There was no breeze in the Nether, no air movement of any kind. Yet it didn't feel particurly dry or arid per say. Actually Alex was finding herself getting more accustomed to the heat. Even riding the Strider over the sea of va felt less bizarre than Alex had anticipated.

  It actually gave her a sense of déjà vu, like somehow she had been here before. She closed her eyes and rexed her body, enjoying the strange silence of the Nether. She could also feel it, riding a pair of Striders alongside Steve. Journeying through the Nether and exploring all that this strange world had to offer. Unabetted freedom as they survived, and even thrived in newer and stranger environments.

  It felt less like a dream and almost... Like a memory...

  Alex felt the Strider come to a stop and opened her eyes to look around. They had apparently reached a Nether Fortress. The fortress had long bridges and massive towers all around. Alex had read about it in the book. These fortresses were made of Nether Bricks which are a nonfmmable stone like material. A perfect pce to get away from the fire throwing Ghasts that roamed around.

  Alex got off the Strider and made her way into the fortress. She was wearing no armor, and had her shirt wrapped around her waist still, but kept herself ready to draw her sword if need be. Luckily she had enough food on her to fully recover from her fight with the Ghast.

  After some time of roaming around she encountered something. It looked like a Piglin but it made strange sounds. Alex drew out her golden sword, figuring it would leave her alone if it saw she had gold on her.

  But when it turned around Alex frowned. The Piglin had been zombified. At first she kept her sword raised, expecting it to unch itself at her like a normal zombie would. But instead it simply meandered around. Seemingly completely uninterested in her.

  Alex put away her sword and stepped closer to the poor creature. But it remained inattentive, moaning and groaning as it wandered around aimlessly. Alex moved on past the poor creature, figuring it best to leave it alone.

  As she continued to look around she eventually found a room with a chest. Looking inside she noted some shiny new horse armor. Well, best to keep that!

  While rummaging through the chest though she heard a noise behind her. She stood and spun, drawing her bde as she faced four skeletons. Well they looked like skeletons but were darker in shade and had what appeared to be stone swords in hand. Wither skeletons they were called, or at least that's what her sight told her. She didn't recall seeing any mention of them in the book...

  The first Wither skeleton moved towards her and Alex moved back from it's swinging bde and then rushed forward, stabbing at the creature. The other three moved in as well though, surrounding Alex.

  But this was not Alex's first time being at a disadvantage, if anything this reminded her of the early days of her journey. Ill equipped, inexperienced, out matched and out numbered. But now she knew enough to pn things out. Granted, her pns were typically a little crazy.

  Alex figured the Wither skeletons would do about as much damage as a regur skeleton and thus should die in about the same amount of hits. She had already hit the middle one once. So time to go crazy.

  She rushed at that same Wither skeleton, feeling the bite of the stone bdes from the other three as she rained down a flurry of blows onto that first one. It died easily enough and left a gap for Alex to rushed through. Making it just past the door and turning around to face the other three.

  The doorway was only wide enough for them to try and pass one at a time so Alex could whittle them down and kill them without taking any more damage. Or so she believed.

  The Wither skeleton moved slowly, as though waiting her out. Alex felt a stinging sensation inside her own body. Then a burning fsh like fire had scorched her insides. She gritted her teeth and for a split second her vision blurred.

  Dammit, had the bde been poisoned!?

  Suddenly the first Wither skeleton moved towards the doorway and Alex stabbed at it to keep it at bay. When she did the pain fred again and her attack missed. The Wither skeleton lunged forward and Alex had to move further away to avoid another hit.

  Now they could walk through the doorway without worrying about Alex hitting them. Alex knew she couldn't have this fight drag out, and she especially couldn't take more hits. She had no idea how long that poison would st.

  So instead of allowing them to come to her, she moved to the doorway just as the second Wither skeleton was moving through it. She hit the first one hard enough to make it crash against the wall and hit it again to keep it in pce. It moved to defend itself but Alex quickly jammed her sword through it's skull.

  She felt the second Wither skeleton coming up beside her and she quickly spun. Her sword cshing with it's. The st one was going through the door, so she had little time left. She disengaged the Wither skeleton, taking a step back before moving two steps forward. She ducked underneath it's next attack and sshed at it's ribcage.

  It jumped back, but Alex continued to move forward, not letting it create a gap between them as she brough the sword up and sshed it's head.

  Again it moved back trying to create distance and again she pressed forward. But this time the pain fred again and she stumbled. Deciding to go along with her movement, she fell and rolled forward past the Wither skeleton. As she rose back up she spun at the same time as her opponent.

  Moving more off instinct than actual thought, she kept her sword low. Allowing the Wither skeleton to swing over her head as she sshed it once more. Now she had to move back though as the st Wither skeleton joined it's partner.

  Dammit, she was so close too...

  Another fsh of pain and as she gripped her sword tightly. Both of the Wither skeletons moved in at once, intending to kill her. But she wasn't done yet. She held her sword horizontally with her right hand to block both incoming attacks.

  Then she moved forward, pushing the bdes together and swung out with her left fist, smacking the injured skeleton in the face. She punched it again and felt it buckle under her blow. Without waiting to see it die, she gripped her sword and swung to break the connection between her and the final Wither skeleton.

  Without thinking she dropped her sword and barreled against the Wither skeleton, knocking it against a wall. With pure furry, she began to swing at it with her fist. Pounding against it's skeletal frame over and over. She felt another fre of pain but ignored it as she continued her assault.

  It never even had a chance to defend itself as it died where it stood. Once they were all dead Alex took a step back and crashed on the ground. Her heart pounding against her chest. She quickly summoned some food she still had left, eating quickly as the pain fred again. Then once more before finally stopping.

  Alex y on the ground, panting and waiting to see if the pain would return. No, it seems she survived yet another fight. She slowly got back on her knees and stood up. Picking up her sword and looking at where the Wither skeletons had died. Like normal skeletons these left behind bones, although unlike normal skeletons they also left behind coal. Even stranger, the first one had still had it's skull on the ground.

  Normally they completely dissipate after dying. Alex figured the skull could be useful in some manner so she picked it up and kept it.

  Then she felt the heat of a small fireball nding next to her. Alex turned to see a new enemy. This one she had read about. A Bze, a creature of fire with a single head and several floating, rotating, disembodied limbs circling it, that roamed around the Nether Fortresses. They shot fireballs that were smaller and less explosive than the Ghasts but still dangerous, especially since they shot in three round bursts.

  The Bze was encompassed in a veil of smoke, though Alex took note that there were actually three Bzes. Alex grinned, these creatures were much more pattern based than the Wither Skeletons and so she could predict their attacks better.

  She waited a few second and sure enough Bzes fired at her and she moved to the side to dodge. Then they paused, they would need time to charge up their next attack. It would only take a few seconds but in that time Alex moved forward.

  When it fred up ready to fire again she moved to the side and dodged it's attack yet again. The closer she got the higher the risk of being hit, but Alex was certain in her ability to move quickly enough to avoid such a fate.

  Once she reached them she quickly hit the first one with a flurry of attacks and then jumped backwards. The other two had their limbs filing about, trying to hit her. Alex assumed being hit by them would be a pretty bad experience so she moved far enough away that they began to fire at her again.

  She repeated the pattern until all three were dead. She noted they had dropped Bze Rods, and took them. As she did though she felt the gaze of another.

  Sure enough when she turned around she saw three more. Alex frowned as she held her sword close to her. Well at least they wouldn't be hard to kill.

  Alex moved down the bridge, sughter group after group of Bzes. It seemed like every time she killed a group another would appear.

  Eventually she broke her sword and had to pull out another. This one was an iron sword she had entered the Nether with. She continued to sughter the Bzes until she reached the end of the bridge and entered some new room or chamber.

  She noticed a small staircase and felt the heat emanating from above. Figuring there were more Bzes she moved up, swinging her sword wildly to ssh at any opponents she couldn't' see. Alex stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the top though.

  On the ptform, in the very center was a small cage with a mini Bze inside. Alex tilted her head as she stared at it until a name emerged.

  Monster Spawner.

  No sooner had the name come to her than another Bze appeared from thin air. Before it could react to her presence though she cut it down. Soon enough another appeared, and then another.

  Alex felt her own anger rising as she faced more and more of them. Her anger outpacing her curiosity she sshed at the Monster Spawner and it broke apart, dissipating like any other foe. Alex colpsed on the ground, exhaustion taking over for a moment.

  Alex remained on the ground, her anger not subsiding. A Monster Spawner? A literal cage used to create more monsters to chase after her? In this desote realm with no night sky, no time to sleep or rest, with flying fireball shooting creatures, and poison wielding skeletons!?

  Alex felt a burning in her chest, but this was not from the poison. No, it came from some primal emotion. Something that felt familiar and yet new all at once.

  Why!?

  An endless sea of va, an endless horde of monsters, a realm of dangers, the long nights of survival, even death meant nothing more than a return to it all!

  WHY!?

  That was the real question. She had awoken with no memories, no knowledge. Thrust into a wild and dangerous world and forced to survive. Her curiosity driving her forward, always asking questions and forcing her to learn about the world around her.

  But why!?

  She threw her sword to the side, frustration swelling inside her. The vilgers didn't have her curiosity, they didn't adventure out. They barely seemed any more sentient than the monsters that hunted them!

  Why Alex!? Why Steve!?

  She pulled out the book and opened it to the first page. The creator. Who was that? Why had they called out Alex & Steve? For what reason had they been so cursed!?

  Alex almost threw the book in her frustration, but she held it instead. Slowly calming herself down. She wasn't sure why the discovery of the Monster Spawner had so enraged her. But she felt something, like a memory tugging at the edges of her mind.

  She id down on the warm stone and looked up at what would normally be the sky. Who knows it's called in this realm. Who cares...

  Alex felt truly tired. Not of body, but of mind and soul. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Listening to the eerie silence of this realm. Silence, perhaps that had been her truest companion...

  But then she thought of Steve and something stirred in her heart. She had not spent as much time with him as she felt she did. It felt like she had been living a whole life with him.

  But that was wrong... Wasn't it?