(A/N: The music choice was made by my IRL friend Tyler/Mintychoc. Apparently I made him cry last chapter so I wanted to make it up to him XD. Why do I write these sad things? If you want to listen to what my song choice would've been, search: The Scientist- Coldplay. Stay awesome dudes and enjoy the second to last chapter of SkyArmy Chronicles.)

~Derp~

I couldn't move. My thoughts were sluggish and I couldn't hear myself breathing. I was still in my body though, and I bet that had something to do with Ssundee. I hadn't told him the full truth though. I could hear crying and hushed whispers. Oh god, Ssundee, he'd be a wreck. I tried to move, tried to show him some consolation. But my body didn't seem connected to me anymore. At least my mind was. I reached out with it, trying to make a connection between me and Ssundee. It worked. Ssundee. I'm here. D-Derp? DERP! DON'T LEAVE ME! I don't have a choice. B-BUT, I NEED YOU! If I could, I would be choking back tears. I-I need you too, but I don't have much time left. Even as I spoke, I could feel my willpower draining. I had to hurry. But...you said that if one died, so did the other. I should be dead. Now for the hard bit. I-I got confused. What I meant to say was...I was always the weaker entity out of us two. If you were to die, I would almost certainly die with you, because my life force depends on yours more so than yours does on mine. But if I was to die, you'd be strong enough to-to...survive... I could barely finish the sentence. The lights in my head were blinking out one by one. But, at least I got to die with Ssundee by my side. I could hear him sobbing again. No, please. Not like this, we were going to have that life together...remember? I felt his warm tears on my cold skin. Of course I do. In my head, his figure began to form, misty and dissipating in some places because of my dying conscious. He ran to me and wrapped his arms around me, burying his head in my chest. I held him close to me and tilted his head up, gently brushing away the tears still dripping from under his sunglasses. I pulled them off and our eyes met. He trembled in my arms. Please don't do this Derp... I closed my eyes and leaned in. We both shared our last kiss. Even as I held him in my arms, I felt my mind slipping away. I was losing my grip on reality. Goodbye Ssundee. Wait...my real name...is Ian. You're the only one who'll ever know that. I smiled sadly through the kiss. I always loved you, even when you were with Diamond. I never saw for who she truly was, but I held onto the hope that someday we'd be together. I guess it worked. I felt Ssundee's heartbeat thumping softly in unison with my dying one. I love you Derp, and I-I'll find a way to bring you back...I promise. I hope so Ian. I really do... I opened my eyes and the last thing I saw was his bright blue iris' staring back at me, out of his tear streaked face. I drew away and rested my forehead on his. Goodbye. I whispered. Then I was gone...

~Ssundee~

I knew he was gone when my mind went silent. It was like someone had pulled the plug on the television. "No..." I whispered hoarsely. "Please, let it be a dream. A bad dream..." But if course, it wasn't, and even as I said those words of prayer I knew that. I opened my eyes and found myself back in Minecraftia with a broken mind and soul. The sun was slowly setting and it sent orange rays into my eyes. I was wearing my sunglasses again. I tried not to think of Derp. If I did, I'd break down and never get up again. I struggled to my feet, picking up his dead body bridle style. SkyArmy fell silent around me as we all waited with bated breath for the moment of death to pass. In Minecraftia, when someone dies, they're judged by the great gods that created the world. Notch didn't create it, he's just a sort of messenger that brings words from the gods to our world from theirs. If the dead were 'good' in their life, their body dissolved and was sent to Notch to be preserved in the gods' world. Kinda like Heaven I guess. If they were 'bad', they were sent to the Nether for their soul to eternally be punished in the fiery flames. I bowed my head, staring deep into Derp's misty crooked eyes. I remembered the dream I'd had while we had been in the jungle with Lancey and Diamond. I'd seen Derp die then, but it was nothing compared to seeing it in reality. Suddenly, I felt a cool breeze blow over the back of my neck. It stirred our clothes and blew our hair to the sides. Sky's amulet swung gently and Jerome's fur became ruffled. I closed my eyes, wanting to preserve Derp in my memory forever. Then, the weight was lifted from my arms and they fell to my sides. Particles blew away in the wind, the last remains of my lover. Seto came forward, putting his arm round my shoulders. "It's ok Ssundee. He's in a better place now." "I-I'd rather he be here with me." I whispered. Seto nodded sadly. "I know. I know." Sky scowled. "I'm gonna kill SquidBrine. He's a sick bastard." The others nodded in mutual agreement. "I for one know that if I go down, I'm taking as many squids down with me as possible." "Agreed Mitch." I smiled weakly at them. "Me too." Sky narrowed his eyes behind his shades. "Let's get back to SkyBase before TentacleFace comes back." Everyone began to follow him back towards the jungle. I took my sunglasses off and rubbed my palms against my eyes, killing the tears that were coming once more. Seto looked at me in sympathy. "My mother died when I was younger. I know what it's like to lose someone. But I know that what you and Derp had was special. I'll be as sorry as you are that he's gone." I nodded, pressing my lips together, not trusting my voice to stay level. Seto turned and made his way towards the jungle. For a few moments I was left alone in the clearing of the battle. All around me lay the slain corpses of dragons and squids alike. One was missing though, and I silently vowed to make sure SquidBrine's was added to the pile. Then I followed Seto back to SkyBase. When we got back, everyone was crowded around Sky, who was holding a note in his hand. He noticed our arrival behind the others. "The squids must've left this after we ran to help you guys. It says:

The Final Battle will take place tomorrow on the plains of Erawgar at dawn~

Only then will the victor of our battles finally be determined~

SquidBrine~

Sky gulped. "Now this...this is bad."

***

I lay there on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tears silently ran down the sides of my face. Seto had moved back into my room until the Final Battle. Then he was leaving us for good. As was I. I'd already made plans. I couldn't stay here. Too many memories. I rolled over and stared at the cold part of the bed where Derp would've slept. I closed my eyes and could still feel his warm arms encircling me. His hoarse voice softly whispering in my ear. His gentle breathing tickling my skin. His heartbeat thumping in unison with mine as he held me close. The tears were cold as they ran down my face. He's dead. He's gone. No matter how many times I repeated it to myself, my heart still wouldn't comprehend what my mind had. I would've thought I wouldn't of had anymore tears to cry, but I did. My eyes were sore now and my face stiff from the constant contact with salty water. I rolled onto my back again. No sleep for me then. I swung my legs out of bed and tried not to think of the night the giant squid attacked as I rested my hand on the door handle. Tried not to think of the night we escaped with Diamond and Lancey as I started down the dark corridor to the outside world. Tried not to think of running blindly into the woods and meeting Diamond once more as I walked to the gnarled oaks and roots. Tried not to think of the conversations I'd exchanged with Derp as I sat down on a mossy log. I took my sunglasses off and focused my mind on the blank expanse that used to contain my lover. I had to try, just once. I'd promised I'd bring him back some way, and I was determined to do so. Only white static filled my head. My heart wrenched and I stood up, shoving my sunglasses back on. He really was gone. The black night gathered around me; my memories sparking and fading in the twilight. I steeled myself and tried to except the harsh truth. Tomorrow I'd have to forget the past and attempt to put it behind me. Tomorrow I'd have to defeat SquidBrine for good. Tomorrow, I'd have to leave and banish this place from my memory. I didn't want tomorrow to come; but I can't stop time. If I could stop time, I would've stopped it when the sword was heading for Derp's chest. Would've stopped it when the giant squid was going to rip his face open. I would've stopped all the suffering he went through for me, up until the point he died. I looked up at the sky between the fanned branches above me, up at the dark velvet of the night above. The stars were embroidered into it, the pasty moon overlooking all that happened beneath it. People died all the time. It just hit home when it was someone close to you, or someone you loved.

All my tears had run out. Instead, I felt myself slowly falling into an abyss of grief. It was swallowing me up, killing me slowly, painfully. But somehow I had to stay strong, had to make sure that Derp's sacrifice hadn't been in vain. Tomorrow I would face SquidBrine and make him pay for everything he'd done to me. Or die trying...