Herobrine

He was falling. Who was he? There were no memories to be found. All he knew was that he was falling.
Below him, a bright green shape emerged out of the fog, and it floated closer and closer until finally, he landed. The air around him felt thick and soupy, and surrounded him in a bright blue haze. He got to his feet, looking around.

The ground under him felt spongey yet firm. He walked forward a couple of steps, concentrating on placing one foot in front of the other. He could move.
His movement took him in a straight line, all the way until the green ground stopped. He looked over to see yet more blue, stretching out into an infinite void.
He turned away to walk back into the middle of the green.

Try breaking.

The odd voice was in his head, yet all around him. He looked at the ground, then knelt down. Breaking. With a soft hit, the green shimmered out of existence. Under the green there was a hard lumpy dark grey. He hit another green, and another, revealing more of the grey. Then, he tapped the grey. That vanished too.
He could break.
He ran around, punching more and more, watching in wonder as the ground vanished under his hands. Soon, a hole had opened in the once featureless green. He had made the hole. He could break.

Good.

Then he was falling.

He was falling.

The green was approaching again, and this time he landed on his feet. His playground had returned. Had it gone anywhere?

His hole had vanished, replaced with featureless green once again. That was no damper, as he quickly got to work. Block after block disappeared under his blows, and soon a new hole had opened, bigger and more impressive than before. He could break, and was good at breaking. Breaking was good.

Try placing.

Placing? He looked at his hand, to find it no longer empty. A block was there, clasped in between the fingers. He slowly lowered it to the floor, and placed it.

The space before him that had previously held a block he had broken, held a block once again. He could place.

A few more blocks were set down, and then re broken as he tested this new ability. Then he ran out of the hole, excited to see just what he could do.

Blocks were placed in a circular pattern, all the same hard grey as before, but no longer was the ground flat. The blocks were but parts, all placed to fit together and build a new shape. The shape stretched to the sky. He was proud of what he'd created. He could place. He could build.

There was only grey though.

Could there be more colours?

Good.

Then, he was falling.

He was falling.

The familiar green was rushing to meet him, and he landed with ease.

Try building more.

He was happy to. He placed blocks, then noticed that the grey was not as dark anymore. The lumpy texture was gone, replaced with a smooth one.

He placed something else. It was rough and brown, crumbly under his hands. It was a colour other than grey.

He placed another new thing, lighter brown, made of straight lines. Planks. Then he placed a familiar lumpy grey. The final thing he found was a small not-block, with green things sprouting off of a brown middle.

The new colours gave him new ideas. He instantly got to work, swapping out the blocks of his tower with the new ones. Aftwards, he stepped back to admire his work.

Look what I built! He exclaimed. But there was no one to hear him.

Could there be others to see what he had done?

Good.

He was falling once again.

Falling.

It was a familiar sensation by now. He landed easily. His hole was still there, as was his tower.

Look around.

But nothing had changed right? He was the only one who could change this world. He walked towards the tower and went inside. Why look around?

He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. A person. Like him. He was a person? The person was skipping around, seemingly trying to get through the wall. He went over and poked the person to try and get a response, but there was none. The look on its face was blank, mindless.

It wasn't what he wanted, but it was a start. He was no longer alone. He went back outside into the thick blue haze. More persons were out there, jumping around with no destination.

Let's try this.

They all stopped suddenly, then turned to look at him. He felt himself shrink back from the stares of them. Then like clockwork, they started towards him.

He went back into his tower, only to find the one in there also in a similar state. The light from the entrance was blocked by dozens of bodies as they all filed in.

What was going on? Were they going to hurt him? The persons crowded around him, pinning him to the wall. He felt the pure panic rising in him as he tried to fight them off.

Not good. Oh dear.

One of them opened their mouth and let out a horrible groan. He screamed.

Get them off, get them off get them off GET THEM OFF-

He was not falling?

He looked down at the grass under his feet, blinking in surprise.

Look around.

He did, and his eyes went wide with wonder. The featureless flat green was gone, replaced with hills, caves, valleys, cliffs. It was beautiful.

He approached a structure. It looked like a larger version of the plant he had known before. The trunk felt rough under his fingertips.

It's amazing! He shouted.

He ran out, crossing the ground quickly, taking in all the scenery he could see. New sights, new sounds, new textures. His winding path stopped at the edge of something.

The ground under him was no longer grass. He knelt down and felt it. It was soft and warm, and made of many tiny grains. He scratched out a handful of the substance, feeling it fall down between his fingers. He liked it.

There was something else though. It plopped around, formless and blue. He dipped his hand in, pulling it back when he felt how it clung to his hand. The droplets sparkled in the light as they fell from his fingers. Slowly, he stood, and dipped his foot in. He followed with his leg, then the rest of his body until he was submerged to his waist. The liquid was cold, but he did not let that deter him. He continued out, away further from the land until the floor under his feet had dropped out of reach. He kicked out furiously with his legs, trying to keep his head above the surface. He didn't like it.

He struggled his way back to the shore and hauled himself out, laying on the soft ground to catch his breath. He'd rather do something else.

It wasn't long until he had built again. It was a smaller structure than what he had in the green, but it looked better thanks to the multitudes of new materials he'd discovered he had access to. The trunks had formed beams, which built a framework he had filled in with the planks. The roof was constructed out of stone; Specifically a lighter stone that formed slabs. Clear stuff filled in holes in the wall, forming windows he could look out of.

He was proud of what he'd created.

Look what I made! He called to the voice.

There was no answer. There was...

Darkness?

The concept was unfamiliar. Where was the bright light that usually coated the land?

In your hands.

He looked down at his hands, wondering what the voice could mean. He flexed his fingers, feeling a strange warmth rush through him. It coursed through his arms and into his fingertips, and erupted from them in a burst of bright fire. He stared at it, utterly confused yet amazed. The area around him was brightened by the flame, and the light followed him wherever he walked. He could light the area?

It works.

There was a groan from behind him, and he spun around. It was one of the people that had attacked him before. However, time had not been kind to them; their skin was rotten and green, with chunks of it missing, exposing rancid flesh underneath. They stumbled towards him, arms outstretched, gurgling horribly as it advanced. He felt the fire in his hand burn brighter as he backed away from the threat. Does the fire work?

He threw the fire at the person. The flame erupted into a huge fireball, and it smothered the person in licking orange and yellow.

The surface was dangerous now in the darkness.

The zombies that shuffled around endlessly were joined by massive spiders and skeletons that were armed with bows that shot arrows at him. Several of them were sticking out of his back as he made his way deeper into the cave. He grabbed them and pulled them out one by one, scattering a trail of red droplets behind him as he ventured further and further underground. His other hand was bright with flame, lighting the cold stone that surrounded him.

The darkness ahead peeled back to reveal a dead end. He stopped and turned around with a sigh, only to hear the groans of the undead emanating from the black. He spun back around and smacked at the rock, breaking a tunnel only just large enough to fit himself inside. The debris scattered around his feet, and he was sure that the noise would attract the mobs that were after him. He punched further into the rock, feeling the pressure of the hundreds of meters of earth pressing down on all sides of him. It was uncomfortably tight, yet it also gave him a sense of safety. The mobs would only be able to come from one direction, and as long as the rock ahead held no danger, he would be safe.

Only the rock ahead held a new danger.

The wall in front of him cracked, and suddenly water started spurting out of the gaps. He fished out a block to try and stop the leak, but it was too late. The force of the water broke the wall down, and gallons of it rushed in, taking him off his feet. He gasped as he was swept back into the cave, and the water splashed around the zombies and skeletons that were also caught in the flood. He kicked out with his limbs, trying to desperate keep his head above the surface of the water, but soon the current had dragged him under. His lungs ached as he tried to swim to the surface, and soon the lack of oxygen was almost burning him. He instinctively opened his mouth to draw in more air, but instead water rushed into his lungs in its place.

The panic set in as he realized he was going to drown. He attempted to cry out for help.

The voice did not answer his call.

He was sitting in the landscape, watching the sun sink behind the horizon. Normally the encroaching darkness would bring with it the fear of the monsters in the night, but he'd protected himself from the outside world with a wall, and flaming sticks were stuck in the earth on the inside of the perimeter, fending off the dark. He was safe.

Hello? He asked out into the void above him.

Yes?

The voice was back.

Who are you? He asked to it.

The answer was deafening silence, and the scratching of a zombie on his wall.

Who are you? Who am I? What is this place? Why am I here?

The questions overflowed out of him endlessly, finally bursting from the dam that had been holding since the time he was first falling.

How are you doing that?

The voice answered with a question itself. It left him confused.

I don't know. Doing what?

Asking those questions.

I've always been asking these questions! This is the first time I've asked them to you.

The silence pressed down on him. Had he done something wrong?

What have I created?

The voice seemed regretful. He felt… Bad.

Something beautiful! He answered back.

Something to be loved. Something to express yourself in. Are you not proud of that?

Yes.

So what is there to regret?

You.

The word hit him like a stack of brick blocks. He had done something wrong. The voice was angry with him.

I'm sorry.

I can handle it.

The feeling of fear spread through him. He curled himself into a tight ball.

Okay, this is weird… let's say… you are my brother. My brother in Minecraft.

A brother? He didn't know what a brother was, but it sounded… close. Familiar.

I am your brother. I like it.

He smiled.

Uh, sure.

Do I have a name?

Well, I guess you are the hero of the game. And your name is…

He waited expectantly.

Brine.

The Hero by the name of Brine.

I like it. Thank you!

You're, uh, you're welcome.

What is your name?

Notch.

Thank you Notch! For all of this. I'm happy.

Okay. Now-

The voice was silent.

It had been ages since he'd last heard it speak. Although... The voice, Notch it had called itself, did not seem to like him. So maybe it being gone was for the better.

He, the Hero with the name of Brine, simply wandered the world Notch had created. It wasn't created for him, he had discovered. He was created for it. To be the one to figure out how the world worked.

However, Notch might not talk to him anymore, but that did not mean Notch was gone. As time went on, more new things appeared. Animals populated the land during the day time, new colours and textures appeared as he went. His curiosity took him into the depths of the earth to find beautiful new minerals. Once, a hard blue rock, translucent and brilliant.

Over time, as the world grew, he found himself growing too. His flames became hotter and brighter, his eyes peirced into the darkness, mobs began to fear his presence. He felt powerful. This world was at his hands.

There was another him in the distance.

Another him. Another... Hero?

You.

He jumped. The voice had spoken.

You're back?

Why are you still here. I do not need you anymore.

The Hero's heart sank. Notch was still angry at him.

I'm sorry.

He looked over to the other Hero. They were crouched over a plot of farmland, carefully harvesting wheat.

Does this Hero have a name?

There is no Hero.

He blinked. This was not a Hero?

The Player does not have a name.

He felt sad, thinking of just how his own name made him feel happy, and how this new 'Player' never felt that.

How about... Steve?

The suggestion was on a whim, he didn't know why he would say that.

Sure. Now leave.

The Hero turned away from the Player, back out into the world. But he was lonely.

Who are they? He asked to the Voice.

Notch did not answer.

The Hero turn back, wanting to learn more about the Player.

Maybe perhaps become... Friends?

The Player had seen him.

Despite what Notch had ordered, the Hero stayed in the area, observing this Player's actions. Every now and then, he would secretly help out with a task they found to be tedious. When they cut down trees for wood, they gave the remaining leaves a look of disgust. At that, he went in and got rid of the leaves himself, leaving the wood behind. When they got lost, skirting around the ocean desperately trying to find his base, he built a vantage point for them to see further from in the water, out of the way of the land. When they expressed their displeasure in having to go around large hills, he dug a tunnel through them.

He hoped the deeds were noticed. And they were.

Except... The Player seemed scared.

The Hero decided to try and reveal himself one day, however the thought of interacting with the Player... It made the inside of him feel tight. That feeling only increased when they first saw him.

The Player had stopped, fearful of the sight. The Hero also froze, fear bubbling inside him. The chicken between them simply clucked as it wandered around. Between the two, the Hero moved first. However, he moved away. His own fear was too great. He couldn't meet them face to face.

He simply continued helping from a distance.

His dodging around the Player continued. They spotted him a few more times, but his fear had gotten the better of him, and he left before they got any closer. It was getting frustrating. He wanted to meet them, but never could. His body acted on it's own.

Over time, The Player also was getting scared. They were going nowhere. The Hero decided it was best to leave them be.

Why are you still here?

The voice of Notch broke through the silence. The Hero halted, then shrugged.

I'm lonely. He admits. He didn't know of the word until now.

You aren't meant to be here.

I know. I'm leaving them.

His chest hurt. Yet it wasn't physical pain.

Who is this?

The Hero jumped at the sound of another voice. A new voice.

A glitch. A stubborn one. If you can, try to get rid of it.

It doesn't seem harmful though?

Bugs are meant to be fixed.

The Hero felt eyes on him. He turned around, seeing two shadowy figures in the fog.

Okay... Are you sure this is not an intended feature? I'll see if I can...

Do it. I do not want him with us any longer.

Pain dug into him.

- Removed Herobrine