I need to get shorter chapter titles

But this line was funny lmao 

Guys look I published a chapter at a reasonable time :D

And I edited it outside :) it's nice out here

Prolly mitsakes

K bye

★   ☆   ★   ☆   ★ 

Previously on: The Warrior

I walked to the middle of the roof and sat down cross-legged. There, I closed my eyes, and let the tugging sensation come to me as it did before.

This time, I tried to concentrate on pushing myself toward it. The pain in my head grew. When the wall started to hit me, I nearly lost concentration from the stabbing session my brain appeared to be going through. I inhaled and exhaled, and kept shoving myself through. My mind felt hotter than lava, and I was starting to feel dizzy enough to faint.

Finally, the pain left. I felt relieved, as if I broke past the wall.

I opened my eyes.

★   ☆   ★   ☆   ★

I was still on the roof. However, it was daytime. I got up in confusion, and when I turned, I saw two people were on the roof with me.

I took a step back, worried they'd hear or see me. But then I recognized the back of one of the figures as younger Kat. Her and another person were sitting on the ledge, talking.

"I just don't understand." Young Kat sounded like she was nearly in tears. "Why would they keep it from me? After all of these years?"

"It seems like they were being selfish, keeping you from the truth."

I felt anger when I heard that voice. Anger and hatred. It clearly belonged to Herobrine. He was in his regular person disguise--the one he wore when he first met the younger me. How did he get up to the roof? Did Nathan and Sophie really let him in?

"But why? Why be selfish? They hurt me."

"People can be cruel." The disguised Herobrine sighed. "People are flawed. They're hurtful."

"But, you're not." Young Kat sniffled.

Oh, honey.

I walked over to the side a little bit away from them as Herobrine said, "And you're not either, Luna. Guess that's what makes us such good friends, huh?"

I forgot my name used to be Luna. I made it to the side of the roof just in time to see Young Kat give a small smile. "Yeah." Then, it was gone, replaced with anger and sadness. "I hate them. I hate them for not telling me I was adopted."

I peeked over the edge and saw ladders placed on the wall all the way down to the ground in the alley. Okay, so my theory that he flew was probably not true.

A moment of silence passed between the two. It hurt me badly to see an innocent child feel so trusting toward a monster. It also frustrated me that I so easily hated my adoptive parents. But I had to watch, as it was the only thing I could do, and it was giving me answers.

"I should have known, too!" She exclaimed. "Like you said, I don't look anything like them! And I haven't changed appearance; maybe that's because I'm adopted! I'm just not with the right family. A good family."

"'A good family.'" Herobrine chuckled. "Wish I knew what that was like."

Young Kat looked up at him and tilted her head. "Brian, you said you don't have a family, right?"

Brian? How original.

He sighed again, with melancholy dripping from it. "I used to. I had a daughter. But she was taken from me long ago."

There was silence again. Then, Young Kat said, "How long ago?"

"Years and years. Twelve, to be precise. She was very new to the world."

"I'm twelve..." Young Kat's eyes widened. I could see in her expression she was trying to piece things together. "She... did she die? Could she be alive?"

He looked up in thought. He was a great actor. "She could be alive, yes. I had tried to find her, but after many years I had to stop to keep my sanity. I still hope I will be able to meet her someday."

"Do you..." She swallowed. "Do you think you could be my dad?"

Herobrine laughed. To her, it probably sounded like he was shocked by her abruptness. To me, however, I knew he was laughing because it was way too easy. "That's a bold thing to consider. But then again... we do look alike."

I hated how easily Heorbrine's plan came together. And how excited Kat looked. She got up and walked onto the roof more. "We do! And we're so much alike, and we get along so easily! It already felt like you were family! We... we must be! It makes so much sense!" She looked at him. "We should be."

Sitting on the edge, I decided to get comfortable watching the show.

"Hold on... are you suggesting that you want to run away?"

I groaned. "Oh come on, Herobrine, that was such a reach."

After saying that I gasped, because I didn't think I would be able to speak, as I couldn't last time. Luckily, no one acknowledged me.

"Well..." Young Kat looked at the ground. "I wanna, but I don't know if I can just leave..."

"Why not?" Herobrine asked, standing up as well. "You said you hated Nathan and Sophie, and if you believe we are family, what's stopping you?"

"I'm... scared..."

Herobrine walked over to her with a warm smile (which made me gag), and knelt down. "Kat, don't ever be scared of knowing who you are."

She jerked her head up. "Kat...?"

Herobrine definitely made a mistake by calling her Kat instead of Luna, but I assumed he would just say something along the lines of 'That was your birth name I gave you', which was technically true... probably.

However, his eyes suddenly widened, and he backed up as if bracing himself for something big.

I was confused, but then the wind started to pick up. The entire blue sky changed to a bright golden color, then dimmed to a yellow gray. A glowing light appeared on the far corner of the roof, making Herobrine take another step back. I stood up.

"Luna, get behind me." Herobrine warned. "Now!"

Young me quickly ran behind him just as the light grew bright enough for both of me to shield our eyes. Then, a figure appeared. An angry figure. A bald, angry figure with black eyes and a beard.

Notch.

I had never seen him that angry.

"Herobrine!" He growled, striding toward the two. "You broke our agreement!"

"I did no such thing." The evil god held his ground. He sounded confident, but I could tell he felt unsteady from the wind. "I honored all parts of the deal... it just wasn't specific enough. That was your fault."

Notch continued forward, fury in his eyes. "You know you've done wrong. You turned her against her family."

"Who, the family that you chose?" Herobrine rolled his eyes. "Please. This was biased from the start."

"Leave now!" Notch roared. "Or suffer the consequences."

"You leave!"

Everyone looked at Young Kat when she said that. My jaw dropped. Notch looked terrifying... I was shocked I had stood up to him when he was that angry.

Notch's face softened, but the wind didn't die down. "Child, I am so sorry you have to go through this. But this man... he is not who he says he is."

"I am her father!" Herobrine exclaimed, putting a hand on Kat's shoulder. "She chose me! Right?" He looked down at her.

"Uh..." Young Kat glanced between the two, not sure what to say. Her bravery was gone, and I didn't blame her.

"Herobrine, we must discuss this privately. Actions will be taken, and punishment will be given." Notch had calmed down for her, and was being fair and just as expected.

"The time for talking is over. You've tried to take too much from me. Now I'm finally going to have what was rightfully mine." Herobrine snarled.

Suddenly, Young Kat tore away from him, and ran to the side, closer to me. She looked at the ladder, then back at the two of them, scared.

The two gods stared back at her. Notch had pity on his face, and Herobrine had frustrated regret.

"You're scaring her away," Notch calmly said. "What else did you expect when she saw your true side?"

Herobrine whipped his head toward his brother with a burning hatred. His eyes started glowing the white that I was used to, and he flew through the air to charge at Notch.

Notch moved out of the way at the last second. Herobrine turned around, and threw a fireball at him, but he caught it and held it until it dissolved into nothing.

We all noticed Young Kat climb over the ledge to get down the ladders. Herobrine determinedly flew toward her, reaching for her. However, Notch intercepted him a block before he could grab her, and touched his shoulder. The contact wasn't even harsh, but Herobrine flew back behind a few buildings as if he had been body-slammed.

 Notch made a split-second decision. He grabbed Young Kat's arm, and started to glow.

"I'm taking you to the home of the gods. Where Herobrine won't get you." Notch assured Young Kat, who was too scared to say anything.

"No!" Herobrine bellowed, charging forward again.

The two were enveloped in a glow as bright as before, and I shielded my eyes again. When I opened them, the two were gone, and only Herobrine was standing where they were just a second before.

I backed away, even though he couldn't see me. But the fury on his twisted face was scary enough for me to be worried even in a flashback.

Then, he shouted out one more frustrated roar, and the whole world turned black.

But only for a split second. There were quick flashes of the Nether-- of Herobrine's massive army, of General Enderman, of an evil-looking throne. Then, quick pictures of a place I had never seen before - an island floating in darkness. There seemed to be no sun around, but a shadow was casted upon the island of something flying overhead. Something big. I heard Herobrine's roar again, but this time it was mixed with another's... something more beastlike. It grew in volume until I thought my ears would explode, and I finally yanked myself away.

I opened my eyes, breathing heavily in a cold sweat. Turning my head around, I saw that I was still sitting on the roof. It was nighttime. No one was with me.

I looked at the ground, my shoulders sagging with exhaustion. That had drained way too much out of me.

I finally got answers.

That was how I left my adoptive family. Herobrine nearly convinced me to join him. Notch had taken me to the Aether. But how did I get in the water? And what in the Nether was that other place? It looked so cold... and lonely.

Laying down, I stared at the sky, and let out a long groan.

I spent about ten minutes on the roof, my back against the quartz. The night sky was a beautiful view as always, but I was really zoned out and wasn't even paying attention.

Then, I heard a parade of movement right below me, and figured the others were back. When I got up, my head felt sore. It took me a few seconds of standing still for it to fade, and then I left the roof.

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

Ash was wet again.

As I walked out of my room, he was grumpily wringing his jacket out in a bucket that Sophie was providing. The others were snickering about it, but with the way they were praising Mastermind and Glitch, I could tell they were to blame.

"Did you guys disrupt another public area?" I asked in an amused manner, as I already knew the answer.

'Don't worry, we didn't get kicked out." Skye assured me.

"A security guard just... politely asked us to leave." Elly shrugged, grinning.

Most of them chuckled at that.

I sighed. "I really hope President Rona doesn't automatically hate us when we see her."

"About that..." Sophie whispered.

"Are you okay, Kat?" Abby didn't seem to hear her. "What happened?"

"I'm fine, I'll explain later." I walked forward. "Sophie, what's going on? Are we not seeing President Rona?"

She scrunched up her face, and walked over to the table. Grabbing a letter, she handed it to me. "My friend's response."

I carefully read the handwriting. "We were denied? Not even the secretary's assistant could see us? How busy could they be?"

"Apparently problems rose at MineMail, and the zoo, and the redstone factory... so they are getting spread pretty thin."

I looked up at the group, who were all fascinated with the furniture and floor.

"Guys..." I groaned. "You couldn't have behaved yourselves for one day?"

"Hey, we exercised our right of freedom!" Infinity defended herself.

"It's gonna be okay," Rein assured, "We can try to find a more casual way to meet her. We were never good with going with the system, anyway."

"Any ideas, anyone?"

"Let's break into her mansion!" Gordon exclaimed, raising his hand.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Right, because that went so well last time."

"What happened last time?" Nathan asked from his desk.

"Nothing!" We all exclaimed.

Mastermind rubbed his temples. "Maybe the way to Jeb isn't through Rona. Maybe we can find him another way."

"How are we supposed to find a recluse in the second largest city in the world?" Scarlet crossed her arms.

"Maybe he's not in the city." I realized. "Notch said he had heard Jeb lived in the city, but that was years ago. What if he moved out?"

"So now we have the whole world to search now?" She asked incredulously.

"Not the whole world." Sophie interrupted.

"Sophie..." Nathan got up.

"Nathan, we're being selfish." She scolded him, and turned back to us. With a sigh, she continued. "We don't know where Jeb is, but we do know someone who could." She looked at Nathan.

He exhaled, obviously not approving of what she was doing. "A while back, while I was doing research for a book, I visited an automated minecart factory in the plains east from here. The owner was a grouch, but he mentioned that he knew Jeb."

"Who?" Yuri demanded.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" I asked.

Nathan and Sophie shared that look. Before, it looked suspicious, but now it looked more like they were disappointed and ashamed. Then, Sophie spoke, "We were being selfish. We did plan on telling you eventually, but we just wanted you around a little while longer."

"After all," Nathan offered a sad smile, "we lost years of time with you. But that really isn't much of an excuse when you have the world to save."

I felt hurt that they would delay the quest, but at the same time I understood why. "Guys, I'm really sorry."

"We're sorry." They both wrapped me in a hug. Then, they broke apart, and Sophie turned to the group. "I'm sorry we kept you for so long."

"Eh," Infinity shrugged. "We didn't lose a lot of time. Besides, we had fun here."

The rest agreed, telling her it's alright and they also had fun.

J cleared his throat. "So does this mean we're gonna head to the minecart factory next?"

I stared at my parents and their sad expressions.

"Yes," Sophie nodded with a smile. "You should go."

"But..." Nathan added, "in the morning?"

I looked at the group, and they didn't seem opposed to the idea.

"I'm okay with getting some good sleep." Glitch yawned. "It's been a busy day."

"Yeah." Ash glared at him. "I bet it was for you."

"But would you kids like some dinner first?" Sophie asked, walking over to the kitchen. "It's only an hour after sunset, and I doubt you all ate. I can make rabbit stew."

"Yes, please!" Yuri exclaimed.

Everyone looked at him, and he shrugged. "What? I like rabbit stew."

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

After dinner, we chatted a bit more with my adoptive parents. But then, Abby brought it up again.

"So, Kat," Abby said, "Why did you leave early?"

I pressed my lips together tightly. Everyone was waiting for an answer. I was thinking about not telling them, but I didn't have enough time to come up with an excuse.

Also, I could just leave some stuff out. They deserved to know everything, but I couldn't give them everything yet. However, I could let them in on some things.

So I told them about Herobrine visiting me, and getting me to trust him. When I explained that he made me realize I was adopted, Nathan and Sophie looked pained. I finished the rest of the story by making it seem like Herobrine tried to steal me from Notch and raise me as his own.

"Wow..." Skye whispered. "How scary did Notch look?"

"I never imagined I'd see that much anger in his eyes." I shuddered. "He could definitely look evil."

"So you went to the Aether?" Abby asked. "It's actually real? Those gods are real?"

"I guess so? I don't know. I can't remember anything from the Aether."

"What if you went and meditated again?" Rein suggested.

"I don't think that would work. I think the only reason why it did work on the roof was because the event was there."

"That's honestly crazy." Mastermind shook his head. "I can't believe that happened."

"At least we know Notch can hold his own in a fight." Skye shrugged. When Jona elbowed him, he exclaimed, "What?! If a fight comes, I would like a god that could punch as well."

"There's more." I continued, ignoring him. "When Herobrine shouted at the end, I had visions." I explained what I saw in the Nether, and at the other place.

"That sounds like the End." Yuri said, nonchalantly. When we all stared at him, he sighed. "Well, come on. Is it not obvious? What place in the Overworld or the Nether is pitch black and floating? Even night doesn't get that dark. It's obviously another dimension."

I guess we all didn't actually expect an answer from him, because we were even more surprised with an answer.

"Well that wasn't as mysterious as I thought it would be." Gordon said.

"You heard a roar, though?" Jazz asked. "And saw something flying? Is it a monster?"

"I don't know." I stared at the ground. "But if it randomly showed up, it must be important. I think... I think we're supposed to go there."

Sophie laughed. "Go to the dimension where no one has come back from? That's incredibly dangerous! You're not serious, right?"

We stared at her.

"Seriously?" Nathan asked, also in disbelief.

"Doing impossible things doesn't really seem as difficult to us." Infinity shrugged. "Plot armor."

"But that's crazy!" Sophie exclaimed, standing up. "You could all die!"

"Not all of us," I muttered.

"What?" She asked.

I looked up, and shook my head. "I, uh, I didn't mean that any of us would die. But I do mean that not all of us are going. We have to split up."

"What do you mean split up?" Elly asked.

"We need to find Jeb. But we also need to go to the End. We don't have time for all of us to go to both. We need to cut the group in half to get everything done."

"We don't even know where the End is, though!" Scarlet said, being the downer as usual.

"Ender pearls... eyes of ender..." Abby mumbled. "We can make eyes of ender from ender pearls and blaze powder. You throw them in the air, and they guide you to the nearest portal."

"Aren't ender pearls and blaze rods expensive, though?" J asked.

"I have a friend that works at a mob drop shop." Nathan chuckled. "Say that ten times fast. Anyway, he owes me from hooking him up with a sponsorship. How many do you need?"

"If others have been to the portal first, it would already be activated. If not, we'd need twelve." Abby informed. "But sometimes they break when you throw them, so we'd need some extra."

"I'll get fifteen pearls and eight blaze rods, then. But it'll have to wait until tomorrow morning."

"Thank you." I smiled at Nathan, and he beamed back at me.

"I can't believe we're splitting up for such important tasks," Rein said, sounding disappointed. "Who's going where?"

"I should probably stay and look for Jeb." I bit my lip. "I wish I could go to the End, but I can't risk not going to the library and finding Herobrine's code."

"Yeah, I'm going to the library, too." Abby shrugged. "Kind of a no-brainer."

Gordon piped in, "Speaking of no brains, I'm also in for the library."

Abby looked at him. "Did you just insult yourself?"

"Someone was going to do it. May as well be me first."

"I'm down to probably die." Skye spoke up. "I'll go to the End."

"Me too." Glitch and J added at the same time. They looked at each other at the same time as well.

"Obviously you guys are going to need a babysitter." Infinity rolled her eyes. "Count me in."

Mastermind turned to Yuri. "One of us should stay, and the other should go. So we each have a Chariot driver."

Yuri gave a sheepish smile, and then a pleading look. 

Mastermind sighed. "You can go to the End."

"Only because you insisted." Yuri patted his head, trying to act as if he didn't just beg to go.

Rein pursed her lips. "I think I'll go see Jeb. Elly, you're coming too."

"Why?" Elly exclaimed.

"Because I'm in charge of you."

Elly crossed her arms. "But that's not fair! Just because I'm younger doesn't mean you have to boss me around!"

"I'll go to the End," Ash cut off their argument. "Maybe there's no water there."

"I'll join too." Scarlet chimed in. "Maybe it won't be boring."

Jona looked at Scarlet, then Skye, then back to Scarlet. "I'm gonna go see Jeb."

Scarlet glanced back, but he looked away.

I didn't know what was happening with them, but I decided I would deal with it later.

"I promised Infinity I'd follow her," Jazz grinned. "And with Ash and Scarlet, it'll be even better!"

Ash and Scarlet looked at each other. They shared a telepathic conversation, then Ash sighed. "Jazz, you can't go."

Jazz laughed at first, thinking it was a joke, but then his smile faded when he saw Ash's serious expression. "What? Seriously? Why?"

"We don't know what's over there. I think it's safer for you here."

"But... that's ridiculous! I'm just as good as any of you! Plus, the groups would be uneven."

Gordon watched Jazz, and looked at Abby. He scrunched his face up and raised his hand. "I'll give up my spot. I'll go to the End."

Abby whipped toward him, hurt on her face.

Jazz also turned to him angrily. "Gordon!"

"Jazz!" Scarlet snapped, which made everyone jump. She lowered her volume, and spoke gently. "Listen, we're not doing this to annoy you. We know you're strong. That's why we need you to go with these guys." She touched his shoulder. "I promise, we're gonna bring you to the End someday, okay?"

Jazz looked around at everyone, trying to think of an excuse. But he then locked eyes with Elly, and slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Fine."

"So Kat, Abby, Jona, Elly, Rein, Jazz, and Mastermind are going to see Jeb." Nathan counted us down, pointing at each person. "Then Infinity, Gordon, Glitch, J, Ash, Skye, Scarlet, and Yuri are going to the End."

"That's right." I glanced around at everyone.

We all looked at each other, knowing that these missions could be very dangerous, and this could be our last night together.

"Well," Skye yawned and stretched. "On that note, we should get some rest. We all got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!"

Nathan and Sophie had bought wool, so they made beds for us all around the living room and hallway. They offered my room for me to sleep in. I would've declined, but I didn't want to hurt them anymore, so I accepted. It made me feel cut off from everyone else, though.

I laid in bed, staring at the window. For a while I couldn't stop thinking about the vision I had, dissecting every detail and questioning everything. If Herobrine got to me first, I could've been evil. Would I ever remember my time in the Aether? Can only gods get there? Does that mean that the gods of the past actually exist, and live there? And I lived among them?

And then I thought about tomorrow. Our group was going to split off for who knows how long. And we had no idea what was in the End; they could be heading for their doom. And I wouldn't be there to help them. If anyone died... it would've been because of me.

I frustratedly grabbed my hair, then rolled over.

I didn't get a lot of sleep that night. Apparently I wasn't the only one, either. When I walked out of my room in the morning, other people were starting to wake up, and Abby, Elly, Gordon, Scarlet, Jona, and Jazz looked like zombies.

"Good morning, children!" Sophie walked out of their bedroom with a cheerful smile and a springing her step.

Yuri groaned.

"Oh...I see you aren't morning people." Sophie laughed. "We definitely are. And we raised Kat to be like that."

"It didn't really come back with my memories." I yawned.

Nathan walked out of the room, putting on a coat. "Well, you should be glad we are." He kissed Sophie on the cheek. "I'm off to hassle my friend for those pearls and blaze rods. Don't worry about feeding me, I'll stop somewhere."

"Have fun hassling!" Infinity called. "It's my favorite way to pass the time."

Nathan laughed, and left.

"Would you all like some breakfast?" Sophie asked, walking to the kitchen.

"Rabbit stew?" Yuri asked hopefully.

"Didn't we always have healthy fruit breakfasts?" I asked, recalling watermelon and apples.

Sophie took out some apples from a chest, beaming at me. "Right! Best way to start the morning."

"So are you a couple of health junkies?" Glitch asked as he accepted an apple.

Sophie tossed another to Skye. "We just like to stay active and healthy. Plus, your attitude for the morning can impact your entire day!"

I was going to have a bad day.

We ate breakfast mostly in silence. Occasionally, Sophie would start a conversation, but they would always die down pretty quickly. The mood of the atmosphere was tense from the arguing yesterday, and what was going to happen in the future.

Eventually, Nathan came back. When he walked through the door, his shoulders were slumped and he looked glum.

My face fell. "You didn't get the stuff."

Then, he grinned, and pulled out pearls in one hand, and blaze rods in another. "Don't underestimate my hassling skills."

"Heck yeah!" Gordon pumped his fist in the air. "I'll take them."

"I'll take them." Infinity reached for them. Nathan gladly handed them to her.

"Thank you so much." I smiled at him. "We really appreciate it."

"Of course." He smiled back. "Anything. So... does this mean you will be leaving now?"

I glanced around at everyone. Most were still sitting, but they all looked ready to go.

"Yes. We really should get going." I stood up, and looked at Nathan and Sophie. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but no words were coming out.

I didn't need to say anything, though. They both walked forward and hugged me.

"Thank you." Sophie whispered. "Thank you for coming back to us, even if it was only for such a short time."

I hugged them tighter, trying to fight tears. I was doing absolutely awful at ignoring my emotions. But I couldn't help it. They were my family.

"Thank you." I whispered back. "For accepting me back." I moved away from them, wiping away a tear. "And for giving my friends a place to stay as well."

Everyone chimed in to thank them for their hospitality.

"Oh, stop." Nathan chuckled. "It was amazing meeting you all. And please, after all of this, please come back to visit."

"I'll be sure to." Glitch nodded.

"I will definitely." I assured them, laughing.

As everyone got up and started heading out, they said their goodbyes to my parents. I watched the two smiling with real happiness. No wonder Notch chose them to take care of me-- they were pure-hearted people.

Finally, it was just me. I looked around at the room, at the place where I grew up. "I'm so sorry we're leaving so soon."

"That only means we have to meet up again in the future." Nathan joked.

Sophie tapped her chin. "We should come out your way next time. I haven't been to Notch City in years."

"It's a deal." I smiled, and hugged them again. So much hugging was going on, but it made me feel safe in their arms.

We broke apart, and I walked to the door. When I was in the doorway, I looked back at them. They waved at me. I waved back, and shut the door.

Everyone already went down to the street, but I lingered in the hallway for a few more seconds. It was harder to leave than I thought. However, I remembered that I was leaving on better terms this time, and I was going to come back.

I let go of the door, and headed down.

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★

Fun fact: I finished this chapter two days after publishing the last because I've been having fun

Another fun fact: I had that beginning part with Notch and Herobrine finished at least two months ago, before I even figured out the groups' adventures in Corola City. It was such a fun part to write tbh

Anyway, yeah, the group split. What do you guys think will come of that? Is anyone gonna die? Is anyone gonna live? When will they meet up? Will they ever see each other again?

I'm not sure what else to add tbh

Oh, I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe during these times :) Don't forget to relax your shoulders and remember that things are okay and will be okay

And,

¸,ؤº°'°º¤Ø,¸¸,ؤº°                  

ⓡⓞⓒⓚ   ⓞⓝ,   ⓜⓨ              

ⓛⓘⓣⓣⓛⓔ   ⓡⓔⓑⓔⓛⓢ                   

°º¤Ø,¸¸,ؤº°'°º¤Ø,¸