:)

I never realised how much the sculk looks like stars before.

Little blue pinpricks of light in a vast sky of black. Unfamiliar constellations, unfamiliar stars... I try to find any I vaguely recognise, made accidentally by the sculk. Is that Ursa Minor there? But why would it be next to Cassiopeia? I have to convince myself it's not real, but whenever I do that I'm left thinking about Sculk again. The Sculk trapping me tight on every side, cutting into my skin leaving deep scars...

No. No I can't think about Scar. His burning green eyes branded into my memory deeper than the sculk. The raw betrayal, hurt, broken by weeks of torture by Pearl, weeks of waiting for me to do more than I did.

'Goodbye, Cub.'

His respawn, his life, his connection to me and the Vex is still in my hand. The razor-sharp crystal of the necklace digs into my palm, a physical pain that hurts nowhere near as much as the mental pain of losing Scar. Not that I can sleep here. In the sculk. In the choking vacuum of stars, the knife-like crystal Scar gave me as one final...

Knife.

KNIFE-

F***.

Blood slicks my palm, but makes it easier to move the crystal, just enough for the sharp edge to be free. I inch my hand forward, closer to the sculk trapping it. Surely vex magic will break sculk. Surely it will...

I cut through.

Now I can move my lower arm, just enough to reach the Sculk across my chest, cut through it.

The Sculk tightens, panicking. I speed up, knowing it's try to possess me again.
I don't know how long it takes, but I work fast, twisting to reach my sentient and constantly retying bindings and cutting through. The more I do, the more I can move and the faster I get until...

I'm free.

All I can hold to get to my feet is the sculk wall. The tendrils quickly wrap around my hand but I slash through it just as fast, facing the wall I know Scar left through.

Vexling...

Cold runs down my neck. I know what I need to do, run through a wall of sculk. A full wall of sculk ready to kill me. My hand clenches tighter across the crystal of Scar's necklace. His respawn. My last hope of escape that he gave me. He gave it to me. He wanted me to have it. To free myself.

Right?

I run at the wall.

With every cut I make, the sculk desperately tries to cover the gap again but I force myself through. It wraps around my neck, my legs. I can't breathe. I feel like I'm going to black out or be possessed but I have to keep going, keep going, keep going. Tears burn in my eyes. The panic of nightmare after nightmare rises in my mind.

But Scar's on the other side.

And I'm not letting him down a moment longer.

The sculk tears at my skin but the crystal cut through the sculk even more. The power of the vex. The power of Scar. I need to get to Scar. I need to get through the wall to...

I collapse on the other side, shaking and gasping for breath. But I need to get to Scar.

As I push my way to my feet, I catch sight of my arms, glistening with blood. The sleeves of my labcoat are torn beyond repair. I can barely walk but have to stagger along to get to Scar, Scar, Scar, Scar... there's a staircase up, another wall to cut through, to try and kill me. I can't hesitate, clawing through the Sculk until I'm out.

Before I can even orient myself, I hear shouting, fighting. Hermits. They came back for me. Or... they never left? I don't know how long it's been. My heart races, I slowly stand, knowing I have to help them. Unless... Scar's elsewhere.

'That traitor...'

A cold voice, furious and insane. I stop, holding out the crystal towards Pearl. She  just slips from sight. I focus on the fight, running to the edge of the building and-

He's there.

Most of the group are facing Tilly and Pearl's warden-esque behemoth... Wels and False fight the warden, xB's trying to avoid being eaten by Tilly, Bdubs and Etho are helping the injured Beef, but Grian and EX are dodging attacks from Scar, trying to pin him to a wall. Until he sees me and stops. There's questioning in his eyes, confusion, terror. Like I'm a ghost. Which, by this point, I probably could be.

I hold up the necklace. An answer. Grian, who previously took the opportunity to get Scar against the wall spots me too, eyes wide. EX has a hand on his shoulder. Scar stares at me. I stare back. There's a new cut across his face, roughly healed. But otherwise he looks just as pale and broken as...

'CUB!'

The next thing I know I'm on the ground and xB is fending Tilly away from me. I scramble back, keeping the necklace tight in my hand as my only weapon. Tilly pounces, and xB screams as she bites his throat. False turns to help, but it's already too late.

xB's dead.

I back away, holding the necklace out. If Tilly attacks me, it's all over... It's all over... False is distracted again by the warden, but Bdubs sees me defense less, standing and throwing a stone at Tilly.

'HEY!' he yells. Tilly turns, prowling closer to him. I return focus to Scar, struggling against EX's grip.

'No- NO! Don't you dare... Don't TOUCH ME you...' He sees me again, only struggling more, finally shoving free of EX, running for me.

'...one to stop being the favourite.'

Pearl.

Standing in the window.

Pointing a sculk crossbow at Scar.

She fires.

'SCAR!'

The world goes in slow motion.

I shove Scar to safety.

And I'm hit.

:)