Dare stepped over the patches of unclipped grass trying to locate his way back to the house. He had gone to the pub to try and drink his mood away but the awful taste of the alcohol on his first sip drove him away. Nothing like it is back home. Dare thought to himself.

As he was walking he felt some weird tick that he hadn't recognized. Suddenly, the sky let out a horrific crack leading into an explosive BOOM that threw Dare on the ground. It felt like he had been punched in the stomach by some barbarian leaving him breathless on the shaking ground.

As quickly as it had occurred, the thundering ripple through the air subsided. Dare let out a huge gasp of breath after finally being able to feel his lungs. His eyes, which had closed shut when he hit the uneven ground, had shot open. He sat up and went to lean against the nearest tree. As he crawled over to the tree he jumped back and screamed in surprise.

Instead of the light pink flesh of a human, the deep black and purple skin appeared. He sighed in relief when he realized he was in Ender form but thoughts were racing around his head. I swear I was in human form. Dare thought as he grabbed ahold of the tree and hoisted himself up. His legs were a little shaky standing up since he wasn't expecting the thunder or the sudden transformation.

Dare brought his hand up to block the sun's glare and examined the sky. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky so he wondered how there could've been thunder, especially considering how powerful it was.

It wasn't thunder.

It was a bomb.

Dare's breath quickened as he examined the ground around him. There wasn't a trail of smoke, or a gaping crater. It was exactly how it was before.

Then how the nether was there an explosion?

He stared at the vast grassland before him when he spotted the edge of the forest where the trail was located. Dare took a few steps before stopping and glancing back down at himself. He sighed heavily as he realized he needed to turn back into human. He right hand grabbed his left wrist and he groaned in effort as he could feel the transformation. When it was finished Dare fell onto one knee and let out an exhausted breath.

After a few seconds of regaining his steady breathing, Dare willed himself to stand up and walk towards the trail. Once he made it to the faint outline of the trail, he broke into a run as the thoughts swirled around in his head.

Where was the explosion?

Did anyone get hurt?

Did anyone else hear it?

Why did I turn into my Ender form?

Dare tried to focus on the task ahead of him but with the distracting thoughts consuming him elsewhere, he tripped almost every step he took.

In the distance, far enough for Dare to squint, the small wooden house came into view. It seemed unharmed so the explosion must've occurred elsewhere. Dare increased his speed so that he could make sure everyone was alright.

As he was running, something rammed into him causing him to fall on the ground once again with a thud. He pushed himself off the ground and saw a girl with blonde hair and dark purple tips. Dare sighed wearily as Casey scrambled up with wide eyes.

"You just had to run into me." Dare said while holding his side. Casey ignored his comment completely and continued to stare at him with wide, worried eyes.

"Did you hear the explosion?" Her voice was higher pitched than normal and she didn't hold her cocky attitude like usual. She was out of breath and a bead of sweat traveled down the side of her face.

"Yeah. Where did you even come from?" Dare asked still holding his side. She had hit him pretty hard and after he was thrown onto the ground earlier, it didn't help running into him.

"I came back from the Aether with Alex and then I went to this cave I noticed earlier to check it out. That's when I heard the explosion and thought something had happened. I was going to go to Alex but when I reached the door I saw you running that way so I went to you." Casey said with an exasperated breath.

"So then you decided to tackle me?" Dare asked. Casey rolled her eyes but didn't give a snarky reply.

"I called out to you but I guess you couldn't hear me." Casey said with a shrug.

Dare shook his head and looked back up at the house. "Maybe Alex will know something." They both started heading towards the house when someone bounded out the door in a frenzy. Dare glanced at Casey worriedly before running off towards the person. When they got closer, they figured out it had been Alex who ran out of the house.

Dare ran to meet up with her to see Alex unfocused and worried. Casey ran up from behind him and grabbed onto her shoulder. Alex snapped out of her daze and stared at both Dare and Casey.

"Did you hear it?" Alex whispered.

"The explosion? Yeah, I heard it." Dare answered. Alex's eyes widened in horror as she kept glancing back at the forest.

"Follow me. Please." Alex said then turned around and began running into the forest behind the house. Dare ran after her shouting for her to explain. Casey ran along with Dare shaking her head in confusion. A cave came into view and Alex turned sharply to enter. Dare slid on the ground trying to follow her but regained his balance and entered the cave.

What is going on?

He turned around one of the cave corners and had to grab ahold of the wall to keep from hitting Alex. She was just about to jump into the glowstone portal when Casey pulled her away.

"What's going on?" Casey asked, mirroring Dare's thoughts. Alex tried to pull away but Casey's grip was too strong on her wrist.

"Don't you see? The explosion happened in the Aether!" Alex exclaimed as tears trailed down her cheek. "Notch is up there and Steve might be too! I can't lose another brother!" Alex was finally able to break through Casey's grip and jumped through the portal.

Dare and Casey followed close behind and were absorbed in blue particles. When they reached the other side, Alex was running towards the castle. Well, if it can even be called a castle. There was smoke filling the air, a gaping hole in the middle of the palace, and screams filling the air. Dare gave Casey an uneasy glance before following Alex into the disaster.

He stepped over the shambles of what may have been steps earlier but now looked like piles of useless rocks. He made it up top and noticed how both doors were laying flat on the ground with giant dents ruining their once beautiful patterns.

Dare bolted through the doorway and around the mobs of people trying to find out where Alex went. He couldn't get too far because people were shoving through trying to get out of the castle. Luckily his tall figure was able to see over the heads of the people and he spotted bright red hair. Trailing close behind her was a bald man with bandages wrapped around his head. As fast as he could, Dare plowed through the people and met up with the two.

"Dare?" Notch asked, surprise laced in his voice, "What are you doing here?"

"Alex ran into the portal saying the explosion came from here so Casey and I followed her. What happened anyways?" Dare asked.

"I don't really know. It just happened a few minutes ago. I was talking to Steve about something...personal and he got upset and walked out of the room. I sat on the bed and talked to Jill for a little bit when the explosion happened. The bomb must've been far away from the hospital wing because nothing looked damaged in my room and the walls just shook." Notch explained.

"Then where was the bomb located?" Alex asked.

Notch shook his head. "I'm not very sure but I'm going to take a guess and say it was somewhere around the throne room considering that's where the most smoke is coming from."

Dare didn't notice at first but Casey had found her way to them and had been listening in. "Where was Steve at the time of the explosion?" Casey asked. Both Notch and Alex jumped in surprise but quickly recovered.

"I thought he had made it back to his house." Notch said. Casey gave Dare a nervous glance as Alex shook her head.

"He never went back through the portal." Notch's eyes widened and he started nervously pacing back and forth.

"That means he was still in the castle." Notch whispered.

Alex gasped and her hand flew up to her mouth. Tears started escaping her eyes and sobs rose from her throat. Dare stepped over to her and pulled her into a hug. Alex buried her face into his shoulder leaves little dots of water on his shirt. The water caused little pinpricks of pain but it wasn't anything Dare hadn't felt before.

Casey shifted uncomfortably behind Dare, unaccustomed to the amount of emotion in the room. Dare turned his head just enough to catch Casey's eye contact and signal her to come close to him.

"Go to the east wing with Notch. I'm going to try and calm Alex down." He whispered into her ear. Casey nodded and walked over to Notch who was painstakingly watching his sister. She tugged on his shirt sleeve to get his attention and whispered what was most likely the same thing Dare had said. Notch nodded and they both exited the now empty lobby leaving Alex crying on Dare's shoulder.

After a couple minutes, Dare gently pulled her away and looked at her. She wouldn't look back as her eyes trailed the broken floor.

"Alex. Look at me." Dare said as softly as he could. Alex finally brought her bright green eyes upwards to meet with Dare's. Tears were falling from her eyes and staining her cheek pink.

"I'm sorry," she said, wiping stray tears away, "I'm sorry about...this." Alex gestured to herself and a humorless chuckle escaped her lips.

"Please don't be sorry. You have a right to let your feelings out. After everything you've been through, you can let it out."

Alex shook her head. "I can't let it out. I'm being selfish by crying about Steve when he may actually be in trouble." She tried to rise from the floor but Dare held her down.

"Alex. I may not seem like some therapist, and I'm not, but I need you to talk to me." Dare said sternly but gently. Alex looked over to the next wall and grimaced painfully.

"Steve has always been there for me," she started, "and I want to be there for him. Steve seemed to be the only person there when my world was crumbling. I was thirteen when it happened."

Dare wanted to ask what had happened but he let her continue. "Brine wasn't Brine anymore - he was a demon. He left soon after, at the time I didn't know what that meant but now know that he was banished. Notch was so busy trying to fill his father's legacy by taking over as king for Minecraft.

"I was still a kid and my brothers had grown up. Steve decided to take me with him on his grand adventures." Alex sighed softly as to finish her story. All the people were outside of the castle so it was silent inside the lobby.

"Well then let's go find him." Dare said with a nod. Alex sniffed before grabbing Dare's outstretched hand and jumped back up to her feet.

"Okay, so I'll need you to check the hallway of offices and I'll look in the throne room. We will find him. I promise." Dare said. Alex ran off down the hall while Dare ran into the throne room which now has the resemblance of a giant fireplace.

The bomb had to of been around here. Dare thought as he stared at the gaping hole in the ceiling. The walls were dark with soot, the floors were cracked and broken into rocks, one of the walls were completely abolished, and there were mounds of broken materials. The only thing that didn't seem to have been affected much was the giant golden chair on the far side of the wall.

Dare ran over to the throne and noticed a small opening behind it. A regular person could fit right in there but Dare had to duck his head to avoid hitting the top. He noticed a hand sticking out of the rock pile in front of him and started throwing the rocks away.

After moving away most of the big ones, Dare dug around the hand that eventually showed and arm. He dug faster trying to free Steve from the rocks. Soon enough, Steve's head appeared with cuts and bruises, but he looked to be breathing. Dare walked around so that he was closest to Steve's head and put his arms under Steve's arms.

"This might hurt a little." Dare muttered to Steve. He then pulled with as much strength as he could. The strain caused Dare to groan in pain and mutter a few swear words. Finally the chunks gave way and Steve was released. Dare fell to the ground panting but quickly shook his tired feeling away and went to Steve's side.

"Damn it." Dare sighed. Steve was knocked unconscious with a large bruise forming on his head. His leg looked to probably be broken and was bleeding extensively from the rocks. Dare ripped both the sleeves off his shirt revealing his muscular biceps. He then rapped them tightly around his leg to stop the bleeding.

Dare bent down and lifted Steve up off the ground trying to keep from hurting him even more than he already was.

He could've been hurt a lot worse. If he wasn't behind that chair during the explosion then he would've surely been dead.

Dare stepped his way back out of the disaster room and into the lobby. He laid Steve on the floor as carefully as he could but he still groaned in pain.

"I'm...sorry...please."

Dare's head shot down to where Steve was laying. He twisted and turned, his face writhing with pain.

"Steve?" Dare asked. He was truly scared - he had no idea what was happening to Steve.

"Get...behind...throne."

Steve's breath started to rapidly grow faster and his fists were clenched so tightly that his skin was whiter than paper. Suddenly he let out a scream so devastating it was like he was being stabbed. Dare snapped out of his fear and clutched Steve's shoulders.

"Steve!" Dare yelled as he shook him furiously. The screaming stopped and Steve's eyes shot open. He gasped like he had been underwater the entire time and needed air.

He fell back on the floor, his eyes closing once again but this time he looked tired instead of pained. Dare stared at him with his mouth open trying to sputter out any words but there were none.

What the nether just happened?

Dare was still contemplating the events that had occurred when Alex came bursting down the hall. She slid on the ground to stop and fell next to Dare. Her eyes stopped at his wrapped up leg where blood was slowly seeping through.

"Where did you find him?" Alex asked. She cupped the bottom of his head gently and shook her head seeing all of the cuts and bruises.

"The throne room. He was under a pile of rocks behind the chair. Lucky he was there when the bomb exploded; anywhere else his injuries would've been much worse or..." Dare trailed off not wanting to worry Alex any further.

"So if hadn't been behind that chair, he most likely would've died?" Alex asked slowly, trying to comprehend it for herself.

"Probably. By the looks of it, that's where the bomb was located."

Alex glanced back up at him with tears brimming her eyes. "Are you sure he was the only one in there?"

"I'm not sure. Did you find anyone in the offices?"

Alex shook her head. "They must've all gotten out."

A sound attracted their attention and out of the corner of Dare's eye he could see two guards racing towards them.

"Gabe? Wilson? What are you doing here?" Alex asked as if were crazy for guards to be in the castle.

"We need your help." Gabe said. His voice was stern but even Dare could hear the fear and worry buried in it.

"We don't know where Donny's at." Wilson added. It wasn't hard to hear the fear in his voice. Alex glanced over at Dare who was already on his feet.

"Gabe can come with me. I need you two to tend to Steve for a minute." Dare didn't wait for Wilson's cries of outburst and ran down the hall. He stopped once they were both out of sight and turned to Gabe.

"What happened?" Dare asked.

"Well, we were preparing for the arrival of the new recruits. Wilson was organizing papers and profiles and I was trying to organize the first week of lessons. Wilson asked if Donny could get some of the papers out of the copy room. A few minutes after he left...the place exploded." Gabe explained. His gaze traveled down to the floor seeming focused on something else.

"Do you know if he ever made it to that room?" Dare asked. Gabe shrugged glumly and hopelessly.

"Well it won't hurt to look. Where's the copy room anyways?" Dare asked. Gabe grabbed his arm and led him down the hall past all of the blown out offices. After a couple of twists and turns, Dare stepped on a golden piece of metal and by further inspection, turned out to be the small plaque labeled Copy Room.

The room itself wasn't very large and held three large printers - or the remains of them. Burnt paper floated around like little ashes above a fire. Even though the room was dimly lit, they just still make out the figure lying across the broken floor surrounded by miscellaneous scraps. One of the printers was sprawled in several different pieces over the figure uncomfortably. Dare knew it was Donny just by seeing his dirty blonde hair sticking up.

Gabe ran past Dare and fell to one knee. He but his hand on his neck trying to get a pulse. "Come on Donny." Gabe muttered. He leaned down next to his chest and tried to find his pulse.

"This can't happen!" Gabe yelled, anger and sadness creeping over him. Tears spilled over his eyes as he pushed down on his chest to start his heart. Dare watched painfully as Gabe screamed for Donny to wake up. Finally, he could take no more.

Dare rushed over to Donny's side and tried to push Gabe out of the way. "Move." Dare yelled.

"What are you doing? He's dying!" Gabe screamed as he desperately tried to get back to his friend.

"If you want him to live then move!" Gabe's jaw quivered as he nodded and backed out of the way.

"And promise me to not freak out." Dare screamed once again. Gabe nodded but probably had no idea what Dare was about to do.

Dare turned back to Donny who was dying by the second. Closing his eyes, he extorted a tremendous amount of energy. In a matter of seconds, he was transformed back into his Ender form for the second time today.

"What the hell?" Gabe muttered behind him. Dare completely ignored him and put one of his hands on Donny's chest and the other on his own. With one deep, shaky breath Dare then released as much Ender energy as he could into Donny.

Dare screamed out as the world slowly faded around him. He fell to the ground with almost no strength left in him. He was falling unconscious and knew it but before his eyes had closed, he felt Donny's heart start again.

•••

Guys, I'm so sorry this update is so late. Basketball season has started so I don't ride the bus anymore. I used to ride it for an hour and I could update but now I can't. Please, forgive me.

Also, I feel like I've been leaving you guys on a bunch of cliffhangers. The only thing I can say to that is to buckle up because it'll get a lot worse. And did you guys like Dare's point of view because I did. But Dare's one of my favorite characters.

Anyways, thanks for reading and I will see you next chapter!

-Crazy