TW: Hiding things, craziness, Mastermind!Zoey, Manipulative!Zoey

~Chapter One: Disappearances

"Zoey!" Rythian called from the magic room. There was no answer. He sighed, "Where is she?" He muttered to himself. "This has been happening a lot." He said, starting to talk to himself. Talking to himself had become a regular occurrence and he didn't try to stop it now. "I can never find her, and then she comes home and she doesn't even explain why she left." He said, sighing again. "I should probably ask her about this. I hope to God it's not something as crazy as the mushrooms." He said, wandering about the rooms. He made it to their bedroom and saw that someone had left a sign in front of the bed.

It read, Rythian! Hey it's me Zoey! I've just went out for a bit. I'll be back in a bit. No need to ask about it or anything. It's nothing. So yah... don't ask.

"Hm, that's weird." He muttered, making his way out to the front of Blackrock Castle. He saw Teep staring at one of the golems and pushing them, "Hey Tee!" Rythian called, walking over. "First of all, please stop pushing Red Five. Second of all, have you seen Zoey?" The mute dinosaur shook his head. "Do you know where she is?" He shook his head again. Rythian sighed again, "She has been gone for awhile, and it's getting pretty late." He said, looking at the setting sun. "Maybe she's with baby Jim." He suggested. He went and grabbed his sword from the chest and was about to go fly to baby Jim when a voice stopped him.

"Hey Rythian! Where are you going?" Zoey said, flying in from somewhere in the south.

"Zoey? Where have you been?" Rythian asked.

"Oh, nowhere. Didn't you read my sign? It's nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just went... to the... Crooked Caber. Yah I went there." She said, quickly. "Anyway where are you going?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"I was about to go look for you, but then you showed up." He said putting his sword away.

"Oh, well you know where I am now. So you don't need to look for me." She said, about to go inside.

"Actually, Zoey I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You have been disappearing a lot and I can never find you." He said, looking at her.

She stared back at him, her face blank. "Your point being."

"Where have you been going? I mean you don't tell me where you're going or when you're going to leave. You just leave." He said, waiting for an explanation.

"It's nothing." Was her answer.

"Well, if it's nothing, then you won't mind telling me." He countered.

"I would mind telling you, actually." She said, not meeting his eyes.

"Where have you been going, Zoey?" He asked, again.

"I told you it's nothing." Her voice starting to rise.

"Where, Zoey?" He asked his voice more demanding.

"I told you Rythian, it's nothing!" She suddenly screamed. Immediately after the anger disappeared from her eyes and she looked surprised. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scream. I need to go." She said her voice stale. Then she turned and flew back towards the way she came.

"Zoey, wait!" Rythian screamed, fumbling to activate his flying ring. He found that he didn't have it. "What the hell? Where is it?" He muttered. He helplessly watched her fly away fast. "Christ." He whispered to himself. "What the hell was that about?" He muttered to no one in particular.

~Chapter Two: Betrayal

Last time: "What the hell was that about?" He asked himself.

He watched her fly away until she was out of sight. By the time she was fully gone, it was night time. He sighed and went inside. He went up the stairs and sat in their bedroom, "Maybe, she will be back in the morning." He said to himself, as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning...

He woke up and looked around. "Still no Zoey." He muttered. "Where is she?" He got up and walked down to find his flying ring. "Well I'm not going to ask her about where she's going anymore. Hm, maybe I should just follow her instead." He suggested to himself. "I really need to stop talking to myself. It's just not healthy." He added. He found his ring in one of the chests. He grabbed it and flew out, looking for Zoey. She was milking one of the mooshrooms. "Hey, Zoey." He said, flying over.

"Hey Rythian. I'm milking Daisy. Wait, would this be called milking? I mean she's not giving us milk, she's giving soup. Would that be called souping?" She asked, coming out of the mooshroom pen. "I have finished souping Daisy." She said, holding up a bowl of mushroom soup, which she happily drank it.

"Ok... Anyway, when did you get back?" He asked.

"Oh, a while ago actually. A creeper blew up part of my farm sign, but its okay. I fixed it with some extra things I found in the chest." She said, going over and looking at her sign. The rest of the day was filled with magic and laughs. It was, overall a very good day.

Then it all went downhill. The sun was beginning to set and Zoey said, "Well, Rythian. I need to go again. I'll be back later." She said, flying north.

He sighed and activated his flying ring. He waited until she was almost out of sight and then he followed her. Trying to be stealthy, he flew close to the ground and made sure to stay out of her sight. They passed Sipsco, then Honeydew Inc. "Where could she be going? The only thing this far out that I know of is..." He paused, watching the gigantic castle appear on the horizon. "No..." He whispers. "Please, don't let her be going to him. Please not... not her... anyone but her." He whispered, watching her fly towards the force field Duncan had put up. He saw her type in a code on a computer and part of the force field went down. She walked in and the force field automatically went up behind her. "No." He whispered again. He flew up to the force field gate and looked at the computer. "Let me see..." He thought about what it was and after looking at the history, "Open." He said out loud as he typed it in. The force field went down and he walked in. It went back up and he scoffed, "Duncan you idiot." He muttered. He saw Zoey disappear into a room and he followed. He of course didn't go into the room because Duncan might see him. Instead he laid his ear against the door and listened to the conversation.

"Hey Lalna!" He heard Zoey say.

"Hey Zoey. How's my apprentice doing?" Duncan asked. Rythian didn't need to see to know that Duncan was smiling.

"I'm doing fine. How are you?" Zoey replied.

"Apprentice?" Rythian muttered, trying to ignore the stab of betrayal he felt.

"I'm doing good." He answered.

"Where's Kim? She's usually here. Oh, nevermind I'll look for her later." SHe paused. "You know, Lalna. You still haven't taught me how to make a mining laser." Zoey said.

"I didn't think you needed one. Don't you have that destruction catalyst?" Lalna asked.

"Yes, but that's magic and it's overly destructive. I need something easier to use." Zoey paused, "Please Lalna. Please, please, please." Rythian heard her beg.

"Alright fine. You need..." Rythian didn't hear the rest.

He pulled away from the door and headed down to the force field. He typed in the code and flew home... fast. He stopped when he could see the castle and he stayed floating in mid air looking at the ground, "How could she do that to me? I mean, lying to me? Betraying me? After everything we've been through? How can she just..." He paused, trying to fight the emotions that flooded through him. He took a deep breath, and then he went inside. He sat in the lounge, and waited. He was determined to wait for Zoey to come back. And if Rythian's anger lasted that long, then it would be the last time she would ever be allowed back at Blackrock Stronghold.

~Chapter Three: Goodbyes

Last time: And if Rythian's anger lasted that long, then it would be the last time she would ever be allowed back at Blackrock Stronghold.

Rythian stayed sitting there in the lounge, unmoving for a couple of hours. His anger was still there but not as bad as before. A lot of it was replaced with pain and betrayal. The sun was beginning to rise and Rythian stayed sitting there, his eyes staring but not seeing. Then he heard the front door open and he turned to see Zoey walking into the lounge. She jumped when she saw Rythian sitting there, "Oh, hey Rythian. You scared me. Why are you up this early?" She asked. Her voice sounded so carefree, completely oblivious to the fact that Rythian knew. The poor girl.

"Oh, I never went to sleep." Rythian said his voice eerily calm. "No, you see I found it hard to sleep knowing that my former apprentice and friend was lying to me." He said his voice still calm.

Zoey's whole demeanor changed. The light mood that had surrounded her very being left. Almost like a switch being turned off. It was replaced with a feeling of fear. However, it never touched Rythian. The feeling slid past him, like water passing over a rock. "What are you talking about?" She asked, trying to play dumb.

"Oh, just the fact that you betrayed me." Rythian said, propping his head up with his hand. He paused, "So how is Duncan these days? I heard you and him were very close." Rythian said, his eyes narrowing. His anger was beginning to build again, and the betrayal was still there. However he kept his voice calm.

Zoey looked flat out terrified now, "No Rythian you don't understand-"

"Oh, no I understand just fine. Science is much easier to use." Rythian said, his voice dripping with harsh sarcasm.

"No no no no no no, Rythian please. Just trust me-" Zoey pleaded.

"Trust you?" Rythian said a bitter smile on his lips. He stood up, "How can I trust you? You've been running off to Duncan for who knows how long and been lying to me. I find it very hard to trust you." He said.

"Please Rythian. I'm still your apprentice, see?" She said, showing him her rings. "I still use magic. I'm still your apprentice. Please, Rythian, please."

"I thought you said magic was 'overly destructive'. Besides you're not my apprentice anymore, your Duncan's. Remember? I don't think your master of science would approve of you saying that." Rythian said, crossing his hands over his chest.

"No please Rythian. I'm still your apprentice. You don't understand. Please just let me explain. Please Rythian, don't hate me." Zoey pleaded.

Rythian looked slightly surprised for a moment, "I don't hate you Zoey. I just... I don't know, but I don't hate you."

"Yes, so that means I'm still your apprentice. Yay, nothing has to change, I'm still your apprentice. Yay." Zoey said a forced smile on her lips.

"No that's not how it works. I wish it worked like that, but it doesn't." Rythian said, looking at her.

"Just let me explain, Rythian. I've been going to Duncan and Sjin-" Zoey pleaded staring at him, desperation in her eyes.

"Sjin too!?" Rythian screamed in disbelief.

"I think I could have phrased that better." Zoey said.

"I really don't think anything you say will make the situation different." Rythian said, scoffing. "You lied to me. You betrayed me."

"No, I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you the truth." Zoey defended.

"So lied." Rythian said again.

"Well, you never asked if I was sneaking off to go visit Duncan." Zoey said.

"No but I did ask where you going and you lied to me and said it was nothing. This is not nothing, this is something." Rythian said, trying not to scream. "I mean, I trusted you. I thought..." He paused. "I never should have gotten an apprentice. This was a mistake, I should have stayed alone." Rythian muttered, turning away from Zoey.

"Please just let me explain. I can go get Tee and he can vouch for me that I-"

"Teep was in on this too!?" Rythian screamed.

Zoey shrunk back, "I may have told him."

Rythian flew to Teep's watchtower, Zoey close behind. He walked into Teep's room and saw him looking out the ledge. "Tee." Rythian said as calmly as he could, "Did you know where Zoey was disappearing to?" Teep looked between Rythian and Zoey several times, before he looked to the floor. "Teep, you knew?" Rythian said, hurt obvious in his voice. Teep looked up at him and nodded. Rythian scoffed, "I guess I really can't trust anyone." He said, more to himself than to them. He flew to the front of Blackrock knowing Zoey would follow. When she landed he turned around to face her, "Zoey I think it would be best if you took Teep and left." He said, not meeting her eyes, afraid he would change his mind if he did.

"What?" Zoey asked, her voice cracking.

He closed his eyes not having the strength to look at her, "It's obvious you don't care about this, or me or magic. So I think it would be best if you took Teep and left Blackrock. It's obvious you... you don't want to be here." A second passed before he opened his eyes and saw that she had already left. "Well, I guess that answers that." He said, before walking inside. "I guess... I'm alone again." He said, trying to ignore all the emotions that radiated throughout his body.

Zoey's POV

"Zoey I think it would be best if you took Teep and left." Rythian said, not looking into her eyes.

Zoey tried her best to keep the tears from falling. "What?" Her voice cracked.

She watched him close his eyes, "It's obvious you don't care about this, or me or magic. So I think it would be best if you took Teep and left Blackrock. It's obvious you don't want to be here." She nodded knowing he wouldn't see but not trusting her voice. She flew to Teep's tower and walked in handing him a jetpack she had in her pack. No use trying to hide it now. She thought to herself.

"Come on, Tee." She said, trying not to cry. Why do I want to in the first place? I shouldn't care. She thought. Teep looked at her with a confused expression, "Rythian doesn't want us here." She explained. "Come on, we'll go to Lalna's." She said, as he put the jet pack on. "It's probably the only place we're welcome anyway." She muttered thinking back to her time at Sipsco. She suppressed a shiver.

*Flashback*

"So, Zoey." Sips said. "Why are you here exactly?"

"Oh, Nilesy told me about your pool boy position. I thought it was the perfect job for me." She said, lying through her teeth. Her actual purpose there was information and the job was the perfect way in.

"Oh, well let me get Sjin." Sips said, walking to a building with tanks of lava. She saw them talk and then she saw Sjin smile. He looked like a nice guy, but she knew better.

They both walked over, "Hey Zoey." Sjin said, waving.

"Hello, Sjin." She said, waving back.

"Follow us." They said, leading her into a building labeled interview room. Sips lead her up some stairs and she stared warily into the hole they had. "Just go in." Sips insisted.

"Uh, okay." She said, dropping into the hole. She didn't need to be a genius to figure out what was going to happen. They stood in front of buttons, and asked her questions. She got a lot of them right, so she was still in the top box but then they asked the last question. Or to be more specific, Sjin asked the last question.

"Ok, the last question. If, hypothetically, one of our enemies came over and tried to blow up our pool, what would you do?" He asked, a glint in his eyes.

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "Well, who are your enemies? Just so I can know what their weakness is." She elaborated.

"Rythian." He said, a small smile on his lips.

She paused, and looked at Sjin. He knows, She thought to herself. "Well, I would..." She paused thinking it over.

Sjin pressed his button, "You wouldn't have time to think about it."

"Hold on Sjin, I'm curious to see what she would do." Sips said, turning back to Zoey.

"I would try and negotiate." Zoey said quicker.

They both pressed the button and she dropped down into another hole, "We are very violence friendly. You know, shoot first, and ask questions later." Sjin said, while Sips nodded. Zoey looked around the small space and looked at them, "So, one more question... You have any last words?" He asked, while Sips and Sjin laughed.

She sighed and looked around in her pack, "Yah, I do actually." She had a few things in there that could have been some use, but she was searching for a certain thing. "There it is." She muttered to herself. She took out the destruction catalyst she had borrowed from Rythian. She used it on the glass and Sips and Sjin freaked out. She looked at Sjin with her dark matter pickaxe in hand and said, "Well, it was a pleasure but I've got to go."

Sjin smiled at her, "Send my regards to Rythian."

*Flashback Ended*

They both flew to Duncan's Castle in silence. Zoey typed in the code and they walked in. They found Lalna in the chest room and Zoey pushed down the tears that threatened to spill over. , "Hey Lalna." Zoey managed to get out.

Duncan turned around, "Zoey, what are you doing here?" Duncan asked when he saw her.

Zoey quickly thought up a lie, "Um, some creepers blew up our house."

"Oh, well you both can stay here if you want." Duncan said. "There are some extra beds somewhere in these chests."

To anyone who didn't know Duncan, they would think he was a good guy. However Zoey knew him, and she knew better. Duncan of course didn't know this. He also didn't know what Zoey's original intention was. Really no one did. Sjin didn't know. Rythian surely didn't know. The only one that had an idea of what Zoey was actually doing was Teep, and he couldn't really tell anyone. Zoey's secret affairs were sealed tight. At first she thought of this as strength, but now... she wasn't so sure.

~Chapter Four: Breaking

Last time: At first she thought of this as strength, but now... she wasn't so sure.

Meanwhile with Rythian...

Rythian aimlessly walked around Blackhold struggling to hold back the thoughts that tried to cloud his mind. He saw the sun start to set on the horizon and he sighed, "I should get some sleep." He walked to the master bedroom and stopped at the thresh hold. He looked around the room and tears stung his eyes. Before any could find their way out, he turned away heading for the other room. That night he slept in one of the other bedrooms.

The Next Morning...

Rythian woke up forgetting the previous day and he turned in his bed, expecting to see Zoey next to him. When his eyes met the bookshelf instead, his eyes crinkled in confusion. Then the previous day came rushing back into his mind and he sat up. "Right, she left." He muttered. "Better go get ready." He said to himself. "There's a war coming. Better get ready because I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the one to start it." He said talking to himself again. "Lalna is going to get what's coming to him." He said, walking towards the magic room. "And so is Sjin."

Meanwhile with Zoeya...

Zoey woke up in one of the beds Lalna had gave her. Teep slept on the other side of the room in another bed. He was still sleeping. She took the chance to quietly get up and walk out of the room. She made her way to his room filled with chests and looked through them. She was searching for weapons, anything to help her with her plans. She found some red matter weapons and she put those in her pack. When she was done she crept back into her room and sat on her bed. Her mind wandered back to Blackrock and she found tears prick the corner of her eyes. Why do I care? I was just using Rythian to get powerful. I shouldn't care. I was using him just like Duncan. I was using him to get my revenge. Poor Rythian. I was trying to keep him out of my plans, but he got sucked in too. He wanted revenge and I got emotionally invested. She thought, covering her face with her hands. I'm going to have to go back to Blackrock. The mushrooms are there and I still have to go to Barry's coronation and then there's the secret lab... Oh Rythian would kill me if he found out about that. She thought. "I need to go back to Blackrock." She said, standing up. She looked at Teep and was about to wake him up but she thought against it, He'll be fine here with Lalna. And with that thought, Zoey flew away from Lalna's castle and headed towards Blackrock with a smile on her face. She easily slipped past the iron doors and bolted down the trapdoor to the mineshaft. She hoped she didn't make too much noise.

_________________________

Rythian had been wandering through the castles of Blackrock like a ghost. He had made some new armor and he was waiting for more red matter to be produced he could make the ultimate weapons. He thought he heard the front door open and he got out his dark matter pickaxe walking cautiously to the foyer. He swung the door open and was met with nothing. He noticed the trap door to the basement was open and he walked over to investigate. He dropped down into the mine and looked around. There was an entrance guarded by two mushrooms. There were two staircases leading downwards separated by a low wall of glass. He heard voices down the staircase and he sighed, "When did this get here?" He asked. He walked down the staircase and at the bottom it turned into another room. He glanced inside and he saw seats lining the walls with mushrooms. There was a red carpet leading inside. He walked silently inside, his eyes widening as he saw the giant red mushroom sitting in the middle of what looked like some weird alter. He saw Zoey standing in front of the mushroom with a bucket of water. "What the hell?" He said.

Zoey turned around, obvious fear in her eyes, "Rythian." She said, her lips barely moving as if she didn't know she had said it. His heart leapt at the sound of his name on her lips.

__________________________

Zoey was grabbing the holy water when she heard footsteps come into the room. She froze, Mushrooms don't have feet, was her initial thought, and her eyes widened. "What the hell?" She heard someone say.

She turned around and saw Rythian staring at her with an expression of confusion and fear, "Rythian." The word slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Zoey?" Rythian said hesitantly. "Why are you here?" He asked.

"I, um..." She said, looking back at the big mushroom. "I was, um..." Suddenly she threw the bucket of water at Rythian. Rythian closed his eyes and felt the water cover him from head to toe. He opened his eyes and saw that Zoey was gone.

"What the..." He muttered. He flew around the mushroom several times trying to figure out how she left. Then when he was looking on the ground for anything he found it. There was a staircase at the back of the mushroom. It led down to an iron wall. He stepped forward and he heard the click of pistons. The iron wall opened and an alarm sounded. He quickly stepped inside, "There aren't any magic alarms." He muttered. The inside was surrounded by obsidian and there was a whole in the middle of the small room. There were ladders leading down to somewhere. He took a deep breath, "Oh what have you done now?" He asked no one in particular. He climbed down the ladder and it led him down to an open room. There was a huge computer with words flashing, "Barry?" Rythian questioned. "Wasn't that the dumb mushroom that Zoey crowned the king or something?" He muttered. "A better question is what the hell is all of this?" He asked. He walked to what looked like a sliding door and he flicked a lever on the wall. It opened up into a hallway with door on either side. His attention was focused on the door at the end of the hall. He drifted down the hall and stepped on the pressure plate. Again an alarm sounded and Rythian quickly walked inside. He looked around and saw a bunch of monitors with different people. "What the actual fuck?" He said, flying around and looking at all the monitors. "There's one for everyone. Tee, Sjin, Sips, Simon, Lewis... everyone even herself. Except for me... What the hell has Zoey been doing behind my back?" He asked to the empty air. "After everything I've done for her. After everything... She just betrayed me like that... And under our home?!" He said, flying down to the floor. He felt tears sting his eyes, "I never should have trusted her." He whispered. Then he noticed something in the middle of the crater in the floor. It was a hatch, "What's this?"

___________________________

Zoey had flown down into her base when Rythian had found her. She flew into the room with monitors. When she heard Rythian in the hallway she quickly flew into the secret underground chamber with Rythians monitor. She heard him enter and she heard him mutter things. She looked at his monitor. The threat level had gone up.

Target: Rythian

Code: Shadow

Threat Level:

Extremely High

Weakness: Zoeya

Last Location:

WARNING:

DETECTED IN AREA

Notes:

Definitely not secretly an enderman.

A bitter smile appeared on her face when she saw her name. Then she heard him walking towards her hiding spot and she gasped, "He's coming." She sighed, "He'll find out sooner or later." She muttered. So she waited. She stepped back so he wouldn't see her once he flew in. He dropped down and saw the monitor, "What the hell?" He asked.

"Hey Rythian." Zoey said.

"Holy christ." He said, whipping around.

Zoey stood tall, "I see you've found my laboratory." She said, not meeting his eyes. Instead she stared at his monitor.

"It seems I have." He said, in that eerily calm voice. "Zoey why?" Were his only words.

She took that moment to look him straight in the eyes. They glowed with a passion she had never seen before and she wanted to flinch. Now she had two choices, she could tell him the truth or she could continue this lie she had built for herself. She chose the former, "Information." Was the first word out of her mouth.

Rythian flinched, only slightly, but she saw. "What?" He asked, his eyes still boring into hers.

She took a deep breath and held in tears she didn't know she had, "I needed you for information. Same thing with Sjin. Same thing with Lalna. I wanted revenge the moment I died. I had no idea where to start, then I met you." She said, pausing. "I figured you could teach me what to do in the art of magic. With Duncan the art of science. I went to Sjin purely for information on how much of a threat he was." She paused again. She figured if she told Rythian the truth, it would be easier for both of them. "I stayed with you longer because I needed more information." She finished.

Rythian looked away and Zoey went back to staring at the monitor. "So what you're saying is... You've been using me." He said.

There was a moment of silence, "Yes." She answered. Rythians monitor went blank for a second but then it came back on. Everything was the same... except for one thing.

Target: Rythian

Code: Shadow

Threat Level:

Extremely High

Weakness: Weakness not Detected

Last Location:

WARNING:

DETECTED IN AREA

Notes:

Definitely not secretly an enderman.

Rythian said nothing. He activated his flying ring but before he could go she whispered, "I used you... at first." She didn't think he heard because he flew out of the hatch without another word.

____________________

In that moment Rythian truly hated Zoeya. What Zoey didn't know was that Rythian had heard. He was just too consumed in his anger to think straight. He needed air. He flew straight out of the laboratory and out of Blackrock. He didn't stop until he got to baby Jim. Then he landed and sat down on the basalt. It was there that he let the tears fall. They stung his face but he didn't care. It wasn't until later when the tears had stopped that he thought about that sentence. I used you... at first. What did that mean? He thought. "At first." He muttered.

______________________

Zoey was left back at the laboratory. Once Rythian left, she fell to her knees. She continued to stare at the monitor Weakness not Detected it said. It didn't change. She cried. She didn't really know what she had meant by the words 'At first' but she held onto them as she cried crumpled on the ground over a loss that wasn't hers to lose.

~Chapter Five: The Calm Before The Storm

Last time: She knew he wouldn't hear but really at the moment what else could she do.

"At first." He muttered. "What the hell does that mean? Was she planning to use me for something else in her stupid diabolical plan?" He muttered bitterly. He sighed, "Well that's what I get for trusting someone." He muttered, staring at the ground. He stayed like this for awhile but soon he thought it best to get back to Blackrock. So he did what he always did... he tried to forget. He flew back to Blackrock and went on with his life. He tried to forget how her smile could light up the castle on a rainy day. He tried to forget how it felt to sleep next to her. He tried to forget... her. He got rid of everything that reminded him of her. He had the mooshrooms transported somewhere else. He tore down the FARM sign and he watched as her beloved fruits and vegetables grew rotten. Even after all of this, he couldn't help the small pain he felt in his heart when he saw a mushroom. He soon grew powerful and he was probably the richest person in the world of Tekkitopia. But as his power grew, his sanity shrunk. He talked to himself more and sometimes when he had accidentally forgotten past events he found himself having one-sided conversations with a make believe Zoey.

How long had it been? Since the red-haired girl set foot in Blackrock? Rythian sometimes asked himself on some days since he refused to even think her name. I month? 2 months? 3? He didn't know. When he flew about his base working the days and nights seemed to blur together because she wasn't there to pull him back down to Earth.

______________

Zoey...

It had been about 4 months since Zoey left Blackrock. She had been staying with Lalna ever since. He didn't seem to mind. He enjoyed the company. At night she didn't sleep, she wandered around Duncan's castle taking small things like a stack of red matter here, a peice of armor there. Honestly with Ducan having so much stuff he really didn't notice. He just thought he forgot to make it. This made Zoey's job much easier. In her shared room with Teep, she had a secret chest hidden behind a painting where she had her base of operations. In the chest held all of the armor, weapons, rings, everything and anything she would need to bring Duncan and Sjin down to their knees. Teep had his own chest, too. With his own kind of armor and weapons. It also had a disturbingly large amount of raw meat but Zoey didn't ask about that.

It was only a matter of time before Zoey would put her plan into action.

_____________________

Rythian...

He was growing restless. Everything was quiet from Duncan and Sjin and it made him nervous. By this time Rythian's sanity was no longer with him. His only companion was himself. The golems had left saying they found better work, the dogs ran away, and now Rythian was truly alone. He had his ultimate weapons. He had his ultimate armor and now all he could do was wait. And wait he did.

_____________

Zoey...

It took another month for her to construct She smiled as she placed the last of new armor in the chest. She was ready to begin her plan. She wrote out three letters, each assigned to a certain person. She took great care in writing these. The first one was for Rythian and she had Teep fly to Blackrock and put it in front of the doorstep. The second one was for Sjin and she had Teep put that in the chest at Sjins bed. The third one was for Duncan and Zoey delivered that one. She stuck it in the sorting facility. Duncan would surely find it there. The damn thing was always breaking anyway.

_________________________

Rythian...

Rythian stepped outside and something crinkled under his foot. He looked down and saw a letter with his name on it. He bent down and picked it up. He quickly tore it open and read every word with care. His lips spread into an evil grin.

_____________________

Zoey...

Zoey watched as Duncan pulled out the letter stuck in the sorting box. "Hey Zoey look! Someone stuck a letter in the sorting machine. I wonder how they got in to the castle?" He said, staring at the letter. "Do you think Kim put it here?" He asked.

"What does it say?" Zoey asked, trying to lead him away from that question.

Duncan tore the letter open, "Dear Duncan. The time for war is now... There's a set of coordinates and no signature." He said. "It's probably Rythian." He muttered. Zoey flinched slightly at the name and there was a slight pain in her chest. "Zoey do you mind taking care of the castle? I have to go." He said, getting his power armor out of the chest.

Duncan probably thought he would win. That he was unstoppable. Too bad he was so wrong.

Zoey got to the clearing before everybody. She made sure of that. She hid in the trees with Teep and waited planning out everything that might happen. She went over every possibility and practiced each situation. In each scenario she always won. Now all she had to do was wait.

Later...

Sjin arrived first. He looked around with a confused expression while Zoey watched. She couldn't come out, not yet. She still had to wait. She observed Sjin and saw that he had Quantum Armor. She scoffed, "It won't be enough." She muttered.

The next to arrive was Duncan and he wore some Black Matter Armor. "Cocky bastard." Zoey muttered. Teep looked at Duncan with disgust and nodded. Duncan thought he was going to win so he didn't even bother to bring his best armor.

"So it was you!" Duncan accused pointing at Sjin.

"What?" Sjin asked. "I didn't send the letters. I got one too." Sjin explained pulling his out.

Duncan grimaced, "Then it was Rythian." Duncan muttered. "We should wait for him." He said. Sjin nodded. Zoey heard the small conversation and scoffed at how dense they were.

Zoey found herself dreading the moment when Rythian would come. She hadn't seen him in months and she wouldn't know how she would react. Then he came flying in. He looked awful His eyes looked sunken and they were filled with insanity. Both Duncan and Sjin flinched when they saw him, "Rythian?" Duncan asked.

"So it was you two who sent the letter. No matter I'll still kill you both." He said, fidgeting with the ring on his finger. The Ring of Arcana. Rythian also had Red Matter Armor on.

"We didn't send the letters." Sjin said, looking confused.

Rythian cocked his head at the two, "Well if you didn't then who did?" He asked.

Zoey put on a smile and pushed down the emotions that threatened to fill her mind. She flew down with Teep behind her with a jet pack. She hovered in the air crossing her legs, "Hello!" She called down.

~Chapter Six: END

Last time: She hovered in the air crossing her legs, "Hello!" She called down.

All three sets of eyes turned to her hovering in air. When Rythian saw her many emotions went through his eyes; fear, hope, betrayal, shock, hate, and something else that Zoey couldn't quite place. Duncan just looked surprised. He didn't seem to understand, the poor thing. Sjin only smiled.

They all studied her. They say the mining laser strapped to her back along with a crossbow. They saw the ultimate weapons clipped to her side. They almost immediately saw the armor she wore. It seemed to be a mix of both the Red Matter Armor and the Quantum Armor. An invention made in the space hidden behind a painting in the walls of Duncan's castle.

"Zoey?" Duncan asked. "I told you to stay at the castle. You're going to get hurt here." Duncan said giving her a slight glare.

Comprehension flashed in Rythian's eyes, "Oh come to help your new master of science I see." He spat out, glaring daggers at the hovering Zoey.

Zoey bared her teeth at Duncan, "Like hell." She said with as much venom as she could in those two words.

Duncan looked confused, "Oh then you've come to help your boyfriend Rythian." Sjin scoffed. Rythian and Zoey flinched.

Zoey glared at Sjin and he took a step back, "I've come to help no one. This isn't just your war. This is mine too. You killed me too. You wiped out all of my work." She said, staring at Sjin and Duncan. She raised her hand and a fireball went straight for both of them. They both jumped out of the way in time. "This isn't just your war you know." She said, staring at Duncan and Sjin.

She turned to Rythian and flinched, He looked worse up close. He glared at her, and his eyes carried no sanity. "I have no quarrel with you Rythian." His name burned her tongue in the best of ways and damn her if she wanted to say it over and over again, "You can leave if you want." She said, turning back to Duncan and Sjin.

"No," He said. She didn't seem surprised that Rythian didn't backdown, "I have waited too long to slice these people's heads off. I'll be damned if I let one of my enemies do it first." Rythian said through gritted teeth.

"Enemy?" Sjin questioned. "What? Trouble in paradise. The misses forgot to do the dishes?" He teased.

Rythian and Zoey glared at him. Duncan looked at him confused, "Zoey has been living with me for months. Didn't you know?" He asked. Then something seemed to click in his brain. He turned on Zoey, "You lived with me for months?!" He screamed at her outraged.

She shrugged, "Lived with him for months too." She said, trying to detach her emotions as she pointed to Rythian.

Duncan looked at Rythian for a moment, "Why?" He asked.

"I needed information in both magic," She gestured to Rythian. He winced. "And science." She added, gesturing to Duncan. He grimaced. She said, floating down to the ground.

"We're all enemies here?" Sjin asked.

Rythian looked at Zoey, "Yes." He hissed.

Zoey pulled out her Red Matter sword. Sjin pulled out a mining laser. Duncan pulled out a Dark Matter sword. Rythian just fingered the rings on his fingers. Zoey had a matching set.

The four people uknowingly formed a battle square and stared each other down. Sjin was the first to shoot. He shot at Zoey who felt nothing more than a slight pinch, what with her armor. Then the real fighting started.

Duncan charged at Rythian and Zoey charged at Sjin. Rythian didn't seem at all concerned for himself. It was like he had given up on the war before it began.

Zoey was dodging Sjin's laser and using the ring to shoot fireballs at him. He dodged a lot of them but not all. Teep was in the trees shooting whoever he had a clear shot on, including Rythian. Everyone soon found out that Rythian and Zoey had void rings. They teleported around throwing fireballs and popping up behind Sjin and Duncan to hit them with their swords.

No one really knew how long the battle lasted but Sjin and Duncan were beaten... Well they thought they were. Zoey was walking away from an almost dead Sjin. She didn't know he had one last charge left in his laser. He aimed and fired at the back of her head. It hit its target. She did have a helmet on but the shot still hurt. The sound of the laser echoed through the helmet and whirred in her ears. She screamed, bringing her hands up to tear off the helmet. Her red hair flowed down her shoulders. Rythian looked away from an unconcious Duncan and stared at Zoey with an expression akin to worry. She scratched at her ears but the whirring still filled her brain. She whined and fell to her knees trying to will the horrible sound away. Rythian teleported over but didn't dare touch her. He looked concerned. After a few seconds the whirring subsided and she glared at Sjin who smiled weakly. She used her void ring to teleport in back of Sjin. She held his neck up and positioned her sword at his throat. "Why?" She growled.

"What?" Sjin asked, the smile disappearing.

"Why not just get out of this war? You could've prevented this." Zoey said.

Sjin smiled, "I had people to protect." He said. "I could've backed out but I wouldn't have known if you would. Had to protect my Sipsy." Sjin said, tears appearing in the corner of his eyes. "I know this may sound weird, but don't tell Sips what happened. Tell him I died in lava or something. H-he doesn't know about this. I don't want Sips to know." Sjin said his voice cracking. He closed his eyes and a tear slipped out.

Zoey thought about what she was going to do. She thought about what she had done. She thought about Rythian and then... she made the worst mistake she could at a moment like that. She looked at the source of her worry, Rythian, and saw something she wished she hadn't. She saw what she had been trying to block out. She saw Rythian. She saw the emptiness in his eyes. She saw the way he was looking at her, like she was the only thing in the world. She realized how bad she missed him. She realized how much she missed the warmth of him by her side. And she saw how bad he was without her. All she saw was him. Then she looked back at Sjin and saw that she was might've been making a horrible mistake. "How do you look at him? I mean when you see him, how do you feel?" She asked her voice cracking.

Sjin opened his eyes and smiled fondly. "When I look at him, it's like... there's nothing else in the world. It's just... him." Sjin said with a loving smile.

Zoey sighed and put the sword back in her sheath. She let go of him and pointed back towards Sipsco, "Go." She said.

He stared at her, confused. "Why?"

"Go back to Sips." She said. "You come back and I won't hesitate to slice your neck." She threatened.

Sjin stood up and started to run back to the woods. Before he disappeared into the forest he turned, "Thank you." Then he was gone.

Rythian stared after him obviously confused, "Why did you let him go?" He asked, turning to Zoey.

"Because I realized something." She said walking to Duncan. She grabbed him and used the void ring to teleport closer to his castle. She did this with Rythian following until she made it to the castle. Teep followed slightly slower with a jetpack. Zoey put Duncan on the floor of his lab and then flew out. Rythian followed without saying a word. She flew back to the clearing and spotted her abandoned helmet. She picked it up and waited for Rythian to come. He landed a few feet away. She looked at him and thought about how she planned every scenario. She was prepared for everything... except for this.

"So why did you let them go?" He asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Because they didn't want or need this." She said. "I didn't want this." She muttered, wondering if she was talking about the war anymore.

"Well they deserved it!" He said outraged.

"Really Rythian? Did they?" Zoey asked. "You still want to kill them go ahead." She said, gesturing with her hand. "I'm going... home." She said with a slight smile.

Rythian rolled his eyes and a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes, "Oh so you're just going to go back to Lalna's and pretend that nothing happened?" Rythian asked.

Zoey scoffed, "Course not. I'm going to Blackrock." She said with a smile. She flew into the air towards Blackrock. Rythian couldn't help the hopeful smile that appeared on his face. He followed her and watched as she took in the state of Blackrock. The sign was falling apart. The walls were crumbling. Everything looked awful, "Well this is in a state." She said as she saw that the golems were gone. She looked at Rythian and smiled sadly, "I'm sorry." She said. Rythian didn't say anything. She walked over until she was right in front of him, "Rythian," She paused, "I didn't know it would turn out like this." She said.

"Like how?" He asked.

"Like..." She trailed off unsure of how to continue. So instead of talking she did the next best thing, she tore the scarf of his face and leaned up to press her lips to his. She pulled back and almost laughed at Rythian's shocked face, "Like that."

"What does that mean?" He squeaked out his lips barely moving.

"I think it means... I love you." She said.

He didn't say anything and for a second she thought she shouldn't have done that. Then he pulled her back to him and kissed her. He tore off the helmet and tangled his hand in her red hair. She did the same with him. He pulled back, "I love you... so much." He said, smiling. "What happens now?" He asked.

She smiled and wrinkled her nose at the castle, "Well, fix up home first. Then never leave each other again." She said, turning back to him. At that moment Teep showed up and looked between the two. When he saw both smiling, he smiled. Then he flew to his archers tower leaving them alone again.

A lot of kisses were exchanged that day. Sjin kissed Sips at Sipsco and refused to let him go when Sips treated his wounds. Kim found Duncan passed out in his lab and helped him regain his strength which resulted in many kisses. Zoey kissed Rythian until her lips hurt from it. Then she kissed him some more. An unspoken truce had started between the three provinces and life settled down and it was... happy. Peaceful. Good.

Credit to Alireeses on Ao3