured. "And Drake?" He lifted Drake's chin so that they were eye to eye once more. He was smiling gently, which somehow made Drake's despair worse. "My name isn't Herobrine. That's just a nickname humans made for me." Drake stared at him, not comprehending. Ex-Herobrine smiled, showing his sharp teeth, like fangs.

"My real name is Caine."