Tw: gore. Skip to the section break if you're particularly squeamish 

'SCAR!' I ignore Grian as I pounce at Cub, dragging him to the ground. It's hard to fight his struggles, but I have to, hugging him tight.

'GRIAN! GET THE SCULK!' He obeys, just as Xisuma teleports in.

'Ok, this- calm down...'

'DON'T CALM DOWN, HELP!' The vex in me rises, but it works to get Xisuma helping. The Sculk continues to struggle, especially as Grian yanks at the tendrils around Cub's wrist. A horrible scream, somewhere in the worst area between pure animal and deeply human. I shut my eyes tight, failing to block the noise from mind, unable to watch.

'Come on, Cub. It's alright. It'll all be alright,' I repeat over and over. But I'm just talking to myself, holding onto him as he fights and swears and screams with my best friend's voice. The pain I should've seen far earlier, should've stopped instead of allowing him to live like this... if I'd tried harder to get him to explain...

'Oh- oh my goodness- this isn't...' Tango's voice reaches us. I open my eyes enough to see him through my tears. 'This isn't what I...'

'HELP US!' Grian yells. Blood covers his hands. Blood covers everything... Xisuma's got bandages, covering the scars the sculk leaves behind... I close my eyes again to stop myself puking. Cub's struggles are weakening, until he stops screaming, stops swearing.

The sculk's stopped controlling him. But it's still there. Grian and Tango are still going. I hear the quiet urge in Cub's voice to still scream, but he doesn't, stifling it, turning as much as he can to hug me back.

'You're doing so well,' I murmur. 'Just a bit more to go.'

'Don't- don't stop,' he mutters back through the pain. 'Don't...' He hides another scream. I hug him closer.

'It's alright... it'll all be alright. Do whatever you need to help the pain.' He just shakes his head. Until he grips my back tighter. I don't care that it's hurting me. It's nothing compared to what he's going through.

'It's... done.' Grian says eventually. Xisuma covers the last of his injuries, doing something with code.

'Regeneration.' He explains. Cub just lies in my lap, taking deep breaths. I run my hand through his hair.

'What... happened?' Tango finally gets a chance to ask.

'The sculk took over,' is all I can explain. 'I had to do something.'

'Etho left something in chat, what happened to him? Is he...'

'Dead,' I mumble. 'The Sculk said it killed him.'

'...what?' 

I nod, unable to stop myself from crying. Grian hugs me. Cub's fallen unconscious, or asleep. Xisuma's silent. 

'Let's get Cub back to his bed. Scar, you should join him.'

'Yeah, I'll stay with him...'

'No, I mean you should sleep too.' 

'I need to be there for Cub,' I insist. 'I need to be there for him. I'm not letting him wake up scared again and...' I return to how I found him, hurting himself, terrified. I'm not going to let that happen again. I can't.

'Xisuma's right, Scar. You need to sleep.'

'No... no I'm fine,' I insist. I know I'm not. I know the Sculk hurt me too. But I have to stay with Cub. I can't leave him again.

'Scar. Bed.' Grian forces me to my feet, leading me after Xisuma and Cub limp in his arms. 'Now.'

'Grian, please. I- I can't let him be alone again. I can't... I...' Memories of finding him hurting himself surface in my mind. The Sculk, controlling his actions and words through sheer force alone. Cub hadn't told me to run. The Sculk had. It got me out the way so it could kill Etho. And I believed it.

'Scar, breathe. It's ok. It's over... Tango help!' Grian's voice reaches me through the thoughts. The vomit I've been holding back manages to escape and I collapse to my knees, Grian next to me.

'I- I'm- I'm sorry,' I mumble. 'I'm so sorry...'

'It's alright, buddy. It's all ok.' He stops trying to get me to sleep, one wing and one arm around me in a hug. I fall into his lap, sobbing, curled up. Grian rubs my arm for comfort. 'It's all ok.'

The words comfort me, though I can't make myself believe them. Or it might just be exhaustion washing over me until I fall asleep.

'Scar?' 

I open my eyes a crack. It's dark, but warm beneath the blankets. I let out a groan.

'Mmm?' It takes a moment to realise the Hermit next to me is...

'Cub!' I sit up, awake, but regret it instantly as my back hurts and I wince. 

'Woah... easy now.' Cub takes my hand. 'I... I don't what I did...' There's still fear in his eyes, he's in the same bloody clothes as before, but bandages cover his arms. The Sculk is gone.

'You didn't do much at all. Don't worry.' But, even as I speak, I remember Etho. Cub spots my expression in seconds.

'Scar, what did I do?'

'YOU did nothing. It was the Sculk,' I insist.

'Scar, tell me. Please.' I know I have to.

'You- the Sculk- killed Etho.'

Silence. Cub just stares at the ground. I slip from my bed to comfort him.

'It wasn't your fault... I'm the one that didn't stay.' 

'I would've killed you if you hadn't left,' he mumbles back, hugging me. 'It... it- it made me watch. He was so scared.' 

'It's ok. It's all over.'

'I killed him,' he sobs. 'I killed him... I killed him...'

'No, no you didn't do anything, Cub. You had no control over it. You did nothing wrong.'

'WHAT DO YOU BLOODY MEAN ETHO'S DEAD?!'

Joel. I hug Cub tighter.

The door opens.

'YOU- CUB YOU...' 

'He's NOT TO BLAME!' I snap back as Cub starts sobbing. 'He was POSSESSED!'

'That's what you bloody said last time too! On Empires!'

'It was TRUE!'

'I'm sorry...' Cub whispers 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...'

'You should be bloody sorry...'

'Joel, back down.' Grian, come to save the day. I continue comforting Cub. 'This wasn't Cub's fault. At all.'

'He doesn't even bloody think that himself! He KILLED ETHO!'

'The SCULK killed Etho. Cub had nothing to do with it.'

'Maybe he could NOT GET POSSESSED?!' 

My fists clench at Joel's comment. He continues speaking, blaming Cub, saying it's his fault, his fault, his fault...

'Just F*** OFF!' I snarl. The vex in me rises. Joel falls silent. 'My best friend is recovering from being possessed by the most evil, horrific monster in the most appalling way, and you're BLAMING HIM?! Just F*** OFF, JOEL!'

He does. Grian crouches next to me as I try to calm down and not start crying again. Cub's still hugging me. 

'I'm sorry,' he mumbles.

'Cub, seriously. You did nothing.' Grian lays a hand on his shoulder. 'Joel's being irrational. You had no control over any of the s*** that happened to you, ok?'

'I should've said something...'

'You tried to. You didn't realise it was that bad until it was too late,' I reply. 'Now come on, you need more rest. Don't worry about Etho, or Joel, or the Sculk. You're safe now.'

'Safe?'

I hug him even tighter.

'Safe.'

Poor Cub