Nullified

Chapter Four

back on my bullheck of updating in the middle of the night :)

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The click of a pressure plate distracts you from your book.

You stop in your tracks, blinking as you tear your eyes from the pages of the novel. Spinning around, you scrutinize the floor behind you and spot a single pressure plate in the middle of the hallway. Very out of place. Was it some sort of decoration...?

An explosion at the other end of the hall assures you that no, it was not.

Dropping the book, you draw your sword, jogging down to the site of the explosion to try and assess the damage. A mid-sized hole has appeared in the corner of the hall, exposing the floor below it. It looked as if a piece of TNT had been placed between the layers, and as she ventured closer she could see a trail of redstone repeaters in the direction of the plate.

That was no accident.

"Herobrine?" You call out, voice echoing in the empty halls. A second passes, then two, before he appears. "Someone set a trap here." You gesture with your sword, prompting him to draw his own as he surveys the area. "I stepped on a pressure plate down there, and this blew up. I don't think it was actually meant to hurt someone, though...?"

"Hm." Is Herobrine's only response.

"But who would do this?" You continue. "The only one I can think of is Notch - or, possibly Theo playing a prank? But this seems out of character for both of them."

"I agree." He offers you a hand, and you take it with your free one. "Come on, let's look around for any other traps. Maybe one of them will give us a clue who did this."

The pair of you search the manor from top to bottom, which takes the better part of the afternoon. While nothing else remotely dangerous exists, some things have been changed, from the color of glass in windows to the patterns on banners. Eventually, you and your fiancé chalk it up to an elaborate prank - probably Theo's fault, which makes you feel a bit better. You make a note to ask him about it when you go home.

The feeling of wrongness, though, doesn't change.

*

"Steve," You begin, watching idly as Herobrine and Notch have a shouting match. "Do you feel like something's been off lately?"

"Off how?" The miner doesn't look at you, keeping a watchful eye on the verbal combatants.

"I'm not sure how to explain it." You twist your hands together, staring down at your engagement ring. "I feel... kinda nervous. I want to know if it's just me, pre-wedding jitters or something, or if something's really wrong."

"Well, let me think." Steve meets your gaze, eyes searching yours for a clue. "When do you feel it? All the time?"

"I think so."

"In both dimensions?"

"Um..." You try to think back. It's been a week already since you arrived. "I don't... think so. Just here."

"When is it strongest?"

"I don't know man, it's a vague feeling of unease that constantly haunts me. It's not exactly like I can measure it."

"Fair enough, fair enough." A small grin on his face, Steve sinks down to the grass, and you sit down cross-legged beside him. "I have felt something off." He admits, and you raise an eyebrow. "Like you described it, a vague feeling of unease. So far, I've chalked it up to an empty-nest kind of feeling - my little girl is all grown up." Wrapping an arm around your shoulders, he pulls you against his side in a half-hug, drawing giggles from you as he presses his cheek against your hair.

"But," He continues, leaning back but leaving his hand on your shoulder. "The fact that you feel it too makes me think otherwise. Have you talked to 'Brine about it?"

"No." You confess. "Like I said, I'm worried it's just jitters. I don't wanna scare him by acting hesitant."

"Nether, Y/N, I'm sure he's nervous too." Steve gestures to your fiancé, who is now having a slightly-less-heated discussion with his creator. "He puts up a strong front, but you know he's not a brick wall. He probably just doesn't want to admit it for the same reasons you do."

"Wonder which one of us picked that up from the other?" You half-joke, but Steve only shrugs and smiles.

"I'll ask Alex about it too." He tells you. "She's probably the most emotionally-stable person we know - if anyone would be able to tell, it's her."

"Okay." You smirk. Maybe it's just because of her lack of personal involvement with your adventures, but Alex really does give off a vibe of being more mature than everyone else you've met.

"I think they're almost done," Steve comments, and you glance up to see Notch hurling a final retort before disappearing in a puff of sparkles. Setting his jaw, Herobrine spins on his heel, walking back towards you.

"We should go." He announces, voice impressively composed, and you accept his hand as he pulls you to your feet. Steve hops to his feet beside you, mouthing talk to him in your direction before ambling off in the direction of his own base.

Herobrine quirks a brow at you, but you only give him a clueless smile, linking your arm with his as you make your way back to the mansion.