(A/N: An alternative ending to the first trial... THERE ARE SPOILERS SO GO READ WITHERING HOPE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED)

It's all by chance, really, when Tyler decides it's a good idea to leave his room during Night Time. He can't stand the cramped space of his room. Of course, he knows that it'll dangerous out in the open like this, but Tyler is willing to take his chances.

He's heading back to the hallway where all their rooms are located when all of a sudden he sees Sky exit from a room that is not his. Tyler reacts quickly by standing next to the hallway entrance, out of Sky's line of sight. What the hell? Was that blood on Sky's shirt?

Tyler does his best to stay quiet as he listens to Sky breathing heavily. "Oh... Oh god..." Sky mutters in a low voice in the darkness, gasping shakily. "I actually... Oh god..." Tyler cautiously peeks from his hiding spot and sees Sky enter his actual room and shut the door.

Tyler's heart pounds anxiously in his chest as he waits for a few minutes. Determining that Sky hadn't seen him, Tyler goes into the hallway and stops in front of the room where Sky had exited. He looks at the nameplate and realizes that it was Jade's.

His hand shakes as he knocks on the door, but no one answers. A cold feeling sinks into his stomach as he places his hand on the doorknob, which is unlocked for some reason. Tyler opens the door and flicks on the lights. He steps inside and shuts the door, noticing with dread that Jade isn't sleeping on her bed.

When Tyler sees the body, sees Jade's face lying in a pool of her own splattered blood, his mind shuts down. It doesn't take long for him to piece everything together, no matter how much his brain doesn't want to acknowledge it.

Sky has just murdered Jade.

Tyler's body trembles and he starts hyperventilating... he's panicking, panicking so badly... and then he stops. He slows his breathing, steadies his body, and hardens his eyes. He takes full control of himself, as every good actor does when necessary, and focuses on the task at hand. He knows what he must do. There will be a trial of sorts, and Tyler must make sure that Sky is not caught.

Tyler sees the broken glass shards and realizes that Sky used a splash potion to commit the crime. He sifts through the shards, finally seeing the label: MONOWITHER'S SPECIAL POISON.

Wasn't that 100 WitherCoins? In that case, Sky must have been the thief and planned this from the start. Tyler fights down the urge to question why. There is no time. He must act fast.

There are bloody fingerprints on the wall, but Tyler doesn't see anything wrong with leaving them there. It's not like they can be led to the killer. There's also a shattered lamp by the nightstand. Perhaps Jade had tried to defend herself to no avail.

Tyler stares at the bloodstains and notices that by Jade's finger, there is a word: SETO. So at least Sky had the sense to frame somebody. But Tyler knows that Seto is smart, perhaps the smartest out of them all, and Seto will probably find a way to defend himself from the accusations.

So Tyler goes to Plan B, just in case Plan A fails. Plan B will require a lot of acting on his part, but he is the Super Duper Minecrafter Level Drama Actor. He can do this. Tyler decides that he must first remove all evidence that Sky was ever there, although it seems that Sky has already done a good job of doing this himself.

Tyler looks through the drawers and sees that Jade's sewing kit is open. He looks inside and notices that only the gray thread is used. It seemed that the lamp had done more damage than Tyler had thought. He mentally shakes his head at Sky for being foolish enough to only use the gray thread. Tyler stares at his red-and-gray checkered hoodie before taking the spool of red thread and cutting off a long piece of string.

What else can he do?

An idea pops into his head and he takes off his hoodie and puts it to the side. He then removes his white T-shirt and dips it into the blood. He knows that the incinerator in the trash room is closed off during Night Time, so he can use that to his advantage.

Tyler turns off the lights and leaves the room, heading back to his own. He stashes the bloodstained shirt in the drawer. In the rare possibility that someone might suggest searching their rooms, Tyler will be prepared.

Tyler yawns and lies down on the bed, rehearsing the lines he'll say during the trial. He falls asleep and dreams of nothing.


Morning comes, and Tyler puts his hoodie back on and zips it up so that no one can see his bare torso. This looks suspicious, and he knows it. It's all part of the costume, the act. He heads out to the cafeteria, greets everyone there, and sits next to Sky (who is clearly trying to hide his nervousness). Tyler casually says, "It's kind of cold, don't you think?" while putting his hood over his head.

Seto asks him if he's seen Jade yet, since she's usually the first one up, and there is concern in Tyler's voice when he says that he hasn't. Husky then mentions that the thief attacked Seto the day before. Tyler raises an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "Did you find out who did it?"

He refrains from sighing in relief when they shake their heads.

Tyler keeps a straight face when Seto finally decides to check on Jade. He keeps a straight face when Ashley and Annie decide to follow him. He reacts with the appropriate amount of shock when he hears MonoWither announce, "A body has been discovered! Now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the Show Trial will begin!"

They all run to Jade's room. Sky sees the body and starts murmuring, "Oh no, oh no no no... This is not happening..." Tyler wants to comfort him, to tell him that he's already taken care of everything, but he can't.

They start investigating the floor. Sky decides to stay in the room, so Tyler does as well. Seto seems to be remarkably calm about everything as he takes charge of the investigation, but Tyler knows that he's reeling from the shock. It occurs to Tyler that he can use this to his advantage.

When Husky finds the message, Seto panics. Big mistake. "How come you're only showing emotion now?" Tyler asks quietly. "You didn't react at all when you found Jade... You've been talking about her death as though it didn't affect you at all..."

That seals the deal. Seto is forced to stay in the room, but Tyler can tell by the calculating expression on his face that he is thinking carefully, trying to figure out something that will prove he isn't the killer. Tyler frowns and taps Sky's shoulder. "Let's go check out the shower room," he says, steering Sky inside and closing the door.

Sky looks visibly nervous and Tyler hugs him tightly. "Hey, it's going to be okay. They won't figure it out," Tyler whispers, patting his back.

Sky flinches and pushes him away. "Wh- What?"

"Shh!" Tyler orders, putting his finger to his lips. "They might hear you."

Sky lowers his voice. "I don't understand..."

"I saw you leave Jade's room last night," Tyler says.

Sky's eyes bulge in horror. "You did?"

Tyler smiles. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. I already handled everything."

"...What do you mean?" Sky asks in confusion. "Aren't you... Aren't you going to tell the others?"

Tyler tilts his head. "Of course not. That'd get you executed."

"But you and the others will be executed if-"

Tyler laughs a little. "Don't worry about that. It's all going to be fine."

Sky stares at him with a mixed expression of fear, bewilderment, and guilt. "Why would you do this?" he asks, his voice a mere whisper.

"Why wouldn't I?" Tyler responds.

Sky doesn't know what else to say. MonoWither announces that investigation time is over, and so they all leave Jade's room.


Everything seems to be going fine. Ryan immediately accuses Seto of murdering Jade and everyone else seems to agree. But then everything goes wrong when Seto points out the meaning of the fingerprints on the wall and proves himself innocent.

Tyler mentally curses himself for underestimating those goddamn fingerprints and not removing them. Oh well. It's time to move on to Plan B.

Jordan brings up the subject of alibis, but MonoWither says that there could be an ally ("Not that we're confirming anything!"). Tyler hides behind a mask of indifference, but inside he feels like tearing MonoWither apart and burning the remains. That stupid fucking machine.

They discuss the thief but cannot seem to be able to clear anyone of guilt. The possibility of an ally is a giant problem and prevents any alibis from being confirmed. The case seems to falter, to go nowhere. MonoWither loudly yawns due to their boredom.

Seto tries to figure out if there are any clues they missed in Jade's room, and then finally, finally, Ryan brings up the topic of the two spools of thread. Sky's face clouds with confusion. "Two spools of thread?" he asks, stealing a glance at Tyler. Tyler doesn't show any emotion at all.

"Yes," Ryan replies. "Uh... one was red and the other was gray."

Sky's face pales, but he says nothing.

"But why would they use the thread?" Jason asks, bewildered.

"Maybe when Jade attacked the killer with the lamp, she was too weak and too short to hit them on the head, so she ended up hitting their torso, and the glass from the light bulb slightly tore the killer's clothes..." Jordan murmurs. "But the tear wouldn't have been that big, so I don't think we can just examine everyone's clothes to find stitches..."

"We don't need to," Mitch mutters. "There's only one person here wearing red and gray."

Everyone turns to face Tyler, who gladly takes on the role of "murderer in denial". "Why are you guys all staring at me?" Tyler asks, laughing nervously as he lowers his hood further over his head. "Jade probably used them for something..."

"No, that can't be it," Bonks says, shaking her head. "I remember we were talking about cosplaying once and she complained that she didn't know how to sew at all." She stares down at her feet, saddened. "She... she wanted me to teach her someday..."

"You're wearing red and gray," Ashley pointed out.

Tyler darts his eyes back and forth. "C-Come on! That's just a coincidence!"

"A rather big coincidence, if I might add," Jordan murmurs.

Tyler pretends to be angry and denies everything vehemently. "Well it's not me! In fact, none of us could have done it! It's so obviously MonoWither!"

MonoWither chortles. "Excuse us, Tyler, do you really think they're going to believe you?"

"Of course they will! First of all, there's no way the thief could have bought MonoWither's Special Poison themselves! They got 38 coins from Dave and 7 coins from Seto! Even if they got that prize of 30 coins, that's still only 75 coins!"

"No," Seto says, shaking his head. "Sky, you were there too. When the three of us first entered the shop, MonoWither offered us 30 WitherCoins. That would be more than enough for the thief to have 100 WitherCoins. Now, Sky could have accepted this offer, but he wouldn't use red thread. He would have only used the gray thread."

Sky keeps quiet. Very, very quiet.

"Well- Well- Well what about the blood?!" Tyler demands, pounding his fists against the podium. "Can you explain what happened to the killer's bloodstained clothes?! There's no way the killer disposed of them in the incinerator or washed it using the water, since the murder occurred during Night Time!"

"But you've been wearing your hoodie zipped up this whole time," Jerome observes. "You don't usually do that."

"It's cold!" Tyler insists. "Don't you guys think so too?"

"Why don't you take off that jacket?" Husky asks.

Tyler clutches his elbows. "Wh- Why do I need to do that?"

"If you're truly innocent, then take it off," Jason orders.

Tyler is silent. "Fine," he mutters, unzipping his hoodie and removing it to show everyone his bare torso. Several people gasp in shock. "You got me, okay? I- I killed Jade. I did it."

Bonks stares at him, her eyes wide in horror. "You did it?" she asks.

"Oh god..." Annie whispers.

"Why the fuck would you do that?!" Ryan demands, clenching his hands into fists.

Tyler grits his teeth. "I needed to get out, okay? That- That video MonoWither showed me... My whole family was dead... I got desperate!" Everyone is silent. Seto stares at Tyler, who gets the feeling that the sorcerer isn't totally buying his performance. Goddamn it, his line delivery was awful at that part. Tyler swallows and pretends to tear up. "Let- Let's just get this over with. Come on, MonoWither, start the vote."

"Roger that!" MonoWither chirps.

Seto holds up his hand. "Wait." Everyone looks at him. Tyler wants to scream, but he forces himself to look merely perplexed. Seto can't ruin this, he can't, not after everything Tyler's done... "I don't believe you did it."

"What do you mean?" Steven asks.

"He already confessed!" Ashley shouts.

Seto stares at Tyler, stares at him deep in the eyes as though he can see straight into his soul. "You gave up pretty quickly. A little too quickly."

Tyler starts laughing, startling everyone. "I did, huh?" Tyler stares down at the floor. "I just couldn't handle it anymore. When... When I killed Jade... I regretted it instantly... I was considering just flat-out admitting what I did, but I chickened out... I'm sorry... I really am..."

"Tyler..." Sky whispers, guilt etching his face.

Tyler glances at him pleadingly. Goddamnit, don't give it away! Don't do it!

Sky looks like he desperately wants to tell the truth, but he doesn't say another word.

"Well are you guys done yet?" MonoWither asks. "Can we start the vote now?"

"Hmm," Seto murmurs, his lips pursed into a thin line. He still looks unsure. He looks up and starts staring at Sky, who still looks remorseful. Seto narrows his eyes in suspicion, as though he's mentally connecting the dots.

Oh god. Seto, please...

Tyler sighs. "Just... do it."

"All righty then!" MonoWither exclaims from their throne. "We guess it's finally time for the end of this Show Trial! Please use the lever in front of you and cast your vote! Who will be chosen as the blackened? Will you make the right choice, or the dreadfully wrong one?! Oh, and make sure you actually vote for someone!"

Everyone stares at the screens in front of them. Gradually, everyone makes their choice. Tyler proudly moves the lever to select his own name. He's done it. He's done his best performance and saved Sky...

"Come on, Seto, hurry up!" MonoWither complains. "You're the only one left!"

Seto looks deathly afraid. He's sweating profusely and trembling all over. "Can- Can we undo our votes?" he begs. "I- I think we've made a mistake!"

"What?" Bodil asks, his eyes widening. "A mistake?"

MonoWither cackles. "Of course you can't! Once you vote, it's a done deal!"

Seto starts hyperventilating and looks like he's about to vomit all over the floor. His eyes dart back and forth between Tyler and Sky, finally realizing Tyler's plan just a minute too late...

"You have ten seconds!" MonoWither shouts. "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

Seto shuts his eyes tightly and makes a selection. Immediately a small table supporting a golden slot machine rises up in the center of the circle. The slot machine begins clacking and whirring loudly. Pixelated faces of the participants spin rapidly before all three slots stop on Tyler's image. The words "GUILTY" flash brightly as confetti bursts from the machine. Sky turns away and Tyler grins in victory. There's no point in hiding it now. Everyone notices this and reacts uneasily. "Tyler?" Jason asks, his soul filling with dread. "Why- Why are you smiling?"

"Wow... We're really disappointed in you guys... It's only the first trial and you've already screwed it up!" MonoWither yells.

"WHAT?!" Mitch shrieks, all the blood draining from his face.

"We voted wrong?!" Bonks shrieks, about to pass out on the floor.

"That's a joke, that's a joke right?!" Husky asks desperately.

"Nope! Only two people got it right!" MonoWither remarks. "Seto and Sky both voted for the correct person!"

"Sky got it right?" Jerome asks in confusion, turning to face the man.

Sky looks like he's on the verge on breaking down. "I- I-"

"Sky's the killer," Seto says in a faint voice. "Sky's the one who killed Jade."

"What are you talking about?!" Jordan demands hysterically.

Seto looks at Tyler with dilated pupils. "Tyler... You pretended you were the killer... You tricked us in order to save Sky... Oh god, I should have seen this sooner..."

Tyler suddenly feels a pain in his chest. Was this regret? Why would he regret this? He's succeeded, he should be happy! Tyler forces a smile. "Sorry, Seto. I did what I had to."

"I- I don't get it!" Ashley declares, her face a sickly green. "I don't get this at all! Isn't Tyler the killer?!"

MonoWither bursts into laughter. "Of course not! Sky's the one who did it! Tyler was merely his ally!"

"I saw Sky leave Jade's room in the middle of the night," Tyler explains. "I went inside and saw her body. To make it seem like I did it, I took a bunch of red thread and removed my shirt. It was simple, really."

"But why would you do that?!" Annie cries out.

"I wanted Sky to live," Tyler replies.

"Upupupu, what a heartrending tale of a boy willing to give up everything to save the life of his best friend!" MonoWither exclaims gleefully. "But since you've all voted wrong, it's time to start the punishment!"

"No! No please!" Bodil begs, sobbing into his hands. "I don't want to die! Please don't kill us!"

"That's real mature, Bodil!" MonoWither says, laughing. "Face your death like a man!"

Everyone else starts to plead for their lives, to scream and cry, but MonoWither only laughs.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Tyler says, bowing his head. "If you want to blame someone, please blame me. Sky had no idea I was going to do this."

"Tyler, what the fuck?!" Ryan yells, his blue eyes filled with betrayal and fear.

"Didn't you realize that you were going to die too?!" Jason demands.

"Of course."

"THEN WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO US?!" Husky shrieks.

"...I'm sorry," Tyler repeats, and although he's still smiling in victory, he's telling the truth.

"Sky... Why did you kill Jade?" Seto asks quietly.

Sky is crying. His tears are thick and leave shiny trails all over his cheeks. "I- I didn't mean to- I- I just needed to get out- I needed to make sure Alesa and Tyler were still alive-"

"Enough with all this nonsense! Let's get this punishment going already!" MonoWither states.

Sky's eyes widen. "Please don't kill them! Please! I'll do anything, just please don't kill them..." Sky begins to sob, his face twisted in anguish.

"Rules are rules, Sky! You should have known the consequences of your actions when you killed Jade!" MonoWither says. "Now then, we've prepared a very special punishment for the ones who failed to catch the killer! Oh, but that includes Seto too. That's just how it is." A red button rises in front of MonoWither and a claw emerges from the wall, holding a gavel.

Tyler's grin widens. He's done it. His final performance was a success, and he's saved Sky...

MonoWither's red eyes gleam as they bring the gavel down on the button.

CONGRATULATIONS: SKY HAS BEEN VOTED NOT GUILTY. TIME FOR THE PUNISHMENT!

Everyone screams as the floor underneath them disappears. They all plunge into a giant pool of water except for Sky, whose trial stand remains intact.

Tyler feels a bunch of tentacles latch onto him and pull him down. He doesn't fight back. He's still smiling. It's as though that smile is permanently attached onto his face. For some reason the roaring of the water, the screams of his friends as they all perish one by one, they all sound like applause. He can faintly hear Sky yelling and crying in the distance.

At least you're still alive...

Tyler feels one of the squids wrap its tentacles around his head, ready to snap his neck in half, and closes his eyes in content.

The Super Duper Minecrafter Level Drama Actor exits stage left, applause still ringing in his ears.

(A/N: I didn't bother editing this. Good god.)