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

Chapter VIII: Sasha's Request

"What are you doing here?" asked Arabella.

"Take a guess," replied Sasha sarcastically. Arabella blinked. Sasha rolled her eyes. "What do you think, dummy? After we escaped the Nether, I was captured by no one other than the old lord herself, Aphmau. Except... that's not really what happened..."

Arabella sighed. "Sasha, I can't stay here for too long."

"Alright, I'll skid through the event," grumbled Sasha. "Well, you see, after escaping, I wandered around the woods for a while. I'd never have expected Zenix to return, but he did... and it was terrifying. I know what he's trying to do. I know what he's trying to achieve, but he's going to mess up and ruin centuries' worth of toil. And even if he does succeed, then the Shadow Lord will rise, but with Zenix becoming half of his being. So, I lurked around and found Aphmau. I let her capture me. My main motive has shifted from reviving the Shadow Lord to murdering Zenix, and it's always best to have allies... even if you're not on good terms."

Sasha looked like she would've been fuming by now, but her voice turned dangerously quiet. It seemed as if she did blow up talking about this before, but she was trying not to do that this time. Arabella cautiously approached the cell. "Are you alright?"

"I'll tell you exactly what I told Aphmau and Laurence." Sasha proceeded to do so, and with every word, her voice became more and more hostile, but it still remained quiet. Somehow, the quietness of her voice made it all the more intimidating. As she reached the end of her tale, Arabella was speechless. She was just a week or so into becoming a Shadow Knight, and something this big had already happened. Sasha's vivid descriptions of Zenix's words made it all the more horrific. She, too, didn't want this. "I don't care how long I have to sit in this jail," whispered Sasha. "I don't care how much suffering this process might bring to the world. I don't care if this it will ravage the earth and the skies will consist of never-ending flames, the horizons stretch out only to reveal another pathetic wasteland, and all of humanity is reduced to ashes. I just want Zenix dead."

The lights suddenly went out of the room. In the corner of the hallway, a familiar figure formed itself, but it didn't seem to be able to leave or harm either of them. It was one of those Shadow Souls. Sasha's fury accidentally called them here, but she kept it under enough control to summon only one. Arabella quickly sliced it apart with her battle-axe and it burst into dust.

"What now, then?" asked Arabella.

"I can't leave here on my own will," explained Sasha, after calming down, "but that's alright. In fact, if you stay here too long, you might accidentally seal yourself here, too. Just remember that the enemy right now is not humanity, and we've reached a neutral ground with them. Right now, it's Zenix. Arabella, you need to help Aphmau and the others stop Zenix. He needs to be stopped before it's too late."

Arabella nodded, and turned away to leave the prison building. Her energy was being sapped up too much. However, before she left, she turned to Sasha again. "One last question: has Gene told you about me having to kill Laurance?"

Sasha narrowed her eyebrows. "Kill Laurance? Destroying a few innocent souls is enough to gain true Shadow Knight powers. Plus, Laurance is actually a good guy. Like, even in the sense of us Shadow Knights, he's great. Why would Gene...?"

As Sasha trailed off, Arabella quietly backed towards the door, shaking her head. "I don't know."

She opened the iron door and shut it behind her. Almost immediately, she felt energised again. That barrier magicks was pestering her too much. Arabella was confused. Why would Gene specifically want Arabella to kill Laurance when she could kill a few strangers instead?

They were at a neutral ground, Sasha had said. That meant Arabella could finally stop lying to herself. She was also filled with hope that she didn't have to kill him after all. At least, she hoped she didn't have to. She honestly didn't want to. She never did. No matter what she tried to convince herself, Arabella never wanted to hurt anyone. After speaking with Sasha, maybe she didn't need to, ever.

Laurance would be saved.

Arabella smiled at the thought. She might be seeing him soon as well. She overheard a conversation between Levin and a guard (because every Shadow Knight magically has the urge to eavesdrop on all conversations) about Laurance, Katelyn and Aphmau travelling to Scaleswind. Perfect. She could sneak out of the village and find them. No one would notice her leave Phoenix Drop, would they? Maybe one person would, but Arabella convinced the Stranger to keep his mouth shut, at least, for now.

Arabella felt giddy with joy. She was going to leave at the dead of night, set off for Scaleswind with just a few necessities--food, water, clothes and her trusty battle-axe--on a boat, follow their trails and reunite with them once more. She couldn't wait.

That was exactly what she did. She spoke a little with the villagers, but not much. They didn't notice anything suspicious about her. Good.

When it turned midnight, Arabella quietly slipped under the cover of darkness and made sure to avoid any guards. She didn't want Dante, Alexis or Kyle to find her at all. She successfully reached the docks unnoticed, but before she could place down a boat, a voice said, "Leaving so soon?"

Arabella turned around. Of course, it was the Stranger. Arabella didn't have time for this idle chitchat. "I'm going to go help Aphmau and the others."

Without waiting for a response, Arabella placed down her boat. However, the Stranger replied with something she wouldn't have expected. "Good luck."

Arabella turned her head towards him, her voice much warmer. "Thanks."

She finally hopped onto the boat and set sail for Scaleswind. This was going to be a long journey, but Arabella was excited. She was going to see old faces again. She was going to join them on their adventures like she always had before.

She was going to see Laurance again.