Magic Meets Might

Cross the Line

3rd POV

A high pitched, keening scream echoes through a dark netherbrick tunnel. A ghast quiets its own cries. Pigmen cease their grunts. Much to the delight of an explorer, a wither skeleton slows its pursuit to a stop. A small family of magma creams huddle together in fear. It would seem the whole Nether heard the scream with all the commotion it causes. Rather, a lack thereof.

The only man unaffected is one of no heart, one who knows the origin of the scream and couldn't care less about its owner. Instead, his white eyes are trained on the floor as he pays the price for accepting magic beyond his capacity. He's not dying but as his code- his own soul- edits itself to be adequate, the process is very painful. But he endures. He knows this is what he's waited for. He knows that after this, he will be Notch's equal and he will fight with all the ferocity as if the powers of all three realms were at his side.

The girl from whose mouth the scream came is no longer restrained but huddled in a corner of the dungeon she is kept in. Her escaping is of no worry to Herobrine as he has what he needs from her. But he does not let her go- that would give his enemies a reason to still have hope. The Nether god may be evil but he's not a liar and he'd never want to give anyone false hope.

Unbeknownst to him, Cassandra is using what shred of magic she has left to contact an emergency team. It's a short message but it costs what stamina she was going on.

Ends all: 312 hrs. Unlock ports. for full atck. on HB cast. TC. Moo.co. Launch, swarm, conquer. I kill Herobrine.

From that message, everyone in the Overworld on her side would be rallying to the portal hubs and vaults. They'd be there to guard against what would come out. Only a handful of people will actually be going in. What is left of the friends Cassandra made will be at her side when all of this ends.

"Sissy! Guess who I brought for you to play with!" A shrill grind of metal on stone alerts the dragoness to Herobrine's strong towering figure. A bulky shape is kicked into the cell and a sharp crack of bones indicates whatever his foot collided with is broken. The door slams shut and the light fades, leaving Cassandra with the mystery shape.

Faded on what looks like a cape is the symbol of Mojang. Only a few people in this world have earned such an embellishment.

"Notch?"

The shape groans and turns over to reveal the bloody, beaten face of her older brother. Cassandra rushes to his side and wedges an arm under his shoulder, supporting him enough that together, Notch is sitting upright against the crimson brick wall.

13 days to return Notch to health?

Diligently, as any sister would, for five days Cassandra slides her portions of bread and cheese to Notch. By the sixth day, the god is able to open his eyes and actually focus on her- not just stare into space.

By the seventh, they begin conversation.

"Notch, I need the endcode for Herobrine."

Since her older brother disappeared, the mage accepted that he was right. Herobrine has swum far off the deep end and no amount of life preservers will bring him back. Cassandra knew before that there was a possibility of that but she never truly accepted that in her heart until only a week ago when the white-eyed man shoved Notch into a cage as if he were nothing more important than an ore-less stone.

Her request is met with silence from her brother. Notch never gave those commands to anyone- not even admins.

The one-sided conversation continues as Cassandra continues to plead and Notch continues to ignore. After hours of this, the younger says one string of words that hits home:

"I bet you gave Seto the endcodes," Cassandra hisses, anger and contempt lacing her voice.

Fire springs to life, bright and deadly. Cassandra hurls herself back against the far wall as Notch's body is enveloped in the gold flickering tongues. When his eyes open, they're blinding white and empty.

"Yes!" The Minecraftian god booms. The castle shakes and a strong whirlwind picks up within the cell. "Yes foolish girl and look where it got him! You may think as you've nursed me that I was idle but I have seen," The light is so intense, Cassandra looks away with a wing shielding her eyes.

All at once, whatever energy there was disappears and the cell seems darker than ever. Notch's coal-black eyes focus on her with tears making streams across his ruddy cheeks. "I have seen him dead- well and truly this time."

"Oh Notch..." She realizes her folly and reaches out a hand.

He doesn't take it but continues to himself, "I saw the light fade from his eyes as he accepted his fate... I saw what he saw- his dying wish." Notch's voice cracks with sorry and he is forced to whisper. "Keep silent child and ask not what it was. I will not betray a man's dying wish."

On what could have been the morning (in the Nether, one can't tell) of the eighth day, Cassandra roused herself to Herobrine staring at her through the bars of their cell.

The Nether god smiles to see her awaken and reveals his demonic teeth to see her cringe under his gaze. "Glad to see you're still here. I looked on the cam last night and thought Notch's outburst lost me a sister."

"What do you want, beast?" Cassandra hisses and brings her wings close to her body, ready to defend herself and her brother Notch.

"I came to get you. We're going on a trip to the Overworld."

"We're what?!" That wasn't the plan. They won't know what to do- that wasn't the plan! Cold sweat breaks out on Cass's forehead as the gate opens and magic wraps around her. Herobrine lifts her body out of the cage and it swings shut behind them.

Done up with a crystal-gilded purple ribbons in her hair and silver makeup around her eyes, Cassandra feels like a hog dressed at the dinner table. She hangs by chains in the center of a large obsidian ring. Crystals decorate the lattice too, glittering in the firelight of the Nether. During the preparations, Herobrine called her his dream catcher.

The Wither Boss hoists her into the air behind a man covered head to toe in pure diamond armor stained crimson and black. He needs no steed, no right hand man or anyone to call even a near-equal. Herobrine's cold white eyes contradict the temperatures of his realm as the parade of Nether mobs near a massive portal lit on the side of a mountain.

As the veil of purple closes over me, I can begin to see the Overworld swimming in my vision. A sun, blue sky, and green that I have so long missed. Home, I cast a glance to Herobrine, and he will not hesitate to burn it all.

Amassed behind a rampart wall of spells and shields is the entirety of the mortal armies, at the head of which are my friends. At the center of the vanguard stand three men, bold and strong. Sky, clad in golden armor, Deadlox with wings not unlike my own, and Mitch with a diamond axe nearly his height resting at his side.

Standing behind them is my old friend clad in whatever high tech armor she makes and the gauntlets glow with blue code around her wrists. All have a renewed light in their eyes and are more than ready to defend their home.

Sporting the seal of my magic and on his back, a scythe of black diamond, Herobrine stands before a chalk line drawn around the portal. There are no monsters yet, no unsheathed swords- that is, until he raises a foot and crosses the line.

Then all hell breaks loose.