Seto lifted his head as Ember passed his door. "Em," he called weakly.

"Hey, Seto," she said gently, coming in and sitting on his bed. He looked pretty awful, his skin a ghastly white, sweat soaking his hair and his pillow.

"How do you stand it?" he asked suddenly.

"Stand what?"

"Zariah. Knowing that you have someone with so much power over you inside you, and knowing that they want to destroy you and everyone that you care about."

Ember stiffened. "I hate it. She… I don't stand it, Seto, how can you think I would?"

"I was just hoping," he said, raising his chocolate eyes with some difficulty to meet her own. "I thought you might be able to help me."

"Are you hearing voices again, Seto?" Ember teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He cracked a small smile, but grew serious quickly. "I feel… I feel like I'm going insane, Ember. It hurts so much every time I go back to then. Is… am I insane?"

Yes.

Not helping, Z.

You're insane, too.

Thank you. Maybe I'm just imagining you.

Maybe. That would be weird. Maybe I'm imagining you. Although why I'd come up with such a bitch to share headspace with is a mystery.

Right back at you, oh dear friend.

The sarcasm… I didn't think you could do that!

Same goes for you.

No, I was being serious. Zariah gave the mental equivalent of a dry laugh.

"Ember?" Seto pressed. He was scared, she realized. Scared of himself.

Ember wanted to say 'no,' but somehow couldn't get the word out. "I don't know," she finally said.

Seto's eyes glazed over for a moment with tears. "I knew it. I knew it, but I had to ask." He was crying now, silent tears clumping in his eyelashes and spilling down over his cheeks.

"Seto… I just can't know what's happening in your head! But…" Ember stopped herself before she could say more. Stupid, stupid, STUPID girl.

I've been saying it for years.

Shut up.

You shut up.

It's my damn head! Go away!

Seto closed his eyes. "But what? You know it."

She couldn't think of anything to say, so for lack of anything better to do, Ember stroked his arm. Seto didn't react. "I…"

"You what, exactly?" Ember jumped, spinning around. Her eyes lit upon Herobrine, who stood silhouetted against the light from the hall.

"Nothing," she whispered. "Nothing."

"Come with me, Ember," he ordered. She slid off the bed and followed him out into the hall. He led the way up to the balcony, and jumped. Within five seconds, however, he'd floated back up.

Ember watched the dark god. "I can't."

"You can't what?" he asked, his black eyebrows bunching together over his white eyes.

"Fly."

"What?" Herobrine said, falling a few feet closer.

She winced at the tearing sensation as her wings ripped out of her back. "Zariah broke my wing."

He landed beside her. "Allow me." Ember flinched as he ran his hand across her wing. "Does it hurt?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me? Sit down," he added, conjuring a chair for her.

Ember complied, trying to resist the urge to panic as Herobrine searched for the break in her wing. She'd never liked being touched, especially on her wings. It had been one of her hardest challenges ever to act as though she were fine with all the… contact that her mission with Sky had taken. She hadn't minded it sometimes, though, especially not on the last morning before she'd… before she'd betrayed him. Ember had needed something to comfort her, to give her the strength to go through with the plan. And blissfully ignorant, Sky had been that comfort.

"Well?" Herobrine prompted, a slight edge to his voice. Ember realized with a jolt that she must have been ignoring his question.

"Sorry! I didn't tell you because… well, I didn't think to."

The god raised an eyebrow. "I am beginning to feel like you don't trust me."

Ember cried out as he accidentally brushed the fracture in her wing bone. "Ah! Stop, stop, stop!"

He obliged. "All I mean to say is that you did not consult with me before turning the human into a hybrid like yourself." She couldn't mistake the accusation in his tone for anything other than what it was.

"I…"

"You chose to heal him. Why?"

"Because…"

"You care about him. That's why, isn't it?"

"He hates me!"

"But you don't hate him."

Ember slumped down. "What right do I have to hate him?"

"What right have you? You have every right. He's upset you, hurt you before. He would kill you if he could. And he's the enemy. Ty is a human. It was people like him that killed your brother."

She closed her eyes as the painful memories rushed over her.

"Ember," Herobrine continued, "you're superior to him in every way. Why would you want to use your energy to save him and risk our cause?"

"I don't know!" Herobrine nodded, so Ember went on. "I don't know why I care, I don't know why I don't hate him, and I don't know why I didn't let him just die! All I know is that I do care, I don't hate him, and I didn't let him die!"

"That was weak," the dark god said coolly. "Try to do better. Remember our goal. Nothing matters but it."

"I'm sorry," Ember whispered.

"I know you are." Gently, he touched her wing again. Ember felt a warm surge of energy as he used his magic to repair the bone. She tried not to gasp in relief as the pain abated, draining smoothly away from her. The feeling in the absence of the pain was almost ecstasy.

"Thanks," she breathed, trying to show him the fullness of her gratitude in the lone word.

"You're welcome," Herobrine said, gracing her with his odd little half-smile. "Remember, don't disappoint me." With that, he spoke a soft syllable and disappeared.

Ember didn't want to ever fail the dark god again.

Ember is a perfectionist. What more can I say? Also, does anyone know why Seto doesn't upload videos anymore? I mean, I know TC kicked him out, but that's no reason to stop. Seto is awesome, and it's TC's loss that they didn't realize it sooner. And I would know awesome. Because awesome lives right here! ME! I'M AWESOME! BECAUSE I'M ALIVE! AND A DRAGON! YAY! LOGIC! *brain explodes in cupcake sparkles of awesome* And noooo I'm not an obsessed fangirl... what would give you that impression? Anyway, if you know why Seto the awesome person doesn't upload, please share!

Rant over. Now back to the scheduled programming.

So, thank you guys so much for your support of the story! I really try to update as often as possible... sigh... I have so many projects going on write now (Geddit? 'Write' now? You're laughing. I can tell.) that it's overwhelming. My main life is chess. Chess. More chess. (My life is weird, didja notice?) Then I'm working on starting a YT channel for FX makeup, covers of songs, and MC. So I have a question, and yes I do realize that this is an insanely long author's note. But kittens happened, 'kay?

Question is, what do you guys like to see in MC vids? What in MC should I do? What makes a video good? Tell me in the comments!

Thanks guys, and here is the S to the O to the TC (Not Team Crafted): "Glory and Gore" by Lorde.