The Broken Flame

It took about two weeks before Celina was fully healed, thanks to the combination of her potion and Brine’s blood. However, it was another few days before she was able to move as she had before the injury. Celina was quick to regain her strength and be able to swing her sword again. Brine helped a lot with that and even taught her a few new fighting techniques that might come in handy when they got to the big fight. He even strengthened her weapon up a bit with his powers, restoring some of the little bits of damage it had taken over time. 

The wound had left quite the scar on Celina’s skin, one that Brine knew would probably peek out from her normal outfit, and he silently swore at himself every time he saw it. However, she always seemed to catch his look and tried to assure him that it wasn’t his fault in any way.

As the two finished one last training session, Brine looked over at the queen as she sat down, cradling her weapon with such care as she polished it. He had noticed how careful she was with the diamond blade when not in battle. It was like the way one would hold a delicate family heirloom and this made him curious. “Celina?”

Celina looked up at him. “Yes, Brine?”

“Can I ask you something?”

A nod. “Of course.”

He sat down cross legged next to her and nodded to her sword. “I’ve never seen someone show such care for a weapon before. Most humans I’ve observed see their weapons as something easily replaceable and something to throw away if they have no more use of it. But in the whole time you’ve been my friend, I’ve noticed how careful you are with that blade when not using it.” He tilted his head. “Is it special to you, somehow?”

Celina nodded in response, looking with such fondness at the diamond sword. “It was given to me by my mother. She had had this blade for some time before I was born. It was originally a gift to her from my father for their first wedding anniversary, and when I was fourteen years old, my mother gave it to me for my birthday.” She chuckled a bit. “My father had it specially enchanted with Sharpness V, and when he tried to enchant it with Unbreaking III, he messed up a bit and it actually has Unbreaking Infinity on it. It can’t break from normal use. The only thing that could break it, according to what he said… would be the powers of a God.”

Brine looked down at her sword in surprise, but nodded for her to continue. 

“My mother used it all the time, and she handed it down to me when I was young. She taught me how to sword fight and how to use it. She was from a long line of Overworld Warriors, so she taught me everything I would need to know to fight with it.” She chuckled again. “I was really grateful for that. I loved my parents very much, and they gave me everything I needed in life. They taught me and my siblings everything we needed to know.”

Brine blinked. “I remember seeing you when you were young. You have nine siblings, correct?”

“Eight.”

Brine felt his heart skip a beat at that.

“My oldest sibling, my brother Chris… he died last year.” Celina’s voice grew very soft as she said this. “He went to the Nether to find some supplies and he found a Nether Fortress. From what his wife said he told her… he had a bad encounter with some Wither Skeletons… and he got infected. Some people from his village had to come find him when he didn’t come back for a few days. But by the time they found him, the infection was too far along. My sister-in-law told me that… he died in her arms from the Withering infection.”

Brine shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I kinda learned that… deaths like that are unfair sometimes. I learned this after… my parents… died.”

Brine felt his brows rise in surprise. “They what?”

Celina sighed and set her sword down. “Not long after Mom gave me my sword, I was asleep on the couch. I fell asleep, but woke up from some noise outside. Turns out, some mobs were trying to get into the house, so I stopped and watched them… and I saw them die.” The queen looked away as she spoke. “My father got shot by a skeleton in his wielding arm, and when my mother tried to go help him, she got shot through her chest. The skeletons just kept coming after them, and I saw this. I screamed out and tried to open the door to go help them. But they had locked it to keep us safe.

“Dad got shot through the heart after a moment, and then, I… I saw my mother look at me one last time through the window, as if she could hear me or tell I was watching her. She mouthed the words, ‘I love you, Celania,’ and then… they shot her and killed her. That night, I fell asleep on the floor after crying the hardest I ever had. And when my siblings woke me up, I told them what had happened.”

Brine could see tears rolling down Celina’s face now and he was about to speak when she started again.

“That’s why I try to take good care of Old Faithful here. It’s… it’s all I have left of my parents. It’s all I have left of the people who raised me and my siblings. After they died, we all split up to live our own lives. I moved to a far away Plains biome… and that’s where my kingdom now stands.”

Brine felt his heart wrench as Celina sniffled. He carefully put a hand on her shoulder. “Celina… I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

Celina managed to flash him a smile. “No need to apologize. After moving away and meeting Steve, I’ve kinda come to accept their deaths. I know everything in this world happens for a reason. I was very torn up about it for a while, but now I know that… they’d definitely be proud of me if they could see me now. I’ve made so much progress now.” She grinned at him. “I’m sure they’d love you and be proud of our friendship if they could see us.”

Brine clasped his hands together. “Would they?”

“I think so. My father was wary about some things, but my mother had a capacity to forgive and give people a chance like no one else. She would have definitely liked you, Brine.”

Those words made Brine’s chest feel warm and nice, and he felt himself smile. The queen was so kind, a ray of sunshine that he truly didn’t deserve to have in his life. He didn’t really feel like he deserved such forgiveness after all he had done, but Celina had truly changed his life. In a way, she had saved it, and he was forever grateful for it.

The two sat there talking for a bit more, before Brine looked at the wall ahead of them. Glistenia was just beyond that wall and so was Steve. He was afraid for what could be happening to his brother, but he knew they just had to give it their all.

Celina seemed to be thinking the same way, because she asked, “Are you ready, Brine?”

The Nether Prince found himself nodding. “Let’s go save Steve.”

Celina stood, as did Brine, and the queen looked up at him. “So, how are we going to get in there? I don’t think just busting through the wall would be our best idea.”

“There’s a small back passage I know of. We’ll go through there and see if we can sneak in. The less attention we draw, the more of a chance we have of saving Steve. I don’t know what she’s done to him yet, but… we have to be as quiet as possible and save Steve before we do any real fighting. She’s unpredictable, and I have no doubt she could have Steve killed if we draw too much attention to ourselves.”

The queen nodded. “Lead the way then, Brine.”

The Demi-God made his way over to one of the far walls of the cave, stepping on a piece of Endstone on the floor to make part of the wall open with the sounds of pistons following it. Brine stepped inside with Celina following close behind as the entrance closed behind them. Redstone torches dimly lit the small tunnel, but the natural light of Brine’s eyes definitely helped. The two slinked down the narrow passage as quietly as they could.

As they inched closer and closer to a light at the end of the tunnel, sounds became clear in their ears, the sounds of monsters and voices. The groans of the undead, the clattering of bones, the hissing of creepers; but through the sounds, two familiar voices rang out, one louder than the other.

“Ple--please… please, stop. I just--I can’t take--anymore.”

“Oh, dear human miner. You really think begging for mercy will get you anywhere? You really think you’ll be free if you ask?”

“I… please. I beg of you… please--stop this.”

Brine held up a hand as they neared the end of the tunnel, the two stopping to listen.

“...Well, your pleading is rather endearing. But, unfortunately for you, your words are for naught. You will die here, miner. When you do, however, is up to me to govern. You are simply here until I get what I want.”

There was a loud whine of pain and fear, a familiar one. Brine and Celina shared a glance before the louder voice spoke again.

“Continue your work, my subjects. Make him suffer. Once he’s near unconsciousness, take him to his cell. I want to hear him scream for mercy.”

Celina looked at Brine with seriousness as they began to move, making their way to the end of the tunnel and crouching to peek around the corner. What they saw made them both gasp and Celina even covered her mouth in shock.

Mobs wandered around the large, intricately carved room in the cave, with Endstone and Purpur blocks scattered in among the stone and emerald blocks. Bookshelves and towers of black and purple concrete stood high over their heads. Black and purple wool banners also hung from the ceiling of the cavern. Mobs of all kinds were surrounding a low wooden platform. A figure was now walking from the platform, an Ender that they recognized despite her different clothing. 

The Ender had short purple hair in a bob cut, her purple eyelids halfway over her deep purple orbs. Her dark colored skin had a few lavender colored scars across them. She wore a purple jacket over a lavender shirt and indigo skirt, with her purple high heels clicking as she walked. Long purple gloves covered her hands as well.

As the Ender walked away from the platform, Celina and Brine caught sight of someone they knew well.

Steve was standing on the wooden stage, right in the center of it with his arms above his head. Long chains attached the cuffs on his wrists on one end, the other ends on large stone brick pillars to the sides of the miner. The man was covered in bruises and healing cuts all over his arms and legs. His jaw was swollen and blood dribbled from one corner of his mouth. His jeans were torn all over and so was his shirt. Steve’s hair was a mess, he had a black eye, and tears streamed down his cheeks. He looked so very tired, in so much pain. 

Celina and Brine watched as a few of the mobs neared the miner and he managed to look up to see them approaching with sharp weapons and torches in their hands. He softly shook his head as he began to shiver in his spot in terror. “No… no, please--please! Please, not again! I can’t--please, don’t--”

It was at that moment one of the zombies took a sharp blade into its hands and stabbed it into Steve’s stomach, and the scream he let out made the queen cover her ears.

“GGGGAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAHHHHH!” Steve cried out at the very top of his lungs and sloshed his head back and forth, trying to pull on his chains but unable to free himself. He struggled and screamed out as the mobs began to torture him. Blades struck his skin, arrows were stabbed into his arms and back, and an Enderman even scratched his legs with its claws.

Celina’s heart hurt. It hurt so much. Steve was literally being tortured in front of her, but the only reason she didn’t move was because Brine didn’t move. She could see his face just as horrified as hers though, and she knew how hard this must have been for him.

When the torture finally stopped, Steve hung his head low, hanging limply in the chins that kept his arms over his head. He was crying and sobbing out, tears streaming down his face and falling to the floor under him. He managed to get out a few words as the mobs moved towards him once more. “Pl--please… please. Stop. I… I just--want to… to go--home. Please… just let me--go… see my brother and… my best friend. Please… I can’t take anymore. It hurts… it hurts so badly. Please...”