Desert Biome, OverWorld
Night
"If we're going to help you guys get home, we need to get you guys the strongest armor there is—Netherite armor," Elena said, "but that means we'll need to travel to the Nether to get it."
"You can't be serious?" Petra said, "we can't go there. That place is crawling with bad mobs!"
"Do you want to live to see another sunrise?" Elena asked. Daniel and Petra both nodded their heads. Indeed they did want to see another sunrise.
"Why don't we just use iron armor and swords? Or diamond perhaps?" Daniel asked.
"Sure iron and diamond are durable, but they aren't as strong as Netherite armor. Everyone here has a full set of Netherite armor—for certain occasions of course," Elena mentioned, "what is it that scares you guys about the Nether anyways?"
"Lava, Moglins, Ghasts. You name it. That's what we're afraid of," Daniel answered.
"Nothing a little magic can't do. After all, I was Merlin's apprentice," Elena said. "We leave now."
"Right now?" Petra asked, "at this hour?"
"Enough! Do you want my help or not?" Elena asked.
"Well yeah," Petra said.
"Then we leave now! Come with me," Elena said as she opened the door and walked outside. Daniel and Petra reluctantly followed after her. The door closed behind them.
Outside, they were walking towards what looked like minecart tracks. That's actually what they were. There were two minecarts sitting dormant on the tracks. Daniel and Petra walked up to the mine cart and got in. They were going to share one.
Elena stood behind both minecarts. She was going to push the minecarts until they went over the redstone power rails. As she pushed the minecarts, Sheriff Robert approached them riding on his horse.
"Elena?" Robert said, "where are you guys going?"
Elena stopped pushing the mine carts. She turned around to look at Robert. "We're going to go get them some Netherite armor. Tomorrow we're going to be teaching them how to fight," Elena said. "We'll be back by dawn."
"Be safe. All of y'all," Robert said, "I'll watch over the town while you're away Elena."
"Thank you, Robert," Elena said as she turned around and proceeded to push the minecarts again. They began moving on their own, closer to the first power rail. Elena hopped into her minecart. And just in the nick of time too. Both cars rolled over the power rail, instantly giving them a speed boost.
"Where does this track take us?" Daniel asked.
"To a Nether Portal," Elena said, "the last Portal in existence."
As the minecarts continued to glide down the tracks, Daniel and Petra watched the scenery around them swoosh by. The moon was now halfway through its shift. It was a full moon tonight.
"I thought all Nether Portals were dismantled after the battle for the OverWorld?" Petra questioned.
"Not all of them," Elena said as a shadow was seen by Elena. She looked up into the night sky, but didn't see anything. Weird. She ignored it and looked away. It was probably just a phantom.
"Look!" Petra shouted as she pointed out in front of her, "who is that?"
Elena looked over Daniel and Petra's shoulders to try to get a good look at what Petra had seen. Elena quickly grabbed her bow and arrow out of her inventory. She also grabbed a single flaming arrow.
She aimed her bow and arrow at the figure just a few blocks ahead of them. She shot the arrow. The arrow didn't hit the figure as Elena had hoped it would. The figure caught the arrow, holding it in his hand. The light from the arrow lit up the figure's face.
He was looking directly at the three of them. He had an evil smile on his face. His eyes were all black. Elena recognized who that person was—HeroBrine.
"Hang onto something!" Elena shouted as she leaned over the side of the minecart. A lever was approaching, along with another set of tracks going in a different direction. Daniel and Petra quickly grabbed ahold of the sides of their minecart.
"Wait a second!" Daniel said, "I know him! He's a friend."
"HeroBrine is no friend to anyone. He's a bad guy," Elena said.
"No, no. You don't understand. He's not a bad guy anymore," Daniel proclaimed. "He's a good guy now."
"Not to me he isn't. He destroyed mine and Merlin's home. He will forever be a bad guy to me," Elena said as she reached for the lever. She flipped the lever, switching the track. The minecarts turned left and began going down a different direction.
HeroBrine flew up into the air and began flying after them. He was flying really fast, keeping up with the minecarts. Elena turned around in her minecart and began shooting arrows up into the sky to try and stop HeroBrine from attacking them.
Because she was occupied with trying to keep Daniel and Petra safe, she didn't realize that the tracks she had switched the minecarts to were unfinished.
"Elena?" Daniel said.
"What is it now?" Elena responded.
"We're about to run out of tracks," Daniel responded.
Elena turned and looked at the tracks. They were approaching the end of the railway. She hurried and grabbed three Ender pearls out of her inventory.
"Here. Take these. All you do is throw them," Elena instructed.
Daniel took the two Ender pearls, giving one to Petra. Elena threw his first. Nothing happened.
"What's supposed to—," Daniel said as he disappeared from the minecart. Petra threw hers. She, too, disappeared. Elena was the last one to leave the minecart.
She looked up into the sky. HeroBrine was still flying towards them. She smiled as she threw her Ender pearl. "Bye, bye," Elena said as she vanished.
HeroBrine abruptly stopped flying. He watched as the minecarts flew off of the tracks and fell into a ravine full of lava.
"Don't think you can run from me! I will find you guys!" HeroBrine shouted, "you hear me? I will find you!"
Elena, Petra, and Daniel all landed safe and sound in the middle of the swamp Biome. Murky water, and trees with vines growing from them were seen for miles.
"Where's this Nether Portal anyways?" Daniel asked.
"It's not too far from here. We're going to have to get there by foot now," Elena said, "and I also have something for you two. Drink these."
Elena handed Daniel and Petra a glass bottle. The liquid inside of the glass bottle was red.
"What is it?" Daniel asked.
"Something to reverse the effects of your memory loss," Elena said, "it's safe to drink. I assure you."
Daniel and Petra both drank the liquid. They instantly began to remember the memories that they had before everything happened.
"Anything? Did it work?" Elena asked.
"I think so," Daniel said, "ask me something."
"Okay," Elena said, "where are you guys from?"
"The Kingdom of the Plains," Daniel answered.
Daniel and Petra gasped as they were amazed to have their memories restored. The last thing they remember is going to sleep at their Castle. What they don't remember is how they ended up in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Elena knew how they landed where they woke up?
"Where are we anyways? What's happened to our home?" Petra asked.
"A lot has happened. My sheriff found you guys in the middle of an opening in the forest nearby my hometown. How you guys ended up there is still a mystery," Elena said, "but I'll help you find the answers you seek."
"It was Scarlet, wasn't it?" Petra asked Daniel, "Think about it. She was the only other blockhead in the castle that night. It has to be her. She's the one behind all of this."
"But why? What did we ever do to her?" Daniel asked.
"I don't think we did anything. We saved her from those Pillagers! We did her a favor by letting her stay in the Kingdom," Petra said.
"Maybe that was a mistake. We need to get back to the Kingdom now! Who knows what's happening there as we speak," Daniel said.