Two Worlds

Chapter Four

I'm lying on the warm, grassy earth, still holding hands with Keia. Suddenly, I remember what happened and hop up, holding a stone sword to the player's throat. Fortunately, Keia acts along with me and whips out an iron sword, pressing it to Herobrine's neck.

"Who are you?" Keia demands. "Why did you bring us here, and WHY is Herobrine with you??? I thought he was a myth!"

"Apparently NOT," I growl to them. "Now, SPILL!"

The player slowly pushes my sword down.

"Ladies, ladies. Please. We can explain. And, may I add, nice avatar." He says calmly.

Herobrine blinks at him.

"What do you..." I trail off, noticing my arms for the first time. They're... straight! And rectangular... Oh no.

"Abby, we're part of the game!" Keia hisses, dropping her sword and examining her blocky body.

I step up to the player and narrow my eyes. "Why have you done this?" I demand.

"Chill, chica. I'll get to that. First, introductions... My name is Colton," Colton waves his hand toward his partner. "And you probably know Herobrine. He prefers to be called Brine, though, or just HB. Don't worry, he won't hurt you. How 'bout you, girls? What're your names?"

"I'm Abby." I say reluctantly.

"And I'm Keia, Abby's twin sister." Keia growls, still suspicious as she lowers her sword.

Colton nods. "I suppose you're wondering why we brought you into the game?" He asks.

Keia and I both say yes.

"Well, It's a bit confusing. Let me explain while we're traveling to Headquarters. Come along!"

• • •

My tan-and-black horse is trotting alongside Colton's pure black one as he explains our situation. Keia is on his other side, riding on a white-and-brown speckled steed as she listens. Herobrine is riding on a white horse to match his glowing eyes, scouting ahead of us.

"So the way you know Minecraft is simply fighting monsters, gathering resources, and making a home, right?" He says. "The biggest goal for you is defeating the Ender Dragon," Colton pauses and quickly wipes a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead. "I can tell you now that it's much, MUCH more than that, behind the scenes."

"Woah, woah. Wait. How do you know this? Were you a normal kid? I mean, with a family and everything?" Keia asks.

Colton shakes his head. "No. You see, I'm an in-game player. In-game players are Minecrafters that literally LIVE inside the game. We are born here, and we die here. We control the game, pretty much. Notch created us to help him. We normally steer clear of the Real-Worlds like you."

"But then why did you come out into the open where we could see you?" I ask.

"I was on a mission, and I believed you could help. My mission was to rescue Herobrine and bring him to HQ. The Dark would target him first, before anyone else, and we have to protect him."

"The Dark? What's that?" Keia questioned.

"It's a virus. You all think the Ender Dragon is bad? Multiply his badness by 1,000, and The Dark is worse than that."

"Do you mean, like, the-basement-at-night kind of dark?" I say.

"No. I mean soul-sucking, darker-than-shadow dark. It's the greatest evil in all of Minecraft. We used to keep it contained in a lab so it couldn't escape, but... someone was careless. They didn't check the cell to make sure it was contained. It escaped and killed tons of people, including..." Colton swallows. I can tell this is hard for him. "Including my parents."

"I'm sorry, Colton." I say softly.

"That's why we're working to defeat it. It almost got Herobrine and I when we were trying to find you, but your presence as Real-Worlds helped us escape. You see, there's a prophecy. I'll remember it the best I can." Colton clears his throat. "The Dark Plague will engulf all of the land; You shall rise or fall by the Real World's hand; The united sisters shall wreak or raise; And lift you from the Darkness Haze."

We trot in complete silence for a long moment. Finally, Keia speaks up.

"The 'united sisters...' Is that me and Abby?"

"We think so." Colton replies. "We've been poring over the meaning for ages, 'we' being the in-gamers. I'll show you when we get to HQ."

"You keep mentioning your headquarters. Where are they, exactly?" I ask.

"They're strongly masked from Real-Worldians. No out of game player has ever found them. You have to be in the right spot... Ah, this looks good," Colton gently tugs on the reins of his horse, and we stop. He glances around and nods. "Ok. I need to give you permission to enter. We have to be in a certain area. It has to be sort of dark, and closed in. Like a forest glen, or a cave. Look around, and see what you can find."

We poke around in the trees for a bit, until Keia shouts, "I found a cave!"

We file into the low-ceilinged cave and get in a messy circle.

Colton instructs us to hold hands. He clears his throat.

"I, Colton of the In-Gamers, hereby give my permission to Abby and Keia of the Real-Worlders to enter and interact with Headquarters. They will be granted full guest rights. Same goes for Herobrine of the Mythical Region. Let this command be passed," Colton pauses, letting the words take hold, then continues. "I wish to enter Headquarters. Let me pass through the gates." For a moment, nothing happens, and I feel a bit silly holding hands with Keia and Colton.

Then, with a sharp tug on my shoulders, I'm whisked away from the cave, caught in an in-between state. As quickly as it began, it stops.

I'm at Headquarters.

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Hi, Wattpadians! Same as always, 10 reads and a vote and I'll make the next chapter!
-BlueJay