"They've arrived."

Xisuma groggily binked open his eyes. Everything felt muffled and blurry, but he could make out some general colors and shapes as he scanned his environment.

First off, he could tell he was in the End.

Second, someone unfamiliar was standing near him.

And third, he was lying in a pool of his own blood. His helmet was cracked, which must've been the cause. Judging by how his head and shoulder felt, he must've been roughly dropped here a couple minutes ago.

Xisuma tried to sit up, but his limbs felt like spaghetti. His vision swam when he even tried to just lift his head.

"Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Be mindful. The entire team's got invisibility on, aside from Grian. If you get hurt too much, step away and I can heal you easily."

"Noted."

_________________________

Stress pulled herself to her feet, reaching out to make sure she didn't bump into anyone.

"We all here?" Scar asked. From where his voice was, he was just in front of her.

Yeses rippled through the group as Grian readied himself. "Alright, this is it." He muttered to nobody.

"Oh it's it indeed." A voice said. Lo and behold, Sam stepped out from behind one of the obsidian pillars. "Why don't we have a little cha-oof!" Sam staggered back, clutching his midsection as his shirt went from white to crimson. After a few seconds he stood up straight, the blood disappearing. "Ha. Nice try, whoever did that."

False scowled. "Nothing's holding me back from- Hold up where's my sword!?" Her voice rose a little in shock and surprise.

"ClearInventory. A handy trick I picked up from my partner." Sam replied with a crooked grin. "Any of you guys try that again and my friend will wipe your stuff as well. Now where was I? Oh, right! Why don't we have a-"

"Just skip the formalities Sam." Grian interrupted. "Where's Xisuma and what do you want?"

Sam chuckled. "Just follow me."

_________________________

Things were slowly coming into focus, becoming sharper and clearer, but Xisuma didn't feel any better, lying on the endstone in the silence.

A couple minutes passed before the person standing near him kneeled down and removed his helmet. "Well. Your 'rescue party' is on the way. I knew taking you was the right choice."

Xisuma tried to move his head to get a better look at the person. They were wearing a cobalt blue cloak that obscured their face, but he could see their hands. Their hands were an orange-bronze color, with a couple red and blue sweatbands on their wrists. 

"Who... Who are you?" Xisuma asked.

The person stood up, still holding his helmet. "It doesn't matter who I am. But catching an Admin, well, that was easy thanks to some help from a certain someone I think you'd know."

Xisuma frowned as the person continued. "This someone gave me a tip, warning me about the protective measures put on an Admin to prevent something like this happening. They then gave a code to use to break that protection so I could actually succeed. And that person-" They laughed "-was an alter-ego of yours. EvilXisuma."

Xisuma was puzzled at first. His brother was no longer an alter-ego, not after he transitioned to a player. And what was more confusing, well...

"Admins have the same level of protection as players..."

"What?"

"Admins don't have extra protection."

"Well, that doesn't change anything." The person said, sounding slightly unsure. "Besides, this all ends now."

______________________

Grian shivered as Sam led him and his team through the End, a couple minutes passing before they arrived.

He bit his lip again as he took in the scene before him. It felt like something ripped out of a nightmare.

In a dark place, surrounded by void, a small group of people stand. One man surrounded by ghosts, frozen as reality hits him. Another, stands by, his morals twisted and grey. A fourth lies almost unconscious, feeding a river of crimson roses. The river almost reaches the feet of a cloaked one, who seems to loom, the only thing more terrifying than him being the promise of death that lies below their feet. And the cloaked one speaks, cutting through the thin air easily.

"It's good to see you again, Grian."

_____________________

Lots of angst next chapter, so beware. Also, I'm fixing up the earlier chapters, and chapter titles will be appreciated