AN – AND START CHAPTER!

Ted: Magma does not own Terraria. Any references to movies, games, products, TV shows, etc. are also not owned by Magma. Any dialog/events/characters that are not canon belong to Magma. No copy write is intended.

All information on Terraria is from the Terraria Wiki.

The Mistake

"That's the last of it, lassie." Sinbad told her, the sailors of the Paranjay finishing unloading the supplies.

"Indeed it is!" Mortimer said, checking off a list on a clipboard. "I can always rely on you, Sinbad."

"Thank ye, sir." Sinbad told him.

It had been four days since Sarid had gone down into the underworld, and it had proven to be worth it. She had found quite a bit of coin, and the hellstone had been useful in crafting. As well, she had finished furnishing her bed room, so that she no longer slept on the floor and upgraded her Obsidian Skull with a shield she had found down in the dungeon, so that she had an Obsidian Shield.

"Alright, get ready ta sail!" Sinbad told the men, all of them going back on the ship, doing as he had said.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay longer?" Sarid asked him. "You and your men never seem to stay long."

"Thank ya lassie, but we've gotta shipment we need ta move, and if we get it thar within the next few days, our pay'll be doubled."

"I see." Sarid told him. "Very well."

"Aye. But next time ye have celebration, we'll stay fer sure." He told her.

"We'll probably celebrate when the season turns again." Sarid told him.

"Ah well, we might find sum o'her reason ta stay then." Sinbad said. "But fer now, the men 'n' I need ta head on."

"May the wind be on your side."

"An' may ye find fame en fortune, lassie." He told her, then heading up the gangplank.

"Well, I'd best get these supplies back to the village." Mortimer told Sarid. "They won't sell themselves, and I got something special for you."

"Hm?" Sarid hummed.

"It's some scented bath stuff. It should cover up the scent you get by the end of the day." Mortimer told her.

"I do bathe." Sarid told him, somewhat offended.

"Yes, but by the end of a long day, you just don't smell good." Mortimer told her.

"…Very well." Sarid sighed. "Let's head back, I need to finish up in the underworld."

"That land bridge you've been working on?" Mortimer asked.

"Yes. It helps eliminate the danger of the lava." Sarid told him.

They reached the end of the dock, going over to the carriage that had been loaded up. Mortimer climbed up into the driver's seat, Sarid beside him. He whipped the reins and the horse started forward, both of them going back to village. They arrived and turned down onto the main road, stopping before Hannah's Clinic. Sarid jumped down to the ground and got the crate marked for her, and then went up to the door, while Mortimer kept on to his store.

Sarid went into the Clinic, setting the crate down beside the door.

"Hannah?" She called, Hannah coming down the stairs.

She was visibly mad, glaring at Sarid.

"Where would like me to put this crate?"

"Exam room." She said.

"Very well." Sarid picked up the crate and went down to the exam room, setting it down and turned to leave, when she saw Hannah in the door way, arms crossed, shoulders hunched and still glaring. "…I can't help but feel you're upset with me."

"Upset?!" Hannah asked. "That doesn't- What did you do NOW?!"

"…What?"

"Don't play dumb, Sarid! I thought you were making progress, but you've done something to Asher!" Hannah told her. "He always comes over for a meal but he hasn't come by or spoken to me in four days, so what did you do?!"

"I…what?" Sarid asked. "I…nothing that I know of."

"…Nothing that you know of?" Hannah asked. "Right. Because you don't know how you've hurt him."

"I…That was never my-"

"Well, you have!" Hannah cut in. "Now…I want you to go find out what happened."

"…But I can-"

"Now." Hannah told her. Sarid sighed, realizing there was no point in trying to reason with her in her enraged state. She walked over to the door, stepping around Hannah and went out of the Clinic, stopping outside.

What did I do? Sarid wondered. I can't think of anything…I…had realized I had hurt him, but I couldn't think of how to apologize…saying I'm sorry just wouldn't be enough…

She looked up at the library, sighed, and then started over to it, going up the porch and into it.

"Asher?" She asked.

"Yes?" Asher asked, appearing from the bookshelves.

"…Hannah sent me over."

"Oh. What can I do for you?" Asher asked, smiling.

"…Well…uh…have I…done something?"

"No. Why?"

"You haven't been over to her house in four days."

"Oh, I've just been reading." Asher told her. "The books you brought to me from the dungeon are very interesting. It'd be a shame to not read as much of them as I could."

"…I see…" His speech is…different…

"Well, if that's all you needed, I'll get back to it then." He said, going back into the shelves.

"…Asher, are you…alright?"

His head appeared from the shelves.

"Yes. Why?"

"…Your…uh, nevermind."

"Alright. Good day." He said, then disappearing back into the shelves.

Sarid blinked, then went out of the library and onto the street, confused.

…I should work on the land bridge. She thought, heading toward the mine.

She spent the rest of the day down in the underworld, constructing the land bridge and she continued to work on it for the next few days, until she reached a satisfactory point with it. She then mined for a few days, expanding on one shaft when she struck something.

It was a white rock, with black streaks on it, cool to the touch. She mined some of it then used her magic mirror, transporting herself back to the village. Hopping down from the square, she went up the road to the library, going into it.

"Seriously, why haven't you been visiting?" Hannah asked, she and Asher in the middle of the library.

"I've just been reading is all." Asher told her.

"But you always made time to visit." Hannah told him. "So why aren't you visiting?"

"Well, I really have nothing to say."

"No, you do!" Hannah said. "You tell me about what you've been reading, homeopathic cures in the old books from the dungeon, about-"

She then noticed Sarid, who stared at her.

"…certain things." Hannah said.

"Well, I had sudden desire for solitude." Asher told her. "If you want to visit here, be my guest, but I'll be out for a walk."

"Ash…" Hannah said, Asher walking past Sarid and out the door.

Sarid's brows furrowed, and she followed him out. Going down onto the street, she saw him headed toward the mine. She followed him, thinking that he would turn off and go up one of the walking paths around it, only for him to keep on toward the mine. Hannah had followed her from the library, a concerned look on her face over worrying about her cousin.

"Asher." Sarid said. He stopped, and turned around to look at her.

"Yes?"

"…Where are you going?"

"For a walk."

"…In the mine?"

"It is a fascinating place."

Sarid stared at him, looking into his eyes, when something dawned on her.

"…Who are you?" She asked.

"…What?"

"Who are you? Where's Asher?"

"I'm Asher."

"No you're not." Sarid told him. "You're…you can't be him. Your speech is different, you don't visit Hannah, and your eyes…Asher has brown doe eyes. Yours…aren't."

"…" Asher, or whoever they were, stared at her. He closed his eyes and hung his head, standing still.

"…Asher?" Sarid asked.

"…Ash?" Hannah asked, a few yards behind her.

He raised his head, showing his eyes to be black with red irises.

"He's not here right now."

Sarid took in a choked gasp, recalling her dream.

"…Shadow Man." She whispered.

He laughed a booming laugh, and the sky darkened, going from the golden red of evening to a clouded, overcast sky of looming disaster. The residents came out of their homes, gathering around to see what was going on.

"Is that Asher?" Reginald asked.

"That's not Asher, look at his eyes!" Durim told him.

"Shadow Man!" Faye exclaimed, shocked.

"Who?" Ted asked.

"Wh-what did you say?!" Mortimer asked, also shocked.

"Not again." Pip said, his voice hollow and his face terrified.

The Shadow Man laughed again, then looked at the residents with a twisted smile.

"Oh, so some of you know me?" He asked. "You poor old men, never wanting to see me again, how rude!"

"You! You caused the shroud war!" Mortimer said, pointing his finger accusingly.

"That's right, mortal!" The Shadow Man told him. "And what fun it was! Shame it had to end, I was doing quite well until all of YOU showed up…"

"What do you want?!" Faye demanded.

"Oh, the usual." He said. "Power, world domination, dead bodies at my feet, and Sarid's head on a plate!"

"Wh-why?" Sarid asked.

"Why?" He asked. "Oh ho ho! You don't know of your history! How amazing! Daddy was even less competent than I realized!"

"You leave him out of this!" Sarid said.

"Oh hoho!" He laughed. "This is quite the amusing show!"

"Where's Asher?!" Sarid demanded.

"Why, down in the underworld!" The Shadow Man said. "It took a bit longer than I had hoped, but my plan is in motion."

"…Plan?"

"GIVE HIM BACK!" Hannah roared.

"Oh ho! My dear woman, why should I do as you say?"

Hannah pulled out a syringe and threw it at him, implanting itself in his shoulder.

"Good aim, poor weapon." He said. "Do you really think that a mortal weapon could harm ME?!"

The syringe was surrounded by a darkness that pulled it from his should and turned it around so it was pointed at her, then shot toward her. Sarid jumped in front of her, stopping it with her shield.

"Oh, always so fast to help people." The Shadow Man said. "Well, why don't you help you poor little lover?"

"L-lover?" Sarid asked.

"Oh! Oh hohoho! You really don't get it?! You've been disgustingly in love with the boy for months now and you still can't realize it?"

Sarid remembered Flint's words, and she felt like she had been struck in the gut.

"Yes, the dawning realization you've messed up." The Shadow Man said. "How humorous to watch."

"…What have you done with Asher?"

"Oh, he's my prisoner. I must admit, his cries have been an absolute PLEASURE to listen to."

Sarid's eyes widened, and her jaw clenched.

"Oh, you look mad. Well, I'm sure you know what to do. If not, I left the book for it on his desk."

"Why?"

"Oh, I just had to wait for you to make a mistake. Namely, not apologizing for hurting the poor, poor boy."

"Let him go!"

"As I said, I'm sure you know what to do."

He lowered his head, his twisted smile returning.

"I look forward to our next meeting, my dear girl."

He turned into a black mist then, which dissipated into the air.

Sarid felt lightheaded all of a sudden, the ground under her rocking.

How could I let this happen?

"Sarid!"

She snapped out of it and looked behind her, seeing the residents.

"A-aren't y-y-you gonna go s-save him?!" Rooster asked her, standing with his brothers.

"Sarid, please!" Hannah told her, a desperate look on her face. "You need to save Ash!"

"Yeah! He's been growing on me!" Reginald agreed.

"Sarid, he did say he had a plan!" Faye told her. "Be. Careful."

"…Hm." Sarid sounded, pressing her lips together.

She turned then, and ran into the mine, sliding down the rope to the underworld.

AN – DUN DUN DUUUUN!

…I have nothing else to add. :/

Unknown Blackness: Sorry, but no. I prefer the Phoenix Blaster.

Red Devil 666: You'll find out next chapter!

terrarialover: Okay?

CorEagle: She never did show it to him. She just kept it.

Sumwun dum: That's an interesting idea, but a cyborg is a human with robotic parts. The guide and the orignal human would have to be able to co-exist within the same body if that were to happen.

Gizmo Gear: ? What makes you think they did the do?