Heroerbus smirked that ever so powerful grin. My stomach almost jerked me back into the damned portal from which I came, and my head spun almost on instant. I could've sworn her piercing white eyes were even whiter with hell itself...

"Is that so?" Heroerbus stood slowly from the chipped and crumbling thrown that once belonged to me. My hands burned with a familiar sting.

"I thought you would at least have some more respect for your elders. It seems your still the same brat you've always been." She flicked her tan wrist and up appeared a glowing red flame. She stared at it longingly, almost in sorrow. "So naïve you are, so... weak."

I didn't have time to process her next actions before I was on the ground and my arm sizzled in heating pain. My mouth hung open, my eyes wide, the burning in my arm more than I could possibly bare. I glanced up at her, my face ridden in pure hatred and disgust as my free hand grasped onto my currently stinging arm. I attempted to stand, my legs weak and my nerves reacting more and focusing on the pain in my left arm.

"There's... There's a reason why I'm back Heroerbus... And I'm sure you know what for..."

She looked at me, an eyebrow raised, before lowering her gaze to me, a narrowed fixated glare.

"Oh, I am aware MsSkye Ender. You want your kingdom back, I propose." In response, I shot a daggered look at her with the most hatred possible.

"Correct... And I'm willing to fight once again for it..."

A million thoughts and questions ran through my head at a billion times a second.

Where was Nightmare? Where were my citizens? Who all has fallen to Heroerbus's wrath and even worst; what had actually happened after the war? What about what took place the days after the incident? So many more ran through me but I was getting overwhelmed.

"There's no possible way you could defeat me MsSkye! You've seen the last time you attempted to defeat me; you were practically pronounced dead before the battle even began!" A rippling laughter escaped her lips and she arched her back backwards, the echo of her menacing laugh bouncing off the end stone. My guts churned. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. Why in the world did I think I could defeat her this time?

"Heroerbus!" A voice boomed. I spun my head back, Heiro's red face and messy hair present before us, his rising and falling chest movements noticeable even from the distance we held from each other. Heroerbus chuckled a bit, her gaze shifting from me to my half brother. As smart as he can be sometimes, this isn't one of his brightest moments.

"Heiro!" I seethed through clenched teeth. I mentally face palmed at his incredibly horrible timing.

I had a chance to defeat Heroerbus once and for all. My End Rage should be as powerful as ever since I haven't done in years. All I required was Heiro's distraction... An end rage should be enough to kill her, especially if she's off guard...

She snapped her head back, glaring at me. I jumped slightly to her sudden movements, and froze. That was fucking creepy.

"Don't even think about it, Skye." I swallowed hard. Fuck.

"I know what you want..." She seethed. Heiro yelped as he began hovering over the ground, suddenly being squeezed. He heaved, his body tighten. I narrowed my eyes, trying not to focus on the stingy in my chest at the sight of my brother.

"...And what's that..." I mumbled, my gaze shifting from Heiro back to Heroerbus. I attempted to act like Heiro's vulnerable state didn't bother me, but my eye began to twitch and my guts began to feel heavier than normal in my chest. Heiro attempted to look in my direction with pleading and sudden bloodshot eyes.

"You want your kingdom back; your friends, your life. But if you want it so bad, then we'll play a little game for it. We both know you can't defeat me on your own, so really you have no choice." Her deathly creepy smile widened.

Heiro's figure settles in my field of vision. He gasped for air, his hands scratching at the invisible force that held him four blocks above the ground by his neck. I winced. As much as I didn't want to see Heiro or any of my friend being hurt, especially by Heroerbus, I couldn't let Heroerbus know that what she was doing was getting to me. As Herio's gasp became less intense, the more I began to give into Heroerbus and her evil ways.

"Tick. Tock."

She stood on the the crumbling cobblestone, her face contorted into pure pleasure and enjoyment. Her eyes narrowed at me while she tightened the grip in her hands, Herio's air supply sinking with each flinch of movement. I broke the silence, my voice cracking unwillingly,

"Fine! I'll play you're little game just leave him out of it!"

Her smile grew in satisfaction to my giving in. A few second later she hesitantly dropped Heiro to the Endstone, my stepbrother laying with a gasp and a choke, his hands quickly making they're place around his own neck in disbelief. I twitched at the view.

"That's what I thought." She spoke with a deep growl, her footsteps echoing off the cobblestone as she stepped down the few steps that led to the throne. She stood just ten blocked away from my weakened state. No matter what I did - End Rage or not - I know deep down I'm to weak to fight. I mean, I just woke from a year coma not even twenty-four hours ago! What was I thinking?

As Heroerbus said the next few menacing words, I knew exactly what I was fighting for.

"Find the others."

My gaze became bitter but baffled. Find the others? Who IS the 'others'? 

"...What... others...?"

Heroerbus lowered her head, her white eyes still set on me.

"You will soon discover. With time..." Her grimace was nefarious.

"I will give you five days to find and defeat all nine of the others. If you fail by sundown on the fifth day, you're kingdom, and you-" I swallowed hard, " are mine."

I clutched my fist fiercely. I not only had no idea what she was talking about, but now I had no choice if I wanted a semi-normal life back. I was betting my life on something that I had no idea about... My chest was raging with a deep hatred. My arm began to feel numb at my sudden burst of adrenaline I was receiving, the burn mark from Heroerbus's fire ball swollen and still sizzling on my skin.

My head boggled. How was I to do this? The others? 'The others' could mean a thousand different things! It was quite possible that I was biting off more than I can chew...

My eyes wondered from Heiro's shocked state and back to Heroerbus's sneerful and tapered gaze.

Either way, I didn't have any other choices. I'd have to do this; to rid the world of the brines', of my wretched bloodline... to save my kingdom of sixty- two generations of royalty to the End.

I clinched my teeth and looked away, my fist balled up as I wanted desperately to punch her dead in her glowing eyes. She's treating all of this like it's a game of cat and mouse. She obviously isn't going to make this easy... I guess I'll just be forced to play along to her little game.. at least until I get up the strength to fight back properly...

"...It's... It's only fair if I get a hint."

Heroerbus tapped her chin as she gazed upward into the starry void. She hummed, her other free arm Resting on her propped one.

"Alright MsSkye. I guess a little hint is only fair..." 

She held out her hand, a snickered look plastered to her face. Her hand ruptured into a teal flame, engulfing her entire hand and illuminating myself and her. I was tentative; but what other choice did I have? I shook it, the flame spreading to my hand as well. I must be disappointing my ancestors' in Arcadia, for this had to be one of the dumbest mistakes of my life. I just didn't realize that until my hand was black with a curse all the way to my mid-arm. I shouldn't have expected anything less from a demon from hell; so I paid no attention to my hand. Hopefully it wasn't permanent. The smirk on her face showed she was pleased.

The damned women pressed her hands together firmly, her smirk replaced with an ever-so-attention-grabbing scowl. Slowly, but increasingly brightly, a bright blue flame emerged from her hands, before becoming a solid ball of flaming gas. I stared, bewildered. This tiny ball of gas can't possibly be her idea of a hint... 

Abruptly, the blue ball rushed behind Heroerbus as briskly as it had come to life, causing me and Heroerbus's hair to frolic rapidly. Caught off guard, I leaped slightly into the air at the sudden movements, my eyes gaping wide. Heroerbus could only snigger at me, a distasteful yet satisfied glare to her expression. I looked from her to the blue ball that now floated near the top of the stairs.

"You have 20 minutes, before my game officially begins." She paused. Her eyes set on mine.

"Nine other. Five days. One of you. Either you receive you're kingdom or a death wish. I'm always watching..." With that, she vanished, her ear piercing guffaw fading to a quiet snicker before completely dying out. The bright blast of purple smashed against the wall behind where she once stood, now etched and smothering way. I shook my hand from the remaining fire sparks that rested on my hand and died out.

Son of a bitch.

My eyes shifted lazily around the ground. Just as fast as everything seemed so normal and well off; it all falls to shit again. I had not a clue what she meant. Nine others? Nine other what's!? I only had two opinions; either find whatever this 'nine others' is, or lost my life and what's left of my kingdom to Heroerbus. I do NOT want to go down in Ender history as the first and last queen to lose her kingdom to Herobrine; Herobrine's TWIN SISTER at that... Notch, if all sixty- two of my ancestor's can deal with Herobrine's wrath for all of these centuries, then I'm sure I can do the same!

Heiro's shaky cough brought me out of my thoughts and back to reality. I hastily made my way to Heiro's side, sliding an arm under him and using my tiny frame to hopefully lift the tall young adult from off his knees. When he promptly lifted his head up, I noticed his facial language matched mine from not more than twenty seconds ago. Once he swiftly steady his self upon the darken Endstone he spoke almost harshly.

"Skye! Wha-" He huffed for air," What were you thinking!? You could have gotten yourself hurt, or even worst KILLED!" His eyes instantly shifted to the very obvious discoloration of my hand. It was clear by his reaction that he was to busy choking on his own breath to notice I had made a deal with the devil.

"And what happened to your hand!?" It took him a hot second before the puzzles fit in his head. He began to shake his head slow at first, but more progressively fast as the seconds ticked by.

"You didn't...-"

"-I did."

"Skye!? What were you thinking!?"

"I was then I wasn't okay!?! I get I made a mistake- but what else was I suppose to do?"

"You could have NOT  agreed! Or at the very least try and change how the game is played! And I know you Skye," My eyes downcast toward the ground," You react to harshly and don't think. She isn't going to make this easy, and she always has loopholes around her deals."

I absentmindedly rolled my eyes half way to the side. "Well, I think I handled it pretty well, considering you barged in and almost got yourself suffocated."

Heiro used my shoulder to steady himself before dusting off his attire. His neck held onto a very salient red mark.

"Anyway, the point is, you can't just go running off like that! I'm surprised you didn't try and attempt to fight her as soon as you saw her!-"

"Trust me, I had to hold myself back-"

"-There is reason that we tried to keep you away from here; and didn't tell you about the war, or about our aunt."

I crossed my arms. "Considering the circumstances, and how extremely fucked up everything seems to be as of now, it better be a damn near good one."

I didn't get to catch what Heiro began to fuse about. Next thing I knew, I was standing at where the blue ball of gas was just at, watching it drift further up the broken stair case. The castle was in complete ruins, the cobblestone in some places mossy and so cracked that it was promised by the state of my home that something very bad happened when I left. I wish that Heiro would stop being so stubborn and tell me what happened after the incident... Especially the part about how everyone seems to still be alive and living "happily" in Minetopia.

Heiro's panting followed close behind me, his voice now loud as it reverberated off the stone walls.

"You know, if you're going to be flying at least let me catch up to you."

I immediately looked down and observed the distance between myself and the ground. I shrugged, and one foot at a time lowered myself back into the ground. Weird how I didn't even seem to remember being off the ground in the first place. I would have definitely recalled the extra strength it takes to fly with these mechanical wings...

"Thank you."  Herio announced irritated. I blew a raspberry in respond, turning down a corridor to follow behind the ultramarine orb. I couldn't recognize the section of the castle we we're in, the year of abandonment of my home causing dark green moss to over grow the walls and ceilings. Mushrooms sprouted out from cracks in the corner of walls and the floors. I wasn't quite sure how fungi even grew in a place like the End in the first place...

"By the way," Heiro began; I swear I don't recall him being this annoying, " I'm still trying to figure out why it took you so long to help me back there. Ya' know, being I was almost choked to death." I felt his eyes melt into the back of my head as we continued to walk about the castle, following whatever this was that Heroerbus conjured up. I'd be lying if part of me didn't already believe that this little orb was some how a trap of sorts.

"There's something called not cracking under pressure."

He snickered, " Look how far that got you."

I whipped back around toward him. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't going to stand by and watch her actually  kill you! If you hadn't followed me here in the first place you wouldn't have been in that situation!"

He looked taken aback, his eyes softening from his once harden appearance. "Skye..." He settled a hand on my shoulder, " Whether or not this Kingdom is mine, it still rightfully belongs to you. As your older half brother - and also the son and  first born child of thee most vile creature in all of Minecraftia - It's my responsibility to aid you and help rid the universe of Herobrine AND his sister. I mean, whether we like it or not Skye, we are the first descents of Herobrine. We are his bloodline-"

I pressed my finger to his lips, his teal and white eye down-turned into a disapproving glare.

"I don't care what my bloodline says. I will NEVER  acknowledge him anything more than a monster. I just so happened to be cursed with this harsh reality. Nothing more-"

The tumbling and sounds of objects colliding with the floor caught my attention. I took my finger away from Heiro's face, my own turned to face around the corner and down the corridor. The sound rung out again, and just as hastily as the sound began I was in the library listening. The library was enormous but looked horrendous; the bookshelves chipped and dusty, filled with a cobweb in ever nook and cranny. The large fireplace held deep gashes in it's mantle, the surrounding red and gold trimmed furniture was grimy and deserted, the once vibrant red now faded. I focused my eyes around the room in search of the blue orb. I only noticed it across the room when it slid in-between two books, the books bumping back into each other after it had slipped through. What in the world is this literal devil spawn doing?!

I lifted myself off the ground unwittingly, the sound of my own light-weight wings no registering with my ears. I made my way to where the blue orb was, hastily and without caution rummaging my hand in around between the two books.

"Come here you piece of!-"

Feverishly, I seized a navy blue book, but instead of dropping off the gritty shelf it pulled back out of my grasp. I froze, the ground rumbling under my me. Heiro - who had been watching the less than a minute long ordeal - began to shake and out spread his arms to steady his self from the quiver.

Dust and debris rushed around us, the fire place wall now substituted with a rather wide doorway. I turned back to Heiro, his hair still ruffled and his eyes prominent. He looked from me to the passage way several times. I went to look back at the now new entry way but was met with the blue orb, not even a block away from my face. I gulped the air I hadn't realized I had been holding.

The orb moved down into the passage before disappearing. I followed close behind. This better not one of Heroerbus's elaborate traps...

The blue glowing orb lead us down the passageway, illuminating the walls. It wasn't much longer before we were met with a fairly large door, the details and engravings on said door were elaborate and had to of been hand crafted. Out of all my sixteen years of spending torturous and lonely days behind these castle walls I would have figured I knew every single hidden passage way that there was to be had in this place I once considered a home and a prison. Since being out of a coma and back here I've surprised myself, nonetheless.

In the center of the door was a perfect rounded-diamond shape. The orb had by now slipped in-between the door, avoiding cob webs and the dusty atmosphere. Heiro and I, however, had been less fortunate, and found ourselves caught in a cobweb, batting away at the silk webs. After a short battle with the cobwebs we were met at the door, the very top towering over us. 

"What is this place...?" Heiro shuddered, the cold of the air disheartening. 

"I wish I knew..."

"Your saying you never knew this place existed?" His hand ran over the engravings on the door.

"Not a clue..." I responded in awe, also feeling the engravings on the door. They had to be in an ancient long-forgotten Ender language, for it was almost impossible for me to decipher the meanings. It definitely wasn't modern day Enderian. I stared at the rounded-diamond shape in the center of the door.

"How do you think we open it?" Heiro asked, pushing on the door with his shoulder. It didn't budge.

I reached in my pocket for the one thing I've been reminded of what my destiny is. The diamond shaped gem glowed a faint amethyst. 

I stuck it promptly in the hole, it surprisingly fit in the odd shape. I waited for something- anything, but it didn't come. Of course Heiro was still trying to push on the door, his grunts getting more annoying. We were wasting time-

With another rumble it shifted, Heiro's exclaims of woah 's almost as loud as the creaking of the heavy door as he tumbled forward with the motion.

With a gush of wind it opened, our coughing so heavy it could be seen as dramatic. Once the dust had cleared and we wacked the dust away, the room was in view... partly. It was still dark, a small ray of light pouring in from a cracked pane in the ceiling. 

We cautiously stepped into the room, the sound of our boots echoing off the walls. The very first thing that I noticed was the pedestal in the center of the room. The light from the ceiling had ironically settled on the covered pedestal. as well as the orb. It was something about it that drew me toward it; and not just because the orb was sitting above it. Before removing the tethered brown sheet from the pedestal, I scanned the room again. There was the noticeable light squeaks of bats near the ceiling, as well as the dark outline of a very tall statue like figure that I couldn't make out. Heiro also tumbled around the room in the dark, feeling about in an attempt to see what things could be in the slim light guided by the stars of the void.

There was a surge of wind that cascaded over the room, causing me and Heiro to grab ourselves and shiver. I looked toward his shape on the other side of the room. I had a hard time seeing him, even in the small light. A stronger gush blew pass, abruptly light flooded the room. We shrilled, the suddenness of the light more frightening than the creepiness' of the room. Of course, now that we could see, our scream came to a stop, and we blew out a long held breath in relieve. I looked around once more, the air musty and stiff, the abundance of now lit candles scattered all over. I'm sure Heiro was thinking the same thing by the look on his face. How did these all get lit..?

And then I noticed it. Heiro had too as well; he began to gape about the room with his eyes. I traipse toward one of the walls, my brows furrowed in perplexity. Dust filled my nostrils once more, coughing consuming my lungs. The amount of dust in this place was horrific, let alone healthy for any mortal. It was clear by dust covering every surface. 

Clash!

I turned behind me, Heiro looking up from the ground to me with an almost sorry face. Of course, he'd be the one to break something. 

"Sorry!" He mustered from behind, shrugging his shoulders. 
I glanced at the ground to see the glass. I couldn't be bothered and just rolled my eyes. I went back to the covering on the wall. It had to be covering a painting; several of these covers were scattered around the wall in an symmetrical order. I gradually tugged on the sheet, it eventually falling off with a slick silky sound. I gasped, covering my mouth, eyes gapped. Heiro came up behind me, staring intensely at the portrait.

"Who-"

Without missing a beat, I replied, "Late Queen Ahleahi of the End. My grandmother."