Nikita awoke to the sound of someone knocking softly on her door. She quickly got out of bed and got dressed, quickly putting on jeans, a red T-Shirt, and a pair of high tops. She then pulled a sweatshirt on over that and opened the door.
The guard that had escorted her to the throne room the night before stood at the doorway expectantly.
"He wants you to meet him on the training grounds." Said the guard, beckoning her to follow him.
Nikita did, trailing close behind him. Nikita found it odd to be woken by someone besides her brother or her parents back in Brimstone, and she found it especially odd to be escorted everywhere she went, unless she snuck off to the Library.
I suppose I'll get used to it in time. She thought as they descended the staircase to the bottom floor of the castle.
The guard took Nikita through a doorway that Nikita hadn't noticed before, and they emerged out into the sunlight.
They walked down a path and passed several archery ranges, sword fighting arenas, trident and javelin throwing ranges and a place to practice horseback riding and fighting.
Several units of Herobrine's army trained in the open areas of the End Mesa Biome, and Nikita watched as the Servants practiced different formations and battle strategies.
They then walked down a somewhat hidden path that led to an outcropping of endstone that overlooked the Training Grounds.
"You're here." He said without turning around.
"Join me."
Nikita walked up to Herobrine, standing by his side.
"You may leave us now." He said.
Nikita heard the guard that was behind her walk away, leaving them completely alone with Herobrine.
"Do you know why I do this?" He asked her, gesturing to the training Servants below him.
Nikita shook her head.
"I do it because everyone in Minecraftia fears me, hates me. They treated me with hatred before, and now it's their turn to feel what I felt."
He turned to her.
"And you, Nikita, if they knew what you could do, who you were, they would hate you to. All of them, just for who you are. That's why I chose you. You are here in the only place that you can be accepted for who you are. You are my secret. You will make them all feel what I felt, what you would've felt, but you need to unlock your full potential."
He regarded her for a second before he said "Are you ready?"
"Yes." Said Nikita, looking him in the eyes.
"I'm ready."
"Good," said Herobrine.
"Follow me."
Herobrine then led her down the path and out into an open field area of the training grounds.
"This is where you will train." He said.
"I will teach you how to fight and summon things and open portals to other places." He said.
"And we will first start out with summoning things."
He moved towards where she was standing and stood behind her. She could feel his presence but couldn't see him which made her feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Close your eyes." He instructed.
"Feel your power flow through you, harness it and direct its flow."
Nikita did as he instructed, closing her eyes and feeling her power flow within her. It felt like the current of the ocean, powerful, strong and untamed. She then focused and directed the power through her body and into her hands. When she opened her eyes they were glowing like Herobrine's and electric blue energy crackled along her arms.
"Good." Said Herobrine.
"Now envision an item, but make it a small item. Imagine that you're pulling it towards you, imagine it materializing in your hand."
Nikita picked the image of the leather bound book that she had found in the library and imagine it coming to her, imagined the feeling of it in her hand.
She then felt the weight of the book in her hand and looked down to see it there.
"Very good." Said Herobrine, walking around to stand in front of Nikita.
Nikita set the book next to her and looked up at Herobrine.
"Now imagine a piece of armor coming to you." He said.
"Someone a whole set one piece at a time."
Nikita nodded, closing her eyes again and focusing. She slowly summoned each piece until she had a full set at her feet.
"Well done." Said Herobrine, pride evident in his voice.
"Now we will hone the skill."
For the rest of the day Herobrine had her work on summoning different objects until she could summon Servants without having to close her eyes and focus intently on the object. It was tiring hours of work, and by the time Nikita got back to her room she didn't have the energy to go to the Library but instead went straight to bed.
In the morning she was awoken by the same knocking noise in her door and escorted down to eat and go out to the training grounds. She worked again on summoning Servants, weapons and armor but also learned to open Portals.
Herobrine again had her focus and direct her power, but this time she envisioned the place that she wanted to go in her mind and directed a steady flow of energy at the space in front of her. She then shaped it into a small circular Portal that led to the Library.
Nikita then closed it and took a short rest, eating something to regain her strength. Then she was back at it again shaping Portals to the same place, making them larger and smaller and learning how to keep a steady flow of energy powering them so that they stayed stable.
When she was done she was again to tired to stay up late and read and went immediately to bed.  She got up as she always did, going downstairs and eating, then going back out to the training grounds, but somehow this lesson was... different. They started as they always did, reviewing the skills that she had already learned and perfecting them, but Herobrine seemed... tenser than normal, like something was going to happen that Nikita didn't know about.
She soon found out, however, when Herobrine told her to sit and rest.
"You will need all of your strength for this next lesson." He said.
"This will be how you will contact the Dragon, so you will need to know this skill well."
He paused.
"You, Nikita, have the ability to reach out your mind and contact others through thoughts, memories and images. You can allow another being to see your memories and things that you have seen. You can also talk to them through your mental connection with their mind, and they can answer you with their own thoughts."
"You also have the ability, if you so wish, read other people's minds and feel what they're feeling. This is your greatest power. It will allow you to have control over your enemies and communicate in battle."
He turned to her.
"First you will practice on Servants, and once you have mastered that, you will practice on me."
Nikita's heart beat faster when he said that.
Practice on him?
"Are you ready to learn?" He asked her.
"Yes," said Nikita, standing up.
"I am."