I was tired and grumpy the next morning. I rolled out of bed, trying to make sense of what the Listener had told me.

They know. Be ready.

Who knew what? Be ready for what?

We met in the kitchen to eat and discuss plans for the day.

"We need to do what the Listener says," Pearl said, looking at me. Apparently I was a godlike being's mouthpiece now.

"All they said last night was four words that don't even make sense," I grumbled.

"Who even is the Listener?" Etho said.

Scar remained silent.

Scott, Pearl, and I exchanged glances.

"If you want to be allies, you need to trust me," Etho said.

"And me!" Scar said, a little too late to be unsuspicious of.

"We... I swore not to tell," Pearl said.

Etho's eyebrows furrowed. "Then how do they know?" He asked, pointing at Scott and me.

"Well- they- they..." Pearl stammered.

"Exactly! If you guys want to be allies with someone, you can't keep secrets from them!" He stormed out of the room.

"Okay, he's grumpy, what next?" I said.

"You're not any better today," Scott said.

"That's because you won't let us out! You may like living in a stuffy, dark bunker, but some of us don't! You don't seem to realize that!" I didn't mean to lash out, but I had to be angry at someone.

"Blue," Pearl said.

"And you're just supporting everything he says!" I said to her, standing up. "I'm done with all your talk about the Listener. We're alone, okay? Nobody's going to magically help us, so why are you even hoping?"

Pearl looked like someone had just slapped her in the face.

Scott stood up as well. "You think I like this? I'm trying to keep all of us safe. I'm trying to keep you from getting killed by the murderers who are still out there, by the way!"

"You want to keep us safe?" I said, my voice rising to a yell. "Let us take care of ourselves for a change!"

"If you want to go to the surface, then go!" Scott roared. "I'm doing my best with what I have, and you should too, but if you want more, then get out, and have fun getting killed! But when you turn red, kindly don't kill us, because we were only trying to help!"

I stood up straighter. "Fine," I said, changing my voice to a deadly calm tone. "I'll leave at noon."

As I went into my room to pack, I heard Pearl shriek behind me, "What did you DO?" But I had already tuned them out before I heard Scott's reply.

I shoved the few things I had brought from the Scottage into my backpack. I brought the Nether star. If I wasn't going to stay, then neither was the star.

By noon I was out without so much as a goodbye. By evening I was back at the Scottage. I demolished the bridge between the two towers and lived in mine. I would be plenty safe there.

I also searched the Scottage for any valuables that we had left behind. There were quite a lot, since we had gone in such a hurry, so I took them back to my tower and stored them in a secret chest. I put the Nether star in a different, more hidden chest, as well.

My old bed had never felt so comfortable after the hard beds of the bunker.

I had only banded together with the Scottage Alliance to have protection when I was still figuring out weapons and armor.

So why did it feel like a blow to the face to lose them?

The next morning, I felt much better, until the sky cracked open and lightning shone through.

Scott's time was up.

For the first time, I thought that Scott's angry outbursts yesterday night were a combination of stress, being cooped up for too long, and the Boogeyman Curse.

But he hadn't killed anyone.

I thought about Pearl. She would be really sad about losing two of her allies in two days.

Why was I even thinking about her? She would be fine.

I waited for the Boogeyman to be selected. For once, I didn't care if it was me.

3...

2...

1...

You are...

Not the Boogeyman

Now that I was out of that bunker, I could do whatever I wanted. I could hunt down Tango. I could solve the mystery of who his companion was. And I could somehow make a ghost passionate enough to tell me the givelife spell.

But there was a distant pain that I couldn't recognize. I had never been lonely before. I had always had Gem, and then the Crastle Alliance, and then the Scottage Alliance. I had never really had to work alone. I had always had allies, even if I didn't live with them.

Despite my plans, I pretty much laid in bed the whole day and didn't do anything. Well, I did until Scar turned up.

"Pearl sent me to find you," he said.

"Well, you're probably one of the people I least want to see right now. Go away."

I suddenly remembered that moment in Third Life, when I had just killed Grian and went to his ugly hobbit hole to apologize. He had turned me away, exactly as I was doing to Scar. I remembered the slight hurt to my feelings that had caused.

"I'm sorry, Scar," I said. "It wasn't your fault. I don't know who I'm mad at."

Scar, who had turned to leave, walked back in. "We miss you. Well, it's more that Pearl misses you, but still."

I smiled bitterly. "I just don't want to be underground anymore. It's dark and claustrophobic and I hate it."

"Pearl's letting us leave now," he said. "But only if we have a purpose."

"Better than Scott's rules," I muttered. "Speaking of him, what happened with the whole Boogeyman thing?"

"Scott turned red. Then he left. There's really not much to it."

"Did he give any indication of who he's after?" I asked.

"He said that Tango was in danger. But other than that, no."

I sighed with relief.

"Do you want to go up the mountain with me? Pearl also told me to get valuables from there and the Scottage while I was up here."

I guessed a little company wouldn't hurt. It was only up the mountain and back down.

It took us half the day to get to and climb Magical Mountain. We didn't talk much, but it wasn't awkward. At least for me.

"What's it like at the Empires?" Scar said as we climbed.

I stopped and leaned against a large boulder, not really knowing how to start.

"Well, there's thirteen of us," I said. "We all live pretty close together, in this area with ton of different biomes. Everyone has their own base called an empire, which they rule and take care of."

Scar thought about that. "Hermitcraft is a lot like that," he said finally. "We all have our separate bases, but we are pretty close together."

"It's not totally peaceful, though. Once, Jimmy's favorite music disk got stolen by Sausage and the Cod Empire and Mythland went to war. Jimmy got it back in the end, after Gem and FWhip interfered and blew a big trench in between their kingdoms."

Scar looked impressed. "Maybe I should use that on the Octagon," he said. "Just blow a big hole in between their island and Boatem and end the rivalry."

"It doesn't exactly work that way," I said, smiling as I remembered Gem's words. "It's more the principle than anything."

"The principle," Scar muttered. "I hate the principle."

I looked at him. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," he sang. "Just a little war over whether mycelium or grass is better, which grass is, obviously."

Okay, Imperial wars were stupid, but Hermitcraft wars were worse.

"We were fine after the Disk War," I continued. "But then Sausage got possessed and summoned a demon. As far as I know, they're still fighting him."

Scar stopped climbing for a minute to wait for me. Then he said quietly, "I think we all have our emotions back."

I hesitated. "Me too."

"I mean, look at Etho. He already didn't like me because I kept giving them the enchanter and then stealing it back, but now he hates me even more because of things I did in Third Life."

"To be fair, you threatened anyone who didn't give you what you wanted with death," I said. "Including me."

Scar shrugged.

We reached the top of the mountain. Scar went inside to get the enchanting table. He then went to the back to grab his valuables.

I followed him, making up my mind. "I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours," I said. "Are you really a wizard?"

Scar stopped moving things from his chest to a pouch at his belt and looked at me. "Yes, I am. You may not believe me, but I am."

"Then why don't your crystals work?"

Scar started moving again. "They do work," he said. "But they only do it when the holder believes in their magic. But sometimes they're too strong. Bdubs bought a courage crystal off of me and kept it to his death. But it influenced him too much and he chose to fight the Wither instead of running away with Etho."

In other words, he blamed himself for the death of Bdubs.

"Speaking of the Wither fight," I said. "Here's my secret: I have the Nether star."

I wasn't sure why I told him. Part of me didn't trust him, said that he would sell the information (and the star itself) to some random person for a few diamonds. But some instinct told me that he would keep this one secret safe.

Scar gasped. "It wasn't lost!"

I nodded.

"When are you going to use it?"

"I don't know. I haven't told Etho yet, and I don't think Ren, Martyn, Tango, or Jimmy know. But Scott does, and so does Pearl, and Cleo knew before she died."

"Will Scott try to steal it?"

I didn't want to think about that possibility. So I didn't answer him.

"Scott won't," a voice said. "But I will."

I turned around to see Ren, with his axe out, ready to murder.

"Ren!" Scar said, and for a minute, I had hope, because he was using his super-friendly-no-need- to-hurt-me voice. But Ren wasn't hearing any of it.

"Don't do your magic on me, Scar. It won't work. Now, Blue, tell me where the star is or I'll kill him."

"You're yellow," I pointed out. "You can't kill anyone unless they attack you first."

Grian would be proud.

Ren seemed to realize that at that exact moment. "Dang it," he said under his breath.

I smirked. Scar laughed out loud.

Ren seemed to make up his mind. "You know what? I don't care. Plenty of yellows have killed people without reason. Maybe I'm a Boogeyman."

I looked at him calmly and raised an eyebrow. "Again? How did that feel the first time, when you murdered your Third Life ally?"

Ren opened his mouth, then closed it, as if he was going to say something but then thought better of it. "Okay, I'm not a Boogeyman," he said finally. "But why are you hiding the star? We're all on the same side."

"All on the same side after you threatened Scar with death?" I said, narrowing my eyes. "The same side, after the massacre after the Wither fight? Maybe I'm not hiding it to use it. Maybe I'm hiding it to keep it out of the hands of people like you who keep changing their story!"

Ren glanced around. "That... is a really good point."

"I know," I said. My hands were itching to grab my sword, but I wanted to make it seem like I wasn't afraid of him, which was nowhere near true. "So are you going to leave now, or should I pull out the weapons?"

Ren tightened his grip on his axe, glancing between me and Scar, probably deciding the best way to kill both of us quickly and cleanly. He didn't have an audience to be dramatic at, which was bad.

"You know," Scar said. "We don't have to-"

Ren pointed his axe at him. "One more word," he warned.

Scar fell silent.

I didn't want to tell Ren where the star was, but I couldn't just run. He would certainly kill Scar before I could get far, and then probably shoot me down while he had the high ground.

I didn't want to attack him. One, I wasn't allowed to, and two, Ren's axe blade was a little too close to Scar's neck.

Was my new friend's life worth sacrificing if it kept the Nether star hidden?

Scar's expression said NO.

Ren's said YES.

And my stupid slow brain couldn't decide.

First the incident with Joel and Pearl, and now Scar and Ren? Why was it always me?

I could try to settle it peacefully, like I had with Joel. But some part of me deep down knew that he wouldn't listen - he was too close to his goal.

Then I remembered that I had a brain.

"Hold on, it's in my bag," I said. I pulled off my backpack and dug through it as if searching for the gem.

Of course it wasn't actually there. But I had something else that I could use, if Ren was stupid enough. Even if it didn't work, it would buy Scar and me time to get away.

I found a piece of amethyst that I had shaped into a star for no particular reason. Maybe it was because it reminded me of Gem. Maybe it was that my subconscious knew that I would need this. But I had it.

Praying it would work, I pulled it out. It wasn't quite the right color, and of course it didn't glow, but I thought that it would be fine in broad daylight, as long as Ren didn't examine it too closely.

I held it out to Ren. He took it from me and looked at it. His arm that held the axe sank down a little.

Then I grabbed Scar's sleeve and pulled him into the hut.

"Where can we hide?" he asked.

"I don't know, it's your mountain!"

Ren appeared in the front doorway. So Scar and I ran out the back.

Scar ran to a hole in the ground, like a crater, and slid down the loose gravel and dirt to the bottom, yelling. I followed him in a similar fashion.

Scar dove into a sort of maze thing like the catacombs under the Scottage, but more designed to hide one particular thing. The enchanter, I realized.

Scar ran. "I have this one part of the maze that's really close to the edge of the mountain," he panted.

I followed him, not really knowing what else to do. Ren was probably running through the maze behind us, trying to find us.

We got to a dead end. Scar cursed and turned around, pushing past me. He was lost in his own maze.

Eventually, we got to a dead end that seemed no different from the others. But Scar seemed satisfied and started to extend the tunnel. Once we were a few meters away from where the tunnel had ended, I placed some dirt to hide our escape. Then I helped Scar dig.

I hated being underground, as you can probably tell from the argument that Scott and I had had yesterday, but it was necessary to get out of this alive. But that didn't stop me from being relieved when we hit sunlight.

Scar and I didn't waste any time. We ran down the side of the mountain. I say ran, I mean slipped, got up, took two more steps, and slipped again. But we were almost to the Scottage.

We passed it and climbed the hill to my tower. It was a location that we could easily defend.

But as we were slowed while trying to climb, Scar suddenly cried out and fell. He looked at me with an arrow piercing his stomach before erupting into yellow flames.

Scar Goodtimes was shot by Ren Dog

I looked back to see Ren running down the mountain after me, bow in hand. I climbed faster.

I got to the top of the hill and went through the gate. Then I dove into my tower and closed and locked the door. I went up the ladder to the top floor and looked out one of the tiny slit windows, trying to spot Ren. Once I saw him, I climbed back down and dug into the ground, where my secret chest was hidden. I buried it a little deeper, just to be safe.

Just as I laid the last wooden plank in place, a loud banging came from outside. The door rattled in its frame.

I pulled out my sword and got ready to fight.

Ren didn't seem to be able to get in. But a moment later, the door cracked and Ren ran through it. He had used his axe to break through.

But I was waiting.

As soon as his head was in view, I slashed my sword without really thinking. It clanged off his armor.

The next time I struck, he knew what was coming and parried. I attacked again, which he also blocked. Then he attacked, aiming his axe for the tiny gap in between my chestplate and leg armor. I slid out of the way, but he managed to nick it.

I knew that I couldn't block Ren's attacks. His axe was too heavy. But I was fast, and I could dodge.

At one point, I tried to get his face but ended up just knocking his sunglasses off. They clattered on the floor in the corner of the room. I feinted a blow at his leg and then went to his shoulder. My blade found its mark.

Ren Dog was slain by Bluemoon Tay

I hadn't wanted to kill him at first. I had just wanted to protect the Nether star. But when my fellow werewolf had killed my frenemy, I had to get back.

I picked Ren's sunglasses off the ground and wiped the dust and grime off of them. Mine now. I set them on top of my nightstand as a trophy. If Ren asked really nicely, maybe he could get them back.

For some reason, I couldn't see that happening.

I also grabbed Ren's axe from the pile of stuff. Inscribed into the handle was the name Winter Shadow. He would probably be after me for that, too, but it was too good a trophy to pass up.

But I had a more pressing issue than Ren coming to murder me for his glasses: Scar coming to murder me because I had gotten him killed.

I had tried to run. I had refused to tell Ren where the star was. And as a result, Scar had died.

But I refused to sulk anymore. I had important things to do, like survive. That was a little bit important.

I checked my watch to see any messages that I had missed.

There were a whole bunch, all centered around one that Ren had sent right after he died.

The Red King is back.

Oh no.

HOW WAS HE BACK?!

Obviously, Scar and I weren't the only people who had regained our emotions.

I wondered if Ren had a literal crown, like he had in Third Life. Was it the same one? What was the hierarchy of it? Ren had been killed in Third Life, he had chosen an heir.

Unless it carried over to Last Life...

If it was passed from person to person through taking a final life, then Martyn would get it, then Cleo would get it, and then Grian would get it. If it carried to Last Life, Ren would actually have it back.

He was the Red King until someone killed him.

Would it be me? Would the responsibility be passed to me?

No. I would avoid Ren, and by extension the Crown, like the plague from now on. I didn't want anything to do with that thing.

Well, maybe I would kill him, just to keep the Crown out of the wrong hands. But I wasn't sure if I trusted myself with it.

I made a mental list of who should not have the Crown. Ren, obviously. Etho because he was too grumpy all the time. Martyn because I didn't know what the heck he was doing. And Scar because he would lose it too easily. Tango because he had killed me. And Jimmy and Scott because they were red.

So in other words, the only candidates were Pearl and me.

Why did I do this to myself?

With a jolt, I realized that there were more reds than yellows and greens now. Martyn was the only green left; Etho, Pearl, and I were the only yellows; and Tango, Jimmy, Scott, and now Ren and Scar were all red.

As far as I knew, Tango and Ren would be the only ones after me. That was very good.

Speaking of reds, Jimmy turned up randomly a few days later.

A knock came at the door that I had repaired only earlier that day. Thinking it would be Pearl, I answered it. I was surprised to see the Codfather there.

Of course, he wasn't the Codfather. He was just Jimmy now, in Last Life. But I would never be able to see him without seeing gills and fins as well.

"Hi, Jimmy," I said, putting a hand on the hilt of my sword but not pulling it out.

"Hi. I just needed a place to stay for a while," he said.

That was a strange request.

"Why?" I asked. "Can't you just dig yourself a cave or something?"

He winced. "There are people after me. I don't know who, but I had a dream last night from someone I trust."

I examined him. He didn't seem to be lying, but he wasn't telling me the whole truth, either.

"That doesn't explain the whole 'I need to visit you' thing," I observed.

Jimmy glanced around. "They told me to come to you."

I had a small suspicion I knew who this being was. "Don't tell me it's the Listener," I said.

Jimmy's expression told me all I needed to know.

"Tell me this, Jimmy. Where were they when we were in Third Life? Where were they when corruption was taking over X Life? Why are they sending people to me if they know I don't like them?"

Jimmy ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. "Well... I don't know. But the Listener is really determined. They don't give up easily."

"Fine. Get in here and tell me what's going on," I said.

He knew I was a better fighter than he was. If he had wanted to kill me, he would have used the element of surprise.

Then again, he was Jimmy. His ways made no sense to anyone but him. So I kept my guard up.

We sat down on the couch in the living room to talk. "So why are people after you?"

"I don't know. I don't know who, and I don't know why. It might be Tango, I heard he's in the assassination business lately."

I knew that a little too well.

It definitely could have been Tango. It also could have been Ren, eager to get a recruit for a new Red Army.

Could it have been both?

Could Ren be one of the other murderers?

"What exactly did the Listener say?" I asked.

Jimmy crossed his arms. "You tell me this first. How do you know who the Listener is?"

"She's been talking to me in dreams, just a little." I decided not to tell him about Pearl, because I didn't know whether or not he knew her past.

Jimmy thought about my answer. "I guess it's possible that they're choosing new helpers," he said. "But why would they leave... unless he did something..."

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," Jimmy said. Wow. Best cover up story ever.

"So what did the Listener say?" I asked.

"They said that they had chosen a new helper, which is a long story, and then they said that the old one would be after me." He gulped.

"Who was the old helper?" I said.

"Martyn. He and I - before X Life - we were friends. Then I lost him and found you guys. Then I realized that he was still alive. But now the Listener says he's been fired, and then they told me to come here. I know as much as you do."

"So you were sort of a right-hand man of the Listener?"

"Kind of. Me and Martyn were."

"I'm guessing in Evolution?"

"Yeah - wait, HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

"Pearl."

"I knew I shouldn't have let her go to Legacy without me! That one can't keep her mouth shut."

"Do you know what's going on with her right now?" I asked.

"No. Why, have you not seen each other for a few days?"

"We haven't. Scott and I had this argument, then I left the secret base, then he turned red. I don't know much about what's going on with the other yellows."

"Well, Scott's red now. I was allied with him, but then he went overnight mining and I had the dream and I left. I don't know if he'll take me back now."

"Me neither," I said miserably. "I want to go home."

Jimmy stared out the window for a long time.

Finally, I stood up. "You can stay the night here if you want," I said. "But if you kill me, I swear that you'll be seeing the other Southlanders again the hard way."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Jimmy replied. "I don't feel red. At least, I don't have any random urges to kill people."

I still wasn't completely convinced, but I went up to my room.

Sleep was a long time coming.

Good. He found you.

"Whatever you have to say, spit it out, because I don't have the patience for riddles right now."

I sent Jimmy. He won't harm you, and you will have no urge to harm others once you turn red. I lifted that urge from Scott and Scar as well, and Pearl and Etho will also be unaffected.

"What about the others? Tango, Martyn, and Ren?"

They are too far gone.

"What?"

I know that the Watches offered you this before, but you need to take charge of the ones who will be unaffected. They will fight with you.

"I'm not a leader!"

You have to be, for this. I'm not trying to offer you power, I just need you to take charge until I can figure out how to get you all home. Jimmy can help you, despite what you think of him.

I thought of a sound that was kind of like a snort, except just mental.

Joey is getting closer to his goal. You will lose your fellow Emperors before too long. Hurry.

And then I woke up.