~~~~Lukas's POV~~~~

My eyes flicker open reluctantly, my eyeballs just aching at the fact I'm using them again. Groaning, I raise my hand to rub my face. Only to groan just a bit longer and louder when my arm is so completely stiff.

So I just lay there, knowing that if I move I'll be in pain. I really shouldn't blame myself for not wanting to move though, right? It felt like I didn't sleep at all, and sleep would have been really nice after battling demons, completely breaking down in fear and stress, only to do have the worst midnight ride of my life to find my best friend just shattered.

But then again, that best friend is the one who shattered and he went through all of that and more. Which means I really shouldn't be complaining, I have no room to complain. So I need to get up... like right now... just got to sit up.

With a final groan to heave myself up, I manage to get into a sitting position. I probably look like a zombie raising from the dead, but I don't care. And hey, it's not my fault if my skin looks green because of this weird lighting.

My eyebrows furrow up, green lighting? That's not right. I turn my head and gasp at the green blaze hovering over Jesse next to us. I take rapid breaths as I remember that the blaze was here last night and it's protecting Jesse for whatever weird reason. It's okay, it's okay. Not the weirdest thing that has happened to us, it's okay.

Although my past self would have definitely argued that saying 'It's okay' with a green blaze not fifteen meters away from me is completely ludicrous.

I glance over at Petra, who's still sound asleep, and then towards the door, where moonlight is still seeping in with the rain continuing to fall. That must be why I feel like I didn't sleep at all, I really didn't sleep very long at all. Even the horses look like they're resting, despite them being much more afraid of the blaze.

Despite my body a sore dull mass of limbs that desperately needs sleep, I doubt I'm going to be getting it again. I didn't think I'd fall asleep last time, yet I did. It just turned out to be almost nothing though. I doubt my brain is going to go through that process again.

My gaze lands on Jesse, the blaze diligently hovering above him. I suppose blazes don't sleep though, so perhaps it isn't very diligent at all. The things I have to ponder about in my life.

What's much more concerning is Jesse, he doesn't even have his armor anymore. The last remaining pieces of Redstone Riot has fallen off, just leaving the black under armor on. Jesse should probably just take that off too, but if I don't want to move, he won't be able to move.

Which is concerning, to the point where my heart feels like it's going to dissolve into a puddle of anxiety. For some reason, he wasn't able to replenish his fire in the Nether. Really astronomically bad when that was the only way we stopped Fire Deprivation the first time around.

And only if I absolutely have to, only if, will I possess him again. Jesse will have to be on the verge of dying for me to do that.

Although that's not even considering all the injuries he may have gotten. Most of the Order got away scratch free, Ivor's injury was healed pretty quickly after he got it, but I'm not sure about Jesse. When the rest of us just started to guard the Dome, he was out there for awhile. Who knows what could have happened to him then?

Particularly if he got hit with that acid. The demons are meant to hunt creatures like Jesse, to the rest of us the acid is just normal liquid agony. To Jesse though, not only would it eat away at his skin, but it would seriously impact his fire.

Now that I'm thinking of it, could that be a reason he couldn't replenish his fire? It can't be the blaze or really anything else that's coming to mind, it just wouldn't make sense for those things to interfere with that ability. Only a predator wanting to stop its prey's main source of energy would be able to have such an ability. Right?

Well that just sucks then, since I have no absolute clue how to fix that. I feel like I don't know really anything about anything at this point. Like this green blaze? Never once did I have the thought that Jesse could do that, even thinking of it now as I'm looking at it seems so crazy.

Beacontown, if we can just get Jesse to Beacontown then we can deal with this. I'm not sure how right now, but by then we would've had more time to think about this. Maybe let the acid drain out of Jesse. And just being in the Order Hall with all of its resources on hand would be a really nice feeling.

Still, we would have to avoid all the crowds though, definitely don't need some other mob now. Especially when the Redstonian refugees come, people need to be ready to help and not totally freak out. We simply don't have the time, patience, or energy to deal with that sort of thing.

Perhaps-

Jesse groans, my attention snapping onto him instantly. His shoulders rustle a bit, his head lifting up just a tad before falling right back down. His eyes fluttering open for just a spilt second before remaining shut.

Spurred with purpose, I'm able to lurch my body onto my feet. Staggering towards Jesse and mentally thanking the blaze for floating out of the way. I don't need to deal with that as I'm trying to make sure Jesse's alright.

I collapse onto my knees, my legs already tired of holding me up even only after a few seconds. I shake my head, there's no room in my head to be worrying about myself. Gently, so very gently, I just kinda nudge Jesse's shoulders.

He groans again, still awake, but doesn't move anymore than that. Jesse really doesn't want to move then. That's fine, I completely understand that. But I just gotta make sure he's okay. So Jesse can tell me in case he knows something's wrong with his ankle or he's incredibly thirsty or anything.

"Jesse? Come on, just wake up for a few moments. I need you to be awake for a moment." A long upsetting moan resonates from him. Nevertheless though, Jesse manages to peek his faded emerald eyes from behind his eyelids.

Jesse's mouth even parted, but before he can say anything, another low moan forced its way out. My arms are now trembling, knowing Jesse's awake and going through so much pain and I can't do one thing to help him. Nothing at all!

My head snaps over to Petra, part of me saying I should wake her up. Not that she'll be able to do anything either, but it'll be nice so I don't have to stew in my fear all by myself. So I can at least vent or something. 

Just as I open my mouth though, Jesse lets out another groan. This one sounding like he was trying to say something. Which sends my heart into another level of panic, Jesse might have injured his lungs or something. Or maybe he's just in so much pain right now that he can't get his thoughts together to just say something.

"J-Jesse?"

Even the blaze has reacted, making its distracting grunts and moans while hovering just slightly to the side. Jesse's eyes, originally just starring up into nothing, finally flickers over to me. Maybe a sign that he's slowly waking up.

"Lu... Luk-" He breaks out into coughs, the terrifying thought some illness attacking Jesse right now blazing through my mind. Out of all the worst times! But I can't panic yet, there could be some other cause. It could just be like clearing his throat or something else. I can't say for sure, there's still some hope. No freaking out yet.

"It's okay Jesse, it's okay." My words start speeding up as I pant, my eyes quickly darting to Petra. "We're here, we can help you. Just relax."

Everything feels so rushed now, seconds speeding by way to fast. I glance out the door, gray morning light leaking through. It's still raining, but if Jesse's good enough to get to Beacontown now, then we should leave now. If his panting gets worse though then we can't risk moving him.

My attention snaps over to the horses, still resting. We've been pushing them really hard, but we'll have to use them again to get to Beacontown. Besides we won't be riding at full gallop again, Jesse won't be able to handle that.

The blaze moans, and I groan at the fact the blaze will die out there in the rain. I have no idea why I should care about that, but I do. Just this uneasy gut feeling if I let the blaze die. Although I can't really think of any reason it needs to be alive.

"Re... Red-st-st..."

"Redstonia's good Jesse, well not good, but hasn't gotten any worse. You did it, you got all those demons into the Nether. Olivia, Axel, and Ivor are working hard over there to help the people. You don't have to worry about that right now, they're working on it."

And I'm rambling, I know I'm rambling and I know I won't be able to stop it. Not with my thoughts shaking in a mad fear as they buzz all over my head slowly getting louder and louder. Slowly drowning out my senses as my heart slams harder and harder in my chest, my whole body quivering with an energy that has no place to go.

I shake myself out of it, I have to help Jesse. "Are you cold? Well, think you're cold? Or just- y'know..."

Completely exhausted and injured to the point where you can't even get up or talk normally?

Jesse lightly shakes his head, my heart shuddering with relief. That's one problem then I don't have to worry about quite yet. Give it a day, or maybe even a few hours, and I will be. But for now giving Jesse back his fire earlier seemed to help with that. Hopefully long enough to when the rain stops and we can get him back to Beacontown.

"It..." Jesse's eyes fall away, panting strongly. "... b-burns. Ev-everywhere."

There's no telling how much I want to just curl up and not deal with any of this stuff. But I shove that feeling away, quickly summing up what Jesse means. That Jesse has a lot of acid burns on his body, and we can't do anything to help him. Not here.

But Petra actually might, she has the most experience in situations where most people freak out and do nothing. Which I qualify as right now. I really should've woken her up earlier then.

"Petra." I turn to her sleeping body, still awestruck how she was able to just fall asleep like that. "Petra, get up."

She sits up almost instantly, maybe instead she just looked like she was asleep, moving her bandana out of her eyes. Her face scrunches up when she looks at me, quickly getting beside me and scanning Jesse.

"Is he awake or-"

Jesse coughs, not helping the terrible idea he might be sick, giving a light glare at Petra before his face crinkles back into pain. Panting again, as his eyes droop down in exhaustion. Petra lightly scoffs and shakes her head, whether in exasperation or just how awful this situation is, I can't tell.

"Not the answer I wanted, any more news on him Lukas?" She glances up at me, eyes hard with darken skin underneath them, before focusing right back on Jesse.

"Good news is that he doesn't have Fire Deprivation-" Petra shoots me a confused look, jutting her head out to silently say she's salty she hasn't been informed about that. "Which is when Jesse thinks he's all cold because his fire goes out. The bad news is that I'm like, 95% percent sure he has a lot of acid burns all over his body."

Petra scowls, glancing back at the horses. "Then we got to get him help now, we can't treat burns like that now and the longer we wait the more likely something serve or fatal is going to happen."

"But it's rain..." I glance at the door, not hearing or seeing anymore raindrops. "...ing..."

"Pretty sure it isn't, let's get going." With that, Petra gets up goes over to the horses. And I reluctantly peel away from Jesse to break down the entrance. The horses start neighing as Petra grunts, and one quick look shows they're original panic is back.

"Come on you stupid horses! You've never even seen a blaze before! Don't be afraid of it!" I open up the rest of the entrance before scurrying over to help Petra. The horses calm a bit down with the two of us, but we still practically have to drag them out of the hut. Where they immediately begin to buck and try to run off.

"Aren't you suppose to be trained?" Petra grunts, keeping a firm grip on the reins. I, instead of insulting my horse, try to soothe it. Eventually the skittish horse calms down, the panic look in his eyes dimming.

Petra curses again, and I look to see her horse still trying to pull free and run off. I roll my eyes, continuing to pet mine to make sure he doesn't get all worked up. "Try to reassure the horse into calming down, not forcing it."

She mutters something, I should be glad I couldn't hear it, but the frantic neighs soon come to a stop. Although, now that we've calm them down, they're only going to freak out again when we try to get Jesse onto one of their backs. The blaze will be right next to them.

"Here." I hand the reins to Petra, hoping that the horses won't freak out. "I'm going to get Jesse, try to keep them calm."

I don't give her a chance to protest before I walk back into the hut. The blaze diligently guarding over Jesse, who has kept his eyes open. He should be asleep, it's probably going to hurt and he really shouldn't be in even more pain.

"So..." Jesse pants, his eyes glazed over in pain and exhaustion. "This here is Blake..."

The blaze actually responds to his name, giving out a happy grunt and the green rods vibrating. I shake my head at that, stepping up to Jesse and letting the blaze, Blake I guess, float to the side.

"That's great and all, but I'm assuming you can't stand right now." Jesse grunts, his face screwing up in pain. I immediately put a hand down on his shoulder, stopping his attempt.

"That was not a challenge for you to try, since I was basically stating a fact." Before he can grunt out some stubborn response, I bend down and scoop him up. Both he and the blaze, Blake, making groans and moans.

I hesitantly walk to the door, peering as the green blaze hovers to follow me. An idea comes to mind, and with no clue if it's going to work, I work up a firm no nonsense voice.

"Blake, stay."

And... it does. Trying not to let the surprise show on my face, I quickly scurry outside. Every step of mine is light, as I make sure not to jolt Jesse. Who could be groaning in pain, or just grouchy that he doesn't currently have the ability to stand. Even though it's entirely understandable why he can't.

Petra, who has wisely already gotten onto one of the horse, gives me a weird look as we hoist Jesse in front of her. Both of us making sure he's not going to be falling off when we ride.

"Blake?" Petra wiggles a bit, getting comfortable and retightening her grip on the reins. "Really?"

"Jesse named it." I quickly swing up onto the horse, worry once again piecing my heart once my thoughts stall. "How are we going to get into Beacontown?"

Petra gives me a 'Seriously?' face, not amused at all. "We'll go through the gates."

She trots off, and I roll my eyes. I'm about to follow her when I remember Blake, we can't leave him. I still don't know really why I want him to come with us, but I just feel like he has to come. Hopefully it won't start raining again though.

"Blake, follow at a distance."

I hear some groan, and catch up to Petra. Peeking behind me to see Blake following at a distance, and the horses aren't getting spooked at all. As long as he doesn't make any particularly loud noises, we should be good. Hopefully.

"That's not what I meant." I get my horse into stride with Petra's, a decently quick pace but shouldn't be upsetting Jesse too much. "Are we really just going to show with Jesse in his state and a green blaze following us?"

Jesse mutters out some gibberish and Petra looks behind to see the blaze, sighing. "Look, we have to get to town. As much as I would love not to stir up the masses, we can't exactly just scale Beacontown's walls like this."

"Actually..." I veer my horse off to the left, a memory finally coming to mind. "There's a back entrance to the Order Hall, we'll get in that way."

Petra snorts, following me. "It's taken you this long to tell me that?"

"Hey! I just remembered! Besides, I only knew about just yesterday and with everything that happened right afterwards, it was kinda pushed down."

Petra grumbles but nevertheless doesn't say anything. I look over at Jesse again, gut wrenching all over again when I remember how terrible he's doing right now. It's just terrible, so terrible. Why do these things have to keep happening to us?

But hey, at the very least I don't have to worry about going through town now, there's that. That still doesn't solve the problem of Jesse being beat up and destroyed. So we'll have to get someone to help him, since Ivor's still at Redstonia.

So I'll probably have to go to the hospital, and Petra takes of Jesse. Great, first part of a plan.

However, it won't take long for Fire Deprivation to set in. Especially when Jesse uses his fire to heal him, it won't take very long at all for whatever's left to dwindle down into nothing.

Although that's going to be fun, trying to find some excuse to explain to the doctor why Jesse has to go to the Nether when he starts shivering despite his temperature going up. Since that sounds like a fever, and going to the Nether when one has a fever is generally not a smart thing to do.

With our luck, once Jesse's recovery will be going nicely and everything will be calming down, the Redstonian citizens will arrive. Which isn't a bad thing, not at all. They really need to get out of their city and heal.

That does mean though I won't be sleeping, even if I wanted to I'd be too stressed out for that. I'll have to contact Stella, make sure Jesse isn't dying, prepare the hospital for a whole lot of new patients, build a refugee center outside the gates or convince the citizens to share their homes with them, and try to calm down everyone about the demons.

The demons who were able to absolutely raze a major technologically advanced city and leave it in complete ruins. Plus these creatures were able to totally put Jesse down and out, something which NOTHING else has been able to do. Sure, he isn't dead, but not even Romeo could stop him to the degree these demons have.

But even if the citizens aren't necessarily scared of the demons, something I can't even dream of being reality, then the Redstonian refugees will do the trick. Most of those people were injured, some of them drastically so. I really hope people band together to help them out, in fact I'll be disappointed in the entire human race if they don't, but I know there'll still be that undercurrent of fear. Unable to be seen, but so very powerful. Just waiting to create some whirlpool.

Although we're behind Beacontown, I begin to hear the racket of day to day. As much as I don't need it to be distracting me right now, my focus wraps around. My thoughts fading down towards how Redstonia sounded like that only a couple of days ago. Then all of a sudden the happily bustling racket were turned into agonizing screams as demons ran viciously all throughout the town.

I shake my head frantically, I can't be thinking about that. I don't have the time nor the mental energy to give those thoughts anything. I have to worry about Jesse right now, he needs me the most. Not the past.

I take a look at our surroundings, a jolt running through me when I realize how close we are to that entrance. How did I not realize that? It's super important for me to be aware of this and here I was just loosing myself to my own thoughts. This is not the time for such a thing!

Nudging my horse to take the lead, we get closer and closer to the cave. Although one of us will have to carry Jesse onto the couch and then get him water and normal first aid stuff. While the other one of us will have to return the horses and then a doctor.

I spot the cave and get off, my entire being already dreading that I'll be the one to leave Jesse. Petra slows down to a stop as well, and I help her taking down Jesse.

"Since we didn't close it yesterday, the entrance is still open and it's not that far deep. Just put him on the couch and get him stuff."

Petra properly gets off, and moves her arms a bit to hold Jesse better. "What will you be doing?"

I sigh, grabbing the reins of her horse and getting back onto mine. "I'll be returning these two guys to that stable master guy. After that I'll be getting a doctor all while trying to make sure my mere presence doesn't spark absolute fear into the people."

"What about the blaze?"

Mentally cursing, I steer the horses back to facing forward just as I was turning them around. Thankfully they didn't see the green fire creature hover a distance away from us, but they will in a few moments.

"Blake... uh... fly up and then follow Jesse after I go under you." Petra arches an eyebrow at me, but when I look behind me, Blake has done just that.

I send a smirk at her, which I'll probably regret one day, before I gallop back around Beacontown. The horses get to be fast again, because it'll only be a few minutes for me to start freaking out.

Since it might be ten minutes until I get to Jesse. Away from Jesse, again, not knowing if his condition is going to get worse by the time I get there. Or if Petra trips or something happens and I won't bee there to help.

And because of how life just likes to give us the worst of luck, I'm already fearing for the worst.

I know, in my mind, that I probably wouldn't even able to help if I was there. Anything I would do to help Jesse, Petra can do just as well if not better than me. Petra's been by herself in the great beyond, she'll be able to help Jesse much more than I can before a doctor comes.

That doesn't make me feel any better though, and I try to spur the horses to go even faster. I didn't realize coming down that it was mountainous. But now, as my heart begins to explode again, it's painstakingly obvious.

So I might as well use this time for something, probably worrying over something else. Like what I'm going to do if the citizens begin to surround me and stop me. I don't want to yell at them, that'll just throw their mental state into something bad. Like, whatever it is, it won't be a very good attitude for welcoming the refugees of Redstonian.

Still, all of us rode out of Beacontown wearing our armor with the major emergency beacon cutting across the sky. Rumors and fear must have been circulating, especially since everyone's been uneasy to begin with.

Now only one Order member will return with another horse. I know I don't look as bad as Jesse, but I'm sure I will not be winning any beauty contests. Not too mention I'll be in a huge panicked rush as I race into the hospital. That's ripe for anxious gossip.

But I don't have a choice, it would be worse for them to see Jesse. So much worse. Without a doctor, then Jesse could get so much worse. Besides, I'd probably feel bad if I let the stable master's horses go. It would probably take a few days for that guilt to come in once everything finally calms down again, but I'd feel bad nonetheless.

The constant bickering and chattering from inside the walls never leave, causing me both dread and exhilaration. I don't want to deal with anything that I know is coming my way, but my heart pounds in a frantic energy to get back to Jesse. The faster I go the faster I get back to him.

Especially now that it's all downhill from here, literally. Once I race down the side of this hill, it'll be a flat out gallop beside the walls until I get to the gate. No one will dare interrupt me when I'm on the horse, but once I get off, an anxious crowd can quite easily surround me.

So I should figure out what to say in this minute-ish I have to think about it. I need it to sound hopeful, but not say lies. I need them not to panic, but be content with what has happened. And nothing's coming to my mind, great.

Perhaps I could say something like... maybe something like, I dunno know, refugees from Redstonia are coming over soon and the hospitals need to be ready? That makes sense, I think. Only one Order member, clearly rushing to the hospital, obviously doesn't look to good. Yeah, this is a decent idea.

The horses turn the corner, the gates should only be moments away. Giving me just enough time to see the holes in my idea, but no idea how to fix them.

Some wise person opens the gates a bit for me, the horses rearing up to slow down when they see the bustling streets of Beacontown. But I don't have time for them to be shocked, Jesse needs me.

Pulling on the reins and getting them to calm down, enough anyway, I steer them back on track. Heading straight for the stable place, with the citizens getting out of the way before the horses get to close them.

Despite all my muscles tense with strength and a few shaking with energy, I stop the horses and slide off of mine. Hurriedly pulling them inside and trying to worry about the anxious crowd I see forming behind the horses.

They snort, they probably don't like me, but follow me inside nonetheless. I mutter pleas for the stable master to come soon, I do not have the time to properly handle these guys. Or give them the much deserved food, water, and rest they have definitely earned.

 The guy rushes up to me a few moments too late in my opinion. "Goodness gracious! What-"

"No time, here are two of the horses. The others should be coming eventually, but I got to go now."

With that I dart out back into Beacontown, not caring that I left him stunned. The frantic energy pumping through my body screaming at me that I need to move, that I need to help Jesse, that I can't just be standing around at all because time is so important right now.

And all of that gets slapped by horrified shock when there is quite literally a wall of people surrounding my path to the hospital. I stand there for a moment, stunned and deaf to their fearful questions gossip.

Then that energy roars back to life, and my head snaps around. My focus and attention on trying to find a place to escape while I just open my mouth and letting whatever spew out.

"Please, no questions. All will be answered in due time. If you please excuse me though, I have to get to the hospital."

People part at the hospital, hushed whispers breaking out everywhere. I don't really mind, I was barely even listening to myself, and take the opportunity to bust through. Dimly realizing that what I said leaves a whole lot situations which the people's imaginations can create.

I shake that off, not really caring about that as the hospital gets closer and closer. My chance to help Jesse is in there, and I need to keep going faster... faster... faster.... The faster I go, the faster I help Jesse, the less chance he has to die or something drastically bad happening to him.

The doors get ever closer, and I try to move even quicker, even faster for Jesse. The doors slam against the wall as I burst through, the receptionist lady jumping in her seat.

"My good..." Her face pales as she takes a look up at me, the Order member panting deliriously and shaking now that I've stopped. "What happened? Do you need medical treatment? Is it an emergency? Does-"

"No! I mean, well, yes. I need a doctor, I need the best doctor you have right now. But I kinda need him to go, since he has to be at the Order Hall."

Her eyebrows furrow together, but she must see the panic and urgency radiating from me, and flickers through her book. Her own nervous sweat beginning to bead on her forward as I tremble with desperate energy that needs to be doing something to help and not just waiting.

"Our best is in room 408 on level 3-"

I don't care about the rest of her sentence and dash off faster than a rabbit, speeding through the door and straight to the staircase. Only now does the thought come in that this doctor is super busy. But I pray he's not, I pray with all my heart. I need him, Jesse needs him. This doctor just has to come with me.

My legs blur up the stairs, yet all I can think about is that I'm being too slow and that I'm taking too long. I have to get to the third floor faster, I have to. I have to. Nothing else really matters right now.

Again, I burst through the door for the third level. My eyes instantly snatching where I am and where room 408 is. It takes me less than a second for my legs to sprint in that direction. I get a few strange looks, and then I get the unnecessary thought that follows them.

The numbers rapidly approaching 408. Narrowing in the spot where the door is, my legs give another huff of energy to get me there just a second faster.

This time I don't burst in, but I do slam the door open. The doctor and the elderly person with tubes all over them look up, but I'm too worried or tired to care about busting into their conversation.

"Doctor! I need your help!" His face crinkles, the elderly person just looking like 'oh well'. "I need you to come with me to the Order Hall-"

"Hold up. I can't help anyone away from here, all my supplies are here." He gives me an examining glance as he stands. "Just bring the person here and perhaps I could even take a look at you."

"I'm sorry but that can't happen!" The doctor shoots an apologetic smile to the elderly person, to whom responds with an understanding smile.

"And why not?"

Because at any moment the patient will break out in shivers as he heats up, the only way to fix that in the Nether. And since this person is Jesse, the freakin' leader of the Order and this town. Just one look at his state and I'll have a paranoid town to deal with. So no, he's not coming here unless there isn't any other choice.

"That would be a matter of private discussion. But please, grab anything you need to treat cuts and burns and get to the Order Hall."

"Cuts and burns you say?" I nod vigorously, and he seems to be taking my request more seriously. "I'll get there as fast as I can, but it'll take a few moments. This person isn't in critical condition, are they?"

"No no!" Yeah, basically. "They just need help sooner rather than later!" The doctor nods, and rushes by me and out into the hallway. Already yelling for something and a nurse.

I stagger out, my brain having a hard time keeping up with everything right now. I shake that off though I rush back to the stairs. 

A few moments, a few minutes, that's fine. He can take that time, but I got to get to Jesse. Make sure everything's going alright with Petra and that Jesse hasn't started to shiver yet. Anything I can do to help, anything at all, and I'm on it. But I can't really do that here.

So I nearly fall three times in my desperation to get down the stairs, but I manage not to. My body though is practically numb at this point. I'm sure if the lack of water or rest is making it impossible for me to feel anything anymore or just the crazed rush of adrenaline and fear I've been living off of.

And I'm back sprinting in the hallways, but there's no room left in me to feel any relief in any form. I just sprint. I just sprint through the hallways, into the main entrance, and straight towards the exit doors.

Thankfully, there isn't much of a crowd this time. There's a few people who call out to me, but not enough to where I just run through an opening. Getting to the Order Hall, getting to Jesse, is my primary and only concern.

But I do feel a bit bad and try to gasp out something, when no words or whispers come out. I must be getting tired more quickly than I thought, oh well. I'm so close now, I can rest later, not when I'm so close.

My eyesight dims a bit when I rush up to the Order Hall, opening the door. I quickly decide to close it, despite the doctor needing to come in soon. I'll ask Petra to keep on a lookout for that, I don't need any uninvited guests coming in here.

I stumble and flail a bit racing up the stairs and to the library, but good thing I'm so close now. I'm already just barely keeping myself from tumbling down the stairs, I'll rest once I get to Jesse's side.

Staggering to a stop, I peek at Petra and the blaze before my attention is consumed by Jesse. Even though it hasn't exactly been long since I've seen him, he just looks worse. Knowing his armor has been either chewed away by acid or has been scattered across the Nether and the lands doesn't help me trying to find some sort of hope.

"Did you a get a doctor?"

I nod dimly as I crouch by Jesse's side, feeling numb and overwhelmed all at the same time. "Can you go wait for him by the Order Door? Should be here any minute, and Blake, go hide and stay in whatever room Petra tells you to."

She grunts and walks out, the green blaze behind her, but I barely even notice. Everything seems to be catching up, muscles dying into a heavy exhaustion telling me I basically need a resurrection to move them again. But I can't stop starring at Jesse, still able to feel my gut flip and twist in worry and fear.

Not even just at his current state either, but everything. We haven't really solved the root of this problem, it could happen again at any other town. Including Beacontown, which would just wreck Jesse. Any town could be razed down to the ground, and Jesse could be left in an even worse of a state.

Hesitantly, I reach out to grab his hand. My fingers twitching as I both want to know what's happening to him but at the same time don't, if I can in the first place. But I'm way too tired to think about that, so I just shove those feelings aside and grab his hand.

Only for a groan to burst out as hopelessness bubbles up inside me. Not only is his hand slightly clammy, but I can't feel anything at all. I'm sure if I were to look at his mark it would be gray, no fire left at all.

I curse under my breath, standing up and grabbing some food Petra left on the nightstand. Bitterly, I tear into the bland and tasteless food, flopping down onto a side couch with helpless anger beginning to swirl inside of me.

Sighing, I finish the rest of whatever I was eating. I can't even say what it was, I honest don't care and I'm way to tired to be noticing anything that's not irreverent. I wouldn't be surprised if I suddenly fall asleep, or my body refuses to listen to anymore of my commands.

Groaning again, sink back into my seat. Dread and fear running around unsupervised, exhaustion consuming all my thoughts. I can't help Jesse, I can't help anyone, and I doubt I'll be able to help myself until I know Jesse's going to be alright.

Distantly, I hear the urgent steps and voices coming from upstairs. I longingly look at Jesse, wishing I had the chance to check his fireball mark. It would have made me feel a lot better. Knowing exactly how long until his Fire Deprivation would take a firm hold on him.

Petra and the doctor rush in, followed by a nurse, yet I do nothing more than rise my head. Despite my thoughts and feelings refusing to slow down, maybe get a little harder to comprehend, my body is totally shutting down. I feel like my arm could be cut off and as long as I didn't see it I wouldn't know.

"Jesse is your patient?" The horrified astonishment is clear in his voice, but I don't bother to respond. He just needs to help Jesse, that's all I care about.

Somehow Petra has the energy to respond though. "Clearly, now are you going to help him or just let him suffer?"

The nurse takes off his under armor clothing, the tattered remains of his normal clothes showing, and the doctor instantly begins to check the burn on his neck. The nurses makes a step to do something but the doctor waves her off, saying something, but for some reason I can't really hear anymore.

In fact, my sight's also going a bit fuzzy. Thoughts getting heavier and why do I feel so... numb? I try to glance up, seeing a blurry something before letting my eyelids slid shut. Too heavy to keep open. Thoughts too heavy to keep going. Body too heavy to keep awake.

****

Hmm, I may have gotten a wee bit carried away with this one.

But, oh well, I didn't really want to have another Lukas chapter. So another long chapter, yay! Anyway, I don't actually have much to say here. Just, I dunno, thanks for reading.

Whelp, that's it from me today! Next chapter will be out in a week!