The End?

     When I woke up, I found myself in the base, slumped in one of the chairs in the discussion room, with my wrist bandaged up. I was sore, and the parts of me that weren't were either in pain or numb... Using my elbows, I managed to struggle up into a sitting position. From where I sat I could see many guards and other people around, likely scientists and other civilians. They easily numbered forty or more... A lot of them seem injured, either due to the tower collapsing or battling with the creatures from the Nether. It didn't matter now, only that we were all safe, and the master portal was destroyed. For the first time in as long as I could remember, I was able to actually relax, and sit down knowing full well there were no more dangers around the next corner.

"Syeonyx, you're awake. Good! How are you feeling?"

I told AMPHIS that I felt like death warmed up, and he just laughed. He asked me about the wrist, and then other aches and pains I had. I hadn't experienced pain like this before in my life, but I thought I was coping with it okay.

"More than okay. You've been thrown about in the air, tossed at trees and then fell out of them, not to mention being within the blast of the portal before the implosion began. The most I've seen you do is wince, and that's a lot less than some of these others are doing."

I asked him how everyone was coping, and what the extent of their injuries were. Some looked like they had seen their fair share of combat, and been through hell and back, but I realised that was a little to literal for anyone else to believe. Some were covered in bandages, but most of them seemed to be okay, just sitting on the floor either moaning or talking to others.

"You're not the worse, but we all think you should have been after all that. The casualties are lower than we expected; the only deaths came from when the tower collapsed. Everyone else either suffered minor burns or lacerations to their limbs or body. If you're up for it, you can come to the lab. The rest of us are there, Amie included."

Slowly standing up, AMPHIS helped me to navigate around the chair before accompanying me on the slowest walk to the lab I had ever achieved. There was no need to rush any more, and the slow pace suited me a little better. That and it induced less pain throughout my body if I kept movements slow and predictable.

"Ah, Syeonyx! How are you? Hope that wrist isn't giving you too much trouble...?"

I shook my head and greeted everyone else. They were all in high spirits and there was a reason for it. OROTHO was talking with one of the members of the Elite soldiers that HoN Co. had, apparently something to do with broadcast messages, or something of the like...

"Thanks to you, we've got a lot to celebrate!"

"Yes! After you destroyed the portal, the Nether creatures were pulled back through. We haven't seen the Paragon since the implosion, but the Endermen are keeping a watch on the surface in case he attempts to seek revenge... again..."

I asked them about HoN Co.; now that everyone knew the entire company was built around the purpose of finding portals, there was no real company to keep going. I suppose if they continued with the actual job of finding and mining resources that were actually needed, things might pick up again. One of the Elite soldiers who was listening came over to us, shaking his head.

"I doubt it. Everyone within HoN Co. has heard what happened here. The news has spread like wildfire, and there doesn't seem to be much effort in place in trying to keep it quiet. It won't be long until the public hear about this and the company begins to crumble on that front as well. No-one will put any resources into a crippled company that can't manage its employees, especially the C.E.O..."

"So what happens to you now? If HoN Co. is gone then presumably the security and Elite are disbanded?"

"Oh yes! They collapsed the moment it reached the main headquarters! Everyone's leaving. The guards and some of the Elite are quitting instantly, just leaving the company behind and looking to start anew. Some are remaining to help the others find out what to do with what's left. Still a lot of civilians left in the other bases and HQ's that need to be moved back to the cities. Comes as a big surprise to a lot of us how this went down. We all thought it was the start of the end of the global energy crisis... Humph, so much for that..."

"What about the scientists? What happens to them, and their research? A lot of it is controversial stuff!"

"Anything immoral or unethical is to be destroyed; this includes everything from portal technology to studying and developing Affinitas cages. Some of the other experiments are world firsts though, so they would be transferred over to whichever company pays out the most. Some of the scientists are likely to strike it very rich with their research."

"Like what? I assume the Elite armour is something new and unexpected?"

"Oh yes, that's one of the finest successes of experimentation with light-bending technology. That'll be up for the highest bidder. I just hope it doesn't end up going to the military, but I can almost guarantee it will... Some improvements in energy efficiency and alternative energy resources are on the table for future development. That, strangely enough, was a bi-product of one of the portal projects."

"It's good to know that so much good can come of all that has happened here though... What about all the miners that spread out? Surely they won't have heard anything about the collapse of HoN Co.?"

"Don't worry, we've got that covered. They'll receive a message from their PDA's about a pickup request. They'll know what happened and we can go and get them from where they're based. That's if they want to. I've been talking to a lot of the guards here, and those without families want to stay here..."

"What? With us? We haven't discussed what our next..."

"No, not here with you. They want to remain here in Minecraftia and become miners. Strange I know, but I have to admit, even I found the idea compelling..."

"Are you going to stay then?"

"Like I said, I'd love to but... I've got a family back home waiting for me. I just want to get all this legal bull out of the way first and then I'm free to see them for as long as I like. Until I find another job that is..."

"What about a way of life instead? Rather than go home, why not get your family to come up here and start your life anew! Try out the miner's way of life for a change."

"I suppose it's something to consider... Have to run it past the wife..."

We all laughed, confident laughs. One of the Endermen entered the lab, having to duck through the corridor. We stopped laughing, assuming they'd come back to tell us of the Paragon returning. I felt my stomach tense up, waiting for the inevitable.

"Hey. How's things on the surface?"

"We have the entire area cleared. We have managed to bring one hundred of us from our city to here to be able to safeguard this place until such time as we are no longer needed. The Paragon has left the area, and it is doubtful he will return. There is nothing here for him now."

"It's weird to think that all those years ago we were working towards this point and thinking it would never come. Now it's here I... I don't know what to do. The only master portal is destroyed and the Paragon has no way of accessing the Nether again..."

"Only...? No there are others..."

There was silence in the room; everyone who had been talking quietly to others turned towards the Endermen. The tension in the air... You could cut it with a knife!

"What do you mean there are others?"

"Yes, there are others. Not on this planet, but there are others. We aren't restricted to this planet. Many millions of years ago, we used the portals as a means of transport around the galaxy. The distance travelled in the Nether is greater than travelling anywhere else. Stepping forward one foot in the Nether equates to eight here. And the temporal effects within the Nether also allow for easy movement between planets."

"So... So the master portal we destroyed wasn't the only one? That means the Paragon has access to the others then! Can he reach the others?"

"It is possible, but it will take many years. He is resourceful and does not give up..."

"But I thought the point of it was to prove a point to you that he wasn't useless because of his individuality...? He wanted to destroy this world by merging the dimensions..."

"No, you misunderstand... He is willing to destroy any planet in this manner to prove his point. Life has no meaning to him."

"Well... Where is the nearest portal to this planet?"

"On your moon... The far side, hidden beneath the craters and dust. It has not been used in some time, but it can be activated again. And the Paragon knows this..."

Syeonyx signing off

Wake up call

     I can't hear anything... I can't see anything... I can't feel anything... Was I dead...? I felt like I was unable to move; my vision was a sea of darkness, I couldn't even see any part of my own body... Where was I? I had to be dead... I had died!!! How!?! Trying to calm my mind down, concentrating the billions of thoughts passing through my head, I attempted to recall the events leading up to this point. I had taken the Keystone... Running down from the tree line, I had... I had stopped just short of the portal... The others... Looking back I could see the looks on their faces... Then, I threw the Keystone at the portal... Then... Nothing... What had happened? The portal must have killed me... I was too close to it when the Keystone became destabilised by the Nether energy... The resulting blast likely blew me to smithereens... At least I had succeeded in ending it... I had sacrificed myself for every living thing on the planet... We had won; HoN Co. was... HoN Co. was over... More than over, it was finished. The Paragon... There's no point to HoN Co. any more... HoN Co. ... It was just a cover... A cover to activate the master portal... A cover that had lasted years... Doesn't matter now, everyone's safe. Hopefully the blast killed the creatures from the Nether too... What happens now then...? I still couldn't move or feel anything, and my vision was still dark. I wasn't able to perceive an... Hang on... I can here a slight buzzing sound... It's probably my imagination... No, wait... It's definitely an actual buzzing... It was getting louder... Was that... Was that a flash of light?

"SYEONYX!!!"

I definitely didn't imagine that! Maybe if I concentrate... The buzzing sound is too loud... I can't hear anything over...

"SYEONYX!!!"

There it is again! The flash of light too! What's happening to me? Ow!!! Did something just hit me in the head...? Wait, I felt that! I felt pain...I can't be dead... Where am I then...?

"SYEONYX!!! WAKE UP!!!"

I can't call back... I can hear them, but I can't reply. Where are they...? Who are they? It sounds like... Amie... Ow! There was that pain again. The buzzing... It's deafening!!! My vision... It's gone all white... What's happening to me!?! Wait, it's clearing...

"SYEONYX!!! For the love of God, WAKE UP!!!"

My vision... It's all dark and blurry... What's that in front of me...? It's... It's a face... Amie! I'm not dead! Why can't I move then? Maybe this is a dream... Ow... No, it can't be a dream... I've never felt such pain in a dream before... My vision... Clearing... It's definitely Amie... Ringing in my ears... Going away too...

"SYEONYX!!! Please, don't leave us!!!"

The pain... It's not just my head... Everything hurts... My vision is almost clear now; UOPETA, COLUS, AMPHIS... Amie... They're all still here... In the back... People I've never seen before... Guards...? The Endermen are here too... The ringing is gone... Just the sound of voices... Indistinct voices and the patter of rain... It's beautiful! I can feel my arms... Legs... Body... Ow! It all hurts... Wait, I can move my hand...

"Oh thank God you're okay!!!"

What happened...?

"You were knocked unconscious by the blast. The portal exploded and threw you quite a distance... Oh Syeonyx..."

Amie's hugging me... I'm in a lot of pain... But I can manage a hug...

Why am I over here? I thought the...

"The portal tossed you over here. We saw you throw the Keystone into the portal and than it was instant! The blue energy around the portal exploded outwards, blowing you to the ground."

"The portal then changed to that sickly yellow/green colour, just like the others. But then it changed to a dark red... We've never seen it do that before..."

"This is likely due in part to our modifications made to the Ender Keystone. The unstable energies became unbalanced when exposed to the concentrated energy of the Nether, breaking the equilibrium."

"It started to suck everything in it nearby. You got lucky... Sort of..."

I don't feel lucky... How did I survive...?

"The portal sucked you up, but because of the distance you were from it when began to implode, you weren't sucked into it. You were pulled towards it, and then past it. You practically orbited it about ten or so times, slowly being pulled towards it, before it just... Exploded... You were thrown clear of the portal blast and into a tree."

That's why my everything hurts then...

"Yeah, but you got lucky. I can't say for sure, but it seems you got off with just a broken wrist... That was from when you fell out of the tree onto your arm... There might be some minor internal bleeding, but..."

"We were worried you had suffered a blow to the head... Or worse... We thought we had actually lost you at one point. Turns out you're tough to kill..."

Wish I felt like that... Feels like I've been dropped from thirty thousand feet...

"Come on, we'll get you on your feet and back to the base. We can bandage you and everyone else up, and then settle things..."

Settle things?

"Yeah. Now that the HoN Co. guards here have disbanded, we need to determine what the next best course of action is. Everyone here has now seen them for their true colours, and it won't be long before that spreads throughout the rest of the company."

"By destroying the portal you've slit the throat of the beast. All we do is wait for it to die..."

WE did that together. There's no 'I' in 'team'...

"There is if you write it as an ambigram..."

"Stop being difficult OROTHO and grab Syeonyx's other shoulder."

There are a lot of guards around. They don't seem to know what to do. I don't blame them... Their entire world has just crashed down around them, and they're now left without anyone to guide them. There are quite a few injured guards and soldiers. Some are worse than me... Looks like the Endermen are coming with us as well. I'm glad for their help. Without them we wanted have got this far... It still hadn't sunk in yet...

I can't believe it's over...

"Well you'd better start believing; I'm not going through that again! Just"

"If you will allow it, I we can carry the injured in a way that will not cause further injury."

"Oh... Okay then... Just... Just don't drop them..."

"We will try our best..."

What's going on...?

"The Endermen are carrying you and the other injured. Just lie back and relax. We've got a way to go before we back at the base, although thankfully I don't have to add the word 'safely' to that any more..."

Syeonyx... nodding off...

Finishing the job...

      Myself, COLUS, Joe and UOPETA went back to shooting at whatever available target we could find. It seemed the others were having some success in convincing the guards and soldiers to escape rather than fight, and the Endermen where holding the Nether creatures back long enough for them to do this. It wouldn't be long though before more and more began to pass through the master portal and we'd be overrun so much that not even the Endermen would be able to help us. The Paragon hadn't shown up again since disappearing from before, and I wasn't wanting to see him back here again. What he had told us about teaching the Endermen a lesson by destroying their world seemed insane! Maybe that was one of the conditions brought about by not being born with the connection to the other Endermen. Maybe that was how the Endermen survived; through universal thought, each individual maintained sanity by sharing thoughts. Us on the other hand, humans, are able to think freely and act as we choose. Maybe with that ability, the Paragon went insane... Depending on the perspective, I would suppose it could even be considered a curse...

"Syeonyx, take the Ghast on the left! It's heading to that group of scientists. Try to nail it in the eye. Probably won't do much, but if we can distract them long enough we should be able to save most of them."

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I lined up the shot and fired, the dart sailing through the air, through the wind and rain, landing a few inches below its left eye. Even from this distance I heard it howl, and look in my direction, before turning back to the group of scientists, who had taken the opportunity and had hidden. The number of creatures pouring through the portal from the Nether had reduced, but the ones in our world had now begun to spread out further and further, following the fleeing groups of soldiers, scientists and guards. One of the flame creatures had broken away from the open area beside the tower base, and headed into the trees. As it brushed against the underside of the canopy, the leaves caught alight, despite the dampness of the tree, before being quickly extinguished by the rain.

"Look! One of the Ghasts has gone down! We must have injured it enough to knock it out!"

"The rain seems to be helping against those fire creatures too. Look, they're barely moving any more. They're just sort of lying there..."

We couldn't take any time to celebrate as there were still many creatures left to take down, and we couldn't be sure whether any more may come through yet. The five Endermen standing in a circle a few feet away from us were still together, each of them levitating above the ground, arms pushed towards the centre, eyes closed. Then they slowly lowered their arms, opened their eyes and split the circle, revealing an odd, orange glow.

"We have been able to modify the Ender Keystone with the source of Nether energy you provided. It is highly unstable, and may be unsafe to touch."

"I'll try it. We've got nothing to lose at this point."

COLUS put his rifle down for a moment, stepping closer towards the now-orange Keystone. Reaching out tentatively, COLUS hesitated for a moment, before continuing forwards, picking the stone up from where it levitated. He instinctively winced, but after a moment or two, he opened his eyes finding everything to be fine.

"Right... That's that step done then. Can we be sure this'll work? I can't see how we're going to get up to the portal itself, but if we can, I want to know I'm not just throwing a life at something we can't alter..."

"The Ender Keystone is now comprised of both energy of this world and that of the Nether. It is incredibly unstable and will likely tear itself apart if left alone for long enough. It needs to be exposed to a greater source of one of the other energy types to destabilise it when you need it to."

"So the two energies are currently balanced?"

"Yes. The Nether energy is in equilibrium with the energy from this world, but it will take a lot of one other type to cause it to rupture. The portal is the obvious source of such an energy surge."

"So we don't need to place it in contact with the frame?"

"No. This is not necessary, but would work. Instead the stone could make contact with the portal surface itself, or the energy coursing around the frame. This will cause almost instantaneous detonation."

"What happens after that? Does the Keystone then act as planned and suck everything into a singularity?"

"We do not know. The functions of the Keystone, though basic, have now been altered. Its primary function will still work, but the outcome of this is unknown. Suffice it to say, the portal will be destroyed."

"So one of us just needs to throw this thing into the portal and get back to a safe distance...? Okay then, I volunteer."

"No COLUS, you're a leader. If something happens we won't be the same without you."

"We won't be the same without anyone! I must make the decision and I decide to make the ultimate sacrifice!"

"What if I want to destroy the portal? We all have a right to destroy it, regardless of the consequences."

I listened to them bicker for what seemed like ages. I closed my eyes, and filtered all sounds out apart from the rain. I concentrated on that one form. The rain. I felt it cool me down, running down my face, almost as though it were washing away my worries. But I knew that wasn't right; all I needed to do was open my eyes and tune in again, and I was back to where I was before, worries and all. Sighing a long sigh, I tensed my legs for the event that would likely end my life. I levelled my head with the remains of the tower, opened my eyes, grabbed the Keystone and ran!

"SYEONYX!!!"

I ignored them. Bickering amongst ourselves achieved nothing but wasting time and wearing down our patience. Filtering out the other sounds again, the shouting from the others soon faded away behind the sound of the rain, like a ship lost in a storm. I was calm. I was peaceful. As I ran, I felt every muscle in my body relax as though it had accepted the fate I was choosing. With every heartbeat, with every closing footstep, time seemed to slow down, to the point where I could almost see every individual rain droplet. I neared the sandy edge of the base tower, slowing down a few metres away from the portal. I had luck on my side; no creatures were present nearby, nor had any noticed me as I made my short dash to the portal. Looking back towards the others, they just stood there with expressions of anguish and fear. Turning back towards the portal, I brought the Keystone up close to my face, allowing me to admire the intricate patterns that seemed to swirl and skitter across its surface. Looking at the portal, I arched my arm back, took careful aim and drew my arm forward. Time slowed down even more; my arm a single moving limb in amidst stillness. It seemed to take an agonising amount of time until my arm reached the apex of its lunge, before I uncurled my fingers and let the momentum carry the Keystone to its final resting place.

I didn't even have time to run...

Syeonyx signing off

Energy of the ancients

     COLUS, UOPETA, Joe and myself turned to look at OROTHO who had remained behind with us rather than go ahead with the others to warn the guards. He had said he had an idea, but as far as the portal was concerned, it was unlikely to help. He must have an idea to get the Nether creatures back into the portal. Maybe he found something in one of the labs when he had gone with the others to find the last Ender Eye.

"I have an idea that might work, but I don't know the full extent of its use to us now..."

"What is it?"

We continued to fire at the Ghasts and fire creatures below us ensuring that they were distracted enough for the other guards to escape. They no longer seemed to be shooting at the Endermen; whether this was because they knew they weren't the threat or thought they weren't a big one we couldn't tell.

"Well we know that the portals can be destroyed using the Solus stone that we had to deactivate them and remove the link to the master portal. The Enderman said that the Keystone works in the exact same way."

"Yeah, and...?"

"Well it said that the Keystone was of this world. The Solus stone wasn't. We had to take more from the Nether through a portal, which likely had an effect on its ability to destroy portals. Nonetheless it still worked against them. If the Keystone is more powerful than the Solus stone, all we need is an increase in power."

"What are you suggesting? That one of us heads into the Nether and destroys the master portal from the other side?"

"Exactly! It only makes sense for it to work. It doesn't matter where the portal originates, but provided you use the alternate energy source in the opposite dimension, it might work! Think about it: The Solus stones work on the portals in our world but their energy originated in the Nether. The Keystone was built in our world and works off the energy from our world, so logically it would work in the Nether only. I don't know what it would do to the other portals, but it may be a one-way trip..."

"So someone would have to enter into the Nether and destroy the portal, sacrificing themselves for ever living creature on this planet?"


"I'm afraid so. I can't guarantee what it would do to the other portals; some may remain active, some may not, but if one or two did, maybe that volunteer would be able to pass back into our world."

"Couldn't they just activate any one they find though? If they're trapped in the Nether and they find an inactive portal, all they need is a large enough heat source."

"No, because there would no longer be a link between that portal and the master portal. Without the link there's no need for the portal to be active, and so they cannot be reactivated. Come to think of it..."

"What...?"

"If they can't be reactivated, from either side, it would almost guarantee that they would be trapped in the Nether. Any and all active portals would be deactivated instantly the moment the connection is severed. They would be trapped forever in the Nether."

"We need to tell the others. We need to..."

"No, first we need to run this by the Enderman first. I can't even be sure if that's how it works, but the logic in my head states this would be the outcome. It's a great sacrifice for one person, but it's the ultimate sacrifice. One life for quadrillions of other individuals of every species..."

Calling the Enderman once more, it appeared before us, with the same expressionless face staring at us.

"Do you need assistance? We are helping the rest of you to convince the others to escape. We will need more, but it will take time."

"OROTHO has an idea about the Keystone that might work and destroy the master portal. OROTHO?"

"What if we were to destroy the master portal from the Nether? I thought that if the Solus stone uses Nether energy to destroy the portals from our world, maybe the Keystone can use energy from our world to destroy the master portal from the Nether. Would this work?"

"I'm afraid not. The portal is active because of the connection made to every other active portal. To destroy the portal, the connection would need to be severed between it and every other sub-portal. Only then would it deactivate again. But this is not possible; as we speak, the connection established is spreading to inactive portals, causing them to strengthen the portal. Once it reaches full strength the merging of dimensions will begin."

"Damn!"

"However your theory has given us an idea. The Ender Keystone is different to the Solus stone as only it can destroy the portal. If we were able to boost the power of the Ender Keystone with energy from the Nether we could disrupt the connection and destroy the portal."

"How would that work? I thought the master portal worked from the energy from the Nether itself? Surely that would be like fighting fire with fire!?!"

"In a way, yes. The energy that the portal is using is ancient and has remained dormant within itself since its creation. However the powers in every dimension change and fluctuate with time. The energy within the Nether back during the creation of the portal would be more... primitive in contrast to the energy now."

"Are you saying... Energy evolves? But energy is finite... It's the conservation of energy law that governs the amounts of energy in the world. Energy is only transmuted from one form to another."

"Yes, but the energy itself can evolve; continuous use of energy in one form can improve its efficiency. As a popular saying with your culture goes: 'out with the old, in with the new'."

"So we can disrupt the ancient energy by utilising the current energy form from the Nether with the Keystone?"

"Yes, but it would require a vast storage of energy to achieve this. Any form of energy-bearing material brought through the portal would lose mass amounts of this energy."

"What about the CPD!!!"

"What?"

"The CPD! It's powered by that energy source Jeff found in the Nether long ago! He said it was practically a self refuelling battery! It can run an energy-hungry device like the CPD for an entire day, and then be recharged again!"

"Show me..."

Putting my rifle down, I took the CPD from my belt, slid the back panel off and took out the strange rod. It glowed and incredible orange hue in the dark. I passed it to the Enderman, who took it with both hands, turning it over, before closing its eyes and remaining still for a moment.

"Yes! This object contains vast amounts of energy that can be used against the portal! It must be merged with the Ender Keystone to bind the two energies together."

"How do we bind them together? I doubt sellotape is going to do the job..."

"Both the Ender Keystone and this energy source are incredibly unstable, and will likely be even more so joined together. They must be done so by us."

Four more Endermen appeared in front of us, also hovering a few inches above the ground, their gazes locked on the strange, orange rod that the Enderman continued to hold.

"Please, give us the Ender Keystone and we can merge the two together, forming the device that should be able to shut the portal down."

COLUS passed the Keystone to the Enderman, who took it, before backing off slowly. The other four Endermen began to move around and form a circle. They placed their hands within the centre of the circle; the one holding the rod and the Keystone placed them in the centre, where they then began to float a few centimetres above their outstretched hands.

"Let's hope this works..."

Syeonyx signing off

The Paragon

     We stared in disbelief at the Enderman, who simply stared back, giving no emotion away at all. How could that be the Paragon? He was meant to be at the top of HoN Co., according to Jeff! Why was he here? How was he here?

"What do you mean that's the Paragon? The Paragon is the C.E.O of HoN Co.! Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. We have watched you with keen interest since your first visit to our city. We have watched you enter their places and speak with the scientist. He was the one that gave a name to this otherwise faceless evil."

"How do you know he's evil? We thought that everyone within HoN Co. thought the master portal was used to allow access to the energy contained within the Nether? How is he evil?"

"He is the only one that knew of the true cause to the activation of the portal. He knew from the start that activating it would not allow you to enter into the Nether and take what you wanted, but was a way of merging the two dimensions together. This was done intentionally. He has no intention of harvesting the energy, and the fabrication that was crafted which allowed others to think this was possible was established. He knew that if anyone was to know the true purpose, his project would be shut down."

"How was he able to continue? Surely there are others out there who work within HoN Co. that knew this would be the true outcome from activating the master portal?"

"There were, but the Paragon made sure they remained secret. His initial attempts at thwarting these ideas was to state that the merging of the two dimensions would occur on a small scale, and the energies would still harvestable. However, there were many scientists who continued to explore this and realised he was wrong. He killed them."

"So anyone who wouldn't listen to his lies died?"

"Yes. These mysterious deaths were not connected in any way so no-one took any notice of the pattern."

"This is sounding more and more plausible by the minute. But... What would he have to gain from destroying this world by merging the dimensions? There is nothing he would gain that would outweigh the consequences!"

"There is, as he is not of this world. He was the evil we locked the Nether away from many thousands of years ago. His idea had lasted since before the portal was deactivated, and he has strived this long to reactivate it."

"Wait... He's not human?"

"No. He is one of us, and yet not one of us. He was a single Enderman, and individual like us, however he was born without the unified connection that joins everyone of us together. He was able to think freely of his own accord. He matured in our world with the resentment that we did not expand to colonise the planet. After many hundreds of years he left us, vowing to make something of this world. It was then that he found the Nether through the portals we used. He liked the Nether, far too much, and worked hard to find a way to bring it into this world."

"But why? Why not just head into the Nether and live there on his own?"

"Because I felt like I was leaving everyone behind unpunished!"

We turned to see the Paragon metres away from us! He had made his way down from the base of the tower and had managed to sneak up on us.

"I vowed I'd make something of this world, and I did! I set out to find a way to make this world into one that I enjoyed, completing my goal and showing everyone the potential I alone had."

"You did all of this because you thought the Endermen weren't outgoing enough!?!"

"No! I did this to prove a point! As an individual maturing within an environment where I was told I could not make an impact individually, I began to resent the idea that I wasn't able to make anything of myself. As a freak of nature, one born without the connection, I was singled out and put down regularly. I left on that day to prove to every Enderman in existence that being an individual made me more powerful than all of them combined!"

"But why not just establish your own empire out in the world by yourself! You'd prove to everyone you were powerful!"

"With who!?! I was the only individual of my species in existence! There was no other intelligent beings on this planet; your species hadn't even climbed out of the trees when I set off alone."

"He found the portal and attempted to activate it. We found out, learning of his plan and attempted to stop him. The only way we could was to deactivate all of the sub-portals around the planet, and seal away the only method of activating it with us."

"I've been activating portals for millennia trying to get the Nether to merge with this world! MILLENNIA! And now I've succeeded! There is nothing you can do to stop it!"

"So you set up HoN Co., a mining company, when humanity reached an industrial age and got people to find more portals for you? Once you found them, they were activated, linking back to the master portal? Why have scientists though? You already know what the portals do..."

"They were a cover. Early on when the first portal was found, the public got wind of it, and it proved to be the find of the century! I couldn't sit about letting this incident lay idle! I requisitioned a team to work on it so that it seemed HoN Co. took an interest in this new phenomenon. This kept others out of the way, and this way I was able to more accurately control what happened when a portal was found."

"Why are you telling us all of this? Are you going to kill us?"

"Kill you!?! Why would I do that? I never set out to kill anyone... Not directly anyway... I'm telling you all of this because I take joy in the fact that there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

The Paragon disappeared from view right in front of us, although whether he turned invisible or literally disappeared I didn't know!

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"The people under the employ of HoN Co. are merely victims then. They are not as evil as he is if they are willing to think for themselves. My people will aid them in fighting the Nether creatures back. We may not be able to destroy the portal, but we may be able to help the people here live long enough to escape."

We watched as many more Endermen appeared into view, dotted around the landscape, and began to intervene in the battles that had begun between the creatures of the Nether and the guards and soldiers below. A number of times the guards mistook the help for another attack, and began firing at them instead, but as fast as they could fire their weapons, the Endermen would simply disappear from view and reappear elsewhere.

"What do we do now then? All we can do is help them out..."

"Then let's help them! You three get your rifles out. They're not as powerful as pistols but we know they work! Target the Ghasts first, while we try to get the word out to the other guards not to attack the Endermen!"

Reassembling the rifle, I joined COLUS, UOPETA and Joe in taking shots at any Ghasts or fire creatures that entered our scopes. We couldn't tell if what we were doing was helping at all, but we only slowed down to reload. Luckily there was little aiming involved as we were very close to them. Despite what had happened, despite what we had been told, I fought with the others as though my life depended on it, and with the events yet to unfold, that was definitely going to be the case!

"Wait! I have an idea!"

Syeonyx signing off

End of the world

     I stood motionless, staring at the primary portal that had just become active. I was too late... We missed our one chance to end it once and for all by seconds! All around me, the scientists were cheering, but I phased it out; there was silence all around me, and I felt like there was only me and the master portal in existence. Nothing else mattered now... We had worked so hard to reach this point, and sacrificed so much, but it counted for nothing... My attention was drawn to the master portal now; the cheering and commotion going on around me began to phase back in. A loud surging sound like charging electricity became audible and everyone quietened down. The sound became louder and louder, until it felt like it was buzzing inside my own head! Then from overhead a large flash of light erupted from the ceiling; a crackle of electricity as a bolt of pure energy raced down the conducting rod, and into the frame of the master portal. We all watched, stunned, as the portal slowly began to activate. The frame crackled with a mysterious, blue energy as the portal surface slowly washed into place, like the tide coming into land. It began as a faded, purple shimmer which grew in intensity before our very eyes! When it reached the same colour and hue as the others, there was a huge release of energy from the portal, and the tower began to violently shake! The cheers and celebrations of moments before had now been replaced by screams of terror and fear! I ran back up the stairs before anyone else could reach it, trying to keep my footing despite the immense shaking.

The tossing of the structure around me did not subside or become reduced as I made my way higher up the tower, back to the base. If anything it felt like it was getting worse, and now the air around us rippled with the sound of something indescribable! The shaking increased intensely and I was having trouble getting up the stairs, but I managed to make it back to the base. There was no-one left there any more, presumably they had all ran out to protect themselves from anything falling. Dashing to the exit, I ran directly over to where the Lone 7 had stayed while I had gone into the tower. They were still there, but their faces showed expressions of horror and disbelief. A powered down the CPD, and I slowly came into view before them.

"Syeonyx! What happened? Did you use the Ender Keystone? Is the portal imploding?"

I shook my head and explained what I had seen when I entered the chamber. I began to start on the primary portals when there was an almighty crash coming back from the tower behind me! Looking back, I could now actually see the master portal floating in mid-air, hovering above a hole it had just punched through the base of the tower. We stood there and stared in horror, with absolutely nothing we could do. We were powerless to intervene in any way; the portal hovered on the spot; the blue energy that surrounded it crackled and spat, setting fire to anything it touched, before it was quickly extinguished by the downpour.

"What now? How do we destroy that thing!?!"

"We can't... It's active... We're too late..."

The screeching of stressed metal grew in volume; looking up to the top of the antennae, we could see that the portal had warped the entire tower. The top was now leaning at a precarious angle to the West, and it was still slowly bending. A moment later, there was an ear-wrenching scream as the iron tower sheered off from the base, and began to fall to the ground below. There were many guards running around below it, trying to organise everyone. In the commotion they hadn't spotted us creep closer, but they also hadn't noticed the tower. It continued to fall until it struck the ground with such force we were all knocked off our feet! The guards that had been around that area were now no longer visible; the dust cloud kicked up didn't look like it was going to settle soon, and I'm glad it wouldn't. A flash of lightning struck close to the tower again, drawing our attention back to the portal. What do we do now? We can't destroy it, and we can't interfere with it once it was active!

"ENDERMEN!!!"

Right in front of us, the Enderman materialised out of nothing, hovering a few inches above the ground. It turned to look at the portal, but there was no emotion expressed physically that we could see. It turned back to us, looking directly at me.

"The portal is active. All of the evil from the Nether can now spill into our world freely, corrupting our world. There is nothing that can be done to destroy it now."

"What do we do then!?! We can't just walk away, we need to do something!!! What about the Keystone? Why won't that work any more!?!"

"The Ender Keystone was designed to use the energy of the portal against itself while it its early stages of activation. The energy delivered to it is of this world and can only destroy it while it is inactive. However, the portal is now active, allowing the energy from the Nether to spill into ours. The blue incandescent energy flow around the portal is this energy. With the Nether energy protecting the portal, not even the Ender Keystone can work."

We watched as the portal continued to hover on the spot. The blue tendrils of energy coursing and coiling around the air close to it like many thousands of snakes trying to get loose. All around the guards and scientists stood staring at it, dumbfounded at the sight. I doubted HoN Co. knew this was going to happen, or if they did, only the higher echelons were aware. Everyone's reactions showed that they never expected this to happen. They were told it was a way for them to harness limitless quantities of free energy from the Nether and utilise it in our world. The master portal was the only way to get the energy into our world, and it seemed this had been the only remotely true part of what they had been told.

"What happens now then? How long will it take before the Nether begins to merge with our world?"

"We are not sure. It may take hours to start merging, but when it begins, the entire world is doomed. The power from the Nether will cause exponential decay, turning everything to ash and dust."

From the portal we could see activity; the surface of the portal itself began to shimmer as something began to pass through it. It was a Ghast! Then another, and another! They were passing into our world! Then behind them two strange fire creatures we had seen back in the Nether!

"These creatures are not right for this world. They have ventured through the portal out of curiosity, not as a form of attack. When the master portal was activated, the Nether counterpart rose from its place and is now acting as a beacon, drawing the attention of every living creature within many thousands of miles. It may take hours to begin merging but by then many of these creatures will have passed through."

From below we could hear gunshots as the guards and Elite soldiers began to fire upon the intruding creatures. They seemed to do little in the way of damage, and instead only drew attention to themselves. One of the strange fire creatures began to float down towards one of the guards; he fired an entire clip into it, with seemingly no effect. The creature lurched forward, setting fire to him, and despite the torrent of rain, he continued to burn for many moments until he fell to the floor.

"FINALLY!!!"

We turned to look in the direction of the voice. From below the portal appeared the figure of a man dressed in black. Only his eyes were different; a red glow emanating from the slit that was exposed, which coursed throughout the rest of the body in a a strange vein-like pattern.

"We know this man. He is the evil one. He is the one that set all of this into motion."

"What!?! Who is he!?!"

"He is the Paragon..."

Syeonyx signing off

Into the belly of the beast

     Depressing the one button on the front of the CPD, I allowed a few seconds to pass before I could be sure I was completely invisible. I had hoped the sheath that cloaked my appearance was a little more physical, but instead the rain continued to pour onto my head with being intercepted. I didn't feel like anything had changed, but the others seemed to think otherwise. They could obviously tell where I was, but the device was hiding my form, just not my shape.

"The CPD doesn't work well in weather such as this, it seems. We can just about make out your outline but only when it rains heavily. If you stick to moving quickly and getting into cover whenever you can, they may not notice you."

"How is he going to get past those guards though? Even if he runs the entire way to make it less obvious where he is, the soft sand is still going to show his footprints when he walks over it."

"All I can suggest then is that you head around to the far Northern side and hope it isn't as heavily guarded on that side. Make your way to the wall, and the overhang will at least prevent your silhouette from being visible. As long as you don't walk when someone is looking in your direction, you should remain concealed."

The problem with being invisible is also the main purpose: no-one can see you. That means no-one reacts to your presence accordingly, as they would if I were just standing there. Instead I'm having to do twice the work as I'm having to determine where I am, where they are and where they're looking, and whether I'm likely to get in the way. They won't step around me if I am, and they're unlikely to shake it off as nothing. The other thing was that there were meant to be fourteen Elite soldiers wandering the area, so that was going to be even worse. I wouldn't be able to see them, nor would they be able to see me. However, looking down towards the base of the tower, I could see a few shimmering spots which I took to be Elite soldiers. Their armour would automatically be visible anywhere even in normal weather, according to Jeff, so at least the rain helped me in this way.

"Good luck Syeonyx! We'll be waiting here in case they spot you, in which case we'll create a diversion."

"Syeonyx, we will aid you in any way you require us. We still have not been seen by the evil ones, and so can remain an actual deterrent for longer. If you wish for us to intervene, we will be on hand to help you. Do not worry; there are over twenty of us scattered about the area, lying in wait."

I began to head West again through the tree line, skirting the sandy area the base of the tower was sat upon. I needed to reach the far Northern side and then head across to the base where the amount of sand to cross was the smallest. That way I would remain concealed for longer. As I passed the Western side, I could see that the door to the tower was actually open! There were a few guards outside, manning the entrance, with at least three or four inside the base. I would have to get inside and then deal with whatever I came across in the correct way. As for any Elite soldiers, I could only make out the shimmers I had seen earlier, and no new ones. They were going to be harder to spot inside, especially if they weren't moving.


     I managed to reach the base of the tower with surprising ease; dashing from the tree coverage to beneath the ledge was the most intense part, but no-one saw me, and the sand directly beneath the ledge around the edge was a little drier. That would at least ensure that I would get further towards the tower entrance without leaving incriminating footprints. Edging around the corner, I had to time my dash just right. Not only could none of the guards be in my way, but they couldn't even be looking in my direction. They would likely see where I'm standing and catch me. I had to time it just right. Luckily there were only three at the front, and with the entrance itself actually open, getting inside was easier than I thought. I winced every time I placed a foot forward; the sand beneath my feet crunching with what seemed like deafening sound. At one or tow points I had to remain still as they looked in my direction; the rain was unable to get to me, but I could feel my feet sink slightly as I stood on the spot, the sand not able to fully bear my weight.

"Why have we been called to this place anyway? It's tipping it down, the weather's going nuts and there's nothing else going on. What's with the tower anyway? Does it broadcast radio signals or something?"

"Probably, I don't know... All I know is that we're to remain on guard and to take down anyone attempting to gain entry. Presumably they have stuff in there worth sabotaging."

"There are a lot of civilians running around in there. What do you think they're doing here?"

"Look, we're not being paid to ask questions, we're paid to stand and keep watch. Kill on sight and ask questions later, if we get the time, and even then not the questions about the tower."

Slipping inside, I had to ensure I didn't move too fast; I was soaked to the skin, and would leave a small trail of water wherever I went. Standing still would be my only defence mechanism until I dried out a bit. Heading into the main base, I was able to see a few scientists milling around. Oddly this time the base of the tower was crawling with life; scientists, guards, and judging from the shimmering spots in the corner, at least two or three Elite soldiers. It was then that my attention was drawn to the central column. Up from the main antennae running down to the base of the tower and through to the portal was the conducting rod. At the base there was a mechanism that was used to slid the final piece into place. This would presumably stop the tower from attempting to power up the portal if there were thunderstorms. In any case, the mechanism had been activated, and the single piece was in place.

No-one seemed to notice me enter, and standing to one side to dry myself out of the way, I was able to determine that there were three Elite soldiers in the tower. The shimmering air around them was almost imperceptible had it not been for them moving. It was like a rippling body of water, or looking through the air above a heat source. One stood still for a few moments, and I almost lost them until they moved again. Their technology was good, but ours was more efficient and had gotten me this far undetected. Once I felt I was dry enough, I continued towards the stairs. Careful not to bump into anyone, I walked slowly and cautiously, constantly looking around for anyone that might be coming my way. If they were I would have to move out of the way quickly! Luckily I managed to make it halfway down the stairs before I met someone. It was a scientist going up to the base, and he seemed far too interested in a collection of papers he was carrying to notice me huddled against the corner, trying to flatten myself against the wall. At one point I thought he brushed me; he stopped and looked up to the top of the stairs, before quickly looking around below him, and then his gaze swept over where I was. Nothing. He continued walking and I managed to make it down to the bottom without seeing anyone else.


When I reached the chamber, I was moving quickly, knowing I had little time left; I had to rush forward to the master portal and place the Keystone within the frame. From there I would have to exit quickly; I could only hope the distraction it would cause would be enough to allow me to escape. All around me people were dashing back and forth, talking quickly in excited voices. There were at least twenty scientists and a few less guards. With all of the activity I couldn't make out any shimmering air, so I was unsure how many Elite soldiers were here too, if any at all. It was then that my attention was drawn to the walls. On every one apart from the entrance wall and the master portal wall were numerous primary portals. These were activated by activating normal and secondary portals. Once enough were linked, a primary portal would activate, adding energy to the final activation of the master portal. Once all of them were active, a single jolt of electrical energy harnessed from the sky would be enough to open the master portal, and allow the evils to flood out. I was already familiar with this, but I was paralysed with fear; they had all but one primary portal active! I had no time left! As I began to tune in what they were actually talking about, I realised I was too late. They had activated enough portals to power on the single, remaining primary portal!

"How long until the energy transfer is complete?"

"We don't know. It could be a few seconds, it could be an hour, it could be a day!"

Not if I could help it! I began to dash down to the stairs, when I stopped. There was the sound of some odd machinery powering up, like it was collecting energy or something. Looking up, I could see the remaining primary portal begin to spark with the strange purple particles, flickering slightly, before appearing as fully active! The master portal... It was ready! Once all of the primary portals were activated, nothing could stop the master portal!

Syeonyx signing off