Nobody's Hero

The hero rushed towards the area the sky illuminated with its strange light. It was a village, one of the many that he had once protected. When he got there, he saw the storm cloud had stopped expanding. Light covered the town. The hero walked forward, but when his skin touched the light he found it impossible to get through. The tried once more to walk through and found that he wasn't permitted to enter. Angered, he slashed at the light barrier with his sword, but it was to no avail. He pounded and kicked at it, each time hoping that perhaps he could make a dent in the impenetrable fortress. Nothing. He could do nothing but stand and the people rose from their beds and stepped out of their houses. They were just as confused as the hero was.



The townspeople also tried to exit the light barrier only to find out that they couldn't. After finding no exits they began to panic. And their panic only worsened when they looked up at the sky. Above them, large droplets of water fell. When they splashed down upon the town they cracked open, revealing a bright white light. The hero watched as the light faded away and saw large forms step out of the pods. Masses of mangled torsos, heads, arms, and legs erupted from the pod and flung themselves down to the pavement roads. There was no skin to be seen on the creatures. They had been flayed, and their veins and muscle tissue were visible. The only bones the creatures had were on the eyeless heads, as gnarly teeth protruded from what could only be assumed to be a mouth hole. And from that mouth hole, the creatures shrieked and groaned.



The hero was now slicing and pounding at the barrier harder now, desperate to get in and save his people. The townspeople screamed in horror at the grotesque beings before them before running. But they had nowhere to run. The skinless lumps of flesh twitched and warped their bodies in ways that shouldn't have been possible. They clawed their way towards the innocent people within the ray of light, arms outstretched and ready to attack. The hero could only watch in horror as a man was caught in the grasp of one monster. Its putrid teeth sank into the man's neck and ripped out a chunk of skin and meat. The man could no longer scream as blood overflowed and poured out of his mouth. One sharp-nailed hand ripped through his chest and burst out the other side, and more followed suit. Soon, his entire stomach and body were ripped and shredded.



The screamed into the night sky as he watched helplessly as his people died. He felt so powerless. For his whole life, he had been the one in power. He had been the hero who could save his people. Now he stood a witness to a brutal slaughter. He was a hero of nobody. He watched as a mother shielded her child from one of the things. The child screamed for his mother as a beast picked her up and clawed into her legs. The mother could only look at her child with an expression of pain and sadness. She too couldn't protect the one she had promised too. The mother and child shared one last look before the beast split her in two, dropping each limb to the ground.



The hero stepped back and fell to the ground in disbelief. These were his people who were being slaughtered. These were his people whom he had sworn to protect. Within a matter of minutes, the gory deed was done. People lay dead on the streets, their bodies completely mangled. The light surrounding the town had faded away, and the monsters turned their attention upon the man standing before them. A man who no longer felt like a hero. A man who felt like a failure. But at that moment, one emotion overcame everything within him. Anger. He felt anger at how something so cruel could have done a deed so horrific. And so, he ran forward, charging at the beasts. He charged bearing the weight of the townspeople who had been killed by the beasts before him.



He launched his body into the air and brought his sword down upon one of the figures. His diamond blade easily tore through the muscle tissue and popped the beast right open. His armor and sword had been drenched in the monster's blood. Still, he kept stabbing well after the creature had fallen. He stared at the others. They would perish by his hand. Three monsters stood before him now. One of them split in two, and the arms and legs and bodies within them formed a humanoid shape. The being charged at the hero, its sharp claws readied to tear into his body. The hero dispatched the monster with haste, stabbing his sword into its stomach and thrusting upwards, tearing it in half. The next two monsters looked at each other and nodded. Then, they threw their bodies together.



The limbs contorted and twisted and turned, rising in the air. The monsters had fused together, and now formed one monster which stood fifteen feet tall. The being walked towards the hero and slammed down on the ground. The hero sliced into the monster's arm and sliced it open. Blood seeped from the wounds, and the hero took this time to jumping on the beast and using his arms to open its mouth. Using his strength, the beast ripped the monster's mouth open, snapping its makeshift jaw.



The hero stood in the middle of the bodies. He sat down on the ground and stared at the sky. The storm cloud had vanished and was replaced with the twinkling night stars. Tears welled in the corner of the hero's eyes, and soon he had placed his head in his hands and wept. He wept and wept and wept. He couldn't stop crying because the sadness had overflowed within him. He let them down. The people who died... he let them all down. And for some reason, he couldn't help but feel as if it was his fault. As if perhaps if he hadn't wandered into the nether and killed the beast, the townspeople would be still alive. He knew that there was something going on behind the scenes connecting and controlling the events at hand, but he didn't know what.



<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1437103758" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{158}">As he sat on the plains looking up at the sky, he felt something. It started as a small pressure within his head at first, but then the pressure built. It built and built until the pressure was so immense that the hero fell back onto the ground clutching his head. It felt as if someone was smashing an anvil into his brain over and over. His fingers curled around the grass and ripped it from the dirt, screaming as whatever was hurting him continued its assault. His eyes fluttered, and the light in the world seemed to dim as his vision faltered.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1015246114" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{160}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1107865017" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{162}">The next thing the hero knew, he was in a space of complete darkness. He couldn't see, feel, or hear. He just knew that he existed and nothing more. But from within the darkness, he heard something. Something deep, something sinister, something menacing. A voice from all directions that sounded far away echoed through the empty space.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1827283279" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{164}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="2105657999" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{166}">"So, you're the hero of Minecraft," The sinister voice asked.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="83916051" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{168}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1384814796" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{170}">The hero hesitated for a bit. The recent events had left him confused and in a mess, and for a moment he couldn't tell what was going on. Eventually, however, he gathered himself and responded.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1281939294" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{172}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="904947360" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{174}">"Yeah... and who are you?"

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1420724479" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{176}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="659695331" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{178}">The raspy voice responded yet again. This time, however, it seemed much closer than before. The voice no longer echoed, and it was no much clearer.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1705293383" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{180}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1760019714" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{182}">"I'm the one making your life a living hell. I put those nether portals up. I invaded your dreams. And yes, I sent those monsters down to kill the people in that town of yours."

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="855205269" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{184}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1197996288" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{186}">The hero's body tensed up. Could it be true? Could he be standing right before the perpetrator of the evil consuming the world? Angered, the hero raised his voice and spoke once more.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1212945659" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{188}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="175745546" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{190}">"You... Who the hell do you think you are! How many people died because of you?! How many children..."

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1664861035" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{192}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1405588102" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{194}">The hero felt a fist strike him in the stomach with a force harder than he'd ever felt before. He wheezed and felt himself fall. Again, the voice spoke. It was closer than before yet again... way closer. He could feel the hot breath brush against his ear and neck, causing him to get goosebumps.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1617789063" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{196}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="422108332" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{198}">"Calm down hero. Believe me, if I wanted you to die you would already be dead. I have the power of a god, while you are but a mortal. But because you killed my beast and my snake, I'm going to make you suffer. And you shall fall only after this world has. Because you, as its protector, should see its downfall."

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="764751318" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{200}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="69772514" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{202}">The hero rose to his feet and peered out into the blackness. He

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1470169336" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{204}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1276581750" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{206}">"I swear on my life that I'll protect Minecraft from you. I swear that I won't let you take any more innocent lives you sick bastard. I'll do anything in my power to stop you"

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="24465415" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{208}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1279151133" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{210}">The voice chuckled. It was mocking him. It was pushing all of his buttons, and he had to use all of his mental might not to lash out again.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1285925873" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{212}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="656518317" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{214}">"Your power? Like your power to save the people who you just watched die? Don't make me laugh too hard hero. You have no power. I'm done with you now. You may now go. But heed my warning, for soon you will watch your world burn."

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="2078543402" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{216}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="108936013" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{218}">After the voice mutters those words the hero's sight returned to him once more. He stood and looked upon the village and the monsters. His hand curled into a fist. He would keep his vow to stop the evil force behind the previous events. But first, he would need to find out more information about his new foe. And he knew just where he would get that information. Several miles to the east of where he stood was a temple filled to the brim with ancients scrolls and knowledgeable monks. There he would study, and there he would learn how to defeat the evil being. And so, he set out for the palace.

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1090563" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{220}">

<p lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US" paraid="1813314134" paraeid="{5f98cd87-4180-4c53-91b7-4de183f893ec}{222}">He would give his life to save Minecraft. And that was a promise he vowed he would keep if he had to.