The scene continued, now showing a peaceful-looking walled human village in the same snowy biome, but this time in the daylight. The screen displayed a young man of average build and height. His navy blue eyes, ruffled dark hair, and consistent tan skin tone stood out against the snowy backdrop. He wore a blue jacket with a Creeper insignia and a white undershirt. The young man stood in front of a snowman who had a villager next to it.
Lhara-Silverwing smiled a little bit at the sight of a snow sculpture, which she had seen many times since her visit to the Overworld, noting it as a common sight in snowy biomes. Unlike her, the other Ender Lords didn't pay much attention to the human or the snowman, remaining focused on what would happen next.
The screen shifted to show a young woman running towards the young man. She was of average height with sparkling maple-brown eyes and hip-length ginger hair with a pink ombre. She wore a navy jumper decorated with a Minecraft dirt block icon and striped white and gray leggings. Accompanying her outfit were lighter brown socks and darker brown boots. In her hair lay a black accessory on the back-right corner of her head.
The Ender Lords immediately recognized her as the little ginger girl from the last viewing, who had escaped with the ginger human librarian through a Nether portal summoned with a Nether Star. Despite being older, her distinctive hair and looks were unmistakable.
"It's her!" Apollo exclaimed, leaning forward with interest. "I can't believe she's grown up so quickly."
Marcel nodded with a grin. "So it seems. Good to see she made it through."
Lhara-Silverwing, Lauretta, Gwendolyn, and Arch-Aeromancer expressed relief. "It's wonderful to see she's doing well," Lhara-Silverwing said, her wings fluttering slightly in relief. "She's grown into a fine young human woman."
Gwendolyn added, "It's reassuring to see her safe and in good health."
Ceris and Zeganirn, however, looked concerned. "But what about the librarian who helped her escape?" Ceris asked. "Where is she?"
Lord Vordus, Lance, and Skylor watched with neutral expressions, their faces unreadable as they focused on the screen, waiting to see what would happen next.
The screen showed Abigail running toward the young man and stopping in front of him. They began to talk, though their conversation was inaudible.
Marcel couldn't help but wonder about the young male human the woman was running toward. "Who is this young man she's running to?" he asked. "And what's their connection? It's clear she's living in this village now, but we only saw her and the female ginger librarian pass through the Nether portal. But what happened next after that?"
There was no clear answer from the Ender Lords as they continued to observe.
Lhara-Silverwing offered a theorized response. "Perhaps he is a friend or someone she has formed a bond with. Given her traumatic past, it's likely she sought out new connections."
Lauretta nodded in agreement. "Lhara-Silverwing makes a good point. For someone who was taken away from their parents at such a young age, forming new connections is crucial, especially after being separated from her family and with no clear understanding of what led to her escape—particularly the last time we saw her, when her mother left herself intentionally behind and Steve, now known as Herobrine, was taken by the town guards. It's only natural for her to seek out supportive relationships, especially in a new environment."
The other Ender Lords nodded in agreement with Lauretta's words, acknowledging the importance of the young woman forming new connections in light of her traumatic past.
However, Lance remained uninterested. He stared at the screen with a bored expression, clearly unimpressed by the current scene.
The scene changed, revealing another part of the village. A human with bite marks on his body examined himself while a dead zombie lay on the ground nearby. The young man from earlier was observing the zombie's body kneeling on one of his knees, while Abigail and two other male humans examined the situation.
The Ender Lords reacted to this new development with varied responses.
Ceris, in particular, felt her anger rise sharply at the sight of the undead. Her gaze was fierce, reflecting her disdain and frustration with necromancy and the undead.
Marcel leaned over and whispered to Apollo, "Do you think Herobrine might be behind this undead?"
Apollo shrugged, responding quietly, "Possibly yes, possibly not. After all, he can't be the only practitioner of the necromancer in the Overworld."
While the rest of the Ender Lords remained silent, their gazes fixed intently on the screen.
The scene changed again, now showing a foggy, snowy landscape overrun with countless undead marching through the mist in the night. Among them was Herobrine, holding a pickaxe and with his white, glowing eyes piercing through the fog.
Ceris's eyes narrowed as she took in the massive number of undead. Her hand clenched into a fist, and her frustration was palpable. The sheer number of undead raised questions about the amount of death and desecration involved—whether many humans had been killed to create such an army or if the graves of the fallen had been violated to raise them from their resting places. The sight stirred her anger deeply.
Apollo muttered, "That's a lot of undead."
Marcel, hearing Apollo's comment, chuckled. "Ha! We could take that on. Look at how mindless their movements are."
Lance nodded begrudgingly at Marcel's words and added, "Indeed, we could handle that even without End Crystals. Despite the unknown years that have passed, it seems Herobrine's necromancy hasn't improved in the slightest. He's still managing only mindless undead. Tch."
Gwendolyn agreed and disagreed with Lance's assessment. "I agree that Herobrine's skill in raising the dead hasn't improved in quality. However, the quantity is another matter. His control over such a large number of undead shows an improvement in managing large-scale operations."
Lauretta voiced her thoughts, "Indeed, it seems Herobrine favors overwhelming his enemies with sheer numbers."
Lance waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever. Such tactics are ineffective against us. Sure, they might work on the native inhabitants of the Overworld and Nether, but not on us."
Lauretta raised an eyebrow and replied, "I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it. Quantity has its own quality. Even if the tactics might seem crude, an overwhelming number of enemies can still pose a significant threat, especially if they manage to drown their opponents in sheer numbers."
Ceris, having calmed herself with deep breaths, added, "Indeed. We must also consider that they are undead. Even if you kill them, as long as the body remains intact, it can be raised again to fight on the necromancer's behalf. What's worse is that allies and soldiers killed in battle can be resurrected, bolstering the undead ranks even further."
Lance rebuked, "So? They're still no match for us. They can't fly like our End Ships, they don't possess magic except for Herobrine's, and they don't have anything equivalent to the power of a single End Crystal. Their bodies are fragile and weak."
Ceris attempted to retort, but Lord Vordus interrupted with a weary sigh, massaging his head. "Enough with the arguments. Let's focus on continuing the viewing."
Skylor agreed, nodding. "Yes, let's proceed."
Zeganirn screeched in agreement, his voice resonating in approval.
Arch-Aeromancer was the first to refocus on the screen, leading the others back to the unfolding scene.
The scene shifted again, now showing a human with teary eyes running toward the walled human village they had seen earlier. He clutched a bow tightly with a quiver of arrows strapped to his back, glancing back nervously at the looming, large horde of undead zombies.
The screen then displayed several scenes from different angles, capturing the undead horde marching relentlessly.
Lhara-Silverwing was the first to react, her wings fluttering worriedly. "Oh no."
Marcel said, "Oh no indeed, it seems Herobrine's army of the dead is heading toward that village. But wait, wouldn't that mean..."
Apollo interjected, "Indeed, it seems he and his daughter will be reunited soon. But does he still recognize his very own daughter after how much unknown amount of time has passed?"
Arch-Aeromancer commented, "I sure hope so. As a parent myself, considering I raised Dyana-Whitewing, my little precious princess, I can't imagine the pain that burdens him for having his family thought to be dead, but it would bring closure to him if he finds his daughter in the village."
Ceris, however, saw things differently. "The human village is unprepared for this," she said emotionlessly. "And I don't think there's anything left of a father in those eyes of his."
Arch-Aeromancer countered, "How can you be sure of that, Ceris? Surely there are still remnants of a father in him. Maybe he's using his ambitions as an all-in-one plan to stake his claim to a kingdom of his own while finding his daughter."
Ceris countered, "Because he doesn't even know his daughter is alive in the first place. We concluded from our last viewing that he thought his wife and daughter were dead. This means," she paused before continuing, "he believes he has nothing left to lose. From what I infer, it seems he considers himself undead, which means he doesn't consider himself human anymore, and he seems to view all of humanity as his enemies because of what he experienced, especially the hanging of his wife."
Before Arch-Aeromancer could retort, Lord Vordus's voice echoed through the room. "Enough with the squabbling. If you really want to settle this, let's continue viewing. Perhaps it will provide closure to your disagreement."
Meanwhile, Gwendolyn tried to lighten the mood. "But look, there's a human running to that village at full speed. Maybe he can still warn the inhabitants and—"
Lauretta cut her off. "Gwendolyn, no need to sugarcoat it. Many of those humans are going to die one way or another. Judging by the marching speed of the horde, it will be too late to mount a proper defense."
Zeganirn gave Gwendolyn a look and continued watching silently with the other Ender Lords.
The screen panned inside the village, showing the same human who had been bitten by the zombie earlier. Now, with red eyes and blood on his head, he staggered out of a house. He lunged at a bystander sitting at a table, biting one side of their head. The bystander's eyes began to turn red as well, and they started to act mindlessly.
This unexpected development alarmed the Ender Lords, as it didn't align with what they knew about necromancy.
Gwendolyn gasped in alarm. "This doesn't add up with what I know of necromancy from books and tales of encounters with the Orchid Fleet decades ago."
Ceris, both angry and alarmed, exclaimed, "It seems a single severe bite turns normal humans into undead in mere seconds, and a minor bite takes hours, as evident by that human from earlier. No wonder Herobrine's undead quality hasn't improved. He's found a more easy and quick way to bolster his undead numbers."
Lord Vordus commented grimly, "How very insidious. The implications of someone being bitten in a large, populated area are dire."
Skylor added, "Indeed. It's a strategy that takes them down from the inside."
Marcel remarked fascinatedly, "Hmm, interesting. Being turned undead after a bite resembles how we vampires'reproduce' through biting someone and transforming them to vampires, which is one of the ways we vampires reproduce, except his process seems much faster." He placed a hand on his chin, pondering aloud, "Is he perhaps inspired by vampires in the Overworld? Maybe some who survived the Weird Celestial Cycle and migrated from the End or possibly descendants or scions of those vampires."
Apollo corrected Marcel, "It's not the weird celestial cycle; it's just the sun and moon cycle."
Marcel playfully ruffled Apollo's hair and said, "Whatever. Same thing."
Ceris, now seeing Marcel's point about the similar method of reproduction, coldly wondered to herself, "Is this a trait developed by Herobrine for his undead, or possibly a plague he's unleashing?"
The scene changed once more to another view, showing two bystanders looking at each other nervously, witnessing a fellow human being turned undead in mere seconds.
Then the screen showed a street within the village littered with the bodies of undead zombies. The man with a bow and quiver from earlier is now seen running desperately. The view then changed to a sky-high perspective, revealing the man's frantic dash through the village streets. Another human figure appeared in the sky-high view of the street, slashing at an undead several times.
The screen changed once more to a ground-level view, showing the man with the bow running frantically through the streets of the village. As he passed by a house, he failed to notice Herobrine, with his glowing white eyes, watching from the shadows in the house.
Apollo muttered, "Creepy."
Marcel scoffed. "Herobrine is quite the stalker now, isn't he?"
The scene changed once more, focusing on two zombies rushing towards Abigail from opposite directions. This time, Abigail was armed with a bow and a quiver filled with arrows. The Ender Lords watched in fascination as she closed her eyes for a moment, then swiftly opened fire at the approaching zombies.
As the arrows flew, striking the undead with deadly precision, she pierced one zombie's head, killing it instantly. She rushed forward, grabbed the arrow from its head, and lunged at another zombie, striking its head and killing it in the same manner. Abigail then turned around, grabbed another arrow from her quiver, and fired at the remaining rushing zombie, killing it with a single shot to its head.
Marcel was impressed, saying, "She's grown into one fine human archer."
Apollo agreed, adding, "Quite impressive for a human to have such good accuracy and quick thinking in battle."
Arch-Aeromancer, dumbfounded, commented, "I expected the undead not to attack Abigail, considering Herobrine is nearby. Shouldn't he at least recognize his daughter from a distance if he's such a stalker?"
Ceris shot Arch-Aeromancer with a look that said, "I told you so."
Arch-Aeromancer, wanting to retort, decided to remain silent and continue watching.
Lhara-Silverwing, wings still fluttering, murmured, "Perhaps Herobrine's influence over the undead isn't as absolute as we thought."
Lauretta nodded. "It seems his connection to Abigail doesn't extend to his undead minions."
Ceris then speaks coldly, "As I said before, there is no more trace of Steve or a father in him. He has fully embraced his new self as Herobrine; he is far too gone."
Lhara-Silverwing sighed sadly at Ceris's words, reflecting on the hope some of them had harbored for a reunion between father and daughter to bring closure. "Perhaps Ceris is right," she said softly. "Maybe he is too far gone."
Gwendolyn nodded, her expression somber. "It's heartbreaking to think of what he has become, abandoning his humanity entirely."
Arch-Aeromancer, still holding onto a sliver of hope, said, "Maybe there's still a chance, even if it's small. There must be something left of Steve within him."
Marcel shook his head. "Herobrine's actions speak louder than any hope we might hold. His undead army, his dreams of having a kingdom of his own, his disregard for life... he is a different being now."
Suddenly Lance, with a hint of frustration, interjected, "Enough speculation. Let's just watch and see what unfolds."
Zeganirn, speaking in Endermen gibberish, conveyed agreement, urging them all to focus on the unfolding events.
The screen then shifted to a sky-high view of Abigail running away from the place where she had killed the three zombies. As she ran, more zombies appeared in the sky-high view, marching relentlessly towards her.
Suddenly, the scene changed to the gateway of the walled village. Four humans with varying weapons stood there, including the same young man that Abigail had approached earlier. He now stood over several butchered undead, seemingly waiting for someone.
Gwendolyn wondered aloud, "What are they waiting for?."
Marcel speculated, "Maybe they're waiting for more villagers to help them escape or to mount a defense."
Apollo added, "Or perhaps they're waiting for Abigail. She seems quite capable and could be a friend of theirs."
Lance, still unimpressed, said, "Or they're just foolishly trying to make a stand against the inevitable."
Lhara-Silverwing, hopeful despite the grim situation for these humans, said, "Whatever the reason, let's see what happens next. Maybe there's more than we see currently."
The screen then showed dozens of zombies marching towards the gate, some undead rushing forward. The angle shifted to show the gate closing, and Abigail narrowly slipped through just in time, leaving the undead on the other side smacking the gate mindlessly. She found herself face-to-face with the other four humans, including the young man she had approached earlier and the man with the bow who had run to the village to warn them.
Lhara-Silverwing let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "That was too close."
The scene now showed Herobrine standing atop a roof, watching over the undead smacking and banging on the gate, his glowing white eyes scanning the chaos below.
Apollo muttered, "Here it goes again with Herobrine's recent stalking behavior. He didn't show this in our last viewing."
Arch-Aeromancer, though silent, wondered if Herobrine did recognize Abigail. Why did he not appear to her personally or make the undead not attack her? He believed that somewhere deep inside, there might still be a remnant of the father, or Steve.
Lhara-Silverwing releases a sigh of relief and says, "I hope she can get away as far as possible from her now-warped and changed father."
The scene showed the group of five walking through the snowy landscape and setting up camp.
The tension among the Ender Lords eased.
Lhara-Silverwing sighed wistfully, remembering the many things she had learned and seen during her visit to the Overworld. "It's nice to see these familiar landscapes again," she remarked, her wings fluttering lightly.
Apollo, intrigued by the Overworld's snowy beauty, commented, "I'm fascinated by these landscapes. I've only heard stories from you, Lhara-Silverwing."
Gwendolyn made a mental note, "I need to ask about what humans do for fun in the snow. I'd love to have the Coven's Cryomancer try some of these activities with Isaac and the rest of the Coven when we return home in the far future."
Arch-Aeromancer also made a mental note to check the Aeromancer Enclave Libraries to explore the possibility of creating snow using Aeromancy, hoping it could be an excuse to spend more time with his daughter, Dyana-Whitewing.
Ceris's anger was slightly extinguished as she watched the peaceful camp scene, finding a momentary calm.
Skylor and Lord Vordus maintained a relaxed vigilance, keeping their focus on the unfolding events, while Zeganirn lowered his guard slightly, appearing at ease.
Lance's expression softened momentarily at the sight of the snowy landscape but quickly returned to seriousness as he continued to frown at the screen.
Marcel reminisced about his childhood days, recalling camping trips with his fellow vampires and hybrids as he observed the group setting up camp.
Lauretta watched with a hint of awe, appreciating the sight of the snowy landscape with her own eyes for the first time in a long while, having only recently regained her ability to see temporarily due to her presence here.