Twisted (Yandere?Herobrine X Reader)

Part 12: Ancient Legends

"Crazy he managed to kill so many! I mean.. I hardly even knew his name before I met him!"

"Well, you also lived alone in a forest your whole life."

"Haha, true." Silence followed. Steve shuffled a little lower in his sitting position, getting more comfortable against the tree stump as his eyes started to close. Narrow as they were, you could still see his pupils focused on the fire in front of him. You were sitting a little further to the left of him facing him only partially.

"...He hates himself so...so much... I can't even begin to comprehend it..." Steve's dreary voice spoke suddenly, tears breaking thorough his slit open eyes. "So badly, in fact...I felt conflicted while searching for a way to kill him...because I knew that's exactly what he wanted..." You remained speechless... How...how could that even be possible?? The very man who kills casually wishing death upon himself most of all!?! Almost sounded like Steve was just making excuses. After all, perhaps he wasn't the most reliable source..having been essentially brainwashed in the past by Herobrine? It was clear Steve somehow had some small form of sympathy for the guy still! Obviously, it wasn't the natural kind... The other man's eyes teared up the more he thought about something now fresh in his memory, his hand cupping over his mouth even to muffle a couple small sobs. You just leaned in curiously. "....I've never seen a man so broken in my life..." He whispered.

You sighed in annoyance. "And? Doesn't matter what his story is.. He could have been tortured for centuries on end without break; in the end that just doesn't matter! He still kills like it's his job, tortured you for the fun of it, and now is messing up my head trying to get me to love him or something! You had it bad too, but look at yourself?! Even willing to be nice to me in the form that I'm in currently! You've channeled your anger and trauma to do good things instead of bad! Y-you even helped out a widow raise her kids! Herobrine didn't do those things!"

"How do you know he didn't at one point..? HOW DO YOU KNOW?" Suddenly shouting as he sat up, tears were still very prevalent in his eyes, voice cracking and breaking under the pressure. "Try to imagine living the same tormented life over, and over, and over, and OVER again!! What if he tried his hardest to be nice but STILL broke in the end?! What if time was all it took to break him down to his last bone!.. I haven't lived as long as he has..so I don't KNOW?! What IF the same thing happens to me someday?!" Panting, Steve at last revealed something you hadn't quite thought of yet. A terrible...crushing paranoia.

...What if Steve became the next Herobrine...?

"You won't. E-e-even if you started to feel like that, yu-you could just use what everyone else does and age slowly like the villagers. Problem solved."

"No it ISN'T!" Snapping. "You don't get it, DO YOU?! I am a clone of Herobrine, remember! I'm not affected by the Eulus plant as everyone else is!! Believe me, I've TRIED! I would be DEAD already if it actually worked!!" You blinked in surprise. Frustrated moreso at himself now, Steve fell back against the tree stump and rubbed his aching forehead. "...That thing about purpose you said you liked about me..? Well, truth is.. That was all just a lie... I try to think about it in a positive light as often as possible, but... Ohh, I'm so f###ed..." Top half curling over this lap, both of the man's scarred hands rubbed his eye sockets intensely, pain revealed through his every movement and breath. More sobs slipped from his hidden mouth. You felt an insane amount of empathy for the man all of a sudden.

You crawled towards Steve slowly and sat at his side. Sitting beside him, you placed your hand over his back gently. Steve froze up for a moment. Eventually, though, he forced himself to calm down enough to continue crying at your side. Your left hand rubbed his back in slow circles, feeling his skin shiver under your touch.