Nullified

The moment the pair has rounded the first corner, Steve grabs Herobrine by the wrist and holds fast.

"Brine, it's painfully obvious how much Null is trying to drive us apart. Please don't let him." Herobrine yanks his wrist out of his grasp.

"If he thinks we're working together, he could hurt his prisoners. We can't be seen together."

"Look, I'll- I'll let you win." Steve's voice drops to a whisper. "I know Alex can respawn, and Y/N can't. But please- if he does have Notch, don't hurt him. We need him." Herobrine's jaw tightens. Of course, he's right, but hurting Notch may be Null's criteria for keeping Y/N safe. The Nether lord gives his double a terse nod, then turns, splitting off down another passage.

Steve doesn't appear again, which means he must have gone a different route. Herobrine has never tried to solve a maze like this before, and doesn't have the slightest idea how he can, nor how Steve plans to 'let him' win. If he just wanders at random, he has just as high a chance at finding Notch as Herobrine does.

How did Null manage to imprison Notch, anyway? The game is bent by his very whim, how could he possibly be trapped here? And yet, Null is very confident in his claim.

...unless it was a ruse to draw him away from Y/N...? No, that didn't make sense. If he was to kill her, he would do it before Herobrine in order to inflict the most damage, wouldn't he? Herobrine scowls, pressing a hand to his head. He would have little success getting inside the mind of such a psychopath.

The Nether king shakes his head and continues down his passage, choosing at random his next path to take. How big was this maze? Would there be some penalty to them not finding Notch in time? Or was the only penalty the threat of the other winning the game? Steve was right- he wouldn't hurt Notch. But with Y/N at stake, he couldn't afford to lose.

...did Null expect them to fight each other? If he took Steve out, would he count that as a win on his part? He didn't want to do it. Steve was his friend. But he would respawn, as would Alex, and he and Y/N would not. Herobrine sets his jaw, his decision made, and he presses onwards.

Ten minutes later, he rounds a corner and nearly bumps straight into his opponent.

"Herobrine!" Steve exclaims. "I take it you haven't found-?" His words are cut off abruptly as Herobrine punches him in the stomach, then drops an elbow on his head. The miner drops like a rock, and Herobrine continues on his way. His stomach churns with unease, and he wonders if Null would count this as cheating- but, like Steve said, undoubtedly his goal was to separate them. He only hopes that Steve will forgive him upon his waking.

Herobrine ventures through the maze for the better part of an hour, anxiety eating away at his resolve if he wonders if Steve has woken up yet. If he had, he could have already found Notch, the game could be over... would Null inform him? Send him back? Or was he still out? Did Null expect him to hurt Notch? He hadn't said so, but he might punish Y/N regardless if he found that Notch had remained unharmed. This situation really had no victory, not on his part.

Herobrine turns a corner and is met with a black tank.

He stops short, eying the small, blackstone structure. A lever sits on the ground before it, and Herobrine approaches it hesitantly, nudging it with his foot. A piston goes off, lowering a block, and Notch is revealed.

The creator is trapped in a tank of water, enclosed by what appears to be tinted glass. His eyes are closed, and he doesn't move. Passed out? Is he drowning? He didn't even know if it was possible for Notch to drown.

Herobrine shifts his gaze away, uneasy. So it's true then, Null had managed to imprison him. How, he doesn't understand. And, if he has this level of power, why rely on threats to keep him and Steve under control? They should be far less of a threat than the very creator of the game.