The air of the dense jungle carried a strange dampness. With every step, Arav's feet pressed into the soil, and somewhere far away, the "Cawww" of a crow-like mob echoed. The trees were so thick that the sunlight only reached the ground in small scattered fragments.
Arav gripped his sword tightly. His armor still felt new, yet it weighed heavy as he walked. He muttered to himself,
"Just need to cross the jungle… then the mineshaft begins."
Every time the wind grew stronger, the whispers he had heard in the cave seemed to echo in his ears. Fear lived in his chest, but curiosity was greater than the fear.
---
After a while, he saw the trees thinning, giving way to an open clearing. And in the middle—a worn, old cave entrance. Beside it lay broken rails, and half-buried under the grass was a piece of a minecart.
Arav took a deep breath.
"This must be… the abandoned mineshaft."
As he stepped closer to the cave, the air grew colder. He lit a torch and entered. The stone walls glimmered in blocky patterns under the torchlight. But from deeper inside came a strange scratching sound—as if something was moving.
Arav readied his sword. "If there are mobs… I'll have to fight."
And only a few steps in, he faced his first battle. A zombie miner—clad in old armor, eyes filled only with darkness. It groaned "Uhhh!" and lunged at Arav.
Arav quickly swung his sword. Thak! One hit, then another, and the zombie collapsed, scattering into particles.
Arav exhaled and said to himself,
"First step clear. But the real challenge lies further in."
---
Inside the mineshaft, rails and wooden supports lay broken. At times, gravel fell from above, accompanied by sudden wails of the wind. Placing torches one by one, Arav pressed on.
Spider webs clung everywhere. As soon as he cut through one, a creepy hisssssss sounded behind him. His heart skipped.
A large cave spider charged toward him. Its skin was poisonous blue, its eyes glowing blood-red.
Arav raised his sword and struck. The spider hissed and tried sinking its fangs into Arav's armor, but he quickly stepped back and landed a second blow. The spider scattered into particles, but Arav's health bar dropped a little.
He quickly ate bread, restored his health, and placed another torch ahead.
"There must be an entire swarm of mobs here," he thought. "I need to tread carefully."
---
After hours of walking, Arav reached a large hall-like space. In the center lay a broken minecart chest. He opened it—and inside were a few iron ingots, an enchanted book (Unbreaking I), and another fragment of a map.
But most important—behind the chest was a narrow tunnel glowing faint blue.
Arav raised his torch and peeked inside. The glow didn't belong to any normal ore. Neither diamond, nor lapis. This was something else.
"This might be… the fragment," he thought.
He readied his sword and entered the tunnel.
---
At the end of the tunnel was a small chamber. In the middle stood a pedestal, upon which rested a glowing block—a "fragment" etched with the same strange symbols Arav had seen in the first cave.
As Arav stepped closer, a shadow emerged from the darkness.
It was a humanoid figure—completely black, with only its eyes glowing white. Like a blurred mob, shifting and flickering every second.
Arav clutched his sword in fear. "Is that… Herobrine?!"
But the shadow spoke: "I am only a guardian. Leave the fragment, or become part of the darkness."
Arav shouted, "No! This fragment is coming with me!"
The shadow charged at him.
Arav swung his sword with force, and in the torchlight, the shadow's particles scattered… but instantly reformed. Its voice echoed through the chamber: "Light cannot kill me. In the darkness, I am eternal."
Arav's heart pounded furiously. He thought,
"If not with light… then how?!"
—
To be continued…