After eating a dinner of fish, Sky felt himself relax. He was so full, and so warm, and so tired. But he wished that he'd managed to set up the tent.

As if reading his mind, Ember slid herself closer to Sky, glancing at the tent with a small little smile playing across her lips. "Score: Tent, one, Sky, zero," she whispered against his ear.

"Silence. It was an honorable battle, and I fought bravely," Sky whispered back, kissing her neck.

"If you lose against inanimate objects, we're in trouble," Ember murmured, lips meeting his as she turned to face him, arms latching around his neck.

"Ahem. If you two are done…" Mitch said pointedly.

"Mitch wanted a round of truth or dare," Ty interrupted. He'd seemed a lot cheerier since going fishing with Ember. Sky was glad. The change was for the better.

"Hey!"

"What?" Ty said, assuming an innocent expression.

"That wasn't what I was going to say!"

"Never mind that, it's what I wanted to say. So, Ember, Sky, detangle yourselves and settle in for the official Team Crafted pastime!" Reluctantly, Sky released Ember, and they moved apart a bit.

"I call first, then!" Mitch yelled instantly. "Ty, truth or dare!"

"Dare!" Ty declared. Mitch tiptoed over to Ty and whispered something in his ear. Ty gave a soft sort of resigned moan, but got up and left the light of the fire.

"What did you tell him?" Sky asked suspiciously.

"Nothing."

"Oh, so convin- AAAIIGH!" he squealed as something wet and slimy slid down his back.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Blame Mitch!" Ty yelped.

Sky managed to pull whatever it was away from his skin. He moved it into a better light, and immediately dropped the thing. "SQUID! Mitch, he dropped a squid in my shirt!"

It was, indeed, a tiny squid, its miniature tentacles waving wildly. "Hi, Sky," it said. "Ima squid!"

"Get it away from me!" Sky howled, backing up rapidly.

"Fine," Mitch said, grabbing the small cephalopod and carrying it off.

"Ty, it's your turn," Sky said, taking slow, deep breaths. He could still feel the trails of slime the squid had left. Eurgh.

"Em!" he called.

"Dare."

"You'll have to hurry, but while Mitch is dropping the squid off at the pond, push him in."

"Done," Ember grinned, running off into the dark. Several seconds later, they heard a loud scream and a splash noise.

"You evil little bitch," Ty said admiringly as she returned, brushing her hands together.

"Thank you. I try."

"This means it's your turn, Ember."

She was still thinking as Mitch returned, water dripping off of his plaid jacket. "If anyone ever wondered why I hate this game, this is my answer. Have you got your person picked yet, Ember?"

"Yeah. Sky- truth or dare?"

"Truth." He licked his lips out of nervous habit.

"Which do you like more, me or butter?"

As much as he hated to admit it, that was a tough question. But in the end, the answer was simple. "You."

"Woah."

"That's some loyalty," Ty whistled.

Ember smirked even as she cuddled against Sky's shoulder. "Your turn, Sky."

"Mitch!"

"Shit. Truth!"

"Most ridiculous way Bodil ever trolled you!" Bodil was the bane of Team Crafted's existence. He was a brilliant troll, dangerously brilliant. He could be fun to hang around with, as long as you maintained constant vigilance. Otherwise, you were dead.

Mitch sighed, thinking. "Um… Probably when he trapped me in a huge pit of lava, with a bunch of cow spawners spawning cows and giving me something to sort of stand on. I was so sure I was going to die!"

"Cow surfing!"

"That was a pretty impressive troll," Sky admitted, laughing. "Your turn, Mitch!"

"Back at you, Sky! Truth or dare?"

"Dare!"

The game went on for a while, punctuated by shouting matches and loud, spontaneous outbursts of singing. A few kisses were exchanged, multiple squids were released, and several duels occurred. Eventually, though, sometime after the second explosion, everyone became too tired to continue.

"W-w-w-we-e-e should probably g-g-g-g-go-o-o-o-o to sl-e-e-ep," Ty yawned.

"Definitely," Sky agreed, catching the yawn. "Man, I'm tired."

"I'm f-f-f-full-l-l-l-l," Mitch sighed. "I can't believe I'm not hungry."

"The power of a pond," Ember muttered. "I'm not tired. You guys should catch some z's, and I'll keep watch since we don't have a tent."

"No, Ember, I can do it," Sky said, yawning again. It wouldn't be fair for her to have to take watch.

"No, you actually can't, you chivalrous fool. You're going to fall asleep in the next few minutes." She lightened her words with a soft smile.

"I'm not going to argue. But wake me up if you want to take a break." Mitch was already snoring by this point. Ty's eyes were shut as he reclined against a stone.

Ember nodded. "Okay." Sky leaned back against one of the nearby boulders, closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth of the fire. He felt Ember's hand rest on his arm, stroking his skin gently. And to the feeling of calm and safety, he fell asleep.

Seto was staring at him as he opened his eyes. "So she got you too. I'm sorry. I didn't want this."

"Seto? Wh-where am I?" The stone of his cell was a creamy tan, the bars a deep gray iron. All around, the sky was jet black, not a single star deigning to shed its light upon the ground.

"You know. You're in the End." Seto was dressed in a long purple cloak that swept along the ground as he paced the floor outside Sky's cell. "I really wish I didn't have to do this, Adam. But my Lord leaves me little choice."

Seto spoke a single word, and violet energy formed around his hands. "I'm sorry," he said again, true remorse showing in his eyes. "I really am, Adam."

And then there was pain, and only pain, and nothing but pain as it exploded behind Sky's eyes, red stars dancing across a blindingly bright field of white. The pressure in his skull slowly built, rising in a crescendo in accordance with Sky's screams.

It ceased suddenly, leaving Sky feeling weak, falling limp to the ground. "Seto- why? Please, Seto, don't do this. It h-hurts. H-h-hurts so m-much," Sky whimpered, the throbbing in his head unbearable.

"I'm sorry. But I answer to someone else now. Not to you. Not to Team Crafted. I serve Herobrine, the mightiest of the mighty!" An insane glow tinged Seto's pale, thin features as he spoke the words.

"Seto, what did I ever do to you? What can I do? Anything. Just don't do that again."

"Anything?" Seto asked. "Because if you would truly do anything, then this is simple. You must simply join Herobrine and I and Ember."

He remembered now, how Ember had betrayed him. No. No. No. It couldn't be. She would never. No. No! NO!

"NO!" Sky screamed, sitting bolt upright. He felt himself shaking, covered in a cold sweat.

"Sky, what is it?" a voice asked, concern etched into every note. Ember.

He couldn't answer, could barely breathe.

"You had a nightmare," she said gently, her purple eyes meeting his as she pulled a piece of sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes. "It's okay." Sky only managed a choked whimper. He could feel his heart racing.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Ember asked, pressing her fingers into the back of his neck and massaging some of the tension away. "Hell, can you even talk?"

"Y-yes," he choked out. Sky forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. "But I- I can't talk about it right now. Okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, kissing his forehead lightly. He snuggled against her, smelling the soothing fragrance of jasmine that she always exuded. Already he could feel himself relaxing, falling back to sleep next to Ember.

Hello everybody! Sorry there was no chapter yesterday. I'm in school, and it gets a lot harder to update every day. Plus, I'm working on some oneshots, and still hashing out details of the plot (soon y'all will get to meet Zariah...). I try to keep writing as much as I can. Also, don't forget my review kitty! She is getting very lonely! I love to read reviews, and she does too! Help the lonely review cat!

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