Esther (Herobrine x Reader)

Part 11: Melted Down

(First time one of these "short stories" has gone past 10 chapters!)

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You rushed through the ring of dining space, which circled a courtyard in the very center of the building. Through one of the many large windows, peering into the beautiful natural garden in the center, you saw Herobrine struggling to hold himself together. You pushed open one of the doors, immediately gasping slightly when you saw the King's own balled fist pelting his head. Luckily, there were no other people nearby.

"H-hey! Cut that out!" You shouted, running closer to him. Hero appeared to listen, since his weaponized hand quickly restrained itself, instead forcing itself down to his side where it shook violently, parallel to the other one. When you ran up to him, you began assessing exactly what was wrong and what you could do. Obviously, you had never seen anyone act like this before, but you certainly could relate. "Hey, look, what's the matter?" Though you felt the need to comfort him or something, you had no idea how he would react to it. So, instead, you tried to help him in other ways. Herobrine was oddly hunched, his arms now wrapping around his torso, hands mindlessly clawing his sides. He paced around in a circle, though his foot pattern was undecided and imbalanced.

He mumbled, staring at the grass below, as if trying to communicate with you. But every word was so quick and mangled, not even a trained professional could make out what he meant! His skin was terribly shiny, covered in sweat, and the King's clawing fingers were threatening by this point to draw blood if they clawed any harder at his sides. Through the attempted speech, you could just barely make out the words "I'm becoming a monster," which he emphasized by suddenly grasping his head and yanking it so abruptly, he followed the pain down to the ground where he fell. You dropped to your knees and took hold of his hands so they could do no further harm to their owner. His hands vibrated almost in your grasp, yanking against your surprising strength to be free.

"Listen to me, Herobrine, you are not a monster for feeling this way! This is a normal reaction to severe stress; do not beat yourself up about it!" You told, remembering the few times in the past when you acted out the same way in your own room after a long, tiring day. You had no clear triggers like this man, though, so it was both easier and harder for you. Herobrine was still breathing intensely, obviously trying to contain himself but having a hard time huddled on his hands and knees on the ground. "So...it's okay you are feeling a little bad. No one will judge you for it."

"That's a lie." Through clamped teeth. Herobrine began sitting up, scooting away until his back was pressed against the partially concrete wall.

"No, it isn't. If you would just tell other people what was wrong, I can promise you they will understand. Just look at me --I'm not judging you!"

"That isn't it, though! I died so many times, a monster was created inside of me to keep me alive! And now... Now it's still HERE!" Herobrine spat, tugging at his hair, face aimed downward. He clenched his jaw tightly. "It's ruining everything! Taking away the life I fought so- hard for!" A near sob broke from his mouth. He began to tremble even harder, you wondered if he could literally explode.

You knew telling him to breathe slowly wouldn't help. On the contrary. It would only make things worse. So, instead you simply went with the same strategy and message as before. Calmly, you scooted beside Herobrine between the bushes he found himself nearly hidden in, sitting so closely you could feel his shaking body right next to yours. Calmly, you placed one of your hands on his forearm and clenched it tightly.

"..How do you feel?"

"Wh-t d' y-mean?"

"Are you scared? Angry? Sad..? When I act this way, I usually feel scared?"