Jerome's POV

The four of us were still sitting outside the door of the meeting room. We were forced out of the room around an hour or so ago and we could still hear the continuous loud cries emitting from the room where Olivia was in.

I, being the first among the four of us, was the first to get up and leave. I love Olivia like a sister and it pains me to hear her cry and while refusing our help, my help.

Olivia and I are really close because when we were both younger, we would hunt together. If I were to create a list of my most treasured friends, who I practically consider family, she'd be in second place, right behind Mitch.

Mitch, I thought sadly.

For all I know, he could be like Ty, Adam, or Jason. He could be suffering in horrible, horrible pain right now and I can't do a thing. In a worst case scenario, he be...dead.

No, don't think that, I tried to think positively. He's BajanCanadian, Mitchell Hughes. The one youtuber famous for surviving Hunger Games with only a heart to spare. He can't be dead.

It's impossible.

I shook my head a little to get rid of the negative thoughts, but it didn't work out very well for me. So I just forced myself to stop thinking about him altogether. I know it sounds selfish, not thinking about him when he could seriously need me, but if I keep on going, I don't know how long I can hold myself up for the both of us.

"Mitch," I whispered longingly under my breath. "where are you?"

I've been wandering for a while now. I don't even know where I am in the castle anymore, but judging by the sun, it's around evening.

Nearby, there were doors leading to a small balcony. Maybe some fresh air will do me some good. I'll watch the sunset, just like I used to with Olivia and Mitch.

A pain stabbed in my chest as I thought about the two again. "Why?" I asked as a tear pricked my eye, threatening to fall. "Why you? Why us? All of us..."

The two of us, when we were younger, were inseparable. We would never leave each other, and we'd always think about each other. We'd care about each other, and when either of us was hurt or injured, we'd run to each other's rescue.

As the sun started to makes its sweet descend down behind the hills of Minecraftia, a smell well-known to me suddenly hit my nose. My ears perked just the slightest as a result of my senses buffering as I leaned over the railing, hoping to catch more of the scent.

How'd his scent get here? I thought wonderously to myself. The scent was cold, but it was definitely his. But it had the thick tinted smell of dry blood and burnt skin. Along with it was a familiar smell with a similar burnt taste to it, but I can't exactly place their identity.

"Mitch!" I shouted out suddenly, catching the attention of some mobs that'd begun to spawn. By now the sun was barely peeking over the hills, and night was quickly taking over. If what I really smell is Mitch, he won't last a second in the thick batches of spawning mobs.

I looked down from the balcony and realized that if I jump off here, I'll most likely die from fall damage. I glanced back at the sun and realized that the tiniest glint was left. If I'm going to make it, I'll have to jump and risk it, I thought quickly, assessing the situation.

"Well, here goes..." I said as I took a few steps back, preparing myself for the jarring, painful land.

"3, 2, 1..." I counted down as I prepared myself for the lauch. "Go." I told myself as I ran forward and dived with my eyes closed.

The wind whipping past my fur was exhilerating as I felt the presence of the hard ground grow ever closer to me as I fell. I peeked open my eyes just the slightest and realized that I just passed the second story and the ground was approaching me, and fast.

In the air, I positioned myself into a ready-to-form-into-a-ball kind of formation, aiming to do several front rolls to break the force of my fall. I clenched my eyes closed as I made contact with the ground.

I groaned in pain as I massaged my neck, which I think I almost broke, in hope of relieving it of some pain. Thankfully, I didn't take too much fall damage. Those front rolls really did help lower the damage done, I thought happily to myself. I could've died and not been able to save-

Oh my god, Mitch!

Suddenly back on track, I raced through the icy, overgrown forest in the direction of the smell.

Mobs were spawning left and right, even from above in the leaves, and attacking me head on. I know it was probably a bad idea to come without a weapon, but I have my dark powers that I always have as a last resort.

Right now, the priority is Mitch, not my safety.

I raced through the maze of ice tree trunks, nearly slipping several times on the frosted ground. Arrows were whizzing by like streaks of light, leaving cuts along my body and some arrows embedded in my limbs.

Still, I pressed on.

Zombies that I ran past had tried to grasp on to me, successfully managing to get their whole arm ripped off. I was able to shake their limbs off of me, but what really slowed me down were the explosions and the sticky touch of spiders.

Pretty soon, after enduring that I came to a clearing and just to the edge of the clearing were two bodies. I couldn't recognize who they were from a distance but judging from the smell, it was Mitch and another person.

Growling with determination, I raced through the clearing.

But what I saw when I reached them was not exactly a sight I was ready for.

Lying on Mitch was a person who seemed to have suffered horribly from fire. Mitch, other than the fact that he was passed out under a random person, looked perfectly fine. He looked a little thin and weak but I didn't see a single scratch on him.

Thankfully, he was regenerating little by little on his health bar.

The person, on the other hand, was greatly damaged and their hearts bar above their head was barely lighting up. They seemed to be burned down to the spine at their neck and their skin looked broiling hot. Still, it wasn't affecting Mitch at all, which I found bizarre but decided to check up on it later.

Right now, this person and Mitch should get immediate medical attention. Especially the person because they seem to be on the very brink of death.

I knew I wouldn't be able to carry them both on my back, so I conjured up my darkness tail that I've been working on and lifted Mitch up while I put the severely injured person securely on my back.

"Let's get back to the castle..." I muttered my plan softly under my breath. Thankfully, no mobs had globbed around us so I was able to survey my surroundings a little bit for the best, undisturbed way back to the castle.

Soon enough, I came up with a plan to just climb the trees and tree hop my way back. it will sting a bit because my tail is highly vulnerable to light and I'll be exposed to moonlight...but it's the quickest, and safest, path back to the castle.

I'll have to take my chances.

I make my way up the nearest tree. when I'm fully exposed to the moon's light, I hiss in pain but I deal with it.

Shaking my head in displeasure, I run across the treetops of the icy forest. At this point, I feel like I may die from hypothermia or freeze to death with frost bite. Another possibility is drain my darkness power too much to the point where the light in my heart takes over and kills me from the inside.

I don't want to suffer from any of those possiblities so I speed up my running in hope of getting to the castle soon. Sadly, to my displeasure, the castle wasn't anywhere in sight.

Had I really ran that far? I thought to myself. If I had, I don't even know how I even had energy to run at the moment.

Now that I thought about it, I was actually really sore and tired. But I can't stop and sleep here for the night because of mobs and the cold temperature might kill the three of us.

I have to carry on, no matter the cost.

It's all for Mitch, I reminded myself. That simple thought seemed to be enough fuel to power me on through the cold night.

"Tch, no sign of the castle anywhere..." I mumbled below my breath. It seemed to be around midnight, neither of the two have woken up, and we're stuck in the freezing cold.

On the bright side, there's Olivia who could sense me walking on her snow ground, but I specifically have to walk on the snowy ground where I have a higher chance of being attacked. Not to mention, she has a lot on her mind at the moment and won't be clear-minded enough to notice me in time.

I could keep on walking around or find some cave and wait 'till dawn.

I'd go with the latter.

With a bit more time, I luckily found a cave. To add to my advantage, the cave was located on higher ground and difficult to reach for mobs. It should keep us safe, at least for the night.

***

SAY WHAAAAT? THE FREAK IS HAPPENING WITH MITCH'S HEALTH BAR?? HAVE I CONFUZZLED YOU YET??? HEHE, I PROMISE THAT IM NOT GLITCHING WITH YOU!!! LOL PUN