Herobrine's Message (56 page)

Then, once again, as suddenly as the fury had flared up, it vanished. Stan took a deep breath as he realized that he was an operator now. He was by far the most powerful player in Elementia, and he could kill anybody that he wanted to effortlessly. The citizens, who were still jeering at him from the crowd from his announcement, believed that, as their leader, Stan would help them to enforce their will on all who disagreed with them. But Stan knew that if he were to fulfill his promise to himself, and truly turn Elementia into the place that King Kev had intended for it in the server's founding, he must not make the same mistakes that King Kev had
made. History was one step away from repeating itself, and Stan knew that now was the time for branching off to create his own path.

“Quiet, please,” Stan spoke, willing all who stood in the plaza to hear him. While he had not shouted like Lord Tenebris had, the voice still projected itself into the heads of each and every player in the plaza. Instantly, the riots ceased, as Stan turned around and, catching Cassandrix's eye, began to speak yet again.

“I stand by my judgment that General Spyro and the Noctem Alliance will not be punished for their crimes. I would like to emphasize, quite clearly, that this does not mean I believe that their crimes are any less heinous. They still robbed, tortured, and murdered countless players, and committed acts of terrorism that turned our beloved Elementia into a cesspool of darkness and hatred. However . . . I believe that we have far more important things to focus on than dealing retribution.”

Stan paused for a moment as the citizens of Elementia murmured among themselves, while the Noctem soldiers continued to look at Stan, trying to figure out what he was trying to do.

Stan had a decision that he had to make. If he wanted to, now would be the most opportune time to reveal the identity of Lord Tenebris to the public. Now that he was dead, there
was nothing to stop Stan from spreading the truth. However, as he thought about it, he decided against it. Not only would it weaken the argument that he was about to make, but it would also lead to more outrage and hatred toward the Noctem Alliance, who would surely deny his claims. Stan decided that he would continue to refer to Lord Tenebris and King Kev as separate entities. For now, at least.

“Nobody knew exactly what Lord Tenebris was,” Stan said simply. “Some believe that he was a glitch, others believe him to be the reincarnation of King Kev's spirit. But regardless of what he was, he had powers nearly equivalent to those of an operator. He attempted to use those powers to enforce his own will, and his own beliefs, over the people of Elementia. What resulted was three months of the worst war that has ever plagued our server, which has resulted in scores of dead players and an atmosphere of hatred and animosity that has lingered over the countryside.

“Now . . . ,” Stan continued, carefully thinking, picking and choosing his words before speaking, “Lord Tenebris is dead. I am the sole remaining operator of Elementia. As such, it would be extremely easy for me to argue that, since the Noctem Alliance has lost this war, their ideals were wrong. Therefore, I could argue that because their ideals were wrong,
my
ideals are one hundred percent correct, and then I could go on to use my powers to enforce my own beliefs over the
people of Elementia. However . . . I'm not going to do that.”

Stan allowed a moment of silence for this message to sink in. His friends were staring at him, no longer thinking that he was crazy, but instead wondering where he was going with this. Stan continued.

“It is true that I believe that all players, regardless of their level, should have a chance to live in Elementia, even if that means that the upper-level players occasionally must lose out on some of their hard-earned possessions for the sake of the lower-level players. However, if you do not agree with me, I won't hold it against you. I might disagree with you, and at one point I might explain my point of view to you in the hopes that you might change your mind, but I will still be able to coexist with you, provided that you respect my opinions and beliefs as much as I respect yours.

“The reason that I went to war with the Noctem Alliance,” Stan said, turning back to face the black-clad soldiers, “is because they did not respect my opinions. Rather than attempting to peacefully coexist, they declared war on my ideals, which are shared by many other players on this server. I was forced to fight back, for the sake of protecting my people.

“But it doesn't matter now,” Stan said quickly, as the Noctem troops leered at him aggressively, and boos and shouts toward the Noctem Alliance started to slowly rise
from the crowd. “I'm not here to point the finger of blame. The war is in the past now. The time has come to look to the future. While we must never forget the past, we can't let it define us either. Now is the time to let the past go and see the world around us for how it is, not how we want it to be. Because, if you take the time to look, you'll find that that world contains plenty of fantastic opportunities for all players—young and old alike.”

Stan took a deep breath. He knew that, in a few moments, he would be announcing something that would shock every single player in Elementia. Regardless of how unpopular this announcement might be, Stan knew that he had no choice but to go through with it if he was going to create his own path.

“For the past three months,” Stan continued, “the players of this server have been divided and warring with each other over their beliefs. Due to our fighting, the server of Elementia lies in ruins.”

Stan raised his hand out over the skyline of Element City. The eyes of all players in the vicinity looked around, scanning the countless clouds of black smoke rising from the various districts of the city, the blazing fires, and the skyscrapers with massive chunks torn from them.

“Despite having different ideas of what was best for Elementia,” Stan went on, “both factions only wanted just
that: the best for Elementia. And yet, through our ignorant stubbornness and refusal to coexist, and work to seek out a compromise, we have torn Elementia apart, ravaging it, and creating a giant mess that will only be repaired with the combined efforts of all of us. As we all stand here in this plaza today, the war finally over, we're presented with a new opportunity.”

Stan's heart was racing so fast that it felt like it were about to burst. Here it was: the proclamation that would change Elementia forever. Stan took a deep breath and let it out.

“As the operator of this server,” Stan said confidently, “I, Stan2012, hereby announce that both the Grand Republic of Elementia and the Nation of the Noctem Alliance are both disbanded. As of today, neither exist anymore.”

It was as if everybody in the crowd had been slapped in the face as they stared up at Stan, trying to comprehend that he had just announced that he was getting rid of both of their countries, which they had worked so long and hard to raise and defend.

“Both of these countries were founded out of warfare with each other, and if they stay intact, I doubt that the wounds will ever fully heal. Now especially, the wounds are still fresh. Therefore, I don't believe that the people of the former republic, or of the former Nation of the Noctem Alliance, will be able to live together peacefully. From now on, there
shall be two cities in Elementia,” Stan said, a small smile on his face as he revealed the plan that he had formulated for the future of his server. “In one of these cities, the law of the Noctem Alliance shall remain supreme. Only older players will be allowed in, and they will have full control over what they have earned, not being forced to share with anybody. In the other city, players of all levels will be allowed in. The older players will help the new players learn and thrive, and the newer players will pay it forward by helping the new players when they themselves become upper-level players.

“But before you get too anxious, my friends, don't think for a moment that I would ever leave you to build a new city from the ground up!” Stan exclaimed. “With my operating powers, I will help both groups build their cities. I shall favor neither over the other, and before long, every player shall have a city of their own to call home.

“I honestly hope that, in the future, the people of Elementia will be able to live as one,” Stan said, a slight element of sadness returning to his voice. “I hope that, as time goes by, the people of Elementia will be able to put their differences aside and coexist. However, in the wake of this war, now is not the time. That work will be done in the future. For now, I invite members of Elementia to clap if they are in favor of the idea of the creation of the two cities.”

For a moment, the plaza remained silent. Stan wasn't
surprised. After all, he was suggesting a radical idea that would change Elementia forever and require work and cooperation on everyone's part. Stan only hoped that they could see what he saw: two groups divided not only by ideals but by hatred, who needed time to heal before they could ever be united. And besides, Stan would be surprised if both sides didn't find the idea of their own city, without the other side, appealing.

Before long, Stan heard a single pair of hands clapping. He looked down into the crowd and saw Leonidas in the front row, clapping slowly. No sooner had Stan noticed him than Charlie, sitting next to Leonidas on the back of Dr. Pigglesworth, began to clap as well. The clapping soon spread through all of Stan's friends, and then over the rest of the crowd, evolving from cheers into hoots, whistles, and full-blown applause at Stan's proposition. He smiled as he looked out over the crowd, before turning around to face the members of the Noctem Alliance on the platform behind him.

All the members were standing still as statues, not clapping, staring forward at their leader, alone at the front of the group. Spyro was looking at the ground as he mulled over Stan's proposition. As he sensed Stan's gaze on him, Spyro looked up and met his eye. The two leaders exchanged glances.

“I promise you, Spyro,” Stan whispered so that only he
could hear, “I'm not trying to take advantage of you. I just want what's best for
all
members of this server.”

Spyro continued to stare at Stan, who couldn't read his face as he tried to determine whether or not to trust him. Then, slowly, he raised his hands in front of him and began to clap. As soon as their leader began to clap, the other members of the Noctem Alliance clapped without hesitation.

Stan was overjoyed that the citizens of Elementia were willing to follow his plans. Now that the entire plaza was cheering, thrilled at the idea of living in a brand-new city free of conflict, Stan knew that there was one more matter that had to be resolved before the rebuilding could begin.

“Thank you, everybody, for your support,” Stan said with a smile as the applause died down. “I'm sure that, with my help, you will be able to build the greatest cities in the history of Minecraft. However, there is one more matter that must be settled: If we are going to live as two people, in two cities, we still have to decide what will become of the city we already have.”

A tense murmuring erupted throughout the crowd as they realized what Stan was talking about. Both sides had given countless lives, and endured awful hardships throughout this war, for the prize of Element City. Now that the war was over and they were dividing . . . what would become of this place?

“I think,” Stan continued, “that it would be foolish to create two totally new cities, when we already have one. True, Element City may have sustained heavy damages throughout the fighting, which may take months to fully repair, but it's easier to repair it than to build a completely new city from the ground up. And, in the great spirit of democracy, I believe that the only way that we can truly decide who takes Element City is through a vote.”

As the murmurs in the crowd intensified, Stan glanced over at Spyro, who, like the other members of the Noctem Alliance, was eyeing Stan with contemptuous disbelief. After all, there were thousands of members of Element City, and only a hundred members of the Noctem Alliance. If a vote was taken, they were sure to lose.

Indeed, Stan knew that it would probably be the easiest, and the most fair, to simply give Element City to the citizens of the former republic without question. After all, they did outnumber the Noctem soldiers fifteen to one, and it would be far easier to just keep the majority of them happy (especially considering that Stan agreed with their ideals). However, Stan knew that he couldn't do that. If he was going to lead the server of Elementia to a brighter future as an operator, he had to be impartial. He had to give both sides a fair chance, and he knew how to do it.

“However,” Stan said slowly, causing the whispering in
the crowd to cease, “not every citizen in the server is going to have a vote on this matter. This is because, although I do not believe that they are superior by default, I do believe that the older players have accumulated more wisdom than the younger players. They have lived in Elementia the longest, and therefore, they will decide what is best for the server that they have called their home for so long. Therefore, only those players who have played in Elementia for a year or longer may vote.”

Spyro's eyes widened as shouts of outrage erupted from the crowd. The sea of thousands of players looked angry and betrayed, as they realized that their votes wouldn't count in making this monumental decision. Even Stan's friends, who had appeared pensive while they mulled over Stan's idea of the two cities, now looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Charlie came forward out of the line and glanced up at Stan.

“Stan, what're you doing?” he demanded. “How can you let the older players decide? All the Noctem soldiers are older players!”

“Charlie, I've put a lot of thought into this,” Stan replied, his voice calm and patient. “I have a plan that will benefit everybody, and this is part of it.”