Hell on Earth.
They rise.
Protection.
Revolution.
Uprising.
Amber had no idea what the strange words meant, but she listened to them. The words always had some meaning, she just couldn`t discern what it was yet.
She`d been spending a lot of time with her old friends, laughing at something Darkness said, gossiping with Lily.
But she still didn`t know exactly what to think of Tech and Tragic.
Tech seemed nice enough, but there was something... off about him. Maybe it was the way he would avoid certain topics, or how his gaze would sometimes shift to the forest, and he would start to act slightly nervous.
Tragic was just weird. She hardly ate or slept, and she looked deranged. She would only talk when she was rambling to herself, and those rants were normally about "voices" or "the Technicolor sky" or "the Uprising." Amber started listening to the rants on the Uprising, but could never catch all of what the muttering girl said.
She stayed with Lily, in her cottage in the woods, while Darkness stayed with Tech and Tragic.
Another thing about Tragic, she seemed to stay up all night, just watching the trees. Amber had started to check the forest surrounding the meadow just to try and see what Tragic saw.
She couldn`t ever find anything.
LINEBREAK
Lily`s thoughts had started to turn to the Nether more often, and she found herself thrust into visions suddenly and brutally, unable to do anything but watch as the inhabitants revolted.
Yesterday she had seen an Enderman. It had bluish eyes, and it seemed to be talking to Tech. The two were deep in "conversation" so they didn`t notice Lily watching and listening.
She heard about the Uprising. The thought of all those creatures returning to the surface world was terrifying.
She thought of the War, and consequently, she dredged up memories of him. The memories she had shoved to the deepest recesses of her mind, which now made her feel the sting of betrayal again.
"She`ll do it." He said.
Lily looked at him, disbelief evident on her face and in her wide eyes.
Black Spirit`s eyes landed on his daughter. He had never felt any special kinship toward her, so this would be easy. He nodded at Bearclaw and One-eye. The two stepped forward and grabbed her, warning her not to move.
Lily looked at him again and said, numbly, "What? Why would you do this?"
He looked away, and didn`t answer her.
Then she was dragged to the operation table, and everything changed.
Lily shuddered at the memory, and at the pain it brought back. She closed her eyes and could almost feel the horrible pain in her eye.
She snapped her eyes open and just stood there, silent and trying not to think.
Finally, she sighed and turned; she shouldn`t keep them waiting any longer.
ANOTHER LINEBREAK
Darkness had been minding his own business, trying to get a farm started, when everything went to hell.
First, Tragic had run out of the house, eyes wide, and she whispered, "They`re coming."
Then, Tech emerged from his cave, and he looked positively giddy with excitement. His eyes were wide and his pupils dilated, and he seemed to shake with nervous energy.
Lastly, two groups exited the cover of trees, on either side of the meadow, and they headed for the small house in the middle. Neither group looked happy.
And just when he couldn`t imagine anything worse happening, he recognized them, and knew what was coming next.
A shadowy figure stepped out of the trees on the only side that wasn`t occupied by someone, and they smiled, all sharp teeth and red eyes.