Hero's Bane

Chapter 23: The Price You Pay

Nigel carefully inspected the miner's head on all sides in curiosity as he just stood there with the glowing blade in hand. "I have absolutely no idea why he didn't take the blade, but my theory is that he may of forgotten. I say this because once you fell out of consciousness; he just stared at the painting like he was remembering something or reliving a memory, he was so caught up that once it was over that he may of just forgot about it. That is unless he knew about it the entire time but did not care for it. If not any of those reasons, then I don't know. Also, I don't see any new bruises or markings. I find it amazing how Herobrine can instantly project himself into one's own thoughts without so much as a touch; surely something to add to my notes on him."

"Reliving a memory?" Steve whispered to himself with his eyes now moving back on the painting again, he approached it once more.

"Can't be completely sure if it was that specifically, but the hero seemed so fixated on it that he remained motionless for several long minutes. I'm merely guessing, but you seeing him in your 'dream' might just be proving my theory." Nigel moved over to the miner and looked at the painting as well. "Oh how awful it must be to recollect such an terrible event."

"Wait!" Steve moved forward until the image was within reaching distance. "This happened in my dream!" He pointed.

"Yes, you've told me this before. Remember?"

"No, no no. I'm talking about the dream I just had, or memory, whatever it is. I had this same dream before, but this time I wasn't in Herobrine's place!"

"Oh?" Nigel cocked his head in interest.

"This time I was in the crowd when the people surrounding were shouting and attacking Herobrine, he screamed so loudly and looked like he was in so much pain."

"Then what happened next?" The old man curiously asked, lightly coaxing the human to continue with his soft tone.

Steve rubbed the back of his head while looking away from the adventurer. "I- I couldn't stand to watch them torture him anymore, so I sort of intervened?" The miner grinned with unease and a nervous expression.

"You went to defend him correct?"

Steve only nodded and glanced back to the painting with a frown, still feeling lost in the colored canvas.

"Oh Notch! That sounds terrible, it's just sad that you had to experience it; but I'm glad you stood up for him."

"Yeah." Steve spoke more softly. "I had to because-." The miner let out a long quiet sigh. "Because it just wasn't right, watching him get stabbed and pelted with stones was sickening. He couldn't die so they were just torturing him, criminal or not; the whole thing was going way too far." Steve could remember the pained and guilty look on Herobrine's face, he could also remember all of the bloodshed. "Some could say it's justifiable, I strongly disagree. The cries he made, I just couldn't stand it. I've had a dream where I was in his place remember? I know how it feels and trust me, that pain felt so real that I thought I was actually getting stabbed but the wounds healed. That sort of explains why they healed on me when they healed on Herobrine, because I was in his place."

"I'm going to go on a limb and say that what you went through was a memory. I'm not one hundred percent sure but that is what I believe, these two dreams you've had seem very connected to one another."

"Dream, memory, combination of both? It doesn't matter, it just means that we have to get to the shrine faster or next time he may not hesitate to spare me. I got lucky, I think."

Nigel nodded. "I guess we should get a move on then. This picture has taken up enough time as it is and we still must leave before it gets dark."

Steve quietly nodded back and the two grabbed their torches from the floor and headed through the large stone archway.