The Eden

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This story was written by EnderMaster45 and ThatCatJizo for AASPT.
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“I’m done with this.”
I thought to myself as I walked out of the Nether Portal for the hundredth time. Same old, same old. It's a hellscape, filled with creatures you’d imagine from your nightmares. The only thing worthwhile from that place is its resources. I walked to the chest I had next to the portal and put my iron sword inside. I also took off my armour. Looking at the helmet, it looked like it was on the brink of shattering. I let out a sigh as I threw it into the open chest with no care whatsoever. I was planning on crafting myself a better helmet anyway, so I wasn’t too worried about trading it away or repairing it. After all, the only people that would want this thing would be one of those villagers I ‘rescued’ from that raid, but none of them were blacksmiths. One of them was a priest, one of them was a farmer and the last two were librarians.
I made my way over to the backdoor of my fortified, underground base while covering the burns on my arm with my hand. That’s when I remembered a battle I had with one of those flying, fire-spitting abominations. When I entered the base, the villagers stared at me from their prison cells. They tried to comfort me but I didn’t exactly feel better. They thought I was their lord and saviour when all I was doing is trapping them inside tiny prison cells and using them for my own gain. “You monster,” I said to myself when I was far enough away from the villagers. 
When I arrived at my bedroom door, I remembered a conversation my ‘prisoners’ had with each other. If I recalled correctly, I was eavesdropping on them to see if they were planning an escape. To my surprise, they weren’t, and were instead talking about religious topics. The priest must have started the conversation. They were talking about the Eden and the Nether, and how one could access those dimensions. The priest explained to the other villagers that the only way one could access them was when they died. Those who didn’t commit any sins were sent to the Nether, and those who didn’t earned a trip to the Eden, which I can only assume to be Heaven. If the only way to access those dimensions was to die, then why could I access one of them, and why could I only access the Nether? I’ve never died before, so why could I ignite a portal straight to the Nether? It all didn’t make sense! The only explanation I can come up with is that after I die, I would be forever trapped in one of these dimensions, and I know for a fact that I’ve committed more sins than there are stars in the sky, and if I was ending up in any of those places, then it was going to be the Nether. 
From the very beginning, I knew I was different from everyone else. Maybe God or the Devil decided to give me inhuman abilities. Every village I’ve been to, I was always an outcast, but in a good way; I was the only one that could carry several stacks of food and materials and fight off monsters effectively. Without the help of an Iron Golem, it could take a villager a whole year just to build a wooden shack. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, thinking about that one conversation - the one that made me see myself in a completely different way. The only things I could relate to were the unearthly beings that roamed the Nether, and I didn’t want to end up like them. No, I didn’t want to end up like them.
It didn’t take long before I noticed the time. It was getting late. I thought I might as well sell some stuff before work hours are over from a nearby village. Of course, I could have traded with the villagers I threw behind bars, but I was too ashamed to show my face to them that evening. I didn’t deserve them for all of the evil things I’ve done to their poor souls. Grabbing a couple of materials to sell, I walked to the village nearest to me. I tried to find someone that would accept my goods, but I hadn’t found anyone. None of the villagers accepted my offers. I tried for a few more hours until I eventually gave up. 
The night was falling when I was running back home. Luckily, I arrived back right before light levels were low enough for mobs to spawn. I was about to go to bed when I realized I hadn’t given the villagers any food. “Goddammit,” I whispered to myself as I ran to my storage room. Frantically looking through my chests and barrels, I eventually found a few cans of bacon soup. Holding onto them, I headed over to the cells. 
The moment I arrived, I saw a book slide across the ground. As fast as I could, I charged towards it and tackled it while dropping all the cans of soup. The villagers were looking at me confused, and when I turned through the pages of the book, I understood why. It wasn’t an escape plan or anything related to that, but it was a book about how to open a portal to each dimension! They were just continuing their conversation from a while back and were just passing around a book one of the librarians had found in their book collection. Holding the book in my hand, I handed the cans of soup over to the villagers and made my way upstairs.
When I turned the page, I found it. I found the portal to Heaven. The portal to the Eden. It showed me exactly how to build it, how to open it! I immediately got things ready.
All it took was 10 quartz blocks. I already had the resources to create such an impossible thing. Without hesitation, I grabbed my Nether quartz from my chest and began to craft. As soon as I got the 10 blocks needed, I put them in the standard portal form. I grabbed my flint and steel and stepped forward to light it. Pausing for a moment, I wondered what could be on the other side of this portal. Maybe it wouldn’t work. Maybe there would be deadly creatures in Eden. I grabbed my sword and armour, which was close to breaking, and lit the portal. The portal made a booming sound before being illuminated by a yellow glow. When it was done, the white portal had a yellow entry point, contrasting the black portal and an ominous purple entry point.
I walked through it, and… I saw paradise. 
Rolling green hill, populated with pigs that had wings, colourful trees, and a golden gateway from where I was. Large bird-like creatures flew past, and in the distance, I saw towering white structures. Probably where the angels lived… In the distance, I could see heavenly towers reaching farther into the sky than any mountain I’ve seen in my entire life. How could a simple portal made out of Nether blocks lead me to such a glorious dimension? The view was truly amazing. I knew I didn’t deserve this and I knew I mustn’t explore any further, but curiosity got the better of me.  
In the distance, I saw a temple. It seemed to be the main building of the dimension. I sneaked my way towards it while avoiding populated areas. Surprisingly enough, life went on as usual up there. The villagers would grow crops, chat with each other, play with their children… their lives didn’t really change that much, apart from the fact that they didn’t have to work anymore or worry about zombies eating their brains every night. 
After a long walk, I finally reached my destination. Before I even had a chance to climb up the stairs of the divine temple, I could already hear voices echoing through the emptiness of the building. It sounded like people were constantly praying in a language I didn’t speak, but when I finished climbing and peeked into the room, I could only see one person standing at the end of the hall. He wore a white coat and I could see him holding something in his hands, which I could roughly make out to be a book or a totem of undying. He was facing the opposite direction.
At that point, turning back wasn’t an option anymore. I had come too far. If I wanted to know more about this place, then he would be the one to tell me all about it. With hesitation, I approached him, but he was already aware of my presence. Without turning around, he greeted me.  
“Hello? I-” 
“What seems to be the problem?” 
“Well, you see, I’m new to this place, and I thought you might know a thing or two about it. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“Don’t worry; we get newcomers all the time. You’re definitely not the first one to seek help here. What was the cause of your death?”
“You see, I didn’t exactly die, I just came here through a portal, y’know?”
That was when he turned around. I saw his facial expression change from confusion to shock. Without explanation, he proceeded to grab me and look me in the eyes with a smirk on his face. He knew I was different from everyone else he had seen and he was excited to analyze me piece by piece. However, the longer he stared, the more faded his smile became. Everything suddenly quieted down. The birds, the voices, everything. When he was no longer smiling, he let go of my arm and stumbled back. He felt the burn on my arm. He analyzed it, and I didn’t doubt he knew where it originated from. With a shaky voice, he asked me, “Say, have you ever committed a sin?”
His reaction told me he knew the answer to that question already. Before I could even answer, I presumably fell unconscious.
Before I knew it, I was getting dragged across the warm fields of the Eden.
Before I knew it, I was getting dragged across the cold stone floor of my base.
Before I knew it, I was getting dragged across the burning ground of the Nether.
Before I knew it, I was trapped there forever.
Category:ThatCatJizo
Category:AASPT 2020 entry
Category:EnderMaster45
Category:Fantasy
Category:Creepypasta
Category:Supernatural