Young Writers Society

He looked at the group around him, and thought back up to the two in the first bunker.

Notch could have been responsible for this. If he knew the truth about Ryder Salvai, he would do what he always did - take what he cared about the most. In this case, it would probably be the people he was in the bunkers with. But if he didn't do something, they would be just as dead as they would be when Notch learned the truth.

And it was seeming more and more like Notch wasn't there.

He took a deep breath.

"I know a way to snuff the fire out," he said.

"We might be able to block it off," Briar said, "Suffocate it until it has no choice but to go out. We're not short on snow to use for that purpose."

Ryder seemed hesitant to make his suggestion. He might have a good reason. An alternative seemed in order before he risked anything personal to him.

"I know another way to block it off - one that doesn't involve us having to leave the bunkers."

He took another deep breath and closed his eyes. Coming to a stop, he held out his hand and tapped into the magic he tried so hard to hide.

Darkness sprang to life in his palm.

He opened his eyes.

When he did, the whites of them were glowing.

Briar took an instinctive step back. Her grip tightened on the gun.

Whatever this was, it was Ryder. If she could trust him enough to arm him, she could trust...whatever this was.

At least, that's what Queenie would say. Privately. Once any witnesses of her softer emotions were dead or otherwise occupied.

Throwing open the door leading to the hallway with the plants, Lasan paused. "Not leaving the bunkers?" he said, turning around as Nubes caught up to him. "What do you mean by-"

The lizard paused. When Nubes looked back, he could see why - Ryder's hands were covered in darkness, and his eyes had started glowing white.

"What are you doing?" Nubes called. "What kind of magic is that? And you know we aren't remotely close to the fire, yes?"

"I'm showing you what I can do," he said. "This is darkness magic - and I don't need to be close to the fire to use it. I haven't used it for years, but I should be able to spread it through everything connected to this spot and cover any flames that the gas can get to."

The darkness licked the air around his hand, threatening to cascade down its sides to the floor below.

“Then do it,” Briar said, unsure of why he hadn’t already.

Nubes nodded. He wasn't exactly a fan of running into darkness magic again, but, if Ryder said it would work, it was worth a shot.

He let his magic flow.

Darkness shot across the floor, consuming the air it touched as it took up as much space as it could. He was searching for the flames - trying to find every single one that were connected to this place. The darkness started to climb up walls when he remembered just how easy it was to control it.

It had been so long since he had been himself.

And the darkness felt so so good.

It found some of the flames quicker than others, but it still snuffed them all out. And then the darkness faded away into nothingness - the finale to a magical feat that would have been nothing more than a snap of a finger back before he took up the identity of Ryder Salvai.

"There," he said, taking in a big gulp of air, "I took care of the flames."

And then he conjured up a bit of darkness in his hand, letting it twist and turn about in what were little more than whimsical creations that his mind came up with in quick, random succession - he was itching to create.

His eyes continued to glow.

Briar was caught between instincts.

One side of her told her that Ryder was a threat. That there was no telling what the limits of those powers of his were, or even if there were limits at all.

The other told her he was an ally, and a powerful one.

The result was her standing still, her gun at her side, and not a single twitch to be mistaken for emotion on her face.

"Good," she said flatly. There was nothing else to say.

Well, that had been, something. Lasan couldn't begin to describe what he'd just seen. Sure, he'd come across darkness magic before, but it'd always been so strange how it spread everywhere. Up the walls, through the air, swarming and reaching for whatever it could cling onto. And sure, Ryder had taken out all of the fires, but he was clearly still using his magic. Which didn't unsettle Lasan at all.

While the lizard tapped his claws against the lock, Nubes took a step towards Ryder. "If you could take care of your magic as well, that would be nice," the leopard said. "It may be best to bring it out in a more comfortable environment."

"It'll be alright," he reassured him. The darkness continued to shift in his hand - he hadn't done anything too extreme with the way he was making it move in his palm, but it wouldn't be long before he did.

"I'm keeping it under control," he added. "It's just been awhile since I've been able to use it. I can make it go away, but-"

He faltered.

Nubes wasn't making that suggestion because he was worried about the situation they were in; it was because he didn't like his magic. Lasan was tapping his claws against the lock, and Briar was almost entirely emotionless. Not angry and not thrilled - emotionless. The type of emotion someone would only have if they didn't want other people to figure out their reaction.

The darkness stopped moving.

Notch, long ago, would have said that he shouldn't care. Back before everything - he would have said that it was his magic, and that it could do wondrous things. And he knew that it could. It had a long, long time ago.

But time had twisted how people perceived him and his magic, and no one had ever quite liked the dark the way he did.

The darkness faded, but his eyes continued to glow. He was tempted between taking them out now and leaving them in, but he ultimately decided to keep them in for a little longer so he seemed more human than "other".

"...That was part of my secret," he finally admitted.

He paused.

"I couldn't hide it anymore," he said. "I had to help. I'm sorry if it scares you - we barely know each other and you won't recognize my name, but please don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person."

He took a deep breath.

His eyes glowed a little brighter.

"My real name is Herobrine," he said. "I'm Minecraftia's god of darkness. By extension - and my own creation - I'm also the god of the night."

He paused and hesitated again, unsure if he wanted to bring up the connection now.

"...Younger brother to Notch, god of light and the day."

So, this is what he was keeping in.

What was it about family that made people keep secrets?

Briar nodded. An acknowledgment, nothing more. She kept herself otherwise blank.

"What is our next move?" she asked.

For some reason, Lasan's tapping sounded wrong. The lizard felt like something was out of tune, but he couldn't quite place it. He also wasn't sure if that was just him being thrown off by learning about the identity of the 'mayor' standing a short distance away.

Nubes, meanwhile, crossed his arms and glared at Ryder. "I feel like it would have been rather helpful if you had let us know this beforehand," the leopard said. "Considering your strength and dexterity, I feel like your status as a god could have come in handy concerning the snowstorms and our trying to carry our supplies around. The nature of your magic could have unsettled us, but who are we to argue with a god? Honestly, what could you have possibly been afraid of?"

For the first few moments that followed the questions, he didn't give a response. He didn't want to explain all of his past unless he had to - it was so long and complicated, and thinking about it only made his heart ache.

But he had to explain himself.

He took a deep breath.

"I wasn't afraid of you," he said. "I was afraid of my brother. I've been hiding from him for the past few years. Ever since..."

He faltered, clenching his hands into fists and digging his nails into the palms of his hands.

"...It's a long story. But my brother doesn't know that I'm the one leading the resistance, and if he found out, the only advantage we - I have over him would be lost."

His gaze dropped down to the ground.

"The resistance doesn't even know," he said. "They think I'm human. I wasn't sure, but I thought that he could have brought us here - I couldn't think of any other reason someone would want Ryder Salvai."