Ciara was only vaguely aware of something warm next to her. She felt detached from the world, like she was floating away but still tethered to life by a single piece of string. Her sword was far worse than she thought, and she pitied those who were unlucky enough to find themselves on the wrong end of it. Despite feeling that she was already asleep, in some sense anyway, she felt exhausted, and so allowed herself to drift into a deeper state of unconsciousness.

[Gore + feels warning]

She felt more powerful than anything as she held her trusty katar at arms length, the tip just drawing blood in Lalna's neck. He was pressed against the wall, eyes wide behind his goggles, the warning cut on his thigh bleeding over his jeans. His breaths were shaky and shallow, all his weapons and gear littered on the floor, out of reach, so he was completely defenseless. A sick smirk was spread on her features, eyes once more glowing a dangerous white. Her whole expression was condescending, as of she was almost ashamed that he had easily gotten himself into this unfortunate predicament.

"W-why are you h-here to kill me?" He stuttered, swallowing nervously as his blue gaze tried to avoid his unavoidable death.

"If you hadn't of tried to find DNA, then you would've been fine. For a little longer, that is. Everyone in T3kkit0p1@ w1ll d13!" Her voice warped, and the maniacal grin became wider at his fear.

"Ciara- if that really is you, please stop this!" He begged daringly, knowing it could mean an earlier death.

She sniffed with contempt. "Ciara is soon to be gone. She's been disobedient to me, so I clearly had to take action. She's deeply unconscious in R1dg3d0g'$ c@$tl3, she can't help you."

He refrained from flinching at the sudden sharpness when she -or whoever they were- mentioned Ridge, they clearly weren't fond of him. "Ciara, you're a good person. I-I know you're still there somewhere, please take control of..."

"Afraid of saying my w0nd3rful n@m3? Afraid it's like a cur$3? Well, I'll say it for you. H3r0br1n3. But she cannot hear you, she cannot save you, you're well and truly alone." She taunted twistedly, partially enjoying his futile attempt to stop her and save himself.

"Ridge wouldn't be pleased if he found out you had killed another, Ciara. I know you're the Red Hand Murderer now, but I'm not scared of you, I can forgive you. Ridge is fond of you, you know, and he rarely cries over anyone, so you must mean a lot. News travels fast in Tekkitopa." He tested warily, surprised when the glow dimmed and her hazel eyes were visible through it.

Ciara regained control of herself, more aware of what was going on. "L-Lalna? What- oh Notch! Was I..." She drew back the sword, already feeling the strange fuzziness returning.

"Thank Notch... I thought I would die. That's interesting, you have a soft spot for Ridge too." He teased with a gentle smile, but it faltered as he saw the shine returning.

"You... need to... run- go, go to Ridge- please go! Take Nano wi-" It seemed as if Ciara and Herobrine were each battling for control, but unfortunately for Lalna, she was weaker.

He began to inch his way towards the closed door, scared for his own safety less than Nano's, but also worried for Ciara's well-being. For a fraction of a second, he paused, debating on knocking the possessed girl out or just running. That was a bad idea. Her head jerked back up, a mix between a strained grimace and a demonic half-smile flickering on her features, and her shimmering eyes locked onto her target. He hastily fumbled for the handle as thunder rumbled ominously outside, putting less weight on his injured leg as he threw his body at the door when it wouldn't open. The handle burned white-hot for a microsecond, before melting and dripping in a scorching metal puddle at his feet. A hole was left in the wooden door where it was, and a rough breeze filtered in, catching Lalna's labcoat in it's frozen claws. He instinctively took a step away from the unnatural events, which was, of course, one step closer to his fate. But she wasn't done playing yet, and despite knowing she could easily plunge her sword through his flesh, she kept her weapon by her side. Small flames sprung up in the vacant spot, hungrily licking at the oak and crawling across the whole door, seemingly unaffected by the raging storm outside. When there was nothing but a gap in the wall and the elements rushed in, the fire reluctantly died down. Ashes were flooded with raindrops, turning it to a dark pulp on the ground. The floor was covered in a glossy sheen, and it reflected the light of a lightning bolt that shot across the landscape. His goggles were getting speckled with water, so he pulled them onto his forehead instead, glueing his damp blond hair down.

He slowly turned to look at her, somehow knowing he couldn't escape even if he ran as fast as he could, and forced himself to meet her empty eyes. "If you kill me here, will you spare Nano?"

"I might. I might not. It depends how satisfied I am after killing you." She replied mysteriously, making anger bubble up inside Lalna.

"Stop being so vague, Herobrine! Tell me if you'll let Nano live!" He yelled, determined to keep her safe, even if it meant giving his life.

"What cheek. I can't have you speaking to me like that, I'm no less than the Herobrine after all." She sneered, lunging forward in no more than a flash of white and a flurry of fabric.

He braced himself for impact in the split-second he was generously given, but it never came. She appeared to be stuck, the katar only a centimeter away from his chest, and her hands were shaking as a look of disbelieving fury took hold of her expression.

"Wh@t 1$ th1$?!" She screamed, her voice changing as she did so, seeming as if she was trying harder to push forwards.

Lalna knew Ciara had tried her best to stop Herobrine from killing him, so took the chance to unsurely stumble backwards, out the door and on to the wet stone brick walkway between two of the towers. Nano chose that moment to shuffle out of that tower, originally planning to tell the blond to get to bed for some sleep, but froze in the doorway upon the sight. She could clearly see two white eyes on a figure she couldn't quite work out, and closer to her, the scientist backing away as the stranger brought the glinting sword up in a jerky motion.

"Lal? What's going on?" She whispered, ignoring the fact that she was getting wet as she padded closer to him, her short hair being ruffled by the increasing gale.

"Nano! Get back inside!" He exclaimed, and she took an involuntary step back, never having seen the protective blaze in his eyes before.

"What's going on?!" She repeated more determindly, not budging from her position a few paces behind him, noticing with concern that his jeans had a dark red stain on one leg.

"Herobrine is controlling Ciara. She's trying to stop him from killing me. Please go and warn the others!" He briefly explained as Ciarobrine stared maliciously at the short girl, tensing to be ready in case she tried anything.

"I'm not going to leave you here to die!" She shrieked, pulling out her own custom sword and wielding it in trembling hands.

In no more than a blur, Ciarobrine rushed towards his apprentice, ready to slice. But, to her shock, Lalna moved quicker. He put his arm up in front of his face as he made himself into a meatshield for Nano. Unable to slow the blow, it carved clean through his forearm, the end edge lodging a small distance into his side. The severed arm dropped to the ground. He gritted his teeth and took a moment to check that his apprentice was unharmed. Horrified, but unharmed.

"Lalna... you..." She let out a choked sob, hands going to her mouth as tears leaked from her eyes.

"Go, Nano!" His expression softened as he saw how petrified she was. "Please, find someone... I love you." He failed to notice when Ciarobrine abandoned her katar and whipped out her diamond sword, swinging it through the air. She was aiming for the kill.

There was a sickening crunch as the blade caught on bone. Lalna's head was swiftly removed from his neck in a clean cut across his throat. The momentum sent it spinning into the air. It landed with a squelch as his body crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap. Nano let out a heart-wrenching scream. She was furiously shaking her head as tears flooded down her face and mingled with the rain. She dropped to her knees next to his mangled corpse, her white leggings staining a sickening crimson as her shoulders drooped and her small frame shuddered.

"How could you?! Have you no heart, Herobrine?!" She screeched at the semi-demon, who appeared stuck mid-motion, watery blood sliding down her glimmering sword and dripping off the handle.

Her bright white eyes dulled once more, her hands loosening to allow her weapon to fall and her arms to relax next to her side. Nano stopped glaring at her, instead feeling a little sorrow for her, as she had been forced to ruthlessly cut down a friend. Ciara took a few unsteady steps towards the heartbroken girl, before changing her mind and rapidly backing away, already feeling her control slip.

"Nano... I'm so sorry... please do what Lal said... Herobrine's already coming back. You need to go. I'll try my best to delay him." She said, her pace slowing as she reached the edge of the walkway, behind her a long drop that would undoubtedly kill her.

"But..." The black-haired girl seemed torn between staying at her lover's side or warning the others in advance. She seemed to come to a conclusion, standing up and picking up her own weapon, pulling out her jetpack and putting it on. "Okay. Thank you, Ciara, for trying your best... I love you too, Lalna..."

With a final, sorrowful look back, she took off at a speedy pace, while Ciara took a deep breath and stepped off the edge, feeling her control loosen as she fell. She felt triumphant, certain that, even if she killed herself right now, she would kill Herobrine at the same time, so everyone would be safe again. The ground was approaching at a steady pace, and if she could've she would've shut her eyes and smiled, knowing that her work was done. Yet, her pride rushed away when she found herself flying after the silhouette, and cursed herself for not checking to see if she had any magic rings on her fingers, but as if Herobrine heard her thoughts he held out her hands in front of her eyes. No Swiftwolf's Rending Gale.

"That's right, Ciara, I'm far more powerful than you realised. You should've thought about the consequences before betraying me. Now you have to kill all your so-called friends." He drawled with her voice, sounding pleased. "I have to admit though, you're stronger than before. I wasn't expecting you to be able to control me, even for a moment. Now, darling, do watch as I kill your precious Nano."

She unwillingly paused in the air, firmly grasping the diamond sword in a clenched hand, tipping her arm back before forcefully pushing it forwards and letting the weapon go. It whistled through the air, and to her horror it never wavered off course. The blade plunged through her back just as she flew over Inthelittlecorp, and she dropped out of the sky into the trees. Ciarobrine went after her, the plants providing some shelter from the awful weather. Her boots splashed with mud as she trudged towards the small body weakly struggling on the ground. She retrieved the sword, earning a little gasp of pain as it was removed, before Nano gave up on movement. Blood was staining her soaked clothes as she hopelessly lay there, eyes dulling as a tear tracked down her cheek. Ciarobrine left her mark, turning her back and striding away. She didn't see as Nano pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, beginning to write a few words before the wound became too much and she let out a sigh. Her eyes looked to a chink of clearing sky that was visible through the trees, noticing a star twinkling down at her. She curled her hand around the note and closed her eyes, allowing herself to leave now that she had done what she needed to.

Lalna, she murmured in her mind, I'm coming.

Ciara became aware that she was no longer outside. She felt as if she was laying in a bed, yet the last thing she remembered was being... oh. Stabbed by Sparkles*. At that point, she realised someone was laying beside her in the bed, which meant she wasn't at Inthelittlecorp, as the boys would sleep in their own. So that left her questioning where in Minecraftia she was. She forced her heavy eyelids to open, and slowly turned her stiff neck to one side. A squeal made it's way into her mouth, but she held it back, for fear of waking him. Ridge was fast asleep next to her, looking a lot more relaxed than he did when he was awake, and his hand was loosely gripping hers, much to her disbelief. She gave a tiny shake of her head, telling herself he was just worried for her after she got stabbed. Outside a thin fog had settled over the landscape, but she didn't want to tear her tired gaze away from the handsome demigod. A life-stone was placed where the wound originally was, but she lifted it off and placed it on the bedside table, seeing as she was fully healed. She turned on her side, curling up closer to him and closing her eyes. If anyone asked, she had done that in her sleep, and she did not have strong feelings towards him. At all. Before she knew it, she was once again drifting off, her forehead pressed against his shirt, a smile on her face.

Ridge lazily opened his eyes, half-expecting to be alone in the bed as he always was, yet as soon as his golden gaze saw her the terrifying events returned to him. To his relief, she appeared unharmed, but he was a little perplexed when he noticed the life-stone on the bedside table. He almost pulled his arms back towards him when he realised they were around her, but he was afraid that he would wake her up. Well, that was part of the reason. She felt natural in his embrace, his hands linked perfectly behind her back, and she fit perfectly next to him. Surely he wasn't falling for her? No, there was no way he was in love with a wonderful face like hers, with sparkling hazel eyes, beautiful chestnut hair that framed her face ideally and gorgeous lips that curved into a smile upon sight of him... crap. He chuckled lightly to himself, realising how lovestruck he sounded, even in his mind. The small movement woke Ciara, who sleepily snuggled closer to him with a sigh. He panicked for a moment as she tensed, wondering what in Minecraftia he could do to explain this, before calming and just acting it out as he always did. Coolly.

"Hey Ciara. I'm not sure what time of day it is, so I didn't say morning." He said cheerily, not moving even when she looked up at him, their faces only inches apart, which made her blush.

"U-uh, h-hi Ridge. How come I'm in your castle?" And in your bed? She added silently, wanting to pull apart to save her from further embarrassment, yet she stayed right where she was.

"I offered to take care of you after you fell unconscious from the attack. You were critical for a while, and we weren't sure whether you would make it..." Just thinking back to the event made his heart lurch.

Her expression changed into some of shock, and she tentatively brushed a tear off his cheek that he hadn't realised he had shed. "But I'm here now. I'm here and I'm fine, and I'll always be fine."

He gave a weak laugh, still discovering more aspects about how perfect she was. "Yeah, you're right. Should we... uh... get up?"

"...let's just stay a little longer?" She muttered, curling back up tighter and hiding her face in his chest, no longer ashamed to do so.

He was stupidly relieved about her answer and held her closely, part of him wondering if she liked him more than a friend as he breathed in her soft scent. She let out a faint murmur of content, sighing happily.

"Oh, ew, Xephos! Why'd you make me come in first?! They're doing the nasty!" Came the sudden fakely disgusted voice of Sips from the now-open door.

"What the- oh- what?! Crap no ah- uh- sorry Ridge!" Xephos stuttered, making the dirt salesman burst into laughter, which Sjin joined in as he came to his companion's side.

"You big dumb-dumb! Not really! But they are pretty cute~" He sang cheekily, a smug grin on his face.

"Why'd you just barge in here?!" Ridge growled, sounding quite aggressive for the first time.

"We knocked... but you didn't come to the door, so we came in, thinking the worst. Sorry, didn't know you had company. Good to see you recovered, Ciara, but who knew you had a liking impressive guys?" The raven-haired man joined in on the teasing, but you could see the grief pushed to the back of his eyes.

"That's no excuse to come into someone's house, more so their bedroom." He snapped, but relaxed when she gently touched his arm.

"Be nice, Ridge, they were concerned for you." She yawned, rolling out of his grasp and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed as she sat up, facing the window.

"Oh, look, she already has control over him. Next thing we know there'll be a baby on the way!" Sips joked as all three of them giggled immaturely.

"How original, Sipsy. Now if you don't mind me, I'm going to visit Inthelittlecorp and probably pour more water over Martyn. I just hope Toby has forgiven me..." She added as an afterthought, absentmindedly reaching under the bed and picking up her weapons.

Ridge shot up in bed, staring in disbelief. "How did those get there?! I didn't bring your gear with me when I brought you back, they should be back at Hone- um, where you got stabbed by Sparkles*." Xephos winced as his deceased friend was mentioned, staring at the ground in an attempt to stop himself from crying.

"That makes no sense... oh well. They're here now, and that's useful." She shrugged, attaching them once more at her waist.

"Why do you have those?" Sjin asked tentatively, pointing to the weapons.

"Just for self-defense." She answered shortly, striding out the door and aiming for Inthelittlecorp.

Ridge couldn't help but stare after her, trying to ignore the determine expressions on the three guys' faces as they came closer. They sat on the edge of the bed, making it dip down, and all three of them grinned at him.

"Nice catch." Sips simply said with a smirk, making him turn away and get up, pulling on his jacket.

Ciara arrived at the edge of the forest, pausing for a moment to breathe in the strong, natural scent. It was a wonderful place to relax in. She trudged into the cover of trees, the fog lifting a little to allow faint sunlight to dapple the damp ground. Leaves crunched underfoot, and it occurred to her that autumn was probably on its way. Up ahead she noticed something odd, so jogged towards it. She let out an ear-piercing scream, backing away into a tree trunk as the whole forest seemed to get more evil, bare branches appearing to be claws. A branch dipped in the sudden wind, a sharp twig on the end of it scratching her cheek and drawing blood, but she ignored it, only staring at the limp body on the ground. When she was alive Nano was small, but now she was smaller... and dreadfully still. Her clothes were stained with blood and mud, and there was a hole in her jetpack that went right through her body with dry blood crusted around the edge of the wound. What made the whole thing worse was that there was a red handprint on the side of her face. Speedy footsteps approached, and soon Martyn burst out of the undergrowth, Toby soon after, only the latter breathing heavily. He instantly saw her, and his expression went from worried to relieved to furious, whereas the blond spotted what had spooked her and swallowed.

"Looks like the Red Hand Murderer struck again..." He muttered sadly, kneeling next to the body.

"I can't believe you!" Toby hissed to her, making her slide down the tree and hide her face, whereas Martyn looked up, noticing her for the first time.

"Ciara! You're okay!" He exclaimed, rushing towards her and engulfing her in a hug, while she shivered uncontrollably.

"I-I'm sorry Toby... I'm so sorry..." Was all she could choke out, but he just stared coldly back, not believing her for a second.

"Sorry isn't enough." He spat, eyes trailing to Nano's unmoving frame.

"What has happened between you two? You were getting on so well..." Martyn whispered as he looked between the two, before Toby stormed off back where they'd come from.

"Oh Notch... Notch no..." She tried to hide herself as she drew her knees up to her head, rocking herself back and forth.

"I'll... um... go see what's wrong with Toby?" He finally managed, awkwardly standing up and following his friend with a upset expression.

She couldn't believe it had happened again. But, surely, it couldn't have been her? After all, she was deeply unconscious in Ridge's castle, with Ridge sleeping next to her. What if she was going mad? Perhaps she did kill Nano without realising, or maybe remembering, and she somehow got back to Ridge without him noticing that she was gone. That was out of the question, Ridge would know instantly if she was gone. Her eye caught a glow of white as the sun shone on it, and she crawled over to Nano's body, realising she was holding a piece of paper in her hand. Ciara gently pulled it out and smoothed it, only to be greeted with the dark answer to her confusion.

'Herobrine controlled Ciara'

The paper was creased and stained with blood and tears. A horrible thought occurred to her, if Nano was here, surely Lalna had sent her to find someone? If he had gotten away from- uh, her, then he would've searched everywhere for his apprentice. Yet, he hadn't, so that meant... Lalna was dead...

She got to her feet, her hair brushing over her face, and stumbled after the boys. Part of her didn't want to show her evidence to them, it would make them afraid of her, but most of her knew she had to, so they could do something -anything- to stop her from killing more people. Light drizzle had set in when she reached the Inthelittlecorp clearing, and the sound of shouting floated up from their underground base.

"Martyn, I don't care about her! She... she-" Toby let out a groan of frustration, knowing he would keep to his side of the pact even if she didn't.

"She what, Toby?!" Martyn yelled angrily at him, clearly she conversation had been going round in circles, and they hadn't got any further.

"It doesn't matter..." He mumbled, sighing with irritation.

"Toby Cottrell, if you don't tell me what is wrong right this instant-"

Ciara stopped listening. She was frozen, her hand part way to the door. Her heart thudded in her chest, like some caged animal trying to break free. She wasn't worried about Toby not caring about her, although that did hurt a lot, it was something else that had shocked her. It couldn't be possible, surely? There was no way that he...

No, it wasn't possible. She just heard him wrongly. The sheer idea was ridiculous. But it did make sense, they were similar. She finally grabbed the handle and opened it, walking to the top of the stairs before the boys' gazes were drawn to her.

"Oh crap... you heard that, didn't you?" Martyn said uncomfortably, while Toby just turned around and ignored her.

"U-uh, kinda. Some of it. D-don't worry about it. Just a quick question, did you say 'Cottrell' was Toby's last n-name?" She managed to get out, each word lodging in her throat.

The blond frowned, noticing how pale she was. "Yeah, I did, how come? You look sick, are you-"

He didn't get to finish. She passed out from shock.