Here's a little chapy for ya! I intended for this chapter to be a lot shorter, and it's entirely in the third person. I rushed the ending a bit because I'm way too excited for figuring out what to do next. This chapter just feels different to me for some reason.
I'm debating with myself how I should continue forward after this...
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Four days later-

Third person point of view-

With the return of their master, the cult of Herobrine began to grow and expand their territory. They began to go in further north, and without the emperor of the Northern empire to put a stop to them and with Herobrine in his new vessel, they were easily able to destroy and conquer Argons Wall and surrounding cities. The cult was stronger than they had ever been...and unfortunately so was the demon that ruled over them. All the group could do was hope that the cultists were not scouting around the area they planned on heading to.

  "Let's try this again."

Mia began to unravel the white dressing around the ex-mercenary's blind eyes. The elf had been hopeful that Nathan would regain his ability to see, but four days after the incident and his eyes were still clouded. Not even his fox familiar Nobel could heal him, with all of his efforts being fruitless. All they could do was hope that whatever Herobrine had done to him would not remain permanent, but at this point in time those chances were cut slim to almost none.
He sat the ground with his legs crossed, his hands no longer in gloves. One hand ran through Nobel's transparent fur which oddly felt like that of a normal dog despite that the fox was a spirit. His other arm was wrapped around a long stick by his side that they had gotten after leaving the hatchery. It helped him walk around and know his surroundings a bit better, and with his increased hearing, he was not too bad at maneuvering around things on his own.
Armen watched, standing with his back against the wall and arms crossed over his chest. He wore a new white shirt since his other shirt had been burned and ripped in his battle with Herobrine. They had gotten the new clothes when they had settled the airship in a village so they could get more supplies. It was was extremely difficult and nerve wracking to go into the shops and the market considering that they were mostly all criminals and Armen could be easily recognized as Herobrine's formal vessel. Luckily no one seemed to notice who any of them were since the villages population mainly consisted of Paganum and Armen was fairly well at hiding his appearance with his new cape. Along with his new clothing, he wore Drake's old cape which he had grabbed with the spell book and scrolls back at the hatchery. He sowed up the rips and tried to clean out the blood as best he could, but the grey fabric remained stained. He now had a sword that he had taken from the hatchery, one that had a blade that illuminated in white light and burned its victims much like Drake's blade. It's guard was in the shape of white angel wings with a bright blue diamond in the center of the wings.
Nathan had gotten a new white shirt as well, but he kept his old, torn and bloody trench coat for some odd reason. Mia no longer had the bandages around her eyes, letting her lime green eyes see. There were two scars above and below her eye that they did not know if they would heal and fade or be permanent markings on her skin.
Nathan felt the wrappings lift off of his face, letting the cold air brush on his pale skin. He let out a breath, facing forward with his back straightened before his eyes opened. His eyelids uncovered his orbs, only to reveal the disheartening sight of his milky orbs. Mia let out a sigh as Nathan blinked and frowned.

He let out a sigh as well."Nope. Still can't see a thing... It's been four days! Face it Mia, this is permanent."

The elf could not help but to feel that this was her fault. He tried to help her, which resulted in this. He was too young to lose his sight, and now he would no longer see the beauties of the world. She remembered what he had said when Endy had tried giving him her health potion and how he seemed to talk about himself as if he were inferior to all others. Mia knew that being blind would probably make him think even less of himself than he already did, and make him feel useless. She could not help but to remember how Drake thought of himself as useless and how he wanted death. She did not want Nathan to feel the same and stray to the idea of suicide. She could not lose anymore of her friends. The thought of it made her anxious that she would lose them at any moment. She could not have that.

  "I'm sorry Nathan." She apologized.

The boy shook his head. "Why are you apologizing? You don't need too. This is not your fault. Anything that happens to me is my own fault."

Mia pulled her legs up to her chest, feeling more guilt the more she recalled the event. "If I tried to attack him or get out of his grip, then this would not have had happened!"

Her eyes grew as he laughed. She looked back up to him, her vision blurred from the tears had begun forming in her bright lime green eyes. His lips were perked up, his bright white teeth exposed. He lowered his head, feeling Noble shift and crawl into his lap. He continued to stroke his glowing orange fur, able to touch the spirit as if it were in a body of flesh and bone.

  "You know, all of us blame ourselves for things that aren't our faults. Why do we do that? Allow ourselves to suffer for things that we should just let go of?" He looked back up, blushing and chuckling nervously.

  "Sorry about that! I've just...had a lot of time to think without being able to see. After knowing what Drake put up with...it's hard not to think of those kinds of things." His smile faded.

Armen pushed himself away from the wall, rubbing his arm. If Drake had just let go of him and moved on...would his body not have been taken over by a demon? Would he still be alive and free? He shook his head and tried not to dwell on it. He was going to save Drake. He was going to save him; he had to! Though in the back of his mind, his had doubts that he refused to admit.
He had been having nightmares about Drake since the day of his resurrection, and he was not the only one. Out of all of them, he and Lalea seemed to be suffering from the more severe ones. Lalea would hear Drake's voice call out, but she could never seem to remember what he was saying. Armen on the other hand, saw more profound and detailed images than her. He kept seeing Drake in the nether room, his eyes white, covered in blood and screaming in agony. Then he would see other things, such as the diamonds and the Red keep. He had a plan. He just had to keep reminding himself of it to convince himself that everything would be okay.

He spoke up softly. "We're going to save Drake. He'll be better. We...we just have to wait. He'll be okay."

Nathan once again laughed. "I like that hope that you have, Armen... I wish I knew what you looked like. But Drake was right, you and I do sound a bit a like!"

Armen could not help but to laugh a long. His mood lifted quickly. He crossed his arms back over his chest and smiled with a smug grin. His head tilted slightly as he looked down at the blind teen. A thought came to mind, one that sounded rude but he did not really give it a second thought before the words slipped out from behind his pink lips.

  "Except you sound more feminine."

Nathan immediately blushed in embarrassment, the blush overcoming his entire face. His spine straightened even more, retracting his hand from Nobel's back and placing it on the wood. He leaned slightly almost as if he was going to push himself up and lunge himself at Armen. He knew that Armen was just teasing, but it got to him. Though he kept his laughter bottled up in his lungs.

He defended himself. "I do not sound like a female! Right Mia?"

Mia laughed into her hand. "No, Armen's just exaggerating. Your voice is just light. You still sound like a guy, just young. Don't let it bother you."

Nathan growled and huffed but eventually could no longer hold back his laughter. He laughed for a moment before sucking in a breath and stopping himself. He exhaled, closing his eyes as Noble jumped up, placing his paws on his chest and licking his face. He resumed laughing before the fox stopped, sitting back down on his lap and panting as his tail wagged. He tried to pet Nobel's head, his hand missing a couple times but he eventually placed his palm upon the right place above the familiars head.
It then grew silent. Mia asked if Nathan wanted the bandages back on, but he decided to wait and see how his eyes reacted to bright light first to make sure that it would not hurt. Armen looked over to the door, seeing the faint light seep through the cracks as he listened to the creaking of old wood and the faint sound of the airship propellers. They were in the captain's quarters which was lit up by lanterns and a candle on the desk in the far left corner. The room was cold, but the flames of the candle made it slightly warmer.
He relaxed, relishing the peace. Four years of torture makes you learn to enjoy any second of peace you could get. He wondered what Drake was going through, knowing that while he was alive, Herobrine was torturing him more than he did with him when he was possessed. Herobrine tortured Armen for fun, but he tortured Drake because he needed to to gain a permanent vessel as well as for his own pleasure. That was why Drake broke so quickly; because he was tortured to a greater extent and more frequently.
Armen shook his head and began to walk over to the door. He reached out to the metal knob, pulling up his hood. He looked over his shoulder at the teen and elf, who were looking in his direction, wondering why he was leaving. A smile came to his face as he gazed at his new friends, happy to have them with him and happy that they were there for Drake while he was around. His eyes moved down to look at the floorboards as he sighed and shook his head.

  "I'm going to see how the others are doing and check up on how much further until we get there."

They said nothing further. Armen turned the doorknob and stepped outside, closing the wooden door behind himself. Armen walked out from the captain's quarters, squinting as the light from the setting sun hit his eyes. He gazed at the silhouette of the crag mountains in the distance and the dark clouds that were overhead. The golden glow from the sun peeked over the horizon, covering the badlands in a blanket of the last remaining light and warmth of the day. He could smell the dust from the badlands far below the airship, and despite that they were not in range to smell the aroma of the ocean, it was almost like he could already smell that salty scent.
His attention then rested on the figure standing at the nose of the ship, gazing over the wooden railing. The back of Lalea's cloak swayed in the wind, as well as her bright blue hair now that her hood was down, letting the fading sunlight dance on her stunning lapis locks. She looked down at the landscape below, the orange light also dancing in her eyes. She was relaxed, yet anxiety was beginning to grow the closer they got to their destination. Her eyes closed as she sighed, her arms on the railing as she leaned against it.
Her eyes then shot open as she heard the floorboards creaking behind her, moving to her side. She turned her head as Armen came up beside her, joining her to lean against the wooden rails. He gazed over at the badlands below, thinking up something to say.

  "How are you holding up?"

She sighed and rubbed her arm, giving a halfhearted chuckle. "I'm anxious...worried. I don't know what I'm going to do if you're plan doesn't work out."

  "Well...all we can do right now is hope."

Lalea looked down her ring, watching the dazzling orange sunlight gleam against the gold, diamonds, and moonstone. She kept thinking about what could have been between her and that stubborn hybrid. They could have gone on a few dates, started a life together and been happy with one another.

Armen's voice took her out of her deep thoughts. "Lalea... Thank you for being there for Drake when he needed you. Who knows what could have happened if it weren't for you. I wouldn't be around, Drake would have died in more agony... You made him feel happy, reminded him that had a purpose in living. I know that he was happy with you around."

Lalea sniffed, her eyes beginning to well up with tears. She spoke without lifting her eyes away from the ring that was firmly on her finger. "Your brother was a good man. I found is strange how despite that he was not himself and I only knew him for a few days...I already felt I knew him more than anyone. I felt as if we...were just meant for each other, you know?"

The raven haired remained silent. He nodded, looking back over the railing at the ground below. He remembered when heights like this used to make him nauseous, but after being possessed and floating around as a Nightmare, he was used to heights. His mind wandered, thinking about all of the things he wanted to do once he got his brother back by his side. Fishing, camping, learning magic from him, play sword fighting. Things they used to do as children before all of this madness came about, as well as additionally learning magic.
Armen was jolted away from his thoughts as a male voice called out from further behind him. Armen spun around on the balls of his heels, his cyan eyes fixating on the ex-commander manning the wheel to the massive airship. Grayson's red scarf and tattered brown cape flapped him the wind. His blonde hair was waving all over the place, as was Armen's slightly longer raven hair that hit his face in the wind. The widow also wore his grey and black striped sweater to replace the ruined green shirt and jacket he once wore. Apparently he had that sweater with him for a while but did not wear it often. The dragon wrapped behind his neck, his hind on his left shoulder and head resting on the right as the infant reptile slept, his forked tongue occasionally flicking out in it's sleeping state.
Armen smiled and walked all the way over to the wheel, walking slowly up the steps. His hands slipped into his pockets, his skin beginning to get goosebumps. He walked up to Grayson's side, who was holding his compass in one hand and the wheel in the other. The bruises on his face were healing but they were still noticeably purple against his pale complexion. His skin was still pale, but not deathly like it had been at the hatchery.

  "We're finally nearly there. So close yet so far." Grayson said with a smile and a deep breath.

Armen nodded. "I know. Let's just hope that the cultists aren't swarming the place."

Grayson looked over to him. "Right, the cult is beginning to expand. There's no telling where those b***ards could be... Even I never imagined that they would get this powerful."

  "Trust me, the cult knows more than we think. They are definitely powerful, especially with Drake's possessed body with them to help. They know a lot about him...it's terrible to think people would actually worship that devil."

  "Yeah...sick b***ards... I just wish I knew what went through their heads..."

The fell silent, not speaking to one another for a few moments as they tried to think of what other conversations they could have. Grayson's emerald eyes scanned his friend, seeing the black had not spread across his body too much the past four days. It only rose up his legs by less than an inch. He turned his head, looking back down at his compass, then back ahead. He squinted as he stared at the light of the sunset, the glowing sun not low enough for the mountains to cover it up.

Armen spoke up. "You feeling anxious about this?"

Grayson laughed. "Of course! I mean, we could get Drake back if what you told us is true, but then if this doesn't work..." His voice trailed away.

He looked back to the younger male beside him. He changed the subject. "So how's your...Nightmare half been? Has it been hurting you or getting worse?"

The boy scratched the back of his neck, his fingers digging past his longer black hair. He looked over his arms and legs, shaking his head and replying that he felt okay and that his Nightmare half had not spread further up his body to much. Half of his face was a bit darker, like it would progressively turn more Nightmarish in time.

Armen shook his head. "Not really. I've been fine."

The corners of the blonde's lips perked up. He looked back down at the compass in his hand while simply replying 'good'. He had been very concerned about his friends after losing Drake. One could say that he was beginning to become a bit over protective, but who could blame him? He blamed himself for the deaths of his family and two of his best friends. Of course he was going to do anything to protect the friends he had left. Another moment of silence fell between them, once again allowing their thoughts to consume their minds.

  "So are you going to change that little guy's name or..?" Armen gestured to the small sleeping dragon of Grayson's shoulders.

Grayson looked down at it for a moment. "I suppose...I can't really think of anything original through."

Armen laughed and agreed, remembering Grayson telling him about Slimey the other day. He was not really the best with originality, but he assured him that he would think of a good new name eventually. Grayson looked back ahead of himself at the crag mountains in the distance. He looked at Lalea who still stood at the front of the ship, then began to wonder how the others were doing. When he asked, Armen shrugged and replied that Mia and Nathan were fine, happy even.

  "Hey, could you go check up on everything below deck? I'm worried."

Now that he was paying attention to it, he did see Grayson shivering, not from the present chill in the air, but from anxiety and stress.

Armen nodded. "Alright. And don't let yourself get too worried or stress like you have been. Everything is going to be okay. Got it?"

Grayson adjusted one hand on the wheel, red rising in his face. He nervously chuckled, tilting his head and closing his eyes. He gave a smile with his white teeth showing. "I'll try...I guess."

Armen laughed before turning around and going to the entrance to the lower deck. He shut the door behind himself, feeling warmth against his skin. He turned around, looking down the small stairwell that was lit by torches against the wall. He pulled down his hood then began to descend down, the steps creaking and squeaking beneath his brown boots. When he finally reached the door, he did not even bother knocking before reaching out his arm and turning the knob with his gloved hand.
He pushed the door to reveal the large room that his comrades were in. Immediately, his eyes rested on his friends. Endy and Jane were sitting on the floor, Endy's legs crossed with a smile on her face. She giggled as she played with the young girl, a poppet in her hand like the one that Jane was also in possession of. They were not magically bound to anyone or anything, making the poppets simple, harmless rag dolls. They also played with a few mini figurines made of wood that they had taken from the hatchery, that oddly enough had no magic purpose whatsoever. The two girls were smiling and laughing, having fun together in their little land of childish pretend.
Armen's cyan eyes then shifted, his smile lowering. He looked at the bed covered in white sheets disgustingly discolored with a couple fading stains of yellow from sweat and brown that was once crimson. It was not nearly as bad as when Drake had slept in it, since Endy had tried to clean it but some stains refused to lift. Laying in the old bed above the old mattress and underneath the old, nearly withering blanket, was the unconscious ex-imperial spy.

  "Hey guys!" Armen greeted as he stepped into the room, putting his smile back on and closing the door behind himself. "How's it going?"

Endy looked at him with a smile. "It's going alright. Jane and I were playing 'Mages and orcs'"

Armen walked closer, sitting down with them and crossing his legs. His hands reached down and grabbed his toes like an intrigued child. His eyes looked at the wooden figurines, taking in their designs and the craftsmanship of each individual small wooden sculpture. There was one of a Creeper, one of a massive spider, and one of an Enderman. One was carved in the likeness of a squid that appeared cross eyed. Armen giggled at the silly way it looked. He looked at what Jane held in her clutched hands, looking at the human shaped poppet and a wooden figurine that was carved to resemble, as the name of their game suggested, an orc.

  "'Mages and orcs', huh? Don't orcs get their magic from their surrounding environment? At least, I think I read that in Drake's book."

Endy nodded and replied, "Yeah, so the trick is to not get too close to one, otherwise they could possibly drain your magic or just kill you with their own."

Taking the distraction to her advantage, Jane grabbed the squid figurine and tossed it at Endy with a purposely weak throw. "Squid spell! Now squids are falling from the sky!"

Both Endy and Armen smiled and tried not to laugh. She had such a wide imagination as a child should have, and they wanted to preserve that imagination and as much of her innocence as they could. After everything that the little girl had been through and seen, who knew how long it would last. Armen reached down and grabbed the small wooden creeper, deciding to join in on the fun.

  "Oh no! It's a creeper! It's going to explode!"

He made an explosion sound with his mouth, tossing the toy up into the air but not too high. Jane laughed, tossing her toys up and tossed her toys up just a bit as she fell back and playfully cried out. The wooden figurines collided to the floorboards with multiple loud bangs as they all laughed along with one another.
Armen opened his eyes, his laughter growing quieter until it faded into silence. He looked at Xavier's unconscious body, his smile fading away. Xavier's skin was more pale than it had been at the hatchery, and his chestnut hair was beginning to lose it's bright coloration and slightly blonde highlights from the lack of sunlight. He had been in a deep sleep since they had left the hatchery and had not awakened as far as Armen was aware. He had fevers on and off again, much like Drake had when he had slipped into a coma twice. To avoid further possibility of having him die on them, they had to force feed him and force water down his throat. When Endy was struggling with the task, Grayson or Mia would often do it instead since they had experience with it after Drake fell into his comatose state.
It was a surprise to see how abysmally Grayson was handling the situation. Just as Endy had feared, Grayson blamed himself for Xavier's vegetive state and had another emotional breakdown. The weight of his past mistakes and everything wrong that was going on in his life seemed to finally give out and crash down on him. He cracked to say the least, broken but not quite shattered. It is astonishing to see how much the mind can handle and bare before one finally mentally and emotionally broke down and destroyed themselves.

  "Has he woken up at all?" Armen finally asked, hating to break the joyful mood.

Endy looked over at Xavier, then looked back down at the floorboards as she set down the doll in her hand. "Unfortunately, no. He hasn't... but his fever is gone, so that's good."

Armen sighed. "Yeah... I wanted to meet him properly. He seems like a fun guy."

Endy giggled and blushed. "Yeah. It sucks that this happened right after he showed me how he really felt. I didn't even get the chance to tell him that I feel the same way."

Armen could feel her aura, as she and Lalea had taught him how to do so, yet he still struggled with it at times but he was positive of what he felt emitting from her body. Her aura showed her sorrow and how filled with worry she was. He looked over to Jane, who was feeling the same deep emotions. He sighed, feeling bad for the child. He hated that she had to deal with all of this, losing her mother, nearly losing her father, and seeing things that no child should have to deal with.
The adults were not the only ones struggling with all of the loss and post traumatic stress. Jane had been struggling with sleeping, often having nightmares when she did. She tried cuddling up to her dad, but in his condition it was not as comforting as it once was now that he would not hug her back or stay up with her to soothe her distress. She was thankful to have Endy to comfort her when he could not. She seemed to be becoming more shy and less responsive to others at times, but everyone was helping out with making things better for her. Other than Endy, Armen was trying to help her out the most. He did not want her to end up like himself, or Drake or Collin; their childhoods stripped away from the pressure of events and the world.

He looked back to Endy and spoke. "Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure that he'll wake up soon and you can tell him everything."

Endy smiled, still fighting back tears. "Thank you, Armen...You're right. I'm sure that everything will be okay."

She looked back down at Jane, who looked to be thinking back on memories and distant from reality. The female Mage wiped her eyes and put on a smile as she picked up the poppet she held earlier. She snapped Jane back to the present, continuing on with playing and starting a new game with the dolls and figurines. Armen joined in as they fantasized about monsters fighting magi and the occasional magic lesson from Endy to Armen as she explained spells using her rag doll.
After awhile, there was a light knock against the door which grabbed their attention. Their backs straightened as they faced the door, watching as it inched open and listened to it squeak on it's rusty golden hinges. Grayson peaked his head through the doorway, casting his gaze to the three that sat on the floor. He smiled, his emerald eyes gleaming with light from the lanterns and candle flames in the room. He pushed the door fully open and stepped into the room. He continued to tremble slightly, heavy bags beneath his eyes from stress and lack of good sleep from the past few days.

  "Hey guys. Is everything okay?" He asked.

His gaze drifted to where Xavier slept, his lips lowering into a frown. "I'm guessing that Xavier still hasn't woken up."

Armen looked over to the spy, then back over to Grayson. "Yeah, we're doing fine. As for Xavier...he's still unconscious."

Grayson sighed, disappointed to hear those words despite that he had expected the response. "Great." He mumbled. "...Well, at any rate, we are here."

Then there was a sudden loud blast that mimicked a raging thunderstorm as the floor and walls began to tremor. Armen stood, he and Grayson stumbling on their feet and trying to keep their balance. They gasped and looked around the room until the airship ceased to rock slightly back and forth. It did not take long for the movement to stop, but it felt like too violent of a hit to just be the airship landing. The dragon on Grayson's shoulders was snapped awake, it's wings flailing wildly and tangled in Grayson's blonde locks. It screeched and let out a breathe of purple flame.
Once everything settled, there was a moment of quiet as their hearts thumped with fear. Grayson pried the reptile of of him, it's talons scratching at his body until he got it to calm down. Jane went to Endy and clung to her tightly. Endy wrapped her arms around the little girl, looking over to the men whose smiles had disappeared.

  "What's going on?!"

Grayson did not answer right away. He stared blankly at the floorboards as memories ran through his mind, recalling when their previous airship had been attacked and brought down by mercenaries. They were all alive then...terrified, but everyone was alive. He blinked and shook his head until he successfully pushed the memories to the back of his head.

He looked up the staircase and replied, "I don't know, but we can't wait here to find out."

He spun around and scampered up the steps, attempting not to trip over. Armen looked over to Endy and Jane, asking the adult if she would come along. She shook her head, her hand running through Jane's hair.

  "I'm going to stay here with Jane and Xav' for now. You guys go see what's going on. Hurry."

The boy nodded before turning sharply and bolting up the short stairwell. Once Grayson reached the top, he pushed the door opened, dashing a few feet away from the doorway before he stopped in his tracks. The airship was settled upon the ground just as he had left it. His eyes rested on the scenery before him before his mind once again began to focus on the task at hand.
The wind blew against them from the south, strengthening the aroma coming from the salty ocean that crashed against the bottom of the mountain. The sun was continuing to set over the horizon, casting rays of bright orange light upon the land that it could touch, the sky glowing in warm, soothing colors. The mountains in front of them prevented the sunlight from hitting them and the airship. There were clouds to the north, northwest, and northeast, many of which appeared to dark stratus clouds.
His head spun as he heard Mia and Nathan emerge from the captains quarters in a panic. Mia held Nathan by his sleeve, dragging him since he was now too slow with only that cane to guide him. He blinked and flinched but the pain caused by the sunlight was quick to fade. Armen ran up behind Grayson, running into him. The dragon spread its wings, hitting Grayson in the face in the process, and lifted itself into the air but stayed close to his master.

  "What was that?!" Mia called out.

Before anyone could respond, there was another crash against the side of the ship. Lalea ran over to the body, sweat beating on her forehead. Her quivering lips moved to speak, but she could not anything out before another blast collided with their ship. Green flame exploded against the railings that were close to them, causing the wood to snap and burn in the green flames that flicked until they became a bright orange and yellow.  Grayson eyes grew as he saw another orb coming their way.

  "Get back!" He called out, grabbing Armen by the hood and pulling him back the blast went past them.

It collided with the floor next to the railings on the other side of the deck. It exploded, blasting away wood and exposing the room below. They gasped as the flames rose, gnawing and charring the wood. Lalea ran to it, using water magic to quickly extinguish the burning fire. There were sounds of screaming that sounded more like someone shouting out a warning. They all spun around, running over to the railings that were yet to go up in flames.
Their eyes scanned the area until they rested upon a figure in black and red armor. His green eyes almost seemed to glow beneath his helmet that covered his face. A snarl rose in the back of his throat that shifted into laughter. More men began to emerge behind him, most with close combat weapons, one with a staff, and others who seemed to be normal magi.

  "Cultists." Armen growled, his tongue clicking as he spoke that single word.

Grayson drew his sword, listening to it grind against the scabbard. He felt it shaking in his hand, staring down at the vile humans that were preparing for another attack that they seemed to be purposefully delaying. They were up to something. Armen drew his own blade, his heart pumping fast as he anxiously waited for the cult members to make their next move.
Grayson turned to look at Mia and Nathan, watching as the elf unsheathed her blade. The auburn haired asked what was going on, beginning to panic. Mia told him that they were under attack. He swallowed a lump in his throat, holding onto his pendant. Noble could help him fight in his vulnerable state. He could still make use of himself, or at least he thought that until he heard Grayson's orders.

  "Mia, take Nathan below deck! He might not get hurt as long as he's down there. Come back once he's safe."

Nathan gasped as he felt Mia tug at his arm, trying to lead him to the door to go below deck. He stood firmly in place, yanking his arm out of the young elf's grasp.

He was a stubborn one, like most teenagers. "No! I can help in some way! I have Noble! He can-"

Grayson cut him off, his already beginning to turn a shade of red from anger. "I said get below deck! Now!"

The boy did not have to see his face to know that he was beginning to get p***ed with his short temper. The tone in his voice was the only proof he needed, and he was smart enough to know that when Grayson was mad, you need to back off and obey his command. He let out a heavy breath, turning to face the door that he could not see. Mia grabbed his arm again, pulling him to lead him to where Endy and the other two were.
They ducked down as another magic blast cast from the staff weirder came flying towards them. It hit the ships floorboards, sending burning wood and splinters flying in all directions. They shielded their faces to protect themselves from the flying debris, feeling the heat graze their bodies. Lalea growled, turning back to face the cultists below who began to approach their craft. She screamed as she held out both of her arms and fired blue magic energy at them.
As she did so, making the magi cultists stop in their tracks to put up defensive magic shields, Grayson grabbed the rope ladder and tossed it over the side. He grabbed onto it, sliding down until he was on the dry soil. The rope would have burned his hands if not for his gloves. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he spun around and let out a cry as he held his sword up in front of his body and charged.
Armen came down next, listening to the multiple blast of magic that the cultists sent out. They collided with the airship, blasting holes into the wood as they attempted to strike him, Grayson, and Lalea above. As the blast hit the aircraft, the wood slowly began to ignite in flames.
He pulled on his sword and prepared himself to use his magic abilities. He took in a deep breath and charged into battle. He gripped the handle to his blade tightly, remembering his fight with Herobrine. If he could survive facing head on with that devil, then he could survive this. But Herobrine was playing with him back then, like how a cat plays with a mouse before going in for the kill. This was a battle against human beings who had only the intent the slaughter.
He screamed as he dashed to the enemy, swinging his blade to closest man he could get to. The cultist held up his own blade made of strong red metal, their blades clashing together with such force that they set off a flurry of orange sparks. As they stood there trying to hold the other off, the cult member tilted his head, laughter emitting from beneath his red and black gladiator styled helmet. Armen could see his green eyes dilated with pleasure.

  "You..." His muffled deep voice snickered. "You're master's old vessel, aren't you?"

Armen ignored the question, willing up enough strength to push him back. The cult member jumped back, letting his repressed laughter breach from his throat. He held out his hand, a magic seal forming in light in front of it. Green magic chairs shot out from his palm, wrapping themselves around Armen's wrists and ankles. He struggled but he was bound in place.

The cult member continued. "What is that darkness consuming your physical form? I can sense that something about you is not right...you're not completely alive. You're skin...is it cold?... Does your heart beat?"

He was right. Armen's skin was as cold as ice but he always blew it off to his friends as just the temperature of the weather affecting him. He watched his breath rise in front of his face, then at the man before him and Grayson who was fighting like the true warrior he was. Cold. It was cold...yet he felt nothing. It did not affect him like others. It was nothing to him. Like a walking corpse, his skin was like snow and yet his heart was still beating but it was slow.
The pale of his skin had a tint of blue as blood ran slowly through him. The speed at which his heart pumped blood was unnatural. It was slow enough that a normal human would have died. Yet he was still standing and breathing but he did not need as much oxygen as a normal human. He was not normal, nor completely human.

He snarled and shook his head, continuing to struggle against his magic restraints. "Shut up! At least I have a heart!"

His cyan eyes grew wide as green electricity ran down the chains. He gasped until the electricity reached his wrists and ankles, shocking him like a bolt of lightning. He screamed, the hairs on his body standing up as the magic shocked, almost able to smell his own burning flesh. He gasped and panted once it stopped, slowly cracking his eyes open to find out why his foe had ceased his attack. The chains around his wrists and ankles vanished, the cultist arm falling limp.
Grayson withdrew his blade from the man's back, letting his corpse fall limp to the ground. His stared at his friend, wanting to help him up, but then there was a sharp pain in his back. He screamed and spun around as he swung his sword, but his sharp blade sliced through nothing but cold air. Armen screamed as a slash of red suddenly appeared across his chest, red soaking into his new white shirt.
The speeding blur that attacked them stopped, the cultist standing there with his blade dripping with their blood.
He lifted up his other arm and screamed, the ground beginning to shake. Everyone held their ears as the screaming grew louder until their ears popped and rung. Sound magic. Grayson and Armen fell to their knees, desperate for the noise to stop before their heads exploded. The dragon flew up into the air, squealing in pain. To their luck, Lalea finally uncovered her ears and fire one more blast of energy. It struck the cultist with enough force to make him stop his attack and collapse to the ground.
Grayson tightened his grip on his blade handle, swiftly getting back up to his feet and took the advantage. He charged at the man as he picked himself up, swinging his blade just in time to slice the man's unprotected throat. He choked and fell back down, drowning in his own blood.
Armen stood up, shaking on his legs and his ears continuing to ring. He let his eyes settle on a new opponent who came at him with his blade held high. Armen outstretched his arm, plasma running down his arms and forming an orb in front of his palms. He shot it out just in time before the cultist blade came down. It hit his target, but the man stayed standing.
The man swung his blade, slicing into the flesh of Armen's upper arm and nearly hitting bone. Armen cried out, retracting his limp just in time to keep it from cracking his bone. I was a struggle to move his arm, blood gushing out with each slight movement. Despite the pain raging through his body, he did his ear to remained focused on his battle. He swung his blade with his now injured right arm, agony swarming through his with each millimeter of movement that he made. The cultist held up his sword and deflected Armen's attack, much to the young boy's dismay.
Then once again, his body went stiff, unable to move. He could feel the presence of another person's magic wrap around his being. He looked at the cultist, who began to laugh, his helmet covering his eyes but it did not cover his mouth or chin which allowed Armen to look at his sharp, yellow covered teeth.

  "Immobilization spell. Very handy in battle."

The man lifted up his sword and dashed at the new Mage. Armen closed his eyes, beginning to feel heavy. He felt as if he was sinking into the ground. Then, his body turned completely black and sunk into the shadows being cast upon the dry soil. The cultist swung his blade, gasping as it slice through nothing but cold air. Armen reemerged from the shadows, quickly taking a swing at the armors weak point before the man could turn around and strike him. The man screamed as Armen's white blade traveled through his back and out of his abdomen, burning his insides as if they had been lit ablaze. White light and blood poured out of his wound before Armen pulled back and let the man bleed out upon the ground.
He hissed and looked down at his legs, seeing his clothing getting darker as the corruption slowly spread. It was painful feeling it rise, like fire eating as his legs and venom traveling up his veins and arteries. He shook it off, preferring to ignore the pain. This was the cost of getting back his; facing death and corruption. He would rather turn back into a monster than let his friend suffer.

  Don't worry, Drake. We'll save you.

Grayson parried an attack, his feet getting pushed back in the dry soil as his attackers jagged red blade slammed into his own. The blonde was already breathing heavily, staring into his opponents brown eyes shrouded in shadows. Where did they get these weapons and armor? Did the cultists soldiers have them all along? Well, on the bright side, the armor was not made of flesh.
The cult member ignited his left hand in golden flame as he held Grayson at bay with his sword held in the other. Grayson tried to jump back and avoid the attack, but he was too late. The cultist swung his fist with force. Only by lucky change did the punch not loosen any of Grayson's teeth or cause them to fly out of his gums. Yet the flames burned hot, singing his beard until a part of it was burned away. His skin turned red, tingling with burning pain. The man laughed as Grayson fell to his knees, putting his hand on his cheek to extinguish the flames that were already snuffed. The man in armor rose his blade above his head, swinging it down to end the ex-commander's life.
Before he could land a clean strike, he got what he deserved. The dragon spat from his mouth, sending a steam of flame towards him. The cultist had no time to react or to flee before his face was hit by scorching fire. He screamed as the flames were beneath his helmet, burning his skin and hair and eyes. Taking the distraction to his advantage, Armen snuck up behind him and thrusted his sword into the back of the man's neck.
He chocked until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he went limp. Armen withdrew his blade, letting the corpse collapse onto the ground and bleed. The dragon landed next to Grayson, nudging him until he chuckled, rubbing his head as he stood.

  "Thanks guys." He thanked Armen and the little dragon that purred as he pet it.

Armen tried not to laugh at the red, bald spot of the older man's cheek. "Nice shave!"

Grayson hissed. "Shut up."

Suddenly, they both felt weightless. They were lifted off of the ground, a purple and red aura surrounding their bodies. They tried to struggle as they levitated, but found that they were unable to move. They were lifted up about eight feet above the ground, suspended in the magic aura that engulfed them like constructing rope tied around their bodies. Even the dragon was trapped within the spell.
The cultist Mage with the staff was all that was left. He held up his staff, the orb on top glowing in purple and red light. He chuckled, removing his helmet to let his black and red highlighted hair fall down. He moved his fingers closer to one another, his sinister smile growing. Grayson, Armen, and even the dragon began to struggle to breath. It felt like their throats were being constricted, like someone's hands tightening around their necks. They gasped and chocked, the two human men attempting to scream, but no sound escaped from their aching lungs.
...

The suffocating dark smoke filled the confined room. The ship shook as it was hit by magic blast on the exterior walls. Some areas of the walls had holes blown into the wood, cracking and becoming charred as the wood planks burned in magic fire. The outside battle continued to rage on, slowly destroying the aircraft in the process. Everyone inside was beginning to panic, knowing that they could not stay there much longer.
The unconscious spy's eyes began to twitch, slowly beginning to hear the distant sound of shouting and mild explosions. His fingers clawed at the the soft, cushiony material beneath his heavy body. He felt mildly warm, or at least everything below his face did. He groaned as his eyes fluttered open, his stomach growling and his fingers, feet, and back tingling from not moving for so long. He blinked a few times until his eyes adjusted to the dim light.
His head turned, hair falling over his face, but his arm felt too weak to lift it up and move his chestnut colored hair away from his eyes. Still he was able to see, the sounds beginning to grow louder as the ringing in his ears began to fade. His eyes rested on three of his friends and his own daughter, who all seemed to be shouting at each other. He could see light pouring in from holes in the wooden room, the holes charred black around the trims and lined with orange embers.

  "We have to go, now!"

  "Grayson told us to stay down here!"

  "Yeah, and look how that's turning out! If we don't get out of here, we are as good as dead anyway. I'd rather help them then be a coward any longer!"

  "You're blind, you idiot! You'll be dead in a few seconds!"

He watched from his bed as Endy, Mia, and Nathan shouted at one another as they debated what to do. He opened his mouth to talk, but it was dry, as well as his throat, and his lips were chapped. How long was he out? Where were they? What was going on? It did not take too long for him to begin coughing, which caught the others attention.

They spun around, Endy letting out the loudest gasp as her eyes lit up. "Xavier!"

She ran up to his side, pulling Jane behind her. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him so tightly that his spine popped. He cringed and tried to breathe as she unintentionally pushed down on his chest while hugging him in her death grip. It was somewhat of a relief when she let him go, through he wished that she would have loosened her grip instead of pulling away entirely. His eyes grew wide when she placed a quick kiss on his lips.

She kept her hands on his shoulders, a wide smile on her face as she stared at him with wide, tearing up eyes. "I'm so glad that you're awake! Are you okay?"

He smiled and tried to speak, but his voice was quite with his dry throat. "Y-yeah, I'm fine las. How about you guys? Wh-what's going on?"

He tried to stand but only fell back down onto the mattress. His numb body refused to move as much as he wished that it would. Endy tried to tell him that he should not move much and needed rest, they all knew that rest was the last thing that they would be getting at that moment. Jane ran yo to him, putting her knees on the bed as she squeezed him in an embrace. At least her grip was not nearly as tight as Endy's. Xavier quickly hugged her back as he listened to her beginning to cry.

He ran his hand through his hair, letting her barrow her head into his neck. "It's okay sweetie. I'm okay."

  "I missed you. A-are you feeling better now you've had a long nap?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. I'm feeling better, sweetie. Just a bit weak, that's all."

Nathan spoke, despite already knowing the answer to his own question. "He's awake?"

Xavier turned and looked at him, with Endy finally helping him sit up. His head spun for a moment with a slight headache but he knew that it could have been a lot worse. He looked at the boy standing up, flinching in surprise at the sight of Nathan's cloudy eyes and he stared blankly ahead of himself. He was still blind?

  "I'm up! How long have I been out? What's going on?" He said, looking out of the holes blown within the wood.

He looked at the barren landscape, catching occasionally glimpses of movement on the other side. He could see the different colors in the dark where the mountains blocked the sunlight, leaving them in cold shadows. They could all hear the familiar sounds of clashing swords and screams.

  "You've been unconscious for four days. We have a plan to help Drake, but we were ambushed by cultists."

She was cut off by loud cracking a splinters that fell from the ceiling. That was it. They needed to get out of there before the flames on the outside began to hot and caused the room to collapse. He tried to stand but fell over onto Endy. She stayed on her feet, helping him stay up. He coughed from his dry throat and inhaling smoke.

  "It doesn't matter what Grayson said, because I'm pretty sure that he said that before this place was beginning to fill with smoke and giant holes in the walls. Nathan is right. We must get out of here before the flames make this place cave in."

He tried to run to the door, but almost immediately collapsed. Endy was there to gab him by the arm and pull him back against her body to keep him standing upright. They all looked around, realizing that he was right. It was too much of a risk to their lives if they stayed.
Finally, they all rushed to the door, trying not to cram themselves in the long narrow space. Once they reached the top, they all gasped and took in breaths of moderately fresh air. They turned to the right of the craft where the battles below were taking place. Lalea now stood at the bottom of the rope ladder, surrounded by bodies of the cultists that attempted to board the airship.

  "Lalea! Are you okay?" Mia called out.

The girl with lapis hair looked up, smiling to see that Xavier was awake and well. "I'm fine! But I'm out of mana."

They looked around to spot the rest of the cultists, but they only spotted one and a scene of near horror. Grayson, Armen, and the four day old dragon levitating up in the air. The humans trapped in the spell were slowly having the life chocked out of them. The human's faces were turning red, saliva running from their mouths as they tried to take in deep breaths of air were unsuccessful on each attempt. They tried to kick and squirm but movement was impossible as gravity pushed against them on all sides, not allowing them to move.
Jane held onto Xavier's leg and dug her face into his side so that she would not have to see the dead bodies scattered across the ground. Mia calls out Grayson's and Armen's names, preparing to climb down the rope ladder and help her comrades, hoping that she would not be too late. She readied her bow, preparing to pull out an arrow from the holder on her back.
The cultist laughed, clutching his fist to make the pressure around the boys necks even tighter. They were already beginning to see spots as they slipped close to the verge of passing out.
Nathan focused in on the ear piercing sound of the maniacs laughter. Almost instinctively, he reached down and drew his white and golden pistol that still gleamed as brightly as the day that Grayson had taken it from the imperial scientist. Two bullets left, one more target. He wondered how long it would be before he found more ammo, and more importantly, how would he use his last shot after this?
Despite being blind, his hearing now exceed the normal hearing of a person with full sight. He could hear the laughter, the gasps from this friends, the fire crackling behind them. He took in a deep breath, his hand that once trembled when holding this weapon now completely still in his grasp. He focused on the origin of the sound of laughter, pulled down the hammer as he aimed and hesitantly fired a round.
The bullet missed Mia as she ran, stopping as the eardrum popping sound echoed painfully within the cool air. It went past the two boys and the dragon struggling for breath, and struck the scepter of the cult Mage. The glass shattered as the bullet hit the sphere on top, letting its bright magic pour out and fade into the air. Grayson, Armen and the dragon fell back down to the earth, coughing and hacking and gasping. The blood rushed to their heads, making them dizzy. They were filled with relief that they could once again breathe.
Mia put her bow back on her back and ran up to the boy's as they got onto their knees and coughed. Even the dragon was whining and gasping and coughing out flames as smoke rose from its nostrils. He let his body fall to the ground, whimpering as he let out quick, heavy breaths. Grayson picked him up and put him gently into his backpack.

  "I'm sorry that you had to go through that little guy."

Armen stood up, holding his neck as he took in sharp gasps. His eyes darted over to the cultist who had barely avoided taking a bullet to the head. It had grazed the side of his scalp and had wounded his ear. His knees were bent, eyes closed and head down as he hissed in pain. His hand lifted up to see blood staining his black glove.
Just as he looked back up, Armen charred and pushed him to the ground. He stomped on the mans armor protected chest, whipping it up to place the tip against the cultist's unguarded neck. Armen growled as he stood over him, hearing the man he had pinned down beginning to giggle.

  "Lord Herobrine's former vessel! Tell me, what was it like to be with the master in such a way so for long? To be like a god in that time?"

Armen did not answer and simply growled louder in response. He did not want to remember those days of being a puppet. Those memories were too painful. His brows lowered.

  "I have a question for you. Why do you worship such a monster? I mean, his name is literally heroic salt! What kind of a god has a name like that?"

The cultist laughed. "It is not his name bestowed to him by heaven. It is the name that us mortals have given him. He is our hero, our redeemer of sin. He has the name brine, for his is the God of barren lands, where no food shall grow on dry, salted grounds."

Armen froze from his next words. "There's nothing you can do to stop Him! And you know that. Gods can not be killed."

Armen leaned in closer. "He is no god, just the devil who has turned you into a monster. I pity you."

With that, he pushed the blade all the way into his neck. A bright white light leaked from where Armen inserted his blade. The light shines in his throat, visible from his open mouth and even his nostrils. Armen stood back up and straightened his back as he listened to the cultists chock before his life slipped away, dying with his now milky eyes wide open. He pulled out his blade, and spun around to look at his friends.
Lalea had left the airship and was running to join them, but Endy and Jane stayed with Xavier, who was helping Nathan get down the rope. Well, really he was just standing there on deck, directing him when he could not get his footing or hand placement on the rope correct. He was doing fairly well, at least until Nathan missed where to put his foot and fell to the ground but the fall was not too high as injure him severely. Xavier couldn't help but to laugh at him.

Nathan growled as he picked himself, rubbing the back of his aching head. "Hey, I'm blind but I can still hear!"

Xavier tried to stop laughing, waiting for it to slow fade. "My apologies lad, but it's been awhile since I've laughed like that."

The auburn haired dusted himself off. "If I smack you upside the head, do you think you'll go back into a coma?"

  "Hey! At least I still have all of my fingers!" Xavier knew that Nathan would not actual hit him, it was just new for him to hear the boy make such a statement. He felt kind of bad for the second thing that came out of his mouth.

The younger male chuckled and rolled his cloudy eyes at Xavier. "Oh yeah, thanks for the reminder." He said with sarcasm. "No, I wouldn't hit you even if you can be a bit annoying. You're my friend, almost like family at this point."

They were all like family to him, a family that he never got to have. Unlike in his childhood, he felt that the people around him, his friends, truly cared about despite that he was once an enemy. He just wished that Drake and Luke were still around. He missed them, especially Drake.

Endy rolled her eyes and tapped her foot. "Could you boys quit bickering and get moving?! In case you haven't noticed, the freaking airship is on fire!"

Nathan shook his head. "Right! Now hurry up and get down here."

He pulled out the long stick that was in his belt and tapped it against the ground to know where he was going. Xavier climbed down a bit more before jumping down and landing on his feet. Endy jumped, her heart racing in panic. Every time he did something stupid like that, it always got to her. She could swear that some day this man would give her a heart attack for some stupid thing that he'll do one of these days.
They all climbed down, with everyone besides Nathan running up and crowding around Grayson and Armen, frantically trying to figure out if everyone was okay.

Grayson nodded and smiled. "I'm fine. We're okay, right Armen?" He said, turning to Armen as he continued to cough.

Armen looked up at the mountains, the breeze brushing his messy hair away from his face. He looked up at the base to the mountain, his eyes resting on the small structures above it. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, his heart racing to be here. The temples; Drake's old home.

  "Yeah...I'm okay. So...we're finally here?"

Grayson looked up, remembering the times that he was here. When he had first reunited with Drake and let him spend the night in his guest room, when Drake tended to his wounds a few weeks ago and made their plans to save hatch the dragon egg. The place was so beautiful, and while he did not like to admit it, he envied that Drake had lived in such a fascinating place with a view of the calming ocean. Some of the only downsides was the lack of glass on the windows that made it easier to plunge to your death and how numbingly cold it became during night hours. And the diamond...

He let out a heavy breath to ease the pressure filling his chest. "Yep. We're here."

Xavier, whom was still not entirely caught up with everything that was going on, inquired, "Where exactly is "here"?"

Grayson looked over his shoulder and let his eyes rest on the man, a smile showing the dimples on his blushed cheeks. "Drake's house."

He turned back forward and started walking, heading over to the steps that would lead them to the top. As the approached, a doorway structure greeted them. Lalea was the first to approach the stone archway, slowly extending out one hand to stoke it. Her palm and fingers pressed against the cold stone, stroking the carvings embedded into the natural bluish grey material. She took in the texture, smiling but it was weak. It reminded her of the hatchery. It was definitely something that seemed like Drake's style. She barely noticed that her eyes were welling up.

Endy, who stood to her left, was the first to notice. "Lalea, are you okay?"

Lalea sniffed and turned to her, one arm lifting up to wipe away the forming tears and the other freezing halfway from pulling up her hood. She missed Drake so much, and despite the fact that Armen claimed he could possibly save him, Drake was still dead. With that fact in mind, she tried not to get her hopes up just in case they would collapse on her. Even if it meant feeling depressed and lost.

  "I'm fine, Endy. I just..." She trailed off.

Endy went to pat her shoulder once she lowered her arms enough. "It's alright. Just hang in there."

She wanted to assure her friend that Drake would be okay, but her tongue tied into a not. She could not say something that she was not positive about.
They went to the spiral staircase that wrapped around the mountain like a serpent around a tree branch. They let their eyes rest upon the sea, the calming water glittering with orange and yellow light from the golden glow of the sunset. The waves crashed and lapped against the mountain side, humming in their ears. It was a dreamy scene that seemed to lift the pressure off of their shoulders.
It was cold, and growing colder as the sun slowly disappeared behind the horizon. Yet they were thankful for the fact that it was warmer than it had been up north.
They ascended up the steps, getting over to where the steps were broken, leaving a hole that made it simple to fall down and painfully hit the rock below. Grayson had fallen there once and exaggerated about having a twisted ankle. He smiled, remembering Slimey and the good times with Drake that he had on that day. His smile faded as depression took hold, but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind. They were going to save Drake. They had to, and he refused to stop trying until he was dead or Drake was free.
Turning the corner to face the edge of the broken steps, they saw a blur of red and black on the others side. Grayson gasped, drawing his blade, pushing his friends back as the cultists jumped over the hole and slammed his blade against Grayson's. Fortunately, Grayson was able to win the brief fight by lunging his blade that the armor failed to cover and pushed his body over the edge so it landed on the rocks, the body's arm dangling over the salt water.

  "Another one...I wonder why they're coming here." The blonde male questioned.

Armen replied, staring down at the corpse below. "I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with him? It's most likely that he knew we were coming here."

There was nothing further said. They continued, each jumping one by one over where the steps had been broken. Xavier held up Jane and held her to his chest before jumping across. He quickly set Jane down, stumbling forward and nearly fell into the ocean if not for Endy grabbing onto the back of the collar on his shirt. Nathan reached out his arm and tapped the ground with the stick he used, hesitant to move when he felt that the ground was gone.

  "Come on, it's alright. I got ya."

Mia reached out her hand, the others moving up a few steps to give him room. The steps were very narrow, which would make it easy for someone to fall with the slightest shove.
Nathan inhaled, moving his stick to the other hand as he reached out his right arm. He bent his knees then jumped, feeling Mia's warm hand wrap around his to ensure that he made it across safely. He stumbled when his feet touched back onto the stone, tripping on the steps but Mia pulled him back to his feet.

He chuckled yet felt embarrassed from needing to be treated as if he were a kid. His pale cheeks turned a shade of pink. "Thanks."

  "It's not a problem."

Once they reached the top, all of the others who had never seen the place before could not help but to feel struck with awe. They stared at the multiple buildings and the overhang over Drake's teleportation circle. Armen could remember this place from when he was a Nightmare and watched over Drake. During those times as a Nightmare, he did not watch over his brother to protect him, but because it was what Nightmares did. Whenever the bloodlust consumed him and his nearly mindless, monstrous self would try to kill Drake, he somehow could never seem to do it. But, the place looked a lot better in person than it did when he was corrupted.

  "Wow." Lalea marveled. "This place is amazing! It's...beautiful."

Jane went over to a fountain filled with bright blue water that glowed almost unnaturally and sparkled. Jane reached out and touched the water, retracting her arm as the cold froze her small fingers.
Grayson walked over to the magic circle, keeping his head turned to look over his shoulder at Jane and Xavier, who stood close beside her.

  "You know," He caught their attention. "Drake once told me that the water here was good for sleeping magic."

Endy walked over to the fountain, looking down at Jane's, Xavier's, and her own reflection that stared back. Sleeping magic? She could not help but to drift to the young six year old. She was well aware about Jane's lack of proper sleep for the past few days. Maybe it could be useful.
She took off her backpack until she found an empty bottle at the bottom that was once filled with the liquid of a health potion. She pulled out the quark and dipped half of the bottle into the water, holding it there until it was full.

  "What are you doing, Endy?" Jane's light voice sung in her ears.

She closed the bottle and carefully placed it back into her backpack. "This could help you go back to sleep if you start having nightmares again."

She hugged Xavier, making him giggle and rub her head. "But I have you and daddy to help!"

Endy tried not to squeal and flail her hands slightly. Her eyes lit up with Jane's heart melting words. She was so adorable!
Grayson began to walk up the steps that lead to Drake's bedroom. Everyone could not help but to glance at the teleportation circle with the overhang above it. Vines that had grown quickly were beginning to block the view of it, but the chalk drawn circle was still visible.
Grayson remained cautious with each corner he turned, his eyes scanning Drake's bedroom for any cultists. Luckily, the room was clear of any foe. He walked around the bed, it's red covers tossed from when Grayson had used it after they were reunited a few weeks ago. The blonde remembered waking up repeatedly by Drake's night terror and staying up with him until his friend drifted back to sleep. He missed being there for Drake and watching over him...he failed to keep him safe.

  "What's this?"

Xavier asked as he stood by the altar draped in a red cloth that sat by the doorway. He poked at the Wither skull and examined the chalice and the single candle.

Lalea answered, examining the Wither skull and chalice. "Well, this is an altar that magi use to collect magic essence from the surroundings and use that magic to help generate more mana. Usually they're used around plant life but the walls of this place seem to already magic embedded within it."

Grayson replied. "Well, Drake said that the walls here had magic already embedded within the stone."

Everyone looked at the walls, as if expecting to see some sort of proof of magical presence within the crag stone. Grayson walked over to the table that had become covered in dust over the time that Drake was away. He immediately pushed the secret button in the wall, listening to the faint click emitting from the other side of the wall. He walked over to an open doorway, looking to his right to see that the secret door had opened up.
Jane tried to mess with the poppets on a table, though Endy kept her from taking anything. She was not going to in the first place, but Endy was cautious with letting her make contact with them considering their usual negative purpose. One by one they went around the corner, each seeming surprised by the hidden door, all except Grayson, Mia, and Armen. Grayson climbed down the ladder first, followed by Mia, Endy, Jane, and Xavier. Armen was beginning to climb down until he stopped to look up at Nathan, who was flush considering that he fell the last time he was on a ladder.

  "You'll be fine. Just stay focused on where you put your hands and feet when you come down."

The ex-mercenary grumbled as he struggled with putting his walking stick back into his belt, trying to adjust it fit in a tight space despite that he could not tell how narrow the space was. He could only really tell by the echo of Armen's when he spoke as it bounced off of close walls.
They each individually climbed down to the bottom with Nathan stumbling when he first tried to walk again. There were many steps in the dark place that they stumbled over, some complaining about how dark it was. They finally came across the windows, looking out of the windows that had a view of the ocean and landscape. Endy commented on the fact that she saw no windows outside, but Grayson informed them that they were one way windows that they could look out of, but people on the other side of the glass could only see stone and surrounding dirt. He remembered Drake telling him that.

  "So... Why are we down here?" Xavier questioned, confused and puzzled at the lack of anything within the slim, cold room that brought goosebumps up his arms.

He continued with a shrug. "There is not anything down here."

Grayson chuckled and gave a smug grin as he went up to the secret door in the wall, somehow remembering where it was although it took a few pats on the wall to be sure. "Or is there?"

He placed his hand against the secret door and pushed it open. They all basked in wonder and let out gasp of amazement, but Grayson quickly noticed the shift of their tone. The went from astonished to surprise and shock. Noticing this, he turned his head and looked into the room, a gasp slipping from his throat. His body seemed to freeze for a moment, taking everything in.
A giant hole had been blown into the wall in front of them, the glass glittering the stone below and some of the wood that was the floor now blown to charred bits. The cold wind rushed in, worsening their dread in the dark. Many of the chests and shelves had been destroyed, leaving artifacts and debris scattered across the room. Their eyes fell to the center of the room, where the square hole that Drake had carved was made. The magic circle below had been smeared, breaking the spell that it had to cast to help hide the sacred diamonds powerful magic signature. The electromagnets were now only shards of metal on the ground below, and the titanium crate that once held the unholy sacred diamond was destroyed, leaving the diamond to be nowhere in sight.
They all slowly entered the room, not able to rip their eyes away from the destruction. It was once so calming in here and somewhat lively, now it was reduced to rubble. Grayson and Armen mainly could not stop staring at the center of the room where the diamond once levitated in its titanium prison. Where was it? What had happened to it?

  "I'm guessing this place isn't supposed to be so...turned to rubble." Xavier exclaimed.

Grayson shook his head and spoke with a soft voice. "You should have seen it before it was turned into rubble like this. It was breathtaking."

Grayson began to shake his head as disbelief rattled his core when he finally looked to where the diamond once was held. "No...no,no,no,no,no,no!"

He walked around until he was directly in the center, on the opposite side of the room to the massive breach in the wall. The sunset beat down on him, his eyes squinting as he tried to fight back tears that slowly formed in his eyes. It was gone. The diamond was gone. How was this possible? Without the diamond...how were they supposed to save Drake now?

Armen stared at the breach, almost unable to think. "The diamond...it's gone. Hero must have taken it after he gained control over Drake's body."

He let his cyan eyes scan the debris scattered on the floor. His eyes grew and he let out a tiny gasp as his eyes settled upon something laying on the ground around a bunch of books and wood and broken latches to a chest. The blue-violet outlined metal object shimmered in the dazzling dim light of the sun. It took him a split moment to take in the shape and texture of the object to allow him to recognize it as a helmet.
He approached it, bending his knees to reach down and pick it up. It was dusty, but smooth and bright. A memory had clicked in his mind. It was not just some ordinary helmet. It was the one that he had worn in Iron mere before jumping into the lava.

Tears began to creep into his eyes. "H-he...he actually kept this...after all of this time."

He held it close to his chest, remembering everything that Drake had done for and sacrificed for him over the years. He bit his lip as he thought of how much pain Drake had gone through because of him, but what could they have done? He closed his eyes, Drake's screams of sorrow and pain ringing through his ears, calling out his name. He clutched the helmet in his grasp, cursing himself for failing in killing that dreaded demon in the first place.

  "He did everything he could for you, Armen. You know how much he cared about you." Grayson said.

The cyan eyed Nightmare hybrid sighed and tried not to let his voice crack. "I know...I just... Why did he have to try and save me in the first place?! He should have just accepted that I was gone!"

  "So if you think that he should have given up on you," Nathan drew his attention towards him. "Then doesn't it mean that Drake probably wants you to give up on him, and yet we're here putting our lives on the line to save him? Drake did what he thought was right, just like you think with saving him."

Armen thought about it, and the kid was definitely right, but it did not make him feel much better.  The others also looked at the items that bestrewed the ground, and a shelf that was high up that remained mostly intact. Only Grayson's fingertips could touch the top shelve with him being the tallest of them all, beside Xavier who was almost the same height. Even then, the tips of his fingers could only scratch at the edge of the shelf. Drake was the only one tall enough to reach it, like he deliberately made it so.
Mia kicked the wall, letting the chalice resting on its side roll until it fell. She was quick with her movement and caught it, having to juggle it just a bit before getting a steady grip on it. The gold and gems glittered, making her lips perk up at the sides as she recalled gifting the chalice to Drake before they had departed through the portals. She remembered the fun day they had spent together after they had reunited.

  "So... What are we going to do now?" She asked, holding the chalice to her chest as she turned to face the others. "I mean, without both of the last two diamonds, what can we really do?"

Grayson avoided eye contact with everyone, continuing to stare at the sunset. Luckily the glow was dim enough that it was not too painful for his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing made it past his chapped lips. He collected saliva in his mouth to moisten his tongue, swallowing it before speaking.
Grayson sat down, letting his legs dangle over the wood. Armen followed suit and did the same. Armen noticed how awfully and unusually quiet he was being, but he kept his mouth shut and listened to the distant, relaxing sound of lapping waves. He turned his head when he heard a sniff, looking at Grayson's cheek that had a small streak of water running down.

  "There isn't really anything that we can do without those diamonds as far as we know. I mean, we have my sword but last time we used it to stab him it did not work out at all. When we destroyed the diamond, we destroyed Armen's body with it, and both of the sacred diamonds could be who knows f***ing where...but it can't end like this! It can't!"

He took in a deep breath, his leg shaking. "I...I don't know. I don't know what to do anymore."

He pulled his legs up to his chest and borrowed his face into his knees, not wanting the others to see him emotionally break down. Lalea sat down next to Armen, not looking up at either of the boys. She kept her gaze on the waters and the sunset, trying to relax her nerves and grief.

  "Don't worry, Grayson. We can't lose hope. I mean, did you not say that it took you and Drake four years to rescue Armen here?"

Grayson sniffed and looked back up. "Yeah. I know. I'm just not used to feeling so...clueless. I feel lost and..." He huffed. "I just want Drake back."

Armen broke the short silence. "We can get through this, Grayson. All of us can. We just have to stay hopeful and loyal to our friend in need. We'll get him back, no matter where we have to go, or what we have to face. We can not just give up. We have to keep going until Drake, and quite possibly this world, is finally at peace."

The blonde chuckled, his spirits lifting to a degree. The dragon perched on his shoulder, licking his tears with his skin forked tongue. He chuckled and gently pushed the reptile's head away to get it's warm, fish odor scented breath out of his face. He turned back to Armen, now smiling as the younger male giggled.

  "I know Armen. I'm sorry that I abandoned you while you were possessed. I didn't bat an eye until Drake told me that he planned to save you. I'm sorry. I won't make the same mistake again with Drake."

Armen smiled and looked back out to the nearly still waters and setting sun. "It's okay. Don't let it bother you. So...what do you plan on doing with the dragon? Hmm?"

Grayson looked back over to the dragon, who was crawling around his shoulders and back, occasionally crawling onto his head. He laughed at its joy and how it's talons both tickled and hurt simultaneously. Finally he just grabbed the dragon, crossing his legs and setting him in his lap.

  "I don't know... Well, I had one idea but it's pretty out there. It just thought about it before I knew that we wouldn't be getting Drake back any time soon." He pet the dragon's scale covered head.

Mia sat down by Lalea and put the chalice in her lap, taking a seat around the corner so she had view of everyone. "Come on, tell us! I think I'm going to go back to archeology. Who knows, I could find something about the diamond or Herobrine or maybe even something that could help us save Drake!"

His smile grew, and he looked away. He inhaled, his smile disappearing. "Well, now that the empire doesn't have an emperor I was thinking about...taking the throne myself. Of course, I'll probably need to wait until this little guy here is strong and big enough just to make sure that the citizens will not still try to execute me but...yeah. I want to go with my original plan; make the empire fall to it's knees."

Xavier came in. "Well, the empire just might have a new emperor by then, but you can just scare the guy away from the throne with a fire breathing dragon! I think that you would make a great king. You are a fine leader."

Grayson smiled and bowed his head. "Thanks." He turned to Mia. "And maybe you could work as an archaeologist at the empire, that way you can always tell me if you found anything important."

Mia's wide lime green eye lit up. "That would be amazing! I'd love to see the cities and the palac! And all of the amazing artifacts I could find!"

Armen's eyes lit up as an idea came to his head. He turned his head to Grayson, a wide smile spreading on his cheeks and bluish-pink lips. "The red keep and the cultists! Grayson, with that dragon and an army like that of the Northern empire, you can wipe out the cult of Herobrine!"

Lalea was puzzled. "Well, the cultists are wicked but why is taking them out so important?"

Armen faced her. "It's not just wiping them out. They know more about Herobrine then anyone, possibly even more than me, and I was possessed by him for four years! If we can somehow get information out of them or get into their bases and take information, we could get closer to saving Drake."

It was a plan that drew their attention. It was risky, but their group was all about taking risks especially if it meant that they could save one of their own. They smiled at the idea, but they knew that it would take awhile before they could even attempt to claim the throne. An criminal, the most wanted criminal in all of the country, becoming the new emperor? It was a rare thing that usually ended badly, but they wanted to give it a shot. They needed to try to further their quest in redeeming their friend's h***ish suffering. No matter the costs.

  "Alright." Grayson nodded. "I'll give it a shot."

  "Promise to me that you won't give up. That you won't quit until Drake is no longer a puppet and he is free. Please?"

Grayson continued to stroke the dragon's head as he took in Armen's plea. Lalea promised to Armen before Grayson could, stating that she would stay with them to help with saving Drake in any possible way that she could. Xavier leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought. He wanted to help Drake, he really did, but he did not want to put Jane in harms way any longer. He had only regained consciousness not too long ago and he could already tell that she had changed. He looked down at the scars on her arm left behind from the Nightmares attack, rubbing his own throat and feeling the line where his neck was healing after it was nearly slit.

He sighed. "I want to help you. I really do, but...I can not keep putting Jane through so much trauma. I think I'm gonna head to the mid-eastern side of the country. But, if you ever do become the new emperor lad, I will come running back to the empire! I could help you with spying on the cult fairly easily."

He nodded. "Alright. I'll be sure to remember that. Take care of both yourself and those girls, got it?" Xavier chuckled and nodded.

Endy agreed to stay with Xavier, and Nathan was not too sure of what to do. He stated that he would like to stay with Grayson and everyone, but felt that he was a bit of a liability with his condition. They simply said that rather he was blind or not, he was their family and they would happily drag him along with them. His heart grew warm and quickened its rate. Family. They actually called him family. He smiled and closed his eyes, holding back tears.
Finally, Armen turned to Grayson, holding out his gloved hand. He stared into the emerald eyes of his friend, the green staring right back in the the bright cyan.

  "Promise?"

Grayson looked down at his hand that was waiting for him to take it. A promise? Just something else that he would break? He was never good with promises, but this was different. This was one that he had already made a long time ago. He took Armen's hand, his clammy hand underneath his glove pressing against Armen's as he wrapped his fingers around Armen's own hand. They both held with tight grips and shook. He looked back into Armen's bright eyes, staring into them as his nerves settled and calmness took hold. He had sworn to protect and save Drake from d**nation. He had not planned on breaking that promise, and now was no exception. Nor would it ever be. This was for Drake. For Drake, Luke, Sylvia, and every other good person that Herobrine had slaughtered. It was time that the demon finally payed for his actions.

  "I promise."