[Anthony POV]

As if the world wanted to play a cruel joke on me, I fall flat on my rear once more as we enter the end. I grunt, standing when my friends softly chuckle. I can even hear the garbled soft laughter of Reginald, and I can only sigh. I'm just glad Aria isn't here to see that...

Carefully, I look around...

And find us standing on a very elaborate platform that has a decorated staircase leading to the island. I remember the spawn point being somewhere else, but Reginald pipes in. "When you first... visited... I had mixed my own powers with the portal to get us directly to Aria. It is the main reason it took a little longer for us to arrive." I slowly nod my head, finally getting that question answered. When we had gone through the portal the first time, we had arrived in a way similar to an old movie with many superheroes getting together to fight the bad guy. I had noticed the difference back then, but there was no way I would ask while Aria was about to get killed again.

Carefully, we make our way down to the island. Everyone was on alert since Entity has yet to make a move. We weren't about to underestimate him in any way, so we are all expecting something soon. I hear a beep followed by an error sound. Mobius growls behind us. "The signal is strong, but I can't break through the game's code into the real world. The firewall is thick, and it seems to only open with a singular command that I can't copy." He looks up, his gaze hard.

"Someone needs to go in the portal."

I start to shake my head, but Anastasia pipes up. "I'll do it." She looks over at me with concern in her gaze. I could tell she was scared, and I could feel my heartbreak for doing this to her. What I had intended to be fun and relaxing had turned into a death trap. As much as I didn't want her to go, I knew she would be safer.

"Alright. Let's be quick."

The others stay behind, keeping an eye out on our surroundings. Reginald was speaking with a few of the endermen players, but I wasn't listening in. My focus was on getting Anastasia to the portal safely and making sure she gets back home. As we walk to the center of the island, she starts to speak. "Anthony?" I turn to her, and she slightly rubs her arm.

"I... I'm sorry."

She stops walking, and I fully turn to face her. Her head drops, and she struggles to continue. "I-I know you wanted to show m-me the wonderful th-things here, but... I-I'm... I can't-I don't want anyone..." Tears are free-falling from her eyes, and I quickly grab her shoulders. "Hey, hey. Don't do this to yourself. This isn't your fault."

"But it is!"

That stops me.

She quickly begins telling what she overheard between Mobius and the wither king. She could only understand Mobius, but she was quick to piece together that Entity somehow managed to slip into the folders she downloaded and enter the game just before she did since the game has the 'lag space' from it changing us into our avatars.

"This is all my fault. If I had ch-checked the folders a-and made sure..."

"Anastasia, no."

She sucks in a shaky breath but doesn't turn to look me in the eye. I push her chin up with my hand until we are eye to eye. "How could you have known to look for something you didn't even know existed? None of us did! I should be the one apologizing for not warning you sooner, or at least making sure the world was, indeed, safe."

Slowly, her sobbing stops until it is only a few sniffles. So, I finish it all off. "Listen, I know you're scared. Once you get back home, you don't have to come back. We can handle this, and you can make sure Alexa and Joseph get through without bringing in anything else. Warn them to look through the files, and get ahold of Iris. Send her everything and wait for her to respond." She starts to look away, but I pull her chin back up. "You can do this." I say, and she slowly nods her head.

With a small smile, I turn to start leading her back to the portal.

Suddenly, pain flares across my face and I am thrown backward. I feel my body rush past Anastasia, her shouting growing softer. My back suddenly slams down against the endstone, and the force of it flips me over onto my stomach. One eye refuses to open, and I can barely see through the blood. With a grunt, I try to stand, but my eyes land on a terrible sight.

Anastasia was locked in a sword fight with Entity 303.

I shout her name, barely able to stand on my own two feet. I quickly pull out my sword, and I see Mobius already rushing ahead of me. My sight is blurred and depth perception is nonexistent. 'How does Aria do this?!'

Just as I near, Mobius knocks Entity away. Anastasia collapses to the ground with a gasp. I slide across the ground and stop in front of her on my knees. "An! Look at me, An!" Her eyes lift, and only then can I see the deep gash across her chest. I could tell how much pain she was in, and I growl. Her health was low, and I knew she didn't have much time or the extreme tolerance to pain that I did. Without hesitation, I slip my arm under her and begin to stand.

"Come on, Anastasia. We need to move."

She says nothing but slowly begins to stand. Once we are up, a cry of pain slips from her lips, and I feel my heart sink. The amount of blood pooling from her chest was enough to make anyone feel sick. I knew we had to move fast. Mobius was barely keeping Entity at b-

*KABOOM*

Scratch that. He's doing fine after somehow managing to launch multiple missiles from his shoulders and parrying each strike from Entity with energy blades on both hands. Reginald was spastically speaking with the other endermen, and it looked like they were beginning to surround us to make sure we got there safely. I knew teleporting us right now would most likely worsen Anastasia's injuries, so we would just have to walk.

We are nearly there. Our feet brush against the bedrock. I can see the particles rising. All she has to do is step up...

And I hear it almost too late.

Swiftly, I throw Anastasia into the portal, ignoring her screams of agony and pain from the sudden movement. She disappears beneath the black void just as a blade rakes across my back. The force sends me over the portal and straight into the middle pillar. I can feel my consciousness slip away, but the feeling of falling into cold nothingness hits first, so I know where I will wake up.

'I just hope Mobius will survive on his own...'