A/N: Sorry it's a bit late xD I was a bit busy with stuff. Anyway, just a heads up, I might not upload tomorrow just so I can catch up with writing this. This is only a 'might', and will most likely not happen, but just a warning.
The four of us stood motionless as we watched the monster our friend had become. None of us dared to move, the creature moving closer towards us. The taint followed like a shadow; covering the green landscape with the same purple colour we had seen everywhere. We moved closer together, Rythian being the one to face him. He put himself in that position, as he was the only one who could fight the taint at this point in time. But...this embodiment of the taint must be a lot stronger than normal taint? Surely...I just hoped Rythian would be ok.
"Enderborn? You challenge me?" The monster we knew previously to be Xephos asked. "Fine. You shall meet your end now." He beckoned Rythian forward. Rythian slowly moved forward, leaving the three of us together. Lalna now held the 'cure', keeping it tight in his hands. Honeydew was hiding behind his own hands, wishing this was just a bad dream. His best friend...was now this monster. I felt sorry for him, just as I did for Djh3max. I gently put an arm around the dwarf, watching Xephos and Rythian. I then noticed other figures in the taint.
"T-They're..." Our friends. FORMER friends, to be exact. On one side of Xephos stood two parts of Hat Films – Trottimus and Alsmiffy – while on the other stood Nano. Alsmiffy still had that same grin on his face, while Trottimus was as wild as ever. Nano...she was the only 'normal' looking one. I felt a tear run down my cheek for my lost love. "Nano..." Lalna and I spoke the name at the same time. We both felt for her. She was new to the area, and had no clue about anything...why did she have to be caught up in THIS?! I guess we both felt guilty. If only I hadn't been so mean with her when I was with Sips, and if only Lalna had stopped her from falling in... The world is full of so many 'If only...'s. This was probably my biggest one. I doubt any of this would have happened if Nano was ok... I think she released it into the world somehow. Not that it's her fault, no way! I watched as Rythian took out a new blade, one I hadn't seen before. It looked like it was infused with the power of Ender. Why was Rythian suddenly ok with that side of him? First the teleporting, then using his Ender DNA and now this? I guess the end of the world does bring out different sides of a person. Maybe the taint forced him to embrace his Ender side. Xephos took out a sword made from taint, which seemed to mould itself into the same form as Rythian's. They were identical, except the colouring. Their glowing eyes were interlocked. Rythian's vibrant purple eye was almost mirrored by Xephos' glowing eyes. However, they were not the glowing blue we would usually see - now they had been infected with taint. It was like smoke in water. Ender versus Taint. Only once did their gazes break – when Xephos looked directly into my eyes. I felt a sharp pain in my head before everything dulled. I felt weak, tired. How did he do this to me? I slumped down onto the ground, Lalna's arms tight around me. I couldn't hear what he was shouting, everything numb and distorted. Soon Honeydew's shouting joined Lalna's, as far as I could tell. My ears were ringing. Everything was becoming black. Why me? Why was I special? Any of the other three would've been more useful unconscious, so why me? I didn't get any answers for now, my consciousness slipping away...
Falling. I felt like I was falling endlessly, over and over. Dropped from the same point, repeating the falling over and over, never hitting the ground. What am I feeling? Death? I don't understand. What's happening?
"Sjin? Oh Sjin." I could hear my name but...whose voice was it? I couldn't tell, my eyes refusing to open. "Come on Sjin. Aren't you going to wake up?" I wish I could, but still I couldn't stop. The falling continued and my eyes stayed shut. "Sjin? Sjin, come on!" "Don't be like this, Sjin!" "Sjin!" The voices merged and overlapped, beginning to hurt my head. Damn...shut up... Suddenly my eyes shot open, seeing a scene I didn't want to see. Rythian was pinned down on the ground, taint wounds on his body again. Lalna still had his arms around me, as my brain began to recognise noise again, the ringing fading. I could hear him whispering to me, telling me it'd be ok. Honeydew was shouting at his former best friend, trying to stop him. I couldn't just let it end, but my body was fragile and weak. I had no energy to speak, let alone stand. I rest my head on Lalna's shoulder, who blinked when he noticed I was awake.
"You're ok. I'm relieved." He smiled. I nodded, watching Xephos and Rythian with sad eyes. "Rythian has been overpowered." Lalna explained. "It happened too fast...I couldn't really see what happened. Clashing of swords, each matching the others moves perfectly. It's like they've done this before. Maybe Xephos, the REAL Xephos, and Rythian used to spar?" He suggested. I winced as a cry escaped from Rythian's body. The taint sword was stabbed right through his stomach, Xephos twisting it to create more pain.
"You lose, Enderborn." He growled. Rythian glared at the embodiment, slowly raising his hand. I could see his Ender aura, as I decided to call it, begin to build. Xephos smirked, clenching one of his claws around Rythian's hand. More cries came from the Enderborn, as the purple blood began to seep from his hand. "Oh, why waste time trying to resist? You couldn't ACTUALLY ever beat me!" The taint laughed at Rythian, crushing his hand. The cries went silent. "But...neither can I change you. So you are useless to me." The ring of the taint sword was the last thing he heard. I couldn't watch, Lalna also shielding my eyes. The squelch of blood was bad enough; I even felt some on my hand. I glanced over at Honeydew, whose face had traces of the Enderborn. His eyes were wide and scared. I would have been surprised if he WASN'T. We were all scared. Lalna once said the 'Mother' didn't want to kill anyone. Twice he was proven wrong. This new form of the taint didn't take any prisoners. Either you were on its side, or no side. "Now...would you all rather DIE, and join that pitiful Enderborn, or would you rather join me?" We were stunned, Xephos now standing in front of us. His wings blocked most of the sunlight out, chilling us in a few moments. None of us moved or said a word. The embodiment moved back, the sunlight hitting our skin again. "...Well? If you don't join me...you WILL die..."
"No." I looked at Honeydew, eyes wide. "I'll never join you." His and Xephos' gazes met, no friendship held between them anymore. Well, not with this tainted version. "When we were fighting Israphel did we join him?! No! We didn't just give up! I won't betray Xephos like that!" The dwarf glared at the embodiment. "You can take that taint sword, and shove it right up your-" His words were cut short as Lalna suddenly pulled us both back, away from the taint.
"Thanks Honeydew. You distracted him for long enough so that I could do this!" Lalna pointed what looked like a type of gun at Xephos. The creature narrowed its eyes, wings flapping once. "Stay back or you're dead!" Lalna warned. I didn't really know what Lalna had done, but I guessed he managed to get the cure into the gun...somehow. It was handy having a scientist around with you every now and again. Xephos stepped back, before he smirked.
"You don't know it won't hurt your friend. I know what it did to the taint before. You don't know it won't affect your poor little 'Xephos' if I don't leave him." Huh. That was the first time it had referred to itself as a different being. Had Xephos' alien DNA messed the taint up? There was no mention of a 'Mother'; neither was Xephos still one talking. I noticed Lalna flinch slightly when the taint pointed out the flaw. It was true – they hadn't been able to test it on a live infected substance. "Do you have the guts to try it out?"
I could see Lalna's hands shaking. Apparently he didn't. Unless he suddenly just pulls the trigger, I doubt he will. His hands slowly begin to lower, a smirk appearing on the embodiment's face. "There's a good boy." It mocked and taunted Lalna. I was about to reach for the gun when the dwarf took it before I could. He held it steady as it pointed at his friend.
"He might not, but I do. If you can access Xephos' memories, you know I'm not fucking around." Honeydew explained. Xephos glared at Honeydew, taking a few steps back. I gently put my arms around Lalna, comforting him. I glanced at Honeydew, wondering if he was really doing the right thing. What if it DID hurt Xephos?
"Why aren't you doing it, then? Why wait?" The creature hissed. The dwarf took this as an invitation, smirking. He moved closer to the taint as he shot the gun. It had a bullet like any normal gun, but inside the bullet was the cure. The bullet went straight into Xephos, a small amount of tainted blood exploding from the wound. He stumbled back, holding the wound. "At least someone had the guts to do it!" He ripped the bullet out from his chest, dropping it on the ground. The three of us watched in dismay, as the cure seemed to have no effect. Lalna hid his face against my chest, feeling disheartened, as Honeydew lowered his arm. The embodiment made two steps, before it suddenly fell onto one knee. I blinked, hearing it groan. The wings dissolved into the air, Xephos breathing heavily. His hair covered his face, so I couldn't tell if that was getting any better, but other physical signs of taint were disappearing. Honeydew rushed over to his friend, holding him in his embrace. I watched the two, feeling a glimmer of hope form in me. Maybe...maybe we could save them all. Lalna glanced over at Xephos and Honeydew, his eyes wide. His arm was outstretched towards the two.
"H-Honeydew, wait!"
