Aether Hero

I watch the hero from above. Well, not above per se. I'm surrounding him from all angles. My presence is larger than the forest. I am everywhere at once, and yet I focus my energy on viewing this strange man. His willpower alone astonishes me, for he has passed the tests thus far on his journey. I'm not entirely convinced yet, for he has yet to prove himself in this trial. The intensity of the black flame is extraordinary if I do say so myself. It burns with such flair and energy, consuming the shrubbery and foliage and leaving ashes and dust in its wake. And yet, the flame is the least of the hero's troubles. I can see it in his eyes as the sweat drips off his brow. But the sweat isn't all from the fire. He seems to be intent on finding whatever caused it, which is good. He's doing exactly what I hoped he would do.

I see him run for quite some time until he reaches the center of the forest. A large clearing stands before him, and there stands a portal. Not a Nether portal or an End portal. No, he's been there and done that. His trials must take him up above, which is why I present him with an opportunity to soar to the heavens. He must ascend to the realm of Aether, where his next trial awaits him. I see the hero shuffling towards the portal. A strong white glow protruding from the entrance causes him to shield his eyes. Then, he bravely, or perhaps foolishly, enters the light. My presence and very being peers upwards and ascends with him. We have broken through a very layer of reality, for the Aether does not and cannot exist in the dimension the hero and I currently exist in. But, just like the Nether and End were altered to my liking, the Aether he shall visit won't be like the original, but a domain of my construction which follows my rules.

The hero and I arrive within a matter of seconds. It truly is peculiar to view the man and realize he's not aware of my presence. He has come to despise me for the torment I have subjected him to. He would like nothing more than to strike me down with the spear he wields. The very spear he doesn't realize I gave him. And yet, as much as he wishes to destroy me, he doesn't realize I surround him in every direction. We look out into the blocky and clouded plains before us. A thin layer of silky white wool makes for a cushion and supplies ground and stability to the floating world. I follow along as the hero makes his way to the pillar of light he sees in the distance. A large circular beam of light arises from the ground level and seems to flow infinitely upwards. The sheer beauty of it is enough to stop even me in my tracks. And yet it doesn't stop the hero from progressing forward. I smirk at his bravery and determination. It reminds me of my self a bit.

His hope of saving his people was pitiful and unfounded. I've discovered after so much time that the cycle continues. Life and death happen all the time, and it almost never changes. Who cares about how death is achieved? Everyone dies sooner or later, and it matters now how. Besides, when a higher power such as myself is trying to achieve a goal, such loss is to be expected as a tiny sacrifice to gain something greater... something more. I used to be different. But once the disease created by death and raw power infected me I was changed. I became something else. Something greater. But even after I grasped the power of a god I realized that immortality was truly a worse fate than death. I needed to find a noble hero to enact my plan. And much to my surprise, I found one. Now I just need to see if he is worthy of the prize I shall bestow upon him if he passes my tests.

The hero finally reached the pillar of light. Its radiant glow reflected off his armor brightly. I watched as the curious man carefully poked his spear at the line. As soon as the end came into contact with the light, the spear and the hero were sucked into the light and flung upwards. They were now traveling to the land above and beyond the Aether. They would soon arrive in my domain.

I was excited for the hero to see what the land before him would look like. Much to my satisfaction, his reaction was the one I had hoped for. The previous landscape was replaced by dirty and unclear glass blocks placed upon the surface. The landscape extended as far as the eye could see, and it the sky was littered with arrows. I chuckled to myself as I flicked my wrist downwards, causing the arrows to descend upon the hero. Thinking quickly, he spun the spear with great speed above his head. The spear obliterated the arrows falling upon him and leaving chipped wood and feathers scattered around him. With much excitement I snapped my fingers, causing all of the glass below the hero to crack and shatter. He plummeted downwards as his limbs flailed around as if searching for a ledge or surface to grab onto.

Instead of allowing the hero to plummet to his demise I snapped my fingers once again to reveal a platform beneath him. As the hero picked himself up and dusted himself off he took a good look around him and saw he was now in a very familiar setting. The hero stumbled back and fell to the ground. He recognized the place as I knew he would. He recognized the houses and pavement. He recognized the village from nights before. The village where I sent my hellspawn to slaughter the men and women who resided there. The village where I made the hero feel utter hopelessness and uselessness. He was utterly confused upon seeing the sight before him, but soon enough that confusion and fear was replaced with anger.

"Reveal yourself! I know you're here, show yourself, coward," The hero said.

I smirked at his eagerness to fight me. But he was not ready yet. He needed more time to show his mental will. Perhaps he saw through the illusion at the temple of monks, and perhaps he was able to get through the emotional pain of seeing his people die before him. But there was one more test I needed to run before seeing whether or not he was ready to advance. I twirled my finger in a circle and summoned the very same storm cloud above the village that day. I brought the unbreakable shield down around the town's perimeter. No matter how hard the hero tried to penetrate the barrier, it was of no use. He turned around and watched in horror and arms protruded from the ground below. The ripped and clawed at the dirt until they were able to hoist themselves up. And then the hero saw it. A sight more despicable and ghastly than he had ever seen before.

The townspeople he had so desperately tried to save had risen from the grave. Their decayed forms stumbled out of the ground in a zombie-like motion and stumbled towards the hero. Their torsos and legs were ripped to shreds. Their ribcages were exposed and in full view.

"p-p-please hero.. save us ple-e-ease.," The creatures which used to be townspeople groaned.

The side of a woman's head slid off and collapsed next to her, leaving brain matter leaking from her skull. I was absolutely ecstatic to see what the hero would do when faced with his own people. Would he do what was needed and put an end to them, or would he hold back and succumb to his own weakness? I was practically dying to see what would happen.

The hero stood in shock as the crowd of people limped towards him. Out of fear he jammed his spear into one man's leg. I smiled as I watched what happened next.

"Stop, Please! Why are you hurting us? You're supposed to protect us. Please, hero, stop!"

The hero was stunned by this. He watched the man collapse and grasp his leg in his hand. It was bleeding profusely tears were streaming down his face. He screamed in pain at the wound inflicted by his hero. How riveting! How exciting! I was practically on the edge of my seat as the hero stood in utter confusion and despair. A look of guilt washed over his face as he realized what he thought had happened. Had his mind been tricked? Had he not realized the difference between reality and manipulation? I witnessed as the other townspeople rushed over to the man to aid him. They all pointed at the hero and withdrew from him in fear. The hero approached them, begging and pleading. He set down his spear and made his way over towards the group of people, trying to explain the situation. I smiled as I saw him inch closer and closer towards the people. Within a second the horde of creatures had returned to their monstrous state. They clawed and scratched at the hero, attempting to rip his insides open and drink his blood. What I saw him do, however, was shocking.

The hero was ready for it. He had someone seen through my facade because he jumped back with such speed and agility that he must have been prepared for this. Was he really just acting to lure the illusion out? The hero was even smarter than I had given him credit for. Within seconds he picked up his spear and began slicing and dicing the hoard of abominations before him. I watched unfazed at the massacre before me. He was totally prepared to slaughter the people he had watched die. But then I realized the truth. His mind and mental will was higher than I had anticipated, and he had passed the test. For as he finished off the last remaining creature I realized that he wasn't tricked by me.

He had seen those people die. He had witnessed it first-hand. And after he saw his people being killed he must have realized that the creatures before him weren't the real villagers. I cackled as I realized how dedicated to his cause he was. I opened up another portal that would bring him back to the overworld. He had passed the test I set for him, He was ready to advance. Soon, my plan would be complete. Soon, everything would fall into place and the madness could end once and for all. My eternal suffering... the sickness that I contain... will no longer be my problem. It's only a matter of time before the truth is revealed.

It's only a matter of time before my true motivations are unleashed.