The Haunted

Bruise Marks the Spot

After staying up all night trying to decipher what the words generated by the page Steve had stolen meant, he was unable to find any form of reasonable answer as to what they meant. Exhausted, Steve gets up from his desk and flops onto his bed practically brain dead but still staring at the page.

Steve: Man, I can't figure out what this means for anything. "The sea and glaciers. The fires and earth. The power from it all. Separated, powerful but weaker. Together, an unmatched force. Three separate spirits, one unstoppable force. The chosen ones may rise no matter the cost, should the elements ever have to return from the temple which they were lost." What is that even supposed to mean? It's like the more and more I try to understand what it's saying, the less and less I feel like I'm getting any closer to figuring it out... I have no clue what to do.. How can I stop Herobrine if I can't even decipher what this damn riddle is even trying to say? Either way, I have to keep trying.. or I could end up losing the only thing I have left...

Steve continued to study the page word for word and letter for letter even searching through the castle's library in an attempt to find out what it could mean, but he still had no luck in translating a meaning out of the words.

Steve: No.. no no no! Damnit! I have to figure out what's going on and how this is supposed to help me stop it.. Dad would probably know.. but I can't ask him about it or else he would find out that I've seen the page and the message both and Herobrine would take control of him just like he did Neos... What's even worse.. is what'll happen to Ava if he finds out... I can't put her in harm's way... I can't afford for her life to be put in danger because of me... I.. I know what I have to do...

Steve puts on his usual green hood and heads down to the kingdom below. Once he reaches the bottom, he immediately begins salvaging through the crowds of people in an attempt to find Ava, for they had already promised to meet up today. He reached the fountain that laid in the center of the kingdom but saw no sign of Ava. He waited for a bit both confused and slightly worried that something might have happened until finally, Steve heard a slightly high pitched voice yelling at him in the near distance. Finding an uncanny amount of familiarity with the voice yelling at him, he immediately turns around wanting to smile as soon as he sees her but remembers what he planned on doing which caused his smile to disappear almost instantly.

Ava: Hey, Steve. Are you ok? You don't seem too good. Are you sick?

Steve: No.. it's just... I need to talk to you about something...

Ava: Alright, Steve, what is it?

Steve: I.. Can we talk about it somewhere a bit more private..

Ava: Yeah, Steve, of course! Here, we can go over to the riverside No one ever really goes over there.

Steve: Alright...

Steve and Ava both make there way over to the riverside where Ava immediately hugs Steve flinching a bit upon wrapping her arms around him which Steve notices but ignores as "something that was probably nothing" and hugs her back.

Ava: I missed you..

Steve: I missed you too...

After maintaining their embrace for a bit longer, they both release their grasps on each other.

Ava: Ok, what did you wanna talk about?

Steve: Oh, yeah.. It's just.. I.. wait a minute, what happened?!

Steve looks down to find a bruised spot on Ava's arm which was partially hidden with the long sleeved shirt she was wearing to avoid getting cold. Immediately after Steve's reaction to the horrible sight, Ava pulls down her shirt sleeve as much as she can in an attempt to hide it, but Steve maintains his persistency pulling her sleeve up to reveal a bruise that went from right at her wrist to nearly her elbow.

Steve: What happened?! How did you do this?! Does it hurt?!

Ava: I.. just slipped and fell on the way home last night.. It's nothing, Steve...

Steve: You're lying...

Ava: What...

Steve: I'm not trying to be disrespectful or anything, but I can tell when you're lying..

Ava: What, how?

Steve: You can't tell? Whenever you say something that's a lie, you won't look at me when you say it..

Ava: I.. oh... still.. it's nothing, ok...

Steve: Look, Ava, please.. if for nothing else, tell me so I can at least rest easy knowing that I know the honest answer...

Ava: I... I can't, Steve...

Steve: Please... I'm begging you...

Ava: I...

Steve: Ava... please...

Ava: It was my Dad...