SHADOW KNIGHT'S REVENGE: A Minecraft Diaries Fan-Fiction

Chapter III: Familiar (and Hated) Face

Kill Laurance?

Arabella remembered what she convinced herself a few hours or so ago. She recalled Sasha telling her that he and the rest of Phoenix Drop betrayed her, and it took her some time to believe it and accept it for what it is. She told herself she'd finish them off when she gets to it, but the thought of actually killing them?

She couldn't say no, but she also couldn't say yes. She just couldn't bring herself to do it. If she told Gene she wouldn't, he'd kill her immediately. If she calls it a deal, she'd be lying to herself, and she knew that when the time comes, she would falter. And she did not want to fail this.

What a dilemma she's reached here.

Arabella realised that she didn't even respond to Gene yet, so he turned away from her, still pacing around the room, and continued the conversation for her. "I can see you're struggling, but believe me--it's worth it. It takes time to be comfortable in abruptly taking one's life, especially of someone you love."

Gene stopped walking around the room and faced Arabella once more. He lowered his voice down to a bare whisper. "But you've already killed someone you loved, so why is it so hard now?"

"Because I hated Caspian," replied Arabella with a shaky voice. She wasn't afraid of Gene, but the memory of Caspian still haunted her to this day. "I hated him for what he had become. It was easy to do it because my feelings for him turned into stone. I didn't care about him when it happened."

Gene let out a humourless laugh. "You're lying to yourself again. As a human, you were able to overcome your feelings and kill your most beloved for the safety of your village. As a Shadow Knight, the bloodlust comes naturally. Oh, the irony of the situation." He started slowly pacing around the room once again. "You killed Caspian for your first lord. Why can't you kill Laurance for the Shadow Lord?"

The worst part about this conversation was that Gene was right. Arabella couldn't even argue with him. Still, a part of her loyal to Phoenix Drop wouldn't let her agree.

Upon seeing Arabella's silence, Gene sighed. "Well, no matter. You'll do it when you come around to it. We all have."

That was the end of the conversation.

Arabella spent the rest of the day awkwardly following Sasha around since there wasn't much she could do. Sasha didn't mind. In fact, it was Arabella who was uncomfortable. She trusted neither Sasha nor Gene, but they were the only ones in the entire Nether with a human mind. At least, that's what she thought until the two of them came across a large, familiar rift in the sky. Just looking at it made Arabella uneasy. Because of this sphere of Ender taint, she nearly died. Because of this, Phoenix Drop was also tainted.

I don't care about Phoenix Drop, Arabella reminded herself.

However, Arabella never had the chance to ask about it. "What... is that?"

"Hmm, I thought you knew about Ender taint very well," observed Sasha, completely ignoring the question.

"Well, I know that," elaborated Arabella, "but what's it doing in the Nether?"

Sasha finally gave her the answer she wanted. "It's obviously a sphere made out of taint, yes, but there's more to that. We wanted this sphere to appear. You could say it's a substitute for a prison cell."

"Is anyone imprisoned there?"

Sasha bit her lip. "I guess you have the right to know. Yes, there's someone there. Another Shadow Knight."

You mean another traitor, Arabella wanted to say, but she stopped herself. She could sense there was a bit of bad blood between them.

Sasha shrugged, and returned to her cutesy-deadly self. "Well, he's been here for over fifteen years. I'd assume he's too weak to do anything now. Serves him right."

For a few moments, they remained silent. However, curiosity got the best of Arabella. "What happened?"

Sasha narrowed her eyes. "Why do you want to know?"

"Hey, I'm a Shadow Knight, after all."

"Using my own tactics against me, huh?" Sasha seemed impressed. "I'll respect that. Anyway, it's a long story. Over fifteen years ago, back when Phoenix Drop didn't even have Aphmau as a lord, there were only four of us Shadow Knights who were actually loyal to the Shadow Lord. There was--obviously--me, and then there was Gene, Zenix and Vylad. Even then, Vylad was a suspicious person. He lingered a moment longer when spying on villages, but it never added extra help to the revival of the Shadow Lord.

"That's when he started walking on the road of treachery. When we launched attack plans on places, he'd always agree, but when we got down to it, the same thing would always happen. The plans always failed because of him. Vylad called it an accident. I called it treason.

"Skip ahead in time when Aphmau and Laurence entered the Nether to save Cas--the Chicken Shaman. When Aphmau and the Chicken Shaman escaped through the Nether portal, we were about to follow them out until Vylad broke the obsidian. The evidence of him being a traitor was right there, and he didn't even hide it; the little jerk.

"Since Zenix was in the Overworld at the time and went completely ballistic, Gene and I took it into our own hands to put Vylad to justice. However, complete Shadow Knights--the ones who've killed their lords--are immortal and cannot die, no matter what. No torture could make him budge to open the Nether portal again, so we left him to rot on his own in that sphere of Ender taint.

"To this day, he's still there, completely isolated. No one's seen him in years, but he couldn't have escaped without us knowing. He just sits there, doing nothing. He's absolutely worthless." It seemed as if Sasha had an intense hatred for Vylad. Arabella could imagine why. Traitors deserve the worst.

Traitors like the people of Phoenix Drop.

"So, that's that," said Sasha. She sighed. This was the first time Arabella saw any loyal Shadow Knight express an emotion that wasn't wicked.

Sasha and Arabella didn't speak much to each other, or at all after that. Sasha was gazing at the Nether grounds with nothing too surprising. It was just never-ending mountains of netherrack and soulsand. She didn't notice anything odd until she glanced at the Nether portal. It seemed to be glowing.

"Wha...?" Without another word, Sasha cautiously made her way to the portal with Arabella on her tail. A violet aura emitted from the portal. Did someone activate it?

The question was answered the second Sasha reached the portal. It was, indeed, activated, but that could have only happened if someone from the other side created one. That could only mean one thing--someone was trying to break into the Nether.

A hooded figure exited out of the portal, and Sasha recognised him immediately.

"You dare to show your face here?" she shouted, anger boiling in her voice, but the figure merely laughed with his red eyes glinting.

"I would've expected a warmer greeting," replied Zenix.